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Popular Expositor
OF
The Gospels and Acts,
FOR
PCLPIT, SUNMY-SCIIOOL, AND FAMILY.
MATTHEW, MARK, JOHN.
y
ALFRED NEVIN, L. B., D.D,
ZIEGLER & McCURDY,
Philadelphia, Pa. • Cincinnati, O. ; St. Louis, Mo. :
% Springfield, Mass.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by
ZIEGLER <t McCURDY,
In the OflBce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.
PREFACE.
In the preparation of the " Expositor," the Author, with a vie^v to its usefulness,
very freely availed himself of all the reliable aid within his reach, without deem-
ing it necessary in all cases to indicate the numerous sources from which it was
derived. Instead of encumbering the volume with a mass of authorities, or the
history and comparison of conflicting oi^inions, which, for the ordinary reader,
tend rather to obscure than to elucidate, it was his aim merely to present the last
and best results of Biblical research, scientific di-^covery, and historical develop-
ment, bearing upon the portions of Scripture expounded. And this he labored to
do, with such an union of exegesis and practical reflection, as well as in such
method, spirit and style, as would combine attraction, instruction, and profitable
impression. Difficulties, without being formally stated in some instances, and
without hope of their unshadowed solution in many more, were, under a sense
of duty, grappled by him according to his ability. Cons-^tant care was also taken
in the treatment of all passages to avoid the extremes of too great brevity and
too great fullness.
In the full notation of parallel passages, the attachment of a list of questions to
each chapter, and the insertion of the "Historical Index," which furnishes a
more extended explanation of persons, places and things than would have been
proper where they severally and repeatedly occur in the text, reference was had
not only to the convenience of the student, but also to his economy of time and
means. The Appendixes, in which are jjresented a "Biograpical Sketch of the
Apostles," and an essay on " Demoniacal Possessions," will, it is hoped, be regarded
with interest as well by the general as the professional reader.
The work has involved a large expenditure of time and strength, but this was
patiently borne under a deep conviction that they were being devoted to the
noblest and best of all services. In all expositions supreme reference was had to
"the mind of the Spirit," and it is gratefully acknowledged that one great com-
pensation for the toil endured has been already received in the testimonies of so
manv eminent Ministers and Laymen, who occupy diff'e'-ent, and in some respects
divergent, sections in the vineyard of our blessed Lord — that the portion of the
Divine Word which we have dealt with, has been, without evasion, compromise
or dilution, fully and faithfully unfolded — thus showing that in their judgment, as
well as in our own, there is a broad and deep substratum of truth in the Bible,
which may be reached, and on which God's dear people may and do rest as the
rule of their fiiith, hope and practice, even though, for reasons which it is not
necessary for us here either to state or discuss, such common basis be not yet as
visibly and practically recognized, as very many think it should be, and fervently
pray it soon may be.
The Divine blessipg is earnestly implored upon the work, whenever, wherever
and by whomsoever it may be read. Should it prove acceptable to the public, an
exposition of the remainder of the New Testament will follow in due time, if
Providence permit.
Philadelphia, September 1, 1872.
ill
PREFACE
TO THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW.
HISTORY OF THE APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST.
The details of Matthew's life which have been preserved are very scanty. Little is
known of him except what he has recorded of himself, (ix. 9-13, x. 3.)
He was a Galilean, but of what city or ti'ibe of Israel is unknown. Though a Jew,
he was employed as a publican, or tax-gatherer, under the Romans, to whom the
Jews were now tributary, in the provincial government of Judea. The cii'cumstance
that, although deej)ly attached to the religion of his fathers, he adopted an occupation
against which such strong prejudices were entertained, would seem to indicate that,
to some extent, at least, he could distinguish between the true essence of Judaism and
its outward forms and trachtional prejudices. His ordinary residence was Capernaum,
on the Sea of Galilee, where he took the customs' duty for the transportation of
goods backward and forward, and the toll from passengers, who crossed the water.
The name Matthew is probably a contracted form of Mattathiah, gift of Jehovah, or, as
some think, identical with Amittai, true, faithful. That Matthew is the same with
" Levi, son of Alpheus," whom, according to Luke (v. 27, 29), and Mark (ii. 14), the
Lord called from the receipt of custom, is evident, not only from the perfect agreement
in the circumstances related by these Evangelists with the account given by Matthew
of himself (ix. 9), but also from the fact that in the list of the twelve Apostles (Matt.
X. 3), Matthew is called th^ pi(?;ZiV«7i. If there were two i^ublicans, both called solemnly
in the same form at the same place, Capernaum, then one of them became an Apostle,
and the other was heard of no more, for Levi is not mentioned again after the feast
which he made in our Lord's honor. (Luke v. 29.) This is most unlikely. The
change of name cannot be regarded as an objection to the identity of IMatthew and
Levi. It Avas common among the Jews to have two names ; as " Lebbeus, whose sur-
name was Thaddeus" (Matt, x. 3), and " Simon, who is called Peter." (Matt. x. 2.)
When a Jew became a Roman citizen he usually assumed a Roman name. Hence
it is supposed that " Le-si " was the original Hebrew, and " ]Matthew " the assumed
Roman name of this Evangelist. Or, the former may have been his family name, and
the latter the one by which he was known as a discij^le. If, as is generally supposed,
the father of Matthew was the same with the Alpheus named as the father of James
the Less, then he was the cousin of the Lord Jesus.
Matthew was first called by our Lord while he abode in Capernaum. (Matt. ix. 9.)
PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. V
He was sitting in his office, by the sea-side, when Jesus, at an early period of His
ministry, spoke to him, his hands full of business, his head, perhaps, of calculations,
and his heart oi covetousness : for it is not certain that he had paid any previous regard
to the teaching of Christ. .But, when commanded to follow Jesus, such a power at-
tended the word as led him to renounce his employment, and immediately to become
an attendant on the Saviour, that he might be a preacher of the Gospel.
" At oijce he rose, and left his gold,
His treivsure aud bis heart transferred.''
It is not probable, however, that he followed Jesus continuously, until he had settled
his accounts with those by whom he had been employed. When, before the Sermon
on the INIount, our Lord inaugurated His,body of Apostles, Matthew was included, and
in liis own catalogue stands second in class, and eighth in order. There is one circum-
stance which reflects much credit on Matthew. After the calling of him by Jesus, the
Saviour, at his request, partook, with some publicans who had also been invited, of an
entertainment at his house. His design, doubtless, in giving this great feast, was, be-
sides paying respect to Christ, to afford his former friends an opi)ortunity for familiar
acquaintance with Him, and to give our Lord a favorable oj^portunity for free and
unrestrained conversation on religion and the Messiah's dispensation. But, whilst he
gives a brief account of the feast (ix. 10), we are indebted to Mark (ii. 15) and Luke
(v. 29) for the fact, which Matthew's modesty omitted to mention, that Matthew
himself gave the feast. He wished to do honor to his Master, and to preserve the im-
portant sentiments which He had expressed. To others he left it, if they chose to do
so, to maka known the imj^ortant part which he had in this matter. It is also observ-
able as indicating the .same spirit, that he does not dissemble his former j)rofession as
a publican (x. 3), thus exalting the grace of Christ whitth raised him to the Apostleship.
Matthew continued a faithful attendant upon our Saviour till His crucifixion, and
was an eye-witness of His miracles, and a hearer of His discourses. He remained in
Jerusalem until the day of Pentecost, when he received the Holy Ghost with the rest
of the Apostles, after which there is no authentic account of him to be met with ; he
doubtless continued in Judea preaching the Gospel till the time of persecution com-
pelled him to retire. According to Socrates, an historian of the 5th century, Matthew
preached the Gospel in Ethiopia [His). Ecd. i. c. 19) ; where, it is an opinion with many,
he died a martyr in the city of Nadabbar or Nadavver, but by what death is not known.
{Cave's Liv. Apos.) Others say he died in Parthia, or Persia : Clement of Alexandria,
on tlie authority of Heracleon, a learned Valentinian of the 2d century, denies that he
suffered martyrdom. {Strom, lib. iv.): and Chrysostom in his eulogy on Matthew makes
no mention of such circumstance. {Horn. 48, 49.) This diversity of opinion evidently
shows that these suppositions are without good foundation.
AUTHORSHIP OF THIS GOSPEL.
There is no ancient book with regard to the authorship of which we have earlier,
fuller, and more unanimous testimony. From Papias, almost if no tquite contemporary
with the Apostles, downward, we have a stream of unimpeachable witnesses to the
fiict that Matthew Avas the author of a Gospel, Avhile the quotations which abound in
the works of the Fathers prove that — at least as early as IrenoBus — if we may not also
add Justin, Avhose " IMemorabilia of Christ" we cannot but identify with the " Gospels"
he speaks of as in public use— prove that the Gospel received by the church under hia
name was tlie same as that which has reached us.
Tt PEEFACE TO THE GOSPEL ACCOEDING TO MATTHEW.
LANGUAGE IN WHICH IT WAS WRITTEN,
It was a general tradition in the early church that there was a Gospel, written by-
Matthew, in Syro-Chaldaic. That he did write some notices of our Lord's life in the
vernacular language of Palestine is probable. But the originality and genuineness of
the Greek Gospel are sustained by the strongest evidence. No trace of any Hebrew
Gospel now remains. In Palestine, moreover, Greek was th« language of books of
business, and of common life. Looking, therefore, to the habits of his countrymen,
and to the approaching dissolution of the Jewish State, he had every inducement to
employ that tongue.
TIME AND PLACE AT WHICH THIS GOSPEL WAS WRITTEN.
The time when this Gospel was written is uncertain ; but if the testimony of old writers
that it is the earliest of the Gospels must be taken into account, this would bring it
before A. D. 58-GO, the supposed date of Luke. The most probable supposition is that
it was written between 50 and 60 ; the exact year cannot even be guessed at. There is
however no doubt that it was written in Palestine.
GENUINENESS.
Irenseus, Tatian, who died A. D. 170, and who composed a harmony of the Gospels,
lost to us ; Theophilus, of Antioch, who, about 1(38, wrote a commentary on the Gospels ;
Clement, of Alexandria, who flourished about 189; Tertullian, born about IGO ; Origen,
born 185 ; Justin Martyr, and other early writers, prove that the Gospel of Matthew
was received very anciently in the Christian Church. It has, indeed, been asserted
by some, who admit generally its authority, that the first two chapters are a spurious
addition. But for this there is not the shadow of a foundation. " When," says EUi-
cott, " we remember (1) that these chapters are contained in every manuscript, uncial
or cursive, and in every version. Eastern or Western, that mos-t of the early fathers
cite them, and that early enemies to Christianity appealed to them (O^-ig. Cels. i. 38,
ii. 32), when we observe (2) the obvious connection between the beginning of chapter
iii., and the end of chapter ii., and between iv. 13 and ii. 23, and when we remark (3)
the exact accordance of diction with that of the remaining chapters of the Gospel, it
becomes almost astonishing that even a priori prejudice should not have abstained
at any rate from so hopeless a course as that of impugning the genuineness of these
chapters."
PURPOSE OP THIS GOSPEL.
There is plain internal evidence that this Gospel was written particularly for the use
of the Jews, to show them in Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah of the Old Testament
whom they expected, and not merely Jews in Palestine, but Jews all over the world.
It bears a striking Jewish character and coloring. The facts which it selects, the points
to which it gives prominence, the cast of thought and phraseology, the number of pas-
sages in it which refer to the Old Testament (about 65), the number of verbal citations
of the Old Testament— all bespeak the Jewish point of view /ro)?i which it was written
and to which it was directed. This has been noticed from the beginning, is universally
acknowledged, and is of the greatest consequence to the right interpretation of Matthew.
His Gospel is pervaded by one principle, the fulfillment of the law and of the Messianic
prophecies in the person of Jesus. This at once sets it in opposition to the Judaism of the
time, for it rebuked the Pharisaic interpretations of the law (v. xxiii.),and proclaimed
Jesus as the Son of God and the Saviour of the world through his blood, ideas which
PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW.
VII
were strange to the cramped and limited Judaism of the Christian era. From l;iis
peculiar geniu.s, liis training, and his apostolical calling, Matthew, the publican and Apos-
tle, was peculiarly fitted for the task of writing this Gospel. By it he connects the
New Testament most intimately with the Old. And this is done not by an index of
the writings of the Old Testament, but by the Old Testament genealogy of Jesus, thus
furnishing evidence of the indissoluble connection between the Old and the New Tes-
tament, which continued in the secret recesses of Jewish life from the close of the one
to tiie commencement of the other.
STYLE.
The style of our Evangelist is simple and perspicuous. He is grave, without formal
stiffness ; plain, with dignity. Though he has not the graphic power of Mark, or the
spiritual perceptions of John, yet, in the clearness, simijlicity and fullness of details,
he is perhaps superior to either, and equal to Luke.
CHARACTERISTICS OP THIS GOSPEL,
One characteristic of this Gospel is its constant citations from the Old Testament.
The following list is nearly complete :
Matt.
Matt.
I.
23.
Is. vii. 14.
XV.
8.
Is. xxix. 13.
II.
6.
Mic. v. 2.
XVII.
2.
Ex. xxxiv. 29.
15.
Hos. xi. i.
11.
Mai. iii. 1 ; iv. 5.
18.
Jer. xxxi. 15.
XVIIL
15.
Lev. xix. 17.
III.
3.
Is. xl. 3.
XIX.
4.
Gen. i. 27.
IV.
4.
Deu. viii. 3.
5.
Gen. ii. 24.
6.
Ps. xci. ii.
7.
Deu. xxiv. 1.
7.
Deu. vi. 16.
18.
Ex. XX. 12. Lev. xix. 18.
10.
Deu. vi. 13.
XXI.
5.
Zech. ix. 9.
15.
Is. viii. 23, ix. 1.
9.
Ps. cxviii. 25.
V.
5.
Ps. xxxvii. 11.
13.
Is. Ivi. 7. Jer. vii. 11.
21.
Ex. XX. 13.
16.
Ps. viii. 2.
27.
Ex. XX. 14.
42.
Ps. cxviii. 22.
31.
Deu. xxiv. 1.
44.
Is. viii. 14.
33.
Lev. xix, 12. Deu. xxiii. 23.
XXII.
24.
Deu. XXV. 5.
38.
Ex. xxi. 24.
32.
Ex. iii. 6.
43.
Lev. xix. 18.
37.
Deu. vi. 5.
VIIL
4.
Lev. xiv. 2.
39.
Lev. xix, 18.
17.
Is. liii. 4.
44.
Ps. ex. 1.
IX.
13.
Hos. vi. 6.
XXIII.
35.
Gen. iv. 8. 2 Chr. xxiv. 21.
X.
35.
Mic. vii. 6.
38.
Ps. lix. 25.
XL
5.
Is. XXXV. 5 ; xxix. 18.
Jer. xii. 7; xxii. 5.
10.
Mai. iii. 1.
39.
Ps. cxviii. 26.
14.
Mai. iv. 5.
XXIV.
15.
Dan, ix, 27.
XIL
3.
1 Sam. xxi. 6.
29.
Is, xiii, 10.
5.
Num. xxviii. 9.
37.
Gen, vi. 11,
7.
Hos. vi. 6.
XXVI.
31.
Zech. xiii. 7.
18.
Is. xlii. 1.
52.
Gen. ix. 6.
40.
Jon. i.-17.
64.
Dan. vii. 13.
42.
1 K. X. 1.
XXVII.
9.
Zech. xi. 13.
XIII.
14.
Is. vi. 9.
35.
Ps. xxii. 18.
35.
Ps. Ixxviii. 2.
43.
Ps. xxii. 8,
XV.
4.
Ex. XX. 12; xxi. 17.
46.
Ps. xxii. 1.
vm PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW.
Matthew's Gospel also contains many circumstances not recorded by the other
Evangelists, the chief of -which are :
Visit of the Magi, . Matt. ii. 1-12.
Flight into Egypt, . ii. 13-16.
Murder of the Innocents, ii. 16-19.
Parable of the Ten Virgins, xxv. 1-13.
Dream of Pilate's AVife, xxvii. 19.
Resurrection of many Saints after our Lord's crucifixion, . xxvii. 52-55.
Bribing of the Roman Guard set to watch the sepulchre, . xxviii. 11-16.
Matthew presents the life of Jesus as forming a jjart of the history and life of the
Jewish nation, and hence, as the fulfillment of the hereditary blessing of Abraham.
He views thijigs in the grand general aspect, and, indifterent to the details in which
Mark loves so much to dwell, he gathers up all in the great result. His narrative
proceeds with a majestic simplicity, occasionally regardless of time and according to
another and deeper order, ready to sacrifice 'mere chronology to the development of
his idea. Thus he brings together events sejDarated sometimes by considerable inter-
vals, according to the unity of their nature or i^urjiose, and with a grand but simple
power accumulates in groups the discourses, parables and miracles of our Lord.
" From its prevailing historical character," says Lange, " the Gospel of Matthew may
be regarded as forming the basis of all others. It dwells chiefly on the great fects of
the life of Jesus as foretold and foreshadowed in the Old Testament, while Mark
sketches His individual personality. Luke presents Him in His mercy to humanity
at large ; and John, in his symbolical, divinely ideal Gospel, opens to our view the
fullness of grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ. In its typological view and
exposition of the Old Testament, the Gospel according to Matthew strongly resembles
the Epistle to the Hebrews."
Another minor characteristic which deserves remark, is Matthew's use of the plural,
where the other Evangelists have the singular. Thus, in the temptation, we have
'"stones" and "loaves" (iv. 3), two demoniacs (viii. 28), two blind men (xx. 30), the ass
and her colt (xxi. 2), servants (xxi. 34, 36), both thieves blaspheming (xxvii. 44). This
is ingeniously accounted for by Ba Costa {Four Witnesses jj. 322), though this is not
universally applicable, on the idea that "his jioint of view — regarding the events he
narrates as fulfilled prophecies — leads him to regard the species rather than the indi-
vidual, the entire plenitude of the i^rophecy rather than the isolated fulfillment."
Matthew and John alone have the honor of being at the same time Apostles and
Evangelists. As Evangelist, our j^^iblican stands first in order, and opens the message
of salvation, even as Mary Magdalene, who had been a sinner, was the first to bring
tidings of the resurrection.
AN HISTORICAL
SKETCH OF THE LAND OP PROMISE.
The Land of Israel — Palestine, or Judea. — Was given in an everlasting covenant
to Abraham and his seed forever. — See Gen. xii. 6, 7 ; xiii. 14-.7. It was waslied on
tlie W. by the Mediterranean, or Great sea, as it is called in the Bible: Num. xxxiv. 6,
" And ax for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border; this shall
be your west border." Josh. i. 4, " From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even unto
the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea
toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast." Northward, it reached along
the Mediterranean sea to Mount Casius at the mouth of the Orontes, which is the en-
trance into Hamath. Num. xxxiv. 7-9, "This shall be your north border: from the
great sea ye shall point out for you Mount Hor (Heb. Hor-ha-hor).^ From Mount Hor
ye shall point out unto the entrance into Hamath,^' &c. Its South border — is the " River
of Egypt," — see Gen. xv. 18, "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of
-Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates" And the East border — see Deut. xi. 24,
"Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: . . . from the
river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be."
" The difference of latitude and longitude in the land actually occupied by ancient
Israel, and that which was promised in the everlasting covenant, and still remains to
be fulfilled, is as follows:— See 1 Kings iv. 25, ' Judah and Israel dwelt safely from Dan
even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.' (But Solomon, like his father David,
exercised a nominal or real sovereignty over all the regions which the Lord had given
to the seed of Jacob. — See 1 Kings iv. 21.)
"The latitude of Beersheba is 31 deg. 15 min. ; of Dan, 33 deg. 15 min.; the south
point of the Dead sea, the ancient border of Israel, is 31 deg. 7 min. in the same longi-
tude with Dan, the intervening distance, in a line from north to south, being 128
geographical, or about 150 English miles.
"The latitude of the north point of the Elanitic gulf, on the Red Sc-a, on which Ezion-
geher, a port of Solomon's, stood, is 29 deg. 31 min. This is the south border promised
to Abraham. The mouth of the Orontes, or the entrance into Hamath from the Med-
iterranean, is 36 deg., and that of Beer, or Berothah, on the Euphrates, 37 deg. But
the range of Amanus lies beyond it, and the medium longitude of the north boundary
is more than 36 deg. 31 min. N. ; or in an ideal line, from south to north, the length
of the land is upward of seven degrees, or 500 miles, instead of 150 as of old.
"The breadth of Immanuel's land, instead of its anciently contracted span, from the
Mediterranean sea on the west, to a few miles on the east of Jordan, stops not short
of a naviga1)le frontier everywhere and on every side. The longitude of the river
Nile is 30 deg. 2 min. ; that of the Euphrates, as it flows through the Persian gulf, 48
deg. 26 min.; or a difference of nearly 18 deg. and a half, or more than 1,100 miles.
" On the northern extremity of the land the range of Amanus mountains from the
river Euphrates, to the nttermost sea, or extremity of the Mediterranean, scarcely
exceeds 100 miles. In round numbers, the average breadth of the Promised Land is
600 miles, which multiplied by its length, 500 miles, gives an area of 300,000 square
miles, or more than that of any kingdom or empire in Europe, Russia alone excepted.
* A very high mountain. IX
X HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE LAND OF PROMISE.
" Separated as Israel is from other lands, such are its borders that it has unequaled
freedom of access to all . . . and is well fitted for becoming ' the glory of all lands,'
the heritage of a people blessed of the Lord." *
The Land of Promise Avas so called from God's having given it by promise to the
seed of Abraham, Gen. xii. 7 : see also Gen. xiij. 14-.7, "And the Lord said unto Abra-
ham, after that Lot was separated from him. Lift ujd now thine eyes, and look from
the place where thou art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward :
for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And
I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth : so that if a man can number the dust
of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land,
in the length of it, and in the breadth of it : for I will give it unto thee." — xvii. 8,
" And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land Avherein thou art a
stranger, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession; and I will be their
God."
It was called the Land of Canaan because, upon the dispersion of the three great
families of mankind, the country lying at the southeastern extremity of the Mediter-
ranean, from Sidon to Gaza, was usurped by Canaan, the eldest son of Ham. And the
name of Palestine Avas derived from the Philistines, whose ancestors were the Phil-
istim, or children of the Caphtorim and Casluhim, who were descendants of Mizraim
(see Gen. x. 13-.4.), and came from Egypt. They passed into Canaan, whence they
drove out the ancient inhabitants, and they possessed a considerable tract of country
at the time Abraham sojourned in Canaan. — See Gen. xxi. 34, "And Abraham sojourned
in the Philistines' land many days." — See also xxvi. 14-.5. They extended their con-
quests as far -northward as Ekron, and nearly to Joppa, and divided their territory
into 'five lordships, called after their principal cities, viz. : Ekron, Ashdod, Gath, As-
calon and Gaza. — See Josh. xiii. 3, "From Sihor which is before Egypt, even unto the
borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite : five lords of the Phil-
istines ; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the
Ekronites ; also the Avites." These dwelt in the western or maritime part of it, bor-
dering on Egypt; and, though they were subjected by David, and kept in obedience
by some of his succesors, they became afterward so powerful as to furnish the Greek
and Latin writers, as well as the neighboring people, with a general appellation for
the whole country.
The Israelites left Egyi^t B. C. 1560,t and after wandering forty years in the wilder-
ness, two tribes and a half of them were settled east of the Jordan by Moses, who died
shortly afterward : the children of Israel crossed over the river, under the conduct
of Joshua, and, after six years' successful fighting against the Canaanites, divided their
land amongst the nine tribes and a half. The southern part of the country, between
the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean, from the Torrent of Egypt to Jal)neel, now called
Yebna, was at first allotted to the tribe of Judah : but as it was subsequently found
that this was too much for them, the western part of it was given to the tribes of
Simeon and Dan, and that to the north was bestowed upon Benjamin. The last men-
tioned tribe, on whose southern limits was the city of Jerusalem, touched to the east
on a small part of the Jordan, and to the west upon Dan. After the death of Joshua,
the Israelites became subject to the surrounding nations; but under Saul and David
they regained their independence.
The name of Judah, or Judea, was first applied to the southern part of Palestine
when ten of the tribes revolted from the house of David. Upon the death of Solomon,
B. C. 974, the kingdom was divided ; Rehoboam, his son, being chosen by the tribes
of Judah and Benjamin, and Jeroboam by the remaining ten tribes: the former was
henceforward called the kingdom of Judah, the latter the kingdom of Israel. — (1 Kings
xii. 16-.7, "So Avhen all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people
* See Keith's " Land of Israel."
t See Greswell, vol. iii., p. 443.
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE LAND OF PROMISE. xi
answered the king saying, What portion have we in David ? neither have we inherit-
ance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel; now see to thine own house, David.
So Israel departed unto their tents. But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in
the cities of Judah, Kehoboam reigned over them." 20 ver., "And it came to pass,
when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him
unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that fol-
lowed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.") Judah, and the cliildren of
Israel, his companions, were from that time called the "kingdom of Judah." After the
defection of the ten tribes from under Rehob(Jiun, the two kingdoms maintained their
freedom for many years, amidst the continual wars by which they were harassed; but
Hazael, king of Syria, at last subdued Israel, and for a long time kept it in subjection.
The king of Assyria next invaded them, and having besieged their city Samaria for
three years, reduced it to ashes.
Such of the inhabitants as survived the dreadful carnage which ensued wer6 carried
away captive into Assyria, B. C. 719 ; and the kingdom of Israel, which had stood
divided from that of Judah for more than 250 years, was now at an end. After this,
Judah also was attacked by the Babylonians, and subsequently by the Egyptians, the
latter of whom reduced it to subjection ; but upon the defeat of the Egyptians by the
Babylonians, Nebuchadnezzar seized upon Jerusalem, and, after having tyrannized
over tlie people for some yeai-s, at last leveled the city and the temple with the
ground, and carried away the inhabitants to Babylon, and thus put an end to the king-
dom of Judah, about B. C. 588, or 470 years from the time that David began to reign
over it. — See 2 Chr. xxxvi. Seventy years after, when Cyrus was king of Pei'sia, a
remnant of the Jews returned, and built again their city and temple, around which
they settled; andthesouthernpart of Palestine was henceforth called Judea. To the
N. of them, in the former inheritance of Ephraim and the half tribe of Manasseh, sate
a mixed race of people, among whom may have been some families casually left be-
hind in the great captivity. More certain are we, that colonies of idolatrous heathen
were placed there by the Assyrian monarch, 2 Kings xvii. 24-34 ; and that these were
subsequently joined by some Jews, such as Jolada, mentioned Neh. xiii. 28. They
were called Sanutritam, from their dwelling round the old capital of the kingdom of
Israel ; and were looked upon by the Jews as so impure that they had no dealings
with them. Alexander the Great subdued Palestine, and at his death its possession
was disputed by Antigonus and the Egyptians, until Antiochus the Great, king of
Syria, united it to his dominions. The Jews, under Judas Maccabeus, revolted, and
established their freedom. They overran Samaria, and planted colonies in the north-
ern jiart of the country, which assumed henceforward the name of Galilee ; and raised
up a king about B. C. 107. His successors called in the Romans to settle their dis-
putes; and the Roman general, Pompey, irritated by the little respect shewn to him,
marched against Jerusalem and reduced it, B. C. 63, and soon after completed the sub-
jugation of the whole country. In the time of Marc Antony, Herod was made king
of Judea ; and it was during his reign that our Saviour was born. Judea remained
subject to the Romans till A. D. 66, when a contest arose between the Jews and Syrians
respecting the possession of Cesarea ; the case being referred to Nero, he decided in
favor of the latter ; upon which the Jews took up awns, and after cominitting some
dreadful massacres, succeeded in driving all the Romans and Syrians from Judea.
Vespasian was sent against them with a powerful army, and would soon have brought
them to subjection, but, on his march to Jerusalem, he received the intelligence of his
having been chosen emperor ; he accordingly left the command of the army to his son
Titus, who, A. D. 70, reduced the city to ashes, and put an end to the Jewish nation,
as had been prophesied for ages beforehand.
The name of the Holy Land is applied to it by Christians in nearly all the languages
of Europe; chiefly and eminently from its havhig been the scene of our Blessed Lord's
life, death, and resurrection.
xn HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE LAND OF PROMISE.
In the time of the events recorded in the history of the New Testament, Palestine
was divided into five principal parts. These were Galilee, Samaria, Judea, properly
so called, Batantea, and Pereea ; the three first of which were on this side of Jordan,
and the two last beyond it ; over all of which Herod, surnamcd " the Great," was king.
Galilee. — Was the northernmost province of Palestine, and was exceedingly fertile
and populous, having 204 towns and villages, contahiing, ujjon an average, 15,000 souls,
making in all above 3,000,000 inhabitants. It touched to the W. on Phcenice, to the N.
on Coslo-Syria, to the E. on Batanxa, and to tne S. on Samaria. It contained 930 square
miles. It was subdivided into Upper and Lower, so named with respect to the river
Jordan, the former being also called " Galilee of the Gentiles," from its being inhabite*d
not only by Jews, but by Syrians, Greeks, Phoenicians, and Egyptians. ' This province
was, above all, honored with our Saviour's presence. It was here that he was con-
ceived; and here, in an obscure village, he lived with his reputed parents until he
began to be aDout thirty years of age, and was baptized of John. And though he
visited the other provinces and Judea at the stated feasts, when the male Israelites
were commanded to go up to worship in Jerusalem, yet, in fuliillment of prophecy,
he fixed upon Capernaum to dwell in; and after his resurrection the disciples
went away into Galilee, into a mountain, where they saw and worshiped him ; the
same probably on which he had been seen by Peter, James, and John, in glory,
along with Moses and Elias. And they were " men of Galilee" whom he commis-
sioned, saying, "Go into all the world, and i:)reach the gospel to every creature."
Upper Galilee belonged formerly to the tribe of Naphtali. It bordered on Ty^^e and
Sidon, and extended E. of the river Jordan. In its northern part, close to the W.
source of the Jordan, stood Dan, which was formerly Laish, until it was wrested by
conquest from the Sidonians, when it received the name of the tribe which took it.
It was the northernmost town occupied by the children of Israel, in the same way
that Beersheba was the southernmost ; hence the frequent definition of the land of
Israel — " from Dan to Beersheba." Lower Galilee lay between lake Gennesaret and the
Mediterranean sea. The northern part belonged to the tribe of Zebulon, and the
southern part to the tribe of Issachar.
Samaria. — Touched to the W. on the Mediterranean, to the N. on Phcenice and
Galilee, to the E. on Persea, and to the S. on Judea ; it contained 1,330 square miles.
It occupied the whole country between the Jordan and the sea ; and therefore such as
traveled from Judea into Galilee " must needs go through Samaria."
*S'ama?-ia derived its name from its metro})olis Samaria, which was so called after one
Shemer, of whom Omri, king of Israel, bought the ground, for the building of the city ;
and from the circumstance of this city having become the subsequent capital of the
kingdom of Israel, the name of Samaria is frequently used by the sacred writers of the
Old Testament, to denote the whole of that kingdom. Samaria is intersected by a
range of mountains connected with Mount Hermon of Galilee ; where this range
enters the province it is called Gilboa. Mount Gilboa, celebrated for the death of Saul
and Jonathan, and for the defeat of the Israelites by the Philistines, was in the north-
ern part of Samaria, and formed part of that range of hills which traverses the whole
province from north to south ; towards the city of Samaria, it is known by the names
of Phinehas, Ebal, and Gerizim, and upon the borders of Judea as the mountains of
Ephraim.
Upon the division of the tribes into the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel, Jero-
boam, king of the latter, built Sichein, or Shechem, in Mount Ephraim, about the
centre of Samaria, and made it the capital of his dominions.
Samaria, the subsequent metropolis of the kingdom of Israel till the time of the
Assj'^rian captivity, was only a few miles to the north of Sichem ; it was nearly de-
stroyed by the Assyrians, but was restored by the colonists, whom they sent into the
country ; and who, from this city, first assumed the name of Samaritans. It was very
flourishing under the Maccabees, but being once more destroyed, it was again rebuilt
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF TIIP] LAND OF PROMISE. Xlll
and beautified by Herod, who named it Scbofite, in honor of Augustus ; it is still called
tSehaste or Knlaat Sanour.
JuDEA, properly so-called.— Was bounded on the N. by Samaria, on the E. by the
Dead sea, on the S. by Arabia Penea, and on the W. by the MecUterranean sea. It
contained 3,135 square miles, and constituted the inheritance of four out of the twelve
tribes, viz. : of Benjamin, Dan, Judah, and Simeon, the two last being in the southern
part of the province. The frontier between Jndca and Arabia Propria is formed by a
range of mountains, connected with Mount Seir, and known by the names of Ilalak
and 3faaleh Acrabbin ; this latter gives the adjacent district the name of Acrabattene.
These mountains separated the possessions of the children of Israel from the land of
Edom, or Idumea, as the Greeks called it ; but when the Jews were carried captive to
Babylon, the southern part of their country, being left destitute, was seized by the
Idumreans, who became so strong as to be able to maintain possession of it long after
the Jews returned from their bondage. They were conquered at last by the Macca-
bees, but, having embraced Judaism, they were incorporated Avith the Jewish nation,
and allowed to retain possession of the country they had seized upon, which from
them was called Idumea ; it extended as far northward as Hebron, and w\as noted, as
was the whole of Judea, for its fine palm trees. To the northward of this lay the
district Daromas, which still preserves its name in Darom; between it and Samaria
stretches a range of hills, which caused the district they traversed to be called Orine,
or "the hill country of Judea."
Judea is celebrated above all other divisions of Palestine. The chief city of the
whole land— even Jerusalem, the " city of the Great King," was there. In Jerusalem
was the temple of the Lord, to which the 'Jews were commanded to go up three times
every year to worship Jeiiovau, the Lord their God. In Judea was Bethlehem, the
city of David, out of which, although it was little among the thousands of Judah,
came forth " He that is to be ruler in Israel ; whose goings forth have been from of
old, from everlasting." He who was David's son, and is David's Lord, was born there.
Jerusalem was the scene of his sufferings; for there he offered himself "a Lamb
without spot," without the gate ; there he burst the bonds of death ; and from Olivet,
on. the east, he ascended into heaven. In Judea were the disciples to remain until
they were endued with power from on high, and from thence was the gospel to go
forth unto the uttermost j^arts of the earth.
Batan^ea. — Was bounded on the W. by Galilee, on the N. and E. by Syria, and on
the S. by Pereea, and corresponded nearly with the inheritance of the half tribe of
Manasseh beyond Jordan ; it contained 1,000 square miles. It derived its name from
Basan, or Bashan, of the Bible, and was noted for its fine cattle and good pasturage ;
its lofty hills were likewise much celebrated for their beautiful oaks. In the northern
part of the province was Mount Hermon — Heish, called by the Sidonians, Sirion, or
Sion, and by the Amorites Shenir. In its westei'n j)art was Cesarea Philippi. — In the
south-western corner was Gadara — Om Kei^.
Pee^ea. — Was bounded on \l:3 N. bj' Batansca, on the W. by Samaria, on the S. l)y
Arabia, and on the E. by Syria; it contained 1,505 square miles. It derived its name
from the Greek word T^epav, ultra, froin its lying beyond Jordan. The southern part
of Persea, between the two rivers Arnon and Jabok, formed the kingdom of the
Amorites, whose king, Sihon, was defeated hy the Israelites. In the centre of Pertea
rose the lofty Mount Gilead, or Galeed, still called Djelaoud, near which Jacob and
Laban raised a heap of stones in token of f riendshiji ; " therefore was the name of it
called Galeed," i. e., " The heap of idtness." — Gen. xxxi. 48.
Of the Land op Promise Moses said, Deut. xi. 10 — .2, "The land, whither thou goest
in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou
Bowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: but the land,
whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the
rain of heaven ; a land which the Lord thy God careth for; the eyes of the Lord thy
XIV HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE LAND OF PROMISE.
God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year."
The Jordan is tlie principal river.
Few of tlie hills approach tlie character of mountains.
QuARANTiNA, uortli of Jericho, rises an almost perpendicular rock, 1,200 or 1,500 feet.
Hermon. — In tlie N. E. of (^alilee is the majestic Hermon, or Sion, of tJhe Old Testa-
ment. The usual estimate of the height of Hermon [Jebel Esh-Sheikh) is 10,000 feet above
the Mediterranean. The top is partially crowned with snow, or rather ice, during the
whole vear, which, however, lies only in the ravines, and thus presents at a distance
the appearance of radiant stripes around and below the summit. North-w^estward of
Hermon is Lebanon, so full of interesting associations.
Tabor. — Although undeserving of the name of mountain, for height, yet is promi-
nent in Scripture for many important transactions. In its neighborhood Sisera, the
captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude, were delivered into the
hand of Barak — Judges iv. 6-15 ; and by many it has been regarded as the place of our
Lord's transfiguration. The beauty of the mountain, and its conspicuous position,
rendered it a fovorite subject of poetic contemplation; and wdienthe Psalmist (Ixxxix.
12) exclaims, "Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name," he selects these two as
the representatives of all the mountains of Palestine; the former as the most graceful,
and the Ir.tter as the loftiest.
Mount Carmel. — Is often mentioned by the sacred writers ; it forms one of the most
remarkable headlands on the whole coast of the Mediterranean sea, and is about 1,500
feet high.
The prophecies concerning the Land of Israel have been so exactly accomplished
that they may be used as history. The traveler, however careless of divine revelation, and
even the scorner, abundantly testifies to the present desolation of the land : the once
strong forts and towers are become dens — defensed cities are destroyed, uninhabited
and laid waste. The once productive and well-watered plains are become barren, and
the herbs of every field wither. The infidel Yolney bears witness to the truth of
prophecy; for as it had been foretold, he writes, "The temples are thrown down, the
palaces are demolished, the ports are filled up, the towns destroyed, and the earth,
stripped of its inhabitants, seems a dreary burying-place." Almost daily, accounts
reach us vividly portraying the curse that is upon it. Jerusalem, the City of our God,
has become heaps ; and Zion, as was predicted, is plowed as a field ; and the place of
the temple of the Most High is desecrated by the erection of a Mohammedan mosque,
where death awaits the true worshiper that dares intrude within the polluted place.
The ancient population was, for the limits of the country, greater than that of any
other part of the then known world. In the time of David the population must have
amounted to several millions, as the men able to bear arms were numbered, at the
lowest computation, and after an imperfect census, at 1,300,000. In the time of Jehos-
hapliat, the men of war in Judah alone amounted to 1,060,000. Josephus tells us that
at one celebration of the Passover, in the reign of Nero, there were present at Jerusa-
lem 2,700,000 persons. The valleys are composed of a deep, rich soil, free from stones.
The rocks are principally of gray limestone, and they contril)uted greatly toward the
sustenance of a large population, as they were terraced in all directions with embank-
ments built up with loose stones, on which grew melons, cucumbers and other creeping
l^lants, as well as the vine, the fig and the olive, as now seen on a few cultivated spots.
It would be wrong to argue the former capabilities of the Holy Land from its present
appearance, as it is now under the curse of God, and its general barrenness is in full
accordance with prophetic denunciation.
But the time is fast approaching when, as said Moses, Deut. xxx. 3-5, "That then
the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will
return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered
thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the utmost parts of heaven, from thence will
the Lord thy God gather the^ and from thence will he fetch thee : and the Lord thy
UNITY OF THE FOUR GOSPELS XV
God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess
it ; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers." — See also Isa. Ixi. 4 ;
Ezek. xxxvi. 8 ; Amos ix. 13-.5.
To the antiquary, to the lover of the sublime and beautiful, and, above all, to the
cliild of God, no land abounds with so many attractions as " The Land of Israel." We
have connected therewith the earliest and most faithful records of the wonderful
providence of God, from the beginning of creation to the redemjition of man. Mag-
nificent remains of the oldest cities in the world are there. Its scenery is of the most
diversified beauty. The position is best fitted for its becoming what it was appointed
to be, " The glory of all lands." Immanuel's Land may be the earthlj centre of Messiah's
Kingdom, when its bounds are extended according to the description of prophecy, as
Psalm Ixxii. — The Gospel Treasury.
UNITY OF THE FOUR GOSPELS.
The Bible is pervaded by unity. It has, to the fullest extent, that necessary condi-
tion of any book which is to make a deep impression upon the minds and hearts of
men — singleness of purpose, and that purjiose kept in view throughout every page.
The Old and New Testament are but different transcripts of the same great and
glorious original. The one is a lock with wards and interstices, and the other is the
exquisitely cut key, which, applied to the lock, completely unlocks it, and opens a
door of entrance to the bright vision of light and immortality. "They contain," says
Cecil, "but one scheme of religion. Neither can be understood without the other.
. . . They are like the rolls on which they were anciently written. ... It is but one
subject from beginning to end, but the view which we obtain of it grows clearer and
clearer as we unwind the roll that contains it." This is undeniably true. Entire
harmony exists between Judaism and Christianity. They are but difierent parts of
one system. TIae one was the stock, gradually growing and strengthening, on which
the other, "in the fullness of time," exhibited its bud, unfolded its leaves and diffused
its life-giving fragrance. The one was the dawn, the other is the day ; the one was the
infant, the other is the full grown man. The records of both are the same in author-
ity, substance and mode of communication. The same truth, only not witli the same
fullness and clearness, was conveyed in "sundry times" and " divers manners" by the
prophets, which was made known by the Eternal Word when He "was made flesh
and dwelt among us." Through the Patriarchal, the Mosaic and the Prophetical dis-
pensations, the same voice was sounding, only in more distant and feeble tones, which
afterwards echoed amongst the hills and valleys of Palestine, as it poured forth the
truth in all its divine plenitude and power. The inspired penmen of both economies
all struck one grand key-note — Christ, and Him crucified. As in Beethoven's match-
less music there runs one idea, worked out through all the changes of measure and of
key — now almost hidden, now breaking out in rich, natural melody, whispered in the
treble, murmured in the base, dimly suggested in the prelude, but growing clearer and
clearer as the work proceeds, winding gradually back until it ends in the key in which
it began, and closes in triumphant harmony— so, throughout the Scriptures, there runs
one grand idea : man's ruin by sin, and his redemption by grace ; in a word, Jesus
Christ the Saviour. From the dim promise at the fall to the " Lamb in the midst of
the throne," which the Apostle saw from the rocky and barren isle, Jesus is set forth
as the burden of the promises, the medium of blessings and the object of saving faith.
Thus is it true that the Book that was written by persons of widely variant profes-
XVI UNITY OF THE FOUR GOSPELS.
sions, circumstances, idiosyncrasies and trials, is always consistent with itself. Truth
is the great and only instrumentality it makes use of, in order to transform, purify
fend elevate the human character. No matter how its writers teach — whether by
history, biography, song, allegory, parable, argument or dogmatic testimony and affir-
mation, religious tnith forms the great and essential element in all their instructions.
Whatever the subject is of which they treat, they all speak the same thing. AVhere
there was no collusion there is perfect harmony — where there was no preconcert there
is perfect concord. They may be compared to a band of musicians playing a grand
anthem without previous practice, or to a number of laborers and masons, who, having
no idea of the completed appearance of the edifice on which they are employed, lay
stone upon stone in blind obedience to the directing architect, until the whole stands
forth in sublimity and perfection. The Book which these inspired men wrote is
evidently a whole; it has a beginning, a middle and an end; it is the realization of
one mind executed by a number of others. The same spirit and feeling pervade the
volume. Its ceremonies and dispensations arise naturally from one another. The
same golden thread i.i to be seen running through all its pages — beginning, as it does,
with Paradise, which was lost, then stretching itself over long ages, and at length
bringing us back again where we started — to the City of God with its Tree of Life.
Let a diligent student take up a copy of the Scriptures with copioxis marginal refer-
ences, and undertake to collate their instructions upon any one doctrine or moral
duty, and he will be surprised at the iiniformity of their teaching. They never speak
for and against the same doctrine ; they never bear witness on both sides of any
question ; nor is there an instance in which they affirm and deny the same thing.
That which in reality has any Scripture in its favor, has all Scripture in its favor.
These remarks, true of the Bible as a whole, are especially applicable to the Gospels.
AVhen the history of a great personage is written by difterent hands, the historians
seldom agree in every particular they record. One begins with his birth, and reminds
us of his parentage, his illustrious line and his great ancestors; another, passing over
this, takes him up at the commencement of his public career; a third not only recites
his birth and parentage, but dwells upon the circumstances which preceded him and
introduced him, and those which surrounded him when he api^eared ; and another
may go flirther back still into the antecedents, reporting all that he has been able to
learn of anterior history that might be supposed to influence his career, or to prepare
the times for his appearing. It has pleased God to permit the men who Avrote the
history of Jesus Christ to exemplify the same diversity of procedure in their nan-a-
tives. They look at their glorious subject from their respective standpoints. The
four books of the Gospel were designed to answer each its specific purpose. They
have a side fronting each side of the si^iritual world. Matthew exhibits chiefly the
Jewish and subordinate ; Jo/in the spiritual and divine in our Redeemer; Mark His
authority over nature and devils; Luke His personal history as man. Thus does "the
four-sided Gospel," as Origen called it, resemble four i^ortraits, or four landscapes, all
presenting the same objects, but in different lights and from different points of view,
and illustrative of one another, j^et wholly unsusceptible of mechanical amalgamation,
without utterly destroying their distinctive character and even their intrinsic value.
So far are the Gospels from being contradictory of, or even different from, one another,
that they are substantially the same — distinct views of a complex whole. The great
landmarks of the history are unchanged, the same salient points reappear in all, bat
they are found in new combinations and with new details.
" Viewed as a literary production," says an eminent scholar, " the Gospel history
exists in a four-fold form. But for the ancient, true, churchly view, this circumstance
is altogether secondary to the fact that und«r this four-fold form we have the one
Gospel of the Lord. Strictly speaking, therefore, it is not the Gospel of Matthew, etc.,
as we now are accustomed to say, but the Gospel according to ^Matthew, according to
Mark, according to Luke, and according to John. It is this grand unity of character.
ANALYSIS. :!fvii
of history, of doctrine, and of spirit, which gives to the Gospels their common desig-
nation. Though we have four human writings, they form only one Divine record of the
Gospel. To doubt this essential unity is to lose to the same extent the capacity for
the chiu-chly appreciation and even the Christian understanding of the Gospels."
Another observes, in referring to the advantage resulting from the use of a "Harmony
of the Gospels"— "one Gospel Avill thus be fonnd to throw light on another in a hun-
dred ways that would never otherwise be suspected. And as in that beautiful inven-
tion of modei-n days, in which, by combining into one focus two slightly varying
aspects of a view, we gain a depth of perspective, and a solidity of form that seems to
bring the very original before us, so here, by having stereoscoped into one view these
four aspects of our blessed Lord, we are enabled to see greater reality in that Divine
image which each one separately sets forth," (See Note on John xi. 1.)
The first three Gosj^els (which for this reason are called synoptical) have a marked
correspondence with each other. Their verbal and material agreement is such as does
not occur in any other books which have been written independently of one another.
As for the Gospel of John, it is true that there are difierences between it and the
other three, yet is a full recognition of this contrast the first requisite for the under-
standing of the essential harmony of all. These very differences belong to the complete
portraiture of the Saviour, which comprised the fullness of an outward presence, as
well as the depth of a secret life. The synoptic Gospels contain the Gospel of the
infimt church ; that of John the Gospel of its maturity. This Gospel is supplementary
to them, for it assumes fiicts as known, of which it gives no account, but which are
found in them : it is also independent, presenting a different aspect of our Lord's
character, while its points of coincidence with the others show the working of the
" self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." (1 Cor. xii. 11.) Thus
is the Gospel in one sense four-fold, as the streams of Eden, and as those living creatures
of the Apostle's vision ; but in another sense, one. In the diversity there is unity.
The very discrepancies are but deeper harmonies, and the multiformity which charac-
terizes the Gospels written by the holy men who were "moved by the Holy Ghost,"
is felt to be as necessary as it was natural.
ANALYSIS.
The following may guide the student of the Gospel according to Matthew :
Introduction, i., ii.
The Royal pedigree (i. 1-17).
The Virgin's Son, the promised Saviour (18-25).
The homage (ii. 1-12).
The persecution (13-23).
(In all the words of prophets are fulfilled.)
1. The Prelude, iii., iv.
(rt) The Baptist (iii.) :
The Messenger (1-6). The Message (7-12). The Recognition (13-17).
{b) The Messiah (iv.) :
The Trial(l-ll). The Home (12-16). The Message (17).
The Call (18-22). The Work (23-25).
2. The Lawgiver and Prophet, v.-xiii.
(a) The neir Law in relation to the old (v.-vii.).
(b) The testimony of signs (viii., ix).
xviir ANALYSIS.
Characteristics (viii. 1-15).
The Suppliant (Resignation, 1-4) ; the Intercessor (Faith, 5-] 3) ; the Restored
(Service, 14, 15).
The Lord and the Disciples (viii. 18-ix. 17).
Self-denial (18-22).
Power (Nature, 23-27 ; Spirits, 28-34 ; Sin, ix. 1-8).
Mercy (9-13).
Prudence (14-17).
The Results (ix. 18-34).
Faith confirmed (20-22) ; raised (23-26) ; attested (27-31).
Unbelief hardened (32-34).
(c) The Commission (ix. 36-xi.).
The Charge (x.).
The Hearers (xi.).
John (1-15) ; the People (16-19).
Woes (20-24) ; Thanksgivings (25-30).
{d) The Contrast (xii.).
The letter and the spirit of the Law.
Example (1-9) ; Miracle (10-13).
The Kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God (22-37).
The sign of Jonas (38-45).
Natural and Spiritual Kindred (46-50).
{e) Parables of the Kingdom : its rise, growth, consummation (xiii.).
3. The King, xiv.-xxv.
(rf) The character of the King, compared with Temporal Dominion :
The feast of Herod ; Death of John (xiv. 1-12).
The feast of Christ (Jews) ; the Disciples saved (13-33).
Hierarchical Dominion :
The tradition of the Elders (xv. 1-20).
The Syrophcenician heard (21-28).
The Gentiles healed and fed (29-39).
Truth hidden from some (xvi. 1-12), revealed to others (13-20).
{h) Glimpses of the Kingdom.
The prospect of suffering (xvi. 24-28).
The vision of glory (xvii. 1-13).
The secret source of strength (14-21).
The citizens.
Moral principles : Obedience : a sign (xvii. 24-27).
Humility, Unselfishness, Forgiveness (xviii.).
Social characteristics : Marriage, Children, Riches, Sacrifice (xix.).
Yet all without intrinsic merit (xx. 1-16).
(c) The King claimed his heritage.
The Journey (xx. 17-34).
The Triumphal Entrance (xxi. 1-17).
The Conflict (xxi. 18-xxii.).
The Sign (xxi. 18-22). The First Question (23-27). The Portraiture (28-xxii.
14). The Temptation (15-40). The Last Question (41-46).
The Judgment (xxiii.-xxv.).
The Teachers (xxiii.).
The City (xxiv.).
The World (xxv.).
4. Death the Gate of the Eternal Kingdom, xxvi.-xxviii.
(d) The Passion (xxvi., xxvii.).
Contrasts: Foreknowledge, Craft (xxvi. 1-8). Love, Treason (6-16).
ROBINSON'S HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS.
XiX
The Last Supper: Woes Foreseen and Faced (17-29).
. The Rash Promise : Power Misjudged (30-35).
The Inward Agony (36-16).
The Outward Desertion (37-56).
The Confession of Christ (57-68).
The Denial of Peter (69-75).
The Death of Judas (xxvii. 3-10).
The Death of Christ (11-50).
Christ and Barabbas (15-26). Christ and the Soldiers (27-31). Christ and the
By-standers (52-36).
The Burial (57-61). The Watch (62-66),
(6) Th£ Triumph.
The Rising in Glory (1-10).
The False Report (11-15).
The Great Commission (16-20).
SYNOPSIS OF
ROBINSON'S HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS.
EVENTS CONNECTED WITH THE BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD
TIME, ABOUT THIRTEEN AND A HALF YEAKS.
MATT,
Preface to Luke's gospel, ....
An angel appears to Ziicharias. Jerusalem
An angel appears to Mary. Nazareth, .
Mary visits Elizabeth. Juttah,
Birth of John the BaptLst. Juttah, .
An angel appears to Joseph. Nazareth, 1:18-25
The birth of Jasus. Jlcthichcn,
An angel appears to the shepherds. Near Bethlehem, ....
The circumcision of Jesus, and his presentation in the temple. Bethlehem.
Jerusalem,
The niagi. Jerusalem. Bethlehem, 2:1-12
The flight into Egypt. Herod's cruelty. The return. Bethlehem. Naz
areth, 2:13-23
At twelve years of age Jesus goes to the Passover. Jerusalem.
Genealogies, 1:1-17
OF OUR LORD.
MARK. I LUKE.
1:1^
11:5-25
l:2ft-38
1:39-56
1:57-80
2:1-7
2:8-20
2:.39-40
2:41-52
3:'23-38
ANNOUNCEMENT AND INTRODUCTION OF OUR LORD'S PUBLIC MINISTRY,
TIME, ABOUT ONE Y£AB.
MATT,
The ministry of John the Baptist. The desert. The Jordan, . . 3:1-12
The baptism of Jesus. The Jordan, 3:13-17
The temptation. Desert of Judea,
Preface to John's gospel,
Testimony of John the Baptist to Je.sus. Bethabara beyond Jordan,
Jesus gains disciples. The Jordan. Oalilee?
The marriage at Cana of Galilee
4:1-11
MABK.
1:1-8
1:9-11
1:12, 13
LUKE.
3:1-18
3:21-23
4:1-13
1:1-18
1:19-34
1:35^51
2:1-12
OUR LORD'S FIRST PASSOVER, AND THE SUBSEQUENT TRANSACTIONS UNTIL THE SECOND.
TIME, ONE YEAR.
At the Passover Jesus drives the traders out of the temple. Jerusalem.
Our Lord's discourse with Nicodemus. Jerusalem, ....
Jesus remains in Judea and baptizes. Further testimony of John the
Baptist
John's imprisonment,
Jesus' departure into Galilee
Our Lord's dLscourse with the Samaritan woman. Many of the Samari-
tans believe on him. Sherhem or Neapolis, ... . .
Jesus teaches publicly in GaliUe,
Jesus again at Cana, where he heals the son of a nobleman lying ill at
Capernaum. Cana of Galilee,
Jesus at Nazareth : he is there rejected, and fixes his abode at Capernaum.
The call of Simon Peter and Andrew, and of James and John, with the
miraculous draught of fishe.*. Near Capernaum, ....
The healing of a demoniac in the S5'nagoRue. Capernaum,
The healing of Peter's wife, mother, and naany others. Capernaum,
Jesus with his disciples goes from Capernaum throughout Galilee,
The healing of a leper. Galilee
The healing of a paralytic. Capernaum, .......
The call of Matthew. Capernaum
14:3-5
4:1-2
4:13-16
4:18-22
8:14-17
4:'i'}-25
8:1-J
9:'2-8
9:9
6:17-20
1:14
1:14, 15
16-20
21-28
29-34
35-39
40-45
1-12
13,14
3:19, 20
4:14
4:14, 15
4:16-31
5:1-11
4:31-37
4:38-41
4:42-44
5:12-16
5:17-26
5:27,28
JOHN.
2:13-25
3:1-21
3:22-36
4:1-3
4:4-42
4:43^45
XX
ROBINSON'S HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS.
10:1^
5:1 ; 8:1
8:5-13
11:2-19
11:20-30
12:38-45
12:46-50
13:1-23
13:24-53
OUE LORD'S SECOND PASSOVER, AND THE SUBSEQUENT TRANSACTIONS UNTIL THE THIRD.
TIMB, ONB YEAR.
The Pool of Bethesda ; the healing of the infirm man ; and our Lord's
subsequent discourse. Jerusalem, .....
The disciples pluclv ears of grain t>n the Sabbath. On the way to Galilee ? 12:1-8 2:23-28
Thehealingofthe withered hand on the Sabbath. Galilee, . . 12:9-14 3:1-6
Jesus arrives at the sea of Tiberias, and is followed by multitudes. Lake
of Galilee,, .........
Jesus witlidraws to the mountain and chooses the twelve ; the multitudes
tbllow him. JVear Capernaum, ......
The sermon on tlie mount. Near Capernaum, ....
The healing of the centurion's servant. Capernaum, . . .
The raising of the widow's son. 2fain, .....
John the Baptist in prison sends disciples to Jesus. Galilee. Capernaum?
Reflections of Jesus on appealing to his mighty works. Capei-naum, .
Wliile sitting at meat with a Pharisee, Jesus is anointed by a woman
who had been a sinner. Capernaum? .....
Jesus, witli the Twelve, makes a second circuit in Galilee,
The healing of a demoniac. The Scribes and Pharisees blaspheme. \
Galilee. J
The Scribes and Pliarisees seek a sign. Our Lord's reflections. Galilee.
The true disciples of Clirist his nearest relatives. Galilee.
At a PliarLspe's table Jesus denounces woes against the Pharisees and
others. Galilee, .........
Jesus discourses to his disciples and the multitude. Galilee, .
The slaughter of certain Galileans. Parable of the barren fig tree.
Galilee
Parable of the sower. Lake of Galilee. Near Capernaum. ?
Parable of the tares. Other parables. Near Capernaum ?
Je.sus directs to cross the lake. Incidents. The tempest stilled. Lake \
of Galilee, . , . . . . ' ■ . . i
The two demoniacs of Gadara. South-east coast of the lake of Galilee \
Levi's Feast. Capernaum, .......
The raising of Jairus' daughter. The woman with a bloody flux. Caper
nauvi, ..........
Two blind men healed, and a dumb spirit cast out. Capernaum,
JesiLS again at Nazareth, and again rejected, ....
A third circuit in Galilee. The twelve instructed and sent forth. |_
Galilee, ......... j
Herod holds Jesus to be John the Baptist, whom he had just before be-
headed. Galilee? J^erca, .......
Tlie Twelve return, and Jesus retires with them across the lake. Five
thousand are fed. ntjx'rnaum. Nort/i-eaxt roaxf i\f the lake of Galilee.
.Tesus walks upon tlie water. Lake of Galilrr. Giiinr.'<((ref,
Our Lord'.s discourse to lii" multitude in the syn:igot;ue at Capernaum. )
Many disciples turn back. Peter's profession of faith. Capernaum.)
8:28-34
9:1
1 9:10-17
9:18-26
9:27-»4
l:3:.>4-58
9:35-38
10:1-12
11:1
14:1-12
14:13-21
14:22-31)
4:1-25
4:26-34
5:1-21
1 6:14-10,
/ 21-29
0:.'»-44
6:45-50
6:1-5
6:6-11
6:12-19
6:20-49
7:1-10
7:11-17
7:18-35
7:36-50
8:1-3
/ 11:14, 15
t 17 23
11:16,24-30
8:19-21
11:37-54
12:1^9
13:1-9
8:4-18
8:22-2.5
•57-62
8:20-40
5:29-39
f8:2
19:5
0:1-14
10:15-21
f 6:22-71
117:1
FROM OUR LORD'S THIRD PASSOVER UNTIL HIS PINAL DEPARTURE FROM GALILEE AT
THE FESTIVAL OF TABERNACLES.
TIME, SIX MONTHS.
MATT. MARK. LUKE. JOHN.
Our Lord justifies bis disciples for eating with unwashen hands. Phari-
saic traditions. Capernaum, .....
The daughter of a Syrophenician woman is healed. Region of Tyre and
Sidon, ..........
A deaf and dumb man healed ; also many others. Four thoasand are \
fed. The Der.apolis, ....... j
The Pharisees and Sadducees again require a sign. Near Magdala, \
The disciples cautioned against the leaven of the Pharisees, etc. North-east
roaxt of the lake of Galilee,
A blind man healed. Bethsaida. (Julias),
Peter and the rest again profess their faith in Christ. Keyion of Cesarea
PhiUppl, .........
Our Lord foretells liis own death and rasurrection, and the trials of 1
his followers. Jleglon of Cesarea Phlllppl, ... J
The transfiguration. Our Lord's subsequent discourse with the three
disciples. Begion of Cesarea PhiUppl, . . . . . '■
The healing of a demoniac whom the disciples could not heal. Region of
Cesarea PhiUppi, .......
Jesus again foretells his own death and resurrection. Galilee,
The tribute-money miraculously provided. Capernaum,
Tlie disciples contend who should be greiitest. Jesus exhorts to humility,
forbearance and brotherly love. Capernaum,
The Seventv instructed and sent out. Capernau7n,
Jesus goes up to the festival of tabernacles. His final departure from
Galilee. Incidents in Samaria, . . ... 9:51-56 7:2-10
Ten lepers cleansed.- Samaria,
15:1-20
15:21-28
15:29-39
15:39
10:M .
10:.5-12
16:13-20
10:21-28
17:1-13
17:14-21
17:22, 23
17:24-27
18:1-35
7:1-23
7:24-30
/ 7:31-37
18:1-9
8:10-12
8:13-21
8:22-26
8:27-30
/ 8:31-38
1.9:1
9:2-13
9:14-29
9:30-32
9::«
9:33-50
9:18-21
9:22-27
9:28-30
9:37-43
9:43-45
9:46-.50
10:1-16
9:51-56
17:11-19
THE FESTIVAL OP TABERNACLES, AND THE SUBSEQUENT TRANSACTIONS UNTIL OUR
LORD'S ARRIVAL IN BETHANY, SIX DAYS BEFORE THE FOURTH PASSOVER.
TIME, SIX MONTHS, LESS SIX DAYS.
Jesus at the festival of tabernacles. His public teaching. Jerusa-\
Irm. /
The woman taken in adultery. Jerusalem
Furtlier public teaching of our Lord. He reproves the unbelieving Jews,
and escapes from their hands. Jerusalem,
A lawyer instructed. Love to onr neighbor defined. Parable of the good
Samaritan. Near Jerusalem,
JOHN.
f 7:1 1-53
\8:1
8:2-11
8:12-59
ROBINSON'S HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS.
XXI
10:1
LUKK.
10:38-13
ll:l-i:?
10:17-34
13:10-21
JOHN.
f 9: 1-41
1 10:1-21
10^2-42
11:1^6
11:47-54
THE FESTIVAL OF TABERNACLES, AND THE SUBSEQUENT TRANSACTIONS UNTIL OUR
LORD'S ARRIVAL IN BETHANY, SIX DAYS BEFORE THE FOURTH PASSOVER— Cbn«i»U€(/.
TIME, SIX DAYS LESS SIX MONTHS.
I MATT. MARK.
Jerusalem in the house of Martha and Mary. Bethany, ....
The disciples again taught iiow to pray. Ntar Jerusalem,
Tlie seventy return. Jerusalem,
A man born blind is healed on the Sabbath. Our Lord's subsequent 1
discourses. Jerusalem . . /
Jesus in Jerusalem at the festival of dedication. He retires beyond
Jordan. Jerusalem. Bethahara beyond Jordan, ....
The raising of Lazarus. Bettiany,
The counsel of Caiaphas against Jesus. He retires from Jerusalem.
Jerusalem. Jiphraim,
Jesus beyond Jordan is followed by multitudes. The healing of the infirm
woman on the .Sabbath. Valley of Jordan. Perea, .... 19:1,2
Our Lord goes teaching and journeying towiird Jerusalem. He is warned
against Herod. Perea, . . . . •
Our Lord dines with a chief Pharisee on the Sabbath. Incidents. Perea,
What is required of true disciples. Perea
Parable of the lost sheep, etc. Parable of the prodigal son. Perea,
Parable of the unjust steward. Perea,
The Pharisee reprqved. Parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Perea,
Jesus inculcates forbearance, faith, humility. Perea,
Christ's coming will be sudden. Perea,
Parables : the importunate widow : the Pharisee and publican. Perea,
Precepts respecting divorce. Perea,
.Tesus receives and blesses little children. Perea,
The rich young man. Parable of the laborers in the vineyard. 1
Perea, . , /
Jesus a third time foretells his death and resurrection. Perea, .
James and John iirefer their ambitious request. Perea
The healing of two blind men near Jericho } 20:29-34 10:46^52 | j^ij
The visit to Zaccheus. Parable of the ten pounds. Jericho, . . . 19:2r-is
Jesus arrives at Bethany six days before the Passover. Bethany, |
19:.3-12
19:1.3-1.5
19:16-30 \
20:1-16 J
20:17-19
20:20-28
20:29-34
10:2-12
10:13-16
10:17-31
10:.32-34
10:3>-4.5
10:46-^52
-35
13:22
14:1-24
14:25-3-5
1.5:l-.32
16:1-13
16:14-31
17:1-10
17:20-37
18:1-14
18:15-17
18:18-30
18:31-34
35-43
/ ll:-55-.57
112:1,9-11
OUR LORD'S PUBLIC ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM, AND THE SUBSEQUENT TRANSACTIONS
BEFORE THE FOURTH PASSOVER.
TIME, FOUK DAYS.
Our Lord's public entry into Jerusalem. Bethany. Jerusalem, .
The barren fig-tree. The cleansing of the temple. Bethany. Jerii-'t
salem J
The barren fig-tree withers away. Between Bethany and Jerusalem, .
Christ's authority Questioned. Parable of the two sons. Jerusalem, .
Parable of the wicked husbandHi en. Jerusalem, . . , . .
Parable of the marriage of the king's son. Jerusalem
Insidious question of the Pharisees: tribute to Cesar. Jerusalem, . ,
Insidious questions of tlie Sadduceos: the re,surrection. Jerusalem, .
A lawyer questions Jesu><. Tiie two great commandments. Jerusalem,
How is Christ the son of David ? Jerusalem,
Warnings against the evil example of the scribes and Pharisees. Jeru-
salem,
Woes against the scribes and Pharisees. Lamentation over Jerusalem.
Jerusalem,
The widow's mite. .Jerusalem,
Certain Greeks desire to see Jesus. Jerusalem,
Reflections upon the unbelief of the Jews. Jerusalem, ....
Jesus, on taking leave of the temple, tbretells its destruction, and the per-
secution of his disciples. Jerusalem. Mrjunt of Olives,
The signs of Christ's coming to destroy .Jerusalem, and to put an end to
the Jewish state and dispensation. 'Mount of Olives, ....
Transition to Christ's final coming at the day of judgment. Exhorta-)
tion to watchfulness. Parables: the ten virgins ; the five talents. >-
Silount of Olives, )
Scenes of the judgment-day. Mount of Olives
The rulers conspire. The supper at Bethany. "Treachery of Judas.
Jerusalem. Bethany, 1 26:1-16
Preparation for the Passover. Bethany. Jerusalem, .... 1 26: 17-19
MATT.
(21:1-11
I 14-17
21:12, 131
18, 19 ;
21:20-22
21:'23-32
21:3'J-46
22:1-14
22: 1.5-22
22:23-33
22:34-40
22:41-46
23:1-12
23:13-39
24:1-14
24:15-42
24:4:5-51 1
25:1-30 j
125:31-46
MARK.
11:1-11
11:20-28
11:27-33
12:1-12
12:I,'?-17
12:18-27
12:2S-34
12:35-37
12:38, 39
12:40
12:41-44
14:1-11
14:12-16
LT'KE.
19:29-«
f 19:4.5-48
\ 21:37-38
20:1-8
20:9-19
20:20-26
20:27-40
20:41-44
•20:45, 46
20:47
21:1-4
22:l-«
7-13
JOHN.
12:13-19
12:20-36
12:37-50
THE FOURTH PASSOVER, OUR Lr>-:DS PASSION, AND THE ACCOMPANYING EVENTS UNTIL
THE E: : D OF THE JEWISH SABBATH.
TIME, TWO DAYS.
The Passover meal. Contention among the twelve, Jerusalem,,
Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. Jerusalem,
Jesus points out the traitor. Judas withdraws. Jerusalem, .
Jesus foretells the fall of Peter, and the dispersion of the Twelve.
Jerusalem, .........
The Lord's supper. Jerusalem,, .....
Jesus comforts his disciples. The Holy Spirit promised. Jerusalem,
Christ the true vine. His disciples hated by the world. Jerusalfm,
Persecution foretold. Further promise of the Holy Spirit. Prayer
in the name of Christ. Jerusalem,, .....
Christ's last prayer with his disciples. Jerusalem.
The agony in Gethsemane. Mount of Olives, ....
Jesus betrayed and made prisoner. Mount of Olives,
Jesus before Caiaphas. Peter thrice denies him.
Jertisalem, |
Jesus before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrim. He declares himself to
be the Christ; is condemned and mocked. Jerusalem, .
26:31-35
26:26-29
14:27-31
14:22-25
26:.30, 36-46 1*26, .32-12
•26:47-56
26:57, .58
69-75
1 26:59-68
14:53, .54 \
66-72 /
LUKE.
r 22:14-18,
L 24-30
22:31-.38
22:19, ^20
22:39-16
•22:47-.53
13:1-20
13:21-85
13:30-38
lCor.ll:23-25
11:1-31
15:1-27
16:1-33
17:1-26
18:1
18:2-12
18:1.3-18,
35-27
18:19-24
xxn
ROBINSON'S HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS.
THE FOURTH PASSOVEB, OUR LORD'S PASSION, AND THE ACCOMPANYING EVENTS UNTIL
THE END OF THE JEWISH SABBATH..— Ocmtintied,
TIME, TWO DAYS.
The Sanhedrim lead Jasus away to Pilate. Jerusalem, .
Christ before the Governor. JeriisaUm, ....
Jesus before Herod. Jerusalem, .....
Pilate seeks to release Jesus. The Jews demand Barabbas. Jerusalem
Pilate delivers up Jesus to death. He is scourged and mocked,
Jerusalem, .........
Pilate again seeks to release Jesus. Jenisalem,
Judas repents and hangs himself. Jerusalem, ,
Jesus is led away to be crucified. Jerusalem, .
The crucifixion. Jerusalem, ......
The Jews mock at Jesus on the cross. He commends his mother I
to John. Jerusalem, ...... j
Darkness prevails. Christ expires on the cross. Jerusalem,
The veil ot the temple rent, and graves opened. Judgment of the )
centurion. The women at the cross. Jerusalem, . /
The taking down from the cross. The burial. Jerusalem,
The watch at the sepulchre. Jerusalem, ....
MATT.
27:1,2
27:11-14
27:26-30
27:3-10
27:31-31
27:35-38
27:39-14
45-50
27:51-56
27:57-61
27:62-66
MASK.
15:1-5
15:6-15
15:15-19
15:20-23
15:24-28
15:29-32
15:33-37
15:38-41
15:42-47
OUR LORDS RESURRECTION, HIS SUBSEQUENT APPEARANCES, AND
TIME, FORTY DAYS.
The morning of the resurrection. Jerusalem,
Visit of the women to the sepulchre. Mary Magdalene returns.
Jerusalem, .........
Vision of angels in the sepulchre. Jerusalem, - - -
The women return to the city. Jesus meets them. Jerusalem, .
Peter and John run to the sepulchre. Jerusalem,
Our Lord is seen by Mary Magdalene at the sepulchre. Jerusalem,
Report of the watch. Jerusalem, ......
Our Lord is seen by Peter. Then by two disciples on the was' to
Emmaus. Jerusalem. Emmaus, .....
Jesas appears in the midst of the apostles, Thomas being absent.
Jerusalem, .........
Je.sus appears in the midst of the apostles, Thomas being present.
Jerusalem, .........'
The apostles go away into Galilee. Jesus shows himself to seven of
them at the sea of Tiberias. Galilee, .....
Jesus meets the apostles and above five hundred brethren on a
mountain in Galilee. Galilee, .....
Our Lord is seen of James ; then of all the apostles. Jerusalem,
Tlie ascension. Bethany, ...#..,
Conclusion of John's gospeL . . i , , ,
28:1
28:5-7
•28:8-10
I.UKK.
23:1-5
23:6-12
23:13-25
23:26-33
23:33-34
/ 23:35-37,
I 39-43
23:44-46
f 23:45, 47-
t 49
23:50-56
HIS ASCENSION.
LUKE. JOHN.
JOHK.
18:28-38
18:39, 40
19:1-3
19:4-16
Acts 1:18, 19
19:16, 17
19:18-24
19:25-27
19:28-30
16:2-4
16:5-7
16:8
16:12, 13
16:14-18
16:19, 20
24:1-3
24:4-8
24:9-11
24:12
24:13-35
24:36-49
24:50-53
20:1, 2
20:3-10
20:11-18
1 Cor. 15:5
20:19-23
20:24-29
21:1-24
1 Cor. 15:6
flCor. 15:7
(.Acts 1:3-8
f 20:30, 31
121:25
THE GOSPEL ACCOEDING TO MATTHEW.
CHAPTER I.
1 The genealogy of Christ frmn Abraham to Joseph. 18
Jfe ivas conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the
Virgin Mary u'hen she ivas espoused to Joseph. 19 The
angel satisfleth the misdeeming thoughts of Joseph, and
interpreteih the names of Christ.
I^HE book of the 'generation of Jesus Christ, i>the son
. of David, "the son of Abraliam.
»Luke iii. 23; Ps. cxxxii. 11; Isa. xi. 1; Jer. xxiii. 5.
tChap xxii. 42 ; John vii. 42 : Acts ii. 30, xiii. 23 j^Kom. i.
3. i^Gen. xii. 3, xxil. 18 ; Gal. iii. 16.
The Book of the Generation is an ex-
pression purely Jewish, and means " table
or roll of the genealogy." The same ex-
pression occurs in this sense in Gen, v. 1,
and the resemblance in the language there
employed in reference to "the first man
Adam" (1 Cor. xv. 45), "who is the figure
of him that was to come" (Rom. v. 14), and
that which is here used in regard to "the
last Adam" (1 Cor. xv. 45), is intended to
imply that there is a certain relation or
resemblance between the Old and New
Testaments, so that the one is, in many
respects, the very counterpart of the other.
This title (as appears from the remainder
of the first verse) strictly refers to what
follows, to the close of the seventeenth
verse, though its force extends also to the
whole book, including the history of our
Lord's birth, acts, sufferings, death, resur-
rection and ascension. The Evangelist,
designing to write a narrative of our Sa-
viour's life, naturally began with His
pedigree.
Jesus: The Old Testament begins with
the account of the creation of the world ;
the New with that of the incarnation of
Him who created the world. (John i. 3.)
This name is the same with Joshua in He-
brew, which means God is helper or deliv-
erer. It signifies a Sainour, and was given
to our Lord by divine appointment (verse
21). Christ, in Greek, is the same with
Messiah in Hebrew, both signifying anointed
Under this title He was earnestly waited
for by the Jews, and even by the Samari-
tans. (John iv. 25.) As under the law,
kings (1 Sam. xxiv. 6, 10), priests (Lev.
iv. 5, 16) and prophets (1 Kings xix. 16)
were all anointed with oil, the symbol of
the necessary spiritual gifts, to consecrate
them to their resi:)ective offices, so Jesus
was anointed for accomplishing our salva-
tion (Luke iv. 18, 21 ; Acts x. 38). Jesus is
the Personal, Christ the Official name of our
Lord. He calls Himself Jesus Christ (John
xvii. 3). In the Acts and Epistles this
compound appellation is often found. The
fSon of David, the Son of Abraham, i. e., the
Son of David and of Abraham, for the word
S071 in both cases refers to Jesus Christ ;
and here, as often elsewhere in Scripture,
it signifies descendant at any distance of
descent. Our Lord is thus designated be-
cause, as Abraham was the first from whose
family it was predicted that Messiah should
spring (Gen. xxii. 18), so David was the
last; and being the last, Christ is called his
son, as though David had been His imme-
diate father. As Matthew wrote more par-
ticularly for the Jews, he traces the Lord's
genealogy to David the Jewish King, and
to Abraham, the founder of the Jewish
dispensation. That the Messiah was to
descend from the royal line of David was
firmly believed by the Jews. (Is. ix. 7,
xi. 1 ; Jer. xxiii. 6.) And David's descent
from Abraham was unquestionable. That
even to the time of Christ the Jews had
genealogical tables both of their families
and tribes, is evident from Josephus, who,
having given the genealogy of his family,
says: "I give you the succession of our
family as I found it written in the public
tables." Matthew, in this genealogical
t23)
24
MATTHEW.
table, adopts three series of fourteen as a
convenient mode of reckoning and as easy
for reference. They are the three princi-
pal eras in the history of the Hebrews:
the reign of David, the commencement of
the Babylonian captivity, and the birth
of the Messiah. They are as follows:
1 Abraham, David, Jechoniah,
2 Isaac, Solomon, Salathiel,
3 Jacob, Eehoboam, Zorobabel,
4 Judah, Abia, Abiiid,
' 5 Pharez, Asa, Eliakim,
6 Hezrom, Jehosaphat, Azor,
7 Aram, Jehoram, Sadoc,
8 Aminadab, Ahaziah, Achim,
9 Naasson, Jotham, Eliud,
10 Salmon, Ahaz, Eleazar,
11 Boaz, Hezekiah, Matthan,
12 Obed, Manasseh, Jacob,
13 Jesse, Amon, Joseph,
14 David, Josiah, Jesus, who
is called
Christ.
In the reigns of the kings of Israel, one
and the same year is often reckoned both
as the last year of one king, and as the first
year of his successor. It seems beyond
question that Matthew has acted on the
same principle, and hence David is the last
of the first fourteen, and the first of the
second fourteeh.
" ^lany great volumes of history," says
Leighton, " have been written of states and
kingdoms of the earth, and lives of particu-
lar famous men, and the reading of them
may delight and inform the mind; but
what are they all, how empty and comfort-
less stuff in respect of this history ! The
book of the generation of Jesus Christ. This
is the gospel, the alone good tidings to all
nations and all ages ; still fresh, and equally
good news from one generation to another.
Had not the virgin borne this Son, we must
say, all of us, "good for us if we had not
been born."
2. dAbraham becr.it Isaac : and elsaac beg^t Jacob ;
and fJacob begat Judas and his brethren ;
dGen. xxi. 2, 3. 'Gen. xxv. 26. fGen. xxix. 35. See on
Luke lii. 23-38.
Abraham: Matthew now descends in his
enumeration, though in verse 1 he as-
cended. The fact that he begins, not from
Adam, but from Abraham, does not imply
the excluding of the Gentiles (comp. chap,
xxviii. 19), for in Abraham all nations are
blessed. Begat Isaac. (See Gen. xsi. 2.)
Jacob — (Gen. xxv. 26). Judas — (Gen. xxix.)
the Greek method of expressing the word
Judah. Only the fourth son of Jacob is
here named, as it was from his loins that
Messiah was to spring. (Gen. xlix, 10.)
And his brethren. At several points in the
genealogy there are individual matters
added, not forming an essential part of the
lineage, such as the clause and his brethren
in this verse, and Zara of Thamar in verse
3 ; of Rachah, in verse 5, and of her that
had been the icife of Urias, in verse 6.
3. And eJudas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar;
and ijPhares begat Esrom ; and Esrom begat Aram ;
sGen. xxxviii. 27, &c. tRuth iv. 18, <fec. ; 1 Chron. ii.
5, 9, &c.
Phares and Zara — a twin brother. (Gen.
xxxviii. 27.) From Phares to David the
genealogy is furnished in Ruth iv. 18-22.
Thamar. Matthew mentions in the list
four u-omcn, two of them Gentiles by birth
— Rachab and Ruth. Thamar receives me-
morable notice in the Book of Euth (iv.
12). Esrom begat Aram. In several names
of the genealogy there are slight depart-
ures from the sounds of the same names
in the Old Testament, on account of the
different powers of the Hebrew language,
and of the Greek. Thus Esrom is the
same as Hezron in the Old Testament.
Aram, verse 4, is the same as Ram in 1 Chron,
ii. 10 ; Naasson, the same as Nahson ; Booz,
in verse 5, is the same as Boaz (Ruth iv.
21), and Ozias, in verse 8, is the same as
Uzziah.
4. And Aram begat Aminadab ; and Aminadab be-
gat Naasson ; and Naasson begat Salniou. 5. And Sal-
mon begat Booz of Rachab ; and Booz begat Obed of
Ruth ; and Obed begat Jesse ;
Naasson was contemporary with Moses,
and from him to David was about 492 years.
Between Phares and Aminadab, also, there
was a space of 240 years. From these facts
it would appear that many links are passed
over. Rachab — evidently Rahab of Jericho
is meant. She is one of the " cloud of wit-
nesses," whose faith is mentioned by Paul
(Heb. xi. 31), and whose works are appealed
to by James (ii. 25). For her remarkable
history see Joshua ii. and vi. This is the
only place In the Bible where her mar-
riage is recorded. For the lovely history
of Ruth the Moabitess, see the book in the
Bible which bears her name.
CHAPTER I.
25
6. And i Jesse begat David the kking : and David the
King begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of
Uriufl.— >1 Sam. xvi. 1, xvii. I'L ''2 Sam. xii. '2A.
David tlie King. David's royalty is twice
mentioned here, as is the Babylonian cap-
tivity afterwards. The same title is implied
after the names of Solomon and his suc-
cessors as far as verse 11. David is, how-
ever, called especially the king, not only
because he is the first king in this series,
but also because his throne is given to
Messiah. (See Luke i. 32.) That the re-
cord of David's royal line was preserved
we are expressly told by Josephus, who
says in his autobiography : " I am myself
of the royal lineage by my mother." Of
her that had been the wife of Urias ; literally
of her (who was) Urias's.
7. And 'Solomon begat Roboam : and Roboam begat
Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 8. And Asa begat Josa-
phat; and Josaphat begat Joram ; and Joram begat
Ozias ; !l. And Ozias begat Joatliam ; and Joatham be-
gat Acliaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; 10. And ™Eze-
kias begat Mannass&s : and Mannasses begat Anion ;
and Arhon begat Josia.s; 11. And "Josias begat Je-
chonias and his brethren, about the time they were
"carried away to Babylon.
'IChron. iii. 10, &c. '"2 Kings xx. 21 ; 1 Chron. iii. 13.
"See 1 Chron. iii; 15. Ifi. »2 Kings xxiv. 14-16; xxv.
11; 1 Chron. xxxvi. 20; Jer. xxvii. 20; xxxix. 9, Ivii.
11,15,28-30: Dan. i. 2.
In verses 7 and 8 three kings are omit-
ted— Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah, (See
1 Chron. iii. 11, 12.) The reason why
these, rather than other names, are omit-
ted, must be sought, perhaps, in religious
considerations — either in the connection
of those kings, through Athaliah, with the
house of Ahab, in their slender right to be
regarded as true links in the theocratic
chain, or in some similar disqualification.
There are also other omissions. In order
to abbreviate a long list of names, omissions
like these were common, as they are at the
present day among the Arabians, who
trace their descent from Abraham. Such
omissions do not, of course, impair the
genealogy, as a ^rhole, for the princiiml
point to be obtained is secured, that is, the
tracing of the genealogy to a particular
individual, and doing this in a way that
cannot lead to mistakes.
Ozias was the son of Amaziah, yet it is
here stated that Joram begat Ozias. (Verse 8.)
This is in perfect keeping with the custom
of the Jews, to call not only sons proper,
but also grandchildren and great-grand-
children, sons. Accordingly, a man is said to
beget a child that was by several genera-
tions removed by him. (Comp. Is. xxxix. 7.)
Abotd the time they were carried away, &c.,
literally, of their migration. Reference is had
not to any one captivity, but to all that took
place in the time of Nebuchadnezzar.
The greater cuiptivities took place in the 1st,
8tli, and lyth years, the minor captivities
in the 7th, 18th, and 23d years of his reign.
12. And after they were brought to Babylon, pjecl co-
mas begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat oZorol):.;i(.'l ;
13. And Zorohabel begat Abiud ; and Abiud begat Elia-
kim; and Eliakim t)egat Azor; 14. And Azor bcirat
Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim, and Achim begat
Eliud; 15. And Eliud begat Eleazar: and Eleazar begat
Matthan : and Matthan begat Jacob.
Pl Chron. iii. 17, 18, 19. qEzra iii. 2 ; Neh. xii. 1 ; Hag. i. 1.
Brought to Babylon: The Jews avoided
the word "captivity" as too bitter a recol-
lection, and our Evangelist studiously re-
spects the natiolial feeling. Jechonias,
mentioned in verse 11, is called in the Old
Testament Jehoiakim, and is to be distin-
guished from the Jechonias mentioned in
verse 12, whose father he was. Jechonias
begat Salathiel. (See 1 Chron. iii. 17.) This
Jechonias is called in the Old Testament
Jehoiachin, or Jeconiah, or Coniah. There
is no contradiction here of the record in
Jer. xxii. 30 that this man was written
childless, for what follows explains in what
sense this was meant, " for no man of his
seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne
of David." He ivas to have seed, but no
reigning child. And Salathiel begat Zoroba-
bel. (See Ezra iii. 2; Neh. xii. 1; Hag. i.
1.) But it would appear from 1 Chron. iii.
19, that Zerubbabel was Salathiel's grand-
son, being the son of Pedaiah, whose name,
for some reason unknown, is omitted. The
word begat, as already remarked, is used in
the Scriptures with a much broader ai)pli-
cation than among us. It is employed in
reference to a person's remote descendants,
as well as to his immediate descendants.
Zorobabel (whose name means "He of
the dispersion of Babylon") was governor
of Judah, a famous type as well as ancestor
of our Lord. (See Hag. i. 14, ii. 2.) The
names in verses 13-15 are not found in the
Old Testament, but were doubtless taken
from the public or family registers, which
the Jews kept, and their accuracy was
never challenged.
16. And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of
whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 17. So all
the generations from Abraham to David otb fourteen
generations ; and irom David until the carrying away
into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the
carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen
generations.
Jacob begat Joseph, Sec: From this we
26
MATTHEW,
gather that we have here the genealogy of
Joseph (who was descended from David
through the legitimate royal line of the
house of David) and not that of Mary.
Matthew says, purposely, not as in the
preceding cases, " Joseph begat Jesus," but
calls Joseph only the husband of Mary, of
■whom was born Je^us, &c. (See on verse 1.)
As Jesus passed among the Jews for the
son of Joseph, his foster-father. Divine
Providence has arranged it that this foster-
father of Jesus was a descendant of David.
In tracing back the origin of Christ, Mat-
thew followed the male line, because his
Gospel was primarily written for the Jews,
and such a lineage only with them was
legal. He intended by this catalogue of
names to furnish legal proof of the assertion
that Jesus Christ. was "the son of David,
the son of Abraham." Luke, on the other
hand, who wrote his gospel for the Gentiles,
t raced our Saviour's pedigree upward from
lleli, the father of Mary. (See on Luke
iii. 23-38.)
^•1/^ the generations, &c. Jl generation may
here probably denote a period of time, or
mean of calculation, by the general (not
individual) course of human life. Allow-
ing for the general diminution of human
longevity, each of these divisions may have
occupied the number of fourteen periods
of time, equivalent, each of them, to the
ordinary continuance of a generation of
mankind at the periods, respectively.
Dr. J. A. Alexander says : " The meaning
cannot be that there were really, in point
of fact, just fourteen generations in the
several intervals here mentioned, for we
know from the Old Testament that four
names are omitted in the second period,
and have reason to believe that others may
be wanting in the third. It rather means
the contrary, namely, that, although there
were more generations in the actual suc-
cession, only fourteen are here given, for
the sake of uniformity, in each of the three
periods. So far from being a mistake or
an intentional misrepresentation, it is
really a caution to the reader against fall-
ing into the very mistake which some
would charge upon the writer. As if he
had said: "Let it be observed that this
is not a complete list of the generations
between Abraham and Christ, but that
some names are omitted, so as to leave
fourteen in each great division of the his-
tory of Israel." It was a common practice
with the Jews to distribute genealogies into
divisions, each containing some favorite or
mystical number, and, in order to do this,
generations were either repeated or left out.
Some of the names in the catalogue of
our Lord's ancestors remind us of shameful
and sad histories. It includes all sorts of
men, kings, heroes, shepherds, mechanics,
heathens, sinners, prophets, poets, sages,
and they become poorer and obscurer as
they api^roach Christ. Being in the line
from which the IMessiah was to come did
not necessarily make one righteous, nor
was the character of Jesus in the least de-
iiled by the depravity of some of His
ancestors. Those who take pride in their
ancestry should remember this
Whatever difficulties may now exist in
relation to the genealogical tables of Mat-
thew and Luke (see on Luke iii. 23-38), it is
certain that the early enemies of Christi-
anity, both Jews and Gentiles, many of
whom were acute, learned, and able, found
no difficulty with these tables. This shows
that at a time when it was easy to under-
stand these tables they were believed to
be correct. Had they contained error, they
would undoubtedly have been assailed and
exposed.
From this list of names we learn, 1. That
God always keeps His word. His promise
concerning a Saviour (Gen. xii. 3 ; Isai. xi.
1 ) was literally fulfilled. Christians should
remember this lesson, and take comfort.
Their Father in heaven will be true to all
His engagements. (2 Tim. ii. 13.) 2. The
greatness of the mercy and compassion of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Think how defiled
and unclean our nature is, and then think
what a condescension it was in Him to be
born of a woman, and " made in the like-
ness of sinful flesh !" 3. That no one who
partakes of human nature can be beyond
the reach of Christ's sympathy and com-
passion. However numerous and aggra-
vated our sins may have been, they cannot
shut us out of heaven, if we- repent and
believe the Gospel. 4. That the two dis-
pensations under which God has revealed
Himself are the same. " The genealogy
of Christ," as has well been said, " serves
CHAPTER I.
27
to connect Jesus and His teachings with
all God's revelations and promises that
had been given before. It binds all gen-
erations together in one moral system,
showing us that there is for all generations
one God and one religion, whose princi-
ples do not change. It proclaims that it
has come, not to tell men of an unknown
God, but of Him who made a covenant
with Abraham and an oath unto Isaac,
and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a
law, and unto Israel for an everlasting
covenant; the same God to whom David
poured out of his Psalms of praise, the
same God whose will, whose principles of
government, all the jirophets had made
known."
IS. liNow the 'birth of Jesus Chjist was on this wise :
Wlieu as bis mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, be-
fore they came together, slie was found with child »of
the Holy Ghost. — 'Iiuke i. 27. ^LiUke i. as.
The Evangelist now proceeds to furnish
ill the history of the Saviour's birth the
proofs of His Divine Incarnation; that is.
His embodiment in the flesh. Birth here
denotes both the conception and the nativity
of Christ. On this wise, thus, or, in the fol-
lowing manner — an intimation that it was
not in the ordinary and natural way. By
becoming incarnate, Jesus could — 1, ex-
plain and recommend holiness to us by
His life as well as His doctrines; 2, render
satisfaction to the Divine law in the nature
in which the debt had been contracted;
3, be a merciful and faithful high priest
and mediator between God and man (Heb.
ii. 17, iv. Ijj), and 4, having authority as
God, and being visible as man, He could
be a proper person to judge the world.
His Mother Mary. The sacred history re-
cords but few incidents of the life of Mary
after the infancy of the Messiah. (See
John ii. 3 ; Mark iii. 20 ; John xix. 25-27 ;
Acts i. 14.) A veil is drawn over her
character and history, as though Avith the
design to reprove that wretched idolatry
of which she Avas made the subject when
Christianity became corrupt and pagan-
ized.
Enough has been given us by the Evan-
gelists to show that she was a woman
of great excellence ; but they have not
given us the least possible ground for sup-
posing that she was Avithout actual sin — an
opinion that became very general about
six hundred years ago — or that she was
conceived without sin (" Immaculate Con-
ception")— a notion which originated a
little later, and was formally decreed in
1854 as an article of belief for the entire
Roman Catholic world. Was espoused to
Joseph. No Avoman of Israel was married
unless she had been first betrothed. Some
time elapsed before she was taken home
to the house of her husband. (See Deut.
XX. 7; Judg. xiv. 7, 8.) The espousal of
Mary to Joseph was for the safety of
Christ, who, having afterward to flee into
Egypt, had His reputed father to take care
of Him, and for the credit and reputation
of Mary, God would have His people free
from the least susjiicion of eAdl. Josejih
was of repral descent (verse 20), but he re-
sided in the small and not \'ery reputable
town of Ki'.zareth, in the occuiiation of a
carpenter. (Chajx xiii. 55.) Before they
came tocjether — before they entered into the
full relation of man and wife — she was
found with child, was discovered to be; no
doubt Mary disclu. ed to Joseph her con-
dition, which she had concealed from
every one else. Of the Holy Ghost: So that
the Lord, being the child of a purely hu-
man mother and of a Divine Father, should
at once be the Son of Man and the Son of
God — the God-man. Ghost is deriA'ed from
the Saxon word gast, and signifies Spirit.
Holy Gliost is, therefore, precisely synony-
mous with Holy Spirit. The events here
recorded are profoundly mysterious. They
are truths which we have not mind enough
to fathom. "Without controversy, great
is the mystery of godliness, God manifest in
the flesh." (1 Tim. iii. 16.) Let us not at-
tempt to explain things which are above
our feeble reason. We cannot compre-
hend how the soul and body are united in
a man and so make one person ; we should
not therefore speculate as to how the Di-
A'ine and human nature Avere united in
Jesus so as to make but one person, but
believe the precious truth Avith rcA'crence.
Let us often meditate upon this single
event in the history of our race that
bridges over the stuj^endous chasm be-
tween God and man. Considered with
purity of intention, no fact recorded in the
Bible has greater poAver to bring the soul
near to its Maker.
28
MATTHEW.
19. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and
not willing 'to make her a public example, was minded
to put her away privily.— 'Deut. xxiv. 1.
The phrase just man may imply Joseph's
kindness and tenderness, as well as his
integrity. He did not think it consistent
with his character to retain one as his
wife who appeared to have broken her
conjugal faith. And he was minded to
put Mary away secretly, because he was
unwilling to publish the matter, and ex-
Itose to inf;xmy, and subject to the punish-
ment which the law permitted in the case
of such as broke the marriage vow (Lev.
XX. 10 ; John viii. 5), one to whom he had
been tenderly attached, and in whose piety
everything else had led him to confide.
Joseph's conduct here is a beautiful ex-
ample of godly wisdom and tender con-
sideration for others. Though he saw " the
appearance of evil," he did nothing rashly.
He waited patiently to have the line of
duty made clear. (See Isa. xxviii. 16.)
20. But while he thought on these things, behold, the
angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, say-
ing, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto
thee Mary thy wife : «for that which is conceived in
herisofthelloly Cxhost. 21. »And she shall bring forth
a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS : for Jhe shall
save his people from their sins.
"Luke i. 35. xliUke i, 31. yActs iv. 12 ; v. 31, xiii. 23, 38.
Joseph reflected what course to pursue,
but was not left long in doubt. The angel
of tlie Lord, doubtless the Angel Gabriel,
who had already conveyed wondrous tid-
ings to Zacharias, and to Mary (Luke i. 19,
26, 27,), appeared unto him in a dream.
Though dreams are generally the vain va-
garies of our sleeping hours, which no sen-
sible man usually regards, yet God has
often made them the means of communi-
cating warnings and directions. (See Gen.
XX. 3 ; xxviii. 12 ; xxxi. 11, 24 ; Num. xii.
6 ; 1 Kings iii. 5.) The Josei:>h of the New
Testament, like the Joseph of the Old Tes-
tament, uniformly received his revelations
in dreams. Saying, Joseph. In visions,
those to whom they come are generally
addressed by name, as acquaintances. (Acts
ix. 4, 10 ; X. 3, 13.) Thou Son of David— a
man simple in character, but illustrious by
descent. Fear not— do not doubt or hesi-
tate to take unto thee — to the companionship
of life and board, Mary, thy wife; among
the Jews the betrothed bore the title of
tdfe. That which is conceived in her, the
child yet unborn is usually spoken of in
the neuter gender. Is of the Holy Ghost.
(Comp. Luke i. 35.) By this- we are to
understand simply that Divine power was
imparted to the human person of the vir-
gin, from which a being of perfect holiness
should be conceived and born, blending
the Divine and the human natures. Shall
bring forth a son. There is something very
delightful in the idea that the Saviour was
first i^resented as an infant in our world.
It proves at once that His errand was one
of mercy. Thou shalt call — the second
person. Thus the office of a father is com-
mitted to Joseph. Matthew speaks most
of Joseph. Afterward, when the truth was
generally known, the'first place was given
to Mary. (Comp. Luke i. 31.) His name
JESUS. (See on verse 1.) The reason for
giving the name Jesus to the Son of Man
was peculiar: for he shall save his people
from their sins — the lost sheep of the house
of Israel first, then, on the breaking down
of the middle wall of partition, " the re-
deemed unto God by his blood," out of
" every kindred, and tongue, and peojjle,
and nation. (Rev. v. 9.) Asif ithad been
said — " Others have been called saviours
because they have rescued the body ; they
were temporal deliverers, they saved the
Jews from the Egyptians, the Philistines,
the Midianites, But this child is called a
Saviour for a nobler reason. He rescues
the soul — He is an eternal Deliverer." The
proper Deity of Christ is written as with
a sunbeam here. He is emphatic — "He,
and no other" — "He personally, and by
personal acts." Jesus saves His people
from their sins : 1. By price, and thus He
redeems. By the shedding of His blood
we are ransomed, and by His death we
live. " He has redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us." 2.
By power, and thus He renews. The peace
He gives has purity ivith it, and purity in
it. Those whom He pardons He sanctifies.
He saves them from the love of sin ; they
not only avoid sin, but abhor it. He de-
livers them from the bondage of it. Sin
shall not have dominion over them, for
they are not under the law, but under
grace. If Jesus is to save his people from
their sins, how awfully deceived are those
who hope to be saved in their sins ! This
CHAPTER I.
29
message from God to Joseph, according
with his former confidence in the piety of
Mary, might well lead him to acknowledge
the hand of God, and regard the dream as
a special event, arranged for relieving his
mind, and for leading him in the path of
duty.
22. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saynig,
23. 'Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring
forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us.— »Isa. vii. 14.
All this includes the whole narrative
(from verse 18) of the events of miracu-
lous conception and birth. That it might
be fulfilled. What God declares shall take
place, must of necessity have a fulfillment.
(See Luke xxii. 37.) Prophecies relating
to Jesus were fulfilled, not only in His own
acts, but in events which occurred to Him
without His agency. Spoken of the Lord by
the Prophet, rather, " Spoken bij the Lord,
through," &c. Isaiah is the prophet here
spoken of (vii. 14). This is the first of
the many ancient prophecies which ]Mat-
thew notices as fulfilled in the history of
our blessed Lord. It had been pronounced
about 750 years before, and yields to none,
in its wondrous precision and clearness.
A virgin — it should be " the virgin," mean-
ing that particular virgin destined to this
unparalleled distinction. And theg sliall
call— He shall be known and recognized —
such shall be His universal appellation.
His name Emmanuel. Emmanu means
"with us;" el means "God." What pre-
cious truths are here suggested! 1. We
know, in consequence of the revelations
made by Christ, that God is so with us, so
near to us, that our verj'' existence is every
moment upheld by Him. 2. We know
from the incarnation and doctrine of Christ
that God is with us, not as individuals
merely, but with our world, in the ofiers
^ of His saving grace. 3. In Christ we see
that God is witli us in our very nature, to
accomplish our redemption. 4. We are
assured that, though ascended into heaven,
He is still " God with us," with us by the
invisible and mighty influence which He
exerts. 5. We are thus reminded that God
is with us, in condescension and special
grace, during the whole course of discipline
to which He subjects us. Is Christ our
Emmanuel ? God with us ? Then let us
take care that we are with Him — coming
to Him habitually in acts of faith and
love — walking with Him, and before Him
— so shall He be to us all, and in all, the
strength of our heart, and our portion
forever.
24. Then Joseph being raised from sleep, did as the
angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him
his wife :
Joseph, having fully awoke, and all his
diflflculties now removed, the marriage was
consummated, probably immediately, or
very soon after the dream. With what
deep and reverential joy would this now
be done on his part ; and what balm would
this minister to his betrothed one, who
had till now lain under suspicions of all
others the most trj'ing to a chaste and holy
woman — suspicions, too, arising from what,
though to her an honor unparalleled, was
to all around her wholly unknown !
25. And knew her not till she had brought forth «her
first-born son : and he called his name JESUS.
"Exod. xiii. 2 ; Lulie ii. 7, 21.
The virginity of Mary before the birth
of Jesus is directly asserted. The words
till and first-born do not necessarily imply
that she had other children afterward.
When we affirm a certain state of things
until a given point, we may intend our
affirmation to cover the time previous to
the point, without pretending to affirm,
imply, or even know what took place after
that point. We have examples of this in
Gen. xxviii. 15; Deut. xxxiv. 6 ; 1 Sam. xv.
35 ; 2 Sam, vi. 23, Until, and equivalents
in other languages, affirm and deny nothing
beyond the point of time which they are
used to designate, but leave the result to
be discovered in some other way. The
Greek interpreters assert this to be the
usage of the Greek word employed in this
case, and refer for proof to Gen. viii. 7 ;
Ps. ex. 1, to which others have added, Isa
xlii. 3, as quoted in Matt. xii. 20, where the
meaning cannot be that after He has sent
forth judgment unto victory He will begin
to break the bruised reed and quench the
smoking flax. So too in Tim. iv. 13, Paul
cannot mean to say that after he comes
Timothy must cease to read, exhort, and
teach. As to the word "first-born," many
affirm that it is, in the Old Testament,
properly applied to the only -born; that is,
it is applied to any child whose birth has
30
MATTHEW.
lieen preceded by no other, whether suc-
ceeded by any other or not. The Mosaic
law prescribed tlie sanctification of the
"first-born" (Ex. xii. 2), and this first-born
was still so called, whether succeeded by
subsequent children or not. Eeferring to
the question now under view, one of the
ancients says, " what the virgin was after-
ward is of small concern to the mystery,
therefore not to be inquired after." He
called (that is Joseph) Ms name JESUS.
(See on verse 21.)
1. What is said of " the Book of Generation ?" 2. What is meant by the title " Jesus Christ ?" 3. To whom
does Matthew trace the Lord's genealogy ? 4. Why does he thus trace it ? 5. How is the genealogical table
arranged? 6. What does Leighton say of the Book of the Generation ? <fec. 7. What is said of the omissions in
verses 7 and 8? 8. What is said about "all generations," &c., v. 17? 9. What do we learn from the list of the
names given ? 10. What does the Evangelist proceed to show ? 11. What ends could Jesus accomplish by
becoming incarnate? 12. What angel appeared to Joseph? 13. What did he say to him? 14. How does Jesu3
save His people from their sins ? 15. What is said of verses 22 and 23 ? 16. What course did Joseph pursue after
rising from his sleep ?
CHAPTER. II.
1 Th€ wise men out of the east are directed to Christ by a
star. 11 They ivorship him, and offer their presents.
14 Joseph fleeth into Egypt, with Je.stis and his mother.
Ifi Herod slayeth the children: 20 himself dieth. Zi
Christ is brought back again into Galilee to Nazareth,
NOW, when ajesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea
in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came
wise men i>from the east to Jerusalem,
aLuke ii. 4, 6, 7. ^Gen. x. 30, xxv. 6 : 1 Kings iv. 30
When Jesus was born. (See on Luke ii. 8.)
Bethlehem of Judea — Judea was the southern
of the three provinces into which Palestine
was divided. The name is derived from
the name of the tribe of Judah. " It em-
bodied ' the original territories of the tribes
of Judah and Benjamin, together with Dan
and Simeon ; being almost the same with
the old kingdom of Judah, and about one
hundred miles in length, and sixty in
breadth.' " Herod the King. This monarch
was surnamed the great, to distinguish him
from three others of the same name, who
subsequently reigned, in whole or part, over
the Jewish nation. He was the second son
of Antipater, who was appointed procura-
tor of Judea by Julius Cesar, B. C. 47.
THE FAMILY OF HERODS.
Antipater
m. Cyprus,
d. B. C. 43.
Phasael. HEROD THE GREAT.
d, B. C. 4. Married
Joseph.
Salome.
d. A. D. 10.
Antipater
d. B. C. 4.
Mariamne Pallas,
D. of Alexander.
Phaedra,
Phasael. Roxana.
Mariamne,
D. of Simon.
Malthace,
d. B. C. 4.
Cleopatra,
' .Philip, alias Herod,
Aristobulus Alexander, Herod, Salampso, Cyprus. m. Herodias.
TO. Bernice, m. Glaphyra I
d. B. C. 6. d. B. C. 6. Salome,
I m. 1. Herod Philip ;
2. Aristobulus.
Tigranes. Alexander.
Elpis,
I
Salomew
HEROD PHILIP,
Tetrarch of Trachonitis,
d. A. D. &4.
I
Tigranes, king of Armenia.
I
Alexander, kingofCilicia.
ARCHELAUS, ANTIPAS, Olympia,
Ethnarch of Judea,. Tetrarch of Galilee.
Deposed A. D. 6. m. 1. D. ofAretas ; 2. Herodias.
Deposed A. D. 40.
Mariamne.
m. Antipater,
AGRIPPA I. Herod, Aristobulus. Herodias.
King of Judea, Kingof Chalcis, m. Jotape. m. 1. Philip, alias
?n. Cyprus, D of m. 1. Mariamne ; 2, Bernice. Herod ; 2. Antipas.
Sampso. d. A. D. 48. |
d. A. D. 44. I ■ ^
I Aristobulus, Bernicius, Hyrcanus.
Drusius,
«i. young.
AGRIPPA II.
king of Trachonitis,
rf. A. D. 95.
The last of the Herods,
Bernice,
TO. 1. Marcus ;
2. Herod of Chalcia ;
3. Polemo.
Mariamne,
1. Archelaus;
2. Demetrius.
Drusilla,
m. 1. Azizus;
2. Felix.
1
Agrippa,
d. A. D. 79.
CHAPTER II.
31
Wise men. The word thus translated is,
in the original, maffi, a word which is, how-
ever, not Greek, but a foreign oriental term,
adopted by the Evangelist and other writers
in Greek, as an appellative. We have no
authentic account of these wise men, but
there must, of course, have been more than
one. There is reason to believe that they
were men of rank, wealth, and learning.
From the ccif't. Their country was eastward
of Jerusalem, but whether it was Arabia,
or Persia, or some other country which lay
to the east, is not certainly known. There
came tinse men. The number of the wise
men is not given. Men have shown their
desire to be "wise above what is written"
by affirming that there were three ; that
they were kings; and that their names
were Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar;
that Gaspar presented the gold, Melchior
the frankincense, and Balthazar the myrrh.
In the Greek church is the utterly baseless
tradition that the magi had "a retinue of
one thousand men, having left behind them
on the further bank of the Euphrates an
army of seven thousand." To Jenisalem.
They knew for certain that the Messiah
was now born, and that He had been born
in the land of Judea, but with the particu-
lar place of His birth they were yet unac-
quainted, and where, as to this, were they
likelier to obtain the needed information
than in Jerusalem, the capital of the coun-
try ? How do their spirit and conduct, in
cheerfully submitting to the expense and
fatigue of such a journey to do homage to
Jesus, rebuke those who, living amidst
Christian privileges, yet do not appreciate
them, and are unwilling to make any sac-
rifices in order to enjoy them. It would
be well for all professing Christians if they
were more ready to follow these wise men's
example. Where is our self-denial ? What
pains do we take about our souls ? What
diligence do we show about following
Christ ? What does our religion cost us ?
These are serious questions ; they deserve
serious consideration.
2. Saying. cWhere Ls he that is born King of the Jews ?
for we have seen <JhLs star in the east, ana are come to
worship him.— cLuke ii. 11. dNum. xiiv. 17 ; Isa. Ix. i.
Where is he, &c. How strong their faith !
" The (one) born already," as the past par-
ticiple in the Greek denotes. They assume
the fact of His nativity as certain, and
merely inquire for the place, as something
not revealed or ascertainable from astro-
nomical phenomena. Schlegel mentions,
in his Philosophy of History, that the Budd-
hist missionaries traveling to China met
Chinese sages going to seek the Messiah,
about the year 33, A. D. Verse 11 shows
that these magi deemed this " King of the
Jews" to be their king also. For v:e have
seen his star in the east; rather, vje in the
East (i. e., dwelling in the East) have seen
His star. His star — His exclusively. This
star must plainly mean some new ap-
pearance in the sky, which they, whose
profession (as is well known) led them
peculiarly to the study of astronomy, had
observed in the heavens. Any appearance
of a body of light in the air is called by
the Greek and Latin authors a star. The
eminent astronomer Kepler has shown that
in the year 747 from the building of Rome
a very remarkable three-fold conjunction
of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign of Pisces
occurred, first on May 20th, and again No-
vember 12th, and he was of opinion that
this conjunction formed the star of the
magi. During the interval of some six
months, in which the planets remained
very near together, there would have been
time sufficient for the wise men to make
their journey from Chaldea to Jerusalem,
including the time necessary to make pre-
parations for it. But why did the men
associate with the appearance of a star the
idea that One had been born who was
destined to be King of the Jews? 1. Jews
having been dispersed through eastern
countries, the magi could not have failed
to learn something of the expectation
Avhich they had so warmly cherished rela-
tive to the coming of a great Deliverer. 2.
It is well known that the opinion had
obtained great currency through a consid-
erable part of the East, that not far from
that time some one would appear among
the Jews who would effect a great change
in the world. Suetonius and Tacitus, Ro-
man historians, testify this. 3. The magi
may have been specially illuminated from
heaven, for, after they had found the ob-
ject of their search, they were warned by
God in a dream concerning their return.
4. There seems to be nothing unreasona-
32
MATTHEW.
ble in the supposition that they were ac-
quainted with Balaam's prophecy : There
shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre
shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the
corners of Moab, and destroy all the child-
ren of Sheth. (Num. xxiv. 17.) Christ
claims this very title as His own. (Rev.
xxii. 16.) To worship Him — to indicate
veneration, homage, submission, by pros-
tration of the face to the ground. (Gen.
xix. 1, xlii. 6.) The word "worship" is
often used in the Old and New Testaments
where real adoration is not meant. It is,
however, well remarked by Dr. Alexander,
that a mere civil homage could not well
be the sole object of these magi, and
would have been wholly out of place upon
the part of Herod. (See verse 8.) God
spoke to these wise men in the glittering
alphabet with which their studies made
them conversant, Happy will the time be
when all business shall be regarded as a
medium through which God is speaking
of higher and holier interests — when the
merchant shall be reminded by his calling
of the pearl of great price ; the farmer, that
whatsoever a man soweth that shall he
also reap ; the builder, that there is a house
not made with hands, eternal in the heav-'
ens; the minister of justice, that there is a
throne of justice before which all shall
appear; and when science shall show its
true relation to Jesus — astronomy pointing
to the Star of Bethlehem, geology to the
Rock of Ages, and botany to the "Plant
of Renown," "the Rose of Sharon" and
the " Lily of the Valley."
3. When Herod the king had heard these things, tie
was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Herod, now seventj'- years old, was
troubled, as were also the inhabitants of
the city, because they apprehended that in
Jesus, whom they exjiected to come as a
temporal prince, a rival had appeared, who
would sooner or later take possession of
the kingdom — an apprehension the more
painful, because, as Josephus tells us, the
Pharisees a short time before foretold that
the kingdom was about to be taken from
the fiimily of Herod.
4. And when he had gathered all cthe chief priests
and iscribes of the people together, she demanded of
them where Christ should be born.
e2 Chron. xxxvi. 14. f2 Chron. xxxiv. 13. gMal. ii. 7.
The class of the chief priests included the
high priest for the time being, together
with all who had previously filled this
office. The sci'ibes were at first merely
transcribers of the law and synagogue-
readers, afterwards interpreters of the law,
both civil and religious, and so both law-
yers and divines, Herod knew that the
coming of Messiah was expected, but he
knew not the place where He should be
born, hence he convened the authorized
interpreters of Scripture,
5. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea :
for thus it is written by the prophet, G. i>And thou
Bethlehem in the land of Judah, art not least among
the princes of Judah: for outof thee sliall comeagov-
ernor, "that shall rule my people Israel.
"Mic. V. 2 ; John vii. 42. 'Bev. ii. 27.
Bethlehem of Judea. (See on verse 1.)
Here was an involuntary testimony to
Jesus from the highest ecclesiastical au-
thority, which yet at length condemned
Him to die. Let us beware of resting sat-
isfied with head knowledge. It is an
excellent thing when rightly used, but a
man may have much of it, and yet perish
everlastingly. Written by the prophet. (Mi,
V. 2.) The slight verbal difference between
the verse as given by Matthew, and as orig-
inally written by Micah, may be suffi-
ciently explained, either by the probability
that the verse was quoted from the Septua-
gint, or the fact that Matthew doubtless
intended merely to give the idea conveyed
by the prophet. Art not the least is put, by a
common figure of speech, for art among the
greatest. Shall rule, literally feed. (See Ps.
xxiii. Ixxx. i.) Israel, i. e., Israelites, all
the tribes.
The passage of prophesy in this verse is
a most signal one, for the following reasons :
1, It was the uniform practice of the ancient
Jews agreeing with Herod's Sanhedrim to
apply it to the Messiah. 2. It brings to a
point a whole series of converging prophe-
cies from the Edenic prediction of the seed
of the woman, through the line of Shem
to that of Abraham, and that of Isaac,
Jacob, Judah, David, and finallj'^ to Beth-
lehem, the city of David. 3. This pointing
to Bethlehem made more conspicuous the
fact that Jesus was of the royal line of
David, so completing the evidence i^re-
sented in Matthew's genealogy. 4. The
predicted birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, of
the line of David, and so of the tribe of
Judah, settles the point that the Messiah
has come. Not only was it predicted that
CHAPTER 11.
33
Messiah should appear during the second
temple (which is now no more), but the
. tribeship of Judah and the lineage of David
are lost. All traces of the royal line dis-
appeared at the fall of Jerusalem and the
dispersion of their race. 5. No infidel can
say that these prophecies were forged by
Christians, or were made to suit the event,
for the records are preserved by our oppo-
nents, the Jews. The Hebrews keep our
library of proofs. Judaism furnishes the
]>rophecy ; Christianity furnishes the ful-
fillment, and how will infidelity explain
the agreement?
7. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise
men, inquired of them diligently what time the star
appeared.
Herod lost no time in his efforts to re-
move the cause of his alarm. His sending
for the magi privately is a proof of his
treachery. In his inquiries of the wise
men with care as to the time of the star's
beginning, we perceive his craft, and their
artless, unsuspecting character.
8. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said. Go and
search diligently for the young child ; and when ye,
have found him. bring me word again, that I may come
and worship him also.
Herod did not believe the report of the
wise men as true, though he considered it
possible. It is not, therefore, to be won-
dered at that he did not immediately go
with them. That I may come and rrorship
him also. The cunning of the bloody hypo-
crite ! Wicked men often cloak their most
atrocious designs under the pretense of
zeal for religion and for the honor of God.
But God can cause even the wrath of men
to work out His sovereign will.
9. When they had heard the king, they departed, and
lo, the star, which they saw in tlie east, went heCore
them, till it came and stood over where the young child
was.
Immediately on leaving the despot's
palace, the wise men set out on their jour-
ney. The star, or meteor, which they had
seen in their own land now re-appeared,
and came so lowly from the skies as to
move horizontally before them, until it
rested and shone steadily above the very
house where the child was, which prob-
ably (as is common in villages) had no
house contiguous, and therefore might be
easily marked by the situation of the over-
hanging luminous body. The magi have
set an example worthy to be imitated
by all the wise men of this world. Like
ihe magi, these ought not to be ashamed
3
to seek Christ and to bow to Him. Genuine
philosophy leads to Christ. Science should
be the handmaid of religion. Learning
and religion are perfectly consistent with
each other, yet without the light of faith
all our knowledge is fragmentary, and with-
cut the Word of God all the stars of heaven
leave us in the dark. But whoever follows
the light he has, however faint it may bo,
is brought, by God's grace, to the full
knowledge of the truth. Without the
Word of God and the enlightening influ-
ence of His Spirit, Christ and His kingdom
cannot be found. God's word is the star
that points to Christ, and if we follow it
we shall infallibly come to Christ. (2 Peter
i. 19 ; 2 Tim. iii. 17.) There is a deep signifi-
ficance in the homage of the Magians. For
it, in fact, was but a specimen and type of
that which science has been doing ever
since. The mind of Christ has not only
entered into the temple, and made it the
house of prayer : it has entered into the
temple of science, and purified the spirit
of philosophy. This is its spirit now, as
expounded by its chief interpreter ; " Man,
the interpreter of nature, knows nothing,
and can do nothing, except that which
nature teaches him." What is this but
science bending before the Child, becom-
ing child-like, and, instead of x^rojecting
its own fancies uj^on God's Word, listening
reverently to hear what it has to teach
him? In a similar spirit, too, spoke the ■
greatest of philosophers, in words quoted
in every child's book : " I am but a child
picking up pebbles on the shore of the
sea of truth."
10. Wlien they saw the star, they rejoiced with ex-
ceeding great joy.
The exuberant transport they experi-
enced at recovering sight of the star indi-
Cates that they had not left their Eastern
home from curiosity, but were acting under
a strong impulse, to which the mere desire .
of doing homage to external pomp or
power could not have given birth.
11. H And when they were come into the house, they
saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell
down and worshipped him : and when they had opened
their treasures, Jthey presented unto him gilte; gold,
and frankincense, and mj-rrh.— JPs. Ixxii. 10; Isa. Ix. ti.
Into the house. The reason why the pa-
rents had sought shelter in a stable existed
no l-'inger. The greater part of the people
who had come to Bethlehem to be taxed-
34
MATTHEW.
had left again, and in this way the holy
family had succeeded in finding more con-
venient lodgings. The progressive growth
from the joy of the wise men in seeing the
star, to their joy in seeing the child Him-
self, is sweetly expressed. Joseph is not
here mentioned, probably because he was
only the reputed father of the child. Fdl
dovun and 'worshipped him. Bowing and
prostration is the Eastern manner of doing
obeisance to kings, but, clearly, the wor-
ship which these star-guided strangers
came so far, inquired so eagerly, and re-
joiced so earnestly to pay, was a lofty,
spiritual homage. (See on ver. 2.) The
gifts offered were productions of their own
country. Gold. Tiie first installment of
what the Gentiles will give for the ad-
advancement of Christianity. Frankin-
cense. A species of fragrant resin that
exudes from a tree. It is a native product
of Arabia Felix, and hence called Odor
Arahicus. In the Mosaic ceremonial frank-
incense was used as an ingredient in the
perfume or incense that was to be placed
before the Lord (Ex. xxx. 34), and as an
accomjjaniment to the meat-offering (Lev.
ii. 1, IG, vi. 15, xxiv. 7; Num. v. 15). Its
use in these cases arose from its fragrant
odor when burnt, in which respect the in-
cense was a symbol of the Divine name,
and its diffusion an emblem of the publish-
ing abroad of that name (Mai. i. 11; Song
i. 3) ; and from this, as prayer is a calling
on God's name, the incense came to be an
emblem of prayer. (Ps. cxli. 2; Lev. i. 10;
Kev. V. 8, viii. 3, 4.) In this symbolical
representation the burning of the frankin-
cense was a celebration of the holiness of
Jehovah. Myi-rh. This substance is the
exudation of a little-known tree, found in
Arabia, but much more extensively in
Abyssinia. It formed an article of the
earliest commerce, and was used for vari-
ous purposes. (See Ex. xxx. 23; Ps. xlv.
8; Song of Sol. iv. 6, v. 15, 13; Mark xv.
23.) It was employed in embalming the
bodies of the dead. Herodotus, speaking
of the practice of embalming among the
Egyptians, says: "''They then fill the body
with powder of pure myrrh, cassia and
other perfumes, except frankincense. (See
John xix. 39.) According to the opinion
of some ancient fathers concerning these
gifts, the faith of the wise men must have
been very great, for they represent the
incense as offered to our Saviour as God,
the gold to have been paid as tribute to a
king, and the myrrlt (a principal ingredient
used in embalming) brought as an ac-
knowledgment that He was to die for men.
Others interpret the same gifts very differ-
ently, and take them to signify the three
spiritual offerings which we must all pre-
sent to heaven, through Jesus Christ — the
incense to denote piety toward God, the
gold charity toward our fellow-creatures,
and the myrrh purity of soul and body, it
being highly efficacious in preserving from
corruption. We are concerned to honor
Christ, as well as to be saved by Him. We
must not only seek Him, but serve Him. It
will be observed that Mary was not an ob-
ject of worship to the magi. If she had
been conceived without sin, as the Church
of Rome has now decided, why should she
not then have been worshiped as well as
now? for she was then already the mother
of the adorable King and Saviour.
12. And being warned of God ^in a dream that tliey
should nut return to Herod, they departed into theii
own country another way.— liChap. i. "20.
It would seem that they had thought of
returning to Herod, but a warning from
God to them, in a. dream, either separately
or through one of their number, deter-
mined them to choose a road which led in
another direction. It is worthy of remark
that everything in this wonderful visit of
the wise men to the infant Saviour is re-
lated with the greatest plainness, brevity
and simj^licity, without any of that osten-
tation and parade which we so often meet
with in other authors. A heathen writer
would have put along and eloquent speech
into the mouth of the magi, and would
have provided the parents of the infant
with a suitable answer. In all the evan-
gelical histories, indeed, there is a mild
and i^assionless equanimity, a quiet dig-
nity, which marks the guidance and su-
perintendence of a Spirit truly Divine.
There is not a word, not a hint of extrava-
gance or exaggeration, or unbecoming heat
and intemperance. The writers never
wonder, though they have wonderful
things to tell of. They never fret or rage,
though they have intolerable wrongs to
CHAPTER II.
35
«et forth. All they do is to give a plain
and temperate record of facts.
13, And when they were departed, behold, 'the angel
of tlie Lord appi'afeth to Josepli in a dream, say ins.
Arise, and take tlie young child and his mother, and llee
into E^;ypt, and l)e thou there until 1 bring thee word :
(or llerod will seek tlie young child to de.stroy hiiu.
iPs. ciii. 20 : Heb. i. 14.
The vi.sit of the magi was followed by
the flight into Egypt. Special strengthen-
ings of faith are followed by sore trials.
How easily can God defeat the plans of
the wicked. (See Job v. 12, 13 ; Ps. ii. 4.)
The young child and his mother, not thy wife
and child. Greater regard is paid to the
child than to His mother. Egypt was at
this time a Roman province, and many
Jews lived there. By retiring to it, they
would be beyond Herod's jurisdiction, and
would find sympathy from the resident
Jews. The Egyptian government was
tolerant toward Jews. " The ijuintings and
sculptures of the monuments indicate a
verj' high degree of personal safety, show-
ing us that the people of all ranks com-
monly went unarmed, and without militar\'
protection." For Herod will seek, &c. God
sees the yet unformed purpose in the
heart. (Ps. exxxix. 1.) Our Lord's early
flight from a cruel enemy pointed to the
prediction of Him as "a man of sorrows,
and acquainted with grief." What won-
derful proofs of God's watchful care over
His people will be revealed in another
world. (Ps. xxxiv. 7.) Greatness and
riches are a perilous possession for the
soul. They know not what they seek who
seek to have them. They lead men into
many temjitations.
14. "When he arose, he took the younsr child and his
mother by night, and departed into Egypt: l-i. And
was there until the death of Herod: that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by tlie prophet,
saying, mout of EgyiJt have I called my son.
■"Hosea xi. 1.
Faith gave wings to Joseph's obedience,
and instantly vanquished all his fears,
teaching us, that when our direction is
clear, our compliance should be speedy.
In times of difficulty and danger it is
neither unwarrantable nor unbecoming to
preserve our lives by flight. By night,
when least notice would be taken of the
movement. Although v/e have so many
promises of safety and deliverance, yet we
must not put God upon working miracles
for our preservation, when it may be
obtained in the use of means. Herod died
about one year after the flight to Egypt.
That it might be fulfilled, &c. The prophecy
is quoted from Hosea, xi. 1. Abraham's
descendants, when they were in Egypt,
were called God's son. (Ex. iv. 22, 23.)
Christ was the promised seed (Gal. iii.
16), in whom God's promises to Abraham
had their real fulfillment. What was typi-
cally spoken of the children of Israel was
therefore actually fulfilled in the person
of Jesus Christ, who alone could properly
be called God's son. As the infancy of
that nation was cradled in Egypt, so was
it with His infancy. In both cases God
sent a Joseph "to preserve life" (Gen. xlv.
5), and in both cases "there arose up a
new king" (Ex. i. 8), and in both cases
" the Lord called His son" out of Egypt.
16. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of
the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, "ar.fl
slew all the children that were ia Bethlehem, and in
all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under,
according to the time which he had diligently inquired
of the wise men.
nGen. xlix. 7; 2 Kings viii. 12; Prov. xxviii. 15, 17:
I.sa. xxvi. 21 ; Hosea x. 14 ; Rev. xvii. 6.
Though Herod regarded himself as de-
ceived by the magi, this was for from their
disposition, yet they did indeed account
the king's authority naught before God's.
Exceeding wroth. Having played the fox
before, he acts the lion now. As Pharaoh
commanded that the male children should
be drowned, through fear that Israel was
becoming " more and mightier " than the
Egyptians, so Herod slew the children of
Bethlehem, from fear that Christ should
become king instead of himself. According
to the time, &c. The time indicated by the
wise men was perhaps a little bej'ond a
year: Herod, therefore, fixed two years as
the limit. Bethlehem M'as rather an in-
considerable town in numbers. Its present
population is about three hundred ; if we
suppose it to have been at that time one
thousand, the number of male children
inhumanly sacrificed was probably about
fifty. This event has been regarded by
infidels and scei:)tics as entirely improbable.
It has been especially objected that the
massacre has not been reported by Jose-
phus. But Josephus, if he had ever heard
of it, would not have regarded the massacre
of so small a number of infonts as demand-
ing notice amifl the great number of terrible
crimes of which Herod had been giiilty.
As to the improbability that so atrocious
36
M A T T H E W ,
an act could have been ordered, it is suf-
ficient to remark that it sinks into insig-
nificance when considered by tlie side of
a crime which the monster planned almost
in the act of dying. Causing all the prin-
cipal men of Jerusalem to be shut up in
the Hippodrome, he requested his sister
Salome and her husband to give orders to
put them to death immediately after his
decease, that he might have " the honor of
a memorable mourning." His character
had been so hateful to the Jews that he
feared they would give him no "such
mourning as men usually expect at a king's
death." (Josephus.) The death of the infants
of Bethlehem sent sorrow through the little
village and its borders ; the death of the
infant Jesus would have made everlasting
the sorrows of a world.
17. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by "Jere-
my the prophet, saying, 18. In pRamah was there a
voice heard, lamentation, and weei^ing, and great
mourning, Kachael weeping /or her children, and would
not be couilbrted, becaase they are not.
ojer. xxxi. 13. pJer. xxxL 15.
The Evangelist does not say " that it
might be fulfilled," but " then was fulfill-
ed." It was a fulfillment of the words,
though not the event immediately predict-
ed. Eamah was a village in the tribe of
Benjamin, near Bethlehem, and a few miles
north of Jerusalem. Eachael, one of Israel's
wives, andmotherof Joseph and Benjamin.
(Gen. XXX. 22-24.) As to her death and
burial, see Gen. xxxv. 16-19. As when the
Jewish cai:)tives were formerly collected by
Nebuzaradan on the jilains of Ramah, and
carried thence to Babylon, the prophet
( Jer. xxxi. 15) by a bold and striking figure
introduces Rachael, as rising from her
grave, and deploring the sufferings of her
posterity, so here the Evangelist, deeply
affected in recording the tragic scenes,
brings forward again the wife of the patri-
arch, as a distressed mother, weeping
inconsolably, because of the sanguinary
massacre of her children. " It is," saj's
Westcott, " through the Evangelists that
the Holy Spirit has afforded us a true
insight into the inner meaning of the
]>rophets, who were the histor-ians of the
elder dispensation, as in the Epistles he
has set forth the anti-types of the ancient
law. That is surely a meagre theology
and unscholarly-like criticism which finds
nothing more than a fanciful adaptation
in the Scriptures quoted in the opening
chapter of St. Matthew."
Because they are not — no longer living,
taken away. " This," says one, " was the
scene on earth. How different were the
scenes then witnessed in heaven ! How
many happy spirits then entered together
into glory."
19. IBut when Herod wm dead, behold an angel of
the Lord appeareth in a dreaui to Joseph in Egypt, 20.
Saying, q Arise and take tlie young child and his mother,
and go into the land of Israel : rfor they are dead which
souglit the young child's life.
<)Jer. xxxi. 15. rEx iv. 19.
When Herod was dead. The rulers of
millions have no power to retain life when
the hour of their deijarture comes. The
murderer of helpless infants must himself
die. Christians should never be greatly
moved bj^ the persecution of man, remem-
bering that " the triumphing of the wicked
is but short." " What has become of the
Pharaohs, and Neros, and Diocletians, who
at one time fiercely persecuted the people
of God ? Where is the enmity of Charles
the Ninth of France, and Bloody Mary of
England ? They did their utmost to cast
the truth down to the ground. But the
truth rose again from the earth, and still
lives, and they are dead, and mouldering
in the grave. Let not the heart of any
believer fail. Death is a mighty leveler,
and can take any mountain out of the way
of Chri.st's Church." God seldom sufi'ers
persecutors to pass in quiet to their graves ;
they rarely die the common death of all
men. Herod was seized with his last ill-
ness when he was sixty-nine years old,
and his disease was of a most excruciating
and loathsome kind. An angel, most prob-
ably the same that appeared on former
occasions. (See Note on chap, i. 20 ; ii.
13.) Saying, Arise, &c. We are to expect
that God will in some way direct His
people, in perplexity, respecting the path
of duty. (Prov. iii. 6.) God's promise to
Joseph to bring him word (v. 13) is here
fulfilled. The land of Israel, meaning the
Holy Land at large, the particular promise
being not as yet indicated. TJiey are dead,
&c. — a Scriptural expression which must
have been familiar to Joseph. (Ex. iv.
19.) It seems that some one beside Herod
sought to destroy Jesus ; perhaps it was
Herod's eldest son, Antipater, who was
influenced by the same motive as his
CHAPTER II.
37
father. He died a few months before
Herod, but not a natural death.
"1 And he arose, and took the child and its mother,
and came into the land of Israel.
Joseph felt that he needed the same
authority for returning to his own country
as he had for quitting it. Our Lord's stay
in Egypt could not have been many months
in duration.
21. But when he lu^ard that Arcliolaus did reign in
Jadea, in tlie room of iiis futlicT llcroil, 1 if was itfraid
to so thither: notwitlistandini,', Ixniiic warned (.1 (Jud m
a dream, he turned aside »into, the parts of ijahlee.
eChap. iii. 13 ; Luke ii. 39.
Joseph heard of the reign of Archelaus
after he had reached the land of Israel.
Herod the Great had ten wives. Arche-
laus was his son by his fourth wife — Mal-
thaee, who was a Samaritan. He was
afraid, &c. The fear of Joseph may be
taken as an expression of the popular .dis-
trust of Archelaus, which was amply justi-
fied by the continued tyranny and disorder
of his nine years' reign. Notwithstanding,
being warned, &c. As this was the fourth
revelation to Joseph, it is evident that a
very special providence watched over the
life of the Divine child. He turned aside.
Observe how God's warrant and direction
quieted Joseph's mind, resolved his doubts,
removed his fears, and made him readily
comply with the Divine command. Gali-
lee was one of the three provinces into
which Palestine was divided in the time
'of our Lord. Galilee was beyond the
jurisdiction of Archelaus, and was at this
time under the rule of Herod Antipas,
who was of a more generous and humane
disposition than his brother Archelaus.
2S. And he came and dwelt in a city called 'Nazareth :
that it mischt be fulfilled "which was spoken by tlie
prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene.
'John i. 45. "Judg. xiii. 5 ; 1 Sam. i. 16.
Nazareth is a town of Lower Galilee,
within the territory of Zebulon. He sJiall
be called a Nazarene. As the Evangelist
does not intimate that any one prophet in
particular had used this expression con-
cerning the Messiah, and as Nazareth was
odious to the people of Judea, so that to be
a Nazarene implied reproach, he may be
understood as saying that what he is about
to express accorded with prophetic declar-
ations concerning Him, such as Ps. xxii. 6,
&c., Ixix. 9; Isa. Iii. 53; Zech. xi. 12, 13.
See IMatt. xxi. 11; Acts ii. 22, iv. 10.
Prof. Day, of Yale College, jirefers the ex-
l)lanation that the Messiah is described, in
Isa. xi. 1, as a Netzer (that is, a shoot, sprout,
of Jesse), "the proper name of Nazareth."
Thus the Messiah was represented as " a
humble, despised descendant of the de-
cayed royal family." But we prefer the
former explanation. Did Jesus bear so
despised a name as " a Nazarene ? " Ought
we to be proud when our great Lord was
so humble? We are disposed to be
ashamed of the plainness of our family, or
circumstances, or education, and we are
anxious to conceal such things from the
world. This pride is very sinful, and
comes -to us from our first parents, who
wished to be as gods. But Jesus has set
His people an example of suffering con-
tempt. What would we not give to know
more of that home at Nazareth, Avhere
thirty long years of the sinless life of Jesus
were spent? But no! it is buried in silence.
And why ? The silence of Holy Scripture
is often as instructive as its revelations.
Let us therefore learn what this mysteri-
ous silence teaches. 1. A lesson: That
God's ways are not as man's ways — that
whatever is most Divine is most secret in
its growth, as with the seed that groweth
secretly, we know not how, as M'ith the
hidden life of grace within the Christian's
heart, so with the Messiah in His silent
home at Nazareth. " It is the glory of God
to conceal a thing." 2. A warning: That
the kind of knowledge we most crave after
is not always the kind of knowledge that
is best for us. It is said of those who had
a knowledge of Christ's daily life, "for
neither did His brethren believe on Him."
Let Bible students, in their curious anti-
quarian researches, ever remember this.
To know all about Christ is one thing — to
know Christ is quite another thing. Let us
beware, lest, by dwelling too minutely and
exclusively on the earthly surroundings
of our Lord, we dim to ourselves the glory
of His Divine person. It was not flesh and
blood which revealed to Peter that in Jesus
of Nazareth he beheld the Son of the liv-
ing God.
38 MATTHEW.
1. What is said of Bethlehem? 2. Describe Eerod. 3. Wlmt of the wise men? 4. What is meant by the star
they saw? 5. In what sense did they come to worship the infant Saviour? 6. Why was Herod troubled ? 7-
What did he dt) ? 8. What did the chief priests and scribes say to him ? 9. State the reasons why the prophecy in
V. 5 is a signal one. 10. What further did Herod do ? 11. What is said of the wise men ? 12. Explain the gitta
they presented. 13. Why did they not return to Herod ? 1-1. What cUd the angel say to Joseph ? 15. What course
did Joseph pursue? 16. M^hat atrocity did Herod perpetrate? 17. What occurred after Herod's death? 18.
What is said about Christ dwelling In Nazareth ?
I
CHAPTER III.
t John preacheth: his office: life, and baptism. 7 He
reprehendeth the Pharisees; 13 and baptizeth Christ
in Jordan.
N those days came "John the Baptist, preaching i-in
tlie wilderness of Judea,
'Mark i. 4, 15 ; Lulie iii. 2, 3 ; John 1. 28. bjosh. xiv. 10.
In those days — while Jesus was dwelling at
Nazareth, where the last chapter left Him.
Yet between the two chapters an interval
of nearly thirty years has transpired
How our Lord sj^ent His time, during
His residence at Nazareth, we are not,
except in general, informed. (See Luke
ii. 41-52 ; Matt. ii. 23, xiii. 55 ; Mark vi. 3.)
The Evangelists in their manner of writing
seemed to have comphed with the Saviour's
intention in His manner of living. He
would not have lived so long in secret if
He had desired to be known openly. It
was suitable that He should know, by ex-
perience, how to sympathize with human
beings in the ordinary circumstances of
life, as well as with respect to their eter-
nal interests. (Heb. ii. 11, 14, 17, 18.) Those
who are preparing for the work of the
ministry ought not to push themselves
forward with undue haste to that holy office.
Came. (See chap. xvii. 10-13, where
reference is had to the prophecy. Matt. iv.
5.) The name John signifies "the gift or
mercy of the Lord." He was the son of
Zacharias, the aged priest, and Elizabeth,
and was born about six months before
Christ. (See Luke i. 5-25, 57-80.) Some
maintain that John was called the Baptist,
or baptizer, to distinguish him from John
the Evangelist ; others, because he admitted
the Jews into the number of his disciples
by the external rite of baptism ; others still,
because he was the fir.st baptizer. Preach-
ing, i. e., proclaiming, or heralding, in a
loud voice. In the v-ildcrness of Judea, so
called because it commenced in the terri-
tory of Judea. From Tekoah, six miles
south of Bethlehem, it extended to the
east as far as the Persian Gulf, and very
far to the northward along the river Eu-
phrates. The term " wilderness," in Scrip-
ture, is applied to a district which was not
regularly cultivated and inhabited, but
was used for pasturage. It is God's prero-
gative to send forth the preachers of the
Gospel when, where, and to what people
He pleases, and none must refuse to go
where he is directed.
2. And saying, repent ye : for cthe kingdom of heaven
is at hand.— cDan. ii. 44 ; chap. iv. 17, and x. 7.
The Jews had at this time become ex-
ceedingly wicked. This is the testimony
of their own historian, Josephu'rf. John,
therefore, as it had been predicted he
should (Mai. iv. 5, 6), called upon them to
repent. This word signifies that true
reformation of heart and life which would
be adapted to the design of the Saviour's
coming, and be a suitable preparation for
it. Though John did not say, "Repent
and believe the Gospel," which our Saviour
did (chap. iv. 17), yet he preached the
Gospel (?,Iark i. 2; John i. 7), for his office,
chiefly, was to make Christ known, who,
when He should come, was to be the great
preacher of the Gospel. A state of peni-
tence is but a preparatory state, from M'hich
v.^e must jDass into a higher. We must, by
faith, " Behold the Lamb of God." True
repentance is a change of mind and heart.
A man Avho really repents feels grieved
because he has offended God, and he longs
and strives to serve Him better in time to
come. For the kingdovi of heaven is at hand.
This sublime phrase, used in none of the
other Gospels, but occurring in this pecu-
liarly Jewish Gospel nearly thirty times,
was fitted at once both to meet the national
expectations and to turn them into the
right channel. A kingdom for whicli
rer)entance was the proper preparation,
CHAPTER III.
39
behooved to be essentially spiritual. The
l^hrase indicated the commence nient of
the Messianic or Gospel dispensation. As
Christ is the King, so His Gospel is a law,
and His dispensation is a kingdom. This
kingdom was then at hand, the king was
about to appear, to collect followers, linish
His work, ascend His throne, abrogate the
legal dispensation, terminate the national
covenant of Israel, admit the Gentiles into
the Church, and introduce the dispensation
of Christianity.
3. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet
Esaias, saying, i^The voice of one crying in the wilder-
ness, 'Prepare ye the way of the Ijord, make his paths
straight.
disa. xl. 3 ; Mark i. 3 ; Luke iii. 4 ; John i. 33. eLuke i. 76.
Esaias, the Greek method of expressing
the name of Isaiah. For this is he, &c. The
quotation, which is from Isa. xl. 3, is made
by the Evangelist, and not by the Baptist.
In its primary historical application the
passage contains a summons to prepare the
way of Jehovah, who was about to bring
back His people from exile. The appli-
cation of it by the Evangelist shows that,
in his mind, the advent of Christ was that
of Jehovah Himself, and the true deliver-
ance of God's children from bondage.
John was a voice, that conveys the mind
of the speaker, and then vanishes : he
declared the mind of God concerning His
Son, and then ended his ministry. The
preacher is only the voice of Jesus Christ,
as it were, a voice not to be seen, but
only to be heard. Prepare ye the way, &c.,
an allusion to the practice of eastern
monarchs, who, whenever they entered
upon an expedition, sent harbingers before
them, to call upon the people, along the
proposed route, to prepare the way before
them, open the passes, level the ways, and
remove all impediments. The way of the
Lord is prepared, and His paths made
straight, when everything is i amoved out
of the minds of men that opposes itself
to the admission of Divine truth, such as
prejudice, blindness, pride, obstinacy, self-
conceit, vanity, worldliness, sensuality, and
vain philosophy.
4. And fthe same John chad his raiment of camel's
hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins ; and his meat
was nlocusts and 'wild honey.
fJIark i. fi. <^ Kings 1. 8; Zech. xlil. 4. hLev. xi. 22. '1
Sam. xiv. 25, 20.
description. Raiment of camel's hair, a coarse
kind of cloth, wrought of the long and stiff
bristles of the camel. Such a garment was
worn by Elijah. (2 Kings i. 8. See also
Zech. xiii. 4.) Leathern girdle, a strap of
untanned hide, fastened round the body
with clasps. Elijah also wore such a girdle.
(2 Kings i, 8.) A girdle was an important
part of dress in the east, to remedy the in-
convenience from the loose nature of the
principal garments worn. His meat, &c.
Locusts prevail in Arabia, Egypt, Mesopo-
tamia, and Persia. " Their numbers are so
incredible that rivers have been blocked
and many square miles covered by them,
the stench of their decaying bpdies infect-
ing the air for hundreds of miles." Armies
have been stopped in their coui'se by
locusts. Arabs say that it is written " in
good Arabic on their wings that they are
God's avengers." It was formerly asserted
by some that the locusts which John ate
were not insects, but the long, sweet pods
of the locust tree, " St. John's Bread." But
the Mosaic law (Lev. 11. 22) permitted
locusts as an article of food. They are used
for food at the present time, " the legs and
wings being pulled off, the bodies fried in
oil, and are considered a delicacy ; they
are sometimes dried in the sun, pounded
up, and used as a flour for making bread.
In many towns in Arabia there are shops
where locusts are sold by measure." John's
drink is known from Luke i. 15. Wild
honey, most probably the honey deposited
by bees in the clefts of rocks and in the
hollow of trees. (See Ps. Ixxxi. 18 ; Deut.
xxxii. 13 ; Judg. xiv. 8 ; 1 Sam. xiv. 25-27.)
The mortified spirit and conduct of John
were peculiarly suited to that severe min-
istry of the law, and work of humbling
reformation, by which he was to prepare
the Jews for receiving the expected Mes-
siah. An exterior garb of poverty may be
consistent with rare excellence in the sight
of God. Ministers of the Gospel are not
to affect gaiety in apparel, or delicacy in
diet; but having the necessary comforts
and conveniences of life, to be therewith
content.
5. i^Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea,
and all the region round about Jordan,
kJIark i. 5; Luke iii. 7.
The same John — a remarkable personal | Never was preacher, for the time, more
40
MATTHEW
successful than was John. At his voice
from the wilderness the heart of the whole
nation was stirred. The news of his ap-
pearing, preaching, and baptism, spread
quickly through the land, and from every
quarter— from the metropolitan centre to
the extremities of the Jordan province, the
cry of this great preacher of repentance
and herald of the approaching Messiah
brought trooping penitents and eager ex-
pectants of all ranks and sects.
6. lAnd were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing
their sins.— 'Acts xix. 4, 18.
John baptized all his disciples, whether
they were Jews or Gentiles, who had been
baptized as proselytes to the religion of
the Jews, and without distinction of pre-
vious character. Jordan, the chief river of
Palestine, running from north to south,
and dividing the Holy Land into two parts,
of which the larger and more important
lay on the west. Confessing their sins. Not
that every one confessed his individual
sins, but that they confessed publicly and
fully their guilt before God. The confes-
sion seems to have been similar to those
recorded in Ezra ix, Nehemish ix, and
Daniel ix. There is no doubt that John
preached faith in the coming Messiah, as
revealed in prophecy (see v. 11), yet the
prerequisite for this baptism was the con-
fession of sin and its renunciation. His
doctrine of repentance was not that which
terminates in mere emotion and external
humiliation, it was spiritual and humbling.
His baptism, which, like his ministry, was
a transition-process, or connecting link
between the Old and New Dispensations,
Avas an appropriation and concentration
into a single rite of all the lustrations and
washings of the Old Testament dispensa-
tion, and thereby became the emblem of
the Holy Spirit ; of regeneration.
7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sad-
ducees come to his bapti-m, he said unto them, mO gen-
eration of vipers, who hatli warned you to flee from
Bthe wrath to come ?
n>Chap. xii. 34, xxiii. 33; Lev. iii. 7, 8, 9. »Eom. v. 9; 1
Thes. 1. 10.
The Pharisees were the most celebrated
of all the Jewish sects. As a class their
religious profession was vain and hollow,
and many of them indulged themselves in
cruelty, dishonesty and oppression, though,
on the other hand, there appear to have
been am.ong them individuals of probity,
and even of genuine i^iety. The Sadducees.
This sect took its rise about two or three
hundred years before the birth of Christ.
It derived its name from Zadok, or Sadoc,
a disciple of Antigonus. It is very strange
that the Sadducees presented themselves
also as candidates for baptism; they did
so, undoubtedly, in order to increase their
poi^ularity. Josephus says that they often
followed the principles of the Pharisees
against their own convictions, in order to
rival them in popularity. Generation of
vipers. The Baptist did not preach elegant
sermons, to please his hearers ; he spoke
plainly, faithfully. This pkrase denotes
persons at once deceitful and malicious.
(Isa. xiv. 29, lix. 5; Ps. Iviii. 5; see on
Luke iii. 7.) The expression would convey
to an Israelite the idea of representatives
of pernicious doctrines and princij^les. To
treat a sinner harshly in order to humble
him is not to insult him. Who hath ivarned
you — "given you the hint," as the idea is —
to flee from the wrath to comef This refers
to God's punitive justice. His righteous
displeasure against sin. (Rom.i. 8; Eph. ii.
3.) This wrath is called coming ^\r^^^i\\, for,
though as a merited sentence it lies on the
sinner already, not until the judgment of
the great day will he exiserience its effects
without mixture and without hojie. (See
1 Thes. i. 10.) These were stern words to
address to " the most straitest sect" of the
Jewish religion (Acts xxvi. 5), but our
Saviour employed terms of even greater
severity toward them. (Chap, xxiii. 13-
33.) Doubtless among their number were
some sincere persons, but, as a body, they
must have been proud, uncharitable and
self-righteous, of a character wholly unlike
that which God approves.
8. Bring forth, tlierefore, fruits meet for repentance:
Dangerous as was their condition, yet
was it not desperate; hence, after the
sharp reproof given, this seasonable ex-
hortation was added. i^rtu'fe^mplying
abundance — meet for repentance — suitable,
proper, consistent with repentance. A
profession of repentance, unless accompa-
nied by a reformation of life, is utterly
valueless. (Chap. vii. 20.) God requires o*f
us real works, and such as are (in some
measure) proportioned to our sins. (See
CIIArTER III.
41
Acts xxvi. 20.) Paul was far enough from
teaching that works are a ground of justi-
lication. But John, standing in the twi-
Hght of Christianity, and Paul, standing in
the light of its full-orbed splendor, alike
taught the necessity of evincing the genu-
ineness of our repentance by bringing
forth the fruits of holiness.
9. And tliink not to say within yourselves, »We have
Abraham to oiii- I'utliur : for 1 tjuy unto you, that God is
<ible oftlic'Sf stoiu's to raise up children unto Abraham.
oJohu viii. 33, '£) : Acts xiii. 20 ; Kom. iv. 1, 4, 6.
"Do not comfort yourselves by saying to
one another, and in your hearts, that your
descent from Abraham will excuse you
from the duty of repentance, for God is
able, if necessary, out of these stones (point-
ing probably to the stones of the Jordan),
the most unlikely material, to create a
people like to Abraham in faith and obedi-
ence." (Comp. Rom. iv. 9, 6, 7 ; Gal. iv. ;
John viii. 39, -10.) The piety of our ances-
tors, or of our relatives, will not avail for
our salvation. Men, and especially the
self-righteous, rake together every pretext
to claim God as theirs, without repentance.
Ministers of Christ should endeavor to
drive hypocrites and self-deceived persons
from their vain confidence.
10. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the
trees; ptherel'ore every tree winch bringeth not forth
good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.
pChap. vii. 19 : Luke xiii. 7, 9 , John xv. 6.
The axe is laid, &c. (See on Luke iii. 0.)
The excision hinted at in the preceding
verse, which was to cut off the rebellious
Jews from the promises and privileges
granted to the true seed of Abraham, is
here represented as about to take jjlace.
The representation is that of a woodman,
who, before he begins to fell a tree, lays
the sharp edge of his axe to the place
where he means to give his first blow, giv-
ing warning, as it were, that he is about to
strike. The axe is here a figure for Divine
judgment. At the root, expressing utter
destruction. It was not to be a simply or-
ganic destruction, but individual also.
Therefore — an inference from what pre-
cedes. Every tree — every impenitent indi-
vidual. The punishment will equally
descend on all. Which bringeth not forth
good fruit — that is, right or acceptable to
God, and salutary, u.seful to the doer and
to others. The sin here specified is the
Bin of omission. The neglects of duty are
as dangerous and destructive as the posi-
tive acts of sin. Is hewn down, means
strictly cut out, and is so translated in Rom.
ii. 24. It here denotes the complete ex-
cision of the tree. And cast into the fire — a
description of the element made use of to
consume the tree, and representing, as a
figure, the wrath of God, already mentioned
in v. 7, or its ruinous effect upon the un-
forgiven sinner. (Comp. chap. xxv. 46;
Heb. vi. 8, xii. 29.) It is not unsuitable for
ministers of the Gospel to press repentance
and holiness of life upon their hearers
from arguments of terror.
11. ql indeed baptize you with water unto repentance:
but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose
shoes I am not worthy to bear: 'lie shall baptize yoa
with the Holy Ghost and with fire :
qMarki. 8; Luke iii. 16; John i. 15, 2fi, 3.3; Acts i, 5,
and xi. 1«, and xix, 24. risa. iv. 4, and xliv. 3 ; Mai. iii. 2 ;
Acts ii. 2, 3, 4 ; 1 Cor. xii. 13.
John depreciates not so much his baptism
as himself. He teaches that his was a
symbolical and temporary mission as the
forerunner, to prepare for the higher mis-
sion of the Messiah. (See on Luke iii. 16.)
Unto rejjentance, i. e., as a solemn ratifying
profession of having exercised reiDcntance,
and of the obligation to repentance. He
that cometh after me, immediately following
me : this expression would be understood
as referring to the Messiah. Is mightier
than I, more exalted in all that pertains to
personal worth or official dignity, authority
and power. M'hose shoes I am not worthy
to hear. To unloose a person's sandals and
carry them after him was considered by
the Jews, Greeks, and Romans, the most
servile and degrading of all menial em-
ployments; yet John regarded the per-
formance of this service for Christ as an
honor of which he was utterly unworthy.
The coming One was the King ; he himself
was nothing more than a servant. Two
things are evident: 1. John did not seek
for honor, emolument, or fame, nor was he
ambitious of being at the head of a sect.
2. He must have considered Christ as the
Lord God M'ho was to come as a shej^herd
with a strong hand, whose reward was
with Him and His work before Him. On
no other supi^osition can we rationally
account for the manner in which he here
speaks of Christ.
He shall baptize you — abundantly impart
(Titus iii. 6 ; Acts ii. 3, 4, 17, and x. 44), and
42
MATTHEW.
shall thereby show Himself the mightier.
Wilh the Holy Ghost, with the eflfusions of
the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. xii. 13.) The term
Holy Spirit is preferable to the term Holy
Ghost, as the word ghost is attended with
unpleasant associations in many minds.
And loith fire. The word " with " is not
in the original. The reference is to the
fiery character of the Spirit's operations
upon the souls of our Lord's disciples —
searching, dross-consuming, cleansing, re-
fining, sublimating. The descent of the
Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, in the
form of fiery tongues lighting on the Apos-
tles, with the effects produced on their
minds and by their ministry, was a re-
markable fulfillment of this prediction. We
need to be sent direct to Christ. We must
not rest in our union with the church,
regular use of the sacraments, or diligent
attendance on the preached Word. For-
giveness of sin is not the only thing neces-
sary to salvation ; we need also the baptizing,
of our hearts by the Holy Spirit. There
must not only be the work of Christ /o?- us,
but the work of the Holy Spirit in us.
12. "Whose fan U in his hand, and he will thoroughly
pur^e his door, and sather his wheat into the garner;
but he will tburn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
sMal. iii. 3. 'Mai. iv. 1 ; chap. xiii. 30.
The same truth is here enforced as in v.
10, though in another aspect. (See on
Luke iii. 17.) The fruitless tree among fruit-
ful ones is recognized at once, and the
distinction easily perceived. Not so with
the confused heap of grain and chatf which
lies together on the farmer's thrashing-
floor. But though the converted and un-
converted are mingled in the visible church,
sinners will not be overlooked in the crowd,
under the Messiah's discriminating and
adjudging process. Whose and his, thrice
used in this verse with emphasis, show the
power of Christ. The fan was a winnow-
ing shovel, with which the grain, as it
came from the thrashing floor, was thrown
up against the wind, in order that the
chaff might be blown aside, and the wheat
cleansed. Fan. The representations of
the Scriptures (Isa. xxx. 24 ; Jer. iv. 11)
relative to the ancient process of separa-
ting the chaff from the wheat have been
strikingly confirmed by discoveries in
Egypt. Monuments and tombs have re-
vealed the entire process of plowing,
sowing, reaping, thrashing, and winnow-
ing. The grain was tossed up in the wind
with shovels or with fans — " their precise
difference is very doubtful." By the fan
is meant the Gospel. It is calculated to
separate the good from the evil by the
love to Christ which it excites, and the
sacrifices it demands. It will separate
the chafl' from the wheat in the day of
judgment, it being the law by which all
shall be judged, and declared worthy or
unworthy of admission into eternal life.
(See John xii. 48 ; 2 Thess. i. 8-10.) (Is)
in his hand, in readiness for use. Thor-
oughly purge his floor; not destroy, but
cleanse, or clear off, his thrashing-floor,
i. e., his visible Church. The thrashing-
floor was in some elevated part of the
field. It was of a circular form, thirty or
forty paces in diameter, having the ground
beaten down and leveled.
Gather, collect, or bring together, first
from its dispersion at the harvest, and
then from its mixture with the chafl' and
other refuse, at the thrashing. His wheat,
that belonging to Him, which implies its
value — true and penitent believers, the
precious, pure produce of God's husbandry.
Into the garner, literally, a place of laying hy
or up, a granary, or store-house, called, in
chaj). xiii. 30, 43, "the kingdom of their
Father." The" granaries of the East are
often excavations in the earth in which
the grain is buried, frequently for the sake
of concealment, either from an enemy or
an oppressive government. C]iaff—\Ms is
held of no account, though sometimes not
unlike wheat. Burn up with unquenchable
fire — an eternal fire. Singular is the
strength of this apparent contradiction of
figures: to be buriit up, with a fire that is
unquenchable, the one expressing the utter
destruction of all that constitutes one's true
life; the other, the continued consciousness
of existence in that awful condition. The
words unquenchable fire are absolutely
inconsistent with all the views of the
restoration of the wicked, and however
the phrase of being consumed like chaff
might seem to favor the doctrine of their
annihilation, the epithet of unquenchable
given to this fire, or more exactly un-
quenched, i. e., never quenched or put out,
is so far from proving this doctrine that it
CHAPTER III.
43
cannot, by any easy and just interpretation,
be reconciled witli it. (See Mark i. 7, 8;
ix. 43, 45 ; Luke, iii. 9, 16, 17.) We need
lo be reminded tliat there is a liell as well
as a lieaven, and a final separation coming.
We are fearfully apt to forget this. We
talk of the love and mercy of God, and we
do not remember suliiciently His justice
and holiness. Terrible, but inevitable
separation !
13. f "Then Cometh Jesus 'from Galilee to Jordan
Mnto John, to be baptized othiiu.
uMark i. 9; Luke iii. 21. 'Chap. ii. 22.
Then comcth Jesus, &c. (See on Luke iii.
21.) The baptism of Christ was His first
step, when He entered on His public min-
istry. The precise spot on the banks of
the Jordan where John was now occui^ied
is not stated. Jesus comes to His servant
— the greater comes meekly to the less.
His design, no doubt, was to put honor
upon the ministry of John. To be baptized
of him. Being free from sin, Jesus could
not repent, and He needed no forgiveness,
regeneration or newness of life, yet, as He
took upon Him our nature, and was made
sin for us, being made in the likeness of
sinful flesh, He condescended to observe
all the rites and ceremonies imposed by
the law upon those whom He came to
redeem; besides, as He was now to be
inaugurated to His priestly office. He
received the rite of baptism as a solemn
introduction to His most sacred work and
offices, of which John's testimony, the de-
scent of the Holy Spirit, and the voice
from heaven, were so many notifications.
(See Ex. xxix. 1-37.) Jesus clothes Him-
self with us and our sins, that He may
clothe us with Himself and His righteous-
ness.
14. But John forbade him, sayins;, I have need to be
baptized of tlaee, and comest thou tome?
How holy and lovely is that contest
which arises, on either side, from nothing
but humility ! Though John had probably
seen Jesus but little, yet often enough, as
His life could not have been altogether
retired, to have awakened within liim the
presentiment which now deepened to con-
viction, that He was the IMessiah. As
John saw Him approaching, in all gentle-
ness and humility, to the baptism of re-
pentance, he saw shining through this
deep humility tlie high majesty of the
Holy One ; and that he had an inward
token or discernment of tliis, constituted
his own dignity. The Baptist's reason,
then, for seeking to dissuade Christ from
receiving baptism was three-fold: 1. He
knew that He needed it not, as he had a
prophetic or Divine certitude concerning
the Messiahship of Jesus. 2. He had a deep
consciousness of his own unworthiness,
and that of any mortal man, to administer
this ordinance to the Saviour. 3. He feared
that the people, seeing Christ baptized,
should apprehend Him to be a sinner,
needing the baptism of repentance as well
as themselves.
15. And Jesus answering said unto him. Suffer it to be
so now ; for thus it bec(jmeth us to fulfil all righteoas-
ness. Then he sufi'ered him.
Suffer it to be so now. Gently the Baptist
declines; gently the Saviour insists. He
could command; He only requests. Thus
it becometh us, &c. It was God's will that
all men should be baptized, and therefore
it was necessary that Jesus, when He was
a man, should be baptized, for He came to
do all God's commands, that by His obedi-
ence many might be made righteous.
(See Notes on v. 13.) In acts of deepest
humility the Son of God watches over the
i-ight of His own majesty. (John xiii. 7,
&c., xiv. 30, xviii. 5, xx. 36.) The Saviour
followed the custom of the priests at their
induction to their office. (Ex. xxix. 4.)
He is an example of ready obedience to
the Divine will. "Whatever," says an
eminent scholar, "may be the full depth
of meaning in this language of our Lord,
so much as this at least we are to under-
stand by it, that had He omitted this act
of obedience. He would have left incom-
plete that perfect righteousness which in
our nature He has wrought out. If aught
that it became Him to fulfill had been left
unfulfilled, something essential would have
been wanting." Then he suffered him —
with true humility, yielding to higher
authority than his own impressions of
propriety. We should cherish an humble
reverence for Divine ordinances, looking
on them as God's. " What," says one,
"though he that teaches be less knowing
and less spiritual than thou that hearest?
one, that might rather learn of thee f Yet
the appointment of God obliges thee to
li
MATTHEW.
attend to His ministry as humbly, and with
as much regard, as if He were an angel."
ifi wAnd Jesus, when he was baptized, went up
Btraiffhlwuv out of the water : and lo, the heavens were
openld unto hhn, and he saw ^the Spirit of Ood de-
scending Uke a dove, and lighting upon him.
"Mark i. 10. ^Isa. xi. 2, and xlli. 1; Luke m. 22;
John, i. 32, 33.
Straightway— immediately. Out of the
water. Rev. Dr. Whcdon, of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church, says : " How He was
baptized is not said. His coming out of the
water aids us not in guessing how, for the
preposition properly signifies froin. Nor,
if Jesus waded into and out of the Avater,
would it in the least aid the matter. Thou-
sands in ancient and modern times have
been baptized by affusion, as they are rep-
resented in ancient pictures, standing or
kneeling in the bed of a stream. But, at
any rate, the mode of this baptism was
such as to make it the symbol and picture
of the spiritual baptism which forthwith
descended upon Him in dove-like form."
Rev. J. J. Owen, D. D., of the Presbyterian
Church, remarks : " Out of the water, more
literally, away from the water, i. e., from the
margin or bank, on which He stood while
receiving the rite, for had the idea out of
the water been intended, the j^reposition
ek, instead of apo, would have been used.
Much less admissible is the notion that
complete immersion is here implied, for
Avhat necessity in that case for the word
immediately, as though the person baptized
either could or would desire to remain
under or in water any length of time." On
the contrary, the Rev. Henry J. Ripley,
of the Baptist Church, observes : " The
preposition here translated out of has the
more general signification of the word from,
and would be suitable, wdiether the sacred
writer meant to say that Jesus came out
from the water, that is, from within the
river to the shore ; or, that he came from
the water, that is, retired from the bank
of the river to another place. This prepo-
sition, then, in itself furnishes no decision
in respect to the manner of the ordinance.
But that the rendering out of is correct,
appears from the facts, that persons to be
baptized went to a river ; that the proper
meaning of the word baptize is to immerse ;
and that in Acts viii. 39 the preposition
translated out of is, in the original, the
very one which would be selected to ex-
press the coming up out of the ivater, after a
person had been baptized. In the case of
Jesus, as in the instance recorded in Acts
viii. 39, it was after He had been baptized
that He came up out of, or from, the water."
We cannot but think that on all sides
too much importance is attached to the
mere mode of baptism. If it was essential
to the validity of the ordinance, would it
not have been more distinctly revealed?
At all events, the diversity of opinion in
regard to it is not likely soon to cease.
And lo ! a strange and great event. The
heavens ivere opened unto him, i. e., cloven or
rent. This cannot possibly denote a flash
of lightning, or the shining of the stars, or
a sudden clearing of the sky, or anything
whatever but an apparent separation or
division of the visible expanse, as if to
afford passage to the form and voice which
are mentioned in the next verse. He that
had by His power parted the waters, to
make a way through them to Canaan, now
by His power parted the air, to open a cor-
respondence with the heavenly Canaan.
Thus was it shown that heaven, which was
closed and shut against us for our sins, is
now opened unto us by Christ's under-
taking for us. Compare the similar ex-
pressions of Isaiah Ixiv. 1 ; Ezek. i. 1 ;
John i. 52 ; Acts vii. 56. In all these cases
the essential idea suggested by the version
is that of renewed communication and ex-
traordinary gifts from heaven to earth.
And he saw ; Jesus. (Mark i. 10.) John,
also. (John i. 32.) Probably others Avho
were present participated in the vision.
The conjunction of the voice (which those
present doubtless heard) and the appear-
ance, seems, indeed, to indicate that both
were intended to be witnessed by all pres-
ent. The Spirit of God descending like a
dove. A visible form is evidently intended.
"In a bodily shape like a dove" (Lukeiii.
22) ; that is, the Spirit invested itself with
a dove form. Here we have a striking
illustration of the Incarnation. As the
Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity,
assumes the bodily form of a dove by way
of self-manifestation to the eye of men,
what difficulty is there in supposing that
the second person of the Trinity should
become God manifest in the flesh in a
human form ? The Spirit descended upon
CHAPTER III.
45
Christ as the promised gift of His great
office. (Lsa. Ixi. 1.) The form of a dove
may have been assumed because that bird
is the emblem of meekness, gentleness,
innocence, attributes which were so con-
spicuous in our Divine Master. This form
would also indicate the spirit of Christ's
ministry, and, as the dove, with an olive
branch, flew to the ark, showing the waters
of the flood to have abated, so this was
the symbolical testimony of the Father,
and the Spirit, at His baptism, which
agreed with the angels' song at His birth.
Peace on earth, &c. Some suppose that in
the selection of this form there was a
reference to the dove's hovering and brood-
ing motion, used in Gen. i. 2, according to
an ancient Jewish exposition, to describe
the generative or productive agency of the
Divine Spirit in the first creation. Othei-s
suppose there was a reference to the sacrifi-
cial use of this bird, as prescribed or per-
mitted by the ritual in certain cases. (Gen.
XV. 9; Lev. xiv. 22; xxi. 6; Luke ii. 24.)
And Kfjhting upon Him. It is said in John
1. 32, " abode upon Him." "We must not sup-
pose that our Lord at this particular time
first received the grace of the Holy Ghost —
the Spirit dwelt in Jesus "without meas-
ure " from the very time of His Incarnation.
17. TAnrt lo. fi voice from heaven, 'saying. This is my
beloved Son. in wliom I am well pleased.
.T.Tohn xii. 2S. 'Ps. ii. 7; lsa. xlii. 1 ; chap. xii. 8, xvii. .5;
Matt. i. 22 ; L,uke ix. a5 ; Eph. i. 6 ; Col. i. 13 ; 2 Peter 1. 17.
A voice from heaven, not visionary or im-
aginary, but a literal and real sound, corres-
ponding to the bodily appearance by which
it was preceded. TVe read of no voice
from heaven before this, except at the giv-
ing of the law on Sinai. This is my beloved
Son. We have here — 1. The nearness of
Christ's relation. He is the Father's Son, in
respect of His eternal generation, in resjiect
of His miraculous conception, and by par-
ticular designation to hold the office of
mediator. The words i/)/ Son are applied to
the IMessiah in the promise made to David
(2 Sam. vii. 14), and in his own prophetic
Psalm, founded on it. (Ps. ii. 7.) Hence
the Son of God became one of His standing
designations. (Matt. iv. 3, 6, viii. 29, xiv. 33,
xxvi. 63, xxvii. 40, 54.) The filial relation
thus ascribed to the Messiah, far from ex-
cluding, presupposes His eternal Sonship.
2. The endearedness of ChrisVs person — "be-
loved Son." Jesus is elsewhere called
"God's dear Son." The Divine love here
affirmed is not to be deemed as the ground
or cause, but the effect or co-eternal adjunct
of the Sonship here ascribed to Christ. The
Father loves the Son on account of that in-
dependent, ab.solute perfection of which
both are equally possessed, and He loves
Him on the ground of that most intimate
relation which subsists between them, as in
some way distinct, though in essence one,
and of which the relation of sonship i.s
the fittest analogy to be found among men.
Dr. Alexander, in reference to this clause,
and that immediately preceding it, says;
" There is no tautology in these two clauses,
but the first describes our Lord as the be-
loved Son of God from all eternity, the
second as the object of His infinite com-
placency and ajii^robation as the Son of
man, the Mediator, the Messiah. In this
voluntarily-assumed or adopted character
the Son of God was recognized and set
forth at His baptism." (lsa. xMi. 1.) The
preposition "in" indicates especially the
object of the Father's good pleasure, and
all persons and all things in the Son. The
verb meaning to be veil pleased is employed
when one is pleased by what he or another
has or does. The Father here proclaims
that He accepts Christ as the mediator be-
tween God and man. There is a rich mine
of comfort in these words for all Christ's
believing people. In themselves, and in
their own doings, they see nothing to
please God. They are daily sensible of
weakness, shortcoming and imperfection
in their ways. But let them recollect that
the Father regards them as members of
His beloved Son Jesus Christ. They are
clothed in Christ's righteousness, and in-
vested with his merit. They are, as our
persons and services only can be, "accepted
in the Beloved." In the baptism of our
Lord the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is
demonstrated. Three distinct persons are
here represented: God the Holy Ghost
"in a bodily shape like a dove," God the
Son ascending from the waters of Jordan,
and God the Father, "whom no man hath
seen or can see," manifesting Himself by
the voice from heaven— the three Persons
but one God of the Christian Trinity, co-
essential, co-equal, co-eternal.
46
MATTHEW,
1. What "days" are meant? 2. What is said of John the Baptist? 3. What of the wilderness of Judea? 4,
What did John preach? 5. What is repentance? 6. What is said of "the kingdom of heaven?" 7. Which
prophecy is referred to in verse 3? Explain it. 9. Describe John's raiment and food. Was he successful as
a preacher? 10. What was the i^rerequisite for his baptism? 11. What w(is John's baptism? 12. What did he
say to tlie Pharisees ? 13, Explain " the wrath to come." 14. What are the fruits mentioned in verse 8? 15. Ex-
plain the caution in verse 9. 16. What representation is made in verse 10? 17. What testimony does John bear
to Christ? 18. What is meant by being baptized with the Holy Ghost? 19. What is meant by the "fan" in
Christ's hand? 20. Explain "wlieat" and "chaff;" also "unquenchable fire." 21. What did Jesus come to John
for ? '22. Why did John forbid Him to be baptized ? 23. What is the import of Clirist's answer ? 24. What fol-
lowed the baptism of Christ? 2-3. What is said of the Spirit? 26. What of the voice? 27. Explain "My beloved
Sop," &c
CHAPTER IV.
1 Chrvit fasteth, and is tempted. 11 The angels minister
unto him. \Z He dwellA'.th in Capernaum, 11 begi.nneth
to preach, IS caUeth Peter, and Andrew, 21 James,
and John, 23 and healeth all tlie diseased,
T'HEN was "Jesus led up of ''the Spirit into the wil-
J. derness to be tempted of tlie devil.
"Marki. 12, &c. ; Luke iv. 1, Ac. ^See 1 Kings xviii.
12 ; Ez. iii. 14, viii. 3, and xi. 1, '24, and xl. 2 and xliii. 5 ;
Acts viii. 39.
The deeply mysterious passage of our
Lord's history, with which this chapter
commences, is hke the mystery of His
holy incarnation, tiir beyond our under-
standing. It is full of truths only partially
revealed, and can never be understood l)y
us more than in part. Still, although like
many other parts of Scripture, it drtVws the
veil where the eye of a vain curiosity would
pry too far, it leaves all that open to our
contemplation from which useful lessons
of admonition and comfort may be drawn,
and the spiritual profit to be derived from
it will be in proportion to the child-lilce,
humble, teachable spirit with which it is
approached and regarded. The manifes-
tation of the Son of God in the flesh being
the wonder of all wonders, it was to be
looked for that this should be surrounded
by a group of secondary Avonders in His
life. What would indeed be startling and
perplexing would be the absence of every
thing supernatural from such a life — the
fact that He whose name is " wonderful "
(Isa. ix. 6) should never, either by wliat He
did, or what was done in respect of Him,
have testified that there was any difference
between Himself and the other children
of men. (See Heb. iv. 15, and ii. 18.)
Then. This word not merely designates
succession of time ; it denotes rather the
Divine order in wliich the events of the
Saviour's life followed one another "Then,"
immediately after our Lord's baptism
(Mark i. 12), as if to remind us that this life
is from the very first a scene of trial, and
to teach us that we may expect to be as-
saulted by Satan when we have received
the greatest enlargements from heaven,
either at the sacrament or in prayer, or in
any other way. " Then," immediately be-
fore He entered on His public ministry,
thus showing that Satan desired to sup-
press the Gospel in the beginning, and
that we may expect to be assailed by him
when we purpose honoring God in any
particular undertaking or course, and are
nearest the performance. Led up of the
Spirit, undoubtedly the Spirit of God. (See
Rom. i. 4 ; Heb. ix. 14.) The Spirit impelled
Jesus to go where inclination would not
have induced Him ; but, at the same time,
He was led up of His own free will. As to
tempting, in the sense of alluring to sin,
God is incapable of it. (James i. 13.) In
the sense, however, of trying and display-
ing character, He, as the judge of the earth,
is and must be, wdiilst this life of proba-
tion lasts, pledged to continue the applica-
tion of the probe and the crucible to human
character. So he tried Abraham's faith by
asking the sacrifice of Isaac ; and Israel in
the wilderness, to prove them, and to know
what was in their hearts. We should not
court danger. Let us do all we can in order
that the trial may be spared us, and if this
cannot be, then we shall meet it with the
freedom which springs from a good con-
science, and with the strength which ac-
companies humility, under the sustaining
assurance that the de^il can never tempt
us but by the leave of our Heavenly
CHAPTER IV.
47
Father, and never beyond the extent
which He permits. (See Job ii.)
Into the Wilderness. Tradition finds
this wilderness in tlie desolate region east
of Jerusalem, overlooking the valley of
the Jordan. The mountain which the
same tradition makes the immediate scene
of the " temptation " that ensued, is from
this tradition called Quarantania. A mod-
ern traveler thus describes the scene on
his way from Jerusalem to Jericho : " After
pursuing our way for an hour or two down
the rugged ravine which forms the road,
we turned to the left, and ascended into the
desolate and blackened mountains of the
* Wilderness of Judea,' the scene of John
the Baptist's ministration and of our Lord's
temptation. Of all places in the world, it
is naturally fittest for the centre and king-
dom of Satan the destroyer ; for, as Maun-
drell says, 'it is a most miserable, drj',
barren place, consisting of high, rocky
mountains, so torn and disordered as if
the earth had suffered some great convul-
sion, in which its very bowels had been
turned outward.' This fearful wilderness,
not ten miles east of Jerusalem, has always
been the abode of violence and misery.
The very road on which we passed was
the scene of our Lord's parable of the
Good Samaritan. About half way between
Jerusalem and Jericho we passed the
crumbling walls of a large khan, with
immense cisterns. Following the rugged
road, often through avenues cut in the
rock, we came, by two o'clock, to the east-
ern edge of the wilderness which overlooks
the plain of Jei'icho, clad in deep green
verdure, caused by the fertilizing streams
of the Fountain of Elisha. Beyond it
deep in the valley, and as yet invisible,
flowed the Jordan, w'hile the view beyond
was closed by the dark masses of the
mountains of INIoab, inviting the eye of the
pilgrim to select Nebo and Pisgah. I paused
on the brow of the mountain, near the
well-preserved remains of a Roman aque-
duct, which once supplied water to the
city of Jericho, and gazed upon this w'ide
and gloomy panorama encircling the rich
green plain which lay spread out far away
below me. Immediately around w'as the
dreary wilderness already described; to
the right, in their deep, sunken bed, lay
the still waters of the Dead Sea; far to
the left, the mountains of the wilderness
projected into the Jordan, and closed the
plain to the north. In that direction, just
above the Fountain of Elisha, rose above
the rest the dark, thunder-.scathed head
of Mount Quarantania, which tradition as-
signs as an ' exceeding high mountain,'
from which Satan showed our Lord ' all
the kingdoms of this world.' Its summit
seems inaccessible, yet a little chapel is
perched upon it, and its side next the
Jordan is cut into caverns and chambers,
in which we saw at night the flitting taper
of the hermit, or of the pilgrim doing
penance during Lent."
Notice the evident relation, partly of
coincidence and partly of contrast, between
the temptation of the first Adam and that
of the second, one of which is placed at
the beginning of the Old Testament, and
the other at the opening of the New.
Adam was tempted in Eden (" a place of
delights "), Jesus, in the wilderness. Adam,
amidst the abundance of all things ; Jesus,
in want and in hunger. Adam, through
the senses, and by the allurements of self-
exaltation, and covetousness of gifts which
he did not possess. Christ, to satisfy His
hunger by a miracle, to display His Divine •
nature, by suspending the laws which
govern our state, to which He had made
Himself subject, and to forsake His Father
for the offer of earthly greatness. Adam
Avas tempted once and fell. Jesus was
tempted three times, we should rather
say, for forty days, and He resisted. "VYe
may be tempted in all places. We may
escape the company of our fellow-men,
but how will we escape Satan, and our
own heart ? Solitude is, perhajas, the fittest
scene for temptation.
To he tempted of the devil — the diabolus
or accuser. (Job i.; Rev. xii. 10.) The
allusions to his fall from a state of purity
are numerous and pointed. (See John
viii. 44 ; Jude 6 ; 2 Peter ii. 4.) In the Old
Testament he is called Satan. (Job i.
6-12.) The devil is not "a. symbolical
person," or "the principle of evil personi-
fied," but a being, active ; and malicious
being. He is called by personal names,
such as "Belial," " tempter," "adversary,"
" deceiver," " liar," &c. We have no more
48
MATTHEW,
right to reduce Satan to figure than we
have Christ, nay, God Himself. If there
are good bodiless spirits, there may be bad.
It is no more contrary to the nature of
God's government that there should be a
Satan than that there should be a Nimrod,
a Nero, a Tamerlane, or a Mohammed.
The primary signification of the word
" tempt," is to make trial of one, to test his
principles; the secondary sense, to tempt
one to commit sin. Christ was God, and
at the same time as truly man, of a human
body and a reasonable soul. These two
natures, profoundly mysterious though it
be to us, were joined in the unity of one
person, and constituted the one Christ.
But the natures of Christ are not to be
confounded ; they are distinct, though His
person is one. The attack of the devil
was made upon the human soul, upon
Christ in His character of Messiah, or the
" servant" of God, an office which He de-
signed to assume. That Jesus was not
tempted by any inward temptation, by
any, even the remotest solicitation or
tendency to evil from the inner man, is
evident from His own declaration (John
xiv. .30), and from the fiicts that He had
just been pronounced "full of the Holy
Ghost" (Luke iv. 1), as well as that it is
said (Heb. iv 15), that He "was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin," which could not have been, if there
had been anything in Him which more or
less responded to the suggestions of the
tempter, inasmuch as sin moves in the
region of desires quite as really as in that
of external acts. At the same time we
are to believe that Jesus was truly and
really tempted. Such things were pre-
sented to Him as were adapted to induce
Him to sin, and as in any other case might
have captivated the mind, and eternally
ruined the soul of the tempted. This
much is certain, that " He suffered being
tempted." (Heb. ii. 18.) He had, by a
mystery we cannot penetrate, all the pain
of a struggle to undergo, and it was by
obedience in the face of difficulty, by a
high and sustained exercise of principle
in the face of allurements, and by the
force of dutiful sentiment rising superior
to all that the tempter and the world could
muster up to oppose it, that He achieved
His glorious victory. (See on Luke iv. 2.)
Learn, 1. That it is no sin to be tempted.
2. That nothing can convert temptation
into a sin but the consent of our own will.
3. That whilst temptation is the common
lot of humanity, extraordinary tempta-
tions constitute the privilege of the best.
(James, 1. 12; iv. 7; 1 Pet. v. 9.)
2. And when he had fasted forty days and fortj- nights
he wa.s an hungered.
Fasted, entirely abstained from food.
(See Luke iv. 2.) Fortrj days and forty nir/Jits.
This fasting was doubtless miraculous or
superhuman. Of precisely the same length
were the fasts of Moses (Deut. ix. 9) and
Elijah (1 Kingsxix. 8.) Moses was founder
of a dispensation, Elijah was restorer, and
Jesus was both founder and restorer.
Some see a relation between the forty days
of our Lord's temptation and the forty
years of Israel's trial in the wilderness,
His fast being as much a witness against
their carnal appetites (for it was in the
indulgence of these that they sinned con-
tinually—Ex. XV. 23, 24, xvi. 2, 3, xvii. 2, 3 ;
Num. xi. 4, 33) asa witness against Adam's.
There seems to have been something mys-
tical in the number "forty," which we can
not explain. (See Gen. vii. 4, 12; Num.
xiv. 33 ; Deut. ix. 45, xxv. 3 ; Ezek. iv. 6,
xxix. 11 ; Jonah iii. 4; 2 Cor. xi. 24.) Jesus
passed forty days before He began His
public ministry ; forty days, as if for prepa-
ration, before His ascension ; and from the
time of His death to the final destruction
of Jerusalem by the Romans was forty
years. Fasts are evidently of Divine au-
thority. (See Josh. vii. 6 ; Judg. xx. 2G ;
Ex. xxiv. 18; 2Sam. xii. 16; 1 Kingsxix. 8;
Matt. vi. 18, ix. 15; Actsxiii. 3; 1 Cor. vii.
5.) They are one of the outward means
which may be profitably employed to
humble and chasten the soul, and train it
anew to the love and pursuit of holy and
spiritual joys. How far or how long a per-
son should abstain from food depends on
circumstances. The great end to be kept
in view is humiliation for sin, and absti-
nence from sin. He ivas aft^ncard an hun-
gered— the same as our modern word
hungry. During the days of His fasting
Jesus was doubtless in a state of ecstacy,
or wholly absorbed by spiritual realities,
so as to be insensible to hunger. The in-
CHAPTER IV.
49
stances of a Spinoza and a Newton show
liow powerful thought may suspend the
demands of appetite. After such a last
hunger must necessarilj' have made itself
felt with unexampled power, and the more
so probably from the combat with the
Prince of Darkness. Satan, who doubtless
had been heedfully watching an opportu-
nity to assail Jesus at disadvantage, sought
to make the want of food the occasion of
His sinning by the unlawful creation of
food. When the people of God are sorely
distressed, or when their children are dy-
ing, or when they know not how to provide
them with food, or when they are disap-
2)ointed or unkindly treated, then the
malicious fiend insinuates hard thoughts
of God into the mind.
3. And wben the tempter came to him, he said, If
thou be the Son of God, commaud.that these stones be
made bread.
Came to Him. The temptation evidently
embraces two stages : the one continuing
throughout the forty days' fast, the other
(which embraces the temptations here
enumerated), at the conclusion of that pe-
riod. He said, having now probably a
visible form, not terrifying, but as a friend,
and perhaps as an " angel of light." (2 Cor.
ii. 14.) Ift}toube,&c. Doubtless Satan was
in some doubt about Christ's Divine Lord-
ship ; though he saw many concurrent
proofs of it, yet he thought possibly it might
be otherwise, and therefore tries. And as
he expresses his own doubt, so he suggests
the doubt to our Saviour. This language
of Satan implies three things : 1. That if
the Son of God had come He must be the
expected Messiah ; 2. that the Messiah
could not be any lower personage than the
Son of God himself; 3. that the greatest
iniracles might be expected to be wrought
by Him. Command, sjyeak, in order that — this
effect is to be produced by a creative utter-
ance ; these stones, probably pointing to loaf-
like stones on the ground before them, be
made, changed into, bread. How artful the
suggestion ! There is no severer physical
want than hunger (unless thirst be greater)
— none that occasions severer pangs — none
that more tempts to extreme resources for
its gratification. In trouble, when our
Heavenly Father seems to be giving us a
stone instead of bread, the tempter suggests
that by over-reaching, or equivocation, a
short measure, or an unjust balance, we
turn the stone into bread. This temptation,
and the two which follow, are compared
by some to the three-fold bait presented
to Eve (Gen. iii. 0), in which the fruit
being good for food, appealed to the appe-
tite, and being pleasant to the eye, pleased
the sense of beauty ; and being represented
as being able to make her as the Gods, so
awakened her ambition. Others see in
them the three-fold description of unholy
'lusts by the Apostle. (1 John i. 16.) He
who would selfishly seek to convert stone
into bread will in reality convert bread
into stone. Satan watches for the distress
of man, to make it an occasion for trans-
forming him into a beast of prey and a
wicked spirit.
4. But he answered and said. It is written, cMan shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that pro-
ceedeth out of the mouth of CJod.— ^Deut. viii. 3.
Had Christ yielded to Satan's proposition
at this time, it would have been a positive
non-comi)liance with the appointment of
His Father, for His situation in the wilder-
ness, distant from the supplies of food, was
not of His own choosing — He was led by
the Spirit into it. Besides, if He had done
so, this would not only have impaired the
perfection of His suffering obedience, but
would have made it quite useless to us as
an example, for we have not the miraculous
power that He had ever in readiness to be
exerted in the hour of calamity. It would
have been a miracle, not in public, but in
private, and not intended for convincing
men, but for gratifying the great enemy -of
mankind. All our Lord's miracles were
wrought for the benefit of others, not one
for His own gratification. And said. How
blessed an example of the infinite forbear-
ance and self-denial, the meekness and '■.
wisdom of our Lord ! He brings no railing _
accusation against the destroyer. It is
uritten. No eulogium on Scripture could
be more decided or impressive than this,
that He who inspired it quotes it as the
rule of His faith and life. Christ ever and
again conquers by the AVord of God: 1.
By His first quotation over false doctrine ;
2. By His second quotation over a false
interpretation of Scripture ; 3. By His third
quotation over false and assumed au-
thority. Man shall not live, &c. The text
quoted is from Deut. viii. 3, and was
50
MATTHEW.
addressed by Moses to the Israelites, when
reminding them that, though God had
suffered them to hunger, He had fed them
miraculously with manna, to show that
He had other methods of sustaining man
than by bread alone. The Word of God
is more than bread ; bread, which is the
ordinary means, cannot keep us alive,
when God chooses that we shall die ; but
God can keep us alive without bread, when
He chooses that we shall live. (See John
iv. 34.) Man needs aliment for his soul as
well as the body, and that aliment is the
Divine Word. Whether it be His instruc-
tive, consoling, or preceptive word, it is by
that every word proceeding from the mouth
of God that man's soul liveth. Every
question of duty is settled by the authority
of God, and from that there is no appeal.
We should make ourselves well acquainted
with our Bible — store our minds with its
passages, for they constitute the material
armor by which we wrestle with the
enemies of our salvation. (Eph. vi. 11,
&c ; 2 Tim. iii. 19.)
5. Then the devil taketh him up ainto the holy city,
and sptteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
•ioS^e. xi. 1, IS; Isa. xlviii. 2 and to lit. 1; chap, xxvii.
53 ; Rev. x. 2.
This temptation is the third and last in
Luke, who follows a doctrinal order. The
true historical order is evidently here
given. Then — with what marvelous skill
the Tempter shifts the whole line of his
assault ! He had just urged the Lord to a
distrust of His Father's love ; now he urges
Him to put that love to the proof in a way
of his own choosing, and not of God's
appointing. We are in danger of being
tempted both to distrust and presumption.
Taketh Mm up, doubtless by His own per-
mission, but in a mysterious manner which
is not revealed, but left for the exercise
of a reverent curiosity. Into the holy city,
Jerusalem, so-called, in spite of many a
wickedness, as being the seat of the theoc-
racy, the place where the temple v/as
situated, and the public worship of God
was performed. (Comp. Isa. xlviii. 2, Iii.
1 ; Dan. ix. 24 ; Rev. xi. 2 ; Matt. v. 35.)
Setteth him, literally, made Him stand, not
by force, for such the devil cannot exer-
cise, besides, he had not yet dropt the
mask, and shown himself the evil one.
On a pinnacle of the temple. The temple was I
that immense building on the top of Mount
Moriah, which had been rebuilt and
adorned till it rivaled that of Solomon on
the same site. The " pinnacle," or wing,
as the word means, was probably Herod's
royal gallery, overhanging the ravine of
Kedron, at the valley of Hinnom, an im-
mense tower, of about 700 feet, built on the
very edge of this precipice, from the top
of which, as any one looked, according to
Josephus, " he would become dizzy, his
eyes being unable to reach so vast a depth."
Satan surrounds hiinself with holy things,
conducts Jesus to the holy city and the
holy temple, and encourages Him by the
Holy Word of God to throw Himself fear-
lessly down. The evil one is perhaps most
busy in the believer's closet, in the church,
at the communion table. As in the mate-
rial, so also in- the spiritual world, high
places are slippery places, where the head
is in danger of becoming dizzy, and of be-
traying us into a fall.
6. And saith unto him, If thou he the Son of God, cast
thyself down, for it is written, fHe shall give his angels
charge concerning tliee : and in their hands they shall
bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against
a stone.— fPs. xci. 11, 12.
In the former temptation Satan would
have Jesus doubt if He was the Son of
God; in this temptation, he would remind
Him of the doubts which the Jews enter-
tained of His Lordship. " Now is your
opportunity for scattering all their doubts :
throw yourself boldly from this elevation,
with a pomj) of angels upholding and up-
bearing thee ; and 2:)roclaim by this one
act the strength of your faith, the com-
pleteness of your dependence, and the
crowd of worshipers who throng the tem-
ple beneath will at once acknowledge thee
as the Christ, and make its courts resound
with hosannas, and bid thee welcome as
the Son of God and the Saviour of the
world."
The subtlety of Satan in this temptation
is evident from the fact that he knew that
our Lord's errand into this world was, that
He might persuade sinners to believe in
Him, and thus have life through His name,
as well as because the temptation was an
appeal to the very inmost and most power-
ful and pervading emotion of the heart of
the Son of God, his love to the poor, per-
ishing sinners of Jerusalem, over whom
His compassiomite soul yearned, as was
CHAPTER lY.
51
attested by the tears which He afterward
shed over them. Many persons, says
one, in looking down a precipice from
a great height, as at Kiagara Falls, are
conscious of a bewilderment and a dar-
ing in which they are tempted to throw
themselves down the jjreciince. If this
is a constitutional peculiaiity of men,
we see in the form of the second tempta-
tion the peculiar subtlety of "the ser-
jient." What place is too sacred for
Satan to enter? If the devil led Jesus
to so holy a place as the house of God,
is it surprising that he leads some pro-
fessors of religion into the ball-room
and the theatre? It is a precious truth
that the devil has no power to injure
till one shall have first " cast one's self
down." He can persuade to the act, but
he has no power himself to achieve it.
For it is urltfen. " What is this I see ?"
says an old writer, " Satan himself, with a
Bible under his arm, and a text in his
mouth."* As Jesus has repulsed him by
the Word of God, he now turns that sword
of the Spirit against his conqueror. The
Old Testament has been quoted by Jesus,
just now, by Gabriel (Luke i. 18), by God
(1 Sam. ii. 30), and here, in solemn mim-
icry, by Satan. So that neither God,
Christ, nor angels allow that slight regard
for the Holy Book in which modern ra-
tionalism indulges. He shall give iiis angels
charge concerning thee, <fec. The quotation is
from Ps. xci. 11. Though this Psalm is
written not concerning the Son of God in
particular, but the foithful generally, yet
there was no misquoting it in ajiplying the
promise which it contains, as Satan now
does, to Christ, since He is the Head of the
faithful. There is a lie, however, now, in
the application of the words of truth.
One little clause is left out, which would
have altered the whole character of the
quotation, viz. : " to keep thee in all thy
ways." That to which the Lord was nOAv
challenged was not " a way " ajipointed by
•His Heavenly Father for His treading, and
in w'hich as such He might be sure that He
♦Compare Shakspeare, M'~rrhnnt of Venice, Act 1,
Scene 8. wliere Anttmid says to Bassunio ;
" The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul, producing holy witness,
Is like a villain witli a'smiling cheek ;
A goodly apple rotten at the heart ;
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath !"
would not stumble (John xi. 9, 10), but a
precipice from which He would have wan-
tonly chosen to fling Himself down, and
the promise of being kept in all his uxiys
no one has a right to take to himself who
has exchanged his appointed ways for any
such headlong precipices as that now sug-
gested to the Lord. A garbled text of
Scripture has often been made to support
a fr.lse doctrine and sanction a wrong
practice.
7. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, fThou
Shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.— fDeut. vi. 16.
Our Lord again answers in the language
of Scripture, from Deut. vi. 16. The word
of the Law which He quotes contains no
contradiction of the devil's quotation from
the Psalm, but a rectification of the misuse
which the evil one had made of it.
Tempt, to demand further evidence of
what is already made sufficiently plain.
(Comp. Ex. xvii. 2, 7; Num. xiv. 22; Ps.
Ixxviii. 18, and cvi. 14.) If our Lord had
cast Himself from the pinnacle of the
temple He would have demanded a need-
less miracle, publicly to jirove Himself
"the Son of God," and would have put
Himself in expectation of our interi^osition
for which He had no warrant, and thus
would have "tempted the Lord." Making
trial, by the sinner, of the patience and
forbearance of God, is temjiting Him ; so
is tampering with sin, in hope that grace
will be given to resist it ; so is going into
evil companj^ making haste to be rich,
and going out of Providence from a restless
desire of change. We should have an
enlarged acquaintance with the Bible, so
as to be able to bring to bear against the
enemy a special truth for each special
temptation.
8. Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding
hifrh mountain, and slieweth liim all the kingdoms of
the world, and the glory of them;
Again. Mark the perseverance of Satan :
he is twice defeated, but will make a third
effort. Taketh him. (See on v. 5, and Luke
iv. 5.) An exceeding high mountain. It is
impossible to say with certainty what moun-
tain w^as the scene of this, the third
temptation. (See notes on verse 1.) Ami
sheweth him, &c. (See on Luke iv. 5.) It is
not said our Lord really beheld the world's
kingdoms, only that Satan slioiced, that is,
pointed them out, for the word asserts nothing
52
MATT II E AV .
more. Perhaps Judea and its tetrarchies
are meant; they are sometimes termed
"the kingdoms," as Judea is sometimes
denominated "the world." Or the neigh-
boring countries may have been presented
to Jesus as a specimen of the world. Or
some visionary representation may have
been made to His mind to assist the
mountain scene. And the glory of them;
nature's beauty and art's magniticence, the
pride of power, the eclat of riches, the
splendor of luxury, the vanity of honors,
the intoxication of pleasures, and all those
earthly pomps which excite so violently
man's desires, were crowded into that
stupendous vision. (See Isa. xxxix. 2 ;
Matt. vi. 29; Rev. xxi. 25, 26.)
9. And saith unto him, All these things will I give
thoe, it' thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Saith unto him. Of course he spoke un-
der no serpentine or bestial shape, but in
a form, to the utmost of his power, able to
fascinate by his blandishments, or suborn
by menace and terror. All these things, &c.
The right to give is here assumed by the
devil, but falsely. True, he is denominated
"the god and prince of this world" (John
xii. 31; Cor. iv. 4), and "the prince of the
power of the air" (Eph. ii. 2), yet this does
not imply lawful power or dominion. God
has delegated to him no such authority as
ho here impliedly claims, and in this, as
iu all his vain promises and assertions, he
t^hows himself to be the father of lies.
(John viii. 44.) If thou wilt fall down, &c.,
referring to obedience, vassalage, of which
bodily homage is the symbol. Here is
comfort for Christians who are pained by
the suggestion of blasphemous thoughts,
that Satan had the reckless audacity to
make such a horrid proposition to our
Lord. Satan tempts by ruling ambition,
a*^ in the case of Alexander, Ccesar and
Napoleon, And how the poor fools were
betrayed ! Alexander died of drunkenness,
CL-esar was stabbed in the Senate house by
a friend, and Napoleon died in exile at St.
Helena. Such an odious alliance is pro-
j)osed by the devil to the moral, pious
young man, when, seized with the hope of
I'.iaking a brilliant fortune, it is suggested
that he have recourse to lies, deceit, injury
to neighbors, Sabbath-breaking, and to the
pious young lady whose hand is sought by
a young man of wealth, but a stranger to
piety, and one to Avhoin she cannot be
united without endangering her faith, and
to the gifted young minister who is tempted
to obtain the a25i:)lause of men, and obtain
a lucrative i^osidon, by accommodating
truth to the fastidiousness of the age, or
join in the frivolity of its pleasures. How
unutterably paltry the bribes for which Ave
are so often contented to barter all! (See
Gen. XXV. 34 ; Josh. vii. 21 ; 2 Kings v. 23 ;
Matt. xxvi. 15.)
10. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan :
for it is writttu, ?Tliou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and liim only shall tliou serve.
eDeut. Iv. 23, x. 20 ; Josh. xxiv. 14 ; 1 Sam. vii. 3.
The most wicked and monstrous pro-
posal of the empire of the world on the
condition of a compact with the devil, met
with an indignant and abhorrent repulse.
Then — at once. As Jesus did not trifle, or
delay, or make any j^arrying with temj^ta-
tion, how much more necessary is it for us
to be prompt and decisive in our measures
with it ! Get th ee hence, Satan, begone, avaunt,
out of my sight. Here Satan was disclosed.
The pretended angel of light, who calls for
Avorship, is, by our Lord's stern and sting-
ing rei^ulse, transformed back into himself.
When an infamous projiosal is made to
any one, indignation is not merely justifi-
able, but is required, is of the essence of a
true righteousness. It is written. (See
notes on verses 4, 7.) Thou shall worshij),
&c. — quoted from Deut. A'i. 16. Him only —
this was the key of all. There could not
be two masters — no divided empire. The
kingdom must either be wholly spiritual,
that is, of God, or wholly temporal, that is,
of the devil, and there can be no question
which it should be. This verse, compared
Avith other similar passages of Scrijiture,
proves the Divinity of Christ. The wor-
ship and service due to God cannot be
given to a creature without tho guilt of
idolatry. Since then, God requires "that
all men should honor the Son even as they
honor the Father" (John v. 23 ; see also .
Heb. i. 6), and since Christians "serve the
Lord Christ" (Col. iii. 24), He cannot be a
creature, but must be truly God. He who
would prevent us from serving God, and
persuade us to serve the world, is Satan, so
far as we are concerned.
CHAPTER IV.
53
n. Then the devil leaveth him, and lnhoUl, ^angels
came and ministered uiito liim.— hHtb. i. 11.
Such was tlie final issue of lliis great and
Tncimentous conflict. The tempter, baflieJ
in every endeavor, withdrew ; and never
did quit a foe with such hicerated and in-
furiated soul. The devil is a coward; he
needs only resistance, and he runs. (James
iv. 7.) yind hehold, angds came and minis-
tered unto him. Blessed contrast! a retreating
devil, and approaching angels to minister
to the mysterious necessity of the Son of
man. In the wilderness of Sinai, " man
did eat angels' food." In this desert, the
Son of Man, the very author of the salva-
tion to the heirs of which the angels are
sent forth to minister ; " the true bread
which came down from heaven," was
strengthened with the bread of God. The
mere passing away of a season of tempta-
tion is a refreshment, like the waking up
out of a troubled dream, and finding it to
be without reality. Jesus, as has well been
said, has conquered not for Lina elf only,
but for all his people. In many a man's
life there is a turning point at which the
soul leaps madly into the embrace of the
evil one, or becomes so confirmed in love
and faith that disloyalty to God is made
well-nigh impossible. Judas is an exam-
ple of the former; Peter of the latter.
Temptation, however, cannot be exi^ected
to cease in the present life ; and, as in the
case of the Israelites on their journey from
Egypt to Canaan, the real giants may come
laM. God's word is security, not against
attacks from the devil, but against defeat.
When devils go, then angels come. " This
know," Leighton beautifully observes,
" that our Lord is tender of us, and will
inlay our painful conflicts with sweet com-
forts. And these, in a high degree, usually
follow hard encounters patiently and
stoutly sustained. Oh, the sweet issue our
Lord gives to many a sad battle of weak
Christians, wherein they possibly thought
once that all was lost, and that they never
should hold out, and come through it !
But never think so. We shall come through
all, and the day shall be ours." (See on
Luke iv. 13.)
12. H 'Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast
Into prison, he departed into Galilee ;
'Mark i. 14 ; Luke iii. 20, iv. 11, 31 ; John iv. 43.
To obtain a correct and connected view
of our Saviour's history, the Evangelists
must be compared together, as one gives a
more full account than another. What
haj^pened between the last verse and the
present may be found in John's Gosj^el,
from chap. i. 19, to chap. iv. 43. Eor an
account of John's imjirisonment, see xiv.
3-5, &c.; Mark vi. 17-20; Luke iii. 19, £0.
Into Galilee,^vhere He had formerly resided,
and Avhence He had come to be baptized
of John. (Chap. iii. 13.) Perhaps in now
going to Galilee, Christ wished to take
advantage of any sympathetic excitement
that might have bfen produced in John's
favor by the unjust persecution of Herod.
13. And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in
Capernaum, whicli is ui)on the sea-coast, in the borders
of Zebulon and Nephthalim :
Departing into Galilee, our Lord took
Nazareth in His way. (See Luke iv.
16-30.) Leaving Nazareth — " not being hon-
ored in His own country," Jle came and
dwelt in Capernaum, a thriving commercial
place, Avliich was situated near the ]N. V.
corner of the sea of Gennesareth (John
vi. 17), in the confines of the tribes of
Zebulon and Nephthalim.
14. That it might be fulfdled whicli was spoken by
Esaias the prophet, saying, 15. i^The land of i:ebulcu,
and the land of Nephthaiim, Ij/ the way of the sea,
beyond Jordan, Cialilee of the Gentiles; IG. 'The people
which sat in darkness saw great light ; and to thcni
which sat in the region and shadow of deatli light is
sprung up.— klsa. ix. 1, 2. ilsa. xlii. 7 ; Luke ii. 32.
This quotation is made from Isa. ix. 1, 2.
Although in these the prophet seems also
to have had in view the oppression of the
Assyrians, under which at that time
Northern Palestine groaned, the passages
are strictly Messianic in their meaning.
The prophecy is now raised to its higher
sense. Its meaning is this: "0??cc the tribes
of Zebulon and Xephthalim were debased,
(because, being situated on the borders
of Canaan, they were exposed to the
invasions of the enemy), but afterwards
they were made glorious." How? by the
Saviour's j^resence and preaching. Our
Lord's going into that region, and makii.g
it the principal scene of His labors, natur-
ally recalled to mind this prophecy, as
then receiving a part of its fulfillment.
The region wdiich had been the first to
suffer caxjtivity was the first to enjoy the
light of that truth which maketh free.
(John viii. 32, 36.) The slight difierence
in orthography between Zebulon and
54
M A T T H E W .
Nephthalim in the Old and New Testa-
ments, results from their ditTerence of
sound in the Hebrew and Greek, by which,
in transferring them from one language to
another, the orthography would be made
to conform with the word as spoken.
Galilee of the Gentiles. Upper Galilee, where
Gentiles were more numerous.
17. mprom that time .Tesus began to preach, and to
say, "Repent, I'or the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
■>»Marli i. H, 15. "Chap. iii. 2, x. 7.
■ Fi'om that time, the time that John was
cast into prison. Christ had before this
time preached, but nqt in so public and
continuous a manner as afterwards. To
preach. In humbling Himself to the work
of preaching, Jesus has highly exalted it.
No office so honorable as that of the
preacher. The darkest days of the Church
have been those when it was lightly es-
teemed. And to say, Repent, &c. Our Lord
commences His preaching with the same
words which the Forerunner had already
uttered, though the call to repent has now
a higher meaning than when first uttered
by the Baptist. (See chap. iii. 2, and notes
on the verse.) Eepentance is grief for
having committed sin, and turning away
from it with abhorrence, accompanied with
sincere endeavors, in reliance on God's
grace, to live in humble and holy obedi-
ence to the Divine commands. It is the
beginning of religion, but must never cease
upon earth. Philip Henry said, "Repent-
ance shall follow me to the gates of heav-
en." Rovland Hill observed, that if he
could regret anything when he entered
heaven, it would be that he should no
more shed the penitential tear. Observe
the /or between the two jArases, which is
the true link between the lireaching which
demands and the promise which bestows.
The desire for the kingdom of heaven
should be the motive of repentance. No
true repentance can spring merely from
the terror of the law. How sweet the in-
vitation Jesus gives — the offer of pardon
to a repenting sinner! but how much more
that of a kingdom! a kingdom of right-
eousness here, and of glory hereafter.
IS. oAnd Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw t%vo
bretliren, Simon rcalled Peter, and Andrew his brother,
ca<ting a net into the sea : for they were lisliers.
•Mark i. 16, 17, IS ; Luke v. 2. pJohn i. 42.
WaJJdng — passing from place to place, in
the exercise of His ministry. Sea of Gall-
lee, so called because the province of Galilee
bordered its western side. It was also
called Lake of Gennesaret (Luke v. 1), from
the plain which lay " at its north-western
angle," and Sea of Tiberias (John vi. 1),
from the city of that name, which stood on
the western side. Saw two brethren, Simon
called Peter (or Cephas), Peter being the
Greek word for a stone, and Ce^jhas being
the Syriac for the same. (John 1. 42.)
Andrew. A purely Greek name, which,
however, occurs among the Jews at a later
period. This was not the first meeting of
our Lord with the two brothers, for while
in attendance upon John's ministry, they
had already enjoyed an interview with
Jesus (John i. 40-42), and afterwards they
seem to have returned to Galilee, and re-
mained with Him as His disciples (John
ii. 2, 11-12), of this call a fuller account is
given in Luke v. 1-11. Their casting a net
into the sea, Avhich shows they were just
about to commence their daily labor, is
mentioned to bring out the significance of
their instantly following Christ. For they
were fishers, a business which formed a large
share of the occupation of the dwellers
uiDOii the shores of Lake Gennesaret. It
was the will of God to choose men by
whose instrumentality He intended to re-
model the world, out of the humbler class,
that no flesh might glory in His presence,
and the excellency of the power aj^pear to
be of God, and not of men. (See 1 Cor. i.
27, ii. 4, 5.) But as these men enjoyed the
extraordinary illumination of the Holy
Spirit, no argument can now be draAvn
from this in favor of an unlearned ministry,
in. And he said unto tliem, follow me, and iI will
malce you lisliers of men.— qLuke v. 10, 11.
Follow me, rather, come ye after me, i. c.,
in the sense of becoming His servants and
messengers. We must distinguish, 1, be-
tween their j^reliminary call, imi^lying
discii^leship in general and adoption of
Christ's cause, but without any sjiecial
obligation (John i. 35, &c.). 2, their selec-
tion (here made — see also Luke, v. 4) as
continuous and regular followers of the
Lord, and, ", the choice of twelve to be
Apostles. (]Matt. x. 2-4.) Jesus gradually
prepares His people for service and trial.
As in mental training, so in spiritual, there
is an education, a general progressive dis-
CHAPTER IV.
55
cipline. Tlie call of Jesus to follow him
is, 1, a call to fuitli ; 2, a call to labor ; 3, a
call to suffering and cross-bearing ; 4, a
' call to our blessed home. / uill make you
fishers of men, raising them from a lower to
a higher fishing, as David was from a lower
toa higher/<;t'cZ/n//. (Ps. Iviii. 70-72.) They
were to retain their nets, but souls were to
be the nobler j^rey. Jesus here promises
to qualify them for their new work, and
to give them success. Diligent effort is
our part, the blessing is Christ's. (See
Luke V. 10.) As Simon and Andrew were
called by Jesus when engaged in their
usual vocation, and God called Moses,
David, and Amos from the sheep-fold,
Gideon from the thrashing floor, Elisha
from the plow ; we see that God honors
and consecrates daily industry, and that
there is a beautiful harmony between
laborious ardor in our earthly employ-
ments and religious earnestness.
20. 'And they straightway left ttieir nets, and followed
him. — rMark x. 28; Luke xviii. 28.
The call from Jesus to these men was
an effectual one. Though not promised
any temporal rewards, and called to a
more laborious service than they were
accustomed to, straightway, immediately,
Avithout deliberating, without conferring
with flesh and blood, without reasoning
on maxims of expediency, they left their,
nets, which had hitherto been the means
of their livelihood, to rot on the sand, and
followed Jesus, with a fidelity and constancy
never surpassed. Beautiful instance of
prompt and self-sacrificing obedience ! Let
us strive to imitate this model, so that, if
not called to give up that state of life to
which God has already called us, we may
at least honor Jesus by bearing meekly
little crosses, by exhibiting in the quiet of
our own homesteads the lovely, submis-
sive, patient spirit of the cross-bearing
disciples.
21. If »And going on from thence, he saw other two
hrethren, James the xon of Zehodee, and John his broth-
er, in a ship with Zebede6 their father, mending their
nets: and he called them. 22. And they immediately
left the ship and their father, and followed him.
sMark i. 19, 20 ; Luke v. 10.
Jesus, proceeding a little distance, found
James and John at their own station or
place of anchorage. (See on Luke v. 14.)
It is inferred from this passage that James
was the elder brother of John. Other two
brethren. The selection of two jmirs of
brothers on this occasion, by Christ, to be
in constant attendance ui>on Him, was,
perhaps, so ordered that each of them
might have the comfort of being supported
and counseled by a brother engaged in
the same work, or, perhaps, in order that
all His ministers, to the end of time, should
thus be reminded that they should be
bound together in the blessed bonds of
concord and tenderness. In a ship, a small
fishing vessel. Mending their nets, either
preparing them for work, or repairing
them after work. " Ministers," says Henry,
"should be always teaching or studying ;
they may always find something to do.
Mending their nets is, in its season, as ne-
cessary as fishing." The death of Zebedee
is recognized in chap. xx. 20. Called them.
(See on v. 19.) James and John, with a
like spirit of prompt and cheerful obedi-
ence to that of Simon and Andrew, left
the ship with their father and hired ser-
vants (Mark i. 20), and followed Jesus.
Religion is not contemplation, but action.
Where there is no way left but either to
forsake parents or Christ, we are to part
with father and mother rather than with
the Saviour. But the narrative seems to
imply that Zebedee gave his consent to
the course his sons pursued. If we are to
win others for the Lord, we ourselves must
have been first won by Him. A minister
must be called of God. Let us not only
call ourselves brethren, but i^rove ourselves
such. The first step in the conquest of the
world was taken when Jesus summoned
the four Apostles (v. 18) to become fishers
of men to all the world.
23. HAnd Jesus went about all Galilee, 'teaching in
their synagogues, and preaching "the gospel olthe king-
dom, land healing all manner of sickness, and all man-
ner of dLseases among the people.
<Chap. ix. 5 ; Mark i. 21, 39 ; Luke iv. 15, 44. "Chap,
xxiv. 14. iMark i. 34.
To preserve the continuity of the narra-
tive, we must here turn to Mark i. 21-8,
Luke iv. 31-37, and Matt. viii. 14-17. John
remained stationary, Jesus ivent about. It
was by going about that He in so short a
ministry accomplished so much good. He
is our example in diligence in service, as
well as watchfulness in prayer. All Gali-
lee. This was Christ's first Galilean cii cuit.
The phrase probably implies only Upper
Galilee, but may be regarded as giving a
56
MATTHEW.
summary or general view of our Lord's
activity throughout GaUlee. Tlie number
of towns and viUages which Galilee con-
tained is estimated by Josei^hus at 204, and
the population of each, u^son an average, at
not less than 15,000 souls. Teaching in tlieir
synagogues — these were scattered through-
out the villages of Judea, as churches are
among us. Preaching, &c. This means
announcing the joyful news of the reign
of God, that is, of the Messiah's having
come. Preaching should always bear the
impress of the love of Christ, of the Holy
Spirit, and of power, and be adapted to the
wants of the age. Sickness, a disease of the
whole body, such as fevers, inflammatory
diseases, &c. Disease, any incipient mal-
ady causing softness and general debility.
Among the people, even those were healed
whose diseases were a matter of public no-
toriety. Jesus conferred temporal as well
as spiritual blessings. His curing diseases
gave an earnest and foreshadow of that
blessed era when all sickness shall be
ended.
24. And his fame went throughout all Syria : and they
brought auto him all sick people that were taken with
divers diseases and torments, and those which were
possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic,
and those that had the palsy ; and he healed them.
Syria, through which the rumor of our
Lord's miracles was circulated, with more
or less clearness, seems to have compre-
hended in its widest limits all the country
lying between the Mediterranean and the
Euphrates. They brought, &c. As far as
faith in His miraculous power extended
they brought such sufferers to Him. Sick,
all that were ailing, or unwell, that ivere
taken, &c. ; this is a distinct class, referring
to those attacked with acute diseases, ]ms-
sessed uith devils, that were demonized.
Lunatic. This word, which means moon-
struck, signifies insane persons whose case is
supposed to be aggravated by the influence
of the moon Palsy. LTnder this general
name many infirmities were compre-
hended: 1. Apoplexy, a paralytic shock
which affected the whole body ; 2. Hemi-
plegy, which paralyzed only one side of
the body; 3. Paraplegy, which paralyzed
all the parts below the neck ; 4. Catalepsy,
a contraction of the muscles in the whole,
or in a part of the body ; 5. The cramp,
with which, when the limbs were attacked,
they remained immovable, sometimes
turned in, and sometimes out, in the same
position as when they were first seized.
Of many of the miracles here mentioned
in the mass, a particular description is
afterward given in the Gospels. And he
healed tJiem. These healings were at once
the Saviour's credentials and illustrations
of "the joyful tidings" which he proclaimed,
as He healed all manner of diseases, so He
could forgive all manner of sins.
i5. yAnd there followed him great multitudes of peo-
ple from GaUlee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusa-
lem, and/)'om Judea, and/rom. beyond Jordan.
yMark, ill. 7.
Even at this stage of our Lord's ministry
multitudes externally followed Him. Some
accompanied Him from place to place to
enjoy His instruction ; others, doubtless, to
gratify their curiosity in witnessing His
wonderful works. The multitudes were
drawn in the first instance from Galilee
itself, and swelled by others coming from
different quarters. "Like John, Jesus
produced by His preaching a general im-
pression ujjon the peojjle, but in a higher
measure. John remained stationary; Jesus
went about; John announced the wrath to
come ; Jesus brought to light the life-giving
power of the Gospel ; John displayed only
one miracle, that of self-renunciation and
the moral greatness of a true prophet as
exhibited in his own history; he did no-
wonders, while it appeared as the inmost
and distinguishing characteristic of Christ's
life to work miracles of healing, of deliver-
ance, of comfort, and of salvation. To
John the peoj^le flocked in numbers, again
to return to their homes, while of those
who betook themselves to Jesus, many
remained to follow Him whithersoever He
went." Decapolis was a district lying
chiefly on the east side of the Jordan. It
contained ten cities. Hence its name.
" This region, once so populous and pros-
perous, from which multitudes flocked to
hear the Saviour, and through which
multitudes followed his footsteps, is now
almost without an inhabitant. Six out of
the ten cities are completely ruined and
deserted." From beyond Jordan — from the
Greek word rrepav, peran, signifying beyond,
the country beyond Jordan was called
Perea. This name in its largest sense was
applied to the whole strip of territory
lying east of the Jordan, and bounded on
CHAPTER V.
57
the east by mountains, which divided it
from Arabia Deserta. In its narrower
.sense, it designated the territory east of
the Jordan, toward the south. According
to Josephus, its northern limit was at Pella,
its southern at Macheron, its east at
Pliiladelphia, its west the Jordan.
1. WTiat is said about our Lord's temptation ? 2. When, and where, did it occur ? 3. ExplUn " led up of the
Spirit." 4. Wliat evidonce is there tliat the devil is an active and malicious being? 5. In what sense was Jesu-s
" tempted ?" (j. How long did He abstain from food ? T. What Ls peculiar about the number " forty ?" 8. What
is said about fasting? 9. How many stages does the temptation embrace? 10. State what tliey are? 11. Wliat
was Christ's answer to the first temptation? 12. In what did the second temptation consist ? 13. How was it
met? Explain the answer to it. 14. Wliat us it to tempt God? 1.5. What was the third temptation ? 16. What
mountain is referred to ? 17. What did Christ reply to tlie third temptation ? 18. What followed ? 19. Why did
Jesus depart into Galilee ? '20. Why, and where, was John imprisoned ? 21. Why did Chrif^t dwell in Caper-
naum? 22. How did He commence His preaching ? 23. What is said of Simon and Andrev ' 21. What of James
and John ? 25. What did Jesus subsequently do ?
CHAPTER V,
Chruit befiinneth his seiinon in the mount : 3 declaring
who are blesned, 13 who are the salt of the earth, 14 tfie
lillht 0/ the ivorld, the city onthc hill, 15 tfi^ candle : 17
that he came tu fulfil the law. 21 What it i.f to kill, 27
tii commit adultery, 33 to swear : 38 e.rti<n-tcth to suffer
wrong, 44 to love even our enemies, 48 and to labor
after perfectncss.
Having by His miracles established His
Divine authority, and acquired, of course,
a right to the attention of His hearers, and
a powerful intiuence over their minds, our
Lord proceeded to instruct them in what
is commonly called His Sermon on the
Mount — contained in this and the two fol-
lowing chapters. It is the longest of liis
public discourses recorded. It contains a
greater variety of new, important and ex-
cellent moral precepts than is anywhere to
be found in the same compass. " The rich-
ness and beauty of the gems sparkling
through it," said the illustrious "Webster,
"prove them to belong to the treasury of
heaven." Luke has also (vi. 20-49) pre-
sented the same discourse substantially,
though in a smaller compass, his greater
brevity being probably explicable by his
repetition of the like sentiments in other
passages of his Gospel. That the discourse
recorded by him, and that which is here
given, are identical, most harmonists and
interpreters assume. Both begin with the
same blessings, and end with the same
striking parable concerning the difference
between hearing and doing. Between this
common beginning and ending, it is true,
there is much in Matthew which Luke does
not give, and some passages in Luke which
do not appear in Matthew, yet it is also true
that the passages common to the two
Evangelists are perfectly identical in sub-
stance, follow in the same order, and con-
tain those truths which are of universal
concern to the disci^^les of Christ in every
age. Besides, both discourses mark the
same period in our Lord's ministiy, when
His fame had brought multitudes around
Him ; both Evangelists represent our Sav-
iour, directly after the discourse, as en-
tering Capernaum, and both record the
healing of the centurion's servant as at
once following upon His return to that city.
This sermon may be viewed as consi.st-
ing of ten divisions. The first (ch. v. 3-12)
consists of beatitudes, in the first and
fourth of which we. recognize Him who
invites men to Himself (Matt. xi. 29, 30),
describing the Christian life from its com-
mencement to its termination. The second
(vs. 13-16) calls. for the manifestation of
that life, for the good of man, unto the
glory of God. The third (vs. 17-20) points
to the truth and importance of that where-
by the life Divine is nourished, the word
of righteousness as fulfilled by Christ. The
fourth (vs. 21-48) presents a contrast be-
58
MATTHEW.
tween the law, as viewed by them "of old
time," and the truth of the "Word as re-
vealed by Him who introduces us into the
perfect law of liberty. The fifth (ch. vi.
1-18) warns against formalism, and directs
to the true manner of serving or worship-
ping God, our Father, "who seeth in se-
cret." The sixth (vs. 19-34) shows the
reasonableness of faith in God, and exposes
the folly of that worldly wisdom which is
most destructive to the spiritual life. The
seventh (ch. vii. 1-6) forbids presumption
in judging, and also the prostituting of that
which is holy. The eighth (vs. 7-14) in-
vites us to pray, giving the assurance of a
favorable answer. We are then told more
fully as to what, and of whom, we are to
ask. Then we have the golden rule, the
practical use of the Law and the Projihets,
as read in the light of the Gospel. Then,
as to where we are to knock — it is "at the
strait gate." We must practice self-denial
if we would fully participate in the bless-
ings of the life everlasting. The ninth (vs.
15-20) bids us beware of false prophets,
and tells us how they, as well as the true
witnesses, may be known, and intimates
that, however men may deceive others
now, the faithful Judge will give a true
witness hereafter. The tenth (vs. 21-7)
tells us that nothing can stand the trial,
except that which is in truth built upon
the Rock. It is only as standing in the
grace of God that faith can endure the
trials to which it is, and will be, subjected.
And seeing the multitudes, 'Jhe went up into a moun-
tain : and wlien lie was set, bis disciples came unto
him :— dMark iii. 13.
The multitudes — spoken of in chap. iv.
25, and who awaited His descent from the
mountain, whither He had retired to pray,
and to choose the Twelve (Luke vi. 17).
A mountain, an eminence which, as being
still, solemn, and impressive, was a, suitable
place to impart instruction. As the Old
Law had been promulgated on Sinai, it
was proper that the New Law should be
delivered on a mountain also.
What mountain this was is .not stated
by either Evangelist. Dr. Jamicson says :
"It was an eminence a few miles distance
from the city of Tiberias, which rises to
an elevation of from 200 to .300 feet, well
fitted by its conical shape to accommodate
the dense multituaes that covered its
sloping sides, and commanding an. exten-
sive prospect, of which the preacher might
avail Himself, in His usual manner, for the
purposes of moral instruction." He also
adds, that " we have only, by an eflfbrt of
imagination, to place ourselves amid the
listening group on the Mount of Beati-
tudes, in order to see and feel that many
things of which the allusions in the sermon
seem remote and obscure, sprang happily
out of the circumstances, and came home
to the hearers with all the force and vivid-
ness of an api:)eal to the senses.
" Below lay in calm and majestic beauty
the Lake Tiberias, on whose broad surface
many of those who surrounded our Lord
were in the habit of prosecuting their daily
toils, and from whose valuable fisheries
they procured their ordinary food for
themselves and their families. Before
them was a wide prospect of a cultivated
land ; here adorned with a carpet of luxu-
riant herbage, to which the moisture of
morning had given a recent freshness, but
which noon would see fading beneath the
scorching beams of the sun, and fit only to
be mowed down for fuel; and there,
covered with the large and fleecy breed of
Palestine, browsing at pleasure, uncon-
scious of the danger which might await
them at night-fall, if their ravenous enemy
should find his way into the fold, through
the ill-disguise of some mangled wool-skin
of the flock; here, intersected by a hedge-
roAV of thorns and thistles, that formed the
impervious boundary of the fields; and
there, by walls on which the creeping
branches of the vine and fig-tree clung for
support, under the weight of their mellow
produce; while, in yonder open thrashing-
floor, swept by the gentle breeze, the
tiirmer was winnowing the last remnants
of his crop, and pressing down the heaps
of grain into the well-shaken sacks.
" It seems to have been spring, too, when
Nature was bursting the fetters of her win-
ter's sleep, and new life and animation
pervaded the whole range of the animal
and vegetable kingdom. The husbandman
was preparing his fields with the salt ma-
nure, previous to committing his seed to
their grateful bosom ; the flowers of Pales-
tine were beginning to strew the plains,
CHAPTER y.
59
and to disi>lay their brilliant and gorgeous
beauties ; tlie trees in the adjoining gardens
were unfolding their early blossoms, and
delighting the spectators with the promise
that they would each bring forth "fruit
after their kinds;" while the feathered
tribe were skimming on sportive wing
around, and warbling their wood-notes
wild among the branches.
"Thecityof Bethidiarose in the distance,
whose flat roofs, beanung with the efful-
gence of the orient sun, made it an object
too consx^icuous to be hid from any be-
holder. On the sides of its rocky platform
were seen the deep and rugged bed of the
land-flood, that had rolled its impetuous
stream, carrying devastation to the hamlet
along with it; and, at the bottom, a few
paltry cottages raised their humble heads,
through whose mud-built and flimsy walls
the hand of the midnight plunderer could
easily work his Avay ; while, to complete
the picture, at one part might be faintly
heard sending forth their interminable
howl the dogs of Tiberias, the pest of that
and every other city of the East ; and at a
farther bend of the lake, were the towns
of the Gadarenes, infamous for the breed-
ing of swine — the idea of both of which
animals was associated in the mind of
every Je^v, with all the abominations of
insatiable voracity, and the grossest un-
cleanness.
" These various objects in the landscape
around him, as probably seen from the
eminence on which he stood, our Lord en-
listed, Avith singi;lar beauty, into the ser-
vice of this admirable discourse."
"According to tradition, the 'Mount of
Beatitudes ' lies a little west of the Sea of
Galilee, and is a square-shaped hill, about
sixty feet in height, with two tops, called
the Horns of Hattin, from the village of
Hattin, at its base. The platform at the
top is evidently suitable for the collection
of a multitude, and corresponds precisely
to the 'level place' (Luke vi. 17) to which
Jesus would ' come down ' as from one of
its higher horns to address the people."
When he iras set. This was the usual posture
of eminent teachers among the Jews. (See
Luke iv. 20.) His disciples came unto him —
already a large circle, more or less attracted
and subdued by His preaching and mira-
cles, .in addition to the smaller band of
devoted adherents.
2. And he opened his mouth, and taught them, say-
ing,
This graphic mode of representation ex-
cites interest in the words spoken. (Comp.
Job iii. 1, xxxii. 20; Acts viii. 35, x. 34.)
Disciples and i)eople solemnly waited for
the lirst word which, under God's heaven,
with His eye upon the holy land 'upon
earth, and after such a preparation for
such preaching as had never before been
heard among men, Jesus would proceed to
utter. From this expression Luther de-
rives the following advice to preachers:
"Stand boldly forward, open thy mouth
and begin; have soon done." According to
him, the preacher is to learn from it a les-
son of bold and fearless speaking : "speak
out plainly, respect and spare no man, let
the arrow hit where it may."
In relation to the Beatitudes which fol-,
low, let the following things be noted: 1.
They possess the air of paradox, placing
happiness in dispositions and circumstan-
ces which men generally deem incompati-
ble with it. 2. They commonly admit
limitations from other parts of Scripture.
3. They do not relate so directly, if at all,
to the manner in which men are to obtain
happiness, as to the character of those who
are really happy. 4. The disjiositions they
represent are not amiable, natural tempers,
but modes of thought and feeling produced
by the Holy Spirit, through the instru-
mentality of tli*e faith of the truth. 5.
They are all linked together as by a golden
chain, and are to be found, though doubt-
less with a great variety of degree, in every
man who has been born again. 6. They
are stated separately, that we may apply
ourselves the more particularly to them
severally. 7. The things they promise,
instead of being mere arbitrary rewards, in
each case grow out of the characters to
which they are attached, and in their
complete form are but the appropriate
coronation of them.
.3. cBlesspd a?r the poor in spirit: for theirs is the
kingdom of lieaven.
fLnkevi. 20. See P.s. li. 17; Prov. xvi. 19, xxix. 23:
Isa. Ivii. 15, Ixvi. 2.
The first sermon of Jesus, instead of
denouncing wrath or threatening j)unish-
inent, dawns in benedictions. The poor in
60
MATTHEW,
spirit. Reference is bad here, not to ex-
ternal situation, but to disposition and
character. It is true that the poor are for
the most part in a better preparation of
mind to receive and embrace the Gospel
than the rich are (1 Cor. i. 26; James ii. 5),
but poverty will save no man. It is the
inner heart that makes the outer state, not
the outer state that guarantees the inner
heart. There are noble hearts clothed in
rags; there are mean and vulgar ones
clothed in purple and in fine linen every
day. It is what we are in our own estimation
that is here intended. Those who are
poor in spirit not only have a sense of
spiritual want, but a lowly frame of heart,
not swelled either with desires, or delight,
or conceit of any worldly advantage, or
self-excellency. Whether rich or poor,
they do not trust in their own righteous-
ness, wisdom, strength or inherent graces.
f Blessed arc. The word translated " blessed"
has not in the original, down to verse 11,
either are or shall he connected with it,
although the translation gives it correctly
enough for the obvious sense. The words
are not an opinion or. a praj-er, but a sim-
ple proclamation. Our Lord here truly
speaks with authority. As happiness is
higher than pleasure, so blessedness is
higher than happiness. The poor in spirit
are blessed, because their humility empties
their hearts of every rival, and makes the
Lord Jesus Christ truly precious to them.
It makes them content in that state in
which Qod has placed fhem. It adorns
their character. The promise of grace is
made to them. (Isa. Ivii. 15; Zeph. iii. 12;
Prov. iii. 34; James iv. 6.) Theirs is the
kingdom of heaven ; they have now all the
blessings and privileges of the kingdom on
earth, and hereafter shall enjoy the dig-
nity and happiness of the kingdom of
glory, as " kings and priests unto God."
4. fBlessed are they that mourn : for thej' shall be
comforted.
fisa. Ixi. 2, 3 ; Luke vi. 21 ; John xvi. 20 ; 2 Cor. i. 7 ,
Kev. xxi. 4.
This promise is only given to such
mourning as springs from poverty of spirit,
for what our Lord here preached presup-
poses the work of the law and the disci-
pline of preparatory grace upon the soul.
Happy are they who "sorrow for sin after
a godly sort," for they are comforted with
a sense of free and full forgiveness through
faith in Christ — who mourn at the con-
sciousness of the remains of sin in their
hearts, for their weeping moments are
their most welcome, and never are they
more at home than when looking on Him
whom they have pierced, and mourning
for Him — who mourn over the moral state
of the world (Ezek. ix. 4; Ps. cxix. 158),
and "weep with them who weep" (Rom.
xii. 15), for they are comforted by the as-
surance that a period is hastening onward
wdien God shall be universally glorified,
and the reasons of all prevailing disorder
and sorrow cleared up — who mourn that
they can do so little good, for they are
comforted by the precious promise, " They
that sow in tears shall reap in joy" — who
mourn over their afflictions, for they are
made to know that they have the sympa-
thy of Jesus, that God is thus training
them up to higher holiness, and that soon
their mourning will be ended. (Rev. vii.
13-17. See Isa. Ixi. 1-3, xxx. 18; John xvi.
7, xiv. 16-26.) The profitableness of
preaching is not to be measured by the
degrees of comfort which it affords us.
Sometimes conviction may be more neces-
sary for us than comfort.
5. fBlessed arr the meek : for hthey shall inherit the
earth.— sPs. xxxvii. 11. t^ee Rom. iv. 13.
It is easy to see the connection between
this beatitude and those which precede it.
If those who are poor in spirit, and mourn-
ers, are found humbled and broken with
the beginning of such a disposition, so
shall they, when comforted by their recep-
tion of consolation, advance yet further in
this meekness of soul. Meekness in rela-
tion to God is a prompt submission of our-
selves to His wisdom and will, and that,
not only to believe what He teaches, and
undertake what He enjoins, but also with
patience and cheerfulness to suffer what
He is pleased to inflict. In relation to
men, it consists in general in a quiet, peace-
able, courteous and friendly disposition
and deportment towards all those with
whom we have anything to do, and that,
whether they be our superiors, inferiors or
equals, whether they be our friends or en-
emies, or indifferently affected toward us.
Meekness is opposed to anything like a
morose, silent and sulky temper, and to
CHAPTER V.
61
the spirit of revenge. Yet it is perfectly
compatible with a just defense of one's
rights when this really becomes necessary,
with the indignation purely manifested
against sin. They shall inherit the earth, i. e.,
those things which are, without question,
the greatest blessings upon earth, calmness
and composure of sinrit, tranquility, cheer-
fulness, peace and comfort of mind. The
meek are excluded from no rational plea-
sure, no legitimate delight; and as they
are more exempt from anxiety and pain
than other men, their sum total of happi-
ness is greater. If piety could even com-
mand for His disciples the whole that earth
can now give, would Christ on that account
have called them blessed/ Would He not
rather have warned them to beware of the
deceitfulness of riches, and the abundance
of honors thus likely to flow into their
bosom? The promise of inheriting the
earth, therefore, must, in its fullest sense,
have reference to the "new Heavens," and
that " neii) earth," of which Peter speaks
(2 Peter iii. 13), and for which the saints
of God are ever looking. (See Rom. viii.
19-22; Matt. xix. 28; Col. iii. 4; Heb. ix.
28; Rev. xxv. 1, 7; v. 9,10; xx. 1-5; xxi.)
6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness : flor they shall be tilled.
Is. Iv. 1, and Ixv. 13.
Verses 3, 4 and 5 have expressed, under
various forms, the sense of want ; this
verse intimates the object of that want.
For the manner in which the term right-
eousness is used in the Old Testament,
especially in the prophecies with regard to
the Messiah, see Dan. ix. 24; Is. xlvi. 12,
13; li. 5, 6; Ivi. 1. The phrase here de-
notes holiness, uprightness in the most
extensive sense, in heart and life, toward
God and man. Hunger and thirst are
expressive metaphors of ardent desire.
(See Amos viii. 11 ; Ps. xxxiv. 11 ; xlii. 1 ;
Isa. Iv. 1; Ixv. 13; Ixix. 10; John iv. 34; vi.
35 ; vii. 37.) As these are the keenest of
our appetites, the figures denote those
whose deepest cravings are after spiritual
blessings. (Gen. xlix. 18; Ps. cxix. 20.)
It is not happiness, in itself and first of all
that they long for, but righteousness. It is
ours to desire it, it is for God to give it.
Those are called blessed, not who possess
this righteousness, but who desire it. They
are blessed, because they are sure to obtain
what they so earnestly seek, and because
their intense desire for righteousness is
evidence that they are, or will be, in a
gracious state. (See Ps. cvii. 9; cxlvi. 7;
Ixv. 5; xxii. 27; Isa. xh. 17); but mainly
because they shall be filled, i. e., satisfied.
Christians in this world receive of Christ's
fullness, grace for grace. Even here they
see in themselves, day by day, that im-
provement which they thirst for, and
hereafter, awaking up after God's likeness,
they shall be Satisfied with it. (Ps. xvii.
15.) Their salvation shall be complete and
everlasting. Their present longing is the
dilating of the vessel that it may contain
the more.
7. Blessed ay-e the merciful: gfor they shall obtain
mercy.
s PS. xli. 1 ; chapter vi. 14 ; Mark xi. 25 ; 2 Tim. i. 16 ;
Heb. vi. 10 ; James ii. 13.
From this verse the discourse is ad-
dressed, not, as hitherto, to those who
desire, but to those who possess. There fol- *
low three virtues of possession : pity, pu-
rity and peace. The very first grace that
grows, like a beautiful spring flower, on
the ground of righteousness now received,
is the grace of mercy. We must not con-
found with this that j^rinciple of compas-
sion which God has planted in all men
toM^ards their fellow-beings, and which,
when it is cherished by an enlightened
conscience, is productive of great and good
effects to society, but which, after all, is a
mere instinctive feeling, is no proper object
of moral approbation, and is frequently
found in conjunction with principles and
habits most decidedly condemned by the
Divine law. The merciful sjiirit to which
the promise is annexed is an effect of the
grace of God, or of love written upon the
fleshly tables of the heart. (See Matt. v.
23 ; Eph. iv. 32.) It is more than a feeling ;
it is an operative principle, regarding, with
active beneficence, both the bodies and
the souls of men — their temporal and eter-
nal interests. It looks not at the merit of
the sufferer, but his misery. The merciful
are blessed in the very possession of this
disposition, for it is an approach to the
character of God (Mi. vii. 18), it constitutes
one of the great evidences so frequently
given in the Scriptures of Christian char-
acter, and it has special benedictions prom-
62
MATTHEW.
ised to it. (Ps. xxxvii. 26; Isa. Iviii. 6-11 ;
Matt. vi. 12, 14, 15, xviii. 21-35; Mark xi.
25, 26,. &c.) For they shall obtain mercy.
The display of a merciful disposition is
calculated to excite kind feelings on tlie
part of all who witness such displays.
Those whom the Saviour here describes
shall obtain mercy from God, in this world
and at the day of tinal retribution. (2 Tim.
i. 18; also, 2 Sara. xxii. 26; Prov. xix. 17;
Ps. xU. 1-3 ; Matt. vi. 14; Heb. vi. 10.) Let
it be carefully noted that our merciful dis-
position is not the ground on which Ave
obtain mercy. Our Lord's design is not to
explain the foundation on which the hope
of mercy is to rest, but to delineate the
character of His genuine disciples. The
mercy obtained is, according to Avhat has
been beautifully called the gracious re-
quital of the kingdom of God, the recom-
pense of grace to those who are faithful to
what they have received. Divine mercy
must, from its very nature, be free; to
speak of obtaining it, therefore, as some
do, by what they call deeds of charity, is
contradiction and absurdity.
8. iiBlessed are the pure in heart : for 'they shall see
God.
bPs. XV. 2, and xxiv. 4 ; Heb. xii. 14. '1 Cor. xiii. 12 ;
1 James iii. 2, 3.
As the mercy noticed in the preceding
verse is not that false kindness which goes
hand in hand with the most unbridled in-
dulgence of one's own flesh, therefore pu-
rity of heart is next spoken of as the test
of true mercy. Purity of heart consists in
that steady direction of the soul toward
the divine life which excludes every other
object from the homage of the heart. It
implies a life pure in the inmost tendencj'
and direction of the heart, because it is en-
tirely set upon what is eternally and abso-
lutely pure. The pure in heart are such as,
having been regenerated by the Holy
Ghost (John iii. 9), are influenced by the
fear and love of God in their habitual con-
duct. "Th-eir hearts are sanctified by
faith" (Acts xv. 9), and "sprinkled from
an evil conscience." (Heb. x. 22.) They
do not aim merely at outward correctness,
but at inward holiness. They are the sin-
cerely upright and pious, whose hearts
correspond to their outward profession of
love to God. For they shall see God. They
shall see God in life's trials, in life's pros-
perity, in all His providential dealings, in
all creation, specially in the sacred page,
and in ordinances. When the heart is
clean, the eye is clear. Congeniality of
character is requisite to the appreciation
of character. When purity makes us like
God, then can we realize and see His coun-
tenance. This vision of God commences
when the eye of the soul opens (Eph. i.
18); it is perfected when in eternity we
shall see Him face to face. (Ps. xxiv. 4;
Heb. xii. 14 ; 1 Cor. xiii. 12; 1 John iii. 2,
V. 3.) In the East it was reckoned the
highest privilege and happiness of a sub-
ject to be admitted into that splendid circle
which surrounded the person of their sov-
ereign. The Hindoos often sjjeak, too, of
devout persons having been favored with
a siyht of their guardian deity. Ward tells
a story, in which a sage is represented as
being refused the sight of Jugunnat'hu, as
he stood charged with many most immoral
and sanguinary deeds. These cii'cum-
stances will show the force and beauty of
the expression, "see God.''
9. Blessed are the peace-makers : for they shall be
called the children ot God.
The word translated peace-maJcers, de-
notes not only one who makes peace
between others, but who is also himself
of a peaceful and quiet temjier ; who studies
peace, follows after peace, and after all
those things which make for peace.
Christians are careful not to offend any ;
they do not take those occasions of quar-
reling which may be off"ered to them ; they
are easily reconciled in case any quarrel
has happened between them and others.
They endeavor (so far as they may without
incurring blame) to compose and reconcile
the differences of other men. They seek
to diffuse peace among the nations, and in
the church, by bringing Christianity to its
proper loving tone. (Gen. xiii. 7,8; Ex.
ii. 13, comp. Ps. Ixxii. 7; cxxii. 6; Isa. ii.
4, xl. 6-9 , Luke vi. 27 ; Acts vii. 26 ; James
iii. 16.) They do not, however, seek peace
by a compromise with sin, or the sacrifice
of truth and duty. The blessedness of the
peace-makers follows the blessedness of
the pure in heart, as if peace were the
blossom that grows upon the stem of
purity. No peace is real, except it be based
on principle. For they shall be called the
CHAPTER V.
63
children of God, i. e., they shall be the
objects of God's parental care, shall be like
Him in the possession of His peaceful,
lieavenly temper. (2 Cor. xiii. 11 ; see
Hos. i. 10.) This is the last description of
the high aim of discipleship, beyond which
there is no higher step to be taken, for
this makes disciples as their Lord. (Isa.
ix. 6; Luke ii. 14.) The promise will be
fully realized only with the perfected glory
of the children of God as joint heirs with
Christ. (Rom. viii. 17.)
10. kBlessed a7-e they which are persecuted for right-
eousness' sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
^2 (Jor. iv. !"•; 2 Tim. ii. 12 ; 1 Peter Ui. 14.
Though ye also suffer for righteousness'
sake, yet are ye and shall ye be blessed
notwithstanding. (1 Peter iii. 14.) Christ
did not conceal from His followers that
they would be persecuted. How miust the
history of the coming ages have stood be-
fore Him when He spoke these words! (1
Cor. iv. 9-13 ; 2 Cor. xi. 23-7 ; Heb. xi. 36-
38.) For rigJdeousness^ sake is equivalent to :
for the belief and j^rofession of Christian-
ity, and for the performance of Christian
duty. (Luke vi. 22.) "It is," as Augustine
says, "not the punishment, but the cause,
W'hich makes the martyr." (See 2 Chron.
xviii. 7; John iii. 20.) Blessed are they.
They drink of the same cup which their
INIaster drank. They are confessing Him
before men, and He will confess them be-
fore His Father and the angels. (1 Peter
iv. 13, 14; 2 Tim. ii. 12; Phil. 1. 29; Rev.
XX. 4, xi. 18.) For theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. The kingdom of heaven is tran-
scendently elevated above all the transi-
tory circumstances of this lower world.
(Rev. i. 6 ; 1 Peter xi. 9 ; Heb. xii. 28.) The
promise given in vez'se 3 is repeated here.
Thus does our Lord set the seal to His
discourse, making the first and eighth be-
atitudes like the corresponding clasps at
the two extremities of a chain, where
every bead i.5 a ble.ssing. The particular
form of the opposition which wicked and
worldly men make to the cause of Christ
will depend on circumstances, but in all
countries and in all ages it exists.
11. Blessed are ye when m-^n shall 'revile you, and
persecute you, and shall say all mannerof •"evil ag.iinst
you falsely, for my sake.— 'Luke vi. 22. mi Peter iv. 14.
This verse is a further explanation of
■verse 10, as is evident from the absence of
the promise here, that having been already
given there. The persecution is traced in
three stages : Revile you, or, abuse you to
your face, in opposition to backbiting. (See
Mark xv. 32.) Persecute you. The perse-
cution ill verse 10 signifies that of the
hand ; this, of the tongue, as calumny, &c.
All manner of evil, literally, every evil word:
i. e., every kind of charge or accusation.
Falsely, in wanton falsehood and slander,
whatever their wicked malice conceiveth.
All this must be done falsely and for Chrisfs
sake, in order to bring us within the terms
of the blessing. Slander is a part of the
martyr's jiortion. No man was ever yet
put to death as a good man. The word
falsely applies in sense to all the words
expressive of persecution and reproach.
For my sake. Christ here identifies Him-
self and His cause with that of righteous-
ness, binding up the cause of righteousness
in the world with the reception of Himself.
He is righteousness incarnate. (See Mark
i. 24, Matt. iii. 14; Rev. iii. 7.) Blessed
— amid all their sufferings they would be
supported by the peace of God and the
hope of glory.
12. "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : for great is
your reward in heaven : for "so persecuted they the
prophets which were before you.
"Luke vi. 23 ; Acts v. 41 , Rom. v. 3 ; James i. 2 ; 1
Peter iv. 13. <>Neh. ix. 26; Matt, xxiii. 34, 37; Acts vii.
52 ; 1 Thes. ii. 15.
The encouragement here given to rejoice,
and be exceeding glad, is a further amplifi-
cation of the substance of the promise in
verse 10. This phrase means "exult," as
if the Saviour would have the inward
transport of such as were faithful to Him,
to overpower and absorb the sense of all
the affronts and sufferings to which they
would be exposed. (Rom. v. 3 ; 2 Cor. iv.
17 , James i. 2; Heb. x. 34; 1 John v. 4, 5;
Rev. ii. 10.) For great, &c. Here is the
reason for this joy — the greatness of the
reward, corresponding to the severity of
the ordeal of persecution through which
they were to pass. The measure of enjoy-
ment in the heavenly state will be regu-
lated according to the degree of labor and
suffering in the service of Christ. Eternal
life is a reward, not because God owes us it
for our works' sake (for we can deserve
nothing from Him ; see Rom. vi. 23), but
because by it He graciously recompenses
to us all our labor and pain, even as the
64
MATTHEW,
inheritance of a father and all his goods
are given to his son, and are an ample
recompense for his obedience ; yet does he
not inherit them on account of his deserts,
but because his father, as a father, vouch-
safes to make him his heir. "It is incon-
ceivable," says Tlioluck, "that man can
render by his virtues any service to God,
any more than in taking a draught of the
fountain the tliirsty traveler renders that
fountain a service." (See Rom. iv. 4 ; Luke
xvii. 10.) In heaven. The allusion is to
the future, but it is not implied that the
reward exists only in the future, rather,
that "the glory" (John xvii. 22), present
and insured now, shall then be openly
made manifest. (Col. iii. 3, 4.) How
"great" that reward will be, who can tell?
(1 Cor. vi. 2, 3 ; 1 Thes. iv. 14; Rev. iii. 21 ;
vii. 9-17.) For so persecuted, &c. There is
here graciously given to our weak faith
another ground of joy in persecution. If
our sufferings for Christ's sake are great —
like those of the prophets — those distin-
guished servants of God, like their's, our
reward in heaven is also great. How
animating the consciousness of fighting in
fellowslxip with so great a comi^any of the
children of light! (See Gen. xxxvii. 8,
18-28; xlix. 26; 1 Kings xviii. 4, xxii. 8-
27; 2 Chron. xxii. 20; Neh. ix. 26; Luke
xiii. 34 ; Acts vii. 51 ; 1 Thes. ii. 14 ; Ileb.
xii. 36-8.)
13. KYe are the salt of the earth : pbut if the salt have
last its savor, when-witli sliall it lie suited? it is tlience-
forth good I'or notliini;, Imt t(i lie ca.st uiu, and to be trod-
den under foot of men.— pMal. ix. 50 ; Luke xiv. 34, 3-5.
The gifts of grace which have been re-
ceived should exhibit and api^rove them-
selves. The strength which God has
vouchsafed to the disciples for a high pur-
pose must be by them sacredly preserved.
Ye — who have been described in verses 3-
10, and who have been addressed in verses
11, 12. The children of God, through
Christ, because they bear God's truth liv-
ingly within them, are the salt of the
earth — it is thus made their salt, just as in
verse 16 it is also said — your light. Salt
of the earth. Mankind, under the unre-
strained workings of their own evil na-
ture, are entirely corrupt. (Gen. vi. 11,
12, viii. 21 ; Ps. xiv. 2, 3 ; Isa. i. 5, 6; Eph.
ii. 1-3; Job xiv. 4, xv. 15, 16; John iii. 6;
Rom. viii. 8 ; Titus iii. 2, 3.j In the time
of Christ the whole world, with scarcely
an exception, was a mass of moral rotten-
ness— in a state of which animal matter
tending to, undergoing the process of dis-
solution, is a striking figure. It will be
noted that Christ calls those, whom He ad-
dresses, the salt of the earth, solely with
reference to their destination with regard
to other men. The distinctive peculiari-
ties of salt are, that it seasons, purifies, ar-
rests decay and preserves from it. (Job
vi. 6; 2 Kings 11, 20.) The use of the
term, in these senses, occurs in many of the
proverbs and symbols of the ancients.
The course of the human race, apart from
Christianity, is always downward: all its
civilization ends in barbarism. Christians
are here characterized as a power of life.
To serve the purpose of their being they
must mingle themselves with society.
They have a divine virtue, not for selfish
monopoly, but for continuous diflusion.
Knowing the truth, they are bound to
make it known to others — salting and sea-
soning everything around them by instruc-
tion and example. Their obligation to do
■ good corresponds with the closeness of
the relation in which they stand to the in-
dividuals who are the pro2:)er objects of
their Christian benevolence. The gospel
must be disseminated by them through the
world. Our Lord here intimates that the
benignant influence of His religion was to
i:>ervade the whole earth. Only for the
sake of the children of God who prevent
its judgment and cooperate unto salvation,
is the earth preserved, though corrupt and
full of unclcanness. But if the salt. After
referring to Mark ix. 50, in which our
Lord uses the expression, " have salt in
yourselves." Stier remarks : " In this view,
whether salt ever does lose its saline
property — about which there is a diflference
of opinion — is a question of no moment
here. The question is not, can or do the
saints ever totally lose that grace which
makes them a blessing to their fellow-
men? but what is to be the issue of that
Christianity which is found wanting in
those elements which can alone stay the
corruption and season the tastelessness of
an all-pervading carnality ?" It is thence-
forth, &c. It is certain that a Christianity
that ceases to diflTuse itself is a Christianity
CHAPTER V.
that ceases to be real. The heart of
grace, Uke the heart of nature, ceases to
beat when it ceases to circulate the tide
that is committed to it. The Christian
who disgraces his religion by his conduct
is useless. "Tnere is nothing more trod-
den on than one who wishes to be esteem-
ed divine, and is not."
14. lYe arc the light of tho world. A city that Is set
on iiu Uill camiot be Ui<i.— qProv. iv. 8; Phil. ii. 15.
The two figures by which, in this and
the preceding verse, the function of Chris-
tians is represented, are not essentially
different. As a spiritual salt they are to
season humanity and preserve it from
moral corruption, and as a spiritual light
they are to be to humanity what the phy-
sical sun is to the v/orld. Salt oj^erates
internally in the mass w'ith which it comes
in contact ; the sunlight operates externally,
irradiating all that it reaches. It fertilizes,
guides, cheers. Ye. (See on v. 13.) How
dark this world would be without a Christ,
a Gospel, a Holy Spirit, and a Church!
Light, as the medium through which ob-
jects are discerned by the eye, figuratively
denotes the truth in God's revealed Word.
Christians are not, like the sun, self-lumi-
nous, but like the moon and planets, though
in themselves opaque bodies, receive their
rays from a primal source. They are light-
bearers. (Mai. iv. 2 ; John v. 35, viii. 12, ix.
5, xii. 35; Eph. v. 8; 1 Thes. v. 5; Phil.
ii. 15.) If we have grace, it must be seen.
In virtue of the dignity of their distinction.
Christians dare not withdraw from the
world. They should not merely be as
lights; they should, in Christ, concentrate
their eflbrts, so as to be one great light, for
the enlightenment of the world. They
should attach themselves; to the assemblies
of the saints, for the purpose of unitedly
and openly exhibiting the light. (Heb. x.
23-25.) A city, &c. This apposite simile
might have. been suggested by some city
in sight. Some think it was Bethulia, vis-
ible from the "Mount of Beatitudes," on
an eminence. The cities of Judea,as well
as other countries, in ancient times, were
built mostly upon hills. The Church of
God is no secret institution, like the heath-
en mysteries. Being set on " the holy hill
of Zion," it should be as a central and ele-
vated city, with its spires sparkling in ris-
ing and setting suns, seen from afar, visible
to all the world. Christ's followers cannot
shun the observation of those around them
— they are looked at with the closest scru-
tiny by their fellow-men. Where light
really is, and continues to be, it must from
its very nature shine forth.
15. Neither do men 'light a candle, and put It under a
bushel, but on a candlestick ; and it giveth light untp
all that are in the house.
'Mark iv. 21 ; Luke viii. IG, and xl. 33.
Candle denotes any movable artificial
light, whether candle, lamp or lantern,
though the first is entitled to the prefer-
ence, from long familiarity. Bushel. This
was a Roman measure, called modlus. The
fact that this measure really came nearer
to our peoZ; than our bushel, can have no
effect upon the meaning of the passage,
which would be the same if the word u.sed
had been basket, box, or bed (as it is in Mark
iv. 21). A candlestick, or, more exactly, the
candlestick, i. e., the one found of course
in every house. There is a reasoning here
from the less to the greater. As in a house
a candle is not lighted for the purpose of
concealing it, but with the object of giving
light to those in the house, so the light of
the Apostles and disciples was kindled as
the light of Christ, not to be covered up,
but for the sake of men walking in dark-
ness. The Scripture, and particularly the
Gospel, is our candle. It is the Spirit of God
which has lighted and placed it on the
candlestick of the church, that the light
of it might be seen by all. The neglect of
this light will be a heavy charge against
many at the last day. To forbid or dis-
courage the reading of the Bible, or to
oppose its circulation, is a heinous sin.
" Man's worst bushel upon the light of
God," says one, " is the dealing out too
richly or too sparingly the bread and pay
for the ministry in the church."
16. Let your light so shine before men, 'that they may
see your good works, and 'glorify your father whicli is
in heaven.— '1 Peter ii. 12. «John xv. 8; 1 Cor. xiv. 25.
It is not said, we must wish ourf elves to
shine, but, as the translation well expresses
it, let, freely, without covering or hinde-
rance, our light, that which has by grace
been given to us, shine according to its
own nature and the will of Him who
kindled it. So shine, by making a profes-
sion of the truth, and exhibiting, in our
66
MATTHEW.
temper and behavior, its native effects in
making us holy and happy. As if our
Lord had said, It will of itself shine, if
you cover it not. Before men, as the ex-
planation of the expressions " earth " and
" world," even before the men who perse-
cute and revile you, for this must be your
only retaliation — love and truth for hatred
and lies. The man who professes to value
the light of the gospel must take care that
he is not selfish in the use of it. He must
strive to make others acquainted with the
truths which he finds good for himself.
That they may see your good works, &c., may
acknowledge God as your father, and may
be drawn to Him themselves in the spirit
and relation of children. Our Lord re-
fers to the life, because the good word
without the good work is of no avail.
External dei^ortment is the only means
by which men can judge of character. Iso-
lated works or deeds do not properly shine,
they are rather as flashes in the night,
which make the darkness appear the dark-
er ; but the entire and persistent doing of
all works of pure light and love is a bright
light upon the candlestick. We are not
to do anything to glorify ourselees, but
everything to get glory to God. It is God
who is glorified in His Saints. The holy
and useful lives of Christians reflect praise
on the religion Avhich they profess, and
thus cause honor to be paid to God. The
name Fcdher seeks to attract us, and the
words, "which is in heaven," direct our
thoughts to the difference between earthly
fathers and this Father. The religious
spirit of all nations has, by an unconscious
symbolism, regarded the ether, in its depth
and repose, in its boundlessness and un-
changeableness, as the dwelling place of
Deity. This is also the idea of the writers
of the Old Testament, although at the
same time they take care to give the strong-
est expression to the truth that God is
omnipresent, and is raised above space.
(1 Tim. viii. 27 ; 2 Chron. ii. 6 ; Ps. cxxxix.
7; Jer. xxiii. 2.3.)
17. t "Think not that I am come to destroy the law,
or the prophets : I am not come to destroy but to fulfil.
uRom. iii. 21, and x. 4 ; Gal. ill. 24.
It might appear to some of our Lord's
disciples as if He intended to set aside the
religion which had been taught by Moses
and the Prophets, and to introduce an en-
tirely new state of things. Against this
He here guards them. Think not, by no
means be deluded into imagining, lliat
I am come, not, I am born; our Lord there-
fore existed before He came. This is a
Messianic form of expression. (See chap,
xi. 3 ; Luke vii. 19.) To destroy, unloose,
dissolve, or abrogate. The laiv or tlie prophets,
the writings of the Old Testament, as di-
vided into the law of Moses, or the Penta-
teuch, and the proi^hetical books, and the
rest of the Old Testament. (Comp. Matt,
xii. 5 ; Luke ii. 23, xvi. 29, 31, xxiv. 27, 44.)
I am not come, &c. Christ did not come to
subvert the authority and principles of
the Old Testament, but to establish, unfold,
embody them in living form, and enshrine
them in the reverence, affection, and char-
acter of men. (Rom. iii. 31, x. 4, xv. 8;
Gal. iii. 17; Isa. xlii. 21.) Christ came to
fulfill the predictions of the prophets, who
had long foretold that a Saviour would one
day appear to fulfill the ceremonial law,
by becoming the great sacrifice for sin, to
which all the Mosaic offerings had ever
pointed, and to fulfil the moral law, by-
yielding to it a perfect obedience, which
we could never have yielded— by paying
the penalty for our breach of it with His
atoning blood, which we could never have
paid — by giving us its full sense and spir-
itual import, and by writing it on the heart,
and giving grace to obey it. Christianity,
therefore, is not the destruction, but the
completion of Mosaicism. Jesus destroys
nothing but sin, which indeed destroys
itself. The Old Testament is the Gospel
in the bud ; the New Testament is the Gos-
pel in full flower.
18. For verily, I say unto yon, »TilI heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the
law, till all be fulfilled.— »l,uke xvi. 17.
Verily is the same in the original as our
word Amen, and it was a solemn so let it be.
The word now for the first time occurs in
Chri.st's public teaching of the people. 1
say unto you. This formula, frequent and
peculiar to the Lord, but occurring here
for the first time in His recorded teaching,
is manifestly one of supreme legislative au-
thority, and as the subject in connection
with which it is uttered is the Moral Law,
no higher claim to an authority strictly Di-
vine could be advanced. (See Lev. xviii.
CHAPTER V.
or
1-5, xix. 37, xxvi. 1^, 13-16, &c.) Till
heaven and earth pass — an expression simi-
lar to our till the world shall end. The ex-
pression was llie same as saying it will never
take place. (See Luke xvi. 17.) It was a
received opinion among the Jews that the
earth would never be totally destroyed,
but would, at some time, be renovated, and
in this renewed form exist forever. The
jot was the yod, the smallest letter in the
Hebrew alphabet. The tittle was the term
for the point by which very similar He-
brew letters were distinguished from each
other. Thus our Lord means to express,
in addition to the eternal obligation, the
boundless extent of the moral law, and to
indicate that the most delicate and appar-
ently smallest determinations and distinc-
tions are to be preserved in the delicate
and finer outlines of spiritual life. Froin
the Law. The Law is only now mentioned,
but its connection with what has gone
before shows that it embraces also the
Prophets. (See Luke xvi. 16, 17.) Till all
befidfilled — till all things which the Law
requires or foretells shall be effected ; till
the whole design of the Law be accom-
plished, its promises fulfilled, its threaten-
ings jierformed, and its precepts honored
either by obedience or by punishment for
disobedience. (Ps. cxix. 89; Isa. xl. 8;
Luke xvi. 17, xxi. 33.) The immutability
of the Divine Word, in relation either to
happiness or misery, yields as much com-
fort to the righteous as it gives despair to
the wicked.
19. ^Wliosoevpr therorore shall break one of the'^e
least CDminandmonts, anrt sliall teach men so. he shall
jse callefl the least in the kuigdom of heaven : but who-
soever sliall rlo, anil teach thnn, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven.— ^ James ii. 10.
As the connection with verse 20 shows,
there is here a special allusion to the
Jewish teachers of the law. The Phari-
sees understood not that the law is a living
whole. (James ii. 10.) Shall break one of
these least commnndments, rather, "dissolve,"
"annul," or "make invalid," neglecting, or
transgressing, as if the offense was one of
small importance, and would be followed
with impunity. The scribes, who thought
themselves great, used to break them.
This does not refer to the coming short of
keepins God's law, of which all are guilty.
and which fills the pious soul with sorrow
and contrition, but to a wanton, willful
disregard of its claims. The Saviour did
not, in His own judgment, apply the word
least to any of the divine commands, but
here adopted the method of speaking
which was common among the scribes and
Pharisees, who made frivolous distinctions
between small and great commandments.
As all the law is enacted by divine
authority, no part of it can be of small
obligation, though some parts may respect
matters more important than others. And
shall teach men so — And — not or, because
teachers are the main subject. If to violate,
with purpose, a known law of God, is a
dangerous sin, how much deejjer the dan-
ger of leading others to sin, by a spurious,
enervating exposition of that law which
teaches it as something unimportant! He
shall be called least, &c. Views of truth
which verge in the least toward antino-
mianism are utterly inconsistent with the
true doctrine of Christ. The Saviour did
not say, such a person may be admitted
into heaven, and there considered as the
least in the world of glory, but that such
a person shall be accounted unsuitable to
be among the Messiah's subjects; he shall
be rejected from them. But ivJiosoever,
&c. — he whose practice and doctrine tend
to induce men to keep the commandments
of God, shall be called great in the king-
dom of heaven ; however low in human
esteem, the King will approve and exalt
him.
20. For I say unto you, that except your righteous-
ness shall exceed yt/ie riclitfoiisnrsn ol the scribes and
Pharisee.", ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven.— J Rom. ix. 31, and x. 3.
For I say unto you — By way of illustration
of the terrible danger of making void
God's law. Here something is proposed to
Christians to excite self-inquiry. What
was the righteousness which their's must
exceed, and how did it fall short? The
Pharisees were strict in observing the letter
of the law, rigorously kept the Sabbath,
fasted often, prayed constantly, so rever-
enced the Scriptures as to wear sentences
from them about their persons, are said
not to have pascod a day without reading
the decalogue, never ate with unwashed
hands, and brought to the sacred treasury
the titlies of the meanest herbs. (See
chap. XV. 1, 2, xxiii. 5, 23.) For this they
68
MATTHEW.
are not blamed. Rather let those take
warning who have not even this outward
righteousness. What, then, was wanting
to their righteousness? And how must it
be exceeded by that of those who are real-
ly the servants of God ? They lacked that
perfect righteousness which can only be
found in Christ, the Lord our righteous-
ness, by submitting to whom we are also
made holy in heart and life. They lacked
the conversion of the heart to God, the
right spirit. What they did was directed
by no love of God, no desire of pleasing
Him, no zeal for His service or glory, but
by a desire to procure among men the honor
of superior sanctity. In no case — Not by
any means. It is implied that if they
shall have the righteousness taught by
Moses, that is in the fulfilled form in
which it is taught by Christ, they will be
members of the kingdom.
21. If Ye have hearrl that it was said by them of old time,
'Thou Shalt not kill; and whosoever shall l<ill, shall be
in danger oi'the judgment:— "Ex. xx. 13; Deut. v. 17.
To illustrate His meaning, our Saviour
proceeds to expound the spiritual sense
and meaning of some commandments of
the moral law, and to vindicate them from
the corrupt and partial interpretations of
the scribes. He begins with the second
table of the law, containing duties to our
neighbor, because this part of our disposi-
tion lies most open to conviction. The
sixth commandment (Ex. xx. 13), which
He first takes, was the first broken openly
by Adam's race. Ye — The Apostles pri-
marily, the people inferentially, ye have
heard. It is not said, ye have heard that
it has been read in the Law, but ye have
heard — from the elders. That it ivas said,
an impersonal form of speech, to which
is elegantly opposed, / say. (Verse 22.)
By them of old time. This refers not to
Moses or the Old Testament prophets,
but to the founders and recipients of Rab-
binical traditions, which the scribes and
Pharisees were now inculcating. Mark
the contrast between " it was said by them
of old time," and " But I say unto you."
(Verse 22.) 1. In the one case it is the gen-
eral unspiritual mass that speaks, here it is
the highest personage — the Lord Himself.
2. In the former case, it has been said to
past generations ; in this, the Lord speaks
to those around Him. 3. The former is a
tradition from the grave ; the latter, a
word of life to the living. Thou shall not
kill. All that the Pharisees understood
by this was a prohibition of the overt act
of violence and murder, a gloss which de-
stroyed the spiritual and moral character
of the law. They coujjled the law of Sinai
with a more criminal statute concerning
the execution of a murderer (Lev. xxiv.
17 ; Ex. xxi. 12), and made the two par-
allel. Whosoever, &c. This was an addi-
tion, or explanation, made in subsequent
times, and it proceeded on the principle,
that the law recognized only actual mur-
der. In danger of, liable to, exposed to,
the judgment — the sentence of those inferior
courts of judicature which were estab-
lished in all the principal towns, in com-
pliance with Deut. xv. 16. Thus the scribes
and Pharisees fixed the mind on the tem-
poral punishment awarded by the law for
the crime of murder, as that which should
chiefly or solely operate on the mind as a
motive.
22. But I say unto you. That i^whosoever is an^y with
his brotlier witliout a cause, sliall bo in dan'^cr oCtha
jndfTmont: and whosoever shall say ir, liis brother,
bRaca, sliall bo in danger o c' tlie council : but Vi'hosoever
shall say. Thou ibol, sliall bo in danger of hell fire.
"1 John iii. 15. tjames ii. 20.
I say unto you. (See on verse 18. Matt,
vii. 29.) Christ, as the law's authorized ex-
pounder, proceeds to give quite a difierent
interj^retation of the spirit and sanctions
of the sixth commandment. He shows
that the jirecept extends properly to the
thoughts, and feelings, and language, as
well as to outward acts. Angry. Anger,
indulged and carried out, leads to murder,
as in the case of Cain, and of Joseph's
brethren. Brother, means fellow-man, de-
scended from a common ancestor, and
hence, in a general sense, our brother.
(Mai. ii. 10; 1 Cor. viii. 6.) Without a cause,
needlessly, inconsiderately, blindly. Anger
is not necessarily sinful. (Eph. iv. 26;
James i. 19.) For just cause, and in its due
measure, it is just, but we are to be ex-
tremely careful not to be angry without a
cau^e, nor let our anger be lasting (Eph. iv.
26), or turn into a feeling of revenge or
hatred. A righteous anger, springing from
holy and jealous love, is predicated of God,
and is also ascribed to the Saviour. (Mark
iii. 5.) In danger, liable, or justly subject to.
This expression, occurring three times in
CHAPTER Y.
69
the verse, implies not that he is necessarily
lost in these judgments, but that he stands
in need of Divine grace. The judgment.
(See on verse 21.) That this was used here
as symbolical of the tribunal of Divine
justice seems evident from the fact that
it was not the part of the municipal
tribunal to punish angry thoughts, nor,
in the nature of the case, could they have
done so, inasmuch as no judicial cog-
nizance could be taken of them, when
confined to the bosom of him who indulged
them.
Whosoever shall say to his brother (that is,
without cause,) Raca. Raca is a Syriac
word, expressive of great contempt. It
comes from a verb signifying to be empty,
vain, and hence denotes senseless, stupid,
shallow-brains. Our Lord does not refer to
the mere pronunciation of the word, but
to its utterance as the outward symbol of
an inner malignant piu-pose to destroy a
man's just reputation for intellect. To use
scornful language toward others is an
offense before God. The council, that is,
the Sanhedrim, which was the highest
tribunal among the Jews, and consisted
of seventy-two persons, the acting high
priest being generally the president. The
idea of the Saviour is, that whosoever shall
commit the second offense here mentioned
contracts greater guilt, and exposes him-
self to such an increase of punishment as
that it may be likened to the punishment
decreed by the Sanhedrim, when compared
with the punishment decreed by the judg-
ment. (Verse 21.)
Shall say (without a cause), Thou fool — a
term of the greatest abhorrence — "thou
impious wretch" — folly and impiety being
equivalent with the Hebrews. (Ps. xiv. 1.)
It stands here as the symbol for a malignant
purpose in the heart to destroy the just
moral reputation of a man. Every age and
every country has its modes of expressing
such things as are meant by " Raca" and
" Fool." In danger of. (See on former part
of the verse.) It will be observed that
there is in this verse a gradation of pun-
ishment corresponding with the three of-
fenses enumerated. The different degrees
of punishment referred to express not
merely what sin was in itself as a breach
of the Divine Law (for in that sense all sin
exposes to hell-fire), but how many degrees
of evil there were, short of actual murder,
which would endanger a man's salvation.
Hell-fire, lit-erally, the gehenna of fire.
This was the valley of Hinnom, at the
southern declivity of Jerusalem, where a
fire was constantly kept burning and dead
bodies were burned. (See 1 Kings xi. 7; 2
Kings xvi. 3, xxiii. 13, 14; 2Chron. xxviii.
3, xxxiii. 6; Jer. vii. 31, 32.) That the
literal valley of Hinnom is not here re-
ferred to is evident from the well-known
fact that for none of the offenses here
mentioned by our Lord did the Jewish
courts inflict any punishment. Besides,
the word gehenna is used in the New Tes-
tament twelve times, always by our Lord,
except once by James (iii. 6), and always
as meaning the place of eternal torment,
except here, where it refers distinctly to
the valley of Hinnom, as representing the
abode of lost spirits. (See on iii. 12.) This
is the view generally taken of this word,
in this verse, but many persons interpret
it differently. A modern commentator, in
New England, says: "According to Dr.
Bartlett, 'gehenna' did not have in the
time of Christ two meanings, a primary and
usual meaning as the name of a valley
south of Jerusalem, and an unusual and
secondary, or figurative meaning, denoting
the place of punishment. It had but one
meaning, punishment in the future world, hell.
The Jews used it repeatedly in that sense.
Even Dr. Alger (Unitarian), in his 'Doc-
trine of a Future Life,' says that ' this is a
fiict aboTit which there can be no ques-
tion.' Dr. BartletVs view is supported by
Prof. E. P. Barrows, formerly of the Theo-
logical Seminary, Andover, who writes
to the former, that it appears to him cer-
tain that in our Lord's day the word
gehenna 'had come in well-established
theological usage — probably long before
the beginning of the Christian era — to
signify hell, that is, the place of torment for
the xvicked; and that this was the only
sense of the word.' "
2?, Therefore, 'if thou brinsr thy gift to the altar, and
there remembere«!t that thv brother hath auKht against
thee- 'if. '<Leave there thv gift be'bre tlie altar, andgo
thy way : first be reconciled to thy brother, and then
come and offer thy eiit.
cChap. viii. 4, and xxiii. 19. -iSee Job xlii. 8; chap,
xvili. 19 ; 1 Titua ii. 8 ; 1 Peter iii. 7.
Therefore— 2JS, an inference from the fore-
70
MATTHEW.
going declaration of our Saviour. If thou
bring, &c. The reference is to the bringing
by the Israelite of his sacrifice to the court
of the Israelites, and awaiting the instant
when the priest would approach to receive
it at his hands. Our bringing our gift is
the presentation of any worship or service
to God. And there rcmemberest — whatever
you are doing, even if you have already
undertaken the most holy and most neces-
sary matter, leave everything till you have
been reconciled to your brother. (Eijir.
iv. 26.)
At the altar of God, in the very mo-
ment when man seeks forgiveness, the
recollection of offenses rises more naturally
than in the noise of human affairs. That
thy brother, thy fellow-man, hath aught
against thee, has just cause to find fault with
thee ; the expression is remarkable, as not
referring to what complaints we have
against others, but what complaints we
have given ground for them to make
against us. Leave there, &c. Not upon the
altar. Proceed not so far as to lay thy
sacrifice before God ; wait not to perform
the duty of reconciliation after the sacri-
fice is finished. Go thy way, that is, to the
person wronged ; thus will the Lord dis-
pense, as it were, with His own service
and honor, until we have rendered to our
brother what love demands as his due.
First be reconciled, &c. — prevail on him, by
suitable acknowledgments, and whatever
else is necessary, to be reconciled to thee ;
regain his favor. Then come and offer, &c.
The only ground of hope for the accei^tance
of our persons or services is the free grace
of God ; but it is a plain proof that that
grace is not believed by me, and therefore
cannot be the ground of my hojie, if it is
not influencing my temper toward my
brethren of mankind. Our Lord here ex-
pressly guards against the Pharisaism of
practical virtue, which sets the duty we
owe to our neighbor above the require-
ments of God's worship, and supposes that
this may be dispensed with if that miscon-
ceived charity to man be not forgotten.
Where the two duties conflict, or rather
present themselves for performance, the
lesser is to yield to the greater.
25. 'Asrree with thine adversary quickly, fwhiles thou
art in the way with liim, lest at iyiy time the adversary
deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to
the officer, and thou be cast Into prison. 26. Verily I
say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence,
till thou liasl paid the uttermost lanhing.
•Prov. XXV. a ; Luke xii. 58, 59. 'Kee Ps. xxxii. 6 ; Isa.
Iv. 6.
The sentiment of these verses is closely
allied to the preceding context. They con-
tain a counsel of prudence with regard to
the management of differences, and ad-
vice to avoid as much as possible going
into law courts to have them decided, re-
ference being made to the Roman custom,
by which an aggrieved person could com-
pel the party to go with him to the praetor,
unless he agreed by the way to adjust the
matter. But under this counsel a more
important instruction is couched. Inju-
ries done to men, as well as our other sins,
expose us to the wrath of God, our Adver-
sary at law. We are going to the judg-
ment. Our time is short. A way of re--
conciliation is revealed, and we should
enter it immediately. If this be neglected,
the cause will be tried, the sinner con-
demned, delivered to the executioner, and
cast into hell. (See Ps. ii. 12 ; Isa. Iv. 6, 7;
Mdtt. xviii. 34, xxv. 31 ; Heb. iii. 7-13.)
The representation of hell as a prison ex-
presses a condition in which all the ener-
gies are bound and fettered. A fartlting
was a small Roman coin, made of brass or
lead, and equal in value to about two-
fifths of a cent. The attempt to sustain
the doctrine of purgatory, or that of uni-
versal restoration, from verse 2G, is vain.
The unending duration of future punish-
ment, elsewhere so clearly and awfully
expressed by our Lord, as in verses 29 and
30, and Mark ix. 43, 48, is the only doc-
trine with which His language here quite
naturally and fully accords. (See Luke
xii. 58, 59.) Though the extiression, till
thou hast paid, &c., may imply the possi-
bility of paying, at the same time it sug-
gests the debtor's hopeless capacity to
make the payment. Seeing that the sinner
can never satisfy justice, nor pay his debt
(as new crimes enhance the score), he
must not expect ever to be liberated. But
from these words in part the Church of
Rome forces the doctrine of purgatory, and
a certain class of Universalists, the doc-
trine of restoration ! The impossibility
of paying the debt is the meaning which
Matt. xxv. 46 and many other passages
require.
CHAPTEE V.
.71
27. H Ye have heard that It was said by them of old
time, EThou shalt not commit adultery : 28. But I say
unto you, Tliat whosoever I'looketh on a woman to lust
alter her, hath committed adultery with her already in
his heart.
eEx. XX. 14: IJeut. v. l.S. ''Job xxxi. 1; Prov. vi. 25;
Bee Gen. xxxiv. 2 : 2 Sam. xi. 2.
Our Lord now proceeds to the elucida-
tion of the seventh commandment. (Ex.
XX. 14.) Ye have heard, &.C., i. e., you have
been taught the divine law in its merely
hteral acceptation, as if he only was guilty
of adultery who committed the act of car-
nal uncleanness. But I say unto you. (See
on verse 22.) Whosoever, any one, even if
himself not any woman's husband. Looketh,
casteth a glance, not necessarily an inten-
sified glance, or a prolonged look. (See
Gen. xxxiv. 2, xxxix. 7 ; 2 Sam. xi. 2 ; Job
xxxi. 1 ; 2 Peter ii. 14.) Not every glance
of admiration cast upon the beauty of one
of the opi^osite sex is here condemned.
Such affection is planted in our nature for
pure and beneficial purposes. But when
from a sentiment it becomes a sensation,
the danger commences. On a ?t'o?«an,-even
if not the wife of another, just as con-
versely Job (xxxi. 1) speaks of a maid
when the married woman is also signified.
It must also necessarily be understood ;
whatsoever woman thus looketh ujion a
man, &c. To lust after her. The particle
to determines the character of the look :
it is a look with evil desire, appetite, and
impure passion, such a desire as gains the
full consent of the will, and would certainly
terminate in action, did not impediments
from other causes arise, thus making the
essence of the vice to be in the intention.
Impure thoughts are the immediate and
only source of an impure life. Our Lord
here, like a wise physician, goes at once to
the bottom of the evil, and checks the first
movements of our criminal desires. Hath
committed adidtery with her already in his
heart — the heart as the centre of life, and
the seat of feeling and desire. It is here
implied, if not expressly taught, that adul-
tery in the heart is almost, if not quite, as
offensive to God as the gro.ssest acts of un-
cleanness. The spirit of the law which
Christ thus interprets is sternly opposed
to all loose and licentious conversation, all
provocations to sensuality, through what-
ever sense addressed to the mind.
29. 'And if thy right eye offend thee, kplnck it out.
and cast it from thee: for it is profitable lor thee that
one of thy members should perish, and not that thy
whole body should be cast Into hell. 30. And If thy
right hand oHend thee, cut it otl', and cast it Irom thee:
lor it is protitable lor the* that i. ne of thy members
should perisli and not that thj' whole body should be
cast iiiio hell.
■Chap, xviii. 8, 9; Mark ii. 43-47. kyee chap. xix. 12;
Rom. viii. 13 ; 1 Cor. ix. 27 ; Col. lii. 5.
The Saviour demands even the utmost
degree of self-denial. Two of the dearest
and most precious members are S})ecified —
the eye, the light, the lamp of the body ;
the hand, the strength, the support, the
defense of the body, its most indispensable
instrument. The former is mentioned as
the symbol of delight in looking (sense of
beauty), the latter as the symbol of inter-
course (social feeling, converse, friendship).
The word rigid, in both cases, designates
superiority. Eye and luind are significative
of the corresponding lusts. The Hebrews
were accustomed to compare lusts and evil
passions with members of the body. (See
XX. 15.) Offend, thee, do cause thee to offend.
(See xviii. 8, 9; Mark ix. 43-8.) Pluck it
Old — cut it off. Our Lord does not mean
that we are to mutilate our bodies, which
are temples of the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. vi.
19, iii. 16), but that the members of the
internal organism of sin, which correspond
to the external members of the body (and
which might continue all the more vehe-
mently to look, and to lust, and to strive,
if those external members were actually
destroyed,) should be mortified as effectu-
ally on such occasions, as if those external
members were destroyed. (See Rom. vi.
13, viii. 13; Gal. v. 24;"Col.iii. 5.) Foritis
profitable for thee — for thy salvation. Not
only is it not hurtful, but also it will be
glorious. That one of thy members, &c. The
adventurous figure is boldly carried out.
Better go to heaven maimed, than to hell
whole. Hell, literally, gehenna, the place
of punishment in the invisible world.
(See on ver. 22 and chap. x. 28.) A single
lust persisted in will issue in eternal ruin.
It is necessary even for those whom the
Lord may know to be the heirs of salva-
tion, in certain situations to be threatened
with damnation, as the means of preserv-
ing them from it.
31. It hath been said, iWhosoever shall put away his
wife, let him give her a writing nf divorcement : 32 But
I say unto you. That mwjiosoever sliall put away his
wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her
to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her
that is divorced, committeth adultery.
iPeut. .xxiv. 1 ; James iii. 1; see chap. xix,3. &c. : Mai.
X. 2, Ac. "lOhap. xix. 9 ; Luke xvi. 18 ; Rom. vli. 3 : 1
Oor. vii. 10, 11.
72
MATTHEW.
Under the head of adultery there occur-
red another case, namely, that of divorce,
of which our Lord proceeds to speak. The
allusion is to Deut. xxiv. 1 — a permissmi
which, as we are told by the Saviour (Matt,
xix. 8), Moses gave the people "because
of the hardness of their hearts." This
permission had come to be monstrously
abused in our Saviour's time, so that, on
any petty pretext, a man thought himself
at liberty to put away his wife, and thus
the great intentions of marriage were in a
good degree frustrated. That this was a
gross and sad perversion of the enactment
is evident from the witness borne against
divorce by Malachi, iv. 4. But I say, &c.
In this case our Saviour may seem to de-
part from the law of Moses rather thaa to
expound it, and true it is that He took for
His standard, in this instance, the original
law of creation, to wluch it was His design,
under the gospel dispensation, to bring His
followers. This law, however, as well as
the other, was given by Moses, and the
difference between them He elsewhere
accounts for. (Matt. xix. 8.) In what
He now taught, therefore. He was not
against the mind of Moses or of God,
neither of whom approved of divorce, ex-
cept in case of fornication, but barely
permitted it to prevent a greater evil. Put
away his mfe. Our Lord does not refer to
the case of adultery committed by the man,
there being no occasion for it, since a
woman, according to the law of Moses,
could not divorce her husband. But the
spirit of Christian ethics fully justifies and
requires the application of the statement
to the other case. Fornication, whoredom.
Some think the word implies fornication
before marriage, or adultery after it. For-
nication is here designedly mentioned,
instead of adultery, just as in verse 28 ;
adultery, on the other hand, includes
fornication. According to this law adul-
tery is generally believed to be the only
sufficient reason of divorce, and those who
give divorces, or grant them for any other
cause, come inider this sentence of our
Lord. Some, however, maintain that Paul
(1 Cor. vii. 15), added another reason —
wilful and persistent desertion. Saving for
the cause, &c. He who for any other cause
than adultery puts away his wife, is to be
held an adulterer if he marry another
woman, and she, by marrying him, com-
mits adultery, while, at the same time, he
becomes the guilty occasion of adultery,
if the woman, who is still his wife, marry
another man, for in this case she commits
adultery, as he also does who marries her.
Whether the innocent party, after a just
divorce, may lawfully marry again, is not
treated of here. The Church of Rome
says, no ; but the Greek and Protestant
churches allow it. The easy and frequent
grant of divorces in any community is a
sad evil, and tends to the subversion of
the family organization, on which the
purity and peace of the social system so
largely depend.
33. % Again, ye have heard that "It hath been said by
them of old time, "thou shalt not loKweur thyseli', but
I'shalt periorm unto the Lord thine oaths :
nCliron. xxiii. 10. <>Ex. xx. 7; Lev. xix. 12; Num. xxx.
2 ; Deut. V. 11. pDeut. xxiii. 23.
Another false interpretation of the law
is here corrected. Reference is had to Lev.
xix. 12 ; Deut. xxiii. 23. Forsicear thyself,
perjure thyself, take a false oath, swear
falsely. (See Ex. xx. 7; Lev. xix. 12; Ps.
XV. 4.) But shalt perform unto the Lord thine
oaths, the things respecting which thou
hast sworn, perform religiously, as to the
Lord, regarding it as a duty to be fulfilled
to Him. Not to perform the promises
sworn to, then, is perjury (Deut. xxiii. 21 ;
Eccl. V. 4 ; Nahum 1. 15), and so the scribes
and Pharisees taught.
34. But I say unto you. iSwear not at all : neither by
heaven ; /or it is 'God's throne :
qChron. xxiii. IG, 18, 22; James v. 12. 'Isa. Ixvi. 1.
ThoUgh the scribes held in words that
l^erjury was sinful, they did much to lessen
the solemnity of an oath, and to smooth
the way for this worst form of falsehood.
Hence, though the oath was regarded with
great solemnity in ancient times by the
Jews, the practice prevailed among the
people in a later day, of confirming even
the most trivial statements, by an oath,
considered more or less binding, according
to the dignity or value of the person or
thing named in the oath. They thought
that if they did but swear tndy, as to mat-
ters of fact, or perform their oaths in case
of promise, all was right, having no idea
of sinning by swearing lightly, and forget-
tingthatthousandsof things are true which
yet it would be profaning the name of God
CHAPTER V.
73
to swear to. Swear not at all — use no oaths,
no approximation to oaths, in your ordi-
nary conversation — not merely do not
swear by God, but do not swear at all, for
all oaths, if they have any meaning, are in
reality addressed to (iod ; all these kinds
of oaths whieh I specify are forbidden you.
Neither by heaven — one of the oaths which
the Jews were in the liabit of swearing,
and which they regarded as a trifling one,
which they could violate witliout guilt, as
not expressly mentioning the name of
God. For it is God's throne. There is no-
thing by which one can swear that is not
virtually the same as God's name, since all
things belong to Him. Heaven is said to
be God's throne, because there He esi^oci-
ally dwells and manifests himself as sove-
reign of the Universe. The use of such
expressions as, " upon my soul," " upon my
hfe," and the names of God, Lord, or
Christ, as expletives, notes of admiration,
with bad or good wishes, or jDrayers, as,
" God bless us," "the Lord knows," "Lord
have mercy on us," are not to be used in
conversation, especially when there is no
seriousness in the mind, and when they are
words witliout meaning, but not Avithout
profaneness. None of the oaths which
our Lord adduces here and in the follow-
ing verses are judicial oaths, hence judi-
cial oaths are not forbidden. That oaths
were a part of the Divine law is manifest
from Deut. vi. 13. As evidence of the
sanction which they have, see Gen. xxi.
23, 24; xxxi. 34; xlvii. 31 ; 1 Sam. xx. 17 ;
Ezek. x. 5; Ps. Ixiii. 11, ex. 4; Lsa. xlv. 23,
Ixv. 16; Jer. iv. 2; Matt. xxvi. 64; Rom.
i. 9, ix. 1 ; Gal. i. 20 ; 2 Cor. i. 23 ; Phil. i. 8 ;
Heb. vi. 13, vii, 21 ; Rev. x. 6. The indif-
ference, if not levity, with which oaths are
administered in many of our courts of jus-
tice, and on other public occasions, tends
to weaken their obligation, and is matter
of lamentation.
.T). Nor by thp earth : for it Is his footstool : npither
hv Jpnisalem: 'or it is sthe city of the Ereat king: 30.
NB'tliPr Shalt tlioii swear by tliy liPart. becausp thou
canst not makp one hair white or blaolc. 37. 'But let
your communication he. Yea. yea; Nay, nay; for
whatsoever is more than these cometh oreVil.
»Ps. xlviii. 2, and Ixxxvii. 3. «Ool. iv. 6 ; James v. 12.
Nor by the earth, for he who thus swears,
swears by God, as such an oath is a recog-
nition of God Himself, to whose dignity
the earth is, in accordance with human
language and customs, represented as an
appendage. (lsa. Ixvi. 1.) Neither by Jeru-
salem, for if the oath have meaning, it is an
oath by the God who has chosen Jerusalem
as the .seat of His worship. (Ps. xlviii. 2,
Ixxxvii. 3.) With what solenui awe the
Son of God speaks of His Father! By thy
head. Among both Greeks and Romans
the hand was placed on the head during
swearing, implying imprecation in case of
perjury. Because thou canst not, &c. In
swearing by the head and the like, we
swear by that which is beyond our control,
and therefore profanely assumed to have
a stability which it has not. Not a single
hair, not even the color of a single hair, is
in man's power. If such an oath be not
absolutely unmeaning, it refers to Him
who has the entire ownership in men.
Thomson say a: "This peojjle are fearfully
profane. Everybody curses and swears
w'hen in a passion. No people that I have
ever known can compare with these Ori-
entals for profanene.ss in the use of the
names and attributes of God. The evil
habit seems inveterate and universal. . . .
The people now use the very same sort of
oaths that are mentioned and condemned
by our Lord. They swear by the head, by
their life, by heaven, and by the temple,
or, what is in its place, the church. The
forms of cursing and swearing, however,
are almost infinite, and fall on the pained
ear all day long." Swearing among the
Jews in the time of our Lord was also very
common.
The term commnnication, which means
conversation, discourse with one another,
limits the prohibition to social intercourse,
.so that, to extend it to judicial or public
doings, is unwarranted. Be Yea, yea ; Nay,
nay. (See James v. 12.) Let your aflJirma-
tive communication be yea ; your negative,
nay. Let your affirmation and negation be
in accordance with fact. Let there be no
mental reservation. When you have af-
firmed or denied a thing, abide by what
j'ou have said, and seek not to add to its
claim for belief by an oath. For nhatsoerer
is more than these cometh of exnl. The mean-
ing is, that evil attaches to the kind of
asseverations just noticed, because they in-
dicate a want of reverence, a pledging of
things which belong to God, and a kind of
74
MATTHEW,
imprecation. All unnecessary oaths are
wrong, as proceeding from, and tending to
strengthen, a jirinciple of irreverence, a
want of a due fear for that great and terri-
ble name, the Lord our God. Going be-
yond Yes and No, in atiirmations and
denials, as if our word for it were not
enough, and we expected others to ques-
tion it, springs from that vicious untruth-
fulness which is only aggravated by the
very effort to clear ourselves of the suspi-
cion of it. The undue multiijlication of
oaths is a great evil. Most jiistly does *SV;-
William Blackstone say, "A large crop of
oaths cannot fail to produce a rich harvest
of perjuries."
38. !|Ye have heard that it hath been said, "An eye
for an eye, and a tooth for a tootli :
uEx. xxi. 24; Lev. xxiv. 20; JJeut. xix. 21.
The statute of the civil or judicial code
of Moses (Ex. xxi. 24), which, in accord-
ance with the simplest ideas of natural
justice, regulated punishments according
to the nature and magnitude of the oflen-
ses, and which was meant as a direction to
judges and magistrates, had been grossly
perverted by the traditions of the scribes
and Pharisees. They converted a principle
of judicature into a rule of every-day life,
and thus gave their sanction to the grati-
fication of private and personal revenge.
Our Lord now proceeds to condemn this
corruption of principle, and to show that
the statute of ]\Ioses was not intended to
foster a vindictive spirit, or to encourage
a disposition to stern and indignant re-
crimination.
39. But I say unto you. 'That ye resist not evil ; ybut
whosoever shall smite tliee on tiiv right cheek, turn to
him the otlier also.
jProv. XX. 2-2. and xxiv. 29; Rom. xii. 17, 19: 1 Cor.
vi. 7 ; 1 The.s. v. 1-3 ■ 1 Peter iii. 9. ;Isa. 1. 6; Lam. iil. 30.
Private retaliation and revenge are here
forbidden. To resist evil is very much the
same thing as to avenge ourselves. We
are not, in the spirit of retaliation,-to resist
an evil, that is, an injurious man, one who
has done us evil, by doing him evil in
return, A disciple of Christ who receives
a blow on the cheek should expose him-
self to a repetition of the injury rather
than to begin a contest, even though he
should be ridiculed for his want of manly
spirit, in consequence of his obedience to
the laws of his Lord. That there are cases
in which a man may be not only author-
ized, but required, to protect his own life,
liberty and property, at the peril and by
the punishment of the illegal assailant,
there can be no doubt ; but in every such
c.\se the animating principle must not be
vindictive. Men who would injure their
neighbors must be resisted, lest by those
very actions they should prove the ruin of
themselves. The word, in the text, ren-
dered ei'il, is supposed by some to refer to
sin, and evil in the world. This is often
better conquered by Christian submission
than by strenuous resistance. Our Lord,
in order to exemitlify the kind of injuries to
which He alluded, and show the legitimate
application of His ijrinciples, si^ecified three
strong external instances or symbolic
specimens. Whosoever shall smite, &c. This
does not mean that we should court insult,
or in all cases submit to it without any
kind of resistance, for this was not the
practice of our Lord himself. When un-
justly smitten before the high i)riest, He
did not invite the repetition of the indig-
nity, but, on the contrary, remonstrated
against it. (John xviii. 22, 23.) In this
remonstrance, however. He was not influ-
enced by a spirit of retaliation, but of
justice to His own character, which, under
the form of striking His person, was
assaulted, and what He said had a tendency
to convict the party and assembly. Paul
also defended his rights when they had
been unjustly assailed. (Acts xvi. 37,
xxiii. 3, XXV. 10, 11.) The meaning of the
precept is, that we render not evil for evil,
but rather sufl'er injury, and that injury to
be repeated, than to go about to avenge
ourselves. We must leave the matter to
God and the magistrate. This command
does not forbid the repression of crime or
declare the othce of the mngistrate and
policeman unlawful. (Rom. xiii. 4.)
40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take
away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
While our Lord showed, in the first
instance, a case in which an injur}^ done
to the body may be so trivial that it is
more becoming not to resent it, in this
one he showed a case in which an injury
done to property may also be of so light a
description that it is better to suffer such
an act of injustice in silence than be in-
volved in the temptation and evils of ob-
CHAPTER V.
75
taming legal redress. We are to cultivate
a spirit of forbearance, and be ready to
sutler, ratlier than manifest a quarrelsome
litigious si^irit. When the importance of
the case warrants it, an action at law may
be defended, but this should be done in
the spirit of love, which sets the well-being
of society above our private ease and quiet,
and without any malice. The coat here
mentioned was a tunic, generally made of
linen, worn next to the skin, with arm-
holes or sleeves, reaching down, like a
shirt, to the knees, and bound round the
waist by a girdle. The cloak, called in
modern times the "aba," was a large,
square piece, several feet in length and
breadth, and worn very much as an Ameri-
can Indian wears his blanket.
41. And whosoever 'sliall compel thee to go a mile, go
with him twain.— -Clirou. xxvii, 32: Mai. xv. 21.
This relates to a restraint upon jiersonal
liberty. It was an established practice in
the Persian empire that all the royal com-
missioners and officers of the crown were
authorized to seize upon ships, horses, car-
riages, and even men, wherever they might
find them, and oblige them to assist in
furthering the public business on which
these servants of the king were employed,
and to speed them on their journey from
one province to another. This compul-
sion is mentioned third, because those
who did it were officially obliged to resort
to such measures. The thing here -demand-
ed is, a readiness to submit to unreasona-
ble demands of whatever kind, rather
than raise quarrels, with all the evils re-
sulting from them. Let there be no malice,
but, on the contrary, a readiness to exceed
the required limits in rendering service.
42. Give to him that asketli thee, and "from him that
wonlrl borrow oC tliee. turn not tliou away.
"Pent. XV. 8. 10; Luke vi. 30, 3').
This direction must be referred to a
spirit of kindness and benevolence. Taken
in connection with the parallel passage
(Luke vi. 30), where the words "taketh
away thy goods" occur, it requires a free
and cordial administering to the wants of
others, whether they approach us as im-
portunate mendicants, or even attempt by
violence to despoil us of our possessions.
It rebukes the maxim: "I neither ask nor
grant favors." It commands generosity,
vet it is a suggestive, not a universal, com-
mand. It is manifestly not one's duty to
give to every worthless and indolent vaga-
bond who asks a gift, nor to lend articles
to any chance comer who may wi.'-li to
live by borrowing. We are, according to
our ability, to administer freely to the
wants of others, when, in the exercise of
our judgment, they are deserving objects
of charity, and even when they are not,
provided they are in perishing want of
assistance.
In relation to the commands of our Lord
in the four preceding verses, it should be
remembered that they are not to be taken
strictl}% but restrainedly ; not so much in
their letter, as in their sinrit. We must be
'guided by the other sayings and the ex-
ami:)le of our Lord, as well as by the moral
law, in ajiplying the principle of Christian
love here laid down, to every particular
instance. These commands must be so
expounded as not to contradict other por-
tions of God's Word. It is obvious that a
literal interpretation of them would break
up all the foundations of society, and de-
stroy all control of person and property.
43. H Ye have heard that it hath been said, ^Thou
Shalt love tliy neiglibor, <and hate lliine enemy:
I'Lev. xix. 18. fDeut. xxiii. 6; Ps. xli. 10.
The command was given to the Jews —
Tlion shah love thy neiglibor (Lev. xix. 18);
but as this injunction was not extended to
their enemies, thej' thought that this was a
tacit permission to hate them, and hence
the corrupters of the law added, and hate
thine enemy. By neighbor they understood
a Jew, and by enemy, the Gentiles, hence
they entertained strong prejudices and
malignant sentiments toward every other
nation but their own. Tacitus, the Roman
historian, says, " toward each other they
are compassionate and kind, toward all
others they cherish a deadly hatred." The
same thing was true of the Eomans and
the Greeks, for they called all other nations
barbarians, and treated them with inso-
lence, contempt and cruelty. In this gen-
eral ferment of the malevolent passions,
how seasonable, salutary, kind, concilia'
tory, was the command which follows 1
Our Lord, let it be observed, only inter-
preted a law in force from the beginning ;
this, indeed, is the only satisfactory view
of the entire strain of this discourse.
7G
MATTHEW,
44. But I say unto you, «Lovc your enem'es, bless
them that curse you.'do guud to tliein that liate you,
and pray "-ior them that deopiteiully use you, and per-
secute you ;
dLuke vi. 27, 35; Rom. xii. 14, 20. 'Luke x.viii. »1;
Acta vii. ou ; 1 Cor. iv. 12, 13 ; 1 Peter 11. 23, uud iii. a.
This is the most sublime piece of moral-
ity ever given lo mun. The thought of
requiting acts of enmity Avilh acts of kind-
ness could only arise in the heart of Him
who has Himself jirayed for the evil-doers,
and the best commentary on these match-
less counsels is the bright example of Him
who gave them. (Rom. xii. 20, 21 ; 1 Cor.
iv. 12; 1 Peter ii. 21-24, iii. 9.) Love your
enemies. The love of henevolcnce is here
required, not of complacency, which is due
to those only of an upright character. We
are to cheri.sh kind wishes toward all man>
kind. Even our personal enemies are to
be embraced in our personal regards, not
because they are our enemies, but our
fellow men. We are to have a benignant,
out-going desire for their good, and to treat
them with kindness, as we have ojiportu-
nity. Bless them tliat curse you. This is
quite parallel to the Apostle's injunction,
not to " render railing for railing, but con-
trariwise blessing." Be civil and kind to
those who are rude to you, and be ready,
when you can do so with truth, to speak to
the advantage of those who have, by malig-
nant and untrue statements, endeavored to
injure your reputation. Bo good, <?cc. Con-
fer acts of kindness on those who hate you.
And pray, &c. — pray for tli0E;e who are
making continual war upon you, and con-
stantly harassing and calumniating you.
Knowing that you can do but lidlc to
make them happy, call in the aid of Om-
nipotence. Instead of imi^recaling ven-
geance, pray for forgiveness and for all
heavenly and sjiiritual blessings to them,
and do this for your most inveterate foes.
"This precept," says Lcirjhion, "does not
bar any calm way of self-righting, to v/hich
there is sometimes an obligation, but men
over-stretch it, and passion and self-love
domineer under this pretext
Let Julian and other atheists laugh at it,
but it is the glory of Christians. No doc-
trine or religion in the world presses so
much clemency and innocency and bounty
as theirs, even to sworn enemies."
45. That ye may be the children of your Father which
Is in heaven : for Hie niaketh his sun to rise on the cv 1
and on the pood, and s"ndeth rain on the just and on
the unjust.— 'Job. xxv. 3.
How touching, how irresistible is the
argument used to enforce the gracious in-
junction just given ! That ye may be the
CiUdren, &c., i. e., that ye may show your-
selves to be such by resembling Him,
assimilated to Him by conformity of dis-
position, as children usually are to their
parents. (Eph. v. 1.) The children of
God are not to imitate the world (Rom.
xii. 2), but to take the Most High for their
example ; His love was manifested in the
most costly sacrifice for us (1 John iv. 7,
8), and it is by acting out our love in like
manner that we truly confess the truth
respecting the Father and the Son. For
he makcth his sun, &c. The sunshine and
the rain, the two great causes of the earth's
productiveness, are made subservient to
the temporal welfare of the evil, as well as
the good. Here is evidence of God's long-
suffering patience and unwearied kindness,
and impartial love. We need to be re-
minded of those common mercies Avhich
fail to strike us, simply because they are
common mercies. The rain often seems
l^ourcd out uselessly upon barren heights,
but it is there collected and made to de-
rcend in a thousand channels concealed
from mortal eye, to gladden the parched up
wastes below. So, too, the sun appears to
waste his generous energies upon the arid
wastes of the Great Sahara and the deso-
late solitudes of Africa, but he may then
be preparing thofc genial influences by
Avhich Cod " makes our garments warm
when he quiete'Ji the earth by the South
wind." (Job xxxvii. 17.) Who can .say
that (he cflbrts of the Christian Avho aims
at the good of all his race e hall ever be
lost?
40. rFor if yp lovo them v/hich love you, v/Iiat reward
have >o ? do not even the i)ublicuu3 Iho cauio ?
tLuko vi. o2.
If ye love only them ivJiich love you, 'U'Jiat
reuxird have ye? AVhat remarkable thing
do ye which entitles you to any special
reward? The reward referred to is that
mentioned in the preceding verse, of being
like our heavenly Father. The love of
one's wife, or huf band, or children, or rela-
tives, is only an enlarged species of selfish-
ness. (Eph. V. 28.) He who is de.=titute
of this kind o''love is worse than a brute,
Init he who has no more extended benevo-
lence is no better than a publican. The
CHAPTER V.
77
publicans, who had care of tributes and
customs, were bitterly hated by the Jews,
because they were otticers of the Romans,
and were generally covetous. In loving
those who love us, there is no evidence of
superior principle; the worst of men will
do this. It is the duty of the Christian to
be better than anybody else. " He should,"
says Cecil, "if he be a shoemaker, be the
best shuemaker in the town." "Love for
love is justice," says Burkitt, " love for no
love is favor and kindness; but love for
hatred and enmity is Divine goodness, a
Christ-like temper, which will render us
illustrious on earth and glorious in heaven.
But, Lord ! how do men confine their love
to little sects and parties! and from thence
comes that bitterness of spirit of one party
toward another, and, oh, how hard it is to
find a Christian of a true catholic love and
temper ! "
47. Anfl if yn Fnlutc ycur hrcthron only, what do yo
more Uian ollicm ? do uot even tl;o pubUcaus so ?
Salute, i. c, bestov/ a friendly greeting.
Brethren; here fcllovv--cilizcns, country-
men, ncighborrj in the Jewish acceptation
of the term. The forms and modes of
salutation were observed v/ith great care
among all oriental nations. Among the
Jews, the express ions employed amounted
to an interceding for blcf.&ing.j to rest upon
the pcr?on, and wcx-c such aa^ theic : " Ec
thou ble£f:cd of Jehovah." "J.Iay Jehovah
bcAvilhthee," "peace," thati-, r.llprospei'-
iLy, "be Avith thee." Bo nnt even, &(.-. (See
on verse 40.) How much oever civilization
and ther;cncral intluenccp; of religion have
improved society. Christians ought to be
above the average standard of virtue around
them. This should not Ijc shov/n by an ex-
tra severity, and moroseness, but by an ex-
tra serenity, sweetness, love and devotion.
48. ^Be ye therefore perfect, even la-s your Father
which is ill heaven ia per.ect.
'Gen. xvii. 1 ; Lev. xi.-H, und xix. 2; Luke vi. 30; Col.
i. 2S, und iv. l:: ; James i. 4 ; 1 Peter i. 15, Hi. 'Eph. v. 1.
These words are to be limited by the
context — "Be not satisfied with the low
standard of publicans and other ordinary
men, but make God your model. Fol-
low not the example of unregenerated
persons, but aim at an imitation of your
Father. Your love is not to be partial,
but universal, like His." That this is the
meaning is plain from the parallel passr.ge
in Luke vi. 3G. Still, it is true that the
divine moral excellence is the copy and
rule of the Christian, and that nothing
short of as complete a conformity to this
as the limited cajiacities of our nature
admit of, should satisfy our ambition.
Pcrfectness, though it may not be attained
in this world, is to be our earnest, constant,
ultimate aim, as we keep our eye fixed
upon that .full-orbed completeness which
is in the great divine model. (See 1 Thes.
V. C3.) The i)erfect law is our rule ; {he per-
fect God our pattern. These last verses
prove that our Lord's expos ition of the law
was intended both to show the people their
need of mercy, and to teach His disciples
the strict rule of duty. And all coming
short of it, or deviation from it, is sin, needs
repentance, forgiveness through His blood,
and grace to enable us to be more obedient.
V.'c who are created in God's ims.ge, and
restored in Christ, and made partakers of
the divine nature in Him, are bound by
the conditions cf our Teation, redemption,
and sanctification, to endeavor to be like
Ilim here, that we mcy have the fruition
of Ilia glorious Godhead hereafter. (Eph.
iv. 1 ; 1 Peter i. 15; 1 John ii. 1.)
1. Is Uila dlscourso cf our Lord recorded by more than one Evangelist? 2. Of how many divisions doef3 it con-
Bict? 3. Gtalo t".icni. 4. Vv'aat i.; sciJ.of tiie niountala on \y'S.c'.i tlio scrmcn v,-:u3 prcaclicd? 5. Vv'hat lb;ng3
rc'at;nc; to tlio bcatittidcs require to bo noted ? C. Lrii-iain tlier:! in their crcicr. 7. V.'hy cl:cu!d Chriistians rejoice ?
V/"^y aro tlicy ti'.o " salt cf li:o cart'a," er.d tlie " V.z'-'.i of tI:o v.-orid ?" 8. Hov/ arc t'.:cy to let ti:icir ligl-t shine ? 9.
How did Jc".uri " net como to dostrcy, but to fulf.il ?'' ID. V.'hat i.5 .'-.aid about "one of t'.:cso least commandments ?"
11. V/hat i.T said about " r'sl^tccurrncsr. " in vcr:o C3 ? 12. E-pIain vcr-cn 21 and 22. 1.'!. IIow arc wo to bring our
gi.T; to tiio a'tar? 11. V/hat aw'ul truth is tauc;l-t in vcr'.e 2"? Ij. V/hat Is the meaning of the injunctions in
vor^e'i 20 and C3 ? IP. Whrt docs our Saviour teach in rcrrard to "swearing?" 17. Wh.-xt; about rcvenrce? 1*=. V/hat;
about forbearance? 10. What; about beneiiceacc? 2i). V/hat ; about enemies 7 21. Explain " Be ye therefore
perfect," <tc
78
MATTHEW.
CHAPTER VI.
I Christ continueth tils srmvm in the. mount, speaking of
alms, 5 prayer, 14 foryiviiig our brethren, 16 faating,
19 where our treasure is to be laid up, 24 of serving
God, and mammon : 25 exiiurtrth not to be careful for
worldly things: 33 but to seek God's kingdom.
I^AKE heed that ye do not your alms before men, to
be seen of them": otherwise ye have no reward of
your Father which is in heaven.
Having thus far exjaloded the glosses,
upon the law, of the old doctors, handed
down to the rabbles of the day, our Lord
now proceeds to expose certain favorite
practices of the Pharisees. He passes from
the correction of wrong doctrine, to the
reformation of life. In this fact we have a
sufficient answer to the dogma, so often
and so confidently put forth, that "it
matters not what men believe, provided
they are sincere in their oi)inions."
Take heed. Be watchful, be on the alert.
The warning here given extends to what
is afterward said about prayer and fasting.
The Greek word for alms is a different
word from that which is rendered "alms"
in verse 2. It signifies righteousness (See
Dan. iv. 27 ; Deut. xxiv. 13 ; Ps. cxii. 9 ; 2
Cor. ix. 9, 10), by which we are to under-
stand that same righteousness of the king-
dom of heaven, whose leading features —
in opposition to traditional i^erversions of
it — it is the great object of this discourse
to open up. In particular it embraces the
specifications of alms-giving, prayer, f.isting
— three relations to God, to ourselves, and
to our neighbor, which are brought to view
in verses 2-18, and which are frequently
referred to in the Scriptures. (Rom. ii. 21,
22, vii. 12, xix. 17 ; 1 Cor. vi. 11, xiii. 5, G,
13 ; Eph. v. 9 ; 1 Tim. i. 13 ; Titus i. 8, ii. 12 ;
Heb. xii. 12, 14.) Thus the verse becomes
a general heading for this whole section
of the discourse. To "do our righteous-
ness" is just, in other words, to perform
those duties which we owe to God and to
man. (Ps. cvi. 3 ; John xv. 8.) Righteous-
ness is here presented in a negative char-
acter. Alms-giving is a religious duty;
acts of charity are acts of justice and equity.
(Deut. xxiv. 13; Ps. cxii. 9; James i. 27.)
It is also here intimated that the matter
of our alms should be goods righteously
gotten ; to give alms of what is gotten un-
justly is robbery, and not righteousness.
Before men, &c. If we let what we do
be known with discretion and prudence,
and absence of all self-laudation, our object
being, that others may be stimulated to
follow our example, and so give glory to
our Father who is in heaven (chap. v. 16,)
we do not only what is right, but what ia
exjiedient in the sight of God, and for the
good of mankind. But if our object is to
show that we are better than others — to
gain the eclat and notoriety which such
acts would be adapted to call forth — then
we inherit the succession of the ancienf
Pharisees — we act to get praise of men.
The excessive love of men's admiration
and applause is a most dangerous and per-
nicious principle. When Ave do give, how
much of self, and how little of God is there
in it ! Otherwise ye have, &c. — if ye disregard
my caution, you cannot obtain the appro-
bation of God. You serve the eyes of men,
and from them must be your reward. Act
for God's eye, and God will reward you
It is here evident that actions take their
character from their principles, and that
nothing is an act of duty to God but what
si)rings from a regard to His authority, and
from a desire of Ilis approbation. (Isa.
xxxix, 13 ; Prov. xvi. 5 ; James iv. G.)
2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do notsound
a trumpet belore Iheo, ay the hypocrites do in tiio syna-
KOgues and in the streets, tliat they may have glory of
men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Therefore evolves the special admonition
out of the general one contained in verse
1. Alms are deeds of charity, or things
given to the poor. With a delicate refer-
ence to the secrecy enjoined, the plural
pronoun ye, of verse 1, is here changed to
the more pointed thou. Christ here as-
sumes that His disciples were in the habit
of giving alms. Wlien thou — child of God,
doest alms, which must no more be omit-
ted than the offering of the gift according
to chapter v. 24. (See Prov. xix. 17; Matt.
X. 40-42; Luke xi. 41; Acts ix. 36, x. 2-4;
2 Cor. ix. 8, d ; Heb. vi. 9, 10.) Do not sound,
&c. The practice prevailed extensively, in
ancient times, of the great and the wealthy
distributing their bounty to their poor de-
pendents, who were summoned to their
houses at a stated hour, and by the sound
of a trumpet; and another practice, which
probably arose out of the former, of the
CIIAPTEll VI.
79
poor, who received those largesses, cele-
brating the praises of their benefactors by
the same public and flattering expedient.
In the East, at the present day, alms are
distributed in both of these ways. In il-
lustration of the first, it may be stated, on
the authority of the most respectable writ-
ers, that the Mussulmans are in the habit,
particularly at the great festival of Muhu-
run, of erecting stages in the public streets,
and by the sound of a trumpet calling the
poor to receive alms of rice, and other
kinds of food; and those who have no
trumpets go to the houses of the persons
they intend to benefit, and deliver their
charities in person, repeating at the same
time verses, containing admonition and
advice, with a very loud voice, that the
sound of it may bring them out. In illus-
tration of the second, one traveler informs
us that the W'andering dervishes of the
East use rams' horns, which are of extreme
length, for trumpets, and that they blow
them immediately on their arrival in any
place, and at the doors of oj^ulent citizens,
to intimate that they are in want of alms.
And another says, that he saw some men-
dicants 2)roclaiming the generosity of a
wealthy Persian, who had given them
some douceur, in the most noisy and ve-
hement manner, on the fragment of an
old and worthless horn. This custom,
which boasts a venerable antiquity, seems
to have prevailed in the time of Christ;
and whether the hypocritical Pharisees
imitated the modern Mussulmans, in plac-
ing themselves on elevated platforms, and
announcing by public proclamation the
charitable ofl^ice they were going to com-
mence— or whether that ostentatious class
generally limited their gratuities to those
whom they knew would j^ay them the
compliments of the horn — it is evident
that the intention of our Lord's precept is
to forbid the distribution of alms in the
manner, and from the motives, of those
who resorted to the streets, and other
places of general and busy thoroughfare,
with the express view of publishing their
liberality.
Hypocrites, men who carry themselves
with other faces than their own, as stage-
players. Synagogues. The word here used,
in the original, commonly means Jewish
' places of worship ; in this verse it appears
to mean collections of people. Streets, not
lanes or alletjs, as in Luke xiv. 21, but wide
streets. That they may have, &c. — applause,
honor. VeriUj I say unto you. In such au-
gust expres.-ions it is the Law-giver and
Judge Himself we hear speaking to us.
TJiey have their reward, they acted from
pure selfishness, hence have their reward
in men's praise, and will not receive any
reward at the hands of the Heavenly
Father. (Verse 1.)
3. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand
know what thy right hand dot-lh : 4 That thine alms
may bcj in secret : and tliy Fallicr which seelh in secret
himself "Shall reward thee openly. — Luke xiv. 14.
Let not tliy left hand knoiv, &c. Mr. Roberts
remai'ks, that among the Mussulmans the
right hand always dispenses gifts, because
it is more honorable than the other ; and
the figure used here is a common oriental-
ism. Thus, it is usual to say of things
which are not to be revealed — " Let not
thy left ear hear that which went into the
right, nor the right be acquainted with
that which was heard by the left." Here
the utmost secrecy possible in performing
the act is enjriined. We must not only
shun the applause of others, we must shun
even our own. No one, not even the
nearest and most intimate friend, is to
know of our alms-giving, and, as far as
possible, we are to keep from us the very
consciousness of what we have done. "VVe
are not to reflect on it with self-pleasing,
for that is the " left hand " in view. In
some cases publicity in giving alms is so
far from being culpable that it is necessary,
useful and laudable. (1 Chron. xxix. 1-9;
see on verse 1 ; also on chap. v. 16.) But
where it must be public, our intention
: hould be secret ; we should take no de-
light in having the eyes of men on us.
We ought also to be careful that we
bestow a much larger proportion of our
alms in secrecy and in silence, and have
no other object whatever in view but the
approbation of God. The secrecy of our
charity is one good evidence of its sin-
cerity. Hence the Egyptians made the
emblem of charity to be a blind boy reach-
ing out honey to a bee that had lost her
wings. And thy Father vhich seeth, &c.
Even in public acts of charity God sees in
secret. Though the action be no secret,
80
Ikl A T T II E W ,
the source of it is, and He still looks upon
that. It is so ordered in the divine admin-
istration that the selfith soul thall be disap-
pointed in the end, while he who seeks
the good of olhcrs ehall find his own.
No one can by beneficent actions secure
the £ivor of God. Cut if a man believe in
Jesus he is accepted in Ilim, and being so,
his ofibring-s presented from grateful love
to Him are accepted and rewarded both
in thi3 world and that which is to come.
(Ps. x?:xii. 5-7, xxxiv. 15; Eccl. xi. 1;
Luke xiv. 1-1 ; Acts x. 4 ; Rom. ii. IG ; 1
Cor. iv. 5 ; Ilcb. vi. 10 ; 1 Tim. v. 25.) The
inward consciousness of integrity is itself
a reward ; and the esteem of worthy men,
spontaneously bestowed, is a reward. Cut
most of all will the righteous be rewarded
when that takes place which is spoken of
in Matt, xxv. 34, &c-. (Sec Luke xiv. 14.)
" Every act
Wliich sbunned tbc triHin'^ pliiudit i ofmanI:ind,
Sliail tiicra I J v/Diidorin:; millions bo displaycU
A monument oi' grace."
5. 1 And when thou jsrayest, thou shalt not be as the
bhypocnto i f.vv .• lor tucy lovo to pray f^taudinji iu the
svT i-^oguos and in the corner! of tlio streets, that they
may ho Boen oi'men. Verily I .say unto you, they have
their reward.
bJob xxvii. 8, 13; Isa. 1. 15; Luke xviu. 10, 11, xx. 47.
From sincerity in alms our Lord proceeds
to sincerity in prayer. It is here assumed
that every one prays who hopes to obtain
God's favor. Neither social prayer or pub-
lic devotion is here forbidden. (1 Kings
xviii. 3G, 37 ; 1 Chron. xxix. 10-19 ; 2 Chron.
vi. 13-12 ; Nell. viii. 5, G, ix. 3 ; Isa. Ivi. 7 ;
Matt, xviii. 19, 20 ; Ilcb. x. 25.) ILjpocr'des.
(See on verse 2.) For they love, &c. It is
not the praying in the synagogues, or in
the streets, which our Lord here condemns,
but the hypocrisy of so praying in order to
be seen cj men. The Jews of old observed
stated hours of prayer, three of which are
mentioned in the Scriptures, the third hour
answering to our nine o'clock, when the
morning sacrifice was oficred — the sixth
hour answering to our twelve o'clock (Acts
X. 9, 30) — the ninth hour, answering to our
three o'clock in the afternoon. (Acts iii.
1 ; see Ps. Iv. 17; Dan. vi. 10.) At these
hours the Pharisees and hyjiocrites took
care to be in some public place, for prayer,
to be noticed and ai)plauded for their de-
votional spirit and fidelity. Verily, &c.
(See on verse 2.) The person who loves
to officiate in social worship, because he
may thus obtain for himself a character
remarkable for piety among his brethren,
is equally condemned by the rpirit of our
Lord's prohibition, as the Phariccc who
performed his private devotion in public
for the same purpose,
6. But thou, when thou prayest, 'enter into thy closet,
and v.'iien lliou haat bUut ihy door, pray Ij thy I'atiicr
Vv'Liich i.i in secret ; and Ir.y l''atUer w.iica seetn in secret
shall reward theo cpcnly.
"■Gen. xxxii. 21, -J : 2 Kings i v. 33 ; Isa. xxvi. 23 ; John
i. 4a.
Private or secret prayer is evidently hero
referred to. Y/hcn thou preyed. Lcligion
is a personal thing. Our collective char-
acter, as belonging to the universal church
or some particular portion of it, is not suf-
ficient either for our happiness or safety.
The very act of prayer supposes comcihing
personal between God and men. David and
Daniel prayed three times a day. Tivica a
day, at least, the Christian will withdraw
for prayer, and as much oftencr as ho feels
spiritual languor or danger. Thy dosct. la
the Jewi;:h houses there was usually an
upper room devoted to retirement. "Clos-
et" means "a place of retirement," and a
term of such latitude may have been em-
ployed that wo might have no excuse for
omission, if v/e are unfurniiLhcd wi'li a
place appropriated more cxprcstly to pious
use. Isaac made a closet of the field, Dan-
iel of the river-side, Nathaniel of the fig
tree, Peter of the house-top. When thou
hast shut, &c., i. e., used every caution
against being interrupted. Pray to thy
Father, &c. The glorious doctrine of a
particular providence is here brought to
view, God communes from the mercy-
seat with, and receives the case of, every
individual Christian. God alone is the
proper object of prayer. Godhead alike
belongs to the Father, the Son nnd the
Holy Ghost, so that all having the same
Godhead are the objects of worship.
Through Christ we all have access by one
Spirit unto the Father. V/hich sceth in se-
cret. God is everywhere — He is in our
closet — He seeth in secret as much as any-
where, as much as in heaven itself, wheie
He reigns in full perfection. Shall relcard
thee, &c. (See on verse 3.) Secret prayer
is not desicrned to raiTe a transient emo-
tion, or lighten care by a communication
of it to another, but to yield a benefit
which shall appear in experience and in
CHAPTER yi.
81
the daily walks of life. For the Christian
who thus prays, there will be the reward
of increasing ijiety — his profiting shall aj)-
pcar unto all — he will be rewarded in the
sight of angels and an assendjled universe.
7. But when ye prav, ^use not vain repetit'ons, as the
heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard
lor their much speaking.
Our Lord has previously been sj^eaking
of the way in which the Pharisees and
hypocrites sought in prayer to deceive
incn ; now He shows how they thought to
deceive God. Use not vain repetitions.
Earnest, importunate prayer is not here
forbidden. Intensity of feeling sometimes
leads to repetition. (See Matt. xx. .^)0, 31 ;
xxvi.44; Luke vi. 12; xviii. 1, Xc.) Neither
are lengthy prayers forbidden. (See 1
King^ viii., and 2 Chron. vi. ; Neh. ix. ;
Dan. ix. ; John xvii.) It is vain repetition
that is condemned — that which claims
merit because of its much speaking.
As the heathen do — people not Jews, and
not instructed respecting God. (1 Kings
xviii. 26-29.) In all the pagan world of
anti equity vain repetitions were used. Even
among the enlightened Greeks and Ro-
mans it was customary to repeat their
supplications a hundred times, with the
view of making a deeper impression on
the heart of the deity they invoked. Even
the Jews themselves needed caution on
this point, for it was a current maxim with
them that "whoso lengthens his prayers,
will not return empty," and that " every
man should daily repeat at least eighteen
I»rayers." The modern Jews in Barbary,
says Mr. Shaiv, repeat the same prayer a
hundred and twenty times in a breath.
The priests of Bhud spend whole days in
repeating the sacred word " Um," and the
Mohammedans cry for hours the single
word " Allah." But the most remarkable
and strange of all the forms in which the
heathen observe their "vain repetitions,"
is that of the Kalmuc Tartars, whose prac-
tice may be described briefly as follows :
" They have praying machines, which, in
the act of devotion, they turn repeatedly,
and in the same manner as one would
revolve a wheel. A machine of this kind
consists of a small barrel about sixteen
inches in length and seven or eight in
diameter, covered with red velvet, and
having within it a number of written
6
prayers. At each end of the Ijarrel is an
axle, one of which has a crank, and to it
is fixed a string with which to turn the
instrument. It is fitted to a frame, which
is covered with cloth of a coarser or finer
description, according to the circumstances
of the owner. The one, of which this
account is given, belonged to a Kalmuc
princess, and was enveloped in a covering
of velvet ; and the whole apparatus was
set upon an elegant little chest directly
before her. When the barrel turns round,
it is supposed by the poor ignorant people
that the prayers go up to heaven, and the
more revolutions that are made— or, in
other words, the oftener the writing is
uppermost — the more chance there is of
their being heard. Those of the Kalmucs
who are too poor to purchase, or too un-
skillful to construct, a machine of this
superior kind, have small praying mills,
like the windmills given as toys to children
with us, to the spokes of which they fasten
prayers, written on slips of paper, with
paste or small cords. These they set up
on the top of their tents, and as they are
turned by the wind, it is imagined that
they have a similar effect with the barrel."
For they think, &c. Augustine says in
effect, that our Lord's injunction is against
mucJi speaking, not against vntch praying.
There should not be superfluous words,
but a continual pious aflection of heart.
We may pray in few words, or in many
words ; it is the heart that God looks to.
As a man feels, so is he in God's sight.
8. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your
Father knoweth wluit things ye have need of, before .
ye ask him.
Prayer is not designed to communicate
information to God, nor to weary Him
into compliance. (Ps. cxxxix. 2-4.) "If
God knows our necessities before we ask,"
it may be inquired, " what can be the ne-
cessity of asking ?" The answer is, prayer
is a divinely appointed instrumentality or
channel through which God has chosen
to confer blessings on His children. (Matt.
vii. 8.) It disposes us rightly to receive
and improve the gifts of heaven. It is
itself the exercise of our best feelings, and
by the very act we possess many of the
blessings we ask. Superstition ascribes the
reason for the granting of a prayer, not to
the mercy of God, but to its own godless
82
MATTHEW.
work. Unbelief infers frota the omniscience
of God (in which it does not beheve) tlie
uselessness of prayer. Faith founds, upon
this same holy, gracious, divine omni-
science, its poor prayer. Thus our Lord
teaches us to pray in faitli, because God
knows, before we ask Him, what tilings
we stand in need of, and, therefore. He can
inspire the (to Him) acceptable prayer,
and grant it accordingly. (Rom. viii. 26-8.)
"Prayer," says Quesnel, "is not intended
to inform God, but to set before man his
misery, to humble his heart, to awaken
his desires, to kindle his faith, to encour-
age his hope, to raise his soul toward
heaven, and to remind him that his Father,
his home and his eternal inheritance are
above." (Phil. iii. 20.)
n. After this mriniipr thoreforG pray ye: fOur Father
wiiieii art in heaven. Hallowed betliy'uanie.
'Luke xi. 2, <fec. On whicli see notes.
In a prayer framed in the spirit of the
injunction against " vain repetitions," our
Lord gave a vivid illustration of the nature
of Christian prayer. This prayer is found,
with very slight variations, in Luke xi. 2—4.
From its delivery to the present hour it
has excited the admiration of the wise and
good throughout the world, and down
through all these centuries it has been the
single golden link, running through the
ages, that has bound together in one the
whole vast company of the prayerful.
Even the stupid infidel and the shallow
scoffer have not failed to pei'cei ve its beauty,
sublimity and comprehensiveness. It is
little in words but great in substance, so
short that the weakest memory may retain
it, and yet so full that it comprehends all
things which relate to ourselves or others,
to our bodies or souls, to time or eternity
— proj^er for all exigencies and occasions,
as well for the last ages of Christianity as
the first, as well for the private devotions
of the closet as the public service of the
temple, including every part of religious
worship, supplication and intercession,
confession and deprecation, resignation
and thanksgiving, adapted to all periods
of life, to all kinds of character, to all
countries and capacities, and suited to all
conditions, equally proper for high and
low, rich and poor. The child may lisp
its simple sentences as soon as it knows
how to pray ; it comes with no less ^tness
from the wrinkled lips of age. It may
be taken up and used alike by the peni-
tent in the first hour of his return to
God, the struggler in the thick of the spir-
itual conflict, and the believer in the
highest soarings of his faith and love. The
youngest, the oldest, the simplest, the
wisest, the most sin-stained, the most
saintly, can find nothing here unsuitable,
unreasonable. It gathers up into one what
they all can and should unite in saying
as they bend in supplication before God.
The existence of a progressive sequence
in the prayer is seen even on a casual
view. At the outset the suppliant appears
lost in the contemplation of the Being
to whom his spirit ascends ; next, he
turns his thoughts upon himself and his
own wants. Further, it is not difficult to
recognize a progression in the first three
petitions, and in the three (or four) last.
The recognition of the name of God is the
basis on which alone the kingdom of God
can be established, and again, this king-
dom is the sphere in which the will of God
is fulfilled. Further, the prayer for the
maintenance of the life of man i)recedes
the prayer for the forgiveness of his sins ;
and again, it is only when the guilt of the
past is removed that the thought is di-
rected to the temptations of the future.
The thoughtful reader, who has derived
from other sources the knowledge of the
Trinity, will also find a reference to that
truth in the scheme of this prayer. The
petitions of the first and second parts refer
to God as Creator and Preserver ; the
second petition of either part refers to God
as Redeemer, wliilst the tliird of either
part relates to God the Holy Spirit, by
whom the divine will comes to be fulfilled,
and through whose power temi^tation is
overcome.
After tliis manner pray ye. In Luke (xi.
2), " when ye pray." Evidently it was not
our Lord's meaning that we should use
these words exclusively, for the second
form of the prayer in Luke varies con-
siderably from this. It was intended as a
model rather than a mould. Plighly ap-
propriate as it is, both in public and pri-
vate devotion, it was never intended to
confine within the limits of its few sen-
tences the free spirit of prayer. It was
CHAPTER VI.
83
given rather as a specimen, by the spirit
and order and proportion of wliose several
parts we should guide our own spontaneous
petitions, than as a rigid and inipei-ishable
enclosure in which all our pious acknowl-
edgments and supplications should be.
compressed. It was intended not so much
as a sacred formulary, as for divine in-
struction as to what petitions are univer-
sally good, universally necessary, univer-
sally acceptable, as well as to inculcate
simplicity and brevity in the exiiression.
The example of our Lord Himself, of tlie
Apostles, of the Church in all ages, has
taught us how full and varied are the ut-
terances of the human heart when it
breathes itself out unrestrainedly unto
God in prayer. Where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty.
Our Father which art in heaven. The very
commencement of the prayer assumes in
the suppliant a spirit penetrated with rev-
erence and love — a spirit which, like the
Psalmist, thinks of God as the highest and
best portion. (Ps. Ixiii. 25, 26.) Against
Atheism, which teaches that there is no
God; against Pantheism, Avhich teaches
that God is not a person, but identical with
nature; against Epicurism, wliich teaches
that God cares nothing for His creation ;
against Polytheisin, Avhich teaches that
there are many gods, and against Fatal-
ism, which renders the hearing of i:)raycr
an impossibility, our Saviour teaches that
our one God is a personal, living, freely-
working God, who projects and executes
His counsel, not without, but with refer-
ence to, the praying man — even a Father.
We have here grouped together the three
principles which settle man's just relations
to this and to the next world. L The Filial.
We see in the Most High a Father. (Acts
xvii. 28; Col. i. 20-22;^ John i. 12.) This
representation of God as a Father of those
who worship Him teaches us that He
stands in a relation toward them similar
to that in which a father stands to his
children, and that He regards them in a
manner similar to that in which a father
regards and acts toward his children —
really loving them, and disposed to bestow
on them everything that is necessary to
their true happiness. 2. The Fraternal.
We come not with our private needs and
vows alone, but with those of our race and
household. Our Father. The renewal of
the parental re-knits the fraternal tie. Be-
lievers, in all their prayers, should think
of others as well as themselves. " Every
Christian," says one, " has a share in all
the prayers of all the rest; he is a partner
in every ship of that kind that goes to sea,
and has a portion of all their gainful voy-
ages." Though we go alone into the closet,
we are not accepted there if we go in
selfishness and isolation. 3. The Celestial.
Though we are now of the earth, and at-
tached to it by these mortal and terrene
bodies, we are not originally from it, nor
were Ave made to be eternally upon it. We
are of heaven, and for heaven, for there
and not here our Father is, and where He
is our true Home is. God, though omni-
l^resent, has heaven as His special resi-
dence. The clause, which art in heaven,
directs our thoughts to the difference be-
tween earthly fathers and this Father.
(Comp. chap. vii. 11; Eph. iii. 15, iv. 6.)
By the words "Our Father" we express
God's nearness to us; by the phrase "in
heaven," His distance from us. (See Eccl.
v. 2; Isa. Ixvi. 1.) By the latter we learn
God's ability to help us; by the former.
His willingness to do so. Holy, loving
familiarity suggests the one, awful rever-
ence the other. The whole compellation
tends to produce the right disposition of
prayer, the mixture of joy and fear, confi-
dence and reverence. (See Ps. ii. 11.)
Hallowed be thy name. It will be noticed
that our first concern is to be for what re-
lates to God, before what respects ourselves.
Thus are we taught that man's needs are
never to take precedency of God's rights.
The first part of the prayer begins with
the riches of God :
Thy name be hallowed,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done.
The second part, on the contrary, com-
mences with the poverty of man :
Us give daily bread,
Us forgive our debts,
Us lead not into temptation.
Us deliver from evil.
By the name of God, we are to under-
stand His revealed character and attributes
— even al! that is implied in the appellation
84
M A T T K E W ,
by which He is known among men. (See
Ex, xxxiv. 5-7.) The word hallowed is
nearly synonomous with " sanctitied.," or
" glorified." God's name may be hallowed
by us in three ways : 1. In our hearts, by
entertaining suitable conceptions of Him.
2. By our lips, when we acknowledge His
divine perfections, and tell of all His won-
drous works. 3. In our lives, when the
consideration of these divine perfections
engages us to suitable obedience. This
petition forbids cursing and swearing, per-
jury and blasphemy. It forbids all lip-
service, all hypocritical genuflexions, all
mummeries of woi'ship, where the heart is
not engaged. In it we desire that all
atheism, infidelity, idolatry, impiety, su-
perstition, ignorance, and false religion,
may be banished from the world, and
that the only living and true God may
be worshiped and honored all over the
earth, and by every intelligent creature.
This, in fact, is the very petition which the
Lord Jesus himself put up, on another
occasion. (John xii. 28.)
10. Thy kingdom come. t'Thy will be done in earth,
'lis it in ill heaven.
•"Ciiap. xxvi. 39, 42; Acts xxi. 14. 'Ps. ciii. 20.
Thy kingdom come. (Ps. xxii. 28 ; Dan.
ii. 44.) The plainest and simplest sense
of thy kingdom is, the promised kingdom
which God is one day to take to Himself
over all the world, foretold by Daniel and
the other prophets, when Satan shall cease to
be "prince of this world," and the millen-
nium shall begin. This petition implies an
earnest desire that the kingdom of God
may be set up in our own hearts (Luke
xvii. 21), reducing all within us to entire
subjection to Christ, our king ; that it may
be set up in the hearts of our children,
relatives, servants, friends, neighbors ; that
the word of the kingdom may, in all nations,
" be preached with the Holy Ghost sent
down from heaven ;" that Christian
churches may be established in every
region of our earth, and that " the king-
doms of this world may become the
kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ,"
that every opposing power maj' be put
^own, and God be all in all. The final
setting up of this kingdom has been long
predicted. (Gen. iii. 15; Rom. viii. 22;
Rev. xi. 15, and xxii. 20.)
Thy vAll he done in earth, as it is in heaven.
(Ps, xl. 8, ciii. 20.) God's will may be con-
.'iidered either as preceptive or providen-
tial. To the former reference is here made,
for God's providential will is done in earth
equally as in heaven. Or, if the latter is
also referred to, that submission, acquies-
cence and satisfaction in it which angels
feel and express, may be intended. It
ought to be the prayer and care, the study
and endeavor of every Christian, that the
commanding will of God may be done by
himself, and by all men on earth, as it is
by the saints and angels in heaven, with
entireness, harmony, cheerfulness, dili-
gence, constancy and ineffable delight.
(Hab. ii. 14; Heb. viii. 11 ; see also Luke
xxii. 42; Acts xxi. 14.) Nor should the
knowledge of the fact that in this life,
through the imi:)erfection of our nature, we
never shall do the will of God in the same
absolutely perfect way as it is done in
heaven, be regarded as a reason why we
should lower the object of our desires, or
the aim and earnestness of our endeavors.
This petition is instinct with the very life
of missionary enterprise, and the Church
cannot offer this clause of the Divine
prayer in the full spirit of its power with-
out becoming a missionary church. There
are some who see in it an intimation that
our earth is to be one part, at least, of the
final and glorious abode of the saints. (See
2 Peter iii. 13.)
11. Give us this *day our Maily bread.
*Or, j'M- (lie day. J Job xxiii. 12 ; Prov. xxx. 8.
Daily bread. The bread which is con-
venient or sufficient for our daily subsist-
ence. (Prov. xxx. 8, 9.) Bread is one
principal part of the things which are
needful for the body, and here, as is often
the case, it is put for the whole. By the
use of this word, therefore, we are taught
to ask only things that are necessary,
without craving superfluities, and to refer
it to our Heavenly Father to determine
what things are necessary, according to
our station in life, our families, and various
other circumstances. We are taught to
ask "daily" the supply of the needs of life.
(Ps. xxxvii. 3.) 1. That we should not have
anxious care for the future, and 2. Be-
cause we are not warranted to ask, even of
the necessaries of life, very large supplies,
which may serve for weeks, months, or
years to come, but are, as children, contin-
CHAPTER VI.
85
ually to exercise the si:)irit of entire de-
pendence on, and complete conlulence in,
our Ilciivenly Fatlior's cure. The richer
sort of persons, in ofiering this petition, do
in efl'ect say, "Let the bread whicli is ours
come to us this day sanctified by Tliy Al-
mighty Hands!" (Ps. cxxxii. 15; Matt. iv.
4.) The "our" points to necessary labor,
the true way of asldng and receiving, ac-
cording to God's original appointment for
man, in Gen. iii. 19, indeitendently of
which we eat not our own bread (2 Thes.
iii. 12; 1 Thes. iv. 11, 12), but another's. It
shows that our food and raiment must be
of G'oc^'s giving — that is, lionestly and fairly
earned, "for," as an old writer remarks,
" to him God gives bread, who earns it by
righteous means, but to him who earns it
by sin, the devil it is who giveth." It
points also to the obligatory communica-
tion and fellowship, since as we in "oui*"
and "us" pray with and for one another,
so we may not hold anything that we re-
ceive exclusivel)' and covetously for our-
selves alone. " Break thy bread to the hun-
gry," &c. (Isa. IviiL 7; Comp. 1 Sam. xxv.
11.) Our Lord does not bid us pray merely
for the need and nourishment of the body,
but speaks also of the bread which the
Father giveth from heaven, just as in John
vi. 27-33, iv. 34.
12. And kfor^ve ns our debts, as we forgive our
debtors.— kChap. xviii. 21, <tc.
This petition immediately follows the
preceding one, to show us that though we
have daily bread, yet all is nothing with-
out forgiveness. In this prayer there is
but one petition for the body (verse 11),
but two petitions, this, and the following
one, for the soul. Hence observe that we
are to be more careful for our souls than
for our bodies — more desirous to have our
souls saved than our bodies fed. What
are here called debts, are called " sins," in
Luke xi. 4. So then sin is a debt, and
every sinner a debtor. (See Matt, xviii.
23-35; Luke vii. 41.) Sins are called
debts: 1. Because as a debt arises upon
non-payment of that which is one's due,
so we, owing to God exact obedience, and
not paving what is due, come to be in
debt; 2. Bf^cause, as in case of non-pay-
ment, the debtor goes to prison ; so, by our
sins, we become guilty, and stand exposed \
to God's wrath forever. In this petition
the following things are supposed: 1. That
we are all sinners, and, as such, stand in
need of forgiveness. 2. That we are obliged
to pray every day for pardon, as we do for
our daily bread, for our sins are many and
daily. (Rom. iii. 10-12; Ps. xl. 13; f-ee
Heb. vii. 27, referring to Lev. xvi. 11-15.)
Nor is there anything in this view incon-
sistent with the perfection and perpetuity
of justification. The moment a man be-
lieves on Christ, he is as much justified as
Paul or John, and cannot be more justified
if he lives to the age of Methuselah. But
all this is no reason why he should not
daily confess his sins, and daily seek fresh
application of Christ's blood to his con-
science. In fact, it is the life of faith to
do so. The truth, " he that believeth in
Christ shall never come into condemna-
tion," instead of leading to the conclusion,
"I need not pray for the forgiveness of my
sins," suggests the strongest encourage-
ment to present such a petition. (See 1
John ii. 1.) 3. That since we are to pray
for pardon of sin, it is impossible for us
ever to satisfy the justice of God for sin.
Forgive us our debts — Remit the penalty
of our offenses, and hold us as if we had
not sinned. (Job vii. 21 ; Ps. xxxii. 1 ; Isa.
xliii. 25, xliv. 22 ; Jer. xxxi. 34 ; Mi. vii.
15) ; Mark ii. 7.) As tee forgive our debtors.
In Luke xi, 4, it is, " for we also forgive,"
&c. The word As, meaning according as,
like as, is not a note of equalitj', but simili-
tude, not that we equal God in forgiving,
but imitate Him. It also has in a measure
the sense of inasmneli as. The willingne,ss
of the suppliant is by no means a ground
upon which God can bestow on him for-
giveness, but rather a subjective condition
Avithout which he has no boldness to en-
treat the forgiveness of his own sins. (See
chap. vi. 14, 15. James ii. 13; IJohniv. 18,
19.) This condition, or qualification, re-
quires, 1. That we forgive cordially (Jer.
xxxi. M; Matt, xviii. 35; Eph. iv. 2)—
fully (Ps. ciii. 3)— often (Isa. Ivii. 7 ; Matt,
xviii. 21). It is a very striking considera-
tion that this petition is so framed that, if
presented in an unforgiving spirit, it is,
indeed, an imprecation of divine vengeance.
He who does not forgive his neighbor his
trespasses, when he uses this prayer, in
83
MATTHEW
effect asks Go J not to forgive him his tres-
passes, and, if he continues in his present
temper, there is no doubt that his prayer
will be answered.
13. 'And lead us not into temptation, but radeuver xis
from evil: "For thine is tlie kingdom, aixi the power,
and tlie glory, for ever. Amen,
'C'hron. xxvi. 41; Luke xxii. 40, 46; 1 Cor. x. 13; 2
Peter li. 9 ; Rev. iii. 10. mJohii xvU. 1* "I Chrou. uds.
IL
As the prayer for daily bread raises us
above care for to-day, and the prayer for
the forgiveness of sins is meant to quiet
us concerning the past, so is the prayer
against temptation a weapon for the un-
certain future. It consists of two parts :
1. Deprecatory ; 2. Petitionary. The Greek
word rendered lead is only used seven
times in the New Te.stament. Excepting
in the Lord's Prayer, our translators have
always rendered it "bring into." (Luke
V. 18, 19 ; Acts xvii. 20 ; 1 Tim. vi. 7 ; Heb.
xiii. 11.) "Temptation" means "trial."
God never inits evil into our hearts, or
stirs it up there by any positive influence.
(James 1. 13.) In the former respect, our
own lusts tempt us (James i. 1-1) ; in the
latter, Satan, or wicked men. (Matt. iv.
3, on which see notes.) But Providence
may permit us to be brought into such
circumstances as have a tendency to give
our corruptions, and the teini^tations of
Satan and his agents, peculiar advantage
against us. This the Lord sometimes does
to prove the reality or power of our grace,
the sincerity or hypocrisy of our profes-
sion, or the remaining prevalency of sin.
(Gen. xxii. 1; Job i. 11, vs. 20, 21.) "A
saint's whole life (says Austin) is a tempta-
tion." This petition asks that God would
graciously prevent us from being brought
into circumstances of strong temptation ;
that He would not leave us to struggle with
it in our own strength ; that He would in-
struct us to avoid, and enable us to over-
come, our temptations. He who would
honestly and acceptably present this peti-
tion must guard against going into tempta-
tion. (Gal. vi. 1 ; Matt. xxvi. 41.) But
when, in the course of God's good provi-
dence, and the pursuit of our known duty,
we find ourselves involved in circumstan-
ces of trial, then we are taught (James i. 2)
to " count it all joy" ; for then, it may be
humbly hoped, that the tempter beholds
in us that living principle of earnestness
which it is the whole business of himself
and his accursed emissaries to assail, and,
if possible, to destroy. (See 2 Cor, xii. 7,
X. 13 ; Heb. iv. 15.)
But deliver us from evil. Here we confess
that evil is in us, and about us, and near
us, and on every side, and that we have no
power to deliver ourselves from it. We
apply to the strong for strength. We cast
ourselves on Him for protection. In this
petition we pray not only to be kept from
evil, but also that we may make progress
in piety. (Tit. ii. 12; Rom. xii. 9; Isa. i. 16,
2 Cor. vii. i.) The evil we seek to be deliv-
ered from is, 1. The evil of our own heart.
(Eom. vii. 23; Heb. iii. 12.) 2. The evil of
Satan. (Matt. xiii. 19; 2 Cor. ii. 11 ; Eph. vi.
12 ; 1 Peter v. 8.) 3. The evil of the world.
(Gal. i. 4.) 4. The evil of God's wrath;
(Rom. vi. 23; Rev. xxi. 8.) The many ex-
pressions in the Psalms (liv. 5; lix. 1, 10;
cxliii. 12, &c., &c.,) which speak of enemies,
and pray for victory or deliverance, may
be considered, in their spiritual meaning,
to look in the direction of the present
i:)etition. On Christian lips, they convey a
desire akin to that here expressed.
For thine is the kingdom, &c. Some refer
this to David's doxology, 1 Chron. xxix. 11.
It has reference as a plea to the first three
petitions of the prayer — "thy kingdom
come," /or thine is the kingdom. Thou hast
the government of the world, and the pro-
tection of the saints, thy willing subjects in
it — " thy will be done," for thine is the poorer,
to maintain that kingdom, and to make
good all thy engagements to thy people —
"hallowed be thy name," for thine is the
glory, as the end of all that which is done
for the saints, in answer to their prayers,
for their praise waiteth for thee. (Psalms
Ixv. 1.) It is our duty to plead with God
in prayer, to fill our mouth with argu-
ments (Job. xxiii. 4), not to move God, but
to affect ourselves, to encourage our faith,
excite our fervency, and evidence both.
The best pleas in prayer are taken from
God Himself. Praising Him is the way to
obtain further mercy, as it qualifies us to
receive it. Some see, in this threefold
doxology, an ascription of praise to each of
the persons of the Trinity. It has been
very beautifully said that "when the
whole number of the sons of God shall
CHAPTER V I.
87
have reached their goal, a pure doxology
will arise in heaven: Hallowed be the
name of God. His kingdom is come. His
will is done. He has forgiven our sins. He
has brought temptation to an end. He has
delivered us from the evil one. His is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever. Amen."
14. oFor if ye forgive men their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also Ibrgive you : lo. But pif ye
forgive not men tlieir trespasses, neither will your
Father forgive your trespa.sse.s.
"Mark. xi. 25, aj; Eph. iv. 32; Col. iiu 13. pChap. xviii.
35 ; James ii. 13.
This is an explanation of the fifth peti-
tion ill the prayer, verse 12. As this is
the only portion of the prayer commented
on, may we not infer that Chri.st deemed
the duty of forgiveness the hardest duty,
even for the Christian? The forgiveness
of injury is here made a prime virtue, yet it
must be regarded as standing connected
with other essential elements of Christian
character, for the possession of one Chris-
tian virtue implies the jjossession of all the
rest. The forgiveness of those who injure
us cannot, we know, merit the forgiveness
of God, yet He sees with com2:)lacency His
own image reflected in His forgiving child-
ren, and to ask Him for ^^'hat we ourselves
refuse to men, is to insult Him. He has
ieclined being called Heavenly Father by
the revengeful and unforgiving. (Yer. 15.)
He will conduct toward us according to the
spirit which we habitually cherish. (Ps.
xviii. 25, 26; 1 John iii. 18-24, iv. 20 ; Matt,
xviii. 21-35 ; Luke vi. 37, xvii. 34.)
16. If Moreover qwhen ye fast, be not an the hypo-
crites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their
faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I
say unto you. They have their reward. 17. But thou,
when thou fastest, 'anoint thine head, and wash thy
face ; 18. That thou appear not unto men to fa-st, hut
unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
qlsa. Iviii. 5. 'Kuth iii. 3; Dan. x. 3.
Having concluded His directions on
almsgiving and prayer, our Lord now con-
demns ostentatiou.sness also in fasting.
Pride may lurk in sackcloth. Fasting is
here supposed to be the ordinary practice
of the godly. The main reference proba-
bly is to private and voluntary fasting,
though the spirit of the direction applies
to any fast. (See on chapter iv. 2.) Prayer
and fasting are frequently united in Scrip-
ture. (Ps. XXXV. 13 ; Dan. ix. 3 ; Matt. xvii.
21 ; Mark ix. 29 ; Luke ii. 37 ; Acts xiv. 23,
&c.) Hypocrites. (See on verse 2.) A sad
countenance, assumed for efiect. If expres-
sive of a sad heart, in our ap])roaches to
God, such a countenance has nothing in it
improper; but a joyous face is more like
the index of Christianity than a melan-
choly one, and does more to recommend
it. Disfigure their faces — emaciate, contract
and deform them. That they may appear,
&.C. — in order to keep up their credit, and
gain applause for sanctity. Have their re-
ward. (See on verse 2.) But thou, &c. As
anointing the head and washing the face
were the customary dressings of the Jews,
our Lord here directs them to use their
ordinary modes when fasting. Appear as
usual — appear so as to attract no notice.
All affectation in its minutest form is here
condemned. That thou appear not, &c.
Christ's disciples should avoid all ostenta-
tion in this duty, whether performed at
home or abroad, satisfied with the accept-
ance of God, who is present in the cham-
ber as well as in the assemblies of His
worshipers, and will openly reward hu-
miliation for sin, mortification of the flesh,
and desires after holiness for the sake of
communion with Him. There is no in-
junction here for absolute privacy in fast-
ing. (See 2 Chron. xx. ; also notes on
chapter iv. 2.)
19 II 'Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
where motli and rust doth corrupt, and wliere thieves
break through and steal.
«Prov. xxiii. 4 ; 1 Tim. vi. 17 ; Heb. xiii. .5 ; James v.
l,&c.
Some connect this injunction with alms-
giving in verses 1— i. Certain it is that there
can be no surer way of depositing one's
goods in safety than by placing them in
the hand of Him who (in the person of
His poor) stretches out His hand to re-
ceive them. (Prov. xix. 17; Matt. xix. 21;
Mark x. 21; Luke xviii. 22.) But it is
mainly a warning against covetons^iess, of
which the Pharisees were peculiarly guilty.
Their apparently good actions having
been exposed, their wicked practices are
now reproved. Treasure, in the Oriental
use of the term, denoted everything which
men were want to desire with avidity, and
to hoard with care : fruits of the earth,
ornamental dresses, &c., as well as the
precious metals. It means anything on
which the heart is set, whether that be
wealth, rank, reputation, worldly gran-
deur, friends, luxury, or what not. Fore-
most in the list of these are placed the
88
MATTHEW,
passionate fondness for fine and richly-
embroidered apparel, for which the natives
of that part of the world have been always
distinguished, and to gratify which is often
the main-spring of many active exertions,
to which their habitual indolence would
make them otherwise averse. Little as
such a taste may be thought of by us, it is
both natural and necessary in the East,
where the rank and fortune of an indi-
vidual are always estimated by the finery
or meanness of his dress, and where the
perpetuity of customs, as well as the open,
flowing style of the garments, prevents
that change in fiishiou, or alteration in
form, which might supersede these at any
future period, either as articles of utility
or ornament. Ujjon earth, where nothing
is or can be other than corruptible and
transient. (Job iv. 19, xxvii. 16 ; Ps. xlix.
G, 10; Eccl. ii. 18.) The prohibition to
amass wealth, or other goods, is by no
means to be regarded as absolute; the
negation is to be understood rather in the
sense of " not so much, as rather." Many
branches of business require an extensive
capital. Parents are to gather up for their
children. (2 Cor. xii. 14.) Everything
depends on the object in view. We are
not to make the gratification of self our
end ; if our purpose is to employ wealth
in the service of God, we commit no sin in
gaining it. (See 1 Cor. vii. 30, 31.) In the
East, treasures consisted in part of valuable
apparel. (Ezra ii. 69 ; Neh. vii. 70 ; Job
xxvii. 16; James v. 2.) Moth. Although
these troublesome insects are known to us,
and support their ephemeral existence by
carrying on their silent work of destruc-
tion, yet they are neither so considerable
in numbers, nor so noted for the celerity
and magnitude of their depredations, as
to entitle them to be ranked among the
prominent causes that occasion the rapid
waste and decay of our garments. But in
hot climates, where they swarm in myriads,
and almost assume the destructive charac-
ter of animals of prey, there do not exist
more formidable enemies to the treasures
of the wardrobe than the moths ; nor
could our Lord have given a livelier pic-
ture of the frailty of such treasures, and
of the folly of making these the objects
of supreme desire, than by reminding His
hearers of the rapid and indiscriminate
havoc which those tiny depredators were
known to make of whatever stuffs are
within their reach. Bust. (Comp. James
V. 3.) Allusion is probably made here to
the rust which gathers upon metals, and
which seems to be eating them. And
where thieves, &c., might have been more
literally rendered, " thieves dig through."
With us, the places where our property is
lodged are generally built in so solid and
durable a manner that there is not per-
haps an instance in the annals of robbery,
of a thief endeavoring to effect a passage
through stone and lime, to the repositories
of a house which he had doomed for
plunder; and we are so accustomed to
consider these as secure and impervious
to the most dexterous and elaborate
schemes of the spoiler, that our language
disdains to acknowledge any other way of
violating the sacred quiet of a dwelling
than by breaking into it through the more
slender defenses of the windows and
doors. Of a very different description,
however, were the tenements of Judea,
especially in the rural and pastoral districts
of the country, such as that where the
Sermon on the Mount was delivered ; and
where they consisted of nothing but a
frail and temporary structure of mud,
palm branches, and tiles dried in the sun.
To this day the inhabitants of the East-
ern World, in country villages, can boast
of no better habitations. Hence the ex-
pression, "break throuyh," &c.
It will be observed that two kinds of
insecurity and perishableness are men-
tioned: 1. Earthly treasures are liable to
destruction in the oi-dinary course of na-
ture, by animals and by internal corrup-
tion ; 2. They may be forcibly abstracted.
Even if we do not lose them, we must leave
them. Why, then, should we set our
hearts on things so transient and uncer-
tain ? Let us watch against covetousness ;
it is the great sin of the church and of the
age ; it dishonors God, and brings reproach
upon the Christian name. (Luke xii. 15,
xviii. 24 ; 1 Tim, vi. 9, 17 ; James v. 1-3.)
20. 'But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and wh erf
thieves do not break through nor steal : 21. For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
tChap. xix. 21; Luke xii. 33, 34, xviii, 22; 1 Tim. vi.
19 ; 1 Peter i. 4.
CHAPTER VI.
89
In heaven, that is, with God. His favor
is the alone imperishable treasure. (1
John ii. 17.) Whatever of this world's
goods may be sacrihced by the Christian
in a strong faith in the invisible world, re-
mains and enters into the eternal destiny
of the man ; he shall have praise, honor
and glory in God's presence, in oi)position
to all that vain show before man, and that
self-indulgence in which the covetous and
the hypocrites found their reward. (Rev.
xiv. 13.) For yourselves, you are a moment-
ary holder of earthly good, and not an
owner ; but heavenly treasures become
your own forever. Where neither moth, &c.
The treasures are in heaven, where God
reveals Himself, and where all is unfading
and eternal. O wondrous love which has
provided a means whereby the perishable
things of earth may be conveyed away
and deposited in the eternal mansion !
For where your treasure is, &c. There is
here indicated the deepest knowledge of
men. The principle stated is the obvious,
but momentous one ; that what men value
they will love, and that the two things
cannot be divided in experience. " What-
ever man loves," says Luther, " that is
his God. For he carries it in his heart ;
he goes about with it night and day ; he
sleeps and wakes with it, be it what it
may — wealth or pelf, pleasure or renown."
The human heart, little by little, appro-
priates to itself the style and nature of the
treasure to which its whole thought is
directed. Whoever constitutes his god of
gold, his heart becomes as cold and hard
as metal ; whoever takes flesh for his arm,
or makes it his idol, becomes more and
more sensual, and takes on the properties
of that which he loves above everything ;
but whoever has invisible treasures, keeps
spontaneously eye and heart fixed upon
the invisible world. Obvious though this
maxim be, by what multitudes who pro-
fess to bow to the teaching of Christ is it
practically disregarded !
22. "The light of tlip body is thfi eye: if therefore thine
eye be "sinKle, thy whole body sliall be full of light. 23.
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of
darknass. If therefore the light that is in thee be dark-
ness, how great (.s- that darkness !
"Luke xi. 34, 3.5, 36. ^2 Cor. x. 3 ; Eph. v. 5.
The design of these verses is to illustrate
and enforce the preceding sentiment.
They show that it is of the utmost import-
ance that we form a just judgment where
our treasure lies, and that we have right
views of what is necessary and sufficient
to make such beings as we are truly hajji^y.
The body is as a large room, naturally dark.
The eye, though not the source of light
(which is the sun) is necessary (as a win-
dow, as it were, to the body,) to the man
deriving any advantage from the sun. If,
therefore, his eye is simple, not complex,
not distorted, not looking in two directions
(see Prov. iv. 25-27), but looking directly
forward, by the light, which is rectilinear,
a true image will be painted on the retina,
and the man will see clearly the object
gazed at — all the members of his body, too,
will enjoy the advantages of the light, and
the man will know what he is doing, and
where he is going. So with the moral
man : truth is the light of the mind, and if
the faculty which apprehends truth — if
this mental eye be single, looking right at
its object, the whole inner man is full of
light, and by the clear perception, and firm
belief of the truth, all the powers of our
nature will be influenced, and perform
their various functions properly. (Prov.
iv. 20 ; John viii. 12 ; Heb. xii. 1, 2.) But
if the eye be evil — if the man be blind
altogether, or if his eyes be so distempered
by any alloy of base self-interest, as to
mistake one object for another, if his heart
be divided between heaven and earth and
he supposes that the world in any of its
forms can make him happy, his whole
nature is, and must be, full of darkness.
The regulative faculty being wrong, all
others must be so. And hou- great is that
darkness J — hoAV great must the darkness
be which is thus deprived of the means of
illumination ! The man is in constant and
fearful danger of stumbling and falling,
and when he thinks himself in perfect
safety, he is in extreme danger. " When,"
says one, " the pilot is drowned, and the
light extinguished, and the captain taken
prisoner, what more hope is there for the
crew?"
24. iNo man can .serve two ma.sters : for either he will
hate the one, and love the other : or else he will hold to
the one, and despise the other. jYe cannot serve God
and mammon.
^Luke xvi. 13. JGal. 1. 10 ; 1 Tim. vi. 17 ; James iv. 4 ;
IJohn ii. 15.
Here we have the third reason against
indulging in worldly mindedness, the first
90
MATTHEW.
being given in verses 19-21, and the sec-
ond in verses 22-23. If any one should
think that possibly he might reconcile the
criminal employment of temporal riches
with the attainment of eternal life, our
Lord anticipates and explodes this vain
refuge. Mammon, according to some, was
the name of a Syrian false god ; others say it
is a Punic word signifying gain. We are
warranted by the original in understand-
ing the word as comprehending every-
thing that is capable of being an object of
trust, or a ground of confidence to men of
worldly minds, such as wealth, power,
honor, fame, business, gay amusements,
and all the other various pursuits of the
present scene. The point contended for
in respect to God is not exclusive possession,
but exclusive dominion. Other things may
occasionally, for a certain time, and to a
certain degree, have possession of our
minds, but they must not ride, must not
reign over them. We can serve but one
master faithfully and effectually, and that
one must be God. The concerns of this
life may have their diie place in our hearts,
but they must not aspire to the first: this
is the prerogative of religion alone; reli-
gion must be supreme and paramount over
all. Every one, it has been often said,
has his ruling passion. That of the Chris-
tian must be the love of his Maker and
Redeemer. This must ijrincipaUy occupy
his thoughts, time, attention, and heart.
If there be any thing else which has gained
ascendency over our souls, on which our
desires, wishes, hopes or fears are chiefly
fixed, God is then dispossessed of His
rightful dominion over us, we serve another
master, and shall think but little of our
Maker, or anything belongingto Him. The
words hate, despise, express here the op-
posite of attachment, such an indifference,
or dislike, as leads to neglect.
2o. Therefore I say unto you, ^Take no thought for
your life, wh;it ye sliall eat, or what yeshall drink ; nor
yet for your body, what ye sliall put on. Is not the
life more than meat, and the body than raiment ?
^Ps. Iv. 22 ; Luke xii. 22 : Phil. iv. 6 : 1 Peter v. 7.
The transition from the foregoing A'erses
is evident. The most common excuse for
men's striving after earthly possessions is,
the care they have about the necessaries
of life; therefore must this care be subor-
dinated to the high end of life. Therefore,
in view of what has been said — since it is
God's part, like a true master, to care for
us. Unto you, that is, to the disciples of
the Lord, the children of the Father, with
all who, by His gi-ace, would become so.
Take no thought for your life. This does not
mean that we are to make no provision
(Prov. vi. 6-8; Tim. v. 8; 2 Thes. iii. 8, 9,
10; Acts xviii. 3, xx. 34), but that we be
not excessively anxious — yield to no inor-
dinate or solicitous concern or grief beyond
our immediate wants, calling, or daily oc-
cuj^ation. To take thought of a thing is a
Christian duty, but to indulge in carping,
irritating anxiety, is sin. Many persons
are not satisfied with meeting to-day's du-
ties in to-day's strength, but they cast the
net into the unsounded future of to-mor-
row ; they draw it in-shore, and in it are
all venomous reptiles, that sting their
hearts with a thousand anxieties. What
ye shall eat, &c. Earthly care is directed
first of all to nourishment and clothing.
Both forms the Saviour opposes, inasmuch
as He points those that are anxious to
what they see in the realm of nature, but
above all to the truth that Pie who has
already given the higher will certainly
not let them lack the lesser. The questions
thus prohibited are questions of infidel
distru.st asked by a Mammon worshiper,
who is called upon to become a man of
faith, but is afraid he will thereby lose his
earthly living. Is not the life, &c. Here is
an argument from greater to less. Surely
He who gives life can give food ; surely He
who gave you a body can give you cloth-
ing for that body. And as to give life is a
far greater favor than to give food, to give
a body than to give clothing, and as the
life of a Christian especially was bestowed
not for a trifling purpose, surely He who
has given the more valuable blessing u-ill
not withhold the less.
26. "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not,
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your
heavenly Father feedetli them. Are ye not much bet-
ter than they ?
"Job xxxviii. 41 ; Ps. cxlvii. 9; Luke xii. 24, &c.
Behold — observe well. P>y fovls is here
meant the birds, and their representation
as fowls of the air serA'es to show their free
and uncaring condition, flying from one
place to another at their pleasure. Perhaps
at this particular moment birds had in
CHAPTER YI.
91
our Lord's immediate vicinity drawn His
attention to this. *S'o(t', rcaji, gather into
bants. Tlie tliree main i)oints of husbandry
are mentioned, all ■which are denied in
reference to the birds, which is equivalent
to saying that they use no means at all for
the production of their food, but are
wholly de2)endent on their instincts and
the bounties of their Maker. Are ye not
much better than they f The reasoning is
much more pointed and popular by being
compressed into a question instead of being
stated as a formal proposition. You are
much better than the birds ; as men you
occupy a far higher sphere in the scale of
being ; you belong to a nobler order, and
are designed for a higher destiny. You
are created in God's image — you are ac-
knowledged as "His offspring." (Acts. xvii.
28.) He has taught you more than the
beasts of the field, and made you "wiser
than the fowls of heaven." (Job xxxv.
11.) And if we consider our Lord as ad-
dressing those who are laying up treasures
for themselves in heaven, the argument is
still more forcible, as such persons are the
objects of His i:)eculiar love, and Lie has
bound Llimself by promise that they shall
want no good thing. Will the God who
cares for and feeds these birds overlook
you and allow you to perish for want of
food ? The consideration of the world is
a continual lesson for a rational creature,
and faith finds something everywhere to
increase and strengthen itself. The care
which God takes of every living creature
upbraids men Avith their uneasiness and
distrust. Man knows too well his own
excellence, and how to set himself off
when he would gain the confidence of
others. But he forgets what he is when
he should put his confidence in God.
27. Which of you. ^by taking thought, can add one
cubit unto liis stature?
I'Ecol. ili. H ; Lul^e xii. 25; 1 Cor. xii. IS.
Tah'ng thought, indulging in anxious so-
licitude. Can add, &.C The cubit was
originally the length from the elbow to
the end of the middle finger. The cubit
of the Scriptures is not far from twenty-
two inches. The context requires stature
to be translated life, or time of one's life.
For, 1. Our Lord refers to the x^rolonging
of life by the supplying of its necessaries
of food and clothing. 2. It is not easy to
see how the incajjacity of persons, by
anxiety to increase their height — a thing
very little connected with their happiness
in any way — is a i-eason wliy they should
not be anxious about wdiat is absolutely
necessary for the continuance of their life.
3. The thing implied in the text, and es-
pecially in the loarallel passage, Luke xii.
2G, is something inconsiderable, whereas
the addition of a cubit to one's stature
would be a very great one. It is here im-
plied that the duration of life has its fixed
measure. It is not uncommon for the
sacred writers to apply linear measure to
time. (Job ix. 25 ; Ps. xxxix. 5 ; Acts xiii.
25 ; 2 Tim. iv. 7.) As thus explained, our
Lord's words contain a strong argument
why we should not be anxious about life
or food. It serves no purpose ; no anxiety
of ours can protract life. True confidence
nmst needs be a thing extremely rare and
very necessary, since Christ recommends
it to us with so much earnestness.
2S. And why take ye thought for raiment ? Consider
the lilies of tlie tield, how Ihey grow; they toil not,
neither do tliej- spin : 20. And j-et I say unto you, Tliat
reven Solomon in all his glory wa-s not arraj-ed like one
ofthe<p.
^1 Kings X. 5, T ; 2 Chron. ix. 4, 6 ; Luke xii. 27.
After speaking of sustenance for the life,
our Lord now speaks of clothing for the
body. Having shown God's care of living
things, Lie now shows it over things inani-
mate. Consider, literally, study thorougldi/,
note accurately, not necessarily as a mass,
but also as individuals — observe closely as
one who is a learner — not from mere taste
or curiosity, but to derive a moral lesson.
(See Prov. vi. 6-8, xxx. 24-31.) The lilies.
No species offinvl was mentioned, but now
the emphasis is more specific — the lilies.
From the name under which this flower
goes in our translation, the reader is led to
transfer his imagination to that humble
plant, whose head, drooping in modesty,
and whose petals, whiter than the purest
snow, point out to us the lily of the vale,
and which, whether on the mountains or
among the varied artificial treasures of the
flower-garden, is allowed to bear away the
palm of natural beauty. But that flower
does not grow wild in the Holy Land ; and,
as the fields of the Levant are overrun witli
a species of large lily, called the Amaryllis
lutea, whose white and golden or purple
92
]\I A T T H E W ,
flowers, beautifully blended, afford one of
the most brilliant and gorgeous objects in
nature, the comparison which our Lord
makes of the beauties of the lily to the
royal magnificence of Solomon, and the
superiority which He alleges of nature's
produce to the imposing appearance of that
splendid monarch, are not more just in the
truth of the natural description than in the
historical exactness of the similitude. It
is two or three times as large as the ordi-
nary lily, and being variegated with the
most superb tints and gorgeous hues, has
something imperial in its bearing, and pre-
sents a display of matchless splendor,
" surpassing Solomon in all his glory." The
dress of eastern princes, on public occa-
sions, is rich and splendid almost beyond
description ; and their vestments, consist-
ing chiefly of purple and the finest linen,
decorated with rows of the most dazzling
jewels, and set off to advantage, as they
always are, in the rays of a meridian sun,
give an air of grandeur to the illustrious
wearers, which never is beheld without
admiration. How superb, then, must be
that oriental flower, which " is born to blush
often unseen" among the mountains of
Palestine, although the splendor of the
greatest monarch that ever sat on the throne
of that country could never rival its gor-
geous beauty !
Our Lord may have selected this partic-
ular plant for His illustration because, 1.
It adorned the sides of the mountain on
which He stood. 2. It was an emblem of
Himself. (Cant. ii. 1.) 3. It is an emblem
of Christians. (Hos. xiv. 5.) Of the field
— not cultivated, not growing in the gar-
den, but growing of themselves in the
common lield. How they grow, i. e., in
what manner they grow. The varied colors
of the flowers are, so to speak, their robe,
just as it is said of man's mortal body that
it shall "put on innnortality." (1 Cor. xv.
54.) As the beauty of the flower is un-
folded by the Creator from within, so must
all true adornment of man be unfolded
from within by the same Almighty Spirit.
(Seel Peter iii. 3,4.) They toil not, &c. — they
cannot prepare themselves their clothing.
They neither practice the labors of hus-
bandry to procure the materials of cloth-
ing, nor engage in the processes of art to
form them into raiment, and yet they are
clothed in garments of beauty far surpass-
ing anything which the wardrobe of roy-
alty can display.
Solomon — in the estimation of a Jew the
most illustrious of sovereigns, Solomon, in
all his glory (see above) was not arrayed, &c.
The lily belongs to the paradise of God;
Solomon's glory to the hot-house of art.
If to inanimate objects — flowers — is grant-
ed such beauteous costume, how unworthy
is the desire in man to be clad in robes of
splendor, when his highest eflbrts will not
place him on a level, in this respect, with
the wild plants of the field. We have
here the declaration of the Creator Him-
self concerning the relative glory and
beauty of all human pomp, compared with
the meanest of His own works. All God's
works display more of His Avisdom the
more they are examined. The most ex-
ciuisite articles of raiment wrought by man,
when surveyed through the microscope,
exhibit rudeness and roughness. But the
white and purple of the lily, under even
the inspection of the glass, compel us to
exclaim : " This is the finger of God."
30. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field,
vvhicli to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven,
slKdl lir not much more clotlie you, dO ye of little faith ?
dMark iv. 40 : Heb. iii. 12.
Wherefo7r, the premises having been re-
cited, the argument from less to greater is
now stated, and again in the form of an
interrogation. Grass here signifies herb-
age generally, including the flowers which
grow up among the grass. In Palestine
the grass withers in the course of two days
under a strong cast wind, when it is only
fit for hay or fuel, for Avhich latter purpose
it is ordinarily used in eastern countries
where fuel is scarce. Oven. It consists of
a large jar made of clay, about three feet
high, and widening toward the bottom,
with a hole for the extraction of the ashes.
Occasionally, however, it is not an actual
jar, but an erection of clay in the form of
a jar, built on the floor of a house
It was heated with dry twigs and grass,
and the loaves were placed both inside
and outside of it. Shall he not, &c. Let
reason judge, if He who has done so much
to beautify insensate matter, may not be
expected to provide sufficient covering for
His own obedient children whom He has
CHAPTER VI.
93
bought with an infinite price, within whom
He hiis put His Spirit, and whom He has
made partakers of the Divine nature.
When man is once more elevated by tlie
words vinch more above the fragile and
fading grass and flowers, we discern in this
a sublime ai)peal to faith, inasmuch as to
all appearance man's sensitive, earthly life
is just on a level with the withering grass.
(See Ps. xc. 6.) O ye of little faith f The
expression, "little-faithed ones," which
our Lord applies once and again to His
disciples (chap. viii. 20, xiv. 31, xvi. 8,) can
hardly be regarded as rebuking any actual
manifestation of unbelief at that early
period, and before such an audience. It is
His way of gently chiding the spirit of
nnljclief, so natural even to the best, who
are surrounded by a world of sense, and
of kindling a generous desire to shake it
off. "When IMungo Park, the great African
traveler, was once robbed, beaten and left
to perish in the wilderness, just as he was
ready to resign himself to death, the ex-
traordinary beauty of a small moss caught
his eye. The thought tliat the Being who
planted, watered and brought to perfection
in that obscure place a thing which ap-
peared of so small importance, would not
look with unconcern on the sufferings of a
creature formed after His own image ;
would not, as he tells us, allow him to de-
spair ; he started up, and disregarding
both hunger and fiitigue, traveled forward,
assured that relief was at hand, and he
was not disappointed.
31. ThPre<bre take no thoucrht, sayincr, fWhatsliaUwe
eat ? or, W^hat shall we di'ink ? or, Wherewithal shall
wo be clothefl ?
fliev. XXV. 30 ; Ps. xxxvii. 3, Iv. 22 ; 1 Peter v. 7.
Our Lord here resumes the exhortation
of verse 25. He forbids two things : taking
thought, or solicitude, and then, saying,
giving open utterance to the same, because
the taking thought weighs down and dis-
pirits the heart of one only, but the saying
infects others also with despondencj% As
meat — drink — clothing, are subjects of
anxiety rather with the poor, than with
the rich, that class may take the present
as a solemn caution addressed to them-
selves. But the words convey a lesson to
rich and poor alike, for as \rhat and irhere-
vrithal indicate anxiety about the lind of
thing, rather than about the thing itself —
daintiness in meat, drink, clothing, is here
specially forbidden to all.
32. (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek :)
for your heavenly Father knowelh that ye have need
of all these things.
Here are two additional reasons why
those whom Christ addressed should not
be anxious : 1. For after all these things, all
worldly goods, and earthly treasures (verses
18-21), which are included under the do-
minion of the world-god. Mammon, do the
Gentiles seel: — heathens — the world outside
of the Jewish nation. The heathen had
very obscure and incorrect views of the
divine character and government. Some
of them believed that all was fixed by fate ;
others, that all was left to chance. The
one considered the gods themselves as
subject to fate ; the others thought that
they took no interest in the concerns of
mortals. "With such views, how could
they trust in these gods? Of a future
world, they had no distinct knowledge.
This world was everything to them, and
it was not wonderful that they should be
anxious about obtaining its necessaries and
comforts, and making the most of them
all. But it is unworthy of a Christian to
be distinguished by a mode of thinking
and feeling which is emphatically heath-
enisli. 2. For your heavenly Father hnowcth,
&c. This is an intense repetition of what
had been preparatorily uttered in verse 8,
following verse 7. The stress of emphasis
falls upon the hioueth : ye have a living
God, ivho hwurfh ! But in addition to His
knowing. His willingness is already secured
in the name of Father, so that we may say
that every single word in the whole sen-
tence utters a ground of assurance and
strong consolation, coming as it does from
Him who " knoweth the Father." (Chap.
xi.27.)
31?. But fseek ye first the kin'^dom of God, and his
riuhteousness; and all these things shall be added unto
yon.
«See 1 Kings iii. 12, 13 : Psalms xxxvii. 25 ; Mark x. 30 ;
Luke xii. 31 ; 1 Tim. iv. S.
Bid. Our Lord shows His hearers how
the indulgence of a special solicitude about
even necessary things belonging to the pre-
sent life is to be avoided — not by mere
negation, or attempting simply to abstain
from such anxiety and unbelief, but by
positively doing something else which will
immediately correct the evil. Seek is here
94
MATTHEW.
emphatic, opposed to the "seek" of verse
32 ; it means — make tiiis the object of su-
preme choice and pursuit. First — before
and above all else. The kingdom of God —
the kingdom of heaven. To seek this
kingdom is to seek to i^romote the reign of
God in ourselves and others. And His
righteousness — the righteousness which He
communicates and requires. (See Rom.
viii. 4; Cor. xv. 10; 2 Cor. iii. 5; Gal. ii. 8;
Eph.iii. 7; Phil. ii. 13, iii. 13,14; John xv.
4.) The connection between righteousness
and the obtaining of the kingdom should not
be overlooked. They go together. All these
things, &c. (verse 8) — all we require for the
present life, shall be given over and above
the spiritual good directly flowing from de-
votion to God's service. This does not
imply that grace in the heart will ensure
the supply of temporal wants without i)er-
sonal exertion. The original denotes that
which was given in addition to the purchase
— so to speak, " into the bargain." (1 Tim.
iv. 8; Psalms xxxvii. 3, 4 and 25, xli. 1, 2;
Prov. xi. 24, 25, xix. 17; Mark x. 29, 30.
34. Take th^efore no thouRlit for the morrow : for the
morrow s^hall take thought lor the things of itself. Suf-
ficient unto tlie day is the evil thereof.
Of course Ave are not to understand that
all care and foresight are forbidden, but
only anxious carefulness, else Joseph was
wrong in laying in his stock of corn (Gen.
xli.), and Solomon's allusion to the ant
was a mistake (Prov. vi. 6). The "bag"
which contained the common fund where-
by the daily need of the Son of Man and
His followers was supplied (John xii. (>),
showed tJiOugJd. For the morrow. The
Christian should not be careful for even
the next day. It may not arrive to liim;
if it does, it will bring its supplies, and thus
"take thought for itself" The personifi-
cation by which the day is rej^resented as
caring for its own wants is full of mean-
ing. The idea is, that within the sphere
of each new day new means of help are in
waiting for us. In this counsel we have
an exjiression of the Saviour's sympathy
with the daily care of man. AVhat is the
use of tacking to-day's troubles on to-mor-
row's troubles, when we have only to-day's
strength? God has not promised strength
for two days at once, but for each day as
it dawns.
Sufficient for the day is the trouble (for that
is the translation) "thereof.''^ And besides,
thinking ijainfully of to-morrow does not
lighten the burdens of to-morrow. Let
us, therefore, do the duties of to-day, and
draw from the Fountain of Strength, to-
morrow, strength for to-morrow, and then
we shall find that, by thus seeking first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness,
to-day's and to-morrow's things shall be
added to us, for He has promised it. " Life
is no series of chances with a few i>rovi-
dences sprinkled between to keep up a
justly failing belief, but one jirovidence of
God."
1. Wtat is meant by "alms ?" 2. "What is forbidden concerning them ? 3. Why is it forbidden? 4. What is
required concerning " alms ?" 5. Why is it required ? 6. What Is enjoined in respect to prayer ? 7. What is said
of the " Lord's prayer ?" 8. Explain "After this manner." 9. What do we learn from the words "Our Father ?"
la What does the first part of the prayer begin with ? 11. What the second ? 13. Explain the petitions severally,
^X What is said about fa-sting ? 14. Explain verses 19, 20. 15. How are we to understand a "single" and an
" evil " "eye ?" IG. Why cannot a man serve two masters ? 17. How are we to " take no thought for our life ?"
18. Why ? 19. What is the argument drawn from the lilies and the birds ? 20. What is meant by " the kingdom
of God, and His righteousness ?" 21. Explain " Take no thought for the morrow."
CHAPTER VII.
95
CHAPTER VII.
1 Ctmtions against rash judfjmrnt. 6 Things holy are
tvit t» bf casi to doys. 7 J^nvouragcnirnt to praytT. 12
The rule of doijig as we would be dtyne to. 13 The
strait gate and narrow way, and the wide j/d/r and
broad way. 15 A ivarrUng against false jjro/)/iets,
who may be known by tlieir fruits. 21 Xo i/ijts i,r
miraeles will auail the workers of ini<iuit}i at tile day
of judgment. '24 'J'Jie jiaruble uf the house built on «
rork, a; and that on the sand, '16 C/iri.Kt concludes,
and the people are a.'itonisi' ed at his doctrine.
JUDGE "not, that ye be not judged. 2. For with wh^it
judsmont ye judge, ye shall he judged : ii.ind with
what me;isure ye mete, it shall be meiisured to you
again.
ttLuke vi. .37; Rom. ii. 1, and xiv. 3, 4, 10, 13; 1 Cor.
Iv. 3, o ; James iv. 11. 12 ; bMark iv. 24 ; Luke vi. 38.
The judging here forbidden is not judg-
ing by civil magistrates in tlieir spheres, or
judging by ecclesiastical olficers of appli-
cants for admission to the communion, or
th it judgment which cannot but be formed
of ihe state and character of men from their
avowed principles and visible conduct, for
Christ directs His discii)les to judge by this
rule. (See verses 16-20; Heb.v. 14.) The
judging referred to obviously respects per-
sonal actions and characters. We are not
to be officious in our judgments, intermed-
dling with what we have no concern with,
or rash, not deciding, even when called to
judge, till we have carefully examined the
subject, or presumptuous ijronouncing on
things beyond our reach — such as the
views and motives of others, and acting
as if our conjectures were infallible truths ;
or severe, but putting the best construc-
tion on doubtful actions ; (1 Cor. viii. 5,
7,) or partial, condemning in one what we
approve, or at least pass by, in another,
condemning in our neighbor what we
overlook in ourselves ; or hasty in pro-
nouncing judgment, because it is very
diflicult to obtain j^ossession of all the ma-
terials that in any case are necessary to
form a correct judgment, and to pronounce
judgment without this, is to run the hazard,
at least, of doing cruel injustice. (Rom,
xiv. 4, 10; 1 Cor. iv. 5.)
For withv'lmt judgment, &c. Such is the
ordinary course cf things in the i^resent
life. A censorious spirit toward others
brings censure in abundance upon our-
selves. And if we go on condemning in
this manner till death, we must expect to
be condemned at a judgment seat, from the
decisions of which there is no appeal.
(James ii. 13.)
3. cAnd why beholdest thou the mote that Is In thy
brother's eye, \mt eoii.siderest not the beam that is In
thine own eye? 4. Or how wilt thou Bay to tliv brother.
Let nie pull (lut the mole out of thine eye. and behold a
beam i.s in tliineown eye? 5. Thou hypocrite, first cast
out llie beam out ofthine own eye; and then shall thou
see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
«Luke vi. 41, 42.
Mote means a small bit of straw, or grass,
or dry wood. Beam means a large piece
of timber, such as is used for the rafter of
a roof. A contrast is intended between
little faults and great ones. The epithet
hypocrite, so frequently applied by our Lord
to the scribes and Pharisees, does not al-
ways mean that they were always deceiv-
ing those about them by a profession which
they kneiv to be hollow. The offer of the
man to pull out the mote from his brothcr^s
eye, supposed him to have considered him-
self perfectly clear-sighted. The censori-
ous are here condemned, and those, also,
who, though never perhaps designated
censorious, yet are lynx-eyed for all the
blemishes and faults which disfigure their
neighl3ors, and set themselves to the re-
moval of what is wrong in others, without
due consideration as to their own fitness
for such duty.
^Ye are here taught the lesson of the
true relative magnitude which our own
faults and those of our brother ought to
hold in our estimation. What is a " mote "
to one looking on another, is to that other
himself a "beam," ju.st the reverse of the
ordinary estimate. We are not to close
our eyes to the defects of others, but first
to be jealously anxious to obtain clear
vision ourselves.
Flr.H caei out, &c. The reason of this re-
quirement is obvious. Only the man who
has learned to deal with his own heart
unreservedly, in the way of tracing out
and bringing into the light of day all that
would hide itself there, who has experi-
mentally learned how deceitful as well as
wicked that heart is, is prepared to deal
wisely with others. Then only will he see
clearly, &c. Besides, the very process
through which he has himself passed will
give a gentleness and tenderness to all that
he may be called to do with others, which
he never otherwise could have possessed.
We should forgive ourselves little, and
others much.
96
MATTHEW.
6. dGive not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither
cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them
under tlieir leet, and turn again, and rend you.
dProv. ix. 7, 8, and xxili. 9 ; Acts xiii. 45, 40.
The preceding rule abates the sharp eye
of wrong judging ; this quickens and clears
the eye of right discerning ; that was for
the moderate censuring of evil ; this is
for the prudent imparting of good. Dogs
and svAne were both counted unclean by
the luAV, and are consequently mentioned
in Scrii^ture with contempt. (2 Sam. iii.
8, and ix, 8 ; 2 Kings viii. 13 ; Matt. xv.
26 ; Rev. xxii. 15 ; Prov. xi. 22 ; Luke xv.
15, 16.) Some maintain that one animal
here denotes unbelievers ; the other un-
worthy Christians. That xchkh is holy is
God's, and that it may not be desecrated,
preserve it from the profane ! But it
has become also our treasure and prop-
erty, if we are Christians ; hence it is added,
your pearls, partly in the same sense as
chajjter xiii. 45, 46, partly with a specific
design in the plural form. So act for the
sake of God's honor that the holy things
may not be desi^ised : take care that your
treasure and the good that is in you be not
evil spoken of (Rom. xiv. 16), for your own
sakcs, for there are those who will despise
and destroy the precious gift, and the Avell-
intentioned, imx^rudent girer.
The general sentiment is, that religion,
in its principles and experiences, is not to
be forced upon those who cannot value it
and will not have it, so that it shall be
brought into contempt, and its professors
be insulted. But while the indiscriminately
zealous have need of this caution, let us be
on our guard against too readily setting our
neighbors down as dogs and swine, and
excusing ourselves from endeavoring to
do them good on this poor plea. (See Mark
iv. 33.) AVe have here also a warning
against irreverence in regard of holy things,
which may not be discoursed of in all com-
panies, without discriminating resjject had
to circumstances of time and place. (Eccl.
viii. 5 ; Prov. ix. 7, 8.) In fultilling this
direction, we have much need of that on-
nointing that teaches us all things. (1 John
ii. 27.)
7. H eAsk and it shall be given yo\i ; seek, and ye shall
find; knock, and it s'.iall be opened unto you: 8. For
fevery one tuat asketh, receivoth, and he that seeketh,
findeth ; and to him tliat knocketli, it sliall be opened.
fChron. xxi. 22 ; Mark xi. 24 ; Luke xi. 9, 10, and xviil.
1; John xiv. W, xv. 7, and xvi. 2.3, 24 ; James i. 5,0; 1
John iii. 22, and v. 14, 15. 'Prov. viii. 17; Jer. xxix. 12,
13.
The connection here may be seen by
supposing the hearer to mentally exclaim :
If that which is holy is not to be given to
dogs, &c., what hope is there for man, so
infinitely unworthy of the Divine mercy ?
In reference to such an inquiry, our Lord
proceeds to unfold the readiness of God
to bestow His favors upon such as humbly
and devoutly implore them. The three
rejietitions of the command, ash, seek, knock,
are more than mere repetitions. There is
an ascending scale of earnestness. Each
of the words manifests increased importu-
nity, so that each apparent refusal will add
earnestness to the entreaty, until the re-
quired blessing is received. A man, in
order to offer up a good prayer, must ask
with the humility of a beggar, seek with
the carefulness of a good servant, and
knock with the confidence of a friend.
This three-fold command to pray is, in-
deed, a commentary on words of our Lord
spoken at another time : " The kingdom
of heaven sufTereth violence, and the vio-
lent take it by force." Who can tell the
amount of blessedness from which we ex-
clude ourselves by lack of earnestness in
prayer ?
For every one, &c. The change from the
future tense (verse 7) to the present, here,
is significant : " Not only shall you receive
hereafter what you ask, but whoever does
ask, does receive accordingly." That is to
say, believing prayer is never vain or un-
successful, and the knowledge of this truth
is among the most eflicient antidotes to
skeptical misgiving and excessive care.
When we do not receive that which Ave
ask, let us always believe either that we
do not ask it as wo ought, or that it is good
for us not to receive it. (2 Cor. xii. 7-9.)
We must receive refusals from God as gifts
with adoration and thanksgiving, because
it is really a great gift for us not to receive
that which He foresees we would abuse,
and the abuse of which would incense
His wrath against iis. (See Ps. Ixxvii. 18-
31 ; 1 Sam. viii. 6-9 and 19-22 ; IIos. xiii.
11.) Sometimes prayer, though refused
at the time, is eventually answered in a
different and far higher sense than was
expected. (Deut. 111^23-27 ; Luke ix. 28-
31 ; Mark x. 3.3-40 ; Matt. xix. 27-28 ; Josh,
ii. 3, 4.) But the promise is far oftener
CHAPTER VII.
97
fulfilled, in the strict letter, and at once.
(Gen. xviii. 23-33, xx. 17, xxiv. 12-15;
Num. xi. 2 ; Josh. x. 12, 14 ; Matt. viii. 1,
2,- 3, ix. 27, 29 ; Luke xvii. 13 ; Josh. iv.
49-53.)
9. cOr what m.an is there of you, whom if his son ask
breaJ, will 111' Kivt' liim a stone? 10. Or if heask atish,
will he give liim a siipint ? 11. If ye then >'being evil
know how to give KOiiJ gilts unto your children, how
much more sliall your Father which is in heaven give
good things to them that a-sk him ?
BLuke xi. 11, 12, 13. toen. vi. 5, xviii. 21.
Our Lord here draws from the domestic
circles of earth "some precious arguments
for confidence in approaching our heavenly
Father. What man, &c. This is not the
way you ever dream of dealing with your
children, who depend on you for their
support. " Young preachers," says Dr.
Doddridge, "are desired to consider how
much force it adds to these discourses of
our Lord, that they are an immediate ad-
dress to His hearers, and not general har-
angues, like the essays now so fashionable
in pulpits." Bread. Probably the round
cake now used in the East, and bearing
some resemblance to a smooth, flat stone.
The same resemblance may be traced be-
tween some kinds of serpents and some
kinds of fish. Now, if earthly parents will
not mock their children when hungry, by
giving them that which is not food, and
especially if they will not give them a
noxious and deadly thing instead of food,
it may not be expected that God will re-
fuse humble and earnest suppliants the
good things which they ask. He will not
give us a stone instead of bread, but we
may ourselves, and we should fear lest we
do, change the bread of God into a stone
by the hardness of our heart. When, too,
we do not get whatever we ask, and when
Ave ask it, we may be sure that, in our ig-
norance and short-sightedness, we asked a
stone or a serpent, because they seemed
lieautiful — not knowing that the one was
destitute of nourishment, and that the
other would sting.
If ye then being evil, &c. The corruption
of man's nature is here taught. This is
not a comparison of the morally corrupt
man with God, but rather a contrast. If
men, being evil, notwithstanding their de-
pravity, which blinds their judgments,
makes them defective in moral purity, and
tends to make them weary through re-
7
peated provocations, and selfish, knoir hov)
to give, are a1>le, understand from their cx-
jjerience, and have the disposition to give,
good gifts, in reference to this life, unto tfieir
cliildren, their beloved offspring, how much-
more — the difference is not defined, being,
indeed, infinite (see Rom. v. 9, 10, viii. 22)
— shall your Father which is in heaven — an
essential description here, because the ar-
gument itself is one from the parental love
of men to that of God — give good tilings (in
Luke xi. 13, "the Holy Spirit"); thus inti-
mating, as the terms illustrate one another,
that the Holy Spirit is the best gift of God
to those that have received the truth as it
is in Jesus, and comprehends all things
which are truly and essentially good for
them. To them that ask him, literally, to
tJtose asking him — a phrase which not only
suggests the indispensable condition of
God's favors, but also shows the necessity
of i^rayer as a preventive of unbelieving
and excessive care.
The argument of Jesus in verse 11 seems
to derive its force from these three consid-
erations. 1, If the love of offspring be so
strong in our nature, how powerfully must
it operate in Him who is the Fountain of
natural affection ! 2. , The reception of the
Holy Spirit has relation to our highest
welfare — our spiritual and eternal inter- -
ests. 3. The influence of the Spirit, unlike
any gift which a parent bestows upon his
child, can never fail of being intrinsically
and eternally good. It is a precious truth
that this view of God, so human, so pater-
nal, is given us by One who knows what He
affirms. (Matt. xi. 27.) This great gift of
the Holy Spirit, which is to be asked in the
name of Jesus, be it remembered, we may
ask unconditionally, and without limit — as
we are permitted to supplicate for nothing
else, at the throne of grace.
It is indeed better for us and our friends-
that some of our prayers should not bo
answered. "Monica, dreading the perse-
cutions which were then threatening the
metropolis, prayed to God that He would
not suffer her son to go to Rome : he went
notwithstanding, and it was in Italy that
he found Christ." This son was Augustine,
the celebrated church father, born in the-
middle of the fourth centurj', whose ecu
version was a most remarkable illustratioa
98
MATTHEW,
of the grace of God. We should be careful
to pray for bread, not for a stone. It is
better that the praj^er be lost if offered for
that which will not nourish.
12. Therefore all things 'whatsoever ye would that
men should do to you, do ye even so to them : for kthis
is the law and the prophets.
"Luke vi. ol; kLev. xix. 18; Chron. xxii,40; Kom.
xiji. 8, 9, 10; Gal. V. 14; 1 Tim. 1. 5.
Therefore, a comprehensive reference to
the preceding part of the chapter, yet more
immediately to the close of the former
verse, where the free mercy of God was set
before the disciples : as if it were said, in
prayer commit yourself with perfect con-
fidence to the God who giveth every good
and perfect gift, but on that very ground
imitate Him in your conduct toward your
neighbors. All things whatsoever ye would
includes and sums up with most signifi-
cant (lefiniteness every individual case that
could prompt the question : What is here
my duty to my neighbor? — all things, small
and great, seen and unseen, whether done
when absent or present, and whether in-
volving much sacrifice or little.
In interpreting this rule we are to have
» regard to the following limitations: 1. AVe
are not to overlook the diiference which
exists in regard to the circumstances in
which we are severally placed, as, for ex-
ample, in the case of a fother and a child,
a master and a servant, a magi.strate and his
subjects. 2. What we would that others
should do to us, is not to determine our
duty to them, unless the thing we would
they should do to us is right in itself, as in
the case of a criminal desiring a judge not
to condemn him. 3. We are not obliged to
do all that to others which we might pro-
bably be glad they would do to us, that is,
the rule does not apply to everything that
is lawful, but to what is reasonable, as if a
poor man should desire that one who is
wealthy should give him enough to make
him rich. This rule has the following,
among other points of interest: 1. It is plain
and concise. 2. It is admirably adapted to
sudden emergencies, when there is not
time for long deliberation as to what duty
demands. 3. It is susceptible of universal
application — to all persons, places, and
things. 4. It meets those cases in which
self-interest and private feelings are likely
to dim our perceptions of right and wrong.
5. Being founded in the reason of things, it
is such a precept as approves itself to the
mind of a reasonable creature, as soon as
he hears and understands it, so as, not to
need any labored proof. The demand
which it addresses to us is found in our
own heart, in the shape of our demand
upon our neighbor.
It should be noticed that this rule holds
negatively as well as positively. We are
as mucli bound not to do to others what
we would not have others do to us, as to
do to them what we would have them do
to us. To neglect to do what we would
expect from others, is equally wrong in
nature, though it may not be equally
wrong in degree, as to do to them what
we would not wish them to do to us. Fur
this is the law, &c. " This is the substance
of all relative duty, all Scripture in a nut-
shell." (Luke xi. 13; Gal. v. 14.)
13. lEnter ye in at the strait gate : for wide in the gate,
andbriiad ('.s tlic way, that Ie;iik-th to destruction, and
many tlu-re be wliich tro in tlnTc:;t : H. Brcausf, strait
is tlie Kati'. ami narruw is tlie way, wliicli Icadeth unto
life, and ifw lUure be that lind it.— 'Luke xiU. il.
We have here the api)lication of the
whole preceding discourse. (Verses 13-27.)
Two objects are presented : destruction, that
is, future misery ; life, that is, future happi-
ness. And as only tivo conditions hereafter
are stated, so tiro ways, and tuv gates are
represented as leading to one or the other
of those conditions. Nothing is said of a
third course in this world, or of a third place
in the next. Heaven is compared to a pal-
ace or a city. (Rev. xxii. 14 ; Matt. xvi.
18; also Luke xiii. 25.) As mention is
made not only of the strait and th3 wide gate,
but of the narrow and the broad way, we
are reminded that as no one falls into the
hands of Sattm unless he "walks in the wny
of sinners " (Ps. i. 1), so no one can hope to
enter into life, but by walking, first, in "the
way of God's commandments " (Ps. cxix.
32), and treading " the path of life." (Ps.-
xvi. 11.) The broad way is easily entered,
because our depraved nature prompts us
to it ; it needs no search ; it is easily traveled,
because it is so wide as to give scope for
every variety of sinful inclination, and so
many are on it as to help one another for-
ward, but it has a fearful end. Destruction.
The word does not mean annihihition, but
ruin, the destruction not of being, but of
well-being. " ' I am lost, destroyed, or per-
ishedj'was a common Attic phrase,meaning,
CHAPTER VII.
99
I am in the last degree miserable or unfor-
tunate." If the word means annihUaiion,
as some have strangely maintained, the
words in Hosea xiii. 9, O Israel, tliou hast
(Jrstroyed tin/self, mean, O Israel, thou hast
aiinihilakd thyself. It is diffienlt to see
how Israel could have been annihilated
and yet continue in existence.
The narrow way is hard to enter, be-
cause it requires to be found, and we are
unwilling to make sacrifice of sin and self-
righteousness — hard to pursue, because as
the way of holiness it is in opposition to
the natural desires of the human heart,
and requires self-denial (Matt. xvi. 24, xix.
17, 21, 22 ; Eph. ii. 1-3), and because so few
comparatively are traveling it ; but it has
a glorious termination. The one is down,
the other is up, the stream ; the one is in
accordance with the feelings, the tenden-
cies, and the preferences of fallen humanity;
the other crosses them all ; the one is the
way of nature, in which the fall has left
us ; the other is the way of grace, into which
Christ alone can introduce us.
The words " few there be that find it,"
contain nothing discouraging as to the
number of the human race that will be
saved. From other passages of Scripture
we know that there are to be " nations of
the saved," and that they are to form "a
multitude which no man can number." It
also leads .us to a joyful hope respecting
all who die in infancy, and in the age of
millenial glory the converts to true relig-
ion will be very numerous ; so that it may
prove in the long run of our poor earth's
history, that Satan's captives are outnum-
bered bj'' the Saviour's trophies. But in
our Lord's time, in our time, in every in-
tervening age, there can be no doubt that
the truly religious are, and have been, a
minority — comparatively a very small mi-
nority.
1"). 1 n>BPwarp of falpe prnphot'!, "■n-hioh come to you
in slieop's clothing, but inwardly they are oraveriing
Wolves.
■"Deiit. xiii. 3: Jer. xxiii. 16: Cliron. xxiv. 4, .=;, 11, 24;
Jtark xiii. 22; Eoni. xvi. 17, 18; Eph. v. fi; Col. ii. S; 2
Peter ii. 1, 2, 3 ; 1 John iv. 1. nJIicah iii. .5 ; 2 Titus iii 5.
"•Acts XX. 29, 30.
The connection between this passage and
the preceding one is striking. AVould
we keep clear of this "broad way?" We
must beware of false prophets, or fal^ teach-
ers. (See chap. vi. 1, xvi. 0, xxiv. 4; Luke
xii. 1, 15 and 16.) They will arise. They
began in the days of the Apostles. Even
then the seeds of error were sown. They
have appeared continually ever since.
We must be prepared for them, and be on
our guard. They will come wrapping
error in truth's mantle, saying that the
way is not narrow, &c., yet there is ever
something to a discerning eye that will
readily di.scover them. It is the neglect
of the Bible (Ps. cxix. 105) which makes
so many a prey to the first false teacher
whom they hear. He who truly seeks
God trusts no guide until sure that he will
lead to God.
Ki. pYe shall know them by their fruits. qDo men
gather grapes ol thorns, or tigs ol thistles?
pVerse 20, chapter xii. 33. iLuke vi. 43, 44.
As men can always determine the nature
of the tree or bush, not by its appearance,
leaves or blossoms, but by its fruit, so the
claims which religious teachers have to
our attention, faith and obedience, can
and are to be decided, not by their profes-
sion, but by their doctrine and their con-
duct. The guise of hypocrisy will sooner
or later be seen through, notwithstanding
their pretences are as specious as the ber-
ries of thorns are like grapes, and the heads
of thistles are like figs. What is true of
public teachers is equalh' so of private in-
dividuals.
17. Even so revery good treebringetli forth good fruit ;
but a corrupt tree briugetli Ibrth evil fruit. A good tree
cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree
bring forth good Iruit-— rJer. xi. 19 ; chapter xii. ;iS.
Here, as frequently elsewhere, the Sa-
viour compares persons to trees. The law
that like produces like, so immutable in
the natural world, is applied to the law of
moral likeness which exists between the
state of the heart and the external acts of
men. While a tree continues good or evil,
its fruit must be strictly corresponding.
As the corruption of the tree lies back of
the evil fruit, so the corruption of the man's
nature lies back of his evil doings; hence
depravity lies not, as some teach, merely
in the action^^, but in the nature back of the
actions. To become good, the branch must
be united to, and abide in the vine. (John
XV. 4-fi, and see on verse 19.)
19. "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is
hewn (town, and cast into the tire.
eCliapter iii. 10; lAike iii. 9; John xv. 2, 6.
Each fruitless tree, each impenitent indi-
I vidual, iJiut br'ii}g':th not forth good fruit— that
100
M A 7 T II E W ,
ig, right or acceptable to God, and salutary,
useful, to the doer and to others — is hewn
down — that is, cut out, cut up by the root
(see Rom. ii. 24) — and cast into the fire, a
description of the element made use of to
consume the tree, and representing, as a
figure, the wrath of God, or its ruinous
effect upon the unforgiven sinner. (Comp.
Heb. xii. 29.) If the tree serve not for
fruit, to the honor of God's grace, it must
serve for fuel, to the honor of His justice.
In Scrij^ture language, that -which is very
sure and very near, is spoken of as if it Avas
already done; thus Christ speaks of Him-
self as if He was already in possession of
His glory (John xvii. 14) ; sinners are re-
presented as condemned already, and Chris-
tians are spoken of as already glorified.
(Eph. ii. 6; Heb. xii. 22,23.) Let it be
observed that the sin here specified is a
sin of omission. The tree is described, not
as bringing forth evil fruit, but as not
bringing forth good fruit. The neglects of
duty are as dangerous and destructive as
the positive acts of sin.
20. "Wherefore, by their fruits ye sliall know them.
Some regard this as an emphatic repeti-
tion of what is said in verse 16. According
to others, the intimation also lies in the
Vi'ords (in accordance with the "every" of
verses 17, 19,) — by their fruits will ye be
known, even as ye know others. This is
the verification of discipleship before men in
the time of the present life — the shining l)e-
fore men (Chap. v. 14, 16); and with it
the transition is strikingly made to the im-
pressive sequel.
Hence, Ave may learn, that our Lord ex-
pects from His people such knowledge of
the Scriptures that they can discern truth
from falsehood; and such diligence, as to
search the Scriptures, whether the things
their teachers utter be according to them
or not (Acts xvii. 11) ; not taking Divine
truths on trust, nor believing on the mere
word of a teacher, using teachers not as dic-
tators, but only as helpers of their faith. (See
1 John iv. 1-3.)
"There is," says Dr. Chalmers, "a princi-
ple and a cause within for all our actions
without ; the former related to the latter as
the root of a tree is to its fruits, or as a foun-
dation to the building which rises from it.
0 God, put the right principle within me,
that I may be rooted and grounded in the
faith — forgetting not that while justified by
faith I am judged by works. And may
these sayings of Christ sink deep into my
heart. May I feel and recognize His au-
thority in reading, as the men of that day
did in hearing, Him; and enable me to
discern even on the face of His written
word the signatures of that wisdom and
weight which distinguish Him from all
other teachers."
21. 1 Not every one that saith unto me, 'Lord, Lord,
sliall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
'Hos. viii, 2 ; Chap. xxv. 11, 12 ; Luke vi. 46 and xiii.
25 ; Acts xix. 13 ; Kom. ii. 13 ; James i. 22.
Not every one. Our Lord takes a farther
step toward the time of final discrimina-
tion. He turns from fiilse prophets to false
professors, from unsound teachers to un-
sound hearers. To call a i:)erson lord is
equivalent to acknowledging him as master.
If there be any emphasis in the repetition
of the word Lord, it is intended to express,
not merely profession, but a decided, open,
habitual profession. A profession of disci-
pleship, an acknoAvledgement of our sub-
mission in mind and heart to Christ Jesus,
is a solemn duty ; but such profession, by
itself, is not enough for the purpose of sal-
vation, it must be connected with faith and
obedience.
But he that doeth, &c., that will which
it had been the great object of this dis-
course to set forth. To do the will of
God is sincerely to seek to please Him from
love to His name. (Heb. xiii. 20, 21.) Yet
our Lord says warily, not " the will of your
Father," but " of My Father," thus claiming
a relationship to His Father with which His
disciples might not intermeddle, and which
He never lets down. And He so speaks
here, to give authority to His asseverations.
It is not the man who indulges in a few
pious and devotional forms of speech, or
who can make the most beautiful prayers,
that will be saved, but it is he who not
only knows, but does, whose conduct is his
creed, whose character is the test of his
relationship, and who shows that he be-
longs to Christ by having the spirit, wearing
the livery, doing the works, and walking
in the ways of Christ. (See 1 Sam. xv. 22 ;
Hos. vi<^; John xiv. 15, 21, 23, xv. 10, 14;
1 John v. 3. &c.)
CHAFTER VII.
101
22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, Imve
■we "not propiie-iied in thy namo? and in tljy name
have c;LSt out devils? and in tliy name dune many
wonderml worl<:s '.' Zi. And «tlK>n will 1 iiroiess unto
tlieni, I never Icnew you, vdeparl Irom me, ye lliat worli
iniquity.
"Num. xxiv. 4; John xi. 51; 1 Cor. xiii. 2. »Chap
XXV. IJ; Lulce xiii. 25, 27 ; 2 Tim. ii. 19. iPi. \\ 5, vi. 8
ChaiJ. -vxv. 41.
Here tlie solemn fact i.s announced, that
at the judgment day many will appear at
that tribunal, not merely the many who
run with a wicked world, but many even
of those who appeared to honor Christ,
amazed at the possibility of tlieir own re-
jection. The form of dialogue is used
here, as in Matt. xxv. 34-46, to make the
scene more vivid and forcible. Say to me —
Christ thus reveals Himself as the Judge
of men — even as the Son of God. In that
day — the great and terrible day of Christ,
when He shall come " in the glory of His
Father with the holy angels." (Mark viii.
38.) This day is frequently so spoken of
by our Lord and His Apostles — as if always
occupying so conspicuous a place in the
sphere of their mental vision as to make
a further description superfluous. (See
Luke X. 12 ; 2 Thes. i. 10 ; 2 Tim. i. 12, 18,
iv. 8.) Lord, Lord, showing the earnest-
ness of their appeal. Have we not prophe-
skd in thy. name f &c. Observe the self-
glorifying way in which they vindicate
their own merits, as the unholy are wont
to do (Ch. xxv. 24), and their vain im-
agination, even to the last, that they
shall find acceptance.
Then u'ill I profess, &c. As it seems im-
possible that the persons referred to should
continue, during the period of their sepa-
rate existence in the unseen world (for the
hope of the nominal, formal, hypocritical
professors of Christianity, must perish at
death), we are to consider the words just as
a striking and picturesque statement of
the truth, that multitudes of men, who
made a profession of Christianity, and who
were even possessed of the suiiernatural
gifts by which the primitive age of that
religion was distinguished, and who flat-
tered themselves to the last that they
would be saved, shall, in consequence of
their not having done the will of Christ's
Father in heaven, be shut out from all
participation in the happiness of the gen-
uine followers of Christ, and a clear demon-
stration then given that He never consid-
ered them as belonging to that class. God
may choose to bestow spiritual gifts upon
unholy men, just as He often gives them
genius and mental power, but such intel-
lectual endowments are by no means ne-
cessarily connected with moral worth, or
Christian character.
24. '[ Therefore, 'wliosoever heareth these sayings of
mine, and doetli tliem, I will liken liim unto a wise
man, which built liis house upon a rock : 2.'i. And t!;e
I'ain descended, and the floods came, and tlie winds
blew, and beat upon tliat house: and it fell not : for it
was founded upon a rock.— ^Luke vi. 47, &c.
Therefore — a fit conclusion of the dis-
course, and practical application of it. We
are here taught how vastly important it is
that we "be not forgetful hearers, but cZocrs
of the Word." To hear our Lord's sayings,
is just to have them addressed to us, to
have an oi^portunity of becoming acquaint-
ed with them. And doeth them. The man
here described not onh' listens to them,
and understands their meaning, but be-
lieves them (Rom. iii. 27), learns to think,
feel and act according to them, and through
them, thus understood and believed, re-
pents, changes his mind, is "converted,"
radically changed, is "born again," be-
comes "a new creature," being "transform-
ed by the renewing of his mind." Unto a
irisc man, &.c. This man has wisely thought
over the plan beforehand, seen the amount
of expenditure it would require, and he is
now doiny his work. He is haildlng an
house, the image of desired felicity, that he
may dwell in it quietly, comfortably and
securely in the midst of tempestuous
weather. By the building we are to un-
derstand, 1. The character which he culti-
vates— the whole frame of his sentiments,
affections and active habits. He is mould-
ed according to " the form of doctrine" into
which he has been delivered. 2. The
hope he cherishes. He has a "hope of
eternal life," a "good hope through grace ;"
but that hope rests entirely on what Christ
has said to him.
Lpon a rock. This indicates the solidity
of the work. The man built, not on his
own conjectures and reasonings, nor thos-e
of other men, but on "the true and faith-
ful sayings of God," in Avhich Christ is
represented as "the Lord, our strength and
righteousness."
And the rain descended, <kc. In Judea, as
in other Oriental countries, the rains are
periodical. When they descend, they often
102
MATTHEW.
descend in torrents, and continue to do
so with unabated violence for a number
of days. The huts of the inhabitants,
generally formed of clay hardened in the
sun, are exposed to great danger, and
when not founded on the solid roCk are
often undermined and swept away by the
resistless torrent. The Christian's edifice
of faith and hope may be subjected to
many trials from divine judgments ex-
pressed in various tribulations, persecu-
tions from men, accusations of conscience,
terrors of death and retribution, and false
teachers (Eph. iv. 14), who seek to draw
him away from Christ and overwhelm
him in sadness and despair ; but they can-
not succeed. (Rom. viii. 33-39 ; John vi.
68, 69.) In "the day of the Lord Jesus,"
the tempests of divine wrath against sin
shall sweep resistlessly along, the streams
of all-searching judgment shall beat ve-
hemently on all that must be tested, but
th^y shall not even shake a single stone
in the building of the true believer, be-
cause it is founded on the Rock of Ages
which can never be moved. There will
then be found much wanting and much
wrong, and that will be freely forgiven for
Christ's sake, but the frame of character,
of thought, feeling and action, formed by
the faith of the truth, will meet with the
unqualified approbation of God, and the
hope founded on these sayings will prove
to be a " hope that maketh not ashamed."
2'5. Anfl everyone that lipareth these savings of mine,
and doetU tliem not, sliall be likened iinto a foolish
lUiu, who built his house upon the sand : 27. And tlie
ra;n descended, and tiie floods came, and the winds
blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great
was the fall of it.
Notice the points of similarity between
these men. Each was a builder, and set to
work. The object of both was the same;
shelter, pleasure, comfort. Both had time
given them to build. Both had the choice
of situation. Both took possession of
their buildings — both were tried. He that
heareth, and doeth not, professes to believe
Christ's words, and declares his determina-
tion to obey them, but fails to do so. Built
his house upon the sand — was satisfied to
begin his building ".on the earth," just as
lie found it, or with lifting a spadeful here
and there, but did not toil and labor, de-
scending deeper and deeper through the
soil. The building he erected was not
based upon Christ the foundation con-
sisted of false ])rinciples, and the edifice
corresponded with it. The study of piety
should not be superficial, but a princiijle
Avell founded and deeply rooted in the
heart. And the rain, &c. This "foolish"
man's building was tested as well as that of
the "wise man." Character and hopes
must be subjected to the trial of the Divine
judgment. And immediately it fell, &c. The
self-delusion vanishes ; the man feels it is
too late to correct his error ; his past life is
forever fled ; his misery is boundless, the
more so as he flattered himself with vain
hopes. (See Luke xvi. 15.)
Thus ends the Sermon on the Mount.
Such a sermon was never preached before.
Such a sermon has never been preached
since. Let us see that it has a deep and
lasting influence on our own souls. It is
addressed to us as well as to those who
fir.st heard it. We are they who shall
have to give account of its heart -searching
lessons. It is no light matter what we
think of them. The word tliat Jesus has
spoken, "the same shall judge us in the
last day." (John xii. 48.)
28. And It came to pass when Jesus had ended these
sayin,srs, "the people were a.stonished at his doctrine:
2!). Tor he tansfht them as one having authority, and
not as the scribes.
"Chapter xili. 54 ; Mark i. 22, vi. 2 ; Luke iv. 32.
Astonished, — they v:ere struck, literally
struck out, driven from their normal or cus-
tomary state of mind, by something new
and strange. At Ids doctrine — both the
matter of his discourse and the manner of
his teaching. For he taught, &.c. lie sjjoke
as one not relying on rabbis, or elders, or
prophets, or even upon Moses, but as one
greater than they all, having authority,
original and unapi)ealable, in His own
Divine person. Moses and the prophets
had said, "Thus saitli the Lord;" but
our Saviour's word was, "7 say unto j'ou.'*
Being the Master of Law, He uttered
things which were^bove the Law, chang-
ing the letter to the truth, and the figures
to the spiritual meaning. There was some-
thing in the manner of Chri.st which awed
and impressed beholders to a remarkable
extent. (See Mark i. 22, xi. 18; Luke iv.
15.) It is one thing to admire the preach-
er, but another and quite a different thing
to believe the truth he proclaims.
CHAPTER VIII.
1C3
1. What is said about judging? 2. Wliat is tlie "hypocrite"' commanded to do? 3. Explain " Civo not that
whicli is lioly," Ac. 1. Wliat does our Lord teach concerning prayar? 5. What rule is to govern us in our con-
duct toward men ? G. What is said of the strait gate ? What of the wide gate ? 8. Why are we to beware of false
pxophets? 9. How are we to know them ? 10. Who shall enter into the kingdom of heaven? 11. What will
many say to Christ on the judgment day ? 12. Who Ls likened to a "wise man ?" 13. Who to a "foolish man ?"
14. What was the eflect produced by Christ's teaching ?
CHAPTER VIII.
2 Christ cleanseth Hie Ifper, 5 healcth the centurion'' s ser-
vant, 14 Peter's mother in law, 16 and many ot/wr dis-
eased ; 18 shewcth how he is to he followed : 2.5 stiUeth
the tempest on the sea, 28 driveth the devils out of two
men possessed, 31 a?id suffereth them to go into the swine.
"\VrHEN he was come down from the mountain,
} J great multitudes followed him.
After the portraiture given of Jesus as a
teacher, the Evangelist proceeds to describe
Him as a worker of miracles. Great multt-
iudcs, &c. The numbers of those who de-
scended with Him were swelled by acces-
sions, after they reached the i)lain. Though
Christ was a Lawgiver, so strict, and so
faithful as a Reprover, the people diligently
attended on Him.
2. "And behold, there came a leper and worshipped
Him, saying. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me
clean.— ^Mark i. 40, <fec. ; Luke v. 12, &c.
A leper. Of all diseases to which the
human frame is liable, the leprosy, per-
haps, was the most astonishing and appall-
ing. It was a poisoning of the springs of
life, and was deemed one of the Lord's
most fearful visitations of wrath. (Num.
xii. 6, 10; 2 Chron. xxvi. 19.) It is still to
be found in some parts of the world. There
is said to be a small island on the coast of
South Africa, near the Cape of Good Hope,
which is appropriated by the Colonial
government to lepers.
Worshipped Him. In token of civil re-
spect, or as an act of religious homage.
Saying, Lord, &c. The leper expressed
the profoundest reverence and most earn-
est importunity. There was here no ques-
tioning of Chrisl's power, of Ms unbelief
who said, " If thou camt," &c. (Mark ix.
22.) Wilt and canst are not mere auxili-
aries, but distinct and independent verbs.
If thou art willing thou art able to cleanse or
purify me, i. e., to free me from leprosy,
considered not as a mere disease, but as a
symbolical and actual defilement. If the
leper had known the compassion of the
Saviour's heart, he would not have said,
"If thou wilt." Chri.st's mercy is as great
as His poiver. It is true that by His power
He stretched out the heavens and laid the
foundation of the earth. But it is also
true that " high as the heaven is above the
earth, so great is his viercy toward them
that fear him."
There are gradations in faith. In this
case we have the example of it in a nascent
and imperfect form — as a grain of mustard
seed. In the history of the second case
here recorded (verse 8), we have it in far
greater strength and maturity. In the
former the man believed in the power, but
doubted the Avill of Christ to heal him.
In the latter case the man believed that
Christ might cure the patient who stood
before Him ; but more than this — believed
that His word would be alike effectual,
though the patient were at a distance and
out of sight. His was a faith not helped
by the full accompaniments of sense, and
which subsisted on itself alone.
3 And Jesus ''put forth his hand, and touched him,
saying, I will, be thou clean. And immediately his
leprosy was cleansed.— ''2 Kings v. 11.
By the law of God (Lev. v. 3), he that
touched a leper was unclean. By what
Christ did, as He was God, He could not
contract any ritual uncleanness. The sun'
casts his beams upon all that is polluted
on earth, but retains unscathed his own
purity and splendor. Put forth, &c. This
visibly connected the author with the sub-
ject of the miracle, and at the same time
symboHzed or typified the healing virtue
which it did not of itself impart. Saying,
I will, &c. Jesus ratified and approved
His utterance of faith by making the con-
cession of his request in the very words
wherein the request itself had been em-
bodied. This is the saying of God— and
God only— the saying of Him whose al-
mighty will is the cause of all things. The
104
M A T T H E W
cures which His servants wrought were in
the name of another, but Christ's were in
His own name, and by His oim uill. (See
Gen. xli. 16; 2 King v. 7; Acts iii. 6.)
And immediately, &c. Tlie effect, as usual,
was instantaneous ; the man was cleansed
or purified, both in a physical and moral
sense. What an astonishing and convinc-
ing spectacle! This action of Jesus is a
representation of that invisible hand which
makes itseU felt by the most insensible heart,
of that internal word which makes itself
heard by the most deaf, and of that supreme
mil which ivorks everything according to its
own counsel. "To my mind," says Dr.
Thomson, after describing this dreadful
malady as he saw it, " there is no conceiv-
able manifestation of Divine. power more
triumphantly confirmatory of Christ's Di-
vinity than the cleansing of a leper with
a word. He who can cleanse the leper
can raise the dead, and can also forgive
sins and save the soul. I ask no other
evidence of the fact."
4. And Jesus saith unto him, cSee thou tell no man,
but go thy wav, show ihyselt'to the priest, and offer the
gift that dMoses comm'anded, for a testimony unto
them.
cChap. ix. 30; Markv.43. dLev. xiv. 4, 10; Luke v. 14.
See thou tell no man: but go, tkc. Lest if a
nmor of these things go before thee, the
aiests at Jerusalem, out of envy, out of
i desire to depreciate my work, may deny
either that thou wast a leper, or else that
thou art now truly cleansed. There are
times when our Lord would have us work
for Him quietly and silently, rather than
attract attention by a noisy zeal. The man
was ready to remain. Adversity transfers
ouraffections from natural objects to Christ.
Show thyself, &c., i. e., subject thyself to
the inspection of a priest, and obtain an
official recognition of the cure that has
been wrought upon thee. And offer the
(fift, &c. (Lev. xiv. 2, 10, 21, xli. 1-32.)
Thus would the miracle be fully authenti-
cated. So long as the ceremonies of the
Mosaic law, which were now drawing to a
close, were not abrogated, Christ would
have them respected. For a testimony unto
them,, i. e., as a proof that I reverence the
law and comply with its requirements, or
it may refer to the fact of the man's being
cleansed, which could be fully ascertained
by nothing but official scrutiny and attesta-
tion. (Lev. xiv. 2, 10, 21.)
Leprosy is an emblem of sin. Sin is the
deadly sickness by which we are all af-
fected. It is inherited from our parents.
(Ps.li.o.) It has eaten into our constitution.
It has attected all our faculties ; heart,
conscience, mind, and will, are all diseased
by it. (Isa. i, 6.) It excludes from com-
munion with God, fi'om heaven, and, at
length, it will bring down the body to the
grave (Rom. vi. 2o) ; and if sin is unpar-
doned, it will ruin the soul forever. Who
shall deliver us from this body of death ?
Let us thank God that Jesus Christ can.
He is able to cure the worst cases of spir-
itual leprosy, even such as those of Ma-
nasseh, Saul and Zaccheus. The two little
words, / will, are a deep mine, rich in
comfort and encouragement to all laboring
and heavy-laden souls.
5. H'And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum,
tliere came unto hini a centurion, beseeching him, ti.
And saying. Lord, fniy servant lieth at liomesick of the
palsy, grievously tormented.
•■Luke vii. 1, <tc. 'Job xxxl. 13, 14 ; Acts x. 7; Col. iii.
11, iv. 1 ; Phile. 16.
Capernaum — the center of Christ's oj^era-
tions, to which He frequently returned
after His itinerant missions. A centurion,
or captain in the army of Herod, who was
at that time king of Galilee, but under sub-
jection to the Eomans. He was stationed
with a hundred men under his command
in the barracks at Capernaum. Herod, to
support himself in his authority, and to
enforce the payment of tribute, which he
had to render to the Emperor of Rome,
had stationed large bodies of soldiers in
various parts of the land. This centurion
was one of the proselytes, whom the prov-
idence of God had so wonderfully prepared
in all the great cities of the -Greek and
Roman world as a link of communication
between Gentile and Jew, in contact with
both — holding to the first by their race,
and to the last by their religion, and who
must have greatly helped to the ultimate
fusion of both into one Christian church.
The first fruit of the Gentiles was a Roman
soldier.
Came unto him, &c. In Luke vii. 3, "sent
unto him the elders of the Jews." It is
usual in all languages, when the speaker or
writer wishes to direct attention simply to
the act, and not to the attending circum-
stances, to ascribe to the person himself
the things which are done, and the words
CHAPTER VIII.
105
which are spoken, by his order It is a
legul maxim wlio does by another does by
himself. My servant, &c. The centurion's
feeling such a deep interest in the well-
being of his servant, keeping him at his
" home," instead of sending him in his af-
fliction to relatives or friends, is a beautiful
trait in his character, and highly creditable
to him, es2)ecially when the tem^jtations
of military life are remembered. True
religion binds the hearts of masters and
servants together. It is a great advantage
to be connected with godly families. Sick
of the palsy, &c. AVhen paralysis or palsy
are united with tetanus, as it sometimes is
in Eastern countries, extreme sufiering and
rapid dissolution are often the result.
7. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal
him.
How promptly does our Lord accede to
the request! The confidence with which
He spoke of healing one so near his end
shows that His power to work miracles
was not a derived one, but inherent in
Himself. It also shows Christ's gracious
readiness to bless. (Ps. cxiii. 5.)
S. Tlie centurion answiTod and said, TiOrd, fI am not
worthy that thou slionldst cunw undci- my ruol : hut
^speak the word only, and my servant shall \>v lifaled.
y. For I am a man under authority, luivinti soldiers
under me: and I say to this man, (io, andhegoeth, and
to another, Come, and lie i-ometh, and to my servant,
Do this, and he doeth i^— '4ljUke xv. 1S», 21. i>ps. cvii. 2tJ.
The gracious language of our Lord was
humbling to the centurion. Lord, lamnot
worthy, &c. He was far from being pufTed
up with conceit of his own merit, and this,
too, even though he had built a synagogue.
(Luke vii. 5.) He thought himself un-
worthy of the presence in his house of so
exalted and holy a personage, yet Christ
counted him worthy that he should enter
into His heart — a greater boon and bless-
edness. The best men have always the
lowest thoughts of themselves. When
we esteem ourselves unworthy of any fa-
vors, Christ accounts us worthy of all.
Humility is that virtue which, more than
any other, disposes the mind to yield to
the evidences and embrace the doctrines
of the Bible, which the Gospel was pecu-
liarly meant to produce, on which it lays
the greatest stress, and in which, perhaps,
more than in any other, consists the true
essence and vital principle of the Christian
temper. (Lukexiv. 11.) It is the concom-
itant grace of faith.
But speak the word only, &.C. He had faith
in Christ's Divine power. (See on verse
2.) He thought that it was equal to that
of God, who said, "Let there be light, and
there was light." (Ps. cvii. 20.)
For I am a man under authority, &c. " I
am a subaltern, an under-oflicer, and have
such power that I can say to this soldier,
' Take up that i)Osition,' and to that soldier,
' Be sentinel there,' and to my servant, ' Do
this,' and he doeth it ; much more, surely,
Thou, who art the Commander of all the
armies of the skies, and the liuler of all
the inhabitants of the earth, hast but to
speak the word, and my servant then will
be instantly healed." One's profession
may often be made serviceable to one's
Christianity, and lessons may be gathered
from domestic, private and professional
life, which will cast new lustre on the
truths, and inspire with new force the pre-
cepts, of the Gospel, We are now sepa-
rated from the Saviour, but we can reach
Him by faith and prayer. What peace we
should enjoy if in all our diillculties we
felt that Jesus was able to deliver us!
10. When Jesus heard H, he marvelled, and said to
them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not
found so great faith, uo, not in Israel.
Marvelled, wondered, started in a pleas-
ant surprise, as at the discovery of a rose
in the desert, at this supernatural union
of abasement and elevation, consciousness
of guilt, and strong faith in a Roman cen-
turion ! It is remarkable that of the only
two occasions on which it is recorded that
Christ wondered, one was at " faith," and
the other at "unbelief" (Mark vi. 6.) We
ought to wonder less at wisdom, wealth
and grandeur, than at the fruits of faith.
This expression is one of those which show
the reality of our Lord's human nature.
The miracle Pie was about to work showed
Him to be " perfect God ;" the feeling of
wonder showed Him to be " perfect man."
The union of two natures in one person
is a thing passing our weak comprehen-
sion. We must believe, admire and adore,
Avithout attempting to define or explain.
To them that foUov:ed, i. e., His disciples.
Verily, I say unto you, &,c. The faith of
the centurion was great because he had to
ascend from paganism to attain it; great
because not purely physical, but spiritual,
realizing his own unworthiness and the
106
MATTHEW,
superiority of Jesus as the Holy One ; great,
because it realized the divine mission of
Christ from Jehovah, and expressed a sense
of profound confidence in His absolute
tvord, without His actual presence, thus
surpassing that of the nobleman (John iv.
49) Jairus, (Mark v. 23) and Martha and
Mary. (John xi. 21 and 32.) The unbelief
of the entire chosen people of God was
rebuked by the faith of this stranger to the
commonwealth of Israel. (Ejih. ii. 12.) How
striking a commentary upon the Af)0stle's
words, Rom. ix. 31-32 !
11. And I say unto you. That imany shall come from
the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham,
and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven : But
Hhe children of the kingdom 'shall be cast out into outer
darkness : there shall be weeping and guashiug of teelh.
iGen. xii. 3; Isa. ii. 2, 3, xi. ID ; Mai. i. 11 ; Luke xiii. 20 :
Acts X. 45, xi. IS, xiv. 27 ; Rom. xv. 9-12 ; Eph. iii. S.
kChap. xxi. 43. 'Chap. xiii. 42, 50, xxii. 13, xxiv. 51, xxv.
30 ; Luke xiii. 28 ; 2 Peter ii. 17 ; Jude 13.
Jesus takes occasion from the faith of
the Soman centurion to state that this case
was not to be a solitary one, that many of
those afiir off, and not of the Jewish nation,
should be called to be heirs of the grace of
eternal life. Sit down, literally, recline, in
allusion to the recumbent posture of guests
at table in the East. With Abraham, &.c.
They should become his spiritual descend-
ants. It is not sect, nor system, nor longi-
tude, nor latitude, that are the limits of
Christianity. God has His own hidden
ones, where the world least suspects
them. Kingdom of heaven — the state of
future glory.
Learn. 1. Heaven will be composed of a
vast multitude and various descriptions of
l^ersons. 2. In that assembly there Avill be
a perfect harmony and congeniality in
character, for spending eternity in happy
fellowship. 3. The assembly will not be
one collected for toil or battle, but for
" rest from their labor." 4. There will be
a mutual recognition among all those whose
relation to each other here is such as to
admit of its perpetuation in that blessed
state. 5. Heaven will be a feast — a feast
of the understanding, of the affections, of
n^emory, of anticipation.
I say unto you. This is the authority on
which the whole rests. We have the testi-
mony of Jesus, and on it we may with
confidence rely. Many of the heathen are
pressing into the kingdom of God ; are you
still loitering about the entrance? Manv
of them arc the subjects of grace ; arc you
still in a state of nature? God forbid that
while they shall sit down with Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, you should be cast out !
But tlie children, &c. Natural Jews, all,
indeed, to whom the kingdom would seem
naturally to belong — those who, by their
descent and outward circumstances, might
regard themselves as candidates for the
blessings of heaven.
Cast outer darkness. The imagery of
a feast, as representing the happiness of
heaven, is still preserved. The expression
denotes darkness the most remote from the
light, and is employed in opposition to the
brilliant lights Avhich are figuratively
supi^osed to be burning in the banqueting-
room. It seems a fitting retribution that
thoae who, when Ugld came into the world,
loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil, should hereafter be
enshrouded with fearful darkness and
gloom. Weeping and gnashing of teeth is a
strong image of that utter despair, dark-
ness, and death of a soul excluded from
God, who "is Light, and in Him is no
darkness at all. (1 John i. 5.)
13. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way,
and as tliou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And
lus servant was healed in the self same hour.
As thou hast believed — his faith was great,
and so also was the corresponding blessing.
(John xi. 40.) Unbelief hinders blessing.
(Matt. xiii. 58) ; but faith can -work won-
ders. (Matt. xvii. 20 ; 1 Cor. xiii. 2.) Ser-
vant ivas liealed, restored to perfect health
and vigor; there was not merely a re-
mission of the strength of the disease,
but it had altogether left him. (Luke
vii. 10.) In the self same hour — as soon as
Jesus had spoken the word. (Comp. John
iv. 46.) This cure was the eftect of the
faith, prayer and humility of the centurion,
through which the almighty energy of
Christ was conveyed to the sick man; but
those very graces in the centurion were
the products of divine grace.
On this history, note 1 . Our Lord's mira-
cles had the fullest credit given to them
by men of rank and character, competent
to judge. 2. The profession of a soldier is
not an unlawful one ; it is never condemned
in the Scriptures. (Matt, xxvii. 54 ; Acts
X. 2, xxvii. 43.) 3. There is no situation
CIIAPTEIl VIII.
107
in life lliat exempts us from the oblig;itIou
lo be Christians. 4. AVe are to admire
more the least measure of grace in a good
man, than all the grandeur and glory of u
great man. 5. Christ is most pleased with
us -when we put the most confidence in
Ilim.
14. T "And when Jesus was come into Peter's house,
he saw "his wile's niotlierhiid, and sick of a fever, lo.
And he touched her hand, and tlie fever left her: and
slie arose, and ministered unto tliem.
■"Mark i. 2), 30, 31 ; Luke iv. 38, SU. "1 Cor. ix. 5.
Peter's Jiouse. Peter and Andrew aj^pear
to have lived together. (Matt. iy. 18.)
Peter is here mentioned alone for his
strong personal character. His wife's mother.
"Whether his mother-in-law lived with him,
or whether he received her into his house
that she might be cared for during her
sickness, is not known, but either shows
the kindness of his heart. We should
show piety at home. (Prov. xxiii. 22.) The
Romish doctrine of the celibacy of the
clergy certainly finds no countenance in
the fact that the chief of the Apostles, who
is claimed by that church as the first pope,
was a married man. (See 1 Cor. ix. 5.)
Neither the Prophets of the Old Testament,
nor the Apostles of the New, judged them-
selves too pure for an institution of their
Maker. (See Gen. ii. 18 ; 1 Tim. iii. 2 ; Ilcb.
xiii. 4.)
Laid, and sick of a fever. In Tabiga, the
great manufacturing suburb of Capernaum,
where Peter's wife's mother lay sick, and
about which there is considerable marshy
land, " Fevers," says Dr. Thompson, " of a
very malignant iy]}Q are still prevalent,
particular! 3' in summer and autumn, owing,
no doubt, to the extreme heat acting upon
these marshy iiluins, such as the Butaiha,
at the influx of the Jordan."
He touched her hand, i. e., took her by the
hand. Luke says that he " rebuked " the
disorder, so that perhaps He also spoke.
The evangelist, who adds something more,
does not contradict him who says the less.
This miracle did not, as in some other
cases, consist in the cure of an incurable
disorder, but in the mode of cure. And the
fever left her. Instantlj'. There was not
a gradual convalescence, but an instanta-
neous cure was effected, thus showing the
reality of the miracle. We found Jesus, in
the first place, at the hospital, next at the
barracks, and now we find Him beneath
the r<iof-trce, and by the domestic fireside,
healing the sick, and giving comfort and
joy. And she arose, &c. The completeness
of the recovery was shown l)y the fact that
she at once girded herself for serving. She
ministered unto them, or waited on them,
served them, with specific reference to
food. Let those who have been restored
to bodily health, perhaps rescued from the
sight of an o])ening grave, not forget the
divine goodness, but be found ministering
to the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
to the wants of His people. (Ps.lxvi.13,14.)
IC). 1[ "When the even was come thev brought unto
liim many tliat were possessed witli devils: and he cast
out the spirits witli /((■.•t word, and healed all that were
sick : 17. Tluit it iiii,i,'lit l)c I'uHillcd wliich was spoken
by K.^aias the prophet, siyins. I'lliniself took our inlir-
mitios, and bare our sicknesses.
"Mark i. 32, &t: ; Luke iv. 40, 41. pIsa. liii. 4 ; 1 Peter
ii. 24.
When the even was come, namely, after
sun-set, at which time the Jewish Sablnith
ended. Thus the Sabbath (for we find,
from Mark i. 21, that it was a Sabbath day)
had ended, when the sick were brought,
and hence they did it without scruple. It
was a time when there was in Cai)ernaum
a deep stirring of enthusiasm for the Lord
— when this general longing seized the in-
habitants of the place, and they brought
unto him their sick, especially those who
were possessed with devils. The lame, tlie
blind, the paralytic, the possessed, were
brought by their friends, walking, led,
supported by crutches, or carried in their
beds, to the great Healer. And he cast out
the spirits with Ids word, literally, by a word,
i. e., at a single authoritative command.
Healed all that were sick. Some i^ersons turn
away from the view of misery, because it
gives them uneasiness ; but such conduct
is selfish. What rejoicing was heard that
night through all the place ! No sinner
need desi)air who comes to Christ, con-
scious of his spiritual malady, to be healed
by His merciful hand.
That it might be fulfdled, &c. The predic-
tion is found in Isa. liii. 4-G. The symijathv
of Christ with the distressed was a jiart of
His suffering, and His removal of diseases
was the fruit of His bearing our sins and
the punishment of thpm. It was by His
substitutional suff"ering in our stead that
He was entitled to redeem us from hell and
relieve us from the earthly part of our
woes. Jesus, by relieving sufiering, has
108
MATTHEW.
left us an example that we should follow
His steps. All the philanthropic means
employed by individuals or by society at
large for the relief of human suli'ering, and
especially of that produced by bodily dis-
ease, are but continuations of the work
begun by Christ himself. The medical
profession, more especially when governed
by right principles and actuated by be-
coming motives, bears the same relation
to our Lord as the physician of the body,
that the ministry ought always to sustain
to Him as the physician of the soul.
This is an appi-opriate place for noticing
several peculiarities of our Lord's miracles.
1. They were public. Some of them, it is
true, were wrought in private, thus indi-
cating that there was no ostentation in
the manner of performing them, yet as a
general thing they were wrought in public,
in broad day, in the sight of multitudes in
all parts of the country, and, in fact, under
the eye of a whole nation for nearly four
years. 2. They were of a beneficent char-
acter, not a wild, arbitrary display of pow-
er, but all looking to some benignant re-
sult. 3. They were of such a character
that if they were not miracles, then mira-
cles can have no existence for the authen-
tication of a divine mission. Thej- cannot
be referred to the possible effects of im-
agination, nor to occult laws of nature
never till then developed, nor to fortunate
coincidences. The universal experience
of mankind up to that time, and since that
time, proves that they were not only above
nature, but in many instances contrary to
all its fixed and uniform laws. They were,
moreover, generally of such a character as
to preclude all preconcerted action with a
view to collusion and deception, being per-
formed, not in circumstances previously
arranged, or at places specially suggested,
but just when and where exigencies arose
and necessities required.
18. KNOW when .Tesus saw great multitudes about him,
he gave commiandnient to depart unto the other side.
The occurrences here narrated took place
some time after those recorded in the pre-
ceding verse. The other side. The other
side of Lake Gennesaret. (Comp. verse
28.) He crossed from west to east.
19. qAnd a certain scribe came, and said unto him.
Master, 1 will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
iLuke ix. 57, 58.
A certain scribe, (See chap. ii. 4.) Came,
struck with what he had seen, in the en-
thusiasm of the moment. Master — Teacher.
A resolution to follow Christ is a good one,
if made deliberately, and not rashly, nor
for sinister and secular advantages, which,
it is to be feared from the answer our
Saviour gave, was the case here. It has
been suggested that this may have been
Judas Iscariot,but where nothing is known
silence is a virtue.
20. And Jesus saith unto him. The foxes have holes,
and i-the birds of the nir have nests, but the 'Son of man
hath not where to lay his head.
i-Psalms Ixxxiv. 3, civ. 17. »Isa. liii. 3; 1 Cor. viii. 9.
The foxes have holes, &c. " It is well, but
recollect, for it is right that you should
know what you are to embrace." How in-
expressibly affecting are these words, on
the lips of the Word " made flesh !" What
a history do they reveal of weary days,
and shelterless nights — of houseless wan-
derings, and scanty supplies of food ! The
title, the Son of man, which Christ here
gives to himself, is 1. An intimation that
He who requires so much self-denial also
fully deserves it. 2. Shows the truth of
His humanity, for the Son of man must
be a man ; and 3. Indicates the depth of
His abasement ; He humbled, yea, emptied
Himself, when, being the Son of God, He
submitted to be made man. Had this
certain scribe truly loved Jesus he would
not have been deterred by any privation
from following His steps. As no further
mention is made of him, it is most proba-
ble that he was discouraged by the rejily
Jesus gave.
21. 'And another of his disciples s.iid unto him. Lord,
"Suffer me first to go and bury mv father.
'Luke ix. 59, 60. "See 1 Kings xix. 20.
Another of his disciples, i. e. another, who
was one of His disciples. Tradition says it
was Philip. If the former man was too
sanguine and inconsiderate, this one was
too melanchol}', even in the most immedi-
ate neighborhood of the Prince of Life,
finding himself pursued by the gloomy
images of death, and therefore requiring to
be urged forward. Lord, suffer me first, &c.
Some suppose that the request was only for
permission to take care of an aged father
until he should go down to the grave ;
others, that it w'as to inter a father who
was already a corpse.
22. But Jesus said unto him. Follow me, and ^let the
dead bury their dead.— ^Eph. ii. 15 ; 1 Tim. v. 6.
illlllii^^
CHAPTER yill.
109
The term dead is here use<l both in its
fifrurative and Htenil acceptation. It was
common among the Jews to describe an
nngodly or sinful j)erson as one dead,
though alive. Our Saviour therefore means
to say that one who had an urgent call to
follow Him might leave even his aged
father to be cared for, or his dead father
to be buried by his other sons or other
relatives, who were " dead " to the great
concerns of eternal life. (See John v. 25 ;
Rom. V. 14 ; Col. ii. 13.) By this remark-
able instance — strong even to seeming
harshness — our Lord did most pointedly
indicate the superior object and higher
duty to which all others must give place.
We must not let anything upon earth
stand between us and instant duty. Infin-
iie interests must take precedence of the
iinite. Such as are called by Christ to
preach the Gospel (see Luke ix. 60) must
mind that alone, and leave inferior duties
to inferior persons.
23. If And when he was entered into a sliip, his disci-
liles followed him.
The s/iip was a fisherman's boat. Christ
had given commandment to depart (verse
18), but was detained by the scribe and
the disciple.'
24. rAnd behold, there arose a great tempest in the
sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves:
but he was asleep.— JMark iv. 37, &c. ; Luke viii. 23, &c.
There arose a great tempest in the sea — the
sea of Galilee. It was a sudden and violent
squall, .such as those small inland seas,
surrounded with mountain gorges, are no-
toriously exposed to which descended on
the bosom of the lake : and the ship which
bore the Saviour of the world appeared to
be in imminent peril, as, humanly speak-
ing, no doubt it was, for the disciples, ex-
ercised to the sea, as many of them were
from their youth, and familiar with all the
changes of that lake, would not have been
terrified by an ordinary tempest. A sailor
will never seek or take help from othei-s
as long as he feels that he has resources of
his own on which he can rely. Thus they
who had set sail, with the sky imfretted
with a cloud, the sea unruffled withN\'aves,
a fair wind, and every prospect of a pros-
perous voyage, were soon overtaken with a
storm. What an emblem of life, at least, of
the life of many ! " Judge not according
♦.0 the appearance." " Boast not thyself of
to-morrow," &c. There is neither room nor
reason to doubt that Jesus is with us, be-
cause in temporal or spiritual things,
trouble and sorrow assail us. We may en-
counter storms when sailing with the Son
of God Himself. " In the world ye .shall
have tribulation." " We are they who have
come out of great tribulation." The wave
which rises the highest only lifts the ship
nearest the s;ky. But he u'as asleep. Like
Jonah He slept, but, unlike Jonah, he was
the arrester, not the cause of the storm.
Exhausted with the toils of the preceding
day, on which He had delivered several
parables (recorded in Matt, xiii.), Jesus
now sought the restoring influence of re-
pose. Here we see His human nature,
through which we must fly for hope and
help to the clefts of the Rock of his God-
head. How truly was Christ a partaker
of our necessities ! And what could give
us a stronger assurance of His sympathy
and compassion ! Jesus, though He may
seevi to be indifferent to the condition of
His people, has not forgotten them, even
when their case may appear to be most
desperate. He makes the trial of their
faith work patience, and patience, experi-
ence, even the blessed experience of His
infinite power and love, which then shine
forth the more resplendently.
2-5. And his disciples came to7ii(«,and awoke him,
saying, Lord, save us : we perish.
We are now peri.shing, while thou art
sleeping. Our necessity pleads for God's
ability. We see their terror in the double
" Master, Ma.ster," with which, according
to Luke, and in the words of almost re-
buke. " Master, carest thou not that we
perish," Avith which, according to Mark,
they addressed Jesus. In times of immi-
nent peril, how strangely even advanced
Christians are forgetful of their own prin-
ciples !
2ti. And he saith unto them. Why are ye fearful, O ye
of little faith ? Then ^he arose, and rebuked the winds
and the sea ; and there wa.s a great calm.
zPs. Ixv. 7, Ixxxix. 9, cvii. 20.
How gentle and tender the rebuke !
Why are ye fearfid, &c. Our Lord rebuked
the fear and weak faith of His disciples,
first, showing that moral disorders are
worse than physical. They had faith, for
they turned to Christ in their need, but
their fiiith was not quick and lively ; its
imperfection showed itself in their excess
110
MATTHEW.
of terror,- and their counting it possible
that the ship which bore their Lord could
ever truly perish. A true and saving faith,
although it cannot be too large for God's
glory and for our own comfort, cannot
be too small for the purpose of salvation.
The shipwrecked sailor, if he has been
cast upon a rock but a single foot above
the reach of the waves, is perfectly secure.
So, if by God's sovereign grace we have
been cast upon the Rock of Ages, we are
safe. Only let us not rest contented in
our present condition, but be daily climb-
ing higher and higher by more fervent
prayer, more frequent and intimate com-
munion with Jesus, and by more con-
scientious and consistent discharge of duty,
and. we shall reach the summit of that
Eock whose head is above the heavens.
Then he arose, and rebuked, &c. The word
rebuked is one which we apply to living
and intelligent ci'eatures only — a servant,
or a child, not a tree or a stone. It is pos-
sible, therefore, that in this case there is
not a mere historical personification, but a
recognition of a malignant agencj* to which
the word is spoken. There may have been
demon-spirits giving strength to the hur-
ricane— mustering, in diabolic rage, the
destructive forces of nature, under some
mad delusion, that thej'' might possibly
effect the ruin of the voyagers, and thus
prevent the discomfiture they seem to have
known too well was at hand. Satan, we
know, is called " the god of this world,"
and the " Prince of the power of the air,"
and he is trying to grasp the sceptre which
he cannot hold, intruding, and doing mis-
chief wherever he is permitted, and has
the power to do so.
And there was a great calm. The sea no
longer, as after a storm, rises, and falls, and
frets, but at once becomes smooth and
tranquil, and the rolling vessel rests in
peaceful security and quietness on its placid
bosom. "And so," says Zn.9/(/o?i, "in the
soitl, when all v/ithin is full of confusion
and noise — the heart working like a trou-
bled sea, and finding no rest, either from
its own persuasions or the most skillful
speeches of others, but, amidst all, likely
to be swallowed up or split in pieces :
then, one word from Ciikist's niouth quiets
all presently, and makes the soul calmer
and smoother than the stillest water in the
fairest day."
Notice the juxtaposition of lowliness and
greatness in the scene now before us. In
the weary, jaded passenger, wrapped in a
coarse fisherman's coat, sleeping amid the
chill damps of the evening— we see "the
Son of man ;" in the stilling of the tempest
we see " the Son of God." The same jux-
taposition is always (or generally) found
in Christ's history. Born in a stable, yet
angels sang of His glory. Baptized by a
sinner, with a sinner's rite, a voice from
the " Elxcellent Glory" attested His Divin-
ity. Bethany's tear-drops revealed His
human heart ; Bethany's word of Omni])o-
tence in raising the sheeted dead, pro-
claimed His Godhead. Calvary's cross
shows us a dying man, but a blackened
sun, riven rocks, the earth trembling to
support its Creator's cross, testified that He
who hung in ignominy on that tree was
" the mighty God."
27. But the men marvelled, sayingr. what manner of
man is this, that even the winds and the &ea obey him
By the miracle the disciples were led
into thoughts, even higher and more
awful, of the Lord whom they followed, and
were brought more and more to feel that
in nearness to Him was all safety and de-
liverance from every danger. Their faith
was disciplined, and they were prepared
for sterner moral storms yet in reserve for
them. God has a kind design in all the
afflictions which befjill His people. Happy
are those for whom all the hurricanes of
life's unquiet sea have the effect of making
Jesus more precious.
This miracle may be regarded as symbol-
ical of the Church — the Church in the world,
and yet not of the world, subject to the
storms of persecution. From all these
storms she shall be delivered, as she ever
has been, by Christ, who is in her, being
roused by the cry of His servants. It is
also not a mere miraculous feat, but also a
prophetic fact. It was not finished Avhen
it was done, but a foreshadow, as all
Christ*s miracles Avere, of a grand result
yet to be. That clear dominion of man's
spirit over the material universe which
Christianity gives, the calm courage which
it inspires, and the lordship over the winds
and waves, and over all the blind ujuo. r
CHAPTER VIII.
Ill
of nature, which it secures, is the appointed
sequence of the calming of the storm on
the GaUlean lake. It is also a part of the
recuperative and restoring process which
is going forward under Him " by whom
and for wliom are all things." It is an
advance toward the time of the promised
" restitution of all things." (See Job. iii.
17; Rev. iv. 6, xxi. and xxii.)
2S. "And wlieii he was come to tlic otlier side into the
country ol'tlic (Jergesenes, thiTe met him two possi-ssed
with i.li'vils, coniing out of tlic tomljs, exceuding tierce,
so tliat no man might pass by tliat way.
"Mark v. 1, <fcc. ; "Luke viii. 26, &c.
We have just seen Jesus show Himself
the controller of the elements by which
our world is assailed. AVe now come to
contemplate Him in a light still more
glorious, as the Lord of the inner storms —
the moral hurricanes by which the human
mind and heart are deranged.
The other side, that is, of the sea of Gali-
lee. Country of the Gergesencs. In Mark,
and Luke, we read " the country of the
Gadarenes." The city of Gadara, which
was one of the ten cities called Decapolis,
was on the east of Jordan, in the vicinity
of the lake of Gennesaret, beyond the
brook Jarmuk, about eight miles above its
junction with the Jordan. This city gave
its name to the district or canton of which
it was the chief town — Gadarene. Gergesa
was another city in the same neighbor-
hood, whii'h gave to another district the
name of the country of the Gergesenes, so
that the region generally might be desig-
nated by either name. The event here
related probably took place in the vicinity
of the two cities.
There met him two possessed with devils. In
describing this fearful scene, each Evange-
list that records it has some touches which
are peculiarly his own. Mark and Luke
note but one demoniac. Here is variation,
but not contradiction. He who mentidlis
the one does not deny the other.
These men may have rushed down from
their dismal dwelling-place, to encounter
with hostile violence the intrudei's that
had dared to set foot on their domiiin. Or
it may have been that they were drawn to
Christ by the secret instinctive feeling that
He was their helper, and driven from Him
by the sense of the awfulgulf that divided
them from the Holy One of God. If they
came with purposes of violence, their mind
was changed ere they fully reached Jesus.
(Luke viii. 29.)
Coming out of the tombs. They avoided
human supervision and society. Gadara
is remarkable for a great number of tombs,
hewn out of the white limestone rocks, and
richly carved. Exceeding fierce. They were
desjierate cases. No man might — No man
coidd pass that way. There is no road
which siia does not make dangerous. These
demoniacs are a painfully exact likeness
of men in the worst stage of sin, and to
that stage all sin tends. There met him
tv:o. Sinners of the worst stage like to be
together.
2!). And beliold. tliey cried out, saying, i>whathave we
to do witli tliti', Jcsns, tliou h>oii ol God? art thou come
hitlier to torment us belore the time ?
bActs xvi. 17; James ii. 19.
What have we to do ttith thee. These are
the words of the devils by whom the men
were possessed, rather than the men them-
selves, and they mean " what have we in
common? Why interferest thou with
us? Why wilt thou not let us alone?"
Jesus, thou Son of Godf Perhaps the
demoniacs were Jews not wholly unac-
quainted with the Messianic hope, but
certainly it is in the spirit of the Evangel-
ists, if we believe that the knowledge of
the Lord which the demons usually exhibi-
ted had been attained in a supernatural
way. (Comp. chapter iii. 17.) Art thou
come hither, &c. How awful and terrible
are these glimpses of the unseen world !
It is here implied that these evil spirits
expect a certain time of torment. (Jude
V. 6 ; 2 Peter ii. 4 ; Matt. xx. 41.) How
miserable an expectation ! How thankful
should we be, who not only are invited
and persuaded to " flee from the wrath to
come," but have a promise of all grace
which may be needful to us, to support us
tlirough dangers, and carry us through
temptations!
so. And there was a Kood way off from them a herd
of many swine feeding. 31. So the devils besonght him,
saying. If thou cast us out, sufTer us to go away into the
herd of swine.
A good vajf off. At a considerable dis-
tance on the hills Avhich skirted the plain
where our Saviour had landed. Many
swine. (Mark v. 13.) The Jews were pro-
hibited from keeping swine, which were
unclean animals. The herd must therefore
have belonged to pagans, or else have been
kept for purposes of traffic. In anj- caee.
112
MATTHEW,
it might serve as evidence of tlie legal un-
cleanness of the people, and of their essen-
tially Gentile disposition. // thou cast its
out, ttc. The demons, becoming aware
that they must in some way yield before
Jesus, entreated at least to be handled in
the mildest way. They had great objec-
tions to being in "the deep" (Luke viii.
31), i. €., the abyss or pit of bell, and much
jireferred to wander about. But it was
held that they could only do this within
the vehicle of some body, human or ani-
mal, divested of which they returned to
the abyss. To avert this, the demons im-
plored iDermission to enter the herd of
swine.
32. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were
come out, they went into the lierd of swim- : and Iieliohl,
the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep
place into the sea, and perislied in the waters. :;:i. And
they that Itept them fled, and went their ways into the
city, and told everything, and what was befallen to the
passessed of the devils.
Go. This does not mean that Jesus ap-
proved of it, only that He permitted it.
In Luke viii. 32, " he sufiered them." God
often and everywhere permits in this
world what He does not applaud. They
vent, &.C. — of course the demons, not the
demoniacs. According to Paige, an Ameri-
can Universalist commentator, the demo-
niacs were merely crazy men, and their
insanity was transferred by Jesus to these
two thousand pigs ! And behold, the n-hole
herd of suine, &c. The entire herd rushed
headlong in frantic rage over the crags or
slopes overhanging the lake, and were en-
gulfed in the waters below, thus showing
the extraordinary malice, hatred and love
of mischief, which are attributes of Satan,
and which extend their operation beyond
men — even to brides. Perished — the swine.
The devils, alas ! are still alive.
The destruction of the swine does not,
as some have imagined it does, present any
serious difficulty. A man is of more value
than many swine, and if the Lord that
made all things could do man good mor-
ally, physically or otherwise, by sacrificing
these swine, He only did then and in that
act, what is done every day when the in-
nocent lamb, the unoftending bird, the
patient ox, are slaughtered for man's nu-
triment. (So in relation to the loss incurred
by the owners of the swine (at which
some have cavilled), it is no more ojien to
objection than any murrain that causes
cattle to die, or inundation that destroys
the fruits of the field, or other natural
calamity with which God chastises His
children, punishes, or seeks to make con-
trite the hearts of His enemies. For often
times the taking away by God is, in a highe^'^
sense, a giving. It is the taking away of
the meaner thing, for the purpose of mak-
ing receptive of the higher. And they that
kept them fled, &c. They that fed the swine
repaired to the adjoining citj', and reported
to the inhabitants all that had occurred.
34. And behold, the whole city came out to meet
Jesus: and when they saw him, <-they besought hi7>i
that he would depart out of their coasts.
cDeut. V. 25 ; 1 Kings xvii. 18 ; Luke v. 8 ; Acts xvi. 39.
The intelligence of the stupendous mira-
cle so aroused the city, that for the mo-
ment the terror produced by it was stronger
than the indignation from the loss, and
the inhabitants poured forth to meet
Jesus; and, seized with superstitious and
half-heathen fear, and dreading further
destruction of their property, they en-
treated Him to depart out of their country.
When He healed their diseases, they beg-
ged Him to remain ; but when He deprived
them of their property they asked Him to
depart. What a contrast to the entreatj'
of the Samaritans ! (John iv. 40.) How'
many, alas ! are there Avho, though they
do not emulate the open opposition of the
Gergesenes and ask Jesus to depart, yet
put the word of salvation Avillfully from
them, rush into the world, give way to
fojly, yield to sin, and in their days of
darkness seek any and every master, rather
than commit themselves at once to the
Shepherd of their souls, and give them-
selves up to be guided, governed, sanctified
and saved by the God of their salvation.
1. Who came to Jesus and worshiped Him ? 2. What did he say ? 3. What was the result ? 4 Who next
came to Christ ? 5. For what purpo.se did he come? 6. What is said of him ? 7. Why was the centurion's faith
'• great ?" 8. What is said about sitting dowi, in the kingdom of heaven ? 9. What about " the children of the
C II APT Ell IX.
113
kingdom ?" 10. Mention the miracle in Peter's house. 11. State some of the peculiarities of our Lord's miracles.
] J. What did Jesu.s say to thesc-ribo? What to "another of His disciples?" 13. State the particulars of the "great
tempest." 14. Describe the miracles in " the country of the Gergesenea." 15. How do sinners ask Jesus to da-
part from them ?
CHAPTER IX.
2 C7iri<<t cnrlna onr xic/: (if Ihe 2)nt'<'/, n rnllrth MattJiriu
friniitlLi: ncijit oi ciixhiiii. Wiatitlk villi publicims
mid .tinnrr.-i, 11 drf, ndrlli hix disrijjlfs fur nnt nistinii,
'Zo run t/i the bluodi/ ixxuf, 23 ruisef/i/rom dr.atli Jail us'
dmujlili r, '2,7 givtth siijlit to two blind iiwn, 3'J, heak'th
<i duiiili man p'w.sv'.f.svd of a devil, oO and hath compas-
sion of the multitude.
AND he entered into a ship, and piissed over, "and
came into his own city.— ''Chap. iv. 13.
Passed — at the request of the Gergesenes.
The Lord does not thrust His bles.sings on
the unwilUng. And by not making too
long dehiys in one i)laee, He aroused the
more earnest wishes for His presence. His
own city — Capernaum, dignified by this in-
liabitant. The miracle which followed was
wrought not many days after the cure of
the leper, (viii. 2-4).
2. ^And behold, they brought unto him a man sick of
the palsy, and lying on a bed ; ^aurt Jesus seeing their
faith said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good
cheer; thy sins he forgiven thee.
i^Mark ii, 3 ; Luke v. IS. i^Chap. vlii. 10.
Behold, merely indicates something new
and unexpected. They brought unto him —
many such offerings were made to the
Saviour acceptably. Sick of palsy — palsy
seems to be a contraction of the word
paralysis. It is the cessation of nervous
activity and muscular motion — a disease
that is found everywhere in various forms.
(See notes on chap. iv. 2-4.) Lying on a
led. According to Oriental usage, the bed
was probablj^ no solid framework like our
bedsteads, but a simple pallet, rug or
blanket. Even the most costly beds in the
East consist of cushions and light cover-
ings, spread upon the floor or divan. Jesus
seeing their faith — that of the 2:)aralytic him-
self, as well as those who brought him,
manifested by their making these extra-
ordinary efforts to bring him to Jesus.
>So7i, be of good cheer. Be confident, neither
thy sins nor thy disease shall stand in thy
way.
Thy sins be forgiven thee. Saving fiiith and
healing were alike the gift of God, and
often, if not commonly, bestowed together.
Knowing the state of the man's heart, as
8
one who mourned more for his sins than
his sufferings, our Lord, instead of healing
immediately, pronounced his sins forgiven.
This absolution was not a declaration of
Avhat was, or a wish for what might be, but
a judicial sentence of what took eflect the
moment the words were uttered. The
worth of the pardon which Jesus bestows
is valued only by those who groan beneath
the burden of sin. The great reformer,
IMartin Luther, soon after he became a
monk, fell dangerously ill. Though he had
long sought for pardon, he was filled witli
terror at the prospect of eternity. An aged
monk visited his cell, and reminded him
of those words in the Apostles' Creed : " I
believe in the forgiveness of sins." " Be-
lieve," said the old man, " not only that
the sins of David or Peter are forgiven, but
that your oivn are pardoned." These words
were a balm to Luther's wounded heart.
He thought no more of gaining heaven by
his own righteousness, but he looked with
confidence to the mercy of God in Christ.
Greatly may he rejoice whose experience
enables him to bless the Lord who hath
first forgiven him all his iniquities, and
then healed all his diseases. Our Lord'.s
pardoning the paralytic's sins before heal-
ing his bodily disease, though it does not
show that He regarded special suffering
as punishment for special sins, nevertheless
was calculated to remind him, and all who
were present, and all who read the account
of the transaction, that sin is the root and
cause of all pains and diseases. Much,
more important is it to have sin forgiven-,,
than sickness or any other bodily evil
removed.
3. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within
themselves, This man blasphemeth.
The scribes who, with Pharisees that
were present (Luke v. 17), surrounded
Je.sus, now began t'.> show their malice
toward Him. They said within themselves,
114
MATTHEW.
&c. — reasoned in their hearts. (Mark ii.
6.) The charge of blasphemy which they
brought against Him was based upon an
arrogation of tlie Divine prerogative. They
were not wrong in supposing that none
can forgive sins but God only. Tliey were
wrong in not weigliing candidly the testi-
mony of God's miracles. " What are this
man's pretensions that, on his own au-
thority, he should pronounce forgiveness
of sin — the sole prerogative of God. He
is guilty of the rankest blaspliemy." As
it seems to have been then agreed on all
hands, that forgiving of sins was the pre-
rogative of God alone, and that for man
to arrogate to himself this power was no
less than blasphemy, how can man, with-
out guilt, undertake to j)ronounce absolu-
tion ?
4. And Jesus, ^knowing their thoughts, said, Where-
fore thiiilj; ye evil in your hearts ?
dPs. cxxxix. 2; Chap. xii. 25; Marls xii. 15; Lulie v.
22, vi. 8, ix. 47, xi. 17.
Our Lord, being aware of their thoughts,
asked them, " Why do ye secretly medi-
tate evil ?" To know the hearts of men,
was, Avith the Jews, a test of the true
Messiah's claims. In telling them, then,
what the thoughts of their hearts were,
Jesus gave them the fullest proof of His
power to forgive sins, because God only
can forgive sins, and God only can search
and know the heart.
5. For whether is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven
thee, or to saj', Arise, and walk? (>. But that ye may
know tliat tlie Son of man hatli power on eartii to for-
give sins, (then saith he to the siclc of the palsy,) Arise,
take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
Whether is easier to say, &c. Christ's
enemies, as H3 knew, thought that to say,
or claim, that sin is forgiven, was undoubt-
edly the easier, particularly so long as
inquiry was not made respecting the cre-
dentials of the speaker's authority. In
order, therefore, that they might doubt no
longer of his credentials (which seems to
have been the great end of the miracles),
the Saviour accomplished the miracle of
healing, whereby the blessing of the for-
giveness of sins was at once manifested
and sealed.
But that ye may know, &c. "By doing
that which is submitted to the eyes of
men, I will attest my right and power to
do that which, in its very nature, lies out
of the region of ocular demonstration.
From what you shall see, you may conclude
that it is no 'robbery' (Philip, ii. 6) upon
my part, to claim the power of forgiving
men their sins." The phrase, the Son of
man, appears to have been taken from Dan.
vii. 13, which the Jews understood as refer-
ring to the Messiah. (Luke xxii. 69, 70 ;
John xii. o4.) Power on earth, the counter-
part of power in heaven. It could be no
superior scientific skill, it could be no mere
earthly magnetic power, it could be no
accidental coincidence of events. Earth
is exclusively the place where sins are
committed and remitted. The phrase im-
plies a condition of heavenly glory, in
which no one will call in question Christ's
right to remit sins. Tlicn sait]i he to tlie sick
of the palsy, &c. " Bed," with the inhabi-
tants of the East, is not that serious and
important part of domestic economy that
Ave are accustomed to consider it. It is at
best like a very small and narrow sofa, so
light as to be easily carried by the occupier
himself from place to place, and from room
to room, according as caprice or the change
of the seasons may require. In general,
however, it is nothing more than a mat-
tress, Avhich admits of being spread in a
moment on the floor, and which, when not
used, is carelessly flung into a corner of
the room.
7. And he arose, and departed to his house.
Christ's command Avas accompanied with
Di\'ine poAver, the helpless man instantly
sprang to his feet, lifted upon his head the
mattress ui^on Avhich he had lain (Luke \.
25), and strode with vigorous limbs out of
the court (Luke v. 19), through the crowd,
which noAV instinctively made way for him,
hastening, under a command so pleasant
to obey, first of all to his own house and
family, to lend help Avhere he had formerly
been a burden, glorifying God (Luke v. 25)
for the Avonderxul cure whicli he had per-
formed on his body, and for the still more
wonderful cure He had bestoAved on his
soul.
8. But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled,
and glorified God, which had given such power unto
men.
The croAvd who had gathered from dif-
ferent points (Luke iv. 17), some, no doubt,
in search of spiritual benefit, others to see
and hear one whose name was in every
mouth, Avondered at Avhat they had seen.
And glorified God — an admirable antithesis.
CHAPTER IX.
115
the enthusiasm of tlie people, over against
the murmuring and malice of the scribes.
Power to men. From this it would seem that
their ideas of Christ were, as j'et, very im-
perfect, and that they looked on Him in
no higher light than that of a man acting
with delegated authority ; whereas, they
ought to have concluded that he was the
Divine Messiah.
From this narrative learn the following
practical lessons : 1. Affliction may prove
a great blessing to a man's soul. 2. Whilst
it is pleasant to see crowds flocking to the
house of God, there is too much reason
for the painful fear that many go there,
not as humble worshipers, but as censors
and spies. 3. All who are themselves in
health, and strengtli, and comfort, ought
to be ready to perform the various offices
of humanity to those who are in sickness,
or in any trouble. Especially ought Chris-
tians who have friends and acquaintances
under the disease of sin, endeavor to bring
them to the Saviour, in a spiritual sense ;
encouraging themselves from this and
similar passages. 4. It is a solemn truth
that Jesus knows the thoughts of men,
whether they are for good or evil. (Ps.
cxxxix. 5.) 5. It is delightful to know that
Jesus can still forgive sin. (Acts v. 31.)
9. 'Anrl as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a
man named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of castoni :
and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and
followed him.— »Mark ii. 14: Luke v. 27.
Passed forth from thence, i. e., from the
scene of the paralytic's cure in Capernaum,
toward the shore of the sea of Galilee, on
which that town lay. (Mark ii. 13.) On
his way thither the events recorded here
occurred. He saw, that is, looked upon, at-
tentively regarded. A man named Matthew,
elsewhere called Levi. (Luke v. 27 ; Mark
ii. 14.) (See Preface to this Gospel.) Sitting
at the receipt of custom, i. e., the place of the
receipt of taxes imposed by the Romans on
this, as on other subject provinces of the
empire. He was actually employed at his
calling. The publicans had tenements or
booths erected for them at the foot of
bridges, at the motith of rivers, and by the
sea shore, where they took the toll of pas-
sengers. As the " receipt of custom " at
which Matthew was sitting was not in the
town, or at the gate, but, as it would seem,
by the sea shore (see ]Stark ii. 13, 14), it is
presumed that he was one of the inferior
officers employed to collect the dues levied
upon the fish brought to shore, and upon
the vegetables and fire-wood received from
the otlier side of the lake.
jhid he saith unto him, Follow 7ftt'— giving
the words resistless efficacy in the heart
of him to whom they were spoken. Doubt-
less this was not Matthew's first knowledge
of the Saviour. The analogy of the class
described (chap. iv. 18-22), makes it not
improbable that this man, like his prede-
cessors, already belonged, for a shorter or
longer time, to the most attentive hearers
of the Saviour. But now he is called to
accompany Him as an avowed, decided,
and constant disciple, and a future Apos-
tle. And he arose, and followed Him. We
are not to understand that he dei)arted
without settling up and arninging his
affairs, so that his employers might receive
detriment from his change of pursuit, and
yet it is plain that unhesitatingly, without
the reply of a word, or the least unneces-
sary delay, he left all in which he had just
been immersed, obeyed the summons
which was to change the whole tenor of
his life.
Note 1. Such is the freeness of Divine
grace that it calls and converts when,
where, and whomsoever it will. 2. Con-
version is as much a supernatural work
now, as it was eighteen hundred years ago.
(Ps. xxvii. 8.) 3. We must never despair
of any one's salvation so long as he lives,
after reading of Matthew's case. 4. Con-
version now is equally as decisive as it
ever was. Matthew's resigning his worldly
calling, and worldly gains, was, indeed,
peculiar ; but this, only as regards the act,
and not as regards the state of mind which
produced the act, and which is required
of all. 5. Instant obedience to what Christ
says, is duty. God says, " Believe — do."
We are not to discuss the metaphysics of
the question, but just believe as God says,
and do as God prescribes, and in the effort
we will find the strength that is adequate
to the occasion.
10. '!, 'And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat In the
house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and
sat down with him and his disciples.
fMark ii. 15, &c. ; Luke v. 29, <ftc.
And it came to pass. This fiict occurred
probably some six months after the call
116
MATTHEW,
mentioned in the last verse. Jesus sat at
meat, literally was reclining at table, in al-
lusion to the ancient mode of lying on
couches at meals, in the house, doubtless
Matthew's house. When Christ was in-
vited to any table. He never refused to go.
He went mainly for an opportunity of
conversing and doing good. His dining
with publicans and sinners is not a prece-
dent for us, unless we go as He did — a
physician to the sick, an instructor to the
ignorant. Many publicans and sinners.
Under this expression were included all
those who fell below the Pharisaic observ-
ance of the law. Came and sat down, &c.
Matthew, having had time to be somewhat
established in the faith, his compassion for
old friends of his own calling and charac-
ter, led him to gather them together that
they might have an opportunity of hearing
the gracious words which proceeded out
of his Master's mouth, if haply they might
experience a like change. Those who have
been graciously delivered from the bondage
of sin, will wish others also to be set free.
11. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his
disciples, Whv eateth your Master with rpublicans and
hsinners ?— sCiiap. xi. 19 ; Luke v. 30, iv. 2. tGal. ii. 15.
Why eateth your Master, &c. This fault-
finding question was not addressed to the
Saviour Himself. The defeat sufiered by
the Pharisees shortly before, at the heal-
ing of the paralytic, had probably deterred
them from coming too frequently in con-
tact with Christ. But though the cavil
was addressed to his disciples, He answered,
not merely to shame the Pharisees and to
maintain His own cause, but also and es-
pecially in order to come to the help of
His perplexed disciples, who were not yet
in a condition suitable to defend them-
selves and Him.
12. But wlien Jesus heard that, he said unto them.
They that be whole need not a physician, but they that
are sick.
Why should a physician be censured
for conversing with sick patients ? I
came into the world to perform the office
of a kind physician unto men ; surely, then,
I should take all opportunities of convers-
ing with them, that I may help and heal
them, for they that are sick need the physician,
but as for you scribes and Pharisees, who
are strong and sound, in your own opinion
and conceit, I have no hope of doing you
good ; for such as think tlwinselves whole, in
health, desire not the physician's aid.
Very striking is this image of sickness
to mark the prostrate condition of man in
his sin. The drooping, the disgust with
the very sights and sounds which glad-
dened him before, the feverish restless-
ness, the parched tongue, the weary limbs,
the acute pain, the dull, deep gnawing of
mortal disease, the disarrangement of all
the functions of the body, the sleepless-
ness, the delirium, the helplessness and
the hopelessness of the poor stricken one,
and his death, if his sickness is not re-
moved ; surely, all this supplies a won-
derful picture of sin in the soul of man,
the spiritual disease under which he is
suffering, and his melancholy doom, if
that disease is not healed by the great
Physician. (See Ex. xv. 8 ; Ps. cxlvii. 3.)
Christ is the most skillful physician (Ps.
ciii. 3), the best physician, because He
cures the better part — the soul (Heb. ix.
14), the cheajjest physician (Luke viii. 43;
Isa. Iv. 1), the most tender-hearted physi-
cian (Hos. xi. 8 ; Ps. cxlvii. 3), the most
successful physician (John xvii. 12), the
only physician (Acts iv. 12).
13. But go ye, and learn what that meaneth, >I will
have mercy and not sacrifice : for I am not come to
call the righteous, i^but sinners to repentance.
'Hos. vi. 6 ; Mi. vi, 6, 7, 8 : chap. xii. 7. kj Tim. 1. 15.
Our Lord further defends Himself by
reminding them what God had said by
His prophet. (Hos. vi. 6 ; see also 1 Sam.
XV. 22.) I will have mercy, &c., that is,
" although I have appointed the ceremo-
nial law, with all its rites, sacrifices and
distinctions, to be a shadow of good things
to come, and though I require, in general,
obedience tf* its rules, yet I value not those
outward and formal services, in compari- .
son with acts of moral virtue, and deeds
of charity, and feelings of mercy ; and if
there be an occasion in which mercy can-
not be shown to a fellow-creature without
neglecting some sacrifice or other ceremo-
nial appointment, let the formal duty be
omitted, and let the deed of charity be
done."
/ am not come to call, &c. We are not to
understand that Christ found some who .
were "whole" and "righteous," for it is
declared that " all have sinned." He called
those scribes and Pharisees so, not because
CHAPTER IX.
117
thoy were really so, but only because they,
with a holy mockery, esteemed themselves
so. Tlie language in relation to them is
entirely ironical. Here, as elsewhere, we
see that our Lord's call to sinners is not a
bare call to become His disciples, but a
call to repentance. Repentance, or godly
sorrow for sin, is for the just named " sick,"
the restoration of the health of the soul.
Jesus Christ did not come into the world
merely as a teacher, but as the Saviour of
that which was utterly lost, and those
only can receive benefit from Ilim who
will confess that they are ruined, bank-
rupt, hopeless, miserable sinners. If we
feel ourselves " righteous," He has nothing
to say to us; but if we feel ourselves
" sinners," we have a warrant for api^lying
to Him, and trusting in Him to our life's
end.
14. 1[ Then came to him the disciples of John, saying,
■Why do we and the Pharisees litst oft, but thy disciples
fast not ?
iMiirk ii. 18, &c. ; Luke v. 33, cfec., and xviii. 12.
Font oft. (See Luke xviii. 12.) The Phari-
sees probably incited these disciples to
make common cause with them, which
they could the more easily do, as now
Jesus was at a feast and John in prison.
A life of austere devotion, of the sternest
Old Testament spirit, was practised by John
and his disciples, many of whom may have
been from among the Essenes, and their
previous asceticism would lead them to
regard with surprise the departure of
Jesus and His disciples from the stern
habits of self-denial practised by their
Master. There seems also to be a tinge
of censure in the question.
15. And Jesus said unto them, Can mthe children of
the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is
with tliem ? but the days will come, wlieu the bride-
groom shall be taken from them, and "tlien shall they
fast.
mLuke V. 34, 35 , John iii. 29 ; Acts xiii. 2, 3, and xiv.
23 ; 1 Cor. vii. 5.
Here is an evident allusion to the last
testimony of John the Baptist. (John iii.)
The children of the bride-chamhcr were the
attendant young comrades of the bride-
groom, who assisted in the festivities of
the wedding. Now that the bridegroom
was with the children of the bride-cham-
ber, and it was a day of joy and rejoicing
with the disciples, mourning and fasting
would be very inappropriate for them.
Christ would not discourage His disciples
by over-rigorous institutions, and it is unfit
that His religion should be burthened with
them. He suits the duties of His people
to their circumstances, and kindly propor-
tions their work to their strength, with a
tender regard to their weakness, till by
degrees they may be fitted for the more
difficult and humbling services. What a
wonderful intimation does the figure hride-
(/j'oommake of what Christ is to His people!
He loves them with a deep and everlast-
ing love, takes them into union with Him-
self, supi^lies their daily need, sympathizes
with them in all their troubles, bears with
all their infirmities, and will one day luring
them to share with Him the glory that He
has received from His Father, that where
He is, they may be also. They are the
Lamb's wife. (Rev. xix. 7.)
But the days will come, in which a much
greater sorrow Avill befall My disciples
than even that which has now smitten the
sorrowing disciples of John. I am not
only to be sejjarated from them, but to be
taken from them ; an evident allusion to
the violent death He should die, and then
shall they fast. Though this expression
does not seem to warrant the inference
drawn from it, that when the Saviour left
the world, literal fasting from meats and
drinks, at certain seasons, was to be the
duty of all Christians, yet it may not be
doubted that fasting and abstinence were
occasionally j^ractised by believers after
our Lord's ascension. (See Notes on chap,
iv. and vi. 16-18.) The words in this verse
appear to have a deeper meaning than any
mere abstinence from food. They describe
the state of mind in which all true Chris-
tians should live until their Lord returns.
It is time for daily and hourly self-denial
and mortification. The time of fullness
and satisfaction cannot be until Ave see the
Bridegroom amongst us again.
16 No man putteth a piece of ne^v clotli nnto an old
earment : for that which is put in to till it up. taketU
from the earment, and the rent is iTiado wor^e. 17.
Neither do men put new wine into old bottles : else the
bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles
perish : but they put new wine into new bottles, and
both are preserved.
For that which is put in, &c. The Saviour
gave the murmuring scribes and Pharisees
to understand that that Avhich He was
bringing in, was not a mere addition to,
or complement of that which had gone by.
The whole Jewish dispensation was passing
away. The dispensation of the Gospel
118
MATTHEW
was at hand. But the latter was not to
be thrust into the midst of the former, in
order to make it last longer, or wear better.
The old dispensation was not the more
important of tlie two, and so the new ought
not to be used to renovate and help on the
old. The old and the new covenants are
both originally from God, and both, as
such, are good, but they must not be blended
together, or mixed \\]) with each other, as
if to make but one.
Neither do men put new wine, &c. Bottles,
which were anciently made of the skins
of animals, would, when they were old,
become dry, and incapable of swelling as
the new wine would ferment, and hence
they would burst, and both the Avine and
the leather bottles be ruined. It was neces-
sary, therefore, that unfermented wine
should be put into fresh skin bottles, so
that the bottles might swell as the wine
fermented. The first parable tells us that
the improvement must not be begun ex-
ternally, leaving the state of the inner man
xintouched ; this second one shows inverse-
ly, that the internal renovation must reach
to what is outward, and give to this a
suitable direction.
18. H "While he spake these things unto them, behold,
there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying.
My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy
luind vipon her, and she shall live. 19. And Jesus arose
a'ld followed him, and .«o rfW his disciples. 20. ^ pAnd
behold, a woman which was diseased with an Issue of
blood twelve years, came behind hiin, and touched the
liom of his garment. 21. For she said within herself. If
I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22. But
Jesus turned him about, and when he saw hor, he said,
IJaughter, be of good comfort: ithy faith hatii made
thee whole. And the woman was made whole I'nim
that hour. 23. ■•And when Jesus came into the ruler's
house, and saw -'the minstrels and the people making a
noise, 34. He said unto them, 'Give place: for the maid
is not dead, but sleei^eth. And they laughed him to
scorn. 25. But when the people were put forth, he
went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
2G. And i the fame hereof went abroad into all that
land.
"Mark v. 22, &c. : Luke viii. 41, <fcc. pMark v. 25 ; Luke
viii. 4:5. qLuke vii. .50, viii. 4.S. xvii. 19, xviii. 42. 'Mark
V. 38 ; Luke viii. 51. aSee 2 Chron. xxxv. 25. 'Acts xx.
10. II Or, this fame.
Daughter, he of good comfort, &c. As the
woman felta confidence even in theefficacy
of but touching the hem in His garment,
80 let us even in the absence of all near or
vivid conception of Him, Avhen such mani-
festations are wanting, and all light save
that of simple credence, all power save that
of naming His name, have forsaken us —
let us even in these circumstances of dis-
tance and desei'tion, have but faith in the
name, and like the woman cured of her
issuej we shall be made whole. The min-
strels and the people making a noise. Vocal
and instrumental music formed part of the
means of expressing sorrow on the loss of
friends. Loud and doleful sounds rose
immediately from all present when a friend
died. (Jer. ix. 17-22.) Not dead, but sleep-
eth, &c. Death is but a sleep ; in respect of
Him who raised a dead person more easily
than we can awake one who is asleep.
Even the death of the soul is but a sleep,
when God has resolved to awaken the
sinner, and to restore to him the life of
His grace. The world laughs at the truths
which it neither comprehends nor loves,
and at those who publish them. A faithful
minister keejis on his pace, and ceases not
to work the work of God.
And the maid arose. How wonderful that
sight must have been ! Who that has ever
seen the dead can forget the stillness, the
silence, the coldness, when the breath has
left the body? Who can forget the awful
feeling, that a mighty change has taken
place, and a mighty gulf been placed be-
tween ourselves and the departed ? But be-
hold ! our Lord goes to the chamber where,
tlie dead lies, and calls the spirit back to its
earthly tabernacle. The pulse once more
beats; the eyes once more see; the breath
once more comes and goes. The ruler's
daughter is once more alive, and restored
to her father and mother. This was om-
nipotence indeed ! None could have done
this but He who first created man, and has
all power in heaven and earth. (For a
fuller exposition of the above verses see
on ]\Iark v. 21-43.)
27. And when Josus departed thence, two blind men
followed him, crying, and saying, "Thou son of Duvid,
have merev on us.
oChap. XV. 22, XX. 30, 31. Mark. 47, 48; Luke xviii.
38,39.
This miracle, and that which follows,
of the dumb demoniac, are recorded by
IMatthew alone. When Jesxis departed thence,
returned from the ruler's house to His
own sojourn. Tiro blind men followed him.
They were not blind by nature, but by
disease. Blindness is extremely common
in the East from many causes ; e. g., the
quantities of dust and sand pulverized by
the sun's intense heat, the perpetual glare
of light, the contrast of the heat with the
cold sea-air on the coast, where blindness is
espcially prevalent, the dews at night while
they sleep on the roofe, small-pox, old age,
CHAPTER IX.
119
&c., and perhaps, mere than all, the Mo-
hammedan fatalism, which lead?* to a neg-
lect of the proper remedies in time
Two. Tliey were partners in sorrow. They
may have followed Jesus with their cry
for aid immediately on His leaving the
house of Jairus. There was the same trial
of faith in their case, although in a more
mitigated form, as in that of the woman
of Canaan. (Matt. xv. 22, 23, compared
with Mark vii. 24.) This is the first of the
many cases of healing of the blind recorded
in the Gospel narrative. (Matt. xii. 22,
XX. 30, xxi. 14 ; John ix.)
Thoa son of David. (Matt. xv. 22, xx.
30, 31.) This is the first time we read of
this title being given to Jesus, except by
the angel Gabriel before Misbirth. (Luke
i. 32.) By this title He was acknowledged
to be the Messiah, or ■ Christ, who, as all
Jews agreed, was to be the son of David
(Matt. xxii. 42, xii. 23, and John vii. 42),
and by being the Son of Da^'id, Jesus had
a right to the title of Messiah. (2 Sam. vii.
13, 16.) Can there be a doubt that the
faith of these blind men, in thus address-
ing Jesus, festened on such great Messianic
promises as that in Isa. xxxv. 5 ? Notice
that they believed by hearing only ; they
relied on the testimony of others who had
seen Christ's miracles ; the eyes of their
understanding were enlightened, if their
bodily eyes were dark. (John xx. 29)
We must never despair of any one's salva-
tion, merely because he lives in a position
unfavorable to his soul. Have mercy on us
— a virtual request that He should restore
their sight by removing the cause of their
blindness.
28. And when he was come into the house, the blind
men came to bim : and Jesus saith unto them, Believe
ye that I am able to do this ? Tliey said unto bim, Yea,
Lord.
The house — His dwelling at Capernaum.
The blind men came to hirri. Thej^ found
their way in the train of Christ, as if some
glimmer of light had already been granted.
They evinced a determination to take no
refusal in regard to the boon they were
seeking. Believe ye that I am able to do this ?
%. e., to cure their blindness. Of course our
Lord did not require assurance on this
point. (John ii. 25.) As the men had at-
tested their belief in the cry with which
they followed Him through the street, we
are to regard Him as having asked this
question in order to deepen their faith, to
raise their expectation of a cure, and so
prepare them to receive it, and the cordial
acknowledgment, so touchingly simple —
yea, Lord, which they immediately made
to Him of His power to heal them, shows
how entirely that object was gained. Con-
fession confirms faith. (See Rom. x. 10.)
29. Tlien touched he their eyes, saying, According to
your taith, be it unto you.
Touched their eyes. This would show that
the cure was no accidental circumstance.
(See INIatt. xx. 34.) On other similar occa-
sions, Jesus used other means. (John ix.
6, 7.) Accordiny to your faith, &c — your
confidence in me. The meaning is not,
receive a cure proportioned to your faith,
but, receive this cure as granted to your
faith. Here we see the relation of man's
faith and God's gift. " Faith, which in it-
self is nothing, is yet the organ of receiving
everything. It is the bucket let down into
the fountain of God's grace, without which
the man could not draw up out of that
fountain ; the purse, which does not itself
make its owner rich, but which yet effectu-
ally enriches him by the treasure which
it contains." Faith is a readiness to receive
of God ; it is this only which prescribes a
limit to Divine love ! (See xiii. 58 ; Mark
vi. 5 ; Acts xiv. 9.)
30. And their eyes were opened ; and Jesus straitly
charged them, s.aving, pSee that no man know it.
pChap. viii. 4, xii. 16, xvii. 9 ; Luiie v. 14.
Their eyes were opened. A Hebrew idiom,
neither remote nor inelegant, to denote
they received their sight. The result proved
their faith to be perfectly earnest and
sincere. Our Lord had before proved
Himself one with Him " that giveth breath
unto the people," &c. (Isa. xliii. 5), and
now it was shown that He it was of whom
the Father had said, "I, the Lord, have
called thee in righteousness, and will hold
thine hand, to open the blind eyes,"
&c. (Isa. xliii. 6, 7 ; see also Isa. Ixi. 1,
comp. with Ltike iv. 18.) We are left to
fill up the sketch in the case of these two
men. What must have been their feelings
as soon as they received sight! O what
joy, what ecstacy, what gratitude, would
they discover ! How would they look and
gaze — all things are become new ! How
would they first fasten their eyes upon
120
MATTHEW.
their Benefactor and Deliverer, admiring,
weeping, adoring ! (Job xlii. 5.)
Straitly, strictly. See that no man know it.
Of course those who knew the blind men
would perceive the change, and there
must have been spectators of the transac-
tion. The men were not to be noisy
heralds of their miraculous cure. As our
Lord's whole course was sublimely noise-
less (chap. xii. 19), so we find Him, al-
though He directed some of His miracles
to be proclaimed abroad, repeatedly taking
steps to prevent matters coming prema-
turely to a crisis with Him. As to the
present instance. He may have given this
strict charge either to avoid needlessly
exciting the opposition of enemies, or fur-
nishing plausible accusations against Him-
self, or because He had performed several
miracles that day, and if these men, as
they would naturally be inclined to do,
should proclaim Him as Messiah, the peo-
ple, who regarded Him rather in the light
of one who was to establish a gi-eat
temporal dominion, might be induced to
take rash measures in seeking honor for
Him, and demanding for Him some great
dignity (see John vi. 15), thus throwing
the people of Galilee into rebellion against
their temporal rulers, which was quite
contrary to the purposes of Jesus. The
inconvenient consequences of a prema-
ture disclosure of His deeds of mercy,
appear in Mark i. 45. (See notes on chap,
viii. 4.)
SI. qBiit they, when they were departed, spread
abroad his fame in all that country.— qMark vii. 36.
It is probable that the fame of this mira-
cle spread far beyond Capernaum. Hence
the title, *S'ori of David, became now gen-
erally known, and Jesus felt all the more
inclined soon to leave the district. Spread
abroad, &c. A Similar consequence ensued
on all such occasions. (Matt. viii. 4 ; Mark
i. 44, 45, vii. 3G.) Obedience is better
than sacrifice (1 Sam. xv. 22), even though
that sacrifice may appear in honor of God
Himself; and we see in this publishing of
the miracle, after the prohibition given, a
blemish in the perfectness of their faith
who did it — a fault, though a fault into
which they only, who were full of grati-
tude and thankfulness, could have fallen.
Their motives were doubtless good, but
their conduct was unjustifiable. " How-
ever," says one, " it may be profitable to
remark, 1. That honor pursues those who
fly from it. 2. He who is thoroiighly
sensible of God's mercies cannot Zong' with-
hold his acknowledgments. 3. God in
general requires that what a man has re-
ceived, for his own salvation, shall become
subservient to the salvation of others
(Matt. V. 16), God choosing to help man
by man, that all may be knit together in
brotherly love." (Ps. Ixvi. 16.)
Note 1. We are all by nature spiritually
blind; no naore qualified, without Divine
illumination, for the concerns of the moral
world than those blind men for those of
the natural world. 2. We are in as hope-
ful condition as they. In this miracle
Jesus holds Himself forth as the all-suffi-
cient helper of sinners. 3. We should
imitate these men in an earnest, importu-
nate cry for mercy.
32. 1 rAs they went out, behold, they brought to him
a dumb man possessed with a devil.
tSee chap. xii. 22 ; Luke xi. 14.
As they went out. This was indeed a day
of marvelous wonders — a bloody issue,
death, blind eyes, and dumb lips, all made
to yield to Christ's restorative power ! A
dumb man — the dumbness was not natural,
but was the efl'ect of the possession. The
power of the demons was exerted in various
ways. Possessed toith a devil. A Universalist
commentator says that this man was
"probably an insane man, who fancied he
could not speak, or he would not ;" which
illustrates the rationalistic character of
Universalism. The fact is, that the Jews
themselves made a distinction between
merely diseased persons and persons who
were both diseased and possessed. Mark
(vii. 32-35) reports the cure of a deaf mute
who was not possessed.
3.3. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake :
and tlie multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never bo
seen in Israel.
The dumb spake. The record is singularly
brief. On the removal of the malignant
oppression on the power of speech, it re-
turned, and was used. Here, again, was a
fulfillment of a prophecy relating to the
days of the Messiah. (Isa. xxxv. 5, 6.)
There is a moral dumbness, and the Saviour
heals this when He makes any one a new
creature. The man had a tongue before,
but not a religious one. He spake before.
CHAPTER IX.
121
but now his speech is with grace. Now he
speaks of God, for God, and to God. A7id
the muUUudc'S marvelled, saying, It was never
so. seen in Israel — referring, probably not to
this case only, but to all those miraculous
disjjlays of healing power which seemed
to promise a new era in the history of
Israel. " Never before has the apjjearance
of the promised deliverance been so fully
realized." (See Isa. xxxv. 5-7.) Proba-
bly, also, the people besides wondering,
meant by this language to indicate, as far
as they thought it safe to do so, their
inclination to regard Jesus as the promised
Messiah. This may have led to the sudden
and malignant accusation mentioned in the
next verse.
34. But tlie Pharisees said, "He casteth out devils,
through the iirince of the devils.
'Chap. xii. 24 ; Mark iii. 22 ; Luke xi. 15.
These enemies of our Lord, the same as
referred to in verse 11, let it be noted,
were unable to deny the fact of the miracu-
lous healing, and therefore used the only
other means at their disposal to discredit
Him who wrought it, by malignantly ac-
cusing Him of impious collusion, connec-
tion and fellowship with the j)rince of devils.
Satan is afterward so designated, more
particularly in chap. xii. 24.
35. <And Jesus went about all the cities and villages,
"teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel
of the kingdom, and healing every sickness, and every
disea.se among the people.
•Mark vi. 6 ; Luke xlii. 22. "Chap. iv. 23.
We have here Jesus presented to us as
the untiring and devoted missionary.
From the parallel passages we gather that
Jesus now traveled along the lake, through
the cities and villages of Galilee. Accord-
ingly, we distinguish three missionary
journeys which He made in Galilee. 1.
To the Mount of Beatitudes. 2. Across
the sea. 3. Through the valley, along the
shore, in the direction of Jerusalem. It
is to the last that the text refers. He
went about, &c. — for it was holy ground
wherever He could stand, and it was a
sanctuary wherever He could be heard.
(See notes on chap. iv. 23.) We should
not be content to be Christians for our-
selves, to sit in our own room and feast upon
the Gospel alone, but should endeavor
to supply it to others. We should go and
see the poor and the afflicted, and then
we will feel for them. It is easy to give
a cold pittance of charity at a church col-
lection, and to think that this is the re-
ligion of Jesus, but let us not be deceived.
" I was sick, and ye visited nie." " Pure
religion, before God and the Father, is
this, To visit," &c. Preaching the Gospel
healing sickness. Our Lord's
mercy to the body secured reception for
His mediciiie for the soul. Jesus was an
eye-witness of all the ills that flesh is heir
to. He saw ailments of every kind, sort
and descrii^tion. We are each dwelling
in a poor, frail body. We know not what
racking comx)laint we may have to submit
to before we lie down and die. We know
not what quantity of suflering we may
have to watch as we sit by the bed-side of
dear relations and friends. Let us arm
ourselves betimes with the precious thought
that Jesus is specially fitted to be the sick
man's friend.
30. K *But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved
with compassion on them, because thej' fainted, and
were scattered abroad, "as sheep having nosheplierd.
"Mark vi. 34. "Num. xxvii. 17 ; 1 Kings xxii. 17 ; Ezek.
xxxiv. 5 ; Zech. x. 2.
Saw the midiitudes. Galilee was at that
time a thickly peopled country ; its towns
and villages swarmed with inhabitants, so
that it got the name of " Galilee of the na-
tions," or populous Galilee. He was moved
'With compassion. His loving heart could
not but feel deep pity, as He saw them
ignorant, hopeless, helpless, dying, and un-
fit to die. This shows that while He was
" God over all, blessed for ever," He was
also as truly man. It is the part of a man
to be overcome by what he sees. There is
something very saddening to a Christian,
in looking uj^on a current of human beings
in a teeming city or crowded church, flow-
ing onward to eternity, because the most
are perishing souls. It was this that touched
the bosom of Jesus. How does such a sight
affect us? Because they fainted. The epithet
"fainted" is applied to them in their charac-
ter of sheep, who were worried and exhausted
in the way. Scattered abroad, like sheep,
which, when driven away from the fold,
are scattered over the mountains, and run
every one to his OAvn way. Having no
shepherd. (Ezek. xxxiv. 5,6.) When .sheep
driven from the fold, have no shepherd to
seek them and bring them back, their case
is desperate. So was it with the people
of Galilee in Christ's day. They were a
122
MATTHEW,
vast disorganized mass, in wretchedness
as the victims of Pharisaic guidance, their
souls uncared for, and drawn after and
hanging upon Him. If they had had
l)astors after God's own heart, their case
would not have been so bad, but they had
not these, and this made Jesus sad.
37. Then saith he unto his disciples, »The harvest
truly is jiletuc-( lus, but the labourers are few. 38. .vpray
ye tlKTcliiri' the Luid of the harvest, that he will .send
forth laljourrr.s into his harve-it.
^liuke X. 2 ; John iv. 35. yi Thes. iii. 1.
The harvest truly is plenteous, &c. Our
Lord's eye doubtless rested immediately
on the Jewish field, but this He saw widen-
ing into the vast field of " the world "
(chap. xiii. 38), teeming with souls having
to be gathered to Him. And the Gospel
reapers for this vast white field, where are
they? None as yet but myself. Let it be
observed: 1. That the world is an harvest
field. Like a waving field of golden grain
it invites many reapers, and demands
haste. 2. That ministers are to be labor-
ers in this field. They are to come into
it, not to become lords of it, or to stand
idle, but to work. 3. That it belongs to
God alone to send forth laborers into His
harvest. Colleges can give learning, con-
gregations may elect, bishops or presby-
ters may ordain ; but all will be worthless
without the unction of the Holy Ghost.
4. That the number of faithful laborers is
comparatively small. 5. That it is the
duty of Christians individually, and the
church collectivelj^, to pray earnestly and
incessantly to the Lord of the harvest to
send forth an increased number of faithful ,
laborers. Otherwise the ripe corn will be
shaken, and shed its fruit upon the ground,
before it can be cut down and gathered in.
The word translated send forik conveys the
idea of urgency, and signifying, as it literally
does, "to cast forth;" it implies that
nothing but God's powerful and constrain-
ing call will ever move men to become
ministers and laborers in the Gospel
harvest.
This declaration of Jesus to His disciples
loses none of its force in its application to
the spiritual harvest which is now in
readiness for laborers in almost every por-
tion of the world. How small the number
of ministers and missionaries scattered
over the world ! To increase this number
there must be prayer to Christ, who is
Himself the Lord of the harvest. Divine
oi3eration will not dispense with human
cooperation. God will do, in answer to
prayer, what will not be done without
prayer. Low faith in the church produces
slow development of the work of salvation.
Not all Christians have money to give to
missions ; very few have intellectual gifts,
or extensive influence among men ; but
all believers can pray for the success of
the Gospel, and they ought to pray for it
daily. Giving money is good ; but praying
is best of all.. Especially is it the duty of
the minister of the Gospel to use this
weapon. (Actsvi. 4; Eph. vi. 17, 18.) This
is the way to win a blessing on his own
ministry, and this, above all, is the way to
jjrocure helpers to carry on Christ's work.
1. Wlio was brought to Jesus ? 2. How was the paralytic cured ? 3. What objection was made ? 4. What an-
swer did Christ give? 5. How was Matthew called to be a disciple? 6. What are the practical reflections on
this case ? 7. What objection was made to Christ's eating with publicans and sinners ? 8. What was His reply ?
9. Whom did our I^ord come to call to repentance? 10. Explain verses 14,15? 11. How are we to understand
versas 16 and 17 ? 12. Bepeat the particulars of the two miracles which follow. 13. What is said about the cure
of the blind men ? 14. What is meant by " possessed with a devil ?" 15. When and why was Christ moved with
compassion ? 16. What did He say to His disciples ?
CHAPTER X.
12S
CHAPTER X.
1 -Christ sendcth. out hi.': twelve apostles, ennblinp them
with powi^- to do mirarles, 5 fiioeth them their rlutriie,
te.acheth them, IB comforteth them apainst persecutions :
40 and i>romiscth a tdessiny to those that receive them.
AND >wlieii he had calleil unto him liLs twelve disci-
ples, he gave tliem power lagainst uacleaii spirits,
to cast them out, and to heal all uianuer of sickness
and all manner ol' disease.
•Mark Hi. 13, 14, vi. 7 ; Luke vi. 13, ix. 1. lOr, over.
And shows that this is closely connected
■with the end of chapter ix. When he liad
called unto him — formally, Jus twelve disci-
ples. It is not the appointment of the twelve,
but only their trial mission, which our
Evangeli.st here records.
He gave them jwicer, &c. This was to be
an evidence of their commission. It was
also a benevolent provision for the sick
and afflicted, that this power to heal was
given to the Apostles. What an evidence
this of Christ's divinity ! The power was
inherent in Himself. He could not only
work miracles, but could enable others to
work them in His name. No other in-
stance of such an api^ointment of this kind
ever occurred. God put His Spirit on
those whom Moses had appointed, but
Moses did not give them power. The spirit
of Elijah, in answer to his own prayer,
rested on Elisha ; Elijah did not give him
power. (Num. xi. 16, xvii. 25 ; 2 Kings
ii. 9-11.)
" Though ministers," says an old divine,
" cannot be expected to cast out evil
spirits, they may fairly be expected to le-
sist the devil and all his works, drunken-
ness, blasphemy, uncleanness, tightiiig,
revelry, and the like, faithfully reproving
them." He whose ministry is not accom-
panied with healing of diseased souls, was
never called of God. But though the re-
quisite s])iritual gifts for the ministry must
be supplied by God Himself, this does not
preclude the importance of liurnan learning.
The influence of the Spirit no more renders
human learning needless, than human
learning supersedes the necessity of Divine
inspiration.
2. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these ;
The lirit, Simon, i^who Ls called Peter, and Andrew his
brother, James the son of Zebedee, and John hLs broth-
er;—Molin i. 42.
3. Philip, and Bartholomew ; Thomas, and Matthew
the publican ; Janies the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus,
whose surname was Thaddeus;
4. 'Simon the ECanaanite, and Judas dlscariot, who
also betrayed him.
■■Luke vi. 1-5: Acts i. 1.3. 2Greek, Kananite, that is,
Zealot, a.s in Luke vi. 1.5. dJohn xiii. 26.
Apostles. The word Apostle signifies
one sent. In the New Testament the term
is confined to the twelve, who were chosen
by Christ to attend His ministry, and
propagate the Gospel after His death.
The following are the names of the Apos-
tles, and the order in which they are given :
MATTHEW X. 2, 3, 4.
M.A.RK III. 16, 19.
LUKE VI. 14-16.
ACTS I. 1.3.
1. Simon Peter, and
1.
Simon Peter.
1.
Simon Peter and
1.
Peter, and
2. Andrew his brother.
2.
James and
2
Andrew, his brother.
2.
James, and
3. James and
3.
John, surnamed Boan-
3.
James and
3.
John, and
4. John, sons of Zebedee.
erges.
4.
.Tolm.
4.
Andrew.
5. Philip and
4.
Andrew.
5.
Philip and
5.
Philip and
6. Bartholomew.
5.
Philip.
6.
Bartholomew.
6.
Thomas.
7. Thomas and
fi.
Bartholomew.
M;itthew and
Bartholomew and
8. Matthew, the publican.
7.
Matthew.
s!
Tliomas.
8.'
Matthew.
9. James, the son oi' Al-
8.
Thomas.
9.
James, the son of Al-
9.
James, the sou of Al-
pheus.
9.
James, the son of Al-
pheus.
pheus.
10. Lebbeus, surnamed
pheus.
in.
Simon Zelotes.
10.
Simon Zelotes, and
Thaddeus.
10.
Thaddeus.
11.
Judas, the brother of
11.
Judas, the brother of
11. Simon, the Canaanite.
U.
Simon, the Canaanite.
James.
James.
12. Judas Iscariot. "who also
12.
Judas Iscariot, " who
12.
Judas Iscariot, " which
betrayed him."
also betrayed him."
was also the traitor."
For the history of the Apostles, see Index.
It will be observed that in Luke's cata-
logue their names are given by couples,
doubtless to indicate how they were as-
sorted in sending them forth two by two.
It will be noticed, also, that although the
arrangement of the names is so unlike in
these four lists, the variation is confined
to certain limits, as the twelve may be di-
vided into three quaternions, which are
never interchanged, and the leading names
of which are the same in all. Thus Peter
is invariably the first, Philip the fifth,
James the ninth, and Iscariot the last, ex-
cept in Acts, where his name is omitted on
account of his apostacy and death.
" The two grand characteristics of the
apostolic body," says a modern comu^en-
tator, " were Unity and Diversity."
1. Unity — The Apostles were all men ;
not one of them an angel, not one of them
124
MATTHEW,
a woman. They were all Jews ; all be-
lievers in the unity and holiness of God ;
all believers in Jesus Christ ; were of the
same oificial rank ; were one in docti'ine
and practice and general aim. They were
one. not organically, but through the pos-
session of a common life — that derived
from Christ.
2. Diversity — They were not all Palestin-
ian Jews. Only one had been born into
the rights of Roman citizenship. Some
of them were married ; at least one lived
and died unmarried. Some had followed
one kind of worldly calling, and some an-
other. Paul was summoned from the
highest social position ; Matthew from the
lowest. While probably all were endoMed
with an ardent temperament, the tempera-
ments of those best known differed, and
only one, Paul, had the temperament to
which belong the highest qualities. Some
were men of ordinary intellectual ability ;
others of the highest. One was constitu-
tionally sceptical ; another practical ; an-
other intuitive ; another logical. James
was conservative ; Paul was progressive ;
John held the balance pretty evenly be-
tween the two. One, in addition to some
youthful Greek (ailture, was learned and
trained to think even if judged by the
highest Rabbinic standard. The labors,
the successes, the trials, of some are nar-
rated, while those of others are kept secret
with God. Some are known as writers ;
some as preachers ; others as both preach-
ers and wrii^rs. Some spent life chiefly
in large cities; others elsewhere. Some
were more useful in converting men and
organizing them into churches ; some in
instructing them ; others equally useful in
doing both. Some were mere narrators
of the facts of Christianity ; others, bold
defenders of the truth against the errorists
of their times. Some have a world-wide
reputation, while of others nothing is
known but their names. Such were the
diversities of the Apostles, yet they awoke
among themselves no jealousies, no con-
tempt, no coldness. The men were one in
sentiment, in doctrine, in purpose, and in
joy over each other's success. These di-
ver*;ities are repeated, by divine intention,
in nunisters of modern times.
5. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and oommandert
tliem, saying, eGo not into the way of the Gentiles, and
Into anij city of fthe Samaritans enter ve not : 6. sBut
go rather t-o the hlost sheep of the house of Israel
fChap IV. lo. t;Z Kings xvii. 24 ; John iv. 9, 20. sChap.
XV. 24. nActS XUl. 46. ^
Why Jesus chose and sent forth the
twelve, it is difficult to say. Perhaps, if He
had taken fewer, it would have been too
limited a testimony. Or, perhaps, He se-
lected twelve, because that was the number
of the tribes of Israel (Matt, xix.), thus
intimating that He was king of Israel.
Certainly there was a Divine idea in the
choice of twelve ; this appears from the
symbolical usages in the Apocalypse, where
(Rev. xii. 1) the woman symboHzing the
Cliurch has upon her head a crown of
twelve stars, and the tree of life, emblem
of Gospel grace, has twelve manner of
fruits.
The Samaritans were the remnant of the
twelve tribes mingled Avith the heathen
who preceded them, and were settled in the
half tribe of Ephraim and I\Ianasseh, or in
that part of Palestine so called. Our Lord
had preached to their cities in His journey.
(John iv.) Shortly after His ascension
the Gospel was preached in Samaria,
(Acts viii. 5, and xiv. 1, 8.) But go rather,
&c. For great ends the ministry of the
Apostles was to be restricted for the pres-
ent to the Jews. (Matt. xv. 24.) They
were Christ's own people, of whom He
came, and to whom He was promised, and
were astray in mind and life. After He
rose from the dead, our Lord extended the
commission of the Apostles to the utmost
isles and nations of the Gentiles. (Chap.
xxviii. 19.) Even in later times, however,
the line or order of missionary exertion
was, "to the Jew first," "beginning at
Jerusalem." House of Israel — a Hebraism
for people of Israel. The condition of
people before being brought to Christ is a
lost condition.
7. iAnd as ye go, preach, saying, kThe kingdom of
heaven is at hand.
'Luke ix. 2. kChap. iii. 2 ; iv. 17 ; Luke x. 9.
Preaching of the Gospel was the prime
object of the mission of the Apostles. It
is the special means appointed by' Christ
for the saving of lost sinners. The king-
dom, &c. (See notes on chap. iii. 2 ; iv. 1 7.)
8. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,
Ciist out devils : ifreely ye have received, freely give.
Sick devils — a gradation. The
power Jesus gave them to heal, He has
superabundantly in Himself for our heal-
CHAPTETl X.
125
ing, and He is our Jesus only so far as we
own Ilim for tliat end. Lepers. (See on
chap. viii. 2.) The preaching was to be
confirmed by tlie miracle. Ministers should
take a deep and tender interest in the sick.
Freely, &c. This is not inconsistent with
the conclusion of verse 10, The laborer is
worthy of his hire, but the power freely
obtained was not to be made a means of
gain.
n. msprovide neither gold, nor silver, nor "brass in
your pursi'S ; 10. Nor scrip for your journey, neither
two coats, neither slioe.s, nor yet Istivves : "for the work-
man is wortliy of his meat.
raJIark vi. 8 : Luke ix. 3 ; x. 4 ; xxii. 3.5 ; 3or Get. "Mark
Ti. 8 : 4Gr. a staf. "Luke x. 7 ; 1 Cor. ix. 7, «fec. ; 1 Tim.
V. 18.
Provide, &c., that is, for this journey.
Gold silver brass. Reference
is here made to the various coins of money
in use among the Jews. Parses, literally,
girdles. The folds of the girdle were used
by the Jews to carry money. Scrij) — a
bag or wallet slung upon the person, to
contain provision. Neither two coats — no
new clothes to supply the place of the old
when worn out. Nor shoes, but sandals
(I\Iark. vi. 9), as less expensive and luxu-
rious. If they had a staff, they were to
go forth with it (Mark vi. 8), as they had
it at the time ; but they were not to seek
one carefully, or make it a condition of
their traveling. For the workman is v:orthy
of his meat. Meat includes all the articles
enumerated in verses 9, 10. It is the work-
man Avho is to get a maintenance. In Luke
X. 7, " The laborer is worthy of his hire."
This general statement implies here, that
they might be sure their wants should
be supplied without preparations. In 1
Cor. ix. 4, Paul assures us "that they
which preach the Gospel, should live of
the Gospel.' The fundamental idea is that
they were to go forth to the discharge of
their office, without any anxious care for
the future, with the slightest provision,
, and in dependence upon being provided
for by the way. Not only should minis-
ters, in their style of living, be careful to
avoid the spirit of the world, but all be-
lievers should show simplicity and un-
worldliness in their daily life.
11. pAnd into whatever city or town ye shall enter ;
inquire who in it is worthy, and tiiere abide till ye go
thence.— pLuke x. 8.
Inquire, ask of others. The godly are
easily discovered by the godly. Worthy,
of being your host, until you leave the
city. Do not "go from house to house."
(Luke X. 7.) It is a very common thing in
the East, when a stranger arrives in a town,
to invite him to meals. Be content with
such lodgings as have been provided for
you, and be not hard to please either in
the matter of bed or board. Spend not
your time in convivial feasts. Show tha
people that you are seeking them, and not
theirs. We are not to be fastidious, or
fickle, or too much concerned in regard to
those things which concern the life of the
body.
12. And when yc come into a house, salute it.
The formula of salutation is given in
Luke X. 0. The custom of saluting friends
after this manner is still retained among
the Turks and other Eastern nations. The
discii^les of our Lord were not to neglect
the usual forms of politeness and friend-
ship. But this salutation was not to be a
mere form, not a compliment only, but
much more a prayer and a blessing. Our
Lord adopted customary forms and cere-
monies, but elevated them to a higher use.
13. qAnd if the house he- w^orthy. let j'our peace come
upon it: flnit if it be not worthy, let your peace return
to you.— qLuke x. 5. 'Ps. xxxv. 13.
Let your peace come, i. e., it shall come —
the imperative is used for the future. And
perhaps many seeming imprecations in the
Old Testament may most easily be ac-
counted for by such an explanation — as
prophetic predictions of what should hap-
pen to the enemies of God and His people.
If the house had occupants, who were so
disposed to receive the truth as to be
Avorthy of the salutation with which the
Apostles entered the dwelling, then the
l)lessing invoked in the salutation was to
come upon those occupants, and " rest "
upon them (see x. 6), permanently abide,
(Phil. iv. 7) and the messengers of Christ
would further instruct and pray for them;
but where this was not the case, the pray
ers and endeavors of tKe Apostles woulJ
return in blessings on themselves (see Ps.
xxxv. 13), by the assurance of duty per-
formed, and an increase of tranquility and
spiritual strength. That which has gone
forth from the bounty of God, has not
gone forth in vain. Here is a consolation
for ministers who seem to themselves to
do no jjood
126
MATTHEW.
14. "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear
your words, when ye depart out of that house or city,
tghake off the dust of vour feet.
"Mark vi. 11 ; Luke i.x. 5, x. 10, 11. 'Neh. v. 13 ; Acts
xiii. 51, xviii. 6.
A7id wJiosocrer, &c. The Apostles are
thus prejiared to find some who would re-
fuse to hear their message. When ye depart
out of that house or city — for possibly a M'hole
town might not furnish one " worthy."
SJiake off, &c. Guilt is conceived of as ad-
hering to the feet or shoes. (1 Kings ii. 5.)
By this symbolical action (which would be
perfectly intelligible to the Jews) they
would shake themselves from all connection
with such, and all responsihiUty for the guilt
of rejecting them and their message.
Wherever the word is preached, it is for a
testimony, cither for or against a people.
And if the dust of a minister's feet Avhilst
alive, and the ashes of his grave when
dead, do bear witness against the despisers
of the Gospel, how much more will their
sermons do this ?
15. Verily, I say unto you, «It shall be more tolerable
for the land of Sodoni and Gomorrali in the day of
judgment than ibr that city.
"Chap. xi. 22," 24; Luke x. 12.
According to the common conception,
the judgment of retribution has already
smitten Sodom and Gomorrah. (See Gen.
xiii. 13 ; xviii. 20, 21, 32 ; xix. 24, 25.) Ac-
cording to the steady teaching of the New
Testament, however, this judgment, ter-
rific though it was, is only a foretaste to
that which is to be expected at the end
of days. (See Jude, verse 7.) More toler-
able— more bearable. That city — not the
bricks and Avails, but the wicked persons
in it. Those cities of the plain which were
given to the flames for their loathsome
impurities, shall be treated as less criminal,
and better bear their punishment, on ac-
count of its comparative lightness, than
those places, though morally respectable,
which would not receive Christ's messen-
gers, nor hear their words. (See on chap,
xi. 20-24.)
Here, 1. We learn the high rank which
Jesus ascribes to His ministering servants,
as well as see a striking revelation of His
own self-consciou.sness that He was Di-
vine. 2. That there shall be a day of
judgment. 3. That the sin of those who
reject the Gospel must be a Avilful sin,
which it was in their power to avoid, in-
asmuch as it increases tlieiri^uiit. 4. That
on the day of judgment there will be de-
grees of retribution proportioned to the
guilt. 5. That the clearness of the light
against which sin is committed aggravates
the guilt. 6. That sinners are not to be
annihilated, for then, how could it be
" more tolerable " for some than others ?
7. That of all sinners, the condition of
those will be the saddest at the day of
judgment, and beyond, who, living under
the Gospel, die after all in impenitence
and unbelief. To hear of the " great sal-
vation," and yet merely "neglect" it, is
one of the worst sins man can commit
(John xvi. 9), and if i^ersisted in, must
end in hopeless and fearful ruin.
16. 1[ ^Behold. I send you forth as sheep in the midst
of wolves : rbe ye therelore wise as serpents, and shanu-
less as doves.
»Luke X. 3. yRom. xvi. 19 ; Eph. v. 15. »1 Cor. xiv.
20; Phil. ii. 1.5.
Behold, I send you — thus the dignity of
the Apostles' ofRce is shown. Those who
exercise the ministerial function must have
a lawful call and commission. (Heb. v.
4 ; Jer. xxxiii. 32.) As sheep, this denotes
the character of the Christian mission,
and in the midst of wolves, the condition of
an unbelieving Avoiid. Though the faith
was to be propagated only by the mild
measures of j)ersuasion, yet even fLis
would not prevent furious and implacable
men from employing all the iniquitous
contrivances of fraud and violence for its
suppression, and against its messengers,
meek, harmless and unable to defend
themselves. So frankly did our Lord warn
His Apostles of the peculiar dangers and
trials that awaited them. Their work
was to be glorious, but would be hazardous.
Be ye therefore tvise as serpents, and harm-
less as doves. Here is the prescription. The
serpent was the hieroglyph of wisdom on
Egyptian monuments, and to be sharp-
sighted as a serpent, was a proverb among
the Greeks and Romans. The dove, which
was so acceptable, that in the old law God •
would have it offered in sacrifice, has
always been regarded as the emblem of
meekness, innocence and jwrity. (Luke
iii. 22.) The Apostles were to be prudent
as serpents, in avoiding unnecessary dan-
gers, and by no inadvertency give their
opponents advantage against them, and
yet to maintain a holy simplicity of soul,
and be harmless and inoffensive. The
CHAPTER X.
127
wisdom and innocence were to he united,
so that in the union the one miglit be free
from all subtlety, and the other from
indiscretion. Wonderful combination !
Jesus, here, as uhvays, brings into their
higher unity, things which elsewhere op-
pose and contradict each other. We must
have the innocence of the dove, that we
may not betray the truth, and the wisdom
of the serpent, that we may not betray
ourselves. Religion without policy is too
weak to be safe ; policy without religion
is too subtle to be good. (See Acts vii. 22 ;
Num. xii. 3 ; Dan. v. 14, vi. 4 ; Acts xxiii. 6.)
17. But beware of men : for ••'they will deliver you up
to tlie councils, and ''they will scourge you in their
syna<;osrues; IS. And ''ye shall be brought before Kov-
ernors and kinas for my sake, for a testimony against
Ihcm and the Gentiles.
»Chap. xxiv. 9; Mark xiii. 9; Luke xii. 11, xxi. 12.
>>Acts V. 40. cActs xii. 1, xxiv. 10, xxv. 7, 23 : 2 Tim. iv. IG.
In order to occupy a right position with
reference to persecutors, they were to be-
ware of men generally, whose weakness
frequently degenerates into treachery. For
they will deliver you, &c. Some will accuse
you and arraign you for trial. Councils.
The smaller courts in Palestine (see Dent.
XV. 18), subordinate to the grand Sanhe-
drim, which is, however, included here in
the idea. Synagogues. For the punishment
of scourging, see Deut. xxv. 2, 3. It appears
that the Jews caused to be chastised in
some part of the synagogue those whom
they judged guitly of heresy. (See Acts
xxii. 19 ; Matt, xxiii. 34.)
Governors — provincial rulers, kings — the
highest tribunals. Accordingly the Apos-
tles were, several of them, obliged to appear
before princes, and were severely persecu-
ted by their malicious enemies before
Herod, Agrippa, Felix, Festus, Nero, Domi-
tian, &c., as we learn from sacred or profane
history. For my sake — in consequence of
being my followers, and the preachers of
my word. For a testimony against them and
the Gentiles, or, as the passage might be
rendered, to them (?. e., the Jews), and the
Gentiles. The meaning may be, either, 1.
" That they hearing your doctrines, seeing
your miracles, as well as witnessing your
simplicity and innocence, and resignation
to suffering, may either embrace the truth,
or be left without excuse ;" or, 2. " This
shall proclaim and testify the Gospel to
Gentiles and Jews." Some of the best op-
portunities for publicly defending the
Messiah's cause were afforded by these
arraignments (see Acts iv. 5-22, 29-32,
xxii. 1-21, xxiii. 1-11, xxiv. 10-25, xxvi.
1-23; comp. also Acts xvii. 19-34 ; Phil. i.
12, 13j, and, besides, these trials, resulting
in martyrdom, would be the highest spirit-
ual confirmation of the Gospel both to the
Jews and to the Gentiles.
19. iButwhen they deliver you up, take no thought
how or what ye shall speak : lor 'it shall be given you
in that samo hour what ye shall speak. '20. fFor it is
not ye tliat speak, but the Spirit of your Father which
spcuketli in you.
dMark xiii. 11, 12, U; Luke xii. 11, xxi. 14, 1.5 'Ex.
iv. 12; Jer. i. 7. '2 .Sam. .xxiii. 2; Acts iv. 8, vi. 10;
2 Tim. iv. 17.
Take no thought. Christ does not forbid
all forethoughts what to say, but only
anxious thoughts, that they should not,
like orators, or advocates, strive to make
studied pleas, or rhetorical aj^ologies in
their public defenses. In preaching the
Gospel, all self and self-seeking are com-
pletely to cease. Carefulness about rhe-
torical ornaments restrains and adulter-
ates the spiritual life. How relates to the
form, and What to the substance. For it
.^liall be given you, &c. Tlie assistance prom-
ised should be so complete that they would
be mere instruments, or organs of the
Spirit. The highest authority is here given
to all the Apostolical defenses upon re-
cord, and precludes the supposition of un-
hallowed anger in such cases as that of
Paul's reply to Ananias. (Acts xxiii. 3.)
This is so far from being a promise of Di-
vine assistance to unprepared and off-hand
preachers, that it is not given even to the
Twelve indefinitely or forever, but ex-
pressly limited to one particular emergency
by the words, u-hen they deliver you xip, and
in that same hour.
For it is not ye that speak, &c. The doc-
trine of inspiration is here stated in its
strongest form. And if the Aj^ostles were
furnished with this inspiration in their
momentary times of trial, and in their
oral testimony of Christ, how can it be
doubted that, in recording their words for
ages for the instruction of the Church and
the conversion of the world, they should
possess the same high qualifications? (See
2 Cor. xiii. 3 ; x. 10.) But the Spirit of your
Father. In Luke xii. 12, " the Holy Ghost."
Our Lord, in speaking to His disciples,
never, except in the prayer which He
128
:m a t t h e w ,
taught them, says our Father, but either
my Father, or your Father, or both con-
joined, for He is the eternal and only be-
gotten Son of the Father, and we are chil-
dren by adoption through faith in Him.
Speaketh in you. In the great struggle be-
tween holiness and sin, men are only God's
agents and instruments.
21. sAnd the brother shall deliver up the brother to
death, and the fatlier the child : and the children shall
rise up against their parents, and cause thera to be put
to death.— sMi. vii. ti, verses 35, 36.
Rise up — as witnesses and opponents.
Our Saviour here teaches that such is
the enmity of the world against holiness,
and the j^rofessors of it, that it will over-
come and extinguish even the natural
affection of the nearest and dearest rela-
tions toward each other. Perhaps it -was
intimated that some of the nearest friends
and relatives of the Apostles wouM be-
come their most bitter persecutors. The
nearest are most easily divided. Dif-
ference of faith does much to abate true
affection. (Jer. ix: 4 ; Mi. vii. 6 ; Mark
xiii. 12.) Such atrocities as are here re-
corded have been perpetrated. Eeligious
quarrels, to the shame of mankind, arc
the fiercest of all others.
22. And hye shall be hated of all men for my name's
sake: 'but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
hLuke xxi. 17. 'Dan. xii. 13; chap. xxiv. 13; Mark
xiii. 13.
Of all men, that is, of all men out of the
Christian community. Tacitus, the Roman
historian, says, like a true Pagan, that " the
Christians were convicted of enmity to
the human race." Jews hated them as re-
volters from their own religion. Pagans
could tolerate each other, and respect and
worship each other's gods. But the Chris-
tians abhorred all Paganism, and so all
Pagans abhorred them ; thus. Christians
were hated of all men, whether Jews or
Gentiles. For my name's sake — for your
attachment to me and my cause. (See
Rom. viii. 35-37 ; 1 Cor. iv. 9, 10 ; 2 Cor. xi.
23-29 ; Heb. x. 32-34.)
But he that endureth, &c. In view of their
persecution, how important that they
should keep in view the end, the end of
their sufferings and the end of life, and the
reward to which their labors and sufferings
were tending, if they adhered faithfully to
their Master ! Saved — from the displeasure
of God and from condemnation. The word
endureth implies not only mffering, but
being tried, and standing the trial. " Endur-
ing to the end " is the proper evidence of
the reality and solidity of the Christian
profession, just as " drawing back unto
perdition" exposes the want of foundation.
Such were the warnings Jesus gave His
Apostles in sending them forth, yet they
voluntarily and cheerfully undertook their
commission. How is this to be explained?
Is there any instance upon record before
this in the annals of the world, where
twelve, grave sober men, Avithout any rea-
son, and without being misled by any
artifice or delusion whatever, voluntarily
exposed themselves at the desire of another
person to persecution, torment, and de-
struction? There must have been some
cogent reason for such a conduct as this :
and that reason could be nothing less than
a full and perfect conviction, arising from
the miracles which they saw with their
own eyes, and which they themselves
were enabled to perform, that Christ was
what He pretended to be, the Son of
God, that all poAver was given to Him in
heaven and on earth, and that He was able
to fulllll the promise He had made them
of a recompense in a future life, infinitely
surpassing in magnitude and in duration
all the sufferings they could experience
in the present world. This is the only
rational account to be given of their con-
duct.
23. But kwhen they persecute you in this city, flee ye
into another: lor verily I say unto you. Ye shall not
ehave pcone over the cities of Israel, 'till the Son of man
be come.
I'Chap. ii. 13, iv. 12, xii. 15; Acts viii. 1, ix. 25, xiv. 6.
OOr end, OT finish. iChap. xvi. 28.
This city — Jesus points in the direction
of various cities. The Apostles were not
to rush into danger, but, on the other
hand, when persecuted in one city, they
were, where no great principle was to be
abandoned, and no great end to be answered
by remaining in the face of persecution
and death, to flee to another city of com-
i:)arative safety, and preach the Gospel.
"This flight," says one, "is a precept to
those who are highly necessary to the
Church of Christ, an advice to those who
might imprudently draw upon themselves
persecution, and an indulgence for those
who are Aveak." Here are two extremes
to be shunned. We are not under the
pleas of prudence, so called, to avoid per-
CHAPTER X.
129
secution, by silence, cowardice, a compro-
mising line of conduct, and letting others
alone, alleging that there is no use in trying
to do good to such people ; this is one ex-
treme. Neither are we to court persecution,
by creating needless ofiense, committing
blunders, and stirring up opposition. In
every case of flight we must be determined
by concern for the best means of spreading
the name of Christ. Ye shall not have gone
over the cities of Israel, i. e., shall not have
finished passing through the cities, in order
to instruct the people and maintain the
cause of your Master.
Till the Son of mayi be come. The Apostles
would not have time to visit all the parts
of Judea before the destruction of Jerusa-
lem by Titus, as an instrument in our
Lord's hands, wh ich, as a type of II is coming
to take vengeance on His enemies, is spoken
of in a secondary sense, as a coming of
Christ. (See Matt. xxiv. 27, 37, 39, 44, and
Luke xviii. 8.)
24. "The disciple is not above his master, nor the ser-
vant above his lord. 2-3. It ij enough lor the disciple
that he he as liis master, and the servant as his lord.
II nthey have called the master of the home "Beelzebub,
how much more sliaU thry call them of his household ?
■"Luke vi. 40; John xiil. It!, xv. 20. nCliap. xii. SI;
Mark iil. 21 ; Luke xi. 1.3 ; John viii. 48, 52. 'Gr. Beelze-
bul.
All Christians, but especially ministers,
are here taught how unreasonable and
absurd it is for them to expect kinder
usage from an unkind world than Ho
Himself met Avith. (1 Peter iv. 12.) The
disciple is not above, in rank and worth, his
master — Teacher. According to many Jew-
ish proverbs, the pupil of the rabbi was
far his inferior. Nor the servant, &c. — an-
other parallel maxim which our Lord re-
peats in various connections. (Luke vi.
40 ; John xiii. IG, xv. 20.) It is enough,
&c. He who keeps this saying in his
heart will never complain of sufiering.
Master of the house — Jesus was indeed the
head of a house, having brought up a large
family of disc'ples, and He is also the
Head of the household of the Church.
Beelzebub. This word, which signifies " the
lord of flies," and is the Greek torm of
Baal-zebub, was the name of a god wor-
shiped by the Philistines in earlier time.?,
at Ekron (2 Kings i. 2), and so called as
protecting his worshipers from noxious
insects, or as being himself worshiped
under an insect form. Christ was re-
peatedly charged with being in league with
Satan as Beelzebub (chap. xii. 24, ix. 34 ;
Mark iii. 30 ; John vii. 20) ; how much more,
then, might His disciples expect to en-
counter the same vile epithet and charge?
26. Fear them not therefore: "for Uiere is nothing
covered, that shall not be revealed, and hid, that shall
not be known.— "Mark iv. 22; Luke vai. 17, xii. 2, 3.
Therefore — although you shall be hated,
&.C., be not afraid of your enemies, since
you have my example, suffer in my cause,
and are assured that I will support you,
till you have finished your testimony.
For there is nothing covered, &c. " Your
excellence and worth, the truth of your
cause, and the purity of your motives, your
faithfulness in dispensing the truth, and
patience in sufiering for it, though conceal-
ed by the smoke of present persecution,
yet shall ultimately and thoroughly be
revealed and made known." Truth will
triumi)h, and the character of its advocates
be vindicated. (Ps. xxxvii. 5, G; 1 Cor.
iv. 5.)
27. What rl tell yon In darkness, tJirrt speak ye In the
light : and what ye hear in the ear. that i:)reach ye upon
the housc-top=.
pLuke viii. 10 : John xvi. 13, 25 ; 2 Cor. iii. 12.
In view of the coming development of
Christianity, and the certainty that their
integrity would in due time be made
known and acknowledged, whatever tho
Apostles had conveyed to them under a
figure, that were they without a figure to
preach to all : what they had been taught
secretly, that were they openly to proclaim :
what they had heai-d in a corner of Judea,
that were they to make known all over the
world. Both Christ and His Apostles at
first spake privately, for fear of the Jews,
and the weakness and perilof their cause.
The roofs of the houses in the East were
nearly flat, and surrounded with a balus-
trade, so that men might there converse,
and even an audience assemble. Preaching
on the house-tops is a figure for the most
public declaration. At the present day
in Palestine, local governors in country
districts cause their commands to be thus
published.
28. qAnd fenr not them which kill the hidy. hut are
not able to kill the sonl : but rnther fenr him which la
able to destroy both soul nnd body in hell.
qlsa. viii. 12, 13; Luke xii. 4.
Fear not t-irtn. Thus is forbidden the
sinful, servile, slavish fear of impotent
man, which was just condemned. He doea
130
MATTHEW
not hold out to them deliverance from
death, but encourages them to despise it,
which is a much greater thing than to be
rescued from it. The words which kill the
body show that the body may be dead, and
the soul alive. Body — soid. We have here
two parts of man's compounded nature
placed in contrast. But rather fear him —
act as in the presence of, and under a sense
of responsibility to, him which is able, &c.
The fear of man bringeth a snare, but we
must make it give way to the expulsive
power of a stronger principle, even the
fear of God. " I fear God," said Colonel
Gardiner, " and therefore there is none
else that I need fear." We ought to fear
God, not only for His greatness and good-
ness, but also for His punitive justice, as
having ability and authority to destroy both
soul and body in hell. To destroy is not to
annihilate, but to ruin. Our Lord's words
teach, not the dismissal of the soul from
existence, but its catastrophe and ruin in
existence. And this is an evil, a destruction,
which we are bound to fear, as a possible
reality beyond our bodily death. It is
here evident that the torment that awaits
the lost will have elements of suffering
adapted to the material as well as the spir-
itual part of our nature.
In hell. (See v. 22.) Hell is represented
by Sheol in the Old, and by Hades in the
New Testament. The word is used by the
sacred writers in several senses, which it
is important to distinguish. The Hebrew
word, translated hell in our Bible, some-
times means simply the grave, the recepta-
cle of the dead, or the j^lace of departed
spirits, as in Job xi. 7-9 ; Ps. xvi. 10,
cxxxix. 8 ; Isa. v. 14, xiv. 9 ; Amos ix. 2,
3 ; Acts ii. 31 ; Rev. xx. 14. In other
passages it denotes the place of future
punishment, as in Ps. ix. 17 ; Prov. v. 5,
ix. 18, xxiii. 14 ; which punishment consists,
in part at least, in the eternal separation
of the soul from God and from the presence
of His glory, and in the suffering of incon-
• ceivable anguish and remorse forever and
ever. In the New Testament, hell, as the
place of final punishment for sinners, is
more distinctively indicated by the term
Gehenna, or Valley of Hinnom (see 2 Chron.
xxxiii. 6), which is the word translated
" It oil " in the verse now before us, also in
Matt. v. 22, 29, 30, xviii. 9, xxiii. 15, 33 ;
Mark ix. 43, 45, 47 ; Luke xii. 5 ; James
iii. 6. It is also distinctively indicated
by such phrases as "the place of tor-
ment" (Luke xvi. 28), "everlasting fire"
(Matt. XXV. 41), " the hell of fire," " where
their worm dieth not, and the fire is not
quenched." (Mark ix. 44. See also Matt,
vui. 12, xiii. 42, xxii. 13, xxv. 30 ; Luke
xvi. 24; Jude 13; Rev. xiv. 10, 11, xix.
20, XX. 14, xxi. 8.) The Valley of Hinnom
(Josh. XV. 8) literally means a gorge south
of Jerusalem, running east and west, and
intersecting the Kedron at the southeast
corner of the city. At this place the idol-
atrous Israelites burnt human sacrifices
unto Moloch, a deity represented by a
brass image with the face of a bull. The
drum (toph) which was used to drown the
cry of the victim, gave the place the name
of Tophet. (Jer. xix. 6.) Here also the
offals of the city were ordinarily burned.
The name of this ancient, defiled, gloomy,
and perpetually fiery recess, became to the
Jewish mind the emblem, and the word
became the name, of the perpetual fire of
retribution in a world to come. Universal-
ists mainly maintain their heresy by the
sophism that this Valley of Hinnom was
the only hell. But the present text de-
monstrates that beyond the death of the
body, and therefore in a future state, there
is a hell or gehenna, which the soul may
suffer, more terrible than bodily death,
and more to be feared than any evil that
man can inflict. God is the author of that
evil, it lies beyond death, it is executed
upon the soul as well as the body.
29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ? and one
of them shall not fall on the ground without your
Father. 30. '■But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. 31. Fear ye riot therefore, ye are of more
value than many sjiarrows.
fl Sam. xiv. 45 ; 2 Sam. xiv. 11 ; Luke xii. 6, 7, xxi. 18 ;
Acts xxvii. 34.
Our Lord still further encourages them
to rely upon Divine protection, by the
doctrine of Providence ; and not only
would He establish the truth, but the ex-
tent of it. He has two references. One is
taken from themselves — the numbering
of the hairsoftheirheads, which they cared
so little about. What could express more
strongly the minuteness of Providence ?
The other, from the sparrow — the little
bird which was sold for an assarion, a
CHAPTER X.
131
Roman coin, equal to one and a half cents
of our money — and which could not fiill on
the ground, exhausted or killed, without
the knowledge and consent of God. Of
how much more value than these little
birds, with their instinct, are ye as men
in whom there is a spirit, and to whom
the inspiration of the Almighty giveth un-
derstanding, and especially as Christians,
ransomed with a price of infinite value,
the temples of the living God, partakers of
the Divine nature, and honored with a
most important mission ? Fear ye not tliere-
fore (how natural and unavoidable the
inference) that God, who takes care of
these His creatures, which are but animated
forms, and perishable, will not take care
of -you, who are His children, with your
undying souls.
A general providence involves a particu-
lar. It w^ere an inconsistent belief that the
mass were in God's hands, whilst the atom
was left to chance. We must believe all
chance, or else all God. He rules and
governs in little things, and in order that
He may rule in great things. His provi-
dence descends to the minute particles of
dust in the summer gale ; he numbers the
gnats in the sunshine, and the fishes in
the sea. While it controls the mighty orbs
that shine in heaven, it deals with the
drop that trickles from the eye. This
particularity of Providence exalts, instead
of debases, God. He acts in every thing
without growing weary, and is sufficient
for every thing, without multiplying Him-
self. It has been truthfully remarked that
" not till belief in these declarations of our
Lord, in their most literal sense, becomes
the calm and settled habit of the soul, is
life ever redeemed from drudgery and
dreary emptiness, and made full of inter-
est, meaning, and divine significance."
We know that all things work together
for good to them that love God. (Rom.
viii. 28.)
32. 'Whosoever therefore Shall confess me before men,
thini will I confess also before my Father which is in
heaven. 33. "But whosoever shall deny me before men,
him will I also deny before mv Father which is in
heaven.
'Luke xii. 8; Rom. x. 9, in. tRev. iii. 5. "Mark viii.
3S ; Lulie ix. 26 ; 2 Tim. ii. 12.
Another reason is here given for dis-
charging their commission without fear of
man, viz. : that on their fidelity in so doing
must depend their treatment by Him who
commissioned them. Whosoever, whether
of yourselves who preach, or those who
hear your preaching. Shall confess me be-
fore men, i. e., in this present life. To con-
ifess Jesus Christ is to own Him as Lord
and Master, to follow His precept and
example, to suffer for His sake, to love,
teach, and practice His doctrine. We refer
this great truth to the times of the martyrs,
because we will not ourselves be martyrs
for the truth. It belongs to all times and
all believers, every one in his proper way.
(See Rom. x. 10.)
Him tuill I confess also, &c. The reciprocal
act here ascribed to Christ is that of own-
ing as His Ai)ostle, disciple or follower.
The time referred to here, as well as in the
next verse, must doubtless be the day of
judgment. (SeeHeb.vii.25; Johnxvii.9.)
Btit ivhosoever shall deny, &c. Christ may
be denied, 1. Doctrinally, by an erroneous
and heretical judgment; 2. Verbally, by
oral expressions ; 3. Vitally, by a wicked
and unholy life. (See Titus i. 16.) Those
are guilty of this sin, who, from unbelief
or indolence, or love of the world, or fear
of man, shrink from confessing Him as
their Saviour and their King. Let it be
observed, 1. That not to confess Christ is
in His account to deny Him ; 2. That who-
soever shall deny Him, shall be disowned
and eternally rejected by Him. " He shall
have from me his own treatment of me on
the earth." (2 Tim. ii. 12.) How dreadful
must be the portion of that soul which
Jesus denies and renounces ! He will
refuse to acknowledge it ; He will not
plead for it, but leave it to reap the con-
sequences of its unbelief or cowardice,
renouncing it to the devil whom it chose
for its master. It is worthy of notice, that
both here and in the Sermon on the Mount
(chap. vii. 21-23), the Saviour, after mention
of the Father, describes Himself as the Judge
and Arbiter of eternal life and death.
34. 'Think not that I am come to send peace on earth.
I came not to send peace, but a sword,
vliuke xii. 49, 51-53.
Think not. The words imply a disposi-
tion so to think, or imagine, and act accord-
ingly— that is, to infer from the meekness
of Christ's character and His Gospel, that
He was to send peace, not only in spirit,
but in result, among mankind. A sword,
132
MATTHEW
an eml)lein of conteiitiun. We must here
remember the dilierence between a cause
and an occasion. A hospital is the cause of
heahng to the sick ; this is its direct object,
but in the course of its erection it may be
the occasion of the loss of life to several
workmen. So, too, we say, a missionary
went to such a place to die, when his object
was to preach the Gospel. In like manner
we must distinguish between the inten-
tional aim of Christ's coming, and the
accidental eflect of it. His intentional
aim was to plant, propagate and promote
peace in the world; but, through the lusts
and corruption of men's natures, the issue
and event of His coming is war and divis-
ion, not that these are the genuine and
natural fruits of the Gosi:)el, but occasional
and accidental only — abnormal consequen-
ces of men's alienation and resistance.
Strife is not referred to as something good
and desirable in itself, but as the oidy way
in which Jesus coiild erect His kingdom
of peace here below upon an immovable
foundation. When the Holy One of God
comes into contact with an unholy world,
a shock and strife is inevitable, and that
, not only against Him personally, but also
among men themselves, inasmuch as these
begin to distinguish themselves into ad-
versaries and subjects of His kingdom.
(See Luke ii. 34 ; John ix. 39.)
35. For I am come to set a man at variance 'against
his lUtlier, imri Mie ciauKliter against lier mother, and
tbe claui;htiT in law against iier mottier in law. 36. And
ya man's ibes s/inll he they ofhis own household.
'Mi. vii. 7 ; Luke xii. 53. jP3. xli. 9, 1 v. 13 ; Mi. vii. 6 ;
John xiii. 18.
For I am come, &c. (See notes on verse
34.) It may be that these special terms were
selected because the younger members
and the female portion of households were
commonly the first to embrace the Gospel.
The plain lesson here taught, is, that the
Gospel will often produce divisions in
families, and that even two persons who
are most nearly related may become es-
tranged from one another, in consequence
of one being converted and the other not.
That this is constantly the case is well
known to all who know anything of true
religion. So faithful Abraham was at va-
riance with his fiither, the idolatrous
Terah. So religion sets the pious child in
opposition to the impious parent. So tem-
perance sets the sober child at variance
with the drunken father. So piety ar-
rays the fashionable, godless mother or
mother-in-law, against the pious daughter
or daughter-in-law ; or the fashionable,
frivolous daughter or daughter-in-law
against the devoted mother or mother-in-
law. (See notes on verse 21.)
l^he variance here referred to in the do-
mestic cix'cle is a variance, not upon some
question of ecclesiastical economy, but
about vital religion. And even such a di-
vision may be much mitigated by the for-
bearance, tenderness, and gentleness of
those who are in the right, in dealing with
those who are clearly in the wrong. We
should do everything, except compromise
duty and living truth, in order to promote
peace. A man^s foes, &c. (See Ps. xli. 9,
Iv. 12-14 ; Mi. vii. 6.) This saying had its
most affecting illustration in the treason
of Judas against our Lord Himself. (John
xiii. 18 ; Matt. xxvi. 48-50.)
37. ^He that loveth father or mother more than me is
not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter
more than me Ls not worth j- of me.— ^Luke xiv. 26.
Love to Christ, in order to be genuine,
must be supreme ; earthly afiections, when
they come into collision with His claims,
must be postponed. If one or another
dearly cherished object stands on one side,
and Christ on the other, we need not love
them the less, because we cannot go with
them, but we must love Him more. With-
out such a spirit no one can be His disciple.
How could Jesus, except as God-man,
claim this supreme affection. Is not worthy
of me does not refer to the meritorious
character of the action, but to the qualifi-
cation of the person.
38. «And )ie that taketh not his cross, and followeth
after me, is not worthy of me.
aChap. xvi. 24 ; Mark viii. 34 ; Luke ix. 23, xiv. 27.
Taketh not his cross. This means Gospel-
suffering. There is here an allusion to a
Roman custom, that the malefactor who
was to be crucified, took his cross upon
his shoulders and carried it to the place
of execution, and an obscure intimation
of Christ's own approaching suffering on
the cross. The duty enjoined is not the
making of the cross for ourselves, but the
patient bearing of it when God lays it
upon our shoulders. The Christian is to
have the spirit of a martyr and to be ready
to give up all things, even life itself, for
CHAPTER X.
133
Jesus. Followeth not after vie. This de-
notes gospel-service. We must obey Ch rist's
commands iuid imitate His example. We
must set His life and doctrine continually
before us, and be steadily correcting and
reforming our lives by that rule and pat-
tern.
39. i>He that flndoth his life shall lose it: and he that
losetli liis lite ior my sake shall fiiul it.
iiCtiap. xvi. 25 ; Liilie i.x. 11, .wii. 33 ; John xli. 25.
These, or similar words, were spoken
on other occasions, as is shown by the
references at the close of the verse. The
word translated life, signifies both life
and the soul. It is ovident that the
word it, occuring twice, refers to the life
or salvation of the soul, else how can he
who loses his life, for Christ's sake, be said
to find it ? The meaning of this apparently
paradoxical exj^ression is, he who pre-
serves his life and temporal advantages at
the expense of his religion, his conscience
and regard to Christ, shall lose upon the
whole, in a higher sense than he has
retained it, as he will thus incur a sen-
tence of final condemnation and destruc-
tion ; but he who risks or loses his tem-
poral life, or the enjoyments of it, through
his conscientious adherence to the truth
and faithfulness to Christ, shall find real
comfort and happiness therein, and be
graciously rewax'ded in the world to come
with eternal life, the highest measure of
the highest life of which man is capable.
40. <^He that receiveth you receivetli nie, and he that
receiveth m',» receivetli him tliat sejit me.
'Chap, xviii. 5 ; Liuke ix. 4S, x. IB ; John xii. 44, xiii. 20 ;
Gal. iv. 14.
It would cheer the Apostles to learn that
some would regard them with favor. There
is here a descending gradation, you Apos-
tles, a prophet, a righteous man, a little one.
The vital union, subsisting between Christ
and His followers, rendering every act of
love exercised toward them the same as
done to Him, is here asserted in the fullest
and most explicit terms. The union be-
tween Christ and the Father is also affirm-
ed. "Your authority is mine, as mine
is my Father's." Men may think it no
great matter not to receive or neglect the
message and the messengers of Christ, but
this neglect or rejection extends beyond
them to Christ Himself who gave them
tlieir commission, and beyond Him to
God the Father, who gave Him His com-
mission ; accordingly ministers are culled
God's mouth (Jer. xv. 19), their message
and their mission being both from Him.
Jesus observes who is kind to His servants,
as Lydia was to Paul, and who throw diffi-
culties in their way, as Diotrephes did to
John.
41. <iHe that receiveth a prophet in the name of a
propliet shall receive a propbel's reward : and lie that
receiveth a righteous man in tlie name of a rigliteoua
man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
dl Kings xvii. lU, xviii. 4 ; 2 Kings iv. B.
He that hospitably entertains a jn-ophet,
a divinely-authorized religious teacher,
in the name of a prophet, because he is such,
from sympathy with him, and a pious re-
gard to the office he bears, sliall receive a
prophet's reward; or a reward proportion-
able to the worth of the pei-son he shelters
and accommodates in time of danger and
difficulty, and the assistance rendered him
in fulfilling his office as an ambassador of
Christ. And he that entertains a righteous
man, a pious man of private life, in the
name of a righteous man, because he is such,
or with a cordial regard to the virtues of
his character, shall himself receive the re-
ward of a righteous man. Being one in
obedieiice with tlie prophet and righteous
man whom we receive, according to the
voice of the one, and the acting of the
other, verily we shall with them Fhare the
reward. The allusion may be to the bene-
fits derived by some from the visits of
Elijah and Elisha, not to similar rewards,
but still great ones.
42. cAnd whosoever shall rive to drink unto one of
these little <mv^ n oiin of cold v-afrr only in tlie name
of a disciple, verily I say unto you, lie shall in no wise
lose his reward.
tCliap. xviii. 5, 6, xxv. 40 ; Mark ix. 41 ; Heb. vi. 10.
Little ones. A sweet epithet for disciples.
They were so called to denote their v/ant
of wealth, rank, learning, and whatever
the world calls great. They were little in
the estimation of the world, and in their
own estimation, and they made no pre-
tensions to what attracts the admiration
of mankind. A nip of cold vafer. Among
the varied scenes into which the prosecu-
tion of their missionary labors would throw
them, they might meet with many who,
from mere sympathy or kindness, might
be disposed to refresh the weary travelers
and oflfer them the shelter and hospitality
of their homes, but few would be equally
ready to extend their generous offices from
134
MATTHEW
regard to the cause of religion and to the
glory of God ; and yet so much more ex-
cellent and i^raiseworthy was the conduct
of the latter, that they would be rewarded
with the special blessing of heaven, even
though opportunity or means might pre-
vent their giving a more liberal contribu-
tion to the comfort of a disciple than the
offer of a cup of cold water. In the name,
&.C. — because he is a disciple. He shall in
no wise lose, &c. Marvelous promise ! A
cup of cold water in time, to find its reward,
as one of old says, " in a sea of pleasure,"
throughout the ages of eternity. There is
here no shadow of the denial of the doc-
trine of justification by faith, but an asser-
tion that works in faith are graciously
rewarded of God.
1. What power did Jesus give to " his twelve disciples ? " 2. Repeat the names of the Twelve Apostles. 3.
State something of the history of each of them. 4. What were their two grand characteristics ? 5. To whom
were the Apostles first sent? G. What directions were given to them? 7. Explain those directions. 8. What
is said concerning Sodom and Gomorrah ? 9. What is said of him who " endureth to the end?" 10. Explain
verse 23. 11. Why were not tlic Aiiostlcs to fear their persecutors? 12. Why were they to " rather fear" God?
13. What doctrine is taught in verses CD-SI ? 11. What is said of confessing Christ ? 15. What of denying Him?
16. E.xplain verses 34, So? 17. Wlio is not " worthy " of Christ? 18. What is said about " finding" and " losing"
" life ? " 19. How does Jesus reward kindness to His servants ?
CHAPTER XI.
2 John sendeth his disciples to Christ, 7 Christ's testi-
mony concerning John, 18 The opinion of the pcoplr,
both conferninri John and Christ, 20 Christupbraideth
the nnthankfulness and ii nrcpentunce of Chorazin,
Bethsaida, and Caprrnaam: 25 and praising his
Father's wisdom in revealing the gospel to the simple,
28 he calleth to him all such as feel the burden of their
sins.
AND it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end
of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed
thence to teach and to preach in their cities.
Hade an end of commanding. Christ's
commis.sions imply commands. His in-
structions are ever full, thorough. By not
ceasing from His labors, while the Apos-
tles were absent, He gave an example of
that faithful service in the Gospel which
He required from them. All should be
equally diligent to exemplify in their con-
duct the instructions which, from Him,
they communicate to the people. To
teach, instruct in private, to preach in pub-
lic. Their cities — the cities of the Jews in
Galilee.
2. 'Now when .Tohn had heard Mn the prison the
wnrl<s of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, ."?. And
said unto him. Art thou i-he that should come, or do we
look for another?
"IiUke vii. 13. 19, *c. i>Chnp. xiv. 3. KJen. xlix. 10;
Num. xxiv. 17 ; Dan. ix. 24 ; John vi. 14.
The works of Christ, i. e.. His miracles, as
appears from verses 3-5. Jesus had done
such works before John's incarceration,
but oftener after it, and these were re-
ported to him by his disciples, who seem
to have had free access to him. Art thou
he tliat should come, &c. This question
shows that the Jews generally considered
the Messiah as at hand, and if Jesus were
not He, another must be expected. Nearly
nineteen hundred years have elapsed, and
no other has come. How can they evade
the inference that Jesus of Nazareth was
the promised Messiah ? Some suppose
that this me.ssage was sent by John for
his own satisfaction. If so, the utmost
we can suppose concerning him, after re-
membering the clear evidence he had re-
ceived of the Messiahshiii of Jesus (Matt,
iii. 16), and the express and repeated tes-
timonies he had borne to this truth (John
i. 29, 36, 30, 34), and the high encomium
pronounced on him when his disciples
left (verses 9, 11) is, that whilst not doubt-
ing the Saviour's person, he could not
fully understand His mode of acting. Cut
off from intercourse with society by being
shut up in prison, his mind was in danger
of being warped, and of looking at things
on the dark side. He was somewhat im-
patient. Matters moved too slowly for
him, especially as he, as a prisoner, was
now condemned to involuntary inactivity.
CHAPTER XI.
135
His misgivings were not in their nature
skeptical, but anxious. He was anxious for
fiome speedy and public declaration of the
Lord in respect to His Messianic dignity, a
declaration corresponding with the expec-
tation which, doubtless, he had formed to
himself of the Lord of the threshing-floor
with His fan in His hand. (Matt. iii. 12.)
Others regard the message as having
been sent for the sake of John's disciples.
They were somewhat unwilling to ac-
knowledge Christ to be the Messiah who,
about that time, was generally expected,
because they had such a zeal for the honor
of John, their master, that they were not
willing to own any one greater than him.
Probably, also, they were prejudiced
against the Lord on acc;ount of His manner
of life, which was very unlike that of
John; for Jesus freely mixed with sin-
ners, and was entertained by them, while
John had always led a solitary life, and
had lived upon the coarsest fare. John,
therefore, to whom a delegation had been
sent, to know from him whether he was
the Christ, now (according to those who
maintain this view) sends two of his dis-
ciples to Jesus, that they might obtain
further satisfaction as to His Messiahship,
and have their faith confirmed in Him
from whom they had otherwise fled, out
of a preposterous emulation.
4. Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew
John again those thin;?s which ye do hear and see: 5.
dThe blind receive thair sight, and the lame wait:, the
lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are
raised up, and ^the poor have the gospel preached to
them. (i. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not fbe
offended in me.
disa. xxix. 18, XXXV. 4, 5, 6, xlii. 7 : John ii. 23. iii. 2, v.
3B, x. i5, 3S, X'V. n. 'Ps. xxii. 2ii; Isa. Ixi. 1; Luke iv.
18; James ii. .5. fisa. viii. 14, Ij; chap. xiii. .57, xxiv. 10,
xxvi. 31 : Kom. ix. 32, .33; 1 Cor. 1. 23, ii. 14 ; Glal. v. 11 ;
1 Peter ii. 8.
Christ did not return a direct answer to
their question. He endeavors to convince
them, not by words, but by works. He
performs several miracles, and leaves them
to draw the proper inference. (Comp. the
raising of Jairus' daughter, and of the
widow's son at Nain, which, in the Gospel
of Luke, immediately precedes this em-
bassy. Luke vii. 11, 18.) Those things
u'Jdch ye do hear and see, with the reports
of which the whole country rang and of
which a specification is made in the next
verse, not exhaustive, but illustrative by
means of a few signal instances. Christ
'■. onld have men judge of Him and of
others only by their works. This is the
only safe way of judging — not by preten-
sion but by demonstration.
Tlie blind receive their sight, &c. Here
Jesus not only makes a tacit appeal to His
miracles, but also alludes to the prophecies
in which the same things are predicted of
the Messiah. (Isa. xxxv. 4, 5, G, Ixi. 1.)
iMiracles were the more striking to John's
disciples as he " did no miracle." (John
X. 41.) The poor have the gospel preached to
them. This is mentioned last, as the great-
est effort of Divine goodness. It was a
sign of the Messiah's times. (Isa. xxix. 19.)
The poor were despised in the times of
Christ. The teachers of His day sought
popularity and the favor of the rich. (John
vii. 49, ix. 34, and James ii. 24.) But Christ
aims first at the poor. A tender interest
for them was shown by Him and His
Apostles. It is the duty of the Church,
and will be so the end of time, to see that
the Gospel is preached to the poor. They
have ever been more disposed than other
men to hear and embrace the truth as it is
in Jesus.
And blessed is he, &c. This was added to
correct the absurd emulation of John's
disciples. (See on verse -i.) Not be offended,
not stumbled. Many are offended in Christ,
some, at the asserted Divinity of His
person, and the meritoriousness of His
satisfaction, some at the sanctity and strict-
ness of His laws, some at the free disijen-
sation of His grace, others that the terms
of Christianity are too hard, humbling to
proud and earthly hearts, and laying too
great a re.straintupon human nature, others
that the world does not believe in Him,
that there are so many hypocrites and in-
consistent professors of religion, and that
His real followers are generally poor and
unlearned. But those who believe in Him
notwithstanding all these hindrances,
shall be in a happy condition here, and,
at the judgment day and beyond, learn
the deep meaning of our Lord's words in
this verse.
7. cAnd as they departed. Je-^us began to say unto the
multitude concerning John. What went ye out into the
wilderness to see? ^A reed shaken with the wind? 8.
But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in
so'"t raiment? Eehold. they that wear soft rlnthinp are
in king's houses. P. But what went ye out for to see?
A prophet? yea, I say unto you, 'and more than a
prophet.
;Iiukevii. 24. hEph. Iv. 14. "Chap. xiv. .5, xxi. 26;
Luke i. 76, vii. 26.
136
MATTHEW
As soon as John's disciples had started
back to their master, Je»us proceeded to
address the people, and this, mainly to
remove the unfavorable impression which
the question from the Baptist (verse 3)
had made on the crowd, but also to antici-
pate further ditticulties conceived as to His
own person and work, as well as to show
them what benefit they ought to have re-
ceived from John's ministry. John, whom
they had gone out into the wilderness of
Judea to hear preach, was not like one of
the reeds which lined the banks of the Jor-
dan and shivered in the breezes that swept
it — not as easily shaken as themselves by
every gust of rumor or prejudice, or every
change of outward circumstances. Con-
vinced of the truth, he continued to believe
and assert it. Steadiness is essentially ne-
cessary to every preacher, and to every
private Christian. We should have an end
in view in repairing to the ordinances of
religion, and that should not be curiosity,
or criticism and cavilling, or any outward
advantage, such as business, reputation,
&c., or the quieting of conscience, but to
obtain the conversion of the soul to God,
to gain all needful instruction, to have
divine things re-applied and re-impressed,
and also to aid in upholding the public
means of grace for the advantage of others.
A man clothed in soft raiment f John is
also commended for his unselfishness,
gravity, sobriety — high measure of mortifi-
cation to the world — its glory, honor, ease,
and pleasures. The spiritual nature of
the Messiah's kingdom is thus intimated.
As Christ's forerunner did not resemble
any of the ofiicers who attend the courts
of earthly princes, consequently Christ
Himself was in no respect to be like an
earthly prince, a minister of the Gospel
should have nothing about him which
savors of effeminacy and worldly pomp.
A prophet? Our Lord, with a fine climax
in His questions, from a reed to a man (in-
tending by this that John was no weak-
ling), and then to a prophet, gave the people
to understand that John, instead of having
lost in any respect his claim to the name
of a prophet, waff even exalted above ordi-
nary prophets. He was more than a prophet,
because he pointed out Christ more clearly
and fully than any of the prophets before
him. The ancient prophets beheld Christ
afar oti", but John saw Him face to face.
They prophesied of Him, he pointed at
Him, prepared His way, foretold that His
kingdom was at hand, and had the honor
of baptizing Him. He excelled in every-
thing peculiar to a prophet. Thus John's
humility was commended. He might have
been what he would ; the people were ready
to take him for the Messiah, but he denied
that he was the Christ, and only wished
to be regarded as His forerunner, willing,
but not worthy, to do Him service.
10. For this Is fte of whom it is written, ^Behold, I send
my messenger before thy tace, which sliall prepare thy
way belbre thee.
kMal. ill. 1 ; Mark i. 2 ; Luke i. 76, vii. 27.
The reason why John was to be account-
ed greater than any prophet that had pre-
ceded him is here given. He was a messenger,
nay, even the messenger before the ^fessiah^s
face. This is he. The clearer any ministry
is in discovering Christ, the more excellent
it is. Of ichom it is writien. In the verse
referred to, Mai. iii. 1, Jehovah, speaking
of the coming of Christ, says " my face,"
and " before me ;" but it is here quoted as
the language of the Father to the Son, and
He therefore says, " before thy face," and
" thy way before thee," so that, to prepare
the way of Christ was to " prepare the way
of the Lord Jehovah," for " He and the
Father are one."
11. Verily I say unto you. Among them that are born
of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the
Baptist : notwitlistanding. he that is least in tlie king-
donj olheaven is greater than he.— See Luke vii. 28.
Jesus here affirms that among the whole
race of mankind in all former ages, there
was not a greater prophet than John. He
was greater than any of the ancient
prophets, on account of his wonderful
conception and birth, his intimate knowl-
edge of Gospel mysteries (see especially
John iii. 27, &c.), his express testimony to
the Messiah, his being honored with bap-
tizing Him, and his remarkable success in
making way for Him. John was also
hiirself the subject of ancient prophecies,
and long expected by the Church. The
world thinks that kings, generals and
statesmen are the greatest of men, but God
measures differently. It was when John
was in prison, that Jesus thus commended
him. How precious is the thought, to
faithful ministers, that though the world
may slight and despise tlicin, Jetu.s will
CHAPTER XI.
137
maintain their honor, support their cause,
and prove to them an unchanging Friend !
How comforting is it, also, to all true Chris-
tians, who are suspected, slandered, and
falsely accused, to know that Jesus will
never desert any of His people !
Notwithstanding lie that is least, &c. As
the word greater, in this verse, refers to
the word prophet, which is implied (see
Luke vii. 28), so here the same idea is
intended — he that is a very inferior prophet,
or religious teacher. The humblest Gospel
minister who sets forth the life and death,
resurrection and ascension of Christ, is
greater in the kingdom of God, that is, has
a higher office in the Church, and a more
excellent ministry than even John him-
gelf. At the same time, it is true that the
weakest believing hearers of Paul would
understand things by the light of Christ's
death on the cross, which the Baptist
could never have explained, and all who
have believed in a crucified Saviour have,
through the light of the experience of His
redeeming power, had deeper insight into
the nature, blessings, and course of devel-
opment of the kingdom of God, than was
the portion of John. How great the priv-
ilege, and consequently the responsibility,
of enjoying the Gospel.
12. 'And from tlio clays of John the Baptist until now,
the kingdom oC heaven sufierpth violence, and the vio-
lent talce it by force.— 'Luke xvi. IS.
The great commendation of John was
that God owned his ministry and made
it wonderfully successful. With his min-
istry the new dispensation began to be
introduced, and, though disregarded by
many who might have been expected to
avail themselve.5 of its blessings, yet from
his dai/s, or first appearing, until now (not
much more than two years), great good had
been done, many, most unlikely to do so,
earnestly sought admission into the king-
dom, and the motion became quicker when
it came near to Christ the centre. (See
Matt. iii. 5, 4, viii. 1, ix. 36, iv. 23-25.) Sttf-
fereth violence. By the violent may b^
understood either publicans and sinners,
&c., or else those who are pressed with ar-
dent desire to be partakers of the kingdom,
and in the words, /o/-^ it h/ force, yvhich sig-
nify literally, sm^; and take it, as when men
seize and drag away the plunder of a
sacked city, we have a strong expression
of the eager joy with which men, in the
times here spoken of, thronged to hear
from John and Jesus the words of salva-
tion. (See John vi. 15, x. 28, 29.) Happy
are they who by a holy violence secure
an interest in the kingdom of heaven.
13. mFor all the prophets and the law prophesied until
John. 14. And if ye will receive i7, this is "Elias, which
was lor to come. 1.5. "He that hath ears to hear, let him
hear.
mMal. iv. 6. "Mai. iv. .">; chap. xvii. 12; Luke 1. 17.
«Chap. xlii. 9: Lukeviil.S; Rev. ii. 7, 11, 17,29, iii. 6, 13,22.
Here is still a further commendation of
John. He was the connecting link be-
tween the Law and the Gospel. (See Luke
i. 17 ; Mark i. 1 ; also Acts i. 22.) The
prophets and the law prophesied. There were
prophets also before Moses, and the law
being named second, there is a climax, for
Moses was the greatest prophet of the Old
Testament. The law is mentioned here
on account of its prophetic office. I'yUil
John — continued to instruct concerning
Christ. Here was the limit of prophecy
and of the Old Testament dispensation;
thenceforward is the fulfillment.
If ye will receive it. This may mean that
Jesus knew that many would not belipve
what He was now declaring (which i.s
rendered probable by the ob.stinate expec-
tation of the Jews to this day, that Eliaa
is personally to come), or, that God con-
strains not the will, but leaves men free to
act as they choose. This is Eiias, &c. Our
Lord here afiirms that John was the Elijah
spoken of by Malachi iv. 5. John was not
Elijah himself, but he had come in the
spirit and 2J0wer of Elijah, being fervent in
spirit and great in power, turning sinners
to the Lord.
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. An
expression often used by Christ to evoke
attention, or to mark a conclusion from
certain premises. (Comp. chap. xiii. 9, 43 ;
Re^T ii. 7.) In the present instance, the
inference was obvious — if John was the
per-son to whom the law and the prophets
pointed as the forerunner of the Messiah,
then Jesus was evidently that personage,
and was to be received and obej'ed as such.
Ifi. rBut whereunto shall I liken this generation ? It
is like unto children silting in the markets, and calling
unto their fellows, 17. And saying-, We have piped
unto .vou, and ye have not danced, we have mourned
unto you. and ye have not lamented. 18. For John came
neither eating nor drinking, and they say. He hath a
devil. If. The Son of man came eating "and drinking,
and they say. Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-
bihber. qa (riend of publicans and sinners. 'But wisdom
i.s justified of her children.
pLuke vii. 31. <iChap. ix. 10. 'Luke vii. 35.
138
MATTHEW.
Whereunto shall J liken, &c. Our Lord
now proceeds to describe and condemn the
fickleness and perverseness of the Jews.
This generation, i. e., of this age. The ques-
tion is asked as though it were difficult to
find an object with which such men could
be compared. In the time of our Saviour
it was common for children to play in the
market-place at rejoicing and at mourning.
One party imitated the glad songs of the
Jews at their marriages, and on other joy-
fjl occasions, while another party were
expected to dance at the sound of their
music. But sometimes sullen and wayward
children would not join in their amuse-
ment. Then the other party would good-
naturedly change the play, and imitate the
mournful music of funerals, expecting
their companions to use sorrowful gestures
and to appear to weep, but the same fro-
ward children would object to this play
also. In a matter of infinite importance
the Pharisees had imitated this example.
As John led so solitary and so strict a life,
being clad in skins, feeding on locusts and
honey, and refusing to taste wine or strong
drink, they accused him of being demoni-
acally possessed, saying, He hath a devil, he
acts like a wild, distracted demoniac, whom
an evil spirit drives from the society of
men. Then God sent His own Son to
address and conduct Himself toward them
in a more free and familiar manner; but
because Christ manifested a mild and joy-
ous spirit, in no way despising the comforts
of life, but temperately enjoying them,
these same Pharisees, because they did
not find in Him the austere, unbending
sternness which they had not been able to
endure in John, applied to him the epi-
thets, glutton, wine-hibber and friend of
publicans and sinners ; in doing which,
however, they did not consider that these
latter words indicated His highest titles
of honor. (Luke xv. 2.)
AVhat a contradiction was this! Yet
thus do men always and everywhere act
when left to themselves. An unbelieving
world is equally hard to please in regard
to Christians. Are they cheerful ? It ac-
cuses them of levity. Are they grave?
It calls them gloomy and sour. Do they
keep aloof from vain, worldly amuse-
ments? It calls them puritanical, exclu-
sive and narrow-minded. Do they eat,
drink and dress like other people, and
attend to their worldly callings and go
into society ? It sneeringly insinuates that
it sees no difference between them and
those who make no profession at all.
But wisdom is justified of her children.
Wisdom can here be no other than the
Divine wisdom which had been revealed
by John and Jesus, and in Jesus was
personally manifested ; her children are
those who are born of her, and possess a
wise heart. The justification of wisdom
takes place where she is acquitted of ac-
cusations of this kind, and acknowledged
in her true character. Wise and good
men admire the beautiful variety in the
conduct of Providence, and in the methods
of revealing Divine grace, approve religion
in their judgment, honor it in their con-
versation, and adorn it in their lives. It
is the duty of ministers to seek to please
all men for their good ; but after all their
efforts to please all, if they strenuously
oppose the errors and vices of the times,
they shall please but very few. It is the
old and settled policy of the devil to hin-
der the success of the Gosj>el, if he can,
by exciting prejudice against ministers.
20. H 'Then beRan he to upbraid the cities wherein
most of his mifclity worlds were done, because tliey re-
pented not: 21. Woe unto tliee, Cliorazin ! woe unto
thee, Bothsaida ! for if the misht y works, wliich were
done in you, had been done in Tyro and Sidon, they
would have repented lone; ago «in sackcloth and ashes.
22. But I say unto you, "it shall be more tolerable for
Tyre and S'don at the day of judgement, than for you.
23. And thiin. f'apern.aum, ^wliich art e-x.-xlted iinto
heaven. slia't liclirousht down tohell : Ibril tiK-miglity
works, wliicli Ikivo been done in thee, had been done in
Sodom, it would liave remained until this day, 'Jl. But
I say unto you, iThat it shall be more tolerable for the
land ofSodom in the day of judgment, than (or thee.
'Luke X. 1.3, &c. <John iii. T, 8. "Chap. x. IS ; verse
24. 'See Isa. xiv. 13: Lam. ii. 1. jChap. x. 1.5.
The connection of this with what pre-
cedes, and the similarity of its tone, makes
it highly probable that it was delivered
on the same occasion. Then began he —
He had not done this before. To upbraid,
rebuke, reprove. The cities — the inhabi-
tants of them. Woe unto thee, better, alas
for thee, an exclamation of pity, no less
than an announcement of wrath. Its op-
posite is blessed. Chorazin Befhsaida.
There is no reason to doubt that these
towns were situated on or near the shore
of the Lake of Gennesareth, but the exact
location has been much in dispute. Mighty
■works. Our Lord here assumes that mira-
cles performed in the name of God are
CHAPTER XI.
139
proof of a Divine commission. Because
they repented not. There were doubtless
many who believed on Jesus, but the mtiss
remained in a state of impenitence and
unbelief. Christ's great design in His doc-
trines and miriicles was to bring men to
repentance, to forsake their sins.
2't/ri: and Sidoa. Two well-known mari-
time and Gentile cities in Syria or Pales-
tine, remarkable for pride, luxury, and
contempt of religion, situated on the shore
of the Mediterranean sea: into them it
does not appear that Christ ever went,
though often very near to them. (See
Matt. XV. 21 ; Mark vii. 24.) Against tliese
two cities Ezekiel prophesies, (xxxviii.)
They are now little better than ruins. For
if the mighty works, xvhich were done in you,
&c. Jesus affirms that if the mighty
works done by Him in Chorazin and Beth-
saida, had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
even they, wicked as they were, would
have long ago, i. e., of old, abandoned their
idolatrous and other sinful habits, and like
Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah, would
have repented, &c. In the East it was com-
mon for mourners to put on a garment of
coarse black cloth (usually made of hair),
which resembled a sack, with holes for the
arms, and to strew ashes upon the head.
Hence this was regarded as the symbol
of mourning and repentance.
The words of our Lord are remarkable
as revealing the extent of the Divine Om-
niscience. God knows not only what will
be, but, (which seems stranger) whatwowW
have been, under certain conditions. The
Saviour here used the language of common
life, just as we, if we were speaking of a
person who had abused exalted privileges,
might select, in order to show our sense
of his guilt, the most wicked individual
of our acquaintance, and say, even he would
have acted in a better manner, even he
could not have withstood such privileges ;
meaning that such a result in his case
might have been reasonably expected.
"VVe are not competent to solve every diffi-
culty in this subject, or fully to understand
it. Certainly some are more easily wrought
on than others, and it aggravates the im-
penitence of those who have plentiful
means of grace, not only that many who
enjoy the same are wrought on, but that
many more, who enjoy less, would be
wrought on if they enjoyed the same
means. (Ezek. iii. 6, 7.)
But I say unto you, &c. (See on chapter
X. 15.) Sinners are but reserved for punish-
ment. Tyre and Sidon seem to us gone
by, but to God it is far otherwise. Time
makes no change in His purposes. Tliou,
Capernaum. This was a prosperous city,
where Christ had chiefly resided after His
entrance upon His public ministry. It
was exalted unto heaven, as it had, by our
Lord's presence, preaching and miracles,
enjoyed privileges far above other places.
Shalt be brought down to hell. In this case,
the words heaven and hell correspond to
one another as our words high and low. As
the people of Capernaum were elevated on
high by religious advantages so, through
a neglect or abuse of their advantages, they
were exjjosed to the condemnation of being
cast down to an exceedingly low condition
of misery — a condition as sad as that of the
worst of men. The higher a peoj)le rise
under the means of grace, the lower they
fall, if they misimjirove their privileges.
Of the mighty works, &c. (See on verse 21.)
It would haveremained until this day — Sodom,
destroyed for its pollutions, would have
continued until that time — having done no
such violence to conscience, and so incurred
unspeakably less guilt. Repentance on
the part of a nation averts its ruin. But I
say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable,
&c. (See on chap. x. 15.) "It has been
indeed," says Dr. Stanley, " more tolerable,
in one sense, in the day of its earthly
judgment, for the land of Sodom than for
Capernaum : for the name, and perhaps
the remains of Sodom are still to be found
on the shores of the Dead Sea : whilst that
of Capernaum has, on the Lake of Gennes-
areth, been utterly lost." In the world
of woe, their condemnation would be
severer than that of many others, than that
even of guilty Sodom.
Note, 1. The enjoyment of Gospel ordi-
nances is a great honor to the obscurest
people and place. 2. It is not alone the
seeing of miracles that is necessary to con-
vert souls. 3. Man is accountable for his
belief, and not believing the Gospel is a
sin which leads to hell as really as not
keeping the ten commandments. 4. They
140
MATTHEW,
that have been nearest convereion, being
not converted, shall have the greatest con-
demnation when they are judged. 5. Cities
are difiicult fields for the spiritual laborer
to cultivate. They are so on account of
vice prevailing so extensively in them in
its producing causes and sad effects, the
pressure of business, and also because they
unite the extremes of population — the low,
sunken and degraded, whom the Gospel
cannot reach, and the gay, giddy and god-
less, for whom it has no attraction. Even
Jesus, whilst Ho met with eminent success
in preaching in numerous country villages,
and among the hamlets of the jjoor, yet
encountered peculiar obstacles in Cai^er-
naum, Bethsaida, Chorazin and Jerusalem.
(See on chajj. x. 15.)
25. 'At that time Jesus answered and said, I tlianlc
thee, O Fatlier, h<m\ oi heaven and earth, because -tliou
hast hid Uiose tiling;* from the wise and prudent, ijand
hast revealed tlicni unto babes. Even so, Father, for so
it seemed good in tliy siglit.
'Lulie X. 21. "See Ps. viii. 2 ; 1 Cor. i. 19. 27 and ii. 8 ; 2
Cor. iii. 14. bchap. xvi. 17.
At that time. And doubtless in the same
connection. Jesus ansucred and said. Thia
form of expression is adaj^ted to the train
of thought which ran through the pre-
ceding discourse. / thank thee, 0 Father,
&c. Christ addressed the Father as the
proprietor and governor of the universe,
who " doeth whatsoever pleascth Ilim" in
heaven and on earth, and He thanked or
adored Him, and professed an entire acqui-
escence in His wisdom, equity and good-
ness, which were worthy of all adoration,
in that He was pleased to conceal the mys-
teries of the kingdom of heaven from tho.se
who thought themselves wise and x>Tudcnt, re-
fusing either to submit their understand-
ing to God's teaching, or to seek His guid-
ance unto truth, and depending on their
own reason and resources, and at the same
time to reveal these mysteries unto babes —
i. e., to those like little children in being
meek, teachable and lovely — conscious of
their own ignorance, open to receive truth,
and willinp; *o be guided by it.
We are not to understand that God did,
by any positive influence, hide the proofs of
Christ's mission from the wi.?e and pru-
dent; they had the Scriptures in their
hands, they saw or heard of His mira'-les,
and heard, or might have heard. His doc-
trine, but they were blinded by pride and
carnal prejudices, and He was pleased to
give them up to be judicially blinded,
God did not put darkness into their minds,
but Pie left them to their own darkness,
or denied them that light which they had
no desire to see. Evm so. Father, for so it
seemed good in thy sight. This God had
done for wise and gracious reasons, which
He was not pleased to assign. (See Eph.
i. 9-12.) It seemed good, it seemed right to
the Infinite Mind. As though Christ had
said, "Father, thy choice pleases me,
being the choice and good pleasure of thy
wisdom."
The truth which this vei-se embodies is
deep and mysterious. Why some are con-
verted and others remain dead in sins,
why America is a Christian country and
India is buried in idolatry, we cannot fully
understand. The words of the Lord Jesus
Christ supi^ly the only answer that mortal
man can or ought to give : " Even so,
Father," &c. At the same time it ehould
be remembered that God's offers of salva-
tion are free, wide, broad and unlimited,
and that the same God who does all things
according to the counsel of His own will,
always addresses us as accountable crea-
tures, as beings whose blood will be on
their own heads if they are lost. Let us
rest in the conviction that the Judgment
day will clear up all, and that the Judge
of all will not foil to do right.
27. '•All things are delivered unto me of my Father,
.•\nd no man knoweth thevSon, but the Fatlier ; "fneitlier
knoweth any man the Fatlier, save the Son, and he to
whomsoever the Son will reveal hijii.
tChap. xxviii. 18; Luke x. 22; John iii. 35. xiii. Sand
xvii. 2 ; 1 Cor. xv. 27. <iJohn i. 18, vi. 46 and x. 15.
This verse expresses the Divine corres-
pondence between the Father and the
Son, which had been implied by the
thanksgiving of the previous verse. It is
a very remarkable declaration of our Lord's
personal and mediatiorial woik. In His
mediatoried office His authority is a dele-
gated one. The Father had delivered all
tilings unto Mm — the whole system of sal-
vation, all power, authority and judgment
over all creatures, and He is even to be
regarded as the source of light and knowl-
edge, as well as of peace and i^ardon to
the souls of men. None knew Jesus as
the Son of God — " the mystery of godli-
ness, God manifest in the flesh " — but the
eternal Father, even as none knew the
Father, except the Son, neither could air,-
CHAPTER XL
141
man truly know the Father, i. e., the depths
of His attributes, except as the Son re-
vealed His nature and glory to him ; for
this was committed to Him as Mediator,
in respect of all the sinful race of men.
This mutual knowledge of the Father and
the Son represents Christ as co-equal with
the Father, and is an argument for His
Divinity. Jesus is the light ; we must
walk after Him, if we would not wander
in darkness ; we mtist wash in His blood
if we would be cleansed and made ready
for the great day of account. If we have
Christ, we have all things. (1 Cor. iii. 22.)
2S. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy
ladi^ii, and I will g.ve you rest.
After upbraiding the cities wherein most
of His mighty works had been done, be-
cause they repented not, and then stating
the great truth that divine grace is sover-
eign, so as to humble the proud, our Lord,
seeing the disciples crowding around the
rabbis, submitting to their severe discip-
line in order to the attainment of s]:)irit-
ual good, and seeing the people perform-
ing costly ceremonies, and wearying them-
.selves to get free from the load of guilt
and fear which still pressed heavily upon
them, jjroceeded, from i^ity to them, to ut-
ter this most gracious invitation, offering
to them rest in forgiveness find a quiet
mind, in a heart chastened to a holy calm,
and in the hope of heaven. What Jesus
promi.^ed then, he has both promised and
fulfilled ever since from heaven.
Notice, 1. What he promises — Ecsf. Re: t
from the guilt of sin, a pacified and qr.ico
conscience ; rest from the power and mis-
ery of sin, by the Spirit's causing us to be
crucified to the world and weaned from it,
to live, in fact, above it; rest from specu-
lative doubts; rest in trouble, not /rom it,
but in it, by delivering us from self-will,
unbelief and impatience; rest in heaver,
after life's toils and conflicts are over. 2.
To whom this rest is promised. Every
■one Avho desires or needs it; Ihey that la-
bor and are heavy laden, and all of Ihem;
those who are weary in seeking their hap-
piness away from God ; those who are
bearing the heavy burden of affliction, and
the still heavier burden of guiit; those
who are attempting to establish their
peace Avith God, and are laboring to erect
an edifice of righteousness out of their
own performances. 3. That it is Jesus by
whom this promise is made. It is the
great prerogative of Him who made the
soul to impart rest to it. Our Lord here
claims this high prerogative of Jehovah for
Himself. He does not say, as the prophets
of old did, "Turn to the Lord, and the Lord
will comfort you," but " Come unto me," I
-mil give you rest. Jesus is the source of all
happiness, the spring from which flows all
the bliss of heaven, and He has all hearis
at his command, and can fill them with
comfort and joy. " God has so made man's
heart for Himself," says Augustine, " Ihut it
is ever restless until it finds rest in Him."
4. How this rest is to be obtained. By
coming to Christ. The burdened ^oul must
seek its rest in Him, just as the worldly
man seeks his in worldly things. Coming
to Christ is the same as believing on Him,
but then it is faith in operation, leading
the soul to act on what it credit^. It is
not a local coming, which at present is im-
l^ossible, but a movement of mind and
heart unto Him, with a true consent to His
doctrine, a hearty r.nd sincere trust in His
merits, and such resignation to His guid-
ance as is due to the nature of His charac-
ter and doctrine.
29. Take my yoke upon you, rand learn of me, for I
am meek and Oowly in heart: caud yo shall find rest
i;nto your fouls.
'John xiii. ll; Phil. ii. .5; 1 Peter ii. 21: 1 John ii. 6.
fZech. ix. 9 ; Phil. ii. 7, 8. rJer. vi. Hi.
Take my yoke upon you. We arc to come
to Jesus also as our Ruler. He lias His
yoke. 1. This includes conditions which.
His religion requires, such as exclusive
trust in the merits of His death as (he sac-
rifice for sin, self-denial and submission
to affliction and suffering as in His wis-
dom Lie may appoint. 2. Eestraints un-
der His discipline, in temper and conduct,
being meek, forgiving, merciful and kind,
and "walking worthy of the Lord un'o
all pleasing, being fruitful in every good
work." 3. Services which He requires —
the services of devotion, of zeal, and of
charity. Learn of me. AVe are also to come
to Christ as our Teacher, sitting at His feet,
renouncing all but Him, the teacher sent
from God. And what encouragement does
He give us to do this? He tells us that
He is meek and lowly in heart. He will not
teach us severely, but be gentle toward
142
MATTHEW,
us, even as a nurse unto her children. His
gentle spirit and soul-subduing doctrines,
can alone give that temper by which the
soul of man may come to its true rest.
And ye shall find rest unto your souls — an
emphatic repetition of the last clause of
the preceding verse. Another ground of
encouragement is given us in the follow-
ing verse ;
30. hFor my yoke is easy, and my burden is light,
kl John V. 3.
Christ's yoke is easy because, 1. No rest
can be found by rejecting it. The man
who bears it not must bear a heavier bur-
den— the burden of bewildering and op-
pressive ignorance or skepticism. 2. Those
who bear it have received a willing mind
to do so. 3. Bearing it bi-ings with it the
sense of the approbation of God. 4. It
conforms to the nature and reality of
things. 5. There is a pure satisfaction im-
parted to the mind, even in the very ex-
ercises of self-denial and self-abasement
which Christ enjoins. 6. His presence is
promised to those who bear His yoke. 7.
It becomes easier as the Christian con-
tinues to bear it. 8. The intimate connec-
tion between every branch of discipline
and the heavenly state, crowns the whole.
The Christian knows that he is learning
of Jesus to be prepared to find Him his
wisdom in eternity ; that he is fleeing to
His sacrifice in order to overcome death
and enter into glory ; that he is denying
himself to gain the relish for the spirituali-
ties of heaven ; that he is cultivating holi-
ness in order to be presented without spot,
before God ; that he is worshiping Jesus
here to be made meet for the high festivals,
the holy Sabbaths of heaven ; that he is
leaving the society of the world, because
he is so soon to join " the innumerable
company of angels, and th*^ general assem-
bly and Church of th& first born."
1. What is said of Christ's example ? 2. What message did John send to Jesus ? 3. What was our Lord's an-
swer? 4. Wliat did He say concerning John ? 5. Explain verse 1. B. Unto what did Christ liken that genera-
tion ? 7. What cities did lie upbraid ? 8. How ? 9. What is meant by " hast hid these things from the wise and
prudent ? " &c. 10. What is tlie meaning of vorse 27 ? 11. Who are invited to come to Jesus ? 12. How are they
to come ? 13. What shall they receive by thus coming ?
CHAPTER XII.
1 Christ reproveth the. blindness of the Pha'^sees concern-
ing the breach of the sabbath, 3 b.v s'- iptares, 9 by
reason, 13 and by a viiracle. 22 He i'l-nltth the man
possessed that ivas blind and dumb. 31 Blasphemy
against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven. 30
Account shall be made of idle ivoriL", 38 He rebuketh
the unfaithful, who se.e,k after a sifr- ' 49 and sheweth
who is his brother, sister, and mother.
AT that time =Jeius went on the sabbath day through
tlie forn, and liis disciole'; wero an hungered, and
began to pUvk t'lc ears of corn, and to eat.
"Deut. xxiii. 2-^; Mark ii. 23; Luke vi.l.
At that time. A general expression,
meaning about the time when the things
just spoken of occurred. Jesus went on the
sabbath day, literally, sabbaths. The plural
and singular of this word were often used
indiscriminately for the seventh day of
the week. Through the corn, i. e., the paths
which led through corn fields. The fields
were sown with corn, in the proper Eng-
lish sense of grain or bread-stutfs. with
particular reference to wheat and barley.
And his disciples, who had eaten nothing
during the day, in accordance with a cus-
tomary way of appeasing hunger in Pales-
tine at this day, pulled off the heads of
grain, and ate them. (See Luke vi. 1.)
2. But when the Pharisees saw if., they said unto him,
Behold tliy disciples do that which is not lawl'ul to do
upon the sabbath day.
Some of the Pharisees, it seems, accom-
panied Christ on this occasion, prompted,
probably, by curiosity, in expectation of
seeing more miracles. It appears that He
did not Himself eat of the barley. (John
iv. 32-34.) The allegation of the Pharisees
was false, for it was more than the law of
the Sabbath (Ex. xvi. 20 ; Deut. xxiii. 25)
said or implied — it forbade servile work on
that day, but the act of the disciples was
CHAPTER XII.
143
no servile work. Hypocrites place all
holiness in the observance of outward
ceremonies, whilst they neglect moral
duties. (Matt, xxiii. 24.)
3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read >>what
Davirt did, when he wa-s an hungered, and they that
were with him, 4. How he entered into the liouse or'
God and did eat i^the sliew bread, which was not lawiul
for liim to eat, neither lor them which were with him,
dbut only for the priests ?
bl Sam. xxi. 6. <:Ex. xxv. 30: Lev. xxiv. 5. ^Ex. xxix.
32: Lev. vUi. 31, xxiv. 9.
The Saviour defended His disciples
against their accusers. We are thus re-
minded that though Satan is " the accuser
of the brethren" (Rev. xii. 10), yet we
" have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous," who is ever main-
taining the cause of His people, in heaven.
Our Lord in His answer referred to 1
Sam. xxi. The house of God— in which He
dwelt among His people. At the time here
mentioned, the tabernacle, which was a
portable tent, was at Nob. (1 Sam. xxi. 1.)
The show-bread, or, shew-bread, in Hebrew,
" bread of the presence " or " faces," be-
cause this bread was to be set continually
"before the face of Jehovah." (See Ex.
xxv. 23 and 30.) The argument of Jesus
was this : " If David, when he was fleeing
from Saul, and was overtaken with hunger,
took and ate that holy bread, and did this,
not because he was called of God to a pe-
culiar work and office in which he might
lav/full}'^ do things forbidden to others, for
that bread was also eaten by iliem which
were iviih him (see Luke vi. 4), why might
not my disciples pluck barley on a holy
day, when they were hungry ? " Our Lord
argued for the true construction of the
law. We ought not to be morbidly scrupulous
in observing the S.ibbath. jNIiny things
may be allowable on it whijh timid minds
consider unlawful. Anything, however,
like a violation of the sanctity of the Sab-
bath by any unnecessary employments or
recreations, even such as are proper on
other days, is unwarranted.
5. Or have ye not read in the 'law, how that on the
sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sab-
bath, and are blameless?
'Num. xxviii. 9 ; John vli. 22.
Our Lord here f 'r-her vindicates the
conduct of His disciples by reference to
the example of the priests in the temple,
who, on the Sabbath, killed and dressed
their sacrifices, and baked the shew-bread,
which involved necessary bodily labor,
and which, on the reasoning of the Phari-
sees, would be accounted a profanation of
that day. (See Num. xxviii. 9 ; Lev. xxiv.
5 ; 1 Chron. ix. 32.)
G. But I say unto you. That in thLs place Is 'one greater
than lue temple.— 'li Chron. vi. 1»; iial. iii. 1.
In making this declaration, our Lord
may have made some gesture, indicative
of a reference to himself. " Here is one
greater than the temple (John ii. 21), and,
therefore, able to dispense with temiile
and ritual sanctities when they come in
collision with the object of His mission,
or the maintenance of His ministers in
the performance of that mission." The
Jews esteemed nothing greater than the
temple except the God who was worshiped
in it. Christ, therefore, by asserting that
He was greater than the temple, asserts
that He was God, and this He does in still
more direct terms, verse 8, comp. Gen. ii. 3.
7. But if ye had known what this meaneth, cl will
have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have con-
demned the guiltless.
sHos. vi. 6 ; Mi. vi. 6-8 ; chap. ix. 13.
Our Lord again refers to the passage
quoted in chap. ix. 13 (on which see Notes.)
" Had ye understood the great j^rinciple of
all religion which the Scripture every-
where recognizes, that ceremonial observ-
ances must give way before moral duties,
and particularly the necessities of nature,
ye would have refrained from these cap-
tious complaints against men who, in this
matter, are blameless."
8. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath
day.— Luke vi. 5.
The Sabbath is an ordinance for man's
rest, both actually and typically, as setting
forth the rest that remains for God's peo-
ple ( Hcb. iv. 9.) But He who is now speak-
ing has taken on Himself manhood — the
Avhole nature of man, and is rightful Lord
over creation as granted to man, and of all
that is made for man, and therefore of the
Sabbath. The whole dispensation of time
is created for man — for Christ, as He is
man — and is in Llis absolute power. Hence
the Sabbath having been ordained for man,
not for any individual, but for the whole
race, it must needs be subject to the Son
of man, who is its Head and Representa-
tive, its Sovereign and Redeemer. This
implies that though the Sabbath, which
was established at the end of the creative
week, formed a part of the Patriarchal re-
144
MATTHEW,
ligion, and was woven into the moral code
given to Moses, is, in its essence, peri^etual,
yet the right of modifying and controlling
it belongs to Christ, and can be exerciised
only under His authori;y.
Accordingly, this right was exercised by
Christ. After His resurrection the Jewish
Sabbath, which was laid upon the primi-
tive Sabbath, was abolished, and "the
Lord's day," or Christian Sabbath, was
superimposed upon another day — the first
day of the ivcck — thus making that day of
universal and perpetual obligation. (See
Acts XX. 7; 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2; Rev. i. 10.)
The obligation and observance of this day
are also recognized by Ignatius, Bishop of
Antioch, A. D. 101; Theophilus, Eishopof
Antioch, about A. D. 1G2 ; Ii'enaeus, Bishop
of Lyons, who had been a disciple of
Polycarp, the companion of the Apostles,
A. D. 1G7 ; Clement, of Alexandi'ia, A. D.
19-'; Tertullian, about the same time; Con-
etantine, in the fourth century, and Chry-
Bostom.
The Sabbath is absolutely essential, not
only to the animal creation i:i the service
of man, but to man's welfare, physically,
intellectually, socially, morally. The infi-
del actors in the French Revolution abol-
ished the Christian Sabbath and substituted
what they called the decades, or every
tenth day. After the desperate experi-
ment had been made, Robespierre was con-
strained to say, "The v/orld will go to
pieces if Ave cannot find a God," and in
the course of a few years the world fell
back into the olden ruts, seized the Sab-
bath again as too jjrecious to let go. We
live in days when anything like a strict
observance of the Sabbath is loudly de-
nounced by some as a remnant of Jewish
superstition. Vague talk like this has no
confirmation in the "Word of God. The
fourth commandment has never been re-
pealed by Christ, and we have no more
right to break the Sabbath, under the
Gospel, than we have to murder and to
steal. The architect who repairs a build-
ing, and restores it to its proper use, is not
the destroyer of it, but the i^rcscrver.
The Saviour who redeemed the Sabbath
from Jewish traditions, and so frequently
explained its true meaning, ought never
to be regarded as the enemy of the fourth
commandment. On the contrary, He haa
" magnified it and made it honorable."
9. hAnd when he was departed thence, he went Into
their synagogue.— ^Luke vi. (j ; Mark iii. 1.
When he was departed thence — but "on an-
other Sabbath." (Luke vi. 6.) He went
into their synagogue, i. e., the synagogue of
the people among whom He had come.
10. 1 And behold, there was a man which had his
liand withered. And thev a^ked him, saving-, Us it
law.ul to heal on the wibbatli days ? tiiat tliey might
accuse him.— iLuke xiii. 14, xiv. 3 ; John ix. 16.
An atrophy of the limb, and an inabil-
ity to move the nerves and muscles, which
would cause the limb to be rigid, was what
the Jews understood by " a withered limb."
It was occasioned by a deficient absorption
of nutriment in the limb. When once
thoroughly established, it was incurable
by any art of man. Is it lawful, &c. This
question was proj^osed by the scribes and
Pharisees (Luke vi. 7), with the hope of
finding matter of accusation.
11. And he said unto them. What man shall there be
amon^; you, that shall have onorherp. and kji it lallinto
a pit on the sab'iitli day. will he not lay l.old on it. and
lilt it out? 12. now inuch then 'i'^, a man better than a
.sheep ? Whereroremitia law.ul to do well on the sabbath
k.See Ex. xxiii. 4, 5 ; Deut. xxii. 4. 'Luke xii. 24. mMark
iii. 4 ; Luke vi. 9.
Our Lord answers the question, as was
Hii3 custom (see xxi. 24), by another ques-
tion. " Are there not things much less
important and earnest than that which I
am about to do, which you would not leave
undone? "Which of you would not draw
your sheep from the pit into which it had
fallen on the Sabbath ; and chall I, tho
true Shei:hcrd, not re.=:cue a theep of my
fold, a man, that is far better than a sheep?
Your own consciences tell you that that
were a true Sabbath work, and how much
worthier this? You have asked me, Is it
lawful to heal on the Sabbath? I answer,
It is lawful to do well on that day, and
therefore to heal." They can answer Him
nothing further — " they held their peace."
(Mark iii. 4.)
1^. Then saith he to the man. Stretch forth thine
hand. And ho strctclicd it forth, "and it wa" restored
whole, like as the other.— "Luke xiii. 13 ; Acts iii. 7, 8.
Jesus could have healed the i:)oor man
by a icord, but lie asked him to stretch forth
his hand. Was not this a strange com-
mand ? The man might have replied, " I
have of.en endeavored to stretch forth my
hand, and have not been able; whythould
I try again ?" But he made no such unbe-
CHAPTER XII.
145
lieving answer ; he confided in the power
of Jesus, and his attempt was successful —
his hand ivas restored ivliole, like as (he other.
So is the strengtlaless soul commanded to
commit itself to the Redeemer, and in the
effort to do so it will find that power ac-
companies the precept. Faith disregards
apparent impossibilities where there is a
command and promise of God. "God's
commands," says an old writer, " are grants.
When He enjoins us, Repent, or Believe,
it is only to draw from us a free acknowl-
edgment of our impotence to perform
what He commanded us. This confession
being made, what He enjoins He will en-
able us to do. Man's owning his weakness
is the only stock for God to engraft there-
on the grace of His assistance."
14. f Then "the Pharisees went out, and held a council
against him, how tl)e.v miglit destroy him.
"Chap, xxvii. 1; Marli iii. 6; Luke vi. U; John v. 18,
X. sa, xi. 13.
They felt that they could not stand be-
fore His arguments, sustained as they were
by such signs and wonders. Their credit
was in danger ; they saw that if Jesus was
allowed to go on, their influence and gains
would be lost. What then would be done ?
It was an affair of so much importance
that they held a council with a view to fix
on a plan for destroying Jesus. The ene-
mies of Christ and His cause, when argu-
ments fail, fall to violence. It is a certain
sign of a weak cause that it must be sup-
ported by passion, which is all tongue and
no ear.
15. But when Jesus knew it, Phe withdrew himself
.from tljence: 'lantl great nmltitudes ibllowed him. and
he healed them all ; liJ. And 'cliarged them that they
should not make him known :
PChap. X. 2;j ; Mark iii. 7. qUliap. ix. 2. 'Chap. Ix. 30.
When Jesus knew the murderous de-
signs of the Pharisees, as the time had not
come when He was to be delivered up to
them. He withdrew himself from thence —
whither, our Evangelist does not say, but
Mark (iii. 7) says, "it was to the sea," to
some distance, no doubt, from the scene
of the miracle, and the machinations of
His foes. And great multitudes, &c. The
common people were better disposed, and
were favorably affected by His miracles
and teachings. And he healed them all— as
many as required healing. And charged
them, &c. Here again silence was enjoined
in regard to His being the Christ. It was
■Hot ynt time for this to be widely known,
10
or loudly asserted with such exciting
proofs, any more than it was time for
Him to die. (See on chap. viii. 4, ix. 30.)
17. That it might be fulflUed which was spoken by
Esaias me propiiet, saymg, 18. -Behold my bervaut,
wlioui 1 have viiosen, uiy beloved, nu whoui my soul
is well pleased : 1 wnl pui my iSpu-it upon hnu, and he
shall snow judgment lo the UeuiUes. 19. He "sihall
not strive, nor cry : neither shall any man hear las
voice in Ihe streets. ZO. A 'bruised reed snail he not
break, and smoking Hax shall he not queiieh, till he
send loruijudymeiiL umo victory. 21. And lu his name
shall tue GeiRiies trust.
»Isa. xlii. 1. 'Uhap. iii. 17, xvii. 5. "Luke xvii. 20;
John xvni. 36, 38 • ^i Cor. x. 1. >Ps. li. 17, cxlvii. 3 ; Isa.
Ivii. lo ; Ezek. xxxiv. iU ; Luke iv. 18 ; Heb. xii. 12, 13.
That it might be fulfilled, &c. The quota-
tion is from Isaiah xlii. 1-4, and though
not in the exact words of the original, yet
adheres closely to the sense. Tlie Evan-
gelist considers this quietude of our Lord
as going to fuliill this prophecy, in which
the Messiah is described as establishing
ITis kingdom in the earth by the most
silent and unostentatious means and influ-
ences. Here is another reason for Christ's
frequently seeking retirement. Behold my
servant. Jesus " took upon Him the form
of a servant." (Phil. ii. 7.) It is only in
respect of His incarnation and mediatorial
work, that our Lord Jesus Christ is called
the servant of Almighty God. Have chosen.
The verb thus rendered, is equal to set apart
as chosen. Well pleased. This acknowl-
edgment of our High Priest was made by
the Father at the baptism of Jesus (Matt.
iii. 17), and at His transfiguration (Matt.
xvii. 5). / v;ill pid my Spirit upon him.
This aLso was fulfilled at His baptism, (iii.
IG ; see also John iii. 34.) Shall show judg-
ment, &c. Shall teach the law and will of
God. He shall not strive, &c — he shall not
contend with martial violence, nor cry, in
a clamorous and turbulent manner, neither
shall any man hear his voice in the streets,
but He shall (as the next verse indicates)
manage His administration with great
gentleness and sweetness, caution and ten-
derness.
A bruised reed shall he not break, and smok-
ing fax shall he not quench. By a braised
reed may be meant a musical pipe made
of reed, and formerly used by shepherds,
which could never be very enchanting ;
but when bruised, would sound inharmo-
niously and harshly, and would probably
be broken to pieces and thrown aside ; or,
a reed stalk, commonly found in marshy
soils, which, in its best estate is slender
146
MATTHEW
and frail, but when bruised is unable to
bear any weight, is unavailing for any use-
ful purpose, and seems fit for nothing but
the lire. By " smoking flax " is meant the
wick of the torch or candle, made of this
material, when the flame is extinct, but
the tow retaining some particles of fire,
sends forth no useful light, but only offen-
sive efliuvium. By these figures are rep-
resented persons of very weak and defective
attainments in the divine life, or afflicted
with outward troubles and inward con-
flicts, or subject to moral infirmities.
Such it is said the Saviour will not overlook
or despise. He will not only not destroy or
injure them, but He will sustain, strengthen
and confirm the bruised reed, and rekindle
the smoking flax and cause it to burn clear
and bright. That this is implied, is obvious
in the delightful addition in which we are
told that the work, though opposed, shall
be rendered triumphant, till he send forth
judgment unto victory. The Gentiles trust —
Hope. (Comp. Ps. cxlvi. 3; Jer. xvii. 5;
Rom. XV. 12 ; Eph. i. 12.)
22 H "Then was hrouRht unto him one possessed with
a devil blind and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch
that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
wSee chap. ix. 32 ; Mark Hi. 11 : Luke xi. 14.
One possessed with a devil. The evil spirit
had exerted his cruel power in depriving
this man, who was brought to the Saviour,
of sight and speech. In his deep afflic-
tion he could not appeal by words to
Christ's compassion ; he stood before Him
with his sightless eyeballs in bondage to
the devil. What a spectacle of misery to
excite His heart! As Jesus glanced an
eye of mercy on him, his lips spoke his
release, and in an instant Satan was forced
to surrender his captive and flee away.
The man was now restored, his tongue was
unloosed, and his eyes were opened tobe-
hold the world again. How great an event
is recorded in the sacred narrative in three
or four lines !
23. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not
this the son of David?
These fresh displays of love and power
surprised and melted the hearts of the
people, and they were on the point of
publicly proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah.
This culmination of enthusiasm awaked
the strong reaction of the Pharisees, and
led to the sudden and malignant accusa-
tion mentioned in the next ver.se.
24. »But when the Pharisees heard i(, they Said, This
fellow doth not cast out devils but by Beelzebub the
prince of the devils.
iChap. ix. 34 ; Mark iii. 22 ; Luke xi. 15.
They said, mo.st probably among them-
selves. This fellow, &c., an expression of
contempt, and an affirmation that Jesus
did not cast out a demon in which He was
not aided thereto by the prince of devils.
(See on chap. ix. 34, x. 25.) Unable to
deny the fact of the miraculous healing,
the ever-watchful enemies of Jesus at-
tempted to discredit Him by charging Him
who wrought it, with collusion with Beel-
zebub. (See X. 25.) Had the Jews been
universally or generally converted by
Christ's miracles, the skeptic in our day
might argue with some plausibility, that
the facts had been invented to gratify the
national propensity, and had been credited
without examination or proof But, as the
case stands, we are now certain that these
miracles were wrought in the presence of
enemies, and thus subjected to the severest
scrutiny, and that they carried with them
conviction to multitudes, notwithstand-
ing the fiercest opposition which national
prejudice, bigotry and vice could excite,
and the strictest search which conld be
made by the most vigilant hostility.
25. And .Tesus Jknew their thoughts, and said unto
them, Everv kingdom divided against itself is brought
to desolation : and every city or house divided against
itselfshall not stand: _ „ ., ^ .. „^ a ^ - o,.
jChap. ix. 4 ; Luke vi. 8, ix. 47 ; John u. 25 ; Acts i. 24 :
Rev. ii. 23.
Knew their thouglds. This assertion of
Christ's omniscience is not the less valuable
and convincing a proof of His Divinity,
because introduced with so little apparent
design on the part of the Evangelist. Said
vnto </(em, without any anger, notwithstand
ing the very awful and flagrantly wicked
charge preferred against Him. However
extravagant the charge may be that is
made against us, yet, if we speak calmly
and sensibly, there is something in human
nature that will lead it to listen the moment
we do so. In refuting the slander that He
is confederated with the prince of dark-
ness, Christ's first illustration is taken from
a kingdom, a state, a body politic, implying
not a mere aggregation of men, but organic
life and unity of principle and interest.
Every kingdom divided against itself— in
whi.ch there is nothing but divided counsel
and separate action, making on one side,
and unmaking on the other, setting up and
CHAPTER XII.
147
pulling down, internal discord and civil
^ar — is brought to desolation; or, as ^Mark
has it (iii. 24), "cannot stand," cannot be
established, made to stand, by such a pro-
cess. The same thing is true in a sphere
still narrower, every city, with antagonistic
elements, and every house, composed of
hostile and discordant members, shall not
stand.
* 26. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against
himself; how shall then -his kingdom stand ?
•John xii. 31, xiv. 30: 2 Cor. iv. 4.
Had the idea of division, in the various
illustrations given, been the simple one of
some opposing others, our Lord would no
doubt have applied His argument or prin-
ciple to Satan's kingdom rather than liim-
self, but as the Pharisees accused Him of
casting out Satan by Satan's own power,
and as He here presented the paradoxical
idea of Satan as an individual arrayed
against himself, we may safely infer that
this very paradox was meant to be the
point of His whole argument. " If Satan
were to cast out Satan, he would commit
suicide. Therefore, how can you suppose
that he will help me to depress and put
down that very kingdom which is his
strength, glory and stronghold?" It is an
unwarrantable calumny to endeavor to
make it believed that a man is an enemy
of the Church, because he is trying to cast
out error and sin. When Christians keep
up needless divisions in the Church, such,
for example, as divisions about matters not
essential to salvation, about forms and
ceremonies, and ecclesiastical arrange-
ments upon which Scripture is silent, they
show themselves more foolish than Satan
himself.
27. And i f I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by I'whom do
your children ca -.t th'^m f)ut ? therei'ore they shall be
your judges.— -'Mark ix. 38, 39.
Here is a second refutation of the charge
of the Pharisees: their objection, by i^arity
of reasoning, would extend to their own
exorcists, which they would not have been
willing to admit. Your children — that is,
your disciples. That there were among
the Jews exorcists, who at least professed
to cast out devils, we know from the Apoc-
rypha, from Josephus, and from Acts xix.
12-14. Therefore they shall be your judges,
to convict them of injustice and malignity
in ascribing what Christ did to demoniacal
collusion, when they made no such charge
against them and their real or pretended
dispossessions. The corruption of the
heart is the cause of the corruption of
the understanding and judgment. Pas-
sion makes men frequently condemn in
some that which they approve in others.
28. But If I ca.st out devils by the Spirit of God, then
Hhe kingdom oi Uod is come unto you.
bUau. ii. 4-1 : vii. 14; Luke i. 33; xi. 2U: xvii.20,21.
The argument here appears to be this :
" If these miracles which I work are really
wrought by the finger of God (see Ex. viii.
19), and I am clearly proved by them One
sent from God, then, whether you will al-
low it or not, the times of the Messiah
have evidently arrived. The kingdom of
God has come down upon you unawares,
and these miracles are signs that it is so."
There was solemn irony in this suggestion
to :he leading Jews that, in spite of their
unwillingness to see or own it, the Messiah
and His kingdom might be come after all.
We cannot be assured that God reigns in
a soul, but only when the lusts and evil
habits which possessed it are cast out, not
by other lusts or evil habits, but by the
love of righteousness and the hatred of
sin, which is done by the finger of God,
namely, by His Holy Spirit.
29. i^Or else how can one enter into a strong man's
house and spoil hiis goods except he first bind the strong
man ? and then he will spoil his house.
cisa. xllx. 24 ; Luke xi. 21-23.
Our Lord here points out the folly of
supjDosing that He acts by a power from,
and consequently under, Satan, since He
evinces superiority over Satan by overpow-
ering him, and despoiling him of his au-
thority. When a strong man is robbed, no
one imagines that he has robbed himself,
but every one regards it as the work of an
enemy, superior in power ; so, when Sa-
tan's instruments and agents are driven
out by Jesus, it ought to have been argued
that the Prince of this world had been cast
out and judged (John xii. 31 ; xvi. 11) by
coming in contact with his conqueror.
(See on Luke xi. 21.)
30. He that is not with me is against me, and he that
gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
The idea is, I am not with Satan, Satan
is clearly not with me ; we are therefore
antagonists : there is hostility between us ;
it is the woman's seed bruising the ser-
pent's head. Gathereth . . . scattereth. These
words allude to a gathering in harvest. Co-
148
MATTHEW.
laborers gather in concert, the ravager of
their fields scattereth the produce. Here
note, 1. That Christ is engaged in an im-
portant contest, and calls upon us to take
part with Him. The cause which He has
undertaken is the cause of truth, of right-
eousness, and of God, against the interests
of falsehood, of sin, and of Satan. 2. That
for any one to be with Christ in this con-
test, is to embrace the Gospel, obey its
precepts, openly profess his adherence to
the Saviour, take up his cross, deny him-
self and follow Him, for only by being
uitJi Jesus, can any amount of victory over
Satan be obtained or hoped for, and who-
soever contributes not to His spiritual
harvest, scatters to the wind. 3. That
there can be no neutrality in this matter.
All those who are undecided and half-
hearted, who appear to be between Christ
and the world, who inhabit the confines
of religion and irreligion, are, how much
soever they may wish to be accounted
otherwise, against the Son of God.
31. 1 Wherefore I say unto you, dAU manner of sin
and blasphemy shall be forfciven unto men : <hut the
blasphemy of/ainst the Ilori/ Ohostshall not be Ibrgivcn
unto nion. 32. And whosoever fspealicth a word
against tlie Son of man, nt shall be forgiven him : but
whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, tiit .shall
not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in
the icorld to come
■iMark iii. 28; Lnke xii. 10; Heb. vi. 4, &c., x. 2fi. 29;
1 Jo'in V. 16. '■Acts vii. 51. rchap. xi. 19, xiii. 55; John
vii. 12, 52. El Tim. i. 13. bMarb iii. 29.
Wherefore, i. e., in view of the impious
words of the Pharisees, the sin of which
is shown in the verse immediately preced-
ing, and which was at least a close ap-
proximation to the unpardonable sin about
to be referred to. All maimer of sin — all
sorts of sin. Blasphemy is mentioned by
name, and by itself, as being peculiarly
atrocious. This word, in the original, is of
the same signification as the word cahanny
in ordinary use. Though it has special re-
ference to God, yet it also refers to the re-
proach or slander of men — the defamation
of what is good, noble and holy, on its ap-
pearance in the world, with malicious
intent. It is an aggravated form of sin —
both a species and aggravation of general
sin. Shall be forgiven, may, or can, upon
repentance, through the atonement, be
forgiven. In Mark iii. 28, the language is
still stronger : " All sins shall be forgiven
unto the sons of men, and blasphemies
wherewith soever they shall blaspheme."
Up to this point blasphemy forms the
climax of sin, but of sin which may still be
forgiven, because, in his fanatical enthu-
siasm for what he deems noble, good and
holy, a man may overlook and misunder-
stand even a higher manifestation of it.
How comforting the thought that though
all sin will be followed with sorrow, yet
there is only 07u sin that cannot be par-
doned. How^ glorious the atonement by*
which blasphemy may be forgiven ! (See
Ezek. xxxiii. 11, xviii. 23, 31 ; Acts xiii.
38.) But the blasphemy against the Holy
Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. This
is explained in the latter clause of verse 32.
And vhosoever speaketh a word against the
Son of man, it shall be forgiven him. The
distinction made in this verse seems en-
tirely unaccountable if made between the
second and third Persons of the Godhead
(who are of equal sanctit}'), simply as such
and without anything to qualify or specify
the statement. This difficulty disa])pears,
how^ever, in observing that the person
mentioned in the first clau.'-e is not the
Eternal Word, or Son of God, but the Son
of man, a phrase which describes the
Saviour in His humiliation, in the form
of a servant, as He was while resident on
earth. A contrast is here drawn between
slandering " the Son of man " while His
Godhead was thus veiled, and, as it were,
in abeyance, and slandering the same
blessed Person after the blaze of glory
which the Holy Ghost was soon to throw
around His claims, and in the full knowl-
edge of all that. This great fii-st-meniiojied
sin was committed by those who did not
know Christ to be the Messiah in the days
of His humiliation, and did not receive
Him, believe Plim, or obey Him, but ig-
norantly rejected and crucified Him (see
Luke xxiii. 34; Acts iii. 17; 1 Cor. ii. 8; 1
Tim. i. 13), and many of whom, so sinning,
were pardoned we cannot doubt, as, for
example, on the day of Pentecost, after
Peter's preaching.
But whosoever speaketh against the Holy
Ghost, &c. It will be noticed that in verse
32, it is, "whosoever speaketh auordv.gainst
the Son of man," &c., but here, " whoso-
ever speaketh" (without the addition) "a
word," thus drawing a distinction between
the person from whom, by reason of preju-
CHAPTER XII.
149
dice or ignorance, a word of bluyphemy
might escape against Christ, whom in His
form as a servant he may possibly mis-
take, and the person who speaks decidedly
against the Holy Spirit. In each case, how-
ever, it should be remembered that the sin
may be committed in thought or in act as
well as in speech. The meaning of these
words is by very high authority under-
stood to be, that when Christ should rise
from the dead (Rom. i. 4) and ascend into
heaven, and, being exalted at the right
hand of the Father, send forth the Holy
Spirit on His apostles and disciples, ena-
bling them to perform various wonderful
works in His name, in proof of their testi-
mony concerning His resurrection and as-
cension, whosoever shall blaspheme this
last and most complete attestation to Jesus
as the jjromised Messiah, and, from deter-
mined enmity to Him and His kingdom,
ascribe the operations of the Holy Spirit
to Satan, it shall not he forgiven him, neither
in this world, neither in the ivorl'd to come,
i. e., neither during his present life, nor in
his endless existence beyond the grave,
the expression being a strong negative, an
emphatic never. (Markiii. 29.) It does not
by any means follow from the words, " nei-
ther in the world to come," that any sin
not forgiven here will hereafter be for-
given. This was -a form of speech com-
mon among the Jews when they asserted
strongly that any thing should never be
done. Absolution is i^ublicly jironounced
on believers at the judgment, but their
sins were forgiven in this life. The tre-
mendous sin here denounced was com-
mitted by those who, after the day of Pen-
tecost, persisting in unbelief and obstinate
impenitence, and resisting the ministra-
tion of the Holy Ghost, were given over
to a reprobate mind. That this was the
state of many of the Jews, appears from
several places in the Acts, and especially
Acts xxviii. 25-28. (See also 1 Thes. ii. 15,
16.) The sin, therefore, to which our Lord
here refers, seems to be the sin committed
by any one in continuing to oppose the
Gospel from deliberate malice, while at
the same time the Holy Ghost has con-
vinced the mind of its truth. (See Heb.
vi. 4. &e. ; x. 26, 27 ; also 1 John v. 16, from
which it appears that there is but one un-
pardonable sin, and all these are it.) It is
the sin of deliberately neglecting God's
truth, while the truth is clearly known
with the head, and deliberately choosing
sin and the world — the sin committed by
those who (as in the case of the Hebrews
just referred to) are the subjects of deep
convictions and powerful impressions. It
is a combination of light in the under-
standing, and determined wickedness in
the will, not one particular act of sin, but
a malignant state of heart against God and
His cause, which at length reaches a fear-
ful consummation. (2 Tim. iii. 8 ; Jude iv.
12, 13.) Pharaoh, Saul, Ahab, Judas Iscar-
iot, Julian and Francis Spira are promi-
nent and fearful illustrations of our Lord's
meaning.
The question, why this sin shall never
be forgiven, is sufficiently answered by the
reply, because God has willed it so. It is
a limitation dictated by sovereign wisdom
and righteousness. No sin can be forgiven
without repentance and through the sac-
rifice of Christ ; but repentance is the gift
of God, and as the blasphemer against the
Holy Ghost drives from him the only
Being who could give repentance (Acts v.
31), and treats the blood of the covenant
wherewith He (Christ) was sanctified as
an unholy thing, he seals himself up, un-
der final and total apostacy, until the day
of doom. (Heb. vi. 7, 8 ; 1 Tim. iv. 2.) That
those who are troubled with fear that they
have committed the unpardonable sin, are
just the persons who have iiot committed
it, is the judgment of all the soundest di-
vines. This grief is itself a proof that they
have not committed that sin because it is
a mark of that sin to be accompanied with
a hard and impenitent heart.
33. Either make the tree Kood and 'his Triiit sood. or
else make the tree corrupt and his Iruit corrupt, for the
tree is known by his fruit.— 'Chap. vii. 17 ; Luke vi. 43,44.
The meaning is, consider or hold the
tree to be good if the fruit be good. These
words have a double reference : to Jesus,
who could not be evil, for His works were
good, to the Pharisees, who could not be
good, because their works were evil. (See
on chap. vii. 17.) For the tree is hiomi by
his fruit. A man may be known by his
actions, as a tree may be known by its
fruit, yet not by a single action, but by a
series of actions, not by a particular act.
150
MATTHEW
but by our general course. The habitual
conduct of a pious man must be good ; the
habitual conduct of an unconverted man
must be evil. There cannot be a perma-
nent contrariety between a moral agent's
moral actions and his moral dispositions.
34. Ojgeneration of vipers, how can ye, being evil,
speak good tilings ? i^for out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speakelh.
JChap. iii. 7, xxiii. 33. kLuke vi. 45.
Jesus, by thus calling the Pharisees a
generation, or brood of i>ipers, as John had
called them (Luke iii. 7), points out the
diabolical nature of their hypocrisy. He
declared them to be the seed of the old
serpent, and the children of Satan. They
had accused Him of casting out devils
through the power of Satan, while they
themselves belonged to the family of the
wicked one. How can ye, &c. A strong
expression of what is deemed impossible.
Man is dependent on God's grace for that
change which alone can enable him to do
right. Forotdof,&c. "That of which the
heart is full," says Leighton, " runs out by
the tongue ; if the heart be full of God,
the tongue will delight to speak of Him,
and if nothing but earth is there, all that
man's discourse will have an earthly
smell." (See Ps. xxxvii. 30, 31, xl. 8, 9 ;
Prov. x. 20.) It is not true, as some allege,
that no one can know anything of the
state of another's heart, and that, although
men are living wickedly, they have good
hearts. A man's conversation is one indi-
cation of the state of his heart.
35. A 'good man out of the good treasure of the heart
bringeth Ibrth good things : and an evil man, out of the
evil treasure, bringeth forth evil things.
iPs. xxxvii. 30,31; Prov. x. 20, 21; Eph. iv. 29; Col.
iii. 16.
A good man. The Saviour regards no
man as naturally good, in the Pelagian
sense of the word, but speaks of the sin-
ner who has become good through grace.
Both the good and the evil man He sets
forth as they comirionly reveal themselves
outwardly, without, however, denying that
even the good has his weak, and the evil
man his better side. The heart of the one
and of the other is the magazine, or store-
house, out of which perpetually proceeds
what therein was in no small measure
hidden.
.Sfi. But I say unto you. ""That every idle word that
men shall speak, they shall give account thereolin the :
day of.iudgment. 37. For by thy "words thou shalt be
ji.»;tified.aM(l by thy words thnushalt be oondoninod.
'"Eccl. xii. 14; Rom. ii. 16; Kph. v. 4, 6. "Prov. xiii. 3; I
James ii. 21, 25. I
Every idle word. Not only for the " evil
things," that is, the blasphemous words
which they utter, will men be called to ac-
count, but even for their inconsiderate and
unreal words. Idle, literally, objectless, ef-
fectless, useless, seems to mean something
more than unprofitable, and less than mis-
chievous. Such words will have to be
reckoned for because they are vain and
fruitless. At the last day our words, as an
outward expression of our hearts, will be
produced as evidence of our state before
God, and it is only good words that will
then justify us, or show that m'C were born
again and washed in Christ's blood. If for
idle words we are to be accountable, how
much moi-e for bitter, malicious words, es-
pecially those uttered against God's peo-
ple, whom He esteems His precious ones,
His treasure ! Let us resolve, by God's
grace, to be more careful over our tongues,
and more particular about our use of them.
(Ps. xxxix. 1 ; cxli. 3 ; James iii. 2.)
38. f oThen'certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees
answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign Iroiu
thee.
"Chap. xvi. 1 ; Mark viii. 11 ; Luke xi. 16, 29; John ii
18; ICor. i.22.
It was not with a sincere desire to be as-
sured of the truth of Christ's Messiahship
that the scribes and Pharisees wL-^hed for
a sign. Perhaps they wished some splen-
did show in the sky. . They had already
witnessed enough of miracles to convince
them of this, if they had been open to con-
viction. (John XV. 24.) It is always one
mark of a thoroughly unbelieving heart to
pretend to want more evidence of the
truth of religion. To one who has a sin-
cere faith, it is enough that God has once
declared Himself. He who is not content
with this wants faith, not proofs.
39. But he answered and said unto them. An evil and
Fadulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there
shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet
Jonas : 40." iFor as Jonas was three days and three
nights in the whale's belly : so shall the Son of man be
three days and three nights in the heart oi the earth.
Pisa. Ivii. 3; chap. xvi. 4 ; Mark viii. 38; John iv. 48.
qJonah i. 17.
Christ, knowing that they were deter-
mined not to believe in Him, refused their
arrogant demand, but gave them the sign
of the prophet Jonas. The word adulterous
is here used in a spiritual sense ; in the
Old Testament it refers to idolatry, but as
the Jews, in Christ's time, were not guilty
of idol-worship, it refers here to practical
infidelity, impiety, apostacy from spiritual
CHAPTER Xir.
151
religion. Hence, they were not only an
tvil, but adulterous generation. For as Jonas,
Ac. As though our Lord had said, " you
ask a sign from heaven, but the only sign
I shall vouchsafe you, is a sign from earth.
As Jonah, though there was but little be-
lief that he would return from the fish,
yet was restored alive unto the dry land
again, so shall the Messiah, though there
be as little belief of it, after three days, be
taken out of the jaws of death and restored
unto the land of the living." In the history
of Jonah (Jonah i. 17) we read only of "a
great fish." Here we are told it was a ivhale,
the only creature besides man whose crea-
tion is specially recorded (Gen. 1. 21),
although the original word denotes any
large fish. Dr. Thomson insists that we
should believe the fish to have been a
whale, regarding the absence of whales in
the Mediterranean at the present day as
creating no difficulty, since " the multipli-
cation of ships in this sea, after the time
of Jonah, frightened them out of it, as
other causes have driven all lions out of
Palestine, where they were once numer-
ous Our Lord calls it a whale, and
I am contented with His translation ; and
whale it was, not a shark."
As to our Lord being three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth it is tc be
noted that, as is u.sual in all languages,
the Jews in particular denoted a jjart of a
day by the name of the whole. The very
same quantity of time thus described, and
which, in reality, was only one whole day,
a part of two others, and two whole nights, is
termed three days and three nights in the
book of Esther : " Go, neither eat nor
drink three days, night or day, &c. (iv. 16.)
Afterward it follows (chap. v. 1) : "On
the third day, Esther stood," &c. (See,
also, 2 Chron. x. 5 ; comp. with verse 12.)
So, as a child was to be circumcised when
eight days old, both the day of his birth
and circumcision were two of these eight
days. Again, as among us, the time of
twenty-four hours is called a day, so among
the Jews it is sometimes called a day, and
sometimes a night and a day, as in Gen.
chap. i. : " The evening and the morning,"
or the night and the day v.'ere the day. The
reasons of our lord's remaining in the
grave just the time that He did, may be
thus stated : 1. To fulfil the ancient prophe-.
cies and his own prophecies. (See 1 Cor.
XV. 4 ; Matt. xii. 40 ; Lev. xxiii. 10, &c. ;
Ps. xvi. 10 ; Matt. xvi. 21, xvii. 22, 23, xx.,
xviii. 19.) 2. That, on the one hand, He
might be dead long enough for no doubt
to remain of the reality of His death ;
and, on the other hand. He might revive
soon enough for His body, which had
never known sin, never to know corrup-
tion. (See again Ps. xvi. 10, also, John
xi. 39.) For the change of the Sabbath
from the seventh to the first day of the
week, which was a consequence of Christ's
rising on the third day, see on chapter
xii. 8.
41. tThe men of Nineveh shall rise in the judgment
with this generation, and fshall condemn it: 'because
they repented at the preaching oi Jonas, and behold, a
greater than Jonas u here.
rLul^c xi. 32. -'Jer. iii. 11 ; Ezek. xvi. 51, 52; Rom. ii
27. tJonah iii. 5.
Xineveh was the Capital of the Assyrian
empire. It was a very ancient city. It
was built by Nimrod. (Gen. x. 11.) Jonah,
son of Amittai, the fifth of the minor
prophets, is generally considered as the
most ancient of the prophets, and is sup-
posed to have lived B. C. 840. It is here
aflfirmed that the people of Kineveh, who
had among them for a short time a prophet
— a person unknown — of a different nation
and religion, and working no miracles, and
yet repented under his preaching, and this
too only to avoid temporal evils, would
stand at the bar of God, to put to shame,
by their example, the Jews of Christ's day,
because they repented not to obtain ever-
lasting salvation, though having among
them the mightiest and most faithful
preacher that ever warned a people. The
sins of unbelief and impenitence are
greatly aggravated from the mennsafTorded
by God to bring men to faith and obedience.
42. "The queen of the cniith shall rise up in the judg-
ment with this grenoration. .ind shall condemn it: for
she cam" from tho uttermost pprts o*" the enrtli to hear
the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, a greater than
Solomon ik here.
ol Kings X. 1 ; 2 Chron. ix. 1 ; Luke x. 31.
The allusion here is to the queen of
Sheba. Her name is not known at all.
Sheba (or Saha, of profane history), is a
province in the northern part of Arabia,
between the Red Sea and the Indian
Ocean. It was probably settled by Shebi,
a descendant of Shem, and the inhabit." nt*^
are called Sabeans. f.Toh i. I'-i.) The utirr-
152
MATTHEW.
most parts of the earth, &c. — a hyperbole,
found also in the best Greek writers, for a
great distance. The queen may well be
supposed to have had some traditional
knowledge of true religion, and, in the
commercial intercourse of her country
with that of the Hebrews, might have
heard much of the wisdom and piety of
Solomon. And behold, a r/rcata-, &c. In
order to feel the power of this comparison,
we must realize to ourselves what is written
in the Old Testament regarding Solomon.
(1 Chron. xxii. 9, 10 ; 1 Kings ii. 19, 27, 31,
iii. 1, 9, 12-14, 16-28; 2 Chron. ix. 29.)
Here, and in the end of the preceding
verse, the Greek word translated " a great-
er," is, literally, " a greater thing." May it
not be that the " thing " referred to is " the
sign?" There is One here who is a sign
of far greater moment than cither Jonah
or Solomon. The point in v/hich the queen
of the South surpassed the Jcv/s of our
Lord's time, and put them to ehamc, was
faith. She had faith enough to come a
long journey to hear a wire man. The
Jews, on the other hand, had " the wisdom
of God " actually in the midst of them,
and yet they would not believe. (See on
preceding verse.)
43. 'When the unclean spirit Is gone out of a man,
*he walkcth through dry plr.ce-, scolnnr; rest, and find-
eth none.— 'Luke xi. 34. » Job i. 7 ; 1 Peter v. 8.
Had there been no reality in demoniacal
possessions, would our Lord thus have
appealed to a case of this kind ? Is gone
out. The language suggests to us a strong
contrast between this case and those in
which our Lord openly interposed and
" cast forth " the devils by His word.
Sometimes an evil spirit forsal:-rs his habi-
tation. The devil havii-g left his house is
here represented in allusion to the com-
mon notion that evil demons had their
haunts in lonely and desolate places (see
Isa. xiii. 21 ; Rev. xviii. 2), to have trav-
eled through dry or desert places, but
to have found no rest, no satisfaction and
repose. (Isa. Ivii. 21 ; comp. xlviii. 22 ;
Job i. 7 and ii. 2.) Our enemy, we know,
Walks about seeking whom he may de-
vour. (1 Peter v. 8.)
44. Then he saith, I will return into my house from
whence I came out: and when he is come, he findeth ii
empt\-, swept and garnished.
Perhaps this devil had left the msn,
hoping to make new conquests, and to in-
crease the number of his victims, but when
disappointed, he thinks of returning to his
old abode. He claims the heart as his own
property — " 7ny house." On his return, he
finds no obstacle to regaining possession
of the soul he once inhabited. Nor is the
house less acceptable to him because it is
swept. He is greatly satisfied with some
appearance of reformation, certain signifi-
cant tokens of cleanness, for he knows
that these are all for him. Better still for
him, it is garnished, too. Many ornaments
are found within. The soul has put forth
some of its inherent powers. It has en-
riched itself from the stores of art, science
and philosophy. It has shown rare skill
in works of social benevolence. It has
gained a good name for integrity and up-
rightness. And all this is gain to the evil
re-possessor, not to the rightful owner of
it. All these he takes into his hand and
turns them to his own bad purpose of
keeping the soul still farther from God,
and making use of it for the enlargement
and increase of the dominion and the
power of darkness.
45. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven
other spirit > more wicked than himsell', and they enter
in and dwell there: ^and the last ftalc ol that man is
wor.30 than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this
wicked generation. ^Hcb. vi. 4, x. 2C ; 2 Peter ii. 20-22.
The unclean spirit will not re-enter weak
and alone, but selects associates to share
his spoil. Seven is often used in Scripture
in an indefinite sense for " many" or " sev-
eral." It also often implied with the Jews
something j)erfect, completed, filled up), which
is the proper import of the Hebrew word.
More wicked. There are degrees of wicked-
ness even among devils, and, no doubt, pre-
eminence in wickedness is their glory. It
had been better for this miserable man if
the first inmate of his heart had never
quitted it. His last state was at least seven
times worse than the first. How infinitely
better would it have been for him if, when
the devil had left him, he had opened his
heart to the gracious Saviour! Even as a
house forsaken by man becomes the hab-
itation of beasts and birds, so does the
heart, when Jesus is absent, become the
habitation of evil spirits. Many, alas ! who
make a profession of religion, and seem to
make some progress in reformation, when
they turn away from the truth and relapse
into old evil habits, become worse than
CHAPTER XIL
153
ever before. Even so, &c. From the case
of the demoniac this impressive warning
is suggested. The Jewish nation, by the
preaching of Joliu and of Jesus, had a
great deUverance offered to thenr. Fear-
ful in proportion would be their condition
in rejecting this deliverance. The end of
the matter was, as we learn from Josephus,
that they relapsed into a state of crime,
confusion and misery, to which the Gentile
world has no parallel.
46. I While he yet talked to the people, Tbehold his
mother and 'his brethren stood without, desiring to
speak with liiin.
/Mark iii. 31 : Luke viii. 19-21. «Chap. xiil. 55 ; Mark
\\.\i; John U. 12, vil. 3, 5 ; Acts i. 14 ; 1 Cor. ix. 5 ; Gal.
1.19.
The earnestness and assiduity of Christ
in teaching the people, notwithstanding
the opposition of the Pharisees, gave dis-
quietude to His friends. (See Mark iii.
20, 21.) They wished Him to desist from
His labors, and they seem to have engaged
Mary to concur in the design, which was,
doubtless, reprehensible, as it implied
Bentiments of Him derogatory to His per-
fect wisdom and excellence. Brethren, or
near relations. Some think the word
means the children of Joseph by a former
wife, or His cousins. For the wide signi-
fication of "brethren," see Gen. xxxi. 46;
Matt. xiii. 55, xxvii. 5G; Mark iii. 18; Gal.
i. 19.
47. Then "ne said unto him. Behold thy mother and
thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
As the crowd was so great as to render
it impossible for any one on the outside to
directly address Jesus, the rejDort of His
mother and brethren being present, and
desiring to speak with Him, was made by
the person whom doubtless His relations
had sent for this purpose.
48. But he an-^wered and said unto him that told him.
Who is my mother ? and who are my brethren ?
We must not suppose from this answer
that Jesus intended any disrespect to, or
felt no regard for His mother, or any of
His relations, for we know that He bore
to His mother such affection, that, when
hanging on the cross, he commended her
with His expiring breath to the care of
His beloved disciple. (John xix. 27.)
49. And he stretched forth his hand toward his disci-
ples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren ! 50.
Fnr 'Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which
is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and
mother.
'John XV. K: Gal. v. 6, vi. 15; Col. iii. n ; Heb. ii. 11.
Christ here re-affirms the sentiment
uttered while sitting in the temple in the
midst of the doctors, that He has higher
affinities and relationships than those of
an earthly nature. Stretching forth his hand
toivard Itis discipU's, He said, Behold, &c. As
He speaks alone of mother and brethren, it
is probable that Joseph was now de^ad.
The fact that our Lord, among the possible
relations which human beings can sustain
to Him, does not include that of father,
may, however, also be well explained from
His unwillingness to attribute to any
human being the relation which God alone
sustained to Him.
What is included in doing the will of
God? It is to believe. This is expressly
stated as being the Father's will. It is more
than a common faith : the devils believe
and tremble ; but many who profess Chris-
tianity have never trembled before God.
This faith is connected with experience ;
it is of the operation of God, and works by
love. It is to obey. Obedience is the prac-
tical evidence of foith. Faith may be com-
pared to a tree planted in the garden of
the soul, rooted and grounded in Christ,
covered with the green leaves of a lively
profession, watered with heavenly show-
ers, and yielding the fruits of obedience,
and the graces of the Spirit. Our obedience
must be right in its ])rinciple, sincere in its
motive, evangelical in its spirit, cheerful
in its manner, and universal in its appli-
cation. " Whosoever." There is no re-
striction but that which we put on ourselves.
We cannot go beyond the Gospel commis-
sion, for it extends to sinners whose
iniquities have reached unto heaven, are
as black as hell, and numerous as the
sands on the sea-shore.
Observe, 1. That those united to Christ
in spirit, are nearer to Him than those re-
lated to Him in the fesh. With what
sacred dignity does this invest all true
believers! 2. All true Christians are obe-
dient to God. (Ps. cxix. 5; Rom. vii. 22-5.)
But though they do not keep the Divine
commandments perfectly, as Jesus did
(John vi. 38), they are comforted by
knowing that He loves them. 3. How
absurd, from this passage, is the idea that
Mary is our intercessor with Christ or
God.
154
MATTHEW.
1. What did the disciples in passing through the corn field? 2. How did Christ vindicate their conduct? 3.
Who is Lord ol' the Sabbath? 4. Why? 5. When was " the Lord's day " substituted for the Jewish Sabbath?
6. How did Clirist answer the objection to His healing on the Sabbath ? 7. How was the cure effected ? 8. What
was the effect upon the Pharisees ? 9. What is meant by a "bruised reed" and "smoking flax?" 10. What
other miracle was now wrought? 11. What charge was brought against Jesus ? 12. How did He answer it? 13.
What is said ol' " the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost ? " 14. What Ls said of "a good man ? " 15. What of
Idle words? 16. E.xplain " the sign of the prophet Jonas." 17. WHat is affirmed of "the men of Nineveh?"
18. What is said of " the unclean spirit ? "
CHAPTER XIII.
3 The parable of the sower and the seed: 18 the exposi-
tion of it. 24. '7' he parable of the tares, 31 of tlie mus-
tard t^eed. .i.i of the leaven, 44 of the hidden treasure,
45 0/ t/ii: prarl, 47 of the drawnet cast into the sea : 53
and huw Christ is cuntemtied of his own countrymen.
1'HE same day went Jesus out of the house, »and sat
bv the sea-side. 2. "And great multitudes were
gathered together unto him, so that the went into a
ship, and sat; and the wliole nuillitude stood on the
shore.—- Mark iv. 1. i-Luke viii. 4. 'i-ijuke v. 3.
Same day — the day of the transaction of
the lust chapter. Out of the house in which
He hud healed the demoniac and denoun-
ced the Pharisee. (Mark iii. 19.) Sea-side,
the shore of the sea of Galilee. Into a ship,
or, rather, the vessel, or boat, the article in-
dicating a particular vessel usually kept
there. It nrobably belonged to some of
the "fisheimen" (see chap. iv. 22), and
seems to have been kept on the lake for
the use of Christ and His Apostles. Our
Lord went into the boat, that He might be
less incommoded, and better heard by the
people.
3. And he spake many things unto them in parables,
saying, 'iBehold, a sower went forth to sow :
iliuke viii. 5.
A parable (the word being derived from
a Greek work signifying to compare together,)
is a similitude, in which one thing is com-
pared to another, especially spiritual
thines to natural, by which means those
spiritual things are better understood, and
make a deeper impression on an honest
and attentive mind. There are seven
parables recorded in this chapter. Behold.
Our Lord addressed both the ear and the
eye. Probably He saw at no great distance
from Him a husbandman who was scatter-
ing seed in the furrowed field. This para-
ble is recorded also by Luke (viii. 4, &c.)
and Mark (iv. 3, &c.), on which see notes.
A sourer vent forth to .sow. Our Lord Him-
self is to be regarded as the Chief Sower.
His entrance into the world was a going
roiih to sow. Others were only able to
sow because He had sown first; they did
but carry out the work which He auspi-
cated and began.
4. And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way-
side, and the fowls came and devoured them up :
That is, some fell on the hard foot-path
which skirted the edge of the field, or,
perhaps, ran by way of short cut through
the middle of it, where the glebe was not
broken, and so it could not sink in the
earth, but lay exposed on the surface, till
at length it became an easy prey to the
birds, such as in the East are described as
following in large flocks the husbandman
as he scatters the seed corn. It is not said
that the sower sowed the seed by the way-
side, on the rock, among the thorns, and
into good ground, but that it "fell" there.
The sower sowed well. It was the soil
which was evil.
5. Some fell upon stony places, where they had not
much earth ; and forthwith they sprung up, because
they had no deepness of earth : 6. And when the sun
was up, they were scorched : and because they had no
root, tliey withered away.
Stony places. Not places in the field
abounding in small stones, for then would
seeds germinate in the crevices between ;
but to places, underneath which were large
flat rocks, covered M'ith a thin surface of
earth, which prevented the seed from
having any depth of root. Forthwith, &c.
While the rock below hindered it from
striking deeply downward, it put forth its
energies the more abundantly in the stalk.
It was not rooted in that deep, moist soil,
whi(^h would have enabled it to resist the
scorching heat of the sun, and being smit-
ten by that, withered and died.
7. And some fell among thorns ; and the thorns
sprung up and choked theiu :
This portion of seed wants neither root
nor depth of earth. It grows up, but the
misfortune is, that the thorns grow up with
it. Under this term may be included all
CHAPTER XIII.
155
rank weeds, varying with countries and
climates, whicli infest the soil and hurt
the harvest ; the roots drinking up the sap
of the ground, while the branches veil oti"
the sunlight.
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth
fruit, some «ivn hundred fold, some sixty lold, some
thirty Ibid.— 'Gen. .x.xvi. 12.
Tliis portion of seed fell into soil free
froni rocks and thorn-bushes, and was
productive. The terms hundred fold, sixty
fold, thirty fold, are used as round numbers
to express the varieties of increase from a
moderate to an abundant harvest, there
being so much yielded for each grain that
was sown. The return of a hundred fold
for one is not unknown in the East.
9. fWho hath ears to hear, let him hear.
fChap. xi. 15 ; Mark iv. 9.
This expression is recorded by all the
three Evangelists, and seems to point out
the special importance of the parable.
(See on chap. xi. 15.)
10. H And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why
speakest thou unto them in parables ?
This question indicates that this was a
new form of our Lord's teaching.
11. He answered and said unto them. Because rit is
gi%'en unto j'ou to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven, but to them it is not given.
?Chap. xi. 25, xvi 17 ; Mark iv. U ; 1 Cor. ii. 10 ; 1 John
U. 27.
It is given unto you. As a reward of your
diligence and desire to be informed (Luke
viii. 9), these things shall be explained to
you. Mysteries, &c. — things respecting the
Messiah's kingdom ; things which cannot
be known until they are revealed. To
them it is not given, they shall be left in
darkness, and shall have their voluntary
ignorance punished with judicial blind-
ness.
12. hFor whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and
he shall have more abundance : but whosoever hath
not, from liim shall be taken away even that lie hath.
'Chap. x.w. 29 ; Mark iv. 2j ; Luke viii. IS, and xix. 2G.
The gifts we have, will either be contin-
ued to us and increased, or taken from us,
according as we do or do not employ
them for working out our own salvation,
for promoting the glory of God, and for
the edification of our brethren. There is
no surer way to thrive in grace, and in-
crea.se in gifts, than to exercise and im-
prove them. Even that he hath, in Luke,
(viii. 18), " seemeth to have." Men only
seem to have what they do not tise, and
mere shows of religion will be lost and
forfeited.
l.S. Therefore speak I to them In parables ; because
thev, seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not, neither
do thev understand. 14. And in them is luUlUed the
prophecy of Ksaias, which saith, >By hearing ye shall
hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall
see, and shall not perceive : IS. For this people's heart
Ls waxed gross, and their ears are dull ol hearing, and
their eyes Ihey have closed ; lest at any time they sliould
see Willi Ihrii- eyes, uiul licur with (/u ir ears, unil should
understand with their hearts, and should be converted,
and I should heal them.
ils. vi. 9; Ez. xii. 2: Mark iv. 12; Luke viii. 10; John
xii. 40 ; Acts xxviii. 26, 27 ; Kom. xi. 8 ; 2 Cor. hi. 14, 15.
Therefore, &c. Parables not unfolded
and understood, are a veil (as here) to the
multitude, and in that view they are a
great judgment. Our Lord did not begin
to speak in parables until His miracles
were malignantly ascribed to Satan. (Luke
v. 30.) Because, &c., i. e., " whilst they see
with the eyes of their bodies the miracles
I perform, they see the facts done, which
they cannot gainsay, but they will not
take in the clear evidence, full proof, and
certain demonstration given thereby of
my Messiahship, and whilst hearing the
sermons jjreached by me, whether with or
without parables, they hear my voice, the
sound of it, but will not understand my
voice internally, spiritually and experi-
mentally." Is fulfilled, &c., rather, is ful-
filling,- or is receiving its fulfillment. (Is.
vi. 9, 10.) It was a generic description of
character fulfilled equally truly by the
Jews of the days of Isaiah, and the Jews
of the days of Jesus. Sliall not understand.
The word icill instead of shall, would more
exactly exj^ress the thought.
Heart is waxed gross. Here is the reason
why those withholdings of truth arc in-
flicted— the minds of the people had grown
too gross to receive it. Their ears, &c.,
literally, they hear heavily with their ears.
Their eyes, &c. — they have done it them-
selves, preferring darkness to light. Lest
at any time, &c., which shows that being
turned from their evil ways, and being de-
livered from their miserable state, was
possible for them. The original expres-
sion rendered lest, is frequently used to
indicate, not the design for which a thing
is done or permitted, but a result, or con-
sequence of that thing. It is a law of
God's spiritual kingdom, that resistance
to truth hardens the heart, and this resist-
ance by men may be so continuous and
intense, that the truth, not only does not
benefit them, but damages and condemns
them.
15G
MATTHEW,
36. But 'blessed are your eyes, for they see : and your
ears, lur tuey lieur. 17. l-Vr vunly I suy uuto you,
""i'uat uiany propiieta and riglUtsjiu vicn have dedireu
to see liw!.c ijicitt/j wliicii yu see, and have uot seen
t/icm ; and to hear t/uiae Ihiiiffs WiiiCii ye hear, uud have
not l^e.ird t/iem.
'Caap. .\vi. 1/ ; Luke x. 23, 24 ; John xx.. 29. mHeb. xi.
13 ; 1 i'eter i. 10, 11.
Christ now pronounces His discijiles
happy, in that they were permitted to see
not only the outside shell of truth, but the
inner kernel, to understand the great
truths of the Gospel, which He was then
unfolding to them. Prophets and rigldcous
•men, as Moses, Isaiah, Daniel, David, Solo-
mon, Ilczekiah, Jehoshaj^hat, Josiah, and
the other Old Testament saints represented
by them, to whom the limes of the Messiah,
His character and kingdom, were all a
matter of profound interest, had earnestly
longed to hear and hqq the things whicli
the disciples were seeing and hearing, but
were denied the privilege. The men of
old saw them only by faith in types, but
the discix^les saw them with their bodily
eyes, as living and present realities. Enor-
mous advantages are enjoyed by believers
who have lived since Christ came into the
world, compared wi'h those of believers
who died before Christ was born. It is
the diCcrence of twilight and noonday,
of winter and summer, of the mind of u
child and the mind of ii full-grown man.
Let U3 never forget that in proportion to
our advantages v.'ill bo our responsibility.
18. t "Hear yo therefore the parable of the sower.
"Mark iv. 14 ; LuUc viii. 11.
Not merely understand, but hear, with the
spiritual perception accorded to you. Our
Lord in this case became Ilis own inter-
preter.
10. Vv'hen any one hearoth the word <>of the kingdom
and undcr^tandotli it not, tjcn comcth the wicked onr
and c?.t;:ictli r.v/ay t:ict which v.-ai sown in his heart.
Thi ; 11 l;o v.-hich received seed by the vv-ay side.
"Chap. iv. 23.
Those here represented are such as,
by deep-rooted prejudices against Chris-
tianity, have minds which arc impenetra-
ble and inaccessible to conviction ; also the
thoughtless, the inattentive, the inconsid-
erate, the trifling, the gay, who think of
nothing bey9nd the present scene, and
who do not consider themselves as in the
Bmidlest degree interested in a higher in-
visible world. They hear the Word of God
in general, but pre-eminently His Gospel.
the message of salvation through Christ,
but do not vvderstand it. do not perceive its
meaning, feel its force, or believe it. As
an eliect of the refusal of the hard heart
to let the seed penetrate into it, Satan
comes and "catcheth away that which was
sown in their hearts." (See Eph. ii. 2 ; 2
Cor. iv. 3, 4.)
20. But he that received the seed into stonv places the
same is he that heareth the word, and anon pwith joy
receiveth it. 21. Yot hath he nut root in himseli, but
dureth lor a while : for when tribulation or persecution
ariseth because of the word, by and bv ihe is ofiended
risa. Ivui. 2: EzeK. xxxiii. 31, 32; John v. 35. qChap.
XI. ti; 2Tim. i. 15. ^
These, too, hear the uord, and receive it
with delight. It is not, however, a joy
springing from the greatness of the bene-
fit, even after all the counterbalancing
costs and hazards are taken into account,
but a joy arising from overlooking and
leaving out of calculation those costs and
hazards. Their convictions are mistaken
for conversion, admiration of the preach-
er's eloquence for attachment to the Sav-
iour (Ezek. xxxiii. 30-32), an ajipreciation
of the moral beauties of the Gospel for an
appreciation of its holiness, and the pleas-
ures of emotion, or such gratification as
taste enjoys in a beautiful discourse, for
the pleasures of pietj-. Kot root in himself,
such as Peter had (John vi. 68), and the
Hebrew Christians (Hcb. x. 34), and Paul
(2 Cor. iv. 17.)
But dureth for a rrhile, &c. In this case
Satan cannot merely come, and, as in the
last, take the word out of the heart with-
out further trouble; the word has found
some place there, and it needs that he
bring some trying, if not directly hostile,
influence to bear upon it. Nor need this
influence be as cruel as the persecution
the saints of old endured. (Heb. xi. 37.)
For experience shows that a sneer from
some leading spirit in a literary society, or
a laugh raised by a gay circle of pleasure-
seekers in a fashionable drawing-room, or
the rude jest of scoffing artisans in a work-
shop, may do as much as the faggot and
the stake to make a fair but false disciple
deny his Lord. Offended, ensnared and led
into evil.
22. rHe also that recplveth seed famong the thorns is
he that lioareth the word: and the care of tliis world,
and the decoitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he
becometh unfruitful.
rChnp. xix. 2.'?; Mark x. 23; Luke xviii. 24; 1 Tim. vL
9 ; 2 Tim. iv. 10. ejer. iv. 3.
As principal antagonists to the efficacious
working of the Divine word, Christ men-
tions the care of this vorld — care for our
CriAPTER XIII.
157
present livelihood, the pressure of an
earthly existence — the deceitfulness of riches,
the pleasures which riches procure, the
glittering side of this life, both with poor
:ind rich, with those who are in quest of
them, and those who already have them,
bei;ause both look upon them as the high-
est good, and jjut their confidence in them.
(See Gal. v. 6, 19-24 ; Eph. ii. 3 ; 2 Peter ii.
IS; 1 John ii. 10.) It should be remem-
V>ered, however, that onhj where the seed and
the thorns grew together, was the mischief
done. There is a place for cares, and for
riches too — a place in which they help,
and do not hinder the kingdom of God.
Kept in its own sphere, the lawful busi-
ness of life becomes a protecting fence
round the tender plant of grace in a Chris-
tian's heart.
23. But he that receivecl seed into the Rood {rround is
he that heuretli the word, ;uid un Jerstivndeth it ; whicli
also bcareth Cruit, and bringeth forth, some au hun-
dred-;old, somj sixty, soma thirty.
The fourth class of hearers hear theivord
willingly and with attention, and under-
stand it, receive it in faith, obey it, and
thus experience its power. The exjiression
good ground, does not imply that any one's
heart is naturally good, or even can become
so without the grace of God. The ground,
here, like the tree in another analogical
lesson, is not good until it is made good.
The fairest sense of this expression is, "an
unprejudiced heart, Avilling to be taught,"
such as was peculiarly Licking among the
Jews in our Lord's time, and such as the
Bereans had. (Acts xvii. 9.) Beareth fruit.
(Gal. V. 22 ; 1 Cor. xiii. 4-7.) If there be
no fruit, there can be no Christianity.
Fruit is the test of the tree, character the
symbol of i^rinciple. Some an hundred-
fold, &c. That some i^ortions of the good
ground produced a lai-ger return than
others, corresponds with what we see.
There are diversities in the amount of
energy exerted by believers as fellow-
workers with God in their own sanctifica-
tion, and diversities, accordingly, in the
fruitfulness which results in the life of
Christians. Jesus does not teach that
either of the first three is fated to remain
what he is. The first may become what
the fourth is, as the fourth may have once
been what the first is. " It has been no-
ticed, also," says Alford, " that the first is
more the fault of careless, inattentive
childhood, the second of ardent, shallow
youth, the third of worldly, self-seeking
age."
Observe, 1. This parable is addressed to
hearers of the Gospel : those who refuse to
hear are elsewhere in the Scriptures noticed
and condemned. 2. The four classes of
hearers described, include the whole mass
of hearers. 3. As all assemblages of hear-
ers may be resolved into four divisi(jns,
we have here decisive proof of our Lord's
i:)rescience. 4. It is a solemn thought that
only in one out of the four classes of hear-
ers, the seed brought forth fruit. 6. The
minister's vocation is one involving much
labor. G. The Gospel is always fruitful
seed in regard to its divine virtue, but not
in regard to its actual effects. 7. The min-
ister receives from Christ the seed which
he sows, but it must also have become,
through spiritual experience, his own pos-
session. (Ps. cxvi. 10; 1 John i. 1-3.)
34. Another parable pnt he forth nnto them, saving,
The kinsdom of lieavoii is liljeued unto a man whicli
sowed good seed in his field :
As the main de, ign Of thciwrablc of (he
sower is to exhibit (he kingdom in ils re-
lation to unbelieving men, most of whom,
in various forms and with various measures
of aggravation, ultimately reject it, the
main design of this parable is, to exhibit
(he kingdom in its relation to the wicked
one, who endeavors by cunning stratagem,
to destroy it. A man ivhicJi sowed, &c. — a
husbandman v/ho took great pains to have
a field sown wi'di wheat of a superior
quality.
25. But whilo men slept, his enemy came and sowed
tares among the wheat, and went liis way.
Slept. Yv'here there is supineness, and
not due care and culture, errors and vices
spring up in the mind, like weeds in a
field neglected. We seldom see the origin
of spiritual errors and corruptions (ill (hey
have taken root and begun to cover the
land. Enemy came, &c. Here is an allu-
sion to the custom in Oriental countries,
of some secret enemy trying to ruin the
crop of him whom he hates, by intermin-
gling with it noxious weeds. The question
which has been asked in all ages and coun-
tries, How came moral evil into the world?
still remains unanswered. We cannot.with
our feeble intellect, fathom the counsels
158
M A T T H E W
of the Most High. It is enough for us to
know, as we are told in the beginning
of the Bible, that he who brought sin or
moral evil into the world was the devil, so
our Lord here confirms this by declaring
that an " enemy" hath done this, the same
inveterate, implacable enemy of the hu-
man race, who was the original author of
all our calamities, and who at this mo-
ment is the prime mover and great mas-
ter-spring of all the wickedness and all the
misery that now overwhelm the world.
Tares — Lolium temulentum, or darnel, a
kind of false wheat, in all respects so like
the genuine wheat that even an experi-
enced eye cannot distinguish the two
plants till they are in ear : the distinction
then is manifest, and every one may ob-
serve it. Went his way. How emphatic
these words ! He knew that he had only
to sow the seed and let it alone. So Satan
knows that the doctrine which he sows in
the human heart will take deep and rapid
root, and need but little culture. Besides,
in this kind of w^ork it is for his interest
to be as little seen as possible !
26. But when the blade wa.s sprung up, and brought
forth Iruit, then appeared tlie tares also. 27. So the
servants of the householder came and said unto him.
Sir, didst not thou sow good .seed in thy field ? from
whence then hath it tares ?
To guard against the annoyance above
referred to, and many other injuries, the
occupiers of land in the East keep a num-
ber of servants as scouts, who are distribu-
ted over the property, and whose business
it is to be on the look out — the hope of
the harvest chiefly depending on their
fidelity and vigilance. The simultaneous
report of these servants, testifying what
each had observed in his own district, was
a sad confirmation that the existence of
the noxious weeds was not a slight or
partial evil.
28. He said unto them, An enemy hath done this.
The servants said unto him. Wilt thou then that we go
and gather them up ? 29. But he said, Nay ; lest while
ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with
them. 80. Let both grow together until the harvest :
and in the time of harvest I v/ill say to the reapers.
Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in
bundles to burn them: but 'gather the wheat into my
barn.— tChap. iii. 12.
An enemy, &c. (See on verse 25.) Wilt
thou then, &c,. The interest which these
servants took in their master's property,
is worthy of imitation by all from whom
service to their superiors is due. Nay, &c.
The tares were injurious to the wheat, but
not so much so, as the loosening of the
roots occasioned by pulling up the tares.
Here were two evils, one of which was to
be endured for a season, lest the other and
greater should take place. Gather ye first
the tares. In the East, the immemorial
custom in reaping has been, either to
lop off the ears singly by the stalk, or to
pluck up the grain by the root, and as, by
either of these means, the ears are suc-
cessively grasped by the hand of the
reaper, it is easy to perceive how the tares
would be separated. Gather the ivheat, &c.
Here comes out the love of Christ for His
people, or rather the value He sets on them.
My barn. It is a prepared place. Heaven
is prepared for Christians, while, amid the
storms and vicissitudes of life, they are
I^reparing for it. O what a day will that
be when all Christ's redeemed ones are
gathered to Himself!
.31. IF Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,
"The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard
seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. 32.
Which indeed is the least oi' all seeds; but when it is
grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a
tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the
branches thereof.
ulsa. ii. 2, 3 ; Mi. iv. 1 ; Mark iv. 30 ; Luke xiii. 18, 19.
To animate His disciples, lest they should
be discouraged at the small beginning of
the Gospel, our Lord proceeds to foretell
its great and glorious success. (See Ezek.
xxvii. 22-24; Ps. Ixxx. 8.) Mustard seed.
The mustard -tree is known to the mod-
ern nations of Palestine by the name of
" Khardal," or " Chardal." Least of all seeds,
&c. Though the mustard-seed is one of
the smallest of all seeds that are known to
grow into a ligneous substance, it often
produces, in Judea, a tree of considerable
size ; hence the aptness of this tree for the
l^urpose of our Lord, inasmuch as the
point presented by Him is not greatness
in itself, but the greatness of the tree com-
pared with the smallness of the seed from
which it springs.
How small and insignificant, to outward
sense, was the kingdom of heaven at its
commencement ! — a w^eak babe sleeping in
the. manger, the dying sufferer on the
cross, fishermen and publicans his follow-
ers, and, besides the twelve, the whole
multitude of disciples amounting to but
one hundred and twenty. (Actsi.l5.) But
a year after, the adherents of Christianity
became more numerous. Roman emper-
CHAPTER XIII.
159
ors and heathen philosophers, sometimes
by force and sometimes by argument, tried
to check its i)rogress, but in vain ; in a few
hundred years the religion of the desinted
Nazarene — the religion which began in the
iipper chamber at Jerusalem — had overrun
the civilized world. So that the birds, &c.
Even though this clause may have been
introduced to comjilete the image of a
goodly tree, yet it is also to be recognized
as a prophecy of the refuge and defense
that should be for all men in the Church,
how that multitudes should thither make
their resort, finding their protection from
worldly oppression as the satisfaction for
all the needs and wants of their souls.
(See Ezek. xvii. 23.)
33. f i.Vnother parable spake he unto them ; The
kingdom ol'lieaven is like unto leaveu, whicli a, woniaii
took, and hid in throe measure^ vt' meul, till the
whole was leavened.— ^Luke xiii. 'M.
To the agricultural analogy just given,
our Lord adds another, borrowed from
domestic life and female industry, as if to
leave no \yart of every-day experience un-
employed in the elucidation and enforce-
ment of religious truth. That parable
exhibits the kingdom in its own indepen-
dent existence, inherent life, and irresisti-
ble power ; this one exhibits it in contact
with the world, gradually overcoming and
assimilating and absorbing that world into
itself. A womnn. In the Scriptures the
Holy Spirit is frequently referred to in such
terms as these : " As a mother comfortcth
her son, so will I comfort you." " Born of
the Spirit." Three measures of meal. A
measure was the third part of an ephah,
and these three were the usual quantity
for a baking. (Gen. xviii. 6 ; Judges vi.
19; 1 Sam. i. 24.) Till the ivhole was leavened.
There are some who see in the three meas-
ures the constituent parts of our compound
being, soul, body and spirit. But it is more
thaji probable that our Lord had not in
His mind any of the various allegorical
meanings which have been attached to
these words. (See on Luke xiii. 21.)
The following points are noticeable in
the parable : 1. As " a little leaven leaven-
eth the whole lump," so our holy religion
had but a small beginning in the world,
and has also in the human heart. 2. As
this leaven was a foreign importation, so
<'hristiani<-y Avas not of an earthly origin,
and divine grace is something introduced
into the soul from without. 3. As leaven
is of an assimilative nature, so the Gosypel
transforms society into the likeness of
itself, and divine grace makes the subject
of it a new creature. 4. The Go.spel, like
leaven, is difiusive in the world and in the
individual heart. 5. The Gospel, and di-
vine grace, like Icavon, work silently,
gradually and outwardly ; beginning in the
centre, they reach an external develop-
ment. G. The Gospel and Divine grace,
like the leaven, are destined to work on
until their saving power reaches the full
completion of its design — until the whole
mass is leavened. Their triumph is sure.
"The earth shall be covered with the
knowledge of the glory of God, even as
the "vvaters cover the sea." " Being confi-
dent of this very thing, that He which hath
begun a good work" in you will j^erform it
until the day of Jesus Christ."
34. All these things spake Jesu3 unto the multitude
in parables; and Without a i-arublo spake ho not un'^D
them : 3j. That it migiit l>o luliillod which w;is spoken
by the prophet, sayuiy, ' I \viU oiien mv mouth inijara-
bles ; "I will utter thing-.s which have been kept secret
Irom the loundation oi the world.
^Ps. Iviii. 2. "Horn. xvi. 2o, i;ii ; 1 Cor. ii. 7 : Eph. ili. 9 :
Ctol. 1. 2(j.
All these things spake Jesus, i. e., on this
occasion, refraining not only from all naked
discourse, but even from all interpretation
of these paral)les to the mixed multitude.
Spoken by the prophet. (Ps. Ixxviii.) The
Psalms are classed with the prophetical
writings of the Old Te.stament. This Psalm
is ascribed to A.'^aph. As its author pro-
posed to recount God's former dealings
with His people not in a plain, prosaic
style of declaration, but under the cover
of poetical expression, which to some
minds has a measure of obscurity as well
as of interest, so the Saviour veiled his in-
structions under the cover of parables.
Kept secret, or unrevealed of God. From
the foundation, &c., that is, from the begin-
ning of the world, from the first creation
of man.
3fi. !lThPn JpRus sent the mnltitnde away, and went
into the house: and his disciples cfime unto him. say-
ing. Declare imtn ns the jiarable ofthe tares oTtlie field.
37. He answered and said unto them. He that soweth
the good seed is the 8on of man. 3'^. f'The field is tlie
world , the good seed are the children oCtlie kingdom ;
hut the tares are 'the children of the wicked ouf ; 39.
The enemy that sowed them is the dpvil : 'Uhe Iiarvest
i.s the end of the world ; and the reap^r-j arc the angels.
40. As therefore the tares are gatlu'-ri'd and burned in
the fire: so siiall it be in the end of this world. 41. The
Son of man sliall send forth his angels, ^and thev shall
gather out of his kingdom all things that oflend, and
tlu'in wliich do iniquity; 42. 'And shall east them into
160
MATTHEW.
a furnace of fire: rthcre shall be wailing and gnashing
of teeth. 4>i. '■Then sliall tUe liguleous shine lortli iia
the sun in tlie liingdum of their Father. 'Who hath
eurj to lieur, let him liear.
''(Jiiup. xxiv. 14, xxviii. 19; Mark xvi. 15, 20 ; Luke
xxiv. •*< : Kom. x. is ; Cul. i. 6. <^aen. iii. la ; John viii.
44; Act5 xiii. 10 ; IJuliniii. 8. dJoel iii, l;i; Kev. xiv. lu.
•Chap. xvui. 1 ; 2 Peter i. -2. fChup. iii. l:i ; Kev. xix. '20,
and XX. 10. gChp.p. viii. 12, verse oJ. tDau. xii. 3; 1 Cor.
XV. 42, 43, 58. i Verse 9.
After dismissing His sea-shore congrega-
tion, our Lord returned to His usual resi-
dence in Capernaum. Declare, explain to
us. Son of man, the most frequent title by
which our Lord designates Himself. It is
here evident that though the parable re-
fers generally to the contest ever existing
in the world between good and evil, holi-
ness and sin, light and darkness, yet it has
special reference to those manifestations
of it which have taken place since the Di-
vine power of Jesus Christ began to be
displayed in the kingdom founded by Him.
(Sec on verse 39.)
TJie field is the ivorld. That the Church
is not here meant is manifest, because. 1.
Then there should be absolutely no discip-
line; no man should be shut out from
communion, however heretical his opin-
ions or vicious his practice might be. 2.
Our Lord here uses the word world, not in
a parable, but in the explanation of a para-
ble, so that we have here His own defini-
tion of the field. 3. In Christ's commis-
sion to His servants. Lie uses the same
word as here, " Go ye into all the world and
preach the Go.spel unto every creature."
The good seed, &c. Here we see truths in-
corporated and embodied in living and re-
sponsible men. (See Hos. ii. 23; Zech. x.
9.) Christ places His beloved ones in the
world, spreads them over it, as the " salt
of the earth" and the " light of the world."
The wicked one, i. e., the devil. Some peo-
ple deny the existence of the devil, but the
Lord Jesus Christ has no doubt on that
point. The children of the wicked one
and the children of the kingdom live to-
gether in the world, eat of the same
bread, breathe the same air, and look
upon the same light. The devil. (See on
chap. iv. 1.)
The harvest is the end of the world. To the
question which often presses upon thought-
ful minds, Why are the wicked permitted
to live? it may be replied, 1. If sinners
were immediately punished, this world
would not be a state of probation ; obedi-
ence would not be voluntary, but forced.
2. If the wrath of God instantly crushed
every transgressor, He would be the de-
stroyer rather than the governor of the
world. 3. Mankind are so variously and
intimately blended together, that it is
scarcely possible to strike an individual
only without affecting others. God would
rather spare a thousand enemies than in-
jure one friend. 4. The goodness of God
is to be acknowledged in this dispensa-
tion. He " is long-suffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance."
And the reapers are the angels. See verses
41, 49, where the ministry of angels at the
day of judgment is more particularly re-
ferred to ; also chap. xxv. 31 ; Mark viii.
38 ; 2 Thess. i. 7 ; Rev. xiv. 19. The lot of
the tares is to be gathered into bundles
(verse 30) and consumed with fire. (See
Heb. vi. 8.) All things that offend, literally,
all the stumbling blocks, which are causes of
offense and falling away from the truth, and
them which do iniquity — evil persons. We
have a proof of our Lord's prescience in
the assumption that both wheat and tares
should continue until the end of the world.
A furnace of fire. The woe of hell is here
described by death by fire, that most fear-
ful of all forms of punishment, which was
in use among the Chaldeans. (Jer. xxix.
22 ; Dan. iii. 6.) Wailing and gnashing of
teeth are expressive of rage and impatience
(Acts vii. 54), under the sense of intoler-
able pain and unutterable loss. Evil
associates will increase each other's misery
in the world of woe.
Rigldeous — those who possess God's favor.
Shine forth, &c. (Dan. xii. 3.) This de-
notes their glory and blessedness, increased
through the far-extending, benignant,
blessed and happy influence which they
exercise upon others. The kingdom of their
Father. God is the Father of the righteous,
they are His children, an intimate, blessed
society. (John xvii. 23.) When compar-
ing the glory of the righteous to the sun,
our Lord is not to be understood as affirm-
ing iiS uniform equality, for as here He
distributes in various degrees His gifts
among the faithful, so also will He crown
them with glory on the last day. Who
hath ears, SiC. (See on verse 9.)
CHAPTER XIII.
161
•H 1 Apcain, The kingdom of hpaven i? like unto
tri'iCsure liid in ii Held; tlie wliicli wlicn a man liutli
found in'. liiUctli, and for joy tliereofgoeili and ^seUelii
•ill that lu; liatli, and 'buyetu that tield.
' kpiiil. iii. 7, S. 'Isa. Ivi. 1 ; Kev; iii. IS.
The kingdom of heaven is not merely a
general, it is also an individual, thing.
Each man must have it for himself, and
make it his own by a distinct act of his
own will. Treasure. As men are naturally
worldly in their tastes and associations,
Christ here addresses them through such
a medium. Hklinafield. The allusion is
to the custom in old and Eastern countries,
where there were no banks, and the state
of society was unsettled and insecure, of
depositing money and other valuables in
the earth, which, long after, the owner hav-
ing died or moved away, some one plow-
ing or digging in the field might find.
(Job iii. 21 ; Prov. ii. 4 ; Jer. xli. 18.) What
a treasure ih the Gospel ! The tongue of
an angel could not describe its value and
preciousness. It meets and relieves every
want of the soul, blesses us with all spirit-
ual blessings, profits in the day of wrath,
delivers from death, and ennobles in the
world to come. (See Ps. xix. 10 ; cxix. 72,
127 ; Prov. viii. 10, 11, 19 ; Col. ii. 3.) This
precious treasure is deposited in the Word
of God.
Hath found, i. e., has begun to perceive
the hidden mystery of the knowledge of
Christ. No seeking is here presujiposed,
though, properly, all acting and striving
on the part of man is a seeking after, a
treasure, after well-being, repose, peace.
Though there is nothing casual in the sal-
vation of a sinner, as to God, yet to himself
the event may be wholly unlocked for.
He is sometimes found of those that sought
Him not (Isa. Ixv. 1), as in the case of
Matthew, the Samaritan woman, and Saul
in his journey of iniquity. He hideth, as
the only way in Avhich lie could secure
possession of it. The true Christian will
make known the treasure to others, as
Andrew did to Simon. (John i. 40, 41.)
If he hide it, it will not be lest another
should find it, but lest he himself should
lose it. The man acts promi^tly and ear-
nestly.
For joy thereof. Whatever there may
have been of sacrifice before, there is now
no more ; self-denial is no longer painful,
it is joy and bliss ; what no external vio-
lence could have torn from the heart, the
love of the world, fleshly wisdom, self-
righteousness — all is abandoned. (Phil,
iii. 4-11 ; Luke x. 42 ; Acts v. 40, 41.) Buy-
eth that field. We can oflTer no equivalent
for salvation, nor is this the meaning of
the words. In this way, were we to buy
it, it would not be " without money and
without price." The treasure in the field
of the Word is already a bought salvation.
The meaning is .simply exchange, as in buy-
ing we part with something to gain some-
thing, hereby showing our estimation ; for
what stronger proof can we give of our
valuation of an object, than parting with
all we have for the sake of it.
45. 1 Again, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a mer-
chantman seeking goodly pearls: 46. Who, when he
had found mone pearl of great price, went and sold all
that he had, and bought it.
™Prov. ii. 4, iii. 14, 15, and viii. 10, 19.
A merchantman. A lucrative branch of
commerce carried on among the ancients
was the search and the sale of pearls.
This man was seeking — seeking, too, goodly
pearls — pearls of value. Thus he repre-
sents, not the man who is living for sensu--
al objects, such as i)leasure, the acquisition
of money, or distinction, but the man who.
is awakened to a sense of his destitution,
and has begun to seek the true happiness •
which he knows must exist somewhere
for him, endeavoring to add attainment
to attainment, sincerely, according to his .
light, and perhaps imagining that he shall-
find satisfaction in knowledge, science and
accomplishments. His conscience is un--
easy. He does not, perhaps, yet know that
the object of his search is but one, for he is .
seeking rnaiiy goodly pearls, but this will ,
be revealed to him in due time. Such,
men, perhaps, were Simeon (Luke ii.), and i
Nathaniel (John i. 45.)
One pearl of great price. The vast sums ;
which the wealthy and luxurious of that
age gave for pearls of a superior size and"
the finest lustre, almost exceed belief. Ju-
lius Cpesar presented Servilia, the mother
of Brutus, with one which cost L.48,457.
The celebrated pearl ear-rings of Cleopatra
were valued each at L.161,458. Clodius pos-
sessed one of nearly equal value. Lollia
Paullina, a celebrated beauty, in the reign
of Tiberius, wore two pearls of such an im-
mense cost that the historian describes,
her as carrying a whole estate on her ears-
162
MATTHEW.
The king of Persia has a pear-shaped pearl
so large and pure that it has been valued
at L.100,000. The largest round pearl that
has been known, belongs to the Great Mo-
gul, and is about two-thirds of an inch in
diameter.
Went and sold. The pearl seems to have
been to the man an unexpected and sur-
prising discovery, but when it was found,
he went home and converted all his prop-
erty, including the pearls previously pur-
chased, into money, and bought it, and
found it in measure far surpassing all his
expectations. So, when the awakened soul
comes to perceive the unparalleled, incon-
ceivable riches of God's mercy in Christ,
it gives up all to obtain it ; the resolution
is instantly taken, the transaction is irre-
vocably closed, and it finds in this one thing
all it desires. (Luke x. -41, 42.) As in the
last parable we have the believer hiding
the precious Word with Christ in it within
his heart, so in this one we have the be-
liever setting forth the preciousness and
glory of Christ before men, wearing this
" pearl of great price" as his unspeakably
costly ornament, and so "adorning the
doctrine of God his Saviour in all things."
47. T Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net,
that was cast into the sea, and "Kathered of every kind:
4S. Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat
down, and gatliered the Rond into vessels, but cast the
bad away. 4i). So shall it iic at the end of tlie world :
the angels shall come fnrtli. and "si'vor tlie wickfd iroui
among the. just: .50. pAnd shall cast thctn into the fur-
nace of fire: there shall be w.ailing and gnashing of
teeth.— "Chap. xxii. 10. "Chap. x.xv. 32. pVerse 42.
Two points of difference are manifest
between this jiarable and that of the tares,
which it somewhat resembles. There, the
ungodliness of profession will be seen to be
n:iingled more or less with the reality of
true godliness until the end comes ; here,
the end will show ^i'hat the net is gathdV-
ing, but as it is dragged along it is under
the water, and so out of view. There, we
see the representation of the lited power
of the Word in " the children of the king-
dom ;" here, we behold the judicial power
of the Word in retaining its hold on every
one with whom it is brought into contact,
unto the judgment of the great day.
A net. The drag-net, here meant, is shot
in a semicircular form into the sea. One
side is kept close to the bottom bj^ weights,
and the other side drawn toward the sur-
f.;cc by corks or bladders. AVhen it is
drawn, both ends are slowly and steadily
brought toward the land. The sea repre-
sents our world, with its restlessness, mu-
tableness, storms, perils, its numerous and
various population, and all these feeling at
home in it. The casting of the net into
the sea, and not into a single stream, as
hitherto, exhibits the Gospel as mercifully
designed for the race of mankind in its
universality ; none so deep that it does not
descend to them ; none so high that it does
not reach them ; none so bad that they are
cast out, and none so good that they are
passed by. It is not enough that the Gos-
pel exist, it must be preaclied.
Which, ichen it uasjull. The Gospel can-
not be i^reached in vain. Those who live
in a Gospel land are necessarily embraced
in the net. Whether they wish to be so \
or not, an invisible, all-embracing ministry
is stretched over them, drawing them, gen-
eration after generation, gradually, secret-
ly, surely, toward the boundary of this life,
and over it into another, so that in this
sense the net gathers of every Jdnd, though
this phrase means also men of every rank,
class, nation, color. So shall it be, &c. As
the fisherman, after hauling the net to the
shore, separated the bad, i. e., the decayed,
and hence useless, from the good, so at the
judgment, which is the end of the world,
the angels shall come forth and make a per-
manent separation between the righteous
and the wicked, showing, as they do so,
that the Gospel must be either " a savour
of life unto life, or of death unto death."
(On verses 49, 50; see on verses 41-3.)
51. Jesus saith unto them. Have ye understood all
the ;e things ? They say unto him. Yea. I.nrd. .52. Tlii-n
said he initd them, Therei'ore evei-y scrilic iilii<-li ix in-
structed inito the kinpdom of heaven, is hkeuntoaman
?/io^ (X a houseliolder, whicli bringetli Ibrth out of his
treasure •ithi.nr/^ new and old.— iCaiit. vii. 13.
Unto them — to the Twelve, He had spoken
the first four parables in the hearing of
the mixed multitude ; the last three He
reserved till He and the Twelve were
alone. (Verse 36, &c.) The disciples hav-
ing declared that they understood the
parables, our Lord reminded them of the _,
use they should make of the things they M
had learned ; they should store them up "-
in their minds, that they might have them
ready upon every occasion, even as a master
of a family provides all things necessary
for different circumstances, and produce^'
CHAPTER XIII.
163
them when wanted. The teachers among
the Jews were called Scribes. The disci-
ples were to become teachers, and would
need a great store of truths for the instruc-
tion of others. Some of these truths might
be called neio, because not known to them
before, and some old, because already
familiar to their minds.
.V?. H And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finisli-
ed tliese parables, lie depai'ted thence.
Departed thence — left Capernaum.
54. 'Anri when he was come into his own country, he
taught tlicm in (licir syiiu^ii^'iic, insomuch tliat'they
were .astonished, and said, Whence liath this man this
wisdom, and t/n-^f mighty works? 55. »Is not tliis tlie
carpenter's son ? Is not his mother called Mar.v ? and
<hi.s brethren, "James.and Joses, and Bimon, and Judas ?
56. And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence
then hath this mnn all these things?
rChap. ii. -li: Mark vi. 1 ; I^uke iv. 16, 23. sisa. xlix.
7; Marlt vi. .i; Luke iii. 23; John vi. 43, 'Chap. xii. 46.
"Mark xv. 40.
His own country, i. e., Nazareth, the town
of His childhood and youth. He taught
them in their synagogue, or recognized place
of worship. Though they had formerly
malti'eated Him, time had calmed their
rage, and He was now suffered to teach
without molestation. Whence hath tliis
man, &c., referring to the clearness, depth
and wonderful power of His discourse.
Mighty works, literally, these powers. Jesus
had before told them from whence. (Luke
iv. 18.)
Is not this, &c. All these inquiries, evi-
dently expressive of contempt and unbe-
lief, were no less absurd. The things
which they implied were no arguments at
all against Jesus, for a man's doctrine is
not to be judged by his genealogy, but by
the grounds which He adduces in order to
establish it. Brethren . . . sisters. Are not
their names all familiar to us, as members
of a family in low and humble condition ?
From what source, then, we repeat, hath
this vile impostor these marvelous powers,
unless from the Satanic agency attribut-
ed to him by our scribes and religious
teachers ?
57. And they »WGre offended in him. But Jesus said
unto tliem, yA prophet is not without honour, save in
liis own countr.v, and in his own house. 5S. And 'lie did
not many mighty works there, because of their unbe-
lief.
iChap. xi. C ; Mark vi. 3, 4. jLuke iv. 21 ; John iv, 44.
'Mark vi. 5, U
Offended in him. The inhabitants, by
reason of the low state of the family of
Jesus, and through ill-will from various
causes, stumbled in respect to Him, and
were induced to reject His claim to be the
Messiah. Not without honour, &c. This is
stated as a matter of general experience —
as wide as life. Strangers judge of a min-
ister only by his public acts or his official
conduct, while his friends and neighbors
have their minds so occupied with minor
matters, such as the follies of their child-
hood and youth, and their education, that
the greater are obscured to their virion.
Then, again, it is one of the evil proi:>ensi-
ties of our nature, that envy arises from
seeing former equals outstrip us. This is
especially characteristic of coarser natures
like the men of Nazareth.
He did not many mighty icorks there. He
knew that His miracles would be di.'re-
garded and condemned by anticijiation;
and, besides, it is probable that the i^eople
did not afford Him an opportunity of per-
forming miracles of jaower and mercy, such
as alone lay within the bounds of our
Lord's mission ; hence, though He did some
mighty works (Mark v. 5), He did not
waste His divine power by doing many.
Unbelief. Behold in this single word the
secret of the everlasting ruin of multitudes
of souls! They perish forever, because
they tcill not believe. There is nothing
beside, in earth or heaven, that prevents
their salvation. (John v. 40.)
1. What is the first parable recorded in this chapter? 2. Wlio is the sower ? 3. What is the seed? 4. now
many kinds of soil are mentioned? 5. \Vhat classes of persons do they represent? 6. Explain verse 12. 7. What
is meant in verses 16 and 17 ? 8. What things are we to observe concerning the parable of the sower ? 9. What
is meant by the " tares ?" 10. Explain the parable of the grain of mustard seed. 11. Who are " the children of
the kingdom ?" 12. Who, " the children of the wicked one ?" 13. What Ls to be done with the tares ? 14. What
is the destiny of " the righteous ?" 15. What is the next parable ? 16. Explain it. 17. Who is the " merchant-
man ?" 18. vrhat is the " pearl ?" 19. What is the " net?" 20. What, the " sea ?" 21. What is said of the scribe,
instructed unto the kingdom, &c
164
MATTHEW.
CHAPTER XIV.
1 Herod's opinion of ChrUt. 3 Wherefore John Baptid
was beheaded. 13 Jesus departeth into a desert jdace :
15 where he fredrth live thousand men with five loaves
andtwofis/irs: '"Z li'r ivnikfth on the sea to his disciples :
34 and landinii at (,< iin< sun t, heale.th the sick btj the
touch of the In in af his [lannnit.
AT that time, "Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame
of Jesus.— "Mark vi. 14; ix. 7.
Ilerod. This was Herod Antipas, the son
of Herod the Great and of Malthace, a Sa-
maritan. Tetrarch originally meant a ruler
of a fourth jMrt, of a kingdom, for instance,
but came to be applied as occasion re-
quired, like any other general name of of-
fice. Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Gali-
lee and Perea.
2. And said unto his servants, This is John the Bap-
tist : he is risen Ironi tlie dead ; and therefore niiglity
works do slKjw forth themselves in liim. 3. ''For Ilerod
had Uiid IhjIiI on .lolm, uiid liouud luni, and put liini in
prison lor Ili^rodias' sake, his brother Philip s wile. 4.
j?or John said unto liini, 'It is nut lawiul for tliee to
have her. 5. And when he would have put liim to
death, he feared the multitude, Jbecause they counted
him as a jirophet.
»>Mark vi. 17; Luke iii. 19, 20. cLev. xviii. 16; xx. 21.
*Chap. xxi. 26 ; Luke xx. 6.
It immediately occurred to Herod that
he had not long before most cruelly and
Avantonly murdered John the Baptist, an
innocent, virtuous, holy and foithful man,
and now he imagined that Jesus, whose
fame was spreading, was the Baptist risen
from the dead. A most striking instance
of the force of conscience over a guilty
mind. For Herodlas' sake. Herod was liv-
ing with Herodias, his brother Philip's
wife. He sent for John, expecting him to
sanction his course, but the Baptist re-
buked the adultery, and was cast into
prison, which, as Josephus tells us, was
the strong fortress of MachtBrus, in Perea,
east of the Jordan. It is not lawful, &c.
Thus plainly and boldly answered John,
with a full knowledge of the danger he in-
curred in so doing. Noble example of
fearless fidelity in proclaiming the truth !
When he would, &c. Two considerations
restrained Herod from putting John im-
mediately to death : 1. From the Baptist's
popularity, he was apprehensive that any
violence oflered to him might occasion a
general insurrection against his govern-
ment. 2. He himself regarded John with
respect and veneration for his purity of
character and the very courage with which
he had condemned his licentious conduct.
(Mark vi. 20.) Hence he only cast him at
present into the prison.
6. But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter
of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod,
7. Whereupon he promised with an oatli, to give lier
whatsoever she would ask, 8. And she, ebeing before
instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Bap-
tist's head in a charger. 9. And the king was fsorry :
nevertheless, for the oath's sake, and them that sat
with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.
1(1. And he sent, and cbelieaded John in the prison. 11.
An<l his head was brought in a charger, and given to
tlie damsel : and she brought tf to lier mother. 12. And
liis diseiiiles came, and took up the body, and buried it,
and Went and told Jesus,
'2 Chron. xxli. 2. 3: Mark vi. 24, rOaji, vi. 14, 16. b2
Chron. xxvi. 16 ; John ii. 30 ; liev. xi. 7.
Daughter of Herodias — ^by her former
husband. Herod was pleased, not only
with her graceful movements, but at this
evidence of her and her mother's desire to
contribute to the entertainment of himself
and his guests. " A sedate and devout
Christian," says one, " leaves dancing to
goats, calves and children, and orders his
steps according to the Word of God, and
not the directions of the dancing master."
Promised uith an oath, &c. A very inflated
and braggart promise, from one who was
only governor of two i^rovinces of Judea,
and which he held as the vassal of the
Iloman emperor ! How inconceivably
foolish, rash, and mad, such an oath, on
such an occasion ! Instructed of her mother,
more strictly, being wrought upon, insti-
gated, and impelled by her mother. There
is nothing so bad or devilish which an
adulterous and shameless woman would
not undertake and perform. (Prov. xxiii.
27, 28.)
TJ as sorry. The savage request of Salome
appalled even the unfeeling heart of Herod
himself. But, ab.surdly conceiving himself
bound by his oath, and afraid lest he
should be reproached by those around
him with having broken his promise, thus
exhibiting the sort of faith which the duel-
list or gambler does, he preferred the
real guilt of murder to the false imputation
of perjury, and granted the request. Then,
without even the form of a trial, and ijri-
vately, and in prison, the faithful reprover
was slain ; and his head, the veins bleed-
ing, the hair clotted with gore, the eyes
all wan and half open, was brought in a
large dish, and given as a dutiful present
from a guilty daughter to an adulterous
and murderous mother, who (as Josephus
CHAPTER XIV.
165
tells us) stuck the tongue full of needles !
Blessed martyr ! Dark and cheerless was
the end reserved for thee, but now thou
hast thy Master's benediction— " Blessed
is he whosoever is not oHended in me"
(Matt. xi. 6), and hast found the life thou
gavest away. (Matt. x. 39.)
An historian tells us that Anetas com-
menced a war upon Herod, to avenge the
insult of his daughter, and, in an engage-
ment with Herod's army, defeated it with
great slaughter. Afterward Herod and
Herodias were banished by the Roman
empei'or to Lyons, in France, where they
passed the remainder of their lives in dis-
grace. Another historian says that Salome
met with a violent and untimely death.
But though bold offenses are sometimes
overtaken with punishment in this life, it
is not always so, and this very fact is one
of the things which prove a day of judg-
ment. The wicked shall not go unpunished.
The world shall yet know that there is a
God that judgeth the earth. The blood of
John the Baptist, and James the Apostle,
and Stei^hen — the blood of Polycarp, and
Huss, and Ridley, and Latimer, shall yet
be requited. (Lsa. xxvi. 21 ; Eccl. vi. 8.)
Took up the body, &c. The disciples of
the martyred prophet were permitted to
enjoy the melancholy satisfaction of bury-
ing the mangled corpse. Whether the head
was returned for interment, or whether
the ladies kept it for further entertainment
and insult, we know not ; doubtless the
disciples obtained it if they could. "With
bursting hearts these bereaved disciples
went and told Jesus of their trouble. He
could have explained the dark, perplexing
event. He knew that John was taken
away from the evil to come, and was
spared the sight of His own ignominious
death. But we do not know what He said
to comfort these mourners. Yet we may
be assured that He who " wept" by the
grave of His friend Lazarus was not likely
to receive such intelligence without deep
emotion. None can sympathize with the
sorrowful as the Son of God can. He came
" to comfort all that mourn."
13. f-Wlifn Jesus heard of it. he (lertartecl thenoe hv
snip into a desert place apart : and when the people had
heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the
cities.
''Chap. X. 23; xii. 15; Mark vi. 32; Luke ix. 10; John
VI. 1,2.
Jesus had heard that John was put to
death, and most probably, also, that Herod
thought that He was John risen from the
dead, and desired to see Him. He, how-
ever, wished to avoid the court of Herod,
and the snares of the tyrant, and even the
more populous parts of the country, lest
the people, enraged at the murder of John,
and prone to sedition, might rise into act-
ual rebellion, and He incur the blame.
Departed thence by ship. A comparison of
this passage with John vi. 1, shows that
Jesus retired to the eastern shore of Lake
Tiberias, i. e., the Sea of Galilee. From
Luke also (ix. 10) we learn more particu-
larly that He went to the vicinity of Beth-
saida. There was a town of this name
(also named Julias) on the east of the sea,
as well as one on the west. Into a desert
place, a thinly-settled place. When the
crowd were aw^are of Christ's withdrawal,
they flocked after Him.
14. And Jesus went forth, and saw a (rreat multitude,
and iwas moved with compassion toward them ; and he
healed their sick.— 'Chap. ix. 36 ; Mark vi. 34.
Uninvited as this intrusion of the multi-
tude on the privacy of our Lord and His
Apostles seems to have been, it elicited no
rebuff from Him, On the contrary. He
whose meat it was by day, and sleep by
night, to do good, embraced the opportu-
nity for bestowing upon their souls in-
struction (Luke ix. 11), and -upon their
bodies health and healing, thus teaching
us by example that no occasion for a good
work should be unacceptable to us, and
that spiritual alms should be mixed with
bodily relief.
15. 1 JArid w'i»i it was eveninff, his fl'-^'-iril^s cime to
him : sayinar. This is a desert placr>, nnd the thiin is now
past, sr-nd the multitude awav, thr't tli'^v may go into
the villacres. smd hny themselves v'"tiials.
JMarlc vi. 3o ; Lulce ix. 12 ; John vi. 5.
The miracle, the record of which prop-
erly begins here, is one of the few which
are recorded by all the Evangelists. They
narrate it with that variety of manner,
yet agreement in fact, that evinces inde-
pendence of relation, with common truth
at bottom. The sugsrestion of the disci-
ples, that the crowd should be sent to
the neighboring hamlets to seek the re-
freshment they requirpd, as well as their
inquiry (Mark vi. 87), show that the
people had not brought provisions with
i them.
166
SI A T T H E W ,
1(5. But Jesus said unto them. They need not depart ;
give ye them to eat. 17. Aud they say uuto him, We
have here but tive loaves, aud two tisiies.
. When Jesus, in order to try them, and
awaken their attention to what was to
follow, commanded the disciples to furnish
the multitude with food, in ignorance of
their Master's will, they alleged their ina-
bility to comply with His order, in view
of the scantiness of their supply of food.
18. He said, Bring them hither to me.
These loaves, which were of barley,
were the kind of bread then and still eaten
by the poor of Palestine. With this small
stock of homeliest fare, the Lord under-
takes to feed all the multitude — about five
thousand men, besides women and children
(verse 21), a whole number, probably, not
far from ten thousand persons ! It was
jiroj^er the loaves and fishes should be
placed before Jesus, that His creative power
might be definitely exerted, and its efi'ects
more fully seen by the multitude.
19. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on
the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes,
and looking up to heaven, kl;e blessed, and brake, and
gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the
multitude.— kChap. xv. 36.
Our Lord, through his disciples (Luke
ix. 14), caused the crowd to recline on the
" green grass," at that season of the year a
delightful resting place, and which both
by Mark and John is noted to have abound-
ed in the jilace.
What a scene was then presented ! The
ranks of guests rising in lines on the as-
cending slopes — their canopy the evening
sky — their table, the green earth. There
stands the master of the feast, majesty and
benevolence beaming in His countenance,
as He looks around on the gathered
throng. By His side stand the disciples,
with their eyes directed to Him, awaiting
His command. He takes the scanty and
humble provision into His hand before
them all, probably elevating it in the sight
of the people, and having blessed and
broken it, He delivered it to the disciples,
who in their turn distribute it to the dif-
ferent tables, if such they might be called,
the marvelous multiplication taking place,
so that all were satisfied.
Thus, that which the disciples thought
an impossibility, became a palpable fact —
they fed the thousands with the few loaves
and fishes. What does this teach us?
That to use what we have is the way to
get more. The man who will make good
use of the little religious light he has, is
sure to get more. We are not told how
the food was multiplied on this occasion.
As it is not possible for us to realize to
ourselves any act of creation, it was wisdom
in the sacred narrator of this miracle to
leave the description of the indescribable
unattempted. Wonderful as this miracle
was, the same power that was seen in it,
is displayed every day — in the seed of the
corn that shoots into the stalk, the blade,
and the ear, and in the acorn developing
itself into the gigantic and overshadoAving
oak. But we are so accustomed to these
things that we call them natural occurren-
ces, and only when the same result is
achieved by a more rapid, or more start-
ling process, do we call it a miracle.
20. And they did all eat, and iwere filled : and they
took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets
full.
lEx. xvi. 8, 12- 1 Kings xvii. 12, 16 ; 2 Kings iv. 43, 44 ;
Prov. xlii. 25.
All, though in a state of extreme hunger,
were fully satisfied. None of our Lord's
miracles were better attested than this.
Five or more thousand Avitnesses could
not be deceived. It was done openly.
The want of food, and the impossibility of
obtaining secret supplies without detec-
tion, were known to all the people. Their
senses convinced them that the miracle
was real, they saw the small provision en-
larged, they lieard the blessing given, they
felt the food in their hands, they tasted it,
and were satisfied that what they received
was real fish and bread. In after daj'S, the
disciples, in proclaiming Jesus as able by
his death to save the souls of all believers,
would remember Avith joy this Avonderful
occasion. The Greek word translated bas-
kets means a Avicker basket, such as the
JcAvs Avere remarkable for taking on a
journey to carry, it is said, both their pro-
visions and hay to sleep on, that they
might not have to depend on Gentiles, and
so run the risk of ceremonial pollution. It
was just in such a basket that Paul was let
down from the wall. (Acts ix. 25.) The
fragments that remained were a greater
quantity than the original provision.
In the increase of the loaves and fishes,
notAvithstanding the large distribution, we
have an apt symbol of that love which ex-
hausts not by loving, but really grows after
CHAPTER XI Y.
167
all its outgoings on others, and of the mul-
tiplying which there ever is in a true dis-
pensing. (2 Kings iv. 1 ; Pro v. ix. 24.) By
feeding the hungiy we shall often enrich
ourselves, for God will bless our earthly
substance. How much more will the hum-
ble Sabbath-school teacher and the de-
voted missionary tind that the Christian
receives in the ratio in which he gives, so
that the greatest giver is always the great-
est receiver!
21. And they that had eaten were about five thou-
sand men, besides women and children.
Five thousand is doubtless here used for
a round number, but was exact enough for
all practical purposes. (See on verses 18
and 20.)
22. f And straightway Je-sus constrained his disciples
to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other
side, while he sent the multitudes away.
Constrained — urged, induced. Into a sh ip,
the boat in which they had come to the
east side of the sea. Unto the other side, i. e.,
of the sea of Galilee, "tow^ard Capernaum"
(John vi. 17), to Bethsaida, not the town
of that name on the north-east coast, but
the city of Andrew and Peter, near Ca-
pernaum.
2.'?. mAnd when he had sent the multitude away, he
went up into a mountain apart to pray : "and when the
evening was come, he was there alone.
n>Mark vi. 40. nJohn vi. 16.
A mountain, literally, the mountain, a part
of that range by which the lake of Genne-
saret is encircled. " To conceive of Jesus as
praying only, or chiefly, to set us an exam-
ple, misses the great truth that prayer, as
communion with the Infinite Spirit, is felt
even by a sinless being to be the normal
state of the soul. Neither secret commu-
nion with God nor vigorous out-door work
should be neglected. Let him who de.sires
to be always in society, consider how dif-
ferent is his choice from that of Jesus.
Solitude is needful to j^revent the bad
effects of necessary intercourse with the
world. He who, like Isaac, meditates
alone, will soon, like Isaac, find a friend to
whom he can be joined in heart — the
marriage of spirit with spirit; Christ the
husband, himself the bride. Solitude may
be the hot-house of sin. One may go into
the mountain to pray, but take the multi-
tude with him." Beautiful thought ! while
we are toiling with the storms of life,
Jesus, on the mount of glory is interceding
for us. When the evening was come. In verse
15, the evening was mentioned, before the
people were miraculously fed. The Jews
reckoned two evenings, one from three
o'clock until sunset, the other from sunset
till dark. The Evafngelist here refers to
the second evening. He was there alone —
none to interfere with the season of devo-
tion which He sought. Private prayer was
our Lord's usual practice. Our active en-
gagements in ministering blessings to
others should not prevent our private
communion with God.
24. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, "tossed
with waves: lor the wind was contrary.— »lsa. liv. 11.
Midst of the sea. John says (vi. Id) five-
and-twenty, or thirty furlongs, about four
miles. Wind was contrary. The gale was
not only one of extreme violence, but di-
rectly against their course, so that they
made slow progress. (See John vi. 18;
Mark vi. 48.) How sudden are the transi-
tions in human experience, from sunshine
to storm, and from storm to sunshine ! A
few hours before, the disciples had been
dealing out the miraculous stores to the
joyous groups on the green grass, the
Great Shepherd of Israel Himself tending
them with loving interest ; but now the
sky is clouded, the Shepherd has left, and
the sheep, under a clouded sky, are scat-
tered like broken reeds in the trough of
the sea ! Let us not calculate too fondly
or confidently on the permanency of any
earthly good.
25. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went
unto them, walking on the sea.
Fourth watch, i. e., between three and six
o'clock in the morning. Jesus irent to them.
Mark says (vi. 48) that " he saw them toil-
ing and rowing." (Ps. xxxiv. 15 ; ciii. 13.)
Walking on the sea. Those angry waves
that tossed the ship of His disciples to and
fro, obey the Son of God, and become a
solid floor under His feet. That liquid
surface, which was agitated by the least
breath of wind, bears up the feet of our
Redeemer like a rock, ' ' '
26. And when the disciples saw him Walking on the
sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit ; and they
cried out for fear.
pJobix. 8; Ps. xciii. 3, 4 ; civ. 3; Rev. x. 2,5,8.
How great the contrast — the heaving
waters, the perturbed disciples, and the
calm, majestic tranquility of the Great
Lord ! Jesus would appear to them first
168
MATTHEW.
like a dark, moving speck upon the waters,
then as a human figure ; but in the dark,
tempestuous sky, and not dreaming that it
could be their Lord, they take it for a spir-
it, and are seized with great fear. Herein
the weakness of tlieif faitli is indicated.
Had not Christ constrained them to enter
into the ship, and were tliey not in tlie
path of duty ? How, then, should any evil
befall them ? It is a great comfort to us
when we can feel sure that we are doing
the will of God, for whatever trouble may
threaten us, we can trust Jesus to bring
relief in the storm.
27. But straightway Jesus 'spake unto them, saying,
«Beof gooci claeer, it is I, be not al'raid.— qActs xxiii. ii.
Be of good cheer, &c. It is I, your Lord
and Master, I who have often before
spoken peace in your hours of trouble, /
who but a few hours ago had compassion
on the multitude, think you I will not
much rather have compassion on you, my
own sheep, who " follow me, and know my
voice?" The expression, It is I, what was
it but the voice which cried of old in the
ears of Israel, even from the days of Mo^es,
"lam," "I, even I, am He?" Jesus will
not always deny His people the sensible
comforts of His grace and presence ; gen-
erally in the darkest hour of their trial,
when least expected. He reveals Himself.
(Isa. xU. 10, 34, xliii. 1, 2.)
28. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be
thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
If it he thou, &c. This may mean that
he wished a confirmation of the real pres-
ence of Christ by another miracle, or per-
haps we may give it in this sense, since or
inasmuch as it is thou, and then the general
sentiment would be, inasmuch as it is thou,
I am so relieved of fear, that I am willing
at Thy command to step forth from the
ship, and come to Thee upon the water.
It is more than probable, however, that
Peter had more ardor than his faith would
justify. His fiiith was mixed with vain
glory. There was a measure of presump-
tion in it. His mind was not resting solely
on Christ, he partly gloried in himself.
Of course the Lord will select me to be the
hero. It is those who feel their unfitness
to occupy important stations, who are
strengthened when exalted to them. Let
us not rashly ask*Jesus to bid us come
unto Him on the water, but ask Him rather
to come unto us in the ship.
29. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come
down out of the ship, he wallsed on the water, to go to
Jesus.
Come. Our Lord did not quite say come
to me, but come, and Peter did come, but not
quite to Jesus. Jesus came to him. He
walked on the tvater — so that Peter actually
performed the miracle.
30. But wlien he saw the wind boisterous, he was
afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, saying. Lord,
save me.
The wind was as boisterous before,
but Peter "saw" it not, seeing only the
power of Christ, in the lively exercise of
faith. Now he sees the fury of the ele-
ments, and immediately the power of
Christ to bear him up fades before his
view, and this makes him afraid, as how
could he be otherwise without any felt
power to keep him up ? He then begins to
sink, and finalh', conscious that his experi-
ment has failed, he casts himself, in a sort
of desperate confidence upon his Lord for
deliverance. Peter looked at the waves
and listened to the wind, instead of look-
ing to the Lord. If we look at the trial,
and not at Him who sends it, we may well
be alarmed.
31. And imniediately Jesus stretclied fortli his hand,
and caught him, and said unto liim, 'O thou of little
faith, wlierelbre didst thou doubt ?
'Mark iv. 40 ; xvi, 14 ; Luke xxiv. 25.
And caught him. This shows that Peter
was not far from his Master when his faith
failed him and he began to sink. Thus the
soul of the believer often faints through
doubt and distrust, even when within reach
of an Almighty Saviour upon whom to re-
cline. 0 thou of little faith, &c. Jesus did
not find fault with him for coming, but for
doubting. It was not that he trusted his
Master too much, but too little. On various
occasions Jesus showed the importance of
a persevering confidence in His poAver.
When He stretches forth His hand, and
shows us His salvation. He makes us won-
der that we could have doubted His power
and grace at all.
32. And when they were come into the ship, the wind
ceased.
Now were literally fulfilled the words
of the Psalmist, " He maketh the storm a
calm, so that the waves thereof are still."
(Ps. evii. 29.) As it was with this ship so
shall it be with the Church of God, which
CHAPTER XIY.
169
has been, and is yet to be, environed
with storms. Jesus has not left the foun-
dering vessel to reel and plunge amid those
moral tempests that are to close the great
drama of time ! No ! — " in the fourth watch
of the night" — when the darkness is thick-
est and the billows highest, " He that shall
come, will come, and will not tarry." Just
as the new creation is about to put on its
full robe of morning light. He will hush
every billow, and mooring His vessel on
the heavenly shore, take His storm-tossed
Church to be forever with its Lord.
33. Then they that were in tlie ship came and wor-
shipped him, saying, Of atruth'tliou iirt tlieWon ofCJod.
»Ps. ii. 7; chap. xvi. IG, xxvi. (i3; Mark i. 1 ; Luke iv.
41 ; Juhn i. 49, vi. (i9, xi. 27 ; Acts viii. 37 ; Kom. i. 4.
There was something in Chrisfs walking
on the sea and stilling the tempest, so in-
dicative of divine majesty and power, that
it caused them to lose sight of that equally
wondrous miracle of the loaves and fishes,
■wrought but a few hours previous. (See
Mark vi. 5-.) Worshipped him. Reverently
bowing and making the following confes-
sion : Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Not merely the Messiah in the ordinary
sense, but with special reference to His
Divine character as revealed in the New
Testament. The words are equivalent 'to
the memorable confession made soon after,
"thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God." (Chap. xvi. 16 ; see Ps. Ixxxix. 25.)
a4. 1[ And when they were gone over, they came into
the land ofGennesaret. So. And when the men of that
place had knowledge of lum, they sent out into all that
country round about, and brought unto him all that
were diseased ; 3ti. And besought him that tliey might
only touch the hem of his garment : and "a-s niany as
touched were made perfectly whole.
tMark vi. 53. "Chap. ix. 20 ; Mark iii. 10 ; Luke vi. 19 ;
Acts xix. 12.
The district of Gennesaret extended
along the west side of the lake, to which
it gave fts name, nearly four miles, and
was in breadth, upon an average, about
two miles and a half. It is sujjposed to
have been the same as Chinnereth, or Cin-
nereth, in the Old Testament. (See Num.
xxxiv. 11.) It is likely that our Lord
landed not far from Capernaum, which
some think was situated in the land of
Gennesaret, for He very soon went to that
city. (John vi. 24, 59.)
As the inhabitants had previous knowl-
edge of Jesus, they flocked to Him with
their sick, only desiring leave to touch the
hem, or fringe of His garment, and this
being done, they were all immediately and
perfectly healed. The healing virtue,
however, lay not in their finger, but in
theii^aith, or rather in Christ, whom their
faith apprehended. " I feel," says Chalmers,
" as if a great lesson hung on the efficacy
of a touch, though it was only on the hem
of the Saviour's garment. I feel as if it
corresponded to faith in His name, when
the power of conception Avas dull and feeble
— so that we could frame no apprehension
of His person. When I labor under the
want of a lively manifestation, let the sound
of His name uphold my confidence and be
as ointment poured forth. But, O my God,
that this confidence might continue undis-
turbed, do Thou cleanse my heart of all
regard for iniquity !"
1. What is said of Herod the tetrarch? 2. Why was John imprisoned? 3. What of Salome? 4. What became
of Herod, Herodias and Salome ? 5. What course did the disciples pursue in relation to John's body ? 6. What
miracle is here recorded ? 7. Mention the particulars of it. 8. What lessons does it teach ? 9. How did Jesus
approach the disciples on the sea? 10. How were they affected by the sight of Him ? 11. What did our Lord
say to them ? i:'.. What did Peter say and do ? 13. What took place in " the land ofGennesaret ?"
170
MATTHEW.
CHAPTER XV.
3 Christ reproveth the scribes and Pharisees :(^transgrf s-
suifi God's commnndmrnt throuph their own traditions :
K^.t:acheth how that which goeth into tlie mouth doth
not derile a man. 21 He heale.th the daughter of the
v>omdn of Canaan, 30 and other great multitudes : 32
mul with seven loaves and a few fishes again feeds the
multitude by miracle.
THEN »came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which
were of Jerusalem, saying, 2. i>\\niy do thy disci-
ples transgress ■^the tradition of the elders? tor they
wa.sh not their liands when tliey eat bread.
"Mark vii. 1. i>Mark vii. 5. cCol. ii. 8.
Why do tint disciples, &c. (See IVIark vii.
2, 5.) Though these scribes and Pharisees
were the professed guardians of the sacred
oracles, and professed to believe in God's
inspired Word, the first fault they found
with Jesus was, not that He transgressed
that Word (for the Mosaic law did not
require this washing of the hands), but
that He transgressed the tradition of the
elders, or those who had obtained among
the people a distinguished name for wis-
dom. They ivash not their hands, &c. ' For
aught we know the disciples were as cleanly
in their habits as the Pharisees, but in
part, at least, through the influence of
Jesus, they had ceased to wash their hands
as an act of religions importance. Of this
these hypocrites from Jerusalem complain.
It is doubtless a criticism upon Jesus rather
than upon the disciples.
3. But he answered and said unto them. Why do ye
also transgress the commandment of God by your tra-
dition ? 4. For God commanded, saying, ^Honour thy
father and mother: and, <IIe that curseth lather or
mother, let him die the death. 5. But ye say, Whoso-
ever shall sav to his father or his mother, tit is a
gift, bv whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6. And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be
free. Thus have ye made the commandment ot God
of none effect by your tradition.
iKx. XX. 12: Lev. xix. 3; Deut. v. 16; Prov. xxiii. 22;
Eph. vi. 2. rEx. xxi. 17; Lev. xx. 9; Deut. xxvii. 16;
Ps. XX. 20, and xxx. 17. fMark vii. 11, 12.
Why. Our Lord replies as they had
questioned Him. He here tears up the
very foundation on which their whole
reasoning was erected, and shows, by a
manifest example, how tradition is often
at variance with the Divine laws. Filial
duty is most strongly enjoined in the law
of God, and the neglect of it is represented
as a very great sin. One of the proper
modes for a child to express toward a
parent that respectful affection which the
word honor, in the fifth commandment,
requires, is for the child to support the
parent, either wholly or in part, when the
parent's circumstances require and the
child's permit this. To curse a parent, to
treat a father or mother with disrespect
or cruelty, is condemned in the strongest
terms in the Divine law. But ye say, &c.
Allusion is here made to a method of ren-
dering void the precept to relieve parents,
practiced by the Jews at this time. It was
held by the traditions of the elders, that
if a son made a formal devotion to sacred
purposes of those goods which he could
aflbrd for the relief of a parent, it was then
not lawful for him to succor a parent.
And, what was most strange, he was not
held to be bound by his words to devote
his estate to sacred uses, but not to relieve
the parent he was inviolably bound. It
seems probable that the Pharisees devoured
the offerings which they instructed sons to
make. lie shall be free, that is, from the
command of God mentioned in verse 4.
(See Mark vii. 12.) That these words are
in italic, shows that they are not in the
original Greek, but are inserted by the
English translators on their own authority,
in order to make sense. Thus have ye made
the commandment of God of none effect — set
it aside, cancelled it. Hypocrites have
ever been more zealous for forms of human
appointment than the law of God.
7. sYe hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you,
saying, 8. ''This people draweth nigh unto me with
their mouth, and hononreth me with their lips; but
their heart is iiar from me. 9. But in vain they do wor-
ship me, "teaching for doctrines the commandments of
men.
EMark vii. fi. iilsa. xxix. 13; Ezek. xxxiii. 31. "Isa.
xxix. 13 ; Col. ii. 18, 22 ; Titus i. 14.
Ye hypocrites. They were so called, 1.
Because they placed holiness and religion
in ceremonies of human invention. 2.
Because being so superstitiously careful to
avoid bodily pollutions, they left their
hearts within full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
One evidence of this was their attem])t to
get rid of the duty of providing for needy
parents, under an appearance of piety
toward God. This people. The pronoun
here implies contempt. The heart alone
wor.ships God by its approach. In vain do
they worship me, &c. The services they
profess to perform to me, are performed
from a regard, not to my authority, but to
the authority of men. Their worship
cannot serve the purpose of worship. It
cannot be acceptable to me. It cannot be
useful to them.
CHAPTER XY,
171
10. kAnd lie called the multitude. And said unt) them,
Ilfar, iiiui underHtand : 11. 'Not that which goelh into
the mouth deliletli a man ; but that which Cometh out
or the mouth, this dehleth a man.
kMark vii. U. lACts x. 15 ; Kom. xlv. 14, 17, 20; 1 Tim.
iv. 4 ; Titus i. 15.
Jesus applied the principle to the case
before them. " Food, even although, from
being eaten with unwashen hands, not so
clean as it might be, cannot make a man
morally impure," but such "evil thoughts,"
or rather " wicked reasonings " as come out
of the mouths of the pharisaic scribes,
when " they make void the commandment
of God through their traditions," they
indeed make a man morally imi^ure. My
disciples, in neglecting a mere human tra-
dition, have incurred no guilt, have done
nothing to displease God, but these men,
with all their pretended sanctity, who
would bring tliem in guilty before God,
unfit for fellowship with Him, make it
evident, by their wicked reasonings, which
"proceed out of their mouth," that in their
inner man they are " full of what is abom-
ination " to Him who requires " truth in
the hidden part." Intemperance in food
or drink may indeed morally defile a man,
but even in this case the pollution would
arise from the wickedness of the heart.
12. Then came his disciple.?, and said unto him, Know-
est thou that the Pharisees were offended after they
heard this saying?
This saying, i. e., His reply in verses 3-9,
or perhaps the declaration in verse 11.
These Pharisees were rendered indignant,
not less by the superiority of Christ's argu-
ments, than by the diminution of their
reputation with the multitude. They had
come to beat, not to be beaten ; but now
by a well-known traditionary tenet of
theirs, they were convicted of a direct
violation of God's law.
13. But he answered and said, mEvery plant, which
my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted
up. 14. Let them alone : "thev be blind leaders of the
blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall
into the ditch.
"John XV. 2; 1 Cor. iii. 12, <fec. "Isa. ix. 16; Mai. ii.
8 ; chap, xxiii. 16 ; Luke vi. 39.
Every plant. Referring to the teaching
and traditions of the Pharisees, not to their
persons. At the same time we should also
bear in mind what was said in chapter xiii.
about the identification of individuals with
the doctrines which they professed. We
are not to fight with carnal weapons, but
wait, preach, protest, pray. Sooner or later,
as WycUffe said, "the truth shall prevail."
Let them alone. Have nothing to do with
them. Do not desire their patronage or
cooperation. With all their sanctimonious
pretensions to wisdom and piety, they are
the stupid and wicked teachers of a stupid
and wicked people. And as blind leaders
of the blind, they will precipitate themselves,
along with those who have committed
themselves to their directions, into the pit
of perdition.
Though to all men, especially to well-
me. ning though mistaken brethren in
Chrib. ,we ought to avoid giving unnecessary
offense, yet, as our Lord's conduct here
shows, with regard to everything in the
shape of religious doctrine, which we
cannot find in the Bible — with regard to
everything in the shape of religious insti-
tution, unsanctioned by its authority, we
ought not to refrain from speaking the
truth, from the fear of giving offense to
influential, and, in a worldly point of
view, respectable men.
15. oTIien answered Peter and said unto him, Declare
unto us this parable.— "Mark vii. 17.
The word parable here means the weighty
sentiment exi)ressed in verse 11 . It is not that
Peter did not understand it, but he found it
difficult, from his prejudices, to distinguish
between the symbol and the reality.
Indeed he could hardly believe liis ears,
that a distinction of meats availed not,
and therefore asks an explanation. (See
Acts X. 9, &c.)
16. And Jesus said, rAre ye also yet without under-
standuig?— pChap. xvi. 9; Mark vii. IS.
Are ye — My own disciples, also, that is, as
well as the Pharisees, yet, after all my
example and instruction, vithmd under-
standing, of the difference between physical
uncleanness and moral defilement? There
is a slight shade of censure, that His
disciples did not understand what was
addressed to the multitude (verse 11), with
the command that they, who were far
below the apostles in spiritual discernment,
should hear and understand it. (Isa.
xxviii. 9. 10.; Heb. v. 12.)
17. Do not ye yet understand, that qwhatsoever
entereth in at the mouth Roeth info tlie belly, and is
cast out into the drauijlit ? is. But rtljosc tilings which
proceed out of tlie montli, coniH forth from tlie heart,
and they defile the man.— ql Cor. iv. 13. 'James iii. 6.
Familiar though these sayings of our
Lord have now become, what freedom
from bondage to outward things do they
proclaim, on the one hand, and on the
other, how searching is the truth which
172
MATTHEW.
they express — that nothing which enters
from without can really defile us, and
that only the evil that is in the heart, that
is allowed to stir there, to rise up in
thought and afi'ection, and to flow forth
into voluntary action, really defiles a man !
19. sFor out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, mur-
dere, adulteries, Ibrnicutions, tliet'ts, false witness, blas-
phemies: 'M. These aiv t/ir I /tings wliich delile a man:
but to eat with uuwashL'ii hands derileth not a man.
sGen. vi. 5, and viii. 21; i'ruv. vi. 14; Jer. xvii. 9;
Mark vii. 21.
Evil thoughts, such as the Pharisees en-
tertained in evading the fifth command-
ment— the first motions of sin in general,
as well as wicked designs. Murders, adul-
teries, fornications, thefts, sin against the
sixth, seventh and eighth commandments.
The plural number adds emphasis. Blas-
phemies (sins against the third command-
ment), indicate concealed and open enmity
(blasphemy against God and man). How
appalling is this black catalogue ! Such is
the description by the tender, merciful,
truth-speaking Saviour, of every human
heart in its natural state. How much
reason have we to pray for a clean heart !
(Ps. li. 10.) These are the things — not all
the things, but plentiful specimens of them.
Men are inclined to lay the blame of their
sins on temptation — the tempter, and so
to excuse themselves; but our Lord tells us
they proceed out of the heart. Defileth not a
man. In the very word man lies an argu-
ment: for the spiritual nature, which is
the better part in man, is not reached by
outward filth. " And yet," says one, " how
many scruple to commune with unwashed
hands, but scruple not to commune with
unwashed consciences .'"
21. IT 'Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the
coasts of Tvre and Sidon. 22. And behold a woman of
Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto
)iim saying. Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of
navid ; my daughter is grievously vexed witli a devil.
23. But he'answered her not a word. And liis disciples
came and besought him, saying, send her away: for
she crieth after us. 24. But he answered and said, "I
am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. 2.5. Then came she and worshipped )iim. say-
ing. Lord, help me. 2fi. But he answered and said, It
is not meet to take the children's bread and to cast it to
idogs. 27. And she said. Truth, Lord : yet the dogs eat
of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 2S.
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman,
great i.f thv faith : be it unto thee even as thou wilt.
And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
"Chap. X. 5, fi : Acts iii. 25, 26, and xiii. 46 ; Rom. xv. 8.
»Chap. vii. 6 ; Phil. iii. 2.
Tyre and Sidon. The two great Pheni-
cian seaports lying upon the !Mediterra-
nean Sea in the north-western part of Judea,
but here denoting the territory generally
to the frontiers of which Jesus now came.
A woman of Canaan. She was a Gentile.
Living at a distance from the Lord, and
from all the privileges of Judea, she may
have become acquainted with the charac-
ter of Jesus by the fame occasioned by
His discourses, and the nuracles He had
IDcrformed, either for the benefit of His
own people or for the good of others.
Came out of the same coasts. In making this
visit, how many obstacles had she to en-
counter, arising from distance, delicacy,
danger, duty to her daughter, &c. Cried
unto him, &c. Mark the brevity, fullness
and earnestness of this petition ! Her ad-
dressing Jesus under the character of Lord
and Son of David, amounted to confessing
Him to be the Messiah. Have mercy on me,
&c. So entirely had she made her daugh-
ter's misery her own, that she seeks mercy
for herself.
Ansu-ered her not, &c. " The Word has no
word, the Fountain is sealed, the Physician
withholds his remedies." How unlike His
accustomed kindness this silence of our
Lord ! Who could understand this as any
other than a repulse ? But the petitioner
relies upon His i^romises as a rock which
cannot fail her. Many times, in our expe-
rience, we cannot explain God's proceed-
ings, but have to wait and wonder, and
wonder and wait. But let us not construe
rashly His dealings with us, lest we miscon-
strue. " The Lord trieth the righteous." If we
would be really blessed of Him, the determi-
nation of Job must be ours. "Though he slay
me yet vill I trust him.'" Though our trials
should be severe, and our prayers be un-
answered, we must continue to pray. Be-
hind a frowning cloud He often hides a
smiling face. His disciples came, &c. The
expression is an equivocal one ; let us hope
that, unable to hear that mother's voice
unmoved, they took up her cause — " j'ield
to her request, heal her daughter, for it is
wretched to hear her reiterated supplica-
tions."
lam not sent, &c. Here is a kind of ex-
clusion, which seems to place her beyond
the reach of His communion. Jesus had
come solely to the Jews, in the sense that
His personal ministry was to be exercised
only within the limits of Judea. How
must this reply have affected the ]ioor
petitioner. Silence was discouraging, but
CHAPTER XV.
173
this must have been more so. That might
be imputed to other causes ; she might sup-
pose lie was considering her request, and
though lie had said nothing in her favor,
yet He had said notliing against her: this,
however, is not only giving her a denial,
but giving the reason of it, which would
seem to render it irrevocable. To an eye
of sense, it would now seem to be a lost
cause. It is not so, however, to an eye of
faith.
Lord help me. The more she was re-
pulsed, the closer she crept to Him. Sent
to me or not, here Thou art. Oh, Saviour of
the unfortunate ! Called or not, here am
I, a wretched mother! Thou mvtst hear
and answer my petition. It is not meet, &c.
Tlie children are the Jews, the dogs are the
Gentiles. Feeling herself unworthy, she
is not offended by the seeming severity of
this reply. Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat, &c.
How invincible a faith, what wonderful
perseverance, what deep humility ! The
Saviour could not cast her lowTr than she
was content to cast herself. No term of
reproach that He could apply to her, which
she was not most willing to accept, and
from which she could not gather argu-
ments for His mercy. Even the very depth
of her degradation only forms a stronger
plea for the extension of His love. If a
dog, then still one of the household, with
no title indeed to the children's bread, but
with a stronger claim upon the crumbs
than one more distant, though less de-
graded.
Great is thy faith, &c. Her faith, over-
came obstructions, not physical, as in
the case of the i^aralytie, for whom the
roof was uncovered, not personally hostile,
as those of Bartimeus, who cried the more
for the rebuke he received from those who
were near Jesus, but obstructions appar-
ently in Christ Himself. Be it unto thee,
&c. What a God-like declaration is this !
Her faith had entreated Him as Lord, and
as such He now addresses her. " Satan
shall be dethroned, and thy daughter shall
be healed." Be it unto thee even as thou
wilt. " Thy faith can be trusted, it will
dictate that which is right." Illustrious
woman ! She has conquered the King of
kings and Lord of lords ; all the perfections
of Deity now come forth to her help;
Omnipotence movesat her bidding to effect
her desire; her will for a time is as the
will of God. And her daughter wasmade whole
from that very hour. Here is additional evi-
dence that the woman's faith was great. She
doubted not the word of Jesus, nor asked
for a sign that her desire was granted, but
without delay departed to her home, in the
conlidence that her daughter was well.
29. H yAiidJesusfli-partcil friimUicnce, and came nigh
mnto the sea of tialihc, uud went up into a mouutain,
and sat down there.— ;Mark vii. HI. «Cliap. iv. 18.
Departed . . . thence unto the sea of
Galilee — from the north-west to the north-
eastern part of Galilee. Went up into a
mountain, literally, the mountain, i. e., the
mountainous ridge environing the lake.
Sat down there. He did not volunteer to
bid the people approach, but awaited them.
30. "And grreat multitudes came unto him, having
with tlieiu iliiiar tliat irrye lame, blind, dumb, maimed,
and manv otliors, and cast tliem down at Jesus' feet,
and lie healed them : :!1. Insomuch that the multitude
wundo-ed, when thev saw tlie dumb to speak, the
maimed to be wh(il(>, t)ie lame to walk, and the blind to
see : and they gluritied the God of Israel.— "Isa. xxxv.
5. (i. ; chap. x"i. 5 ; Luke vii. 22.
Great mtdtitudes, &c. His fame had before
tilled that region (iv. 2.5) ; and now, on
His coming thither, the people gathered
around Him in great numbers, to be healed.
Maimed. This word means those who had
lost an arm, or a leg, or a foot, and hence
hardly any of the miracles of our Lord
were more illustrious and amazing, than
the recovery of such. We have no reason
to doubt that at the resurrection morn the
limbs which any of God's people may have
lost, will be restored to them perfect and
beautiful. Cast them down, &c. — brought
them before Jesus and laid them down,
as expressive of the humility of their
submission. It may be that we ourselves
owe to the kindness of our friends, under
God, in times past, the salvation of our
souls; a mother who long prayed for us
in secret and wdth many tears, or a relative
who expostulated with us in the days of
our folly, persuaded us to go to the house
of God, and encouraged us to forsake the
world, and to serve the Lord. And he
healed them. There is no ailment of heart,
no spiritual complaint, Jesus cannot cure.
Glorified the God of Israel. They all,whether
Jew^s or Gentiles, acknowledged this to be
a wonderful w^ork of mercy, wrought by
the God of Israel, and such as no other
god was able to do.
174
MATTHEW.
32. iiThen Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said,
I have compulsion on the multitude, because tliey
continue witli me now three days, and have nothing to
eat : and I will not send them away fasting, lest they
I'aint in the way.— ''Mark vui. 1.
/ have compassion. While the people
forget hunger in admiration, Jesus pities
them, and is not affected by their praise of
His miracles. A great crowd of men and
women is always a solemn sight. It
should stir our hearts to feel that each is a
a dying sinner, and each has a soul to be
saved. Of all the feelings experienced by
our Lord when upon earth, there is none
so often mentioned as " compassion." This
should encourage all who are hesitating
about beginning to walk in God's ways, as
it shows that the Saviour will receive them
graciously, forgive them freely, and abun-
dantly supply all their need. They continue
with me — other sufferers being laid before
Him from time to time. And have nothing
to eat — their supjily of food was now
exhausted. It was the interest of the
people to remain with Jesus, and yet He
seized that as a reason for conferring a
new benefit upon them. I ivHl not send,
them aivay fasting, &c. How beautiful
that Pie who governs angels, should conde-
scend to notice even the humblest wants
of the human body ! He never sent men
away in want.
.33. cAnd his disciples say unto him, "Whence should
we liave so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so
great a multitude ?— c2 Kings Iv. 43.
This miracle must not be confounded
with the similar one recorded in chapter
xiv. 15-21. TJtat was performed for the
inhabitants who followed Jesus and an-
tieiimted His debarkation from the western
side of the lake, and took place upon the
plain of Butaiha, near the village of Beth-
saida. This took place when Jesus was
secreting Himself from Herod Antipas,
having rajndly and quietly passed to the
coast north-east of the lake, out of the
dominion of Herod, and it is in the coun-
try, probably, of the Decapolis, that the
miracle takes place.
Whence should we have so much bread in
"the wilderness, &c. It may seem strange
that the disciples should ask this question
the second time. (Chap. xiv. 17.) But can
we remember no similar iiastance of forget-
fulness in our own history ? Has not the
Lord, on many occasions in time past,
gone beyond our highest expectations?
And yet are we not prone in every fresh
difliculty to doubt His power and His
faithfulness ? Ever thus is it in times of
difficulty and distress ; each new difficulty
appears insurmountable, as one from which
there is no extrication. (See Ex. vii. 1-7,
xvi. 13 ; Nuni. xi. 21, 22 ; 1 Sam. xvii. 34-
37 ; 2 Chron. xv. 7, 8 ; Ps. cvi. 13.) Be-
sides, even remembering how their Master
had once spread a table in the wilderness,
we can readily see how the disciples might
have doubted whether He would choose
a second time to put forth His creative
might ; at any rate, they had not the bold-
ness to call for a miracle. Whenever we
are placed in difficulties, we should re-
member " the years of the right hand of
the Most High."
34. And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves
have ye ? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
3.5. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on
the ground. o(i. And <ihe took the seven loaves and the
fishes, and 'Kave thanks, and brake l/iini, and gave to
his disciples, and the disciples to the nuiltitude. 37.
And they did all eat, and were filled : and the.v took up
of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. 3S.
And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside
women and children.
JChap. xiv. 19. '1 Sam. ix. 13 ; Luke xxii. 19.
(On verses 35-38 ; see notes on chap. xiv.
15-21.) Gave thanks. What a beautiful
model and precedent for us ! The Lord
of Glory gave thanks for the bread that
He held in His hand. It is right to give
thanks even before food (Acts xxvii. 35),
and then it is the same as a blessing, for it is
an acknowledgment of the Divine good-
ness for the past and the future. And they
did all eat, and were fdlcd. The bread here
distributed signified that flesh which Jesus
would give for the life of the world. Too
many persons have no appetite for the
heavenly feast ; they sit as God's people
sit, but they partake not of tlie sacred
fare ; they go away to feed again upon
ashes, and at length die without having
tasted of that bread, which if a man eat,
he shall live forever. Baskets — "hand-
baskets," i. e., baskets with handles.
But those mentioned in the former
miracle, were suspended from the shoulder.
Four thousand men, &c. On the same
principle referred to in notes on xiv. 21,
we may suppose the whole number fed on
this occasion, to have been no less than
eight thousand. It may be noticed that
with regard to numbers, Matthew is of all
CHAPTER XVI.
175
the Evangelists the most particular. This,
from his previous occupation, was to be
expected from him.
39. .'And lie sent away the multitude, and took ship,
and came into the coast of Magdala.— 'Mark viii. 10.
Tfte mitltitude — the four thousand whom
he had miraculously fed. Took ship — the
vessel, mentioned in chap. xiv. .33. Magdala.
Murk (viii. 10.) says, Dalmanidha. The
statements are easily reconciled. Magdala
was one of the many " Mijjcdols" (watch-
towers) of Palestine, and from it the sur-
name " Magdalene " was probably taken, to
denote the residence of one of the Maries.
It is probably the modern el-Medjel, on the
west side of the lake of Galilee, about
three miles north of Tabariyeh. Magdala
and Dalnamdha were contiguous, so that
it might with propriety be said that our
Lord came into the vicinity of the one or
the other. Dalmanutha may have been a
village, but it cannot now be identified
with certainty.
1. What did the scribes and Pharisees say to Jesas ? 2. How did He answer them ? 3. Explain verses 13 and 14.
4. What dirt Peter ask of Jesus? 5. W^hat was his reply? 6. Wliat does Clirist say proceed out of tlie heart?
7. Who approaclied Jesus in behalf of her dau£;liter? 8. State tlie particulars of the interview. 9. Also the result.
10. What lessons does this case teach? 11. What Ls said of Christ's healing? 12. Why is this miracle of feeding
the multitude not to be confounded with the sim.ilar one in chapter xiv. ? 13. After this miracle, where did
Jesus go ?
CHAPTER XVI.
1 The Pharisees require a sign. 6 Jesics warneth his
di.'icipk's of the leaven of the Phartiees and Sadducces. 13
TJir peopl'-'s opinion of Christ, 16 aiid Peter^s confession
oi' him. 21 JV-.s-iw fornshcivcth his death, 23 reprovitig
Pitir for di.fsuadiiia him from it; "iA and admonishcth
tho^c that will follow hi/a, to bear the cross,
THE "Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and
tempting desired him that he would show them a
sisju from heaven.
■'('hap. .vii. 38; Matt. viii. 11; Luke xi. 16, xii. .54-56; 1
Cor. i. 22.
Tempting, i. e., desiring to entrap Jesus.
A sign from heaven. Probably they Avished
some peculiar manifestation from thence,
as "fire from heaven" (1 Kings, xviii.
23-38), or a glorious appearance in the sky.
2. He answered and said unto them. When it is
evening, ye say. It will be fair weather : for the sky is
red. 3. And in the morning, It will be foul weather
to-day : I'or the sky is red and lowering. O ye h^^)ocrites,
ye can discern the face of the sky ; but can ve not
Miirern the signs of the times ? 4. "-A wicked and
adulterous generation seeketh after a sign ; and there
shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet
Jonas. dAnd he left them, and departed.
i>l Chron. xii. 32. ^Chap. xii. 39. dJonahi. 17; Lukexi.
29.
" You are quite competent to determine
the weather by the face of the sky, and, if
you were teachers of the truth, and
exercised the same simplicity of purpose
and careful observation, you would be able
to pronounce upon the age of the world
at which we are arrived, and the facts that
are before you, from signs that are as
unequivocal and decisive as those that
relate to the foul or the fair weather."
Our Lord refers here to the evidence
furnished by the accomplishment of the
ancient projjhecies (xlix. 10; Isa. xi. 1.
XXXV. 5; Dan. ix. 24), and by the miracles
he performed, that the time of the Messiah
was at hand. Christians should watch the
moral aspect of the times. A wicked, &c.
(See on chapter xii. 39.) Left them— in
mingled sorrow and displeasure. A cavil-
ling spirit may drive away the Son of God.
There is only one greater calamity than
being left by Jesus; it is, to hear Him say,
" Depart from me."
5. H And cwhen his disciples were come to the other
side, the.v had forgotten to take bread. 6. Then Jesus
said unto them, (Take heed and beware of the Kleaven
of tlie Pliarisees and of the Sadducees. 7. And they
rea-soned anil mg themselves, saying. It is because we
have taken no bread. 8. ir/>i'r/i when Jesus perceived,
he said unto them, O ye of little faith, wbv reason ye
among yourselves, because ye have hniught no bread?
9. hDo ye not yet understand, neither remember the five
loiives of the five thousand, and how many liaskets ve
took up? 10. iNeither the seven loaves" of the four
thousand, and how many bsiskets ye took up ? 11. How-
ls it that ye do not understand tha't I spake itnot to vou
concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 12. Then under-
stood they how th.it he bade ?/i^rti not lieware of the
leaven of bread, but of the tdoctrine of the Pharisees
and of the Sadducees.
'Mark viii. 14. fLuke xii. 1. cEx. xii. 15, 19 ; Lev. ii.
11 ; 1 Cor. V. fi, 8 : Gal. v. 9 ; 2 Tim. ii. Tl. 17. hChap. xiv.
17 , John vi. 9. iChap. xv. 34. kActs xxiii. 8.
To the other side — to Beth.saida Julias,
whither Christ had gone. Had forgotten^
178
MATT II E W ,
&c. The disciples must have been far
from any longing for luxuries, when they
took so small care even for the very neces-
saries of life. Take heed, &c. Zeal for
purity of doctrine is necessary. Error in
principle is the parent of vice in practice.
Leaven here denotes false doctrine, because
it sjireads, works secretly and silently, and
insinuates itself into and changes the whole
character. It is because, &c. The disciples
thought that as they would now have to
buy l^read, Jesus wished them to be care-
ful that it might not be such as had been
subjected to the leaven of the Pharisees,
lest they should be polluted by it.
0 ye of little faith, &c. Jesus rebuked
them for their want of faith and of spiritual
understanding. How could they suppose
that the leaven of the Pharisees was worse
than any other leaven? How could they
imagine that He would utter so solemn a
warning on so petty a subject? Had He
not lately shown them that nothing but
sin could pollute? Had He not lately
shown them His power in a miraculous way
to supply food ? (See xiv. 15-21, xv. 22-8.)
As the result of these inquiries, the disci-
ples were made sensible of their mistake.
13. IT When Jesus came into the coasts of Cesarea'
Philippi, he asketl his disciples saying, 'Whom do men
say that I, tlie Son of man, am? 14. And they said,
mSonip xaij thnt thou art Jolin the Baptist; some, Elias;
and otlnTs, .leremias, or one of the prophets. 15. He
saith until tlifiii, I!nt whom say ye that I am ? IC. And
Simon Peter answered and said, nThou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God.
iMark viii. 27 ; Luke ix. 18. mChap. xiv. 2; Luke ix.
7-9. nChap. xiv. 3.3; Mark viii. 29; Luke ix. 20; John
vi. 69, xi. 27 ; Acts viii. 37, i-x. 20 ; Heb. i. 2, 5 ; 1 John iv.
15, v. 5.
Cesarea Philippi, a town in the northern
part of Judea, in the vicinity of Mount
Hermon. Whom do men, &c. Jesus pro-
posed these inquiries in this the beginning
of the second, great division of His ministry
on earth, introductory to His sufferings,
and death, that He might take occasion
from the confession of His disciples as to
His Messiahship, to grant them a deeper
view into the nature of His tvork, and to
establish them more firmly in their faith
in His person and His character. Some say
John the Baptist. This was an echo
of that which was talked of at Herod's
court. (Chap. xiv. 2; Luke ix. 7-9.) Elias.
(Comp. Mai. iv. 5.) Jeremias. The belief
prevailed from the passage last quoted,
that at the time of the Messiah different
prophets would again appear, and the Jews
held Jeremiah to be the greatest of the
prophetic class. One of the prophets, some
one of the Old Testament prophets. It
should not surprise us to find the same
variety of opinions about Christ and His
Gospel in our times. God's truth disturbs
the spiritual laziness of men, obliges them
to think, and makes them begin to talk,
reason, speculate, and invent theories to
account for its spread in some quarters,
and its rejection in others.
Whom say ye, &c. Having heard the
echo of the people's views concerning
Himself, our Lord will now hear an ex-
pression of the living, personal and ijide-
pendent faith of His disciples, to whom
He had given occasion to mention the
several errors of the world in relation to M
His person, that they might be the more
fully convinced that their faith did not ■
proceed from themselves. Peter's reply i
was in his own name, as the oldest and
leading disciple, and in that of his brethren.
He did not reply, " we say," lest that
should not appear decisive enough, but,
as if he said, we have not the least doubt
of it. Thou art, &c. It is a most concise
and yet comprehensive confession of faith.
The veil of Christ's human nature did not
prevent the eye of the disciples' faith dis-
cerning Him in His true character. What
a nol)le confession was that by which,
notwithstanding the great, and wise, and
learned of the nation to which the disci-'
pies belonged, .saw no beauty in their
Master, they acknowledged Plini the Christ,
the Son of the living God! (See Dan. ix.
21.) Living — a character ajiplied to the
Supreme Being, not only to distinguish
Him from the dead idols of paganism, but
also to point Him out as the source of life,
present, spiritual and eternal. We make a
proper use of those mistakes and false
conjectures which prevail in the world,
when we make them^ contribute to our
establishment in the truth.
17. And Jesus answered and said unto him. Blessed
art thou, Simon Bar-jona : "for flesh and blood hath not
revealt'U // untu tlicr, l)ut nny Father which is in
heaven. LS. And I say also unto thee, Th, at qthou art
Peter, and 'upon this rock I will build my church : and
the 'gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19. 'And
I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on etirth,
shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt
loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
»Eph. ii. 8. Pl Cor. li. 10 ; Gal. i. 16. q John i. 42. 'Eph.
ii. 20 ; Rev. xxi. 14. 'Job xxxviii. 17 : Ps. ix. 13,cvii. 18;
la. xxxviii. 10. <Chap. xviii. 18 ; John xx. '2S.
CHAPTER XVT.
177
Though it is not to be doubted that
Peter, in this noble testimony to Christ,
only expressed the conviction of all the
Twelve, yet since he alone seems to have
had clear enougia apprehensions to put
that conviction in proper and suitable
words, and courage enough to speak them
out, and readiness enough to do this at the
right time — so he only, of all the Twelve,
seems to have met the present want, and
communicated to the saddened soul of the
Redeemer, at the critical moment, that
balm Avhich was needed to cheer and
refresh it. Nor is Jesus above giving
indication of the deep satisfaction which
this speech yielded Him, and hastening to
respond to it by a signal acknowledgment
of Peter in return. Blessed art thou —
highest blessings, to be the confessor and
Apostle of the Son of God. Bar, which
signifies son, was added to the name Simon,
to distinguish him from others of the
same name. Simoii means " hearing," and
Jona means " dove." For flesh and blood,
&c. Simon, like Paul, had " not conferred
with flesh and blood," (Gal. i. 16), that is
the lips of frail and fallible humanity had
not been his instructors in the great
mystery of the Gospel : neither had the
suggestions of Reason guided him to the
discovery of so great a truth, but he had
derived his teachings directly from God
Himself. The connection between the
word "for," and the preceding part of the
verse, shows in what the blessedness of
Simon eminently consisted. " No man can
say that Jesus is the Christ, except by the
Spirit," and Peter, in an eminent degree,
possessed the Spirit. (Chap. xi. 27.)
The word revealed does not seem, in ihis
place, to mean the immediate communica-
tion of knowledge by inspiration, but the
removing of those proud and carnal
prejudices which veiled the hearts of others,
that they could not understand what was
in itself most plain. A conviction was
wrought in Peter's mind of his Master's
Messiahship,by His miracles and doctrines,
but this was, nevertheless, the result of the
Divine influence upon his heart — he was
"taught of God," and "his understanding,"
as to this subject, " was opened to under-
stand the Scriptures."
/ say also unto thee — as thou hast borne
12
such fearless and correct testimony to my
character. Thou art Peter {petros), i. e.," a.
stone." The word in Syriac is Cephas.
(See John i. 42). Upon this rock — this true
conletbiuii of thine — that I am the
Messiah, that I am come to reveal and
communicate the living God, that the
dead, lost world may be saved — upon this
very rock, Myself, thus confessed, alluding
probably to Psalms cxviii, 22, which see.
It will be observed that our Lord did not
say, on thee, Peter, I will build, t&c. (which
would have been natural, if such had been
his meaning), but changed immediately the
expression, and said, upon this rock, &c. —
thus showing that he neither addressed
Peter, nor any other of the Apostles. The
word petra, here translated rock, has the
generic sense, a mass, or ledge of rock, and
is never used in the signification of petros
(Peter), a single stone. It is employed here,
not only to distinguish the W'ord from
petros, the proper name in thou art Peter,
but as more consentaneous with the idea
of foundation, which in the case of edifices
designed to be durable, was composed, if
possible, of the firm and stable rock. (See
chap. vii. 24.)
Iivill build my church. God had a church
in the world from the beginning, and it
was built on the rock of the promised
seed. (Gen. iii. 15.) But now it was
requisite that the church should have a
new charter, as Christian, in relation to a
Christ already come. The word " church "
means literally those called out. Jesus here
calls the church His own. This is a
magnificent expression concerning Himself
— nowhere else occurring in the Gospels.
Christ as the Master-builder, builds his
church by persons commissioned by Him,
acting under His direction, and assisted by
His spirit, and this building is a progressive
work. The church is " the blessed company
of all faithful people." It is the whole
body of believers of every age, and tongue,
and people. (Eph. i. 22; i. Cor. x. 32.) It
is a church composed of all who are
washed in Christ's blood, c'othed in
Christ's righteousness, renewed by Christ's
Spirit, joined to Christ by faith, and epistles
of Christ in life. It is a church which is
one body, which has only one Head, and
Jesus Christ Himself " is the Head of the
178
MATTHEW.
body." (Eph.v. 25-27; Col. i. 18.) Observe
tbe remarkable reference to the Trinity, in
the building (Eph. ii. 18-22), where the
character, privilege, ground, manner and
object of the building are described. Let
it be observed, it is not thy church, but
mine. Peter remembered this, when he
cautioned ministers not to lord it over God's
heritage.
That Peter was not designated as the rock-
on which the church was to be built, is
evident. " Rock " is the regular figurative
expression in the Scriptures for a Divine
Protector. (Deut. xxxii. 4, 18, 30 ; 2 Sam.
xxii. 2, 32, and many other places.) Paul
testifies that Christ was the rock of the
primitive church (1 Cor. x. 4), and a
foundation. (1 Cor. iii. 2.) Peter proclaimed
this truth. (Acts iv. 11, 12.) He testifies
that he, with the rest of the believers, was
built on this foundation. (1 Peter ii. 5.) In
the same epistle (chap. i. 1.) he designates
his office or title as an apostle, not chief bishop,
and in chap. v. 4, he expressly styles Jesus
Christ " the Chief Shepherd." The other
Apostles, as well as Peter, are represented
as being the foundation of the church.
(Eph. ii. 20; Rev. xxi. 14.) The powers
conferred upon Peter were soon, even if
not now, conferred upon the other Apostles
(John XX. 23), and indeed upon the entire
church, (xviii. 18.) Peter himself never
assumed official authority over his fellow-
Apostles. Paul so conducted himself toward
Peter as to show that he recognized in him
no superiority of rank. On one important
occasion (Acts xv.), James towers quite
above Peter in perception and influence.
(Gal. ii. 11-14.) Clearly, therefore, Peter
was only 07ie of the builders in this sacred
edifice. (Eph. ii. 20.)
The gates of hell, &c. "Gates" are tropi-
cally put for persons assembled there for
business. The infernal powers are here
represented, who, from their invisible
stronghold, manifest their visible hostility.
Shall not prevail — shall not overpower.
The battle may waver long and fearfully,
but the rock-built fortress shall finally
prove victorious. The everlasting love of
God, the mediation and intercession of
Christ, and the Divine promises, all insure
this. "The Church of God," says Dr.
Krummacher, " is like a palm tree, which
flourishes the more vigorously the more it
is pressed down. Every embarrassment
is to her but as the weight to the clock,
which keeps it going ; and the most violent
storms are to the Church but a brisk wind
in the sails, which impels the vessel more
rapidly toward the harbor." Let us re-
joice in the security of Christ's Church,
and desire above all things to be true
members of it. How Divine its origin,
how inestimable its privileges, how vast
its honors, how imperishable its happiness !
And I will give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of heaven. To understand this
as meaning that the right of admitting souls
to heaven was to be placed in Petei-'s
hands, is preposterous. This office is the
special prerogative of Christ Himself.
(Rev. i. 18.) It has to do with admission
to and rejection from the membership of
the Church. All the authority it conveyed
was soon expressly extended to all the
Apostles. (See chap, xviii. 18; also, John
XX. 23 ; 1 Cor. v. 3, 5 ; Eph. ii. 20 ; Rev.
xxi. 14.) In chapter xviii. 18, let it be
observed, it was directed by our Lord that
where there was a quarrel between breth-
ren, it was to be brought, in the last re-
sort, before the Church, or Church meet-
ings (as explained in verse 20), whose
decision was to be final, and the Saviour
adds, " Whatsoever ye " — the plural num-
ber— " shall bind on earth," &c. Such
honor does the Lord of the Church put
upon its lawful assemblies.
Whatsoever thou shall bind, &c. How are
we to unde^rstand this ? As meaning that
Peter was to have any power of forgiving
sinners? Such an idea is derogatory to
Christ's special office as our Great High
Priest. It is certain that in any literal
and authoritative sense, such power was
never exercised by one of the Apostles,
and plainly was never understood by them-
selves as possessed by them or conveyed
to them. The power to intrude upon the
relation between men and God, cannot
have been given by Christ to His ministers
in any but a ministerial or declarative sense
— as the authorized interpreters of His
word, while in the actings of His ministers,
the real nature of the power committed to
them is seen in the exercise of church dis-
cipline. As for the special inspiration the
CHAPTER X\n.
179
Apostles received, to lay down rules and
regulations for the guidance of the Church
on disputed questions, binding or forbid-
ding some things, and loosing or allowing
other things, as, for example, the decision
of the council at Jerusalem, that the Gen-
tiles need not be circumcised. (Acts xvi.
19.) This was a commission specially con-
fined to themselves. In discharging it
they had no successor. With them it be-
gan, and with them it expired.
20. "Then charged he his disciples that they should
tell no man that he wivs Jesus the Christ, 21. H From
that time liirth began Jesus >to shew unto his di.sciples
hovv that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many
things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and be raised again the third day. 22. Then Peter
took him. and began to rebuke him, saying. Be it far
from thee, Lord: this sliall ncjt be unto thee. 23. But he
turned and said unto Peter, Get thee beliind me, "Satan :
»thou art an offence unto me ; for thou savourest not the
things that be of God, but those that be of men.
"Ohap. .xvii. 9 ; Mark viii. 30 ; Luke i.x. 21. ''Chap, xx.
17; Mark viii. 31, ix. 31, X. 33, Luke ix. 22, xvili. 31, xxiv.
6, 7. "See 2 Sam. xix. 22. ^Kom. viii. 7.
Tell no man. The j^remature and unre-
served avowal of this truth must, without
perpetual miracles, have excited the ill-
judging populace to such measures, as
would have given the scribes, priests and
Pharisees an occasion against Jesus, and
even rendered the Romans jealous of His
popularity, and thus He might have been
cut off before His time. Christ's Messianic
life had to be actually completed before
His disciples were to testify of Him as
Christ. Nay, the Lord Himself was to be
the first publicly to announce it to the
people, in the hour of His trial, so soon to
be followed by His death. (Matt. xxvi. 64.)
From that time, &c. Now Jesus announces
His coming sorrows more distinctly than
He had done before. He did this, 1. To
show the disciples that he was really God
(as they had just before confessed Him to
be), by His foretelling things to come; 2.
To convince them more and more of their
error, that He Avas to reign as a temporal
prince ; and, 3. To prevent them being of-
fended at His sufferings, and to prepare
them for their own. Jerusalem. The place
where He was to sufier. (Luke ix. 31 ; xiii.
33.) There is the site of the Old Testament
theocracy. There have the sacrifices of the
law, and the blood of the Old Testament
atonements, shown forth His death for
ages. And from there, the royal city of
David, must go forth an announcement of
the kingdom of the Son of David to all the
world. Suffer many things, arraignmci^'.
trial, execution. Be killed. Prefigured by
the killing of the paschal lamb. (Comp.
Ex. xii. ; 1 Cor. v. 7 ; Isa. liii. 7 ; Acts viii.
32; John xviii, 40.) Raised again. (fcJee
on chap. xii. 40.)
Took him. Suddenly interrupted Himy
or, perhaps, took Him aside. Rebuke Idm.
Earnestly remonstrate against what Jesus
had said about sufl'ering and dying. Be it
far, &c. " God forbid," or " Be merciful to
Thyself." It is an exclamation of surprise
and tender solicitude. Peter's motives
were good ; but how little did he know
then (though he afterwards knew it so
well), that the destinies of the world hung
U2ion that being done which he said should
not be done. And said unto Peter. Jesus,
who, in Peter's remonstrance, beheld, with
pain, the instinctive abhorrence of the
natural mind to the doctrines of the cross,
replied to him by a rebuke, the sternness
and severity of which come out strongly
in contrast with the commendation the
same Apostle had lately received. (1 Cor.
X. 12.) Get thee behind me, remove out of
my way ; be not an obstacle in my path
of duty. Satan. Peter, though a true be-
liever, yet on this occasion acted the part
of Satan, or an evil counsellor, toward his
Master. Our Lord would have us regard
the crucifixion as the central truth of
Christianity. Right views of His vicarious
death, and the benefits resulting from it,
lie at the very foundation of Bible-religion.
The sum of all our hopes must be, that
" Christ has died for us." (1 Thes. v. 10.)
Never let us forget this. On matters of
Church government, and the form of
worship, men may difTcr from us, and yet
reach heaven in safety. On the matter of
Christ's atoning death, as the way of peace,
truth is only one. If we are wrong here,
we are ruined forever.
Savourest. This formula means, well in-
clined to, well affected to. The things that
be of God, i. e., things heavenly, pure and
divine, pleasing to God, as opposed to
those that be of men, i. e., such as man, in his
fallen state, sets his affections upon. Sup-
pose that the pretended successors of
Peter inherit all the prerogatives he had,
then, if they inherit his succession as the
rock, how do they get rid of the succession,
" Get thee behind me, Satan?" It will not
180
MATTHEW,
do to take Peter's mantle when he speaks
truth and is praised, and to throw it away
when he commits sin and states error.
They must not take the kernel and cast
away tlie «Iiull, take the good and reject
the bad. They must take the succession
as a whole, or not at all. They must take
Satan Peter as well as Rock Peter.
24. KjThen said Jesus unto his disciples, Ifany moji
will come alter uie, lee him deny himself, and take up
his cross, and ibllow me. '£>. For 'whosoever will save
his lile, shall lose it : and wliosoever will lose his liCe
for my sake, shall And it. 2(). For what is a man profit-
ed, it' he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul ? or awhat shall a man give in exchange lor his
soul ? 27. For ' the Son of man shall come in the glory
of his Father cwith his angels; ^and then he shall re-
ward every man according to his works. 28. Verily I
say unto you. There be some standing here which shall
not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming
In his kingdom.
Tdiap. X. 38: Mark viii. 34; Luke ix. 23, iv. 27; Acts
xiv. 22; ITlies. iii. ,3>; 2 Tim. iii. 12. ^Luke xvii. 33;
John xii. 25. "Pa. xlix. 7, 8. bChap. xxvi. 64; Mark
viii. .38; Luke ix. 2ti. cDan. vii. 10; Zech. xiv. 5, xxv.
31 ; Jude 14. ajob xxxiv. 11 ; Ps. l.xii. 12. Prov. xxiv.
12; Jer. xvii. 10, xxxii. 19; Rom. ii. 6; 1 Cor. in. 8; 2
Cor. v. 10 ; 1 Peter i. 17 ; Rev. 11. 23, xxii. 12.
If any man, &c. Observe our Lord's
terms of discipleship. An impostor would
have made easy conditions, and promised
a pleasant and prosperous career, to induce
people to follow him, but Jesus pursued
the opposite course. 1. Deny himself. We
are to deny ourselves our earthly desires
for ease, pleasure, riches, esteem, and to
resist the most clamorous solicitations of
our pride, ambition, avarice, and carnal
self-love. The injunction does not solely
or mrJnly refer to the renunciation of vice,
which, of course, is to be renounced, but
to the advantages of this life of which the
followers of Christ must be prepared to
suffer the loss with an undisturbed mind.
2. Take up his cross. (See on chap. x. 38.)
3. And folloiv me, that is, obey my com-
mands and imitate my example. One of
the ancients observes : " Because, after the
cross, we require a new strength, lie adds,
' and follow me.' " " And this," remarks
another, " is because it may happen that
a man may suffer, and yet not follow Christ,
that is, when he does not suffer for Christ's
sake."
Save his life, &c. (See on Matt. x. 39;
Mark viii. 35 ; Luke ix. 24.) This was a
truth of infinitely deep significance for the
first disciples of the Lord, who, for His
sake, left all ; yet not less significant is it
for the history of the development of the
Christian life of each one. (See on chap.
X. 39.)
To lose the soul, is not to be annihilated.
The very expression, " what is a man
jjrojited," &c., implies conscious existence
beyond the grave. If a man could gain the
whole world, he could not enjoy it. He
could not even see it, except on a maj).
He would not be content with it. He
would have no certainty of keeping it. It
would afford hirh no consolation in death.
Or ivliat shall a man give in exchange for his
said? — to buy it back, as the price of its
redemption. Probably the Saviour alludes
to Ps. xlix. 8. The question teaches us
that there is no redemption in hell. It
will be observed that our Lord does not
answer the question He proposes, but
leaves it to press on our conscience with
its own proper and mighty force.
" Truth is immortal as thy soul ; and fable
As fleeting as thy joys. Bo wise, nor make
Heaven's highest blessing, Veiigeauce ; O, be wise !
Nor make a curse of immortality.
Say, know'st thou what it is, or what thou art?
Know'st thou the importance of a soul immortal ?
Behold the midnight glory, worlds on worlds !
Amazing pomii ! "Redouble this amaze,
Ten thousand add, and twice ten thousand more.
Then weigh the whole; one soul outweighs them all.
And calls'the astonishing magnificence
Of unintelligent creation poor."
The glory of his Father. Besides the glory
which the human nature of Christ habitu-
ally wears in heaven, some additional
splendor shall be given Him by the Father,
when sent with His commission on an occa-
sion so august as the universal judgment.
(John V. 27.) AccordAng to his works, liter-
ally, working or work taken as a whole.
This, at the last day, will constitute the
criterion of judgment, as evincing the state
of the heart. The Son of man coming, &c.
The reference here is to that tremendous
catastrophe, the destruction of Jerusalem,
which was some forty years distant, or
more, at which event the old Jewifih
economj^ passed away with a great noise,
and extricated from that wreck and ruin,
there emerged what it is not too much to
call, a new earth and a new heaven, when
the things shaken were removed, to the
end that Christ's saints might receive a
kingdom which could not be moved. To
men of full age it was not a mere nugatory
prediction that they should live to see this
event, and these words of Jesus compel us
to believe that, if only for one Apostle, yet
for more than one of the disciples then
standing there, it was fulfilled.
CHAPTER XVII.
181
1. How was Christ " tempted " by His enemies ? 2. How did He answer tliem ? 3. What caution did He give
to His disciples ? 4. How did He reprove them? 5. What did Clirist ask His discipies? G. Wliy did He ask
this? 7. Wliat was their reply 7 8. Explain verse 17. 9. What did Jesus say about His Church? 10. How are
we to understand verse 19? 11. When did Jesus show to His discipks that He must suffer? 12. How did Peter
receivethis? 13. What did our Lord reply ? 14. What doesHerequireof those who " will comeafter Him?" 15.
What is said about the soul ? 16. What about the Son of man coming in His glory t
CHAPTER XVII.
1 The tramsjlguration of Christ. 14 He healeth the lunn-
tick, 2i foretelleth his own passion, 24 and payeth
tribiUe.
A ND »after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and
S\ John, his brother, and bringeth them up into an
high mountain apart.— ^Mark ix. 2: Luke ix, 28.
Jesus had announced to His disciples
His suffering-s, rejection and death (chap,
xvi. 21), and they were greatly startled,
surprised and dejected. He now vouch-
safes to them a prophetic glimpse into the
glory which should follow. Peter, James
and John formed a company sufficient, so
far as number is concerned, to bear testi-
mony to the fact at the proper time. The
law required no more than two or three
witnesses to constitute a regular and
judicial proof. (Deut. xix. 15).
An high mountain. Not Tabor, as is gen-
erally supposed, for a fortress, or town,
existed on it from very early times, down
to B. C. 50 or 53, and, as Josephus says
that he strengtliened the fortifications of
a city there, about A. D. 60, it is morally
certain that Tabor must have been inhab-
ited during the intervening period, that
is, the days of Christ. The order of the
history determines the transfiguration to
some mountain not far from Cesarea Phil-
ippi. Many magnificent events in the
Divine dispensations have been transacted
on mountains. (See Gen. xxii. 14 ; Ex.
xix. ; Deut. xxxiii. 2 ; 2 Chron. iii. 1 ;
Matt. V. 1 ; xiv. 23; xxviii. 16.)
2. And was transfl<;uredbeforo them: and hi"? fare did
Bhine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the lisht.
The transfiguration was not a change of
the substance of our Lord, for He remained
afterward in the flesh, and had still to die.
It was an intense beaming forth of the
hidden glory of the only begotten, through
the tabernacle in which He had enshrined
it while He dwelt among us, so that it
penetrated the pores of His very garments,
and they became white, and glistering.
Never was scene more full of majesty.
Never was description more full of gran-
deur and simplicity. His /ace was like the
sun. What a contrast to that " visage
more marred than men, and his form than
the sons of men!'' (Isa. Iii. 14). His
raiment was like the light — pure, bright. A
glory was seen by others, as put on the
face of Moses, but the glory of Jesus shone
not upon Him from without but out of Him
from within. He was in one blaze of glory.
(Ps. civ. 2; Heb. iii. 4.) As was the glory
of Christ on the Mount, so shall the bodies
of the saints be in the resurrection. (Phil,
iii. 21 ; Dan. xii. 3; Matt. xiii. 43; 1 Cor.
XV. 43; Col. iii.4; 1 Peter v.l ; Rev. iii. 4, 5.)
3. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and
Ellas talking with him.
This reappearance of Moses and Elijah
teaches us by a palpable fact, that death is
not the end of being. It was, as it were,
the cloud rolled away for a little, that we
might see the gorgeous splendors that were
behind it. The Apostles saw two persons
who were once inhabitants of our world,
clothed in bodily forms. Before ihem are
INIoses, Avho, fourteen hundred and eighty
years before, had passed away, and who
had no sooner tasted of death than prob-
nbly his body was withdrawn from under
the dominion of death (Deut. xxxiv. 6 ;
Jude 9), and Elijah, who, though more
<hr»n nine hundred years before translated
(2 Kings ii. 2), so that he did not see death,
now shows that the body may be trans-
formed, and dwell in glory, too. Here we
learn that the departed are not insensible,
as some have said, till the resurrection
morn (2 Cor. v. 8 ; Phil. i. 21-3) ; also, that
saints in heaven are known and distin-
guished from one another by the form and
appearance of their glorified bodies, and,
probably, addressed by the same name
which they bore on earth. (Luke xvi. 24.)
182
MATTHEW,
In this varied group on the Mount, we
have a representation of the Church in her
diversilied dispensations — Moses and
Elijah, the representatives of Old Testa-
ment saints— Moses, the giver of the Law,
Elijah, the chief of the Prophets, and
Peter, James and John, the ministers of
the New Testament, while in the midst
stands Jesus, to whom the Law and the
Prophets, and the Apostles, equally bear
witness, and from whom the glory of all
comes. (See Matt. vii. 12.) Here the
unity of the Old and New Covenant is
wonderfully attested, and not the unity
only, but with this unity the subordination
of the Old to the New, that Christ is " the
end of the law" (Rom. x. 4.), and the object
to which all prophecy pointed (Acts x.
43, xxviii. 23 ; Rom. iii. 21), that, therefore,
the great purpose of these had now been
fulfilled, all which was declared in the fact
that, after their testimony thus given,
Moses and Elias disappear, whilst Christ
only remains.
4. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it
is good lor us to be lierc : if tliou wilt, let us mal^e here
throe ta))ornacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and
one ibr ISlias.
It will be noticed that the Apostles did
not pray to Moses and Elias, but to Christ
alone. If ever there was an occasion
when saints might be i:)rayed to, this was
it, for here the saints were not to be guessed
to be hearing, but were seen to be within
both hearing and seeing. But the disciples
prayed only to Jesus, thus shoAving that
we may not worship and pray to saints,
because Christ is all in all.
Good for us to he here. Two things caused
Peter's bliss: 1. The communion of Saints.
Here were not only John and James, but
Moses and Elias. 2. The presence of Jesus.
Truly it is a good thing ever to be found
in the company of the Saviour. Witli
Him we are safe, and nowhere else. He
is the source of all delight and knowledge,
the fountain of honor and excellency, the
consola-ion of Israel, all in all. Three
tabernacles, &c., three tents, booths or
camps. He does not say palaces, although
he would have held palaces, whether of
cedar, marble, or solid g'lld, none too good
for such residents. But the rugged and
W!")ndy sides of the mountain afforded
no implements for the building of such
structures, and he proposes tabernacles.
In making this request, Peter forgets that
the full fruition of the heavenly blessed-
ness, of which he is now receiving a taste,
is for another world. Had his request been.
granted, how could our Saviour have
suffered and died? Still it showed affec-
tion. None will be luith the Lord forever,
but those who find it their happiness for
the Lord to be with them now.
5. *> While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud over-
shadowed tliein : and behold a voice out of the cloud,
which said, 'This is my beloved Son, din whom I am
well ijleased, cliear ye him.
i'2 Peter i. 17. 'chap. iii. 17; Mark i. 11; Luke iii. 22.
dLsa. xlui. 1. ^Deut. xviii. 15, 19. Acts iii. 22, 23.
TF7iife he (Peter) yet spake. Let us not
fail to notice the difference between the
manifestation here, and that at the giving of
the Law. On Sinai there was a cloud, but
it was dark and thick, and there were
thunders and lightnings, and the voice of
the trumpet exceeding loud. (Ex. xix.
IG.) On this mountain, the cloud was
bright, the whole scene was luminous and
transporting, and nothing was heard but
the mild, paternal voice of the Almighty.
Overshadowed them. Light, in its utmost
intensity, hides as effectually as the dark-
ness would do. A cloud is the constant
accompaniment of the Divine Presence.
(Ex. xiv. 19; xix. 16; xxxiii. 9; xl. 34;
1 Kings viii. 10; Ps. civ. 3; Isa. xix. 1;
Dan. vii. 13.)
A voice out of the cloud. This shows that
the disciples were not enveloped in the
cloud. The same voice which was heard
before on the Jordan, consecrating Christ
as King of the kingdom of heaven, and
afterward (John xix. 28) as the High Priest
of the New Testament. (2 Peter i. 17.)
My beloved Son, &c. This is an echo of an
utterance of Moses. (Deut. xviii. 15 ; comp.
Ps. ii. 7 ; Isa. xlii. 1 ; see notes on chap. iii.
17 ; see 2 Peter i. 17 ; Ps. ii. 6, xlv. 2; Heb.
i. 8, ix. 14 ; 1 John iii. 5.) Here is the end
of all Scripture revelation, to testify of
Jesus. The only way in which God the
Father deals with sinful man, is by pointing
them to His Son. From the great cloud of
heavenly witnesses — patriarchs, prophets,
Apostles, and believers in every age, it is
still the same voice— Christ, God's beloved,
and the sinner beloved for Christ's sake,
accepted in the Beloved, justified, sancti-
fied, preserved, glorified through Him.
CHAPTER XVII.
183
Hear ye him. Christ the Son was far
greater than Moses and Elias, who were
but servants, hence they were to hear Him.
Thus are we placed under Christ's tuition
alone, and commanded from Him alone to
seek the doctrine of salvation, to depend
upon and listen to One, to adhere to One
—in a word, as the term imports, to hearken
to One only. (Col. ii. 17; Heb. i. 1-4, ii.
1-3, viii. 5, X. 1.) Religion which termi-
nates not in action is delusion. If we have
been taught of the Lord, we will hear
Christ. His voice will be a sweet voice to
us, for it will be "the voice of our beloved."
When He speaks in mercy, we will hear
with gladness ; with authority, we will hear
with submission ; with reproof, we will hear
with contrition ; in wrath, we will hear
with fear.
6. fAnd when the disciples heard it, they fell on their
fice, and were sore airaid.— '2 Peter i. 18.
Fdl UP071 their face, through fear, and
perhaps as an act of reverential prostration
in the presence of the Deity. And ivere sore
afraid. It was an universally prevalent
opinion with the ancient Jews that no one
could see God and live. (See Ex. xx. 19 ;
Judg. xiii. 22 ; Isa. vi. 5.)
7. And Jesus came and stouched them, and said,
Arise, and be not alraid.— ^Dan. viii. 18, ix. 19, x. 10, 18.
So the same Saviour touched John in
the Apocalypse. (Chap. i. 17.) He " laid
His right hand upon him, saying unto
him. Fear not." (See Jer. i. 9 ; Ezek. ii. 2 ;
Isa. vi. 7.)
8. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw
no man, save Jesus only.
When they had received strength and
confidence from the touch of Jesus to rise
up, Jesus was found alone, and had re-
sumed His ordinary appearance, except
that, perhaps, a Divine effulgence lingered
on His face, as on that of Moses when he
descended from the mount. Jesus alone
is to us instead of the law, the sacrifices
and the prophets. Our true happiness
consists in looking upon Him alone as our
law and pattern, in following Him alone
as our Moses in the desert of this world,
and in desiring His Spirit alone instead
of that of Elias. Let us seek to see " Jesus
only," in our sense of sin, our trials, and
in our dyins hour.
fl. And a<! they came down from the mountain, hjesus
charsj^d them, saying. Tell the vision to no man, until
'lie Son of man be risen again from the dead.
•"Chap. xvi. 20; Mark viii. 30 and ix. 9.
Charged them. (See on chap. xvi. 20.)
There were probably two reasons for giv-
ing this charge. 1. The disciples were
not comi)etent to preach the Messiah us
He is until they had beheld all the scenes
of His death and resurrection, and been
emjjowered by the Spirit from on high.
2. The people were not yet sufficiently
informed respecting the true nature of the
Messiah's reign, to be told of what had
taken place. They would probably have
made a wrong use of it, regarding it as a
signal that the Messiah's glorious earthly
reign had commenced, and therefore hold-
ing themselves in readiness to engage in
civil disturbances. It is always the safest
way not to divulge or pul)lish extraor-
dinary favors and graces ; they are a treas-
ure which ought to be carefully hid, for
fear lest vanity should rob us of it.
Vision, or sight. The word does not inti-
mate that it was not a reality. Until the
Son of man be risen, &c. From Mark ix.
10, it appears that the discij^les did not
know exactly how to understand what
Jesus said resjiecting " rising from the
dead." Like the Jews, in general, they
were laboring under much ignorance and
misapprehension respecting the Messiah ;
but Jesus was gradually preparing them
for what was to take place.
10. And his disciples asked him. savin?, 'Why then
say the scribes, that Elias must first come?
'Mai. iv. 5; chajj. xi. 14; Mark ix. 2.
Elijah had now appeared on the Mount
of Transfiguration, and was already depart-
ed. The disciples, in a state of perplexity,
therefore inquired how this was to be
reconciled with the prevailing interpreta-
tion of Malachi's prophecy.
n. And Jesus answered and said imto them, Elias
truly slial! first come, and ^restore all t liiiigs : 12. 'But I
say until you, that Elias is come alrcach', and they knew
hiru not.'ljut mjiave done unto him whatsoever they
listed. Likewise "shall also the Son of inan suffer of
them. 1.3. '•TliPn the disciples understood that he spake
unto them of John the Baptist.
i<Mal. iv. 6; Luke i. 16, 17; Acts iii. 21. "Chap. xi. 14;
Mark ix. 12, 13. mChap. xiv. 3, 10. "Chap. xvi. 21.
"Chap. xi. 14.
Our Lord recognized the prophecy of
Malachi as calling for the coming of Elijah,
to restore all things, i. e., to bring the things
of the kingdom from their confusion to a
state of restored order before Messiah
came, but He affirmed that this prophecy
had already been fulfilled, for Elias had
already come, but the Jews did not receive
or recognize him ; their minds were so
184
MATTHEW,
blinded and perverted by prejudice, that
they did not discern his true otiioe or
mission; on the contrary, they had done
unto him whatsoever they had chosen or
desired, i. e., they had persecuted and put
him to deatli. (xiv. 10.)
Jesus also added that the treatment of
the Forerunner was a clear indication of
what they would do to Himself. This
statement of our Lord, falling in, as it did,
with their remembrance of the Baptist's
attire, and other particulars which clearly
pointed him out to the eye of faith as the
promised Elijah, as well as our Lord's own
express assertion on a former occasion
(chap. xi. 10, 1-1), left no doubt on the
minds of the disciples to whom He referred.
The Spirit of proijliecy, by the lips of
Malachi, simply designated John by the
name of the prophet of whom he was the
antitype, just as Christ is called our j^cissover
by the appropriation to Him of the name
which belongs to his type. (See on chap.
xi. 10, 14.)
14. If pAnd wlion they were come to the multitude,
there cavno to Him a ccriain mLin kneeling dowa to
liim, and saying, lo. Lord, have mercy on ray son, for
he is a lunatic, and sore voxed : lor otttimcs lie lialloth
Into the flro, and ol't into the water. 13. And I brought
him to thy di -ciple i, and they could not cure him.
pMarli ix. 11 ; Iiuke Ix. 37.
How unlike was this scene of sin and
sorrow to that which the three Apostles
had just witnessed on the top of the
mountain ! There all was light and love,
perfect bliss and ineffable glory. Angels
beheld the same painful contrast, for, as
they gaze upon the glory of God, they also
watch over the sorrows of men. A certain
man kneeling down to him, or, fiilling at His
knees. The ancients consecrated the ear
to memory, the forehead to genius, the
EIGHT HAND to faith, and the knees to
mercy ; hence those who entreated favor
fell at and touched the knees of him whose
kindness they supplicated.
Lord, have mercy on my son, &c. The
appeal of the distressed parent to Jesus is
peculiarly tender and touching. Plis child
was a lunatic; in the bloom of youth
deprived of reason, and, instead of being
a comfort to his parents, was a continual
cause of care and distress. He was also
dumb and deaf (Mark ix. 17), and possessed
by an evil spirit. AVhen this spirit took
him in its might, then, in the paroxysms
of his disorder, he suddenly cried out (Luke
ix. 39), (an expression not inconsistent with
Mark's statement that he was dumb, for
his dumbness was only in respect of
articulate sounds; he could give no utter-
ance to these), and it tare him till he
foamed and gnashed with his teeth, and
bruised him, reluctantly leaving him, so
that altogether he pined away like one the
very springs of whose life were dried up.
(See Mark ix. 18 ; Luke ix. 39.) Besides,
the application of the father to the
disciples had been unsuccessful, and thus
his hope was covered with a still darker
cloud, by being made to know that the case j
of his son was one of such a degree of ■
Satanic possession, and of so long standing,
as to baffle them.
17. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and
perver.ie generation, how long shall I be with you ?
how long shall I suller you ? bring him to nie. 18. And
Jesus rebuiied the devil, and he departed out of him:
and tlie child was cured Irom that very hour.
Our Lord's rebuke was designed, not for
the father of the lad, but mainly for the
surrounding multitude, and the term gene-
ration seems to point to them as specimens
and representatives of the whole Jewish
nation : it was intended also for the disci-
ples, in whom so brief an absence from
Him had produced weakness of faith, and
whom it had shorn of their strength, and
left powerless against the kingdom of dark-
ness. (See verse 20.) Hoio long shall I be
vnth you, and suffer you f are words not so
much of one longing to put off the coil of
flesh, as of a master complaining of the
slowness and dullness of his scholars.
Bring him' hither to me. As the staff in
Gehazi's hand could not arouse the dead
child, but the prophet himself must come
and take the work in hand, before ever a
cure can be wrought, so must it be now.
When the young begin to turn to the
Saviour, and first cry for His heliJ, this
wretched spirit would rather they should
die than be delivered from his power, but
the eye of Jesus is on all who truly seek
Him, and though He may permit Satan to
alarm and distress them. He will at length
rescue them from his tyranny.,
And the child luas cured, &c. What en-
couragement have parents, teachers and
ministers to go on praying for young men,
even at their worst! Hard as their hearts
may seem now, they may yet be softened.
Desperate as their wickedness now appears,
CHAPTER XVII.
185
they may yet be healed. They may yet
repent and be converted, and their last
state prove better than their first. Who
can tell ? Let it be a settled principle in
us, when we read our Lord's miracles,
never to despair of the conversion of any
soul.
19. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said.
Why could not we cast him out? 20. And Jesus said
unto them, Because of your unbelief: tor verily I say
unto you q[f ye have faith as a grain of mustard-seed,
ye shall say unto this mountain. Remove hence to
yonder place, and it shall remove : and nothing shall be
impo-wible unto you. 21. Ilowbeit this kind goeth uot
out but by prayer and fasting.
iChap. .x.xi. "21; Mark xl 23; Luke xvii. 6; 1 Cor.
xii. 9 and xiii. 2.
Why could not we, &c. They were morti-
fied and distressed at their failure, and
therefore took the first opportunity to
inquire from what it arose. When the
ministers of the Gospel find their labors
with re.spect to some places or persons
ineffectual, they should come by private
prayer to Christ, humble themselves before
Him, and beg to learn whether some evil
in themselves has not been the cause of the
unfruitfiilness of their efforts. Because of
your unbelief. The scribes had been dis-
puting with the disciples during the
absence of their Master. (Mark ix. 14.)
It is likely that they disputed in reference
to Jesus, and to the power of working
miracles, and by casting suspicions and
surmises, and suggesting doubts, they
had produced a distrustful state of mind
in the disciples. One who believes the
truth may have his mind shaken for a
time by hearkening to objections, especially
if skillfully and slyly presented.
If ye have faith, &c. The faith of miracles
is here meant. To remove a mountain was
a form of expression often employed at
that time to denote the performance of a
thing so great as to be apparently impossi-
ble. Our Lord used the word mountain,
as He did also the mustard-seed, figuratively,
to show the disciples, who had a full
commission, among other things, to cast
out devils without exception, what they
could have done even with this more than
ordinarily malicious and inveterate devil,
if they had not distrusted the power they
had received. The general teaching of the
verse is, that as unbelief is the secret of all
weakness, so is faith the secret of all
strength, and that the least spiritual power
shall be patent for the overthrow of the
mightiest powers which are merely of this
world.
2'his kind, &c. It is here evident that
there are orders of evil spirits; that as
there is a hierarchy of heaven, so there is
an inverted hierarchy of hell. The same
is intimated in chap. xii. 45, and Eph. vi.
12. There is probably a climax, the
Apostle rising from one degree of spiritual
power and malignity to another. Goeth
not out but by prayer and fasting. Though
nothing is impossible to faith, yet such a
height of faith as is requisite for such
triumphs, is not to be reached in a moment
or without eflbrt— either with God, in
prayer, or with ourselves, in self-denying
exercises. (See 1 Cor. ix. 27.) Faith is
kept vigorous by much prayer, and by
such abstinence from food as tits the mind
for the highest exercises of religion, and
leaves it free to hold communion with God.
" We must," says an old divine, " set an
edge upon our faith by prayer, and upon
our prayer by fasting."
22. "-And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto
them. The Son of muti shall be betrayed into the hands
of men : 23. And tlicy shall kill him, and the third day
heshall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.
rChap. xvi. 21, and xx. 17; Mark viii. 31, ix. 30, 31,
and x. 33; Luke ix. 22, 44, xviii. 31 and xxiv. 67.
Into the hands of men. He who came to
redeem sinful men, was delivered up to
men who should be his murdfers ! Kill
him, &c. (See on chap. xii. 40 ; xvi. 21.)
This is our Lord's prophetic allusion to
His future passion, death and resurrection,
which the angels referred to in addressing
the women w^ho visited the sepulchre.
(Luke xxiv. 6.) It will be observed, that
on this occasion neither Simon Peter
nor anj- of the rest " began to rebuke
him." (Chap. xvi. 22.) It is simply ad-
ded. And they loere exceeding sorry. They
loved not less than they re\ erenced their
Lord, and the bare idea that He might
possibljf bo exj)osed to ignominy, maltreat-
ment and suffering, filled their hearts with
sorrow.
24. H And swhen they were come to Capernaum, they
that received trihnte'-jrmt^i'y came to Peter, and said,
Doth not your Master pay tribute ?
They that received, &c. The receivers or
collectors of the didrachma. The didrach-
ma or double drachma was a silver coin,
of the value of two Attic drachmas, as its
name imports, or a Jewish half-shekel,
equal to about 30 cents of our money.
186
MATTHEW
This tribute or tax was required or
expected from every male Israelite above
the age of twenty, and was to be paid into
the corban, or treasury of God, for the
current expenses of the temple service.
(See Ex. xxx. 13, 14. 2 Chron. xxiv. 6, 9.)
25, He saith, Yes. And when he was come Into the
house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thlnUest
thou, Simon ? Ui' whom do the kings of tlie earth take
custom or tribute? of their own children, or of stran-
gers? 26. Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus
saith unto him, Then are the children tree.
From this prompt reply of Peter, it is
evident that our Lord customarily paid all
taxes, tributes, &c., which were common
among the people wherever He came.
The children of God are subject to all civil
laws in the places where they live — and
should pay the taxes levied on them by
public authority. (Rom.xiii. 7.) Preveided
him, i. e., anticipated him. This anticipa-
tion implies a miraculous knowledge of
Peter's assent, inasmuch as our Lord was
not present, when the question was asked
and the answer given.
What tlilnkest thou, Simon? As Peter,
through his hasty imprudence, had pledged
our Lord to the paying of the didrachma,
which now He could scarcely recede from,
this question was put to him by Christ, to
bring him, with the other disciples, to the
true recognition of Himself, from which
they had in part fallen. " On what prin-
ciple hast thou been promising this for
Me? is not all the analogy of things
earthly against it ? " Of whom do the kings,
&c. Our Lord noiv is speaking of the poll-
tax, payable to the Romans by every one
whose name was in the " Census." This
was a civil tax. By children,\n the question,
we are to understand, the members of the
families of the kings referred to, and by
strangers, their subjects. Of strangers — and
these only. Then are the children free. The
reasoning is this: Earthly kings exempt
their own children from paying tribute,
but this being levied in the name of God,
and for His house and service, I, who am
His Son, and superior to the temple, may
well be exempted. (See Ex. xxx. 12 ;
Heb. i. 2, iii. 6 ; Matt. xii. 6.)
27. Notwithstandins:, le<!t we should offend thom, go
thou to the sea. and east an hook, and take up the fish
th.it first Cometh up. and when thou hast opened his
mouth, thou slialt find a piece of money : that take, and
give it unto them for me and thee.
Apiece of money— a stater. Observe, 1.
Chri.st's unwillingness that offense should
be given. There are matters in which
Christ's people should sink their own opin-
ions, and submit to requirements which'
they may not thoroughly approve, rather
than give offense and " hinder the Gospel
of Christ." We ought not to be sternly
tenacious, unless some principle of truth
and duty is involved. 2. Christ's penury
— so poor that He did not possess where-
with to pay the temple tribute. He could
have enriched His disciples with all the
pearls in the ocean, but He knew riches
would be a snare to them, and He had
better treasure to give, which was laid up
for them in heaven. 3. Christ's omni-
science. He pierced the waters of the sea,
discerned a particular fish, saw what was
in its body, and announced a piece of
money there, and the very name of the
coin. (See Jonah i. 17; 1 Kings xiii. 24,
XX. 36; Amos ix. 3.) So does He see what
money we are in jjossession of, how we
acquired it, and the way in which \^e are
using it. 4. Christ's power and dominion.
He is Lord of all. From the millions of
fish in the sea. He brought the fish He
knew had swallowed a piece of silver, to
Peter's hook. "All things are put under
him the fish of the sea, and what-
soever passeth through the paths of the
sea." 5. Christ's sanction to the use of
means. Peter could not replenish the fish
with the money, or make it to swim in the
direction of his bait ;■ but he could procure
the bait, throw in the hook, and in the
most likely place, anct stand, and watch.
So in spiritual things, there is always
something which we cannot do, and some-
thing which we can do. The Apostle
points to these, and writes them, where
he says: "Work out your salvation with
fear and treinbling, for it is God which
worketh in you to will and to do of His
good pleasure." 6. Peter's implicit obe-
dience. He did not reason, or murmur,
but obeyed. So should we use all the
means God has prescribed, relying on His
promise, and we shall not be disappointed.
7. The identification of Christ with His
people. He said to Peter, " give unto them
for me and thee." Jesus regards His true
followers as one with Himself. (John
XXV. 17.)
CIIAPTEH XVI r I.
187
1. Who accompanied Jesus to the mountain? t. What mountain was it? 3. Describe the transfiguration?
•4. Who appeared on the mountain? 5. What were they doing? G. What does their appearing t<;ach ? 7.
What did Peter say ? 8. What Is said about "a bright cloud?" 9. Wliat did the voice out oi it say ? lu. What
was the effect of thus on the disciples ? 11. What did they ask ? 12. Who came to Jesus? 13. Why did become?
14. What was the result? 15. How did Christ foretell His sufferings? IC. What was tribute-money ? 17. How
did Jesus pay tribute-money ? 18. Why did He do it ? 19. What does His example teach ?
CHAPTER XVIII.
1 ChrUt warneth his disciDl-es to be humble and harmless :
7 to avoid offences, and not to despise the Utile ones : 1 >
teachclh how we are to deal with our bre/hrtn, when
they offend us : 21 andliowoftto r'orgiuethem: SA which
he setti t/i forth by a parable of the kinij, that took
account of his sr'rrants, ;& and pxinished him, iv/io
ihewed no mercy to his fellow.
\ T "the same time came the disciples unto Jesus,
2\ saying. Who is the greatest in the kingdom or
heaven ?— 'Marie ix. 33; Luke ix. 4ii, xxii. 21.
The disciples, after they had di-^puted
b\' the way, and had been set right by our
Lord, were at first silent ; but when they
had all been called together by the Saviour,
some, again, finally proposed the question
to Him of their relative greatness. Proba-
bly the occasion for this strife, although
the germ of rivalry must have been in
their hearts before, was found in the
singling out of the three intimate disciples
to be pre.sent at the transfiguration, &c., &c.
Alas ! the best and holiest of men are too
subject to pride and ambition, too disposed
to covet worldly dignity and superiority.
There is no sin against which we have such
need to watch and pray as pride. It is a
pestilence that walketh in darkness, and a
sickness that destroyeth at noonday. No
sin is so deeply rooted in our nature.
2. And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set
him in the midst of them ;
The method of instruction by emblems
and symbolical actions has always been
prevalent in the East. A little boy that
happened to be playing near, furnished an
appropriate and expressive symbol of the
great lesson which Jesus would now incul-
cate upon His disciples, as they were gath-
ered around Him. Important as little
children are, as flowers planted along the
path of life, to relieve its gloom and rugged-
ness, there is still a higher purpose which
they subserve— they are, as it were, truth
in a living form, made to move around us
for the most important of all tuitions.
(Mark x. 15; 1 Peter ii. 2; Ps. cxxxi. 2.)
3. And said, Verily I say unto you, ^Except ye be con-
verted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter
into the kingdom of heaven.
bP.s. cxxxi. 2: chap. xix. 14; Mark x. 14; Luke xviil.
IG ; 1 Cor. x.v. 20 ; 1 Peter ii. 2.
Be converted — turned from this worldly,
aspiring disposition. Converts still havo
remains of corruption, some lust often
breaking forth, Avhich they must take
special care to resist and subdue. The
disciples had left all and followed Jesus,
yet they needed to be more and more
turned: and thus should we ever be put-
ting off the old man, and putting on the
new man more and more. Become as little
children — abandon your thirst for power
and pre-eminence, and learn to think of
these things as a little child thinks of them.
(Sec on verso 4; and Luke xviii. 17.) Ye
shall not enter, &c. — ye shall not be regarded
as belonging to the Messiah's kingdom.
4. cWho?!oever therefore shall humble himself as this
little child, tlie same is greatest in the kingdom of
heaven.— cChap. xx. 27, and xxiii. 11.
The point of comparison here is formed,
not by the receptivity, the striving after
perfection, the absence of pretension in the
child, but by its humility, which was so
sadly lacking in the disciples. By this
humility the child's understanding was yet
free from vain imagination, its heart from
rivalry and ambition, its will from stub-
bornness. The same is greatest, &c., that is,
he will reach the highest seat of happiness
and glory. True humility is the ground
on which the blessings and rewards of the
Divine kingdom will be distributed. (James
iv. 6, 10; Isa. Ivii. 15.)
."i. And ""whoso shall receive onp such little child in my
name receiveth me.— ^Chap. x. 42; Luke ix. 48.
Shall receive, i. e., approve, love, treat with
kindness, aid in the time of need. One
svch little child. Not the actual child, but
the spiritual child, whom grace has made.
Li MY name, i. e., acting from Christian
principle. Not only did JeSus here show
188
MATTHEW,
His love for little children, but also and
mainly for such as resemble them in a
child-like spirit, and those who receive
them, resting upon His name, as a principle
of action.
6. 'But whoso shall offend one of these little ones
which believe in me. it were better for him tliat a mill-
stone were hanged about his neck, and that he were
drowned ui the depth oi the sea.
•Mark ix. 42 ; liuke xvii. 1, 2.
The word rendered offend signifies cause
to stumble. It is used both for those who
fall and perish, and for those who fall and
rise again. One of these little ones, &c.,
meaning. Christians in general, namely,
those of ordinary capacity and attainments,
honest, humble, and sincere, though not
highly-gifted believers. (1 Cor. iii. 1.)
Those who are strong in faith must be
careful not to injure the weak in faith, even
as the elder children in a family must care-
fully avoid hurting the tender frames of
the younger children. Advanced Chris-
tians must refrain even from enjoying
lairful privileges, sooner than endanger
their weak brethren. (See Rom. xiv.)
If it be a grievous sin to wound a weak
believer through carelessness, how dreadful
a crime it must be to injure him wilfully !
It were better, &c. This was a common
punishment in ancient times. It was
frequently resorted to in the case of rebels,
and other malefactors, in the times of the
later emperors of Rome, and was inflicted
on many of the first Christians. The
signification of the imagery is not only a
simple drowning, but at the same time a
sinking into the deepest abyss of hell.
Nothing but sincere repentance can prevent
the infliction of this terrible punishment
on those thus guilty.
7. H Wo unto the world because of offences ! for fit
must needs be that offences come, but ewo to that man
by whom the offence cometh !
fLuke xvli. 1 ; 1 Gor. xi. 19. BChap. xxvi. 24.
Wo UNTO THE WORLD, &c. Some Under-
stand by this, that a woe is pronounced
upon the world, or the inhabitants of the
earth, on account of the obstructions it
lays in the way of the spread of the
kingdom of God, either by its persecutions
or corrupting influences. Others take the
word woe rather as an exclamation of pity,
in view of the offenses which the world
receives from false members of the Church,
and its natural and strong inclination to
stumble over such ofienses. (See 2 Sam.
xii. 14 ; Rom. ii. 24 ; 1 Cor. x. 32.) Offenses,
stumbling-blocks. It must needs be, &c.
Of course the Saviour speaks not of an
absolute, but of a relative necessity, pro-
ceeding from the sinful state of the world.
Wo to tJiai man, &c., that is, curse or con-
demnation on him; he is performing the
devil's work, and must reap the devil's
reward. The two facts of Divine prescience
aj^d human responsibility, which are here
stated, all philosophy is bound to accept
as verities, whatever difficulty may attend
every eflbrt that is made logically to
reconcile them. As it consists with Divine
goodness to create free agents, so, conse-
quently, to permit offenses, and the justice
of God in punishing them cannot reasona-
bly be questioned, because He is no farther
concerned than in the creation of the
powers He bestows; the agents them-
selves only are chargeable with the abuse
of them, the necessity under which oflences
lie being only voluntary and moral. There
is no necessary connection between liberty
and sin : the one, indeed, is the gift of
God, the other, the free act of man.
8. •■'Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut
them ofi', and cast thew Ironi thee: it is better !or thee
to enter into lile hall or maimed, rather than having
two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9.
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it
Irom thee: it is better forthee to enter into lile with one
eye, rather than having two eves, to be cast into hell
fire.— hChap. v. 29, 30 ; Mark ix. 43, 45.
Our Lord here lays down the principle
that the best way to avoid the sin and
condemnation of being stumbling-blocks to
others, is to remove every cause of offense
in one's self. The eye is the chief avenue
by which sin enters, the hand^ is the symbol
of action, whether in the way of speech, or
manual operation, and the foot may be re-
garded as symbolizing the walk of life — a
man's waj's. (See on chap. v. 29, 30.) The
only difference between the words there
and here is, that there they refer to impure
inclinations ; here, to an ambitious dispo-
sition, an irascible or quarrelsome ten-qaer,
and the like: and the injunction is, to
perform spiritual amputation, to strike at
the root of such dispositions and cut off' the
occasions of them. Halt — lame. Maimed
— mutilated, as by a hand cut off. This
does not mean that the glorified bodies of
those in heaven will be mutilated or de-
ficient in any of their members, but that
it is better to go to heaven idthout any
CHAPTER XVIII.
189
such enjoyments, however dear, as are a
snare, than to have them here, and perish
at last. (Luke xvi. 25 ; liom. viii. 13 ; 1
Cor. ix. 26.) Everlasting fire Hell fire.
It is worse than vain, it is a wicked and
miserable deceit, to seek to elude the plain
teaching of Scripture here, and in so many
other places (see Isa. Ixvi. 24; Matt. iii. 12,
XXV. 41, 46; Rev. xiv. 11, xx. 10), concern-
ing the eternity of future punishment.
Men who deny this doctrine, only repeat
the devil's old argument, that we " shall
not surely die." (Gen. iii. 4.) The word
translated everlasting, is used in the great
majority of instances in the New Testa-
ment, of God, of the unseen and future
world, of the perpetuity of Christ's king-
dom (2 Peter i. 11), of the happiness of
the saints in heaven, and of eternal life.
Why, then, attempt to limit its import in
reference to the perdition of the ungodly?
Universalists instead of preaching down
hell, would do much better if they would
preach up Christ and heaven.
10. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little
ones: lor I say unto you, that in heaven 'their angels
do always ^behold the lace of nay Fathei* which is in
heaven.
iPs. xxxiv. 7 ; Zech. xiii. 7 ; Heb. i. 14. kEsth. 1. 14 ;
Luke i. 19.
Our Lord, resuming the train of instruc-
tion, which had been partially interrupted
by verses 7-9, proceeds to show more at
large the temper of mind which should be
cherished toward His disciples, and men-
tions some reasons why they should be
treated with much affection. Take heed —
beware. Despise not — ^treat not with disre-
spect and scorn, as though the)"^ were
mean, silly, and contemptible. (Rom.
xiv. 1, 3, 10 ; 1 Cor. viii. 9.) One of these
little ones. Those whom my grace has
made to be as " little children." (Yer. 6.)
For .... their angels. (See on iv. 6.) This
is the tirst consideration enforcing a
benevolent regard for Christians. Their —
the angels are theirs — ministering spirits
to them, and always intent to execute the
orders of the Heavenly King. Do always
behold, &c. According to Oriental custom,
monarchs are sequestered from the public
view, and none are admitted to see them,
but such as are in especial favor. (Ex.
xxxiii. 20 ; Num. vi. 25, 26 ; 1 Kings x. 8 ;
2 Kings XXV. 19 ; Esth. i. 14 ; Prov. xxii.
19; Dan. i. 5; Luke xxi. 36.) These
angels, when not sent from heaven to
other parts of the universe to do God's
will and pleasure, continually gaze upon
His countenance, being, like Himself,
tenderly concerned for the little ones
intrusted to their care. (Ps. cxiii. 5, 6.)
From this passage, and several others,
some have inferred that every individual
Christian has a guardian angel. In the
Old Testament we only read of guardian
angels of empires. (Dan. x. 13, 20.) But
at a later period the Jews believed also in
the existence of guardian angels for indi-
viduals. This was also true under the
New Testament. (Acts xii. 15.) If this
doctrine is not here admitted by Christ, it
is at least not disturbed. It has prevailed
more or less in every age of the Church,
The ministry of angels, which is founded
in the mediation of Christ, is a truth most
useful to be kept in mind, both by the
Church and by the world, in order both to
assure the hearts of God's people in the
hour of tribulation, and to awe the world
into deference and respect for " them who
shall be heirs of salvation."
11. Torthe Sonof maniscometosavethatwhich was
lost.— 'Jjuke ix. 50, and xix. 10 ; John iii. 17, and xii. 47.
Here is another reason for cherishing a
very kind regard for the disciples, even
for the humblest of them — the inestima-
ble price paid for their salvation. Man is
lost to himself, for he is neither wise nor
happy ; to others, to whom he is not use-
ful ; to God, whom he does not glorify ; to
earth, which he does not enjoy ; to heaven,
which he is not in the way to attain ; lost
in his body, which is passing through in-
tirmity, affliction and pain, to death and
corruption ; in his soul, which is going
through ignorance and folly, sin and guilt,
depravity and misery, to endless perdition.
Yet He who is the Son of God, His Word,
who created all things and upholds them
by His power, who is God, Jehovah (Heb.
i. 8), was made the Son of man, left His
state of glory and assumed our nature to
suffer and die in our stead. (See John i.
14, iii. 16 ; Rom. viii. 3 ; Gal. iv. 4 ; Phil,
ii. 6, 7 ; Heb. ii. 14, x. 5-9 ; 1 John iv. 9, 10.)
12. How think ve? if a man have^an hundred sheep,
and one of them be pone a«tray. doth he not leave the
ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and
seekpth that which is pone astray? 13. And if so be
that he find it. verilv I sav unto you, he rejoiceth more
of tliat shfcp. than of the ninety and nine which went
not astray.— "^IiUke xv. 4.
190
MATTHEW,
The fact that Jesus, having rescued and
restored His disciples from tlieir former
sinful and dangerous condition, feels a
very peculiar interest in them, is here
assigned, by way of argument and illustra-
tion, as the third reason why the most
lowly member of His family is to be re-
garded with love and respect. Some con-
struct, and we think justly, the words into
the mvimtains, with the preceding clause in
the sense, doth he not leave tlie ninety and
nine in (or upon) the mountains. The moun-
tains were grassy and well adapted for the
pasturing of sheep. This parable is given
more fully, though in a diti'erent context,
in Luke xv. 4-0, on which see notes.
Doth he not leave the ninety and nine, &c.
Dr. Chalmers understood this parable to
involve this idea : There are thousands of
worlds beside our own. They are inhubi-
ted. Our world, so far as we know, is the
only fallen one. Jesus left the ninety and
nine orbs that needed no salvation, because
guilty of no sin, and came after thife wan-
dering world, that needs to be recovered.
Sechcth that U'hich is gone astray. As the
specific effort of the shepherd had respect
not to the flock that remained on the
pasture, but to the one sheep that had gone
astray, the specific effort of the Son of
God, in His incarnation, ministry, death
and resurrection, has respect, not to the
worthy, but the unworthy. Rejoiceth more
of that sheep, &c. It is natural that there
should be more joy for a small portion,
which has been endangered, than for the
continued secure possession of a much
larger portion. So the mother rejoices at
her sick child's recovery more than at the
uninterrupted health of all the others ; and
the father rejoices more at the return of
his sailor boy from the perils of the sea, than
at the undisturbed security of all his
other children who h.id continued under
his roof. In such cases, the dispropor-
tionate joy arises from the unexpectedness
of the result, from the temporary uncer-
tainty concerning it; but as nothing of
this kind could find place with God, ■who
knows the end from the beginning, and in
whom earnest love for one of His ran-
somed people need not throw into the
background, even for the moment, love
and care for the others, of course the
analogy is not to be pressed bo f;.r in
relation to Him. Still, we are taught to
believe that God rejoices to see the prodigal
return. (Luke xv. 20, &c.) " The Lord
taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in
them that hope in His mercy."
14. Even so it is uot the will of your Father which is
in heaven, mat one of these little ones should perish.
It is significant that it is said here, "your-
Father," not as in verse 10, " my Father."
This phraseology implies the injunction
that the disciples, as the children of God,
should be like their Heavenly Father in
tenderly caring for the little ones. The
weaker a man is, the greater care we ought
to have of his salvation, as God teaches
tis by His own example. We are to use
all diligence in seeking to recover to the
way of righteousness those that have
formerly appeared to walk therein. (See
Eph. iv. 32; Heb. xii. 12, 13.)
15. \ Moreover, "if thy brother shall trespass against
thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him
alone: if he shall hear thee, "thou hast gained thy
brother.
"Lev. xix. 17 ; Luke xvii. 3. "James v. 20 ; 1 Peter iii. 1. .
The cautions respecting the high regard
which we ought to cherish toward the
disciples of Christ, were followed by direc-
tions how to regulate otir conduct, if a
Christian brother should do us wrong. Go
and tell him his fault. Do not wait till he
come to thee, but go at once to him in the
zeal of love and meekness of spirit, and try
to convince him in this spirit of the wrong
he has done. He may have injured you
unintentionally. (Gen xxi. 26.) His con-
duct may admit of explanation. (Josh,
xxii. 24.) At any rate, this friendly, faithful,
straightforward way of dealing is the most
likely to secure the desired result. (Lev.
xix. 17; Ps. cxii. 5; Prov. xxv. 15; Gal.
vi. 1.)
Bctiveen thee and him alone — so that there
will be no motive of pride to induce him
to make out a good case before a witness.
Do not break forth upon him in the pres-
ence of the unbelieving, but take him
aside. Do not blazon his offense abroad.
It can do no good. It does injury. It is
what the enemies of religion wish. To tell
a man his faults by himself, requires cour-
age, and makes on him the impression of
sympathy and love ; but to speak of them
in his absence, argues want of love, and
cowardice.
CHAPTER Xyill.
191
IJ he shall hear thee, i. e., hear so as to
yield to thy representations, and return to
his duty, as becometh a follower of Christ.
Thoii, hast gained thy brother. " By which
it is made plain," says an ancient writer,
" that enmities are a loss to both sides : for
Christ saith not *Thy brother hath saved
himself,' but 'Thou hast gained thy broth-
er,' which shows that both of you had suf-
fered loss by your disagreement." (Prov.
xi. 30, XV. 1, 2, 4; 1 Cor. vii. 16, ix. 19-22;
1 Peter iii. 1 ; James v. 19, 20.)
16. But if he wiU not hear thee, then take with thee
one or two more, that in I'the moutli of two or three
witnesses every word may be establislietl.
pDeut. X vii. fa", and xix. 15 ; John viii. 17 ; 2 Cor. xiii. 1 ;
Heb. X. 28.
Not hear thee. If he declines listening to
your expostulations and reproof, whether
from unwillingness to admit that the al-
leged offense is an ofTense at all, or a deter-
mination ui^t to give it up because he loves
it. Then take with thee one or two more. If
the private interview fail, take one or two
of the brethren to witness how just your
complaint is, and how brotherly your
spirit in dealing with him. That in the
mouth of two or three uitnesses every word, &c.
Rather " the ivhole matter may be establish-
ed." A rule similar in its import was
binding on the Jews. (Deut. xix. 15.) If
the difficulty was harmoniously adjusted,
no publicity was to be given to the affair.
(See John viii. 17; 2 Cor. xiii. 1; Heb. x.
28; 1 Tim. v. 19.)
17. And if he sliall neglect to hear them, tell it unto
the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let
him be unto tliee as an qlieathen man and a publican.
qKom. xvi. 17; 1 Cor. v. 9; 2 Thes. iii. 6, 14; 2 John 10.
Neglect to hear them. From this it is
evident that the witnesses present were to
assist in bringing the offender to a sense
of duty. The word rendered shall neglect
here, is a much stronger expression than
that employed in verse 16, having the
additional idea of willful obstinacy. Tell it
unto the church, bring him before the
church or congregation to which both
belong. (Acts vi. 1-3 ; 1 Cor. vi. 1-4 ;
Acts xiii. 1-3.) Who can tell but the heart
which has been unmoved by private
remonstrances, may be -moved by the fear
of public exposure ?
But if he neglect to hear the church, i. e., if
he disregards the admonitions, counsels
and discipline of the church. The term is
stronger than " not hearing," implying
something of contumacy. Let him be unto
tliee, &c. Regard him no longer as a
brother Christian, but as one "without" —
as the Jews did Gentiles and publi-
cans. Do not hate him (chap. v. 44-8), but
treat him as you do other men not
connected with the church, until he repents,
and renders himself, by God's grace, wor-
thy of being received again into Christian
fellowship. (Comp. Rom. xvi. 17; 1 Cor.
v. 11, 13 ; 2 Cor. ii. 6, 7 ; 2 Thes. iii. 6, 14 ;
2 Tim. ii. 21 ; Titus iii. 10 ; 2 John 10.)
This passage shows that every congrega-
tion has the power of excluding disobedient
and refractory members from jjarticipation
in its ordinances. Church discipline is
according to the mind of Christ, and when
wisely exercised, is calculated to promote a
church's well being.
18. Verily I say unto you, "-Whatsoever ye shall bind
on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever
ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.
'Chap. xvi. 19 ; John xx. 23 ; 1 Cor. v. 4.
The constituted court of Christ's Church
has authority to pronounce upon all such
cases, and their decisions, on Scriptural
grounds, shall have sanction from above.
This authority He has given to the Church
in order to secure her purity and peace,
and if she proceeds in the performance of
these duties in the temper and process
prescribed by Him as the great Head of
the Church, she but executes His laws,
and she will be sustained by God Himself.
While this promise was primarily ad-
dressed to the Apostles, who, in the ad-
ministration of discipline, could not err,
because they acted under the immediate
guidance of the Spirit, it cannot be doubted,
that it, as well as the formula of discipline
in verses 15-17, was given to the Church
through all time. As these words, which
only a short time before were spoken to
Peter (xvi. 16), are here addressed to all
the Twelve, it is evident that they meant
nothing peculiar to Peter, far less to his
pretended successors at Rome.
19. 'Again I say unto you. That if two of you shall
agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall
ask, <it shall be done for them of my Father which is in
heaven.— 'Chap. v. 24. <1 John iii. 22 and v. 14.
Our Lord thus assured the Apostles, who,
in their important relation to the Church,
would need special direction from heaven,
that it was not necessary that the whole
company should always be together in
order to consult and pray ; if only two
192
MATTHEW,
should unite in seeking a knowledge of
the Divine will, their prayer would be
heard, and whatsoever they should ask
for, as connected with their official capac-
ity, they should receive it. We are to
regard this also as a general promise en-
couraging social prayer. Two, or more of
yon, or of any of my disciples, for instance
husband and wife, shall agree, literally be
symphonious, referring primarily tonmsical
harmony. There must be prayer in living
and loving union — by kindred spirits,
members of one family, servants of one
Lord, constrained by the same love, fight-
ing under one banner, cheered by assu-
rances of the same victory. The harmony
of two hearts in prayer indicates that the
same Spirit is in both. This union in prayer
is the innermost and highest unity of the
people of God. The on earth corresponds
to the my Father which is in heaven. Touching
any thing, &c. There must be, not an agree-
ment merely to pray in concert, but to
pray for some definite tiling. And in praying
to our Heavenly Father, whose heart is full
of tenderness, we must remember that
He has all knowledge, and that His promise
does not have respect to any improper
fancies of men, but to petitions conformed
to what He sees is right and suitable. That
the promise has no reference to an}^ selfish
prayer, which two or more may unite in
offering, is self-evident. (Mark x. 35. It
shall be done for them. If the prayer is pre-
sented in faith, and the thing asked for is
conducive to our good and to the glory of
God, we may be sure of a favorable answer.
The fewness of the petitioners shall be no
bar to the proper answer from God. Not
for nothing (as appears from the following
verse) does Jesus say, of my Father, not
your Father. (See John ix. 31 ; Matt. vii.
11 ; Luke xviii. 1 ; James iv. 3.)
20. For where two or three are pnthored together in
my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Where, let it be where it will— in the
sanctuary, or in the private dwelling, or
in the barn, or in the field. (1 Cor. i. 2.)
Two or three, if there be no more. It was
not without design that our Lord specifies
such a few. This would rectify the mis-
take of the Jews, who contended that
there must be always ten persons present,
at least, to give efficacy to social prayer.
It would also encourage His followers,
when, in meeting together, their number
should be small, either from choice or
necessity. Gathered together. Not only
does the fact of agreement seem essential
to the fulfillment of the full measure of
the promise (verse 19), but the fact of being
gathered together is made a condition no
less essential. In addition to there being
unity of aim and desire, this unity must
be visible. In my name. It is essential
that the worship be in Christ's name. We
cannot worship in His name unless we do
it by His authority, for His sake, and in
dependence on His mediation, depend-
ence on Him for strength to serve Him,
and for the acceptance of our persons and
services, through the infinite value of His
obedience, sacrifice and intercession.
There am I in the midst of them. The
expression is much more emjihatic and
decisive than if it had a future form, I
shall be with them. For it amounts to
this : It is always a present truth — I am
with them. In no age of the world, in no
country, shall this be untrue. This cannot
be understood of Christ's corporeal pres-
ence, for He said, " I am no more in the
world." It is also to be distinguished from
His essential presence, for by this He is
everywhere, and fills heaven and earth.
It means a peculiar and gracious presence.
He does not say what he will do there, but
only that he is there. He is in the midst
of all who are gathered together in His
name, however small their number may
be, to be the living conductor of the prayer
of the believing suppliants upward and the
answer downward, to enliven their devo-
tions, hear their complaints, relieve their
wants, give them grace and glory, and
withhold no good thing from them. He
is there to pardon the guilty, enrich the
poor, comfort the mourners, be the father
of the fatherless, and the judge of the
widow in His holy habitation.
21. Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how
oft shall mv brother sin against me, and I lorgive him ?
utill seven times? 22. Jesus saith unto him, I say not
unto thee, Until seven times : 'but, Until seventy times
seven.
uLuke -xvii. 4. iChap. vi. 14 : Mark xi. 25 ; Col. iii. 13.
Peter wanted to have a number specified,
beyond which he need not forgive. Self-
love continually fears, lest it should go tof)
far and give too much. A sin, or offense,
1
CHAPTER XVIII.
193
properly such, is that which is given
wantonly, maliciously and without any
provocation. In suggesting seven, Peter
seems to have had in his mind some Phar-
isaical formula : probably he thought the
allowance was liberal, and expected to be
approved for his magnanimity. The
doctrine is, that it is not lawful to set any
limit to the principle and the practice of
forgiving injuries. This rule, however,
must of course be interpreted with sober-
minded qualification. The duty of such a
succession of pardons is founded upon the
supposition of the offender's sincere re-
pentance (Luke xvii. 3), and the absence
of any danger from his machinations.
There must be foithfulness to the evil-doer
himself; he must be seasonably and
prudently rebuked for his fault. (Luke
xvii. 3.) All that our Lord means is, that
we are to study and exercise a general
spirit of mercy and forgiveness toward
our brethren.
23. Therefore is the kinRclom of heaven likened unto
a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Therefore, to the end that you may un-
derstand the better what I say. The
kingdom of heaven refers here to God's
dealings with men under the Gospel dis-
pensation. King, the symbol here of God,
who is King of the universe. (Rev. xix.
16.) This is the first of the parables in
which God appears in the character of a
King. Which would take account of, i. e.
settle accounts with. Servants. These
servants were not slaves, the property of
their master, for afterward it is assumed
that he may sell them, not as an ordinary
right, but as the special penalty incurred
by an insolvent debtor. The term desig-
nates collectors of the revenue or governors of
provinces. A king, in ancient times and
Oriental regions, entered into pecuniary
transactions with his servants, or attend-
ants, on a great scale. Sometimes one was
appointed by him the governor of a
wealthy province, and another, as farmer
of the taxes of a district, both paying a
certain annual sum for their positions, as
is still customary in Turkey and in the
East. We are the servants with whom
God takes account. Yet this is not the
final reckoning referred to in Matt. xxv.
19 ; 2 Cor. v. 10 ; but rather such as that
13
of Luke xvi. 2, and that of the barren fig-
tree, when the owner comes and makes a
certain investigation, but does not yet close
the season of grace — the day of salvation.
24. And when he had begun to reckon, one was
brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand
talents.
Reckon. (See on verse 23.) One. The
greatest debtor was not selected, but the
very first that came to the king's hand,
was found to be a great defaulter — to owe
a very large sum. Everybody ought to
reckon himself that one, for we have all
manifold short-comings. (Comp. v. 35,
XX. 12, 13.) Brought unto him. It was no
willing act on the part of this servant. He
sought it not. This settlement only
troubled his soul. He had no desire to
face his creditor. What a perfect contrast
to the prodigal, who in genuine repentance
says, " I will arise and go to my father."
Instead of going with our sin to God, our
great creditor, to have it expunged by His
mercy, we keep at a distance from Him,
and the effect of this is, that wo are
treasuring up additional debt and wrath
against the day of wrath. (Rom. ii. 5. See
on verse 23.)
Ten thousand talents. A vast but indefinite
sum is here meant, with the design of
showing the weight of obligation when
lenity had been exercised toward such a
debtor. A myriad was the highest number
in the Greek notation. The talent referred
to was probably of silver, for in all num-
bers occurring in ancient authors, gold is
never to be supposed, unless mentioned.
If so, the debt amounted to between ten and
fifteen millions of dollars — such a debt,
indeed, as could only have been contracted
by one who, representing his sovereign in
some wealthy province of an Eastern
empire, had squandered in boundless
extravagance revenues that should have
swelled the public treasury. This enormous
sum, representing, as it does, sins of omis-
sion and commission, internal and external
sins, in thoughts, desires, words and
actions (P.s. xix. 13), leaves us no hope of
being able to pay our debt to the Divine
law, and lays on each man a load of guilt
enough to sink not one, but ten thousand
souls into perdition.
25. But forasmuch as he had not to p.-vy, his lord com-
manded him yto be sold, and liis wife, and children, and
all that he had, and payment to be made.
194
MATTHEW,
Had not to pay. He was hound to pay,
but had not the means to do so. So
it is true of the sinner. It is not that he
is just short of the whole sum by which
he might clear his account with God — but
he has absolutely nothing which can in
the least i>ass current in such a settlement
as God requires in the affairs of his soul.
And thus, by this spiritual bankruptcy, he
has fallen into the hands of the living
God, and exposed himself to the whole
penalty due to his misdeeds. Commanded
1dm to he sold, &c. This custom of selling
debtors, how cruel soever we justly account
it, was, in early ages, established by the
laws of many countries in Eurojie, as well
as in Asia, republican, as well as mon-
ai'chical. It was also in accordance Avith
Jewish ideas and manners. (See Lev.
XXV. 39 ; 2 Kings iv. 1 ; Amos viii. 6.)
The debtor, however, had a right to kind
and brotherly treatment during all his
servitude, and whether the debt was paid
out or not, freedom came with the seventh
year, so that his bandage was a sort of
apprenticeship. This part of the parable
may indicate the heavy penalty of sin —
namely, to be " sold into the hands of the
enemv." (See Judges ii. 14, iii. 8 ; iv. 2,
X. 7 ; also Isaiah 1. 1 ; Ps. xliv. 12.)
The sdllng of the icife and children is a
completing feature of the parable, but may
incidentally teach us that the consequences
of our sins are not confined to us, but
often drag those into ruin— e. g. poverty,
disgrace, &c. — that are nearest and dearest
to us. And all that he had. Thus stripped
of his possessions, the servant had truly
nothing left to pay the balance of the
great debt. And payment to he made. That
the proceeds f^om the sale are not
sufficient, does not alter the command.
God reveals Himself unto men first as a
holy and righteous God in His law and sen-
tence of condemnation, and this must be
felt by them.
26. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped
him, sayinf.'. Lord, have patience with me, and I will
pay thee all.
Fell don-n, &c., " prostrated himself at his
feet." Have patience with me, &c. No com-
plaint is made against the sentence as if it
were unjust in principle, or excessive in
degree ; the culprit only asks, in the
extreme fear and anguish of the moment,
that the judge will not act hastily toward
him, and thus the righteousness of the
verdict is tacitly acknowledged. His
promise to pay means nothing more than
his desire to escape. This is not the
language of genuine conversion ; its cry
and conviction is, " I am not worthy,"
" poor, miserable, blind and naked." The
words of this servant prove nothing on
the part of him whom he represents, but
blind ignorance, unbelief and presumption
as to what sin is, the guilt of the sinner,
and the holiness and justice of God. No
future obedience, even if it were perfect,
which it will prove far from being, can
make up for past disobedience. Yet,
through Christ, God accepts our surrender
of all and forgives. (See verse 34.)
27. Then the lord of that servant was moved with
compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Payment being hopeless, the master is,
first, moved with compassion ; next,
liberates his debtor from prison, and then
cancels the debt freely. The severity of
God only endures till the sinner is brought
to recognize his guilt. It is, indeed, only,
like Joseph's harshness, love in disguise.
He is a gracious God, and has a fatherly
heart. (Isa. i. 18 ; Ezek. xxxiii. 10, 11 ;
Rom. V. 20, 21.) He wounds that he may
heal, kills, that he may make alive. He
does not forgive on account of our merits,
but in infinite mercy for His Son's sake,
in whom there is such a worth as to exceed
our sins.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of
his fellow-servants, whiili owed him an hundred pence:
and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat,
saying, Pay me that thou owest.
The same servant. The very last man we
should have expected to be guilty of such
conduct. Went out. Mark this expression !
If the fellow-servant had come to him
before the reckoning, or while yet he was
in his Master's presence, he would not
have dared to act the tyrant, but " out of
sight, out of mind." A danger of sinning
attends the very joy of restored liberty.
(John v. 14 ; 2 Kings xx. 13.) When is it
that we forget our obligation to God, and
our respon.sibilities to Him? AVhen, like
Cain, we go out from God's presence.
Found one of his fellow-servants, one of his
fellow-officers under the king. How easy
to find a debtor if we seek one ! ]Mark
CHAPTER XVI I r.
195
the difference here. The first case is that
of master and servant ; in this case both
stand, though probably not in the same
station, in the same relation of servants to
a common lord.
Which owed him an hundred j)ence. The
word rendered pence expresses a coin equal
to about fifteen cents of our money. The
amount is comparatively small, as is fit
between servant and servant ; the small-
ness of the debt brings the cruelty of the
creditor out in high relief. He owed his
lord some ten or fifteen millions of dollars,
yet could not forgive about fifteen dollars.
Took him by the throat. He throttled him
— half choking him by seizing his throat.
He could not have treated the poor man
worse had he been, not his fellow-servant,
but his slave ; not a debtor, but a robber.
It is the conduct of a harsh, heartless
bully, and shows that the mercy of the
king toward him had not reached his
frozen heart, or brought forth one gentle,
loving, forbearing thought there.
Pay me ivhcd thou ovest. That the man
had a right to demand this payment, thei-e
is no reason to doubt, yet the exaction of
right may not always be right in the sight
of God. He wanted everything for noth-
ing himself, but he wanted to let nobody
have anything for nothing from him.
When we look to God as simi^ly an ex-
actor of duties, we go forth in the same
spirit, and are ourselves the greatest ex-
actors of duties from others ; but when,
on the other hand, we learn to look upon
God, not in the light of an exactor of
aught, but as a giver of all, we become
holier and freer ourselves.
29. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and
besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I
will pay thee all.
The same attitude and the same words
which drew compassion from his master
are here employed toward himself by his
fellow-servant. This itself ought to have
reminded him of his duty to forgive as he
had been forgiven.
30. And he would not : but went and cast him into
prison, till he should pay the debt.
The more he was entreated, the more
severe and harsh he becomes. Would not
— opposed to moved with compctssion. (Verse
27.) He would not even " have patience."
Here is the climax of depravitj^, to be beg-
gars with God and tyrants to our brethren.
Went. Dragging his prisoner along till he
could hand him over to the jailor. This
shows that the violence exhibited at first
was not owing to a transient excitement.
Cast. By which he invaded the right of
his lord. Into prison — unto the debtor's
ward. He knows nothing of remission,
stands upon his right, and will act accord-
ing to rigid justice. Ignorance or forgetful-
ness of his own guilt mafees him harsh.
(See Gal. vi. 1 ; Titus iii. 3.) Till he should
pay the debt. How could he pay it when
confined in prison ? It seems ditficult to
avoid the conclusion that our Lord meant
to teach that for the unforgiven man there
is no possibility of ever exhausting the
penalty of the law. (See on verse 34, and
verse 36.)
31. So when his fellow-servants saw what wa.s done,
they were very sorry, and came and told unto their
lord all that was done.
Saw irhat was done, the great injustice and
impudence of such an act, on the part of
one so recently laid under the heaviest
obligations'to their common master. Sorry.
Not anger, but sorrow, is man's proper mood
toward sin, for all men are sinners. Wrath
against sin is the projjer attribute of God.
(See verse 34.) Came and. told, &c. God's
saints are forever laj'ing the sins of men
before Him in confessory prayer. But
God's own omniscience is forever taking
cognizance of man's sins.
32. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said
unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all
that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33. Shouldst
not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-ser-
vant, even as I had pity on thee ?
After that he had -called him. The ques-
tion, whether after a man's sins have been
all freely forgiven by God, he may yet fall
from grace, does not here require discus-
sion. This W'icked servant is no repre-
sentative of a pardoned sinner, the scope
of the parable being not to teach the
whole plan of salvation, but merely to set
forth, in its strongest light, the absolute
necessity of a forgiving disposition. Wicked
servant. The language is most severe. No
man is so wicked as he that sins against
light, excepting the man that sins against
mercy. I forgave thee all (hat debt (as soon
as, and), because thou desiredst me, out of
free grace, without any desert and wor-
thiness. The unmerciful supplies God
with weapons against himself. ShouUht
196
:M A T T H E W ,
not thou also, &c. The argument a fortiori
is here employed. If I forgave you that
great debt, much more should you have
forgiven your fellow-servant the trifle he
owed you. God first exercises compassion
and afterward desires and expects it of us.
No answer of the unmerciful servant is
recorded. (See Matt. xxii. 12.)
34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the
tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Wroth — angry. Here is represented
God's holy and punitive indignation.
Tormentors, inflicters of chastisements.
Criminals were often condemned to scourg-
ing. There are tormentors in the world
of woe — fellow-sinners, and evil angels —
instruments of the just, yot terrible
judgments of God. (See Luke xvi. 28 ;
Matt. XXV. 41.) Till he should pay, &c.
Until with nothing he could pay fifteen
millions of dollars — that is, for evermore.
His condition was remediless. " Till " does
not indicate the time when punishment will
cease, but the time up to which it will
continue. Since man can never pay the
slighte.st portion of the debt he owes to
God, the making the payment of all the '
condition of his deliverance from punish-
ment, is the strongest possible way of
expre.ssing the eternal duration of his
punishment.
35. 'So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also
unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one
his brother tlieir trespasses.
^Prov.xxi. 13; chap. vi. VZ; Mark xi. 26: James ii. 13.
So likewise — in this spirit, or on this prin-
ciple. My heavenly Father, Jesus does not
say, your Father, for whosoever is so
unmerciful, is not worthy to be reckoned
a child of God. (Eph. iv. 32.) Do also
unto you, &c. If we do not from the heart,
not in appearance merely, but inwardly,
sincerely, fully, forgive those who do us
wrong, God will not forgive us our sins
against Him, but will condemn us to the
punishment they deserve. (Comp. \i. 12.)
As certainly as there is no kingdom of
God without forgiveness being received by
us, so certainly is there no kingdom of
God without forgiveness being exercised by
us. (Chapter v. 7.) A man without com-
passion, has all against him, God and the
world, and meets as many adversaries in
judgment as he had associates in life.
(Eph. iv. 32.)
1. What did the disciples say to Jesus? 2. How did Christ reply? 3. Who is represented as " greatest in the
kingdom of heaven?" 4. What is said concerning any one '-who shall offend one of these little ones?" 5.
What is said of " offenses? " 6. Explain verses 8 and 9. 7. What is the reason for " not despising one of these
little ones?" 8. What did the Son of man come to save? 9. Repeat the parable of the "lost sheep." 10. What
does it teach ? 11. How are we to act toward a tresspassing broxher ? 12. Explain verses 19 and 20. 13. What is
taught in the parable of " a certain king ? "
CHAPTER XIX.
2 Oirist healeth the sick: 3 ansioereth the Pharisees
concerning divorcement: 10 sheioeth when marriage
is necessary : 13 recelveth little children : 10 i.nstructeth
the young man how to attain eternal life, 20 and how to
be perfect: 23 telleth his dijsciples how hard it is for a
rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, 27 and
prmniseth retvard to those that forsake any thing to
foUoiv him.
AND it came to pa-ss, "that when Jesus had finished
these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came
into the coa-sts of Judea beyond Jordan ; 2. i>And great
multitudes followed him, a"nd he healed them there.
'Mark x. 1 ; John x. 40. ^Chap. xii. 15.
These sayings, probably the collective
sayings of Christ in Galilee, now complete.
Departed, &c. This was the Redeemer's
farewell to Galilee, his last journey from
that region to Jerusalem. It was with
reference to the fact that this region had
been the main scene of His ministry, that
the celebrated Julian, the apostate, who
was providentially slain in the midst of
his efforts to destroy Christianity, ex-
claimed with his expiring breath, " Thou
hast conquered, O Galilean !" Coasts of
Judea, &c., — not merely came to Perea, but
traveled through it. (See Mark x. 1.)
Followed him, to hear His wonderful
words, and see Him confirming them by
His works.
CIIAPTEE XIX.
197
3. H The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting
him, and saying unto him. Is it lawful for a man to put
away his wife lor every cause ?
Tempting him — according to their usual
habit; endeavoring to ensnare Him. The
mooted question about divorce which they
proposed, was a dangerous one, generally,
in the country of the Jews, but especially
in Perea, in the dominions of Herod
Antipas, who had put away his first wife
and married one divorced from his brother
Philip. They knew that a decision of the
question by Jesus either Avay would ex-
pose Him to censure, and, on one side,
might bring upon Hiin the fate of John
the Bai^tist, for a similar declaration. Is
it lawful, &c. Is it according to the law for
a man to divorce his wife for anything
whatever that may displease him. The
question related to the right interpretation
of Deut. xxiv. 1.
4. And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not
read, 'that he which made thrin at tlie beginning made
tliem male and female, 5. And said,<iFor this cause
shall a mau leave father and niotlur, and shall cleave
to his wife : and nhey twain shall be one flesh ?
<^Gen. i. 27, v. 2 ; Mai. ii. 15. dGen. ii. 24 ; Mark x. 5-9 ;
Eph. V. 31. el Cor. vi. 16, vii. 2.
He answered, irrespective of any govern-
ing power, and fearless of any snare. Have
ye not read. (See Mark x. 3-12, where, in
the discussion of this subject, there is a
somewhat different arrangement.) The
authenticity and the Divine authority of
the Pentateuch are here directly and
distinctly recognized. At the beginning.
The argument in this and the verse fol-
lowing is, that God, at the beginning of
Uie world, created man and woman, not
arbitrarily, or independent of, but /or each
other, as suitable and adapted to each
other, in order that they should live
together in perfect union, and that hence
married persons are to be regarded, not as
two, but one, and therefore, by the Divine
law, no divorce can be permitted. (See
Gen. i. 27.) Made them (man as a race)
nude (not a male) and female (not a female.)
That the marriage tie is to be restricted to
one, and no more, on either side, is corrob-
orated by the following considerations: 1.
The fact that the two sexes are perpetually
preserved in an approximate equality in
point of number. 2. The immense evils,
personal, domestic and civil, that have
ever arisen where this great law has been
violated. 3. The unequivocal teaching of j
the Bible on the subject (1 Cor. vii. 2.) I
Though polygamy was practised in Patri-
archal and Jewish times, it was never
sanctioned by God.
And said. The words of Adam (Gen. ii.
24), are here words of God. It is all the
same, for Adam uttered these words
prophetically as a paradisaical, divine,
fundamental ordinance. For this cause.
Because God intended that the two sexes
should live together in pairs. In wedlock
there is a natural and a moral bond. Shall
a man leave, literally, ivholly forsake, father
and mother. The relation of parent and
child may seem close, but there is one
closer still to which it must yield. Shall
cleave — adhere firmly. The Greek word is
from a noun, signifying glue, and the
metaphor most forcibly intimates that
nothing but death can separate them.
Shall be one flesh. They are two halves of
one whole, forming one person, in affection
and interest, and so to continue as long as
both are in the flesh. The Futures indi-
cate the necessary realization of the
original relation and condition of the sexes
in marriage. The essential bond of marriage
consists in the unity in the flesh, not in
that of the soul, by which latter, indeed,
the marriage state should ever be hallowed
and sweetened, but without which it still
exists in all its ]>inding power, for this
life. (Matt. xxii. 30 ; Luke xx. 35 ; 1 Tim.
iii. 2.)
(!. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh.
W^hat tlierefore 'God hath joined together, let not man
pvit asvinder.
flMal. ii. 14; Rom. vii. 2; 1 Cor. vii. 10; Eph. v. 28;
Heb. xiii. 4.
Wherefore. This is the inevitable infer-
ence from the original constitution of the
marriage relation. No more twain, no
longer two, as they were before. What;
that which, not those which, for they are now
one flesh. Joined together, made one. Let
not man ptU asunder. Jesus thus rejects
the principle of divorce unqualifiedly as a
human sundering of what God has indis-
solubly united. It cannot be done in
any case but that mentioned in v. 9,
without crime, except by death. (1 Gor.
V. 10, 11.) How opposed to this Divine
command are many of the legislative
enactments by which divorces are granted
so freely in our day. The Christian Cliurch,
by adopting these words into all its formu-
laries of solemnizing marriage, ought not
198
MATTHEW,
to recognize the validity of any divorce,
except for the one stated by our Lord,
7. Tliey say unto him, sWliy did Moses then com-
mand to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her
away ? 8. He saith unto them, Moses because of the
hardness of your hearts sutl'ered you to put away your
wives : but from the beginning it was not so. 9. And I
say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wile except
it he for fornication, and shall marry another, commit-
teth adultery : and whoso marrieth her which is put
away doth commit adultery.
?Deut. xxiv 1 : chap. v. 31: Mark x. 4. tchap v. 32;
Mark x. 11 ; Luke xvi. 18 ; Rom. vii. 3 : 1 Cor. vii. 10, 11.
Why did Moses, &c. The Pharisees ob-
jected tliat Moses had given tlie Jews
permission to put away their wives by
giving tlie wife a bill of divorcement.
(Deut. xxiv. 1.) Thus the authority of
Moses seemed to be arrayed against that
of Jesus. Moses because of the hardness, &c.
Jesus acknowledged that a relaxation of
the strictness of the marriage bond was
permitted by the law of Moses, but only as
tolerating, not as approving, and only to
prevent greater evils. It was found to be
necessary and expedient fi-om the " hard-
ness of the hearts " of the Jews, which
would have brooked no restraint of the
kind hei-e referred to. They were not
commanded to divorce their wives in the
circumstances specified, but were only
suffered to do so, on account of their intract-
able and stubborn disposition. And they
were required to give the wife a bill of
divorcement, an arrangement calculated to
prevent undue haste in the transaction,
and designed continually to bring back the
husband who was wishing for a divorce,
to the bar of his conscience, and to compel
him to make it clear to his own mind,
whether it was not a want of affection
arising from his own hardness of heart,
which produced this wish, rather than any
defect existing in his wife. Moreover,
though it is true, that as far as the Mosaic
statute or the civil law was concerned,
husbands had a right thus to separate
from their wives, yet it is equally clear
that the ground of legal separation would
not absolve a man from his amenability to
his conscience and his God.
But from the beginning, &c. In the
original state of things in Paradise. The
first instance of polygamy is recorded in
Gen. iv. 19, and it deserves special notice
that it occurs in the line of Cain, not in
that of Seth. This is repeated by our
Lord (see v. 4), in order to impress upon
his audience the temporary and purely
civil character of this Mosaic relaxation.
In every discussion or interpretation, re-
course should be had to the origin of a
Divine institution. (See Acts xv. 7.) The
Governor of the Universe suffers many
things which he does not sanction. He
allows things to be in the infancy of the
race, which he expressly reprobates and
prohibits in its maturer growth and devel-
opment, and always in principle. How-
ever inexplicable this may be to us now,
we shall be able to understand and exi^lain
it hereafter.
I sag unto you. The great Lawgiver gives
to the written word its complement, per-
fection and meaning. The statement is
plain. Adultery is the only sufficient
reason of divorce. (See Rom. vii. 3 ; 1
Cor. vii. 39.) Want of " spiritual affinity,"
intemperance, neglect to provide for the
family, desertion, are not sufficient causes
for divorce. Separation from " bed and
board" is doubtless justifiable in cases of
great and long protracted intemperance,
and of neglect to provide. Whatever the
law of any State may permit, the Churches
of Christ must require their members to
conform to the law of marriage as defined
by Christ ; and ministers of the Gospel
should not allow themselves to be partici-
pants in the crime by uniting in marriage
persons the one or the other of whom,
according to our Lord's interpretation of
the original law, is already in the marriage
relation. It is clear from the tenor of
the whole passage, that the marriage
relation ought to be highly reverenced
and honored. It ought never to be con-
tracted unadvisedly, lightly or wantonly,
but soberly, discreetly, and with due
consideration. Its proper observance is
attended by every quiet virtue. The
orderly family is the foundation of the
orderly society. Those who have entered
into this relation, since they form as it were
one body, should also have one mind and
heart, and live together as heirs of the
grace of eternal life.
10. K His disciples say unto him, 'If the case of the
man be so with hU wife, it is not good to marry. 11.
But he said unto them.JAIl mm cannot receive this
saying, save they to whom it is given. 12. For there
are some eunuchs, which were so born from their
mothers womb : and there are some eunuchs, wliich
were made eunuchs of men: and kthere be punuchs.
which have made themselves eunuchs lor the kingdom
CHAPTER XIX.
199
of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him
receive it.
iProv. xxi. 19. jl Cor. vii. 2. 7, 9, 17. i^l Cor. vii. 32, 34,
ix. 5, 15.
Of the man, i. e., of the husband. Our
word husband cornea from the Anglo-Saxon
Jiiis and band: the bond of the house,
anciently spelt house-bond. It is not good,
ikc. Most of the Jews at this time regarded
a person's supposed inconvenience as
sufficient to justify a divorce. The dis-
ciples, therefore, who had grown up in
the midst of such practices, speaking
hastily, and under the influence of their
habitual impressions, said, that in this
view of marriage — as the husband was
joined indissolubly to his wife, and she
might prove to be a woman unworthy, and
ill-adapted to render him happy, unless
the power of divorce from such a woman
were possessed, it was, in their estimation,
preferable not to marry at all. Before we
enter into an engagement, which nothing
but death can dissolve, we had need to act
cautiously, carefully consulting the uill
and ivord, of God. Where an unbridled
2)assion, or a base love of money, leads the
way, marriage is sure to be miserable.
This saying, i. e., " it is not good to
marry." We are not to understand our
Lord as acquiescing in this rash general
{jroposition of His disciples, else could not
the Apostle have said, as he did, respect-
ing this very matter, " I have no command-
ment of the Lord" (1 Cor. vii. 25), when
giving us his private opinion, that because
of the then " present distress," it was not
good to marry, neither would he have
spoken of " forbidding to marry" (1 Tim.
iv. 3), as among the most prominent marks
of the great apostacy. All men cannot
receive, &c., i. e., as the human species is to
be continued, and in reference to the great
mass of men, the marriage state grows
out of the very principles and propensities
implanted in their nature by the Creator, all
men cannot assent to this saying. Save they,
&c. Any exception to the universality of
the matrimonial necessity and duty, is
with a rare few — those to v:hom it is given (of
God), i. e., those who are possessed of such
a physical constitution or temperament,
such self-control and Divine qualitications,
as to overcome this desire for the marriage
state. If persons have reason to regard
themselves as among these cases of excep-
tion, and are, in a judicious manner,
disposed to act on the saying of the
disciples, they are at liberty to do so. Who
are these ? the disciples would naturally
ask, and this our Lord proceeds to tell
them in three particulars.
Eunuchs. The term means, literally, a
bed-keeper, chamberlain. There was such
a class in the East, subjected to a cruel
degradation, and employed to guard the
females in the harems. So born, naturally
incajiacitated for the marriage state, or
indisposed to it. Made eunuclis of men,
mutilated in infancy, through the avarice
or policy of men. It may also refer to all
such as, against their own inclination, are
prevented from marrying by the caprice
of men, or through unjust regulations im-
posed ujDon society. Made themselves eunuchs,
&c., that is, who have denied themselves
the liberty of marriage, not for the purpose
of meriting the kingdom of heaven, but in
order thereby to devote themselves more
entirely to the kingdom of God (1 Cor. vii.
7, 32-35, ix. 12) ; or, being married, are
ever ready to sacrifice their conjugal en-
joyments for the sake of their spiritual
calling — having wives as though they had
none. (1 Cor. vii. 29.) Origen fell into
sad error on this point, carrying out the
literal purport of this clause. And some
forbid marriage to the clergy, which is
denounced by the Apostle as " a doctrine
of devils." (1 Tim. iv. 1, 3.) Yet, in
almost every age of the Church, especially
when pioneer missionary work is to be
performed, it seems desirable that some
of Christ's ministers shall, for a time at
least, remain unmarried.
He that is able to receive it, &c. '' He who
feels this to be his proper vocation, let
him embrace it." All the Apostles did not
receive it, that is, did not live unmarried.
(1 Cor. ix. 5.) Thus, all is left free in this
matter. There is no excessive sanctity in
celibacy, and no compulsion to marry ;
but every one, priest and people, must act
according to their own personal discretion,
constitution, feelings, nature ; either come
under the law by which marriage is regu-
lated, or have nothing to do with it at all.
" From whence it follows," says Burkitt,
" that men and women are not by monas-
200
MATTHEW.
tical vows to be obliged to live a single life,
which some cannot perform without sin."
13. 'Then were there brought unto him little children,
that he should put his hands ou them, and pray : and
the disciples ^rebuked them.
'Mark x. 13 ; Luke xviil. 15. "Chap. xvi. 22 ; Luke ix.
49, 50.
Little children. They were doubtless
brought by their parents, who, not content
with having received a blessing for them-
selves, entreat this now for their little ones
also. Put his hands on them, &c. It was
customary among the Jews when one
prayed for another who was present, to
lay his hands upon the person's head.
(Gen, xviii. 14 ; Matt. ix. 18.) This imposi-
tion of hands Avas practiced especially in
paternal blessing, ((ien. xlviii. 14-20.) Re-
buked them, i. e., the parents. (Mark x. 13.)
In administering this rebuke the disciples,
beside desiring further elucidation con-
cerning marriage and divorce, may have
been mainly influenced by zeal for their
Master, and concern for His repose: yet
on this occasion, as on others, it was against
the mind of Christ. (Chap. xv. 23 ; Luke
xviii. 39, 40.)
It is well for us that Christ has more love
and tenderness than the best of His disci-
ples have. It is our duty, having first dedi-
cated ourselves, to consecrate our children
to the Lord in reliance upon His promise
and power. The promise is to us, and
" our seed." The souls of young children
are evidently precious in God's sight. They
are capable of receiving grace. Their
parents are their trustees, empowered by
nature to transact for their benefit, and
therefore Christ accej^ts their dedication
of them as their act and deed.
14. But Jesus said. Suffer little children, and forbid
them not, to come unto me, for "of such Is the kingdom
of heaven.— "Chap, xviii. 3.
An infant was to the eye of Christ an
object of stupendous importance, a subject
of immeasurable potentialities, a life for
endless development and wondrous desti-
nies. He saw the oak in the acorn, the
waving harvests in the little seed. Suffer,
&c. It was a devotedness highly gratify-
ing to Him, and the disciples interfered
very improperly. Our Lord does not say,
sufier these children, but suflTer all little
children to come unto me. What precious
words are these from the lips of Jesus !
How many dying children have lisped
them in their last moments ! Forbid them
not. Here those are rebuked who think
that children have nothing to do with
Christ, and are to be held back, because
unable to understand.
For of such, &c. Here is the reason why
children should be brought. That these
words were not meant to teach that chil-
dren are born sinless and innocent is
abundantly clear from other i^arts of Scrip-
ture. (John iii. 6.) They teach, 1. That
the Church of God on earth is largely
composed of children. The words "of
such" do not mean "such as resemble
these," but such very children. Persons
of a child-like disposition are referred to
in the next verse. 2. That the Church
of God is to be perpetuated and prospered
mainly by those who, in their childhood,
are dedicated to His service, and receive
a religious training. 3. That the kingdom
of glory is, and will be, largely composed
of little children. The salvation of all
who die in infancy may be confidently
expected. Though sin has abounded,
grace has much more abounded. (Rom. v.
20.) Jesus will not shut those out from
His presence in glory, whom He would
not allow to be sent from His presence on
earth.
" I know," says the Ecv. William Jay,
" there are some who believe in the dam-
nation of infants. They have no higher
notion of a God of love, the Father of
mercies, the God of all grace, than to sup-
pose that He will punish eternally crea-
tures whom the Scripture itself calls inno-
cent as to personal and actual transgression,
and whose condition dejiended entirely
upon Himself. Admitting this barbarous
notion, could such a Being ever be trusted
in, or loved ? But the God we worship is
not Moloch, neither is the punishment we
contend for in a future state, separate !
from the eflfects of conscious guilt, regret,
self-accusation, of all which those who die
in infancy are incapable, We listen not
to unfeeling and system-hardened divines,
but to that Saviour " who gathers the lambs
with His arms and carries them in His
bosom," and who, having invited our souls
to rest, cries, " suffer little children to
come unto me, and forbid them not, for
of such is the kingdom of heaven."
15. And he laid his hands on them, and departed
tlience.
CHAPTER XIX.
201
Laid his hands. (See on verse 13.) De-
parted thence, i. e. from that part of Perea
where this incident took place, for He
abode still in the region beyond Jordan.
16. H "And behold, one came and said unto him, rGood
Miistcr, what good thing sliall I duj that I may have
eternal life.— "Mark x. 17 ; Luke xviii. 18. pLuke x. 25.
The narrative which here begins is re-
corded by three Evangelists. From this
fact, as well as because the conversation
related was between our Lord and an
individual, it is evident that it demands
and deserves special attention. One came.
This young man (verse 20) was a man of
wealth (verse 22), a ruler (Luke xviii. 18),
probably the president of a neighboring
synagogue, and a person of refinement
and excellence of character, as is seen from
the circumstances here related of him. It
was not common at that period for any of
his order to seek the Saviour of the world.
Jesus was, indeed, followed by many ; but
they were usually the poor, the destitute
and the afflicted. The thoughts of eternal
life are very rare in a young man of
affluence and eminence. Happy is he to
whom God vouchsafes to give them. This
young man did not, like Nicodemus, come
to Jesus under the shadow of the night,
but on the high road, in the presence of a
crowd.
Good Master, a title usually employed by
the Jews to their most eminent rabbis.
This seems to be the only instance in His
history in which Jesus was addressed as
" Good Master." Wliat good thing, &c.
He asks about doing. What he seeks is
not grace, but reward. Yet, still an ob-
scure feeling is ever saying to him that the
treasure of his good works is not yet
great enough. He wishes to add some-
thing to his righteousness, and wishes
Jesus to tell him what it is. That I may
have, &c. He comes not from curiosity, or
to have a sickness healed, or to plead
about a child, but about his own soul.
He sincerely and anxiously wishes to
know the way to everlasting happiness.
How far does this wealthy, influential
young man excel many of his peers in
rank and position, who have lost all faith
in the supernatural, and who make it
their highest boast to deny everything
that is spiritual and divine ? How prom-
ising does his case appetir. How ready
are we to pronounce him a hopeful
inquirer! This favorable beginning only
makes the sequel more sad.
1". And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good?
there I'.s qnone good hut one, thai is, Gou : but it thon
wilt enter into life, keep ihe commandiuunts.
ql. Sam. ii. 2; I's. lii. 1 ; James, i. 17.
Jesus questions the motive of the young
man for calling Him "Good Master ;".bO
in His discourse in the j^lain (See Luke
vi. 46); He does not say, / am not good,
but v)}iy callest thou me good ? God is good ;
there is no goodness without Godhead.
The ruler partially perceived virtue in
Jesus, or he would not have applied to
Him. But he did not fully recognize it, or
he would not have regarded Him merely
as a human teacher, neither would he have
withdrawn ; much less did he recognize
His Godhead. Wherefore, Jesus does not
accept from him the title of goodness,
without that of Godhead (comp. Luke vi.
46), and thereby vindicates the honor (.»f
the Father with whom He is one. (See
John V. 19.) The young man deals with
good in its relative meaning, and in this
sense he says: "Good," that is, "Excel-
lent" Master. Jesus teaches him to ap-
prehend good in its absoluteness, and to
that end he must understand the being
good, which he ascribes to Christ, as being
founded in God. Thus the answer is to be
explained : If thou wouldst call me good,
thou must apprehend my unity with God,
and my Divine nature. In this question,
our Lord also in part replies to the inquiry
of the young man, who, as the subsequent
sketches show% had an idea that such good-
ness as we can attain, was a sufficient title
to heaven. There is no being good but
God. No human being is so perfect and
observant of the iDivine law, as to deserve
the api^ellation good. Hence, to no good
thing which you can do, is eternal life
promised as a reward.
But if thou unit enter into life, &c. Accord-
ing to the original, " if thou imllest, or art
disposed, to enter into life." If you desire
to w^ork righteousness in order to procure
a title to eternal life, you must perfectly
keep all the commandments of God. The
Saviour shaped His repl}^ in such a man-
ner as ultimately to expose to the young
man's own view his deficiencies, and his
need of something for salvation different
202
MATTHEW.
from what he had heretofore supposed.
Thus, the law is our school-master, to
bring us unto Christ. At the same time
the Lord teaches us that faith and grace
do not make void, but establish the law.
18. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, rThou
Shalt do no murder. Thou Shalt not commit adultery,
Thou Shalt not ste;il. Thou ^halt not bear false witness,
19. 'Honour thy lather and thy mother: and, 'Thou
Shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
'Ex. XX. 13; Beut. v. 17; Rom. xiii. 17. sChap. xv. 4;
Eph. vi. 2; Ool. hi. 20. 'Lev. xix. 18; chap. xxii. 39;
Kom. xiii. 9 ; Gal. v. 14 ; James ii. 8.
Which ? If there was any command,
which, through ignorance or inadvertence
the ruler had neglected, he would like to
know what one it was. Thou shall do no
murder, &c. The Jews were not accustomed,
in ordinary discourse, or in the commonly
published books, to recite the precepts of
the decalogue in the very words in which
they were expressed, but in other words, or
in another order. The Saviour specifies
only a few of the commandments, which
were to represent the rest. He refers to
the commandments of the second table,
1. Because we can more easily attain to a
correct knowledge of our conduct toward
our fellow-men, whom we see, than toward
God, whom we do not see, and, 2. Because
when the ruler had once seen his lack of
love to his neighbor, the conclusion as to
his lack of love to God, could not be
difficult. He puts the prohibitions of
unlovingness first (verse 18); then follows
the particular command of positive love.
Honour thy father and thy mother, and the
general one, Thou sludt love thy neighbour as
thyself. In this last, the spirit and essence
of the laws of the second table are
summed up. (Eom. xiii. 10.)
20. The young man saith unto him, All these things
have I kept from my youth up : what lack I yet?
What darkness and self-ignorance did
his answer reveal! Doubtless he had
observed the commandments in their
letter, but he did not see that each precept
sent its jurisdiction into the depths of the
heart, and charged a thought, a desire, an
appetite, with infraction of a holy and a
righteous law. (Ps. li. 6 ; Matt. v. 21-28.)
The query, What lack J yet f — " in what am
I yet behind, or wanting," showing, as it
did, a readiness to undertake more than
he had yet done, indicated at least that his
heart misgave him, and that he felt that
he still lacked something.
21. Jesus said unto him. If thou wilt be perfect, go '^and
sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt
have trea.sure in heaven : and come and follow me.
"Chap. vi. 20 : Luke xii. 33, xvi. 9 ; Acts ii. 45, iv. 34,
35 ; 1 Tim. vi. 18, 19.
Said unto him. The Saviour does not
confirm the truth of his declaration, but
only tells him what he, in case it is really
so with him, has yet to do. Perfect, that
is, complete in every respect, if thou wilt
be without deficiency. The young man
wished a high standard of righteousness,
and now it is presented to him. Not abso-
lute, but comparative perfection is here
spoken of. God only is absolutely perfect.
The Jewish nation thought it perfection to
sell all and give to the poor. Go and sell,
&c. This command was given to the ruler
to cure his love of the world, which could
not, in him, be cured otherwise, and to
bring him to self-knowledge and whole-
heartedness by having a great problem of
practical obedience to solve. The task which
the Saviour assigned him was in perfect
accordance with his declaration concerning
himself. What a touchstone for his sin-
cerity ! What a trial of the power of the
law, to convict of disobedience all who
profess to keep it ! Though all Christians
are not required to do what was enjoined
on the rich ruler, yet the Gospel requires
such a consecration of all property to God,
that when the duty is made known, to give
some, or much, or all to God, the oflerings
can and will be made.
Treasure in heaven, in place of thy treas-
ure on earth. (Lam. iii. 24-27.) Folloivme.
Here was the Gospel hidden in this brief
command. Jesus preached faith to this
inquirer. To follow Christ, was to ac-
knowledge Him as the Messiah of God,
possess His spirit, trust in His righteous-
ness, and imitate His example.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he
went away sorrowful : for he had great possessions.
Men undergo great agony of mind while
they are in suspense between the love of
the world and the love of their souls.
When the first absolutely predominates,
then they enjoy a factitious rest through a
false peace; wlien the latter has the upper
hand, then they possess true tranquility
of mind, through that peace of God that
passeth knowledge.
For he had great possessions. What was
his wealth— which he had found could not
CHAPTER XIX.
203
give him comfort — in comparison with
peace of conscience, and eternal life ? Yet
he chose to retain his earthly treasure,
which he could only hold for a few years,
and to refuse the ofier of imperishable
treasure in heaven, thus showing us what
harm one master-sin may do to a soul.
We never read a word to show that he
was subsequently converted. The saying
of Jesus (verse 23) would seem to indicate
that he was not. Thus the day that dawned
so brightly closed in gloom.
23. 1. Then said Jesus unto his disciples. Verily I say
unto j-ou, That ^a rich man shall hardly enter into the
kingdom of heaven.
"Chap. xiU. 22 : Mark x. 24 ; 1 Cor. i. 26 ; 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10.
The Saviour, employing the occasion
which had presented itself for instruction,
proceeds to speak very freely on the
dangers connected with worldly posses-
sions. A rich man, not only one who has
so many hundreds or thousands more
than some of his neighbors, but any one
who has more than is necessary for the
decent and comfortable supi^ort of himself
and his family. Hardly enter. There is, in
itself, no more sin in being rich than there
is virtue in being poor. It is not the pos-
session of a thing that may constitute a
disqualification for heaven, but it is the
excessive idolatry of the thing. The man
who has a small income may have his
heart as much taken up with it as a man
who has an income of many thousands a
year. Experience tells us that, except in
some few, rare and blessed instances, it
cannot be but that the man who possesses
abundance, will find the difficulty of a
simple foith immeasurably increased.
Enter into the Jdngdom of heaven — be induced
to become Christians, and be prepared for
the Church on earth and the state of the
blest in heaven. A rich gentleman once
said to a day-laborer, " Do you know to
whom these estates belong on the borders
of the lake ?" " No," replied the laborer.
" They belong to me," said the rich man.
" And the wood and the cattle — do you
know whose they are ?" " No." " They
are mine also," continued the rich man.
" Yes, all, all that you can see is mine."
The peasant stood still a moment, then
pointed to heaven, and in a solemn tone
asked, " Is that also thine ?" How apt the
rich are to forget to look upward, and to
ask, "Is heaven mine?" (See on next
verse.)
24. And again I say unto you. It iswea-sier for a camel
to go tlirough the eye of a needle than for a rich man to
enter into the kingdom of God.— "Jer. xiii. 23.
The camel being the largest animal they
were acquainted with in Judea, its name be-
came proverbial for denoting anything re-
markably large, and a cavwVs passing througft
a needle's eye came by consequence, as aj)-
pears from some rabbinical writings, to
express a thing extremely difficult, or a])-
parently impossible.
Our Lord here represents the salvation
of a rich man as being next to an impossi-
bility. Riches powerfully tend to increase
pride, covetousness, self-indulgence — they
furnish many temptations and incitements
to luxury, intemperance and sensuality.
They purchase flatterers, exclude faithful
reprovers, prejudice the mind against the
humbling truths and self-denying precepts
of the Go.spel, and they increase the num-
ber and force of those obstacles which
must be broken through, and the supposed
value of those objects Avhich must be re-
nounced, if a man would be a di.sciple of
Christ. Those who possess them, there-
fore, have peculiar need to take heed to
their ways, to keep their hearts with all
diligence, and especially to implore with
unceasing earnestness and fervor that
help from above, which can alone enal^le
them to overcome the world and to van-
quish all the powerful enemies they have
to contend with. (1 Tim. vi. 17-19.) How
few rich men are made uneasy and apj^re-
hensive by these plain Avords of Christ,
that their riches might hinder them from
going to heaven ! The more praiseworthy
are those wealthy Christians who devote
their riches to the furtherance of the cause
of Christ. We should pray daily for rich
men's souls. Well may the Litany of the
Chtirch of England contain the words, "In
all time of our wealth, good Lord, de-
liver us."
25. When his disciples heard it, they were exceeding-
ly amazed, saying. Who then can be saved.
The disciples expressed wonder or sur-
prise, if not doubt, as to the salvation of
any. They see that even the poorest may
have something of the earthly-mindedness
which caused the ruler to go away sorrow-
ful. As they were poor themselves, and
like all men in their station, their idea of
204
MATTHEW.
what constituted wealth would be moder-
ate, their question indicates that they un-
derstood the Saviour to speak not exclu-
sively of the overgrown possessors of
untold thousands, but of the great majority
of mankind, else their inquiry would have
been particularly pointless and unmeaning.
How searching the standard of the pos-
sibility of salvation which our Lord here
presents. " I doubt the conversion of the
man," says one, " whose purse is not con-
verted." The religion that costs the owner
nothing is probably worth about its cost.
The great mass of professors of religion,
who live to make their children rich, are
in immense danger of ruining their own
souls and destroying their own children.
Though poverty will not save the soul,
the dangers of riches should much recon-
cile the poor to their condition.
26. But Jesus bebeld them, and said unto them, With
men this is impossible, but J^with God aU things are
possible. .. „ ,
iGen. xviii. 14 ; Job xliL 2; Jer. xxxu. 1/ ; Zech. vm.
6 ; Luke i. 37, xviii. 27.
There was much tenderness and sweet-
ness in this reply of our Lord. It will be
observed that he does not retract what he
had said, nor even soften it in the least
degree, but rather strengthens it. The
energy of Divine grace is able to make a
man despise the world, with all it contains,
when no efforts of man, no arguments,
eloquence or persuasions can do it. He
who saved Abraham, Moses, Job and
David, in spite of their riches, can save
others also. Grace and not place is the
hinge on which our salvation turns. Yet
those who are surrounded with the luxuries
of life, should feel that their spiritual wel-
fare requires the most earnest, persevering
and intense application of all their powers.
27. If jThen answered Peter and said unto him,
Behold. Jwe have forsaken all, and followed thee ; what
shall we have therefore?
yMark x. 28; Luke xviii. 28. ^Deut. xxxui. 9; chap,
iv. 'JO ; Luke v. 11.
Peter speaks for himself and the rest of
the Apostles. He had seen the rich young
man go away grieved, and had heard the
Lord's declaration concerning the danger
of riches, and now his mind reverts with
gratitude to the period when he, and those
associated with him, had been called, and
olieyed the call. Forsaken all. The dis-
ciples had, indeed, but little to leave, yet
it was their all, and the same faith would
have led them to make larger sacrifices.
if they had been called to it, as they after-
ward were. And followed thee. To forsake
all, without following Christ, is the virtue
of a philosopher. To follow Christ in
I^rofession, without forsaking all, is, alas !
too common in those who are members of
the Church. But to follow Christ and for-
sake all, is what He requires. There is no
season in life upon which the believer
looks back with so much joy as that in
which he first determined to engage in his
Redeemer's service. A man may leave
all without ever having possessed any-
thing. It is by the heart that we cleave
to earthly possessions, it is by renouncing
them in our heart that we disengage our-
selves from them.
Whcd shall we have therefore f How shall
it fare with us? When Jesus had called
them to follow Him, He told them what
they were to do ; not what they should
have. (Chap. iv. 19.) It is evident that
Peter's craving of reward was proper, and
did not exclude love. At the same time our
Lord by his concluding remark, in verse
30, and the following parable, strikes at
the root of the Jewish error of seeking re-
ward on the ground of merit.
Bishop Butler, of England, who wrote
the great work, entitled, " Analogy of
Natural and Revealed Religion," lived un-
married, and spent his immense revenue
in charity and alms. Yet, in his latter
days, awful thoughts of his sinfulness
overwhelmed his soul. FeelLughow little
his charities weighed against the inifjori-
ties of the heart, he trembled before God.
But he flung himself, by faith, upon that
precious promise of Jesus, " Whosoever
Cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast
out," and was richly consoled with the
hope, not of being saved by works of
righteousness, but by grace alone.
28. And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you,
That ye which have followed ine. in the regeneration
when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his
glory, "ye shall also sit upon twelve thrones judging the
twelve tribes of Israel.
aChap. XX. 21; Luke xxii. 28-30; 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3; Rev
ii. 2»).
In the regeneration, &c. The reference
here is to the end of the world, when God
will create " new heavens and a new
earth." (2 Peter iii. 12, 13; comp. Isa.
Ixv. 17,lxvi. 22 ; Acts iii. 21 ; Rom. viii. 22 ;
Rev. xxi. 1, 27.) This earth shall have its
regeneration just as truly as the human
CHAPTER XIX.
205
heart. Man is a little world ; and the
world is but a great man. The one is the
type, the foreshadow, the microcosm of
the other. And a day comes when this
earth shall have sin expelled from every
crevice, the fever that torments it from
every part. The returning presence of
the Lord of Glory will give it that lasting
regeneration that shall place it again in
the orbit out of which it has wandered
eccentrically, re-unite it to the great con-
tinent of heaven, from which it has been
broken oflf, and make it no longer an out-
cast colony, but part and parcel of the
wide realm of glory and beauty, basking
in the sunshine, and guided by the sceptre
and sway of Him, who is King of kings
and Lord of lords. At the same time the
bodies of God's peoj^le shall be renovated
and restored. They " shall be raised in-
corruptible," and "shall be changed."
(1 Cor. XV. 51, 52.) The same change
which will be produced in the dead by
the resurrection, will be accomplished in
the bodies of the living — as in the case of
Enoch and Elias, who carried their bodies
along with them to heaven. (See Rom.
viii. 22, 23.)
When the Son of man, &c. The throne
which is the result as well as the manifes-
tation of His glory. (See Heb. i. 3.) Ye
also, &c. It is here expressed in figurative
terms, that the Apostles should attend the
final Judge, concurring in the judgment
He would pronounce on the rebellious
Jews and all others who rejected the Gos-
pel preached by them, and those who
should come after them, that in the king-
dom of heaven they should have a dis-
tinguished pre-eminence of glory and
reward, and that a place of honor should
be assigned them near the person of our
Lord Himself. The manner of expressing
this idea was drawn from the circumstance
of there having been twelve Apostles, and
of Israel having been divided into twelve
tribes. (Rev. iii. 21.)
29. iAnd every one that hath forsaken houses, or
brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or
children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an
hundred fold, and shall inherit everla-sting life.
b2 Chron. xxv. 9 ; Mark x. 29, 30 ; Luke xviii. 29, 30.
Every one. The promise of reward for
devotion to Christ's cause is here made
general. Sacrifices like these were doubt-
less often necessary when the Gospel was
first preached. The offense of the cross
is not yet ceased. Christians often have
to encounter laughter, ridicule, mockery
and family persecution. Shall receive an
hundred fold. This number is manifestly
symbolical, as the exi)ression of an immeas-
urable advantage. The rewards in this
world and the next are definitely dis-
tinguished. Wife. The forsaking of the
wife does not imply a dissolution of the
matrimonial relation, as is plain from
what our Lord had said but shortly before
on this subject. Here, incidentally, one
man and one woman, as hus])and and
wife, is shown to be the lav/ of the
Christian economy.
Many Christians have lost their posses-
sions and have been separated from their
families, because they chose to obey God
rather than men, and though they may not,
in every case, have been rewarded in the
venj things they renounced, yet have they
received that peace, joy and happiness
which have recomjiensed them an hundred
fold for all the sacrifices they made for
Christ and His Gospel, and a degree of
comfort, tranquility and encouragement,
far beyond anything that all the wealth
and splendor of this world can bestow.
Inherit everlasting life. To the earthly
advantages of godliness, life everlasting is
to be supei-added. They shall " inherit "
it, not deserve it by merit. (1 Tim. iv. 8.)
Jesus will surely make up for the sacrifices
to which believers submit for His name's
sake, that is, for the sake of Him and His
cause.
30. cBut many that, are first shall be last, and the last
s?iaU be first.
cChap. XX. IG, xxi. 32 ; Mark x. 31 ; Luke xiii. 30.
Our Lord may be considered to have
used this saying, which was a sort of pro-
verbial mode of expression, three times,
here (as parallel to Mark x. 31), in the en-
suing chapter verse 16, and in Luke xiii. 30.
On either occasion it seems to have a dis-
tinct meaning, thus reminding us that the
words of Jesus are like those precious
stones which possess the singular property
of presenting a different color according to
the different positions in Avhich they are
displayed. The saying, as employed here,
may be understood as meaning either that
many who, in the order of time, were
last [brought iv last) in the kingdom, shall
,206
MATTHEW.
be first in the reward, and those who claim
to be first shall be last, i. e., that many of
the Jews, to whom the blessings of Christ's
kingdom were first offered, would be the
last to partake of them, and that many of
the Gentiles, to whom they were to be
offered after the Jews, would be the first
to enjoy them; or, that some who are now
held in high esteem on earth, will not have
a proportionate dignity in heaven, Avliile
others, who receive but little honor, if any,
here, will be blessed there with distin-
guished honor. Many who occupy a high
place among men, possess wealth, and all
eax'thly comforts and blessings, yet live
" without God," and many who are poor,
but pious, will have their condition re-
versed in the eternal world. (Luke xvi.
25.) "Three. things," said an old and
eminent divine, "will surprise me in
heaven: 1. To find many there whom I did
not expect; 2. To find many 7io< there whom
I did expect, and 3. To find myself there."
(See on xx, 16.)
1. How did the Pliarisoes tempt Christ? 2. State His reply. 3. What did the disciples do when little children
were brought to Jesus? 4. 'WTiat did He say ? 5. What did Christ do to the children? 6. Who came to Jesus?
What was his errand ? 7. How did our Lord treat his case? 8. Could the young man stand the test applied to
him? 9. What is said aljout a "rich man?"* 10. How did our Lord answer the question "who then can he
saved?'' U. What was Peter's reply ? 12. Explain verse 28, 13. Also verse 29. 14. How are we to understand
"many that are first?" <Scc.
CHAPTER XX.
1 Christ, by the similitude of the labourers in the vinc-
yaiid, shotveth that Ood is debtor unto no man: 17
j'ortelleth his passion: 20 bi/ answering the mother of
Zebedct's children teacheth his disciples to be lowly ; 30
and yiocth two blind men their sight.
FOR the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that
is an householder, which went out early in the
morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
Our Lord had just spoken of rewards —
both a reward in this life, and of another
in a life to come. He now proceeds to
illustrate this truth — to show that the
promised rewards are not of debt, but of
grace. (Comp. Rom. iv. 4, 5.)
The kingdom of heaven, the outward and
visible Church. Like unto, &c. As a
householder transacts with his servants, so
will the Lord transact with those who
belong to His Church, and enter into terms
with Him. Which went out, &c. This
feature of the parable affords the picture
of a scene, which the return of every
morning exhibits at the gate of an Eastern
city. ' To hire labourers. Different kinds of
work are required in vineyards at different
seasons. The whole body of workmen in
God's vineyard are here represented. God
seeks His laborers, not they Him. (John
XV. 16.) To hire indicates a free compact,
the offering of the covenant of grace to, and
its acceptance by men. His vineyard. A
frequent symbol in Scriptures to represent
the Church of God. (Isa. v. 1,2; Ps. Ixxx.
8. See also John xv. 1.) The Church is
the Lord's, yet we are to labor in it. God
has so ordered things, that the means and
the blessings go together.
2. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a
penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
A jjenny a day. The Roman denarius, a
silver coin, varying from 15 to 17 cents.
Though the penny may seem a small
remuneration, yet it was not so, for in good
and plentiful seasons, sixteen, and some-
times twenty measures of wheat could he
purchased for this coin. The wages of the
laborer represent the reward which
Christ' confers upon His servants, but this
must be taken with certain explanations
and limitations, especially these two, 1.
That the reward is partly a thing now
begun, and partly something that is com-
pleted in heaven. 2. Thatthe value of the
reward depends essentially on the dispo-
sition of heart with which the workman
receives it. These laborers, first hired,
may represent the Jews under the first
CHAPTER XX,
207
dispensation, all those in the Christian
Church who individually are converted in
early youth, and continue in Christ's
service throughout a long life, or those
who, from special talent, or zeal, or oppor-
tunity, do and suffer most for the Lord and
His cause.
3. And he went out about the third hour, and saw
others standint; i<lU^ in the marliet-place, 4. And said
unto thorn, (io ye alsu into the vineyard, and whatso-
ever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
Third hour. This, in the Jewish method
of reckoning time, corresponded to our
nine in the morning. Standing idle, &c.
Does not this teach us that all is idleness,
however laborious it may be, which is not
in some shape or way, directly or indi-
rectly, associated with our own preparation
for eternity, or with the progress of the
kingdom of God upon earth ? Go ye also,
&c. All in the market-place were invited
into the vineyard. The invitations of the
Gospel are addressed to all ; all are wel-
come to embrace them, and if any do not
accept them, they will never forget it is
their own fault, and their own fault alone.
Whatsoever is right, &c. He refers them,
without any definite promise of blessing,
to his justice and equity, and they, simply
confiding in this, making no inquiry after
reward, go away into the vineyard.
5. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour,
and did liliewise.
At noon and at three o'clock in the
afternoon. (See on verse 4.) God, at "sun-
dry times" as well as in " divers manners,"
speaks to people and calls them to work
for Him. Some are called in tender
childhood, others in the season of youth,
others only in ripened manhood, or even
not till declining age. Timothy was called
in the beginning of his days, and labored
for forty or fifty years in the Lord's vine-
yard. The thief on the cross was called
" at the eleventh hour," and plucked like
a brand out of the fire ; one day a hard,
impenitent sinner, and the next day in
Paradise.
6. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and
found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why
stand ye here all the day idle? 7. They say unto him.
Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them.
Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right,
that shall ye receive.
Eleventh hour. Only one hour before
dismissing the laborers at night. Others
standing. (See on verses 1, 4.) Why stand
V« here, &c. This is God's word to any who
are neglecting His service ; busy, perhaps,
and active in worldly things, yet idle
about their souls. Ever since our infancy
God has called us, by every sermon we
have heard, by every Avarning and mercy
we have received, by good advice and good
examples, by good thoughts put into our
minds, even the secret influence of His
Holy Spirit, so that if we are idle (as too
many are, to the sixth, the ninth, the
eleventh hour), we cannot say we are idle
because no man called us ; Ave have not
this excuse. If we be idle in what con-
cerns our souls, it is because we do not
choose to work. The laborers who
entered the vineyard at the close of the
day Avere not called till then. They had
no offer till the eleventh hour, and accepted
the very first they got. Their case, there-
fore, affords us no encouragement to put
off Avhat concerns our salvation, for a year,
or a day, or even an hour. (2 Cor. vi. 2.)
FeAV are ever saved on their death-beds.
One thief on the cross was saved, that
none should despair, but only one, that
none should presume.
8. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard
saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them
thcirhire, beginning from the last unto the first.
Here begins the second di\'ision of the
parable, the distribution of the reAvard and
justification of the manner of doing it.
Even — the time for closing the labors of
the day. Steivard, or overseer of his goods.
(See Deut. xxiv. 15; Lev. xix. 13; Job vii.
2; Mai, iii. 5; James v. 4.) The wages are
paid in the Master's presence. Christ -is
the overseer set over all God's house.
(Heb. iii. 6; John v. 27 ; Matt. xi. 27.) The
whole economy of salvation has been put
into His hands. Beginning frmn the last
(and paying them in order) unto the first.
This order of payment was necessary to
give opportunity for the complaint which
was about to be made. Had the paying
folloAved the order of the hiring, they
Avould have been off to their homes with
their wages, nor have had their en\y
roused by the generosity which made all
alike.
9 And when they came that were hired about the
eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
The steward, acting according to his
master's instructions, called first the men
who had entered the vineyard at five, and
208
MATTHEW.
quitted it at six, and gave each a penny for
his work. He did not speak of their merits,
but simply gave each his wages. Surprised
by the munificence of their employer,
these men retired toward their homes
with silent gratitude.
10. But when the first came, they supposed that they
should have received more, and they likewise received
every man a penny. 11. And when they had received
it, they murmured against the good man of the house.
12. Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and
thou hiist made them equal unto us, which have borne
the burden and heat of the day.
They supposed, &c. The steward, evi-
dently acting on precise orders, gave each
of these men also a penny, and no more.
Had he given them less, there would have
been injustice ; had he given them more,
there would have been generosity; but
giving what was promised, was simple and
exact justice. These last have wrought, &c.
AVe are not, of course, from the murmur-
ing of these laborers, to imagine that any-
thinglike envy andjealousy and discontent
find their way into heaven. This repre-
sentation is only a necessary part of the
story. Chrysostom well says, " It is not
right to search curiously, and word by
word, into all things in a parable, but when
we have learned the object for which it
was composed, to reap this, and not to busy
ourselves about anything further."
13. But he answered one of them, and s.aid, Friend, I
do thee no wrong : didst thou not agree with me lor a
penny? 14. Take that thine !.*, and go thj' way : I will
give unto this hist, even as unto thee. 1.5. »"ls it not
lawful for me to do what I will with mine own ? tig
thine eye evil, because I am good?
aRom. ix. 21. I'Deut. xv. 9 ; Prov. xxiii. C ; chap. vi. 23.
Friend, I do thee no urong, &c. They rest
their complaint on grounds of justice. The
householder accepts battle on the ground
of their own choosing : and how signal
their defeat! Friend, or fellow, he says,
/ do thee no urong. If I choose to be gene-
rous to others, what is that to thee ? It
should excite thy admiration, why does it
kindle thy envy ? Injustice! Is it not lawful
for me to do what I will with my own? Who
can deny or question this? Take, therefore,
that thine is, and go thy way. We are to un-
derstand the "gift" implied in the words,
I will give unto this last, even as unto thee, as
being eternal life; or, in other words,
God Himself (John xvii. 3.) Hence the
parable does not conflict with the many
plain texts of Scripture which teach that
all who are saved Avill not have the same
degree of glory. Though the title of all
believers no doubt is the same— the righ-
teousness of Christ— yet all will not have
the same place in heaven. (1 Cor. iii. 8.)
If the vision of God constitutes the blessed-
ness of the future world, then they whose
spiritual eye is most enlightened, will drink
in most of His glory.
16. fSo the last shall be first, and the first last : dfor
many be called, but few chosen.
rChap. xix. 30. dchap. xxii. 14.
This is not spoken by the householder,
but by Christ, and hence does not form a
part of the parable, the design of which,
as exjilanatory of this saying, is once again
pointed out, with a manifest reference to
chap. xix. 30. The idea of rejection does
not seem to be contemplated here at all.
All the laborers were called uito the vine-
yard, all were admitted, all worked, all
were rewarded. Still, although they were
all equal in the absolute amount of wages
received, the last, or those who began labor
during the progress of the day, were made
higher than the first, or those who com-
menced early in the morning, by a distinct
addition to the pecuniary recompense,
that is, a contented, loving, thankful heart.
It is not the time of our service that God
looks at so much, as the intensity of our
devotedness during the time, short or long,
that is given us. Some persons embrace
the Gospel in early years, but though they
gently and quietly pass through life blame-
less, and are ripening for glory, they are
not characterized to the extent to which
they should be, by making sacrifices for
the Gospel. Others hear the Gospel call
later in life, yet in its last years make more
eflbrts and sacrifices for Christ than those
who were called before them.
For many are called, but few chosen. We
cannot understand this as meaning that
many hear the Gospel call, and but few are
chosen by God and admitted through re-
generation into His family, for if we did,
it would not be possible to assign to it any
proper connection with the lesson of the
parable, of which, as the terms of the sen-
tence show, it is the very conclusion and
kernel. The term " called " seems to des-
ignate, not all to whom the Gospel is ad-
dressed, but those only who are eflfectually
called — who obey the call. It involves
being a Christian. (See Eom. i. 1, 7,
viii. 28; 1 Cor. i. 1, 24; Rev. xvii. 14.)
CHAPTER XX.
209
Hence, there is not a distinction here be-
tween saved and lost, but between two
classes of the saved. The word chosen is
sometimes applied in Scripture to that
which is best of its kind, more than ordi-
narily good ; and such we take to be its
meaning here. Those whom it describes
are the few Christians who, among a great
number of true and genuine disciples,
are pre-eminently unselfish, unworldly,
earnest, and Christ-like, honoring their
Lord, and making the world wonder.
" Very many are summoned, and very many
obey and come into the vineyard, and are
true Christians, but very few are choice,
chief and distinguished Christians, who,
chronologically last, shall be from their
sacrifices and sufferings greatest and first."
17. 1[f And Jesus g:oing up to Jerusalem took the twelve
disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, 18. f Be-
hold, we go up to Jerusalem ; and the Sou of man shall
be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes,
and they shall condemn him to death, 19. sAnd shall
deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and
to crucify him : and the third day he shall rise again.
'Mark x. 32; Luke xviii. 31 ; John xii. 12. fChap. xvi. 21.
itChap. xxvii. 2 : Mark xv. 1, IB, &c.; Luke xxlil. 1 ; John
svili. 28, «fec.; Acts iii. 13.
Jesus, the third time, foretells His death
and resurrection. Took the twelve, &c. This
was done because He did not choose to
declare before His enemies the deeds
which they would commit against Him,
and thus not only embolden them, but
seem to procure the fulfillment of the pre-
diction concerning His suflTeriiig. Behold,
&c. (See on xvi. 21, xviii. 22, 23.) The
Saviour went willingly to the appointed
spot of His sufferings. (Isa. 1. 5 ; John x.
18.) Observe with what calmness and
patience He spoke of His coming painful
trials. We know not the time of our trials,
and hence it is so much the more necessary
for us to think seriously of them, and pre-
pare ourselves for them. Shall rise again.
Jesus mentions His resurrection : 1. To
encourage Himself in His sufferings; 2.
To comfort His disciples who would be
overwhelmed with sorrow, and terrified
by His death ; 3. To direct us, under all
the sufferings of this present time ; to keep the
eye of our faith fixed upon the glory to be
revealed.
20. 7 hThen came to him the mother of 'Zebedee's
children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring
a certain thing of hini.— hMark x. 35. 'Chap. iv. 21.
The mother of Zebedee's children, &c. Her
name was Salome. She was one of those
trulv pious and devoted women, who
"l4
attended, through weal and wo, upon the
footsteps of our Lord. Of Zebedee, her
husband, we know nothing beyond his
interposing no refusal when his sons were
called to leave him (chap. iv. 21), and his
disappearance from the Gospel history
leads to the inference that his death set
Salome free to join her children in minis-
tering to the Lord. With her sons. James
and John. (Chap. iv. 21 ; Mark x. 35 ; See
on X. 2.) This shows that they participated
in the petition ; and indeed, though they
preferred it through the medium of their
mother, yet it should seem, from the indig-
nation of the other Apostles against the
two brothers, that tliey were the principal
movers of the aflUir. Worshipping him —
falling down before Him, and acknowledg-
ing Him as Messiah the King. Desiring a
certain thing — thus cautiously approaching
the subject.
21. And he said unto her. What wilt thou ? She saith
unto him. Grant that these my two sous i^niay sit, the
one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy
kingdom.— tChap. xix. 28.
What wilt thou? (See on verse 20.) We
are often told, on other occasions, that
"Jesus knew their thoughts," and doubt-
less He did so here ; yet He would have
those thoughts expressed before He noticed
the petition. He still says on the throne
of His glory, " What wilt'thou ? " Let the
thought a.scend in aspiration, let the desire
find utterance in prayer. (Ps. 1. 15.)
Sit .... right hand left, &c. Accord-
ing to Eastern custom, sitting next to the
throne denotes the next degree of dignity,
and consequently the first situations on
the right and left denote the highest
dignities, (See 1 Kings ii. 19; Ps. xlv.
9, ex. 1.)
The request that James and John might
occupy the highest posts of honor in the
kingdom Christ was about to establish on
earth (see chap. xvi. 28, xvii. 1-S ; 2 Peter
i. 16), may have arisen from the fact that
they had been distinguished on some for-
mer occasions (Mark v. 37 ; Matt. xvii. 1),
as well as from a want of right apprehen-
sion of our Lord's language in xix. 28.
Though this request must unequivocally
and decidedly be condemned as being am-
bitious, it nevertheless showed remarkable
faith in our Lord's final triumph ; for as
He had just before (verse 18, 19) announced
210
MATTHEW.
His approaching suffering and death, it
was something to believe, as this mother
■ did, that notwithstanding all these aftiic-
tions, He would yet show Himself a King.
Let us be on our guard against the secret
workings of ambition. Instead of wishing
to be commended above our fellow-Chris-
tians, more noticed, admired, honored, we
ought to esteem others better than our-
selves. Philip, King of Macedon, as he
was wrestling at the Olympic games, fell
down in the sand, and, when he rose
again, observing the print of his body in
the sand, cried out : " 0, how little a parcel
of earth will hold us when we are dead,
who are ambitiously seeking after the
whole world whilst we are living !"
22. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what
ye ask. Are ye able to drink of Hhe cup tliat I shall
(Irink of, and to be baptized with mthe baptism that I
am baptized with ? They say unto him, we are able.
'Chap. XX vi. :», 42 : Mark xiv. 30 ; Luke xxii. 42 ; John
xviii. 11. miiuke xii. 50.
With what gentleness did our Lord
answer the two brethren ! He knew they
had forsaken all to follow Him. He knew
that they would prefer shame and suffer-
ing with Him, to any honor or joy apart
from Him, therefore He treated them with
tenderness. Ye know not what ye ask. The
petition was in reality for a large measure
of suffering. Men sigh for wealth, or some
distinction in life, or some other earthly
favor, and when their desire is granted,
they find that their success has brought
with it some care or sorrow, some snare
or temptation, which they would other-
wise have been free from. (Jer. xlv. 5.)
Far better is it to leave all our temporal
concerns in God's hands, neither asking
nor wishing for anything but what seemeth
best to Him in His wisdom and goodness.
We may ask in ignorance for what would
not really be for our good. Are ye able to
drink, &c. The Hebrews usually compared
whatever is dealt out to men by the Al-
mighty (whether good or evil), to a cup
of wine. Hence cup came in general use
to signify a portion assigned (Ps. xvi. 5,
xxiii. 5), whether of pleasure or sorrow.
But the expression was more frequently
used of evil than good. (See John xviii.
11 ; Matt. xxvi. 39, 42 • comp. Ps. Ix. 3 ;
Ixxv. 8 ; Isa. li. 17, 22 ; Jer. xxv. 15 ; Lam.
iv. 21.)
Baptized with, &c. To be overwhelmed
with the sufferings which are to come up-
on me. The imagery is varied, but the
idea is the same as that of the preceding
clause. The object of this question seems
to have been, to try how far those two
men were capable of the dignity to which
they aspired ; and this on the principle
that he who is able to suffer most for
Christ's sake, will be nearest to Him in
His kingdom. (Phil. iii. 10; 2 Tim. ii. 12.)
We are able. Here they own their mother's
petition for them as their own. In mak-
ing this reply, they little knew to what
they pledged themselves, and their views
were, doubtless, in many respects, mis-
taken ; yet we may take their answer as
an instance of a sincere, noble and gener-
ous faith, which, for the sake of unseen
blessings, is willing to venture all that is
present. Not knowing exactly whither
they might be led, they were yet resolved
to go forth at God's word, to drink of
His cup, to be baptized with His baptism,
and trust Him for the result. (See Acts
xii. 1, 2, iv. 3, V. 40 ; Rev. i. 9.)
23. And he saith unto them, "Ye shall drink Indeed of
my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am
baptized with : but, to sit on my right hand, and on my
left, is not mine to "give, but it fhaU be given to them for
whom it is prepared of my Father.
"Acts xii. 2 ; Rom. viil. 17 ; 2 Cor. i. 7 ; Rev. i. 9. "Chap.
xxv. 34.
Drink of my cup, &c. — undergo sufferings
patterned after mine. Be bajitized, &c.
The baptism our Lord speaks of evidently
refers to His sufferings. In calling His
sufferings a baptism, he may refer either to
the origin, the nature, or the degree of His
sufferings. 1. Their origin. The baptisms
under the law, to which no doubt there is
a reference, were Divine ajipointments,
and our Lord's sufferings were " deter-
mined," " fore-ordained." (Acts iv. 26-28 ; ,
1 Peter i. 20.) 2. Their nature. Baptism
marked the person and thing baptized as
sacred, devoted to God, and the sufferings
of Christ marked him out as the " elect,
righteous servant of God." (Isa. xlii. 1 ;
John i. 29.) 3. Their severity. Some,
though not all, the legal baptisms, were
immersions, submersions. When we con-
sider the nature, number, variety, severity,
early commencement, close succession,
strange complication and long contin-
uance of our Lord's sufferings, we may well
say, He was plunged into an abyss of
sufferings. (Ps. xlix. 2.)
CHAPTER XX,
211
But, to sit on my right hand, &c.— to possess
the high seats of glory and bliss in heaven.
Js not mine to (jivc, &c. It is denoted, by the
words '' It shall be given to them " being
in italics, that there are no such Greek
words in the original. They were inserted
by the translators in order to make the
sense clear, yet, perhaps, if they were
omitted the sense would be more clear.
Certainly the omission of them would
make the passage in full accordance with
the whole tenor of Scripture, which, as the
verse stands in our translation, it certainly
contradicts. (See John v. 12.) The pas-
sage should be rendered thus : — " To sit on
my right hand and on my left is not mine
to give, but (except) to them for whom it
is prepared of my Father." To any other,
Christ, who is one with the Father, could
not, and would not give it : but that it is
His to give, is distinctly declared by our
Lord. (John v. 22 ; Matt. xv. 34.) For
tchom it is prepared, literally, has been made
ready of my Father. And who are these to
whom the highest places in heaven will be
given? The meekest, the most useful,
those who are most like Christ.
24. pAnd when the ten heard it, they were moved
with indignation against the two brethren.
rJIark x. 41 ; Luke xxii. 24, 25.
The other disciples were indignant at
the request of the two brothers, as it was
an ambitious aspiring after honors, to the
neglect and disadvantage of their com-
panions and equals. The ambition of one
creates envy in others who partake of the
same feeling.
25. But .Tesus called them imto him, and said. Ye know
that the princes of the CJentiles exercise dominion over
them, and they that are great exercise authority upon
them.
Jesus called them. The ambitious request
of the two brethren, and the indignant
feeling of the ten toward them, led Jesus
to call His disciples around Him, to ad-
monish them of their error, and inspire
them with better feelings. The princes of
the Gentiles, &c. The rulers of the nations.
(See on v. 19 and vi. 32.) Exercise dominion.
Both the original words here used imply
arbitrary, domineering authority, author-
ity for authority's sake. Jesus does not
here condemn the exercise of a just gov-
ernmental authority, in which the ruler,
acting for the public good, is, in fact, the
public servant. They that are great, &c.
As the term rendered great primarily refers
to persons great or powerful in them-
selves, perhaps the expression princes may
allude to the legitimate rulers, and the
term great to illegitimate usurpers and con-
querors. With this difference, this clause
is parallel in sense with the former.
26. But qit shall not be so among you : but Avhoso-
ever will be great among you, let him be your minister ;
27. sAnd whosoever will be chief among you, let him
be your servant.
ql Peter v. 8. 'Chap, xxiii. H ; Mark ix. 35 and x. 43.
"Chap, xviii. 4.
It shall not be so among you. Your great-
ness shall not be like that of them who
dwell in earthly courts. Our Lord here
condemns, not a true ecclesiastical govern-
ment, but all ecclesiastical ambition, and
all aspiration after selfish power. Great
among you — distinguished, truly great.
Minister. The primitive sen.se of the orig-
inal word is a servant who attends his
master, waits on him at table and is always
near his person to obey orders, which was
accounted a more creditable kind of ser-
vice. Chief, literally first in dignity and
power.
Servant. As desiring to be great is a
more moderate ambition than desiring to
be chief, so the word servant opposed to
the latter, denotes a still more lowly con-
dition than the word minister opposed to
the former. The original word is often
put for slave. The lesson is, that the dis-
ciple who desires to attain the loftiest
dignity, must make up his mind to be
characterized and distinguished by the
greatest usefulness. True greatness con-
sists not in receiving, but in giving, not in
sitting still and being ministered to, but
in going about and ministering to others.
28. 'Even as the "Son of man came not to be minister-
ed unto, ^but to minister, and yto give his life a ransom
2for manv.
tJohnxiii. 4. "Phil. ii. 7. ^Luke xxii. 27; John xiii.
14. ylsa. liii. 10, 11; Dan. ix. 24, 26; John xi. 51, 52;
1 Tim. ii. 6 ; Titus ii. 14 ; 1 Peter i. 19. ^Chap. xxvi. 28 :
Rom. V. 15, 19 ; Heb. ix. 28.
Jesus presents His own example, as to
condescension and seeking the good of
others, for a pattern to His disciples, and
a corrective of the ambitious spirit Avhich
they had displayed. Came not to be minis-
tered unto. As " the Word in the beginning
was with God," He vas ministered unto,
and as the risen Redeemer in our nature
He now is ministered unto, " angels and
authorities and powers being made sub-
ject unto Him" (1 Peter iii. 22), but not
212
MATTHEW
for this came He hither. (John U 1 ;
Phil. ii. 7.)
But to minister. This applies to our
Lord's submission or obedience. To give
his life, the greatest of all sufferings and
sacrifices, by a voluntary surrender of it
to death. (John x. 17.)
A ransom. The word in the original
properly denotes the ransom paid in order
to deliver any one from death, or its equiva-
lent, captivity, or from punishment in gen-
eral. Here it evidently has an expiating
sense, as it stands in explanatory opi^osi-
tion with the preceding words to give his
life, denoting its character or purpose.
Christ, as foreshadowed by the sacrifices,
&c., under the law, and as predicted by the
prophets, gave Himself up to suffering and
death for the redemption of men. (Isa.
liii. 6, 10; Dan. ix. 24-6; Matt. xxvi. 28;
John X. 11, xi. 51 ; 2 Rom. iii. 24-6; 2 Cor.
V. 21; Gal. iii. 13; Eph. i. 7; 1 Tim. ii. 6;
Heb. ix. 14, 28; Titus ii. 14; Rev. v. 9.) An
atonement — an atonement by death, an
atonement by substitution — is here briefly
but powerfully expressed. This is the
mightiest truth in the Bible. Let us take
care that we grasp it firmly, and never let
it go. Jesus did not die merely as a martyr,
or as a splendid example of self-sacrifice
or self-denial. Those who can see no more
than that in His death, fall infinitely short
of the truth. He died as a sacrifice for
man's sin. What we could not pay, He
undertook to pay for us. (Heb. ix. 14;
1 Peter iii. 18.)
For many, i. e., a multitude — all. " The
term is here general, not denoting many
of a fixed, definite number, as opposed to
the whole of that number, but many, in
the sense of a great multitude contrasted
with the single life of Christ, which was of
value sufficiently high to be accepted of
God as a ransom for all the rest, who had
fallen into legal condemnation. See Rom.
V. 15, 19, where this same kind of antithe-
sis is found between the one who pinned,
and the many (i. e., all his posterity) who
are involved in the consequences of His
sin." (Chap. xxvi. 28; 1 Tim. ii. 6; Heb.
ix. 28.)
29. H »And a.s thev departed from Jericho, a great
multitude followed liim.— »Mark x. 46 ; Luke xviii. 3-5.
Departed from Jericho. According to
Matthew, Jesus healed two blind men on
departing from Jericho ; according to Mark,
one blind man on departing (x. 46) ; accord-
ing to Luke, one blind man on entering the
city, (xviii. 35.) These apparent dis-
crepancies related to time and to number.
We may suppose, as the old Harmonists
did, two miracles, each at distinct times,
and on a different individual ; the one as
our Lord was approaching to Jericho, the
other as He was leavingit again ; the former
related by Luke, the latter by Mark,
and both by Matthew ; each, as distinctly
related, related in its proper place, and
the two, as related conjointly, not abso-
lutely related out of theirs. If we knew all
the facts, we should see no difficulty; but
that we have been left so far in the dark,
shows that the thing is of no moment
anyway. One thing is plain, there could
have been no collusion among the authors
of these Gospels, else would they have
taken care to remove these " spots on the
sun." The writers of these common ac-
counts were too well aware of their mutual
agreement and consistency to be afraid
of the effects of an apparent collision ;
they neither api^rehended it themselves
nor supposed it would be objected to by
others. As the credibility of historians is
not diminished, but rather increased, b^'
such trifling discrepancies as occur in the
Gospels, so will not that of the Evangelists
be at all affected.
Jericho, a city of Benjamin (Josh, xvi.
7, xviii. 21), about eighteen miles east-
north-east of Jerusalem. A great multitude
— gathered probably from Jericho and the
surrounding region.
30. And behold, 'two blind men sitting by the way-
side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out,
saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou sun of David.
And beJiold. That our Lord should meet
these blind men when and where He did,
while it was one of those marvelous
coincidences which, seemingly accidental,
are yet deep laid in the councils of His
wisdom, and of His love, is, at the same
time, a natural circumstance, to be ex-
plained by the fact that it Avas common at
that time for beggars to sit by the side of
the public roads.
Blind men, whether so from birth, or by
disease or accident, does not appear. This,
however, was their melancholy condition,
CHAPTER XX
213
and a more pitiable one perhaps cannot be
found. One who was himself deprived of
sight, has thus feelingly alluded to this
affliction : —
" O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon
Irrecoverably dark: total eclipse,
Without the hope of day !
The sun to me is dark,
And silent as the moon
When she deserts the nighV—MUlon.
Sitting by the way-side. For the purpose
of begging. Blindness is worthy of com-
passion even when found in circumstances
of affluence and ease — but how much more
so when it is attended with indigence and
want ! The helpless are not to starve, nor
are we indiscriminately to reject every
apiilication we meet with on the road, yet,
provided less be not given in charity, and no
extreme case neglected, the refusal of relief
to vagrant beggars is rather a proof of
discretion than an indication of defect in
beneficence.
When they heard that Jesus passed by. The
sound of numerous feet, and the clamor of
many voices, drew the attention of the
blind men, and they were led to inquire
what great person was on the road,
attended by this great throng of people.
The Teacher and Miracle- worker of Perea,
is not unknown by fame to these poor
men. (Luke xviii. 36, 37.) Have mercy on
us, &c. No sooner was our Lord's name
mentioned, than the blind beggars, deeply
impressed with a sense of their affliction,
and not knowing whether they should
ever again have so good an opportunity,
earnestly appealed to Him.
Cried out. In the midst of judgments
God remembers mercy. Though these
men, for wise reasons, were deprived of
eyes, the use of their speech was left. There
was, on their part, a double confession of
faith; first, that Jesus could li^al them,
and, secondly, as the long expe ted Mes-
siah. They asked for mercy', conscious that
they deserved nothing.
31. And the multitude rebuked them, beca\ise thev
should hold their peace : but thev cried the more, saj'-
mg, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
Rebuked— rather charged them that they
should hold their peace. They did not
wish Jesus to be interrupted. Ch-ied the
more. Their case was urgent, the occasion
was precious, and they called more fer-
vently, using the same form of appeal as at
first.
32. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said,
What will ye that I should do unto you ?
Once the sun of nature stood still at the
desire of Joshua, who was eager to com-
plete his victory ; and, lo, now " the Hun
of Righteousness" stands still, with " heal-
ing under His wings," at the desire of the.se
blind men. Called them. Thus He admin-
istered reproof, by ordering those to help
the poor men (Luke xviii. 40), who had
endeavored to check them. What will ye,
&c. Thus our Lord expressed His readi-
ness to .aid, and sought to call into yet live-
lier exercise the faith and expectation of
the petitioners.
33. They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be
opened.
Now they single out the channel in
which they desire the solicited mercy to
run. " Our eyes are thirsty for the light.
To us the wonderful realities of creation
have long been a dark and dismal blank.
Thine is the i^ower that can reveal them
like a new creation to our view."
34. So Jesus had compa-ssion on tlinn, and touched
their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight,
and they followed him.
Had compassion — pitied. Touched their
eyes — to show that the miracle was no co-
incidence or accident, but the immediate
effect of Divine power. Immediately. The
cure was instantaneously effected. How
great and welcome the change ! What
joy, ecstacy and gratitude would they dis-
cover ! How would they look and gaze —
all things are become new. They folloiued
him. This was, 1. An evidence of the
reality and perfection of the cure; for in
other cases where human skill has re-
moved blindness by touching, the restorefl
orbs cannot be immediately used — light is
admitted into them by degrees — the man
cannot measure distances, nor judge with
accuracy, and he is not fit to be left to
himself. And, 2. It was an improvement
of the greatness of the mercy. " We can
never," say they, " discharge our obliga-
tions to such a gracious and almighty
friend. But let us devote ourselves to
His service — let us continually ask, " Lord,
what wilt Thou have me to do?"
From this interesting narrative learn, 1.
These blind men are most affecting em-
blems of the spiritual condition in which
we all are by nature. 2. We are in ;v
hopeful condition in regard to the removal
214
MATTHEW,
of this spiritual blindness, as were these
poor men. 3. For this we should earn-
estly and perseveringly pray, resisting
every effort to stifle our cry for mercy. 5.
Whe\i Jesus has blessed us with His grace,
let us show forth His praise. 6. Strong
faith may sometimes be found where it
might least have been expected. 7. There
is wisdom in using every opportunity for
getting good for our souls.
1. What parable does this chapter commence with ? 2. How many of the Evangelists record it? 3. Who is
the " householder?" 4. How many kinds of laborers are specified? 5. Who " murmured?" 6. What reply was
made to them ? 7. Did Clirist again predict His sufferings ? 8. How ? 9. AVhat did the mother of Zebedee's
children asli for ? 10. What answer did she receive ? 11. Explain verse 26. 12. How did the blind men address
Jesus? 13. Who rebuked them ? H. What effect had the rebuke upon them ? 15. What did Jesus say to them ?
16. What did he do to them*'? 17. What does the narrative of this miracle teach?
CHAPTER XXI.
1 Christ rideth into Jerusairm xpoii an o.ss, 12 driveth
the buyers and sellers out of tin- trmiilr, 17 rnrxrlh the
fig tree, 23 putteth to silenn lltr prir.sls (Uid lidrrs, 28
and rebukelh them by the similitude of the two sons, 33
and the husbandmen, who slew such as were sent unto
them.
AND swhen they drew nip;h unto Jerusalem, and
were come to Bethpha^'r. uutu ''tlic mount of
Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2. Saying unto
them, Go into the village over against you, and straight-
way ye sliall find an ass tied, and a colt witli her : loose
the.m, and bring them unto me. 3. And if any man say
auglit unto vou, ve shall say, 'The Lord hath need of
them ; and straightway he will scml tlicni. 4. All this
was done, that it might be fnllillod which was spoken
by the prophet, saying, 5. A'y\.\\ ye the daiiKliterof Sion,
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting
upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an a.ss. G. ■'And tlie
disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them /.
And brought the ass, and the colt, and fput on them
their clothes, and thev set him thereon. 8. And a very
great multitude spread their garments in the way ;
Kothers cut down branches from ttie trees, and strevvecl
them in the wav. 9. And the multitudes that went be-
fore, and that followed, cried, sayini;, t'llosaima to the
Son of David : iBlessed ^- ho that conii-th m the name
of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. 10. j.And when
he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved,
saying, Who is this ? 11. And the multitude said, 1 his
Is Jesus kthe prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
'Mark xi. 1; Luke xix. 29. bZech. xiv. 4. <;Ps. xxiv.
1: chap. xxix. 14. Ifi. aisa. Ixii. 11: Zech. ix. 9; John
xii. 15. fMark xi. 4. (2 Kings ix. 13. sLev. xxiu. 40 :
John xii. 13. i>Ps. cxviii. 2.5. iPs. cxviii.2(l: chap, xxiii.
39. JMark xi. 15: Luke xix. 45; John ii. 13, 1.^. kChap.
ii. 23 ; Luke vii. 16 ; John vi. 14, vii. 40, ix. 17.
Drew nigh, &c. There is a close verbal
resemblance between the Evangelists in
this remarkable portion of our Lord's his-
tory, yet with enough diversity of expres-
sion to establish their respective claims to
independent authorship. The thread of
the narrative requires that we should read
in Luke xix. 2-28, and John xii. 1, 9-11,
before this triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
(See XX. 17, 18.) Bethphage, a village be-
tween Bethany and Jerusalem, near the
summit of the Mount of Olives. No trace
of it now exists. Two disciples, probably
Peter and John. An ass tied, &c. Asses
and mules were in common use in Pales-
tine ; they were not so mean as they are
regarded among us, but, when rightly
trained, they were active and beautiful in
appearance. Even Solomon rode on a
mule in state. (See 1 Kings i. 38 ; Gen.
xxii. 3 ; Ex. iv. 20 ; Judg. x. 4.) Horses
were seldom to be met with. Loose them,
&c. This act seemed violent on the part
of the disciples, but was not so, inasmuch
as the Lord knew beforehand the consent
of the owner would be given, and commu-
nicated that assurance to the disciples.
Here is an instance of Christ's perfect
knoAvledge. He says : 1. Ye shall find an
ass tied, &c. 2. On which no man ever
sat. (Mark xi. 2.) 3. As ye enter into the
village. (Luke xix. 30.) 4. The owner
shall at first seem unwilling to have 'the
animal loosed. 5. When he hears the
Lord has need of it, he will let it go.
Alone or in company, by night or by day,
in private or in public, Jesus is acquainted
with all our ways. This is a thought that
ought to exercise a restraining and sancti-
fying eftect on our souls.
If any man, &c. Without doubt, the
owner of the beast was one of the many
concealed friends of Christ. Not '' our
Lord," or " your Lord," but " the Lord "—
the pro])rietor of all things. There is not,
we think, one instance in which this word,
with the article, and without either noun
or pronoun, is used in speaking of any
CHAPTER XXI
215
other person than Jesus, except when
used of the glorious God absolutely. In
His humility, Christ is ever giving proofs
of His Divinity. He has a right to every-
thing, and He can so control men's hearts
as to make them willing to obey Him.
There is no doubt that Jesus chose this
kind of entry with special reference to the
prediction of the prophet, five hundred
and fifty-five years before, and thus as a
symbolical rei^resentation of the unwar-
like, peaceful character of the true Messiah
and His kingdom. Tell ye the daughter, &c., is
found in Isaiah Ixii. 11. Zion or Sion was
one of the hills on which the city of Jeru-
salem was built, and it was employed as a
name equivalent to Jerusalem. By a
mode of speech common among the He-
brew writers, daughter of Zion means Sion
itself; and as Zion is put for Jerusalem, the
expression daughter of Zion means city of
Jerusalem. (See Zech. ix. 9.) As Jesus
commanded. We must not hesitate to obey
when God commands. The ass and the colt.
The owner allowed them to be taken,
assured that they were for the Master's
use, and would be safely and speedily re-
stored. Both beasts were brought to ex-
hibit the appearance of a regal relay. The
disciples spread their mantles, instead of
a saddle, upon both the beasts, uncertain
which Jesus intended to ride. This was a
token of honor. Set him, more literally,
assisted Jesus to mount thereon. Hitherto
our Lord had discouraged all demonstra-
tions in His favor. But now His earthly
mission was drawing to a close, and it was
not fitting that the Lamb of God should
come to be slain privately and silently.
Besides, there was, so to sj^eak, a necessity
that Jesus just then should manifest in the
most open manner, His claim to "be the
King, anointed from on high.
Very great multitude. Some gathered for
the passover, others attracted by the
recent miracle of raising Lazarus at
Bethany, swelled the train from Jericho.
Spread, &c., in conformity with a very
ancient 'and still existing custom on state
occasions in the East, of honoring royal
and illustrious persons, by covering the
ground over which they are to pass. Cut
down branches, &c. The people were wont
to cut branches of palm at the feast of
tabernacles. From remote antiquity these
branches were an emblem of victory and
joy. Midtitudes cried, &c. The en-
thusiasm which broke forth when the
point was reached from which the city
could be seen spreading itself like a grand
imnorama, increased in intensity while the
way began to descend. The disciples, who
deemed that the long desired hour had at
length come, proceeded, joined by the
multitude, to raise the cries, taken from
the Psalms, which were regarded by all
the Jews as appropriate to' the Messiah,
and proper to hail His appearance :
"Hosanna!
Blessed is the king of Israel,
That Cometh in the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the kingdom of our father David,
That Cometh iu the name of the Lord."
Hosanna, i. e., save now. Hosanna in the
highest. This was the very loftiest style in
which He could be saluted — the promised
Deliverer. That cometh — one of the titles
of the Messiah. (Matt. xi. 3.) Into Jeru-
salem. The city, crowded at this time,
with strangers in addition to the inhabi-
tants, was moved — stirred by this triumph-
ing clamor — and men asked one another,
Who is this f and when they heard, " It is
Jesus the prophet of Nazareth," no further
exi^lanation was needed. So convinced
were the people of His Divine mission,
that His obscure and humble origin was
no longer a stumbling-block in the way of
their acknowledgment of His claims, or
deterred them from declaring that He was
from Nazareth, that most despised of all
Galilean towns.
12. 'And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast
out all thoni that sold and bought iu the temple, and
overthrew the tabl&s of the mmoney changers, and the
seats of them that sold doves.
'Mark xi. U ; Luke xix. 45 ; John ii. 15. mDeut. xiv. 25.
Our Lord was both King and Priest, and
as in the former transaction He had
fulfilled the memorable prophecy of
Zechariah, so now He fulfills the promise
in Malachi iii. 1-3. Went, &c., not to the
court, or the palace, for His kingdom is
spiritual, and not of this world. Jesus
found His Father's house in a state which
too truly shadowed forth the general con-
dition of the whole Jewish church — every-
thing out of order, and out of course.
Cast out, &c. A similar transaction oc-
curred at the beginning of Christ's ministry,
about three years before. (John ii. 3-15.)
216
MATTHEW.
In the southern part of the spacious outer
court of the temple, was a large place
called the court of the Gentiles, for the sale
of animals and birds for sacrifices, and
whatever else might be required for
offerings and sacrifices, such as salt, wine,
&c. (See 1 Kings viii. 41.) The tables, &c.
The counters of those who exchanged, at
a certain premium, foreign coin into
Jewish, in which the annual tax to the
tenrple had to be paid. Sold doves. (See
Lev. V. 7, xiv. 22, also xii. 8 ; Luke ii. 24.)
The toleration of evil is the procurement
of it. The house of God should not be
devoted to secular purposes. (Ps. xciii. 5.)
Christ's zeal for the holiness of'"the Church
and the sanctification of souls is here
indicated.
13. And said unto thpm, It Ls written, "My house
shall be called the he. i>o of prayer, obut ye have made
it a den of thieves.
"Isa. Ivi. 7. »Jer. vii. H ; Mark xi. 17; Luke xix. 46.
Christ, in first casting out the buyers
and sellers from the temple, called it His
" Father's house," now, rmj house, claiming
equality and unity with the Father. It is
written. (See Isa. Ivi. 7, also Jer. vii. 11.)
Even in purifying the temple from profane
uses, our Lord supported His conduct by
a text of Scripture. All reformation in
churches should be built upon God's
Word. The temple was a type of that
spiritual temple to which all nations, under
Messiah's reign, were to resort as a house
of prayer, and, therefore, it was not to be
polluted by secular affairs. Den of thieves
— a terrible antithesis to the house of
God. In Judea, robbers and bandits found
shelter in caves and recesses of rocks. All
who inake unfair gains and tell falsehoods
when they buy or sell, are counted thieves
by God. Avarice, covered with the veil
of religion, is one of those things on which
Christ looks with the greatest indigna-
tion In His Church. Our bodies are ac-
counted the temple of the Lord. (2 Cor.
vi. 16.) We should pray to Him now to
cast out from our hearts whatever dis-
pleases Him.
14. And the blind and the lame came to him in the
temple, and he healed them. 15. And when the chief
])riests and scribes saw the wonderl'ul tilings that he
did, and the children crying in the temple, saying,
Hosanna to the Son pf David ; they were sore dis-
pleased, 10. And said unto him, Hearest thou what
these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye
never read, pQut of the mouth of babes and sucklings
thou hast perfected praise ?— rPs. viii. 2.
Jesus casi out some, but Wareceived others.
He turned the desecrated temple again
from a den of robbers into a house of
mercy. The blind and the lame did well
to come to Him then, for those hands
whose touch was health, would soon be
stretched upon the cross. (See Isa. xxxv.
5, 6 ; Acts ix. 2, xix. 9, 23, &c.; Psalms cxix.
18, XXV. 4, cxliii. 8.) The children, some
of them, perhaps, leaders of the blind, or
even supporters of the lame, having caught
up the sound of the acclamations (verse 9),
they were regardless of the favor of the
Pharisees. Their simplicity of heart gave
them a courage which many Aveak be-
lievers had not. Hosanna, &c. Recogniz-
ing Him as the promised Messiah. Over
His own people Jesus weeps, but with
these little ones He rejoices. How fitting
that child-like voices should shout the
praises of Him who allowed not children
to be forbidden to come to Him ! No
doubt many children were wicked in those
days as well as in our own, but we never
hear of any who sjjoke against Christ.
Perfected praise. In referring His enemies
to Psalms viii., our Lord referred them to
one of the most glorious declarations in
prophecy, of His own entire dominion
over all created beings in heaven and
earth. (See 1 Cor. xv. 27; Eph. i. 22;
Heb. ii. 6-8.)
17. H And he left them, and went out of the city into
qBethany ; and he lodged there. 18. rNow in the morn-
ing, as be returned into the city, he hungered. 19. sAnd
when he saw a tig tree in the way, he came to it, and
found nothing thereon, bvit leaves only, and said unto
it, I/.'t nt) iruit grow on thee hcneef(irward for ever.
And prcscMily tlie fig tree withiTcil away! 20. 'And
wlii'ii tlie disciples saw if, they niurvellcil, saying. How
soiiu is the lig tree withered a\v;iy ! 21. Jesus answered
and said imto them. Verily I say unto you, "If ye have
faith, and ^doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is
done to the fig tree, >but also if ye shall say unto this
mountain. Be thou removed, and l)e thou cast into the
sea: it shall be done. 22. And "all things, whatsoever
ye shall ask in prayer, believiuK, ye shall receive.
qMark xi. 1; John xi. 18. 'Mark xi. 12. ^Mark xi. Vi.
'Mark xi. 20. "Chap. xvii. 20 ; Luke xvii. 6. »Janies i.
f> : 1 Cor. xiii. 2. »Chap. vii. 7 ; Mark xi. 2A ; Luke xi. 9;
James v. 16 ; 1 John Ui. 22 and v. 14.
And went out. Jesus Avithdrew into re-
tirement, as He did not wish to remain in
the city while the minds of the populace
Avere so excited in His favor, lest He
should be thought to aflect the regal gov-
ernment. Lodged there, probably at the
house of Lazarus and his sisters. With
what interest must this favored family,
whose hospitality He so often shared, have
marked His movements, and listened to
His every Avord, as He sojourned among
them!
CHAPTER XXI
217
Happy the home to which Christ comes,
Where ott Ue is a guest:
Whose everj' inmate He approves,
That home is ever blest.
Ll the morning. This was Tuesday the
week of His passion. He hungered, either
l)ecause He did not wish to incommode the
kind fomily of Lazarus at that early hour,
or because it was considered unbecoming
to take the morning meal before the hour
of morning sacrifice, which was nine
o'clock. Our Lord's hunger reminds us
that He had a body like our own, and was
subject to all our infirmities, except sin.
A fig tree. The tree seems to have been
of the sycamore species, which, it is well
known, was found in Palestine in great
abundance by the way-side, and the pecu-
liar property of which is, that it is always
green, and yields fruit several times in the
year, without regard to any particular
seasons. Besides, it is a fact not less well
known, thatthe fruitof al) kinds of fig trees
always appears sooner than the leaves, and
although the period for gathering the fruit
was not at this time yet arrived, yet it is
not uncommon to meet with some vigorous
trees which show figs thoroughly ripe six
weeks before the arrival of the general
season, and the beautiful and luxuriant
foliage of this particular tree which our
Saviour approached, seemed to indicate
that it was in a healthy and flourishing
condition. According to the ordinary
course of nature, some fruit-boccores, if
not winter-figs, ought to have been grow-
ing on it, for the early appearance of the
leaves was a proof that the preceding winter
w.is short and mild, and the winter-fig
likely to remain on the tree.
Leaves only — like a hypocrite Avith a fair
show of profession. To the question,
" How is Christ, who is omniscient, repre-
sented as expecting to find figs on this
fruitless tree ? " it may be replied, 1. Speak-
ing as a man, and acting throughout as the
perfect man. He might have expected
fruit. 2. Christ knew the tree had no
fruit, but He intended to use it as a
symbol by which to impress a great
moral lesson on those that were with
Him, and accordingly approached it that
its state might be known to all. When
<Tod is said to have come down from
'\eaven to see if there were anv that did
good, this does not mean that God was
ignorant of the state of the e;.irth. Let no
fruit grow, &c. Every previous miracle of
Christ had been expressive of numingled
beneficence ; there was now nei'ded some
Divine manifestation of justice and judg-
ment, also, to show that what is God's
strange work is not unknown or impossi-
ble to Him — the work of righteous retri-
bution. But a little while before, our Lord
had bewailed the foreseen desolation of
Israel, as having been unfaithful to h<?r
covenant promises, and aljout to frustrate
her covenant hopes. Now He tpaches the
same fact by symbolic action. Forever, in
this place, means " until the age," that is,
the age when the Jgw shall be grafled in,
&c. (See Rom. xi. 17.) Withered away—
began to become dry and dead. All fruit-
less professions of Christianity are in awful
danger of becoming like this withered fig
tree. The fruit of'the Spirit (Gal. v. 22,
23), is the only sure proof that we are
savingly united to Christ. The astonish-
ment of the disciples at seeing how soon
the fig tree had uithered aivay, afforded f)ur
Lord an occasion to instruct them in the
nature and power of faith.
If ye have faith and doubt not, i. e., do not
hesitate through unbelief. The union of
the positive and negative form of asser-
tion is often employed for the sake of em-
phasis. Ye shall not only do this, &c. It is
evident that not physical, but moral ob-
stacles to the progress of His kingdom
were in the Redeemer's view, and that
■what He designed to teach was the great
lesson, that no obstacle should be able to
stand before a confiding faith in God. (2
Cor. xii. 10 ; see on chap. xvii. 20 ; Luke
xvii. 6.)
And all iMngs, &c. This promise is to be
limited in the nature of the case, to such
things as are proper for us to receive, and
suitable for God to bestow. In prayer. It
is by prayer that Such victories are at-
tained. Faith is the soul, prayer is the
body ; both must be combined in the ser-
vice of God. Believing. This trust must
necessarily be regulated by God's own
promise. Ye shall receive. For God will
not grant the power of faith for a gift ; He
will not grant either in kind or in equiva-
lent.
218
MATTHEW,
23. IT »And when he was come into the temple, the
chief priests and the elders of the people came unto
him as ho was teaching, and bsaid. By what authority
doest thou these things? and who gave thee this
authority ?
''Mark xi. 27 ; Luke xx. 1. bEx. ii. 14 ; Acts iv. 7, and
vil. 27.
Chief Priests, &c. These enemies of
Jesus were always oij hand to find some
occasion to accuse Him before the Eoman
governor, o^to awaken the prejudices of th§
Jews. Their first question here related
to the nature of the authority by whiclj
H^ acted, whether it was as a projihet,
a priest, or a king, no other person having
a right to make any reformation in Church
or State. Their second question related to
the source of this authority — what evidence
was there that it was Divina? These
things, entering the city with such a train
of attendants, reforming the economy
of the temple, and receiving from tliQ
people the title of the Messiah. If Jesus
had replied, " by the authority of God,"
they would have accused Him of blas-
phemy, and if He had said, " by my oiun,"
of rebellion.
24. And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also
will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in likewise
will tell you by what authority I do these things. 2.5.
The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or
of men ? And they reasoned with themselves, saying.
If we shall sav. From heaven; he will say unto us.
Why did ye not then believe him ? 26. But if we shall
say, Of men ; we fear the people ; <:for all hold John as
a propliet. 27. And they answered Jesus, and said. We
cannot tell. And he said unto them. Neither tell I you
by wliatanthf)rity I do these things.
fChap. xiv. 15 ; Mark vi. 20 ; Luke xx. 6.
Answered. What wonderful wisdom does
this answer of Jesus show ! He knew
that their purpose was malicious, and
hence adopted the method which He did.
The haptisra of John, i. e. the religion of
which the baptism was a profession. (See
Actsi. 22, X. 37, xviii. 25.) Prom heaven, or of
men — a Divine or a human institution. Our
Lord's question, it will be perceived, was
in reality an answer to the question of
His inquirers. His meaning, evidently,
was that John the Baptist had especially
testified that He was the Messiah. They
knew this. They could not deny it. Now,
if they really believed that John was a
prophet, they would see by " what authority
He did what He did ;" it was as the Mes-
siah, whom John had proclaimed Him to
be. They reasoned, &c. They retired an
instant, and made the matter an object of
common deliberation. Say, from heaven.
They saw and felt the dilemma in which
they were placed. They knew that in ac-
knowledging John's mission to be from
God, which they believed it to be, their
sagacious opponent would confound them
with the inquiry. Why did ye not then be-
lieve him.? i. e. why did ye not believe the
testimony which he, as my forerunner,
boretQ me as the Messiah ? (John i. 29-
34, iii. 28-36.
But of men. Here was the other
horn of the dilemma. If they denied
John's Divine mission, they feared the
violence of the people. Every way Christ's
reply was calculated to silence His enemies.
It subjected them to the charge of gross
inconsistency on the one hand, or to
personal peril on the other. For all hold
John, &c. The rulers, from political motives,
had deserted John, but with all the ranks
of the common people, even to the publi-
cans and harlots, there was a deep feel-
ing that John was a messenger from God.
Even Herod, who slew Him, trembled at
His name as of a holy and God-sent man.
These chief priests and scribes feared the
people, as Herod did before them. They
had often taught the people the eflicacy of
such violence, when argument and reason
failed them, and now they were afraid
that their teaching would react upon
themselves, and bring down punishment,
if they pronounced John an impostor.
We cannot tell. They did not like to
confess. They feigned an ignorance which
they did not possess, for the two possible
causes lay open to their discernment, but,
in their depravity, they could not bring
themselves to give honor to the generally
admitted truth. Their thoughts and out-
ward conduct were in discord and oppo-
sition to each other, which is the essence
of hypocrisy. Neither tell I you, &c. It
was useless for our Lord to profi'er any
further proof of His Messiahship to men
who, if they would not believe John's
testimony in His favor, would not, of
course, believe that which He should offer
for Himself. He, therefore, simply ex-
posed their obstinacy to themselves,
leaving them to reflect upon it. Both
were now silent, He, because on good
grounds He would not speak, they, because
through their own fault they could not
speak. The people present could easily
decide which had been victorious.
CHAPTER XXI
219
Observe, 1 . Every true-hearted Christian
who tries to do do good in the world, must
expect that the self-righteous and worldly-
niilided will dislike his ways. 2. It is a
great sin for any one to be willing to
acknowledge and proclaim the truth only
so far as will subserve his selfish de-
signs. 3. He who forbears speaking
against the truth only through fear of men,
has betrayed and dishonored it already in
his heart. 4. Pharisaic pride, according to
its different interests, either pretends to
know everything, or affects to know
nothing. 5. Many will say anything rather
than acknowledge themselves to be in the
wrong. 6. Lying is one of the commonest
sins in the world. Gehazi, Ananias and
Sapphira have more followers and imita-
tors than Peter and Paul.
is. f But what think ye? A certain man had two
sons, and he came to the flrst, and said, Son, go work
to-day in my vineyard.
What thinJ: ye? Give me your opinion
of what I am about to say. Our Lord now
becomes the assailing party, and by this
question brings the following delineation
before the judgment-seat of the conscience
of His hearers. (1 Cor. iii. 19.) A certain
man, i. e., God. Two sons. The righteous-
ness of the demand is grounded in the re-
lation which a father holds to his children.
The first son is the publican or the sinner.
The second is the Pharisee or self-righteous
man. Both are examples of two classes
whi«h still exist. Came to the first, and said,
&c. The command here given was the
general summons made by the natural law
in the conscience, by the revealed law
which Moses gave, for man to bring forth
fruit unto God, and by the preaching of
John. Son. An endearing address. God
is the Father of all mankind, and though
sin has rendered us unworthy of His care,
it has not destroyed our relation to Him,
and with paternal afiection He calls us as
careless sinners to amendment. Go work,
<ke. The command is not only affectionate,
but practical. Not only must we enter the
kingdom by faith, but that fiiith must be
operative.
Work. 1. This includes a diligent atten-
tion to our own personal salvation. 2. An
active exertion for the spiritual interests
of others. 3Iy vineyard. Among the culti-
vators of Palestine in those days there was
an admixture of large and small farms.
In chap. XX. 1, in order to provide for the
structure of the parable, an agriculturist is
introduced who cultivates on a large scale.
In this case, the man has a portion of -
ground sufficient to provide for the wants
of his family, but his farm cannot afibrd
em])loyment and remuneration to a gang
of laborers ; the work must all be done by
the owner himself and his children. To-
day. This is the language of the Gospel ;
the command is urgent, and the obedience
must be prompt, because the work is im-
portant, the scene is extensive, the time is
short, life is uncei'tain, our responsibility
is great, the Judge is even at the door, and
present facilities may soon be withdrawn ;
the lamp of life may shortly be extinguish-
ed, or the candlestick of the Gospel re-
moved out of its jDlace. Time is one thing,
opportunity is another ; the cage of time '
may remain, w hile the bird of opportunity
has flown.
29. He answered and said, I will not, but afterward he
repented, and went.
I will not. This answer was evil, and
only evil, and flowed from its native spring
in an evil heart. No excuse was made, no
delay was asked for; there was a i)0sitive,
rude and daring refusal. This son rej^re-
sents the openly and daringly ungodly of
every rank, in every age. Some men,
alas ! take credit for the distinct avow^al of
their ungodliness, and cherish the fatal
error, that because they frankly confess
they are not good, this will serve as a sub-
stitute for goodness, and because thej' are
not hypocrites, they will be welcomed into
heaven with all their vices on their back.
But afterwards, &c. He came to himself;
reflection returned, and he was grievously
sorry for his disobedience ; perhaps his
father's silent grief went to his heart at
length and melted it. And went. No sooner
was he reclaimed than he was employed.
Obedience was the consequence, and the
evidence of the reality of his sorrow, and
the sincerity of his acknowledgment.
Note, 1. The view of true repentance
here presented, the heart enlightened
as to its relationship with God, the full
justice and propriety of God's command-
ments admitted, and shame for the dis-
obedience with which these have been
220
MATTHEW,
met. 2. The necessity of repentance in
order to salvation. The first son repents.
The second son is not excluded from the
privilege of working, as far as this parable
goes. The door is not finally shut against
him. But if he is at length found side by
side with the first son, it must be in the
spirit of repentance also. (See verse 32.)
Whilst this parable is far from pleading
for wickedness, or intimating that immo-
rality is preferable to morality, the page
of history shows that the most unlikely
materials are often subdued by Divine
agency to holy purposes, and sinners call-
ed from courses the most ungodly. An
attempt to couch the eyes of those who
say " We see," an offer of pardon to the in-
nocent, a communication of alms to the
wealthy, would only exasperate and dis-
gust ; but this would not be the case with
• the blind, the guilty, and the poor.
30. And he came to the second, and said likewise.
And he answered and said, I go, sir : and went not.
Likewise, with undoubtedly the same
spirit. God's demand is the same to all,
and the obligation to obey is also the same.
And he answered, &c. The second son
had an answer ready, sound in substance
and smooth in form. It was a model
answer from a son to his parent : '' I go,
sir," said the youth without hesitation or
complaint. He promised icell, but did not
perform. The scribes and Pharisees, as
professing to be zealous for the law, set
themselves in the way as though they
would fulfill the commands. This, their
profession, was like the second son's
promised obedience. But they said and
did not. (Matt. xv. 8 ; xxiii. 2.) What a
multitude of such are in the Avorld !
Children trained up in Christian families
often promise well. So do young men,
who. are ingenuous, teachable, despising
the bondage of corruption, hating even
the garment spotted with the flesh. So
do those who, under the preaching of
the Word, are alarmed, melted, almost
persuaded to be Christians, and those who,
being reclaimed from various vices, be-
come regular in their lives and attentive
to moral and relative duties, and those
who, on sick-beds, promise to become
Christians if restored to health. But,
alas ! in how many such cases do the
tears of their connections, the sighs of
their ministers, and the triumph of the
enemy attest, that if the promise was flat-
tering, the declension was equally griev-
ous, and the end equally fatal.
31. Whether of them twain did the will of his father?
They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them,
iVerily I say unto you. That the publicans and the
harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
dLuke vii. 29, 50.
Whether of them txvavn, &c. The answer
to this sharp question is all too easy. Tlie
light is stronger than is comfortable for
those owl-eyed Pharisees, who were
prowling about like night-birds on the
scent of their prey. They cannot profess
inability to solve this question, as they
had done that other. (Verse 27.) The
first. The nature of true piety is therefore
obedience to the revealed will of God,
and this obedience can be compensated by
nothing else.
Thcjnd)Ucans and harlots, &c. Those who
were excommunicated from the Jewish
church. The last word specializes the
usual expression, sinners. They are repre-
sented by the first son. In all their former
conduct the}' had said no. Now they
yield to the voice of truth when they hear
it, and enter into the kingdom, embracing,
the salvation brought to them in the
Gospel. (See Matt. ix. 9 ; Luke vii. 29, 50,
37-48, XV. 1, xix, 2. xviii. 9-14.) Go into the
kingdom of God before you. This does not
mean the way is made more easy, the gate
more wide, to the licentious and prqfane
than to the hypocrite — it intimates merely
that in point of tiict the profane were then
and there hastening in through the gate,
Avhile the self-righteous were standing
aloof. The words "go before you," or take
the lead of you, indicate that the door of
hope was not yet shut upon them, that
they were not yet irreversibly excluded
from that kingdom— the others indeed
had preceded them, but they might still
follow, if they would.
32. For f John came unto you In the way of rightcou^
ness and ve believed him not; f but the publicaiLS and
harlots boUeved him : and ye, whtn ye had seen it. re-
pented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
oChap. iii. 1, &c. fLuke iii. 12, 13.
We must understand the icay of rigldeous
ness in reference to the words of Christ, in
John xiv. 6: "I am the way." John
came as the forerunner of the Messiah,
pointing to Him, the way of righteousness.
i
CHAPTER XXI,
221
Publicans — unjust. Harlots — unchaste.
(See on verse 31.) Wlien ye liad seen it, i. e.,
the wondrous reformation which John's
j)rertching had wrought in tliese wicked
j)er,sons. Repented not afterward, &c., i. e.,
were yet obdurate, and did not repent so
as to believe him. How ungrateful, and
liow mad is the conduct of those who are
saying with the first son in this parable,
" I will not ! " God is our Father, and llis
service is the most reasonable, honorable,
pleasant and profitable. Let those remem-
ber who are saying with the second son,
'■ I go, sir," that the vows of God are upon
them ; that nothing is so dangerous to the
soul as false dealing with God ; that no
character is so rarely converted as a false
professor, and that no state is so tremen-
dous as the end of an apostate.
33. H Hear another parable : There was a certain
householder, fwhich planted a vhieyard, and hedged it
round about, and digged a wine press in it, and built a
tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and invent into a
far country.
sPs. Ixxx. 9 ; Cant. viii. 11 ; Isa. v. 1 : Jer. ii. 21 : Mark
xii. 1 ; Luke xx. 9. i>Chap. xxv. 14, 15.
Another parable. As if our Lord, address-
ing the Pharisees, would say, " I have not
done with you yet, I have still another
word of w^arning and rebuke." Householder.
The head of a family. Planted a vineyard.
This represents God's attention to Israel,
His covenant people, upon whom the emi-
nent privileges mentioned in Rom. ix. 4,
were conferred as a sacred trust to be cul-
tivated and improved. (See Deut. xxii.
32 ; Isa. v. 1-7 ; Ps. Ixxx.) Hedged it round
about. In addition to a stone wall, or as a
substitute for it, the Eastern vineyards
have often a hedge of thorns around them.
Digged, &c. The ancient practice of tread-
ing out grapes with the feet still lingers
among the mountains of Lebanon. The
place for treading out the grapes is some-
times dug in the ground, lined with a coat-
ing of either stone or brick. To such an
excavation, probably, there is reference
in the text, though some think the allu-
sion is to a trough in the earth for receiving
the liquor from a foot-press placed over it.
Built a tower. This turret or watch-tower
answered the two-fold purpose of a place
of abode for the keeper of the vineyard,
and a post of observation to protect it
from thieves and animals, especially dogs
and foxes. (See Cant. i. 6, ii. 15.) The
Church must have its towera and watch-
men against the assaults of the profane,
or the incursions of hypocrites. Let it out.
Leased or rented it, with rent to be paid
from the produce ; to husbandmen, the Jew-
ish people, especially their rulers and
priests, who were the cliief instigators in all
these things which were bringing wrath
upon the nation unto the uttermost.
Went into a far country. This means either
that after the open manifestation of Him-
self which God made to Israel at the giving
of the law from Sinai, and in the miracles
which accompanied their deliverance from
Egypt, and their introduction to Canaan,
He did not in so open and extraordinary
a manner manifest Himself to the j^eople
again ( Deut. xxxiv. 10-12), or it indicates the
feeling of the vine-dressers, who think that
God has no regard to their conduct. (Ezek.
viii. 12, ix. 9; Ps. x. 4, 5; Luke xii. 45.) The
time of God's forbearance is intimated,
during which men act according to their
own will. (Matt. xxv. 14; Mark xiii. 14.)
ai. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent
his servants to the liusbandmen, ithat they might re-
ceive the fruits of it.— 'Cant. viii. 11, 12.
Time of the fruit drew near. An intimation
of the period in which the proper prophetic
activity began in Israel, which, as is known,
was a considerable time after the founding
the theocratic state, so that the fruits had
had abundant time to come to maturity.
Sent his servants, &c. By the servants are
meant extraordinary ambassadors wlio
were sent from time to time in the owner' -i
name, to demand the stipulated tribute —
prophets, such as Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah,
Jeremiah and Ezekiel, men not of the
number, or in the confidence of the ordi-
nary rulers, but specially commissioned
by the Supreme, to approach them with
reproof and instruction. That they might
receive the fruits of it. According to ancient
custom, the rent of a farm was paid by a
part of the produce. He had reason to
expect fruit, because all the arrangements
and agreements were to this efiect. So
with the Jews, whom God had taken into
solemn covenant, and otherwise highly
favored.
a5. kAnd the husbandmen took his servants, and beat
one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36. Again
he sent oilier servants more than the firet : and they did
unto them likewise.
ii2 Chron. xxiv. 21 .and xxxvi. 16 , Neli. ix. 26 . chap.
V. 12 and xxiii. 31, 37 ; Acts vii. 52; 1 Thes. ii. 15: Heb.
xi. 36, 37.
MATTHEW.
Beat one. The word "beat" signifies
literally, in the Greek, to flay or skin,
which, in this case, is supposed to be done
by beating. The established authorities
of the nation, exercising their oflice for
their own pleasure or profit, rejected the
counsel, and assaulted the person of the
messenger, dismissing him without any
fruit. Killed another. Rid themselves of
the true witnesses of God by a variety of
persecutions. Stoned another. This was,
among the Jews, a common way of punish-
ment. (Deut. xiii. 9, xvii. 7 ; Josh. vii. 25.)
Especially was this the case in times of
popular tumult, and of sudden indignation
among the people. (Acts vii. 58, xiv. 19.)
Isaiah was sawn asunder, Jeremiah and
Zechariah were stoned, and Amos was
murdered with a club. (See Jer. xxxvii.
15, xxxviii. 6; Jer. xxvi. 20-23; 2 Cor.
xxiv. 21 ; comp. also chap, xxiii. 37.)
Other servants more than the first. The re-
peated messages sent by the prophets,
generation after generation, indicate not
only the continued patience, long-suffering,
and wonderful compassion of God — a com-
passion not Cjuenched by reiaulsion — but
also the growing wantonness and wicked-
ness of the people, by whom His servants,
although sometimes efiecting temporary
reforms, were almost uniformly rejected
and maltreated. (See Jer. xliv. 4 ; Neh. ix.
26.) There is not a moment in which God
does not shower down His gifts upon men,
and require the fruit of them. Various
instruments are used to bring sinners to
God. There are prophets, apostles, pas-
tors, teachers ; some with their gift after
this manner, and some after that. The
greatest share of the persecution of Christ's
true disciples, has, in all ages, fallen upon
the ministers of His religion.
.37. But last of all, he sent unto them his son, saying,
They will reverence my son.
He sent unto them his Son. The same
authority that sent God's messengers of
old to your fathers, has, in these last days,
sent to you his Son. The Lord Jesus here
speaks of Himself, and thus severs Him-
self, by the sharpest line of demarcation,
from all merely human messengers. (Heb.
iii. 3-6.) He is God's "beloved Son, in
whom He is well pleased" — the " only be-
gotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth." God will send even Him, as the
last trial of Divine mercy with His cove-
nant people, as such. They will reverence
my Son. This expression is natural and
appropriate in the lips of a human pro-
Ijrietor, but obviously, when ai^plied to
God, it means only that such reverence
was claimed, was due, and might justly be
expected.
38. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they saifl
among themselves, 'This is the heir, ™come, let us kill
him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
'Ps. ii. 8 : Heb. i. 2. mps. ij. 2 ; chap. xxvi. 3 and xxvii.
1 ; John xi. 53 ; Acts iv. 27.
This is the heir — the owner of the pro-
perty. They confess his being the heir,
among themselves, but they utter no such
confession to Him. Come, let us kill him.
The owner being absent, they imagine
that if the son was dead they could find
none to interfere with them in holding the
vineyard without paying the rent. Let us
seize on his inheritance. These rulers were
determined to retain the power over
Israel. They were afraid of the growing
popularity of Jesus, as likely to disj^ossess
them of their place and authority. (See
John xi. 47, 48.) Their meaning here was :
" If we let this man alone, all men will be-
lieve on Him. Then the Romans will come
and take away our place and nation. Thus
our position will be irretrievably ruined.
He will get the heritage, if we do not take
instant measures to prevent it. It is ex-
pedient for us that one man die for the
people. Let us therefore put him to death.
This is our only hope for continued author-
ity and power."
39. nAnd they caught him, and cast htm out of the
vineyard, and slew him.
nChap. xxvi. 50. &c. ; Mark xiv. 46, &c. ; Luke xxii.
54, &c. ; John xviii. 12, &c. ; Acts ii. 23.
Out of the vineyard. A striking prophecy
of the crucifixion outside of the city.
(Heb. xiii. 12*, 13 ; John xix. 17.) By that,
as in the Pentateuch by the exclusion
from the camp, was signified the cutting
off from the people of God, and from all
share in their blessings. (See 1 Kings xxi.
13.) The words expressing the violence
of the husbandmen are numerous and
graphic: seize, caught, cast, kill, sleiv. They
might nearly all occur in the narrative of
Christ's own apprehension and crucifixion.
40. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh,
what will he do unto those husbandmen ?
Christ makes an appeal to His hearers,
CHAPTER XXI,
223
as if willing that thej' shall judge of the
rigliteousne.ss of the punishment so richly
deserved by the vine-dressers. Unto
those husbandmen. It is observable how
the successive generations, who for so
many centuries had been filling up the
measure of the iniquity of Israel, are con-
sidered, throughout the entire parable,
but as one body of husbandmen. God
will deal with nations as, indeed, being, as
having a living unity in themselves, as, in
fact, bodies. They are something more
than mere aggregations of individuals.
41. oThey say unto him, pHe will miserably destroy
those wicked men, land will let out his vineyard unto
other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in
their seasons.
"See Luke xx. 16. pLuke xxi. 44 ; Heb. ii. 3. q Acts xili.
46, -XV. 7, xviii. 6 and xxviii. 28 ; Rom. Ix. 10, 11.
They say unto him. He compels them to
utter their own condemnation The
judgment pronounced is two-fold. 1. Mis-
erably destroy, &c., an emphatic alliteration
not easily conveyed in English. " He will
badly destroy those bad men," i. c.the Jew-
ish state and nation. 2. Letouthisvineyeirdto
others, &c. He was about to take their
privileges from them and give them to
the Gentiles, who should cultivate the
ground on which they were placed, and
render Him the fruits.
42. Jesus saith unto them, 'Did ye never read in the
scriptures, Tlie stone wliich the builders rejected, the
same is become tlie liead of the corner: this is tlie
Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ?
rPs. cxviii. 22 ; Isa. xxviii. Id ; Mark xii. 10 ; Luke xx.
17 ; Acts iv. 11 ; Eph. u. 20; 1 Peter h. 6, 7.
Did ye never reael, &c. Their attention is
here called to a passage which predicts
the very doom which they had unwittingly
pronounced upon themselves. The stone,
&c. This refers to Christ, and His re-
jection by those who called themselves
leaders and builders in the Jewish church.
He was cast off by them as a. stone which
the architect or workman, thinking too
unshapely to work into the structure,
throws aside as unfit and of no value.
The same is become, &c. The very man,
Christ Jesus, whom the ofiicial but false
builders refused, dishonored and slew,
God raised up and niade King upon His
holy hill of Zion. It is a dreadful dis-
covery for those husbandmen to make,
tliat the Son, whom they murdered, lives,
and has become their Lord. The head-
stone of the corner is the large stone placed
in the corner of a stone edifice, for the
purpose of binding the two walls firmly
together. Jesus Christ is the strong and
firm corner-stone of the new building of
the Christian Church, in which those who
were hitherto divided, Jews and Gentiles,
have been united into one glorious body.
(1 Cor. iii. 11 ; Eph. ii. 13, 20 ; 1 Peter ii.5.)
See Peter's confession of this stone. (Matt.
xvi. 16.) This is the Lord's doing, &c. The
adoption of this stone by the Great Builder
as the chief corner-stone in the glorious
edifice He was erecting, was so marvelous,
that it could be referred only to the
inscrutable wisdom and purpose of God.
The point which was marvelous was its
rejection by the Jewish builders, when
possessed, as it was, of all the essential
properties which rendered it suitable for
the use of the building.
43. Therefore I say unto you, sThe kingdom of God
sliall be talcen from you, and given to a nation bringing
forth tlie fruits thereof.— 'Chap. viii. 12.
The privileges and blessings promised
to the fathers — of which you deem your-
selves heirs — seeing you prove yourselves
unworthy, shall be given to the people
whom ye despise, who, though now cast
out among the Gentiles, "shall be my
people, and I will be their God." (Isa.
Ixv. 15 ; see before on verse 28-32.) Taken
from you. The Jewish nation shall be
left to be trodden down by the Moslem,
the Arab and the Bedouin, and the Gen-
tiles shall get possession of the blessings
until that day when the Jews sliall be
graffed in. A nation. Though collected
out of many nations, they will as Chris-
tians constitute one nation — the "holy
nation " mentioned in 1 Peter ii. 9. (See
Isa. Ii. 4, Ixvi. 5-14; Rev. xix. 11.) Bring
forth the fruits thereof. Here an allusion is
made to paying the owner of the vineyard
in kind. The returns which God expects
for His grace are the fruits of grace; nothing
can ever be acceptable in His sight, that
does not spring from Himself. He also
expects these fruits "in their seasons."
(Verse 41 ; Ps. i. 3 ; see on verse 41.)
44. And whosoever tshall fall on this stone, shall be
broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, "it will grind
him to powder.
'Isa. viii. 14, 15; Zech. xii. 3: Luke xx. 18: Rom. i.x.
33 ; 1 Peter ii. 8. "Isa. Ix. 12 ; Dan. ii. 44.
Whosoever shall fall. Note the rapid yet
harmonious changes of our Lord's illustra-
tion of the stone. The same stone is first a
rejected stone; then, second, a head-corner
224
MATTHEW.
stone; then, third, a stumbling-stone, and
lastly, a stone falling from above. Jesus
becomes more and more stern, as in His
prophetic office He approaches the subject
of His own kingly judgment. SJiall be
broken grind him to powder. Two kinds
of punishment are here referred to, not
two different degrees of the same punish-
ment. In the one, the i^erson offending
is active (he stumbles and is broken), in
the other, passive (he is fallen upon and
crushed). In the first case, whatever evil
is experienced is self-inflicted by the per-
son who endures it; in the second, that
which is experienced rushes upon the suf-
ferer with irresistible force, from the
offended and now avenging Saviour. The
one is a punishment only of this life, where
alone sinners have the opportunity of
stumbling on the rock of salvation, and
consists in all the loss of peace, consolation
and blessing, together with all the judicial
l)lindness, bitterness of sj^irit, hardness of
heart, and manifold disquietudes of mind,
which inevitably blight and desolate the
moral condition of those who resist the
claims of Messiah. The other punishment
belongs to eternity, and consists in the
fearful and everlasting retribution which
Christ will inflict ujion all his adversaries
when He takes to Himself His power and
great glory — consigning them to final per-
dition in utter darkness.
Some suppose the expression "grind
him to powder," is chosen with reference
to the mysterious stone in Dan. ii. 34, 35,
which grinds to powder the image of the
monarchies. It recalls an ancient Greek
proverb : " The mill-stones of heaven grind
the corn slowly, but they grind it to very
powder." It clearly denotes the fearful
punishment of the finally impenitent and
unbelieving. (See Isa. viii. 14 ; 1 Peter ii.
8; Lukeii. 34; Matt. xi. 6.)
Many are the ways in which Christ may
become a stimbling-stone. The Pharisees
denied His I lessiahship. Some, in our own
day, admitting that He was a good man, dis-
believe His miracles and His supernatural
conception. Some, accepting these, deny
His Deity, the vicariousness of His suffer-
ings. Others, believing all this, are yet un-
willing to lead the life of self-denial which
He requires in order to be Plis disciples.
Others, oppressed by a conscious load of
sin, imagine that the spotless purity of His
character is an obstacle to their pardon,
and it would be, were it not for that
righteousness which arises from His aton-
ing death.
45. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had
heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of
them. 46. But when they sought to lay hands on him,
they feared the multitude, because ^they took him for
a prophet.— I Verse 11 ; Luke vii. 15 ; John vii. 40.
A guilty conscience needs no accuser.
Tiiese enemies of our Lord, instead of
yielding to conviction, were exasperated
at Jesus as they saw the application to
themselves of the truth He had just ut-
tered. But, great as was their desire to
apprehend Him, they so feared the people
that they dared not resort to violence. A
man is in a very desperate condition when
wholesome admonition and the denuncia-
tion of misery only provoke him to greater
wrath and iniquity. Fear of men restrains
only the hand, the heart is abandoned to
sin so long as it is not controlled by the
fear of God.
Because they took him for a projihet. As
the conscience of the common people was
in favor of John the Bai)tist, so now was
it so far on the side of Christ as to receive
Him, not indeed as the Son, but as a mes-
senger to the vineyard. They regarded
him as a Divinely appointed Teacher.
(See Luke vii. 16 ; John vi. 14, vii. 40 ;
Deut. xviii. 18.)
Note, 1. Civil and religious liberty, the
Bible and the Sabbath, the Church and its
ministry, have been provided and pre-
served for us by our Father's care. How
thankful should we be for such inestimable
blessings ! 2. Men not only refuse to
obey God, but are angry with those who
reprove their disobedience. 3. Unconverted
men become 'more and more hardened in
sin, as they resist calls to duty. 4. Abuse
of God's ministers, because of their char-
acter or faithfulness, is a gross insult to
Him who sent them. 5. God has done all
to secure the salvation of men which,
consistently with the highest wisdom and
goodness, it was possible for Him to do.
6. God overrules the wrath of man so as
to make it contribute to His glory. 7.
Nations sometimes make a bad use of
their privileges. It may well be feared
that we are not, as a nation, living up to
CHAPTER XXII.
225
our light, or walking worthily of our many
mercifes. Must we not confess with shame
that millions amongst us seem utterly
without God in the world ? Undoubtedly
the fruit that the Lord receives from His
vineyard in our land, compared with what
it ought to be, is disgracefully small. 8.
The nation that will not render to God the
fruits of His vineyard, may have their priv-
ileges in judgment taken away. 9. When
Divine truth shows us that we are wrong,
we should not be too proud and too fond
of the world to confess our past mistakes,
and to take up the cross and follow Christ.
1. Wliere did Jesus send two of his disciples? 2. For what did He send them? 3. What does this narrative
teach? 4. What did the " multitude " do? 5. What effect did the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem produce? 6.
What did He do in the teniple ? 7. What is said of the chief priests and scribes ? S. Where did Christ go to
lodge ? 9. Give the history of the fig-tree He saw ? 10. What precious promise is made to the prayer of faith ?
11. How did Jesus answer the chief priests and elders in the temple ? 12. What did the " certain man " say to hia
" first son ?" 13. What did the son reply ? 14. What is said of the " second " son ? 15. What are the great les-
sons of this parable ? IG. What docs the parable of the "householder" teach? 17. Explain verse 44. 18. Bepeat
the practical reflections at the end of the chapter.
CHAPTER XXII.
1 The parcibl^ of thi' marriage of the king's son, 9 The
vocation of the Qentiles. 12 The punishment of him
that wanted the ivechlinp gai-ment. 15 Tribitte ought
to be paid to 0;sar. 23 Christ confuteth the iSadducees
for the resurrection : 34 answereth the laivyer, which is
the first and great commandment .- 41 a7id poseth the
Pharisees about the Messias.
The parable;, with which this chapter
opens stands connected, both historically
and logically, with the two which immedi-
ately precede it. Yet the lessons which
they teach, though in some respects par-
allel, are to a great extent distinct. In the
last parable our Lord was indeed the son,
the only and beloved son, of the house-
holder, but in this one His race is royal,
and He appears as the king's son. (Ps. Ixxii.
1.) There, God appears demanding some-
thing from men ; here, He appears more
as giving something to them. There, He
is displeased that His demands are not
complied with ; here, that His goodness is
not accepted. There He requires ; here
He imparts.
This parable, and the one given by
Luke, of the Great Supper, are not to be
regarded as one and the same. Tn that, it
is simply a man who makes the supper
and bids many. In thi^, it is a king making
a marriage for his son. The former dis-
plays the ingratitude of the recusants ; the
latter, their rebellion, daringly sealed by
the blood they shed of the subjects of their
king._ (See on Luke xiv. 16.)
AND Jesus answered aand spake unto them again by
parables, and said, 2. The kingdom of heaven is
like unto a certain king, which made a marriage Ibr hia
son. 3. And sent forth his servants to call them that
were bidden to the wedding : and they would not come.
"Iiuke xiv. 16 , Rev. xix. 7, 9.
Kingdom of heaven is like, &c., i. e., just as
it was at and with the wedding-feast which
a king made for his son, so is it also found
to take place in regard to the blessed
fellowship of men with Christ, to which
they are invited. (Zeph.i.7, 8; Prov.ix.l.)
A certain king, &c. The two important
features here are the royal state of the
Father, and the specific designation of
the supper as the nuptial feast of his Son.
" The King who made the marriage-feast,"
says Luther, " is our Heavenly Father, the
Bridegroom is His Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Bride is the Christian Church,
we and all the world, so far as it believes."
(See Isa. Ixi. 10, Ixii. 5 ; Hosea ii. 19 ; Matt,
ix. 15 ; John iii. 29 ; Eph. v. 32 ; 2 Cor. xl.
2.) How are our ideas exalted of the in-
exhaustible riches of Divine grace, when
the nuptial entertainment is described as
being given by a great and powerful mon-
arch at the marriage of his son, the heir
to the name and honors of his house ! The
marriage-feast points manifestly to redemp-
tion completed in the incarnation, ministry,
death and resurrection of Christ.
And sent forth, &c. In the East, persons
giving an entertainment are in the habit
of despatching two different in\'itations ,*
226
MATTHEW.
one when they resolve on havuig the
banquet, mentioning the day and hour of
the expected meeting, and the other sent
a httle before the assembUng of the guests,
to announce that all the preparations for
the feast are completed. (Esth. v. 8, vi.
14.) This second invitation is sometimes,
with persons of the highest rank, followed
by a third. These " servants " did not an-
nounce the feast as a new thing, then for
the first time made known ; they spoke
of it as that which was promised before,
and actually offered. Men were bidden
to the great festival of love by patriarchs,
prophets and priests. And they would not
come. Notice, it is not said, they coidd not
come, but, they would not come. It was
neither to their taste, disposition, nor lik-
ing. The reason why any one rejects the
Gospel is not that he cannot believe, but
that he will "not believe. The inability is
in tlje heart, not in his own physical power.
4. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell
them which are bidden, Behold, I have jsrepared my
dinner: imy oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all
things arr r'eadv : come unto the marriage.
tProv. ix. 2; John vi. 50, 58.
Other servants. This refers to the renewed
invitation to the Jews which was made
subsequent to the crucifixion, and the Pen-
tecostal effusion of the Holy Spirit, when
Stephen, Barnabas, Paul, Peter, John, and
a great company of preachers, with new
power from on high, and capable of a more
persuasive eloquence, proclaimed the grand
message of the everlasting Gospel. Tell
them, &c. (See on verse 3.) So tell them
that they cannot mistake. From the fre-
quently repeated invitation, w^e may farther
discern God's deep earnestness and fatherly
love, who is so bent on helping sinners,
and also the high importance of a partici-
pation in tlie Gospel feast.
Behold, I have prepared my dinner, &c.
The simple manners of the East established
the custom of mentioning the principal
articles of which an entertainment is to
consist. Oxen and fatlings were, in olden
times, the noblest entertainment. (Gen.
sviii. 7, 8; 1 Kings i. 9.) My dinner. In
this feast all salvation is the free grace
and gift of God, which He, without any
co-operation on our part, has prepared
through Christ, so that man's business is
only to come, receive and enjoy what
God's fatherly love presents— pardon of
sin, peace with God, righteousness, lite,
and blessing for evermore. (Eph. i. 3,)
Come unto the marriage. You have not
something to do, or to pay, or to offer, but
all things are ready, sacrifice is offered, the
price is paid, the gates are open, and all
you have to do is to believe God's sincerity
in inviting you and joy in giving welcome ;
accept the invitation, eat, drink, and be
happy. All this is true of us as sinners,
in accepting the Gospel.
5. But cthey made light of it, and went their ways,
one to his farm, another to his merchandise : 6. And
the remnant took his servants, and entreated them
spitefully, and slew them.
'Gen. XXV. 34 • Kom. ii. 4 ; Heb. ii. 3.
Made light of it. They were not simply
indifferent, but met the importunate kind-
ness of the king with contemptuous mock-
ery. What a sad statement is here of the
reception given by sinners to the Gospel !
Men make light of God's love, of Christ's
sufferings, of their own peril, if they disre-
gard and treat with contempt alike the
promises and threats of the Bible. Went
their ways, &c. The first is the landed
proprietor ; the second, the merchant ;
the first would enjoy what he already pos-
sesses ; the second would acquire what as
yet is his only in anticipation. (See on
Luke xiv. 18, 19.) These two represent
the two great divisions of the men of this
world. The dangers of having and getting,
though cognate, are yet not at all the
same. As these two guests, being troubled
by the gravity of their step, were glad to
seek refuge from reflection by plunging
into the ordinary avocations of life, so the
excessive devotion to business, which oc-
cupies some men and leaves not a shred
either of their hearts or lives for Christ,
may be, in many cases, not a primary af-
fection, but the secondary result of another
and deeper passion.
And the remnant, &c. A portion of the
guests carried their opposition beyond
supercilious neglect into blood-thirsty en-
mity. How this description in the par-
able was realized to the very letter, the
Acts of the Apostles give large testimony.
Stephen and James were only the first
of a large " army of martyrs " who sealed
with their blood the testimony they bore
to Christ. Evermore the indifference of
the world breaks out into enmity against
God. The vicissitudes of time scatter
CHAPTER XXII
227
their estates and leave them desolate, or
the words of the Gospel reach their con-
sciences and disquiet them, and the apathy
they previously felt kindles into intense
hatred, and that hatred burns into perse-
cution of the men who are simply doing
their duty to their Lord, an(i-trying to do
them good.
7. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth :
and he sent forth <ihis armies, and destroyed those mur-
derers, and burned up their city.
dDan. ix, 26 ; Luke xix. 27.
From the punitive righteousness of God,
marked by the words, he ivas wroth, we see
once more how sincere is the gracious call
of God. We learn here, also, that the
reception of the call is a free act, and that
man is not forced to it by God. lUs armies.
These may refer to the Roman armies,
which, not many years after this, under
Vespasian and Titus, besieged Jerusalem,
destroyed the city and slaughtered an im-
mense number of the inhabitants, and
which, like other nations of old (Isa. x. 5 ;
Jer. XXV. 9), were Jehovah's messengers
of wrath against that devoted city. The
despisers of God's word shall be visited
with terrible punishment. Their city.
There lies an awful threat in this appella-
tion given to Jerusalem. It is their city,
not any longer the city of the great King,
Avho owns it no more for His own.
8. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is
ready, but they which w-ere bidden were not ^worthy.
eChap. X. 11, 13; Acts xiii. 46; Rev. iii. 4.
The wedding is ready — it still continues
so, notwithstanding that many have
slighted the call to it. Not worthy. Their
unworthiness consisted in their rejection
of the invitation. They were in such a
state of mind that they could not receive
the grace offered them. Here Divine
grace is justified, and all guilt throAvn back
upon the guests (Acts xiii. 46, 47), so that
not even the servants inviting them are
partakers in it. The worthiness of those
who found a place at the festival, consisted
only in their acceptance of the invitation.
9. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as
ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
The king took his servants into his coun-
sel. They had suffered in his cause, and
he will not conceal from them what he is
about to do. Highicays, that is, the nooks
and lanes, the hedges, ditches and bye
roads, where beggars and outcasts of society
are. When those who had a prescriptive
right to appear at court had, by their per-
versity, excluded themselves, the king, in
his sovereignty, extended the invitation
generally to the common people. As many
as ye shall find, &c. Obviously this means
the calling of the Gentiles— the changing
of the outward aspect of the kingdom of
God among men, just as it is said in chapter
xxi. 43. The national pride of Israel is
here primarily aimed at. (Compare Matt,
viii. 30-12, of which this parable is only
the ample unfolding.)
10. So those servants went out into the highways, and
fgathered together all as many as they found, both bad
and good : and tlie wedding was furnished with guests.
fChap. xiii. 38, 47.
Both bad and good. The servants made
do distinction ; they swept the streets to
fill the royal halls. The invitation to the
marriage-supper of the Lamb is the same
to all ki7ids as Avell as conditions of men ;
those who are outwardly moral and those
who are not ; those, like Nathaniel, or
Cornelius, or the ruler of Capernaum, may
be, in one sense called the " good," and
those, like the woman who was a sinner,
may be in the same sense called the " bad."
Apart from Christ, and prior to regenera-
tion, the distinction between bad and good
is only an earthly thing : in God's sight
and in prospect of the judgment, there is
none good, no not one. It is not the man's
goodness that recommends him to God's
favor : the w^orst is welcome through the
blood of Christ, and the best is rejected if
he approach by any other way.
The vjedding was furnished vith guests.
(Isa.liii. 12; John xi. 52, xii. 24.) Here
the parable becomes logically complete.
L^p to this point it rejieats and extends the
warnings previously given regarding the
spiritual privileges w^hich the Jews en-
joyed and abused, the judgments which
had been and still would be poured out
upon the nation, and the successful procla-
mation of the Gospel to the Gentiles, when
the natural seed of Abraham should have,
in rebellious unbelief, rejected the offers
of their Lord. It is now for those who
have accepted the invitation to the Gospel-
feast, W'ith an earnest warning also for
them. There are, indeed, here, two para-
bles, and in their union and relation they
resemble the tw^o seed-stones which are
228
MATTHEW.
sometimes found within one fruit, attached
to each other, and wrapped in the same
envelope, but possessing each its own
separate organization, and its own inde-
pendent germ of Hfe.
11. And when the king came in to see the guests, he
saw tliere a man irsvliieh had not on a wedding garment :
12. And lie saitli unto him, Friend, how earnest tliou in
hither not having a wedding garment? and he was
rz Cor. V. 3 ; Eph. iv. ai ; Col. iii. 10, 12 ; Kev. iii. 4,
xvi. 15, xix. 8.
To see the guests. This shall be done at
the last judgment. Every one shall then
be made manifest before the world accord-
ing to his internal condition. Had not on,
&c. The wedding garment was something
conspicuous and distinctive ; it was a sig-
nificant badge of a man's loyalty, and the
want of it indicated disloyalty. In the
parable it is taken for granted that wedding
garments were provided for the guests,
which made the conduct of the man with-
out one altogether inexcusable. Friend
— "companion." It is a kind word. How
earnest, &c. Astonishment is exjjressed at
this. At the judgment, there will not be
the stern, terrible blaze of revealed ma-
jesty, as it were, bearing the unrighteous
man down to destruction, but it shall be
the still, small voice of awakened con-
science. Wedding garment. This includes
both faith and love as one. Rather, it is
what comprises both faith and love, what
implies and demands them both, but which
is higher than both — the righteousness of
Christ " unto all, and upon all them that
believe," and " who walk in love." (See
Rom. xiii. 1-i; Col. iii. 10 ; Eph. iv. 22, vi.
13-16; 1 Thess. v. 8.) Speechless. The
man had nothing to say. His silence shows
that the only reason why he had not on
a wedding garment was, simply, because
he thought his own dress, in all proba-
bility mean and sordid, good enough for
the royal presence. The sinner Avho is
destitute of Christ's righteousness at last,
will be rendered speechless by the unut-
terable inward horror that he has sinned
away his own mercies.
13. -Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand
and foot, and take him away, and east him I'into outer
darkness ; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
bChap. viii. 12.
The servants, he ministering attendants
here, who are difierent, both in name and
office, from the servants who invited and
brought in the guests, can be no other
than the angels. (Matt. xiii. 41, 49 ; Luke
xix. 24.) Bind him hand and foot — the sign
of the helplessness to which, in a moment,
every proud striver against God is re-
duced. The hands, by the aid of which
resistance, the feet, by whose help escape
might have been meditated, are alike de-
prived of all power and motion. (Acts
xxi. 11.) Take him away — from the banquet-
hall. Here is implied the sinner's exclu-
sion from the Church now glorious and
triumphant in heaven.
Cast him into outer darkness — the out-door
darkness. The guilty guest in the parable
is thrown from the splendor of the ban-
quet into the horrors of the midnight
street. The penalty is not merely jjrivative
— not only the loss of good, but, also, the
presence of evil. (See on chap. viii. 12.)
There shall be weeping, &c. What a dreadful
expression ! How unavailing will be their
tears of anguish, and how impotent the
gnashing or grating of teeth, when the
persons here represented become outcasts
of God's kingdom ! (See on chap. viii. 12.)
We cannot tell in detail what the condi-
tion of the finally outcast will be, and
what will be the constituents of their
suffering. All that our Lord has told us is,
that the condition of the lost is in outer
darkness, with all its horrors. He has
covered it from our sight. In referring to
the dismal retribution of the Avicked, He
often warns us that they shall be cast
away, but He never tells us the particulars
of their torments. For teachings about
this terror, let us listen to His Word ;
for safety from it, let us hide in His
bosom.
14. 'For manj' are called, but few are chosen.
The scojje of the parable gives this pro-
verbial saying here, this sense : Many
are invited to the blessings and privileges
of the Gospel-feast, but comparatively few
are real participants of the grace of God ;
while the singling out of only one without
the wedding garment, is meant, to make
each man look well to himself and his own j
hope. On the other hand, our Lord gives]
the sad intimation that, " many are called,]
but few chosen," to show that in the Gen-
tile day of grace, as well as the Jewish, itj
is after all but a small remnant who really]
accept of God's invitation of mercy at alLJ
CHAPTER XXII
229
(Chap. vii. 13, 14. See on chap. xix. 30,
XX. 1(5.)
1,"). H JThen went the Pbarisees, and took counsel how
thev inifclit c-ntangle liim hi hiit talk. Kj. Ami they sent
outuiito hhii their disciples with the Herodiatis, sayiiit,',
Master, We know that thou art true, and leachest tlie
way ot God in truth, neither carest thou for any man :
for thou rei-'uriiost not the persiju of men. 17. Tell us
therel'nre. What tliinkest thou ? Is it hiwliil to f,'ive tri-
bute unto (Jesar. or not V Is. But Jesus pereei\-ed their
wickedness, atulsaiil, Why lenipt ye me, i/r hypocrites?
l:i. Shew me the tribute-money. And they lirinight
unto him a penn.v. 20. And hesaith unto them. Whose
i\- this image and superscription '.' 21. They say unto
him, Cesar's. Then saith he inito tli-m, i- Header there-
Ibre unto Cesar the things whicli are < 'esar's; and unto
God, the things that are God's. 'J'J. When thov had
heard t/iese vionls, they marvelled, and loft him, and
went their wa.v.
JMark xii. 13; Luke xx. 20. kChap. xvii. 25; Rom.
xiii. 7.
Took counsel — held a consultation. En-
tangle, &c. Theyiiimed to involve Him in
trouble on that very delicate but* true dis-
tinction, that subsists between the juris-
diction of Cjesar and the jurisdiction of
God ; or, rather, they attempted to bring
Him into difficulty, either with the crowd
who applauded Him, or with the Herodians,
and through them with the Idumean,
who occupied the throne at that time as
the representative of Csesar. If Jesus had
said. It is lawful to give tribute to Caesar,
the Jews would have all risen up against
Him. If He had said. No, Herod would
have accused Him of treason. Their disci-
ples— probably young and zealous scholars
in that hardening school. With the Hero-
dians. These 'were a political party 'who
had espoused the cause of the Romans,
and were staunch supporters of their au-
thority. In Luke (xx. 20), these willing
tools are called " spies," which should
feign them.selves just (or righteous) men,
" that they might take hold of His words,"
(fee. The Herodians heartily hated the
Pharisees, because the Pharisees quarreled
with the government of the civil power ;
and the Pharisees as heartily hated the
Herodians, because they regard'xl the gov-
ernment of Rome as superior to ihe eccles-
iastical power. Yet, when they wanted to
destroy Jesus, they merged their internal
feuds into one current of hostility to the
Son of God. Master; or teacher. This was
an empty compliment.
We know: they speak the truth, though
this was done with a most false intention.
True. Truthful, upright. Way of God, i.
e., the doctrines and precepts which God
approves. In truth — in accordance with
truth. Neither carest, &c. — art not afraid
of, nor showest partiality to any man, not
even Herod himself. There was some-
thing peculiarly artful in this flattering,
address. " Their words were smoother
than butter," yet there was " war in their
hearts." (Ps. Iv. 21 ; Prov. xxvi. 23 ; Rom.
xvi. 18.) Persons of this description will
be met with as long as the world stands.
Is it lawful f i. c., may we do this without
a breach of our duty to God ? They aflected
great conscientiousness. Tribute (xvii. 24.)
The annual poll-tax of a tienarius upon
every person by the Roman emperor.
Tiberius Csesccr was at this time emperor.
Tenwt ve me — try me by such an ensnaring
question. Hypocrites. He opposes the
depth of His tcisdom to the dci)th of their
malice, and manifests it, 1. bv unmasking
them, 'and showing that Pie knew the
very secrets of their hearts, and, 2. by
not' attempting to discuss the question at
large, but setting it in a way to which
none could honestly object.
Trihutc-moneif. (See on verse 17.) A
penny — the denarius, a Roman silver coin,
the principal money at that time. It does
not follow that a single piece of this coin
formed the entire amount of the tribute to
be paid, but the amount, whatever it was,
was paid in this coin. Whose is this image,
(fee. Our Lord, of course, knew whose
effigy and inscription it bore, but He made
the inquirers answer to their own con-
fusion. The Jewish doctors themselves
taught, that to admit the impression and
inscription of any prince on their current
coin, involved an acknowledgment of
their subjection to him.
Render therefore, &c. They had just con-
fessed that Ctesar exercised temporal au-
thority over them. They used the money
which C?esar had coined, thus admitting
that they were under his government.
This admission was the stronger because,
not Tiberius, but the official title Cirsar was
given, showing tliat not a person, but a
principle was involved. Let them, there-
fore, render unto him his dues. If they
consented to receive the gift of peace and
order from Caesar, they must consent to
render the payment of the exj^enses of his
government.
The things which are Cxsar's. TMiat are
Ctesar's? 1. Honor. The civil government
230
MATTHEW,
under which a man lives, and by which he
is protected, demands his honor and rev-
erence. 2. Obedience. The laws which are
made for the suppression of evil-doers, and
the maintenance of good order, which are
calculated to promote the benefit of the
whole, and the comfort of the individual,
should be religiously obeyed. 3. Tribute.
The government that cliarges itself with
the support and defense of the whole,
should have its necessary expenses repaid
by the people in whose behalf they are
incurred ; hence tax should be paid. Caesar,
however, has no right to infringe the rights
of God. Human laws are limited by t*he
Divine law. The Christian must, as far
■ as possible, comply with both. Where the
human law conflicts with the Divine, he
must obey the latter and suffer the conse-
quences.
It is not an easy matter to determine
precisely in all cases what are " the things
of Ceesar," and what are "the things of
God " — where the claims of Ctesar end, and
where the claims of God begin. It would,
perhaps, be safe to say that the former
include things political, secular and tem-
poral, and the latter include things sacred,
moral and spiritual. Sometimes a ques-
tion of a mixed character arises, involving
both political and moral elements, in this
case, duty in relation to the question is to
be performed by the individual under a
sense of double responsibility, regard for
the moral aspect always being supreme.
Such a question is also to be treated by
the Church and by the State according to
the view of it which brings it under their
control respectively. " Among the pecu-
liar qualities of our holy religion," says
Paley, " is to be reckoned ijs complete ab-
straction from all views of civil policy.
Christianity, while it declines every ques-
tion relating to particular forms of govern-
ment, is alike friendly to them all, by
tending to make men virtuous, and, there-
fore, easier to be governed ; by stating
obedience to government in ordinary cases,
to be not merely a submission to force,
but a duty of conscience ; by inducing dis-
positions favorable to public tranquility,
and by recommending prayers for com-
munities and governors of every descrip-
tion, with a solicitude and fervency pro-
portioned to the influence they possess
upon human hajjijiness."
A7id unto God the things that are God!s.
AVe are not to recognize antagonism here,
but unity. Their civil duties did not release
them from religious obligations (1 Peter
ii. 17), nor .did their duties to God absolve
them from duties to the State. (Rom,
yiii. 1.) Instead of one class of duties
bein^ f^et at variance with the other, our
Lord harmonizes and confirms them both.
(1 Peter ii. '13, 14.) He has not divorced
them, but united them. We must never
do anything contrary to the rights of God
in obeying the government, and never
violate the rights of government under
pretence of doing service to God. Honor,
love, obechence, faith, fear, prayer, spiritual
worship, were payments which even these
Pharisees and Herodians might daily
make, and payments with which the
Roman government did not interfere.
Such payments Jesus directed them to
make. We can learn how to render to
every one his own, by saying, " Show me
the coin." As we see the image and su-
perscription of God on the Sabbath, for
example, we can easily decide whether
that day is to be used for earthly activity
or for participation in the sweet services of
the sanctuary. If it be sinful not to ren-
der unto men the thing.4 which belong to
men, how unich more sinful is it not to
render unto God the things that belong to
God ! Yet, it is in this jioint, alas ! that we
are most negligent. And went their way.
Our Lord's reply commanded the admira-
tion of His very tempters. AVell might
they be astonished. It was an extrication
of Himself from the toils they had spread
so artfully for Him that escape seemed to
them impossible. By His answer, Csesar
is satisfied, for he got his own to the utter-
most farthing. God is glorified, His honor,
is in every respect, secured. The Pharisees
cannot complain (Luke xx. 26), for Christ's
decision is but their own confession jjut in
shape. The people are edified : one of the
most difficult questions that could possibly
come before them is answered in such a
way as to relieve their consciences, and
direct their conduct. (Luke xx. 26.)
23. 1 'Tlie same day came to him the ™Sadducees,
which say there is no resurrection, and a.sked him, 24.
Saying, Master, °Moses said, if a man die, having no
CHAPTER XXII.
231
children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up
seiHl unto his brother. 2.5. Now there were with us
seven brethren : and the first, when he had married a
wife deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto
his brother. 'Mi. Liliewise the second also, and the third,
unto the seventh. 27. And last of all the woman died
al.io. '2S. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife shall
slie be of tlie seven ? for they all had her.
'Mark xii. 18; Luke xx. 27. mActs xxiii. 8. iDeut.
XXV. 5, G.
The attempt of the Pharisees to entice
the Saviour within tlie sphere of the con-
troversy between politics and religion hav-
ing entirely miscarried, another class of
His enemies now seek to allure Him upon
another not less dangerous territory. Sad-
ducees. This Jewish sect taught, among
other things, that God was not to be served
from mercenary motives, that there were
no future rewards and punishments ap-
pointed unto men, azid, consequently, no
world of retribution. Their intention is
to show, from Moses, that the doctrine of
the resurrection involves an inexplicable
mystery. Saying, Master, &c. They pro-
pose to Jesus a difficulty that would grow
out of their law, if the relations which
it prescribes were to be extended beyond
the grave. The law referred to is found
Deut. XXV. 5, 6. Seven brethren. It is very
likely that the Sadducees increased the
number, merely to make the question the
more difficult.
In the resurrection tvhose wife, &c. With
their gross, materialistic views, they
thought that if there vms any future state,
it must resemble the pi'esent, and assumed
it to be a necessary consequence of the
doctrine of the resurrection, that every
man's wife should be restored to him.
How was this confusion to be settled?
This method of arguing by insinuations,
from imagined difficulties, against authentica-
ted revelation, or even stubborn facts, forms a
species of logic for which infidels, ancient
and modern, have shown a ijeculiar pre-
dilection, and indeed it is the best method
which can be taken of perplexing weak
minds, and amusing superficial inquirers.
There is great comfort in the thought that
truth must triumph. Infidelity may, from
time to time, make a stir in the world, but
can produce no lasting impression. The
great evidences of Christianity remain,
like the Pyramids, unshaken and unmoved.
29. Jesus answered and said unto them. Ye do err,
not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
Do err, &c., that is, " ye deceive your-
selves by assuming a false hypothesis,"
namely, that if there be a future state it
must be like the present, and by your ig-
norance of the true sense of the Scriptures,
and not considering the omnipotence of God.
Unbelief has always twosi^rings: 1. The
want of historic faith ; 2. The want of per-
sonal faith. These Sadducees did not
perceive the Divine, the spiritual in the
Scriptures (1 Cor. ii. 14), hence their igno-
rance of the Scriptural doctrine of the
resxu-rection. Neither did they understand
the jiower of God, inasmuch as they j^ut
no trust in His power over death, in His
power to raise the dead : and hence they
had no ability to conceive of or anticipate
the glorification of the present l)ody into
a higher state, into a life in which present
sexual relations should no longer subsist.
The numerous and multiform objections
advanced against the resurrection, by the
opponents of the doctrine, are all, when
analyzed, found to result from not know-
ing the power of God. He who weighs
the dust of the earth in a balance, and
whose omniscient eye surveys all things,
can easily gather up the dust of those who
sleep in Jesus, to become spiritual bodies,
bearing the image gf the heavenly. (See
1 Cor. XV. 35-54.)
30. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor
are given in marriage, but pare as the angels of God ia
heaven.— Pl John iii. 2.
Neither marry. Spoken of males. Given
in marriage. Spoken of females, with re-
ference to the Oriental custom, according
to which fathers gave their daughtei'S into
marriage. In the resurrection, the rela-
tions that are beautiful on earth shall be
utterly unknown. Not that one shall fail
to recognize another, but that the relation-
ship which, they have sustained, the one
to the other, as man and wife, shall have
ceased ; when all shall be perfectly holy,
and perfectly happy. As the angels. The
meaning ajjpears to be, that the saints shall
be angel -like, in freedom from death and
disease, in not being subject to the appe-
tites and propensities of the body, and in
complete deliverance from a condition of
being in which marriage and birth are
needful to supply the continual waste oc-
casioned by death. From this comparison
it does not follow that the saints in heaven
will not have bodies. (See 1 Cor. xv. 42, &c.)
232
MATTHEW,
31. But as touching tbo resurrection of the dead, have
ye not read that which \v;is si^oken untu you by God,
saying, 32. Hi am the God of Abraham, and llie "God of
Isaac, and tiie God of Jacob ? God is not tlieGod of the
dead, but of tlie living.
qEx. iii. U, 10 ; Marli xu. 26 ; Luke xx. 37 ; Acts vii. 32 ;
Heb. xi. 16.
Our Lord, instead of quoting for His pur-
pose of proving the resurrection, the appar-
ently plainer passages in the prophetical
writings (such as Isa. xxvi. 9 ; Ezek. xxxvii ;
Dan. xii. 2), refers to a word sj^oken by God
Himself, and recorded in Ex. iii. 15 — pro-
bably because the Sadducees placed the
Pentateuch above all other writings of the
Old Testament. He argues, as God is not
a God of the dead (that word being equal,
in the sense of the Sadducees, to an etern-
al annihilation), but of the living, it there-
fore follows, that if He be the God of Abra-
ham, Isaac and Jacob, these are not dead,
but alive — alive iriiJi God, though they have
ceased, for some hundred years, to exist
among mortals. Hence it is said, not " I
vxis their God," but, " I am." A being
who is elevated enough to have a true,
personal, immortal God, to be his God,
must himself be neither the creature of
time nor annihilation. The same thing is
true of all believers, for the promise is to
them also, as Abraham's seed.
Our Lord, in this argument, does not
directly prove the resurrection of the body
distinctively from the immortality of the
soul, because He is arguing with those who
hold the former to be included in, and in-
separably identified with, the latter. To
prove one, therefore, is to prove both. A
future personal existence, where Abraham
is Abraham still, involves a resurrection of
the dead. But of the living. The patriarchs
here mentioned, were living in God's pres-
ence, although they had long departed this
life. He was their God, the author of their
continued existence and enjoyments, as He
was when they lived on earth.
33. And when the multitude heard this, rthey were
astonished at his doctrine.— rChap. vii. 28.
Our Lord reanimated the dead letter of
the Old Testament in such a way as to
astonish their minds and elevate their
hearts. He poured the sense of immor-
tality upon their spirit from the pages that
had by the lifeless teachings of their mas-
ters contained the sentence of death.
34. t 'But when the Pharisees had heard that he had
put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered to-
gether.—'Mark xii. 28.
Had heard. Whether the Pharisees were
present, mixed up with the crowds, or
absent, so that they learned what had
taken place through their spies, does not
appear, Sadducees to silence. (See on verse
15.) They were gathered togetlier— they met
together with one accord, or for the same
purpose, i. e. to ensnare Jesus in His dis-
course. Though previously defeated, they
determined to make another effort.
35. Then one of them, whirh )(>«.•; a tlawver, asked him
a questiun, tempting Jiim, and saying, 3(>. Master, which
is the great commandment in the law ?— 'Luke x. 25:
One of them, who seems to have been of
their party, and knew, too, their plots
and plans. A lauryer. He was one of the
Mosaic jurists, whose special province was
the interpretation of the law. Tempting
him, that is, trying Him ; not, however,
with a bad intention, but with the purpose
of yielding where truth required. (See
Mark xii. 28.) WJiich is the great command-
ment in the law f The reference was to the
five books of Moses, which contained the
ceremonial laws and the moral. This
question involved a matter of no little
controversy among the Jewish doctors, as
involving the comparative iini^ortance of
different precepts, some maintaining the
pre-eminence of one, some of another.
Some said " sacrifices ;" some " circumci-
sion ;" some " the law of the Sabbath ;"
some "the law' of meats, washings, phy-
lacteries," &c. Only while they distin-
guished the Divine precepts (of which
they numbered C13) into great and small,
they constantly gave the preference to the
ceremonial ones.
37. Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy
Ciod with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with
all thy mind. 38. This is the first and great command-
ment.—"Deut. vi. 5, X. 12, XXX. (i; Luke x. 27.
Our Lord's answer is in a strain of
respect very different from what He
showed to cavillers. (See chap. vii. 6.)
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,i. e., Jeho-
vah, the self-existent One, who hast
revealed Himself as the " I am," and there
is " none else," who, though by His name
Jehovah, apparently at an unaiaproachable
distance from His finite creatures, yet
bears to thee a real and definite relationship,
out of which arises His claim and thy duty
of love. By this love we are to understand
the unqualified surrender of our whole
being to God. Of such a love man is
CHAPTER XXII.
233
capable, though not by his own strength,
but by Divine grace, because he finds in
God alone all his wants fully and ever-
lastingly satisfied. Our Lord, by calling
the commandment to love God supremely,
the first and great commandment, does evi-
dently not design to represent it as one
out of many, though greater in degree
than others. On the contrary, the love of
God is the commandment, and the whole
law, with all its injunctions and prohibi-
tions, is only a development of this one
commandment. Whether the object of it
is considered, or the manner in which it
is to be observed, or its being the principle
from whence all the duties and actions of
men should flow, and the end to which all
are to be referred, it is the first command
in order of nature, time, dignity, and
causalty.
39. And the second is like unto it, iThou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself.
'Lev. xix. 18; chap. .xix. 19; Mark xii. 31 , Luke x.
27 ; Kom. xili. 9 ; Gal. v. 14 , Lsa. il. 8.
Second is like unto it, in spirit — in being
founded in love, like in being in fact
include(,l in the first. Yet as the object of
love, in the latter case, is so infinitely
below that of the former, it is to be re-
garded of secondary rank. Neighbour.
(See on verse 43.) As thyself. The law
here laid down, does not require that we
neglect own interests for those of another,
or share our neces.sary means of subsis-
tence, with every chance comer, but it is
opposed to selfishness, and to a cold-
hearted indifference to the wants of others.
It demands the exercise of charity in
behalf of th^ destitute and suffering, and
teaches us to sympathize in all the griefs
and afflictions of our fellow-men, so far as
the scope of our observation and influence
may extend. As sincerely as ourselves, we
are to love all mankind, and with the
same readiness to do and suffer for them,
as we should reasonably desire them to
show to us. (See on xix. 19.)
Leighton says : " Seems it not rather a
contrary commandment ? Whereas in the
former the whole stream of love is di-
rected in one undivided current toward
God, this second commandment seems to
cut out a new channel for it, and turn a
great part of it to men, 'thy neighbor as
thyself.' No, they are not contrary, if we
take them right ; yea, they do not only
agree, but are inseparable. They do not
divide our love, but set it in its right
course ; first, wholly to God as the sover-
eign good, and then back from Him ac-
cording to His own will, it is deii ved down-
ward to our neighbor. For then only do
we love both ourselves and others aright,
when we make our love to Him the reason
and rule of both."
40. yOn these two commandments hang all the law
ana the prophets.— jChap. vii. 12; 1 Tim. 1. 5.
These two commandments. The fir.st is a
comprehensive epitome of the first four
commandments of the decalogue ; the
second, of the last six commandments.
Hang all the law and the jyroijhds. The spirit
and intent of the Scriptures is to promote
love to God and man, the love which the
law required, and the i^ophets were given
to enforce and predict. (Rom. xiii. 10 ; 1
John iv. 20. See on chaii. vii. 12, v. 17.)
These two contain the substance or abrid;_e-
ment of all the moral and religious duties
contained in the law and the j^rophets.
They are like the first and last links of a
chain, all the intermediate ones depend
on them. How simple are these two rules,
and yet how comprehensive ! How soon
the words are repeated, and yet how much
they contain ! How humbling and con-
demning they are ! How much'they j^rove
our daily need of mercy and the precious
blood ofatonement ! Happy would it be
for the world if these rules werQ more
known and practiced.
41. 1 'While the Phari.sees were gathered together,
Jesus a.sked them, 42. Saying, Wli.attliink ye of Christ?
whose son is lie ? Tliey say unto him, The son of
David.— 'Mark xii. 35 ; Luke xx. 41.
Our Lord having answered the three
questions successively proposed to Him,
now in His turn puts a question to the
Pharisees, the object of which is to show
to them how far their notions of tl^e Mes-
siah's dignity fell short of the truth, and
also to prove His Divinity. Let us make
a practical use of the solemn question,
" What think ye of Christ? " What do we
think of His Person and His offices? of
His life. His death for us on the cross. His
resurrection, ascension, and intercession
at the right hand of God ? Have we tasted
that He is gracious? Have we laid hold
on Him by faith? Have we found by ex-
perience that He is precious to our souls?
234
MATTHEW.
Can we truly say He is my Redeemer and
my Saviour, m}^ Shepherd, and my Friend ?
We should never rest until we can give a
satisfactory answer to these seriotis inqui-
ries. It will not profit us to read about
Christ, if we are not joined to Him by
living faith.
Whose son is lief The Saviour thus gave
them an opportunity of acknowledging
Him as Messiah. The doctrine of the
Divine Unity (verse 37), is illustrated by
that of the Trinity. Of David^. Human
reason more easily accepts moderate views
of Christ, than those which are either more
humble or more glorious.
43. He saitli unto them, How then doth David in
spirit caU him Lord, saying, 44. ^The Lord said unto my
Jjord, sit thou on my right liand, till I make thine ene-
mies thy footstool ? 45. If David then called him Lord,
how is he his son ?
■»Ps. ex. 1 ; Acts il. 34 ; 1 Cor. xv. 5 ; Heb. i. 13, x. 12,
13.
How then, i. e. in what sense, doth David
call him, i. e. the Messiah, Lord ? The Lord
said unto my Lord, that is, God the Father
said to God the Son, who was to be in-
carnate, whom David called his Lord, both
as God and as Mediator, his Lord by
right of creation and redemption. Sit thou
on my right hand. Take the place of the
greatest eminence and authority. Rest,
glory and an almighty power in heaven
and on earth to form the kingdom of God,
are here denoted. This ought to be the
continual object of our adoration, our joy
and our confidence.
Till I make thine enemies thy footstool— -nntil
I subdue both Jews and Gentiles under
thee, and cause them both to acknowledge
thee as their Sovereign and Lord. All
wicked men, the fallen angels, and death
itself, are included in the word enemies. It
is not implied in these words that the
Messiah's royal state will cease when the
result stated has been reached. If David
then call him Lord, how is he his son f Here
was the point to be explained. The ques-
tion concerning the Messiah's person could
only be answered by admitting that He
must be God as well as man, and man as
well as God — David's son, as man, David's
Lord, as God-man. Jesus might have
quoted many other Old Testament pas-
sages which prove the Divinity of the
Messiah, such as Mi. v, 1 ; Ps. xlv. 7, 8 ;
Mai. iii. 1 ; Isa. vii. 14, ix. 5 ; Jer. xxiii. 6.
But He quotes the passage which speaks
of the Messiah as David's Son and David's
Lord at the same time, consequently as
God and man in one person.
46. bAnd no man was able to answer him a word,
"neither durst any man from that day forth asli him any
more qxtfstions.
bLuke xiv. 26. "Mark xii. 34 : Luke xx. 40.
No man was able, &c. " From whence it
is evident," says an old writer, " that the
Jews of old, even the Pharisees, the most
accurate and skillful among them, did in-
terpret this Psalm (ex.) of the Messias:
for if they had conceived the prophecy
belonged either to Abraham or David, or
any other, they doubtless would have
answered our Saviour that this belonged
to the Son of David." Neither durst, &c.
No one of the scribes, the Pharisees, or
the Sadducees, durst ask him any question
for the purpose of tempting Him or entan-
gling Him, all feeling that they were not
a match for Him, and that it was vain to
enter the lists with Him. See the effect
of Divine wisdom ! What an awfulness
there is about it ! These wicked men were
not afraid of Christ's earthly power. Yet
in spite of themselves they could not help
feeling awe. They were rebuked before
Him. Vice quails before the majesty of
virtue.
1. What is said of the parable of the " king?" 2. Why did he send forth his servants ? 3. Why did he send
forth " other servants ?" 4. How was their invitation received ? 5. W^iat was the result ? 6. For what purpose
did the Pharisees take counsel ? 7. How did they proceed ? 8. Explain Christ's reply to their question. 9. What
did the Sadducees ask Him ? 10. How did He dispose of their objection? 11. What did the lawyer ask Jesus?
12. State our Lord's answer ? 13. Wliat did Christ ask the Pharisees ? 14. What was their reply ? 15. How did
Jesus meet it ? 16. What was the effect of His answer ? '
CHAPTER XXIII.
235
CHAPTER XXIII.
1 r7i?-isr admonishrth thr pmplr tofullowthe good doc-
Irinr' tvit tkr evil i.ntini>l>s <>/ the .icriijt.i and fharisees.
V//(v ''i*''0>''''^' ""'■'■' I" i''iii'''of thfir aiabUwn. Vi He
dfw>upat'i <:i<lht "'"' < iHluinst their hypocrisy and
biindinKs: 31 and prophcsicth of the destruction of
Jerusalem.
I'^HEN spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disci-
nips •' Saying, "The scribes and PharLsees sit in
Moses' seat: 3. All therefore whatsoever they bid you
observe that observe and do, but do not ye after their
works : 'for bthey say, and do not. .
»Neh. viii. -1, 8; Mai. ii. 7; Mark xu. 3S; Luke xx. 4-3.
bRoiu. ii. 19, <fec.
The multitude — the common people, who
had hailed with acclamations His advent
into the city. His disciples, more esj^ecially
the Apostles and other disciples, who had
followed Him from Galilee. There were,
doubtless, many of the scribes and Phari-
sees present, when our Lord pronounced
the terrible woes which follow (beginning
at verse 13), but they either feared to
interrupt Him, or were silent through
hope that in the vehemence of His feel-
ings. He would say something which they
could turn against Him. Scribes and Phar-
isees, that is, those of the latter class who
were at the same time scribes. Sit. The
Jewish teachers stood to read, but sat to
expound the Scriptures. In Moses' seat, i. e.,
as interpreters of the law given by Moses.
All therefore, &c. As long as the scribes
occupied the place of Moses, were clothed
with his authority, and spoke forth his
words, not their own — those words, because
they were true, not because they were
uttered by them who officially proclaimed
them, the people were called upon to keep
and do. But do not, &c. Our Lord warns
the people against the too common prac-
tice of rejecting truth and duty, because of
the inconsistent lives of the teachers. For
they say, &c. What could be more pitiable
than a Teacher, to imitate whom is ruin —
to refuse to follow whom is salvation,
4. cFor they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be
borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they
themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
=Luke xi. 46 ; Acts xv. 10 ; Gal. vi, 13.
The scribes and Pharisees, by strictness
and harshness in enforcing the precepts of
Moses, though in respect to outward cere-
monial observances, rather than to piety
of heart, imposed heavy burdens on others,
but kept themselves from such burden-
some obedience, so that, while others were
made to carry a load that required all their
strength, they would not take a burden that
\ould be moved with tiieir finger ; nor did
they present those cheering encourage-
ments which were needed, and which the
Old Testament atibrded to those who truly
desired to serve God. (See Rom. ii. 17-24.)
Teachers who press that upon others, which
they neither believe nor do themselves, are
like bells that call others to church but
hang out of it themselves, or like direction
posts that point the way to others but stand
still themselves.
5. But dall their works they do for to be seen of men :
fthey make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the
borders of their garments, 6. fAnd love t!ie uppermost
rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7.
And greetings In the markets, and to be called of men,
Rabbi, Eabbi.
JCliap. vi. 1, 2, 5, 16. eNum. xv. 3S ; Deut. vi. 8 and xxii.
12 ; Frov. iii. 3. fMark xii. 38, 39 ; Luke xi. 43 and xx. 46.
To be seen of men. They have but one
motive — human applause. Phylacteries —
" strips of parchment, on which were writ-
ten four passages of Scripture (Ex. xiii.
2-10, 11-17 ; Deut. vi. 4-9, 13-22) in an ink
prepared for the purpose. They were then
rolled up in a case of black calf-skin, which
was attached to a stiffer piece of leather,
having a thong one finger broad and one
and a half cubits long. They were placed
at the bend of the left arm, and after the
thong had made a little knot in the shape
of the letter" [ Yodh, the tenth letter in the
Hebrew alphabet] "it was wound round
the arm in a spiral line, which ended at the
top of the middle finger. . . . They were
also worn on the forehead."
Garments. The Jews were required to
wear a blue border, or fringe, on their out-
side garments, to remind them that they
were God's people. (Num. xv. 38 ; Deut.
vi. 8, xxii. 12.) These fringes the scribes
made excessively large, in order to impress
on the minds of the common people an
opinion of their own holiness, and their
great reverence for the law. And love, &c.
There was nothing wrong in the scribes
occupying the seats set apart for them, or
receiving marks of respect and deference
in places of public concourse ; but to " love"
these things, to court them, was not only
indicative of a weak, ill-judging mind, but
it was also utterly inconsistent with tlie
very elementary principle of a truly good
character — supreme regard to what is true
and right, whether it pleases men or not.
(John V. 24.) PMbhi, Eabbi. This is a Heb-
rew word, signifying a great one. It was an
honorary title given to the Jewish teach-
236
MATTHEW.
ers, much like our doctor, teacher. It was
doubled for the sake of gi'eater emphasis.
These rabbis were looked up to as infal-
lible oracles in religious matters, and
usurped not oidy the place of the law, but
of God himself.
8. sBut be not ye called Rabbi •. for one is your Master,
even CnrLsl, and all ye are brethren.
sJames lii. 1 ; see 2 Cor. i. 24 ; 1 Peter v. 3.
For one is your Master, or, Teacher. Here
is the ground of the prohibition. Thei-e
was a special reason for this prohibition
in the case of the scribes against which it
was aimed, for Rabbi was not with them a
mere title of literaiy or theological attain-
ments ; they claimed the prerogative of su-
pi-eme juriscUction in all religious matters,
imposing whatever rites, forms or cere-
monies they pleased, and lording it over
thew consciences of the common people,
and, hence, with them it was a title of
spiritual rank and cUgnity, which no man
had a right to assume. Some excellent
men, as Albert Barnes, in his "Notes on
the Gospels," consider the modern title of
Doctor of Divinity as condemned by the
spirit of these words. It is certain that
the minister who schemes for the i^urpose
of obtaining it, gives humiliating proof of
having, in that respect, the spirit of the
men who loved to be called Rabbi. All ye
are brethren— nil substantially equal ; none,
by office or precedence, nearer to God than
another. Nothing is here said about Peter
having authority over the rest. If he had
such authority, it would have been natural
and necessary now to mention and adjust
it.
9. And call no man your father upon the earth: hfor
one is your Father, which Ls in heaven.— i"Mal. i. 6.
The titles, teacher, father, master, are pro-
hibited by our Lord with reference to
their hierachical sense and use, but not ab-
solutely, as is evident from the harmless
and proper use of the word father. We
are not to have regard to human authority
in matters of faith or in doctrines of re-
ligion. We are to acknowledge no man
as our father in spiritual things, so as to
have " dominion over our faith," for we
have but one such father, even our Father,
which is in heaven. The word Pope signifies
father. If ever, in the history of men, the
title father has been assumed in express
transgression of Christ's command, it is
in his case. This may be regarded as a
warning against that itch for ecclesiastical
superiority which has been the bane and
the scandal of Christ's ministers in every
age.
10. Neither be ye called masters : for one is your Mas-
ter, even Christ.
The Greek word for master here means
a leader of a school or party, whom his
followers have to obey implicitly. Against
setting up any such party leader, Paul
warns the Corinthians. (1 Cor. i. 12.) No
one shall assume the position of master
in the Church of Christ. He is the only
Master, and all the members of the New
Testament Church are to sustain a real
life-union with the one Head of the
Church, and the relationship of brethren
to one another. All these titles are for-
bidden to Christ's disciples in the sense in
which they were applied to the scribes,
but not as titles of respect to our superiors
in age, influence and acquirements.
11. But 'he that is greatest among you shall be your
servant.— 'Chap. xx. 26, 27.
" Humility and the spirit of usefulness
compose the true dignity to which you
ought to aspire. Let greatness be shown
among you by your cherishing deep hu-
mility and regard for the good of others."
Baxter well says, " church greatness consists
in being greatly serviceable." Shall be, i. e.,
let him be. (See on chap. xx. 26.)
12. iAnd whosoever shall exalt himself shall be
abased ; and he that shall humble himself shall be
exalted.
kjobxxii. 2f»; Prov. xv. 33 and xxix. 33; Luke xiv.
U and xviii. 14 ; Isa. iv. 6 ; 1 Peter v. 5.
The way to arrive at the highest degree
of dignity in the sight of God is, by being
willing to becomet the servant of all. Jesus
was exalted because He took on Him tlie
form of a servant. Even so will God, accord-
ing to this universal law, exalt every one
in Christ, who after the same manner
exalts himself. The sentiment of this
saying of our Lord occurs at least ten times
in the Evangelists. This repetition is a
striking proof of the Christian grace of
humility. (1 Peter v. 5.) Let us seek that
blessed grace day by day. None is so beau-
tiful, however much despised by the world.
None is such an evidence of saving faith
and true conversion to God.
13. If But iwoe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, "hypo-
crites ! for ye shut up"the kingdom of heaven atrainst
men : for ve neither go in yoursrlvea, neither sutT r ye
them that" are entering t^go in.— 'Luke xi. 52.
CHAPTER XXIII,
237
Woe is a Avord of solemn dennnciation
of imnisliiiient. As here uttered, it implies
tliat calamities of the most awful nature
are impending over its guilty objects from
the Divine justice. Pharisees, the name of
the sect; scribes, of the profession. Hypo-
criVes— dissemblers, having a mere show of
I)iety. For ye shut up, &c. By their false
views, they excluded themselves from the
blessings of the new and better economy,
and so far as these views prevailed, they
prevented others from particiiiating in
these blessings. They thus became the
authors of destruction, both to themselves
and to others. The sin here denounced is
the sin of the Romish priest, who forbids
the poor man to read his Bible ; of the un-
converted Protestant minister, who sneers
at the idea of conversion of the ungodly ;
of the thoughtless husband, who dis-
likes his wife becoming "serious;" and of
the worldly-minded mother, who cannot
bear the idea of her daughter thinking of
spiritual things, and giving up the gayeties
and follies of the world.
14. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, h\-pocrite3 !
mfor ye devour widows' houses, and tor a pretence make
long prayer: tlierefore ye shall receive the greater
damnation.
■"Mark xii. 40 ; Luke xx. 47 ; 2 Tim. iii. 6 : Tit. i. 11.
Woe. (See on verse 13.) Devour, &c.
This was done sometimes by plotting with
the children to deprive their widowed
mother of her estate, and sometimes by
inducing the widow to give up her estate
to them for superstitious purjioses. Long
prayer. A religious rabbi would pray nine
hours a day. It was not the length of the
prayers which was their crime, but the
fact that they were a mere pretence — " for
a show." Greater damnation. For this
hypocrisy, doing the most despicable deeds
under the show of piety, they should be
the more severely punished in the future
world. There will be degrees of condem-
nation and misery in hell. However
feeble our faith, hope, love and obedience
may be,, let us see to it that they are real,
genuine and sincere. God requires " truth
in the inward parts." The very first piece
of Christian armor recommended 'by
Paul is " truth." (Eph. vi. 10.)
15. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hJTJOcrites!
for ye compass s?a and land to make one proselyte, and
W-hen he is made, ye make him twofold more the child
of hell than yourselve.s.
Woe, &c. (See on verse 13.) Compass,
&c. A proverbial expression, meaning,
ye make untiring efl'orts. But we may
suppose that missionary journeys were
made by the Jev/s for the purpose men-
tioned, and that a proselyting imjjulse
generally drove them through the world.
Proselyte, literally, a stranger, or foreigner ;
one who is come from his own people and
country to sojourn with another. Here
the word is applied to a convert from
Paganism to Judaism. 2\vofold more, &c.,
condemned for the hypocrisy he would
learn tq practice, both by the religion he
left and that he embraced. The prosely-
tes did not only disbelieve Christ's doc-
trine, but were abundantly more blasphe-
mous against Plim than the Jews them-
selves, endeavoring to torment and cut oflF
the Christians wherever they could, they
being in this the instruments of the
scribes and Pharisees. Children oj hell —
equivalent to "worthy of hell" in phrases
of this kind, as 2 Sam. xii. 5, where the
phrase, translated " shall surely die," is, in
the original, " is a son of death," and John
xvii. 12, where Judas is called " the son of
perdition."
16. Woe unto you, "ye blind guides, which say, "Who-
soever shall swear by the temijle, it Ls nothing; but
whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he l3
a, debtor !— ""Chap. xv. 14, verse 24.
Blind guides. He had previously styled
them hypocrites, from their personal char-
acter; now He gives them another title,
respecting their influence upon others.
Whosoever sliall swear, &c. The Jews di-
vided oaths into great (such as, by God and
Corban) and small, (which might be vio-
lated without guilt) such as, by the temple,
altar, &c. (See on chap. v. 33.) By the
temple, it is nothing — it has no significance
and imposes no obligation. By the gold of
the temple, the golden ornaments or utensils
of the temple, or, most j^robably, at least
chiefly, the money contained in the treas-
ury, gathered from the yearly tax for the
support of the temple (see xvii. 24), from
the payment of vows and from voluntary
donations. He is a debtor — bound to ob-
serve the oath. So that these money
lovers, in sw^earing by the temple treasure,
swore their mo.st binding oath by their
own god. The covetous man still gives
preference to the object of his lust ; gold
has still the first place in his heart. A
238
MATTHEW.
man is to be suspected when he recom-
mends those good works most, from which
he receives most advantages.
17. i'e fools and blind: for whether Is greater, the
gold, por the temple that sanctifleth the gold ?
f'Ex. XXX. 29.
Fools and blind. They sinned even against
common sense, which determines that that,
from which another thing derives its char-
acter, must more have tliat character itself.
Sanctificth the gold — renders the gold deposit
sacred.
18. And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is
nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is
upon it, he is guilty.
The altar the gift. The words are
general in their application, and not to be
limited to any one altar or gift. It is noth-
ing. (See on verse 16.) By the gift. The
origin of this error was the self-righteous-
ness of theiofferers. They esteemed their
own gifts more highly than the Divine in-
stitution. He is guilty, i. e., bound to fulfil
his oath. The word in the original is the
same as the one translated, he is a debtor,
in verse 16.
19. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the
gift, or qthe altar that santifieth the gift?
lEx. xxix. 37.
The gift. The offering made to God, so
called because it was devoted or given to
Him. (See on verse 17.)
20. Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, swear-
eth by it, and by all things thereon. 21. And whoso
shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by '\\m\
that dwelleth therein. 22. And he that shall swear by
lieaven, sweareth by othe throne of God, and by him
that sitteth thereon.
rl Kings viii. 13; 2 Chron. vi. 2; Ps. xxvi. 8, cxxxii.
14. sps, xi. 4 ; chap. v. 34 ; Acts vii. 49.
For, as the less is contained in the great-
er, so in the oath which is sworn by the
temple and the altar, is contained the oath
by the gold and the gift. Moreover, since
no inanimate thing can be supposed to be
the witness of an oath, he who swears by
the altar, by the temple, or by heaven
itself, must be understood as swearing by
Him to whom all these belong. And thus,
on quite another ground, our Saviour con-
victs the Pharisees of blindness. Swear by
the temple. We expect to hear " he swear-
eth also by the gold of the temple." But
this is self-understood, and therefore
Christ returns back to the Lord of the
temple, who makes the temple what it is,
and. makes heaven, the great temple, what
it is. The oath has its significance gener-
ally in this, and in this only, that it is a
confirmation by God, a declaration uttered
as before God. Him that dwelleth therein.
That is, God. The temple was His house,
His dwelling. In the first, or Solomon's
temple. He dwelt between the cherubims,
in the most holy place. He manifested
Himself there by a visible symbol, the
cloud of glory, resting on the mercy-seat.
(1 Kings viii. 10; Ps. Ixxx. 1.) By heaven.
Our Lord had before expressly forbidden
all such oaths as these (chap. v. 34), and
He here shows it is vain to attempt to dis-
tinguish them from each other, as to their
effects in binding the conscience.
23. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites !
'for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and
"have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judg-
ment, mercy, and faith : these ought ye to have done,
and not to leave the other undone.
'Luke xi. 42. ul Sam. xv. 22 ; Hos. vi. 6 ; Mic. vi. 8 ;
chap. ix. 13 ; xil. 7.
Woe (see on verse 13). Tithe. The law
of tithes is found in Lev. xxvii. 31. The
tithe of a thing is its tenth part. Of the
yearly products of the land of the Israel-
ites, the first fruits were deducted, out of
the rest, the tenth part was taken for the
Levites. (Numb, xviii. 21.) Mint, anise,
&c. The herbs here specified correspond
mainly to those of the same name in
Europe and America, anise being the aro-
matic plant by us called dill, and cummin,
corresponding to the caraway, and used by
the Orientals as a condiment. But, whilst
strict in these little matters, these Phari-
saic scribes were very loose in great matters
— they omitted, or passed over the tveightier
matters of the law. They neglected, they
transgressed the great laws of religion and
morality.
Judgment, is just equivalent to the dis-
charge of duties according to the principles
of righteousness or justice. Mercy — kind-
ness. Faith. We have no doubt that a
belief of the Gospel of Christ, even such a
one as is connected with salvation, is
required by the moral law, and is one of its
most weighty matters, for the moral law
requires love to God with all the heart,
and love to God would certainly lead us
to embrace any revelation which He
should make of Himself, such a revelation
especially in which the glory of God is
provided for in the highest degree. But
the term faith here, we consider synono-
mous with fidelity or veracity, being ranked
with judgment and mercy, which are duties
CHAPTER XXIII.
239
of the second table. These, i. e., the great
duties of morality and religion, ought ye to
j have done — ought to have been lirst attend-
ed to, while at the same time, ye ought
not to leave undone the paying tithes of
mint, etc., which are duties too, though of
a far inferior order. (See jNIic. vi. 6, 8.)
The neglect of the distinction between
that which is great and that which is
small, first and second, essential and non-
essential, has been the sourccjwof enormous
evil in every age of the Church. It is a
distinction which the never-dying school
of the Pharisees is unable to draw. There
are many now who are enthusiastic in the
secondary things of religion, who know
little or nothing of the great practical
duties of humility, charity, meekness,
spiritual mindedness, Bible reading, pri-
vate devotion, and separation from the
world.
24. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swal-
low a camel.
Blind guides. (See on verse 16.) Strain,
&c. It should be " strain out a gnat." In
southern countries gnats swarm, and there-
fore may easily fall into wine vessels, and
are sometimes bred in them. Passing the
liquor through a strainer that no gnat or
pai't of one might remain, grew into a
proverb for exactness about little matters.
The meaning is, "if there is an omis-
sion in paying tithe of mint and anise
and cummin, you are most excited, and
would seem to be angels of heaven, so
shocked are you that the law should be
broken even in the most minute jot, but
crimes, provided they be committed by
a Pharisee, are, in your mind, so trivial
that of you it is strictly true that while you
" strain out a gnat, you swallow a camel."
25. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hjTJocrites i
'for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the
platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
vilarli vii. 4 ; Luke xi. 39.
Woe unto you, &c. (See on verse 13.)
Make clean, &c. The figure here is that of
a person who takes great care to make the
outside of the vessel used at meals, thor-
oughly clean, while he knowingly allows
the inside of those vessels, with which, of
course, the food he eats must be brought
into contact, to remain foul and uncleansed.
This is altogether different from " the form
of godliness." There is implied a satisfac-
tion with inward corruption, only so that
the exterior is fair and plausible.
But within, (ic. TJie figure which began
with "the outside of the cup" is here
dropped, and the heart or internal moral
state is substituted for what, if the meta-
phor had been continued, would have been
the "inside of the cup." Full, literally,
loaded. Extortion is the same word rendered
" ravening " in Luke xi. 39. Excess. The
word so rendered is a general term for
excess. Luke says " wickedness." The
meaning is, that though they took much
pains to appear well, yet they obtained a
living by extortion and wickedness. These
miserable men procured unjustly what
they used intemperately. No wonder
tables so furnished proved a snare, as
many find by sad experience. Thus luxury
furnishes fraud, while it feeds disease
with, the fruits of injustice.
26. Thou blind Pharisee, 'cleanse first that which is
within the cup and platter, that the outside of them
may be clean also.
ilsa. Iv. 7; Jer. iv. 14, xiii, 27; Ezek. xviii. 31; Luke
vi. 4.5 ; 2 Cor. vii. 1 ; Heb. x. 22 ; James iv. 8.
Cleanse, &c. — the inside. Sanctify thy
enjoyment by righteousness and temper-
ance. That the outside, &c. Since God has
created the inside as well as the outside,
one as much as the other must be held
holy, and it is not only evil, but foolish, to
wish to separate, even in thought, to say
nothing of act, that which, in the nature
of things, is absolutely inseparable.
27. Woe unto you. scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
yfor ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed
appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead
meyi's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28. Even so ye
also outwardly ax5pe.^r righteous unto men, but within
ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
jLuke xi. 44; Acts xxiii. 3.
Whited sepulchres. Deeply imbedded
among the rank grass, the tombs about
Jerusalem were often invisible, so that
persons were apt to stumble over them,
and thereby contract ceremonial unclean-
ness. As, however, such an occurrence
would have been attended with the great-
est inconvenience to the multitudes who
crowded the city durirtg the celebration
of the national festivals, it was an annual
practice to have the grass cleared away,
and the stones white-washed. The general
sentiment is, that those persons are pecu-
liarly criminal and dangerous, who, while
they are under Ihe influence of the most
dei:)raved principles, yet maintain a decent
240
MATTHEW,
exterior, and that, however they may im-
pose on their feiiow-nien, they are regarded
with disapprobation, and will, if they re-
pent not, be visited with punishment by
Him who, as He searches the heart, and
tries the reins of the children of men, all
things being naked and open before Him,
cannot be deceived, and willnot be mocked.
29. 'Woe unto vou scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites I
because ye huildtlie lonilis olthe prophets, ami ,i,'aniisli
the sepulclui's uC liie righteous, M. And say, J l we liad
been in tlie days clUur latiiers, we would not liavp been
partalcers witli tlieiu in tlie blood of the prophets. 31.
Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that "ye are
the children of thcni whieli Iciiled the prophets. 32.
bFill ve up tlion tlie measure of your fathers. 'S3. Ye
.serijents, v ".~''iieruti()n of vipers,. how can ye escape
the daiunution of hi'li V
^Luke xi. 47. "1 K ings xix. 10 ; Acts vii. 52 ; 1 Thes. ii.
15. ^Qen. XV. IG ; Uan. viii. -3 ; 1 Thes. ii. 16. 'Chap,
ill. 7.
Ye build the tombs, &c. You profess great
respect for the memory of the martyred
prophets, and great disapprobation of your
ancestors who jjut them to death, and yet
you cherish the .same malignant disposi-
tions, and are about to imitate the very
conduct which you so loudly condemn.
How does your conduct contradict your pro-
fessions? Wherefore ye be wUnesses^&c. This
witness does not refer to their building the
tombs of the prophets, and garnishing the
sepulchres of the righteous, but to the man-
ner in which they had treated John, and
were treating Jesus Himself — and were to
treat both Him and His insj^ired messen-
gers. You persecute, and ere long will
imbrue your hands in the blood of men
possessed of the same characters, invested
with the same authority, and teaching the
same doctrines, as those on whom you
heap posthumous honors, and of whose
murder and murderers you profess so
strongly an abhorrence. Your conduct to
me, in desiring my death as you are doing
just now, can be vindicated only on prin-
cii^les which would vindicate the conduct
of the opposers, and persecutors, and mur-
derers, of the ancient prophets. Fill ye up
then, &c. Some say this was spoken pro-
phetically ; others permissively ; others
still, make it an ironical imperative. " Do
what ye purpose at once." If this is irony,
it is Divine irony, as in P.salmxxi.4. The
pronoun ye, is expressed not only in con-
trast to your fathers, but also to show an
indicative force in the imperative, fill ye np,
ye vAll fill up, fill ye up therefore. Comp.
John xiii. 27. When ye will, be no longer
hindered. Be ye left to yourselves. What
you cherish in the heart, do with the hand.
The measure of your fathers, i. e., what re-
mains to be filled up of the measure of the
national sin which your fathers have been
tilling up. (See Isa. vi. ; Matt. xiii. 14;
Acts xxviii. 26.) They would fill up the
measure of iniquity by crucifying the
Messiah, and abusing and putting to death
His Apostles and followers. As the indi-
vidual man may fill up the measure of for-
bearance granted him by God, and thus
come to destruction, so may a people, view-
ed as a body, or, as it were, as a larger in-
dividual. (See Gen. xv. 16 ; Amos i. 3, &c.)
ye serpents .... generation of viper. Their
subtilty was like that of the serpent, (See
on Chai^. iii. 7, xii. 34.)
Hoiu can ye escape, &c. The question is
sometimes the strongest mode of affirma-
tion. Our Lord here means to assert that
as their heart is so corrupt, and their hab-
its of sin are so confirmed, reformation in
them is not to be expected ; in other words,
they cannot escape the damnation! of}iell,i.e.,
the condemnation and sentence of punish-
ment in hell, to be pronounced by the
Judge, at the day of final account, (See
on chap. v. 22.) The language here used
is that of grief and despair respecting their
amendment and salvation, and of surrend-
ering them to their own will.
34. H liWherefore, behold, I send unto you phophets,
and wise men, and scribes : and fsome of them ye shall
kill and crucify, and fsojne of them shall ye scourge in
your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city :
3."). EThatupon j'ou may come all the righteous blood
shed upon the earth, titom the blood of righteous Abel
unto >the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye
slew between the temple and the altar.
dChap. xxi. 34, 35 ; Luke xi. 49. eActs v. 40, vii. 58, 59,
xxii. 19. fChap. x. 17 ; Mark x. 39 ; Acts v. 40 ; 2 Cor. xi.
24, 25. ?Rev. xviii. 24. iiGen. iv. 8 ; Heb. xi. 4 ; 1 John
iii. 12. '2 Chron. xxiv. 20, 21.
Wherefore. In consequence of all this
wickedness. Prop>hets ; or preachers ; (for,
as the Word of God is a great prophecy of
the world to come, so he who preaches it,
truly prophesies), to reprove the people
for their sins, and warn them of the judg-
ments of God. And ivise men and scribes—
evidently evangelical messengers, but
called by the familiar Jewish names of
" prophets, wise men and scribes," whose
counterparts were the inspired and gifted
servants of the Lord Jesus, for in Luke
(xi. 49) it is, ""prophets and apostles."
A7id some of them, &c, A large share of the
first preachers, thinkers and writers of the
CHAPTER XXIII.
241
Church, were martyrs. Stephen was stoned
(Acts vii. 59), James was slain with the
sword (Acts xii. 1-3), Peter was crucified
(See John xxi. 18, 19; 2 Peter i. 14), the
Apostles were imprisoned with scourging
(Acts V. 18, 40), Paul and Barnabas were
persecuted from city to city (Acts xiii. 50,
xiv. 5, 6, 19, 20).
That. In order that — a statement of the
inevitableness of the result. Not that this
was the purpose for which these prophets
and messengers were to be sent, but that
this would be the consequence of the Jews
slaying and persecuting them. Upon you
may come all the righteous blood, i. e., all the
judgments for the slaughter of righteous
men. From the blood of nghteous Abel, &c.
Abel, who was the first martyr. He is
counted among the prophets, because he
prefigured Jesus Christ by his innocence
aud death, as Cain did Judas, &c. Unto the
blood of Zacharias, the last of the prophets,
whose martyrdom is, according to the ar-
rangement of the Hebrew canon, recorded
in the Old Testament. Son of Barachias.
In 2 Chron. xxiv. 21, the martyr Zechariah
is called the son of Jehoiada. But Jehoi-
ada and Barachia are words of the same
meaning, and it is not improbable, though
there is no proof, that in our Lord's day
the one name was substituted for the other
in ordinary discourse. By the case of
Abel and that of Zacharias Jesus couples
the first and last of Old Testament martyrs.
36. Verily, I say unto you, AU these things shall come
upon this generation.
The accumulated guilt of ages was, as it
were, to become theirs, by the murder of
the Messiah and His Apostles, and awful
was the retribution which awaited them.
The history of the last days of the Jewish
republic, as recorded by their own unbe-
lieving historian, shows that the judgments
executed on the Jewish nation were such
as to fill to the full, human nature's capaci-
ties for sufTering. Thousands have shed
their blood for the truth. The frequent
triumphing of the wicked is perplexing.
The judgment day will show that however
Christians may die, " precious in the sight
of the Lord is the death of His saints."
37. kQ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the
prophets, 'and stonest them which are sent iinto thee,
how often would mi have gathered thy children to-
gether, even as a hen gathereth her chickens "under her
winijs, and ve would not!
^liUke xiii. 31. mDeut. xxxni. U, 12. "Ps. xvii. 8, xci. 4.
16
The prospect of Christ's death, with all
its attendant horrors, did not excite angry
feelings in His heart. Instead of express-
ing anger, He burst forth into these la-
mentations, which for tenderness and
pathos, have never been equalled. 0 Je-
rusalem. (See on Luke xiii. 34.) From the
scribes and Pharisees Jesus now addresses
Himself to Jerusalem, the central point of
the hierarchy, the metropolis of Judaism.
That killest, &c., identifying the Jerusalem
of the then present day with the Jerusalem
of past ages. Sent unto tliee, as messengers
of truth from tlie Lord.
How often, &c. The beautiful tenderness
of this verse shows that the warnings of
the previous verses are the language, not
of human anger, but of terrible Divine
justice. Love, deep love, may dwell in
the breast of the judge who pronounces
the sentence of death. Would I. .... ye
ivoidd not. How majestic is this / of the
incarnate Logos ! The Greek word in both
these phrases is stronger than appears
from our English translation. It is, literally,
" I willed, and ye willed not." Even as a
hen, &c. The emblem here employed is
similar to what is used with respect of
Jehovah. (See Deut. xxxii. 11 ; Euth ii.
12 ; Ps. xvii. 8, xxxvi. 7, Ivii. 1, Ixiii. 7,
xci. 4.) It shows the Saviour's tender love
and faithful care of His redeemed people,
and His power is also adequate to the con-
fidence reposed in Him. He bore the
storm of Divine justice against our sins, in
order to save us from it, and " sufiered
being tempted, that He might succor us
when tempted." He calls sinners to-,
take refuge under His protection, and
there keeps them safe, and nourishes them
unto eternal life. We must not, because
we are Christians, shut our eyes to the
bright world that is around us, for in the
instinct of birds, in the habits of bees, in
the peculiarities of all created things, in
the structure of minerals, in the petals,
fragrance, habits and climates of flowers,
there is an immensity of Divine teaching.
Only it needs nature's book to be read in
the splendor in which it was originally
written, and when a Christian's eye reads
that book, its page is full of deep, signifi-
cant, and precious meaning.
Ye ivould not. Our Lord does not say,
242
MATTHEW,
"thou wouldest not." By this mode of
sijeaking, He makes it plain that He char-
ges the guilt of Jerusalem on its inhabi-
tants, the men and women who dwelt
there, and specially on the priests, and
scribes and Pharisees, who governed the
city. They were neither willing to be
gathered themselves into the kingdom,
nor allowed others to enter. Christ was
willing, but they were unwilling. Most
deplorably and inexcusably will they per-
ish, who perish by their own willfulness
and obduracy under the Gospel.
38. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39.
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till
ye shall say, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of
the Lord.— oPs. cxvili. 26; chap. xxi. 9.
Your house. Here there may be an allu-
sion to the temple. Your temple ( now not
God's house, but your house), in which you
glory. Is left unto you desolate. The Greek
word for "desolate" means solitary, de-
serted, not laid waste. But the meaning
is the same: desolation and destruction
are the necessary consequences of the
Divine withdrawal, as the Lord had fore-
told even unto Solomon. (1 Kings ix. 7-9.)
This declaration of the parting Messiah
has been literally fulfilled, not only by the
destruction of the temple, but also by the
futile attempt of Julian, the apostate, to
rebuild it, and by the condition of Jerusa-
lem up to this day.
Till ye — in your posterity in a future age.
Blessed is he, &c. The language by which
the children in the temple recognized Him
as the Messiah. (Ps. cxviii. 6.) Some
think that Christ here refers to the ap-
proaching destruction of Jerusalem, when
the fulfillment of all His predictions would
oblige the Jews to confess that He was
the Messiah. Others think that our Lord's
words are not yet fulfilled, and that they
refer to the last times, when the Jews,
after their last tribulation, shall " look on
Him whom they pierced," and believe,
at the time of His second advent in
glory. Though Jerusalem be still desolate,
and Israel scattered, the unseen person of
Jesus is still on Zion, and His unseen feet
still stand on Olivet. His ever preserving
care perpetuates the race in its vicissitudes,
waiting for the day when devoted Israel
shall say. Blessed is he that cometh in the
name of the Lord.
1. ■WhatdidJesui? say concerninKthescribesandthePhariseesinMoses' seat? 2. What did they love ? 3. Ex-
plain verses 10 and 11. 4. What is the first " woe " Christ denounced ? 5. WHiat the second ? 6. What the third ?
7. What the fourth ? 8. What the fifth ? 9. What the sixth ? 10. What the seventh ? 11. Explain verses 34 and
35. 12. How are we to understand " all these things shall come upon this generation ?" 13. Repeat Christ's lam-
entation over Jerusalem. 14. What is the great reason why sinners pre not saved ?
CHAPTER XXIV.
1 Christ fortelUth the drjitr\i<-iion of the tempU:Z what
and how great calamUies sfMll be hrfnre rt: -29 the sipns
of hi.i coming to jxuigment. 36. And because that day
and hour i.s unknoum, 42 we ought to watch like good
servants, expecting every monnent our master s coming.
This chapter is full of prophecy ; proph-
ecy of which a large portion is unfulfilled ;
prophecy, which ought to be deeply inter-
esting to all true Christains. It is a sub-
ject to which the Holy Ghost says, we " do
well to take heed." (2 Peter i.)
AND 'Jesus went out, and departed from the temple :
and his disciples came to him for to shew him the
buildings of the temple.-«Mark xiii. 1, xxi. o.
Went out, &c. Our Saviour thus gave in
action a farther expression of the sentence
He had pronounced in word. (Chap, xxiii.
38.) To shew him, &c., i. e. to draw His at-
tention to the magnitude, splendor, ap-
parent solidity and stability of that
magnificent structure. As the whole tem-
ple was built with the greatest ce.st and
splendor, so nothing was more stupendous
than the uncommon measure of the stones,
some of which, particularly those em-
ployed in the foundations, were in mag-
nitude 40 cubits, and the superstructure
was worthy of such foundations. A cubit
CHAPTER XXIV.
243
was about 22 inches of our measure. Some
of the stones were of the whitest marble,
45 cubits long, 5 cubits higli, and o broad.
"The appearance of the temple," says
Josephus, "'was such as to strike the mind,
and astonish the sight." Tacitus descril^es
it as " of immense opulence." The dis-
ciples probably meant to insinuate to their
Divine Master that this unrivalled edifice
was built for eternity ; was formed to
stand the shock of ages, and to resist the
utmost efforts of human power to destroy it.
2. And Jesus said unto them. See ve not all these
things ? Verily I say unto you, '-There'shall not be leit
here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown
down.
bl Kings ix. 7; Jer. xxiv. 18; Mi. iii. 12; Luke .xix.
44.
See ye not, &c. Our Lord, by His conduct,
teaches us what use we ought to make of
the sight of such objects as these, namely, to
consider that in a very little time they
will disappear and be no more, and that
there is nothing solid .and durable but
that which is not seen. There shall not be,
&c. This prediction will strike us the
more, if we bear in mind that these huge
stones were bound together with lead and
fastened with strong iron cramps. Jose-
phus says : " Cfcsar gave orders that they
should now demolish the whole city and
temple, except the three towers, Phaselus,
Hippicus and Mariamne, and a part of the
western wall, and these were spared ; but
for all the rest of the wall, it was laid so
completely even with the ground, by those
who dug it from the foundation, that there
was left nothing to make those that came
thither believe it had ever been inhabited."
(Comp. Ps. cxxxvii. 9.) Mabnonides, a
Jewish rabbi, says, that " the very foun-
dations of the temple were digged up, ac-
cording to the Roman custom." Eusehius
also assures us that the temple was
plowed up by the Romans, and that he
himself saw it lying in ruins. (See on
Luke xix. 44, xxi. 6.) Learn, hence, L
That sin has laid the foundation of ruin
in the most flourishing cities and king-
doms. 2. That the threatenings of God
are to be feared, and shall be fulfilled,
whatever apparent improbabilities there
may be to the contrary.
3. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, cthe dis-
ciples came unto him priv.ately, saving, 4TeIl us. when
shall these things be ? and what xhall be the sign ofthy
coming, and of the end of the world.
oMarli xiii. 3. di Thes. y. 1.
The Mount of Olives commanded a very
fine view of the temple from the east.
IHsci))h's. Peter, James and John. (Mark
xiii. o.) Privately — apart from the other
disciples. When and vhat mgn. They
wished to know, 1. The precise time of
the api^roaching catastrophe ; 2. The sign
of it. It seems plain from their inquiry, \
that they had gathered from some of our
Lord's sayings that there was some inti-
mate comu'ction between the destruction
«f the earthly Jerusalem, and the final
coming of our Lord at the-ond of the world,
though how to separate the type from the
antitype, the less from the more full ac-
complishment, they knew not. Jesus
answered the last question of the disciples,
while He in reference to the first gave to
them only general intimations. The signs
which He gives are at the same time of
such a nature, that they, in fact, are only
to be seen precursorily at the destruction
of Jerusalem, but will appear decisively
and in their full force at the end of the
world, of which Jerusalem's destruction
was a type. By thus judiciously mingling
these two important catastrophes, He
gives at the same time a most interesting
admonition to His immediate hearers, the
Jews, and a most awful lesson to all His
future disciples, and the benefit of His
predictions, instead of being confined to
one occasion, or to one people, is by this
admirable management extended to every
subsequent period of time, and to the whole
Christian world.
4. And Jesus answered and said unto them, 'Take
heed that no man deceive you. .5. For fnuiny shall
come in my name : saying, I am Christ, rand shall de-
ceive manv.
•■Eph. v.'ii; Col. ii. 3, IS; 2 Thes. ii. 3; 1 John iv. 1.
fxiv. 14, xxiii. 21, verse 24; John v. 43, <fcc.
Jesus ansvered, &c. The discourse sepa-
rates into four divisions: L The fir.-^t (5-14)
suggests the probable sor^rces of deception in
regard to the coming of the Son of man ;
2. The second (15-28) considers ^/iera/ar/u'-
tics of Jerusalem, as a special source of decep-
tion ; 3. .1 description of the coming of the
Son of man with special reference to the
question of the disciples ; 4. The discourse
is .summed up (32-36), and is the ansuer to
the question of the disciples, so far as any
answer can be given. Here our Lord dis-
tinguishes between "these things" i."3. 34)
and "that day and hour" (30). By the
244
MATTHEW,
former, which the disciples had used in
their question, He means the cakunities of
Jerusalem ; by the latter. His coming at the
end of the -world.
Take heed, &.Q.. A most needful warning.
Satan knows well the value of prophecy,
and has ever labored to bring the subject
into contempt. In our day we see some
persons putting a literal meaning on fig-
urative prophecy, and others putting a
figurative meaning on literal prophecy.
Amidst this tangled maze of discordani^
opinions we need greatly the solemn warn-
ing of our Lord. For many, &c. Among
the false Christs that soon appeared,
were Dositheus, the Samaritan, and Simon
]Magus. Jost'plms says, " Many afiirmed
the time of the advent to have ari-ived ;"
and Hegesippus says, " Many false Christs
came." We find a false Christ whenever
we find a deceitful guide, who directs us
not to Jesus Christ, who leads us to a
Church which is not His, who inspires us
with a doctrine which He never taught,
who diverts us from the way of the Gos-
pel, and who, by his whole conduct, car-
I'ies us at a distance from the cross and
from salvation.
6. And ye shall hear of w<ars, and rumours of war :
see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must
come to pass, but the end is not yet.
That there were wars and great disturb-
ances during the interval of forty years,
appears from all the historians of that
period, especially Josephns. The end, &c.
of the Jewish State. It is vain to expect
peace until the Prince of Peace returns.
Then, and not until then, the swords shall
be beaten into plowshares, and nations
learn war no more.
7. For hnation shall rise aptainst nation, and kingdom
asainst kingdom : and there shall be famines and pes-
tilences, and earthquakes in divers places.
i>2 Chron. xv. 16;'Isa. xix. 2; Heb. ii. 22; Zech. xlv.
13.
Nation shall rise against nation. This
portended the dissensions, insurrections,
and mutual slaughter of the Jews, and
those of other nations who dwelt in the
same cities together, as particularly at
Cesarea, where the Jews and Syrians con-
tended about the right of the city, which
contention proceeded so far that about
20,000 Jews were .slain, and the city was
cleared of the Jewish inhabitants. The
whole Jewish nation being exasperated at
this, flew to arms, and burnt and plundered
the neighboring cities and villages of the
Syrians, making an immense slaughter of
the people. The Syrians, in return, de-
stroyed not a less number of the Jews.
Kingdom against kingdom. This portend-
ed the open wars of difterent tetrarchies
and provinces against one another; as
that of the Jews who dwelt in Perea
against tlie people of Philadelphia, con-
cerning their bounds, while Cuspius Fadus
was procurator; and that of the Jews and
Galileans against the Samaritans, for the
murder of some Galileans going up to the
feast at Jerusalem, while Cumanus was
l^rocurator ; and that of the whole nation
of the Jews against the Romans and
Agrippa, and other allies of the Eoman
empire. But there was not only sedition
and civil war throughout Judea, but like-
wise in Italy, Otho and Vitellius contend-
ing for the empire.
Famines and pestilences. It is evident
from Josephus, as well as Eusehius, Sueto-
nius, and several other profane historians,
that there were famines and pestilences in
divers places. The first named historian
says, that the famine under Claudius
Csesar, predicted by Agabus (Acts ii. 28),
was so severe that at Jerusalem many
died of starvation. Famines and pesti-
lences are ever attendant upon civil com-
motions and wars. The cessation of the
labors of husbandry produces scarcity ; ex-
posure, hardship, and the effluvium of the
dead produces pestilences.
Earthquakes in divers p>laces. In the time
of Claudius and Nero there were great
earthquakes at Smyrna, Miletus, Chios,
Samos, Laodicea, Hierapolis and Colosse,
in Crete, also, and Campania, and one at
Rome in the reign of Galba. In Judea,
likewise, there were judgments of the
same kind. It is probable that Jerusalem
herself was warned most loudly by a ter-
rible earthquake, accompanied by thun-
ders, lightnings and overwhelming storms.
8. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Terrible as all these omens — wars, fam-
ines, pestilences, fearful sights, and great
signs from heaven — were, they are small
compared to the miseries of the siege and
downfall of the city. The word translated
sorrows, .should rather be rendered "birth-
pangs." The expression is remarkable in
CHAPTER XXIV
245
its secondary application, and in the high-
est degree suggestive, recalling those many
other places of Scripture where creation is
spoken of in kindred terms: now, as groan-
ing and travailing (Rom. viii. 22) ; now, as
destined to undergo a process of " regener-
ation." (3Iatt. xix. 28.)
n. iThpn shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and
shall kill you : and ye shall be>hated of all nations for
my name's s.ike.
'Chap. 17: Markxlii. 9: Luke xxi. 12; John xv. 20
and xvi. 2 ; Acts iv. 2, 3 and vii. 59 and lii. i, &c. ; 1
Peter iv. 16 ; Rev. ii. 10, 13.
There appears to be a special reference
here to the persecutions undergone by the
early Christians between the time of our
Lord's ascension and the destruction of
Jerusalem. There is a noticeable climax
in the indicated persecutions, verified in
the sutTerings of the Apostles and disci-
ples. We learn from the Acts of the
Ajjostles, that the lives of the Ajjostles
were one continued scene of affliction and
distress of every kind. They were impris-
oned, beaten, brought before councils, and
sanhedrims, and kings, such as Herod,
Agrippa, and the Roman emperor, for the
sake of Christ, that is, for being called by
His name and devoted to His service.
(Rom. viii. 35-37 ; 1 Cor. iv. 9, 10 ; 2 Cor.
xi. 23-29 ; Heb. x. 32-34.)
10. And then shall many ^be offended, and shall betray
one another, and shall hate one another.
kChap. xi. G and xiii. 57 ; 2 Tim. i. 15, and Iv. 10, 16.
The meaning is, that many who pro-
fessed faith in Christ, terrified Avith these
persecutions, should become apostates, and
renounce their faith. (See 2 Tim. i. 15 ;
iv. 10.) Betray one another. This is re-
markably verified by the testimony of
Tacitus, who, in describing the persecution
under Nero, tells us, " that several Chris-
tians at first were apprehended, and then,
by their discovery, a multitude of others
were convicted, and cruelly p;:t to death
with derision and insult."
11. And 'many fajse prophets shall rise, and i>shall
deceive many.
'Chap. vil. 15 ; Acts xx. 29 ; 2 Peter ii. 1. "i Tim. iv. 1.
Many false prophets. Such was the Egj'p-
tian, who collected together above 30,000
Jews whom he had deceived (Acts xxi. 38),
and TJieudas, a magician, who, as Josephns
says, deceived many, and a multitude of
others who deluded the people even to the
last, with a promise of help from God. And
in the time of ISTero, when Felix was pro-
lurator of Judea, such a number of these
impostors made their appearance, that
many of tliein were seized and i)ut to
death every day.
12. And because iniquity shall abound, the 'ove of
many shall wu.x cold.
it is here predicted that the great preva-
lence of impiety, lawlessness and terror,
shortly before the destruction of Jerusa-
lem, which was typical of His judicial
coming, and the cruel treatment which
the advei-saries of the Messiah's followers
would exercise toward them, would cliill
mutual love, make men more anxious
about their own safety than about the
good of others, and cool their love to their
Master. (See 2 Tim. i. 15, iv. 10 ; Heb. x.
25.) It is the nature of love to 6ttrn. Love
is the ornament and strength of Christians.
(See Phil. i. 9 ; 2 Peter i. 7 ; Rev. ii. 4.)
AVlien Jesus shall come again, surely none
will feel so much ashamed to see Him as
those who jn-ofessed to walk with Him a
little way, and to love Him for a little
while, but whose feet grew weary, and
whose love waxed cold,
13. "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same
shall be saved.
nChap. X. 22 ; Mark xiil. 13 ; Heb. iii. G, H ; Rev. IL 10.
He whose hope (verse 10), and faith
(verse 11), and charity (verse 12), endure
to the end, and he who bears afflictions,
persecutions, &c., faithful!}-, that through-
out all trials, even unto death, maintains
his attachment to Christ and adheres to
the truth, shall inherit the kingdom pre-
pared for those who overcome. It is the
uniform doctrine of Scripture, that they
Avho persevere in the belief and practice
of Christianity to the end of their lives,
shall, through the merits of their Re-
deemer, be rewarded with everlasting life.
14. And this "gospel of the kingdom rshall be
preached in all the world for a witness unto all natioas,
and then shall the end come.
"Chap. iv. 23 and ix. ^5. pRom. x. 18 ; Col. ii. 6, 23.
Notwithstanding the persecutions fore-
told, there was to be an universal publica-
tion of the announcement of Messiah's
reign, and the doctrines of His religion.
(See on chap. iv. 23.) Paul (Col. i. 6, 23)
speaks of the Gospel " being come unto
all the world, and preached to every
creature under heaven." And we le.Trn
from the most authentic writers, and the
most ancient records, that the Gospel was
preached within thirty years after the
246
MATTHEW.
death of Christ in Idumea, Syria and Mes-
Oiiotamia, in Media and Parthia, and many
parts of Asia Minor, in Egypt, Maureta-
nia, Ethiopia, and other regions of Africa,
in Greece and Italy, as far north as Scy thia,
and as far westward as Spain. The words,
in all the world, are not to be limited, in
their application, to the Roman empire or
to the destruction of Jerusalem. For a
witness, &c. Testified to them faithfully,
even unto martyrdom, it will be a witness
unto them, and then it Avill be a witness
concerning them and against them. By
the end, in the sense which the Saviour
mainly attached to it, the end of the whole
great period is meant during which Jeru-
salem shall be trodden down of the Gen-
tiles, till the times of the Genttles be ful-
filled, closed by the judicial coming of the
the Lord. The Gospel, that is, the tidings
of the fullest revelation of God, must be
preached unto all, so that each and every
man is thereby, as it were, compelled to
take jxirt either for or against Christ. The
gigantic missionary operations of our days
have brought us considerably nearer than
ever before, to the fulfillment of this
word of our Lord.
15. "When ye therefore shall see <ithe abomination of
desolation, spoken of by i-Daniel tlie prophet, standing
in the holy place, ('whoso reacloth, let him understand.)
10. Then let them which be in Judea flee into the moun-
taias. „
qMark xiii. 14 ; Luke xxi. 20. rDan. ix. 27, xu. 11.
sDau. ix. 2:3, 2.5.
The abomination of desolation, &c. This
was intended to point to the Roman en-
signs, as the symbols of an idolatrous, and
so unclean. Pagan power, &c. Upon the
standards of the Roman army, were de-
picted the images of their emperor and
their tutelary gods, whom they worship-
ed : and it is well known that idols were
held by the Jews in ilie utmost abhorrence,
hence the term abomination. Desolation is
added for an obvious reason, because this
mighty army brought ruin and desolation
upon Jerusalem. The city, and the mount
on which it stood, and a circuit of several
furlongs around it, were accounted holy
ground, and as the Roman standards were
planted in the most conspicuous places
near the fortifications of the city, they are
here said to stand in the holy place. Josephus
tells us that after the city was taken, "the
Romans brought their ensigns into the
temple, and i)laced one of them against
the eastern gate, and sacrificed to them
there, which was the greatest insult and
outrage that could possibly be ofi'ered to
that wretched people."
Whoso readeth, let him understand. This
seems a warning of the Evangelist to his
Christian reader to note the admonition to
escape, though some understand these
v/ords as having come from the lips of
Christ Himself, exliorting to a proper un-
derstanding of the dark saying, in refer-
ence to the passages (Dan. xii. 4, 10, ix. 23,
25) where Daniel himself is exhorted to
listen closely in order to understand. In
Judea. In the heart of the population.
Flee into the mountains. Lonesome and in-
accessible retreats, to which an army could
not follow them. There is a commenda-
tion of a hasty flight as the only means of
deliverance. These kind admonitions
were not lost upon the disciples. Ecclesi-
astical history informs us that no Christians
perished in the siege of Jerusalem. When
the Roman general, Cestius Gallus, three
years before tlie siege by Titus, invested
the city, he "very unadvisedly," as Jose-
jihus says, "withclrew his armies." From
this attack, a large number of the inhabi-
tants of Jerusalem took alarm, and with-
drew from the city as soon as the Roman
army had retired. Among those who
escaped were the Christians, some of
them retiring to Pella, and some to Mount
Libanus. The result of this was, that
when the last great war, under Vespasian
and Titus, broke out shortly afterward,
the Cliristians almost entirely escaped its
desolation.
17. Let him which is on the housetop not come down
to take anything out of liis house : 18. Neither let him
which is in the tield return back to take his clothes.
The Jew on the top or fiat roof of his
house, looking for the signs of the approach-
ing judgment, or watcliing the manoeuver-
ing of the Roman army, wlien he saw this
great abomination, or heard it had taken
place, was here warned not to go down
into his house to carry away any of his
goods, but to leave them, and escape witli
all speed to the mountains. To take his
clotlies, i. e., the upper garments (the cloak
and coat), which husbandmen of the south-
ern countries have ever, when at work,
laid aside, or left at home. These passages
intimate the greatness of the peril of that
CHAPTER XXIV.
247
hour, when the guilty city, like another
Sodom, should be marked for destruction.
19. And 'woe unto them that are with child, and to
them that give sucli in those days !— tLuke xxiii. 29.
This is not an imprecation, but a bitter
lamentation, in which the compassion and
the sympathy of the Saviour expresses
itself for suffering humanity. Sad would
it be for those who, in such a time of ter-
ror and distress, had any natural impedi-
ments to obstruct their flight.
20. But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter,
neither on the Sabbath day.
Not in the irintcr — making escape peril-
ous, by reason of the coldness of the season
or the bad state of the roads, or tempting
you to delay your flight. Neither on the
Sabbath day. The Jewish Christians might
entertain scruples against traveling on
the Sabbath beyond the legal distance,
which was about five furlongs. But even
if free from such scruples, they would be
liable to detentions on the roads should
they attempt to travel contrary to Jew-
ish laws. Besides, at a time when fa-
naticism was at its height, they would
have been in the utmost danger of the
worst persecutions by the Jews. The in-
struction which Jesus here gives to His
disciples, to pray for alleviating circum-
stances at the consummation of the woes
foretold here, teaches us that special inter-
positions of Divine Providence are de-
pendent on Christian prayer.
21. For "then shall be great tribulation, such a.s wa.s
not since the beginnint; of the world to thus time, no,
nor ever shall be.— "Dan. ix. 26 and xii. 1 ; Joel ii. 2.
For then. By the greatness of the terror,
which the Lord only hints at circuitously,
they were to measure the swiftness of
their flight. Shall be great tribulation, &c.
The siege of Jerusalem was indeed attend-
ed with unexampled horrors, as well as
the most appalling wickedness. Josephus,
who was an eye-witness of the sufferings
which our Lord here predicts, states it as
his opinion " that the misfortunes of all
men, from the beginning of the world, if they
be compared to these of the Jews, are not
so considerable as theirs were," "nor did
any age ever breed a generation more
fruitful in wickedness from the beginning of
the world."
Not only did civil strife rage within the
city, but three powerful factions contended
for the mastery with such violence and
hate, that captivity seemed a far inferior
evil to the actual suflerings of the inhabi-
tants. The city was densely crowded in
consequence of the multitudes which had
come up to the Feast of the Passover.
Pestilence ensued, and, in consequence of
the destruction of their stores by fire,
famine followed shortly after. The very
instincts of humanity seemed to forsake
the people. Women snatched the food
from the mouths of their husbands and
phildren. The most revolting acts of vio-
lence were practiced without remorse and
without rebuke ; barbarities were perpe-
trated too disgraceful even to be described.
The houses, the very streets of the city,
were filled with dead bodies, which armed
assassins rifled and mangled with fiendish
exultation. So excessive was the stench
that it became necessary to hurl above
six hundred thousand corpses over the
walls. Meantime, the besieged were re-
duced to such extremity that they gladly
ate not only their belts and shoes, but the
very filth of the streets. One woman, a
mother, as if unconscious of natural in-
stinct, killed, roasted and devoured her
infant son, deliberately reserving half for
a second meal. So monstrous an iniquity
had been foretold in prophecy for fifteen
hundred years. (Deut. xxviii. 56, 57 ; Lev.
xxvi. 29.) It is plain that our Lord here
speaks of the tribulation connected with
the approaching destruction of Jerusalem
as the type which shall be connected with
His judicial coming.
22. And except those days shall be shortened, there
should no flesh be saved : ^but for the elect's sake those
days shall be shortened.— ^Isa. Ixv. 8, 9 ; Zech. xiv. 2, 3.
The consequence of long protracted hos-
tility would probably have been the uni-
versal destruction of the Jews. But for
the i^reservation of the sound portion,
however small, of the Jews, and especially
the Christians, God by His Providence
shortened the duration of the war, as by the
same pro\ndence He had protracted the
commencement of it, in order to give time to
the Christians to escape. The following
causes have been enumerated as contribut-
ing to this result : 1. Claudius, A. D. 42 or
43, ordered Herod Agrippato stop strength-
ening the walls ; 2. In consequence of their
divisions, the Jews had made no prepara-
248
MATTHEW.
tion to withstand a siege ; 3. The corn and
provisions hud been burnt just before the
arrival of Titus; 4. Titus arrived suddenly,
and the Jews voluntarily abandoned some
part of the fortification; 5. According to
Josephus, Titus acknowledged that it was
by God's power he had succeeded in cap-
turing the city.
I^'^o flesh, no human life. The elect's sal:e,
&c. Christians, God's chosen and beloved
ones, not only those then living in Pales-
tine, but such as in future were to be gath-
ered from the Jews (Rom. xi. 15), and
which promise depended upon their con-
tinued existence as.a nation. God specially
loves His people. They are jewels among
mankind. He hears their prayers. All
things work together for good to them.
Happy are those who know that they are
one of the number of God's chosen ones !
There breathes not the man or woman
who can prove that he or she is not one.
The promises of the Gospel are open to all.
May we give diligence to make our calling
and election sure ! God's elect are a people
who cry unto Him night and day. When
Paul saw the faith, and hope, and love of
the Thessalonians, then he knew " their
election of God." (1 Thes. i. 4; Luke
xviii. 7.)
23. jThen if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here U
Christ, or there, believe if not. 24. For ^tliere shall arise
false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great
signs and wonders, insomuch that, "if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect. 25. Behold, I have
told you before. 26. Wherefore if they shall say unto
you. Behold, he is in the desert : go not forth : Behold,
he U in the secret chambers, believe it not.
jMark xiii. 21: Lukexvii. 23 and xxi. 8. »Deut. xiii.
1, verse 5, 11 ; 2 Thes. ii. 9, 10, 11 ; Rev. xiii. 13. ajohn
Vl. 37 and x. 28, 29 ; Rom. vui. 28, 29, 30 ; 2 Tun. ii. 19.
Lo, here is Christ, &c. The local Mes-
siahs who would start up in different
places, or might be rumored to have started
up, would prove deceivers. This warning
was the more important, inasmuch as the
notion that the coming of Christ would be
at the destruction of Jerusalem, was liable
to lead them to credit false deliverers, by
which the Jews were deluded in immense
numbers to their own destruction. This
warning is unquestionably also meant to
apply to the time immediately preceding
the second advent. False Christs, false
prophets and pretenders to Divine com-
mission may be expected in the latter
days, and believers must be on their guard
against them. (See 2 Thes. ii. 1-10.) There
are false churches, as well as false Christs,
and the true spouse is known by the same
marks with the true bridegroom. (See on
verses 4, 5, 11.)
Tliere shall arise fahe Clirists, &c. Josephus
informs us that false prophets and impost-
ors prevailed on multitudes to follow them
into the desert, promising there to display
prodigies and signs, but that those who
listened to them suffered the just punish-
ment of their fol'y, and were either slain
or dispersed by the Roman governor. One
such case of imposture on the part of an
Egyptian is found alluded to in the Acts
(xxi. 38).
Insomuch that if it were possible, &c. (See
verse 22.) Implying that this, though all
but done, would prove impossible. (See 2
Thes. ii. 9-12.) Behold, Ihare told you before.
I have now forewarned you against these
impostors. WJierefore, i. e., in view of the
warning now given you. They shall say, &c.
This refers to such persons as professed to
have found the Messiah. Our Lord had
just told them that the seduction of the
elect would prove impossible, but since this
would be all but accomplished, He bids
them "take heed," be on their guard, as
the proper means of averting that catas-
trophe.
27. i>For as the lightning cometh out of the ea.st, and
shineth even vinto the west, so shall also the coming of
the Sou of man be.— i' Luke xvii. 24.
The coming of false Christs would be on
earth, while the next coming of Jesus
would be in the sky, like the lightning
flashing along the firmament. It is here
distinctly declared that His second advent,
when it does take place, will be so sudden,
so clearly marked, and so unmistakable,
that true believers shall at once recognize
it as the coming of their King. Christians
are thus assured that when the Saviour
comes, they shall see Him, wherever they
may be, or whatever they may be doing.
Only aferv discijjles saw Him ascend in the
clouds from the Mount of Olives, but every
eye shall behold Him when He comes
again. How exceedingly great will be the
brightness of that day ! When the Lord
Jesus appeared to the persecuting Saul,
the light was beyond the brightness of the
sun at noonday, and its dazzling splendor
blinded the eyes of the astonished man.
(Acts xxvi. 13.) But when He comes
CHAPTER XXIV.
249
again, the light will spread over the whole
world, saints will be strengthened to gaze
upon the scene, and will be changed into
the image of their Lord, while impenitent
sinners will find the day of brightnctis a day
of darkness to them. (Amos v, 18-20.) The
suddenness of Christ's second appearing is
a solemn thought. It ought to make us
study a continued preparedness of mind.
Our heart's desire and endeavor should be
to be always ready to meet the Lord.
(Eev. xvi. 15.)
28. cFor whoresoever the carcass is, there will tiie
eagles be gatliered together,
cj ob xxxix. a) : Lulie xvii. 37.
The carcass is, &c. This proverbial ex-
pression is generally understood as refer-
ring to the Romans, suddenly and openly
gathered together for the destruction of
Jerusalem. It denotes that where sin
and crime abound, God's judgments will
be sure to follow. Under the general
name eagle, the Bible includes the vulture,
a well known bird of prey, which is proba-
bly here meant, as eagles rarely, if ever,
feed upon dead carcasses. Probably this
expression will only be fully understood
at our Lord's second coming. Let us not
be too curious to pry into the "secret
things" which "belong unto the Lord.''
29. 'iimmpdiately after the tribulation of those days,
fsliall the sun be darki-ncfi, and tbf moon shall not give
her light, and the stars shall I'all IVoni heaven and the
powers of till' lieavi'ns shall b(> shaken :
dDau. vii. U, 12. «Isa. .xiii. 10; Ezek. xxxii. 7: Joel ii.
10, 31 and iii. 1.5 ; Amos v. 20 and viii. 9 ; Mark xiii. 34 ;
Luke xxi. 25 ; Acts ii. 20; Rev. vi. 12.
" The words, those days," says a learned
commentator, with whom we agree, in his
interpretation of the passage, " here refer
to the latter days implied in Luke xxi.
24, of which Matthew has preserved but a
fragment. The those days of this verse,
then, are the days of the great jDeriod of
which the eagles and the carcass in the pre-
ceding verse are a fragmentary symbol.
This symbol is a broken label of the
whole period between the downfall and
the advent, Luke supplying the condensed
remainder of the label. The contrast lies
between the slow expansion of that period
and the suddenness of the advent to break
and close it. Immediately, suddenly, after
the ' tribulation ' following the those days
of the treading down of Jerusalem, and
the fullness of the Gentiles, shall the ad-
vent take place. The phrase those days
thus stands in contrast with the phrase
' these things,' in the Apostles' question.
(Mark xiii. 4 ; Luke xxi. 7.) The period
of the destruction and the perit.d of the
advent stand, as the Lord inu;nded, in
stupendous contrast." If we ask, When
shall the second advent take place? Mark
answers, It is in those rfoj/.s which are afi> r
that (Jewish) tribulation. If we ask, in
what part of those daysf IMatthew will
answer. Immediately after the (mundane)
tribulation of lliose days. We have then
this parallel : a tribulation including Jeru-
salem's destruction, a tribulation ending
in the world's judgment. Thtit a tribula-
tion is to precede the second advent is the
clear doctrine of Scripture. Thus, in Rev.
XX. 7-10, at the close of the millenial
thousand years, Satan, who had been
bound during that period, is let loose, and
with his armies besieges the camp of the
saints just before the appearance of the
judgment throne. And in 2 Peter iii.:
" In the last days scoffers shall come," &c.
Of this truth the Jewish tradition gives a
shadowing, in the doctrine that a desperate
tribulation shall precede Messiah's advent.
riiQ Jews (as Kvinoel observes) expected
that great calamities Avould precede the
advent of the IMessiah, yet at the time
when these calamities should have reached
their height they hoped that He would
unexpectedly appear."
SJiall the sun be darlrned, &c. Both Jose-
phus and Tacitus tell us that a A-ariety of
astonishing signs and prodigies preceded
the calamities that impended over the
Jews. (See on verse 7.) The frame of
nature was convulsed when the law of God
was given at Sinai, and when Christ died
on the cross. It was known, even from
the Old Testament, that fearful signs in
the realm of nature would herald the day
of the Lord. (See Jer. iv. 23 ; Joel ii. 30,
&c.) It may well, therefore, be expected
that Christ's return to judge the world will
be accompanied with cosmic changes and
revolutions.
30. fAnd then .shall appear the sign of the Son of man
in heaven : eand then shall all the tribes of the earth
mourn, hand they shall see the Son of man coming in
the clouds of heaven witli power and gi-eat glory.
fDan. vii. 1,3. gZech. xii. 12. tchap. xvi. 27; Mark
xiii. 26; Rev. i. 7.
The sign of the Son of man. As our Lord
does not say wherein this sign shall con-
250
MATTHEW.
sist, the commentator, as a matter of course,
does not know. This much, however, is
certain, that all the inhabitants of the
earth will thereby be convinced of the
nearness of Christ's coming to judgment,
as lightning filling the whole horizon fore-
bodes the impending storm. As the sign
mentioned liere, and those in verse 29,
are the efl'ects of Christ's coming, there is
no contradiction in these verses of the
repeated declaration that the coming will
be without warning, and sudden. It is
just, that He should appear for His glory,
in His own natural gi'eatness and majesty,
who, for our salvation, was pleased to
appear mean, abject, and contemptible to
the eyes of men.
Then shall all the. tribes of the earth mourn,
that is, all unbelievers, all hypocrites, all
enemies of Christ. And they shall see, &c.
The appearance of Jesus will be visible to
all. " Every eye shall see Him." (Acts i.
9-12 ; also Rev. xix. 11.) Whoever has
despised the Son of man in His humil-
ity, shall be forced to see Him in all His
majesty and power. Those to whom His
state of weakness and humiliation, at His
first coming, has been an occasion of scan-
dal and incredulity, shall, in the power and
glory of His second, behold their infidelity
confounded.
31. iAnd he shall send hw angels with a great sound
of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect
from the lour winds, trom one end of heaven to the
other.— 'Chap. xiii. 41 ; 1 Cor. xv. 52 ; 1 Tlies. iv. 16.
His angels. (See on xiii. 41.) Angels are
spoken of as the ministers of Divine provi-
dence, the instruments by which God
accomplishes His purposes. (Ps. xxxiv. 7,
xci. 11, 12, ciii. 21.) With a great sound, &c.
The Jewish assemblies used to be called
together by the sound of a trumpet, as
ours are by bells. (Num. x. 2 ; Judg. iii.
27.) Our Saviour speaking to the Jews,
described the assembling of the people at
the last day in a way which would be pe-
culiarly clear and impressive to them.
(See 1 Cor. xv. 52 ; 1 Thes. iv. 16; Rev. xi.
15.) And they sliall gather together, &c. Here
the resurrection of the elect (the first
resurrection, primarily) is declared. Prop-
erly, " gather together into one place," that
is, to the Son of mtm where He is just about
to make His appearance on earth.
His elect, that is. His chosen people, the
followers of Christ. With the appearance
of the Lord, His Church also, hitherto
scattered and concealed among the nations,
will be fully united and appear in festal
array. The bride of Rev. xxi. 9. The four
winds one end of heaven to the other.
The original word for end signifies any
extremUy. Where earth ends, there heaven
begins : hence also mountains and heavens are
sometimes made ijarallel. (2 Sam. xxii. 8 ;
Ps. xviii. 7.) The four winds are spoken of,
as there are said to be " four corners of the
earth." (See Isa. xliii. 5. 6 ; Matt. viii. 11 ;
Ezek. xxxvii. 9 ; Zech. ii. 6 ; Rev. vii. 1.)
In the daj' of judgment true Christians
shall be perfectly safe. Then, the mighty
angels who rejoiced in heaven when each
sinner reiiented, shall gladly catch up the
people of Christ to meet their Lord in the
air. Then, too, the saints of every age and
every tongue shall be assembled out of
every land. All shall be there, from righ-
teous Abel down to the last soul that is
converted to God — from the oldest patri-
arch down to the little infant that just
breathed and died. Let us think what a
happy gathering that will be, when all the
Yamily of God are at length together.
32. Now learn ka parable of the fig tree ; When his
branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know
that summer ?s nigli : 33. So likewise ye, when ye shall
see all these things, know Uhat it is near, even at the
doors.— i^liuke xxi. 29. 'James v. 9.
This comparison was designed by our
Lord to show that the signs of which He
had spoken were as indubitably precursors
of the appearance of the Son of man, as the
si:>routing of the fig tree, and other trees,
was an indication of the approach of sum-
mer. Whoever sees the one, knows then
of himself that the other is at hand. As
in the kingdom of nature, so in the king-
dom of Providence, there is a sequence of
one event on another. When ye shall see,
&c. Our Lord here teaches that His king-
dom will not be near until after a period
of fearful wars and tribulation. (See Luke
xxi. 31.)
Let us pursue the hint which Christ is
here pleased to give us, by accustoming
ourselves to look upon this present world,
its elements and seasons, as a representa-
tion of the world to come. Sensual and
sordid persons look upon the spring as a
time which is favorable to their pleasures
and their covetousness : true Christians
CHAPTER XXIV
251
look upon this general resurrection of
nature as a slight draught of the resurrec-
tion of the children of God, and as a sign
of the approach of the Sun of Righteous-
ness.
34. Verily I say unto you, mThis Keneration shall not
pa-ss. till all these things be fuUillert.
mChiip. xvi. 28, and .\xiii. 3U; Mark xiil. 30; Luke
xxi. 32.
Commentators widely differ as to the
meaning of this difficult verse. It would
only be perplexing to state the numerous
and various interpretations it has received.
Its true signification appears to be, " This
generation shall not pass away without
the beginning of the end of the world,
here foretold you, having come to pass, in
the actual destruction of Jerusalem." The
justness of this interpretation is rendered
the more probable if we connect the verse
with the question in verse 3, as referring
to the destruction of the temple. Jerusa-
lem was taken A. D. 70, or forty years
after this prediction. It was, therefore,
within the lifetime of many then living.
Many eminent men regard the Saviour
as teaching here, that until He returns to
this earth, the Jews will always remain a
separate people. Certainly, the continued
existence of this people as a distinct nation
is a great miracle. Without a land, with-
out a king, without a government, scat-
tered and dispersed over the world for
eighteen hundred years, the Jews are
never absorbed among the people of the
countries where they live, like Frenchmen,
Englishmen and Germans, but "dwell
alone." Nothing can account for this but
the finger of God. The Jewish nation
stands before the world a crushing answer
to infidelity, and a living book of evidence
that the Bible is true.
35. "Heaven and earth shall pa.ss away, but my
words shall not pass away.
nPs. cii. 26 ; Isa. li. 6 ; Jer. xxxi. a5, 36 ; chap. v. 18 ;
Mark xiii. 31 ; Luke xxi. 33 ; Heb. i. 11.
This was a peculiarly strong and solemn
mode of declaring the certainty of the
whole prophecy being fulfilled. The words
evidently reach far beyond the destruction
of the Jewish State. The heavens were
to pass away like a scroll, at our Lord's
coming. But His word was to stand for-
ever. Nothing could prevent its being
accomplished. Possibly there is an allu-
sion to the new heavens and new earth
which are to succeed the destruction of
the earthly economy. (2 Peter iii. 12, 13 ;
Heb. i. 11, 12; Isa. li. 6; Rev. xxi. 1.)
36. "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no,
not the anjjels ol' heaven, I'but my l'';ilher only.
"Mark xiii. 32: Acts i. 7; 1 Thes. v. 2; 2 Peter iii. 10.
pZech. xiv. 7.
As to the teini)le and the city, the Lord
shows the time (verse 32-34) ; as to the
world, He declares here that the day and
the hour are unknown. But implies a con-
trast ; these and Utis (verse 34) refer to the
near, that to the distant. If, however, the
former time is defined with some latitude,
that day and hour is much less definitely
indicate^l here ; and yet He does not speak
of a day and hour without cause. Day is
a whole, Jiour a part. Knoweih no man, &c.
It has been a matter of much controversy
even among the firmest believers in the
proper Divinity of Christ, whether this
statement concerning the Son, means that
He was not at that time in possession of the
knouiedge referred to, or simply that it was
not among the Hi ings ivhich he had received,
to commimicate. The Greek word which
properly signifies, " I knew," when used
in the sense of the Hebrew conjugation,
Hiphil, as it here seems to be, signifies, I
make another to know, I declare. The word
has this meaning without dispute (1 Cor. ii.
2), " I determined to know nothing among
you but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified,"
i. e., I determined to make known, to
preach nothing among you, but Jesus
Christ. So, also, in this passage, " But of
that day and that hour, none maketh you
know," none hath power to make you
know it (just as the phrase, Matt. xx. 23,
" is not mine to give," signifies, " is not in
my power to give"), "no, not the angels,
neither the Son, but the Father."
In support of this interpretation, we
h ave our Lord's way of speaking of His com-
munications to men, as, for example, in
such passages as these : " And what He
hath seen and heard, that He testifieth."
" I speak to the world those things that I
have heard of Him." " The Father which
sent me, He gave me a commandment
what I should say and what I should
speak." (John iii. 32, viii. 26, xii. 49.) In
this view, as the precise time of Christ's
coming was certainly not in His in-
structions, as He had not " seen and heard"
it, and so could not "testify" it, as He had
252
MATTHEW
no commiinication from His Fa.ther on
that subject, it is not difficult to under-
stand how He might, in this sense, after
saying that neither men nor angels knew
it, add, that Himself knew it not, without
the danger of lowering, even in the minds
of His half-instructed disciples, the im-
pression of His Omniscience, which everj^
fresh communication to them only tended
to deepen.
Jesus had a human as well as Divine
nature, and His humanity was comj^lete,
or, in other words. His human nature was
limited, like ours, in its mental capacities.
Hence, the ignorance of the Son here re-
ferred to involves no greater difficulty
than what is said by Luke (ii. 52), that He
" increased in wisdom, and in favor with
God and man," which certainly could not
be predicated of His Divine nature. The
fact that our Lord possessed two natures,
the Divine and human, each complete,
and neither of the two interfering with or
modifying essentially the attributes of the
other, is distinctly and abundantly re-
vealed in Scripture. The manner of their
co-existence in one person, in such dis-
tinctness and yet intimate union, is, of
course, wholly beyond our comprehension.
It is possible, however, that this union is
more inexplicable than the union of our
soul and body, solely because it occurs
but once and has no analogy.
How remarkable it is that the time of
Christ's second coming should be concealed
from the knowledge of every creature!
Angels know not the time, they know not
when they shall be summoned to attend
their King in His chariot of clouds. Devils
know not the time, they know not when
they shall be immured in their dark prison,
and no longer permitted to tempt the in-
habitants of the earth, and of the sea.
Wickedmen know not the time, they know
not when their day of grace will end.
Righteous men know not the time, they
know not when they shall be caught up
to meet their Lord in the air.
37. But as the days of Noe u>ej-e. so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be. 38. qFor a.s In the (lavs
that were before the flood thev were eatins and drink-
mg, marr.vins and gi vincr in marriago, until the dav Uiat
Noe entered into the ark. X). And knew not until the
flood came, and took them all awav, so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be.
iGen. vi. 3, 4, 5 ; Luke xvii. 2fi : 1 Peter iii. 20.
As the days of Noe were. Although the
coming of our Lord will be the perfect re-
demption of His disciples out of all tribu-
lation (Luke xxi. 28), it is here represented
especially as a judgment upon the godless
and unbelieving world, and this judgment
is typified in the fate of the contempora-
ries of Noah. The same illustration is used
in 2 Peter iii. 5, 6, and the parallelism
shows that it is the judgment day alone
that is the present subject. We here have
a very solemn picture of what the state of
the world will be when the Son of man
returns.
So sJicdl also the coming of the Son of man
be. The days preceding His second advent,
just as the days of Noah were the days
preceding the flood. (See Luke xvii. 26,
27.) It should be noted that the univer-
sality of the flood is asserted in both pas-
sages, and thus valuable collateral evidence
is furnished of the totality of that catastro-
phe, as recorded in Genesis. In the days
of Noah, the old world being entirely un-
affected with the admonitions he gave
them while building the ark, and with the
threatenings which he then denounced,
w^ent on as usual, following their ordinary
occupations, and pursuing their pleasures,
both lawful and unlawful, in great security,
even until the point of time when Noah
took possession of the ark. The conse-
quence Avas, that, ere they were aware, the
flood came and destroyed all except those
who were in the ark. It is thus jjlainly
taught that the coming of Jesus will be
unlooked for by the mass of mankind.
40. 'Then shall two be in the field, the one shall be
taken, and the other left. 41. Two u-omen sliall lj( i^rind-
ing at a mill ; the one shall be taken, and the other
left.— rLuke xvii. 34, &c.
In the field, pursuing their daily labor.
Two women, &c. Corn was then ground, as
it still is in the East, by a hand-mill, and
generally by women. (See Ex. xi. 5, also
Isaiah xlvii. 2.) The Saviour in these
verses strengthens His admonitions still
more by allusion to the definitive terrible
division, which will coincide with the great
decision. At His coming, that will be torn
asunder which outwardly, as well as in-
wardly, appeared to be as closely as possible
joined together. Two — one is a Christian,
the other is a sinner. One of the men
may have just vented his profane oaths,
while the other may have reproved him,
CHAPTER XXIV,
253
and reminded him of the future judgment.
Both women may that morning have sung
the same hymn, but one was an humble
beUever, and the other a lover of the world.
Men save and lose their souls in all places,
states, and conditions. Home are lost
while laboring for the necessaries of life,
by allowing the noise and hurry of their
employments to hinder them from hearing
the voice of God and the warnings of
approaching calamity.
42. 'Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your
Lord doth come.
sChap. XXV. 13; Mark xiii. ;5.3, ifcc. ; Luke xxi. 36.
Be wakeful, vigilant, always on your
guard, that you may not be taken una-
wares. We are kept uncertain concern-
ing the precise time of our Lord's coming,
that we may be always ready. (See Luke
xii. 40.) He who made us is acquainted
with all the secret springs of our nature.
He knows that when we have a long time
before us we are disposed to loiter. There
is a spirit of sloth and delay that steals
over our hearts, which nothing overcomes
so much as the idea that the opportunity
for exertion may soon be past. The com-
ing here referred to is the same as in verse
39. We must not be like the world in the
time of the flood, slumbering and revelling,
but watch, for it will be a sudden event.
(Heb.x.37.) Christians are to be frequent in
prayer, and continually in a prayerful frame
of mind. (See Luke xviii. L) Watching
and praying are here joined together, as
in Matt. xxvi. 41, 1 Peter iv. 7. 8.
43. t 'But know this, that if the good man of tlie house
had known in what watch the tliief would come, he
would have watched, and would not have suffered his
house to be broken up.
tLuke xii. 39 ; 1 Thes. v. 2 ; 2 Peter iii. 10 : Rev. iii. 3
and xvi. 15.
The good man of the house, that is house-
holder simply. The word good implies here
no moral character. In the northern
parts of Great Britain the master of the
house is still called "the good man of the
house" and the mistress "the good icoman."
Had knovm, &e. — had been warned, as you
are warned ; especially if he had known in
what watch the thief would come, he would
have kept watch against his approach,
and not have suffered his house to be broken
up, i. e., be digged through, for the walls
of the Eastern houses are often of clay,
and the house would be attacked by exca-
vation. It is noticeable how frequently
the coming of the day of the Lord is
compared, in all manner of forms, with
the coming of the thief. (1 Thes. v. 2, 6,
St. 2 Peter in. 10; Rev. iii, 3, xvi. 15.)
Life is the time of probation. It is tlie
watch time in which we are to be on the
alert for the coming of the Son of man.
44. uTherefore be ye aLso ready : for in such an hour
as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
"Chap. XXV. 13; 1 Thes. v. (i.
Therefore, i. e., because your situation is
like that of the householder, in the sud-
den and unexjiected test to which your
watchfulness will be put. (See on verse
42.) Be ye also ready. Be in a state of
constant readiness. For in such an hour,
&c. The individual death is the virtual
coming of the Son of man. Not that the
coming of the Son of man here is death,
nor truly to be identified with death, but
the being on the Avatch for judgment is
pressed instead of the being on the watch
for death, inasmuch as death is nothing
but a passage to judgment. This is a
Ijoint which our blessed Master fre-
quently presses upon our notice. Chris-
tians should strive to be always on their
guard. They should behave like the
sentinel of an army in an enemy's land.
They should resolve by God's grace not to
sleep at their post. (1 Thes. y. 6.)
45. ^Who tlien is a faithful and wise servant, whom
his.lord liath made ruler over his household, to give
them meat in due season ?
iLuke xii. 42; Acts xx. 28; 1 Cor. iv. 2; Heb. iii. 5.
Who then, &c. — Avhoever, and whenever,
and wherever he is ? This question the
Lord asked in order to arouse and exhort
every one to ask himself the question, Is
it I ? • As the steward was burdened with
the care of the whole domestic establish-
ment, his post was in the fullest sense one
of confidence, and therefore faithfulness
in every respect was required. Over his
household. The construction of the origi-
nal refers to a constant and vigilant
oversight, as though his authority and
supervisfon rested upon his charge contin-
ually. We must be faithful in performing
the duties of our state in the time of our
life, if we would be found at that of death
employed in the work which God has
committed to our care. Observe here two
main qualities in a pastor. 1. Fidelity in
not appropriating to himself the gifts of
God, as time, talents, &c. 2. Prudence in
254
MATTHEW.
employing them to the profit of his house-
hold, wliidi is the church. Whoever
remembers that he is only a steward, is
far from desiring to command and dispose
of everything as master. God will be
served in His Qwn way, not in ours.
To give them meat^ &c. The family is
here properly the Church of God, con-
sidered as a great congregation, through
all ages, waiting for the coming of Christ.
It is that Church of all ages to whom He
said of the Lord's supper, " Ye do show
forth the Lord's death until He come." It
is a great part of pastoral prudence to
give the proper portion, and to do it in
due season.
46. yBIeased is that servant, whom his lord when he
Cometh shall find so doing. 47. Verily I say unto you,
That =he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
jKev. xvi. 15. zChap. xxv. 21 ; Luke xxli. 29.
So doing. This refers to verse 45, where
the Christian is represented as a faithful
and wise servant, &c. This conduct includes
1. A diligent attention to our own siiiritual
concerns; 2. An anxiety for the welfare
of others ; 3. Zeal for the glory of God ; 4.
The happiness secured — "blessed" with
all spiritual blessings in life and death, in
time and eternity. Miserable then is he
whom death surprises either doing evil or
doing nothing, or doing that which God
does not require of him. No one should
ever quit his post of duty, either through
discouragement, or idleness, or indiffer-
ence. Ruler over all Ms goods, simply the
image of his Master, drawn from the custom
of appointing a competent or favorite ser-
vant to be head steward, as was Joseph in
the house of Potiphar. The more extended
sphere of action is represented as the
reward of fidelity. The labor is great, but
the reward is without measure. We should
be able to comi^rehend it, could we com-
prehend all the riches of God, that is, God
Himself.
48. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart.
My lord delayeth his coming: 49. And shall begin to
smite hii fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the
drunken; .50. The lord of that servant shall come in a
day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that
heis not aware of, .51. And shall cut him asunder, and
appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: ^there
sliall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
aChap. viii. 12 and xxv. 30.
That evil servant. As no evil servant has
previously been mentioned, the word that
is to be explained by supposing an ellipsis :
But if that evil servant (on the supposition
that he is evil) shall say, &c. 3fy lord delayeth
his coming — the speech of folly, which be-
lieves the day of reckoning and judgment
to be far distant, only to abandon itself to
the more unrestrained indulgence of its
lusts. It is remarkable that every mistake
on the subject of Christ's coming hitherto
made, arises from requiring it to be too
soon. And shall begin, &c. — laying claim in
arrogance and hard-heartedness to a right
belonging to the lord. Eat and drink u-ith
the drunken, revelling upon that which has
been withdrawn from others, and, at the
same time, wickedly squandering the
goods of his lord. Thousands are embold-
ened in sin by the idea that the Lord de-
layeth His coming. If the coming of our
Lord to judgment were a living reality for
the professors of Christianity, for which
they looked, there would certainly not be
so much strife, contention, bitterness, envy,
ambition, domineering and revengefulness
among the different branchesof the Church
and the members of the same Churches.
(1 Cor. iv. 5.) Nor would there be so
much luxury and extravagance in the
Church; the contributions for the sup-
port of the preaching of the Gospel at
home and abroad would be much more
liberal.
The lord of that servant shall come, &c. —
surprise him in his sin and false security.
The Lord continually, by death, defeats
such presumptuous calculations of the un-
godly. Cut him asunder, means quarter
him — the image of a very hard punishment
at that time inflicted on certain offenders.
It points to the punishment connected
with the dividing asunder and laying open
of the wicked heart. (Heb. iv. 13.) Ap-
point him, &c., i. e., he shall have the same
fate. The Lord will judge His servants
according to the condition in which He
finds them — no previous faithfulness shall
compensate for negligence at the time.
There shall be weeping, &c. (See on chap,
viii. 12.) Were Jesus to come to-day in
His chariot of clouds, should we be able to
say, "w^e have waited for Him?" (Isa.
xxv. 10.) Would He come to interrupt
our pleasures, or to drown our hojDes?
to make us weep and gnash our teeth, or
to wipe aAvay all tears from our faces for-
ever ?
CHAPTER XXV.
::oo
1. 'UTiat (lid Jesus say to His disciples about the temple ? 2. How did He answer the question, " when shall
these Uiings be?" 3. What wars were relerreO to? 4. What is said in releronce to famines, &c. ? 5. Wliat
effect was abounding ini<iuity to have? (1. What was "the abomination of desolation?" 7. Explain the in-
junctions in verses 17, 18, 19, 20. 8. How is the coming of the Son of man to be like the lightning? 9. How are
wc to understand verse 28 ? 10. What does the parable of the fig-tree teach ? 11. What is said of " that day and
hour?" 12. How is Christ's coming to be "as the days of Noe?" 13. What duty is enjoined in verse 42? 14.
Who is the " faithful and wise servant ? " 15. Who is " that evil servant ? " 16. What is to be his doom ?
CHAPTER XXV.
1 The parable of the ten virffins, 14 and of the talents.
31 Also the dcscri2)tion of the last judgment.
THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto
ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth
to meet "the bridegroom.
"Eph. v. 29, 30 : Rev. xix. 7, xxi. 2, 9.
The circumstances of a marriage which
furnish the groundwork of this parable,
form an exact and Uteral representation
of the customs which, in ancient times,
generally prevailed in the East on such
jo3^ous occasions, and which hold in full
force to the jiresent day.
Then — at the time spoken of in the pre-
ceding chapter, namely, the "coming of
the Son of man." The kingdom of heaven,
— the kingdom as it aj^pears outwardly
before men in this dispensation. The
visible Church on earth will "then be
likened," &c. Ten. In the Jewish Church
ten persons were required to constitute a
valid synagogue. Probably this number
was here selected because it was most fa-
miliar to the Jews in th«ir varied ecclesi-
astical and political economies. No sym-
bolic character should be attributed to
the virgins, as such ; it is when they take
their lamps and go forth to meet the bride-
groom that they first acquire a spiritual
significance. The whole group represent
that portion of any community who hear
the Gospel, accept its terms, and profess
to be the disciples of Christ. The sincer-
ity and depth of their profession will be
tested afterward. Took their lamps, &c.
]\Iarriages were always celebrated in the
evening, or at night. (Judg. xiv. 11, 18; 1
Sam. XXV. 42.) The taking their lamps
and going forth to meet the bridegroom,
represents an open, intelligent and seemly
profession of faith in Christ. Bridegroom.
The Church is " the Lamb's wife" — the
union which faith forms between Christ
and His people being represented as a mar-
riage. (See Ps. xlv. 13-15 ; Cant. i. 5, 6, viii,
13,14; John iii, 27-30; 2Cor.xi. 1-G; Rev.
xix. 7, 8, xxi. 1-4.) The image which
our Lord uses here, rai.ses such joyous ex-
pectations as are sutiicient to divest of
their terror all the frightful circumstances
with which His coming is also connected.
Believers under the Old Testament looked
for the coming of Messiah. (Lsa. Ix. 1, &c.,
Ixiv. 1 ; Luke ii. 25.) Believers under the
New Testament look for His second com-
ing. (Phil. iii. 21 ; Heb. ix. 28 ; Tit. ii. 11,
&c.) This expectation is a powerful
means, in the hands of God, for raising and
sanctifying the heart. It springs out of
faith in the promises of the Lord (Matt.
XXV. 31 ; John xiv. 3, xvii. 24 ; Acts i. 9-
11), and is at once the proof and nourish-
ment of love to Him. (Col. iii. 1, &c. ; 1
Peter i. 8.)
2. i>And five of them were wLse, and five icere foolish.
bChap. xiii. 47, x.xii. 10.
Five, &c. The iiumlier is of no moment
to the point in question, the distinction
alone is essential. It is not a distinction
of the head, but a distinction of the heart.
The "wise" are called so, because they
kept steadily in view the end and the
means, thought of the future with foresight,
and, during the present, held in contem-
plation distant possible contingencies, all
which the "foolish" did not. Christians
are "wise unto salvation," mere professors
have "their foolish hearts hardened." It
is not to be inferred from this, we think,
that half the human family siiall be lost,
and that half shall be saved. We must
never wring from every incident in a par-
able, distinct and specific meaning.
3. They that %vere foolish took their lamps, and took
no oil with them :
The lamps used on such occasions were
probably flambeaux or torches. They con-
sisted of small bars of iron or brass inserted
2o6
M A T T H E AV ,
into a stick, to \\huh were fastened small
l)ieces of liiieu or lint, or other substaiace,
which of itself burned, but required to be
supplied from another vessel with oil, in
order to make the burning bright and
permanent. Verse 4 shows that the oil
was in another vessel, and not in the lamp
itself. The persons whom the foolish vir-
gins represent are not hypocrites, not self-
conscious dissemblers, much less the open-
ly profiine and ungodly, but the negligent
in prayer, the slothful in work, such as
lay out their scheme for a Christian life
to satisfy the eyes of men, and not to
please God, who seeth in secret. They
have, in some degree, ex])erienced convic-
tions, and they have made professions,
but their profession does not proceed from
any experience, or full-wrought conviction
of the truth and Divinity of the Gospel.
They are eager to "go forth," but have
"no oil with them," no grace in their
heart.
4. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their
lamps.
Vessels. (See on verse 3.) Oil. This
points to the Holy Spirit as a spirit of
grace and supplication dwelling in a
believer's heart. (2. Cor. i. 21 ; 1 John ii.
20, 27, &c.) The persons whom the " wise "
represent, have passed from death unto
life ; they have received their new life
through the Spirit's ministry, and it is
" hid with Christ in God." (Col. iii. 3.)
From this source they have an unfailing
supply. They foresee that they may have
a long life to live of toil and self-denial,
before they shall be called to cease from
their labors, before the kingdom shall
come unto them, and consequently feel
that it is not a few warm, excited feelings
which will carry them successfully through
all this — which will enable them to endure
unto the end.
5. While the brideKTOom tarried, cthev all slumbered
and slept.— cl Thes. v. «.
Bridegroom. (See on verse 1.) Tarried,
not really, for Christ's day of arrival is
absolutely fixed, but it seemed to them as
if He tarried — the time appeared longer
than they expected. Here was a hint
from our Lord that the time of His return
might be delayed beyond the expectation
of His first disciples. If more than a hint
had been given, if Jesus had said plainly
that He would not come for many centuries,
then the first ages of the Church would
have been placed in a disadvantageous
position, being deprived of that powerful
motive to holiness and diligence supplied
to each generation of the faithful, by the
possibility of the Lord's return in their
time. It is a necessary element of the
doctrine concerning the second coming of
Christ, that it should be possible at any
time, that no generation should consider
it improbable in theirs.
All slumbered and slept. It certainly was
not our Lord's design to represent the wise
virgins as sinking along with others into
carnal security, indifference and slothful-
ness. This would have been to disfigure
the image He was drawing of Christian
wisdom by a leading characteristic of folly.
The trait referred to is, we think, simply
an indication of the long delay of the bride-
groom, which naturally led the virgins to
fall into other employments than those
immediately connected with the expected
festivity. So, in regard to the second com-
ing of Christ, though the great object of the
Church's hopes, yet it was to be so long de-
ferred, as to render it both allowable and
necessary for her members to mingle in
employment not immediately connected
with His advent. His people, as well as
others, must betake themselves to the
cares and business of life — must enter into
occupations, whiciii, in themselves, are no
way connected with Christ's appearing,
but, while amidst these, Avork and business
of their Christian calling, the holy oil of
Divine truth and the Divine Spirit still
abides in the heart of real Christians, and
shines forth in their conduct; and all they
have to do, when called to meet their Lord,
is just to recall their minds from their
other necessary duties, and address them-
selves more immediately to the work of
meeting, in a suitable manner, the pres-
ence and glory of their Divine Master.
Still, it is true, that the delay of Christ is,
alas, often the occasion of a diminution of
watchfulness, fervor and activity, eyen on
the part of true disciples. Against such* a
tendency Christians should prayerfully
guard.
6. And at midnight (ithere was a cry made, Behold,
the bridegroom ct)meth, go ve out to meet him.
dChap. xxiv. 31 ; 1 Thes. iv. 16.
CHATTER XXV
257
The parties being united, the bride, pre-
ceded by her virgin attendants with hghted
torches, was conducted to the house of the
bridegroom's father. This cry w^e may sup-
pose to have been made either by a part of
the retinue running before, or by the ap-
phiuding muUitude, wlio, even till that late
hour, had been waiting to see the passage of
the procession througli the streets, and tlius
testified their lively sympathy in what
was going forward. Midnight. Jesus may
come much later than was expected, but
He is true and faithful. (2 Peter iii. 3.)
His coming is sudden. Every stroke
which our pulse beats, strikes the knell
of a passing soul. There are sixty human
lives go out every minute. But wliile
that is the average number, death, each
day, like the tide, has its flow and ebb.
As harmonizing with its gloomy scenes,
night is the most common period for dying.
She throws her sable veil over the appalling
features of life's last struggle. (1 Thes. iv.
16, V. 2.) The bridegroom cometh. Such
rousing cries in the Church of God, and in
the lives of individuals, are often found in
great outward changes, national judgments,
desolations, diseases, extreme dangers, ex-
traordinary deliverances, and other solemn
occurrences, through means of which zeal-
ous and godly Christians, as well as those
who are lukewarm and ungodly, are con-
strained to think of the coming of the Son
of man as near at hand. .
7. Then all those virgins arose, and etrimmed their
lamps.— eliuke xii. 35.
All— arose. There is no visible distinc-
tion at this stage between those who have
only a name that they live, and those who
have attained also the new nature. When
life is closing behind, and eternity opening
before us, we are all aroused. Every one
who has a lamp hastens then to examine
its condition and stimulate its flame ; all
who have borne Christ's name search
themselves to see whether they are ready
for His presence.
8. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your
oil, for our lamps are gone out.
Many put off the examination of the
very grounds of their ftiith and hope to
the last moment. When the day of Christ
( omes, it will be impossible for any to re-
main ignorant any longer of his true state.
Give Hs, &c., that is, permit us to have an
17
interest in your faith. Here is a represen-
tation of those formalists, who, if they are
Catholics, betake themselves to the dead
saints, or if they are Protestants, to the
living, whom they have been accustomed
to revere as their guides on account of
their wisdom and grace, and plead. Help
us, comfort us, pray for us, that we may
be brought into a state of grace. Our
lamps are gone out, rather, as in the margin,
" are going out," for oil will not light an
extinguished lamp, though it will keep a
burning one from going out. Ah ! now,
at length, they have discovered not
only their folly, but the wisdom of the
other class, and they do homage to it.
They did not, perhaps, despise them be-
fore, but they thought them righteous
overmuch, now they are forced, with bitter
mortification, to wish they were like them.
There is a devotion which is temporary,
and a devotion which is real and perma-
nent. That devotion which is not sus-
tained by truth and holiness is necessarily
transient, and when it is wanted most, is
found most to fail. It will be observed
that the foolish virgins applied to the
wise ones, not to the Fountain Himself.
It can scarcely be doubted that if they
had ever truly known the bridegroom,
they would have applied to Him instead
of their companions.
9. But the wise answered, saying. Not so, lest there be
not enough (or us and you : but go ye rather to them
that sell, and buy for yourselves.
fPs. xlix. 7 ; Jer. xv. 1 ; Ezelc. xiv. 14, xvi. 18.
Not so. These words are supplied in our
translation. They are omitted in the
original, as the ancients felt a sort of shame
or delicacy in denying a request, and the
clause which follows marks with sufficient
clearness the denial. Lest there be not, &c.
Here is a striking denial of the Romish
doctrine of supererogation, by which the
merits of particular saints may by surjjlus
save other persons. The righteous are
"scarcely saved." After we have done
all, we are " unprofitable servants." Go
ye rather, &c. This counsel was the best
that in the emergency could be given.
" Sell " and " buy," mean simply, " Go,
get in the only legitimate way." And
yet the word " buy " is significant, for we
are elsewhere bidden, "buy wine and
milk without money and without price,"
258
MATTHEW
and " buy of Christ gold tried in the fire,"
&c. (Isa. Iv. 1 ; Rev. iii. 18.) Now, since
what we pay the demanded price for be-
comes thereby our own liroperty , the salva-
tion which we thus take gratuitously at
God's hands, being bought in His own
sense of that word, becomes ours thereby
in inalienable possession. (See Prov. xxiii.
23; Matt. xiii. 44.) This feature of the
parable intimates that those who are found
destitute at the coming of the Lord,
enjoyed their day and their opportunity,
but neglected them. Christians may tell
the i^erson who wants grace where it is to
be had ; they may direct him to the foun-
tain out of which he may draw ; but no
priest, or person, no minister or man of
any denomination can communicate grace
— the Lord the Spirit alone can bestow it.
10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came,
and they that were ready went in with him to the
marriage : and ethe door was shut.— sLuke xlii. 25.
Went to buy, &c. There is no forgiveness
to be had at the judgment day — the throne
of grace is superseded by the throne
of judgment, the cross is then veiled, the
fountain for uncleanness is then sealed,
the sun of grace has then set. They that
vjere ready, or prepared, viz.: the wise vir-
gins. Went in, &e. The Greek word
rendered marriage, rather means, "the
apartment in which the marripge feast was
kept," or the house where the marriage
was celebrated. The marriage ceremony
took place before the bride left her father's
house, but a feast was given at the house
of her husband, and which was also called
the marriage, or a part of the marriage
golemnities. Door ^vas shut — shut as much
for the security and joy without interrup-
tion of those within, as for the lasting
exclusion of those without. (See Gen. vii.
16; Rev. iii. 1, 2, also xix. 7, xxi. 27.)
AVhat door ? The door that has now en-
graved on its lintels, " Him that cometh
unto me, I will in no wise cast out " — the
door which is now open, and so wide that
the greatest sinner may enter, and yet so
holv that no sin shall be tolerated within it.
11. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying,
kLord, Lord, open to us.— i>Chap. vii. 21-23.
Afterward came, &c. Not that they have
now found the oil, but having sought it in
vain they come looking for mercy, when
now it is the time of judgment. Lord,
Lord. Now, at length, they realize all the
consequences of their past folly. In ad-
dressing the bridegroom. Lord, they claim
to stand in a near relation to him, and
their rei)eating it is an evidence of the
earnestness with which they now claim
admission. Open to us. So that no one
can then claim or take away anything for
himself, it must be given him by Christ.
Many professing Christians care nothing
about decided Christianity. But they will
experience an entire change of opinion in
regard to its necessity, when, alas, it is too
late.
12. But he answered and said. Verily I say unto you,
'I know you not. 'Ps. v. 5 ; Habb. i. 13 ; John Ix. 31.
The word know here is used in a somewhat
peculiar sense ; it is equivalent to acknow-
ledge or approve, a sense of the term of not
unfrequent occurrence in Scripture. " The
Lord knoveth the way of the righteous,"
Ps. i. 6, i. e., He approves, and gives tokens
of His approval of their way. " You only
have I known of all the nations of the
earth" (Amos iii. 2), i. e., acknowledged
as my peculiar people. "I know" — ac-
knowledge— " my sheep, and am knoum " —
acknowledged — "of mine." "As the Father
knoweth " — acknowledgeth — " me, even so
know " — acknowledge — "I the Father."
(John X. 14, 15.) The words I know you
not, just show that they never knew Christ,
that there had never been anything save
a barren lifeless calling Him " Lord, Lord,"
and that now, though seeking to enter in,
they " shall not be able."
13. iWatch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor
the hour wherein the Son of man oometh.
JChap. xxiv. 42, 44 : Mark xiii. .'53 ; Luke xxi. 36 : 1 Cor.
xvi. 13 ; 1 Thes. v. 6 ; 1 Peter v. 8 ; Kev. xvi. 15.
Watch therefore. (See on chap. xxiv. 42,
44.) The spiritual watchfulness, or pre-
paredness of the Christian, is that state of
mind wherein one is truly conscious to
himself of his actual condition, of the aim
and tendency of his life, of his relation to
the Redeemer and the things of this hfe,
and everything is so applied and used as
to be of service to us for our eternal salva-
tion. The ground of this watchfulness is
our ignorance of the exact time for the
coming and manifestation of Christ, which
uncertainty or ignorance true believers
improve to their salvation.
CllAPTEU XXV
250'
H. kFor the kingtiomoj }u:avf:n is ias?i man travelling
Into a Car country, wlu> called bis owa servauts, and de-
livered unto thuni his goo(l«.
kMark xiii. 34; JUuke xix. 12-27. 'CUap. xxi. 33.
This parable and that of the talents, in
Luke xix. 11-27, are not, as some have re-
garded them, one and the same, although
in many of their features there is a strong
resemblance. That was spoken in the
house of Zaccheus, this on the Mount of
Olives. That was addressed to a mixed
multitude, this to Christ's own immediate
disciples. Other points of difference will
reveal themselves on examination.
The words kingdom of heaven, are evi-
dently to be supplied from verse 1. The
vian is the Son of man, a name that ap-
propriately expresses the relationship of
Jesus to us, and our relationship to Him.
Christ, as Lord of this kingdom, will act
toward those who have come in connection
with Him, just as a rich man does with his
servants. The far country, here, is that
called by Isaiah "the land that is afar off"
— the holy place, from which sin has pro-
jected us to an almost infinite distance.
Christ's continued presence, spiritually,
with His people, is not inconsistent with
this representation, for the parable deals
with the bodily and the visible.
Who called his own servants, &c. Slaves
in antiquity, in many parts of the East,
W'ere often artisans, or were allowed other-
wise to engage freely in business, paying,
as it was frequently arranged, a fixed
yearly sum to their master, or, as here,
they had money committed to them
wherewith to trade on his account, or with
which to enlarge their business, and to
bring him in a share of the profits. De-
livered, divided, unto them his goods. So,
also, has Christ bestowed many gifts upon
His servants ; in particular, He assigned to
His Apostles an appointed sphere of la-
bor, and still now gives life, health, powers
of body and of soul, many talents, capaci-
ties, spheres of duty, and opportunities for
action. There is here indicated the relation
of e'ntire dependence in which we stand to
Christ, as servants to their Lord.
15. And unto one he gave five talents, to another
two, and to another one. mto evor.v man according to
his several ability; and straightway took liis journej'.
"■Kom. xii. 6; 1 Cor. xii. 7, 11, 29; Eph. iv. 11.
In this distribution different amounts
are consigned to different persons. Here
the representation obviously accords with
the fact: of time, of intellect, of heulih,
of learning, of wealth, scarcely any two
persons jiussess a precisely equal portion.
To every man according to his several ability.
The master, at tlie moment of his depart-
ure, graduated his gifts according to the
abilities and acciuirements of the servants,
that he might not throw a great responsi-
bility on a weak man, or leave a iinn
of vigor only half employed. This
shows, probably, that while all the gifts
that a man possesses are bestowed by
God, some, such as bodily constitution and
mental capacity, are conferred by God, a8
governor of the world, while others are
subsequently conferred by the Lord Jesus,
as the king and head of the Church.
We are inclined to understand these latter
gifts by the goods which the master be-
stowed on the eve of his departure.
Through the unequal distribution of
manifold gifts, the Church of the Lord
appears like a body composed of many
members, every one of which must con-
tribute to the good of the whole, according
to the part assigned, and the cajjacity be-
stowed on it. (1 Cor. xii. 4-30; Rom. xii.
4-9.) There is not a power, nor a posses-
sion, nor a privilege that we enjoy, that is
not a talent, and there is not a talent,
minute or otherwise, which may not be
sanctified to the Master's use, and devoted
to His glory. God does not tell the man
Avho has two talents to beg for five, nor
the man who has one to ask for two, nor
does He say that the one who has two
should produce as much as the man who
has five. He only asks for the vigorous
use of that which we have, and on that
vigorous and prayerful use He will bestow
His blessing.
And straightway took his journey. See
Chapter xxi. 33, where the same departure
is ascribed to God, after setting up the
ancient economy. In both cases, it de-
notes the leavingof men to theaction of all
those spiritual laws and influences of
Heaven, under which they have been
graciously placed for their own salvation,
and the advancement of their Lord's
kingdom.
Ifi. Then lie that had received the five talents went
and traded with the same, and made thnyi other five
talents. 17. And likewise he that had rccrivrd two, he
also gained other two. 18. But he that had received one
went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
2(30
M A T T H P: W .
The goodness of the giver, as expressed
in the gilts received, kindled gratitude in
the first two servants. They felt a respon-
sibility, but a joyful responsibility. They,
therefore, turned their talents to account.
Their gain and increase of goods stand in
exact proportion to the sums committed
to them. The talents doubled, are just
good fruit springing from active, diligent
use of opportunity to serve Christ. Al-
though tlie first of these servants did ab-
solutely more for Christ and the world
than the second, both were equally dili-
gent and faithful according to their means.
Examples, both of the likeness and the
difference, occur by hundreds, day by day,
before our eyes. (See Luke xii. 48.)
He that had received one, went and digged,
&c. This was not the case because his
talent differed from that of others, and was
therefore incapable of increase, or be-
cause he had no opportunity of turning
it to account, or no inherent energy of
action able to do so, or because he
had no intelligible insti'uctions, for this
is not pleaded. Christ distributes in the
exercise of sovereignty, and each is re-
sponsible, not for the amount he receives,
but only for the practical use to which he
turns that which he has received. It was
not, let it be observed, a sinful prodigality,
or a bad use of the lent lalent, which
served for the condemnation of this ser-
vant, but only his slothful indifference,
that he had not employed it either for
himself or for others.
19. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh,
and reckoneth with them.
Long time. The time is not long in the
account of the Lord himself: his latest
warning to the Church is, " Behold I come
quickly," and with him a thousand years
are as one day. Nor is the time long to
ungodly men, for in such an hour as they
think not, the Son of man cometh. At
whatever time He comes, He comes too
soon for them who would give all the
world, if it were theirs, that He should not
come at all. When Jesus comes. He will
take account of all that has passed during
His absence, whether it be good or bad.
He will reckon with His servants, that
thus His sentence may appear before all
the world as conformable to the strictest
princijjle of righteousness.
20. And so he that had received five talents came and
brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliver-
edst unto nie five talents : behold, I liave gained beside
them live talents more. 21. His lord said unto him,
Well done, //lou good and laithiul servant: thou hast
been I'aithlul over a lew things, "I will make thee ruler
over many things : enter thou into "the joy ol thy lord.
"Chap. xxiv. 47, verses M, 3ti; Luke xii. 44, xxii. 29,
30. "2 Tim. ii. 12 ; Heb. xii. 2 ; 1 Peter i. 8.
He that had received five talents came, &c.
In the joyful coming forward of the faith-
ful servants, we see an example of bold-
ness in the day of judgment. (See 1 John
iv. 17, ii. 28.) They had something to
show, as Paul so earnestly desired that he
might have. (1 Thes. ii. 19 ; 2 Cor. i. 14;
Phil. iv. 1.) Behold I have gained, &c.
Grace bestowed, and diligence inspired by
grace, gained. Observe that here the
phrase, " / have gained," is preceded by
the words, " iliou deliveredsi unto me," — it is
only thy gift which I have so multiplied.
Whereunto we have attained, and whatso-
ever we have gained, are entirely from
first to last, by the distinguishing grace
of Him who makes us to difler, and who
gives us grace to put our talents to their
legitimate and proper use.
Welldonethov good and faithful servant. "We
should not study to please men so much as
to please God. If we please Him, we shall
please all who love Him ; and, as to others,
they are not on any account worthy of be-
ing pleased at the ex]^ense of displeasing
God. The term " good " stands opposed to
"unprofitable." A good and faithful ser-
vant. True, we cannot profit Christ abso-
lutely, but we may relatively ; He has an
interest in the world, and we may profit
that — a people, and we may profit them ;
and He will consider anything done to
them for His sake as done to Him. It is
not enough that we do no harm, as is evi-
dent from the case of the servant, who was
not cast out for what he did, but for not
doing what he ought to have done (verses
24-30), we must be faithful servants, dili-
gent, conscientious, persevering. We are
not required to be successfid; our Lord and
Master was not very successful, but he was
faithful, and so must we all be in our
respective spheres.
Thou hast been faithful over a few things.
He calls, even the highest, the richest
and most honorable gifts, which He be-
stows here, a few things, in order to raise
our expectations the more concerning the
much greater and more glorious things
C 11 A P T E li X X \' .
261
which He hiis reserved for His peoi)le
hereafter, and so to lill our hearts with
blessed hopes, as well as admonish us to a
conscientious fidelity. It often hapi)en8,
that labor spent on what is little brings
great glory. The minister who has only a
small congregation, consisting of a few
people, and these chiefly poor, and this
for many years to come, should think often
of the commendation of our Lord here
given. Instead of being anxious for a
large charge, he has reason to tremble
lest he should be found unfaithful in that
which he has.
I will make thee ruler, &c. Christ will at
the last show greater confidence in His
faithful servants than ever. They will
have a glorious augmentation of honor and
blessedness. The language is figurative.
The idea conveyed is evidently this : that
a faithful discharge of the trust committed
to us in this world will, through Divine
grace, contribute to our honor and blessed-
ness in the world to come. All will not
have an equal degree of happiness in
heaven. All will be perfectly happy, but
Bome will not have so large a capacity for
happiness as others. Every vessel will be
full, but some vessels will contain more
than others. Paul must enjoy more in
heaven than a soul caught up from infancy,
since part of the happiness of heaven will
consist of remembrance of the past.
E^iier thou into the joy of thy lord. So
the Lord Jesus shall, as it were, call his
people " no longer servants, but friends "
(John XV. 15 ; Luke xii. 37 ; Rev. iii. 20) ;
bring them into such close and intimate
union with Himself as they never had
before — cause them to sit down with Him
at the feast prepared to celebrate His re-
turn, and so make them partakers of the
joy which will satisfy Him, as He sees the
fruit of the travail of His soul.
22. He also that had received two talents came and
said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto ni(> two talents: be-
hold, t have gained two other tnleuts hi.'side them. 23.
His lord said unto him, pWell done. Kood and faithful
servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I
will make thee ruler over many things : enter thou into
the joy of thy lord.— p Verse 21.
Well done, &c. We are to notice that
the servant who had received two talents,
was addressed in precisely the same terms
of commendation as he who had received
five. He had doubled his money, and
was, therefore, equally as faithful as the
one who hud received the greater amount.
In distributing His commendations, the
Lord looks mure to the honest heart, the
approved fidelity and tender conscientious-
ness, than to the greater or less result of
the activity of his servants (2 Cor. viii. 12).
For explanation of these verses, see notes
on verses 20, 21.
24. Then he which had received the one talent came
and said, Lord, Hi knew thee tliul Ihou art a hard man,
reaping where thou liiusl not sown, and gathering where
thou haul not strewd: 2.j. And I waaitiraid, and went
and hid thy talent in the earth : lo, tliere thou liasl that
i.f thine.
qiob -xxi. H, 16; Isa. Iviii. .3, Jer. ii. 31, Ezek. xvlU.
25, 29 , Mai. i. 12 ; Luke xlx. 20, 22.
He whicli had received the one talent. " Our
Lord placed the example of negligence in
him to whom the least was committed,
probably to intimate," says Doddridge, " that
we are accountable for the smallest with
which we are entrusted ; but it cannot im-
ply that they who have received much will
ordinarily pass their account best, for it is
too plain, in fact, that most of those whose
dignity, wealth and genius give them the
greatest opportunities of service, seem to
forget that they have a Master in heaven
to serve, or any future reckoning to expect,
and many render themselves much more
criminal than this wicked and slothful
servant, who hid his talent in the earth."
Lord, I knew ihee, &c. The faithless and
unconscientious servant, when called to
give his account, tries to defend himself.
It would have been better had he been
led before this to a conviction of his guilt
and liability to punishment, as he might
have been, either through the example of
his good fellow-servants, or through the
knowledge he had of his lord's will. A
hard man — an avaricious person, who
allows himself to be drawn away by
avarice and greed into unrighteousness.
But the conduct of the lord toward him,
verse 15, was an indic?.tion of good feel-
ing, and, therefore, manifested the ground-
lessness of his subterfuge.
Reaping, &c., that is, requiring more of
us than thou givest us power to perform.
And I was afraid, Szc. The other servants
did not regard the lord as a hard master,
but as a good master. Think of God as
your Father and your Benefactor, and you
will serve Him joyously as a child. Think
of God as a hard task-master, and you will
262
MATTHEW
either serve Him as a slave, or you will
give up serving in despair.
Thou hast that is thine. Let it be observed
that this servant's disobedience was not
active, but passive , he did not positively in-
jure his master's property, he simply failed
to turn it to, profitable account. His action
seems that of one anxious that the gift
should not be missed or lost, but ready to
be returned, just as he got it. His terror
was too lively to admit of his enjoying a
debauch purchased by the treasure which
had been placed under his charge. Fear
is a powerful motive in certain directions
and for certain effects; it makes itself felt
in the heart, and leaves its mark on the
life of a man. Like frost, it has power to
arrest the stream of energy, and fix it cold,
stiff, motionless. Only love can, like the
sun of summer, break the chains and set
the prisoner fi-ee to run his way rejoicing.
26. His lord answered and said unto him. Thou wicked
and slotlitul servant, thou knewest that I reap where
I sowed not, and gather where I liave not strewed : 27.
Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the
exchangers, and then at my coming I should have re-
ceived mine own with usury.
Thou inched and slothful servant, &c. What
this servant had contrived for his justifi-
cation, the Lord applies to his confusion.
" If you knew I was such, instead of that
being an argument against the use of this
talent, it was only a stronger argument for
your use of it."
Exchangers. These discharged not only
the offices of our hankers in receiving and
giving out money, and giving interest upon
it, but also, in exchanging coins, and dis-
tinguishing genuine from forged money.
With usury, i. e., with interest. Anciently
the import of the word tisury was no other
than profit, whether great or small, allowed
to the lender for the use of borrowed
money. As this practice often gave rise
to great extortion, the very naiue at length
became odious. A German critic makes
the remark on this : " Thus timid natures,
that are not suited to independeiat labors
in the kingdom of God, are here counseled
at least to attach themselves to stronger
characters, under whose leading they may
lay out their gifts to the service of the
Church." Let it be noted that as in the
parable of the ten virgins, the five foolish
set forth those who are rejected at last
because they think too lightly of the re-
quirements of the of the Lord , so here,
on the other hand, this servant represents
those who are rejected because they think
too hardly of His commands. Our Lord
touches the root from which both these
spring, " wickedness and sloth." " Slothful "
is added to mark the precise nature of the
wickedness. We have here this very sol-
emn truth pressed upon us, that the judge
who will i-eckon with us will not be satis-
fied with the plea that we have done no
harm (which plea, however, never can be
substantiated), but He will equally con-
demn on the ground of. our having done
no good. It will be our ruin merely to
bury, amid the cares and pleasures of life,
our opportunities of serving Christ. " He
that is faithful in that which is least is
faithful also in much." (Luke xvi. 10.)
28. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it
unto him which hath ten talents.
Take therefore, &c. This deprivation may
be considered partly as directly penal, and
partly as the natural consequence of his
sloth. There is an analogy between the
course of things in the natural and in the
spiritual world. A limb which is never
called into exercise loses its strength by
degrees ; its muscles and sinews disappear.
The disuse of any faculty of the mind
gradually but surely diminishes or destroys
its power. Corn kept hoarded up in the
granary is soon destroyed , scattered on
the earth and in good soil, it grows up into
a golden harvest. Even so the gifts of
God, unexercised, fade and fail from us.
Hence, to waste life in the hope of getting
all made right by an energetic repentance
at the close, is a very foolish and mis-
chievous species of suj^erstition ; it is the
exercise of a very strong faith, without any
promise from God on which it may lean.
And give it unto him which hath ten talents.
A deep and precious truth lies under this.
The man who had received /re talents got
that number " according to his ability." By
having another talent given him at last, is
intimated that his "ability" has become
greater than it was before. And so it will
be, indeed, with the faithful servant who
shall enter into his blaster's joy in heaven.
His ability, his capacity, his power, will be
gloriously increased and enlarged, and
still "according to that ability" will his
CHAPTER XXV,
263
Divine Master place within his reach in-
creased and enlarged opportunities of
serving Him. (See on verse 29.)
29. 'For unto every one that hath shall be given, and
he shall liav(> ahuiiclancc , but tnini him that hath not
shall be taken awav even that whieh he hath.
'Chap. -xiii. 12; Mark iv. 'Zi; Luke viii. IS, xix. 20;
John XV. 2.
Unto every one that hath — every one that
has rightly employed what was committed
to him ; exercised his gift with the required
diligence, fidelity and conscientiousness.
Shall be given, &c. It is not merely that
one receives more, and the other loses
what he had, but that very gift which the
one loses the other receives ; he is enrich-
ed with a talent taken from the other,
while on his part, another takes his crown.
We see this continually ; one, by the Provi-
dence of God, steps into the place and the
opportunities which another left unused,
and so has forfeited. (1 Sam. xv. 28; see
on Luke viii. 18, xix. 26.)
From him that hatli not, &c. From him
who, wanting diligence and carefulness,
has not therefore rightly executed the
trust committed to him, shall be taken aicay
even that tvhich he hath — the just desert of
his guilt (Luke xvi. 10-12), and a judgment
demanded alike by the wisdom and right-
eousness of God. The hand of diligence
makes rich. The way to accumulate is
dispersion.
30. And cast ye the unprofitable servant "into outer
darkness: thereshallbe weeping and gnashing of teeth.
«Chap. viii. 12, xxiv. 51.
It will be noticed that the reward of un-
faithfulness is, " take the talent from him
and cast him out." In both parts the sen-
tence of condemnation corresponds to its
opposite in the reception of those who had
been faithful to their trust. These retain
their employed gifts, from him the unused
talent is taken away. These are received
into their master's favor, he is cast out of
his master's sight. The sentence, " take it
from him," goes before the sentence, " cast
him out." A sinner is given over to him-
self, before he is given up to judgment.
The first prepares the way for the second
death ; the process is now going on by
which the destiny is decided. Now is the
accepted time, now either salvation or
condemnation is wrought out. Unprofit-
able sfrmn^— literally, useless, w^orthless,
bad. (See on verses 25, 27.) Outer dark-
ness, &c. (See on chap. viii. 12.) This is
the consummation of judgment. Loss of
all further means of Divine favor, and re-
jection from the life and glory of tho
Divine presence.
;il. 1 'When the Son of man shall come In his Rlory,
and all the holy angels with him, then shall he ait upon
the throne of his t;lury :
'Zech. xiv. 5; cliap". .\vi. 27, xix. 28: Mark. viii. 38;
Acts i. 11.
Truthfully has it been said that if this
scene, here described, does not describe a
personal, public, final judgment on men,
according to the treatment they have given
Christ, we shall have to consider again
whether our Lord's teaching on the great-
est themes of human interest, does indeed
possess that incomparable simplicity and
transparency of meaning which, by uni-
versal consent, has been ascribed to it.
When the Son of man, &c. In connection
with the majesty and grandeur of His ap-
pearance on this great and awful occasion,
our Lord speaks of Himself as the Son of
man. It is not in His Divine character
alone that He is to act as final Judge, but
as God manifest in the flesh, the humble,
despised Jesus of Nazareth. Hence we see
the reason why the Father is .said to have
committed all judgment to the Son. (John
V. 22.) As Mediator He is officially subor-
dinate to the Father, and His office as final
Judge is a delegated and not an indepen-
dent one.
In his glory. These words say more than
the "with power and great glory," of chap,
xxiv. 30. The Messiah is here represented
as a king coming in royal state. All the holy
angels with him. As kings, on great and
sj^ecial occasions, make their appearance
attended by their high officers, so the
Messiah will come to judgment, attended
by holy angels as ministers of His will.
(Mark viii. 38; 2 Thes. i. 7; Rev. v. IL)
Upon the throne of his glory — the glory of
His judicial authority.
32. And "before him shall be gathered all nations : and
"he shall separate them one (rom another, as a shep-
herd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33. And be
shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on
the left.
"Rom. xiv. 10; 2 Cor. v. 10; Rev. xx. 12. ^Ezek. xx.
38, xxxiv. 17, 20 ; chap. xiii. 49.
Before him shall be gathered all nations.
All nations are now before Him, and ever
have been. He sees them. He sustains
them. He speaks to them by His Provi-
dence and His Word. But millions havo
264
MATTHEW
denied His very existence, afld millions
more have lived in utter indifl'erence
to His claims ; but now all nations are
brought into conscious contact with Him.
The bliiyi)hL'ming atheist, the cruel idol-
ater, the degraded savage, the foul apos-
tate, and the hardened worldling, will feel
His presence more intensely than Isaiah
did when he fell down and cried, Woe is
me !
And he shall separate them one from another.
The judgment will be simultaneous: all
will be judged together. Reason might
probably have supposed that every one
would be judged separately at the time of
his death. But God has reasons for a
public judgment: God must not only do
right, but be known to do right. Though
every one at death enters the region either
of happiness or despair, yet it is fit there
should be a day prefigured by the day of
visitation at the deluge, at Sodom, and at
Jerusalem, a day for the gathering of all
men to their own class, as either righteous
or wicked. This arrangement, if not ne-
cessary, is exi^edient for the illustration of
the Divine justice ; thus all may be con-
vinced of the fitness, not only of their own
retribution, but of that of others also. If
the "day" designated in Scripture for the
judgment should seem to us too brief, in
view of the immensity of the subject and
the multitude of persons concerned, it
should be recollected that this term de-
notes "a portion of duration set apart for
this purpose," and that God can in a
moment let in such light as would equal
what, according to our present ideas, it
would require eternity to disclose, just as
our Saviour could, in a few moments, im-
press on the woman of Samaria such a
sense of His Omniscience, that she went
away declaring "He had told her all that
she ever did."
Sheep, representing the righteous, be-
cause of their innocence and harmlessness,
and their being objects of the tenderest
care of the shepherd, as well as the imita-
tors of Christ in His benevolence. (Chap,
xviii. 12, 13; John x. 11, 14.) On his right
hand — the side of honor. (1 Kings ii. 19 ;
Ps. xlv. 9, ex. 1, &c.) Bid the goats on the
left — the wicked shall be on the side, con-
sequently, of dishonor.
34. Then shall the King say unto them on his right
hand, Come, ye blessed ol mv Father, ^inherit the king-
dom ^prepared lor you Irom the foundation of the
world:
»Eom. viii. 17: 1 Peter i. 4, 9, iii.9: Bev. xxi.7. TChap.
XX. 23 ; Mark x. 40 ; 1 Cor. ii. 9 ; Heb. xi. 16.
Then shall the King. Magnificent title !
here for the first and only time, save in
parabolical language, given to Himself by
the Lord Jesus, and that on the eve of His
deepest humiliation ! It is to intimate that
in then addressing the heirs of the kingdom
He will put on all His regal majesty. Then.
Here Christians walk by faith, not by sight.
Now they sow in tears, then they will reap
in joy. Now they run, then they obtain
the i^rize. Now they fight the good fight
of faith, then they will lay hold on eternal
life. Say unto them on his right hand. (See
on verse 33.) Come, &c. This invitation
will be given before He condemns the
ungodly. Whenever our Lord describes
the final judgment, He invariably lays
down this order of proceeding. He does
so three times over in this chapter. See
the parables of the Virgins and the Talents.
We may discern here the mercifulness of
His nature. Judgment He calls His
" strange work." He passes it by therefore
till He has finished His accustomed. His
more congenial and pleasant work. The
word "come" gives new sweetness to all
the rest of the invitation. It shows that
Jesus when He calls us to heaven will not
take His own departure to some other
world, but dAvell with His people in that
splendid world forever. Not one of them
will then so long to draw near to Christ,
as Christ will long to have him near. He
will lead His redeemed to their glory with
greater joy than they will follow Him
there.
Ye blessed of my Father. In what are they
blessed of His Father? It must be some-
thing peculiar and distinguishing. What
says the glowing thanksgiving of the
Apostle ? " Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings, in heavenly
places in Christ." He has redeemed them
from the curse of the law, justified them
from all things, called them by His grace,
and prepared them for His ]iresence.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
thefmindation of the world. Everj' word is
significant. The maimer of taking jjosses-
CHAPTER XXV
265
gion : Not take as a reward, but inherit. A
Hon inherits his father's property, not be-
cause the son is virtuous and excellent,
but because he is the son. So, while we
must be virtuous, good and moral, we in-
herit heaven, we do not purchase it. We
inherit it as sons, whilst coteuiporaneously
we serve God as His servants day and
night. Going there as children and heirs,
all that is in it is ours, and ours forever.
The reward: Not a mansion, an estate, a
city, a province, but a portion more ex-
tended and dignified, and suited to the
highest ambition of the soul, a kingdom.
The saints shall reign in heaven in mag-
nificence, and liberty, and power. The
qualification : Prepared for you. It was not
a natural endowment, or an easy acquisi-
tion. How many things were to be re-
moved, and how much was to be done and
suffered by an agency and passiveness the
most illustrious ! " I go," said He, " to pre-
pare a place for you ; " and His ascension,
death, obedience, incarnation, as well as
the dispensations of His grace and prov-
idence, were all necessary to the full
salvation of a soul. Heaven is accommo-
dated to the nature of the saints, furnished
for their happiness, and all things are or-
dered in it with a reference to their abode
in it. The earliness of the provision : Be-
fore the foundation of the world. How im-
possible was it that we should be saved
by works of righteousness that we had
done ! All was purposed, planned, prom-
ised, secured, not only without our desert,
but without our desire, and ages and ages
before our existence. The grace was given
us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
35. ^For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat : I
wa.s thirsty, and ye gave me drhik : 'I Wiis a stranger,
and ye took nie in : 3t5. i>Naked, and ye clotlied me : I
was sick, and ye visited me: ^I was ui prison, and ye
came unto me. 37. Then shall the righteous answer
him, saving. Lord, Jwhen saw we thee an hungered and
fed Ihee,/ or thirsty, and gave thee drink? .38. When
saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in ? or naked, and
clothed thee? 39. Or when saw we thee sick, or in
prison, and came unto thee? 40. And the King shall
answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, 'In-
asmuch as ye have done it unto oiie of the least ol' these
my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
'Isa. Iviii. 7: Ezek. xviii. 7; James i. 27. »Heb. xiii.
2: 3 John o. bjames ii. 15, Ifi. 'i Tim. i. 16. ^ Chron.
xxix. 14; Prov. xv. 33: Isa. Ixiv. 6. fProv. xiv. 31, xix.
17 : chap. X. 42 ; Mark Ix. 41 : Heb. vi. 10.
The persons to whom the invitation
(verse 34) will be given, are not described,
all that is said of them is, that they are on
the King's right hand. Three marks of
these persons are given : 1. They abounded
in good works. For I was an hungered, and ye
gave me meat, &.c. With great tenderness
our Lord distinguishes them, not by what
He has done for them, but by what they
have done, and not what they have done
for Him, though He speaks of it as such,
but what they have done for one another.
He recognizes them, not by their disposi-
tions, but their actions, not merely by
what they have believed or felt, or by any
undefined state of mind, but by the deeds
of charity they leave performed for His
name's sake in the passed away earth. 2.
They think nothing of their good ivorks. The
surprise they express when they heard of
them, proves this : Lord, when saw we thee an
hungered, and fed thee,&c. Here is humility
and self-renunciation. This is more than
a casting away of our own righteousness,
it is feeling that we have no righteousness
of our own to cast away. The self-righteous
would do well to notice that here are men
commended by Christ Himself for their
good deeds, and yet can think of no deeds
of theirs that are worthy of commendation.
3. They are those whom the Father has
blessed. Ye blessed of my Father. Jesus,
who, as we have just seen, appears to de-
light in keeping His own doings out of
sight, in order to bring forward those of
His people, now puts Himself aside again,
and honors His Father. It was God the
Father, who sent Him down to be their
Saviour — who made Him a propitiation
for their sins. He was only doing His
Father's work when He gave Himself for
them. It was the Father's grace that
chose them. His mercy that pardoned
them, His power that kept them, His love
and pity that from beginning to end re-
deemed them. Passing over, therefore, all
His own suflerings and doings, Jesus says,
" Come ye blessed of my Father." (See
on verse 34.)
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of
the least of these my brethren, &.c. AVe have
here an explanation of what was meant at
vei'ses 35, 36. So close is the union be-
tween Christ and His members, that He
looks on whatever is done to them as
done to Himself, and rewards accordingly.
(Comp. chap. x. 42; see also Prov. xix. 17,
and Acts ix. 4.) Jesus identifies Himself
with the humblest object of charity, and
266
MATTHEW,
assumes that all mercy done by His follow-
ers is done to Him. He pla(;es an infinite
value upon the least of their good or ap-
provable acts.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,
f Depart Iroui me, ve cursed, mUo everUtotuig tire, pre-
pared fur ''the devil and his angels. 42. ior I wius
an lumscred, ami ve gave me no meat : 1 was thirsty,
and vc- gave lue no drink : 4:5. I \v;is a stranger, and ye
took" me not in : naked, and ye clothed me not: sick,
and in prison, and ve visited me not. 44. Then shall
they also answer him, saying. Lord, wlien saw wp thee
an hungered, or athirst. or a stranger, or naked, orsick,
or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? +5. Then
shall he answer them, saying. Verily I say unto you,
ilnasmucli as ye did it not to one of the least ot these,
ye did i7 not to me.
fPs. vi. 8 : chap. vii. 23; Luke xiii. 27. fChap. xlii. 40,
42. i'2 Peter 4; Jude 6. 'Prov. xiv. 31, xvii. 5; Zech. ii.
8 ; Acts ix. 5.
On the left hand. (See on verse 33.)
Depart from me. What a contrast between
this sentence and the invitation given to
those on the right hand! (Verse 3-4.) Ye
cursed, i. e., accursed ones, doomed to
punishment. The omission of the words,
of my Father, which follow the word
blessed, in verse 34, is. noticeable, as
showing that the condemnation or ac-
cursed condition of the wicked results
from their own evil doings, while the sal-
vation of the righteous is all of grace.
Everlasting fire. (See on iii. 12, v. 22, x.
28; also verse 46.) These words are just
the correlative of everlasting blessedness.
Those who argue that the punishment of
the lost is not eternal, ought to argue, with
logical consistency, that the hai^piness of
the saved is not eternal. How can the
lost ever escape, seeing that punishment
has no exi:>iatory virtue or jjurifying
power ? It is impossible for a plain man
to read God's word and come to any other
conclusion than this: That if heaven is
eternal, hell, also, is eternal. If the fire
is "everlasting," there can be no place for
annihilation, or for final restitution. (See
on iii. 12, xiii. 42; 2 Thes. i. 9, &c.)
Observe, 1. The origin of the dreadful
state here described. It was prepared for
the devil and his angels. Yet, being pre-
pared, the abode could receive any other
rebels as well as they, and those who will
join his party in our world, and do the
Works of the devil, as they have shared in
the same sin, must share in the same suf-
fering with him and his follower.?. Thus
the sinner renders their place his own, as
it is said of Judas, " he went to his own
place." We see here plainly ivhy sinners
are destroyed ; not because there was no
salvation for them, but because they
neglected to receive good and do good.
They are cursed because they refused to be
blessed; they are lost because they refused
to be saved. 2. The certainty. "Then
shall he say." The denouncement is not
an idle tale ; it is not the ofi'spring of the
nursery, or the creation of i^riestcraft.
The consciences of men tell them this,
and much more, frequently and seriously,
than they are willing to acknowledge.
TJiey also answer him. How different
their spirit of exculpation from the humil-
ily and sense of unworthiness manifested
by the righteous. These wicked persons
had never in their whole lives exhibited
any love to Christ or His peojile. Yet
they imagine that because they had not
treated Him with i^ersonal neglect, having
had no opi^ortunity of doing so, they are
guiltless of the charge here brought against
them. Wlien saw we thee an hungered, &c.
" It is true we did despise the sorrows of
Thy brethren, but we saw nothing in them
but trembling limbs, decrepitude, mean-
ness and poverty ; we saw nothing of that
glorious power of Thine, and how could
we suppose there was any alliance with
Thee, the Lord of glory ?" Least of these
refers here, as iu verse 40, to the righteous.
Ye did it not to me. Christ here imputes
an infinite demerit to their character and
conduct. All their sins of omission and
commission were against the very person
of Him — of Him, the incarnation of the in-
finite mercy of God. By the infinite
dignity of His person does He measure
the infinite demerit of their sin. Hence
eternity alone can measure the length of
their penalty.
46. And kthese shall go away into everlasting punish-
ment : but the righteous into liio eternal.
kDan. xii. 2 ; John v. 29 ; Kom. li. 7, <fee.
This judgment is final, emphatically the
last judgment, from which there can be
no appeal ; as it is called, Heb. vi. 2,
" eternal judgment." It is universal in
its extent, not only with respect to persons,
but to the duration of its effects also ; it
extends to all the destinies of infinite du-
ration, all powers and possibilities of body
and soul. These, the wicked, shall go away,
&c. (See on v. 22, x. 28, verse 41.)
Everlasting eternal. " Both words,"
says Mr. Williams, " are alike in the original.
CHAPTER XXVI.
2G7
and should have been rendered ahke. 1.
If the punishment of the wicked is to cease,
no logic can prove that the life of the
righteous Is not also to cease. Common
sense teaches that no other than the usual
interpretation is possible. 2. As further
evidence that the punishment is never to
cease, consider that the sin against the
Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven, neither
in this world, ncitlier in the world to come
(xii. 32) ; that the chaff is to be burnt up
with unquenchable fire (iii. 12) ; that Sodom
and Gomorrah are set forth for an exam-
ple, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire
(Jude 7) ; that the beast and the false
prophet (Rev. xx. 10) are to be tormented
day and night forever. 3. If the word here
rendered everlasting does not here mean
continuing tvithout end, the Greek language,
with all its wonderful powers, had no word
by which it was jwssible to exjiress the
idea. 4. If the Greek language had none,
the English has none ; forever being as in-
capable of expressing the idea of endless
duration as the Greek word. It is admitted
that the Greek word is sometimes applied
with latitude to hills, &c., "everlasting
hills ;" but this no more disproves that the
real meaning of the word is endless dura-
tion, than the occasional use of the English
word forever in a limited sense proves that
that does not denote endless duration."
Everlasting punishment I This " terror
of the Lord " was not intended to be defined
and comprehended, but was to be left to
those forebodings of imagination in which
there can be no danger of excess — "AVho
knoweth the power of thineanger? accord-
ing to thy fear so is thy wrath." Life eter-
nal! Who can describe its blessedness?
It passes the power of man to conceive.
It can only be measured by contrast and
comparison. An eternal rest after Avarfare
and conflict, the eternal company of saint.'?
after buffeting with an evil world, an
eternally glorious and painless body after
struggles with weakness and infirmity, an
eternal eight of Jesus face to face after
only hearing and believing; all this is
blessedness indeed. And yet the half of
it remains untold. "Eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man, the things which God
hath prepared for them that love Ilim."
1. What is said of the two parables in this chapter? 2. Whom do the wise virgins represent ? 3. ^Vhom the
foolish? 4. What is meant by the oil? 5. What by the lamps ? 0. Explain " they all slumbered and slept." 7.
What did the foolish virgins do when they found their lamps had gone out ? 8. What when the door was sliut ?
9. Who was this " man traveling into a far country ?" 10. What are wc to understand by the talents ? 11. How
did the servants respectively act ? 12. How were they treated ? IC. What is s.iid of the coming of Christ? 14.
What division will He make ? 15. What will IIu say to them on the right hand ? 10. What to them oa the left
hand ? 17. What is said of " everlasting punishment ?" 18. What of " life eternal ?"
CHAPTER XXVI.
1 The rulers conspire against Christ. 6 The woman
anointfJh his head. 14 Judas selleth him. 17 Christ
eatelh the passover : 2fi instituleth his holy shipper : 36
prayeth in thi; parden : 47 a)ul being betrayed with a
kiss, 57 is carried to Caiaphas, 09 and denied of Peter.
AND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all
those sayin'js, hesaid unto his disciples, 2. "Yeknow
that after two days is tliefrnstoC the passover, p,nd the
Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
"Mark xiv. 1 ; Lulce xxii. 1; John xiii. 1.
Sayings — those recorded in xxi.-xxv.
Ye knoiv, for He had forewarned them,
(xx. 17, 19.) After tvo days. Our Lord's
predictions concerning His approaching
passion and death increase in clearness as
the event approaches. Feast. This word,
in modern use, does not answer to the idea
Qf the Passf)ver. It was a religious cele-
bration extending through a whole week.
It Avas commemorative of the Hebrews'
departure from the land of Egypt, and the
preservation of their first-born, on the
night when the first-born of Egypt were
slain. This festival, associated in the type,
Avas to be associated in the fact, Avith a
greater deliverance of God's people by the
268
MATTHEW
blood of Christ. Accordingly it was so
ordered, that precisely at the Passover
season, "Christ our Passover should be
sacrificed for us." Betrayed Crucified.
The first and the last steps of His final
sufferings are here brought together.
3. i-Then assembled together the chief priests, and the
scribes, and tlie elders ofthe people, unto the palace of
the liigli priest, wlio was called Caiaphas, 4. And con-
sulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill
him. 0. But tlioy said. Not on the feast day, lest there
be an uproar among the people.
bPs. ii. 2 ; John xi. 47 ; Acts iv. 25, &c.
Cliief jyriests, scribes, ciders, &c. These
constituted the Sanhedrim, the sux^reme
legislature, especially in ecclesiastical mat-
ters, of the Jewish nation. Caiaplias was
the actual high-priest at the time of our
Lord's crucifixion, although Annas is also
thus called (Acts iv. C), because of his
having formerly borne the office, and his
near relationship to Caiajihas. Considted.
(Ps. ii. 2.) This was a secret consultation,
and hence they did not assemble, according
to the usual custom, at the temj^ile. Might
take — a forcible seizure. By suUiJty, more
correctly, " without the knowledge of the
populace." Kill him — they are engrossed
with designs of death against Jesus, while
He is cherishing a purjjose of salvation for
the Jews and for all mankind. Not on the
feast day, &c. They concluded to delay
the matter until the people, who were
there in great numbers for the Passover,
and who might heed some kind of tumult,
should be gone after the end of the feast.
But when the traitor offered, they broke
their purpose of delay. Thus the Divine
counsel was fulfilled. (See Mark xii. .37 ;
Luke xix. 48 ; Acts xviii. 10.)
6. H ':Now when Jesus was in ^Bethany, in the house
of Simon the leper, 7. There came unto him a woman
having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and
poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
cMark xiv. 3 ; John xi. 1, 2, &c., xii. 3. dChap. xxi. 17.
Of Simon we know nothing beyond the
fact that he had been a leper, and proba-
bly one whom Jesus had cleansed, and a
near neighbor of Lazarus and his sisters —
our Lord's most intimate friends. The
woman referred to was Mary. (John xii.
3.) Pnvred it on his head. The anointing
of the head and feet with oil, was the high-
est honor. She took advantage of this oc-
casion to signalize her devotion to her Lord,
and her reverence for His person. The
Oriental alabaster, which is so much valued
on account of its translucency, and for its
variety of colored streaklngs, red, yellow,
gray, &c., ... is a fibrous carbonate of lime.
This has been long used for various orna-
mental purposes, such as the fabrication of
vases, boxes, etc. Ointment — pure nai-d, a
celebrated i^erfume which was a compound
of all the most valued perfumes of anti-
quity. Very precious — the " three hundred
pence" for which it might have been sold
(Mark xiv. 5), were worth about $45, thrice
the price for which Judas sold his Lord.
8. 'But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation,
saying. To what purpose is this waste 7 9. For this oint-
ment might have been sold for much, and given to the
poor.— eJohn xii. 4.
Saw it. It is more than probable that
the attention of the company was first at-
tracted to Mary's act of devotedness and
love, by the delicious perfume of the oint-
ment. (John xii. 3.) They had indignation.
They turned away from the moral quality
to the expediency of the question. Here is
an example of objections, based on the
utilitarian principle, to outlays on the out-
ward form of public worship, that worthily
express the feelings oi reverence and love.
We are here also warned against those cold
judgments on the pious acts of devout
hearts, against those frequent criticisms on
spontaneous acts of feeling, against that
bigotry which has for the conduct of others
no other standard than that of one's own
sentiments, and against that officiousness
that would lay down rules according to
which alone good works are to be perform-
ed. To what jmrpose, &c. This question
seems to have been proposed by Judas,
who was treasurer of the party, and who
made wrongful appropriations of this com-
mon fund to his own private uses. Where
love to God is strong, the offering to Him
will be so large, as in the eye ofthe world
to look like profusion and extravagance.
They who clamor most about the demands
ofthe poor, often least express their sym-
pathy by practical goodness and liberality.
Our sacrifices for Christ may be called
" waste," waste of time, money, strength.
Let none of these things move us. (1 Cor.
XV. 58.)
10. When Jesus understood if, he said unto them.
Why trouble ye thewonuin? for she liatii wnmi-iit a
good work upon me. 11. fFor ye have tlie p(i(,r alway.s
with you, but cnie ye have not always. V2. For in that
she liath ponrcil t'lii« ointment on my body, ,«lie did «
for my l)urial. i:i. Verily I say unto you. Wheresoever
this gospel shall be preached m the whole world. tfie7-e
shall al.so this, that this woman hath done, be told ibra
memorial of her.
CHAP T K li XXVI,
269
'Dcut. XV. 11 ; John xii. 8. fSeo chap, xviii. 20 and
xxviii. 20; Johu xiii. 33, xiv. 19, xvi. 5, 26 and xvil. U.
Our Lord saw at once the piety of the
woman's heart, accepted her oflering, and
defended her against the illiberal cavils
which it called forth. Why trouble ye, &c.
What mildness and gentleness was this
toward a wretch who was a vile hypocrite !
Jesus makes no discovery of the avarice
of Judas ; whereas men seldom spare their
brethren the shame of their vices, when
it is all for their interest to discover them.
A good u'orJc. It was good in itself, and so
was acceptable to Christ; it was eminently
seasonable, and so more acceptable still ; it
was "what she could" (Mark xiv. 8), and
so most acceptable of all. It was the last
token of honor Christ received before His
death. Ye have the poor aluays with you,
referring to Deut. xv. 11, and whensoever
ye will ye may do them good, bi:t me ye
have not always — a gentle hint of His ap-
proaching departure. This was also in-
tended to impress the unexampled signifi-
cance of the occasion. In that she hath
poured, &c. Our Lord may have commu-
nicated a clearer knowledge of His ap-
proaching death to Mary than to His dis-
ciples ; or, to her, as to a Divine love, may
have been imparted the spiritual presenti-
ment of the truth; or, she may have
acted from the simple impulse of love,
and Jesus gave the act a higher meaning.
This gospel shall be preached. Jesus thus pre-
dicted the everlasting spread and univer-
sal triumph of His Gospel. "What calm-
ness, composure and certainty of ultimate
triumph! Be told, &c. This propliecy is
receiving a futillment every day. The
deeds of many a king, and emiieror, and
general, are completely forgotten. But the
grateful act of one humble Christian woman
is recorded in one hundred and fifty diflfer-
ent languages, and is known all over the
globe. The pathway of lasting honor, is to
honor Christ. (Ps. cxii. 3, 6 ; Eccl. vii. 1.)
14. 7 hThen one of the twelve, called 'Judas Iscariot,
went unto the chief priests, lo. And said tintn them,
kWhat will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto
you ? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces
oCsilver. ]fi. And from that time he sought opportu-
nity to betray him.
i>Mark xiv! li); I,uke xxii. 3: John xiii. 2, .30. 'Chap.
X. 4. kzech. xi. 12 ; ch.ip. xxvii. 3.
One of the twelve — which is so high an
aggravation of his sin, that it is mentioned
with emphasis by all the Evangelists.
Iscariot is the Greek form of Isch Kerioth,
a man of Kerioth, which was a small town
of Judea, mentioned in Josh. xv. 25. Went
u)ito the chief priests— to the house of Caia-
phas, whom he knew to be a most bitter
enemy of Jesus. What will ye give me, &c.
This is a true bargainer's question. Thi.s
reveals the sin whit'h was his ruin. He is
ready to betray his Master if he can get
the pay for it. He has a man, a Divine
man to sell, and he hucksters for his price.
(1 Ti. vi. 9, 10; 2 Peter ii. 14, 15.) Deliver
him unto you, i. e., notify you where He
passes the night, so that you may easily
apprehend Him. They covenanted, &c.
They bargained and agreed at once. For
thirty pieces of silver, or shekels, i. e., to pay
this sum to him when Jesus had been
actually delivered. This was the ordinary
price of a slave (Ex. xxi. 82), being about
fifteen dollars. Thus was fulfilled the
prophecy of Zechariah (xi. 12), uttered five
hundred years before. If the sum which
the traitor received seems trifling, why
may we not assume that it was only in-
tended as a preliminary payment, to be
followed by a more considerable one if the
plan should be carried out successfully?
Covetousness is the root of sin, and eager
and insatiable thirst after the world is the
parent of the most monstrous and un-
natural sins. It is an evil that works very
deceitfully. It carries us captive before
we are aware of our chains. Sought oppor-
tunity, &c. — kept on the watch for a conve-
nient occasion to put Jesus into their hands
in as private a manner as possible. To
betray him. Being disai^pointed in the prey
he hoped to have from the sale of the pre-
cious ointment (verse 9), he sold his Master
to help to make up the sum.
17. H 'Now the first day of the feaat of unleavened
bread, the disciples came to Je.5us, saying unto him.
Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the
passover ?— lEx. xii. 6 ; Mark xiv. 12 ; Luke xxii. 7.
The first day, <fec. They called the day
on which the Passover, or paschal lamb
was killed, the first of the days of un-
leavened bread, because it was preparatory
to that feast, and on that day the Jews
began to eat unleavened bread (Ex. xii.
18), though, properly speaking, the feast
of unleavened bread did not begin till the
day after the Passover, the fifteenth day
of the month Nisan. Where wilt thou, &c.
270
MATTHEW,
This question was doubtless proposed as
the day began to draw to a close. They
meant at what house. To eat the passover,
i. e., to celebrate the paschal feast. (See
on verse 2.) This great festival our
Saviour observed with His disciples the
evening before He suffered, and w' ith them
ate the paschal lamb, which was a pro-
phetic type of Himself. (Rev. xiii. 8.)
18. And he said. Go into the city, to such a man, and
Bay unto him, Tlie M'ster saith, My time is at hand: I
win keep the passover at thy house, with my disciples.
19. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them ;
and they made ready the passover.
Info the city — the city of Jerusalem, for a
paschal lanA could be eaten at no other
place. The word Master is correlative to
the word disciple, and thus it is clearly im-
plied that the householder is a follower of
Jesus. My time is at hand. My time of
suffering, previous to which I have prom-
ised to eat the paschal lamb at your house.
The name of the blessed individual who
had the honor to receive Christ into his
house on this, the greatest of all occasions,
is not mentioned on earth, but we may
■well suppose that it is known and honored
in heaven. Made ready the passover. (See
on verse 17.) Peter and John prepare a
passover for the Son of God and His dis-
ciples, but He Himself is preisaring another
which they know not of, for themselves
and for the whole Church. How blessed
are we if we have committed ourselves,
and all we possess, into the Saviour's hands !
Then we need feel no anxiety about the
future, for the Lord will provide. At the
very vioment we want a friend, He will
raise one up. There is no request too
small for Him to regard, nor too great for
Him to grant.
20. ^ "Now when the even was come, he sat down
with the twelve.
"Mark xiv. 17-21 ; Luke xxli. 14 ; John xiii. 21.
Between three o'clock and nine w'as the
time for killing the lamb, called, also,
"between the evenings," in the Hebrew.
(Ex. xii. 6.) He sat doim — reclined on a
couch. All the Apostles were present,
Judas not excepted.
21. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you,
That one of you shall betray me.
Verily. This i:)reface indicated a state-
ment accompanied by circumstances of pe-
culiar pain, or at least emi)ha.sis. It is
here evident that Jesus contemplated His
death as certain. It was kind in Jesus to
start a subject so painful to Himself, that
Judas might yet reconsider his purpose,
and abandon it. A state of conviction,
however painful, is better than a state of
delusion, however peaceful.
According to Neiccome's Harmony, the
following order shows the successive stages
of the exjiosure of Judas by Jesus, after
which, as is generally supposed, the traitor
departed :
HAKMONY.
MATT. XXVI.
MARK XIV.
LUKE XXII.
JOHN XIII.
1. .Tesus Indicates it shall be one of them
21
18
21
21
2. Answering their inquiries, He indicates that
it is one near them, dippinginto the same dish.
22-24
19-21
22-24
22
3. To John, in a low voice. He decUxres that
the betrayer is the one to whom he shall give
the sop, and gives it to Judas.
23-27
4. Satan enters into Judas, and Jesus bids liim
do quickly. None but John yet knows the
exact ojif . .
28-29
5. Judas at last asks, Ik it I? and Jesus, before
them all, declares that it is he.. ...
25
22. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began
every one of them to say unto him, Lord is it I?
It is not wonderful that the disciples
should have been amazed and shocked at
our Lord's announcement that He was to
be exposed to shame, .torture and death,
and that the treason of a professed friend,
and that professed friend one of themselves,
was to be the means of bringing on their
beloved Master's sufferings which they
so deeply deprecated. Began every one, &c.
See here what distrust of self! Each
disciple did not say, " Lord, is it John ?
Lord is it Peter?" &c., but, "Is it I?"
Yet is not this the very last question we
are apt to put ? Are we not more ready
and willinjT +o detect and discuss the sins
of a brother, than to analyze our own
hearts, and trace out our own sentiments?
But the way to make practical and personal
improvement, is to look little at a brother,
to look exclusively to ourselves.
23. And he answered, and said, nHe that dippeth hit
hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
"Ps. xli. 9 ; XiUke xxii. 21 ; John xiii. 18.
CHAPTER XXVI
271
Our Lord here narrows the circle, and
UiidiCri the exposure still more direct. As
the Jews ute the passover a whole fomily
toj'cthcr, it was not convenient for them
all to dip their bread in the same dish,
they therefore had several little dishes or
plates, on diiTerent parts of the table, and
those who were nigh one of these dipped
their bread in it. Judas seems to have
carried his effrontery and hypocrisy so far
as to have taken his place near his Master.
This aggravated the crime of the traitor.
(See Ps. xli. 9.) The same shall betray me.
Sad is the condition of any one who is
secretly siding with Christ's enemies
while he appears to be His friend. With
what compassion Jesus regards such a
miserable creature ! He knows what re-
morse will one day tear him, what despair
will take hold of him.
24. The Son of man goeth, "as it is written of him : but
pwoe unto that man t)y whom tlie Son of man is be-
trayed ! it had been good for that man if lie had not
been born.
"Ps. 22; Isa. liii. ; Dan. ix. 26: Mark ix. 12: Luke xxiv.
25, 26, 46 ; Acts xvii. 2. 3, and xxvi. 22, 23 ; 1 Cor. xv. 3.
The Son of man. Christ was a real man,
a perfect man, the representative man, the
predicted man. Goeth. This denotes His
marching with unfaltering step to the
scene of His crucifixion, His return to His
Father through death and the resurrec-
tion, His going down to the lowest point
He could reach in this world — the depths
of the grave — and His going up to the high-
est point He conld reach in the world to
come — the throne of God. As it is icritten.
Christ passed through His humiliation to
His subsequent exaltation, in the charac-
ter, for the piirpose, with the dispositions,
and in the circumstances in which it was
determined that He should. Woe 7(nto
that man, &c. The Divine foreknowledge
and prediction of events does not affect
their moral character. Judas was not the
less guilty because by his perfidy a Divine
purpose was fulfilled. Judas, who least of
all understood the Divine purpose of re-
demption, is an eminent instrument in its
accomplishment ; a man, by means of whom
something takes place which was to take
place, and as it was to take place. His
purpose, nevertheless, meant it very differ-
ently when he became the betrayer of
Jesus, and this his act, as such, falls, there-
fore, as certainly under the Divine imputa- \
tioi\ as the event falls under the arrange-
ments of Divine providence. There is no
room here for finding an excuse for sin in
predestination, based upon jjrescience.
Ten thousand times does this interweav-
ing of Divine foresight and the imputation
of guilt, this combination of certainty and
freedom, tlie one not aft'ecting the otJier.
occur in history ; indeed, tlie providential
government of the world is the perpetual
exhibition of this deep mystery.
It had been good, &c. Let it be observed,
that the Lord does not say. It would have
been better if that man had not been born, for
this would imply, better absolutely, and
would border on that forbidden question,
which invades the region of unexplained
mystery. Why, then, did God permit him
to be born? The Lord's word, " It had
been good for that man," avoids all liabil-
ity to such application. It had been good
for him, as he urill feci and wish it eternally.
This includes a direct refutation of the
annihilation of the damned. We are not
to look upon this judgment of the Lord
upon Judas — with all the majestic calm-
ness of the eternal righteousness of God
in which it is spoken, and in his humanity,
according to the love of God incarnate in
Him — as a cold and rigorous judgment
of a condemned enemy, bereft of all
sympathy and feeling. Rather is it the
most affecting and melting lamentation of
love which feels the woe as much as
holiness requires or will admit.
^^' "^^^^ Judas, which betraved him. answered and
said ^^''^'■' >s it I ? He saia unto him. Thou hast
Master. Judas is never said to have
called Jesus Lord. Is it I? What those
of single heart say for love, the darkened
counterfeit by imitation. Thou hast said—
a formula of answering affirmatively, first
to those who affirm, thence also to those
who inquire. It is equivalent to. Thou
knowest it— why dost thou ask ? (Comp.
1 Kings XX. 40.) "Meanwhile," says
Bishop Hall, "how hath Judas deceived
his companions! Had his former life been
stamped with notorious wickedness, the
di.sciples would have found an object on
which to rest their just suspicions. Now,
his past villainy has been so studiou.sly
concealed, that every one of the Apostles
is as ready to suspect himself as him who
272
MATTHEW.
was really guilty. Well might the God
of all knowledge exclaim, 'The heart
is deceitful above all things, and desper-
ately wicked!' Judas can hear the de-
nunciations of judgment against himself
—he can hear his Master say, ' Wo be
to that man by whom the Son of man
is betrayed — good were it for that man
if he had never been born,' and yet
he is no more appalled than very inno-
cence. He has made a covenant with
death, and with hell an agreement. And,
as if the shameless offender would brave
all accusation, and stiile all remorse, he
too daresask, ' Master, is it I ? ' No disci-
ple shall protest more loudly against this
crime, than he who fosters it in his own
bosom."
We now come to the institution of
what is called the Lord's Supper. To every
part of this most solemn and interesting
ceremony the utmost attention should
be paid. To aid in securing this result,
we present in parallel columns, the text
of the three Evangelists who have trans-
mitted the whole account, together with
that part of Paul's First Epistle to the
Corinthians which speaks of the same
subject, and which, he assures us, he re-
ceived by Divine Eevelation :
MATT. XXVI.
26. And as they were eat-
ing, Jesus took bread and
blessed il, and brake it, and
gave it to His disciples, and
said. Take, eat, this is my
body.
27. And he took the cup,
and gave tlianks, and guve
it to them, saying. Drink ye
all of it;
28. For this is my blood of
the New Testament, whict
is shed for many for the re
mission of sins.
29. But I say unto you, I
will not drink h"nceibrth
of tliis fruit olthe vine, un
til that day wlien I drink it
new with you in my Fath-
er's kingdom.
MARK XIV.
LUKE XXII.
22. And as they did eat, |
Jesus took bread, and bless-
ed, and brake it, and gave
to them, and said. Take,
eat : this is my body.
2.'!. And he took the cup,
and when he had given
thanks, he gave it to them :
and they all drank of it.
24. And he said imto
them. This is my blood of
the New Testament, which
is shed for many.
25. Verily I say unto you,
I will drink no more oi the
iruit of the vine, until that
day that I drink it new In
the kingdom of God.
19. And he took bread,
and gave thanks, and brake
it, and gave unto them, say-
ing. This is my body w hich
is given ior j-ou : this do in
remembrance oi me.
20. Likewise also the cup,
after supper, saying, This
cup j.s the New Testament
in my blood, which is shed
lor you.
23. . . . the Lord Jesus the
same night in which he was
betrayed, took bread.
24. And when he had given
thanks, he brake t.', and said,
Take, eat : this is my body,
which is broken lor you : this
do in remembrance ot me.
25. After the same manner
also he took- the cup, when he
had supped, saying, Tliis cup
is the New Testament in my
blood ; this do ye, as oft as ye
drink it, in remembrance of
me.
The Passover was once celebrated by
anticipation, before the deliverance of
Israel out of Egypt, and the Lord's Supper
once before our ransom had been paid.
The very fact that our Lord instituted His
Supper on the same evening as the paschal
supper, shows that it is a continuance in a
modified form. It simply drops off the
bloody elements, so that it 's in fact tru-
that our Sacramental ordinance has been
continued from the departure of Israel to
the present time, and will be continued
until the full redemption and departure
of the spiritual Israel, under the greater
Moses to the full fruition of the heavenly
Canaan.
2R. lAnd as they were eating, rJesus took bread, and
blessed it. and brake it. and gave it to the disciples,
and said. Take, eat, 'this is my body.
<iMark xiv. 22 ; Luke xxii. 19. n Cor. xi. 23, 24, 25. "1
Cor. X. 16.
As they ivere eating, &c. It was during
the time of the Passover, and probably to-
ward the end of the feast, that our Lord
instituted the Eucharist. He only is fit to
institute a sacrament, who is able to give
virtue and blessing to it. Took bread. As
the natural bread satisfies the wants of the
mortal body, and imparts strength to it,
so the vicarious sacrifice of Christ is the
bread which alone can impart life to, and
satisfy the longings of, the immortal soul
after salvation. This bread was in the
form of cakes. As we are not under the
ritual law, and as nothing in this respect
is spoken in the New Testament, it does
not appear that unfermented bread is
essential to the Lord's Supper. JBlessed it,
or, as in Luke xxii. 19, He "gave thanks."
He thanked God for all His covenant
mercies, for His love, for His faithfulness,
for what He had done, for what He had
promised to do. Brake it. This symbol-
ized the violence by which our Lord's
body was put to death. Romanists, in-
stead of breaking one bread among many,
CHAPTER XXVI,
273
give to each one an entire cake, transub-
stantiated, as they say, into the body,
blood, soul and Divinity of Christ. Gave it
to the disciples, those reclining around Him.
Not only the breaking, but also the distri-
bution of the bread are necessary i)arts
of the rite. Take, eat. The expression, of
eating, says an old divine, denotes four
things: 1. The near mystical union be-
tween Christ and His saints. (John xvii.
23.) 2. The iutinite delight the believing
soul hath in Christ. 3. Spiritual nourish-
ment. (John vi. 54.) 4. The wisdom of
God, who restores us by the same means
by which we fell. This is my body. This
statement. This is my body, is made in
accordance with the style of the sacred
writers. Thus, it is said, "The three
branches are three days," (Gen. xl. 12.)
Paul, speaking of Sarah and Plagar, say%,
" These are the two covenants." (Gal. iv.
24.) He also says, " They drank of the
spiritual rock which followed them, and
the Rock was Christ." (1 Cor. x. 4.) It
has been remarked, that, in the Hebrew
and the Syriac, a dialect of which was
spoken by our Lord, there is no word
which expresses to denote, signify, or repre-
sent, and that its place is supjjlied by the
verb of existence. When we would say,
this thing signifies another thing, the Jews
said, this thing is another thing. For
examples of this, beside those already
given, see Gen. xli. 26, 27 ; Dan. vii. 24 ;
Rev. i. 20. There is one passage in par-
ticular which exactly resembles the words
under consideration, and is a sure guide in
the consideration of them, as it expressly
refers to that ordinance, in the room of
which the Lord's Supper has succeeded.
Moses said of the paschal lamb (Ex. xii.
11), " It is the Lord's passover," just as our
Saviour said of the bread, "This is my
body." The passover was the act of God,
who passed over the houses of the Israel-
ites, the lamb was only a memorial of it,
and was so understood by every Israelite.
Now, if we reflect that the Jews were
accustomed, in this case, to call the sign by
the name of the thing signified, we shall
perceive that the disciples "were in no
danger of mistaking their Master's mean-
ing, when He called the bread His body,
that they must instantly have understood
His design, and known that nothing more
was intended than to constitute the bread
a sign or memorial of His body, especially
as He added, " This do in remembrance
of me."
This view of the case is strengthened by
the circumstance that the disciples ex-
pressed no surprise, and stated no objection,
as they would have done, if the doctrine of
transubstanliation had occurred to them,
and as the Jews did on another occasion,
when they interpreted literally what our
Lord had said about eating His flesh and
drinking His blood. (John vi. 52.) Our
Lord could not have meant that the bread
was His real body, or the wine His real
blood, because His body was present at
the table, breaking the bread. His blood
was still unshed, and He was speaking
and acting in jierson among them. Surely
if our Lord's body could sit at the table,
and at the same time be eaten by the
disciples, it was not a human body like
our own. Observe, too. He broke the
bread after it was blessed, when Papists
think it w-as transubstantiated. The Apos-
tle Paul, also, after the act which, according
to the Church of Rome, transubstantiates
the bread and wine into the body and
blood of the Son of God, calls them still
"this bread" and "this cup." (1 Cor.
xi. 20.)
27. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave
it to tUem, saying, 'Drink ye all of it: 28. For i-this is
my blood »of the new testament, which is shed jfor
niany lor the remission ol'sins
iMark xiv. 23. "See Ex. xxiv. 8; Lev. xvii. U. «Jer.
xxxi. 31. rChap. xx. 28 ; Rom. v. 15 ; Heb. Ix. 22.
The cup, in which was contained the wine
drank at the passover. (1 Cor. x. 16.)
Gave thanks. The two words employed
with reference to the action of our Lord
after He had taken the bread and wine,
one signifying to bless, the other to give
thanks, seem to have virtually the same
meaning. It is by praise and thanksgiving
that we must prepare ourselves to receive
the gifts of God, and to offer and present
our duties unto Him. He gives us more
than He receives, when He gives us the
grace to offer as we ought. Drink ye, &c.
As it was necessary, in order to confirm-
ing the covenant of God with His people,
that this ordinance should be instituted by
our Saviour, so something must be done by
them to signify their consent to the cove-
274
MATTHEW,
nant, hence the command to "eat" and
" drink " the bread and wine. How strange
that the Romanists, in face of this passage,
and notwithstanding the cup was received
in the ancient Church for 1400 years, as is
confessed by two popish councils, should
proliibit the laity! The same argument
which confines the wine to the clergy,
when fairly applied, must limit the bread
also to them. But in regard to neither of
the elements is there any restriction ; the
whole body of believers are to receive
both.
This is my blood, &c., i. e., the new cove-
nant, made in or by my blood, not by the
blood of the Old Testament sacrifices. The
Greek word for testament should be ren-
dered " covenant." The same word is em-
ployed here as in Heb. viii. 8. It signifies
a covenant or promise on the part of God
to His people, sanctioned with the blood
of victims, and depending upon certain
stipulated conditions. The old covenant
made by God through Moses is found in
Ex. xxiv. 3-8. The old covenant was rati-
fied by the blood of bulls, goats and calves,
the new covenant was ratified and confirm-
ed by the blood of Christ. (Heb. ix. 11-28.)
Which is shed, &c. Is shed. Present tense.
The sacrifice is already virtually accom-
plished. Our Lord in these words conveys
the nature of His death. It was not the
example of the foithfulness of a martyr,
but a sacrifice, an oblation for the remis-
sion of sins. The principal blessing is ex-
pressed, which has been purchased by the
blood of Christ. Where there is forgive-
ness of sins there is life and salvation.
The doctrine of atonement for sin by the
shedding of blood was no new thing. It
had been taught to the Jews by the whole
appointed course of their sacrifices, Avhich
showed that " unthout shedding of blood is no
remission." (Heb. ix. 22.)
29. But 'I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth
of this fruit of the vine, ^until that day when I drink it
new with vou in mv Father's kingdom.
•Mark xlv. ii ; Luke xxii. 18. «Acts x. 41.
I vAll not drink, &c. This may have been
an intimation that this was the last pas-
chal supper Christ would partake of with
His disciples, and though He ate and drank
with them after His resurrection, as we
know He did, in order that they might know
that He was really alive (Acta x. 41), yet
He would not make use of any wine, and
we do not find that He was ever present
at any feast, at least we are sure He never
celebrated another passover with them.
Nor dojs it appear that He partook of the
Eucharist with them, or ever administered
it, but at this time of its institution. /
will not drink. Of course He is not to
drink His own blood. He is not to derive
life and salvation from His own atone-
ment. Drink it new. He wdll never drink
it in its sacrificial, but in its eucharistic
sense. Hence He does not say that He
will drink the blood, but " this fruit of the
vine." It is the life part, i\oi the death part
of the symbol of which He speaks. He
will not drink the earthly wine even in its
joyous character, but He will, in the
glorious kingdom, drink that reality of
which this life-symbol is the figure,
namely, life, the vita beata, the blessed life.
Let us take care to raise our hearts from
the sacramental communion here on
earth to the eternal communion in
heaven, to be celebrated there, not under
veils or sensible symbols, but openly and
without veils.
30. bAnd when they had sung an hymn, they went
out into the mount of Olives.
bMark xiv. 26.
It was usual with the Jews to sing a
hymn after their repasts. The hymn that
was sung on this occasion may have been
one of what the Jews called Paschal
Psalms, which began with the 113th and
ended with the 118th. Or was it any one
else of the comi:)Ositions of David, "the
sweet Psalmist of Israel?" We cannot
determine. We have every reason to be-
lieve the subject of it was suited to the
occasion, and never had language been so
honored before. Observe, 1. That this
hymn was suyig. Singing, then, is a
Christian ordinance. 2. That it was sung
immediately after the administration of
our Lord's own supper. Hence we learn
that singing should accompany this sacred
ordinance. " Joy becomes a feast," and
this is a feast— a feast of love and friend-
ship—a feast of reconciliation between
God and us. 3. That this singing was
immediately followed by Christ's entrance
into Gethsemane. This garden was for
Jesus a place of suffering. The prospect
of sufiering, then, should not prevent our
CHAPTER XXVI
275
joy and praise. "Come," would Luther
pay to Melancthon, a wise man but more
timorous than liimself, when prospects
looked dark and distressing at the begin-
ing of the Reformation, " Come let us sing
the forty-sixth Psalm ; and let earth and
hell do their worst."
31 Then saith Jesus unto them 'AU ye shall «he of-
feiideO because of nie this night : tor it is written, «I will
smite tlie .shoi)hcid, and tlieslieep of the lluck shall be
scattered abroad. :i-. ]5iit after I am risen again, fl will
go beJore von into (ialilee.
cMark xiv. -7: John xvi. 32. <i.\i. 6. fZech. xm. 7.
fChap. xxviii. 7, 10, Iti; Mark xiv. 2S and xvi. 7.
By all ye, is to be understood the eleven,
after Judas had left. Christ was betrayed
by one, denied by one, forsaken by all His
disciples. O/ended— terrified by the dan-
gers that awaited our Lord, and would
desert and virtually renounce Him that
very night. It is nritten. The quotation
is from the prophecy in Zech. xiii. 7, in
which God is said to thus address the
sword of His justice: "Awake sword
against my .shepherd," &c., i. e., the shep-
herd of my people. Here God's sword
is commis.sioned to do what was really
done by the hands of wicked men who
Avere His instruments, yet in such a sense
as to be voluntary agents, deserving of
Peter's charge, that with viclced hands they
crucified the Lord Jesus Christ. The
sword of God al.so pierced our Lord in
those myterious agonies in the garden and
on the cross, which far transcended His
physical sufleriiigs. The prophecy is a clear
proof, both of the Divine nature of Christ
and of the design of His death to satisfy
the demands of Divine justice. Risen
again. To console and support His disci-
ples under this trial, the Saviour assures
them that He would rise again from the
dead, and after His resurrection He would
meet them at a certain jilace He appointed
in Galilee, the region to which most, if
if not all, of them present belonged.
33. Peter an=!werprl and s.iid unto him, Though all
?ne/i shall be offended because of thee, yrt will I never
be offended. 31. Jesus said unto hini. cVerily, I say
unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou
Shalt deny me thrice. 3-3. Peter said unto him, Though
I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Like-
wLse also said all the disciples.
gMark xiv. 30 ; Luke xxii. 34 ; John .xiii. 38.
The Apostles, as we may easily imagine,
were greatly hurt at the admonitory pre-
diT;tion of our Lord (verse 31), and pro-
tested that they would never forsake Him.
But Peter more particularly, who, from
the ardor of his disposition, was always
more forward in his professions, and more
indignant at the slightest reflection on his
character than any of the rest, immediatel-y
cried out with warmth and -eagerne-ss,
Tliough all men, &c. The meaning of Peter
was : nothing — nothing can shake my
resolution. This confidence was entirely
characteristic of the man. He was ardent,
sincere, and really attached to his Master.
This declaration was made evidently, 1,
From true love to Jesus. 2. From too
much reliance on his own strength. 3.
From ignorance of himself and of the
trial he was soon to pass through. And
it most impressively teaches us, 1. That
no Strength of attachment to Jesus can
justify such confident promises of fidelity
made without dependence on Him. 2.
That all promises to adhere to Him should
be made relying on Him for aid. 3. That
we little know how feeble we aie till we
are tried. (2 Kings, viii. 13.) 'Tis an
humble fear of falling that must enable
us to stand. We should renounce our own
light and knowledge, especially as to what
regards the disposition of our heart. God,
and Christ, who is true God, know better
than ourselves the use which v/e shall
make of the freedom of our will, and yet
this foreknowledge imposes no manner
of necessity upon it.
Before the cock crow, &c., of the Evan-
gelists are easily reconciled. "With regard
to the time of the event here predicted,
our Lord intimated two things: 1. That all
the denials should take place ere the pe-
riod called the cock-crowing had passed —
a period more fixed in Judea, where there
is comparatively little diflerence in the
length of the days than in our country, so
much farther from the equator ; and 2, That
the cock which Peter should hear, should
not crow twice, till he had a third time
denied him.
Though Ishoidd die, &c. It became plain
that nothing could cure Peter's mistaken
estimate of his own strength, but experi-
ence of his weakness. It was a painful
method of cure, but in his case it was an
effectual one. Christians who .share in
Peter's self-confidence, will share in his
signal fall and bitter tears. We cannot
have too great a horror of denying Christ.
270
MATTHEW
We cannot be too resolute never to deny
Him. We cannot be too careful to keep
out of the way of temjjtation to deny Him.
But .we cannot too earnestly take heed to
Cowper's solemn utterance ;
" B( ware of Peter's word,
N(ir confidently saj-—
I never will deny my Lord^
But grant I never may.
■" Man's wisdom is to seek
His strength in God alone:
And e'en an angel would be weak,
Who trusted in his own."
Liheivnse <ilso said all the disciples. The
other disciples — sad, sorrowful and per-
plexed— appear to have kept a respectful
silence, till Peter's rejieated declarations
that he would never deny his Lord, coup-
led, as they were, with the insinuation
contained in the words, "Though all
should be offended," seemed to make it
necessary, for the purpose of clearing
themselves of coldness, or false-hearted-
ness, or half-heartedness, in their Master's
cause, that they should solemnly declare
that they were as determined as Peter
could be, never to deny their Lord.
3fi. f hThen Cometh Jesus with them unto a place
called Oethsemane, and saitli unto the disciples, Sit ye
hero, while I go and pray yonder.
liJIark xiv. 3J-3-5 ; liuke xxii. 39 ; John xviii. 1.
The)i. Judas had already retired from
the little company, and Jesus had been
strengthening and consoling His disciples
with instructions suited to their case. He
had also foretold the fall of Peter. He then
retired with His disciples to Gethsemane,
a jilace, or a farm, just east of Jerusalem,
and at the foot of the Mount of Olives.
Sit ye here, &c. This direction seems to
have been given as they entered the garden.
While I go, &c. As Jesus had frequently
left His disciples to enjoy prayer and com-
munion with God by Himself, there was
nothing unusual in His retirement, even
at this late hour for prayer.
37. And he took with him Peter, and ithetwo sons of
Zehedee, and bi'ijan to be sorrowful and very heavy,
as. Then saith he wnto them. iiMy .soul isexceedin!:;.so"r-
rowl'ul, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch
with me.— 'Chap. iv. 21. tJohn xii. 27.
Sons of Zebedee. James and John. (See
Matt. X. 2; I\Iark xiv. 33.) My soul is ex-
ceeding sorrowful, even unto death. The import
of this complaint is not confined to the idea
expressed by, "I am grieved to death," or
" sorrow threatens my life," although the
words certainly assert this in the first
place. Even according to this explanation
of them, they convey an idea of the sorrows
(jf the Redeemer's soul, which is the more
appalling the less exaggeration we can sup-
pose in the words of Him who was Him-
self the Truth. The being " sorrowful unto
death," however, does not indicate merely
the measure, but also the nature and kind
of suffering. We read in the sequel that
"he was in an agony," or, as other transla-
tors have it, "he wrestled with death." It
was in the horrors of this state that our
Surety felt Llimself placed, not merely in
the way of beholding them, but also in
that of a mysterious entering into them.
Whatever men may say, without holding
firmly by the idea of a Mediator, the hor-
rors of Gethsemane can never be satisfac-
torily exjilained. A mere representation
of the death of the sinner, from which
Christ came to redeem mankind, could not
have laid hold of the Holy One of Israel
so overpoweringly. He entered into much
closer contact with "the last enemy." He
emj^tied the cup of its terrors. Tarry ye
here, &c. He means, " Do not leave me,
your presence is a comfort." It is not they,
but Himself, who is to be pitied. " Tarry
ye here." In what terrific vicinity must
He have found Himself, that even the
sight of these poor, frail disciples, seemed
so desirable and beneficial to Him.
39. And he went a little further, and fell on his face,
and 'prayed, saying, mO my Father, if it be possible,
nlet this cup pass from me : nevertheless, "not as I will,
but as thou u^ilt.
•Mark xiv. 3J; Tjuke xxii. 42; Heb. v. 7. •" John xii.
27. nChap. XX. 22. "John v. 30 and vi. 38 ; Phil. ii. 8.
So that there were three divisions of the
little band : there were the eight disciples,
the three chosen ones, and, at a little dis-
tance, the suffering Saviour. Fell on his
face. He first kneeled down (Luke xxii.
41), but as His mental anguish increased,
He prostrated Himself on the ground, and
" with strong crying and tears, offered up
Ilis prayers and supplications." (Heb. v.
7.) The disciples were entreated to
"watch" with our Lord, but not to pray
with Him or for Him. That work He
does alone, and asks no participation.
They cannot pray His prayer. He may
intercede for them, not they for Him. 0 my
Father, &c. It was thus implied that in
itself, this cup, the extreme inward ajn-
guish of spirit which He was suffering,
the fear with which He was oppressed.
CHAPTER XXVI
277
the anxiety with which He was tortured,
the sorrow with which He was over-
whehned, and the intense agony, mental
and physical, which yet awaited Him,
was so revolting that only its being the
Father's will would induce Him to taste
it, but that in that view of it He was per-
fectly prepared to drink it up. There was
no struggle between a reluctant and a
compliant will, but between two views of
one event — an abstract and a relative view
of it, in the one of which it was revolting,
in the other welcome. By signifying how
it felt in the one view. He shows His
beautiful onenes with ourselvess in nature
and feeling ; by expressing how He re-
garded it in the other light. He reveals
His absolute obediential subjection to His
Father.
Note, 1. The suflFering which is here re-
corded, shows tlie extent of Christ's love.
Had He suffered less, we should not have
rightly known the greatness of that mercy
which He exercised toward mankind. It
was much, indeed, that " when he was
rich " in the fulness of heavenly joy. He
should " become poor," for man's sake,
and descend to a world like ours. But
that He should place Himself under the
fierceness of that Divine wrath, from
which His disciples are delivered, is a de-
gree of love which " passes all under-
standing." One return He requires of us,
one return we can attempt to make — our
gratitude : gratitude which is to be shown
by obedience to His will. (2 Cor. v. 14,
15.) 2. If W8 would imitate Christ in His
prayer, we must (1.) Pray when alone.
(2.) Humble ourselves internally, at least,
and, if we are able, externally also. (3.)
Be fervent. (4.) Lay our condition before
God with plainness and simplicity. (5.)
Be full of trust and confidence. (6.) Re-
sign ourselves to the will of God, and
choose rather to have that done than our
own. (7.) Persevere in praying. The
sacrifice of our own will is that which God
loves the most, and which ought ever to
accompany all others.
40. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth
'them asleep, and saith unto Peter, what, could ye not
■*'atch with me one hour ?
Findeth them asleep. Dr. Rush, in his
Piseases of the Mind, says, " There is another
symptom of grief which is not often noticed.
and that is profound sleep. 1 have often
witnessed it even in mothers, immediately
after the death of a child. Criminals, we
are tokl by Mr. Ackerman, the keeper of
Newgate, in London, often sleep soundly
the night before their execution. The son
of General Custine slept nine hours the
night before he was led to the guillotine
in Paris."
Watch with me one hour ? There sems to
be rebuke in this question, but it is, we
think, uttered more with the purpose of
marking for us the fact that the pressure
under which Jesus struggled was, ev«n in
its proximity, too much for them,
41. pWatch and pray, that ye enter not into temptar
tion : the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh in weak.
pMark xiii. 33 and xiv. 38 ; Luke xxii. 40, 46 ; Eph. vi,
18.
Watch and pray, &c. At first they were
directed to watch (verse 38), but now
prayer is added as a duty. It is Christian
watchfulness which is now enjoined u{)on
them. They were wearied out in body
and mind. This rendered them more lia-
ble to yield to the temj^tati-ons, which were
soon to beset them. How often shall we
find, when we look back upon our past
lives, that we received warnings before we
fell into sin. While we exert our own
energies against the evil powers, let us
also supplicate Divine aid. Prayers are a
sure succor against the most perilous as-
saults of our enemies.
That ye enter not, &c. This precept of
our Lord has a general and comprehen-
sive application. We must beware of
the beginning, for it is in fatal con-
nection with the next ensuing, and yet
conceals what is behind. And since
temptation is sure to be early with its be-
ginnings, so, too, should watching and
praying, early in life, early in the day,
early in every undertaking. " Enter not,"
that is, that we be cautious of venturing
into anything which we have reason to
believe or suspect may, from its influence
on our passions, and the mingling of other
things, soon become a temptation. The
spirit indeed is willing, &c., that is, your
souls are, indeed, kindly disposed toward
me, but your animal nature is feeble, is
exhausted, shrinks from trouble, and seeks
repose. Do not trust to your pious resolu-
tions. Your easily ensnared nature needs
278
MATTHEW.
much stronger restraint, especially when
baneful influences from without are super-
added. Hence the need of special prayer
at this trying time. The benevolent ISaviour
found also, in this remark, some apology
for His well-di.sposed, yet feeble disciples.
All true Christians find within two con-
trary principles and a continual strife be-
tween the two. (See Rom. vii. 21-23.)
42. He went away again the second time and prayed,
saymg, U my Father, u' tliis cup may not pass away
lioui uie, except I drink, it, thy will be done.
He went away again the second time, &c.
Among other things, we may here learn,
1. That it is our duty to resign ourselves
to the will of God. 2. That in times of
sore conflict we should not continue in
one uninterrupted strain of prayer, lest
our devotion become feeble ; we should
rather pause and let the spirit, as it were,
tak<e breath, in order that our petition may
be urged with all the more earnestness.
3. That it is not wrong, as some strangely
suppose, to repeat jjrayer. Here we have
prayer repeated. And wherever there is
the deepest feeling, there will be the repe-
tition of the same thing. The simplest
words and the intensast thoughts oft re-
peated are generally the evidence of real
feeling and of fervent prayer.
0 my Father, if this cup may not pass away,
&c. In this second prayer the spirit of
perfect submission is prominent. Christ
knew that the Father heard Him always
(John xi. 42), for this reason He takes the
continuance of His anguish as the answer
to His last words — as thou wilt! — as the
confirmation of the Divine will, that He
should drink the cup.
43. And he came and found them asleep again : for
their eyes were heavy.
For their eyes were heavy. Sorrow makes
men sleepless sometimes, but when it is
very great it may so weary down the
whole outer and inner nxan that one, as it
were, sinks into a condition of stupor.
(See on verse 40.) The same three who
slept at the transfiguration were the three
who slept in Gethsemane. Jesus probably
administered to them some gentle reproof,
for Mark says that "they wist not what to
answer Ilim." It seems as if the air of
that night were dense with fearful super-
natural influences, weighing them down
with stupor. In those circumstances of
trouble and affliction which oblige us to
pray, we must not forget even the wants
of those who are entrusted to our care.
44. And he left them, and went away again, and
prayed the third time, saying the same words.
See on verses a9, 4i
Let us not be tired with studying this
pattern of perseverance, humility, and
simplicity in prayer. Let us comfort our-
selves with Christ, w^hen God makes us
sensible of our barrenness and poverty in
prayer. If He reduces us to one single
good thought, to one comfortable word, to
one pious motion, it is reasonable that we
should be contented therewith, and humbly
make use of it.
45. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto
them, Sleei> on now and take your rest, behold, the
hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into
the hands ofsiimei-s. 4fi. Rise, let us be going : behold,
he is at hand that doth betray me.
Finding His disciples again sunk in
sleep. He says. Sleep on now and take your
rest. But why should He bid them sleep
now when the tramp of the soldier is
almost in their hearing? Of all the ren-
derings of this verse to meet this query,
probably the best is that which by merely
changing the punctuation, which is of no
authority, makes it a question. Sleep ye
on now, and take your rest? Is. it a time
for slumber when the betrayer is on the
approach? There is another meaning
admissable. The whole matter is now
decided, and you may sleep on, as watch-
ing is needless.
The hour is at hand — the time of my ca-
lamity, time which demands your utmost
vigilance. What an hour was that ! The
leader of the embattled host anticipates the
coming conflict, amidst the stern struggle
of opposing armies on the field of blood,
with an awe and an agitation deep and
overwhelming, which makes him count
with harassing anxiety, every passing mo-
ment, till that awfully important hour
arrives when he shall be either crowned
as a victor, or loaded with the disgrace of
a defeat. Often has the fate of kingdoms
and empires been left to the decision of an
hour, and that hour of inconceivable im-
portance to millions. C)ften have the rights
and the liberties, the freedom or the slavery
of a nation, depended upon the result of
a contest where valor, and patriotism, and
magnanimity, struggled hard amidst the
CHAPTER XXVI.
clash of arms and the din of war, and
their bosoms have beat with trenibhng
anxiety, as from lip to lij) the im|)ortant
announcement passed, " Behold, the hour
is at hand." But, although we could put
together all the interesting anticipations,
all the distressing and conflicting hoi)es
and fears, all the important deeds and des-
tinies that were ever suspended upon any
hour in the world's history, they would
instantly sink into insignificance, com-
pared with the vast and eternal interests
of innumerable myriads which were sus-
pended upon the results of that hour
which our Saviour here declares to be at
band.
The Son of man is betrayed, &c. Here
there is a striking antithesis between the
words " Son of man," an epithet by which
our Lord so frequently refers to Himself
as the Messiah, and " sinners." Although
special reference is had to the chief priests,
who dispatched the band, with Judas as
guide, to apprehend Him, yet the general
term "sinners," as opposed to the " Son of
man," who " came to save that which was
lost" (xviii. 11, Luke, xix. 10), seems de-'
signed to include the human race, all of
whom virtually shared in the dreadful sin
of crucifying the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rise, let us be going, &c. Not to attempt
an escape, but rather let us meet them,
giving thereby proof that I know their
designs, and might have by flight, or other-
wise, provided for my own safety, but I go
willingly to meet that death which their
malice designs for ms, and through death
provide for the life of the world. Behold,
he is at hand, &c. — he of whom I have
spoken. Me, He says, not you. The be-
trayal of their Lord by one of their own
number was an additional reason for
wakefulness — the case of Judas was in
fulfillment of their Lord's predictions,
(Mark xiv. 20), and was full of warning to
them all. (Matt. xxvi. 31). Happy he
who, through zeal for God's justice, or
through charity toward his neighbor, goes
forth to meet the cross, and even death
itself! but so as not to do anything con-
trary either to the command of God, or to
other duties which regard our neighbor,
or to what prudence and humility require
of us as to ourselves.
47. t And iwhllfi he yet Bpnke, lo, Juda.s, one of the
twelve, ciinie, un<l with liiiii u great inultituile with
swords und slaves, from the chiel priesta and elders of
the people.
iMarkxiv. 43; Lukexxii. 47; John xviii. 3; Acta 1. IG.
One of the tivclve. With this name, a.s
with a branding-iron, Judas is designated
even unto the end. The higher the station
is from whence we fail, the less hope is
there of any recovery. With swords, ttc.
They came in force, probably apprehen-
sive of resistance from the disciples, or of
some other attempt of rescue by the way.
This m«/<v'i?«/t' consisted 1. of "theband"of
Roman soldiers (Johnxviii. 3) ; 2. "Tho
cai:)tains of the temple ;" 3. Several of tho
Jewish dignitaries (Luke xxii. 52); 4. Ser-
vants of these dignitaries (John xviii. 18.)
Our Lord was thus arrested by the Jewish
authority, partly using Roman instrumen-
tality.
48. Now he that betrayed him, gave them a sign,
sayinj;. Whomsoever I sliall kiss, that same is he, hold
him la-st.
Judas decided to perpetrate his wicked
deed under cover of night. This was
sagacious for the sake of his enterprise,
for had it l)een undertaken by day,
how many swords, like that of Peter,
would have leaped from their scabbards
in Christ's defense? The Saviour had
servants who would not have hesitated u
moment to risk their lives in His behalf.
It would have been a great advantage to
the traitor, to be able, as he hoped, to
accomplish his object while Jesus was
asleep. But this contrivance miscarries.
In the house through which the way to
the garden runs, Judas is informed that
the eye of the dreaded was awake — that
Jesus was with the disciples in the garden.
How will he now secure his prey ? Cun-
ning must invent some new plan. He
gives the armed troop to understand that
he will indicate by the symbol of friend-
ship whom they are to arrest, and urges
them not to let him go, whatever may be
his protestations or attempts to escape.
The Church of Christ is but too often be-
trayed with a kiss of peace, by false
appearances of virtue, by calumnies spread
aijroad in soft language, and under deceit-
ful pretence of peace, and of the interest
of the Church.
4P. And forthwith he came to Jeen"". and said. Hail,
Master, 'and kissed him.— r2 Sam. xx. 9.
i Kissed him. This simple feet revealed
280
MATTHEW
the affectionate terms on which the disci-
ples associated with our Lord. It is an
universal custom in Eastern countries,
when friend meets friend, to salute one
another with a kiss. (Ex. xviii. 7 ; 1 Sam.
XX. 41.) Forthivith he came to Jesus, and said,
&c. Judas, along with the multitude, had
reeled back and fallen to the ground.
Along with them he speedily regained his
standing posture, and was a listener, as
the Lord said, " I have told you that I am
he," inviting them to do with Him as they
wished. There is a pause, a hesitation,
for who will be the first to lay hand upon
Him? Judas will relieve any hngering
fear. He will show them how safe it is to
approach this Jesus. Though the step-
ping forth of Christ, and the questions and
answers which followed, have done away
with all need of the preconcerted signal,
he will yet go through all that he had
engaged to do, or, perhaps, it is almost
a mechanical impulse upon which he acts,
for he had fixed on the thing that he was
to do toward accomplishing the arrest, he
had conned his part well beforehand, and
braced himself up to go through with it.
Hence, when the time for action comes, he
stops not to reflect, but lets the momentum
of his predetermined purpose carry him
along. He salutes Jesus with a kiss. If ever
a righteous indignation might legitimately
be felt, surely it was here. And if that
burning sense of wrong had gone no further
in its expression than simply the refusal
of such a salutation, would not Christ
have acted with unimpf^achable propriety?
But it is far above this level that Jesus
will now rise. He will give an example
of gentleness, of forbearance, of long-suf-
fering kindness without a parallel.
50. And Jesus said unto him, "Friend, wherefore art
thou come? Theu came they, and laid hands on Jasus,
and took him.— 'Ps, xli. 9 and Iv. 13.
Friend, &c. The dreadful inquisitorial
interrogatory rolls like terrific thunder
through the traitor's heart. Must the Son
of man be betrayed by one of His own
disciples, as if He had been a hard Master?
Must the badge of friendship be the in-
strument of treachery ? The word "friend,"
or, as it might be more correctly rendered,
"companion," recalled to his mind the
privileged position with which, as having
been received into the circle of the Lord's
most intimate associates, he had been
favored. This address reminds him also
of the many manifestations of unspeak-
able kindness with which he had been
loaded for three whole years, in the
immediate society and faithful superin-
tendence of the most amiable among men.
And if one unobdurate place had been
left in his heart, how would this remem-
brance have affected and overpowered
him ! There are some who behave to
Jesus now that He is in heaven, as Judas
did when He was upon earth. When it
seems to be their interest to appear to love
Him, they put on the mask of piety ; but
when they can gain worldly advantages
by betraying His servants, they will do it,
and yet all the time continue to observe
the forms of religion. They do not con-
sider how much their guilt is increased by
their acts of ajjparent devotion. Satan
employs such persons to do his darkest
deeds.
Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus,
and took him. As soon as the Divine in-
fluence, by which the multitude were
withheld, was, in a measure, withdrawn,
they used their power to apprehend Him.
Our Lord made Ho resistance. " He was
led like a lamb to the slaughter." There
was no occasion for violence. Yet from
the fact that His apprehension was
effected by His most bitter enemies, and
one of His disciples was aroused to resist-
ance in His behalf, we may well suppose
that He was treated in a very rough and
unbecoming manner.
51. And behold, «one of them which were with Jesus
stretched outliin hand, and drew his sword, and struck
a servant of tlie high priest, and smote off' his ear.
tjohn xviii. 10.
One of them, &c. We might have con-
jectured that it was Peter who committed
this rash deed, but we are not left to un-
certainty on this point. John informs us
(xviii. lb) that it was Peter. Perhaps, as
the other Evangelists wrote their Gospels
during thn lifetime of the Apostles, they
were afraid of exposing him to danger by
revealing his name ; whereas John, who,
it is supposed, wrote his account after
Peter's death, had no inducement to con-
ceal it. Stretched out his hand, &c. We can
understand what was passing in Peter's
heart. The words our Lord had uttered
CHAPTER XXVI.
281
on the road to Gethsemane, respecting his
denying his Master, and his own reply,
still fermented within hini, and he was
anxious to show the latter that, in accord-
ance with his own assertion, he would
rather die than forsake Him. Full of
these ideas, and, doubtless, with a confus-
ed remembrance of what the Lord had
said respecting the purchase of swords,
he blindly attacks the troop with his blade
of steel, and smites Malchus (John xviii.
10), one of the high priest's servants, on
the right ear, so that it hangs down on his
cheek, only by a slender shred. The ser-
vant's name was the Greek and Latin form
of Maleh, signifying king. A Christian is
not a soldier of the world, to defend him-
self after a worldly manner, but a soldier
of Christ, who is to defend himself like his
Master, only by suftering with patience,
and rendering good for evil. Here, for the
first and only time, a human creature suf-
fers that Jesus may be protected. It is
much easier to fight a little for Christ,
than to endure hurdiiess for Him.
52. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword
into his pliice : "lor all they that take the sword, shall
perish with the sword.— "Gen. ix. G ; Rev. xiii. 10.
Put up again thy sword, &.c. The sword
has its place, but its jjlace is not the hands
of the Apostles. Our Lord does not com-
mand the sword to be flung away. As a
recognized instrument of governmental
authority, the stern asserter of law and
peace, it has its place. (Rom. xiii. 4).
John adds (xviii 11), "the cup which my
Father hath given me, shall I not drink
it?" This expresses both the feelings which
struggled in the Lord's heart during the
agony in the garden — aversion to the cup
viewed in itself, but, in the light of the Father's
will, perfect preparedness to drink it up. (See
on verses 39, 42.)
For all they that take the .word, &c. Those
who take the sword must run all risks of
human warfare, but mine is a warfare
whose weaoons, as they are not carnal,
are attended with no such hazards, but
carry certain victory. Christianity is not
to be enforced by bloodshed, and belief in
it extorted by force. Happy would it have
been for the Church if this sentence had
been more frequently remembered. What
has been the effect of attempting to change
men's religious opinions by compulsion,
penalties, imprisonment and death ? The
pages of history supply an answer. No
wars have been so bloody as those which
have arisen out of the collision of religious
opinion. Never should it be forgotten that
the weapons of the Christian warfare are
not carnal, but spiritual. (2 Cor. x. 4.)
53. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my
Father, and lie shall presently give me »more thun
twelve legions ol'angels?
»2 Kings vi. 17 ; Dan. vii. 10.
Thinkest thou tliat I cannot now — even
after things have proceeded so far — pray
to my Father, and lie shall presently give me,
rather, place at my disposal, more than
twelve legions of angels, with allusion, possi-
bly, to the one angel who had, in His
agony, appeared to Him from heaven
strengthening Him (Luke xxii. 43; see on
chap. xxvi. 44), and in the precise number
alluding to the twelve who needed the help,
Himself and His eleven discijjles. The
Roman legion consisted of about 6,000 men,
which would make the whole number
here referred to 72,000 angels. This, how-
ever, is put for an indefinitely great num-
ber. Doddrige remarks : " How dreadfully
irresistible would such an army of angels
have been, when one of these celestial
spirits was able to destroy 185,000 Assyrians
at one stroke I"
5-1. But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled,
Jthat thus it must he?
Jl.sa. lui. 7, &c. , verse 24; Luke .xxiv. 25, 44, 46.
The Scriptures. (Isa. liii.) It was in
accordance with the Scriptures that Jesus
should be taken by violent hands and
be put to death. Hence it would be un-
suitable for Him to seek any special means
of rescue from the multitude, as the time
had now come for Him to be delivered up.
(See on Luke xxiv. 25, 44, 46.)
55. In the same hour said Jesus to the multitudes.
Are ye come out a.s against a thief with swords and
staves (or to take me ? I sat daily with you teaching
in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
The multitudes. (See on verse 47.) Thief,
rather a robber. Staves, literally, wood, i.
e., all kinds of sticks and cudgels. This
was the manner in which they would have
sought to take a highwayman of desperate
character, and armed to defend his life.
They knew His purity. His holiness. His
mysterious power of rebuke. Yet they
would slay Him as a malefiictor. He ex-
presses His indignation at this. It adds
not a little to the depth of our Lord's
282
MATTHEW.
humiliation that He consented to be hunted
down thus by wicked men, and to be treated
as if He had been the worst of mankind.
The best of persons are more sensibly
affected by the ill ustsge which wounds
their reputation and honor, than they are
by any other kind of injustice. It is in
order to secure us from that excess to
which this sense of human honor is apt to
carry us, that Christ was willing to be
treated as a thief— even He who had di-
vested Himself of all, and who was now
just going to lay down His life.
J sal daily icitk you, &c. — for many days
before the Passover. Ye laid no hold on me.
They refrained from violence, not through
want of an eager desire to take Jesus, but
because it was not permitted them of God.
This utterance must have reminded them
of many a fruitless plot which they had
meditated, and many a word of rebuke
which they had heard, although our Lord,
who was not minded to eulogize Himself,
was entirely silent as to the miracles which
He had performed before their eyes, and
as to the triumphs which He by word or
deed had won over their perplexity and
weakness.
5fi. But all this was done, that the 'Scriptures of the
prophets might ho fulfilled. Then »all the disciples
forsook him and fled.
iLam. iv. 20 : verse 54. ^ee John xviii. 15.
All this was doHe— rather, " All this has
been done." That these are the words of
Christ, and not of Matthew, is clear from
comparing Mark xiv. 49. (See on verse
54). By Scriptures of the prophets is meant
the prophetical writings, which speak of
the sufferings and death of the Messiah,
such as the Psalms, Isaiah, Daniel, Zecha-
riah, &c.
Then all the disciples, &c. This shows ns
their weakness and depravity. They fled
from fear, but their fear was needless.
Jesus had stipulated for their safety.
(John xviii. 8). They were under great
obligations to Him. He had done much
for them in calling them by His grace, and
dignifying them with the Apostleship. He
was now going to bleed and die for them.
And they had professed a great attach-
ment to Him. Yet they all forsook Him,
and fled ! Yet this culpable cowardice
was overruled for good. For their very
declension made their witness, after His
resurrection, the more unexcepuunabiy
credible, and the weakness of llieir fuiih
has proved the strengthening of ours.
57. H bAnd they that had laid hold on Jesus, led him
away to Cuiupiui-s the high priest, where the scribes and
the elders were assembled.
i-Mark xiv. oa : Luke xxii. 54 , John xviii. 12, 13, 24.
Led him away, &c. John says, to " Annas,"
who was father-in-law of Caiaphas. This
was done probably as a mark of respect,
he having been high priest, and, perhaps,
distinguished for prudence, and capable
of advising his son-in-Uuv in a dithcult
case. Here Jesus was subjected to the in-
formal preliminary examination recorded
in John xviii. 19-24.
58. But Peter followed him afar off, unto the high
priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants,
to see the end.
Feter foUoiced him afar off. This was
better than forsaking Him and fleeing, as
the rest did. Here was the working of
some degree of principle. Here was some
love to the Saviour, or he would not have
followed Him at all. But he was over-
come by fear. '' The fear of man bringeth
a snare." "Skin for skin, yea, all that a
man hath, will he give for his life." Yet
this was very unbelieving in Peter. He
had seen his Lord's miracles, and knew
what He could do. It was also very un-
grateful. The Saviour had done much for
him, and was now going to suffer and die
for him. And a friend is born for adver-
sity. Then, instead of keeping at a
distance from us, we look for his attend-
ance and sympathy. All this, too, was
in violation of Peter's own profession and
vows, that he was willing to follow his
Lord to prison and to death. Many, alas,
in this, imitate Peter. They are afraid to
follow the Saviour closely. They fear
danger, ridicule or persecution.
Palace. The word, thus rendered, prop-
erly signifies an " open court enclosed by
buildings — a court-yard exposed to the
open air." In Rev. ii. 2, it is translated
"court," and can there bear no other
sense. From verse 69, as well as from
what we are told in other Gospels, it is
evident that Peter was only in the court
without ; nor was it at all extraordinary
that there should be a fire in such a place.
(See Mark xiv. 54; Luke xxii. 55.) It is
well known that the nights in Palestine,
especially in the early year, are often very
CHAPTER XXVI
283
cold, particularly at Jerusalem, from its
great elevation above the sea.
Sat u'ith the servants — the servants of the
high priest, and the servants of those
wicked men who were then sitting in
judgment upon Jesus. As these servants
unquestionably shared with their masters
in the utmost hostility to the Messiah,
and in rejoicing that He was now their
captive, of course they i/ere not proper
companions for Peter. While they were
warming themselves in the open court, he,
assuming as wlII as he could the appear-
ance of an indifferent observer, took his
place in the midst of them, in order to be
able to be eye and ear witness, in the
immediate vicinity. From his present
conduct, we cannot wonder at the sequel.
His subsequent course in denying Jesus,
and thrice, and swearing with oaths and
curses, was only the continuance and the
increase of his following Him afar off, and
his sitting down with His enemies. The
way of error and sin is always down hill,
and once in motion, who can tell where a
man will stop ?
To see the end. His intention appears to
have been to ascertain what accusations
were brought against Jesus, what defense
He would make, and what was the disjio-
sition of the judges. And as all the Apos-
tles clung to the belief that their Master
would occujjy the throne of David — the
earthly throne in Jerusalem — so Peter
might suppose that now when He was
driven to extremity, He would at once
avow Himself the King of the Jews, and by
the demonstration of some tremendous
act of authority, would scatter his accusers
and his judges, and stand forth in the
midst of them, as the long-promised and
undoubted Deliverer of Israel.
59. Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the
council, sou'^lit I'iilse witiims aijainst Jesus, to put him
to death : W. But found uiriif : yea, tliough cmauy false
wituesses came, i/ff louurt they none. At the last came
dtwo false \vitnes.ses, til. And j-.aid. This frllow saift, '■I
am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in
three days.
<:Ps. xxvii. 12 and xxv. 11 ; Mark xiv. r>n : Acts vi. 13.
*Deut. xlx. 15. «Chap. xxvii. 40; John ii. 19.
All the council. By this we have to
understand all those members that were
the enemies of Jesus. Those few that
were His friends — Nicodemus and Joseph
of Arimathea — had, no doubt, for some
time ceased to assemble with tliem. (See
Tohn vii. 50, &c., ix. 22; Luke xxiii. 51.)
Sought false uitness, &c. There is every-
where testimony /or Him without seek-
ing, but against Him they found none.
Though the council had predetermined on
the death of Jesus, they, out of regard to
their character, and the customs of the
court, which could not easily be dispensed
with, felt the necessity of observing some
show of legal procedure. The fundamen-
tal rule of evidence was, that no man could
be capitally convicted but on the evidence
of two independent witnesses for every
essential fact. Now, although there were
plenty of witnesses willing to testify to
anything, no two could be found whose
testimony could be made to tally in the
degree the law required.
G1. fAnd the high priest arose, and said unto him,
Answeresttliou notiiins? what is it u,'/ur/t these witness
against thee ?— 'Mark xiv. 60.
Aggravated at this imperturbable silence
of Jesus, and seeing that there was no
evidence on which a conviction could be
founded, unless it might be drawn from
Himself, the high priest called his atten-
tion to the evidence, and asked why He
did not answer to it.
C3. But Fjesus held his pr-apo. And the high priest
answered and said unto hi.i. -I adjure thee b.v the liv-
ing God, that tliou tell us whether thou be the Christ,
the JSon oi God.
Pisa. liii. 7 ; chap, xxvii. 12, 14. tLev. v. 1 ; 1 Sam.
xiv. 24, 20.
Jesus held his peace. How eloquent
was this silence — more overwhelming for
the children of the father of lies than
the severest reproofs would have been.
And why make many words on this
occasion, since His enemies, though
against their will, witnessed so powerfully
in His favor that He needed no further
justification. The essential meaning of
His silence, however, lies still deeper. It
is the reflection of a more mysterious si-
lence before another and higher than any
human tribunal, and regarded from this
jjoint of view, it may be considered as a
silence of confession and assent. He is
silent, not only as a lamb, but also as the
Lamb which taketh away the sin of the
world. (See on verse 57.) I adjure thee, &c.
At our Lord's silence Caiaphas became des-
perate, and adopted a resource which our
rules of evidence would declare most in-
famous, and which was also wholly adverse
to the first principles of Mosaic jurispru-
dence, and the like of which occurs in no
284
MATTHEW,
circumstance of Hebrew history. It was
that of putting the prisoner upon his oath
to answer questions framed for his own
crimination. This was the usual form of
adjuration among the Jews, and the an-
swer returned to it had the validity of an
oath. Whether thou be, &c. Dost thou
claim, at the same time that thou pretend-
est to be the Messiah of the country, to
be the Son of God?
64. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said : nevertheless,
I say unto you, illereat'ter shall ye see the Son of man
^sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the
clouds of heaven.
iDan. vii. 13; chap. xvi. 27and xxiv. 30; Luice xxi. 27
and XXV. 31 ;. John i. 51 ; Rom. xiv. 10; 1 Thes. iv. lU;
Kev. i. 7. ''Pa. ex. 1 ; Acts vii. 55.
Thou hast said — a Hebrew form of ex-
pression, that intimates a strong aiJirma-
tion. " Ye say rightly that I am." (See
Mark xiv. 62), where the answer is, " I am."
This shows that Caiaphas used the words
" Christ" and " Son of God" in their Scrip-
tural sense. Seldom, in the course of His
ministry, did our Lord announce Himself
as the Messiah. But now, in the great and
trying moment, and when solemnly ques-
tioned by the Jewish nation, in the person
of their high priest, He returns the solemn
reply, " I am."
The incarnation and resurrection of the
Son of God being the fundamental mys-
teries of the Christian religion, which were
to make so many martyrs, it was necessary
that Jesus Christ, as the Head of them,
should be Himself a martyr for those
truths. He knew very well that they
would cost Him His life, but He knew
likewise that life is a debt which all men
owe to the truth, and that to sacrifice it to
God is not to lose it.
The open confession thus made teaches
us a le.sson in our profession of Christ.
Did He acknowledge and proclaim His
character, thus furnishing us a sure ground
of trust in His merits and mediation, and
shall we shrink from an open and decided
confession of the Master we profess to
serve? The Son of man sitting, &c. "I know
the scorn with which you are ready to meet
such an avowal. To your eyes, which are
but eyes of flesh, there stands at this bar
only a mortal like yourselves, and he at
the mercy of the ecclesiastical and civil
authorities ; nevertheless, a day is coming
when ye shall see another sight ; those
eyes, which now gaze on me with proud
disdain, shall see this very prisoner at the
right hand of the Majesty on high, and
coming in the clouds of heaven. Then
shall the Judged One be revealed as the
Judge, and His judges in this chamber ap-
pear at His august triljunal ; then shall the
unrighteous judges be impartially judged,
and while they are wishing that they had
never been born. He for whom they now
watch as their victim shall be greeted with
the hallelujahs of heaven, and the welcome
of Him that sitteth upon the Throne."
65. iThen the high priest rent his clothes, saying. He
hath spoken bla-sphemy ; what further need "have we
of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blas-
phemy. 60. Whatthinlcye? They answered and said,
"He is guilty of death.
•2 Kings xviii. 37, and xix. 1. mLev. xxiv. 16; John
xix. 7.
One would have thought that the digni-
fied composure with which our Lord bore
the insults He met with, that the solemn
silence He maintained when His enemies
testified against Him — but, above all, that
the explicit testimony He bore to the
character He assumed, in circumstances
of i^eril and alarm, would have made these
men pause in their wicked career.
But the high priest rent his clothes. It was,
indeed, a common expression of grief and
indignation to which he had now recourse,
but even if his grief and indignation had
been real, the dignity of his character
should have lifted him above such a vul-
gar expression of his feelings.
Wliat further need have we of ivitn esses ?
L^c; literally, "What further need have we
of testimony," for, now ye, as opposed to
what lias been reported from other sources,
liave heard his blasphemy. " In claiming, as
He has claimed, to be the Messiah, in as-
serting that He was the Son of God, and
therefore equal in dignity with the Father,
and that He would yet sit at His right
hand. He has claimed what belongs to no
man, and what is tlierefi>re an invasion
of the Divine prerogative."
How different is the joy of these men,
ui^on hearing the truth out of the mouth
of Christ, from that of His true di.sciples !
These find therein the words of eternal
life, but those convert it into words of
death, both for Christ and themselves, by
the abuse they make of it. The bold con-
fession of our Master on this occasion is
intended to be an example to all His be-
lieving people. Like Him, we must not
CHAPTER XXVI
L'85
shrink from speaking out when occasion
requires our testimony. The fear of man
and the presence of a multitude must not
■ make us hold our peace. (Job xxxi. 34).
67. "Thei. rlid tlipy spit in his face, and buffeted him,
and "olhcrs s;ui)ti' /ii(u with the palms of their hands,
6.S. Suyii];; ) PidpUesy unto us, thou Christ, who he is
tliiit siuDii, thee?
lis. 1. li, and liii. 3: chap, x.xvii. 30. "Luke xxii. G3;
Jolin xiA. 3. pMarli xiv. 65 : Luke xxii. W.
The most remarkable night that has
been known since the beginning of the
world, was the night before the crucifixion
of the Lord. There was an ingenuity in
the torments inflicted on Jesus, worthy of
Satan, their author. They spit in his face.
So literally were the words of the prophet
fulfilled (Isa. i. 6), " I hid not my face
from shame and spitting." To this mon-
strous indignity, which was afterward re-
peated (Matt, xxvii. 30), it will be observed
that both Matthew and Mark assign the
foremost rank (see Mark xiv. GG), as,
indeed, it is found to occupy a distinct
place in our Saviour's own predictions of
His approaching humiliation (Mark x. 34 ;
Luke xviii. 32; see Deut. xxv. 9; Num.
xii. 14.) And buffeted him, literally, struck
him ^iith the fist, in contradistinction to the
act, designated in the next clause, by
smiting him with the jjalms of their hands,
which in the original answers very well to
our word slap, as with the open hand.
These represent the variety of ways by
which they put Him to pain, and ex-
pressed their contempt of Him.
Saying, Prophesy unto us, &c. How it
required the power of prophecy in Jesus
to tell who smote Him, Matthew does not
explain, nor, had we this Go.spel alone,
should we be able to tell. But we learn
from other Evangelists (Mark xiv. 65 ;
Luke xxii. 64), that they "covered his
face," then smote Him, and then, in ridi-
cule of His title as prophet, bade Him
prophesy which was His smiter. On the
other hand, Mark omits to tell what was
the prophecy demanded. Thus, by a
double tally the two Evangelists supple-
ment each other. The truth of the Gospels
find much support from such undesigned
coincidences as these.
Let it never surprise us, if we have to
endure mockery, and ridicule, and false
reports, because we belong to Christ. The
• disciple is not greater than his Master,
nor the servant than his Lord. If lies
and insults were hea])ed upon our Saviour,
we need not wonder if the same weapons
are constantly used against His people. It
is one of Satan's great devices to blacken
the character of godly men, and bring
them into contempt. The lives of Luther,
Cranmer, Calvin and Wesley supply abun-
dant examples of this. If we are ever
called upon to suflTer in this way, let us
bear it patiently. We drink the same cup
that was drunk by our beloved Lord. But
there is one great difference. At the worst
we only drink a few little drops — He
drank the cup to the very dregs.
69. f qNow Peter sat without in the palace : and a
damsel came unto him, saying. Thou also wast with
Jesus of Galilee.
qMark xiv. 66 ; Luke xxii. 55 ; John xviii. 16, 17, 25.
Sat vnthout, i. e., outside of the apartment
in which Jesus was examined. In the
palace. For the meaning of the word
palace, see on verse 58. The apartment
here intended, was at one end open to the
air, Peter still remained in that part of
the house. Thus he was without, that is,
outside, or beneath, as it is exjiressed by
I\Iark (xiv. 66), in respect to the interior
rooms of the building to which the San-
hedrim, or the high priest, had retired.
A damsel — one of the maid servants of
the high priest. (Mark xiv. 66.) It is
customary, even at the present day, in the
East, for the doors of the wealthy to be
superintended by a portress, who receives
a fee for her services from the visitors.
With Jesus, i. e., one of His party. The
damsel expressed her suspicions to others
before she addressed Peter. (Luke xxii.
56.)
The disciples of Christ cannot long be
concealed among the multitude of the
profligate children of this world. Had
Peter, like the rest, inveighed against
Christ, and ridiculed His doctrines, he
would have avoided all suspicion. But as
he remained silent, and, possibly, was
sometimes unable to suppress his sighs,
being under such a violent perturbation
of mind, he was soon suspected to be
one of the disciples of Jesus. Thus it is
still with the children of God, when they
mingle with the wicked. They are not
long undistinguished from those about
them.
2Sii
MATTHEW,
70. But he denied before th«m all, saying, I know not
what tliou say est.
Denied before them all. He spoke openly
and boldly, the more eflectually to screen
himself from all further suspicion of be-
longing to the party of Jesus. I know not,
&c. — a method of denying, as much as to
Bay, I am conscious of not b^ing what
thou hast said. (See Luke xxii. 57 ; John
xviii. 17.) Perhaps his fellow-disciple,
John, heard this denial. (See on verse
G9.) The love of life and the fear of
death make men forget the best resolu-
tions, when they have not been formed
by God, and are not supported by our
humble prayer.
71. And when he was gone out Into the porch, another
maid saw him, and said vinto them that were there.
This /i"Moi« wa^ also with Jo?U3 ot' Nazareth. 72. And
again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
The first cock-crowing, which ]\Iark
(xiv. 08) alone mentions, immediately
after the first denial, is not even noticed
by Peter. He appears, meanwhile, to
have succeeded in assuming so indifferent
a demeanor, that he at first is not further
disturbed. The disquiet of his conscience,
however, now impels him toward the
porch, the entrance to the small apart-
ment between the outer door and the
large hall in the centre of the building.
He does not venture to seek to have the
door opened, that he may not elicit any
unfavorable conjectures, and is therefore
obliged to return to his former place.
This very quiet again excites suspicion.
Another maid saiv him, &c. The word
" maid," as the italics indicate, is supplied
by the translators. "Another" is mascu-
line, referring, probably, to some male
attendant, to whom the maid had commu-
nicated her suspicions, and W'ho charged
Peter directly with having belonged to
the cwinpany of Jesus.
This fellow, &c. This was added by way
of reproach. (See on verse C9.)
And again he denied, &c. Such an alarm-
ing publicity was now given to the charge
of his being in the company of Jesus, that
Peter felt the necessity of warding off" sus-
picion, by more vehement protestations of
his total ignorance of the man. One sin
hardens the heart, and disposes it for the
commission of another. Some dark spirit
then whispers in our ear that the repeti-
tion cannot make us more culpable, since
God is wont not to number but to weigh
our sins, or else, that by persisting in the
commission of any particular sin, we only
manifest that we do not exactly regard it
as sin, and have, therefore, in some meas-
ure, sinned ignorantly. God permits Peter
to fall more than once, that he may have
no room to excuse his sin as proceeding
from surprise, and that he may seek the
cause thereof in his own presumption.
The new man, in those who are regener-
ate, does not attain to such an unlimited
superiority over the old as no longer to
require, on all occasions, the continuance
of Divine influence for the overcoming
and restraining of the latter. Hence, the
Lord's pointed admonition to His disciples
to watch and pray lest they fall into temp-
tation.
7."?. And ater a while came unto hi7n they that stood
by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art wie of them,
for thy rspeech bewrayeth thee.— 'Luke xxii. 59.
After a while. They thcd stood by. Mat-
thew here expresses himself generally,
while Luke (xxii. 59), observes more par-
ticularly that " another" affirmed, Thy
speech bewrayeth thee. As Peter was discov-
ered, by his peculiar manner of speaking,
to have come from that part of Israel called
Galilee, and as it was well-known that most
of Christ's disciples were Galileans, it was
immediately supposed that he was one of
them. We know from Jewish authorities
that the rough, provincial accent of the
Galileans was very distinguishable from
that of the metropolis. The space of one
hour was allowed Peter to recover himself,
and he made no use of it ; in vain God gives
men time for repentance, if He does not
give them likewise a penitent heart.
74. Then "began he to curse and to swear, saying, 1
know not tlie man. And immediately the cock crew.
=Mark xiv. 71.
On this occasion Peter not only denied
his Lord, but began to curse and to swear.
He was now irritated beyond endurance.
He could no longer resist the evidence
that he was known. It had been repeat-
edly charged on him. His language had
betrayed him, and there was a positive
witness who had seen him. He felt it
necessary, therefore, to be still more de-
cided, and he accordingly added to the
sin of denying his Lord, the deep aggrava-
tion of profane cursing and swearing.
CHAPTER XXVI.
287
aflBrming what he must have known was
false, that he knew not the man.
And immediateh/ the cock crew, that is, the
second crowing, or not far from tliree in
the morning. Let us not be weary of con-
sidering the deplorable depravity of tlie
heart of man when left to himself. These
three falls are, as it were, three witnesses
of human weakness, and show plainly
that none but God knows perfectly how
great it is. "An awakener of some kind
or other," it has well been said, " is ap-
pointed to every one. Wherever we may
be, there are voices Avhich call us to re-
pentance. Nature, as well as our whole
life, is full of them, only our ears are heavy
and will not hear. There is an awakening
call in the rolling thunder, which is a her-
ald of infinite majesty ; in the lightning,
which darts down before thee, carrying
with it destruction ; in the stars, which look
down upon thee from such remote regions,
as if they would say, ' How far^ O man !
art thou cast out from thy home? " &c.
75. And Peter remembered the word ot Jesus, which
said unto him, 'Beiore tlie fook crow, tiiou shalt deny
me thrice. And lie went out. and wept bitterly.
'Verse 34' Marie xiv. 30; Lulie xxii. (51, 62; John xiii.
38.
Peter remembered. Probably our Lord
cast His glance as He was led from Annas
to Caiaphas. The door of the apartment,
where Jesus was before the high priest,
may have been opened upon tire court,
and Peter may have painfully found him-
self denying and swearing under his
Lord's glance. It does not appear that
Peter came into the examination-room, or
was present with his Lord. By a tender
and compassionate look (see Luke xxii. 6,)
— a single glance of His eye — the injured
Saviour brought to remembrance all
Peter's promises, His own predictions, and
the great guilt of the disciple. He over-
whelmed him with the remembrance of
his sin, and pierced his heart through
with many sorrows.
The consciousness of deep and awful
guilt rushed over Peter's soul, he flew
from the palace, went alone in the dark-
ness of the night, and ivept bitterly.
His sin was certainly very aggravated,
and, with all his failings, he was a man of
very tender affections and great ingenuous-
ness. But sorrow arising from such a
eource is not peculiar to our Apostle. All j
the people of God should feel a penitent
disposition at the review of their sin,
which furnishes abundant material for
self-accu.sation and contrition.
In Peter's recovery and rising again by
repentance, there is observable, 1. The
suddenness of his repentance. Sin com-
mitted by surprise, and through the ])re-
valence of a temptation that suddenly as-
saults us, is much sooner repented of
than where the sin is presumptuous and
deliberate. 2. The means of his repent-
ance : (1) the crowing of the cock. As the
voice of the maid occasioned him to sin,
so the voice of the cock occasioned him to
reflect. (2) Christ's pitiful but piercing
look, and Peter's remembering His words.
The efficacy of Christ's word, in order to
sound repentance, depends not upon the
historical remembrance of it, but upon the
close application of it to every man's con-
science. To these means the Holy Spirit
gave efficacy. 3. Peter's repentance was
secret. Solitariness is most agreeable to
an afflicted spirit. 4. His repentance was
deep and thorough. Sin must always be
followed with sorrow. 5. His rei:)entance
was abiding. Ecclesiastical history reports
that ever after, when Peter heard the crow-
ing of the cock, he fell upon his knees and
wept. Others say that he was wont to rise
at midnight, and spend the time in prayer
and humiliation, between cock-crowing
and daylight. 6. Peter was pardoned free-
ly and fully (John xx. 21 ; Mark xvi. 7 ;
John xxi. 15), and having had much for-
given, he loved much. How must these
people have been surprised, when they
saw — as no doubt some of them did — this
timorous disciple, within the compass of a
few weeks, when he was brought with
John before the council, not only main-
taining the honor of Jesus, but charging the
murder of " the Prince of life" on the chief
men of the nation, and warning them of
their guilt and<langcr in consequence of it.
The story of Peter teaches us, 1. How
small and gradual are the steps by which
men may go down into great sins. 2. How
very far a believer may backslide. 3. The
infinite mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
4. How bitter sin is to believers, when
they have fallen into it and discovered
their fall. There are moments in the
288
M A T T H E W .
believer's experience, in which he learns
more of his own wickedness, and of his
Lord's goodness, than he has learned in
years that have gone I>efore. True peni-
tence is a mixture of sorrow an<l faith.
The penitent says with sorrow, " My sin is
ever before me," and with faith, "There is
forgiveness with Thee." Such is the bro-
ken heart which God will not despise.
Let this be our prayer :
" If near the pit I ra.slily stray,
Beiore I wUolly lull away.
The keen conviction dart :
Recall me by that pitying look,
That kind, upbraicfing glance which broke
Unlaithiul Peter's heart."
1. What did Jesus say to His disciples ? 2. Who assembled to consult for putting Him to death ? 3. What occurred
in the house of Simon ? 4. What objection to this did the disciples make? 5. What did Christ reply ? 6. W^hat
did Jesus send His disciples to prepare ? 7. Where did He send them ? 8. What took place at the observance of
the Passover? 9. Explain the institution of the Lord's Supper. 10. What do the terms our Saviour there used,
mean ? 11. What is said about the singing of a hymn ? 12. What did Jesus say to His disciples in the Mount of
Olives? 13. What did Peter answer? 14. W^honi did Clirist take with Him to Gethsemane? 15. State whattook
place there. 16. Where was Jesus then led by His enemies? 17. Mention the particulars of Peter's denial of
Him. 18. Also the particulars of His deep,repentauce.
CHAPTER XXVII.
1 Christ is dfliverrd bound to Pilate. 3. Judas hanrieth
himself. 19 Pilate, admonished of his ivife, 24 ?ru.v/i-
eth his hands: 26 and looseth Barabbas. 29 Vhi-i^t
is crowned with thorns, 34 crucified, 40 reviled. .'JO
dleth, and is buried : 66 his sepulchre is sealed, and
watched,
WHEN the morning was come, »all the chief priests
and elders of the people 'took counsel against
Jesus to put liini to death: 2. And when they had
kbound him, tliey Ivii hi in away, and cdelivered him to
Pontius PiUit,' tlir giivernor.
"Psa. ii. 2; IMuk xv. 1; Luke xxii. 66, xxiii. 1; John
xviii. ^ii. ijfien. xxii. 9; Acts ix. 18, 20; 2 Tim. ii. 9.
«Chap. XX. 19 : Acts iii. 13.
The morning — of Friday, the day of the
crucifixion. The meeting must have taken
place after six o'clock in the morning.
All the chief priests, &c. The Sanhedrim.
Took counsel against Jesus, &c. They had
previously adjudged him worthy of death
for blasphemy. Their purpose in the
present consultation was, doubtless, to de-
vise some way of effecting this without
exciting a popular commotion. When tliey
had bound him. Jesus had been before
bound, for security, by the officers who
apprehended Ilim. (See John xviii. 12.)
He was now bound as a common male-
factor.
Delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
The usual abode of the Roman governor
was at Caesarea Palfestina, but he usually
came over to Jerusalem at the time of the
Passover, with a large body of soldiers, to
keep the multitude in awe at that season.
In Jerusalem, ne held his abode in the
palace built by the elder Herod, but was
sometimes in the Tower of Antonia, the
strong fortress commanding the temple.
It is not certain to which of these places
our Lord Avas taken, but most probably to
the former. Pilate, who was at this time
the governor or procurator over Judea,
was placed in this office by Tiberius, then
emperor of Rome. He was noted for his
sererity, cruelty and despotic will. Many
Jews, at different times, were massacred
by his order.
3. i; dThen Judas, which had betrayed him, when he
saw that he was condemned, ^repented himseli', and
brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief
priests and elders, 4. Saying, fl have sinned in that I
have betrayed the innocent blood. And the.v said,
What is t/idt to us? see thou to that. 5. And he cast
down tlie j)i<'ccs of silver in the temple, eand de-
parted, and went and liaii^^ed himself.
''Chap. xxvi. 11, 1.). 'Jolj XX. 5, 51, 29; 2 Cor. vii. 10.
fEx. ix. '27 ; 1 Sam. xv. "24 ; Kom. iii, 19. e2 Sam. xvii.
23; Actsi. 18.
Then Judas, &c. Matthew now inter-
rupts his narrative of the fate of the Saviour
to give his final account of Judas. When
lie saxv that he was condemned. The actual
perception of the result, and the clear con-
sciousness of the enormity of the crime,
produced in Judas's mind a revulsion.
Repented, himself — was filled with remorse
and anguish. As the issue too sadly showed,
CHAPTER XXVII.
289
it was " the sorrow of the world which
worketh death." (2 Cor. vii. 10.) Some
commentators have thought that Judas
did not imagine or expect that Jesus would
be condemned to death, but supposed
either that He would convey Himselfaway
from His persecutors, or that He would
prove His innocence to the satisfaction of
His judges, or at the most, some slight
punishment would be inflicted upon Him.
One would not wish to load even the
worst of men with more guilt than really
belongs to them ; but from considering
the character of Judas, and comparing
together all the circumstances of the case,
it appears to us more probable that the
acquittal or condemnation of Jesus never
entered into his contemplation.
And brought again the thirty pieces of silver.
The way of spurious penitence, in contra-
distinction to the genuine repentance of
Peter. His first disposition is to attempt
some outward rectification of his deed in
the sight of men, without previous humil-
iation before God, and seeking of refuge
with Him. I have sinned, rather, " I have
erred." This confession was extorted by
remorse alone. There was not connected
with it any humiliation before God, any
prayer for pardon or desire to return to
Christ. A remarkable illustration of the
power of an awakened conscience. A
short time before, the promise of this sor-
did pelf was temptation enough to his cove-
tous heart to outweigh the most overwhelm-
ing obligations of duty and love ; now,
the possession of if so lashes him that he
cannot use it — cannot even keep it. Inno-
cent blood. What an attestation this to the
spotlessness of the character of Jesus ! H;k1
there been a single impropriety in all the
most confidential intercourse of Jesus with
His disciples, Judas would at this time have
exposed it.
A single sin found out in Christ would
have been a great comfort and a sweet
solace to the traitor in the tumult which
he felt within. But however diligently he
sought, however much he exerted his in-
genuity, and recalled to mind all the acts
of his Master's life, virtues presented them-
selves in abundance, a luminous sea of
holiness shone upon him from it ; but not
one dark point could he discover, nor did
19
the slightest spot meet his scrutinizing eye.
How annihilating the result. Judas is com-
pelled to justify his conscience, which ac-
cuses him as being the betrayer of (he Holy
One, and condemns him as the murderer
of innocence. He finds nothing to assist
him in weakening the sentence, and is
forced to endure the most horrible curse
that ever made a human soul to tremble.
What is that to us? The brevity of the
original — literally, what to us? — imparts
great point to the contemptuous sneer
with which they replied to the heart-rend-
ing confession of Judas. See thou to that,
literally, thou ivilt see. It is your business.
We have nothing to do with it. Judas
received no sympathy or word of comfort
from the chief priests. How many like
him find to their sorrow that it was the
treason, and not the traitor, which was loved.
Ayid he cast down, &c. This was done,
probably, near the temple door, where the
boxes stood to receive the free-will offer-
ings of the people, for the supjiort and
repairs of the sacred edifice. In this scene
we perceive something dreadfully retribu-
tive, when we call to mind the hypocritical
words, "Why was not this ointment sold,
and the money given to the poor?" with
which the unhappy disciple once pre-
sumed to deprecate Mary's laudable work
of love. He is now compelled, although
with other money, to verify, in an awful
manner, what he then uttered in dissimu-
lation. Hanged himself. " Judas," says
one, " may part with his life, but sin does
not, on this account, depart from him.
He can leave the world, but his impious
act follows him across its boundaries."
6. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and
said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury,
because it is the price of blood.
It is not lau'fid. Mark their miserable
inconsistency and superstition. How often
are religious scruples thus found to dwell
with men who have sold themselves to
work all manner of iniquity. The treas-
ury had probably furnished the very
pieces of silver which it is now deemed so
sinful to replace there. The treasury. The
place where the people brought their free-
will offerings or gifts for the service of the
temple. Judas, by throwing down the
thirty shekels in the temple among the
priests, meant them to be a gift, and thus
2m
MATTHEW.
in some measure expiate his atrocity.
Because it is the price of blood. The law re-
quired (Deut. xxiii. 18) that no money
l)rocured in a shameful or base manner,
should be devoted to the service of God.
However glad the chief priests were to
have obtained, in any way, possession of
Jesus, yet they would readily grant that
Judas had obtained his money very dis-
honorably.
7; And they took counsel, and bought with them the
potter's field", to bury strangers in. 8. Wherefore that
field was called, tThe field of blood, unto this day.
kActs i. 19.
The potter's field. This plat of ground,
which probably had been the site of a
pottery, lay without the wall of the city,
on the south-east corner, about a mile
from the temple. The price may seem
small, but this may be accounted for by
supposing that the soil had been so en-
tirely exhausted by the i^otters, as to ren-
der it unfit for the purposes of husbandry.
These wicked men thought that the Gen-
tile strangers who happened to die at Je-
rusalem, would be fitly provided for, if
the price of a criminal's blood were be-
stowed in the j^urchase of a field where to
bury them. But that criminal was Christ
— the Saviour of the Gentiles ; so that, as
in the case of Abraham of old, a burial
place (and that bought with Christ's blood)
became the first possession of the Gentile
Church, and it was theirs at a time when
God gave them none inheritance in the
land, not even so much as to set their foot
on, though He had promised that He
would give them the whole earth for a
possession. (Consider Gen. xxiii.; Acts
vii. 5.) Wherefore that field icas called, The
field of blood. The name stood as a me-
mento of the direful sale and execution.
Unto this day — unto the time that Matthew
writes. This was, perhaps, about eight
years of interval. The field of blood, or,
Aceldama (Acts i. 19), is on the steep face
of the southern hill, opposite Mount Zion,
which bounds the valley of Ben Hinnom.
Tradition points out the spot. " In a corner
where some graves or natural caves, in a
semi-dilapidated condition, are found,"
says Kraft, in his Topography of Jerusa-
lem, "is the Aceldama, or field of blood of
tradition. In support of the accuracy of
this view, I may state that above it there
is a considerable sfrat7im of white clay,
where I repeatedly observed people."
9. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by
Jeremy the prophet, saying, 'And tliey took the thirty
pirci--Horsilver, the price of liiiu that wius valued, *whom
they (if tlie children of Isi-acl did value ; !"• And gave
tlieni (or the potter's field, as the Lord apxiointed me.
'Zech. xi. 12, 13. *0r, whom they bought of the children
of Israel.
Never was a complicated prophecy,
otherwise hopelessly dark, more marvel-
ously fulfilled. Various conjectures have
been formed to account for Matthew's as-
cribing to Jeremiah a prophecy found in
the book of Zechariah. But since with
this book he was plainly familiar, having-
quoted one of its most remarkable pro-
phesies of Christ but a few chapters before
(chap. xxi. 4, 5,) the question is one of
more critical interest than real importance.
Perhaps the true explanation is the fol-
lowing, from Lightfoot : " Jeremiah of old
had the first place among the prophets,
and hereby he comes to be mentioned
above all the rest in chap. xvi. 14, because
be stood first in the volume of the pro-
l>hets — as he proves from the learned
David Kimchi — therefore he is first named.
When, therefore, Matthew produceth a
text of Zechariah under the name of Jere-
my, he only cites the words of the volume
of the prophets under his name who stood
first in the volume of the prophets. Of
which sort is that also of our Saviour
(Luke xxiv. 44), 'all things must be ful-
filled which are written in the Law, and
the Prophets, and the Psalms,' or the
Book of Hagiographa, in which the Psalms
were placed first."
11. And Jesus stood before the governor: ''and the
governor asked him, saying. Art thou the king of the
Jews ? And Jesus said unto him, 'Thou sayest.
''Mark xv. 2; Luke xxiii. 3; John xviii. 33. 'John
xviii. 37 ; 1 Tim. vi. 13.
Stood before the governor. The Sanhedrim
in a body, followed by their partisans,
marched with their prisoner from the
palace of Caiaphas to Pilate's abode,
which probably was at the tower of Anto-
nia, north of the temple. Art thou the
king? &c. The fullest and most striking
account of the cojioquy between our Lord
and Pilate is given by John, and full notes
belong to the commentary upon that
Evangelist. Thou sayest — an affirmative
answer of the question. It is as thou sayest.
12. And when he was accused of the chief priests and
elders, mhe answered nothing.
mChap. xxvi. 63 ; John xix. 9.
ClIAFTEU XXV II,
291
The silei^ce of Jesus before accusers,
-who addiK-ed nothing new, was a reaf-
firuiatiou of what He hud said before.
li Then ssiid Pilate unto lilin, "Hearest thou not
iow many things they witness against thee?
■KJhap. xxvi. fi2 ; John xix. 10.
Pilate wished to get some further infor-
mation, on which he could either convict
or acquit Jesus. His curiosity also may
have been so awakened by the previous
words of our Lord, that he hoped to hear
something further upon the theme on
which he had touched. (John xviii. 17.)
But from this time on through the whole
trial, except in one instance related by
John (xix. 12), he maintained a silence,
broken by no question, pain or indignity.
(Comp. Isa. liii. 7.)
14. And he answered him to never a word ; insomnch
that the governor Aiarvelled greatly.
The governor wondered at the patience
and equanimity of Jesus, while His ad-
versaries were exi^ressing so determined
a hostility against Him.
15. "Now at that feast the governor was wont to re-
lease unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. Ifi.
And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
"Mark xv. 6 ; Luke xxiii. 17 ; John xviii. 30.
At that feast — It is a general statement,
applying to the Passover as held from
year to year. Of the custom scarcely any-
thing is known. It is remarkable that
such sticklers for the law allowed them-
selves to be participants in sustaining a
custom which to them was ii violation of
the law of Moses. That law said (Ex. xxi.
12), He that smiteth a man, so that he die,
shall surely be put to death; and Barabbas,
a notable, noted, i^risoner, was guilty of
insurrection, robbery, and murder, the
first of which crimes was the very one of
which they had accused Jesus, and of the
last two of which they did not pretend
that he was guilty.
17. Therefore when they were gathered together,
Pilate said unto them. Whom will ye that I release
unto you ? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ ?
18. For he knew that for renvy thej' had delivered him.
pProv. xxvii. 4 ; Isa. xxvi. 11.
Pilate had by this time <liscovered how
matters stood. In his crooked policy,
accordingly, he calculates upon certain
success, when he should place the notorious
or distinguished criminal side by side with
Jesus, for the Jews to choose which of the
two should be released. For envy. The
Evangelist mentions here, in a historical
connection, envy as the cause of all the
hostility manifested against Jesus, as if it
were something well understood.
19. V When lie wius sot down on the Judgment-seat,
his wife s<>iit unto him. Haying, Have thou nothing to
do with that ijust man : for I have sutTered many
things tliis day in a dream beca of him.
iZech. ix. 9 ; 1 John ii. 1.
When he uas set. In the very moment
of urgent business. In the bustle of such
a time, announcements of a strange char-
acter ought not to be neglected. The judg-
ment seat. The dream made a strong im-
pression, but the woman understood its
meaning better after the fulfillment began.
Perhaps she had the dream when Pilate
was already engaged in the business.
His wife — called Procla, by tradition.
Saying. By this warning a great favor
was shown to the governor, in preference
to the Jews, who had been sufficiently
warned from other sources. The warnings
which God sends, by various means, to
deter men from wickedness, will eventu-
ally leave many of them the more inexcus-
able. Notliing — she says, in one word.
So should Pilate have acted in the matter,
without delay. Just. So Pilate calls Him
also (verse 24), with a feeble regard to
these words of his wife.
2n. 'But the chief priests and elders persuaded the
multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy
Jesus.
i-Mark xv. 11; Luke xxlii. 18; John xviii. 40; Acts
vili. 14.
Persuaded the multitude. An unstable
crowd they might easily influence. Jesus
they might contemptuously speak of as a
Galilean, as one who had mocked their
hopes, and who, instead of being the vic-
torious king they had anticipated, was
now a detected impostor and a forlorn
captive.
21. The governor answered and said unto them,
"Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you?
They said, Barabbas.
They said, Barabbas. Barabbas was a
notable prisoner. He was distinguished
for great crimes. He was, perhaps, a leader
of a band who had been guilty of sedition,
and had committed murder in an insur-
rection. As he and his adherents probably
lived by plunder, he is called a robber.
(John xviii. 40.) As a fierce and brave
Jewish patriot, he had become famous
among the populace. He was, perhaps,
like Robin Hood among the old English,
hateful to the government, but popular
with the masses. "W'hat guilt there was
292
MATTHEW.
in the few words of the people, " Release
unto us Banibbas!" They preferred a
robber and a murderer to Him who came
to give life unto the world. It was not one
man only who made this wicked choice,
but a whole multitude! Shame! The
world prefers the vilest of the vile before
Christ ! And yet rejoice. Christ's death
is the only hope for the vilest of men !
Christ dies, and thus only is any Barabbas
set free. (1 Tim. i. 15 ; Acts iii. 13.) Jesus
and the guilty sinner exchange places.
The sinner, condemned and awaiting his
dreadful death, is now freely released by
this wonderful subsiilution of Christ. Not
that the sinner has been found innocent,
but that Christ has taken his place, and
he is set free. Yet Barabbas will, after
all, die eternally if he believe not in Jesus.
Christ's interposition will do us no saving
good, if we see not in Him our glorious
and Divine substitute, on whom our sins
were laid, and who freely died for us.
22. PilatPsaith unto them, What shall I do then with
Jesus which is called Christ? Thrp all say unto
him, Let liim be crucified. 23. And tlie governor said,
"Why, what evil hath he done ? But they cried out the
more, saying, Let him be crucified. 24. If When Pilate
saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a
tumult was made, he ttook water, and washed his hand.s
before the multitude, saving, I am innocent of the blood
of this just person: see ve to it. 25. Then answered all
the people, and said, "His blood be on us, and on our
children.
«Jer. xxvi. 1.5. 'Bent. xxi. 6. "Deut. xix. 10; Josh. ii.
19 ; 2 Sam. i. 16 ; 1 Kings ii. 32 ; Acts v. 28.
When informed by his wife of her
dream, Pilate seems to have remonstrated
again with the people. Finding he could
prevail nothing, he took water and
washed his hands before the people, say-
ing, I am innocent, &c., as if that action
and declaration could avail to free him
from his own accountableness. What a
picture is he of that most unhappy char-
acter, a man wavering between the con-
victions of conscience and the allurements
of temptation, " like a wave of the sea
driven with the wind and tossed !" How
many, in this way, resort to all manner of
contrivances to avoid taking that plain
line which conscience points to! They
consult others, hoping for an opinion
favorable to their secret wishes, and
thinking to shift the responsibility on
their advisers. They propose some half
measure, and try to avoid the necessity of
acting at all ; like Pilate, they try to wash
their hands of a question in which they
see the right, but are afraid of following
it, so at length they end in violating con-
science. May we learn hence a lesson
never to be forgotten, that he who tam-
pers with the faithful "varnings of con-
science, is like one who, having to cross a
pathless waste, should blind the eyes of
the only guide able to conduct him over
it ! Let us obey conscience, and all diffi-
culties by degrees will vanish before us.
The first step is often the only difficult
step. Disobey conscience, and you little
know what a web of entanglements you
are weaving for yourself, of what a har-
vest of shame, perplexity, self-reproach,
you are sowing the seeds ! Conscience
may be called " the candle of the Lord "
in your heart. Do not put it out.
His blood he on us, &c. This terrible
imprecation of wrath upon themselves
and offspring, has had a most signal fulfill-
ment. In less than forty years from this
exclamation, the proud city of Jerusalem
was laid in ashes by the torches of the
Romans, and scarcely so much wood could
be procured as sufficed to prepare crosses
for the children of Abraham ; and the
nation has ever since been exposed to
incessant injuries from man, and left as an
anathema from God, as still from age to
age, persisting in the sin of their fathers,
and justifying it as the deserved punish-
ment of a deceiver.
Let us learn from these verses the des-
perate wickedness of human nature.
There are few things so little believed and
realized. Men fancy that if they saw a
perfect person they would love and ad-
mire him. They flatter themselves that
it is the inconsistency of professing Chris-
tians which they dislike, and not their
religion. They forget that when a really
perfect man was on earth, in the person
of the Son of God, He was hated and put
to death. That single fact goes far to
prove the truth oi Edwards' remark : " Un-
converted men would kill God, if they
could get at Him."
26. IT Then released he Barabbas unto them : and
when 'he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be
crucified.
»Isa. llii. 5 ; Mark xv. 15 : Luke xxiil. IB, 24, 25.
Pilate at length yielded to their impor-
tunity. The clamor of the people and
chief priests overruled him to act contrary
CHAPTER XXVII.
293
to his reason and conscience. He had not
courage to stem so strong a stream. Here
was judgment turned away backirard, and
justice standing afar off , for fear of j)opular
fury. Barabbas would thus be hardened
in wickedness, and do the more mischief,
yet him Pilate released.
Scourged Jesus. (See Luke xviii. 32 ; Isa.
1. 6.) Among the Romans, scourging was
always inflicted previously to crucifixion,
as appears from several passages in their
writings. The scourge was composed of
jiagella, which were extremely sharp,
mostly interwoven with sheep bones,
sometimes composed of ox-nerves, and
hence termed by Horace, " horrible." Such
scourging preceded the capital i^unishment
of slaves : rods were used with the free.
The criminal was fastened to a post or
pillar, so that both the breast and back
were exposed. " Jesus is chastised," says
one, " when men tear the crown of deity
from His brow, and when they silently
brand Him as a deceiver and blasphemer,
but then begin to commend His excellences
and virtues, and thus release Him after
having maltreated Him. They deny that
He is the only way to heaven, although
He Himself has said so, and in this way
He is chastised. But then, again, they
applaud Him as the most eminent of
teachers, and thus He is let go. Men chas-
tise Him by insulting His members upon
earth, and vilifying those who boast of
His meritorious sufferings as the sole
ground of their salvation, but again release
Him by making an outward obeisance
at His communion-table, or by confessing
that He was more than Socrates or Solon.
Alas ! we all carry about with us, by
nature, a secret scourge for the Lord Jesus,
and never omit to use it in one way or
other. But if our conscience asks, aft(^r
such a chastising, why we are so averse
and opposed to this Just One, who never
injured us, we are wont, instead of feel-
ing penitent, to hide our own naughti-
ness behind the traitorous kisses we
bestow upon Him, and again release the
ill-treated Saviour by dubious marks of
respect."
Delivered him to be crucified. Pilate seems
to have been present when Jesus was
scourged, but now he consigns Him to the
soldiers to lead Him forth to execution.
This appears from the next verse.
27. "Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus Into
the common hall, iind Kiithercd unto him the whole
band o/soWit»s.— »Mark xv. Hi ; John xix. 2.
What is here called lite common hall, and
the Judgment Hall (John xviii. 28, 33,
xix. 9), was the " Prsetorium !" (Luke xv.
16), a magnificent edifice in the upper part
of the city, which had been formerly
Herod's palace. This the Roman procura-
tors (whose ordinary residence was at
Csesarea) occupied when at Jerusalem.
In front of this edifice was tlie tribunal.
Jesus was first led to the interior j)art of
the prsetorium, namely, the axda, an open
court. Whole band. There were five co-
horts of soldiers, comprising each about
600 men, retained by the governor at
Csesarea, and one at Jerusalem. This one
whole Roman cohort is therefore now
summoned to perform or witness the de-
gradation of the victim.
28. And they stripped htm, and ^put on him a scarlet
robe.— iLuke xsiii. 11.
They stripped him, that is, of his mantle.
A scarlet robe. Pilate's soldiers, in derision
of the claim which they knew Jesus had
made to be king of the Jews, placed on
Him, instead of His own mantle, an old
military robe, called sagum. It was, in
all probability, the same robe in which
Herod had arrayed him (Luke xxiii. 11)
and which, having been removed at this
time in order that Jesus might be scourged,
was now replaced.
The object of the soldiers was to make
their derision notorious, and cover Christ
with the most flagrant shame. To this
end they took from Him what was His
own, and gave to Him what did not belong
to Him. And how frequently have we
done the same, withholding from Him the
homage due to His name, and putting
Him to shame by our lives. We now
execrate the conduct of those who thus
mocked the Son of God, but have we not
done worse? They put on Him a scarlet
robe : our sins baptized Him in His blood.
How naked would our souls have been,
had not the body of Christ been thus
clothed in the garb of apparent infamy
and death .' He deserved not the shame
which they would fain have put upon
Him, and had He not robed Himself in
294
xM A T T H E W
our nature, that He might bring us shining
raiment from heaven, the scarlet robe had
never been His.
29 1 jAnd when they had platted a crown of thorns,
thev put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand :
and they bowed the knee beloie hini, and mocked him,
savins Hail. King of the Jews!
jp" xxlv. j;5, IG, Ixix. 19; Isa. xlix. 7. lUi. 3; Heb.
xii. 2,'3.
Had platted, that is, woven together, or
Ijaving made a wreath. A crown of thorns,
made doubtless of the thorn bush, or some
prickly shrub, so as to be the means of
pain as well as contempt. Upon his head.
In the form of a garland or diadem. The
whole head was not covered, but it was
placed in a circle round the temples. This
crown was in mockery of a regal crown,
as the purple robe was in mockery of
the imperial ])urple. The perpetrators of
this action designed by it nothing beyond
the gratification of their wanton cruelty.
But when we call to mind that the second
Adam was at this very time submitting
Himself to the curse of God — and couple
with this the recorded fact that the thorn
and the thistle were the fruits of that curse,
as it took effect upon the ground, it seems
to be a natural inference that the cruel
device was overruled by God, to the ex-
pression of a truth which He would have
us discern and ponder. Being the imme-
diate produce of the curse, the thorn was
an appropriate decoration for the Man of
the curse. But more than this. The en-
durance of the thorn was the endurance
of sin's penalty, as it visited not only the
transgressor, but the place of his residence.
Now, the endurance of a penalty by Christ,
in His vicarious character, involves and
must ultimately issue in the cancelling of
the penalty. And accordingly the circum-
stance of our Lord's having worn and
suffered from a crown of thorns, would
seem to intimate that a revocation of the
sentence which was passed upon the soil
(Gen. iii. 18), is in God's design — a revo-
cation which may possibly involve the
fulfillment, in a literal sense, of the pre-
diction that "instead of the thorn shall
come up the fir-tree, and instead of the
brier shall come up the myrtle-tree."
(Isa. Iv. 13. Consider in connection. Gen.
iii. 19 ; Luke xxii. 44.)
And a reed in his right hand — in mockery
of the regal sceptre. It was thus denoted
that our Lord's kingdom, of which He
made mention before Pilate, and which
Paul terms " a kingdom which cannot be
moved" (Heb. xii. 28), was a weak and
unstable kingdom, and that for His subjects
to expect any protection from Him was to
lean on a broken reed. (Isa. xxxvi. 6.)
The reed is a plant with a hollow, jointed
stalk, growing in wet grounds. It was some-
times used for light walking canes, and one
may have been taken from the bystanders
for the present purpose. And boiced the
knee before him, &c. — doing Him derisive
homage, in the form used on approaching
the emperor.s. (See on following verse.)
30. And 'they spit upon him, and took the reed, and
smote him on the head.— 'Isa. 1. 6 ; chap. xxvi. 67.
Their cruelty, and the intoxication of
wickedness, keep them from carrying out
to the close the caricature exactly. The
Satanic mockery changes into brutal mal-
treatment. Spit upon him. This was a
token of the deepest contempt and insult,
and a repetition of the indignity received
before the high priest. (Chap. xxvi. 67.)
Smote him on the head. John says (xix. 3)
that they smote Him with their hands.
The reed, therefore, which would have
been too light to inflict much pain except
on the head, was caught from His hand
to smite the thorny crown into His head,
which could not have been done with the
naked hand. The best comment on these
affecting details is to cover the face. Just
think, for one moment, on whom it was
these indignities were heaped. The Lord
who made the heavens and the earth, the
King of Glory, who had but to speak, and
legions of angels would be His cohorts,
and all the armies of the skies would obey
His behests instantly. Yet He voluntarily
submitted to shame that He might expiate
our transgressions. He endured the cross
that we might wear a blood-purchased,
but a glorious and unfading crown. Dur-
ing all this suffering, w'e read nothing of
an expression that Jesus uttered, of a re-
monstrance that He made. " He was led
as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep
before her shearers is dumb, so He opened
not His mouth." " Reviled, He reviled
not again." Truly, this was the Son of God.
31. And after that they had mocked him, they took
the robe off from liim, and put his own raiment on him,
"and led him away to crucilj' fttwi.— "Isa. liii. 7.
c li A r T E a X X \- 1 1
295
After they had mocked him — after the pre-
sentation to the people (John xix. 5) had
taken place — Pilate's last attempt to de-
liver Him. After the final decision they
took the robe off from him, and put his own
raiment on him. ''The change of garments
which took place in the court of the y)yx-
torium," says Dr. F. IT. Krummacher, " re-
minds me of an act in our ov/n life. In the
days of our blindness we had also divested
the Lord Jesus of the glory of Ills inherent
splendor, while presuming to deny one or
other particular concerning Him, so as to
leave Him little more than the title of a
Jewish rabbi, or the Sage of Nazareth.
But how did we afterward alter our course,
when the Lord stripped us of the garments
of our imaginary righteousness, and in the
mirror of His law exhibited to us our real
form. How hastily did we then put upon
Immanuel Hjs own raiment? We first
gave thee back thy Messiah's crown, and
then thy sacrificial and priestly robes, and,
finally, thy diadem as the King of Glory ;
for the awakened necessities of our hearts
had rectified our vision, and sharpened it
for thy beauty. Amid many tears of re-
pentance and delight, we again clothed
thee in thy original attire. Thou now
standest before us in thy full and complete
array, and we will never cease to bow the
knee before thee, and to rejoice, and say
with Jacob, ' Judah, thou art he whom thy
brethren shall praise.' "
And led him away to crucify him. Our
Lord had himself always prophesied, un-
der different forms of expression, that by
His countrymen He would be given up to
the heathen, and that by their hands He
would be crucified, or " lifted up," that is,
lifted up on the cross. This was a Roman
and not a Jewish punishment, and there-
fore showed His i)rescience that His death,
although brought about by the Jews, would
be inflicted by the Romans, who introdu-
ced this form of capital punishment in all
their wide dominions, except for those
who had the privilege of Roman citizens,
who were beheaded. It was essentially
the most ignominious form of death, as
hanging is with us.
32, hAnd as they came out, cthey found a man of Cy-
rene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his
cross.
i>Num. XV. 35; 1 Kings xxi. 13: Acts vii. .58; Heb. xiii.
12. cAlark xv. 21 ; Luke xxiii. 26.
As they came out, that is, from the city.
It was customary for punishments of this
nature to be inflicted outside of the city.
(Compare Num. xv. '60 ; 1 Kings xxi. 13.)
A man of C'yrene, etc. Cyrene was a city
of Lybya, in Africa, lying west of Egypt,
in which, though consisting mostly of
Greeks, a Jewish colony was located.
Having much intercourse with Jerusalem,
they maintained a regular synagogue at
that city. Simon appears at this time to
have been a resident, at any rate tempor-
arily, either of Jerusalem or its adjacent
country, inasmuch as it is from the coun-
try he is coming when he is so sadly met
by the procession of our Lord's execu-
tioners.
Him they compelled to bear his cross. (See
on verse 35.) It was a part of the u.sual
punishment of those who were crucified,
that they should bear their own cross to
the place of execution. It was accordingly
laid first on Jesus, and He went forth,
bearing it. As Isaac, the illustrious type
of the Redeemer, carried the wood for the
burnt offering, so Jesus carried His cross.
AVeak, however, and exhausted by suffer-
ing and watclifullness. He probably sank
under the heavy burden.
AVe do not know certainly that Simon
was unwilling to bear the cross, as he did
either entirely in Christ's i-oom, or sharing
l^art of its weight, for the choice was not
given to him. The soldiers commanded
him to do this public service. It is sup-
posed by some, that he had come from
Cyrene to the Passover, for, as they say,
there seems no reason why he should
have been selected, but that his being a
stranger marked him out for a task too
degrading to be forced upon a native Jew.
There were probably disciples in the
crowd who would have been glad to vol-
unteer to perform this office for their
revered Master, but were deterred by the
fear of bringing suspicion upon themselves.
Others think that Simon was known to
be a favorer of Jesus, and that he was
singled out on account of the special
marks of interest and sympathy he mani-
fested. This is rendered probable by the
fltct that a number of the early converts to
Christianity were members of the Cy renian
synagogue (see Acts ii. 10, vi. 9, xi. 19, 20.)
296
M A T T 11 E W
The only difficulty in this view is that a
disciple of Jesus should have been away
that morning, and coming in just then.
But the notice of Mark (xv. 21), that he
was " the father of Alexander and Rufus,"
persons evidently well known to the eiirly
Church, suggests that he and his did after-
ward become eminent disciples, and that
as now, literally, so afterward did he
spiritually take up his cross and follow
Him, finding thus a glorious reward for
his labor.
It is a great favor to be chosen of God
to accompany an afflicted soul, and to keep
it from sinking under the burden of its
cross. Jesus, though now in heaven, can
never forget that hour on earth in which
He bore His cross, and never does He see
a weak and fainting sufferer, upon whom
fresh trials are accumulating, without call-
ing to mind that hea\^y cross, the toilsome
journey of Mount Calvary, or without
stretching forth a hand to help and succor
him.
33. If 3 And when they were comeu^to a place called
Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, 34. cThey
gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall; and
when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
••Mark XV. 22; Luke xxiii. 33; John xlx. 17. «Ps.
Ixix. 21 ; see verse 48.
Golgotha. A Hebrew word from the
Chaldee Gol-gotha, signifying a skull-place,
Latin Calvaria, whence this knoll is called
in Luke Calvary, (xxiii. 33.) There was
a hidden reason why God led men to select
this polluted j^lace for the Redeemer's exe-
cution. He had commanded the high
priest, once a year to sprinkle the blood of
a bullock and of a goat upon the mercy -seat
in the Holiest of holies, to make atone-
ment for sin. The bodies of these bea.sts
were taken to a place outside the camp, or
city, and burned. Their blood represented
the precious blood of Christ, which pleads
for us in the presence of God. Because
His blood atones for sin, therefore His body
was taken to a loathsome spot outside the
city of Jerusalem. (See Heb. xiii. 11, 12.)
Vinegar to drink mingled with gall. , The
custom prevailed among the ancients to
give criminals that were led to execution
a drink that intoxicated and stupefied.
For this purpose wine of an inferior
quality, mixed with narcotic herbs, was
used. This wine was called sharp-wine,
vinegar, also wine. (Mark xv. 23.) It
was mixed, according to Mark, with
" myrrh ;" according to Matthew with
" gall," that is, with bitter and stupefying
herbs, such as wormwood, poppy, myrrh
and the like. By offering Christ this
drink, an ancient prophecy of the Mes-
siah was literally fulfilled. (Ps. Ixix. 21.)
We may observe here how Matthew often
adopts in his narrative the very words of
prophecy, where one or more of the
* other Evangelists give the matter of fact
detail.
And when he had tasted, &c. Our Lord
rejected the medicated draught, as His
purpose was to suffer death in all its bit-
terness— fjo drink the dregs of the cup
which His heavenly Father had given
Him. At a subsequent period, Jesus re-
ceived a little vinegar, which had been
soaked into a sponge, and handed to Him
on a reed of hyssop. This was not a stu-
I^efying drug, but the sour wine, which
was the common drink of the Roman
soldiers, and a vessel of which was, prob-
ably, laid there lor the refreshment of the
guard. The canes of the hyssop shrub
were frequently between three and four
feet long, and of course sufficient in a
man's hand to reach the highest elevation
of the cross.
35. fAnd they crucified him, and parted his garments,
ca.stinglots: that it naight be fulfilled wliich was spoken
by the prophets, cThey parted my garnaents among
them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
fMark xv. 24 : Luke xxiii. 34. eJohn xix. 24.
They crucified him. The cro.ss itself con-
sisted of two large beams placed across
each other in the form of the Roman letter
T. These, which were carried separately
to the place of execution, were there laid
and secured together on the ground, and
the victim for whom it was prepared, was
stripped of all His dress, except a covering
about His loins. (See James 256-7, and on
Luke xxiii. 33.) Christ crucified is the centre
of Christian union. Look at the one Church
of God. On what platform does it stand?
What is its foundation ? W' here do all
believers look for pardon, for acceptance,
for sanctifying grace ? Where do they
wash, day by day, the constant contractions
of guilt ? Where do they look for present
peace and future hope ? Are they not all
hanging on Christ ? Are they not all
clinging to Christ? Do not all put on the
one righteousness of Christ? Are they
CHAPTER XXVII
297
not all liviug on Christ as their sanctifica-
tion ? Surely, this were enough to make
them regard the minor points on which
they differ as of little moment in compari-
son with tlie grand essential points on
which they are agreed, and to unite them
in Christian union and fellowship.
Parted his garments, &c. The clothes of
criminals were usually given as a perqui-
site to the guards, and, as the guard was
always composed of four soldiers, such a
distribuiion was agreed upon as gave each
an equal share of the garments, or where
the poverty of the dying man's wardrobe
did not admit of a partition among so
many, recourse was had to dice to deter-
mine which should be the possessor. It
was in the former way that all the dress
of Jesus was divided among the soldiers,
with the exception of the linen tunic,
which, made to reach down to the ankles
and to fit closely to the body, was without
seam, woven from the top throughout, and
being probably the elaborate work and gift
of some of those pious women who be-
longed to the company of Jesus, was
thought too valuable to be cut down into
pieces, and was therefore assigned by the
casting of lots.
That it might he fulfilled, &c. (Ps. xxii.
18.) The language of the psalm was liter-
ally applicable to the conduct of the sol-
diers. Though they had no intention of
fulfilling anything which had been written
concerning Christ, yet the manner in which
they conducted toward Him exactly accord-
ed with what inspired men had written.
Jesus gave up to His executioners these gar-
ments made by the hands of men, but He
left us garments far more precious than
these, even His righteousness and grace to
cover the nakedness of our hearts.
36. iiAnd sitting down they watched him there ; 37.
And 'set up over his head his accusation written, THIS
IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
''Verse54. 'Mark x v. 26: Lukexxiii. 38: Johnxix. 19.
On such occasions, the soldiers who
amused themselves with the division of
the criminal's property, were the guard
who were appointed to watch at the foot
of the cross during the whole progress of
the execution, and to prohibit any of the
spectators from approaching to the rescue
of the prisoner, or from taking away the
body till life was totally extinct.
And over his head his accusation written,
&c. It was usual for the Romans to put a
" title " or inscription on the transverse
beam of the cross, to denote the offense
of the crucified person, a custom observed
also by the Turks, in their analogous pun-
ishment of impalement. In the provinces,
these inscriptions were in different lan-
guages, so that all might be able to
understand for what ofi'ense the criminal
was executed. The title set upon our
Lord's cross (John xix. 20), was in Greek,
the language most generally spoken in the
eastern parts of the Roman empire, in
Latin, the language of the Romans, and
in the vernacular " Hebrew," or rather
Chaldo-Sy riac, the language of Judea. John
says (xix. 19), that Pilate wrote the title,
and put it upon the cross. Probably Pilate
wrote it, or caused it to be written, and
directed the soldiers to set it up. . The
difference in the accounts the Evangelists
give us of this title may be easily removed.
It is not at all improbable that the in-
scription varied in the languages in which
it was written. One Evangelist may have
translated it from the Hebrew, another
from the Greek, a third from the Latin,
and a fourth have translated one of the in-
scrii:>tions a little differently from another.
Besides, the Evangelists all agree in the
main point of the inscrii^tion, viz. : That
He was the King of the Jews.
38. JThen were there two thieves crucified with him ;
one on the right hand, and another on the left.
jlsa. liii. 12; Mark xv. 27; Luke xxiii. 32,33; John
xix. 18.
Tiro thieves. Pilate did not reside at Je-
rusalem. When he came there on the
great feasts, or at other times, it was, in
part, to hold courts for the trial of crim-
inals. These robbers had probably been
condemned at that time, and to show
greater contempt for Jesus, He was cruci-
fied with men of that abandoned character,
and on a cross which should have been
occupied by their companion and leader,
Barabbas. Their names were joined with
that of Jesus in the history of the execu-
tions of that day. Thus the prophecy
was fulfilled : " He was numbered with
the transgressors." (Isa. liii. 12.) Nor
was the peculiar position of Jesus on the
cross alone the fulfillment of prophecy, it
was also a visible manifestation of His re-
298
MATTHEW
deeming work. Sinners, the chief were
there, and it was necessary that He should
take His place among them. He suffered
among sinners, and with them, and like
them, and for them. This place was given
Him that all the ends of the eartli might
have hope when they look to Him for
salvation. The work was finished. The
lowest depths of humiliation were reached
and passed. Into what depths soever sin
had brought men, thither had Immanuel
gone in their nature, to bear the doom
and set the captive free. Jews and Gen-
tiles, though they knew it not, combined
to perfect that which concerned the
Saviour's work. The malicious hearts of
Jewish priests, and the rude hands of
the Roman soldiers, became unconsciously
the servants of God, in putting Jesus " in
the midst" of sinners, when He gave
His life a ransom for them — so, holding
forth the very ground of hope, that He
might become sin for us who knew no
sin, that we might become the righteous-
ness of God in Him.
In the two thieves crucified with Jesus,
we see, 1, our common state illustrated.
All Vv'e, like sheep, have gone astray, all
have sinned, and come short of the glory
of God. Whatever difference may exist
among men in the development of sin,
yet the essential principle of depravity is
inherent in the nature of every man, and
may be early there discovered by himself
to be lively and active in its motions. 2.
The proximity to Christ, into which all
sinners have been brought. Some are on
His right hand, some are on His left. All
are sufficiently nigh to receive from Him,
if they will, the sense and knowledge of
duty, the hopes and fears, the helps and
directions which the Gospel affords. 3.'
The broad line of demarcation which,
notwithstanding this identity in points of
circumstance, separates men. (See Luke
xxiii. 39-43.) While the one of these
thieves afforded all the indications of a
broken and contrite heart, the other was
self-justified and self-sustained. While the
one vindicated the innocence of his Sa-
viour, and acknowledged his own demerit,
the other united with the multitude in
reproach and blasphemy. While the one
mortified the pride of his impenitence.
and yielded his heart and mind to the
guidance of the Spirit which God had
given him, the other, in resistance to the
Spirit, braced his impenitence, hazarding
every moment the awful issue of eternal
death.
39. H And kthey that passed by reviled him, wagging
their heads, 40. And saying, iThou that destroyest the
temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. "If
thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
kPs. xxii. 7, cix. 2.5; Mark xv 29: Luke xxiii. 35.
iChap. xxvi. 61 ; John ii. 19. mchap. xxvi. 63.
The impious throng on their way to and
from the city, united with the mob in
mocking the dying Saviour. This had
been predicted by Simeon at Jesus' pre-
sentation in the temple (Luke ii. 34), and
by Himself to His disciples (jNIatt. xx. 19 ;
Mark x. 34 ; Luke xviii. 32.) Wagging their
heads, shaking their heads bj' way of de-
rision. (Ps. xxii. 7, Ixix. 20.) Thou that
destroyest the temple, &c. They revive the
l^opular accusation brought against him
(Matt. xxvi. 61) by the citizens of Jerusa-
lem, proud of their temple, though the
false witnesses upon the trial had contra-
dicted one another; and in challenging
our Lord to perform a miracle in proof of
His mission, they show the popular ex-
pectation that the Messiah, when He came,
would work miracles. (See John ii. 19, vii.
31 ; Matt. iv. 3, 6.) The form which their
language assumes, recalls the language ad-
dressed to Christ by the tempter. (See on
next verse.)
41. Likewise also the chief priests mocking Aim, with
the scribes and elders, said, 42. He saved others, him-
self he cannotsave. If hcbc thoKingof Israel, let him
now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
43. nHe trusted in God ; let him deliver him now, if he
will have him : for he said, I am the Son of God.
"Ps. xxii. 8.
Chief priests .... scribes and elders — they
are all there, and they all have their mock.
Instead of addressing the Son of God Him-
self, they spoke to each other. It is more
trying to hear our enemies speak against
us to others, than to hear them address the
same reproaches to ourselves. There is more
contempt shown in such a way of attack
than in a direct assault.
He saved others, &c. They meant that for
reproach ; it was literal and exact truth.
He did save others. The blind, whose
eyes He opened ; the deaf, whose ears He
unstopped; Lazarus, once dead and now
living; the raised son of the widowof Nain ;
men that felt their sins forgiven ; chiefest
of sinners, who found themselves reinsta-
CHAPTER XXVII
2<J9
ted, clustered around him, and acknowl-
edged " He saved not only others. He saved
us." The inference, " Himself He cannot
save," in the sense in which they used it,
was wrong ; in its right sense it was per-
fectly true. Though it appeared to refute
His pretensions, it was truly the evidence
of His mission. Ij he be the king of Israel,
•&C. This was ironical, no doubt, and again
a wicked conclusion. What malignity and
blindness were manifested by them in this
hour of their triumph.
He trusted in (lod. This was said with
blasphemous reference to Psalm xxii. 7, 8,
9, and in the godless conclusion, blasphemy
against Christ i^asses unconsciously over
into blasphemy against God, for whose
honor they pretend to be jealous.
Let him deliver him now, if he ivill have
him. Carnal man cannot compi-ehend
that God loves those whom He permits to
suffer ; but faith teaches us that the cross
is the gift of His love and the foundation
of our hope, the mark of His children
and the title of an inheritance in heaven.
For he said, &c. (See chap. xxvi. 64.)
They may have heard, also, from Judas,
that Jesus professed to His disciples to be
the Son of God. (See chap. xvi. 16-20.)
44. "The' thieves also, which were crucified with him,
ca-st the same in his teeth.
oMark xv. 32; Luke xxiii. 39.
The thieves also. Not both of them, how-
ever, as some commentators unnaturally
think we must understand these words, as
if some sudden change came over the
penitent one, which turned him from an
unfeeling railer into a trembling peti-
tioner. The plural " thieves " need not
denote more than the quarter or class
whence came this last and cruelest taunt :
" Not only did scoffs proceed from the
passers by, the ecclesiastics, the soldiery, but
even from His fellow-sufferers," a mode of
speaking which no one would think neces-
sarily meant both of them.
45. pNow from the sixth hour there was darkness
over ail tlie land unto the ninth hour.
pAmos viii. 9 ; Mark xv. 3S ; Luke xxiii. 44.
Mark says (xv. 25), " And it was the
third hour, and they crucified him." The
Jews divided their days into twelve
houi's, beginning to count at sunrise.
John says (xix. 14), it was "about the
sLvth hour. The third hour was nine
o'clock, the sixth hour was twelve o'clock,
the ninth hour was three o'clock. Evi-
dently Mark describes the commencement
of the treatment in the prsetorium, whicli
ended in the crucifixion, and John
describes the precise moment when Jesus
was nailed to the cross. That this must
have been the idea of Mark appears from
his statement (verse. 33), " And when the
sixth hour was come, there was darkness
over the whole land until the ninth hour"
— a statement which John also makes.
The concurrence of both the Evangelists
as to the time of the supernatural dark-
ne.ss, justifies the reconciliation, already
given, of the apparent differences between
them.
Darkness over all the land. Not the globe,
(for it was night at the antipodes), nor,
perhaps, was even all Palestine covered,
but the vicinity and adjacent country.
This darkness must have been super-
natural and miraculous. It could not be
an eclipse of the sun, because that cannot
happen but in the new moon, whereas
this was the Feast of the Passover, which
was always celebrated at the full moon.
It is taken notice of by several ancient
writers, both heathen and Christian, and
Tertullian expressly declares, that it was
mentioned in the Roman archives. (Ajiol.
c. 21.)
4fi. And about the ninth hour qJesus cried with a loud
voice, saying, Kli, Eli, lama sabachthani ? that is to say,
'My God, my God, why hast thou Ibrsaken me? 47.
Some of them that stood there, when they heard that,
said. This wKoi ealleth for Elias. 48. And straightway
one of them ran, and took a sponge, »and filled il with
vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
49. The rest said. Let be, let us see whether Elias will
come to save him.
qHeb. v. 7. rps. xxii. 1. 'Ps. Ixix. 21; Mark xv. 36;
Luke xxiii, 36 ; John xix. 29.
The ninth hour, that is, three o'clock, or
between the evenings, when the passover
lamb was slain. Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,
&c. This utterance was not in pure Heb-
rew, but in the Chaldaic tongue. My God,
my God, &c. This cry was wrung, as it
were, from the snflTerer's lips, when the
severe agony of His soul had reached its
last, its culminating, its closing point. It
reveals something of the interior of the
burdened heart from which it sprang, but
leaves still more unrevealed. After we
have listened to it, and pondered it, and
turned it over and over again in our
thoughts, it seems to grow darker instead
300
MATTHEW.
of lighter to our eye, and we become at last
convinced that it was the simple, spontan-
eous, irrepressible outcry of a spirit tried
to the last limit of endurance ; the expres-
sion of what must forever remain to us an
indescribable, unfathomable, unimagin-
able woe.
Some of them that stood there, &c. Those
that heard Him, deceived by the similitude
of the sound, supposed that he meant the
proper name Elijah, or, as it should be
pronounced, Eliyah ; for Elijah is our Ang-
licising of the word Elijah. And straight-
way one of them ran, &c. This was done
when Jesus said, "I thirst" (John xix. 28.
See on verses 33, 34.) It was a common
opinion among the Jews, that Elijah was
personally to appear just before the Mes-
siah, and to assist Him in entering upon
His office. They thought that Jesus, in
His helplessness, was calling upon Elijah
to deliver Him. Therefore, they said,
" Let be, &c." This was not spoken to the
soldier who was relieving His thirst with
the sponge. As appears by Mark, the sol-
dier himself joined in the expression. It
means, " wait and let us see if Elijah will
come to his rescue." These words plainly
show that there was no jest. There was
an actual suspense, awakened by the awful
darkness, as to whether the Divine inter-
position would not take place.
50. f 'Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud
voice, yielded up the ghost.
•Mark xv. 37 ; Luke xxiii. 46.
Cried again with a loud voice. This shows
that there was something peculiar and un-
common about our I^ord's death. A dying
man's voice is generally not loud, but fee-
ble. This was the expiring cry of nature.
Inasmuch as the agony of the cross extor-
ted from Jesus no cry of pain, and His
only complaint had been His apj^arent de-
sertion of God, may we not attribute, in
part at least, this last cry to His anguish
of spirit, which was so great as to hasten
His death much beyond what was usual ?
There are seven sentences recorded as
spoken by Him while on the cross. Three
were uttered before the darkness overspread
the land, and /o((r near its conclusion. The
first three concerned others, not Himself.
(Luke xxiii. 34, 43 ; John xix. L'6, 27.) The
last four concerned Himself. (Matt, xxvii.
46; Mark xxvii. 46; John xix. 28, 30.)
Yielded up the ghost. The proper mean-
ing is, resigned His spirit, or expired.
It is evident that the Lord Jesus did not
die because He was obliged, but because
He chose voluntarily and of His own free
will, to submit to death. Finding Himself
in deepest dependence. He yet exhibited
and used His true freedom. (John x. 18.)
His death was His own act. He " offered
Himself without spot to God." None of
the Evangelists say that Jesus died,
although that expression is ever after used
of His death, when stated as one great
fact. Mark, Luke and John, though in
different Greek words, say much the same
as Matthew : " He gave up the ghost."
In all the five Old Testament passages
which our translators have rendered
"giving up the ghost," the Septuagint
Greek translators have not used the
expressions applied in the Gospels to our
Lord's death, nor anything like them.
(Gen. Ixix. 33 ; Job x. 18, xi. 20, xiv. 10 ;
Jer. XV. 9.) The Greek expression about
Sajjphira, which is rendered, " jdelded up
the ghost" (Acts v. 10), is totally different
from those used about our Lord's death.
How large a field of meditation does
every one of the last words of Jesus
afford us ! How much is there in them to
be adored and imitated! How many
other duties are we obliged to perform
toward a God who died for us such a
death and by such a love !
51. And behold, "the vail of the temple was rent in
twain from the top to the bottom, and tlie earth did
quake, and the rocks rent, 52. And the graves were
opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept
arose, 53. And came out of the graves alter his resur-
rection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto
many.
"Ex. xxvl. 31; 2Chron. iii. 14; Mark xv. 38: Luke
xxiii. 45.
Rent in twain, &c. This was doubtless
the vail, curiously wrought, which sepa-
rated the holy from the most holy place,
in which the Divine presence was sup-
posed to dwell, thus dividing the temple
into two apartments. (Ex. xxvi. 31-33.)
This vail or curtain was some sixty feet
long, and it was impossible for it to be
thus rent, as some have imagined, by
the force of the earthquake. This mir-
acle must have been as striking and ter-
rible to the priests who ministered in
the temple, as the darkness was to the in-
habitants of Palestine. It signified the
CHAPTER XXVII
301
opening of the way into the hoUest by
Christ's death — the passing away of the
Jewish dispensation, and the revehitionof
the Gospel way of s-alvation to all man-
kind.
The earth did quake, &c. Earthquakes
were common in Palestine, and yet it can-
not but be regarded fis preternatural, that
one should happen in connection wilii the
other wonderful occurrence, just at the
time of our Lord's death. The hssures in
the solid rocks of Mount Sion, which were
rent asunder, are still visible to the eye of
the traveler, and are of such a form and
size as to attest that they must have been
produced in an awful convulsion of nature.
It is probable that the hand of time, as
well as that of man, has dilapidated the
rock in many places, and altered its ap-
pearance from what it was when the awe-
struck eyes of the beholders looked on the
chasm 1800 years ago. But the cleft is still
conspicuous over the whole extent of the
mountain, about a span wide at its upper
part, and two deep, after which it closes,
though it again opens below.
And the graves were opened, &c. (Isa. xxv.
8 ; 1 Cor. xv. 55.j In the East it is often
the case that tombs are broken up by the
violence of earthquakes, but this was now
the intended effect. The graves are often
excavations in a rock, with a stone placed
against them for a door, which the shock
throws from its place. Which slept. Sleep
is sometimes applied to those who have
died in the Lord. (1 Cor. xv. 51 ; 1 Thes.
iv. 14 ; John xi. 11.) After his resurrection.
These words must be referred to " arose,"
as well as to " came out of the graves." The
graves were opened when the earth quaked
and the rocks rent ; there was a quicken-
ing power felt by the bodies of the saints,
but they did not come to full life till Christ
was risen. It would appear that these
saints were disciples who had died but
lately, and were of eminent piety, such as
Simeon, Anna and Zachariah, for when
they went into the city they were known
to be saints by the persons who saw them,
which could not well have happened had
they not been their contemporaries. Who-
ever they were, they were not raised to a
natural life, terminating again in death,
but to eternal life, and must, therefore, be
supposed to have ascended with the
Saviour to heaven. Christ was the first
fruits from the dead, and there is given us
a. comfortable assurance, that when He
comes in glory, His saints will come with
Him ; a pledge of which was given at our
Lord's resurrection. (1 Thes. iv. 14 ; Isa.
xxvi. I'J ; John v. 25 ; 1 Cor. xv. 20 ; Rev.
XX. 4-G.)
54. »Now when the centurion, and tliey that were with
him, wutcliiUK Jesus, siiw tlie eurlliquake, and tliose
things timt were done, tliev feared greatly, saying,
Truly tliis was tiie Son ol God.
"Verse 3G; Marli .\v. 3"J; Lulie xxiii. -17.
Tlie centurion — a captain of a hundred
men. He was doubtless the commander
of the quaternion of soldiers who watched
Jesus' death. Saw the earthquake, &c. Saw
the supernatural darkness, the trembling
of the earth, the rending of the rocks, and
the opening of the tombs, and heard the
Saviour's dying words. They feared greatly.
They regarded what they saw and heard
as proof of the Divine indignation against
what had been done, and against them-
selves as the agents of the Jews.
Saying, truly tliis tvas the Son of God.
Mark and Luke represent the centurion
alone as speaking. But the soldiers may
have caught up the words of the centurion
and repeated them, so that Matthew's ac-
count does not conflict with that of the
other Evangelists. The utterance of the
centurion is less the expression of an ex-
actly defined conception of the under-
standing, than the outgush of a deeply-
moved sensibility, and it is as unreasonable
to deny the echo of superstition as the
voice of sincere faith in his manly words.
Christ had a testimony of His innocency
and righteousness given by all sorts of
persons.
It is not a little remarkable that the
contemplation of the very same scene
which so forcibly struck the Roman cen-
turion, has extorted a similar confession
from one of the most eloquent of modern
skeptics, who has never been accused of
too much credulity, and who, though he
could bring himself to resist the evidence
both of prophec}' and of miracles, and was
therefore certainly no bigot to Christian-
ity, \Q% was overwhelmed with the evi-
dence arising from the character, the suf-
ferings, and the death of Jesus. We allude
to the celebrated comparison between the
302
M A T T HEW,
death of Socrates and the death of Jesus,
drawn by the masterly pen of Rousseau.
" Where," says he, " is the man, where is
the philosopher, who can act, suflfer, and
die, without weakness and without osten-
tation ? When Plato describes his imag-
inary just man, covered with all the oppro-
brium of guilt, yet at the same time merit-
ing the sublimest rewards of virtue, he
paints precisely every feature in the char-
acter of Jesus Christ. The resemblance is
so striking that all the fathers have ob-
served it, and it is impossible to be deceived
in it. What prejudice, what blindness
must possess the mind of that man who
dares to compare the son of Sophroniscus
with the Son of Mary ! What a distance
is there between the one and the other.
The death of Socrates philosophising calm-
ly with his fiiends, is the most gentle that
can be wished ; that of Jesus exjairing in
torments, insulted, derided, and reviled by
all the people, the most horrible that can
be imagined. Socrates, taking the poison-
ed cup, blesses the man who presents it to
him, and who, in the very act of present-
ing it, melts into tears. Jesus, in the
midst of the most agonizing tortures, prays
for His enraged persecutors. Yes, if the
life and death of Socrates are those of a
sage, the life and death of Jesus are those
of a GOD."
55. And many women were there beholding afar off,
"Which Ibllowed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto
him : 50. 'Among which was Mary Magdalene, and
Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother
of Zebedee's children.— »■ Luke viii. 2, 3. 'Mark xv. 40.
Beholding afar off. They were, probably,
not suffered to come near the cross, be-
cause it was surrounded by soldiers.
Standing at a distance, as near as they
could approach, they witnessed with in-
tense feelings, the convulsions of nature
* and the crucifixion of Jesus. They stood
the ground more firmly than the disciples
of Christ. Jesus has often curious and
inquisitive spectators of His mysteries,
who are only present in body ; but love
and fidelity were the things which kept
these pious women there, as they were
those which caused them first to follow
Jesus. His grace drew them to Him, His
grace detained them. Which followed Jesus,
&c. (See on Luke viii. 2, 3.) Mary Mag-
dalene. (See on Luke viii. 3.) 3far]/ the
mother of James and Joses. This Mary was
sister to our Lord's mother (John xix. 25),,
and wife of Cleophas. James is the one
called James the Less (Mark xv. 40), ta
distinguish him from James the brother
of John. This James and Joses are named,
in chap. xiii. 55, as relatives of our Lord.
The mother of Zebedee's children, that is,
Salome. (See Mark xv. 40.) Zebedee's
children were James and John. (See
Matt. X. 2.) Amid all the voices lifted up
against Jesus during His lifetime, tliere is
not one female voice expressing itself in
recrimination, insult, or reproach. While
men forsook the unparalleled suflerer,
women, with a love that did not falter at
the worst of times, as it had never wavered
in the best, stood near the cross and
sympathized, if they could not succor.
57. jWhen the even wa.s come, there came a rich
man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself
was Jesus' disciple: 58. lie went to Pilate and begged
the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body
to be delivered.
yMark xv. 42; Luke xxiii. 50; John ix. 38.
Even. The old word for evening. The
latter part of the day preceding the Jewish
Sabbalh, was devoted, to a greater or less
extent, in making preparation in the way
of food, fuel, and other necessary things
for the wants of the day. It was, there-
fore, known as the jjreparation hour, an
appellation given eventually to the whole
of the preceding day. On the present
occasion, it was of more than ordinary im-
portance, because the Sabbath fell upon
the second day of the feast. A rich man,.
thus fulfilling Is. liii. 9. Of Arimathea —
this was probably Kamathaim Zophim,
lying a few miles east of Jerusalem.
Who also himself was Jesus' disciple. He
was a believer in Christ, but a timid one,
not willing at first to acknowledge his
faith. But God called him to a public
profession of attachment, and gave him,
grace to evince it. So men often delay a
profession of attachment to Christ.-
They cherish secret love, they indulge a
hope in the mercy of God, but they con-
conceal it for fear of man. Whereas God
requires that the attachment should be
made known. Those who love the Sa-
viour have no right to hide their light
under a bushel. They are bound to pro-
fess Him before men. This is the com-
mand of God, and this is the way of
peace.
CHAPTER XXVII
3o;?
He went to Pilate, and begged the body of
Jesus. Joseph probably signified to the
Boldiers his intention of taking the body
of Jesus, and, therefore, as he went
directly to Pilate to obtain permission
thus to do, they left the body for him
to takedown. The application of Joseph
to Pilate, would have great weight with
him. Unless this special application had
been made in behalf of Jesus, His body
would have been buried that night in
the common grave with the malefactors,
for it was a law of the Jews that the body
of an executed man should not remain on
the cross on the Sabbath. At this critical
juncture, God called forth this secret dis-
ciple, this friend of Jesus, though unknown
as such to the world, and gave him confi-
dence to go in personally to the Roman
governor, and ask permission to take
down and inter the body. If this be the
first instance, it is not the last, that a
seemingly dead Christ has awakened a
sympcithy which a living one had failed to
evoke. The heroism of faith is usually
kindled by desperate circumstances, and is
not seldom displayed by those who before
were the most timid, and scarce known as
disciples at all. Jesus has friends of whom
little is known. There are some quiet, re-
tiring souls on earth, who know the Lord,
and the Lord knows them, and yet they are
little known by the Church. There are
diversities of gifts among Christ's jjeople.
There are some who glorify Him passively,
and some who glorify Him actively.
There are some whose vocation it is to
build the Church, and fill a public place,
and there are some who only come for-
ward, like Joseph, in times of special
need. But each and all are led by one
Spirit, and each and all glorify God in
their several ways.
Then Pilate commanded, &c. It was cus-
tomary to allow the bodies of deceased
criminals to be disposed of by friends,
though sometimes wicked rulers exacted
money from the friends for the privilege.
Joseph's begging the body of Jesus shows
that he believed our Lord to be dead.
Mark says distinctly (xv. 44), that Pilate
only granted the request of Joseph on the
express assurance of the centurion that
Jesus was dead.
.ra. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrap-
ped it in a clean linen clotli, GO. And «laid it in his own
new tomb, wliicli he had liewn out in the rock ; and he
rolled a great stone to the door of the .sepulchre, and
departed.— 'Isai. liii. 9.
Wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. Not a
shroud, nor a garment, but winding sheets
(John xix. 40.) This sindon (so called in
the Greek frotn Sind or Indus, where it
was first fabricated) was of fine linen or
muslin. It was i)robably an entire piece
at first, and was afterward divided for the
purpose of rolling. This idea occurs to us
from the object to be attained : the pieces
of linen must be wrapped around the
limbs in such a way as to enclose the
spices, which had been powdered to be
employed for embalming. The head was
wrapped separately in a napkin of this
material. (Johnxx. 7.)
Aiid laid it in his own new tomb. It was
a great disgrace among the Jews if any
one had not a burying-place of his own,
and so it came to be considered an act of
charity to bury neglected dead bodies.
Which he had hewn out in the rock. We
must figure to ourselves a large room cut
horizontally into the solid rock for a
vault. In this room we enter, from the
oi^en air, by a large door. On entering
you would see small, long cells, or niches,,
cut into the solid, adamantine sides, as
depositories of the corpses ; or from this
main room you may enter one or several
smaller apartments, in whose walls the
niches for corpses are cut. A person could
enter into the first main vault, and then
into either of the smaller apartments.
He rolled a great stone, &c. The entrance
to sepulchres used to be closed either by
stone doors, or by a flat stone placed up
against it. This latter act was done to
guard the entrance against beasts, or such
persons as might be disposed to profane
the sepulchre. This circumstance became
an important one in Christ's resurrection,
for as the tomb had been hewn from a
solid rock, and its mouth closed by a huge
stone, under charge of a Roman guard, it
was impossible for the body to have been
removed without the knowledge of the
soldiers. The stone was rolled, in the
sense of working a large stone along, by
lifting it up at one end and letting it fall
over, so that each time it is passed onward
its own length. How wonderful are even
304
M A T T H E W ,
the minutest features of this matchless
history of the death and burial of Jesus !
A sacred providence watched over His
body. Christianity does not contemn tlie
corporeal frame in which the soul resides.
61. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other
Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.
The other Mary — the one mentioned in
verse 5G. (See Mark xv. 47 ; Luke xxiii.
55.) Sitting over afjuinst the sepulchre. This
touching feature is recorded by Matthew
alone. The women, who, with the attach-
ment of loving sisters, and the courage of
heroes, sit in the dusk, in a lonesome
garden, over against the sepulchre of Jesus,
in silence, and sunk in deep meditation,
form the brightest contrast to the crowds of
women who, in the Orient, often assemble
in bright daylight about the graves, lament-
ing the dead with unbecoming noise.
With Christ they had died to the world ;
motionless they sat there till late in the
evening, and thus lost the time to pro-
cure spices with the others, before the
Sabbath, for the embalmment. But as soon
as the Sabbath was over — six o'clock, Sat-
urday evening — they made a purchase by
themselves, assisted by Salome. Thus the
apparent discrepancy between Mark (xvi.
1) and Luke (xxiii. 56), with regard to
the time when the spices were bought,
disappears. It may be added, that if the
Greek word (Mark xvi. 1) is translated
''bought" as it ought to be, instead of
" had bought," as in our version there is
not even an apparent discrepancy.
62. U Now the next day, that followed the day of the
preparation, "the chief priests and Pharisees came to-
gether unto Pilate, 63. Saying, Sir, we remember that
that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, tAfter three
days I will rise again. 64. Command therefore that
the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his
disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say
unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last
error shall be worse than the first.
"Ps. ii. 1, 3; Acts iv. 27. 28. bChap. xvi. 21, xvil. 23,
XX. 19, xxvi. 61 ; Mark viii. 31, x. 34 ; Luke ix. 22, xviii.
33 ; xxiv. 6, 7.
The next day. This was the seventh, the
Jewish Sabbath, our Saturday, and might
be what we should term the evening of
the sixth or Friday, because the Jews
always ended their day when the sun set,
and then began the next. The day of the
preparation. The victuals, &c. which were
to be used on the Sabbath by the Jews,
were always prepared the preceding
evening before the sun set. It is of this
preparation that the Evangelist speaks
here, and it is the same which is mentioned
by Mark, xv. 42, Luke, xxiii. 54, and John,
xix. 31. The chief priests and Pharisees
had a guard therefore as soon as they pos-
sibly could after the body of Christ was
deposited in the sepulchre, and one can-
not help admiring the wisdom of Provi-
dence in so disposing events, that the
extreme anxiety of these men, to prevent
collusion, should be the means of adding
the testimony of sixty unexceptionable
witnesses (the number of the Roman
soldiers on guard) to the truth of the res-
urrection, on which everything depended,
and of establishing the reality of it be-
yond all power of contradiction. And
Pharisees. They had taken no part in the
actual trial (chap. xxvi. 3, 57), yet had
not been altogether inactive (John xviii.
3.) Perhaps there were also Pharisees
among the scribes and elders. Perhaps
the Pharisees, from extreme zeal, did
much that was not exactly their office.
Sir, literally. Lord. They cringe to Pilate.
They had not so addressed him before.
That deceiver. The chiefs of the people
seem never to have called Jesus by His
name. One of the charges against Him
was, that He deceived the people. By
this title they still chose to designate Him,
thinking that His death had fully con-
firmed the truth of the charges against
Him. "Even in death and after death to
be called a ' deceiver,' as if no other des-
cription could express Thee ! Thy humil-
iation, and wounds, and shame, are not
yet over or exhausted, but flow on still
even beyond the grave, to the healing of
our sick souls, and the strengthening of
our weak faith, teaching us that not even
in death are we to seek for a good name
for ourselves, but that when reviled we
shall have Thy shame to cover us."
After three days, &c. Jesus had never said
this in their hearing, on any recorded oc-
casion. But they say, we remember. Had
they then obtained the statement from
Judas, or from some other of the Twelve?
Or did they so well understand " the sign
of the prophet Jonas " (Matt. xii. 39, 40)
as to venture thus boldly to interpret it ?
Probably they took this from our Lord's
saying concerning "this temple." (John
ii. 19). If so, they destroyed, by their
CHAPTER XXVII
305
own words, the false accusation they
brought against Him to put Him to death.
Then they jwrverted the meaning, noiu they
declare it. Thus the wise are taken in
their own craftiness. Neither the devil nor
his servants ever speak truth, but when
they expect to accomplish some bad pur-
pose by it. Be made sure — with guards,
seals, &c. Until the third day. This is a
commentary on the expression, " within
three days," showing that the tliird day
is meant, and not three full days of 24
hours each. Lest, i. e., lest perhaps.
Steal him aicay, i. e., remove His body
by stealth from the tomb. Saij unto the
people, &c. The Pharisees did not aj^pre-
hend that they would believe it. They
will take care (as they persuade them-
selves) for the peojile. *S'o the last error —
namely, the triumph of the disciples of
Christ in creating a faith in the resurrec-
tion. The first — the temporary faith pro-
duced b}'^ Christ's miracles and preaching
in the popular mind that He was the
Messiah. The Jews talk as if a previous
error or mismanagement had allowed
Jesus a temporary triumph while living ;
they fear that a worse oversight may give
a permanent triumph to His cause after His
death. How much worse has proved that
error, and how much greater the triumjjh,
than they could have imagined !
65. Pilate said unto them, ye have a watch : go your
way, make it as sure as ye can.
Yc have a watch. This alludes to the
guard of Roman soldiers which was at
this time allowed the Jewish rulers, for
the pupose of quelling tumults and pre-
serving the public peace. "We learn from
Josephus that the tower of Antonia, which
overlooked the temple, was always garri
soned by a legion ol Roman sui'Uers, and
that, on the side where it joined to the
porticos of the temple, there were stairs
reaching to each portico, by which a com-
pany, band or detachment, descended and
kept guard in these porticos, to prevent any
tumults at the great festivals. It was a de-
tachment of these soldiers that Pilate gave
the Jewsleave to employ to watch the tomb.
Make it ns sure as ye can — not '• if that is
possible," but, '• as ye understand tiiat," ac-
cording to your meaning of securing.
Though there mav be no iiony in this
20'
speech, it evidently insinuated that if the
event should be contrary to their wish, it
would not be for want of sufficient human
appliances to prevent it. Pilate, though he
had placed the guard at their dis])osal, yet
left the employment of the men, tlie
guardianship or guarantee for Christ's
continuance in death, which they wished
him also to undertake, to themselves. In
this instance, again, he kejit not his con-
science pure, and preserved not his civil
power unimpaired — giving a guard because
of a religious question.
GG. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure,
"^sealing the stone, and settuig a watt-h.— 'Dan. vi. 17.
Sealing the stone. Probably a rope was
passed over it in such a way, that the two
ends meeting upon it were fastened, and
some public seal — either Pilate's signet, or
the jjublic seal of the Sanhedrim — was
attached to them. No one, then, could pass
into the sepulchre without resisting the
public authority. Setting a vxitdi, literally,
icith a leatch, i. e., they sealed the stone, at
the same time that they set the guard.
The guard was to prevent the duplicity of
the disciples, the seal was to secure against
the collusion of the guard. (See Dan. vi
7.) ' What more could man do? But
while they are trying to prevent the resur-
rection-of the Prince of Life, God makes
use of their precautions for His own ends.
Their stone-covered, seal-secured sepul-
chre shall i:)reserve the sleeping body of
the Son of God free from all indignities,
in undisturbed, sublime repose ; while
their watch shall be His guard of honor
until the angels shall come to take their
l)lace.
" How contemptible," says Lange, " are
the means by which the modern Pharisees
and scribes attempt, like those of old, to
shut up the life and spirit of Christ in the
grave ! Antiquated seals of office and
guards of soldiers obtained by begging!
^lental blindness goes hand in hand with
the malice of the heart." Lisco remarks :
'' AVhat a great resemblance do the enemies
of Christ in our days bear to those Jewish
I>riests! 1. Tliey pretend to be fully satis-
fied of the worthlessness and insignificance
ot tlie Sjiirit indwelling in the Cliurch. 2.
Nevertheless, they are in constant dread
that it will break out again, even when
306
IJI A T T H E W .
they look upon it as suppressed. 3. All
their measures to prevent the spread of
the Gospel prove as ineffectual as did the
sealing of the gr^ve of Jesus. What did
the murderers of Jesus gain by stationing
a heathen guard and sealing the tomb of
Jesus? They only became the instru-
ments in the hands of Divine Providence,
to place the resurrection of Christ beyond
all reasonable doubt. Thus must all the
assaults on the cause of Christ at last serve
the furtherance of the Gospel."
1. To what governor was Jesus led away ? 2. What is said of Judas? 3. What did the chief priests do with
the thirty pieces of silver he brought to them ? 4. What did the governor ask Jesus ? 5. Did Christ answer his
question? 6. What did Pilate do in reference to Barabbas and Jesus? 7. What did his wife say to him? 8.
What dreadful imprecation did all the people utter ? 9. What did the soldiers do to Jesus ? 10. Who bore His
cross ? 11. What was given Christ to drink ? 12. What was done with His garments ? 13. What was said to
Jesus as He hung on the cross ? 14. When He " cried with a loud voice," what did He say ? 15. What occurred
when Christ yielded up the Uhost ? 16. Who asked His body for burial ? 17. Why was it requested " that the
sepulchre be made sure? '
CHAPTER XXVIII.
1 Christ's resurrection is declared hy nn angel to the
women. 9 He himself ajypiKreth unto them. 11 The
highpriests give the anldi) is nioiirii to say that he ivas
stolen out of his sejiule/t)-e. Ill ('/irixt a])peareth to his
disciples, 19 and scndeth ttuiiito baptize and teach all
nations.
IN the J^end of the Sabbath as it began to dawn to-
ward the first day of the week, came Mary Magda-
lene ''and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. "■
aMark xvi. 1 ; Luke xxiv. 1 ; John xx. 1. *>Chap.
xxvu. 56.
In the end of the Sabbath denotes at the
close of Saturday, the Sabbath of the Jews.
The first day of the week was our Sunday.
Hence, this day of the week was called the
Lord's day. (Rev. i. 9.) It is therefore
recognized by inspiration as the sacred
day in the Christian week. The day of
the vSaviwur's .sepulchral repose was the
last of Jewish Sabbaths. The first day of
the week has, from that time to this, suc-
ceeded to the honors of the fourth com-
mandment.
^s it began to dawn, &c. Mark says :
"Very early at the rising of the
sun." (xvi. 2.) Luke : " Very early in
the morning." (xxiv. 1.) John : " When
it was yet dark." (xx. 1.) The visit of
the women to the sepulchre may have
covered hours, extending from the first
start from home until they left the sepul-
chre. Suppose they started at four o'clock,
and after the company gathered proceeded
on their way. By some unknown means
(perhaps the delay in the opening of the
city gates), they may not have arrived
until " the rising of the sun " — a phrase
which, as can be easily shown, may indi-
cate not merely the time when the sun
has visibh^ risen above the horizon, but
the time when he is sensibly about rising
to it.
Came Mary Magdalene, &c. (See on xxvii.
6L) From Mark (xvi. 1) we learn that
Salome, the mother of Zebedee's sons, was
with them. To see the sepulchre. It appears
from the other Evangelists that in com-
pany with other women, they came to
anoint the body with the spices and oint-
ments which they had prepared previous
to the Sabbath (Luke xxiii. 56), and also,
in part, after the Sabbath was ended.
(Mark xvi. 1. See on chap, xxvii. 6L)
Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, had,
indeed, embalmed the body of Jesus, but
as this must necessarily have been hastily
and imperfectly executed, these women
came with the intention of disposing the
body in a more orderly manner for its
final rest.
We here perceive what little hope there
was of the resurrection of Christ from the
dead, for we see that not one of His dis-
ciples even expected it. If they had had
any expectation of the event, they would
have seized upon the smallest indication
of it, and have founded their conclusion
CHAPTER XXVIII,
S07
upon very slight grounds, but the difficul-
ty was to persuade them that Christ had
risen, and they needed nothing short of
their own sense of His actual, personal
presence, to convince them that He whom
they saw crucified and laid in a sepulchre
hewn from the rock, had now risen from
the dead, had become the first fruits of
them that slept. The early visit of these
holy women to the sepulchre — which they
evidently never dreamed would be found
empty, and Christ gone — is a strong proof
of their love and aflfection. It has been
said of woman :
" Not she with trait'rous kiss her Master stung,
Not she denied Him with unfaithful tongue:
fihe, when Apostles lied, could danger brave,
Iiost at His cross, and earliest at His grave,"
A woman was the first to eat the for-
bidden fruit. It was merciful in God to
permit her to be the first to visit the sacred
tomb.
2. And behold, there was a great earthquake : for ^the
angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came
and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon
it.— cSee Mark xvl. 5 ; Luke xxiv. 4 , John xx. 12.
As the women went, it occurred to them
that they should find an insuperable dif-
ficulty in the removal of the great stone
that closed the sepulchre. (Mark xvi. 3.)
How glad would they have been of the
help of all the eleven Apostles. But
greater help than theirs was afibrded.
How often there seems to be a great
stone in the way of pious undertakings.
How apt are Christians to be discouraged,
and to say, " Who shall roll it away ?" Let
their answer be, " God." When He de-
signs that a work should be performed,
He removes every obstacle. There teas a
great earthquake — the proper translation is,
"There had been a great earthquake —
previous to the visit of the women. The
angel of the Lord descended, &c. They ob-
served with amazement that the stone had
already been removed, and that the mouth
of the sepulchre stood open. Boiled back
the stone from the door. The stone was ly-
ing in the hollow, cut deep into the rock,
so as to form the door " It was very great"
(Mark xvi. 4), and must accordingly be
rolled forth from this recess outward.
And sat upon it — upon the conquered
thing as upon a triumphant throne.
Luke speaks of two angels, and represents
them as standing (xxiv. 4), while Matthew
and Mark speak of only one, who was
sitting. (Mark xvi. 5.) The apparent
discrepancy may be reconciled by either
of the following metho^. Matthew and
Mark speak of the one who acted as
spokesman, not denying, however, that
there were two, but Luke, not making that
distinction between the one who spoke
and the one who kept silence, represents
two as being present, and sjieaking. As
to their pof^ition, the word in Luke trans-
lated stood has reference to a sudden ap-
pearance, or, being suddenly present, and not
at all to the posture or position of the one
who makes his appearance. Or thus —
The angel who sat uj^on the stone to ap-
pal and stupefy the guards, had entered
the sepulchre as the w<3men drew nigh,
doubtless to prevent their being deterred
from api^roaching. The women entered
the sepulchre and there (as is implied in
Matt, xxviii. G), the words of the angel
were uttered to them. On their first en-
trance they saw but one angel, and he
sitting, at which they were terrified. A
moment after, as Luke adds, two angels
stood before them (the one being joined
by a second, to confirm the truth by two
witnesses), so that the words were uttered
standing, the first angel, doubtless, having
risen and being speaker for both.
3. dHis countenance was like lightning, and his rai-
ment wliite as snow : 4. And for fear of him the keep-
ers did shake, and became as dead mtn.—iJJan. x. 6.
Mis countenance uas like lightning, that is,
of an unearthly and intolerable splendor.
And his raiment, &c. Mark says (xvi. 5),
" they saw a young man," i. e., a man in
form but an angel in nature. It would
seem that angelic beings can assume dif-
ferent forms, and invest themselves with
api^arent habiliments, and present or with-
draw themselves from sight as they please.
So our Lord in His resurrection body
could make Himself more or less know]i,
as He chose, to His disciples. The rai-
ment was of dazzling brightness. Celes-
tial beings are usually represented as
clothed in white. (Acts i. 10 ; Dan. vii. 9 ;
Rev. iii. 4, 5, iv. 4, \ui. 13, 14). White,
among the Jews, was a symbol of purity
and innocence. It is asked sometimes,
Whence did Jesus obtain His resurrection
clothes? We might, with the same wis-
dom, ask, Whence did these angels obtain
308
MATTHEW,
their robes of white ? Who manufactures
the angels' harps, or Gabriel's trump?
The keepers did shake, &c. The guard ap-
pointed to the to«ib became paralyzed as
dead men. God can, by one and the same
means, comfort His servants, and terrify His
enemies. The resurrection of Christ is a
subject of terror to the servants of sin, and
a subject of consolation to the sons of
God, because it is a proof of the resur-
rection of both — the one to shame and
everlasting contempt, the other to eternal
glory.
5. And the angel answered and said unto the women,
Fear not ye ; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was
crucified. 6. He is not here; for lie is risen, ^as he said.
Come, see the place where tlie Lord lay.
«Chap. xii. 40, xvi. 21, xvii. 23 and xx. 19.
At first these pious visitants were afraid.
And what wonder, when we consider that
they were females — that all their sensibil-
ities were alive — that they w^ere in the
garden of another — that they were alone
— that the guards were paralyzed with
fear — that it was early in the morning, and
the remaining darkness rendered more
visible and awful the Divine messenger,
in whose presence they stood — his coun-
tenance as lightning, and his raiment
white as snow ! But, says the angel, " You
have nothing to apprehend from me. He
is my Master as well as your Saviour. I
serve Him whom ye seek, and having at-
tended His resurrection, 1 now announce
it to you. He is not here. He is risen, as
He said. Step forward — come see the
place where the Lord lay." (See Matt,
xii. 40, xvi. 21, xx. 19.)
Do we feel our need of Christ as once
we did not, for all the purposes of salva-
tion ? Have we desires after Him — so pe-
culiar that nothing else can satisfy them —
so powerful as to make us part with what-
ever stands in competition with Him?
Are we determined to press through all
difiiculties ? Are we found in the use of
all the means which He has appointed ?
Are we submissively asking, Lord, what
wilt thou have me to do ? depending on
the aid of His Holy Spirit, and looking for
His mercy unto eternal life ? If we can
answer thej>e questions in the affirmative,
we are entitled to the assurance, I know
that ye seek Jesus which luas crucified. And
we have nothing to fear. AVe need not
fear that we have a graceless heart — the
very seeking is a token for good. We need
not fear that our search will be successless,
for the aim of Christ in making us sensible
of our condition, is not to render us miser-
able, but to endear Himself, and to draw
forth our souls after Him. We shall not
be disai^pointed.
From the vacant sepulchre of Christ we
learn, 1. That a stronger than death has
invaded ihe tomb. The spoiler is now
spoiled ; Death himself is buried, and his
dominion gone forever. 2. That Jesus
was made sin for His people. Death is
not a debt of nature, but the penalty of
transgression. As Jesus died, sin must
have been His in some way, or how came
He to sufiier its penalty ? The Apostle
tells us : " He was made sin for us who
knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him." 3. That
Jesus put away the sins of His people.
Sin being imputed to Jesus, death must
hold Him its prisoner forever, unless He
in\t it awaj'' by the endurance of its pen-
alty. The vacant grave proclaims the pen-
alty vjas endured, and the transgression of
His people forever removed. 4. That His
work was accepted. Jesus came to magni-
fy the law, and make it honorable, and to
ratify, with His own blood, the covenant
made between the Eternal Three, which
covenant hath for its object the salvation
of His i^eople. He did so ; the ratification
was complete ; justice placed her hand up-
on the crimson bond, and declared herself
satisfied; the Father looked and smiled,
and welcomed back the Son. 5. That His
people shall live. The law cannot give
life, but a li\ing Saviour can. "Because
I live ye shall live also."
7. And go quickly, and tell his disciples, that he is
risen from the dead, and behold, fhe goeth before you
into Galilee, there shall ye see him ; lo, I have told
you.— fChap. xxvi. 32 ; Mark xvi. 7.
Go quickly, &c. Do not tarry, do not
take the good news as a monopoly.
Spread the good news that He has risen
from the dead. Engage in active duty,
carry the glad tidings to His disciples " and
Peter." (Mark xvi. 7.) What an ex-
quisitely beautiful touch is that ! We
read in the account of Peter's denial, of
Jesus looking upon Peter, and of Peter
thinking thereon, and going out and weep-
ing bitterly. How beautiful, that Jesus
CHAPTER XXVIII.
309
should send the first glad tidings of His
resurrection to His disciples, and that He
should request these women specially to
single out Peter, because his heart was
sorrowful and cast down under a sense of
his sin, and to carry him the consolation
which sucli tidings would give. He gocth
before you into Galilee — to which those
women belonged. This must refer k)
those more public manifestations of Him-
self to large numbers of disciples at once,
which He vouchsafed only in Galilee, for
individually He was seen of some of these
very women almost immediately after this.
(Verses 9, 10). Lo, I have told you. Behold,
ye have this word from the world of light.
8. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre
with fear and great joy, and did run to bring his disci-
ples word.
Fear and joy. What a strange mixture !
Their joy was greater than their fear.
They trembled because they had seen
angels ; they rejoiced because they hoped
soon to see their Lord. The fear was the
consequence of human infirmity ; the joy
flowed from faith and love. There are
many fears now in the hearts of believers,
but they shall all pass away, whereas their
joy shall increase and endure forever.
When they have no sin, they shall have
no fear, and when they see Jesus, their
joy shall be full. Did run, &c. Through
fear, they did not say anything to any
man by the way. (Mark xvi. 8.) Thus
these faithful women proclaim the Gospel
to those who were, afterward, to be the
teachers of the whole human race ! Behold
what honor God puts upon those who
persevere in His truth, and continue to ac-
knowdedge Him before men !
9. And as they went to tel! hi.3 disciples, behold, Fjesus
met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held
him by the feet, and worshipped him.
eSee Mark xvi. 9 ; John xx. 14.
And as they went, that is, the other women,
Mary Magdalene not being with them, for
Mark says (xvi. 9), Jesus appeared first to
Mary Magdalene. It is probable from the
statement of John, in his twentieth chaji-
ter, that Mary Magdalene, having left the
ground before the other women, met with
Peter and John, who, after hearing from
her, came ofi" without delay to the tomb,
and found it empty, and then returned
from the tomb. Mary Magdalene arrived
later than they, and then Jesus appeared
to her. Shortly after this, Jesus appeared
to the other women who were going, by
direction of the angel, to inform the disci-
l)les. Jesus met them. Christ bestows His
graces and consolations by degrees— firat
by His angels, and then by Himself. He
does not reveal Himself to incredulous
and disobedient souls. He appears not
even to those women till He has tried
their fitith and obedience by His minis-
tering angels. All hail— the usual salute,
but from the lips of Jesus, bearing a higher
signification.
Aiid they came and held him, &c. Jesus
allowed them to approach and embrace
His feet in testimony of their joy and
homage. The granting of this privilege is
not inconsistent with Christ's prohibition
to Mary Magdalene: "Touch me not."
(John XX. 17.) In that case, Mary, in the
immediate outpouring of her love, seemed
to want to hold Him fest (the Greek tense
expressing action continued), lest the won-
derful appearance should vanish again,
and in doing so she betrayed that she did
not at the time realize the higher relation
in which her risen Lord now stood to her.
She wanted to enjoy His communion in a
human manner, as she had been wont
during His earthly life. From this tone
of mind Christ leads her away by giving
her to understand that she must no longer
reckon upon any such intercourse with
Him as she had hitherto enjoyed, that
His tarrying on earth was only transitory,
and that the time of exalted and Divine
relationships had ceased. The act of the
women which Matthew records is entirely
different. They at once recognize Him
with holy awe, not merely as their Teacher,
but as their risen Lord, and instinctively
pay Him adoration.
10. Then said Jesus unto them. Be not afraid : go tell
hmy brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall
they see me.— hjohn xx. 17 ; Rom. viii. 29 , Heb. ii. 11.
Be not afraid. Jesus, with gentle words,
quieted their first alarm. What dear as-
sociations would tliese familiar words —
now uttered in a higher style, but by the-
same lips — bring rushing back to their
recollection ! Go tell my brethren that they go
into Galilee, and there shall they see me. The
brethren here must have been His breth-
ren after the flesh (chap. xiii. 55) ; for His
310
MATTHEW.
brethren in the higher sense (John xx.
17), had several meetings with Him at
Jerusalem before He went to Galilee, which
they would have missed if they had been
the persons ordered to Galilee to meet
Him. (See on verse 7.)
The several apijearances which Jesus
made after His resurrection to various per-
sons, and at different times, are as follows :
The first was to Mary Magdalene alone.
(Mark xvi. 9.)
The second, to her in company with sev-
eral other women. (Matt, xxviii. 9.)
The third to Peter. (1 Cor. xv. 5.)
The fourth, to the two disciples going to
Emmaus. (Luke xxiv. 13.)
The fifth, to the Apostles in Jerusalem,
when they were assembled with the doors
shut, on the first day of the week ; at which
time He showed them His hands and His
feet, pierced with the nails, and did eat be-
fore them. (John xx. 19 ; Luke xxiv. 37-43.)
The sixth, to the Apostles a second time,
as they sat at meat, when He satisfied the
doubts of the incredulous Thomas, by mak-
ing him thrust his hand into His side.
(John XX. 26.)
The seventh, to Peter and several of His
disciples, at the lake of Tiberias, when He
also ate with them. (John xxi. 1.)
The eighth, and last, was to above five
hundred brethren at once. (1 Cor. xv. 6.)
There are then no less than eight dis-
tinct appearances of our Lord to His dis-
ciples after his resurrection, recorded by
the sacred historians. And can we believe
that all those different persons could be de-
ceived in these appearances of one, whose
countenance, figure, voice, and manner,
they had for so long a time been perfectly
well acquainted with ; and who now, not
merely presented Himself to their view
transiently and silently, but ate and drank
and conversed with them, and suffered
them to touch and examine Him thorough-
ly, that they might be convinced by all
their senses that it was truly their befoved
Master, and not a spirit, that conversed
with them.
11. J Now when they were going, behold, some of the
watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief
priests all the things that were done. 12. And when
they were assembled with the elders, and had taken
counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, i:j
baying. Say ye. His disciples came by night, and stole
nim au-ay while we slept. 14. And if this come to the
Crovernor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
15. So they took the money, and did as they were
taught : and this saying is commonly reported among
the Jews until this day.
When they were going, some of the watch,
&c. It seems that what induced the guard
to take this step was the visit of the
women. The soldiers had ascertained
that Jesus was departed, whose sepulchre
they had been set to watch. They had
already seen His female followers make
their appearance at " the place where the
Lord lay," indeed, the women were even
now running toward Jerusalem with the
news that Christ had risen from the dead.
It was manifest that no time was to be
lost ; accordingly, while the women were
going, some of the guard hastened into
the city, to bring thither the unwelcome
tidings of what had so recently occurred.
Probably the rest of the guards still re-
mained at the tomb, waiting for orders to
depart, and had sent these to intimate to
their employers the things that had taken
place. Chief priests, i. e., Annas and Caia-
phas, under whose immediate authority
they had acted (see xxvii. 65), and to
whom, therefore, they were to make their
report. All the things that were done. How
great must have been the consternation of
these men to find that after all the matter
was not to die with the crucifixion, and that
" the last error," which they had feared
as " worse than the first," had truly taken
place.
And when they were assembled, &c. As the
report filled them with amazement, and
as there seemed to be no way of evading
the truth of this marvelous event, they
had no resoui'ce left but to convene the
Sanhedrim, and refer the matter to their
united wisdom and counsel. Large money,
a large sum of money. It must have been
a very tempting bribe, to induce a Roman
guard to confess so capital & delinquency
as sleeping on their post. It, as was
promised, the chief priests and rulers suc-
ceeded in persuading Pilate to pardon
them, they would yet be disgraced for-
ever in the estimation of their comrades.
Say ye, His disciples, &c. The very event
which the high priests had rendered im-
possible by setting a guard, they were
obliged to bribe the soldiers to declare
had actually taken place. (See chap,
xxvii. 53.) And why? Because they had
CHAPTER XXVIII
311
to do with Him who " taketh the wise in
their own craftiness" (Job v. 13), and by
whose Spirit it had been said i)rophetically,
" They have digged a pit before me, into
the midst whereof they are fallen them-
selves. (Ps. Ivii. 6.)
Came by night, and stole him away, &c.
How utterly absurd such an allegation!
For, first, there was a great festival of
the Jews; it was bright moonlight, and
at that great festival, as the houses of
Jerusalem were unable to contain all the
visitors who came from a distance to be
present, hundreds of thousands were bi-
vouacked upon the streets, living in tents,
or wandering about all niglit unable to
find a lodging. In the next place a watch
of Roman soldiers was the most exclusive
guarantee that no one should i^revail to
interfere successfully with their charge,
except at the sacrifice of their own lives.
A Roman soldier was punished Avith death
if he slept on his watch. He would have
been punished with death if he had al-
lowed any one to interfere with his charge,
whom he could prevent. And, therefore,
for the soldiers to come and say that to
the scribes and Pharisees, and thus to im-
pute to themselves the highest crime of
which a soldier coukl be guilty, was absurd
in itself, ami not fitted to make an impres-
sion in favor of what they asserted upon
any dispassionate and unprejudiced mind.
For, first, how coukl the eleven fishermen
of Galilee roll away a gigantic stone from
a seijulchre in bright moonlight, in the
midst of a watch of twenty-five or thirty
Roman soldiers, and then take out the
dead body, and exhibit so little haste that
the napkin was rolled up and laid neatly
aside in the sepulchre, and then carry
that dead body along the streets of Jerusa-
lem, lined with thousands who could not
get accommodation in the city, and so
secrete that dead body, that the most vigi-
lant inspection of all the soldiers and
police of Jerusalem should fail to detect
it? Is this probable? And again, hovr
could it have happened that all the soldiers
slept precisely at the same moment, and
that the disciples opened the sepulchre
without disturbing the slumbers of a single
soldier, and that they carried away the
body and left not the least trace of haste
or precii>itation behind them ? The story
manifestly carries its own refutation, and
proves nothing against the solemn declara-
tion of the discijtles, that their Master
was raised by the j)Ower of God.
And if (his came to the yovcrnor^s ears, &c.
When this rumor shall reach the governor,
be repeated unto him for judicial investi-
gation, and the danger becomes imminent.
This was undoubtedly an excuse highly
danserous for the soldiers (see Acts xii.
19), and the high priests could by no
means be sure of the result, although
they might be ready to give Pilate a large
bribe. The hierarchical spirit, wliich
here reaches its climax, uses the Roman
soldiers merely as tools to eflfect its own
ends, as it had previously employed Judas,
and was again fully prepared to let the
despised instruijients perish, when the
work was finished. So they took the money.
Avarice had more power over them than
fear. And this saying is commonly reported,
&c. — to the date of the publication of this
Gospel. The wonder is that so clumsy
and incredible a story lasted so long.
But those who are resolved not to come to
the light will catch at straws. Justin
Martyr, who flourished about A. D. 170,
saj'S, in his " Dialogue with Trypho, the
Jew," that the Jews dispersed the story by
means of special messengers sent to every
country.
16. T Then the eleven disciples went away into Gali-
lee, into a mountain, 'wliere Jesus had appointed them.
'Chap. xxvi. 32 ; verse 7.
The eleven. One alone, the " son of per-
dition," is not among them. He has
fallen like a star from heaven, and left
his place vacant. The eleven are referred
to by Avay of pre-eminence, although there
can be no doubt that the pious women,
who had attended Jesus so faithfully
through all His trials and sufferings, and
others also of the brethren, including
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, ac-
companied them.
Into Galilee— inio which the disciples of
Jesus had, innnediately after His resurrec-
tion, been directed to follow Him. (Mark
xvi. 7. See also on Matt, xxviii. 7, 10.)
Into a mountain — probably the mountain
on which He had been transfigured, in
coming down from which He had spoken
of His resurrection from the dead. (Matt.
312
MATTHEW.
xvii. 9.) And also before the transfigiira-
tion (Matt. xvi. 21), and after it (Matt. xvii.
23.) They seem to have lingered by the
sea of Galilee, before reaching the moun-
tain where they were to meet their Lord.
(John xxi. 1-22.) Had appoitded them
(Matt. xxvi. 32 ; Mark xiv. 28). We have
every reason to l^elieve that this was the
same memorable convocation to which
Paul refers. (1 Cor. xv. 6.)
17. And when they saw him, they worshipped him :
but some doubted.
The faith in the Divinity of Christ that
existed during the time of His sojourn
on earth, as it were only as a spark in the
breasts of His disciples, was kindled into
a blazing flame by the sight of the risen
Saviour. But some doubted. "We cannot,"
says Slier, '' believe that any of the eleven
Apostles should have doubted, especially
after all that had taken place according to
Luke and John. Matthew gives us in this
circumstance an intimation that many
others were present with the eleven. But
what did they doubt ? We say with Ebrard,
' not whether Christ was risen, but whether
the person they saw was Christ.' For al-
though they had followed the summons to
the mountain, and had been in the com-
pany of the Apostles and brethren who
had already seen the Lord, they might,
when they themselves saw Him first, es-
pecially if standing at a distance, distrust
their eyes in astonishment, or fail to be-
lieve at once, simply through wonder and
joy." (See 1 Cor. xv. 6.) There can be no
question, however, that at the close of this
interview, every one present recognized
and identified Jesus who had risen from
the dead.
18. H And Jesus came, and spake unto them, saying,
kAll power is given unto me in lieaven and in earth.
kDan. vii. 13, 14; chap. xi. 27 and xvi. 2S: Luke i. .32
and X. 22; John iii. %\ v. 22, xiii. :{ and xvii. 2; Acts ii.
;jfj; Rom. xiv. 9; 1 Cor. xv. 27; Eph. i. 10, 21: Phil. ii.
9, 10 ; Bel), i. 2 and ii. 8 ; 1 Peter iii. 22 ; Rev. xvii. 14.
And Jesus came and spake. And as He
came and spake in the fullness of His
power, all shadow of doubt disappeared
from every mind. The three recorded as-
sertions of our Lord (verses 18-20), con-
sist of, 1. A parting assurance; 2. A
parting commission, and, 3. A parting
promise. All pover is given unto me. The
word "power" in our language is ambig-
uous; that is, it may be employed with
different significations. Sometimes it sig-
nifies ability or capacity, and sometimes,
also, rightful authority. The term is in
many passages used in these various ways.
(See 1 Cor. xv. 24.) In both these senses
it is true of Christ. He has at once the
ability to act and the authority to warrant
Ltis acting. It is, however, in the latter
of these .significations the word is here
employed. It signifies rightful authority.
But it must be remembered that God
would never commit all authority into the
hands of one who had not ability and ca-
pacity rightly to exercise it. Christ, as a
Divine person, has all power inherent in
Himself. He is God, equal with the Father.
The same titles and attributes are ascribed
to both. "I," says He, "and my Father
are one" — one in substance, one in will,
one in operation. This is manifest from
the mighty works which Jesus performed
in virtue of His essential as well as dele-
gated authority. The Apostles wrought
miracles in the Saviour's name, but Christ
did so in His own name. He thus bears
the names, claims the honors, and exer-
cises the prerogatives of Deity. "In him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily." (See Eph. i. 20, 21 ; Acts ii. 14,
36; Phil. ii. 8.)
19. 'Go ye therefore and mteach all nations, baptizing
them in tlie name of the Fatlier, and of the Son, and of
tlie Holy Ghost : 20. "iTeaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you : and, lo, I
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
Amen.
iMark xvi. 15. ^Isa. Iii. 10; Lukexxiv. 47; Acts ii.
38, 39 : Rom. x. 18 ; Col. i. 23. nActs ii. 42.
Go ye, &c. The Apostles had received
from the Lord the richest blessings. They
had been great receivers of grace, they
were, therefore, to be munificent givers.
They had been saved themselves freely
by His grace ; He asks them to go forth
and prove themselves active benefactors
to all the rest of mankind. No man re-
ceives a blessing to be absorbed in himself
God sanctions no monopoly in religion.
All M^e haA'e, we have as stewards, and
what we have we are commanded largely
and liberally to devote to the glory of
God and to the good of all over Avhom
we have any influence. No man liveth
unto himself; every man, by being a
Christian, becomes necessarily and every-
where a missionary.
It must have been very painful to the
CHAPTER XXVIII,
313
Apostles to leave their homes, their coun-
try and their kindred, and to go forth into
the wide, wide world, where they must
experience all sorts of opposition, and
expect rest only in the grave, or rather in
the presence of Him that sent them. They
had, in those days, no such facilities as
we have. The modern missionary has
not tlie difficulties in his way that these
ancient ones had. The paddle-wheel had
not made traveling easy, as it is now ; the
iron rails, stretching like a net-work over
all the earth, had not made communica-
tion so rapid. They went forth upon the
rough road many a long and arduous jour-
ney, knowing only that bonds and im-
prisonment awaited them, but caring for
nothing except that they should be free
from the blood of all men, and fulfil their
solemn commission — Go teach all
nations, &c. It is only to those who are
called by God and qualified for His ser-
vice, that this commission is given. It
was the disciples of Christ that were' here
addressed, and it is only so far as minis-
ters are connected with Him and com-
missioned by Him, that they are to be
obeyed. Therefore, that is, because all power
is given unto me. Being, as I am now,
the fountain of all authority, crowned, as I
now am, with a rightful dominion, go forth
and win the world to a willing subjection
by grace. It was as if the first use Jesus
would make of His mediatorial rule and
sovereignty was to break down the bar-
riers that had so long separated race from
race, and make the waters of salvation
roll round the globe, and, like its own
oceans, touch every shore.
Teach, literally disciple, or train into dis-
cipleship. Not subdue, subjugate, as the
consequence of His unlimited power, but
" bring men to the knowledge of the truth
— work on and in their hearts, and lift
them up to be partakers of the Divine
nature."
All nations. The Gospel is to be preach-
ed to "all the world" — to every creature.
(Mark xvi. 15.) Its calls and invitations
are free, unfettered, and unlimited. The
language in which they uniformly run, is
this, "To you, 0 men, I call, and my voice
is to the sons of men." " Look unto me
and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth ;
for I am God, and there is none else." All
adventitious circumstances are disregard-
ed. The shivering Icelander and the sun-
burnt Moor are included in the call. With
Christ Jesus both Greek and Jew, barbar-
ian, Scythian, bond and free, male and
female, are all one, and He is not ashamed
to call them brethren. The rich man in
gay clothing, and the poor man in vile rai-
ment, are on the same level. Lazarus in
his rags, and in his sores, is equally well
pleasing with Solomon on the throne in
all his glory. Wherever we find a human
Ix^ing, beneath whatever load of woe he
may be bending, we may invite him to the
Saviour that he may obtain sympathy and
relief. He was manifested to take away
sin — His blood cleanseth from all sin — and
He taketh away the sin of the world.
" Him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out." " Thou art worthy to take the
book and to open the seals thereof, for
thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to
God by thy blood, out of everj' kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation."
Baptizing them — -as an initiatory rite. In
the name. A literal and better translation
would be, into the name, which denotes
something more than in or by the authority
of the Triune God. The name is one, not
names. The i:)ersons, or subsistences, three,
each of whom is manifestly represented as
co-equal, because the common objects of
trust, obedience, and worship, and the
source of blessing. Thus is the absolute
unity and Divine character of that Sacred
Three unequivocally marked. Of the Father,
&c. The three who had borne witness at
Jesus' baptism (chap. iii. 15) ; the Son pre-
senting Himself as being Avilling to fulfill
all righteousness (verse 15) ; the Spirit de-
scending like a dove, and lighting upon
Him (verse 16) ; and the Father's voice
being heard from heaven (verse 17.) (See
on chap. iii. IG, 17.)
Teaching them to observe all th ingsvjhatsoever
I have commanded you, that is, during His
previous instructions, both before and after
His crucifixion. The duty of Christian
ministers as here declared is tvo-fold. They
are to preach the vord, or declare the whole
counsel of Goil. And they are to adminis-
ter the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's
Supper, regulating their conduct in both
314
MATTHEW,
matters according to the pattern shown in
the mount of God's holy word. How com-
prehensive is the commission whicli the
ministers of rehgion thus receive. They
must state from the Scriptures the truth of
the Divine existence, and the perfections
and attributes which are essential to it—
they must point out the exercise of these
perfections in the works of redemption and
providence, and especially in the work of
redemption — tliey must declare the unity
of the Deity as subsisting in a trinity of
persons to whom the same s^jlendid titles
are applied, and by whom the same mighty
operations are performed — and they must
exhibit, as the grand centre of attraction
and foundation of our hope, that salvation
which Christ accomplished on the cross,
when He suffered, the just for the unjust,
that he might bring us to God. The Gos-
pel is a systein of mercy to the guilty, of
holiness for the impure, and of comfort and
consolation under all the afflictions of life.
It comprehends our duty to God, to our
neighbor, and to ourselves. It embraces
practice as well as faith — duty as well as
pi'ivilege. It is no new law, as some per-
sons foolishly imagine. The terms of sal-
vation are no easier now than under the
former dispensation — the standard of mo-
rality is not lowered — the wrath of God is
still revealed against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men — and the Saviour
Himself assures us that it is vain we call
Him Lord, Lord, if we do not the things
which He requires. The faithful servant
of God, then, must keep nothing back that
is profitable to the hearers. He must teach
publicly and from house to house — he must
preach the preaching that God shall bid
him — and, taking his stand in the courts
of the Lord's house, he must speak unto
all the people that come to worship in the
Lord's house all the words that He has
commanded him to speak unto them ; and,
while life and vigor last, he must not
diminish a word.
And, lo, I am with you alimy. There
is, says an eminent author, a beautiful
connection and contrast between the first
and the last assertions of this farewell dis-
course. The assertion by Jesus of His
unlimited sovereign dominion was a cheer-
ing and gladdening one. It was the
announcement that the garnered riches of
the universe were in His possession, and
that all these would be used in behalf of
His people. He seems in it to take the
telescope and sweep the boundless firma-
ment of His power, proclaiming His king-
dom to be an everlasting kingdom, and
His dominion enduring throughout all
generations. But now is the telescope
laid aside, and the microscope is turned to
every atom of redeemed dust ! He leaves
the symbols of His might in the heavens
above, His regal sway over "thrones, do-
minions, principalities, powers," and turn-
ing to each one individual member of His
Church on earth, the feeblest, the poorest,
the lowliest, the most desolate, He says,
Lo! I am uith you alicay, even unto the end
of the ivorld ! The splendors of His medi-
atorial throne were at that moment in
view. The harps of heaven were sound-
ing in His ear. But He assures them,
when standing on the very threshold of
all tlus glory, that His heart of love would
still continue with the pilgrim Church He
was to leave in a pilgrim world. ''All
power is given to me in heaven ;" yet, "io, I
am with you" That farewell saying has
lost none of its comfort. "You." That
little word embraced every one of us!
You — Jesus looked, down the vista of
eighteen centuries. His eye, perhaps, was
on some lone spirit now reading these
pages, who thinks he has been left to the
mercy of the storm, and still He says, " 0
thou of little faith, wherefore art thou
cast down? dry thy tears, dispel thy mis-
givings," "Lo! I am with you!" Yes!
Blessed assurance amid much that is
changing here ! Heart and flesh do faint
and fail ! Often our cisterns are scarcely
filled when they break in pieces; our
suns have scarce climbed the meridian
when they set in weeping clouds; our
fondest schemes are blown upon; our
most cherished gourds withered. We seat
ourselves in our homes, but there are
blanks there; vacant seats tell the too
truthful tale of severed links, and blighted
hopes, and early graves. As age creeps
on, we look around us, but the companions
of our i^ilgrimage are gone ; noble forest
trees, one by one, have bowed to the axe,
"the place that once knew them knows
CHAPTER XXVIII.
315
them no more." But there is One surviv-
ing the wreck and ruin of all sublunary
joys, changeless among the changeable —
"io/ I am ivith you" — and "the wilder-
ness and the solitary place " are by that
presence made " glad." Unto the end of the
world — while the world shall stand.
(Comp. chap. xiii. 39, 40.) It is here testi-
fied that a last day will come. The
language shows that Jesus meant this in-
junction for all Avho should succeed the
Apostles in making known the Gospel. So
long as the Gospel is unknown in any part
of the world, it is the duty of the minis-
ters and followers of Jesus to labor for its
extension. (See Mark xvi. 15, 16.) Jesus
will be with His ministers and people
wherever they may meet together in His
name. When He assumed humanity,
arrayed Himself in the dust of our globe.
He took a first-fruits of it, and consecrated
the whole. Every place, therefore, is
suitable for spiritual worship, and where-
soever, therefore — in church, in chapel,
on the sea-shore, on the hill-side, on the
deck — believers pray in the name of the
believer's Lord, there He has promised to
be with them, even to the end of the world.
Alway — litei-ally " always." Jesus will
be with His ministering servants and
believing people at all times, by night, by
day, in sunshine and under cloud, in
sickness and in health, when their success
seems very little, and when it is of the
most encouraging description. He will be
with them to direct, sustain, comfort,
bless. No words could teach more dis-
tinctly than these that the Lord goes with
His servants to the extreme limits of the
world. (See 2 Cor. xi. 28 ; Luke ix, ^3 ;
Ps. xxiii. 4.) Christians are encouraged
to do in the strength of Christ all that by
His authority they are commanded. His
sympathy is ever with His followers on
earth. His wisdom is able to direct, and
His power to uphold them. He is ever
with us, even until we " shall ever be with
the Lord." There He, who now is really
present with us, will be also visibly.
Amen.
1. Explain " the end of the Sabbath." 2. "Who then came to the sepulchre ? 3. Who rolled the stone from
thedoor of the sepulchre? 4. What else is said of the angel? 5. What did the women do under the direction of
the angel ? 6. Who met them as they went to the disciples ? 7. What did Jesus say to them? 8. What were
the soldiers bribed to say ? 9. What did the eleven disciples do ? 10. What did Jesus say to them ? 11. Explain
"All power is given unto me," &c. 12. In what name is baptism to be administered ? 13. With what precious
promise does the chapter close ?
Popular Expositor
OF
The Gospels and Acts.
FOR
Pulpit, Sunday-School, and Family.
MARK.
ALFRED NEVIN, L. B., D.D.
ZIEGLER & McCURDY,
Philadelphia, Pa. ; Cincixxati, O. ; St. Louis, Mo. ;
Springfield, Mass.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by
ZIEGLER & McCURDY,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. D. C.
PREFACE
TO THE GOSPEL OF MAKK.
"John, whose surname was Mark " (Acts xii. 12), was the son of Mary, a woman of
piety, who hved at Jerusalem, where the disciples occasionally assembled at her house
for prayer, and was sister to Barnabas. (Col. iv. 10.) He is also called Marcus.
John was his Jewish name ; Mark was his Koman name, by which he chose to be
known among the Greeks and Romans, and it became at length his most usual name.
Dr. Whedon says : " I am of the decided opinion that he was himself the young man
described by himself (xiv. 51) as following Jesus, and narrowly escaping apprehension
as His friend, by the soldiery. (Acts xii. 12; Col. iv. 10; Acts xii. 25, xiii. 5-13, xv.
37-39 ; Phil. 24 ; 2 Tim. iv. 11 ; 1 Peter v. 23)."
Peter styles Mark his son (1 Peter v. 13), which is generally taken to mean that he
was converted by that Apostle. Mark left Jerusalem for Ant'och with Paul and
Barnabas (Acts xii. 25), and afterward accomiianied them on their fii-st missionary
journey, (xiii. 5.) He did not, however, attend them long, but, for some reason not
fully explained, left them at Perga, and returned to Jerusalem. (13). This subsequently
gave occasion to a dispute between the two Apostles, for, when they were planning a
second journey, Barnabas wished for Mark as a comiianion, and Paul objected ; they
therefore separated, Mark sailing with his uncle to Cyprus, (xv. 36-39.) At a later
period he was again with Paul during his first imprisonment at Rome (Col. iv. 10) ;
and a communication had been made respecting him to the Colossian Church, perhaps
to say that he had fully recovered that Apostle's confidence. And this was more
plainly expressed when Paul again desired his presence at Rome. (2 Tim. iv. 11.)
We find him also with Peter (1 Peter v. 13), with whom he is said to have traveled,
and to have been his amanuensis.
GENUINENESS OF THE GOSPEL.
Papias, a contemporary of Justin, mentions the Gospels of Matthew and Mark by
name. He was the friend of Polyearp, and, like him, is said to have been a disciple
of John. Irenscus, writing to his friend Florinus (about A. D. 177), and fondly recalling
his intercourse in earlier days with Polyearp, alludes to the four Gospels under the
well understood title of Scriptures, and in his book " Against Heresies," he mentions
the circumstances under which Matthew, Mark, Luke and John severally wrote their
Gospels, mentioning them by name and in the order of our i>resent canon. Reference
to the Gospel of Mark is also made by Clement, of Alexandria, Origen, Eusebins, Jerome,
&c. The universal consent of the ancient Church, indeed, ascribed the second Gospel
to John Mark, so that no reasonable doubt can be entertained in regard to the
authorship. It has also been said that he wrote under the superintendence of Peter,
What, however, we are exactly to understand by this, mav admit of question;
( 319 )
320 PEEFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF MARK.
especially the testimonies of ancient writers on the i>oint are not altogether consistent.
If Mark was, as there is good reason to Ijelieve, Peter's companion, and, as he has
been called by Iremcus, his " interpreter," it is likely that he would derive from him
the account of events at which that Apostle was jjresent. The internal evidence is in
favor of Peter's superintendence. Scarcely an action or a work of Christ is related, at
which Peter was not present, and those events in our Saviour's life are related in
(iL'tail, which must have made the deej^est impression upon Peter. Many things
honorable to Peter are omitted by Mark, which are mentioned by the other Evangelists,
whilst, on the other hand, the failings of Peter are fully recorded. (Comp. Mark viii.
29^ with Matt. xvi. 17. See, also, Mark viii. 33, xiv. 31-71.)
WHEN WRITTEN.
On this point nothing positive can be asserted. The traditions are contradictory.
Irenxus says that the Gospel was written after the death of the Apostle Peter, but in
other passages it is supposed to be written during Peter's lifetime. In the Bible there
is nothing to decide the question. It is not likely that it dates before the reference
to Mark in the Epistle to the Colossians (Col. iv. 10), where he is only introduced as
a relative of Barnabas, as if this was his greatest distinction ; and this Epistle was
written about A. D. 62. On the other hand it was written before the destruction of
Jerusalem. (Mark xiii. 13, 24, 30, 33, &c.) Probably, therefore, it was written between
A. D. 63 and 70.
WHERE WRITTEN.
The place is as uncertain as the time. Clement, Eusebius, Jerome and Epiphanius
pronounce for Rome, and many moderns take the same view. Chrysostom thinks
Alexandria, but this is not confirmed by other testimony.
FOR WHOM WRITTEN.
The Evangelist scarcely refers to the Old Testament in his own person. The word
Law does not once occur. The genealogy of our Lord is not set forth. Other matters,
interesting chiefly to the Jews, are likewise omitted ; such as the references to the
Old Testament and Law, in Matt. xii. 5-7; the reflections on the request of the
scribes and Pharisees for a sign. Matt. xii. 38-45 ; the parable of' the king's son.
Matt. xxii. 1-14 ; and the awful denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, in Matt.
xxiii. Explanations are given in some places which Jews could not require: thus,
Jordan is a "river" (i. 5); the Pharisees, &c. "used to fast" (ii. 18), and other cus-
toms of theirs are described (vii. 1-4) ; " the time of figs was not yet," i. e. at the
season of the Passover (xi. 13); the Sadducees' worst tenet is mentioned (xii. 18);
the Mount of Olives is " over against the temple (xiii. 3) ; at the Passover men eat
" unleavened bread (xiv. 1-12) ; and the exjilanations are given which Jews would
not need (xv. 6, 16, 42). From the general testimony of these and other places,
whatever may be objected to an inference from one or other amongst them, there
is little doubt but that the Gospel was meant for use in the first instance among
Gentiles.
STYLE AND DICTION.
The style of Mark may be characterized as vigorous and abrupt. His terms of
connection and transition are terse and lively ; he is fond of employing the direct for
the indirect (iv. 39, v. 8, 9, 12, vi. 23, 31, 37, ix. 25, 33, xii. 6), the present for the past
(i. 25, 40, 44, ii. 3, 4, 5, iii. 4, 5, 13, 20, 31, 34, iv. 37, &c., &c.), and the substantive
instead of the pronoun ; he employs the cognate accusative (iii. 28, vii. 13, xiii. 19, iv.
41, v. 42), accumulates negatives (vii. 12, ix. 8, xii. 34, xv. 5, xiv. 25, xi. 14), and for
sake of emphasis repeats what he has said in other words, or appends the opposite (i.
22, 45, ii. 27, iii. 26, 27, 29, iv. 17, 33, 34), and piles up synonyms (iv. 6, 8, 39, v. 12, 23,
viii. 15, xiii. 33, xiv. 68), combining this forcible style with a conciseness and
economy of expressions consistent with the elaboration of every detail. Mark's
diction is nearer to that of Matthew than to that of Luke. It is more Hebraistic than
PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF MARK. 321
the latter, though rather in general coloring than in special phrases. According to
Davidson {Introd. i. 154), there are forty-live words peculiar to turn and Matthew, and
only eighteen common to him and Luke.
NOT AN ABBKEVIATION.
Mark's Gospel is far from being, as some have alleged, a mere abbreviation of
Matthew's. There are incidents in our Lord's ministry that we know from Mark, and
Mark only— the intervention of His family (iii. 20, 21), the parable of the seed
growing secretly (iv. 26-29), the healing of the deaf man of Decapulis (vii. 31-37), and
of the blind man of Bethsaida (viii. 22-26), the name of Bartimeus (x. 46), and of
Simon of Gyrene's sons (xv. 21), the young man's Hight at Gethsemane (xiv. 51, 52).
Besides this we have many vivid touches in the narrative, clearly due to an eye-witness,
wanting in Matthew, as in the account of the Gadarene demoniac, and of the
Transfiguration. Four times he alone of the Evangelists notices our Lord's look,
(iii. 34. viii. 33, x. 21, 23.)
"The Gospel of St. Mark," says Westcott, "offers a great contrast to that of St.
Matthew in its general effect. The peculiarities of language and minuteness of detail,
which are least observable in St. Matthew, are most obvious in St. Mark, and,
conversely, St. Mark offers nothing which answers to the long expositions of the
Lord's teaching in St. Matthew. This fundamental difference is seen at once in the
relative proportion in which the records of miracles and parables stand to one another
i'n St. Mark. The number of miracles which he gives is scarcely less than that in the
other synoptic Gospels, while he relates only four parables. Like St. Peter, he is
contented to lay the foundation of the Christian faith, and leave the superstructure
to others. It is enough that Christ should be presented in the most vivid light,
unfolding the truth in acts rather than in w^ords, for faith will translate the passing
deed into an abiding lesson. Everything centers in the immediate facts to be noticed.
Without drawing a complete history, St. Mark frames a series ot perfect pictures. But
each is the representation of the outward features of the scene. For this reason the
Evangelist (as already stated) avoids all reference to the Old Testament. The
quotations which occur in the Lord's discourses remain, but after the introduction he
adds none in his own person. The living portraiture of Christ is offered in the
clearness of His present energy, not as the fulfillment of the past, nor even as the
foundation of the future. His acts prove that He is both ; but this is a deduction fro m
the narrative, and not the subject of it."
The Gospel of Mark may be divided into three parts.
(1). The occurrences previous to the commencement of the public ministry of our
Lord, including the preaching and baptism of John, our Lord's baptism and tempta-
tion (i. 1-13).
(2). Our Lord's ministry in Galilee, including that in Eastern Galilee (i. 14, vii. 23),
that in Northei'n Galilee (vii. 24, ix. 37), that in Peraea, and the journeyings toward
Jerusalem (ix. 38, x. 52).
(3). His triumphantentry, passion, death, resurrection and ascension (xi. l-xvi.8, [20]).
PARABLES.
The following parables are recorded by Mark. That which is peculiar to him is
marked by italics.
1. The sower (iv. 4-8).
2. The seed growing secretly (iv. 26-29),
3. The mustard seed (iv. 30-32).
The unity and completeness of the lesson which these convey must be obvious
without comment.
21
322 ' PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF MARK.
MIRACLES.
The miracles recorded by ]\Iark are both numerous and characteristic of his Gospel.
Peculiar narratives are marked by italics.
1. The unclean spirit cast out (i. 21-28).
2. The fever healed (i. 29-34.)
3. The leper cleansed (i. 40-45).
4. The palsy healed (ii. 1-12)'.
5. The withered hand restored (iii. 1-5) [iii. 10, 11, Many healed ; unclean spirits
cast out].
6. The tempest stiiled (iv. 35-41).
7. The legion cast out (v. 1-17).
8. The woman with issu^ healed (v. 25-34).
9. Jairus' daughter raised (v. 22 ff).
10. The five thousand fed (vi. 35-i4).
11. The walking on the water (vi. 48, 49) [vi. 54 ff, all that touched Christ made
whole].
12. The Syro-Phcenician's daughter healed (vii. 24-30).
13. The deaf and dumh healed (vii. 31-37).
14. The four thousand fed (viii. 1-10).
15. The blind man healed (viii. 22-26).
16. The deaf and dumb spirit cast out (ix. 14 ff.).
17. Bartimeus healed (x. 26-52).
18. The fig tree cursed (xi. 20 ff.).
FUTURE HISTORY OP MARK.
Tradition says he preached the Gospel in Egypt, and the Coptic or Egyptian Church
at this day claims him as its founder. He is supposed to have suffered martyrdom at
Alexandria about the eighth year of Nero's reign.
TABLES OF SCRIPTURAL COINS AND MONEY TERMS,
WITH THEIR VALUE EXPRESSED IN THE MONEY OF THE UNITED STATES,
BY JAMES ROSS SNOWDEN.
AUTHOR OF THE COINS OF THE BIBLE, COINS OP ALL NATIONS, THE MEDALLION
MEMORIALS OF WASHINGTON, etc , ETC.
PUBLISHED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
TABLES OF SCRIPTURAL COINS AND MONEY TERMS.
I.
JEWISH COINS AND MONEY TERMS, WITH THEIR VALUE EXPRESSED IN THE MONEY OF THE
UNITED STATES.
Dollars. Cents. Mills.
Gerah, one-twentieth of a shekel, ------- 29
Zuzah, one-fourth of a shekel, -- 14 5
Bekah, half-shekel, or shekel of the king, ----- 29
Shekel of the sanctuary (silver), ------ 58
Shekel of gold, 5 80
Maneh of silver (60 shekels), 34 80
Maneh of gold " « 348 00
Talent of silver (3000 shekels), 1,740 00
Talent of gold " " 17,400 00
II.
A TABLE OF THE WEIGHT OF JEWISH COINS AND m6nEY TERMS EXPRESSED —
1. In Tro)j ounces and decimals of the ounce,
2. In Avoirdupois iveight.
Ozs. Decimals.
1. Shekel, 217 grains, equal to------- .452
Maneh, 13,020 grains, equal to 27 .125
Talent, 651,000 grains, equal to 1856 .458
Lbs. Ozs. Dwt. Grains.
2. Shekel, 9 1
Maneh, 115 20
Talent, 93 0 0 0
I.
A TABLE OF GREEK COINS ( ATTIC ) AND MONEY TERMS; WITH THEIR VALUE EXPRESSED IN
MO.NEY of THE UNITED STATES.
Dollars. Cents. Mills.
Lepton (mite), -- -- 2
Obolus, 26
Drachm, 16
Didrachm, --------.-. 32
Stater or Tetradrachm, --- 64
Mina of silver, 16 00
Mina of gold, 160 00
Talent of silver, 960 00
Talent of gold, 9,600 00
( 323 )
324 PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF MARK.
II.
A TABLE OF THE WEIGHT OF GREEK COINS AND MONEY TERMS.
1. In Troy ounces ; 2. In Avoirdupois ivdghi.
Oz3. Decimals
1. Drachm, 60 grains, equal to - 0 .125
Mina, 6,000 grains, equal to 12 5
Talent, 360,000 grains, equal to 750
liis. Ozs Swt. Grains.
2. J)rachm, - - - . 2 12
Mina, - 12 10
Talent, 51 6 5
A TABLE OP ROMAN COINS EXPRESSED IN THE MONEY TERMS OF THE UNITED STATES.
Cents. MUIa.
Assarius, one-tentli of a denarius, ------- 15
Quadrans (or sestertius) one-fourth of the ^ S, about - - 4
Quinarius, one-half of a denarius, ------- 75
Denarius ("penny "), 15
The Romans usually reckoned money by sestertii, advancing from 1 to 1,000.
Dollars. Cents. Mills.
Thus: 1 Sestertius. (Quadrans), -.-.-- 4
10 Sestertii, 4
100 " 40
1000 '' denominated Sestertium, - - - - 4 00
Their use of the word talent, as a money term, was not very exact. The talent,
however, as a weight, was equal to 60 librae or jwunds ; the pound being divided into
12 ounces. According to the rate and proportion herein adopted, the Roman talent
of silver may be valued at $931.00 ; the talent of gold at $9,310.00. The weight ot the
denarius, during the time of the Commonwealth, is generally put at 60 grains, the
same as the Greek drachma, but it was of diminished weight during the Empire.
DENARirS— VKSI'ASIAX. ("JUDEA DEVICTA.") ABOI'T A. D. 70.
BENARirS— VF,SPASI.\X. ("jfDEA.") AEOT'T A. D. 71-79.
DENARIUS OF TIBERIUS—" PENNY." A. D 14-37.
A general statement of the coins and money terms of the Bible, referring
to the above Tables.
The general custom, in Europe as well as in America, is to use the Troy ounce of
480 grains, as the unit in weighing and valuing gold and silver. In the tables herein
PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF MARK. 325
presented, the weights are expressed in the Troy ounce and its decimal fractions,
carrying it to the third figure, namely, thousandths of an ounce. And, for the reason
that readers are most accustomed to estimate and calculate weights by the avoirdupois
pound and its subdivisions, the weight is also stated according to that system.
In calculating the value of the coins and money terms, we use the Troy ounce.
Silver is valued at $1.22.5, the Mint price per ounce of standard fineness. This
standard is so calculated, that of 1000 parts by weight, 900 are of pure silver, and 100
of copper. This valuation accords very nearly with the price of silver at London and
Paris, by whose markets the value of silver througliout the world is regulated.
Writers usually arrive at the value of gold as compared with silver, by adopting the
proportion between these metals of modern times. This proportion is about one to
sixteen ; that is to say, one ounce of gold is worth about sixteen ounces of silver : and
the tables of the values of ancient coins in our Bibles and commentaries are fixed
upon that ratio. But that proportion overstates the value of gold among the Jews and
the neighboring nations. From a careful examination of the various authorities on
the subject, we have reason to believe that for several centuries, before and after the
Christian era, the proportion between the value of gold and silver was as one to ten.
It is upon this ratio that these tables have been prepared.
A further notice of some of the coins and money terms of the Bible.
I. THE JEWS.
f.lli;KiLl.— ^MACCABEES.) ABOUT 14o B. C.
1. The Shekel was originally only a weight. The first form in which money was
used by the Jews, and by other nations also, was that of pieces of metal without any
marks or devices upon them. The precious metals, namely, gold and silver, jjassed by
weight. Abraham imghed the four hundred shekels of silver which he paid to
Ephron for the field of Machpelah. (Gen. xxiii. 16.) The prophet Jeremiah iveighed
the price of the field of Hanameel, namely, seventeen shekels of silver, in the balance.
( Jer. xxxii. 9, 10.) And it may be here noted, that where the term " piece of silver "
is used in the Old Testament, it is equivalent to, and is to be understood, in general, to
stand for Shekel, and " pieces of silver " as shekels. The weight of a shekel was
about one-half an ounce avoirdupois ; that ounce being composed of four hundred and
thirty-seven and a half grains. We adopt the Troy ounce, of four hundred and eighty
gi'ains, in our calculations.
It is to be noted that the shekel was not a coin during the entire period embraced
in the Old Testament. It first appears as a coin about 160 B. C, and was issued by
Simon Maccabeus. The amount of silver in the coin was the same as was contained
in the "piece of silver," which was of the weight of a shekel ; and the coin took the
same name. The Maccabees were I'gid adherents of the old constitution, and there
can be no doubt that the coin struck by them exactly corresponded, in weight and
fineness, to the former standard. Many of these coins are now extant. There is one
in the cabinet of the United States Mint, in a fine state of preservation. It weighs
217 grains, and is of the fineness of 950 thousandths. Other specimens of this coin
noticed by various authorities, make the weight and fineness about the same. The
silver coins of the United States are composed of 900 parts of pure silver in every 1000
parts used in coinage. Reducing the shekel to this standard, the weight may be
stated as equal to 229 grains. The Mint price of silver, herein stated, was fixed in
326 PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF MARK.
conformity with the market price of silver in Europe and in America, and affords a
proper basis to calculate the value of the shekel. At this rate, the value of the shekel
of silver is 58 cents. The term Shekel is from Shakal, to weigh, and is, pre-eminently,
" the weight."
We are thus particular in stating the value of the shekel — and by this we mean the
sacred shekel, or the Shekel of the Sanctuary — because by it we obtain the unit, or
standard, from which we can, with reasonable certainty, state the value of the other
money terms of the Jewish system, referred to in the Sacred Scriptures.
2. The Bekah, or half-shekel. This piece of money, or coin, is sometimes denomi-
nated the royal or profane shekel. The poll-tax paid by the Jews for the support of
the tabernacle, and of the temple, was i)aid in this denomination. We put the value
of the bekah at 29 cents.
3. The ZczAH. Although this piece is not named in the Scriptures, it is referred to
in 1 Samuel ix. 8, and finds a place in most of the Jewish tables. Value, 14 cents and
5 mills.
4. The Gerah. This piece being the twentieth part of a shekel, its value conse-
quently is 2 cents and 9 mills.
5. The Maxeh. This term was used for silver,, and also for gold. The weight of
it was sixty shekels ; hence the maneh of silver was of the value of $34.80, and the
maneh of gold, by the proportion herein indicated, namely, as ten to one, was $348.00
6. The Talent. The weight of the Jewish talent was 3,000 sacred shekels, or 6,000
royal or half shekels. (See Exod. xxx. 13, and xxxviii. 25.) The shekel we have
shown to be of the value of 58 cents. Assuming the silver to be of the fineness of
the shekel, and thus being " current with the merchant," the value of the talent of
silver may be put at the sum of §1,740. The talent of gold was consequently worth
$17,400.
II. Honey and money terms of the Greeks. {Attic).
LEPTOK. MITE." — F:,UXD NEAR THE TEMPLE; CURRENT IN TIME OF CHRIST.
1. The Lepton or IMite. This coin is the lowest denomination of money mentioned
in the Sacred Scriptures. It was composed of a mixture of copper and tin, and was
coined by the numerous Greek cities and colonies around the Mediterranean. The
precise value is a matter of question ; but it may be with sufficient accuracy stated to
be 2 mills, or one-fifth of a cent. The text in Mark xii. 42, makes two Lepta ("mites")
equal to one kodrantes (rendered " farthing ").
2. Obolus. Was originally a silver coin, and as such was the sixth part of the
drachm. It subsequently was struck in copper, and was in common use before and
after the Christian era. We put its value at 2 cents and 6 mills.
3. Drachm. The drachm was the principal silver coin of the Greeks, and was cur-
rent in Judea at and before the period of the New Testament. It is named several
times in the second book of Maccabees. In Luke xv. 8, drachmas deka is translated
" ten pieces of silver." We jutt the value of the drachm at 16 cents.
4. Didrachm. a coin equal to two drachmae. It was nearly equal to the royal or
half-shekel of the Jewish system, the price required to be paid by each male to de-
fray the expenses of the Sanctuary. (Ex. xxx. 1.3-16. and xxxviii. 26). In Matthew
xxii. 24, the term didrachma is translated "tribute." The value of this coin we put at
32 cents.
PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF MARK.
327
STATER— ANTIOCnUS VI. (EPIPIIANES.) B. C. HtVHS.
5. Stater, or Tetradraciim. This piece was of the value of four drachmse. The
word stater which is used in Matthew xvii. 27, is rendered " piece of money " in the
A. V. The " tribute," mentioned in the previous text, was the didrachm, and tliis
was about equal to the half-shekel, which each Jew, above the age of twenty years,
was required to pay toward maintaining the expenses of the Sanctuary. It will
thus be seen that the stater miraculously obtained from the fish's mouth, being more
than equal to two half-shekels, was sufficient to pay for Peter as well as Christ. It is
also probable that at that time the stater and the shekel, being of approximate value,
were taken interchangeably. The value of the stater we put in the tables at 64 cents.
STATER— ANTIOCirns. (QBYPtlS.) B. C. 124-97.
6. MiNA. The mina represented 100 drachms in the Attic system of money terms
and weights. It weighed 12 ounces and a half, as stated in the tables. In Luke xix.
13, the term is rendered " pound ;" Deka Mnai — ten jwunds. The mina of silver is of
the value of $16.00, the mina of gold, $160.00.
7. The Attic Talent. This talent was of the weight of 6,000 drachms. We put the
weight of the drachm at 60 grains, equal to the eighth part of the ounce of 480 grains.
The talent, therefore, weighed 750 Troy ounces, or 51 lbs. 6 ozs. 5 dwt. .avoirdupois.
The drachm of silver being worth 16 cents, the value of the Attic talent, in silver, may
be put at $960. And, adopting the proportion herein stated, the same talent, in gold,
was worth $9,600.
A talent was two-fold, namely, to express a weight, or a sum of money. The value
of it differed according to the different ages and countries in which it was used. In
the Old Testament, the talent referred to, with one or two exceptions, which will be
noticed, is the Jewish talent of 3,000 shekels.
Thus the golden candlestick, with the tongs and the snuflT-dishes, for the tabernacle,
was to be made of a talent of gold ; this was of the weight of 93 pounds, and of the
value of $17,400. (Ex. xxv. 39.) The amount of gold employed in the tabernacle was
29 talents and 730 shekels, equal to $508,834 ; of silver, there were used 100 talents and
1,775 shekels, equal to $175,029.50. (Ex. xxxviii. 24, 25.)
The silver above named was contributed by 603,550 persons, who each paid a half-
shekel, as required in Exodus, xxx. 13, 14. And it is from the enumeration and state-
ment in Exodus xxxviii. 24^26, that we ascertain that the talent contained 3 000 shekels.
King Hiram sent to King Solomon 120 talents ($2,088,000). (1 Kings ix. 14.) The
328 PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF MARF
queen of Sheba gave Solomon a similar amount. (1 Kings x. 10.) Solomon brought
from Ophir 420 talents ($7,308,000.) (1 Kings ix. 28.) The weight of the gold that
came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents ($11,588,400.) (1 Kings x. 14.)
The temple of Solomon was overlaid with gold amounting to 600 talents ($10,440,000.)
We need not multiply examples ; the reader can readily, by the data given, convert
the term talent into the money of the United States.
There was another talent of great antiquity, which some authorities call the Homer-
ical talent. It was used by the Phoenicians, and is referred to by ancient writers in
such a manner as to show that it was of greatly inferior value to the talent we have
herein been considering. From data gathered from several authorities, this talent was
probably of the weight of 24 drachmas, equal to three ounces Troy. It is highly pro-
bable that it is this inferior talent that is referred to in 1 Chron. xxii. 14, where it is
said that David had " provided for the temple, 100,000 talents of gold, and one thousand
thousand (one million) talents of silver." It is evident that the Jewish talent of 3,000
shekels is not here intended, because the amount would be so enormous as to be utterly
incredible, namely, $2,480,000,000. Adopting the Homerical or Phoenician talent, as
being the one here intended, the sum that David gathered together " in his trouble,"
was $7,760,000. The same talent is doubtless referred to in 1 Chron. xxix. 4-7. The
donation by David, and the contributions of the people, therein recorded, were made
after the principal sum above mentioned had been provided for the building of the
temple. The total contributions in gold and silver were to the amount of $406,425.
Dr. Arbuthnot, a learned writer on ancient coin, corroborates the views herein ex-
pressed. Writing on the same text, he says : " David reigned in Judea after the siege
of Troy, so that it is no ways improbable that Homer and he might use the same talent."
Dr. Anthon, speaking of a small talent, which was probably the same to which we refer,
says : " It was called the Sicilian talent, from being much used by the Greeks of Italy
and Sicily," and adds, "This small talent explains the use of the term 'great talent'
{magnum talentum) which we find in Latin authors ; for the Attic talent was great in
comparison with this."
We have cited these authorities— and many others, to the same effect, might be
added — because most writers have supposed that the ordinary Jewish talent Avas in-
tended in these passages ; or that some error had crejit into the sacred text. It is quite
apparent that an inferior talent was intended, and it is reasonable to suppose that it
was the Phoenician talent, as there was a constant intercourse and commerce between
that i:)eople and the Jews, and most friendly relations existed between these nations
at that period.
The weight of the Homei-ical or Phoenician talent we put at 3 ounces, Troy. Its
value was consequently as follows :
Homerical talent of gold, $38.80
" " " silver, 3.88
THE GOSPEL ACCOEDING TO MAEK.
CHAPTER I.
1 The office of John the Baptist. 9 Jesus is baptized. 12.
tempted, U lie }yi-eacheth : 16 calleth Peter, Andrew,
James and John: '2^ liealeth one that had a devil, 29
I'eter's mother in law, 32 many diseased persons, 41
and cleanscth the leper.
THE beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ; »the
yon of C4od;
aMatt. xiv. 33 ; Luke i. 35 ; John i. 34 ; Heb. i. 1-2.
On verses 1-8 : see on Matt. iii. 1-12 ;
Luke iii. 1-18.
Mark, writing after Matthew, passed
over the birth of Jesus and began with
John's ministry. This was the beginning
of the gospel, the introduction of the new-
dispensation of glad tidings relating to
Jesus Christ, the anointed Saviour, as fore-
told by the prophets. The end of the Old
Testament is the beginning of the New.
" Now the Gospel began to dawn, and
John was hke the morning-star, or the
blushings which spring from the windows
of the East, foretelling the approach of the
Sun of Righteousness." He preached re-
pentance as the pi-eparation to receive the
Gospel, and faith in the Messiah as the
subject of it. (Luke xvi. 16.) It will be
observed that he not only commences in
the very midst of the Gospel events, but
introduces the names of Jesus and of John
as familiar to his readers.
The name ofJestis is so often added to the
name of Christ in the New Testament
not only that Christ might be thereby
pointed out as the Saviour, but also that
Jesus might be pointed out as the true
Christ, or Messiah, against the unbelief of
the Jews. Mark styles Christ the Son of
God, as Matthew had styled Him before
"the Son of David" (Matt. i. 1); the one
fjets forth the verity of His human nature,
the other the reality of His Divine na-
ture, signifying to us, that the true and
( 331 )
promised Messiah was both God and man,
in two distinct natures, and one Person for-
ever. He is true and real God, as well as
the Father and the Holy Ghost, not a
mere man, but God as well as man. It is
very interesting that that Gospel which
tells us how deep Jesus sank in the miry
clay, when the weight and pressure of our
iniquities was upon Him, should begin
with a declaration of His majesty and
glory, that we might never lose sight of the
God in His deepest sorrows, or forget that
He was the equal of the Father, when He
endured the cross for us and our salvation.
2. As it is written in the prophets, ibehold, I send my
messenger before thy face, wliicli shall prepare thy way
before thee.— bMal. iii. 1 ; Matt. xi. 10 ; Luke vii. 2^.
Every Evangelist has his proper exor-
dium. Matthew and John begin with
Christ — Matthew with His human genera-
tion, John ^vhh the Divine generation ;
Mark and Luke begin with John the
Baptist — Luke with his nativity, Mark
with his preaching.
As it is ^vritien in the prophets. (jNIal. iii.
11, and Isa. xl.) Behold, I send my
messenger, &c. (See on Matt. xi. 10.) The
quotation here is exactly in the words
which Matthew uses, and except the
change in the pronoun my for thy, is literal
from the Hebrew. This / in the prophet
is spoken by Jehovah. But this Jehovah
is the Messiah. So that we have here a
true Jehovah-Jesus. Prepare thy way, &c.
"When a man of rank has to pass through
a town or village, a messenger is de.spatch-
ed to tell the jteople to prepare the way,
and to await his orders. Some then sweep
the road, others spread garments, others
form arches and fe.stoons on the way.
Note, 1. The dignity and authority of the
ministers of Christ ; they are His messen-
33f
MARK
gers, sent by Him to deliver His mind and
will unto His people. 2. Their work and
office — to prepare people to receive Jesus
Christ, offered to them in the Gospel.
3. cThe voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare
ye the war of the Lord, make his paths straight,
clsa. xl.'S ; Matt. iii. 3 ; Lulie iii. 4 ; John i. 15, 23.
Voice. A preacher should, if possible, be
nothing but a voice, which should be always
heard and never seen. Crying — preaching
with such force as is worthy of the truth.
In the idlderness. (See on Matt. iii. 3.)
Repentance is jireached in the wilderness
because it is difficult to hear this voice, ex-
cept in retirement, and out of the noise
and hurry of worldly affairs. Prepare ye,
&c. (See on ver.se 4, and Matt. iii. 3,
Luke iii. 4). The advent of the Redeemer
was but the visible appearance of the Di-
vine light, with which the radiant cloud
of prophecy had long been ready to break
forth. (Is'a. Ix. 1-3 ; Luke i. 76-8). Not
only knowledge, but every other gift,
which we call the gifts of fortune, has
power to i^uff uj) earth. Afflictions only
level these mole hills of pride, plow
the heart, and make it fit for wisdom to
sow her seed, and for grace to bring forth
her increase.
4 d John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach
the baptism of repentance, for the remission of sins.
•iJIatt. iii. 1 ; Luke iii. 3; John iii. 23.
The wilderness. A region was thus
called if it was thinly inhabited and con-
sisted of pasturage instead of tillage.
The wilderness of Judea lay between
Jerusalem and the Jordan, and along the
western side of the Dead Sea. Preach.
Not in the methodical style of later times.
What he preached is infinitely more im-
portant than how he preached. For the
remission, i. e. the remission of sin being
the object or purpose of the baptismal
rite. John's preaching^ and bajjtism did
not of itself procure the remission of sin,
which could be effected only by iho death
of ChrLst. It however prepared the way
for this result. Those who repented and
reformed their lives under his ministry,
received the pardon of their sins, although
the great atoning sacrifice had not actu-
ally been offered.
5 e And there went out unto him all the land of
Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of
him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
•Matt. iii. 5.
All the land, &c. All sorts of the inhabi-
tants. Confessing their sitis. One part of
repentance is to bear the shame and con-
fusion of our sins in confessing them. It
is not grievous to any to show this shame
and confusion before men, except only
those who have none at all for their sins
before God. (See on Matt. iii. 6, 6.)
6. And John was 'clothed with camel's hair, and with
a girdle of a skin about his loins, and he did eat elocust,^
and wild honey.
fMatt. iii. 4, on which see notes. ELev. xi. 22.
John's coat was wrought of the long and
stiff bristles of the camel. His belt was
nothing better than a strap of untanned
hide. His diet, indicative of the temper-
ance and austerity of his life, was derived
from the spontaneous production of the
desert —
" His food was locusts, and what there did spring,
Wild honey that from virgin hives distilled."
7. And preached, saying, i^There cometh one mightier
than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not
worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8. 'I indeed have
baptized vou with v.'ater : but he shall baptize you
kwith the Holy Ghost.
hMatt. iii. 11, and Luke iii. 16, on which see notes;
John i. 27; Acts xiii. 25. 'Acts i. 5, xi. 10, xix. 4. kisa.
xliv. 3; Joel ii. 28 ; Acts ii. 4, x. 45, xi. 15, 16 ; 1 Cor. xii.
13.
One mightier than I, &c. John was great,
but what was he to the Lord? Loud
was that " voice," but what was it to " the
"Word?" Most glorious was the herald,
but what to the King ? Glorious was he
who baptized with water, but what to Him
toho haptizeth with the Holy Ghost and with
fire f (John iii. 26-36.) " Above all," says
one, "have a care of vain and proud
thoughts of your own virtues. For, as
soon as ever people live different from the
common way of the world and despise its
vanities, the devil represents to their
minds the height of their own perfections,
and he is content they should excel in
good works, provided he can make them
proud of them. Therefore, watch over
your own virtues with a jealous eye, and
reject every vain thought as j'ou would
reject the most wicked imaginations, and
think what a loss it would be to you to
have the fruit of all your good works de-
voured by the vanity of your own minds."
(Ezek. xviii. 24; Luke i. 51, 53, xviii. 11,
12; 2Cor. xii. 7.)
9. U lAnd it came to pass in those days, that Jesus
came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of
John in Jordan. 10. mAnd straightway coming up out
of thf watfr. lie saw the heavens openeK:!, and the Spirit
like a (liivo (U>sc('iKling upon him : 11. And there came
a voice from heaven, anj/inri, nThou art my beloved Son,
lain whom I am well pleased.
" 'Matt. iii. 13: Luke iii. 21. "Matt. iii. 16; John i. .32.
nPs. ii. 7; Matt. iii. 17; chap. ix. 7.
CHAPTER I
333
See on Matt. iii. 13, 16 ; Luke iii. 21, 22.
The heavens opened, &c. The firmament
seemed to be disparted, so as to reveal a
visible communication between heaven
and earth. He saw. This evidently refers
to Jesus, althousrh John also witnessed the
descent of the spirit. (John i. 32.) • Like
a dove. A fit emblem of the pure and
peaceful Spirit, whose influcaces rested so
al)undantly on Jesus, and which were to be
so conspicuously manifested in the Mes-
siah's dispensation. (Seelsa.lxi. 1-3.) This
dove-like manifestation of the Holy Spirit
may well suggest to us t) .e inquiry, wheth-
er we possess the pure and peaceful tem-
per of mind, which the Gospel enjoins and
the Holy Spirit produces.
Thou art my beloved Son, &c. • (See on
Matt. iii. 17.) " The Father cannot look
upon His well-beloved Son, but graciously
and pleasingly. God looks on us out of
Christ, sees us rebels, and fit to be con-
demned ; Ave look on God as being just
and powerful to punish us; but when
Christ is between, God looks on us in
Him as justified, and we look on God in
Him as pacified, and see the smiles of
His favorable countenance. (Ps. Ixxxiv.
9 ; John xiv. 6 ; Eph. i. 3, &c.)"
12. "And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the
wilderness. 13. And he was there in the wilderness
forty days tempted of Satan, and wius with the wild
beasts, pand the angels ministered unto him.
"Matt. iv. 1 ; Luke iv. 1. pMatt. iv. 11.
Immediately — after His baptism. Driveth
him, i. e., hurried Him on with a strong
impulse. The Spirit impelled him to go
Avhere inclination would not have induced
Him. (See on Matt. iv. 1-11 ; Luke iv. 1-13.)
And ivas with the wild beasts. " This notice
is certainly not introduced," says Trench,
" as many interpreters would have us to
believe, merely to enhance the waste, deso-
lation and savage solitude of that scene,
1)ut at once throws us back, as it was in-
tended to throw us back, on the Paradisia-
cal state, W'hich, in the second Adam, had
bloomed anew. He 'was with the wild
beasts' — which owned Him for their right-
ful Lord — He was with them, as Adam had
been before he sinned. In Him, the sec-
ond Adam, the ideal man of the eighth
Psalm, the Adamic prerogatives, lost and
suspended so long after the deluge, only
partially recovered (Gen. ix. 2) — fully re-
appeared (comp. Gen. i. 26, 28, with Ps.
viii.) This was one of the tokens He gave
of the intimate connection between the
restoration of man, and the restoration of
the outward world." (See INIatt. xix. 28 ;
Mark xvi. 18 ; Luke x. 19 ; Acts xxviii. 5.)
14 ^ 1 Now after that .John wa.s put in prison, Jesus
came into Galilee, mrcaoliing the gospel of the king-
dom of God, ir>. And saying, »The time is fulfilled, and
'the kingdom of God is at hand : repent ye, and believe
the gospel.
<iMatt. iv. 12. rMatt. iv. 23. sDan. ix. 25; Gal. iv. 4;
Eph. i. 10. «Matt. iii. 2, iv. 17.
See on Matt. iv. 12, 23, iii. 2, iv. 17.
Put in prison, &c. Mark writes as of a
fact known to the reader, either from
Matthew or some other source. We are
not to understand from this verse that
Jesus began his ministry when John had
finished his, for it is evident that the
Saviour had preached, and baptized by
the hands of L[is disciples for a consid-
erable time before John was imprisoned.
The time is fulfilled, i. e., the time ap-
pointed for sending the Messiah, and par-
ticularly the time specified by Daniel,
chap. ix. 24-27. In regard to the preach-
ing of the Son of God, note, 1. That
everything that is done is according to a
plan "^aid by the Divine wisdom, and
never performed till the appointed time
was filled up. (Gal. iv. 4). 2. That the
kingdom and reign of sin are to be de-
stroyed, and the kingdom of grace and
heaven established in their i^lace. 3. That
the kingdom of God and His reign by
grace begins with repentance for pi.st
sins, confiding in the joyful intelligence of
the Gospel, and the reception of the in-
structions connected with it. Faith is
inseparably joined to true repentance.
4. That this reign of grace is at hand, and
that nothing but an obstinate perseverance
in sin and impenitence can 'keep any soul
out of it, and that now is the accepted
time to enter in. It Avill be observed that
our Lord commences His preaching with
the same words which the forerunner had
already used. (Matt. iii. 2). By his pro-
phetic otfice He prepares Himself the way
to His mediatorial and kingh^ office.
16. "Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw
Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into
the sea: for they were fishers. 17. And Jesus said
unto them. Come ye after me, and I will make you to
become fishers of men. 18. And straightway they for-
sook their nets, and lollowed him. 19. lAnd when he
had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the fan
of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the
ship mending their nets. 2(l. And straightway he
called them : and they left their father Zebedee in
the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
334
MARK,
"Matt. iv. IS, Luke v. 4.
jMatt. iv. 21.
»Matt. xix. 27; Luke v. 11.
See on Matt. iv. 18-22.
He saio Simon and Andreio, &c. The
actual constant consideration of God's
presence would be the readiest way in the
world to make sin to cease from among
the children of men, and for men to ap-
proach the blessed state of the saints in
heaven, who cannot sin ; for they always
walk in the presence and "behold the
foce of God." (Gen. xvi. 13 ; Ps. xvi. 9,
ciii. 20 ; John i. 48.) A net. The original
word signifies a double net of considerable
size. Casting a net into the sea, &c. These
fishermen, though previously enrolled
among the disciples of Jesus, had not, on
that account, forsaken their honest call-
ings, as if discipleship and daily work
were incongruous. Saul was seeking his
father's asses, and David keeping his
father's sheep, when called to the king-
dom. The shepherds were feeding their
flocks when they had their glorious revela-
tion. Matthew was called from the receipt
of custom ; Amos from among the herds-
men of Tekoah; Moses from keei^ing
Jethro's sheep, and Gideon from the
threshing-floor. What does all this tell
us, but that Christ honors and consecrates
daily industry. (Gen. ii. 15, iii. 19 ; Acts
ix. 43, xvi. 14, 15 ; 1 Cor. vii. 21 ; 1 Thes.
iv. 11.)
Come ye after me, &c. Jesus gradually
prepares His people for service and trial.
As in mental training, so in spiritual, there
is an education— a gradual progressive
discipline ; " first the blade, then the ear,
then the full corn in the ear." These
fishermen may have received the first
hallowed impressions from casual meet-
ings with the young Nazareth Pilgrim in
their journeys to the city of solemnities,
or the earliest seed of the kingdom might
have been more recently planted by the
teachings of the Baptist. This had been
still further nurtured by a solemn personal
interview with their Lord. Months had
elapsed to allow all these to take root.
They had been left to themselves during
this intervening period to a secret work
of faith and prayer. And now, when love
has been deepeiied and faith strengthened
He demands loftier services, imposes
heavier responsibilities.
Fishers of men. The Lord clothes His
promise in the language of that art which
was famiUar to these men. The fisher-
man is to catch men, as David, the shep-
herd, taken from amid the sheepfolds, is to
feed them. What tremendous responsibil-
ities and results does this title involve !
Death and life are confided to ministers of
the Gospel. Their aim is here represented
to be, not a mere external varnishing over
with new habits, new tastes, new virtues, ■
but to efiect a change of being. The faith-
ful preaching of the Gospel ought to have
for its object a bringing up and out from
the deep, dead sea of nature, elevating to
a new heaven-born atmosphere. As Christ
in promising to make these disciples
" fishers of men," addressed them in such
a way as was most likely to work upon
them, so were the astronomers addressed,
to whom was given a star to guide them
to the Saviour's birth-place (Matt, ii.), and
those who followed Jesus for meat, to
whom He preached of spiritual food, and
the Samaritan woman at the well, to
whom He preached of the water of life.
(John iv.) Heaven, likewise, is so repre-
sented as, if possible, to " gain " all. To
the cheerful man it is represented as all
joy, to the ambitious man, as all glory, to
the merchant it is a pearl, and to the hus-
bandman, a rich field.
^lending theirncis. This is explained by
reference to Luke v. 6. And they left their
father Zebedee in the ship, &c. It is a solemn
lesson of self-denial we are here taught at
the feet of Galilean fishermen. It was, it
must have been, for them a trying hour.
At a moment's warning their worldly all
was to be left to attach themselves to the
person and fortune of the rejxited son of
a carpenter, who was often unable to tell
of so secure a shelter as had the fox of
the mountain or the bird of the forest.
Yet they straightway, without deliberating,
without conferring with flesh and blood,
without reasoning on maxims of expedi-
ency, willingly surrendered their all, and
cast in their lot with the despised and re-
jected One! What an example of prompt
and unreserved obedience ! The mention
of the hired servants shows that Christ in
calling these men, and they in obeying
the call, did not leave their father desti-
CHAPTER I.
335
tute of assistance to carry on his business.
*,vii. 10-12; Eph. vi.2, 3).
21. T 'And they went into Capernaum, and straight-
way on the Sabbath day lie enti-nd into the synagogue,
and taught. '22. "And they were lustoiiislird ;it his
doctrine : lor he tauglit them a.s oiietliat IkhI autliority,
ami not a-s tiie scribes. 2^. I'And tlicie \v;ls in tlieir
svaairogue a man witli an unclean .spirit, and lie cried
out. 24. Sayinu, Let v^ alone; 'What liave we to do
with thee, tliou Jesu.s of Nazareth ? art thou come to
destroy us? I know thee who thou art. the Jloly One
ofGod. 25. And Jesus "irebuked him, .saying. Hold thy
peace, and come out of him. 20. And when tlie un-
clean spirit <-had torn him, and cried witli a loud voice,
he came out of him. 27. Anil tliey were all amazed,
insomuch that they (inestioiuMl among themselves,
saying, What thiiig is this? what new doctrine ix this ?
for with authorit.v commandeth he even the unclean
spirits, and theydo obey him 2S. And immediately
his fame spread abroad tliroughout all the region round
about Galdee.
'Matt. iv. 13; Luke iv. 31, on which see notes. »Matt.
vil. 28. bLuke iv. 33. cMatt. viii. 29. 'lVerse34. cChap.
ix. 20.
An unclean spirit. It was befitting, since
death first entered into the world through
the devil's envy, that the healing medicine
of salvation should first operate against
him. (xvi. 17 ; Gen. iii. 15.) To destroy tis.
Our Lord had not uttered a word respect-
ing judgment or puiiLshment. But guilt
accuses and condemns itself. Fear of de-
struction is the spontaneous oflspring of
sin, and, whether the Lord reproaches or
keeps silence, " there is no peace unto the
wicked." (Compare the case of Herod : vi.
14, 16 ; Gen. iv. 23 ; Matt. xiv. 1, 2 ; Acts
xxiv. 25.) Rebuked him. Jesus silenced the
devils, even when they spake the truth,
lest He should seem to approve of wit-
nesses, who were liars by nature. (John
viii. 44 ; Rom. xiv. 16 ; Eph. v. 15.)
Had torn him, &c. Though obliged to
obey the Lord of all, with what reluctance
the unclean sj^irit quitted his victim ! He
made him feel his malice before he left
him. It is to the malice of such devils
that the wicked are to be forever given up.
If we " are taken captive by the devil at
his will," Jesus can command the devil to
let us go, and He uill do so, if we implore
His help. But the devil will not let go his
captives unless he is compelled ; he dili-
gently watches over them lest they should
believe and be saved — accompanies them
to church and follows them home.
29. fAnd forthwith, when they were come out of the
synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and
Andrew, with James and John. 30. But Simon's ^wife's
mother lay sick of a fever, and anon I'they tell him of
her. 31. And he came and took her by the hand, and
lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her, and
she ministered unto them.
f Matt. viii. 14 ; Luke iv. 38. si Cor. ix. 5. b James v.
14, 15.
Forthwith — Jesus avoided the din of a
orowd. Simon James and John.
This occasion is peculiarly interesting as
being the first on which the sacred trium-
virate of Peter and James and John were
selected from among the rest, to be a three-
fold cord of testimony to certain events in
their Lord's life — Andrew being jjresent on
this occasion, as the occurrence took place
in his own house. Fever. A disease con-
sisting in a fermentation of the blood, ac-
companied with a quick pulse. Took her
by the hand, &c. The miracle here record-
ed did not, as in some other cases, consist
in the cure of an incurable disorder, but
in the mode of cure, instantly, and by a
touch (See Matt. viii. 15.)
The fever left her, &c. This was the doing
of one that is Almighty. There is no es-
cape from the conclusion. This was " the
finger of God." (Exod. viii. 19.) Our great
High Priest is very gracious. He can be
" touched with the feeling of our infirmi-
ties." No heart can feel for us so much
as the heart of Christ. 'It was a fine say-
ing of an old saint, "My faith can sleep
sound on no other pillow than Christ's
omnipotence." He can give power to the
weak. He can " increase strength to them
that have no might." Let us trust Him,
and not be afraid. The world is full of
snares. Our hearts are weak. But with
Jesus nothing is impossible.
See on Matt. viii. 14-15 ; Luke v. 38-9.
32. H >And at even, when the sun did set, they brought
unto him all that were diseased, and them that were
possessed with devils. 33. And all the city wa.s gather-
ed together at the door. 34. And he healed many that
were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils,
and Jsufl'ered not the devils to speak, because they knew
iMatt. viii. 16; Luke iv. 40. JChap. iiL 12; Luke iv. 41.
See Acts xvi. 17, 18.
See on Matt. viii. 16, 17 ; Luke v. 40, 41.
When the sun did set. When the Sabbath
was ended, for the Jewish Sabbath began
on Friday evening, and ended on Saturday
evening. And all the city, &c. A very
common hyperbole, meaning that a great
many of the people of the city were thus
assembled. At the door, of Peter's house.
Suffered not the dnnls to sj)eak, &c. Jesus
made no concealment, so far as His own
testimony was concerned, of His being the
Messiah, but He might have had very wise
objections to being publicly called the Mes-
siah by certain sorts of persons, and at cer-
tain times. Had no caution been exer-
cised. His appearing as the Messiah might
have been greatly abused.
336
MARK.
The healing of this multitude was a pain-
ful and laborious service. Could Jesus be-
hold, unmoved, the diseased creatures that
were brought to Ilim ? Could He hear the
ravings of those possessed with devils, and
the cries of those in pain, without anguish
of spirit? Impossible; for His heart was full
of compassion. Some persons turn away
from the view of misery, because it gives
them uneasiness, but such conduct is sel-
fish. Our blessed Saviour felt far more at
the sight of suffering than we can feel, yet
he Avas willing to bear the pangs of sym-
pathy. (See Isa, Ivi. 3; Matt. viii. 17.)
35. IF And kill the morning, rising up a great while be-
fore clay, he went out, and departed into a solitary
place, and there prayed. 3(). And Simon and they that
were with )iim loUowed after him. 37. And "when
they had found him, they said unto him. All 7iicn seek
for thee. 3S. And he said unto them, 'Let us go into the
next towns, tliat I may preach there also: forn>there-
fore came I forth. 39. "And he preached in their syna-
gogues throughout all Galilee, and ca.st out devils.
kLuke iv. 42. 'Luke iv. 43. ^isa. Ixi. 1. John xvi.
28, xvii. 4. "Matt. iv. 23 ; Luke iv. 44.
See on Luke iv. 42-44.
In the morning, &c. The original means,
not literally a great while before day, but
very early, or while there was yet much
appearance of night. Departedinto a solitary
place, &c. He would there be less liable to
interruption. We have here the example
of our Lord to make prayer the first duty
of the day, and to secure a place of as
much privacy as possible, in order that
freedom and fervor of devotion may not
be checked through fear of being over-
heard or interrupted.
Ayid there prayed. We cannot hesitate
to believe that this retiring of Christ to a
solitary place for the purpose of praying
was in accordance with a real want of His
nature, since the Lord did nothing for
mere appearance sake. On the contrary,
according to the Scriptures, Jesus was
made like unto His brethren in all things,
sin alone excepted (Heb. ii. 17), and to
contemplate Him in His true humanity is
a never-failing fountain of consolation,
and enables us to set Him before us as our
pattern. If we view Jesus in His human
development. His prayers, which, though
He prayed always, as He commands us
(Luke xviii. 1), nevertheless had their
culminating points in certain hours of
sacred devotion — were even to Him the
times of heavenly refreshing and strength-
ening from above, amid the constant as-
saults of the powers of darkness from
without. They were at the same time the
hours ■'yhich he especially devoted to the
deepest meditations on the Father's coun-
sel concerning Him and the purposes of
Divine mercy, to consecrate Himself to
the accomplishment of His work.
Followed after him. The Saviour's re-
tirement was interrupted by His disciples,
who said, " All men seek for thee." Was
this addressed to Him who was desj^ised
and rejected of men? But how few of
those who sought Him truly loved Him.
Thus it is now. Multitudes will flock to
hear an earnest, interesting preacher, but
only a few .receive into their hearts the
blessed Gospel he proclaims. Let us go
into the next towns, &c. The Greek word
here rendered toicns, designates places
larger than villages, but unwalled, and
less than ordinary cities. That I may
j)reach there also. This was part of His
office for which he came into the world,
to proclaim the mercy of God, and direct
men in the way of everlasting life. For
thenfore came I forth, that is, came forth
from God, or was sent by God. (See Luke
iv. 43 ; John xi. 14, xvi. 27-30.) Jesus
ever remembered the purpose for which
He came into the world ; not His own
pleasure, but the glory of God in tlie sal-
vation of sinners. How many jjersons,
alas, live as if they were born to live in
pleasure or amusement, and then to die
like the beasts. A young lady was once
converted by meditating on the first an-
swer in the Assembly's catechism. The
first question is, " What is the chief end
of man?" The answ'er, " To glorify God,
and enjoy Him forever." She felt that
she was not fulfilling this end while
spending her time in vain and worldly
pleasures. By the grace of God she
gave them up, and became an emi-
nent Christian. Throughout all Galilee.
Notice (I), how the succession of events
marks the development of Christ's work :
1 . The synagogue at home. 2. The house
of Peter, as the hearth of the new com-
munity of the disciples at its outset. 3.
The whole town of Capernaum. 4. The
entire land of Galilee. (II) The progres-
sion of the influence of our Lord's preach-
ing. 1. His fame goes out through all
CHAPTER I.
337
Galilee. 2. The whole town of Caper-
naum presses for help and healing at His
door, yea, into His doors. 3. All seek
Him after He had withdrawn. 4. Even
in the wilderness they come to Him from
all parts.
40. 1] oAnd there came a leper to him, besppoliing him,
and knet'liiiK down to hiii), and saying unto liini. If
thou wilt, thou canst nial«> me clean. 41. And Jesus,
moved with pctmipa.ssion, put forth /iw hand, and
touclied him, and saitli unto liim, I will, be thou clean.
42. And as soon a-s he had spoken, qimmediately the
leprosy departed I'rom him, and he wa.s clean.sed. 43.
And lie straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him
away; 44. .r>.na f^aith unto liini, !See tliou say nothing
to any man : but go tliy way, sliow thyself to the priest,
and ofl'er Ibr thy cleansing those tilings 'which Moses
commanded, for a testimony unto them.
oJIatt. viii. 2; Luke v. 12. I'Heb. ii. 17, iv. 1-5. fPa.
xxxiii. 9 : Matt. xv. 28. 'Lev. xiv. 3, iv. 10 ; Luke v. 14.
A leper. The Jews considered leprosy as
a punishment from God ; and Moses gives
particular direction.? concerning the treat-
ment of lepers. (See Lev. xiii. 45). The
Eei: T. C. Ewald, in his " Missionary
Labors in Jerusalem" says, "Beyond the
walls of the Armenian convent, near the
Zion gate, is the wretched village of
the miserable lepers. This unfortunate
and pitiable race consists of about one
hundred. They are compelled to live
separate from all, intermarry "lepers,"
and are thus allowed to propagate their
miseries from one generation to another.
The malady appears generally when they
are abcwit twelve or fourteen years old,
and increases evei*y year till they lose
literally one limb after the other ; as they
grow older their sight fails, then throat
and luno;s become infected, till death ends
their protracted sufferings. They live
upon charity, which they receive from the
pilgrims and others." Kneeling down to
Mm. Mark alone describes this attitude
of the leper. If thou uilt, &c. His speecn
is a very touching one. It implies a prayer,
yet, in reality, nothing is asked. It is
rather a profession of strong faith, and an
humble " Tliy will be done."
Jesus, moved vAth compassion, &c. Our
Evangelist is very assiduous in observing
the holy movement of feelings, and hence
even the gestures of Jesus. Whoever
will carefully attend to this in reading his
Gospel, will derive from it no little de-
light. Putforthhishand,&c. The Saviour's
working by means in healing diseases was
His most ordinary way, and is most
adapted to the weakness of our faith and
the dimness of our understanding. Yet It
22
is as easy for Him to work without mean?-,
and even against means, as with them.
We ought never so to depend upon His
will and power hidden, as to neglect His
declared pleasure. He that neglects what
he finds commanded, has little reason to
expect what he finds not promised. Upon
means it is fit we should depend, without
means we may hope, against means we
should not despair. (John ix. 3'J; Acts
xii. 8, xxvii. 31).
/ iv%U, &c. Here Christ asserted that
diseases are subject to His will. His power,
of course, must be Divine. The leper ac-
knowledged this, and Christ here claims
that His will and command are all that is
needed to make the incurable leper clean.
And so the result showed. How readily
does Christ grant every humble request.
This is symbolical of His power over sin,
and of His readiness to deliver from its
curse. He uxts cleansed, by his being brought
into contact with Him who was absolute
purity. He straitly, i. e., forthwith, charged
him, &c. This was done lest Jesus should
seem to ignore the law. The man, when
healed, Avas ready to remain with Christ,
and away from his relatives. Adversity
tends to transfer our affections from natu-
ral objects to the Saviour. For n testimony
unto them — a palpable witness that the
Great Healer had indeed come, and that
" God had visited His people." (See on
verse 45). How loathsome and inveterate
soever the leprosy of our sins may be, let
us not be ashamed to go to Christ.
See on Matt. viii. 1-4 ; Luke v. 12-14.
4.5. 'But he went out, and began to publish it much,
and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus
could no more openly enter into the city, but was with-
out in desert places : «and they came to him from every
quarter.— "Luke v. 15. 'Chap. ii. 13.
See on Luke v. 15.
He went out, &c. He was so full of his
blessedness that he could not keep it a
secret. Other persons whom our Saviour
had in like manner cured, and commanded
to keep silence, seem to have found it, in
like manner, impossible to retain them-
selves. (See on Matt. ix. 30, 31.) Insomuch
that Jesus, &c. Here we see one reason
why our Lord may have enjoined silence
on the leper, for it appears that, in conse-
quence of his disobedience, the Son of
Man could no longer appear openly in the
city. Doubtless, He wished that men
338
MARK
should come to Him rather as an act of
individual faith, than troop to Him in
crowds, as to a physician with the reputa-
tion of more than human skill, whose very
touch was health, and who had never
been known to lay hands on any one in
vain. " Our Lord's injunction," says one,
" does, indeed, for the time appear to have
been spoken in vain, yet His word shall
not return to Him void, but perform its
purpose (Isa. iv. 11), and if in nothing-
else, yet in this, that even to this day it
remains a witness to us, teaching us to
avoid all vain-glory in acts of charity,
although indeed it may be true that glory
and honor will ever pursue those who
flee from them, and flee from those who
anxiously pursue them,"
1. How is this Gospel introduced ? 2. What is said of " the voice ? " 3. Where did John baptize ? 4. What
did he preach ? 5. What was the effect of his preaching ? G. What did he say of Jesus ? 7. Explain the tempta-
tion of our Saviour. 8. What is said of Simon and Andrew? 9. What of James and John? 10. What did Christ
do in Capernaum ? 11. State the particulars of the cure of Simon's wife's mother. 12. What other miracle
followed this ?
CHAPTER II.
1 (yirht healeth nnr xirK- nf thr pnlx<i. 14 calif th Mnftliew
from the rectipl (if ruxditn, lo intith >rith publicans and
sbmers, IH fxntxrt/i his dixrijilcs /<ir nut fasfinfi, 23
and foi-pluckiny the tars of cum on the sabbath day.
AND again »he entered into Capernaum after some
days : and it was noLsod that he was in the house.
2. And straightway many were gathered together, inso-
much that tliere was no room to receive them, no, not
so much as about the door, and he preached the word
unto them.— "Matt. jx. 1 ; Luke v. 18.
Again he entered into Capernaum — after
leaving Capernaum, as mentioned in the
last chapter, on account of the crowds. It
teas noised. Although He came in a private
and unostentatious manner, such was the
general interest excited by His miracles
and teaching, that His coming was soon
known throughout the city. In the house.
This means the house which Jesus occu-
pied with His mother and His brethren,
after His settlement there. (Chap. iii. 31.)
His adopted sisters jirobably remained, as
married, in Nazareth (see chap. vi. 3),
when the fomily of Joseph passed over
with Him to Capernaum.
Arid straightway. This is a favorite ex-
pression of Mark, the original Greek
adverb occurring in the first chapter no
less than ten times. Insomuvh that there
tvas no room, tt'C. The sense of the passage
is, " So that there was no longer place for
them in the vestibule — much less in the
house itself." And he preached the u-ord
unto them, that is, the doctrine or instruc-
tion pertaining to the new dispensation.
Jesus thus taught His ministers by His
example, to embrace all opportunities, in
season and out of season, on the Lord's
day and on the week day, to edify their
people by their ministry, by their public
exhortations, by their private instructions,
prudent admonitions, and holy examples.
3. And they came unto him, bringing one siclc of the
palsy, which was borne of (bur. 4. And when they
could not come nigli unto him for the pres-s, they un-
covered thereof where he was: and wlien they had
broken it up, they let down the bed wlierein the sick
of the palsy lay. 5. When Jesus saw their faith, he said
unto the sick" of the palsy, Son, tliy sins be forgiven
thee. «. But there were certain of the scribes sitting
tliere, aiul reasfining in their hearts, 7. Why doth this
'inau. thus speak blasphemies? bwho can forgive sins
but God oiilv? 8. And immediately, 'When Jesus per-
ceived in his'spirit that they so reasoned within them-
selves, he said unto them. Why reason ye these things
in your hearts ? 9. ^Whether is it easier, to say to the
sick of the palsv. Thy sins be tbrgiven thee, or to say.
Arise, ami take"iip thy bed, and w.alk ? 10. But that ye
may know that tlie Son of man hath power on earth to
forgive sins, (.he saith to the sick of the palsy,). 11. I
say unto thee. Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy
way into thine house. 12. And ininiediately he arose,
took up the bed, and went forth belbre tliem all, inso-
much that they were all amazed, and glorified God,
saying. We never saw it on this liushion.
bJob xiv. 4 ; Isa. xliii. 25. <^Matt. ix. 4. aMatt. ix. 5.
See on Matt. ix. 1-8; Luke v. 18-26.
Borne of four. He was therefore full
grown, though not old. Each held a corner
of the litter. For the press, on account of
the crowd. Uncovered the roof. The roofs
of the houses in the East were flat, sur-
rounded with a battlement (Deut. xxii. 8),
and had a trap-door, for the convenience
of persons who wished to walk on the
CHAPTER II.
339
roof, or retire there for privutc devotion.
(Matt. xxiv. 17.) Tliis door, when shut,
would of course be well fastened, to secure
the house from thieves. The bearers of
the parah'tic were therefore obliged to
break it open before they could get en-
trance ; and they took off the tiles which
covered the door as well as roof, and,
forcing open the door, had nothing then
to intcrrujit them fi-ora accomi^lishing
their j)urpose. Difhculty of achievement
stupefies the sluggard, advises the prudent,
terrifies the fearful, animates the coura-
geous, (x. 48, xvi. 2, 3.) Let us come to
Christ, says an old writer, through the
door or through the roof, tliat is, in a
regular or irregular way.
Saiv their faith. Faith is not idle ; it
works and is forcible ; it bi'eaks out like
fire; it is always fruitful through love.
Faith without works is no faith, it is dead
and bringeth death. We should encour-
age ourselves from this and similar pas-
sages, to plead with the Saviour in behalf
of those friends, neighboi'S, or relatives,
who, from any cause, are yet strangers to
His truth. So7i. By thus addressing him,
Jesus manifested His disposition to help
the afflicted, even as a "father pitieth his
own children." (Ps. ciii. 13 ; 1 John iii. 1.)
Perceived in his spirit, &c. The scribes
probably supposed that no one. knew
what was going on in their minds. But
their malicious thought was publicly ex-
posed. They were put to an open shame.
Here is an important lesson for us. "All
things are naked and opened unto the
eyes of Him with whom we have to do."
(Heb. iv. 13). Nothing can be concealed
from Christ. He knows, sees, records,
even what we think, and will one day
call us to give account. (Rom, ii. 16 ; Ps.
xix. 14.)
So reasoned. We ought not to find
fault with tlie use of human reason, in
matters of Divine revelation, but rather
with the abuse of it, when it becomes
human reasoning. (Luke xxiv. 15, 25 ; 2
Cor. X. 5.) Whether is it easier, &c. It is
impossible not to be struck with this nar-
rative. Jesus not only shows His power
here, but He shows an unrivalled, an infi-
nite ease in the exertion of it. For He
lots His enemies themselves, as it were,
choose the way, in which it should be
manifested, signifying that with Him it
made no difi'erence. (Deut. xxxii. 31.)
Jhit tliut ye may know, &c. Tlie propitia-
tion for our sins was the great work for
which He came ; as Isaiah si)eaks (xxvii.
9) : " This is all the fruit, to take away
sin." That was His errand, on which He
came ; this He published and made known
to the world. It M'as the end of all His
miracles to seal uji this truth to us. (Heb.
ix. 26.) Though all the persons in the Trin-
ity/or^y'f<;.s/»s, yet not in the same manner.
The Father bestows, the Soh merits, the
Holy Ghost seals up and applies, remission
of sins.
13. eAnd he went forth asrain by the sea-skle. nnrt all
the miiltitutles resorted uiitu him.' and he taiif,'ht them.
14. fAnrt as lie passed by, lie saw J>evi the son «t' AI-
pheus sitting at the receipt of enstom, and said UDto
bim, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
eMatt. ix. 9. fMatt. ix. 9 ; Luke v. 27.
See on Matt. ix. 9 ; Luke v. 27, 28.
By the sea-side, the sea of Galilee. (Comp.
Matt. ix. 9.) All the midtitudes, who had
gathered in and around the house where
the paralytic was healed. And he taught
them. How perpetually was the blessed
Saviour employed in the labors of His
calling, in the service of His Father, and
for the good of mankind ! He went about
doing good, setting an example of laborious
diligence for all His ministers to follow.
Levi the son of Alpheus, &c. We learn from
the parallel passage in ]Matthew (ix. 9)
that this Levi was INIatthew himself. The
Jews gave several names to the same per-
son. If the Alpheus here mentioned was
the same Alpheus as in Matt. x. 3, then
Matthew was the cousin of Jesus, being
brother of James the Less.
Sitting at the receipt of custom, as a publi-
can, which Luke (v. 27) calls him. It
means the place of receipt, the toll-house
or booth in which the collector sat. Being,
in this case, by the sea-side, it might be
the ferry tax, for the transit of persons
and goods across the lake, which he col-
lected. Follow me. Witching words these,
from the lips of Him who never employed
them Avithout giving them resistless efti-
cacy in the hearts of those they were
spoken to. And he arose, &c. Luke says
(v. 28) he left all, rose up, and followed
Him. " Christ found him, as he was Leii,
the publican," says an old writer, " but
340
MARK
looked on him as he was MattJmc, the
Apostle He called him to an office
much more gainful where he
should still be a receiver, and a gainer, too,
bat not, as here, 10 or 15 per centum, but
where one should bring forth thirty, one
sixty, one an hundred fold." (i. 17 ; Hab.
ii. 6; Job xx. 15-23; 1 Tim. ii. 6,)
15. fAnd it came to pass, that as Jesas sat at meat in
^.;^ bou3e, many publicans and sinners sat also together
v/'.l\i Jesus and" his disciples, for there were many, and
tliey followed him. 16. And when the scribes and
Pharisees saw him eat witli publicans and simieis, they
s:v:d unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and
drinketh with publicans and sinners 7 17. W^ben Jesus
heard it, he saith unto them, hTliey that are whole
have no need of the physician, but they tliat are sick :
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repent-
fk'att. ix. 10. hMatt. ix. 12, 13; Lnke v, 31, 32 ; 1 Tim.
1, 15.
See on Matt. ix. 10-12 ; Luke v. 29-32.
In his house, i. e., Levi's house. The pro-
noun can be easily referred to him from
the preceding verse, and we have also the
direct testimony of Luke (v. 29). Is
the dining of Jesus with publicans and
sinners, a precedent for us to go and dine
wi'h those to whom we entertain the
strongest religious objection ? We answer,
when Jesus dined with these. He went not
as a companion to share in their mere con-
viviality, but as an instructor of the ignor-
ant, a physician for the sick, a Saviour to
the sinful ; and if we go with the same mo-
tive, and with the same design, we are war-
ranted in going also ; that is to say, if we
go deliberately to do good, designedly to
benefit those who are about us, and with
whom we are associated, then we are war-
ranted in doing so ; but if we go where we
have no call in Providence to be, but only
to gratify our own passions, our own mere
carnal appetites and desires, it is a question
that will be veiy soon settled when looked
at in the light of the sanctuary, whether
Ave have any right to be there.
What can we hope to do, or say, that shall
escape the censure and misinterpretation
of man, when we see the Son of God could
not avoid it ?
They that are whole, &c. — think they are
whole. The disease of sin is of a lethargic
nature, and stupefies the unhappy crea-
tures, so that they are not sensible of it.
It renders them delirious, so that they
think themselves well, when the symp-
toms of death are strong upon them
We can weep and lament over the sick bed
of a dying friend, and we even drop our
tears after him into the grave ; but shall
we drop no tears over dying souls? (Ps,
cxix, 53 ; Hos. vii. 9 ; Jer. ix. 1, xiii. 17 ;
Luke xix. 41.)
tS. i And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees nsed
to fa.st : and they come, and say unto him. Whv do the
disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy dis-
ciples fast not 7 19. And Jesus said unto them, Can the
clnldren of thebridechamber fast, while tlie bridegroom
is with tbem 7 As long as thev have the bridegroom witli
tlieui, they cannot last. -M. But the davs will come
when the bridegroom shall be taken away fi-om them,
and then shall they last in those days. •.'1. Ko man also
seweth a piece of new clotli on an old garment : else the
new piece that filled it up taketh awav from the old,
and the rent Ls made worse. 22. And no man putteth
new wine into old tottles : else the new wine doth burst
the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will
be marred: but new wine mast be put into new bottles.
'Matt. ix. 14 ; l,uke v. 33.
See on Matt. ix. 14-ir ; Luke v. 33-39.
Used to fast. They were doubtless then
in the act of fasting. It may be easily sup-
posed that the imprisonment of John
would give occasion to his disciples, and
with them to many of the Pharisees, for
an extraordinary fast. And they come. Of
course only some, as representing the mind
of all. Why do the disciples of John, &c. It
has well been said, that the envious are
more busied in censuring the conduct of
others than in rectifying their own. This
is one vice belonging to a Pharisee, and
which is very common. It is another, to
desire that every one should regulate his
piety by ours, and embrace our particular
customs and devotions. It is a third, to
speak of others only that we may have an
opportunity to speak of and to distinguish
ourselves. It is very dangerous for a man
to make himself remarkable by .such de-
vout practices as are external and singular,
when he is not firmly settled and rooted
in internal virtues, and, above all, in hu-
mility. The bridegroom. What the bride-
groom is to the bride, the Lord Jesus is to
the souls of all who believe in Him. He
loves them with a deep and everlasting
love ; takes them into union with Himself,
pays all their debts to God ; supplies all
their daily need ; sympathizes with them
in all their troubles ; bears with them in
their infirmities ; regards those that perse-
cute and injure them as persecuting Him,
and will one day share with them the glory
that He has received from His Father.
They are the Lamb's wife. (Rev. xix. 7.)
Ca7i the children of the bridegroom fast f
&c. The question amounts to this: Can
CHAPTER II.
341
you expect there will be mourning on a
nuptial occasion? Would mourning be
congruous at a wedding? 27/€ bridegroom
sliall be taken away, &c. Continuing the
language of the illustration drawn from
the bridegroom, instead of adopting plain
language, Jesus said, the bridegroom, that
is, Himself, would be removed, and then,
thx'ough sorrow of heart, in their changed
circumstiinces, the friends of the bride-
groom, His disciples, would fast. The
incongruities mentioned in verses 21-2,
were intended to illustrate the difference
between the genius of the old and the new
economies, and the danger of mixing up
the one with the other. As, in the one
case supposed, " the rent is made worse,"
and in the other, "' the new wine is
skilled," so by a mongrel mixture of the
ascetic ritualism of the old with the spir-
itual freedom of the new economy, both
are disfigured and destroyed. Here note
the course of the true followers of Christ,
with regard to old and new forms: 1.
They do not, in the bondage of formality,
cling to what is old, merely because it is
old. 2. Nor do they prematurely adopt
the new, simjoly because it is new. But, 3.
Free from slavish conservatism and radi-
cal liberalism, they are led by the Spirit
of Christ to prepare new bottles for new
wine,
23. IT *And it came to pass, that he went through the
corn fields on the sabbath day, and his disciples began,
as they went. Uo phick the ears of corn. 24. And the
Pharisees said unto him. Behold, why do they on the
sabbath day tliat which is not lawful ? 'Si. And he said
unto them.Have ye never read mwhat David did, when
he had need, and wa-s an hungered, he, and they that
were with him ? 26. How he went into the house of
God in the days of Abiathar the hish priest, and did
eat the shew bread, ■■which is not lawful to eat but for
the priests,and gave also to them which were with him ?
27. -And he said unto them. The sabbath was made for
man, and not man for the sabbath : 28. Tlierefore "the
Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
liMatt. xii. 1; Luke vi. I. iDe\it. xxiii. 25. ■"! Sam.
xxi. G. "E-x. xxix. 32, 33; Lev. xxiv. 9. "Matt. xii. 8.
See on Matt. xii. 1-8 ; Luke vi. 1-5 ;
Mark ii. 27, 28.
His disciples began, as they went, to pluck
the ears of corn. " I walk many times in
the pleasant fields of the Holy Scriptures,
where I pluck up the goodlisome herbs of
sentences by pruning, eat them by reading,
digest them by musing, and lay them up
at length in the high seat of memory by
gathering them together, that so, having
tasted their sweetness, I may less perceive
the bitterness of life. ( Jer. xv. 10 ; Ps.
cxix. 103)."— (?. Elizabeth. " If one single
promise of the Gospel, like an ear of corn,
rubbed in the hand of faith, and applied
by the Spirit of Christ, can give such a full
satisfying meal of joy to the hunger-bitten,
pining soul, oh, what price can we set
upon the whole field of Scripture, which
'stands so thick' with promises, every
way as cordial as this? (Jer. xv. 16; Ps.
Ixv. 14 ; 2 Peter i. 4).''—Giirnall.
Abiathar the high priest. It is found that
Abiathar was not the high priest at this
time. Abimelech was the high priest.
Abiathar was his son, and INIark calls him
the high priest by anticipation. Napoleon
was called the first consul once, but histor-
ians would speak of him as the emperor.
Thus Abiathar is called the high priest by
one of those anticipatory expressions,
which are common to all historians. It is
not, therefore, a contradiction of fact, but
one of the indirect and latent proofs of the
genuineness of the narrative.
The Sabbath was made for man, &c. This
is a most important lesson. The Sabbath
was not made first, and man created in
order to fit it, but man was made first, and
the Sabbath was instituted in order to fit
man. In other words, we are not for the
Sabbath, but the Sabbath is for us, and
any one who can comprehend this great
truth in its length and its breadth, will not
be likely to have a scrupulous conscience
in reference to the Sabbath, which is bad
one way, nor will he have a latitudinarian
conscience, or tendency to profane it,
which is as bad in the opposite direction.
This passage, beautiful, comforting, and
instructive as it is, is often quoted by men
who have no reverence for the Sabbath :
or rather it is misquoted, for if their inter-
pretation of it prevailed, the Sabbath
would be displaced from its pure and lofty
position, and degraded to be the slave of
the passions, and to pander to the preju-
dices of mankind. The registers of eternity
alone, it has truthfully been remarked,
will show what a benefactress to mankind,
what an ambassadress from heaven, the
holy Christian Sabbath has been. Even
Sir Walter Scott has said : " If we believe
the Divine commandment, the Sabbath
was instituted for the express purpose of
religion alone ; the time set apjart as the
342
MARK.
Sabbath of the Lord ; a day on which not
to -work our own works, nor to think our
own thoughts. The precept is positive,
the purpose is clear. For our eternal
benefit, a certain space of every week is
appointed, which is sacred from all other
avocations, save those imposed by neces-
sity and mercy, and is to be employed
in i-eligious duties and privileges alone."
"We do not see the connection of the
good Avith the Sabbath ; but because un-
seen it is no less real. An influence goes
forth from every Sabbath that tells upon
the tone of our Congi-essional debates,
that influences our judicial decisions, and
that imparts to all classes of men — the
exchange, the counting-house, the trans-
actions of the world— a sublimer, holier,
and loftier tone. It cannot be doubted
that our national prosperity, with all its
fruits, has a connection with the Sabbath.
The great tree seems to stand alone, but
its roots below the ground stretch within
the jurisdiction of the Sabbath, and are
refreshed and invigorated there. There
is a public conscience as well as public
opinion; and how much of all that is
purest, and holiest, and best in public
opinion, may be traced to the influence of
the Sabbath and the exercises of the
sanctuary, eternity, not time, will be able
to unfold.
" There is one weapon (says Mr. Barnes)
which the enemy has employed to de-
stroy Christianity, and to drive it from the
world, which has never been employed
but with signal success. It is the attempt
to corrupt the Christian Sabbath ; to make
it a day of festivity ; to cause Christians
to feel that its sacred and rigid obligation
has ceased; to induce them on that day
to mingle in the scenes of pleasure, or the
exciting plans of ambition ; to make
them feel tliat they may pursue their
journeys by land and water, by thcsteam-
boat and the car, regardless of the com-
mand of God; and this has done, and will
continue to do, what no argument, no
sophistry, no imperial power has been
able to accomplish. The * Book of
Sports' did more to destroy Christianity
than all the ten persecutions of the Ro-
man emperors ; and the views of the
second Charles and his court about the
Lord's Day, tended more to drive religion
from the British nation than -all the fires
that were enkindled by Mary. Paris has
no Sabbath, and that fact has done more
to banish Christianity than all the writing
of Voltaii-e; and Vienna has no Sabbath,
and that fact does more to annihilate
religion than ever did the skepticism of
Frederick. Turn the Sabbath into a day
of sports and pastime, of military reviews,
and of pantomines and theatrical exhibi-
tions, and not an infidel anywhere would
care a farthing about the tomes of Volney
or Voltaire, about the skepticism of
Hume, the sneers of Gibbon, or the scur-
rility of Paine."
1. What miracle was wrought in Capernaum ? 2, Explain verse 9. 3. How did Christ call Levi ? 4. What was
the result of this call ? 5. In whose house did Jesus sit at meat ? 6. By whom was this objected to ? 7. On
what ground? 8. How did Jesus reply to the objection? 9. How are we to understand verses 21 and 22? M.
What fault was found by the Pharisees with the disciples ? 11. How did Jesus defend them ? 12. What is said of
the Sabbath ?
CHAPTER III.
34c
CHAPTER III.
1 Christ hralclh the irithrrrtl hrinil, 10 and 7nany other
injtnnitii s .■ 11 nlni/a th tlif unrlran spirits: VA clioon-
clh /i/.v iictlfi- (ijio.sflrs: "J'J (■(inrin.ceth the blnsphemy
of rdxHmi out ilrrils bji l!ftlz> Inib : 31 and sheweih
■tv/io «)■(■ hia tirollur, sister, and mother.
AND "lie entered again into tlie synagogue, and
tliere was a man there which had a withered
hand. 2. And 'tliey watched liini, whetlier lie would
heal him on the sabbath day, that they might acc-uise
him. 3. And he saith unto the man which had the
withered hand, Stand forth. 4. And he saith unto
theni.'Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or
to do evil '.' to save life, or to kill ? But the.v heldtheir
peace. ^. And when lie had looked rt)und about on
them with anger, being grieved lor the hardness of
their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine
hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was
restored whole as the other.
"Matt. .xii. 0: Luke vi. 6. bPs. xxxvii. 32; Isa. x.vix.
20, 21 ; Jer. x.x. 10 ; Dan. vi. 4. cHos.. vi. 6.
On verses 1-5 see on Matt. xii. 9-13;
Luke vi. 6-10.
And he entered, &c. He had now returned
again to Galilee from Jerusalem, whither
he had gone to keep the second pa.ssover
after His entrance upon His public minis-
try. The icithered hand is properly found
in the synagogue; for where the gifts of Di-
vine knowledge abound, there the greater
danger attends the blame, which is with-
out excuse. (Amos iii. 2 ; Matt. xi. 20-23 ;
Luke xii. 48, xiii. 7 ; John ix. 41.)
Watched him, &c. They were now come
to the length of dogging His steps to col-
lect material for a charge of impiety against
Him. There is no public action when the
world is not ready to scan. Is it lavful to
do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil f (fee.
A similar manner of expression occurs in
Mai. i. 2, 3, quoted in Rom. ix. 13: "Jacob
have I loved, and Esau have I hated,"
that is, Esau have I not loved, compara-
tivly speaking. The form of the questions
was such, also, as might very naturalh'
suggest to the minds of our Lord's oppo-
nents a comparison between themselves
and Him. He was bestowing bless-
ings on the afflicted, they were plotting
His destruction. To their consciences, He
might have intended to appeal, by pre-
senting the inquiry whether He was pur-
suing a justifiable course on the Sabbath,
or they. Not to "do good" is the same
as to do evil. " To him that knoweth to
do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
Looked round about on them tvith anger.
It is not necessary here to discuss, with
commentators, the question, whether our
Lord really felt anger or not, or what is
the true definition of anger, for the orig-
inid word here does not denote anger, but
(as sometimes in the classical writers) in-
dignation, a view established by the phrase
following, "being grieved," &c., wliich
was, no doubt, meant to qualify tlie word
rendered "anger," intimating that with
the indignation was mingled concern and
grief at the fate reserved for His adversa-
ries. Such anger is not unlawful. (Eph.
iv. 26.) Parents, masters and magistrates
may sin in not expressing just displeasure;
and anger is only sinful when it springs
from selfishness and malevolence, when
causeless, or above the cause, and when
expressed by unhallowed words or actions.
Even that anger which is lawful should,
as in the present case, be tempered with
grief or comi:)assion for those who have
offended. Being grieved for the hardness of
their hearts. Sorrow and jiity for their
wilfulness and their ruin mingles with the
stern recognition that they deserve the
ruin they incur. A Christian should
sorrow not only for his own sins, but also
be grieved for those of others. The ex-
pression, " hardness of their hearts," is
metaphorically put for spiritual stupidity
and dullness. The word literally signifies
a petrifying, a becoming hard like stone, and
then the state of hardness or petrifaction.
Stretch forth thine hand. "God willeth
not that we should be supine, inasmuch
as He worketh not the whole Himself, nor
is it His will that we should be proud, in-
asmuch as He commits not the whole to
us, but, subtracting from each the injuri-
ous tendency. He bestows on us what is
for our advantage, (xvi. 20; John vi. 27;
Phil. ii. 12, IS.y—Chrysostom.
His hand was restored whole as the other.
This was one of the cases in which our
Lord may be said to have wrought a mir-
acle of healing uithout a word. Unlike
those occasions when the eyes of the
blind were anointed by Him (John ix. 6,
14), and His hands were laid upon the
sufferer, the present miracle followed
upon the exercise of a mere act of
Almighty will. Our Saviour only directed
the man to assume a posture which should
bring his withered limb under the distinct
S44
MARK.
observation of all present, and thus make
the miracle which followed, a plain and
palpable thing. How must the anger of
His watchful enemies have been thereby
aroused and inflamed ! The man was
healed ; yet our Lord had done nothing ;
less, certainly, than each one of them-
selves was forced to do at every hour,
throughout the Sabbath. (See on Luke
vi. 11.)
6. ^And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway
took counsel with «the Herodians against him, how they
might destroy him.— iMatt. xii. 14. eMatt. xxii. 16.
See on Matt. xii. 14 ; Luke vi. 11.
Straightway. Their hatred increased.
(Comp. verse 2, at the end.) Herodians. The
Pharisee, who was the great traditionist of
the age, and the Herodian, the great skeptic
of the age, coalesced, when the Lord of
glory was to be put down. How sad it is
that skepticism does not so hate supersti-
tion, nor superstition so hate skepticism,
as they both hate the truth as it is in
Christ Jesus! This consultation with a
view to the destruction of our Lord, de-
monstrates the desperate wickedness of
the human heart. He had done no evil.
Neither could any charge be brought
against His teaching. He had proved it
to be agreeable to Scripture and reason,
and no reply had been made to His proofs.
But it mattered little how perfectly He
lived or taught. He was hated. This is
human nature appearing in its true colors.
The unconverted heart hates God, and
will show its hatred whenever it dares, and
has a favorable opportunity. It will per-
secute God's witnesses. It will dislike all
who have anything of God's mind and are
renewed after His image. (1 John iii. 13.)
7. But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to
the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed
him, fand from Judea. 8. And from Jerusalem, and
from Idumea. and/7'r«n heyond Jordan : and they about
Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had
heard what great things he did, came unto him.
'Luke vi. 17.
To the sea — to some distance, no doubt,
from the scene of the miracle, the mad-
ness, and the plotting just recorded. The
life on the sea, in the ship, which was
now His chief place of instruction in op-
position to the synagogue, and which more
than once served Him for a transient re-
treat to the opposite bank, here had its
commencement. And a great midtitude
from Galilee followed Him, &c. There were
two multitudes; one followed Him from
Galilee, the other, from most remote quar-
ters, then for the first time came to Jesus.
The former, in the Greek order, is a great
multitude, the latter, a laidtitude great; force
being added by the transposition of the
noun. Galilee. . . . Judea Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was in Judea. It is mentioned
particularly, to show that not only the
people of the surrounding country came,
but also many from the capital, the place
of wealth, honor, power. Idumea. This
was the ancient Edom. Beyond Jordan, i. e.,
Perea — literally, that beyond or the other side
— the name given to the region beyond
Jordan. They about Tyre and Sidon. The
persons here referred to were not the Ty-
rians and Sidonians, but the Jews who
lived on the confines of those places.
When they had heard what great things he did,
&c. So, if Christ be persecuted and aban-
doned by the wicked, there are a multitude
of pious souls who earnestly seek and fol-
low Him. He who labors for God, will al-
ways find more than he loses, in the midst
of all his contradictions and persecutions.
9. And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship
should wail on him because of the multitude, lest thej'
should throng him. 10. For he had healed many, in-
somuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him,
as many as had plagues. 11. EAnd unclean spirits,
when they saw him, lell down before him, and cried,
saying, iiThou art the Son of God. 12. And 'he straitly
charged them that they should not make him known.
sChap. i. 2;^, 24 : Luke iv. 41. bjiatt. xiv. 33 : chap. i.
1. iMatt. xii. 16 ; chap. i. 25, 34.
A small ship. The vessels in use on the
sea of Tiberias were all much smaller than
what we now call shi^xs. Wait on him —
not merely at that time. Lest. He cares
for due convenience. He who " measures
the waters in the hollow of His hand," and
" commands " them, is ferried over in some
boat or small vessel. Was it not richly
laden with this inestimable Pearl, " all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge," " all
fullness" dwelling in Him? (Matt. viii.
26; Ps. Ixxvii. 19.) Pressed upon — illus-
trating the wonderful patience and be-
nignity of our Lord. Plagues, sicknesses,
called plagues, or scourges, as being sent in
the righteous providence of God, in conse-
quence of sin.
Unclean spirits. One reason why Provi-
dence may have suffered evil spirits to
exert their malignant powers so much at
that time, might be to give a check to
Sadduceeism among the Jews, and to Epi-
CHAPTER III,
345
curean atheism among the Gentiles, and
to remove, in some measure, these two
great impediments to the reception of the
Gospel, (i. 24 ; Acts xix. 15, xxiii. 8.)
Thou art the Son oj God. The " Son of
God " implies the Messiah — the long prom-
ised Deliverer of the nation, foretold in
prophecy, foreshadowed in history. The
Jews had learned — probably from Ps. ii.
7, 12 (comp. Acts xiii. 33; Heb. i. 5, v. 5),
by that name to speak of Christ, as we
learn from Matt. xiv. 33. xvi. IG, xxvi. 63,
xxvii. 54 ; Luke xxii. 70 ; John i. 49, ix.
35. xi. 27, &c. The very fallen angels
knew Messiah by that name. (See Matt,
viii. 29 ; Luke iv. 41, &c.)
It is a very solemn thought that all the
ends of the earth shall yet acknowledge
Jesus in this character, that all the lost in
misery and the saved in glory shall equally
admit that He is Lord of all. The one
class shall admit it as a free-will offering
joyously given ; the other shall express it
as a great and awful sacrifice irresistibly
exacted. Heaven shall praise Him joy-
fully and with delight; hell shall praise
Him reluctantly, but really. From height
and depth, from east and west, from north
and south, God shall be glorified, either
in the joyful songs of the saved, or in the
reluctant acknowledgments of those who
would not be saved, and who have per-
ished entirely because they rejected Him,
the only Saviour.
And he straitbj charged them, &c. Our
Lord accei^ted not devils for preachers.
They so mingled falsehood with their truth,
that he who listens to them for the truth's
sake will be led away by their lies. All
the testimony Jesus would have from them
was given by their disclosing their infernal
presence and disappearing at His com-
mand.
13. t JAnd he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth
unto him whom he would : and they came unto him.
14. And lie ordained twelve, that they should be with
him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15.
And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out
devils: 16. And Simon the surnamed Peter: 17.
And James tlie son of Zebedee, and John the brother of
James, and he surnamed them iBoanerges, which is.
The sons of thunder: l.S. And Andrew, and Philip,
and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and
James the xon of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon
the Canaanite, 19. And Judji-s Iscariot, which also be-
trayed him : and they went into a house.
JMatt. X. 1 ; Luke vi. 12, ix. 1. kjoha i. 42. ilsa. Iviil.
1 ; Jer. xxlu. 9 ; Heb. lii. 12.
On verses 13-19 see on Matt. x. 1^;
Luke vi. 12-16.
Into a mountain. Luke says that He
went to this mountain to pray, and that
He continued all night in prayer. The
Christian, like his Divine pattern, will have
special seasons of retirement and praj^er
for his own good and also for the good
of others. And he calleth unto him ivhom lie
would. No one was allowed to follow Him
to the mountain without being especially
called. Those whom He appointed Apos-
tles had been His disciples before. We •
may learn from this that no one should
take upon himself the office of the Evan-
gelical ministry without a Divine call, and
that before receiving such a* call a man
must be already a disciple of Christ. And
he ordained, or set apart ; literally, made,
appointed, as the representatives of the
spiritual Israel. (See Rev. xxi. 14.) This
setting apart for the Apostolic office had
been preceded by several calls extended
to the men individually by our Lord to
become His followers, and even the act
here mentioned seems to have been only
a preparatory setting apart (comp. Luke
vi. 12), in order to prepare and fit them
for their future real mission, recorded by
Matthew (x. 5), Mark (vi. 7) and Luke
(ix. 1).
Twelve. (SeeEx.xv.27; Jo.sh.iv.3.) That
they should, be loith kirn. Constant attend-
ance upon Christ's ministry was not re-
quired of the other disciples, but the
Apostles were to be fitted for their office,
by remaining with Him and enjoying
private as well as public instruction.
And that he might send them forth to preach,
&c. The business of a minister of Christ
is, 1. To preach the Gospel. 2. To be the
physician of souls; and, 3. To wage war
with the devil, and destroy his kingdom.
Matthew. (See Preface to the Gospel of
Matthew.) Boanerges. He who is en-
rolled among " the ministers of Christ and
stewards of the mysteries of God," must
be a man " sound in the fiiith," " fervent
in spirit," and also "a son of consola-
tion." In this sense he must combine
what is found in a Cephas, a Boanerges, and
a Barnabas. (John i. 42; Acts iv. 36.)
For the history of the "twelve" see
Historical Index.
And they went into a house. This clause
properly belongs to the next verse, and
346
MARK,
opens the next paragraph. It is to this
house that " the niuUitude cometh togeth-
er." In this record of the first ordination
which ever took i)lace in the Church of
Christ, threelessons stand out prominently.
1. All ministers are not necessarily good
men. Judas Iscariot was one of the
Apostles. Ordained men are not necessa-
rily converted. We are not to regard them
as infallible, cither in doctrine or in
practice. We are not to make popes or
idols of them, and insensibly put them in
Christ's place. 2. The great work of a
minister of Christ is to do good. He is to
proclaim glad tidings, to relieve those who
are suffering, to diminish sorrow, and to
increase joy. 3. It is a most dangerous
thing to neglect the offers of the Gospel.
It shall prove "more tolerable for the land
of Sodom and Gomorrah" in the judg-
ment day, than for those who have heard
Christ's truth, and not received it.
(John xvi. 9.)
20. IT And the multitude cometh together again, mso
that they could not so mucli as eat bread. Ul. And
when his friends heard of it, tliey went out to lay hold
on him : "lor they said. He is beside himself.
mChap. vi. 31. "John vii. 5, x. 20.
And the multitude, &c. Wherever Jesus
went, so anxious were the people to hear
Him, that they came together in great
numbers. It appears from what follows,
that the multitude at this time was unusu-
ally great. Could not so much as eat bread.
Had neither room nor opportunity to get
food. Their time and attention were so
occupied, that they were obliged to forego
their regular meals. His friends — evidently
His relatives according to the flesh.
Heard of it. The Avords " of it," are not in
the original, and the reference is there-
fore in general to His acts and doings. His
preaching, calling the Apostles, denuncia-
tions of the Pharisees, miraculous powers,
&c. Tliey vjent out, &c. — went from their
homes, to lay hold on him, not violently,
but in a suitable manner, to rescue Him
from the danger that might result from the
excitement He was producing. Beside
Himself. They thus attributed to Him
excess of zeal overpowering judgment,
but falsely, as Festus to Paul. (Acts xxvi.
24.) Only in this way could they explain
the fact, that He, who, in all probability,
when under thirty years of age, made no
pretensions to teach or preach, Avas now
going forth preaching and teaching, and
doing many wonderful works.
Note, 1. Those who show much zeal and
diligence in the service of God, must ex-
pect to be misunderstood and censured, by
the world. Let a man show that he i.s in
earnest about his soul, that he is in earnest
in teaching others the way to heaven, and
in speaking that blessed Gospel, that is the
savour of life unto lite in all that believe
it, and many will. say, "much religion has
made him mad." But he may say with
the Apostle, " If we be beside ourselves it
is to God." (2 Cor. v. 13.) Note, 2. That
often the servants ot God meet with the
strongest temptations from, and are most
discouraged and molested by, such as are
their nearest relations by blood or alliance.
It is a great trial to find our kinsmen,
hindering, instead of helping us forward
in the Avays of religion ; but we must bear
it patiently, knoAving that not only others
of God's children, but Jesus Christ His
OAvn and only Son experienced this trial.
22. 11 And the scribes which came down fVom Jerusa-
lem said, i>H:e hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the
devils casteth he out devils. 23. pAnd he called them unto
/i iVn, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan
cast out Satan ? 24. And if a kingdom be qdivided
against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25. And nf
a house be divided against itself, that house cannot
stand. 2fi. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be
divided, he cannot .stand, but hath an end. 27. sNo man
can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods,
except he will first bmd the strong man, and then he
will spoil his house.
"Matt. ix. 34, x. 2.5, xii. 24; Luke xi. 15: John vii. 20,
viii. 48, .52, X. 20. pMatt. xii. 25. qJudges xii. 1 ; 2 Sam.
XX. 1, 1). 'Cien. xiii. 7, 8, xxxvii. 4 ; Gal. V. 15. >Isa. xlix.
24 ; Matt xii. 29.
And the scribes said, &c. What
could they say ? Not that He never per-
formed any miracles. Not that His mir-
acles Avere ever contrary to mercy, benev-
olence, peace, and every diA'ine virtue.
And yet they ascribed the whole system
of miraculous works to Satan, as if they
did not knoAV that all devilish manifesta-
tions are ever malignant, base, and sen-
sual. Consummate malice ! Envy makes
those whose hearts are possessed of this
A'ice, speak the language of the devil. Ca-
lumny is but at a little distance from envy.
How can Satan cast out Satan ? Can we sup-
pose these wicked and malignant spirits,
whose business it is to seduce men to ruin,
would be willing to exert their power to
work miracles, to confirm so holy a relig-
ion— a religion so contrary to their design,
CHAPTER III
347
and so subversive of their kingdom and
interest ? This would be wretched i)ohcy
indeed. Or, if we should sui^posc them
willing, yet, can we tliink that God, who
has them all at His control, Avould sulfer
them to counterfeit the great seal of hea-
ven, and annex it to an imi)Osture? (Ex.
Viii. 18, 19 ; 2 Thes. ii. 7-12 ; Rev. xx. 2, 3.)
On verses 22-27 see on Matt. xii.
24^29 ; Luke xi. 21, 22.
28. tVerily I say unto you. All sins shall be forgiven
unto the sons of men, and blasiiticinies wliorewith so-
ever tliey sliall blaspheme : 2!». But he that shall blas-
pheme against the Holy Ohost hath never l'or:;!venes<,
but is in dunscr of eternal damnation: 30. Because
■■they said, lie liath an unclean spirit.
'Matt. xii. 31 ; Luliexii.lo; Heb. x. 26; 1 John v. 16.
ujohn X. 20.
See on Matt. xii. 31, 32 ; Luke xii. 10.
As there is but one Godhead, so tliere is
no»sin again.st God — and all sin is so — but
it is also against the whole Trinity. But,
as there are certain attributes proper to
every person of tlie Trinity, so there are
certain sins, more directly against the
several properties and attributes of those
persons, and consequently against the per-
sons tliemselves. Sins against tlie Holy
Spirit are eminently against goodness and
love. (Luke xxii. 09; Col. ii. 3; Rom. xv.
30.) Is in danger, &c. This does not im-
ply uncertainty. Abetter translation would
be, is exposed to, or under sentence of eternal
condemnation, to be pronounced by Christ
the Judge, at the last day. (See Matt, xxiii.
33.) " Dreadful truths," says Bishop Wilson,
" are not to be forborne, for fear of casting
men into despair. They are rather to be
often inculcated to force sinners, by the
sight of their dangers, to throw themselves
into His arms, who is the only refuge of
all sinners." (Jer. vi. 14 ; 2 Cor. v. 11 ; Phil.
iii. 18, 19.) An unclean spirit. Character-
ization of Beelzebub, in opposition to the
Holy Spirit.
31. t »There came then his brethren and his mother,
and staiidinK withuut, .sent unto him, ealliuK him. 32.
And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto
him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek
lor thee. :«. And he answered them, saying?. "AVbo is
my mother, or my brethpen ? 34. And he looked round
about <in tbini wiiich sat about liim. and said. Behold
my mdtbcr and my brethren ! :'.'>. For wlio.soever shall
^do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my
sister, and mother.
"Matt. xii. 46 ; Bnke viii. 19. »2 Cor. v. 16. »Matt. vii.
21 ; John vii. 17 : James i. 25 ; 1 John Ii. 17.
On verses 31-35 see on Matt. xii. 4G-
50; Luke viii. 19-21.
His friends had now arrived, and per-
haps were listeners to the remarks just
made. Seek for tJtee. As we learn by Matt,
xiii. 54, that He soon visited Nazareth, it
is very probable that the object of this
visit was to prevail on Him to come to the
home of His childhood. And lie looked
round about. Mark often gives prominence
to the Lord's glance around. Here it is in
contrast with the indignant looking
around of iii. 5.
Behold my mother and my brethren — those
toward Avhom I cherih-h aflection similar
to that which is usually cherished toward
parents and brothers. The same is my
brother, &c. — is regarded by me with jjecu-
liar affection, an aifection similar, as to
the interest which it leads me to feel in
him, to that which one feels for the near-
est relatives. " There stand here the
members of a fomily transcending and
surviving this of earth. Filial subjection
to the will of my Father in heaven is the in-
dissoluble bond of union between me
and all its members, and whosoever enters
this hallowed circle becomes to me brother,
and sister, and mother."
1. 'WTiat man was found by Jesus in the synagogue? 2. What did He say to him? 3. What did He say to
them that w^atched Him ? 4. How was He affected by the hardness of their hearts ? 5. How was the withered
hand restored ? 6. W^here did Jesus go? 7. What did He say to His disciples ? S. What is said of the unclean
spirits? 9. How many disciples did He ordain? 10. For what purpose? 11. Name them. 12. What did the
scribes say about our Saviour? 13. How did He answer them? 14. Explain verses 23 and 29. 15. How are we
Jo understand the words, " Behold my mother and my brethren !"
348
MARK.
CHAPTER IV.
1 The parable of the sower, 14 and the meaning thereof.
21 We mtust communlcat-e tlu; light of our knuwUdye to
others. 26 The jxirable or' the seed growing secretly,
30 and of the mustard seed. 33 Christ stiUeth the tem-
pest on the sea.
AND »he began again to teach by the sea side : and
tliere was gathered unto him a great multitude, so
that lie entered into a ship, and sat in the sea, and the
whole multitude was by the sea, on the laud. 2. And
he taught them many things by parables, band said
unto them in his doctrine,
»Matt. xiii. 1 : Luke viii. 4. tChap. xii. 38.
And he began again to teach by the sea side.
Another emphatic reference to the con-
trast of this with His customary course of
teaching, and as an expression of His
decided breach witli tlie Pliarisees. A great
midtltude ; or, according to another well-
supported reading, " a mighty," or " im-
mense multitude." So that he entered into
a ship — rather, " into the ship," meaning
the one mentioned in iii. 9. Sat in
the sea, that is, He sat in the boat, and the
boat was in the sea. Here is a representa-
tion of those peculiar tossings and trials to
which ministers are exposed, while it is
the more easy lot of others to sit, com-
paratively at ease, on the shore. (Matt,
xxvi. 36; 1 Cor. iv. 9.)
By parables. The word parable is de-
rived from a Greek word signifying " to
compare together," and denotes a simili-
tude taken from a natural object, to illus-
trate a spiritual or moral subject. The
parabolical, enigmatical, figurative and
sententious way of speaking, was the
language of the Eastern sages and learned
men. The origin of parables, so far as can
be traced, appears to have been with the
Hebrews. In /tis doctrine, i. e., in His
teaching.
3. Hearken : Behold, there went out a sower to sow.
4. And it came to pa.ss aa he sowed, some fell bj' the
wayside ; and the iowls of the air came and devoured it
up : 5. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not
much earth, and immediately it sprang up, because it
had no depth of earth : (i. But wlien the sun was up,
it was scorched: and because it had no root, it withered
away. 7. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns
grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8. And
other tell on good ground, "-and did yield fruit that
sprang up and increa.sed, and brought forth, some thirty,
and some sixty, and some a hundred. 9. And he said
unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
cJohn XV. 5 ; Col. i. 6.
Verses 3-9 : see on Matt. xiii. 1-9, and
Luke viii. 4-8, 15.
Hearken. Pronounced loudly to show
the importance of what He was about to
say, and to quiet the people, so that the
very beginning of His discourse might not
be lost. A sower — the Divine speaker
Himself. The soil "by the way -side" is
hard and unbroken, wholly unfit, there-
fore, to receive the seed. The plow
must first open the furrows. And yet,
observe, that this is not all the evil. There
is danger from without also. "The fowls
of the air" are on the watch to ciirry
away the seed as soon as it has fallen.
Stony ground. Not a hard, hoi^eless surface,
on which it would have been mere
mockery to cast the seed. There is earth,
but it has no depth, and consequently no
moisture. (Luke viii. 6.) Some fell among
thorns, &c., for in this fallen world weeds
grow faster than wheat, and wicked things
prosper more, unfortunately we may say,
than holy, pure and just things, and the
result was, that the nettles, thorns and
thistles overshadowed ^nd choked the
good seed. OtJier fell on good ground, &c.
Observe the gradation. The seed sown
in the highway comes not up at all ; the
seed sown upon stony ground comes up,
but increaseth not; the seed sown among
thorns increaseth, but bears no fruit ; the
seed sown on good ground brings forth
fruit, in some thirty, &c. Here only the
last of the four sorts of ground on which
the seed was sown proved faithful, but
among the servants two improved their
talents or pounds, and one only buried them
(Matt. XXV. 18; Luke xix. 20), and of the
virgins, the wise and the foolish were
equal. (Matt. xxv. 2.) So that nothing
certain can be inferred from the relative
proportions.
This version of the parable of the sower
slightly differs, in some of the details, from
Matthew's, but those deviations teach us
that the Evangelists did not copy from
each other. We find that people's educa-
tion, business, station in life, and habits of
thought, will all very much give tone,
shape, peculiarity and distinctiveness to
their respective narratives of any particular
event. Matthew was a publican, Luke
was a learned physician, John was an
illiterate Hebrew, and Mark is supposed
to have been a more learned man. Each,
therefore, gives a varied verbal narrative
of the same great transaction, but all were
CHAPTER IV.
349
guided and inspired by tlic overruling
Spirit to record, in all their fullness, the
wonderful words of Him who spake as
never man sjmke.
lO. t ''And when hp was alone, they that were about
him Willi the twelve lusked of hini the purnble. 11.
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know
the ui\-.iteiv 111' tlie kingdom ofCjod: but unto >them
tliat iii'e withdut, iill t/irxf things are done in parables:
V2. fTlKit seeini; thev may see, and not perceive; and
lieariiiL; thev niav liear, and nnt understand, Ii'st at any
time thev should be eunverted, and thiir sins sliould be
forgiven" theui. 13. And he said unto them. Know ye
not this parable? and how then will ye know all para-
ble.s?
"iMatt. xlii. 10. e] Cor. v. 12 : Col. iv. 5: 1 Thes. iv. 12;
1 Tim. iii. 7. flsa. vi. U; Matt. xiii. 1-1 ; Acts xxviii. 2(3;
Rom. xi. 8. cMatt. xiii. I'J.
When he was alone, in respect to the
multitude whom He had been teaching.
His disciples were with Him. Asked of
him the parable — the explanation of the
parable. Asked him of ilie parable. Para-
bles were used for a double, and even an
opposite, purpose. They serve as a cloak
and covering, and they moreover serve as
a light and illustration. (Ex. xiv. 20 ; Hos.
xiv. 9.) Unto you it is given, &c. (See on
Matt. xiii. 11 .) Them that are without, form
the natural contrast to those that were
uith Christ, His disciples who had addressed
the question to Him. In 1 Cor. v. 12, and
Rev. xxii. 15, it is the designation for
unbelievers, for all that are not Christians.
That seeing they may see, &c. (See on
Matt. xiii. 14, 15.) The conjunction that,
must be taken iir its proper acceptation :
" in order that." For the leading idea is
that parabolic instruction is made use of
in order that those who are determined
to harden their hearts may remain in
blindness. To see and not to perceive, to
hear and not to understand, can evidently
only take place in consequence of a deter-
mination on the i^art of men not to perceive
or to understand. They are bent on pre-
venting their conversion, and avoid for
this very iiurpose every contact with truth.
On such men God does not force His
truth, but presents the truth to them in
parables, which only the sincere inquirer
after truth can understand. Lest. This
lest depends jipon their active ignoring of
the truth. They ignore lest they should
be converted. Knoio ye not this parable?
The first parable of the kingdom is the
basis of all the rest. If they understood
not this, they could not understand any
that followed. If they had the explana-
tion of this, they had the key for the
understanding of all others. There is
evidently here an intimation of the con-
nection of all the parables in the idea
of the kingdom of heaven, so that with
the explanation of this one, all were ex-
plained.
14. '[ I'Thp sower soweth the word. l.'i. And these are
they by tlie way side, wliere the w >rdissown ; but when
tliey have iieard, Satan cometli imnu'diatelv, and tak-
etli away the word that was sown in tlieir hearts. Hi.
And tliese are they likewise whicli are sown on stony
ground: who, when they liave lieard the word, imme-
diately receive it willi gladness : 17. And have no root
m themselves, and so endure but for a time : afterward,
when afllietidii or persecution ariseth lor the word'.s
sake, ininiediately they are oflended. 18. And these
are tliey wiiich are sown among thorns; such as
heartheword, ]!l. And the earesol this world 'and the
deceitUilness of riches, and ibe lusts of other things en-
tering in, choke the word, and it liei'oiii,.(h unliiiitful.
20. And these are they which are sown on good ground •
such as hear the word, and receive (7, and bring forth
fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty, and some a hundred.
Verses 14-20; see on Matt. xiii. 18-23 ;
Luke viii. 4, 8, 15,
By the ivay side. They who walk by the
way side, must needs sutler from a multi-
tude of distractions. Their minds must
wander in proportion to the numerous
and various objects which pass before
them. The marked antithesis betAveen
the immediate reception and the iinme-
diate rejection is .to be much observed.
Grace, in almost every case, is slow and
progressive ; for, in the human heart it
has much to contend against. Deceitfvl-
ness of riches. Consider avarice in itself,
and nothing appears more base and con-
temptible, yet dragging along with it the
ideas of power, j^lace and security, it
changes its nature, and becomes a provi-
dent provision. . . . This is one species of
that deceit, which sin obtrudes upon its
votaries, in which it is assisted by the very
nature of sin itself. (See xiv. 4.) Every
care must be considered as worldly, which
has not some tendency to piety and the
worship of God, even though it be not
mixed up with what is positively prohib-
ited. (Luke xiv. 19, 20, 30.)
Sown on good ground. " Now, that you
may be fruitful," says Leighton, " examine
well your own hearts. Pluck up, weed
out, for there are still thorns. Some Avill
grow, but he is the happiest man who hath
the sharpest eye and the busiest hand,
spying them out, and plucking them up.
And above all, pray, pray before, after, and
in hearing. Dart up desires to God. He
is the Lord of the harvest, whose influ-
ence doeth all. The difference of the soil
350
MARK.
makes, indeed, the difiference of success ;
but the Lord hath the privilege of better-
ing the soil. He who framed the heart,
changes it when and how He will. There
is a curse on all grounds, naturally, which
fell on the earth for man's sake, but fell
more on the ground of man's own heart
within him. ' Thorns and thistles shall it
bring forth.' (Gen. iij. 18.) Now it is He
that denounceth that curse, who alone
hath power to remove it. He is both the
sovereign owner of the seed, and the
changer of the soil; He turnsa Avilderness
into Carmel by His Spirit, and no ground,
no heart, can be good, till He changes it."
21. f iAnd he said unto them. Is a candle brought to
be put under a bushel, or under a bed ? and not to be set
on a candlestick? 22. kFor tliere is nothing hid, which
shall not be manifested, neither was anything kept se-
cret, but that it should come abroad. Zi. 'If any man
have ears to hear, let hini hear. 24. And he said unto
them, Take heed what ye hear. mWith what measure
ye mete, it shall be measured to you, and unto you that
hear shall more be given. 25. nFor he that hath, to
him shall be given, and he that hath not, frona him
shall be taken even that which he hath.
JMatt. v. l.i ; Luke viii. 16, xi. 33. kMatt. x. 26; Luke
xii. 2. iMatt. xi. 15, verse 9. mMatt. vii. 2 : Luke vi. 38.
"Matt. xiii. 12, xxv. 29 ; Luke viii. 18, xix. 26. See notes
on all these verses.
Is a candle, &c. The general connection
is this : I explain to you these parables,
and give you instruction in all things per-
taining to the Gospel of salvation. You
are to con.sider your.selves depositaries of
truth ; and as men do not light a candle or
lamp to conceal its rays by placing it under
a bushel, neither are you to withhold from
others the knowledge of the truths, which
I am now imparting to you. Under a bed.
This is refen-ed by some to a sort of couch
or sofa, having a cavity beneath it, in which
a candlestick might be j)laced. Others,
more correctly, refer it to the couch or tri-
clinium, on which they reclined at meals,
the idea being that a lighted candle is nut
placed under, but iqyon the table. Compare
vii. 4, where the word has this meaning.
Manifested. ISTo part of the Saviour's in-
structions was intended to be always kept
in obscurity ; His design was, that in due
time the truths Avhich He was communi-
cating should be distinctly and fully appre-
hended. When that time should arrive,
Plis disciples were to be employed in the
work of announcing and explaining His
doctrines to the world. !^ any man have
cars to hear, &c. For this reason we have
two ears, and one tongue, that we should
hear much, and speak little. (James i. 19.)
Take heed ichat ye hear. Sight, the nobler
sense, governs hearing ; the eye, not the
ear, moves. Wliat — ye hear the "Word of
God, value this highly. More be given, that
ye may be not merely hearers, but more
and more partakers. For he that hath, &c.
(See on Matt. xiii. 12, xxv. 29 ; Luke viii.
18, xix. 26.) " God therefore gives, because
He has given, making His former favors
arguments for more. Man, therefore, shuts
his hand, because Pie hath ojiened it. There
is no such way to procure more from God,
as to urge Him with what He hath done.
All God's blessings are profitable and ex-
cellent, not so much in themselves as that
they are inducements to greater." — Bishop
Hall.
26. H And he said, oSo is the kingdom of God, as if a
man should Ciist seed into the gi-ound ; 27. And should
sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring
and grow up, he knoweth not how. 28. For the earth
bringeth forth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the
ear, alter that the lull corn in the ear. 2lt. But when
the fruit is hriiUEcht forth, immediately phe putteth in
the sickle, because the harvest is come,
"Matt. xiii. 2-1. pRev. xiv. 15.
And he said, &c. This parable is peculiar
to Mark. The jjosition which it occupies
throws some light ui3on its design. The
impression which the parable of the sower
produced upon the hearts of the hearers,
and especially of the Apostles, could scarce-
ly be otherwise than sad and discouraging,
for if a sower, with all diligence and fidel-
ity, had yet to find that so much seed
should fail to bring forth fruit to perfection,
therefore his labor had been in vain, he
was bound to a heartless task. But in
order to jwevent such an eflfect, and
strengthen His Apostles, as well as all
teachers of the Gospel, with joyful hopes,
stimulate them to continued fidelity, and
direct their eye to the hapjiy result in
which their labors w' ere certain to issue,
the Lord delivered this parable.
So is the kingdom of God, &c. In the
parable of the sower, it is said that the
sower sows his seed, but here the word is
only named seed, in general; we must,
therefore, by the sower understand Christ,
Himself, the author and proprietor of the
woi'd, while here Christ cannot be repre-
sented under the man spoken of; what is
said of Him can only be understood of
the human teachers of the Divine word.
It cannot be said of the Lord, that He
knows not how the seed sown in the
CHAPTER IV.
351
hearts of His people springs and grows
up, since it is only His continuiil presence,
by His Spirit, in their hearts, which causes
it to grow at all. Neither can He litly be
compared to a sower who, having scattered
his seed, goes his way and occupies himself
in other l)usiness, feeling that it lies hence-
forth beyond the sphere of his power to
further tlie prosjierity of the seed, but
that it must be left to itself and its own
indwelling powers. Tliis is no fit descrij^-
tion of Him who is not merely the author
and finisher of our faith, but who also
conducts it through all its intermediate
stages, and without whose blessing and
active co-operation it would be totally un-
able to make any, even the slightest pro-
gress.
As if a man should cast seed into the ground,
and should sleep, and rise night and day, &c.
At this point the likeness between the natu-
ral and the spiritual is exact and obvious.
When we have made the Gospel of Christ
known to some in whom we are interested,
we are precisely in the condition of the
agriculturist who has committed his seed
to the ground. If we think of the matter
when we lie down, or when we awake,
we discover, perhaps with pain, that we
do not know whether the seed is swelling
and s})ringing or not ; and that though we
knew its condition we could not reach it
to stimulate the process. It is out of our
hands and out of our sight. It is not,
however, out of mind when it is out of
sight, and our own helplessness may draw
forth a more eager prayer to the Almighty
Helper. In this way it is when we are
weak that we become strong ; it is when
we are made most keenly sensible of our
own weakness, that we cast our care most
fully on the Lord. The law that shuts the
sown seed out from us, shuts it in with
God. One door closes, but the closing
which hides the seed in its seed-bed from
our eyes and separates it from our hands,
leaves it open to His sight, and i^liant to
His power. The moment that the seed is
sown, He takes it out of our sight, but
then and thereby He brings it into His
own. It is away frona us and with God.
For the earth, &c. This explains and illus-
trates the closing remark of the preceding
verse. Of herself i. e., self-moved, spon-
taneously. Man's agency is limited to
the preparation of the soil and sowing of
the seed. The quickening and energizing
I)Ower resides in the earth itself according
to the great and immutable laws of the
Author of nature.
First the blade, &c. How beautiful does
the green blade appear in the midst of the
melting snow, and after the winter's storms
are hushed into quiet and repose ! And
how beautiful does the green blade of
godly fear appear as it springs forth in the
life of one whose whole life has been one
continued storm of reckless pride and
passion ! How silently does the green
blade come forth from the bosom of the
earth ! And with what noiseless steps
does Divine mercy come to the sinner's
heart to make way for the sinner's Friend !
How gradually does the green blade show
itself! Though the eye were fixed upon
the earth both night and day, the exact
moment when it appeared could not be
ascertained. And how hard is it for the
Christian to tell the precise hour when
the Omnipotent finger of God's Spirit first
touched his heart, the first dew drop of
heaven's mercj^ distilled ujion his spirit !
"With what a mysterious yet invincible
power does the green blade force its way
through the heavy clods which cover it
and hide it from view ! So the plants of
righteousness, though they may be heavily
weighed by a body of sin and death, by
manifold sorrows, temptations and fears,
will nevertheless grow ui^ward toward the
great Sovxrce of eternal day.
Then the ear. After the blade, comes
the ear pregnant with hope. On the first
appearance of the blade, its true character
might have been doubted by the unedu-
cated eye, but now the rounded bulbs at
once declare its worth to man, and wher-
ever the green blade of earnest prayer
shows itself with sorrow for sin, there,
sooner or later, the other Christian graces
will come forth, the knowledge imparted
will become clearer, the character will
become consolidated, and the man in
Christ will apj^ear strong to bear and do
'the will of God. After that the full corn in
tlie ear. The process of development in
the kingdom of grace is one and the same
with the kingdom of nature — slow, gradual
352
MARK.
and progressive; hence in knowledge,
lioliness, humility, and all the graces of
the Christian life, there are many degrees.
(1 John ii. 13, 14; Rom. xv. 1; Eph. iv.
13.) Consider the lovely picture of pro-
gressive growth in goodness which Peter
supplies in his second epistle, i. 5-8, where
it will be observed. Faith is the root, and
charity the full corn in the ear.
But when the fruit is brought forth, &c. —
literally, yields or presents itself for the
harvest, i. e., is ripe for the sickle. He put-
teth in the sickle, &c. In some cases the
harvest and the reaping point to the end
of the world and the awards of the judg-
ment, as for example, in Matt. xiii. 39.
But in other cases, the reaping of the
ripened grain is employed to represent
that success in the winning of souls, which
human ministers of the word may obtain
and enjoy. (See Ps. cxxvi. 6; John iv.
35, 36 ; Matt. ix. 37, 38.)
The harvest is come. It is not the end of
the world, it is not even the close of a
Christian life in the world. There is a
ripening and a fruit-bearing while life in
the body lasts. There is also a reaping
and an enjoying of the harvest by those
who sow the seed, or their successors.
The announcement, " One soweth and
another reapeth," clearly implies that the
same one who sows may also, to some ex-
tent, reap. There is jiart of both : a sower
gathers some of the fruit of his labor
in his own life-time, and some of it is
gathered by others after he has departed.
Here is a lesson for ministers and teach-
ers. The Lord, who sends them out to
sow, expects that they will look and long
for fruit, and be disappointed if it does not
appear.
30. I And he said, nWhereunto shall we liken the
kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we
compare it? 31. Jt is like a grain of mustard seed,
whicli, when it is so"vn in the earth, is less than all the
seeds that be in the earth : 32. But when it is sown, it
growcth up, and becometli greater than all lierbs, and
shooteth out great brandies, so tliat the fowls of the air
may lodge under the shadow of it.
qMatt. xiii. 31 ; Luke xiii. 18 ; Acts ii. 41, iv. 4, v. 14,
, xix. 20.
It is like a grain nf mustard seed, &c. In
the parable of the sower, the seed scattered
yielded a return to the husbandman in L
only one of the four kinds of soil on which
it fell. This itself might have left an im-
pression on the minds of Clirist's hearers,
that His Gospel must be deficient in
power, if it proved successful in only one
out of four classes of mankind. Our Lord,
therefore, in this parable, sets before the
people the inherent power of " the king-
dom of God." It may seem at first to find
little acceptance with man, but it will
finally prevail throughout the earth. The
words less than all the seeds, &c., have often
perplexed interpreters, as there are many
seeds, as of poppy, or rue, that are smaller,
yet difficulties of this kind are not worth
making — it is sufficient to know that " small
asagrain of mustard seed," was a proverbial
expression among the Jews for something
exceedingly minute. The Lord, in His
popular teaching, adhered to the popular
language. The train of thought in the
parable is, the progressive development
of Christianity: 1. In it is a small beginning,
(the birth of the Son of man in Bethle-
hem.) 2. Gradual in its progress. 3. Great
and glorious in its termination. Great —
at last one flock, the earth full of the
knowledge of the Lord, no people any
more in darkness and the shadow of death,
the unbelieving Israel converted, and the
vain idols, with their altars connected
therewith, completely and forever cast
away.
Verses 30-32 : see on Matt. xiii. 31, 32 ;
Luke xiii. 18. 19.
33. 'And with many such parables spake he the word
unto them, as they were able to hear it.
'Matt. xiii. 34 ; John xvi. 12.
Had this been said in the corresponding
passage of Matthew (on which see Notes),
we should have concluded that what that
Evangelist recorded, was but a specimen
of other parables spoken on the same oc-
casion. But Matthew (xiii. 34) says, " All
these things spake Jesus unto the multitude
in parables," and as Mark records only
some of the parables which Matthew gives,
we are warranted to infer that the "many
such parables" alluded to here, mean no
more than the full complement of them
which we find in Matthew.
As they vere able to hear it. Jesus accom-
modated Himself in His teaching, to the
ability of the people. He knew their
ignorance and their prepossessions, and
like a wise, affectionate teacher, He adapt-
ed His instructions to their necessities and
their capacities. This remark of the Evan-
gelist confirms the view presented in verse
CHAPTER IV.
353
12, and shows that the Saviour was not
harsh, and did not deal in vengeance with
the ignorant, misjudging multitude, but in
a patient and condescending manner
sought to gain a lodgment in their hearts
for the great principles of His religion.
How worthy an examj^le for ministers of
the Gospel, for parents, and for all who
are engaged in the work of religious in-
struction !
34. But without a parable spake he not unto them :
and when they were alone, he expounded all things to
Uis disciples.
He expounded all things to his disciples.
That they might be capable of instructing
others. Outside hearers, those who do not
come into close fellowship with the true dis-
ciples of Christ, have seldom more than a
supei'ficial knowledge of Divine things. In
the fellowship of the saints, where Jesus
the teacher is always to be found, every-
thing is made plain, for the secret of the
Lord is with them who fear Him.
35. 'And the same day. when the even was come, he
saith unto them. Let us pass over unto the other side.
36. And when they had sent away the multitude, they
took him evi'n ;is he was in the ship. And there were
also with him other little ships. 37. And there arose a
great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship,
so that it was now full. 38. And he was in the hinder
part of the shiij, asleep on a pillow : and they awake
iiim, and say unto him. Master, carest thou nut that we
•perish ? 39. And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and
said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased,
and there was a great calm. 40. And he said unto them,
«Why are ye .so fearful ? how is it that ye have no faith ?
41. And they feared e.xceedinsly, and said one to an-
other, \Vhat manner of man is this, that even the wind
and the sea obey him ?
"Matt. viii. 18. '^3; Luke viii. 22. 'Jonah i. 6. "Ps. xlvi.
1, 3 : Isa. xliil. 2.
Verses 35-41: see on Matt. viii. 23-27;
Luke viii. 22-5.
The same day, &c. This was the evening
of the day in which He spake the preced-
ing parables. Let us pass over, &c. When
Jesus passes over the sea, the P.salm is
fulfilled, " The Lord is upon many waters."
(Ps. xxix. 3.) When He scatters the
waves before Him, Habakkuk is accom-
plished: "Thou didst Avalk through the
sea, through the heap of great waters."
(Hab. iii. 15.) When the sea is cut off at
His threatening voice, Nahum also is found
true : " He rebuketh the sea, and maketh
it dry." (Nah. i. 4.) They took him even
as he uas in the ship, just as He then was,
without waiting to make any particular
preparation for the tour, and without any
intermission of His labors. With him —
with Jesus. Little ships — and in them men.
A great storm of wind, a tempest of wind.
23
So that it ivas now full, rather, " so that it
was already tilling."
If the Lord were always to indulge us
with prosperity and abundance of the
good things of this life, and if we were, in
this mortiil state, to sutler no tribulations,
no straits and difficulties, would we not be
ready to pronounce temporal advantages
our chief good, so as to desire notliing
better at the hands of God? Wherefore
God infuses the bitterness of afflictions
into this life, the joys of which are inter-
mixed with evil, that He might put us
upon seeking after another life, which
has joys free from all danger. (Deut.
xxxii. 11 ; Job ii. 10 ; Eccl. vii. 14 ; 2 Thes.
i. 5-7.)
The hinder part, where the helm is. A
pillow, probably a part of the ship. Carest
thou not, &c. Unbelief and fear made them
sadly forget their place, to speak so. When
those accustomed to fish upon that deep
thus spake, the danger must have been
imminent. They say nothing of what
would become of Him, if they perished,
nor think whether, if He could not perish,
it was likely He would let this happen to
them ; but they hardly knew what they
said.
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, &c.
"Creation's Sealord, and creation's Land-
lord," says an eminent divine, " was there,
and the winds and waves recognized the
voice that said, 'Let them be,' and they
that became being at His bidding, now be-
came calm when He so willed it. And
this He did, not as a mere fact, but as an
earnest of that day when nature shall be
restored to her pristine peace, order and
harmony ; when the groans and travails of
creation shall cease, and that which is
nature's normal condition — a condition of
quiet and calm — shall be nature's enjoy-
ment again, and we shall not only recog-
nize Him as One who rebukes the winds
and waves, and both obeying Him, but we
shall recognize Him who has made and re-
made the sea and the dry land, and restored
all nature by a regenesis more glorious than
its first genesis, to that order, beauty and
harmony which it lost by sin. I believe
that this earth is not to be given up to
Satan. It is a deranged world, it is griev-
ously disturbed, there is fever in its organ-
354
MARK.
ization, because sm has smitten it, but the
great Lord who made it will come to it
again, and He will expunge from it all its
ills, its poison and its fever, and make this
orb, which has so many magnificent traces
of its primeval grandeur, one of the bright-
est and most beautiful in the whole celes-
tial firmament, reflecting not only as other
orbs do the God who made it, but the
Christ that also redeemed it." What man,'
ner of man is this, (kc. We may exclaim of
an inner work, '' Wliat manner of man i3
this, that the winds of human prejudice
and the waves of human passion obey
Him ?" Whosoever is able to change tlie
course of nature is the Lord of nature, and
He that is so made it, and Pie that created
it is God. (See Ps. Ixxii. 18, civ. 6-9.)
1. Where did Christ again teach ? 2. WTiat parable did He speak to the multitude by the sea-side ? 3. Repeat
this parable. 4. Explain verses 11 and 12. 5. Who is the '■ sower?" G. State the various k:ind.s of hearers of the
Word which are described. 7. What direction is given in reference to hearing? 8. What parable was next spoken?
9. To what is " the kingdom of God " compared ? 10. When and where did the storm occur ? 11. What course
did the disciples pursue ? 12. What did Jesus do and say ?
CHAPTER V.
1 Christ delivering the possessed of the legion of devils,
13 they enter into the swine. 25 Me healeth the woman
of the bloody issue, 35 and raiseth from death Jairus'
daughter.
AND »they came over unto the other side of the sea,
into the country of the Gadareues.
»Matt. viii. 26 ; Luke viii. 26.
Gadarencs. Gadara was the principal
city of the district. Josephus, in his
Wars of the Jews, calls Gadara the me-
tropolis of Perea ; by this name well
known to the Gentiles.
2. And when he was come out of the ship, imme-
diately there met him out of the tombs a man with an
unclean spirit, 3. Who had his dwelling among tlie
tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with
chains: 4. Because that he had been often bound witli
fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked
asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces :
neither could any man tame him. .5. And always, night
and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs,
crying, and cutting himself witii stones.
With an unclean spirit. Before the fall
the unclean spirit was incorporated with
the serpent, but now with man himself.
He seizes on the external organs and in-
ternal faculties, and rules them at his
pleasure. Dvjclling among the tombs. In
the East, the receptacles of the dead are
always situated at some distance from the
abodes of the living. Captain Light, who
traveled over the scene of our Lord's
interview with the two demoniacs, de-
.M'ii])es the tombs as still existing in the
form of caverns cut in the live rock, like
I hose at Petra — as wild and sequestered
solitudes, divided into a number of bare
and open niches, well suited to be places
of refuge to those unliax^py lunatics, for
whom the benevolence of antiquity had
not provided a better asylum. An invet-
erate habit of uncleanliness frequently
extinguishes all the principles of the
Christian life, and an unchaste soul dwells
in its body as in a loathsome sepulchre,
where there is nothing but the remains of
worms and corruption. This is but too
often literally true. Fetters, for the hands ;
chains, for the feet or ankles. Tame him,
overpower or subdue him, so as to prevent
his inflicting injuries upon himself and
others. Crying, and cutting himself, &c.
Fearful picture of a demoniac terror —
having reached the extreme point of
madness, down to rending his own flesh.
After all, nothing can work us mLschief
except ourselves. The harm that we sus-
tain, we carry about with us, and never
are real sufferers but by our own fault.
(Acts xvi. 28.)
6. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and wor-
shipped him, 7. And cried with a loud voice, and said.
What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the
most high Gofl ? I adjure thee by God. that thou torment
me not. 8. (For lie said unto him. Come out of the
man. ^7to« unclean spirit.) 9. And he asked him, Whnt
is thy name? And he answered, saying. My name is
Legion: For we are many. 10. And he besought him
much that he would not send them away out of the
country.
Saw Jesus . . . ran. A traveler not far
GADARA.
JACOB'S WELL.
CHAPTER V
35S
from this region describes a similar scene
near Lebanon : " The silence of night was
now broken by fierce yells and bowlings,
which I discovered proceeded from a naked
maniac, who was fighting with some wild
dogs for a bone. The moment he per-
ceived me he left his canine comrades, and,
bounding along with rapid strides, seized
my horse's bridle, and almost forced him
backward over the cliflT." — Warburton's
Crescent and the Cross. Worshipped Him.
The spirit recognized with a supernatural
discernment our Lord's superior nature,
and did him a reverence.
Jesus, thou Son, &.c. The truth which
had only been testified in Matthew's Gos-
pel by tlie Father from heaven (iii.
17), and which Satan had in vain endeav-
ored to assail, viz. : that Jesus, the virgin's
son, Emmanuel, is truly the Son of the most
high God — -the devils have since understood,
earlier and better than men. But while
they know it they tremble before Him ! /
adjure thee, &c. — a strong expression of
entreaty or adjuration. Torment me not.
Behold the <orme'?iior anticipating, dreading,
and entreating exemption from, torment!
{For he said unto him, i. e., before the un-
clean spirit cried out. Come out of the man,
unclean spirit !) Ordinarily, the obedience
to a command of this nature was imme-
diate. But here a certain delay is permit-
ted, the more signally to manifest the
power of Christ, and accomplish His
purjioses.
W hat is tlaj name f This is the only in-
stance in which the Lord asked an unclean
spirit concerning his distinctive name.
The object of this question was to extort
an acknowledgment of the virulence of
demoniacal power, by which this victim
was enthralled. My name, &c. My name
(not our name). Legion was the name
of a division in the Roman armies, coin-
prising a few thousands of men. Hence
the word came to be used indefinitely for
a midtitude. They are many, and yet one
spirit of wickedness among them all.
Every man may find in himself sin
wrapped up in sin, " a body of sin." (Rom.
vi. 6, vii. 8.) As the Apostle says of the
natural body, " there are many members,
but one body" (1 Gor. xii. 20), so we may
say of our sin, it has a wanton eye, a
griping hand, an itching ear, an insatiable
heart, and feet swift to shed blood, and yet
it is but " one body " of sin. (vii. 20-2o;
Gal. V. 19-22.)
" These Gadarenes or Gergesenes (says
Stier) disclose to us a dark and awful
province of humanity, as lying under the
ravages of the devil, the coiniterpart of
which, at least in moral life, if not in such
horrible manifestations of bodily posses-
sion, may be found in Christendom to the'
jiresent day — to say nothing of its full
analogies in heathenism. But over this
region, also, Jesus rules, the Son of God ! To
believe and to understand this is the main
concern, and v, e would not bury or obscure
this fundamental truth by any irrelevant
discussions !"
11. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a
great herd ol' swine feediiiR. I-. And all the devils
besought liini, Raying, Send us into the swine, that we
may enter into them. 13. And forthwith Jesus gave
them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and
entered into the swine; and the herd ran violently
down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two
thousand.) and were choked inthei-ca. 14. And they
that fed the swine fled and told it in tin- city, and in the
country. And they went out to see what it Wius that
was done. 15. And they come to Jesus, and see him
that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion,
sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind; and they
were afraid. IG. And they that saw iV told them how it
befell to liim that was possessed with the devil, and alxo
concerning the swine. 17. And tthey began lo pray
him to depart outof their coasts. IS. And when he was
come into the ship, 'he tliat had been possessed with
the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 19.
Ilowbeit Jesus suffered him not. butsailh unto him. Go
home to thv friends, and tell them how great things the
Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on
thee. 20. And he departed, and began to publish in
Decapolis how great things Jesus had done lor him:
and all men did marvel.
tMatt. viii. 34 ; Acts xvi. 39. eLuke viii. 38.
On verses 1-20 : see on Matt. viii. 28-34 ;
Luke viii. 26, &c.
And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. Such
ingenious reasons as the following have
been assigned for this: That the Lord
would hereby give the most convincing
evidence of the entire dependence of all
spirits upon His word, and with this give
palpable assurance to all Sadducees of the
existence of such spirits, so also punish
the probably Jewish owners of these
swine ; further, test the Gadarenes, how
they would receive the destruction of their
property; finally, teach the value of the
spirit of man, his healingbeing well worth
some two th(>usand swine. We have no
need, however, of any of these reasons,
true or otherwise, of this sublime transac-
tion. The deed itself is its own justifica-
tion. They did not then §ue our Lord
for any loss they suflTered in the de-
356
MARK
striiction of the swine, no more will we ;
we will not, indeed, dare to speak boldly
concerning it. Far more fearful than the
hearing of this devilish request, is the
Lord granting to the Gergesenes their
supplication.
And tlicy began to pray him to depart, &q.
The devil would seem to have entered into
the hearts of the Gadarenes, as well as into
the bodies of the swine. -{John xiii. 27.)
The Gadarenes, moreover, now take the
place of the demoniac, only with this
wretched aggravation of their misery, that,
whereas he avoided the company of man,
they shun and deprecate the presence of
the Lord. Oh ! the accursed power of
covetousness, in making men mad! (Job
xxi. 14 ; Matt. xiii. 58 ; John iii. 18-22 ; 1
Tim. vi. 1-12.)
And when he was come into the ship. He
who does not desire Jesus, as He is and as
He acts, the Ruler of hell, the Lord of na-
ture, the Physician and Healer of men,
may beseech Him to depart, whethel-
courteously or ungraciously, and have his
request granted. Prayed him that he might
he uith Jiim. What a contrast does this re-
stored man's desire to be with Christ, and
Christ with him, offer to the stupid and
swinish prayer of the Gadarenes, that He
should depart out of their coasts! Like
Mary, he chose "the good part." Here
was proof indeed of his restoration to a
right mind (Ps. cxi. 10, cvii. 43.) For to be
with Christ is the sum and substance of
happiness in this life and in heavenly
glory. While Christ is with us, in this life.
He "keeps us from evil" (John xvii. 12),
and " gives us peace " (Matt. xi. 28). After
death, in heaven, we shall " ever be with
the Lord " (1 Thes. iv. 17, 18). " Father, I
will that they also, whom thou hast given
me, may be with me, where I am, that
they may see my glory !" (John xvii. 24.)
Who does not desire and pray that he might
be with Jesus f (Ps. Ixxiii. 21-25 ; Ruth 1.16,
17; Acts iii. 11; Phil. i. 23.)
Go home to thy fi'iends, from whom thou
hast been so long estranged. Not, indeed,
with a prudent care against relapse, and in
order to his full recovery, which would be
prevented by bis being alone, for he wished
to go with JesTis, and the devils were clean
gone from him. Here we see the gentle
graciou-suess of our Lord, which desires
the return home of this man, thus restored
to his family. Tell them how great things,
&c. It is not now, as sometimes, when it
was forbidden to make it known ; here,
ujion the outskirts of the Jewish land,
there way no danger to be obviated. The
poor people of Decapolis shall ha ve, though
against their will, a testimony and living
monument of His power — one who had
lived among themselves. The first act
God requires of a convert is, " Be fi-uitful."
The good man's goodness lies not hidden
in himself alone ; he is still strengthening
his weaker brother. How soon would the
world and Christianity fail, if there were
not propagation both of it and man ? Good
works and good instructions are the gen-
erative acts of the soul ; out of which
spring new prosperity to the Church and
Gospel. (Luke xxii. 32 ; John i. 40, 41,
45; XV. IG; Rom. i. 11; James v. 19, 20.)
IIoiv greed things Jesus had done for him.
The great graces he had received of
Jesus. A thankful heart can, with diffi-
culty, confine itself within the narrow
bounds of gratitude j^rescribed to it. It is
just to publish those graces, which, being
preceded by heinous sins, cannot be as-
cribed to anything but the pure mercy of
God, and which are visibly counterbal-
anced by our demerits. It is the safer
way to conceal such as may be looked on
as the reward of great fidelity, in making
a good use of those which a man has
received before.
21. JAnd when Jesus was passing over apraJn by ship
unto tlie otlier side, much people gatliercd unto him;
and lie was nish unto the sea. 22. eAnd. behold, there
conieth one of the rulers of tlie synagogue, Jairua by
name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23.
And besought him greatly, saying, Jly little daughter
lieth at the point of death : / pray titer, eonie and lay
thy hands on her, that she maj' be healed: and she
shall live. 21. And JCKUf; wpnt with him; and much
people followed him, and thronged him,
dMatt. i.x. 1 ; Luke viii. 40. rMatt. ix. 18 ; Luke viii. 41.
Passed over again, &c. Though Christ,
despised by the Gergesenes, did, in His
justice, depart from them, yet, as the sea
gains in one place what it loses in another,
His abundant mercy builds up more in
Capernaum than Hisjizstice throws down
among-t the Gergesenes. Because they
drove Him away, in judgment He went
from them; but in mercy He '^ Went to
others, who had not, entreated Him to
come. (Isa. Ixv. 1 : Acts xiii. 46; Rom.
CHAPTER V
357
xi. 19-29.) Jainis. The insertion of
proper names in the Gospel history is a
great proof of its veracity. (Acts xxvi.
26.) Ml/ little daughter, &c. We do n(jt
regret tlie fall of the sweet and delightful
blossoms of our plants and trees, tliough
they soon drop oil" in such mullitudes,
because the fruit which succeeds is
attended with more substantial enjoyment.
(2 kSam. xii. 23.) This descending to the
grave is the lot of all men ; neither doth
God respect the person of any man. (2
Sam. xiv. 14.) The rich is not protected
for favor, nor the poor for pity ; the old
man is not reverenced for his age, nor the
infant regarded for his tenderness. Youth
and beauty, learning and j^rudenoe, wit
and strength, lie down equally in tlie dis-
honors of the grave. (Isa. Ivii. 1,2 ; Horn.
v. 12-21 ; Heb. ix. 27.)
25. And a certain woman, 'which had an issue of
blood lor twelve years, 20. And had suffered many
things of many physicians, and had spent all that slie
had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27. When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press be-
hind, and touched his garment. 28. For she said. If I
may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29. And
straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up ;
and she felt in licr body that she was healed of that
plaaue. HO. And Jesus, immediately knowing in him-
selithat svirtue had gone out of him, turned him aljout
in the press, and said. Who touched my clothes? 31.
And his disciples said unto him. Thou seest tlie multi-
tude tlironging thee, and sayest thou. Who touched me ?
32. And he looked round about to see her tliat had done
this thing. .'i.S. But the woman fearing and trembling,
knowing what was done in her, came and tell down
before limi, and told liim all the trutli. '.'A. And he. said
unto her, Daughter, I'thy faith hatli made thee whole;
go in peace, .-irid lie whole of thv ijlague.
fLev. x\. 2i5 : Matt. ix. 20. FLiike vi. 19, viii. 4fi. tMatt.
ix. 22 ; chap. x. 52 ; Acts xiv. 9.
A certain v)oman. She intercepts Him as
He passes on, followed by a pressing crowd,
to the house of Jairus. Nothing bettered.
The sciences produce no consolation in the
time of affliction ; bnt the knowledge of
Christianity is a comfort, both in adver-
sity and in the defect of all other knowl-
edge. (Job xvi. 2; Johnvi. 68.) Though
indirectly, yet how repeatedly and forcibly
are we reminded of our own .spiritual help-
lessness, and of the vanity of trusting in
others ! The demoniac — none could hind
him, none conld tame him. This hsemor-
rhousa — none could ai^e her. Man's treat-
ment rather made her worse, and so she
came to feel herneed of a Divine Physician,
the simple touch of whose clothes could
at once " make her luhole." (ii. 17 ; Phil,
iii. 7-12.
(bme in the press behind. Let nothing
keep you back from the throne of Grace.
If you doubt whether the work is yet be-
gun in you, pray that it may be begun. If
you cannot go to God icilh a broken heart,
go to Him for a broken heart. (Gen.
xxxii. 26 ; Job xv. 4.J ToucJied his garment.
She seemed to consider His body entirely
charged with healing jxjwer. Virtiie —
power. This is a remarkable expression.
It seems to imply that faith would draw
the healing power from Jesus almost with-
out His volition ! How unlike the unbelief
of His own countrymen, which compelled
the "virtue" to stay within Him, so that
He could scarce do a miracle among them.
But in both cases the operation was really
through the consent of His will. Wlio
touched my clotliesf The judge who asks
the prisoner whether he is guilty or not
guilty, really knows, perhaps, but he will
none the less put him to the answer. The
Lord knew, but he must make her reveal
herself.
And he looked round ahoid to see her, &c.
Jesus Christ takes more notice of a soul
which seeks him in silence, in the sjjirit
of faith, and by humble and secret Avays,
than of a multitude of mere professors of
religion, who do nothing but through cus-
tom, and in the way of external devotion.
He seeks those in His turn who have
sought Him, and who could not have done
it but by His grace ; that is to say, second
graces crown the first. He hides the ope-
rations of His grace under appearances al-
together human, because this is the time
to establish the belief of it, not to unfold
its mysteries, and to manifest its glory.
Tltc voman fearing and trembling, as a
poor and timid woman would do, who had
been the subject of such a sudden and
wondrous cure, and dreaded His displeas-
ure for such presumption on her ])art, and
knowing what teas done in her, was thereby
inspired with awe. Fell doivn before Him.
Afflictions are intended to humble us. All
is humility in that kingdom, wherein God
dwells. Here, in this follen world, the mean-
est sinner lifts up himself against Him ;
but there the loftiest archangels cast down
their crowns, and prostrate themselves be-
fore His footstool. (Ex. X. 3; Job xlii.
5, 6 ; Isa. ii. 10, 11, 17.) All the truth, re-
specting the affair in question. (See Luke
viii. 47.) Thy faith, &c. The phrase "hath
358
MARK
made thee whole," as followed by " Be
whole of thy i^lague," may point to the
continued effect of faith and justification,
as witnessed in the sanctification of the
hearts and lives of God's people. Some-
thing like this may be gathered from the
4ord verse of this chapter, and from i. 42.
(Rom. viii. 30; Ps. h. 9, 10, ciii. 3.) Go in
peace, literally, go away into peace, i. e., into
the enjoyment of every kind of good.
What a glorious dismissal from the lips of
Him who is "our Peace!"
35. "While he yet spake, there came from the ruler
of the synagogue's hou.<e certain which said, Thy
dau'^hter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any
further ? 3.>. As soon as Jesus heard the word that was
spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue. Be
not afraid, only bi^lieve. 37. And he sutfered no man
to follow him. s-ive Peter, and James, and John the
brother of Ja u m. :iS. And he cometli to the house of
the ruler oC tli'- syna':ragu», and seeth the tumult, and
them that wept and wailed greatly. 39. And when he
was cjme in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this
ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but ksieepeth.
4lJ.* And they laughed him to scorn. >But when he had
put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother
of the damsel, and them that were with him, and en-
tereth in where the damsel was lying. 41. And he took
the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha-
cumi: which is, being interijreted, Damsel, (I s.ay unto
thee,) arise. 42. And straightway the damsel arose,
and walked, for she was of th", ape of twelve vears.
And they were astonished with a great astonishment.
43. And rahe charged them straitly that no man
should know it, and commanded that something should
be given lier to eat.
'IiUlve viii. 49. kjohn xi. 11. 'Acts ix. 40. mMatt. viii.
4 ; ix. 31) ; xii. 16 ; xvU. 9 ; chap. iii. 12 ; Luke v. 14.
Why trouhlest thou the Master — the Teach-
er, any further? Jesus, knowing how the
heart of the agonized father would sink
at the tidings, and the reflections at the
delay which would be apt to rise in his
mind, hastens to reassure him, and in
His accustomed style — Be not afraid, only
believe — words of unchanging preciousness
and power! John the brother of James.
Mark wrote his Gospel not long after our
Lord's ascension, at a time, when the re-
membrance of the martyrdom of James
was fresh in men's minds, so as to render
James more generally known than John.
(vi. 3 ; Acts xii. 2.)
Them thai wept and wailed greatly.
" Death at hand," says Cecil, " should be
death in view. Let us consider our pros-
pects from this house of sorrow, as the
inhabitants of a present and future world.
Many suppose that tliey can best contem-
plate the present world by crowding the
house of mirth : their whole conduct
however shows that it makes them too
giddy for serious observation. But look
at the deceased, and contemplate present
Uiings; his day, a hand-breadth; his
beauty, 'consumed like a moth-eaten
garment;' his cares and pleasures, 'a
dream ;' his years, ' a tale ;' his strength,
' labor and sorrow.' So soon is the whole
cut off' and tied, that we cannot help re-
peating with the P.salmist the o9th and
90th Psalms, and with the Apostle James,
' What is your life, &c.' (iv. 14 ; Eccl. ii.
4; xii. 1-9.)"
Lauglied—andly and without insolence.
Put out — wonderful authority in the house
of an apparent stranger. The father —
therefore there were present three disci-
ples, and three of the family ; no more,
(comp. verse 43.)
Talitha-cumi. An Aramajan or Syro-
Chaldaic word, the ordinary dialect of the
people ; talitha a term of endearment, my
little girl, " come, my child;" cumi, arise, rise
up. Damsel {I say itnto thee), arise, was the
simple language in which Jesus perforrued
a deed which, in dignity and power, might
rival the creation of a universe. And
often thus calmly, and quietly, and unjb-
trusively, He still acts, by His Divine
Spirit, when the yet greater work of the
si^iritual resurrection of a soul, dead in
trespasses and sins, is to be effected.
Oftentimes — how often none can tell — a
single discourse, a sentence, yea, even a
word, has been blessed to this great and
wonderful end; no effort visible, no dis-
l)lay of maje.sty and power, except to the
hapj^y soul thus raised to spiritual life. As
in the miracle before us, Jesus took the
damsel by the hand, when lie said unto
her. Arise, so now, the word of Chri.st's
power must be accompanied by the hand
of His grace, ere the miracle of mercy can
be wrought.
And straightway, the damsel arose, &c. The
damsel lying in the house, rises in the pres-
ence of few witnesses, to whom it is
earnestly given in charge not to divulge
it^ (Luke viii. 5G.) The young man, car-
ried beyond the gate, is raised in the jDres-
ence of a large company of persons look-
ing on. (Luke vii. 12.) Lazarus called
out of his grave, appeared to such
vast multitudes, that on account of the
report of those who had seen him, many
went to meet the Lord with palms in their
hands, and because of Lazarus, believed
on Him. (Acts x. 40, 41.) These three
CHAPTER VI,
359
examples (1 Kings xvii. 22; 2 Kings iv.
35; xiii. 21j were so many couiirmutions,
under the Law, of a resurrection to life
after death ; and we have three to equal
them under the Gospel. (Luke vii ; John
xi.) . . . But the three former, and these
also, came far short of the resurrection of
Him who raised them. That no man sJiould
know it. This injunction was doubtless
merely a temj)orary one, on account of
someexisliugcii-cumstanccs. Jesuswas not
anxious that all His deeds of benevolence
should be publicly known and celebrated ;
and the current of popular favor, which
would be increased by His miracles, needed
to be regulated with much prudence.
1. Into what country did Jesus and His disciples come? 2. Who met them? 3. What did this man do? 4.
How did Jesus deliver him? 5. What did the devils ask? G. What became of the unclean spirits? 7. What
was the effect of this miracle ? 8. What account is given of Jairus ? 9. What of the woman with " an issue of
blood ? " 10. What are the particulars of the restoration of Jairus' daughter to life ? 11. Why was there a com-
mand given " that no man should know it ? "
CHAPTER VI.
1 Christ is contemned of hi.s coiinii-xjmen. 7 JTe giveth
thff.mclve power over ttnctfxtn.yjiriis. 14. Diver.i opin-
ions of Chritif. 27 John Baptist is belicadcd, 'I'd and
buried. 30 The apostles return froin ijreachinfi. 31
T/ie rniraclr; of five toa res and two Us/ics. 48 Christ
malketh on the sea : 53 and hcaleth all that touch him.
AXD »he went out from thence, and came into his
own country : and his disciiiles lollow him.
"Matt. xiii. 54 : Luke iv. 16.
From thence — from the city of Caperna-
um. His own country, that is, into Nazareth,
the place of His conception and education,
in opposition to Capernaum, where Pie
usually abode after the commencement of
His jjublic ministry.
2. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to
teach in the synagosruo: and many hearing him were
astonished, sayins, tFrom whence hath thismou thde
thi'.i^, ? and what wisdom is this which is given unto
him. that oven such mighty works are wrought by his
bands ?— bJohn vi. 42.
This is the second visit that we read of
Jesus making to Nazareth after He had
begun His ministry. Resolved not to lose
a single opi:)ortunity of usefulness, He
taught the great lessons that He came to
seal by His blood, in the synagogue,
where the Jews jDermitted a stranger Jew
to unfold any lessons that he might desire
to teach them. Astonished, &c. Those
who should know Christ best, are very
ofren mo.st ignorant of Him. People are
apt to (;onsider, not so much vhat is spoken
as by lohom it is said.
3. Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, fthe
brother of James, and Joses, nnrt of .Tuda. and Simon ?
and are not his sisters here with us ? And they dwere
offended at him.
«ee Matt. xii. 46 : Gal. i. 19. dMatt. xi. 6.
The carpenter. That our Lord should
have been taught some handicraft occupa-
tion, the Jewish law required. And what
was so likely as that He should be brought
up to the trade of His reputed father, which,
though lowly, was not degrading ? As the
curse was pronounced on our first parents
and their seed, that " in the sweat of their
brow they should eat bread " (Gen. iii. 49),
our Saviour must undergo this curse too.
Offended at him — accomplishing the predic-
tion of Simeon, " Behold, this child is set
for the fall and rising again of many in
Israel." (Luke ii. 34.)
4. And Jesus said unto them, "-A prophet is not with-
out honour, but in liis own country, and among his
own kin, and in his own house.
cMatt. xiii. 57; John iv. 44.
A prophet, &c. Here a melancholy page
of human nature is unfolded to our view.
We are all apt to despise mercies, if we
are accustomed to them and have them
cheap. It is mournfully true that in re-
ligion, more than in anything else, " famil-
iarity breeds contempt." Amo7\g his own
kin,&c. If a mini.ster have faults, they are
known there, and he is censured ; if he
have great talents, they excite envy, and
he is opposed; if he make himself familiar,
he loses respect, and his influence is thus
impaired ; if he do not, he is counted
proud, and avoided.
5. 'And he could there do no mighty work, save that
he laid hLs hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
360
MARK.
8. And riie marvelled because of their unbelief. i-And
he went round about the villages teaching.
(ISeeGen. xix. 22: xxxii. 2.5; Matt. xui. 58; chap. ix.
23. elsa. lix. 16. ""Matt. ix. ;» ; Luke xiii. 22.
Save thai he laid, &c. Our Lord's won-
drous miracles are recorded with an ease
and noble simplicity of style, such as
beautifully harmonizes with the unpre-
tending manner in which those miracles
were performed. What more stupendous
than the starry firmament? Yet what
more concise, brief and superhumanly
simple, than the record : " He made the
stars also." (Gen. i. 3-16 ; Ps. xxiii. 6, 9.)
These verses contain two remarkable in-
stances, in a short space, of the manner
in which the feelings and circumstances
of men are ascribed to God in the Scrip-
tures. (Conf. iii. 5.) It is said of Him,
who is Almighty, that He " could do there
no mighty work ;" it is said of Him, to
whom all things were known, that He
marvelled because of their unbelief. In the
single word "unbelief," we have the
secret of the everlasting ruin of multitudes
of souls. They perish forever, because
they %vill not believe. There is nothing
beside in earth or heaven that prevents
their salvation. Their sins, however
many, might all be forgiven. The Father's
love is ready to receive them, the blood
of Christ to cleanse them, the power of
the Spirit 4o renew them ; but a great
barrier interposes : they will not believe.
(John V. 40.)
7. ^ 'And he called unto him the twelve, and began to
Bend them forth by two and two, and gave them power
over unclean spirits ;
>Matt. x. 1 ; chap. iii. 13, 14; Lukelx. 1.
The twelve. Moses sent twelve men of
the twelve tribes of Israel, to search the
land, and to bring of the fruits thereof.
(Num. xiii. 1-20: compare Rev. xxi. 12.)
Send them forth. None ought to take upon
them the ofiice of preaching, till called to
it by Christ Himself. By two and tivo.
That they might encourage and support
each other, and to show that union among
the ministers of the Gospel is essential to
the promotion of the cause of truth. Re-
formers in different ages seem to have
come in pairs, as Moses and Aaron, Elijah
and Elisha, Huss and Jerome, Luther and
Melancthon, Wesley and Fletcher. (See
Eccl. iv. 9, 10; John viii. 17; 1 Cor. xiv.
27.) Gave them power, &c. Here, as else-
where, Mark places the casting out of
demons at the head of the miraculous
cures. If Jesus had not been perfectly
sure that He could communicate such
power, in the free and ample manner in
which His disciples were commanded to
use it, He must have been lost to all His
own designs to send them on such an
errand. No impostor would ever have
acted a part, such as this, nor is it possible
for man to contrive a more certain method
of ruining his own credit.
8. And commanded them that they should take noth-
ing lor their journey, save a statl'only, no scrip, no
bread, no money in their purse.
^1 staff only. The caution in Matthew
against two staves, is part of the prohibition
against extra provision. Some have ridi-
culed this mode of reconciliation, as if con-
tradictions in Scripture might be allowed
in such minutite. They might as well say
it was ridiculous for our Lord to allow one
coat and forbid two. No scrip. This was
a kind of leathern pouch or wallet which
travelers in the Eastern countries usually
hung about their necks, and in which they
carried their victuals. In their 2y'urse, i. e.,
for traveling purposes.
9. But kftg shod with sandals, and not put on two
coats.— kActs xii. 8.
Sandcds. They were to take no shoes, as
being, a special and more costly provision.
Two coats, or tunics, worn next the skin.
The meaning is: Take no change of dress,
no additional articles.
10. 'And he said unto them, In what place soever ye
enter into a house, there abide till ye depart from that
place.— 'Matt. x. 11 ; Luke ix. 4, x. 7, 8.
There abide. As Luke more fully ex-
presses it : " Go not from house to house."
On this Dr. Thomson remarks : ".The rea-
son is very obvious to one acquainted with
Oriental customs. When a stranger ar-
rives in a village or an encampment, the
neighbors, one after another, must invite
him to eat with them. There is a strict
etiquette about it, involving much osten-
tation and h3qiocrisy, and a failure in the
due observance of this system of hospital-
ity is violently resented, and often leads
to alienations and feuds among neighbors.
Italso consumes much time, causes unusual
distraction of mind, leads to levity, and
every w^ay counteracts the success of a
spiritual mission."
11. ""And whasoever shall not receive you, nor hear
you, when ye depart thence, nshake off the dust under
your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say
CHAPTEK VI
361
nnto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Go-
morrah in the day of judgment, than lor lliat city. 12.
And they went out, and preached that men should
i;t. And they cast out many devds, oand
anointed with oil many that were .sick, and healed thnn.
repent
)intt.„ , . ... ,,
Matt. X. H, l.>; Luke x. l^ll. "AcUs xm. 51; xvm.
6. oJame.s v. 14.
Not receive you, &c. Tlac Lord prepared
His Apostles to find some who would
refuse to hear their message. It would
be their duty solemnly to warn these
de.spisers of the awful guilt they incurred.
The sin of rejecting the Gospel is far
greater than any sin that the heathen can
commit. The Saviour neither enjoins nor
permits His Apostles to employ their
Apostolical power to avenge themselves,
nor even to desire that He should do it.
It is the part of a minister of truth and
charity to labor without ceasing, to suffer
without resentment, and to leave his cause
to God, with a full trust and confidence in
Him.
Preached that men should repent. So John
the Baptist preached (Matt. iii. 2, 8, 11),
and thus also preached Jesus Himself
(Matt. iv. 17). Luke expresses it (v. 6),
•preaching the gospel, which implies the
preaching of repentance, since the
promises and blessings of the Gospel can
be secured, only by such as truly repent
of their sins. Anointed vnth oil. Among
the Jews, oil was very frequently used as a
medical application. Some of the cases
of sickness cured during this tour, jierhaps,
did not need miraculous power ; and even
when the oil was used as a means of re-
storing health, special Divine power might
have accompanied the application.
14. 1 pAnrt kins Herod heard of him • (for his name
was spread abroad :) and lie S;iid. That John the Baptist
w;i.s risen iVoni thedi^ad and therei'ore iiiiijhty wnrlvs do
shew forth tlieniselvesin him. IS. qOtliers said, That it
is Elia.s. And others said. That it is a proplict. or as one
oftliP pi'ophPts. IK. 'But wlien llcm.l lieanl tlirreof,
he said, It is John whom Ibelieadi'd; he is ris^n from
the dead. 17. For Herod hinnfii' liml sent fortli and
laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for
Ilerodins' sake, his brother Piiilip's wife, lor he had
married her. 18. For John had said unto Herod. 'It is
not lawful ^or thee to have thy brother's wife. 19.
Therefore Hernd'ns had a quarrel agrainst him. and
wonid liave killed him; hut she could not: 20. For
Hf^rod tfeared John, knowinc: that he was a .just man
tin 1 an holy, and observed him; and when lie heard
him. he did many things, and heard him gladly.
pMatt. xiv. 1, <fec., on which see notes; Luke ix. 7.
iMatt. xvi.l4; chap. viii. 23. rJIatt. xiv. 2. Luke iii. 19;
«Lev. xviii. IB, xx. 21. 'Matt. xiv. 5, xxi. 26.
For his name ivas spread abroad. Heaven-
ly tidings tardily reach kings' palaces.
(1 Cor. ii. 6-8; Acts xxi. 38.) It is John,
whom I beheaded, &c.. Observe the mighty
power of conscience, how it speaks aloud,
how it has the ma.stery in the sinner's
heart. It rules over kings and princes ; it
makes a Sadducee (xii. 18) believe in a
resurrection ; it hearkens not to the voice,
of friends and courtiers, who say, This is
Elius, or this is that prophet ; it silences every
note of peace and comfort ; it fixes this on
the wretched man's innermost soul — " Itis
JoJin, ivhom I beheaded : he is risen even from
the dead, to confront me, and to pronounce
my doom." " Such a conscience," writes
Flavel, " is the devil's anvil, on which he
fabricates all those swords and spears on
which the guilty sinner pierces and
wounds himself." (Gen. iv. 14; Job xv.
20-25 ; 1 Sam. xxviii. 14 ; 1 Kings xxi. 20.)
It is not lawful, &c. It is difticult to re-
buke well ; that is, at a right time, in a
right spirit, and in a right manner. The
holy Bapti.st rebuked Herod, without mak-
ing him angry ; therefore, he must have
rebuked hin:i with gravity, temper, sincer-
ity, and an evident good-will towards him.
On the ether hand, he spoke so firmly,
sharply and faithfully, that his rebuke
cost him his life He reproved him,
under the prospect of suffering for his faith-
fulness ; and we should never use a strong
word, however true it be, without being
willing to acquiesce in some penalty or
other, should it so happen, as the seal of
our earnestness. (Acts xxiv. 25 ; 2 Tim.
iv. 1-G.)
Feared. Holiness brings reverence. John
did not fear Herod. Knowing — a i)i'Oof of
true religion ; the fear of the bad, and
their reverence for piety. He did not,
however, acknowledge him as a prophet.
AVorldly men overlook the essential ele-
ment of truth. Judas himself, when in
utter despair, did not call Jesus the Christ,
but the innocent blood. Observed him, i. e.,
kept him in close custody, in order to
preserve him from the machinations of
Herodias. This shows why Herod first
imprisoned John. Did many things which
John commanded. He began externally
to reform his manners. Heard him gladly,
literally, with the relish with which one
eats. He enjoyed his instruction. He
was of the class of stony ground hearers,
" who receive the word with joy." (Matt,
xiii. 20; Luke viii. 13.) But he did not
put away Herodias, as he was directed,
nor refuse the head of his religious teacher
361'
MARK,
wiien it was demanded as the price for the
paltry gratification which he and liis
couitiers had received from a dancing girl.
This shows how shallow was the soil into
which the word had fallen.
21 "Anri whpn a noiivenient day was come, tliat Her-
od 'on his birthdav made a supper to his lords. hif,'h
captains, and chiefr.sM/f.i of Galilee 2i And when the
daughter of the said llerodias came ui, and danced, and
pieaTsed Herod, and them that sat with him, the kintf
said unto the damsel. Ask of me whatsoever thou wdt,
and I will give it thee. 2:i. And he sware unto her.
• Whatsoever thou shall a.sk of me, I will give if thee,
unto the halfof mr kingdom. 24. And she went forth,
and said unto her mother. What shall I :isk .' And she
said, The head of John the Baptist. 2.5. And she came
in s^trai^htwav with haste unto the kins, and asked,
savins;, 1 will that thou Rive me by and by in a charger
the head of John the Baptist. 26. yAiid the king was
exceeding sorry, vrt fur his oath's sake, and for their
sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27.
And immediately the king sent an executioner, and
commanded his head to be brought : and he went and
beheaded him in the prison, 28. And brought his head
in a charger, and gave it to the damsel ; and the damsel
gave it to her mother 29. And when his discii^les heard
cf if. nhey came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a
tomb " . „
"Matt. xiv. 6. vGen. xl. 20. ^Esth. v. 3, vi. 7. ^Prov.
I. IH • Kom. iii. 15, yMatt. xiv 9. »1 Kings xiii. 29, 30 ; 2
Chxcn. xxiv. 16.
Chief estcttes, &c. The other most distin-
guished men m Galilee. Convenient day,
for the cherished purpose of Hcrodias.
Danced, and pleased Herod, &c. The diver-
sions of the world, feasting and dancing,
are hut too commnjily the occasions of sm.
After so fatal an exr.mple as this before us,
can we in the least doubt, whether balls
are not snares for souls, destructive of
chastity and modesty, and a pernicious in-
vention to awake and excite the passions ?
Unhappy mother ! who exposes her daugh-
ter to the shipwreck w'hich herself has
suffered, and makes her the instrument of
her passion and revenge, and the murderer
of a saint! The king said, vnto the damsel.
The antithesis between " king and damsel"
gives einphasis to his wicked folly. Unto
lite half of my kingdom. This was a grand
imitation of the great Ahasuerus, but in
one without the supreme power, it was
idle and boastful enough. Give me by and
by vn a charger It was and is customary
with princes in Eastern countries, to re-
quire the head of those they order to be
executed to be brought to them, that they
may be assured of their death.
Exceeding sorry, &c. Observe m Herod,
hypocrisy, .superstition, and a too great re-
gard to men. His sorrow is the sign of
the remorse of his conscience, and his con-
science is his accuser, and a witness of his
crime. It is a penal blindness, justly due
to the abuse of light and instruction, for a
■ man to make a scruple of not performing
an unjust oath, and to make nruie of de-
livering up an innocent person and a saint
at the request of a dancer, to the revenge
of an incensed adulteress. An oath is
criminal, and by consequence void, when
it cannot be performed without sin and in-
justice. How dangerous is it to take but
one step in the paths of sin, since it is so
very difficult to go back and retreat from
itl Nothing does or can darken the mind
or conscience of man more than the false
and fallacious pleasures of lust and intem-
perance. Could Herod have ever thought
himself obliged by the religion of an oath
to murder the Baptist, had not his lust and
his Herodias imprisoned and murdered hia
conscience first ? . It seems his besotted
conscience, having broken through the
seventh commandment, the sixth stood
too near it to be safe long. . . So that it
was his lust, ob.stinately continued in,
wh.ich thus darkened and deluded his con-
science ; and the same will no doubt dark-
en, and delude, and in the end extinguish
the conscience of any man breathing, who
shall surrender himself up to it. (James
i. 14, 15 ; 2 Peter iii. 3 ; Jude 16, IS.)
And he went out and beheaded liim, &c.
Behold him, that was the projjhet
of the Highest, and greater than
any born of woman, imprisoned like a
malefactor ! Behold him cut off" by a vio-
lent death, before the age of thirty-four —
the burning light quenched — the ftiithful
preacher murdered for doing his duty —
and this to gratify the hatred of an adul-
terous woman, and at the command of a
capricious tyrant ! Truly there was an
event here, if there ever was one in the
world, which might make an ignorant
man say, " What profit is it to serve God ?"
But these are the sort of things which
show us that there will one day be a judg-
ment. The God of the spirits of all flesh
shall at last set up an assize, and reward
every one according to his works. The
blood of John the Baptist, and James the
Apostle, and Stephen ; the blood of Poly-
carp, and IIuss, and Ridley, and Latimer,
shall yet be required. It is all written in
God's book. " The earth shall disclose her
blood, and no more cover her slain." (Isa.
xxvi. 21.)
CHAPTER VI,
363
The damsel gave it to her mother. See
liere the fruit of ii bad education, a wicked
(kiughter of a wicked mother ; they are
tierviceivble to one another in order only
to sin and damnation. Revenge causes a
ler.son to take pleasure and delight in that
which, if passion were absent, would raise
the greatest horror. This is a dreadful ex-
ample for tliis sex, which is naturally so
8oft, timorous and bashful. But one is
caj)al)le of every wickedness when one is
capable of forgetting God. Laid it in a
tomb. We ileposit our departed Christian
friends calmly and thoughtfully in faith •
not ceasing to love and remember that
which once lived among us, but marking
the i>lace where it lies, as believing that
God has set His seal upon it, and that His
angels guard it. fJohn xi. 24 ; Jude 9.)
30. "And tlif> apostles gathprod tliemselves together
unto Jfsiis. and told liimall things, both what they bad
done, aud what they had taught.— »Luke ix.. 10.
The Twelve, having completed their
ministerial journey, returned to Caper
naum, where they found their Lord. And
told him all things, &c. Solemn and touch-
ing picture ! This is what every minister
of the Gospel has yet to do — when his
work is done, when his mission is over,
and he crosses to meet his Lord in the
deep solitudes of eternity. "What an in*
centive this for every steward of the
mysteries of grace to be earnest, faithful,
self-denying, instant in season and out of
season — '"' warning every man, and teach-
ing every man in all wisdom, that they
may jiresent every man perfect in Christ
Jesus."
31. ^And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart
into a de^icri, place, and rest awhile:'l'or 'there were
many coming and goins, and they had no leisure so
much as to eat. 32. >iAnd they departed Into a desert
place by ship privately.
bMatt. xiv. 13. 'Chap. iii. 20. i^Matt. xiv. 13.
This desert place is more definitely de-
scribed by Luke (ix. 10). There icere many
coming, &c. No reason is assigned for the
multitude, on account of whom Jesus re-
tiretl from Capernaum, where He labored
at this time, but John (vi. 4) accounts for
it — the passover was nigh at hand, when
we know, great crowds passed through the
city to go up to Jerusalem.
Rest awhile. "This lesson," says an old
writer, "is gladly learned and too much
practiced. Rest ye pleaseth every man.
The truth is, that the body and mind of
man must after labor be refreshed with
rest. But he which lab(;reth not is alto-
gether as unworthy to rest, as to eat. (2
Thes. iii. (M2.) Again, such as will take
rest and ease after laboi-s, must learn of
Christ, as well tc measure their ease as
their pains. He permitteth His di.sciples
to take their rest ; but He limiteth and
restraineth His permi.ssion, saying, ' Rest
awhile.' For by too much rest men are
not made the more fit, but the less willing
to take pain."
33. And the people saw them departing, and manv
knew liini. and ran albot tliiUier out of aU cities, and
outwent Uicni, and came toKether unto him. 34. ''And
Jesus, when lie came out. saw much people, and was
moved with compassion toward them, because they
were as sheep not having a shepherd : and fhe began to
teach them many tilings
'Matt. ix. 3i), xiv. 14. 'Lake ix. 11.
Although Jesus longed to rest awnile
with His disciples and to hear them relate
the things that had befallen them during
their travels, yet the multitude, who saw
Him embark, ran round the lake and
were waiting to receive Him at the place
where He landed. Was He provoked by
this interruption 7 ^o; He was moved
icith compassion for the destitute state of
their souls. He regarded them as sheep
without a shepherd, because their public
teachers were ignorant of God. There is
no outward deprivation which He pities
so much as the want of a faithful minLstry,
and there is none which ive should la-
ment so much. A famine of the word of
the Lord is far worse than a famine of
bread.
35. sAnd when the day was now far spent, his disci-
ples came unto him, and said. Tliis is a desert place,
and now the time is far ))a^si'd : 3(1. Send tliem awav
tliat tliey may go into tlie country round about, and
into the villages, and buy themselves bread: (or they
have nothing to eat. 3V He answered aud said unto
them. Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him,
I'Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of
bread, and give them to eat? .38. He saith unto them,
How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when
they knew, they say, 'Five, and two fishes.
cMatt. xiv. lo: I^uke ix 12. i>Num. xi. 13,22; 2 Kings
iv. 43. 'Matt. xiv. 17: chap. viii. 5 . Luke ix. 13; Jolin
vi. 5, &c. See Matt. xv. 34 • chajs. viii 5.
When the dag teas noin far spent — began
to decline. Two Jiundred pennyiivrth. The
coin expressed by the word penny was
equal, according to some computations, to
nine, according to others, to fourteen cents
of our money. Five, and tiro fishes. Prob-
ably this was the whole stock of provis-
ions then at the command of the disciples
— no more than enough for one meal to
them.
364
MARK,
39. Anfl he commanded them to make all sit down
by companies upon the screen grass. 40. And they sat
down in ranlis bv Imixired-;, and by lifties. 41. And when
thevhad taken the five loavns and tlie two fishes, )ie
looked up to heavf i, Jund hU-ssed, and brake tbe loaves
and gave them to liis <liscii)U's to set before them; an(l
the two fislies divided lie aniong them all. 42. And
kthpy did all eat and were lilled. 4.'?. And they took up
twelVe b'vskpn full of the lrai;nients, and of the tishes.
44. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five
tho'n.uid men.
Jl .Sam ix 13- Matt. xxvi. 26. 'Deut. vhi. 3 : 2 Kings
fv. 42
By companies. " So that," says Starke,
" there were on each side 50. and 100
always together. Fifty such tables full
made them just 5,000. Or, there were 50
seats in breadth and 100 in length." lie
looked up to heaven. Even the most neces-
sary actions of our lives, though lawful,
yet must be offered up with a true inten-
tion unto God, in union with the most
holy works and blessed merits of Christ.
(Col. iii. 17.) They did all eat and were filled.
In relation to the food of the soul, those
eat without being filled who make a con-
Biderable pi'ogress in the knowledge of
Christ, and little or none at all in His love ;
who read His word without profiting
thereby , who partake frequently of His
representative body, without partaking of
His spirit, and are very exact in outward
performances, without any inward piety.
They took up, &c. But if earthly bread is
too precious to be wantonly trampled
under foot, how inestimably i^recious must
heavenly bread be ! Every word that
Cometh out of the mouth of God is bread
for the soul Yet how much is suffered
to fall to the ground I How carelessly we
sometimes read the Scriptures I How many
heart-stirring sermons have we heard, and
then immediately forgotten ! It is not
that our meinorirs are too weak to retain
them (for we can recollect the news of the
town, or the village), but it is that our
hearts are too indifierent. It would be a
blessed custom, after reading or hearing,
to gather up the fragments ; that is, to re-
call to our minds what we have heard,
and to anjily them to our consciences,
'• that nothing be lost."
Twelve' baskets, &c. Beautiful type of true
benevolence, and its invariable results.
The Apostles had given their little all with
an ungrudging spirit — but thoy were no
losers. Tbe loaves expanded in the hands
of giver and receiver, and when the donors
came to count their less, lo, it was a mvs-
' terious gain ! " There is that scattereth,
and yet increaseth, and there is that with-
holdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth
to jjoverty. The liberal soul shall be made
fat, and he that watereth, shall be watered
also himself." These overflowing baskets
have their deep significancy. They point
to the inexhaustible afiiuence and fullness
of the Divine riches. They teach us that,
though thousands on thousands have been
ministered to, yet the table in the wilder-
ness is stil' as full as ever. Millions of
hungry souls have been fed, and still the
promise is as ample as ever, " He satisjieth
the longing soul uith good things." Still the
command of Jesus to His servants is,
* Give ye them to eat " — proclaim, " He that
hath no money, come ye, buy and eat, yea,
come, buy wine and milk, without money
and without price."
This miracle of the loaves and fishes,
great as it was, was not a greater miracle
than a beautiful harvest. Marvelous as is
the creation of a hundred loaves out of
two, it is not one whit less a miracle that
a seed cast into the soil should germinate,
bud, and grow up into a stalk, and then
into an ear, and then into the full corn in
the ear, and finally the glad and beneficent
harvest. But we are so accustomed to the
spring and the harvest, the sowing and
the reaping, that we call that the natural
thing ; and we are so unaccustomed to one
loaf being transformed or multiplied into
a hundred, that we call that the miraculous
thing. The fact is, miracles are sihspen-
sions or interruptions of the existing order
of things ; but the exi.sting order of things
might have been different, and all that a
miracle proves is, that God who made the
machinery has chosen to suspend or alter
its action.
45. 'And straightway he constrained his disciples to
fTPt into the ship, and "to go to the other side before unto
Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.
iMatt. xiv. 22-»J: John vi. 17-21.
The word constrained implies reluctance
on the part of the disciples, perhaps from
unwillingness to part with their Master
and embark at night. The other side, &c.
Jesus was still in the desert place belong-
ing to the city called Bethsaida, on the
eastern side of the sea, and He dismissed
His disciples unto the other side, i. e.,
to Bethsaida in Galilee, the site of which
CHAPTE R V 1
365
was in the region of Gennesaret, between
Oapernaum and tlii southern extremity
of the lake. >Sntt away the people. His
object in tliis was to put an end to Tlie
mi.sdireeted excitement in liirf Ikvor (John
vi. 15), into which tlie disciples themselves
may have been somewhat drawn,
4fl. And when ho had sent them away, he departed
into a niouatam to pray.
Oh, how salutary is it, how pleasant,
how dehghtful, to sit alone and in silence to
converse with God, and so enjoy the only
chief Good, in whom all good things are
found. (Ps. Ixxiii. 24; Hos. ii. 14) Our
Saviour Iwed in prayer. His heart ever
epoke to God. In the city or in the wil-
derness, by the seaside or on the moun-
tain-top, in the midst of the multitude in
public, or with His discijiles in private —
still, in the deep recesses of His soid, He
prayed. Yet did He select special seasons
for prayer — ^times when He poured forth
all His strength, concentrated all His en-
ergy at the footstool of mercy, and strove,
if possible, to get a closer audience with
His father in Heaven. 0 ! how sweet and
how important is solitude to the Christian !
" The calm retreat, the peaceful shade
With prayer and praise agroe,
And seem by Thy kind bounty made
For those who follow Thee."
47. "And when even was come, the ship was In the
midsit of tlie sea, and lie alone on the land. 4.S. And lie
saw them ntoilins in rowing, for the wind was contrary
unto them : and about the Ibnrth watch of the night he
Cometh unto them, walkhig upon the sea, and owould
hav" passed by them.
mMatt. xiv. :::?; John vi. 16, 17. "Isa. liv. H ; Jonah i.
13. ox,uke xxiv. 28.
ToUing in roning. The disciples had
struggled and toiled to bring the vessel to
land, but all in vain. And thus it is that
we often labor and toil with our own
troubles, and those of others, our eyes
fixed exclusively upon them, as the dis-
ciples looked upon the waves which threat-
ened to sw'allow them up, instead of look-
ing to Jesus. From the heights of one of
the mountains that girdled the north-east
-corner of the lake, where Jesus was, alone
with His God, He saw His disciples toiling
in rowing. He seemed to have hid his face
from them, but it was in appearance only,
not in reality Storms and tumults may
be raging without, temptations may be a.s-
sailing within, God may seem to be hiding
liis face, and we are troubled. But behind
th-^i-e temporary clouds there sits a Saviour
of unchanging faithfulness, who, though
we may have forgotten Ilim, has not for-
gotten ?«. For the vy'md teas contrary to them.
AVhile engaged in doing the will of (iod.
storms may overtake us. "Many are the
storms which blow upon God's trees." says
an old writer, " to keep them from becom
ing earth-bound."
lie Cometh unto them, urdking upon tlie sea.
Wonderful spectacle ! The tossing wave
sustains His foot, as if it were the solid
ground, the insurgent billows acknow-
ledge, amazed, their mighty sovereign,
Him who once bade them "be still," and
they were still. With a Crm and sure step.
He walks there upon the flowing element,
toward the distressed boat. The towering
waves may sometimes, indeed, for a mo-
ment, hide Him from the eyes of His dis-
ciples, but they cannot block His path to
the goal. What then took place is con-
tinually repeated. Over the foaming waves
of agitated thought and feeling, which
make us fearful, Jesus walks calmly as
their Lord and Sovereign. They may rise
against, but they cannot over-master. Him.
They may sometimes conceal Him from
the sight of His disciples, but they cannot
check His course. Storms often prepare
the way for Jesus to visit His peoj^le, with
glory to Himself, and permanent proiit to
them. The cause of the trouble of the di.s-
ciples at this time was beneath His feet I
Glorious sight ! that which is beneath the
feet of Christ can never drown His Church.
But if the storm had not come, the disci-
ples would not have seen tins. Were it not
for the storms we have to pass through,
what should w'e know of Jesus? Ajid
would have passed by them. They were to
follow Him in a westerly direction ; no
longer fruitlessly rowing eastward against
the wind. He went before them, as it
were, to show the way.
49. But when they sav/ him walking upon the sea,
fUoy supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: .50.
For tliev all saw him, and were troubled. And im-
mediately be talked with tbeni, and saith unto them,
rBe of go'od cheer: it is I, be not afraid.
Pisa, xliii. 2; John .\.x. 19, 21.
Alas! hvow sad often is the contrast
between the faithfulness of a Saviour God
and the fiiithlessness and unbelief of
man. The sudden appearance of the
Lord with His radiant form, near the
vessel, makes an entirely different impres-
366
MARK.
eion from what would have been expected.
The circumstance so miraculous and
supernatural appears to them, in the grey
twilight, as something strange and fearful.
As they see the form advancing toward
them upon the waves, they are filled with
terror, under the supposition that it is a
spirit, and anticipate with fright the sink-
ing of their vessel at its api^roach. It is 1.
There is something in these three little
words, which, from the mouth that spake
them and the circumstances in which
they were uttered, passes the power of
language to express. Here were the dis-
ciples in the midst of a raging sea, their
little bark the sport of the elements, and
with just enough of light to descry an
object on the waters, which only aggra-
vated their fears. But Jesus deem:.; it
enough to dispel all apprehensions to let
them know tliat He teas there. From other
lips that " It is I " would have merely
meant that the person speaking was such
a one and not another person. That,
surely, would have done little to calm the
fears of men ex^oecting every minute, it
may be, to go to the bottom. But spoken
by One who at that moment was " tread-
ing upon the waves of the sea," and was
about to hush the raging elements with
His word, what was it but the Voice which
cried of old in the ears of Israel, even
from the days of Moses, " I am," " I, even
I, AM He !" "
51. And he went up unto them into the ship, and the
wind ceased : and t liey were sore amazed in themselves
beyond measure, and w(^ndered. 5'J. For itliey con-
sidered not the miracJc. of the loaves : lor their fheart
was hardened.— qOhap. viii. 17, 18. rChap. iii. 5, xvi. 14.
Were sore amazed in themselves beyond
measure, and wondered. The latter feeling
found expression in exclamations; the
whole strength of their internal amaze-
ment they did not express. For they con-
sidered not, &c. They did not recognize
the power of Christ in the multiplying of
the bread ; it seems that He therefore
caused the tempest that, by this further
means, they might be brought to know
Him. So it happens now, that many per-
sons in a time of prosperity fail to notice
God's bounty toward them, who, afterward
and at length, when worn down with
suffering, confess His name. fPs. ci. 1 ;
Jer. xxii. 21 ; Isa. xlviii. 10.) Their heart
u-as hardened, a common phrase for U!.l >'-
lief. It is here equivalent to little fain
as in the parallel passage in Matt. xiv. oJ .
From this narrative we learn, 1, That
while engaged in doing the will of Chri^ t,
storms may overtake us. 2. That storms
often prepare the way for Jesus to visit
His people with glory to Himself, and
permanent profit to them. 3. That when
Jesus comes to His disciples, He comes at
the right time. 4. Believers often fear the
approach of their greatest mercies. 5.
That wherever Christ is, there is safety.
G. Jesus will travel to the extremity of
His people's misery, and save them. 7.
That no storms can overtake His disciples
which He cannot control. 8. That apart
from Christ, His people can do nothing.
53. »And when they had passed over, they came into
the land of Ciennesaret, and drew to the shore. 54.
And when they were come out of the ship, straightway
they know him, 55. And ran through that whole re-
gion round about, and began to carry about in beds
those that were siclc, wl-.ere they hefl.rd he was. 56.
And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or
country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought
him that 'they might touch if it were but the border of
his garment : and as many as touched him were made
whole.
sMatt. xiv. 34. «Matt. ix. 20; chap. v. 27, 28- Acts
xix. 12.
Ran, &c. Afflictions, like goads in our
side, as troublesome as they are, yet serve
to quicken us in our work, and make us
mend our pace to heaven. And therefore,
O Christian, whatsoever thy present
troubles be, know that God brings them
upon thee only to make thy graces the
more healthful and vigorous. (Deut. iv.
29, 30; Hos. v. 15; Isa. xxvi. 8, 9.) Whith-
ersoever he entered, &c. The fame of the
singular cure of the woman which had
an issue of blood (v. 27, 28), had now
probably reached them. It had spread
through that entire neighborhood. (Acts
xxviii. 8, 9.)
They laid the sick, &c. Happy that sick
person, who, following the example of
these people, is never weary in seeking
out the true Physician, by a faith and con-
fidence accompanied with good works ! Let
us learn to profit by the presence of
Christ, who comes to us so many dif-
ferent ways. To assist the sick, to give or
to procure them remedies, is a work of
charity very acceptable to Christ ; but how
much more so is it to be instrumental in
restoring to them the health of the soul !
The border of his garment. The high
C H A P T E K V i I .
priest of the Jews was not sprinkled with
a few scanty drops of the perfume of the
sanctuary, but his person was so bedewed
with it, tliat it Uterally ran down fi-om his
beard to the skirts of his garment. (Ex.
XXX. 25-30 ; Ps. cxxxii.) Tlie high priest
was in this, as in every circumstance, tlie Hv-
ing type of our great High Priest. Theper
fumed garments were typical, first, of the
graces and virtues of the Kedeemer
Himself, in His liumau ciiaractcr ; secondly,
of whatever is refreshing, encouraging,
consoling and cheering in the external
administration of His Word ; and, thirdly,
of the internal comforts of the Holy Spirit.
(Cant. V. 10, IG ; Ps. xlv. 9; 1 Peter ii. 7-9.)
1. "WTiat did Jesus do on the Sabbath day 7 2. What Impression wa.s made by His teaching 7 3. At what did
Christ marvel ? 4. What commission was given to " the Twelve ? " 5. What is recorded of their mission ? C
What did Herod say ? 7. What did Herod do ? 8. What part had the daughter of Herodia.s in this matter ? 9
What was done with John the Baptist 7 10. What miracle did our Lord perform 7 11. In what circumstances of
trial did He come to His disciples ? 12. What took place in " the land of Gennesaret ? "
CHAPTER VII.
1 The Pharisees find fault at the disciples for eating with
unwasliea hands. 8 They break the commaiulm'ent of
Ood by the traditions of men. 14 Meat dcflteth not the
man. -4 Jle hcaleth the Syrophenician ivoman's daugh-
ter of ail iindran spirit, 31 and one tliat was deaf, and
stamimrtU in /Us speech.
THEN »came together unto him the Pharisees, and
certain of the scribes, wliich came Irum Jerusalem.
2. And when th(^y saw some of his disciples eat bread
witli deiiled, that is to say, witli unwasliun hands, tliey
found fault. 3. Kor the Pliarisees, and all tlie Jews, e.\'-
cept they wash tluir hands oft, eat not, huldiug tlie tra-
dition of the elders. 4. And ivhrn they cume from the
market, except they wash, they eat not. And many
other things there bo, wliich tlic.v have received to liold,
av the washing of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and ot
tables.— -'Matt. xv. 1, &c., on which see Notes.
Certain of the scribes, &c. "Whether these
doctors of tlio law, whose ordinary resi-
dence was Jerusalem,, were deputed by
some public body, or, of their own accord,
came expressly for the purjiose of hearing
the discourses and witnessing the miracles
of Jesus, or, being in that remote district
of the country at any rate, took the oppor-
tunity of obtaining personal information
respecting an individual whose character
and claims had become a subject of gen-
eral interest, cannot be determined. That
is to say. The Evangelist adds an interpre-
tation, as in verse 11, chapter v. 41, him-
self not regarding unwashed hands as de-
filed.
All the Jews — the Jews in general. Oft.
The meaning of the original word, thus
rendered, is not perfectly clear. The pri-
mary signification of the word was, pro-
bably, fist. To do a thing iinth the fist was
probably equivalent to the expression, to
do a thing diligently, carefully. The signi-
fication carefully is recommended by suffi-
cient reasons. F)'om the market, literally,
from market. Have received (from the tra-
dition of the elders) to hold, i. (., to observe.
Tables. The Greek word thus translated
should be rendered couches ; meaning the
couches upon which they used to recline at
meals. It is the heart which a man must
wash, it is the inward part which he must
examine, when he has been busied about
worldly affairs, and which he must cleanse
in the presence of God from the filth which
it may have thereby contracted.
5. ''Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him. Why
walk not tliv disciples according to the tradition of the
elders, but fut liread with unwashen hands? 6. He an-
swered and said unto them,Well hath Esaias prophesied
of you h.yijcjcrites, as it is written, fThis people honour-
eth me with their lips, but their heart is lar from me. 7
Howbeit in vain do they worshi]) me, teaching/or doc-
trines the commandments ol men. 8. For lajing aside
the commandment of Ciod, ye hold the tradition of
men, as the washing of pots and cups : and many other
such like things ve do.
bMatt. XV. 2. cisa. xxix. 13; Matt. xv. 8.
Why walk not, &c. Grafting their tra-
ditional precepts upon the letter of such
commands as are found in Isaiah (i. 16),
" Wash you, make you clean,'' unmind-
ful of those words which immediately
follow: "Put away the evil of your doings
from before mine eyes," or thoi^e of Jere-
miah : " Wash thine heart from wickedness,
that thou mayest be saved." ( Jer. iv. 14.)
The teachers of religion among the Jews
368
MARK.
had invented a purely human system
which entirely supplanted, and even sub-
verted the Divine law, " making the word
of God of none efiect." Unhappily, we see
only too much of the spirit of the Phari-
sees now. There are thousands of jjrofess-
ing Christians, who seem to care nothing
about the religion of their neighbors,
provided that it agi-ees in outward matters
with their own. Does their neighbor
worship according to their particular form ?
Can he repeat their shibboleth, and talk
a little about their favorite doctrines? If
he can, they are satisfied, though there is
no evidence that he is converted. If he
cannot, they are always finding fault, and
cannot speak peaceably of him, though he
may be serving Christ better than them-
selves. Let us beware of this spirit. It is
the very essence of hypocrisy. Let our
principle be, " the kingdom of God is not
meat and drink, but righteousness and
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Rom.
xiv. 17.)
Well hath Esaias, &c. It is as if Jesus
had said, " Ye are hypocrites, i. e., you as-
sume a character that does not belong to
you. While insisting on observances, as
necessary parts of religious duty, which
Jehovah has never required, and in con-
forming to which, not His honor, but the
honor of you and your rabbis is involved,
at the same time you disjjense with what
His law has rendered absolutely obligatory ;
and in making that a duty which He has
not made a duty, and superseding the ob-
ligation of that which He has made a duty,
Esaias has accurately described your char-
acter, and strongly condemned your con-
duct." In vain do they worship me, &c. " It
cannot serve the purpose of worship. It
cannot be acceptable to me. It cannot be
useful to them." No religious service can
be acceptable to God if He has not enjoin-
ed it, and even a religious service which
He has enjoined, can be acceptable to Him
only if it be performed out of regard to
His authority, and not from any other
motive.
9. And lie saifl unto them. Full well ye reject the com-
mandment of Oo'l. that ye may keep your own tradi-
tion. 10. For iMoses said, ■'Hononr thy father and thy
mother; and ■•WhO'aoourseth fatlior or mother, let him
die the death: 11. But ye sav. If a man stiall say to
his father or mother. It in fCorhan. that is to say, a gift,
hy whatsoever thou miehtest be profited by me : he xhall
be free. 12. And ye .suffer him no more to do aught for
hla father or his mother; 1.3. Making the word of God
of none effect through your tradition, which ye have de-
livt-red: and many .such like things do ye. II. 'J t'And
when he had <-alli-d all tlic ix'ople unlo/uin, hesaid unto
them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and under-
stand : 15. There is nothing irom witliout a man. that
entering into him can detile him : but the things which
come out of him, these are they tli;it delile Uie man.
Ifi. I'lf anv man have ears to hear, let him hear.
dEx. XX. 12; Deut. v. 1(5; Matt. xv. 4. •Kx. xxi. 17:
Lev. XX. 9 ; Ps. xx. 20. fMatt. xv. 5. eMatt. xv. lu. I'Matt.
xi. 15.
See on Matt. xv.
Full well ye reject the commandment of God,
&c. Religion often serves as a cloak for
impiety, hard-heartedness to the poor,
and indiflerence toward parents. We can-
not possibly piease God by gifts oflered
contrary to His law or His Spirit ; it is
sacrilege to dedicate that to Him which
is taken away from the piety which nature
inspires, and the Divine law enjoins. This
is, as much as in us lies, to invalidate our
Saviour's declaration, that He accepts as
done to Himself the good which is done
to the least of His disciples. Die the death.
The law is " the ministration of condem-
nation " — death and death ; but the Gospel
is "the ministration of the Spirit." (2
Cor. iii. 8.) " The law of the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus." (Rom. viii. 2.) For die
the decdh, we have " grace for grace." (John
i. 16.) But ye say, &c. If the language of
sermons be vague and general, if it do not
apply clearly and directly to our own times,
our own waj^s of life, and habits of thought
and action, men elude its hold upon their
consciences with a wonderful dexterity ;
and, keeping their common practices safe
out of the reach of its influence, they
deceive themselves by their willingness
to hear it ( vi. 20), and by their acquiescence
and even delight in it. (Ezek. xxxiii. 3-6 ;
Rom. vii. 22.)
It is Corhan, or, " let it be Corban — by
ivhatsoever, &c. Corhan signifies what is
dedicated to God, and what cannot be
turned to any other purpose without sac-
rilege. The vow before us is, " Let every-
thing by which I may be profitable to my
parents be Corban. I vow that I will not
do anything for the support of my parents,
and if I do, may I draw down on myself
the punishment due to a violation of sacred
property." Such a vow, in ordinary cir-
cumstances, could only be made in a
moment of passion. No man could ap-
prove of such a vow. We have no reason
to think the scribes and Pharisees did so.
CIIAl'TElt VII.
369
They would readily, doubtless, have con-
demned it, but still, according to their
doctrine, the vow, though a rash one, was
an obligatory one. To the man who had
made such a vow, they would have s-aid,
"You should not have made it, but, having
made it, you must keep it. By keeping
your vow, you no doubt exi)o.se yourhelf
to the ])enalty connected with the breach
of the til'lh commandment, but by break-
ing it, you will expose yourself to the
punishment you have invoked on your-
self— the punishment due to the violation
of sacred property, a much greater punish-
ment than that due for lilial undutifulness.
There is only a choice of evils, but there
is, in this case, a greater evil in breaking
the vow than in keeping the vow." Such
were the absurd refinements of rabbinical
casuistry, by which they confounded the
plainest moral distinctions, and made sin
duty, and duty sin. Many such like things
do ye. " This is but a specimen of your
traditions ; and are my disciples to be
censured for disregarding such traditions,
which can be of no use — which are so
mischievous ? "
Heurhen. Give close attention ; I am
about to make a statement, which at once
deserves and requires attention. There is
nothing from tcithoat a man, &.V. "It is not
anything extrinsic and material, anything
which affects merely the outer man — the
animal frame — that, properly speaking,
makes a man morally imjiure: whatever
does so must be something residing within,
proceeding from the inner man — the sjjir-
itual, the intellectual, the moral nature."
If any man have ears, &c. The rule
(verse 15) must be of very great im^wrtance
to Christians. For our Lord, 1. calls all
the people unto Him, on purpose to tell
them only this (verse 14). 2. He requires
of them a particular attention. ?,. He
requires it of every one, without excejition.
4. He exhorts them to endeavor thorough-
ly to understand it. And o. He hei'e lets
them know that in order to do it they
have need of a singular grace, and a par-
ticular gift of understanding.
17. 'And when hp was entprpfl into the hon<:e from
th" people, his tlisciples asked him concernins thp pnr-
iihle. 18. And he saith unto them. Are ve so without
understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that what-
fioever thing from without entereth into the man. it
cannot defile 1 im ; 19. Because it entereth not into his
24
heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught
purging all nieut-s ? 'JO. And lie .said. That which com-
etli out ol tlie man, that deliletli the man. 21. kFor
Irom within, out o( the heart of men, proceed evil
tliouglils, ailiillcrius, lornicatiuns, murders. 22. Tliefts,
covelousni'.ss, wicl^i'dness, deceit, lascivioiisness, an evil
eye, blu.splK-nis-, i,ndi', loulislmcss; 2:i. All these evil
things c(jme Irom williin, and delile tlie man.
'Matt. XV. lo. koeu. vi. o. and viii. 21 ; Malt. xv. 19.
Are ye so ivitliout understanding also ? The
true knowledge of the spirit of the Gospel
is a thing more rare and uncommon than
we imagine among the generality of Chris-
tians, and even of the learned. Whatsoever
thing from tvithout, &c. (See on ]\Iatt. xv.
17, 18.) Out of the heart of men, proceed, &c.
"What an awful picture we have here of
human nature, and drawn, too, by One
who knew what was in man ! What can
the i^roud and self-righteous say when
they read such a passage as this? (Prov.
iv. 23, xxviii. 2G.) This is no sketch of the
heart of a robber or murderer. It is the
true and faithful account of the hearts of
all mankind. Let it be a settled resolution
with us, that in all our religion the state
of our hearts shall be the main thing.
Let it not content us to go to church and
observe the forms of religion. (Acts viii.
21.) Never let us rest till we find within
the witness of the Spirit that God has
created in us a clean heart, and made all
things new. (Ps. H. 10; 2 Cor. v. 17.)
24. IT 'And from thcnco he arose, and went into the
borders of Tyro and fclidon, and entered intoanhou.se,
and would have no man know it : but he could not be
hid.— iMatt. xv. 21.
Tyre, called by the Hebrews, Tor, now
Soor, a colony of Sidon (see Isa. xxiii. 12),
built about 1700 years B. C. It was cele-
brated for wealth, manufartures, com-
merce, and purple dye. Sidon, now Sa iada,
(he most ancient and important maritime
place in tlio old world ; it is thought to
liavo taken its name from Sidon, the first-
born cf Canaan. It is about twenty-five
milcj nor'ih of Tyre. Ko man. For He
wao still Avithin the borders of I.'^rael. He
could not be hid. Christ's fame had early
spread from Galilee to this very region.
(Chap. iii. 8 ; Luke vi. 17.) Happy is that
person who is made manifest, not because
he will not, but because he cannot be hid !
2.'). For a certain woman, whose young daughter had
an unclean spirit, lieard of him. and came and /eil at
his feet : 2f). Tlie woman was .1 Greelv, a Syrophcnician
by nation : and she besought him that he would cast
forth the devil out of her daughter.
A certain woman. "The antiquity of ob-
livion," says an old writer, " blindly scat-
370
MARK.
tereth her poppy, and deals with the
memory of men without distinction to
merit of perpetuity But to be name-
less in worthy deeds exceeds an infamous
history. The Canaanitish woman lives
more liappily without a name than Hcro-
dias with one. And who had not rather
have been the good thief, than Pilate ?"
(2 Cor. vi. 9.) Whose young daughter, &c.
Youth enters upon the journey of life
headstrong and inexperienced, with a bias
of original corruption, and all the passions
awake. In such circumstances, how shall
a young man direct his steps, so as to
" escape the corrujation that is in the world
through lust?" (2 Peter i. 4.) He must,
for this i>ur2:)0se, take with him the direc-
tions to be found in the Scriptures of truth.
"I have written unto you, young men,"
says the beloved disciple, " because ye are
strong, and the AVord of God abideth in
you, and ye have overcome the Avicked
one." lie, who became man for our sal-
vation, passed through this state of youth
undefiled, that He might, as it were, re-
claim and consecrate it anew to God. Let
every young person often meditate on this.
(Eccl. xi. 9, 10. xii. 1 ; Ps. cxix. 9.)
Was a Greek. Some refer this, not to
her country, but religion, as though it were
said, she belonged to the Greek or heathen
people. A Syrophenician, i. e., a Phoenician
of Syria, in contradistinction from the
Lybo-Phoenicians or Phoenicians of Libya,
viz. : the Carthaginians. The devil — that
unclean spirit which had possessed the
girl. Every sin is an unclean spirit which
possesses the sinner. It is at the feet of
Jesus that he must seek a remedy for it.
How great this woman's zeal and earnest-
ness ! Few mothers are as much concerned
about the spiritual welfare of their children.
The generality, alas ! instead of shutting
the heart of their daughters against the
evil spirit of vanity, of impurity, and of
the love of the world, or of endeavoring
to cast him out thence, rather set it open
to hiin a thousand different ways.
27. But Jesus said unto her. Let the children first be
flUed : lor it is not meet to talie the cliildren's bread,
and to cast it unto the dogs.
It is not meet — not fitting. It is not in
the order which God has established.
Children's bread. This our Saviour said to
test the woman's faith. The Jews were
the children of the kingdom ; this woman
was of the Gentiles, whom the Jews de-
nominated heathen and dogs. Dogs. The
original is Utile dugs, so that with the con-
tempt, there is a tenderness in the epithet.
It is interesting to observe the various
ways in which Jesus behaved to afHicted
persons. Some lie ojjercd to relieve, say-
ing to one at the pool of Bethesda, " AVilt
thou be made whole?" and to another,
with a withered hand, at the synagogue,
"Stretch forth thy hand." Others He
restored on their yirsi application to Him ;
while He suffered this woman to plead
long and earnestly before He showed her
mercy. Before He exposed her to this
test, Ho knew that she could endure it.
28. And she answered and said unto him, yes, Lord:
yet the dogs under the table eat ol the children's crumbs.
Jesus could not cast her lower than she
was content to cast herself. Even the
very depth of her degradation only forms
a strong j^lea for the extension of His
love. Yes, Lord — she cannot be overcome,
because she will not doubt. The humil-
iating comparison to which she has been
subjected, becomes the occasion for a
bolder flight of the eagle wing, and a
keener glance of the eagle eye of faith.
She sjirings from the supreme control to
the benevolent equity of Providence. She
rises above the clouds of the Divine power,
often to us, who can only see them from
below, dark, disturbed and stormy, into
the holy serenity beyond them. She sees
the calm Sovereign of the universe, par-
tial, yet impartial too, preferring some, yet
forgetting none. She knows that " His
care is over all His works," and — deepest
wonder of her heaven — sent enlighten-
ment! She can see that He loves Iter, and
yet accord His unquestionable right to
love, if He please it, others more — allows
she can ask but little, yet believingly dares
to pronounce that little certain! She will
permit (would to God we could always fol-
low her in our speculations) no mystery
of dispensation to contradict the truth of
the Divine character. Yet the dogs, &c.
Everything is here. All Christianity is
concentrated in one happy sentence. She
believes in her own lowliness; she be-
lieves in God's absolute supremacy ; she
believes in the secret propriety of the
C li A I* r E K V 1 I .
071
apparent inequalities of Providence ; she
believes thai thuse inequalities can never
ufl'ect the true univerisahty of His love.
God is all, yet she is something, too, lor
she is God's creature. Men from deep
places can see the stars at noon-day, and
from the utter depths of self-abasement,
she catches the whole blessed mystery of
heaven, like the Apostle's Christian, "in
possessing nothing, she possesses all
tilings."
29. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way ;
the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
For this sayiiij, &c. Often have we ad-
mired the efficacy of the words of God ;
here we are called to admire the efficacy
of the words of man. The words of the
Syro-Phoenician woman open the heavens,
triumph over the Lord, drive away the
devil, and accomplish whatever she wishes.
30. And when she was come to her liouse, she found
the devil gone out, and lier daughter laid upon the bed.
The child lying on the bed is completely
freed from the power of the wicked spirit,
and is now taking that quiet rest which
hitherto the evil spirit had not allowed.
The color is returned to those pallid
cheeks, the blood no longer streams from
those lacerated limbs. The sepulchre and
the desert are no more the haunts of the
rescued maniac ; the mother's love is tri-
umjihant through faith.
Let us see to it that our afflictions lead
us to Jesus. Every cross is a message
from God, and intended to do us good in
the end. The plea which this woman
urged is now as good as ever — indeed bet-
ter than ever. Weak faith has no longer
to pursue a departing Saviour ; distress has
not to address itself in piteous accents to
an ear that seeras deaf. Jesus is not now
passing by silent, reserved, and wrapt in
thought of other objects than us. He
looks on us. He pities us, He loves us, with
open arms He invites us to Plis bosom.
31. t n>And again, departing from the coa.sts of Tyre
and Sidon, he came unto thosea of Galilee, through the
midst of the coa.sts of Decapolis.— "Matt. xv. 29.
Departing, &c. The direction of the
journey was first northw^ard toward Leb-
anon; thence from the foot of Lebanon
north-easterly, and back through the dis-
trict of Decapolis, that is, back through
the region which lay to the east, or the
forther side of the sources of the Jordan,
to the eastern bank of the Sea of (ialilee.
Decapolis. This word denotes u diiftrict am-
taininij ten, cities — the word debt in tlie
Greek language meaning ten, and polis, a
city,
32. And "they bring unto Mm one that was deaf, and
had an impediment in his speech ; and Ihty besit ih
him to put liis haml upon him.
"Matt. ix. a2 ; LuUe xi. 14.
They, i. e., the friends of the diseased
man. Had an impediment. He was not-
wholly dumb, but a stammerer, as is the
case with one who becomes deaf after hav-
ing learned to talk. They gradually lose
their use of speech entirely, or speak with
great difficulty. Beseech him to put his hand,
&c. In their eagerness they appear to
have been somewhat too officious. Though
usually doing as here suggc ted, Pie will
deal with this case in His own w^ay. IIow
thankful we should be for the gifts of
speech, hearing, and other senses. To
God's mercy it is owing that Me are not
deaf and dumb, blind, or otherwise defec-
tive. How compassionate should we be
to those who are thus afflicted, how anx-
ious to use these talents to God's glory, as
being His gifts, and such as must be ac-
counted for!
33. And he took him aside from the multitude, and
put his lingers into his ears, and "he f-pit, and touched
his tongue ;— "Chap. viii. 23 ; John ix. 6.
Took him aside, &c. Jesus can heal us
anywhere. Lie can unstop the ear and
loosen the tongue whilst we are in the
hurry of the crowd, or when we have
sought the secrecy of the closet. But He
loves the solitude ; if we with Him to
work a miracle, a spiritual cure, let us
prove that we wieh it, by going aside from
the multitude, detaching ourselves from a
world that " lieth in wickedness," breaking
away from the company of His enemies,
and then may we hope that He will meet
us, and say unto us, with as much of power
as of graciousness, " Ephphatha," that is,
"Be opened." Put his fingers, &.c. In the
adaptation by Christ, of the mode of cure
to the circumstances of this dumb and deaf
man, we learn by what various means He
now cures the spiritual infirmities of men.
He knows how to treat each case in the
most suitable manner. There are many
different states of mind to be found among
the unconverted, and all seem to us cases
very hard to cure. The wisdom of Jesus
372
MARK
enables Him to meet the diflBcultiea of
each case that lie uudertakea to reheve.
He knows how to solemnize tha light
mind of one. and how to abase the proud
spirit of another how to tame the violent
tenijier, and to enlarge the seliish heart.
31. Ami T'l.iokiug up to lieaven. the sighed, and saith
unto liim, Epiiphatha that is. Be opened
pJohn xi. 41 and xvii 1 'iJobii xi. ;«. .38.
Looking up to heaven, us seeking God's
help and blessing. If ever any child of
man might have dispensed with prayer, it
was surely He who being dod as well as
man. had but to speak the word, as here
with so Divine an authority He spoke it,
■'Ephphatha, Be opened I " Yet we see
how He ever addressed Himself in prayerto
the Father, " His Father and our Father,"
so that He is not more an example of
every other grace than of this grace of
prayer, of which we might least have ex-
pected to find Him an instance. He sighed.
The fact that Jesus sighed before He could
bring Himself to say to the deaf and dumb
man, '" Be opened." even though He knew
that he would not join himself to His
enemies, is the most affecting of all testi
monies, that the tongue cannot be used
without peril. And il- might do more than
whole sermons on the guilt of idle words,
to make us watchful in keeping " the door
of our lips." were we only to have in mind
this sigh of the Redeemer. When tempted
to the light jest, and, yet more, to the
profiine allusion ; when inclined to employ
on what is frivolous, or malicious, or im-
pure, that high faculty which God be-
stowed that we might make creation vocal
with His praise • then, if we cannot
recollect any elaborate arguments which
establish the .special sinfulness of sins of
the tongue at least we may recall the
simple narrative of this miracle, and it
may tend to make and keep us fearful of
misusing and desecrating the power of
speech, to remember that the Saviour
could not impart this power, without be-
tokening His consciousness how perilous
it was.
Ephphatha. In the preservation of the
actual Aramaic which Christ spoke, we
recognize the narrative of an eye and ear
witness, from whom the Evangelist had
this account, and in whose soul the words
of power, which were followed with such
mighty consequences, which opened the
ears, and loosed the tongue, and raised tiie
dead, had indelibly impressed themselves.
W'ii shuuld call on C'hrist to open our ear.s,
that we may hear His word meekly; to
open our lips, which are sealed by back-
wardness and lukewarmne.ss, that our
mouth may show forth His prai.se ; and to
open our hearts, as II(; did that of Lydia,
io receive thankfullv the gracious ofTer.s
of salvation.
35. 'And straightway his ears were opened, and i.hf>
string 01 liis tongue was loosed, and he spali'; tilain
•Isa. XXXV. .'), (i ; Matt. xi. 5.
Christ tirst opened his ear.s. then untied
his tongue, becau.^e we must hear well
before we can .speak well. (Job. xxxii. 6,
7: Prov. xv. 2; James i. 19.) Straiglduay,
&c. Those whom Jesus healed wore en-
dowed with the power of using their
restored facuKies immediately. The dumb
man spake plain. Thus the prophecy of
Isaiah was in one instance fulfilled, " The
ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, and
the tongue of the stammerers shall be
ready to speak plainly."
3B. And "he charged them that they should tell no
mar. but the more he cl i.rgtd tlicm, go much the
more a great deal they published U .•—'Chap. v. 43.
He cliarged them, &c. The palace of
Herod, at Ce.<;area Philippi, w^as not dis-
tant, and mercy and miracle must in this
guilty wor'd work in secret. From our
Lard's command, we may learn that we
must not do kindness in an ostentatious
manner (Matt. vi. 3), that we should never
needlessly attract attention to it, but rather
conceal it, and especially that, when it
would hurt the feelings of those who have
received kindness to have the matter pub-
lished to others, we should take pains to
prevent such a fact from transpiring or
getting abroad.
37. And were hevnnd men?ure r.rtonifhcd.fnyinr, Tie
hnth flnii" all fhin'ps well : 1 e makcth beta the dciu' to
hear, and the dumb to speak.
He hath done, &c. This exclrmation, in
which the surprise and admiration of the
beholders find utterance, reminds us of
the words of the fiist creation (Gen. i. 31),
upon which we are not unsuitably thrown
back, for Christ's work is in the true sense
a " new creation." It is a very great com-
mendation of a minister, to say that he
does all things well, that is, with gravity,
modesty and external becomingness, and
CHAPTEK VIII.
373
with ap])licutioii, j)iety and internal re-
lij^'iou. This is the way to make even the
deaf to hear tlie truth, and to draw from
sinners an acknowledgment and confession
of their miseries.
" He liath done," &c. They did not say.
as modern Christians are too prone to say,
"It was the medicine that healed," but
they traced the links along the (;hain of
beneficence, and saw that thty wore all
held in the hand of II im wliu then did,
and now does, all things well. AVhen we
are healed of a disease, it is as much a
miracle as it was when this deaf ear was
opened. Why is there virtue in the me<li-
cine? Who gave it its mysterious power?
The difference is only this, that now God
works with means, then He worked wiiL-
out them ; we should look above the medi-
cine, and beyond the physician, to the
Lord Jehovah who healeth all our diseases.
If no human voice in that crowd liud
been raised to acknowledge Jesus as the
healer of diseases, the blind, who saw the
stars of the sky and the flowers of the
earth for the first time, the deaf, who
heard the sweet sounds of an afl'ectionate
voice they never heard before, the wither-
ed limbs, that were restored to more than
pristine vigor, the empty graves, the dead
who mingled again with the company of
the living, could have all stood forth and
proclaimed, "We are witnesses that He
hath done all things well."
1. WTiat objection was made to the disciples in their eating bread ? 2. How was tt answered? 3. How are we
to understand verse 11? 4. What e.tplanationd;dChrist give to HL Jiscipleof" the parable?" 5. W^here did He
go? 6. Who came to Him ? 7. State the particulars of the intcr^-icw ? 8. What was the result of it ? 9. Who
was brought to Jesus in the coasts of Decapolia? 10. How was he cured? U. What cliaxge was given to the
multitude * 12. What did they say ?
CHAPTER VIII.
1 Christ feedeth the people ■mirwMlcmsly : 10 refusfth
to (live a sign to the. Pliurixci'a : 14 adnioiiisheth filn dis-
ciples to Or irare or' tlie baorn of Hip Pitnriii-fs, arid of
Ihc IccHun of lltvod : i;i: 'jifth a Idind inan /u's- slglit :
27 arlniiJii.lcdrjrtli IJiat hr is tin' C It fist, who fshniUd suf-
fer and 1-ise again: li! and exluitidh to patience in
pcrseciUionfor tlie profession, of Ike gospel.
IN those days '-the multitude being very great, and
having nothing to cat, Jesus called his disciples
unto him, and saith unto them,
This narrative is not a repetition of the
miracle of feeding the five thousand, re-
corded in chap. xiv. 15-21. This is plain
from xvi. 9, 10, where both accounts are
alluded to in connection. Besides, there
are important differences apparentbetweeii
the two miracles. The time is decidedly
different. The guests this time remained
three days with Jesus, the first time only
one day. This time the snnply of brerrd
which Jesus and His disciples had, was
greater than at the first time — seven loaves
and a few fishes, whilst the first time the
number of the loaves was five. On the
other hand, the number of the guests is
smaller, namely, four thousand besides
women and children; the former time
there were a thousand men more. In the •
one case the people, in a frenzy of enthu-
siasm, would have taken Jesus by force to
make Him a king, in the other case no
such excitement is recorded. And whilst
then twelve baskets were filled with the
fragments that were left, now there were
only seven. The baskets, moreover, in
which the fragments were collected on the
other occasion, are called by all four Evan-
gelists, copluni ; those used for that pur-
pose after this miracle are, in both Matthew
and Mark, spurides.
2. I have cnmpi«:>!'on on the multitude, because they
havo now h^'^\^ with mo three days, and have nothing
to eat: 3. And if I pond thorn away fasting to their
own hnn=p«:. f hoy will faint by the way : lor divers of
them came from far.
See notes on Matt. xiv. 19, &c. ; Mark vi.
41, &c.
I have eompnsf»'or}, &c. "Thou who hadst
such pity on the bodies of men, that Thou
wouldst not send them avay fastinrt. oh, let
not our souls be unfed, when with humble
S74
: I ARK.
f.uith we wait upon Thee for our spiritual
nourishment, lest we faint in the way of
our pilgi Image." — Austiyi. He has very
little of his Lord's compassion in him. and
holy zeal for tlie kingdom of God, and
love to tho.<e who have the sAme hopes
and fears with himself, who thinks it mucli
to suffer repeated inconveniences and de-
bar himself of what otherwise he might
enjoy not only with innocence, but great
advantage, when he may be the happy
instrument of relieving the greatest neces-
sities and ])romoting the salvation of those
for whom Christ died. (vi. 34 ; John iii.
17-19; 2 Tim. ii. 10.)
4. And his (li??ciples answered lilm, From whence can
a man satis y tlicsc mm with broad lipre in the wilder-
ness ? ■'). Ainl 111- asked tliem, How many loaves have
ye? And tliey said, S^'VPii.
bMatt. XV. oi; see chap. vi. 3S.
Admire in the Apostles their love of
truth. Though they themselves are the
writers, they do not conceal their own
great faults, and it is no light accusiition
to have so soon forgotten the similar
miracle previously performed. Observe,
also, their wisdom in another respect;
how they had overcome their appetite,
taking so little care of their meals that
though they had been three days in the
desert, yet they had with them only seven
loaves.
6. And he commanded the peonle to sit down on the
ground : and iielonk t lie seven loaves, and gave thanks,
and brake, and savf to his d:so;pU-s to set be. ore than ;
and they did set thf?]i beore the people. 7. And they
liada iew small fishes: and' he bl&ssed and commanded
to set them also be ore tliiin.
cMatt. xiv. 19: chap. vi. 41.
Gave IhanJcs. What a scandalous thing
it is to take our food without being mind-
ful who bestows it on us I Paul " gave
thanks " in the presence of the heathen
(Acts xxvii. 35), yet Christians are often
ashamed to do it before Christians. And
gave to his disciples, &c. Observe, it was the
disciples, and not our Lord, who distribu-
ted to the multitude. We are here re-
minded of the office of the ministry, which
is, to distribute spiritual gifts out of the
store which the Lord hath first created
and blessed : from a source of His pro-
viding " to feed the Church of God," like
"faithful and wise stewards" to "give them
their portion of meat in due season."
(Luke xii. 42.) For, doubtless, as "man
doth not live 1)y bread only, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of
the Lord " (Deut. viii. 3), we have in this
timely supply of mere temporal want, a
type of that heavenly bounty which sends
us all things that a»-e neediirt for our souls.
8. So they did eat, and were filled : and they took up
ot the brokfen vuat that was leit seven baskets, ii. And
they that had taleii Were about luur thousand- and he
sent theni awaj .
TJicy did eat and vere fdled. The same
statement with regard to the former mir-
acle is given by all the P'.vangelists. (Matt.
xiv. 20; Mark vi. 42; Luke ix. 17; John
vi. 11.) Took up, &.C. Jesus had in the
former instance directed that this should
be done, " that nothing be lost." (John
vi. 12.) Aytd he sent them auay. This con-
cludes the account of one of those stupen-
dous miracles that are so simply told, that
we are apt to lose sight of some portion
of their sublimity. If a mere human his-
torian had been recording such a prodigy
as this, he would have exhausted, if his
ta.ste had not been very good, language of
bombast, he would have ca-""cd into aid
expressions of admiration and wonder,
and he would have been exuberant in
l)oetical and grand descriptior.sof a miracle
which would have overwhelmed him with
its magnitude and greatness. But the
sacred historian, as if he had dipped his
pen in the light of Him who did the mir-
acle— as if he were writing under the in-
spiration, as he was, of Him whose deeds
of beneficence he was recording — tells the
story with that artless simplicity which
proves how true it is, and which shov/s
indirectly how the penman was guided
and inspired by the Holy Spirit of God.
10. 1 And i5straightway he entered into a ship with
his dLsciples. and came "into the parts ot Dalmanutha.
11. 'And the Pharisees came lorth.and began to ques-
tion with him, seeking of him a si^n trom heaven,
tempting hm. 12. And he sighed deeply in his .spirit,
and saith. Why doth this generation seek after a sign?
Verily, I say linto you. There shall no sign be given
nnto this generation. 13. And ho left them, and enter-
ing into the ship again departed to the other side.
dMatt. XV. 39. ^Matt. xii. 38 ; John vi. 30.
Dalmcinvtha was west of the sea of
Tiberias, in the district of Magdala. These
were either different denominations for the
same region, or separate denominations for
distinct, but contiguous regions. The Phari-
sees came forth, &c. — came out of their
dwellings in that country. People gener-
ally come out of their dwellings, but these
men came forth as sjjies out of a hiding-
place ; and their coming was proof that
the most extreme care as to the circum-
CHAPTER VIII.
375
tlaiices of the landing of Jesus, in a quiet
'fluce and in the dead of night, could no
longer ]irotPct the Lord from their eyes.
Sft'kiiig from him, &c. They wanted a
sign from heaven, not because they desired
to he convinced, hut l)ecause they wanted
to ^'H)?<^, grieve, ensnare, or i)rovoke Jesus.
The fact is, when men have once made
up Iheir minds not to be persuaded, they
are unconvinceable. iSi(/]icd deeply, as we
say, fetch iixj a deep i>i(jh. In h is spirit — from
his very heart. He sighed so deeply, not
merely in general sorrow for the hardened
unbelief of these men, but also in the
feeling (hat the decisive crisis of severance
from the predominant party had come.
For the demand of a sign from heaven
was a demand that He should, as the
Messiah of their expectation, accredit Him-
self by a great miracle. There shall be no
sign, such as they seek after. To the other
side, i. e., to the northern Bethsaida, or
Belhsaida- Julias.
14. fNow fhe ditrii'ira hnd forgottpn to tnko bread,
neitlmr had tliev in Iho ship with tlicni iiior.' tliuii one
loal'. 15. ^And he chart^vd liicm, sayint;, Take licod,
beware of the leaven oi tlje Pharisi-es, and o/thc leavrn
or Herod. 10. And they reasoned anionf; themselves,
sa.ving, Jt. IS hbecause we have no bread. 17. And when
Jesusknew it. he saitli unto them. Why reason ye, be-
cause ye have no bread? 'perceive ye not yet, neither
understand? have ye your heart yrl hardened? IS.
Having eyes, t;ee ye not ? and having ears, hear ye not?
and do ye not renienilier? K). i-\V'1hii I hrake the five
loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of
fragments took ye up? They say unto liini, Twelve.
20. And 'when the seven among four thousand, how
many baskets full o' irnirnients took ye up? And they
Raid. Seven. 21. And he said unto them, How is it that
inve do not under- tand ?
f]\I.att. xvi. ."). zMitt. xvi. fi. hMatt. xvi. 7. 'Chap,
vi. 52. i:Matt, xiv. 2 1: John vi. 13. 'Matt. xv. 37, verse
8. ""Chap. T >. 52, ver.se 7.
See on Matt. xvi. 6, &o.
More than one loaf. It is asked, how they
had no bread, when they had just filled
the seven baskets. Their answer is that
they had forgotten to take them with them,
a proof how little care they had for the
flesh in other things, since, in their eager-
ness to follow the Lord, even the necessity
of refreshing their bodies had escaped from
their minds. (John iv. 28.) Take heed,
&c. The teaching or doctrine of the Phar-
isees and of the Padducees was quite dif-
ferent, b'lt both were equally pernicious;
and the Herodians, though rather apoliti-
cal party, were equally envenomed against
our Lord's spiritual teaching. The false
doctrines against which Jesus cautions His
disci]:)les, as leaven, might seem a small
thing compared to the whole body of
truth — once admitted they would work
secretly and noiselessly — and they would
gradually change the whole character of
the religion with which they were mixed.
Were the disciples in danger of being
tainted by bad doctrine? Ought wo luit
to fear its evil inlluence ? Error in prin-
ciple is the 2)arent of vice in practice. Our
constant ])rayer ought tf) be, "Hold Thou
me uj), that my foot.steps slide not." This
saying of our Lord (verse 15), was intended
for all time. There will always be Phari-
sees and iSadducees in the ranks of pro-
fessing Christians. Their name may
change, but their spirit will always remain.
Why reason ye, <fcc. The discourse pro-
ceeds by distinct questions to the verb
remember, verse 18. " Yet hardened" — as
on that former occasion (the walking on
the sea), when it is expressly recorded by
Mark of the disci])les, that "they considered
not the miracle of the loaves, for their
heart was hardened." 'vi. 52.) Hardening
flows from the heart to the sight, the hear-
ing, and the memory, (verse 18.) How is
it that ye do not understand ? The word
" understand " literally signifies to bring
together in the mind, to comprehend, and is
an advance on the word " perceive " in
verse 18. The little use we make of God's
gifts, our forgetfulness of His ])articular
benefits, and our not taking sufficient
notice of the visible wonders which He
v.'orks ever}' day for us in the world, make
it evident that sin has sjiread its darkness
over the understanding of man, as well as
over his heart. There is need of somewhat
more than miracles to establish faith and
Christian influence.
22. t And he ccmeth to Bethsaida, and they bring a
blind man unto him, and be.sought him to touch him.
Bethsaida. Bethsaida-Julias, which lay
upon the r.orth-eastern coast of the sea
of Tiberias. Josephus tells us that the
tetrarch Phili]-), who ruled only in the
eastern part of Galilee, made the village
of Bethsaida into a town, and named it
Julias, after the daughter of Augustus.
They bring a blind man, kc. Christ went
about to do good, and wherever He came
He found some good to be done ; and so
should we, if we had a proper measure
of the same zeal and love for the welfare
of the bodies and souls of men.
376
MARK
23. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led
him out ofthe town, and when "he had spiton his eyes,
and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw
aught.— ""Chap. vii. 33.
How sad this man's condition! Art
may exhibit hor stores, and nature her
charm.s, but they affect him not. Spring
throws her flowers beneath his feet, sum-
mer spreads her varied glories, and autumn
her richest tints, but he heeds them not.
The sun falls upon his path, but nature is
ever clothed in sackcloth to him; the
ebon curtains of a perpetual night enfold
him in their embrace, without one solitary
star to relieve the gloom. He sleeps, but it
is night ; he awakes, but there is no morn-
ing. Still sTdder is that condition of which
this is but a foint type, the condition of men
enveloped in the darkness of sin, and not
seeing the realities of the spiritual world.
He took the blind man by the hand. Did He
forget He was the Son of God? Oh, no!
nor was it needful he should, for never
are the great so exalted as when they
stoop to the help of misery, and endeavor
to raise those who, but for their aid, must
be forever fallen. He was not ashamed
to do good, or too great to be useful. Are
we ashamed to grasp the hand of honest,
poverty, or to be seen identified with
misery ? Jesus did not say to this man,
" Do you take hold of my hand," or, "Keep
by my side and I will conduct you out of
the city," but He took him by the hand.
Neither does He say to the dark, the
guilty and the self-condemned, " Do you
do such and such things, and tlien I will
help you," but He shines upon the soul
freely, reveals His glory, and ^ires faith to
the soul, while He exclaims, "Believe,
and live."
And led him. He did not forget He was
leading a blind man, and accommodated
His pace to the condition of His patient.
Out of the tovm, where the man was exposed
to great danger. Jesus always leads from
danger. Oh, what numberless dangers we
should escape if we were always willing
for Him to lead us ! Our Lord" meant to
cure the blind man, but He did not want
fame— the ajiplause of the multitude—
hence he conducted him into privacy. And
when he had ,^pit on his eyes, ikc. Very un-
likely instrumentality, many would have
■^bought, to open the eyes; but thus it is
that Jesus is pleased to work, that He may
have the glory due to His name. (1 Cor.
i. 27, 28.)
24. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees
walking. 2.">. Alter thai, lie put huf hands again upon
his eyes, and made him look up, and he was restored,
and saw every man clearly.
The blind man, it appears, had not been
born blind, for he knew the names of sur-
rounding objects. His sight was so im-
perfectly restored at first, that it was only
by their movements that he could distin-
guish men from trees; he knew that those
were men that he beheld, because they
walked. We find but one examjjle, in all
Scripture, of any bodily cure which our
Saviour wrought by degrees: only the
blind man, whose weak faith craved help
by others, not by himself, saw men first
like trees; then in their true shape; all
other miraculous cures of Chri.st were done
at once and perfect at first. Contrarily,
we find but one examjile of a soul fully
healed, that is, sanctified and glorified,
both in a day ; all others, by degrees and
leisure. The steps of grace are soft and
short. Those external miracles He
wrought immediately, by Himself; and,
therefore, no marvel if they were abso-
lute, like their Author. The miraculous
work of our regeneration He works to-
gether with us : He givelh it efficacy ; we
give it imperfection, (iv. 28 ; Phil. ii. 12,
13; Eph. iv. 30.)
The cure of our blindness is only begun
here on earth, for our understanding has
some degrees of darkness which will not
be dispersed until we come to heaven.
This cure requires abundance of patience,
because the liglit of truth does not often
enter all at once into the soul. God would
have men learn the greatness of the evil,
the necessity of His grace, and the diffi-
culty of the cure, from the delay of His
light, and the several degrees thereof
through which they must pass. "When the
Apostle wrote to the Ephesians, though he
knew they were converted, yet he told
them that he constantly prayed that the
eyes of their understanding might be en-
lightened, that they might know the hope
of their calling, and the riches of their
glorious inheritance. (Eph. i. 18.) These
are the things that we so dimly discern.
We do not behold the excellency of
CHAPTER VIII
377
heaven with sufficient clearness. But the
day will come when those who now see
imperfectly shall see face to face, shall know
even as they are known.
He put liis hands again, Sac. If, as it would
seem, (he miracle was wrought gradually
only for the sake of the eflfec^t which would
thus be produced on the bystanders, it is
probable that the etlect intended was, that
tlie disciples should understand that the
working of the Lord was often gradual.
Certain it is, that such is the freeness of
God's grace, that it is linked to no single
way of manifestation, but works in divers
manners, sometimes accomplifshing in a
moment what at other times it brings
about only little by little.
26. And he sent him away to hig house, saying.
Neither go into the town, "nor tell it to any in the town.
"Matt. viii. 4 ; chap, v, 43.
Besides the usual reasons against going
about blazing the matter, retirement in
this case would be salutary to the man.
The question arises in some minds, how
could he tell it to any one in the town, if
he did not enter into it, according to the
first clause of the command? But this
dilficulty arises from overlooking the
Greek idiom, which answers here to the
idea, go not into the town and tell it to any
there. Solitude and silence after conversion
is much safer than much talk and running
about. We should let the truth take firm
root in us before we speak much about it.
The converted man must take care not to
turn around again to the world. Fearful
judgment, when God reckons a man, or
a city, or a land no longer worthy of the
knowledge of His word and Avorks !
27. If rAnd Jesus went out, and his disciples into the
towns of Cesarea Philippi : and by the way he asked
his disciples, saying imto Uioni.Whom do men say that
I am?— I'Matt. xvi. 13; Luke ix. 18^
On verses 27-33 see on Matt. xvi. 13, &c.
Our Lord and His disciples now pro-
ceeded to the neighborhood of Cesarea
Philippi, probably avoiding the city itself,
and only touching its suburbs or towns of
its vicinity. Whom do men, &c. It is
neither out of ignorance, nor curiosity, nor
want of other discourse, that Christ speaks
on this subject, but, on the contrary, from
a knowledge of the different opinion^ m^n
had concerning Him,.and from a dc-ir" to
satisfy their curiosity by the truth. ;;nd to
avoid, by means of holy instruction, the
loss of time which usually attends travel-
ing.
23. And they aaswered, qJohn the Baptist: but some
say Ellas ; and others. One of the prophets.
iMatt. xiv. 2.
This answer of the disciples of Christ
proves two things : 1. That the general
public opinion in respect to the person of
Je.sus had been for the moment consider-
ably lowered by the eflbrts of His oppo-
nents, since people now no longer ventured
to designate Him decidedly as the Messiah,
and that they rather agreed to hold Him
for a forerunner of the Messiah : 2. That
their opinions concerning Him were
various, according to their various disposi-
tions of mind. Jolin the Baptist. Some
shared the superstitious opinion of Herod
Antipas, connected with the theory of the
metempsychosis, and which was designed
perhaps to quiet the prince's distress of con-
science for the murder he had committed on
John. Elias. Others, who rated Him high-
est, and admired His holy zeal, were in-
clined to see in Him the second Elijah, the
most definite forerunner of the Messiah.
One of the 2)'''opheis. Others only made a
general acknowledgment of something
higher in Him, and were willing to let Him
pass for one of the prophets.
29. And hesaith unto them. Rut whom say ye that I
am? And Peter answcrcth and ^aitll unlo liini. 'Thou
art the Christ.— 'Matt. xvi. G; John vi. OU and xi. 27.
The disciples were now to give a distinct
confession in opposition to those erroneous
and divergent opinions ; therefore Christ
asked further, But vjJiom say ye that I am ?
To this Peter replied in his own name,
and in that of his brethren. Thou art the
Christ. He does not say, " Scribes and
Pharisees, rulers and i)eopie, are all per-
I^lexed, and shall we, unlettered fi.shermen,
presume to decide ? " But f(>f>iii.g the light
of his Master's glory shiniiig in his soul,
he breaks forth, not in a tame, prosaic
acknowledgment, " I believe that thou
art," 6cc., but in the language of adoration,
such as one uses in worship, TJiou art the
Christ, the anointed of the Father, through
whom alone His people can come into
blessing. The true knowledge of the mys-
teries of Christ is not to be found, but
only among the disciples of the truth and
the light. Out of this school there is
nothing but uncertainty or falsehood.
378
MARK
30. "And he charged them that they should tell no
man of him.— 'Matt. xvi. 20.
There is a time to speak, and a time to
be silent, foncerning the Divine mysteries.
Man is both unworthy and incapable of
hearing them before Christ has, by His
sufl'erings and death, merited for him the
grace requisite thereto.
31. And ihe began to teach them, that the Son of man
must siifTer nuiiiv things and be rejected of the eldiTS,
and Wtlie chief i^riests, and scribes, and be killed, and
alter three day." rise again.— 'Matt. xvi. 21 , Luke ix. 22.
Jesns then jjredicted His own aijproach-
ing death and resurrection, and this was a
very important prediction, because it
showed that His death did not come upon
Him unawares, that He clearly foresaw it,
iluit He was not surpri.-^ed into Calvary,
but that He anticipated a cross as the con-
clusion of His painful and sorrowing pil-
grimage upon earth. After three days. 1.
It is ten times expressly said, that our
.Lord rose, or was to rise again the iJiird
day (Matt. xvi. 21, xvii. 23, xx. 19 ; Mark
ix. 31, X. 34 ; Luke ix. 22, xviii. 33, xxiv.
7, 46 ; Acts x. 40) ; and so the expression,
which is most used, both in our Lord's
predictions before His death, and in His
and His Apostles' language after His res-
urrection, being this; these other forms
of speech, which are but once or twice
foUi-id in Scripture, must be interpreted to
accord with it. 2. According to the lan-
guage both of the Hebrew and the Greek,
that is said to be done after so many days,
months or years, which is done in the last
of them. (Deut. xiv. 28, xv. 1, xxvi. 12,
xxxi. 10; 2 Chron. x. 5, 12.) "After three
days they found Him in the temple" (Luke
ii. 46), that is, on the third day. 3. The
Jews understood " after three days" to sig-
nify no more- than on the third day, for
having told Pilate that Christ had said
" after three days I will rise again,'' they
desire only that a watch might be ke])t
" till the third day." (Matt, xxvii. 63, 64. )
32. And he spake tliat savins openly. And Peter took
him, and l)egan to reljiike him.
When Christ had proclaimed His death,
the great cardinal truth of Christianity,
Peter, ever rash to speak and often to do
what was wrong, began to rebuke Him, as
if it were not meet that He should die, as
if there could be a crown without a cross.
We all sympathize too much with Peter ;
we would rather avoid the cross; and
snatch prematurely at the crown, we
should like to get to heaven without trials,
to reach the goal without trouble, to arrive
at the end of the journey without the
travel that is requisite before it, and we
would rebuke those who should say that
through much tribulation we must enter
into the kingdom of heaven.
33. But when he had turned about and looked on his
dLsciple.s, he rebuked Peter, sayuig, Ciet thee behind me
Satan : lor tiioii t)avui'resi not the things that be of (jod,
but the thmgs that be oi men.
Notice how particularly our Saviour's
gesture is here stated : His " turning
about" (the act, by the way, of one who
walks in advance), His "looking on His
disciples," and lastly, the awful rebuke
which He addressed to Peter. Concern-
ing this last, it will, of course, be under-
stood that our Saviour's words point out
Satan as the adverstiry who, availing him-
self of human weakness and human sin-
fulness, is in reality the one who, all along,
opposes himseif to God. Whoever opposes
the love of the cross is a Satan. How
dangerous a counselor is natural tendcr-
ne.ss in the affairs of salvation! Men
think to preserve nature, to please a friend
and to use a penitent gently by sparing
them in what is troublesome and grievous,
and so they ruin them by a fatal kindness.
On verses 31-33 : see on Matt. xvi. 21-
23 ; Luke ix. 22.
34. 1[ And when he had called the people unto him
with liiH disei])le.s also, he said unto them, i-Whosoever
will come adcv Uio, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross, and follow me.— "Matt. x. 38.
Whosoever uill come after me — that is,
obey me, be my disciple — let him de7iy
Jiimselfmuch that he would like, much that
he would iirefer, and take np Ids cross.
Whatever cross God may assign us in His
providence, we are to take up, and seek
that it may be sanctified by His grace,
and thus, bearing our cross, we are to fol-
low Him.
35. Foi 'wnosoever will save his life, shall lose it. but
whosoever .shall lose his life for my sake, and the gos-
pel's, the same shall .5ave it.— «Johri xii. 2o.
Whosoever will save his life shall lose it — in
the deeper sense of losing himself — his soul,
which is his true life. But whosoever shall
lose his life for my sake and the gosjieVs, tite
same shall saveit, in the higher sense of the
everlasting security of his soul. 0, the
gain of godliness . Though a man should
lose his life for Christ, he finds it in the
CHAPTER VIII.
379
Bpiritual life which shall feed all the
Btrenjzth of holiness, and all the joy of sal-
vation forever. He finds it in the com-
munion of deathless saints, in the noblest
employments, in the elevations of intellect,
in the exercise of the sweetest ati'ections,
and, above all, in and with God, who is
the fountain of life and blessedness for-
evermore.
36. For what shall it profit a man. if he .shall gain the
whole wurlU, and lose his own .soul ? 37. Or what shall
a man j;ive iu exchange lor his soul ?
Ou these verses Stier observes: "If, in
a general raging fire around thee, thou
wert to save and preserve thy gi-eat and
well-filled palace, and yet be destroyed
thyself by the fire, what wouldst thou
have gained in comjxirison with him who,
while his goods were burned, has yet
escaped with his life? Therefore, also,
conversely, what shall it damage a man
though he i^hould give up the whole world
—which will at one time pass away and
be consumed — if only his soul be saved?
The true, eternal salvation of one human
soul is of infinitely more value than the
whole world ; thus must we set profit and
loss against each other, and he who has
not so reckoned will, in the end, find to
his eternal loss how terribly he has mis-
calculated. Then will the bankrupt be
forced to cry out, what ^hall a man give in
exchange, or, for an equivalent ? To which
the Psalmist has long ago answered, //
must cease forever. (Ps. xlix. 8.) God alone
has found the ransom for man's soul.
(Matt. XX. 28.) He who despises this,
who makes its power and sufficiency of
none eCect for himself, has lost all forever,
but his personality remains to all eternity
to rue his loss."
See on ISIatt. xvi. 21-8.
38. yWhosoever therefore '.shall be a.shanied of me
and ot my words, in tlii;; adulterous and sinlul genera-
tion, of him also sliull tlie Hon of man he ashamed,
when he cometli in the t'lory of liLs Father with the
holv angel.s.
jMatl. X. 33. 'See Rom. 1. IB ; 2 Tim. i. 8.
miosoever, etc. Whosoever shall deny
or disown me, either in my person, my
(iospel, or my members, for any fear or
favor of man, he shall with shame be dis-
owned and eternally rejected by me at
the great day. (Matt. x. 33.) Both fear
and shame make persons disown Christ
and religion in the day of temptation.
Many good men have been overcome by
the former passion, as Peter and others,
but we find not any good man in Scripture
guilty of the latter, namely, that denied
Christ out of shame. This argues a rotten,
unsound and corrupt heart. It is not
sutficient that we own Christ by believing
ill Him, we must honor Him by an out-
ward profession also.
Men are ashamed of Christ and His Gos-
pel : 1. Because it is not always a profit-
acle cause. 2. Because not many mighty,
wise or noble of this world, are called. 3
Because of the affiiclions that accompany
a profession of faith. 4. Because loud
Christian professors have very often acted
most unworthily of it. While we da not
parade our religion, or make a display of
our principles, we ought not to be silent
when they are as.sailed, or to connive
when they are sacrificed ; but everywhere
and always not to be ashamed of the Gos-
pel of Christ. When Je.-^us shall come in
the glorj' of His Father, there will be but
two classes: they that have not been
ashamed of Him, and they who have. To
which class shall we belong ?
I. ^Vhat did Jpsns say to His dlsdples? 2. What miracle did He perform ? 3. What Is said about this miracle T
4. Where did Christ next go ? .5. How did the Phariseea " tempt" Him ? 6. What charge did He give to Hia
disciples ? 7. How did He rebuke their reasoninc; among themselves ? 8. V/ho was brought to Him ? !). What
did Jesus do to this man ? 10. What d:d He ask His disciples ? H. What did Peter say to our Lord ? 12. How
did he rebuke Peter ? 13. Wliat was said by Him to the people and the disciples ? 14. Explain verses 37 and 38.
38i)
MARK.
CHAPTER IX.
2 Jems U transfigured. 11 He instructeth his disciples
concerning the coming of Mias: 14 casteth forth a
dumb and dtaf spirit : 30 foreteUelh his dicUh and res-
urrection : 33 exhorteth his disciples to huniilitjj : 38
bidding them not to prohibit such as be not against tlieni,
nor to give offense to any of the faithful.
AND he said unto tlipm, »VeriIy I say unto you, That
tliere besomeol'them that stand here, which shall
not taste of death, till they have seen i>the kingdom of
God come with power.
"Matt. xvi. 23 : Luke ix. 27. ^Matt. xxiv. 30, xxv. 31 :
Luke xxii. 18.
Taste of death. Death, the mighty tyrant
(Rom. V. 17) who held men in the bondage
of fear all their life long (Heb ii. 14) is de-
throned, his charter is made null, his au-
thority is brought to naught by the death
of the Son of God. A voice from heaven
now says, " Blessed are the dead." (Rev.
xiv. 13.) To those who " die in the Lord,"
death is a shadow, where the substance is
gone, a taste, the body suffering only for
a moment, the soul feasted in all abun-
dance forevermore. "As for the ungodly,
it is not so with them." (Ps. xxiii. 4 ; Acts
vii. 60; Ps. Ixxiii. 15-19; 1 Cor. xv. 5-5-57.)
The kingdom of God, &c. The kingdom of
God had already co7ne. It came, its foun-
dation was laid, when "the Word was
made flesh and dwelt among us." This
kingdom proceeded further, when Jesus
choSe His twelve Apostles. But our Lord's
prophecy that the kingdom should come
imth pov)er, was fulfilled when the guilty
nation which had rejected their heavenly
King, suffered the penalty of their iniqui-
ties. And some were at that time standing
by our Lord, who did not taste of death till this
was done. In another, and an important
sense, they all saw the kingdom of God come
v;ith pnirer, on the day of Pentecost, when
three thousand persons "gladly received
the Word" of truth, as preached l:)y Peter,
and were baptized in the name of Him,
whom shortly before they had joined in
crucifying.
2. H cAnd after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter,
and James, and John, and leadeth them up into a hish
mounta-in aiiart l)y themselve^^: and he was transfigured
be:bre them.— ^Matt. xvii. 1 ; Luke ix. 28.
Transfiguration — verses 1-10. See on
Matt. xvii. 1-13 ; Luke ix. 27-36.
As the law required no more than two
or three witnesses to constitute a regular
and judicial proof, our Saviour frequently
chose to have only this number present at
some of the most important and interest-
ing scenes of His life. The three disciples
whom He now selected, were those that
generally attended Him on such occasions,
and who seem to have been distinguished
as His mo.st intimate and confidential
friends. John, we know, was so in an
eminent degree. James, his brother, would,
from that near connection, probably be
brought more frequently under his Master's
notice ; and as Peter was the very person
who had expressed himself with so much
indignation on the subject of our Saviour's
sufferings, it was highly proper and neces-
sary that he should be admitted to a spec-
tacle which was purposely calculated to
calm those emotions, and remove that dis-
gust which the first mention of them had
produced in his mind.
Into a high mountain. Some think that
Taborwas the scene of the transfiguration.
But there seems to be validity in the
objection to this, that our Lord can hardly
be supposed to have taken a journey into
Galilee, to be transfigured on Mount Tabor,
and then to have returned to the region
of Cesarea Philippi, as it is evident he
must have done from Mark ix. 30. It
appears also that He rejoined His discijiles
the next day (Luke ix. 37) after the trans-
figuration, which would have been impos-
sible had He been transfigured on Mount
Tabor and His disciples remained at Ce-
sarea Philippi. It is better, therefore, to
understand it of some mountain in the
immediate neighborhood, although its
identification now is out of the question.
Transfigured — changed in appearance.
Before them. As they stood lost in wonder
at the i^henomenon. It was a full, steady
splendor.
3. And his raiment became shining, exceeding ''white
as snow : so as no I'uller on earth can white Ihein.
"•Dan. vii. 9 ; Matt, xxviii. 3.
His raiment, &c. The fullness of the
Spirit which was in Christ ca.st its splen-
dor over His whole being, yea, the heaven-
Ij^ luminosity of His inner man, which else
was still bound by the obscurity of His
earthly appearance, now broke forth, and
poured even upon His apparel a white
glistering of light, which was wholly new
CHATTEli iX.
381
to the astonished disciples. This was a
mightier reappearance of that phenome-
non which the Baptist wnv when the Spirit
descended upon Him, a foreshining of the
perpetual glorilh-ation to he afterward
realized. "When ]\loses talked with God
"Iheiskin of his face shone;" hut Moses
was arrayed with a glory which came from
witlunit: our L(jrd, with that which pi'o-
ceeded from the inherent hrightness of
Divine glory. He was transfigured, not
as receiving what He was not, but as
manifesting to His disciples what He was.
The resurreclion-bodies of the saints will
resemble that, of their Lord. They too
shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom
of their Father.
4. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses:
and they were talking with Jesus.
Moses and Elias, as servants, stand by
their Lord in His glory. Heaven, as it
were, comes down to earth, and glorified
humanity is. made visible to the eyes of
flesh. In Moses were rejiresented the
generations of the dead : and in Elijah,
who died not, those who shall be alive at
the last day. Aj>peared .... talking. They
were not only seen by the disciples, but
they were lieard also conversing w'ith Jesus.
This is a circumstance of great importance,
especially when we are told what the sub-
ject of their conversation was. Luke gives
us this useful piece of information ; he
says, that " they spake of our Lord's de-
cease, which he should accomplish at Je-
rusalem." The very mention of Christ's
sufferings and death by such men as Moses
and Elias, without any marks of surprise
or dissatisfaction, was of itself sufficient to
occasion a great change in the sentiment
of the disciples respecting those sufferings,
and to soften those prejudices of their's
against them, the removal of which seems
to have been one of the more immediate
objects of the transfiguration. But if we
suppose further (what is far from being
improbable) that in the course of the con-
versation several interesting particulars
respecting our Saviour's crucifixion Avere
brought under discussion ; if they entered
at any length into that important subject,
the great vork of our redemption ; if they
touched upon the nature, the causes, and
the consequences of it; the pardon of sin.
the restitution to God's favor, the triumph
over death, and the gift of eternal life ; if
they showed that the suH'erings of Christ
were prefigured in the hi w, and Inrclold by
the prophets; it is easy to see, that topics
such as these nmst tend still further to
open the eyes, and remove the preposses-
sions of His disciples; and the more so,
because they would seem to arise inciden-
tally in a discourse between other persons
casually overheard; which having lo ap-
pearance of design or professed opposition
in it, would be apt to make a deeper im-
pression on their minds than a direct and
open attack upon their pre ju Vices.
In this scene there was di.-]jlayed to the
disciples the oneness of the Old Covenant
with the New, and the superiority of the
New to the Old. The essential import,
indeed, of this incident seems to be, that
it was The formal resignation of those who
had hitherto been mediators (typical) be-
tween God and man in favor of the " One
Mediator," whom God now also definitely
proclaimed as such by His own choice.
jNIoses and Elias, law and prophets, found
their fulfillment and were merged in Jesus,
and mainly in His death of which they
spoke.
5. And Peter answered and said to Jesns, Master it
is good lor us to be here: and let us make three taber-
nacles, one (or thee, and one lor Mo.ses, and one !<,r
Elias. 6. For lie wist not what to say ; lor they were
sore afraid.
"Love will stumble rather than be
dumb." Peter knew not what he ought
to say, but he knew what he felt, and out
of the abundance of the heart his mouth
spake, it is good for us to be Jure. He loved
the presence of his Lord at all times ; now
he specially desired it, when he saw it
surrounded with honor and glory ; he
wished to detain Him on the mount, and
there to abide with Him, and so to return
to the trials and temptations of the world
no more. He desired, at the sama time,
the communion of saints, in their union
with the Lord of life and glory — of saints
departed, as Moses and Elias, of saints
still in the same mortal body with him-
self, as James and John. "It is good for
us to be here." Though, in the trouble of
his thoughts he Tnxt (or knew) not irhat to
say, or rather spake inconsiderately, yet
afterward, enliglitened by the Holy Ghost,
he saw clearly into the mystery of Christ's
382
MARK.
transfiguratiun, he recorded, for our bene-
fit, the glorious truth of the "majesty,
honor and glory " of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and of His "power and coining" hereafter
in that glory, (viii. 24, 25; 2 Peter i. IG-
18; John xiii. 0, 7, xiv. 20.)
7. And there was ;i cloud that overshadowed them :
(inil I voice c.irai! out ot tiie cloud, saymg, This id my
Gelovud Soil : hear him.
The summit of the mountain, or at
least that portion on which they stood
was covered with ineffable splendor like
that cf Ihj Shechin ih,and it overshadowed
them Aviih its glorious refulgence. This
refers, of course, to our Lord, Moses and
Elias. That the disciples did not enter
into the cloud (Luke ix. 34) is evident,
because the voice which they heard issued
from it. This voice was none other tlian
that of God. (2 Peter i. 17.) This is my
beloved Son. Once before, at His baptism,
and once afterward (John xii. i8), did
God, in an audible voice, bear testimony
in favor of His Son. Hear him. An em-
phatic declaration that the teachings of
Jesus were to take pre-eminence over
those of Moses and the prophets. (Comp.
Dent, xviii. 15 ; Heb. i. 1, 2.) As Christ's
fdture glory was to be witnessed by three
in heaven, and three in earth (Luke ix.
34), so was it right that this, the foretaste
of His coming kingdom, besides its three
earthly witnesses (Peter, James and John),
should have its three heavenly witnesses
(the Father, ISIoses and Elias) also.
8. And suddpnlj', when they had looked round about,
they saw iio mau anymore, save Jejus only witli them-
selves.
Saiv no man, &c. One great purpose of
the transfiguration was to represent the
cessation of the Jewish, and the com-
mencement of the Christian dispensation.
Moses and Elias disappear — the former
objects of the disciples' veneration are no
more. Christ remains alone " tJie Way,
the Truth, and the Life.'" No man can come
unto the Father but through Him.
9. 'Arid as they cam" down from the mountain, he
chars;e(l tli'^ni that they should tell no man what thin^ys
they iiad seen. tUl tln' S^m oi' man were risen from th;;
dead. ID. And they k'-pt that sayinp; with themselves,
questioniu-c on^! witli lm ither what the rising from tne
dead should mean.— ""M itt. xvii. 9.
The command which Jesus gave to His
diseioles, they kept and obeyed; they
maintained the most profound silence
respecting the occurrence. UiKjuestion-
ably the secret must have proved suffi-
ciently oppressive to them, since they did
not know how they were to understand
the words till the Son of man were risen from
the dead. This expression Avas to them, at
present, in two respects inexplicable :
First, in itself, for they knew not in what
sense it was to be taken ; and then again,
because not knowing its meaning, they
knew not either the period when their
tongues should be loosed respecting this
great secret. If, for example, Jesus had
spoken of the general resurrection of the
dead at the last day (see John xi. 24), He
would then have imposed upon them in
that command almost an everlasting si-
lence on the great event which they had
witnessed. They had eager discussion
tlrerefore with each other as to the mean-
ing of that announcement. The reason
for the secrecy which Christ enjoined, is
probably to be found in the facts, that for
the larger circle of disciples the transaction
could only be made intelligible through
the medium of Christ's resurrection, and,
that even those His most confidential dis-
ciples themselves could only then properly
apiDrehend it, when they viewed it in con-
nection with the expectation of their
Lord being raised from the dead, since in
i ;s very nature it was a prophetic preliba-
tion of His resurrection.
II. t And they asked him, saying. Why say the
srribes rtliat Elias must first come? VI. And he answer-
ed and told them, Elia.s verily cometh first, and restor-
et 1 all things: tindKhow it is written of the Son of man,
t;jat he must suffer many tiling, and ^be set at nouglit.
13. But I say unto you. That >EIias is indeed come, and
they h.ive done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it
is written of him,
fMal. iv. 5; Matt. xvli. 10. cPs. .x.xii.G; Isa. liii. 2, (fee;
Dan. ix. 2«. i-IjUke xxiii. 11; Phil. ii. 7. 'Matt. xi. 14,
xvii. 12' Luke i. 17.
On verses 11-13 see on Matt. xvii. 10-12.
Why say, &c. The original is, that say
the scribes, where must be supplied the
ellipsis, found not unfrequently in such
indirect questions: (why is it) that the
scribes say, &c. Elias verily cometh first.
Our Lord replies by afhrming the truth of
what the scribes taught, and then proposes
in His turn a question : jbid how is it (also)
written of the Son of man, that he must suffer
many things and be set ainour/ht ? By taking
these words as an interrogation, which in
the original is admissible, the way is pre-
pared for the conclusion in verse 13, that
Elias has indeed come and suffered, as
was prophesied of him; and in like manner
CHAPTER IX.
383
also will prophecy be fullilled lus to the
suft'erings and death of the Son of man.
Thus the j)arts of our Lord's reply are
made to cohere and correspond. Set at
navijht, i. e., made nothing of, despised.
Elids is indeed come, &c. The treatment
which lie was to experience at the hands
of men, was not the subject of prophecy.
Listed — chose.
14. 1 itAml when he came to hia disciples, he saw a
great multitude ubouttliein, and the scribes questioning
with them. l'>. And str;ii^lit\V;ty all tlu: licoplc, when
tliev beheld him, were Ki'eatlv amazed, and lunnintc to
A/,» ^;aUlI(■d him. Ifi. And lie asked Uie M-i-ibcs, What
question ye with them ?— liJIatt. .\.vii. i\ ; L,uke ix. ;J7.
A great mnll'dude, etc. At the foot of the
mountain, probably in an inhabited val-
ley. The group was evidently in a state
of great exciiement. Greatly amazed. This
word implicb admiration, as well as awe
and veneration. Some think that our Lord's
countenance retained traces of His glory
on the mount. (Ex. xxiv. 29, 30.) Jesus
observed, probably with displeasure, that
the doctors of the law, as adepts in dispu-
tation, had with their questions pressed
His disciples very closelj', perhaps to some
degree of embarrassment. He immediately
steps up to them with the inquiry, "What*
are ye disputing with them about ?" They
gave Him no answer — a pi'oof how much
they were afraid of Him.
17. And 'one of the multitude answered and said.
Master, I have brou-jht unto thee my son, which hath
a dumi) spirit ; is. And winre.soever he taketli him, ho
teareth him: and he (oametli. and gnashetli witli liis
teetli, and pineth away : and I spake to thy disciples
that they should cast him out ; and they could not.
'Matt. xvii. 17 ; Luke 1.x. 38.
On ver.ses 17-29*see on Matt. xvii. 14, &c.
How unlike was this scene to that which
the three Apostles had just witnessed on
the top of the mountain ! There all was
light, love, bliss and joy ; here, sin, and
sorrow, and sufiering. A dumb spirit. This
statement does not contradict that of Luke,
"he suddenly crieth out;" this dumbness
was only in respect of articulate sounds,
he could give no utterance to these. Nor
was it a natural defect, nor one under
which he had always labored, but the con-
sequence of demoniacal possession. And
wheresoever, &c. The hint here supplied
as to what befel the j'^outhful sufferer,
leads to the suppo.^ition that he was sub-
ject to the repeated assaults of his foul
enemy, who, in some mysterious way, was
able to go away and come back again, as
the inmate of a house does to his uwelling.
Who does not feel for the pitiable condi-
tion of the father? And yet who knows
what is good for man in this vain life?
But for this calamity, perhaps, this sujj-
pliant had never known or addressed the
Saviour. How many can say, " It is good
for me that I have been afflicted?" i
spake to thy disciples, &c. Observe the
man's mistake. lie first goes and ai^plies
to the servants instead of the master.
And do not we often err in the same way ?
Do not our ignorance, carnality and im-
patience lead us to stop at instruments?
But they are nothing without God, and
the sooner we are convinced of this the
better, that we may not weary ourselves
for very vanity.
19. He answereth him, and saith, "O faithless gene-
ration, how Ioum; .shall I bo with j'ou ? how long shall I
sulfer you ? bring him unto ine.
mDeut. x.xxii. 20; Ps. Ixxviii. 6, 8, 22; John xx. 27;
Heb. Hi. 10, 12.
Our Lord replies to the father by a
severe rebuke to the disciples. As if
wounded at the exposure before such a
multitude, of the weakness of His disci-
ples' faith, which doubtless He felt as a
reflection on Himself, He puts them to (he
blush before all, but in language fitted
only to raise expectation of what Himself
would do. 0 faithless generation, &:c. It is
no great matter to live lovingly with good-
natured, with humble and meek persons,
but he that can do so with the froward,
the willful, the ignorant, the peevish and
" perverse " (Luke ix. 41), he only has true
charity, always remembering that our true
solid peace, the peace of God, consists
rather in compliance with others, than in
being complied with, in suffering and for-
bearing, rather than in contention and
victory. (Ps. cxx. 5-7; Acts xiii. 18; Rom.
XV. 1-3; 1 Cor. xiii. 4-8; 1 Peter ii. 18-21.)
20. And they brought him unto him: and "when he
saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he lell
on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21. And ha
asked his lather. How long is it ago since this came
unto him '.' And he said. Of a child.
nChap. i. 26 : Luke ix. 42.
The moment when the boy beholds
Jesus, the evil spirit that possesses him
raises a fearful paroxysm. But, with a
calmness which is at the .'^ame time a feel-
ing of deep sympathy with the wretched-
ness before Him, Christ looks on the tear-
ing, rolling and foaming, wisely dchiys the
3S4
MARK
help in order tliat all who were agitated
might be tranquilized and prepared for
the sahitary impression, and kindly asks
the father how long it is since this hap-
pened the poor boy. Satan does all he
can to prevent the young coming to Jesus.
Of a child. The case was a very inveterate
one. It was one of long standing and
great malignity, therefore it was the better
suited to disjjlay the almighty power of
Jesus. He loves to save where it is most
evident that no other hand but His can
afford help.
22. And ofttimes it has cast lilm into the fire, and into
tlie waters, to destroy him : but iC thou canst do any
thing, liave compassion oa us, and help us.
The father begins to describe the case
in stronger terms than before, and as
he before complained that the disciples
could not help him, so now, in his anguish,
he speaks unbelievingly the bold words :
But if thou canst, &c. This "us," proceeding
from paternal love, this cry for pity, would,
in ordinary cases, notwithstanding all the
boldness of the if, have moved Christ im-
mediately to say. Be whole. Now, how-
ever. His mind is so full of thoughts about
fliich and unbelief, that the bodily malady,
bad as it is, falls into the background. He
delays still the help which will certainly
come, and must first speak and testify of
faith. The poor father's finth could and
must, first of all, do the most, as the son
appears almost passively incapable.
23. Jesus said unto him. "If thou canst believe, all
things Of« possible to him that believeth.
oMatt. xvii. 20 : chap. xi. 23: Lukexvii. 6: John xi. 40.
A severe master would have rejected
such a prayer as the father oflered. ( Verse
22.) But Jesus cherished the tenderest
bud of faith. Jf thou canst, &c. The poor
man was encouraged by this assurance to
offer up a still more earnest payer than
before. When our Lord says, "All things
are possible to him that believeth," we are
to understand what classes of things He
is speaking of, in which He includes all.
And the condition (to him that believeth)
belongs not to every rash and presumptu-
ous belief that the mind, not in communion
with God, may conjure up. The belief of
which He speaks is that faith of which
God grants the power.
24. And straiKhtway the father of the child cried out,
and said with tears. Lord, X believe, phelp thou mine
unbPlipf.
pEph. ii. 8; Phil. 1. 29; 2 Thes. 1. 3, U ; Heb. xU. 2.
With tears. It is pleasing to see sensibil-
ity in religion. Lord, I believe, &c. Did not
the Holy Spirit dictate this prayer? "We
know not what we should pray for as we
ought, but the Spirit itself maketh inter-
cession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered." (Rom. viii. 2G.) Have our
hearts ever been so full of good desires
that we could only s^ieak a few words?
And were these words half choked with
tears and sobs? God has heard those
prayers. He never despises the broken
and contrite heart. Help thou mine unhe-
licf, help me, though I am conscious that
my faith is weak, I have confidence in no
one else but thee, and though I might
justly be required to have more faith, yet,
O pity my distressed situation, and let not
my lack of faith prevent the exercise of
thy power. " Our justification," says an
old writer, " does not depend upon the de-
gree of our faith, but on the reality of it."
(Matt. xiii. 23, xxv. 22, 23.) Strength of
grace is seen in holy joys, but truth of
grace may be seen in sighs and groans.
(Matt. V. 3, 4 ; Rom. viii. 23 , 1 Peter i. 6.j
"Help thou mine unbelief." Had this j^rayer
been improper, the receiver ought to have
rebuked it, but He encouraged it. Let us
not be afraid, with all the first Christians,
and immensely the majority ever since, to
call upon His name. Let us bring all our
complaints to Him. He is the author and
finisher of faith. In Him all fullness
dwells.
25. When Jesus saw that the people came running
together, he rebuked the (oul spirit, saying unto him,
ThoxL dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of^
him, and enter no more into him.
When the Saviour dispossessed this boy
of a devil, He enjoined the evil spirit to
enter no more into him. But when He
Himself was tempted of Satan, the devil
" departed from him for a season." (Luke
iv. 1 3.) Thus we see that Jesus was pleased
to show Himself a God in other men's
matters, and but a man in such cases as
He Himself was concerned, being con-
tented still to be tempted by SattTn, that
His sufferings for us might cause our con-
quering through Him. (x.45; Rom. XV. 3.)
2fi. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came
out of him: and he was as one dead: insomuch that
many .said. He is dead. 27. But Jesus took him by the
hand, and lifted him up ; and he arose.
When a soul is willing to be converted,
CHAPTER IX,
385
the devil makes his last efforts, but Christ
renders them ineffectual by His grace.
Whatever He permits the devil to do
against those whom He designs to save is
only for the glory of His own grace, and
to the confusion of the tempter. It is by
His almighty power that He casts the
devil out of the body and the soul, and
puts His Spirit into possession of the heart
of man. It was this father's faith that ob-
tained the restoration of his son. Here is
an encouragement for parents. If Jesus
showed so much compassion to one who
prayed for a bodily cure for his son, how
much more must He feel for those who
implore sjjiritual blessings for their chil-
dren !
23. lAnd when he was. come into the house, his dis-
ciples asked him private'ly, Why could not we cast him
out? ^. And he said unto them. This kind can come
forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
qMatt. xvii. 19.
This tind can come forth by nothing, &c.
That is, in order to w'ork miracles, to cast
out devils, faith of the highest kind is
necessary. That faith is produced and
kept vigorous by much prayer, and by
such abstinence from food as fits the mind
for the highest exercises of religion, and
leaves it free to hold communion with
God. Learn hence, 1. That in extraordi-
nary cases, where the necessities either
of soul or body require it, recourse must be
had to the use of extraordinary means,
one of which is an importunate applica-
tion unto God by solemn prayer, 2. That
fasting and prayer are two special means
of Christ's own appointment, for the
enabling of His people victoriously to over-
come Satan, and cast him out of ourselves
or others. We must set an edge upon our
faith by jorayer, and upon our prayer by
fasting.
30. T And they departed thence, and passed through
Galilee, and he would not tliat any man should know
it. 31. rFor he taught his disciples, and said unto them.
The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men,
and they shall \u\\ him ; and after that he is killed, he
sliall rise the third day. ."S. But they understood not
that saying, and were afraid to ask him.
rMatt. xvii. 21: Luke ix. 44.
Verses 30-32 : see on Matt, xvii. 22-3 ;
Luke ix. 44-5.
Kow, for the first time, there is a dis-
tinct notice of our Lord's leaving the
coasts of Cesarea Philippi. Is delivered,
&c. Using the present tense. He signifies
that the thing shall be shortly, for so did
He hasten to death, and so seriously did
He think of it, that that might seem pres-
ent to Him, wliicli was to come. (Luke
X. 18, xii, 50 ; John xiii. 27.) liise the third
day. Jesus knew beforehand the w'hole
amount of His sufferings, in all their con-
nections and bearings, and therefore never
foretold them without likewise foretelling
His resurrection ; neither did He foretell
this, without foretelling His sufferings.
Thus does true faith apprehend the latter
and the former, as one entire matter, and
makes very much of everything pertaining
to either. Here is something for exercis-
ing the heart, something which must
never be lost sight of in the darkest night
of affliction, or in the clearest blaze of the
terrestrial noon, for it is to "guide our
feet in the way of peace." As we hold a
candle to the flame, until it is fully lighted,
so we must hold ourselves to this subject,
Avith affecting meditation. (Luke xxiv.
26 ; 1 Peter v. 1 ; 2 Cor. xiii. 4.)
33. H sAnd he came to Capernaum : and being in the
house, he a-sked tlii-ni, AVliat was it that ye disputed
among vourselves liv the way ? :il. But they held their
peace : for by the war they had disputed among them-
selves, who should be the greatest ? 35. And he sat
down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, 'If
anv man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all,
and servant of all. 30. And "he took a child, and set
him in the midst of them : and when he had taken him
in his arms, he said unto tliem, 37. Whosoever sh.all
receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me ;
and vwhosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me,
but him that sent me.
sMatt. xviii. 1 : Luke ix. 46, xxii. 24. tMatt. xx. 2G,
27; chap. x. 4.3. "Matt, xviii. 2; chap. x. 16. ^Matt. x.
49 : Luke ix. 48, x. 16 : John xii. 44, xiii. 20.
Disputed among yourselves, &c. If there
w^as to be any primacy among the Apostles,
Avhy was Christ on this occasion silent
concerning it ? Or, if He had, in the hear-
ing of the others, conferred it on Peter,
what occasion would there have been for
the Apostles to dispute about it ? If any
man desire, &c. The whole manner in
which our Lord treats the question shoAvs
that the kingdom of God is designed, in
its official relations, to form the direct op-
posite to official relations in the world.
The fundamental impulse of the world is
for all to struggle upward, toward power
and distinction, in order to overtop and
to rule each other. On the other hand,
the fundamental impulse of the kingdom
of God is this, that all shall stoop down in
humility and serving love in order to
"draw^ each other up. And it is just by the
might of this disposition to stoop that we
are to measure a man's greatness in the
kingdom of God. (See Phil. ii. 6, «&c.j
386
MARK.
And he took a child, &c. Here Jesus
teaches by action. His object was, not
only to recommend children to the care
of His disciples, but to teach the disciples
themselves an affectionate, humble, docile
temper. The action was one which ac-
corded with the holiness of His nature,
and affectingly characterized it. Never
was dignity so sweetly tempered by be-
nevolence, never did the condescending
tenderness of an elevated nature issue in
a current at once so gentle and so copious.
Children are entitled to our warmest in-
terest. Think of their destiny ! Yesterday
that child was nothing, but when will it
cease to be? Never! Immortality is
written upon it, and the inscription is in-
deliljle, for it was traced by the finger of
God. Whosoever shall receive one of such,
&c. Here is precious encouragement for
the Sabbath-school teacher. To receive
children to instruct them merely in human
learning, would not certainly be receiving
them in Christ's name. But when we re-
ceive them to instruct them in His re-
ligion, to lead them to Him as their Saviour,
to train them up in His nurture and ad-
monition, we receive them in His name,
and in so doing we " receive Him." lie-
ceiveth not me (only), but him that sent me.
The service rendered to the lowest and
humblest of our race, if done with proper
motive, is virtually rendered to the supreme
Lord of the universe, and as such shall be
rewarded with life everlasting.
On verses 33-37 see on Matt, xviii. 1,
&c.
38. 1 "And John answered him, saying, Master, we
saw one casting out devils in tliy name, and he i'ollow-
etii not us: and we forbade him, because he foUoweth
not us.— "Num. xi. 2S ; Luke ix. 49.
See on Luke ix. 49.
Master, we saiv, &c. Although only the
disciples who followed Christ had a com-
mission to work miracles, yet there were
others, no enemies to Christ, who, in imi-
tation of His discij)les, attempted to cast
out devils, and God was pleased, for the
honor of His Son, sometimes to give them
success. We forbade him. Here is an evi-
dence of their rashness in forbidding him,
under their own impulse, before they had
consulted Jesus about it, and of their envy
and emulation, in that they were dissatis-
fied and grieved that good was done,
because they did not do it. It is as hard a
matter to look upon the gifts of others
without envy, as it is upon our own with-
out pride. " Followeth not us." " A
lireacher," says one, " some'times imagines
that his only desire is that men should
follow Christ, and adhere to His Word,
and it is himself whom he desires they
should follow, and to whom he is very
glad to find them adhere. John has
fewer imitators of that perfect freedom
from self-interest, which he had after the
descent of the Holy Ghost, than he has of
this defect in his state of imperfection. A
man willingly approves the good which is
done by others, when he loves good for
its own sake, and God for His."
39. But Jesus said. Forbid him not : ^for there is no
man wliicli shall do a miracle in my name, that can
lightly speak evil of me.— ^1 Cor. xii. 3.
Forbid him not. Our Saviour thus re-
plied, because He knew that this action
of casting out devils in His name, would
in some way redound to His glory, al-
though He undertook the matter without
direction from Christ. We ought not to
censure and condemn those who do that
which is good in itself, though they fail in
the manner of their doing it. TJiat can lightly
speak evil of me. Two principles of im-
mense imijortance are here laid down:
First, " no one will ' lightly ' or ' soon,' i. e.,
readily speak evil of me, who has the
faith to do a miracle in my name, inas-
much as the outstreaming of the i^ower to
work ill my name, cannot be greater than
the inward recognition of that name ; and
second. If such a person cannot be sup-
posed to be against us, ye are to hold him
for us." Let it be carefully observed that
our Lord does not say this man should
not have " followed them," nor yet that it
was indifferent whether he did or not, but
simply teaches how such a jjerson Avas to
be regarded, although he did not, viz. : as a
reverer of His name, and a promoter of
His Cause. (See on Luke ix. 50.)
The disciples were thus taught to see, in
all men who had not declared themselves
in opposition to them, furtherers of their
cause, because not only all beginnings, but
also all preparations of faith, 'even the
smallest, should likewise be accounted
component parts of Christ's Divine harvest ;
and further, for this cause also, because
CHAPTER IX,
387
those who are enemies of the disciples of
Jesus arc generally quick enough in mak-
ing it known.
40. For yhe that Is not against us is on our p&tt.
jSee Matt. xii. 30.
It has justly been observed that religion
does not consist in mere negatives. Yet
it here appears that if true religion
does not consist in mere negatives, it may
be inferred from what is negative, or that
where there is no enmity, there is real
friendship for Christ. There can be no
neutrality ; all men are either the friends
or the enemies of Jesus. Men's hostility
to Christ manifests itself, 1. By a dislike
to draw near to God in the exercise of
devotion. 2. In a dislike to think and
speak about God and the Redeemer. 3.
In a dislike of the followers of Christ, and
those who bear His image. Some persons,
from situation, connection, or other un-
avoidable causes, are kept from associating
with the godly, yet they drink in the
spirit of the Gospel and are concerned to
honor it. Others, who frequent the as-
semblies of the saints, have but little to
say on behalf of Christ, either from weak-
ness or natural timidity, and so are un-
noticed and imknown ; yet there are some
of this description who, though they can-
not speak much for Jesus, could even die
for Him. Many are deterred from making
a public profession of religion through
fear that all is not right with them, that
they need higher attainments, and a more
enlarged experience of the truth to justify
their pretensions of love to Christ; yet He
will own them as His friends amidst all
their weaknesses and infirmities. (Matt.
xxii. 20.) Some by their backslidings from
peculiar temptations may have rendered
their religion doubtful, yet their hearts
mourn in secret for their folly and guilt,
and they are far from being against Christ,
or indifferent to His cause. (John xxi. 15.)
It becomes us, from Christ's example, to
give encouragement wherever there are
the least appearances of love to Him — to
make that the test of true religion, rather
than the existence of any other principle,
and without respect to party distinctions.
An old writer observes : " Moses, when he
saw the Israelite and the Egyptian fight,
did not say, 'Why strive you?' but drew
his sword and slew the Egyptian; but
when he saw the two Israelites fight, he
said, ' You are brethren, why strive you?'
If the ixjint of doctrine be an Egyptian
(/. e., fundamentally opposed to the faith),
it must be slain 'by the sword of the
Spirit,' and not reconciled, but if it be an
Israelite (i. c, if it concerns points not fun-
damental), tlKjugh in the wrong, then,
' Why strive you?' (Gal. ii. 5 ; Rom. xiv.)
41. 'For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to
drink in ray name, because ye belong to Christ, verily
I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
^Matt. X. 42.
If the least service rendered to any one
that bears the name of Christ will meet
with a reward, with how much more con-
sideration should we treat a man, who not
only bears the name of Christ, but also
performs a great and good work in His
name ! (See on Matt. x. 42.)
42. aAnd whosoever shall offend one of these little ones
that believe in nu-, it is lirttcr ibr him that a millstone
were hanf,'((l alimit liis ncrlc, and ho were cast into the
sea.— iiJIatl. .xviii. U; Luke xvii. 1.
Offend — be a stumbling-block to, or fur-
nish occasion to sin. That a millstone, &c.
This was common punishment in ancient
times. It was frequently resorted to in
the case of rebels, and other malefactors,
in the times of the later emperors of Rome.
It was inflicted on many of the first Chris-
tians, and it is still used in the East to
l)unish a variety of crimes.
43. bAnd if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better
for thee to enter into lile maimed, than having two
hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be
quenched : 44. 'Where their worm dieth not, and the
tire is not quenched. 45. Andif thy foot offend thee, cut
it off: It is better for thee to enter halt into life, than
having two feet to be ca.st into hell, into the fire that
never shall bo quenched : 4(!. Where their worm dieth
not, and the fire is not quenched. 47. And if thine eve
offend thee, pluck it out : it is better for thee to enter
into the kingdom of God with one eye. than having two
eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48. Where their worm
dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 49. For every
one shall be salted with fire, dand everv sacrifice shall
be salted with salt. 50. '■■Salt w' good: but if the salt have
lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? fHavo
salt in yourselves, and ?have pe'ice one with another.
■'Dent. xiii. 6: Matt. v. 2!), xviii. 8. '•Isa. Ixvi. 24. 'Ujev.
ii. 13; Ezek. xhii. 24. ejiatt. v. 13: Luke xiv. 34. fEph.
IV. 29 ; Col. iv. 6. Bltom. xii. 18, xiv. 19 ; 2 Cor. xiii. 11 ;
Heb. xii. 14.
See on Matt. xvii. 7, &c.
Offend thee, or cause thee to offend, or
sin. Cut it off. We are not to understand
this, or the similar expression in the fol-
lowing verses, literally. The obvious
meaning is, if an object, dear as a hand,
foot, or eye, stand between us and our
progress to heaven, and our complete sur-
render to Christ Jesus,, that object, how-
ever dear, and the sacrifice of it, however
388
MARK
painful, we are to part with, renounce and
resign, counting all but loss, for the ex-
cellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
our Lord. God denies us nothing, but
with a design to give us something better.
If He forbids a lust, it is to give us Him-
self. O wretched man! that ever thy
heart should be so blind, so hard, so long
in choosing. (Acts vii. 5; Heb. x. 34.)
Into hell — the place of future punishment,
the word being here contrasted with goinf/
into life, that is, future bliss. For a similar
contrast see Matt. xxv. 46. The fire that
never shall be quenched. On reading this
expression, how can any one doubt that
the misery of the lost is perjietual and
ever-enduring? Universalists, instead of
preaching down hell, would do much bet-
ter if they would preach np Christ and
heaven. If we show that whatever be
the intensity of the misery of the lost,
there is no reason why One sinner on
earth should perish, we do better than by
encouraging them in the path of ruin to
plunge into the place of misery, in the
wretched and vain anticipation that hell
is only a sort of purgatory that has a
happy and prosperous end. (See on Matt,
iii. 12.)
Wliere their uvrm, &e. The uvrm and
the fire are severally two-fold, each internal
and external : the internal both burns
and gnaws the heart ; the external both
gnaws and burns the body. (Ps. xxxix.
11.) There is nothing but a life of great
piety, or a death of great stupidity, that
can keep off these apprehensions. (Eph.
V. 14 ; Jude 23.)
For every one shallbe salted, &e. The causal
particle " for " evidently shows that our
Saviour is assigning a reason of what He
had said before. (Verses 43, 45, 47.) Som e
of His hearers might perhaps think it
strange that their worm should never die,
that their fire should never be quenched, and
hardly believe it possible for them to exist
forever in such a state of torment, and
therefore He now assigns a reason for what
He had said, viz.: that the fire shall be to
them as salt, it shall not consume, but pre-
serve them, and so make them capable of
existing forever in everlasting burnings.
And every sacrifice, &c. The word here
translated " and " is sometimes used for
"as" by way of similitude. The meaning
is, the wicked shall in that torment of fire
be made a sacrifice of everlasting holocaust
to the Divine justice, of which God has
given a proof and illustration in the typi-
cal law, having therein commanded that
all sacrifices which were oifered by fire,
should be salted to preserve them from
corruption. (Lev. ii. 13.) "It seemsprob-
able from this passage," says Bishop New-
ton, " as well as from other places of Scrip-
ture, that the fire of hell is not metaphorical
but real The wicked having offended
both in body and soul, they shall be pun-
ished in the one as well as in the other :
and as the worm of guilt, the sense and
consciousness of their evil doings, will tor-
ment their souls, so the fire will forever
excruciate their bodies." (See Luke xvi,
24 ; Matt. xiii. 40, &c., xxv. 41.)
Scdt is good, &c. Our Lord reminded the
disciples, that as salt, though valuable in
itself to season other bodies, was yet
worthless and irrecoverable when it had
lost its saltness, so they Avould become
more vile than others, if they were not
truly sanctified ; for they would be em-
ployed in converting and preserving others,
and would have none to season them should
they turn aside. It would therefore be in-
cumbent on them to watch over their OAvn
hearts, to mortify their lusts, and laying
aside ambition, the parent of contention,
to live at peace with each other. " If the
teachers themselves to whom is committed
the Divine Word, with which men must
be seasoned as with salt do them-
selves become insipid " (not savoring of
that holy word, in doctrine, spirit and
practice), "what remaineth, but either,
that the hearers perish, or that God should
send other teachers."
1. What did our Lord say about "the kingdom of God?" 2. Where did he take Peter. James and John? 3.
What is said of His Transfiguration? 4. Who appeared, and talked with Jesus? 5. What did Peter propose?
fi. Wliat did the voice say from the cloud? 7. Who was brought to Jesus? S. \Vhat did He a-sk his father? 9.
Did Jesus cast out the dumb and deaf spirit? 10. What did His disciples ask? 11. WHiat reply was made. 12.
What did Christ do when the disciples disputed who should he the greatest? 13. What did John say to our
Saviour ? U. Explain the answer he received. 15. Explain also verses 43-50.
CHAPTER X.
389
CHAPTER X.
2 Christ dis-pufrth withthe Pharisrc^ (0}tchin(7 lUvorrc-
mnit: Ki I4,:xs,tl> fkr r/iildrrn that <irr tirought unto
'liin: 17 rixiilriiJi <i rir/i niiui liinr hr tiitii/ in/urit
life rrt rtaxtiiiij : 21! Idlrlh Jiia (lisrij)!i.f of l/ir i(iin(irr
(ifrir/im: ^S j>rniiiit:i th nicurd's tn tin in' that furxukr
aiii/tliinii fi/j- thr jjiisiitt: :fZ fart< Iti tli hix lirath and
]■( xurncti'i/n : :!.') iiiddith thr two aniltiliuus suitors to
think rather of suffer iny wiUt hliii : 4G and reslureth to
Jiarlimcus his slylit.
AND "^lie arose from thence, and cometh into the
coasts of JiKlea by the farther side of Jordan : and
the people resort unto him again : and, as he was wont,
he tauglit them again.— "Matt. xix. 1.
From thence. The last locality mentioned
by Mark was Capernaum, (ix. 33.) By
the farther side of Jordan. From this, as
well as from Matt. xix. 1, it is evident
that Jesus did not merely come to Per»a,
but traveled through Perpea to the borders
of Judea, that is, to the most eastern
limits of Perrea. As he icas wont, &c. How
thick and close does this heavenly Sower
scatter His seed! Every line is a new
lesson, and every lesson a rule of perfec-
tion. Oh, the magnificent bounty of our
God ! He gives not barely the measure
we give others, but pressed down, and
shaken together, and running over into
our bosoms. Why are we then so slow
and dull to learn these Divine instructions?
Why so remiss to practice them? Are
they not sweet and excellent in them-
selves ? Are they not infinitely profitable
to us ? Oh, make us greedy to learn what
Thj"^ love makes Thee so earnest to teach !
(Job xxxiii. 14 ; Phil. iii. 1, 18 ; 1 Sam.
iii. 9.)
2. T[ bAnd tlie Pharisees came to him, and aslted liim.
Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting
him. 3. And he answered and said unto tliem. What
did Moses command you? 4. And they said, ^Moses
suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to p\it her
away. 5. And Jesus answered and said unto tliem.
For tiie hardness of your heart he wrc.te ynw tliis jire-
cept : 6. But from tlie beginning of tliecreatiou ^'God
made them male and female. 7. 'For this cause shall
a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his
wife; 8. And they twain shall be >ii" flesh; so then
they are no more twain, but one flesh. '.I What there-
fore God hath joined together, let notmu i put asunder
10. And in the house his disciples asked him again of
the same 7;?('(^/fj-. 11. And hesaith unto tli^m, f Whoso-
ever shall put away his wile, and marry anntlicr, eoni-
mittrth adultery against her. 1-. And iia woman shall
put away her lnisl>and, and be married to another, she
committeth adulter}-.
I'Matt. xi.^. 3. cDeut. xxiv. 1 ; Matt. v. 31. '^Gen. i.27.
fGen. ii. 24; 1 Cor. vi. 16; Eph. v. 31. fMatt. v. 32;
Rom. vii. 3 ; 1 Cor. vii. 10, 11.
Verses 2-12 : see on IMatt. xix. 3-9, v. 31.
7s it tail fid for a man to prU aicay his wife f
tempting him. Is it asked, how could this
be tempting Jesus? It Avas a very i>lain
and Scriptural question, and the answer,
one would suppose, must be free from any
risk, and a very easy one. The secret of
the dilficulty in answering was this. Jesus
was still in the dominion of Herod Anti-
pas, who had put away his wife, and was
living with a woman who was not his wife,
and therefore, they thought that Jesus by
their question would be put in a great
dilemma, and either way get into trouble.
If He had said it was lawful, He would
have been sanctioning sin, and if He said
it was not lawful. He would be put in
prison for offending Herod, as John was.
Jesus answered them, however, evidently
irrespective of any governing power, and
fearless of any snare. He ever showed,
what we should ever feel, that the path of
truth, and right, and duty, and principle,
is always, in the long run, the path that
leads to safety.
What did Moses command you f The ac-
count given by Matthew (xix. 3) and Mark
are not contradictory. Matthew records
what was said in one part of the conversa-
tion, and Mark what was said in another.
For the hardness of your heart, &c. Moses,
as a civil lawgiver, " for," because of, or hav-
ing respect to, the hardness of your hearts
— looking to your low moral state, and
your inability to endure the strictness of
the original law, suffered you to put away
your wives; tolerated relaxation of the
strictness of the marriage bond — not as
approving of it, but to ijrevent still greater
evils. From tlie beginning of the creation —
therefore there was no creation before the
creation described in the beginning of
Genesis. For this cause — to correspond
with this Divine law in the creation. For
whose sake then may they part, if not for
that of father and mother f
Cleave to his ivife, &c. Woman was not
made of an outward, but of an inward part
of man, says an old writer, that she might
be dear to him, even as his inwards ; not
of the hand of man, lest she should lie
proud, and look for superiority ; not of the
foot of man, lest she should be contemned,
as far his inferior ; but of his side, that she
might be used as his fellow, cleaving to his
inside, as an inseparable companion of all
his haps, whilst they two live. And, as the
rib receiveth strength from the breast of
390
MAEK
man, so doth the woman from her hus-
band, from whom conieth all her strength,
counsel, and good comfort at all times. No
creature had his mate made of his own
flesh ])ut man ; therefore, no creature un-
der heaven should 1)0 like man in the love
of his mate ; but man above them all. (1
Peter iii. 7.)
What, therefore, God hath joined together,
let not man put asunder. The relation of
marriage ought to be highly reverenced
and honored. Nothing but death ought
to terminate it. "The Prussian laws on
marriage, dating from the infidel reign of
Frederic II., are scandalously lax and de-
moralizing, by increasing the causes, and
facilitating the accomplishment of divorce.
AVith the revival of true Christianity in
Prussia, a reform movement commenced ^
which aims at a return to the law of Christ."
— Dr. Schaff. Similar laxness has marked
and disgraced legislation in many of the
States of our own country. The evils jsro-
ceeding from the multiplication of divorces
and from the marriage of persons divorced
for some other reason than the one speci-
fied by our Lord, are so alarming that we
hesitate not to say, that both churches and
ministers should clear themselves of all re-
sponsibility in the matter. The churches
should discipline members who become
divorced for any other than the Scriptural
reason, members who marry with parties
so divorced, and ministers who marry
them. Whosoever shall put away his wife,
&c. And if a luoman shall put away her hus-
band, &c. Jesus here puts both sexes on
a level. Neither has a right to divorce for
other cause than unchastcness, and neith-
er, so divorced, has a right to marry again.
13. H BAnd they brought young children to him, that
lie should touch "them; and hi:; disciples rebuked those
that brought them.— iMaXl. xix. 13 ; Luke xviil. 15.
Touch them — in accordance with the Old
Testament custom. (Gen. xlvii. 14.) He
should lay Plis right hand on them and
pray the Divine benediction upon them.
ChildrQii are the fruit of marriage ; their
Chrir.tian education, and the care of jire-
senting them to Christ, that they may be-
come members of His body, is the end
thereof. They are an unhappy fruit if
they are not presented to our blessed Sa-
viour, and if He does not touch them by
blessing them and uniting them to Him-
self by His Spirit of adoption.
14. But when Jesus saw it, he was mucli displeased,
and said uuto them, Suffer the little children to come
unto me, and forbid them not: for i-of such is the king-
dom of God.— bi Cor. xiv. 20 ; 1 Peter ii. 2.
He ivas much displeased. As Christ was not
often " much displeased" with His disciples,
there must have been some gi-eat offense
to excite this great displeasure. It was a
great offense to attempt to drive away
these infants from their Saviour. How
could the disciples take so much upon
them, as to forbid the mothers thus to
bring their precious little ones? Pride
lurked in their hearts, and suggested many
harsh and ungenerous measures. Before
Jesus left this world He charged Peter to
feed His lambs — those lambs whom He
carried in His bosom. Faithful ministers
love little children, and are ready to in-
struct them. Suffer the little children to come
unto me, &c. How many dying children
have lisped these words in their last mo-
ments ! When Jesus uttered them, He
knew what comfort they would afford to
the lambs of His flock for many ages to
come. And how full of comfort are they
also to all who love the dear children !
"We know who it is who here took such
notice of infants. It was the eternal Son
of God, the great High Priest, the King
of kings, by whom all things consist, " the
brightness of the Father's glory, and the
express image of His person." For of
such is the hingdom of God. It has been
thought by some that this expression
means that of persons of a child-like dis-
position is the kingdom, and this is true ;
but the exj^ression really means, of such
very children is the kingdom of God, or,
heaven, chiefly made up. There is no
reason to doubt that inftmts dying before
the years of responsibility, are admitted
into everlasting joy.
15. Verily I say unto you, iWhosoever shall not re-
ceive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not
enter therein.— iMatt. xviii. 3.
Verses 13-16 : see on Matt. xix. 13-15,
xviii. 3 ; Luke xviii. 15-17.
Whosoever, &c. This indicates, 1. That
children enter into the kingdom of heaven,
and, 2. that in the case of adults there is
required childlike character, as a pre-
requisite to enter into the kingdom of
CHAPTER X,
391
heaven. That character is teachable, con-
fiding, trustful, obedient. (See Luke xviii.
17.)
17. H liAnd when lie was gone forth into the way,
there canw one nuining, and kneeled to him, and asked
bim, Good Ma.ster. what shall I do that I may inherit
eternal life ?
i^Matt. xix. 16; Luke xviii. 18, on which see ]Sotes.
Eimning. This man was surely impelled
by a remarkable earnestness. He seems
to have been eagerly waiting. Kneeled —
he therefore felt a great zeal. What shall
I do, &c. This inquiry, for from being
unreasonable, is the first and chief ques-
tion which ought to be found upon the
lips of every man. For what avails to us
the adjustment of every other point, if the
question of our eternal state is still unde-
cided?
18. And Jesus said unto him, "Why callest thou me
good ? there is none good, but one, that is God.
Why callest thou me good? If it should
be asked for what reason Christ put this
question, we answer, for the same reason
that He asked the Pharisees, why " David,
in Spirit, called him Lord ? " (Matt. xxii.
43), and that was to try, if they were able
to account for it. This ruler, by address-
ing our Saviour, under the name of "good
Master," when the inspired Psalmist had
aflirmed long before, that there is " none
that doeth good, no, not one " (Ps. xiv. 3),
did in effect, allow Him to be God, no
mere man, since the fall of Adam, having
any claim to that character. And when
he was called upon to explain his meaning,
for that God only was good, he should
have replied in the words of Thomas :
" My Lord and my God ! " which would
have been a noble instance of faith, and
cleared up the whole difficulty.
19. Thou knowest the commandments, 'Do not com-
mit adultery, Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not bear
false witness. Defraud not. Honor thy father and
mother.— 'Ex, xx. ; Eom. xiii. 9.
Thou hioicest the commandments, &c. It
should never be forgotten that if it be true,
as it is, on the one hand, that by faith,
and faith alone, the sinner is justified be-
fore God, yet it is equally true, that the
faith which so justifies, is a faith infollibly
productive of o1>edience to the will of God.
Morality, indeed, will, of itself, never save
a soul, but no man can be saved whose
faith does not jirompt him to the vigorous
and cordial discharge of all the duties of
morality. Faith, if it hath not works, is
dead, being alone.
20. And he answered and said unto him. Master, all
these have I observed from my youth. 'Jl. Then Jesus
belioliliiif,' him lnvcd liim, aiidsa'iil unto hini, One thin;;
thou hic'kest: no tliv wav, sell wluitscirvcr thdu li;ust,
and Rive to the jxMir, and thou shall have '"treasure in
heaven; and come, take nj) the cross, and (bllow me.
22. And he wiis sad at that savins, and went away
grieved : for he had great possessions.— mMatt. vi. 19. 20.
Jesus beholding him loved him. In other
words. He was struck with many sweet and
attractive qualities of his mind. Purity,
docility, ingenuousness, justice, gratitude,
benevolence, any or all of which qualities
may have entered more or less into his
character, are in themselves lovely and
conciliating.
Sell whatsoever thou hast, &c. No man is
obliged to sell all that he has, &c., because
Christ gave such a command to one person,
any more than he is obliged to sacrifice
his son, because God commanded Abra-
ham to do so, and yet, doubtless, these
were written for our instruction, that we
might be ready always to obey the severest
calls of Providence, a matter of no small
difficulty, and which we infinitely deceive
ourselves and others in. It is a common
thing to say, " God's will be done," Avith-
out one grain of sincerity, or true resigna-
tion. (Acts V. 4). Went away grieved, &c.
Pcssibly, had he been jiermitted to unite
the services of God and IMammon, to serve
his neighbor without injuring himself, to
shajje his morals according to the concep-
tions of men, instead of the " pattern" of
the sanctuary, he might have remained
with Christ, and veiled a cold and conceit-
ed heart under the covering of a bright
and showy religious i^rofe-ssion. If morti-
fication and self-denial, and taking wp the
cross, and devoting himself body and soul
to Christ, and sacrificing all for the benefit
of others, are the only terms of being a dis-
ciple of Jesus, then, however grieved at
the result, he must quit the Saviour and
cleave to the world.
Here is a most solemn lesson for young
persons invested with all those qualities
which attract and delight the observer,
full of honor, and candor, and kindness,
anxiously attentive to many of the duties
of society — persons whom it is difficult to
see without loving, and without wishing to
transfer many of their attractive qualities
into our own character. Let them learn
from the narrative, that they may have all
those attractions which win the applause
392
MARK.
of the world, and yet, unless they " take
up their cross" and "follow" Christ, un-
less they have " the mind which was in
Christ Jesus," unless they are seeking re-
demption by His blood and the sanctifica-
tion of their hearts by the influence of
His Spirit, unless they are jjrepared to re-
nounce all and do all which God requires,
theirs, for the present, is a lost state, a state
in which, if called to judgment, they would
be disinherited of heaven, and dismissed
to the place of the impenitent and unholy.
23. T "And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto
his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches
enter into the kingdom of Ciod! 24. And the disciples
were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth
again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard Is it for
them othat trust m riches to enter into the kingdom of
God ! 2-5. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the king-
dom of God. 26. And they were astonished out of
measure, saj'ing among themselves, Who then can be
saved? 27. And Jesus looking upon them saith, pWith
men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God
all things are possible.
nMatt. xi.x. 23; Luke xviii. 24. ojob xxxi. 24; Ps. 111.
7 ; 1 Tim. vi. 17. pJer. xxxii. 17 ; Matt. xix. 26.
How hardly, &c. Looked at in the light
of the occasion which called it forth, it is
easy to see a special applicability of the
passage to the time when it was spoken.
It was extremely difficult at that time, at
the first preaching of the Gospel, for any
rich man to become a convert to Christi-
anity. This can readily be believed, for
those who were enjoying all the comforts,
and elegancies, and luxuries of life, would
not be very ready to sacrifice these, and sub-
mit to poverty, hardships, persecutions
and even death itself, to which the first con-
verts to Christianity were frequently ex-
posed. They would, therefore, generally
follow the example of the rich man before
us ; Avould turn their backs on the king-
dom of heaven, and go away to the world
and its enjoyments. And this in fact we
know to have been the case. For it was
of the lower ranks of men that our Lord's
disciples prmdpaJhj consisted, and we are
expressly told that it was the common
people chiefly that heard him gladly ; and
even after his death, Paul asserts that
not many mighty, not many noble, were
called. Still, however, it cannot be
doubted that our Lord, in these words,
had an eye also to rich men in future pro-
fessing Christianity, as well as to the rich
men of those days, who were either Jews
or heathens.
Although the similitude made use of,
that of a camel passing through the eye
of a needle, implies absolute impossibility,
yet, according to every rule of interpreting
Oriental jDroverbs (for such this is), itmeans
only, in its application, great difficulty.
And in this sense it was actually used,
both by the Jews and the Arabians, and
is plainly so interpreted by our Lord,
when He says that " they that have riches"
shall hardly enter into the kingdoni of
God. The explanation He gives in verse
24, shows plainly to whom He refers.
He there indicates plainly that the pos-
session of property in itself is not ruinous
or reprehensible. The j^ersons whom He
describes are suUi as "trust in riches" —
those who place their whole dependence
upon them, whose views and hopes are
centered in them and them mainly, who
place their whole happiness, not in reliev-
ing the distresses of the poor and sooth-
ing the sorrows of the afflicted, not in acts
of worship and adorati6n, and thanksgiv-
ing to Him from whose bounty they de-
rive every blessing they enjoy, not in
giving Him their hearts, and dedicating
their wealth to His glory and service, but
in amassing it without end, oi* squander-
ing it witiiout any benefit to mankind, in
making it the instrument of pleasure, of
luxury, of dissipation, of vice, and the
means of gratifying every irregular appe-
tite and passion without control.
Who then can be saved? The disciples
are affected with wonder and admiration,
at this teaching of our Saviour. Learn
thence, that such are the special and pe-
culiar difficulties which lie in the rich
man's way to salvation, that his getting to
heaven is matter of wonder and admira-
tion to the disciples of Christ. Observe
how our Lord resolves this doubt. With
men,&c. Here it is implied, 1. That it is im-
possible for any man, rich or poor, by his
own natural strength, to get to heaven ;
and 2. That when we are discouraged
with the sense of our own imijotency, we
should consider the power of God, and fix
our faith upon it.
2S. qThen Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have
left all, and have followed thee. 29. And Jesus an-
swered and said, Verilj' I say unto you. There is no
man that hath left house, or brethren, or sistei-s, or
father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for
my sake, and the gospel's, 30. 'But he shall receive an
hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren,
and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lauds, with
CHAPTER X
393
persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. 31.
"But many that arc first shall be last ; and the last first.
qJIatt. xix. 27. '2 Chron. xxv. 9; Luke xvhi. 30.
»Matt. xi.\. 30.
But he shall receive a hundredfold, &c. —
Virtually, not formally, not a hundred
fathers, but he shall have that in God,
which all the creatures would be to him,
if they were multiplied a hundred times ;
wife here is left out in the repetition. (1
Sam. i. 8; 1 Cor. iii. 21-23.) With persecu-
tions. The afflictions and troubles, where-
with God in His love chastens His chil-
dren for their good, are indeed part of His
promise, and that a gracious part, too.
Here it is expressed ; but, where it is not
so, it must be ever understood, in all the
promises that concern this Hfe. It is a
received rule among divines, that all tem-
poral promises are to be understood cu7n
exceptione crucis ; that is to say, not abso-
kitely, but with this reservation — unless
the Lord, in His holy wisdom, shall see it
good for us to have it otherwise. . . If we
submit our wills to His, both in doing and
suflering, doubtless we cannot finally mis-
carry, He will consult nothing but for
our good ; and what He hath consulted
must stand. (John xv. 2 ; Rom. viii. 17 ;
1 Thes. i. 6.)
32. IT 'And they were in the way going up to Jerusa-
lena, and Jesus went before them : and tiiey were amaz-
ed, and as they followed, they were afraid. "And he
took again the twelve, and began to tell them what
things should luippfu unto hiiu, 3.'!. Sai/inrr, Behold,
we go up to .Tcru'^aliMii ; ami tlie 8<iu of man sliall be
delivered unto tlu' chicr ]iriests, and unto the scribes,
and tliey shall condcniu liim to death, and sliall
deliver him to the (icutilcs: ;34. And tliey shall mock
him, and shall souur;;c liim, and shall spit upon him,
aud shall kill him, and the third day he shall rise again.
'Matt. XX. 17. "Luke ix. 22,
Verses 32-34 : see on Matt. xx. 17 ; Luke
ix. 22.
The Lord Jesus knew, from the begin-
ning, all that was before Him. The treach-
ery of Judas Iscariot, the fierce persecu-
tion of the chief priests and scribes, the
unjust judgment, the delivery to Pontius
Pilate, the mocking, the scourging, the
crown of thorns ; the cross ; the hanging
between the two malefactors, the nails,
the spear — all, all were spread before His
mind like a picture. How great an aggra-
vation of suffering foreknowledge is, those
well know who have lived in the prospect
of some fearful surgical operation. Yet
none of these things moved our Lord. He
says: "I was not rebellious, neither turned
away back. I gave my back to the smiters,
and my cheeks to them that plucked off
the hair ; I hid not my face from shame
and spitting." (Isa. 1. 5, 6). II 3 saw Cal-
vary in the distance all His life through,
and yet walked calmly up to i% without
turning to the right hand or t '^ the left.
He suffered intentionally, deliberately,
and of His own free will. (John x. IS).
Surely there never was sorrow like unto
His sorrow, or love like His love.
3.5. T ^And James and John, the ?;ons of Zebedee,
conic unto him, su\inu'. Master, we would that thou
shouldest do for usw'liatsocvcr wi'sliail ilosire. 311 And
he said unto theiii, Wliat would ye tliat [ should do for
you ? 37. They said unto him. Grant unto us that we
may sit, one on thy right hand, and tlie other on thy
left hand, in thy glory. 3S. But Jesus said unto them,
Ye know not what ye ask : can ve drink of the cup that
I drink olV and he fiaptized with tlie liaptisni that I am
baptized Willi? :>9. And tln^y said unto him, We can.
And Jesus said unto ihem, Ye shall ludeeii drink ofthe
cup that I drink of, and with the baptism that I am
baptized w^ithal shall ye be baptized : 40. But to sit on
my right hand and on my left hand, is not mine to
give, but itslidll Or riivot (o them for wJ'.om it is pre-
pared. 41. .vAiid when the ten heard it, ti.ey began to
be much displeased with James and John. 42. But
Jesus called tlieni to hhn, ixwA saith unto t!'.em,iYe
know that they which are accounted to rule over the
Gentiles, exercise lordship over them, and their great
ones exercise authority over them. 4.3. "But so shall it
not be among you : but whosoever will be great amons
you, shall be your minister: 44. And whosoever of
you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45.
For even bthe Son of man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, and<^to give his life a ransom for
many.
^Matt. XX. 20. jJIatt. XX.24. ^Luke xxii. 2-5. aJMatt.
xx.2fi, 2S; Lukei.x. 48. I'Johnxiii. 14; Phil. ii.7. cji tt.
XX. 28 , 1 Tim. ii. 6 ; Titus ii. 14.
Verses 35-45 : see on Matt. xx. 24, &c. ;
Luke xxii. 24-6.
And James and John, &c. Matthew rep-
resents Salome, their mother, herself as
advancing the prayer, while according to
Mark the sons do it, such variations, how-
ever, which are explained by the nature
of the case, show only the mutual inde-
pendence of the Evangelists, and instead
of impairing, greatly increase the weight
of their statements. Ye know not vhat ye
ask. Our Lord thus answered, doubtless,
with a shudder in His soul, at the absence
of foreboding with which His beloved dis-
ciples could ask a thousand times for that
which was perilous, or even destructive,
and still oftener for that which was un-
reasonable. For not only the want of
foreboding with which they asked for
themselves the places of the thieves, but
also the arrogant regardlessness with
which they aspired above all the other
disciples, deserved a repulse.
Drink of the Clip. This is a well-known
Scripture phrase, denoting, generally, a
partaking in some heavy and bitter por-
tion. (Isa. Ii. 17 ; Jer. xxv. 15, 16; Matt.
394
MARK
xxvi. 39, 42.) With the baptism, &c. Our
Lord elsewhere alf>o speaks of His death,
under the figure of a baptism of blood.
(Luke xii. 50.)
We can. The desire of the sons of Zeb-
edee was probably not merely an am-
bitious effort after dignity, it was in-
spired by a nobler motive. Eatlier their
wish was, now that the Lord had spoken
so plainly of His suflering, and perhaps
some of the band of disciples might be
terribly discouraged thereby, to express
in the strongest way the confidence with
which they, on their part, anticipated His
glorification. "The Lord has often given
me," says Halyburton, " when clouded by
this fear (the fear of death) a sweet
discovery of the beauty of this disposal,
that we have promises to live upon, until
the trials come, and that, when they
come, we shall then get accomplishments
to live on. ' In tlie Mount of the Lord it
shall be seen.' . . I dare not say, ' I am
ready to die ;' I dare not say, ' I have
faith, or grace, sutBcient to carry me
through death ;' I dare not say, ' I have no
fears of death;' but this I say, 'There is
grace enough for helping me, laid up in
the i^romise;' there is 'a throne of grace,'
to which in our straits we may have re-
course. He is ' a God of judgment,' who
has the disposal, and will not Avithhold
'grace,' when it is really 'the time of
need.' " (Deut. xxxiii. 25 ; Matt. vi. 34 ; 1
Cor. X. 13.) Not mine to give — as a matter
of private friendship or of present favor,
apart from the Divine plan of human re-
demption. The inferiority of Christ to
the Father, which appears here as in
many other places, is not an essential, but
an official one. As Mediator, God-man,
the Messiah, He always appears in subor-
dination to the Father, and this, rightly
understood, is not inconsistent with those
great texts in which His Divinity and co-
equal power with the Father are fully
taught.
But it shall be given, &c. "The supple-
ment which our translators have inserted,"
says Dr. Brown, "is approved by some
good interpreters, and the proper sense
of the word rendered ' but,' is certainly
in favor of it. But besides that, it makes
the statement too elliptical — leaving too
many words to be supplied — it seems to
make our Lord repudiate the right to
assign to each of His people his jjlace in
the kingdom of glory, a thing wdiich He
nowhere else does, but rather the con-
trary. It is true that He says their jslace
is 'i)repared for them by His Father.'
But that is true of their admission to
heaven at all, and yet from His great
white throne Jesus will Himself adjudi-
cate the kingdom, and authoritatively
invite into it those on His right hand,
calling them the ' blessed of His Father,'
so little inconsistency is there between
the eternal choice of them by His Father,
and that public adjudication of them, not
only to heaven in general, but each to his
own position in it, which all Scripture
assigns to Christ." The true rendering,
then, of this clause, we take it, is this :
" But to sit on my right hand and on my
left hand is not mine to give, save to them
for whom it is prepared." When, there-
fore, He says, " It is not mine to give," the
meaning is, "I cannot give it as a favor to
Avhomsoever I please, or on a principle of
favoritism, it belongs exclusively to those
for whom it is prepared, <kc." And if
this be His meaning, it will be seen how
far our Lord is from disclaiming the right
to assign to eacla his proper place in His
kingdom ; that, on the contrary. He ex-
pressly asserts it, merely announcing that
the principle of distribution is quite difler-
ent from what these petitioners supposed."
Called them unto him. (Refer to viii. 34;
ix, 35.) Men, that are often angry and for
every trifle, in a little time will be little
regarded ; and they, that reprove with
passion, will be less regarded, when they
reprove with reason. (Gal. vi. 1 ; v. 22,
23.)
They which are accounted to ride over the
Gentiles, &c. The several governments,
both in the East and West, in our Loi'd's
time, tyrannized and exercised arbitrary
power over the people. Christ ajjpears to
have spoken these words, to abate the
envy rising against the sons of Zebedee,
among the other Ai:)Ostles.
But irhosoever will be great among you, &c.
Our Lord here showed them how wrong
were all their disputes about precedency,
explaining to them that true precedency
CHAPTER X.
395
was not in rank, but in usefulness. High
beneticenco is high ranli. Thus an in-
cidental occurrence becomes the pedestal
on -which is exhibited to all mankind a
precious and instructive lesson. That les-
son is, that the disciple who desires to
attain the loftiest dignity, must make up
his mind to be characterized and distin-
guished by the greatest usefulness. The
maxim is, that whosoever desires to be
greatest in the kingdom of heaven, to be
most renowned and celebrated among the
v,"ise and good of mankind, must bear in
mind that there is but one path to pre-
eminence and real celebrity — the i)ath of
the greatest possible usefulness. He who
will have man's praise, must make up his
mind to be man's servant. This is not the
wa\- of human nature. As Luther said,
" human nature would be glorified first,
without being crucified." It needs to be
learned that there is but one way to the
crown, namely, the cross, and that through
tribulation, self-sacrifice, and self-denial in
Christ Jesus, we must attain the kingdom
of heaven.
And to give his life a ransom for many.
We have here an express declaration
from the mouth of our Lord Himself, that
He came into the world to give His life as
the piice of our redemption from death ;
to die in our stead, that He might thereby
purchase for us eternal life. (See also
Matt. xvi. 28 ; John vi. 51, xi. 50-53 ; Eom.
V. 15; 1 Tim. ii. 6; Heb. ix. 28.)
"IS. T dAnd they came to Jericho : and as he went out
of Jericho with his disciples and a creat number of peo-
ple, bhnd Bartimeus. the son of Timeus, sat by the high-
way side begging. 47. And when he heard that it was
Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus,
thou son of David, have mercy on ine. 4S. And many
charged him that he should hold his peace : but he
cried the more a great deal. Thou aon of David have
mercy on me. 49. And .Tesus stood still, and com-
manded him to be called. And they call the blind
man, saying unto him. Be of good comfort, rise ; he
calleth thee. 50. And he, casting away his garment,
rose, and came to Jesus. 51. And Jesus answered and
said unto him. What wilt thou tliat I should do unto
■thee? The blind man said unto him, I^ord, that I
might receive my sight. 52. And Jesus said unto him.
Go thy way, etliy faith hath made thee whole. And im-
mediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in
the wa.v.
■iMatt. XX. 29 : Luke xviii. 36. eMatt. ix. 22 ; chap. v.
34.
Verses 46-52 : see on IMatt. xx. 29, &c. ;
Luke xviii. .36, &c.
Blind Bartimeus. Matthew mentions
" two blind men." (xx. 30.) Mark men-
tions but one, and tells us his name. He
was Bartimeus, and the very feet that he
so names him seems to indicate that he
was a well-known person at the time-
A learned commentator remarks : " As his
was the case of special interest, whose case
Mark wishes to narrate, so he omits to
state that another man was healed at the
same time. It is very possible that Mark
was not informed of tliat fact. Inspiration
does not imply omniscience. One in-
spired writer may be more fully informed
than another. Both may be perfectly
true so far as they go. But the natural-
ness of the picture of the two blind men,
sitting by the road side, leaves but little
doubt that Matthew, who was a disciple
(as Mark was not), wrote as an eye-wit-
ness of the miracle."
Sat by the highicay side begging. Blindness
is worthy of compassion even when found
in circumstances of affluence and ease —
but how much more so when attended
Avith indigence and want! Poor people
should he thai.kful to God for the preser-
vation of their limbs and senses. If they
have no patrimony, nor independence,
they can labor, and while they have hands
and eyes they should scorn habits of beg-
gary. But the helpless are not to starve,
nor are we indiscriminately to reject every
application we meet with upon the road.
And when he heard, &c. Sitting under the
shadow of some tree, listening to aj^pre-
hend if any travelers Avere approaching —
for though he could not see, he could hear,
and this was an alleviation of his distress
— a noise strikes him, the sound draws
nearer and nearer, and he asks what it
means.
Jesus of Nazareth And many charged
him, &c. We must expect not only to have
our prayers hindered, but our very faith
itself endangered— the faith in which we
alone can pray— as we pass through this
wicked world. (Luke viii. 1,8; xxii. 31,
32). He cried the more, &c. He was not to
be discouraged. " This is my opportunity.
I have addressed thousands who could
give me bread, but here is one Avho can
give me eyes. In a moment He will be
out of hearing — and when may He pass
by again?" Jesus stood. AVhat cannot
prayer do ? Once the sun of nature stood
still at the desire of Joshua, who was
eager to complete his victory. And lo !
now, "the Sun of Righteousness" stands
396
MARK.
still, with " healing under His wings," at
the desire of Bartimeus, who begs a cure.
Casting away his garment. How natural
this representation ? We must throw away
everything that would keep us from com-
ing to Jesus, What wilt thou, &c. Our
Saviour is acquainted with all our sins, but
He requires us to confess them ; He under-
stands all our wants, but He commands
us to acknowledge them. Jesus in stoop-
ing to ask this blind man to state his con-
dition, speedily gave a proof of His own
assertion, so recently made. (Verse 45).
Thy faith, &c. It was a great act of faith
in Bartimeus to call Him the Son of David,
and Lord, whom the peojile described to
him, as being Jesus of Nazareth. His faith
was great, because, being blind, he could
not see the miracles which Jesus did.
" Faith came " to him in the truest way,
"by hearing." He believed on the testi-
mony and report of others, and so he
inherited, in a manner, that emphatic
promise of the Lord his Saviour, " Blessed
are they who have have not seen, and yet
have believed." (John xx. 29).
Immediately. The restoration of sight
was instantaneous — the miracle at once
complete. And followed Jesus in the way.
This was an improvement of the great-
ness of the mercy. " I can never," says
he, " discharge my obligations to such a
gracious and almighty friend. But let me
devote myself to His service — let me con-
tinually ask, ' Lord, what wilt thou have
me to do ?' "■ Following Jesus is the best
way to evidence a change of heart. None
follow Him blind. The truly converted
are willing to forsake all, in order to follow
Him whithersoever He goeth. And every
proof of our conversion, separate from this
adherence to the Saviour, is fallacious and
ruinous.
Thousands have read this simple and
touching story, as a truthful history of
their own sad, spiritual blindness, and its
removal through the abounding grace of
Jesus Christ. Thousands have sung, and
we believe will sing to the end of time, the
beautiful hymn
" Mercy, O thou Son of David '."
as the genuine expression of their own
feelings, in view of the wondrous change
wrought in them by the same Almighty
Saviour.
1. What question was proposed to Christ ? 2. How did He dispose of it ? 3. How did He receive the young
children that were brought to Him ? 4. \Vho came running to liim ? 5. For what purpose did he come ? 6.
What did he say? 7. What was our Lord's reply ? 8. What was the issue of the young ruler's case ? 9. What
did Christ say about riches ? 10. How did He remove the astonisliment of His disciples ? 11. W'liat did He say
to Peter ? 12. What did James and John ask ? 13. Explain our Lord's answer. 14. State the particulars of the
restoration of sight to Bartimeus.
CHAPTER XI.
1 Christ rideth with triumph into JerusaJem : 12 curs-
eth the fruitless leafy tree : 15 purgeth the temple :
20 exhortcth his disciples to stead/ast7i€ss of faith, and to
forgive their enemies: 27 and defendeth the lawfulness
of hvs actions, by the witness of John, tvho was a tnan
sent of God.
AND nvhen they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto
Bethpliai,'!' ami Betliany, at the mount of Olives,
he sendeth lorlli two of his disciiilcs, 2. And saith un-
to them. Go your way inln tlic village over against
you : and as soon as ye" be entered into it, ye shall find
a colt tied, whereon never man sat, loose him, and
bring /lim.— "Matt. xxi. 1 ; John xii. 14.
Verses 1-10 : see on Matt. xxi. 1-11.
When they came nigh, &c. Our Saviour
is at last approaching the capital, whither
we beheld Him, in the preceding chapter
(verse 32) proceeding with mysterious
haste. From Jericho to Jerusalem is
about twenty-five miles, a wild road, lead-
ing mostly through mountain passes,
which the Saviour must have traveled,
followed by a multitude of persons. He
had now reached that neighborhood lying
east of Jerusalem, where the districts of
Bethphage and Bethany unite — being
part of the Mount of Olives. Sendeth forth
two of his disciples — probably John and
CHAPTERXI.
397
Peter, A colt, &c. Kings and princes
commonly rode on the ass or mule, in
times of peace ; the horse was used more
for war. (See Job xxxix. 19.) Whereon
■never man sat. In this it is supposed is
implied, that he for whose use the colt
was to be brought, was a sacred person ;
thus in Num. xix. 2, Deut. xxi. 3, Ave find
that lieifers to be offered in sacrifice were
to be such as had never been employed in
labor.
3. And if any man say unto j'ou, Why do ye this?
Say ve that the Ijord hath need of him : and straight-
way he will send him hither. 4. And tliey went their
way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a
place where two ways met ; and they loose him. ,5.
And certain of them that stood there said unto them,
What do ye, loosing the colt ? G. And they said unto
them even as Jesus had commanded : and they let
them go. 7. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and
cast their garments on him ; and he sat upon him.
If arty man say, &c. Thus did our Lord,
in assuming His meek sovereignty, show
that the hearts of men were in His hand,
ai\d though He submitted to indignity
from others, yet in such hearts would He
establish His kingdom, and reign in
meekness. As when he needed a room
for the Passover, He foresaw who would
afford it, and where he was to be found
(chap. xiv. 12-16), so now, also, did He
know who was worthy of this honor, and
willing to grant what He needed. Let us
gladly yield up to Christ whatever He
demands. In a 2^1'^ce ivliere two icays met,
literally, in a way leading around a place,
i. e.) a street of the town.
8. ^And many .spread their garments in the way : and
others cut down branches ofttlie trees, and strewed them
in the way. 9. And they that went bel'ore, and they
that followed, cried, saying, tHosanna, Blessed i.s he
that Cometh in the nanae ot the Lord : 10. Blessed be
the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the
name ot the Lord : 'iHosanna in tlie liighest.
bMatt. xxi. 8. cPs. cxviii. 26. dps. cxlviii. 1.
Their garments — Men put their garments
down for Jehu to walk upon. (2 Kings
ix. 13.) Branches off the trees — the palm-
trees. There were many species of the
palm. It is the date-palm for which Syria
and Palestine were distinguished. Jericho
so abounded in palm-trees that it was
called the " city of palms."
Hosanna, Blessed is he that cometh, <fec.
When we read of the multitude shouting
" Hosanna," and_ call to mind that in less
than one short week the same voices ex-
claimed "crucify Him, crucify Him," Ave
should learn a lesson of self-distrust, and
fear lest we sltould ever be found so false
and fickle. Many join the followers of
Christ when He seems to be riding in tri-
umph ; many voices are heard loud in pro-
fession, when profession is the fashion of
the day ; but how is it Avhen the scene is
changed ? when the cross is to be meekly
borne? when slights are to be endured
for His name's sake, and temptations to be
perseveringly and unostentatiously resist-
ed? Experience shows that His ranks
are then thinned. His professed friends
and followers melt aAvay. Few, as it were,
go Avith Him Avithout the camp, bearing
His reproach. (Heb. xiii. 13.)
11. fAnd Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the
temple: and when liu had looked round about upon all
things, and tinw thr eventide was come, he went out
unto Bethany with the twelve.
cMatt. xxi. 12, on which see notes.
When he had looked round aboid, &c. Si-
lently and penetratingly Jesus took in
everything in His glance, everyAA'here dis-
cerning spiritual death under the glisten-
ing curtain of life, the completest ruin in
the apparent bloom of living Avorship:
everyAvhere comi^lete heathenism upon
Moriah. Thus He Avent around, and per-
ceived everything Avith clear glance and
deejj silence in His true heart. Lie had
not completed this work until late in the
evening, Avhen, in the little comi^any of
the twelve. He went to Bethany through
the approaching night. (See on Matt. xxi.
12-13.)
12. ? 'And on the morrow, when they were come from.
Bethany, he wivs hungry : 1.3. JAnd seeing a fig tree
afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might ti: d
anything thereon : and when he came to it. he foui d
nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet. 1 '.
And Jesus answered and said unto it, kKo man eat fruit
of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples heard it.
iMatt. xxi. 18. JMatt. xxi. 19. kJohn xv. 6 ; Heb. vi.
4, 8, 10 ; 2 Peter ii. 20.
Verses 12-14: see on Matt. xxi. 17-19.
He was hungry. Jesus having left Beth-
any for the purpose of hastening to His
abode and ministry in the house which
Avas His Father's, in the deep attraction
of His heart toward the place and the
work, had not thought of appeasing His
bodily neces.sities with a morning meal.
Fig tree — the fig tree was A'ery common in
Palestine, and it is found there still,
though not in great abundance. Having
leaves. Its extraordinary shoAV of leaves
so early, gave a promise of early figs, since
in the fig tree the blossom and the fruit
appear before the formation of the leaA'es.
It was this profu.sion of leaA'es which Avar-
ranted the Lord in expecting to find figs
398
MARK.
on the tree. It turned out that the tree
was precocious. He came, if haply he might
find, &c. By the laws of Moses great free-
dom in helping one's self to fruit was
allowed, and Thomson says that the cus-
tom of plucking ripe figs as one passes by
the orchards is still universal, .... especi-
ally from trees by the roadside, and from
all that are not enclosed. (See Matt. sxi.
19.)
xYo man eat fruit of thee, &c. It is observed
that in the whole narrative of our Saviour's
life no passage is related of Him low or
weak, but it is immediately seconded, and,
as it were, corrected by another high and
miraculous. No sooner was Christ hum-
bled to a manger, but the contempt of the
place was taken off with the glory of the
attendance in the ministration of angels.
His submission to that mean and coarse
ceremony of circumcision was ennobled
with the public attestation of Simeon con-
cerning Him : His fasting and temptation
attended Vv'ith another service of angels :
His baptism with a glorious recognition
by a voice from heaven. When He seemed
to show weakness in seeking fruit upon
this,/z(/ tree, which had none, He manifes-
ted His power by cursing it to deadness
with a word: when He seemed to be over-
powered at His api^rehension in the garden
He then exerted His mightiness in causing
His armed adversaries to fall backward,
and healing Malchus' ear with a touch.
When He underwent the lash, andvioleift
infamy of crucifixion and death, then did
the universal frame of nature give testi-
mony to His divinity ; the temple rending,
the sun darkening, and the earth quaking,
the whole creation seemed to sympathize
Avith His passion. And when afterward
He seemed to be in the very kingdom and
dominion of death, by descending into the
grave. He quickly, confuted the dishonor
of that, by an astonishing resurrection,
and, by an argument ex abundanti, proved
the divinity of His person, over and over,
in an equally miraculous ascension, (xi.
7-10; Rom. i. 3, 4; 2 Cor. xi. 30, xiii. 14;
Heb. xi. 34.)
We may regard this blasting of the fig
tree in two lights. The fig tree, rich in
foliage, but destitute of fruit, represents :
I. The Jewish people, so abundant in out-
ward shows of piety, but destitute of its
reality. Their vital sap was squandered
upon leaves. And as the fruitless tree,
failing to realize the aim of its l)eing, was
destroyed, so the Theocratic nation, for the
same reason, was to be overtaken, after
long forbearance, by the judgments of
God, and shut out from His kingdom. The
deep yet latent curse of the people and
country appeared to the soul of Jesus in
this sign of the misgrowth of-a tree on the
way, therefore through His word He re-
vealed the hidden curse. II. This fig tree
was an apt emblem of an unprofitable
follower of the Messiah. It was a shoivy
tree. It made a boast of fruitfulness. It
was a lying tree. It invited people to be-
lieve that it had figs. It promised, by its
foliage, to give men figs. Christ, therefore,
doomed it to perpetual barrenness.
It is a great mistake to sujij^ose that the
act sprung from any feeling whatever on
account of the fruitlessness of the tree.
That, to such a being as Jesus Christ, was
a matter of no consequence. But the
Apostles, who were lociking on, needed
more instruction and faith. The tree was
cursed that the Aj^ostles might be blessed.
The record of the miracle is full of solemn
warning to churches and individuals. The
leaves of a profession may exist where
there is no fruit. A fruitless profession is
a i^erpetual falsehood.
15. H iiAnd they come to Jerusalem : and Jesus went
into the temple, and began to cast out Ibem that sold
and bought in the temiJle, and overthrew the tables of
the money changers, and the seats of them that sold
doves ; IB. And would not sufl'er that any man should
carry any vessels through the temple. 17. And he
taught, saying unto them. Is it not written, 'My house
shall be called of all nations the house of praj-er? but
kye have made it a den of thieves. 18. And 'the scribes
and chief priests heard j7, and sought how they might
destroy him: for they feared liim, because mall the
lieople was astonished at his doctrine. 19. And when
even wa.s come, he went out of the city.
tMatt. xxi. 12: John ii. 14. 'Isa. Ivi. 7. kJer. vii. U,
iMatt. xxi. 45, 46 ; Luke xLx. 47. ^Matt. vii. 28.
Began to cast out, &c. Men ought to have
taken warning the day before, whilst the
Lord spared them and admonished them
by gestures. Sold bought — animals
for temple sacrifice and other commodities.
Money changers. The Jewish money being
alone accepted for the sacred treasure,
brokers were always at hand to furnish it
in exchange for the foreign coin. Doves —
used in sacrifice by the poor. 3Ty house.
In the prophetical waitings, the temple of
God is thus designated. Den of thieves.
CHAPTER XI,
399
(Jer. vii. 11.) Robbers and thieves have
in every age betaken themselves to dens
and caves, where they can enjoy their ill-
gotten plunder in security. Hence the
appropriateness of the expression as used
here by our Lord.
Christ's clearing of the temple was a
type of His second coming, and if, even in
the days of His lowliness, He could put
forth such awful power, how much more
when He shall come in the clouds of
heaven " in His own glory, and in His
Father's, and of the holy angels !" (Luke
ix. 26.) His indignation will be first
poured out against those who have pro-
faned His name and gifts and ordinances
by their ungodliness and worldly lusts.
" Holiness," we are told, " becometh His
house forever " (Ps. xciii. 5), and let us
remember, that our bodies also are ac-
counted His temple, in which He lodges :
as it is written, " The temple of the Lord
is holy, Avhich temple ye are." (1 Cor. iii.
17.) Holy, indeed, ought we to be, and we
should pray Him now to cast out of our
hearts whatever displeases Him, that so,
however suddenly He come to His temple.
He may find it a house of prayer, a place
of holy thoughts and heavenly tempers
and practices, not a den of base and de-
ceitful habits.
20. f "Anrt in the morning, as they passed by, they
saw the fig trei- dried up from the roots. 21. And Peter
calling toreniembrance saith unti> him. Master, be-
hold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
"ilatt. xxi. 19.
On verses 20-24 see on Matt. xxi. 20-22,
xvii. 20, vi. 1-1-15 ; Luke xvii. 6.
In the morninr/, &c. (See on verses 13, 14.)
Dried up from the roots. Whilst the trees of
the Gentiles have been long since clad
with verdure, the fig tree of Jerusalem
has remained as our Saviour left it, for a
warning to all. There it has stood through
all the changes of time, as though, but
yesterday, it had been visited by the curse
of God. (Jer. xxiii. 40; Luke xxi. 24.)
22. And Jesus answering, saith unto them, Have faith
in God.
Although the symbolical meaning of
the dried up fig tree was that wiiich has
been already stated, our Lord was also
pleased to inculcate another lesson from
it, such as we need always to learn, on the
power of faith, and that lesson is followed
by another of like importance, on the
necessity of love, verse 25. (John xvi. 12 ;
Acts xiii. 40, 41, 40 ; Gal. v. G.) Jesus be-
fore referred to the power of faith (Matt.
xxi. 21), now He is more exjjlicit. The
words might be rendered, " have faith
of God," that is, be not confident in your-
selves, or in any inferior power, but let
your confidence be altogether that which
Cometh from God. So the Apostle exhorts
(Eph. vi. 10), " Finally, my brethren, be
strong in the Lord, and in the power of
His might.
23. For'-verily Isay untoyou. That wliosoeverphaU
say unto this mountain. Be thou removed, and be thou
cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in liLs heart, but
shall believe that those things which ho saith shall
come to pass ; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
"Matt. xvii. 20 ; Luke xvii. 6, ou which see notes.
In his heart, i. e., in his mind. This is
strengthened by the affirmative expression
of the same idea in the next clause. The
power of God is ours when our heart is
entirely His by a ftiith which is lively and
free from all distrust or doubtfulness.
This is the fruit of that holy and fitithful
friendship which the Holy Gliost forms
between God and the saints, and which
consists only in desiring the very same
things. Nothing is more or less difficult
in respect of Him who can equally do all
things, and whom nothing is able to resist.
24. Therefore I say unto you. pWhat things soever ye
desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and
ye shall have thfm.
Pilatt. vii. 7 ; John xiv. 13 ; James i. 5, G.
Therefore — in view of this readiness of
God to make your faith true the instant
that it exists. Isaij—I declare this high
privilege of the faithful soul. Unto you—
Who have attained full communion with
God. Ye desire. We are apt to acquiesce
in the bare act of prayer, and can be well
enough content all our lives to go without
the spiritual good things we pray for. The
case is plain, we do not desire them. (Matt,
v. 6.)
"Prayer," says Chrysostom, "is an all-
efficient panoply, a trea.sure undin:inished,
a mine, which is never exhausted, a sky
unobscured by clouds, a haven unruffled
by the storm ; it is the root, the fountain
and the mother of a thousand blessings.
It transcends a monarch's power I
speak not of the prayer which is cold, and
feeble and devoid of energy ; I speak of
that which proceeds from a mind out-
stretched, the child of a contrite spirit,
400
M A E K .
the offspring of a soul converted : this is
the prayer which mounteth to the heavens.
The power of prayer hath subdued
the strength of tire, it hath bridled the
rage of lions, hushed anarchy to rest, ex-
tinguished wars, appeased the elements,
expelled demons, burst the chains of death,
expanded the gates of heaven, assuaged
diseases, repelled frauds, rescued cities
from destruction, it hath stayed the sun
in its course, and arrested the progress of
the thunderbolt; in a word, it hath de-
stroyed whatever is an enemy to man. I
repeat, that I speak not of the jirayer en-
gendered by the lips, but of that which
ascends from the recesses of the heart."
(John iv. 24 ; Luke xi. 1 ; James v. 16.)
25. And when ye stand praying, qforgive, if ye have
aught against anj-, that your Father also wliiijli is in
heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 2C. IJut 'if
you do not ibrgive, neitlier will your Father whicii is
in heaven forgive your trespasses.
qMatt. vi. 14 : Col. Hi. 13. rMatt. xviii. 35.
If ye do not forgive, &c. On the connec-
tion betAveen forgiving and the prayer of
faitJi, Slier remarks : " Whenever the heart,
conscious of its own guilt, is not perfectly
ready to exercise forgiveness, whenever
there is any ban of enmity there is a secret
douhiing which breaks and hinders the
power of prayer. This is what the Ajjostle
means in 1 Tim. ii. 8, " without tvratli and
doubting." It will be observed that Christ
speaks indefinitely ; forgive, not merely
your brethren, but men (Matt. vi. 14) — all
men, good and bad, friends and enemies.
If we forgive one another freely, our
Heavenly Father will forgive us fully.
27. H And they come again to Jerusalem : sand a.s he
was walking in tlio temple, there came to him the chief
priest.-!, and tlif scriljes, and tlie elders, Zi. And sav
unto hiia. liy wiiat aulliority doest thou these things"?
and who gave tliee this autliurity to do these things ?
29. And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also
ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell
you by what authority I do these things. 30. The baptism
of John, was it from heaven, or of men ? answer me.
31. And they reasoned with themselves, saving. If we
sliall say. From heaven ; he will sav, Whv then did ye
not believe him ? 32. But if we shall say, Of men ; they
feared the people : for'allmrre counted John, that he
w:w a prophet indeed. 33. And they answered and said
unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And .Tesus answering saith
unto them. Neither do I tell you by what authority I
do these things.
i^Matt. xxi. 23, on which see notes, tjviatt. iii. 5,
By what authority, &c. Had they been
true to their office, or to themselves, they
needed not to have asked this question.
They had possessed long since abundant
means of knowing the Divine authority
both of the Lord's ministry, and of John's
baptism. But their carnal passions pre-
vented them from acknowledging the first,
while their cowardly fears, the oftspring
of a bad conscience, brought them into a
dilemma, respecting the last. Do we see
nothing like this among ourselves ? Re-
ceived truths are disputed ; things certain
are treated as uncertainties ; old objections,
often refuted, are revived; questions are
raised, where the clearest light and evi-
dence have long supplied an answer, ade-
quate to the conviction of every honest
mind: but men refuse to be convinced;
they harden themselves in error ; because
of their lusts, they " love to have it so ;"
while some even venture to hope that
their supposed inability to believe, which
is their condemnation, will serve as an ex-
tenuation of their general guilt, at the last
day. How awful, in these resjiects, are the
warnings of the Lord ! " Yet a little while
is the light with you ; walk while ye have
the light, lest darkness come upon you."
"Whosoever hath not, from him shall be
taken away even that he hath." " If the
light that is in thee be darkness, how
great is that darkness !" Neitlier tell I you
by ivhat authority I do these things. (Jer.
xiii. 16 ; Ezelc. xiv. 1-5 ; Luke xxii. 66, 67.)
I also ivill ask you. The counter-question
is once more a testimony to the heavenly
supremacy of Christ's wisdom as a Teacher.
Was it from heaven f i. e., did John act as a
true prophet under Divine authority ? The
antithesis, or of men, signifies his having
come by his own arbitrary boldness, un-
dertaking an enthusiastic work, sui^ported
by the party spirit of like-minded confed-
erates. Now if the sanhedrim declared
for the latter part of the alternative, they
would not only come into collision w'ith
the faith of the people, but they would
condemn themselves as having proved
false to the theocracy, as the administra-
tors of its laws. If, on the other hand, they
acknowledge the Divine mission of John,
they must also acknowledge Jesus as the
Messiah, for John had declared himself to
be the forerunner of the Messiah, and he
had moreover directed the people to Jesus
as the Messiah. In this dilemma, knowing
their spirit, we are prepared for their
answer, "We cannot tell."
They feared the people. In Matthew,
" We fear the people." Mark expresses
CHAPTER XII,
401
the same in sense, but in the narrative
form. This habit of passing from the
direct to the indirect narration, is very
common with all the ancient writers.
Some think that this is Mark's own reason
why they did not charge John with deriv-
ing his doctrine from men, and that they
felt a fear of the consequences of such an
assertion, but did not openly admit this,
even to one another. But Luke gives the
very words which they spake among them-
selves, "All the people will stone us,"
which shows that they did not attempt to
conceal their fear of consequences from
one another.
For all men counted John, that he u-as a
prophet indeed. The appearance of sanctity,
put on by every impostor, is a proof of the
influence it has, when genuine and un-
affected, over the minds of men. The
preacher will always be attended who
conforms to his own doctrine, and exem-
plifies it in his life, be that doctrine ever
so rigid. (Matt. iii. 6, 6, vii. 29 ; Acts xi.
24.)
Neither do I tell you, &c. Christ discovers
not Himself to hypocrites. That man is
altogether unworthy of the truth who seeks
it only to oppose it. (See 2 Thes. ii. 11 , 12.)
It is to no manner of purpose to disjjute
and reason with those who study only
how to ensnare in their discourses, and to
take advantage of everything against truth.
Such i:)ersons show plainly what concern
they have for truth when they make use
of lies and forgeries to oppress it. Humility
does not oblige anyone to give an account
of his conduct to all sorts of persons, nor
at all times, nor in all circumstances, but
only to be ready to do it whenever the
glory of God and the benefit of his neigh-
bors require it.
1. Where did Christ send two of His disciples ? 2. For what purpose were they sent t 3. What did the multi-
tude do as Jesus rode along ? 4. What is said about the fig tree ? 5. What did Christ do in the temple ? 6. What
farther is said about the fig tree ? 7. What did our Lord say to His disciples respecting faith ? 8. W'hat about
prayer ? 9. What about forgiveness ? 10. What conversation took place in the temple between Jesus and the
chief priests, scribes and elders ?.
CHAPTER XII.
1 Ina parable of the vinr-yard let out to unthankful hus-
bandmen, Christ fm-etelteth the reprobation of the
Jews, and the catling of the Gentiles. 13 He avoideth
the snare of the Pharisees and Herodians about payinr)
tribute to Ctesar : 18 convinceth the error of the f<ad-
ducees, u'ho denied the resurrection : 28 resolveth the
scribe, who qiiestimied of the first commandment : 35
refuteth the opinion that the scribes held of Christ ; 38
bidding the people to beware of their ambition and hy-
IMcrisy : 41 and commendeth the jMor luixlow for her
two viites, above ail.
AND ahe began to speak unto them by parables. A
certain man ^planted a vineyard, "^and set a hedge
about it, and digged a place for the wine-fat. and built
a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a
far countrv.
"Ezelv.xx. 49: Matt. xxi. 33: Luke xx. 9. ^Ps. Ixxx.
8, 16 : Isa. V. 1, 7 : Jer. ii. 21 ; Rom. xi. 17, 24. <:Kom.
iii. 1,2; ix. 4, 5.
Verses 1-12: see on Matt. xxi. 33-46;
Luke XX. 9-18.
The general idea of this parable is taken
from Isaiah v. 1-7. In its immediate ref-
erence it contains, partly as a narrative of
the past, partly as a discovery of the
future, the wonderful history of the
Jewish Church . It manifests the riches of
Divine love, and the benefits flowing out of
it to the chosen people, portrays an almost
inexhaustible patience and long sufiering
on the part of God toward the refractory
and unthankful sinner, discloses at the
same time the wickedness and the harden-
ing of the sinful heart as rising to a fearful
height, and finally closes with a threat-
ening of certain and dreadful, but most
righteous, judgments. But when viewed
in a more extended reference, this parable
speaks also of the general truths, whicli,
in the Christian Church, are continually
unfolding themselves, and reflected anew
in the history of individuals and entire
communities. Viewed in either light, the
description given of the lord of the vine-
yard serves to admonish us of the union
there is in God's character ©f mercy and
402
MARK.
holiness, of goodness and righteousness,
of patience and indignation.
The " certain man " was more than pos-
sessor of the vineyard, he had himself
" planted" it. (Ex. xv. 17.) The planting
of this spiritual vineyard found place
under Moses and Joshua, in the establish-
ing of the Jewish polity in the land of
Canaan. It is described Deut. xxxii.
12-14. (See Ezek. xvi. 9-14; Neh. ix.
23-25.) Set a hedge aboid it. In Ephes. ii.
14, the law is described as " the middle
wall of partition " between the Jew and
Gentile. By their circumscription through
the law, the Jews became a people dwel-
ling alone, and not reckoned among the
nations. (Num. xxiii. 9.) The wine-fat.
This was a square or round vat or pit ex-
cavated in the earth, mortared and
plastered so as to make it tight like a
modern cistern. Over this vat was the
wine-press, into which the grapes were
heaped, and when the juice was trodden
out it flowed into the vat. Built a tower —
a ioicer or observatory in the garden, hav-
ing a view in all directions, in which a
watchman is stationed to guard against
robbers. The vineyard represents the
Church or fold of God's service. This
must be girt as with a liedge; it must have
its ordinances for receiving thefloiv of the
divine nourishment; it must have its
towers and watchmen against the assaults of
the profane or the incursions of hypocrites.
Let it out — leased or rented it, with rent to
be paid from the produce. Went into a
far country — literally, rcent a^cay from home,
i. e., went abroad on his travels. This
seems to be added as a reason why he
rented out his vineyard, and sent his ser-
vants for the fruits, instead of meeting
the husbandmen in person ; and is not,
as some absurdly think, a representation
of the great distance of earth from
heaven. It has no special bearing upon
the application of the parable, and is only
added to make the picture more natural
and animated.
2. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a
*i.1I^"i- ^.hat^he might receive from the husbandmen
of the fnnt of the vineyard. 3. And they cauKht him
and beat him, and sent ftim away emptv. 4. And again
he sent unto them another servant ; aiid at him thev
cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent
ft/m away shamefully handled. 5. And again he sent
another ; and him they killed, and many others ; beat-
ing some, and killing some.
The messages that are spoken of in the
first parts of the parable, as sent by the
owner to the husbandmen, for the fruit
of the vineyard, refer to the constant ap-
peals made to Israel by God's servants —
the prophets. The reception which they
met with was just as here described.
They were despised, they were shame-
fully entreated, they were often put to
death. Beating some, and killing some.
" I am convinced," says Melanchthon, " that
in this world the true heavenly doctrine
will ever have to maintain a conflict
with errors and corruptions, and that those
who uphold the cause of Divine truth,
will be under the cross and suffer for
their principles. From the beginning of
the world it has been so, and holy and
enlightened men know that these things
must be borne." (Luke ii. 34 ; Acts xxviii.
22 ; Gal. iv. 28, 29.)
6. Having yet therefore done Son, his well beloved,
he sent him also last unto them, saying. They will rev-
erence my Son. 7. But those husbandmen said among
themselves, ^This is the heir: come, let us kill him, and
the inheritance shall be ours. 8. And they took him,
and killed him, and cast him out of the vinej'ard.
dPs. ii. 7. ePs. ii. 2, 3, xxii. 12, 16.
This is the heir, &c. After the raising of
Lazarus, the Evangelist informs us that
the " chief priests and Pharisees gathered
a council, and said, What do we ? for this
man doeth many miracles. If we let him
thus alone, all men will believe in Him :
and the Romans will come and take away
both our place and nation." The very
original of the parabolic picture ! Come,
let us Mil him, &c. We, on the contrary,
say, " This is the Son of the eternal CTod,
let us believe on Him, and the inheritance
shall beours. (xv. 32; Rom. viii. 17.) And
they took him, &c. All three narrators de-
scribe Him as thus " cast out of the vine-
yard," by which we are reminded of Him
who " suffered without the gate." (Heb.
xiii. 12, 13 ; John xix. 17.) By that, as in
the Pentateuch by the exclusion from the
camp, was signified the cutting off from
the people of God, and from all share in
their blessings. (See 1 Kings xxi. 13.)
9. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do ?
he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will
give the vineyard unto others.
What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard
dof &c. Jesus puts the question to His
opponents, so that the answer from their
own mouth (see Matt. xxi. 41) might serve
CHAPTER XII.
403
as a testimony to the righteousness of the
punishment that had been so richly de-
served by the wicked vine-dressers. The
coming of the Lord is the period when the
work of Divine judgment shall be execu-
ted. He will come and destroy, &c. The
despisers of the Divine mercies, and those
who misuse them, shall be torn away from
them, that these may be given to others
more likely to improve them. (See 1 Peter
ii. 3-10.) Will give the vineyard unto others.
The rejection of the Jews and the call of
the Gentiles was one of the greatest mys-
teries of the Gospel dispensation ; so ob-
scure, so hard to receive, that even Peter,
though gifted with the Holy Ghost at Pen-
tecost, needed a repeated special vision
from heaven, to convince him of it. Ac-
cordinglj', as a doctrine so repugnant to
Jewish prejudices, it was gradually taught
and revealed by the Lord. Here, indeed,
it is intimated with sufficient clearness ;
but our Lord had recently prepared the
way by two most remarkable symbolical
actions — the drying up of the fig tree,
pointing to the rejection of the Jew ; the
assertion that the temple was God's house
of prayer " for all nations," equally ex-
pressing the call of the Gentiles, (xi. 17,
21 ; Acts X. 14 ; Eph. i. 9, 10 ; iii. 1-12.)
10. And have ye not re.acl this Scripture, 'The stone
which the builders rejected is become the head of the
corner: 11. This was the Lord's doing, and it is inar-
vellous in our eyes? 12. sAnd they sought to la.v hold
on him, but feared the people : for they knew Hiat he
had spoken the parable against them: and they left
him, and went their way.
fPs. cxviii. 22. gMatt. xxi. 45, 46; chap. xi. 18; John
Vii. 25, 30, 44.
The Stone which the bmlders rejected (as un-
suitable and unfit for use) is become the head
of the corner. Jesus, rejected by the high
priests, scribes, and elders, not owned and
recognized as the true Messiah, is the
strong and firm corner stone of the new
building of the Christian Church, in which
those who were hitherto divided asunder,
Jews and heathen, have been united into
one glorious body. (Eph. ii. 13, 20.) This
was the Lord^s doing, not according to the
will, nor accomplished through the work-
ing of man. (Phil. ii. 9-11 ; Eph. i. 20-23.)
And it is marvellous in our eyes, the exalta-
tion of Christ, the gathering of a new
Church, and the general extension of this
Church is, as a work and manifestation of
God's purposes and almighty power, an
object for men's adoring wonder. For they
knew, &c. Their conscience bearing witness.
13. T hAnd tliev send unto him certain of the Phari-
sees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.
hMatt. xxii. 15; Luke xx. 20.
Pharisees and Herodians. The Herodians
were a political party rather than a relig-
ious sect. They were probably the parti-
san supporters of the Herod family, and
so favorable to the Roman dominion.
They were not therefore very strenuous
for the peculiarities of the Jewish religion.
The great foes of religion, which have in
all ages opposed its progress and under-
mined its glory, are hypocrisy and pro-
faneness. Between these two thieves the
jewel hangs, as its great ]Master on the
cross; and they both revile it, the one
under the character of a familiar friend,
the other under that of an open enemy :
which of these does the greater harm, is
sometimes difficult to determine, (xiv.
45, 46.)
14. And when they were come, they say unto him,
Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no
man; for thou regardest not the person of men, but
teachest the way of Cxod in truth : Is it lawful to give
tribute to Cesar, or not ?
Master, we know, &c. How flattering the
language with which our Lord was accosted
by His enemies! How well these Phari-
sees and Herodians talked ! What smooth
and honeyed words were these! (Ps.lv.
21.) All professing Christians should be
much on their guard against flattery. We
greatly mistake if we suppose that perse-
cution and hard usage are the only weapons
in Satan's armory. That crafty foe has
other engines for doing us mischief, which
he knows well how to work. He knows
how to poison souls by the world's seduc-
tive kindness, when he cannot frighten
them by the fiery dart and the sword. Let
us not be ignorant of his devices. By
peace he destroys many. Is it lawful, &c.
To the Jew. " According to theocratical
principles, which regarded Jehovah as the
only King in Israel." This question of
itself obscures the supposition of duty, and
the question : " Must we, as servants of the
theocracy, refuse the tribute?" meant in
other words : Must we resist the dominion
of the Romans, and rise up in rebellion ?
Ornot? The not latrful they would fain
have put in His mouth.
15. Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he,
knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt
ye me ? bring me a penny, that I may see it.
404
MARK.
A penny, the coin in which the tribute
was jjaid. This was the Eoman denarius,
worth, in our money, about fifteen cents.
16. And they brought it. And he saith unto them,
Whose !s this image and superscription? And they
said unto him, Cesar's.
The image was probably the likeness of
of the Eoman emperor Tiberius Caesar,
The superscription was the motto upon the
coin, which declared his sovereignty. In
earlier ages the coin bore the symbols of
the republic. They said unto him, Cxsar^s.
He would have them convicted by their
own mouth.
17. And Jesus answering said unto them, 'Render to
Cesar the things that are Cesar's, and to God the things
that are God's. And they marvelled at him.
'Rom. xiii. 7 ; 1 Peter ii. 17.
Bender to Ciesar, &c. The answer of Jesus
is very different from what they expected.
He wisely discriminates between allegiance
to the civil power and allegiance to God,
yet by no means separating our civil and
religious duties. A good Christian must
be a good citizen. Our Lord in this rejily,
it has well been said, evades the peculi-
arity of every party, yet sustains the truth
in question. The Herodians cannot com-
plain, for Ceesar's government is not attack-
ed. The Pharisees xannot complain, for
His decision is but their own confession
put in shape. The very Gaulonites cannot
complain, for He does not decide that there
are no just grounds for revolutionizing the
government from the foundations, and as-
serting independence alike of Cpesar's coin
and Cfcesar's authority. All he decides is
(and this He does, not as a political patriot
or as a political arbiter, but as a religious
teacher), that while C;esar's government is
the acknowledged government, it must
receive its dues. Our Lord's mission was
not to preach rebellion against the Eomans,
or a redress of civil wrongs. He came to
preach deliverance to the captive, but it
was the captive of sin and death. He aimed
to make the heart of man lietter, to teach
the duty of love to God and our fpllow-
men, knowing well that if the Gospel was
cordially embraced, the great social and
political evils would in due time be re-
moved. Nothing is plainer than that the
influence of our Christian character should
pervade every relation of life, and control
us in the discharge of every duty.
The things that are God's. God has greater
claims upon us than any other being can
have. He created man in His image,
bestowing upon him a reasonable soul and
an immortal spirit. Therefore we are God's,
because we bear His image, as the tribute
money bore the image of Caesar. But God
has not only created us. He has redeemed us.
When Satan had taken us captive, Christ
redeemed us with His precious blood. (1
Cor. vi. 20). Have we given ourselves to
the Eedeemer? Is it our chief desire to
do His will and to promote His glory?
Learn.l. That our Saviour was no enemy
to civil government. 2. That those who
are subject to a government, ought, from
a principle of conscience, to pay tribute to
it. 3. That as Christ is no enemy to the
civil rights of government, and His religion
exempts none from paying their civil dues,
so governments should be as careful not
to rob Him of His Divine honor.
Let us not forget the obedience which
we owe to the God of the Bible in spiritual
matters. No temporal loss, no civil disa-
bility, no displeasure of the powers that
be, must ever tempt us to do things which
the Scripture plainly forbids. Our position
may be very trying. We may have to suf-
fer much for our conscience' sake. But we
must never fly in the face of unmistakable
requirements of Scripture. If Ctesar coins
a new Gospel, he is not to be obeyed. We
must " render to God the things that are
God's."
18. T tThen came unto him the Sadducees. iwhich say
there is no resurrection ; and they asked him, saying,
IP. Master. "Moses wrote unto us. If a man's brother die,
and leave /i I.? wife beft/nd him, and leave no cliildren.
tliat his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed
unto his brother. 20. Now there were seven brethren :
and the first took a wife, and dying, left no seed. 21.
And the second took her. and died, neither left he any
seed : and the third, likewise. 22. And the seven had
her. and left no seed: la-st of all, the woman died also.
23. In the resurrection, therefore, when they shall rise,
whose wife shall she be of them ? for theseven liad her
to wife. '24. And Jesus, answering, said unto tliem. "Do
vp not, tlierefore, err, because ve knr>w not the Scrip-
tures, neither the power of God ? 2.x For wlien they
shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are
given in marriage ; hut "are as the aneels. which nre in
heaven. 26. And. as touching the dead, that they rise,
have ve not read in the hook of Moses, how. in the bush,
God sjiake unto liim. saying. vJ nm tlie God of Abra-
ham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob ? 27.
He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living ;
ve. therefore, do greatlv err.
tMatt xxU. ?3. lAct'ixxiii. ft. ™x)eut. xxv. .5. "l Cor.
XV. 42, 49, 52. oMatt.xxii. 30; Luke xx. 35-36. pEx. iii.6.
Verses lS-28 : see on Matt. xxii. 23-33.
Which say there is no resurrection. The
Sadducees did not believe that there would
be any resurrection of the dead, because
they did not understand how it could be.
CHAPTER XII.
405
When they applied to Jesus they described
a case which might have occurred under
the Jewish law. The land of Canaan was
divided into small inheritances. If a man
died without a child to succeed him, God
enjoined that his brother should marry
the widow, and that if a child were born,
he should succeed to the property of the
deceased brother, and be considered as his
heir. The Sadducees imagined that they
had proposed a difficulty which the Lord
could not solve, but by a word He exposed
their folly.
And dying. " It is appointed unto all
men once to die," and then they must
shift the scenes and begin anew. No one
can plead exemiation, either by privilege
or example. For all that have gone be-
fore us have trodden the same path — wise
Solomon, rich Dives, long-lived ]Methuse-
lah, righteous Job — none have been ex-
empted, be they what they will, though
their head have been of gold, their body
of iron, their arms of brass, yet their feet,
like Nebuchadnezzar's image, have been
of clay, and they have gone into the dust.
Here fortune has no part ; the manner of
our death, indeed, may be casual, but the
matter of it is certain. (Gen. v. 8, 11, xiv.
17, 20, xxvii. 31 ; Josh, xxiii. 14; Zech. i.
5 ; 1 Kings xxii. 34.)
In the resurrection, therefore, &c. How
carnal are the thoughts of carnal men
concerning the life of heaven, and how
unAvorthy of that blessed state ! We must
lose all the ideas of whatever passes upon
earth, in order to frame one which may
at all come near the true nature of that
eternal happiness. The creature shall be-
long only to its Creator ; man shall live
only for his God. They neither marry, &c.
All the allian(;cs and unions here on earth
are tokens and efiects of man's indigence
and mortality. When once he hhall enter
into eternity, where all his desires will be
satisfied, all his wants supplied, and his
mortality swallowed up in glory, then all
unions shall be merged in the union with
God.
But are as ihe angels. Angels are not
divided into families as men are, and
glorified saints will not be connected in
heaven with the relations they had upon
earth. They will have connections, but
not of an earthly kind. The pastor will
rejoice to find again the flock he fed below.
(See 1 Thes. ii. 19.) The pious parent will
find himself united in spiritual bonds to
the children who were born the second
time, in answer to his fervent supplica-
tions. The friends who have borne each
other's spiritual burdens up the hill of
Zion, will walk together by the waters of
life that gladden the city of their God.
Spiritual bonds can never be dissolved.
I am the God of Abraham, &c. These
words of our Saviour show us how much
more there is in Scripture than at first
sight appears. God spoke to Moses in the
burning bush, and called Himself the God
of Abraham; and Christ tells us, that in
this simple announcement was contained
the promise, that Abraham should rise
again from the dead. In truth, if we may
say it with reverence, the all-wise, all-
knowing God cannot speak without mean-
ing many things at once. He "sees the
end from the beginning;" He understands
the numberless connections and relations
of all things, one with another. Every
word of His is full of insti-uction, looking
many ways ; and, though it is not often
given to us to knoAV these various senses,
and we are not at liberty to attempt lightly
to imagine them, yet, as far as they are
told us, and, as far as we may reasonably
infer them, we must thankfully accept
them. (Ps. cxix. 96.)
The God of the living. As the Sadducees
denied not only the resurrection of the
body, but the immortality of the spirit,
therefore Jesus brought forward a proof
of the eternal life of the pious dead. How
glorious is the idea that all the saints are
actually in existence ! They not 07dy lire,
but "are as the angels." Though we know
not the degree of their haj^piness, Jesus
did. He had but lately left the blessed
company above, and now He was going to
die, that they might live on forever, and
that their number might continually in-
crease.
38. t lAnd one of the scribes came, and having heard
theni reiusoning together, and perceiving that he had
answered therh well, asked him. Wliich is the tirst
commandnientof all?— iMatt. xxii. •>■>.
On verses 28-34 see on IMatt. xxii. 34-40.
One of the Scribes. A teacher of the law.
Which is the first commandment of all? He
406
MARK.
meant the first in importance, the primary,
leading commandment, the most funda-
mental one.
29. And Jesus answered him. The first of all the com-
mandments i.s, 'Hear, O Israel ; The Lord our God is
one Lord: 3i). And thou Shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind, and with all thy strength : this is the first
commandnieut.— rDeut. vi. 4 ; Luke x. 27.
Israel. The name put upon Jacob as
wrestling with the angel of the covenant
at Peniel. (Gen. xxxii. 28.) The disciple
who was ready to receive the knowledge
of God as revealed in " the Son of God . .
the King of Israel," was called " an
Israelite," indeed. (John i. 47.) Thou
shall lore the Lord thy God. Of all things,
God requires this foith and persuasion of
His fatherlj' goodness as the chief service,
for, before He asks anything of us. He
says, "I am the Lord thy God," giving
Himself and all that He has to be our
own — " The Lord our God," as He is the
Head of the communion of saints; "the
Lord thy God," as He is the Head of every
particular member in the same mystical
Body. That we may love Him, and also,
for His sake, love one another, we must
apprehend the Lord God in both these
relations. (Ps. xlviii. 13 ; John xx. 28 ; 1
John V. 1, 2.) With all thy heart soul
.... mind .... strength. These are formu-
las nearly equivalent, but involving no
redundancy, and united for intensity of
sense, importing, not that perfection in
degree, or exaltation in kind, contended
for by some, but only denoting that " we
must assign to God the frst place in our
affections, and consecrate to Him the uni-
ted powers and faculties, both of body and
mind," with which He hath endowed us
so as to exert them most effectually.
(Comp. Deut. vi. 5.)
31. And the second ifi like, namely this, »Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other
commandment greater than tliese.
sLev. xix. 18 : Matt. xxii. ;« ; Rom. xiii. 9 ; Gal v 14 ■
iDeut. iv. 39 ; Isa. xlv. 6, 14, xlvi. 9. il Sam. xv. 22'
Hos. vi. 6 ; Mic. vi. 6-8.
Well, construe with,</icm hast said: for it
is founded on the truth, as Luke iv. 25.
There is one God, an absolute phrase re-
jjeated from verse 29, that is, from Moses.
(Comp. Zech. xiv. 9.) One God requires one
heart and one love. Whole burnt offerings —
the most noble species of sacrifice.
M. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly,
he said unto him. Thou art not far from the kingdom
of God. wAnd no man after that durst ask him any
question.— ^Matt. xxii. 46; Kom. iii. 19.
James il. 8.
And the second is like. He does not say,
equal with it, although the duties of the
second table are of the same authority, and
of the same necessity with the first, as no
man can be saved without the love of God,
BO neither without the love of his neighbor.
32. And the scribe said unto him. Well, Master, thou
hast said the truth : for there is one God : <and there is
none other but he : 3;i. And to love him with all the
heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the
soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neigh-
bour as himself, "is more than all whole burnt offerings
and sacrifices.
When Jesus saw that he ansivered dis-
creetly, i. e., intelligently. Whoever appre-
hends the spiritual nature of the law,
especially in its contrast to outward forms
of worship, is spiritually-minded — rational
in a moral point of view — is in a fair way
of turning away from self-righteousness,
and of obtaining that knowledge of him-
self which is an indisijensable condition
of entering into the kingdom of God.
AVhat this scribe still lacked was the total
surrender to his conviction, its practical
carrying out in following Jesus. The im-
pression made upon him was an earnest
of Christ's final victory over His most re-
spectable opponents. Thou art not far,
&.C. The sentiments expressed by the
scribe, became a subject of Messiah's king-
dom, and must have a happy influence to
dispose the mind to examine the Gospel ;
on which account Jesus declared that this
person was not far from the kingdom of God.
Durst, or rather, ventured, to ask him any
questions. It was not any stern prohibition,
or terrible menace, denounced by our
Lord, that frightened every one from fur-
ther attempts this way, but the people saw
how completely those were foiled who
tried to ensnare Him with captious ques-
tions.
35. T lAnd Jesus answered and said, while he taught
in the temple. How say the scribes that Christ is the
son of David? ;J6. For David himself said ybj- the Holy
Cihast, zThe Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my
right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 37.
David therefore himself calleth him Lord ; and whence
is he then his son ? And the common people heard him
gladly.
iMatt. xxii. 41 ; Luke xx. 41. j2 Sam. xxiii. 2. ^Ps.
ex. 1.
See on Matt. xxii. 41-46.
"It is not to be forgotten that the pro-
phetic Psalms are among the earliest dis-
coveries, made of the exalted nature and
proper dignity of Christ. The promise of
CHAPTER XII
407
the blessing to come by the seed of Abra-
ham showed the magnitude of the benefit
(Gen. xxii. 17, 18) ; but not the personal
glory of the Benefactor. In the Psalms,
His personal attributes and His Divine
Sonship invest the prophecy, and introduce
the object of worship." (Ps. ii., xlv., ex.)
And the common people heard him gladly. In
good truth, says one, the more we know
of Christianity and of the poor, the more
deeply sliall we be impressed with the
exact adjiptation of the one to the other,
both in the substance of what it teaches,
and in the manner of teaching. And the
poor, it is carefully to be remembered,
must ever constitute the great majority of
those, to whom Christianity is addressed,
(xiv. 7.)
38. U And "he said unto them in his doctrine, ^Beware
of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and
^ve salutations in the market places, 39. And the
chief seats in tlie synagogues, and tlie uppermost rooms
at feasts : 40. dWHiich devour widows' houses, and for
a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive
greater damnation.
aChap. iv. 2. >'llatt. xxiii. 1, &c. ; Luke xx. 46, 47.
«Luke xi. 43. dMatt. xxiii. 14.
Beware of the scribes, which love to go in
long clothing, &c. Our Saviour here con-
demns, not civil salutations in the market
place, not the chief seats in the synagogues,
not the uppermost rooms at feasts, but
their fond ailecting of these things, and
their ambitious aspiring after them. He
condemns them for their gross hypoc-
risy in coloring over their covetousness
with a pretence of religion, making long
prayers in the temple and synagogues for
widows, and thus persuading them to give
bountifully to the common treasury for
the temple, some part of which was em-
ployed for their maintenance. Greater
damnation, i. e., more tremendous suflFering
in the world of despair. And for a pretence,
&c. In what triumphant measures, says
an old writer, doth a Pharisee go from the
altar! What a harmless thing is a cheat,
after a sermon ! What a sweet morsel is
a widow's house after long prayers! What
a piece of justice is oppression, after a fast!
After so much ceremony, the blood of
Abel himself, of the justest man alive, hath
no voice. (Prov. vii. 14.) Nothing is more
provoking to God, than the use of holy
things without the conversion of the
heart. (Mai. i. 14; Jer. ii. 4-11; Acts v.
5-10.)
41. 7 "And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and
beheld how the people cast money Hnto the treasury :
and many that were rich cast in much.
•Luke xxi. 1. (i Klugs xii. 9.
Sat, probably to rest. The treasury. This
repository received the voluntary contribu-
tions of the worshipers, who came up to the
feasts : and the money thrown into it was
designed to purchase wood for the altar,
salt, and other necessary things, not pro-
vided for another way. As Jesus saw the
people put in their money. He knew the
motives that actuated them all, and as each
dropped his gift into the chest, the heart
and disposition of the individual was open
before Him. He knew whether he was sin-
cere or not, and according to the sincerity
of the act, and the peculiar disposition of
the giver, so was it acceptable or unac-
ceptable in the sight of Almighty God.
Jesus still observes how much is contribu-
ted to His cause, and by whom.
42. And there came a certain poor widow, and she
threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
A certain poor widow. Our Lord had just
been launching reproofs against the proud
who devoured iindows' houses. As if from
the dim distance, one of these widoivs seems
to have appeared, whose house, perhaps,
had been devoured, and in whose behalf
our Lord had denounced the judgments
of God. Two mites. A mite was the small-
est of Jewish coins, about the value of one-
fifth of a cent. It took its name from its
extreme smallness, being derived from an
adjective signifying thiji, subtle, and applied,
among other things, to that which consists
of fine particles, as dust, sand, and meta-
phorically, to gentle breezes, whispering,
murmuring sounds, &c. (See on Matt. v. 26.)
43. And he called unto Mm his disciples, and saith
unto them. Verily I say unto you, That fthis poor widow
hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into
the treasury : 44. For all tfieij did cast in of their abun-
dance : but she of her want did cast in all that she had,
hetvn all her living.
s2 Cor. viii. 12. ^Deut. xxiv. 6 ; 1 John iii. 17.
Hath cast more in. What is meant by the
"more"? "He must," says one, "mean
one of three things — either financially, pro-
portionally, or morally. It cannot be the
first. Is it the second ? Does He mean
to say that she put in " more " in propor-
tion to her means? This was no doubt
true. And it is frequently true that many
who give sums too small to record in
" reports," give more than those who lay
, down hundreds, or even thousands. The
408
MARK,
Christian law of proportion in giving is
violated in every Church. But we do not
think this is the meaning here. An indi-
vidual may give much " more " in propor-
tion to others, and yet not acceptably to
Christ. The third we take to be the mean-
ing, it was more morally: she gave her
heart and self with her mites. First, this
is more valuable in itself. In fact, there is
no real value in a gift, unless it is done
with the heart. "Though I give my body
to be burned," &c. Secondly, this is more
valuable in its influence. He who gives his
strongest desires and best sympathies to a
cause, gives that which will do far more
good, though he has not a fraction
of money to bestow, than if he presented
his thousands without heart. If the man's
heart is with it, his efforts, jirayers, life — the'
totality of his influence, will be ever helping
it on. Let us remember, that the Lord Jens
never changes. The thing that we read
of in this passage is the thing that is going
on all over the world. " The eyes of the
Lord are in every place." (Prov. xv. 3.)
Nothing is too little to escape His obser-
vation. No act is too trifling to be noted
down in the book of His remembrance.
He measures littleness and greatness by a
very different measure from the measure
of man. On no point, perhaps, do profes-
sed Christians come short so much as in
the matter of giving money to God's cause.
Thousands, it may be feared, know noth-
ing whatever of "giving" as a Christian
duty. The little giving that there is, is
confined entirely to a select few in the
Churches. Even among those who give,
it may be boldly asserted, that the poor
generally give far more in proportion to
their means than the rich. These are plain
facts which cannot be denied. The exper-
ience of all who collect for religious soci-
eties and Christian charities, will testify
that they are correct and true. Let us
judge ourselves in this matter of giving,
that we may not be judged and condemned
at the great day. (Prov. xi. 24.)
1. With -what parable is this chapter introduced ? 2. Who is represented by the " certain man ? " 3. Who by
the " servants ? " 4. Who by the " son ? " 5. For what purpose did the Pharisees and Herodians come to Jesus T
6. How did He answer their question ? 7. What did the Sadducees say to Christ. 8. Explain His answer to
them. 9. State the interview between the scribe and our Lord. 10. What caution did He give concerning the
scribes ? 11. What is said of " a certain poor widow 7 "
CHAPTER XIII.
1 Christ foretelleth the destruction of the temple: 9 tfie
persecutions for the gospel: 10 that the gospel must
be preached to all nations: 14 that great calamities
shaU happen to the Jews: 24 and the manner of his
coming to judgment : 32 the hour whereof being known
to none, every man is to watch and pray , that we be
notfound ■unprovided, when he cometh to each one par-
ticularly by death.
For the explanation of the chief things in
this most important discourse of our Lord,
see notes on Matthew xxiv. There is no
doubt that part of it relates to the destruc-
tion of Jerusalem, and that part of it relates
to the end of the world. This is the only
Avay in which we can satisfactorily explain
the interlacing phenomena of the two
events.
AND aas he went out out of the temple, one of his
disciples saith unto him, Master, see what man-
ner of stones, and what buildings are here!
»Matt xxiv. 1 ; Luke xxi. 5.
Master, see, &c. The reference was to the
temple, the sacred building itself, and the
courts. These buildings are spoken of by-
Gentiles and Jews in language of admira-
tion. Josephus says that some of the stones
were sixty -seven feet long, seven feet high,
and nine feet broad. This is not in the
least incredible, for in the ruins of Baal-
bec, Syria, are stones of similar dimensions.
Dr. Robinson measured three of the latter,
and found them severally sixty-four feet,
sixty-three feet, and sixty-three feet eisht
inches long. Referring to the stones of
CHAPTER XIII.
409
Baalbec, Thomson says : " How such
blocks could be transported a mile over
uneven ground to the temple, and elevated
to their position on its platform, is yet an
unsolved problem iu the science of me-
chanical forces."
2. And Jesus answering said unto him, Scest thou
these great buildings ? Hhere shall not be left one stone
upon anotlier, that sliall not be thrown down.
bJlatt. xxiv. 2 : Luke xix. 44.
There shall not be left, &c. This prophecy
was literally fulfilled forty years after its
utterance, fulfilled by Jewish fanatics and
Eoman soldiers in express violation of the
orders of Titus, one of the most humane
of the Roman emperors, who wished to
save it. Now this prophecy was uttered
in a time of profound peace, and when
nobody even dreamed of the fulfillment
by a man hated by His country, soon to be
crucified as a criminal, without patronage,
power, wealth or influence, and of whose
history His enemies asked, " Whence hath
this man learning?" This, then, was
either fanaticism, or it was the absolute
truth enunciated then and there by the
God of all truth.
3. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, over
against tlie temple, Peter and James and John and
Andrew iusl<ed him privately ; 4. cTell us, when shall
these things be? and what xhall be the sign when all
these things shall be fulfilled ?.
•Matt. xxiv. 3 ; Luke xxi. 7.
Upon — The mountain. The wall of the
temple was lower toward the Mount of
Olives, so that the interior of the temple
could be readily seen. Peter, &c. James
and Peter were to die before the rest, and
yet the subject concerns even them, still
more John.
5. And Jesus answering them, began to say, "iTake
heed lest any man deceive you : (i. For many shall
come in myname, saying, I am Christ, and shall de-
ceive many.
■JMatt. xxiv. 45 ; Jer. xxix. 8 : Eph. v. C : 1 Thes. ii. 3.
Began to say. He had said little pre-
viously concerning these things. Take
heed lest any man deceive you. A great
number of deceivers is one of the signs of
the end of the world. It is a terrible
judgment upon men for them to believe
that they are consulting a man of God
who may instruct them, while they are
consulting only a seducer who deceives
them. Let us beg of God to preserve us
from it. The expectation of new and ex-
traordinary things is an occasion of which
the devil generally makes an ill use in
order to deceive men. An author of heresy
or schism, an usurper of Christ's authority,
a minister without mission, these are all
so many false Christs, whom we must
carefully avoid as so many sedir ers. For
many shall come in my name, &c. This part
of the prophecy began soon tolo fulfilled;
for we learn from the ancient writers, and
particularly from JoscpJius, that not lor.g
after our Lord's ascension several imiios-
tors appeared, some pretendip.g to be the
Messiah, and others to foretell future
events. The first were those whom our
Lord here says should come in his name, and
were, therefore,/a?.sc Christs. The others are
alluded to in the eleventh verse, under the
name of false prophets : " Many false proph-
ets shall arise, and shall deceive many."
Of the first sort were, as Origen informs
ufe, one Dositheus, who said that he was
the Christ foretold by Moses ; and Simon
Magus, who said he appeared among the
Jews as the Son of God. Besides several
others alluded to by Josephus.
7. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of
wars, be ye not troubled ; tor s-vtli thiyrga must needs
be, but the end .s7if(// not ^r yet. S. For nation shall rise
against nation, ami kingdom again.st kingdom : and
there shall be earthquakes in dh<er.i places, and there
shall be famines and troubles : 'these are the beginning
of sorrows. — 'Matt. xxiv. 8, on which see notes.
When ye shall hear ofxvars, &c. That there
were in reality great disturbances and com-
motions in those times, that there were not
only rumors of wars, but wars actually ex-
isting, and continued dissentions, insurrec-
tions, and massacres among the Jews, and
other nations who dwelt in the same cities
with them, is so fully attested by all the
historians of that period, but more partic-
ularly by Josephus, that to produce all the
dreadful events of that kind which he
enumerates, would be to transcribe a great
part of his history. It is equally certain,
from the testimony of the same author, as
well as from Eusebius, and several profane
historians, that there were famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes in divers
places. It is added in the parallel place
by Luke, " that fearful sights and great
signs shall there be from heaven." And
accordingly Josephus, in the preface to his
history of the Jewish war, and in the his-
tory itself, enumerates a great variety of
astonishing signs and prodigies, which he
says preceded the calamities that impended
over the Jews, and which he expressly
410
MARK,
affirms, in perfect conformity to our Sa-
viour's prediction, were signs manifestly
intended to forbode their approaching de-
struction. And these accounts are confirm-
ed by the Roman liistorian Tacitus, who
says that many prodigies happened at that
time ; armies appeared to be engaging in
the sky, arms were seen glittering in the
air, the temple was illuminated with flames
issuing from the clouds, the doors of the
temple suddenly burst open, and a voice
more than human was heard, " that the
gods were departing;" and soon after a
great motion, as if they were departing.
These are the beginning of sorroios, &c. Ter-
rible as all these omens seem, they are
small compared to the miseries of the siege
and downfall of the holy city,
9. \ But ftake heed to yourselves : for they shall de-
liver you up to councils ; and in the synagogues ye shall
be beaten : and ye shall be brought before rulers and
kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
'Matt. X. 17; Rev. ii. 10.
Shall he beaten. (See Acts xxii. 19, xxvi.
11.) For a testimony against, or rather, to
them. (Comp, notes on Matt. x. 18, xxiv.
14.)
10. And Pthe gospel must first be published among all
nations.— sMatt. xxiv. 14.
Paul, in his Epistles to the Colossians,
speaks of the Gospel "being come into
all the world, and preached to every crea-
ture under heaven." And we learn from
the most authentic writers, and the most
ancient records, that the Gospel was
preached within thirty years after the
death of Christ, in Idumea, Syria, and
Mesopotamia, in Media and Parthia, and
many parts of Asia Minor, in Egypt, Mau-
retania, Ethiopia, and other regions of
Africa, in Greece and Italy, as far north as
Scythia, and as far westward as Spain, and
in England, where there is great reason to
believe Christianity was planted in the
days of the Apostles, and before the de-
struction of Jerusalem.
11. tiBut when they shall lead i/om. and deliver you up,
take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, nei-
ther do ye premeditate : but whatsoever shall be given
you in that hour, that speak ye : for it is not ye speak,
"but the Holy Ghost.
•"Matt. X. 19, on which see notes: also on Luke xxi.
15. 'Acts il. 4.
But rvhen, read, and when. Neither do ye
premeditate. Not only have you no need of
anxiety, but not even of premeditation.
Whatsoever shall he given you, &c. If they
were thus to be furtiished with words by
the Holy Spirit for preaching the Gospel
orally to a few persons in particular times
and places, shall we imagine that they
were not equally well qualified by the
same Spirit for preaching the same Gospel
in writing to all ages and countries in the
world? (1 Cor. ii. 11, 13, 16.) That speak
ye, the whole of it, and fearlessly, for with
that view it is given you.
12. Now kthe brother shall betray the brother to
death, and the father the son; and children shall rise
up against tfmir parents, and shall cause them to be put
to death. 13. 'And je shall be hated of all men for my
name's sake: but "he that shall endure unto the end,
the same shall be saved.
kMi. vii. 6 ; Matt. xxiv. 9, 10, x. 21 ; Luke xxi. 16.
'Matt. xxiv. 9 ; Luke xxi. 17. ""Dan. xli. 12 ; Matt. x. 22 ;
Rev. ii. 10.
Brother shall betray, &c. Grace teaches
us to lay down our lives for the brethren,
but corruption in general, and enmity to
the Gospel in particular, teaches brother
to take away the life of brother. Hat-ed of
all men. That the Apostles and primitive
Christians were more hated and persecuted
than any other religious sect of men is no-
torious. Faith and charity join us in the
closest union with strangers and the most
barbarous people, infidelity and hatred
break even the strictest ties of nature.
Observe how our Saviour comforts His
disciples, that there would be an end of
their sharp and bitter sufferings ; assuring
them that if their faith and patience did
hold out xmto the end, they should he saved.
This is our comfort ; our sufferings for
Christ must be sharp, but they shall be
short; if our sufferings for Christ end not
in our life-time, they will end with our
lives. Happy is that person who is hated
for the sake either of the truth which he
maintains, or of the virtue which he prac-
tices, and does not grow at all weary of
being so ! His cause is the cause of God.
And what greater honor and happiness
can we possibly have, than to be joined in
the same cause with our Judge, who is at
the same time the Holy One and the
Almighty !
14. "But when ye shall seethe abomination of desolar
tion, "spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where
it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then
plet them that be in Judea flee to the mountains: 15. And
let him that is on the housetop not go down into the
house, neither enter therein, to take anything out of
his house : 16. And let him that is in the field hot turn
back again for to take up his garment.
""Matt. xxiv. 15. "Dan. ix. 27. pLuke xxi. 21.
The Roman army is here called awahomi-
nation, because upon their standards were
depicted the images of their emperor and
the tutelary gods, whom they worshiped:
CHAPTER XIII.
411
and it is well known that idols were held
by the Jews in the utmost abhorrence,
and the very name they gave them was
the expression here made use of, an abomi-
nation. The word desolation is added for
an obvious reason, because this mighty
army brought ruin and desolation upon
Jerusalem. Him that is on the housetop . . . .
him that is in the fiehl. Strong expressions
to awaken the disciples to promptness, and
even haste in the crisis that will come.
They should not be taken too literally ;
yet, if at the approach of the Roman armies
one chanced to be on the roof of his house
— the roofs were flat — he might and prob-
ably would have found literal compliance
with the command necessary. As houses
were then built, one could have escaped
without being under the necessity of going
down into and through the house. One
might have run over many roofs till he
came near to a gate of the city. Anything.
Not a single article, but things generally.
Better lose all for the sake of escaping.
17. qBut woe to them that are with child, and to them
that give suck in those clays ! 18. And jiray ye that
your flight be not in the winter. 19. 'For in those days
shall be affliction, sucIj as was not from tlie beginning
of the creation which God created unto this time,
neither shall be.
iliUke xxi. 23, 29. 'Dan. i.x. 20 ; Joel ii. 2 ; Matt. xxiv.
21.
Woe inth child .... give such. Both
the Jewish and the Christian female. The
former would find their sufferings redoub-
led in the miseries of their offspring, the
latter would find redoubled the difficulty
of escape.
20. And except that the Lord had shortened those
daj-s, no rte.-ih should be saved : but for the elect'.s sake,
whom he hatli chosen, he hath sliorteued the days.
As, says a modern and excellent com-
mentator, Titus had so invested the place
that no i^rovisions could be brought in
from the surrounding region, famine soon
made the most dreadful ravages, and to-
gether with internal seditions, by which
thousands were butchered in the city,
caused it to fall in the short space of
four months. When Titus invested the
upper city, which was so steep as to forbid
its being taken without raising banks
against it, the Jews of their own accord
abandoned the town, which Joscphus says,
" could never have been taken by force,
nor indeed in any other w'^ay than by
famine." So infatuated was their course,
that the same historian considers them
" ejected from these towers by God Him-
self." All these things were a part of
God's determination to shorten these days
" for the elect's sake." No flesh should be
saved; literally, there could not be saved all
flesh i. e., no flesh, or not one man could
be saved. Had the siege been j)rolonged,
and the Roman armies tarried any length
of time in Palestine, all the inhabitants
would have perished. The elect's sake.
This, without doubt, refers to Christians,
not only those then living in Palestine,
but such as in future were to be gathered
in from the Jews (Rom. xi. 15), and which
promise depended upon their continued
existence as a nation. We are not to sup-
pose that all the Christians in Jerusalem
and Judea made good their escape (v. 16).
Many of the sick, aged, infirm and poor,
must of necessity have remained behind.
Some would also stay, whose zeal and
courage would not permit them to fly, or
who were desirous of preaching the gospel
to their countrymen, in this time of their
extremity. These would all have per-
ished had the siege been prolonged.
21. 'And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here
is Christ, or lo. he is there; Relieve hivi not. 2i For
false Christs, and false prophets shall rise, and shall
sliew signs and wonders, to st-Juee if it ivere possible,
even the elect. — sMatt. xxiv. 23; Luke xvii. 23.
Lo, here, &c. As a man that is dying
hath many fantasies, even so the world
declining shall have manifold errors.
(1 John ii. 18). Shall shew, rather, do. To
seduce — from the right path. If it were
jyossihle, literally, if possible. Great diffi-
culty, and not absolute impossibility, is
here implied. It is a truth beyond dispute
that through divine grace tbe elect will be
kept from apostacy, yet there is nothing
in the nature of the case to forbid the
supposition that they may sometimes be
deceived in respect to the true character
of those who assume to be religious teach-
ers. A ripe Christian, who is wise in
things pertaining to truth and righteous-
ne.ss is, however, quick to detect signs of
imposition and hypocrisy.
23. But take ye heed : behold, I have foretold yon all
things.— '2 Peter iii. 17.
Take ye heed. Beware of new tenets,
they are like new wines: they fume up to .
men's minds, and make them light and
giddy. (Acts ii. 13 ; Col. ii. 18.) It is not
so indiflferent a thing as some would make
412
]SI A R K .
it, what opinion a man is of. For it seems
a man may be damned for his evil opin-
ions, as well as his evil practices, insomuch
that heresies ai'e reckoned amongst the
grossest sins. (Gal. v. 20, 21.)
a. "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun
shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her
light; il And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the
powers that are in lieiiven shall be shaken. 26. 'And
then shall thevsee the Sonof man coming in the clouds
with great povVer and glory. 27. And then shall he send
his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the
four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the
uttermost part of heaven.
"Dan. vii. 10; Zeph. i. 15; Matt. xxiv. 29. ^Dan. vii.
13, 14 ; Matt. xvi. 27 ; Acts i. 11 ; 1 Thes. iv. 16 ; 2 Thes.
i. 7, 10 ; Rev. i. 7.
But in tlwse days, after thai tributaiion, &c.
All before the beginning of this paragraph
describes the ruin of the Jewish state; all
subsequent to that beginning predicts the
judgment day. Did but this report of our
Lord's discourse alone exist, not the slight-
est difficulty would exist in its interpreta-
tion. All the difficulty in fact arises in
Matt. xxiv. 29, being the parallel passage
to the first verse of this paragrajih ; and
all the difficulty in that verse arises from
the word " immediately."
Mark says that the " sun shall be dark-
ened," etc., " in those days, after that tribu-
lation." Making allowance for prophetic
perspective and for the intentional obscu-
rity, the phrase "those days" may bring
us down to the last period of time. It thus
.stands in contrast with the phrase "these
things" in the Apostle's question. The
period of the destruction and the period
of the advent stand, as the Lord intended,
in stupendous contrast.
If we ask. When shall the second advent
take place ? Mark answers, It is in those
DAYS which are after that (Jewish) tribula-
tion. If we ask, In what part of those
DAYS? Matthew will answer, Immediatehj
after the (mundane) tribxdation of those
D.\YS.
We have then this parallel : a tribulation
including the city's destruction, a tribula-
tion ending in the world's judgment.
Thatatribulation is to precede thesecond
advent is the clear doctrine of Scripture.
Thus, in Rev. xx. 7-10, at the close of the
millennial thousand years, Satan, who had
been bound during that period, islet loose,
and with his armies besieges the camp of
the saints just before the appearance of the
judgment throne. And in 2 Peter iii: "In
the last days scoffers shall come," etc. Of
this truth the Jewish tradition gives a
shadowing, in the doctrine that a desperate
tribulation shall precede Messiah's advent.
" The Jews (as Kuinoel observes) expected
that great calamities would precede the
advent of the Messiah; yet at the time
when these calamities should have reached
their height they hoped that he would un-
expectedly ajipear."
And shall gather together his elect. He will
send His angels to gather His chosen to-
gether from all places. This shall be done
before the living shall be taken up to meet
the Lord. (1 Cor. xv. 51 ; 1 Thes, iv. 10.)
From the four umids, that is, from the four
quarters of the globe — east, west, north and
south. The Jews expressed those quarters
by the winds blowing from them. (See
Ezek. xxxvii. 9; also Isa. xliii. 5, 6.
On verses 28-33 see notes on Matt,
xxiv. 32-3-1.
28. 7Now learn a parable of the fig tree : When her
branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know
that summer is near: 29. 80 ye in like manner, when
ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is
nigh, even at the doors. 30. Verily I say unto you. That
this generation shall not pass, till all these things be
done. 31. Heaven and earth shall pass away : but »my
words shall not pass away. 32. But of that day and that
hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in
heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
yMatt. xxiv. 32 ; Luke xxi. 29, <fec. 'Isa. xl. 8.
Noiv learn a parable of the fig tree. " Now
from the tig tree learn the parable," or the
high lesson which this teaches. Putteth
forth leaves — " its leaves." When ye shall
see these tilings come to imss, rather, "coming
to pass," know that it, "the kingdom of
God," is nigh, even at the doors, that is, the
full manifestation of it. This generation
shall not pass, &c. If wa regard this as
meaning that the prediction respecting Je-
rusalem would be fulfilled within the limits
of the generation then current, the fact
entirely corresponds, for the whole was
fulfilled in the destruction accomplished
by Titus. But the expression has also a
far deeper significance. The Holy Seed is
the subsistence or establishment of the
earth. When their number is completed,
time shall end, and this visible world shall
be set on fire. (1 Sam. ii. 8-10.) Heaven
and' earth, &c. This solemn declaration,
following immediately, as it does, upon the
jKismig au-ay of this generation (the Jews
then living), seems to carry on our thoughts
to another generation — "the generation of
God's children " (Ps. liii. 14), that was to
CHAPTER XIII,
413
abide forever. Origen comments upon the
text, "The genenitiun of the Church •will
survive the world ; but all other genera-
tions, especially that of the tribes of tlie earth
yv'ill 2)ass mvaij." Thus we are led from the
contemplation of the destruction of Jeru-
salem to the far more transcendent vision
of the final judgment and end of tlie world
— the two subjects of this momentous
proi)hecy ; and from what has unquestion-
ably been already fulfilled, we are to be-
lieve and to expect that which is to come.
Neither the Son. (Verse 32.) This Christ
sjjeaks in His human nature, and in His
prophetic capacity. This point was not
made known to Him by the Spirit, nor
was He commissioned to reveal it. The
union of Divine nature with human, in
the person of Messiah, does not involve the
communication of omniscience to Christ's
human mind any more than omnipresence
to His body. It seems a reasonable opin-
ion, that the communication of super-
natural knowledge to the human mind of
Jesus Christ was made, as occasions Avere
seen by Divine wisdom to require. In
various passages we find things aflJirmed
of the Messiah which can belong only to
His superior nature. It is not then extraor-
dinary if we find that asserted of Him here
which can attach only to His dependent
and limited capacity. Everything that
could be said of man is said of Christ, sin
excepted, and everything that can be said
of God, is said of Christ. He was God and
yet He grew in wisdom (Luke ii. 52), and
if so, it is possible that there were things
in the future that He did not know. How
the Infinite can be finite, hoAV the Omni-
scient cannot know, how Omnipotence can
be Aveakness, we cannot understand ; but
the Bible announces the fact and we should
embrace it as a truth clearly revealed,
though not luminous — a mystery which
we shall know hereafter, but cannot know
now.
33. aTake ye heed, wateh and pray : for ye know not
when the time is.
"Matt. xxiv. 42 ; Luke xii. 40 ; Rom. xiii. 11 ; 1 Thes.
V. 6.
Take ye heed, &c. This direction implies
the most intense watchfulness and prayer.
The reason is given in the next clause,
viz. : their ignorance of the time of their
Lord's coming. An old writer says : " I
puzzle myself about the prophecies, es-
pecially the A])0('alypse, and am often
prying into futurity, but do not advert
enough to what I may certainly know
without a prophecy ; what and where I
shall be within a few years at the most,
if I sufl'er sin to keep possession of me, if
I do not abhor and cast it from me in the
fear of God, if I do not " pluck out the
right eye, and cut ofi" the right hand," if I
do not humble myself dee])ly before God,
cry earnestly for mercy and yield myself
to Hini unfeignedly and with the utmost
sincerity of intention for newness of heart
and spirit." (Phil. iii. 13-15.)
34. ^Ihr the Son of 7nan is a.s a man taking a far jour-
ney, wlio lell Ills house, and gave authority to hLs ser-
vants, and to every man his work ; and commanded
the porter to watch.
Note, I. The church on earth is Christ's
house, or dwelling, (1) because He is the
foundation stone of it ; (2) because He is
the builder; (3) because His friends are
here. II. Although the church on earth
be Christ's house, yet He is not here. He
is risen, (1) He has gone to take posses-
sion of heaven in our name ; (2) He has
gone to intercede for us ; (3) He has gone
to prepare a place for us. III. All Christ's
people are His servants, and have their
work assigned them. (1) Ministers are
servants. They are stewards, and as such
should rightly divide the Word of life,
giving to every one of the family his jjor-
tion of meat in due season. They are
porters. It is the duty of ministers t(j
stand- at the door and invite every sinner
in. (2) All Christians are servants. Some
people think that ministers only have to
work for Christ ; but see here : " He gave
to every man his work." IV. Christ is
coming back again, and we know not
when. The whole Bible bears witness
that the Master of the house shall return
and that He will come suddenly. Our
faith is incomplete if vre do not live in the
daily faith of a coming Saviour.
35. cWatoh ye therefore : for ye know not when the
master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight,
or at the eoekcrowing, or in the morning:
cMatt. xxiv. 42, 44.
The Jews computed their hours from
six in the morning to six in the evening.
The night was divided into four watches,
as here indicated. The first was at even
and continued from six till nine. The
414
MARK
second commenced at nine and ended at
twelve, or midnight. Tlie third, or the
time of cock crowing, lasted from twelve
to three • the morning watch closed at six.
It is the indispensable duty, and ought to
be the indefatigable endeavor of every
Christian, to stand upon his guard in a
prepared readiness for Christ's appearance,
both for His coming to them, and for their
going to Him. There is a two-fold readi-
ness for Christ's coming, namely, habitual
and actual. An habitual readiness is a
readiness of the state and condition ; actual
readiness is the readiness of the person,
when we are furnished with all the vir-
tues and graces of a good life, when our
lamps are burning, and our loins girded,
our souls furnished with all the graces of
the Holy Spirit, our lives fruitful in good
works.
3fi. Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
Lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping,
i. e., remiss in duty, inattentive to His
commands, and in a state of worldly -mind-
edness. Remissness and negligence, as
well as the greater sins, are often the occa-
sion of our being surprised by death. A
porter asleep exposes the house to be
robbed, and well deserves to be punished.
A Christian, whose faith is not watchful,
exposes his own heart to the enemy of hia
salvation, and to those who are continually
watching in order to steal away all the
valuable things which Uod has laid up
there, as in His own house.
37. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
The Lord's people in every age are
always to be in condition to welcome the
last ciay with its terror, to be able to appear
with good courage before the presence of
the Son of man in His judgment. For
that purpose a constant watchfulness is
needed before all things; a continual
arousing of their faculties out of the illu-
sion of spiritual sloth, which conceives
that existing Christian attainments are
good enough, out of the illusion of ease,
which thinks that present circumstances
are permanent, into the aspiration and the
holy fear with which the advent of Christ
reasonably fills Christians. Further, there
is needed a continually renewing refresh-
ment of eye and heart by means of this
expectation, a continually renewed revival
in the heart of the death of Christ, of His
cross, of the judgment, of His Spirit, and
an exclusion from the heart of everything
which might establish in it a new spiritual
sloth, lust and fear, and contradict the life
in the death of Christ.
1. What prophecy did Jesus utter respecting the temple? 2. What question was Jesus asked privately? 3.
What was his reply? 4. What is meant by " the abomination of desolation?" 5. What is said about false Christs
and false prophets ? 6. What in reference to the coming of the Son of man ? 7. What appUcation is made of the
parable of the fig tree ? 8. What is said of " that day and that hour ? " 9. How are we to understand the words
" neither the Son ? " 10. To what is the Son of man compared? 11. What exhortation is based on our ignorance
of the time of His coming ? 12. What is it to " watch ? "
CHAPTER XIV.
415
CHAPTER XIV.
1 A. conxptracy apainxt CfirUL 3 Precious ointment is
poured on tun /uad bij a ivumun. HI Judas selleth his
Muxti r for momi/. i'J Vhr'Lst him.vLf joretcUeth fiotv
he shall Of htfrai/td of one of his di^^rijAis: '^ after the
pa^s(>r( r j-ripa)-cd, and cati'n. institul< th his supper:
:M> ((c claritk ajorihand ttwjlight of all his disciples, and
J-'ett-i's il' nial. 4:! Judas btU\u/Lth /liin with a kiss. 40
Jle is appri h( ndcd in the yardm, :ii falsely uecujied,
and impiously condemned of the J, us council: (i5
shamefuUy abused by them: W and thrice denied of
J.\ter.
AFTER "two daj's was thefea.it of the passover, and
ofuiileaveniHl hroad : and the chief priests and the
scribes .suught how tiiey niisht take him by craft, and
put him to death. 'J. I'.ut tliey said, Not on the feast
day. lest there be an uproar of the people,
-ilatt. xxvi. 2 ; Luke xxli. 1 ; John xi. 55, x i. 1.
The passover. This is said literally, as in
versel2, "forthe feast of unleaveiiedhread"
is added. That is to say, on the folloiving
day. The chief priests and the scribes, &c.
The Avhole Jewish sanhedrim, or general
council, conspired to contrive the destruc-
tion of the innocent Jesus. By craft. Satan
makes use of the subtilty of crafty men,
and abuses their parts as well as their
power, for his own purposes and designs,
he sends no fools on his errands. Not on
the feast day, &c. The only objection to
carrying out their nefarious design was,
that it might occasion a tumult among the
people, there being such a mighty con-
course at that time in Jerusalem. But
Judas making them a proffer, they readily
comply with the motion, and resolve to
take the first opportunity to put our Saviour
to death.
3. f i>And being in Bethany, In the house of Simon the
leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an
alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious ;
and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
bMatt. xxvi. 6; John xii. 1, 3; see Luke vii. 37.
On verses 3-9 see on Matt. xxvi. 6-13.
Bethany. A village on the east of the
Mount of Olives, adjoining Bethphage.
Simon the leper. Three of the Evangelists
are particular in the mention of a cure of
leprosy by our Lord at an early period of
his ministry. (Matt, viii. 2 ; Mark i. 40 ;
Luke V. 12.) A xvoman. This must not
be confounded with that anointing of our
Lord mentioned by Luke, vii. 36-50.
Woman is here again before man, as is so
often the case in the gospel history. An
alabaster box. The perfumes then and
still most in request in the East, were pre-
served either in little boxes of gold, or
what was far more common, in little oval,
narrow-necked phials of the finest white
alabaster, a name which it received from
its extraordinary rusoniblance to the pre-
cious stone of that name, though it was
itself a marble of a very valuable descrip-
tion, found in the quarries of upper Egypt,
or in the Libanus of Syria. In such im-
mense quantities was this costly treasure
obtained there, that long before the time
of Christ, alabaster was in such general ^
use that the name was universally apjilied
to boxes of perfume, whatever was the
material of which they consisted. Spike-
nard, genuine nard. The nard perfume
was a comjiound of all the most valued per-
fumes of antiquity, among which were the
malabatharum, costus amomum, myrrha,
and balsam. Very j)reciov.s. Spikenard
was regarded by the ancients as the most
precious of ointments.
Brake the box — the narrow neck of the
small phial or flask. She did not wish to
keep or hold back any thing : offered up
all, gave all away. Every thing which is
given to God is acceptable to Him, when
it is charity which gives it. Zeal and love
for Jesus Christ have commendable ex-
cesses. Great expense in external mag-
nificence designed to honor Him, would
most commonly be better employed in
feeding His members, but there are some
extraordinary occasions on which a sort
of profuseness cannot be blamed. It be-
longs to Him who gives this love, to inform
us when and how far we are permitted to
gratify it.
4. And cthere were some that had indignation within
themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the oint-
ment made? 5. For it might have been sold for more
than three hundred pence, and have been given to the
lioor. <iAnd thev murmured against her.
':Kccl. iv. 4. djohn vi. 43 ; 1 Cor. x. 10 ; Phil. U. 14.
There were some. Mark presents, with-
out a doubt, the most accurate historic
picture. John defines most sharply the
motive. Matthew gives the specially prac-
tical historic form. Three hundred, pence.
The denarius or penny Avas equal to about
fifteen cents of our mone)'. They murmur-
ed against her — they scolded her, or ad-
dressed her harshly. " It is indecent" (say
the Jerusalem Talmudists), "'for a scholar
of the wise man to smell of spices." " From
this opinion, everywhere received among
them," says Lightfoot, " you may more
416
MARK
aptly understaMcl why the other disciples,
as well as Judas, ' who kept the bag,' were
indignant. He out of covetousness — they
not liking such effeminate niceties as were
used in bride-chambers — should be used
towards their Master. But Christ, taking
off the envy of what was done, applies
this anointing to His burial, both in His
intention, and in the intention of the
woman." If a man devotes his time, money
and affections without reserve to the pur-
suit of earthly things, the world does not
blame him. But if he devotes himself and
all he has to Christ, they can scarcely find
words to express their sense of his folly.
Let charges like these not disturb us, let
us rather pity those who make them.
Our position in thi world may be lowly,
but let us, like IMary, do what we can.
6. And Jesus said, ^ Let her alone, why trouble ye her ?
she hath wrought a good work on me.
elsa. liv. 17 ; 2 Cor. x. 18.
Jesus fir.5t rebukes the murmurers, and
then justifies the action, pronouncing it
good, because it flowed from a principle of
love to Him.
7. For 'ye have the poor with you always, and when-
soever ye will ye m.ay do them good : but me ye have
not always.— fDeut. xv. 11.
God has no need of us to feed the poor ;
no need of the widow to feed Elias. He
could still have fed him with ravens. He
could have created sufficient for all men,
or so few men, as all should have been
sufficient for them. He would not. He
ordered there should be ever " poor in the
land." (Deut. XV. 11.) AVhy? To prove
them, and to prove us by them, that He,
who feeds us, might feed them by us ;
that our superfluities might be their neces-
saries; that they of their patience in
waiting, and we of our liberality in sup-
porting, might both together of Him that
made us both receive a reward — they with
us, in our bosoms there, as here, a good
sight in heaven and a good sight in earth.
(Luke xvi 23.) For surely there shall
never be a rich man in heaven without a
Lazarus in his bosom. Therefore we have
need of them as they have need of us,
yet, that, we make theirs, remains ours
still. (2 Cor. ix. 6-10 ; Heb. xiii. 1, 2.)
8. She hath" done what she could : she is come afore-
band to anoint my body to the burying.
She hath done ichat she coidd, she has
testified her gratitude and respect toward
me, according to the best of her ability, in
my present circumstances. What an
eulogy was that which Jesus pronounced
upon Mary! She is come aforchand, &c.
Jesus had before predicted his humiliation,
even unto death on the cross ; He now
adds the prediction of His burial, a re-
markable fact, considering on the one
hand the manner of His death, and on
the other the expectations He had given
His disciples reason to entertain of His
rising from the dead. The two great
truths of the Gospel are expressed by the
anointing and burial of Jesus. In His
being buried. His work of humiliation
was ended, and in His being anointed,
there was given an example of that free
and generous devotedness whereby the
savor of His name is to be diffused in
every place, and a preparation made for
His glorious retuiui, as the Messiah, the
" King of kings and Lord of lords."
9. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel
shall be preached throughout the whole %vorld, this also
that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial
of her.
It brings no small authority to the pre-
dictions of the New Testament that, when
many of them were made, there appeared
no likelihood that they should ever be
made good. When a poor Virgin, that
was betrothed to a carpenter, confidently
pronounces that " all ages should call her
Blessed," what ijrobability was there that
what she said would ever come to pass ?
And when another private woman, then
living in a village, had it foretold her that
a censured action of hers should be
reported, through the \chole tcorld, to her
I^raise, what sober man, that were not a
prophet, would venture to lose his credit
by making such a promise ? And there-
fore, since we see such unlikely predic-
tions actually accomplished, it may well
convince an unbia.ssed man, that the
authors of them were really endowed
with a true prophetic spirit ; and that the
events, by that foretold, were not effects
of chance or policy, but of Divine Provi-
dence.
10. T sAnd Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went
unto the chief iJriost:^, to betray him unto them. 11.
And when they heard it, they were glad, and jiromised
to give hini money. And he sought how he might con
veniently betray lilm.
RMatt. xxvi. 14, on which see Notes. Luke xxii. 3, 4.
Aiid Judas Iscariot, &c. Observe, 1. The
CHAPTER XIV,
417
person betraying our blessed Redeemer—
Judas — a professor, a preacher, an Apostle,
and one of the twelve. 2. The heinous na-
ture of the sin of Judas : he betrayed Jesus,
' Jesus his Maker, Jesus his Master. Some-
times the vilest sins and most hon-id im-
l)ieties are committed Ijy those who make
a high profession of religion. 3. The oc-
casion of this sin— the inordinate love of
money. It does not appear that Judas
liad any particular malice, spite, or ill-will,
against our Saviour, but a base and un-
worthy spirit of covetousness jiossessed
him, and this made him sell his Master.
Covetousness is the root-sin. (See Luke
xii. 15).
12. hAnd the first day of unleavened bread, when
they killed the passover, his disciiiles said unto him,
Wliere wilt thou that we go and i)rt'pai'e that thou may-
est eat the passover? 13. And he sendeth ibrth two of
his disciples, and saith unto them. Go ye into the city,
and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher ot
water : follow him. 14. And wheresoever he shall go
in, say ye to the good man of the house, The Master
saith, Where is the guest-chamber, iwliere I shall eat
the passover with my disciples ? 15. And the will show
you a large uoper room furnished and prepared : there
inake ready for us. IG. Ajid his disciples went forth,
and came into the city, and found as he had said unto
them : and they made ready the passover. 17. 'And in
tlie evening he cometh with the twelve. IS. And as
tiiey sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I saj' unto you,
n>One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. 19.
And they began to be sorrowliU, and to say unto him
one by one, Tn it I ? .and another said, I.i it I? 20. And
he answered and said unto them, /i /,« one of the twelve,
th.1t diopeth with me in the dish. 21. nThe Son of man
indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but"Woeto that
man by whom the Son of man is betrayed ! good were
it for that man if he had never been born.
'■Matt. xxvi. 17, &c.; Luke x.xii. 7. iRev. iii. 20. iProv.
xvi. 1. iMatt. xxvi. 20, &c.; mxli. 9, Iv. 13, 14; John vi.
70, xiii. 10, 11. oMatt. xxvi. '24; Luke xxii. 22. "Acts i
25.
On verses 12-21 see on Matt. xxvi.
17-24.
They killed the passover. The Jews killed
it, according to the law, and therefore the
disciples did so. There shall meet you. A
wonderful sign in relation to the place
where the last Paschal Supi^er, the first
" Lord's Supper," was to be eaten. 1.
That a person shall meet them ; 2. A
man ; 3. Alone, 4. Immediately ; 5. Bear-
ing a vessel, 6. Containing Avater, 7. Going
to the house which the disciples sought.
An honest employment, however humble, is
worthy of the attention of God, and even
a man bearing a pitcher of imter is marked
in all hLs steps. This man was employed
in carrying home the water which was to
be used for baking the unleavened bread
on the following day, for on that day it
was not lawful to carry any ; hence they
were obliged to bring it on the i)receding
evening. •
27
And he will shoiv you a large uppjer room,
&c. In this room they were to make
ready. The upper room was not the worst
room in the house, but really the best.
It was a room sequestered from the
tumult, the din, and the disturbance of a
populous city. And found as he had said
unto them. The knowledge, power and
wisdom of Jesus aj^pear in all His works.
He makes them at this time more par-
ticularly known to the Apostles, on purpose
to strengthen their faith and confidence,
to prepare them for temptation, and to
induce them the more easily to believe
the mystery he was going to celebrate in
their presence. Made ready the passover —
They were not only to secure the room,
but procure the lamb, which had been
first inspected by the priests, have it
killed and the blood sj^rinkled at the foot
of the altar, and take it to the house.
They were to obtain the bread and nine
and the bitter herbs. The two disciples
were Peter and John ; and no doubt it
was with wondering sadness that they
I)erformed the faithful office.
In the eveyiing, when the stillness of the
night invites to solemn thoughts, after we
have collected our straggling ideas and
suffered not a reflection to stir, but what
either looks upward to God, or inward
upon ourselves, upon the state of our
minds ; then let us scan each action of the'
day, fervently entreat God's pardon for
what we have done amiss, and the graciousL
assistance of His Spirit for the future ; and
after having adjusted accounts between
our Maker and ourselves, commit our-
selves to His care for the night. (Gen.
iii. 8 ; Ps. iv. 9, cxxxii. 3.) " Our Lord
Jesus on that evening gave us the example
of five great virtues : that is of humility,
in washing their feet ; of love, in the type
of the Sacrament of His Body and Blood,
and in the discourse, which is filled with
precepts of love ; of patience, in bearing
with His betrayer, and with those many
revilings, when he Avas taken and carried
away as a thief; of obedience, in going to
suffering and death at the command of
His Father ; of prayer, in praying thrca
times in the garden. Let us strive to imi-
tate Him in these virtues. (Matt. xi. 29;
1 Peter 11. 21 ; Rom. vlil. 29.)"
418
MARK.
What a sorrowful moment it was to the
affectionate discii)les when the Lord said,
One of you which eateth uith me, shall betray
me! Each anxiously inquired, " Is it I?"
It was right in them to ask this question,
rather than to say, " Is it Peter?" " Is it
John ?" " Is it James?" Not one was so
ungenerous as to fix his suspicion upon
his fellow. This is the spirit we ought to
cultivate. Are we not more apt to suspect
our fellows than to distrust ourselves ?
No doubt each of the Apostles felt in his
heart that he could not betray his Master,
but then each believed the Lord knew his
heart better than he knew it himself.
" God is greater than our hearts, and
knoweth all things." (1 John iii. 21.)
Did Judas believe that God knew all things
when he asked, " Is it I ?" Surely he
must have hoped that he had deceived his
Master as well as his fellow-disciples.
Good were it for that man, &c. More terrible
words cannot be imagined. They prove
that the lost spirits can never be released
from hell, for if at any period (however
remote) they were to enter heaven, it
woidd be good for them in the- end that
they had been born. If among Christ's
friends there was a secret foe, there were
many secret friends among His foes. The
traitor proceeds to complete his transgres-
sion, and Jesus proceeds to the institution
of the Sacrament of the Supper.
22. 1 pAnd as they did eat, Jpsus took bread, and
blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said. Take,
eat; this Is my body.
pMatt. xxvi. 26 ; Luke xxli. 19 ; 1 Cor. xi. 23.
On verses 22-25 see on Matt. xxvi.
26-7.
Our Lord, having eaten the passover
with His disciples the evening on which
He was betrayed, instituted the sacred
Supper, to be a memorial of His sufferings,
a sign of His presence with the Church,
and a seal of the new covenant which He
was to confirm the next day with His
blood. How tender is the assurance it
conveys of His love to a sinful world. It
teaches us, not only that He has died for
us, but that, in the greatness of His mercy.
He has established a memorial by which
our faith and love may be constantly
deepened and enlarged. He has remem-
bered that we are but dust, that our belief
would be easily shaken, our hopes dissi-
pated, and our cheerfulness destroyed.
And, tenderly stooping to our infirmities,
He has not trusted the recollection of the
event on which our salvation depends to
our mere memory, but has Himself erected
an unchanging monument of it. Here, to
the eye of faith, he again and again
suffers, " the Just for the unjust, that He
may bring us to God." How much, then,
ought this sacrament to endear to them
that compassionate Redeemer, who is
thus studious of their happiness, and
aflfectionately considerate of the infirmi-
ties of their nature ; who thus bends over
them in tender sympathy, as the parent
over his infant child ; who thus provides
against the sluggishness of their feelings,
the waywardness of their hearts, and the
shortness of their memories ; who thus
opposes sensible things to sensible things,
and supplies, amidst the objects which
surround and detach them from God, an
object to win them back again, and con-
strain them by a holy violence to love
" Him who loved us, and gave Himself
for us."
And as they did eat, i. e., toward the end
of the supper. Took bread, literally, the
bread used at the paschal feast. And
blessed, i. e., invoked his Father's blessing
upon it. And brake it, &c. This is the
manner in which bread was distributed at
their common meals when one presided,
the cakes being thin and brittle, and knives
not being in use, nor, indeed, convenient
for the purpose. This is my body This
is my blood, (v. 23.) Papists appeal to
these words of institution in defense
of their doctrine of transubstantiation,
and affirm that they must be understood
in their obvious and literal sense.
" This is my body," they say, must mean,
" This is truly my body," and " This is my
blood," " This is truly my blood." Yet,
they Avill not contend that other passages
of Scripture, in which the phraseology is
similar, should be subject to the same
rigid interpretation. They never suppose
that, when our Lord said, "I am the vine,"
" I am the way," " I am the door," He
meant us to understand that He is literally
a vine, a way, and a door, but really con-
cede that we should put a spiritual sense
upon such passages. It belongs, there-
CHAPTER XIV,
419
fore, to them to assign a satisfactory
reason why the same liberty should not
be granted in explaining the words of
. institution. It may indeed be more justly
claimed in the present than in any other
case, because the words confessedly relate
to a sacrament, in which symbols are em-
ployed, and nothing is more natural than
to give the name of the thing signified to
the sign. Moses said of the paschal lamb,
"It is the Lord's passover " (Ex. xii. 11),
just as our Saviour said of the bread, " This
is my body." The Ajiostle Paul called the
symbol of our Saviour's body bread, not
only before but also after consecration.
(1 Cor. xi. 26-28.)
23. And he took the cup, and when he had tnven
thanks, he gave it to them : and they aU drank of it.
When he had given thanks. The Lord's
Supper was instituted with blessing and
giving of thanks; the gifts of common
providence are to be so received (1 Tim.
iv. 4, 5), much more the gifts of special
grace. At His othi^r meals, Jesus was wont
to bless, and give thanks (chap. vi. 41, viii.
7), so remarkably, that He was known by
it. (Luke xxiv. 30, 31.) And He did the
same at this meal.
24. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the
new testament, which is shed for many.
The Lord's Supper was to be a memorial
of His death, and therefore He brake the
bread, to show how it pleased the Lord to
bruise Him, and He called the wine, which
is the blood of the graj^e, the blood of the
New Testament. The death of Christ was
a bloody death, and frequent mention is
made of the blood, the precious blood, as
the price of our redemption. It is called
" the blood of the New Testament," for the
covenant of grace became a testament, and
of force, by the death of Christ, the Testa-
tor. (Heb. ix. 16.) It is said to be shed
/or many, to justify many (Isa. xliii. 12), to
bring many sons to glory. (Heb. ii. 10.)
It was sufficient for many, it has been of
\ise to many ; a great multitude which no
man could number, had washed their robes,
and made them u'hite in the blood of the
Lamb (Rev. vii. 9, 14), and still it is a
fountain opened. How comforting is this
to repenting sinners, that the blood of
Christ is shed for many ! And if for many,
why not for me ? If for the chief of
sinners, then why not for me?
25. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the
fVuit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in
tlie kingdom of God.
That interpretation of this verse seems
to be most free from objections which re-
fers the wine spoken of here, to the joys
and communion of heaven, which are often
represented under the imagery of a feast.
Wine thus emblematic of this heavenly
communion, would be drank new {i. e., in
a far higher and more spiritual sense) with
Him in His Father's kingdom, when they
entered upon their heavenly inheritance.
The words /r«(i of the vine are here put for
xnne, and this declaration being made at
the close of the feast, when the cup was
about to be passed around. He naturally
and appropriately uses the drinking of
wine, as a figure to show that his life was
soon to end, and that He would never on
earth again partake with them of such a
feast as they were then celebrating, but
that the reality of this symbolical repre-
sentation would be enjoyed bj^ them all
in His Father's kingdom in heaven. That
day is to be taken in the general sense of
time, and its actual reference to each be-
liever is the time of his admission to the
upper sanctuary at the hour of death.
26. II lAnd when they had snng a hymn, thev went
out into the mount of Olives. 27. "-And Jesus sai'th unto
them. All ye shall he offended because of mo this night:
for it is written, bI will smite the Shepherd, and the
sheep shall be scattered. But «after that I am risen, I
will go before you into CTalilee.
qMatt. xxvl. 30, on which see notes. 'Matt. xxvi. 31.
sZech. xiii. 7. «Chap. xvi. 7.
And when they had sung a hymn, &c. The
Psalms the Jews used at the end of the
passover began with the one hundred and
thirteenth, and ended with the one hun-
dred and eighteenth. Was the hymn here
used one of these ? Or was it any one else
of the compositions of David, " the sweet
psalmist of Israel ?" Or was it the words
of any other pious poet? We cannot de-
termine. Singing is a Christian ordinance,
it is sanctioned by our Lord's own exam-
ple. As this singing was immediately pre-
ceded by the administration of His own
Supper, we learn that singing should ac-
company this sacred ordinance. As it was
followed by His entrance into Gethsemane,
we learn, 1. That the prospect of suffering
should not prevent our joy and praise. 2.
That religious ordinances and engagements
should not lead us to dispense with retire-
ment.
420
MARK
29. "But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be
Offended, vet ivill not I. 30. And Jesus saith unto him,
Verily 1 sav unto thee. That tliis da^v. even in this night,
before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.
31. But ihespal!:e the more vehemently. If I should die
with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise, Likewiae
also said tliey all.
"Matt. xxri. 33, *4, on which see notes ; Luke xxii. 3.3,
34; John xiu. 37, 38. ^2 Kings viii. 13; Jer. x. 23, xvii. 9.
AUhougli all, &c. To presume upon our
own strength, to prefer ourselves before
others, and not to hearken to admonitions,
are three branches of pride, and three oc-
casions of very grievous falls. How little
does man know himself, if he believes he
can have any dependence upon his own
heart! Christ is our own strength, when
we rely upon Him, but He is only an occa-
sion of our falling, when we do not put our
whole confidence in His strength.
Veribj I my unta thee, That this day, &c.
Our Lord who knew Peter much better
than he did himself, saw that his declara-
tion, though perfectly honest, "sprang
more from a swell of strongly excited gen-
erous emotion, than from a firmly grounded
will," thus announced to him in plain
terms, that, in the course of a very few
hours, he should deny with oaths and exe-
crations, Him for whom he is now declar-
ing, and declaring truly, that he is willing
to make any sacrifice. The slight varia-
tions in the difierent accounts given by the
the Evangelists are easily reconciled. With
regard to the time of the predicted event,
Jesus intimated two things : that all de-
nials should take place ere the period
called the cock-crowing had passed, a
period more fixed in Judea, where there
is little difference in the length of the days
as compared with our country, and that
the cock, which Peter should hear, should
not crow twice till he had a third time
denied Christ. It was the fact that imme-
diately on his third denial the cock did
crow a second time, along with the look
from his suff'ering Master, which brought
so strongly before Peter's mind the omnis-
cience and the kindness of Him whom he
had so basely denied, turned the tide in
his mind and heart, and converted him
from a falsifier and blasphemer into a
thoroughly penitent believer.
32. lAnd they came to a place which was named
Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples. Sit ye here,
while I shall pray.
jMatt. xxvi. 36 ; Luke xxii. 39 ; John xviii. 1.
Gethsemane — or " oil valley," at the foot
of the Mount of Olives. Sit ye here, &c.
Leaving eight of the disciples near the
entrance of the garden, our Saviour is
found to withdraw with the three most
favored of their number.
33. And he taketh with him Peter and James and
John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very
heavy ; 34. And saith unto them, »My soul is exceed-
ing sorrowful unto death ; tarry ye here, and watch.
Peter James John. The
wisdom of God usually proportions our
temptations to our respective degrees of
strength. He gradually inures His weaker
children to the cross, and frequently per-
mits them to view for a time the conflicts
of others, before they themselves are en-
gaged in the battle. The weakest He
stations at a distance ; those who are some-
what stronger He takes along with Him,
and in some measure admits to a " fellow-
ship of His sufferings." (Gen. xxxiii. 2, 3 ;
2 Kings X. 10 ; Isa. xxvii. 8.) Began, &c.
As if all His former sorrows were as noth-
ing in comparison of this fullness, or as if
He was now only entering upon a course
of suffering for sin, such as man's con-
tmued unbelief and ingratitude would
prolong from age to age, and so it is writ-
ten of Him. (Matt. xi. 20.)
35. And he went forward a little, and fell on the
ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour
might pass ft-om Him. 36. And he said, "Abba, Father,
ball things are possible unto thee; take away this cup
from me : cnevertheless, not what I will, but what thou
wilt.
"Rom. vilL 13 ; Gal. iv. 6. '"Heb. v. 7. 'John v. 30,
vi. 38.
Abba, Father, &c. Our blessed Saviour
had not, as yet, experienced bodily suffer-
ings at man's hands, and though what
awaited Him at man's hands throughout
that dreadful night and day, might well
occasion some natural shrinking of His
human nature, yet we may be sure that
the cup which He saw prepared for Him,
was one which human malice alone could
never have mixed. The weight of God's
just and terrible indignation against sin
then lay upon Him. It was Jehovah's
sword which then awoke to smite Him,
and, though strengthened for the coming
■conflict by the angel sent down upon that
blessed errand, yet He foresaw that He
should be left alone to combat with that
power of darkness, whose malice and
blasphemous suggestions He had exper-
ienced during His temptation in the
wilderness. AVe cannot pretend to com-
prehend the nature of that Divine infliction,
CHAPTER XIV.
421
or the manner of those assaults of evil
spirits, at the near approach of which He
underwent this mysterious agony of soul
and body, but we may be sure that the
burden thus borne by Him, was unspeak-
ably heavier than any which man's malice
and cruelty could inflict. Pie was about
to bear the punishment due to God's
justice for man's sins, and so heavy was
the burden, that with all His love of
sinners, and His willingness to suffer, He
seems to ask whether no other way of
salvation were possible, meekly submit-
ting His will to that of His Heavenly
Father. We should consider the part
which our own sins had in causing these
sufferings of the Lord Jesus. Each of us
should consider they were endured for his
sake, as much as if he were the only one
for whom Christ thus travailed ; in that
agony each of us should see the measure
of Christ's love for himself. (See on IMatt.
xxvi. 36-46.)
37. And he Cometh, and findeth them sleephig, and
salth unto Petei-, Bimon, sleepest thou ? coulaest thou
not watch one hour ?
Saiih unto Peter, whom He especially
adfdresses, since he had a short time
before, with every asseveration, strongly
declared, that he would willingly encounter
all calamities, nay, even death itself, with
Jesus. Observe, too, He calls him not
Peter, i. e., rock (constant), but Simon.
Peter ought to have been thoroughly
sensible that he had promised too much
upon his own strength, since he found
himself overcome even by sleep. God
permita the lesser faults, on purpose to
cure men of presumption; but when they
take no warning thereby. He suffers them
to have grievous falls.
38. Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
«The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
■iRom. vii. 23 ; Cial. v. 17.
After His reprehension, Christ subjoins
an exhortation. Watch ye, &e., and adds a
forcible reason. The spirit is uilling, &c.
Thence learn that the holiest and best
resolved Christians, who have willing
spirits for Christ and His service, should,
in view of the weakness of the flesh, or
frailty of human nature, watch and pray,
and thus guard themselves against temp-
tation.
39. And again he went away, and prayed and spake
the aame words.
I The simplicity and plainness of Christ
in His prayers is an important lesson, and
of great use and advantage. A Christian
who prays to God is not an orator, who
would persuade by his eloquence, but a
beggar, who would move to compassion
by his poverty and humility. These speak
plainly and without ornament, and Jesus
speaks thus to God, because He has clothed
Himself with our humility and poverty.
40. And when he returned, he found them asleeo
agani (tor their eyes were heavy,) neither fwistthey
what to answer hun.— fRora. iii. 19.
When he returned. " Wherefore," says
an old writer, " cUd the Lord so often break
oft' that prayer of His, which was of such
mighty consequence? In my opinion, it
was to teach us, that our prayers are most
perfect when intermixed with anxious
concern for the welfare of our neighbors."
Asleep again. It is a dangerous thing to
give way to spiritual sloth. The disciples,
who had not aroused themselves at Christ's
first exhortation, became the more drowsy
and sunk into deeper sleep. Sloth and a
disinclination to good insinuate themselves,
like intoxicating poison, and gradually de-
prive the mind of all thought and reflec-
tion. (Verses 68, 70, 71 ; Prov. vi. 9-11.)
41. And he cometh the third time, and saith unto
them, Sloop ou now, and take i/0!o-rest: it is enough
Ftho hour IS come- behold, the Son of man is betrayed
into tlio )i;uids of sinners. 42. ^Rise up, let us go • lo ho
that Ix'tniyeth me is at hand. '
sJohn xiii. 1. i>M.&tt. xxvi. 46 ; John xviii. 3.
Sleep on now, &c. The ironical meaning,
as conveyed by Matthew, is altered by
Luke into a reproof: "Why sleep ye?"
Mark presents an intermediate view ; first
irony, then the call to awake. It is enough
that is, all is over. This expression inti-
mated that the time when they might
have been of use to Him, by their counsel
and comfort, was noAV lost ; and that He
was in a manner already in the hands of
His enemies. Lo, he that hetrayeth, &c.
They opened their eyes to see how much
more vigilant he was who served the devil,
than themselves, who were in the service
of God. (Luke xvi. 8). "The power of
fiiith," says Chrysosiom, " is secure in dan-
gers, it is endangered by securitv. (Verse
67.)
43. H iAnd immediately, while he vet spake cometh
Judas, one ot the twelve, and with liim a greiit multi-
tude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and
the scrib&s and the elders.
iMatt. xxvi. 47, on which see notes: Luke xxii 47:
John xvm. 3.
422
MARK.
One of the twelve. The sufferings of the
Church, like those of her Redeemer, gen-
erally begin at home ; her open enemies
can do her no harm, until her pretended
friends have delivered her into their hands ;
and, unnatural as it may seem, they, who
have Avaxed fat upon her bounty, are some-
times the first to " lift up the heel " against
her. (Johnxiii. 29; Acts xx. 30; Rev.ii.2.)
44. And he that had betrayed him had given them a
token, saying, kWhomsoever I shall kiss, that same is
he : take him. and lead him away safely.
k2 Sam. XX. y, 10 ; Ps. Iv. 20, 21 ; Prov. xxvii. 6.
See on INIatt. xxvi. 48.
As those who came to apprehend Jesus
were strangers to Him, and as it was now
night, and there were several persons with
Him, a signal was the more necessary. It
is probable that our Lord, in great conde-
scension and love, had been used, accord-
ing to the Jewish custom, to i^ermit His
disciples to salute Him, when they returned
to Him after havingbeen some time absent.
The hint, lead him safely away, may intimate
Judas' susjiicion that Jesus might miracu-
lously e.scape, as on .former occasions
(Luke iv. 30; John viii. 59, x. 39), though
He had expressly declared the contrary
(Matt. xxvi. 24), or it may perhaps mean,
that notwithstanding the wickedness of
the traitor, he was desirous that his rude
assailants might do his innocent Master no
injury.
45. And as soon as he wa.s come, he goeth straightway
to him, and saith, Master, Master ; and kissed him.
See on Matt. xxvi. 49.
Master, Master. Not merely an exclama-
tion of excitement, but also of hypocritical
reverence carried to its greatest height.
And kissed him. It is noticeable, that upon
the vspot where Jesus was seized by the
band, Titus, the Roman commander,
pitched his camp forty years after. The
Turks, however, have walled the place
where Judas kissed Christ, as an accursed
spot.
4f!. And they laid tlieir hands on him, and took him. 47.
And oneof tlieni tliul stood by <Iri-\v a sword, and smote
ft servant of t lie hit,'h prii-st, and cut off his ear. 48. 'And
Jesus answered and said unto them. Are ye come out,
as against a thief, with swords and icith staves to take
me? 49. I was daily with you in the temple, teaching,
nndyetook me not: but mthe Scriptures must be ftil-
filled. 50. "And they all forsook him, and fled.
•Matt. xxvi. .55, on which see notes , Luke xxii. 52.
•nPsa. xxii. fi : Isa. liii. 7, &c.; Luke xxii. 37, xxiv. 44.
»Paa. l.x.xxviii. 8 ; verse 27.
A servant^ of the high priest. His name
was Malchus. Simon Peter drew the
sword. Concerning the miracle which
followed, see the note on Luke xxii. 51.
Ai-e ye come out, &c. These wretches, ob-
serving that, throughout His prolonged suf-
ferings, Jesus had complained of no other
injury done to Him, than this, that when
they came to apprehend Him as a crim-
inal in the garden, they had approached
Him as a thief, determined to treat Him
in this way which seemed to grieve Him
most. Hence, not satisfied with having
ranked Him beneath Barabbas, a thief of
the worst description, they made thieves
His companions to Calvary, and between
thieves they lifted Him to the cross. "As
men," says Beza, " had knowingly and will-
ingly deserted their Creator, become trai-
tors against Him, and robbed Him of his
glory, so Christ willingly making satisfiic-
tion for the unjust, being deserted by His
disciples, and betrayed by one whom He
had admitted to the most familiar acquain-
tance with Him, is apprehended like a
robber, that the punishment might ans-
wer to the sin, and we, the real traitors,
deserters, and sacrilegious robbers, might
be rescued from the snare of the devil."
But the Scriptures must be fulfilled. It is not
the Scripture which makes the necessity
of fulfillment, but the will of God, revealed
in the prophets, causes the fulfillment of
the Scriptures. The darkness, likewise,
stands beneath God's light. And they all
forsook him, and fled. Nothing is the cause
of greater mortification to Christ, than to
be betrayed and sold by one friend, to be
denied by another, and to be forsaken by
all the rest, being so worthy as He was to
be constantly loved.
51. And there followed him a certain young man,
having a linen cloth oast about ft i.? naked 6orfv.' and
the young men laid hold on him : 52. And he left the
linencloth, and fled from them naked.
And. there foUoired him a certain young
man, &c. There are many who have be-
come known to us only on account of
their having had something to do with
Jesus. We should never have heard of
this young man, if he had not followed
Him this terrible night. It was a moment
never to be forgotten, when he heard the
tumult, and determined to go and see
what it was. It appears that He loved
the Lord, and desired to be with Him in
the hour of danger and disgrace. But
when the enemies laid hold on him his
CHAPTER XIV
423.
courage failed, and leaving his covering in
their hands he fled for his life. This cir-
cumstance gives us a lively idea of the
terror that prevailed among the friends
of Jesus. Those who had a little while
before clung closely to His side, were now
afraid to be known as His discijiles.
Many suppose that the " young man " in
question was no other than the Evangelist
Mark himself. It is, however, impossible
to determine, and therefore idle to inquire,
who this was. "It seems," says Alford,
" to have been some attached disciple of
the Lord (probably well knov/n to the
readers of Mark), who had gone to rest
and had been aioused by the intelligence.
The disciples were not laid hold of; this
person, perhaps, was throwing some
obstacles in the way of the removal of
Jesus, or he may have been laid hold of
merely in wantonness from His unusual
gait."
A linen doth — an article of dress which
was used at night, and also in summer, as
a substitute for the ordinary mantle, or
outside garment. His naked body. The
word " naJced" may here express, as it
does in other places (see Isa. xx. 23 ; John
xxi. 7), that the young man was almost
naked. Being aroused by the tumult, he
did not wait to dress himself in the ordi-
nary manner, but merely threw this linen
cloth over what dress he had on. And he
left, literally, and having left. In attempting
to lay hold on him, they grasped only the
loose folds of the linen cloth. Letting this
remain with them, he fled away and
escaped, either not being pursued, or
taking advantage of his knowledge of the
place, in the darkness of the night, to
elude his pursuers.
The Rev. Henry Mehnll, B. D., in his
sermon on verses 51 and 52, says : " We
have shown you, that, except in describing
the dress of this young man, the Evangel-
ists nowhere mention the sindon, but
where they haye to speak of the raiment,
in which Christ was consigned to the
grave. This is surely very remarkable.
It is as though to force us to connect, in
some way, the appearance, the mj'sterious
appearance of the young man so strangely
attired, with the burial of Christ, to com-
pel us to assign it a prophetic or typical
character, in place of passing it over as an
incident, from which little can be learned.
As Christ is led to trial, and, therefore,
virtually, to crucifixion. He is followed by
a young man having nothing on his naked
body but the vesture in which, after
having been crucified, Christ would be
laid by Jose^ih in the tomb. The same
parties who have seized Christ, lay hold
on this young man, and try to detain him.
But though he is but one against a multi-
tude, he escapes from their hands — he
escapes, but he escapes naked, leaving the
grave-clothes behind him. Is not this
Christ, who, when He had put on the
grave-clothes, was not to be kej^t in the
grave by all the malice and power of His
enemies, but who sprang from the grasp
of the tomb, leaving in it the raiment in
which He had been bound up for burial?"
53. IF "And they led Jesus away to the high priest : and
with him were asseml)led all the chief priests and the
elders and the scribes. .54. And Peter iollowed liim afar
off, even into the palace of the high priest : and he sat
with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire. 65.
rAnd the chief jiricsts and all the council sought for
witness against Jesus to put liini to death ; qand found
none. 5G. For many l)iiri' r/Ulse witness against him,
but their witness agreed not together.
oMatt. xxvi. 57, on wliich see notes: Luke xxli. 54;
John xvlll. 13. pMatt. xxvi. 59. ql Peter iii. 16, 18. rpg.
xxvii. 12.
He sat with the servants. Often an error
is easier among such as those who are less
feared, than among the great. It is not
safe traveling upon the confines of what
is lawful and of what is sinful. He that
to-day will go toward sin, as far as he
thinks he may, is in danger of going to-
morrow further than he should. It is not
easy to be safe in walking upon the brink
of a precipice. (Prov. iv. 14, 15, xix. 16 ;
Gen. xxxix. 10; 2 Sam. xi. 2.) Warmed
himself. It was by the light that Peter was
discovered, who otherwise would have
been less exposed. Often while the body
is fostered, the soul is neglected. At the fire.
The nights in Palestine are intensely cold
during the Paschal season. Sought for wit-
ness, &c. It is in the power of every man
to preserve his probity ; but no man living
has it in his power to say, that he can pre-
serve his reputation, while there are so
many evil tongues in the world, ready to
blast the fairest character, and so many
open ears, ready to receive their reports.
(Ex. xxiii. 1; Prov. xxvi. 20-22; 1 Peter
iv. 8.)
But their witness agreed not together. Truth
424
MARK.
—'tis a plain, straight, open road; false-
hood—'tis a dark, deep, devious, winding
labyrinth, where it is very hard for its
accomplices not to lose the one the other ;
nay, not to lose themselves in it. 'Tis im-
possible for falsehood to be so consistent,
so true to itself, as not in something to
give itself the lie. (Job xxvM. 4 ; Matt.
xii. 34-37.)
57. And there arose certain, and bare false witness
against him, saying, 58. We heard him say, si will de-
stroy this temple that is made with hands, and within
three days I will build another made without hands.
59. But neither so did their witnass agree together. 60.
'And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked
Jesus, saying, Answerest tliou nothing ? what w it which
these witness against thee ? 61. But "he held his peace,
and aaswered nothing. ^Again the high priest asked
him, and said unto him. Art thou the Christ, the Son
oftheBl&ssed? Gi:. AndJesussaid, I am; yand ye shall
see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power,
and coming in the clouds of heaven.
»Chap. XV. 29 ; John ii. 19. 'Matt. xxvi. 62, on which
see notes. "Isa. liii. 7. ^Matt. xxvi. 63. jMatt. xxiv.
30, xxvi. 64 ; Luke xxii. 69.
Neither so did their witness agree together.
Perhaps one testified that He had said that
He was able to destroy the temple, and the
other that He would actual] j'^ destroy it.
Some understand this expression as mean-
ing that the testimony was insufficient.
Answerest thou nothing? What is it which
&c. Two distinct questions. The Blessed.
An ordinary Hebrew expression for the
Deity. (See Luke i. 68; Eom. i, 25.) And
Jesus said, lam. Seldom in the course of
His ministry did our Lord announce Him-
self as the Messiah. But here, in the great
and trying moment, when questioned by
the Jewish nation, in the person of their
high priest, solemnly, Areyouthe Messiah?
to the Jewish nation he returns the solemn
reply, lam.
63. Then the high priest rent ^his clothes, and saith.
What need we any further witnesses? 64. Ye have
heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all
>M:ondemned him to be guilty of death, 65. And some
began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buf-
fet him, and to say unto him. Prophesy : and the serv-
ants did strike him with tlie jjalms of their hands.
»Isa. xxxvi. 22, xxxvii. 1; Jer. xxxvl. 23, 24 ; Actsxiv.
13, 14. »1 Kings xxi. 9, 13 ; John v. 18, vlii. 58, 59, x. 31,
33, xix. 7.
Rent his clothes — tore all his clothing,
except that which was next his body.
Persons of respectability, and travelers,
sometimes, wore two articles of under-
clothing. (See on Matt. xxvi. 65.) Some
began to spit on Mm, &c. These wretched
miscreants, who spat upon the face of Him
who is described as " the Brightness of
(the Father's) glory, and the express
image of His person " (Heb. i. 3), had been
beheld long before by the keen eye of
prophecy. They occupy a distinct place
in Isaiah's solemn picture of the humilia-
tion of the Son of man : " He hid not His
face from the shame and the sjniiing."
66. II t>And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there
Cometh one of the maids of the high priest 67. And
when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon
him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Naz-
areth. CS. But he denied, saying, I know not, neither
understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into
the porch, and tlie cock crew.
djVIatt. xxvi. 69. on which see notes ; Luke xxii. 55 ;
John xviJi. 16.
Beneath. This is in opposition to the
hall of trial, which was higher. I know
not, or, it is unknown to me, not under-
stood. Into the porch, or, according to
Matthew, the entrance-hall. It is the
same idea.
69. fAnd a maid saw him again, and began to saj' to
them that stood by, This is oive of them. 70. And he
denied it again. i^And a little after, they that stood by
said again to Peter, Surely thou art 07ic of them : eior
thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agi'eeth thereto. 71.
But he began to curse and to swear, sayinn, I know not
this man of whom ye apeak. 72. 'And the second time
the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word
that Jesus said unto him. Before tlie cock crow twice,
thou slialt deny me thrice. And when he thought
thereon, he wept.
■•Matt. xxvi. 71. on which see notes; Lev. xxii. 58;
Joim xviii. 25. dMatt. xxvi. 73; Luke xxii. 59; John
xviii. 26. eActs ji. 7. fMatt. xxvi. 75.
And a (the) maid. As soon as she noticed
him, began to say, as the other had begun.
For thou art a Galilean. His broad dialect
betrayed him. It is evident that Peter
failed to convince these jiersons of his not
belonging to the party of Jesus, and that,
in their estimation, he was guilty of false-
hood. It is hardly supi^osable that he
did not show signs of conscious guilt, when
thus repeatedly charged with being one
of Jesus' followers.
And when he thought thereon he wept. Dod-
drige supposes that this is intended to ex-
press, not only the immediate sensibility
of Peter, but his feeling through life, and
that he always wept at the thought of his
vile and ungrateful conduct. His sin was
certainly very aggravated, and, with all
his failings, he was a man of very tender
affections, and great ingenuousness. Let
us never be ashamed or afraid of such
tears as Peter shed. Nothing is so becom-
ing and reasonable. Other grief may be
excused, but this can be justified. Other
sorrow may render us amiable in the eyes
of our fellow-creatures, but this is extolled
of God. " The sacrifices of God are a
broken spirit ; a broken and a contrite
heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." This
brings us within the reach of the promises :
" They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy,"
CHAPTER XV.
425
" Blessed are they that mourn, for they
shall be comforted." It is not easy, or
perhaps possible, to make others compre-
hend this — but there is a pleasure even in
the frame itself, and they who are the
subjects of it well know that their happi-
est moments are their most tender ones,
and, with Augustine, they can bless God
for the " grace of tears." Here is proof of
our being under the renewing of the Holy
Ghost. If the heart of stone was not taken
away, how could I feel and grieve ? And
if there was nothing in me but nature,
how could I feel and grieve for sin ? There
is nothing more useful in the divine life
than this disposition. It endears the
Saviour and His atonement, and His
righteousness, and His intercession, and
His grace, and makes its possessor cautious
and circumspect ; in this temper of mind
he cannot expose himself to temptation,
to trifle with sin, but be always watchful
and prayerful. Blessed is the man that
feareth always.
1. What occurred in the house of Simon the leper? 2. What objection was made to it? 3. Where did Christ
send two of His disciples ? 4. For what purpose ? 5. What took place " in the evening ?" 6. What is said of the
institution of the Lord's Supper ? 7. What was done before they went to the Mount of Olive; ? 8. What occur-
red in Gethsemane ? 9. Explain verse 36. 10. In what state did Christ find His disciples when He came to them.
11. What did He say to them ? 12. What particulars of the betrayal are given ? 13. What is said about " a cer-
tain young man ?" 14. What is said of Peter's denial of Jesus ? 15. What, of his repentance ?
CHAPTER XV.
1 Jerus brought bound, and accused before Pilate. 15
Upon the ciamour of the coimnon people , the murderer
Earabbas is loose.d,and Jesus delivered up to be cruci-
fied. 17 Hi: is crowned U'Uh thorns, 19 spit on, and
mocked: 21 fainteth in bearing his cj-oss : Z? hangeth
between two thieves: 29 sufferelh the triumphing re-
proaclies of the Jeivs : 39 but confessed by the centurion
to be the Son of God : 43 and is honourably buried by
Joseph.
AND '.straightway in the morning the chief priests
held a consultation with the elders and scribes and
the whole cnuneil. and bound Jesus, and carried him
aw.ay, and deli verrd him to Pilate.
"Ps. ii. 2; Matt, xxvii. 1, 2.
The events of this chapter are explained
more fully in Matthew xxvii.
In the morning, &c. The meetings of the
Jewish sanhedrim could not be held till
morning, as the courts of the temple were
shut at night. Nor was it lawful to put
any man to death on the passover. So the
council of Jews, fearing the people too
much to retain our Lord in prison, and
not daring to i:)roceed with the execution,
delivered 1dm to Pilate, on charge of sedition,
that He might be put to death immediately,
and according to the Roman custom.
Theophylact observes: "The Jews deliver-
ed up our Lord to the Romans, and they,
for that sin, were themselves given up into
the hands of the Romans."
2. tAnd Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of tho
Jews ? And he answering, said unto him, Tliou sayest
it. X And the chief priests accused him of many things ;
but he answered nothing. 4. cAnd Pilate asked him
again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how
many things they witness against thee. 5. JBut Jesus
yet answered nothing ; so that Pilate tnarvelled.
bMatt. xxvu. 11. cMatt. xxvii. 13. ^isa. liu. 7 ; John
xix. 9.
Thou sayest it, or, it is as thou sayest.
But he answered nothing. Jesus answered
Pilate, but would not answer the chief
priests a word before Pilate, probably for
these reasons : because His innocence was
such as needed no apology ; because their
calumnies and accusations were so notor-
iously false, that they needed no confuta-
tion ; to show His contempt of death ; to
teach us by His example to despise the
false accusations of malicious men, and to
teach us patience and submission, when
for His sake we are slandered and traduced.
6. Now fat that feast he released unto them one pris-
oner, whomsoever they desired.
eMatt. xxvii. 15; John xviii. 39.
There was no law to oblige Pilate to
this, but as acts of grace are generally
popular things, this seems to have been
first voluntarily used by the Romans, to
please their tributaries, and by custom
was in a manner established.
426
MARK,
7. And there was otir. named Barabbas, which lay
bound with them that had made insurrection with him,
■who had committed munier in the insurrection. 8.
And the multitude crymg aloud began to desire him to
(to as he had ever done unto them.
Bound with them, &c. This shows that
he belonged to a band of murderers, of
whom he was most likely the leader. In
the insurrection — in which he had been
captured — one of the numberless Jewish
insurrections, not known more exactly.
As this charge was most offensive to Pilate,
he would willingly punish Barabbas.
9. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I
release unto you the King of the Jews ? 10. For he
knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.
The King of the Jews — an ironical use of
an opponent's words. Let us take warning
of the fatal effects of envy, as shown in the
conduct of the priests. They delivered
up our Lord, and persecuted Him to death
from envy — envy at His superior holiness,
which i^ut them to shame, at His wonder-
ful works, which they could not equal, at
His growing influence, which threatened
to bring theirs to nothing. How anxious
should we be to root out this basest of
passions, which is excited in the heart by
the sight of superior excellence! Be
watchful against it, and if you find a secret
pain when any outshine you in piety or
success (much more if you are tempted to
disparage those who thus surpass you),
pray earnestly that you be not given up to
this truly devilish temper.
11. But fthe chief priests moved the people, that he
should rather release Baralilias unto them. 12. And
Pilate answered and said ai^aiii unto them. What will
ye then that I shall do U)Uo hi/a whom ye call the King
of the Jews? 13. And they cried out again, Cruciiv
him. 14. Then Pilate said unto them. Why, what evil
hath he done ? And they cried out the more exceed-
ingly. Crucify him.— fMatt. xxvii. 20; Acts ili. 14.
Moved the people, more literally, excited,
instigated. An active and urgent influence
is denoted by the word. The cross was
in the form of a f, corresponding to the
human form with the arms spread. It
was early adopted by the Eomans and
other nations as a means of inflicting tor-
ture and death upon the human body. It
was among the striking occurrences of
this great transaction, that this mode of
death extended him upon a representa-
tion of a human form, and presents him
to our view with his outspread arms as if
to embrace the human race.
Let us take warning against that base
disposition which speaks well of a person
while he is prosperous, and joins others
in decrying him as soon as he is afflicted.
The fickle multitude which joined in the
cries of Hosanna, when there seemed a
prospect of the Lord's triumph, preferred
a robber and murderer to Him, when
they saw Him deserted, "stricken, smitten
of God and afflicted." So hollow and '
fleeting is popular applause, such a dispo-
sition is there in man's breast to favor
and fawn upon those who are rising to
join in trampling upon the fallen. One
characteristic of such as shall rest upon
God's holy hill is, that in their eyes a vile
jjerson is contemned, but they honor
" them who fear the Lord." The outward
prosperity of a wicked man does not
alter their feeling toward him, and the
misfortunes which befall the good are to
them an additional reason for favoring
and honoring them in their adversity.
15. T cAnd so Pilate, willing to content the people,
released Barabba.s unto them, and delivered Jesus,
when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
To content, literally, to satisfg, i. c., to re-
move all grounds of complaint, and
render himself popular with the people.
Scourge 1dm. The Komans usually scourged
the criminals whom they condemned to
be crucified. Hence, Pilate delivered
Jesus to be scourged in order to be cruci-
fied, but not before he had made efforts to
rescue Him from His enemies. Let us
never forget the patient sufferer of all
these cruel outrages ; and when, we find
the multitude choosing Barabbas instead
of Him, let us be reminded to examine
whether there be no evil Avay, no un-
righteous or self-indulgent habit, which
we are preferring to Him, who bore all
this so patiently for our sakes.*
* We annex here, in a note, a most singular document,
entitled t\i& Death Warrant of Chrbil:
Sentence rendered by Pontiua Pilate, actinp Governor of
Loiver Galilee, stating that Jesus of Nazareth shall
suffer death on the cross.
" In the year seventeen of the empire Tiberius Csesar,
and the 2oth (lav of Jtaich, the city of holy Jerusalem,
Anna and Caia'phas licing priests, sacrifieators of the
people of God, Pontius Pilate, CJovernor of Lower Gal-
ilee, sitting on the presidential chair of the Prretory,
condemns Jesus of Nazareth to die on the cross between
two thieves— the great and notorious evidence of the
people saying—
1. .lesns is a spducer.
2. He is seditious.
.3. He is an enemv of the law.
4. He calls himself falselv tlie Son of God.
5. He calls himself falselv the King of Israel.
H. He entered into the temple, followed by a multi-
tude bearing palm branches in their bands.
Order the first centurion. Quillus Cornelius, to lead
him to the place of execution.
CHAPTER XV.
427
10. tAnd the soldiers led him away into tlie hall,
Called rreloriuui : and tlicv culli'd lutrctluT Uic whole
band. 17. And they clollud liim with puiiilc, and
platted aero*'!! ot'lnorns, and put it about his /i<i(i<, is.
And hf;;.iii to sulule hiin, 1 l.iil. Kin- of the Jews ! lit.
An<l they sniot.' liiiu on thr lu'ud with u riHMi, mul did
spit upon Inin, and Ijowiim llu ir kuces wcji-sliipprU Ijiin.
:,:u. And wlieii lliey hud mocked him, tliey took oil'tlio
purple I'runi him, and i)Ut his own clothes on hiui, and
led him out to crucil'y uim.— tMatt. xxvii. 27.
No pity was awakened in the hearts of
the Roman soldiers, by the sight of the Re-
deemer's suiierings. After the scourging
was over, they led Jesus away into the
hall, i- e., into the palace-court, which we
may easily suppose was surrounded by the
neighboring buildings of the governor's
palace, forming a kind of barracks. The
whole hand — the entire cohort, one-tenth
of a Roman legion. The number of the
cohort varied, however, from three hun-
dred to a thousand. Calling this cohort
live hundred, there could not have been,
in the court and around the building, less
than a thousand persons, all thirsting for
the blood of their victim. It is not un-
reasonable to suppose that the number
was much larger.
And tJtey clothed him, &c. A scarlet mili-
tary mantle (see on Matt, xxvii. 28) was
made to represent the imperial purple,
hence the de.'^ignation j^urple, as Mark and
John describe the robe. And because this
is the symbolic import of the robe, there
is no discrepancy. The scarlet military
cloak no more required to be a real pur-
ple, than the crown of thorns required to
be a real crown, or the reed a real sceptre,
for the whole transaction was an ironical
drama, and such an one, too, that the in-
famous abuse might be readily perceived
through the pretended glorification. A
crown of thorns. Still making themselves
Forbid to any iiereon whomsoever, either poor or
rich, to oppose the death of Jesus.
The witnesses that signed the condemnation of Jesus
are, viz. : 1. Daniel Kobani, a Pharisee ; 2. Joannas
Rorobable; 3. Eaphdel Robani ; 4. Capet a citizen.
Jesus shall go out of the city of Jerusalem by the gate
of Struenus."
The above sentence is engraved on a copper plate ;
on one side are written these words; " A similar plate
is .sent to eacii trilif." It was found in an antique vase
Of white marble, wliile excavating in the ancient city
of Afiuilla, in tlie kingdom of Naples, in the year 1820,
and was discovered by the Commissariats of Arts,
attached to the French armies. At the expedition of
Naples, it was found enclosed in a box of ebony, in the
sacristy of the Chartrom— the va.se in the chapel of
Ca.serta. Tlie French translation was made by the
members of the Commission of Arts. The original is
in the Hebrew language. The Chartrom requested
earnestly that the plate might not be taken away from
them. Tlie rO' luest was granted as a rcnvard for the sacri-
nce they Imd made for the army. M. Denon.oneofthe
savans, caused a plate to be made of the same model,
on which he had engraved the above sentence. At the
sale of his collection of antiquities, &c., it was bought
by Lord Howard for 2,890 ftancs.
merry over the innocent one, the soldiers
weave a crown of thorns, and put it on
His head. It is impossible to decide
which of the many kinds of thorn that
grew in Palestine was used. This crown
was put upon Jesus partly to mock Him,
and partly to cause Him joain. Some of
His faithful followers have thought of thi.s
crown while enduring suffering for His
sake. When a crown not made of thorns,
but of paper, and painted with the figures
of three devils, was jjlaced on the head of
the martyr'John Huss, he said, " I am glad
to wear this crown of ignominy, for the
sake of Him who wore a crown of thorns."
He felt that the Saviour's torments were
sharper than his own ; he felt, also, that it
was for his sake that the thorns pierced
the Saviour's brow. Yes ! it was for ws
that Jesus wore a crown of thorns. No
evil thought had ever proceeded from His
Divine mind. It was to atone for our
offenses that the blood trickled down His
sacred cheeks. He who suffered all these
pangs, and bore all these insults, was God,
the God who made us, who gives us health,
who upholds the worlds ! What must sin
be to require such an atonement ! It must
be infinitely evil. And what must Jesus
be, to be willing to offer this atonement !
He must be infinitely good. The day is
coming, when He will appear adorned
with many crowns, but not one of them
comi:)osed of thorns. Then all shall wor-
ship Him, not in cruel mockery, but with
deep awe, and call Him Lord, to the glory
of God the Father.
And they smote Jam on the head. On this
an ancient writer says : " Thou, who didst
submit Thy glorious head to be wounded,
l^ardon thereby whatever by the wilfulness
of my head I have done amiss. Thou, who
didst sufier Thy hands to be perforated,
pardon thereby w'hatsoever I have done
amiss by unlawful touch, by unlawful exe-
cution. Thou, who didst allow Thy pre-
cious side to be pierced, i^ardon thereby
whatsoever I have done amiss in the heat
of passion by unlawful imaginations. Thou,
who didst permit Thy blessed feet to be
nailed down, pardon thereby whatsoever
I have done amiss in the progress of my
footsteps, ever swift to evil. Thou, who
didst give Thy whole body to be stretched
428
MARK.
upon the cross, pardon thereby whatsoever
sins I have committed by the co-operation
of all my members. (Mi. v. 1.)"
21. 'And tliev compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who
passed bv, coming out of the country, the lather ol'
Alexander and lliitus, to bear his cross.
'Matt, xxvii. 32; Luke xxiii. 2B, on which see notes.
And they compel one Simon, a Cyrenian,
&c. It does not appear that Simon was
unxvilling to bear the cross, for the choice
was not given to him. Simon will never
' be forgot=ten, because he was the Saviour's
cross-bearer. How many angels in heaven
would joyfully have taken his place, if they
could have obtained permission ! We may
well believe that there are some on earth
who would, if they might, have borne their
Lord's burden, and shared His reproach.
Though our Lord is not now fainting be-
neath the weight of His cross. His name is
still despised, and His people are persecu-
ted. He delights to see us willing to bear
shame for His sake. Some have humbled
themselves to the very dust that they
might please Him. Dober, the Moravian
missionary, intended to sell himself for a
slave, that he might teach the negroes the
way of salvation. Circumstances prevented
him fulfilling his intention, but if he had,
would he have degraded himself? To bear
the cross of Jesus, and to share His re-
proach, is reckoned in heaven more hon-
orable than to govern kingdoms, or to dis-
cover worlds. Whether Simon knew it or
not, no monarch on his throne occupied a
place of such distinction as he did when
bearing the cross of the Nazarene. Cyrene
was a city of Africa, and contained many
Jews. Alexander and Rtiftis are mentioned,
because well known among the disciples
(see Rom. xvi. 13), and this is a strong
proof that the facts recorded are true, for
the appeal was sufficient to detect any
fallacy.
22. kAnd they bring him unto the place Golgotha,
which is, being interpreted. The place of a sliuU. 23.
'And they gave him to drinli, wint? mingled with
myrrh : but he received it not.
kMatt. xjcvii. 33 ; Luke xxiii. 33. 'Matt, xxvii. 34.
They bring. Not merely lead. Golgotha.
A small hill on a greater hill or mount,
north-west of Jerusalem, so called from its
form, or because criminals were executed
there. Wine mingled vAth myrrh, termed
by Matthew, vinegar. Mark si)eaks of
more ingredients in the drink than Mat-
thew, and hence uses different words to
denote the same thing. Vinegar was usu-
ally made of wine, or of the juice of grapes.
Received it not. Jesus must drain the cup
of suffering to the very dregs, and there-
fore will not partake of the opiate now
offered to His lips.
24. And when they had crucified him, "they parted
his garments, casting lots upon them, what every mail
should lake.— ""Ps. xxii. 18 ; Lulie xxiii. 34.
They parted his garments. Our Saviour
had not much to leave ; how affectingly His
poverty appears at His death. It was but
His garments the soldiers coidd divide,
there was nothing more. They might
have been woven by the fingers of love,
but they were all that He had. And it
may be, believer, that thou hast reached
the end of life's journey with little else
than the clothes that cover thee. Think
not of these, however, but of the shining
raiment thou art speedily to receive from
the hand of Him who, though He was
rich ; yet for thy sake became poor, that
we, through His poverty, might be made
rich, who wandered here in nakedness
and sorrow, a forlorn outcast, that we
might reach a mansion of bliss and be
clothed in a robe of righteousness, by
which we should be qualified for the very
presence of God and the enjoyment of His
love forever.
2-5. And "it was the third hour, and they crucified
him.— "See Matt, ixvii. 45 ; John xix. 14.
The third hour — nine o'clock in the
morning. They crucified him. " The meek
and lowlj' Man who permitted them to
place the cross upon His back, permitted
them also to stretch His hands and feet
upon it, and with the hammer and the
rugged nails to fix them there. O mys-
terious love! O meek, yet Almighty
Saviour ! how was it that no ray of Thy
Godhead escaped in the midst of such
cruelty, to wither and to blast forever the
wicked hands which sought Thy death ?
O wondrous love ! which held Thy power
in check, and kept Thee passive as a lamb
beneath the wounds which drained Thy
life away ! 0 holiness ! how dear wast
thou to the heart of Jesus ! Rather than
see thy garments stained by sin, He gives
His blood ! O justice ! how precious to
the Lamb of God wast thou ! Rather
than thou shouldst waive thy righteous
claims, unholy men shall nail His body to
CHAPTERXV.
429
the tree ; and inch by inch He will die,
and calmly, slowly, 'mid sweat, and
wounds, and blood, and darkness, and
agonies unutterable, and death, He will
pay into thy hands the utmost which thy
law demands. And thou, too, mercy ! how
closely to the heart of Jesus didst thou
cleave, rather than part with thee ; His
heart shall bleed, that with the purple
tide thy hand might lend a balm to heal
the wounds of men."
26. And "the superscription of his accusation was
written over, THK KING OF THE JEWS.
oMatt. xxvii. 37 ; Jolin xLx. 19 ; Luke xxiii. 38.
The superscription of his accusation. By
the Romans, the title of tlie crimes for
which criminals were condemned, were
either carried before them, or affixed to
tlie instrument of their punishment. There
were three inscrijitions, or ratlier one,
with slight variations, in three languages:
Hebrew, Greek and Latin. Matthew is
supposed to have given the Hebrew ; John
the Greek ; and Mark the Latin. It was
written in Latin for the majesty of the
Roman empire ; in Greek for the informa-
tion of the Hellenists, who used that, as
indeed most of the Roman provinces did.
Hebrew was the vulgar language of the
place. Can this be the King of Israel, on
the cross, dying the death of a malefactor?
Is this " a king ? " Retrace the ancient
Levitical service, and behold in the sacred
songs and prophetic language of the Old
Testament, that which shall throw light
upon the appalling scene. Light thy
torch in the Psalms of David, in which
thou hearest a great King complain and
say, "They pierced my hands and my
feet. Thej^ gave me also gall for my meat,
and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to
drink," and yet he remains a King. Listen
to the prophet Isaiah, speaking of One
who, though He was " wounded for our
iniquities," yet " the government was upon
his shoulder, and of his peaceful kingdom
there shall be no end." Read the words
of Zechariah, "Awake, O sword, against
the man that is my fellow ! " and hear the
forerunner in the wilderness, exclaiming,
"Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh
away the sin of the world ! "
27. And pwith him they crucify two thieves, the one
on his right hand, and the other on his left.
pMatt. xxvii. 38 ; Luke xxiii. 33, on which see notes.
No men who ever lived died in such re-
markable circumstances as these two
thieves. They were crucified with Christ.
We know not whether they had ever seen
Jesus before that morning, when they ac-
companied Him to Calvary, and were com-
pelled to pass many hours close to His
side. What a diiferent use each made of
this precious though painful opportunity!
One asked merely to be released from the
pangs of the cross. He thought not of eternal
misery. But the other thief asked, not to
be released from present suffering, but to be
admitted into eternal life.
28. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, qAnd
he was numbered with the transgressors. 2!). And 'they
that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and
saying. Ah, 'thou that destroyest the temple, and build-
est it in three days, 30. Save thyself, and come down
from tlie cross. 31. Likewise also the chief priests
mocking said among themselves with the scribes. He
saved others; himself he cannot save. 32. Let Christ
the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we
may see and believe. And 'they that were crucified
with him reviled him.
qlsa. liii. 12. 'Ps. xxii. 7. "John ii. 19. 'Matt, xxvii. 44.
Numbered with the transgressors. (See Isa.
liii. 12.) Let Christ the King of Israel, let
the Messiah, the king, &c. — words uttered
in derision,
f .33. And "When the sixth hour was come, there waa
darkness over tlie whole land, until tlie nintli hour.
.31. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried willi a lovui voice,
saying, ^Eloi. Eloi, lama, sal)achthani ? wliicli is, being
interpreted. My God, my God. why hast thou forsaken
me? 3-5. And some of them that .stood b.y, when they
heard it, said. Behold, he calleth Elias. 36. And jone
ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a
reed, and 'gave him to drink, saying. Let alone; let
us see whether Elias will come to talce him down.
37. "And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the
ghost.
»Matt. x.xvii. 45 ; Luke xxiii. 44. iPs. xxii. 1 ; Matt,
xxvii. 46. .vMatt. xxvii. 48 ; John xix. 29. ^Ps. Ixix. 21.
»Matt. xxvii. 50 ; John xix. 30.
. There tvas darkness over the whole land.
The anger of God, as avenging our sins on
our Surety, was attested by this horror of
darkness. Most commentators understand
the expression as relating to Jerusalem
and all the neighboring country. While
the sun enlightened the rest of the earth,
and even at the noon-day this one corner
of the world, in which so horrible a crime
was being perpetrated, was covered with
the thickest darkness. The passover, at
which time Christ was crucified, was at
the full of the moon, when it is impo.ssible
for a natural eclipse of the sun to take
place. Eloi, Eloi, &c. Consider how the
mysterious complaint, which these words
embody, is the very burden of the twenty-
second Psalm, from which the words
are quoted. (See verses nine and eleven
of that Psalm.) It is, indeed, a complaint
of perpetual recurrence in the book of
430
MARK,
Psalms, as if this most terrible calamity
of all, and perhaps the most mysterious
of the suflerings of the Son of Man, had
been constantly presented to the mind of
the inspired Psalmist. (See Ps. x. 1, xxvii.
9 XXXV. 22 &c.) And some of them that
stood by, etc. On examination, it will ap-
pear that all the insults endured by our
Lord on the cross were during the first
three hours. After this the multitude of
the Jews sympathized with Him, they
ran to assist Him, and expected Elias to
minister to Him. May not this change
of conduct have arisen from the awful
darkness having awakened them to a de-
gree of reflection ? Cried with a loud voice,
and gave up the ghost.
" The things wonderfully observable in
the death of our Saviour," says Sir Matthew
Hale, " are many ; first, that it was a vol-
untary delivering up of His spirit ; this is
that, He said. And truly this voluntary
delivering up of His soul was well nigh as
great an evidence of His divinity, as His
resuming it again. (Eccl. viii. 8 ; John x.
18 ; Gal. ii. 20 ; Ti. ii. 14.)
38. And bthe veil of the temple was rent in twain
from the top to the bottom.— iJlIatt. xxvil. 51.
There were two veils of the temple, one
at the entrance into the holy place, the
other between the holy place and the
sanctuary, called " tlte inner veil," to dis-
tinguish it from a curtain which was hung
at the entrance of the holy place. It is
particularly described (Ex. xxvi. 31-3),
and is the veil here intended. It was of
the strongest contexture, the richest ma-
terials, and the finest workmanship. Was
rent in twain, &c. With regard to the
unbelieving Jews, this was a very melan-
choly event. Hitherto God had dwelt in
the temple, within the Holy of Holies,
over the ark of the covenant, and there
manifested His presence in a peculiar
manner. Hence this j^lace was accounted
so sacred, that no mortal eye was to look
into it, and for this end, God had directed
this thick veil to be made. But now, God
having rent it Himself, thus, as it were,
opened the door of the Holy of Holies,
that every one might look into it. He
thereby intended to signify, that, from
a just indignation and disjileasure against
the wickedness of His people and their
priests, in putting the Lord of the temple to
death, He would from that time leave this
His dwelling (Matt, xxiii. 38), and profane
His Sanctuary, by giving it up to the eyes
and hands of unbelievers. But to the
faithful this rending of the veil is a joyful
type, representing that an entrance was
then opened to them into the Sanctuary
which is not made with hands. Hitherto
the flesh of Jesus Christ, by the imputation
of our sins to Him, had hung before it as
a veil. But when this veil was rent at the
separation oi His soul and body by death,
and Jesus Christ, the true High Priest,
had Himself, with His own blood, entered
into the holy place, i. e., into heaven ; the
way to the throne of grace is cleared of all
obstacles; heaven is laid open, and the
covering which hung before the mysteries
of the Levitical worship is removed. (Isa.
XXV. 7.) The Church militant on earth,
which was prefigured by the Sanctuary,
and the Church triumphant in heaven, the
antitype of the Holy of Holies, are now
united with each other — the M'all of par-
tition between Jews and Gentiles, namely,
the ceremonial law, together with ttie
whole Levitical economy, is thrown down.
(Heb. X. 19-22.)
39. H And cwhen the centurion, which stood over
against him. saw that he so cried out. and gave up the
ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
"^Matt. xxvii. 54 ; Luke xxiii. 47, on which see notes.
So cried out. This may refer either to
the words themselves, spoken by our
dying Lord, or to the " loud voice " with
which He uttered them, for both attested
His Divinity ; both attested His innocence,
in regard to that charge of blasphemy, for
which He was condemned in the Jewish
court. His addressing God twice on the
crossas His Father (Luke xxiii. 34), shewed
that He maintained to the last the justice
of His claim to be " the Son of God ;" and
then the full-toned loudness of voice with
which He cried out, gave evidence of be-
ing the Lord of life, having " life in Him-
seff."
Truly this man was the Son of God. This
testimony of the centurion was confirmed
by that of the infidel Rousseau. " Where
is the man," says he, " where the philoso-
pher, who could so live and so die, with-
out weakness and without ostentation?
When Plato describes his imaginary good
CHAPTER XV,
431
man, loaded with all the punishments of
guilt, yet meriting the highest rewards of
virtue, he describes exactly the character
of Jesus Christ ; the resemblance was so
striking, that all the Fathers perceived it.
What prepossession, what blindness, must
it be to compare the son of ISophroniscus
to the Son of Mary ! What an infinite
disproi)ortion there is between them!
Socrates, dying without pain or ignominy,
easily supported his character to the last,
and if his death, however easy, had not
crowned his life, it might have been
doubted whether Socrates, with all his
wdsdom, was anything more than a mere
sophist. He invented, it is said, the theory
of morals. Others, however, had before
put them in practice, he had only to say,
therefore, what they had done, and to re-
duce their examples to precepts. Aristides
had been just before Socrates defined
justice ; Leonidas had given up his life
for his country before Socrates declared
patriotism to be a duty ; the Spartans
were a sober people before Socrates
recommended sobriety ; before he had
even defined virtue, Greece abounded in
virtuous men. But where could Jesus
learn, among his cotemporaries, that pure
and sublime morality, of which He only
hath given us both precept and example?
The greatest wisdom was made known
amongst the most bigoted fonaticism, and
the simi)licity of the most heroic virtues
did honor to the vilest people on earth.
The death of Socrates, peaceably philoso-
phizing with his friends, appears the
most agreeable that could be wished for ;
that of Jesus expiring in the midst of
agonizing pains, abused, insulted, and
accused by a whole nation, is the most
horrible that could be feared. Socrates,
in receiving the cup of poison, blessed,
indeed, the weeping executioner who ad-
ministered it, but Jesus, in the midst of
excruciating tortures, prayed for His mer-
ciless tormentors." And hear his last
words. "Yes," says this infidel, "if the
life and death of Socrates were those of a
sage, the life and death of Jesus are tliose
of a God."
40. dTliere were also women looking on fafar off:
among whom was Mary Masdalene, and Mary the
motlier of James Uio less and of Joses, and of Salome ;
41. Who also, when he was iu Galilee, f followed him,
and ministered unto him; and many other women
whicii came up with him unto Jerusalem.
•iMatt. xxvii. 55; Luke xxlii. 49. «Ps. xxxviii. IL
rLuke viii. 2, 3.
The motlier of Joses, is probably the person
whom John calls Mary, the wife of Cleophas.
Salome. Probably the same as "the mother
of Zebedee's children," in the jjarallcl
I^assage in Matt, xxvii. 56. Looking on afar
off. The best defence against sin at any
time is the remembrance of Christ's suffer-
ings. Not only at the sacrament, but,
wherever we are, this remembrance is an
excellent shield in the day of battle. Art
thou walking, art thou standing, art thou
sitting, art thou going out, or coming in?
Set a bleeding Saviour before thee. When
"sinners entice thee," think of thy Saviour's
wounds ; when thou art tempted to over-
reach or defraud thy neighbor in any
matter, think of the bitter cup thy Master
drank off; when any lust, any vain desire
rises in thy mind, think of thy dear Re-
deemer's groans ; when thy flesh grows
weary of a duty, remember who sufl'ered
on the cross ; when thou art tempted to be
indifferent in religion and faint in thy
mind, look upon Him who made His soul
an offering for sin, for thy sin ; when thou
art loth to overcome, think of Him who
"by His death overcame him that had the
power of death ;" when impatient thoughts
assault thy mind, think of " the Lamb, that
before His shearers was dumb;" and, sure-
ly, under this sad scene, thou wilt not dare
to sin. (1 Peter iv. 1, 2 ; Heb. xii. 1-4.)
42. IF EAnd now, when the even was come, because it
was the preparation, that is, tlic d;iy Ijclorc the Sabbath,
43. Joseph of Arimatliea, an hdnourable counsellor,
wliich also ^waited lor tlie kinf:doni of God, came, and
went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of
Jesus.— sMatt. xxvii. 57 ; Luke xxiii. 50. tLuke ii. 25, 38.
When the even ivas come. The Jews spoke
of two evenings ; the first was considered
as commencing from the nintli hour, that
is, in our reckoning, Utrce o'clock, afternoon ;
the second, from the tireJflh Jiour or sunset.
It is probably the former of these that is
meant here and in Matt, xxvii. 45, for at
six the preparation ended and the Sab-
bath began, when they durst no longer be
so employed. Joseph of Arimathea was
a member of the council that had con-
demned Jesus, but had not consented to
their unrighteous sentence. (Luke xxiii,
51.) He, like Nicodemus, who was also
one of the sanhedrim, waited for the con-
432
MARK.
solation of Israel, Both these honor-
able persons believed in Jesus, but had
not yet openly confessed Him, from dread
of tiie indignation of the Jewish rulers.
They, however, acknowledged their at-
tachment to Him at His death— they joined
in honoring His burial. Nicodemus
brought spices to embalm Him. (John
xix. 38, 39.) Joseph went loldly to Pilate,
with whom he was, no doubt, acquainted,
and begged the body of Jesus, to protect
it from further insults, and to bury it in a
decent and honorable manner. Though
he had nothing to fear from the Roman
governor, he had everything to dread from
his fellow-counselors. It was, therefore,
a courageous act for tliis noble senator
thus publicly to own his regard for Je.sus
in the midst of infamy.
44. And Pilate marvell3d if he were already dead :
and callin-j unto him the centurion, he asked him
whether he had been any while dead. 45. And when
he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to
.Joseph. 4(). iAnd he bought fine linen, and took him
down, and wrapped him in the linen : and laid him in a
sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a
stone unto the door of the sepulchre. 47. And Mary
Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where
he was laid.
'Matt, xxvii. 59, 60 ; John xix. 40, on which see notes.
If, or rather according to the meaning
of the original word in some cases, that he
were already dead. We have strong reason
to think that this is the meaning here,
from the question put to the centurion,
whether he had been any while, not already
dead. When he knew — that Jesus was
really dead. He gave — the body of the
crucified had been at the disposal of the
judge. Therefore the body, which was to
be kept free from corruption, was at the
disposal of a heathen. Marvelous ! Joseph
would probably have paid for it a large
sum.
And laid him in a sepulchre, &c. All
that was done to Jesus was done to Him
as a public person. He was the Surety for
His people. He died, because their sins
were imputed to Hiih. They shall never
die, because J/ifs righteousness is imputed to
them. What a glorious exchange ! Who
would have made such an exchange but
the compassionate Son of God? Why
should the believer fear to descend into
the tomb, since Christ has taken away his
guilt? In the prospect of death he may
say, in the words of a Christian poet :
" The place where once thy body lay,
.The place it did perfume.
There will I drop my breathless clay,
And rest within thy tomb."
" Jesus teaching at Nazareth, or preach-
ing on the Mount of the Beatitudes, or
even transfigured on Mount Tabor " says
an eminent theologian, "will not suffice
us. Christ crucified must be the object of
our aftections. Therefore ascend to Him
on the spiritual ladder of sorrow for sin,
longing for mercy and belief in the efficacy
of His suflerings and death. Detach Him
from the accursed tree, and deposit Him
in your hearts, as your only cQnsolation in
life and death. That it is the real saving;
love to Jesus which burns within us, and
not a mere caricature of it, may be best
ascertained by its being first enkindled
by the sight of Hint, bleeding and dying
on the cross, and then embracing Him as
the ever-living One. He, on the contrary,
who turns away from the dead Christ,
and imagines that the living Christ, going
about doing good, teaching, and setting an
example, suffices him, miscalculates, and
on the day of His coming, notwithstand-
ing His greeting of ' Rabbi ! Rabbi ! ' will
hear from His lips the awful words, ' I
know not whence thou art, I never knew
thee.' " And Mary Magdalene, &c. The infi-
nite wisdom of God foresaw the objection
of unbelievers and infidels, and provided
against them. Did the Son of God really
die? Did He really rise again? Might
there not have been some delusion as to
the reality of His death ? Might there not
have been imposition or deceiDtion, as to
the reality of His resurrection ? All these,
and many more objections, would doubt-
less have been raised, if opportunity had
been given. But He who knows the end
from the beginning, prevented the possi-
bility of such objections being made. By
His overruling Providence, He ordered
things so that the death and burial of
Jesus were placed beyond a doubt. Pilate
gives consent to His burial. A loving dis-
ciple wraps the body in linen, and lays it
in a new tomb hewn out of a rock,
" wherein was never man yet laid." The
chief priests themselves set a guard over
the place where His body was deposited.
Jews and Gentiles, friend.s and enemies,
all alike testify to the great fact that Christ
CHAPTER XVI,
433
did really and actually die, and was laid in
a grave. It is a foot that can never be
questioned. He was really " bruised." He
really " suffered." He really " died." He
was really "buried." Let us mark this
well. It deserves recollection.
1. To whom was Jesus delivered by His enemies ? 2. What did Pilate ask Him ? 3. What effect had Christ's
silence on Pilate? 4. AVhat is said of Barabbas? 5. Why did Pilate release Barabbas ? 6. What treatment did.
Jesus receive from the soldiers ? 7. Who was compelled to bear His cross ? 8. What occurred at Golgotha ? 9
Wlio were crucified with Jesus? 10. How was He mocked on the cross? 11. What did He cry with a loud
voice? 12. What followed ? 13. What is said of the centurion? 14. What of the women? 15. What did Joseph
i\t' A rimnfliPfl. t\r% ''
of Arimathea do 'I
CHAPTER XVI.
1 An angel declareth the resurrection of Christ to three
women. 9. Christ himself appeareth to Mary Magda-
lene: 11 to two going into the country : U then to the
apostles, 15 whom he sendeth forth to preach the gos-
pel : 19 and asccadelh into heaven.
AND awhen the Sabbath was past, Mary Magda-
lene, and Mary themother of James, and Salome,
bhad bought sweet spices, that they might come and
anoint him.
!>Matt. xxviii. 1, &c. ; Luke xxiv. 1, &c. ; John xx. 1,
on which see notes. tLuke xxiii. 56.
The Sabbath. We are going to spend a
Sabbath in eternity. The Christian will
require as much of the Sabbath spirit
(Rev. i. 10) as he can. And, in propor-
tion to a man's real piety in every age of
the Church, he will be found to have been
a reverent observer of the Sabbath day.
MavT/ Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James, and Salome. These three women
had watched the Lord while hanging
upon His cross, and now they come togeth-
er to visit His tomb. Their attachment to
Him united them to each other. Two of
these women were mothers — the mothers
of Apostles. Mary was the mother of
James and Jude, the relations of the Lord,
and Salome was the mother of James and
John, two of His most favored friends.
How was it that none of these four Apos-
tles accompanied their mothers to the
sepulchre? Why did they suffer weak
women to go alone, while it was yet dark,
to a place where they were exposed to
the assaults of enemies? Surely these
mothers exceeded their sons in love to
their Lord. A icoman was the /rs< to eat
the forbidden fruit. It was merciful in
God to permit her to be i\\e first to visit
the sacred tomb.
2. oAnd very eariy m the morning, the first day of the
week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the
sun.— cLuke xxiv. 1 ; John xx. 1.
These women sought Christ in the first
day of the week, and first hour of the day,
but many defer to seek the Lord until the
last week of their life, the last day of the
week, the last hour of the day, the last
minute of the hour. Let us awake from
sin with David, early ; rise with Samuel,
early ; with Abraham send away Hagar,
early ; with Christ and His audience come
to the Church, early, and seek the Lord
with these holy women, early. (John viii.
2 ; Ps. Ivii. 9 ; 1 Sam. xv. 12 ; Gen. xxi.
14.)
3. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll
us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre ?
The great difficulty which occurred to the
minds of the women, and which formed
their conversation by the way, was the re-
moval of the stone from the door of the
sepulchre, for it was very large. Doubtless
they were convinced that if this were
overcome all would be well, and they
should find their Lord. They were
equally mistaken in both these expecta-
tions. The stone was no impediment, for
it was already removed, and yet they did
not find the Saviour. How often, in passing
through life, do the same results occur?
We view from a distance difficulties which
we never expect to overcome, some events
that will be too much for our fortitude,
some trial that will be too great for our
faith, yet as the day of trouble approaches,
the difficulty has subsided, or the provi-
434
MARK.
dence of Gk)d has made it easy, or all that
we feared to do is done for us, and the
stone -nhich the utmost efforts of our
strength could not have stirred, some un-
seen hand has rolled away.
4. And when they looked, they saw that the stone
was rolled away : for it was very great.
When our Saviour came the third day
out of His grave, it was done early in the
morning ; the stone was rolled away, and
no noise was heard — all was transacted
with a profound silence. The resurrection
of Lazarus was preceded by " a loud
voice." The Angel, at the Great Day,
shall summon the dead with " the sound
of a trumpet." Was it, then, because the
Son of God would have His resurrection
an article of our faith, and faith is of
" things not seen ? " It may be so ; but,
withal, He made it His business to conceal
His own glory, and to honor and advance
us. (1 Kings vi. 7 ; Josh. vi. 10.)
5. dAnd entering into the sepulchre, they saw a
young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long
white garment ; and they were affrighted.
dLuke xxiv. 3 ; John xxii. 11, 12.
Young vian — a man in form, but an angel
in nature. The resurrection of the dead,
as the Apostle declares (Eph. iv.), will be
" unto the fullness of the measure of the
stature of Christ ; " that is, in the season
of youth, which needs no further develop-
ment, and which is free from all defect,
complete in every respect, having fullness
of strength. (Eev. xxi. 4.) Sitting on the
right side — at their right hand as they
entered the inner chamber. A long white
garment. The heavenly messenger Avas
clad in robes of purity and splendor. They
vjere affrighted, as was natural, at sight of
so resplendent a personage.
6. eAnd he saith unto them. Be not affrighted : Ye
seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is
risen ; he is not here : behold the place where thev
laid him. 7. But go your way, tell his disciples and
Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there
shall ye see him. fas he said unto you. 8. And thev
went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for
they trembled, and were amazed: sneither said they
anything to any man ; for they were afraid.
eMatt. xxviii. 5, 6, 7, on which see notes. fJIatt
XX vi. :G; chap. xiv. 28. fSee Matt, xxviii. 8; Luke
xxiv. 9.
Jesus of Nazareth. The Jews had given
this name to Christ by way of reproach
(Matt. ii. 23), but as it was under this
name that He was crucified (John xix. 19),
the angel here, and the Apostles after,
have given him the same name. He is
risen, &c. He is not, said the angel, where
they laid Him, where you left Him.
Death hath lost its prey, and the grave
has lost its prisoner. Observe, it is not
said, He is not here, for He is raised ;
but. He is risen. The word imjjorts the
active i^ower of Christ, or the self-quicken-
ing principle by which Christ raised Him-
self from the dead. (Acts i. 3.) It was
the divine nature or Godhead of Christ,
which raised the human nature from
death to life. Others were raised from
the grave by Christ's power, but He raised
Himself by His own power. Behold — to
prove to the women the certainty of
Christ's resurrection, the angel appealed to
their senses.
And Peter. How much of love and
mercy was there in this mention of the
Apostle who had thrice denied his Lord !
and who may well be thought, at this
very time, to have been swallowed up
with- sorrow — to have felt that he was
" not meet to be called an Apostle."
Jesus, who is " touched with our infirmi-
ties," has pardoned the weakness of His
repentant servant, has still a commission
to entrust him with, and will enable him
to show, by a life of faithfulness, that the
grace bestowed on him had not been be-
stowed in vain. Observe, that for his
further comfort and assurance, to him was
vouchsafed a special appearance of his
risen Lord. (Luke xxiv. 34 ; 1 Cor. xv. 5.)
Before you into Galilee. INIark records the
angel's announcement of the ap])earance
in Galilee ; but concerning the appearance
itself, he is silent. (See on Matt, xxviii, 7
and 16.)
Fled from the seimlchre. We may sup-
pose that most probably the women did
glance at the spot vacated by the risen
Lord. The vacuity, and the consciousness
of an angel's presence, filled them with
awe. Neither said they anything to any man
— that is, on their Avay they addressed no
bystander, but hastened to fulfill the mes-
sage of the angel to the disciples.
9. 11 Now when .Testis was risen early, the first day of
the week, the appeared first to Mary Magdalene, 'out
of whom he had cast seven devils.
bJohn XX. 14. 'LiUke viii. 2 ; see on Matt, xxviii. 9.
Was risen early. We have no means of
knowing the precise hour in which our
Lord rose from the dead. It must have
been long enough before the visit of the
CHAPTER XVI.
435
women, to give time for the guard to
recover from their swoon of terror, and
leave for the c'itJ^ First day of the week —
Sunday. Hence this day of the week was
called the Lord's day, by John, in Rev. i.
t). It is therefore recognized by inspira-
tion as the sacred day in the Christian
week. The day of the Saviour's sepulchral
repose was the last of Jewish Sabbaths.
The first day of the week has from that
time to this, succeeded to the honors of
the fourth commandment. To Mary Mag-
dalene. (See verse 1.) " My soul," said
Austin, " if thou at any time lose the pres-
ence of thy God, seek Him with diligence
and perseverance ; seek Him with prayers,
and sighs, and tears, and be sure, at last,
thou shalt find Him with joy. He hides
not Himself that we may not find Him,
but that we may seek Him, and be there-
after more fearful to lose Him. Despair
not ; He again will show Himself; only
go on, and seek Him still with hope, and
thou shalt be sure to find Him at last with
joy. (Cant. ii. 14 ; Luke ii. 43-46.)"
10. ^And she went and told them that had been with
hiin, as tliey mourned and wept.
kLuke xxiv. 10 ; John xx. 18.
Them tliat had been with him, i. e.. His dis-
ciples. Mourned and v-ept. Because they
had lost their Lord and Master, and had
basely abandoned Him in His extremity.
To Christ, the Incarnate God, our relations
are wholly personal. He is not a notional
abstraction, nor an idea of the mind en-
throned in a logical vacuum. We are
bound to Him by all our deepest, strong-
est, most personal feelings, by our personal
consciousness of sin, by our persenal need
of redemption, by gratitude for personal
forgiveness, by love, on account of love,
shown directly, personally, to ourselves.
(Gal. ii. 20; 2 Cor. v. 14; 1 Peter ii. 3, 7.)
11. 'And they, when they had lieard that he was
ahve. and had been seen of her, beheved not.
'Luke xxiv. H.
Believed not. They had not forgotten,
nor did they truly disbelieve their Lord's
predictions. But in their dejection of
mind they had lost the realizing power
and could not grasp the fact. (See on
verse 13.)
12. 1 After that he appeared in another form munto
two of them as they walked, and went into the coun-
try. 13. And they went and told it unto the residue :
"neither believed they them.
mliuke xxiv. 13. "Xiuke xvi. 31 ; John xx. 8, 25.
Neither believed they them. Lange accounts
for the doubts of the disciples in the fol-
lowing manner: The eleven disciples had
undoubtedly learned by this time that
Jesus had appeared unto Peter, whose
testimony they could not reject. But now
the two disciples returned from Emmans
with the news that He had appeared unto
them on the way to Emmaus. Having no
conception as yet of this new wonderful
mode of Christ's existence— He appearing
now here, now at another place— new-
doubts arise. Moreover, some of the eleven
may have thought : Why should He have
appeared unto the two disciples at Em-
mans, earlier than unto us, His Apostles,
at Jerusalem ? They conceived, therefore,
of His appearance as that of His spirit,
and were affrighted when Jesus ajopeared
in their midst, supposing that they saw a
spirit (Luke xxiv. 37), so that the Lord
has to convince them first of all of the
reality of His body. Their doubting is
the confirmation of our faith ; and the
more difficulty they showed in believing
Christ's resurrection, the greater reason
have we to believe it. For the testimony
of those who believed not themselves,
till after unquestionable conviction, is the
more credible on that account.
14. H "Afterward be appeared unto the eleven as they
sat ut meat, and uiibraiiliMl tliem with their unbelief
and hardncs-i o. lioart, l)t'ca\isc tliey believed not them,
wliieh had seen him alter he Wius risen.
oLuke xxiv. 36; 1 Cor. xv. 5.
Upbraided them, &c. It is humbling to
think, that even after our Lord's resurrec-
tion. His disciples should have given Him
occasion to upbraid them for their unbe-
lief and hardness of heart, in not fully
believing the evidence which they had of
that glorious fact. These reproaches, how-
ever, were not His last words. He was
too compassionate to leave His disciples
with words of reproof. In the act of
blessing those whom He had loved and
kept so faithfully, He left the world.
(See Luke xxiv. 50, 51.)
15. pAnd he said unto them. Go j'e into all the world,
land preach the gospel to eve y creature.
pMatt. xxviii. 10 ; John xv. 10. <iCol. i. 23.
Go ye, &c. The Apostles had received
from the Lord the richest blessings. They
had been great receivers of grace ; they
were, therefore, to be munificent givers.
They had been saved themselves freely by
His grace — He asks them to go forth and
436
MARK
prove themselves active benefactors to all
the rest of mankind. No man receives a
blessing to be absorbed in himself— God
sanctions no monopoly in religion. All
we have, we have as stewards, and what
we have, we are commanded largely and
liberally to devote to the glory of God,
and to the good of all over whom we have
• any influence. No man liveth unto him-
self; every man, by be ng a Christian,
becomes necessarily and everywhere a
missionary. The commission thus given
to the Apostles is substantially the same
as that stated in Matt, xxviii. 19, on which
see notes. It is altogether probiible, that
on more occasions than one, and in various
forms of expression, Jesus especially en-
joined on His Apostles their official duty.
These woi-ds were, of course, also addressed
to all preachers of the Word, who are,
therein, successors to the Apostles.
All the icorlcl. Observe the largeness of
the commission thus given. (See Matt,
xviii. 19; Luke xxiv. 27 ; Acts i. 8.) These
injunctions stand in remarkable contrast
with the commission which the Twelve re-
ceived from their Lord during the days
of His earthly ministry. (Matt. x. 5, G.)
Clime and country, latitude and longitude,
were no elements which they could regard.
AVherever there was an ear to hear, there
was a claim upon their beneficence, and a
call to discharge their duties. Hitherto
the Jews alone enjoyed the Gospel; now,
that which was a lamp to a land was to bo
hung up like the sun in the sky — the light
to lighten the GentilefJ, and the glory of
His people Israel.
Preach the gospel. Proclaim the glad
news of salvation through Christ. The
preacher and the preaching are divine in-
stitutions. They are established by Christ,
and shall last till the world shall end. All
other moral means of converting the world
to righteousness— the press, the Sabbath-
school, the voluntary societies, social
prayer meetings, &c., are auxiliary to tlie
preacher and the preaching of the Word.
To every creature, literally, to the whole
creation. No one was to be overlooked.
To all of every age and nation, pardon for
sin was to be offered, on condition of their
repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. By
these words the missionary office is bound
upon the Church through all ages, till
every part of the earth shall have been
evangelized.
16. rHe that believeth and is baptized shall be saved :
ebut he that believeth not shall be damned.
'John iii. 18,36, Acts 11. 38, xvi. 30; Rom. x 9, 1 Peter
iii. 21. sJohu xii. 4«.
Believeth and is baptized. Baptism is here
put for the external signature of the inner
faith of the heart, just as " confessing with
the mouth" is, in Rom. x. 10; and there
also as here this outward manifestation, as
the proper fruit of faith, is not repeated in
what follows. (Rom. x. 11.) In view of
• this declaration of our Lord, hov/ can men
avoid the conclusion that baptism is
necessary, when it may be had? That
outward baptism, which seems to be here
intended, is not absolutely necessary to
salvation, the case of the penitent thief
])lainly shows. He went to Paradise un-
baptized. That outward baptism alone
often confers no benefit, the case of Simon
Magus plainly shows. Although baptized,
he remained in the gall of bitterness and
bond of iniquity." (Acts iii. 23.) But
that baptism is a matter of entire indifier-
ence, and need not be used at all, is an
assertion which is evidently at variance
with our Lord's words in this j^lace.
" Baptism," says Scott, " is the outAvard
sign of regeneration ; and it is also that
profession of faith in Christ, which is
required of all who embrace Christianity.
(Matt, xxviii. 19, 20 ; Acts ii. 37-40 ; Rom.
X. 5-11 ; 1 Peter iii. 21, 22.) But if men
truly believe in Christ — profess openly
faith in Him, and partake of His sanctify-
ing Spirit, they v/ill doubtless be saved,
even should they have no opportunity of
being baptized with water, or should they
fall into any mistake, about the external
mode of administering that ordinance ;
and if men both believe and are baptized,
it does not follow, from the order of the
words in the text, that the baptism is in-
valid, because it was previous to believing,
for no sect of Christians rebaptize those
who have been baptized in their own
way, because it afterward appears that
they were not true believers at the time,
though it be hoped that they have since
become so."
But he that believeth not, &c. This has
reference to those who hear the preached
CHAPTER XVI,
437
Gospel. All others are to be judged in
accordance with tlic principle laid down
in Rom. ii. 12. The belief here required
as essential to salvation, has special refer-
ence to Christ as the Saviour and Re-
deemer of men, but embraces all the
declarations of God's AVord, which lie
around this great central truth, such as
human depravity, the extent and spiritu-
ality of the Divine law, the need of
regeneration through the Spirit, the re-
tributions of eternity, and the like.
Saved damn-cd. These awful issues
of the reception or rejection of the Gos-
pel, though often recorded in other connec-
tiong, are given in this connection only by
Mark, as also the " signs " enumerated in
verse 18. Those who believe the Gospel,
and give themselves to Christ, and to God
in Christ as their God in covenant, and
evidence by their adherence to this cove-
nant their sincerity, shall be saved from
the guilt and power of sin, it shall not ride
nor ruin them. Those Avho do not this,
cannot expect any other way of salvation,
but must perish ; they shall be damned, by
the sentence of a despised Gospel added
to that of a broken law. Eternal damna-
tion is manifestly intended. (See Matt.
XXV. 45, 46; 2 Thess. i. 5-10; Rev. xx.
11-15.) The two damning sins under the
Gospel are unbelief and hypocrisy, not
receiving Christ for their Lord and
Saviour by some, or doing this feignedly
by others. Happy are they in whom the
preaching of the Gospel produces such a
faith as is the jDarent and principle of
obedience.
17. And these signs shall follow them that believe ;
'In my name shall they cast out devils: "they shall
speak with new toneiues ; 18. ^They shall take up ser-
Eents ; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not
urt them ; ythey shall lay hands on tue sick, and they
shall recover.
'Luke X. 17 : Acts v. 16, viii. 7, xvi. 18, j:x. 12. "Acts
ii. 4, X. 46, xix. 6; 1 Cor. xii. 10, 28. ^Lukc x. 19 ; Acts
xxviii. 5. jActs v. 15, 16, ix. 17, xxviii. 8 ; James v. 14, 15.
These signs shall follow, &c. (See Acts x.
46, XIX. 6 ; Luke x. 19 ; comp. Acts xxviii.
5 ; 1 Cor. xii. 9 ; James v. 14, 15.) What
was obviously meant was, that these signs
should follow the tirst promulgators of the
Gospel, till Christianity was clearly vindi-
cated, by unequivocal proofs to be from
God, and having done the great work .for
which they were intended, these signs and
miracles should cease and be withdrawn.
Some insist that there ought to be mir-
acles in the Church now. But it shtnild
be remembered that a ceaseless miracle
would be a ceaseless contradiction. The
miracle now is, that the grass should grow,
that the trees should bud, and that the
flowers should blossom in summer, but
if winter were to be the season for
flowers, and fruit, and corn, and summer
to be the season of snow, and frost, and
hail, then the continuance of this would
make it cease to be a miracle. If anybody
by speaking a word could cure a withered
hand, unloose the tongue of the dumbfun-
stop the ears of the deaf, or open the eyes
of the blind, it would cease to be a miracle,
for the continuance of such a phenomenon
would make it cease to be wonderful at
all. A ceaseless miracle, therefore, is no
miracle at all, and to assume that there
shall be miracles always, or constant con-
tradictions to the ordinary laws of nature,
would be to suppose what would bring
all things into confusion, and cease to sub-
serve, because ceasing to be miraculous,
the great ends for which miracles were
intended. But at the beginning of a new
dispensation a miracle was important.
To the question, "Do no such signs as
those here spoken of follow them that be-
lieve?" one replies : " Let us be well per-
suaded that the mighty works under
discussion are daily enacted by the faith-
ful— surely although invisibly, and indeed,
after a very lofty fashion also. Evil incli-
nations overcome,and wicked imaginations
effectually repressed; a divine theme (the
language of heaven) constantly engaging
' the best members that we have ;' inter-
course with sinners, and familiarity with
a sinful world, yet no harm incurred;
with the eye polluting sights encountered,
by the ear noxious discourse drinking,
yet (by God's mercy) without defilement ;
ministrations to sick souls, and their con-
sequent recovery — what are all these
glorious privileges of Christian men but
daily fulfillments of the Divine promise
concening what 'signs' should 'follow
them that believe?'"
And if they drink any deadly thing, &c. The
art of poisoning was almost cultivated as
a science, and it might be expected that
their enemies would endeavor in this way
438
MARK.
to destroy them. By these particukrs,
doubtless, the Saviour conveys a general
promise, pledging to His disciples, amidst
the trials and dangers of their mission, the
protection of that Almighty One, by whom
" the hairs of their head were all number-
ed," and without whom " not a sparrow
falleth to the ground."
19. So then, rafter the Lord had spoken unto them,
he wa.s "received up into heaven, and tsat on the right
liand of Ood.
'Acts i. 2, S. ^Luke xxlv. 51. tPs. ex. 1 ; Acts vii. 55.
After the Lord had spoken unto them. The
Evangelist does not mean to say that our
Lord ascended to heaven immediately after
He had spoken the words recorded from
verse 14 ; he evidently sums up, in a brief
manner, the Lord's last instructions. Hewas
received up into heaven. The account of the
ascension is in every point to be supple-
mented by that of Luke, with whom Mark
stands in no contradiction. Although
Matthew and John give no account of our
Lord's ascension, the fact is clearly indi-
cated by them. The declaration of the
Saviour, recorded at the close of Matthew's
Gospel, that all power in heaven and on
earth is given unto Him, necessarily
implies that He was going to ascend
to heaven and seat Himself at the
right hand of His Heavenly Father. In
John's Gospel we read that the Saviour
says to Mary of Magdala, after His resur-
rection, that He would ascend unto His
Father. His ascension is also foretold in
John vi. 62, where the Saviour says that
the Son of Man would go up again where
He had been before. The fact of the
ascension is, likewi.se, testified by the
Apostle Peter. (1 Peter iii. 22; Acts. ii.
33, V. 31.) Equally pointed and distinct
are the words of the author of the Epistle
to tbe Hebrews (ix. 24 ; x. 12). Another
witness is the Apostle Paul. His conver-
sion was founded on the appearance of
the glorified Christ from heaven. Add to
this what the Apostle says in various
passages. (Eph. ii. 6 ; iv. 8 , Phil. ii. 6-10 ;
1 Tim. iii. 16.) The ascension of our Lord
is, indeed, necessarily involved in His
resurrection, for the latter was a return,
not to His former state of existence on
earth, but to the glory which He had
with the Father before His incarnation.
A7id sat on the right hand of God. An
account, resting partly upon the direct
vision of the disciples (Acts i. 19), partly
upon a revelation (Acts i. 11), partly upon
the words of Christ (John. xiv. 3), and
upon the lively inference of faith, especially
from the events occurring at Pentecost.
(Acts ii. 33.) The fact is itself, on the one
hand, local, that is, the being seated upon
that throne of glory where the self-revela-
tions of God take place, and in the midst
of that majesty whence the manifestations
of His power proceed; and, upon the
other hand, is symbolic of Christ's royal
dominion, (Phil. ii. 10.)
20. And they went forth, and preached everywhere,
the Lord working witli them, c-Aud contirming the word
witli signs following. Amen.
i^Acts V. 12 ; 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5 ; Heb. ii. 4.
Went forth. They no longer sat and
mourned and loept (verse 10). They were
like heroes, and quitted themselves like
men. They were afraid of no danger, and
braved all deaths. Such was the Pente-
costal power with which they were endued
from on high. Preached everyu-here. The
book of the Acts of the Apostles furnishes
the illustration of this verse. It is the
concurrent testimony of the early writers
of the Church, that the Apostles (including
Paul, who was added to their number),
and their fellow-laborers, preached the
Gospel throughout the habitable world, at
least that portion of it which was then
known and accessible.
The Lord— the Lord Jesus. This Divine
title is applied to Jesus by Mark himself,
in this and the preceding verses only. It
is a most important link of connection
with the Acts of the Apostles, where He
who directed all the movements of the
infant Church, is perpetually styled "the
Lord," thus illustrating His own promise
for the founding and building up of the
Church, " Lo, I am with you alway."
The Lord vorhing vith them — through
them as instruments. This points at the
inward operation of the Holy Spirit
upon the minds of men. It is sweet and
prosperous, working in fellowship with
Christ and His Holy Spirit. He directs
His ministers, assists them, guides their
lip.s, influences their minds, quickens their
affections, sets home their instructions,
and crowns all their endeavors with His
blessing.
CHAPTER XVI
439
And confirmed the word, &c. This confir-
mation resulted partly from the miracles,
which were wrought ui)on the bodies of
people, which were divine seals to the
Christian doctrine, and partly from the
influence it had upon the minds of the
people, through the operation of the Spirit
of God. (See Heb. ii. 4.) These were prop-
erly signs following the Word — the reforma-
tion of the world, the destruction of idol-
atry, the conversion of sinners, the com-
fort of saints, and these signs still follow
it.
Amen, Each of the Evangelists, in turn,
concludes his Gospel with a word, solemnly
asserting the living truth of the inspired
record, a word of devout affirmation, which,
as it were, sets the seal of the Spirit on
every syllable that has gone before, and
which declares the Evangelist to be — like
" the Amen " of whom he writes — a " faith-
ful and true witness."
1. Who came very early in the morning to the sepulchre ? 2. On what day did they come ? 3. For what purpose ?
4. What did tliey say ? 5. What did thej' see ? 6. What was said to them as they entered into the seiiulchre ?
7. What did they then do? 8. To whom did the risen Saviour appear first? 9. What course did she pursue ?
10. When did Christ again appear ? 11. When did He appear unto the eleven ? 12. What command did He give
them ? 13. What did He promise them ? 14. What took place after Jesus had spoten to them ? 15. Explain
the word " Amen."
Popular Expositor
OP
The Gospels and Acts,
FOR
Pulpit, Sunday-School, and Family.
JOHN.
ALFRED NEVIN, L. B., D.D.
ZIEGLER & McCURDY,
Philadelphia, Pa. ; Cincinnati, O. ; St. Louis, Mo. ;
Springfield, Mass.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by
ZIEGLER & McCURDY, ,
In the OflSce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.
PREFACE
TO THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.
PERSONAL HISTORY.
John, the younger brother of James, Avho with him was called to the Apostleship,
was the son of Zebedee and of Salome. His father was a fisherman, living at
Bethsaida, in Galilee, on the borders of the lake of Gennesaret. The family appear
to have been in easy circumstances, at least we find that Zebedee employed hired
servants (Mark i. 20), and that Salome was among the women who contributed to the
maintenance of Jesus. (Matt, xxvii. 56.)
John was probal)ly one of those disciples of the Baptist who, hearing his remarkable
testimony to Jesus, followed the new teacher to his residence, and abode with him the
rest of the day. (i. 35-39.) Then was made on the mind of the susceptible son of
Zebedee an impression never to be efiaced. He doubtless accompanied Jesus to
Galilee, and was one of the party present at the marriage at Cana. (ii. 2.) And when
Jesus again visited Judea, the little band Avho had attached themselves to Him attended
His steps, and passed with Him on His return in the way from Jerusalem through
Samaria, (iv. 3, 4.) It is difficult to trace chronologically the course of events ; but
most probably when, after His Judean ministry, our Lord was again in Galilee, rejected
at Nazareth and removing to Capernaum, John and his brother, like Peter and
Andrew, resumed their ordinary occupation. And it was when so engaged that they
received the special call (Matt. iv. 18-22 ; Mark i. 16-20 ; Luke v. 1-11), to be continually
with Jesus, which was supplemented by their appointment as Apostles. (Matt. x. 2 ;
Mark iii. 16, 17 ; Luke vi. 13, 14.) Afterward, we find John one of the especially-
favored three who witnessed the Lord's shining glory and His agonizing grief, and
before whom, apart from the rest. His most wonderful works were performed. (Matt,
xvii. 1-9, xlxvi. 36-45 ; Mark v. 35-43, ix. 2-10, xiv. 32-42 ; Luke viii. 49-56, ix. 28-36.)
John it was who was sent with Peter to prepare the last supper (xxii. 8), and John,
the disciple whom Jesus loved, reclined next Him at the meal, and at Peter's hasty
nod put the question, most likely in a whisper, " Lord, who is it that shall betray
thee ?" (John xiii. 23-26.)
NATURAL TEMPERAMENT.
In regard to the natural temperament of John, it is quite evident that he was bold,
ardent, impetuous, one who scorned falsehood and hypocrisy, and was ever ready to
give expression to his sentiments in the most simple and straightforward terms. It
was probably these characteristics which formed the basis of his friendship and inti-
macy with Peter. Kindred spirits they were, although in moral heroism, especially
during the earlier days of their Apostleship, John was greatly the superior of his
friend. We see no evidence which Tholuck and some others find, that John's dispo-
( 443 )
444 PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.
sition and turn was of a feminine cast. On the very contrary, while he possessed an
open, frank, loving disposition, it was evidently connected with all that was bold,
energetic and man-like. It is thought by some expositors, that the epithet Boanerges,
sons of thunder, was bestowed upon John and James on account of their impetuous
spirit, although not without reason others interj^ret it as predictive of their bold and
powerful style of preaching. John's sincerity and frankness, which permitted no con-
cealment of his opinions, or compromise with any form of error, is abundantly mani-
fested in his writings, especially in his epistles. Every portion of them is pervaded
by his tender and loving spirit, and yet for plain, direct, out-spoken, burning denun-
ciation against those who would seek to depreciate the glory of his Lord and turn
away believers from the truth, they have no parallel in all God's Word, not even in
the most denunciatory of the prophetical writings. On the one hand John proclaims
with startling severity the claims of doctrinal truth, and the duties of the teacher; on
the other, he stands out in the majesty of a sacred office, clothed in something of the
dress of the old theocracy. The two views involve no contradiction, but rather exhibit
the wide range of that divine love which cherishes every element of truth with the
most watchful care, because it is of infinite moment for the well-being of men.
We cannot prevail on ourselves to omit the following interesting anecdote which
has been so often told, but which never loses its freshness : " When John was far
advanced in age he was too feeble to walk to the meetings. He suffered himself then
to be carried in by his disciples. Being unable to speak much, he continually re^jeated
the words, ' Little children, love one another.' And when he was asked why he
always repeated these words alone, he replied, ' Because such is the commandment of
the Lord, and because it is sufficient, if this is done.' "
As John followed Christ to judgment and death, he received from the cross the
charge to receive the mother of the Lord as her own son. (John xix. 27.) After the
ascension he remained at Jerusalem with the other Apostles. He was with Peter at
the working of his first miracle, and afterward he went with him to Samaria. (Acts
1. 13, viii. 14.) At the time of Paul's first visit to Jerusalem John was absent from the
city, but on a later occasion Paul describes him as one of "the pillars of the Church."
(Gal. i. 18, ii. 9.) At what time, and under what circumstances, he left Jerusalem is
wholly unknown ; but tradition is unanimous in placing the scene of his after-labors
at Ephesus. His residence there must have taken place after Paul's departure, but
this is all that can be affirmed with certainty. It is generally agreed that he Avas ban-
ished to Patmos during his stay at Ephesus, but the time of his exile is very variously
given. The legend of his sufferings at Rome, which was soon embellished and widely
circulated, is quite untrustworthy, and the details of his death at Ephesus are equally
fabulous, though it is allowed on all hands that he lived to extreme old age.
GENUINENESS AND AUTHENTICITY.
Some attempts, says an eminent scholar, have been made by modern critics to
prove that this work was not from the pen of the Apostle John. They have chosen
to suppose that there was an irreconcilable difierence between the Gentile and the
Jewish types of Christianity, represented by Paul and Peter respectively ; and certain
books of the New Testament they think were written to bridge over this diflference.
The fourth Gospel they consider one of them ; and they have invented in their
wisdom the hypothesis that, about the middle of the second century, a Gentile
Christian composed it under the name of the Apostle, to recommend love as higher
than faith and to show how the Jewish system was fulfilled in Christ, the true paschal
lamb. The Church, according to their notion, was easily deceived, and hailed the
production as the genuine work of John. But surely most men will think that it is
the critics who are credulous and easily deceived. For, to glance at the external
evidence, not only have we the testimony of Jerome and Eusebius in the fourth
century after Christ, but in the beginning of the third and end of the second we find
PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. 445
the leading writers in various parts of the Christian world recording their belief of
the authenticity of John's Gospel. Of these Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria and
Jren;eus may be specified. The last named writer, in whose lifetime the forgery, if
real, must have been committed, was acquainted with the state of the Church in the
east and the west ; he had known Polycarp, John's disciple, and may therefore be
taken as a most competent witness. Now he declares that in his time the fourth
Gospel was universally received, and has an argument about the four Gosi)els — -just so
many and no more — being the necessary pillars of the truth. How is this compatible
with the theory that the work had just been fraudulently concocted? There are yet
earlier testimonies. Justin Martyr, born in John's lifetime (about 89 A. D.), quotes
this Gospel. Further, it is found in the Peshito-Syriac version and in the Muratoriau
canon ; and additional proof may be obtained even from the early heretics, More it is
impossible to say on this part of the question here ; but it may fairly be asked, " if it
was possible for a history of Christ, falsely pretending to be from the pen of the
Apostle John, to be brought forward twenty, thirty, or forty years after his death, be
introduced into all the Churches east and west, taking its place everywhere in the
public services of the Sabbath ? Was there no one to ask where this new Gospel
came from, and where it had lain concealed? "Was there no one of the many who
had personally known John to expose the gigantic imposture, or even to raise a note
of surprise at the unexpected appearance of so important a document of which they
had never heard before? How was the populous Church at Ephesus brought to
accept this work on the very spot where John had lived and died?"
We may reasonably conclude from a consideration of the external evidence that
fraud was a moral impossibility. This conclusion is strengthened by a view of the
internal evidence. For there are repeatedly assertions made that John was the
author (John xix. 35, xxi. 24), and, even if we admit, as has been imagined, that the
last chapter is a later appendix, the testimony is not thereby weakened. There is
also the graphic minuteness of detail, with the many touches clearly indicative of an
eye-witness, of which xiii. 22 may be taken as an example. The structure of this
Gospel, too, is far different from what we should suppose a forger would have devised.
The variations from the other Gospels bespeak an independent witness: a forger
would have servilely followed them ; and the wonderful discourses recorded of our
Lord, the loftiness of His character portrayed, the emphatic maintaining of His Deity,
are all such as the beloved disciple, looking back under the light of Christ's glorifica-
tion to the days and months of his familiar earthly converse with Him, may well be
supposed to have most diligently pondered, and to have been most anxious to record
for the Church's guidance and consolation ; while a forger would have been utterly
incompetent for such a delineation, and his attemj^t would have proved a glaring
failure. Indeed, looking only at this book as a composition, and discovering the
Master's hand that penned it, we may well ask, if John was not the author, who was
that greater than John who has produced such a marvelous work, and yet has left no
name or trace of his existence? Besides, from its tone and character it is incredible
that it should have been composed in the second century. Let any one who doubts
this read along with it the apostolic and immediately-succeeding fathers, and see the
mighty difference between them and this writer.
Rcnan, in what he designates the Vie de Jesus, but what has been more fitly called
" The Romance of the Life of Jesus," alleges that there are in the Gospel of John
certain indications of a metaphysical turn of thinking, savoring of the Gnostic spirit
of speculation, which cannot be regarded as natural to a fisherman of Galilee, or likely
to have found expression in his writings. To this it is sufficient to reply that John
had long been residing at Ephesus, where the Gnostic tendency began early to show
itself, that while there he could not but be fiimiliar with its workings, that nothing
was more likely, d priori, than that he should, incidentally, as it were, pronounce his
judgment upon them, and that unless we take it for granted that there is no such
446 PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.
thing as the inspiration from above, we can consider nothing more likely than that, in
treating of the loftiest themes, his language should rise fully to the occasion.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS AND THE THREE EARLIER GOSPELS.
The first three Evangelists, until they come to the final journey to Jerusalem,
narrate only what occurred in Galilee, whereas John's narrative, to the extent of
six-sevenths of its space, has Jerusalem for its scene. Again, the three Galilean
Gospels (as we may call them) have many miracles, many parables in common ; told
sometimes in almost identical words, as though they had derived their narrative
from the often-repeated oral teaching of the self-same eye-witnesses (and this may well
be the explanation). John, on the contrary, relates no parables, and has but one
miracle in common with the rest. Again, the three relate chiefly our Lord's popular
discourses concerning His kingdom ; John for the most part His conversations with
the Apostles or controversies with the Jews about His own Person and Mission. But
the difference in style is still more striking. The three write a jalain narrative, making
no comment, never speaking in. their own person (except in Luke's brief preface) ;
John writes authoritatively, theologically, enforcing his own explanation of the facts
which he relates.
These contrasts, which so widely separate the fourth Gospel from the rest, are at
once explained by the fact which the early Church traditions unanimously affirm,
that John wrote thirty years later than the rest, for a generation of men who had
grown up in the Christian faith, and been flimiliar from childhood with that more
popular cycle of Apostolic teaching which the three earlier Evangelists had embodied
in their Gospels.
DESIGN OF THIS GOSPEL.
The object which this Evangelist had in view is very clearly stated in -chapters i.
1-18 and xx. 31. His design appears to have been to convey to the world just and
adequate notions of the real nature, office and character of the Divine Recleemei'.
For this purpose are especially recorded those passages of our -Saviour's life which
most clearly displayed His Divine power and authority, and those discourses in which
He spoke most plainly of His own nature, of the work given to Him by the Father,
and the efficacy of His death as an atonement for the sins of the world. And it is
from this Gospel that the most numerous and decisive proofs of our Lord's deity are
derived. Yet no Evangelist has portrayed the softer lineaments of our Lord's humanity
with more delicacy and beauty, or disclosed more of the inmost affections and feelings
of the Saviour's heart.
It is an old and still prevalent opinion that John wrote his Gospel to supply the
omissions of the other three, but no such impression is conveyed by the Gospel itself,
which is as far as possible from having the appearance of a mere series of supplemental
notes to previously exjisting writings. Indeed, if this had been the Apostle's purpose,
it cannot be said that he has in any adequate way fulfilled it. Nor is there any
ground for believing that it was a polemical object which chiefly i3rompted him to write
this Gospel, though such has often been suggested. Thus Irenxus says that the Gospel
was written against the errors of Cerinthus. Jerome adds, the Ebionites, and later
writers have maintained that the Gnostics or the Doketse are the parties against
whom the polemic of the Apostle is here directed. All this, however, is mere
supposition, for which there is no real basis. Doubtless in what John has written
there is that which furnishes a full refutation of all Ebionite, Gnostic and Doketic
heresy, but that to confute these was the design of the Apostle, as these writers affirm,
cannot be proven. At the same time, though he may have had no intention of
formally confuting any existing heresy, it is more than probable that he was stimulated
to seek, by means of this record, to counteract certain tendencies which he saw rising
in the Chui'ch, and by which the followers of Christ might be seduced from that
simple faith in Him by which alone the true life could be enjoyed. Still this must be
PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. 447
regarded, at the utmost, as furnishing only the occasion, not the design, of his writing.
Two-thirds of this Gospel are new, the most important additions being in chapters
xiii., xvii. and xi. Regai-ding the twenty-lirst chapter as a sort of a postscript to the
whole, but a postscript from the Apostle's own pen, it winds up the narrative of the
thrilling events it records with some interesting and important notii;es. The last time
when Peter and his associates were engaged in their old employment of fishermen,
the Lord making what was nearly the last of His interviews with them so nearly
resembling what had occurred in one of His earliest, the ardent love of Peter, the
thrice-repeated tender questioning and thrice-repeated charge to feed the flock, the
semi-prophetic hints as regards John himself and half-implied reproof of the curiosity
of Peter, these form the touching postscript to this most interesting of all the Gospels.
PLACE AND TIME AT WHICH IT WAS WRITTEN.
Ephesus and Patmos are the two places mentioned by early writers ; and the weight
of evidence seems to preponderate in favor of Ephesus. The Apostle's sojourn at
Ephesus probably began after Paul's Epistlesto Timothy were written, i.e., after A. D. 66.
Eusebius specifies the fourteenth year of Domitian, r, e., A. D. 95, as the year of the
banishment to Patmos. Probably the date of the Gospel may lie about rnidway be-
tween these two, about A. D. 78. But some place it after the Apocalypse.
LANGUAGE IN WHICH IT WAS WPJTTEN.
It is the unanimous testimony of tradition that this Gos^Del was written in Greek,
for Gentile readers. Although it abounds in Hebraisms, yet it approaches nearer to
classic Greek than any of the other Gospels. This shows that John must have lived
in Asia Minor some time before its composition. Unfavorable criticisms have been
made upon his frequent employment of the Greek connectives for hut and then. But
a careful examination will show that these particles are in hardly a single instance
needlessly or incorrectly used. His short and pithy sentences enabled him to dispense
with the use of many connectives, which in writings like those of Paul would be found
in great abundance. The frequent use of the slightly adversative hut was the natural
result of his emphatic, energetic style, which abounds in antitheses, sudden turns of
thought, rapid and unexpected transitions, and the introduction of new points and
aspects of the subject under discussion. As to the employment of the Greek preposi-
tions. I know of no writer, not purely Hellenistic, who uses them Avith more discrimi-
nation and effect than John. On the whole we think that none of the New Testament
writers approached nearer to classic Greek, than did John.
The language of John (as has been well observed) presents peculiarities, both in
words and constructions, which mutually illustrate one another. In both an extreme
simplicity and an apparent sameness cover a depth of meaning, which upon a nearer
view is felt to be inexhaustible. The simplicity springs from the contemplation of
Christianity in its most fundamental relations, the sameness from the distinct regard
of the subject in each separate light, by which every step in the narrative is, as it
were, isolated, instead of being merged in one complex whole.
The introduction to the Gospel furnishes the most complete illustration of its char-
acteristic vocabulary. "The Word," "the Life," "the Light," "the Darkness," "the
Truth," " the World," " Glory," " Grace," are terms which at once place the reader
beyond the scene of a limited, earthly conflict, and raise his thoughts to the unseen
and the eternal. The conflict of good and evil is presented in an image which conveys
in final distinctness the idea of absolute antagonism. The Incarnation itself is regarded
as the great climax of the revelations of Him in whom all things " were," and by whom
all things "became."
STYLE.
The simplicity, the directness, the particularity of the emphasis of John's style, give
his writings a marvelous power, which is not, perhaps, felt at first. Yet his words
seem to hang about the reader till he is forced to remember them. Each great truth
448 PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.
sounds like the burden of a strain, ever falling upon the ear with a calm persistency
which secures attention. And apart from forms of expression with which all are
early familiarized, there is no book in the Bible which has furnished so many figures
of the Person and Work of Christ which have jjassed into the common use of Chris-
tians, as the Gospel of John. " I am the head of lifS," " I am the light of the world,"
" I am the good Shepherd," " I am the vine," are Avords which have guided the thoughts
of believers from the first ages.
'• The style and spirit of John's writings," says Dr. Whedon, " possess peculiarities
difierencing them from any other specimens in all literature, sacred or profane. There
is a sameyicss which pervades his Gospel, Epistles and Apocalypse, yet a difference in
each from the other. The most remarkable phenomenon in his Gosjiel is, that whether
Jesus, the Baptist, or our John himself, is speaker, the style is remarkably the same.
Hence it has been boldlj^ inferred that John is the real and sole author of the discourses
he puts in the mouth of both. There is also a round of terms, most of which occur
indeed in the other Scriptures, but are of very emphatic and frequent use in his Gos-
pel. Such terms are, ligJit, life, testimony, glorify, only-begotten. The solution of these
facts may appear from the following considerations :
" The character and style of the Lord Jesus Himself were, as we may say, many-sided.
He had many diflferent styles and strains of discourse. With one of these styles of
thought and spirit the spirit of John was deeply in unison. Discourses of that strain
were so congenial to his temperament as to fill his heart, and indelibly impress his
memory ; to model his mind, and to form his vocabulary and style. That class of dis-
courses he selects for his Gospel. So in a far lower degree we have often seen some
eminent preacher stam^D his own style upon a whole train of pupils. But never was
this impression so powerfully imparted as in this supreme instance. The impress of
the Lord's style of discourse reigns through all that John in his Gospel writes.
Glimpses, however, of the same spirit appear in the other Gospels. But so entirely is
John's style formed by his Master's influence, that when he proceeds to give the general
substance of the Baptist's testimony, in a free version, the style is eminently both
John-like and Jesus-like. That style appears in all its deepest intensity in the dis-
courses of Jesus; and yet we are obliged to believe that of those divine discourses the
pen of John vainly struggles to give the full, deep, continuous flow. They are but
spirited indications of what the Lord really and fully discoursed ; giving us concei^tions
that they shadowed truths higher than we can fully conceive. But from these dis-
courses, as sources, the same spirit breathes through the whole Gospel : mostly in the
Baptist's testimony ; less in John's own narrative style ; and least of all in the dialogue,
where it sometimes nearly disappears. The dialogues are eminently dramatic, natural,
and strikingly characteristic of the particular speakers. The conclusion is, not that
John makes Jesus talk in his own style, but that Jesus has breathed a style into the
entirety of John."
OPINIONS OF CLAUDIUS AND TIIOLUCK.
The following remarks of Claudius, cited by Tholuck (Introduction p. 22), are so
beautiful and apposite, that I take pleasure in making a full quotation of his words;
" I love best of all to read in St. John. There is in him something so perfectly
wonderful— dusk and night, and the quick lightning throbbing through them. Tho
soft clouds of evening, and behind the mass the big, full moon bodily !— something so sad,
so high, so full of presage, that one can never Aveary of it. When I read John, it
always seems to me that I see him before me, reclining at the Last Supper on the
bosom of his Lord, as if his angel held the light for me, and at certain parts would
.place his arm around me and whisper something in my ear. I am far from
understanding all I read, yet often John's idea seems to hover before me in the
distance ; and even when I look into a place that is entirely dark, I have apresension
of a great and glorious sense, which I shall some day understand, and hence I catch
PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. 449
so eagerly at every new exposition of the Gospel of John. 'Tis true, most of them
only ruffle the evening clouds, and never trouble the moon behind them." In the
same spirit Tholuck himself remarks of this wondrous Gospel : " The noble
simplicity on the one side, on the other the hovering nature and the dim mystery of
the narration, the tone of grief and longing, with the light of love shedding its
tremulous beam on the whole, these impart to the Gospel a charm, a peculiar originality
to which, out of the writings of John, no parallel can be found." (See notes on John
xxi. 24.)
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
I. 1-5. Christ eternal — a distinct Person — very God — the Creator of all things — the
source of all light and life.
6-13. The minister's office — Christ the light of the world — the wickedness of
man — the privileges of believers.
14. The reality of Christ's incarnation.
15-18. The fullness of Christ — the superiority of Christ to Moses — Christ the
Revealer of the Father.
19-28. John the Baptist's humility — the blindness of the unconverted Jews.
29-34. Christ the Lamb of God — Christ the taker away of sin — Christ He that
baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
35-42. The good done by testifying of Christ — the good believers may do to
others.
43-51. Souls led by various ways — Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures —
Philip's advice to Nathanael — High character of Nathanael.
II. 1-11, Matrimony an honorable estate — the lawfulness of mirth and rejoicing —
Christ's almighty power.
12-25. Irreverent use of holy places rebuked — words of Christ long remembered
— Christ's perfect knowledge of man's heart.
III. 1-8. The beginnings of some Christians very feeble — the necessity of the new
birth — the Spirit's operation like the wind.
9-21. Spiritual ignorance — God's love the source of salvation — Christ's death
the means of providing salvation — faith the instrument which makes
salvation ours.
22-36. Jealousy and party-spirit — true humility — Christ's dignity set forth —
salvation a present thing.
IV. 1-6. Baptism, and its true position — our Lord's human nature.
7-26. Christ's tact and condescension — Christ's readiness to give — the excellence
of Christ's gifts — the necessity of conviction of sin — the uselessness of
formal religion — Christ's kindness to great sinners.
27-30. Christ's dealings marvelous — grace an absorbing principle — true converts
zealous to do good.
31-42. Christ's zeal to do good — encouragement to those who labor for Christ —
men led to Christ in various ways.
43-54. The rich have afflictions — the j'oung may be sick and die — affliction a
blessing — Christ's word as good as His presence.
29
450
PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.
V. 1-15. The misery caused by sin — the compassion of Christ — the lessons that
recovery should teach.
16-23. Some works lawful on the Sabbath — the dignity and majesty of Christ.
24-29. Hearing Christ the way to salvation — the privileges of true believers —
Christ's power to give life — the final resurrection of all the dead.
30-39. The honor Christ puts on His servants — the honor Chiist puts on
miracles — the honor Christ puts on the Scriptures.
40-47. The reason why many are lost — one principal cause of unbelief— Christ's
testimony to Moses.
VI. 1-14. Christ's almighty power — the ofhce of ministers — the sufficiency of the
Gosjjel for all mankind.
15-21. Christ's humility — the trials of Christ's disciples — Christ's power over
the waters.
22-27. Christ's knowledge of man's heart — what Christ forbids — what Christ
advises-^what Christ promises.
28-34. The ignorance of natural man — the honor Christ puts on faith — the high
jjrivileges of Christ's hearers over those of the Jews in the wilderness.
35-40. Christ the bread of life — none cast out — the Father's will about all who
come to Christ.
41-51. Christ's lowly condition an offense to some — man's natural impotence —
salvation a present thing.
52-59. The true meaning of eating Christ's body and drinking Christ's blood.
60-65. Some of Christ's sayings hard — danger of putting cnrnal meanings on
spiritual words — Christ's perfect knowledge of hearts.
66-71. Backsliding an old sin — Peter's noble declaration — the little benefit some
get from religious privileges.
VII. 1-13. Hardness and unbelief of man — reason why many hate Christ — various
opinions about Christ.
14-24. Honest obedience the way to spiritual knowledge — a self-exalting spirit
in ministers deprecated — the danger of hasty judgments.
25-36. Blindness of unbelieving Jews — God's overruling hand over His enemies
— miserable end of unbelievers.
37-39. A case supposed — a remedy jDroposed — a promise held out.
40-53. XJselessness of mere head-knowledge — singular greatness of our Lord's
gifts as a teacher — the work of grace in the heart sometimes gradual.
VIII. 1-11. The power of conscience — the nature of true repentance.
12-20. Christ the light of the world — promise to those who follow Christ —
Christ's exposure of His enemies' ignorance.
21-30. Christ may be sought in vain — difference between Christ and the wicked
— the awful end of unbelief.
31-36. Importance of steady perseverance in religion — nature of true slaverj' —
nature of true liberty.
37-47. Ignorant self-righteousness of natural man — true marks of spiritual
sonship — reality and character of the devil.
48-59. Blasphemous language addressed to our Lord — encouragement to
believers — Abraham's knowledge of Christ — Christ's pre-existence.
IX. 1-12. Sin the cause of sorrow in this world — the importance of using oppor-
tunities— different means used by Christ in working miracles — Christ's
almighty power.
13-25. Jewish ignorance of right use of Sabbath — desperate lengths to which
prejudice leads men — seeing and feeling an irresistible evidence.
26-41. Poor men sometimes wiser than the rich — cruelty of unconverted men —
danger of knowledge if not rightly used.
PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.
451
X. 1-9. Picture of a false minister — picture of true Cliristiaiis — picture of Clirist
Himself.
10-18. Object for which Christ came into the world — Christ's office as a
Shepherd — Christ's death a voluntary act.
19-30. Christ the innocent cause of strifes and controversies — name given by-
Christ to true Christians — the vast privileges of true Christians.
31^2. Wickedness of human nature — honor i)ut on Scripture by Christ — impor-
tance attached by Christ to His miracles.
XI. 1-6. True Christians may be ill as well as others— Christ is the best Friend in
time of need — Christ loves all true Christians, however varying in
temperament — Christ knows best the time to help.
7-16. Christ's ways with His people sometimes mysterious — Christ's tender
language about His peojjle — natural temperament shows itself in all
believers.
17-29. Mixture of grace and weakness in believers — need of having clear views
of Christ's person, office and power.
30-37. Blessing bestowed on symi)athy — depth of sympathy in Christ for His
people.
38^6. Christ's words about the stone over the grave of Lazarus — Christ's words
addressed to Martha when she doubted — Christ's words to God the
Father — Christ's words addressed to Lazarus in his grave.
47-57. Wickedness of man's natural heart — blind ignorance of God's enemies —
importance often attached by bad men to ceremonial.
XII. 1-11. Abounding proofs of the truth of Christ's miracjes — discouragement
Christ's friends meet with from man — man's hardness and unbelief.
12-19. Christ's sufferings entirely voluntary — proi^hecies about Christ's first
advent minutely fulfilled.
20-26. Death the way to spiritual life — Christ's servants must follow Him.
27-33. Man's sin imputed to Christ — Christ's internal conflict — God's voice
heard from heaven — Christ's prophecy about His being lifted up.
34-43. Duty of using present opportunities — hardness of man's heart — power of
the love of this world.
44-50. Dignity of Christ — certainty of a judgment to come.
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST.
On the order of some of our Lord's miracles and parables, the data being scanty, considerabU
difference obtains.
MIRACLES.
WHKBE WROUGHT.
Water made wine.
Traders cast out or the temple, .
Nobleman's son healed,
First miraculous draught of fishes,
Leper healed,
Centurion's servant healed.
Widow's son raised to life, .
Demoniac healed
Peter's mother-in-law healed, .
Paralytic healed
Impotent man healed,
Man with withered hand healed, .
Blind and dumb demoniac healed,
Tempest stilled,
Demoniacs dispossessed,
J aims' daughter raised to life.
Issue of blood healed, .
Two blind men restored to sight, .
Dumb demoniac healed,
Five thousand miraculously fed, .
Jesus walks on the sea,
Syro-Phoenician's daughter healed,
Deaf and dumb man healed.
Four thousand fed, ....
Blind man restored to sight.
Demoniac and lunatic boy healed.
Miraculous provision of tribute.
The eyes of one born blind opened.
Woman, of IS years' infirmity, cured
Dropsical man healed.
Ten lepers cleansed,
L ixarus raised to lire,
Two blind beggars restored to sight.
Barren fig tree blighted, .
Buyers and sellers again cast out,
Malchus" ear healed.
Second draught of fishes.
Cana,
Jerusalem,
Cana,
Sea of Galilee,
Capernaum,
Capernaum,
Nain,
Capernaum,
Capernaum,
Capernaum,
Jerusalem,
Galilee,
Galilee,
Sea of Galilee,
Gadara,
Capernaum,
Near Cnpernaum,
Capernaum,
Capernaum,
Decapolis,
Sea of Galilee,
Coasts of TjTe and Sidon
Decapolis,
Decapolis,
Bethsaida,
Near Cesarea Phllippi,
Capernaum,
Jerusalem,
[Perea.l
fPerea.]
Borders of Samaria,
Bethany,
Jericho,
Bethany,
Jerusalem,
Gethsemane,
Sea of Galilee,
WHERE RECORDED.
John ii. 1-11.
John ii. 13-17.
John iv. 46-54.
Luke v. 1-11.
Matt. viii. 2-4 ; Mark i. 40-i5 ; Luke v. 12-15.
Matt. viii. .5-13 ; Luke vii. 1-10.
Luke vii. 11-17.
Mark i. 21-28 : Luke iv. 31-37.
Matt. viii. 14. 15; Mark i. 29-31 ; Luke iv. 38,39.
Matt. !.■«;. 2-8; Mark ii. 1-12; Luke v. 17-26.
John V, 1-16.
Matt. xii. 10-14; Mark iii. 1-6; Luke vi. 6-11.
Matt. xii. 22-24 ; Luke xi. 14. [-22-25.
Matt. viii. 23-27; Mark iv. 35-41; Luke viii.
Matt. viii. '28-34 ; Mark v. l-'20.
Matt. ix. 18-26; Mark v. 22-24 ; Luke viii. 41-56
Matt. ix. 27-.31.
Matt. ix. 32-34. [10-17 ; John vi. 5-14.
Matt. xiv. 13-21; Mark vi. 31^4; Luke ix.
Matt. xiv. 22-33; Mark vi. 45-52; John vi. 1-5-21
Matt. XV. 21-28 ; Mark vii. 24-30.
Mark vii. 31-37.
Matt. XV. 32-39 ; Mark viii. 1-9.
Mark viii. 22-26. [37-13.
Matt. xvii. 14-21 : Mark ix. 14-29 ; Luke ix.
Matt. xvii. '24-27.
Johuix. 1-51.
Luke .xiii. 10-17.
Luke xiv. 1-6.
Luke xvii. 11-19.
.John xi. 1-46.
Matt. XX. 29-34; Mark x. 46-52; Luke viii. 3543
Matt. xxi. 12, 13, 18, 19; Mark xi. 12-24.
Luke xix. 45, 46.
Matt. xxvi. 51-54; Mark xiv. 47-49 ; Luke
I John xxi. 1-14. [xxii. 50, 51 ; John xviii. 10, 11.
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE PARABLES OF CHRIST.
PARABLES.
The two debtors.
The strong man armed, .
The unclean spirit.
The sower, ....
The tares and wheat, .
The mustard seed.
The seed growing secretly.
The leaven, ....
The hid treasure, .
The pearl of great price, .
The draw net.
The unmerciful servant, .
The good Samaritan,
The friend at midnight.
The rich fool, ....
The barren fig tree,
Tlie great supper, .
Tlie lost sheep.
The lost piece of money.
The prodigal son.
The good shepherd.
The unjust steward, .
The rich man and Lazarus,
The profitable servants. .
The importunate widow.
The Pharisees and publicans.
The laborers in the vineyard.
The pounds, . . ' .
The two sons.
The wicked husbandmen.
The marriage of the king's son
The ten virgins, .
The talents.
WHERE SPOKEN.
[Capernaum.]
Galilee,
Galilee,
Sea-shore of Galilee,
Sea-shore of Galilee,
Sea-shore of Galilee,
Sea-shore of Galilee,
.Sea-shore of Galilee,
Sea-shore of Galilee,
Sea-shore of Galilee,
Sea-shore of Galilee,
Capernaum,
Near Jerusalem,
Near Jerusalem,
Galilee,
Galilee,
Perea,
Perea,
Perea,
Perea,
Jerusalem,
Perea,
Perea,
Perea,
Perea,
Perea,
Perea,
.Tericho,
.Jerusalem,
.Terus.alem,
.Terusalem,
Mount of Olives,
Mount of Olives,
WHERE RECORDED.
Luke vii. 40-43.
Matt. xii. 29 ; Mark Iii. 27 ; Luke xi. 21, 22.
Matt. xii. 43^5 ; Luke xi. 24-20.
Matt. xiii. 3-9. lS-23 ; Mark iv. 3-9, 14-20 •
Matt. xiii. 24-.'?0, 3643. [Luke viii. 5-8, 11-15.
Matt. xiii. 31, .32; Mark iv.30-.32; Lukexiii.
]Mark iv. 26-29. [ig 19
Matt. xiii. 33 ; Luke xiii. 20, 21.
Matt. xiii. 44.
Matt. xiii. 45, 46.
Matt. xiii. 47-.50.
Matt, xviii. 21-a5.
Luke X. 29-37.
Luke xi. 5-8.
Luke xii. 16-21.
Luke xiii. 6-9.
Luke xiv. 1.5-24.
Matt, xviii. 12-14 ; Luke xv. 3-7.
Luke XV. 8-10.
Luke XV. 11-32.
.John X. 1-18.
Luke xvi. 1-8.
Luke xvi. 19-31. '
Luke xvii. 7-10.
Luke xviii. 1-8.
Luke xviii. 9-14.
Matt. XX. 1-16.
Luke xix. 11-27.
Matt. xxi. 28-32.
Matt. xxi. .33-44; Mark xii. 1-12; Lube xx
Matt. xxii. 1-14. [9-18
Matt. XXV. 1-13.
Matt. XXV. 14-30.
( 452 )
THE GOSPEL ACCOKDING TO JOHN.
CHAPTER I.
I The divinity, humanily and ojfi^e of Jestis Christ. 15
The lesliiiiony of John. 39 The cciUing of Andrew,
I'eter, &c,
IN the beginning ^was the Word, and the Word was
fcwith God, ^and the Word was God.
"Col. i. 17; 1 John i. 1 ; Kev. i. 2 and xix. 13. bChap.
ivii. 5 ; 1 John i. 2. cPhil. ii. 6 ; 1 John v. 7.
In the beginning — of all time and created
existence, for this Word gave it being
(verses 3, 10), therefore " before the world
was" (chajj. xvii. 5, 24), or, from all
eternity. John does not say, as Closes
(Gen. i. 1), "In the beginning God created
the Word," but, " In the beginning was the
Word." Our conception cannot grasp an
infinite range of time. When we wish
therefore to speak of eternity, we fix a
beginning, which we call original begin-
ning. The Word. This term, in its
application to our Lord, has two senses.
It is, 1. Personal. It signifies reason or
wisdom. In this sense it indicates Christ's
infinite intelligence. He is the AVisdom
of God, " the brightness of His glory, and
the express image of His person," answer-
ing in this and every other perfection of
His nature, as exactly to all the attributes
of God, as the impression upon the wax
to the seal. 2. The term is official. It is
by speech that wisdom is declared to
others. For this reason, also, Christ is
called the Word, the Speech, the Mouth
of God. Mediately He spake to our
fathers by the prophets, but in these last
days He hath spoken to us by the Son.
And the Word teas rrith God, literal Greek,
was to God. The Eternal Word was
inherent to, in, with, God. Christ as God
is a person distinct from the Father, yet
undivided and inseparable from the
Father in His essence, with whom He
eternally co-exists, and this is another
( 453
evidence of His Godhead. And the Word
uns God, therefore co-equal and one with
Him. No scheme of doctrine can explain
and harmonize this passage but that which
admits a distinction of persons in the
unity of one Godhead. Here we have
plainly declared to us the essential
Divinity of Christ. He %vas God, one of
the Three Persons in the eternal and
adorable Godhead.
2. 4The same was in the beginning with God.
dGen. i. 2.
The same. Mark the emphasis — the
same Word, of whom He speaks, the same
Jesus whom they had seen, at whose feet
they had sat, who had been "despised
and rejected of men," a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief. Was in the he-
ginning, &£. This is a repetition of the
sentiment contained in the preceding verse,
with the additional thought that the inti-
mate union of the Word with God existed
before time began. As the writer was
about to ascribe to the Word a creative
work (verse 3), and in verse 14 an incarna-
tion and sojourn on earth, it seemed
proper in view of this wondrous union of
the Logos with humanity to reaffirm His
distinct personality and pre-existent na-
ture. Here the word God is to be taken
in the sense of the Father, which it has in
the second clause of verse 1. The knowl-
edge of Christ as God is a truth to be much
and often inculcated upon believers and
which they ought to study again and again.
3. cAU things were made by him ; and without him
was not any thing made that was made.
'Ps. xxxiii. 6; verse 10; Eph. iii. 9; Col. i. 16; Heb. i.
2; Rev. iv. 11.
We are here taught that this Word,
who was God, created the universe.
Bearing in mind the title here applied to
454
JOHN,
our Lord (verse 1), we shall see the beauty
and recognize the application of such pas-
sages as Ps. xxxiii. 6 ; Heb. i. 1, 2 ; see,
also, Col. i. 15-19. The Apostle directly
applies to Christ expressions in the Psalms
which were addressed to the Supreme
God. (Comp. Heb. 1. 10 with Ps. cii. 24,
25.) All things were made by him. This is
a denial of the eternity and non-creation of
matter, which was held by the whole
thinking world outside of Judaism and
Christianity; or, rather, its proper creation
was never so much as dreamt of save by
those who enjoyed revealed religion. Christ,
as Creator, is clearly excluded from being
of the number of creatures. How can it
be questioned that He who created the
universe is truly and properly Divine?
The Bible everywhere appeals to creative
power as the peculiar and distinguishing
prerogative of the Supreme God, and
attributes it solely to Jehovah. (See Gen.
ii. 2, 3 ; Ex. xx. 11 ; Isa. xliv. 24 ; Jer. x.
12; Ps. viii. 3, 4, cii. 25; Isa. xl. 26, 28.)
Without him, i. e., apart or separate from
Him. The Ajwstle (Col. 1. 16), distinctly
ascribes the work of creation to the Son.
Noi', in doing this, does he exclude the
agency of the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Creation was the work of the triune God,
but the Son was the immediate and prom-
inent Agent in wielding the three-fold
energy of the whole Divine nature. This
verse teaches us whose we are. It also
affords encouragement to every penitent
who is seeking forgiveness. When we
see that He who died for us is properly
God, we perceive value in His atonement
on which we may rest.
4. fin liini was life, and rthe life was the light of men.
fClaap. V. 26 ; 1 John v. 11. eChap. viii. 12, ix. 5 and
xii. 35, 46.
Here Christ, in His spiritual, Divine
nature, is declared to be the source of all
life (chap. v. 26), the word life being
understood in its most comprehensive
sense. Having just been spoken of as the
Creator of all things. He is now declared
to have been the Source or Author of all
life, natural and spiritual. The life icas the
light of men. All that in men Avhich is
true light — knowledge, integrity, intelligent,
willing subjection to God, love to Him and
to their fellow-creatures, wisdom, purity,
holy joy, rational happiness — all this
" light of men " has its fountain in the
essential original "life" of "the Word."
(1 John i. 5-7 ; Ps. xxxvi. 9.) Christ is
" God manifest." He is the Word, God
heard ; He is the Light, God seen ; He
is the Life, God felt. Eternal life proceeds
from Him as its original source. He has
obtained and earned it for us. He gives it
to all who believe in Him.
^. And lithe light shineth in darkness ; and the dark-
ness comprehended it not.— hChap. iii. 19.
The light — that just spoken of. Darkness
here refers most obviously to the spiritual
ignorance and alienation from God, which
characterize the whole race of man, until
enlightened by the rays of Divine truth.
(Isa. ix. 2; Matt. iv. li-lG, xii. 41.) Com-
2)rchended it not, that is, did not apprehend
it, or regard its dictates in such a manner
as to secure the blessings to which it would
have led. This shining and rejecting ex-
isted in all ages, but specially during the
incarnation of which John is about to
write. The light came pregnant with
blessings, but it received not the Avelcome
which from men lying in darkness it should
have received. The reception of the Gos-
pel is often sadly disaj^pointing. (Isa. liii.
1 ; John iii. 19.)
fi. l! "There w.os a man sent from God, whose name
^vas John.— "Mai. iii. 1 ; Matt. iii. 1 ; Luke iii. 2.
There ims a man. Having spoken to us
at the outset of God the Word, the Evan-
gelist, proceeding on his road, comes to
the herald of the Word, his namesake
John. Verses 6-S are in a manner paren-
thetical, their general design being aj^pa-
rently to prevent any mistake which
might arise in iTgard to the character and
mission of John. Sent from God. And so
sent he has a grand going forth, but what
is it compared to the eternal goings forth
of the Logos?
7. kThe same came for a witness, to bear witness of
the Light, that all meji through him might believe.
kActs xix. 4.
For a u'itncss. The subject of his testimony
was Christ the Light. This shows how-
subordinate was the position and office of
John, compared with that of Christ; he
was only a herald and witness of the Mes-
siah. Yet such was the dignity of the
Logos (verses 1-5), that to be His herald
or forerunner was one of the greatest
honors which could be conferred upon
man. That cdl men. Sec. The aim of John's
CHATTER I
455
testimony was, that through his preaching
men might betake themselves to that
Light, and be led to believe in Christ. He
sought not his own glory. God makes
men the instruments of turning the hearts
of their fellow-creatures to Himself.
3. He was not that Ligrht, but was sent to bear witness
of that Light.
Not that Light. He was the morning
star, but he received not his light from
himself. It was the grace of Him, whose
forerunner he was, wliich blazed and shone
forth in him.
Note, 1. The ministry of men is a special
means by which Christ shines to the world,
and helps the world to know Him. 2.
Ministers of Christ must not run unsent,
but ought to have a calling from God. 3.
The chief end of a ministry is, to point out
Christ in His excellencies and value to lost
men, to declare Him in His person, ofiices
and benefits, how He should be believed
in, served or suffered for. 4. No one is
excluded from being allowed to believe in
Christ, who lias the offer. Jesus it. to be
held forth as the common refuge of all
His people, of whatever kindred or nation,
for John "came for a witness, that all men
might believe."
9. ^Thnt was the true Lisht, which lighteth every
man that conieth into the world.
'Verse 4 ; Isa. xlix. 6 ; 1 John ii. 8.
True Light, or original Light, the source
of spiritual illumination. Other lights
were figurative and derived. Christ is,
moreover, the true Light, as opposed to
the false light of heathen philosophy, the
tyi:)ical light of the old economy, and those
false prophets and false Christs who liad
ai'isen, or should afterward arise. Which
lighteth, Sec. Observe two things: 1. The
fact. The Saviour imparts light — the light
of reason. All its j^owers, capacities and
discoveries are from Him. The light of
revelation — all the rays of Divine truth
emanate from Him. The light of grace —
man 'by nature is in an awful state of
darkness, and will remain so till Christ the
Sun of Righteousness rises on the benight-
ed mind. 2. The universality of it. We
must not take this literally. It intimates
the general diffusion of this blessing of
light — that it is imparted to men of all
climes and kindreds ; that it is accessible
to all, without distinction, who choose to
be guided by it. As there is only one sun
in the sky to give us light, so there is only
one Saviour to save us. "We can no more
infer from this expression that Christ
gives every individual a measure of spirit-
ual light, than from the one just before
(verse 7), that every man actually " be-
lieveth in Christ" through John's testi-
mony : both inferences are alike contrary
to Scripture and to facts.
10. He was in the world, and "the world was made
by him, and the world knew him not.
■» Verse 3 ; Heb. i. 2 and x.i. 3.
In the world. The reference here is not
so much to Christ's personal presence
among men, in the days of His fiesh, as to
those manifestations of Him which, from
the beginning of the world, had furnished
them with the means of knowing Iliin,and
which, therefore, rendci-ed their ignorance
inexcusable : such as the revelation of Him
as the woman's seed, the sacrifices which
were appointed to prefigure His atone-
ment, and which, though perverted, were
never discontinued, even among the
heathen, the selection of the seed of Abra-
ham, and their miraculous settlement in
Canaan, which would necessarily proclaim
the ^Messiah (who was a prominent feature
of their religion) through every nation,
&.Q.., &c., &c. Not only was He in the
world, so as to render their ignorance of
Him inexcusable, but the world itself was
made by Him. When Jesus became incar-
nate, it was an event which ought to have
excited universal inquiry, and to have in-
duced all men everywhere to repent; but,
instead of this, the world knew him not, i. e.,
did not recognize and acknowledge Him
as the Messiah, or one sent of God. The
love of the world hinders men from know-
ing Him who made it — though He made
it only to make Himself known!
11. "He came unto his own, and his own received him
not.— n Acts iii. 26.
To Ms own. Jesus was in the world, and
therefore within the reach of inquiry, but
He came to the seed of Abraham, knocking,
as it were, at their door for admission.
This simple expression may serve to con-
firm the truth, that all the manifestations
of God, made by Him to His ancient
people, were made in the person of His
Son. (1 Cor. x. 9; Heb. xi. 26.) deceived
him not. The world are accused of igno-
456
JOHN.
ranee, but they of unbelief, for receiving Mm
not, though a merely negative form of
speech, yet is expressive of a positive re-
fusal of Him. Sufficient marks of Divinity
appeared in Jesus to convince the meek
and teachable, the child-like souls that
were ready to submit their prejudices to
His teaching, and consider fairly His
claims to their faith and obedience ; yet so
veiled was His Divine nature under the
form of a servant, as to escape the notice
of those who were too proud to learn of
One so lowly, too prejudiced to attend to
One so different from what they had ex-
pected, too worldly to regard One who had
no worldly claims to honor, too carnal to
listen to One who called them to self-denial
and mortification of sin.
12. But oas many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that be-
lieve on his name.
»Isa. Ivi. 5 ; Rom. viii. 15 ; Gal. iii. 26 ; 2 Peter i. 4 ; 1
John iii. 1.
. As many, &c. Though the world in
general knew not Christ, and though the
body of His own nation rejected Him, yet
there were some, partly Jews and partly
Gentiles, who received Him. To receive
Christ, is equivalent with believing on His
name. The word supposes Him to be
God's free gift. The act presupposes a
sense of sin and of our exposedness to the
just displeasure of God. It also implies
the renunciation of everything which
stands in opposition to Christ, or comes in
competition with Him. To receive Christ
requires not only that He be received by
all in us, but that we have respect to all in
Him — receive Him for all the purposes
for which He is given. Poiver implies not
only right and privilege, but power to at-
tain the filial relation here spoken of.
The sons of God. The regeneration and
adoption of believers are here affirmed.
The first gives them a new nature, the
second adds to them a new name. This
filial relation implies: 1. Access to God as
our own God and Father. 2. Access to all
the ordinances of God's house, and to the
fellowship of His people. 3. A part in the
first resurrection. 4. An interest in the
eternal inheritance,
13. rWhich were born, not of blood, nor of the will of
the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of Giod.
pChap. iii. 5; James i. IS ; 1 Peter i. 23.
In this new family of the sons of God,
" there is neither Jew nor Greek ;" that is,
admission into it depends not upon the
circumstances of a man's birth. Born.
This doubtless refers to the new birth, or to
the great change in the sinner's mind,
called regeneration, or conversion. Not
of blood — not as being, by nature, descend-
ed from Abraham. (Matt. iii. 9.) Nor of
the vnll of the flesh — not of the individual's
own will. Nor of the idll of man — not by
the power nor will of friends, teacher, or
parents. (John iii. 3, 5, 8 ; Rom. ix. 16 ;
Phil. ii. 13; Eph. ii. 10; James i. 18; 1
Peter i. 3.) But of God — by the free grace
of God. Regeneration is God's own work,
who employs His word as the seed (1
Peter i. 23), sending His ministers as in-
struments to sow this seed (Gal. iv. 19),
and who quickeneth this seed by the
Spirit, who is the immediate worker of
regeneration in order of operation (John
iii. 6, 8), and so, whatever excellency re-
generate men may have, they are still
bound to acknowledge that grace prevent-
ed them and made them to difier from
others, for they " were born," not of any-
thing, " but .of God." Grace runs not in
the blood, piety is not hereditary. Re-
ligious parents propagate corrujjtion, not
regeneration. No man by the utmost im-
provement of nature can raise himself up
to the privilege of adoption, and be the
author and efficient cause of his own re-
generation.
»14. q And the Word ^was made 'flesh, and dwelt among
us, (and twe beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father), ufuU of grace and truth.
qMatt. i. Ifi. 20 ; Luke i. 31, 35 and ii. 7 ; 1 Tim. iii. 16.
rRom. i. 3; Gal. iv. 4. ^Heb. ii. 11, 14, 16, 17. 'Chap. ii.
11 and xi. 40 ; 2 Peter i. 17. "Col. i. 19 and ii. 3, 9.
Christ, as the Word, was the Speech, the
Mouth of God. (See on verse 1.) But more
than teachiiig was wanted, something
which should give us an interest in the
truths revealed by Christ, and make them
available to us. Without this these truths
had been a splendid vision, the noblest
exercise for the intellect, but nothing more.
We are, therefore, taught that f/ie Word was
made flesh, &c. Christ took not on Him the
nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham,
the nature of man. There was such a
union of Divinity with humanity, that the
incarnate God was verily God and verily
man, having two distinct and complete
natures ineffably united in one Person,
CHAPTER I.
457
Of course He did not assume our nature as
it is corrupted with sin by the fall, for He
was separated from sinners. (Heb. vii. 26.)
And dwelt among us. If Christ's body had
been only a phantom and apparition, in all
probability it would have suddenly disap-
peared (Judg. xiii. 15-21) ; but He "dwelt
among us," and conversed familiarly with
men for a long time, and gave them suffi-
cient opportunity to know that He had a
true and real body of flesh. (1 John i. 1,
2.) Christ so put on our nature, when He
was made flesh, as never to desert it again:
He carried it through the agonies of death,
and delivered it from the power of the
grave, and dwells in it forever in His
throne of glory. What words can declare,
what mind can conceive, the honor and
dignity this way conferred upon our
nature ?
And tee helield his glory. Others beheld
it not, but His disciples did. Allusion is
here made to the tabernacle in the wilder-
ness, within which was the Shechinah, or
cloud of the Divine glory. It is affirmed
of this glory, 1. That it was the glory as of
the only begotten of the Father., In other
words, it was Divine glory, for the term
" only begotten " is used to express Christ's
Divine nature, as the Divine and eternal
Son of God. 2. That it was full of grace
and truth. It was a glory, not like that of
Sinai, but softened and filled in every part
and in all its manifestations, by grace and
truth. In other words, in the glory of
Christ were embodied and exemplified,
not only the will and counsels, but the
grace, the kindness, the compassion of
God.
15. 'John bare witness of him, and cried, saying. This
was he of whom I spake, iHe that cometh after me is
preferred before me, yfor he was before me.
'Verse XJ ; chap. iii. 32 and v. 33. ^Matt. iii. 11 ; Mark
i. 7 ; Luke iii. 16 ; verses 27, 30. yChap. viii. 58 ; Col. i. 17.
Bare witness. There was a man who saw
this glory (verse 14), and jiointed Jesus
out to others. His name was John the
Baptist. This was lie of whom I spake. He
spake of Him long before he saw Him.
Jesus was six months younger than John,
therefore John said He came after him.
Yet He was before him, for He Was with
His Father before He came into the world
— before him in dignity of person and of
office, as being the eternal God. As Christ
is still above, and preferred before, the
most eminent of ministers, however He
abased Himself in the days of His flesh,
and subjected Himself to fulfill all right-
eousness, so it is the duty, and will be the
practice of faithful ministers and honest
Christians, to abase themselves that Christ
may be exalted, and to guard against any
respect that may encroach upon His
honor.
16. And of his ^fullness have all we received, and
grace lor grace.
'Chap. iii. M ; Eph. i. 6, 7, 8 ; Col. ii. 9, 10.
The Evangelist had said (verse 14) that
Christ was full of grace arid truth. Of that
fullness he now says that all the disciples
received grace answering or correspondent
to that which is in Clirist Jesus ; that is,
they derive from CJhrist, from His abun-
dant truth and mercy, grace to understand
the plan of salvation, to preach the Gospel,
and to live lives of holiness. This declara-
tion had not an exclusive reference to the
Apostles, but is to be extended to all
Christians. Grace for grace. Correspond-
ent to His grace of " wisdom," Christ, as
our Prophet, gives us "understanding;"
correspondent to His " counsels," He, as
our King, bestows ujion us "might," or
power to do His will, and, correspondent
to His " knowledge," or the acquaintance
with God, into which He, as a Priest, in-
troduces us. He imparts " the fear of the
Lord," a holy, reverential confidence in
Him. (Isa. xi. 2.)
Observe, 1. All men, even the best of
Christ's servants, are by nature, and of
themselves, empty of anything that is good,
for they must receive of Christ's fullness.
2. Whatever any receive of Christ, it comes
of grace, and not of merit. 3. Christ is not
only«the storehouse from whose fullness
grace flows to believers, but the i)rocuring
cause thereof also, grace being given to
them because of His redemption and right-
eousness made theirs of free grace, and
because His gracious acceptance with the
Father as Mediator includes all His people
in and with Him. (Eom. v. 15, 17; Eph,
i. 6.) 4. Whatever believers receive from
Christ, yet He remains still full. As the
sea diminishes not by rivers coming from
it, and as the sun does not wear away nor
lose light by giving light to all, so Christ
is still the same for fullness, notwithstand-
ing what He communicates.
458
JOHN
17. For ^the law \va.s given by Moses, hut. bgrace and
ctnith Ciime by Jesus Christ.
"Ex. XX. 1, (fee. ; Deut. iv. 44 and v. 1. i-Kom. lii. 24
and V. 21.
The law, the system of religion commu-
nicated in tlie Old Testament, the dispen-
sation establislied by the agency of Moses.
Grace and truth, the true love of God. The
law of Moses and the Gospel of Christ are
here contrasted, in order to illustrate the
succession of the Divine benetits. The
people of God, in ancient times, enjoyed a
rich blessing under the IMosaic dispensa-
tion, but a far richer blessing came when
that dispensation was superseded by the
clearer manifestation of God's saving love
through Jesus Christ. (Comp. PIcb. i. 1,2.)
The "grace" of the Gospel is here con-
trasted Avith the sterner character of the
Old Testament dispensation, and the
" truth " is referred to as being the sub-
stance of (7.5 types and shadows.
is. tiNo man hath seen C4od at any time ; «the only
begotten Sou, which is in the bosom of the Father, he
Iiath declared !iim.
dEx. xxxiii. 20 ; chap. vi. 46 ; 1 Tim. i. 17 and vi. 16 ; 1
John iv. 12, 20. e Verse 14 ; chap. iii. 16, 18 ; 1 John iv. 9.
The superiority of the Gospel to the Law-
referred to in the preceding verse is here
further shown. Christ has revealed God,
in His gracious attributes, more fully and
clearly to us than Moses could. Why?
Because Christ has seen Him whom no
man, not Moses even, hath seen by imme-
diate gaze, or direct intuition, for He is
God's only begotten Son; they are only
God's faithful servants. (See Ex. xxxiii.
20; Johnv. 37, vi.4G; iTim.vi. IG; IJohn
iv. 12.) The only begotten Son. He who
was in deed and truth ilie Son of God, pos-
sessing a nature like God's, as a son pos-
sesses his father's nature. Jn the bosom
of the Father. A remarkable expression,
here only used, presupposing the Son's
conscious existence distinct from the
Father, and expressing His immediate
and most endeared access to and absolute
acquaintance with Him. lie, and He only,
hath declared him, because He only can.
(See chap. x. 15, vi. 46.
19 "i And this is fthe record of John, when the Jews
sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to asli him.
Who art thou ?— fChap. v. S3.
The historical part of John's Gospel
now begins. I'he record — the testimony
or witness. The Jeivs, &c. The Jews of
Jerusalem — the Sanhedrim, or council of
seventy, who had the authority of making
inquiry into the pretensions of prophets.
John's fame was great (Matt. iii. 5), and
the nation seemed to suppose, from the
character of his preaching, that he was the
Messiah. (Luke iii. 15.)
20. And she confessed, and denied not ; but confessed,
I am not the Christ.
sLulie iii. 15 ; chap. iii. 28 ; Acts xiii. 25.
Some of his disciples may, in their pride,
have given out that their master was the
Messiah Himself. This committee cross-
examine him, and thus draw out a
prompt and explicit denial, which our
Evangelist adduces to silence all false
claimants in John's behalf. (See on Luke
iii. 16.)
21. And they asked him, What then ? Art thou
iiElias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou "that Pro-
phet ? And he answered. No.
tMal. iv. 5; Matt. xvii. 10. "Deut. xviii. 15, 18.
What then f What then are we to think
of you? Art thou Elias? The Jews
thought that the Messiah Avould come at-
tended by Elijah, as His most honored
and confidential friend and follower. The
general appearance and habits of John, so
much like those of Elijah (see 2 Kings i.
8), together with the burden of his procla-
mation (Matt. iii. 2, compared with Mai.
iv. 5), suggested the idea that he might be
the reajipearance of that Old Testament
Prophet. That Prophet — j^robably put
generically for any prophet who might be
supposed to appear in the time of the
Messiah. No. The Baj^tist replies first in
a negative form. The brevity of his an-
swer may be accounted for by the com-
pendious character of the narrative, but
verse 22 shows that he, in accordance with
his rugged, ascetic character, actually an-
swered no more than the question de-
manded.
22. Then said they unto him. Who art thou? that we
may give an answer to them that sent us. What sav-
est thou of thyself?
Who art thou? The conjectures of
rumor are exhausted, and hence they now
demand a positive declaration. Of thyself.
Every man ought to know himself, and if
he enters upon any undertaking in par-
ticular, he ought to be ready to give a
reason for it.
23. i^He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wil-
derness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as isaid the
propliet Esaias.
kMatt. iii. 3 ; Luke lii 4, on which see notes ; Mark i.
3 ; chap. iii. 28. ilsa. xl. 3.
lam, &c. Here was John's positive denial
C II A P T E R I .
459
that he was the Christ. 01)sorvo, 1. Every
one wlio undertakes the work of the min-
istry ought to be clear of his calling, as on
this his courage, comfort and success much
depend. 2. As Christ's coming into the
world Avas kingly, though in aj^pearance
it seemed common, and as, wherever He
is received He will be received as a King,
therefore He came with a forerunner,
which is the prerogative of kings. 3. Men's
hearts are naturally unprepared for Christ
tocomeinto. 4. Although Jesuscommands
us to prepare His way, that He may show
us our duty, yet this work of preparation
is not in our power, but must be His work
whose reward is with Him, and His work
before Him. (Isa. xl. 3, 4, &c. ; Luke iii.
4,5.)
24. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
2-5. And they asked Inm, and said nnto liini, Wliy bap-
tizes! thou then, if thou be not tliat Christ, nor Elias,
neither that Prophet ? 26. John answered lliem, saying,
■nl baptize with water : "but there staudetli one among
you, whom ye know -not: 27. "He it is, wlio coming
after me is preferred before me, whose slioe's latcliet I
am not wortliy to unloose. 28. These tilings were done
rin Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baj^tiz-
Ing.
mMatt. Iii. 11, on which see notes. "Mai. iii. 1. "Verses
15, 30 ; Acts xix. 4. rJudg. vii. 24 ; chap. x. 40.
Pharisees. This sect was extremely rigid
in matters pertaining to the ritual. Why
haptizest, &c. Thinking he disclaimed any
special connection with Messiah's king-
dom, they demand his right to gather dis-
ciples by baptism. It was commonly be-
lieved among them, that it would justly
pertain to the Messiah to modify existing
usages, introduce new laws, and in va-
rious ways assert His Kingly authority.
There standeth one, &c. The Baptist does
not enter into their nice distinctions, or
attempt to combat their vain traditions.
He simply endeavors to draw of!" their
thoughts from himself to a greater, to lead
them from the servant to the jNIaster. Our
Lord had nothing in His outward appear-
ance to distinguish Hina from others.
There is much excellency in the world
unknown. In nature there is many a
rich vein of ore concealed beneath a rude
surface, and many a flower that blooms
unseen in the woods, and sheds its fra-
grance on " the desert air." Learning and
genius are often buried in obscurity. The
same may be said of moral and religious
qualities. We are not to measure or
number the instances of godliness by our
personal observation. God has His hid-
den ones. Is preferred, &c. The most
deep and pure humility does not so much
arise from the consideration of our faults
and defects (though that also may have its
own place), as from a calm contemplation
of the Divine perfections. By fixing our
eyes on the infinite greatness and holiness
of God, we are most fully sensil:)le of our
own weakness. We will ajipear as noth-
ing in our own sight, when beheld from
so great a height. This is really the great-
est elevation of the soul, and there is
nothing in the world so noble and excel-
lent as the sublimity of humble minds.
(Chap. iii. 27-31 ; Job xxxiii. 15.) It is
the duty of ministers, and will be the care
of such as are faithful and zealous, to exalt
and commend Christ on all occasions.
Jesus may be among a people, and yet
they Avho reckon themselves very high in
the Church neither see Him nor know
Him. Bethabara beyond Jordan. Thecoun-
trj^ east of the Jordan was designated as
beyond the river. Bethabara signifies lite-
rally, tJie house of passage, and is thought to
be the place where the Israelites passed
the river Jordan under Joshua. (Judg.
vii. 24.) The precise situation of the town
is not known.
29. The next day John seeth Jesns coming unto him,
and saith. Behold 'ithe Lamb of God, which taketh
away nhe sin of the world !
<)Ex. xii. 3 : Isa. liii. 7 ; verse 30 ; Acts viii. .32 ; 1 Peter
i. 19; Kev. V. 6, &c. "-Isa. liii. 11: 1 Cor. xv. 3: Gal. i.
4 ; Heb. i. 3, ii. 17 and ix. 28 ; 1 Peter ii. 24 and iii. 18 ; 1
John ii. 2, iii. 5 and iv. 10; Rev. i. 5.
The Evangelist, having set forth Christ
in the dignity and excellency of His office,
now declares how He was to execute His
office, and to bring about these benefits ;
which was by suffering. The Lamb of God.
The reference is not to any of the lambs
of sacrifice, ordained in the Old Testament,
in particular, being indeed to them all.
They severally set forth in type and in
figure some part of that which vras fulfilled
in substance and in full, not by a lamb of
men, but by the Lamb of God, there being
thus fulfilled to the uttermost the signifi-
cant word of Abraham, "God will provide
himself a lamb." Which taketh away, &c.
Not the sins of one nation only, not the
sins of the Jews alone, by whom alone the
typical sacrifices of the law were offered,
but the sins of the whole world, of all who
in all the world believe in Ilim. (1 John
ii. 2.) Christ bore the sin of the world by
460
JOHN.
letting it be imputed to Him by His
Father, in ;i manner incomprehensible to
us, so that it became no longer ours but
His. Christ takes away the sin of those
who trust in Him, partly by justification,
in which the merit of His death is applied
for taking away the guilt and punishment
due to sin, and partly by sanctification, in
which the power of His death and resur-
rection is apijlied by the Holy Spirit, for
subduing and removing the pollutions of
sin. The expression, iakcth away, being in
the present tense, denotes a continued act,
and it intimates to us that it is the daily
office of Christ to take away our sin, by
presenting to the Father the memorials of
His death. Behold, vfith an eye of admi-
ration, but especially with an eye of faith
and dependence, improving the fruit of
His death to our consolation and salvation.
This passage alone, if the truth were re-
vealed nowhere else in the Scriptures, jus-
tifies the doctrine that our Lord was the
sinner's substitute, and thus made a sin-
ofiering for man. But this great truth is
taught in the clearest and most ample
terms in many other portions of God's
Word. To deny the doctrine of Christ's
atonement, indeed, is to rob the fabric of
Christianity of its foundation, strike at the
very roots of the tree of life, attempt to
pluck the diaderh of glory from Imman-
uel's brow, mutilate the fair volume of
revelation, take the brightest jewel from
the crown of Scripture, dash the cup of
consolation from the lips of the mourner,
and leave the sinner without a gleam of
hope. (See 2 Cor. v. 19 ; also Lev. xvi. 21 ;
Isa. liii. 11; Luke i. 77; Heb. ix. 28, x. 14;
Gal.iii. 13; 1 Peter ii. 24; 1 John ii.2,iii.5.)
30. ^hisisheof whom I said. After me cometh a
man which is preferred before me; for he was before
me. 31. And I knew him not: but that he should be
made manifest to Israel, ttherefore am I come baptizing
with water. °
'Verses 15, 27. tMal. iii. 1; Matt. iii. 6; Luke i. 17, 76.
77 and ni. 3, 4. . ^ , •«,
This is he, &c. (See on verse 15.) And
I knew him not. John knew Jesus, but the
Baptist knew not yet the Messiah. He
indeed was aw^are of His miraculous birth,
he must have known His remarkable char-
acter, he may even have suspected Him to
be the Messiah : but as God, who sent him
on his work as Baptist, had promised him
a sign whereby he might discover the
Messiah, and as that sign had not yet been
given, he did not yet recognize Jesus as
such, whatever might have been his own
thoughts and suspicions. Should be made
manifest, &c. That the Messiah should be
exhibited or made known to Israel as the
High Priest of God's appointment. See
the ordinance to be observed with regard
to Aaron and his sons. (Ex. xxix. and
Lev. viii.) Therefore am I come, &c. " It
was chiefly for this end that Christ
might thus be more remarkably made
manifest to Israel, and might be introduced
with greater solemnity."
32. "And John bare record, saying, I saw the Sjiirit
descending from heaven like a dove, and It abode upon
him. 33. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to
baptize with water, the same said unto me. Upon whom
thou Shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on
him, 'the same is he which baiJtizeth with the Holy
Ghost. 34. And I saw, and bare record that this is the
Son of God.
"Matt. iii. 16 ; Mark i. 10 ; Luke iii. 22, on which see
notes ; chap. v. 32. 'Matt. iii. 11 ; Acts i. 5, li. 4, x. 44
and xix. 6. »
As soon as John received the sign (verse
33), and his expectations were realized, he
bare record. Like a dove. Is Christ a Lamb?
Is the Spirit a Dove? Are these two sym-
bols so united, and so placed before us ?
And have we yet to learn " what manner
of spirit we are of?" (James iii. 17.) Abode
upon him. This, 1. Indicated and illustra-
ted what is said of the difference between
the baptism of Christ and the baptism of
John, for He was to baptize with the Holy
Ghost, a baptism of everlasting efficacy,
and not as John's, w'hich, as he himself
professed, was only temporary. 2. It was
intended to assure His people that He re-
ceived the Spirit, not only for Himself,
but also to communicate unto them. (Isa.
xi. 2, 3.) And I saiv, &c. He had pre-
viously spoken of Christ as man (verse 30),
and intimated by the words " for he was
before mo," that He was something more
than man. Here he affirms — tJiis is the
Son of God. So Christ is both God and
man. (See 2 Peter i. 16; 1 John i. 1.) This
great truth isver)' full of comfort, assuring
us of His sympathy and power, and teach-
ing us that He both knows by experience
our sorrows, and can help us out of them.
Xi. 1 Again the next day after, John stood, and two
of his disciples ; 36. And looking upon Jesus .is he
walked, he saitli, yBehold the Lamb of God ! ,37. And
the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed
Jesus. .38. Then Jesus turned, and saw theni following,
and Siiith unto them. What seek ye? They said unto
him. Rabbi, (whioh is to say, being interpreted. Master,)
where dwell est thou? .39. He saith unto them, t'ome
and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and
CHAPTER I,
461
abode with him that day : for it was about the tenth
hour. 40. One of the two which heard John sijcak, and
followed him, was ^Andrew, Simon Peter's brotlier. 41.
He first fiudeth his own brother Simon, and sailh unto
him. We liave found the Messias, which is, being in-
terpreted, the Christ. 41*. And he brought him to Jesus.
Aii.l wlien Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon
the son of Jonas: Mhou shall be called Cephas, which is
1»y interpretation, a stone.
TVerse 29. 'Matt. iv. 18, on which see notes.
John stood — doubtless upon the banks
of the Jordan, contemplating his sacred
work. Two of his disciples. Andrew, and
probably the Evangelist himself. Looking
upon Jesus. John was encouraged to com-
mend Him, so a sight and enjoyment of
Christ's spiritual presence will much dis-
pose and enable men to speak of Him. As
he walked — the Lamb. (See on verse 29.)
There might have been something in His
very look, and whole gesture and deport-
ment, so meek, unassuming, superhuman
and heavenly, as silently to attest His
Divine character and mission, and of
itself to invite the designation of the
Baptist. (Acts vi. 15; Luke xiii. 27.) They
followed Jesus. They quitted one master,
and joined themselves to another. There
was a draAving, attractive power in that
word about the Lamb, the taker away of
the world's sin, which no other word pos-
sessed or could possess. Set between two
magnets, the disciples showed at once
which was the mightier of the two. Jesus
fumed, &c. God meets us in the way. The
willing mind is accepted. The sincere
desire is blessed. He who graciously
" turned and saw them following," was the
same God, the same eternal " I am," who
in like manner encouraged His servant
Moses. (Ex. iii. 4.) We should be at-
tentive to every intimation of God's provi-
dence and will.
What seek ye? Jesus tenderly draws
them on to open their hearts to Him.
They wish to know as to His abode for
the night. They will not trouble Him on
His way ; they wish to speak with Him
alone. The use of the term Rabbi by these
disciples, shows that they sought instruc-
tion from Jesus. For the sake of those
Gentiles into whose hands this Gospel
should fall, the Evangelist adds the inter-
pretation of this Jewish term. Come and
nee. Christ invited them forthwith to ac-
company Him. They go, and remain
until four o'clock in the afternoon. The
interest and importance of this interview
we may well imagine. Its immediate
cfTect is apparent from what follows.
llie Messias, or, ^lessiah. Both these
words, the one Greek, the other Hebrew,
mean the Christ, or, the Anointed One.
Brought him to Jesus. In this beautiful
scene we behold the commencement of all
Christian activity in missions. Andrew
had been for some little time with Jesus
himself, and he immediately evinces the
influence of the intercourse on his own
mind, by his concern to bring others to
the same Saviour. They that have tasted
that the Lord is gracious themselves, will
be always constrained to invite others.
Andrew first found Simon, but he also
prevailcil on others. Though we cannot
bring souls to Jesus efficiently, we may do
this instru mentally, 1. by intercession, 2.
by the influence of example, 3. by instruc-
tion and by various other means. We
should be concerned to bring souls to
Jesus for the following reasons : L To feel
a concern for this work is an evidence of
grace, and an evidence the most decisive.
2. To attempt it is a duty that cannot be
declined without the greatest guilt. 3. To
accomplish it is the most glorious enter-
prise. What can be compared to the sal-
vation of a soul? 4. To fail in it is no
disgrace. Failure here, is, indeed, more
honorable than success in any other en-
terprise. But wise and good efforts are
never in vain. If they are useless as to
the direct object, they do good collaterally.
If they relieve not the beneficiary, they
bless the benefactor.
Jesus beheld him. The Saviour, with that
piercing glance which tested men, and to
which the Evangelist so often gives prom-
inence (verse 4S, ii. 25, iii. 3, vi. 71), looked
through the disciple brought to Him.
Thou art, &c. Though it be the first time
that Peter ever saw Jesus, it is not the
first time that Jesus, in spirit at least, ever
saw Peter. He knows His parentage, His
name, and history. A stone. The word
which is here thus rendered, is in reality
the proper name Peter, and it should have
been rendered as a proper name. The
remark is thrown in by the Evangelist, as
apprising his readers that the Simon to
whom the name Cephas was affixed, was
463
JOHN.
the same as the Apostle whom they knew
by the name Peter.
In the calling of these three humble
followers of Jesus commenced that little
company, that weak and feeble band,
which, under the direction and in the
power of the Holy Ghost, regenerated the
world. Men chosen from the lower walks
of life, without wealth, without learning,
without much of talent either natural or
acquired, and yet who succeeded in a few
short years, to use the language of their
opponents, in "turning the world upside
down." (Acts xvii. 6.)
43. H The day foUowing Jesus would go forth into
Galilee, and fludeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow
me.
The daij following the calling and naming
of Peter. Into Galilee — probably on His
way home after His baptism and tempta-
tion. Findeth Philip. Peter, as we have
seen, was called by Andrew, as Nathanael
was afterward (verse 45) called by Philip,
but Philip was called by Christ Himself.
How various were the means by which this
little party was assembled ! How various,
will it appear hereafter, have been the
means by which the countless multitude
who shall till the everlasting mansions
have been congregated ! Still, however
varying may be the means, the end and
object of this blessed work are and must
forever be the same, the following Him
here on earth, who speaks with power by
His Holy Spirit to the heart, and says,
" Follow me," and the enjoying Him in the
kingdom of heaven.
44. Now ^Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew
and Peter.— bChap. sii. 21.
The exact mention by the Evangelist,
at this point of his narrative, that Philip
u-as of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and
Peter, is an intimation that he was more
or less prepared for the calling He re-
ceived from Jesus, by some accounts which
he had obtained from his fellow-towns-
men Andrew and Peter, of what had pass-
ed between them and the Lord on the
day preceding.
45. Philip findeth cNathanael, and saith nnto him,
We have found him, of whom ajioses in the law, and
the fprophets, did write, Jesus fof Nazareth, the son of
cChap. xxi. 2. dGen. iii. l-i and xl.9, 10; Bent, xviii.
18; see on Liuke xxiv. 27. flsa. iv. 2, vii. 14 and ix. «;
Mi. V. 2 ; Zech. vi. 12 and Lx. 9 , Luke xxiv. 27. fMatt.
u. 23 ; Luke ii. 4.
Philip, having attached himself to Jesus.
could not be content till he had intro-
duced his friend into the glorious liberty
of the same service with himself, until he
had done what he could to make his
friend a sharer of his treasure and his joy.
lit' liave found Jiim, &c. A celebi'ated
mathematician of antiquity, while medi-
tating, suddenly solved one of the pro-
found est problems of geometry. Such was
his rapture at the discovery, that he in-
stantly ran through the streets clapx)ing
his hands, and exclaiming, Eureka, I have
fomid. Philip here joj- fully uses the same
word, we hate found. From thg freouent
recurrence o£ finding, in this chapter, it has,
indeed, been called the chapter of the Eu-
rekas. (See verses 41, 43.) Moses in the law,
(See Gen. iii. 15, xlix. 10; Ivum. xxiv. 17,
19 ; Deut. xviii. 15-19.) And the prophets, did
write. (See 2 Sam. vii. 12-16, xxiii. 1-7 ;
Isa. vii. 14, ix. 6, liii.; Ezek. xxxiv. 23-31.)
46. And Nathanael said unto him, eCan there any
good thing come out of Nazareth ? Philip saith unto
him, C/Ome and see.— cChap. vii. 41, 42. 52.
Can there any good thing, &c. There is
here a reference to the general low esteem
and disrepute in Avhich Nazareth was held
(Matt. ii. 23), and an intimation of the
consequent unlikelihood that aught pre-
eminently good would come forth from it.
By the good thing must be understood that
one " good thing," that " gift of God "
(John iv. 101, in which all other good
things are included. Come and see. He has
a confidence, which the result abundantly
justified, that in that holy presence, if
only he could bring his friend within the
range of its influence, all preconcMved
objections would dissolve and disappear.
If men, instead of taking up unreasonable
prejudices against the Christian religion,
C'hristian missions, Christian people and
Christian practices, as too many do, judg-
ing from hearsay, not from actual knowl-
edge ; from fancy rather than from fact,
if these would only do as Philip advised,
and as Nathanael did, that is, " come and
see," they might haply arrive at a differ-
ent and a juster conclusion.
47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him. and saith of
him, Behold tan Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile !
iiPs. xxxii. 2, and Ixxiii. 1 , Chap. viii. 39; Rom. ii. 28,
29, and ix. 6.
Not long before (verse 36), John cried of
Christ- Ecce! Behold the Lamb of God!
Christ is the crier here. Ecce! Behold a
CHAPTER I.
463
true Israelite — one in whom is no guile — not
only no hy])ocTitc, but, ■with a guileless
simplicity not always found even in God's
own people, ready to follow wherever
. truth might lead him. Beliold, &c. How
kind and merciful this salutation ! As
easy would it have been for Him to whom
all hearts are open, and from whom no
secrets are hid, to have evinced His own
omniscience by convicting Nathanael at
once of whatever bigotry and prejudice he
had manifested, by repeating to him the
words, " Can there any good thing come
out of Nazareth ?" as thus to fix at once
upon the favorable point in his character,
and so freely and so kindly to acknow-
ledge it.
48. Natlianael saith unto him. Whence knowest thou
me? Jesus answered and said unto him, UeCore that
Philip called thee, when thou wast under the tig tree, I
saw thee.
Christ here speaks of three wonderful
things, which arc above man : 1. Although
thou wast distant, yet I saw that PliiUp
called thee. 2. I saw thee before Philip
found thee, when thou tcast under the fig tree.
3. I saw into thy heart, and thou art with-
out guile, yers^Q il . (Chap. ii. 25; Luke xix.
4, 5; Jer. xxiii. 23, 24.) Let us ask our-
selves what effect the omniscience of
Jesus, which we profess to believe, has
upon us. Both in public and in private
we are followed by the all-seeing eye, and
listened to by the all-hearing ear. Jesus
not only avowed His regard for Nathanael,
but He avowed it before others. The con-
cealments of Christians are only partial and
temporary. Their day is coming: it is the
manifestation of the sons of God.
49. Nathanael answered and saith unto him. Rabbi,
'thou art the Son of God ; thou art ktlie King of Israel.
"Matt. xiv. 23. kjiatt. xxi. 5, xxvii. 11, 42 ; chap, xviii.
37 and xix. 3.
There was somethingin the very minute-
ness of our Lord's naming the tree under
which he had been sitting, in the privacy
of his own garden, where no eye had seen
him, and in His showing a knowledge of
his state of mind, which evidently brought
instantaneous conviction to the mind of
Nathanael, hence the acknowledgment
into which he burst forth. (See chap. iv.
29; 1 Cor. xiv. 25.) On that day when the
secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, how
will this acknowledgment shame those who
with ten-fold, yea, ten thousand-fold, Na-
thanael's evidence, have not attained to
Nathanael's faith, who doubt the omnisci-
ence and the divinity of Jesus ! Thou art
the Son of God. Here is the first simple
creed of the infant church. The salvation,
expanded in the writings of '' closes and
the Prophets," is contracted into a few
words, but words of a mighty power, the
germ of all saving truth. Oh, that no more
had been needed to join all Christians to-
gether in this "One Faith!" (Chap. vi.
69; Acts ii. 38, viii. 37; Rev. xix. 10.)
50. Jesus answered and said unto him. Because I said
unto thee, I saw tliee under the fig tree, believest thou?
thou Shalt Sic greater things than these. 51. And he
saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, U-Iere-
atter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God
ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
'Cien. xxviii. 12 ; Matt. iv. 11 ; Luke ii. 9, 13, xxu. 43
and xxiv. 4 ; Acts i. 10.
Thou shalt see, &c. Our Lord confirms
His faith, and, agreeably to the Divine
rule, " he that hath to him shall bo given,
and he shall have more abundance," prom-
ises him higher honor, and more blessed
visions. If we are now able to see Jesus,
as the Son of God, the Saviour of our soul,
we shall see greater things than even His
omniscience and omnipotence ; we shall
see His love employed in blotting out
every sin we have committed. His wisdom
in enlightening and instructing our mind.
His strength in supporting our weakness,
His blood in cleansing our i)ollutions, His
Spirit in sanctifying and renewing our
soul.
This verily, verily, this double Amen,
which here occurs for the first time, is pe-
culiar to John, he only records our Lord's
use of it, but he on very many occasions.
It was never used by any one but Christ,
and always at the beginning of a sentence.
It comes most fitly from the lips of Him
who is Himself the Amen (Rev. iii. 14),
the God of truth (Isa. Ixv. 16), in whom
all the promises of God are yea, and in
whom Amen. (2 Cor. i. 19 ; Num. v. 22 ;
Neh. viii. 6.) How different, too, the ma-
jestic, I say unto you, of Christ, from that,
" Thus saith the Lord," of all the prophets
preceding — they hearers of the word of
another, He the utterer of His own.
Heaven open. What a saying is this!
"When the wrath of God was poured ujaon
a guilty world, it is expressed by this kind
of language : " The windows of heaven
were opened." What, then, can it here
464
J OHN
denote, but that God would, in honor of
Him in whom His soul delighted, pour
forth a deluge of blessings in His name.
And the a)i()ds of God, &c. In the miracles
the disciples were about to witness, as
accomplished by Christ, both on the bodies
and souls of men, they should see things
marvelous as any in Jacob's ancient
vision. Christ here intimates that He
should henceforward be the middle point
of free intercourse, yea, of uninterrupted
communion between God and men, that
in Him should be the meeting-place of
heaven and earth. (Eph. i. 10; Col. i. 19.)
The angels that wait upon the throne of
God and " do Plis commandments, heark-
ening to the voice of His word," were
sent from thence to attend on Jesus at
His resurrection and at His ascension, as
His disciples witnessed, and Nathanael
among the rest; for he is mentioned as a
person present when Jesus showed Him-
self to His disciples after His resurrection.
(Chap. xxi. 2.)
Upon the Son of man. He who had just
accepted Nathanael's tribute to Him as
" the Son of God" (verse 49), and to whom
the Baptist under Divine inspiration had
lately borne the same testimony (verse
34), here speaks of Himself under the title
of "the Son of man," a title taken from
the i^rophecy of Daniel (chap. vii. 13), but
which was never used of our Lord by any
but Himself, and which He used constant-
ly, to show that God had for our sakes be-
come also very man. The use of this term
by Stephen, in Acts vii. 56, is not an ex-
ception to this remark, for this use was
manifestly in allusion to our Lord's own
words in Matt. xxvi. 64, of which the state-
ment of Stephen is in fact an adaptation.
" If the angels," says Augustine, " de-
scend to the Sou of man, He is here ; if
they ascend to Him, He is above. He is
above with the Father, below in us."
(Chap. iii. 13 ; Acts vii. 56, ix. 4, 5). " An
angelical life," remarks Lcigliton, " spent
between ascending in prayer to fetch bless-
ings from above, and descending to scatter
them among men." (Luke vi. 12, 13).
1. What is meant by "the beginning?" 2. "Why is Christ called "the Word?" 3. Is Creatorship a.scribed to
Him? 4. What is said of "life" in Jesus? 5. AVho was sent from God? G. For what purpose did be come? 7.
What is said of Him ? 8. What contrast is stated between Moses and Christ ? 9. What wa.s John's answer to the
priests and Levitos who came to him ? 10. What did he say when he saw Jesus coming unto him ? 11. Who
were the two disciples referred to in verse 37? 12. What did Andrew do? 13. What did Christ say to Philip ?
14. Whom did Philip find? 1-5. What did Nathamael say ? 16. State the interview between Jesus and Nathauael.
17. What did our Lord say respecting angels ?
CHAPTER II.
1 Christ turneth ivat^r into wine, 12 departetJi into Ca-
pernaum, and to Jeriisalem, 14 where he purpeth the
temple of buyers and sellers. 19 He foretelleth his death
and resurrection. 23 Jlany believed because of his
miracles, but lie would not trust himself ivith t/iem.
AND the third day there was a marriage in »Cana of
Galilee ; and the mother of Jesus was there:
aSee Josh. xix. 28.
The third day after Nathanael's call. A
marriage, i. e., a marriage festival. Cana
of Galilee, so called to distinguish it from
Cana in Asher, not far from Tyre. (Josh.
xix. 28.) It was situated seven miles north
of Nazareth, and about three miles north-
east of Sepphoris. The mother of Jesus, &c.
There is every reason to suppose that Jo-
seph was now dead.
2. And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the
marriage.
Called — invited. How was this true of
Christ, being a stranger ? Probably this
was the marriage of some relative of the
mother of Jesus. But it may be that the
invitation came through the friendly in-
tervention of Nathanael, who was of this
place, (xxi. 2.) If so, let us admire such
a proof, of a convert's early love to the
Lord, his zeal in Christ's service, his de-
sire, harmonizing with that of Mary (verse
BETHANY.
CANA OF GALILEE.
CHAPTER II,
465'
5), to promote his Master's honor (i. 49)
his brotherly kindness, also, for "both
Jesus was called and li.is disciples to the
marriage." We need not wonder to find
• the Lord of life at that festival, for He
came to sanctify all life — its times of joy,
as its times of sorrow, and all experience
tells us that it is times of gladness, such as
this was now, which especially need such
a sanctifying power, such a presence of
the Lord.
3. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus
saith unto him, They have no wiue.
Wanted mne. The supply of wine, from
some cause or other, ran short. The mother
of Jesus. The Evangelist never calls her
by name, indeed, he generally prefers to
designate those of whom he speaks by
their respective titles. Saith unto Jiim.
Having a greater interest in the matter
than a mere guest would have had, she
mentions the subject to our Lord, saying,
They have no nine, implying, of course, the
embarrassment of those who gave the
feast and of herself also as a relative or
friend of the parties. This embarrass-
ment she hoped her Son would in some
way remove.
Wine was as common a drink in Pales-
tine as cider in portions of our own coun-
try. Their wine was so free from the
alcoholic element, that it produced intoxi-
cation only through fermentation or by
being drugged.
Rev. Dr. Duff, the celebrated Scotch
missionary, speaking of the vine regions
of southern Erance, says : "Look at the
peasant at his meals in vine-bearing dis-
tricts! Instead of milk he has a basin of
pure, unadulterated ' blood of the grape.'
In this its native original state it is a plain,
simple and wholesome liquid, which, at
every repast, becomes to the husbandman
what milk is to the shejiherd, not a lux-
ury, but a necessity ; not an intoxicating,
but a nutritive beverage. Hence to the
vine-dressing peasant of Auxerre, for ex-
ample, an abundant vintage, as connected
with his own sustenance, is as important
as an overflowing dairy to the pastoral
peasant of Ayrshire, and hence, by such a
view of the subject, are the language and
sense of Scripture vindicated."
Captain Treatt, as quoted by Dr. Lees,
so
says : " When on the south coast of Italy,
last Christmas (1845), I inquired particu-
larly about the wines in common use, and
found that those esteemed the best were sweet
and uniiitoxicating. The boiled juice of the
grape is in common use in Sicily. About
three gallons of the juice is boiled until
reduced to two — it is then poured into
plates to cool. The poor peoi)le mix flour
into theirs while boiling, to make it go
further. It is eaten at their meals with
l:)read, and very nice it is. The Calabrians
keep their intoxicating and unintoxicating
wines in separate apartments. The bottles
were generally marked. Erom inquiries,
I found that the unfcrmcnted u-ine teas esteem-
ed the most. It uas drunk mixed uith 7vata'.
Great pains were taken in the vintage sea-
son to have a good stock of it laid by."
This must be taken into consideration
in judging of the moral aspect of this mir-
acle of our Lord. No plea whatever can
be drawn from it for the use of such adul-
terated and poisonous wines as are gener-
ally imported and vended in this country.
We see no reason for supposing that the
wine of the present occasion was of that
kind upon which Scripture places its
strongest interdict. (Prov. xx. 1, xxiii. 31;
Isa. xxii. 13), rather than of that which is
eulogized as a blessing. (Ps. civ. 15 ; Isa.
Iv. 1.) See on verse 7.
4. Jesus saith unto her, ''Woman, <:what have I to do
with thee? Jmiue hour is not yet come.
bOhap. xix. 26. ^2 Sam. xvi. 10 and xix. 22. ^Chap.
vii. ti.
Woman, &c. The word "woman," in
ancient Greek, is equivalent to " lady."
The radical idea appears to be, " What
have we in common ? Our relations are
wholly difierent. Be not over anxious, I
know what I will do, when the proper
time has come." Our Lord, in the way of
mild reproof, wished her to know that
though as a son He was subject to her in
private life, as the Son of God His power
was not under her control. But it is evi-
dent that no disrespect "V^'as intended. See
the tender use of the same term in chap.
XX. 15, xix. 26. 3Iine hour, &c., that is,
" the seasonable time," or, " the time for
doing what you suggest is not yet come,"
implying that He alone was the proper
judge of that season, and would seize it,
thus mixing comfort with the gentle re-
466
JOHN.
proof. The time would be when the wine
was quite exhausted, whereby the reality
of the miracle would be undoubted.
5. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever
he saith unto you, do U.
Saith unto the servants. Mary apparently
understood the words of Jesus, as indeed
was no doubt intended, rather as a post-
ponement than a denial. When we find
any particular mystery in God's Providen-
tial dealings toward us, instead of wasting
our thoughts and time in murmuring and
complaint about it, we should give greater
diligence in attending to our known duties,
obeying the evident will of God concern-
ing us, leaving it to Him to solve every
intricacy. (Ps. xxxvii. ; Deut. xxix. 29.)
Whatsoever he saith, &c. To obey God
rightly is to obey Him as Supreme Law-
giver, which can never be done, while He
only maintains a divided empire in our
hearts. The same motive that j^rompts
us to obey God in one thing, ought to in-
fluence us to strive to obey Him in all
things.
6. And there were set there six waterpots of stone,
••after the manner of the purifyingof the Jews, contain-
ing two or three tirkins apiece.— 'Mark vii. 3.
Waterpots of stone — stone vesgels for hold-
ing water. Purifying of tlie Jews. The
Jews, on account of the regulations re-
specting ceremonial cleanness and unclean-
mess, had occasion for a constant supply
of water, in readiness for washing. (Mark
vii. 1-4.) Firkins. The word thus trans-
lated signifies a measure containing some-
what more than eight gallons. This large
quantity of wine made the miracle more
striking and apparent. Wedding festivals
were prolonged sometimes through a whole
week. The report of the wondrous mir-
acle, doubtless, drew numbers to the feast,
all of whom would wish to drink, if for no
other purpose than to satisfy themselves
of the truth of the affair.
7. Jesus saith unto them, I'ill the waterpots with
■water. And they tilled them up to the brim. 8. And
he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the
governor of the feast. And they bare it.
Fill, &c. These Vessels were now empty,
probably, from the ablutions of so many
guests. The servants, though wondering,
did not venture to disobey Christ. As
M«ssiah Christ uttered the reproof (verse
4), as a Son He now complied with His
mother's suggestion, and thus saved the
bridal pair from mortification. The critical
Dr. Trench, now Archbishop of Dublin,
says: "He who each year prepares the
wine in the grape, causing it to drink up
and swell with the moisture of earth and
heaven, to transmute this into its own
nobler juices, concentrated all those slower
processes now into the act of a single
moment, and accomplished in an instant
what ordinarily He does not accomplish
but in months." The same interpretation
was given of the miracle by Dr. Joseph
Hall, Bishop of Norwich, England, in 1600,
by Chrysostom, born A. D. 344, and by
Augustine, born A. D. 354. (See on verse
2.) T]icy bare it. Equally removed from
every appearance of doubt or display, our
Lord does not ask to taste, or even to see
the wine Himself, to ascertain the certainty
of the success of His command, but tells
the servants at once to carry it to the gov-
ernor. As they perceived by the color
and odor, that what they drew from the
waterj3ots, had become wine, they scrupled
not to do as directed. It Avas the function
of the governor, or ruler of the feast, to pro-
vide for the occasion, to preside at the
table, to relieve the bridegroom from
minute solicitudes, and to taste first what
was set before the guests.
9. When the ruler of the fea.st had tasted fthe water
that was made wine, and knew not wlience it was, (but
the servants which drew the water knew,) the gov-
ernor of the feast called the bridegroom ; 10. And saith
unto him. Every man at the begmning doth set forth
good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that
which is worse : b^it tL ju haat kept the good wine until
now.— fChap. iv. 46.
The governor, after he had tasted the
wine, and found it greatly superior to any
that had yet been used, called out to the
bridegroom across the table. Every man
at the beginning, &c. It would be unjust
and absurd to suppose from the words of
the ruler, when men have ivell drunk, that
these guests had transgressed the rules of
temperance. For, 1, the Greek word rend-
ered " well drunk," does not imply intoxi-
cation, and, 2, the ruler describes the cus-
toms of others, not the conduct of the
present assembly. Besides, as Alfurd\veVi
remarks : " We may be sure that the Lord
would not have sanctioned, nor ministered
to, actual drunkenness. Only those who
can conceive this, will find any diflSculty
here, and they will find difficulty every-
where."
CHAPTER II.
m
n. This beginnins of miracles did Jesus in Cana of
Galilee, caiid munilestod I'ortli his glory, and liis disciple'*
believed on him.— sCliap. i. H.
This WJis the beginning of miracles, the
first of a s<T«Vs. It was an introduction to
all Christ's other miracles, as the parable
of the Sower was to all His other parables.
(Mark. iv. 31.) And no other miracle
Avould have served as so fit an inaugura-
tion to the whole future work of the Son
of God, for that work might be character-
ized throughout as an ennobling of the
common and a transmuting of the mean —
a turning of the water of earth into the
wine of heaven. His glory. Jesus shines
with no borrowed light. The light which
His Apostles manifested was what they de-
rived from Him, but He shines in His own
proper light. Until now Christ had veiled
Himself more or less, but now He gave
some glimpses of what He was. Believed
on him. Such was the result in the case
of the disciples. Their faith, as we know
from what is subsequently recorded, was
weak and imperfect, but it was yet genuine
and grew stronger and stronger, and was
graciously accepted by our blessed Lord.
From this narrative learn, 1. The lesson
of patience, as exhibited in our Lord's
conduct, in so meekly awaiting the fit
time for disclosing His true character to
the world. 2. Religion does not require
us to shut ourselves out from the world,
like monks and nuns, or to cherish gloomy
feelings ; it is social and cheerful. (Prov.
iii. 17.) It teaches us how to enjoy, as
well as to obey. 3. Christ honors His own
institution of the marriage state. 4. The
rule of giving which the Saviour pursues
is very different from that which is fol-
lowed by the world. The worldling has
his best things first. He finds life grow
darker and darker as he advances. But
the path of the true Christian "shineth
more and more unto the perfect day." The
more religious he becomes, the more
happy he finds himself. What, then, will
be his experience when he partakes in
heaven of the sweetness of redeeming
love in all its perfection!
12. IT After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and
his mother, and tiliis brethren, and his disciples, and
they continued there not many days.— i^Matt. xii. 4C.
He vent down — from Cana, in the coun-
try to Capernaum, on the lake shore. His
mother. It is probable that Joseph died
between Jesus' twelfth and thirtieth years.
His brethren. (See on Matt. xii. 4(5.) These
are put before His disciples, showing the
greatness of the privileges within their
reach. Not many days. Because the pass-
over was near.
13. IT 'And the Jews' passover wa.s at hand, and Jesus
went up to Jerusalem, U. kAnd Ibund in the temple
those that sold oxen and slieep and doves, and the
changrers oCnioney sitting: 15. And when he had made
a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the
temple, and the sheep, and the oxen, and poured out
the changers' money, and overthrew the tables, 16. And
said unto them that sold doves. Take these things
hence; make not imy Father's house a house of mer-
chandize. 17. And his disciples remembered that it
was written, mXhe zeal of thine house hath eaten me
up.
'Ex. xii. 14 ; Deut. xvi. 1, 16 ; verse 23 ; chap. v. 1, vi.
4, and xi. 55. kjlatt. xxi. 12 ; Mark xi. 15 : Luke xlx. 45.
'Luke ii. 49. "Ixix. 9.
On verses 13-17 see on Matt, xxi, 12, &c. ;
Mark xi. 15, &c.
Jews^ passover. So specifically called by
the Evangelist, for the sake of the Gentiles
to whom this Gospel should come. John
mentions four passovers as occurring dur-
ing Christ's ministry, of which this is gen-
erally regarded as the first. Went up to
Jerusalem. Every male among the Jews
was required to appear at this feast. Oxen
and sheep, &c. — used in sacrifices. Sitting;
in the very act of negotiation: business
was the more brisk, as the passover was
at hand. Scourge, &c. Thus scourges were
formerly made. Moreover, no material in-
jured the body less than this. It is not
said that Jesus inflicted a single blow on
the men. He accomplished His purpose
by terror. The scourge was a symV>ol of
God's judgment soon to fall on the cor-
rupters. These "cords" were the instru-
ments of their unrighteousness, for with
them the oxen were tied up. Thus do our
sins, even in this life, become our scourges,
as in the case of Pharaoh.
Take these things hence. Jesus acted in
the spirit of a true reformer, with much
zeal, and with as much moderation. He
cast out the abuses, but did not forbid the
duties of the temple — drove out the mer-
chants, but not the ministers of the house
of God. The different treatment of the
doves, from that of the sheep and oxen is
one of those minutiae which could only
occur to the veritable historian. My
Fathefs house. How close the resem-
blance of these remarkable words to Luke
ii. 49 — the same consciousness of intrinsic
relation to the Temple, as the seat of His
468
JOHN.
Father's most august worship, and so the
symbol of all that is due to Him on earth —
dictating both speeches. The zeal of thine
house, &.C, Zeal for thy house, for its
purity and honor, hath preyed npon my
spirit,
IS. II Then answered the Jews and said nnto him,
"What sign showest thou unto us, seeing thac thou
doest these things 7— "Matt, xii, 38 ; chap. vT. 30.
The priests and rulers, though they did
not justify the profanations of the temple
by these traders, yet were piqued that
Jesus should assume an authority which,
as the constituted guardians of the temple,
belonged rightfully to them, and therefore
they demanded His credentials for the
office of public reformer which He had
thus taken upon Himself.
19. Jesus answered and said nnto them, "Destroy this
temple, and in tliree days 1 will raise it up.
«Matt. xxvi. 61 and xxvii. 40; Mark xiv. 58andxv. 29,
As the Jews did not properly attend to
the sign already given (verses 15, 16), Jesus
now refers them to His death and resur-
rection. Destroy this temple, &c. — that is,
" I know you will destroy this temple of
my body, by putting me to death, but I
will raise myself from the grave the third
day," Christ did not command them to
destroy His body, but only foretold that
they would do it. His assertion of His
own power in raising His own body from
the dead, is full proof of His Divinity.
Was Christ's body a temple? So shall
ours be too, temples for the Holy Ghost to
dwell in. Was the temple of Christ's body
pulled down by death for our sin? So
must the temples of our bodies, ruined by
our sin, ere long be destroyed. Was the
temple of Christ's body repaired in the
morning of the resurrection? So shall the
temple of our bodies also, if we are mem-
bers of Christ by a vital union. Thy dead
men, 0 blessed Redeemer ! shall live, together
with thy dead body shall they arise. (Isa,
xxvi. 19.)
20. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this
temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three
days ? 21. But he spake rof the temple of his body.
pCoI. ii. 9 ; Heb. viii. 2 ; 1 Cor. iii. 16 and vi. 19 ; 2 Cor.
Vi. 16.
This temple. The temple of which the
Jews spake, was begun to be rebuilt by
Herod the Great in the 18th year of his
reign. But though he finished the main
work in nine years and a half, yet some ad-
ditional buildings or repairs were con-
stantly carried on for many years after-
ward, Herod began the work sixteen years
before the birth of our Lord : the transac-
tions which are here related took place in
the thirtieth year of our Lord, which makes
the term exactly forty-six years. The
Jews, as usual, understood Christ's words
literally. They looked merely on the sur-
face, without pausing to consider whether
any deeper meaning lay below. And many
a mistake still arises from understanding
literally, what in Scripture is spoken figura-
tively, stopping at the sign, without going
on to the thing signified. These words of
our Lord (verse 19) were misquoted after-
ward at His mock trial, and made the sub-
ject of false witness and accusation against
Him. (Matt. xxvi. 60, 61; Ps. xxxv. 11.)
And even as He hung on the cross, with
malignant mockery they cast the same in
His teeth, (Matt, xxvii, 39, 40,)
22. When therefore he was risen from the dead, qhis
disciples remembered that lie had said this unto them,
and they believed the Scripture, and the word which
Jesus had said,— qLulie xxiv, 8,
When therefore, &c. It was the fulfilling
of the saying which made it plain. They
believed. TJieir faith, both in the Scripture
and in Jesus Christ, was confirmed there-
by. Let it be noted that the Old Testa-
ment, together with the word which Jesus
had said, made up the faith of the first be-
lievers, for, as yet, the Books of the New
Testament were not written,
23. I Now when he was in Jerusalem atthepaasover,
in tlie feast day, many believed in his name, when they
saw the miracles whicli he did. 2-4. But Jesus did not
commit liiraseU" unto them, because he knew all men,
1% And needed not that any should testify of man, ibr
'he knew what was in man.
»1 Sam. xvi. 7: Matt. ix. 4; Mark ii. 8; Chap. vL M
and xvi. 30 ; Acts i. 24; Rev. ii. 23.
The miracles. On the following days
Jesus performed a number of miracles,
which are alluded to in chap, iv, 45. Did
not commit, &c. The Saviour penetrated
the hearts of men, and did not consider
those His true disciples who had been
moved to the recognition of Him mere-
ly by miracles, or even by superficial im-
pressions, (viii, 31,) And needed not, &c..
John loves to give prominence to our
Lord's profound knowledge of men, (Chap,
vi. 61, 64, V, 42,) " We know what is done
by men, Christ knows what is in them, triex
the heart and the reins. This is the prerog-
ative of that essential, eternal Word, (Heb.
iv. 12, 13,) We invade His prerogative If
CHAPTER III.
we presume to judge men's hearts. How
fit is Christ to be the Saviour of men, and
their Physician, who has suth perfect
knowledge of the patient's state and case,
temper and distemper, knows what is in
him ! How fit also to be the Judge of all !
For the judgment of Him who knows all
men, all in men, must needs be according
to truth." This thought of Christ's intimate
acquaintance with the secrets of our hearts
may be applied both for our comfort and
for our admonition : to encourage us in
our duty, to deter us from sin. Jesus
knows our unseen conflicts with self, and
all our silent efforts in His service, as well
as our secret faults. Let this thought,
then, of our ever-present Lord, be ever
present with us, to keep us equally from
despair and disobedience.
1. What is meant by the " third day ? " 2. Who were at the wedding? 3. What did the mother of Jesus say
to Him? 4. Explain His reply. 5. What did Christ do ? 6. What did the ruler of the feast say ? 7. Wliat was
the effect of this miracle ? 8. Where did Jesus after this go ? 9. Wliat did He do in the temple ? 10. What did
the Jews say ? 11. What was ou» Lord's answer ? 12. What did He mean by " this temple ? " 13. What was
the effect of CSbrist's miracles in Jerusalem ? 14. Why did not He "commit himself unto them ? "
CHAPTER III.
1 Christ teacheth Nlcodemus the necesxity of regenera-
tion. 14 Of failh In his death. 16 The great love nf
Qod toward the worLd. 18 Condemnation for unbelief.
23 The baptism, witness, and doctrine of John concern-
ing Christ.-
INHERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicode-
mus, a ruler of the Jews.
The Pharisees were a party noted for at-
tention to the outward rites of their religion,
but sadly wanting in the inward princi-
ples of godliness, though there were happy
exceptions, and Nicodemus was one of
these. "He was," says Tholuck, "an ex-
ample of one of those who have attained
to what Luther calls 'the milk-faith.'"
Nicodemus means "the innocent blood."
A ruler of the Jews — a professor of laws, and
one of the Sanhedrim, or great council of
the nation. He is twice mentioned after
this as being friendly to the Saviour, (vii.
50, xix. 39.)
2. »The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto
him, Kabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from
God : for '•no man can do these miracles that thou doest,
except God be with him.
»vii. 50 and xix. 39. bix. 16, 33 ; Acts ii. 22. »Acts x. 38.
By night. Perhaps he was influenced by
shame, or fear, or both. "It is most rea-
sonable," observes an old writer, " we
should own the God we serve, even in the
face of the world, and not, like Nicodemus,
carry our religion in a dark lantern." (ix.
0; 1 Kings xviii. 21; 2 Kings v. 18; Matt.
X. 32.) It is better to go to Jesus by night,
than not to come at all. He always re-
ceives those who come to Him. We know
— I, and the other rulers. Nicodemus
states the antecedent as the consequent,
therefore I wished to confer with Thee.
There can be no doubt of his sincerity in
his inquiries. He seems to have had his
attention attracted to Jesus by His miracles
(comp. ii. 23), and perhaps he had before
been watching for the signs of that king-
dom of God heralded by the Baptist.
3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verilv, verily,
I say unto thee, dExcept a man be born agaiii, lie can-
not see the kingdom ot Ciod.
<ii. 13 : Gal. vi. 15 ; Titus iii. 5 ; James i. 18 ; 1 Peter i. 23;
1 John iii. 9.
Jesus did not reprove the inquirer for
coming to Him in this strange way. Hav-
ing come to inquire about the expected
Messiah, our Lord will correct the inade-
quate view which He entertains as to His
being only a Teacher come from God, and
will show that He is the Messiah, but He
will show this gradually. / say vnio thee.
Nicodemus is virtually told that he has
raised a question which he is not in a
capacity to solve, and that before approach-
ing it. his spiritual vision required to be
rectified by an entire revolution in his
inner man. A man — not a Jew merely :
the necessity is a universal one. Born
470
JOHN
again^or, over again, as it were, is made a
new creature, receives a principle of Divine
life, begin life anew, in relation to God, his
manner of thinking, feeling, and acting,
with reference to spiritual ihings, under-
going a fundamental and permanent revolu-
tion. (See 1 Peter i. 3, 23 ; Titus iii. 5 ; Gal.
vi. 15.) Cannot see — can have no part in.
The kingdom of God — whether in its be-
ginnings here (Luke xvi. 16), or its con-
summation hereafter. (Matt. xxv. 34 ;
Eph. V. 5.)
4. Nicodemu3 saith unto him, How can a man be bom
when he is old ? Can he enter the second time into his
mother's womb, and be born ?
A hew and surprising thought had been
presented to Nicodemus. He had not
been in the habit of thinking that every
one, in order to enjoy the blessings of the
Messiah's reign, must become a new man.
He therefore now proposes a question
which was fitted to draw forth an explan-
ation of the kind of new birth which Jesus
affirmed to be necessary. His language
is to be understood as comparative.
5. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
•Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
•Mark xvi. 16; Acts ii. 38.
Verilg, verily. This verse being a reaffir-
mation of the truth contained in verse 3,
is introduced by the same emphatic ad-
verbs. Of water and of the Spirit is explana-
tory of the word again, in verse 3. See
Matt. iii. 11 ; Mark i. 8 ; Luke iii. 16, where
baptism with water is joined with the
baptism of the Spirit, and also Mark xvi.
16, where baptism is connected with faith
in Christ as a prerequisite to salvation.
The sense demanded by these and other
parallel passages, seems to be that which
lies on the very face of the text, except a
man be born of water [i. e. except he receive
the rite of Christian baptism) and of the
Spirit (i. e., except he receive the baptism
of the Spirit), he cannot enter into the king-
dom of God, here or hereafter ; he cannot
be a member of the true Church of Christ
on earth (Rom. xiv. 17), or be admitted to
heaven. (1 Cor. vi. 9, xv. 50 ; 2 Thes. i.
5.) It by no means follows from this in-
terpretation that baptism is a saving ordi-
nance. Baptism of water, although the
antecedent duty, yet does not stand on
the same ground of an absolute condition
without which salvation in itself is impos-
sible, as does the being bom of the Spirit.
This we see intimated in Mark xvi. 16,
where baptism is required, but there is
a careful avoidance of saying that he that
is not baptized shall be damned. Baptism
may in many cases be impossible. How
they who deliberately and persistently
neglect it will answer for this contempt
of the solemn requirement of Christ at the
judgment day, is for themselves to answer.
6. That which is born of the flesh ia flesh, and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
The dignity of the new birth is stated as
in chap. i. 13. The antithesis here, too, is
simple: bodily and spiritual birth. The
neuter more general than the masculine.
Flesh may here mean " human nature as
depraved," or " human nature apart from
supernatural influence." In the first place
it is equivalent to "depraved man can
have a son only in his own likeness. Man
must become God's son to become fit for
His holy kingdom." In the second place
it is equivalent to " as the natural descend-
ants of Abraham, you may be, you are,
possessors of external privileges, but you
must be spiritually born, that is, in your
inward views and feelings you must be
radically changed, in order to your being
fitted to enjoy spiritual privileges. The
kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom,
none but those who are spiritual can enjoy
its privileges, and none can be spiritual
without a thorough change being produced
on their spiritual nature by the Spirit,
plainly the Spirit of God. (See verse 8.)
7. Marvel not that I said unto thee. Ye must be born
again.
Marvel not, &c. Yet Nicodemus did mar-
vel. The two propositions which Christ
had laid down were to him very astonish-
ing. They were, 1. That the Jews had no
title by natural descent to the blessings of
Messiah's kingdom. 2. That men must be
brought under a Divine influence, and that
their former ceremonial religion would
avail them nothing. Our Lord here cau-
tions Nicodemus, who was saying, "How
can these things be?" again.st arguing
from the difficulty of the subject to its im-
possibility.
8. 'The wind bloweth where It listeth. and thon hear-
est the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it com-
eth, and whither it goeth : so is every one that Is bom
of the Spirit.— fEccl. xi. 5; 1 Cor. ii. 11.
Where ii listeth, i. e., pleaseth. so far aa
CHAPTER III.
471
human agency is concerned. The Spirit's
times, modes, measures of operation, are
variable, mysterious, indefinable. He
moves on the soul, not in any way set
down and arranf^cd, so that man can fol-
low and trace this out, but absolutely in-
dependent of all such set and appointed
ways. "God," observes an ancient writer,
" hath divers ways into divers men. Into
some He comes at noon, in the sunshine
of prosperity, to some in the dark and
heavy clouds of adversity. Some He
affects with the music of the Church, some
with the prayer, some with a passage in
the sermon, which takes no hold of him
that stands next to him. Watch the way
in which the Spirit of God comes oftenest
to thee, and pervert not that path."
Hearest the sound thereof. We have no
right to speak of the new birth as having
taken place, apart from the evidence of
the fact. We may charitably hope that it
is so, and may speak of one or another,
as if it were so, but to affirm positively
and absolutely that this change has taken
place, the Spirit's new-creating energy
really applied to a soul in the absence of
all outward tokens of such presence, is to
fly in the face of the direct teaching of our
Lord in these words.
But canst not tell, &c. When the sinner
exhibits tokens of a new heart — a penitent
heart — a heart made alive to God, and dy-
ing to sin, then we see the sinner acted
upon by the power and influence of the
Spirit, even as the leaf is seen to move
under the influence of the wind, but we
know no more. AVhence sprang this holy
influence first ? AVe cannot tell. Whither
will it go next? None can tell. As little
can we know which leaf is next to quiver
in the breathing of the gentlest wind, as
the pathway of the Spirit. So is every one,
&c. As in the blowing of the wind, so in
the new birth, there is mystery. But who
does not expect to meet with mystery in
religion, when it is itself the product of an
infinite mind ? Some ask, " how can God
operate upon a human soul?" Let us
rather ask how he moves matter, supports
the world upon nothing, and paints the
flowers with such various hues. How
does the soul operate on the body ? How
does the mind of one man operate upon
the mind of another, not merely by in-
struction, but by example and sympathy ?
We cannot discover the laws by which the
particular movements of the wind are
governed and regulated. Sometimes it
blows gently, and at others there is the
storm, and the mighty rushing wind, and
then again all is calm. Who can account
for this ? And who can account for special
si)iritual visitations on particular persona
and districts ? But though we cannot ac-
count for all the movements of the wind,
we may sensibly know them : and so is it
with the influences of the Spirit.
9. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, sHowcaa
these things be 7— irvi. 52, Go.
This reply to our Lord's statement re-
specting regeneration, is the usual reply
of carnal wisdom in the case of Divine
mysteries. Things which seem strange to
human eyes, and which are certainly
above human power, are pronounced to be
impossible. Objection to the mysterious
wisdom of the Gospel is most unreason-
able, since all that the Gospel prescribes
to us, as our duty, is plain and evident ;
all that is mysterious is on God's part,
and relates entirely to the surprising acts
of Divine wisdom and mercy in the re-
demption of the world. The curiosity of
seeing into, and explaining everything,
and adjusting it to our weak ideas, is one
of the most dangerous diseases of the
human mind. (Job xi. 12; Eccl. vii. 10.)
But though JSicodemus asked this ques-
tion, he seems to have proposed it diffi-
dently, and to have been really desirous
to learn the truth, and so our Lord pro-
ceeded to further statements.
10. Jesus answered and said unto him. Art thou'a
master of Israel, and knowest not these things ?
Master — teacher. The thing which Jesus
had been teaching, having been previously
taught by the prophets (Ps. li. 12 ; Ezek.
xviii. 31, xxxvi. 24-28; Jer. xxxi. 33),
ought to have been known by Nicodemus,
hence the measure of reproof administered
to him. Ignorance on religious subjects is
often found where there was no good
reason to suspect its existence. Let the
strong not be offended at the inquiries of
the weak, but, like Jesus, persevere in pre-
senting the truth to inquiring minds, ac-
cording as they are able to bear it.
472
JOHN.
11. •> Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that
we do know, and testify that we have seen, and "ye re-
ceive not our witness. 12. If I have told you earthly
things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I
tell you of heavenly things ? 13. And ^no man hath
ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from
heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
bjiatt. xi. 27 ; chap. i. IS, vii. 16, viii. 28, xii. 49 and xiv.
M. 'Verse 'XI. isProv. xxx. 4; chap. vi. 33, 38, 51, G2 and
xvi. 28 ; Acts U. 34 ; 1 Cor. xv. 47 ; Eph. iv. 9, 10.
Verily, verily. (See on verse 3.) We. Our
Lord, though meaning only Himself, uses
the plural number in order to give weight
and dignity to what He says, as kings do.
Speak, &c. " I declare with authority and
bear witness to truths, which from all
eternity I have known and seen, as God
in union with the Father and the Holy
Ghost." (viii. 38.) And ye — the greater
part of you, received not our witness — testi-
mony. The reference here is to the class
to which Nicodemus belonged, but from
which he was beginning to be separated
in spirit. Earthly things — such as the re-
generation which takes place on earth.
Spiritual things being represented to us in
an earthly form (verse 8), come clothed to
us with our own notions. We can see the
sun better when reflected in the water of
a vase, than in the firmament, and we can
interpret heaven's language best when it
speaks to us in the language of earth.
Heavenly things — such as God's requirement,
in the counsels of heaven, of the atonement
and death of His only begotten Son. If
they believed not what He told them re-
garding themselves, how should they believe
what He might tell them regarding Him-
self? No man hath ascended, &c. Verse
13 contains the first " heavenly thing "
which our Lord displays to Nicodemus.
Jesus could tell of heavenly things, and
He alone could tell them ; for, whilst no
one had ever ascended to heaven to bring
back a report concerning the transactions
there, He had come down from thence for
this very purpose, speaking to men of
things with which He was familiar. In-
deed, though He had for man's sake be-
come the Son of man, and His bodily pres-
ence was among men on earth, yet His
Divine nature was in heaven as well —
where, indeed. He had ever been the self-
existent from all eternity. (Ex. iii. 14;
Rev. i. 4.) " Wonder not," says Jerome, " to
find one and the same to be Prince and
Priest, God and man, the rod and the root,
the root and offspring of David, his Son
and yet his Lord ; for these things belong
to that one Person, who is both God and
man ; some of them as He is God, some
of them as He is man, and some as God-
man." (Matt. xxii. 43.)
14. lAnd as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilder-
ness, even so mmust the Son of man be lifted up : 15.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
"have eternal life.
'Num. xxi. 9. Mviii. 2S and xii. 32. -"Verse 36, vl. 47.
And as Moses, &c. Here is the first
" heavenly thing " shown by our Lord to
Nicodemus, viz. : the necessity of His own
crucifixion. The truth is here exhibited
in opposition to the false views generally
entertained by the Jews, that the Messiah
would first be elevated to the throne of
David, and then to the throne of the
world.
Mark wherein the brazen serpent and
Christ agree. 1. In the occasion of their
institution. They were both appointed for
cure and healing. Were the Israelites
serpent-stung ? We are sin-stung, stung by
the infernal serpent. AVas the sting of the
fiery serjient inflaming, spreading, killing?
So is sin. 2. Both the brazen serpent and
Christ must be lifted up before cure could
be obtained. 3. Both must be looked unto
before cure could be obtained. The look-
ing of the Israelites was as necessaiy in
order to healing as the lifting up of the
serpent, and faith is as necessary to salva-
tion as the death of Christ. (Heb. xii. 2.)
4. As all were healed that looked upon the
brazen serpent, however distant and weak
their look, so Christ justifies and saves all,
however weak their faith, if it be truly
sincere, that rely on Him for salvation. 5.
As the brazen serpent was effectual for
Israel's cure after many stingings, so the
merit of Christ's death is not only effec-
tual for our cure and healing at our
first conversion, but after involuntary
relapses and backslidings, if by faith
we have recourse to the blood of Christ,
we shall find it efficacious for our further
benefit and future healing. 6. As the
brazen serpent was in the likeness of the
fiery serpent, which is Satan's likeness, so
Jesus is in the likeness of sinful flesh. 7.
The consequences of disobedience are the
same in both cases. Doubtless many bit-
ten Israelites, painful as their case was,
would reason rather than obey; would
speculate on the absurdity of expecting
CHAPTER III,
478
the bite of a living serpent to be cured by
looking at a piece of dead metal in the
shape of one — speculate thus till they dud.
Alas ! is not salvation by a crucitied Re-
deemer subjected to like treatment ? Has
"the offense of the cross yet ceased?"
(See 2 Kings v. 12.)
" Must the Son of man be lifted up," i. e.,
it is becoming or necessary in order to the
gaining of the ends proposed. 2'hat who-
soever believcth, &c. " Whosoever " in
the original is "every one," salvation
through the cross of Christ being declared
to be accessible to all who believe on Him.
Every one, however guilty, depraved,
wretched, who believes the plain, well-
accredited testimony of God respecting
full salvation through the Just One in the
room of the unjust. There is no excep-
tion. No holy qualification is required to
warrant the sinner to apply to the Saviour.
It is because he is guilty and miserable
that the salvation is provided. The belief
here mentioned is not merely of the head,
but also of the heart and will, such as is
exercised when a person feels his desperate
need by reason of sin, flees to Jesus Christ,
trusts in Him, leans on Him, and commits
his soul entirely to Him as his Saviour and
Redeemer. It is not on account of our
faith that God saves us: it is through
means of our faith. The saving result of
faith is given in the two-fold form, the
negative, should not perish (as otherwise he
must), is here ojiposed to eternal life, and
the lost condition referred to must there-
fore be eternal death. The words life and
death, are of frequent use in the writings
of John, to denote the eternal happiness
and the eternal misery of the human soul.
(See on verse 16.)
16. "For God so loved the world th.at he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever helieveth in him should
not perish, hut hav(ieverlasting life.
»Rona. V. 8 ; 1 John Iv. 9.
God SO loved. How much that " so "
means, no tongue can describe, or imagi-
nation conceive. There is such a height,
depth, length and breadth in that love, in
every dimension of it, as none but an in-
finite understanding can fathom. The
love of God is the origin of salvation.
Christ did not die that God might love
man, He died because God loved man. (See
Rom. V. 8 ; 1 John iv. 9, 10.) The atone-
ment is thus not the cause, but the effect of
the love of God. The world. Not merely
the Jewish nation, as they supposed, but
the human race. The atonement offered
by Christ Jesus was not merely sufficient
for the salvation of the whole world, but
it was intended and fitted to remove out
of the way of sinners generally, every bar
which tiie perfections of the Divine moral
character, and the iirinciples of the Divine
moral government presented. la conse-
quence of that atonement, every sinner
may be, and if he believe in Jesus, cer-
tainly shall be pardoned and saved. (See
Titus iii. 4; 2 Cor. v. 19 ; Ezek. xxxiii. 11 ;
ITim. ii. 3, 4; Titus ii. 11.)
That he gave. While essentially the
Father and Son are one, in the economy
of grace the Father is greater than the
Son. Jesus Christ was divinely authorized
and commissioned to act as the Saviour of
the world, to do and suffer all that was
necessary for the attainment of the salva-
tion of man, in accordance with the per-
fections of the Divine character, and the
principles of the Divine government. (See
Rom. iv. 25, viii. 32; John iv. 10; 2 Cor.
ix. 15 ; John vi. 32.) His only begotten Son.
We are here taught in reference to the
Messiah, 1. That He is of the same nature
with His Father, that is, that He is God.
2. That whilst He is of the same nature
with the Father, He and the Father are in
some respects distinct from each other.
The Father is not the Son, nor is the Son
the Father. 3. That He is the object of
the supreme love of the Father. That
tvhosoerer helieveth, &c. The repetition of
this glorious saying (see verse 15), shows
that mighty and broad as is the love of
God, it will prove useless to every one
who does not believe in Christ. Jesus
employed the universal term "whosoever,"
both to invite indiscriminately all to par-
take of life, and to cut off every excuse
from unbelievers. An ancient writer ob-
serves that this verse and the two preced- .
ing ones comprise all the causes of justi-
fication. 1. The remote and efficient cause,
God's love. 2. The approximate efficient
cause, the gift of God's Son. 3. The ma-
terial cause, Christ's exaltation on the
cross. 4. The instrumental cause, faith.
5. The final cause, eternal life. Should not
474
JOHN.
perish, &c. (2 Thes. i. 9 ; see on verse 15.)
The sinner who believes in Jesus not only
escapes hell and condemnation, but has a
seed of eternal life at once put in his heart,
receives a complete title to an eternal life
of glory and blessedness in heaven, and
enters into that life after death. The
word here rendered everlasting, is the same
as that in the preceding verse, which is
translated " eternal."
17. pFor God sent not his Son into the world to con-
demn the world, but that the world through him raight
be saved.
pLuke ix. 56 ; chap. v. 45, viii. 15 and xii. 47 : 1 John
iv. 14.
Our Lord here shows Nicodemus another
"heavenly thing" — the main object of the
Messiah's mission into the world. To
condemn, &c. (See on verse 16.) It was
love not wrath, which moved the Father
to send His Son, it was love, not wrath,
which brought the Son down. He was
sent, not only to be a witness for the truth,
but to be a sacrilice for sin — that the world
through him might be saved. (1 John ii. 2.)
Most wonderful instance of Divine com-
passion ! If we would know how greatly
and really God loved the world, we have
but to think of the stupendous gift which
God the Father gave, and the willingness
with which God the Son came down from
heaven, not only "making Himself of no
reputation," and "taking on Him the form
of a servant," but "becoming obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross."
(Phil. ii. 7, 8.) That the tvorld, &c. The
meaning of this sentence is, not that all
the world might finally be saved through
Christ, and none be lost, but that all the
world might have a door of salvation
opened through Christ; that salvation
might be provided for all the world, and
that any one in the world believing on
Christ, might be saved.
18. iHe that believeth on him is not condemned : but
he that believeth not is condemned already, because he
hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son
of God.-qv. 24, vi. 40, 47 and xx. 31. ^
Believeth on him. (See on verses 15, 16.)
Ts not condemned, i. e., the sentence of con-
demnation under which he lies from hav-
ing broken God's law, is removed by faith
in Christ. He that believeth not, is a general
description which applies to all who,
while they have an opportunity of becom-
ing acquainted with "the truth as it is in
Jesus," do not receive and embrace it— do
not trust in Him with a living faith foi
salvation. Is condemned already, &c. This
may signify, either "he is even now con-
demned, in not believing, he contracts
guilt, he subjects himself to punishment,"
or, "he is already sentenced to punish-
ment. Not only will he be condemned at
last, but the sentence of condemnation is
already passed, and if it be not reversed,
the judgment of the last day will only con-
firm that sentence." (Mark xvi. 16.)
Already. The day of grace may be lost,
before the day of death come. (xii. 38^0.)
19. And this is the condemnation, 'that light is come
into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
liglit, because their deeds were evil.
'i. 4, 9, 10. 11 and viii. 12.
Here we have the folly and the guilt of
tliose who will not believe. This is the
condemnation, this aggravates their crime,
this justifies their sentence, this very thing
condemns them, that when light is offered
they prefer to remain in darkness. They
are not straitened in God, but they are
straitened in themjielves. It is not that op-
portunity is denied them, but they are un-
willing to avail themselves of it. Light is
come, &c. Christ the Light (i. 9), is come
into the world from heaven, a greater than
any earthly potentate is come down to us,
bringing light with all the blessings it sym-
bolizes, and men are unwilling to come to
it, prefer to remain in their original dark-
ness. Because their deeds were evil. This
light exposes and reproves "the unfruitful
works of darkness," therefore men prefer
to continue in the darkness which covers
and conceals their evil deeds.
20. For 'every one that doeth evil hateth the light,
neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be re-
proved. 21. But he that doeth truth cometh to the
light, that his deeds may be miidp manifest, that they
are wrought in God.— «j6b xxiv. l.S, 17 ; Eph. v. 13.
If men came to the light they could no
longer practice the works of darkness,
therefore they hate the light, and will not
come to the light, lest their deeds should
be discovered and reproved. But the
honest and sincere inquirer, "the Israelite
indeed, in whom there is no guile" (i. 47),
walks faithfully according to the measures
of light vouchsafed to him, and instead of
shrinking from that light, is eager after
more. That his deeds, &c. This is not to be
attributed to the love of praise or notoriety,
but a desire to bring one's acts and feel-
ings to the searching test of truth, in order
CHAPTER III.
475
that it may be determined whether they
are wrought in God, i. e., are in accordance
■with God's commands, and proceed from
Him aa the source of all good. (See Ps.
xix. 12, cxxxix. 23, 24.) Hatred of the
hght is still the cause of that prejudice and
contempt with which the Bible is treated
by evil men. They are against the Scrip-
ture, because the Scripture is against them.
But Divine truth, however hated and per-
verted, cannot be made of none effect by
all the malice of men or devils. (Job
xxiv. 13, 17; Acts iii. 46.)
22. t After these things came Jesus and his disciples
into the land of Judea ; and there he tarried with them,
'and haptized. 23. H And John also was baptizing in
Enon near to "Salim, because there was much water
there : ^aiid they came, and were baptized. "H. For
7Jobn was not yet cast into prison.
4v. 2. ul Sam. ix. 4. ^MatU iii. 5, G. 7Matt. xiv. 3
After these things. The expression of time
is indefinite. Land of Judea — the rural
parts of that province, the foregoing con-
versation being held in the capital. And
haptized. Jesus did not Himself administer
the sign. (See iv. 12.) What a king's ser-
vants do, is often spoken of as done by
himself. Enon was probably situated in
one of the valleys running down to the
Jordan, from the west. Salim was a
village near the valley of the Jordan,
some eight miles south of Bethlehem.
Because there v:as much water there.
Some maintain that nothing more is
here meant, than that there was water
enough there for the multitude of people
with their beasts of burden, who
flocked to John's baptism. Others con-
tend that John chose this locality for the
administration of baptism, because he ad-
ministered the rite by immersion. What-
ever the mode of the baptism, these water
conveniences would be very essential for
the assembled multitudes.
Cast into prison. (See on Matt. xiv. 3-12.)
This incidental allusion by the Evangelist
to the Baptist's imprisonment, as to a
well-known fact, gives an air of authen-
ticity to his Gospel, stamps upon it a
character of genuineness, and is one of the
many marks of credibility in the sacred
narrative. The remark itself seems to
have been inserted as a note of time, that
it might be known that our Lord's minis-
try did not begin, as some might suppose,
after the imprisonment of the Baptist, but
before. We ought to labor in the work of
God until we fall under an impossibility of
performing it, according to John's exain}>le.
2j. Then there arose a miestion between iicn}ie of John's
disciples and the Jews aUoiit i>uritying. 2i;. And they
came unto John, and said unto him. Rabbi, he that
waswitli tliee beyond Jordan, no whom thou barest
Witness, Iwhold, the same baptizeth, and all men come
to hmi.— «i. 7, 1.5, 27, 31.
About purifying, i. e., baptizing, the sym-
bolical meaning of washing with water,
being put (as in ii. 0) for the act itself. As
John and Jesus were the only teachers
who baptized Jews, discus.sions might easily
arise between the Baptist's disciples and
such Jews as declined to receive that rite.
ITc that icas with thee. &c. Their jealousy
and party zeal for their master prompted
them to speak thus circuitously and reser-
vedly of the Lord, whom they ought, with
that master, to have openly acknowledged
to be " the Lamb of God." All men come
to him. The disciples of John did not
doubt but that this consideration would
excite in him those passions which they
felt working in themselves. But John
was not framed of materials liable to take
fire from such a spark. (Mark xii. 32; 1
Cor. iii. 4, 5.) True Christians can be con-
tent to have others go before them and
others overtake them ; envy can be con-
tent with neither. (1 Sam. xviii. 8 ; Luke
XV. 28; Prov. xiv. 30.)
27. John answered and said, >A man can receive
nothing, except it be given him from heaven 2S Ye
yourselves bear me witness, that I said, i>I am not the
Christ, but I't hat I am sent before him. 29. "iHe that
hath the bride is the bridegroom : but ^ the friend of the
bridegroom, whicli standeth and heareth him rejoiceth
greatly because of the bridegroom's voice : this my joy
therefore is fulfilled. So. He must increase, but ImuH
decrease. 31. file that cometh from above cis above
all : hhe that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of
the earth : 'he that cometh from heaven is above all
32. And kwhat he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth'
and no man receiveth his testimony. '
"1 Cor. iv. 7; Heb. v. 4: James i. 17. "-Chap i '>0 '>7
=Mal. iii. 1: Mark i. 2; Luke i. 17. dMatt. xxii •''2
Cor. xi. 2; Eph. v. 2-5, 27: Rev. xxi. 9. eOant v'l
fVersel3; chap. viii. 23. eMatt. xxviii. 18; chap, i lo"
27; Rom. ix. 5. H Cor. xv. 47. iChap. vi. .53: 1 Cor 'xv'
47; Eph. i. 21 : Phil. ii. 9. kVerse 11 ; chap. viii. 26 and
XV. 1.5.
John answered. His reply is one of the
noblest and most affecting utterances that
ever came from the lips of man. A man —
I, who am but a man. Receive — take to
himself. Nothing — not anything, much
less the name of Messiah. Given him from
heaven, that is, from God. John affirms
that he could not go beyond the bounds of
his heaven-appointed commission. He
could not enter the lists with Jesus, whose
forerunner only he was to be. He also
reminds his disappointed disciples that
476
JOHN.
such was his lanp;uage to them from the
first — Ye yourselves bear me vitness, &c.
Faithful ministers of Christ think it honor
enough to be His servants, and would not
have their followers attribute the least
part of that honor and glory to them
which is due to Him. The bride — the
Church. The bridegroom — Christ. (Seelsa.
liv. 5, Ixii. 5; Jer. xxxi. 32; comp. iii. 14, 20 ;
also Hos. ii. 19, 20 ; Eph. v. 23, &c. ; 2 Cor.
xi. 2 ; Rom. vii. 1-4 ; Rev. xxi. 9.) The
friend of the bridegroom. There is an allu-
sion here which would have peculiar pro-
priety in the East, where the friend of the
bridegroom is always the recognized agent
for negotiating the marriage, and the
channel of communication between the
bridegroom and the bride elect. Thus
early in this Gospel is a second testimony
of honor (ii. 2) rendered to the marriage
relation.
He must increase, &c. His present suc-
cess is but the beginning of a most glori-
ous and universal spread of righteousness,
peace, truth, and good-will among men.
My baptism and teaching, as pointing out
the coming Messiah, must cease; because
the Messiah is now come, and has entered
publicly on the work of His glorious min-
istry.
He that cometh from above, &c., i. e., from
heaven. This indicates not only Christ's
Divine extraction, but His Divine nature.
He had, before His conception, a heaven-
ly being. None but He that came from
heaven, was fit to show us the will of
heaven or the way to heaven. When
God would save man. He sent from above.
Hence Christ's sovereign authority. He is
above all things and all persons, " God over
all, blessed forever more." The antithesis
in above all corresponds to the is of the earth,
and that he testifieth to speaketh of the earth.
Hath seen and heard. In chap. vi. 46,
Christ claims for Himself exclusively the
seeing, and ascribes to man only the power
of hearing the Father. And no man, &c.
The phrase must be taken with limitation,
denoting few or none. There were some
cheering exceptions, and should be more.
33. He that bath received his testimony ihath set to
his seal that God is true. 34. mFor lie whom God hath
sent speaketh the words of God ; for God giveth not the
Spirit iby measure untn him. 35. "The Father loveth the
Bon, and hath given all things into his hand.
iRom. ill. 4 : 1 John v. 10. mChap. vil. 1«. "Chap. i.
16. oMatt. xi. 27 and xxviii. 18; Luke x. 22; Chap. v.
20, 22, xiii. 3 and xvii. 2; Heb. ii. 8.
He that hath received His testimony. Hath
received and fully believed His doctrine —
hath yielded his heartto its influence. Hath
set to His seal, &c. As sealing was employed
for vouching the authenticity of writs, to
seal came, by a natural and easy transition,
to signify to vouch, to attest. Our acceptance
of God's message by His Son, through an
unshaken faith, vouches on our part, the
Mthfulness of God, and the truth of His
promises. Although we cannot demon-
strate the mysteries of Revelation by
Reason, yet we may give a rational ac-
count why we believe them. (i. 51, iii. 3 ;
Rom. iii. 4.) For He whom God hath
sent (i. e., the Messiah), speaketh the words
of God, and hence to disbelieve the one is
to disbelieve the other. Giveth not the
tSpirit by measure — as to the highest of the
ancient prophets. In Christ " dwelt all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily." (See
i. 4, 9, viii. 2 ; Col. ii. 3 ; Isa. xi. 2.)
The Father loveth the Son, &c. This is
obviously spoken in a way of eminence
and distinction ; God loves His people, yet
though His love to them be the same with
the love that He bears to His Son, it is
the same in kind only, not in degree — "in
all things He must have the pre-emi-
nence." The Father's love to the Son is
founded in three things: 1. Likeness.
He is " the image of the invisible God,"
'■ the express image of His person." " In
Him was no sin." 2. Obedience. He was
the ten commandments embodied and
alive, walking up and down the earth for
three-and-thirty years. "I delight," said
He, " to do thy will, yea, thy law is within
my heart." 3. The devoting Himself to
die for the recovery of sinners. " I lay
down my life for the sheep. Therefore
doth my Father love me," &c. And hath
given all things, &c. This assertion cannot
be taken too extensively. It takes in, 1,
all Nature. " The world is His, and the
fullness thereof." 2. All in Providence.
All that is devised and carried on in our
world is under His rule. The government
is upon His shoulders. 3. All in grace.
The resources of the natural and provi-
dential worlds are His, to enable Him to
accomplish the work of grace. He is King
in Zion. Everything is committed to His
authority. 4. All in glory. At death He
CHAPTER IV,
477
corner and receives the souls of His peo-
ple to Himself, thut where He is there
they may be also.
36. pHe tlmt belleveth on the Son hath everlasting;
life; and lie tiKil ht'lii'veth not tlie Son »httll not see
life; but till" wrath of Ood abideth on him.
pHub. ii. 4; chap. i. 12 and vi. 47; verses 15, 16; Rev.
1. 17; 1 John v. 10.
He that hdicveth, &.C. Every one that be-
lieves with the heart (see on verses 15 and
16) on the Lord Jesus Christ, liath everlast-
injr life. He has in him now a principle
of .spiritual life, which shall be expanded
and perfected in another, a holier and
happier world. He has here the earnest,
and he shall hereafter have the fruition,
of all the blessings and privileges which
Christ came to procure for us, purchased
with His precious blood, and deserved for
us by His perfect obedience and merit.
It is not the speculation of heaven as a
thing to come, that satisfies the desires of
religious souls, but the real possession of
it, even in this life. Men are apt to seek
after assurance of heaven as a thing to
come, rather than after heaven itself, and
the inward possession of it here. (Verse
6, vi. 54; 1 John v. 11, 15 ; Phil. iii. 20.)
He that believeth not, &c. The rejection of
Christ's testimony is also a rejection of
God's. (John v. 10.) To see in this passage,
istoenjoy. (Verse3.) The life which awaita
such is a living death. (2 Thes. i. 8, i) ; Jude
15; Rev. vi. 15, xiv. 9-11, xix. 15.) I'he
wrulh of God abideth on him, because he de-
spises or disregards the offers of His love.
This wrath abideth on the unbeliever, it
remains upon him, and as he has rejected
the only means of its removal, it will abide
on him forever. This sentence furnishes
an unanswerable reply to some grievous
errors 1. It condemns the notion that
under the Gospel there is no more anger
in God, and that He is only love, mercy
and compassion, and nothing else. 2. It
condemns the modern idea that Christ, by
His death, justified all mankind, and re-
moved God's wrath from the whole race
of Adam, and that all men and women are
justified in reality, though they do not
know it, and will all finally be saved,
whether they have faith or not. 3. It con-
demns the weak and false charity of those
who say that preachers of the Gospel
should never speak of God's wrath, and
should never mention hell. To warn men
of God's wrath, and of their danger of hell,
is not harshness, but true charity.
1. Who came to Jesus? 2. Wliat did he say ? .3. "What was our Lord's reply ? 4. Why is the Spirit's operation
compared to the wind ? 5. How was the serpent lifted up in the wilderness a type of Christ ? 6. Why did God
send His Son into the world ? 7. What is " the condemnation ? " 8. What question arose between some of
John's disciples and the Jews ? 9. How did John dispose of it ? 10. Explain verse .33. 11. What Is said of the
love ofthe Father for the Son? 12. What of him that believeth on the Son? 13. What of him that belleveth
not the Sou ?
CHAPTER IV.
1 Chriat tnlkrth with, a wnmnn of Satnttn'a, and reveal-
eth himsflf unto hrr. 27. His dixciples marvel. 31. J/e
declarrth to thnn his zeal to God's (jlory. 39. Many
Samaritans believe, on him, 43 He ileparieth into Gali-
lee, and healeth the ruler's son that lay sick at Car
pernaum.
WHEN therefore the Lord knew how the Phari-
sees had heard th.at JesUs made and "baptized
more disciples than John, 2. (ThouEih Jesus himself
baptized not, but his disciples,) .3. He left Judea, and
departed again Into Galilee.— »ili. 22, 28.
From verse 35 of this chapter, it may be
inferred that the Redeemer at this time re-
mained about half a year in the surround-
ing country. Our Lord knew by His
Divine Omniscience that the Pharisees
knew of His success. In verse 1, the word
Jesus is used instead of the pronoun He
designedly. It is not tautology. The
proper name is emjjloyed because the re-
ports which the Pharisees had heard is
given verbatim. Though Jesus himself, &c.
The mere ministerial act of baptism, as the
Evangelist is careful to note, Jesus accom-
plished by other hands than His own. He
reserving the baptism with the Holy
Ghost for Himself. Departed again, &c. It
478
JOHN.
became a measure of prudence to with-
draw from the observation of the jealous
Pharisees, into the remoter region of Gali-
lee. Jesus submitted to His own precept.
(Matt. X. 23.) He had yet a great work
to do.
4. And he must needs go through SamarSa.
ilnst needs go, &c., for two reasons, 1.
Because the direct road from Judea to
Galilee lay through the province of Sa-
maria. 2. He had in design the conver-
sion of the poor woman, mentioned in
verse 7. We cannot imagine that an event
of such magnitude in itself, and involving
the salvation also of many of the Samari-
tans, was accidental.
5. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is
called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground iithat Jacob
gave to his son Joseph.
•"Gen. xxxiii. 19 and xlviii. 22; Josh. xxiv. 32.
The proper name of the town referred
to, seems to have been Shechem, or Sychem,
but it was commonly called Sychar by the
Jews — which appears to have been a spe-
cies of reproachful nickname — the word
signifying "idolatrous," or "drunken."
The town is still in existence, and is now
called Nablfts, a corruption of Neapolis.
Near to the parcel, &c. In the neighborhood
of that piece of ground which Jacob seems
first to have purchased from the descend-
ants of Hamor, and afterward, when some
Amorites had taken possession of it, to
have recovered as his right by a successful
appeal to arms, and which he left as a
legacj' to his favorite son Joseph. (Gen.
xxxiii. 19, xlviii. 22; Josh. xxiv. 32.)
6. Now Jacob's well wa-s there. Jesus therefore, being
■wearied with hix journey, sat thus on the well : and it
was about the sixth hour.
We have no reason to doubt that the well
which bore Jacob's name, was indeed dug
by his orders, and that out of it he and
his family drank while residing in this
neighborhood. In that dry and thirsty
land water is precious to a degree that we
can hardly realize in this land of ours, and
the man who digs a well there is a public
benefactor. These wells are Usually en-
closed with a low wall, which affords a seat
to the weary wayfaring man. Being ivearied
vdth his journey. This representation does
more to convince us that Jesus was " very
man," to assure us of His sympathy and
compassion, than all the declarations of
sympathy, or all the words of compassion
which He ever uttered. Sat thus — that is,
like a fatigued person as He was. If
wearied with your spiritual journey, thou
canst not go on, sit doun, but let it be by
the way-side. Wait, but let it be hy Jacob'' s
well. Ply the ordinances of God, and the
God of ordinances will come to thee and
bless thee. (Ps. Ixxxiv. 6-7.) The Evan-
gelist, by adding about the sixth hour, brings
more vividly to our consciousness the op-
pression and burden of the time, for it AVas
the heatofthe middle noon; he also teaches
us, even in the smallest matters, to practice
exactness and precision.
7. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water
Jesus saitli unto her. Give me to drink. 8. For his dis-
ciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.
A u'oman of Samaria, i. e., a Samaritan
woman. To draw vxtter — an office which
in the East still falls to the women. Jesus
waits for the despised Samaritan 1 The
Son of God waits ! She comes, the well
her object, not the Saviour sitting there.
By chance she conies, as men would say,
to fill her water-pot, but not so Christ.
She came to fill her pitcher at an earthly
spring, and little did she wist life's open
fountain rippled at her feet. How often
do men hasten to find a rill to slake their
thirst, heedless of the deep waters of life
and peace which flow steadily by their
side. In the conversion of this woman
we have a remarkable example of the
Saviour's grace. 1 . Of its freeness in select-
ing so wicked a person without her desire,
and making her not only the partaker,
but the instrument of His goT)dness. 2.
Of its gentleness, in having recourse to no
means of alarm — no violence. 3. Of its
power — in the victory it gained over the
conception of her heart. 4. Of its efiects.
She not only believed with the heart, but
confessed with the mouth. No sooner had
she gained good, than she was concerned
to do good. Give me to drink. A real thirst
was one motive of our Lord's request (xix.
28 ; ^latt. xxi. 18), though what He most
truly thirsted after was the salvation of
the woman's soul. (See verses 31, 32.) It
was our Lord's custom to make material
things minister spiritual sustenance. For
his disciples were gone, &c. This verse is
parenthetic, being designed to show why
Jesus was dependent upon the woman for
a drink of water. His disciples having with
CHAPTER IV.
4Tft
them the vessel with which water was
drawn from wells or fountains.
9. Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How
Is it thai tliou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, wliich
am a woniiiu ofsamaria? for fthe Jews have no deal-
ings witli the Samaritans.
«2 Kings xvii. il ; Luke >x. 52, 53 ; Acts x. 28.
How is it, &c. The woman expresses
surprise at the unusual occurrence of a
Jew asking a favor from a Samaritan.
From His dress, dialect, and those unmis-
takable features of JcAvish physiognomy
with which the Samaritans had nothing
in common, she took Him to be a Jew, as
indeed He was : but she took Him to be
nothing more. She was, however, soon
to learn how much more He was. It is
remarkable that while the Samaritan wo-
man here is taunting the Lord with being
a Jew, the Jews, in a somewhat similar
passage (viii. 48), charge Him with being a
Samaritan. The Jews have no dealings, &c.
Our Evangelist, as his manner is, adds
this as the reason for the woman's sur-
prise. Of that known enmity which sub-
sisted between the Jews and Samaritans,
the Lord Jesus took no undue advantage
to make friends or proselytes of either.
Upon the Jews He inculcated a more com-
prehensive benevolence, with the Samari-
tan He defended tlie orthodoxy of the
Jewish creed. (2 Tim. ii. 15.)
10. Jesus answered and said unto her. If thou knowest
the gift of God, and who it it is that salth to thee, Give
me to drinli ; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he
would have given thee ^living water.
dlsa. xii, 3 and xliv. 3; Jer. ii. 13; Zech. xiii. land
xlv. 8.
The gift of God. By this is to be under-
stood, according to some, the Holy Ghost;
according to others, Christ Himself (Isa.
ix. 5 ; chap. iii. 16) ; according to others,
the gracious and golden opportunity vouch-
safed to this woman to meet the Saviour
of the world ; according to others still,
eternal life. (Rom. vi. 23 ; Isa. Iv. 1 ; Rev.
xxii. 17.) The expression denotes the
blessings of the Christian salvation — the
knowledge of the true character of God —
the pardon of sin — genuine holiness — con-
formity of mind and will to God, which
constitute real happiness, and which God
gives to souls thirsting in the wilderness
of this w^orld as tJie water of life to slake
their thirst. If thou knewest, &c. If the
Samaritan woman had known the nature
and excellence of this gift of God, and if
she had known that He who spake to her
was indeed the Messiah — the promised
Saviour — the Author of this salvation —
the Person who was to bestow this gift on
mankind — Himself the fountain and
spring of this life— instead of hesitating
about complying with His request, and
instead of moving the embers of that
wretched quarrel between Samaritans and
Jews, she would immediately, in her turn,
have become a petitioner, and in answer
to her petition, she would have found no
hesitating delay, but would have received
from Him, what well deserves the name
of "living water," as calculated to quench
and satisfy completely the thirst for hap-
piness. Note, 1. Christ has living water
to give. 2. If men would only ask they
would receive it. 3. They do not ask, be-
cause they are ignorant. 4. AVe may be
very near to our greatest mercies and not
perceive them.
U. The woman saith unto him. Sir, thou hast nothing
to draw with, and the well is deep: trom whence then
hast thou that living water ? 12. Art thou greater than
our father Jacob, which gave us \he well, and drank
thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Sir. This was in that day the usual form
of courtesy, (xii. 21.) Nothing to draw
with, &c. (See on verse 8.) I'he well is
deep. Travelers have found the well which
tradition has pointed out from the begin-
ning as "Jacob's well," to be of the depth
of one hundred and five feet, and to this
day it contains ten or fifteen feet of fresh
water. The argument here is, the great
patriarch not only gave his children and
his cattle to drink of this well, but he
drank of it himself. He knew of no other
resource whereby to quench his own
thirst. Art thou greater, &c. — she therefore
asks, already beginning to suspect that she
is addressing some great One indeed.
13. Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst agivin :
Without directly correcting the woman's
mistake, or formally comparing Himself
with Jacob, Jesus asserted, in metaphori-
cal language, that the relief which the
water of Jacob's well could give was onl}'
temporary, but that the relief which His
blessings Avould bestow would be perman-
ent. Drinketh. The original expressions
in this verse, and the next, though both
rendered '^whosoever drinketh," are difierent
one from the other. The one sets forth
the recurrence, the interrupted seasons of
480
JOHN.
driflking of earthly water ; the other, the
once having tasted, and ever continuing in
the increasing power and living forth-
flowing, of that life-long draught. Shall
thirst again. Examine the most specious
earthly good, and you will find that dis-
appointment in pursuit, dissatisfaction and
satiety in enjoyment, and uncertainty in
possession, communicate a three-fold van-
ity to all sublunary things. The attain-
ment of such good increases the thirst and
promotes the torment. " Lord," says Au-
gustine, "Thou hast made us for Thee,
and our heart is disquieted till it resteth
in Thee."
14. But ^whosoever cirinketh of the water that I sh.all
give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall
give him fshall be iu him a well of water springing up
into everlasting life.— «vi. 35, 38. fvii. 38.
Whosoever drinketh, &c. (See on verse
13 ; also viii. 51, 52, xi. 26, xiii. 10.) O
precious words to this poor thirsty universe.
Never thirst. What does it mean? do not
those who drink thirst for Christ, for
holiness, for happiness and heaven? Yes,
but thirst for the polluted and polluting
streams of earth, its wealth, its pleasures,
its fame, as once they did, they do not.
The reason is, the water which Jesus gives
quenches the dreadful fire from which
such thirst springs. In him a well of water.
" He who receives this living water of me
shall become himself in some sort, although
of course only in a secondary sense, a
springing well, no cistern merely to contain,
but a springing fountain out of which shall
flow these same waters, shall minister to
others the same salvation which has been
already ministered to himself." (See vii.
38.) Springing up, &c. This expresses,
that death not only does not interrupt this
life, this communion with God (xi. 25), but
that it rather brings it to perfection. Ee-
ligion is life and spirit, which, flowing out
from God, who "hath life in Himself,"
returns to Him again, as into its own Orig-
inal, carrying the souls of good men up
with it. The spirit of a good man is always
drinking in fountain-goodness, and fills
itself more and more, till it be " filled with
all the fullness of God." (i. 51 ; Ps. Ixxxiv.
5-7.)
15. cThe woman salth unto him. Sir, give me this
water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
16. Jesus saith ut.to her, Gk) call thy husband, and come
hither. 17. The woman answered and said, I have no
busband. Jesnasaid unto bar, Thou bast well said, I
have no husband: 18. For thou hast had five hu*
bands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy busband:
in that thou saidst truly,
gvi. U and x vii. 2, 3 ; Kom. vi. 23 , 1 John v. 20.
Give me thi^ water. There is a certain
blind longing after this springing water
awakened in the soul of this poor sinner,
who had thirsted so long, though still
there is confusion and contradiction in
her mind about it, for she imagines that it
will exempt her from the toil of coming to
draw from that well any more. As she
has not risen to the full spirituality of His
words or of His character, Jesus will now
so direct the conversation as to furnish
the proof that He is a prophet of God, and
that His words express Divine spiritual
truth. Call thy husband. Jesus knew that
she had no living husband, just as God
knew that Cain had no living brother.
(Gen. iv. 9.) I have no husband. The wo-
man's slumbering conscience now began
to be aroused in reference to the guilty
life she was leading. The Saviour, like a
good physician, proceeds to probe the
wound more deeply still, and to pave the
way for her acknowledgment of Him, first
as a Prophet, and afterward as the Mes-
siah Himself. Thou hast v:ell said, &c. He
whom thou now hast, &c. From this it
would seem that she was a person of loose
morals, and disreputable character.
Observe, 1. Jesus dealt very tenderly
and gently with this woman, using no up-
braiding speech. So, in reproving sin, all
sharpness and bitterness of expression
must be avoided. 2. Christ discovered
her sins to her particularly, setting her
secret sin before the face of her conscience
distinctly. So, if ever the ministry of the
word works upon the minds of men to
their conversion, it must be by a particular
and close application of the word to every
man's conscience : general applications
will not aff'ect. 3. The particular sin which
Christ charged home upon the conscience
of this woman, was the sin of uncleanness.
This sin will be heaviest upon the con-
science, and wound the soul most deeply,
when the Spirit of God once effectually
discovers it, for there is no sin so directly
opposite to sanctification and holiness as
this sin, no sin that quenches the Holy
Spirit of God like this.
19. The woman saith unto him. Sir, ^1 perceive that
thou art a prophet. 20. Our fathers worshipped in <tbia
CHAPTER IV
481
mountain, and ye say, that in i Jerusalem ia the place
where men ought to worship.
iLukevii. 10 and xxiv. 19; chap. vi. 14 and vii. 40.
iJudg. ix. 7. kDeut. xii. 5, 11 ; 1 Kings ix. a ; '1 Ohron. vii.
12.
Our Lord's knowledge of the woman's
character and history persuaded her that
He must have supernatural means of in-
formation. In speaking this, her conviction,
she virtually confesses all the truth, ac-
knowledges that the charge was just. (See
"} Cor. xiv. 24, 25.) The conviction of sin,
however, was not at present deep, as &]>-
pears from the apparent indifference with
which she went on with the conversation.
Dur fathers, &c. Glad, probably, to shift
the discourse from a subject so painful and
discreditable to her, she introduces the
great point of controversy between the
Jews and the Samaritans. Speculation
about theological doctrine is often found
in unnatural union with habitual neglect
of moral duty, and among the endless tor-
tuosities of the depraved human heart,
this is one, to seek in polemical discussions
respecting orthodoxy and heterodoxy,
protection from the shafts of conviction
for plain violation of the law of God.
How awful is such self-deception ! (See
xii. 29 ; Job xxi. 14 ; Isa. xxx. 10.) In (his
mountain — Mount Gerizim, but a little way
from Sychar. The Samaritans maintained
that on this mountain Abraham and Jacob
had erected an altar, and offered sacrifices
to Jehovah. (Gen. xii. 6, 7, x^sxiii. 20),
and therefore that the Deity had willed
blessing to be pronounced from thence,
and an altar to be erected, alleging in
proof Dent, xxvii. 4, 12. The remnant of
Samaritans yet subsisting, continue to wor-
ship on Mount Gerizim three times in the
year, with great solemnity. Ye say, in op-
position to our claims for the sanctity of
this mountain. Is the place, referred to in
Deut. xii. 5. WJiere men ought (according
to the passage just quoted) to ivorship.
21. Jesus saith unto her, "Woman, believe me, the
heur Cometh, 'when ye shall neither in this mountain,
nor yet at .Terusalem, worship the Father.
iMal. i. 11 ; 1 Tim. ii. 8.
"The time is just at hand when the
solemn public worship of God 'the
Father,' the common Father of His hu-
man ftimily, shall not be confined to any
one place, and when of course the contro-
versy whether Gerizim or Jerusalem h.is
31
the better claim to that honor, shall be
superseded."
22. Ye worship myo know not what : we know wUat
we worship, lor :Jsalvatiou is oltlie Jew.s.
rai Kings X vii. 29. nisa. ii. 3; JLuke xxiv. 47: Rom.
IX. 4, 5.
Ye knoiv not u-hat. The Samaritans ac-
knowledged the Pentateuch only, and as
tliey were destitute of the Prophets and
Psalms, they wanted not only the com-
plete development of theological truth,
but especially also the entire compass of
the Messianic prophecies. God was con-
sequently for them, in a certain degree, an
luiknown God ; hence also the neuter form
of expression in the original— "a Being
whom ye know not." (See Acts xvii. 23.)
We know, &c. Under the "we" Jesus em-
braces Himself as well as the Jews. This
He may have done in condescension to the
womun's idea of Him. But could He be
mwi in fact, without belonging to a dis-
tinct natioyioliiy ? Salvation is of the Jews.
Salvation was to come from the lineage of
David, and by consequence from the Jews ;
they could not, therefore, remain without
an accurate knowledge of God. (Gen.
xlix. 10 ; Isa. xlvi. 13.) Jesus sprang from
them as did also the twelve Apostles, and
in general the first preachers ot the Gos-
pel : the Gospel proceeded from them to
the Gentiles.
23. But the hourcometh, and now is, when the true
worshippers shall worship the Father in osph-it rand in
trutli, tor the Father seeketh such to worship him.
"Phil. iii. 2. pi. 17 ; 2 Cor. iii. 17.
But. Jesus further shows that a wor-
ship superior, not merely to that observed
on that "mountain," but even to that
rendered at Jerusalem, is at hand. The
"now is" declares that this is a future
which has already commenced. The dis-
pensation of the Spirit, in which God the
Spirit shall ])e spiritually worshiped, is
not merely something which is to be here-
after, she stands already upon its thresh-
old. Prophesied of long since (Jer. iii.
16 ; Hag. ii. 7-10 ; Zeph. iii. 9 ; Isa. xlv. 23)
it has now actually begun. True vvrship-
ers, i. e., those who are free from all for-
malism and hypocrisy. In spirit is op-
posed to mere external forms of worship.
So in truth is opposed not only to false
doctrine, but also to the hypocrisy that
conceals its true character by an outward
show of piety. The preposition in denotes,
as it were, the element in which this wor--
482
JOHN
ship is exercised. Of course our Lord
does not, here (nor does He anywhere
else) condemn external worship by suit-
able forms and observances. He Himself
performed such worship unto God, so did
His Apostles and disciples. He only con-
demns the subsitution of forms and obser-
vances for true and humble devotion. (Ps.
xcvi. 9 ; Gen. xxviii. 16, 17 ; Deut. sii. 11.)
We are not to put God off, as the Jews
and Samaritans were too much disposed
to do, with bodily worship only, but we
must worship Him in spirit too, and by
consequence in truth, that being the only
true worship, which is thus performed by
the whole man, by the body and spirit
both, unto Him that made them both.
(Job i. 20 ; Matt. xxvi. 39 ; Luke xviii. 13,
14 ; Eph. iii. 14.) For the Father seeketh, <fcc
Only such worshipers are acceptable". It
is intimated that they are not easily found.
24. qGod is a Spirit : and thej' that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth.— 92 Cor iil. 17.
The Saviour's intention here is not to
prove the spiritual nature of God, but that
the worship and service must correspond
with its object. If God were corporeal and
confined within certain limits, there might
be reason why He should be worshiped
only corporeally, and His service confined
to this or that locality where He might be
present and perceive it; but seeing that
He is a Spirit, and so present everywhere,
men may worship Him everywhere, and
spiritual service is peculiarly pleasing to
Him. There is also a secondary meaning
of the passage — that of earnestness and
genuineness, heart-worship. In spirit and
in truth. (See on verse 23.) "i/"«si wor-
ship him." There is a fitness, a consis-
tency, a necessity, in this. A Spirit must
be worshiped spiritually.
25. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias
Cometh, whicli is called Christ: when he is come, "-he
will tell us all things. 26. Jesus salth unto her, si that
speak unto thee am he.
rVerses 29, 39. ^Matt. xxvi. 65 ; Mark xiv. 62 ; chap.
ix. 37.
The woman understood Jesus, in what
He said of " salvation " (verse 22), to refer
to the Messiah. In order, therefore, to ex-
press this intelligence of His meaning, as
well as to waive a decision in which she
cared not to acquiesce, but was unable to
discuss, she proceeds to declare her belief
in the near advent of the Messiah (a He-
brew word, which John, for the second
time (see i. 42), explains to mean the
" Christ," that is, "the Anointed One"),
and implies that all doubts of this nature
will be effectuall}^ solved by Him, at His
coming. I tluU speak, &c. The all-impor-
tant point is now attained. Jesus has an-
nounced Himself as Jew, Prophet, Messiah.
Jacob's Shiloh was thus still found at
" Jacob's well." (Gen. xlix. 10.) No words
of acknowledgment or surprise from this
poor woman are recorded, but we can have
no doubt that she asked and obtained the
living water, and how full her faith that
the Teacher had arrived who can tell us all
tilings, her energetic and successful mission
to her countrymen shows.
27. If And upon this came his disciples, and marveUed
that he talked with the woman : yet no man said. What
seekest thou ? or. Why talkest thou with l;or ? 28. The
woman then left her water-pot, and went her way into
the city, and saith to the men, 29. Come, see a man,
•which "told me all things that ever I did: is not thi^
the Christ ? 30. Then they went out of the city, and
came unto him.— 'Verse 25.
Marvelled. So great (however absurd and
ill-founded) was the pride of the Jewish
literati, that they imagined that to hold
discourse with women, on any serious and
important matter, would ill suit the dig-
nity and gravity which ought to be uni-
formly maintained by a rabbi, or doctor
of their law'. That the disciples w^ere not,
in anything, superior to the prejudices of
the age, is manifest from the whole of
their history. That the w^oman was a
Samaritan doubtless made the matter more
astonishing. Yet no man, &e. As the rev-
erence of the disciples induced them not
to question the propriety of our Lord's
conduct — though for the present they could
not understand it — so should we act toward
Him. He is not bound to give account
of any of His matters, and He often re-
quires us to walk by fciith, and not by
sight. But we know that His work is per-
fect. His ways are judgment.
Left her imter-pot, either, 1, for the use of
the Saviour and His disciples, who were just
going to partake of their homely fare, or,
2, from indifference, being now so im-
pressed and occupied with infinitely greater
and better things, or, 3, because it would
have proved a hindrance to her, she could
not bear the thought of losing a moment
in communicating the knowledge she pos-
sessed. Come, see a man, that Himself
CHAPTER IV.
483
without waiting for my questions, regard-
ing too my past as well as present state,
told me all thhir/s, &c. The same shall one
day be every one's case, the same Jesus
{though in more awful circumstances),
shall tell every one of us all that ire ever did.
Say, then, where lies our wisdom, but in a
constant eadeavor to do that that will
bear the telling? Happy are they that
pursue this endeavor. (Ps. 1. 21; Rom. ii.
16.) Is not this the Christf The form of
the question (in the Greek) is a distant,
modest way of only half insinuating what
it seemed hardly litting for her to affirm :
nor does she refer to what He said of
Himself, but solely to His disclosure to
her of the particulars of her own life.
What He told her of herself, prepared her
to 'believe what He told her of Himself.
They went out, &c. How different from the
Jews! and richly was their openness to
conviction rewarded.
31. H In the meanwliile his disciples prayed him, say-
ing, Master, eat. 32. But he said unto tliein.ul have meat
to eat that ye lindw not of. 33. Therefore said tlie dis-
ciples one to another, Hatli any man brought him
auulit to eat ? 34. Jesus saith unto them. 'My meat is
to do the will of him that sent me, and "to finish his
work.
>'.Ter. XV. 16. 'Job xxiii. 12; chap. vi. 38, xvii. 4 and
xi.x. 30. "Heb. xii. 2.
In the meamehile — the interval while the
woman is occupied in going to the city
and returning with her neighbors. Master,
eat. They had so much affection for their
Master, that they could not bear to see
Him refuse the food they brought Him.
Hath any man, &c. What wonder if the
woman understood not the water ? (Verse
11.) The disciples do not yet understand
the food. (Matt. xv. 15, 16 ; Heb. v. 12.)
My meat, &c. Jesus was too intent upon
the souls He was now going to save, to be
able to eat. Here was the power and
triumph of the soul over the body. When
we are going to enjoy a great delight, our
appetite is taken away ; and so it was with
Jesus, His meat wvas to do His Father's
will, and to finish His, work. (See Job
xxiii. 12; Ps. xix. 10, xl. 7, 8; Heb. x. 7.)
What was that will? What Avas that
work ? To seek and to save those which
were _ lost; to glorify His Father by the
salvation of sinners, (xvii. 4, xix. 30.) O
what love Christ had to take delight in
saving us His enemies ! And shall we spend
our lives in doing our own will, and seek-
uig our own glory ?
3o, Say not ye. There are yet four months, and then
conietli harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your
eyes, and kioU on tlic fluids, 'lor llicv are white already
tu liurvcst. lid. Oiidlif ihat rcaix'lli rrcfi vi-th \vage,s,
mid L'lilhcruth fruit unlu li/e eternal : that both lie that
•sowith and he that napetli may rejoke tciuelher. 37.
And herein is that .saying trn<', (JiiesdWeth, and another
reapeth. 3.S. I sent yi.ii to reap that whereon ye be-
stowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are en-
tered into their labours.
"Matt. ix. 37 ; Luke x. 2. jDan. xii. 3 ; 1 Cor. ix. 19, 23 ;
Phil. iii. ].j, IG; 1 Thes. il. I'J.
Say not ye, &c. " It is a common saying
among you, when the seed is cast into the
ground, in four months we shall have har-
vest, but lift up your eyes, and say, if,
though we have but commenced sowing,
it be not harvest already, are not this
l^eople really a people prepared for the
Lord ?" It is likely our Lord refers here
not only to what had just occurred, but
also to the great success which had attend-
ed His labors and those of His disciples, in
Judea. He that reapeth, that is, the person
who succeeds in converting men to the
faith of Christ, receiveth wages, obtains a
glorious reward, and gathereth fruit, &c.
This either refers to his reward being an
eternal one, or rather denotes that those
who are converted by his means — the fruits
of his ministry — shtill be saved everlast-
ingly; so that the sower — he who used
means for their salvation, and did not see
their complete success — and he that reap-
eth, that is, who has been the means of
their conversion, may, in their everlasting
salvation, find a common enjoyment.
One soiceth, &c. This proverb was ful-
filled in the case of our Lord's disciples —
other men had labored, and they had
entered into their labors. Isent you to reap,
&c. It was owing to John's preliminary
labors that their preaching had been so
successful. This, probably, was said by
our Lord to repress the vanity of His dis-
cii)les, who might be flattered by tlie great
multitudes that in Judea had been induced
to submit to baptism.
39. H And many of the Samaritans of that city be-
lieved on him 'for the saying of the woman, which tes-
tified, He told me all that ever I did.— ^ Verse 29.
Believed on him. Wonderful readiness!
They had not yet seen Jesus. (See verse
40.) The woman (who was the first Apos-
tle of Christ in Samaria) must have testi-
fied with great power among those thirst-
ing souls, hitherto inexperienced in such
things. He told me, &c. (See on verse 29.)
40. So When the Samaritans were come unto him,
they besought him that he would tarry with them : aaia
he abode there two days.
484
JOHN.
Tarry, always, or at least a long time, all
the time He could spare out of His brief
ministry. They wanted to know more of
Him who had so drawn them to Himself,
thej'^ wanted to bring their kinsfolk and
neighbors unto the same blessedness. We
can only suppose that these two days were
spent in teaching and preaching the Gospel.
41. And »rQany more believed because of his own
word ;
This verse shows the sovereignty of God
in saving souls. One is called in one way,
and another in another. Some Samaritans
believed when they heard the woman tes-
tify. Others did not believe till they heard
Christ Himself. We must be careful that
we do not bind down the Holy Ghost to
one mode of operation.
42. And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not
because of tlij' saying: lor Mve have heard him our-
selves, and know tliat this is indeed the Christ, the
Saviour of the world.— bxYii. 8 ; 1 John iv. 14.
Noil) we believe, &c. John loves to mark
the advancing steps of faith, and how those
who believe come to believe more strongly
(Comp. ii. 11, xvi. 30, xx. 8.) This speech
of her fellow-townsmen to the woman has
nothing rude or otiensive about it, rather,
indeed, the contrary. "We set our own
seals to the truth of thy report." (See 1
Kings X. 6, 7 ; 2 Chron. ix. 5, 6.) We have
heard him ourselves — the gracious words
which He speaks, the authority with which
He speaks them, He has so commended
Himself to us, with such demonstration
of the truth, that we bow to His claims,
and, quite irrespective of thy testimony,
take Him for what He avouches Himself
to be, the Christ, &c. May we, if we cannot
like these Samaritans, receive the Saviour
into our houses, at least welcome Him into
our hearts, and, in the diligent and devout
use of the means of grace, entertain there
that Heavenly Guest, that He may abide
with us, not for a time, but forever !
43. 1 Now after two days he departed thence, and
went into Galilee. 44. For cjesus himself testified, that
a prophet hath no honour in his own country. 4.5 Then
when he wu.s come into Galilee, the Galileans received
Irlm, dhavinc: seen all the things that he did at Jerusa-
lem at the feast : efor they also went unto the feast.
'Matt. xiii. 57 ; Mark vi. 4 ; Luke iv. 24. dir. 23 and iii.
2. eDeut. xvi. 16.
After two days, literally, " the two days"
of His stay at Sychar. Jesus himself testified,
&c. If Nazareth (which was in Galilee),
was Christ's " own country," this state-
ment should be filled up thus : " He went
into the region of Galilee, but not, as
might have been expected, to that part of
it called "His own country" Nazareth (see
Mark vi. 14 ; Luke iv. 24), for He acted on
the maxim which He oft repeated, " that
a prophet," &c. (See on Matt. xiii. 57 ;
Mark vi. 4 ; Luke iv. 24.) The Galileans
welcomed Christ, not because they believ-
ed in Him as the Messiah, but on account
of the miracles which they had seen per-
formed by Him at Jerusalem. They
doubtless hoped that He would exercise
His wonderful miraculous power, in eifect-
ing their deliverance from the Roman
yoke, .which was particularly galling and
oppressive to the Galileans.
46. So Jesus came again into Canaof Galilee, fwhere
he made the water wine. And tr.ere was a certain no-
bleman, whose sou was sick at Caiiernaum.— fii. 1, 11.
Into Cana — perhaps to the residence of
those at whose wedding He had perform-
ed His first miracle. Nobleman — one at-
tached to the 'court of Herod Antipas.
AVhat avails all the pomp of life which
appears abroad, if, w.hen w"e shift the gaudy
flattering scene, the man is unhappy
where happiness must begin — at home ?
Whatever ingredients of bliss Providence
may have poured into his cup, domestic
atflictions will render the whole composi-
tion distasteful.
47. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea
into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that
he would come down, and heal his son : lor lie was at
the point of death.
Besought him, &c. The man's applica-
tion showed faith, but it was limited and
imperfect. He believed that Jesus could.
heal his son, but not without coming down
to Capernaum to do so. At the point of
death. The true believer need not dread
death. Even an earthly parent is partic-
ularly tender and careful of a dying child :
much more will God, the great and gra-
cious Father cherish and defend His own
children in the hour of death. (Ps. cxvi.
15 ; Heb. ii. 14, 15 ; Eev. xxii. 20.)
4H. Then said Jesus ^n to him, cExcppt j'e see signs
and wonders, ye will not believe. 49. The nobleman
saith unto him. Sir, come i^down ere mv child die.
gl Cor. i. 22. iips. Ixxxviii. 10, 13.
Why does our Lord's reply to this ap-
plication seem less gracious than His
usual answers to distressed parents ? The
reason is most probably this : The faith
of this man rested merely upon hearsay
in regard to the miraculous works of
Jesus ; it was naturally weak, and it was
CHAPTER IV,
485
not a religious want, but simple necessity,
which had led him to Jesus ; that faith in
the proper sense was a result of tlie mira-
cle is shown by verse 53. Sir, come down,
&c. The words of reproof looked like
putting him off, the nobleman, therefore,
begs that Jesus would not interpose a
longer and critical delay. "Who does not
hear a groan, and see a hot tear in every
word of this ? The man, though a very
anxiously loving father, not only had not
the least idea that Jesus could heal his
son unless He went down to Capernaum
but neither did he sujopose that there was
any power in Him to burst the bands of
death, and hence his anxiety that He
reach the house before the child's death.
Christ intends to cure this father of his
want of faith, in order to make him wor-
thy to receive the cure of his son, but he
is hitherto wholly taken up with the
thoughts of that which he is afraid of
losing. Alas, how many fathers are there
in the world who nearly resemble him !
50. Jesus saith unto him. Go thy way, thy son liveth.
And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken
unto him, and he went his way.
More wonderfully than the suppliant
anticipated, did the miraculous power of
our Lord display itself. And the man be-
lieved, not only believed that Jesus cotdd
cure the child though at a distance, but
that He had cured him, or at least begun
to cure him. And he ivent his way — not in
doubt or haste, but leisurely in contrast
with the haste and trepidation wherewith
he had come. Observe here the double
miracle wrought by the word alone of
Christ : the one on the distant body of the
son, the other on the invisible heart of the
father, who is himself cured of his incred-
ulity by believing the cure which he did
not see.
51. And as he was now goin? down, his servants met
hira.and told him, saying. Thy son liveth. 52. Then
inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend.
And they said unto him. Yesterday at the seventh hour
the fever le(t hiul.
Then inquired he, &c. Though he be-
lieved from what our Lord had said, that
his son would recover, yet as he had only
looked for a ^rarfuoZ recover}', he inquired of
the servants at what time he began to amend,
doubtless expecting to hear it was the sev-
enth hour ; and this we know from his faith
he was prepared to hear. The more atten-
tively the works and blessings of God are
inquired into, the greater food and support
does faith acquire. (1 Peter i. 12 ; Ps. cxi.
2.) At the seventh hour. By that conside-
ration it api)ears that the nobleman did
not anxiously make haste, because he be-
lieved the word of Christ, but went on
quietly in his journey, which is an excel-
lent description of true faith. (Isa. xxviii.
16.) The fever left him, left him suddenly.
The recovery was speedy and comjilete.
Here is a clear and beautiful illustration
of the Apostle's words (Eph. iii. 20), that
" God is able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think." The no-
bleman expected an amendment or begin-
ning to amend: Christ bestowed at once
perfect health. Numberless are the in-
stances of God's overflowing grace in this
respect. (See Mark viii. 23, x. 13, 16 ;
Luke i. 67, xviii. 14, xix. 4, xxiii. 43.) The
fevers which affect the body are generally
healthful to the soul, and therefore we
ought to be more earnest in praying for a
good use of them than for their cure.
Those fevers only which affect the soul
are obstacles to salvation, and nothing
must be spared to obtain their cure.
53. So the father knew that it- uxi'i at tlie same hour,
in the which Jesus said unto liim. Thy son liveth : and
himself believed, and his whole house.
The nobleman's faith was confirmed
and increased by the miracle. It was
raised into a full belief of Christ's power
and goodness. Before he believed Christ's
v:ord, now he believes in Himself, His per-
son, His attributes. And his whole house-
hold, his family and servants, to whom he
would detail, with all the eloquence of
earnest gratitude and in the rapture of
new-born faith, these wondrous things,
they also become united with him in the
same blessed bond of a common faith.
Deep affliction is often the means of
great good. The father of a family may
be the means of the salvation of his chil-
dren. " To-day is salvation come to this
house." (Luke xix. 9.)
54. This ix again the second miracle that Jesus did,
when lie was come out of Judea into Galilee.
Second miracle Jesus did — i. e., in Cann,
done "after He came out of Judea," as the
former before. Whence learn, 1. Christ's
works, and particularly His more special
manifestations of Himself, ought to bo
marked and kept in memory. 2. Christ's
486
JOHN
present works and manifestations ought
not only to affect us themselves, but should
bring His former works to remembrance.
3. However men may study and strive to
crush Jesus in the world, yet it will be to
no i^urpose, for in one place or other He
will be still reajDing fruit and manifesting
His glory.
1. Why did Jesus depart again into Galilee ? 2. To what city did He come ? 3. What well was there ? 4. Why
did' the Saviour sit on the well ? 5. What does this teach us ? 6. Who came to the well ? 7. What did Christ ask
for ? 8. What was the woman's reply ? 9. Explain verse 4. 10. Also vei-ses 13 and 14. 11. What is said about
the woman's husband ? 12. How is God to be worshiped? 13. What did this woman do? 14. W'hat reply did
Jesus make when His disciples .said to Him " Master, eat ? " 15. What are " many of the Samaritans " said to
have done ? 16. State the particulars of the healing of the nobleman's son.
CHAPTER V.
1 Jesv-H on the sabbath day cxireth him that was diseased
eight and thirty years. 10 The Jewn therefore cavil,
and persecute him for it. 17 iie answereth for himselr,
andreproveth them, shewing by the testimony of his
Father. 32 of John, 36 of his works, 39 and of the
scriptures, who lie is.
AFTER "this there was a feast of the Jews ; and
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
aLev. xxiii. 2 : Deut. xvi. 2 ; chap. ii. 13.
This is generally supposed to have been
the feast of the passo ver : yet perhaps none
of the Evangelists mention all the pass-
overs which occurred during our Lord's
ministry. But subsequent to what was
related in the former chapter, several
things, recorded by the other Evangelists,
are supposed to have taken place before
Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Chri.st made
a point of attending the sacred festivals,
both because such was the command of
God (Deut. xvi. 16), and thus it became
Him to fulfill all righteousness, and also
because these were grand opportunities
for teaching the large number of people
assembled on these occasions.
2. Now there is at Jerusalem '>by the sheep market a
pool, wliich is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda,
having five porches.— ^Neh. iii. 1 and xii. 39.
There is, &c. The inference might be
drawn that Jerusalem was standing when
the Evangelist wrote; the explanation,
however, is, that the pool remained after
the destruction of the city, in fact it was
still pointed out in the time of Tertullian
and even of Eusebius. By the sheep market,
near that gate of the city which was called
the sheep gate. Bethesda means "the
house of mercy." Five porches-, little por-
ticos or chambers, for the accommodation
probably of the sick who waited there for
healing. Compassion toward the afflicted
is a commendable duty. The Jews had
now declined, yet, to their great credit,
here were accommodations for the sick,
either built for them, or now converted to
that use.
3. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of
blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the
water.
Impotent folk, infirm, diseased people.
Blind, by disease, not from birth. (See ix.
32.) Halt, crippled. Withered. Among
these we are to compehend the paralytic,
a class to which, indeed, the sick man
whom Jesus cured belonged, for paralysis
is sometimes produced by extraordinary
debilitation of the muscles ; that is, by a
divindling of them. The moving of the water
must have been something that could be
seen and observed by persons standing by
or looking on. There was no virtue or
healing element in the water, until the
movement took place. "A great number
of diseases and diseased persons," says an
old writer, "are necessary to represent the
condition to which man is reduced by sin :
so miserable is he and full of infirmities
from his very birth. How great is the
debt which we owe to Thee, O blessed
Saviour, for having moved tJiis water in our
behalf, which hath made us whole. Finish,
Lord, what thou hast begun in us." (Isa.
i. 4-6 ; Zech. xiii. 1.)
4. For an angel went down at a certain season into
the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first
after the trnubling of the water stepped in was made
whole of whatever disease he had.
CHAPTER V
487
An angel, &c. Here is another proof
that benevolent spirits are employed as
the instruments of good to men, in like
manner as wicked spirits are busily en-
■ gaged in the infliction of evil. There can
be no doubt of the miracle, as there were
multitudes living when this Gospel was
published, who, from their own knowledge
of Jerusalem, could have exposed the
falsehood of the Evangelist if no such cure
had been known there. At a certain season,
the disturbance of the water was occasion-
al and temporary. Whosoever tJien first, &c.
Jesus has opened a pool of Bethesda to all,
where not only he that comes first, but he
that comes even last, with foith and re-
pentance, may receive health and clean-
sing.
5. And a certain man was there, wbich had an ni-
firmity thirty and eight years. (>. When Jesus saw
him he, and Icnew that he had been now a lon^ time in
that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be Lnade whole ?
An infirmity — probably it was a palsy.
Thirty and eight years. The length of the
time he had been afflicted makes the
miracle of his cure the greater. Were we
presently cured, so soon as we complained,
we should less esteem the danger of onr
disease. The long smart and tediousness
of our misery makes us to consider what
it is to sin. God often makes choice of the
greatest sinners to show forth in them the
greatness of His mercy and the power of
His grace. Saw him lie, as too weak or
sick to be in other than a recumbent posi-
tion. And knew, not as the result of in-
quiry from bystanders, but by His omnis-
cience. " The unprejudiced reader can
find no place for information given to the
Lord between saw, knew, and saith, all com-
pacted together in one." Wilt thon be made
whole? The impotent man probably had
waited so long, and so long waited in vain,
that hope was dead or well-nigh dead
within him, and the question is asked to
awaken in him a new yearning after the
benefit, which the Saviour, compassion-
ating his hopeless case, was about to im-
part. Our Lord thus persuading him to
believe in His love, prepared him to be-
lieve also in His might, and was giving
him now the faith which presently He
was about to demand of him.
7. The impotent man answered him. Sir, I have no
man when the water is troubled, to put me into the
pool : but while I am coming, another steppeth down
before me. 8. Jesus saith unto him cKi>e, take up thy
bed, and walk. 9. And immediately the man was made
whole, and took up his bed, and walked: dand on the
same day was the sabbath.
"Matt. ix. 6 ; Mark li. 11 ; Luke v. U. dix. 14.
The man's answer is no direct reply to
our Lord's question. Perhaps he under-
stood it as an expression of surprise that
he lay there so long, when the means of
recovery were before him. / have no man.
He speaks feelingly of the want of a friend.
I have not a single friend. What a pic-
ture of desertion and loneliness ! only
able to drag himself along, no one offering
to assist him, no money to pay for help.
Observe, he did not breathe a syllable
against the hard-heartedness of his fellow-
men. How good an evidence is it that
sickness, and trial, and trouble, have had
their perfect work, when the pride of the
heart is humbled, and the fretfulness and
complaining of the lips are silenced, and
we can dwell upon our sorrows without
one repining word, or one distrustful
thought ! Another steppeth, &c. To a per-
son of any sensibility this world is a
wretched place. There is not a step in
life, where we can be sure of not meeting
some latent lurking thorn. A hard, sel-
fish, thorough-paced mind goes on, and
cares not, but the sensitive, delicate feel-
ing spirit is ever pushed to the wall. To
such a spirit, then, what a gentle, blessed
relief is aftbrded by a heartfelt knowledge
of Christianity ! (See Ps. cxlii. 1-5 ; Heb.
iv. 15 ; 1 Thes. v. 14.) Let us give an atten-
tive, patient hearing to the poor and
needy, when they detail to us their trials
and sufferings, their hopes and disappoint-
ments. And in our own afflictions, let us
take encouragement from the case of the
impotent man to " make known our re-
quests unto God," telling Him all our sor-
rows. With them, indeed, He is well
acquainted : yet He will know them from
ourselves. It is only when we confess
our misery and call upon Him, that we
can expect His mercy. (Ezek. xxxvi. 37 ;
Ps. 1. 15.)
Rise, take up thy bed, and xvalk. We can
see four reasons for this command to this
sick man. 1. It was to evince the perfec-
tion of the cure. His walking, indeed,
would prove this, but his taking up his
bed, and being able to carry that in which
he had been carried, would display it still
488
JOHN
more, as it showed his strength, as well as
health. 2. It was to teach him to be care-
ful, and to waste nothing. The bed prob-
ably was not very valuable, but he was
not to throw it away. Christians should
avoid closeness and meanness, lest their
good be evil spoken of, but they should
also avoid profusion, negligence, careless-
ness. 3. As a memento of his deliverance
and duty. This bed, as he looked upon it at
home, would remind him of former misery
and mercy. 4. To try his obedience.
Carrying his bed was a servile work, and
it was now the Sabbath, on which day no
burden was to be borne. He seemed there-
fore to oppose the law of Moses, and ac-
cordingly the Pharisees were offended,
and murmured. But works of necessity
and mercy were always proper, and the
Sabbath was made for man, and the Son
of man was Lord even of the Sabbath day.
And immediately the man was made whole,
&c. — " immediately." He spake and it v/as
done. The same day %cas the Sabbath. Be-
yond all doubt this was intentional, as in
so many other healings, in order that when
opposition arose on this account men might
be compelled to listen to His claims and
His teaching.
10. H The Jews therefore caid unto him that was cured.
It is the Sabbath day : fit is not lawful for thee to carry
thybed. 11. He answered them. He that hath made
me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed,
and walk. 12. Then asked they him. What man is
that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk ?
U. And he that was healed wist not who it was: for
Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in
that place.
fEx. XX. 10; Neh. xiii. 19: Jer. xvii. 21. <fec. ; Matt,
xii. 2; Mark 11. 24 and ill. 4 ; Luke vi. 2 and xiii. 14.
The Jeifs— certain of the Jews, elders or
heads of the nation, members of the San-
hedrim. Said unto him, probably having
met him, on his way home, carrying his
couch or bedding as the Lord had com-
manded. It is not lairful, &c. Consider
the following texts : Ex. xxxi. 14, 15 ;
Num. XV. 33 to 30 ; Neh. xiii. 19 (where
burdens of merchandise alone are forbid-
den), Jer. xvii. 21, 22; Mark ix. 16. He
that made me whole, &c. His meaning evi-
dently was that the order of the person
who had healed him was quite sufficient
to account for and justify his proceeding.
" I have a mighty warrant for carrying my
bed, even the command of One who cured
me by a .single word of my protracted in-
firmity." We are not to judge the Lord's
commands, but to follow them. His orders
may be trying, and in obeying them we
may give offense, but we need not regard
the revilings of men, while we can plead
His authority. What man is that, &c.
They feign ignorance as to the person who
had wrought the miracle. They do not
ask concerning that which should win
their admiration, but that which might
furnish a ground for their calumnious ac-
cusation. Wist noi— knew not, from the
old Saxon verb witan, to knoiv, whence our
yvorda wit and w'ise. Conveyed himself away
— quietly and silently glided through the
multitude as the excitement at the cure
commenced. The man had thus no chance
to identify his unknown benefactor. la
that 2)1 ace — at the porches of the pool. It
is difficult to obtain a sight of Christ in a
crowd. A crowd is noisy — this sight re-
quires some secret place. He who saw
Him not in the crowd, saw Him in the
temple, (i. 50 ; Ex. iii. 1, 2.)
14. Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and
said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole : fsin no
more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15. The man
departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which
had made him whole. 16. And therefore did the Jews
persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had
done these thing-s on the sabbath day.
f Mate. xii. 45; chap. vili. 11.
Ill the temple, whither in all probability
he had gone to pour out his heart to the
Author and Giver of all good things. (See
2 Kings XX. 8.) Many are brought to feel
their need of something better than this
world can offer, by the pressures of afflic-
tion— are led from the bed of sickness to
the temple, from the word of God to the
Son of God, from bodily health to spiritual
cure. BcJiold, thou art made ivhole: contrast
thy present with thy past condition, and
realize the blessing. Lest a worse thine/
come unto thee. A worse thing than thirty-
eight years of pain and infirmity! "What
the past sin of this sufferer had been, to
which our Lord alludes, we know not, but
the man himself knew very well. His
conscience was the interpreter of the warn-
ing. Though the scheme which should in
every case affirm a man's personal suffer-
ing to be in proportion to his personal
guilt is refuted by all experience (see
Luke xiii. 1-5), yet our Lord here intimates
that very much of judgment is even now
continually proceeding. (See 2 Kings v.
CHAPTER V,
489
20-27 ; Acts xiii. 8-11, xii. 23 ; Job ii. 3, &c. ;
John ix. 1-3.) I'old the Jews, &c. It appears
from the man's exclusive reference to the
healing, that, in liis simplicity of heart, he
• conceived that these persohs only wanted
to know his Healer in order to render
Him honor for the great work He had
done. But they were only provoked the
more. So is it ever with the revelation of
the Divine : what it does not draw to itself
it drives from itself, what it does not win
to obedience it arrays in active hostility.
17. T But Jesus answered them, sMy Father worketh
hitherto, aad I work.— cix. 4, xiv. 10.
" My Father hitherto, from the creation
of the world, has continued to work on the
Sabbath day, and I also work on the Sab-
bath day." Though God on the seventh
day rested from the work of creation — the
giving being to new orders of creatures,
He is continually employed in the preser-
vation and government of the world. The
great machine of the universe does not
^stand still on the Sabbath day, the mighty
and the minute processes of nature exper-
ience no interruption. " What my Father
does," says our Lord, " I do :" He works on
the Sabbath day, and I work on the Sab-
bath day, and who dare call in question
His right or mine to do so ? Our Lord here
obviously claims a two-fold equality with
the Father. He does the same works with
Him, and like Him, He works perpetually.
He puts His own work of power, in the
miraculous cure which He had eifected, on
the same footing of consideration as the
works of the Deity in the conservation and
government of the universe, and vpon this
paritg He grounds His right thus to work
on the Sabbath day.
18. Therefore the Jews ^sought the more to kill him,
because be not only had broken the Sabbath, Ijut said
also that God was his Father, "makini^ himself equal
with God.— hvU. rj. ii. 30, 33 ; Phil, u t>.
That God %fas his Father, meaning that
He called God peculiarly His Father, in a
sense quite different from that in which
pious men speak of God as their Father.
Making himself equal with God, that is, claim-
ing to Himself an authority equal to that of
God. Not only His claim of Sonshij^, but
the high position He assigned to that
Sonship, both caused and justified their
interpretation of His words as making
Himself God's equal. The Jews them-
eelves often called God their Father, and
would never have found fault with, much
less charged blasphemy upon, any that
came to them under the character of a
prophet, for using the same style, and
therefore they must be supposed to under-
stand our Lord as speaking of God as
His Father in a sense superior to any
covenant or offtce-relation, and in a sense
so peculiar to Himself as to intimate His
partaking of the same nature and perfec-
tions with Him, or else there would have
been no room for their imagining or sug-
gesting, that, by His claim of relation to
God as His Father, He made Himself equal
with God.
19. Then answered Jesus and said unto them. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, tTheSoucau do nothing of him-
self, but what he seeih the Father do : ior what thinga
soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
kVerse 30, viii. 28, ix. 4, xii. 4a, xiv. 10.
Our Lord now reiterates and expands
His preceding affirmation of essential
unity with the Father. The Son can do
nothing of himself, i. e., apart from and in
rivalry of the Father, as they supposed.
There is no avowal here by Christ of any
dependence or subordination of rank or
l^ower, but the most entire harmony of
will and action with His Father. The
meaning is, " the Son can have no separ-
ate interest or action from the Father." For
what things soever, .&,c. "On the contrary,
whatever the Father doeth that same doeth
the Son," liketcise, in the like manner.
The doings of the Son are the doings of
the unknowable Father. And the doings
of that Son through His humanity are the
doings of the eternal Son, and are the true
exj^ression of the eternal Father. The
fact of Three Divine Persons in the eter-
nal Godhead is plainly revealed. Man in-
sists upon apprehending the mode : in his
present state he cannot apprehend it; he
therefore denies the fact, and commences
unbeliever. " All the objections against
the Trinity," says one," proceed from hence,
that men discourse about an Infinite Being,
as tney would about a finite one, without
considering the difference of the subject
they are upon, and what an immense dis-
proportion there is." (Isa. xl. 18, 25 ; 1
Cor. ii. 11.)
20. For ithe Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him
all things that himself doeth : and he will shew him
greater works than these, that ve may marvel.
iMatt. ili. 17 ; chap. iii. 35 ; 2 Peter i. 17.
Keither is there here implied any supe-
490
JOHN.
riority in the Father, or any inferiority in
the Son, as to their Divine nature and es-
sence. The " love " is meant to show us
that unspeakable unity of heart and afl'ec-
tion (if such words may be reverently
used) which eternally existed and exists
between the Father and the Son. The
" showing " means that entire confidence
and co-operation which there was between
the Father and the Son, as to all the works
which the Son should do when He came
into the world to fill the office of Mediator
and to save sinners. The " greater works "
which remained to be shown were evi-
dently the works specified in the two fol-
lowing verses — the works of quickening
and of judging. That the Jews did "mar-
vel," and were confounded at the works
of " quickening," we have from the Acts
of the Apostles. That they will "marvel "
even more at our Lord's work of judgment
we shall see when He comes to judge the
quick and the dead.
21. For as the Father raiseth up the rlead, and quick-
eneth than, meven so the Sou quickeneth whom he will.
mLuke vii. 14 and vili. 54 ; chap. xl. 2.3, 43.
To raise the dead would be a more mar-
velous work than that performed upon the
impotent man. Our Lord's language seems
to be applicable either to the quickening
of those who are " dead in trespasses and
sins" (Eph. ii. 1), or to the raising of the
dead at the last day. (See vi. 39, 40, 44,
54.) Quickeneth whom he vAll — that is the
prerogative of God alone; of God the
Father, as in James i. 18; of God the Son,
as in Matt. viii. 3, and in this place, of
God the Holy Ghost, as in Cor. xii. 11.
God, and God only, may do as He will. Yet
it is certain that the will of God is not
arbitrary : for He worketh all things " after
the counsel of His own will" (Eph. i. 11),
and whatever is done with counsel or wise
resolution, has of necessity some reason
why it should be done. In every instance
where His will is to vivify, the result invari-
ably follov/s.
22. For the Father judgeth no man, but nhath com-
rnitted all judgment Unto the Son : 2.'?. That all men
should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father.
oHe that honoureth not the Son bonoureth not the
Father which hath sent him.
uMatt. xi. 27 and x.xviii. 18; verse 27; iii. 35 and xvii.
2; Acts xvii. 31 ; 1 Peter iv. 5. "i Jobn ii. 23.
The other "greater work" to which our
Lord referred (verse 20), is His power to
judge. This is His prerogative, no less
than the raising of the dead: and indeed
this latter is in order to the former. The
judicial office has been committed to
Christ, in this matter the Father works
entirely by Him: for the Father in His
own i^erson judgeth no man, &c. All men.
Observe the universality of the application.
All men shall honor the Son, either wil-
lingly, being justified by faith, or unwil-
lingly, exj^eriencing the wrath of the Judge.
Should honor the Son, even, &c. " Is there
not here," says Prof. Stuart, " an equality
of power and honor ascribed to the Father
and Son? It is perfectly plain, that, so
far as the 'committing of judgment to the
Son' is concerned, it must be to the Medi-
atorial Person, to one who, in respect to
office, is subordinate to God. But so far
as qualifications, requisite to perform the
duties that commitment requires, are
concerned, the Saviour is Divine, and the
honor to be claimed by Him, the same
with that which the Divinity claims.
IMultitudes of prophets, as commissioned '
by God, have borne His messages of mercy
and judgment to His people, but to whom
among them all did He grant the privi-
lege of being honored, as Himself?"
24. Verily, verily. I say unto you, pHe that heareth
my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation,
qbut is passed from death unto life.
Piii. 16, 18, Vi. 40, 47, viii. 51 and xx. 31. 41 John iii. 14.
Verily, verily. The usual formula of sol-
emn confirmation. Heareth denotes not
only the outward act of hearing, but re-
ceiving the word in power. Believeth.
Faith is coupled with hearing, and hear-
ing is put first, for "faith cometh by hear-
ing, and hearing by the word of God."
On him that sent me. On the Father, who,
in the plan of redemption, is represented
as "sending" His Son to save men. (John
iii. 17.) Hath everlasting life. Our Lord
does not use the future, but the j^resent.
He does not say, "shall have," but "haih."
The future indeed is implied in the pres-
ent, but such have it even now — they have
now the germ which shall be developed
into that immortal plant. Faith in God
who sent His Son is here represented as
being connected with everlasting life. (See
on jii. 15, 16, 36.) But there can be no
faith in Him who sent His Son, without
faith also in Him who is sent. The very
CHAPTER V,
491
essence of beuc. in the Father is, that He
sent the Son. And shall not come, &c. The
same truth, presented in the preceding
clause of the verse, is thus expressed, ac-
cording to John's custom, negatively. Tlie
meaning is, that the believer, having
passed from death unto life, sliall not come
into tliat state of final condenanation, in
which tliosc who are impenitent and un-
believing will be found at the last day.
25. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming,
and now is, when 'the dead shall liear the voice ol' the
Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
rVerse 28 ; Eph. ii. 1, 5 and v, 14 ; Col. ii. 13.
Verily, verily. (See on verse 24.) Even
at the moment Jesus was speaking. He
was able to give si^iritual life to dead souls.
He has been doing this work ever since
that hour. We do not see the dead souls
arise, but Jesus does. And they that hear,
&c. How unspeakably encouraging is
this declaration ! We cannot be more in-
sensible than the " dead," yet even they
shall hear. Such hearing is meant as in-
cludes reception, belief, obedience.
26. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he
given to the Son to have life in himself: 27. Audshath
Siven him authority to execute judgment also, 'because
be is the Son of man.
8 Verse 22; Acts x. 42 and xvii. 31. 'Dan. vii. 13, 14.
The Father hath life in himself, it belongs
to His nature, He has received it of no
one, it is an essential attribute of His
necessarily existing nature. He so has
life, that He can impart, withdraw and re-
store it to whomsoever He pleases. Now,
the Son is said to have " life in himself;"
that is, the Son is a jiossessor of indepen-
dent existence. He is equally with the
Father the possessor of that independent
existence, and that power of giving exist-
ence, which is one of the grand charac-
teristics of Divinity. So hath he given, &c.
It will be observed the expression is not
the Father hath given to the Son life in
Himself, but He has given to the Son " to
have life in liim.se] f." The word "give " is
often used in Scripture as equivalent to
" appoint." The appointment of the Son
to be the Messiah is repeatedly expressed
by this word. (Isa. Iv. 4 ; chap. iii. 16.)
The Father has appointed the Son to liave,
or hold, life in Himself. The word " given "
does not seem to refer to the life itself, but
to the manner of having or holding it. The
Father, as the head of the Mediatorial
economy, appoints the Son to hold and
exercise that independent power of confer-
ring life, which is the characteristicproper-
ty ofthat divinity of which they are equally
po.ssessed. The idea seems materially the
same as when it is said that " it pleased
the Father that in Him should all fullness
dwell." That the words refer to a Divine
appointment, having a reference to the
Mediatorial economy, is obvious from
what follows: And hath given him authority
to exercise judgment also — to pass and exe-
cute final sentence on all intelligent
beings. Because, &c. The final judgment
is to be performed by the JNIessiah, not
only because He is the. only begotten Son
of God, partaking of the Divine nature,
but also because He is the Son of man,
and holds a peculiar relation also to the
human race. How interesting the thought,
that the Saviour and the Judge of men,
while on the one hand He is keenly
alive to the honor of God, has, also, on the
other hand, a most tender sympathy for
human beings.
23. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming-, in the
whicli all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
2!). "And shall come forth ; ^they that have done good,
unto the resurrection of lile, and they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of damnatioc.
"Isa. XX vi. 19; 1 Thes. iv. IG; 1 Cor. xv. 52. ^Dan.
xii. 2 ; Matt. xxv. 32, 33, 46.
Marvel not — be not surprised. All that
are in the graves, &c. In verse 25 the trans-
action is altogether spiritual, here it is
altogether physical. All the actual dead
shall hear with their bodily ears the very
voice of the Son of man, and shall come
forth with such bodies as it shall please
their Creator to give them (1 Cor. xv. 35-
53), and soul and body shall re-unite and
stand before the judgment-seat of Christ,
to receive sentence of reward or condem-
nation, according to the deeds done in the
body. (2 Cor. v. 10 ; Rev. xxii. 12.) They
that have done good, &c. All shall rise to
immortality, but not all to the same
immortality. They that rise shall be
separated into two classes, and it is their
conduct here tliat shall determine their
separation tJiere. The one class — the doers
of good — shall rise to what is emphatically
life ; the other — the practicers of evil — to
that which is worse than death. (See on
chap. iii. 16, 36 ; Dan. xii. 2 ; Matt. xxv. 31 ;
Rev. XX. 12, 13 ; Titus ii. 11-14.
403
JOHN.
30. Tl can of mine own self do nothing : as I hear, I
Judge: and my judgment is just; because ^I seek not
mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath
sent uie. 31. "If I bear witness* of myself, my witness
is not true. Si. bThere is another that beareth witness
of me ; and I know tliat the witness which he witness-
eth of me is true.
jVerse 19. ^Matt. xxvi. 39 ; chap. iv. 34 and vi. 38.
■^ee chap. viii. 14 ; Rev. iii. 14. bMatt. Hi. 17 and xvii. 5 ;
chap. vui. 18 : 1 John v. 6, 7, 9.
Do nothing, i. e., apart from the Father,
or in any interest of my own. (See on
verse 19.) As I hear, &c. " M}'' judgments
are all anticipated in the bosom of my
Father, to which I have immediate access,
and by me only responded to and reflected.
They cannot, therefore, err, as I live for
one end only, to carry into effect the will
of Him that sent me. If I bear witness of
myself, standing alone, and setting up any
separate interest. There is no contradic-
tion between this and the statement in
chap. viii. 14, on which see notes. Our
Lord, in one of these passages, expresses
what was to be admitted as true in the ac-
count of men; in the other, what His testi-
mony was in- itself. There is another, i. e.,
the Father, as is plain from the connec-
tion. How brightly the distinction of the
Persons shines out here ! And 1 Jcnov:, &c.
This is the Son's testimony to the Father's
truth (See vii. 28, viii. 26, 55.) Thus He
cheered His spirit under the cloud of hu-
man opposition which was already gather-
ing over His head.
33. Ye sent unto John, 'and he bare witness unto the
truth. 34. But I receive not te-stimony Jroua man :
but these things I say, that ye might be saved. a5. He
was a burning and ^a shining light : and eye were will-
ing for a season to rejoice in his light.
cChap. i. 1.5. 19. 27, 32. d2 Peter i. 19. 'Matt. xiii. 20
and xxi. 26 ; Mark. vi. 20.
Ye sent, &c. The reference is to chap. i.
19, which see. But I receive not, &c. That
is, " John, by his testimony, added noth-
ing to me : I was what I was, and / a7n
what I am, before John testified of me, and
since." But these things, &c. The anxious
desire of Jesus that His hearers might be
saved, induced Him to bring distinctly to
view the testimony of John, which
was happily adapted to convince them
that He was the Messiah, and was testi-
mony of which they could easily judge.
The words burning and shining are not used
of light underived or independently pos-
sessed, but of that which is lit up and
shines from another source. Some lights
are shining, but not burning; John was
Doth. Burning he was with the fire of
holy zeal, burning, as consumed away in
His Master's service. Ths minister, or
private Christian, who would enlighten
others, must be a shining light himself.
And if he would afiect others, he himself
must feel, his own heart must burn with
holy ardor. Ayid ye were ivilUng, &c. They
were the living examples of the stony-
ground hearers. They received the word
of John " with joy," but they rejoiced /or
a season, having " no root " of deep convic-
tion. It is our privilege to " rejoice in the
Lord," but it is exceedingly dangerous to
make comfort a ground of confidence, un-
less the nature, source and effects of that
comfort be considered, for it may result
entirely from ignorance and self-flattery
in a variety of ways.
36. But fl have greater witness than thtif. of. John : for
the Eworks which the Father hath given me to finish;
the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the
Father hath sent me. 37. And the Father himself,
which hath sent me, iihatli borne witness of me. Ye
have neither heard his voice at any time, 'nor seen his
.sliape. 38. And ye have not his word abiding in you :
for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. 39. ^SearcU
the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have eternal
life: and 'they are they which testify of me.
U John V. 9. riii. 2, x. 25 and xv. 24. hMatt. iii. 17 and
xvii. 5: chap. vi. 27 and viii. 18. 'Deut. iv. 12; chap. i.
18 ; 1 Tim. i. 17 : 1 John iv. 12. ^isa. viii. 20 and xxxiv.
16; Lukexvi. 29; verse 46; Acts xvii. 11. >Deut. xviii.
15, IS : liuke xxiv. 27 ; chap. i. 45.
The works which the Father hath given, &c.
Jesus n.ow proceeds to describe the different
ways in which His Father witnessed toHim.
Mrst, by enabling Him to do miracles.
Christ's works are speaking testimonies of
His glory, and we never rightly appreciate
them till we see that they bear witness
that the Father hath sent Him, as His
own Son, to be the Saviour of the world.
And the Father hath borne witness of
me. Here is the second of the three ways
referred to, in verse 36. His Father Him-
self had borne witness of Him, by speak-
ing from heaven at His baptism. (See 2
Peter i. 17.) Ye have neither heard his voice,
&c. This is to be understood as a proof
of their ignorance of the Father, of the
knowledge of whom they so much gloried.
And inasmuch as they might object that
though such manifestations w-ere gone, yet
they had the word which was delivered by
the ministry of Moses to their fathers, and
in them to their successors and children,
Christ answers that it was not "abiding in
them " — had not its due place with them,
since they believed not in Him. Search
the Scriptures, &c. Plere is the third of the
ways mentioned in verse 36. The Father
C II A P T E li Y.
493
had borne witness to His Son, in the
Scriptures. Search — read carefully. For
in them ye think. It is a sad thing, indeed,
and a most unprofitable use of the Scrip-
tures, if we read them, as tliese Jews did,
only to form opinions, out of them. In
what they testify concerning Christ and
" eternal life through His name," there is
no place for opinion, all is matter of faith,
we must "believe and be sure " that He is
"the Saviour of the world." Which testifi/
of me. '" If we -do not," says Cecil, " see the
golden thread through all the Bible, mark-
ing out Christ, we read the Scriptures
without the key." (Ps. xxxvi. 9.)
40. ™ And ye will not come to me that ye might have
life.— mi, 11 and iii. 19.
Life. This is of three kinds. 1. Life
judicial — that is, pardon, so verse 24. (See
XX. 31 ; 1 John v. 12.) All were under sin,
condemned to die the second death, but
in Jesus' hand there was a way of pardon
open and free to them all. 2. Life spirit-
ual— that is, inward holiness, spoken of in
verse 25. (See Col. iii. 3; Gal. ii. 20.) 3.
Life of glory — called "eternal life" and
"everlasting life." (Matt. xxv. 46; John
iii. 16.) Jesus has eternal life in His hand,
ready to give the right to it, the foretaste
of it, and itself in due time. (Chap x. ;
Gal. vi. 8.) Ye will not come, &c. This is
the only reason Christ here assigns. He
traces the difficulty to their willful and
guilty rejection of Him. How will sinners
bear the reflection in eternity, that through
folly, pride, ignorance, they tcouldnot come
to Jesus that they might have life !
41. "I receive not honour from men.
"Verse 34 : 1 Thes. ii. 6.
Our Lord points out ne reason why they
were unwilling to connect themselves with
Him. It was because He appeared in a
style which crossed their prejudices, tradi-
tions and carnal desires, because He dis-
claimed human honor, and made Himself
of no reputation, and took upon Him the
form of a servant, seeking not His own
glory as man, nor a kingdom which is of
this world, but the glory of His Father in
heaven,
42. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God
in you. 43. I am come in my Father's name, and ye
receive me not : if anotlier shall come in his own name,
him will ye receive. 44. "How can ye believe, which
receive honour one of another, and seek not Pthe lion-
our that cometh from God only ?
°xii. 43. pKom. ii. 29.
/ know you. By this ray Jesus penetrates
His hearers' hearts. Hemcansthis: Iknovj
the Father (verse 32), and Jfoio^y that you
are strangers to Him. This was spoken
by .flim most compassionately. They were
not actuated in anything which they did
by a desire to promote God's glory. Their
ends and aims were all selfish. In my
Father's name, or authority. "There is
proof that under a profession of piety, ye
have not the love of God in you, for if you
had, you would receive me by faith as sent
by Him, with credentials so clear that
they cannot be reasonably questioned.
Yet if an impostor come and promise you
empire and earthly glory, him ye will re-
ceive." How can ye believe, &c. Than these
words what can be a stronger proof of the
believing, here spoken of, being a moral
disposition of the sublimest kind, since our
Lord in these expressions makes it imply,
essentially, both the most heroic derelic-
tion, and the most spiritual preference,
that could be made by man in this world?
We should indeed honor all men. But the
excited ambition of these Jews, unable to
gratify itself in triumph over foreign na-
tions, exhausted itself in exacting and ex-
changing honors with each other. The
honor that cometh from God only is alone
eternal, enduring with our immortal exist-
ence.
43. Do not think that I will accu.se you to the Father :
qthere is one that accuseth you, even Moses, iti whom ye
trust. 46. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have
believed me : rfor he wrote of me. 47. But if ye believe
not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
lEom. ii. 12. ^Gen. iii. 15, xii. 3, xviii. 18, xxii. 18 and
xlix. lu ; Deut. xviii. 15, 18 ; chap. i. 45 ; Acts xxvi. 22.
Do not think, &c. " It is not necessary
that I accuse you, for, even now, Moses,
in Vv'hom ye trust, your great lawgiver and
patron, is, as it were, your accuser before
God, and charges you with being regard-
less of him as well as of me." Had ye be-
lieved Moses, &c. Here Je-sus presses the
Jews with this, that, if they did believe
the writings of Moses and their other
Scriptures, they must of necessity believe
Him also. This is the sense of the New
Testament concerning the Old Testament.
Supposing therefore the truth of the New
Testament, the Divine authority of the Old
Testament is to be acknowledged. (Luke
X. 26, xxiv. 27, 44; Acts xiii. 18, x. 23, xxiv.
14, xxvi. 27.) But if ye believe not his writ-
ings, &c. "If ye do not really believe
what your honored lawgiver Moses wrote
494
JOHN,
— and it is plain that you do not — it is not
likely that you will believe what I say."
It appears that our Lord's discourse effec-
tually confounded the Jews, for they went
away without replying; a proof that they
had nothing to say.
1. What pool was at Jerusalem ? 2. What is said of it ? 3. What did Jesas say to the man who had an infir-
mity? 4. What was the man"s reply ? 5. What was the result? 6. State the interview between the Jews and
the man that was cured. 7. Explain verse 17. 8. Also verse 19. 9. To whom is all judgment committed ? 10.
Who hath everlasting life ? 11. Whose voice shall be heard by all that are in the graves ? 12. What shall occur
when it is heard ? 13. Had Jesus greater witness than tliat of John ? 14. W^hat is said about searching the Scrip-
tures? 15. \Vhatissaidofthe" writings" of Moses and the "words" of Christ?
CHAPTER VI,
1 Christ feedeth Hve thouaand men with five loaves and
two fishes. 15 'Thereupon the people would have made
him king. 16 But withdrawing himself, he walked on
the sea to his disciples : 26 reproveth the people fl.ock-
ing after him, and all the fleshly hearers of his word :
32 declareth himself to be the bread of life to believers.
66 Many di.'iciplrs depart from him. 68 J'eter confess-
eth him. 70 Judas is a devil.
AFTER 4hese things Jesns went over the sea of Gali-
lee, which is the sen of Tiberias.
.ailatt. xiv. 15 ; Mark vi. 35 ; Luke ix. 10, 12.
After these thin gs-anmdeHnite expression,
not meaning immediately after the things
mentioned in the preceding chapter. The
clause, n'hich is the sea of Tiberias (literally,
of Tiberias), is added probably by John,
because at the time he wrote his Gospel,
this sheet of water was more generally
known to the people of other countries by
this name. Our Lord went to a private
and desert i:)lace near Bethsaida.
2. And a great multituile followed him, because they
saw his miracles wtiich he did on them that were dis-
eased.
A great multitude — partly of Capernaites
and partly of passengers to the approach-
ing Passover at Jerusalem. Followed him.
This they might easily do by going round
the head of the lake, to the point "wdiere
Bethsaida was. Because they saiv, &c. The
miracles of Christ were designed, 1. To
excite inquiry. 2. To convince men that
He was the promised Messiah. 3. To
teach us to place our trust in His power.
4. To dispose our hearts to obedience.
Surely, if we really believe these wonder-
ful works, we cannot but desire to obey
Him who is thus Lord of all creatures, and
it is remarkable that as faith leads to obe-
dience, so there is nothing like obedience
for increasina; faith.
3. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he
sat with his disciples.
Literally " into the mountain," so desig-
nated, either because it was the one moun-
tain which stood there, in contradistinc-
tion to the more level ground composing
the district, or because it was " that par-
ticular hill" to which our Lord was in the
habit of going when He visited that dis-
trict. Dr. Thomson expressly says that
there is a " bold headland " here, with " a
smooth, grassy spot " at the base, " capable
of seating many thousand people." There
Jesus sat, as teachers do, in the chair of
instruction ; He sat as one having authority
— whoever would, might come, and find
Him there. He sat with his disciples, con-
descended to take them to sit with Him,
to put a reputation upon them before the
people, and give them an earnest of the
glory in which they would shortly sit with
Him. (See Eph. ii. 6.)
4. tAnd the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh,
tliev. xxiii. 5, 7 ; Deut. xvi. 1 ; chap. ii. 13 and v. 1.
Our Evangelist accounts in part for the
ready assembling together of such multi-
tudes of people, by informing us that the
Passover, a feast of the Jews (as he ex-
plains for the sake of his Gentile readers),
was nigh, when much people (xi. 5.5) were
gathered together from the various vil-
lages to the principal cities or centers,
previously to setting out for Jerusalem.
5. cWhen Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a
gi-eat company come unto him, he saith unto Philip,
Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6.
And this he said to prove him : for he himself knew
what he would do.
cMatt. xiv. 11 ; Mark vi. 35 • Luke ix. 12. on which see
notes.
CHAPTER VI,
496
Whence shall we buy, &c. Let us not
think that we have acted as the followers
of Jesus, if we have sent the people away
in want of the common necessaries of life,
without an effort on our part to supply
their wants. To prove him, i. e., to make
trial of the Apostle's faith, to prove what
manner of trust he had in Him, whom he
had already acknowledged the Messiah
(John i. 45.) Philip had seen our Lord's
miracles, and ought to have trusted Him
for supplying all that was wanted. There
was in him a certain slowness of heart to
recognize the Godhead of the Incarnate
Son. (See xiv. 7-11.) His reply at this
time shows that he dreamed of nothing
less than of a dis])lay of miraculous power.
For he himself knew, &c. " Christ's relief
of bodies," says Baxter, " w^as in love to
bodies and souls. Christ's questions were
to instruct the hearers, and not Himself."
7. Philip answered him, ^Two hundred penny-worth
of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of
them may take a little. 8. Oneof his disciples, Andrew,
Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, 9. There is a lad
here, which liath Ave barley loaves, and two small
fishes : '■but what are they among so many ? 10. And
Jesus said. Make the men sit down. Now there was
much grass i u the place. So the men sat down, in num-
ber about five thousand.
dSee Num. xi. 21, 22. ^2 Kings iv. 43.
Two hundred penny-worth — a sum vari-
ously estimated from $28 to $30. A con-
siderable quantity of bread, yet not
enough, Philip thinks, as he glances at
the gathering multitudes, to give even a
taste to each. There is not so much as a
hint of his trust in Divine power. " When
men judge by sense or reason," says an old
writer, " and look to likelihoods and pro-
babilities, and not to Christ's power, they
will soon be at their wits' end in extremi-
ties, and unable to answer doubtful cases,
for so much doth this answer of Philip
teach."
Andrew saith unto Mm, &c. As
he, as well as Philip, was a native of the
district of Bethsaida, where all these
things happened, there was an obvious
propriety in his speaking and giving in-
formation on the present occasion. John
is the only writer who mentions that these
were barley loaves. Barley was a cheap
kind of food ; much used by poor people.
Fishes. This word in the original literally
means something boiled, i. e., meat, flesh,
eaten with bread, hence, any sauce or con-
diment eaten with bread to give it a relish
or flavor. Fish was the chief dainty of the
Athenians, and thus the word came grad-
ually to be used for a sauce or relish. The
fact that a lad, a little boy, could carry all
that Andrew mentions, is a plain proof
that the loaves could not have been large,
nor the fish of great size. " Idle and in-
decent application of sentences taken from
the Scriptures," saysDr. Johnson, "such as
' loaves and fishes,' is a mode of merri-
ment, which a good man dreads for its.
profaneness, and a witty man disdains for
its easine.ss and vulgarity." What are
they, among so many ? The order of the
words in the original is much more em-
phatic : But these — what are they for so
many ? Five loaves and two small fishes
are more than enough in His hands who
continually multiplies the corn of the
earth a hundred-fold. Whoever is faith-
ful in adoring and praising God for all the
benefits He does us by the ordinary
methods of His providence, will not find
his faith and confidence stagger when he
stands in need of extraordinary assistance.
Make the men sit down, recline, as was
usual at taking a meal. Christ may see fit
to engage His people in what seems to
them strange service, and to give them
commands that seem absurd to sense and
reason, and yet give a good account of all
in His time. And it is a commendation
of faith that it obeys His precepts without
reasoning. Now there was much grass, &c.
(See on verse 3.) This is one of those
graphic touches which help us to picture
to ourselves the scene. So the men, &c.
Men would of course form the largest pro-
portion of a paschal caravan, as it was only
the males who were commanded to appear
in the holy city.
11. And Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given
thanks, he distriliuted to tlie disciples, and the disciples
to them that were set down, and likewise of the fishes
as much as tliey would. 12. When they were filled, he
said unto his disciples. Gather up the fragments that
remain, that nothing be lost. 13. Therefore they gath-
ered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the
fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained
over and above unto them that had eaten. 14. Then
those men. when the.v had seen the miracle that Jesus
did, said. This is of a truth 'that Prophet that should
come into the world.
fGen. xlix. 10; Deut. xvili. 15, 18; Matt. xi. 3; chap,
i. 21, iv. 19, 25 and vii. 40.
Giving thanks was the piety of His human
nature, but the blessing came from the vir-
tue of His Divine nature. We ought to
give thanks for our food, for we have it
from the hand of God, and must receive it
490
JOHN.
uith thanlcsgivlng. (1 Tim. iv. 4, 5.) And
the disciples to them that ivere set dovm. Here
is a lively emblem of the work which a
true minister of the New Testament is
meant to do. He is not a mediator between
God and man. He has no power to put
away sin, or impart grace. His whole busi-
ness is to receive the bread of life which
his Master provides, and to distribute it
among the souls among whom he labors.
.He cannot make it soul-saving or life-
giving, to any one.
When they ivere filled. They had come
"taking no thought," for three days at
least, of " what they should eat, or what
they should drink," only anxious to hear
the Word of Life, only " seeking the king-
dom of heaven," and now the meaner
things, according to the promise of the
Saviour (Matt. vi. 33), were "added unto
them." (Ps. xxxvii. 3.) Gather up the
fragments, &c. Though Jesus was able
miraculously to furnish any amount of
food, He strictly forbade wastefulness. We
ought to be neither anxious about the
future (Matt. vi. 25), nor regardless of those
present advantages which may supply our
necessities in time to come.
Filled twelve baskets, &c. This is an extra-
ordinary instance of our Lord's power.
These were probably large baskets, such
as were usually slung from the shoulder.
The disciples lost nothing by giving their
services for the good of others, at the com-
mand of Christ. There was a basketful
for each of the twelve, after all they had
given away. This is of a truth, &c. This
expresses the popular expectation of the
Messiah, based on Deut. xviii. 15-19. " In
this matter of miracles," observes an ancient
writer, " we do much abuse ourselves. For
whv was it a greater miracle that our
Saviour once turned a little water into
wine, than every year in so many vine
trees to turn that into wine in the branch-
es, which being received at the root was
mere water? Or why was it more won-
derful for Him once to feed five thousand
with five loaves, than every year to feed
the whole world, by the strange multpli-
cation of a few seeds cast into the ground?"
15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would
come and take him by foree, to make liim a king, he
departed again into a mountain himself alone.
On verses 15-21, see on Matt. xiv. 22-33.
The miracle at first made an overwhelm-
ing impression upon the i:)eople. Under
the dominion of earthly expectations re-
garding the Messiah, they wished now to
take Jesus with them to Jerusalem, in
order to make Plim a king. Observe, 1.
The Saviour's omniscience — He perceived.
&c. As God, He possessed a perfect and
universal knowledge of the human charac-
ter in all its depths (ii. 25). 2. The Sa-
viour's freedom from ambition — He de-
clined the honor which they sought to force
upon Him. " The acceptance of an earthly
kingdom," says Bishop Horsley, " had been
inconsistent with the establishment of His
everlasting Monarchy, and He declined
the danger of popular tumult and private
assassination, that He m.ight die in the
character of a ci-iminal by a judiciary pro-
cess and a public execution." (xii. 33.) 3.
The Saviour's love of solitude. How often
do we read of Him being alone ! Solitude
familiarizes the soul with God and Divine
things, elevates the mind above the world,
prepares for fresh trials and sorrows, and
by the Divine blessing meetens us for the
heavenly inheritance.
16. sAnd when even was now come, his disciples went
dowQ unto the sfa, 17. Aiul entered into a ship, i^nd
went over tlie sea toward Capernaum. And it was
now dark, and Jc^us was not come to them.
sMatt. xiv. 23; Mark vi. 47.
When even vxts now come, &c. Rather,
"And when the evening was come,
His disciples had gone down to the sea,
and having entered the ship, were going
over the sea to Cai^ernaum." It ivas now
dark, &c. It must needs be dark in our
souls when Jesus does not come. But
why does infinite love delay ? May it not
be for this wise and gracious purpose, that
in the obscure night of our afflictions the
failure of every earthly help and comfort,
and the disappointment we thence expe-
rience may serve, as the dark foil, to com-
mend His goodness and faithfulness, and
to show us more of His glory ? (Deut. xi.
6, xxi. 3, 4; Ps. xxvii. 14; Hab. ii. 3.)
18. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that
blew.
Arose — was beginning to run high. A
great wind. The jjosition of this lake,
with its high hills on either side, exposed
it to sudden and violent wind-storms.
How lively an image of the Church " toss-
ed with waves " did that ship with ita
CHAPTER VI,
497
little company present! The small pro-
gress effected, in spite of the incest^unt
labor, and the opposition continually expe-
rienced, as well as the storm jjatiently
sustained, are all circumstancies which
suggest their own interpretation.
19. So when thoy had rovvert about five and twenty or
tliirty I'urlougs, tliey see Jesus waliving on the sea, aud
dravving nigh unto the ship : and they were afraid.
Five and twenty, &c. — about four miles.
They were detained till toward morning
by the storm. They see Jesus, &c. But
they did not know that it was He. It was
too early in the morning for them to see
distinctly. (Matt. xiv. 25.) How, says
the querist, was this miracle performed ?
We suppose that both the miracle of walk-
ing the sea and moving the ship to land
(verse 21), was performed just as a writer
moves his pen, by an act of will — of a will
supernaturally, Divinely powerful. Gravi-
tation, so far as we can see, is the imme-
diate effect of the Divine volition holding
the spheres in their places. That same
volition could hold the water solid be-
neath the feet of Jesus, or cause His body
to glide over the undisturbed surface. And
they were afraid. Christ, even when He
comes to deliver His people in a remarka-
ble way, may be mistaken, and even mer-
cies may be matter of fear and terror to
them. It is acceptable service to God
to oppose faithless fears in trial.
20. But he saith unto them. It is I. be not afraid. 21.
Then they willingly receive him into the ship: and
immediately the ship was at the land whither they
went.
realize their deliverance, they find them-
selves, by the mighty power of their Lord,
at land. There was a double miracle: the
wind ceased suddenly, and they arrived at
their destination presently. This manifold
exercise of (Jhrist's power illustrates the
fullness of the riches of His grace to our
souls, and assures us of our heavenly rest,
if we abide in the shii>. (See 1.29; Jud6
24; Actsxvii. 31.)
22. 11 The day following, when the people, which stood
on the other side of the sea, saw that there wa-s none
other boat there, save that one wliereinlo his disciplas
were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disci-
ples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away
alone : 2.i. Howbeit there came other boats Irom Tibe-
rias nigh unto ttie place where t.'iey did eat bread after
that the Lord had given thanks : 21. When the people
therelbre saw that Jesus was not tlier«'. ni-ither his dis-
ciples, they also toolcshi^'pintraiHl canir toC ipernaurn
seeking for Jesus, ij. And wlien tlio\' had found him'
on tlie other side of the sea. they .said unto him, Kabbi
when earnest thou hither ?
It is I, &c. This utterance by One who
at that moment was "treading upon the
waves of the sea" and was about to hush
the raging elements with His word, what
is it but the voice which cried of old in the
ears of Israel, seeking to "gather them" in
the days of Moses, " I am." " I, even I, am
He!" These same words of our Lord,
which now freed the disciples from fear,
on another occasion filled the hearts of
His enemies with consternation, (xviii.
6; Ex. xiv. 20; see on xxi. 7, 12.) It is a
sufficient deliverance to the Lord's people,
if, when they are in greatest extremities,
they be delivered from slavish fear. Wil-
lingly. As they had before dreaded His
approach, so now they are eager to receive
Him on board. And immediately, &c. (See
on verse 19.) Before they had time to
32
The people, which stood, &c. Not the whole
multitude that had been fed, but only such
of them as remained over night about the
shore, i. e., on the east side of the lake, for
we are supposed to have come, with Jesus
and His disciples in the ship, to the west
side, Capernaum. Saw that there was none,
&c. The meaning is, the people had ob-
served that there had been only one boat
on the east side where they were, namely,
the one in which the disciples had crossed
at night to the other, the west side, anvl
they had also observed that Jesus had not
gone on board that boat, but His disciples
had put off without Him. Howheit, &c.
This parenthetical and express mention
of the.se " other boats," was necessary in
order to explain how the multitude 'had
it in their poAver to cross the sea in boats,
when they went to the western side, seek-
ing for Jesus. These boats, in their passage
up the lake,were probably by the same wind
which was contrary to the disciples (Mark
vi. 48), driven near to the place where
Jesus had fed the multitudes, and where
those of the people who had kept together
still remained. Tiberias, a town so-called
in honor of Tiberius Caesar, on the south-
west part of the Sea of Galilee. Given
thanks. (See on verse 11.) The particu-
larity with which this is here noticed,
shows the important connection of this
act of devotion with the great miracle
which followed.
Took shippinn, &c. Finding that Jesus
was not there, they followed Him to
498
JOHN.
Capernaum, which T»as the ordinary place
of His residence. Rabbi, wlien earnest thou
hither f Hooker says on this question :
" The disciples, when Christ appeared to
them in a far more strange and miraculous
manner, moved no question, but rejoiced
greatly in that they saw. For why ? The
one sort beheld only that in Christ which
they knew was more than natural, but
yet their affection was not rapt therewith
through any great extraordinary gladness :
the other, when they looked on Christ,
were not ignorant that they saw the well-
spring of their own everlasting felicity :
the one, because they enjoyed not, dis-
puted ; the other disputed not, because
they enjoyed, (xxi. 4-7, xx. 28.)
26. Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I
say unto yo\i. Ye seek me, not because ye saw the
miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were
filled.
Jesus did not satisfy their curiosity by
answering their inquiry, but proceeded to
unveil their hearts, and to expose the sel-
fish, earthly motives that led them to seek
Him so earnestly. They did so, not be-
cause they saw in His miracles the eviden-
ces of His being " that Prophet that should
come into the world (verse 14), but because
they hoped to reap temporal advantages
from His miraculous power — " loaves" be-
ing here put generically for all the tem-
poral blessings which they hoped to enjoy
as the followers of a personage possessed
of such miraculous power. Learn, 1. Jesus
is not pleased, nor can He be deceived,
with the fairest show of respect to Him.
2. He is so tender, even to hypocrites, that
He will not abruptly put them away, but
deal with them in great compassion. 3.
The true difference between time-servers
and siijcere professors is not always indi-
cated by their outward diligence. (Ps.
Ixxviii. 34-37 ; Isa. Iviii. 1, 2.) 4. Christ,
in trying men, looks not only to their dili-
gence, but chiefly to their ends and prin-
ciples. " Holy intention is to the actions
of a man that, which the soul is to the
body, or form to its matter, or the root to
the tree, or the sun to the world, or the
fountain to the river, or the base to a
pliiar."
27. Labor hot for the meat which perisheth, but hfor
that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which
the Son of man shall give unto you : 'for him hath God
the Father sealed.
hVerse 54, iv. \A. iMatt. iii. 17 and xvii. 5 ; Mark i. 11
andix. 7; Lukeiii. 22 and ix. 35; chap. 1. 33, v. 37 and
vui. 18 ; Acts li. 22 ; 2 Peter i. 17.
Labor not, &c. This prohibition must
not be understood absolutely, but com-
paratively. (See 2 Thes. iii. 10.) Our
Lord's meaning is, labor not in the first
and chief place for earthly things — they
either perish in our hand, or we perish
ourselves in tho midst of them. It la
certain that our salvation must be
wrought out, something must be done for
it;, though we have it not for anything
we can do. We must " sow in righteous-
ness," before we can "reap in joy." It
was Naaman's fault that he thought to be
cured of his leprosy by sitting still, and it
is our folly, and will be our misery, too, to
dream of blessedness, without having that
fixith which evinces its existence by works.
(Rom.ii.7; Heb.iv.ll; Jamesii.22.) There
.are promises in the Scriptures to help our
weakness, but none to overcome our will-
fulness. (I-Ieb. vi. 17, 18; 2 Cor. vii. 1.)
Which endureth, &c. (Prov. ix. 5 ; Isa. Iv.
2.) This is the true food of souls. (See
verse 51.) From the sacrificial death of
Christ flows, 1. Our pardon, in which the
true life of the soul begins. 2. From this
flows love, which is the mighty agent in
giving life to the soul. 3. From this flows
purity, which is strength. We are strong
in proportion to its increase, because we
are made more and more partakers of the
Divine nature. Shall give. While he bids
them ^vork for this. He yet promises to
give it to them. Heavenly food is the gift
of the Son of man. Scaled. Among the
seals put upon the claims of our Lord,
were : 1. The impress of Divinity on His
doctrine. 2. Miracles. 3. Fulfilled pro-
phecy. 4. The striking events of His cru-
cifixion. 5. The seals of the resurrection
and ascension of Christ, of both which
great event.? the gift of the Holy Ghost
was the public confirmation.
23. Then said they unto him. What shall we do, that
we misht work the" works of God ? 20. Jesus answered
and said unto them, ^This is the work of God, that ye
believe on hiru whom he hath sent.— "^l Jojan iii. 23.
Our Lord had spoken of working for
something: the people suppose He was
recommending to them some legal works,
that God had bidden this Prophet to pro-
pose to them certain additional cere-
monies ; and so they ask what these might
CHAPTER VI.
499
be, and ask apparently with a readiness
to perform. For they, hke many in mod-
ern times, were wiUing to do some things,
hke Herod, after hearing John the Bap-
■ tist, were wilhng to do many things, pro-
vided this did not particularly interfere
with that whereon their hearts were set.
This is (he uvrk of God, &c. This is the
same as saying, " this is the first and great-
est of all duties, and without it no other
duty can be acceptable." Faith is called
" the work of God," for three reasons :
It is the work of His efficiency (Eph. i. 19 ;
Col. ii. 12), the work of His commanding,
and the work of His approbation. Be-
lieving is not a work of merit, for it is the
beggar coming to the king for alms, the
criminal suing to the judge for mercy. It
is no easy matter for a man to believe.
Such an one must not only receive Christ
as a Saviour, but as a Lord too. He must
renounce all to have Him ; he must take
Him on His own terms. He must deny
the world and all, looking beforehand
what it will cost him. (Eph. i. 19 ; Col. ii.
12.)
30. They said therefore unto him, 'What sign shewest
thou then, that we may see, and believe thee ? what
dost thou work ? 31. mOur fathers did eat manna in
the desert, as it is written, "He gave them bread from
heaven to eat. 32. Then Jesus said unto tliem. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread
from heaven, but my Father givetb you the true bread
from heaven. 33. For the- bread of Ciod Ls he which
Cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the
world. 34. oThen said they unto him, Lord, evermore
give us this bread.
iMatt. xil. 3S and xvi. 1 ; Mark viii. 11 ; 1 Cor. i. 22.
"Ex. xvi. 15 ; Num. xi. 7 ; Neh. ix. 15 ; 1 Cor. x. 3. "Ps.
Ixxviii. 24, 25. "iv. 15.
What sign, &c. The carnal belief in
miracles is insatiable, it craves miracle
after miracle. Our fathers, &c. Here was
an intimation that, as ]\Ioses fed their
fathers in the wilderness, who were no less
than six hundred thousand persons, with
excellent manna from heaven, and this
for forty years together, they had more
reason to believe Moses than Christ.
Moses gave you not — Moses did not give
that bread, he did not create it : nor was it
living bread ; it would not give life to the
dead, or even preserve the life of the liv-
ing. But my Father, &c. The expression
must not be supposed to imply actual re-
ception on the part of the Jews. It rather
means " giving" in the sense of "offering"
for acceptance a thing which those to
whom it is off'ered may not receive. " It
is," says one, "a very remarkable saying,
and one of those which seems to me to prove
unanswerably that Christ is God's gift to
the whole world — that His redemption
was made for all mankind — that He died
for all, and is offered to all. It is like the
famous texts, John iii. IG; 1 John v. 11."
Lord, evermore give, &c. Though our Sav-
iour had spoken to them of heavenly food,
they, still cleaving to earth, cannot com-
prehend Him, but supposing that He offers
something better than the manna, yet
withal earthly, they desire to be always
supplied with it : as the Samaritan woman,
in a somewhat parallel conversation asks
Him, " Sir, give me this water, that I thirst
not, neither come hither to drav,-." (iv.
15.)
Si. And Jesus said unto them, Pl am the bread of life :
qhe that cometh to me shall never hunger ; and he that
believeth on nie shall never thirst.
pVerses48, 58. "Jiv. 14 and vii. 37.
Henceforward it is "I" "me" through-
out the discourse. The bread of life is equi-
valent to "the life-giving bread." Our
Lord here affirms that He is the author
of true happiness, that He, that He alone,
can make men truly and permanently
happy. Hunger and tliirst, are here used
figuratively for that restless and dissatis-
fied state which rises out of the want of
what is necessary to our happiness — a
sense of that want — and a craving desire
to have that w'ant supplied. That is the
state of all men in their natural condition.
He that cometJi to me — relies on my atone-
ment as the only expiation of guilt, and
imjilicitly submits to my authority as the
great Teacher of truth and holiness. Shall
never, &c. " Every one that believing
comes to me for happiness shall obtain it.
After having tasted the happiness which
I have to bestow, he will not expect to
find it anywhere else. He will find in me
alone, that truth which will satisfy his
understanding, that atoning righteousness
which will pacify his conscience, that
sanctifying influence which will transform
his character, that soul-satisfying portion
which will fill his heart."
3fi. rBut I said unto you, That ye also have seerv me,
and believe not.— 'Verses 2(>, 64.
Our Lord here upbraids them because
of their unbelief. He had already told
them (v. 38, 43), and now He repeats the
charge, that though He had given them
every proof, even ocular demonstration,
500
JOHN.
testifying not merely to faith, but unto
sight?, that He was tli£ Sent of God, yet
they would not believe.
37. sAU that the Father giveth me shall come to me;
and >him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
"V. 45. Olatt. sxiv. 24; chap. x. 28, 29; 2 Titus ii. 19;
1 John ii. lU.
As if to derive consolation to His own
soul, amidst so discouraging an aspect as
that referred to in the preceding verse, the
Saviour adds, All that the Father, &c. (Rom.
V. 11.) If our Divine Master could draw
consolation from this high soui-ce, surely
the weakest of His servants may well be
l^ermitted to do the same. Him. Observe
the particularity of the promise : although
our Lord began the sentence with "all,"
He changes the person in that portion of
it which He intended especially for the
sinner's heart, and says, "him that cometh,"
&c. It is the soul that Jesus would have
to come. Whosoever and whateverhe be.
though he may long have been the most
hardened rebel, though he may be the
readiest slave of Satan, still let him come,
and he shall find a blessed welcome. In
no wise, -Ac. Here is a double negative. " I
Avill not, no, I will not cast out." None
.shall be excluded on account of their age,
or their situation in life, or their ignorance
and slowness to learn, or the number,
magnitude, or aggravation of their sin,?.
" Tiiough they are but some," says Bishoj)
Beveridge, "that God hath elected, yet
His promises are made to all ' Come
unto me, all ye who are weary,' &c.,
' Whosoever believeth in him shall
not perish,' &c. In the application of
which and the like promises, we must not
have respect to the eternity of God's pur-
■oose, biri to the universality of His prom-
ise. His promises are made to all, and
therefore all are bound to lay hold upon
His promises; and, as we are to receive
His promises, so are we also to obey His
precepts, as made to all. So that in all our
doings the will of God is to be followed,
as we have it expres-sly declared to us in
His Word, not considering whether God
elected me from eternity, but whether I
obey Him in time: if I obey Him in time,
I may certainly conclude, that He elected
me from eternity."
3S. For I came down from heaven, "not to do mine
own will, »tut the will of him that sent me. S9. And
this is the Father's will which hath sent me, Jthat of
all which h& bath given me I should lose nothing, but
should raise it up again at the last day. 40. And this is
the will of him that sent me, "that every one which
seetli the Son, and believeth on him, may have ever-
lasting liie : and I will raise him up at the last day,
"Matt. xxvi. ;w : chap. V. 30. »iv. 34. yx. 28, xvii, 12
and xviii. 9. ^Verses 27, 47, 54 ; iii. 15, 16 and iv. 14.
Our Lord proceeds to confirm His pre-
vious position, by saying that there is no
opposition between Him and His Father.
For would be better translated " inasmuch
as." Came down, the tense of the verb is
perfect — have come doivn. Not to do, &c.
The " Messenger of the Covenant" came
down from heaven to do the will of the
Father, which is indeed His own will, for
they are one. (See on chap. v. 30 ; also
Ps. 'xl. 9, 10, with Heb. x. 5, 7.) This is the
Father^ s vill, &c. This verse expresses
more distinctly what was the will of the
Father. It refers back to the covenant
brought to view in verse 37, and confirms
its merciful provision in regaid to the re-
covery from sin and death of those who
are embraced in it. Of all, &c. A refer-
ence to God's amazing love in choosing
some of this guilty world, who should
certainly be to the praise of His glory.
(See xvii. 6 ; Eph. i. 5, 6.) / should lose
nothing — let nothing of such be lost. But
should raise it up again. The neuter " it "
conforms to the gender of ^ all," and is in
like manner to be taken in a collective
sense of all Christ's people. They shall,
though they die in this world, be raised up
again to a happy state, this being the con-
trast of losing nothing. The day of judg-
ment is called the last day, for days, weeks,
months and years, the revolutions which
now measure, time shall then be swallow-
ed up in an unchangeable eternity. The
saints shall be forever with the Lord. (1
Thes. iv. 17.)
That every one which seeth, &c. Our Lord
had (verse 33) referred to the redeemed
collectively, as being given to Him of the
Father, and as being made partakers of
everlasting life, now as to tli^r souls, and
resurrection life hereafter as to their bodies.
He now refers to the redeemed individually,
pointing to that whereby they come to be
partakers of the blessing, faith in the Son
of God. " Faith," says Scougal, " hath the
same place in the Divine life, which sense
hath in the natural, being, indeed, noth-
ing else but a kind of sense or feeling per-
suasion of spiritual things. It extends
C HATTER VI.
501
itself unto all Divine truths, but in our
lapsed estate, it hath a peculiar relation to
the declaration of God's mercy and recon-
cileableness to sinners through a Mediator,
. and, therefore, receiving its denomina-
tions from that principal object, is ordi-
narily termed faith in Jesus Christ." (xii.
21 ; Ileb. xi. 27 ; Matt, xxvii. 55 ; Luke x.
18 ; chap. xvii. 24 ; Acts iii. 1C> ; lleb. viii.
6.) " Every one," is the expression. No
one can say he is excluded. " Seeing and
believing" are the only things required.
No one can say that the terms are too
hard. And I mil raise, &c. (See on verse
39.) These words are rejieated in order
to make it sure that the glorious resurrec-
tion referred to will take place.
41. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said,
I am the bread wliicli came down frdm heaven. 42. And
they said, "Is not tliis Josiis, Uie son of .loseph, wjiose
father and mother \vi' V;nii\v? how is it then that he
saith, I came down I'roni Ijoiiven ?
"Matt. xiii. 55 ; MarJj. vi. 3 ; L,uiie iv. 22.
Murmured — muttered. How w it then, &c.
" What can this mean ? Do we not know
all about him — where, when and of whom
he was born ? And yet he says he came
down from heaven." (See on Matt. xiii.
55 ; Luke iv. 22.) The obscurity of Christ's
temporal birth renders the greatness of
His eternal birth incredible to carnal men,
as the majesty of His Divine being has
made others question the reality of His
human nature. Reason is always mis-
taken wlien it pretends to judge by itself,
or to make the senses judges of the mys-
teries of religion, instead of having recourse
to the authority of the Word of God.
43. Jesus therefore answered and said unto them,
Murmur not among yourselves. 44. ^No man can come
to me, except the Father wliich hatli sent me draw
him : and I will raise him up at the last day.
liCant. i. 4 ; verse 65.
" The point of our Saviour's reply is,"
says Luther, " that all dispute about His
person is fruitless, until the internal sense
of want is experienced." In what this con-
Bists, we are told (verses 45, 46), you
wish to subject me to measure and square,
and judge my word by your reason, but I
say unto you, that is not the right way
and path — you will not come to Him till
the Father opens to you His great mercy,
and Himself teaches you that from His
fatherly love He sent Christ into the
world." Can come — not simply come out-
wardly, but with the heart. "Drawing"
is tantamount to having " learined of the
Father," in verse 45. But it is not every
one that has been objectively instructed
by the preaching of the Gospel who comes
to Christ ; it must therefore be such an in-
struction and drawing as is peculiar to
true believers. In this drawing, which is
rendered necessary by men's ignorance, as
well as their perversity toward God, no
violence is done to the mental or the
moral powers of a man, but the influence
of God is harmonious with both, and re-
news the heart in such a manner that the
penson is conscious of no interruption of
his own free choice and action. God draw-
eth with His Word and by His Spirit, but
man's duty is to hear and learn, that is to
say, receive the grace offered, consent to
the promises, and not resist the God that
calleth. And I mill raise, &c. (Comp. xvii.
2 ; see on verses 39, 40.) The pronoun
" I," is emphatic. Jesus thus reminds
them of His Divine power.
45. =It is written in the prophets. And tliey shall all
be taught of Ciod. "JEvery man therefore that hath
lieard, and hath learned of the Father cometh unto
ine.
■^Isa. liv. 13 ; Jer. xxxl. 34 ; Mi. iv. 2 ; Heb. viii. 10 and
X. 16. dVerse 37.
The prophets — that section of the Old
Testament popularly styled tJie prophets.
The quotation is probably from Isa. liv. 13.
Shall all he taught, &c. This teaching is
part of the great process of the Father's
drawing to Christ. (See on verse 44.)
Every man tfterefore, &c. We here learn, 1,
That faith in Christ is not a mere notion
or belief, but sitch a belief as is accompa-
nied with an application to Him for all the
purposes of salvation. (See on verse 37.)
2. The reasonableness of faith. It is not
the offspring of presumption or ignorance :
it flows from instruction, from Divine
teaching. 3* The entire importance of the
Lord Jesus. We here see that all the
teaching of God, both in the revelation of
the Word and in the work of His Spirit, is
designed to make us feel our need of
Christ, and to induce us to desire Him,
and repair to Him. This is telling us
plainly enough, that there is salvation in
none other, that in Him all fullness dwells,
that He is all, and in all.
4f! i-Not that anv man hath seen the Father, 'save he
which i^fof (iod, he hath seen the Father.
ti. IS and v. 37. f Matt. xi. 27 ; Luke x. 22 ; chap. i. IS,
vii. 29 and viii. 19.
Not that, when He bade them hearken
502
JOHN,
to the Father's teaching, He would have
them expect any personal direction from
the Father to believe in the Son. (See
Rom. X. 6, 8; Deut. xxx. 12, 14.) God who
spake in time past unto their fathers by
the prophets, was now speaking unto them
by His Son. He which is of God — the only
begotten Son, W'hich is in the bosom of
the Father, He hath declared Him. As
the Son sees the Father, through His es-
sential and eternal union with Him (i.l4),
so do we see the Son (verse 40), through
a mystical union with Him by faith. And,
as we see the Father in His Son (xiv. 9),
so, by a mystery of grace, the Father seeth
us in His Son likewise. (Eph. i. 1-7; chap.
xvii. 21.)
47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, bHb that believeth
on me hiith everlasting life.
giii. 16, 18, 38 ; verse 40, on which see notes.
Our Lord repeats, with solemn affirma-
tion, that blessed truth, the substance of
which He had already uttered (verse 40),
only now applying it directly to Himself.
He that believeth. Observe, that the very
foundation of all that follows, is Faith.
Haih everlasting life, because he hath the
present right to it, and because He hath
already entered upon the present enjoy-
ment of that Vr^hich will become everlast-
ing life hereafter, (xvii. 3.)
48. i"! am that bread of life. 49. 'Your fathers did eat
manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50. ^This is
the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man
may eat thereof, and not die.
tVerses 33, 35. "Verse 31. i^VersesSl, 58.
lam that bread of life. "You did jiot
misapprehend me, when you thought I
appropriated to myself the appellation,
" the true bread," " the bread from heaven,"
" the bread of God. I am that life-giving
bread, I am the procurer and bestower of
immortal happiness." The Saviour goes
on to compare or contrast Himself with
that bread which the Jews were accustom-
ed to call " the bread from heaven," the
manna. There is one great difference in
the parallels : the manna gave but a tran-
sient earthly life, this true manna gives
heavenly and eternal life. That a man
may eat, &c. This clause contains the rea-
son why this bread from heaven w^as given
to man — as a remedy and preservative
against death, both spiritual and eternal.
The resurrection of the body to a condi-
tion of glory and blessedness is also com-
prised in the gift.
51. I am the living bread 'which came down from
heaven : if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for-
ever: and mtne bread that I will give is my flesh,
which I will give for the life of the world.
liii. 13. mKeb. x. 5, 10.
To mark the importance of the senti-
ment in verse 50, our Lord repeats it. /
am, &c. Eating is that which in conse-
quence of the natural constitution of
things, is neeessary to our deriving the
advantage from bread, which it is intend-
ed to communicate — that is, bodily nour-
ishment. To "eat" the bread of life is
just, by the faith of the truth, to obtain a
personal interest in the blessings of Christ's
salvation. (See on verse 53.) Aiid the
bread that I uill give, &c. The " flesh " of
our Lord is plainly just equivalent to His
body, or Himself as embodied. To "give
His flesh," is, to devote Himself as a sacri-
fice— voluntarily to lay down His life.
"The world" is just equivalent to man-
kind, without distinction, Gentiles as well
as Jews, and " to give his flesh for their
life," is either " to give Himself, to devote
Himself, in their room — to lay down His
life for their forfeited life — to give His
soul as a ransom for their souls — to die in
their room, in order to save them from the
death which they deserved," or, what
comes materially to the same thing, " to
lay down His life in order to obtain life —
happiness — for them."
52. The Jews therefore "strove among themselva"?,
saying, "How can this man give us his llesh to eat ?
nvii. 43, Ix. 16 and x. 19. "iii. 9.
Some of the hearers see clearly that
Christ cannot, in the literal sense, give
His "flesh" as food, whilst others have
more correct views of the spiritual nature
of this food, hence there is a conference
as to the real meaning of the word. As
Jesus saw that, in general, it was not com-
prehension but candor, which they needed,
He was pleased not to enter into any fur-
ther explanation, but (as before, at verse
44), gravely repeats, with stronger assever-
ation, what He had before said.
.53. Then .lesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Except pve eat the flesh of the Son of man,
and d"r!nk his blood, ye have no life in you.
pMatt. xxvi. 2(i, 28.
The language of our Lord here is cer-
tainly metaphorical, but it is founded in
truth, and designed to convey an impor-
tant reality. We live spiritually by the
dying of the Lord Jesus, and the allusion
refers to His Mediatorial offering for our
CHAPTER VI.
503
sins, and teaches us, that faith is necessary
to our deriving benelit from His sacrifice.
Tlie resemblance between this eating and
drinking, and the exercise of faith, whicli
• tliey represent, apjjears in four things. 1.
Appetite. Tlie Saviour speaks of liunger-
ing and thirsting after rigliteousness.
Such are the desires which all believers
feel toward the Lord Jesus. 2. Applica-
tion. In eating there is an actual ref ep-
tion of the food into the animal system,
and in believing we receive Christ Jesus
the Lord. 3. Satisfaction. As food is
essential to our subsistence, and there is
immediate gratification in receiving it, so
the reception of Christ is not only indis-
pensable, but free and delightful. 4.
Nourishment. This is the design and
effect of food. And " the just shall live by
faith." Blessed Jesus ! Thy flesh is meat
indeed, and Thy blood is drink indeed !
Evermore give us this food.
Though the Eucharist liad not yet been
instituted, yet we probably have the idea
of it, and a kind of anticipative allusion to
it, in this chapter: though we may not
restrict our Lord's words solely to that
holy mystery. The whole passage in fact,
looks at the passion of our Lord. (See
verse 51.) There is a glancing at His
heartless betrayal. (Verses 70, 71.) There
is the anticipation of His atoning sacrifice,
allusion to His cross and passion, though
not yet accomplished, and therefore, to-
gether with it, to the sacred Supper, as the
memorial of His body broken and His
blood shed, for the life of our souls, and as
the outward sign of the manner in which
we feed on Him in our hearts by faith,
with thanksgiving, as a public profession
of our inwardly receiving His atonement,
and as a pledge to all true believers of
everlasting life.
51. iWhoso eateth my flash, and drinketh my blood,
hatii eternal lilb, and I will raiso him up at the last
day. .>5. For my flesh is meat indeed ; and my blood
is "drink indeed. SC. He that eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood, '•dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57.
As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the
Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58. sThis is that bread which came down from heaven :
not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he
that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. 59. These
thine^ said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Caper-
namn.
qVerses 27, 40, 63, iv. 14. 'l John iii. 24 and iy. 15, 16.
•Verses 49, 50, 51.
Whoso eateth, &c. The preceding verse
declares the necessity of this spiritual food.
to the acquisition of eternal life. This verse
realhrms the promise made in verse 40, on
which see notes. Meat indeed drink
indeed, i. e., truly, really in the very highest
sense. "In all ages," says Latimer, "the
devil hath stirred up some light heads to
esteem the sacraments lightly, or, to be
empty and bare signs." " The real presence
of Christ's most blessed body and blood,"
observes Hooker, " is not to be sought for
in the sacrament, but in the worthy re-
ceiver of the sacrament." Dwelleth in me,
&c. _ As the branches are very members
of the vine, so are believers of the Lord
Jesus. This is the secret of their life.
They have eternal life because they are
partakers of Christ, because they are
legally and spiritually united to Him who
is "the Prince of life." (See Eph. iii. 17;
Col. i. 27; Rom. viii. 9-11; Gal. ii. 20; also
1 John iii. 24, iv. 13, 15, 16.)
The expression the living Father is plainly
equivalent to "the life-giving Father, the
possessor and communicator of all life and
happiness, the source and fountain of ex-
istence, intelligence, activity and enjoy-
ment." Hath sent me, &c. It is plain that
Christ here speaks of Himself as Mediator.
The general thought in this verse, seems
to be this: the intimate connection be-
tween believers and the Saviour is so close,
as that His life secures their life (see xiv.
19), and He illustrates this thought by
comparing the connection which subsists
between believers and Him, to the connec-
tion which subsists between Him and His
Father, and the security which their con-
nection with Him affords for their life, to
the security which His connection with
the Father affords for His life. (1 Cor. xi.
3, iii. 23.) This is that bread, &c. This is
a sort of summing up of the whole dis-
course, on which let this one further re-
mark suffice: that as our Lord, instead of
softening down His figurative sublimities,
or even putting them in naked phraseology,
leaves the great truths of His person and
office, and our participation of Him and
it, enshrined for all time in those glorious
forms of speech, so when we attempt to
strip the truth of these figures, figures
though they be, it goes array from us, like
water when the vessel is broken, and our
wisdom lies in raising our own spirit, and
504
JOHN,
attuning our own ear to our Lord's chosen
modes of expression,
60. If 'Many therefore of his discipl&s, when they had
heard thU, said, This is a hard saying, who can hear it ?
tVerse W ; Matt. li. 6.
Disciples. By this word here are meant
the persons who had lately attended on the
instructions of Jesus, though their hearts
had not become attached to Him. A hard
saying — an address hard to be understood
and believed. This is a strange way of
speaking, thought they, that a mere man,
whose father and motheV we know, should
tell us that He has come down from heaven
(verses 41, 42), and that He can give us
His flesh to eat. Who can hear it ? Who
can stop and listen to this? It seemed
to them literally absurd. They conclude
Him beside Himself (x. 20). The words
of eternal truth are hard sayings, but they
are such only to those who have a hard
heart. The most saving words are not to
all persons words of salvation. The school
of Christ is not to all His disciples a school
of light and truth. It is to every one of
us such as our heart is, because the heart
itself is this school.
61. When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples
murmured at it, he said unto them. Both this oti'end
you?
Knew in himself. By giving them this
proof that He knew their hearts, Jesus
also proved that He was God. It, i. e.,
what He had declared, that He had come
down from heaven, and that in order to
have life, they must eat His flesh and
drink His blood. Doth this offend you? —
does it prove a stumbling-block to j-ou ?
62. 'iWhat and If ye shaU see the Son of man ascend
up where he was before ?
"iii. 13; Mark xvi. 19; Acts i. 9; Eph. iv. 8.
The first thing that the Jews " murmur-
ed " about, was our Lord's saying that He
" came down from heaven ;" the second
thing, that He would "give them His flesh
to eat." Instead of humoring them in their
objections by lowering His tone, or quali-
fying His expressions, Jesus dares their
further offense by adverting to a greater
mystery respecting Himself, to a truth
still more difticult to their carnal concep-
tions. He asks them what they would
think if they saw His body "ascending
up " into heaven. Even then, after His
ascension, they would have to "eat his
flesh and drink his blood," if they desired
eternal life. What would they think of
that ? Would they not find it even more
difficult to receive and believe ?
63. lit is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth
nothing: the words that I speali unto yon, tliey are
spirit, and they are hfe. — ^2 Cor. iii. 0.
Our Lord here further reproves them
for that carnal interpretation which they
put ui:)on His spiritual sayings. Even if
it were possible for them to jpartake of the
literal flesh of the Lord, it would profit
them nothing, seeing it is the spirit alone
that quickeneth, the flesh to that end con-
tributeth nothing. (Comp. Rom. i. 3, 4 ; 1
Peter iii. 18.) All the quickening power
ascribed to oiir Lord's flesh, or human na-
ture, flows from His Godhead, to which it
is united. The icords that I speak, &c., that
is, the words that I have now spoken,
concerning eating of my flesh, are to be
understood in a spiritual sense of a spirit-
ual eating and drinking, and by that
means, and that only, a true eternal life is
to be obtained. " We should," says Leigh-
ton, " aspire to know the hidden rich
things of God, that are wrapped up in His
ordinances. We stick in the shell and
surface of them, and seek no further ; that
makes them unbeautiful and unsavory to
us ; and that use of them turns them into
an empty sound." (Verse 39 ; Jer. xxxi.
33; 1 Peter i. 10-12, iii. 21.)
64. But Jthere are some of you that believe not. For
'Jesus Ivnew from the beginning who they were that
believed not, and who should betray him. 65. And he
said. Therefore ^said I unto you, that no man can come
unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
yVerse 30. Hi. 24, 26 and xiii. 11. ^Verses 44, 45.
There are some of you, &c. " I know that
some of you — that many of you — notwith-
standing your professions, do not really
believe me to be a Divine messenger, for
you are not disjiosed to receive as true
whatever I declare to be so ; you receive
my doctrine only so far as it coincides
with your preconceived opinions." For
Jesus knew, &c. He was never imposed
upon. When He called Judas to be an
Apostle, He knew that He would be the
traitor. Therefore said I unto you. For
this reason I told you (verse 44) that no
man can come unto me, &c., because I know
that the prejudices of corrupt nature lie
strongly against me and my doctrine, and
that nothing but Divine grace will subdue
them. The degree of men's depravity—
their moral impotency in their fallen state
CHAPTER VI.
605
— is such, that they cannot come to Christ as
a Saviour, until the Father has given them
grace. It cannot he doubted tliat the doc-
trine of this verse has often furnished un-
believer's with an excuse for not coming to
Christ. His reason for declaring it, liow-
ever, was that He miglit convince man of
his danger and helplessness, and many
have been alarmed from hearing it, and
have been led to cry out, " What shall I do
to be saved ?" See verse 40, from which it
is plain that it is the revealed will of
Christ that every one who hears the Gos-
pel should come to Him for life.
66. bFrom that time many of hLs disciples went back,
and walked no more with him.— t Verse GO.
The word disciple means learner. It was
applicable to the followers of Christ, be-
cause they were taught by Him. It does
not imply of necessity that those to whom
it was given were real Clu'istians, but
simply that they were under His teaching,
were professed learners in the school of
Jesus. The Son of God, did not escape
giving offense to many of His disciples.
Even, therefore, though very many shrink
back from a pure doctrine, it is not right
to suppress it. " None," says Gurnall,
" will have such a dreadful parting with
the Lord at the last day, as will those,
who by profession went half way with
Him, and then left Him." (1 Peter ii.
20-22.)
67. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go
away? 68. Then Simon Peter answered him. Lord, to
wMt)m shall we go? thou hasf^the words ofeternal lile.
69. dAnd we believe and are sure that thou art that
Christ, the Son of the living God.
oActs V. 20. JMatt. xvi. IG; Mark viii. 29; Luke ix.
20 ; chap. i. 49.
When the multitude went awaj'', and
walked no more with Him, the Good Shep-
herd was grieved, for He never yet saw a
lost sheep running on to destruction but
His heart bled for it. But when His own
believing disciples were in danger of being
led away, Pie speaks to them, and, as we
may well suppose, in a tone of tenderest
affection. Will ye also, &c. " Will ye whom
I have chosen, washed, sanctified and filled
with hopes of glory, will ye also go away?"
Observe, Christ keeps His disciples from
backsliding by putting this question to
them. The words went to the heart of
the frank and generous Peter, and drew
from him (on behalf of the rest as well as
himself) this earnest declaration : Lord, to
whom shall we go, <kc. Three reasons are
here given why the believer cleaves to
Christ. 1. To whom go. None of
the founders of religions, or philosophies,
or priesthoods, can fill His place. 2. Thou
hast the words, &c. To unconverted minds
the words of Christ are hard sayings (verse
(30), to His own, thej' are tried words —
words of eternal life. The very thing that
drives the world away from Chri.st, draws
His own disciples closer and closer to Him.
3. We belici'e and are sure, &c. It is this
that rivets the believing soul to Christ —
the certain conviction He is a Divine Sa-
viour. We believe and are sure that He
is the Son of the living God, and therefore,
we know that He is a sufficient surety for
us. To whom else can we go fOr imrdon?
To whom else for a new heart? To whom
else for a title to, and meetness for, the
inheritance of heaven ?
70. Jesus answered them. 'Have I not chosen you
twelve, and fono of you is a devil? 71. He spake of
Judas Iscari' It Ihf son of Simon: for he it was that
shoiild betrav bini, being one of the twelve.
eLuke vi. 13. fxiii. 27.
Our Lord intimates to Peter, that his
charity was something too large in promis-
ing so much for them all, for there was one
traitor among them, of whose perfidious-
ness He now gives them warning. Chosen,
selected to be my Apostles, and to enjoy a
more intimate acquaintance with me. A
devil. The disposition of Satan, as the ad-
versary of Christ, might well be said to
have been possessed by Judas. The best
thing corrupted is worst. A bad man is
the worst of all creatures, a bad Christian
the worst of all men, a bad professor the
worst of all Christians, a bad minister the
worst of all professors. Judas Iscariot.
(See on Matt. x. 4; Luke vi. 16.) Should
betray him, literally, was about to betray him,
for it was he who at that time began to
harbor this execrable purpose. Being one
of the twelve. How much is implied in this
short sentence. It is a very solemn irony.
One of those who witnessed his Master's
miracles, heard His discourses, companied
with Him, walked with Him, sat with Him
in the fishing-boat on the Galilean Sea,
sat at His frequent board — what a fit'd was
here! From that height of favor to this
depth of degradation ! Numbered with the
twelve, by base and heinous transgressions
506
JOHN,
Judas fell, that he might go to his own place.
(Acts i. 17, 21.) As he stood so well in the
esteem of his fellow-Apostles, as to be in-
trusted with the bag containing their little
all, we ought not to solace ourselves with
the thought that the best of men approve
us, if our hearts are conscious that we do
•not love the Saviour.
1. Why did the multitude follow Jesus ? 2. Where did He go ? 3. State the particulars of the miracle of feed-
ing the multitude. 4. What did Christ do when the people proposed to make Him a king ? 5. What did He say
to His disciples as He walked on the sea ? 6. Explain verse 27. 7. What is said of the " bread fiom heaven ? "
8. 'Who is the bread of life ? 9. Will Christ in any wise cast out those who come to Him ? 10. How are wo to
understand verse 44 ? 11. How verses 48-58 ? 12. What did Jesus say to the twelve ? 13. What did Peter reply '
14. What is said about Judas ?
CHAPTER VII.
1 Jesus reprovcth the ambition and boldness of his kins-
men. 10 goeth up from Galilre to the feast of taber-
nacles: 14 tracheth in the temple. 40 Divers opinwns
of him. amona the people. 45 The Pharisees are angry
thai their officers took him not, and chide with JSico-
de.musfor taking his part.
AFTER these things Jesus walked in Galilee : for he
would not walk in Jewry, ^because the Jews
sought to kill him.— "v. 16, 18.
The Saviour went about from place to
place in Galilee, preaching and working
miracles, as was His custom. (Acts x. 38.)
Although ministers and private Christians
may be secluded from many places and
parts of their calling, yet they have no
warrant to be idle, but ouglit still to be
doing good. Jewry. This term is retained
in this place alone from the olde.st Eng-
lish translation. It signifies a place or
quarter where Jews reside. Because the
Jews, &c. — meaning principally their rulers.
(See verse 13.) Though Jesus might other-
wise, by supernatural means, have secured
Himself from the effects of malice, He was
pleased to choose this ordinary method.
For there is a manifest economy in the
Divine dispensations, which teaches us
that where ordinary means suffice, we are
not to look for extraordinary supplies.
Faithful ministers may for a time with-
draw themselves from personal danger,
yet they should not do this out of a slavish
fear, but should use this means of
self-preservation as a duty warranted by
Christ's example.
2. bNow the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand.
tLev. xxiii. 34.
The feast of tabernacles was one of the
three great annual feasts which every Jew
was required to attend at Jerusalem. It
is here noticed by the Evangelist as the
Jews' feast, for the sake of His Gentile
readers. It was celebrated in Autumn,
from the 15th to the 23d of Tisri (October),
the 23d being the chief day of the feast
(Lev. xxiii. 34-42; John vii. 37.) It com-
memorated the sojourning of the Israelites
in the wilderness, and is a lively emblem
of the sweet issue of the wandering of the
godly, when they shall enter out of the
wilderness of this world into their heaven-
ly Canaan. It was intended also as the
feast of the ingathering of all the fruits of
Autumn, by Avhich it was testified tl^at
present mercies had not produced forget-
fulness of former trials.
3. 'His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart
hence, an(l,go into Judea, that thj- disciples also may
see the works that thou doest. 4. For titere is no man
that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself soeketh
to be known openly, dif thou do these things, show thy-
self to the world.
cMatt. xii. 4G ; Mark iii. 31 ; Acts i. 14. ^xviii. 20.
His brethren, i. e., His natural brethren.
(See on Matt. xii. 47, xiii. 55.) Among the
Jews kinsmen in various degrees were
called brethren. Depart hence, &c. The
worldly spirit which this address reveals,
is much to be noticed. They were far
from entertaining just views of the nature
of Christ's mission, and were too much
actuated by low and unworthy motives in
urging Christ to make a public avowal of
His claims to the Messiahship, as here re-
lated. They manifested too little of that
goodness which seeks " the honor that
CHAPTER VII,
507
Cometh from God only." (v. 44.) As
little did they know of that heavenly
method which our Saviour was at ""Jiis
very time pursuing — in gathering together
the outcasts, and bringing home the wan-
derers from the fold, extending His king-
dom upon earth by methods which seemed
to men foolishness, building up His Church
out of the " base things of the world, and
things which are despised, yea, and things
which are not." (1 Cor. i. 28.) They were
ambitious of human honor, and thought
all lost which was done in secret. (See on
verse 5.) Shoiv thyself to the world. " The
world," observes an ancient writer, "is the
great theater on which men act a part ;
but behind the scenes they may be seen
in their proper persons, without any stud-
ied appearances. Our domestic behavior
is therefore the main test of our virtue
and good nature." (1 Sam.xv.30,xix. 9, 10.)
5. For ^neither did his brethren believe in him.
eMark iii. 21.
(See on verse 4.) This cannot be taken
universally of our Lord's kindred, for three
of His kinsmen, at least, were found in the
nmnberof His Apostles — Simon, and Jude,
and James the Less, who is expressly called
the Lord's brother. This is a very sur-
prising announcement, but it is very in-
structive. 1. It favors the truth of Christi-
anity. Had all our Lord's relations
recommended and followed Him, His case
mi^ht have looked human and sus])icious.
2. It shows us what evidence may be re-
sisted, and what means may be rendered
ineffectual, by the depravity of human
nature. 3. It proves that none will be
saved by mere relationship. It is a mercy
to have pious connections : but religion is
a personal thing, and if we refuse to tread
in their steps the blessing will be turned
into a curse — wliilst they are admitted into
the kingdom of God, we ourselves shall be
shutout. Believe m him. " Observe," says
Wordsworth, " the imperfect : they were
not believing in Him ; they were not stead-
fast in faith. They had made, as it were,
' an act of faith ' at Cana, there they (ii. 11)
' believed ' when they saw His miracles,
but it had not ripened into a habit."
6. Then Jesus said unto them, fMy time is not yet
come : but your time is always readv.
fii. 4 and viii. 20 ; verse 8, 30.
Great as is the want of respect shown in
the words of His brethren, the reply of
Christ displays tlie wonted character of
elevation. My time, &c., a suitable, proper
time for me to be going up to the festival.
His time forgoing was not while the roads
were thronged, and there was a concourse
of the people, but privately, when the way-
was comparatively clear, lest the hostility
of His enemies should break forth ])rema-
turely. (See on verses 7, 8.) We must be
extremely careful not to anticipate God's
appointed time, especially in undertaking
the more eminent and remarkable actions.
The Christian, who is desirous to perform
the will of God, waits till He is pleased to
make it known to him, and then makes it
the spring of all his activities. But your
time, &c., any time was suitable for them.
There were no special reasons in respect
to them for preferring one time to another.
The world could not hate them, or show
any hostility to them, for they had given
it no cause. What absurdity and madness
mark those, who because they imagine
that, in regard to securing salvation, their
" time is always ready," waste the passing
and precious days, and months, and years.
7. 5The world cannot hate you, but me it hateth, tbe-
cause I testily of it, that the works thereof are evil,
sxv. 19. hjii. 19.
The world — to which (verse 4) ye so am-
bitiously bid me show myself. Cannot
hate you. The immediate relatives of Je-
sus were not so different from other men
in religious respects, as to be exposed to
their ill will. But me it hateth, &c. The
true reason of the enmity of many of the
Jews against Christ is here distinctly in-
dicated. That adultery, covetousness and
hypocrisy were rife and common among
the leading Pharisees, is evident from
many exi:)ressions in the Gospels. It was
our Lord's witness against these darling
sins that enraged His enemies. (See iii.
19-21.) W'hatever be the hazard, Christ's
servants are bound, in their stations, to
bear testimony against the evil practices
of the world. Whatever pretenses of zeal
persecutors of Jesus and His followers
may have, yet the true cause of their hos-
tility is the opposition that is made to their
wickedness and hypocrisy.
8 Go ye up unto this feast : I go not up yet unto this
feast ifor my time is not yet full come. 9. When he
had said these words unto them, he abode slill in Gali-
lee.—'viii, 20 ; verse 0.
JOHN,
Christ bade them, for the reason stated
in the preceding verse, go np at once, if
they would, with all the bustle and ex-
citement of the public journey. As for
Himself, He said, for my time is not yet full
come, i. e., was not fully completed. Tho-
luck says on these verses : " At other times
Jesus invariabl-s* appeared at the beginning
of the feast ; here He declares that he will
not yet go to this feast, because the proper
time had not yet come ; if He came unex-
pectedly, and did not appear until in the
midst of the feast, the disturbance would
be less. That the fear of disturbance
was not groundless, is seen in the picture
given us of the state of feeling at Jeru-
salem."
10. H But when his brethren were gone up, then went
he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in
secret.
When his brethren, &c. (See on verses
6-9.) Then ivent he, &c. Jesus attended
the Jewish feast, according to the com-
mand of God. (Ex. xxiii.) Being made
under the law, He showed a punctual
obedience to the law, and fulfilled it in
His own person. Not openly. Not with
the ordinary pilgrim caravans by the ordi-
nary route on the east side of Jordan. As
it li'ere in secret—not by any actual conceal-
ment, but informing no one except His
Apostles, and taking the cross route through
Samaria. This private method of going
was adopted rather for fear of giving of-
fense, than of receiving injury. If the
work of God be done effectually, it is best
done when done with least noise. The
kingdom of God need not come tntlt ob-
servation. (Luke xvii. 20.) We may do
the work of God privately, and yet not do
it deceitfully.
11. Then ithe Jews sought him at the feast, and said,
\Vhereislie? 12. And iithere was much murmuring
among the people concerning him : for isome said, He
is a good man : others said, Nay, but he deceiveth the
people. 13. Howbeit no man spake openly of him mfbr
fear of the Jews.
ixi. 5G. k;x. Ifi and x. 19. 'Matt. xxi. 46 ; Luke vii. 16 ;
■ihap. vi. 14 : verse 40. mix. 22, xii. 42 and xLx. 38.
Where is hef The Jeics, perhaps from
hatred, forbore to name Him. There was
much murmuring, or private discussion
among the multitude, on the point whether
He were even a good man, or deceiver of
the people. " Censure no man," says one,
"detract from no man, praise no man be-
fore his face, traduce no man behind his
back. Observe thyself as thy greatest
enemy, so shalt thou become thy greatest
friend." (viii. 4 ; Rom. i. 30.) The record
here made of the various impressions of
the i^eople in reference to our Lord, shows
the impartial fidelity of the sacred histo-
rian, and affords a fair jaresumption of his
veracity. For fear of the Jews— of the Jew-
ish rulers, whose policy at this time was
to slight Jesus, to treat Him with con-
tempt, in the vain hope that the popular
excitement regarding Him would die out.
Fear is the main rock upon which most
men split their faith, their honor, and
their integrity. Concession of principle
has been in every age the bane of good
men, and the policy of bad.
14. 1 Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up
into the temple, and taught. 15. "And the Jews mar-
velled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having
never learned?
°Matt. xiii. 54 ; Mark vi. 2 ; Luke iv. 22 ; Acts ii. 7.
About the midst of the feast. (See on verses
8, 9.) Went up into the temple, &c. Hence-
forward in Judea and Galilee, Jesus could
only show Himself in safety by suddenly
stepping into a great assemblage of the
people, and exercising His ministry there.
In such situations, the spirit of reverence
which animated many of the people toward
Iliin, still for a while sheltered Him against
His enemies. Letters, learning. (Acts xxvi.
24.) Having never learned — at any rabbinical
school; as Paul under Gamaliel. These
rulers knew well enough that He had not
studied under any human teacher — an im-
liortant admission against ancient and
modern attempts to trace our Lord's wis-
dom to human sources. Probably His
teaching on this occasion was expository,
manifesting that unrivaled faculty and
depth which in the Sermon on the Mount
had excited the astonishment of all.
16. Jesus answered them, and said, "My doctrine is
not mine, but his that sent me. 17. If any man will do
his will, hesliall know of the doctrine, whether it be
of God, or whether I speak of myselt
"iii. 11, viii. 28, xiu 49 and xiv. 10, 24. pviii. 43.
My doctrine — my teaching. Is not mine —
is not mine alone. His that sent me. As
much as to say, " I do not proceed upon
any autliority or power distinct from that
of my Father: my plans and actions are
inseparable from His, my doctrine, works
and glory are His, and His are mine." The
great truth of Christ's own inseparable and
mysterious union with God the Father is
here once more pointed at. If any man
CIIxVPTER VII
509
will, &e. If any man slncereh/ wish to per-
form the will of God, he shall discover the
Divine original and descent of the doctrine
the Saviour taught. The knowledge in
question is not in the first instance sus-
pended upon the cordial voluntary per-
formance of God's will, but purely upon
the purpose to perform it when once dis-
covered, a qualifying condition for this
great gift of knowledge, much more mer-
ciful, because much more limited. " As
the exijansion of air, that is about us, doth
not preserve life, but that part which we
breathe in, so ^'tis not the comjmss of our
knowledge and belief (though it were
equal to the whole revealed will of God)
that is vital to the soul, but that which is
practiced by us." — Bates. "The way to judge
of religion is by doing of our duty: and
theology is rather a divine life than a
divine knowledge No man under-
stands the Word of God, as it ought to be
understood, unless he lays aside all affec-
tions to sin." — Jeremy Taylor. " If it be
certain that the unfeigned desire to serve
God is necessarily attended by a knowl-
edge of His truth in Christ, it must be
equally certain, by strict and inevitable
consequence, that a rejection of the faith,
or, by similar reasoning, a disparagement
of the faith, or a neglect of the faith, or a
carelessness about its influences, its ad-
vancement, its perpetuation — must arise
from an absence of solicitude to please
God in His chosen form, or any God in any
form — that is, from a radical atheism of
the heart." — William Archer Butler.
18. iHe that speaketh of himself seeketh his own
glory : but he that speketh his glory that sent him, the
same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. 19.
'Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you
keepeth the law? ^Why go ye about to kill me? 20.
The people answered and said, 'Thou hast a devil : who
goeth about to kill thee ?
qv. 41 and viii. 50. rEx. xxiv. 3; Deut.xxxiii. 4; chap,
i. 17; Acts vii. 38. »Matt. xii. 14; Mark iii. ti; chap. v.
16, 18, X. 31, 39 and xi. 53. 'viii. 48, 52 and x. 20.
He that speaketh, &c. If I sj^eak so as to
procure my own glory — to gratify vanity,
or secure and promote any worldly inter-
est, then reject me as a false prophet. But
if I act only to promote the glory of God,
to induce all men to love and obey Him,
you cannot help acknowledging me at
least for a true prophet, and if you add to
this the proofs which I have given you of
my mission and power, you must acknow-
ledge me as the mighty power of God, and
the promised Messiah. Bui he that seeketh,
&.C. Consider this in connection with
V, 44. I'he same is true. Here our Lord
attributes to a character thus free from
self-seeking, the predicates of truthfulness
and of moral purity. Did not Moses, &c. The
hearers are designated as those who do
not make even the doing of the will of
God their law, entirely in accordance with
V. 45, al.so viii. 37. As a proof of this,
the extremest transgression of the iaw is
adduced, the murderous designs of the
officials, but the multitude of those who
are at the feast, regard this susijicion as so
extravagant, that they attribute it to the
inspiration of the spirit of lies. In viii.
48, there probably lies a retrospective re-
ference to this reproach.
21. Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done
one work, and ye all marvel. 22. "Moses therelbre
gave \into you circumcision, not because it is of Moses,
ibut of the fathers, and ye on the sabbath day circum-
cise .a man. 23. If a man on the sabbath day receive
circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken
are ye angry at me, because .vl have made a man every
whit whole on the sabbath day ? 24. 'Judge not accord-
ing to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
"Lev. xii. .3. J^Cien. xvii. 10. jv. S, 9, 16. ^Deut. i. 16,
17 ; Prov. xxiv. 23 ; chap. viii. 15 ; James ii. 1.
Our Lord proceeds further to show the
unreasonableness of the ojiposition of His
enemies. " Work" is a term by Avhich our
Evangelist very frequently names the
miracles, and it is eminently significant.
(See X. 25, 32, 38, xiv. 11, 12, xv. 24, also
iNIatt. xi. 2.) " The wonderful is, in His
eyes, only the natural form of working for
Him, who is dwelt in by all the fullness of
God: He must, out of the necessity of
His higher being, bring forth these works,
greater than man's. They are the peri-
phery of.that circle whereof He is the cen-
ter. The great miracle is the Incarnation ;
all else, so to speak, follows naturally and
of course. It is no wonder that He whose
name is vmnderful, does works of wonder,
the only wonder would be, if He did them
not These mirades are the fruits
after its kind which the Divine tree brings
forth, and may, with a deep truth, be styl-
ed works of Christ, with no further addi-
tion or explanation." (P.s. Ixxii. 18, civ. 21.)
One uvrk. The reference, is to the healing
of the impotent man on the Sabbath.
(v. 8, 9.) Moses therefore, &c. The M'ord
" therefore" should stand in the preceding
verse, as having reference to the work
there alluded to, so that the last clause of
510
JOHN.
that verse would be as follows : " And ye
all therefore (on account of it) marvel."
The argument of the Saviour is : " If, or,
inasmuch as, a man may be circumcised
on the Sabbath day, without the Sabbath
being thereby broken, it is unreasonable
in you to be angry with me, if, in place of
wounding by circumcision, I have made a
man perfectly well, and thus the more
capable of enjoying the promised rest.
Are ye angry at me because I have done
upon a man a work, not of the ceremonial
law, but of mercy, by making him alto-
gether sound on the Sabbath day ?"
"Judge not, &c. Judge not the deed I
did according to the appearance. It was
done on the Sabbath, but it was an act of
necessity and mercy, and therefore an act
as lawful to be done as circumcision, which
you yourselves perform on the Sabbath
day. Judge fair, and just, and righteous
judgment. Man, who sees not the heart,
ought to be very cautious in judging his
brother. It is unjust to form our judg-
ments upon the outward appearance of
any action, or by the love or hatred we
bear toward the person who has done it.
To judge uprightly and justly we must
love justice : and since our love for it is
but small, let us never judge but when it is
absolutely necessary, and let us then do it
with fear and caution.
25. Then sairt some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this
he, whom the}' seek to kill? 26. But lo, he speaketh
boldly, and they say nothing unto him. ^Dq the rulers
know indeed that this is the very Christ? 27. •'How-
beit we know this man whence he is : but when Christ
Cometh, no man knowetli whence he is.
averse 48. ''Matt. xiii. 53 ; Mark vi. 3 ; Luke iv. 22.
Is not this he, whom they seek to MlJ^f Why
do they not do it ? Who hinders them ?
They say they are determined to get Him
out of the way, and yet, lo, he speaketh
boldly, &c. Here two things are slyly in-
sinuated, to exasperate the rulers against
Christ. 1. That by conniving at His
preaching, they brought their authority
into contempt. Must a man that is con-
demned by the Sanhedrim be permitted to
speak boldly, without a check? 2. That
by the course they were pursuing they
were bringing their judgment into suspi-
cion. Do they know indeed that this is the
very Christ? If so, if, as would seem from
their utter remissness, tliey have under-
gone some change of purpose or opinion,
and are coming round to acknowledge and
adopt Him, how came they to change
their minds? What new discovery have
they made? Hoirbeit we know, &c. (See
on next verse.) There was a notion pre-
valent that the Messiah's origin would be
veiled in obscurity, and that He would
burst suddenly upon an astonished world.
Observe the unreasonableness, inconsis-
tency, self-contradictions of these men
who were not willing to believe in Jesus,
though they say here, " We know this
man whence He is," they say elsewhere,
" As for this fellow we know not from
whence he is." (ix. 29.)
28. Then cried Jesus in tlie temple as he taught, .say-
ing, cYe both know me, and ye know whence I am :
and <il am not come of myself, but he that sent me "is
true, fwhom ye know not. 29. But bI know him, for I
am from him, and he hath sent me.
cvili. 14. <iv. 4a and viii. 42. ev. 32 and viii. 26 ; Rom.
iji. 4. fi. 18 and viii. 55. eMatt. xi. 27 ; chap. x. 15.
^Yied Jesus, with a loud voice, consequent-
ly with special emphasis, (vii. 37, xii. 44.)
In His words, as in viii. 14, 23, the majesty
and the indignation of a king whom his
subjects refuse to recognize, find utterance.
Christ raises His voice, to teach His min-
isters that it is a dishonor to Divine truth
to preach it in a timorous manner. Ye
both knoio "me, &c. These words may be
taken as declaring them to know Christ,
and yet to be ignorant of Him, in ditferent
respects. They knew Him and whence
He was, as man (though even in that they
erred if they supposed Him to be the car-
penter's son), yet they knew not the Father
nor Him, as God, proceeding from the
Father, and sent by Him. He that sent me is
true. 1 am no unauthorized person, but I
have a commission. The matter here im-
pressed on them is the genuineness, the reality
of the fact, that Jesus tvas sent, and there was
One irho sent Him. True — objectively, not
subjectively, "really existent," not "truth-
ful," which the word here rendered true
will not bear. But I know him, &,c. Jesus
adds, that He was comforted in this, that
whatever they thought of Him, yet He
knew that He was sent from the Father,
and however they knew not the Father,
yet He knew Him, as being from Him, and
sent by Him into the world.
30. Then hthey sought to take him : but 'no man laid
hands on him, lieeause his lio\ir was not yet con)e. 31.
And kmaiiy of the people I) dieved on him, and said,
When Christ conieth, will he do more miracles than
these which this ??ifm hath done ?
CHAPTER VII.
Sll
•"Mark xi. IS; Luue xix. 47anclxx. 19; verse 19; chap,
Viii. 37. 'Ver.se -14; clmp. viii. a). tMatt. xii. IKJ; chap.
iii. 'I and viil. 30.
The enemies of Jesns seem to have been
greatly exasperated by what had been said
. (verses 25-27, on which see notes), prob-
ably also by the emphatic declaration which
He had made of His having come from God
as His accredited messenger. Bui no man
laid hands, &c. He laid invisible hands on
their power, for it is He who hath said to the
sea, " Hitherto shalt thou come and no far-
ther." "The /(0«r here, means the grand point
of time in the life of our Lord, the time of
His passion and death, (xvii. 1.) Learn,
1. That Christ's sufferings were undergone
voluntarily. He did not go to the cross
because He could not help it. 2. That
nothing can hurt God's people except and
until He 2)ermits. Then let them work on
confidently. They are immortal till their
work is done. (Ps. xxxi. 15.) Believed on
him, expressed a conviction that He was
the Messiah. When Christ comcth, &c. The
word "more" probably means not only
more in number, but "greater" in charac-
ter. The question raised by these people
was a fair and reasonable one, "What
greater evidence could any one give that
He is the Christ, than this man has given?
He could not work greater miracles, even
if He worked more numerous ones. What
are we waiting for? Why should we not
acknowledge this man as the Christ?"
32. IF The Pharisees heard that the people murmured
such thhigs concerning him, and the Pharisees and the
chief priests sent oihcers to take Iiim. S3. Then said
Jesus unto them, lYct a httle wliile am I with you, and
t/ieni go unto him that .sent me. 31. Ye msliall seeli
me, and sliall not tind iiic: and where I am, ttdlhcr ye
cannot come.
ixiii. 33 and xvi. 16. "Hos. v. 6; chap, vili 21 and xili.
33.
Heard. Though these bystanders had
not the nerve to apprehend Jesus, they
had the spirit to carry the news of His
preaching, and its effects to these Phari-
sees. Officers — the beadles or attendants
of the Sanhedrim. Jesus had no enemies
so watchful for evil against Him as the
most outwardly religious people among the
Jews. To take him. Bloody and violent
persecution is the last refnge Of hypocrites.
When Satan and his instruments come to
this, it is an evidence that they are vexed
and at their last gasp. Yet a little u'hile.
Scarcely half a year elapsed before the
Passion. I go imto him that sent me.
The idea of His Divine mission is
ever prominent with the Saviour. His
followers are here taught that they should
be so familiar with thoughts of mortality,
that they may willingly obey the sum-
mons to depart whenever it may come.
Ye shall seek me, &c. In the days Of their
distress they would in vain seek the Mes-
siah, who had been among them and been
rejected bj^ them. The expression seems
to designate a seeking of aid when tlie
right time has passed away. (Comp. Amos
v. 11, 12, viii. 12; Prov. i. 28; Hos. ii. 7;
Isa. Ixv. 1. Where I am — that is, in God's
presence. "The present tense," says Al-
ford, " is used in the solemn sense of chap,
iii. 13 and chap. i. 18, to signify essential
truth." Thither ye cannot come — that is, so
long as they continued in their present
temper, and refused to believe in Him,
they could not come. (See viii. 21, 22, 24.)
33. Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither
will he go, that we shall not find him ? will ho go unto
the dispersed among the Ctontiles, an'' teach the Gen-
tiles? 3(i. What mfflfincr of saj'ingistliis that he said, Ye
shall seek me, and shall not lind me: and where I am,
thither ye cannot come?
nLsa. xi. 12 , James i. 1 ; 1 Peter i. 1.
]Miither ivill he go, &c. Instead of mak-
ing use of Christ's admonition, these wick-
ed men carped at His expressions, wonder-
ing what He meant bj^ them, or if His
intention was to leave them and go where
those Jews abode who were scattered
among the Gentiles, and living in Gentile
countries. What manner, &c. The Jews
were not able to get over the enigmatical
saying of Jesus in verse 34. It was as if
they dimly felt that the words implied
some grave mystery in reference to them-
selves. Men betray their corrupt disposi-
tions, when they cavil at doctrine as ob-
scure, and yet never come to Christ or the
means He has appointed for its elucida-
tion.
37. "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus
stood and cried, saying, pif any man thirst, let him.
come unto me, and drink.
oLev. xxiii. 30. Pisa. Iv. 1 ; chap. vi. 35 ; Bev. xxii. 17.
Christ returns no answer to their mali-
cious carjjing, but makes this large ofier to
them all. This feast was the feast of taber-
nacles. (See on verse 2.) On the last, or
eighth day of this feast, the ceremonies
performed were characterized by more
than ordinary impressiveness and solemn-
ity. Opportunities should be the more
carefully improved, because they are so
513
JOHN
soon likely to pass away. E^-ery day
with us is as our last day. (xii. 35, 36 ; 1
Cor. XV. 31.) Jesus stood, perhaps elevated
above the dense multitude around Him,
most of whom had refused to hear Him
during the days that had gone. Ch-ied, said
with mucli emphasis and earnestness.
There must have been something exceed-
ingly solemn in that attitude, and that
voice. He " stood," wdiere all might see :
He " cried," that all might hear. The truth
of God ought to be proclaimed with cour-
age, fervency, and zeal. If any man thirst,
&c. It was doubtless in allusion to the
pious ceremony they had witnessed day
by day for the last seven days, that our
blessed Lord now calls and invites almost
in the words of their prophet. (See Isa.
Iv. 1, 2.) The invitation is universal —
"any man," — it extends to all persons with-
out distinction of nation or of privilege,
without respect to previous character, Jew
and Gentile, bond and free, high and low,
rich and poor, the morally correct, and the
vicious and abandoned, all who desire the
salvation of the gospel. To " thirst," is to
supremely and sincerely desire the bless-
ings which are proposed — under dissatis-
* faction with the world and its enjoyments,
to long for happiness in the favor of God.
Let him come unto me, &c. To "come" to
Christ is to believe in Him. The foith re-
quired is that act of the heart and mind
which corresponds with the act of drink-
ing. Just as the weary traveler assuages
his thirst from the cool stream, feeling that
he must do this or perish, so the sinner
must look to Christ, and receive Him, and
rest upon Him alone for the salvation
which He needs. The exceeding appro-
priateness of the representation here made
of the blessings of the gospel-covenant
under the emblem of water, will be more
clearly perceived, by the transfer of our-
selves in imagination to the regions of the
East, in which the nature of the climate,
and the general aspect of the country, re-
quire numerous fountains, not only to
assuage the thirst of the inhabitants under
the intense heat of the sun, in a cloudless
sky, but to refresh them by the verdure,
shade and coolness which they produce.
38. <iHe that believeth on me, as the scrii)ture hath
said, 'out of his belly shall flow rlvere of living water.
39. ("Eiit this spake he of tlie Spirit, which they that be-
lieve on liim should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not
yet [/iccn, because tliat Jesus was not yet tglorified. )
iDeut. xviii. 15. rProv. xviii. 4; Isa. xii. Sand xliv.
3: chap. iv. 14. "Isa. xliv. 3; Joel ii. 'iS; chap. xvi. 7 ;
Acts ii. 17, 33, 38. 'xii. 16 and xvi. 7.
Believeth on me. (See on verse 37.) As
the Scripture hath said. Who does not re-
cur at once to such passages as Isa. xii. 18,
xliv. 3, Iviii. 11 ; Joel iii. 18 ; Ezek. xlvii.
1-12 ? Shall flow. " To this day," says a
modern traveler, "there exists a spring
in the heart of the Temple rock, from
which flows the living water into the two
pools of Siloam, whence (as at this time)
the water was brought to the temple ser-
vice." So from out the hearts of the be-
lievers in Christ should issue those fruits
of the Sj^irit, which in their nature, influ-
ences and effects, whether as regards them-
selves, or those around, or the world at
large, may well be likened to "living
water." Genuine religion is something
more than a notion ; it does not consist in
a dormant creed, or a dead confidence,
but it is active, it is a principle, full of life,
energy and influence. They that believe.
By faith we lay hold of Christ in the
Word, and, through our union with Christ,
we obtain the Spirit. Always according
to the measure of the Spirit, and accord-
ing to the measure of faith, is the measure
of Christ in us. (vi. 35, 36 ; Gal. iii. 14.)
Holy Ghost nxis not yet given. All the good
ever before this was owing to His influ-
ences, but He had not been shed forth in
that plentiful measure, in those copious
streams, as inaugurating a new era, as ful-
filling the prophecies referred to. (See on
verse 38 ; see also xiv. 26, xii. 16, xvii. 5 ;
Luke xxiv. 26; 1 Peter i. 11; Phil. ii. 6-
11.) Jesus xoas not yet glorified. The word
" glorified " is here used advisedly, to
teach the reader not only that the departure
of Christ to the Father was indispensable to
the giving of the Spirit, but that this illus-
trious Gift, direct from the hands of the
ascended Saviour, was God's intimation to
the world that He whom it had cast out,
crucified and slain, was " His elect, in
whom His soul delighted," and that it was
through the smiting of that Rock that the
waters of the Spirit — for which the Church
was waiting, and with pomp at the Feast
of Tabernacles proclaiming its expectation
— had gushed forth upon a thixsty world.
CHAPTER YII
813
40. 7 Many of the people therefore, when they heard
this sayinK, said, Of a truth this is "the Proplu't. -41.
Others said, iTh is is the Christ. But some s;iiU, Shall
Christ come Jout of Gahlee? -12. 'Hatli not the Scrip-
ture said, That Christ eometli of the sefd cif David, and
out of tlie town of Bethlehem, »\vliert' David was ? 43.
So Hhere was a division amons tlie people because of
him. 44. And csoine of tlioni would have taken him,
■but no man laid liauds on him.
"Deut. xviii. 1.5. is; cliap. i. 21 and vi. 14. »iv. 42 and
vi. (;9. J Verse •'52: i. 40. >Ps. cx.\xii. 11: Jer. xxxiii. 5;
Mi. V. 2; Matt. ii. .S; Luke ii. 4. »1 Sam. xvi. 1. 4.
>> Verse 12 ; xix. G and x. 19. «Verse 30.
Many people were there, and they ex-
pres.sed different opinions concerning
Jesus. The Prophet, or the messenger that
was to be sent before Christ, to prepare
His way. (Mai. iii. 1.) The Christ, or th'e
Messiah. Another party objected to this
belief. They imagined that Jesus had
been born in Galilee, though He had only
been brought up there, and they did not
know that He was of the family of David.
So there ivas a division, &c. Christ's own
prophecy began already to be fulfilled,
that He came to send division upon earth.
(See Luke xii. 51 ; ICor. xiv.33; also chap.
ix. 16, X. 19 and xii. 42.) An ancient writer
says: "In all quarrels and contentions
about truth, the Church is the gainer ; they
stir up more diligent inquiries, bring forth
more judicious resolutions; heresies are
but the tile and furnace of truth, making it
shine more clearly. Vehement shakings
make the deeper rootings. We have no
truths so settled as those that have been
most violently opposed." (See 1 Cor. xi.
19, XV. 12.) And yet it is said there should
be division of opinion concerning Christ,
and that the seamless robe of His doctrine
should be rent into so many different
pieces, and that endless sects and schisms
should mar and mutilate the faith once
delivered to tlie saints. As there is but
"one body, and one spirit, and one hope
of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, one God and Father of us all, we
should ever pray and labor, and labor and
pVay, that all who profess and call them,
selves Christians may be led into the way
of truth, and hold the faith in unity of
Spirit, in the bond of peace, and in right-
eousness of'. life. And some of them tvould,
&c. (See on verse 30.)
4-5. 1 Then came the oflHcers to the chief priests and
Pharisees, and they said unto them. Why have ye not
brought him ? 4'i. The offlcers answered, JXever man
spake like this man. 47. Then answered them the
Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? 48. 'Have any of the
rulei-s or of the Pharisees believed on him? 49. But
this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.
dMatt. vii. 29. exii. 42; Acts vi. 7; 1 Cor. i. 20, 26 and
11.8.
33
Then cami'' the officers, who were dispatch-
ed, as narrated in verse 32, and who were
obliged to make their official return to the
rulers, the Sanhedrim, under whose orders
they were acting. Brought him. He was
clearly to be arraigned for trial. These
men would, if possible, have anticipated
the "liour" of His death. Never man spake,
ikc. The officers confess that they have
been held back from any act of force by
the transcendent power of Christ's words.
The conviction forced itself upon them, in
spite of their readiness to believe to the
contrary, that He was something more
than man, that there was something super-
human about Him. Jesus, in the commu-
nication of truth, showed that there was
One in the tabernacle, greater than the
tabernacle. He gave demonstration that
a more than human voice spake, and a
more than human mind poured forth its
wisdom. Ino human orator can be named,
whose eloquence has produced effects
which equal those that followed His, either
in persuading, or in confounding, in com-
forting, confirming or conciliating the
hearts of mankind, and in subduing them
by its astonishing exhibitions and irresist-
ible charms. "What He said attested that
in Him were hidden all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge, that in Him dwelt
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Are ye also (as well as the multitude) de-
ceived? Have any of the rulers, &c. "Rulers"
was th-e general name for the members of
the Sanhedrim. This question was asked,
not to procure information, whether any
of the principal men had acknowledged
Jesus as the Messiah, but, as containing a
satisfactory reason why those officers
should not allow themselves to be influ-
enced in His favor ? Are you wiser than
they? They thought to carry the matter
by the weight of authority. Great men
are not olv.ays wise. (1 Cor. i. 27 ; see
chap. xii. 42. Yet even in this council
there was a Nicodemus (verse 50). But
this people, literally, "multitude," meaning
the ignorant rabble, who knoweth not the law,
i. e., by school learning, which only sub-
verted it by human traditions, are cursed
— a cursed i^et (a kind of swearing at them,
out of mingled rage and scorn.) "What
availeth knowledge without the fear of
514
JOHN.
God ? An humble ignorant man is better
than a proud scholar who studies natural
things, and knows not himself. The more
thou knowest, the more grievously thou
Shalt be judged. Many get no profit by
their labor, because they contend for
knowledge rather than for holy hfe ; and
the time shall come, when it shall more
avail thee to have subdued one lust, than
to have known all mysteries." (Ps. cxix.
97-104.
50. Nicodemus saith unto them, ('he that came to Je-
sus by night, being one of them,) 51. pDoth our law
Judgpnnv man. helbre it hear him, and know what he
doeth ?— Uii. 2. eDeut. i. 17, xvii. 8, &c., and xix. 13,
When Nicodemus had but little faith,
he " came to Jesus by night" — he durst not
openly appear for Christ, but afterward, as
he grew in grace and knowledge of Christ,
so he grew in courage for Him. At this
time, though alone and altogether unsup-
ported in that formidable assembly, he is
not deterred from doing his duty. Doth
mir laiv, &c. Soft as these words are,
there is a severe sting in them. This
question confounded these unjust judges,
and for the present prevented the accom-
plishment of their design. Judge, con-
demn. The chief men had, by their man-
ner of speaking, denounced Jesus as a de-
ceiver. Before it hear him, &c. (See Deut.
xix. 15-18; Lev. xix. 15, 16.) "Men's
moral probation," says Bishop Butler, " may
be, whether they will take due care to
inform themselves by partial considera-
tion ; and, afterward, whether they will
act, as the case requires, upon the evidence
which they have. And this, we find by
experience, is often our probation in our
temporal capacity." (Num. xxii. 20, 21.
52. They answered and said unto him, Art thou also
. of Galilee? Search, and look : for tout of Galilee ariseth
no prophet. 53. And ev'eiy man went unto his own
house.
. klsa. ix. 1,2; Matt. iv. 15 ; chap. i. 46 ; verse 41.
They knew that Nicodemus was not of
Galilee, but they meant to ask whether /je
also had become a follower of the despised
Galilean. Out of Galilee, &c. Now Galilee
had produced four, or, perhaps, five great
prophets, as Jonas (2 Kings xiv. 25), Na-
hum, Habakkuk, Amos, and, as some in-
deed maintain, Elisha. Hence several
commentators attribute this false assertion
to the ignorance or forgetfulness of the
priests, or the hurry of anger. Their falsi-
fication of historic facts is what might be
expected from men who did not hesitate
to employ false witnesses (Matt. xxvi. 59,
60; Mark xiv. 55-57) in order to compass
the death of Jesus,
And every man went unto his aim house,
some, perhaps, like Ahab, to eat and to
drink, some to suffer the condemnation of
a guilty conscience, and some, it is to be
hoped, like Elijah (1 Kings xviii. 41, 42),
to cast themselves down before the Lord,
and wisely consider of His doing. Quiet-
ness under one's own roof, and quietness
in our own conscience (viii. 9) are two
substantial blessings, which whoever bar-
ters for show and pomp will find himself
a loser by the exchange. Abroad we must
more or less find tribulation, yet, as long
as our home is a secure and peaceful
retreat from all the disappointments and
cares, which we meet with within that
great scene of vexation, the world, we
may still be tolerably happy ; but, if that
which should be our main sanctuary from
uneasiness becomes our principal dis-
quietude, how great must our uneasiness
be! (2 Sam. vi. 20; Prov. iii. 33; Luke
ix. 58.) •
1. Why would not Jesus walk in Jewry ? 2. What feast was at hand ? 3. Describe it. 4. What did our Lord's
brethren say to Him ■? 5. What was His reply? 6. Where did Jesus teach? 7. What was the effect of His
teaching ? 8. How may we know of the doctrine, whether it be of God ? 9. How did Jesus answer the accusa-
tion that He had a devil ? 10. Why did not His enemies lay hands on Him ? 11. What did Tesus cry on the last
day of the feast? 12. What did He mean by " living water ?" 13. What report of Christ did the officers make to
the chief priests and Pharisees ?
CHAPTER VIII,
51B
CHAPTEE YIII.
I Christ deJiverrih the woiiurn taken in iulalter}/. 12 H^
liixachtth hiinseifl/ic liiihl of the wurLcl, and justiflclh
hiti tlttrlrine: :» oiiKii'crcth the Jews tluU huaslfxl of
AbmJMtn, 59 and con cri/rth himxclf/rom t/teir crutKy.
JESUS went unto the Mount of Olives. 2. And early
in ti»e morning he came again into tlie temple, and
all the people came unto him, ami lie sat down, and
taught them.
The first verse should have closed chap-
ter viii. On the evening of the last daj' of
the feast of tabernacles, while all the peo-
ple " went unto their own houses," Jesus,
who had no home to go to, went to the
Mount of Olives, where it is not unlikely
he spent the night in solitary devotion.
Early In the morning, &c. This was redeem-
ing the time — this was diligence in His busi-
ness, this was doing good to all, as He had
opportunity. It is a certain sign that our
hearts are set ui^on a work, when the
thoughts of it cause sleep to depart from
us, and we awake readily, constantly, and
early, to the performance of it. "What is a
slothful sinner to think of himself when
he reads concerning the Holy Jesus, that
" in the morning," &c. (Mark i. 35.) Jesus
chose so early an hour that He might have
an opportunity of once more addressing
His countrymen, before they left Jerusa-
lem to retire to their respective homes.
All the people — a great crowd. iSat down —
the ordinary attitude of teaching among
the Jews.
3. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a
woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in
theniid>^t, A. They say unto him. Master, this woman
was taken in adultery, in the very act. ■'>. »Now Mose.s
in the law CDmmanded us, that such should be stoned :
but what sayest thou ?— »Lev. xx. 10; Deut. xxii. 22.
Brought vnto him a u'oman, &c. The ob-
ject in bringing her was insidious, and
might be two-fold, according to the event.
If our Saviour had condemned her. He
might be said both to have usurped a civil
jurisdiction, and to have sanctioned a
breach of the Sabbath, and if He had re-
fused to condemn her, He might be said
to have countenanced the crime. Adul-
tery— a work of darkness (Job xxiv. 15;
Prov. vii. 7. See also Matt. v. 27, 28 and
xix. 18 ; Mark x. 19 ; Luke xvi. 18, xviii.
20 ; Rom. ii. 22 ; James ii. 11 ; Rev. ii. 22.)
" Where the law of Moses is referred to,"
says ScoU, "the word 'adultery' always
supposes the woman to be the wife of
another man, and never denotes the case
of a married man lying with a woman,
neither married nor betrothed to another.
But the Kew Testament rule considers this
also as adultery." In the midst of the peo-
ple who were then in attendance upon His
teaching. They say ■unto him, Master, &c.
Observe how the hypocrisy of these Phar-
isees was gilded over with an appearance
of sanctity : they pretended to be great
lovers of chastity, and haters of unclean-
ness, but all this was done only to tempt
Christ, (verse G.) Thus a smooth tongue
and a false heart often accompany one
another. Now Moses in the law commanded
us, etc but what sayegt thou f
"Thou who preteudest to have an author-
ity greater than that of Moses" — referring
probably to Matt. v. 21, 22, 27, 28, 31, 32,
xii. 8, xix. 9. Should be stoned. (See Deut.
xxii. 24.) Or, the " command " referred
to, may have been the ancient gloss of the
scribes on Lev. xx. 10, which only declares
that the guilty parties shall " be put to
death," without specifying how. This
modeof punishing adultery appears, how-
ever, to be alluded to in Ezek. xvi. 38, 40.
6. Thistheysaid,tennptinghim, that the}- mis;hthp.ve
to ucjiuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with hif
finger wrote on the gi-ound «.v though fii hi uril Ihi >ii not.
7. So when they continued asking him, lie lirte<i up
himself, and said unto them, 'lie that is without sin
among you, let hina first cast a stone at her. 8. And
again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9.
And they which heard if, 'being convicted by //« iroivn
conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the ekle.st,
civ'H untt) the la.st: and Jesus was left alone, and the
woman standing in the midst.
iiDeut. xvii. 7 ; Rom. ii. 1. ■^Rom. ii. 22.
Tempting him. (See on verse 4.) Wrote on
the ground, marked on the ground, per-
haps, without writing any words. " Of
such power," says one, " was that writing,
that each of them knew it to contain his
own sins." (iv. 29 ; Mark xiv. 19.) Jesus
wished, by this symbolical action, which
was common among the Jews and wise
men of old, to show that He would not be
drawn into useless disputes. He thus also
drew away the attention of the people
from the woman to Himself, and prepared
them for the very appropriate and solemn
remark which, as He sat or stood erect, He
was about to make. He that is rcithoui sin,
&c. Our Lord did not mean that no man
ought to act as judge or witness in a crim-
inal cause, who is not wholly exempt from
sin in his own conduct, because that would
516
JOHN.
disannul civil government, which is " the
ordinance of God." (See on verse 10, 11.)
" Before thou reprehendest another," says
an ancient writer, "take heed thou
art not culpable in what thou goest about
to reprehend. He that cleanses a blotAvith
blotted fingers, makes a greater blur."
(Ps. 1. 16, 17 ; Rom. ii. 17-22.) " It is the
will of God," says another, " that those
Avho punish sin in others should be sensi-
ble of their own failings, and that the sense
of their own sins make them tender to-
ward others."
And they vhicli heard it, &.C. These men
seemed righteous, and desired to be so ac-
counted ; but our Lord could *' a tale un-
fold," and of this thej' seemed conscious,
and thought it prudent to retire. And so
they did, one and all, from the most case-
hardened old scribe down to the most for-
ward young Pharisee : while .Jesus resum-
ed His former occupation, giving them
thus, with generous consideration, an op-
portunity of retreating with the less con-
fusion. Thus were these ashamed and
confounded that sought after His soul to
destroy it ; thus were they turned back-
ward and put to confusion that wished
Him evil. (Ps. xl. 14, Ixx. 2.)
Learn, 1. That we are not always obliged
to answer those who have a design to en-
snare us. We may evade it bj' some inno-
cent artifice, and such is never wanting
when we keep our hearts open to the
Spirit of God. 2. That every conviction
of conscience is not saving, nor is every
one in a state of grace Avhose conscience
finds the edge of the word to make him
ashamed of sin. 3. That it is sure evidence
of an unsound aAvakening of conscience
when men's convictions make them flee
fiom Christ, and shun either His future
convictions or comforts. 4. That we ought
not to be ashamed to confess we have been
iu the wrong. It is but owning what we
need not be ashamed of, that we now have
more sense than M'e had before, to see our
error, more humility to acknowledge it,
and more grace to correct it. 5. That all
the plots of wicked men against Christ will
at last tend to their own visible and open
shame. 6. That it is both prudent and
charitable to give persons an opportunity
to extricate themselves, without noise and
confusion, out of a business in which they
have n.shly engaged themselves through
passion.
10. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none
but tlie woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are
those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee ?
11. JSlie said, 3So man, Lord, And Jesus said unto her,
JNeitlier do I condemn thee: go, and tsin no more.
liLuke ix. 66 and xii. 14 ; chap. iii. 17. ^v. 24.
, Saw none but the woman. The accusers,
conscience-stricken, had departed (Rom.
ii. 1, 16-24), and of those concerned in that
conference, none remained but He whom
the accusers would in mockery have made
a judge, and she whom from no hatred to
her crime they had accused. These were
surrounded by a group, probably, of the
disciples and such of the people as might
have been listening to His teaching M'hen
this unseemly interruption occurred. And
in their hearing and in their midst. He
says: Woman, irhere are those thine accusers?
Hath no man condemned theef &c.
" It seems to have essentially belonged to
our Lord's mission," says one, " not to act
judicially in any respect." " I am come,"
says Pie, " not to judge the world, but to
save the world." His business was exclu-
sively moral, not judicial. Hereafter He
was to come as a judge. As incarnate, and
a sojourner on earth, He was to perform
the office, not of a judge, but of a Saviour,
He therefore in the case of the woman
confines Himself to the gracious purpose,
for which He had become man. But He
does this in such a manner, as to put the
moral bearing of the case out of all x^ossi-
bility of doubt : for to His w^ords of mercy
He adds those of weightiest admonition —
Go, and sin no more. Here our Lord guards
His leniency against the slightest shadow
of misconception. He tells her she had
sinned; and this was to say everything.
David's confession (which afterward ex-
pressed itself at large in Ps. Ii.) was con-
fined in the first instance to these strong
words : " I have sinned against the Lord."
Full as his heart at the moment was, this
simple acknowledgment did justice to his
feelings. In tiiith, the term sin in Holy
Scripture is replete with meaning. It is
the oppo.site, the contradictory to God's
pure and perfect nature; and therefore, if
not subdued and expelled, the pledge of
endless misery to its victim. Sin no more,
was therefore at once the deepest accusa-
CHAPTER VIII.
617
tion, and the most, awful warning. It was
to tell her, that she had done infinitely
more than expose herself to the being
stoned to death; that she had exposed
herself to the infinitelj' more dreadful
judgment of God; but that she had now
further time of trial, on her use of which
must depend whether her present escape
would be a gain, or an aggravation, (v. 14;
Luke xii. 14 and xviii. 13.)
12. Then spake Jesus again unto tliem, saying, fl am
the light of llic world : lie that tbllowetli me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall liiive the light oriilie,
fi. 4, 5, 9, iii. 19, ix 5 and xii. 35, 30, 46.
As it was early morning when the Lord
returned to the temple, it is probable that
He borrowed the image of the sun, which,
we may well imagine, was coming forth
out of his chamber in the east. (See Isa.
xlii. 6, xlix. 6.) How fitly does light re-
present Christ. 1. It is the first object of
sight, and Jesus, who is " God over all,
blessed forever," is the prime object of the
understanding. 2. All things are seen by
light, and it by itself. Thus is Christ
among spiritual things (Eph. v. 13). 3.
As light makes all other things that are in
themselves visible to become actually
visible, so by the words of this substantial
Word, Jesus Christ, all things in religion
are tried and discovered. (Isa. viii. 20.) 4.
Light visits many impure places, and yet
remains most pure and undefiled. So
Christ sees and takes notice of all the
enormities and sinful pollutions in the
world, yet He is never stained by them in
the least degree. His precious blood is a
fountain opened for sin and uncleanness ;
sinners are purilied by it, and it is not de-
filed by them. 5. The light of the sun is
neither parted nor diminished, by being
imparted to many people and nations that
behold it at one time, nor is the righteous-
ness of Christ, who is the Sun of Right-
eousness (Mai. iv. 2), either lessened to
Himself, or to individual believers, by
many partaking of it at once ; it is wholly
conferred upon each one of them, and re-
mains whole in Himself. 6. The sun has
a vivifying power. So Christ is at once
the light and the life of men. (John i. 4.)
7. As darkness disappears before the sun,
so it was Christ's arising in the world that
made the day break and the shadows fly
away. The types and shadows of the law
were then abolished. It was His light
that dispelled the mists of ignorance and
idolatry, and He also delivers the soul
from the night of sin and misery produc-
ed by it. He that foUoicdh me — believes
the truth with regard to Christ as the
light of the world — the Saviour of men.
Shall have the Ihjht of life — tlie knowledge,
holiness and happiness which Jes^us com-
municates. Continued faith is the ap-
pointed means of the continued enjoyment
of the Christian salvation.
13. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, cThoa
bearest record of thyself: thy recor<l is not true. 14.
Jesus answered and said unto them. Tliou^'h I bear
record of myself, yet my record is true: Iot I know
whence I came, and whither I go, liut 'ye cannot tcil
whence I came, and whither I go. 15. iVe judge after
the flesh, ki judge no man. lU. And yet if 1 judge, my
judgment is true : for 'I am not alone, but I and tlie
Father that sent me. 17. "'It is also written in your
law, that the testimony of two men is true. 18. I ara
one that bear witness of myself, and "the Father that
sent me beareth witness of me.
fv. 31. hvii. 2S and ix. 29. 'vii. 24. kiii. 17, xii. 47 and
xviii. 3f;. 'Verse 29, xvi. 32. mDeut. xvii. G and xix. 15 ;
Matt, xviii. 16 ; 2 Cor. xiii. 1 ; Heb. x. 28.
Jesus had shown that, although He
dealt in mercy with the sinner (verse 11),
He yet did not give His followers encour-
agement to continue in sin, any more
than the light gives encouragement to
deeds of darkness (verse 12) ; this the
Pharisees called bearing witness of Him-
self. Not true — or, not valid, alluding to
the rule laid down in Deut. xix. 15, also
probably to Christ's own words, (v. 31.) /
krtoio ivhence I came, &c. I speak from my
own certain knowledge, and have already
shown that I come with a Divine com-
mission, and therefore you ought to admit
ray testimony, for the most evident demon-
strations of my Divine origin have been
given you, both in the nature of my doc-
trine and in the miracles which I have
wrought among you, but ye are so perverse,
that as often as I have hinted or declared
it, ye know not from whence I come, and
whither I am going. After the flesh, accord-
ing to the maxims of flesh and sense. I
judge no man, i. e., I descend not to the
low level of human judgments, of man
upon man, or, I judge no man as yet, that
function of my Messianic office being re-
served for the future. But if I should
judge, my judgment is true and right, for /
am not alone, mj' consciousness is illumi-
nated b}' the Divine consciousness of the
Father. I do not bear witness alone of
myself in what I say, but I and the Father
61S
JOHN
that sent me, as we are in other resjiects
inseparably united, do evidently concur in
the testimony that I give. Written in your
lavj, ttc. (Deut. xvii. 6 and xix, 15.) I am
one that hear vAmess of myself, in a fact, the
truth of which I cannot but certainly
know, and the Father that sent me is another,
who also bears His testimony to me,
tliereby asserting the truth of every doc-
trine I teach, and the justice of every
sentence I might pass.
19. Then said they unto him. Where is thy father?
Jesus answered, oYe neither know me, nor my Fatlier :
Pit' ye had Ijnown me, ye sliould liave known my Father
also.— "Verse 55 ; xvi. 3. pxiv. 7.
The question of the Jews, Where is thy
Father f was probably asked in a sneering
and sarcastic tone. If ye had knovm me,
tliat I was the image of the Father (Heb.
i. 3), and sent of Him into the world, ye
should have known my Father also. It is here
taught that ignorance of Christ and igno-
rance of God are inseparably connected.
The man who thinks he knows anything
rightly of God while he is ignorant of
Christ is completely deceived.
20. Tliese words spake Jesus in qthe treasur.v, as lie
taught in the temple: and mo man laid hands on him,
for »l)is i)our was not yet come.
«Mark xii. 41. 'vii. 30. »vii. 8.
Tliese irords, &c. This sentence seems
meant to mark a pause or break in the dis-
course, and to show also how publicly and
openly our Lord j^roclaimed His Messiah-
ship. The treasunj was a certain jiart of
the women's court, where the chests were
placed for receiving tlie oflferings of tliose
who came to worship, and consequently a
place of great concourse. See how exact,
how circumstantial is our Evangelist! Ko
man laid hands, &c. (See on vii. 30, 8.)
21. Then said Jesus .again unto them, T go my way,
and 'ye sliall seek me, and "shall die in your sins:
wliither I go, ye cannot come.
tvii. 34, xiii. 33. "Verse 24.
Under the name of "departing" (or as
the word is here rendered, "going His
way ") our Saviour speaks of His approach-
ing death and re.surrection, thus indicating
that submission to death was the act of
His own free will. Die in your siiis, re-
peated in verse 24, and explained by our
Lord Himself. Wliither I go, &c. As if
Jesus had said, " I go to my Father, if He
were your Father also, then you might
follow me: but since you have received
the spirit of the world (see verse 23), as
long as you are governed by this spirit, ye
cannot come where I go." Let those who
above all things love the world, consider
this, and tremble.
22. Then said tlie Jews, Will he kill himself? because
he saitli, Wliither I go, ye cannot come. 23. And he
said unto them, ^Ye are from beneath, I am from
above: yyeareof this world, i aiu not of tliLs world.
24. 'I said tlierefore unto you, that ye shall die in your
sins : "lor if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall d"ie in
your sins.
»iii. 31. jxv. 19, xvii. IG; 1 Juhu iv. 5. «Verse 21.
■■Mark xvi. 16.
117// he kill himself f The Jews seem to
have regarded this as a not uncommon
termination to the career of disappointed
adventurers. The case of Ahitophel (2
Sam. xvii. 23) and others will occur to the
reader. They did not venture to put this
question to the Lord Himself, but consult-
ed with each other cm the subject. He
knew their thoughts, and by His reply
showed that He had alluded to His death.
Ye are from beneath, earthly, not spiritual
in your dispositions and purposes. / am
from above — from heaven, and my exposi-
tion and aims correspond to my origin.
(See Col. iii. 2.) Let us not flatter and de-
ceive ourselves with vain ajipearances of
superficial piety, which float ujjon tiie
surface of our souls, but be assured that if
we find tliem chiefly fixed upon this world,
or any creature in it, we may stand "gaz-
ing" with "the men of Galilee," we may
contemplate and admire the ascension of
our Saviour, but all in vain; whither He
goes, we cannot follow Him. I said there-
fore unto you. Chi'ist points out the reason
and ground of His sad sentence — their
corrupt and earthly disposition — and inti-
mates that this is also a cause of their ig-
norant mistake of their own danger. "If
ye believe not," &c. There is a merciful
"if." Ye shall die in your sins, that is, un-
less renewed by the grace of God, ye shall
die in the guilt of your sins, under the
l)ower, and undergoing the punishment
of your sins. Though our Lord is now
upon one particular subject, unbelief, He
yet uses the plural "your sins," as hinting
the manifold consequences, the number
of sins and sorrows in which unbelief
would leave them tied and bound, the
brood of errors bound up in that one preg-
nant mischief unbelief. (See chap. iii.
16-18, V. 24, 25, also xii. 46-48.) For if ye
believe not, &c. As the moral change which
they needed could only result from the
belief in Him as the Messiah, their rejec-
CHAPTER VIII
819
tion of Him proved the truth of His decla-
ration, that they would die in their sins,
and this is here distinctly affirmed. That
lam he. The italic word he is unnecessarily
■ supplied hy the translators. The enemies
of Christ knew well enough what He
meant.
2). Thon said they unto him. Who art thou ? And
Jesus saith unto them, Even tfif, xanw tliut I said unto
you from the beginning. 2U. I have many things to
say and to judge of you : but Hie that sent me is true,
and ci speak to the world those thinijs which I have
heard ol him.— ''Vii. 28. "^iii. 32, xv. 15.
Even the sarrie, &c. The Avords "the
same," are unnecessarily supplied in our
common version, and doubtless arose from
a wrong translation of the word rendered
from the beginning, and the verb " said,"
which does not refer so much to what is
once spoken or said, as to general speech
or discourse. In the original, the word
rendered even, is so collocated as to belong
to the verb. The conjunction that, in our
English translation is in the original a pro-
noun, and should be rendered ivhat or that
lukich. The translation should therefore
he: first of all {i. e., in very truth), what I
am also saying unto you, i. e., the very per-
son I have ever declared myself to be, or,
as Alford says, "in very deed the same
which I speak inito you." / have many
things to say, &c. As if our Lord had said,
you require me to speak and to pronounce
about myself, but I have rather for the
present to speak and to pronounce con-
cerning you. Again Christ appeals to His
Divine mission, showing that He has the
highest authority for what He does.
27. They understood not that lie spake to them of the
Father. 28. Then said Jesus unto them. When ye have
"ilifted up the Bon of man, nhen shall ye know that I
am he, and 'thcU I do nothing of myself, but pas my
Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 29. And
the that sent me is with me : 'the Father hath not left
nae alone, kfor I do always those things that please
him.
"iiii. 14, xii. 32. eRora. i. 4. 'v. 19, 30. riii. 11. hxiv. 10,
11. > verse IG. ^iv. M, v. 30, vi. 38.
They understood not, &c. Some of them,
for it is scarcely possible to suppose that
they could all be so stupid, did not under-
stand who it was that our Lord referred to
when He spake of Him who sent Him.
Wheyi ye have lifted up, &c. — a reference to
our Lord s crucifixion, (xii. 32, 33.) This
is a prediction that, after His crucifixion,
many of those who had taken an active
part in it should come to be persuaded
that He was indeed the Messiah. But as
my Father, &c. " Christ," as one has re-
marked, " has taught us to say, ' Our
Father,' a form of speech which He never
used Himself Sometimes He calls Him
'The Father,' sometimes 'My Father,'
sometimes ' Your,' but never ' Our.' He
makes no such conjunction of us to Him-
self, as to make no distinction between us
and Himself; so conjoining us as to dis-
tinguish, though so distinguishing as not
to separate us." (See chap. xx. 17.) The
Father hath not left me alone. See on verse
16.) For I do always, &c. "In everything
I conform myself to the Father's will."
Whatever opinion men might form of His
doctrines or His conduct. He knew that in
all He said, and all He did, He was the
Father's elect servant, upheld and delight-
ed in by Him — " His beloved Son in whom
He was well pleased."
30. As he spake these words, 'many believed on him.
H'ii. 31, X. 42, xi. 4.5.
Many believed Him to be the Messiah.
With some, as the following context shows,
this was a transient impression, which was
soon displaced by unbelief and open op-
position. Their hearts were warmed for a
little time with the Saviour's di-scourse, but
like the stony-ground hearers (Matt. xiii.
20, 21), they had no root in themselves,
and dured only for a while. In the case
of others, their faith was but weak, and,
therefore, though their hearts had been
strongly impressed, yet there M'as need
that such impressions should be strength-
ened, which the wisdom of Christ effected,
by turning His discourse especially to
them.
31. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on
him, If ye continue in my word, tfien are ye my dis-
ciples indeed ; 32. And ye shall know the truth, and
mthe trutti shall make you (ree.
mRom. vi. 14, 18, 22 and viii. 2 ; James i. 2.5 and ii. 12.
Continue in my word, be steadfast in ad-
hering to my doctrine. We must not "de-
spise the day of small things." (Zech. iv.
10.) But we must not forget that to begin
is one thing, and to go on is quite another.
Patient continuance in well-doing is the
only sure evidence of grace. (See xv. 9 ;
Luke xxii. 28; Col. i. 23.) Di.sciples in-
deed, i. e., my true followers. Ye shall
know the truth, ye shall have a right di.s-
cernment of what is true, concerning my-
self, my nature, my mission, and my gos-
pel, and you will inwardly feel this truth.
(See Ps. cxix. 113, 131, 165; comp. vii. 17.)
520
JOHN.
And the truth, this truth, shall make t/ou free.
" It will give you spiritual liberty — freedom
from the fetters of ignorance, error, guilt,
and depravity : in plain words, it will
make you wise, good, and happy — it will
invest you with a freedom incomparably
superior to any which man can bestow on
man — a freedom which will end in " the
glorious liberty of the children of God."
To this priceless boon Coivptr thus beauti-
fully refers :
" But there is yet a liberty, unsung
By poets, and by senators unpraised,
VVhich monarchs cannot grant, nor all tbe powers
Of earth and hell confederate, take away :
A liberty which persecution, fraud.
Oppression, prisons, have no power to bii<d.
Which whoso tastes can be enslaved no more,
'Tis liberty of heart, derived from heaven,
Bought with His blood, who gave it to mankind,
And sealed with the same token."
3.?. They answered him, "We be Abraham's seed, and
were never in bondage to any man: how sayestthou,
ye shall be made free ? 34. Jesus answered them, Ver-
ily, verily, I say unto you, "Whosoever committeth sin
is the servant of sin. 35. And rthe servant abideth not
iu the house forever : but the Son abideth ever. oG. ^ilf
the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed. 37. I know that ye are Abraham's seed, but
'ye seek to kill me. because my word hath no place in
you. 38. 'I speak that which I have seen with ray
Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your
father.
"Lev. XXV. 42 : Matt. iii. 9, verse .■». "Rom. xvi. 16, in :
2 Peter ii. 19. pGal. iv. 30. qRom. viii. 2; Gal. v. I. ^vii.
19, verse 40. "iii. 32, v. 19, 30, xiv. 10, 24.
We he Abraham^s seed, and therefore not
servants, but freemen. Let us beware of
trusting in the flesh, and as little let us
presume that we are blameless, because
sentence against our evil works may not
have been executed speedily. Delay, as
in the case of the unbelieving Jews, may
only result in the more terrible destruc-
tion. Were never in bondage, &c. The Jews
did not take our Lord's words in the sense
He meant, but let the sentence be taken
in their own sense, and a more absurd re-
action of pride is not easy to be imagined.
" Never in bondage to any man !" What !
had they not the Roman governor, with a
division of the imperial guards, in their
metropolis? To the latter part of their
boastful question our Lord calmly replies :
Whosoever committeth sin, i. e., liveth in the
commission of sin. The verb is in the
continuous present, expressing -n^hat is
persistently done. (See 1 John iii. 8 ;
Matt. vii. 23.) Is the servant of sin, i. e., the
bond-servant, or sla^w of it, for the ques-
tion is not about free service, but who are
in bondage. (See 2 Peter ii. 19; Rom. vi.
16.) The great truth here expressed was
not unknown to heathen moralists, but it ;
was applied only to vice, for they were
total strangers to what in revealed religion
is called sin. " Every man in his natural
state yields himself unto sin. All his
senses, members and faculties, are its
handmaids and ministers. The eye
watches for it, the ear listens to it, the
tongue pleads, and the hands toil for it.
Fancy is the painter that draws its picture,
memory is the recorder that keeps its se-
crets, the will is its charioteer that drives
furiously through all restraints, the pas-
sions and appetites are the providers that
hunt for its prey. (Rom. vi. 15-23.)
And the servant abideth not, &c. What-
ever a man may boast himself, whatever
his parentage, whatever his privileges, the
commission of sin undoes him. The son
of Abraham becomes the servant of sin.
He is thereby degraded from a state of
sonship to a state of servitude. He is no
longer the heir, but a servant. Not now
Isaac who shall inherit, but Ishmael, who
is cast out. For the Lord was, beyond all
doubt, referring to that allegory, that typi-
cal teaching of these Scripture characters,
which Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians
more largely sets forth. (Gal. iv. 21-31.)
If the Son therefore, &c. " If I, the Sou of
God, make you free, in the sense of deliv-
ering you from the guilt, burden and do-
minion of sin, then you will be free,
indeed!" This was the freedom that He
wished them to obtain from Him, -^'hose
peculiar office and privilege it is to enfran-
chise forever all who come to Him.
Liberty, like this, is the portion of all true
Christians in the day that they flee to
Christ by faith, and commit their souls to
Him. That day they become free men,
in reality, indeed. (See Luke i. 12 ; Rom.
viii. 1-4 ; Phil. ii. 15.) Liberty, like this, is
their portion forevermore. Death cannot
stop it. The grave cannot even hold their
bodies for more than a little" season.
Those whom Christ makes free are free to
all eternity. Let us never rest until we
have some personal experience of this free-
dom ourselves. Without it all other free-
dom is a worthless privilege. Free speech,
free laws, political freedom, commercial
freedom, national freedom — all these can-
not smooth down a dying pillow, or disarm
death of his sting, or fill our consciences
CHAPTER VIII.
521
with peace. Nothing can do that but the
freedom wliich Christ alone bestows. He
gives it freely to all who seek it humbly.
Then let us never rest until it is our own.
■ I know Uiat ye are Abruha)n''s seed — literal
descendants. Our Lord thus reverts to
their boast in verse 33, and He is about to
convict them of that sinfulness which He
laid to their charge in verse 34. This He
does distinctly in verse 40. Ye seek to kill
me, etc. It is a dismal omen when a per-
son is regardless of the truth of God, it is
more so to be provoked against it, but to
persecute and endeavor to destroy those
who preach it, is the last degree of per-
verseness and obstinac)'. With my Father,
that is, God. }yith your father, that is, Sa-
tan. (See verse 44.) As if Jesus had
said. While the instuctions which I com-
municate are in perfect accordance with
the will of my Father, you act in accord-
ance with the will of Satan, in disliking
and rejecting my instructions. In respect
to character, my Father and your father
are entirel}' opposite, just as I and you are
entirely opposite. Jesus was thus grad-
ually bringing theni to see that He regard-
ed them as exceedingly sinful, and utterly
opposed to God, and resembling the evil
one.
39. They answered and said unto him, 'Abraham is
our father. Jesus saith unto them, "If ye were Abra-
ham's childx-en, ye would do the works of Abraham.
40. »But now ye seek to kill me, » man that hatli told
you the truth, jwhieh I have heard of God : this did not
Abraham.
<Matt. iii. 9; verse .3.3. "Bom li. 28 and ix. 7; Gal. iii.
V, 29. » Verse 37. jVerse 26.
Abraham's children, in the sense in which
Paul subsequently employed this expres-
sion (Rom. iv. 11, 12, ix. 7, 8), as denoting
Abraham's spiritual seed, or those of like
spirit and temper with him. Ye iconld do
the works of Abraham, ye would imitate his
character and ready obedience to God.
Mark how our Lord, who elsewhere bases
everything like His Apostle Yan], upon faith,
here lays also stress, like James, upon
the evidence of works ! BtU noiu ye seek,
&c. " In this passage, as in verse 37," says
Thohick, " the lust of murder is character-
ized further by a reference to its motive ;
only through this motive does it attain to the
character of the diabolical."
41. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they
to him. We be not born of fornication, .we have one
Father, et^en CJod.
'Isa. Ixiii. 16 and liv. 8; Mai. i. 6.
Ye do the deeds, &c. Ye act as under the
influencte of the devil as your true father,
and in communion and concert with him,
a very sure evidence that ye are not the
genuine and believing children of Abra-
ham. Fornication is most probably not
to be taken literally, but as denoting idol-
atry, which is frequently in the Prophets
called fornication or adultery. (See for
instance Jer. ii. 1-20 and iii. 1-3.) They
labor to prove that they were not born in
an idolatrous state, but in the true Church,
nor were idolaters themselves, but wor-
shiped God according to His word, and
therefore were His children.
42. Jesus said unto them, "If God were your Father,
ye would love me : t>for I jjroceeded forth aiid came from
God, i^neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43.
<i\Vli\' do ye not understand my speech ? even because
3e cannot hear my word. 44. eYe are of i/oiu- father
tlie devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do; he
was a murderer from the beginning, and fabode not in
the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he
speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own : for he is a liar,
and the father of it. 45. And because I tell you the
truth, ye believe me not. 46. Which of you convinceth
me of sin ? And if I say the truth, why do ye not be-
lieve me ? 47. eHe that is of God heareth God's words :
ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
»1 John V. 1. i^xvi. 27 and xvii. 8, 2.5. cv. 43 and vii.
2S, 29. dvii. 17. 'Matt. xiii. 38 ; 1 John iii. 8. fJude 6.
ix. 26, 27 ; 1 John iv. 6.
If God were your Father, &c. Can God
be your Father, who reject Him whom He
sent? For I proceeded forth, &.e. The full
sense is," I proceeded forth (from God) and
am come into the world (as His Legate).
The former part of the expression has
reference to the character of Jesus as the
eternal Son of God; the latter to His char-
acter as Legate and Mediator. Neither came
I of myself, &c., i. e., without being com-
missioned and sent of God. (See on v. 43,
vii. 28, 29.) My speech — my discourse. Be-
cause ye cannot hear my word. " Ye cannot
hear, ILsten to, accept my doctrine, there is
another relish of things with you, it can-
not enter into you." (See verse 37.) "The
grossness of our apprehensions in spiritual
things, and our many mistakes which we
make about them," says an old writer,
"proceed from those dull and fogey steams
which rise up from our foul hearts, and
becloud our understandings." (See on
vii. 17.)
The lusts of your father ye will do. " Sa-
tan," observes Fuller, "hath no impulsive
power ; he may strike fire, till he be weary
(if his malice can weary) ; except man's
corruption brings the tinder, the match
cannot be lighted. (Acts v. 4; James i.
JOHN.
13-16.) He was a murderer, &c. That the
devil was their spiritual father, Christ
proves in general from their imitating of
him and being actuated by him. Here we
have a plain declai-ation of the personality
of Satan, if we adopt the Unitarian
hypothesis of substituting the principle of
evil for the devil, how utterly inexplicable
is the representation here made ! When
he speaketh a lie, &c. Not only was Satan
a murderer, inspiring hate, anger, malice,
murder, inspiring these Jews to slay
Jesus even as he urged Cain to kill his
brother, but he is ako a liar; this is his
state, his condition, his nature, because
there is no truth in him. When he utters
falsehood, it is not as a thing alien to his
nature, with shame and blushing, as one
whose heart is not yet altogether harden-
ed, or his conscience seared, but as a thing
proper to his evil nature, glorying in his
shame, crying, " evil, be thou my good."
Such is Satan, a liar, and the father of lies,
and so the father of all liars — of all who
love falsehood and hate the truth.
And because I tell you the truth, &c. Mon-
strous disaffection of men's hearts to divine
truths, even because they are truth, and
because they are divine! Which of you
convinceth me, &c. The interrogation is
equivalent to, " Who of you impeaches my
testimony, by convincing me of any sin?"
(See xviii. 23.) "Do not," says Jerome,
"arm thyself with that vulgar and trivial
saying, ' it suffices me that my conscience
is clear, and I care not what all the world
says:' thou must care what the world says
and thinks. Christ Himself had that re-
spect, even toward the scribes and Phari-
sees." (Acts xxi. 20-24; 2 Cor. i. 12, 17, 18.)
The expression, " to be of God," is only a
short elliptical expression for being born
or begotten of Him. "You therefore re-
ceive not His words, because you are not
born of God." The plain reason why men
do not believe the truth, is that they do
not like it.
48. Then answered the Jews, and said unto him. Say
we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and i>ha.st a
devil? 49. Jesus answered, I have not a devil • but I
honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 5n And
■I seek not mine own glory : there is one that se'eketh
andjudgeth. 51. Verily, verily, I say unto you. tlfa
man keep my saying, he shall never see death. .52. Then
said the jews unto him. Now we know that thou hast
a devil. 'Abrahaiji is dead, and the prophets, and thou
sayest. If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste
of death. .53. Art thou greater than our father Abra-
ham, which is dead ? and the prophets are dead : whom
niakest thou thyself?
hvii. 20 and x. 20; verse 52. 'v. 41 and vii. 18. ^v. 24
and xi. 2ii. iZech. 1. 5 ; Heb. xi. 13.
To call our Lord a Samaritan, was to give
Him the most contemptible and odious of
all names. It was especially to reproach
Him as an enemy of the holy nation, and
they not only give Him this name, but
affirm that He richly deserved it— say ve
not ivell f " Is it any reproach ? Who, but
a sworn foe of our nation, could have rep-
resented us, free-born Israelites, as slaves?
us, the seed of Abraham — us, the children
of God — as the children of the devil?"
But, as if no malignity, however great, in
connection with a sane mind, could have
induced a person to cast out such oppro-
brious imputations, they represent Him as
a demoniac, as well as a Samaritan. I have
not a devil. Though Christ used some
sharpness in reproving the Jews, yet He
answers with wonderful mildness and
meekness when He refers to the reproaches
cast upon Him. In any instance of injus-
tice or oppression to which we may be
exposed, let us endeavor to imitate our
Master's patience and forbearance, to be
ready rather with the soft answer that
turneth away wrath, than with those
grievous words which stir up anger. 1
honor my Father — H-e honors the Father in
attributing all that is divine in Himself to
Him, and vindicating J/im from all pater-
nity to them. Ye do dishonor me — in attri-
buting my divinity to the devil. There is
one that seeketh., i. e., '"that seeketh my
glory," requiring "all men to honor the
Son, even as they honor the Father," and
giving to Him (vi. 37) such as will j'etcast
their crowns before His throne, in whom
He "shall see of the travail of his .soul, and
be satisfied." (Isa. liii. 11.) Keep my say-
ing— my whole doctrine — hold it fast as
the rule of life. Having asserted His own
nature as God's Son, Jesus now concen-
trates into one sentence the object of His
mission as Son, eternal life to all who accept
Him. Nei^er see death — even in dying he
shall not die but live. (See v. 12, vii. 37,
38; comp. vi. 50, 54, 57, 58.) Nov} tve knom
that thou hast a deinl. Previously they had
spoken with some doubt (veVse 48), but
noiv to Jesus' solemn assertion (verse 51),
they oppose this declaration. Art thou
C 11 A P T E R ^' 1 1 1 .
523
greater than our father Ahraham, &.c. They
misunderstood our Lord's words, as if He
meant a freedom from temporal death,
and promised a privilege which neither
Abraham nor the prophets enjoyed.
54. Jesua answered, ™If I honour myself, my honour
is nuthiii;;: "it is my Father that hoiioureth me ; of
whom ye say, that lie is your GotI : 5'>. Yet "ye have
not known him, hut I know him : and if I should say,
I kn(jw him not, I shall he a liar like unto you : but I
Icnow him, and keep his saying. .5t5. Your father Abra-
ham prejoiced to see my day : land he .saw it, and was
elivJ. .'57. Then said the. Tews unto him, Thou art not yet
nfty years old, and hast tliou seen Abraham?
my. .SI. "V. 41, xvi. 14, xvii. 1: Acts iii. 13. "Vii. 28,
29. pLuke x. 24. qHeb. xi. 13.
Jt is viy Father, &c. As the Jews had in-
quired before, "Where is thy Father?"
Jesus now adds this: "God is my Father,
and Him who is indeed my Father, ye
vainly boast to be your God. Ye profess
to know Him, but in works ye deny Him,
But I know Him, and in that special sense
in which I alone can say this (see chap. i.
18), even as a Son with His Father: and
if, in deference to your clamor, I were to
waive this my just claim and prerogative,
I should be lowering myself to your level,
the teacher of truth would become the son
of falsehood. How then can I give up my
claim to be the Son of God, though it ex-
pose me to your unreasonable charge of
blasphemy, to your murderous attempts
upon my life? For indeed I know Him
in a sense in which neither ye nor any
man can know, and I keep His saying,
which ye might do but will not. Yea, in
this my claim, I am only carrying out His
instructions, doing His will, fulfilling His
pleasure. I keep His saying, as I am urging
you to keep mine." (See verse 52.) Your
Jathcr Ahraham rejoiced to see my day. By
" my day," we are to understand the time
of Christ's incarnation or appearance on
earth. Our Lord expresses yet more dis-
tinctly that very thing which was so ofien-
sive to these Jews, His superiority over
Abraham. Abraham received prophecies
in regard to the Messiah (Gen. xvii. 10,
xviii. IS, xxii. l(j, &.C.), and from these pro-
ceeded his rejoicing. He rejoiced at the
l)rospect of that at the realizati<jn of which
those who boasted to be his sons were so
enraged. (See Heb.xi. 13-16.) There was
no true joy under the Old Testament, but
only in the hope of the coming of Christ.
The piety of the patriarchs, prophets and
other holy persons before the incarnation,
consisted in desiring, jiraying and looking
for the Saviour who was to be born, and
in earnestly striving to have a share in the
favor and blessing of His coming.
Tliou art not yet fifty years old, &c. Thou
hast not seen half a century, much less
the many centuries since tlie day in whicli
Abraham lived. Some have inferred from
these words that Jesus seemed premature-
ly old, either from the marks of endurinjj
sorrow in His features, or from His appar-
ent i)recocious maturity of mind. He was
not yet thirty-three, and the Jifty here
named is simply an even sum to measure
otr the intervening centuries. Hast thou
seen Abraham f as thou must have done, if
Abraham has seen thee. By such a per-
version of the plain import of His words,
they seek to convict Him of an absurdity,
such as no sane man could have uttered.
Nothing short of a willful misunderstand-
ing could have led them to suppose that
by the term " my day," Jesus intended to
convey the idea of His actual abode on
earth dux-ing the patriarch's lifetime.
They, however, in trying to exaggerate
His words into absurdity, really elevate
them into a higher truth.
58. Jesus said unto them. Verily, verily, I say unto
you. Before Abraham w:is, rl am.
■■E.x. iii. 14 ; Isa. xliii. 13 ; chap. xvii. 5, 24 ; Col. i. 17 :
Bev. i. 8.
When Christ's enemies were enraged at
His speech. He gently seeks to draw them
to the consideration of His Divinity, that
thus they might be pacitied. Verily, verily.
(See on verse 34.) Before Abraham vms, I
am. The sentence is at variance with
the laws of grammar, the present time is
represented as preceding tlie past. From
this apparent confusion, there is no possi-
bility of extricating the words, but by the
sublime and mysterious doctrine of the
immutable existence of the sj^eaker in His
superior nature. "I am" is the name of
God, and it imports, that in His existence
the distinctions of past, present, and to
come, have no place. Hence our Lord
did not saj' I vxis before Abraham, for in
this manner an angel might have spoken
of himself, but I am, intimating that in
reference to His duration, the two thousand
years which had elapsed since the days of
the patriarch were annihilated. (See 2
Peter iii. 8 ; Ps. cii. 26, 27, also on verse 59.)
524
JOHN.
59. Then Hhey took up stones to cast at him : but
Jesus liid hhiisplf. and went out of the temple, 'going
llirough tUe midst ot'tliem, and so passed by.
•X. 31, 39 and xi. 38. 'Luke iv. 30.
Our Lord's answer (verse 581, signified
eternal existence, which is nothing short
of a claim to Divinity (see Ps. xc. 2, and
chap. xvii. 5), the Jews therefore take up
stones, some probably lying about in that
outer court of the temple for the purpose
of building or repairs, and proceed to exe-
cute upon Him the punishment for the
crime of blasphemy. " Satan's kingdom,"
says an old writer, " stands upon four props
especially : railing (v. 48); hypocrisj"^ (v. 53,
Our father Abraham); sophistry (v. 52) —
construing that of death natural, which
Christ uttered of eternal ; tyranny (v. 59);
when reason failed, they came to violence.
(James iii. 14, 16)." Hid himself, &c. He
who, when His hour was come, yielded
Himself as a sheep to His shearers, and
was led as a lamb to the slaughter, now,
inasmuch as His hour was not yet fully
come, withdraws Himself awhile from
their ungovernable fury : retired probably
at once into the surrounding multitude,
and so was lost in the crowd, and depart-
ing unobserved amongst the stream of
people, for this time escaped the fury of
His enemies. " It is," says Bishop Taylor,
"an office of prudence to serve God so that
we may at the same time preserve our
lives and our estates, our interest and
reputation, for ourselves and our relations,
so far as they can consist together." (Matt.
ii. 13, X. 23.)
1. Where did Jesus go ? 2. "Who was brought before Him ? 3. What disposition was made of her case ? 4,
W^bat was our Lord'sanswer to the charge of bearing record of Himself? 5. What did He reply to the question,
" Where is thy Father ?" 6. W^hy did no man lay hold on Him ? 7. State the reply of Christ to the question.
"Who art thou?"' 8. W^hoisthe servant of sin? 9. Who are "free indeed?" 10. What did Jesus say to the
claim, " Abraham is our father ?" 11. In what sense shall the man who keeps Christ's saying never see death ?
12. What is said of Abraham seeing the day of Christ's appearing? 13. Explain verse 58.
CHAPTER IX.
1 Tfie man that icas- born blind rrMored to siphl. 8 I£e is
brought to the Pharisees. 13 Tluy are offended at it,
and excommunicate him : 35 but lie u- received of Je-
sus, and confesseth hiin. 39 Who they are wfujm
Christ enlighieneth.
AND as Jemts passed by, he saw a man which was
blind from his birth.
In the interval bet'^\-een the occurrence
with which the preceding chapter closed,
and the event here narrated, with its ap-
pended discourse, those events took place
recorded in Luke x. 25-42, xi. 1-24. Our
Lord appears to have returned again to
the city (on the supposition that He had
left it temporarily, for the reason given in
viii. 59), and resumed His public instruc-
tion. The rage of His enemies had so far
subsided, or their prudence had so resum-
ed its control of their actions, as to render
it safe for Him to appear again in public.
Passed by, i. e., passed along through the
city. Blind from his birth. The sad history
of this man may have been already fa-
miliar to the disciples, as he was evidently
a well-known beggar in Jerusalem, one
with whose story many were acquainted
(verse 8), or it may have been one of his
ways of stirring pity and compassion in the
passers-by, to announce that his calamity
reached back so far, and thus it may have •
come to the knowledge of the disciples,
and proved the occasion of their question.
More of our Saviour's miracles are record-
ed as having been wrought on blindness
than on any other form of human in-
firmity. The minute and particular records
of His cures wrought on blindness are
four in number. (See Matt. ix. 27-31;
Mark viii. 22-26; Matt. xx. 29-34; Mark
X. 46-52 ; Luke xviii. 35-43.) Indeed, the
record may be said to extend to six cases
in all. (See Matt. xii. 22 and xxi. 14.) In
like manner the Prophet Isaiah "will be
found to hint at the recovery of sight to
the blind, more frequently than to any
CHAPTER IX,
533
other act of mercy, symbolical of the Day
of Christ. (Sec Isix. xxix. IS, xxxii. 3,
XXXV. 5, xlii. 7.)
2. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, "Who
did sin, tliis man, or his parents, that be was born
blind ?—» Ver.se 3-1.
In the judgment of some commentators,
the belief of a metempsychosis; accord-
ing to others, the belief of a prc-existence
of souls ; according to others still, a belief
of the possibility that the embryo could
pin, is to be imputed to the disciples.
''But," says Tholuck, "it is doubtful
•whether we have good reason for sup-
posing such opinions to be current among
the people. It seems to us that verse 34
puts us on the track to the true view.
The -Pharisees, in that verse, say that the
man was ' altogether,^ and consequently, in
soul and body, ' born in sins.' As among
us, the people have the phrase, ' such a
man was born with a mark on him,' may
not this (though, indeed, not clearly ex-
pressed), have been the meaning of the
disciples ?"
3. Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned,
nor his paniits : i-but that tlie worlv3 of God sliould Ije
made niunilest in him.— I'xi. 4.
Our Lord does not deny that this man
and his parents had sinned, but that they
had sinned as the cause of his being born
blind. He thus turned away His disci])les
from that most harmful practice of diving
down with cruel surmises into the secrets
of other men's lives, and, like the friends
of Job, guessing for them hidden sins in
explanation of their unusual sufferings.
" Wise men," says Cecil, " will regard the
entrance of evil as a man views a fire,
already begun in his house. It is now too
late to ask, ' How came this ?' or, ' Whence
did the fire begin?' His single question
will be, how he, and his family, and his
property, can be secured." (Gen. xix. 17 ;
Luke xiii. 23, 24.) But that the works, &c.
This blindness, Jesus would say, is the
chastening of no peculiar sin on his own
part, or on his parents.' He here asserts
the high end for which suffering is some-
times permitted in the world, namely, for
the benefit of the individual, and for the
manifestation of the glorious works of God.
(See xi. 3, 4.)
4. fl must work the works of him that sent me, while
it is day : the night cometh when no man can work. .5.
As long as I am in the world, ^l am the light of the
world.
"iv. .^4, V. 19, ."jr., xi. 0, xii. 33 and xvii. 4. Ji. .5, 9, iii. 19,
viii. 12 and xii. a-j, 4ii.
Our Lord proceeds to heal this poor
blind man. The malice of His enemies
will soon bring His day to a close, will
shortly bring on the night that shall
shut in His day for going about doing
good. Had the Son of man His set and
appointed time? His words here may
enforce to us the solemn admonition,
" Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it
with thy might, for there is no work, nor
device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the
grave, whither thou goest." As long as 1
am in tlie uorld, &c. Thus Jesus hints
that He will not be in the world long, and
He will let His light shine before men all
the days of His appointed time.
R. V/hen he had thus spoken, 'he spat on the ground,
and made clay of tlie spittle, and he anointed the eyes
of the blind man with the clay.
cMark vii. 33 and viii. 23.
The clay and the spittle were only conduc-
tors, not in themselves needful, but which
Jesus willingly assumed to be the chan-
nels for the conveying of His power, for
we observe at other healings of the
blind no intervention of such means find-
ing place. (Matt. xx. 30-34.) " Probably,"
says Trench, " the reasons which induced
the use of these means were ethical, it was,
perhaps, a help for the weak faith of the
man to find that something external was
done." At all events, Christ magnified
His i30wer in making a blind man to see
by that method which one would think
more likely to make a seeing man blind.
7. And said unto him, Go, wash fin the pool of Siloam,
which is by interpretation. Sent. sHe went his way
therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
f Neh. iii. 15. b2 Kings v. 10, 14.
Wash — the eyes only. The pool of Siloam
is a small pond, in an oblong form, at the
lower end of the valley of Jehoshaphat,
overlooked by the wall of Mount Zion.
Its sides are built up with stones, and a
column stands in the middle, indicating
that a chapel was once built over it. It is
in length fifty-four feet, by eighteen in
breadth. It is fed, probably, by Avater
from the temple mount. By interpretation,
Sent. Jesus selected this pool because its
name was significant. As Christ Himself
is the fountain, sent from God, by which
our nature is purified, so Siloam is the
fountain, sent from the mount of God's
temple, by whuh the man is washed from
JOHN.
both his blindness and his clay. The man
was seiU by the Sent to the Sent. He went
his way — of course conducted by some one
to the pool. How implicit his faith ! How
prompt his obedience ! (2 Kings v. 10-14.)
Came seeing, returned to all appearance to
his own house, it does not seem that he came
back to the Lord. The immediate power
of using the eyes was no small part of the
miracle. When people recover sight now
after surgical operations, it requires a con-
siderable time to learn the use of the
newly acquired sense. "What," says an
ancient writer, "did this man think when
his eyes were now first given him ! What
a new world did he find himself come
into ! how did he wonder at heaven and
earth! Lo, thus shall we be affect-
ed, and more, when the scales of our mor-
tality being done away, we shall see as we
are seen, when we shall behold the bless-
edness of that other world! Let us be
obedient to Christ in the use of the means
He prescribes, and however simple, Ave
shall find them effectual for good."
8. U The neighbours therefore, and they which before
had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that
sat and begged ? 9. Some said, This is he: others said.
He is like him: but he said, latnlie. 10. Therefore
said they unto him. How were thine eyes opened ? 11.
He answered and said, I'A man that is called Jesus,
made clay, and anointed mine eyas, and said unto me.
Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and
washed, and I received sight. 12. Then said they unto
him. Where is he? He said, I know not. 13. They
brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime wii.s blind.
14. And it was the 'sabbath day when Jesus made the
clay, and opened his eyes.
Inverses fl. 7. i v. 9, 16 : Matt. xii. 1, 14 ; Mark ii. 23, 23 ;
Luke vi. 1, U and .\iii. 10, 17.
Begged — the man was very poor as well
as blind. Some said, This is he, &c. To ex-
plain these doubts and questionings, re-
specting the man's identity, it has been
Avell observed, that the opening of the
eyes must have altered the character of
the whole countenance. " The miraculous
cures of God," says Bishop Hcdl, " work a
sensible alteration in men, not more in
their own apprehension, than in the judg-
ment of others." I am he. The man when
he heard people doubting his identity and
looking at him with hesitation, says, "I
assure you that I am he who used to sit at
the temple-gate and beg." No truths have
received so full proofs as those that have
been questioned. Said unto me, Go to the
pool of Siloam, &c. It is observed by the
learned that our Saviour for the most part
never cured any man, but He straight en-
joined him some duty, as to the lepers,
" Go show yourselves unto the priests," to
another, "Give God praise," to a third,
"Sin no more." (iv. 50, v. 11, vi. 10.)
And I went and washed. The soul is con-
stituted to see through the body , as through
its glass ; and that glass at present is very
dark; but when once that glass shall come
to be brightened, so soon as the soul shall
be discharged from the grossness of fiesh,
and the cloud of passion, and the stains of
sin, it will need no other elevation to be-
hold the face of God, no other capacity to
comprehend all the treasures of wisdom,
no other strength to bear the weight of
Eternal Glory. (1 Cor. xiii. 12.) There is
one minute feature in this simple story,
which it may be well to observe. The man
speaks only of the clay, not of what was
mingled with it. For, being blind, he could
not see what our Lord did, he could only
feel what He applied. This little coinci-
dence is a great mark of truth. It is one
which could not come by design. It may
also be observed, that the man's answer,
"I know not," to the question, "Where is
He?" proves how impossible was any col-
lusion, how little the Lord sought honor
from man. It iras the sabbath, &c. The
mention just at this place of the day on
which the healing was accomplished,
seems inserted as the explanation of their
having found it necessary to bring the case
before their ecclesiastical rulers — the Phari-
sees.
15. Then again tbe Pliarisees also a.sked him, how he
had received his sight. He said unto them. He put
clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.
Again the man is interrogated : this time
officially, and with a view to making him
criminate himself, or at the least i^nplicate
and injure Jesus. He put clay, &c. The
man mentions only the clay ; not having
been able to see how the Saviour " spat on
the ground, and made clay of the spittle."
This statement furnishes proof of the
accuracy of the narrative.
IB. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is
not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day.
Others said, JHow can a man that Is a sinner do such
miracles? And kthere was a division among them. 17.
They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou
of hini, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, 'He
is a prophet. 18. But the Jews did not "believe con-
cerning him, that he had been blind, and received his
sight, until they called the parents of him that had re-
ceived his sight. 19. And they a-sked them, saying. Is
this your soil, who .ve say wa-s born blind? how then
doth he now see? 20. His parents answered them and
said. We know that this is our son, and that he was
born blind : 21. But by what means he now seeth, we
CHAPTER IX
537
know not, or who hath opened hLs eyes, we know not :
he is o! age, u-sk him: he shall speak for himself, ii.
These woriLt spake his parents, beiuiuse »they feared
the Jews : for the .lews had agreed already, that if any
man did confess that he was Christ, he "should be put
out of the synagogue. 23. Therelore said his parents.
He is of age ; asti him.
J Verse Xi, iii. 2. tvii. 12, 43 and x. 19. Uv. 19 and vi.
•14. ""Luke xvi. 31. ivii. 13, xii. 42 and xix. 38; Acts v.
13. oVerse 34 ; xvi. 2.
This man is not of God, &c. Not a word,
it will be observed, about the miracle, not
a word about the mercy, not a word about
the good done, not a word about the pow-
er shown. Their little minds seem fixed
only upon the ima<rinury transgression.
This appears to have been the opinion and
sentence of the majorit J'. Others said, &c.
Men think difi'erently of the same thing,
because the state of their minds is differ-
ent, (vii. 40, 41.)
" There is," says Bishop Hall, " no word,
or action, but may be taken with two
hands, either with the right hand of char-
itable construction, or, the sinister inter-
pretation of raahce and suspicion : and all
things do succeed as they are taken. To
construe an evil action well, is but a pleas-
ing and profitable deceit to myself; but to
misconstrue a good thing is a treble wrong
— to myself, the action and the author."
(Rom. xiv. 10.) What sayrst thou of him,
&c. As they could not get him to deny
that Jesus had opened his eyes, they hoped
to be able to extort from him some state-
ment derogatory to his Benefactor, some-
thing which might give some supposed
color to their monstrous position : —
"Through the prince of the devils casteth
He out devils." He isaj)rophet — a prophet
at least. This was what, at the first blush,
he supposed Him to be. He could be
nothing short of this. That was what the
Samaritan woman at first perceived Him
to be (iv. 19.) Afterward (verses 35-38),
like her, he believed and confessed Him
to be the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of
God. God has promised " to him that
hath shall be given." Those who follow
the convictions of their consciences shall
receive more grace.
Is this your son, &c. Failing in their
attempt to draw out something from the
man, on which they could legally convict
Jesus, they seek to impair his testimony,
by denying that he had ever been blind.
How ungenerous was the conduct of the
beggar's parents ! They showed no grati-
tude for the benefit conferred upon their
son, nor were they willing to run any risk
in order to shield their own offspring from
disgrace, but left him to stand alone
against the host of his enemies. They
sought to escape disgrace, but they have
incurred the deepest. Fut out of the syna-
gogue, be excommunicated. The Jewish
excommunication was a severe punish-
ment. There were three degrees of it.
The first excluded the person from inter-
course with the people, even with his own
family, for the space of thirty days, he was
not allowed to approach a Jew at a dis-
tance nearer than four cubits. If he gave
no signs of penitence, the time could be
doubled, aad even trebled. The second
separated the person from all sacred meet-
ings, was accompanied with dreadful
curses, and forbade all intercourse with
others. The third was .still severer, and
was regarded as a final and total exclusion
of the person from the community.
24. Then again called they the man that was blind,
and said unto him. Give God the praise : we know that
this man is a sinner.
This they said, not wishing him to own
even to the praise of God, that a miracle
had been wrought upon him, but to show
more regard to -the honor of- God than
ascribe any such act to one who was a
sinner.
25. He answered and said. Whether he be a sinner or
no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was
blind, now I see.
Not that the man meant to insinuate
any doubt in his own mind on the point
of His being "a sinner," but as his opinion
on such a point would be of no conse-
quence to others, he would speak only to
what he huw as fact in his own case. The
corporeal change with which this poor man
had been blessed, is the spiritual experience
of every real Christian — he was blind, but
now he sees. And like him too the Christ-
ian may know it. Observe a resemblance
in the limitation of the knowledge itself —
it extends to " one thing," but this is the
main thing, and to know this is to know
enough. It is not necessary to know the
precise time of the change, any more than
it is necessary to know precisely when the
day begins, in order to know that it is
dawn — it is day. Neither is it necessary
to be able to know the particular instrur
mentality employed, whether an afflictive
528
JOHN.
event, or a good book, or the admonition
of a friend, or the preaching of the word.
The manner of conversion is very diifer-
ent. In some cases it is more sudden, in
others more slow. The Lord addresses
one man iu thunder, He whispers to an-
other in a small still voice.
I know, &c. Eemark what a confidence
this man derived from the consciousness
of this onething. These unbelievers wish-
ed and endeavored to confound him, but
their questions and their cavils liad no
weight with him. He had, he felt, one in-
vincible, undeniable argument — "this,"
says he, " is sufficient for me. I know
what He has done for me, and can-
not be mistaken." So he that believeth
hath the witness in himself. Like this
man, has a satisfaction derived from ex-
perience. He has received the truth in
the love and efficiency of it. He has felt
its power and blessedness. He has a cer-
tainty, out of which he can neither be
laughed nor reasoned. This qualifies him
for dealing with others in Divine things.
It excites his zeal, and enables him to
speak with earnestness, because he can
speak Avithout hesitation.
2fi. Then sakl thoy to him asain, What did lio to tlioe?
how opened lie tliiue eyes? 27. IIi' iuiswci-cil tln'in, I
liiive told you a\re;idy, and ye did not ln'ur : whiTelore
would ye hear it again ? will ye also be his disciples?
Said they again — proceeding,
apparently, to cross-question him, in order
to detect some refutation of the miracle.
This cross-questioning the man indig-
nantly and sarcastically declines. He
refers them to his explicit narrative in his
former examination, which they endeavor-
ed to slight, and he ironically imputes
their zealous questioning to a desire to
become His disciples. The keenness with
which skeptics scrutinize the Gospel often
surpasses the earnestness of its believing
students. And it is a striking tiict that
critical attacks have stimulated Christian
scholars to a profounder study of the
Word of God, and have thus resulted in a
truer understanding of its depths of mean-
ing, and clearer demonstrations of its in-
finite truth.
I have told you already .... wherefore
vmdd ye hear it agam ? Infidelity can only
go round and round the same topics in an
eternal circle, without advancing one step
further. It produces no new forces, it
only brings those again into the field
which have been so often baffled, maimed
and disabled, that, in pity to them, they
ought to be dismissed and discharged from
any further service. (Acts xix. 28, 34.)
Ty^i!7^ ye also (as well as I, and others to
whom I have told, the circumstances of
my cure) he his disciples? The emphasis
given in the original to the pronoun ye,
opposes with the keenest irony the refer-
ence here made to their discipleship, to the
judgment which in verse 24 they declared
themselves to have formed in regard to the
character of Jesus. If this were truly a
legal court, it may be doubted whether
the man did not commit a faulty disre-
spect, for which the want of self-respect in
the court furnishes no full excuse. Yet,
when we consider that he was a poor, un-
cultivated mendicant, we can excuse this
single error and still wonder at his martyr-
like constancy.
28. Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his dis-
ciple, but we are Moses' disciples. 29. We know that
God spake unto Moses : as for this fellow, "-we know not
from wlieiice lie is. — 'viii. 14.
The man's answer stung them to the
quick. They felt all the force of his just
irony. They were too conscious of deserv-
ing all that it implied. They withdrew to
the shelter of authority, from whence, as
all such debaters under the circumstances
usually do, they discharged a shower of
abuse, and loaded him with undignified
and unmeaning reproaches. We hioiu that
God spake unto Moses, &c. Their partiality
here was inexcusable, for if they believed
the mission of Moses, on evidence of
miracles, credibly attested, indeed, but
performed two thousand years before they
were born, it was much more reasonable,
on their own principles, to believe the
mission of Jesus, on at least equal miracles,
wrought daily among them, when Ihey
might, in many instances, have been eye-
witnesses to the facts, and one of which,
notwithstanding all their malice, they
were here compelled to own, or at least
found themselves utterly unable to dis-
prove. We know not from whence he is — we
know not the source whence he obtained
His commission, nor the ground of His
pretensions to be sent of God.
30. The man answered and said unto them, >Why
herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from
CHAPTER IX
whoncp lip i'^, and yrthp hath openort niinoeyes. 31.
NoAV we know Ih'.it 'lidil licamli imt nuiiu'I-s: but if
any man bo a worsliipiHT ol' (ioJ, and docth his will,
him he iicarctli. li'.'. Since the world bewail was it
not heard thai any man opened the eyes ol' one that
was born blind. 33. "II tins man were not of (iod, he
could do nothing. 31. They answered and said unto
liiin, vTliou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou
• teach us? And they cu.sl him out.
"iii. 10. 'Job xxvii. 9 and xxxv. 12; Ps. xviii. 41, xxxiv.
15 and l.wi. hs; Prov. i. US, xv. '£) and xxviii. !); Isa. i.
15; Jer. xi. 11 anil xiv. 12: Kzek. vhi. 13; Mi. iii. 4;
Zech. vil. 13. uVersu IG. vVerse 2.
•
TJti; man answered, &c. This man shows
not only a spirit of downright, and, wliat
we should almo.st term dogged honesty,
combined with great boldness, but very
considerable shrewdness and sagacity.
May not this last confirm the old proverb,
" The eyes of the blind see best." He seems,
moreover, to liave already received some
of (he spirit of wisdom and jialience, which
marked the conduct of the Saviour, in
whose cause he was arraigned ; for he
made no answer whatever to their per-
sonal reviling (verse 28), but only vindica-
ted the honor of that God who licardh not
sinners, (viii. 48, 49; Isa. xxxvi. 21.) Some
have unnecessarily stumbled at the words
" God heareth not sinners." Vain, indeed,
is tlie prayer tliat comes from a divided
heart. Vain the petition for pardon,
when we have determined not to part
with the sin. With what countenance
can we ask to be forgiven for any sin past
when wo intend to go and act that bin
over again? But tliere is nothing in
these wordj to deter any penitent from
prayer, any who are grieved and wearied
with the burden of their sins. In this
sense God docs hear sinners. " lie will
regard tlie jji-ayer of the destitute, and
not despise their prayer." Nay, His
ear shall be attentive to the prayer of
tliose who desire to fear His name. (See
Kch. i. 11, also Jonah ii. 1, &c., and Isa.
xxvi. 8.
Thou wast altogether horn in sins.. They
allude to the man's natural defect, and
taunt him with having come into the
world with the penalty of sin branded on
his entire person, in that he was born
blind. They forget that if blindness were,
indeed, the sign of sin, then, to remove
blindness proved a jrower to remove the
penalty of sin. Dost tJiou teach ^isf The
man's clear and forcible eloquence is met
by one argument alone, namely, " Thou art
a sinner, but we are righteous; thou art
34
ignorant, and we are learned in the Law ;
we sit in Moses' seat, thou art the blind
follower of this Galilean deceiver." So
much, then, for evidence, as a means of
convincing men of the truth of Christiani-
ty ! Here had been a judifial inquiry,
and it was attended with this result ! A
change of heart, not more light in such
matters is the thing needed. The percep-
tion of truth is a moral rather than an
intellectutil act. And they cast him out, ex-
communicated him, not only thrust him
bodily from the court-room, but from the
synagogue and temjjle, and from all wor-
ship therein. (Sec on verse 22.) Thus ho
suflered the loss of all things for his Sa-
viour's sake. He is the first whose name
is recorded as openly disgraced for con-
fessing Christ. He is the first of a glorious
train, some of whom sulfered reproach,
others imprisonment, and others death,
because they would not deny Je.sus. line
are a.shamcd of Christ before the world,
how does the conduct of this poor beggar
condemn us?
35. Jesus heard that they had ca-st him out, and when
lie had lound him. he said unto him, Dost thou believe
on itho Son ot God ?
iMatt. xiv. 33 and xvi. IG; Mark i. 1; chap. x. 3G ; 1
John V. 13.
When he had found Mm. By accident?
Not very likely. Sympathy in that breast
could not long keep aloof from its object.
Dost thou believe on the Sun of God? A ques-
tion stretching purposely beyond the man's
present attainments, in order the more
quickly to lead him — in his present teach-
able frame — into the highest truth. The
importance of this question may be infer-
red from the character of the inquirer, and
from the nature of the case itself. Faith
in Christ is the principle of all religion.
Without it, there is no justification, or
sanctification, or consolation, in a word, no
salvation. "Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved."
36. He answered and said. Who is he. Lord, that I
might believe on him? 37. And Jesus said unto him,
Thou liast botli seen him.and yit is he that talketh with
thee. 38. And he said. Lord, I believe. And he wor-
shipped him.— jiv. 26.
Who is he, Lord, &e. His reply is affirm-
ative, and believing by anticipation, prom-
ising faith as soon as Jesus shall say who
He is. "What a beautiful exemplifica-
tion," saysone, "of the heavenward tenden-
cy of a mind simple and truth-loving, the
530
JOHN
gu'leless and sincere, as the doctrine is
f^tated in this Gospel at i. 47, iii. 21, viii.
47, X. 16, 27." Docility opens the heart to
faith: but it is God who gives both. To
desire to be instructed in order to believ-
ing, is agreeable to the j^rudence which
faith itself requires. When a man begins
to inquire about Christ, and asks who He
is, it is always a hopeful symptom of his
state of soul. Tliou hast both seen him, &c.
AVe should carefully notice the extraordi-
nary fullness of the revelation which our
Lord here made of Himself In no case
but this, and that of the Samaritan woman,
do we find Him so unreservedly declaring
His own Divinity and Messiahship. So
true is it that "the meek He will guide in
judgment," and that things "hid to the
wise and prudent are revealed to babes."
And he said, &c. The lowliness and yield-
ing spirit of the man toward Jesus, is in
touching contrast with the defiant bearing
he maintains toward the leaders of the
people. He had been gradually brought
into that state of humble belief in the
power and goodness of his unknown bene-
factor, that he no sooner heard the precious
and important truth just announced, than
his heart yielded assent, and with a
simple confession of faith. Lord, I believe,
he prostrated himself before the Being,
who had stooped in such wondrous con-
descension to one of his low and miserable
condition, and endowed him with the two-
fold blessing of natural and spiritual vision.
39. H And Jesns said, 'For jmlRment I ain come into
tliis world, athat tliey wliicli see not might see, and
that they which see miglit he made blind.
'v. 22, 27; see iii. 17 and xii. 47. »Isa. vi. 9, 10; Matt,
xiii. 13.
The meaning is, the Gospel should make
the poor, ignorant, humble, teachable, who
are reckoned to see nothing, wise and
knowing in the things of God, but that it
should make those who are wise in their
own conceit, know less than they did be-
fore. In the two characters of the Phari-
sees, and the person they thus cast out, we
have a pattern of the believer and the un-
believer, which will hold true to the end
of the world: where the temper of the
Pharisee is, there will Christ be unknown
or rejected; where the othertemjier is, of
the man that was born blind, there will
Christ be valued, and nowhere else. (See
on Luke ii. 35.) Let us seek so to live
that, if the world should cast us out, we
may be found of Him wh(jm the world
crucified, that, having followed the light
of His truth in this world, we may, through
His own merits and mediation, have with
Him the Light of Life in the everlasting
glory of the world to come. (Ps. xliii. 3.)
40. And Home of the Pharisees which were with him
heard these words, land said unto him, Are we blind
also? 41. Jesus said unto them, tit' ye wtr^^ blind, ye
should have no sin : but now ye r^ay, We see, therelore
your sin remalneth.— ' Kom. if. 19. 'xv. 22, 24.
By their own proud boast, " We sec," they
cut away any plea of ignorance from under
their feet. And so their sin remained,
witnessing against them. And so long as
they remained in that state of willful and
proud prejudice, able to see but unwilling,
they were in a state of sin, which was in
danger of increasing, proceeding to more
ungodliness, even to the killing of the
Prince of Life. Let us learn, from what
the Lord here teaches, to walk according
to the light we have, to do faithfully what
we know of our duty. This is the way to
know and to receive more of His good
gifts. "He that hath, to him shall be given;
and he that hath not, from him shall be
taken away even that which he seemeth
to have." If we would prevent any fatal
event of sins flowing from ignorance, we
must take care, that our ignorance itself
be not criminal: and that it will not be,
if our hearts be sincerely disposed to our
duty, and if we u.se moral diligence to
know it, if we be impartial, humble and
honest, and have that concern for the
knowledge and practice of our duty, that
is in some sort proportionable to the im-
portance of it. The more we know, and
the better we understand, the more severe-
ly shall we be judged, unless our life is
more holy.
1. What did our Lord's disciples ask Him about the man blind from his birth ? 2. What was Hie answer ? 8
Ktate the particulars of the miracle He wrought. 4. How did the Pharisees regard this miracle* 5. What did
the blind man's parents say to them? fi. What did he say himself? 7. What did the man who had been blind
Hay when he was reviled ? 8. What did Jesas a.sk him after he had been cast out? 9. State his reply. JO. Explain
verse 39.
SHEEP FOLLOWING THEIR SHEPHERD.
CAMEL GOING THROUGH A NEEDLE'S EYE,
CHAPTER X.
531
CHAPTER X.
1 ChrUt i.i the door, and the f/ood shepherd. 19 Diverf
ojtinlons of him. 24 Jiejnovith by his luurks that he is
Chrixt the Son of (Jod : at tscapelh the Jews, 40 and
went aiiain beyond Jordan, where many believed on
him.
Our Lord had jntiniated that the Phari-
Kees, though they tiiought themselves both
clear-sighted and far-sighted in s]nritual
matters, were indeed blind, and therefore
ill-fitted for the ofiiee of teachers of relig-
ion, into which they had intruded them-
selves (ix. 39-41.) Now, by a .sort of para-
bolic representation. He makes a discrim-
ination between true and false shepherds,
and shows that these self-constituted
guides of the people were false teachers
and unworthy of contidence.
YERILY, verily, I say unto yon, He that entereth
not by the door into the slieep-!old, but elimbeth
up some other way, the same is a tliief and u robber.
The sheep-fold in that age and country,
where more protection against beasts of
prey was needed than with us, was very
different from ours. It was enclosed with-
in high walls, and was entered-by a door.
This door was kept by a porter, who
would of course ojien it to none but those
who had a right to go in. Whoever pre-
tends to feed and guide the flock of God,
to teach and instruct His people, and yet
does not come to them in that way which
God has appointed, but follows the method
of his own inventing, according to his own
fancy or <;orrupt inclination, is certainly,
notwithstanding any pretenses of zeal or
authority, an enemy and a hinderer of
man's salvation. Only intending to ele-
vate and enrich himself, so he compasses
that, he cares not how many souls perish
by his means, or through his neglect.
Every one that sincerely, and without
worldly designs, intends to teach and in-
struct men in the way of salvation, will
proceed by that method only wliich God
shall think fit to appoint, and will submit
entirely to His directions.
2. Rut liotliat entoreth In by the door is the shep-
licril (il till- siiccp. ;f. To liini Die porter openetli : and
tliu sbci'ii licar liis voipc : and lie callclli his own slieop
by name, and leadetli them out. 4. And when he pnt-
telli forth liis own sheep, lie Koet.'i before them, and the
Blieep follow him, for they know his voice. 5. And a
straiiKer will they not follow, but will flee from him,
lor tliey l^now not the voice of strangers. 0. This par-
able spake Jc^ns imto them, but thev understood not
What tilings they were which he spake unto them.
In the latter part of tlie allegory or par-
able (v. 11, 14), Jesus styles Himself" the
Good Shepherd," but here, when He says,
}ie that aitereth in by the door is tlie sheplicrd
of the sheep, He is jirobably speaking of an
under-shepherd, a minister of the Gospel.
To him tlie porter openeth. These words
might signify, generally, that to such a
person the obstacles that stood in the way
of his becoming an overseer of the flock
of Christ are removed in a regular niannei',
and he is, after the due order, ii^troduced
as a shepherd into the fold. This expli-
cation goes on the principle that the ad-
mission by the porter, through the door
into the fold, refers to an original call to,
and investiture with office in Christ's
Church, and this is the ordinary mode of
viewing the figure. But, it would seem
that the reference here is not to an ori-
ginal call to, and investiture with, a new
office, but to the ordinary exercise of the
functions of an office already jiossessed.
The person introduced as entering by the
door is already a shepherd, may have been
long a shepherd, and is here represented
as performing his daily work. Ere the
sun rises, he goes to his much-loved occu-
pation. He arrives at the gate of the fold.
He does not leap over the wall. He finds
no difficulty in getting admission — the
I)orter opens, he passes through the gate,
utters the pastoral cry, and returns again
through the gate followed by his own
flock, whom he leads out and feeds, and
when night comes he conducts them back
again to the fold.
Taking this view of the matter, the
natural explication of the allegory seems
to be " the genuine pastor performs all his
duties under the guidance of Divine in-
fluence, and with a constant regard to the
mediation of the Saviour " It then fol-
lows, the sheep hear his voice, i. e., they at-
tend to — they understand — they believe
His doctrine, not because it is his, but be-
cause it is not his, but his and their Lord's.
It is one mark of a genuine Christian pas-
tor, that real Christians cordially approve
of his teaching. His oim sheep. A real
shepherd, according to Eastern cu.stom,
knowing his outi fock, calls them at once
by their names, and proves his relation to
ri-r.2
J o 11 N .
them by so doing. Lmddh them out — from
the pen-fold into the open pasture, verse
9. " There is no one of God's fhildren,"
says Bishop Hall, " whom He doth not both
know and call by his name. What a com-
fort is this to a poor wretched man to
think. Here I walk obscure and con-
temptible upon earth, in a condition mean
and despised of men, but the great God of
heaven is pleased to take such notice of
me, as even from heaven to call me bj' my
. name, and to single me out for grace and
salvation, and not only to mention my
name from above, in the gracious offer of
His ordinances, but to write it in the eter-
nal register of Heaven. What care I to
be inglorious, yea, causelessly inftimous
with men, whilst I am thus honored by
the King of Glory?"
He goeth before them, &c. This verse is
simply a continuation of the description
of a true and faithful shepherd. When-
ever such an one takes his flock out to
pasture, he walks before them, as an East-
ern shepherd always does, never requiring
them to go where he does not first go him-
self. (See Num. xxvii. 16, 17; Ex. iii. 1 ;
Ps. xxxiii. 2.) Such a pastor is an " en-
sample to the flock" — the sheep — the truly
pious, those who are taught of God, and
are influenced by His Spirit, follow him
as he follows Christ, /or thei/ know his voire,
they know that what he says corresponds
with what Christ is saying to them in His
Word, and with what, too. He is working
in them by His Spirit. And a stranger vill
they not follow, &c. It was a fact well
known to all our Lord's hearers, that sheep
accustomed to one shepherd's voice would
not obey a stranger's voice, but would
rather be frightened at it. Just so true
Christians have a spiritual taste and dis-
cernment by which they distinguish a
false teacher, and will not hear him. " Ye
have an unction from the Holy One, and
know all things." (1 John ii. 20.) Poor
and illiterate believers often illustrate this
in a very extraordinary way. But they
understood not, &c. So dull of understand-
ing were they, that they did not perceive
the point or application of this illustration
of our Lord.
7. Tlien said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8. All that
ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the
sheep did not hear them. 9. «I am the door : by me if
any niau enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in
and out, and tind pasture, lu. The thief Cometh not,
but lor to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come
tliat they might have li^e, and that they might have it
more abundantly.— 'xiv. ti; iiph. ii. IS.
Verily, verily, the usual formula the
Saviour employs when anxious to impress
a very solemn truth upon His hearers. 1
am the door of tlie sheep. Jesus here de-
clares that lie Himself is the door through
whom, and by faith in whom, both shep-
herd and shee]) must pass, if they would
go inside God's fold. (See on verse 9.)
The " sheep " here spoken of, are the true
people of God, the real .servants of Chri.st.
They are not, therefore, the mingled
throng of evil and good that are found in
the visible Church of Christ on earth.
They are the " Church of the first-born,
which are written in heaven" — the mysti-
cal body of Christ — the "Lamb's b^'ide."
Their place of safety — 'the fold which shel-
ters them, where they can rest in peace —
which surrounds them on every side —
which keeps off all that would harm them
— is the everlasting power of Jehovah.
All tlicd ever came before me, &c. They
"came," they were not sent. The refer-
ence is to those who were false prophets,
not as claiming the prerogatives of Mes-
siah, but as pcrverters of the peojile fi'om
the way of life. Thieves and robbers, not
true shepherds, careful for the welfare of
the flock, but intent on their own gain and
emolument. (See on v. 1.) TJie sitcej} did
not hear them — the instinct of their divine-
ly taught hearts preserving them from
seducers, and attaching them to the
heaven-senl prophets, of whom it is said
that " the Spirit of Christ was in them."
(1 Peter i. 11.) If for a while any of them
were unhappily deceived or led astray,
they did not continue in that error, but
repented and returned.
I am the door. In common folds there
might be different flocks with their seve-
ral .shepherds, but in the spiritual fold to
which Jesus refers, there is but one flock
and one shepherd. He is "the door."
(xiv. 6.) The expression is metaphorical.
A door is the medium of passage, and
Jesus stands between God and us. He is
the Mediator of the new covenant. God
comes to us through Him, and conveys all
His blessings to us bv Him. And we ap-
ClIAl'TEli X,
533
prouch God througli Him. By vie — there
is salvation in none other than in Him,
who was delivered for our otl'enses, and
was raised aj^ain for our justilieation. In
tha Lord alone have we righteousness and
strength. " If a»y man " — this door is not
for righteous, but for sinners — not for
those who need no salvation, but for those
who do. It is open for one and all who
apply for admittance. Any poor sinner
that cries sincerely, and knocks heartily,
shall enter in and be saved. It is as good
for the persecuting Saul as for the loving
John, and it is as needful for John as for
Saul. It stands as wide for the penitent
robber expiring on the cross as it did for
the inquiring Nicodemus, who came pri-
vately to Jesus, and Nicodemus must look
at it as steadily, and enter it as humbly, as
the ff^nitent robber. And Avhat are the
advantages the man obtains who thus en-
ters in ? 1. Safety — he sJiall he saved — saved
from the curse of the law, the wrath to
come, the roaring lion who goeth about
seeking whom he may devour, from the
king of terrors, a world lying in wicked-
ness, an evil heart of unbelief in depart-
ing from the living God — saved in the
Lord with an everlasting salvation. 2.
Liberty — he shell go in and out. Sheep,
under the care of a good shepherd, go in
at night for i)rotection, and in the morn-
ing go out for food. The expression de-
notes that what is done for the Christian's
safety, does not compromise his liberty.
He knows the truth, and the truth makes
him free : and he is free indeed — free to go
wherever he j^leases inlmmanuel'sland —
free to partake of all the privileges of God.
(See Ps. cxliii. 8; Jer. xxviii. 20.) 3.
Plenty — and find pasture. Said one who
realized this : " The Lord is my Shepherd,
I shall not want. He maketh me to lie
down in green pastures, he leadeth me be-
side the still waters." So Isaiah, " They
shall feed in the ways" — the ways of God's
commandments, ordinances and dispensa-
tions.
I am come that they might have life, &c. It
was the infinite dignity of Christ's person,
which derived that infinite merit on His
sacrifice, whereby it became an equivalent
to the infinite demerit of our sins. Nay,
of such an infinite value and worth was
His sacrifice, that it not only countervailed
for the punishment due to our sins, but
did abuntlantly j)re])onderate it ; upon
which account God engaged Himself, not
only to remit that punishment, in consid-
eration of it, but also to bestow His Spirit
and eternal life on us ; both which are as
well the ])urchase of Christ's blood, as is
the remission of our sins. For God might
have remitted our punishment, without
superadding the gift of His Spirit and
eternal life to it : and therefore, since in
consideration of Christ's blood, He hath
superadded these gifts to the remission of
our punishment, it is evident that Hia
blood was equivalent to both ; that is, that
it was not only a valuable consideration
for the pardon of our sins, but also for the
assistance of His Spirit, and our eternal
happiness. (Heb. ix. 13, 14 ; Rom. v. 15-
21.) We have life more abundantly than
Adam. His life was suspended on the
fallible will of man, but this life can never
be destroyed; because Jesus lives, His
people shall live also. Had Adam remain-
ed innocent, though he would never have
died, yet must he have experienced a
change before he could have been capable
of enjoying the blessedness which the
poorest Christian expects, for flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
We have life more abundantly than the
Jeuish Church. They derive their life from
the same source with us, and it was essen-
tially the same with ours. But we have
it more plenteously as to knowledge, lib-
erty and enjoyment. Christians are not
satisfied without increase in the Divine
life. More is desirable. More is attain-
able. Vital religion, though imperfect, is
growing and progressive. Under the in-
fluences of the Holy Spirit, we go from
strength to strength in our course, and
are renewed day by day in our experience.
II. ''I am the sood sheplierd : the good shepherd giv-
eth liis li'e for the sheeji. V2. But lie that is a liireHiig,
and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not,
seeth the wolf coming, and 'Uavetli llie sheep, and
fleeth, and the wolf catchetli them, and scattereth the
sheep. 13. Thehirelingfleeth, because lieisujihireling,
and careth not for the sheep.
f'Isa. .xl. II : Ezek. xxxiv, r2, 23 and xxxvii. 24: Heb.
xiii. 20 ; 1 Peter ii. 25 and v. 4.
How endearing is the relation in wliich
Jesus stands to us ! The very figure under
which He describes His office (that of
Shepherd), and the title which He claims
BM
JOHN.
so justly to Himself (the good Shepherd),
are peculiarly winning and attractive, and
His own immediate hearers would proba-
bly see still more of this tender and win-
ning character in His words than we
generally perceive in them. In that
country the flock is often assailed by the
wolf and other bcixsts of prey, and from
its rocky and precipitous surface, there is
especial need of care and tenderness in
conducting the flock from one pasture to an-
other, so that there is more need than with
us for skill, courage and fidelity on the part
of the shepherd. Our Lord intimates that
He was prepared to encounter every peril,
nay, even to lay down His life in behalf
of tiie flock. He would not flee (as a
hirelin- might d!o) when He should see
the wolf coming, He would not leave the
sheep to be the prey of their enemy ; He
would stand in the gap and meet the foe,
and even lay down His life for those
whom He had not only received in charge
from the Father, but also possessed as
His own. (See on verse 15.) He knew
that if He would be their Shepherd, He
must bleed and die. And how did He
redeem the pledge which He then gave?
What say the Scriptures? "All we, like
sheep, have gone astray : we have turned
every one to his own way, and the Lord
hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
What says Christ Himself? "The good
shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."
And all this He suftered, not complain-
ingly, but with inexpressible alacrity and
pleasure — "I delight to do thy will." "How
am I straitened till it be accomplished!"
Nor was this all. After redeeming them
by His blood, Jesus has to search and find
them, and bring them from their wander-
ings into His fold. (Luke xv. 3-7.) And
when restored, He grants them rest as
well as food. He recalls them when wan-
dering, defends them, and kindly and
tenderly accommodates Himself to their
age and weakness. Ho has 2:)repared a
better, a heavenly country, to receive
them. There is, indeed, a dark valley to
pass, before they can enter it. But it is
safe, and short, and their Shepherd is with
them there, and His rod and His staff will
comfort them.
14. I am the good shepherd, and iiknow my aher)-,, and
am known of mine. 15. »As the Father knoweth me,
even so know I the Father : 'and I lay down my lite
lor the sheep.
^■Z Tim. ii. 19. eMatt. xi. 27. 'xv. 13.
lam the good shepherd. (See on verse
11.) Between these verses and verse 13,
there is a very marked antithesis. The
good hhepherd is opposed to the hireling.
The words I know my sheep, to cureth not for
the sheep; Hay down my life for the sheep, to
fieeth. The words am known of mine, refer
to the same thing as knowJiis voice, in verse
4. Jesus has an affectionate regard, or
love, for His flock, and He is known and
lovod by them as their Saviour and Friend.
Observe how He first kno^rs them, and
afterward, in like manner, they know Him.
(Gal. iv. 9.) He knows them every one.
He knows them, like Moses (Ex. xxxiii.
12, 17), " by name." And they know Him
— know His voice and follow Him, trust-
ing in Him, whithersoever He leads or
bids.
As the Father knoweth me, &c. It is
generally believed that this sentence ought
to be read in close connection with tho
last verse, and without any full stop be-
tween. The meaning would then be that
the mutual knowledge and communion of
Christ and believers is somewhat the
same in kind with that which subsists
•between the Father and the Son. Some,
however, understand the sentence as
though Jesus would say, "The ofiice of
mediating between God and man is fitly
committed to mo, who, being in my own
Person, God and man, have communion
in knowledge and nature with both, and
unite both natures in myself. On the one
tide, "as the Father knoweth me, even so
know I the Father;" on the other, "I
know my sheep, and am known of mine
(verse 14), knowing the perfections of the
Godhead, and being touched with a feel-
ing of the infirmities of the manhood, I
alone am qualified to mediate between
the Father and His flock.'' Hay donn my
life for the sheep. He had not done so then,
but He was going to do so very soon. It was
in His mind — His fixed and settled pur-
pose. He came to give His life a ransom
for many, an atoning sacrifice for their
sins — to die in their place, to redeem them
from sin and death, and nothing could
lead Him to draw back, because nothing
CHAPTER X,
635
else could save His sheep. A candid in-
terpretation of the words " for the sheep,"
ought to go far to establish the special re-
lation of the vicarious death of Christ to
the Church.
10. And cother sheep I have, which are not of this
fold: them iilso must I brmg, and tliey sliall hear my
voice, ''and tliere shall be one lold, artcZ one shepliera.
slsa. Ivi. S. ''Ezek. xxxvii. 2-; Kph. ii. 14; 1 Peter
ii. 'SX
Jesus soars beyond that narrow space to
which these iseltish ones would confine all
benelit. With prophetic eye He views
other sheep on distant hills, in distant
times, not of this but of many another
fold yet to be collected, and enjoy the love
and care of the Good Shepherd. He means
the perishing Gentiles, a/rrac/y His" sheep"
in the love of His heart and the purpose
of His grace to " bring them " in due time.
This is one of the encouragements to mis-
sionary exertion amid abounding iniquity.
The work by which a sinner is brought to
God is God's alone, yet sinful man may bo
the instrument in His hand. They shall
hear my voice. This is a prophecy and a
promise combined. From these words
which Jesus spake npon earth, we cannot
doubt that He is still, as Intercessor above,
as mindful of those who have not yet
entered into the fellowship of His Church.
Although livi)ig in ignorance and sin, they
are dear to Him as persons for whom
Ho shed Hio blood. He looks forward to
their conversion as the reward of His suf-
ferings, and it is owing to His appearance
ill their behalf that the Holy Spirit is sent
to " open their eyes, and to turn them
from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan unto Gou, that they may re-
ceive forgiveness for their sins, and inheri-
tance among them which are sanctified by
faith." (Acts xxvi. 18.)
And there shall he one fold, and one shep-
herd. This denotes the result of the pre-
ceding collection of the i-hccp from differ-
ent quarters. The word rendered fold, is
here, literally, flock. This passage em-
braces in its merciful promise and pro-
visions of grace, the great family and
household of the faith included in the
covenant of the Father with His Son,
whatever may be the minor diversities of
belief and practice, which occasion their
formation into separate religious commu-
nities and brotherhoods. There is in
reality but one faith, one baptism, and one
Saviour. We must be careful not to make
this one Church either too narrow or too
broad. We make it too narrow, when,
like the Jews and the Papists, we ex-
clude any believer who does not belong to
our particular fold. We make it too
broad when we include every professing
Christian, whether he hears Christ's voice
or not. It is a flock of "sheep." "One
flock, one Shepherd." Things are now
tending to this consummation among all
them that love the Lord Jesus Christ in
sincerity, and one day the bright vision
of unity, too bright, perhaps, for earth,
shall be all fulfilled.
17. Therefore doth my Father love me. 'because I lay
down my lHo, that I might take it again, is. No man
tal^eth it from me, but I lay it down ol myself. I have
power to Iny It down, and I lihave jiower to take it
.•>!:cain. 'This commandment have I received of my
Father.
'Isa. liii. 7, S: Heb. ii. 9. "'ii. 19. 'vi. 38 and xv. 10;
Acts ii. 21, 32.
Any one has power to lay down his own
life. Any one who will, may kill himself.
(Chap. viii. 22.) But Christ says, "I have
power to lay it down," in such sense, that
no one can do it against His will He
alone has the disposal of His life, which is
not true of us. (1 John iii. 16.) Since, as
a sacrifice (Lev. i. 3), Christ was to be in-
nocent, and yet to undergo the punish-
ment of our sin. He could not be the one,
and do the other, without His own free
consent and approbation. (Matt. xx. 28;
Gal. i. 4; Titus ii. 14.) This is the thing
which renders His love more worthy of
our gratitude and love. He was sacrificed,
because He was willing to be sacrificed,
and He was willing out of love to us, and
out of obedience to His Father.
This commandment, &c. The reference
is, we think, to the whole commission
given to the Son as the Good Shepherd,
the appointed Saviour. (See vi. 38.) The
" potrer" referred to, denotes the power
which Jesus essentially possessed, and on
account of the possession of which, He was
qualified for the work to which He was
appointed, and to which He never would
have been appointed had He not been thus
qualified. "It is," says an old writer, "a
greater miracle to convert a sinner, than
to raise one from the dead ; and, in eflTect,
536
JOHN,
the salvation of a sinner is a far greater
work of God, than the creation of the
world ; wherefore, we ought only for this
end, to see what the one and the other
cost Him. The creation of the world cost
Him only a word. 'He said, and all things
were made: He commanded, and all
things were created;' but the salvation
of men cost Him far dearer than words ;
they cost Him both His blood and His life.
Does not Jesus Christ Himself sufficiently
signify to us, of how great value it is, in
the sight of God, to employ ourselves in
the salvation of souls, when He says in
John, It is for tftis reason that my Father
loves me, because I laid down my life? S.
Thomas (Aquinas) marks very well, 'He
says not tluit His Father loves Him, be-
cause by Him all things were created, but
only that His Father loves Him, because
He lays down His life.' And wherefore
does He give His life, but to save men?
Wliereby we may consequently see, that
nothing is more jjleasing to God, than to
labor for the salvation of souls." So ends
the discourse of the good Shepherd. - The
whole subject should kindle and confirm
in us these two feelings: hearty love to-
ward and confidence in Him, who sets
Himself forth to us under this touching
similitude, and continual carefulness to
prove ourselves His true, faithful, loving
and obedient sheep. How many since
this discourse was written have felt as they
read it, "Truly this was the Son of God!
How precious are His words! How sweet
are His promises! May the Heavenly
Shepherd own me as His sheep at the last
day!"
ml9. There was a division therefore again among the
Jews for tlie-it- sayings. 20. And many of them said,
"He hath a devil, and is mud, why hear ye him? "1.
Others said. These are not tlie words oi him that halli
a devil. Can a devil lopen tlie eyes of the blind? 2:^.
H And it was at Jerusalem, the least of the dedication,
and it was winter. 23. And Jesus walked in the temple
rill Solomon's porch. 24. Then came the Jews round
about him. and said unto him, How long dost thou
make us to doubt? If thou be the Clirist, tell us
plainly.
invii. -13 and ix. td. "vii. 20 and viii. 48. 52. "Ex. iv. 11 ;
Ps. xciv. y and cxlvi. 8. Pix. G, 7. 32, 33. 'Acts iii. 11
and v. 12.
The audience are not all one willfully
opposing mass. As at ix. 16 and vii. 43,
there is a division. But the opposers are
many, and the susceptible are only others.
He hath a devil, &c. When our Lord either
gave evidence of supernatural knowledge,
or delivered doctrines of extraordinary
sublimity, the resource of His sinful hear-
ers was to ascribe His words to demonia-
cal possession. On this occasion they call
Him mad. It was the charge which Festus
brought against Paul. (Acts xxvi. 24.)
Let not the followers of Christ be surprised
if they should be spoken of as their Master
was. They can scarcely meet with a worse
reception than being accused, 1. Of having
the spirit of evil. 2. Of being mad. 3.
Of being not worth hearing. Others said,
&c. Among these probably were Gama-
liel, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimalhea.
They defend Him on the score both of
His words and works. They argue that
the calm, solemn, loving, God-glorifying
language just used, was the opposite to
that which might be expected of a demo-
niac, and that no devil, however power-
ful, could work such a miracle as to open
the eyes of the blind.
Tlie feast of the dedication. This was the
name of the festival of eight days, occur-
ring in the month Kislen, corresponding
to our December, instituted by Judas
Maccabaius in commemoration of the pu-
rifying of the temple, after its profanation
by the cruel and impious Antiochus Epiph-
unes about one hundred and sixty-five
years before the coming of the Lord, and
the renewal of the temple worship. The
Evangelist tells us it was at Jerusalem,
because unlike those great festivals
which might be held at Jerusalem only,
this might also be celebrated in other
parts, and he tells us that it was irintcr, in
order perhaps to explain why our Lord
should be found in that particular part of
the temple mentioned in the next verse.
Solomon''s porch. It looked toward the
East, and is therefore called byJoscphus,
the Eastern porch. It appears that several
porticos or piazzas were erected round the
temple, in which persons might walk, and
the doctors and other masters might com-
municate oral instruction to their follow-
ers, sheltered from the inclemency of the
weather. By some this porch was called
"Solomon's," not as having been built hy
him, but as standing in the same place,
and erected chiefly of materials (supplied
by the ruins of Solomon's portico. The
Jews, probably the Pharisees, and parlicu-
litrlv members of the Sanhedrim. The
CHAPTER X .
537
sequel shows tliat impure motives alone
prompted the question. Make us to doubt,
literally, keep ris in excitement, not knowing,
&c. 2(:;;— as if indeed He had never told
and shown them. (See v. ]9, viii. 36, 5G,
58.) Plainly— openly, expressly.
25. Jesus aiiswere 1 thom, I told you, and ye believed
not: "the works tluit I do in my Father's name, they
bear witness ol' nic lid. But <ye believe not, because ye
are not oi' ray sheep, as I said unto you.
•Verse o», iii. 2 and v. 3(j. 'viii. 47 ; 1 John iv. 6.
Hold you, that is, I am the Christ. And
ye believed not: and, for but. They pre-
tended that they only doubted. Jesus
tells them they did not belie^•c. '' Skep-
ticism in religion," as Matthew Henry says,
"is no better than infidelity." "The evi-
dence of religion," remarks BisJiop Butler,
"not appearing obvious, may constitute
one particular part of some men's trials
in the religious sense, as it gives scope for
a virtuous exercise, or vicious neglect of
their understanding, in examining or not
examining into that evidence. There
seems to be no possible reason to be given
why we may not bo in a state of moral
probation, with regard to the exercise of
our understanding upon the subject of re-
ligion, as we are with regard to our be-
havior in common affairs. TJie v:orks —
which even might have convinced those
who do not believe words. Of me — that I
am the Christ.
Ye are not of my sheep. Our Lord refers
again to the allegory He had recently de-
livered of the shei:)herd and his sheep.
Ye believe not. Need we wonder that they
did not believe in Him, who would not even
/lear Him? That is, hear Him with any
patience, with any readiness to believe,
with any freedom from 2:)rejudice and teach-
ableness of spirit, any docility of mind.
(See chap. viii. 43.) *' That they were not
of His sheep, was proved by their unbe-
lief. The want of faith in the doctrines
of Christ," says an eminent theologian,
"arisesout of want of faith in the Teacher,
and the want of faith in the Teacher arises
out of want of faith in His credentials, and
want of faith in these arises out of their
not being rightly apprehended, and want
of right apprehension arises out of want
of right examination, and want of right
examination arises out of— it can arise out
of nothing else — some modification of im-
moral principle, profligacy, thoughtless-
ness, or pride — the pride of worldly dis-
tinction, or of wLsdom, or of self-righteous-
ness. It is unbelief in the first of these
phases, to which our Lord refers here,
and He traces it to its true cause."
27. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they Ibllow me :— "Verses 4, 14.
My sheep attend to, they believe they
obey me. (See verse 3.) And they follow
me — they acknowledge me as their Leader,
their Teacher, their Exemplar — they take
the course I point out to them, and not
only point out to them, but in which I go
before them. Such is the character and
conduct of my sheep. Such is not your
character and conduct. And I know them.
" I know who are sincere believers in me,
and, knowing who are my sheep, I know
who are not my sheep — and I know that
ye are not of my sheep."
2S. And I (jive unto them eternal life, and 'they shall
never perisli. neither shall any »k(» pluck them out of
my hand. 29. yJIy Fiithrr. ■wliich pave tfuni me. is
greater than all, anil no /?(((;i is able to pluck /lit in. out
of my Father's hand. oU. -I and mi/ Father are one.
=:vi.'37, tvii. n, 12 and xviii. 9. yxiv. 2S. 'xvii. 2,6,
&c. "xvii. 11, 22.
Only one thing further our Lord now
tells us concerning His sheep; concerning
His dealings with them, but it is the crown-
ing mercy. J give iinto them eternal life.
And because they were exposed to danger,
" sheep in the midst of wolves," He adds,
and they sh(dl never perish. They shall not
perish forever. They shall not be cast
into that "outer darkness." They shall
not enter into the misei'able portion of
those "to whom is reserved the blackness
of darkness forever." And because their
" adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion
walketh about, seeking whom he may de-
vour," and his angels are ever seeking the
destruction of the sheep, and some un-
happy men lend themselves also to be
agents in such soul-murder. He adds yet,
neither shall any, whether man or devil,
pluck them out of my hand. Here He is
glancing at the final security of His flock.
Observe how He connects them witli Him-
self, their safety with His hand. They are
in His hand, whence it is impossible to
pluck them. How vivid it is! the hand
which is the emblem of power aiid of pro-
tection. And, as though His own word
were not enough, and to show His perfect
correspondence and union w'ith the Father,
though He is yet on earth. He adds : My
538
JOHN.
Father, which gave them me, is greater tluin all.
He is greater than their foes. He is omni-
potent. " If God be for us, wlio can be
against us?" And no«<^, wliether manor
devil, is able to pluck them out of my Father's
hand. If tliey are in my hand, then they
are in His hand.
Having thus made His power to be the
same with His Father's, our Lord, lest His
hearers should wonder at this, shows them
the reason why He said so, adding im-
mediately,/awd my Father are one — one in
essence, and therefore one in power, wliich
otherwise could not be. For, if He was
inferior to, or ivny way different from. His
Father in His Essence, He must needs be
so in His power too ; and therefore the
occasion of His uttering these words suf-
ficiently demonstrates that to be His mean-
ing in them. (Chap. xiv. 11, xv. 24 ; Deut.
vi. 4.) And yet He speaks of Himself and
the Father, as two distinct persons, and
He names Himself first, because speaking
here of His Divine Essence, wliich is the
s.ime in both, it is no matter which is
nuned first, there being no such thing, in
that respect, as first and last between
them, for they are both one and the same
Eternal God. (Chap. i. 1, 2, xvi. 3.)
31. Then HVie Jews took up stones afrain to stone him.
3'J. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I
showed you from my Father, lor whicli of those works
do ye stone me? 33. The Jews answered him, saying.
For a good worlv we stone tliee not, but lor blasphemy,
and because tiiat tiiou. being a man, 'mukest tliyselt'
God. 31. Jesus aiH-v.Ti'd them, ''Is it not wr;tten in
your law, I said. Ve are gods? oo. If he called them gods,
»unto whom the word of Ciod came, and the scripture
oannot be broken: i'i. Say ye of him, fwhom the
Father hath sanctified, and -sent into the world, Thon
blasphemest; ''oecause I said, I am 'the Son of God?
37. klf I do not the works of my Father, believe me
nut. 3s. But if I do. tliough ye believe not me, 'believe
the works: that ye may know, and believe, mthat the
Father /.t in me. and I In him.
bviii. 59. tv. 18. riPs. Ixx.xii. 6. «Rom. xlii. 1. fvi. 27.
rtll. 17, v. m. 37 and viii. «i. iiv. 17, 18; verse .30. iLnke
i. 3.>; chap. ix. 35, 37. t.xv. 24. iv. 36 and xiv. 10, U. mxiv.
10, 11 and xvii. 21.
Took up, literally, bore in the hand. They
held the stones in readiness to throw at
Him. Again. (See viii. 39.) The stones
were in all probability large blocks lying
hard by for the repairs of the temple.
" Behold," says Augustine, "the Jews un-
derstood what Arians do not understand."
Jesns answered, &c. Our Lord might have
commanded fire to descend from heaven,
and consume them for their sin, but He
replies by putting a very touching, melting
question, one would think enough to move
them. Observe, 1. His reorks. He came i
into the world not to live a life of idleness
and ease, but to work. 2. Their quality —
"good works." His works were works of
mercy and power. Either consideration
should have weighed witli these men who
were the subjects of such works. The
mercy of them appealed to their sense of
gratitude, the power of them to their sense
of justice. The former showed how He
had felt for these, the latter how He had
proved His claim. Notice that Jesus does
not shrink from His statement in verse
30. 3. Their number. "Many." His ene-
mies acknowledge this. "This man doeth
many miracles." His miracles tended to
confirm one another. We have many re-
corded, but the half is not told us. (See
xxi. 25.) There is enough to assure us
that He is the Son of God. 4. Their mani-
festation— "have I showed you." These
vile creatures who attempted to stone Him
had been eye-witnesses of many of His
wonderful works. They were shown, not
for ostentation, but for conviction. 5. Their
appointment — "from my Father." As
Mediator, He acted as the Father's ser-
vant. They were works out of the ordi-
nary course of nature, above the power
of a mere man to perform. For these good
works they ought to have admired, loved
and received Christ, but how different was
the conduct they evinced ! How deep and
dark the depravity of man ! Jesus is still
stoned in His religion. His cause, and His
j^eople. An injury done to them He con-
siders as done to Himself. "If in the hour
of prosperity, our hearts should be lifted
up, or in the day of adver.sity depressed,
if we should murmur that our good deeds
are treated with contempt, and our benev-
olence returned with ingratitude, let ua
fix our eyes on the cross of Christ, and
tremble and repent." (See Ps. cix. 1-4 ;
Gal. vi. 9.)
For a good u-ork we stone thee not, &c. Ob-
serve how exactly our blessed Lord's true
meaning was apprehended by these sinful
men, namely, that He is of one svbstance
with the Father. Clear-sighted enough were
they to see in His words the assertion of
that sublime truth which modern unbe-
lievers have professed themselves unable
to discover there. For blasphemy — whose
legal punishment was stoning. (Lev. xxiv.
CHAPTER X
539
11-1(5.) Thou, being a man, i. e., a man only,
nuikcst thyself God. Twice before they under-
etood lliui to advance the same claim, and
both times they prei)ared themselves to
avenge what they took to be the insulted
honor of God, as here, in the way directed
by their law. (v. 18, viii. 59.) Would not
Christ have corrected them in a point of
such unspeakable moment, if they had
really mistaken His meaning? Would He
not, like Paul and Barnabas at Lystra, have
disavowed with horror and indignation all
pretensions to Divinity, had He not in
deed and in truth been Divine? Would
He, like impious Herod, have acquiesced,
remarkable as He was in meekness and
lowliness of heart, in the supposed arro-
gation of deity, if He had not been God
and man in One Person? ( John i. 19-23;
Acts xii. 22, 23; Rev. xix. 10.)
Is it not icritten in your law, &c. The term
"law," here as elsewhere in this Gospel, is
not to be restricted to the five books of
Moses, but comprises the whole of the Old
Testament Scriptures. In this answer,
which is a conclusion from the less to the
greater, Jesus shows, 1. That His claim is
perfectly sustained by the Old Testament,
that the term God is and may be extended
down froTTi God to one "being a man," so
that it is no blasphemy to sujjposc that it
includes His human person. But, 2. He
has a supernatural claim to the Divine, run-
ning upward they know not how high. 3.
His works, performed in unison with Ilis
words, authenticate from God whatever
claims He presumes to make. If his works
are from God, then His words are from the
Fatlur. And, then. His Sonship is demon-
strated. Thus does this argument furnish
a bridge for these Jews to admit His Di-
vinity. Nothing but their unchanging pre-
ference for a human hero-Messiah prevents
their ascending the bridge He presents
with the step of a firm faith. When mag-
istrates and judges are in Scrii^ture called
gods, the Holy Spirit always adds some-
thing, which exckides them from a true
Divinity, as that "they shall die like men"
(Ps. Ixxxii. 6), or they are " rulers of the
people." (Ex. xxii. 28.) Whereas, when
Christ is called God, it is either with some
epithet belonging to the Supreme God, as
"God over all" (Rom. ix. 5), "the great
God "(Titus ii 13), "the true God" (1 John
V. 20), or with addition of some operation
proper to God, as when it is said, " The
Word was God, and all things were made
by Him. (John i. ], 3.) Unto whom the
word of God came. This refers probably to
their commission as judges, which being in
conformity with the requisitions of the
Mosaic law, was ordained of God. This
establishes the point of comparison be-
tween them and Jesus, whom the Father
had consecrated to the work whereunto
He had been sent. The Scripture cannot be
broken, i. e., loosed, or untied. This is a
decisive testimony of our Lord to the Di-
vine inspiration of the Old Testament.
Whom the Father hath sanctijied. Let it
be noted, that Jesus does not say, "of Him,
whoni God hath sanctified," but "of Him,
whom the Father hath sanctified," intima-
ting that His original claim to have God
for His Father was not because He was
sanctified by God, that is, chosen and set
apart to the office assigned Him, and so
sent into the world, but, contrariwise,
that by God, already His Father, He was
sanctified and sent into the world. Sent
into the v:orld. It may be said of every man,
that God "sent him into the world." It
is, however, not said in Scripture of any
other man except our Lord, but of Him
frequently. " To eend," applied to rational
creatures, presupposes a capacity of being
sent, as moral agents, and to "send into
the world" in tliis sense, evidently im-
plies pre-existence. (vi. 3G-40, xvi. 25-30,
verses28-30; 1 Tim. i. 15, 1(5; verselo; Heb.
ii. 10-15.) If I do not the icorks of my Father,
&c. What are the Jews to believe? That
He is "the Son of God," a conception
whose purport is unfolded in verse 38; see
also verse 25. This they were to regard
Him as being, and to believe therefore in
His word, and in the impression which it
produces, (viii. 43.) If they cannot, how-
ever, dispense with the mediation of some-
thing which addresses the eenses. His
works can furnish testimony, corresi:>ond-
ing to chap. xiv. 10, 11. These can lead to
an acknowledgment that Christ works in
unity with the Father. (Comp. v. 19, 30.)
That the Father is in me, and I in him. " By
these words," says Bloomfield, "our Lord
meant communion of mind and equality of
540
JOHN
power. It is plain that the Jews cleai-Iy
understood that He claimed and ascribed
to Himself the attributes of Godhead, and
made Himself equal with the Father."
Such language can iiever be reconciled
with the views of Socinians.
39. nTlierefore they sought .again to take him, but he
escaped out of their hand, 40. And went away again
bevi)nil Jordan into tlie iilace "where Jolin <at first bap-
tized, and there he abode.— "vii. 30, 44 and viii. 59. oi. 26.
Reason and argument, mercy and mir-
acle. Divine power and Divine goodness,
all were lost upon the.se men, whose hearts
were harder than the stones which they
held in their hasty hands. Again they at-
tempted with murderous hearts and im-
pious hands, to lay hold on the Prince of
Life. But, for that His hour was not yet
come, again He exerts His Divine power
(see viii. 59), and by a miraculous exertion
of it again escapes their liand, preserving
for the present that life which now they
took in intent, as, by and bye, in reality.
Beyond Jordan — to the department of Herod
Antipas, to Bethany, in fact, in the district
in which John had commenced his min-
istry, and had uttered the testimony given,
i. 19, &c. How long the Saviour remained
here, depends on the time we allow for
His staying in Ephraim (xi. 54), from
whence He journeyed to the passover.
His operations were interrupted by the
message from the family of Lazarus.
41. And many resorted nnto him, and said. John did
no miracle: rbut all thing j that John spake of this man
were true.— Piii. 30.
Many came to Jesus, to listen to His in-
structions, and to be healed of their infir-
mities. JoJtn did no miracle. Here, a very
important testimony against those who
would explain the miracles of Jesus as
fables, springing from the morbid love of
marvels, is found in the observation, that
the Baptist, though it might certainly be
looked for from him as a prophet, i:»erform-
ed no miracle. It has been well said of
John, that, "performing no miracle, he was
himself a miracle through all future ages.
Though he did no miracle, while so many
far less distinguished saints accomplished
many, yet no saint exists in whose person,
and for whose sake, so many miracles were
vouchsafed."
42. qAnd m.any believed on him there.
4viii. 30 and xi. 45.
Delightful and refreshing is it, amid the
many examples of the "contradict ion of
sinners" (Heb. xii. 3), to meet with the
many brief notices, such as this, of the
Church's early increase. Silently and
calmly in the despised Galilee, in the hated
Samaria, in the parts beyond Jordan, at
Bethany, in the hostile capital itself — si-
lently and secretly are the living stones
found to have been wrought into beauty
by the hand of the Divine Artist, whereby
tJiat came to pass in respect of God's spir-
itual temple which had been exhibited in
type in the construction of His material
temple — "the House, when it was in build-
ing, was built of stone made ready before
it was brought thither: so that there was
neither hammer nor ax, nor any tool of
iron heard in the house while it was in
building." (1 Kings vi. 7.)
1. Wh.-it is said of the sheep-fold ? 2. Who is the door of the sheep ? 3. What is said of any man entering in by
the door ? 4. Who is the good Shepherd ? 5. Why is Christ the good Shepherd ? 6. What does the Saviour say
of" other sheep?" 7. Wh.at effect had these sayings on the Jews?" 8. What did the Jews ask Jesus? 9. What
was Itis answer ? 10. What did Ho say when they threatened to stone Him ? 11. Where did He go when He
escaped from their hands ? 12. What occurred there 7
CHAPTER XI,
541
CHAPTER XI.
1 Christ rni^rth TMznrua, four linya buried. 45 Many
Jfw< hrlirvc 47 T kr liiijli priexl.i (ind l'harisef.i(iiUlif:r
a coiuifil npniiixt t'lirixt. 4:) C'aiajjha.i pru/j/iexietli,
31 Jrsu: hill liiiii.'.'!/. ■>) At I hi: passover t/icy enquire
aj'txr Itim, and lay wait/or him.
" The question," says Dr. Wordsworth,
"why the raising of Lazarus, rehited in
this chapter, is not described by tlie three
EvangeUsts %A'ho wrote before John, may
be a ])erp!exiug one to tlio.se who do not
arlvnowk'dge that all the Gospels are ]yat
one Gos[H'l, that they are all from One
p]verlasling Spirit, who, when He was in-
spiring I\Iatthcw, Jorehnew that He would
also insj)ire John, and when He wrote
some things by the first three Evangelists,
knew ivhal He would write by the fourth
and last. But they who believe that this
was the case, are not staggered here.
They do not read the Sermon on the
Mount in John, but in Matthew. But
they read other Divine discourses of our
blessed Lord, in John, concerning the
highest mysteries of the truth, which they
do 7iot read in any of the other three, and
they expect to find Divine works also in
John's Gospel which they do not find re-
corded in them. The Holy Spirit doubt-
less exercised His Divine infuience over
the minds of the Evangelists, not only by
suggestion and dictation, but also by re-
straint. He inspired them not only in
what they wrote, but in what they did not
write. There is inspiration in their
silence."
Bayle observes o' Spinoza, " I have been
assured that he saitl to his friends, that if
he could be convinced of the reality of the
resurrection of Lazarus, he would dash to
pieces his entire system, and would em-
brace, without reluctance, the ordinary
faith of Christians." And wherefore was
it that the Jewish philosopher believed
not this narrative? When we consider
the place, the time, the circumstances, and
the singular publicity of the miracle, it
really seems to require more credulity to
deny it than to believe it. The difficulties
of disbelieving it are far greater than those
of believing it. "If all the circumstances
do not establish the truth of the miracle,"
says Tittman, the German commentator,
■' there is no truth in historv." " It is
more largely recorded than any other of
Christ's miracles," remarks Matthew Henry,
" not only because there are so many cir-
cumstan'ces in it so very instructive, and
the miracle itself is so very great a proof
of His mission, but because it was an
earnest of that which was to be the crown-
ing proof of all— Christ's own resurrec-
tion."
"XJOW a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of
1 ^ Betliany, tlie town of "Mary and her sister Mar-
tha.—"Luke X. 38, 39.
Now. In the original but, to show why
the privacy of our Lord was interrujjted,
and He deemed it proper to return again
into Judea. Lazarus is not mentioned by
the other Evangelists : his name occurs for
the first time in this passage. Lazarus, or
rather Eieazar, which is the same word,
and which occurs twenty or thirty times
in the Old Testament, first, in Ex. vi. 25,
denotes one " whom God aids." It mxiy
be inferred from many things, that Laz-
arus was the younger, and his sisters older.
'Bethany, a village on tne eastern declivity
of the Mount of Olives. The town of Mary
&c. — the i)lace where they lived. It was
thus distinguished from the Bethany of
His baptism and retirement. It will be
observed that the Evangelist presumes his
readers to be acquainted with this family;
he subsequently, indeed, designates Mary
more particularly ; he has also placed her
name first, yet so as to show that he sup-
poses her work of love to which he al-
ludes, already known. It seems that Mar-
tha was the elder sister, verse 5, 19. Both
these pious sisters were affectionately at-
tached to our Lord, and although the elder
manifested her aflfection by her constant
and unwearied services for Him, and the
younger by sitting at His feet (Luke x.
38-42), there can be no doubt that each
was equally the object of our Saviour's
love, and preparing, though by a different
education, for His kingdom and glory.
2. tilt was that Mary which anointed the Lord with
ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose
brotlier Lazarus was sick.
bMatt. xxvi. 7; Mark xiv. 3; chap. xii. 3.
That Mary. This note of distinction is
added, lest any might mistake her for one
of those other Marys mentioned in the
Gospels. John proves her pious affection
642
JOHN,
toward Jesus at the present, as he else-
where proves the traitor's disloyalty, by a
subsequent act. (xii. 3.) By one marked
act, either good or bad, one may become
forever notable. Which anointed, &c. (See
on Matt. xxvi. 7-13 ; Mark xiv. 3, &c.)
Not merely by her brother's restoration
was Mary first stimulated to such a work.
3. TliPre'bre his sisters sent unto him, saying. Lord,
beiio.d, ^Lie whom tiiou lovedt is siclj.— >^Phll. ii. 26, 27.
Behold, &c. " This was a very short
letter," says Bishop Patrick, "and their
grief perhaps would not allow them to
write a longer. Oh, how great power was
there in these few words ! They say no
more to move Him. He could not choose
but go, when He heard this charming
word, he whom thou lovcst is sick. He who
loves needs but know, this suffices. The
Bisters' strong affection for their brother
here appears. In sickness we should im-
plore the aid and presence of Jesus. He
only can restore us and our friends : He
only can cheer us with the hope of a
blessed resurrection.
4. Wlien Jesus heard that, he said. This sickness Is
not uiuo death, ''but lor tlie gloi-y of God, that the Hon
ol'God might be gloritied thereby.— <iix. 3; verse 40.
He said, that is, to the person who
brought the tidings, that he might bear
back the reply to Mary and IMartha. Not
unto death. The expression, in the original,
is not designed to exclude altogether the
idea of dying, but (as the words " but for
the glory of God" show) the remaining in
death. The dying, however, was to prove
only the means to the glory of God, and
of the Sun of God. (See on ix. 3.) Verse
11 shows that Jesus knew of the death of
Lazarus. But for, i. e., for the sake of, the
glory of God, &c. The raising of Lazarus
from the dead opened the eyes of the peo-
ple to the truth of our Lord's claim to the
Messiabsjiip, more than any other miracle
which He had performed. (See verse 45 ;
also xii. 9, 10, 11, 17.) But so intimate and
essential was the union between Him and
the Father, that the glory of the one was
that also of the other. Hence, the glory
of b^th Father and Son is represented as
resulting from this event of Lazarus' sick-
ness, (verse 23 and xiii. 31.) " Taught of
God," says O'cil, " we should view our
losses, sickness, pain, and death, as the
several trying stages, by which a gocd
man, like Joseph, is conducted from a tent
to a court, sin his disorder, Christ his phy-
sician, pain his medicine, the Bible his
support, the grave his bed, and death it-
self an angel, expressly sent to release the
worn-out traveler, or crown the faithful
soldier. (Ps. Ixxi. 18, cxviii. 18.)"
5. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and
Lazarus.
What a picture ! one that in every age
has attracted the admiration of the whole
Christian church. No wonder that those
miserable skeptics who have carped at the
ethical system of the Gospel, as not em-
bracing i^rivate friendships in the list of
its virtues, have been referred to the
Saviour's peculiar regard for this family as
a triumphant refutation, if such were need-
ed. They were wont to receive Jesus at
their house. God is well jileased when
the doors of hospitality are freely opened
to the poor and needy and persecuted, for
His Name's sake. (See Gen. xviii. ; 1 King-s
xvii. 9 ; 2 Kings iv. 8 ; IMatt. x. 41 ; Acts
xvi. 15.)
fi. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, «he
abode two days still In the same place wliere he was.
'(Jliap. X. 40.
Two diojs still, &c. — at least twenty-five
miles off. Jesus did not reach Bethany
till Lazarus had been four days in the
grave. (Verse 17.) Lazarus must there-
fore have been at his last extremity when
the sisters sent to Christ. Jesus saw rea-
sons for suffering Lazarus to remain so
long dead. Thus He would be the more
abundantly glorified by his final restora-
tion to life, for it should seem less difficult
to restore to life the recently dead, than
those in whom the process of corruption
has commenced. It may also have been
part of His design to allow thegrief of the
sisters for the loss of their brother to reach
its height, so that the relief He meant to
bring might make the more abiding, and
therefore more salutary, impression, acting
thus after the manner of our Heavenly
Father, who often aflbrds the first relief in
the moment of greatest sorrow and ex-
temest need. (See iv. 47-49 ; l\Iark v. 24-
25.)
7. Then after that safth he 1o Jiia disciples. Let us ero
into Jndea a,s;ain. 8. Mis disciples say nnto liim. Mas-
ter,'the .Tows of late souorlit to stone thee, and goe.st
thou thitlier again? 9. Jesus answered, Are there not
twolV(> liimrs in theday ? slf any man walk in theday,
he stnnililetli not, because he seeth the light of this
world. 10, But hjf a man walk in the night, he stuial>-
leth, because there is no light in him.
<x. 31. rix. 4. kxii. 35.
C II ATT Eli XI
643
AJier thai — when tho period both of wait-
ing and duty had expired. Our Lord
moves by the clock of His Father's time-
keeping. Master, the Jeics of late, &c. It is
observable that our Lord's delay(ver3eG) in
going to Bethany seems to have occasion-
ed no surprise to the disciples, though they
were indeed surprised, as this verse shows,
at His afterward proposing to go. They
even remonstrate with Him against it.
That which is here done by our Divine
Master, in order to raise a dead person,
teaches His ministers that notliing ought
to hinder them from using their utmost
endeavors to raise those souls which God
either particularly intrusts or providen-
tially recommends to their care.
Are there not twelve hours in the day? He
that expects to look back hereafter with
satisfaction upon past years, must learn to
know the present value of single minutes,
and endeavor to let no particle of time
fall useless to the ground. (Luke xix. 13.)
"A chief part of David's arithmetic in
numbering our days," says Gurnall, " lies
in tliat which we call division, to cast the
account of this our short life, so as to
divide the whole little sum thereof into
the several portions of time, due for the
performing of every duty in. (Gen. xlvii,
9 ; Ps. xc. 12.) If any man loalk in the day,
&c. The Lord's answer is addressed not
so much to the direct question of His dis-
ciples, as to the state of mind which
prompts that question. The whole is
this: There is no danger to men who
walk w^hile the light lasts, the danger is
only after the sun has set, and when dark-
ness has come on. Then iiideed a man
may stumble, because he has no light
which shall supply the j^lace of the natural
luminary which has departed. But as for
me, it is still broad daylight with me. My
. day is not j'et come to its close. I can still
see my way clearly. And as for you, for
doubtless they had hinted also danger to
themselves (see verses 12, 16), when they
intimated danger unto Him, fear not.
Your safety is bound up in mine.
11. These things said he ; and after that he saith unto
them. Our friend Lazarus 'sleepeth but I go, that I may
awake hnu out of sleep.
'Deut. xxxi. 16; Daa. xii. 2; Matt. ix. 24; Acts vil.
60; 1 Cor. xv. 18, 51.
Jesus here breaks the fact that Lazarus
is dead to His disciples. He does it in
words of matchle.ss beauty and tenderness.
The announcement would be more liter-
ally rendered, " Lazarus, the friend of us,
has been laid asleep." Lazarus had shown
them kindness, as well as Himself.
"Sleepeth" means, "is dead." (See Luke
viii. 41, 42, 49-53.) It is a gentle and
pathetic way of expressing the most pain-
ful of events that can befall man, and a
most suitable one, when we remember
that after death comes resurrection. In
dying we are not annihilated. Like
sleepers, we lie down to rise again. The
Christian, however, is the only one who
can truly regard death as a sleep— that is,
as a healthy, refreshing sleep, which can
do him no harm. The idea of a man be-
ing awakened out of the sleep of death
was not confined to Christianity, it is to be
found also in the Old Testament, and
among the Jews. Even to a more culti-
vated Paganism it was not altogether un-
known. But how different the qnietus or
repose some of their sublime philosophers
hoped for, to that which, through Christ,
the simplest believer now may be .sure of.
Each one of Christ's believing people is
His " friend." He is the " friend of Christ"
even after he is dead. The expression
"our," attached to friend, teaches the
beautiful lesson that every friend of Christ
is or should be the friend of all true
Christians. Believers are all one family
of brothers and sLsters, and members of
one body. I go that I may awake him, &c.
These words proclaim Christ's deliberate
intention and purpose to raise Lazarus
from the dead. He boldly challenges the
attention of the disciples, and declares
that He is going to Bethany to restore a
dead man to life. Never was bolder de-
claration made. None surely would make
it but One who knew that He was very
God. " There seems to me," says Dr.
Arnold, "to be contained in these fev/
words one of the most powerful charms in
the world, to lull the bitterness of death,
and to make us anxious to become .such,
as that we may humbly venture to apply
them to ourselves. (Rom. viii. 1.)"
12. Then said his disciples, Lord, if hesle^p iie sliall
do well. 13. Howbcit Jesus spake of his death : bat they
thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
14. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus la
dead.
The disciples seem to have misinterpret-
544
JOHN
ed the words in verse 4, of a promise tliat
Lazarus sliould recover from his sickiu'ss,
and hence tliey regarded tlie declaration
in verse 11 as referring to natural and re-
freshing rest indicating his speedy restor-
ation to he;-ilth. Sliall do well, literally,
shall be saved from death, i, e., shall recover
his health. Hoirbeit Jesus spake, &c. In
order that the omniscience of Jesus may
not be questioned, the Evangelist ex-
pressly declares that He referred to the
death of Lazarus, although His disciples
so misconceived the meaning of His word^.
This is rendered still more certain in ver. 14,
where Jesus announces in plain terms the
death of Lazarus, which He could have ob-
tained from no human source. Then said
Jesus nnto them plairdy. It is the way of
the Scriptures, after hard things, to join
other things that are plain. iMzarus is
dead. lie is dead in respect of me, as I
am a man, he sleeps in my bosom, as I am
the living God.
15. And I am glad foryoursakes that I was not there,
to tlie intent ye may believe, nevertheless let us go unto
him.
We are said to beUeve,-when faith has its
increase in our souls, as well as its first
beginning. Here we see, 1. Not only that
our Saviour is alive to the welfare of His
disciples, but that there is nothing He is
so much concerned to promote in them as
their faith. 2. That the Saviour can ac-
complish His purposes in a manner pecu-
liarly His own. All the friends of Lazarus
would have supposed that as soon as ever
He was informed of his affliction. He
shoidd have hastened to the scene of dis-
tress, and at least have expressed His sym-
pathy. But hear Him : "Ail has been jtro-
per and necessary. I know what I have
done, and why I have done it. I know it
now, and you will know it soon. Then
you will be glad with me. Then you will
see that it was far better that Lazarus
should be raised from the dead after he
liad lain in the grave four days, than have
been only recovered from a bed of sick-
ness." Thus Jesus brings the blind by a
way that they know not. Nevertheless let
us go nnto him — not to them, but to him —
not to the sisters, but to the brother.
"Lazarus is dead, and it would be too late
for you, but not for me. Your extremity
is my opportunity." Jesus is never too
confident in His resources, nor too late in
His movements. Let Christ's all-suffi-
ciency encourage us with regard to<jthers.
Let those who in doing good meet with
unlikely materials to work upon, let min-
isters who seem only preaching many of
their hearers into impenitence, let parents
whose hearts are bleeding over ungodly
children, think of Him who was taking
this seemingly useless, but really success-
ful journey, and never abandon their en-
deavors or hoi:)e.
16. Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus. unto
his I'ellow disciples. Let us also go, JtUat we may die
with him.— .'liuke xxii. 23.
Thomas is always distinguished by the
name of Didymus, that is, two-fold ; to
show, say some, the twins, struggling in
him, of faith and unbelief, of flesh and
spirit, (xx. 24, "^5; Gen. XXV. 22.) What
our Saviour, in saying that Lazarus was
dead, and lam glad, &c., urged expressly
for an encouragement of their faith,
Thomas's reasoning turned immediately
into an argument of distrust ; as is appar-
ent from what he said to his fellow dis-
ciples upon this occasion. Let us also go,
that v:e may die with him. When he saw
his Master resolved to go, he wound up
all into this sort of rea'^^oning despair —
" Lazarus is dead, and all his pains and
fears are over : and better it were for us,
if ours were so too. The Jews' malice is
bent upon the destruction of us all ; and if
our Master could not save His principal
friend from death, what hope is there of
His saving us? Let us go then and meet
our doom as patiently as we can." (Verses
7, 8.)
John in but three instances furnishes us
with traits of this disciple ; namely, here
and in xiv. 5, and in xx. 24, &c., but they
are in such harmony as to furnish a pic-
ture of character. Intellectual reflection
predominates in this disciple, immediate- .
ness of self-surrender and of trust was in
defect, here, consequently he is unable to
lift himself up to Christ's word ; he gives
proof, indeed, of some devotion, as for
love of Him he will not shrink from death,
but he shows faint-heartedness enough to
doubt whether their lives will be saved.
17. Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain
in th"^ grave four d:ivs alroad.v. 18. Now Bothan.v wa.s
nigh unto Jeru'^alem. atinut fifteen furlongs off: 19.
And many ol the Jiws. caiiiu lo Martha and Mary, to
CHAPTER XI
545
comfort them concerning their brother. 20. Then
Martha, as soon , 8 she heard that Jesus was coming,
went and met liim : but Mary sat sti/l in tlie liouse. ^i.
Tlien said Martlia unto Jesus, Lord, if tliou hailst been
here, my brotlier liad not died. SJ,. But I know, lliut
even now, ^whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will
give it thiit.—^ix. 31.
Had lain hi Ihe grave four days. Martlia
and Mary had not, probably, ventnred to
send to the Lord lor lielj), till the sick-
ness of their brother had assumed a most
alarming character, and he had most
likely died upon the same day that the
messenger announcing his illness had
reached the Lord, else he would scarcely
have been four days in his grave when
Jesus came. Fifteen furlongs o/^— about
two miles. Many of the Jews, &c. The
nearness to Jerusalem is mentioned to
explain why so many Jews were present.
The number that had come suggests that
the family of Bethany was held in high
esteem. Thereby the miracle was plenti-
fully witnessed and published. Few of
these comforters sympathized with the
Christian hopes of these sisters. But the
true Comforter was on His way. Jesus
visits His "faithful among the faithless."
Then Martha, as soon as site heard, &c.
The burial over, according to the custom
of the Jews, the sorrowing sisters were
within, surrounded by sympathizing
friends, and fulfilling the days of their
mourning. At length, but, alas! how
much too late, they hear the clamor of the
approaching multitude, that Jesus, attend-
ed by His disciples, is drawing near the
town, Martha, who, even in the extremity
of her sorrow, is still the same energetic
being that she ever was, hastens forth to
meet Him, while Mary, absorbed in grief
(how true to nature is the narrative), sat
still in the house. The undesigned coinci-
dence (See Luke x. 38-42) marks the
identity of character and the truthfulness
of the Evangelist. Quietness before God
is one of the most difficult of all Christian
graces, to sit, where He places us, to be
what He would have us to be, and this as
longas He pleases, (xiii.37; Gen. xxiv. 48.)
The sisters, both of them, though so
different in their turn of mind, greet
Jesus with the same pathetic salutation.
Lord, if thou hadst been, &c. (See verse
32.) How truly the heart, when deeply
moved, is the same in all — and how much
all grief is alike ! In this address, 1. There
is the feeling that the event might have
been otherwise. " If thou hadst," &c. Both
• were pious women, yet both betrayed the
weakness of their faith. (Verse 39.) Were
they not aware that, though He was not
there, yet, if He had so ordered it, and
but spoken the word, their brother would
not have died? We must look beyond
second causes to Him who is the first
Cause of all things. We should believe
and be sure that the circumstances which
we regret as the occasion of our afllictiou
are but the appointed means of bringing
about what He determines, and what,
without them equally well as with them,
He might accomplish. If evil come upon
us, if our brother die, it is not because this
or that accident prevented relief; it is not
because He was not there in time, but be-
cause it was His will. 2. There may be
somewhat of the feeling that the event
sltoidd have been otherwise. When our
friends are removed by death, we should,
as Christians, remember that God may
have many purposes in view with which
we may be unacquainted, which, indeed,
we could not as yet comprehend, and rest
in the assurance that all things will work
together for our good. 3. There is appar-
ent a sincere, though melancholy satisfac-
tion in meeting with Jesus at last. He
had not come so soon as they expected
and desired, still He is come for good,
and gratefully do they receive Him.
Happy will it be for us, if in like circum-
stances we are enabled to feel as these
sisters felt, and to meet our Saviour's gra-
cious advances as they did.
But I know, that even now, &c. Martha's
faith, though still imperfect, rises im-
measurably in degree between the utter-
ances of these two sentences. (See verse
21.) In the first she appears to believe
that all was lost; in the second, she has
already attained to the conviction that the
prayer of Christ would be undeniable, she
wants but one step more, viz.: that the
will of Christ was as omnipotent as His
prayer, and her belief would be perfected ;!
and even this advancement was not long|
withheld. i
2S. .Tpsus saitb inito hor, Thv brother shall rise aKain.|
24. Martha saith unto him. U know that he shall rise
again in the resurrection at the last day. '
■Luke xiv. 14 ; chap. v. 29. i
64«
JOHN
As Jesus did not declare when her
brother should rise, nor that He Himself
would bring him to life, Martha regarded
His words only as a source of consolation,
arising out of the doctrine of the resurrec-
tion. She cannot believe that they mean
more than that he, with all other faithful
Israelites, will stand in his lot at the last
day. This, at any other time, she would
be fur from being disposed to undervalue ;
but now it seems to her so remote, while
her loss is altogether recent. Hence, with
a slight movement of impatience at com-
fort that so little met the present longings
of her heart, which were to have her
brother now, she answers, I know that he
shall rise, &c. — words which indicate the
common faith of the Jews of her day in
the resurrection of the body, on the clos-
ing day of this world's history. But see
how the Lord proceeds to instruct and to
elevate her mind, how graciously He
bears with this passing fretfulness, how
tenderly he touches these still open
wounds, how He leads her from grieving
over her brother, to believe yet more
fully in her Saviour, how he raises her
from dwelling upon Lazarus dead, to re-
pose implicitly in Him who is the Lord
of life, how He diverts her from thinking
only of a remote and general resurrection,
to confide in Him who is even at this
present the Resurrection and the Life.
25. Jesus said unto her, I ™am the resurrection, and
the "life : "he that believeth in me, though he were
dead, vet shall he live : 2fi. And vs-hoioever liveth and
believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
mv. 21 and vi. 39, 40. "i. 4, vi. 35 and xiv. 6 : Col. iii. 4 ;
1 John i. 1, 2 and v. 11. "ill. 36 : 1 John v. 10, &c.
This is the only true comfort in respect
to the future state. He is the only true
Comforter, who can speak, not merely of
the immortality of the soul, and of the
resurrection of the body, but of Himself as
the life of the immortal soul, and the
quickener of the risen body, the first be-
gotten from the dead, the tirst fruits of
them that sleep. Christ is the resurrection
and the life, 1. As He is the announcer
of the doctrine. It is a truth of pure rev-
elation. The book in which it is contained
is called "the Word of Christ." 2. As He
aflFords the pledge. He passed through
the regions of the dead, and reached the
crown that He now wears. And there is
a union between Him and His people, be-
cause He lives, they shall live also. 3. As
He procures the privilege. Jesus has re-
deemed our whole nature, and the body
being ransomed, as well as the spirit, by
no less a price than His own blood, shall
be equally claimed, and renewed, and
glorified. 4. As He is the Pattern. He
"shall change our vile body, that it may
be fashioned like unto His glorious body."
He that believeth in me, &c. Here, as often
in our Lord's words, the temjjoral death is
taken no account of, but quite overlooked,
and the believer in Him is contemplated
as already lifted above death, and made
partaker of everlasting life. (John vi. 47.)
The deceased Christian, since he believed
in Jesus, while he lived, is not to be prop-
erly accounted among the dead now, for
his soul, his better part, is now alive, and
his dead body shall live again, as soon as
Jesus shall call for it. The power, which
Christ here asserts, in regard to a two-fold
death, one of the body, and another of the
soul, furnishes full and clear proof of His
equality with the Father. Believest thou
this? " Believest thou that it is I who am
this Lord of life and death ? Does thy
faith in the Divine verities of the resurrec-
tion and eternal life after death center in
me?" It is neither the certainty, nor the
goodness, nor the greatness of anything,
but the lively faith which we have of it
imjilanted in our souls, that will make us
seek and labor for it.
27. She saith unto him, Yea, Lord : pI believe that
thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come
into the world.
pMatt. XV. 16 ; chap. iv. 42 and vi. 14, 69.
"Yea, Lord, I believe. I have believed
it, in spite of my petulance, all along. I
believe it now more than ever. I trust
Thee after this my loss even more than
before. I have not lost, but rather in-
creased my sure confidence in Thee."
" Her answer," says an old writer, " may
seem irrelevant: He questions her about
the resurrection, she professes her faith in
His incarnation. No', she speaks, like a
right believer : yield thy faith to that
great work of His birth and incarnation,
thou wilt never shrink from the hardest
truths and most improbable, as this one
was, a dead man's resurrection."
28. And when she had so said, she went her way,
qand called Mary her sister secretly, saying. The Master
is come, and calleth for thee. 29. 'As soon as she heard
that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. 30. Now
CHAPTER XI
54-?
Jesus was not vot come Into the town, h>it was in that
pliioc whiwc ^tai-rnii nii'l liiiii. :U. "The Jews then
which wiTi' Willi hrr in the lumsc, and <-omlbrte(l her.
when tl lev saw Jlary, tluitslie rus(' up hastily, ami went
out. (bllowcU lier. saying, ahe goeth unto the grave to
weep there.
. 11 Thes. V. U ; Heb. ili. 12. 'Ps. xxvii. 8 and cxix. 59,
60. 'Verse 19.
She went her u-ay, &c. Jesus may have
directed her to go. Or Martha may have
understood the turn which the conversa-
tion had taken, as a call for the presence
of her sister, whom she may have regarded
as better able to answer the searching
qne.stions of Jesus, and as likely to take a
deep interest in the subjects upon which
she was herself receiving instruction.
Secretly — so that she might enjoy a more
private and uninterrupted interview with
Jesus, than if she should openly announce
His presence in the hearing of the Jews
who were with her. Jl/as/n* means literally
teacher, and was a title which He claimed
for Himself. (See Matt, xxiii. 8, 10.) Call-
ethfor thee. It is not actually recorded that
our Saviour asked for Mary. That He
"called her," we learn from these words
of her sister. In this waj', many little
circumstances, perhaps unsuspected by
careless readers, are revealed both in the
Old and New Testaments. She arose from
her posture of grief. (See verse 20.) Quick-
ly, being incited to haste by the love which
she bore her Lord, and by the hopeful,
cheerful expression, which appeared in
^Martha's tone and countenance. But icas
in that place, &c. Jesus had not entered
the village. Why was this? Was it that
He desired to avoid display? According
to the ordinary view, it was simply be-
cause of the fact that the place of sepul-
ture was outside of the village, and this
view is favored by verse 31. When they
saw Mary, &c. The Orientals, to tliis day,
repair frequently, as in ancient times, to
the graves of their loved ones. " For three
days the grave of the dead is visited." As
Mary hastens to the vicinity of the place
of burial, the Jews who were present
(verse 19) suppose that she is about to per-
form that duty, and hasten after her.
32. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and
saw him. she fell down at his feet, saying unto hini,
•Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
'Verse 21, on which see notes.
The same faith in Christ, as being "the
Son of God," which Martha at fuller
length expressed by her words, Mary more
concisely declared by her act of adoration;
She utters, like Martha, her double note
of sorrow over ivhat is, and what, alas! as
she thinks, might have been, but, unlike
Martha, she utters no saving clause of
hope. (Verse 22.) Grief has choked her
utterance, and overmastered her soul.
How apt W'e are, in seasons of affliction, to
waste our time and our thoughts in dwell-
ing on second causes, on that fruitful, yet-
most unfruitful, monosyllable, " if!" HoW
much better wOuld our time and thoughts
be employed in meditating on Holy Scrip-
ture, and especially in remembering for
our comfort, that when we are found in
the path of duty, however dark or crooked
that path may be, we can never with any
truth complain, If thou hadst been Jiere!
(Ps. Ixxiii. 21-25.)
33. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the
Jews also weeping which came with her, he "groaned
in the spirit, and was troubled, 34. And said. Where
have ye laid him ? They said unto him. Lord, come
and see.— "Heb. iv. 10 aud v. 7, 8.
Saiv her weeping. No more effectual, no
more mighty prayer, than are our tears.
Tears brought to .pass, what words could
not, that Jesus was troubled in His spirit.
(Ps. Ivi. 3, xxxix. 13; 1 Sam. i. 10, 13; Luke
vii. 38, 44.) He groaned in the spirit, and
was troubled, was filled with painful emo-
tion. He sympathized deeply with these
afflicted sisters, for He possessed all the
tender sensibilities of human nature.
Wliere have ye laid him f Jesus asks the
initiatory question in relation to His won-
drous work, not of course as needing the
information, but in accordance with the
conversational customs of the East, and as
leading the way to the invitation. All
through we may observe the absence of
all haste, the shrouding and obscuring of
Deity in humanity, till the due moment
come, when the clouds give way, and the
Divine Sun breaks forth shining in His
strength. Come and see. It was important
that Christ should avoid any appearance
of collusion, or deceit, which the Phari.sees
of those days, and the iniidels of future
ones, might have urged against Him, had
He gone directly to the sepulchre. This
is wholly precluded by the earnest desire
of His friends to show Him the way thereto.
35. Tjesus wept.
'Job XXX. 2.5: Luke xix. 41 ; Heb. ii. 16.
Is it for nothing that the Evangelist,
0-18
JOHN.
some sixtij years after it occurred, holds up
to all ages with such touching brevity the
sublime spectacle of the Sou of God in
tears? What a seal of His perfect oneness
with us in the most redeeming feature of
our stricken humanity? But was there
nothing in those tears beyond sorrow for
human suffering and death? Could these
effects move Him without suggesting the
causef Who can doubt that in His ear
every feature of the scene proclaimed that
stern law of the kingdom — "The wages of
sin is death," and that this element in His
visible emotion underlay all the rest? 0
what a friend is this ! What a brother,
yea, and far more than a brother, and how
confidently may we come to Him, as Chris-
tian mourners, in every season of trial.
Our complaints, our regrets, our expostu-
lations, our very remonstrances almost,
and upbraidings, may all be expressed to
Him. The weeping of Christ shows us
that it is not sinful to sorrow. It also
shows us that deep feeling is not a thing
of which we need be ashamed. To he cold
and stoical and unmoved in the sight of
sorrow is no sign of grace. There is nothing
unworthy of a child of God in tears.
:5fi. Then said the Jew=, Bphold how he loved him!
37. And some oftliein said, Could not this man, "Wliich
opened tlie eves of tliehiind, have caused that even this
mansliould hot have died? 38. Jesus therefore again
groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It lyas a
cave, and a stone lav upon it. 39. Jesus said, Take ye
away the stone. Martlia. tlie sister of him that was
dead, saith unto him. Lord, bv this time he stinketh:
for he hath been dra(J lour days. 40. Jesus saitli unto
her. Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe,
thou shouldest ^see tlie glory of God?
"ix. G. 31 Verses 4, 23.
The exclamation, Behold hov) he loved
him, was made by some of the Jews pre:^-
ent, who were moved to good will by this
lively sympathy of the Lord with the sor-
rows of those around Him. Others, per-
haps, invidiously said, Could not this man,
&c. He weejis over this calamity now,
but could He not have hindered it? (See
ix.) Again groaning. As before. (Verse
33.) It is not improbable that Jesus, who
before groaned in Himself for compas.sion
of their tears, now groaned for their in-
credulity. Nothing could so afflict the
Saviour of men, as the sins of men. It was
a cave, &c. The Jewish sepulchres con-
sisted of subterraneous caves hewn out in
the rock, or (as in so rocky and cavernous
a country as Judea) shaped into proper
form, with a foramen, closed with a huge
stone, instead of a door. This stone was
called gcla;, the roller. The corpses were
placed in repositories hollowed out on the
sides of the cave. And a stone lay tipon it.
The particle rendered " upon," should be
rendered at, again.st, for the Jewish tombs
opened on the side.
Take ye away the stone, &c. " The dead
man beneath the stone," says Augustine,
" is the guilty sinner under the law. (Gal.
iii. 21, 22.) The letter, that killeth, is the
.stone, that keeps us down." " Remove,"
He says, "/7ie stone." Take away the dead
weight of the Law. Preach the grace of
the Gospel. (Ex. xxxi. 18; 2 Cor. iii. 6.)
Martlia saith unto him, &c. He who
has studied the human heart, he who has
studied his own heart, will not regard as
strange things those rapid changes of feel-
ing, and quick flows and ebbs of faith, in
any one, much less in one so susceptible to
instant impression as Martha. But Jesus
reminded her that He had already in effect,
perhaps in the conversation He held with
her when she went out to meet Him, told
her that if she would believe, she should
behold the glory of God. At these words,
faith once more gushed up in her heart,
like a spring of water, and the Redeemer
was no longer obstructed by her unbelief.
See the glory of God. See here the connec-
tion between faith and sight. We believe
first, and then see.
41. Then they took away the stone from the place
where the dead was laid. And Jesus liitpd up /us eyes,
and .said, Fatlier, I tliarik thee tliat tlinu liast heard
me. 42. And I knew that thou hearest me always : but
ybecause of the people which stand by I said (<, that
they may believe that thou hast sent me.— Jxii. 30.
Then they took away the stone, &c. What
man can do, man must do, or God will
never interfere to effect what man is un-
able to perform. Lifted up his eyes. We
have no other recorded instance of a
prayer offered by Jesus previous to His
performance of a miracle. The design
would seem to have been to prevent those
present from inferring that He raised
Lazarus by any act of His own dissociated
from the Father, or that in this, as well as
in every .other proof which He gave of
His Divine mission, He was not acting in
submission to the will and purpose of Him
who sent Him. Father, I thank thee, &c.
" I praise Thee, O Father, that Thou hast
always heard my secret prayers, and I
CHAPTER XI.
540
know that Tliou icnlt always hear thciu,
but now I pray aloud on account of the
people which stand by," &c.
43. Atid when lie thus had spoken, he cried with a
loud voice, Lazarus, coiiie Ibrtli. -11. And b^^ tliat Wius
■ dead came Ibrth, bound li.ind and loot with grave-
clotlie.s, and ^his lace was hound about with a napkin.
Jesus saitU uuto them, Loose iiim, and let Uim go.
•XX. 7.
Willi a loud voice — as was not His ordi*
nary custom. This was in order to call
the attention of the entire multitude to
the act demon.strating His miraculous in-
tention, and to furnish i\ powerful emblem
of the mighty call by which He will sum-
mon the nations of the dead to the resur-
rection. Come forth. It is spoken, it is
done ; nature hears His voice, and con-
fessing her Author instantly obeys the
dread command. (Ps. cxlviii. 5.) And he
that was dead, &c. By a power Divine the
disembodied spirit was fetched back from
the world of sj)irits, reunited to the body,
fitted for its habitation. The damage done
by "decay's effacing fingers " already re-
paired, death's work undone, corruption's
hideous task retrieved "in a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye." Notice the pro-
gressive stages in the three instances re-
corded in the Gospels of resurrection from
the dead. First comes the daughter of
Jairus, recently departed; then the wid-
ow's son at Nain, at the gates of the
grave, being carried to his burial ; lastly,
this of Lazarus, rescued even from corrup-
tion. Bound Jiand and foot, <Scc. Bandages
were often, in the East, bound around
each limb of the corpse. These bandages,
however, were not so very tight as en-
tirely to hinder motion, when life was
restored to Lazarus. Loose him, and let
Mm go. They are not to throng him, to
pry in upon the awful secrets of the grave,
to ply him with curious questions, but let
him depart in peace — to the privacy
which is most healthful for soul and
body, and to the society of those loving
Bisters who may best minister unto him.
Jesus will no more "loose him " Himself
than " roll away the stone." The one was
the necessary preparation for resurrection,
the other the necessary sequel to it. The
life-giving act alone He reserves to Himself.
So in the qui(;kening of the dead to
epiritual life, human instrumentality is
employed first to prepare the way, and
then to turn it to account.
How strikingly simple, how truly sub-
lime, is every portion of this im])ressive
narrative ! Wliat absence of all effort, of
all display I It was no greater effort for
Jesus to pour the tide of life anew into
the stagnant veins, to reanimate the
mouldering frame, to call that tainted and
corrupted corpse back from the sepulchre,
than in the garden of Gethsemane to
awaken the sleeping Peter. Most con-
vincing evidence of the power of the only-
begotten Son of God I A single word from
Him is sufficient to impart spiritual life to
a soul in the shadow of death, natural life
to a body amid the corruption of the
grave, and life fore\ertoall the genera-
tions of Adam upon the resurrection day.
(See V. 2G, 28, 29.)
4". Then many of the Jfws which came to JInry, "and
had seen tlie things wliicli Jesus did hciiivCd on
him. 4i). But some of tlieni went (lieir wiijs to tlie
Pharisees, and told tbeni what things Jesus iiad done.
"ii. 23, X. 4:: and xii. II, is.
Which came to Mary. Sucli as come to
do good unto the godly in their need may
readily meet with more good by this
means. Believed on him. It might be an-
ticipated from what has preceded, that
among the friends of the family there
would be susceptible hearts. But some of
them went their ways, &c. Death itself more
readily yielded to the power of Christ
than did these men's infidelity. (See xii.
37-41.) Here was a miracle proving and
enforcing a solemn parable. (Luke xvi.
19.) There is a Lazarus in each case.
The very name should have served to re-
mind them of His warning word.
47. % fcThon g'^thered the chief priests and the Phari-
sees a coiuicii, and said. What do we ? lor this man do-
eth many miracles. 48. If we let him thus alone, all
mm will believe on him, and the Romans shall come
and take away both our place and nation. 40. And one
of them, namrd ^Caiaphas. li^'lnpr the liiRh priest that
same year, said unto tli< ni. Y<^ know nothing at all, .W.
'Nor consider that it is c.xpcflirnt ior us. that one man
should die for the prrple, ;ind that the whole nation
perish not. n\. And this spake he not of liiniscll : but
being high priest thnt year, he prophesied that .lesus
should die for that nation; 62. And fnot (or that na-
tion only, chut that filso he should gather together in
one tho children of God that were scattered abroad.
'Ps. ii. 2; Matt. xxvi. 3: Mark xiv. 1; Luke xxii. 2.
'Xii. 19; Acts iv. Ifi. dLnke iii. 2: ch.np. xviii. 14: Acts
iv. fi. exviii. 14. fisa. xlix. 6: 1 John ii. 2. ex. Hi : Eph.
ii. 14, 15, 16, 17.
If we let, him thus alove, &c. Ko one
could now deny that Jesus had Avronght
many miracles, and a fear was expressed
lest this crowning act of power, wrought
so near Jerusalem, and upon a person so
550
JOHN,
well-known as Lazarus, might excite the
entliusiasm of the people in our Lord's
favor, and lead to some movement which
might attract the attention of the Romans
and occasion the loss of the few internal
liberties which the nation had been per-
mitted to retain. And yet the Jews did
not escape what they dreaded; nay, in-
deed, they brought it upon themselves, by
this very course. It is ever the way of
those who rule the earth, to leave out of
their reckoning Him who rules the uni-
verse. (Ps. xciv. 1-11.) The conduct of
the Jewc toward Jesus was the counter-
part of the wicked husbandman in the
parable, the fulfillment of the cruel coun-
sels of Joseph's brethren, those types of a
worse fratricide. "As they, thinking to
defeat the purpose of God concerning
their younger brother, help to bring it to
pass, so the Jewish rulers were the instru-
ments to fulfill that purpose of God con-
cerning Christ, which they meant to bring
to nothing.
Named Caiaphas, &c. The high priest-
hood, by Divine appointment, was to con-
tinue in the same person for life, but the
Romans changed the high priest at
pleasure, and made the office, for the
most part, annual. There is some doubt
whether the participial clause, " but be-
ing high priest," &c., is to be regarded as
denoting the cause or occasion of what
follows, in the sense of inasmuch as he ivas
high priest, &c., or as a simple announce-
ment that Caiaphas was the high priest on
that memorable year. The latter is Tho-
luck's view, the former that of Stier and
Olshausen. Ye know nothing at all, &c.
An expression as it seems of displeasure
and impatience with the council. It is
expedient, &c. The good of the whole, the
preservation of our nationality, as you
confess, from Roman despotism, requires
the death of one, innocent or not. So let
all pleas in behalf of His piety and good-
ness be silenced. For us. If He gains the
people, we know that neither He nor the
people would be friends to us.
Whole nation perish not — by the Roman
sword, as you see it will, if this man pre-
vails. Being high priest that year, he prophe-
sied, &c. A Divine interpretation, truly,
of thUt evil man's unsuspected prophecy !
The meaning of Caiaphas was insincere,
mean and timid. The meaning of the Holy
Ghost his words was awful, mysterious
and Divine. All that Caiaphas intended to
say clearly amounted to this: that our
Saviour's destruction must any how be
effected, and that speedily. His argument
was that the death of One would thus be
productive of general good — by diverting
from the nation the wrath of their Roman
masters. But his speech was overruled
by a higher power, and the words which
fell from his lips^ proved susceptible of a
double meaning ; the Holy Ghost deign-
ing to employ even this sinful organ (as
He had already spoken by the mouth of
Balaam), to convey nothing less than a
wondrous prophecy concerning the pro-
pitiatory nature of the approaching sacri-'
fice of Christ's death, and its marvelous
result to " the Israel of God " (Gal. vi. 16)
scattered throughout the world, not only
(that is) to the Jewish nation, but to the
Gentile as well. (1 John ii. 2; chap. x.
16.)
53. Then from tliat day forth they took counsel to-
gether for to put him to death.
God's overruling Providence is a power,
which veils its interference, and moves to
as not to shock the tencr of man's re-
sponsible action, in the course of trial and
duty. (xix. 11.) In this sense, the miracle
of raising Lazarus was "for the glory of
God, that the Son of God might be glori-
fied thereby." (Verse 4.) For this miracle
prepared the way for our Lord's deatli;
and by His deatli, the Father was glorified
(xvii. 1), and Christ Himself "entered into
His gloi'y." (Luke xxiv. 25.)
54. Jesus iitherefore walked no more openly among
the Jews, but went thence unfo a country near to the
wilderness, into a city called 'Ephraim, and there con-
tinued with his disciples.
biv. 1, 3 and vii. 1. 'See 2 Chron. xiii. 19.
Our Tvord, though ready to be offered,
and, when His hour was come, " led as a
lamb to the slaughter," would not now
needlessly expose Himself to the malice
of these wicked men. As His good works
had failed to convince them, He retires.
He now escapes into the region of Jordan
lying north of the Dead Sea, as in chap, x.,
after the commotion, He went to Per;en.
It is the Divine appointment that we
should decline persecution, till a necessity
of obeying God, or charity for the souls of
CHAPTERXI.
551
men, oblige us to ajipear. Happy the coun-
try which ail'urds a retreat to the Son of
God persecuted. But more hajipy the
heart whiih opens itself to Ilim while the
world persecutes Him, which adores Him,
which is wholly t;:ken up with Him, which
fills itself with His word, which is nour-
ished by His truth, and which continually
excites and quickens its foith and love by
meditating upon His mysteries.
55. II j And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand, and
miiny wont out ol' llie country up to Jerusalem before
the passover, to purify themselves. 56. ki'hen .sought
tliey for Jesus, and spal;e among themselves, as they
stood in the temple, Wliut think ye, tliat he will nut
come to the feast ? 57. Now both tlie chief priests and
the Pharisees had given a co^iimandment, that, if any
man knew wliere he were, he sliould show it, that they
might take him.
JCiiap. ii. la, V. 1 and vi. 4. ''Verse 8 ; chap. vii. 11.
And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand,
&c. While the Lord was hid(len in His
retreat, the Jews were assembling to keep
the Passover at Jerusalem. To judge from
the numbers that flocked thither, one
would have supposed that they were a very
religious people. They came from distant
parts of the country, and they arrived at
an early period, in order to go through
various purifications and washings com-
manded in the law, but they did not, like
David, wash their hands in innocency,
before they approached the altar of their
God. (Ps. xxvi. 6.) There may be a full
attendance at the house of God, and even
at the Lord's Supper, while there are but
few spiritual worshipers. Such religious
acts obtain for those who perform them a
name to live among men, but they may be
performed while the heart is dead before
God. Never were the Jews in a more dan-
gerous state than when, having ceased to
worship graven images, they observed
with strictness the ceremonies of the law.
I'hcn sought they for Jesus, &c. 2'hen
or therefore in consequence of the fame
of Jesus, especially that which resulted
from His great miracle at Bethanj', which
could not but have been noised through
the whole land. What think ye, &c.
The form of this question implies the
opinion that He rather would come. Our
Lord, on a former occasion, had not come
up to the Passover. (See John vi.) Hence
there was room for some doubt whether
He would come now. Noic hollo .... priests
.... F}iarisees, &c. This verse shows the
first steps which had been taken after the
session of the council which adopted the
advice of Caiaphas to kill Jesus. A general
order had been given that if any man
knew where Jesus was, he was to give in-
formation, that He might be apprehended.
Probably this order may only have refer-
red to Jerusalem, and the house where our
Lord might lodge when He came to the
Passover, if He did come. It can scarcely
be supposed that the enemies of Christ
could be ignorant where He was between
the miracle of Bethany and the Passover,
and they dared not perhaps run the risk
of a tumult or rebellion, which might be
caused if they sent into the rural districts
to apprehend Him.
" Let us even now," says an old writer,
"show the Jews rvhere Christ is. Oh, that
they would hear and understand, whoso-
ever are the seed of those, who gave com-
mandment that it should be shown them
where Christ was! Let them come to the
Church, out of the Gospel let them hear."
(Ps. xiv. 7.)
1. Who was sick at Bethany ? 2. What did the sisters of Lazanis do 7 3. What did Jesus say to His disciples
whoseemed to wonder that He would go into Judea again? 4. How is verse 15 to be understood? 5. How is
Jesus the resurrection and the life ? 6. What did Martha and Mary say to Jesus ? 7. What does the weeping of
Jesus teach us ? 8. How was Lazarus raised from the dead ? 9. What was the effect of this miracle? 10. What
did Caiaphas say? 11. Did Jesus walk any more openly among the Jews? 12. To what place did He go ? 13.
What does His e.xample teach ?
652
JOHN.
CHAPTER XII.
1 Jesus fxcuseth Mary annhithm his feet. 9 The people
flock to see Lazarus. 10 The hifih priests consult to
kill him. 12 Christ rid'thinto JiiusaUm. 20 Greeks
desire to see Jes.is. ^t Jlr faretdlrni liisdtath. 37 7'he
Jews are penrrnlly I l.nd, d : -42 (/< t. iiuwi/ elite/ rulers
believe, but do ikjC coiifexs him : 44 Iherejore Jesus call-
eth earnestly for conjcssion of faith.
^I^HEN Jesus, six days before tbe passover came to
_l Bethany, "where Lazarus was which had been
dead, whom he raised from the dead.— »xi. 1, 43.
Then connects the aiiproach of Jesus to
Jerusalem, which is now about to be re-
lated, with this excitement in regard to
the question, whether, in face of fsuch
danger, He would make His appearance
at the paschal feast. The verse is logic-
ally connected with the close of the pre-
ceding chapter. Six days Icfcre ilx jmss-
over, i. c, on the sixth day before it, pro-
bably after sunset on Friday/ evening, or
the commencement of the Jewish Sabbath
preceding the Passover. Bcihcny, from
which unbelief had banished Him, but
where were yet faithful hci^rts and loving
hands ready to minister unto Ilim, tome,
at least, that had not bowed the knee to
Baal.
2. tiThere they made him a supper, and Martha
served: but Lazarus was cue of lljcm that sat at the
table with him.— i Matt. xxvi. G; Marli xiv. 3.
Made him a sitpjycr — to show respect and
affection for Jesus. The entertainment
took place at the house of Simon the
leper. (See Matt. xxvi. G.) We should
have expected from the traits of Martha's
character, given in cluq:). xi. and in Luke
X. 38, &c., that she would attend to the
domestic arrangements. Before she was
" cumbered about much serving," now she
had learned the lesson from the Lord, and
we read here that she simply served. So
in regard to Mary, before she "sat at
Jesus' feet and heard His word," now-,
having through that word believed, she
makes her coistly oblation, the fruit of her
love, treating Him "not as man, but
God." (2 Peter iii. 18.) Martha no longer
objects, as on a former occasion (Luke x.
40), nor makes more of the entertainment
than of Him who was imended to be
honored by it. But Lazarus iras one of
them, &c. This is stated as evidence of his
complete restoration. To eat and drink
I)roves the reality of a corporeal, as dis-
tinguished from a merely spiritual pres-
ence. Sat at the table icith him. So do the
righteous, after their resurrection, sit down
m heaven at the Marriage Supper, and are
" forever with the Lord."
3. Tbfii took 'Mary a pound of ointment of spike-
nard, \«ry Lii^lly, and aiiuinted the leet of Jesus, and
W'piU Lis lie Willi hi-rhuir: and the houi-,e was lilied
witli the odour of the ointment. 4. Tlion saitli one of
]i':-. disriples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's sun, which should
betray him, 5. Why was not tiiis oiiitment sold for
three hundred pence, and given to the poor? (J. This
lie said, not that he cared lor the poor, l;ut because he
was a tliief, and i^had the bag, and bare what was put
tlicrcin. 7. Then said Jesus, Let her alone : against the
day of my burying liath she kept this. H. Ft r< the poor al-
ways ye have with you ; but me ye have not always.
<Luke X. .38, 39; chap. xi. 2. <i(Jhap. xiii. 29. 'Matt,
xxvi. 11 ; Mark xiv. 7.
On verses 3-8; see on Matt. xxvi. G-13;
Mark xiv. 3-9.
Then took Mary, &c. It was not unusual
to connect the anointing of the feet with
(he ablutions which took place previous to
entertainments. (Luke vii. 46.) Three
Imndred, denarii or pence, are worth about
S45.00. The price of this oil seems con-
clusively to prove that the family were in
good circumstances. "The Spirit of
heavenly love," says Bishop Home, " was
' the oil of gladness ' which Jehovah pour-
ed 'without measure,* on Him who is the
High Priest and Head of His Church. In-
sinuating and healing, comforting and ex-
hilarating, it is diffused from Him over
His Body Mystical, even down to the
least and lowest members." " Of His full-
ness have we all received," and, as it is
said of Mary's box of spikenard in the
Ciosi^el, TJie liouse is fdled uith tlie odour of
tlie ointment. Nor did the dew of heaven, in
time of drought ever prove more refreshing
and benelicial to the mountains of Judah,
than are the influences of Grace, when de-
scending in soft silence from above upon the
Church in the Union and Communion of
which God hath " commanded the bless-
ing, even life forevermore." Oh, come
the day when division shall cease, and
enmity be done away ; when the tribes of
the spiritual Israel shall be united in a
bond of eternal charity, under the true
David, in tbe Jerusalem which is above,
and saints and angels shall sing this lovely
P.salm together! (Ps. cxxii. 5-8 ; see also
1 Cor. i. 2, 3.)
Given to the poor. (Deut. xv. 11.) Cov-
etousness and irreverence are here cover-
ed under the cloak of benevolence. This
CHAPTER XII,
7ie said, <fce. This one trait of Judas un-
locks his soul to n ghince, whicli renders
clear all that follows. He could prevail
upon himself, not once only, but repeated-
ly, to ])urloin from the money which serv-
ed at once for the wants of Jesus and for
the poor, and which wassupjilied entirely
by charity (Luke viii. o), and yet could
present himself in (he presence of Jesus,
and was so hypocritical withal, as to wish
to seem the friend of the poor at the very
time he was robbing the poor. Such a
man had already smothered conscience- —
such a man had no longer power to pray.
Judas, who had betrayed his trust, soon
after betrayed his Master. And those
who are entrusted with any moneys of
others, may incidentally learn hence to
have clean hands and a pure heart, to
preserve the most scrupulous integrity the
less likely they arc to be called to account,
to be the more ready at any time to ren-
der an account, and the easier the oppor-
tunity to defraud, the more carefully to
guard against that danger.
Let Iwr alone, &c. " It is not sufficient to
carry religion in our hearts, as fire is car-
ried in flint stones, but we are outwardly,
visibly, to serve and honor God, and that,
too, not only with our souls, but our
bodies, and not only with our bodies, but
with the best of our goods. If we have
anything in all our possessions of more
value and price than another, to what
should we convert it, rather than unto
Him? (Prov. iii. 9; 2 Sam. xxiv. 22-4;
Mai. i. 8.) Against the day of my burying,
&c. As the time was so near at hand when
our Lord's dead body would have to be
anointed, and she was not to have that
privilege even after the spices were
bought for the purpose (Mark xvi. 1), He
lovingly regards it as done nmv. Ho.w
much more may be involved in an act of
Christian kindness than we think! Even
to give a cup of cold water out of love to
Christ, shall not lose its reward. The poor-
alway,i, &c. We are to show to the poor
the kindness we would have shown to the
Lord Himself, had He been with Mary at
Bethany. But me ye have not always. Soon
He was to be withdrawn from them, and
they should see Him no more. The time
draweth nigh. Six days more, and they
shall see Him die a cruel death. No more
oi)portunity of testifying love to His per-
son. Soon He is to be laid in His grave.
Shall He reject this appropriate anoint-
ing? In the anticipation of that awful
hour, how welcome this tribute of a full
and loving heart, this offering of the lav-
i.-li hand which owns no niggard gill! So
a gifted poet enjoins.
" Give all thou canst, liigh Ilouvpii rejects the lore
Oi' nicely calculated less or more !"
0. H Many people of the Jews therefore knew that he
was tliere: ami they came not for Jesus' sake (jnlv.hut
tliat tliey miLjht see I.azurns also, (whom he hart raised
Irom the dead. Id. ilJut the ehier jiriests consulted
that tliey migln put Lazarus also to death ; II. I'Becau.se
that hy reason of hini many of the Jews went away,
and believed on Jesus.
fxi. 43, 44. eLuke xvi. 31. hxi. 45, v. 18.
To such a pitch had these chief priests
come of diabolical determination to shut out
(he light from themselves, and quench it
from the earth ! How necessary, in many
cases, the concurrence of the will is toward
the production of faith, daily experience
may convince us. We see men rejecting the
strongest evidence, when ojiposed by in-
terest, prejudice and passion, and accept-
ing the slightest which falls in with them.
The best arguments in the world avail
nothing on one side, when pride, jileasure
and profit are'engaged on the other. The
chief priests consulted, &c. What can be
done with such people as the.se chief
priests? Or, what effect would the ap-
pearance of Christ among them after His
resurrection have produced, but that of
provoking fresh blasphemies and fresh
uisults ? (Verses 39, 40 ; Rom. x. 21 ; Acts
X. 4L)
12. 'On the next day much people that were come to
the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to
Jerusalem, 13. Took branches of palni trees, and went
(orth to meet him. and cried, kllosanna: Blessed is tlie
KinKof Israel that cometh in thcMiaine of the Lord.
14. 'And Jesus, when he had found a yonnj; a.ss, sat
thereon, as it is written, 15. ini.>ar not. daughter of
Zion : behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.
Ifi. These things "understood not his disciples at the
first : "but when Jesus was glorified, i then rememberc rt
they that these things were written of him. and ?/<«<
they had done these things unto him. 17. The peop'.e
therefore that was with him when he called Laiiarus
out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare
record. 18. qFor this cause the people also met him,
for that they heard that he hsd done this miracle,
111. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves,
'Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold; the
world is gone after him.
'Matt. .xxi. 8 : Mark xi. 8 : Luke xix. .^i. 3R, <tc. kPs.
cxviii. 2.'5. 26. 'Matt. xxi. 7. "Zech. ix. 9. "Luke xviii.
3-1. "vii. 39. pxiv. 25. qverse 11. rxi. 47, 48.
On verses 12-19, see on Matt. xxi. 1-11,
14-17 ; Mark xi. 1-11 ; Luke xix. 29-44.
Next day. Jesus is supposed to have
arrived in Bethany on the evening after
554
JOHN.
the Sabbath, and to have remained there
during the next day. Much people. At
this time the holy city was already filling
with the crowds of people, pilgrims, who
had trooped in from all th-e country far
and near, to prepare for their great annual
festival of the- Passover. Took brayiches,
&c. It was customary with the Jews, at
the feast of the tabernacles, to carry about
branches of palm and other trees in their
hands, and to sing, Hosanna, " Save now, I
beseech Thee." (Ps. cxviii. 25.) Had found
a young ass, &c. Jesus desired to declare
Himself the King of Israel, but only as
the King of peace, He selected, therefore,
the animal that was usually ridden in time
of peace, while the horse was reserved for
war. (Hos. xiv. 4 ; Prov. xxi. 31 ; Jer.
xvii. 25), and points directly to that pro-
phecy (Zech. ix. 9), which likewise depicts
the Messiah as King of peace. Our Lord,
it is particularly noted, rode the colt, ac-
cording to the prophecy, not the parent
animal which accompanied. Having seen
the humility of Zion's King in His first
coming, let us now from it lift up our eyes
as it were to the throne of Gorl, and con-
sider how He shall appear, and how also
it shall be with us, at His second coming.
In this accepted time let us turn to Him
in penitence and faith, who once came to
visit us in great humility.
These tilings understood not his disciples,
&c. While the miracle, the triumph, and
the cross are passing in rapid succession
before their eyes, they are confused in
their perceptions. But when all are past
and rise up as one whole before them, when
they see the accordance of prophecy and
event, as taught by the voice of the risen
Jesus (Luke xxiv. 25-35), and by the re-
freshing power of the quickening Spirit
(chap. xiv. 26), they comprehend the en-
tire symmetrical plan. Then they under-
stand the Christ, and thenceforward are
competent to herald Him forth to the
world. How eminently honest and satis-
factory such convictions as these ! how en-
tirely remote from all enthusiasm and
deception! (See chap. ii. 22; also Luke
xxiv. 6-8.) In the case of false christs, of
false religions, the faith, or rather the
credulity, is stronge.st and most fanatical
at the outset, and then it wanes, and grad-
ually declines, and sometimes ends in a
strong reaction, and in an immortal hate :
but the faith of the disciples was the grow-
ing conviction of their minds, it was ever
waxing onward, all these circumstances
were gradually confirming it, here a little
and there a little ; it was as the shining
light, shining more and more unto the
perfect day.
T/ie people therefore bare record.
The sentiment is, that the people who
were eye-witnesses of the miracle, attested
the reality of its performance, and thus
frustrated the attempts made by our Lord's
enemies to throw discredit upon the whole
transaction. The world is gone after him,
or, as we say, everybody, a form of hyper-
bole common in almost all languages.
" And now began to work the greatest
glory of the Divine Providence : here was
the case of Christianity at stake. The
world was rich and prosperous, learned
and full of wise men, the Gospel was
preached with poverty and persecution,
in simplicity of discourse, and in 'demon-
stration of the Spirit.' .... On the one
side there was the scandal of the Cross, on
the other the patience of the saints, and
what was the event ? They that had over-
come the world, could not strangle Christ-
ianity. But so have I seen the sun with
a little ray of distant light challenge
all the power of darkness, and, with-
out violence and noise, climbing up the
hill, hath made night so to retire, that its
memory^ was lost in the joys and spright-
fulness of the morning. And Christianity,
without violence or armies, without re-
sistance and self-preservation, without
strength or human eloquence,
with its humility and meekness, with
toleration and patience, with obedience
and charity, with praying and dying, did
insensibly turn the world into Christian,
and persecution into victory. ^Matt. xii.
in, 20 ; Rev. xix. 16.)"— Bishop Taylor.
20. 1 Anrlthere "v/pre certain Greeks among them
'that came up to worship at the feast.
"Acts xvii. 4. U Kings viii. 41, 42; Acts viii. 27.
These "certain Greeks" were probably
of those Gentiles — of whom Cornelius is
a specimen (Acts x. 1) — who had embraced
the truth respecting Jehovah, the only
true God, as taught in the Jewi.sh Scrip-
tures, and observed what were termed the
CHAPTER XII.
555
seven Noachian precepts against idolatry,
profanity, incest, murder, diahoncsty, eat-
ing blood and things strangled, and allow-
ing a murderer to live — but had not for-
mally enrolled themselves among the
Jews. lu the time of our Lord, this seems
to liave been a considerably numerous
class.
21. The same came therefore to Philip, "which was
of Betlisaidii of Galilee, unci desired him, sayinii, Sir,
we would see Jesus. 22. Philip conictli ar.d telletli
Andrew : and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. '23.
And Jesus answered them, saying, ^The hour is come,
that the Son of man sliould be glorified.
ui. 44. ixiii. 32 and xvii. 1.
Bcthsaida. There, perhaps, those Greeks
had been wont to lodge on their journey
to Jerusalem. Sir. They address Philip
thus, with sentiments of respect. We would
see Jesus. "We would count it a great
favor if you could bring us into His pres-
ence." This desire was of a higher char-
acter than Herod's. (Luke xxiii. 8.) These
men from the West represent, at the end,
what those from the East did at the begin-
ning of Christ's life. But these come to
the cross, as those came to the cradle.
Jesus is as really present, though in a
spiritual and invisible manner at all the
sacred festivals appointed by God, as He
was at the Jewish Passover. PJiilip cometh,
&c. Philip first consults with Andrew,
apparently through a doubt, whether it
would be projier to bring uncircumcised
persons into the presence of their Master,
after the inhibition He had formerly given
them. (IMatt. x. 5, 6.) Jesus then thought
proper to declare that the time was ap-
proaching, when there was to be no differ-
ence between the Jew and the Greek; but
that the same Lord was to be " rich unto
all that call upon Plim," and that all were
to be " One in Christ Jesus." He
seems to have viewed their application to
be admitted into His presence, as an earnest
of the flowing-in of all the Gentiles to
Him. TJie hour is come, said He, thai the
Son of man should be glorified; and, if His
hearers made a suitable use of this doctrine,
they may have been instrumental on their
return home in disposing the hearts of
their countrymen to receive the saving
truths, which the messengers of the Gospel
would shortly propose to their acceptance.
Thus, we find in the Acts of the Apostles
and in the Epistles, that the Greeks are
frequently mentioned by name among the
heathen converts, as having embraced the
prollcred mercy of God. (Acts xiv. 1, xvi.
1, xvii. 4; Gal. ii. 3.)
24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, jExcept a corn of
wheat fall into the ground and die, it abidetli alonej
but if It die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Jl Cor. XV. 3G.
From our Lord's connecting this parable
with what He says of the glorifying of
Himself in the preceding verse, it is evident
that if His great work was to be finished
in redeeming the lost, and bringing many
sons and daughters unto righteousness, it
could alone be through death. In death
He becomesthe principle of ourlife. AVhen
Jesus went down to the grave He went
alone — He by Himself " endured the grief
and despised the shame " — " of the people,
there was none with Him." A solitary
being, a spectacle to men and angels, He
hung for a brief period on the accursed
tree, and then disappeared in the grave.
Then it was that His work obtained
its full reward. He rose again, like the
bright, fresh, green blade which rises from
the ground where the corn of wheat lay,
telling that death was resolved into life ;
and when at length the harvest time shall
come. He will be found like the corn of
wheat which has passed through its stages,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full
corn in the ear, to be no longer "alone,"
but to have brought forth "much fruit."
A grain of corn, as is well known, mul-
tiplies by yielding other grains like itself.
If, therefore, Jesus be compared to seed,
and He be sown to multiply, He will pro-
duce others like Himself. If barley be
sown, barley comes up, if wheat be sown,
wheat appears, if Christ be sown. Chris-
tians are brought forth. They are predes-
tinated to be conformed to Him ; and as
"they have borne the image of the earthy,
they must also bear the image of the
heavenly." Here, indeed, the likeness is
not complete — but it will be perfect in due
time. There is one thing here which will
afford the benevolent mind a delicious
pleasure — the largeness of the crop — "much
fruit." Jesus is leading " many sons unto
glorj'," and when He has collected them
all together, they will be found " a great
multitude which no man can number, of
all nations and kindreds and people :.nd
tongues."
556
JOHN,
25. 'He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that
hatctli his lile in this world shall keep it unto life
eternal.
^Matt. X. 29 and xvi. 25; Mark viii. i',; Luke ix. 24
and xvli. 33.
Jesus applied to His disciples the gen-
eral rule, that, if a person should love life
on earth so much th;it he would not part
with it for His sake, he would lose eternal
life, and that, if a person should love Him
more than life on earth, so as to be willing
to expo.se himself to death for the sake of
the Saviour, he would secure life eternal.
(See notes on the i^arallel jiassages referred
to.) So far was Christ from all customary
and popular methods of courting and com-
plimenting those who came to Him, in
order to make proselytes, that His usual
practice was rather to repel them, at least
for a time, that they might have leisure to
examine their motives, and to count the
cost of following a rejected Master and a
persecuted religion. This is not what an
impostor would have done. (vi. 15, 25, 2G;
Luke viii. 4, 5, xiv. 25-33.)
26. If any man serve me, let him follow me, and
•where I am, there shall alsn my servant lie: if any
man serve me, him will mi/ Fatlier honour.
»xiv. 3 and xvii. 24 ; 1 Thes. iv. 17.
Jesus here claims the same absolute
Bubjection to Himself, as the law of men's
exaltation to honor, as He yielded to the
Father, The clause, if any man serve me,
(i. e., would enter into my service), is twice
expressed, first with the duty, and then
with the promise. Follow me — imitate my
example, and endure suffering and even
death itself, to promote that cause for
which I am about to lay down my life —
this is his duty and his interest. Honour
— reward gloriously. These words were
remarkably fulfilled in the death of Ste-
phen, the first martyr.
27. fcNow is my soul troubled, and what shall I say ?
Father, save me from this hour: <-but for this cause
came I unto this hour.
i-Matt. xxvi. as. 31 ; Luke xii. 50; chap. xiii. 21. cLuke
xxii. 53 ; chap, xviii. 37.
Now is my soul troubled, &c. This sen-
tence implies a sudden, strong mental
agony which came over our Lord, troub-
ling, distressing, and harassing Him.
AVhat was it from ? Not from the mere
foresight of a painful death on the cross,
and the bodily sufi"ering attending it. No
doubt human nature, even when sinless,
naturally revolts from pain and suffering.
Yet mere bodily pain has been endured
for weeks by many a martyr without a
groan or a murmur. No ! it was the
weight of the world's imputed sin laid
upon our Lord's head, which pressed Him
downward, and made Him cry, " now is
my soul troubled." Let us notice here the
reality of Christ's substitution for us. Ho
was made " a curse " for us, and sin for us,
and He felt it for a time most deeply. (GaL
iii. 13; 2 Cor. v. 21.)
And what shall I say, &c. The Saviour
speaks as one in a strait, as if struggling
between inclination and conviction. His
feeling and His work. There is no real
difllculty here. He was human as well as
Divine, and the Godhead did not absorb
the humanity, or change its attributes.
The Word was made flesh, and had all the
passions and infirmities of our nature, sin
only excepted. But suffering in itself can
never be agreeable to our nature — for then
it would be no longer suffering. If there-
fore we submit to it, it is not from pleasure,
but for some reason or purpose. This re-
luctance, instead of being inconsistent with
submission, serves to enhance it, and is
even necessary to it. There is no resigna-
tion in giving up what we do not value.
In our Saviour's mode of expressing His
acquiescence in the event, observe two
things concerning His death : 1. It was
not casual : For . this cause, &c. It was
written in the volume of the book. It
was a covenant transaction. He assumed
a body and entered our world for the very
design. He became incarnate to die. 2. It
was voluntary : Came I unto this hour.
He was not compelled or deceived into the
business, but as it was foreappointed, so
He foreknew and foresaw it, and acted
from independence and choice. He loved
us and gave Himself for us.
23. Father, glorify thy name. "iThen came there a
voice from heaven, xai/iiip, I have both glorified it, and
will gloriiy U again.— iiMatt. iii. 17.
Glorify thy name. As if Jesus had said,
" If my sufferings will be for Thifie honor,
let them fall upon me, regardless of my
feelings." Did He then question this?
By no means. His language is rather the
expression of confidence. " I know that
my death will infallibly and infinitely ad-
vance Thy praise, and therefore I cheer-
fully bow to Thy pleasure." Inthe scheme
of redem])tion through the Cross of Christ,
the brightest form of the Divine glory
CHAPTER XII
557
tfhines. Then came there a voice, &c. Thrice
\v;ls the Divine voic-c lieard from heaven :
first, ut our Lord's baptism, when He
seems to liave been si^ecially designated
to His Priestly office : next at His transfig-
uration, -svlien, Ijy the departure of Moses
and Elijah, He was discovered as tlie great
I'ruplut of His people : lastly, on the i)res-
eut occasion, when He is not only reveal-
ed to Zion as her King, and beholds the
first fruits of those Gentiles who should
hereafter press so largely into His kingdom,
but is invested, although in mockery, with
all the insignia of royalty, and wears His
title (" the King of the Jews ") upon the
very cross.
I have both glorified it, &c. Reference is
had to the glorification of the Father in
and through the Son, the relation between
them being so intimate and essential, that
the glory of the one was that also of the
other. In all the revelations and mani-
festations of the invisible God, made by
Jesus Christ, especially in the days of His
incarnation, the Divine name had been
glorified, and thus it would continue to be
in the jierfected results of the redemptive
economy throughout the ages of eternity.
I have and will, has a tone which
comprehends all the past and the future.
20. The people therefore that stood by, and heard if,
said that it thundered : others said, An angel spalie to
Uiia.
Some, who stood at a distance, hearing
only a sound, said, it thundered, others who
heard an articulate, but to them unintel-
ligible voice, said, an angel spake to him.
Not concealing the doubts of the people, is
an evidence of John's veracity. If the
Evangelists had wished to deceive, they
might, perhaps, have related that thunder
was a voice from heaven to Christ, but
they could never have related that any
said that a voice to Christ was thunder.
Here is a refutation of rationalism.
3X Jesus answered and said, 'This voice came not
because ol'me, but lor your salies.— eChap. xi. 42.
This voice came not, &c. That is, not for
my sake, as though I needed such a testi-
mony from heaven for my own satisfac-
tion, but for your sakes, that ye, hearing the
voice, may believe that the Father hath sent
me. (Comp. chap. xi. 42.)
31. Now is the judgment of this world : now shall 'the
prince oithis world be cast out.
fJMatt. xii. 29; Luke x. 18: chap. xiv. 30 and xvi. 11 :
Acts x.xvk 18 ; 2 Cor. iv. 4 ; Eph. li. 2 and vi. 12.
Now is the judgment of this world — the
world that "crucified the Lord of glory "
(1 Cor. ii. 8), considered as a vast and com-
plicated kingdom of Satan, breathing his
spirit, doing his work and involved in his
doom, which Christ's death by its hands
irrevocably sealed. Now shall the prince,
etc. How differently is that fast-approach-
ing "hour" regarded in the kingdoms of
darkness and of light ! " The hour of re-
lief from the dread Troubler of our peace
— how near it is ! Yet a little moment and
the day is ours !" So it was calculated and
felt in one region. " Now shall the prince
of this world be cast out," is a somewhat
different view of the same event. Wo
know who was right. Though yet under
a veil. He sees the triumphs of the cross in
unclouded and transporting light.
32. And I, nf Ibe lifted up from the earth, will draw
•'all 7)ifuunto me. 3:j. 'Tnis he said, s.gni.'yinL; what
deat'i lie slioiiid die.
Eiii. 14 and viii. 2S. ''Rom. v. 13 ; Ueb. ii. 9. ixviii. 32.
If (or, when) I be lifted up, &c. Christ's
being lifted up on the cross, and dying the
death of the vile-st malefactor, was done,
as we are expressly told, "by the deter-
minate counsel and foreknowledge of
God," in order that His outward condition
might fitly correspond with His real state,
as being made a curse for us, that we might
inherit a blessing. Jesus lifted up on the
cross is, in oLher words, the Lord of glory
bearing in His own person the awful curse
due to our sins, and yielding Himself up
as a willing victim to that death, which,
through eternity, we had deserved to die.
Will draw all men unto me. The drawing
here intended, if it may not altogether
and exclusively be understood of a friendly
attachment, a drawing with sweet con-
straint and love, must certainly be viewed
as mainly intending that. Our Lord's con-
necting this drawing with His being lifted
up or crucified, imports, 1. That such must
have been the design of His crucifixion.
It was " for the joy that was set before
Him " — the joy , namely, of being the author
of eternal redemption to all that should
believe on His name — for that joy "he
endured the cross, despising the shame."
2. That there was a fitness in Christ's
being lifted up for drawing all men unto
Him, or that His crucifixion was the most
■Apt, powerful and eflTective means for pro-
558
JOHN
ducing sucli a result, a3 the dniwiug of
men to Him. 3. That there is a power
going along with Christ's dying on the
cross, sufficient absolutely to secure the
end in view.
The general idea which the passage
embodies, on being carefully considered
in the light of other Scripture declarations,
will be found to imply in it three things :
Christ's making all men, without excep-
tion, tlie subjects of His Mediatorial gov-
ernment. His making all men, without ex-
ception the objects of the invitations of His
Gospel, and His making all whom the
Father has given Him — and who are a
vast multitude, Gentiles as well as Jews —
men of all ages, conditions and characters
— of every kindred, and people, and
tongue, and nation — partakers of the bless-
ings of salvation. All these, though not
in the saine way, our Lord draws to Him-
self in consequence of His being lifted up
from the earth. It is right to remark that
the word men is a supplement; the original
words are, "I will draw all to me."
34. The people answered him, *We have heard out
of the law, that Christ abidetb for ever: and how say-
estthou, Tlie Son of inan must be lifted up? who is
this Son of man ? 35. Then Jesus said unto them. Yet
a little while 'is the light with you. ™WaIk while ye
have the light, lest darkness come upon you : for nhe
that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he
goeth. 36. While ye have light, believe in the light,
that ye may be "the children of liglit. These things
spake J&sus, and departed, and pdid hide himself from
them.
kPs. Ixxxix. 36, 37 and ex. 4 ; Isa. ix. 7 and liii. 8 ; Ezek.
xxxvii. 25 ; Dan. ii. 44 and vii. 14, 27 : Mi. iv. 7. ivii. 38,
ix. 4. mJer. xiii. 16; Eph. v. 8. "xi. 10 ; 1 Johnii. 11.
oLuke xvi. 8 : Eph. v. 8 ; 1 Thes. v. 5 ; I John ii. 9, 10,
11. pviii. 59 and xi. 54.
Christ abideth forever. "Christ" is but
the Greek form of the Jewish word Mes-
siah, and these people had cherished the
interpretation of the law, that is, of the Old
Testament, that the Messiah should come,
establish a kingdom, and reign forever.
The question. Who is this Son of man? in
all probability means, "Who, and what
kind of a person dost Thou claim to be,
calling Thyself the Son of man, and yet
talking of being lifted up on the cro.ss?
Dost Thou mean that one and the same
person can be a dying person, and yet also
the eternal Christ? Dost Thou claim to be
the eternal Christ, and yet talk of being
lifted up on a cross ? Explain this apparent
contradiction, for we cannot understand
it." It is just the old story over again. The
Jews could not and would not understand
that Messiah was to suffer as well as to
reign, to die as a sacrifice as well as to ap-
pear in glory.
Then Jesus said unto them, &c. Instead
of answering the cavils of the people, our
Lord gave them a solemn warning. He
saw with sorrow that they were wasting
the little time during which they would
enjoy His instructions. He exhorts them
to make a faithful use of His pre.sence.
(viii. 21.) Darkness, the period when the
salvation is no longer per.sonally among
them — the result of which is that the foot-
step is no longer secure. Children of light,
used also, Luke xvi. 8 (on which see notes)
a Hebraistic designation of the relation of
dependence, as the child is dependent on
the mother. Did hide himself from them, is
meant to designate only His withdrawal
from public labors. Our time for getting
good is !5hort and limited, let us take heed
that we make good use of it.
37. K But though he had done so many miracles be-
fore them, yet they believed not on him : 3S. That the
saying of Esaia-s the prophet might be fulfilled, which
he spake, qL,ord, who hath believed our report? and to
whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed ? 39.
Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias
said again, 40. ■'He hath blinded tlieir eyes, and har-
dened their heart ; that they should not see with their
eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted,
and I should heal them. 41. «Tliese things said Esaias,
when he saw his glory, and spake of liim.
qlsa. liii. 1 ; Kom. x. 16. flsa. vi. 9, 10 ; Matt. xiil. 14,
15. sisa. vi. 1.
It is the manner of this Evangelist alone
to record his own reflections on the scenes
he describes, but here, having arrived at
what was virtually the close of our Lord's
public ministry, he casts an affecting
glance over the fruitlessness of His whole
ministry on the bulk of the now doomed
people. That the saying of Esaias, &c. The
prophecy was not the motive, or the cause
of their wickedness; in other words, the
unbelief of the Jews did not happen be-
cause it was foretold, but it was foretold as
something which it was known by the
Spirit of inspiration would take place, and
which actually did take place, precisely as
it was foretold. Our report, our instruction.
The arm of the Lord been revealed. This
phrase may allude to the habit generally
worn by the Easterns, and especially by
persons of rank, which was a long robe
without sleeves, so that when the arm was
stretched out to perform any action re-
quiring strength, it would appear uncovered.
(Comp. Isa. liii. 1.) In this connection it
seems strongly to imply, that whenever
C HAPTER XII,
559
true faith is produced in the mind, it is to
be considered as the ellect of a divine
energy. (See Eph. i. 19 and Col, ii. 12.)
They could not believe, not from want of
physical, but moral abihty — they would
not. If a man willfully shuts his eyes
against the truth, God may seal those rebel
eyes in a confirmed blindness. Because
that Esaias said again, &c. (See on Matt
xiii. 10-15.) It is evident that the Evan-
gelist was far from intending to say, that
the inability to believe was superinduced
and caused in order that the prediction of
the prophet might be accomplished, still
less that the miracles in question were
wrought with a view to incredulity on the
part of those who should witness them.
We are to suppose that the fact of their
unbelief is represented to bespeak a state
of mind and heart which rendered them
the awful examples of such blindness and
insensibility as the prophet foretold.
He hath blinded their eyes, &c. In all
ancient languages, especially the Hebrew,
any one is often said to do anything, who
tells, narrates, and shows a thing to be, or
be done, and thus verbs active are to be
understood declaratively. (Comp. 2 Kings
i. 16.) The meaning, therefore, of Isa. vi.
10, is this: Go, show and declare to the
people that their heart is heavy, &c.,
equivalent to, "This people's heart is
gross," &c. And so the Sept. have ex-
pressed it, and have been followed by
Matthew and Luke. But John expresses
it simply, "He hath blinded," &c., without
adding ivlio has done so, which may be un-
derstood from Isaiah, for he who is taxed
with blindness must be the author of his
blindness.
These things said Esaias, &c. These words,
when compared with the place in which
the prophecy occurs, are a direct testimony
to the Divinity of our blessed Lord. Isaiah
has a vision of the Lord in His glory.
How divinely glorious it was ! — "the smoke,
the hearing unutterable mysteries, the be-
holding the Seraphim, the lightning which
leapt from the throne, against which those
powers could not look." But the main
point in Isaiah's heavenly vision is, that
there he had a glimpse of the glory which
Christ had with His Father before the
world was. It was Christ's glory which
Isaiah saw in heavenly vision, for, if the
words "his glory," are not to be under-
stood of Christ, what use have they, or
what purpose do they serve? What need
is there for the Evangelist to tell us here
that Isaiah then saw the glory of God the
Father, and spake of Him ? The prophet
tells us it was the glory of the Lord, Jelio-
vah, God over all: our Evangelist tells us
it was the glory of Christ. The conclusion
is inevitable, that Christ is God. Isaiah's
vision of God's glory, and John's testimony
to Christ's Divinity, here meet. As the
Evangelist here applies the prophet's
words to Christ, and the Apostle (Acts
xxviii. 25-27) speaks of the same words as
proceeding from the Holy Ghost, we have
tliuc; a testimony to the Holy and Undivi-
ded Trinity.
42. Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many
believed on him, but 'because of the Pharisees they did
not confess ftrai, lest they should be put out of the syna-
gogue : A3. "For they loved the praise of men more
than the praise of God.— 'vii. 13 and ix. 22. "v. 54.
Tlie Scripture, says an old writer, hath
observed very justly, that " as the fining
pot for silver and the furnace for gold, so
is a man in his jDraise" (Prov. xxvii. 21.)
This tries him thoroughly, and soon dis-
covers, whether his virtue be true
standard, or of a base alloy. For, as
metal, if it be good, is not hurt, but puri-
fied, by the fire, but, if bad, turns into
dross and fume, so is a good or bad man
affected with commendations. How many
do we see puflTed up and even transported
beyond all sober sense by a general ap-
plause ; and as dejected and despicably
melanchol)'^ again by contempt and a com-
mon cry going against them. What more
extravagant, more absurd, than to neglect
the service of God, for anything the world
will say, or think of us? What will it
signify to us in the next life how people
censure or commend us here ? Allow this
but one serious and impartial thought, and
then I will venture to appeal to thine own
conscience, whether the world and the
love of it, in this respect, be not the very
abstract of vanity itself. (Matt. x. 28;
Acts iv. 19, 20 ; 1 Cor. iv. 3.) A Christian,
observes another, runs greater hazard
from commendation than from calumny.
(Prov. xvii. 3.)
44. H Jesus cried and said, 'He that believeth on me,
believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
»Matt. ix. 37 ; 1 Peter i. 21.
560
JOHN,
This final summary of the pubhc testi-
mony of Jesus to the Jews, consists main-
ly of memoranda collected from His various
teachings. Believctk not on me — not on me
simply as man, but as the incarnation of
Jehovah, of the Jehovah seen in vision
by Isaiah.
4-5. And The that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
jCliap. xiv. 9.
This is an advance on the declaration of
the preceding verse. Not only was a be-
lief in the Son a belief also in the Father
who sent Him, but the sight of the one
was that also of the other. There is not
the shadow of doubt that reference is had
here to actual vision, such as Isaiah had
been favored with, and such as was vouch-
safed to all who had seen Jesus with the
bodily eye.
4G. -I am come a light into the world, that whosoever
believetli on me should not abide in darkness.
'Verses 3.">, 36 ; chap. iii. 19, viii. 12 and ix. 5. 39.
It is here evidently imijlied that Jesus
found the world in darkness, in which if
men wish not to remain, they must be-
lieve on Him. He once said to His dis-
ciples, " ye are the light of the world "
(Matt. v. 14) but He did not say, "ye are
come a light into the world," &c. All
Christians are lights, but they are so by
faith — because they are enlightened by
Him, from whom to withdraw is darkness.
(See Col. i. 13 ; 1 Peter ii. 9.) Observe
that the very form of the expression in
this verse, shows, 1. That Christ existed
before His incarnation, even as the sun
exists before it appears above the eastern
hills. 2. It is implied that He was the one
Saviour of the world, as there is but one
sun. 3. That He came not to one nation
only, but to all (see chap. i. 9), even as the
sun's " going forth is from the end of the
heaven, and his circuit unto the end of it-
and there is nothing hid from the heat
thereof." (Ps. xix. G ; see notes on parallel
verses.)
47. And ir any man hear my words, and believe not,
»I iuilge him not : (or I'l came not to judge the world,
but tosave tlie world. 48. ^He that rejecteth me, and
receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth liim :
dthe word tliat I liave spoken, the same shall judge
him in the last day.
"Chap. V. 4') .and viii. 15, 2fi. bChap. iii, 17. cLuke x.
16. dDeut. X viii. 19; Mark xvi. IG.
Hero two periods are distinctly spoken
of, a present and a future. The meaning
is, not that Christ will never judge, but
that He judges or condemns not now.
Now is the time of mercy. The Lord's
first advent was in great humility to save.
(See iii. 17.) Happy those who timely
hearken unto His words and believe in
Him. But there is also, as the Lord goes
on to say, a time of justice. The day ia
coming when He shall come in His glori-
ous majesty to judge both the quick and
dead. But though He shall be the Judge
of all, for this place by no means excludes
Him from that office, yet the work, so to
speak, shall be already done. As we say
of a manifestly-guilty and justly-convicted
criminal, even before the judge opens his
mouth to pass upon him the awful sen-
tence of the law, that he is self-condemn-
ed, so the word of Christ shall be the
witness in that dreadful day. In that
time of trial, at the great assize, it shall be
produced, and the sinner's life shall be re-
produced, and be put side by side to see
how they tally. (See Prov. i. 23-31.) The
day, thus designated, signifies a portion of
duration set apart for the judgment, for
which one might sup]X)se an eternity
would scarcely be too great, when we con-
sider the immensity of the subject, and
the multitude of the persons concerned.
But we must recollect that God can in a
moment let in such light as would equal
what, according to our present ideas, it
would require eternity to disclose, just as
our Saviour could in a few moments im-
press on the woman of Samaria such a
sense of His omniscience that she went
away declaring, " He had told her all that
she ever did," and demanded, " Is not this
the Christ ?" (Ps. 1. 19-22, xc, 8.)
49. For »I have not spoken of myself, but the Father
which sent me, he gave me a commandment, fwhat
I should say and what I should speak.
'Viii. 38 and xiv. 10. 'Deut. xviii. 18.
Here Christ declares again that mighty
truth which we find so often in this Gos-
pel— the intimate union between Himself
and His Father. "I have not spoken of
myself, of my own independent mind, and
without concert with my Father in hea-
ven." (See on verse 50.) Which sent me.
When we read of the Father "sending"
Christ, and giving Christ a "command-
ment," we must carefully dismiss from our
minds all idea of any inferiority to God
the Father on the part of God the Son.
The expressions are used in condescension
ciiaptp:r XIII
'561
to our weak faculties, to convey the idea
of perfect oneness. We are not speaking
of the relation that exists between two hu-
man beings, like ourselves, but between
the Persons in the Divine Trinity." The
" scndi)iij " of the Son was the result of the
eternal counsel of that blessed Trinity, in
which Father, Son and Holy Gho.it are co-
equal and co-eternal. The eternal Son
was as willing to be "sent" as the eternal
Father was to " send " Him, The " com-
mcmdment" given by the Father to the
Son, as to what He should teach and do,
was not a commandment in which the
Son had no part but to obe}'. It was sim-
ply the charge Oi" commission arranged in
the covenant of redemption, by all Three
Persons in the Trinity, which the Son was
as willing to execute as the Father was
willing to give.
50. And I know that his commandment is life ever-
lastinK : whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Fa-
ther said unto me, so I speak.
I know. (See iii. 11, v. 32, vii. 29, viii.
14, 16, 55.) Our Lord, in all these pas-
sages, refers to personal, intuitive know-
ledge, not to that which Pie has received
from Divine illumination or revelation,
like the prophets and inspired writers of
the Ohl Testament. His commandment.
(See on verse 49.) Is life, everlasting. The
commission or direction which the Father
gave me, was intended to secure men's
eternal happiness. It was salvation, then,
for which Jesus was ecnt into the world.
The instructions which He imparted were
in accordance with this design, but if they
are rejected, they will issue in the con-
demnation of men.
As the Father said . ... so I speak — and,
therefore, rejecting my words is rejecting
God's words, and rejecting me is rejecting
God. When Israel, therefore, rejected
Christ, she rejected the ancient Israel's
God, and all history since proclaims that
she is of God rejected. And this thus
far concludes our Evangelist's history of
the public ministry of Jesus to His coun-
trj'men and the world. It is a conclu-
sion for weeping, and yet he is solemnly
calm.
Through the remainder of this entii-e
Gospel (xiii.-xxi.), being nearly half of
the whole, we have Jesus' private minis-
try within his Apostolic college, until He
comes forth for the sacrifice, with the
consummation.
1. When did Jesus come to Bethany ? 2. Who made Him a supper? 3. Who "served?" 4. What did Mary
do? 5. What did Judas say ? 6. State the reply of Jesus. 7. Why did many Jews come there? 8. What did
tlie chief priests consult to do? 9. What took place wlien Jesus was coming to Jerusalem? 10. What is said
about '■ certain Greeks?" 11. What did Jesus answer to Andrew and Philip ? 12. How is verse 27 to be under-
stood ? 13. What dill the voice from heaven say ? 14. What did Christ say He would do when lifted up from
the earth? 15. Explain verse -10. IC. Is believing on Christ believing on Him by whom He was sent? 17. Ex-
plain the words " his commandment is life everlasting."
CHAPTER XIII.
1 Jesus washeth the disciples' feet: exhorteth them to
humililn (ind charity. 18 He/oretelleth, and discover-
eth to Jiihn 111/ (I Itjicni, tl\at Judas should betray him :
31 coninuDxii Ui thrm to lore one anot/ier, 36 aiut fore-
warncth I'cirr of his denial.
"^OW "before the feast of the passover, when Jesus
1^ knew that b'ais liour was come that he should de-
part out of this world unto the Father, having loved his
own whicli were in the world, he loved them unto the
end.— iMatt. xxvi. 2. bxii. 23 and xvii. 1, 11.
The touching incident we are now to
consider is said to have taken place before
the feast of the passover, though indeed it was
36
on the very evening when they had just
partaken together of the paschal lamb,
type of that very Paschal Lamb to be of-
fered on the morrow. But this is in strict
accordance with Scripture phraseology,
which commands that the lamb be slain
and eaten on the evening of the fourteenth
day, and yet calls the fifteenth day the-
first of the feast, the first of those seven
holy days, the first day of that solemn
week, which looked back on one deliver-
663
JOHN.
ance and looked forward to another ; which
had respect to a former signal interposition
and to a future infinitely more so : a double
commemoration, memorial of the escape
from Egypt, type of the redemption from
sin.
When Jesus kneiv, &c. So perfect was
His foresight of the event, that He knew
not only the fact itself, but the incidents
attending it, and as He attempted not to
escape, He evinced not only His wisdom,
but His devotedness to His work. That
he should dcpai-t out of this world. Jesus was
in the world for thirty -three years. Many
of His people are in it a shorter, and many
a much longer period. It was a sad world
to Him. It knew Him not, but hated and
rejected Him, and could not be satisfied
till it had shed His blood. And they find
it a vain, deceitful injurious, vile and
wicked world. Unto the Father. As Christ's
death was "a going to the Father," so is
that of His followers, that is, going to
heaven, for the Father is there. Having
loved, from the foundation of the world.
(Eph. i. 4, 5, 11.) His own, is not to be re-
stricted to His immediate disciples, but
embraces all in every age who should be-
lieve on Him, (Comp. xvii. 24.) Which
were in the world, i. e., which belonged to
the human race. Unto the end, to the end
of His life. He persevered in giving them
proofs of His love. Notwithstanding their
imperfections. His love persisted even to
His ascension, and remains forevermore.
We should learn to strengthen our faith by
the experience which we have already
had of God's great goodness toward us ;
by those things which we have known
performed, learn to hope for those things
which are promised. "When you doubt
what you shall have," says Hooker, "search
what you have had at God's hands. Make
this reckoning, that the benefits, which
He hath bestowed, are bills obligatory, and
sufficient sureties that He will bestow fur-
ther. His present mercy is still a warrant
of His future love, because whom He loveth.
He loveth unto the end." (Ps. xxiii. 6; 2
Tim. iv. 18 ; James iv. 6.)
• 2 And the supper being ended, cthe devil having now
put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to be-
tray him :— cl^uke xxii. 3; verse 27.
Supper being ended, rather, "supper being
come," which is the sense in which the
word is ofLen used elsewhere, (xxi. 4;
Luke iv. 42; Acts xii. IS, xvi. 35, xxi. 40.)
The supper was not ended, except as to
the preparation of it. (See verses 26-28.)
The devil Jiaving, &c. " Judas having now
yielded to the temptations of the devil,
and the enticements of his own covetous
inclinations." (See notes on Matt. xxvi.
14-16 and Luke xxii. 3.) Judas Iscariot,
&c. The dishonored name is given in full
that he may never be confounded with any
other of that name.
3. Jasus knowing ^Umt the Father had given all
things into his hands, 'and that he was eome Irom God,
and went to God ;
■iMatt. xi. 2" and xxviii. 18; chap. iii. a^ and xvii. 2;
Acts ii. 36; 1 Cor. xv. 27; Heb. li. " ■-■ - ■ --
and xvii. 8.
8. «viii. 42, xvl. 28
The truth that the Father had given all
things into his hands — had intrusted Him
with the redemption of a lost world, with
all the glories of His character, all the in-
terest of His government as involved in
this — and with all the power and authority
that are necessary to enable Him success-
fully to execute so high a trust, that he was
come from God, that He was not only sent
by Him, but had come from Him, from
His bosom; and that through the appointed
way of a complete expiation of the sins
of men, by intense suflferings, bodily and
mental, and a violent death, thus doing
the will of God in the sacrifice of Himself,
He was just about to return to His Father,
and receive the rich reward of His gener-
ous interposition, this truth was full before
the mind of Jesus. This observation of
the Evangelist proves that to him the
scene that follows appeared as one of the
sublimest in the life of our Lord. " In fact,"
says Tholuck, "we might, in contemplating
this scene, say with Claudius, such an
ideal of man, as presents itself here, never
entered the heart of man. Whatever of
greatness and glory antiquity may present
— a dying Epaminondas, a dying Socrates
— vanishes before this ideal of Deity in
humiliation, and of a divine form of a ser-
vant."
•1 'He riseth from supper, and laid aside his gar-
ments : and took a towel, and girded himself. 5. Alter
that he ponreth water into a basin, and began to wash
the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel
wherewith he was girded.
f Luke xxii. 27; Phil. iii. 7, 8.
The supper had been prepared, but was
not yet eaten. (See on verse 2.) His gar-
\ ments — the pallium, the outer garment.
CII A PTER XIII,
563
Tho Hebrews themselves expressed, as
here, the palUuin in tho plural (for honor)
as it was very wide and flowing. Took a
towel, &c. To be thus girded was consid-
ered by the ancients in the same light as,
with us, a person's wearing an apron,
namely, as indicating the exercise of some
scrviie or handicraft occupation. (See on
Luke xxii. 2(5, 27.) Poureth xcater, &c. This
was the office of the lowest servants. Began
to vash, &.C. Not in the present instance
alone did Jesus give us an example of
service. In taking upon Ilim our nature,
lie did what is here represented, He
"took upon Him the form of a servant,"
and even His precious blood He poured
forth that therein He might wash us from
our sins; that He might cleanse us with
the washing of water by the word. Our
Lord here teaches us, that it is our duty,
in whatever station Providence shall place
us in the world, to stoop to the lowest of-
fices of love and service toward our breth-
ren.
6. Then cometh he tn Simon Peter: and Peter saith
unto liiui, Lord, wli.st tlidu wiwli my leet? 7. Jesus an-
swered and said unto him. What I do thou knowest not
now, I'but thou shalt l<now liereatter. 8. Peter sailh
unto him. Thou shalt never wiisli my feet. Jesus an-
swered him, 'If I wash ttiee not, thou hast no part with
me.
cMatt. ili. 14. hVerse 11. Uii. .5- J Cor. vi. 11 ; Eph. v.
26; Titas iii. 5; Heb. x. 22.
Peter'.s feelings, when he viewed Christ's
dignity on the one hand, and his own in-
significance on the other, revolted at the
idea of having the work of a menial ser-
vant performed to him. The words "then
cometh," &c., do not involve the idea that
Peter was the first. Afl'ecting scene ! what
believing heart can thus contemplate
Jesus thus stooping to wash His disciples'
feet, and not feel a glow of love kindled in
his heart toward Him, and an ardent de-
sire to imitate so lovely an example !
"When we think, too, ot the circumstances
under which this act of love was perform-
ed, our wonder and admiration is increas-
ed, for it was the same night in which He
was betrayed, a night in which it might
have been thought His own approaching
trials would have engrossed His whole
attwition.
What I do thou knovest not now, &e. This
intimation refers to the design of this
washing, which was two-fold : first, ex-
emplary— to enforce upon them conde-
scension, humbleness of mind, brotherly
kindness. And, secondly, symbolical — to
lead their minds impressively to things of
a higher nature. In an extended sense we
may apply this assuring sentence, " What
I do thou knowest not now," &c. "Sub-
mit to all my dispensations. Believe that
there is good reason, though for the time
it be hidden from thine eyes." " For now
we see through a glass darkly, but thei>
face to face : now I know in part, but then
shall I knf)w even a^also I am known."
"Till Doatli the weary spirit free,
Thy God lialli said, 'Tis sooil lor thee
To walk by laitli and not \)y sight :
Take it on trust a Utile while;
Boon shall thou read the mystery right
In tlie fuUsunshine of His smile."
Thou shalt never wash my feet. As though
Peter had said. This is too much, and what
I can never submit to ! AVe may sin
against Christ, under a show of modesty
and reverence for His name. The resist-
ance of Peter after he was assured that
his Lord had a good reason for what He
did, though he at present did not compre-
hend it, was setting up his own wisdom
and will against His. If I vxish thee not,
&c. Though this declaration intends
nothing less than the necessity of obedience
in this instance, it surely comprehends
much more. Jesus, therefore, now does
not mention the washing of Peter's feet,
but of Himself: if I wash thee not. And
the threatening, " thou hast no part with
me," seems too dreadful to be denounced
against an unwillingness to comply with
this ceremonial observance, which sprang
from something good as well as evil in the
Apostle, and was, therefore, a mixed
action, a sin of infirmity. Besides, we
know that our Saviour was accustomed to
teach by facts and imagery, to pass from
the body to the mind, to ascend from par-
ticular hints to general truths, and to ex-
press more than is immediately perceived,
in order that it might be discovered by re-
peated meditation, or illustrated by sub-
sequent events. Jesus stooil ready to wash
Peter, and stands ready to wash the foul-
est of sinners.
9. Simon Petersaith unto him. Lord, not my feet only
but also my hands and m;/ head. 10. Jesus saith to him,
He that is washed needeth not save to wash lii.i feet,
.but is clean every whit : and kye are clean, but not all.
11. For ihe knew who should betray him, thereibre
said he, ye are not all clean. 12. So after he had wash-
ed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set
down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have
done unto you ? i:5. n'Ya call me Master and Lord : and
ye say well, for so I am.
kxv. 3. ivi. 64. rojViatt. xxiii. 8; Luke vi. 46; 1 Ctor.
viii. 6 and -xli. 3 ; Phil. ii. ll.
5C4
J O H X .
Lord, not my fed only, &.c. " Let me be
entirely washed by Thee, that I may have
full participation with Thee." Peter's ap-
prehent^ions were indistinct, but his love
was fervent. He was ready to do or sub-
mit to anything, rather than be excluded
from having part and lot in Christ, and in
His salvation. He that is ivashcd ncedeth
not, &c. Reference is had to the washing
of the whole body in the bath. The full
bath was taken before the jjrincipal meal,
and when this was done, there was no ne-
cessity for further ablutions, except to re-
move the defilement contracted by the
feet, as the jierson walked about the
house. Here is the very point of the re-
semblance. Peter had given evidence
that he had been subject to this moral
cleansing, there was no need, therefore,
that he should be regenerated anew,
thenceforward he would need only that
cleansing process, which was well repre-
sented in bodily purification by the, wash-
ing of the feet. The cleansing which takes
place at the commencement of the Christian
life, or in justification and regeneration,
embraces complete absolution from sin as
a guilty state, and entire deliverance from
it as a polluted life. (Rev. i. 5 ; 1 Cor. vi.
11.) This cleansing is effected once for all,
and is never repeated. But Christians,
from their contact with earth, require
another cleansing, here describe^ as that
of " the feet." It is this cleansing which
we are taught to seek daily, when in the
spirit of adoption, we say, " Our Father
which art in heaven — forgive us our debts;"
and, when burdened with the sense of
manifold shortcomings, as what tender
spirit of a Christian is not? is it not a re-
lief to be permitted thus to wash our feet
after a day's contact with the earth ?
Ye are clean. Peter and the great body of
the disciples were genuine believers in
Christ, and therefore sanctified in Christ,
purified by Christ, devoted to Christ. They
were sincere, but far they were from being
perfect. They were clean — clean through
the word which Jesus had spoken, and they
had believed — so clean, as not to need to be
wholly washed anew. Bid not all. These
words were added by our Lord, if so be
He might thus reach the seared con-
science of the covetous, insincere, unloving
one, to touch, and, if it might be, to tura
that traitor's heart. For he knew, &c. Jesus
knew who was about to betray Him, for
He " searcheth the hearts and trieth the
reins of the children of men." Therefore
said he, &c. Christ had, in all probability,
washed the feet of all the tv/elve, but as no
external ablutions can purify a hypocrite
or a traitor, therefore Judas still remained
unclean. By not naming the traitor, our
Lord left him space for repezitance before
He ex^josed his secret wickedness to his
brethren, and brought down on himself
swift and fearful destruction. Tl'as set
doivn again — had reclined again at the
supper. Knoiu ye — do ye understand?
Master and Lord, literally, the Master and
the Lord, using the titles as the disciples
applied them to Him. After this mystic-
ally preparing and sanctifying the Apostles
for the work of the ministry, and conse-
crating them as " Holy unto the Lord,"
well may we speak of them, saying, " How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach
the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings
of good things!" (Rom. x. 15; Eph. vi.
15.)
14. nlf then, your Lord and Master, have washed
your leet, "ye also ougiit to wash one another's feet.
oLuke xxii. 37. oRom. xii. 10 ; Gal. vi. 1, 2 ; 1 Peter
V. 6.
It is evident that this mode of expressing
our love one to another, was not intended
by Christ as a permanent law, but a direc-
tion adapted to the prevailing custom of
the people to whom it was originally
given. ■ That the Apostles did not take
Christ's words in a literal sense, is clear,
since this washing was neither observed
by them, nor by the primitive Christians.
The Saviour intended that His disciples
should behave toward one another qs He
had behaved toward them : who, though
He " thought it not robbery to be equal
with God," had become their servant (see
Matt, xxiii. 1-12), who though He was
rich, yet for their sakes had become poor,
who came not to be ministered unto, but
to minister. Thus they should imbibe
that spirit which would stoop, if needful,
to this or any other act of charity, set to
the surrounding pagans that sublime ex-
ample, and draw from a wondering
world, as we know it did, the just excla-
mation, "See how these Christians love !"
CHAPTER XIII,
565
15. For Pl have given you an example, that ye should
do a? I havo ilono to yoii.
pMatt. xi. -i'J ; Phil. ii. 5 : 1 Peter il. 21 ; 1 John ii. C.
The word rendered example, literally
Bignifies, a sign, form, pattern., consisting in
some outward manifestation. That ye
should do, &c. The literal order of con-
struction is, iJcat as I did (in the original
the aorist tense is employed) to you, you
also ma 'J do to one another. It is to be
noted that the language is not, what I did
to you, ye also must do, &c. Identity of
act is not the thing enjoined, but identity
of spirit and temper : as I did to you, &c.,
that is, " you should exercise the same
humility and love which I have manifest-
ed in this act. It is needless to say that
this example, in its spirit, is binding upon
the followers of Jesus in every age and
land. Yv'e are to serve the saints on earth,
even to the performance of the lowliest
offices.
Ifi. iVerily, verily, I say unto you. The servant is not
gre.atcr than his lord, neither he that is sent greater
than ho that sent him.
iMatt. X. 21 ; Luke vi. 40 ; chap. xv. 20.
Tlie servant is not greater, &c. If the mas-
ter has condescended to perforin such an
act, surely the servant ought not to think
it beneath him. Let us be less disposed
to criticise the defects of those around us,
and more anxious and active for their
rectification. Let him who cannot bear
with the folly and the vileness of sinners,
look upward to Christ : if the Holy One
of God could bear with Judas so long, and
continue to the last the manifestation of
kindness, mingled with all needful warn-
ing and Toiyroof, if still He is dealing in
this ;nanner with us, then ought we to
deal tenderly with each other.
17. 'If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do
them.— rjames i. 25.
Ifyehioio do. If this lesson has
entered your understanding, cease all strife
for predominancy, and only surpass in ser-
vice to each other. Knowledge, obedience
and happiness, are essential elements of
true piety. " He doth not only sin by not
doing good, but he sins also by knowing
how to do it, and yet not doing it ; and so
is guilty of a double sin, one,, in neglecting
his duty, as it is commanded by God, and
another in neglecting it, although he him-
self knows it to be his duty. And, by con-
sequence, he sins both against God and
his own conscience too, and will fare ac-
cordingly in tlie other world, where it will
be mure tolerable for those that never
heard of the W<jrd of God, than for such
as heard it, and yet refused to conform
their faith and actions to it. (ix. 40, 41 ;
James i. L2.)" It is love alone, interposed
between knowledge and dvity, which com-
pletes the spiritual circle of Christianity.
(ix. 2L)
IS. H I speak not of you all: I know whom I have
cliosen : but tluit the Scripture may be lullilled, 'He
tliat eatelli Itrcad witli me liatli fitted up his heel
atjainst me.— =Ps. xli. 9 ; Mutt. xxvi. 2a ; verse 21.
The words, / sj^eak not of you all, are
equivalent to, " what I have said about
your being Avashed by me, and having
part in me — of your being clean, of your
being my discij^les and servants, of your
knowing these things, do+ng these thing.s,
and being happy in knowing and doing
them — is true of the great body of you,
but it is not true of every individual
among you." I kmni) whom I have chosen.
Some understand this thus : " I know who
the persons are that are ultimately to be
saved by me, and I know that though the
greater part of you do, you do not all be-
long to that number. There can be no
doubt that our Lord did know the chosen
ones, them who were " chosen in Him be-
fore the foundation of the world," by the
Father. But this cannot be the truth here
taught. It cannot be supposed that it was
our Lord's jjurpose to furni.'<h Judas with
an apology for his crime, by telling him
that he was not one of the chosen of God,
and, therefore, whatever he did or did not
do, salvation was to him impossible — per-
dition was certain. "With the great body
of Christian interpreters, therefore, we
consider the choosing here referred to, as
being the choosing to the Apostleship, as
Jesus said elsewhere, " Have I not chosen
you twelve, and one of you is a devil ?"
(vi. 70, 7L) Our Lord had chosen them
all to this office, and He knew the hearts
of all whom He had chosen, and He knew
that among them there was one unsound,
insincere, covetous, a traitor, ready to be-
tray, only waiting for opportunity.
He that eatdh bread loith me. To eat with
one was a proof of friendship. (See 2 Sam.
ix. 11 ; Matt. ix. 11 ; Gen. xliii. 32.) This
means that Judas had been admitte<l to
all the privileges of friendship, and had
566
JOHN
partrjvou of the usual evidences of His
affection. Tliese words of David (Ps. xli.
9), are supposed to have been originally
uttered in reference to the treachery of
Ahithophel toward him. (See 2 Sam xv.
12, 31.) But we learn from this passage,
that they were spoken prophetically of
the treachery of Judas toward Christ, of
whom David was a type. HaOi. lifted uj)
his hcd, &c. The metaphor is supposed to
be taken from an animal of such vicious
propensities, that it suddenly turns and
kicks at its owner, even wdien he is treat-
ing it with kindness, and jierhaps jiroffer-
ing it its accustomed food. Thus insidious-
ly did Judas, like Ahithophel of old, plot
the ruin of one, to whom he should have
felt himself bound by the strongest ties of
gratitude and love.
19. 'Now I tell you before it come, that, wben it is
come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.
'xiv. 29 and xvi. 4.
"The end of i^rophecy is," says Bishop
Horsley, "not to give curious men a know-
ledge of futurity, but to be, in its com-
pletion, an evidence of God's all-ruling
Providence, who, if He governed not the
world, could not i:)Ossibly foretell the wants
of distant ages. It is gradually to clear
up, as the events should approach, and ac-
quire from the events, when brought to
pass, the most entire persjjicuity ; that
thus men might remain in that ignorance
of futurity, which so suits with the whole
of our condition, that it seems essential to
the welfixre of the world, and yet be over-
whelmed at last with evident demonstra-
tions of the power of God. (ii. 22, xvi.
1-4.)
20. "Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that receiveth
whomsoever I send receiveth me: and he that re-
ceiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 21. ^Wlien
Jesus liad thus said, The was troubled in spirit, and tes-
tilied, and said, Vnily, vcnly. 1 suy unto .vou, tliat 'One
of you shall bi'tray nie. -I'l. 'Dicn the disciples looked
one on anotlier, diiubting ol' whom he spake.
uMatt. X. 40 and .\xv. 4i) : Luke x. 16. ^Matt. xxvi. 21;
Mark xiv. 18 ; Luke xxii. 21. yxii. 2V. «Acts i. 17 ; 1
John ii. 19.
Verily, verily, &c. Jesus returns, after
the sad parenthesis (ver.se 18), to the main
subject from which He had digressed, re-
suming it with tlie usual solemn formula.
And, inasmuch as what He had said to
His Apo.stles, had partaken of the nature
of rebuke and warning. He proceeds to
comfort them with words of strength and
consolation. Receiveth whomsoever I send,
&c. The fultillment of my prediction, in I
the treason of Judas, proves that your com-
mission is from the Son of God ; and the
truth remains sure, that he who receiveth
you whom I send, receiveth the Son of
God, and receiveth the Father who sent
Him. (See on ]\Iatt. x. 40.) Troubled m
sjnrit. Again does the image of the dark
treason of Judas arise before the mind of
the Saviour, and again the agitations which
lately had so frequent!}^ shaken his human
spirit now return. (See on xii. 27.) There
is a melancholy emjihasis upon the word
"you." One of you, of whom I have just
been speaking, shall betray me, shall take
advantage of your intimacy with me, and
knowledge of ni}'^ Avays and my wliereabout
to guide the enemy to my retirement, and
deliver me into the hands of those who
seek to take my life. The disciples looked
one on another, &c. (See on Matt. xxv. 22.)
The mention of the manner in which the
disciples received this startling announce-
ment is most natural. Their minds had
been so full of what He had just done for
them, that His former statement concern-
ing this sad and shameful deed seems to
have fallen upon the ear in vain, or to have
passed unheeded. From the doubtful
glances which they exchanged one with
another, it appears that however deep-
seated was the meanness and covetousness
of Judas, he had hitherto managed to con-
ceal it from his fellows, and had indulged
his sinful propensity in secret, or that it
was not yet sufficiently developed to
attract their notice.
2:i. Now athere was leaning on Jesus' bosom one ot
his disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24. Simon Peter
therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it
should be of whom he spake. 25. He then lying on
Jesus' breiist saith unto him. Lord, who is it?
"xix. '20, XX. 2 and xxi. 7, 2(), 24.
Leaning, rather, according to the origi-
nal, " lying in Jesus' bosom," i. e., reclining
at table in the place which was next to
and immediatel}'^ in front of our Lord.
Tliis situation was one chiefly assigned to
near and dear connections. Whom Jesus
loved. John was the youngest of the dis-
ciples, and without claiming any proud
pre-eminence, he tenderly remembers
that Jesus had for him a peculiar love. He
was the youngest, tenderest, feeblest lamb
of the flock. " Jesus did not love John
more than the rest, with His infinite, eter-
nal, saving love," says Dr. LigJilfonl, "but
CHAPTER XIII.
567
He favored l^.ini more Avi.h some outward
kindness, and more iiitimrilcfrieiulship and
familiarity. And why? because John had
promi.^od that he would take care of
Christ's mother after His death. For the
words of our Saviour upon the cross to
John do carry a fair probability with them,
that that was not the lirst time that John
heard of such a matter, but that long
before he had so promised." Beckoned,
■with a motion of the head, i. e., "nodded,"
made signs to John, who was so placed as
to inquire without being heard by the
rest. Between John and Peter there
seems to have been a strong friendship,
"We find them continually, as here, associa-
ted together. Lord, v:ho is it f This was
asked privately. (Comi). verses 28, 29.)
26. Jesus answered. He it is to whom I shall give a
sop, when I have dipped il. And when lie had dipped
tlie sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
27. bAnd after the sop 8atan entered into him. Then
said Jesus unto him, Tliat thou doest, do quickly. 2S.
Now no man at tlie table knew for what intent he
spake this unto him. 29. For some of them thought,
because fJudas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto
him. Buy thone thinrj.i tliat wo have need of against
the least, or, that he should give something to the noor.
.30. He then, having received the sop, went immediate-
ly out : and it was night.
i-Luke xxii. 3 ; chap. vi. 70. "xii. 6.
He it is, &c. It apjiears from this that
Judas must have taken his place at the
table so as to be near to the Lord. This
brings the prophecy more home — " "Who
did eat of my bread?" (Verse 18.) This
answer of our Lord was probably returned
in the same undertone in which the ques-
tion was proposed to him. Dipped the sop,
&c:^ Here we must understand that after
the second cup of wine at the paschal
feast, the father of the fiimily took a j^iece
of unleavened bread, broke it into pieces,
and gave a bit to each of those present,
commonly dipping it first in the broth.
Our Lord took one of these morsels, as He
said these words, and dipping it in the
dish, gave it to Judas.
Judas had, doubtless, observed and con-
strued these successive movements, and
deeming himself marked out to the other
Apostles, and Satan now entering into
him for the last time, his heart became
filled with wrath, and fancying that now at
last he had some justification for his
conduct, he cast all remorseful thoughts to
the winds, and became fixed in his fell
and traitorous puri:)Ose.
Observing that this was the man's state
of mind, Jesus could no longer endure hia
presence. He wished to dec;lare to His
beloved ones the anguish He felt at
parting with them, to comfort them in
th;it i^ad })rospect, and to declare to them
the great blessings which His death would
work out for the race of man. This He
could not do in the presence of one whose
contemplated act was to be the proximate
cause of all this anguish, and whose heart
was alien from His and theirs. He there-
fore told him to depart. " That thou doest,
do quickly," — words which the traitor, and
John, and Peter could construe aright, but
from which the other Apostles, still in
their simple-mindedness, concluded only
that he had been sent to make some far-
ther preparations for the festival, or to
take some alms to tlie poor. Even Peter
and John may not have supposed that the
treasons of Judas were so near at hand.
The statement that Judas " went out " is
full of awful nieaning. In departing from
that upper chamber, he, like Cain, " went
out from the i^resence of the Lord," cast
himself forth from what was a tyjje of
" the Marriage Supper of the Lamb " — a
scene of light and joy, into the image of
that " outer darkness," which is spoken of
in the Gospel as the portion of the damn-
ed. It teas nigJd. What a moral is here,
and.what a fine tragic effect has the men-
tion of this simjile incident! (Ps. civ. 20.)
Darkness, the short twilight of the East,
closes upon them, and shuts in the gloomy
scene. A fitting time for such a deed ! A
fit type of what was about to be done !
Literally, the traitor loved darkness rather
than light, because his deeds were evil
(chap. iii. 19, 20), ready subject of the ruler
ot the darkness of this world.
Note, 1. Satan, who from an angel be-
came a devil, would easily teach an Apos-
tle how to become an apostate and a
traitor. But he could not teach him how
to betray the religion of Christ, when he
betrayed Christ Himself. Neither could
■'ii.cy, who put Christ to death, extingui.sh
that religion. On tne contrary, by so do-
ing, they took the only way that could be
taken ic perfect the great work and to
establish il in the world. 2. As after the
sop Satan entered into Judas, so by tJie
believing reception of the holy elements
JOHN
of bread and wine Christ enters into the
hearts of liis people, becomes the food and
nourishment of their souls; He diffuses
Himself through all their faculties, and
animates them with His life and Spirit,
th;it it may not be any more they, but
"Christ that liveth in them." 3. From
verse 29 we learn that charity to the poor
was an habitual characteristic of our
Lord's life, although known only to the
Apostles and to the recipients of His bounty.
That bounty seems to have passed into
the Church, as the mark of a true disciple
(Gal. ii. 10), having been sealed and sanc-
tified, as by the Lord's example, so by
those ever-memorable posthumous words
of His, which seem to stand as a ninth
Beatitude. (Acts xx. 35.)
31. Therpfore, when he was gone out, Jesus said,
^Now is the Son oi iniiu glorilled, and ^God is glorified
In liim.
djcii. 23. «xiv. 13 ; 1 Peter iv. 11.
He whose spirit was just now so troubled
at the dark side of events before Him, now
rises into exultation at the glory that
crowns the darkness. Again the entire
scenes of crucifixion and ascension are
concentrated and brought into a now, and
the wliole is seen to be a glory. God is
glorified in him. Never was the glorj' of
God so displayed as when Jesus expired
on the cross ; hence this event was typified
from the foundation of the world, the whole
Gospel is called the preaching of the cross,
an ordinance is established to show it
forth, the praises of the heavenly state
regard the Lamb as worthy, because He
was slain, and the angels desire to look
into these things, as discovering more of
the perfections of Deity, than is to be seen
in nature and Providence.
32. f IF God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify
him in himseli, and ?shall straightway glorily him
Ocvii. 1 , 4, 5, G. sxii. 23. o ., .
The "if" here is not conditional, but ex-
pressive of a fact which is as a stepping-
stone to another fact. God shall also—m
return and reward of this highest of all
services ever rendered to Him, or capable
of being rendered, glorify him in himself,
referring to the resurrection and exaltation
of Christ after this service was over, in-
cluding all the honor and glory then put
upon Him, and that will forever encircle
Him as the Head of the new creation.
33. Little children, yet a little while r am with you.
Ye sliall seek ine ; ''and as I said unto tlie Jews, Whith-
er I go. ye cannot come, so now I say to you.
•"vii. 34 and viii 21.
The endearing appellation, Little children,
given by Christ to His distdples, expresses
the tender affection which He bears them,
though now upon the point of departing
from them. "Whatever Christ's dealings
are, or may be, with His people in respect
of His removing and withdrawing from
them, yet He still retains the relation of
Father to them, and will in His absence
from them exercise such a care over them
as parents have of their young and tender
children. As I said unto the Jews. Though
Jesus said to the disciples the same thing
as He said to the Jews (vii. 34, viii. 21),
yet it was not in the same manner — to the
unbelieving Jews it was a solemn warning,
lest, continuing in their unbelief, they
sliould never attain the presence of His
glory. So now, &c. Jesus, whose death
was the very next day, plainly tells His
disciples that He was going to heaven, and,
though they should follow Him their Fore-
runner afterward, yet at present they
should not do so, as they had not yet fin-
ished the W'ork which He had for them to
do.
34. iA new commandment I give unto you, Tliat ye
love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love
one another.
'Lev. xix. 18; chap. xv. 12, 17; EiJh. v. 2; 1 Thes. iv.
0 ; James ii. 8 : 1 Peter i. 22 ; 1 John ii. 7, 8, iii. U, 23 and
iv. 21.
The word " new " as applied to the "com-
mandment," does not, regarded as used
with reference to the Old Testament, ex-
press antithesis, but distinction merely. The
novelty of the command consisted much
in the manner of its enforcement. I give
tinto you. Observe how Jesus delivers this
precept by way of gift and privilege. This
was His farewell sermon: He was now
making His will, and amojig other things
that He bequeaths His disciples. He takes
this commandment (as a father would do
his seal-ring off his finger) and gives it to
them. (2 Cor. viii. 9; Rom. viii. 15, 16.)
"They, that are indeed lovers of God,"
says Archbishop Leighton, "are united, by
that their hearts meet in Him, as in one
center: they cannot but love one another.
Whenagodly man sees his Father's image,
he is forced to love it; he loves tho.se
whom he perceives godly, so as to delight
in them, because that image is in them ;
CHAPTER XllI
569
and those, that appear destitute of it, he
loves thein so as to wish them partakers
of that image. And this is all for God ; he
loves a friend in God, and an enemy fur
God. And, as the Christian's love is pure
in its cause, so in its effects and exerci.se.
His society and converse with any tends
mainly to this, that he may mutually help
and be helped in the knowledge and love
of God; he desires most that he and his
bretliren may jointly mind their journey
heavenward, and further one another in
their way to the full enjoyment of God.
There is, in this 'fervent love,' sym-
pathy with tlie griefs of our brethren, de-
sire and endeavor to help them
Receiving of the same spirit from their
Head, Christ, brethren are most strongly
bent to the good of one another; as in the
natural body, if there be but a thorn in
the foot, the back boweth, the head stoops
down, the eyes look, the hand reaches to
it, and endeavors its help and ease ; in a
•word, all the members partake of the good
and evil, one with another Let that
love begin here, which shall never end."
(Gen. xiii. 8; Acts ix. 4; Rom. viii. 29; 1
Cor. xii. xiii.)
Sj. i^By this shall all mm know that ye are my disci-
ples, if ye have love one to anotli.er.
i^l Joliu ii. o and iv. I'l, 20.
Observe, 1. Although Christians should
not be ostentatious, nor self-seekers, yet as
they ought to assure their own hearts of
their good condition before God, so they
ought in their station to shine and appear
such as they are, for it is their duty by con-
sistent deportment to make all men know
that they are Christ's disciples. 2. As true
love of the brethren is an infallible evi-
dence of regeneration (1 John iii. 10, 14
and iv. 7), so this love is the badge of
Christians, by which they are known to
the world. (See 1 Cor. xii. 31, with chap.
xiii. 1-3, &c.; also Rom. xii. 10, xiii. 8; 1
Cor. i. 13; Gal. v. 13; Eph. iv. 2.) We
should fervently pray God to write the new
law of love in our hearts. Remember,
this is the measure, nothing short of it will
suffice, "As I have loved you." We know
how Christ loved us: even so ought we
also to love one another. No know^ledge,
no gifts, no greatness without this will
suffice.
Sr,. ^ Simon Peter Kald unto him, Lord, whither kopsI
thou? Jesus unsweretl him, Wliitlier 1 go, Ihou canst
not (ollow me now, but 'thou Shalt follow me alter-
wards.— ixxi. 18; 2 Peter i. 14.
Peter passed over what his Master had
said about mutual love, and asked. Whither
goed thou f As Jesus had not expressly
said that He was about to die, the disciples
did not thoroughly aj)in-ehend His mean-
ing. They thought of His being removed
fioin them in «ome way, but exactly what
He meant they knew not. (See on verse
33.) Doubtless there are many who wish
that they could obtain such a promise as
Peter received, thou shall follow me after-
wards. But though it is the privilege of
only a few Christians to hear such an as-
surance from the lips of their Master, it is
the i^rivilege of all to have the inward wit-
ness of the Spirit, for it is written: " The
Spirit bearelh witness with our spirits that
we are the children of God." Let all be-
lievers listen to His gentle voice in their
souls.
.37. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow
the" iKAv ? 1 will n'lay down my liie for tl^v sake.
mMatt. XX vi. IW, a4, 33; Mark xiv. 29, 30,31; Luke
xxii. 33, 34.
There are very few, says one, who
know the measure of their own strength.
We must not rely upon that which we
perceive in ourselves, or which we imagine
we have, but we must pray much, and
promise nothing from ourselves. Peter
asks why he cannot follow Christ now,
and the reason is, because he believes he
can. Presumption gives imaginary strength
and hinders men from a.sking and receiv-
ing th;it which is real. When God assures
us of anything, let us not pretend to argue
about it, but let us be so far from contra-
dicting Him as to believe without the least
hesitation. Peter was not yet strong
enough to renounce his own opinion and
judgment, and to submit entirely to the
Word of God^ — and yet he thought he
conld renounce the love of life, and die for
the sake of his Master ! Thus a deceitful
zeal makes us believe we could do great
things for God, while, at the same time we
do not even easy things which He actually
requires of us. Strange delusion this!
(See notes on Matt. xxvi. 30-35.)
3S. Jesus answered him. Wilt thou lay down thy life
for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee. The cock
shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.
Thiswasahumiliatingassurance indeed !
570
J O II N
Peter is given to understand that, ro far
from "laying down his Hfe" for Christ's
Bake, he ■will even deny that he knows
Christ at all; not once will he disclaim all
knowledge of the Saviour, but three times
in succession : not hereafter, when his faith
has begun to wax cool, will he do this, but
now, even before the cock crow. Mark
mentions in Ids account a second cock-
crowing (xiv. 27-31), yet the discrepancy,
if such it can be called, it is not difficult to
account for. There was a particular hour
of the night, one of the watches into which
the day was divided, called by this special
term, the cock-crowing. (See Mark xiii.
3-3.) This was what the Lord here intended.
Though the cock might crow, as Mark has
noted, even once and again, yet that par^
ticular hour called the cock-crowimj, as the
other Evangelists recorded, should not be
reached till this too confident disciple had
thrice denied his Lord.
Jesus now hears His people's vows of
fidelity. He will try them all and prove
their sincerity. In what way he will try
us, at what time, we cannot tell. When the
trials come, may we be found faithful.
Then shall we know the truth of the prom-
ise, "Blessed is the man who endureth
temptation, for when (as often as) he is tried
he shall receive the crown of life which
the Lord hath promised to them that love
Him." (James i. 12.)
1. Explain " before the feast of the Pa^^over." 2. Who put into the heart of Judas Isoarlot to betray Jesus ? 3.
How did Jesus wash the disciples' feet? 4. Vv^hat did Peter say ? 5. State our Lord's reply to llim. C. What
does verse 17 mean ? 7. Are those who receive Christ's ministers regarded .as receiving Ilicn ? 8. What was the
effect of Christ's declaring that one of Ilis disciples should betray Ilim? 9. What did Jesus say when Judas had
gone out ? 10. What did Peter say to our Lord ? 11. Repeat Christ's answer.
CHAPTER XIV.
1 ChrUt cmnfortet.h liix itisc.i.ple.t ivilh the hope, of heaven :
6 profeasetk h iinvlf the way, the truth, ami the Hl't, and
one with the Father : 13 assureth their prayers in his
name to be effectual : 13 request' th love and obedience,
16 promiseth the Holy (f.'iost the Comforter, 27 and
leaveth his peace with them.
We now come to that portion of the
evangelical history which we may with
propriety call its Holy of Holies. Our
Evangelist, like a consecrated j^riest, alone
opens up to us the view into this sanctu-
ary. It is the record of the last moments
spent by the Lord in the midst of His dis-
ciples before His passion, when words full
of heavenly thought flowed from His sac-
red lips. All that His heart, glowing with
love, had still to say to His friends, was
compressed into this short season.
LET ''not your heart be troubled : ye believe In God,
believe also in me. — 'Verse 27, xvi. 22, 23.
Our Lord having informed His disciples
that He was about to leave them, well
knew that their minds must be distressed
by this intelligence, (xvi. 6.) It may be
that He observed signs of sorrow, uncer-
tainty and dismay gathering upon their
countenances, and that, therefore, filled
with grief, as His own heart was, He has-
tened to speak comfort to theirs.
Let not your heart be troubled, agitated,
like water, when subject to any disturbing
force. They ought not to be dismayed, as
if their stay were gone — as if they had
lost their confidence in their Lord. Ye
believe in God, believe also in me. These
words may be read in no less than three
ways — either, first, indicatively, or .second,
imperatively, or third, partly in the one
way, partly in the other. If we read them
indicatively, we shall say ye believe in
God, ye believe also in me ; if we read
them imperatively, we shall say believe in
God, believe also in me ; and if we read
them partly both ways, we shall say, as
our translators have done, "Ye believe in
God, believe also in me." It is a matter
of no moment which of these readings we
prefer. The question is merely one of
grammatical projjriety, and in whatever
CHAPTER XIV.
671
way we use the words, the sense is Fub-
stantially the Kuine. In either case their
trust in God is the essential antecedent of
their trust in Christ. "Trust in God, or
continue to trust in God as you now do,
the God of your fathers, the God of all
grace, the God whom I have declared, God
reconciled in His own Son, and reconcil-
ing sinners to Himself, and trust in me
also, His Son, by whom He is declared,
and in whom He is reconciled — in me the
Mediator between God and man — in me
the Ajjostle and High Priest of your pro-
fession, in me whom you see b?fore you
in the flesh, in me who am clothed with
your nature, who can take a fellow-feeling
in all your distresses, and Mho, being ex-
alted to the throne, and crowned wih
glory, thall want no means of ministering
to your comfort."
2. "In my Father's house are many mansions: if ft
wa-e not .so, I would Iiuve told yoii. il go to in-opaie u
place (or you. :i. Audit' I go and prepare ii place lor
you, 'I will come again, anci receive you unto myseli',
that ^'wiiere I iim, Ihrre ye may be also.
i-xii;. :«, .33. cVerseslS, 28; Acts i. 11. dxii. 2Gandxvli.
24 ; 1 Thea. iv. 17.
Christ calls heaven His Fathcr^s hovse —
as much as to say, I am only going home.
Now He is not ashr.med to call His peo-
ple brethren. Heaven, therefore, is their
home also. They arc only strange\s and
pilgrims on earth. They take many a
weary step, and often meet with rough
usage and trying weather, but better en-
tertainment awaits them at their journey's
end — heaven will make amends for all.
Are many incmsirms. No inconsiderable
numberwill be required. For, tothe ques-
tion. Are there few that shall be saved ?
the answer, taking them all, eventually
and collectively, must be, No. The Cap-
tain of our salvation is leading " many
sons" unto glory. And Johnsaw beforethe
throne "a great multitude which no man
could number," from all the diversities of
the human race. The expression, how-
ever, implies not only multiplicity, but
variety. Though the house is one, the
apartments are many. There is some-
thing in the heavenly state suited to the
rircumstances, and character, and taste of
every inhabitant. The angels have their
orders and degrees. We see endless di-
versity in all God's works and ways.
Heaven will not be an exception. All the
saints will there be perfectly blessed, but
all, we may well believe, will not be simil-
arly employed, or equally endowed. Cum-
munications there, as well as here, must
be Bupjiosed to be dispensed according to
the capacity bestowed. And yet the dif-
ference of degrees of glory does not hinder,
but the least saint in glory is as really
happy as the highe.4 there. (Ps. Ixxxi.
11 ; Dan. xii. 2, 3 ; Luke xxii, 28-30 ; Col.
i. 10.)
If it vcre not so, &.C. He would not de-
ceive them, lie Avould not permit them to
for.'^ake all and to follow Him, if He did
not know that by doing so, whatever they
lo.st and whatever they suffered in this
world, they secured their happiness in the
world to come. How does Jesus ;;rc;:iare a
place for Plis people? 1. The presence of
a beloved object is the grand preparative
of any jjlace, and that which gives it its
principal charm. Such is the jireparation
of a place in the future world for us. As
the htippiness of heaven is not such as
Adam would have obtained after a proper
trial of his obedience in Paradise, but the
happiness of a lost creature, in whose
restoration difficulties were found which
the Saviour alone could remove, so He
must go fir.st, to remove every impediment,
to perform every condition, to secure every
advantage. 2. Christ Avill also gather to-
gether the whole family of heaven and
earth. God has so ordained, that both in
this world and that which is to come our
blessedness should be bound up with that
of each other. Hence, it follows that
every accession to the heavenly world
affords an influx to the enjoyment of its
inhabitants. Every one that goes before
may be said to contribute to the preparing
of the place for them which follow after.
3. Christ jirepares a i)lace for us, in super-
intending the concerns of the universe,
and causing all events to work together
and produce the highest ultimate good.
Glory awaits the righteous immediately
upon their departure from the body, but a
much greater glory is in reserve. Innum-
erable events in the system of Providence
must remain inexplicable, till the mystery
of God be finished. It is impossible for
spectatorstocomprehendtheu.se of all the
parts of a complicated machine till it is con-
structed and put into motion. And as our
573
JOHN
Forerunner is now preparing the scenery
of this grand exhibition, and hastening it
to its desired issue, it is thus that He is
preparing a place for us. He who pre-
pares the place for us, must also prepare
us for the place, by forming in us that
" holiness, without which no man shall
see the Lord." " Heaven is a prepared
place for a jjrepared people." (Prov. xvi.
1.)
I inll come again, &c. This is fulfilled
in two cases. Jesus comes again at death
to receive us to Himself. And this is in-
linitely desirable. His passage through
the territories of death was attended with
the most dreadful of all conflicts, but, hav-
ing overcome, it renders ours an easy one.
He comes again at the last day. And this
coming difi'ers very much from the former.
The one is spiritual, but the other will be
personal. The one is private and invisible,
the other will be public and obvious, for
every eye shall see Him. The one is to
receive His peojile individuallj^ the other
will be to receive them collectively. The
one is to receive their souls, but the other
is also to receive their bodies. (1 Thes.
iv. 16-18.) TJiat where I am, &c. See
notes above. We should not prize heaven
itself further than as we have there a
more full and perfect enjoyment of God.
(xii. 26, xvii. 24.)
4. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5. Thomas saith unto liim, Lord, we know not wliither
thou goest, and how can we know the way? 6. Jesus
saith unto him, I am nhe way,fthe truth, and sthelilo:
iuo man cometli unto the Father but by me. 7. 'If ye
had known me, ye should have known my Father
also : and Irom hencetorth ye know him, and have
seen him.
fHeb. iy. 8. fi. 17 and viii. 32. ri. 4 and xi. 25. hx. 9.
iyiii. 19.
Whither I go, &c. By saying this Jesus
meant rather to draw out their inquiries
and reply to them. Lord, we know not, &c.
The interpellation of Thomas is one of
three we ineet with in this chapter.
Thomas first, Philip next, Judas after-
ward, each have their question. In our
Lord's reply to the first of these it will be
observed that He inverts the order of the
question. He does not speak of the
" whither " till He has told them of the
" way." He tells them nf the Father when
He has first told them of Himself. Jesus
Christ is our way to the Father and to
heaven, in His permn, as God manifest in
the flesh, in His q^ce, as our Mediator with
God, introducing us to the Holiest by " a
new and living way;" in His «uT//tc<;, as
our Great High Priest forever, who, by
His perfect obedience and atoning sacri-
fice has made i3roi)itiation for the sins of
the whole world, in His intercession as our
Advocate with the Father, who hath given
us access with confidence to the throne of
grace ; lastly. He is our way, as being our
great Moral Teacher and perfect Exemp-
lar, being the great SJicpherd of the sheep,
" leaving us an example that we should
follow His steps," and preceding us in a
way open to all, plain and even secure,
i:)leasant, and terminating in everlasting
bliss. He is " the truth," both in His es-
sence and attributes, as being one with
the Father (who "is truth"); He is the
fountain of all truth, the complement of
all truth (being the substance of all the
types and figures of the Old Testament),
having all the characters of truth. As
such, Fie is our great Prophet, pointing out
by His word, w'hich " is truth," the way
which leadeth unto everlasting life. He
is "the life," as being (what He elsewhere
testifies of Himself) "the resurrection and
tlie life," through whom alone any one
Cometh unto the Father in acceptance and
salvation, and through whose life-giving
Spirit the dead in trespasses and sins are
so quickened as to believe in Him as the
trutJi, and come unto Him as the leaij, and
thus to finally experience Him as the life.
No man cometh unto the Father but by me
— He is the living tvay of access to the Fa-
ther. He is the bridge from man to God.
And, what is the same thing. He is the
bridge from earth to heaven. " We talk
of repentance, of prayer and of amend-
ment, though we have not them. But, if
we had them, there is yet one thing neces-
sary, above all these, which we forget —
there is absolute need of a Mediator to
make our peace, and restore us into favor
with God, One who must for that end do
and suffer for us what we can neither do
nor suffer. Though we could shed ri\'ers
of tears, they cannot wash out the stain of
any one sin ; yea, there is some pollution
in our very tears, so that they themselves
have need to be washed in the blood of
Jesus Christ. (Eph. ii. 13-18; 1 Tim.
ClI AI'TEK XI V
IJ ye had knouni nir, <kr. Tlie first part
of tliis verse is uluio.st a reputitiuii of the
latter part of John (viii. I'J, ou wliich see
notes). (Heb. i. 3.) Thus Jesus explains
how it happens that Thomas, in the name
of the rest, was able to declare with truth
that he knew not whither our Lord was
going. It arose out of tlieir imperfect know-
ledge of Himself. For, as the Godhead of
the Father and the Son is one and indivisi-
ble, so does the knowledge which has the
second for its object, involve the know-
ledge of the former also. This is made
clear in verse 9. Have seen him — are ac-
quainted with Him, have a knowledge of
God Himself, by having an acquaintance
with nic.
8. Philip Raith unto him, Lord, show us the Father,
and itsulflceth us.
It is more probable that he wished for
some glorious displaj' of God's presence
and perfections, as IMoses had done, and
which he called God's face. If so, he
knew not what He asked. The exhibition
might have been fatal. But some, and
among these is Doddridge, are disjiosed to
commend rather than censure Philip.
They take his meaning to be, " Oh ! bring
us to the knowledge of the blessed God,
and we resign every other wish as nothing
compared with this!" God cannot be
completely known, but He can be really
known, savingly known, known as the
strength of our heart, and our portion for-
ever. And this knowledge can yield satis-
faction to the possessor. It will sufiice for
our happiness hereafter. But tliis know-
ledge is to be derived from the Lord Jesus.
9. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so lonir time
with you, and yet hast thou nut linowa me, Philip? khe
that bath seen me liath seen the Father, and how si\y-
est tliou thPii, Show us the Father?
kChap. xii. 4j; Col. i. 15 ; Heb. i. 3.
Christ had been with Philip and his
fellow-disciples corporeally, for the AVord
was made flesh, and dwelt among them,
and they beheld His glory. And He is
with His people now. What was His
promise to His ministers? to His Church ?
to individuals? "Lo! I am with you al-
way, even unto the end of the world."
Ha d thou not knoivn mc? Philip was not
entirely ignorant of Him. But he knew
Him not sufficiently, he knew Him not
comparatively, he knew Him not, consid-
ering how he might have known Him.
The defectiveness of the knowledge of
Christ's followers is very censurable, espe-
cially after long intimacy with Him.
He thai liath seen me liath seen the Father.
For the reasons just above mentioned, that
the Father dwells in the fullness of His
attributes of power, wisdom and goodness
concentrated into the human person, and
made as fully visible to man as man's
sense (;an grasp.
10. Bellevest thou not that 'I am in the Father, and
the Falher in nie? the words that I speak unto you ""i
speak not oiniyseli : but the Father that dwelleth in
me, he doetb tlie works.
'Verse 1:0 ; chap. x. 38 and xvii. 21,23. """Chap. v. 19,
vii. 16, viii. 28 and xii. 49.
All that Christ said or did in the
Father's name was a proof of such a mu-
tual indwelling as that he who had seen
the one had seen the other, but not a
proof (as some have maintained from this
passage) of our Lord's Deity consisting in
the Father's dwelling in Him. It might
as well be alleged that the Deity of the
Father consisted in that of the Son, who
is said to be " in Him." This and all other
such passages, which ascribe the works of
Christ to the power of the Father, are ex-
pressive of the economy of things, and not
of the insufficiency of the Saviour. (See
on verse 20.)
11. Believe me that lam in the Father, and the Fa-
tlierin me: nor else believe me for the very works'
sake.— "Chap. v. 33 and .x. 38.
Believe me. Take my word for it, that I
am in the Father, and the Father in me.
"We have here a repetition of what is
stated in the preceding verse — the Deity,
the eternal Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Or else believe me, &c. Take my word for
it, that I am God, and cannot lie; if you
cannot trust my word for it, believe me
for my very works' sake. Christ's refer-
ring to His leorks here, as often elsewhere,
respects not merely His miracles them-
selves, but His sovereign, God-like way of
performing them by His own Divine
230wer, which was the same in Him as in
the Father.
12. "Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that believeth
on me, tlie works that I do shall be do also ; and great-
er ivor/^-s than tliese shall be do : because I go unto my
Father.— Matt. xxi. 21; Mark xvi. 17; Luke x. 17.
He tJiat believeth on me. It seems clear
that this expression, like the similar
one, "Them that believe" (Mark xvi.
17), refers to the Aj)ostles and the
miracle workers of the primitive age — we
say of the primitive age, for we have no
574
JOHN,
satisfactory proof of miracle-working sub-
sequent to that age. It is plain from the
New Testament that there was a faith
which was connected with miraculous
powers. " Miracles," says an ancient wri-
ter, "do not still continue, because there
are no persons employed to teach any new
doctrines, and no promise of Scripture
doth imply any more, for " the signs which
were to follow them that believe " (Mark
xvi. 17), were such as tended to the first
confirmation of the Christian faith, which,
being effected, their use ceased; and so to
ask why God doth not continue a gift of
miracles to convince men that the former
were true, is to the same purpose as to ask
why God doth not make a new sun, to
satisfy atheists that He made the old.
(Acts viii. 5, G ; 1 Cor. xiv. 12.)
And greater works, &c. The word " works,"
it will be observed, is printed in the italic
character, which intijuates that there is no
word in the original text answering to the
English one. We apprehend that there is
no reference to miracles, properly so call-
ed in this case, but to some things which
our Lord means to contrast, as to magni-
tude and importance, with the miracles
both of Himself and of the Apostles, such
as preaching of a clear, .full revelation of
the economy of mercy to a lost world — •
the making manifest "the mystery which
has been hid in God" since the unbegin-
ning ages of eternity — the turning even a
single soul, far more an innumerable mul-
titude of souls, " from darkness to light,
and from the power of Satan to the ser-
vice of the living God"— "the pulling
down strongholds," and making lofty im-
aginations bow before the authority and
the grace of the Redeemer. (Eph. iii. 3-
11 ; Acts xxvi. 18 ; 2 Cor. x. 4 ; Eph. ii. 20;
1 Chron. xxii. 5.)
Because I go unto my Father. Our Lord
thus plainly intimajtes that their doing
these things was to be the result of Kis
going to the Father by an expiatory death,
and a glorious resurrection and ascension.
There could have been no good news to
man had not the curse been borne away.
There could have been no quickening,
spiritual influence, had He not died to
open a channel for it, and ascended to
pour it forth abundantly through that
channel into the human heart. "All j)ower
in heaven and earth" is given Him, be-
cause He became "obedient to death, even
the death of the cross." It is, therefore,
that He was highly exalted, and that,
having "ascended on high, he received
gifts for men."
13. pAnd whatsopver ye shall ask in my name, that
wiU I do, tliat the Father may be Klorilied in the Son.
pMatt. vii. 7 and xxi. ■11: Jlark .xi. U4 ; Lukexi. 9:
chap. XV. 7, 16 and xvi. 23, 24; James i. 5; 1 John iii. 22
and V. 14.
(See notes on verse 14.) It is the sacri-
fice of Jesus that secures our prayers an
audience and answer. The very i^resent-
ing His sacrifice is a symbolical prayer for
those very blessings which we pray for,
and not only so, but a prayer that is en-
forced with a just claim, and both plead
the right, or purchase, to all the blessings
it sues for, and so cannot be justly denied
or rejected. (Luke i. 10; Heb. x. 19, 20;
Rev. v. 8, viii. 3. Ps. cxvi. 2.) Inmyname.
(See on verse 14.) That the Father may be
glorified in the Son, that is, that the mighty
power and the great grace of Jehovah, the
eternal God, may appear to the creature,
who comes in Christ's name, for the sake
of the Son, that the glory may redound to
God and to us through the Son.
14. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, J will do it.
In my name. Christ here repeats what
was said h\ the preceding verse, that it
might be more carefullj' observed. He
knew how apt mankind were, and still
would be, to make use of other names,
besides His, in their prayers to God. There
is not one word in the Scriptures that can
be wrested to mean that Jesus will do what
we ask in any other name than His. But
that what we ask in (he name of Christ,
trusting in His merits, inspired by His
Spirit, and aiming at His glory. He will do,
we have His own word, and that, too, not
only once, but again, that we might have
strong consolation, and be the more fully
assured of it. (Acts iii. 6, 8; Col. iii. 17;
Phil. ii. 9, 10.) All right prayer is heard
and granted.
15. H qlf ye love me, keep m.v commandments.
<iVerses21, 23; chap. xv. 10, 14; 1 John v. 3.
Hence we may learn that the only safe
proof that we love His person is, that we
obey His law. "My mother and my breth»
ren are these," says He, "which hear the
AVord of God, and do it." The expressions
CHAPTER XIV.
575
of our love to God ought to be regulat-'d,
not by our blind and wild fancies, but by
His revealed will. (1 John iii. 14, iv. 11,
20, 21 ; see notes on verse 2;J.)
16. And I will pray the Father, .ind 'he shall give
• you iiiiutlier (Joiiiiui'Ler, that he may abide with you
lorever.
'Chap. XV. i6 and xvi. 7 ; Rom. viii. 15, 26.
Another Comforter — a word used only by
John, in his Gospel with reference to the
Holy Spirit, in his First Epistle (ii. 1), wilh
reference to Christ Himself. Its proper
sense is an " advocate," " patron," " helper."
In this sense it is plainly meant of Christ
(1 John ii. 1), and in this sense it com-
prehends all the comfort as well as aid
of the Spirit's work. The Spirit is here
promised as One who would supply
Christ's ov:n place in His absence.
The personality of the Holy Spirit is
here distinctly afiirmed. The gifc of the
Spirit is a fruit of Christ's mediation, i)ur-
chased by His merit, and taken out by His
intercession. This wondrous gift is the
Divine Paraclete, the Comforter, as Christ
delights to call Pliin : for such is one of
the meanings of that comprehensive word.
It mry also mean Advocate, Counselor,
Intercessor, one who stands by us, and
stands up for us, and helps us. (See notes
on XV. 26.) These heavenly othces are
applied in common both to the Son and
to the Spirit. (See 1 John ii. 1.) And in-
deed what Christ was to His disciples
while He was upon the earth, all this
should the Spirit be to them after He as-
cended into heaven. Christ calls Him
"another Comforter," and promises that
He shall abide with them forever, in allu-
sion to His own approaching departure,
and the shortness of liis stay. In spiritual
distresses and anxieties, the Holy Spirit
directs the })enitent to Christ, and through
Christ to the Father of mercies, as it is
written, " Through Him we have access
by one Spirit unto the Father." He so
comforts and enlarges the believing soul,
and so animates it with holy hope, that it
runs cheerfully in the way of God's com-
mandments. And the mourner can even
say, " In the multitude of my thoughts
w^ithin me thy comforts delight my soul."
(Ps. xciv. 19.)
17. Even 'the Spirit of truth : twhom the world cannot
receive, because it seeth him not, neither kiioweth him:
but ye know him ; for he dwelleth with ~ou, "and shall
be in you.
»Chap. XV. 26 and xvl. 13: 1 John iv. G. '1 Cor. ii. 14.
"John ii. 27.
Even the Spirit of truth. As the evil
Spirit is a liar from the beginning, and
"the father of lies" (John viii. 44), so God
is "the God of truth." (Ps. xxxi. 5.) Un-
changeable iu His perfections, unerring
in His wisdom, unfailing in His promises.
He is Himself eternal truth, and the
Author of truth in man's soul. He makes
His people love truth, and guides them
into all truth. By nature W"e are such,
that, " as soon as we are born we go astray,
and speak lies" (Ps. Iviii. 3-7), but the
Holy Gho.st so changes our deceitful hearts
that at length we " utterly abhor all false
ways." (Ps. cxix. 128.) How precious is
the promise of such a Guide and Comfor-
ter as this ! how should we value His
presence, and submit ourselves to His
teaching ! The world, it is said, cannot re-
ceive Him. Why not? because it seeth Him
not, neither hioueth Him. The love of sin
and worldly cares and pleasures blind its
sight, deafen its ear, stupefy its under-
standing. If we would have this abiding
guest in our souls, we must learn to view
with abhorrence whatever evil tempers
and wicked practices bring a film upon
the soul, which prevents its " seeing," and
much more, therefore, "receiving" this
Divine inhabitant. Dwelleth vith you, and
shall be in you, though the proper fullness
of both these was yet future, our Lord by
using both the present and the future,
seems plainly to say that they already had
the germ of this great blessing. (See
notes on verse 26.)
18. 'I will not leave yon comfortless : Jl will come to
you.— ^Matt. .\xviii. 20. jVerses 3, 28.
Comfortless, like orphans, friendless and
destitute of proper guidance. (See on verses
16-17.) Come to you. The Saviour would
grant "them His Spiritual presence, though
in body He would be absent from them.
(Comp. Matt, xviii. 20.) Jesus has not
" left us " without a rule (xiii. 34), nor
without an example (xiii. 15), nor without
a motive (xiv. 15), nor without a strength
(xv. 5), nor without a warning (xv. 2, 6),
nor without a Comforter, nor without a
reward (xiv. 2.)
19. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more,
but »ve see me : "because I live, ye shall live also.
'Chap. xvi. 16. "1 Cor. xv. 20.
His bodily presence being all the sight
576
JOHN
of Him which "the world" ever had, or
was capable of, it "beheld Him no more"
after His departure to the Father ; but by
the coming of the Spirif, the presence of
Christ was not only continued to His spirit-
ually enlightened disciples, but rendered
far more efficacious and blissful than His
bodily presence had been before the Spirit's
coming. Because I live, &c. By His life
here, though spoken of as present, because
of its nearness and certainty, our Lord
means His life after His resurrection. To
this the Apostle refers, Eom. v. 10. It
would be easy to show how the life of
Christ's people in their justification, sanc-
tification and glorification, depends on the
living Saviour, but we see also thiU their
life is insured and secured by His — " Be-
cause I live, ye shall live also." The cer-
tainty of the result is founded in three
principles. 1. The union subsisting be-
tween Him and them. 2. The claim He
has to urge on their behalf, having sufier-
ed and died for them. And, 3, the all-
sufficiency He possesses to meet all their
exigencies. (See chap. xvii. 2 \ 24 ; Heb.
ii. 9 ; 1 Peter v. 1 ; Rev. iii. 21.) " Knowest
thou not," said Luther to the King of Ter-
rors, " that thou didst devour the Lord
Christ, but wert obliged to give Him back,
and wert devoured of Him ? So thou
must leave me undevoured because I abide
in Him, and live and suffer for His name's
sake. Men may hunt me out of the world
— that I care not for — but I shall not on
that account abide in death, I shall live
with my Lord Christ, since I know and
believe that He liveth."
20. At that day ye shall know that i>I am in my
Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
bVerse 10; chap. x. 3.^ and xvii. 21, 23, 2fi.
At that day. This phrase is often as here
used in the Old Testament Scriptures to
signify the whole period of the kingdom
of God. (See Isa. xii. 1 ; Zech. xiii. 1, xiv.
9.) Ye shall know. — it shall be by experi-
ence. There shall be no guess, or mere
expectation, or hope so about it. The re-
ligion of the Spirit is not a hope, but an
enjoyment. " For what a man seeth, why
doth he yet hope for ?" (Rom. viii. 24.)
Thai lam in my Father, and ye in me, and
I in you. Observe, 1. Although Christ is
ofttimes little known, it is most necessary
to know Him, and what His interest in
the Father is. 2. Although true believers
may be clouded with much ignorance, yet
Christ has His time and way to make
them understand the mysteries of God, to
their comfort and salvation, 3. Christ,
rightly known, will be seen to be one in
essence with the Father, and consequent-
ly approved of Him, and He in whom the
Father is to be found, and to know this is
the great encouragement of believers. 4.
It exceedingly adds to the comfort of be-
lievers to know that Christ, who is one
with the Father, has also a mystical union
and communion with them. 5. The com-
munion between Christ and believers is
mutual, they being in Him by faith and
needy dependence, and He in them by
His Spirit, as the root of their spiritual
being, and to make all His fullness forth-
coming for them. 6. The communion be-
tween Christ and believers is very near
and intimate, so that there can be no
separation, and the fruits and comfort of
it must be very real. 7. Believers may
have an intimate communion with Christ,
who yet stand in need to be made to know
that it is so, for this communion is true for
the present, yet the knowledge of it is but
to come.
21. cHe that hath my commandments, and keepeth
them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and
will manifest mysell'to him.
iVerses 15, 23 : 1 John ii. 5 and v. 3.
Our Lord winds up with the same note
whii'h He had struck at the beginning of
this passage (verse 15.) This turn in the
conversation began with love and obedi-
ence : with love and obedience it con-
cludes. He that hath, &c. He that hath
my commandments in his memory, and
keepeth them in his life. He it is that
loveth me, &c. The Saviour shows in what
true love to Him consists, and then He
throws in a gracious parenthesis, as it
were, hinting how much more there was
in this than they might think : it should
ensure them the love of that Father whom
Philip, at the outset (verse 8), had besought
Him to show them. Jesus loves them that
love Him; and as they prove their love by
obeying Him, so He proves His love b^'
manifesting Himself to them. To those
who love and obey Him, He will manifest
C H A P T E K XIV.
577
Himself, in whom and by whom alone can
they see and know the Father. (Comp.
chap. XV. 10.) What an encouragement is
this to us in our Christian course ! (See 1
John iii. 18.)
22. ''.Tudas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is
it that tliou wilt manilest lliyself unto us, and not unto
the world ?— ^Lulie vi. IG.
Our Evangelist indicates anxiety to pre-
clude the supposition that it was the traitor
(the only "Judas" whom He has hitherto
named), who asked this question. The
speaker was "Judas, the brother of James,"
called by Matthew, " Lebbteus, whose sur-
name was Thaddeus." He was one of our
Lord's cousins ("brethren," as they are
called in the Gospels), and author of the
Epistle which bears his name. His sur-
prise seems to have arisen out of the deep-
rooted belief (which Jude had entertained
with the rest of his nation), that the mani-
festation of Messiah was to be something
of a wholly different nature froiu that
which He here for ihe second time inti-
mates.
23. Jesus answered and said unto him, flf a man love
me. he will keep my words : and my Father will love
him and fwe will come unto hiuj, and make our abode
with him.
eVerse 15. f 1 John ii. 24 ; Rev. iii. 20.
(See notes on verses 15, 20, 21.) "If our
souls be elevated to contemplate and adore
the perfections of God," says an ancient
writer, " by a necessary and inevitable con-
sequence we shall love Him, and loving
Him we must always desire to jjlease Him,
and delight in so doing, and besides this
our natures will be transformed into a
likeness to Him, by that participation of
His Divine nature, that we shall by a vital
congruity delight in all those things, that
He commands, and feel a propension to
them, even when we do not reflect on the
revealed will of God. (Ps. cxxxix. 21, 22.)"
3fake our abode with him. The idea is the
same as is suggested in verse 21, with the
additional thought of a continued enjoy-
ment of God's presence and love. (Comp.
Ps. Ixxiii. 23-28.) My Father .... we
him — the Father, Son, and Spirit, will in
spirit come into union with the believer's
spirit.
24. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings :
and rthe word which ye hear is not mine, but the
Father's which sent me.
sverse 10 : chap. v. 19, 38, vii. 16, viii. 28 and xii. 49.
He tliat loveth me not, &c. We may take
this saying either for our comfort and en-
's?
couragement, or for our warning, according
as we may need either. It is comfort for
the fearful and the loving, the timid yet
faithful, those who are much afraid, yet
who love much ; they keep their Lord's
sayings, therefore they need not fear,
doubtless they love their Lord. On the
other hand, it is warning for the careless
and presumi:)tuous. "And why call ye me
Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I
say."
25. These things have I spoken unto you, being yd
present with you.
These tilings have I spoken. Glancing the
mind's eye over His own discourse, Jesus
I^resents it as a whole as uttered by Him-
self bring yet present. His personal presence
and His living voice were yet with them,
and He now places this personal teaching
in preparatory contrast with that of the
spiritual Paraclete whom the Father will
send.
26. Buththe Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,
whom the Father will send in my name, 'he shall teach
you .all things, and bring all things to your remem-
brance, whatsoever I have said unto j'ou.
tie. 'vi. 45, xvi. 13, 14 ; Ps. xxv. 9, 12-14.
The Comforter. (See notes on verse 16.)
Wliom the Father icill send, &c. The Holy
Ghost, who, proceeding from Christ as the
Head, diffuses Himself into His members,
is sent from the Father by the Son — " in
His name," through His merits. (See on
XV. 26.) Christ, also, as the Father, had
the power of sending the Holy Spirit.
(Chap. XV. 26, xvi. 7; comp. also Acts ii.
17, 18, with verse 33, and Matt. x. 20 with
Gal. iv. 6; see also 1 Peter i. 11; Rom.
viii. 9 ; Phil. i. 19.) He shall teach you all
things — all th'ngs requisite to be known
by you, and taught by you to others. (See
chap. xvi. 13.) And bring all things to your
remembrance, &c. Here Christ promises
that inspiration, which enabled them not
only to give a true history of His life and
death, but also gave them the most perfect
recollection of all the words He had spoken
to them, so that they have been able to
transmit to posterity the identical words
which Jesus uttered in His discourses. On
this rests the credibility and ultimate di-
vine authority of the Gospel history. The
whole of what is here said of the Spirit is
decisive of His divine personality, "he who
can regard all the personal expressions,
applied to the Spirit in these three chapters
(' teaching,' 'reminding,' 'testifying,' 'com-
578
JOHN
ing/ 'convincing/ 'guiding,' 'speaking,'
'hearing,"prophe.sying,' 'taking'), as being
no otlier than a long drawn out figure, de-
serves not to be recognized even as an in-
terpreter of intelligible words, much Ibss
an expositor of Holy Scripture."
27 kpeace I leave with you, my peace I give unto
you- nut iis the world giveth.give I unto you. iLet
not your heart be troubled, neither let it be al'raid.
kPhil. iv. 7 ; Col. iii. 15. 'Verse 1.
Peace. Jesus said to His disciples, " In
the world ye shall have tribulation." Yet
at the same time they were to have peace
in Him. This peace, therefore, must have
been something which trouble could not
hinder or injure. It must have been a
spiritual privilege — composure of mind.
Who can adequately conceive the value
of this peace ? It passeth all understand-
ing. It is a cluster of the grapes of Eshcol.
It weans from the world. It enlivens duty.
It smooths the rugged path of adversity.
It turns a dying chamber into the house
of God and the gate of heaven.
/ leave. Christ is both the testator, to
"leave," and the executor, to give, out of
His own hands, what His love has left to
believers, so that there is no fear that His
will shall be performed to the full, seeing
He Himself lives to see it done. " il/y
peace." It is Christ's, for He came and
preached it. It was His in an infinitely
more expensive way. He procured it for
us. He came not to tell us the way to
heaven, but to be the way; not to show
us how to make our peace with God, but
to make it. He made peace by the blood
of His cross. And He applies it by the
agency of His Holy Spirit.
Not as the world giveth, &c. Not by empty
or inefl"ectual wishes, but by a sincere and
efficacious blessing. (Rom. v. 1; Johnxvi.
22; Phil. iv. 7.) "The peace I leave with
you, is not in your houses, but in your
hearts, the comfort I give you lies not in
gold and silver, but in pardon of sin, hopes
of glory, and i nward consolations, and these
shall outlive all the world's joy Many
a dying father has in his farewell speech
to his children wished them all peace and
comfort, when he should bo dead and
gone, but who, besides Jesus Christ, could
send a Comforter into their hearts, and
lodge peace and comfort in their bosoms?
(Job xxxiv. 29; Isa. xxxii. 17.)
Let not your heart he troubled, &c. (See
notes on verses 2 and 3 ; also 12, 18 and 23.)
"Your heart," not your hearts, in the plu-
ral. They were "of one heart, and of one
soul." according to that lovely descriiition
of the infant Church. (Acts iii.) They
were, even now, about to reap the fruit of
their Lord's accepted intercession, " Holy
Father, keep, through Thine own name,
those whom Thou hast given me, that they
may he one, as we are!" Where, alas, are
the fruits of that intercession now? (Isa.
xxvi. 3; Ps. cxx. 6, 7; Acts vii. 26, 27.)
Arither let it be afraid. " Fear not," is the
first word, in the first annunciation of
Christ's conception, the first word in the
first annunciation of His birth, and the
first word in the first annunciation of His
resurrection, and almost the last word in
His last exhortation, a little before His
death. (Luke i. 74; Heb. ii. 14, 15.)
28. Ye have heard how ™I said unto you, I go away,
and come again unto you. If ye loved oie, ye would
rejoice because I sjiid, "I go unto the Father : lor omy
Father is greater than I.
mVerses 3, 18. "Verse 12 ; chap. xvi. 16 and xx. 17.
oSee chap. v. 18 and x. 30 ; Phil. ii. 6.
If ye loved me, &c. The glory and hap-
piness which my Father possesses, and
which I go to possess with Him, is greater
than anything I can here enjoy ; your
love to me, therefore, if it were properly
regulated, instead of prompting you to
wish to detain me here, would rather in-
cline you to rejoice in my departure. It
has been already seen, that the Word, as
God and with God, is declared to be One
with and equal to the Father, (i. 1-3, v.
17-29, X. 26-31 ; verse 30 ; see also Phil. ii.
6.) In this rerpect Jesus could not say,
" My Father is greater than I ;" indeed,
there can be no greater or less in the infinite
perfection of Deity. But, as God the Son
was manifested in human nature, and as
in this sense He was about to finish His
work and go to receive His merited recom-
pense, in being exalted to the ilediatorial
throne, the language is evidently proper,
not only as to His human nature, but like-
wise in respect of His Mediatorial charac-
ter and kingdom, in which He acted as
the Servant and Apostle of His Father ;
even as an ambassador, though equal in
nature, is inferior in oflSce, to the prince
who commissions him. In this sense it is
in perfect accordance with the rest of
CHArTEli XIV.
579
Scripture, and it behooves uU who love
Him greatly to rejoice in His exaltation to
glory, after His voluntary humiliation.
" These words " {"my Father is greater tlian
/"), says an able commentator, "which
A.ians and Socinians perpetually quote as
triumphant evidence against the proper
di\ inity of Christ, really yield no intelli-
gible sense on their princiiJes. Were a
holy mail, on his death-bed, beholding his
friends in tears at the prospect of losing
him, to say, 'ye ought rather to joy than
weep for me, and would if ye really loved
me,' the speech would be quite natural.
But if they should ask him, uinj joy at his
departure was more suitable than sorrow,
would they not start back with astonish-
ment, if not horror, were he to reply,
'Because my Father is greater than I?'
Does not this strange speech from Christ's
lips, ihen, presuppose such teaching on His
part as would make it extremely difficult
for them to think He could gain anything
by departing to the Father, and make it
necessary for Him to say expressly that
there was a sense in which He could do
so? Thus this startling explanation seems
plainly intended to correct such misap-
prehensions as might arise from the em-
phatic and reiterated teaching of His j)ro-
per equality v:itli the Fatlier — as if so exalted
a Person were incapable of any accession
by transition from this dismal scene to a
cl(judless heaven and the very bosom of
the Father — and by assuring them that
this was not the case, to make them forget
their own sorrow in His approaching joy."
29. And mow I have told you before it come to pass,
that when it is come to pa.ss, ye might believe.
pChap. xiii. 19 and xvi. 4.
Now I have told you, &c. Christ here
refers to what He had said concerning
His death and resurrection, His sufferings
and glory. That ye might believe. Observe,
1. The importance of faith. By faith we
are justified, sanctified ; by faith we stand,
walk, live, are saved. 2. There may be
an improvement in faith, where the prin-
ciple is already found. These disciples
believed at this very time, but their faith
was too ob.scure in its views, too feeble in
its hold, too powerless in its operation,
and Christ's purpose was that it might be
lightened and strengthened. 3. One of
the best means of increasing and estab-
lishing our faith is to compare the word
and the works of the Lord together. 4.
The benefit to be derived from }>rophecy
is subsequent to its accomplishment. How-
can it be otherwise? Where is the
evidence of the truth of prophecy before
it come to pass? It may be said, A God
who cannot lie has si)oken it. But God
Himself does not demand our faith on the'
announcement, but on the event.
.30. Hereafter I will not talk much with you, qfor the
prince of tliis world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
qChaxi. xii. 31 and xvi. 11.
lu-illnot talk, &c. It is here intimated
that Christ had talked "much" with
them. But "hereafter" He vould not talk
much with them — not from disinclinaticfn,
but from want of intercourse.
For the prince of this uvrld, &c. Here our
Lord marks the character of His adver-
sary. He is not the prince of this world
by right, but usurpation, and by God's al-
lowing him power over those who pro-
voke him. Cometh. The Saviour sees Sa-
tan's approach. He comes — not personal-
ly, as He had come to Him in the
wilderness, but in his instruments — in
Judas that betrayed Him, in Peter that
denied Him, in His disciples that forsook
Him and fled, in Herod that threatened
Him, in Pilate that condemned Him, in
the Jews that claniored for His blood, and
in the Romans that shed it. And hath
nothing in me. There is in me no principle
or feeling that accords with His, and
nothing therefore by which he can pre-
vail. If the " prince of this world " had
the hardihood to attack the "Prince of
life," in whom He could find nothing, can
we hope to escape his assaults, when in us
there is so much of the world whereby he
may work our destruction? May we be
prepared for the conflict, by being found
in Christ, setting our affections on things
above, not on things on the earth. Taking
to ue " the whole armor of God," may we
" be strong in the Lord, and in the power
of His might." (Eph. vi. 10, 11.)
.31. But that the world may know that I love the Fa-
ther, and fas the Father gave me commandment, even
so I do. Arise, lot us go hence.
'Chap. X. 18; Phil. ii. 8: Heb. v. 8.
But that the uvrld may know, &c. The
sense must be completed thus : " But to
the prince of the world, though he has
nothing in me, I shall yield myself up
580
JOHN.
even unto death, that the world may know
that I luve and obey the Father, whose
commandment it is that I give my life
a ransom for many." (See on chap. x. 17,
18.) The greatest glory that we can give
to God is to fultill His blessed will in all
things.
Arise, let us go hence. The discourse and
converse at the table now having been
finished, Jesus rises from the table and
bids His Apostles rise, that they may lis-
ten to His solemn valedictory, closed with
His High Priestly prayer, preparatory to
their going forth in separation and His
going forth to His Passion. Arise! is a
solemn call, which should forever recon-
cile us to break off our luxurious sleep.
(Eph. V. 14.) Let us go hence. A Christian
man's life is nothing else but a going out
of it. (1 Cor. XV. 31.)
1. With what words of comfort does this chapter begin? 2. What does the Saviour say about His Father's
house? 3. Wliat did Thorua-s say ? 4. State our Lord's reply. 5. How is He the "way," "truth," "life?" 6.
Does Christ assert that He is in the Father, and the Father in Him ? 7. How is verse 12 to be understood ? 8.
What is said of " another Comforter ?" 9. State the question of Judas. 10. Also our Lord's answer. 11. What
did Jesus say about peace ? 12. Explain the words " My Father is greater than I."
CHAPTER XV.
1 The consolation and mutual love between Christ and
his inemhers, under the parable of the vine. 18 A com-
fort in the hatred and perseculion of the world. 26 The
office of the Holy Ghost, and of the apostles.
I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husband-
man.
The true vine, &c. (See notes on chap. xiv.
31.) Our Lord selects the image here from
fruit -bearing trees, and from among these
the noblest, the most beautiful and grace-
ful, and which has ever been este^:.med
most highly among men — the vine. He
implies that the vine to which He refers
is planted in a vineyard, and that it is
carefully tended by a husbandman. It is
probable that a vine, with its branches,
and leaves, and fruit, was in view by the
moonlight — perhaps one was trailing by
the side of the window. In selecting this
image, Jesus made choice of one very well
fitted for conveying, with clearness and
impression, the truth of which He meant
it to be the embodiment. The true vine.
The vine which we see rising from the
ground at our feet, and hanging its beau-
teous branches, laden with luscious fruit,
is the mere type of this " True Tm^," made,
prepared, set in tliis world, and all its con-
struction and liabits arranged by the God
of nature, to be a fitting emblem of His
more precious plant in the kingdom of
grace. Just as the vine had been often
used in the Old Testament Scriptures to
denote Abraham, or the house of Israel,
(Ps. Ixxx. 8-16 ; Isa. v. 1 ; Ezek. xix. 10-14;
Jer. ii. 21), so now the Saviour adopts the
same image to denote His maiihood — His
Divine humanity. True, nottyijical — real,
not ideal, not illustration but embodiment.
" The verri vine," so WicMiffe in his old
version of the Bible renders it. So else-
where the Lord calls Himself " The True
Bread." (Chap. vi. 32, 33, 35.) We are
here taught that, though there may be
other pretended sources of spiritual life
and growth, Christ is the only true source.
It is not even doctrines, however right,
that will give us life, doctrines, forms,
ceremonies, ordinances, all have their pro-
per use, but they cannot give life ; Christ
is the true vine, and we must be joined to
Him as branches, or there is no life in us.
(See notes on verse 5.)
A nd my Father is the husbandman. As the
husbandman prepares room for his plant,
and sets it in the place thus made ready,
so the Father sent His Son into the world,
having "prepared a body" for Him, and
thus as it were planted the Vine, of
which those who believe in Him are the
branches. So Tholuck: "The Father who
CIlAPTEIl XV.
581
SQnt the Son into the world, is the posses-
sor and fosterer of the vine together with
its branches." (See notes on verse 3 and
5.)
2. 'Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he
taketli iiwliy : and every branch, tliat beareth Iruit, he
puFKeth it, tliatit may bring Ibrth more Iruit.
"Matt. XV. 13.
The cultivator of vines, when he sees
branches continuing barren when they
should be fruitful, concludes that these
branches are, from some cause or other,
not partakers of the fruit-bearing influence
of the vine, and, i)erceiving that they are
doing no good, but rather evil, cuts them
off, and removes them. In like manner,
the great Proprietor — cultivator of the
spiritual vine, when He perceives that
branches are not fruitful, is said to " take
them away." God, in His own time, takes
away the rnere nominal Christian, and
will not sutler him any longer even to
seem to belong to Christ. If nothing else
does so, death puts an end to this seeming
union, and takes away the fruitless branch.
(See Job xxvii. 8; Ps. i. 4 ; Matt. vii. 23.)
But often before death, God in His provi-
dence takes such a one away from the
means of grace. He did not profit by them
while he had them, he shall now have
them no more. The false professor is fre-
quently placed in circumstances in which
his real character becomes manifest. (See
on verse 6.)
And every branch that beareth fruit, he
purgeth it, &c. Even the fruit-bearing
brafiehes are not left to themselves. The
knife is used to them also. But only the
pruning-knife. They are not cut off", but
"purged," or, pruned. What need have
the people of God of afflictions ? " The
same," says Philip Henry, " that our bodies
have of physic, that our ti'ees have of
pruning, that gold and silver have of the
furnace, that liquors have of being emp-
tied from vessels, that the iron has of a
file, that the fields have of a hedge, that
the child has of the rod. (Eccl. vii. 14 ;
1 Peter i. 6.) More fruit. Every Christian
is pruned, for there is not one but may
become more fruitful still.
3. bNow ye are clean through the word which I have
spoken unto you.
bChap. xiii. 10 and xvii. 17 , Eph. v. 2fi ; 1 Peter i. 22.
The word is " as a refiner's fire." (Mai.
\ii. 2, 3.) It is one of -those arteries by
which the Spirit is conveyed to us. (Isa.
lix. 21 ; Jer. xxxi. 33.) It will be observed
that Christ here challenges for Himself, a
share in the work of the " husbandman"
(verse 1), an office, which, only as He is
one with the husbandman of this allegory,
He could have any right to challenge for
His own. He too has power to purge or
cleanse through His word. " The faithful
in Christ Jesus are clean, being by faith
justified from all things, and having thus
a standing-ground before God, which yet
is in some sort an ideal one — their actual
state, although ever approximating to this
yet still failing to correspond to it — they
therefore needing by the same faith to
appropriate ever more and more of that
sanctifying grace, those purifying influen-
ces, which continually stream forth from
Him on all them that are His, and by aid
of which He is bringing them to be all
that, which for His sake His Father has
been already willing to regard them."
4. <:Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot
bear iruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more
can ye, except ye abide iu me.
"^Col. i. 23 ; 1 John ii. 6.
It is assumed that they were already
connected with Him by a vital union, and
this connection they are commanded to
carefully preserve. ^Is the branch cannot,
&c. This second clause in the sentence is
not promise, any more than the first, they
are precept both. " Takeheedthat yeabidein
me, and that I abide in you." The mystical
use of this word " to abide," representing
as it does the innermost fellowship and
communion of believers with their Lord',
and of their Lord with them, and occasion-
ally representing a higher mystery still
(John xiv. 10, xv. 10), is peculiar to John,
but is very frequent both in his Gospel
and in his Epistles, in the language of his
Lord, and in his own which he has earned
from that Lord. In these two invitations
of Divine love and directions of Infinite
Wisdom, namely, "Come unto me" and
" Abide in me" are hidden all the riches of
our salvation. Happy are they who come,
most happy they who abide : the first, a
blessing in time — the latter, in all eternity.
(1 John ii. 28, 29; 2 John viii. 9.) As all
spiritual fruitfulness had been ascribed to
the mufual inhabitation, and living, active,
interpenetration, so to speak, of Christ and
582
JOHN,
His disciples, so here the keeping up of
this vital connection is made essential to
continued fruitfjlness.
5 I am the vine, ve arc the branches. He that abid-
etli in me, and I in "him, tlie same bringeth forth much
ifruit ; Ibr without me ye can do nothing.
dHos. xiv. 8 ; Phil. i. 11 and iv. 13.
I am the vine. Ministers are not to
preach themselves, but Christ Jesus the
Lord. But He was His own subject— He
preached Himself. How could He have
done otherwise, concerned as He was to
be useful, and knowing as He did that
His Person and work were essential to
our salvation?
Our Saviour never takes His comparisons
from the sciences, and seldom from the
arts, but from natural sceneiy, which is
obvious and intelligible to all. Ye are the
branches. Our union with Christ, and so
in Him with one another, is a mysterious
truth which calls for the exercise of a sim-
ple and child-like faith. This figure teach-
es, 1. How close is the union between
Christ and His members. The vine and
the branches are connected. They are
not merely bound or joined together, as is
the case with the stones in a building, but
actually grow into and out of one another.
One stream of life circulates through all.
God views believers as "one body in
Christ," and members in particular. 2.
That Christ and His members have a char-
acter of likeness. The branches are the
very same kind of wood as the vine, and the
very same sap pervades them both. And
they that are joined to the Lord are of
one spirit. The same mind is in them
which was also in Christ Jesus. 3. That
all the members of Christ absolutely de-
pend on Him for the suj^ply of what they
need. All spiritual blessings flow to us
from Him. 4. The usefulness of Christians.
The branches are the beauty and excel-
lency of the vine, and by these, its vigor
and fertility are displayed. Jesus is glori-
fied in His people. We should accustom
ourselves to derive spiritual reflections
from all the material objects around us.
A taste for natural scenery is pleasing and
good in itself. But let us not approach it,
as a creature only to enjoy, or a philoso-
pher only to admire, but as a Christian
also, to improve.
He that abideth in me, and I in liim, &c.
(See on verse 4.) While Christ had already
declared the abiding in Him to be the one
condition of all fruit-bearing. He adds a
promise now, that He who abides in Him
shall not only bear fruit, but shall bear it
abundantly. For without me ye can do noth-
ing. The meaning is, " separated from me,
or apart from me, ye can do nothing" —
still carrying on the figure of the vine and
the branches. Not only will there not be
much fruit, unless the union with Christ
be maintained, there will not be any at
all. The words seem to throw light too
uj)on the kind of fruit that is meant.
"AYithout me ye can do nothing." The
fruit is what we do — our conduct, our
actions, our service our life. These words
therefore do not mean merely, as they are
often supposed to mean, that without
Christ's help we can nothing. This is quite
true, but these words mean much more.
They teach us that apart from Christ, that
is, if not joined to Him by faith, we can
bear no fruit, and do God no acceptable
service. (2 Cor. iii. 5, 6, hence Acts i. 8,
XV. 9; Gal. v. 6; 1 John iii. 24, iv. 13; Rom.
viii. 9.)
6. If a man abide not in me, 'he is cast forth as a
branch, and is withered, and men gather them, and
cast thnn into the lire, and they are burned.
tMatt. iii. 10 and vii. 19.
If a man abide not in me, that is, if a man
does not so dwell in me, as to partake of
all I have to give, and am willing to bestow
— if he is satisfied with a mere outward
connection, and has no living trust in me,
so as to make me all in all to him — so as
to lead him to apply to me continually for
all things pertaining to life and godliness,
then his unfruitfulness w'ill be made mani-
fest, and that man will be driven away in
his wickedness. Is cast fortJi as a branch,
&c. That which is here si:)oken of an in-
dividual, is true of a Church; when it
ceases to look to Christ alone for life, it is
withered, and goes into the furnace, not
for purification, but for consumption.
And men gather them, or, better, "and they
gather them," bring them together into
one bundle of death. The gatherers are
the angels, the ministers of the divine
anger, to whom the final execution of the
Di vine judgment is everywhere committed.
(Matt. xiii. 41, 49, xxiv. 31; Luke xix. 24;
Rev. xix. 24.) And cast them into tJie fire,
CHAPTER XV.
58S
and they are burned, or, in its simiilicity,
more terrible still, and they burn. (See
Ezek. XV. 4.) But all which is here ex-
pressed or implied, of "the lire" (Mutt.iii.
10), "the flame " (Luke xvi. 24), " the flam-
ing fire" (2 Thes.i. 8), "the furnace of fire"
(Matt. xiii. 42, 50), "the gehenna of fire"
(Matt. V. 24; Mark ix. 43), "the lake of
fire" (Rev. xx. 15,xxi.8), "the everlasting
fire" (Matt. xxv. 41 ; Jude 7), with all the
secrets of anguish which words like these,
if there be any truth in words, mud invoke,
demands rather to be trembled at than
needs to be expounded. It is by just such
warnings as that contained in this verse,
that saints "are kept by the power of God
threugli faith unto salvation." (See cha2>.
X. 27-29; Rom. viii. 2S-:3'J; Phil.i. IG.)
7. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in yon, fye
sball ask wliat ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
f Verse Hi; cliap. xiv. 13, 14 and xvi. 23.
If ye abide in me, &c. (See on verses 4
and 5.) The words, "If my words abide in
you," imply, that the words with which
<jod has furnished us, are to be our guide
and directory in prayer. It is His promises
^we are to plead, the truths of His word we
are to found our hopes upon, His declared
purposes that are to guide our desires. His
representation of our condition that is to
regulate and give form to our confessions.
It is not meant strictly that all our prayers
should be moulded to the very language
of Scripture, but rather that the Bible
should show us what it is we are to ask
for, should limit and define our desires,
and keep them within the compass of
God's purposes and promises. It shall be
done unto you. This declaration does not
mean that Christians may have anything
— it matters not what it may be — for the
asking, if they can but persuade themselves
that they shall have it. It has been justly
and finely said: "The will which is the
ruling power of the universe, is expressed
in Christ's word. For a man to have this
word abiding in him, therefore, is to have,
for the regulation of his desires, the same
principle which is the regulator of all
beings and of all events, and surely there
can be no more infiillible security against
the possibility of disappointment, than to
have one's will in accordance with that of
the Supreme Proprietor and Governor of
all beings, and disposer of all events."
His -will .'■hall be done, and, if His word is
abiding in us, so shall ours.
8. ^Herein is my Father tjlorified, that ye bear much
fruit ; I'so shall ve be my disciples.
EMatt. V. 16 ; Phil. i. 11. bChap. viii. 31 and xiii. 35
Our Lord here gives the final cause, the
glory of the Father; "that God in all
things may be glorified, to whom be glory
and dominion forever, Amen." How con-
tinually the Divine Son, when He became
man, set this object, and nothing short of
this, before Him! If we would be His
disciples indeed, we must do likewise. It
is by " bearing much fruit," that we appear
to the world as Christ's true disciples.
(See chajD. viii. 31; James i. 12.) All the
glory which God is pleased to have out of
Himself is chiefly reduced to that which
lie procures Himself, by the operation of
His grace in the hearts of men on earth,
and by the manifestation of His glory in
heaven. And indeed the production of
the fruits of His Spirit in a soul, and the
forming of one single Christian, are more
to His glory than the creation of the ma-
terial world, and the production of that
wonderful variety of flowers and fruits,
because it is by the former that the mysti-
cal body, the spiritual world, is formed, in
and by which He designs to be eternally
glorified, of which His Son is the Head,
and His Spirit the soul.
9. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you :
continue ye in my love.
How encouraging, but how wonderful,
is this declaration of Jesus! How precious
to His true disciples ! Who can tell the
measure of that love wherewith the Father
loveth His only begotten Son, in whom He
is well pleased. Can it be that we are
loved by Christ with a love no less than
thatinfinite and inexhaustible love, where-
with He is loved of the Father? Dear
must we be indeed in His sight, precious
indeed must our souls then be to Him, not-
withstanding all their guilt and infirmities.
Continue ye in my love. Keep) your place in
my affection. Let us ever remember, that
as the way to abide in the love of Christ is
"to keep His commandments," so to dis-
regard them is perilous. There is not any
sin by which His love will be more nearly
lost, than by the breach of that unity
which He would have among nil His mem-
bers. All being joined to Him as their
584
JOHN
Head, all should be united with one an-
other in faith and peace, in hope and
charity.
10. 'If ye keei) my commandmenta, ye shall abide in
my love : even iis I have kei^t my Father's command-
ments, iuid abide in liis love.
iChap. xiv. 1.5,21,23.
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide
in my love — the obedient spirit of true dis-
cipleship cherishing and attracting the
continuance and increase of Christ's love,
and this. He adds, was the secret even of
His own "abiding in His Father's love."
The great idea of the whole passage is,
that there exists between Christ and the
believer the same basis of love, as that
upon which rests the ineffable union of
the Father and Son. The analogy between
His obedience to the Father and theirs to
Him, is the more perfect and striking, be-
cause it refers to the days of His humilia-
tion on earth, when He stooped to the
condition of a man of sorrows and one ac-
quainted with grief. (Isa. liii. 3.)
11. These things have I spoken unto you. that my joy
might remain in you, and i^/hat your joy might be full.
kChap. xvi. 24 and xvii. 13 ; 1 John i. 4.
My joy might remain in you, the joy which
I feel in respect to you might be abiding.
Your joy, &c., the happiness which you ex-
perience from my favor. "This Divine
joy," remarks Cecil, "is planted in the soul
by the Holy Spirit. It is therefore an in-
ward and spiritual joy, it is deep rooted in
the heart, it is solid and well founded, it is
abiding and lasting, it is a satisfying joy,
and iiurifying in its effects. It is a joy that
flourishes most in adversity. It is a com-
municative joy : a man has not tasted what
religion is, if he does not seek to impart
this joy to others. It is the joy of
communion with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. It is a humble joy, but it
causes a man 'to triumph in Christ.'
Though this joy may be interrupted, yet
the source and matter of it remain un-
changed, just as in nature, clouds may
sometimes, for many days, interrupt the
rays of the sun, but the order of creation
continues the same." (John iv. 14; Rom.
XV. 29, 32 ; 1 John i. 1-4.)
12. 'This is my commandment. That ye love one an-
other, as I liave loved yon.
■Chap. xiii. 34: IThes. iv. 9. IPeteriv. 8; 1 John ill.
II and iv. 21.
Among the "commandments" mention-
ed in verse 10, that all-embracing "com-
mandment," which was delivered, chap.
xiii. 34, is made prominent, and by the
words, "as I have loved you," is developed
to its highest capacity. We know we can-
not reach this highest pattern, that is not
meant, but the more we look on it, the
higher we shall reach in this love, and shall
learn some measure of such love on earth,
as is in heaven, and that which so begins
here, shall there be perfected. We are being
trained up here to join the multitude
which no man can number. We are to
love all those happy spirits. Not one is to
be treated with contempt or dislike, or
even with shyness and reserve. All are
to be loved by us, as far as Divine grace
may enable us to do so, with the love with
which the Father loves the Son, with
which the Son loves us. Let us begin this
happy life now. Let us love one another.
Though there are a multitude of sins in
our brethren as M'ell as in ourselves, yet
love is a mantle wide enough to cover
them all.
13. ^Greater love hath no man than this, that a man
lay down his life for his friends.
mChap. X. 11, 15 ; Kom. v. 7, 8 : Eph. v. 2 ; 1 John
lii. 16.
It is here implied that by His own free
will Christ would submit to death. When
the Saviour expresses the greatness of His
love, He uses this phrase, lay down Jiis life,
(as John x. 15, 17; 1 John iii. 16), when
the merit of His passion, he uses the phrase
"to die for us," or "for our sins" (as Rom.
V. 6, 8; 2 Cor. v. 15; Heb. ii. 9; 1 Peter iii.
18.) "One can show no greater regard for
those dear to him than to give his life for
them, and this is the love ye shall find in
me." "The cross of Christ," says Maclau-
rin^ "was the noontide of everlasting love,
the meridian splendor of eternal mercy.
There were many bright manifestations
of the same love before, but thev were like
the light of the morning, that ' shines more
and more unto the perfect day,' and that
perfect day was when Christ was on the
cross, when darkness covered all the land."
Comparisons can give buta very imperfect
view of this love, which "passeth knowl-
edge." Though we should suppose all the
love of all the men that ever were, or shall
be, on the earth, and all the love of the
angels in heaven united in one heart, it
would be but a cold heart to that, which
C H A P T E R X V
585
was pierced by the soldier's spear. The
Jews saw but blood and water, but fiiith
can discern a bright ocean of eternal love
flowing out of these wounds. We may
have some impression of the glory of it, by
considering its effects. We should consid-
er all the spiritual and eternal blessings
received by God's peojjle for four thousand
years before Christ was cruciiied, or that
have been received since, or that will be
received till the consummation of all
things; all the deliverances from eternal
misery, all the oceans of joy in heaven,
the rivers of water of life, to be enjoyed to
all eternity by multitudes, as the sand of
the sea-shore — we should consider all these
blessings, as flowing from that love, that
was displayed in the cross of Christ. (Zech.
ix. 17; Eph. iii. 13-21.)"
14. "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I com-
mand you.— "Cliap. xiv. 15, 23: see Matt. xii. 50.
It is here assumed by Jesus Christ, that
His disciples are His friends, and on this
assumption of their friendship is founded,
as a natural inference, their duty tg do
W'hatsoever He has commanded them. It
is a great elevation to be a friend of Jesus
Christ. To be a friend of God is noted as
the highest honor of Abraham ; to be a
friend of Jesus Christ is not less an honor,
since He and His Father are one. Mutual
effects are implied in this friendship be-
tween the Saviour and His disciples ;
mutual affection and delight in each other's
society ; their love to Him is the effect of
His to themselves, not only as from this
it derives the grand motive, but also as it
indicates that everlasting love which is
mentioned as the highest source of spirit-
ual blessings.
15. Ilenceforth I call you not servants, for the ser-
vant knoweth not what his lord doetli : but I have
called you friends, "for all things that I have heard of
my Father, I have made known unto you.
"See Gen. xviii. 17 : chap. xvii. 26; Acts .xx. 27.
The love which Christ bears toward His
people suits the relation of friends better
than that which subsists between a master
and his servants. Reverence is the appro-
priate sentiment of a servant toward his
master, there is not, in the order of things,
so much of affection in that relation. But
Jesus Christ loves His people with an in-
tense affection, even like that with which
He is Himself regarded by His Father, as
the beloved Son. The STrant knoweth not
what Ills lurd (or master) doeth, &c. It is im-
plied that there is perfect freedom of
communication between Christ and His
disciples. A servant knows little of his
master's mind, as it is communicated to a
friend, but here the Master reveals His
secrets to His servants, whom He treats as
His friends ; they know the way of the
Lord, they become " of quick understand-
ing in the fear of the Lord," and "they go
and tell Jesus," they commit their cares to
Him, confess all their infirmities, all their
sins to Him, to Him who can correct their
errors, sympathize with their infirmities,
forgive their sins, relieve their sorrows.
16. pYe have not chosen me, hut I have chosen you,
and qordained you, that ye should go and bring lorth
fruit, and </ta« your fruit should remain, that 'wliatso-
ever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may
give it you
I'Chap. vi. 70 and xiii. 18 ; 1 John iv. 10. 19. qMatt.
xxviii. 49; Mark xvi. 15; Col. i. 6.
Lest they should be puffed up with pride,
and "exalted above measure through the
abundance of the revelations," so as to
think of themselves more highly than they
ought to think, our Lord reminds ihem
that He had chosen them, or selected them
out, to a life of holiness and the enjoy-
ment of His favor, and that their position,
privileges and prospects were not owing
to themselves, but to Him. They were
ordained, or (which is the sense of the
word here) appointed, that they might go
and bring forth fruit, which might "abide
the day of His coming." (1 Cor. iii. 14.)
Connected with this is that privilege of
prayer, to which in connection with abid-
ing in Him He had already adverted.
(Verse 7.) He had selected them to the
laborious office of converting a world. He
had selected them to the blessed privilege
of asking boundless blessings from above.
Let us tread in their steps. We also are
the friends of Jesus, if w'e do what He
commands us. We may bring forth fruit
that shall never wither. It is far better
to convert one soul, than, like Columbus,
to discover a continent, or, like Herschell,
a planet. The fruits of science will pass
away, but the fruits of grace will abide
unto eternal life.
17. 'These things I command you, that ye love one
another.— 'Verse 12.
I command you. Inasmuch as I have
conferred upon yon grace so stupendous,
and a love so perfect, full rightly have I
586
JOHN,
authority to command you. And my com-
mand is, that one command most fully
authorized by my example — the command-
ment of mutual love. In revealing His Cios-
pel to the world, Christ not only performed
the i^art of a Prophet, but also a Legislator,
and that by His own inherent authority.
As He was a King, He stamped those doc-
trines into laws, which He taught and de-
livered, as a Pj-oi^het. And such as His
kingly power is, such are His laws and
commandments. He is a spiritual King,
a King of souls, of will, and of atiections,
and accordingly His laws are si)iritual, and
extend their obligation to the souls, and
wdlls, and affections of His subjects. (Matt.
V. 21, 22, vii. 29; Heb. viii. 10.)
18. tlf the world hate you, ye know that it hated me
before it hated you. 19. "If ye were of the world, the
world would love his own, but J^because ye are not of
the world, but 1 have chosen you outof the world,
therefore the world hateth you. "JO. Ilemember the word
that I said unto you, jThe servant is not greater than
his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also
persecute you, 'if they have kept my saying, theywlll
keep yours also. 21. -'But all these things will they do
unto you for my name's sake, because they know not
him that sent me.
'1 John iii. 1. 13. »! John iv. 5. ^Chap. xvii. 14. jMatt.
X. 24; Luke vi. 40; chap. xiii. 16. 'Ezek. iii. 7. «Matt.
X. 22 and xxiv. 9 ; chap. xvi. 3.
His own, that which belongs to the world,
that which is like the world. I have chosen
you out of the world. (See on verse 16.) This
clause is antithetic to ye are not of the viorld,
and serves to fix more definitely and em-
phatically its meaning. Out of the world,
is that form in Greek which denotes in-
ternal separation. They had been under
the full influence of worldly aims, purj^o-
ses and principles, but through the sover-
eign grace of God, had been chosen from
a life of sin to one of holiness and useful-
ness. The word that I said unto you. (See
chap. xiii. 16; comp. Matt. x. 24.) If they
have kept my saying — you see how ill they
have kept it — tliey will keep yours, i. e., in the
same manner. Keeping Christ's saying
denotes holding fast His doctrines, and
obeying His precepts. For my name's sake.
(Matt. X. 22.) Your support and reward
will be therefore the greater. (Matt. v. 11,
12; Acts v. 41; 1 Peter iv. 16.)
Christians are chosen out of the world
by God's grace to follow Christ's steps, and
by a holy life and conversation, to bear
witness for Him in a world that hates
Him, and all who do this with zeal and
faithfulness may expect to meet some
measure of dislike, ridicule and opposition.
(Gal.iv.29; 2 Tim. iii. 12; 1 Peter iv. 12-14.)
Surely, while we mourn over such symp-
toms of enmity to God, we may well be
content to bear some little part of that
burden which was laid on our blessed
Master (Heb. xii. 1-4) ; if, indeed, the
world speak too well of us, we should sus-
pect whether we be faithful to Christ; for
the world loves its own, but has ever
hated Christ, and those who are most like
Christ. We should never, it is true, need-
lessly provoke the world's enmity, it is a
false zeal, a zeal without knowledge, that
would do this, but if we meet with it in the
way of duty, we may well rejoice in being
counted worthy to bear what is a badge
of honor, when borne for Christ's sake, an
indication, so far as it goes, that the world
sees in us something that is contrary to its
own doings.
22. '^If I had not come and .spoken unto them, they
had not liad sin ; ^but now they have no cloak lor their
sin.— bChap. ix. 41. cRom. i. 20 ; James iv. 17.
Our Lord never refers to Himself as one
born into the world in the ordinary way
of human generation, but as having "come"
forth from the Father. His pre-existent
state is thus kept ever before the mind, in
all His discourses. The Saviour's coming
and speaking to these people (which was
a great instance of His mere}') led to their
contracting a guilt, which they would not
otherwise have had, and we should bear
in mind that this is the very condition of
being more favored and privileged than
others, that our condemnation will be the
greater, if we do not rightfully improve
our mercies. JVo cloak — no color of plea,
nothing to pretend by w^ay of excuse.
" AVe think that it follows from verse 23,"
says Tholuck, "that by 'sin,' in verse 22,
is intended the guilt of hatred against di-
vine things in general, so that the connec-
tion of the thought is this: The hatred
toward you rests upon aversion tome, and
this rests ujaon ignorance of the Father.
Had I not appeared, this ignorance, and
the aversion to what is divine connected
with it, would have been comparatively
guiltless, but after I have revealed the
Father by my appearing and by my in-
structions, they are the more culpable."
Miserable is that person whom the divine
benefits onh' render inexcusable! This is
often the effect of outward blessings, which
CIIAPTEK XV,
the sinner abuses by his own infideUty.
(See notes on verse 24.)
2;i. <ille that liateth me hateth my Father also,
i^i John ii. 2'i.
The second aggravation of their sin is
that their hatred of Christ is joined with
hatred of the Father. Here we learn, 1.
That the great hatred against God in the
world appears chietly in opposition to
Clirist. 2. That whatever holiness or re-
si)eot to God men may pretend, yet if they
hate Christ or His Gospel, they are but
haters of God, who is one in essence with
Ills Son, who sent Him into the world,
and who is in Him reconciling the world,
by His obediential life and sacriticial
death, and by the word of" the Gospel. To
reject the Son is to reject the Father. To
iiffront an ambassador is an indignity of-
fered to the government which he repre-
i^ents. To despise a preacher is to despise
Him from whom he receives his mi.ssion.
24. IfT had not done among them 'the works which
noneotlier man did, thov had not had sin, but now
liavethey botli seen and hated botli me and my Fa-
ther.—cChap. iii. ■-, vii. 21 and ix. 32.
The third aggravation of their sin is
taken from our Lord's miracles. If I had
not spoken. (Verse 22.) If I had not done.
The two combined, doctrine and miracle,
iittested His unity with the Father and
Divine mission. (Chap. vii. 46 ; Matt. ix.
33 ; Acts i. 1.) Among them. How strange-
ly irrational were the Jews in rejecting
our Saviour, when His miracles not only
exceeded those of Moses both in number
and quality, but, which was much more,
when they themselves saw the miracles
which Christ did, yet received those of
Moses, only upon the credit of their
fathers. (Chap. ii. 23, v. 36, x. 25; Acts ii.
22.) They had not had sin. It is evident
from the word of God (Rom. i. 20, 21), as
well as from the reason of thing.s, that sin
may be imj^uted to those who have no
revelation. This expression, therefore,
must be a Hebraism, which calls a thing
nothing compared with something incon-
ceivably greater. (Chap. ix. 41.) But now
have they both seen and hated, &c. Ignorance,
though it does not deserve pardon, yet it
often finds it, because it is not joined with
open contempt of Him that is able to par-
don. But he that sins against knowledge,
not only provokes the justice of God by
his sin (as every other sinner does), but
he also dams up the mercy of God by his
contempt, and does his part to shut him-
self out from all possibility of jiardon. (1
Tim. i. 13; James iv. 17.) It should not
Ijass unnoticed, that at this verse our
Lord says Me and my Father, and, a few
verses further on, My Father and me. (x.
30, xvi. 3.)
2.5. But this Cometh to pass, that the word might be
fulfilled that is written in their law, fThey hated me
without a cause.— ''Ps. xxxv. 19 and Ixix. 4.
The meaning is, as in so many other
places of the Gospel, not that the Jews
hated Christ in order that the words of
David might be fulfilled, but that from
their hatred resulted the fulfillment of
certain words, spoken prophetically by
,the inspired Psalmist (Ps. Ixix. 4), and
which the Evangelist here adduces inB
having reference to the sacred person of
our Lord. The " law " here stands for the
whole volume of the ancient Scriptures (as
in x. 34), and it is emphatically called
" theirs " (as in other jilaces; see chap. viii.
17, X. 34), to convey a tacit reproof of that
wickedness, which, " one of themselves,
even a prophet of their own" (Titus i. 12),
had foreseen and denounced.
They hated me without a cause. For what
" cause " was all this hatred ? What plea
for this malignity? And still we might
ask, AYhy does the world hate religion,
and the Bible, and God ? " To hate God "
raises horror, and more still, "to hate him
without a cause." And yet we certainly
hate Him, when we do not love His law,
His government, the dispensations of His
Providence, &c. We have no such direct
thought or formal jjurpose, but actions in-
clude all this. Be it our care, that if man
dislike or persecute us, there may be no
other cause but our faithfulness to real
religion, and, as in Daniel's case, men may
find no occasion against us, except they
find it against us concerning the law of
our God. (Dan. vi. 5.)
26. KBut when the Comforter is come, whom I will
send unto vou from the Father, even the Spirit of truth,
which pro'ceedeth from the Father, the shall testify
of me.
eLukexxiv. 49; chap. xiv. 17, 26 and xvi. 7, 13; Acta
ii. 33. "-l John v. 6.
The Comforter— the Spirit of truth. The
two appellations here given to Him who
was to be the witness of Christ, and who
was soon to come, were given to Him
when first spoken of by our Lord, chapter
588
JOHN,
xiv. 16, 17, and at the 2()th verse of that
chapter He is termed "the Holy Ghost."
That it is of a person, and not merely of
an attribute or influence that our Lord
speaks, is very evident. His proper name
is the Holy Ghost — His character is the
Spirit of truth — His office, in reference to
Christians, the Comforter. The original
word "paraclete" rendered "Comforter,"
cannot be translated by any one English
word. It includes all that is most impor-
tant in meaning, expressed by the terms
instructor, monitor, helper, guide, com-
forter.
The Spirit of truth, not the Spirit of false-
hood, but of truth — not the Spirit of error,
but of truth — who knows the truth — who
loves the truth— who reveals the truth—*
who cannot be deceived — who cannot de-
ceive— equally incapable of ignorance and
deception.
Whom I will send unto you from the Fa-
ther. In chap. xiv. 16, this glorious Person
is said to be " given " by the Father, and,
in the 26th verse of that chajDter, to be
"sent" by the Father in answer to the
prayer of the Son, and here He is said to
be " sent" by the Son from the Father. In
the economy of salvation, the Father sus-
tains the majesty of the Divinity. The Son
and the Holy Spirit act subordinate parts.
All things are of the Father, through th6
Son, by the Spirit. The Spirit is said to be
sent by the Son from the Father , the idea
is, that of a foundation being laid for the
gracious mission of the Spirit, in the fin-
ished work of the Son, as the great expia-
tor. He — the glorified God-man — has
committed to Him, as the reward of His
mediatorial labors,' the communication of
the influences of the Divine Spirit, so that
He has but to intercede, pray, express His
will to the Father, and the Spirit's effecting
miraculous or saving changes among men
is the immediate result.
Which proceedeth from the Father. Here
is an evident difference between the Mis-
sion and Procession of the Holy Spirit;.
the former is spoken of, as then to come,
whom I will send. The latter is spoken
of in the present tense, which proceedeth.
The same Greek term, which we translate
"to proceed," is employed by John, when
he describes the Spirit as proceeding out
of the mouth of Christ in the likeness of
" A sharp two-edged sword," and again as
" A pure river of the water of life, clear as
crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God
and of the Lamb." (Rev. i. 16, xxii. 1.) He
shall testify of me. Here, again, the person-
ality of the Holy Spirit appears. " He
shall bear witness to my integrity. Though
I am rejected by my adversaries, yet the
Holy Spirit will vindicate me, and bring
clearly to light the truth respecting me."
There is also reference to the illuminatioa
of their minds in regard to the Old Testa-
ment types, ordinances and prophecies.
In relation to the doctrine of the Holy
Trinity (which is so plainly taught in this
verse), an old writer says : " As in waters,
there is the fountain, or well-head, then
there is the spring, that boils u}) out of that
fountain, and then there is the stream that
flows forth from the fountain and the
spring, and yet all these are but one and
the same water; so, here (chap. vii. 37-
39), God the Father is the Fountain of
Deity, the Son as the spring, that boils up
out of the fountain, and the Holy Ghost,
that flows from both ; (see Gal. iv. 4) and
yet all three is but one and the same God.
The same may be also explained by
another familiar instance. The sun, you
know, begets beams, and from the sun and
beams together proceed the 'light and
heat. So God the Father begets the Son,
and from the Father and Son together
proceeds the Spirit -of knowledge and
grace. But as the sun is not before the
beams, nor the beams before the light and
heat, but all are together, so neither is
Father before the Son, nor Father or Son
before the Holy Ghost, but only in order
and relation to one another, in which only
respect the Father is the first Person in
the Trinity."
27. And iye also shall bear witness, because ^ye have
been with me from the beginning.
iLuke xxiv. 48 : Acts i. 8, 21, 22, ii. 32. iii. 15, iv. 20, 33,
V. 32. X. 39 and xiii. 31 ; 1 Peter v. 1 • 2 Peter i. 16. kl>uke
1. 2, 1 John i. 1,2.
Although the " testimony " of the Spirit
is mediated through the human " testi-
mony " of the disciples, yet the latter is
here made co-ordinate with the former.
" When ye shall have been comforted by
the Holy Ghost, and your mind has been
supported by fixed truth. He will impel
you to testify of me. For, first, He will
CHAPTER XVI
589
give testimony internally in your hearts,
and then outwardly by aiiracles and
through your confession and preaching."
The main things to be regarded as the
.truth of human testimony are these: 1. If
men testify nothing but what they saw or
heard. 2. If they testify at no long dis-
tance of time from the things done. 3. If
they testify them plainly, and without
doubtful expressions. 4. If a great num-
ber agree in the same testimony. 5. If
any i)art with all that is valuable to man-
kind rather than deny the truth of what
they have testified. All these particulars
united in the Apostles and disciples of
Jesus as witnesses for Him. Their testi-
mony was to be a personal one. (See
Luke i. 2; Acts i. 21.) The desirableness
and even necessity of this in proclaiming
the Gospel to an unbelieving world, must
be obvious to all. Their words would
have found small credence in Jerusalem
Judea, Asia Minor, Greece, Rome, Egypt,
Ethiopia and other regions whither they
carried tlie Gospel, had they not been able
to testify to its trutl* from their own per-
sonal knowledge. With straightforward
plainness and simplicity they narrated the
wonderful history of Jesus of Nazareth,
and in proof of their veracity appealed to
the miraculous gifts with which they had
been endowed by the Holy Spirit. How
united and resistlsss their testimony ! How
could they be deceived, or why should
they deceive others, and do this, too, at
the expense of all that was dear to them
in this world, even of life itself?
"Whence but from Heaven, could men unskilled in
arts,
In several ages born, in several parts.
Weave such agreeing truths ? or how, or why,
Should all conspire to cheat us with a lie :
Unasked their pains, ungrateful their advice.
Starving their gain, and martyrdom their price."'
1. Who is the true vine ? 2. Who is the husbandman? 3. What is said of fruitless branches? 4. What of
fruitful branches ? 5. How is God the Father glorified ? 6. What is said of those who keep Christ's command-
ments? 7. Who are Christ's " friends ?" 8. What does verse 16 mean? 9. Why is it that the world hates
Christians? 10. Explaic the expression " they had not had sin." 11. What did Jesus say the Comforter would
do ? 12. What is said of the testimony borne by the Apostles ?
CHAPTER XVI.
1 Christ comforteth his disciples apauist tribulation by
the promise of the Holy Ghost, and by fti,s resurrection
and ascension : 23 assureth their prayers made in his
name to be acceptable to his Fatlicr. 33 I'eace in
Christ, and in the world affliction.
THESE things have I spoken unto you, that ye
• should not be offended.
"Matt. xi. 6, xiii. 57, xxiv. 10 and xxvi. 31, 33.
These things — including His description
both of the hostility of the world and the
co-operation of the Paraclete or Com-
forter. That ye slioidd not be offended —
" that ye should not be stumbled." There
is a strong temptation in times of great af-
fliction to distrust God. It is very hard,
when He smites us, to believe that He
loves us. When we are prosperous and
happy, then it is easy to say, " As many as
He loves He rebukes and chastens." It is
easy then to believe, or to think we believe
that He does not willingly grieve or afflict
the children of men. But when suffering
from disease, passing under the cloud of
bereavement, pining in a dungeon, or
tlireatened with the stake, then it is hard
not to imagine that God has forgotten to
be gracious. Those who have experienced
sore afflictions can remember the struggle
in their hearts at such times. Jesus knew
the weakness of His disciples, and hence
He thus prepared them for their approach-
ing trials, that when they came they might
not be accounted "strange things."
2. i>They shall put you out of the synagogues : yea,
the time- cometh, nhat whosoever killeth you will
think that he doefh God service.
I'Chap. ix. 22, 34 and xii. 42. "^Acts viii. 1, ix. 1 and
xxvi. 9, 10, 11.
Put you out of the synagogues. (See on
ix. 22, xii. 42; Luke vi. 22.) The meaning
of this clause is, " excx)mmunicate you."
590
JOHN.
This was the highest punishment which
the Sanhedrim had at this time power to
inflict, as all civil power was in the hands
of the Romans. The Jews had already
a<^reed to excommunicate those who con-
fessed Jesus to be the Christ (John ix. 22),
and they had acted accordingly. (Verse
34, xii. 42.) Those who were thus cast out
they despoiled of their goods. (Ex. x. 8.)
Yea, the time cometh that, or when whosoever
killeth you, &c. This was soon fulfilled in
the case of Stephen and others. (A(;ts vii.
58; comp. viii. 1, ix. 1, 2.) The Zealots,
not waiting for the judgment of the San-
hedrim, executed summary vengeance on
many of the followers of Jesus. They
were esteemed by the Jews as good men
and filled with zeal in the cause of God.
And at last, at the Jewish war, after im-
mense slaughter of their brethren, they
held themselves to be men without of-
fense.
Will think that he doeth God service, or uill
think that he offereth sacrifice to God. Our
Saviour's foretelling to His disciples here,
is, that His and their enemies should
think it not only lawful, but acceptable to
God, and of the nature of a sacrifice,
which propitiates for other offenses, to put
them to death ! " See here," says an old
writer, " a conscience bravely glossed,
where the error looked like religion and
atonement, and yet these Jews that did so,
were given up to the direst punishments
that e ver any nation did groan under. (Rom .
X. 2, xi. 8-10 ; Acts xxiii. 1 ; 2 Tim. i. 3 ; 1 Tim.
i. 13, 15.) That is certainly a very deplora-
ble time, when men think they honor God
by persecuting the truth and the disciples
thereof. It may be said, until the end of
the world, this 'time cometh,' and there-
fore our patience must not end until the
term of our lives expire."
3. And dthese things will they do unto you, because
they have not known the Father, nor me.
dChap. XV. 21 ; Rom. x. 2 ; 1 Cor. ii. 8 ; I Tim. i. 13.
Because they have not knoivn, &c. (See
notes on chap. xv. 21.) Their blindness
and self-deception as exhibited in their
wicked course were by no means guiltless,
since they thus acted through ignorance
which was willful. One sin leads on to and
begets another. Early ignorance is devel-
oped into later crime. Sins of omission
are succeeded by sins of commission. Op-
portunities neglected pass into wickedness
with a high hand. See how our Lord,
who had before spoken of th-eir sins as a
consequence and proof of their ignorance
of the Father (chap. xv. 21), here justly
conjoins Himself " the Father, nor me."
Had they known the Father, as they
vainly boasted, they would have recogniz-
ed and acknowledged Him. Had they ac-
knowledged Hirn, as indeed they ought,
they should have known the Father.
4. But ethese things have I told you, that when the
time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of
them. And fthese things I said not unto you at the be-
ginning, because I was with you.
«Chap. xiii. 19 and xiv. 29. f Matt. ix. 15.
It is here implied that the thought that
" these things " had been fully foreseen by
the Saviour, would prove their comfort and
their stay. (Comp. verse 1 and see Matt.
xxiv. 25.) Because I was with you. At an
early period of the disciples' connection
with Jesus, there was no need that He
should fully disclose the scenes of trials
through which they were to pass. It was
more appropriate to that period that they
should rejoice in their privileges, and
should be receiving religious instruction.
Besides, if troubles should arise while He
was with them. He could personally ad-
vise and protect.
5. But now kI go my way to him that sent me; and
none of yon asketh me, Whither goest thou ? 0. But
because i have said these things unto you, ^sorrow hath
filled your heart.
eVerse 10, 16 ; chap. vii. 33, xiii. 3 and xiv. 28. averse
22 ; chap. xiv. 1.
After Jesus had said what was sufficient
to satisfy them that He was to die and go
to His Father, and stated to them how
much this would prove for their advantage,
they make no further inquiiy. For this
neglect He gently reproves them, as it
indicated too little value for the peculiar
blessings of His kingdom, the hope of
which would have been sufficient to pre-
serve their minds from too much depres-
sion. He, however, sympathizes with
them, as sorrow, jiroduced by fearful ap-
prehensions of the consequences of His
departure, had filled their hearts. Were
our eyes open to see clearly the reasons of
God's Providence toward us, or would we
humbly ask Him to instruct our souls, we
should often' find reason to rejoice where
we now suffer our hearts to be overwhelm-
ed with sorrow.
en APT Eli XVI
591
7. NevfirthPlpss I tell you the truHi : It is expedient
for you llKit 1 go awuy : 'or ii' i ko iiol away, ahe Coru-
forU-r will not come unto you ; but i^il' I depart, I will
Bend liiui umLo you.
iCIiap. vii. 3U, xi v. lU, 26 and xv. 26. kActs ii. 2.'! ; Eph.
iv. S.
Though you are too full of grief to look
beyond the present trouble, tliough you
are dumb with grief, tongue tied and can-
not ask anything further, ncveriluicss I will
tell you what is the real state of the case,
" that it is expedient for you that I go
away," that this is really for your good,
how much soever it may appear to the
contrary, for— and so lie proceeds to add
the reason of this — " If I go not aivay, &c.
The Comforter. (See on xiv. IG, 17, 26,
XV. 26.) Observe that even in the hour of
His sorrow and trial, Jesus considers, not
what is expedient for Hlmsdf, but for His
disciples. What rendered it " expedient "
that Christ should go away, was, that the
Holy Ghost was not to be given until the
Son of man had returned to the Father.
It is here evident that the Holy Spirit, the
great gift of the New Covenant, is bestow-
ed on man only through the atonement
and mediation of Him, who is expressly
said to have been "delivered for our
offenses, and raised again for our jus-
tification." (Rom. iv. 25.) It could not
be "expedient" to part with a greater
good for a less, nor could it be said to be
an expediency to part with an equal good
for an equal. If, therefore, it was expedi-
ent that Christ should go, that the Spirit
might come, that must have been, in His
esteem, a good superior to the continuance
of His own mere bodily presence.
8. And when he is come, he will reprove the world
of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9. 'Of
sin. because they believe not on me, 10. mOf righteous-
ness, "because I go to my Father, and ye see me no
more, 11. »Of judgment, because ithe prince of this
world is judged.
•Acts ii. 22-37. mActs ii. 32. "Chap. iii. 14 and v. 32.
^Acts x.Kix. 18. pLuke x. IS; chap. xii. 31; Eph. ii. 2;
Col. ii. 15 ; Heb. ii. 14.
When he is come. This gift (it has well
been said) is not a mere fluid or emana-
tion shed off from the Divine essence or
person, it is a He, the essence or Person
Himself. The qualities, actions, efficien-
cies of a living agent are, through the
whole passage ascribed to this Comforter.
There is no alternative left but either to
pervert the pas.sage, or to acknowledge
herein the presence of the Third Person
of the adorable Trinity.
Our Lord had told His disciples at the
dose of the preceding chapter, that they
should be witnesses for Him, because they
had been with Him from the beginning.
This led them to think that the whole
weight and stress of the Christian cause
in this world pressed upon their own
shoulders. What are we for this? Never
trouble yourselves, says Christ, when I go,
the Paraclete shall come— the advocate or
pleader — and He shall make strange work
in the world when once He comes. He
shall take up my cause, whereas I have
been traduced and charged as a deceiver.
He shall convince the world of sin, because
they believe not in me, and of my righteous-
ness and the equity of my righteous cause,
and, therefore, of the very completing and
perfection of that righteousness which is
to be had by me, which depends, there-
upon, and of judgment, when I shall be
known to be enthroned, and to have all
government, and principality and power
put under me, or into my hands — and so
the Christian cause shall live, and spread,
and triumph, when I am gone, and so
much the more for my being so. It is not
of gross unbelief only, or of an open rejec-
tion of Jesus as the Messiah, that the Holy
Si^irit has to .convince the world, nor is it
to a bare •conviction of this truth, like
what prevails in all Christian countries,
that men are brought by His teaching.
When He, the Spirit of truth coineth, His
operations are deeper than this amounts to:
it is of an opposition of heart to the way of
salvation that He convinces the sinner,
and to a cordial acquiescence with it that
He brings him. Those who are born in a
Christian land, and who never were the
subjects of gross infidelity, stand in no less
need of being thus convinced than others.
Nay, in some respects they need it more.
Their unbelieving opposition to Christ is
more subtile, relined and out of sight than
that of open infidels, they are less apt,
therefore, to suspect themselves of it, and
consequently stand in greater need of the
Holy Spirit to search them out and show
them to themselves.
12. I have yet many things to say unto you, qbut ye
cannot bear them now.
<iMark iv. 33; 1 Cor. iii. 2 ; Heb. v. 12.
Ye cannot hear them now. Because of their
prejudices in favor of their own nation,
the law of Moses, &c. (Comp. Luke xxiv..
593
JOHN.
25.) Though Christ had many things to
say, He found that His discioles could only
bear general truths, yet in saying what He
did, He sowed the seeds of the whole sys-
tem of theological knowledge and heavenly
wisdom, which the Holy Spirit afterward
watered and ripened into a glorious harvest
of light and salvation, by the ministry of
the Apostles. "When God doth conceal
any truths from His people for the pres-
ent," says Gurnall, " see His candor and
sincerity, opening the reason of His veiling
them to be, not that He grudged them the
communication of them, but because they
could not then bear tJiem."
13. Howbeit when he, nhe Spirit of truth is come, she
will guide you into all truth : lor lie shall not speak of
himself; biit whatsoever he shaU hear, that shall he
speak : and he will show you things to come.
rChap. xiv. 17 and XV. 26. sChap. xlv. 26; 1 John ii.
20, 27.
The Spirit of truth. (See on xiv. 17 and
XV. 26.) He will guide you into all truth,
literally, all the truth, which I would now
say unto you, if you could bear it, and if
the proper time for its communication had
come. (See on xiv. 26.) N'ot speak of him-
self, literally, /ro?n himself. The messenger
Spirit should not have a message of His
own separate and apart from His Divine
sender. Like the Son, He is not alone and
independent, absolutely originating His
own doctrine. Whatsoever he shall hear,
that is, from the Father, what He shall
receive in order to communicate to you.
(Comp. XV. 15.) Thus there would be a
perfect harmony between the instructions
which Jesus had given and the more full
disclosures to be made by the Spirit. The
Spirit was to complete, in the work of in-
struction, what Jesus had commenced.
Things to come, as Acts xi. 28, xiii. 1, xx.
2o, 29, xxi. 11 ; 1 Tim. iv. 1 ; 2 Tim. iii. 1;
Eph. iv. 11 ; 2 Peter i. 14 and Rev. every-
where.
14. He shall glorify me : for he shall receive of mine,
and shall show it unto you.
The testimony of the Spirit, in whatever
form it was given, would fit the Apostles
ff)r testifying of Christ. In the Epistles
we see the accomplishment of the promise,
lie shall glorify me. Three of the Apostles
had seen the glory of Christen the Mount
of Transfiguration. But there is a glory
which cannot be seen by human eyes. The
Spirit reveals thift glory to the souls of all
true believers. Unbelief is the veil that
hides the glory from the heart; but when
the Holy Spirit, by His might, takes away
this veil, then the glory of Christ shines
into the inmost soul, true believers look
with open and unveiled face into the Gos-
pel glass (or mirror), and behold the glory
of the Son of God. For he shall receive of
mine, &c. He shall bring you in remem-
brance of all things that I have told you.
The proper office of the Holy Spirit is, not
to institute and bring in new ordinances,
contrary to Christ's doctrine previously
taught, but to expound and declare those
things which He had before taught, so
that they might be well and truly under-
stood.
15. 'All things that the Father hath are mine : there-
fore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show
it unto you.
'Matt. xi. 27 ; chap. ill. 36, xiii. 3 and xvii. 10.
The words. All things that the Father hath
are mine, are true in the fullest extent of
meaning in which they can be understood.
"All the perfections of His nature — ^allHia
prerogatives — all His possessions are mine.
I and my Father are one." (Chap. x. 30,
V. 19.) While this is true, there can be
but little doubt that the reference here is
to the doctrines and revelations made by
the Spirit to the Apostles. " Every part
of the mystery which was kept secret from
former ages and generations," " hid in God
since the foundation of the world," has
been unfolded to me, and I am, as Medi-
ator, authorized through the Spirit to make
it known to you, that ye may make it
known to your fellow-men.
16. uA little while, and ye shall not see me : and again,
a little while, and ye shall see me, "because I go to the
Father. 17. Then said some of his disciples among
themselves. What is this that he saith unto us, A little
while, and ye shall not see me : and again, a little while,
and ye shall see nie: and. Bt-cause I go to tlie Father?
IS. They said therefore. What Ls this that he saith, A
little while? we cannot tell what he saitli. 19. Now
Jesus knew tliat they were desirous to ask him, and
said unto tliem. Do ye inquire among yourselves of that
I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and
again, a little while, and ye shall .see me. 20. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament,
hut the world shall rejoice, and ye shall be sorrowful,
but your sorrow shall be turned into. ioy. 21. ^A woman
when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is
come : but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she
remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man
is born into the world. 22. yAnd ye now therefore Iiave
sorrow : but I will see you asrain. and 'your heart shall
rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
"Verse 10; chap. vii. 33. xiii. .33 and xiv. 19. "Verse
28; chap. xiii. 3. ^Isa. t.xvi. 17. y Verse 6. ^Luke xxiv.
41, 52, .53 : chap. xiv. 1, 27 and xx. 20 ; Acts ii. 46 and xiii.
52 ; 1 Peter i. 8.
From themes so sublimely mj'sterious as
those descanted on in the verses immedi-
ately preceding, our Lord now condescends
to resume those topics of consolation
which were suited to His disciples' ^^resent
CHAPTER XVI
593
condition. A little, while, &c. The "joy of
the world" at their "not seeing Him"
seems to show that His removal from tliem
by death was what He meant, and in that
• case, their "joy at ufi^ain seeing Him" points
to their transport at His reappearance
amongst them on His resurrection, when
they conld no longer doubt His identity.
At the same time the sorrow of the widow-
ed Ciiurch in the absence of her Lord in
the heavens, and her transport at His per-
sonal return, are cei'tainly here expressed.
Though if we "see not" our blessed Saviour
as they did, it is not that He is not present
with Plis Church, but that we make a veil
by sin and worklliness to hide Him from
our eyes ; yet even to His truest servants
this world is not a place of perfect joy and
peace. On the contrary, Christ's servants,
more or less, here weep and lament, while
the world rejoices. Christ's servants
\j^ave their share of common earthly trials,
and, besides these, they are exposed to
opposition and ridicule on account of
their religion, and mourn also over past
and present sins.
"Again, a little while," says Jesus to His
servants, "and I will see you again, and
your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no
man taketli from you." Just as a woman
remembers no more her pain, when her
new-born child smiles upon her, so shall
the faithful Christian think nothing of the
cross which on earth He bore so meekly,
when in the niorning of the resurrection
he shall see his Master in the clouds of
heaven, and with humble faith look up to
Him as the Saviour whom he trusted and
followed along the rugged path of duty.
The "world" may "rejoice," but while
they laugh, all things a^p serious round
about them. God is serious, who exerci-
ses patience toward them; Christ is serious,
who shed His blood for us ; the Holy Ghost
is serioys, who strives against the obsti-
nacy of their hearts; the Holy Scriptures
bring to their ears the most serious things
in the world, the whole creation is serious
in serving God; all that are in heaven or
hell are serious ; how then can theij be
gay? (Rom. viii. 22; 2 Sam. xi. 11.)
2S. And in that day ye shaU ask me nothing:. "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the
Father in my name," he will give it you.
aMatt. vii. 7 and xxi. 22; chap. xiv. 13 and xv. 7, 16.
3S
In thai day. No specific day or jx^riod
of time is here referred to by our Lofd,
but the whole future, beginning at the
time of His resurrection. It is as though
He had said: "Your minds are now in
darkness and perplexity in view of the
circumstances of trial by which you and I
are surrounded. But soon tlie darkness
and sorrow which possess you, will pass
away. You will then see clearly the rela-
tion of my suffering and death to human
redemption, and in my resurrection and
reappearance, you will find the pledge of
my presence and fiiithfulness to the A'ery
end. Then you will enter upon that dis-
pensation of spiritual light and blessed-
ness, which in the en(i will leave nothing
for you to desire, npthing which you will
not understand. In that day of consum-
mated bliss, you will have occasion to ask
me nothing, all these points of present
mystery and obscurity being fully cleared
up to your mind." (See 1 Cor. xiii. 12.)
Verily. Our Lord, as this word shows,
here begins an altogether new subject,
connected indeed with what has gone be-
fore, and even arising out of it, but yet
distinct, and complete in itself, and this is
to ask blessings. "There is not in this
verse," says Trench, "a contrast between
asking the Son, which shall cease, and ask-
ing tJie Fatlier, which shall begin, but the
first half of the verse closes the declaration
of one blessing, namely, that hereafter
they shall be so taught by the Spirit as to
have nothing further to inquire ; the second
half of the verse begins the declaration of
altogether a new blessing, that whatever
they shall seek from the Father in the
Son's name. He will give it them." He
who before had said (cha]). xiv. 13, 14,)
"Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name,
that will / do," here says, " Whatsoever
He will give it you." So complete
is the Divine unity.
Inwyname, that is, prayer offered by them
as His disciples, devoted to His interests, and
acting under His authority. Here is the war-
rant by which Christians from the earliest
times have concluded all their petitions
with the sacred name of Jesus. In His name,
through His mediation, uttering that, trust-
ing in this, ye may ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto yon. (Chap. xv. 7.)
594
J O H X .
24. Hitherto have ye asked nothingin my name : ask,
and ye shall receive, bthat your joy may be fiill.
►Chap. XV. 11.
In nuj name. While Christ was with
them, not having been exalted to His Me-
diatorial station at the right hand of God,
prayer had not been oflered through Him.
The basis on which they were to be heard
and accepted of God, was the obedience
and death of Jesus Christ, as an atonement
for sin. Hence the command now given
was an advance on that in the Sermon on
the Mount (Matt. vii. 7), the appended
clause in my name, revealing the ground
of the efficacy of prayer. " Prayer in the
name of Christ, and prayer to Christ, pre-
suppose His glorification." The disciples
had not as yet had, at least comparatively,
just views of His character as the Medi-
ator. He calls them to come henceforward
with boldness to the throne of grace, and
to "ask," when He is gone, in His name,
with the nio.st confident hopes and largest
expectations, that their joy might be full.
Christ is our Advocate, to hand our peti-
tions to the Father. "All our prayers are
})ut cyphers, till Christ's interce.ssion be
added. Cyphers in arithmetic stand for
nothing, till a figure be added, (xiv. 6, xv.
7 ; Gen. xliii. 3.)
Why is there so little of the Life of God
in our soul, or the Love of God in our
hearts, or the Peace of God in our bosoms,
or the Image of God in our lives? Chiefly
because we are so little in prayer, cordial,
fervent, humble, persevering prayer, be-
cause we talk so much about God in public,
but so little loith God in private.
25. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs :
but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto
you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the
Father.
Proverbs, that is, figurative language, not
intended to be understood by everybody,
and perhaps, for a time, not understood by
the Apostles themselves. I shall sJiow you
plainly of the Father. The proof which these
words aff"orded of His acquaintance with
their secret souls, enabled them to depend
more confidently on the promises and as-
surances which He proceeded to add. And
this conviction that Christ is acquainted
with our most secret sorrows, and is ever
ready and willing to relieve them, is indeed
the groundwork of all such comfort as re-
ligion affords amidst the troubles of life.
The promises here made to the disciples
are the treasury to which we should resort
for consolation whenever we are downcast
and perplexed; for these promises are the
heritage of God's Church in all ages.
26. 'At that day ye shall ask in my name : and I say
not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you : 27.
dFor the Father himself loveth you, because ye have
loved me, and 'have believed that I came out from
God.
<^Verse23. achap. xiv. 21, 23. •Verse 30 ; chap. iii. 13
and xvii. 8.
That day, &c. (See notes on verse 23.)
This is reconciled with what is there said, by
referring it to the commencement of that
great time-])eriod, when there still existed
the necessity of prayer for more perfect
light and knowledge. And I say not unto
you, that I will pray the Father for you. Our
Lord's words, in connection with what
follows, "for the Father Himself loveth you,"
seem plainly intended to convey this
meaning: "Not to mention or dwell on
my intercession with the Father — whiclx
will assuredly be put forth, and will as as-
suredly be successful, for the Father
always hears the Son — the love of the
Father, both to you and me, secures that
He will give you whatsoever ye ask in my
name, for He does love you, and loves you
because you love me. We are not to think
of the intercession, any more than of the
atonement, as that which makes God love
His i^eople. Both are the mediums through
which benignity, guided by wisdom, mani-
fests itself to men in consistency with — to
the glorious illustration of — the claims of
righteousness. The Father does not love
them because Christ intercedes for them.
Christ intercedes for them because they
are the Father's, the object of His peculiar
love; a love which is eternal, sovereign
and of which He can find no cause out of
Himself.
Because ye have loved me, and have believed,
&c. In a certain sense, love precedes as
well as follows faith. Each of the?e reacts
upon the other. (Chap. i. 16.) Yet prin-
cipally love is here put first, as Christ was
first speaking of love; and then He pro-
ceeds to speak of faith, in order to prepare
the way for that profession of faith which
afterward the disciples utter, and which
thus He put even into their mouth. That
I came out from. God. (See notes on next
verse.)
CHAPTER XVI
595
28. 'I came forth from the Father, and am come Into
the workl; again. I leave the world, and go to the
Father. 2i». Ili.s disciples sniil unto him, Lo, now
speakest thou plainly, ami spi:iki>st no proverb. 3(1.
Now are we sure that ^thuu kiiowest all things, and
neede.st not that any man should ask thee : by this i-we
believe that thou earnest forth from God.
fChap. xiii. 3. sChap. xxi. 17. ii Verse 27 ; chap. xvii. 8.
As Christ had before contracted the pre-
cepts of His Father (the Law, Matt.
xxii. 37^0), so here, being ready to depart.
He contracts the history of His own Hfe
(the Gospel) for the remembrance of His
disciples, saying, / came forth from the
Father, <fec. He " went out from the
Father," when He was incarnate, He
" came into the world," at His nativity :
again. He left the world, when He "was
crucified, and He went to the Father, when
He ascended. The disciples immediately
on these words tell Jesus, Lo, now speakest
thou plainly, &c. Let us beseech Him, that
it may be no parable to us, but that we
may so understand and remember His
" coming out from the Father," for love of
us, that in love to Him, we may seek to
leave the world, and follow Him to the
Father, (xiii. 3 ; Heb. xiii. 13, 14.)
Now we are sure. The emphatic now they
earnestly repeat. So delicately and efiect-
ively had the great Master suited His
words to their hearts as to convince them
anew that He knew their hearts. That
any man should ask thee, that is, " that any
should put questions to thee." The pur-
port of these words is — Thou knowest us
so perfectly, and what all our doubts and
difficulties are, as to render it unnecessary
to apply to Thee by questions.
31. Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe ?
There was a too confident expression of
their faith, to which our Lord plaintively
alludes, showing them how little they
knew their own hearts. There was no
irony, but the tone of deep solicitude and
tender affection. Would that your faith
were so confirmed that it would be proof
against all trial and temptation. But, alas,
there will soon occur that which will dis-
cover your undue confidence in your own
strength. The question was evidently
asked to put them on a full examination
of their hearts.
32. 'Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that
ye shall be scattered, tevery man to his own, and shall
leave me alone : and 'yet I am not alone, becausethe
Father is with me.
'Matt. xxvi. 31 ; Mark xiv. 27. kChap. xx. 10. 'Chap.
Viii. 29 and xiv. 10, 11.
The Saviour declares, though yet in a
proverb, that already they had entered
upon that final hour, whose close should
witness the fulfillment of the ancient pro-
phecy, " I will smite the Shepherd, and
the sheep of the flock shall be scattered
abroad," to their own homes, to their
former occupations, to seek their own
safety by a timid and almost selfish flight.
What a picture is this of desertion ! They
who had all confidently declared, while
the danger was yet distant, that they
would follow Him to prison and to death,
when the danger draws nigh, " all forsook
Him and fled."
lamnot.alone, &c. Christians, between
whom and Christ there is a relation, and
a conformity founded upon it, mayhe alone,
b^ the bereaving dispensations of Provi-
dence. But it is a blessed truth, that who-
ever dies, the Lord lives, whoever fails He
is firm. They ought often to be alone with
God. There they can hold the freest and
fullest communion with Him, there they
become acquainted with themselves, there
they shake off the influences of the world,
and there the Lord will show them His
covenant. They must die alone. But,
with David they can say, " Yea, though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil, for T/(ou art with
me : Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort
me."
33. These things I have spoken unto you, that ^in
me ye might have peace. "In the world ye shall have
tribulation : "but be of good cheer, pl have overcome
the world.
misa. ix. 6; chap. xiv. 27; Rom. v. 1 : Eph. ii. 14; Col.
i. 20. nChap. XV. 19, 20, 21 ; 2 Tim. iii. 12. "Chap. xiv. 1.
pRom. viii. 37 ; 1 John iv. 4 and v. 4.
The Saviour would not end this dis-
course with sorrowful words. The begin-
ning of it was, "Let not your heart be troub-
led." The end was, " Be of good cheer, I
have overcome the world." He does not
promise His people a prosperous life, but
He does promise them a peacefid one. In
the icorld ye shall have tribulation, but in me
ye shall have peace." This is a mystery
to the world, because they imagine that
happiness arises from prosperous circum-
stances. It is true their happiness proceeds
from nothing else, but the happiness of
the people of God flows from a 6en.se of
forgiving love and a hope of eternal
glory.
o96
JOHN.
1. What is meant by " offended ?" 2. What did Jesus predict concerning His disciples ? 3. How was it expedi-
ent for Christ to go away ? 4. Of what was the promised Comforter to reprove the world ? 5. How was He to
glorify Jesus? 6. What did our Lord say to His disciples, when they did not understand His saying, " a little
while, &c., ?" 7. What encouragement have we to " aslc " in Christ's name? 8. How is verse 28 to be under-
stood '? 9. What did Jesus ask His disciples ? 10. How have His disciples peace in Him ? 11. Why should they
be of good cheer in the tribulation through which they pass T
CHAPTER XVII.
1 Christ prayeth to Hix Father to glorify him, 6 to
preserve hli apostles, 11 inuni/y, 17 and truth, 20 to
glorify them, and all other believers with him in
heaven.
^l ^HESE words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes
j_ to heaven, and said, Father, "the hour is come,
glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee :
«Chap. xii. 23 and xiii. 32.
Having closed His conference with His
disciples, our blessed Lord proceeds to
His prayer of intercession with the Fa-
ther. " Christ, the eternal High Priest,"
says Beza, " being about to ofier Himself,
by solemn prayers consecrates Himself as
the sacrifice, and us with Him, to God the
Father. This prayer, therefore, has been
the foundation of the Church of God from
the creation of the world, is now, and will
be, to the consummation of all things."
" Plain and artless as this address sounds,
says Luther, " it is so deep, rich and wide,
that no one can find its bottom or ex-
tent."
TJiese words spake Jesus, that is, what is
related in the preceding chapters. Lifted
up his eyes to heaven. Hitherto His glance
had been horizontally directed upon His
listening Apostles, but now our Evangelist
beholds Him turn His eye upward. This is
the natural direction of the eye in prayer,
the habitation of God being regarded as
high above the firmament.
Father — the first appealing word of the
eternal intercession, simply Father, a
name of God unknown to the world be-
fore the Son revealed it. It is worthy of
notice that He does not say Our Father, for
God was His Father in a sense which could
not be shared by His disciples, nor my
Father, for this would represent Him as
praying for Himself apart from His dis-
ciples, as in Matthew xxvi. 39, 42, " but
simply Father, that great name in which
all the mystery of Redemption is summed
up."
The hour is come. Our Lord here speaks
of the hour in which He was about to
finish by His death the work which His
Father had given Him to do "on the
earth." (Comp. verse 4; chap. vii. 30, viii.
20.) This hour, the most signal in the an-
nals both of time and eternity, was mark-
ed by the union of wide extremes, by
strange contrasts and wondrous results. 1.
It was an hour of the deepest humiliation,
and yet of transcendent glory. 2. It was
marked with the greatest of human crimes,
and the most affecting displays of the Di-
vine mercy. 3. It was an hour in which
wicked men and the ever-blessed God ac-
complished opposite and contrary pur-
poses. 4. It \\Tis the hour of the triumph
and overthrow of hell. 5. It stands dis-
tinguished from every other hour, as a
point of time standiilg between the eter-
nity of the past and the future, and related
to each in a manner wdiich marks no
other from the beginning to the end of the
w^orld.
Glorify thy Son, receive thy Son to the
glorious condition in heaven which has
been appointed for Him. (Comp. Mark
xvi. 19 ; Phil. ii. 9-11.) That thy Son also
may glorify thee. The Father would be
greatly honored by the extension of the
Gospel, and the success which was to
attend it, when, after the ascension of
Jesus, the Spirit should be sent into the
world.
2. bAs thou hast given him power over all flesh, that
he .should give eternal life to as many ^as thou liast
given him.
bDan. vii. 14 ; Matt. xi. 27 and xxviii, 18 ; chap. iii. 35
and v. 27 ; 1 Cor. xv. 2.5, 27; Phil. ii. 10 ; Heb. ii. 8. ^Verses
6, 9,24- chap. vi. 37.
Christ is to be regarded here as a con-
stituted Ruler. This He is as Mediator.
Considered as the eternal Son of God, He
has a sovereign^ governing power, which,
as it was original and natural to Him, can
never b^ lost, more than the Godhead.
CHAPTER XVII.
597
(Col. i. 15, Ki; Ileb. i. 2.) But as He is
Mediator, God-man, He is a Governor, too,
by constitution. All power is given Him
both in heaven and earth. The Father
hath given all things into His hand.
(Chap. xiii. 3, on which see notes.)
That he should give eternal life. Life eter-
nal is that which Christ intends for His
peoi)le, and He will never rest satisfied till
He crown His other mercies to them with
putting them in possession of this inesti-
mablogift. To as many, &c. (See verse 6,
also chap. vi. 37, 38, &c.) In the original
it is in the neuter gender, the better to
express the universality of the proposition
All, and everything that the Father gave
Him in the covenant of redemption, what-
ever kind of people they are, Jews or Gen-
tiles, bond or free ; and not only all of
them, but all, that is in every one, the
whole man, soul and body, as the Saviour
intimates also in saying (chap. vi. 40), that
"He will raise them uj) at the last day,"
which must be understood of the body ;
and so " all that the Father gave to Him,
ehall come to Him," wholly, entirely,
without any exceiDtion or reserve. (1 Thes.
v. 23.)
3. And dthis is life eternal, that they might know
thee 'the only true God, and Jesus Christ, 'whom tjiou
hast sent.
ilsa.liii.il; Jer. ix. 24. «1 Cor. viii. 4: 1 Thes. i. 9.
'Chap. iii. U, v. 36, 37, vi. 29, 57, vii. 29, x. 36 and xi. 42.
This is life eternal, &c. That is, not only
the way to eternal life, but also the be-
ginning and first rudiments of it, seeing
the same knowledge, when completed, or
the full beatific vision of God, is eternal
life in its fullness and perfection. TJiat
they might know thee, &c. To " hnoui the
only true God," is to acknoM'ledge that
the true God so loved the world, tliat He
gave His only begotten Son, that whoso-
ever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life," and has com-
mitted the whole work of salvation into
His hands, and withal so to acknowledge
Him vnth effect, as not only, in return for
this love, to worship God with our whole
heart and mind, but also to seek our sal-
vation from this love of God bj' His Son.
To knoiv Christ is to know Him as a Sa-
viour, the sole Giver of salvation, and
cordially to worship and receive Him as
such.
Some have used this verse, but utterly
in vain, to impugn the doctrine of the
Divinity of Christ. (See verses 2, 5.) That
Jesus here speaks of the only true God, in
distinction from idols, and not to the ex-
clusion of Himself appears from His
speaking of Himself, as the object of the
same fiducial knowledge with the Father,
and from His distinguishing Himself from
the Father, not by any essential title, but
merely by His oflice— character, viz. : Jesus
CJirist, whom thou hast sent. (See Dent. xxii.
12; Judg. X. IG; 1 Sam. vii. 3; Ps. Ixxxi.
9; Isa. Ixiii. 11.) And the same Apostle
who recorded this prayer expressly says
of Christ, Tliis is the true God, and eternal
life, in opposition to idols. (1 John v.
20, 21.)
4. Bl have glorified thee on the earth : hj have finish-
ed the work which thou gavest me to do.
BChap. xiii. 31 and xiv. 13. ^Chap. iv. 34, v. 36, ix. 3
and xix. 30.
Jesusglorified His Fatherby the doctrine
which He preached, by the miracles which
He wrought, by the unspotted purity and in-
nocence of His life, and by His unparallel-
ed sufTmngs at His death. I have finished
the worb, &c. That is, I am now about to
finish it. He speaks of what He had re-
solved to do as already done.
Observe, 1. That this work of redemption
is work that glorifies God. 2. That every
man has his work, his proper work, as-
signed him by God. 3. This work must be
finished here upon earth. 4. That, when
we have done our proportion of work, we
may expect our proportion of reward. 5.
That it is a blessed thing at the hour of
death to be able to say in sincerity and
uprightness, that we have glorified God in
the world, and have finished the work
which He appointed us to do. 6. As the
one offering of Himself by Jesus was suf-
ficient, a great indignity is put upon Him.
by any attempt to add to His M'ork. We
want no penance, no purgatory — His blood
cleanseth from all sin. We want no me-
diator, no patron — but our " Advocate
with the Father." 7. Christ's finished
work should relieve and encourage us
under all our imperfections. We ought to
be humbled for our deficiencies, and we
shall deeply bewail them before God if
our hearts are right with Him. But
the foundation of our hope lies not here.
We glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus
598
JOHN
Christ. We live through Him. We are
• accepted in the Beloved. We are com-
plete in Him.
5. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own
self with the glory kwhich I had witli tliee before the
world was.
kChap. i. 1, 2, X. 30 and xiv. 9; Phil. ii. 6; Col. i. 1.5, 17 :
Heb. i. 3, 10.
In this passage our Lord speaks of glory-
in reference to the future and the past. He
refers to the future when He prays that
His Father would now glorify Him, that
is, after His sufferings, He refers to the
past, when He says that He had glory with
the Father before the world began. The
import of the prayer is, that His original
glory might be manifested in a particular
manner, or after a temporary obscuration.
We have here an answer to an objection,
that Christ cannot be conceived to pray for
the same state of glory which, on the sup-
position of His pre-existence (which is
here undeniably taught) He enjoyed be-
fore His humiliation, because it had never
been lost. But it had been concealed from
the eyes of men by His voluntary abase-
ment, and it would be displayed in a new
light, by His exaltation in our nature to
the throne of the universe, and by the re-
sult of His administration in the perfec-
tion and eternal happ>iness of His peo2)lc.
6. 'I have manifested thy name unto the men mwhich
thou gavest me out of the world : thine they were, and
thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
iVerse '.;6: Ps. xxii. 22. "Verses 2, 9, 11; chap. vi. 37,
39, X. 29 and xv. 19.
From praying for Himself the Saviour
now comes to pray for His disciples. How
did the disciples feel Avhen they heard
their beloved Master speak of them to His
Father ; for tliey must have known it was
of them He spake, when He said, "Themc7i
v:hom thou gavest me, &.c. Are the Apostles
the onhj men that the Father has given to
the Son? Blessed be His name, they are
not. They were representative men, the
whole body of believers are also included
in the words. An innumerable multitude
have, as provided for in the economical
counsels of the Divine Three, been given
to the Son, as the fruit of His infinite suf-
ferings.
Thy name — thy whole character toward
mankind. I have manifested. " I have
brought it into light, and caused it to shine
in itself and to illumine others." Nature
showed a little in creation — the Mosaic
dispensation more in revelation, but the
full manifestation of God, His nature, and
attributes, came only by Christ. Thou
gavest me. None are given to Christ but
those that were first the Father's. The
character of the Father is not merely ex-
ternally, but internally, savingly manifes-
ted in the souls of Christ's followers. The
practice which they pursue, is thus stated,
" TJicy have kejjt thy word." By the Word
of God, we are to understand the Divine
law, and all the ordinances of His appoint-
ment. This implies, 1. TJie reception of it.
We cannot be said to keep that which we
have not previously received. 2. Obedience
to it. They keep it so as to reduce it to
practice. 3. ConVmuance in it. The disci-
ples had kept God's Word pure' from the
doctrines and commandments of men, and
persevered in it, and so must we.
7. Now they have known that all things whatsoever
thou hast given me are of thee.
That all things, &c. That is (appears
from the next ver-se), that all " words "
(the doctrines), whatsoever Thou hast
commissioned me to speak, are indeed
from Thee. There is nothing in the orig-
inal answering to the word things. The
Apostles had learned and recognized that
these doctrines were not fabricated by
Jesus, but given from God.
8. For I have given unto them the words "which thou
gavest me; and they have received them, eund have
known surely that I came dut Irom thee, and they liave
believed that thou didst send me.
"Chap. viil. 28, xii. 49 and xiv. 10. oVerse 25 ; chap,
xvi. 27, 30.
"If any man will do His will," said our
Lord once before, "he shall know of the
doctrine whether it be of God." (vii. 17.)
This was realized in the case of these dis-
ciples. They walked according to the light
they had, and they received more light.
They Wiilked faithfully, and to them was
given the assurance of faith, (xv. 15.)
They were obedient, and therefore they
were blessed ; for, "Blessed are they that
hear the Word of God and keep it." So
that they could say, each one, "I know in
whom I have believed;" for, "He that
hath, to him shall be given, and he shall
have more abundance."
9. I pray for them : pi pray not for the world, hut for
them which thou hast given me; lor they are thine.
pl John v. 19.
The word in the original is not so much,
"Ipray," as "I ask," or '■' make request," and
so, in verse 20. For them — not as individ-
uals merely, but as representatives of all
CHAPTER XVII,
599
Biich in every succeeding age. (See
verse 20, and notes.) Not far the world —
for they had been given Him "o«< of the
world." (Verse G.) "In that prayer for
eternal life," says Hooker, "which our
Saviour knew could not be made without
effect, He excepteth them for whom lie
knew His sufferings would be frustrate,
and commendeth unto God His own. (See
Matt. XXV. 34 ; Rom. viii. 33.)" The simple
sentiment which is here after the manner
of John expressed positively and negative-
» ly, is that the world in its state of unbelief
and rebellion against God, is not included
in the intercessory jirayer which Christ is
now offering. This does not however
imply any decree of exclusion, by which
they who are of the world are debarred
from salvation by Him. The idea is simply
that the intercessory prayer of Jesus em-
braces those only who are the actual sub-
jects of His redeeming love. It cannot be
denied, however, that His omniscient eye
ran down the ages of time, and took in at
one comprehensive glance, not only His
disciples who then surrounded Him, but
also all those " who should believe on Him
through their word." (Verse 20.) For they
are thine, this is stated, as the reason or
ground, why the Father could give them
to the Son in the compact of redc>mption.
They were His, not simjily as His creatures,
but in the embrace of His everlasting
love.
10. And all mine are thine, and qtliine are mine, and
I am glorified in them.— qChap. xvi. 13.
These are very high and strong expres-
sions, too grand for any mere creature to
use, as implying that all things whatsoever,
inclusive of the Divine nature, perfections
and operations, are the common property
of the Father and the Son. And this is the
original ground of that i:)eculiar property,
which both the Father and the Son have
in the persons given to Christ as Mediator.
The words, a?id I am glorified in (hem, cohere
closely with the last words of verse 9. We
are reminded thereby that Christ is glori-
fied in His saints, by their life (1 Cor. x.
31), and by their death. (John xxi. 19.)
11. 'And now T am no more in the world, but these
-- are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Fatlier,
•keep throush thine own name those whom thou hast
given trie, 'that they may be one, "as we are.
'Cliap. xiii. 1 and xvi. 28. »! Peter i. 5; Jude 1. «Verse
21, &c. "Chap. X. 30.
No more in the world. " I am just going to
leave the world, and therefore they shall
stand in need of peculiar assistance and.
support. Though my struggles are at an '
end, theirs arc not; though I have gotten
beyond the scenes of strife, I cannot sever
myself in si)irit from them, left behind and
only just entering on their great conflict."
Holy Father, an expression He nowhere else
uses. " Father," is His wonted appellation,
but "Holy" is here prefixed, because His
appeal was to that perfection of the Fath-
er's nature, to "keep" or preserve them
from being tainted by the unholy atmos-
phere of "the world" they were still on.
Through thine oivn name — rather, " in Thy
name," in the exercise of that gracious and
holy character for which He was known.
Those whom thou hast given me. (See notes
on verses 2, 8, 9.) That they may be one, &c.
"Sin," says Leighton, "broke all to pieces,
man from God, and men from one another.
Christ's work in the world was union. To
make up these breaches He came down,
and began the union which was His work,
in the wonderful union made in His per-
son that was to work it, making God and
man one. And as the nature of man was
reconciled, so, by what He performed, the
persons of men are united to God. Faith
makes them one with Christ, and He
makes them one with the. Father, and
hence results this oneness among them-
selves, concentering and meeting in Jesus
Christ, and in the Father through Him,
they are made one together."
12. While I w.Ts with them in the world, 'I kept them
in thy name : tlmsi! tliut tliciu gavest me I have kept,
and jnone ot tlicin is Idst, 'bnt tlie son of perdition:
"that tlie Scripture might be fuifiUed.
^Chap. vi. 39 and x. 28; Heb. ii. 13. .'Chap, xviii. 9 ;
1 John ii. 19. iChaiJ. vi. 70 and xili. 18. "Ps. cix. 8;
Acts i. 20.
While I was. The word is proleptically
used, as Christ had not yet actually left
them. It will be seen that the great stand-
point of this prayer is, by way of anticipa-
tion, after His glorification had commen-
ced. / kept them in thy name, I jireserved
them in the knowledge and love of Thy-
self, through my teaching and care. Those
that thou gavest me, &c. (See notes on ver-
ses 2, 6, 11, 12.) In the preceding verses
those who were given to Christ are stated
to have " kept His word," and believed in
Him :" but Judas had always been a hypo-
crite, and was now a traitor and apostate,
and therefore Christ could not mean to in-
600
JOHN
elude him in that number, (vi. 66-71 ;
. verses 70, 71, xiii. 18, 30, verses 18, 21, 27-30.)
And if in this verse we understand by
those " ^iven to Christ," such as were
given Him to be His Apostles, without
reference to faith, or " the election of
grace," we cannot explain the preceding
verses in that sense, because they are veri-
tied in none but true believers, of which
number Judas never had been.
The son of perdition. (2 Thes. ii. 3, 4.)
" The son of perdition " signifies one, who
deservedly perishes. Tliat the Scripture
might be fulfilled. The Scripture was ful-
filled, the sin of Judas was foreseen in
God's counsel, and foretold in His Word,
and the event would certainly follow after
the prediction as a consequence, though it
cannot be said to follow from it as an effect.
(See Ps. xH. 9, Ixix. 25, cix. 8.) Most
modern commentators are of opinion that
our Lord has no particular passage in view
(as Ps. iv. 10, which He at another time
applies to this purpose, in John xiii. 18),
but rather alludes to the prophecies in gen-
eral concerning His Passion.
13. And now I come to thee ; and these things I speak
In the world, that they might luive my joy fulfilled in
themselves.
In the v^orld. For as yet He teas in it,
but was just going to leave it and go unto
the Father. -His last words, considering
their conduct, might have been reproach-
ful, or at least reproving : but the things
He now spoke were adapted to encourage,
and designed to comfort them. " My joy."
Observe its nature. This joy is not the joy
which Christ has, when He sees the tra-
vail of His soul, and is " satisfied," but the
joy of which He is the medium, author,
source, and only source. These things I
speak tJiat, &c. The joy of the be-
liever is not a visionary thing. It is not
the produce of delusion or ignorance. It
flows from conviction, it appeals to the
word of the Saviour. Observe the meas-
ure of this joy — " fulfilled in themselves."
They possessed it already, but defectively.
In conversion a good work is begun, but
it is carried on until the day of Christ.
Christian experience is progressive. Some
from various preventions have little of the
pleasures of religion, others walk in the
comforts of the Holy Ghost. Observe,
also, the importance of this joy, as attested
by the concern our Saviour here expresses.
He knew the importance of this possession
— to the honor of our religion and the re-
commendation of the ways of godliness to
others — to our zeal and activity in the
Divine life — to our weanedness from the
world — to our support in trouble, and our
comfort in the valley of the shadow of
death.
1). ^1 have given them thy word, cand the world hath
hated tliem : because they are not of the world, ^even
as I am not of the world.
b Verses. =Chap. xv. IS 19; IJohn iii. 13. iChap. viii.
23 ; verse 16.
And. The things connected are, to re- *
ceive God's Word, and to be hated by the
world. Fidelity in following and preach-
ing the Word of God in its purity is incon-
sistent with the friendship of the world.
There is no danger of being hated by the
world, when, through fear of displeasing
it, we abstain either from following the
way of truth or from teaching it, for from
the time that we act thus, we ourselves
are of the world. (See on verse IG ; also
on chap. xv. 18-25.)
15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of
the world, but ^that thou shouldest keep them frona the
evil.
eMatt. vi. 13; Gal. i. 4; 2 Thes. iii. 3; 1 John v. U.
I pray not, &.c. The world being contin-
ually vexatious and troublesome to the
followers of Christ, they may, perhaps,
frequently desire to be taken out of it, and
placed " where the wicked cease from
troubling, and the weary are at rest." But
though the difficulties, trials and suffer-
ings, to which His disciples would be ex-
posed, would be many and great, yet Jesus
did not thus pray for them. He knew it
would neither be for His glory, nor for the
good of mankind, nor for their own ad-
vantage, that they should be taken out of
the world. (See 1 Peter ii. 9 ; Matt. v. 14,
xiii. 33 ; 1 Cor. iii. 8 ; Rev. xxii. 12, xx. 12;
Heb. vi. 10 ; Gal. vi. 7-10.) Observe, 1. It
is theprovinceof Godto take us out of the
world. " In His hand thy breath is, and
His are all thy ways." 2. This world is a
proper situation for the righteous to live
in for a season. By their remaining here
the wic^ked have instances of religion be-
fore them, which encourage as well as
condemn. It is in the very nature of re-
ligion to render Christians active in doing
good. The state of society, bad as it is,
would be far worse, not to say intolerable.
CHAPTER XVII.
601
were the righteous to be withdrawn, and
the Hcentiousness of sinners to be no long-
er repressed, or counteracted by their re-
buke, their example, and their intluence.
3. There is evil in the world to which
Christians are exposed, and by which they
may be injured. Thci-e is the evil of de-
structive error. There is Satan mIio de-
sires to " sift them as wheat." (Luke xxii.
31.) There is evil from the snares of the
■world, whether of prosperity or adversity,
or those laid by the people of it, and from
the tribulation of it. 4. The Divine pro-
tection is essential to their security. Noth-
ing equals the dependence of the Christian:
but herein lie all his spiritual resources,
for when he " is weak, then he is strong."
"When in himself he can do nothing, he
forms an alliance with Omnipotence, and
can do all things. 5. It is encouraging to
remember that our Lord and Saviour
prays for our preservation. " He is able
to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by Him, seeing He ever
liveth to make intercession for them."
Ifi. fThey are not of the world, even as I am not of
the world.— fVurse 14.
Of. This sentiment is exj^ressed also in
verse 14, but in a different order of words,
which simply shows the cause of the
world's hatred, and accords with the next
verse, 15. Here, however, not of tlie xrorld
stands as the reason why Jesus invoked
for them His Father's protecting care.
Their virtual separation from the world,
even while yet living in it, which was
there implied, is rendered in this reitera-
tion of the words, more prominent and
impressive. Their separation from the
world was in one sense as real, as though
they had been removed out of it. (Phil,
iii. 20.) The non-conformity of believers
with the world, and their conformity with
Christ is a sure pledge that the Father
will keep them from the evil of the world,
and that they will not lose the good things
which grace has begun in them, for this is
an argument why He should " keep them
from the evil.'
17. sSantify them through thv truth : hthy word is
truth.
sChap. XV. S : Acts x v. 9 ; Eph. v. 26 : 1 Peter i. 22. '■2
Sam. vii. 28 ; Ps. cxix. 142, 151 ; chap. viii. 40.
Sanctification, or being renewed, and
made like to God, is a necessity. (2Thes.
ii. 3.) It is so, 1. As being correspondence
to the Divine character. 2. As arising
from the command of God which is found
in every part of the Divine record. 3. In
order to evince our faith and union to
Christ. Faith without purity is vain. 4.
For the advancement of God's glory. It
is not to be expected that anything but a
holy Christian can be instrumental and
beneficial in advancing the cause of relig-
ion in the world. 5. For the peace of our
minds. Without purity there can be tio
]ieace. 6. In order to (pudify us for the
heavenly kingdom. "We must be like God
if we would be happy in eternity, there
must be a mcetness for heaven, as well as a
title to heaven. (Lev. xix. 2, xx. 7, xxi. 8,
&c.) Sanctify them, &c., not initiallj^ for
so they were sanctified already, but pro-
gressively : let thein increase more and
more in grace and holiness. Learnhence,
1. That such as are already sanctified,
ought to pray and strive for higher degrees
of sanctification. 2. The Word of God is
the great instrument in His hand for His
people's sanctification. " TJiy truth."
There is an emi^hasis in the appropriation
— thy truth : for it is not every kind of
truth that sanctifies, but the truth of God:
" the truth as it is in Jesus." It is by the
Word of truth, either communicated in
writing, or addressed orally to men, that
the church has been extended, and that
the salvation of individuals in that church
is promoted, and their relation to Christ,
their turning to God, their growth in
grace, their establishment in peace, purity
and meetness for heaven, secured. Divine
truth conduces to our sanctification, by
the holy objects of contemjslation it re-
veals, by the powerful motives it presents,
by the excellent examples it exhibits, and
by the Spirit of holiness that attends it,
for His influence is necessary to the suc-
cess even of His own Word. 3. That the
Word of God is a Divine truth, an eternal
truth, an infallible truth, an holy truth.
(See notes on verse 19.)
18. iAs thou hast sent me into the world, even so
have I also sent them into the world.— 'Chap. xx. 21.
Here the Saviour draws a gracious anal-
ogy between His mission from the Father
and their mission from Him, that this
latter may likewise be an object of inter-
est to Him. The Apostles had the same
602
JOHN.
commission which Christ had, considered
as man — tliey were endued with the
same Spirit, and His "Word tlirough them
was accompanied with even the same suc-
cess.
19. And Tor their sakes I sanctify myself, that they
also miglit be sanctilied through the truth,
tl Cor. i. 2, 30 ; 1 Thes. iv. 7 ; Heb. x. 10.
I sanctify myself. The word to sanctify
does not here mean to renovate or purify,
but to consecrate or devote. Jesus could
not be sanctified in the former sense, be-
cause His nature was not depraved or de-
filed by sin. Under the law, when per-
sons or things were dedicated to God, tliey
were considered as hallowed or holy, and
to use them for any common purpose was
to profane them. Thus Jesus consecrated
Himself to be an atonement to make re-
conciliation for the sins of the peo^sle. He
here gives us a glimpse of the nobleness
and the blessedness of doing, and denying
one's self, anything for others' sake :
" Even as the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to
give His life a ransom for many." What
if one suffer and almost sacrifice himself
for others' good ? This is Christ-like.
That they also might be sanctified. This
sanctification difiers much from the form-
er. It does indeed take in the notion of
dedication, but it also denotes renovation
and purification. At present, indeed, the
work is not complete, but it is begun, and
is advancing. " That they also might be
sanctified." This shows us what a con-
nection our sanctification has with the
sacrifice of Christ. Observe,!. How pre-
cious and invaluable must Christ have
deemed this sanctification, since He con-
sidered nothing too great or expensive to
procure it for us. 2. They do not imj^rove
His death aright w'ho seek from it hope
but not holiness. 3. Those are badly in-
structed in the mystery of sanctification
who think to gain it from some slavish,
legal, superstitious, self-righteous methods
of their own, instead of repairing to the
sufferings of Christ, the only fountain
opened for sin and uncleanness.
20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also
which shall believe on me through their word ;
"I pray for these," says our Lord — that
is, for the Apostles, but He adds, " I pray
not only for them, buL for tlwm alio," &c.
He extended His view through all coming
time, and embraced in His intercession all
who should become His followers. " We
maj' justly write this comfortable text in
letters of gold," says Luther, "as it relates
to all. For it is our glory and consolation,
our treasure and pearl, so that for us
Gentiles the whole Scriptures do not af-
ford a more comfortable saying than this.
(Isa. liv. 6-14)."
21. 'That they all maybe one, as n>thou, Father, ar«
in me, and I in thee, that they also maj' be one in us :
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
iVerses 11, 22, 23 ; chap. x. IG ; Eom. xii. 5 ; Gal. iii. 28.
niChap. X. 38 aud xiv. 11.
" This prayer," says Dr. Chalmers, " was
made for the establishment, not only of
such a real, but of such an ostensil^le
unity among Christians as could be seen
by the world, and as might lead the world
to believe in the mission of our Saviour."
" The special mercy and particular bless-
ing which Christ jorays for on behalf of
believers," reinarhs Bjirkitt, "is a close and
intimate union betwixt the Father, Him-
self and them, and also betwixt one
another, such an union as doth in some
sort resemble that union which is betwixt
God and Christ — not an unity of essence
and nature, but of wills and affections.
Here Christ intimates one special advan-
tage that would redound to the world by
this desirable union betwixt the ministers
and members of Christ, it will, if not con-
vert, yet at least convince the world that I
and my doctrine came from God." The
following testimonies of eminent theolo-
gians on the union of Christians will be
read with interest : " He has not the loye
of God, who does not seek the union of the
Church." — Augustine.
" I confess I would rather, much rather,
spend all my time and days in making up
and healing the breaches and schisms that
are amongst Christians, than one hour in
justifying our divisions even therein,
wherein on the one side they are capable
of a just defense." — Owen. " Thousands
have been drawn to Popery, and confirm-
ed in it by the divisions of Protestants.
We take the position and believe it tena-
ble, that the Gospel cannot accomplish its
great triumph and collect the redeemed
from every land, until the law of Christ be
fulfilled by these Protestant sects
I can as willingly be a martyr for Love, as
CHAPTER XVII.
603
for any article of the Creed."— Baxter. " O,
how do I long to see bigotry and party
zeal taken away, and all the Lord's ser-
vants more knit together ! Would that all
the names among the saints of God were
swallowed up in that one of Christian." —
Whitfield. " Believers are often tied with
pack-threads by their little fingers, into
small unions, but the great unity which
binds their hearts together, and will last,
when the pack-threads shall be destroyed
by a touch of the fire, is their unity in the
Son of God. Comparatively speaking, I
see no other sectarianism worth fighting
for, and they who fight well for that, en-
during hardness as good soldiers of Jesus
Christ, have but little leisure or inclination
for the small and unpurposed business of
subaltern skirmishes and squabbles. — Rev.
J. M. Mason, D.D. "That which gives
life to Churches is not their diversities of
government, or worship, or of discipline,
but that " most holy faith " which is com-
mon to them all The union of all
true Christians ! That is the Reformation
of the nineteenth century." — Rev. J. II.
Merle UAubigne, D.D. (See on next verse.)
22. And the glory which thou gavestme I have given
them, "that they liiay be one, even as we are one : 23. I
in them, and tliou in me, "that they may be made per-
fect in one; and that the world may know that tiiou
hast sent me, and hast loved them a,s thou ha-st loved
me.— "Chap. xiv. 20 ; 1 John i. 3 and iii. 24. oCol. iii. 14.
The glory which thou gavest (" hast given ")
me, &c. The last clause of verse 22 shows
the meaning of the first. It is not the
future glory of the heavenly state, but the
secret oi ihsd, present unity just before spo-
ken of, the glory, therefore, of the indwelling
Spirit of Christ, the glory of an accepted
state, of a holy character, of every grace.
May be one — for that " glory " has its
source in a spark of Divine love in the
heart, and that love melts into one its
various possessors, so that there is one
love, one glory, one Church. Even as we
arc one. F.vincing, asthe Father and the Son
had always done, the same great aim and
plan, not pursuing different interests, or
counteracting each other's purposes, or
forming parties, but seeking the same ends
by the same means. This is the union be-
tween the Father and the Son. Always
in the creation, preservation and redemp-
tion of the world, they have sought the
same object. And this is to be the model
on which Christians should act. Consider
1 Cor. X. 16, 17, where the participation of
Christ in the Lord's Supper is noticed as
the very condition of that oneness of be-
lievens, of which our Saviour here, for the
third time, speaks.
I in them, and thou in me, &.C. Observe,
1. Christ takes up His abode in His
people by His Spirit, so that they become
one with Him. 2. The Father dwells in
Christ, not only as He is one God with
Him, but also as He is man, in whom the
fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, so
highly is our nature dignified in His Per-
son. (See notes on verse 26.) ?>. Although
there can be no union between God and'
fallen man immediately, yet through
Christ this union is made up, and Christ
being in us as believers, and we united to
Him, the Father also, in Him, is in us, and
we in Him. 4. It is by our union with
Christ, and with God through Him, that
our union among ourselves is perfected.
5. Whatever excellence the Lord confers
upon every particular believer, j'et their
perfection consists in their union among
themselves, and with Christ their Head
and Fountain, and with the Father in His
fullness through Him, for no one member
has the perfection of the whole body, but
of a part only, nor has it that perfection
separate from the body, but in it, and
being united with it, to supply its own
proper function; and the whole bod\% thus
united, has its i:)erfection in and from
Christ and the Father.
That the world may knoio, &c. When they
shall see the concord and agreement of
Christians in doctrine, worship and affec-
tion. Too little is it considered how
necessary the union of believers is to con-
vince the world of the excellency of Christ
and His doctrine, hence it is again here
referred to as a forcible argument ^Dressing
this union. And hast loved them, Ac. Every
page almost in the Bible breathes forth
this mystery of Divine Love. As it is fre-
quently inculcated, so is it no less strongly
represented.
24. pFather, I will that they also, whom thou hast
given me. he with me %vhere I am, that they may be-
hold my glory, which thou hast given me: q.or thou
lovPdst"me belbre the foundation of the world.
fChap. xii. 20 and .xiv. 3: 1 Thes. iv. 17. q Verse 5.
Here is our Lord's petition for the glori-
fication of His people. Father, I will, is a
604
JOHN
remarkable expression. Who but God
could with propriety have spoken thus to
God? Yet there is nothing authoritative,
nothing imperious here. It is rather the
language of a dying testator, willing away
possessions -which were His own to
give. I will this to my people. I will
that they spend an eternity in my pres-
ence and glory; such is my love to them,
that heaven will not content me unless
they •' be with me where I am." Tliat
they also, vhom thou hast given me, &.C. Six
times in this chapter does Christ describe
His people as "they whom Thou hast
given me." (See on verses 2, 6, 9.) Beuith
me ichcre lam, that is, in His Father's house
with Flim. The Saviour thus prays as if His
happiness would be incomplete, the tra-
vail of His soul unsatisfied, if every mem-
ber of His beloved family were not with
Him, if even the youngei-t, weakest, feeblest
were not there, lliat they may heliold my
glory, is to be constructed with be with me
where I am, and not with I uill, as is done
by some expositors. The verb see in this
connection has the idea also of partake.
" No mere spectator could see his glory."
— Alford. (Comp. Rom. viii. 17-39; 1 Cor.
xiii. 12 ; 2 Cor. iii. 18 ; 1 John iii. 2.) Which
thou hast given me, refers to His Mediato-
rial glory. His essential glory being that
which can neither be given nor taken away.
For thou lovedst me, &c. Christ reminds
the Father of His love to Him before the
world was. When there was no eartli,no
sun, no man, no angel — when He was by
Him — then Thou lovedst me. Who can
understand this love, the love of the un-
created God to His uncreated Son ? There
is everything in Christ to draw the love
of His Father. The Saviour's argument is
this: If Thou love me do this for my peo-
ple, for they are part of me. See how
Christ's prayer will be answered for you,
Christians ! He does not plead that you
are good and hol)% He does not plead that
you are worthy. He only pleads His own
loveliness in the eyes of the Father. Look
not on them. He says, but look on me.
Thou lovedst me before the foundation of
the world. Learn to use the same argu-
ment with God. This is asking in Christ's
name — for the Lord's sake — this is the
prayer that is never refused.
25. Origliteous Father, nhe world hath not known
tliee ; but »I have known thee, and Hhese have known
that thou hast sent me.
'Chap. XV. 21 and xvi. 3. »Chap. vii. 29, viii. 55 and x.
15. tverse 8 ; Chap. xvi. 27.
O righteous Father. This is the sixth
time that Christ in this prayer has called
God, Father. In verse 11, when praying
for His people's sanctification. He said,
Holy Father, making use of that attribute
which is the cause of all holiness in the
creature, but now, praying for their glorifi-
cation, He says, 0 righteous Father, righ-
teous in making good Thy promises both
to me and them. The icorld hath not knoun
thee, that is, hath not known Thee aright,
the unbelieving and unsanctihed part of
the world having no saving knowledge of
God, not living answerably to what they
knew to be their duty. Did they but
know Thee, they ^ould not but love Thee.
This is the Saviour's brief word of appeal
to the just God against a rejecting world.
But I have hwwn thee. Christ knew
the Father so as no one else ever did,
knew on what grounds He went in His
undertaking, knew His Father's mind in
everything, and therefore, in His prayer,
came to Him with confidence, as we do to
one we know.
And these have knoun, &c. Hereby they
are distinguished from the unbelieving
world. Note, 1. To know and believe in
Christ, in the midst of a Avorld that per-
sists in ignorance and infidelity, is highly
pleasing to God, and shall certainly be
crowned with distinguishing glory. Sin-
gular faith qualifies for singular favors. 2.
It is the great sin of the unbelieving
world that they do not know God. What-
ever knowledge they pretend to have,
they have no solid impression of it. They
do not know God in Christ practically and
savingly, and therefore all they know be-
side is nothing. They do not love God,
and true knowledge, in Scripture language,
imports also love. They do not practice
what they know.
2fi. "And I have declared unto them thy name, and
will declare it, that the love ^wherewith thou hast
loved me may be in them, and I in them.
"Verse 6 ; chap. xv. 15. ^Chap. xv. 9.
Here is a reference to past instructions
and future tuition yet to be enjoyed. TJiy
name. By the name of God here is par-
ticularly meant His will and purpose con-
cerning our salvation, and His grace and
CHAPTER XVII
605
mercy therein displayed. Can we imagine
anything more important than the truths
onr Lord came to reveal? I have declared.
Christ revealed God's name when He was
upon earth in Ilis own person, but now
that He is in heaven, He does it by the
instrumentality of others. He does it ex-
ternally by the Word — internally by His
Spirit. The Spirit illumines the mind,
takes away the veil of ignorance from
tlie heart, and causes the true light to
shine.
And will declare it. Here is an intima-
tion of the progressive manner in which
the revelation of the character of God is
communicated. By the outpouring of the
influences of His S^nrit, He taught the
disciples nnich more after He left the
world. So He carries on the work of in-
struction now in the minds of His people.
•"They shall go from strength to strength."
"He that hath, to him shall be given, and
he shall have more abundance." " If any
man will do His will, he shall know of the
doctrine whether it be of God." Have we
learned of Christ ? There are three marks
belonging to such: they have been taught
the evil of sin in the school of the law, the
love of Christ in the school of the Gospel,
and the lesson of patience in the school
of affliction.
TJiat the love wherewith thou hast loved me
may be in them, and I in them, may be cher-
ished towar-rf them, that they may share in
the love which Thou hast bestowed on me.
This would be a consequence of their re-
ceiving increased knowledge of the Father,
and of being influenced by that knowledge
to a stronger affection and confidence to-
ward the Saviour.
And I in them. There are two kinds of
union between Christ and His people — a
legal union and a spiritual, or, as it is
sometimes called, a mystical union, so
called because the union is obscure or
mysterious. The legal union is that which
was formed between Christ and Hisi^ooiile,
when He was appointed their federal
head — an union in law, in consequence of
which He represented them and was re-
sponsible for them. The spiritual union
is that which is formed in regeneration,
and is the foundation of communion with
Christ in the blessings of His purchase.
(See Eph. i. 4, 6, 11,13; Col. i. 24; Kom.
vi. 3, 4; Col. ii. 12; Eom. vi. 5, 6, 8; Gal.
ii. 20; Phil. iii. 9; John xv. 5; 1 Peter ii.
4, 6.) " The relation of discipleship in the
primitive Church," says Prof. Lewis, " was
a reality affecting other aspects of Christian
truth. Christ was in the Christian, as He
was in the Church His earthly body. It
was no figure employed to represent a
mere following or discij^leship. His life
was in their life. Hence His sufierings
were their sufferings, His resurrection not
only the pledge but the ground of the new
life then working in their souls, and des-
tined eventually to quicken their immor-
tal bodies, and so His satisfaction to law
was their satisfaction, His obedience their
obedience. His righteousness their right-
eousness imputed to them rightly, because
it was really theirs as it was really His.
They were Christophori, Christ-bearers."
The Spirit of Christ actually dwells in the
souls of believers, and by faith they re-
ceive not only the benefits of Christ but
Himself. Hence He is said to live in
them, and they ai'e said to abide in Him.
1. What didJesus, as He lifted up His eyes to heaven, say? 2. What is "life eternal?" 3. Did Christ finish
the worlc that had been given Ilini to do ? .4. Had He glory with the Father before the world was ? 5. Explain
verses 9-11. 6. What is meant by the words " that tliey may be one, as we are?" 7. What is said about tlie sou
of perdition ? 8. Why did Jesus pray not that His disciples might be tal:en out of tiie wt)rld ? 9. How are
Christians sanctified? 10. How is verse 21 to be understood ? 11. What does Christ asli lor tliose whom the
Father has given Him ? 12. Explain verses 25 and 2G.
606
JOHN.
CHAPTER XVIII.
1 Judas betray rth Jesus. 6 The officers fall to the
around. 10 Peter smitelfi off Malchun' car. 12 Jesus
is taken, and led unto Annas and Caiaphas. 15 Peter's
dtnial. 19 Jesus examined before Caiaphas. 2S JIui
arraignment before Pilate. 30 Jlis kittgdom. 40 I'he
Jcivs ask Bar abbas to be let loose.
WHEN Jesus had spoken these words, "he went
IbrtU with his disciples over ' the brook Cedrou,
wliere w;u3 a {jarden, into the which he entered, and his
disciples.
»Matt. xxvi. 30; Mark.\iv. 32; Lukexxli. 39. b2Sam.
XV. 23.
The brook Cedron flowed through a deej)
vale to the east of Jerusalem. "The first
breach," says an eminent theologian, "that
the enemy made into the city, was at the
brook Cedron, where they took Christ,
and on the same day that Christ was taken,
was the city taken, on the same feast day,
at the same feast of the year. The Empe-
ror commanded the Jews to be whipped
there, where they had whipped Christ.
Thirty Jews were sold for a penny, as they
sold Christ for thirty pence."
2. And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the
place : <^for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his dis-
ciples. 3. JJudas then, having received a band of men
and officers from the cliiet' priests and Pharisees, Com-
eth thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.
cLuke xxi. 37 and xxii. 39. dMatt. xxvi. 47, on which
see notes ; Mark xiv. 43 ; IiUke xxiL 47 ; Acts i. 16.
Knew the place, &c. What an aggravation
of the guilt of Judas! The place, which,
of all others, should have been hallowed
in his mind by the most sacred associations,
the very spot in which his Divine Master
had by His example "taught him how to
pray," was the scene of his black and
monstrous deed of ingratitude and hypoc-
risy. Let us not, however, be ready to
condemn Judas in this. The House of
Prayer may be the place where we also
betray Jesus, though we "ofttimes resort
thither," as His disciples, (ii. 16; Isa. i.
11-15; Luke xiii. 1.) A band of men, &c. —
that part of the cohort then stationed in
the temple, or it might possibly be only
the Jewish guard. Lanterns seem to refer
here to lamps filled with oil. (See Matt.
XXV. 1, 3, 4.) Torches (literally lights), may
denote any blazing substance carried in
the hand, in the manner of links and
torches made of pitch and tow. Weapons,
i. e., swords and staves. (See Matt. xxvi.
47 ; Mark xiv. 43.) The lights with which
this band of murderers were provided,
prove the preparations made to explore
any cave or corner where the object of
their search might possibly, they conceiv-
ed, be hidden.
4. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should
come upon him, 'went lorth, iiudsaid unlo them. Whom
seek ye? 5. Tliey answered hmi, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus saitli unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which
betrayed him, 'stood with them. 6. As soon then as he
he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward,
and (ell to the ground. 7. Then a-sked he Ihem again,
Whom seek ye ? And they said, Jesus ot Nazareth. 8.
Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he : if there-
lore ye seek me, let these go their way : 9. That the
saying might be lulfiUed, which he spake, eOI' them
which thou gavest me have I lost none.
ePs. iii. 0 and xxvii. 3; Prov. xxviii. 1. fJer. vUi. 12.
«Chap. xvii. 12.
See notes on Matt. xxvi. 49.
The whole life of Jesus was a martyr-
dom ; and what rendered that martyrdom
still more terrible, was the perfect fore-
knowledge He possessed of the torments
He should endure in His passion. Jesus of
Nazareth. Twice Jesus answers to the name
by which they sought Him, though it wa^
a name of reproach (see chap. i. 46; vii.
52), and twice in answering He proclaims
His own eternal name, the two Greek
words rendered / am, by the very idiom
of the language corresponding to the He-
brew translated " I am th.\t I am," in Ex.
iii. 14. The first solemn mention of this
name, and the superhuman bearing of Him
who justly claimed it, struck them to the
ground. (See Isa. xi. 4.) They were all
unnerved, and, like the soldiers afterward
at His sepulchre, "did .shake, and become
as dead men." So though they knew that
He who questioned them. He whom they
were addressing, was even the One they
sought, they cannot speak but in this in-
direct manner, as fearing directly to say,
"Thee." When the people, it has been
well observed, would have forced Him to
a crown. He withdrew, and hid Himself
(chap. vi. 15) ; but when they came to force
Him to a cross, He offered Himself: for
He came to this world to suffer, and went
to the other world to reign.
If thefefore ye seek me, let these go their ivay.
Even in the most trying moment of our
Lord's own peril, what care, what thouglit-
fulness, what affectionate consideration
for His disciples! What encouragement
is here for us if we are Christians! Of
them which thou gavest me have Host none,
most mercifully manifested in part, every
day, and at every period of the Christian's
KIDRON VALLEY.
C II A P T E R X \' I n
60:
life, but to be still more triumphantly, O,
how triumphantly declared on that great
day, when lie shall stand before His
Father, and say, "Behold, I and the chil-
■ dren" — yea, all the children — "which Thou
hast given me."
10. f'Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and
smote the high priest's servant, anil cut oil' his right
ear. Tlie servant's name was Malchus.
iiMatt. xxvi. Til, on which see notes ; Mark x;v. 47;
Luke xjcii. 4U, 50.
The very action of Peter, in striking at
the liead, seems to show the vchemency
of his character. The Evangelist gives the
name (Malchus), that those, who then read
it, might have opportunity of inquiring
into the truth of the account. (Mark xv.
21.) And he mentions that he was the high
priesVs servant, because, in addition to the
miracleof the cure itself (Luke xxii. 50-53),
this shows that it ■was performed upon one
of those who came to take Jesus, and who
shortly after struck Him on the face.
11. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into
the sheatli : 'the cup which my Father hath given me,
shall I not drink it'?
iMatt. XX. -l-Z and xxvi. 39, 42.
See notes on Matt. xxvi. 52.
Any zeal is proper for religion, but the
zeal of the sword and the zeal of anger,
this is the bitterness of zeal, and it is a
certain temptation to every man against
his duty. The Saviour's reproof of Peter
for drawing his sword, even in His own
cause, for His sacred and yet injured per-
son, teaches us not to use the sword,
though in the cause of God, and for God
Himself, because He will secure His o-vvn
interest, only let Him be served as Him-
self is pleased to command. (2 Tim. ii.
24 ; James i. 20.)
The cup which my Father, &c. This clause
is peculiar to John, and is in sympathy
■with the language employed in our Lord's
hour of agony in the garden. Scarcely had
an hour elapsed since he had most earnest-
ly prayed that this cup of suffering might
pass from Him, but it was His Father's
will that He should drink it. This is here
denoted by hath given me, i. e., hath put into
my hands to drink. Shall I not drink it?
This question is rhetorically put for an
emphatic affirmation, that it was His duty
to render cheerful and submissive obe-
dience to the will of His Father.
12. Then the band and the captain and ofBcers of the
Jews took Jesus, and bound him, i:!. And jled him away
to kAnnas lirst; lor he was lather-in-law to Caiapha;^,
which was the high priest that same year.
JMatt. xxvi. 57. tLuke iU. •2. oa whicli see notes.
The captain — the prajfect of a cohort. At
the Passover, and the other great feasts,
the Romans sent a whole band of a thou-
sand men to guard the porticos of the
temple. And bound him. The greater love
any one has for Christ, the more attentive
will He be in considering the particular
circumstances of His sufferings. John,
"the disciple whom Jesus loved," and who
loved Jesus with a most ardent affection,
is the only Evangelist who takes notice of
the binding of our Saviour. The high priest
that same year. This is added because of
the frequent change in the office under the
Romans.
14. 'Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the
Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for
the people.— 'Chap. xi. 60.
Now Caiaphas, &c. (See on xi. 50.) Gave
counsel, &c. John here doubtless refers to
the counsel of Caiaphas, to show that he
was fully prepared to carry out whatever
orders Annas might give for the destruc-
tion of Christ. It is a matter of great joy
to the wicked to see their advice followed,
but this joy, wliich is an eflect of the wrath
of God, will last but a short time, and will
be punished with an endless sorrow.
15. IT "And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did
another disciple : that disciple was known unto the
liigh priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of
the high priest. 16. "But Peter stood at the door with-
out. Then went out that other disciple, which was
known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that
kept the door, and brought in Peter. 17. Then saith
the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou
also o»f ot'this man's disciples ? He saith, I am not.
18. And the servants and officers stood there, who had
made a fire of coals, ftjr it was cold ; and they warmed
themselves : "and Peter stood with them, and warmed
himself.
mMatt. xxvi. 58 ; Mark xiv. .54 ; Luke xxii. 54. "Matt.
xxvi. 69, on which see notes; Mark xiv. 66; Luke xxii.
o4. "Ps. xxvi. 4, 10 ;1 Cor. xv. 33 ; Eph. v. 11, 12.
Another disciple — " rather the other
disciple" — our Evangelist himself, no
doubt. Known unto the high priest. (See
on verse 10.) Went in ivith Jesus. His in-
timacy with the high priest was such, that
he was admitted at the same time with
Jesus and His accusers. Peter, who could
claim no such privilege on the ground of
acquaintanceship with any of the officials,
was obliged for the time to remain with-
out at the entrance. Then went out, &c.
All this is very natural. John having
JOHN
secured his own admission, passed in with
the crowd, and afterward came out and
brought in his friend, as here narrated.
Her that kept the door. It is customary, even
at the present day, in the East, for the
doors of the weaUhy to be suj^erintended
by a portress, who receives a fee for her
services from the visitors. "^ He saith, I
am not." Who can doubt that this denial
of Peter was attributable in no small de-
gree to his not only going amongst the
servants of the high priest, but even sit-
ting down among them ? (Luke xxii. 56.)
No man conceives the length to which he
afterward sins, when he first enters into
an evil way If you desire safety,
you must resist temptation in the bud : if
you suffer it to blow and blossom, depend
upon it, you will not resist it then : it will
grow till it bear fruit, more bitter than the
fruit of Sodom. (Gen. xxxix. 12; 2 Kings
viii. 13;.Ps. i. 1.) .1 fire of coals. It w^as
the coldest hour of night, the hour that
precedes the daw;n, and the servants and
officers had kindled a fire in that end of
the hall where they were gathered. Peter
did not wish to be recognized, and the best
way he thought to preserve his incognito
was to put at once the boldest face he
could uj^on it, act as if he had been one
of the capturing band, and had as good a
right to be there as others of that mixed
company, as little known in this palace as
himself.
19. T Tlie high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples,
and of his doctrine. 20. Jesus answered him, Pl spake
openly to the world, I ever taught in the synagogue,
and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort,
and in secret have I said nothing. 21. Why askest
thou me ? ask them which heard nie, what I have said
unto them, behold, they kuow what I said. 22. And
when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which
stood by qstruck Jesus with the palm of his hand, say-
ing, Answerest thou the high priest so ? 23. Jesus ans-
wered him. If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the
evil: hut if well, why smitest thou me? 24. ("-Now
Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high
priest.) 25. And Simon Peter stood and warmed him-
self. 'They said therefore unto him. Art not thou also
one of his disciples? He denied i7, and said, I am not.
26. One of the servants of the high priest, being his
kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did I not see
thee in the garden with him ? 27. Peter then denied
again, and 'immediately the cock crew.
pMatt. xxvi. .5-i: IiUke iv. 15: chap. vii. 14. 26, 28 and
viii. 2. qJer. xx. 2: Acts xxiii. 2. 'Matt. xxvi. 57.
"Matt. xxvi. G9, 71 ; Mark xiv. 69 ; Luke xxii. .58. 'Matt.
xxvi. 74 ; Mark xlv. 72 ; Luke xxii. 60 : chap. xiii. 38.
See on Matt. xxvi. 57, 71-74.
The high priest asked Jesus concerning
His disciples, and His doctrine. " By what
bond or pledge to one another are the
members of this new society united, what
secret instructions have they received.
what hidden objects have they in view."
Jesus answered Jiim, I spake openly, &c.
Neither as to my disciples, nor as to my doc-
trine: neither as to the instructions given
to my followers, nor as to the bonds of
their union and fellowship with one an-
other, has there been anything of the con-
cealed or the sinister, not one doctrine for
the people without, and another for the
initiated within, no meetings under cloud
of night in hidden places for doubtful or
dangerous objects, and in secret, that is, in
the sense in which I know that you mean
and use that term, " have I said nothing."
Why askest thou me f This questioning was
superfluous. It was a mockery. If they
really wished for information, they had
only to ask any of those around, whom
He seems to point to, or in some way to
indicate. Some of those designated were
His utter enemies. Here is a good ex-
ample for all the ministers of God's Word
to follow, teaching them to deliver that
Word so purely and sincerely, that, if they
be called into question about the same,
they may be bold to appeal to the con-
sciences of their hearers, although they be
wicked men. (Acts xxiii. G ; 2 Cor. iv. 2 ;
Titus ii. 8.)
Struck Jesus. One of the officers who
stood by chose to consider the answer dis-
respectful to the high priest, and smote
Jesus on the mouth. It is not certain
whether this was done with the palm of
the hand, or with a rod (as the margin
renders), the staff of office : the or''i;inal
onl}^ says, gave Him a blow. But what a
cowardly, brutal, and base act was this!
And what a judge this must have been to
permit such a thing to be done ! If I have
spoken evil, &ic. Gently Jesus expostulates.
He who could have presently summoned
" more than twelve legions of angels,"
calmly puts up with the cruel affront, con-
tenting Himself with quietly pointing out
the anomaly and injustice of the act ; pun-
ished first and heard afterward! beaten
before the judgment seat! What a tra-
vesty of justice is here!
Sent him hoitnd, &.c. By noticing this
circumstance, the Evangelist means to
show that in this respect, also, they pro-
ceeded against Jesus, quite contrary to all
justice and equity, and even to the cus-
CHAPTER XVIII.
609
toms and laws of the Jews. For prison-
ers, when under examination, were loosed
from their fetters, that they might make
their answers with the greater freedom,
■ but our blessed Lord was obliged to stand
before them bound, with the manacles on
His liands, as He was sent from Annas to
Caiaphas the high priest.
Warined himself. Here we have an ac-
count of Peter's second and third denial.
His "warming himself" almost seems to
be mentioned in some contrast with
Christ's being bound, for both are in this
chapter mentioned twice. (Rom. xv. 3 ; 2
Tim. ii. 3.) Said, I am not. In reference
to Christians, an old writer observes:
" Some have denied them to be saints,
others deny them to be men. We must
go a middle way : reverence their sanctity,
pity their infirmities — learn to distinguish
between the purity of the fountain and
the impurity of the vessel. They have
their flaws, and slips, and foils, that Christ
only may be the " King of Saints," and
" the Holy one of Israel." (1 Sam. ii. 2.)
Did I not see thee in the garden with him?
Many would die with Christ, that would
not endure a hard word for Him. Let us
accustom ourselves to suffer patiently
even the least things, for he will never be
able to overcome great ones who has not
learned to overcome small difficulties.
(Jer. xii. 5.) Denied again. As those
Christians, who have the strongest faith
and resolution may be alarmed at Peter's
fall, so his repentance may inspire the
most wretched sinner with a hope of ac-
ceptance with God. (Gal. vi. 1 ; 1 Tim. 1.
13-16 ; see on Matt. xxvi. 71-4.)
28. 1 uThen led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the
haU of judgment: and it was early: 'and they them-
selves went not into the judgment hall, lest tliey should
be defiled ; but that they might eat the passover.
"Matt, xxvii. 2: Mark xv. 1; Luke xxiii. 1; Acts iii.
13. 'Acts X. 28 and xi. 3.
Then, or so then, marking the progress
of the narrative. From Caiaphas, literally,
from (the palace) of Caiaphas. (See verse
24.) The hall of jxidgment — the praitorium
of Pilate the procurator. Cffisar, the Ro-
man emperor, who had conquered the
Jewish nation, had appointed Pontius
Pilate to be their governor. He alone had
the power of sentencing any man to be
put to death. On this account the chief
priests and elders led their captives to his
39
judgment seat, for no punishment les3
than death would satisfy their malice. //
was early. This shows with what haste
they urged on the preliminary steps to
the Saviour's execution.
And they themselves went not, &c. Having
brought their holy prisoner to Pilate, the
Jews refused to enter into the hall of
judgment. And why? Because they
feared lest they should be defiled by en-
tering into the dwelling of a Gentile, and
that they should not be able to keep the
Passover, for that feast Avas celebrated dur-
ing a wJiole v:eek, and many peace-offerings
of the herd and of the flock were eaten,
beside the unleavened bread and paschal
lamb. What must Pilate have thought
of the Jewish religion, when he saw these
men at once so much occupied with empty
forms, and so much distorted with evil
passions ! Many think ill of the Christian
religion from the same cause. They see
persons who would not on any account
miss attending Church or the Sacrament
of the Lord's Supper, filled with envy,
hatred, malice and all uncharitableness.
The fault, however, is not in the religion,
but in the hearts of its professors. (See
notes on Matt, xxvii. 11-25.)
29. Pilate then went out unto them, and said. What
accusation bring ye against this man? 30. They an-
swered and said unto him. If he were not a malelactor,
we would not have delivered him up unto thee. 31.
Then said Pilate unto them. Take ye him, and judge
him according to your law. The Jews therefore said
unto him, "It is not lawful for us to put any man to
death: 32. 'That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled,
which he spake, signifying what death he should die.
"Gen. xlix. 10 ; Hos. iii. 4. »Matt. xx. 19; chap. xii.
32,33.
See notes on Matt, xxvii. 11-25.
Pilate then went oid, &c. There was an
elevated tesselated pavement in front of
the palace, where the governor often set
his judgment seat when such cases as that
stated in verse 28 occurred. Hither Pilate
came out, when he understood that he was
wanted, the prisoner being, meanwhile (for
better custody, perhaps,) taken into the
fore court of the palace itself, among the
soldiers. What accusation, &c. Pilate as-
sumes the appearance of unbelief and in-
difference, but he was able to take a more
unprejudiced view of the matter than the
Jews, and cannot think, after all he has
hitherto heard of the Nazarene, and feels
at that moment that they would be able
to bring any serious charge against him.
610
JOHN,
Like as with Pilate, so it is still with every
one who looks unprejudicedly into the
sacred volume. Such an one will not
be able to rid himself of the impression of
the si)otlessness of Jesus, which nothing
can shake or neutralize.
If lie were nut a malefactor, &c. Uttered
in a sarcastic tone, this reply would be of
a very irritating character. Uttered, how-
ever, in a tone of courteous suavity, it
apologizes for troubling Pilate, assuring
him that nothing but the fact that they
had a malefactor could have brought them
there. Their real purpose, under either
meaning, is to precipitate the governor
into the slaying of Jesus. If those Jews
won't tell Pilate what kind or degree of
criminality it is that they attribute to this
man, he, Pilate, won't put himself as a
blind tool into their hands. "If it be your
judgment, and your judgment alone that
is to rule this man's case, " Take ye him,
then," said Pilate, " and judge him accord-
ing to your law " — a refusal on Pilate's
part to do the thing which they first
hoped that they miglit get him to do ofi-
hand, a refusal to countersign their sen-
tence, whatever it was, and by whatever
evidence supported. It was as much as
saying that so far as he had yet heard or
known anything of this case, it was one
with which their own law, as administered
by themselves, was quite competent to deal.
Thus they were obliged to explain to the
governor, what he had known well enough
from the first, but what they had not been
candid enough to tell him, that it was a
sentence unto death which they wished to
get executed, a sentence which they were
not at liberty to carry out.
It is not lavfiil, &c. (See on verse 28.)
They were not permitted to do so. If, on
one occasion, they tumultuously stoned a
supposed heretic to death, the Roman
authorities probably leniently overlooked
it. But in order to a formal accusation,
and death by crucifixion in particular,
they could not do without superior con-
sent. Hence they openly, though with
stifled rage, confess their dependence on
the Roman tribunal. Their thirst for re-
venge upon, the Nazarene, however, this
time outweighs their natio;ial pride. The
man they hate is doomed to be crucified
and to perish ignominiously. Such are
their thoughts. But the Lord in heaven
also exercises an influence in the aflair.
The Evangelist remarks. That the saying
of Jesus might be fulfilled, &c. John has
here reference to the words recorded in
chap. xii. 32, of his Gospel. (See notes on
Matt, xxvii. 11-25.)
33. jThen Pilate entered into the judgment hall again,
and called Jesus, and said unto him. Art thou tlie King
of the Jews ? iii. Jesus answered him, Savest thou this
thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? :«. Pilate
answered. Am I a Jew ? 'Thine own nation and the
chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast
thou done?— JMatt. xxvii. 11. ^Acts iii. 13.
The accused is to be comi^elled to make
his own confession. " Art thou the King
of the Jews?" asks Pilate, and means,
therefore, the well known, expected One,
the Messiah. Jesus answered this ques-
tion by another, the object of which is,
whether Pilate himself had seen Christ
presenting Himself in any such way as he
would expect from that King of the Jews ;
it is an indirect reference to the fact, that
the governor well knew the baselessness
of the charge. "The point of Christ's reply
is," says Calvin, " that this accusation was
without any color of truth." With this
corresponds also the rejoinder of the gov-
ernor, that he had never troubled himself
about the Messiah. Bcngel says, " This
latter part of the question Jesus wishes to
be noticed by Pilate ; Pilate, not without
anger, catches at the first part."
36. iiJesus answered, i>My kingdom is not of this
world : if my kingdom were of this world, then would
my servants flglit. that 1 should not be delivered to the
Jews: but now is my kingdom not-ft'om hence, ;
ai Tim. vi. \'i. i-Dan. ii. 44 and vii. 14 ; Luke xii. 14
chap. vi. 15 and viii. 15.
My kingdom. Jesus, in these words, evades
Pilate's last question, and returns to the
topic of His royalty, and yet in so doing
He answers Pilate's question, what He has
done. He has performed the part of a
heaven-sent king. Not of this icorld. " I
have a kingdom which I have come to es-
tablish. The Jews M"ere right in saying,
that I claim to be Christ the King. But
wj kingdom is not of this world. It origi-
nates not with men, it has its seat in no
regal city of earth. It is supported by no
standing armies, such as give strength and
security to earthly potentates. Unlike all
human governments in its origin, princi-
ples and means of supremacy, it is from
above, and has ' its seat in the hearts and
affections of men.'" If— of— of this world,
CHAPTER XVIII,
611
is emphatically put (in the Greek) at the
beginning uf tlie clause. The world defends
its kingdoms by force of arms, ili/ servants —
who are not of this world. (Nay, but they
are the legions of angels, of wliom He tliinks,
recalling what He had said when appre-
hended.—<S'/)(?-.) Wouldjight. Each agent
acts in its own sphere.
Be delirered. Pilate was ah'eady contem-
plating this, verse 31. Other warriors pre-
pare their horses and their chariots, their
bows, their spears, and their shields, but
Messiah disarms His followers in order
that they may overcome. Not from hence.
Our Lord only says whence His kingdom
is not — first simply affirming it, next giving
proof of it, then reaffirming it. This was
all that Pilate had to do with. The positive
nature of His kingdom He would not ob-
trude upon one who was as little able to
comprehend' it, as entitled officially to in-
formation about it. (See on verse 37.)
37. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king
then ? Jesus answered, Tliou sayest that I am a king.
To this end was I born, and lor this cause came I into
the world, that I should bear witness unto the trutli.
Every one that ^is of the trutli heareth my words.
cCliap. vlii. 47 ; 1 John iii. 19 and iv, 6.
Pilate's next question seems somewhat
too sarcastic. "Art thou then a king?" —
thou, a prisoner, and rejected of thine own
people. Even so. Pilate in jest here spake
the truth. Thou sayest that I am a king,
that is, "thou truly sayest that I am a
king, it is very true : I am a king." The
phrase rendered "thou sayest," signifies it
is so, a phrase of modest assent and affima-
tion. To this end, &c. Two objects are
mentioned here, the first has reference to
His royalty, by which He asserts that He
was no adventurer, but was born a King,
such as the wise men of the East correctly
honored when they hailed Him as the
new-born King of the Jews. The second
has reference to His bearing witness. In
the words, "was I born," He indicates His
incarnation. But, lest Pilate, or any one
else, should erroneously suppose that Je.us
included His whole origin in these words,
He adds, " came I into the world," thereby
intimating His heavenly descent, and His
existence before He appeared in the flesh
yea, before the world was. Thus before
Pontius Pilate Jesus witnesses that good
confession, of which an Apostle speaks
afterward. (See 1 Tim. vi. 13.) He, the
King of Truth, who is Himself the Truth
(chap. xiv. G), bears witness unto the truth,
and all who love it, and are sincerely de-
sirous to know, receive and submit to it,
hear His voice. (See chajx i. 9, 17; Rev.
i. 5, iii. 14, xix. 11.) We ought highly to
esteem such testimonies as are here given
of the eternal and Divine nature of Jesus
from His own lips. Their value is increased
in an age like the present which is so full
of skepticism, and which so boldly dares to
stamj) the Lord Christ as a mere man.
38. Pilate saith unto him. What is truth ? And when
he had said tliLs, lie went out again unto the Jews, and
saith unto them, <il find in him no fault ot all.
dilatt. xxvii. 24 ; Luke xxiii. 4 ; chap. xix. 4, 6.
Many understand Pilate's question,
"What is truth?" as if he had said, "Is
this now a time to think about /;-((^/i, when
Thy life is in danger? What is truth, that
Thou shouldest venture so much for it ? "
"But," says Gurnall, "a gracious soul may
better ask in a holy scorn, What are riches
and honors? What are the fading pleas-
ures of this cheating world? Yea, what is
life itself, that any, or all of these should
be set in opposition to truth? Oh, sirs,
look, what has your love, that will com-
mand purse, credit, life and all. Every
man goes where his love carries him. If
the world has your love, on it you will
spend your lives; if truth has your hearts
you will catch the blow that is made at it,
in your own breasts, rather than let it fall
on'it." (Zech. iii. 8 ; Rev. xii. 11.) To the
question, "AVhat is trutli?" there can be
but one reply, be it what it may, for
though there are ten thousand shades and
degrees of error, there can be none in truth,
truth is indivisible, and can be but one.
If, then, the Word of God be true, as it is,
this is truth eternal, as well as life eternal,
" to know the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom he hath sent." For this, let
us sacrifice, and be content to sacrifice,
everything. Nothing will sustain us in a
dying hour, nothing will supi)ort us upon
a dying bed, but truth.
He went out. "If it once comes to this,"
says Dr. Owen, "that you shall say, that
you have nothing to do with religion, as
rulers of the nation, God will quickly
manifest that He has nothing to do with
you, as rulers of the nation." I find in him
no fault at all. Thus Pilate witnesses to our
612
JOHN.
Lord's innocence, and yet proposes (verse
39) to act toward Him as if He were guilty.
He has neither the courage to condemn nor
to release Him, on the ground of His accusa-
tion, but thinks that by promising to the
Jews that they should avail themselves of
a practice recently established of setting a
malefactor free at the paschal season, the
ends of either party may be attained.
Neither will Pilate do violence to his own
conscience, nor will the honor of the High
Priest be compromised. In such crooked
policy the Eoman governor was signally
and deservedly defeated. (See notes on
Matt, xxvii. 15-25.)
39. «But ye have a custom, that I should release unto
you one at the passover : will ve therefore that I re-
lease unto you the King of the Jews ?
eMatt. xxvii. 15 ; Mark xv. 6 ; Luke xxiil. 17.
At the passover. Therefore the Passover
was on that day. And on that day the as-
sembled people made their request of
Pilate. Will ye that I release unto you the
King of the Jeicsf using the epithet, in the
belief that they, as well as he, will look
upon its claimant more as an object of pity
than of condemnation.
40. 'Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man,
but Barabbas. pNow Barabbas was a robber.
fActs iii. 14. gLuke xxiii. 19.
Then cried they all again, or, simply, ac-
cording to another reading, which is well
supported, Then they all cried. The prece-
ding part of our Lord's trial, as related by
this Evangelist, makes no mention of their
crying in this manner before. A robber.
Tragic addition ! Pilate offers Barabbas
and Jesus for their choice. (Matt, xxvii.
17.) Whosoever commits any action which
Jesus has forbidden, whoever cherishes
any feeling or temper which Jesus disap-
proves, whoever prefers a gainful injustice,
an angry passion, an evil lust, to the ser-
vice of his Lord and Master, every such
person by his deeds, if not by his words,
declares as plainly as the Jews did, " I will
not have this man to reign over me, but
Barabbas /" I will have none of the purity
and self-denial of Jesus ; I like drunken-
ness, and rioting, and debauchery far bet-
ter. I will have none of His humility,
give me pride. I will have none of His
gentleness, give me anger. I will have none
of Histender-heartedness, give me an easy,
careless indiflFerence to the sufferings and
griefs of others. How many in every place
think thus, though they may not say it!
Yet, there can be no doubt that every
sinful action is an open rejecting of our
Lord and Master, and a preferring of some
vile Barabbas to Him. (Josh. xxiv. 15;
Ps. Ixxiii. 24, 25, xliv. 21 ; see notes on
Matt, xxvii. 15-29, and Luke xxiii. 4, &c.)
1. What is said of the brook Cedron ? 2. What is said of Judas ? 3. What question did Jesus ask of His ene-
mies ? 4. What effect had the answer, " I am he," upon them ? 5. What did Peter do ? 6. What did the
Saviour say to Peter ? 7. What did our Lord's enemies then do with Him ? 8. What is said of Peter ? 9. What
•was Christ's reply to the high priest ? 10. What did one of the officers do to Him ? 11. How often did Peter
deny that he was one of Christ's disciples ? 12. Into what hall was Jesus led ? 13. State Pilate's interview with
Him. 14. What was Christ's reply to the question, "Art thou a king then?" 15. What did Pilate say to the
Jews ? 16. Whom did the Jews prefer to have released to them rather than the Saviour ?
CHAPTEK XIX.
613
CHAPTER XIX.
1 Chrift is scnwged, crowned with thorns, and beaten.
4 PHatf is disirous to rtliase, him, but bring overcome
with the outrage of the Jews, he delivered him to be cru-
cified. 25 They cu.<it lots for his garments. 20 J£c com-
mendeth his mother to John. 28. Jfe dieth. 31 Jiis
side is pierced. 3S Me is buried by Joseph and Nico-
demus,
THEN »PiIate therefore took Jesus, and scourged
liini. 2. And the soldiers platted a crown of
thorns, :ind put it on his lioart, and they put on him a
purjile riilic, 3. And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and
thev smote him witli tliiir luuids.
i^Matt. XX. liJ and .xxvii. 2(j; Mark xv. 15; Luke xviii.
33.
See on Matt, xxvii. 26, 29-31, and Mark
XV. 15.
Scourged him. Caused Him to be scour-
ged. This was foretold by Jesus. (Matt.
XX. 19. See Ps. cxxix. 3 ; Isa. liii. 5.) The
Son of God bound to a marble pillar!
whipped! Well might the stone have
wept at such indignity, have blushed be-
neath the purple tide those cruel thongs
drew forth. O, w^ondrous love ! which
led the Saviour thus to give His back to
the smiters, and His cheeks to those who
plucked off the hair ! In this world the
Saviour is still scourged. To the cold
marble column of philosophy, so called,
oft found in colleges and schools — reason
has often tied Him, wnile the learned rab-
ble and unbelieving herd have put their
thoughts together to form a thong with
which to whip His life away. So is Jesus
scourged by polite and gentle usage, which
would have His words kept back, and
thoughts attenuated by the rack of carnal
policy.
And the soldiers platted a crovm, &c. It
was meet and right that He who was made
a curse for us, who came to absorb all its
bitter elements in Himself, should be
crowned with thorns. Well did they sym-
bolize our sins, and the piercing wounds
they give. " O wondrous crown ! each
piercing thorn points to Thy inmost love,
Thou Saviour of the lost ! No other head
was ever adorned like Thine. Forever
dear to us, then, be this crown of thorns,
and amid the pomp and pageantry of life,
the passing blaze of human glory, oh may
the sacred head of Christ appear to pale
its fires, and may we never forget those
sacred griefs which bought our freedom
•from the dreadful curse ! A purple robe.
This may have been the " gorgeous " one
in which Herod arrayed and sent Him
back to Pilate. (Luke xxiii. 11.) Hail,
King of the Jews! — doing Him derisive
homage, in the form used on approaching
the emperors.
4. Pilate tlierefore went forth again, and saith unto
them, Uehold, I hrinf< him forth to you, iJlhat ye may
know that I find no fault in him.
•>Chap. xviii. 3S ; verse 6.
Pilate's conscience still struggles against
putting an innocent person to death, and
he is for trying whether Jesus might be
released, even after He had been scourged,
without undergoing any further jiunish-
ment. Behold, I bring, &c. IMost remark-
able and important assurance ! For thus
was the sacrifice for the sins of the whole
world presented by Pilate to the priests
of the Jewish people, in its spotless inno-
cence, according to the law, so that, before
it is slain, they may themselves take a
view of it, and see that it is without blem-
ish. But the Father would not have per-
mitted His beloved Son to be thus bar-
barously treate<l, if no trespasses had
been imputed to Him. Though the eyes
of the Roman judge were incapable of
seeing into this mystery, yet the Holy
Spirit assures us (2 Cor. v. 21), " That God
has made him to be sin for us, who knew
no sin." Hence Christ is likewise termed,
" The Lamb of God that taketh away the
sins of the world." (John i. 29.) It was
for our sins, therefore, as our Surety, that
Jesus was insulted, reviled, crowned with
thorns, buffeted, and cruelly scourged.
5. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of
thorns, and tlie purple robe. And J'ilate saith unto
them. Behold the man !
Behold the man ! exclaims the heathen
judge, deeply affected, and faintly im-
pressed with an idea of some superior
being. Ah, had Pilate clearly know'n,
what he only obscurely felt, he would at
least have said, "You have here before
you the moral pattern of our race, the
flower of humanity, and holiness jiersoni-
fied." "Behold the man!" The hope is
once more excited in the Governor, that
he would still be able to accomplish the
liberation of Jesus. "Now," he thinks,
" the bloodthirstiness of the prisoner's
bitterest enemies will certainly be satis-
fied. In the presence of one so full of
dignity and meekness, the fury of the most
614
JOHN.
cruel must subside, and right feeling re-
turn even to the most hardened." Let us
see what occurs.
6. cWhen the chief priests therefore and officers saw
him, they cried out, saying. Crucify liim ; crwciiy him.
Pilate sa'itli unto tlieni. Take ye him, and crucify him :
for I find no fault in him.— 1= Acts iii. 13.
The chief priests and officers are exas-
perated against the Holy One of Israel,
and have nothing left for Him but the im-
placable cry, " Crucify him ! Crucify him .'"
Thus they are judged. In the manifesta-
tion of Him who was "fairer than the
children of men," our fallen nature has
taken occasion to make it evident that its
corruption is radical, its disease desj)erate,
and its inmost tendency nothing else than
enmity against the Most, High God. The
many thousand additional proofs of this
which history furnishes, we may dispense
with, after our race, in the murder of the
Lord from heaven, has pronounced sen-
tence upon itself, and filled up the meas-
ure of its guilt. The mute sufferer in the
purple robe and crown of thorns, sits in
judgment upon it, and silently testifies
that without mediation and an atonement,
the seed of Adam, in its whole extent, is
exposed to the curse. Tlie hatred of Jesus
which thus manifested itself toward Him,
is only the mature fruit of a seed, which
in our natural state, grows openly or
secretly in us all. Take ye him. This is
not a legal permission to crucify Him, but
a declaratien that the crime must rest with
them, it must be at their peril. I cannot,
says Pilate, condemn a man without a
fault.
7. The Jews answered him, dWe have a law, and by
our law he ought to die, because ehe made himself the
Son of God.
dLev. xxiv. 16. eMatt. xxvi. 65 ; chap. v. 18 and x. 33.
As the Jews could not persuade Pilate
that Christ was guilty under the Roman
law, they endeavored to show that He
deserved death under the law of Moses,
and to prevail with him to grant them His
punishment. AVho can bear with the
hypocrisy of the sinner, who makes even
his crimes a matter of conscience and re-
ligion ? But who can satisfy himself that
he is entirely free from this temptation ?
Calumny always suppresses whatever may
be of advantage to those whom it designs
to ruin, and conceals all the proofs of their
innocence. Christ "made Himself the
Son of God" indeed, but then He likewise
proved Himself to be so, by doing the
works of tlie Son of God, and restoring
life to the dead.
8. Wlien Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was
The more afraid ; 9. And went again into the judgment
hall, and s.aitli unto Jesus, Whence art thou? 'But
Jesus gave him no answer.
fisa. liii. 7 ; Matt, xxvii. 12, U.
He was the more afraid, that is, he dread-
ed a sedition among the Jews, from His
knowledge of their great obstinacy in any-
thing with which their religion might
seem to be concerned. " The principal
duty of a judge," says Lord Bacon, "is to
suppress force and fraud, whereof force is
the more pernicious, Avhen it is open, and
fraud, when it is close and disguised. A
judge ought to prepare his way to a just
sentence, as God useth to prepare His Avay
by raising valleys and taking down hills.
So, when there appeareth on either side a
high hand, violent prosecution, cunning
advantages taken, combination, power,
great counsel, then is the virtue of a judge
seen, to make inequality equal, that he
may plant his judgment as upon an even
ground. (Dent. i. 13-17 ; 2 Chron. xix. 6,
7; Jobxxxii. 21, 22.)"
Jesus gave him no answer. Christ could
not plead guilty, for He had committed no
sin, nor not guilty, for He was then guilty
of all our sins : neither could this distinc-
tion be mentioned to a heathen judge.
The true reason of our Lord's present si-
lence, however, seems to have been that
Pilate's irresolute conduct rendered him
unworthy of any further information. He
had already received sufficient informa-
tion to guide him, were he disj^osed to
follow the dictates of truth, or even of his
own conviction.
10. Then s.aith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not
unto me ? knowest thou not th.at I have power to cru-
cify thee ; and have power to release thee ?
Knov:est thou not, &c. Little he knew
the reason of this silence : and vain his
thought that this victim might be moved
either by the hope of life, or by the terror
of an ignominious and cruel death. Thus
the Lord was fulfilling that projihecy of
Isaiah, "He was oppressed, and He was
afflicted, yet He opened not his mouth.
He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is
dumb, so He openeth not His mouth."
CHAPTER XIX.
ci;
And Pilate here by this very question
criminates and condemns himself. For
he confesses he has power to release Jesus,
and if, as he also confesses, he believes
. Jesus to be innocent, why does he then
deliver him to be crucified?
11. Jesus answered, sThou couldest have no power at
all against nie, except it were given tliei- from above :
tliereCore he that delivered me unto tliee hath the
greater sin.— t'Luke xxii. 53 ; Chap. vii. 30.
Thou couldest have no j)ower at all against
me, except it were given thee from above, un-
less Divine Providence had allowed me to
come into thy jiower. Therefore he that de-
livered me, &c. It may be said, if the
power was given from ahove, he, nor they,
were guilty of any crime : but this is ob-
jected to no purpose, fur the word " given"
in this place is permissive, as if He had
said, " He has permitted these things to
be, but this does not exempt you from Ise-
ing blameworthy." (Isa. iii. 14 ; Luke
xii. 48 ; Acts ii. 23.) God is the Author of
all good, by His Grace working it, the per-
mitter of all evil by His Patience endur-
ing it, the orderer and disposer of both,
by His Mercy rewarding the one, by His
Justice punishing the other, and by His
Wisdom directing both to the ends of His
Eternal Glor3\ (Isa. xlv. 7 ; Amos iii. 6 ;
Rom. xi. 36.) "God," says Augustine,
" works by means of what is evil, but is
not the author of evil itself." (Rom. ix.
17 ; James i. 13.)
Hath the greater sin. Then Pilate had
some sin. He who was counted as a crim-
inal accused His judge of sin J That judge
was compelled to say of His prisoner, " I
find no fault in Him." But the reputed
criminal found great fault in His judge.
Yet not the greatest. The hi'rh priest who
had delivered Him up to Pilar e, had the
greater sin. There are then degrees of sin.
Why was the high priest more guilty than
Pilate? Because he had gone out of his
way to destroy Jesus, whereas Pilate had
been called to pronounce sentence in the
regular execution of the office to which he
"was ordained of God." (Rom. xiii. 1.)
There were many other circumstances that
increased the sin of Caiaphas — his know-
ledge of the Scriptures, his malicious mo-
tives, and his false accusations. God
knows all the aggravating circumstances
of our sins, and all the palliating circum-
stances also.
12. And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release
him: but the Ji'ws cried out, saying, hif thou let tliis
mail uo, thou lilt not t'esar's friend : 'whosoever mali-
eili himst'lfa king spcalceth against Cesar.
I'Lulie x.x.iii. 2. iActs xvii. 17.
From thenceforth Pilate sought, &c. Miser-
able temporizer! Had Pilate been an
honest and upright man. He would not
have "sought to release" Jesus, but would
instantly and at all hazards have set Him
free. But Pilate was a timid, time-serving
man, with just conscience enough to make
himself uncomfortable, and with just in-
tegrity enough to ruin the best of causes,
and even to increase, as he obviously did,
the sufferings of Him whom he seemed to
have some desire to save. From Pilate's
character we may learn, 1. How little,
how less than little, Christ and His peo-
ple have ever profited by human policy
and carnal friends. 2. That though we
may acknowledge a duty, and even make
a conscience of it, and take some little
l^ains in its performance, it will avail noth-
ing before God, unless we strive to the
very uttermost, and if need be, at the loss
of reputation, power, place, and jjrofit, to
carry it into effect. 3. That it is not only
difficult, but absolutely impossible to fol-
low the convictions of conscience firmly,
and the guidings of Divine light faithfully,
without being careful to keej) only a loose
hold of all worldly enjoyments, and world-
ly interests, and especially ui^on worldly
popularity.
Whosoever maketh himself a king, or, who-
ever calletli himself king. The sentence of
which these words are a part is true, when
we read " king," not " a king." Judea
formed part of the Roman empire, i^oth-
ing is more certain than that whoever
in Judea called himself king, in the sense
in which the word was commonly under-
stood, opposed CaBsar. But it did not
therefore hold, that whoever called him-
seli "a king" opposed C?esar, for if the
kingdom to Avhich he laid claim was with-
out the bounds of the Roman empire, the
title in no wise interfered with the rights
of the emperors.
13. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he
brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat
in a phace that is called the Pavement, but iu the He-
brew, Gabbatha.
Thai saying, rather, these ivords. These
616
JOHN,
v:ords were true, but, as applied to Christ,
false. " But," says Aljord, " tyrants weigh
words, not facts, and Pilate knew it." In
the judgment seat. The judgment seat was
outside the judgment hall, in Gabbatha.
Called — in Greek, is not added, for John
wrote in Greek. (Comp. verse 17.) Fave-
ment. The Greek word thus rendered,
designates a tesselated stone pavement, laid
with various kinds of stones, and so like a
painting. Gabbatha signifies an elevation.
John gives the Hebrew as well as the
Greek name of the platform, to indicate
that Pilate pronounced judgment solemn-
ly, not from a level, but from the high ju-
dicial seat. According to Suetonius, such
a pavement was carried about on his ex-
peditions by Julius Ca?sar.
14. And kit was the preparation of the passover, and
about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Be-
hold your King !— i^Matt. xxvii. 62.
The Preparation — preparation of all
things necessary, the day before the Sab-
bath, that they might be under no tempta-
tion to violate the sabbatical rest, was ex-
pressly commanded in the law. (Ex. xvi.
5, 23.)
About the sixth hour. This account seems
to difler from that given by Mark, who
says (chap. xv. 23), "It was the third," or
" about the third hour." The best solution
of this appears to be given by those who
consider the day as divided into four
parts, answering the four watches of the
night. These coincided with the hours
three, six, nine and twelve, or in our way
of reckoning, nine, twelve, three and six,
which suited also the solemn times of sac-
rifice, and prayer in the temple, that in
cases wherein they did not think it of
consequence to ascertain the time with
accuracy, they did not regard the inter-
mediate hours. Mark says, " about the
third hour," from which we have reason
to conclude that the third hour was past.
John says about the sixth hour, from which
it is probable that the sixth hour was not
yet come. This apparent discrepancy
does not in the slightest degree impair the
credibility of the Evangelists. Who would
regard any two modern historians as con-
tradicting each other because, in relating
an event which had happened between
ten and eleven in the forenoon, one had
said it was past nine o'clock, the other, it
was drawing toward noon? LeClerc ob-
serves that John wrote after the destruc-
tion of Jerusalem, and may have, like the
old Eomans, calculated the beginning of
day from midnight, and Mark, like his
nation, have counted from the rising sun,
gay six o'clock, the third hour would thus
answer to the Roman sixth. (See notes
on Mark xv. 25 ; Matt, xxvii. 45.)
15. But they cried out, Away with him, away with
him, crucily him. Pilate saitli unto them, Shall I cru-
elly your King ? The chief priests answered, 'We have
no king but Cesar.— 'Gen. xlix. 10.
Away with him, &c. Our Lord endured
a variety of contradictions. As to His
Person, He was denied to be the Son of
God ; as to His office, He was not received
as the promised Messiah ; as to His doc-
trine. He was declared to be a deceiver;
as to His miracles, He was denounced as
though He had been a conjuror, and dealt
with the devil ; as to His conversation. He
was defamed as a glutton and a wine-(:>ib-
ber, a profane fellow and a Sabbath-
breaker, a companion of publicans and
sinners ; and as to His very life and being,
Barabbas was preferred to Him. We have
no king but Cesar. By saying this they
I^ublicly renounced all hopes of their
promised Messiah, according to their own
views of His character as a temporal king,
and at the same time spoke in direct oppo-
sition to their general conduct in rebelling
against the Eomans.
Ifi. mThen delivered he him therefore unto them to
be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him away.
mMatt. xxvii. 26, 31 ; Mark xv. 15 ; Luke xxiii. 24.
Then delivered he him, &c. This was not
done by Pilate till after he had washed
his hands (Matt, xxvii. 24), intending by
that symbolical action to show that he was
innocent of the death of Christ. (See
Matt, xxvii. 26, &c. ; Mark xv. 16, &c.)
A7id they took Jesus and led him away.
Judgment was no sooner given, than the
prosecutors, having gained their point, re-
solved to lose no time. 1. Lest Pilate
should change his mind and order a re-
prieve. Those are the worst enemies to
our souls, that hurry us to sin, and then
leave us no room to undo what we have
done amiss. 2. Lest there should be "an
uproar among the i^eople," and a greater
number against them than they had with
so much artifice gotten to be for them. It
CHAPTER XIX.
617
were well if we would be thus expeditious
in good, and not stay for more difliculties.
17. f nAnd he bearing his cross "went fortli into a
pUiee OiiUed thr plact: of a skull, which is called in the
Hebrew, Golgotha:
Luke xxiii. 26,
lebrew, Golgotha
"Matt, -x.wii. ol, 3:!; Mark xv. 21,
. 33. "Kura. xv. 36 : Ileb. xiii. 42.
See on Luke xxiii, 26 ; Matt, xxvii. 32-
34.
Our Heavenly Father sometimes sees
good in the treatment of His spiritual
children, to let great trials and great weak-
ne.ss meet together, to lay on crosses at
those very moments when we appear the
most unfit to bear them. If such a season
ever visit us, let us remember that there
is One to whom this case is no new case,
and who, although now in heaven, never
sees a weak and fainting sufferer, upon
whom fresh trials are accumulating, with-
out calling to mind the heavy cross which
He bore in His toilsome journey up
Mount Calvary, or without stretching
forth a hand to help and succor him. By
musing on the sorrows of Jesus, we shall
forget our own. W Jiich is called, &c. It is
worthy of remark that John calls the
place where Jesus was crucified the skull-
place, and gives, by way of interpretation,
its Hebrew name, Golgotha. Matthew and
Mark, on the other hand, designate the
place by the name, Golgotha, and give as
the interpretation of it, iJie 2)lace of a skull.
Luke refers to the place by its Latin
name, Calvaria, Calvary. Such a compari-
son evinces the truthful independence of
the Evangelists.
IS. 'Wniere they crucified him, and two others with
hiiu, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
Where they crucified him. Christ upon
the cross ! Be still and know that He is
God. He is traveling in the greatness of
His strength. Christ crucified is "the
power of God." (See on Matt, xxvii. 33,
4,5.) Andtuvot]iers,&c,. (See on Matt, xxvii.
38 ; Luke xxiii. 32, 33.) The purjwse of
God was accomplished by Christ's being
" numbered with transgressors." He suf-
fered among sinners, and with them, and
for them. Jesus was within sight of both
these wretched men, one of them yielded
to the power of Christ's love, melted
under His look, and gave in his submis-
sion, the other tempted Jesus, instead of
trusting Him. The sinner saved and the
Binner lost are very near each other, and
both very near the same Jesus, The cross
divides them. They have all to do with
Christ crucified. Pie is either the savor
of life, or the savor of death to them.
(See on next verse.)
19. PAnd Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross.
And the vvritinf,' was, JKSUS OF NAZARETH THE
KING l>F THK JKW«. 20. This title then read many
of the Jews; (or the place where Jesus was crucified
was ni^h to the city : and it was written in Hebrew,
ami Greek, and Latin.
I'Matt; xxvii. 37 ; Mark xv. 26; Luke xxiii. 38.
A title. A white board with an inscrip-
in black letters, prepared by the order of
Pilate. 071 the cross, over the Saviour's
head. Let it not be forgotten that the
name "Jesus" was set upon the cross,
over our Saviour's head, to teach us that
it is a Name which, set upon the head of
all our crosses, will make them easy. The
thought of Jesus, the reference to that
Holy Name, the suflering under that, will
give both a sweet odor and a pleasant
relish to whatever it is we sufier. Come what
can, the love of God in Jesus sweetens all.
(Matt. i. 21 ; 2 Cor. iv. 11.)
And the ivriting vms, &c. Each of the
Evangelists has given us a portion of the
title, from which we may construct the
perfect whole. May not one reason for
this be, that in this remarkable example
we might have a rule for directing our
own reasonings concerning the parallel-
isms in the Gospels, that we should look
upon each of the four Gospels by itself as
perfectly true, and truly perfect, and yet
as having a relation to the other three,
and lending its aid to consummate the
One Four-fold Gospel ? May not another
reason be, that we should not confine our
attention to oiie of the Four Gospels, but
examine and compare them all, and that
our faith and patience, our humility and
diligence, should be tried by this exercise
of examination and comparison, that it
should be our moral probation, that our
tempers should be tested thereby, and
that it should be seen whether we our-
selves have the spirit of the Gospel ? If
we have that spirit, then we shall not
speak of discrepancies in it, but shall see
one of the clearest proofs of its Divine
Unity and Truth, in the various forms in
which the same substance is presented to
the inward eye. (See Matt, xxvii. 37 ;
Mark xv. 26 ; Luke xxiii. 38, and notes on
618
JOHN
all.) The superscription was written in
three languages, in modern Hebrew for
the Jews, in Greek for tlie whole world, in
Latin for the soldiery and any other of the"
Eoman people. There was the language
of the peoi^le of the country, the language
that then prevailed most in the world, and
the official language. The language of the
accusers, the language of the world which
should reverse the unjust sentence, the
language of the unworthy judge.
21. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate,
Write not, Tlie King of the Jews: but that he said, I
am King of the Jews. 22. Pilate answered, What I
bave written, I have written.
Pilate's answer to the comment and re-
quest of the Jews, reads as a kind of re-
morseful protest against his late shameful
weakness. He resolutely declines to alter
what he has written. It may be, he felt it
to be nothing more than the truth. It is
certain it would not be grateful to the
Jews. He has suffered enough, so he
thinks, from these tormentors. But to be
angry with those who have led us into
sin, is no exi)iation of our sins. "At the
same time, who sees not," it has been well
asked, " that (as in the case of Caia2:)has)
what was spoken in crueltj^ was overruled
by a higher power to a lofty issue, that
there was Divinest truth in what was
meant for mockery and insult." (See on
Matt, xxvii. 37.)
23. qThen the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus,
took liis garments, and made four parts, to every sol-
dier a part; and also /u-s coat: now the coat was with-
out seam, woven from the toil througliout. 24. Tliey
said therefore among themselves. Let us not rend it,
but ca.st lots lor it, whose it shall be : that the scripture
might be fulfillcil. which saitli, rThej' parted my rai-
meut among lluiu. and for my vasture they did cast
lots. -These tUiuu's tlierefore the soldiers did.
qMatt. xxvii. 60; Mark xv. ai; Luke xxiii. 34. rPs.
xxii. 18.
Then the soldiers, who were on duty at the
crucifixion, four in number. (See on Matt,
xxvii. 35.) When they had crucified Jesus,
i. e., had nailed Him to the cross, and
erected it in its place. Took his garments,
&c. These assistant executioners, cower-
ing down together, at the foot of the cross,
part the wide upper garment and divide it
among them. On more closely examining
the underclothing, they see in it a singular
piece of art, for the dress is without a seam,
woven entirely in one piece. This vesture,
they think, ought not to be cut, and hence
they agree to cast lots for it. They do so,
and he who is so fortunate as to win, be-
comes the possessor of the whole garment.
These soldiers, without any idea of it, are
fulfilling, by their division of the garments,
and their casting the lot for the unseamed
vesture, a Scriptural prox)hecy of almost a
thousand years old. (Ps. xxii. 18.) The
fact that the whole of the four Evangelists
mention the division of the raiment, is a
l^ledge to us of its symbolical importance
and divine meaning. As a garment covers
the nakedness of the body, preserves it
from heat and cold, and both cherishes
and adorns it, so the righteousness of
Jesus Christ covers the shameful naked-
ness'of the soul. (Ps. xxxii. 1; Isa. Ixi.
10, &c. ; Gal. iii. 27 ; Rev. iii. 18.) " Put ye
on the Lord Jesus." (Rom. xiii. 14.) Put-
ting on the Lord Jesus includes both our
justification and sanctification. Christ is
not only made our righteousness, but like-
wise our sanctification (1 Cor. i. 30), and
therefore they^ who are for having only
His righteousness as a covering for sin,
but deny His sanctifying power, and do
not seek after holiness, as it were, rend
Christ's coat, and are worse than these
pagan soldiers.
" Jesus, thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress ;
Midst flaming worlds in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head."
These things therefore the soldiers did. Who
could have less intention of fulfilling the
Scripture than these soldiers, who did not
so much as know that any such occurrence
had been foretold? Hence John, who was
an eye-witness of the whole transaction,
thus refers with wonder to the Divine
wisdom in so directing these circumstan-
ces, that men unknowingly fulfill what it
has determined, and yet not by compul-
sion, but still retaining their full freedom.
25. sNow there stood by the cross of Jesus his moth-
er, and his mother's sister, Mary the luife of <C'Ieopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
sMatt. xxvii. 5o ; Mark xv. 40 ; Luke xxiii. 49. 'Luke
xxiv. IS.
His mother. (See on next verse.) Mary
the v:ife of Cleopas, was the sister of our
Lord's mother; James and Joses were
children of that Mary. (Matt, xxvii. oQ.)
Mary Magdalene. (See on Luke viii. 3.)
What are those qualities which are repre-
sented in those who were nearest to the
cross? In John, we have calm courage,
exemplary purity, Divine love. In Mary
Magdalene, devout watchfulness and earn-
CHAPTER XIX
G19
est penitence. In the other Mary, fiiithful
patience and quiet constancy. But, as to
the mother of our Lord, she is hid, as if de-
signedly, by a cloud from our view, and of
her character we can know but compara-
tively little. A work of blood is our sal-
vation, and we, as we would be saved,
must draw near, and gaze upon it in faith,
and accept it, as the way to heaven.
26. When Jt'sus therefore saw his motlier, and "tlie
disciple PtiincliiiL; by. wliom he loved, he saith unto liis
mother, iWuinan! liehold thy son ! 27. Then sailli he
to the diseiple, Beliokl thy mother! And from that
lionr that (iisriiile tuolc her Junto his own home.
"Chaii. xiii. -'::. XX. 2 aud xxi. 7, 20, 24. ^Chap. ii. 4.
7Chai). i. II and xvi. 32.
The dlf!ciple whom he loved, the
Evangelist himself. He saith unto his mother
&.C. Hence it is supposed that Joseph her
husband was dead, whence Jesus takes
care that she should not be destitute.
Neither her own danger, nor the sadness
of the si:)ectacle, could refrain her from
performing the last office of duty and ten-
derness to her son. This was a noble in-
stance of fortitude and affection. Now a
sword struck through her tender heart, and
pierced her very soul! probably she be-
came overwhelmed and unfit to attend at
the sepulchre, at least, she is not mention-
tioned afterward, except that she contin-
ued with the disciples. The compassion
and love of her son, to say nothing of His
condescension, must remain without a
parallel. Woman. This shows that noth-
ing disrespectful was intended in chap,
ii. 4.
Behold thy son, i. e., behold in him one
who will discharge toward you all the du-
ties implied in the relationship of an affec-
tionate son. Stier eloc^uently remarks :
" The burden of the world's redemption
with all its increasing horror of sin, lies
upon His soul, boundless anticipations,
now graduallj" receding and passing awaj',
of the glory to be obtained had filled His
spirit, yet He has room for the exercise of
the minutest care."
Then saith Jie to the disdj^le, &c. In this
instance of filial piety we see how truly the
man Jesus was touched by the affections
of man's nature, and how the mighty in-
terests of His mission did not make Him
forget the common charities and relative
duties of private life. There must then be
something wrong about any one who
makes public duties an excuse for neglect-
ing what he owes to those with whom God
has joined him in these sacred bonds, as
son, or father, or hu.sband, or brother, and
of all these bonds none has a mure divine
obligation than that of which oi.r Lord on
this occasion so tenderly and touchingly
showed His sense, the duty which we owe
to parents. Unto his oim home. Doubtless
to his own immediate residence in Jerusa-
lem, next to his home in Galilee, and
finally, perhai^s, to Ephesus, his last abode
in Asia Minor. That John had a home at
Jerusalem is implied by the x^hrase from
that hour, as he remained some time in
Jerusalem.
2S. After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now
accomplished, ^that the scripture might be fultilled,
saith, I thirst.— iPs. Ixix. 21.
Tluit all things were now a^romjjlishcd —
i. €., the moment for the fulfilh^ient of the
last of them, for there was one other small
particular, and the time was come for that
too, in consequence of the burning thirst
which the fevered state of His frame
occasioned (Ps. xxii. 15.)
That the scripture (Ps. Ixix. 21) might be
fulfilled, &c. Jesus well knew that the de-
claration of His thirst would ch-av\^ on Him
a fresh insult, yet He was far from declin-
ing any additional suflering, that the
Scripture might be fulfilled, and that the
truth of it might be confirmed by a new
seal. Let us beware of undervaluing the
"Word of the living God, or contemptuous-
ly using it as a dead letter. Rather let us
honor it as the voice of the Supreme
Majesty of heaven, choose it for the rule
of our faith and practice, and be willing
to suffer anything that the Scripture may
be fulfilled in us. (2 Tim. iii. 12.)
29. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar : and
"they filled a sponge with vinegar, anc'. put it upon hys-
sop, and put it to his mouth.— ^iJIatt. xxvii. 48.
Vinegar. (See on Matt, xxvii. 34, 48;
Luke xxiii. 36.) And they — " one of them "
{Midi.-s.sMU.ASi), filled a sponge with vinegar,
eindput it upon (a stalk of) hyssop, and put
it to his moidh. Though a stalk of this
plant does not exceed eighteen inches in
length, it would suffice, as the feet of cru-
cified persons were not raised higher. As
we gaze upon the soldiers putting the
saturated sponge to the dry and parched
lips of the languishing Jesus, by way of
derision, instead of a cordial to supjjort
His drooping spirits, how we are amazed,
620
JOHN
on the one hand, at the obduracy and bar-
barity of the human heart, and that these
wicked men should be so utterly void of
humanity and compassion, and, on the
other hand, at the greatness of our Sa-
viour's love to mankind ; who endured all
this for our sake ! If the world should
give us a disagreeable sour potion in our
distress, ma}- it be sweetened by the mem-
ory of His love and jjatience i
30. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar,
be said, t'lt is flnislied : and he bowed his head and gave
up the ghost.— I Chap, xvil. 4.
Received the vinegar. (Ps. Ixix. 21; see
on verse 29.) It is finished. Tliis was the
sixth remarkable word of Christ upon the
cross, uttered as a triumphant shout, when
He saw the glorious issue of all His suffer-
ings now at hand. (Zech. iv, 7.) That
which He said He did. If there be any
theme that may challenge and command
our ears and hearts it is this : for the sweet-
est utterance that ever fell from the lips
of Jesus, and the most meritorious act that
ever He did, are met together in this His
last breath. In the one, we see Him tri-
umphing, yielding in the other, yet so, as
He overcomes. (See notes on Luke xxiii.
46.) It was not that the Saviour bowed
his head, because He expired, but because
He bowed His head, He then expired : by
the mention of this, the Evangelist shows
that He was " Lord of all." (Chap. x. 18.)
We could never have atoned for our own
sins. Our tears could not have washed
them away. We never could have made
amends for them by good works. There-
fore Jesus oflPered up Himself a sacrifice for
us. Gave up the ghost — gave His spirit up,
namely, into the hands of the Eternal
Father (Luke xxiii. 46) whereby a separa-
tion was made between His soul and body,
but no disunion of them and His Deity.
They were disjoined one from another,
but not from Him that took them both to-
gether. Rather, by virtue of that remain-
ing conjunction, they were again united
after their separation. The Word was
once indeed without either soul or body .
but after it was " made flesh," it was never
again jiarted from the one or from the
other. Jesus on the cross ! How unspeak-
ably touching is the appeal that is made
to us, as we see His head hanging down
with languishmentsof kindness more than
weakness, His arms stretched as if to in-
dicate His readiness to welcome us to His
embrace. His side opened, not only to
shed blood for us, but to make us a pass-
age to His very heart, and hear Him, as it
were, exclaiming, " O my Father, here I
charge myself with ah the guilt of those
whom I love, here I lay down my life,
that they may have eternal life, let me be
crucified, so they be glorified !"
31. H The Jews therefore, ^because It was the prepara-
tion, dthat the bodies should not remain upon the cross
on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath dav was a high
day,) besought Pihite that their legs might be broken,
and that they might be taken away. 32. Then came
the soldiers, and brake the leg-s of the first, and of the
other which was crucified with him. 33. But when
they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already,
they brake not his legs .
cVerse 42 , Mark xv. 42, ^xxi. 23.
TJte preparation. (See on verse 14 ; also
Mark xv. 42.) The bodies should not remain,
&c. The law of Moses enjoined those
hanged to be buried before night. (Deut.
xxi. 23.) Our Lord's enemies, in all they
did. pretended a zeai for God, very unlike
their general conduct. The result of this
zeal, on this occasion, tended to prove that
Jesus had already died, and also to fulfill
the Scripture. Their fathers did notalways
observe this law. (2 Sam. xxi. 9, 10.) A
high day. " A very solemn festival," as
being not only an ordinary Sabbath, but
the extraordinary one on the 15th of
Nisan, from whence they reckoned the
weeks to Pentecost, and also the day for
presenting and ofiering the sheaf of new
corn : so that it was a treble solemnity.
^See Lev. xxiii. 10, 11 ; Exod. xxiii. 19.)
Their legs might be broken. It was a com-
mon custom to break the legs or other
bones of criminals on the cross. The
Jews, supposing that none of these cruci-
fied persons might be dead so soon, be-
sought Pilate to hasten their death, in the
usual, but cruel manner. They knew not
that the object of their hatred had forever
escaped from their hands, and that they
would never have the opportunity of in-
flicting another pang upon His sacred per-
son. How hateful to God was the worship
of those men in His temple, on the ap-
proaching Sabbath! The words spoken
by Isaiah applied to them : " When ye
make many prayers I will not hear : your
hands are full of blood." (Isa. i. 15.) Their
hands were imbrued in the blood of the
Son of man. How could His Father bear
CHAPTER XIX.
on
them in His presence ? Let us never im-
agine tliat we can please God by our ser-
vices, wliile we are stained with unpar-
doned sins — sins not abhorred, not confessed,
not forsake^i. None can truly please Him
but those who are cleansed from guilt by
faith in His Son.
They brake not his legs. They break the
legs of both the others, they pass Jesus by.
There is every sign, indeed, that He is al-
ready dead, but why not make His death
thus doubly sure ? Perhaps even over the
spirits of those rough and hardened men,
the Saviour's looks and words, the manner
of His death, the darkness and the earth-
quake, which they connected in some way
with Him. may have caused a feeling of
awe to creep over them, restraining them
from subjecting Him to that rough hand-
ling which they were ready enough to give
to the others. However this may have been,
the shield of that prophecy — " A bone of
him shall not be broken," guarded His
limbs from their rude and crushing strokes.
34. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his
Side, and IVirthwith 'came there out blood aud water,
el John V. G. 8
One of the soldiers, not to be restrained,
and to make sure that the seeming death
ol Jesus was real, lifts his spear as he
passes by, and thrusts it into the Redeem-
er's side, a strong, rude thrust, sufficient of
itself to have caused death, inflicting a
wide, deep wound, that left behind such a
scar, that Jesus could say to Thomas after-
ward, "Reach hither thy hand, and
thrust it into my side." Christ, in all
probability, died from rupture or breaking
of the heart. James Begbie, M. D., F. R. S,
E., Fellow, and late President of the
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh,
and Physician to the Queen in Scotland,
in a letter to Rev. William Hanna, LL.D.,
dated April 26th, 1862, and in which J. Y.
Simpson, M. D., F. R, S. E., and John
Struthers, M. D., F. R. C. S., of the same
city, concur, says: "I cannot help accept-
ing, as correct, the explanation which Dr.
Stroud has offered, and which you have
adopted, and so strikingly applied — of the
physical cause of the death of Christ,
namely, rupture of the heart, and conse-
quent effusion of blood into the pericar-
dium, the investing sheath of that organ.
Such a lesion accounts for the phenomena
recorded in the Scriptures regarding Him,
namely, tlie earlier than usual cessation
of life dnrhig crucifixi(m, and the issuing
of blood and water on the piercing of His
side with the spear. It must be borne in
mind, however, that rupture of the heart
is comparatively a rare afiection, and that
the cases of it on record are, so far as I
know, limited to those advanced in life, or
to such as have been laboring under some
degeneration of the structure of the organ,
a condition which renders it liable to be
torn when subjected to the pressure of
severe physical exertion, or the weight of
mental agony. Now in regard to Christ,
we know that at the period of His death
He was in the prime of life, and that as
morally He was ' holy, harmless, and un-
defiled, so physically He was without spot
or blemish. How intensely does this con-
sideration magnify the sufferings He en-
dured! We see Him in the agony in the
Garden, and under the bloody sweat. We
follow Him to Calvary, and see Him under
the hiding of His Father's face, bearing
our sins in His own body on the tree. We
cannot estimate the anguish of His holy
human soul during these awful hours,
when there was drawn from Him that
most touching language, ' My soul is ex-
ceeding sorrowful, even unto death,' but
we can, in some measure, understand how
His bodily frame, subjected to the full
weight both of mental and bodily suffer-
ing, should yield and give way at the
fountain of life, and how Christ, in His
death, should thus literally fulfill the
prophetic words of Old Testament writings
concerning Him — ' Reproach hath broken
my heart.' I shrink from treading fur-
ther on this sacred ground."
Came tfiere out blood and luater. What a
stream that was! There is a spiritual
meaning in it. Our Lord's death has a
double efficiency — to satisfy and to sancti-
fy. The blood atones for sin. Before it
was shed the penitent malefactor trusted
in it, and was pardoned But sinners are
not only guilty, they are also impure. From
Jesus flows the Holy Spirit, whose office
it is to cleanse and sanctify. (See chap,
vii. 39.) By coming to Jesus we receive
the double blessing. By the precious blood
we are acquitted of the guilt of our sin
623
JOHN
by the purifying Spirit we are purged from
its stain and jaower. Neither of these
blessings is to be found unless in the
Cross. We have the same idea in the
familiar hymn —
" Let the water anrl the blood,
From Thy woundt'd side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Cleanse me from its guilt and power."
^5. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is
trui- : and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might
believe.
He that scnv it, &c. It has been thought
that John was led to put such stress upon
this incident of the crucifixion, and to press
into such prominence his own testimony
as an eye-witness to its reality, on account
of the convincing refutation thus afforded
of two strange heresies that sprang up
early in the Church : the first, that Jesus
had never really died upon the cross, but
only passed into a swoon, from which He
afterwai'd revived; and the second, that it
was not a real human body of flesh and
blood, but only the appearance of one that
was suspended on the cross. It may have
been that the Evangelist had these beliefs
in view. But whatever was his immediate
object in testifying so particularly and so
earnestly to the fact, it only puts that fact
so much the more clearly now before our
eyes, authorizing us to assume it as placed
beyond all doubt, that within an hour or
so after Christ's death — for it could not
have been much longer, when a deep incis-
ion was made in the side of the Redeemer,
there visibly flowed forth a copious stream
of blood and water. (See notes on verse
34.)
And he knoweth that he saith true, &c. The
Evangelists write in that artless, calm and
unguarded manner, which is natural to
persons confident of the undeniable truth
of what they assert; they do not write with
that scrupulous caution which would argue
any fear that they might be confuted.
They simply relate the naked facts, and
leave them to stand upon their own evi-
dence. They relate the most amazing, the
most moving things with the most cool
S'.^renity, without any passionate exclama-
tions and warm reflections. They relate
the most tragical circumstances of our
Lord's condemnation and death, calmly
mentioning matter of fact, without any in-
vectivesagainstthe Jews, without any high
eulogies upon Christ's innocence, without
any rapturous celebrations of His grace in
suffering all these things for sinners, and
withoutany tender lamentations over their
deceased Master. It is impossible for a
heart, so deeply impressed with these
things, as theirs undoubtedly were, to re-
tain this dispassionate serenity, unless laid
under supernatural restraints, and there
appear very good reasons for this restraint
upon them, namely, that the Gospel his-
tory might carry intrinsic evidences of its
simplicity and artless impartiality , and that
it might appear adapted to convince the
judgments of men, and not merely to raise
their passions. In this respect the Gospel
history is distinguished from all histories
in the world.
36. For these things were done, fthat the scripture
should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be brolien.
37. And again another scripture saith, sThey shall look
on him whom they pierced.
fEx. xii. 4(i; Num. ix. 12; Ps. xxxiv. 20. bPs. xxii. 16,
17 ; Zech. xii. 10 ; Kev. i. 7.
Here again we find the soldiers coming
in, unconscious witnesses, agents in the
fulfillinent of prophecy, carrying out.and
testifying to a double Scripture, first con-
cerning Him, and then concerning all the
people. In reading the history of our
Lord Jesus Christ, we must consider Him,
1. As accomplishing all the Scriptures of
the Old Testament. 2. As doing every-
thing in the si)irit and power of the world's
Redeemer from sin and spiritual death,
all outward and visible works, wrought on
the bodies of men, being so many pictures
of those inward and spiritual works
which He is continually Avorking by
His Spirit on, and for, our souls. 3.
We must ever join ourselves to Him, as
being with Him, dying with Him, rising
with Him, <fcc., He being made '"one with
us" by assuming our nature, we "one with
Him," by believing and being baptized.
(Mark xvi. 16.) Then have we studied
the Scriptures to purjiose, when the life
of Jesus, foreshowed of old, and accom-
plished in the body of His fiesh, is mani-
fest in ours. (Rom. vi. 3-11; Gal. ii. 20.)
38. IT hAnd after this Joseph of Ariniathea. being a
disciple of Jesus, but secretly 'for fear of the Jews, oe-
sought Pilate that he might take away the bodj' of
Jesus : and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore,
and took the body of Jesus. 39. And there came also
i=Nicodemus, (which at the fii-st came to Jesus by night-,)
and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, "about a
hundred pounds iveinht. 40. Then took they the body
of Jesus, and iwound it in linen clothes with the spices,
as the manner of the Jews is to bury. 41. Now in the
CHAPTER XIX.
623
f (lace whore he was crncined tbnre was a garden; and
n the garden a new scpuleliro, wherein was never man
yet hv.a. •!•.•. niTliere hiid they Jesus tlierelbre "because
of liie .lews' preparation day, lor the sepulchre was nigh
at liiiiicl. . ,
ijJMatt. ixxvii. 57 : Mark xv. -ii; Luke xxm. 50. "Chap,
ix. 22 and xii. 42. kChap. lii. 1, 2 and vii. 50. 'Acts v. 6.
nilsa. liii. 9. iVerse 31.
Sec on IMatt. xxvii. 57-Cl ; Mark xv. 42 ;
Luke xxiii. 50.
Joseph. We may consider this man, 1.
in connection with iirophecy. (Isa. liii. 9.)
Bishop Lowth's rendering has been univer-
sally deemed an improvement : " And His
grave was ai)pointcd with the wicked, but
with the rich man was His tomb." 2. In
reference to his rank in life, he was " a
rich man." How hardly shall they that
have riches enter into the kingdom of
God ! Yet we here see the camel drawn
through the eye of the needle : for what is
impossible with man is possible with God.
3. In connection with his infirmit)^ and im-
jierfection. The Jews had decreed that if
any man confessed Christ he should be
put out of the synagogue. Hence, many
who believed on Him feared to confess
Him. This w^as for some time the case
with Joseph. "The fear of man bringeth
a snare." It is this that leads many to
ask, not whether such a thing be right,
but what will people think and say of me
if I adopt it ? 4. In the increase and de-
velopment of his Christian principle. For
he now shows himself openly, and acts a
noble and distinguished part. It required
no little zeal and courage to own a regard
for one that had been judicially executed
under the charge of blasphemy and sedi-
tion, to come forward and publicly ask for
his body, to give it an honorable interment
in his own garden and his own tomb,
which had never yet been used. Let us
not decide upon the character of persons
too soon. Let us not give them up be-
cause of some present weaknesses, much
influenced perhaps by peculiar circum-
stances. Let us not despise the day of
small things.
TJure came also Nicodemus, &c. The
Evangelist (vii. 50) describes Nicodemus
by this remarkable act of his life, " He,
that came to Jesus by night ;" here he
adds, at the first. Observe the loving spirit
of John, as designing to wipe away this
stain from the character of Nicodemus,
and with a gentle hand to "take this
mote from his brother's eye :" for it is, as
if he had written : " Though eU the first he
was timid and time-serving, yet at the last
he was bold and decisive. Behold, he
now comes to Jesus openly, by day, and
before the world, bearing the costly tribute
of his faith and love," (Gal. vi. 1.) It is
not to be immediately concluded, that no
good is done, because people do not seem
to be better for our labors. Where God's
will is done, there good, sooner or later,
must be the result, (ii. 22, vii. 39, xiv. 26 ;
Mark iv. 27 ; Luke xv. 17, 18.)
A mixture of viyrrh, &c. In the gifts of
the wise men at tlie birth of Jesus, the
gold is considered to imply His Kingship,
and the frankincense His Divinity, and
the myrrh His Humanity : now, on this
occasion, the myrrh alone of them is found.
It is our Lord's Humanity, which is em-
balmed. (Mark vi. 21) ; Acts ii. 24, 27.) A
hundred pounds, a quantity becoming the
embalming of a king. (2 Chron. xvi. 14.)
The weight showed the riches of Nico-
demus, and his respect for Christ. We
should think nothing too great for our Lord.
The Jewish tradition is, that on Jacob a
profusion of spices was used. (Gen. 1. 2.)
At Herod's funeral were five hundred
spice-bearers. Eighty pounds of opobal-
sum were used at the funeral of R. Gam-
aliel. Wound it in linen clothes, &c. " Noth-
ing," observes Dr. Arnold, " to my mind
affords such comfort to us, when shrinking
from the outward accompaniments of
death — the grave, the grave-clothes, the
loneliness — as the thought that all these
had been around the Lord Himself, around
Him, who died, and is now alive forever
more. (Rev. i. 18)." Bury, rather, embalm.
It is certain that no nation was more care-
ful than the Jewish to bury their dead,
though, very probably, not one of an
hundred was embalmed. But it had been
predicted that Christ should be joined
with the rich in His death (Isa. liii. 9) a
circumstance which, before it happened,
seemed very improbable.
There was a garden. It w^as in a garden
sin was first committed, expiated (xviii. 1),
and finally triumphed over. (i. 48 ; Ps.
cxxxix. 2.) In a garden there is some-
thing emblematic and suitable, where na-
ture dies and is again renewed, where the
624
JOHN.
seed perishes and is quickened,'and brings
forth an hundred-fold. (xii. 24.) " Bid
death to thy board," says Bishop Hall,
" lodge him in thy bed, talk with him in
thy closet, walk with him in th}^ garden,
as Joseph of Arimathea did." The men-
tion of the neiv sepulchre, rvJierein was never
man yet laid, may remind us that the cir-
cumstances of His birth and His burial
were in one respect alike. He who was
born of a virgin-mother, shall be laid in a
virgin-grave. Thus they laid Jesus, as
in a temporary resting-place, somewhat
hastily, as the preparations for the Pass-
over were going on, intending, doubtless,
when they might, to return to the sepul-
chre and complete their labor of love,
ignorant now their fond care would be
prevented, not yet suspecting the glories
of the Resurrection morn. Jesus Avas laid
even in the sepulchre, to prove to tis the
blessed truth that the grave shall retain
none of His followers, for that it could not
retain, even though it held Himself. There
is something in the prospect of the cold,
dark, prison-house of the grave, from
which all nature shrinks. Happy, then, it
is for the believer to know that there his
Lord and Master has gone before him,
that He has sanctified not only the be-
liever's death, but the believer's grave, and
there will watch over his precious remains
until He reunites them to their never-dy-
ing spirit, and glorifies them with Himself.
1. What did Pilate do to Jesus 7 2. What did the soldiers do ? 3. What did the chiei'priests and officers cry
out ? 4. State Pilate's interview with Christ in the judgment-hall. 5. Was Pilate disposed to release Him ? 6.
What did he say to the Jews ? 7. How did they reply ? 8. Where was Jesus led ? 9. How was He crucified ?
10. What title was put on His cross ? H. What did the soldiers do with His garments ? 12. What did Jesus say
to His mother? 13. What to the disciple "whom he loved?" 14. What did Christ do when lie had received
the vinegar? 15. What was done to Jesus on the cross? 16. Wliat is said of Joseph of Arimathea? 17. What
of Nicodemus ? IS. Where did tUey lay Jesus ?
CHAPTER XX.
1 'Mary eometh to the sepulchre ; 3 so do Peter and John,
ignorant of the resurrection. 11 Jesus appeareth to
Mary Magdalene, 19 and to hli disciples. 24 The in-
credulity,and confession of Thomas. 30 The scripture
is sufflcient to salvation.
^\ ^HE "first day of the week eometh Mary Magdalene
_L early, when it was yet darl<, unto the sepulchre,
and seetli the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
"Matt, xxviii. 1 ; Mark xvi. 1 ; XiUke xiiv. 1.
The first day of the week. (See on Matt,
xxviii. 1.) Mary Magdalene. (See on Luke
viii. 2.) While it was yet dark. (See on
Luke xxiv. 1.) The stone taken away, &c.
(See on Luke xxiv. 2.) By setting Mary
Magdalene's name in the very forefront
of his account of the resurrection, our
Evangelist marks, doubtless, the eagerness
of her love, as well as prepares us for the
amaring privilege which was in reserve
for her of beholding, before any one else,
her risen Lord. An old writer observes :
"Mary did seek Christ in the first day of the
week, and first hour of the day, but many
defer to seek the Lord until the last week
of their life, the last day of the week, the
last hour of the day, the last minute of the
hour. Let us awake from sin with David,
early, rise with Samuel, early, with Abra-
ham send away Hagar, early, with Christ
and His audience come to the Church,
early, and seek the Lord with this holy
woman, early, (viii. 2 ; Ps. Ivii. 9 ; 1 Sam.
XV. 12; Gen. xxi. 14." See note at the end
of this chapter.)
2. Then she runneth, and eometh to Simon Peter, and
to the bother disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto
them. They have taken away the Lord out of the sep-
ulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
kChap. xiii. 23, xlx. 26 and xxi. 7, 20, 24.
They have taken a^uay, &c. The "they"
may refer to Joseph and Nicodemus, and
any with them, the "we" to the other
Mary and Salome. " We know not," we
women who have been to the sepulchre.
A silent confirmation of the narrative of
the other Evangelists — that Mary ^lagda-
lene had been accompanied by others — of
whom John savs nothing. A faithful soul
CHAPTER XX.
625
which thinks it has lost Christ, is deeply
Bensiblo of its loss— it sighs, it weeps and
leaves no means untried to iind llini again.
It sometimes happens that Christ goes in
some manner out of a heart which is His
living sepulchre, by depriving it of His
sensible presence only to try it, and a tim-
orous soul is afraid tliat its own faults have
driven or taken Him away. Solicitude and
grief are a plain indication of our love for
that which Ave have lost, and when we
have a love for it, we entreat everybody to
assist us in recovering it. That humility
M'hich inspires us with a sense of our own
weakness, and causes us to seek for assist-
ance, is a very proper means to qualify us
to find Jesus Christ,
3. 'Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple,
and came to the sepulchre. 4. So they ran botli to-
gether: and t'.ie other disciple did dmUriin Peter, and
came lirst to the soimlclire. 5. And lie siiiopin^' tlown.
and lookin[/ in, fiiw nhi linen clotlies lyiii^ ; yet went
he not in. 6. Then cometh Simon Peter toUowins him,
and went into thesei>ulchre,andseeth the linen clothes
lie ;— <:I.uke xyiv. 12. <i2 Sam. xviii. 23. «Chap. xLx. 40.
They ran both. " It is a sad, heavy thing
to do anything, as in obedience to God,
while the heart is straitened, not enlarged
toward Him by His Divine love ; but, that
once taking possession and enlarging tlie
heart, that inward principle of obedience
makes the outward obedience sweet, it is
then a natural motion. Indeed the soul
runs in the ways of God, as the sun in its
course, wliich finds no difficulty, being
naturally fitted and carried to that motion.
(Ps. cxix. 32; Cant. viii. 14; Acts viii. 30;
1 Cor. ix. 24-27.") — Leiyhton. Stooping
down. None but humble men and meek
men can see these mysteries. He that
will not stoop at Christ's grave, shall never
be partaker of His death and resurrection.
Here, in a literal sense, was a longing,
eager, searching, inquiring look into the
mysteries of our Redemption. (See Rom.
viii. 19 ; 1 Peter i. 12.) The Unen clothes lie.
It is remarkable that whenever these cov-
erings of our Lord's body are mentioned,
they are never called (John xi. 44) " grave-
clothes," as in the case of Lazarus, l)ut
they are spoken of as the "linen clothes."
7. ASJd 'the napkin, that wa.s about his head, not lying
■with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place
by itself. 8. Then went in also that, other disciple,
which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and be-
lieved. 9. For as yet they knew not thei:scripture,th.it
he must rise .again from tlie dead. 10. Then the dis-
ciples went away again unto their own home.
'Chap. xi. 44. ePs. xvi. 10; Isa. xxvi. lU; Hos. xiii.
14; Acta ii. 25-31 and xiii. 34-37.
40
And the nar)kln, &c. "When Lazarus was
raised from the dead, it is said (cliap. xi.
44), "He that was dead came forth, bound
hand and foot with grave-clothes: and his
face wa.s bound about with a napkin," thus
indicating that he was for the present
rescued from death by the power of Christ,
yet he must still be subject to it, and die
again — but here tlie living Lord, Avho, by
His own Divine jwwer, on this third day
rose again from the dead, leaves behind
Him these cere-clotlis and relics of the
grave, showing that, being risen. He "dieth
no more, deatli halh no dominion over
Him." (Acts xiii. 34-37; Rom.vi.'J; Heb.
vii. 23-25.) "Tremble not," says Toplady,
"at the thought of laying aside your weak,
sinful, mortal body. You will receive it
again, not such, as it now is, frail, defiled,
and perishable, but bright with the glory,
and perfect in the image of God. Tlie body
is that to the soul, Avhich a garment is to
the body. "When you betake yourself to
repose at night, you lay aside j^our clothes
until morning, and resume them, when
you rise. What is the grave but the be-
liever's wardrobe, of wliich God is the
door-keeper? In the Resurrection morn-
ing tiie door will be thrown open, and the
glorified soul shall descend from heaven
to put on a glorified robe, which was in-
deed folded up and laid away in dishonor,
l)ut shall Vje taken out from tlie repository,
enriched and rjeautified with all the orna-
ments of nature and grace. (Luke xv. 22 ; ,
1 Cor. XV. 43.)"
Then ivcnt in also that other disciple. Here ■
we see a sort of unconscious influence, the
silent force of example. Peter follows
John to the sei^ulchre, and John follows
Peter into the sepulchre. And he sau; and
believed. Saw what? Not yet his Lord, .
but the relics of his Lord, and the jilace •
where his Lord had been. All these per-
suaded him, and the real truth now first
flashed acro.ss his hitherto darkened mind : .
and now the day begins to break, and the
shadows flee away, and the clouds are roll-
ing off, and the sun is risen on his soul, the
eyes of his understanding now at length
are opened, and he believes the Scripture,
and the word which Jesus had said. (Chap. ,
ii. 22.) " Blessed indeed," so presently we
read, " are tliey that have not seen, and yet..
626
JOHN
have believed," but blessed too was he who
believed from what he here saw, who was
the first to believe. For as yet, i. e., up to
this time. They knew not — they compre-
hended not. The word scripture refers to
the predictions which Jesus had made in
regard to His own resurrection. (See Matt,
xvi. 21, XX. 19; Mark x. 34; Luke xviii.
31-34.) That he must rise, &c. The neces.sity
was founded upon the immutable word and
promise of God (Ps. xvi. 10), upon the
principle of life inherent in Jesus as the
eternal Son of God, and upon the redemp-
tive economy by which Christ was to rise
from the dead and become the first fruits
of them that are held in the power of the
grave. (1 Cor. xv. 20.) This slowness of
heart to believe, this ignorance, not of the
letter, but of the meaning and spirit of the
Scripture, on the part of the disciples, may
seem strange to us who have been favored
with these eighteen centuries of ever accu-
mulating experience and proof. Nor may
we indeed acquit them of spiritual dullness
and want of discernment, while we yet see
how this clears them of all charge of en-
thusiasm, and adds to the credibility of
their witness. To their own home, literally,
to themselves. Reference is had to their
place of sojourn, for it must not be suppo-
sed, that they had a permanent place of
abode in Jerusalem. Luke (xxiv. 12) has
the same form of expression, which is the
inore remarkable as being one of quite in-
frequent occurrence.
11. H hBut Mary stood without at the sepulchre weep-
ing : and as she wept, slie stooped down, and looked into
the sepulchre, VI. Au'l sc^etli two ansels in white sit-
ting, the one at th^^ ln-ad. and the otlier at the leet,
where the body of Jesus had lain.— hMark xvi. 5.
See notes on Matt, xxviii. 2.
Brief was the stay of those two men.
But Mary, arriving perhaps by another
direction after they left, lingers at the
spot, weeping for her missing Lord. As
she gazes through her tears on the open
tomb, she also ventures to stoop down and
look into it, when lo ! two angels in wh ite
as from the world of light (see on Matt,
xxviii. 3), appear to her, in a sitting pos-
ture, as having finished some business,
and awaiting some one to impart tidings
to. One at the head, and tlie other at the feet,
where Jesus had lain — not merely
proclaiming silently the entire charge they
had had of the body of Christ, but rather,
possibly, calling mute attention to the
narrow space within which the Lord of
glory had contracted Himself, as if they
would say, come, see within what limits,
marked off by the interval here between
us two, the Lord lay ! Mary stood weeping
at the sepulchre, and Jesus came to her,
the devout woman ran to tell the disciples,
and He met them in the way. In every
state, if we do our duty, our Lord will not
fail to reward us. If we delight in retire-
ment and contemplation. His visits will
comfort us. If we labor faithfully in an
active life, in the midst of our business,
His blessings will meet us. (vi. 37, xi. 20 ;
Job xxi. 15 ; Ps. ix. 10 ; 1 Tim. iv. 8.)
" I need no picture of Mary Magdalene,
or any other saint," says Cecil, " I want no
aid to my conceptions from anything
studied by an artist ; the life is before me,
I see the principle itself, actually and visi-
bly in exercise, .... "What are all the
splendid exhibitions which the world pre-
sents to our attention ? "What are its monu-
ments compared with this? What are all
the grand sights, either of ingenuity or
beauty, after which people so eagerly run ?
Show me such a sight, as Mary standing
ii-eeping at the sepulchre ! Such a monument,
as this, of humility, patience, love and
faith, set up in the Christian Church, in-
finitely surpas.ses in real grandeur and
worth all the most splendid monuments
of worldly greatness and distinction. (Gal.
iii. 1.)"
\X And thev .say unto her. Woman, -why weepest
thou ? she saith unto them. Because they have taken
away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid
him.— 'Ps. xlii. 3, 5, 11 ; Jer. xxxi. 16.
Tloman — a perfectly respectable address.
Why weepest thou? Asked, not because
they knew not why she wept, but to open
the way to make her know that there was
no reason to weep. They have taken away.
(See on verse 2.) As before to. the two
disciples, so now to the two angels, she natu-
rally opens her grief. What a remarkable
evidence of the intensity of Mary's grief is
afforded by the fact, that even a vision of
angels does not interrupt it! She is so
completely absorbed by this one Ruling,
that there is no surprise, no symptom of
astonishmentr she answers the inquiry
proposed to her, as if she had conversed
with angels all her life. Yet this very
CHAPTER XX.
637
thing may serve to show how exalted al-
ready, and even under these circumstan-
ces, was her idea of Jesus, for, if she had
not felt Him to he more than man, would
she not have been more moved by the
■ sight of these, than at the loss of Him?
14. JAnd when she had thus said, she turned herself
bivciv, and saw Jesus standing, and likiiew not that it
was Jesus. 15. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why
weepost thou? whom seekest thou? She, supDosiii^j
him to be the gardener, saitli unto him. Sir, if thou
have borne him hence, tell me wliere thou hast laid
him, and I will take him away.
JMatt. xxviii. 9; Mark xvi. 9. 'Luke xxiv. 16, 31;
chap. xxi. 4.
She turned herself back, that is, from look-
ing into the sepulchre. And kneiv not, &.c.
Probably the different dress of our Lord
from what He was accustomed to wear, or
the tears in her eyes, in that morning gray,
might prevent Mary from recognizing
Jesus at first. Woman, &c. (See on verse
13.) Why weepest thou f Our Lord begins,
as the angels had begun, and it is to teach
us, that the words of angels are spoken by
command of God. These were the very
first words Christ spake to any after He
rose from the dead. For His mission was
to bind up the broken in heart, and the
end of it, we know, will be to " wipe away
tears from off all faces." (Isa. xxv. 8 ;
Rev. vii. 17, xxi. 4.) But He proceeds fur-
ther and deeper than they. Wliom seekest
thouf He proceeds to ask: for onh^ in
finding Him whom her soul seeketh, can
the ever-flowing fountain of her grief be
stayed : and in His question is implied the
encouraging promise, " They that seek
shall find." Mary longs to see the dead
body of Christ, and complains of the loss
of that, and, behold, she sees Him alive,
who " is able to do for us exceeding abun-
dantly, even above all that we ask or
think." Have home him hence. Observe,
no mention is made by Mary of the name
of Christ. She is so taken up with the
thoughts of her Saviour, that she sup])Oses
that everj'body thinks of Him as well as
she, and that any one must read in her
heart the name of Him whom she seeks.
" My soul, if thou at any time lose the pres-
ence of thy God, seek Him with diligence
and perseverance ; seek Him with prayers,
and sighs, and tears, and, be sure, at last
thou shalt find Him with joy. He hides
not Himself that we may not find Him,
but that we may seek Him, and be there-
after more fearful to lose Him. Despair
not, He again will show Himself: only go
on, and seek Him still with hope, and thou
shalt be sure to find Him at last with joy.
(Cant. ii. 14; Luke ii. AZ-id,.)"— Austin. Tdl
me where, &c. Grief is unreasonable. Had
an enenvj taken away the body, would he
have told ]Mury where he had laid it ? The
mourner was so transported with sorrow
that she knew not what she said, or what
she did, she could not distinguish faces, nor
remember voices, all was confusion and
perplexity.
16. Jesus saith unto her, Marv. She turned herself,
and saith uuto him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master.
J/ary, said Jesus. There was something
in the accents of that well-known voice
when it pronounced her name, which left
no ijossibility to doubt the speaker, her
eyes were directed by it to the object of
her solicitude, her heart was filled with
gladness. And saith unto him, Rabboni,
which is to say, Master, casting herself (as
would appear from the next verse) in her
ecstacy, at His feet. How touching and
beautiful a comment is this upon our
Lord's own words, "My sheep hear my
voice," they know the voice of their Shep-
herd, when they hear it in His word and
in His providences, in His blessings and in
His chastenings, as distinctly and as im-
mediately as Mary Magdalene knew who
was speaking to her at that moment in the
garden of the sepulchre. This is a high
mystery, but we write as concerning Christ
and His Church; for is it not said that He
shall manifest Himself to them as He does
notunto the world, and does not experience
fully justify it, when they hear a voice
which the world cannot hear, and see a
hand which the world cannot see? Shall
we ever hear our own names uttered by
our Lord? Are they now written in His
book? Can we wonder that when Mary
had found her Lord she was unwilling to
part from Him ?
17. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not ; for I am not
yet ascended to my Father: but go to imy brethren,
and say unto them, "'I ascend unto my Father, and
your Father: and to "mv God, and your God.
iPs. xxii. 2-2: Matt, xxviii. 10: Bom .viii. 29; Heb. ii.
U. ""Chap. xxvi. 2S. "Eph. i. 17.
Touch me not, &c. It is manifest from this
and other passages (such as verse 27], that
the reason why Mary was forbidden to
touch her risen Saviour was not because
the thing was impossible. Indeed, if it had
been so, the prohibition had been unne-
638
JOHN.
cessary, for we need not be forbidden to do
that which cannot be done. Mary had the
testimony of two of her senses, sight and
hearing, that it was the Lord, and she now
seeks the testimony of a third, namely, of
fe.tivg, in order to be sure that it ts a body
and not a pure spirit which addresses her.
The knowledge of Christ by internal con-
sciousness is better far than that by sight
or hearing. "Is it impossible," says the
Ecr. WilUam Archer Butler, " that Jesus, in
t'lis singular prohibiton to weeping and
astonished Mary, might have alluded to
this spiritnal contact which was to be the
consequence of His ascension — to this in-
v;ard grasj) which the abiding of His Spirit
was to allow — so that those who of old had
seen and heard the Lord, were thenceforth
to know Him as it were by touch and feel-
ing, by direct and palpable apprehension."
It might be proper to touch Jesus at His
own invitation, and so to answer an im-
portant end (see Luke xxiv. 39), and yet
improper to do so without it. By com-
paring the passage with Matt, xxviii. 9, 10
(on which see notes), it appears that Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary who was
with her did touch Him, for they are said
to have "held Him by the feet, and wor-
shiped Him." There is reason to think,
therefore, that the words, Touch me not.
were used mainly to induce Mary to desist
from what she was doing, and that on ac-
count of His having more important em-
ployment for her—" Go, tell my brethren !"
Tliis agrees with the reason given, "Touch
me not, /or I am not yet ascended, &c. This
was as much as if He had said. You need
not be so unwilling to let go my feet, as
though you should see me no more: I am
not yet ascended, nor shall I ascend at
present. Yet do not imagine that I am
raised to a mere mortal life, or am going
to set up a temporal kingdom in this world.
... , No . ... I ascend, &c. This teach-
ing He bids her go and communicate unto
His brethren: remind the disciples of His
former words, ana let them know that this
is the season of their accomplishment,
even that going to His Father ot which in
His final charge He had so frecjuentiy
spoken. (See chap. xvi. 16, 17 25-28.)
Like Joseph in his glory, "He is not
ashamed to call them brethren." (Heb.
ii 11,12.) I ascend, &c. Mary had called
Him "Master," implying thus that she was
His servant and handmaid ; but, now He
graciously calls her sister, for His saying
here implies as much. As by a woman
came the first news ofdeath, so by a woman
came also the first notice of the resurrection
of the dead. And the place fits well, for
In a garden they came both. Leigfiton
says, " He says not to our Father and our
God, but severally, mine and yours, teach-
ing us the order of the new covenant, that
the Sonship of Jesus Christ is not only
more eminent in nature, but in order, is
the spring and cause of our.s, as Cyril well
observes. So then. He that here puts this
word in our mouths, to call God Father,
He it is by whom we have this dignity and
comfort that we call Him so. (See on Matt.
xxviii. 9, 10.)"
18. oMary Magdalene cmeand told the disciples that
phe had seen thi? L,ord, and that he had spoken these
things unto her.
oMutt. xxviii. 10 . X.uke xxiv. 10.
The reasons which induced our Lord
to appear first to Mary Magdalene, were,
we suppose, as follows : 1. To display to
His Church the sovereignty and abound-
ing riches of His grace. Human reason,
if it had been consulted, would have said,
Let the risen Mediator go, from His sep-
ulchre to the streets of Jerusalem, and
show Himself there in triumph to the
people who crucified Him, or, with eager
haste to His beloved disciples, and glad-
den their sorrowful hearts. But, His first
act after His resurrection is to comfort and
honor this humble Mary. 2. To elevate
woman in society, and in Divine privileges.
Male and female were not, then, " one " in
Moses, as they are now "all one in Christ
Jesus." They had neither that place in
the Church, nor tliat rank in society which
they now enjoy. Nor was it in the mind
of the Saviour that any such invidious dis-
tinction between the sexes, as took its rise
in the appropriation in the Second Temple
of a particular court to the females, called
"the court of the women," and continued
in a greater or less degree until His day,
should be perpetuated. Besides, never did
a solitary female appear among Christ's
enemies, either during His life or at His
crucifixion. And He knew how closely
identified with all the best charms and
CHAPTER XX.
039
charities of social life, is woman's eleva-
tion to laer proper station of dignity and
iniluencc. Henee our Lord'rf aiipearint;
lir.«t to Mary, was at onee of speeial good
will to the sex, and an emancipation of
tliem from human impositions, o. Tliat
He miglit put honor on lier earnest seelc-
ing of Him, and on her singuhir obedience
and love. Jesus seldom manifests His
sovereignty alone. As we look more
closely into what He does, we can gen-
erally discover in His doings something
beyond it. It was the loving, aiiectionate,
the conscientious, the seeking, earnest
Mary, whom He thus honored in the
morning of the Resurrection day,
19. iTlien the same day at evening, being the first
dan fit' liic week, wIk^ii the (lours were shut wliere tlie
discipli-s were assciiiblfil for fear of the Jews, came
Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith uuU> them.
Peace be, unto you.
pMarU xvi H: Lake xxiv.30:- 1 Cor. xv. 5.
The same day. This is added to show
that our Lord's appearance to the Apos-
tles, was on the very day of His resurrec-
tion. At evening. It must have been when
the evening was somewhat advanced, for
His appearance to the disciples on their
way to Emmaus had taken place previous-
ly, and it was jiot until the day was far
spent (Luke xxiv. 29. The first day of the
v:cek. A day ever since dedicated to the
special service of Him who on this day
rose from death J This was the first time
the Church had ever met. and lo, Jesus
Christ was found to be there, in the midst
of them ! Consider the repeated sanction
which His presence -gave to the next
" Lord's Day," (see ver«e 26 5 Rev. i. 10 ;
also Acts ii. 1.) Observe, too, the many
indications that the first day of the week
became regarded thenceforth as the Chris-
tian Sabbath. (See Acts xx. 7 ; also 1 Cor.
xvi. 2.) Came Jesiis. He came unexpect-
edly. Without apprising them of His
being near, He entered the room where
they were assemV)led. Bloomfield says :
" As a beautiful economy similar to that
. which we oU'^rve in nature, maj' be dis-
cerned in our Lord's working of miracles,
by which no more paver is employed than
is necessary to accomplish the purpose in
view, we may suppose with the best com-
mentators (as Calvin, Grotius, Whitby and
Campbell) that our I.,ord caused the doors
to preternaturally open of themselves, as
the angel (Acts v. 10, 23) " opened the
Iirison doors in which the Apostles were
conlined." (See also Acts xii. 10.) Thus,
as it is observed by Calvin, " the circum-
stance of the doors being barred was pur-
posely introduced, as containing in it an
illustrious specimen of the Divine power
inherent in our exalted Saviour, who, we
may supjtose, by thus entering not with-
out a miracle, intended to afibrd His dis-
ciples a striking proof of His Divinitj'."
This seems alluded to at verse oO. Peace
beimto you — notthe mere u^is]^ thateven His
own exalted peace might bo theirs (chap,
xiv. 27), but conveying it into their hearts,
even as He *' opened their understandings
to understand the Scriptures." (Luke xxiv.
45.)
20. And when he had so said, he showed unto them
his hands and liis side. qThen were the dibciples glad
when they saw the Lord.— iChap. xvi. 22.
He shelved unto them lii-s hands, &c. — not
only as ocular and tangible evidence of the
reality of His resurrection (see on Luks
xxiv. 37-43), but as through "the power of
that resurrection," dispensing all His peace
to men. Tlien were the disciples glad, &c.
They were so for the following reasons :
1. It gave i^roof that He had escaped the
fury of His foes. 2. It afforded an evi-
dence of His character, and a conlirmation
of His mission and doctrine. (See Acts i.
22, ii. 32, lii. 15.) 3. It proved the accep-
tance of His sacrifice, and the completion
of His obedience, in behalf of His believ-
ing followers. 4. It was a proof of their
participation in the blessings which He
has procured beyond the present state, a
pledge of their entrance into heaven. He
rose as the Head of His body, the Church.
5. They had thus a pledge of His protec-
tion of His Church from its enemies, and
of its final triumph over all. Let us keep
a serious celebration of the joy which be-
longs to every remembrance of the resur-
rection of Jesus Christ. The Sabbath is
set apart for the veneration of a risen
Saviour. We should follow Him from the
cross to the crown : " weep with Him
when He wept ; rejoice when He re-
joiced," and be glad, like His disciples,
" when they saw the Lord." This joy is
not like that of the world, agitated, but
pure and calm, it composes the sptirit, it
refines the affections.
630
JOHN.
21. Then said Jesus to them again. Peace be unto
you : 'as my l-'uther hath sent me, even su send I you
'Matt, xxviii. 18, chap. xv\i. 18, 19; 2 Tim. ii.2; Heb.
ii. 1.
Again. (See on verse 19.) Peace he unto
you. This language was sweet especially
considering the troubles of their hearts to
whom it was primarily addressed. It is
as though Jesus had said, All is well as to
the past, and all shall be well as to the
future. The commission itself is sweet.
Nothing could well be more grateful to
those who loved Christ than to be em-
ployed b}' Him on such an errand, and to
have such an example to imitate. Jesus
came to ofi'er Himself a sacrifice for sin,
and by His blood to obtain eternal salva-
tion for poor lost sinners. Yet notwith-
standing this disparity between His mis-
sion and that of His ministering servants,
there are various points of likeness between
them. 1. The great objects of Christ's
mission were to glorify God, and to seek
and to save lost souls, and theirs are the
same. 2. In executing His mission, as
Mediator, Christ was always under the
direction of Him that sent Him, and the
ministers of Christ, as His servants, must
be the same. 3. Christ, in the execution
of His mission, had great difficulties and
trials to encounter, and His servants must
expect the same. 4. Christ was not sent
forth in His undertaking without a promise
of support in it, and a glorious reward for
it. If many waters could have quenched
His love, it had been quenched, but Di-
vine Omnipotence supported Him. As
His Father sent Him, so sends He His
ministering servants. Faithfully has He
promised to be with them always to the
end of the world. The joy set before Him
encouraged Him to endure the cross, they
also shall have their reward — they shall
enter into the joy of the Lord.
22. And when he had said this, he breathed on them,
and saith unto theiu. Receive ye the Holy Ghost : 23.
•Wliosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto
tliem ; and whosesoever sinn ye retain, they are re-
tained.—'Matt, xvi. 19 and xviii. 18.
He breathed on them. &c. A symbolic act,
denoting the bestowal of the Holy Ghost
according to His promise. Not that the
promise is here fully accomplished, for
this did not take place until the Pentecos-
tal effusion of the Spirit, but it was a pre-
cursor and pledge of that which was so
goon to be realized in all its abundant
fullness and richness. This hrenthing forth
is in beautiful accordance with what is
said in chap. xv. 26, that the Spirit pro-
ceedeth forth in His work from the Fa-
ther and the Son, although this was not
to take place until the ascension of Jesus
to His glorified state in heaven. (Chap,
xvi. 7.) Here is proof of Christ's Divinity,
He inspired those ambassadors, gave them
the Holy Ghost. Receive ye, &c. Surely
this is the voice of a God, and not of a
man. Holy Ghost. We are not to sup-
pose that the word "holy" denotes the
holiness of the nature of the Blessed
Spirit, because holiness, being a property
of the Divine essence which belongs
equally to all the Persons, cannot be at-
tributed to one of them by way of emi-
nence or distinction. It would be as im-
proper always to call one of them wise,
or almighty, or just, or good, while no such
adjunct was connected with the names of
the others. There can be little doubt that
the epithet, holy, refers to His official
character. He is the Author of all the
holiness which adorns the creation, and
particularly in the economy of redemption
He sustains the character of the Sanctifier.
(Titus iii. 5.) He comes forth from the
Father, to restore His image in the soul
of man, and all the virtues and the graces
are the effects of His mighty operations.
W hosesoever sins ye remit, &c. If there is
no reference here to the miraculous gift
of discerning spirits, by which the Apostles
could certainly judge of the state of indi-
viduals, and pronounce a sentence upon
ihem which would be ratified in heaven,
nothing further can be intended than that,
as preachers of the Word, they were
authorized to declare the character of
those who should be justified, and of those
who should be condemned, to as.sure be-
lievers of eternal life, and unbelievers of
eternal death. (See on Matt. xvi. 19 and
xviii. 18.) The absolute power of forgive-
ness, or condemnation, was not vested in
the Apostles, any more than the power to
perform miracles, although this was con-
ferred in similarly unqualified terms. As
Jesus had been the authorized messenger
of the Father, able to communicate with-
out mistake His will, so the Apostles were
to be fully authorized to act in the Mes-
CHAPTER XX,
6ol
siah's place, as making known the great
principles of the new relJjj;ion, and able to
answer tlie inquiry, Wlio shall receive
forgiveness of sin, and from whom shall
forgivoneiss he withholden ? They wonld
be qualified to instruct men respecting the
will of God in reference to pardon, and
whatever principles they should announce
as regulating the pardon of sin, those
would be the principles recognized in
heaven. This fullness of qualification,
which would render them the authorita-
tive ambassadors of the Messiah, and in-
terpreters of His will, would proceed from
the influence of the Holy Spirit.
24. t But Thomas, one of the twelve, 'called Dldy-
mus, was not with them when Jesus came.
«C!hap. xi. 16.
Thomas called Didyrmis. (See on
chap. xi. 16.) One of (he ticelve. They are
still called "the twelve" by a familiar
figure of speech, though two, as we know,
were wanting: apart being put synechdorh-
ically as it is termed, according to Greek
usage, for the whole. The disciples had
congregated like a family of orphans de-
prived of their head. They were together
like a nest of unfledged birds, from whom
the murderous hand had carried off their
dam, beneath whose sheltering wing they
used to find repose. They had entered an
"upper chamber," and shut their door
upon the cold bleak world, to show that no
comfort was to be expected from without.
But Thomas ivas not with them, when Jesus
came to them in the evening, on the day
of His resurrection. We are not told how
it happened that Thomas was absent at
this time. Had he been there, he would
probably then have been convinced of the
blessed fact that Christ had risen, as the
other Apostles were: and hence we may
well remind ourselves how unwise it is to
neglect religious ordinances.
25. The other disciples therefore said unto him, "We
have seen tlie Lord. But lie said unto ttiem, ^Kxcept I
shall see in his hands the i)riiit (jf the nails, and put my
finger into the print of tiie nails, and thrust my liand
into his side, I will not believe.
"1 Cor. ix. 1 and .xv. 5. vjob ix. 16; Ps. Ixxvili. 11, 32,
xcv. 8, 10 and cvi. 21, 24.
No sooner had Thomas returned, than
his fellow-Apostles said to him, with a rap-
ture becoming the discovery. We havesrcn
the Lord. Upon hearing this, who would
not have expected that Thomas, after some
inquiry, would have exclaimed, "Happy
you who have been privileged with the
sight of a risen Saviour! Oh that I had
been with you ! Could I have foreseen
that He would have honored this place
with a visit, nothing should have induced
me to quit the sacred spot." But instead
of this emotion which was so natural, he
avows his determination not only to have
the evidence of sense, V>ut to trust no one's
senses but his own. Except I shall see in
his hands, &c. We have already seen that
one cause of Thomas' unbelief was his
absence from the assembly of his fellow-
Christians. Another was his establishing
an improper criterion of truth. The report
of Christ's resurrection was made to him
by men whose veracity he did not doubt,
for they had been for three years his com-
panions, and he knew them, in a matter
of such moment, to be incapable of false-
hood, and yet he refused to credit it. He
declared that he would see, and put his
finger into the print of the nails, which had
been used in the crucifixion, and thrust
his hand into the side, which had been
pierced by the soldier's spear, or else he
would reject all other evidence. And yet,
how strange was the conduct of Thomas I
Had he constantly judged according to the
rule here laid down for himself, how little
could he have believed at all ! He could
not have believed that ever there was such
a law-giver as Moses, or such a prophet as
Isaiah, or anything recorded in the Jewish
Scriptures, for nothing of all this had he
seen or heard. It might easily be shown
how absurd would be the adoption of this
rule by ourselves, as it was applied to
countries, persons and events, which we
have never seen, but in which we believe
on the testimony of others. How many
things are certainly true, the truth of which
falls not within the compass either of rea-
son, experience or sense.
26. T And after eight days again his disciples were
within, and Thomas with them : then came Jesus, the
doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said,
Peace be unto you.
After eight days. Note again the day on
which this occurred, the first day of the
week, the Lord's day, the Christian Sab-
bath, weekly festival of the Resurrection,
duly to keep which is at once our duty
and our privilege. (See on verse 19.)
" Every Lord's Day ought to be a day of
spiritual resurrection. Every succeeding
6C2
JOHN,
Lord's Day ought to prepare us for the day
of the Lord. Then " when Christ, who is
our hfe, shall appear, we shall also appear
with Him in glory." His disciples vxre
within, &c. Thomas this time was with
the Apostolic band, no longer absent, not
forsaking their assembling even in the
sadness of his spirit. .Then came Jesus, &c.
— as before, the Lord greets them with
His " comfortable words," now for this
third time repeated, speaking peace to
their yet anxious minds, and even for this
hitherto excepted and restless one pro-
nouncing His peace. (See on verses 19, 21.)
For eight, days in just punishment of this
his unbelief, Thomas walks in gloom,
while the other Apostles, and the faithful
women, and many a humble diseii:)le, are
walking in the light, he was like some low
and gloomy vale, untouched, ungladdened
by the rays of the risen sun, while all the
neighboring heights long since were smit-
ten and lighted up with His glory.
27. Then saith he to Thomas. Reach hither th v finger,
and behold my hands, and Teach liither thv hand, and
thrust it into my side, and be not laithless,"but believ-
ing. "1 John i. 1.
Behold the condescension of our Lord
and Saviour in dealing with this man.
(See on verse 29.) Reach hither tluj finger,
&.C. Observe the evidence of Christ's
Omniscience which was shown by His
acquaintance with the disposition of the
erring disciple, and by His using word for
word in His prescription, the terms which
had been employed in asserting the exist-
ence of the disorder which he was about
to remove, although He had not been per-
sonally present to see or hear when this
asseveration was made. It is evident that
our Lord retained after His resurrection
the memorials of His Passion — there were
marks of the nails and of the spear. John
saw Him after His ascension as "a lamb
that had been slain." These marks, which
served to prove the truth of His resurrec-
tion, will forever remind us of the way in
which our happiness was procured, and
excite us to adoration and praise. In all
the Divine dispensations, truth is gradual-
ly revealed, and here we have a conspicu-
ous example of this progressive system.
An angel first announces the event. The
empty sepulchre confirms the women's
report. Our Lord's appearance showed
] He was alive, that to the disciples at Em-
maus proA»ed that at least His spirit lived,
that to the eleven demonstrated the reality
of His body, and the evidence given
Thomas decided that the self-same body
that had been crucified was risen from the
dead. Be not faitJdess, but believing. "Do
not become unbelieving. Thomas was
doubtful, not unbelieving. Our Lord warns
us, through him, that if we miss opportuni-
ties of having our scruples removed, if we
close our eyes to the evidences of the
truth, our doubts will be hardened into tin-
belief J' — fSouth. Let us be watchful against
all symptoms of vmbelief. Let us live
with the recollection that the unseen
world, with all its i")0wers and realities, is
not far from every one of us.
Note, 1. The failings of the disciples are
ingeniously detailed in the Book which
makes us acquainted with their history,
whether the writer be himself the charac-
ter he records, or whether he describes
the lives and actions of others. In either
case there is evident strict impartiality —
not a fault is shielded or shadowed by
prejudice — not an error is concealed from
mankind, but the whole truth is faithfully,
fearlessly and prominently exhibited.
Strong evidence is thus furnished that the
pen with which they wrote, was one that
was free from all the imj^erfections of our
depraved nature, and one that was guided
by a wisdom that yields no more to human
weakness than to wrath, in the accom-
plishment of its records and the fulfillment
of its purposes. 2. The unbelief of Thomas
W'as overruled by the Saviour for His own
honor and the good of His Church. If the
discii)les of our Lord had been men of
easy credence, men of hasty persuasion,
men who, without examination, would re-
ceive as true any tale that corresponded
with their wishes, their deposition would
have been suspicious. But, instead of this,
they were full of doubts, and admitted no-
thing till evidence extorted conviction.
They yielded with backwardness to the
force .of evidence, obstinately adhered to
preconceived opinions, pertinaciously held
the ground they had once taken, opposed
anything new and unexpected, and hesi-
tated to admit as a fact that W'hich tallied
not with their own experience. Ilor.ce
CHAPTER XX,
6.13
their testimony is so much the stron-
ger.
28. And Thomas answered and said unto him. My
»L,ord and my Uud.— '1 Tim. iii. 15: Kev. v 9, U.
And Thomas aiiswered, &.c. Here is ad-
ditional evidence tliat tlie unbelief of
Thomas was overruled by Christ for His
ovi'n honor. My Lord and my God. This
exclamation implies, 1. A full and decided
conviction of the truth of our Lord's res-
urrection from the dead. (See Rom. i, 4.)
2. A conviction of our Saviour's essential
dignity and supreme Divinity. This is
language which coukl not have been em-
ployed in addressing the most exalted
creature without the guilt of impious blas-
phemy. 3. An humble hope of jiersonal
interest in Christ as our Lord and God.
Thomas, being conscious of His faith in the
risen Redeemer, claims interest in Him,
and all who believe the testimony of God
concerning Jesus Christ, who trust in the
promise and repose in the Saviour for sal-
vation, may also claim interest in Him as
their Lord. 4. Holy joy and humble tri-
umph in the Redeemer. 5. Thomas' ad-
miration of our Lord's condescension, and
shame on account of His former incredu-
lity. " My Lord and my God, I admire Thy
kindnessin bearing with my infirmities,and
I am ashamed and humbled at the recollec-
tion of my previous unbelief." 6. A deep
sense of obligation to the risen Redeemer,
subjection to His authority, and devoted-
ness to His service. Accordingly, Thomas
addressed Him as His Lord and God. Every
Christian receives Christ in the whole ex-
tent of His Mediatorial character, and
while he listens to Him as his instructor,
and relies upon Him as His atoning and
interceding High Priest, he submits to Him
as His Sovereign, and obeys Him as His
Lord.
29. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast
seen me, thou liast believed: yblessed are they that
ha%'e not seen, and yet have believed.
rl Cor. V. 7 ; 1 Peter i. 8.
Because thou hast seen me, &c. The evi-
dence to which Thomas yielded was the
evidence of the senses — touch, and sight,
and hearing. And the feeling which arose
from this touching, and feeling, and de-
monstration, Christ pronounced to be faith.
Observe, then, it matters not how faith
comes, whether through the intellect, as in
the case of Thomas, or in the heart, as in
the case of John. God has many ways of
bringing dillerent characters to faith, but
that blessed thing which the Bible calls
faith is a state of soul in which the things
of God become glorious certainties. Re-
mark again this: The faith of Thomas was
not merely satisfaction about a fact, it was
trust in a person. The admission of a fact,
however sublime, is not faith, we may be-
lieve that Christ is risen, yet not be nearer
heaven. It is a Bible foct that Lazarus
rose from the grave, but belief in Lazarus'
resurrection does not make the soul better
than it was. Thomas passed on from the
fact of the resurrection to the person of
the risen: "My Lord, and my God!"
Trust in the risen Saviour — that was the
belief which saved his soul. It is not be-
lief about the Christ, but personal trust in
the Christ of God, that saves the soul.
Blessed are they tJuit have not seen, &c. Jesus
said on another occasion, " Blessed are the
eyes which see the things that ye see."
(Luke X. 23.) The former of these passages
pronounces a blessing upon those who saw
the fulfillment of what others have be-
lieved, the latter upon those who should
believe the Gospel upon the ground of
their testimony, without having witnessed
the facts with their own eyes. There is
no contradiction in these blessings, for
there is a wide difference between requiring
sight as the ground of faith, which Thomas
did, and obtaining it as a completion of faith,
whicli those who saw the coming and
kingdom of the Messiah did. The one warj
a species of unbelief, the other was faith
terminating in vision. Faith, whicli is the
great instrument employed by God in
man's restoration, is belief in things unseen.
The more, therefore, any one walks by
sight rather than by faith, the less is his
soul possessed of what God uses as the
great means of blessing it. And if he be
obstinate in requiring the evidence of his
senses for what is otherwise sufficiently
proved, such obstinacy shows that unseen
things have little hold on his affections,
little reality in his contemplations. Peter
mentions it to the praise of those whom
he addressed, that they loved their Saviour
though they had not seen Him. (1 Peter
i.8.)
634
JOHN.
30. H «And manv other signs truly did Jesus in the
presence olliis disciiJles, wliich are not written in this
book : »Cliap. xxi. ::j.
Many other signs. The Greek word for
signs here is often rendered miracles, for
the miracles of Jesus were all sig7is, indi-
cating the Divinity of the Author. The
signs omitted in John's account, were done
in the presence uf the disciples of Jesus, and
were consequently of as good authority as
those related by himself. This was but a
necessary jnece of caution : for John wrote
his Gospel late toward the end of his life,
after the Apostles and disciples of Christ
had spread the Gospel far and near, and
had both by preaching and writing pub-
lished the great works and signs, done by
their Master. To prevent, therefore, the
suspicions which some might be apt to
entertain of their teachers, when they
found the great evidences, insisted on by
them, not mentioned by John, who, being
the last writer of the Apostles, would
naturally for that reason be supposed to
be the most accurate, he declares, that he
had not recounted all the signs, done by
Jesus, but that there were many others,
which, having been wrought m the presence
of His discijiles, might very well be taught
and published by them, though omitted
by himself, (xxi. 24, 25.) From this it
appears that we are not to infer that the
Evangelists were ignorant of a given fact
because they omit to notice it. It is no
presumption against the trijth of the nar-
rative because it is given by but one Evan-
gelist.
31. "But these are written, that j'e mifrht believe that
Jesus is the Ciirist, the Son of CJod, Wiud that believing
ye might have liie through his name.
»Lulie i. 4. i-Chap. iii. 15, 16 and v. 24 ; 1 Peter i. 8, 9.
TJicit ye might believe, &c. It is assumed
that the things written are sufficient to
carry conviction. " He that wrought such
wonders in the world," says Howe, " re-
storing (upon all occasions as they occur-
red to Him) hearing to the deaf, sight to
the blind, soundness to the maimed, and
life to the dead, even by a word si^eaking
— He certainly was the Son of God. Here
is sufficient evidence that doth speak the
thing to any man's conscience that doth
consider ; yea, He that did display such
beams of His majesty and glory, living in
flesh, that even the devils themselves were
constrained to do Him homage, under that
notion, "the Christ, the Son of the living
God," surely this must tell every man's
conscience — this cannot but be the Son
of God. And that believing ye might have
life through his name. Tlie term "life,"
thus api^Iied, includes : 1. Pardon of sin.
2. A renewed nature. 3. Eternal glory in
heaven. All this is obtained by " believ-
ing in the name" of Jesus Christ, believ-
ing that He is " the Christ, the Son of
God." The belief, however, be it remem-
bered, which is the means of giving us an
interest in these blessings, is not a mere
assent of the understanding to certain
truths brought before it, but an acceptance
of those truths by the heart as the jjrin-
ciples on which it would regulate its
thoughts, words and actions, even
unto death. Thus John, in the very
close of his Gospel .... iterates the tes-
timony with which he began it — to the
Godhead of the Word who became flesh.
It is supposed that several women agreed
to meet at the sepulchre, to embalm the
body of Jesus, and that Joanna and some
others with her, having undertaken to
prepare the spices, purposed being there
about sun rising (Luke xxiii. 55, 50, xxiv.
1-10), but Mary Magdalene, the other
Mary, and Salome, came to view the sep-
ulchre, as the day "began to dawn."
(Matt, xxviii. 1.) Mary Magdalene seems,
to have arrived some short time before her
companions (1), and observing that the
stone had been removed, left them to wait
for Joanna and her company, and returned
back to inform Peter and John. In the
meantime, the other Mary and Salome
came to the sepulchre, and saw the angels,
as recorded by INIatthew and Mark. 'While
these women returned to the city, Peter
and John went to the sepulchre, passing
them at some distance, or going another
way, but the angel did not appear to
them. After their return, Mary Magda-
lene saw a vision of two angels, and then
Jesus Himself, as here related (Mark xvi.
9-11), and immediately after Jesus ap-
peared to the other women as they return-
ed to the city. (Matt, xxviii. 9, 10.) In
the meanwhile, Joanna and her company
arrived at the sepulchre, and, entering it,
CHAPTER XXI.
6S5
at first saw nothing, only observed that
the body was not there; but two angels
appeared and addressed them, as the one
angel had done the other women. (Luke
xxiv. 1-10.) They therefore returned im-
mediately to the city, and found the
Aposthis, before the other women arrived,
and informed them of what they had seen,
upon which Peter went a second time to
the sepulchre, but saw no angels, only the
clothes lying. (Luke xxiv. 12.) About
this time the two disciples set otf for Em-
maus, having only heard the report of
these women, and neither that of Mary
Magdalene, nor yet that of the other Mary
and «alome. (Luke xxiv. 22-24, 33, 34.)
These at length arrived, and informed the
Apostles that they had seen Jesus Himself,
and that two of them had been ijermitted
to touch Him ; and some time after, on the
same day, He appeared to Peter. This is
one of many ways by which the apparent
differences between the Evangelists may
be reconciled.
1. Who came early to the sepulchre ? 2. What did she do ? 3. What is said of Peter ? 4. Where did the dis-
ciples go ? 5. What did the angels say to Mary ? G. What did Jesus say to her ? 7. In what circumstances did
Jesus appear to the disciples ? 8. What account is given of Thomas ? 9. What Ls said of " many other signs ? "
10. Why were " these " signs written ?
CHAPTER XXL
1 Chrixt appenrinrj nriain tn hit disciples u>as knotvn of
thfin by the prtut didiii/ht. uf fishes. 12 Me dliieth with
them: I7>eiirnesll\j riiiiuiKindeth Peter to feed his lamtis
and sheep: lHfor< ttil./tfi him of his death: TZrebuketh
his curiosity touchiny John. 25 The conclusion.
AFTER tliese things Jesus shewed himself again to
the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias; and on this
wise shewed he himself.
AfUr these things. There is reason to con-
jecture that more than a week elapsed be-
fjrc Jesus showed Himself as here related,
"alt rough, as Sticr suggests, it was most
probably on the first clay of the week, or
our Sabbath. This would give two weeks
as the interval between the appearance in
XX. 16, and this at the Sea of Tiberias, or
three weeks from the time of His resurrec-
tion. Nineteen days would then remain
for His interviews with His disciples in
Galilee, and His subsequent return to
Mount Olivet, from which He made His
ascension. Shewed himself. This expres-
sion implies that there was in His appear-
ing something Avondcrful. (Mark xvi. 12.)
At the seei, on the shore of the sea. Of
Tiberias. It cannot be wondered that the
disciples returned to their native sea, when
the announcement is recalled, made first
by the angels and repeated by the Lord
Himself, that He was "to go before them
Into Galilee," and that "there they were to
see Him." On iJtis icise, or thus.
2. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas
called Didymus. and aiS'uthanael of Cana in Galilee,
ami ''the sons of Zebedee.and two other of his aisciples.
"Chap. i. 45. i-Matt. iv. 21.
Simon Peter. (jNIatt. x. 2.) Thomas, who
so late was doubtful. Naihanael (that is
Bartholomew), of whom we have heard
nothing since the day of his first call to
Apostleship, and the mention of whose
native town — Cana in Galilee — connects
the record of this, our Lord's last miracle
with the "beginning of miracles." The
sons of Zebeclee— J nmes and John. John
assumes as a thing known fron> the other
Evangelists, who the sons of Zebedee were,
as well as Zebedee himself. Tiio oUier of
liis disciples, doubtless Andrew and Philip.
They were both from the same city (John
i. 44), and their names are found connected
on two (John vi. 5, 8 and xii. 21, 22), indeed
on three (Mark iii. 18) occasions.
.3. Simon Peter saith unto them. I go a fishing. Thev
say unto him, We also go with thee. They went ibrtli,
and entered into a ship immediately, and that night
they caught notliing.
These disciples seem to have been as-
sembled together, for counsel, it may be,
or devotion, and to them Peter projjoses
a return to their former occupation. They
were in Galilee, expecting their Lord, wait-
ing for His promised return : but they were
poor, for they had left all to follow Him ;
and it was needful by honest labor to pro-
636
JO HN.
vide for themselves raid for their house-
holds. So, moved thereto by their iieces-
ities, and not from any lust of g;.in, or
weariness of their Lord's service, they re-
turn to a craft with which they were
familiar, and go out of the house where
they had been assembled, into the small
fishing vessel which awaits them, and
plied all night upon the waters of their
native sea. But their task was an unpro-
titable one — that nigld tJiey caught nothing —
as at the first miraculous draught (see on
Luke V. 5) ; no doubt so ordered that the
miracle might strike them the more by
contrast. The same jn-inciple is seen in
operation throughout much of Christ's
ministry, and is indeed a great law of
God's spiritual procedure with His people.
The fact that their Lord and their God
could sufier the men He loved to remain
in such a low estate and precarious con-
dition, should teach Christians to submit
cheerfully to poverty, as well as to behold
with a feeling akin to reverence, the
brother of low degree. This world is a
place of fruitless toil, for men are not -will-
ing to be instructed. Like the disciples,
they toil over the sea of life in the dark,
fishing for haijpiness as they go, but gen-
erally in vain. Being unwilling to profit
by the wisdom of those who have toiled
over the sea before them, their net is
mostly found on the vrong side of the
vessel, while they are quite ready to throw
the blame of their numerous failures on
anything and everybody rather than tl^em-
selves.
4, But when the morning was now come Jesus stood
on the shore : but the disciples ckuew not that it was
Jesus.— tChap. xx. H.
When the morning was now come, &.(i. It
is ever morning when Jesus visits His dis-
ciples. However dark the night, when
He appears the light at length gets through
tiie clouds, and the morning breaks. O
what a bright morning broke upon the
dark night of human sorrow at the Incar-
nation, when Jesus robed Himself in
frailty, and for the first time placed His
foot upon the shores of this guilty, wreck-
ed, and storm-tossed world ! And oh
what a bright morning will burst upon
the vision of the iierfected just, when,
standing upon that sea of glass which
hold their glorified Lord : when, the full
fruition of their hopes being realized, their
sun shall no more go down, the days of
their sorrow having forever passed away.
Jesus stood on the shore. " "What," observes
an ancient writer, " does the sea represent,
but this present world, which dashes itself
with the tumults of business, and the waves
of this corruptible life ? What is repre-
sented by the solidity of the shore, but the
perpetuity of eternal rest? ...... It is
as if our Lord spake to them thus, by facts,
of the mystery of His resurrection : " Now
from henceforth I appear not unto you ou
the sea (Matt. xiv. 25) being no longer ex-
posed together with you to the disturbance
of the waves. (Deut. xii. 9.)" Knew not
that it icas Jesus. The distance and the
dimness of the morning light might ac-
count for their not knowing him. But
still the narrative intimates that our Lord
maintained, at least for a time, a super-
natural reserve, so that His Apostles could
scarce discern His identity. S6, while His
ministry and church are here on this sea
of life. He ever stands on yonder high
shore of immortality, earnestly watching
them, though but dimly recognized by
them.
5. Then ajesus saith unto them. Children, have ye
an}' meal ? They answered him, No.
JLuke xxiv. 41.
Children, have ye any meat f This was in
our Lord's wonted style to His disciples,
making them tell their case, and so the.
better prepare them for what was coming.
Meat — food. The original word expresses
something to be eaten with bread, such as
meat or fish. Children. This term Avould
not necessarily identify Christ, but when
they did recognize Him, they would feel
it sweetly like Himself. It should be re-
membered that this honorable and en-
dearing title was given by the Saviour to
men, who, whatever might have been their
former fidelity and attachment, had, with-
in only a few days, forsaken Him and fled,
had deserted Him in the hour of His ut-
most need, had abandoned Him on the
very cross to which He had been nailed
for their own eternal deliverance. On
these poor, frail and inconsistent creatures,
because He perceived in them "the root
of the matter " — contrition, lowliness and
John saw* in Apocalyptic vision, they be- I love to Him, a willing spirit and a warm
CHAPTER XXI,
GCI
heart — He bestows this high and delight-
ful appollution. To all those who faith-
fully serve Him, Jesus addresses ques-
tions of a similar imjKjrt: " Children, have
you" what you need or desire? Have
you sui)plies for the body and the soul?
Have you strength, and peace, and joy ?
Have you an humble hope that your sins
are pardoned, and a well grounded expec-
tation of heaven?" Numerous are the
discoveries which, even in this world of
trial and perplexity, the real follower of
the Redeemer makes of the compassion of
the jMaster he loves and serves, and it will
no doubt be one of the delightful occupa-
tions of heaven, to discover by its light,
how early and how late, how constantly
and how earnestly, in the midst of how
much negligence and ingratitude on our
own part, the grace of the Redeemer has
been exerted in our favor, His wing spread
over us, and His everlasting arm outstretch-
ed for our clelivei'ance. 2' hey answered him,
No. In this instance, the disciples of
Christ are simply acknowledging a want
of the body. They had no food, and, as is
always the case in wants of this nature,
they were sutficiently ready both to admit
and to deplore the want of it. Bodily priva-
tions are not only keenly felt, but readily
acknowledged, because the acknowledg-
ment does not necessarily imply any fault
in him who makes it. But this, alas ! is
not equally true as to the wants of the
soul. In this case, men are neither quick-
sighted to discover their necessities, nor
free to confess them. Many of those who
are, in fact, " wretched, and miserable, and
l)Oor, and blind, and naked," are described
in Scripture as considering themselves
" rich, and increased with goods, and hav-
ing need of nothing." The great Teacher
from the distant shores of eternity, now
through His truth, says to every anxious
laboi-er on the sea of life, "Have you any
meat for your soul ?"
6. And he said unto them, eCast the net on the risrht
side (if the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therelore,
and now tliey were not aijle to draw it tor the multitude
ol' fishes.— eliUke v. 4, (>, 7.
The mysterious Stranger bids them cast
the net on the right side of the ship. The result
was so vast an enclosure of fishes that they
were unable to draw it to land. (See notes
on Luke v. 4, 5.) Behold what faith in the
words of Christ will do. The disciples had
toiled all night in their own way, and
taken nothing, while in a few moments'
labor, in accordance with the instructions
of Christ, the net was filled I And when
Jesus speaks to the guilty and self-con-
demned sinner, tells him what to d6, and
gives him the power to do it, O what a
change transpires 1 and how richly is he
blessed! and what a shoal of blessings
comes jwuring into the soul, until the man
so favored is compelled to exclaim, Lord,
it is enough! "We may not, in these days,
as in those of the disciples, ex])ect that a
miracle will be wrought for the benefit of
those who comply Avith the Mill of God.
It is, however, hazarding nothing to say,
that every true servant of Christ, setting
himself sincerely, and in dependence upon
the Holy Spirit, to accomplish His will,
may expect much from the grace and love
of his Redeemer, acting by the instrumen-
tality of ordinary means, but producing
effects which may be considered as, in a
sense, beyond nature. How striking, for ex-
ample, are those answers to prayer which
may not seldom be observed in the lives
of the devout and consistent servants of
God! How often are deliverances granted,
are wants supplied, are calamities i-emoved,
are sudden fountains ox hope and joy
opened in the path of the destitute ar.d
disquieted soul! Let us strive, even amidst
the worst emergencies and disappoint-
ments of life, to " cast the net on the right
side of the ship," or, in other wordS; to seek
our haiipiness and interest in the very
place, and after the very manner which our
Lord Himself prescribes. He who has said
that "to obey is better than all burnt sac-
rifice," will fulfill every promise by which
He invites us to a life of resignation and
conformity to His holy will.
7. Therefore f that disciple whom Jesus loved saith
unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter
heard that it was the Loro, he girt his fisher's coat unto
him, for he wits naked, and did cast himself into the sea.
fChap. xiii. -S and xx. 2.
That disciple lohom Jesus loved, &c. John
recognized Jesus first, reminded, as it would
appear, by a former miracle of the same
kind, and on the performance of which,
Peter had exclaimed, "Depart from me,
for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord." (Luke v.
8.) Yet Peter svas not at present struck
638
JOHN,
with the recollection himself. But no
sooner does John say to him, It is the Lord,
than the ship can hold him no longer, but
at a place where the boat could not prob-
ably draw to land for the shallow water,
girding himself with his fishcr^s coat, he
plunges into the sea to reach Him ! What
rashness! What zeal! How perfectly in
character does this man always appear!
He was fervent, but acted by feeling, rather
than reflection. He had a warm heart.
The Lord had lately turned and looked
upon him in the judgment hall, and he
went out and wept bitterly. He had much
forgiven, and he loved much. The Saviour
had more than pardoned his late sad con-
duct, and had sent a message to hi m dis-
tinctly, " Go, tell my disciples, and Peter!"
And how could he love Him enough? And
love is strong as death. Many waters can-
not quench love, neither can the floods
drown it.
8. And the other disciples came in a little ship, (for
they were not far from land, but as it were two hun-
dred cubits,) dragging the net with lishes.
A little sliip, probably the boat in which
the disciples had been during the night.
Two hundred cubits, equal to three hundred
feet. The rest of the disciples followed
slowly, but surely, dragging the net. Had
all done like Peter, the fish had been
abandoned, and the vessel left to be drift-
ed and injured. While we admire some
we must not condemn others. The dispo-
sitions and the duties of men are various ;
and while some perform splendid actions,
and excite notice, others go ploddingly
on in the sober discharge of their common
calling — but they also have the testimony
that they please God. For they were not far
from land, &c. They were not far from
Jesus. Only that hundred yards or there-
abouts, and they shall converse with their
dearest Lord, and in His heavenly com-
pany forget all their toil. This is that joy
of the morning which awaits them after
their night of heaviness. Let us think of
this at any time, when in the night of our
heart we wish for the day, saying, " When
will the day break, and the shadows flee
away ?" " Be patient therefore, brethren,
unto the coming of the Lord." " The Lord
is at hand," and with Him is peace, and
we shall no more remember the anguish
for very joy.
" When the shore is won at last,
Who will count the billows past?"
0. As soon then as thev were come to land, they saw
a lire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread,
lo. Jesus saith unto them. Bring of the fish which ye
have now caught, 11. Simon Peter went up, and drew
the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty
and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not
the net broken.
They saiu a fire, &c. This might, indeed,
be accounted for without supposing mir-
aculous agency, but from the air of the
passage it should rather seem that the fire
and food were not only provided by Christ,
but provided miraculously, as the draught
of fishes had been a little before. Both of
the miracles being probably intended to
teach them, by symbolical actions, that
their Lord could and would abundantly
supply the temporal as well as spiritual ne-
cessities of His disciples. " O fear the
Lord, ye his saints : for there is no want
to them that fear him ! The young lions do
lack and sufier hunger : but they that seek
the Lord shall not want any good thing."
You serve a kind Master, and the world is
His, and the fullness thereof — Jehovah-
jireh ! But we read, " Thou shalt eat the
labor of thine hand," and nothing has such
a peculiar relish as what is gained by the
blessing of God upon our own endeavors.
He therefore also said unto them. Bring
of the fish which ye have now caught, and Si-
mon Peter went up, and drew the net, &c.
Thus, while they must have marveled
and adored at what was nothing less than
a miracle, they were not only supplied for
their immediate use, but the sale of the
capture would pay their expenses back to
Jerusalem, and while waiting there for the
promise of the Father. A hundred and
fifty and three. The count took place, either
at the command of Jesus, or from their
own wish to preserve the remembering of
the great miracle. And for all there were so
many, &c. "In the Church of heaven,
where there will be none but saints, how
great soever the number of them be, yet
will not the net be broken. There will be
no longer any division or schism to be
feared in the bosom of unity in the center
of peac^, in the kingdom of perfect charity.
Vouchsafe, Lord, to give us a foretaste of
these fruits of peace, and to shed abroad
in our hearts the love of unity and the
spirit of charity."
CHHPTER XXI.
639
12. Jesus saith unto them, trCome and dine. And
none of tlu- disoiplcs durst iisk him, Who art thou?
knowiiiirtliat it \v;is tlip I.oni. i:i. J>>sus tlu'ii cmnoth
and takctli l>rra.l, aii.l Kivi'lli them, ami li ;h lilccwiso
U. This is now i'tli(> tliird tinio tliat .Icsus slii^Wfd Inni-
self to lii.s disciples, niter tliivt he was risen from the
dead.— sAct.s x. 41. ^See chiip. xx. 19, 2G.
Ditie. The verb thus rendered, was ap-
]ilied by the ancients to any meal which
was taken before supper. Many of our
Lord's actions around tlie.se shores were
symbolic of some great spiritual tj-uths,
and it cannot be d(iul)ted that morning
hour and morning meal were fraught with
momentous lessons to the disciple-guests,
and to the Church in every age. Observe,
1. The disciples met their Lord while they
were engaged in prosecuting their former
calling. We are thus taught that, in.stead
of worldly industry proving a hindrance
and impediment to the religious life, it
may rather, if not perverted and abused,
become the very channel through which
God delights to meet His peoj)le. 2. The
disciples were reminded, by this renewed
miraculous capture, of their former call
and consecration as FisJia^s of men. They
had forsaken Jesus, but He would have
them know that the gospel-net is still to
be entrusted to their hands, and feel as-
sured that in the darkest hour of their
worldly and spiritual toil, they might
think of a watchful eye of heavenly love
that would never suffer them to toil, un-
owned and unrecompensed. 3. There was
thus taught the final glorious and safe in-
gathering of the whole Church of God.
The fishermen are done with the sea of
life, its storms and toils, and night watch-
ings, they have planted their own foot-
steps on the heavenly shore, and brought
their net unbroken along with them. It
is a lovely picture of the Resurrection
morn, when all divisions and separations
among Churches and Christians shall be at
an end ; when every fi.sh in the sea of im-
mortal being, " all the children of God
scattered abroad," shall be gathered in.
Notwithstanding the vast aggregate, not
one shall be wanting. 4. Christ thus de-
monstrated His own real and undoubted
humanity — convinced the disciples that it
was no shadowy apparition which, at that
morning hour, saluted them and then
vanished away, but the Man Christ Jesns —
the same Adorable Being who had been
known to them oft before on these same
shores in " the breaking of bread." 5.
This feast was, as it were, a type of the
nobler and better festival Jesus was then
on His way to prepare for His Church in
glory. When the world's long night-sea-
son is over, and the eternal morning
dawns, they who have faithfully and man-
fully tQiled, will find that Jesus, faithful
to His own promise, has "come again to
receive them unto Himself, that where
He is there they may be also," and then
shall they "sit down with Abraham, and
Isaac, and Jacob," in His Father's king-
dom. Durst, or, ventured to ask him. Their
backwardness proceeded from no other
fear than that which may be in conse-
quence of the most perfect esteem or
veneration. This is now tJie third time, &c.
Not the third time in succession — for He
had appeared before this to the women,
and to Cephas, and to James, and to the
two disciples going to Emmaus. But the
third time in kind : that is, the third time
when the disciples were together. The
Saviour seems to design to make His
Apostles amends for the three days
wherein they were deprived of the com-
fort of His presence. He obviates all sus-
picions of mistake and delusion, it being
impossible that so many persons could be
deceived all at once, and at so many dif-
ferent times. Throughout the Bible, "the
third time" (a number ever Divinely allu-
sive to the mystery of the Blessed Trinity),
is either for confirmation or consumma-
tion.
15. H So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon
Peter, Simon, aoa of Jonas, lovest tliou me more than
tliese? He saith unto him. Yea, Lord; thou knowest
that I love thee. He saltli unto him, Feed my lambs.
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more
than these? referring lovingly to those sad
words of Peter, shortly before denying his
Lord, "Though all men shall be offended
because of ih.ee,yet icill I never be offended"
(Matt. xxvi. 33), and intending by this al-
lusion to bring the whole scene vividly
before his mind and put him to shame.
"Ch/ist puts Peter upon a three-fold pro-
fession of his love unto Him," saj's Burkitt,
"answerable to his three-fold denial of
Him; his three-fold denial required a three-
fold confession. True repentance ought,
and will be as eminent in the fruit and
effects of it, as the saint's fall hath been."
640
JOHN,
Yea, Lord, thou knowt'st that Hove thee. He
adds not, "more than tliese," but prefixes
a touching appeal to the Saviour's own
omniscience for the trutli of his protesta-
tion, which makes it a totally different
kind of speech from his former. Observe,
Peter being asked of the measure of his
love to Christ, answers only concerning
the truth, being asked of the quantity, an-
swers only concerning the quality. " For
the quantity, it matters not so much with
Thee, none loves Thee so much as he ought,
but for the sincere quality, which is all in
all with Thee — as for that, I appeal to Thy-
self." (See notes on verse 17.) Feed my
lambs. By the "lambs" we are to under-
stand young and tender disciples, whether
in age, or Christian standing (Isa. xl. 11 ;
1 John ii. 12, 13), and by the " sheep,"
verses 16, 17, the more mature. (See notes
on verse 16.) AVhat is said to Peter is said
to all the Apostles. Not thy lambs or thy
sheeiJ, but ^'my lambs and my sheep."
(1 Peter v. 2.) Jesus not only provides
shepherds, but jiasture, the Gospel of which
He is the subject. Feed them with thy
mind, feed them with thy mouth, feed
them with thy labors, feed them with the
prayer of thy heart, the admonition of thy
word, the view of thy good example. (1
Thes. iv. I; 2 Cor. xii. 15.)
IR. He saith to liini again the second time, Simon, xon
of Jonas, lovcst thou me? He saith unto him. Yea,
Lord, thou knowe^t that I lo%'e thee. 'He saith unto
him. Feed my slieep.
>Acts XX. 2S ; Heb. xiii. 20 ; 1 Peter ii, 25 and v. 2, 4.
Again. The repetition is designed to im-
part emphasis to the inquir}', and produce
a deep impression on Peter's mind. Lorcst
thou me? Christ would not trust His peo-
ple with one who did not love Him. It
is by this a good shepherd is distinguished
from a hireling. (John x. 11.) Love will
inspire vigilance and boldness in feeding
the flock, and defending them from danger.
Thou knowest, &c. (See on verses 15, 17.)
Feed my sheep. "My sheep." They are
Christ's as given Himby the Father. (John
X. 29.) They are His as having purchased
them with His blood. (Actsxx. 28.) And
they are His as being the travail of His
soul, the reward of His death, which "sat-
isfied" Him. The word here rendered
"feed" signifies the whole duty of a shep-
herd, and not merely to supply them with
food — to govern them, protect them, to
care for them, or (as Peter himself ex-
presses it) " to take the oversight of them."
(See on verse 15.) To discharge this duty
as it demands is a great matter. 1. It re-
quires that a minister be divested of a sel-
fish spirit. 2. That he be conversant with
the Gospel. How else can he lead others
into it? If he be worldly-minded, he shall
feed their evil principles and propensities,
but not their graces, at best, only their
mental faculties. Many are thus fed by
ingenious, speculative i:)reacliers. But the
faithful pastor must feed his people's best
principles — their faith, hope and love.
Lord, who is sufficient for these things?
17. He saitli unto him the. third time, Simon, son of
Jonas, lovest tliou me? Peter was grieved because he
said unto liim the third tinu-, I.ovi'sl thou m(?? And
lie said unto liim, T.-ird, tlion IviioW'-st all things, kfhou
l<nowest that I love thee. Ji'sns saitli unto liim, Feed
my sheep.— ''Chap, ii. ~i, 25 and xvi. 30.
The third time. The kindness of our
Lord to Peter is affecting, but the moral
of it extends to us. When our Lord asks
a disciple three times whether he loves
Him, and puts him upon examining his
heart, He teaches us that love to Christ is
essential to our discipleship, and He gives
to love the same eminence which it has
always held among angels and men. It is
" the first and great commandment." Pe-
ter ivas grieved. Peter now sees that it is
his three-fold denial that demands his three-
fold confession. He is grieved, not because
the demand is made, but for the sad cause
that renders it necessary. He had thrice
said, I know not the man, he may now thrice
de<;lare how he loves the man. But the re-
collection of the sad scene of his denial of
his Master melts him to sorrow in this
hour of tenderest kindness and compas-
sion. "Lord, thou knowest all thing.?,
thou knowest that I love thee — I do not
say I shall never yield to temptation again
— Lord, preserve me ! And I wonder not
that those who can only judge from out-
ward appearance, think unfavorably of me,
after all that I have done, but Thou seest
the heart." We ought to stand clear with
men, but it is a peculiar .satisfaction, when
we are misjudged of our fellow-creatures,
to know that our witness is in heaven,
and our record is on high. (See on verses
15, 16.)
CHAPTER XXI
041
18. 'Verily, verily, I say unto theo, When thou wast
youuK, tliou gInletHt thyself, and walkedst whither thou
woiilust : Imt when tliou shalt he old, thou Shalt stretch
foilh ihy hands, and anolher shall gird tUee, and caxry
thi, wliitliiT tliou woMldcst not.
iCliap. xiii. a; ; Acts xii. 3, A.
Our Lord proceeds to predict the future
martyrdom of Peter. In txUusion to
Peter's late alacrity in girding himself to
go forth out of the ship to meet his Lord,
(verse 7), the Lord draws a contrast be-
tween this vigor of his youth and the
feebleness of his age, between the occur-
rences of the beginning of his ministry
and Apostleship, and what shall happen
at its close. In the expression, «7u"</ter thou
wouldcst, may be a gentle reminder of his
late desertion, but in its correlative whither
thou ivouldest not, we must not imagine that
any unwillingness to suffer is implied. It
can only mean that natural shrinking
from a violent death which is common to
us all, which may be spoken of even where
such a death is, as it would be in this case,
willingly embraced. Jesus Himself, with
strong crying and tears, said, Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me. Peter
would, and would not; there would be
nature in him, as well as grace. And
while the spirit would be willing, the flesh
would be Aveak. We see this related of
some of the martyrs. Latimer, in one of
his letters in prison, says to his friend :
" 0 ! pray for me ! I sometimes shudder,
and could creep into a mouse-hole, and
then the Lord visits me again with His
comforts, and thus, by His coming and
going, shows me my infirmity." Ridley,
at the stake, said to the smith that was
driving in the staple : " Knock it in hard,
my good fellow, for the flesh may have its
freaks." And when they were leading
RavMns along to the flames, chancing to
see his wife and children among the crowd,
he burst into a flood of tears, and striking
his breast, he exclaimed : " Ah, flesh, you
would have your way, but I tell thee, by
the grace of God, thou shalt not gain the
victory."
19. This spake he, signifying mby what death he
should glority God. And when he had spoken this, he
saith unto him. Follow me.— "2 Peter i. 14.
By luhat death, i. <?.,by what kind of death.
That Peter suffered martyrdom there can
be little doubt. Nothing short of a violent
death at the hands of his enemies can sat-
isfy the conditions of this prophecy. It is
an ecclesiastical tradition that he was cru-
41
cifled with his head downwara, at Rome,
during the reign of the emperor Nero. He
should glorify God. "The revelation of God
unto the world by the Gospel," says an
ancient writer, "is called the light of the
knowledge of the glory," that is, of the
manifestation "of God, in the face of Jesus
Christ," and in 1 Peter iv. 14, those that
suflered for Christ, are said, in allusion to
the Schechinah, tg have "the glory and
Spirit of God to rest upon them," be-
cause, I conceive, God appeared as emi-
nently in them in their confessions and
suflTerings, as if His glory had descended
upon them in lambent fires, and rested upon
their heads. (Isa. xxiv. 15; Matt. v. 11.)
Persecution has always been overruled to
advance the cause it aimed to destroy.
The wrath of man has praised God. The
blood of the martyrs has been the seed of
the Church. The death of such men has
been honorable to the truth and grace of
the Gospel. We are not martyrs. But we
are often called to suffer, and we may glo-
rify God in the fires. There is only one
way into the world, but there are many
ways out. By which of these we are to pass
we know not. But we may glorify God by
the death we shall die — if we are enabled
to exercise faith, patience and repentance,
if the joy of the Lord is our strength, and
we can, from experience, recommend His
service. Follow me. Our Lord, we now
suppose, rose from the meal and prepares
for His disappearing. He moves from the
company and bids Peter "follow Him."
Peter was, perhaps, startled by the pros-
pect which his Master had opened to him,
and needed a repetition of this charge,
" Follow me," which he had received on
being first called to be an Apostle. That
charge, delivered this second time, M^ould
remind him of all which his blessed Master
had lately undergone, and so strengthen
his feeble will, and make him content to
drink of that cup which Christ Himself
had drunk before him.
20. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple
■"Whom Jesus loved, following, which also leaned on
his breiist at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that
betrayeth thee? 21. Peter seeing him saith to Jesus,
Lord, and what shall this man do ?
"Chap. xiii. 23, 25 and xx. 2.
Turning about — uneasy, perhaps, at hav-
ing been singled out from the other
Apostles, for the purpose of being prepar-
642
JOHN.
ed for what he would naturally shrink
from. (See notes on chap. xiii. 23.) The
Lord speaks to Peter, John hears, at once
appUes the word to himself, and follows.
The sensitive conscience of an advanced
Christian catches at the first intimation of
a duty, however indirectly made, nor does
it fail to do so, when, as here, there is a
call to suffering. Trials, undertaken in
this spirit, the ready ventures of a true
faith and love, show our wills to be united
to the will of God, and that we are, in-
deed, " in the Spirit," living meml)ers in
the Body of Christ. (Ps. Ixxxv. 8 ; Acts
xxi. 11-14.) On the other hand, the mis-
take of the other disciples, who spread
the saying that that disciple, should not die
(verse 23), shows how prone sometimes we
are, through that infection that remains
in the regenerate, to construe the promises
of God in a mere temporal or worldly
sense. "We are the moTe inclined to do
this, if by such interpretations we can save
ourselves from the necessity of suffering,
(iv. 15, 33, 34 ; Ps. cxix. 25; 2 Cor. v. 16,
17.) What shall this man do? Peter ven-
tures to ask the Lord what would become
of John, who was following their steps. It
was natural that he should expect this
question would be answered, for at the
last supper, when he had asked John to
inquire who should betray the Lord, a re-
ply had been granted. But there was a
great diflerence between these two in-
quiries. Anxiety to clear themselves of
the foul crime that one of their number
would commit, led all the ftiithful Apostles
to desire to know who the traitor was.
But it was curiosity that induced Peter
noiv to ask, "What shall this man do?"
22. Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry otill I
come, what is that to thee ? Follow thou me.
oMatt. xvl. '27. 2,s and xxv. 31 ; 1 Cor. iv. 5 and xi. 26 ;
Rev. ii. 25 and iii. 11 and xxii. 7, 20. .
If I will, &c. This answer of our Lord
contains a plain proof of His Divinity.
He here intimates that it depends upon
His will how long John shall remain alive.
But the issues of life and death proceed from
God alone, Christ therefore must be God.
Tarry till I come. In regard to this coming
of Christ, there are three modes of ex-
planation, based on our Lord's three com-
ings, one at the hour of death, another.
His coming to destroy Jerusalem, and put
an end to the Jewish persecuting power,
and the third, to which the first two are
subordinate and secondary, His coming at
the last day to judge the world. In our
judgment the second mode of explanation
is the true one. And such was in truth
the portion of John. He outlived the
other Apostles, and survived the destruc-
tion of Jerusalem, and though banished
and exposed often to various perils, yet
he died, it is said, in extreme old age. So
that we should reflect in what various
ways God's saints are called to glorify Him :
some, by dying for His sake : some, by
living long to serve Him here. The mar-
tyr's death may seem to us to be the more
honored lot : but the lengthened service,
the i)atient tarrying for that blessed sum-
mons, which those, whom we loved early
in life, have perhaps long received and
gone home before us, may, in some in-
stances at least, need yet higher grace, and
be the more glorious course. What is that
to thee? Follow thou me. (See on verse
19.) There is nothing revealed in the
Scriptures to gratify curiosity. INIan would
like to know the history of the angels, but
he is only told his own history, for this
alone concerns him : he would like to
know who are the inhabitants of the
worlds suspended in the heavens, but he
is only told who he himself is. We should
not perplex ourselves with needless ques-
tions on matters which do not concern us.
We are apt rather to sjieculate on our
neighbor's faults, our neighbor's spiritual
state and eternal prospects, than to attend
to our own. We have all a great work to
do, even to follow Christ, and the less we
entangle ourselves in vain questions, and
affairs of others with which we have noth-
ing to do, the more simply and singly shall
we be likely to attend to the one thing
reallj' needful, the work which God has
given us to do.
23. Then went this savin? abroad among the brethren,
that that disciple should not die : yet Jesus said not unto
him, He shall not die ; but. If I will that he tarry till I
come, what is that to thee?
See notes on verses 20, 22.
Then went this saying, &c. Observe, how
much more ground of dependence there is
in the Scripture, than in tradition. A
sayingniay among brethren be interpolated
through mere error, without anv fraudu-
CHAPTER XXI,
64^5
lent design. The hand of the Apostle {i.e.,
in writing), heals the error, and preserves
the truth to the present day. (See at xx. 9.)
Observe also the sincerity of John, and his
jealousy for his Master's honor in not suf-
fering an erroneous report to be spread
among the brethren, though it were in
favor of himself. (1 Cor. xiii. 5.) Into this
"saying" the "brethren" more easily fell,
from the prevalent expectation that Christ's
second coming was then near at hand.
24. H This is the disciple wliich testifieth of these
things, and wrote these things: and pwe liiiow that his
testimony is true.— pChap. xix. 35 ; 3 John 12.
It is an argument of John's humility,
that he does not call himself a master in
Israel, or a doctor, but a disciple, and that
five times in this Gospel, (xiii. 23, xix.
26, XX. 2, xxi. 7, 23.) Which testifieth, &c.
This verse completely identifies John as
the writerof this Gospel. These thingsrefers
to the whole Gospel, and not to the last
chapter merely. The " we knoiv " and what
follows, is by some ascribed to the Church.
But the phrase is in John's style (see 1
John v. 18, 19, 20; also iv. 14, 16), and fol-
lowed as it is by I suppose (verse 25), fur-
nishes no positive proof that a collection
of persons, rather than a single individual,
is referred to. If the phrase, in its refer-
ence, reached beyond the Evangelist him-
self, it must have been to such of his fellow-
Christians as had either personally seen
Christ, or had an abundant measure of
faith wrought in them by the Spirit, or to
the testimony which, the Apostles and dis-
ciples had borne of the acts and words of
Jesus, to whose number John regarded
himself as belonging, although at that
time perhaps the only surviving one.
25. qAnd there are also many other things which
Jesus did, the which, if thev should be written every
one, 'I suppose that even the world itself could not
contain the books that should be written. Amen.
qChap. XX. 30. rAmos vii. 10.
Ifamj other things which Jesus did. To be
convinced of the numerous unrecorded
miracles performed by Him, who, " in the
days of His flesh, went about doing good,"
we may see at Matt. ix. how many He
wrought in one day. Again, no mention
is made in any of the Gospels of the per-
formance of miracles at Chorazin, nor are
we even told that Jesus was ever there ;
and yet " the mighty works," as our Lord
calls them, done in that city, would have
been sufficient to make the inhabitants of
Tyre and Sidon repent, had they seen
them. (Matt. xi. 20, 21.) " I suppose "—an
expression used to show that what fol-
lows is not to be pressed too far, even the
world itself ivould not hold the books, &c.— not
a Tnere hyperbolical expression, unlike the
sublime simplicity of this writer, but in-
tended to let his reader know that, even
now that he had done, he felt his materials
so far from being exhausted, that he was
still running over, and could multiply
"Gospels" to almost any extent within
the strict limits of what " Jesus did." But
in the limitation of these matchless his-
tories, in point of number, there is as much
of that Divine wisdom which has presided
over and pervades the living oracles, as in
their variety and ftdlness."
It can scarcely be doubted that it will be
one of the employments of the family of
the redeemed in heaven, to hold converse
together on " all that Jesus began to do
and to teach," in the days of His humilia-
tion, including, as a most interesting part,
His unrecorded miracles and discourses.
If we are made worthy, through the blood
of Jesus, to enter His kingdom of glory,
we may hear from the lips of Apostles cir-
cumstances which their jyens have not re-
corded. Angels were witnesses of scenes
where Apostles were not present: hereafter
those holy watchers may describe events
that occurred among the green hills near
Bethlehem, and on the sultry plains of
Egyi^t, in the lowly dwelling at Nazareth,
and on the shady banks of Jordan, amidst
the dismal caverns of the wilderness, and
upon the sorrowful summit of Mount Oli-
vet— events which have never yet been
heard by mortal ear. And may not the
Lord Jesus Himself condescend to reveal
to His people some passages in His life,
and some feelings of His heart, which are
known to none but Himself? In the
meantime, let us remember that we do not
want the aid of traditional supplement, or
human additions, to the Scriptures of truth
— that though short, they are sufficient,
leaving nothing obscure as to our duty or
welfare, and that they are able to make us
wise unto salvation, through faith that is
in Christ Jesus.
John adds with his three co-Evangelists
644
JOHN.
before him the solemn and confirmatory
Amen, the Verily of his Lord, seaUng up
the record with such a formula ; so setting
seal to this his testimony,
and lives answer, Ame^i.
It was in old age that John wrote his
Gospel, which has been so blessed a source
of light and life to God's Church. Thus
may we serve God even to the end, and be
it our prayer that we may have grace to
Let our hearts 1 receive whatever is written for our learn-
ing in this or other books of Holy Scripture,
as the engrafted Word, which is able to
save our souls.
1. Where did Jesus again show Himself to His disciples ? 2. Under what circumstances ? 3. What did our
Lord say to Peter? 4. Why did he thrice repeat the question to him ? 5. Explain verse 18. C. What did Peter
inquire respecting John ? 7. What answer did lie receive ? 8. What is said about " many other things whicU
Jesus did ?"
Popular Expositor
OF
The Gospels and Acts,
FOB
Pulpit, Sunday-School, and Family.
LUKE.
ALFRED NEVIN, L.B., D.D.
ZTEGLER & McCURDY,
Philadelphia, Pa. : Cincinnati, O. ; St. Loijis, Mo.
Springfield, Mass.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by
ZIEGLER & McCURDY,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.
SYNOPSIS OF THE LIFE OF JESUS.
I.
HIS BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD.
Time : About thirteen and a half years.
An angel appears to Mary, Luke i. 26-38 ; also to Joseph, Matt. i. 18-25 ; Jesus born
at Bethlehem, Luke ii. 1-7 ; his circumcision and presentation in the temple, Luke ii.
21-38 ; the visit of the Magi, Matt. ii. 1-12 ; flight into Egypt, Matt. ii. 13-23 ; at twelve
years of age Jesus goes to the Passover, Luke ii. 41-52 ; his genealogy on the side of
Joseph, Matt. i. 1-17 ; on that of His mother, Luke iii. 22-38.
II.
ANNOUNCEMENT AND INTRODUCTION OF OUR LORD'S PUBLIC MINISTRY.
Time : About one year.
Jesus comes to John to be baptized. Matt. iii. 13-17 ; Mark i. 9-11 ; Luke iii. 21-23;
is tempted of the devil, Matt. iv. 1-11 ; Mark i. 12, 13; Luke iv. 1-13 ; is testified to by
John, John i. 19-34 ; gains disciples, John i. 35-51 ; attends a marriage at Cana, where
He performs His first miracle, John ii. 1-11 ; goes down to Capernaum, John ii. 12.
III.
OUR LORD'S FIRST PASSOVER, AND THE EVENTS OF HIS MINISTRY
UNTIL THE SECOND.
Time : One year.
Jesus attends the Passover, and drives the traders out of the temple, John ii. 13-25 ;
discourses with Nicodemus, John iii. 1-21 ; remains in Judea and baptizes, John iii.
22-24 ; is further testified to by John the Baptist, John iii. 25-36 ; departs into Galilee,
Matt. iv. 12; Mark i. 14; Luke iv. 14; John iv. 1-3; discourses with the woman of
Samaria, John iv. 4-42 ; teaches in Galilee, Matt. iv. 17 ; Ma^k i. 14, 15 ; Luke iv. 14,
15: Jehn iv. 43-45 ; heals the son of a nobleman at Cana, John iv. 46-54; is rejected
by his fellow-townsmen of Nazareth, Luke iv. 16-29; takes up His abode at Caperna-
um, Matt. iv. 13-16 ; Luke iv. 30, 31 ; calls Peter, Andrew, James and John, at the time
of the miraculous draught of fishes. Matt. iv. 18-22; Mark i. 16-20; Luke v. 1 11;
heals a demoniac in the synagogue at Capernaum, Mark i. 21-28 ; Luke iv. 31-37 ;
heals Peter's wife's mother and many others. Matt. viii. 14-17 ; Mark i. 29-34 ; Luke
iv. 38-41 ; goes with His disciples throughout Galilee, Matt. iv. 23-25 ; Mark i. 35-39 ;
Luke iv. 42-44; heals a leper, Matt. viii. 2-4; Mark i. 40-45; Luke v. 12-16; returns
to Capernaum, where He heals a paralytic, Matt. ix. 2-8; Mark ii.1-12; Luke v. 17-26;
calls Matthew, Matt. ix. 9 ; Mark ii. 13,"l4 ; Luke v. 27, 28.
(647)
648 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE.
IV.
FEOM OUR LORD'S SECOND PASSOVER UNTIL THE THIRD.
Time : One year.
Jesus goes up to Jerusalem to the feast of the passover, John v. 1 ; heals an infirm
man at the pool of Bethesda, John v. 2-9; his discourse with the Jews consequent
thereon, John v. 10-47 ; on His way back to Galilee, His disciples pluck ears of grain
on the Sabbath, for which act He justifies theui against the charge of the Pharisees,
Matt. xii. 1-8; Mark ii. 23-28; Luke vi. 1-5; heals a man with a withered hand on
the Sabbath, Matt. xii. 9-14; Mark iii. 1-6; Luke vi. 6-11 ; withdraws to the sea of
Tiberias, whither He is followed by multitudes. Matt. xii. 15-21 ; Mark iii. 7-12 ;
ascends a mountain and spends the whole night in prayer, Luke vi. 12 ; chooses and
ordains the Twelve, Matt. x. 2-4 ; Mark iii. 13-19 ; Luke vi. 13-19 ; delivers the Sermoa
on the Mount, Matt. ch. v.-vii. ; Luke vi. 20-49 ; heals the centurion's servant at Ca-
pernaum, Matt. yiii. 5-13 ; Luke vi. 1-10 ; raises the widow's son at Nain, Luke vii.
11-17 ; receives a message from John the Baptist, Matt. xi. 2-6 ; Luke vii. 18-23 ; dis-
courses with the multitude respecting John, Matt. xi. 7-19 ; Luke vii. 24-35 ; upbraids
Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, Matt. xi. 20-30 ; sits at meat with a Pharisee,
when His feet are anointed by a woman who had been a sinner, Luke vii. 36-50 ;
makes with the Twelve a second circuit in Galilee, Luke viii. 1-3 ; heals a demoniac,
at which the Scribes and Pharisees blaspheme, Matt. xii. 22-37 ; Mark iii. 19-30 ; Luke
xi. 14, 15, 17-23 ; refuses a sign to the scribes and Pharisees, and reproves them for
their unbelief, Matt. xii. 38-45; Luke xi. 16, 24-30; is sought by His mother and
brethren. Matt. xii. 46-50; Mark iii. 31-35; Luke viii. 19-21; dines with a Pharisee,
Luke xi. 37; and reproves the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy, Luke xi.
38-54 ; warns His disciples and the multitude against the leaven of the Pharisees, Luke xii.
1-12; refuses to act as umpire in secular disi:>utes, Luke xii. 13-15; pronounces the
parable of the rich fool, Luke xii. 16-21 ; exhorts to reliance upon God, and to watch-
fulness, Luke xii. 22-53; reproves the people for their unbelief, Luke xii. 54-59; pro-
nounces the parable of the barren fig tree, Luke xiii. 6-9; and of the sower. Matt. xiii.
1-23; Mark iv. 1-25; Luke viii. 4-18; and of the tares. Matt. xiii. 24-30; and other
parables, Matt. xiii. 31-53 ; Mark iv. 26-34 ; crosses the lake and stills the tempest,
Matt. viii. 18-27 ; Mark iv. 35-41 ; Luke viii. 22-25, ix. 57-61 ; heals the two demoniacs
of Gadara, Matt. viii. 28-34, ix. 1 ; Mark v. 1-21 ; Luke viii. 26-40 ; is entertained by
Levi, Matt. ix. 10-17; Mark ii. 15-22; Luke v. 29-39; raises Jairus' daughter and heals
the woman with a bloody flux, Matt. ix. 18-26 ; Mark v. 22-43; Luke viii. 41-56; heals
two blind men and casts out a dumb spirit, Matt. ix. 27-34; is again rejected at
Nazareth, Matt. xiii. 54-58; Mark vi. 1-6; makes a third circuit in Gahlee and com-
missions and sends forth the Twelve, Matt. ix. 35-38, x. 1, 5-42, xi. 1; Mark vi. 6-13 ;
Luke ix. 1-6; retires with the Twelve across the lake, and feeds five thousand, Matt,
xiv. 13-21 ; Mark vi. 30-44; Luke ix. 10-17; John vi. 1-14; walks upon the water,
Matt. xiv. 22-36 ; Mark vi. 45-56; John vi. 15-21,' discourses with the multitude on
the true bread of life, John vi. 22-71, vii. 1.
V.
FROM OUR LORD'S THIRD PASSOVER UNTIL HIS FINAL DEPARTURE
FROM GALILEE AT THE FESTIVAL OF TABERNACLES.
Time: Six Months.
Jesus justifies His disciples for eating with unwashen hands, Matt. xv. 1-20 ; Mark
vii. 1-23; goes into the coast of Tyre and Sidon, where He heals the daughter of the
Byro-Phoenician woman, Matt. xv. 21-28 ; Mark vii. 24-30 ; returns to Decapolis and heals
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 649
a deaf and dumb man, and feeds four thousand, Matt. xv. 29-38 ; Mark vii. 31-37, viii.
1-9; refuses a sign to the Pharisees and Sadducees, ]\Iatt. xv. 39, xvi. 1-4; Mark viii.
10-12; cautions the disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees, Matt. xvi. 4-12;
Mark viii. 13-21 ; heals a blind man at Bethsaida, Mark viii. 22-26 ; departs to the
region of Cscsarea Philijipi, and receives from Peter and the disciples the profession
of their foith, Matt. xvi. 13-20; Mark viii. 27-30; Luke ix. 18-21; foretells His own
death and resurrection. Matt. xvi. 21-28 ; Mark viii. 31-38, ix; 1 ; Luke ix. 22-27 ; is
transfigured. Matt. xvii. 1-13; Mark ix.2-13 ; Luke ix. 28-30; heals a demoniac whom
His disciples could not cure, Slatt. xvii. 14-21 ; Mark ix. 14-29 ; Luke ix. 37-43 ; again
foretells His own death and resurrection, Matt. xvii. 22, 23 ; INIark ix. 30-32 ; Luke ix.
43-45; returns to Capernaum and miraculously provides tribute-money, Matt. xA'ii.
24-27 ; Mark ix. 33 ; exhorts His disciples to humility and brotherly love, Matt, xviii.
1-35 ; Mark ix. 33-50 ; Luke ix. 4G-50 ; instructs and sends forth the Seventy, Luke
X. 1-16; takes His final dejiarture from Galilee and goes up to the feast of tabernacles,
John vii. 2-10 ; Luke ix. 51-56; passes through Samaria where he cleanses ten lepers,
Luke xvii. 11-19.
VI.
FEAST OF TABERNACLES AND OUR LORD'S SUBSEQUENT ACTS UNTIL
HIS ARRIVAL AT BETHANY, SIX DAYS BEFORE THE
FOURTH PASSOVER.
Time : Six months wanting six days.
Jesus attends the feast of tabernacles, and teaches i^ublicly, John vii. 11-53, viii. 1 ;
takes occasion from their charge against the woman taken in adultery, to rebuke the
Pharisees, John viii. 2-11 ; reproves in a further discourse the Jews, who in conse-
quence attempt to stone Him, John viii. 12-59 ; laronounces the parable of the good
Samaritan, Luke x. 25-37 ; visits Martha and Mary at Bethany, Luke x. 38-42 ; teaches
His disciples again how to pray, Luke xi. 1-13; receives the Seventy on their return
and rejoices in their spiritual knowledge, Luke x. 17-24 ; heals at Jerusalem on the
Sabbath a man who was born blind, at which the Pharisees are highly displeased,
John ix. 1-41, x. 1-21 ; is i^resent in Jerusalem at the feast of dedication, after which
he retires beyond Jordan, John x. 22-42 ; raises Lazarus from the dead at Bethany,
John xi. 1-46 ; again retires from Jerusalem in consequence of the murderous designs
of the chief priests and Pharisees, John xi. 47-54 ; is followed by multitudes beyond
Jordan, and heals an infirm woman on the Sabbath, Matt. xix. 1,2; Mark x. 1 ; Luke
xiii. 10-21 ; teaches on His way to Jerusalem, Luke xiii. 22-35 ; dines with a chief
Pharisee on the Sabbath, Luke xiv. 1-24 ; shows what is required of true disciples,
Luke xiv. 25-35; pronounces the parables of the lost sheep, the prodigal son, the un-
just steward, and the rich man and Lazarus, Luke xv. 1-32, xvi. 1-31 ; inculcates for-
bearance and faith, Luke xvii. 1-10; predicts the suddenness of His final coming,
Luke xvii. 20-37 ; pronounces the parables of the importunate widows and the Phari-
see and publican, Luke xviii. 1-14 ; gives precepts respecting divorce, ]\Iatt. xix. 3-12;
Mark x. 2-12; receives and blesses little children, Matt. xix. 13-15; Mark x. 13-16;
Luke xviii. 15-17 ; answers the inquiry of the rich young man, and pronounces the
parable of the laborers in the vineyard, Matt. xix". 16-30, xx. 1-16; Mark x. 17-31;
Luke xviii. 18-30 ; foretells a third time His death and resurrection. Matt. xx. 17-19 ;
Mark x. 32-34: Luke xviii. 31-34; replies to the ambitious request of James and John,
Matt. XX. 20-28; Mark x. 35-45; heals two blind men near Jericho, Matt. xx. 39-34;
Mark x. 46-52; Luke xviii. 35-43, xix. 1 ; visits Zaccheus and utters the parable of the
ten pounds, Luke xix. 2-28 ; arrives at Bethany six days before the passover, John xi.
55-57, xii. I 9-11.
650 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE.
VII.
OUR LORD'S PUBLIC ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM, AND THE SUBSEQUENT
TRANSACTIONS BEFORE THE FOURTH PASSOVER.
Time: Four days.
Jesus makes His public entry into Jerusalem, Matt. xxi. 1-11, 14-17; Mark xi. 1-11;
Luke xix. 29-44; John xii. 12-19 ; curses the barren Hg tree and cleanses a second time
the temple. Matt. xxi. 12, 13, IS, 19; Mark xi. 12-19; Luke xix. 45-48; His authority
questioned by the chief priests, on which He pronounces the parable of the two sons,
Matt. xxi. 23-32; Mark xi. 27-33; Luke xx. 1-8; and of the wicked husbandmen, Matt.
xxi. 33-46; Mark xii. 1-12; Luke xx. 9-19; and of the marriage of the king's son,
Matt. xxii. 1-14; replies to the question of the lawfulness of giving tribute to Caesar,
Matt. xxii. 15-22; Mark xii. 13-17 ; Luke xx. 20-2G; teaches the Sadducees the doctrine
of the resurrection. Matt. xxii. 23-33; Mark xii. 18-27; Luke xx. 27-40; is questioned
by a lawyer as to what is the great commandment of the law, Matt. xxii. 34-40 ; Mark
xii. 28, 34; proposes a question to the Pharisees respecting the relation of Christ to
David, Matt. xxii. 41-46; Mark xii. 35-37; Luke xx. 41-44; pronounces woes upon the
Pharisees, and laments over Jerusalem, Matt, xxiii. 1-39; Mark xii. 38-40; Luke xx.
45-47; commends the widow who cast two mites into the treasury, Mark xii. 41-44;
Luke xxi. 1-4 ; foretells the destruction of the temple, Matt. xxiv. 1-42 ; Mark xiii.
1-37; Luke xxi. 5-36; exhorts to watchfulness in reference to His final coming, Matt,
xxiv. 43-51 ; j^ronounces the parables of the ten virgins and five talents. Matt. xxv.
1-30; describes the scenes of the last judgment. Matt. xxv. 13-46; sujis at Bethany,
Matt. xxvi. 1-16; Mark xiv. 1-9; Luke xxii. 1, 2; John xii. 2-8; is betrayed by Judas
Iscariot, Matt. xxvi. 14-16; Mark xiv. 10, 11; Luke xxi. 3-6; prepares to eat the pass-
over, Matt. xxvi. 17-19; Mark xiv. 12-16; Luke xxii. 7-13.
VIII.
FOURTH PASSOVER; OUR LORD'S PASSION AND THE ACCOMPANYING
CIRCUMSTANCES UNTIL THE END OF THE JEWISH SABBATH.
Time: Two days.
Jesus eats the passover with His disciples. Matt. xxvi. 20; Mark xiv. 17 ; Luke xxii.
14-18; washes their feet, John xiii. 1-20; points out Judas as the ti'aitor. Matt. xxvi.
21-35; Mark xiv. 18-21 ; Luke xxii. 21-23; John xiii. 21-35; foretells Peter's fall. Matt,
xxvi. 31-35 ; Mark xiv. 27-31 ; Luke xxii. 31-38 ; John xiii. 36-38 ; institutes the Lord's
Supper, Matt. xxvi. 26-29; Mark xiv. 22-25; Luke xxii. 19, 20; 1 Cor. xi. 23-25; com-
forts His disciples, John xiv. 1-31 ; declares Himself to be the true Vine, John xv.
1-27 ; promises the Comforter, John xvi. 1-33 ; prays for His disciples and other be-
lievers, John xvii. 1-26 ; goes forth to Gethsemane where He is in a dreadful agony ;
Matt. xxvi. 30, 36-46; Mark xiv. 26, 32-42 ; Luke xxii. 39-46; Johnxviii. 1; is betrayed
and made prisoner, Matt. xxvi. 47-56; Mark xiv. 43-52; Luke xxii. 47-53; Johnxviii.
2-12 ; is brought before Caiaphas and denied by Peter, Matt. xxvi. 57, 58, 69-75 ; Mark
xiv. 53, 54, 66-72; Luke xxii. 54-62 ; John xviii. 13-18, 25-27; is brought before the
sanhedrim and condemned and mocked. Matt. xxvi. 59-68 ; Mark xiv. 55-65 ; Luke
xxii. 63-71 ; John xviii. 19-24 ; is led away to Pilate, Matt, xxvii. 1, 2, 11-14 ; Mark
XV. 1-5; Luke xxiii. 1-5; John xviii. 28-38; is sent to Herod, Luke xxiii. 6-12; is de-
livered by Pilate to be crucified. Matt, xxvii. 26-30 ; Mark xv. 15-19 ; John xix. 1-3 ;
is led away to C:ilvary, Matt, xxvii. 31-34; ]\Iark xv. 20-23; Luke xxiii. 26-33; John
xix. 16, 17; is crucified. Matt, xxvii. 35-38; Mark xv. 24-28; Luke xxiii. 33-38; John
xix. 18-24; is mocked on the cross, Matt, xxvii. 39-44; Mark xv. 29-32; Luke xxiii.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE. 651
3")-43 ; expires on the cross, Matt, xxvii. 45-50 ; Mark xv. 33-37 ; Luke xxiii. 44-46 ; is
taken down from the cross and buried, Matt, xxvii. 57-61 ; Mark xv. 42-47 ; Luke xxiii.
50-56; John xix. 31-42.
IX.
CUB LORD'S RESURRECTION, SUBSEQUENT APPEARANCES AND
ASCENSION.
Time: Forty days.
The women visit the sepulchre, Matt, xxviii.l; Mark xvi. 2-4; Luke xxiv. 1-3 ; Johii
XX. 1,2; vision oi" angels in the sepulchre. Matt, xxviii. 5-7; Mark xvi. 5-7; Luke xxiv.
4-8; Jesus meets the women on their way back to the city. Matt, xxviii. 8-10; Mark
xvi. 8 ; Peter and John run to the sepulchre, Luke xxiv. 12 ; John xx. 3-10 ; Jesus
shows Himself to Mary Magdalene at the sepulchre, Mark xvi. 9-11 ; Johnxx. 11-18; the
report of the watch, Matt, xxviii. 11-15 ; Jesus is seen by Peter, 1 Cor. xv. 5 ; and by the
two disciples on their way to Emmaus, Mark xvi. 12, 13; Luke xxiv. 13-35; shows
himself the same evening" to the disciples, Thomas being absent, Mark xvi. 14-18 ;
Luke xxiv. 36-40; John xx. 19-23; 1 Cor. xv. 5; and again one week after, Thomas
being present, John xx. 24-29 ; shows Himself to seven of them at the Sea of Tiberias,
John xxi. 1-24 ; meets above 500 brethren on a mountain in Galilee, Matt, xxviii. 16,
20; 1 Cor. xv. 6; is seen of James, and then of all the Apostles, 1 Cor. xv. 7; Acts i.
3-8; ascends to heaven, Mark xvi. 19, 20; Luke xxiv. 50-53; Acts i. 9-12.
PREFACE
TO THE GOSPEL OF LUKE.
It is not easy to determine when or where this Gospel was written. There is a
tradition that it was published in Achaia, whither it had been transmitted from
Csesarea. All that can satisfactorily be ascertained as to its date is, that it was written
shortly before the death of Paul, A. D. 65.
The Evangelist, by whom it was written, also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both
books are properly successive parts of one Christian history. Considering that we
owe to the pen of Luke so large a portion of the New Testament, the source of our
hope and instruction in all truth, our information concerning him, apart froni the
uncertain traditions preserved by the early Christian writers, is exceedingly small.
His Greek name, Loukas, is a familiar contraction of a fuller form, either Lucilius or
Lucanus. He is recorded by the best ecclesiastical historians to have been a Syrian,
born at Antioch, a city at the time of his birth the third among the most renowned
of the civilized world, and afterward remarliable as the second center of Christian
organization after Jerusalem, and the first locality to give the name to the new
religion. (Acts xi. 26.) He has been supposed, and not without reason, to have
been the brother "whose praise was in the gosj^el throughout all the churches," and
of whom it is said (2 Cor. viii. 18) that he was sent to Corinth with Titus to make the
collection there for the poor saints at Jerusalem. By some it has been maintained,
with confidence, that the unnamed discijjle from Emmaus (Luke xxiv. 18), to whom
the risen Jesus appeared, was the modest Luke himself. There is reason to
suppose that he was not a Jew, but a converted Gentile ; and if this be so, unless we
excei^t the book of Job, he is the only Gentile who has been permitted to contribute
a book to the Bible.
Luke was Paul's companion in his travels. This he indicates by the employment
of the first i^erson jjlural in his narrative. We trace their course together, from
Alexandria Troas, through Samothrace, to Philippi ; then back again to Troas, down
the coast of Asia Minor to Tyre, Ctesarea, and Jerusalem. When Paul, ajapealing to
Caesar, dejDarted to Rome, through voyage, shipwreck and journey, Luke was his
companion. And when the Apostle, just before his martyrdom, writes from his
Roman prison to Timothy — " only Luke is with me," is his touching testimony to our
faithful Evangelist.
Luke was by profession a physician. Paul, in his Epistle to the Colossians (iv. 14),
alludes to him as "the beloved physician." We recognize the physician by the
minute accuracy with which he describes certain diseases. It would seem as if he
had felt the necessity of transferring to his Master the very calling to which his own
life had been hitherto devoted, while depicting to us, far oftener than the other
Evangelists, the great Physician who came not only to "minister" (Matt. xx. 28), but
" who went about doing good " (Acts x. 38), who felt compassion for all diseases, both
of mind and body, and whose power was present to heal. (Luke v. 17.)
( 652 )
THE GOSPEL ACCOKDING TO LUKE. • 653
The literary character of Luke is evinced not only by his profession, but by his
style of comijosition. He seems to have had more learning than any other of the
Evangelists, and his language is more varied, copious and pure. His Greek education
is apparent from the phUological excellence of his writings, which present the purest
Greek in the whole New Testament. On account of the simplicity of his manner, and
his artlessness and power of fixing attention and exciting the affections, many have
thought him, as a writer, capable of standing the competition with the most celebrated
historians of Greece itself;
The Gospel of I^uke has indubitable evidence of genuineness. It was certainly
extant at an early period, and from the first received by the Church as of Divine
authority. Lardner thinks that there are a few allusions to it, in some of the
Apostolical fathers, especially in Hernias and Polycarp, and in Justin Martyr there
are passages evidently taken from it, but the earliest author, who actually mentions
Luke's Gospel, is Irenfeus, and he cites so many peculiarities in it, all agreeing with the
Gospel which we now have, that he alone is sufficient to prove its genuineness. His
testimony, however, is supported by Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen,
Eusebius, Jerome, Chrysostom and many others.
Luke's Gospel has the following, among other distinctive peculiarities: 1. While
Matthew and Mark narrate with the authority of original witnesses their own
collection of evangelical flicts, and John furnishes his own individual reminiscences,
Luke, as his preface shows, is the critical historian, who, having examined original
witnesses and documents, discriminates, selects and arranges them in historic form.
2. Whilst Matthew relates his history according to chronological order, Luke relates
his according to a classification of events— a fact which accounts for the diversity in
the order of time noticeable in these two Evangelists. 3. Luke's Gospel has the
predominant feature of universality; for whilst Matthew presents Christ to us as the
Messiah of Israel, and Mark announces the Gospel of the Son of God, Luke represents
the Son of man appearing indeed in Israel, but for the benefit of the whole race of
man. 4. Matthew and Mark show us who Jesus was; Luke informs us how lie became
ivhat he teas, pointing us successively to the unborn (ii. 22), the infant (iii. 16), the
child (ii. 27), the boy, (ii. 40), and the man (iii. 22). 5. This Gospel contains many
things which are not found in the other Gospels, the principal among which are the
following :
1. The vision of Zacharias, and conception of Elizabeth, . . . . i. 5-25
2. The salutation of the Virgin Mary, 26-33
3. Mary's visit to Elizabeth, . ." 39-56
4. The birth of John the Baptist, and hymn of Zacharias, .... 57-80
5. The decree of Ca?sar Augustus, ii. 1-3
6. The birth of Christ at Bethlehem, 4-7
7. The appearance of angels to the shepherds, 8-20
8. The circumcision of Christ, 21-
9. The presentation of Christ in the temple, 22- 4
10. The account of Simeon and Anna, 25-38
11. Christ found among the doctors, 41-52
12. Date of beginning of John's ministry, iii. 1-2
13. Succcess of John's ministry, 10-15.
14. Genealogy of Mary, 23-38.
15. Christ preaching and rejected at Nazareth, iv. 15-30'
16. Particulars in the call of Simon, James, and John, .... v. 1-10'
17. Christ's discourse in the plain, vi. 17-49
18. Raising of the widow's son at Nain, vii. 11-17
19. Woman in Simon's house, 36-50
20. Women who ministered to Christ, viii. 1- 3
654 , THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE.
21. James and John desiring fire to come down, .... ix. 51-56
22. Mission of seventy disciples, x. 1-16
23. Return of seventy disciples, ' 17-24
24. Parable of the Good Samaritan, 25-37
25. Christ in the house of Martha and Mary, 38-42
26. Parable of friend at midnight, xi. 5- 8
27. Christ dining in a Pharisee's house, 37-54
28. Discourse to an innumerable multitude, . . . . . . xii. 1-53
29. Murder of the Galileans, xiii. 1- 5
30. Parable of the barren fig-tree, *. . . 6- 9
31. Case of the woman diseased eighteen years, 10-20
32. Question on the few that be saved, 22-30
33. Reply to the Pharisee's warning about Herod, 31-33
34. Case of a drojjsical man, xiv. 1- 6
35. Parable of the lowest room, 7-14
36. Parable of the great supper, 15-24
37. Difficulties of Christ's service, 25-35
38. Parables of the lost sheep and piece of money, . . . . xv. 1-10
39. Parable of the prodigal son, 11-22
40. Parable of the unjust steward, xvi. 1-18
41. Parable of the rich man and Lazarus, 19-31
42. Instruction to disciples, xvii. 1-10
43. Healing of ten lepers, '12-19
44. Question and answer about coming of God's kingdom, . . , 20-37
45. Parable of the importunate widow, xviii. 1- 8
46. Parable of the Pharisee and Publican, 9-14
47. Calling of Zaccheus, . . . . , xix. 2-10
48. Parable of the pounds, 11-28
49. Christ weeping over Jerusalem, 41-44
50. Special warning to Peter, xxii. 31-32
51. Direction to buy sword, 35-38
52. Appearance of an angel, and bloody sweat in garden, . . . 43-44
53. Pilate sends Christ to Herod, xxiii. 6-16
54. Women deplore Christ's suffering, 27-32
55. The penitent thief, 39-43
56. The appearance of Christ to the disciples going to Emmaus, . . xxiv. 13-35
57. Circumstances attending Christ's appearance to the eleven, . . 37-49
58. Christ's departure in the act of blessing, 50-53
The Gospel of Luke has a complete beginning, middle and end. The beginning,
i.-iv. 13. The middle, iv. 13-xxii. 1. The end, xxii. 1-xxiv. 53.
I. The Beginning embraces the prelude to the ministry. 1. The birth of the fore-
runner, and of the Messiah. The Messiah's childhood and growth. 2. The forerunner's
announcement and ministry until his imprisonment. 3. The Messiah's bajitism, gene-
alogy and temptation.
II. The Middle embraces the Messiah's ministry. 1. His Galilean ministry (mainly)
iv, 14-ix. 51. 2. His Perean ministry, ix. 51-xviii. .30. 3. His last journey to Jerusalem,
and closing ministry there, xviii. 31-xxi. 38.
III. The End embraces the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, xxii. 1-xxiv. 53.
CHAPTER I.
655
CHAPTER I.
1 Thcprffarr of Lxikc to hix whole (loxpel. r, The ron-
ccptwn 'of John the Haplisf, UC ond of Christ, f) J he
prophrr,/ of Elizdhrlh. n)i<l of Miirii, amnrntng (J^rif-
. 57 Thr'iuith'ili/ imd rircuiacisioii oj John <)' Y'C
rirnjihrr;/ of /.n'rhariax, both of Christ, ,0 and of John.
FORAs:\rXICH lis raanj' have taken in hand to set
liirlli ill (inliT :i declaration of those thinss wliioh
are most siirelv belii'veii anioiii; as, L'. ^^Ovcn as they de-
livfr('<l llicnruiito us, which rniiii tlic bcKiiiniiiK were
evcwilncsscs, uiid ininislcrs (iCtlic woril : :!. iltsccnied
piod t(i lucalso. haviiis,' luid pcrlcct understanding of
all thiiii^'s from the verv lirsl, lo write unto thee 'Un
order, iiiiost excellent Theophihis, 4. ffliat thou
niitrliicst know the certainty of those thhigs, wherein
thou hast been instructed.
»}Ieb. ii. 3 : 1 Peter v. 1:2 Peter xi. 16; 1 John i. 1.
bMark i. 1 ; John xv. 27. cActs xv. 19, 2-5, 28 ; 1 Cor. vii.
40. dActs xi. 4. 'Acts i. 1. fJohn XX..31.
The phrase, "the Gospel according to
Luke," here signifies the unwritten, oral,
Christ-history possessed by the Church,
as shaped and recorded by Luke. The
ancient titles do not say the Gospel by
Luke, or JNlatthew, for that would obscure
the fact that the body of Gospel facts was
accumulated before the Gospel books were
written.
Luke dedicated his Gospel, as he did
also the Acts of the Apostles, to Theophi-
his (verse 3). This name signifies a lover
of God. Some take it not for a proper,
but a common name, denoting every one
that loves God. It is strongly probable,
however, that it designated a particular
person of rank and distinction, perhaps a
governor. Some indications are given in
the Gospel about him. He was not an
inhabitant of Palestine, for the Evangelist
minutely describes the position of places
which to such an one would be well
known. It is so with Capernaum (iv. 31),
Nazareth (i. 26), Arimathea (xxiii. 51), the
country of the Gadarenes (viii. 26), the
distance of ]Mount Olivet and Emmaus
from Jerusalem (xxiv. 13 ; Acts i. 12). By
the same test he probably was not a
Macedonian (Acts xvi. 12), nor an Athen-
ian, nor a Cretan. (Acts xxvii. 8, 12.)
The strong probability is, that he was a
native of Italy, and perhaps an inhabitant
of Rome. He had become a convert to
Christianity. The words most excellent,
ordinarily indicated resj^ect for official
dignity, but in this instance they ex-
pressed as well regard for elevated moral
character. Theophihis, though a noble-
man, had been instructed (verse 4, , the
same word in the Greek from which
catechumen and catechize are derived) in
religion, by some of God's servants ; prob-
ably orally, as this was then the i)rincipal
means of disseminating truth, inasmuch
as written books were then few and
expensive, but Luke wished hiin to know
the history of the Lord still more perfectly.
Not for Theophihis alone, however, was
this Gospel written ; he was a representa-
tive man for every Christian reader.
Neither the Gospel nor the Acts can be
viewed as a private letter to him. In a
similar way, Cicero addressed his treatises
on Old Age and Friendship to Atticus;
Horace addressed his Art of Poetry to the
Pisoes, and Plutarch addressed his treatise
on Divine Delay to Cynius.
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to
set forth, &c. Different persons in that age,
some perhaps with good intent, others im-
prudently and inconsiderately, had under-
taken to write histories of Jesus, But as
these persons had not been directed by
the Spirit of God, neither had witnessed
the events they had related, but had
written from "report," their accounts con-
tained errors which required correction by
a true narrative. Such disjointed and
fragmentary accounts would not supply
the wants of the Church, and especially of
such persons as Theophihis, who, living, at
a distance from the scene of the events,
would be more likely to b6 imposed upon
by fallacious or erroneous statements, or
confused and perplexed by contradictions
and inconsistencies, than others having
better opportunities for arriving at the
truth, by their intimacy with those who had
themselves seen our Lord, or had become
well acquainted with the facts of His his-
tory, from persons who had enjoyed that
privilege. It therefore seemed good to Luke
to furnish a more extended, complete and
accurate narrative, which he felt himself
able to do, not only because he had perfect
understanding of all things from the very first,
or from the earliest part of our Saviour's
life, partly from his familiarity with Paul,
and partly from his conversation with the
other Apostles, who were eye and ear wit-
nesses of the things he was about to relate
— bat also, and mainly, because he was
656
LUKE.
under the directing inflnence of the Holy
Spirit. AVithout this insxjiration, indeed,
his history would never have been reckon-
ed a part of the Bible. He well knew the
weakness of man's ijiemory, and the readi-
ness with which a history alters its shape
both by additions and alterations, when it
depends only on word of mouth and re-
port, and therefore, as if to rebuke all trust
in unwritten traditions, he takes care to
write. It is evident that the Gospels of
Matthew and INIark, even if written pre-
vious to the publication of that of Luke,
were not included in the many defective
sketches or summaries to which Luke
refers — not only because the former was
written by one who was an eye-witness,
and Mark drew his materials directly from
Peter, if even he did not write, as it is
quite probable he did, under his immedi-
ate supervision, but also because Matthew's
Gospel as yet was in the Hebrew language,
and Mark's was published in distant Italy,
so that neither probably was yet in circu-
lation in the Ipcality where Luke was con-
versant. It has been remarked that Luke
did not take in hand, nor Matthew, nor
Mark, nor John, but the Divine Spirit
supplying them with abundance of all
words and matter, they accomjjlished what
they began without any effort.
In order. These words may refer to the
order of time, or of things, or of both.
They probably denote the arrangement
of the facts of the history in a connected
form, not so much chronologically, how-
ever, as in reference to the general plan or
outline of the work. Luke, like the other
Evangelists, often disregards the order of
time, and groups together his incidents
from their general resemblance, or to pro-
duce a given effect on the mind of his
reader.
That thou mightcst know the certainty of
those things, &c. The great benefit that has
accrued to the world by receiving the
Word of God, even by His own appoint-
ment committed to ivriting, we are not able
to estimate as the value thereof deserves.
(Ex. xxiv, 4 ; Hos. viii. 12; Rev. i. 11, xiv.
13.) God is only a worthy witness of
Himself in His Word, and by His Sj:>irit
(Isa. lix. 21), which give mutual testimony
one to the other, and work that assurance
of faith in His children, that no human
demonstration can make, nor persuasions
and enforcements of the world can remove.
(John vi. 63 ; Prov. i. 23 ; 2 Sam. xxiii. 2 ;
Jer. xxxi. 33; Rev. xxii. 17, 18.)
It is evidence at once of the wisdom and
the goodness of God, that, in order to con-
firm our faith in the Gospel, He raised up a
sufficient number of witnesses to attest the
infallible certainty of all that it contains.
The Evangelists did not write anything
but what they either heard or saw them-
selves, or received from those who had
seen or heard it. To be " witnesses chosen
before of God " of the doings and sayings
of Jesus was the very essence and object
of the Apostolic office. (Acts x. 41, i. 8,
22, xxvi. 16.) They were to be eye-wit-
nesses of the facts, in order to he ministers,
or official rehearsers of the history. In
accordance with this is the bold declara-
tion of Peter at a later day : " We have not
followed cunningly devised fables
but were eye-witnesses." (2 Peter i. 16.)
On equally strong ground does John, near
the close of the first century, later, in fact,
than the publication of this Gospel, place
his own testimony : " That which was
from the beginning, which we have heard,
which Ave have seen with our eyes, which we
have looked iqjon, and our hands have
handled declare we unto you." (1
John i. 1.) Such declarations afford no
room, no interval of time, no chance for
the intervention of fabricators for forming
traditions, legends, or myths. Our Gospels
are the plain records of the statements of
actual spectators, and well would it be for
infidels to reflect that they cannot now
possibly be as good judges in the matter
as those who lived at the time, and who
were thus competent to determine whether
the things wliich were most surely believed
among them were true or false.
It is important, also, that all should re-
member that Christianity came before
mankind in the shape of facts. The first
preachers did not go up and down the
world, proclaiming an elaborate, artificial
system of abstruse doctrines and deep
principles. They made it th'eir first busi-
ness to tell men great plain facts. They
went- about, telling a sin-laden world that
the Son of God had come down to earth.
CHAPTER I
057
and lived for us, and died for ns, and risen
again.
How Khonld we value everything that
concerns tlie Lord Jesus ! With Him none
of our earthly friends can be compared,
and therefore we should desire to know
everything about Him that we can. It is
affecting to hear how the poor heathen,
when first converted, value the Word of
God. Before the missionaries in the South
Sea Islands could print the Bible in the
language of the people, the poor natives
eagerly listened to all that was read aloud
on the Sabbath, and many wrote down
upon the leaves of the trees theJ:exts they
had heard, and studied them wherever
they went, till they knew them by heart.
We are without excuse if we remain igno-
rant of the history of our Lord. Let ns
not forget, however, for what purpose we
read: that we may learn to love Jesus.
5. 11 There was in the flays of pHerod, the king of
Judea. a certain priest named Zacharias. ''of the course
of Abia: and hi.s wife U'(W of tlie daughters of Aaron,
and her name was El.izabrl.h.
EMatt. ii. 1. hi Chron. xxiv. 10, 19 ; Neh. xii. 4, 17.
Here properly commences Luke's Gos-
pel, the preceding verses constituting
what may be called the preface. In the
days of Herod — Herod, surnamed " the
Great." Eras in the Old and New Testa-
ment are marked by the life or times of
some principal man. A certain priest named
Zacharias, &c. The opening scene is laid in
the village of Hebron, and in the family of a
venerable pair, whose solitary home was
enlivened by the unexpected prospect of a
son, destined, from the mysterious circum-
stances of His birth, to fill no secondary
place in the Church and the world. The
burden of the story turns so much on tlie
character and ofBce of this child of prom-
ise, that his parentage is passed over with
a slight and incidental notice ; and almost
the only memorials transmitted to pos-
terity of the two individuals who had the
honor of giving birth to the precursor of
Messiah, are comprised in the knowledge
of their names, and in the honorable
testimony borne to their piety and worth.
But data are not wanting at the same time
to establish the high respectability of the
Baptist's family.
The sacerdotal order to which both
Zacharias and Elizabeth are said to have
belonged, enjoyed in Judea all the rank
and consideration which in other countries
attaches to an ancient and noble pedigree.
Not only did the priests fprm a distinct
order, chargeable with the exclusive jier-
foriuance of ollices which have ever been
reckoned the most dignified of all employ-
ments ; but as their honors and immuni-
ties flowed through certain families, and
were unattainable to any beyond that
pale, either by purchase or the greatest
personal merits, there was thus drawn
between them and every other class of
society, a line of demarcation, which none
could pass without previously establishing
the certainty of their descent from the
lineage of Aaron. In consequence of this
provision, a knowledge of family history
was among the Jews a principal object
both of i^rivate and public attention.
Zacharias signifies ichora Jehovah remem-
bers, and Elizabeth, God her oath, or my God
hath sworn. Of the course of Abia. {S&a
2 Chron. xxxv. 10 ; also on verse 8.) As
Zacharias was married, marriage, which
was not improper for the priest under the
law, cannot be so for the minister of Christ
under the Gospel. (1 Tim. iv. 1-3.)
6. And they were both 'righteous before God, walking
in all the commandments and ordiuunce.s of the Lord
blameless.
iGen. vii. 1, xvii. 1 ; 1 Kings ix. 4; 2 Kings xx. 3; Job
1. 1 ; Acts xxiii. 1 ; Phil. iii. 6.
Commandments mean the moral law, and
ordinances, the ritual. They were righteous,
both as being justified by the righteous-
ness of Christ, which is imputed to all
believers, and as having the righteousness
which is wrought inwardly in believers
V)y the Holy Ghost for their sanctification.
These twosorts of righteousness are never
disjoined. This aged couple believed in
the promise of a Saviour, and thus becanj^e
ixirtakers of His righteousness. They
were jjardoned and sanctified. Thougli
still subject to sin, they indulged in no
sinful habits. They made conscience of
every known duty, and endeavored to
obey every divine precept. They were
strict, exact, punctual. Their obedience
was marked by universality; they walked
in, that is, kept, or obeyed, all the command-
ments and ordinances of the Lord — all the
duties of religion which were made knov/n
to them. Their obedience was also char-
acterized by blamelessness. That they were
Co8
LUKE.
still subject to sin, we shall soon find proof.
(See verses lS-20.) " ilany sins," says an
old writer, " may be in him that has true
grace ; but he that has truth of grace can-
not alloAV himself in any sin."
7 And they had no child, because that Elizabeth was
barren, and I'hey both were now well stricken in years.
Barrenness was thought a very heavy
affliction by the Jews, yet Zacharias gave
no countenance to the practice of polygamy
or divorce, by taking another wife, the
latter of which especially was common at
that time, though by the pious Jews gen-
erally disapproved. The foundation of
the feeling that the want of children was
a calamity lay, perhaps, in the hope which
each married couple may have entertained
of being the progenitors of the expected
Messiah.
8. And it came to pa-ss, that while he executed the
priest's ofiice before ^God in the order of his course,
9. Aecordinc; to the custom of the priest's office, his lot
was 'to burn incense when ho went into the temple ot
the Lord. . „ ,^
H Chron. xxiv. 10; 2 Chron. viii. 14. xxxi. 2. 'Ex.
XXX. 7, 8 ; 1 Sam. ii. 28 ; 1 Cliron. xxiii. 13 ; 2 Chron. xxix.
11.
At the time of his being favored witn
the angelic vision, Zacharias was on duty,
and in order to understand the nature and
mode of appointment to the office he was
discharging, it is necessary to observe that,
owing to tiie immense number of priests
who were scattered over all parts of Judea,
amounting to about a tenth part of the
whole population, a system of rotation
was established, according to which every
family of the twenty-four courses into
which the sacerdotal order was divided,
repaired to Jerusalem by turns twice a
year — the period of service, which began
always on the Sabbath, lasting for a week.
At first there was no regular division of
duty — the members of each family whose
weekly turn it was to attend, taking indis-
criminately, or arranging among them-
selves, the several parts of the ceremonial ;
but as some ofiices came to be regarded as
more Jionorable than others, and unseemly
contests sometimes occurred, it was or-
dained that the same method by Avhich
the courses were originally determined,
should be resorted to for assigning to
each particular priest his part in the
service of the temple; that it should be
decided by lot, which, for instance, was to
carry out the ashes, to feed the fire, or to
attend the altar of incense. In this latter
service, which consisted in the oflering
of fragrant spices on an altar never
stained with blood, and which was the
most honorable of all, as it introduced the
functionary alone into the holy place,
Zacharias was employed on this memorable
occasion.
The most minute circumstances are
under the Lord's control, and are often the
beginnings of very great events. The
service of ofi"ering the incense was per-
formed twice every day, just before the
morning and evening sacrifice ; that is, at
nine in the morning and three in the
afternoon, and the time of oflering the
incense was also the time of prayer — sweet
fumes of the ascending incense being
indeed representative of the i^rayers of
the i3eople ascending to God.
10. mAnd the whole multitude of the people were
praving without at the time of incense.
mLev. xvi. 17 ; Heb. iv. 14-16 Kev. viii. 3, 4.
When the j^riest entered the holy i^lace
to oflfer the incense, a service which was
performed by placing incense in a vase or
cup, called the censer, upon the golden
altar, with burning coals beneath, pro-
ducing by its smoke a powerful perfume,
filling the temple with its fragrance, the
sound of a small bell notified the assem-
bled people that the time of prayer was
come. When this was heard, the priests
and Levites, who had not taken their sta-
tions, hastened to do so ; the space in the
court between the great altar of burnt-
ofierings and the porch of the Lord's
house was cleared, and the people, in the
different courts of the temjile, " stood and
prayed."
11. And there appeared unto h!ni an angel of the
liOrd standing on the right side of ''•the altar of incense.
aEx. XXX. 1; Lev. xvi. 13; Kev. viii. 3, ix. 13.
The altar of incense stood close by the
vail which divided the holy place from
the most holy; on the north stood the
table of shew-bread; on the south the
golden candlestick ; and as the priest
entered with his face to the west, the
angel must have stood to the north, or
near the table of shew-bread. Whether
the angel was already visible when Zach-
arias came in, or afterward suddenly ap-
peared, has been questioned. When we
are nearest God, the good angels are
^^'^V-'ir,,
HIGH PRIEST AT THE ALTAR OF INCENSE.
THE SANHEDRIN IN COUNCIL.
CHAPTER I.
659
Highest us. Especially are they present
with us in our private devotion and pub-
lic worship.
12. And when Zacharias saw hitn, »he was troubled,
and fear (Ml upon him.
"Verse 21, ii. !», 10: Judg. vi. 22; Job iv. 14, 15; Dan
. X. 7 ; Acts x. 4 : Kev. i. 17. #
The idea of an angelic visitant, so familiar
to his people in their early history, had
from disu.se become a strange matter to
them. In the presence of angels they be-
lieved in the fullest extent ; but of their
manifested presence there had long ceased
to be any authentic examples. The ex-
perience of this righteous man here tallies
exactly with that of other saints under
similar circumstances — Moses at the burn-
ing bush, and Daniel at the river of Hid-
dekel ; the women at the sepulchre, and
John at the isle of Patinos. How are we
to account for this fear in seeing visions
of things belonging to another world ? It
arises from our inward sense of weakness,
guilt and corruption.
13. But the angel said unto him. Fear not. Zacharias :
for thy prayer is heard; and thy wile Elizabeth shall
bear thee a son, and Mhou Khalt c 11 his name John.
pVerses tiO, 63.
The attempt to calm the trepidation of
Zacharias shows us that holy angels really
pity our frailties, and suggest comfort to
us. To what prayer did the angel refer ?
Was it the prayer which Zacharias, prob-
ably offered frequently, that he might not
go down childless to the grave ? or was it,
as some suppose, the national prayer
offered by him in his ministerial capacity
for the appearance of the Messiah ? It
will be observed that the angel afterward
goes on to explain that this son was to be
Christ's appointed harbinger, thus laying
the stre.ss rather upon the fact of ^les-
siah's coming, than of a son being born to
Zacharias. Both these blessings were
soon to be bestowed.
14. Andthou Shalt have joy and igladness; and many
shall rejoice at his birth.— qVer^se 58.
Well miglit a father rejoice at the birth
of such a son ! His very name, John, sig-
nifying "the grace or favor ot God,"
showed that God would bless him, and
make him a blessing. The giving of
significant names to children ha.s been an
ancient and pious practice : names which
carried a remembrancp either of duty or
of mercy in them. When a child has
been born, it has very seldom been known
whether it would become a curse or a
blessing. There has often been great jciy
at the birth of children, who have lived
to do great harm, and even to break their
parents' hearts. When Cain was born
Eve rejoiced, saying, "I have gotten a
man from the Lord," little knowing or
thinking how wicked a man he would be.
Other children who have excite<l little
interest at their birth, or even in their
boyhood, have lived not only to rejoice
their parents, but to save souls from
eternal death. We cannot tell when we
look upon young children what they will
become, but we may ofi'er up our earnest
prayer that they may be a comfort and
not a sorrow, a blessing and not a curse.
A child of prayer and faith is likely to be
a source of comfort to his parents. Were
proper attention paid to this point, there
would be fewer disobedient children in the
world, and the number of broken-hearted
I^arcnts would be lessened. But what can
be expected from the majority of matri-
monial connections, begun without the
fear of God, and carried on without His
love f
15. For he shall be grreat in the sight of the Lord, and
i^hall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he
shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, -"even from his
mother's womb. 16. 'And many of the children of
Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17. "And he
shall go before him in the spirit and power of Eliius. to
turn the hearts of tlie fathers to the children, and the
dis(il)edipnt "to tliewisdom ofthejust; tomakereadya
people prepared for the Lord.
rNum.vi. 3; Judg. xiii.4; Chap. vii. 3.3. 'Jer. i. 5; CJ<^l
i. 15. 'Mai. iv. 5, 6. "Mai. iv. 5 : Matt. xi. 14 ; Mark ix.
12.
Great in the sight of the Lord, that is,
really or truly great, God would regard
him as such. They are little men in
the sight of the Lord, whatever impor-
tance their riches and reputation may
give them in the sight of men, who live
in the world to little purpose, render little
service to God, and bring little glory to
His name. Drink neither wine nor strong
drink. AVine was the juice of the grape.
The kind of wine commonly used in Judea
was a light wine, often not stronger than
cider in this country. It was the common
drink of all classes of the people. Why
then was John to drink no wine ? Because
he was a Nazarite. (See Numb, vi.) Jew-
ish ceremonies have ceased since the
Lord Jesus has made known to us the
Gospel, yet it is our duty in all things to
be devoted to the service of God, and
GOO
LUKE
separated from the sinful jjleasures of an
ungodly world. Our modern temperance
societies are ])roperly a Christian Nazarit-
ism. They are a moral enterprise, aiming
to raise the public j^ractice to a standard
of temperance by exhibiting an abstinence
from even an otherwise innocent measure
of indulgence. Strong drink, among the
Jews (as distilled spirits were not then
known), was probably nothing more than
fermented liquors, or a drink obtained
from fermented dates, figs, and the juice
of the palm, or the lees of wine, mingled
with sugar, and having the property of in-
toxicating. The words denote all exhilar-
ating liquors besides wine. Filled uith the
Holy Ghost, even from his mothefs womh —
that is, }>efore his birth, or from his very
birth, the plenary influence of the Holy
Spirit should be upon and in his spirit.
There is no Scripture ground for supposing
that a child, even before birth, is no pos-
sible subjjsct of sanctifying power.
Many of the children of Israel to the Lord
their God. The Jewish people at this time
were sunk in formalism and sin. (See Matt,
iii. 5, 6; Mark i. 5 ; Luke iii. 7.) Go before
him in the spirit and power of Elias. Him,
that is, before the Lord their God. An evi-
dent reference to the last of the prophets
— ]\Ial. iii. 1, iv. 5, 6 — whose words are thus
indorsed by the angel. This seems to be
a clear ascription of the Divine title to the
IMessiah before whom John was to go.
There was a great resemblance between
John the Baptist and the prophet Elijah,
under whose name he was predicted by
Malachi, iv. 5. Inspirit. Both were clothed
in hair-cloth, with leathern girdles around
their loins, and dwelt much in the wilder-
ness. Both were faithful and courageous
in times of imiversal corrui:)tion. John
came also in the jwiver of the great prophet,
denouncing speedy vengeance from heaven
unless men repented. Turn the hearts of
the fathers to their children, &c. The fathers
here are the holy ancestry of degenerate
Israel, who had, as it were, been offended
with the apostacy of their descendants.
John would so infuse a better spirit into
this generation that a reconciliation should
take place between the holy oldeyi time and
the fallen present. The disobedient. Unbe-
lief and disobedience are so intimately con-
nected, that the same word in the sacred
w'ritings often serves for both. Tothe nisdom
of the just, the original preposition implies
not only the enteringupon, but continuance
in the state of wisdom, or true religion,
here predicated of the just : to make ready
a people for the Lord, by fitting men to re-
ceive Christ upon His OAvn terms and con-
ditions. Though the Son of God was
coming into the world to shed His blood
to save sinners, yet it was necessary that
one should go before Him to tiirn the
hearts of men toward Him. What a proof
this of the wickedness of the human heart !
Every one is an enemy of God until he is
converted.
18. And Zacharias said unto the angel, ^Whereby
shall I know this? lor I am an old man, and my wile
well stricken in years, lit. And the anpel answering
said unto him, I am yCiabriel, that stand in the presence
of God ; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show
thee these glad tidings. 20. And, behold, »thou .shall be
dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these
things .shall be performed, because thou believest not
my words, which shall be fulfilled in their sea-son.
>Gen. xvii. 17. jDan. viii. Ifi, and ix. 21. 22. 23; Matt,
xvii. 10; Heb. i. 14. ^Ezek. Iii. 26, and xxiv. 27.
Zacharias was so much astonished at the
message of the angel, that he asked of him
by what sign he should know that this
thing, so far above the ordinary course of
nature, should come to pass. And the angel
answering said unto him, lam Gabriel — " The
might of the strong God," a name peculiarly
a2:)propriate now, as pointing out that all-
pirevaleyil potver by which the strong God
could accomplish every purpose, and stibdiie
all things to Himself. Stand i7i the presence
of God. To stand or dwell in the presence
of a sovereign is an oriental idiom, im-
porting the most eminent and dignified
station at court. Why was it wrong in him
to desire a sign? Because he had already
had one. It was sinful in Zacharias not to
believe after he had seen the glorious
angel. Unbelief is a great sin, for it is an
insult to the truth of God. It was, there-
fore, both a sign and a judgment that Zach-
arias was told he should be dumb.
21. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvel-
led that he tarried so long in the temple. 22. And when
he came out, he could not speak unto them : and they
perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for
he beckoned unto them, and remained speechle.ss. 23.
And it came to pass, that, as soon as "the days of his
ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own
house. 24. And after those days his wife Elizabeth
conceived, and hid herselffive months, saying, 25. Thus
hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he
looked on inc. to btake away my reproach among men.
i'2 Kings xi. 5; 1 Chron. ix. 25. I'Gen. xxx. 23; Isa. iv.
1, liv. 1, 4.
The priest, it is said, was not accustomed
to remain in the temple more than half an
CHAPTER I,
«di
hour commonly. "When Zacharias came
out, it was expected that, according to the
custom of the priest after tlie service of the
temple was finished, he would dismiss the
people with the beautiful words recorded
in Numbers vi. 24-7, but he could not speak.
His excited aspect showed that something
had happened to him in the sacred place,
and the people susi>octing tlrat he had seen
an appearance or spectre, he made signs
to show them what he had seen in the
temple. Zacharias, though he ceased to
speak, did not cease to minister in the
temple. It is the duty of ministers of the
Gospel to remain at their work until they
are entirely unfitted for it.
His otim house. This is generally thought
to have been Hebron. AVhat a history he
had to unfold to Elizabeth! For he was
able to inform her in writing. What a
proof she beheld of the power of God in
the dumbness of her husband ! We should
take notice of God's dealings with others.
(Ps. cviii. 43.) Hid herself jive months, saying,
&c. How humbly and gratefully Elizabeth
behaved on this occasion ! She acknowl-
edged the goodness of the Lord in having
condescended to look upon her affliction,
for she had been exposed to much reproach
on account of having no child. It might
be that this strict seclusion wms adopted
partly for the better securing opportunities
of devotion to one so peculiarly circum-
stanced, and partly for the purpose of
avoiding wine or strong drink, or coming
in contact with anything unclean, as be-
came the destined mother of a Nazarite.
But it might have been done, too, in accord-
ance with the manners of her country, as
it is probable that the ladies of ancient
Palestine observed the custom which pre-
vails among other Eastern females of the
present day, who, from motives of deli-
cacy hide themselves from the public, for
some time before the birth of their first
child.
Thus hath the Lord, &c. A holy minister
named Rutherford, \n one of his letters, writ-
ten two hundred years ago, says, that one
of the things which most showed him his
own wickedness by nature, was his feel-
ing more disposed to call upon the Lord
in trouble, than to thank him when de-
livered.
2fi. And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was
sent from (iod unto a city of Clalilee, nunicd Nazareth,
27. To a virgin 'espouxcd to a man whose name was
Josepli, of tlie iiousi' of David: and tin- virgin's name
»•((.<( Marv. •>;. And tlic aii;,'il came in unio )ier, and
said, 'illail, r/(oi( //('(^ '(j7 lii^,'lily lavourcd, >tlie Lord Li
witlitlu'f': lilessed <nl lliou among women, m. And
wlien slie saw liim, fslio was trouhled ai Ids saying, and
Ciusl in lier mind what manner of salutation thisstionld
be. »!. And tlu- aiig.-i saiil unto her, Ffar not, Mary;
lor thou hast lound lavom- with (iod. HI. fAnd. behold,
thou shall eent'eive in thy womb, and bring l(jitli asuu,
and I'slialt eall bis name JJvSL'S. si. He shall be great,
innd shall be ealled tlie!S(in of the Highest: and i^the
Lord (iod shall give unto him the throne of his lather
l)avi<l: :«. 'Anil be shall reign (jver the house of .iaeob
lor ever; and (if bis kingdom there shall be no end. :u.
Then said Mary unto the angel. How shall tliis be, see-
ing I know not a man ? 3.5. And the angel answered
and said unto her, ""The Holy (ibost shall come upon
thee, and the ijower of the Highest shall overshadow
thee: thereliire alsctli.at liol\- thing wliieli shall beboni
of thee, shall b<- (-.died "the Son of (iod. :;(i. And, be-
hold, thy cousiii J'Jlizabeth, she hatli also conceived a
son in her old age: and thi.s is the si.xth month with
her, who wa.s called barren. 37. For "with (iod nothihg
shall be impossible. 38. And Mary said, liehold the
handmaid of the Lord ; be it unto me according to thy
word. And the angel departed from her.
t^Matt. i. 18 ; chap. ii. 4, .5. <iDan. ix. 23. x. 19. f Judg.
vi. 12. tVerse 12. elsa. vii. 14: Matt, 1.21. I'Chap. ii.21.
'Mark v. 27. ''2 Sam, vii. 11, 12; Ps. cxxxii. 11 ; Isa. ix.
6, 7, xvi. 5: Jer. xxiii. 5; Rev. iii. 7. 'Dan. ii. 44. vii. 14,
27: Mic. iv. 7: John xii. 34: Heb. i. 8. -"Matt. i. 20.
nMatt. xiv. 33. xxvi. CS, 64 : Mark i. 1 ; John i. 34. xx. S6 ;
Acts viii. 37: Rom. i. 4. "Gen. xviii. 14: Jer. x.vxii. 17;
Zech viii. (i ; Matt. xlx. 26 ; Mark x. 27 ; chaiJ. xviii. 27 ;
Rev. iv. 21.
The angel Gabriel. God appointed that
his Son should be born six months after
John. An evil angel was the first author
of our ruin ; a good angel, though he could
not be the author of our restoration, yet
was made the joyful reporter of it. It was
the same angel who had, many hundred
years before, declared to the prophet Dan-
iel the coming of Messiah (Dan. ix. 21-7),
that now came to Mary. A city of Galilee.
As Joseph and INIary w^ere both of the
family of David, the patrimonial estate of
which lay in Bethlehem, it seems as if the
family residence should have been in that
city and not in Nazareth, for we find that
even after the return from the captivity the
several families went to reside in thosf
cities to which they originally belonged
(See Neh. ii. 3.) But it is probable thai
the holy family removed to Galilee, foi
fear of exciting the jealousy of Herod,
who had usurped that throne to which
they had an indisputable right.
To a virgin espoused, &c. At length the
moment is come which is to give a son to a
virgin, a Saviour to the %vorld, a pattern to
mankind, a sacrifice to sinners, a temple to the
Divinity, and a new principle to the ?!f?o
world. The Son of God comes to humble
the proud, and to honor poverty, iveakness
and contempt. He chooses an obscure place
for the mystery which is most glorious to
CG2
LUKE
his humanity, its union with the Divinity ;
unci for that which is most degrading (his
suflerings and death), He will choose the
greatest city. Of the house of David.
Mary was descended from King David,
wlio had lived more than a thousand years
before, and she was engaged to be married
to a man called Joseph, also descended
from King David. It hud been prophesied
that the Son of God should be born
among David's family. Isaiah calls the
Saviour " A rod out of the stem of Jesse "
(Isa. ix. 1), for Jesse was the father of
David. Jesse was like a tree, of which
Jesus was a rod or branch.
Hail ! — a word of salutation, equivalent
to Peace be with thee, or, Joy be icith thee,
thou art highly favored, thou that are desig-
nated as the happy individual to whom
the great honor is to pertain of giving
birth to the world's Redeemer — the Lord
is with thee — as the word "is " is not in the
original, this passage may be rendered
either " the Lord is with thee," or " the
Lord be with thee," implying the prayer
of the angel that all blessings from God
might descend and rest upon her — blessed
art thou among women, not above women,
but among women, that is, " thou art the
most happy of wamen." The Eoman
Catholics allege that the words "highly
favored " mean " full of grace," and say,
tliat Mary can now impart grace, and that
the angel worshiped her. The original
word, however, does not signify fidl of
grace, but freely beloved, and it is perfectly
plain that the angel's address was a salu-
tation and not a prayer. Besides, we
know that ^lary was but a creature, and
even a sinful creature, and hence, how-
ever great the distinction she enjoyed in
being selected to be the mother of the
Messiah, it is idolatry to treat her as the
Lord.
She ^vas tro\ibled, &c. Mary was afraid
and perplexed at the speech of the angel,
it was so unexpected and extraordinary,
and, with her sense of humility, the lionor
was so undeserved. The angel therefore
desired her not to fear, and then informed
her of the wonderful event about to hap-
pen. The Saviour, so long expected, was
to be her son. He was to be called "Jesus,"
which signifies Saviour, and is the same
name as Joshua, He was to be "great,"
distinguished, or illustrious, great in re-
spect to His person and His ofiices ; He was
to be called the son of the highest, that is, He
was to be the Son of the infinitely exalted
God; He was to receive from the Lord God
the throne of his father David, that is, God
would settle upon Him a spiritual kingdom,
of which the earthly one of David, from
whom He was lineally descended, was a
type : he xvas to reign over the house of Jacob
forever: as this was the name by which the
ancient people of God were known, this
was in effect saying that He should reign
over His own Church and i3eo])le forever,
and of his kingdom there icas to be no end —
He should reign among His people on
earth until the end of time, and still be
their King in heaven. He should be the
only King that shall never lay aside liis
diadem and robes, and that shall never
die.
Hoiv shcdl this bef Some would render
this as if she would be resolved whether
this birth were to be produced in a com-
mon or a miraculous manner. But we think
it is more natural to suppose that she un-
derstood the former words as an intimation
that the effect was immediately to take
place, to which her j^resent circumstances
seemed, humanly speaking, an invincible
objection. The Holy Ghost, &c. As the
^Messiah came to redeem sinners — to make
atonement for others, and not for Himself
— it was necessary that His human nature
should be pure, and freed from the corrup-
tion of the fall. Hence a body was to be
prepared for Him, not by ordinary genera-
tion, but by the direct power of God. His
body was to be miraculously formed by
the power of the Holy Ghost, though born
of a human mother. The phrase, that holy
thing, shows the purity and immaculate-
ness of Christ's human nature. Jesus had
flesh and blood like ourselves (Heb. ii. 14),
and He was subject to all our bodily weak-
nesses ; He needed food and sleep ; He
suffered pain; He shed tears, and sweat
drops of olood ; but He was without sin
(Heb. iv. 15.) He was "holy, harmless,
undefiled." (Heb. vii. 2G.) Shall be called
the Son of God. The angel did not give the
appellation So7i of God to the Divine nature
of CJirist, but to that holy 2^^rson or thing
C II A P T E R X I .
C63
Avhi(;h was to be born of the virgin, by the
energy of tlie Holy Spii-it. The Divine
nature could not be born of the virgin, the
liumun nature was born of her. The
■ phrase does not mean constituted and
made, but evidenced and declared. Christ
Avas God before He assumed tlesh, even
from eternity ; but His taking flesh in this
manner would evidence Him to be the Son
of God. To confirm Mary's confidence in
what he had told her, the angel mentioned
the wonderful conception of her cousin
Elizabeth, and reminded her of the al-
mighty power of God. The result was,
that she was willing to bear the trial. She
knew that many would disbelieve her
story, and ti'eat her with contempt ; never-
theless, in expression of her resignation to
the will of God, and of her faith in the
promise, she said: Behold the handmaid of
the Lord ; he it unto me according to thy word
All disputations with God, after His will
is made known and understood, arise from
infidelity and unbelief. God often makes
those suffer most deeply whom He designs
to honor most highly. When he intends
that persons should do much good to souls
(and this is one of the highest honors) He
often permits suspicion to be cast upon
their character, but at length He estab-
lishes their innocence.
39. And Mary arose in those days, and went into the
hill-country with haste, Piuto a city of Judah.
pJosh. xxi. 9, 10, 11
In those days, that is, soon after she had
received the extraordinary message from
the angel, before mentioned, as soon as
she could conveniently fit herself out for
the journey. Went into the liill-country .
The portion of Palestine originally alloted
to the tribe of Judah was divided in ac-
cordance with its natural features into
the southern district, or the plain border-
ing on the Mediterranean sea ; the hill-
country of Judah, running through the
center from north to south ; and the dis-
trict of Judah.
With haste, such as results from zeal and
eager desire. The intimation which the
angel had given respecting Elizabeth
greatly impressed the mind of Mary, and
created a strong desire to visit and confer
with that aged relative, under the very
peculiar circumstances in which she was
placed. There were grounds on which
slie might suspect the actual relation be-
tween these extraordinary cinaimstances.
She could not but know what had hap-
pened to Zacharias at the temple, and if,
as would seem from her not being already
apprised of the fact, the particulars of the
vision had not yet become equally notori-
ous, the information given by the angel
pointed, as coming from him, a connecting
link which she would be anxious to trace
more fully. If we may suppose Hebron to
have been Elizabeth's residence, Mary's
journey would be about one hundred
miles. Into a city of Judah; probably
Hebron, the city of the priests (Josh. xxi.
14), situated in the tribe of Judah. This
was the chief city in that part of Judea,
as may be gathered from 2 Sam. ii.
40. And entered into the house of Zacharias and
saluted Elizabeth.
Here were the two wonders of the world
met under one roof, to communicate their
joys to each other, and to strengthen each
other's faith. Plow interesting that inter-
view between those two holy women!
There was a great difference between
their ages. Elizabeth was very old ; Mary
was not old ; it is probable she was quite
young. Yet she was far more highly hon-
ored than her aged relative. The old are
often envious of the young, but the pious
Elizabeth was ready to do honor to Mary.
Saluted Elizabeth. The salutations of the
Jews were usually of a religious character,
at least in form, and were attended with
much ceremony. They wese various, such
as, " Be thou blessed of Jehovah," " God
be with you," "Peace be with you." (See
Paitb. ii. 4; Judges xix. 20; 2Sam. xx. 9;
Ps. cxxix. 8.) To the last mentioned
form, which was the most common, .strik-
ing allusion is made by our Saviour.
(John xiv. 27.)
41. And it cameto pass, that when E'izabeth heard
the salutation ol" Mary, the hahe leaped in her womb;
and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy CThost :
No sooner had Mary spoken than the
child in the womb of Elizabeth leaped, as
if transported with joy, or sensible of the
approach of Him whose forerunner he
was appointed to be, and already offering
Him involuntary homage. The reference
to the movement of the child by Luke,
in connection with the words of Elizabeth,
verse 44, shows that it was attributed to a
664
LUKE.
secret and powerful spiritual influence.
The expression, Elizabeth was filled uith the
Holy Ghost, seems to have been the ac-
complishment of the promise made by
the angel, verse 15. This expression
attaches the weight of inspiration to the
words Elizabeth uttered in reply to Mary's
salutation.
42. And she spake out with a loud voice, and said,
qElessi'd art thou iimoiig women, and blessed is the
fruit of thy womb.— qJudg. v. 24 ; verse 28.
With a loud voice, such as testified the
greatness of the emotion of her mind.
Blessed, &c., repeating the words of the
angel, verse 28, of which she had i^roba-
blybeen informed by Mary, in the present
interview, esteeming it the highest honor
among mothers to be the mother of the
Messiah. Both had been highly favored
— but Mary most. Mary was blessed, not
so much for carrying Christ in her womb
by sense, as for bearing Him in her heart
by faith. And blessed is the fruit of thy
womb; alluding, probably, to the child's
being the promised seed in whom all the
nations of the earth were to be blessed,
and who for that reason was blessed Him-
self. (Ps. Ixxii. 17.) While we cannot
but own that we are more favored of God
than we deserve, let us by no means envy
others who are more highly favored than
we are.
43. And whence In this to me, that the mother of my
Lord should come to me ?
If Elizabeth had not been extraordin-
arily inspired, she could not so much as
have suspected that Mary was to be the
mother of the Messiah, but this being re-
vealed to her, she was greatly struck with
the honor that was done her by the visit.
Her son, the Baptist, used the same lan-
guage of humility. (Matt. iii. 14.) Eliza-
beth seems to have been the first one who
employed this title, My Lord, of such
common use among Christians.
44. For, lo, as soon a-s the voice of thy' salutation
bounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb
for joy.
" Thou certainly bringest some extraor-
dinary tidings, some extraordinary bless-
ings with thee, for as soon as the voice of thy
salutation sounded iii my ears, not only my
heart leaped for joy, but the babe in my womb
did so, too." The reference is to verse 41,
where the verb used denotes something
more than the natural movements of the
unborn child. It seems most plainly ac-
cordant with the mind of the inspired
writer, that upon this occasion the unborn
harbinger salutes with joy the unborn
Messiah at his first approach. This would
serve very much to strengthen Mary's
faith, and Avould be in part the fulfillment
of the prediction. (Ps. xcviii. 8, 9.)
45. And blessed is .she *that believed; for there shall
be a performance of those thini^s whicli were told her
from the Lord.— *Or, which believed that there.
The language of Elizabeth here passes
from the second to the third i:)erson, but
the expression, although in form indefi-
nite, was designed to apply directly to
Mary, and commended her for her faith
and humility, when she received the mes-
sage from the Lord, by His angel. Mary's
faith is made to stand in contrast with
Zacharias' unbelief; but this is done in
such a manner as to show the great
decorum which the Spirit of God, as well
as the rules of modesty and piety, taught
Elizabeth to observe, when the faults of a
husband were in question. For there shall
be a performance of those things wliich v:ere
told her from the ^■ord. The invariable cer-
tainty of God's promises, is the true ground
of faith, and the source of happiness to
those who build upon them. Blessed is
every one that believes. It was a good
answer that was once given by a j-)Oor
woman, when, to a minister wlio asked
her, " What is faith?" she reiolicd, "I am
ignorant ; I cannot answer well ; but I
think faith is taking God at His word."
46. And "-Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
rl Sam. ii. 1 ; Ps. xxxiv. 2, 3 and xxxv. 9 ; Hab. iii. 18]
Though there was much to try Mary in
her present circumstances, for many people
would not believe her account of the
angel's visit, and would treat her with
scorn, yet she was filled with joy, because
she enjoyed the favor of the Lord, thus
showing us how faith can enable us to
rejoice in the midst of trials. Having
heard Elizabeth speak, she likewise was
filled with the Lloly Ghost, and under His
influence uttered extempore this hymn,
remarkable for the beauty of its style, the
sublimity of its sentiments, and the spirit
of piety which runs through the whole of
it ; and manifesting the deep sense she
had of her own nnworthiness, and the
goodness of God in choosing her to the
CHAPTER I,
665
high honor of being the Messiah's mother.
This song properly consists of three parts :
1. In verses 49-5U, Mary praises God for
wiiat He had done for hersdf. 2. In verses
51-3, she praises Him for what He had
done, and would do, against the oppressors
oHi its people, and that He exalts the humble,
and brings low the proud. 3. In verses
53-oG, she i)raises Him for what He had
done, and Avould do, for His Church.
47. And my spirit bath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
She seems to turn her thoughts here to
Christ Himself, who was to be born of her,
as the angel had told her He should be
the Son of the Highest, whose name
should be called Jesus, the Saviour. And
she rejoiced in hope of salvation through
faith in Him, which is a blessing common
to all true believers, more than in being
His mother in the flesh, which was an
honor peculiar to her. (See Matt. xii. 50 ;
Luke xi. 27, 28.) In this language Myry
confesses herself a sinner, for none but
sinners need a Saviour. Those that have
Jesus for their God and Saviour, have
great reason to rejoice — to rejoice 4?i sjjirit;
that is, to rejoice as Christ did, with
spiritual joy. (Luke x. 21.)
48. For she hath regarded the low estate of his hand-
maiden : for, behold, from heucolbrth 'all generations
Bhall call me blessed.
»1 Sam. i. 11 ; Ps. cxxxviii. G. 'Mai. id. 12 ; chap. xi. 27.
All the blessedness she had, she felt she
could claim only on a difl'erent basis from
that of personal merit — it was' because the
Lord had regarded her low estate; in the
most tender and compassionate manner
visiting her in her humiliation, in which
besides her poor outward condition, she
was also conscious of inward poverty,
which could discover no pre-eminence in
herself, in virtue of which such hapj^iness
should have fallen to her lot. For, behold,
from henceforth all generations sJtall call me
blessed. There are several other passages
in the Scriptures in which the word here
rendered blessed should rather be rendered
happy than blessed. (See Prov. xxxi. 28 ;
Mai. iii. 12 ; 1 Tim. i. 11, vi. 15 ; James v.
11 ; Rom. XX. 6.) This utterance of ex-
uberant joy was first used by Leah on the
birth of Asher. (Gen. xxx. 13.) Mary
knew that whatever men thought of her
then, that all generations would " call her
blessed," as the mother of the Saviour,
thus invested by Heaven with a high and
lasting honor above all her sex. The
blessed or Iiappy virgin was the character by
which alone Mary wislicd to be known.
It is worthy of note, that Mary is invariably
called in the sacred narrative Mary, with-
out any of those titles of reverence or
sui^ia-stition, such as Queen of Heaven,
Mother of God, &c., by which men, trying
to adorn her incomparaljle dignity, have
sown the seeds of Mariolatry. The words
of Mary show that she regarded the bless-
ings of the Messiah's advent, as reaching
to the end of time.
49. For he that is mighty hatli "done to me great
things; and holy is his name.
»Ps. ixxi. 19, cxxvi. 2, 3, cxi. 9.
He that is mighty, beyond all our concep-
tions, even the Almighty God, to whom
this strange event is not only possible, but
easy. HatJi, done to me great things, probably
having especially now in her eye her
miraculous conception of the Messiah, it is
the 2)owcr of the highest that appears in this.
Holy, i. e., revered, is his name. Personal
blessings are here lost sight of in the Divine
glory and goodness Avhich they serve to
reveal to her view. Hannah said in her
sOng, There is none holy as the Lord, which
she explains in the next words, /or there is
none beside thee. (1 Sam. ii. 2.) Glorious
things may be expected from Him who is
both mighty and holy, who can do every-
thing, and will do everything well and
for the best.
.50. yAnd his mercy is on them that fear him from
generation to generation.
yGen. xvii. 7 ; Ex. xx. 6 ; Ps. ciii. 17, 18.
From a contemplation of God's goodness
to her, Mary's mind reaches forth to a
grateful recognition of the Divine mercy
to others. God's exuberant kindness has
ever manifested itself in acts of mercy to
all those who feared or reverenced His
name. He has regarded them with pecu-
liar favor. But He manifested His mercj"-,
as He had never done before, in that event
with which Mary knew her name would
be perpetually connected — in sending His
Son to bring in an everlasting righteous-
ness, and work out an everlasting salva-
tion for them that look up to Him with an
eye of filial, fear, and this from generation to
generation, literally for generations of gener-
ations, that is, throughout all time.
C68
LUKE.
51. «He hath shewed strength with his arm ; >he hath
scattered the proud in the imiigination of their hearts.
■'Ps. xcviii. 1, cxviii. 15; Isa. xl. 10, li. 9. Hi. 10. »Ps.
xxxUi. 10 ; 1 Peter v. 5.
With his arm. He hath shown the great-
ness of His power. God's great power is
represented by His finger, His greater
power with His hand, and His omnipotence
by His arm. The pUigue of hce was the
finger of God. (Ex. vii. 18.) The plagues
in general were wrought by His hand.
(Ex. iii. 20.) And the destruction of Pha-
raoh and his host in the Red Sea was
brought to pass by His arm. (Ex. xv. 16.)
He hath scattered the proud in the imagination
of their hearts. Here the proud and haughty
persecutors of God's peox^le are especially
referred to, such as Pharaoh, Sennacherib,
Antiochus Epiphanes and others, whose
cruelties were a matter of historical record,
but all are meant who are puffed up witli
pride, who wish to be noticed in prefer-
ence to all others, and feel sovereign con-
tempt for all but themselves. Such men
are scattered, like a defeated army, or like
the chaff which the wind blows away.
(See 2 Cor. x. 5 ; Ps. ii. 1-3.)
•52. bHe liath put down the mighty from their seats,
anl exalted them of low degree.
bl Sam. ii. ti, &c. ; Job v. 11 : Ps. cxiii. 6.
Seats, literally, thrones. There is probably
an allusion in particular to the removal of
Said from the throne of Israel, and the es-
tablishment of the kingdom in the person
and family of David. But as Mary spoke
propheticalhj, this saying may also allude to
future events. And exalted them of low degree.
In the revolutions and overturnings by
which the proud and mighty were brought
low, persons of obscure condition were
raised up to the occupancy of their thrones
and seats of power. (See 2 Sam. vii. 8 ;
lChron.xvii.7; P.s.lxxviii. 70; Xeh.xxi.7.)
.53. '•He hath filled the hungry with good things; and
the rich he hath sent empty away.
cl 8am. ii. 5 ; Ps. xxxiv. 10.
He hath fed the poor and needy, who
came to Him with humble hearts, and not
unfrequently withholden from those who
came to Him with lofty hearts, and insati-
able desires, what they asked, or taken
away their riches by fire or flood, thus
sending them avxiy empty. (Rev. iii. 17, 18.)
The original word strictly signifies hath
sent or turned them aid of doors, and very
beautifully repre.sents God as the great
Proprietor of all, and the greatest of men
as His tenants at will, whom He can strip
and turn out whenever He pleases. The
language is to be understood mainly in a
spiritual sense. Poverty and hunger are
here opi^osed to wealth and fullness, just as
dominion and power, in the preceding
context, were contra.sted with lowliness of
birth and condition. "Blessed are they
that hunger and thirst after righteousness."
Such hungry souls shall never be sent
empty away.
54. He hath holpen his servant Israel, ^in remem-
brance of Aw mercy ;— dPs. xcviii. 3 ; Jer. xxxi. 3, 2U.
The word rendered he hath holpen, which
is an old English form for luiih helped,
properly signifies, to interpose in favor of
a person in great necessity or extreme
danger, and also to hold by the hand, to
sustain from falling, or to lift up when
fallen, and so to afibrd aid or help. Sad
had been the humiliation of Israel, God's
covenant people, from a high to a low
estate had he been brought, but the time
of his exaltation has now arrived. God
has blessed them with a Saviour, who lived
in the faith, hope and expectation of the
promised Messiah. Those that were sunk
under the burdens of a broken covenant
of innocence, are helped up by the blessings
of a renewed covenant of grace. The
Messiah was also to be a great blessing to
all who should become the seed of Abra-
ham by faith. (Gal. iii. 7.) In remembrance
of his mercg, that is, that He might show
Himself mindful of the mercy promised to
Israel. (See verse 72.)
.5.5. "As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to
his seed for ever.
'Gen. xvii. 19 ; Ps. cxxxll. 11 ; Kom. iv. 2S ; Gal. iii. 16.
This is a reference to the covenant God
made with Abraham (Gen. xv. 18), which
covenant proceeded from God's eternal
mercy, and in which salvation was prom-
ised to all the nations of the earth. (Gen.
xii. 3 ; xxii. 18.) This covenant was in
one form or other given to all the fcdhers.
We have here a r-emarkable proof that
Mary's expectations concerning the Mes-
siah's appearance were not of an exclusive,
but of a universal nature. It was designed
that in Him all the nations of the earth
should be blessed. The closing words /or
ever, are to be joined in sense with his seed,
being equivalent to throughout all genera-
tions. What God hath spoken to the
CHAPTER I
GG'i
fathers, ho will make good to their seed,
even tlieir seed's seed forever.
56. And Mary abode with her about three montUs,
and returned to ber owu house.
This must have been a few days before
the birth of John. (See verse 30.) Having,
to her unspeakable satisfaction and great
fonifort, found all things as the angel had
told hf-r, Mary returned to Nazareth, to
keep silence before Joseph, as she had
])roken silence before Elizabeth. She still
wished retirement, and therefore did not
remain at the home of her relative, when
the birth of her child of promise would
draw a great deal of company to the
house. After Mary's return home, those
events seem to have occurred, concerning
the dithcnlties and conduct of Joseph in
respect of her, which are recorded iiv
Matt. i. 18, 19. Her oum house. If the
supposition just referred to be correct, the
house here spoken of must have been her
own, as she was yet unmarried.
57. Now Elizabeth's full tinae canie that she should
be delivered ; and she brought Ibrth a sou.
This birth was six months previous to
that of the Messiah. Full time came, ex-
actly according to the prediction of the
angel, that she should be delirered, though
this cnild was conceived in the womb by
a miracle, he continued in the womb
according to the ordinary course of nature,
as did our Saviour also. Promised mercies
are to be expected when the full time for
them is come, and not before. How great
an event is the birth of a child ! It ex-
ceeds in importance the creation of the
sun. The sun sees not its own light, feels
not its own heat, and is destined to be
extinguished ; but the little babe that has
just been brought into the world, has a
rational soul which must live in rapture or
in woe, when the heavens pass away, and
the elements melt with fervent heat.
58. And hernelarhbors and her cousins heard how the
Lord had showed great mercy upon her ; faud they re-
joiced with her.— fVerse 1-1.
Her kinsfolk and relations having heard
that the Lord in so illustrious and re-
markable a manner had magnified His
mercy to her, came together to testify
their joy, and sincerely congratulate her
on the happy occasion. Too little on such
occasions are the power and goodness of
God gratefully recognized. To rejoice
with those whom God has favored, and to
congratulate them on the advantages
which He has granted to them, is a duty
which humanity, charity and religion call
upon us to fullill.
59. And it came to pass, ilhat on the eighth day they
came to circumcise the child ; and they called hiui
Zucharius, alter the name of his lather.
eUeu. xvii. i:;; Lev. xii. a.
On the eiglith day (from the birth of the
child inclusive), which was the day, in the
patriarchal and Mosaic law (see Gen. xvii.
12; Lev. xii. 3), for the circumcision uf
the male oflspring. This day was Hxed
because the mother was considered as un-
clean seven days (Lev. xii. 1, 2), and until
that time the child was too weak to en-
dure the pain of circumcision. Theij came,
probably to the house of Zacharias, for
no particular place was prescribed, and no
l)articular person as performer of the rite.
To circumcise the child. Circumcision, as a
rite of the Jewish religion, consisted in
cutting around the flesh of the foreskin
of all males. The instrument used was a
knife, a razor, or even a sharp stone.
(Exod. iv. 25; Josh. v. 3.) This rite was
established as the token of God's covenant
with Abraham (Gen. xvii. 9-14), who im-
mediately subjected himself and all his
family to its observance. By this rite all
the natural male descendants of Abraham
were separated from all the rest of the
world. The precept of circumcision was
renewed to Moses (Exod. xii. 44; Lev. xii.
3; John vii. 22, 23), requiring that all
should submit to it who would partake of
the paschal sacrifice. (Exod. xii. 43-4S.)
This was enjoined with great solemnity.
The Jews have always been very scrupu-
lous in the observance of this rite or
ceremony, though it was omitted in their
journey through the wilderness forobvious
reasons. They called, were then naming,
were about to name, or tcoidd have named.
This is frequently the sense of the imper-
fect tense here used. There is no direc-
tion that the child should be named on
the day of its circumcision, but this was
always done (though in some instances the
nanje was given at its birth), probably be-
cause God changed filenames of Abraham
and Sarah when the rite was instituted.
Girls were not named until they were
weaned. Zacharias, after the name of his
668
LUKE,
fatlier. Zacharias, signifying the remem-
brance of God, pointed at God's mercy in
remembering him, and his duty in remem-
bering God.
60. And his mother answered and said, ^jJot so; but
be shall be called Jolin.—i' Verse 13.
The answer of Elizabeth was decided
and emphatic. In determining that the
child should be called John, as this was
the name which the angel desired should
be given him (verse 13), she might have
been intluenced by revelation, or Zacha-
rias might have explained the whole
affair to her in writing. The Jews made
it a part of religion to give suitable and
significant names to their children.
61. And they said unto her. There is none of thy kin-
dred that is called by this name.
A feeling of pride or admiration leads
men to perpetuate the virtues of their
illustrious ancestors by reviving their
names in the person of a descendant, and
as these are often repeated in the course
of successive generations, they become a
kind of inheritance in the tribe, with
which it is understood to be improper for
the members of another to interfere.
That this feeling was prevalent among
the ancient Jews, is abundantly evident
from many parts of their history ; from
the genealogical tree which Josephus has
drawn of his own family, in which, through
a long line of progenitors who had borne
the highest honors of their country, we
may observe the same names frequently
recurring, and these exclusively such as
pertained to the male branches of his
house ; and, in short, from a variety of
incidents, all manifesting the predilection
of that people for perpetuating the mem-
ory of their most distinguished forefathers,
and the extreme reluctance they felt to
admit any names among them that had
not been formerly familiar, or known at
least, in their families. With these cir-
cumstances in our knowledge, we can be
at no loss to account for the surprise and
dissatisfaction expressed by the assembled
relatives of Zacharias and Elizabeth, on
discovering that they had determined, by
mutual consent, and for reasons which
they did not explain, to deviate from
established usage in the intended desig-
nation of their son.
But the relations themselves, in propos-
ing to give the child the namu of Zacha-
rias, departed as widely from prevailing
customs, w^hich made it usual to call a
son, not after his father, but after his
grandfather, great-grandfather, or some
honored member of the family. It is
probable that Lightfoot is right in his con-
jecture, that respect for the character and
age of the father, who could have no
prospect of another son, were the motive^
that made his friends desirous of seeing
his name perpetuated in the person of his
child. But both of the parents expressed
their determination to give him the name
of John.
62. And tliej' made signs to his father, how he would
have him called.
Wishing to know the mind of Zacharias
in the matter, whose office it properly was
to name the child, they made signs to him
— literally nodded, or blinked icith the eye.
From this kind of inquiry we may con-
clude with certainty he was deaf as well
as dumb, otherwise they might have asked
him, and obtained his answer in this way.
63. And he asked for a writing-table, and wrote, say-
ing. >His name is John. And they marvelled all.
iVerse 13.
The writing-table, or tablet, was used
much like a slate, for temporary use.
Sometimes it was of lead, the writing on
which was formed with a bodkin or stylus
and could be beaten out when no longer
needed. Sometimes it was composed of a
thin board covered with wax, on wiiich,
also, the characters were traced with a
metal stylus, and often it was merely a
small, clean board, on which the writing
was formed with chalk.
And wrote, saying, his name is John. Not,
" it shall be so," or, " I would have it so,"
but " it is so " — his name is John. The matter
is determined already, the angel had given
him that name. (Verse 13.) John was a
very appropriate name for him who was
to be the first preacher of the kingdom of
grace, and who was to point out Him /rom
whose fullness we receive grace for grace.
(John i. 16.) As Zacharias, when he could
not speak, iirote, so ministers, who are pre-
vented by disease or persecution, from
preaching, may yet be doing good so long
as they have strength to write. Many of
the martyrs in prison wrote letters to thdir
CHAPTER I
669
friends, which were of great use. Paul
himself did so. Banyan wrote his " Pil-
grim's Progress" when shut up in Bedford
jail, for righteousness' sake. Our religious
literature has been greatly enriched by
contributions from gO(jd men in their af-
fliction. And they marvelled all — they won-
dered, were amazed. Had not Zacharias
l)cen deaf as well as dumb, and heard the
])revious conversation, there would have
been nothing strange in this coincidence
with the name given by his wife.
fi4. kAnd his mouth was opened iBiinediately.and his
tongue / josrct, and he spake, and praised God.
k Verse 20.
His mouth was opened, not by the force
of joyful emotion, nor by his breaking a
voluntary silence, but by a miracle, where-
by the jn-ediction of the angel (verse 20),
was fulfilled at exactly the right time. No
sooner had he recovered his .speech, than,
with an audible, articulate voice, he praised
God in holy raptures, before even address-
ing his friends or his wife, although he
had not interchanged a word with them
from the time he returned from Jerusalem
(verse 23), nine months before. As the
want of faith had produced the dumbness,
so the act of faith reproduced the speech.
His first use of his recovered faculty was
not to utter a complaint, but a doxology :
a proof that the cure had taken jilace in
his soul also. When God opens our lips,
our mouths must show forth His praise. We
might as well be without speech as not use
it in praising God, for our tongue is most
oyir glory when it is employed for God's
glory.
05. And fear came nn all that dwelt round about
them: and all these *sayin{is were noised abroad throuKli
out all the ihill-country of J udea.— =*'Or, things. 'Verse 3!l.
In view of the miraculous operations
which had been witnessed, a feeling, par-
taking of religious awe and veneration,
pervaded all the inhabitants of Hebron
and its environs; and all these sayings, or,
things, which must have produced a deep
sensation, were everywhere talked about.
The inhabitants of this hill-country seem to
have been an open, honest-hearted, gen-
erous people, who were easily led to ac-
knowledge the interposition of God, and
to rejoice in the comfort and welfare of
each other. The fear, which now spread
only through the hill-country of Judea,
afterward filled the heart of allJerusalem.
It was undoubtedly kept up, as well as the
cxi)ectation of some greater thing to fol-
low, by the unusual manner in which the
child John was brought up. We perceive
in this event how God can bring good out
of evil. Zacharias by unbelief had become
dumb, but his gaining his speech again
must have helped others to believe.
66. And all they that heard thrm ""laid fhrm up in
their hearts, saying. What manner of child shall this
be ! And "the liand oCtlie I-ord was'witli liini.
"Chron. ii. 19, nl. nGen. xxxix. 2: Ps. Ixxx. 17, and
Ixxxix. 21 ; Acts xi 21.
The extraordinary circumstances con-
nected with the birth of John were all
ordered by Providence, that he, who was
the Messiah's forerunner, might not seem
an obscure and ordinary man, but one that
was the peculiar object of the decrees and
counsels of heaven, and that the attention
of his countrymen being awakened by this
magnificent manner of his introduction
into the world, he might execute the duties
of his ministry with greater advantage,
and effectually prepare the people for re-
ceiving th3 Messiah, who was soon to ap-
pear in person. And this effect was pro-
duced. The people began to wonder and
conjecture, saying, What manner of child
shall this he? Laid them wp in their hearts,
i. e., pondered over them, and sought their
import. It argues a vain spirit and temper
of mind when we pass over the observation
of God's wonderful acts with a slight
regard. The true reason why we so little
admire the wonderful works of God, is
that we so little consider them. (Ps. xxviii.
5.) And the hand af the Lord was with him,
that is, the help of God, the love and favor
of God to support him, the power and
providence of God to 2>rotect, preserve and
jirosper him. When our hearts are with
the Lord, then His heart and His helping
hand will be with us.
67. And his father, Zacharias, ''was filled with the
Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,— "Joel ii. 28.
Filled with the Holy Ghost, &c. — brought
under the influence of Divine inspiration.
God not only forgave him his unbelief
and distrust, but as a specimen of ahound-
ing grace toward believers, He endued him
with a more than ordinary measure of the
Holy Spirit, supernaturally enlightening
his mind in the knowledge of Divine
things, and even of future events. The
prophetic hymn consists of two parts.
670
LUKE.
Part first, 68-75, predicts, under Jewish
images, the power and safety of Messiah's
kingdom. Part second, 7G-79, in an address
to the infant John, predicts his prepara-
tory oifice as herald of the Messiah's
manifestation, and His glorious kingdom
of human salvation on earth and in
heaven.
6S. pBlessed he the Lord God of Israel; forihe hath
visited and redeemed his people.
vl Kings i. 4S ; Ps. xli. U, Ixxii. 18, cvi. 48. qExod. iii.
16, iv. ai ; Pd. cxi. 9 ; chap. vii. 16.
It will be observed that it is not for
his own particular and private mercy,
namelj', the recovery of his speech, that
Zacharias blessed God, though for that
blessing he was undoubtedly very thank-
ful, but for universal mercies bestowed
upon His Church and people. The Lord
God of Israel — who is also the God of the
spirits of all flesh. Jehovah Avas in a pe-
culiar sense the God of Israel. (Rom. ix.
4.) But this did not forbid the induction
3f other nations into like relationship
and privileges. Israel, as a chosen j^eople,
was a type of the people of God, to be
called out of all nations and ages, whom
God had a particular eye to in sending the
Saviour.
God is praised for two grand benefits
He had granted to His people. 1. He has
visited them. 2. He has ransomed them.
He speaks by the Spirit of prophecy,
which calls things that are not, as though
they iccrc, because they are absolutely de-
termined by the ]Most High, and shall be
all fullilled in their season. God had
often sent to His people by His prophets,
and had still kept up a correspondence
with them, but now He himself made
them a visit, for Christ was Jmmanuel,
God 'with us, God manifest in the flesh. God
has redeemed His people. Doubtless Zach-
f arias discerned much of the true nature
and glory of the Messiah's kingdom. The
object of Christ's visit was the redemption
of a lost world. This implies that misera-
ble thraldom and bondage which we were
under to sin and Satan, and expresses the
stupendous love of Jesus, in ransoming
us by His precious blood. His people
refers primarily to the Jews, and then to
all the spiritual seed of Abraham. (Gal.
iii. 7.) In Christ, according to promise,
all the families of the earth were to be
blessed. (Gen. xii. 3, xxii. 18.)
69. 'And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in
the house of his servaiil JJavld ;— rPs. cxxxii. 17.
Horn of salvation is a metaphorical ex-
pression taken from beasts, whose strength,
defence, and victory over other animals,
lies chiefly in their horns, as also the
beauty and glory of several of them, the
property likewise of the ancients consist-
ing chiefly in their flocks and herds. The
chief import of the words horn of salva-
tion, in which the abstract is put for the
concrete, is, that Christ is a great, glorious
and powerful Saviour to His Church and
people. In the house of his servant David,
or, in the family lineage ; as we say, the
house of Bourbon, or of Brunswick. In
verse 32, the angel stated that Mary was
of the family of David, and Zacharias,
who, from the nature of his office, must
have been well acquainted with the public
genealogical tables, attests the same thing.
70. sAs he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets
which have been since the world began :
>Jer. xxlii. 5, 6, and xxx. 10; Dan. ix. 'H , Acts iii. 21 ;
Kom. i, 2.
There is here the same reference as by
]\Iary, ver.se 55. As he spake, i. e., as he
promised. By the mouth, &c. It was God
that spake by His servants. (2 Peter i.
21.) Holy prophets. Those by whom the
prophecies of salvation by Christ were
uttered were persons Avho dared not de-
ceive, and who aimed at promoting holiness
among men. They were all holy, so far
as this term is applicable to frail and er-
ring man. Balaam, who was a very bad
man, does not constitute an exception to
this remark, for, as it was against his will
he was forced to bless Israel (Num. xxiii.
8-10, 19-24, xxiv. 3-9), and utter a remark-
able Messianic prediction (Num. xxiv. 17),
he cannot properly be regarded as a
prophet in the sense here meant. The
words rendered, since the xvorld began, liter-
ally mean, from the beginning of ages, the
promise being made to Adam (Gen. iii.
15), that the seed of the voman should bruim
the serpent's head, and to Abraham and the
other patriarchs, that in their seed all na-
tions of the earth should be blessed. (See
Acts X. 43.)
71. That we should be saved from our enemies, and
from the hand of all that hate us ;
CHAPTER I
6:1
That we, the true Church of God, con-
sisting of all faithful believers, whether of
the old or new dispensation, should be
saved; literally, salvation {i. e., the means
of salvation) from our enemies, the con-
struction being continued from verse G9,
the intermediate verse being parenthetic.
From our enemies, si)iritual as well as tem-
poral, invisible as well as visible, and /rom
the hand of all that hate us, from sin, Satan
and his angels, all adverse power, and
death.
72. 'To perform the meroy promised to our fatliers,
and to rt'UU'iiilH'r lii« holy coveuaiit; 73. "The oath
whicli ho N\var(' to our latlicr Aliruham.
'Iji.'V. xxvi. A'l ; I"s. .\cvin. :{, and cv. K, 9, and cvi. 4.5 ;
Ezi?k. xvi. m. verse al. "Gvu. xii. 3; xvii. 4; xxii. Hi,
17 : lleb. vi. 13, 17.
To perform the merey, is to be referred to
verse 69, on which this phrase depends.
The mercy, the Lord Jesus Christ, the
mercy of mercies, is a free, full, suitable,
seasonable and satisfying mercy. The
origin of our salvation was God's free,
undeserved compassion and goodness.
The word promised in our common version
is unnecessarily supplied. The mercy to
our fathers. The fullillment of the jiromises
concerning Messiah, is not only a matter
of rejoicing for the present, and a source
of hope for the future, but also a healing
balm for past sorrows. The fathers had,
for generations, wept over the decay of
their nation, aiid were now living with
God to look down from heaven upon the
fullness of the time. (Luke xx. 37, 38 ;
John viii. 56.) His holy covenant is ex-
plained in verse 73, which is put with it in
explanatory opposition. The oath is the
object of remember. The oath vhich He
swore to our father Abraham — by which oath
He confirmed the covenant before men-
tioned, that, as the Apostle observes (Heb.
vi. 17, 18), by two immutable things, God's
promise given in the covenant, an oath, in
either of which, much more in both, it was
impossible for God to lie, all that should
truly embrace the covenant, by complying
with the conditions of it, in repentance,
faith, and new obedience, might have
strong consolation in life, in death, and
forever.
74. That he would grant unto us, that we being de-
livered out of the hand of our enemies might ^serve
bini without fear,— »Rom. vi. 18, 22; Heb. ix. 14.
By the words, that he woidd grant us, we
are not to understand the matter of the
oath, but the purpose for which God once
swore it, and was now about to fulfill it.
Being delivered out of the hands of our enemies,
especially our spiritual enemies — the devil,
the world, and the flesh — the guilt, power
and consequences of our sins, might serve
Him, might worship and glorify Him, in
and with our body and spirit which are
His, withotd fear, that is, in a state of holy
safety, with holy security and serenity of
mind, as those that are quiet from the fears
of evil.
75. yin hoUness and righteousness before him, all the
davs of our liic.
.'.Tor. xxxii. 39, 40; Eph. iv. 24; 2 Tlies. xxiii. 13; 2
Tim. i. 9 ; Titus ii. 12 ; 1 Peter i. 15 ; 2 Peter i. 4.
In holiness — toward God, in devotedness
to His glory, conformity to His image,
subjection to His authority, and obedience
to His will. And righteousness — toward our
fellow-creatures, that is, in the continual
exercise of truth, justice, mercy and char-
ity. The two tables of the law, love to
God, and love to man. cannot be divorced.
He that talks of holiness, and docs unjustly
the while, is but a hypocrite. (Eph. iv.
24.) Before him, conscious we are in His
presence, and under the continual notice
of His eye, setting Him always before us,
and aiming to please Him in everything.
7fi. And thou, child, shaltbe called the prophet of the
Highest: for 'thou shall go beibre the face of the Lord
to prepare his ways :
ilsa. xl. 3; Mai. iii. 1, iv. 5; Matt. xi. 10; verse 17.
Zacharias, as a prophet of God, now ad-
dresses the child in language of great
beauty and spiritual richness. He always
places the Messiah in a more prominent
position than His forerunner. SJtalt be
called, refers not only to the reality, but
universal acknowledgment of His high
prophetical character. The prophet of the
Highest, or Most High. Prophet has two
accei^tations : 1. A person who foretells
future events; and, 2. A teacher of men in
the things of God. (1 Cor. xiv. 3.) John
was a prophet in both senses ; he proclaim-
ed the mercy which should be communica-
ted, announced the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, and taught men how to leave their
sins, and how to find the salvation of God.
(See chap. iii. 5-14.) He had the honor
of being the last and clearest prophet of the
old covenant, and ihe first of the new. For
thou shall go before the face of the Lord to pre-
pare his ways; thou shalt be an herald and
harbinger to the Most High ; thou shalt go
673
LUKE,
before the face of the Messiah, and by thy
severe reproofs and powerful exhortations,
shalt prepare His way before Him, and
make men fit and ready to receive this
mighty Saviour.
77. To give knowledge of salvation unto his people*
*by the remission ot their sins.
aMaxk 1. 4 ; chap. iil. 3. *Or, for.
The teaching of John was to be the sci-
ence of salvation. Men are ignorant, and
they must be instructed. Human science
may be profitable in earthly matters, but
cannot profit the soul. No science but that
which comes from God can ever save a
soul from the power, guilt and pollution of
sin. (Heb. viii. 11, 12.) By the remission
of their sins. Remission of sins is the doc-
trine in which the Christian religion justly
glories, as that most necessary and funda-
mental point in which every other religion
fails. The heathen here confesses himself
to be in the dark. The blood of bulls and
goats cannot wash away the sins of the
Jew ; and his oblations, since the truth is
come which they were intended to prefig-
ure, are preposterous and impious.
78. Through i^the tender mercy of our God ; whereby
the Day-spring from on high hath visited us,
cNum. xxiv. 17 ; Isa. xi. 1 ; Zech. iii. 8, vi. 12 ; Mai. iv. 2.
Through the tender mercy of our God, liter-
ally, the hovels of mercy , & strong Hebraism,
implying God's tender compassions for
mankind, immersed as they are in sins
and miseries. (See Isa. Ixiii. 15 ; Phil. ii.
1 ; Col. iii. 12, in which this expression is
used.) Day-spring. The dawning of the
celestial day hath visited us from on high.
Here is doubtless a reference to such texts
as Mai. iv. 2, and Isa. Ix. 1-3, and possibly
to Jer. xxiii. 5, and Zech. iii. 8. The
original Hebrew word in these passages
signifies that part of the heavens where
the light begins to rise. (Compare Rev.
vii. 2.) The dawning of the day seems,
therefore, a very literal version, and beau-
tifully describes the Gospel dispensation
which dawned in the ministry of John
the Baptist, and which was as superior to
the patriarclial or Mosaic, with their types
and shadows, as the light of the rising
sun is superior to that of the moon and
stars. Hath visited us. (See note on verse
68.) Jesus Christ is the true Sun of
Righteousness. His doctrine is to the
souls of men what light is to their bodies.
79. ^To give light to them that sit in darkness and in
the .i/iadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of
peace.'— disa. ix. 2, xiii. 7 ; Matt. iv. 16 ; Acts xxvi. 18.
In darkness and in the shadow of death.
Such phrase describes with peculiar pro-
priety the ignorant and miserable state of
the Gentile world, and perhaps the former
part of the verse may refer to them ; but
as Christ's preaching to the Jews in Gali-
lee is said (Matt. iv. 14-lG) to be an
accomplishment of Isa. ix. 1, 2, to which
Zacharias here seems to refer, we must
not confine the sense of it merely to the
Gentiles, for indeed the sad character and
circumstances of the Jews at this time too
well suited the representation here made.
(Isa. ix. 2, Ix. 1.) To guide our feet into theway
of peace. The light of the day-spring is
cZircd(?i5',itguidesusintothe way of making
our peace with God, or keeping uj) a com-
fortable communion, that way of peace
from which, as sinners, we have wandered,
and have not knoim (Rom. iii. 17), nor
could ever have known of ourselves.
80. And i-the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit,
and fwas in the deserts till the day of his showing uuto
Israel. — 'Chap. il. 40. fMatt. iii. 1, xi. 7.
As John greic in bodily stature, he also
waxed strong in spirit, in courage, under-
standing, and purposes of good, in the
gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit ; his
judgment matured, and he gave indica-
tions not only of superior natural abilities
and energy of mind, but also of strong
faith, vigorous holy affections, great forti-
tude and resolution in the cause of God, a
superiority to groveling desires and
pursuits, and a victory over the fear and
love of the world. All this was doubtless
the result of secret prayer and meditation.
And v:as in the deserts, not strictly deserts,
but the rural region, little inhabited, of
his native hill-country. Such retirement
naturally prevented any such intimacy
with Christ, in their childhood and youth,
as might possibly have occasioned some
suspicion as to the impartiality of the tes-
timony which John afterward bore Him.
(See John i. 31.)
Till the day of his sltmcing unto Israel.
Till the time of his manifestation — till he
was thirty years of age, before which time
the law did not permit a man to enter
into the publln ministrj'. (Numb. iv. 3. ;
see also chap. iii. 23.) The day was the
CHAPTER II.
time referred to in Matt. iii. 1 ; Luke iii.
2. Many a one is qualilied for great use-
fulness wlio yet is buried alive, and many
are long so buried who are designed, and
are thereby being prei>ared, for so mueh
greater usefulness at last.
What a magnificent preparation was
that which we have just contemplated for
the great Founder of our religion ! What
an exalted idea must it give us of His
dignity and importance to have a fore-
runner and a harbinger, such as John, to
proclaim His approach to the world, and
call upon all mankind to attend to Ilim !
The fact that John was holy from his
birth is suggestive of the importance of
early piety. How acceptable to God is
the oflering up of our early years !
" A flower, when offered in the bud,
Is no mean sacrilice."
How bitter is the remembrance of a
childhood and youth of wickedness ! Tlie
history of the Churt-h shows that a very
large majority of those who die Christians
were converted in their youth.
1. To whom was the preface of this Gospel addressed ? 2. Who was Theophilus ? 3. Who was Zacharias ? 4.
What is said of him and his wife ? 5. Who appeared to him in the temple? 6. What did the angel say to him ?
7. For wliat purpose was the angel Gabriel sent to Xazareth ? 8. Explain verse 28. 9. What effect had the ap-
pearance of the angel on Marj- ? 10. What did the angel say to her? 11. What does Zacharias signify? 12.
What, Elizabeth ? 13. Why was tlieir child caUed John ? 14. What did Zacharias do when his tongue was
loosed ? 15. What did his father prophesy ?
CHAPTER II.
1 Aumisiustaxeth all the Roman empire. 6 The nativity
of Vhri.st. S One anijel rtkitrth it to the shepherds : 13
mani/ .litiff praises to Qod for it. 21 t'/iri.st is rirfum-
cised. 'li Mary pur ijU:d. 28 SimeonundAnna pro}>h-
esy of Christ: 40 loho increa.ietli in wisdom, 4ti qiKs-
tio)u'th in the temple with the. doctors, 51 unci in
ubedif:nt to hij! pacents.
A ND it came to pass in those days, that there went
j\ out a decree from Cesar Augustus, that all the
world should be *taxed.— *Or, enrolled.
In those days, that is, about the time in
which John was born and Christ con-
ceived, in the manner as related in the
preceding chapter. Went out a decree — was
issued an edict, from Csesar Augustus.
" Ccesar " was the family name of the then
reigning master of the Roman enijnre,
and "Augustus" the name which he as-
sumed at his accession. All the vorhh
denotes not merely the country of the
Jews, but the whole Roman empire.
Should be tcLved, that is, enrolled, or a census
of them taken, probably, also, a registry of
their property made, whether for the pur-
pose of levying a poll-tiix, or of recruiting
the army.
2. i'^And this taxing was first made when Cvrenius
was governor of Syria.)— »Act8 V. 37.
Cyrenius is a Greek form of the Roman
43
name Quirinus, whose full name is Publius
Su Ip icuis Q u irinu s.
It has long been objected that the taxing
(or census, registration, or enrollment)
under Cyrenius, here said to have taken
place at the time of our Lord's birtJi, and
in the reign of Herod, did not really occur
till ten years later, in the time of his son
Archelaus, and that this is the only census
taken by the Romans in Judea of which
we have any information. But this objec-
tion is baseless. W'hat Luke affirms is,
that, in or about the time of our Lord's
birth, a decree for a general registration
was issued by Augustus, in consequence ■
of which Joseph went, accompanied by •
Mary, to Bethlehem, to be registered there.
In recording this, it seems to have occurred •
to the Evangelist that, in order to prevent
confusion, he should specify that the reg-
istration, though then decreed, teas not execu-
ted, or not carried out to its full results till
some years later when Cyrenius was president,
and therefore he interposes parenthetically
the information, that this registration,
though decreed, was not fully made until
" Cyrenius was governor of Syria." Prof.
6T4
LUKE
A. W. Zumpt, of Berlin, has assigned good
reasons, based on combining a great num-
ber of passages from the Roman literature
of those times, for believing that Cyrenius
was twice governor of Syria, and that the
enrollment question was made in his first
governorship, which dates from B. C. 4 to
B. C. 1, when he was succeeded by M.
LoUius. He proves that Cyrenius was
honored with a triumph for subduing a
tribe of Cilicians ; by another train of pas-
sages He shows that Cilicia belonged under
the governorship of Syria, so that Cyrenius
must have thenheen governor of Syria ; and
by another series of deductions he shows
that this triumph must have taken place
before A. D. 1 or 2.
3. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own
city.
Into Jiis oim city. When the census was
made in any country, the inhabitants were
obliged to attend in the cities to which
they belonged. The Jews, however, in
carrying out the edict, were left to their
own peculiar customs and usages. The
policy of Rome, as well as the religious
scruples of the Jews, demanded this. For
this reason, instead of appearing in the
cities where they resided, or to whose ju-
.risdiction the places of their abode be-
longed, they appeared according to their
families, every one in his native city, or
the place where his paternal inheritance
lay, to be there enrolled. All went to be
taxed. The obedience of the Jews to this
decree is a plain proof, that they were noAV
dependent on the Romans, and the sceptre
was departing from Judah.
4. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the
city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto •'tlie city of David,
which is called BHthlehem: (ibecause he was of the
lioase and lineage of David:) 5. To be taxed with
dMary his espoused wife, being great with cliild.
H Sam. xvi. 1, 4; John vii. 42. ^Matt. 1. IG: chap. i.
27. dMatt. i. 18; chap. i. 27.
Went up. Bethlehem was indeed high
ground, but anciently any going from an
inferior province or city to one of greater
or of more political importance, was going
up. From Galilee, &c. In the time of our
Lord all Palestine was divided into three
provinces, Judea, Samaria and Galilee.
The last included the whole northern sec-
tion of the country, namely, the ancient
territories of Issachar, Zebulon, Asher and
Naphtali. Out of the city of Nazareth. Naza-
reth was a very obscure place. It is not
mentioned in the Old Testament, but
occurs first in Matt. ii. 23. Unto the city of
David, whicli is called Bethlehem ; {because he
^vas of the house and lineage of David.) The
city of Datnd, the place where the royal
David was born and had spent his boy-
hood. The words house and lineage are de-
signed to give full and emphatic expression
to Joseph's real descent from David. The
name Bethlehem anciently signified the
town or house of bread; in modern Arabic
it seems to signify the house or place of
flesh.
To be taxed, to enroll himself, vAth Mary.
These words are not to be joined in sense
with to be taxed, but simply denote accom-
paniment. His espoused urife. The propriety
of this expression appears from Matt. i. 25,
where we are told Joseph knew not his
wife till she brought forth her first-born
son — they did not enter upon the full re-
lations and duties of man and wife until
after the birth of Jesus. Being great xvith
child. It may seem strange that Mary, in
this condition, should undertake such a
journey — about sixty miles. Perhaps, the
persons to be registered being classed in
the roll, according to their lineage, Mary
might judge it i^roper on this occasion to
claim her descent from David, in order to
her being publicly acknowledged as one
of his posterity, and the ratheras she knew
in what relation she stood to the yet un-
born Messiah. Possibly, though, according
to the Roman custom, women could be en-
rolled without their personal appearance,
the emperor may have given particular
and exact orders with regard to the family
of David, as it had been the royal family,
and was still talked of as designed to be
so, that he might know its number and
strength.
At all events, by this visit various ends
of Providence were in a most remarkable
manner served : 1. Jesus instead of being
brought forth in Nazareth, as seemed like-
ly, was born in Bethlehem, thus fulfilling
the ancient and important prophecy.
(Micah V. 2.) 2. By the birth of Christ in
Bethlehem, He was proved to be of the
seed of David. And this M'as a material
thing, requiring such an authentic proof as
this. Justin Martyr and TertuUian, two
of the earliest advocates of the Christian
CHAPTER II.
675
religion, appeal to these rolls or records of
the Roman empire, for the proof of Christ's
being born of the house of David. 3. It
also thus appeared that Christ was made
under the law, for He became a subject of
the Roman empire as soon as lie was born,
a servant of rulers. (Isa. xlix. 7.) Thus we
see, as we look at the edict of the emperor,
and these results from it, how man proj>oses
and God dUposes, and how Providence
orders all things for the fulfilling of the
Scriptures, and makes use of the projects
dlinr; clothes. This binding with bandages
or cloth was studiously attended to by the
ancients, lest the tender frame of the in-
fant might acquire, thruugh weakness or
an accidental wrench, any distortion.
How great was the humiliation of the
Son of God, in the manner of His intro-
duction into our world ! Let us remember
irhy He came. It was not to erijoi/ Him-
self, but to save us. In order to save us,
two things were necessary— that He should
obey the law of God which we had broken,
men have for the serving their own pur- and that He should suffer the punishment
due to us for breaking it. Hence, He was
always placed in suffering circumstances
from the beginning to the close of His
earthly career. Poverty and contempt
nursed Him in His infancy. The most
splendid palace on earth would have been
too humble an abode for Him whom the
heaven of heavens cannot contain, but
instead of opening His infant eyes in a
palace. He opened them in a stable. And
as He walked through this world, at each
step His way became rougher ; as his first
bed was a mavger ; his last was a cross.
"We cannot be, in heart and life, the fol-
lowers of this self-denying Saviour, unless
we are content with the portion of this
world's good which He sees fit to bestow
upon us, however small, unless we are
willing to lay down, without repining, our
worldly blessings, however dear, and to
acknowledge heartily and sincerely, that
we had rather be " rich in tlaith and heirs
of the kingdom," than rank among the
wealthiest, or take our place among the
noblest of the world.
poses, quite beyond their intention, to
serve His own.
6. And so it was, that, whilo they were there, the days
were accomplished that she should be delivered.
We are not informed how long they had
been in Bethlehem before Mary's delivery.
Perhaps a short time only elapsed between
their arrival and the event alluded to.
7. And fshe brought forth her first-born son, and
wrapped him in swnrtrtling-clothos, and laid him in a
manger ; because there wa-j no room lor them in the
inn.-tMatt. i. 25.
In the East there is built, in or near to
a town, generally with a stable attached, a
caravanserai or kJian, in which a person
who comes to the town and has no friends
to receive him into their houses, may seek
accommodation, stay as long as he pleases,
generally without payment, but is only
jirovided with lodging for himself and
beast, if he has any, and with water from
a well on the premises. The j^eople of
Bethlehem, in order to prevent their hos-
pitality from becoming oppressive by
reason of the numerous visits of strangers,
built a khan in or near the town. To this
large structure Joseph and Mary rej^aired
for accommodation. That they did so
would seem to imply that they really were
strangers in this the native seat of the
family to which they belonged, or that, as
they clearly came very late, they may have
found the friends they had at Bethlehem
already overburdened with guests.
A7id she brought forth her first-bom son.
These words assert the virginity of the
mother of Jesus until the time of His
birth. " He was born of the virgin Mary."
The word first-bom does not necessarilv
imply that ]\Iary was subsequently the
mother of other children than Jesus. (See
on Matt. i. 25.) And wrapped him in srcad-
8. And there were in the same countrv shepherds
folding m the field, keeping *watch over their flock by
night.
fGen. xxx\. 39, 40 ; Ex. iii. 1,
xxviii. 70, 71 ; Ezek. xxxiv. 8,
; 1 Sam. xvii. 34, Xi ; Ps.
*0r, the niyht tcutches.
In the same country, i. e., in the region
near Bethlehem. The Gentile magi were
brought from afar, but these shepherds
are brought from nigh. Abiding in the
field, both day and night, whether in
tents or in the open air is uncertain, but
the word abiding seems to indicate that
near by the fold were temporary tents or
booths, for the convenience of the sliep-
herds. Keeping watch over their flock by
night. The expression seems to indicate
that they were stationed at various posts,
and perhaps relieved one another. Th(j
676
LUKE.
original word mny be more literally ren-
dered uatcldng the ivatchcs of the night, i. e.,
each one keeping watch (which ordinarily
consisted of three hours) in his turn. The
fcheep were not confined under a covered
fold by night, it being regarded more con-
ducive to the excellence of the avooI to let
them remain under the open sky by night
as well as by day. It was necessary to
watch the sheep in the field, to guard
them against the wolves, foxes, and other
beasts of prey common there. As Abra-
ham, David and IMoses, to whom the
promise of the Messiah was first made,
were shepherds, so was the completion
of this promise first revealed to shepherds.
Fabricius gives a catalogue of no less
than one hundred and thirty-six different
opinions concerning the day of Christ's
birth. It has been placed in every month
of the year. The Egyptians place it in
January — "Wagenseil and Wiesler in Feb-
ruary— Bochart and Paulus in March —
some mentioned by Clement of Alexan-
dria, and Greswell and Alford in April —
the Alexandrian Church in May — Epi-
phanius speaks of some who placed it in
June — Lichtenstein places it in July or
December — Strong and Lardner place it in
August — Lightfoot, "Webster and Wilkin-
son place it in September — Scaliger, Casau-
bon and Calvisius and Archbishop New-
come in October, others in November. Dr.
Robinson places it in autumn ; Clinton
in spring; and Andrews between the
middle of December, 749, to the middle of
January, 750 A. U. The fixing of the
nativity of Christ on the 25th of December,
was really done at Rome, and was trans-
mitted from thence over the Eastern
Church. " The authority for the selection
of that day was the government record
of the taxing, or census of Cyrenius,
said to be in the imperial archives at
Rome. But the authenticity of these
records is too untenable to allow anv
weight to the argument." " Pope Julius
I." says Dr. Adam Clarke, " was the person
who made this alteration, and it appears to
have been done for this reason : The sun
now began his return toward .the northern
tropic, ending the winter, lengthening the
short days, and introducing the Spring.
All this was probably deemed emblemati-
cal of the rising of the Sun of Righteous-
ness on the darkness of this world, and
causing the day-spring from on high to
visit mankind,"
The widely conflicting views which have
been stated as to the day of our Saviour's
birth, are most manifestly attributable to
the absence of all certain evidence as to
the precise date of that event. Revelation
is silent on this point. The tradition of
the Church is widely diverse and discrep-
ant. There are no data upon Avhich any
calculations may be based, and hence
everj'thing rests on mere conjecture. The
question is one of little importance, even
for those who observe the day, as the
celebration of a public event is not neces-
sarih' confined to the day of the year on
which it oecun-ed. It is happy for us that
the i^articular day on which Jesus was
born, is not necessary to be ascertained in
order to our salvation, nor at all material
to true religion. It is sufficient for us to
know that, in the fullness of time, just when
He was most needed, and when the Jewish
and Gentile world was fully prepared for
this central fact and turning point in
history, the Saviour was born, was made
flesh, and dwelt among us, assumed our
nature, and in consequence thereof is
become an all-sufficient Saviour and Re-
deemer, in whom rchosoever believeth with a
right faith shall not perish, but have eternal
life.
Q. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them!
gand they were sore afraid.— gChap. i. 12.
The angel of the Lord — no particular angel
is specified. Came upon them, in a.sudden
and unexpected manner* the original
words might be rendered, stood over them,
that is, appeared in a visible form, stand-
ing in the air over their heads. And the
glory of the Lord shone round about them.
Not onlj' a great light, but such a gloi-ious
splendor as used to represent the presence
of God — the Shechinah surrounded them
with its effulgence. And they were sore
afraid — thrown into consternation at so
uncommon and so awful an appearance.
(See on i. 12.)
The fact that the shepherds, whilst in
their calling, were chosen to receive the
first intelligence of the salvation of a
world, teaches lis that Grod often meets
CHAPTER II.
677
men in the paths of their worldly emi>loy-
rrient. He siuictilied the iistruuoniy of the
wise men, writing the let^son lie wished to
teach them, on the glittering al^^habet
with which their studies had made them
especially conversant. It was from the
sheepfold David was taken to be anointed
king, and from his father's barn that
Gideon was called to deliver Israel. It
was when Zacharias was burning incense
in the temple, that the angel of the Lord
promised him gladness and joy in a son.
JIatthew was sitting at "the receipt of
custom," when called to follow Christ ;
and the fishermen, Peter, James and John,
were existing a net into the sea, when our
Lord called them to be " fishers of men."
It is remarkable, that on all the more im-
j)ortant occasions in our Lord's life, on
which His lowliness and humiliation are
signally manifested, there isahvaj's (or gen-
erally), in conjunction with this, some
august exhibition of His Godhead. Though
born in a stable, angels sang of His glory.
When receiving baptism (a sinner's rite)
at a sinner's hand, the heavens were
opened, and a sublime voice from " the
excellent glory " attested His Divinity.
He wept with the sisters in Bethany ; but
with a word of omnipotence, summoned
the sheeted dead from the tomb. Calvary,
with its crown of thorns, the gash of the
spear, the criminal's torture, the malefac-
tor associates, shows us a dying man ; but
a blackened sun, riven rocks, the earth
trembling to support its Creator's cross,
were nature's glorious testimonies that He
who hung in ignominy on that tree, was
" The mighty God."
10. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, be-
hold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. tvvhich sliall
be to all people.
'•Gen. xii. H; Matt, xxviii. 19: Mark i. 15; verses 31,
32 ; chap. xxiv. 47 ; Col. 1. 23.
Fear not. As if he had said, " The de-
sign of my appearing to you hath nothing
terrible in it, but the contrary ; for behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy." The
original expression here is peculiar : /
announce, or evangelize, unto you good tidings,
which shall be matter of great joy to all
people, literally, to all the people. As these
shepherds were representatives of the
Jews, so Israel is the people to whom is
the immediate joy, yet it redounds to all
the world besides. In verse 14, good uill
is proclaimed to all men. (See Matt,
xxviii. 19.)
11. iFor unto you is bom this day in the city of Darid
Ja Saviour, itwhich is Christ the Lord.
'Isa. ix. (j. JMalt. i. 21. isMatt. i. IG aud xvi. IG •, chap,
i. 43; Acta ii. 3(i and x. 3G; Phil. ii. 11.
Urdo you, not only the shepherds and
the Jews, to whom the Gospel was first
preached, but all mankind — to you men,
not to us angels. He took not on Him our
nature. There is a reference to Isa. ix. G.
2'his day, at this time. In the city of David,
the true place for the birth of David's
royal son. This reference to Bethlehem
would recall Micah v. 2, which, according to
Matt. ii. 5, 6, was, in those days, universally
understood to refer to Messiah. A Saviour.
The word thus rendered proi)erly denotes
such a Saviour as perfectly frees us from
all evil and danger, aud is the author of
perpetual salvation.
Christ. The Greek word signifies,
Anointed. (See on Matt. i. 1.) Christ the
Lord — not the Christ of the Lord, as He
is called, chap. ii. 26, but the Messiah,
who, equally with the Jehovah of the Old
Testament, bears the name Lord. (Comp.
chap, xxiii. 2 and Acts ii. 36.) The Greek
word rendered Lord corresponds to the
Hebrew Jehovah; and the application of
this word to Christ in this sense receives
much strength from the fact that in verse
9 the same Greek w'ord is used twice of
Jehovah. It is certain that the Lordship
of Christ must be considered in a mere
spiritual sense, as He never set up any
secular government upon earth, nor com-
manded any to be established in His name,
and there is certainly no sjiiritual govern-
ment but that of God.
12. And this ahall be a sign unto you : ye shall find the
babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
They might have expected to find Him
dressed in splendid robes, lying in state,
in the best house in the town, with a
numerous train of attendants. As if,
therefore, at once and forever, to rectify
the common notions of earthly glory
which prevailed, and which they may
have in some degree shared, connected
with the appearance of this great person-
age, the angel forewarned them that they
should find the babe in swaddling clothes,
lying in a manger, and made this the
particular signal by which they should
g:8
LUKE,
distinguish Him. The designation of the
city of David, which they knew to be
Bethlelieni, as the place of the child's
birth, gave them the general direction
■which they were to take. As Jesus came
into our world as a babe, we learn that He
is able to sympathize with us from the
beginning of our life, and that His errand
was one of tenderness and love. He
came, not to condemn, but to save.
13. 'And suddenly there was with the angel a multi-
tude or tlie heavenly host praLsing God. and saying,
'Gren. xxviii. 12, xxxii. 1,2; Ps. ciii. 20, 21, cxlviii. 2;
Dan. vii. 10 ; Heb. i. 14 ; Rev. v. 11.
A mnltitude of the licavenhj host, or army,
called an host, partly for their number and
partly for their order. This is a usual
appellation of the angels, who are repre-
sented as the body guard of the Lord.
(Comp. 1 Kings xxii. 19 ; Dan. vii. 10 ; 2
Chron. xviii. 18 ; Ps. ciii. 21 ; Matt. xxvi. 35.)
These angels were notsilent witnesses; they
sang a song, whose very words are handed
down to us. It is the only song sung by
angels upon earth that we ever heard. (See
next verse.) What gratitude and joy these
heavenly beings appeared to have felt on
this occasion! The rea.sons of this were,
their love to God, who, through this won-
derful event, was to be glorified in a pre-
eminent manner, and, their benevolence to
man, who, by this same event, was to be
redeemed, and become the subject of a
glorious and endless salvation.
14. mGiory to God in the highest, and on earth npeace,
"good will toward man.
■nChap. xix. as : Eph. i. 6and iii. 10, 21 : Rev. v. 13. niga.
Ivii. 19: chap. i. 70: Rom. v. 1; Eph. ii. 4, 7: Col. i. 20.
"John iii. lU : Eph. ii. 4, 7 ; 2 Thes. ii. 10 ; 1 John iv. 9, 10.
The heavenly host take up the an-
nouncement of the angel (verses 10, 11),
repeating it in substance, and confirming
and stating it more distinctly as a message
of glad tidings. In their song there is a
tiireefold corresi^ondence : 1 . Between glory
and jieace; 2. Between in the highest and on
earth ; and 3. Between God and good irill
lovard. man. The shouts of a multitude
are .generally broken into short sentences,
and are commonly elliptic, which is the
cause of some ambiguity in these words,
which may be understood in different
senses. Some read the phrase Glory to
God, Glory is to God ; others, Let there be
glory to God. By some, in the highest is
supposed to refer to the Jewish threefold
heavens, so that the meaning is, " this
glory ascends to the highest." Some read
the whole doxology thus : Glory to God in
the highest — that is, in heaven — and on earth
peace, yea, favor, touard men. Others under-
stand it as signifying, hat the good will,
or favor, which was now shown to men, is
the glory of God in the highest, and is the
peace and happiness of those who dwell on
earth. According to others, the sense is,
" Glory be to God among the angels in
heaven for sending the Messiah — and peace
or salvation on earth among men of His
good pleasure, i. e., among God's chosen
people in whom He is well pleased."
From the words, considered in a doctri-
nal point of view, we learn, 1. That the
birth of Christ is an event which, above all
others, brings glory to God, giving such a
disjjlay of several of His perfections as had
never been made before, particularly of
His holiness and justice, in requiring such a
sacrifice as was hereby to be prepared for
the expiation of human guilt, and His
mercy in providing and accepting it. His
wisdom in devising such a plan for the re-
demption of lo.st man, and His power in
executing it. 2. It brings peace on earth,
that is, jieace to man, peace with God,
through the atonement and mediation of
Christ, peace of conscience, as the conse-
quence of knowing that we have peace
with God, and peace with one another. 3.
It displays the good will, the benevolence,
the love of God to man, as no other of His
works or dispensations ever did, or could
do. (See 1 John iv. 7, &c.; John iii. 10.)
If the angels, who are not otherwise inter-
ested in the incarnation of Christ than as
itaftbrdsthe brightest display of the Divine
attributes, adore and glorify God on ac-
count of it, how much more should man
do this, for whose salvation this astonish-
ing interposition of love was designed?
1.5. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone
away from them into heaven, sthe shei)herds .said one
to another. Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and
see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord
hath made known unto us.— 2Gr., the vien, the shcjiherds.
The good shepherds waited but to hear
the close of the angels' song, and when
all again was dark and silent, they hurried
away, leaving their flocks behind, to
witness at Bethlehem that which the
Lord had made known unto them. Those
who delay to seek Jesus, when the me.s-
sengers of God bring them glad tidings of
CHAPTER II.
679
salvation, risk their present safety and
tlieir eternal ha})piness. A)id sec litis thing
tvhich is come to pans. Observe : not, let us
go and see whether this thing be come to
pass, which the Lord huth made known,
but, let us go and see this thing which is
come pass. They never for an instant ques-
tioned the certainty and the reality of all
that had been revealed to them. What
an instance of that true faith which is
•'the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen !" This is
the faith which we ought to exercise. In-
stead of questioning, doubting and rea-
soning, we ought, in all child-like sim-
plicity, to believe and act.
16. And tliey came with haste, and found Mary, and
Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
How must Mary and Joseph have been
delighted, and how must their faith have
been strengthened, by the visit of the
shepherds ! Though overlooked by the
world, the holy child was honored by
these poor men. Even now there are
only comparatively a few who acknowledge
Him as their Lord and Master, and these
few are generally poor, like the shepherds
of Bethlehem. Here, as usual in the
history of the Nativity, the name of Mary
comes before that of her husband.
17. And when they had seen it they made known
abroad the saying which was told them concerning
this child.
The saying, that is, the appearance of the
angels and the prediction by which they
had been induced to visit the place where
the infant Jesus was. Made knoum abroad :
this publication was probably confined to
a comparatively small circle, consisting of
persons who at day-break may have been
in the neighborhood. The shepherds
were the first evangelists among men.
Such as have found Christ to their comfort,
and tasted that the Lord is gracious to
themselves, cannot but recommend Him
to the love and admiration of others.
IS. And all they that heard it wondered at those
things wiiich were told them by the shepherds.
Wondered, that is, conversed vdth amaze-
ment concerning the statemejits of the
angelic ministrations related by the shep-
herds. AVe are not told how many, if
any of them, visited Mary, and obtained
personal information respecting the child,
but it is clear that their wonder and
curiosity were strongly excited by what
had been told them resi)ecting Him.
None who heard were unmoved, yet the
contrast between those first hearers and
Mary, verse 10, forces upon us the conclu-
.sion, that their wonder was less deep and
salutary than her silent pondering. It is
one thing to wonder, and another to believe.
Neither the hearing of Christ with the
outward ear, nor the seeing Him by the
outward eye, will suffice for salvation.
m. pBut Mary kept all the.se things, and pondered
tlion in her heart.— p(Jen. xxxvii. 11 ; chap. i. 66 ; ver. 51.
All tJiesr things, the whole train of events,
the miraculous birth of John, the annun-
ciation of the angel to herself, the
appearance of the angels to the shepherds,
and the visit of the shepherds to her.
P ondered means weighed. She kept, literally,
noted or uatched closely, all these tilings, and
weighed them, kept them in active lemem-
brance, compared them, reflected upon
them. This is the way in which sermons
should be heard, and the Bible should be
read. We should not listen to sermons,
that they may amuse, or merely entertain
us. (Ezek. xxxiii. 31, 32.) Neither should
we listen to God's Word as a person looks
in a glass, and then goes away and forgets
what he has seen. (James i. 24.) Such
hearers soon lose the good impressions
they have received, and continue Avorldly-
minded and ungodly. (See Ps. i. 2.)
20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and prais-
ing Ciod for all the things that they had heard and seen,
as it was told unto them.
This conduct on their part indicates
that the supposition is true, that they
piously waited for the hope of Israel, the
Messiah, and furnishes a beautiful example
of their pious fidelity in their vocation.
Their extraordinary experience did not
withdraw them from their daily and ordi-
nary duties, but enabled them to perform
them with increased gladness of heart.
They probably fell asleep, before the be-
ginning of our Lord's public ministry,
with the recollection of this night in their
hearts, and a frame of mind like that of
the aged Simeon. Their names, unknown
on earth, are written in heaven, and their
experience is the best example of the finst
beatitude, " Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
680
LUKE.
21. qAnd when eight days were accomplished for the
circumcising oftlie child, his niune was called rJESUS,
which was so naraed of the angel before he was con-
ceive<l in the womb.
iGen. X vii. 1'.: ; Lev. xii. 6 ; chap. i. 59. 'Matt. i. 21, 25 ;
chap. i. 31.
And when eight days, &c., that is, not
when the eighth day was ended, but wlien
it was come. The law had appointed that
every male should be circumcised at eight
days old, or on the eighth day after its
birth. {Gen. xvii. 12 ; see notes on chap,
i. 59.) For the circumcising of the child. It
is obvious, that for one at least of the
purposes for which all the other children
of Abraham received this rite, as the
symbol of the renewing of a corrupt nature,
and the putting away the lusts of the
flesh, it was to our Lord wholly unneces-
sary. His spotless jmrity needed no
symbol of the putting off of the sinful
Adam. Why, then, did the Saviour sub-
ject Himself to this rite?
The rite of circumcision was the initia-
tory rite of the Jewish religion. When,
therefore, the infant Saviour submitted to
this important rite, it w^as in effect, saying
that He acknowledged Himself as of the
seed of Abraham (Heb. ii. 16); that He
would be made in the likeness, not only of
flesh, but of sinful flesh (Rom. viii. 3) ; that
"in all things it behooved Him to be
made like unto his brethren," sin only ex-
cepted (Heb. ii. 17) ; that He came not to
destroy the law, or the prophets, but to
fulfill them (Matt. v. 17). And this, it is
evident, would be perfectly intelligible to
the Jews, however it may need explana-
tion to us, for it was most clearly under-
stood that, as the Apostle expresses it,
every man who was circumcised was " a
debtor to do the whole law." (Gal. v. 3 ;
see Ex. xxi. 6.) He who was made of a
woman, came also at the appointed time
under the law of circumcision. (Gal. iv.
4; Rom. v. 15.)
His name vxts called Jesus, tvhich was so
named of the angel before he was conceived in
the womb. (See chap. i. 31.) According to
Gen. xxi. 3, 4, the performance of circum-
cision, and the bestowing of a name, had
been simultaneous from the very origin of
the rite. The name Jesus is the Greek
form of the Hebrew Joshua, which may be
variously analyzed, but always with the
same essential meaning, that of Saviour or
salvation, and with reference to Jehovah as
its author. (See Num. xiii. 8, 16 ; 1 Chron.
vii. 47 ; Neh. viii. 17 ; Matt. i. 21.) Some
contend that the word Jah, or Jehovah,
enters into the composition of the name.
Jesus is the proper name of our Lord ; that
of Christ (signifying Anointed) identifies
Him with the promised Messiah (John i.
41), the name given to the long-promised
Prophet and King whom the Jews had
been taught by the prophets to expect.
(See ii. 11.)
22. And when sthe days of her purification according
to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought
him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord ; 23. (As
it is written in the law of the Lord, 'Every male that
opeueth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord ;)
24. And to ofl'er a sacrifice according to "that which is
said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle-doves, or
two young pigeons.
"Lev. xii. 3-fi. 'Ex. xiii. 2, and xxii. 29, and xyxiv. 19 ;
Num. iii. 13. "Lev. xii. 2, 6, 8.
Days of Iter purification, that is, thirty-three
days after what was termed the seven
days of her uncleanness— /or/// days in all,
for that was the time aijpointed by the
law, duriiHr which the mother was held
ceremonially impure, And remained in
her own house. (Lev. xii. 1-8.) As Jesus,
whom it behooved to fulfill all righteous-
ness, was circumcised, though perfectly
free from sin, so His mother submitted to
the purification prescribed by the law, not-
withstanding she was free from the jjollu-
tions common in other births. It was
evident, indeed, that she was a mother,
but her miraculous conception was not
generally known. Th'ey brouglU Mm to
Jerusalem. Up to this time they had re-
mained at Bethlehem, and thither also
they returned after the presentation in the
temple. To present him to the Lord. (As it
is xcrltten in the law of the Lord, every male
that openeth the womb shall be called holy to
the Lord.) And to offer a sacrifice, &c. In
remembrance of the deliverance from
Egypt, when the destroying angel spared
the first-born of the Israelites, it was
ordered that the eldest son of every family
should be consecrated to the Lord (Num.
iii. 13), and they were to be redeemed
from the service of the sanctuary, by the
payment of five shekels (Num. xviii. 16),
The tribe of Levi afterward took the place
of the first-born thus dedicated and re-
deemed, and was set apart for God's
special service. (Num. iii. 12.) A pair of
turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, was
CHAPTER II.
681
the offering required from the poor. (Lev.
xii. G, 8.) Those in better circumstances
were commanded to bring a lamb of the
first year for a burnt ofibring, and a turtle-
dove, or a young pigeon, for a sin-ofl'ering.
God looks for something from every one,
not from every one alike. Where there
is a willing mind, it shall be accepted
according to what a person hath. (2 Cor.
viii. 12.)
25. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose
name icas- Simeon ; and the same man ica.i just and
devout, 'waiting for the consolation of Israel : and the
Holy Ghost was upon him.
'Isa. xl. 1 ; Mark xv. 43; verse 38.
Of Simeon, we know certainly no more
than what is here recorded. It was not
the design of Luke to refer tp Simeon's
worldy standing, but only his eminent
religious attainments. He was just and
devout, just in dealings toward men, devout
in dealings toward God. The same dis-
tinction holds hei-e, as in the words holiness
and righteousness. (Chap. i. 75.)
Waiting for the consolation of Israel — a
common phrase among ancientand modern
Jews, to denote Messiah. The prophets
often introduce the promise of INIessiah's
coming to comfort the people of God in
their afflictions. The time of Messiah's
appearance had been revealed to Daniel,
as consisting of wdiat, in prophetic lan-
guage, is denominated seventy ivceks, that is,
every week being seven years, four hun-
ered and ninety years ; reckoni ng from the
order issued to rebuild the temple of Jeru-
salem. However much the Jews misun-
derstood many other prophecies relating
to the reign of this extraordinary person-
age, what concerned both the time and the
l)lace of His first appearance seems to have
been pretty well understood by the bulk
of the nation. From this chapter, as well
as from the other accounts of that period
still extant, it is evident that the expecta-
tion of this great deliverer was then gen-
eral among them. It is a point of some
consequence to the cause of Christianity,
that both the time and the place of our
Lord's birth coincided with the interpre-
tations then commonly given of the proph-
ecies by the Jews themselves. His contem-
poraries. (See Matt. ii. 3-6.)
26. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost,
that he should not .'see death, before he had seen the
Lord's Christ.— J Ps. Ixxxix. 48 ; Heb. xi. 5.
God, in reward of his piety, favored
him so highly as to assure him by a par-
ticular revelation, the method of w hich is
not stated, that he should not die till he
had seen the Messiah. See death, or, as it
is elsewhere expressed, taste death. (Matt.
xvi. 28; Heb. ii. 9.) lite Lord's Christ,
that is, "The Lord's Anointed." (See Ps.
ii. 2.) There is a beautiful and striking
antithesis between the words see deutli and
see the Lord's Christ.
27. And he 'came by the Spirit into the temple : and
wlien the parents hrouplit in the child Jesus, to do lor
him after the custom of the law,— 'ilatt. iv. 1.
Probably he had in view the prophecy
of Malachi iii. 1. This prophecy was just
going to be fulfilled, and the Holy Spirit,
by a secret but powerful impulse, directed
this righteous man to go and see its accom-
plishment. Brought in the child Jesus, that
is, into the court of the women, just at this
very juncture: to do for him, &c., that is, to
present Him to the Lord, according to the
reference in verse 24, and according to the
Divine commandment. (Num. xviii. 15,
16.) Those who come, under the influence
of God's Spirit, to places of public worship,
will undoubtedly meet with Him who is
the comfort and salvation of Israel.
2S. Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God
and said,
The aged saint first beheld his Saviour,
then transported with the fulfillment of
all his hopes, took Him up in his arms and
blessed Him, for his faith was so strong
that he was able to believe that the infant
of the poor woman he saw was the Lord
of All. He embraced Him with the greatest
affection imaginable. When we receive
the record which the Gospel gives us of
Christ with a lively faith, and the ofler it
makes us of Christ, with love and resigna-
tion, then ve take Clirist in our arms.
29. Lord, »now lettest thou thy servant depart in
peace, according to thy word.
«Gen. xlvi. 30; Phil. i. 23.
This is the beginning of the sweet can-
ticle, or swan-like song of Simeon, a little
before his dissolution, which has been
celebrated for its beauty in all ages of the
Church. This sacred song, which was
probably spoken aloud, in the hearing of
all the people then present, embodies the
full doctrine of the personal glory of Christ,
the spiritual purpose of His mission, and
its universal extent.
G82
LUKE.
It had been Simeon's earnest desire to
see liis Lord with his bodily eyes before
he died, and now, this desire liaving been
accomi^lished, he avows his joy in being
thus made ready, if not his desire also, to
depart in peace. The phrase, Letiest thou
thy servant depart, signifies a release or loos-
enincj from life — from a sorrowful and dark
2:)rison, such as this wretched life certainly
is. In the use of the word depart, as found
in the Scriptures, and the philosophers,
there is a manifest profession of hope in a
future state, since the body is supposed to
enchain the soul, and detain it from its
native home. In peace, refers to that happy
and tranquil state of mind, which results
from the full assurance of God's favor. An
entrance into perfect peace and felicity, is
implied, else death would not be a desired
and welcome release. According to thy ivord,
a retrospect of the previous revelation.
(Verse 26.) Note here, 1. Thata good man
having served his generation, and God in
his generation, faithfully, is weary of the
world, and willing to be dismissed froin it.
2. That the death of a good man is nothing
else but a quiet and peaceable departure ;
it is a departure in jjeace to the God of
peace. 3. That it is only a spiritual sight
of Christ by faith that can welcome the
approach of death, and render it an object
desirable to the Cliristian's choice.
30. For mine eyes ^have seen thy salvation,
blsa. lii. 10 ; chap. lii. 6.
This was the ground of Simeon's assur-
ance, that he was now to depart from life.
As salvation had its origin in the wisdom,
power and love of God, Simeon ascribed
it to Him, putting the effect for the cause,
and calling it God's salvation. The Lord
Jesus Himself is here called " the salvation
of God," because the whole salvation of a
'sinner centers in His person, as " God
manifest in the fie.sh," all the purposes
and promises of salvation had reference to
Him. (Isa. ix. 2, xhi. 5-7, xlix. 5-6, Ix. 1-3 ;
John i. 4-9, iii. 19-21, viii. 12, xii. 34-36.)
True believers may make the language of
Job's assurance and triumph their own.
(Job xix. 25-7.)
31. Which thou hast prepared before the face of all
people ;
Here it appears that Simeon knew that
this salvation, which God had made ready
in the presence of all people, was not confined
to the Jews, but was designed for all man-
kind, and he rejoiced in knowing that.
This shows the love to other men tliat
dwelt in his heart. He longed that all
should know his Saviour.
32. cA light to lighten the GentUes, and the glory of
thy people Israel.
cisa. ix. -2, xlii. «, xlix. 6, l.x, 1, 2, 3: Matt. iv. 16; Acts
xiii. 47, xxviii. 38.
By Moses and the prophets, a light of
revelation was given to the Jews, in the
blessedness of which the Gentiles did not
partake. By Christ, as a moral light, or
teacher, the Gentiles were to receive the
knowledge of God, of true religion, and
of Divine things in general, especially of
a future state, and the true and only
method of salvation through His own
atoning blood. Arid the glory of thy people
Israel. It was an honor to the Jewish
nation that the Messiah sprang from one
of their tribes, and was born, lived, and
died among them. And of those who were
Israelites indeed, of the spiritual Israel, He
was indeed the glory, and will be so
throughout eternity. (Isa. Ix. 19.) For in
Him shall the seed of Israel be justified, and
sJiall glory. (Isa. xlv. 25.)
3:?. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those
things which were spoken of him.
They did not yet thoroughly understand
the things which were spoken, or they
marveled how Simeon, a stranger, came
to the knowledge of the child. Although
they had been prepared, by the previous
wonderful manifestations, for the remark-
able destiny of the child, they did not as
yet fully know the counsels of God rela-
tive to the salvation He was to procure,
and hence they were struck and charmed
by the new aspect under which this
salvation was presented. Simeon sees fit
to moderate their transports, by alluding
to the approaching sufierings which must
precede the glory.
34. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his
mother, Behold this child is set for the H'iM and rising
again of many in Israel ; and for a =sign which shall be
spoken against ;
disa. viii. 14 ; Hos. xiv. 9 ; Matt. xxi. 44 ; Rom. ix. 32,
as ; 1 Cor. i. 23, 24 ; 2 Cor. ii. l(i ; 1 Peter ii. 7, 8. «Acts
xxviii. 22.
And Simeon blessed them, namely, Joseph
and Mary. He pronounced them blessed
who had the honor to be related to this
child, and were intrusted with the bring-
ing Him up. Said unto Mary, he blessed
both, but addressed Mary, thus recogniz-
Cfl AFTER II
CS3
ing that she and not the husband is the
parent.
This child is set, &c. Is set, that is, des-
tined, appointed for. This Divine setting
or appointing is always to be considered as
caused by their own fault, iu those who
fall, by wilfully continuing in unbelief
and impenitence. Of many in Israel. We
are not to limit this rise and fall to persons
of the Jewish nation, but to those of
every nation where the Gospel should be
preached in subsequent times. There
seems to be a reference in this verse
to Isa, viii. 14, 15. Paul says, in 1 Cor.
i. 23, that Christ was to the Jerws a
stumbling-block, or something over which
they fell. How was it they fell over Him?
Tlixough pride. (Rom. x. 3, 4.) And it is
for the same reason that any still refuse
Christ — they feel satisfied with their own
righteousness, and imagine that God is
also. People in this state of mind fall
over Christ as over a stumbling-stone ;
they cannot receive Him, because they
do not desire His salvation.
Rising again. Many in Israel, who fell
over Christ, afterward believed, and rose
from sin and death by Him, as myriads
of penitent sinners have done since.
Many of the priests who joined in cruci-
fying the Saviour, were afterward obedient
to the faith. (Acts \i. 7.) But as the
word again is not expressed in the Greek,
we need not supj^ose that the same persons
would fall and rise again. The meaning
is, that many would l)e ruined by Christ's
coming, and many others would be made
happy, or be saved. God's first design in
sending His Son into the world was, that
through Him the world might be saved.
(John iii. 16.) But to those who have no
relish for spiritual things, no appreciation
of Christ's character and mission, by
reason of their pride and perversity. He
becomes a rock of offense, even to them
which stumble at the word, being diso-
bedient. (1 Peter ii. 8 ; see 2 Cor. ii. 16.)
And for a sign ivhich shall be spoken against.
The word sign seems here to be used for a
mark or butt to shoot or dart at, which
finely illustrates the deliberate malice and
hellish artifice with which the character
and person of Christ were assaulted,
while He endured the contradiction of
sinners against Himself. (Ileb. xii. 3.)
The fulfilment of this prophecy culmin-
ated in the crucifixion. True religion is
still S])oken against. People must often
give up the favor of the world, if they
would be faithful to Christ.
35. (Yea, fa swonl slifiU pierce tl)rouKli tby own soul
also,) that the thoughts ot many hearts may be re-
vealed.—fPs. xlii. 10 ; John xix. 'ia.
Mary may be supposed to have thus far
congratulated hez'self on being the mother
of the Messiah, and to have had no idea
that the honor was to be mingled with
much suffering. She is now disabused of
this erroneous impression, ^l sicord, or
javelin, or dart, shall pierce through thy own
sold also; "the darts that are shot at thy
Son shall pierce thee to the heart; the
calumnies, persecutions, and sufferings
Avhich He shall be exposed to, especially
in His death, shall prove matter of the
greatest afliiction to thee, and shall sting
thee with the bitterest griefs." It is clear
that Simeon's intimation of the great
grief in store for the mother, who stood
before him, was founded on Isa. liii. That
the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
These words are to be taken with verse
34. The word translated thoughts is a
word of middle signification, and denotes
imaginations, or the prevalent and domi-
nant cause of thought, whether good or
bad. " Thus will it be evinced what is the
real disposition of every one to the Mes-
siah. Christ shall bring out the secret
charactei'S, the moral feelings, and
thoughts of men — all things in reference
to Him were ordered by Providence to
produce this effect. Lasting neutrality
with respect to the Lord is impossible ;
he that is not for Him is against Him.
(Luke xi. 23.) His appearing brings to
light the latent good and evil, as the sam#
sun which dissipates the clouds that ob-
scure the sky, also draws up the mi,sts and
vapor of earth. (See Matt. xi. 6.)
38. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the d.anch-
ter ofPhanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she w.is of a great
age, and had lived with an husband seven vears from
her virginity ; 37. And slie vas a widow of "about four-
score and four years, which departed not from the
temple, but served God with flirtings .and praj-era
Bnight and day.— sActs xxvi. 7 : 1 Tim. v. r>.
The Other pious soul, to whom the des-
tiny of the infant Jesus was revealed, was
the aged Anna, wdio heard Simeon's
words, shared in his anticipations, and
684
LUKE.
joined in the song of thanksgiving. Her
name is the same with the Old Testament
Hannah. It will be observed, that al-
though in this interesting transaction,
Simeon is the foremost figure, and his
words alone are recorded, yet more is
stated personally of Anna than of him. A
prophetess. Such an appellation must have
been caused by some earlier and frequent
utterances, dictated by the S^jirit of proph-
ecy, by reason of wliich she ranks among
the list of holy women, who, both in earlier
and later times, were chosen instruments
of the Holy Ghost. 2Vie daughter of Phan-
ucl. The particularity with which her
parentage and lineage is given sliows that
she was a person whose family as well as
personal history was well known to the
public.
Of the tribe of Aser, or Asher. Her native
province stretched its whole eastern side
along the margin of the Mediterranean,
and included those among the most ancient
cities of tlie earth, Tyre and Sidon. She
vxis of a great age. We do not know her
exact age, but if she had been a widow
eighty-four years, and if she had been
married for seven years, on the supposition
that she was twenty years of age when
she married, her age at this time must
have been one hundred and eleven years.
And she toas a luidow of about fourscore and
four years. Some maintain that eighty-
four years was the sum of her whole life ;
others that it w^as that portion of it which
had elapsed since the death of her hus-
band. The probability, we- think, is in
favor of the latter supposition. The years
in which she had remained a widow are
doubtless mentioned as a matter of com-
mendation, for although widows were
£uite at liberty to marry again, it was
considered praiseworthy in them to ab-
stain from second marriages, and a woman
who became a widow when- still young,
and remained the rest of her days in
widowhood, was regarded with great re-
spect and admiration among the Jews.
The Romans had a similar feeling in this
matter.
Which departed not from the temple. This
means, that she was constant in her
attendance on every act of worshiij and
sacred service, making her extreme age no
excuse for neglect, but rather rejoicing in
it as a privilege — of which thousands
younger and stronger than she would not
avail themselves. But served God witit fast-
ings and prayers night and day. She ac-
companied her devotion with frequent
fastings, probably not oftener than tniee in
the week, for this was the custom of the
most rigid Pharisees. (Chap, xviii. 12.)
When she fasted and prayed she served
God; she did not do these things in a
self-righteous spirit, as some of the Jews
did, whom God reproves in Isa. Iviii., be-
cause they fasted and prayed, and yet
were living in their sins. NigJd and day.
A considerable part of the night as well as
of the day. No doubt Anna was also
occupied in many good works, yet she
lived in a constant habit of prayer. (See
1 Tim. V. 6, 10.)
3S. And she coming in that instant gave thanks like-
wist' unto thf Lord, and spake of him to all them that
tlooked lor redemption in ^Jerusalem.
I'Mark xv. 43; verse '25; chap. zxiv. 21. *Or, Itrafl.
That instant, or, at that very time, when
Simeon held the blessed Redeemer in his
arms, and gave utterance to the foregoing
words, the Providence of God so ordering
it, that another important testimony might
be borne to the child Jesus. Gave thanJcs
likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him, &c.
Anna praised God, as Simeon had done
(verse 28), for sending the long-expected
Messiah. And spake of him, <fec. She sx>ake
afterward of the child, of the nature and
design of His mission, to the pious persons
dwelling in the capital, who lived in and
upon the hope of salvation through the
INIessiah, and among whom the report of
His birth was soon spread.
How great an honor did the Almighty
confer upon Simeon and Anna, that, of all
the dwellers in Jerusalem, of all the wor-
shipers in the temple, they and they
alone should be selected for the first inter-
view with the Lord of the tem^ile! The
Holy Spirit often passes by learned and
scientific men, and delights in bringing to
the temple the man whose heart, like
Simeon's, overflows with love to God, and
whose mind and thoughts are filled with
desire after His name. The woman, who,
like Anna, departs not from the service of
God night or day — persons like these,
who in the sight of men have little, per-
CHAPTEPw II
685
haps nothing to recommend them, but
wlio possess that which, in the siy;lit of
God, is above all price ; who, in the quiet,
unobtrusive duties of a lowly Christian
walk and conversation, are daily waiting
upon God, and, amidst the toils and busi-
ness of life, are looking anxiously forward
to the day when the Lord Jesus shall
appear unto their complete salvation,
seeking more of that light which cometh
down from above, and of that peace which
j)asseth all understanding.
X). And when they had performed all things accord-
ing to the luw of the Lord, they returned into Galilee,
to their own city Nazareth.
The all tilings according to the law of the
Lord, refer to the circumcision of Jesus,
and the purification and presentation in
the temple. They returned into Galilee.
Luke passes over the coming of the wise
men, and the tiight of the holy family
into Egypt, for it would appear that this
return to Nazareth did not occur till some
time afterward. Probably they returned
to Bethlehem, supposing that Jesus was
there to be educated. After some time
the wise men arrived, and then, by Divine
monition, they fled into Egypt, and on
their return went to reside at Nazareth.
To their own city Xazareth, the place of their
usual residence, and where the blessed
infant passed the days of his childhood
and youth.
40. 'And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit,
filled with wisdom ; and the grace of God was upon
him. — 'Verse 53; chap. i. 80.
The child grew in bodily strength and
stature. And waxed strong in spirit — the
powders of His human mind daily expanded
and improved. Filled with wisdom, not by
any advantages of instruction and educa-
tion, but by the operation of the Holy
Spirit, everything He said and did was
wisely said and wisely done, above His
years ; in every stage of His human de-
velopment He was perfect. And the grace
of God ivas upon him. The original word
not only means grace ' in the common
acceptation of the word (some blessing
granted by God's mercy to those who are
sinners, or have no merit), but it means
also favor or approbation, and this sense
ai^pears to be most proper for it here,
when applied to the human nature of our
blessed Lord. The same word is thus
rendered verse 52. The peculiar favor of
God rested ui)on Christ, even as man. It
is evident from this verse that Jesus had
a human soul capable of increa.sing in
wisdom and knowledge. As to the manner
in which the indwelling Deity gradually
communicated knowledge, wisdom and
holiness to the human nature of Christ,
we must confess that we know nothing.
That as man His wisdom and knowledge
could not be infinite, or incapable of in-
crease, we know ; but how the union was
formed, or the communications were
imparted, we cannot, in the smallest
degree, comprehend or explain. (1 Tim.
iii. 16.)
41. T Kow his parents went to Jerusalem ^every year
at the feast of the passover.
kEx. xxiii. l.j, 17, xxxiv. 23: Deut. xvi. 1, 16.
His j)O.Tents went — evei-y year. This was
their constant custom, because positively
enjoined by the law. (Ex. xxiii. 17.) Males
only were required to make their appear-
ance at Jerusalem tltrice in the year, in at-
tendance at the three great festivals (Ex.
xxxiv. 23), yet females were not forbidden
to be present, and it is quite probalile that
pious females often, on such occasions,
accompanied their husbands. (See 1 Sam. i.
7, 22, 24.) Such as will go no farther than
they are dragged in religious exercises, are
strangers to Mary's piety and devotion.
These parents every year attended the
great national feast of the passover, when
the slain lamb foretold the sacrifice of the
Laml) of God, and the symbols of emanci-
pation from Egypt shadowed forth the far
higher redemi^tion. (Lev. xxiii. 5.) No
difficulties, no discouragements could hin-
der their attendance. Though it is no
certain evidence of the truth of grace to
frequent assemblies for w^orship, yet it is
an infi\llible sign of the want of grace cus-
tomarily to neglect them. All worldly
business must give place to Divine ap-
pointments.
42. And when he was twelve years old, they went up
to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
Every Jewish child of twelve years old
M'as permitted, as "a son of the law," to
take part in the celebration of the sacred
festival. There existed, also, no longer
any reason that Jesus should absent Him-
self from Judea, as Archelaus, whom
Joseph had reason to fear, was already
686
LUKE.
banished by Augustus, after a reign of ten
3'ears.
4;{. And when tbey liac! fulfilled the days, as they re-
turned, the child Jesus tarrii^ behiud in Jerusalem;
and Jojeph and his ruother kuew not of iU
lieligious duties are not to be attended
to to the pi-ejudice and neglect of our par-
ticular callings. God calls us, as well from
His house as to His house. When Joseph
and Mary had falj'dled tJie days — the seven
days of the feast of uideavened bread,
which immediately followed the passover
and was usually counted as part of it —
making eight days in all — they returned
toward their home in Nazaretli : the chUd
Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem, and Joseph
and his mother knew not op it. In their
annual visits to Jerusalem the parents of
Jesus must have formed acquaintances and
made friends in different parts of the city.
The i)arents of Jesus may then have started
for home at a time unknown to Him, sup-
posing that He was with some of their
traveling friends or relatives, or they may
have joined their elder fellow-travelers in
the persuasion that Jesus knowing the
time and place of departure, was among
the younger ones. Or, again, it may be
that Joseph and IMary had committed Him
temporarily to the charge of some friends
of the fixmily, whose station was in some
other part of the caravan, and, on the other
hand, these friends with whom He was
supposed to be, might justly infer that He
was with His parents by some after ar-
rangement. Certainly if Jesus had been in
the immediate company of His parents,
His absence would have been noticed
cUiring the day.
44. But they, supposing him to have been in the com-
pany, went "a day's journey ; and they sought him
amoug their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
As the pilgrims to the passover required
to be all at Jerusalem by the same time,
those who dwelt in the same neighbor-
hood necessarily left their homes together,
and, by previous arrangement as to the
time of starting, made up a large traveling
company. The Nazarenes doubtless timed
their departure from home so as to foil in
with parties arriving so far on their way
from places more to the north on the same
line of road, and in the southward journey
were joined by parties from places lying
nearer to Jerusalem on the same route.
Quitting that city as soon as the festival
Avas ended, the persons going the same
journey would in like manner leave to-
gether, but would throw off parties right
and left as they proceeded on their way.
Thus the stream of travelers increased as
it approached, and diminished as it receded
from Jerusalem— being in both cases larg-
est when nearest the city. Thus the
northward company must have been very
large indeed during the first day's journey
from Jerusalem, and the conclusion of the
parents of Jesus, that their Son, although
not at hand, might be Avith some acquain-
tance in the company, was perfectly
natural.
Went a day^s Journey. " The usual rate
of traveling in the East," says Prof. Hackett,
" is three miles an hour, and as the number
of hours devoted to traveling rarely ex-
ceeds six or eight hours, the distance of
an ordinary' day's journey may be consid-
ered as twenty or twenty-five miles. The
first day, however, on starting on an ex-
pedition, forms an exception to this rule.
On that da J' it is not customary to go more
than six or eight miles, and the tents are
pitched for the first night's encampment
almost within sight of the place from
which the journey commences. If the
first day's journey of the caravan in which
Joseph and Marj^ were occupied two or
three hours only, they had reason to sup-
pose that Jesus was with some of the
relatives or friends who were traveling
with them. They could act naturally
enough under the impression for so short
a time, and would have no occasion for
anxiety until His continued absence, when
they came to halt, aroused their fears."
Perhaps, too, they might have become
uneasy on His account earlier in the day,
but the multitude of the caravans at a
time when, as Josephus tells us, Galilee
contained more than four million inhabi-
tants, would render an instantaneous
search impracticable. It must not, besides,
be forgotten, that in the East even an ordi-
nary child of twelve would be equal to one
of fourteen or fifteen among us, and that
they could not, therefore, be extremely
uneasy, especially about such a child as
He was. And they sought Jiim among their
kinsfolk and acquaintance. Here they would
most naturally expect to find Him, for the
CHAPTER II.
687
members of families, connected by rela-
tionship or friendship, doubtless often
mingled together on the march, to beguile
its tedious monotony by social converse.
i',. ..\ nd when tlioy ftiiind him not, they turned back
again lu Jerusalem, seukiiig him.
When they found Him not, at the end
of the day's journey, they went about
seeking Him among the Nazarenes of
their acquaintance, but could hear no
tidings of llim. The company was to
proceed in the morning, and it became
necessary to decide either to go on with it
or to return to Jerusalem. They probably
waited to see the caravan pass out in the
morning in order to make sure that He
was not in it, and then feeling confident
that He must have remained behind at
Jerusalem, they hastened back with anx-
ious hearts to seek their lost Son. Those
that Avould find Christ must seek till they
find ; for He will at length be found of
those that seek Him, and will prove
their Bountiful Rewarder.
46. And it came to pa.<5s, that after three days they
found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doc-
tors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
Three days, one day spent in their depart-
ure, another in their return, and the third
in their search, which resulted in the find-
ing. In the temple, sitting, &c. The doctors,
struck with the power of His questions,
{ind the depth of knowledge they dis-
played, probably asked Him to take a
seat. The Sanhedrim, which, when full,
comprised no less than seventy persons,
sat in a semi-circle upon a bench, and the
students, arranged according to their pro-
ficiency, sat on three benches or forms,
one behind another ; in front of this arc,
and behind these benches, stood the
common or occasional auditors. If Jesus
was in this part of the temj^le, Joseph and
Mary could the more easily have ap-
proached Him to converse with Him in
an undertone, which they did. There is
no reason to suppose that Christ disputed.
with the doctors, as many imagine, from
being unacquainted with the extent to
Avhich the system of interrogation, be-
tween the teachers and the taught, oper-
ated among the Jews in the time of Christ.
Asking them questions, not as a scliolar, to be
informed, but as a teacher, taking occasion
thus to give instruction.
47. And 'all that hoard him wore astonished at his
underslnndiii^c ami answers.
'Matt. vii. •2,i\ itark i.'J'.:; chap. iv. 22, ;C; John vii. 15,
4().
Christ's understanding i.\\)\)Q\\rcil as much
in His answers as in His questions. It may
be that He had just heard some passages
from the Prophets read, had asked for ex-
planations, put some questions, and then,
from the fullness of His own knowledge,
had given answers. It can scarcely be
doul)ted that all that was said had special
reference to the Messiah, and to the retil
nature of His Kingdom and His work. At
all events, such was His display of Avisdom
and knowledge, that cdl that heard Him,
even the most learned doctors, were
astonished at Ids understanding and ansivers.
There seems to have been nothing beyond
mere astonishment.
48. And when they saw him, they were amazed : and
his mother said unto him. Son, wliy hast thou thus
dealt with us ? behold, thy father and I have sought
thee sorrowing.
Joseph and Mary were greatly aston-
ished at what they beheld — to find that
Jesus had so much respect shown Him,
and was exciting so much astonishment.
This scene doubtless brought up in re-
membrance the incidents of His birth and
infancy. No longer, however, could Mary
restrain the feeling of pain and anguish
which His temporary loss had inflicted
upon a mother's heart. AVhen, there-
fore, Jesus, as we may suppose, perceiving
His parents, arose dutifully out of His
place, and came to them, Mary privately
talked with Him about their case— Joseph,
knowing he had only the name of father,
said nothing. Son, why hast thou thus dealt
with tisf Why hast thou caused us so
much fear and anxiety ? Accustomed, no
doubt, to the most affectionate behavior
from Hhn, she was surprised at any con-
duct that appeared unkind. Thy father and
I. This was not merely the only pos.'sible
manner in which Mary could publicly
speak to her son of Joseph, but is also an
indisputable proof of the wisdom with
which she brought up the child, a wisdom
which taught her to say nothing j-et to
Him of the mystery of His birth. Have
sought thee sorrowing, not only distressed
that we lost thee, but reproaching our-
selves bitterly that we did not take more
care of thee to bring thee along with us.
688
LUKE.
49. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought
tne ? wist ye not thut I must be about mmy Father's
buaiuess?— ™Jobn ii. U>.
Wist ye not that I muni be about my Father^s
business f Or, in the things or affairs of my
Father, in that which belongs to His
honor and glory. Here already is the
germ of that sacred must which Christ so
often uttered in the subsequent way of
His obedience. How full of the dignity,
which belonged to Christ as the Son of
God, was this reply ! In His obedience to
His mother, on other occasions. He set an
example to all children, but in His conduct
on this occasion He acted as became the
King of kings and Lord of lords. The
business which the Father had given the
Saviour to do, was, as we learn from other
parts of the Scriptures, the salvation of
sinful man. God has appointed us a work
to perform.
50. And "they understood not tlie saying which he
spake unto them.— ""Chap, ix 45, xviii. 34.
They understood Him not well, or only
caught glimpses of His meaning. They
knew not fully even yet the wonderful
relation in which the boy of t\\'elve years
old stood to the awful Being who inhabit-
eth eternity — that His Father, to whose
business He was now called, was the
Father of the miiverse, the Father of time,
yea, the Father of eternity, and of heaven
itself, and that He, that wonderful and
blessed child, could truly say, "Before
Abraham was, I am." (John viii. 58.)
51. And he went down with them, and came to Naz-
aretli, and was subject unto them : but bis mother "Iveiit
all these sa3-inss iu her heart.— "Dan. vii. 28 : verse 19.
This glimpse of Christ's glory in the
temple was to be short ; it was now over,
and He did not urge His parents either to
come and settle at Jerusalem, or to settle
Him there, but very willingly returned
with them to Nazareth. (See on verse
39.) And v;as subject unto them. This is
put in strong antithesis with the Divine
parentage which He claimed in verse 49,
and it is inserted to prevent any inference,
that Jesus did not afterward render filial
obedience and service to His earthly
jmrents. He behaved toward them with
all dutiful submission ; He obeyed their
commands, and, as is believed, followed
Joseph's employment, working at the
trade of a carpenter. (Matt. xiii. 55 ;
Mark vl. 3.) No child among the Jews
was ever brought up in idleness. But his
mother kept all these sayings in her heart —
rather events, including both actions and
words ; she treasured them up in her
memory, and pondered upon their mys-
terious import for eighteen years.
Doubtless the faithful memory of her
who kept and pondered all things in her
heart, could have supplied to Luke, not
only that one precious anecdote of the
boyhood, but also numberless other anec-
dotes of the youth and early manhood, of
the deepest interest. How we long for
them ! What would we not give to know
more of that home at Nazareth, where
thirty long years of that sinless life were
spent ? But no ! it is buried in silence.
And why ? The silence of Holy Scripture
is often as instructive as its revelations.
Let us humbly, therefore, learn the lesson
of this mysterious silence.
There Avere inmates of that Galilean
home to whom was vouchsafed — what is
denied to us — the privilege of watching
the growth of Jesus all through those
silent years. And to them it once oc-
curred, as now to us, to wonder that Jesus
did not seek to make Himself more widely
known. " Show Thyself to the world,"
they said. And what was Christ's reply ?
" My time is not yet come ; your time is
always ready."
And what is the Evangelist's own com-
ment ? " For neither did His brethren
believe on Him."
Here, then, we have a lesson and a
warning.
The lesson : That God's ways are not as
man's ways — that whatever is most divine
is most secret in its growth ; as with the
seed that groweth secretly, we know not
how ; as with the hidden life of grace
within each one of us, so with the Messiah
in His silent home at Nazareth. " It is
the glory -of God to conceal a thing." Such
is the lesson.
And the warning : That the kind of
knowledge we most crave after is not
always the kind of knowledge that is best
for us. To those "brethren of the Lord,"
was their knowledge of Christ's daily life
all through those years a blessing to them ?
No ; " for neither did His brethren believe
on Him." Let Bible students, in their
CHAPTER III.
curious antiquarian researches, ever re-
member this. To know all about Christ is
one thing; to knmc Christ is quite another
thing. Nay, the first kind of knowledge
may, as in the case of those brethren,
actually hinder the second. Let us be-
ware, lest, by dwelling too minutely and
exclusively on the earthly surroundings
of our Lord, we dim to ourselves the glory
of His divine Person. It was not llesh
and blood which revealed to Peter, that
in Jesus of Nazareth ho beheld the Son of
the living God.
52. And Jesus pincreaserl in wisdom and in *stature,
and in favor with God and man.
pl anjn. ii. 2i) ; veree -10. *0r A{ie.
Increased in u'isdom and stature. (See on
verse 40.) It is not inii^robable that the
extraordinary improvement made by
Jesus in His childhood, was promoted by
that Divine nature with which His human
nature was united, though promoted in a
manner which did not interfere with the
plan, according to which His physical and
intellectual abilities ~\vere, like those of
other men, gradually to increase. Christ
grew and improved, His body in stature.
His soul in wisdom, and He became every
day a more eminent and illustrious person
in the eyes of all, being highly in favor
both with God and man. His entire being
was in the favor of God, yet as that being
increased in amount, the amount of favor
increased pioportionately. There is no
ground for the inference which Socinians
draw from this verse, that Christ could not
be God, because God cannot increase in
wisdom, as Christ is here said to do, inas-
nuich as God's perfections, being infinite,
will admit of no increase, for it is plain
that the increase here attributed to Christ
respects His humanity. The wisdom and
endowments of His human mind were
capable of increase, though His Divine
perfections were absolutely perfect. No-
thing but what is recorded in this verse is
bequeathed to us of the life of Jesus, from
His twelfth to His twentieth year! God's
ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts
our thoughts. Doubtless He has permit-
ted all the incidents of Christ's history to
be handed down to us which the necessi-
ties of the Church required, and we must
await another day and another place for
more.
1. What occurred in " those days?" 2. Where did Joseph go to be taxed? 3. What great event occurred
during their visit to Bethlehem ? 4. What is said about the shepherds ? 5. E.xplain verse 14. G. Where did the
shepherds find Mary and Joseph and the babe ? 7. AVhat took place when eight days were accomplished ? 8.
What is said of Simeon? 9. What did Simeon say unto Mary ? 10. What is said of Anna? 11. Explain verse
40. 12. What particulars are given of Josepli and Mary's visit to Jerusalem ? 13. Where did Jesus go with Hia
parents from Jerusalem ? 14. How did He increase in wisdom ?
CHAPTER III.
3 The rtrearhing nnd haplixm of John: 15 hix testimony
ofChri.it. 2n KrrodiiiipriMincthJohn. 21 C'liriMbap-
tizcd, rfceivel/i tcxHiiiony from heaven. 23 The age and
Sjtnealogy of Christ from Joseph upwards.
NOW in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius
Cesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Jurtea,
and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother
Philip tetrarcb of Iturea and o^tlie resion of Trachoni-
tis, and Lysania.s the tetrarch of Abilene,
Luke, as will be observed, gives us with
great exactne.ss and f;iithfulness the names
and dates, which connect the sacred his-
tory with the history of the time. The
particularity with which he refers to the
time M^hen our Lord began His public
ministry, evinces the accurate and well-
informed historian. Christianity is a re-
ligion of facts. It stands in its place in
history. It is neither theory, nor legend,
nor myth. It is just as true that John the
Baptist and Jesus Christ lived and preach-
ed, as that Tiberius Caesar lived and
reigned over the Roman Empire ; and the
Evangelist appeals to the history of that
time in his record of these Gospel facts.
There is thus every evidence that the
690
LUKE.
Gospels were not written by impostors,
and that the narratives which they give
are true. Josephus, a writer of that very
age, who was a Jew, and an enemy of
Christianity, most remarkably confirms
these statements of the Evangelists.
Now in the fifteenth year, &c. Tiberius
Ceesar was the cruel, sensual, intlmious
successor of Augustus in the empire of
Rome, to which Judea at this time sus-
tained the relation of a province. Having
been joint emperor two years with his pre-
decessor Augustus (from the beginning of
which time the Evangelist reckons), he
had, after that, up to the time here assign-
ed as the commencement of John's public
ministry, exercised sole dominion for thir-
teen years, making in all, fifteen years.
Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea. Pilate
came to Judea as Procurator, and contin-
ued to fill that office to the year 38.
And Herod being tetrarch of Galilee. This
was Herod Antipas, the second son of
Herod the Great, and bearing the abbre-
viated name of his grandfather, Antipater.
The title of tetrarch originally signified the
ruler of a fourth part, or one of four asso-
ciated rulers, as in ancient Galatia, but
was afterward applied in a general sense
to any ruler, and especially to tributary
kings, immediately dependent on the
Roman emperor. And his brother Philip
tetrarch of Iturea and of the region of Trach-
onitis. This Philip was the half-brother
of Herod the tetrarch, being the son of
Herod the Great, by his wife Cleopatra.
Iturea. This territory seems to have ex-
tended to the north-east of Palestine, form-
ing a central district between the lake of
Tiberias and the territory of Damascus.
Trachonitis was the most eastern portion
of Philip's territory, lying to the east and
south-east of Iturea, and to the south of
Damascus, being thus a frontier district
toward the Arabian Desert. And Lysanias
the tetrarch of Abilene. This person is not
historically known. He was probably the
son or grandson of another Lysanias, whom
Mark Antony put to death about sixty
years before the point of time here desig-
nated by Luke, and gave part of his terri-
ritory to Cleopatra of Egypt. The enemies
of the Gospel have tried in vain to make
him the same person, and thus convict
Luke of a chronological mistake. Traces
of the Lysanias to whom Luke refers are
found outside of history. A coin has been
found belonging to a period later than
Herod's death, bearing the inscription,
" Lysanias, tetrarch and high priest". A
Doric temple in Abila bears the inscrip-
tion, " Lysanias, tetrarch of Abilene." This
must have been Luke's Lysanias, for the
first Lysanias was not a tetrarch, that title
having been first adopted after Herod's
death. Abilene. This territory took its
name from the town of Abila or Abela.
Its precise situation is not clearly known,
but it appears to have been somewhere to
the north or north-east of Palestine, bor-
dering on Anti-Libanus, and adjoining
Philip's territory.
2. "Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the
word of God came unto John the son of Zacharius in
the wilderness.— "John li. 49,51, xviii. 13; Acts iv. 6.
The high priest (Lev. xi. 10) was at the
head of the Jewish sacerdotal system, the
sacred representative of the nation. Until
the time of Herod, the dignity of the high
priest's office descended with due regularity
in the Aaronic line, but the Herodians and
Roman rulers made changes at will, and
appointed a new high priest so frequently
that the office became almost annual, and
a number of ex-high priests were living.
The high priest is supposed to have had
an assistant to occupy his place in case of
incompetency from sickness, defilement,
or otherwise. (2 Kings xxv. 18; Jer. Hi.
24.) Josephus on one occasion mentions
two high priests, Jonathan and Ananias.
The name of the high priest, also, continued
to be given to any one who had been in
that office, and especially when he still
possessed some civil office after he had
left the high priesthood. These facts help
to show, inasmuch as there could projaerly
be only one high priest at the same time,
and as Caiaphas held this office during the
public ministry of Christ (Matt. xxvi. 3, 57 ;
John xi. 49), why Annas, his fiither-in-law,
who had been high priest, but afterward
deposed by Valerius Grattus, is here men-
tioned. He was, in all probability^ the
coadjutor of Caiaphas, the actual high
priest at this time, or Avas regarded by the
Jews as still the legitimate high priest, and
his age, rank and consequence, as a man
of the first consideration and influence in
CHAPTER III.
601
the state, easily explains his being named
before Caiaphas by the Evangelist.
lite word of God came unto John the son
of Zacharias in the uilderness. It was about
at the age of thirty that John received his
formal commission from Heaven as a
prophet. The probability is that, before
he reached that time of life, both his
parents were dead, and it is supposable
that the demise of the survivor of them,
by divesting him of earthly ties (for he
had no brothers or sisters), and by break-
ing up his home, supplied the occasion for
his withdrawal into the desert. The
region to which he retired was doubtless
that wild, mountainous region lying east
toward the Dead Sea. There — in the
deep solitudes, where he had, no doubt,
for several years brooded over the in-
iquities of the times, over the prospect of
the Messiah's kingdom, and over the pre-
cise nature of that mission to which he
knew that he had been nominated, though
not yet called to its actual duties, the word
of God came unto JoJin, doubtless as the
Divine word or message was communicated
to the prophets of the Old Testament by
the Holy Ghost (Jer. 1. 2, 4, 11 ; Ezra i. 3,
6), and made clear unto him all that he
needed to know. It not only taught him
what to do. and that the time was come
for him to do it, but it inspired him with
all the energies and powers needed for the
fit discharge of the high and solemn
office to which he was called.
3. i>Anci lie came into all the country about Jordan,
preaching the baptism of repentance cfor the remission
of sins :— '•Matt. iii. 1 : Mark i. 4. cOhap. i. 77.
Came is, in Greek, the graphic present,
comes, arrives, or retaining the precise
sense of the compound verb, becomes near,
at hand, or present. Into all the country
about Jordan. At God's command he left
the wilderness, and came to more in-
habited places. This region was contiguous
to the desert, to which John had retired
"until the day of his showing unto
Israel." (Chap. i. 80.) Those that are
best pleased with retirement must cheer-
fully exchange it when God calls them
into places of concourse. Preaching: a
verb so rendered more than fifty times in
in our version, but four times publish
(Mark v. 20, vii. 36, xi. 10; Luke viii. 39),
and twice proclaim. (Luke xii. 3 ; Rev. v.
2.) It properly denotes the act of a public
crier, or a herald, announcing or proclaim-
ing something by authority. This primary
and strict sense of the term must not be
superseded by the technical and modern
usage of the word preaching, as applied to
formal and official religious teaching. In
this sense, it is probable that neither John
nor the Apostles preached while Christ
was with them.
The baptism of repentance. Not the bap-
tism of faith in a Redeemer already cruci-
fied and atoning, but a baptism of repent-
ance and reformation preparatory to His
coming. Repentance properly denotes after-
thought, reflection, and then change of
mind, including both the judgment and
the feelings, upon moral subjects, with
particular reference to one's own character
and conduct, with an implication of im-
provement or reform in both. Evangelical
repentance is not mere amendment or
mere sorrow for sin, but comprehends
them both. For the remission of sins.
This phrase depends on repentance. It
is not baptism for the remission of sins,
but repentance, in faith on an approach-
ing Messiah, for such remission. The
remission of sin was the object or purpose
of the baptismal rite. John's preaching
and baptism did not of itself procure the
remission of sin, which could be effected
only by the death of Christ. It, however,
prepared the way for this result. Those
who repented and reformed their lives
under his ministry, received the pardon
of their sins, although the great atoning
sacrifice had not actually been ofiered.
(See on Matt. iii. 1.)
4. As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias
the prophet, saying. <iThe voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, m.-ike his
paths str.aight.
tilsa, xl. 3 ; Matt. iii. 3 ; Mark i. 3 ; John i. 23.
Luke here proves, by a quotation from
Isa. xl. 3, that there was nothing unforeseen
and suddenly contrived in the comang of
Jesus Christ. It was predicted in Gen. iii.
15, and this promise was brightened -and
expanded in all subsequent prophecy.
The purpose in this quotation is to con-
nect the ministry of Christ, through that
of His forerunner, with the ancient
Scriptures and the Church of the Old
Testament, thus uniting the two canons in
the closest manner, notwithstanding the
693
LTTKE,
long interval of four hundred years be-
tween them.
Prepare ye the vay of the Lord, male his
patfis straight. This is a plain allusion to the
custom that prevailed in Eastern countries,
of sendi ug messengers an<l pioneers to make
the ways level and straight before kings
and jirinces and other great men, when
they passed through the country with
great pomp and magnificence, John was,
in a spiritual sense, to go before the Lord
— before the Saviour of the world, calling
upon the people, to prepare His way, to
make His paths straight — to remove out of
their minds everything that opposed
itself to the admission of Divine truth, all
prejudice, blindness, pride, obstinacy,
self-conceit, vanity, and vain philosophy,
but, above all, to subdue and regulate
those depraved affections, ajipetites, pas-
sions, and inveterate habits of wickedness,
which are the grand obstacles to conversion
and the recejDtion of the Word of God.
John was a voice which conveys the
mind of the speaker, and then vanishes :
he declared the mind of God concerning
His Son, and then was seen no more, for
his ministry was of short continuance.
His life, also, was vocal, no less than his
lips, the whole man being as it were a
sermon. Crying denotes the zeal and
fervency of John's preaching. The whole
phrase, the voice of one crying, might be
more exactly rendered, a voice crying. It
is a khid of exclamation, as if it had been
said, "Hark! one cries" (or is crying),
perhaps with the additional idea of long-
continued previous silence. (Exod. iv,
15.) By ivildervcss, in Scripture, we are
not always to understand what is com-
monly denominated so with us, an unin-
habited region. Often, no more was
denoted by it,' than a country fitter for
pasture rather than agriculture, mountain-
ous, woody, thinly inhabited. No doubt
John's singular habits of dress and diet
(Mark i. 6), and his holy life, secured him
a congregation in the wilderness. Men
went there to see him, and these bringing
back a wonderful report of him, at length
crowds were collected to hear his sermons,
(See on Matt. iiL 3.)
6. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain
and hill shall be brought low ; and the crooked shall be
made straight, and the rough ways shall be made
smooth ;
Every ralley, &c. (See on verse 4,) By the
import of the language that the prophet
uses, it is plainly to be seen that the main
work is God's, though men are called to
concur with Him in it, which is every-
where the scheme of Scripture, as it
certainly is of sound reason. (Phil. ii.
12, 13.) If ever we design to receive
Christ into our hearts, we must first prepare
and make ready our hearts for receiving
Him, For though the ])reparation of the
heart be from the Lord, yet He requires the
exercise of our faculties, and the use of
our efibrts ; He prepares our hearts, by
enabling us to prepare our own hearts, by
getting a sight of the evil of sin, and a
sense of our misery without Christ, a
hungering desire after Him, and a lively
faith in Him,
6. And Pall flesh shall see the salvation of God.
'Ps. xcviii. 2; Lsa. lii. 10 ; chap. li. 10.
These w^ords are cited from Isaiah lii. 10,
in which chapter the ancient Jews admit
that the prophet is speaking of the Mes-
siah. Now is the time, when all persons,
Jews and Gentiles, may see the Author of
salvation, whom God has promised to the
world, and by faith be interested in Him.
This salvation shall be more fully discov-
ered than ever, and the discovery of it
shall spread further. All mankind shall
see it, and some of all tribes and kindreds
and nations enjoy it. The great end of
Christ's coming into the world was to pro-
cure salvation for all flesh willing to be
saved by him.
7. Then said he to the multitude that came forth to
be baptized of him, fQ generation of vipers, who hath
warned you to flee from the wrath to come ?
raiatt. lii. 7.
This mode of address might seem strange
to us, did we not know from Matt. iii. 7,
that this midtitude did not consist of per-
sons who were anxious inquirers after
salvation, but rather Pharisees and Sad-
ducees, or at least such as were infected
by their pernicious leaven. (See on Matt,
iii. 7, xii. 34.) To b e baptized of him. Pas-
sages like John i. 25, and Matt. xxi. 24-27,
seem to indicate that John originated
baptism proper by Divine appointment,
but in accordance with a Jewish expecta-
tion that something of the sort would be
established, suggested by passages like
Isa. xii. 13 ; Ezek. xxxvi. 25 ; Zech. xiii. 1.
This baptism was an appropriation and
CHATTER III,
693
concentration into a single rite of all the
lustrations and washings of the Old Testa-
n:ient dispensation. Thereby it became
the emblem of the out-poured Spirit of
regeneration, and so of induction from the
world into the kingdom of God. xVnd
thence being the rite of initiation into the
Christian Church, it becomes the successor
of circ'umcision.
O generation of vipers. Generation is in
Greek a plural. The plural may have
reference either to variety of species or to
multitude of individuals. By the terms
generation of I'ipers, or broods of vipers, the
diabolical nature of hypocrisy is pointed
out. John evidently knew their radical in-
sincerity, notwithstandingtlieircoming for
baptism. Before we accuse John of harsh-
ness, we should do well to remember, first,
that love itself can be severe, and that
the meek Saviour himself was inexorably
BO, toward hypocrites ; and, secondly, that
the judgment here announced was not
inevitable, but only impending over obsti-
nate impenitence, while John earnestly
desires that they may yet escape it, and
points out the way of safety. Keither
commentator nor preacher should effemi-
nately shrink at the " mention of hell to
ears polite." T17(o hath teamed you to flee
from the ivrath to comef rather, irlio did
U'arn you, or tv]io loarned you, i. e., just now,
or before you came out thither? The
word rendered warned, denotes a slight as
well as secret intimation or suggestion, as
distinguished from a full and open disclos-
ure. " Who has given you a hint of the
impending danger ?" " Who has shown
you that you must flee ? " The urath, i. e.,
the manifestation of God's anger against
sin, and His determination to punish it.
To come, in Greek, an active participle,
coming, or about to be, the verb denoting
mere futurity, and having no equivalent
in English.
8. BriiiK forth thoreforo fruits *worthy of repentance,
anil heRiii not to s:iy witliiii yourselves, We have Ahra-
ham to <^uy fatlicr ; lor I say unto you, That (Sod is able
of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
*Or, meet for.
The condition of proud Pharisees,
pretending and false-hearted hypocrites,
though very dangerous, yet was not hope-
less, and therefore John, whilst reproving
them for their sins, yet out of love to their
Bouls, encourages their repentance. He
rejielled their application to be baptized,
until they should produce or hear fruits
worthy of repentance, i. e., such etlects as
genuine repentance, may justly be exjiect-
ed to produce, answerable to amendment
of life. (See on iii. 3.) Let it be observed
thiit John addressed himself, in the first
instance, not to the under-itanding, but to
the heart. He did not attempt to con-
vince his hearers, but to reform them.
Thus it is that men everywhere, and at all
times, must be prepared for the reception
of Divine truth. They must first be re-
formed, and then convinced. It is not in
general the want of evidence, but the
want of virtue that makes men infidck ;
let them cease to be wicked, and they will
soon cease to be unbelievers. " "With the
heart," saj's Paul (not with the head),
" man believeth unto righteousness."
And begin not to say within yourselves, We
have Abraham to our feither. John, know-
ing what the Pharisees would answer in
their hearts to the severe, but doubtless
deserved epithet he applied to them, j^ro-
ceeded to rebuke them for their reliance
upon their Abrahtimic descent, as the one
essential qualification for salvation. He
did not deny the fact of their descent from
Abraham, which was notoriously true,
but he condemned their reliance upon tha^
fact, as securing the Divine favor, irre-
spective of their character and conduct.
He gave them to understand that God was
able from the very stones lying at their feet,
to raise up children unto Ahrediam. By this
he clearlj^ meant to tell them, that if the
Jews disgraced their high descent, God
would remove His kingdom from them,
and give it unto strangers.
9. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the
trees: fevery tree therefore which briiiffetli not forth
good fruit is hewn clown, and ca.st into the tire.
E>Iatt. vii. 19.
And note also, at this very time : the a.xe is
laid unto the roots o/ the trees. The axe, an
instrument for felling trees, is liere a
figure for Divine judgments, possibly
suggested by the reference to fruit in the
preceding verse. The trees of tliis verse,
corresponding to the fruits of that before
it, must, of course, denote those from
whom fruit was expected and required,
namely, those to whom John was now
speaking. The representation made in the
6D4
LUKE
verse, thus far, is just what Christ did j
when He came into the flesh. By Him
the axe was laid unto the root of the trees. By .
the very covenant of peace which He has
introduced, He has at the same time
brought judgment near to tlie sinner. He
has made, for tlie last time, an effort, and
that the greatest of all, to convince the
sinner that He has a controversy with
him which must now be settled, either by
'his unconditional and complete surrender,
or by his speedy and terrible punishment.
His dealing with the sinner will proceed
upon the simple fact, "fruit," or "no
fruit," "according to that done in the
body, whether it be good or bad." The
Gospel message is indeed one of grace,
and it is by grace alone through faith that
the sinner can be saved ; but here, upon
the veiy front of Christ's mission, is
written clearly and indelibly that the
judr/ment shall strictly proceed on works.
Where these exist, where they are seen
and manifest, they will prove that the
sinner has believed and is saved; where
Ihey are not, they will equally prove that
he has rejected the counsel of God against
himself, and his condemnation will be
just.
. Every tree. Each fruitless tree, each im-
penitent individual, therefore, because the
axe is laid there for this very purpose,
bringeth not forth good fruit, that is, right or
acceptable to God, and salutary, useful to
the doer and to others. Let it be observed
that the sin here specified is a sin of
omissio7i. The tree is described, not as
bringing forth ^7 fruit, but as not bringing
forth good fruit. Is hewn doivn, means
strictly, cut out, and is so translated in
Rom. \i. 24. It is here used to denote,
not the mere felling, but the complete ex-
cision of the tree, i. e., the being cut up
by the root. In Scripture language, that
which is very sure and very near is spoken
of as if it was already done. Thus Christ
speaks of Himself, as if He was ali 3ady
in possession of His glory, while He was
here on earth (John xvii. 14) ; sinners,
too, are represented as condemned already
(John iii. 18), and Christians are spoken
of as already glorified. (Eph. ii. 6, and
Heb. xii. 22, 23.) And cast into the fire— into
Jire, (not the fire) : an indefinite descrip-
tion of the element made use of to
consume the tree, and representing, as a
figure, the wrath of God, already men-
tioned in verse 7, or its ruinous effect
upon the unforgiven sinner. (Compare
Heb. xii. 29.) If the tree serve not for
fruit, to the honor of God's grace, it must
serve for fuel, to the honor of His justice.
10. And the people asked him, saying, twhat shall
we do then ?— bActs ii. 37.
Though it is not said that the Pharisees
and Sadducees took warning from John's
preaching, yet there were some persons
who did. The people (that is the common
people, as they are called), said. What
shall we do then? This question indicated
a strong desire to be instructed as to duty.
Some think it was not the question of the
penitent jailor, " Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?" else John would have answered it
as did Paul and his friend Silas that which
was proposed to them, " Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved." There is, however, nothing so
purely legal in John's reply as to produce
embarrassment in regard to it. There is
law in all Gospel, and there is Gospel in
the law. Though the atonement had not
been made in the Old Testament times,
yet sin was forgiven through the forbear-
ance of God, in view of the atonement.
Thus the faith in the Messiah to come as
the remitter of sin was mingled with the
repentance of John's dispensation, and it
had power to save, when genuine, in its
time and kind. The genuineness was to
be tested by the bringing fortli appropriate
fruits. Hence, in the verse which follows,
the general principles of benevolence are
inculcated, not as in themselves render-
ing the person who practices them worthy
of salvation, but yet of necessary i)erforni-
ance, in order to obtain the Divine
forgiveness for sin.
11. He answereUi and saith unto them, iHe that hath
two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and
he th.at hath meat, let him do likewise.
'Chap. ii. 41 ; 2 Cor. viii. 14 ; Jas. ii. l-'i, 16.
By this answer John shows us that
covetousness was the chief sin of the
people, and also explains why he specified
benevolence, which is its opposite. It was
the sin of the poor as well as the rich.
Coat, or, tunic worn next to the skin.
Meat. Clothing and food are here repre-
sentative of all the physical necessities of
CHAPTER III,
C95
men. It may not be proper to in-
terpret sueh general rules as that in
this verse, strictly and literally, but, how-
ever explained, unless they be sup-
. posed to mean nothing, they certainly
require a far greater degree of liberality
in the rich, and even in the poor, accord-
ing to their present ability, toward their
still more indigent neighbors, than is
almost anywhere practiced among Chris-
tians. Tlie AVord of God tells us that we
should be ready to give — that we should
even labor that we may have something to
give. (Eph. iv. 28; Acts xx. 34, 35.)
Those who have more than enough for
themselves, ought to give to those who
have less than enough. An extensive lib-
erality and a diffusive charity in distribut-
ing such things as we can well spare
toward the relief of the necessities of
others, is an excellent fruit of repentance,
and a good evidence of its sincerity and
genuineness.
12. Then ^came also publicans to be baptized, and said
unto Him, Master, what shall we do ? 13. And he said
unto them, 'JCxuct no more than that which is ap-
pointed you.
iMalt. -xxi. 32 ; chap. vii. 29. 'Chap. xix. 8.
The Roman government had conquered
Judea, and obliged the Jews to pay taxes
and tribute to support its tyranny. The
publicans were the officers who collected
the Roman taxes. They were often char-
acterized by rapacity and extortion.
Master, means teacher, and as neither of
the other classes here referred to used this
term of respect, may be regarded as
Indicative of the humility and distress for
sin with which these publicans approached
John. WJiat shall we do? (See on verse
10.) As extortion was their besetting sin,
John therefore enjoins upon them integrity
and justice — exact no more than that which is
appointed you, that is, than the legal tax.
Here note, 1. That acts of justice and
righteousness, as well as of charity and
mercy, are real fruits of sincere repentance.
2. John does not condemn the office, but
cautions the officer. If magistrates may
impose taxes, they may doubtless appoint
officers to collect those taxes. Christiarf
charity should teach ns to distinguish be-
tween the calling and the crime. The
maladministration of those who fill an
office is not a sufficient reason for con-
demning it.
11. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, say-
ing. And what shall we do? a.nd he said unto tlieni,
*l-)o violence to no man, ■nneither accuse an^ lalsely :
and be content with your fwages.
*Or, jjut no mail in /car. "Exod. xxiii. 1 ; Lev. xix 11.
tOr, aiUnvance.
Soldiers, or, as the original denotes, men
actually under arms. They are sup]jused to
have been a part of Herod's army tlien on
their way from Galilee to Arabia Petrisa,
with Aretas, the king of wliich Herod,
though his son-in-law, was at that time at
war. Wliat shall we do f (See on verse
10.) Do violence to no man. The original
word properly signifies " to take a man by
the collar and shake him," and seems to
have been used proverbially for that
violent manner in which persons of this
station of life are often ready to bully
those about them, whom they imagine
their inferiors in strength and spirit.
Neither accuse any falsely — not to the gov-
ernment, thereby to make themselves
formidable, and obtain bribes ; neither to
superior officers, in order to be revenged
on those they had a pique against, or to
undermine those above them, and get into
their places. And be content tvith your
wages. The Greek Avord signifies not only
the money which was allotted to a Roman
soldier, which was two oboli (about three
cents) per day, but also the necessary sup-
ply of wheat, barley, &c., in other words,
their pay and rations. " While you have
what you agreed for, do not murmur that
it is no more, especially do not make a
mutinous demand for its increase, or seek
to add pillage thereto."
It will be observed that the office and
emf>loyment of a soldier is not condemned
by John, but regulated. He did not bid
them cast away their arms, abandon war,
appear no more as militarj- men in the
field, but manage their employment inof-
fensively. The injunction to be content
with their wages, implied their contin-
uance in the military service for which
the wages were received. War is, indeed,
a terrible calamity, and earnestly should
the prayer be offered that the soldier and
his stern profession may become obsolete
together. But, then, in the present state
of society, war is often an unavoidable
necessity, and the only means of defending
the rights, the honor, and the very exis-
tence of a nation, and may thus prevent
696
LUKE,
still greater evil. Aggressive wars it is
true, are always wrong; but defensive
wars against foreign invasions and domes-
tic rebellion are ju^stifiable, yet they should
be conducted without cruelty and oppres-
sion.
15. And itstlie people were in *expectation, and all
men fniusecl in tlieLr liearts of John, whether he were
the Christ, or not ;
*0r, in suspense. \Or, reasontd or debated.
So extraordinary was John's person, so
earnest his preaching, so acceptable his
doctrine, and so exemplary his conversa-
tion, that many people began to think that
he, perhaps, was the Saviour so long ex-
pected—that is, the Christ, or the anointed
One. But he did not wish them to think
this, hence —
IG. ,Tohn answered, saying unto them all, "I indeed
baptize yon with water: but one mightier than I com-
etli, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to un-
loose: "he shall baptize you with the Holy Ciliost and
with fire:
"Matt. iii. 11. oJoel ii. 28, 29 ; John vii. 38 : 1 Cot. xii.
12, 13.
See on Matt. iii. 11.
John's popularity (iii. 7; Matt. iii. 5) did
not fill him with conceit and vanity. So
far from this, the most prominent feature
of his character wasan unexampled modr
esty and humility. Far from desiring or
attempting to fix the admiration of the
multitude on his own person, he gave
notice, from his first appearance, of another
immediately to follow him, for whom he
was unworthy to perform the most servile
offices. (John i. 28-31.) Conduct like this
will always be the characteristic of the true
" man of God." He will, like the ancient
priest, be hidden by the cloud of incense
ascending from the altar at which he
ministers. (See 2 Cor. iv. 5.)
And here is a criterion by which we
may judge whether preaching is profitable
to us. Does it exalt Christ in our esteem ?
Does it more and more endear Him to us
as He is revealed in the Gospel ? If this
be its effect upon us, then, and only then,
we may be sure that it is beneficial to our
souls. John refers to Christ asmightier than
himself, the mightier than I — more powerful,
implying not only a diversity of rank, but
also of efficiency and actual performance.
The latchet of ichose shoes, &c. The com-
parison was founded on the office generally
assigned to the lowest menial, of taking
charge of his master's shoes. To under-
Btand the full import of the Baptist's simil-
itude, it is necessary to remark, that the
shoes of the ancient Jews, as well as of
the Greeks and Romans, and some modern
people of the East, were not entire cover-
ings for the feet, like those worn by us,
but merely sandals of leather or wood,
serving as a defense for the sole, and fas-
tened by strings, twined in various ways
round the ankle. On entering a temple to
worship, or on i^aying a visit to a person
of rank, these sandals were taken off, a
servant being stationed at the door for the
purpose of untieing and taking charge of
them till the owner's return ; and this de-
partment was, from the earliest times,
assigned to the youngest or the newest
servant in a household, as the meanest and
most disreputable part of the service.
But, besides standing at the door to per-
form this office, it was usual for the menial
to wait upon his master, as he went
abroad, and to carry his shoes whenever
he chose to walk without them, as, in
those hot countries, is frequently the case.
" A respectable man," says Roberts, '''■never
goes out without an attendant to do any-
thing he may require." Thus, when the
ground is smooth, or where there is soft
grass to walk on, the sandals are taken off,
and the servant carries them in liis hand.
When the Baptist, therefore, declared that
he Avas not worthy to untie the latchet, or
to bear the shoes of the glorious Person
of whom he was the forerunner, he meant,
by that strong metaphor, to intimate that
he was not worthy to render the meanest
offices, to so exalted, so divine a Master.
I indeed baptize you with water; but one
mightier than I cometh: he shall baptize you
with the Holy Ghost and ivith fire. John
depreciates not so much his baptism as
himself. He shall baptize, abundantly impart.
(Titus iii. 6; Acts ii. 3, 4, 17, and x.44) ;
and shall, therefore, show Himself the
mightier. The Spirit and fire have the
utmost power. The Holy Spirit, with
which Christ baptizes, converts, purifies,
and refines the heart; its fiery power, in
the severer purgation, burning sin away
by sharper agonies, and imparting a
severer spiritual purity and energy, was
manifested in the fiery tongues at Pente-
cost. (See Isa. iv. 4, Ixiv. 2; Jer. v. 14 ;
Mai. iii. 2 Acts ii. 3.) We must be care-
CHAPTER III
697
fill not to underraie the value of John's
baptism. We have no proof that any
of the Apostles received any other. The
distinction between John's baptism and
the baptism of Christ was not essential,
but accidental, that is, not in its essence,
but in its accidents or circumstances. The
contrast drawn in this verse, therefore, is
not between Christ's baptism, as attended
by a spiritual influence, and that of John
as unattended by this influence. The
meaning is, " I baptize you with water,
not without Divine authority or spiritual
effect, an effect dependent, however, on a
higher power, but He whose way I am
preparing is so far superior, both in power
and office, that, in the exercise of an in-
herent power, that of His own Spirit, He
will in the same way baptize you with an
elfusion of the Holy Ghost." John exalted
the Saviour. To Him we must go direct.
Nothing will answer but union with Christ
by faith. He is the appointed fountain of
mercy, grace, life and peace. Man, wdien
ordained, can, indeed, administer the out-
ward ordinances of Christianity, with a
prayerful hope that God may bless the
means which He has Himself appointed,
but here his power ends. Christ, the
great Head of the Church, can alone
make these ordinances savingly efficacious,
and this He does by His Spirit.
17. Whose fan if in his hand, anJ he will thoroughly
purge his floor, and will rgather the wheat into his
garner ; but the chatl' he will burn with tire unquench-
able.
pjer. XV 7 ; Mai. iii. 'i ; Matt. iii. 12, on which see notes.
The Saviour would communicate to His
disciples the Divine Sanctifier, as purifying
water, to wash away internal ijollutions,
and as refining fire, to consume their dross,
kindle a holy flame of love and zeal, illumi-
nate with heavenly wisdom, and purify and
sanctify them. At the same time, to use
another emblem, He would come to His
visible Church, then containing a few
believers and many hypocrites, as the
husbandman to his heap of threshed
wheat, with his fan in his hand. Whose
fan. A well-known agricultural imple-
ment, which was used by the Jews, as it
is by husbandmen of the present day, to
separate the chaft' from the wheat when
the wind is not sufficient. (Is) in his hand,
in readiness for use. Purge, cleanse from
the chaff. His floor, the area of flattened
and hardened ground in the field where
the winnowing was done. Gather, collect,
or bring together, first from its dispersion
at the harvest, and then from its mixture
with the chaft' and other refuse at the
winnowing or threshing.
The wheat, those who believe in Him,
in Matt. iii. 12, "his wheat," or His own
wheat, that belonging to Him, which
implies its value, while the chaff belongs
to no one, because worthless. His garner,
granary or grain depository, representing
heaven. The garners or granaries of the
East are often excavations in the earth, in
which the grain is buried, frequently for
the sake of concealment, either from an
enemy or an oppressive government. But
the chaff (or whatever is not nutritive and
therefore valueless), the disobedient and
rebellious, who would not come to Christ
that they might have life, he icill burn with
fire unquenchahle. This may, in part, refer
to the calamities to come on the Jewish
nation for rejecting Christ, yet it seems to
intend the final destruction of all sinners
in hell, which alone is properly opposed
to the gathering the wheat into tJie garner, a
phrase representing the destination of the
saved.
The words unquenchable fire, are abso-
lutely inconsistent with all the views of
the restoration of the wicked, and how-
ever the jjhrase of being consumed like
chaff' might seem to favor the doctrine of
their annihilation, the epithet of unquench-
able given to this fire, or more exactly
unquenched,i. c, never quenched or piut out,
is so far from proving this doctrine that it
cannot, by any easy and just interpretation,
be reconciled with it. Compare Mark ix.
43, 45, where the same Greek word is
paraphrased, that never shall be quenched,
and where Jesus repeats the expression
with great solemnity, as if to show that
the highest possible meaning was to be
attributed to His word. Restorationism
teaches that the wicked will be delivered
from hell, but this sujiposes the word
unquenchable to be an empty terror devoid
of meaning. For to what amounts it
that the fire is unquenchable if the sinner
may be snatched from it at any moment ?
Destructionism is the doctrine that the
sinner ceases, by the penalty, to exist.
698
LUKE
But if this doctrine be true, then God still
keeps an empty hell eternally burning !
18. And many other things in his exhortation preached
he unto the people.
From this statement we learn the fol-
lowing charcteristics of John as a preacher :
I. He was affectionate, exhorting and be-
seeching. 2. He was practical, urging to
duty, directing in it, and not amusing
with matters of nice speculation. 3. He
was popular, addressing himself to the peo-
ple, and accommodating himself to their
capacity. 4. He waseva)tgclical,h.e preached
the gospel, for so the word here often signi-
fies. (Matt. xi. 5; chap. iv. 18, and Acts
viii. 4, &c.) 6. He was a copious preacher.
He preached a great deal, shunning not to
declare the whole counsel of God, and he
varied in his preaching, that those who
were not influenced by one truth might
be by another.
19. But qHerod, the tetrarch, being reproved by him
for Herodias liis brotlier Pliilij^'s wife, and lor all the
evils which Herod had done, 20. Added yet this
above all, that he sliut up John in prison.
iMatt. xiv. a ; Mark vi. 17.
Herod, the son of that Herod who slew
the babes of Bethlehem, conceiving a
violent passion for Herodias, his brother
Philip's wife, first won her afl"ections from
her husband, then dismissed his own wife,
and married Herodias, during the lifetime
of his brother. It was impossible that
such portentous wickedness as this could
escape the observation or the reproof of
the holy Baptist. He raised his voice
against the incestuous match, and this,
too, although he could not be ignorant of
the danger he incurred by such a measure.
It is probable that the sentiments which
John expressed were those which were
generally entertained ; and as he had
great influence with the people, Herod was
probably not less actuated by alarm than
by resentment in determining to silence
the faithful prophet.
He added yet this above all, that he shut up
John in prison. Josephus says that the
Baptist was imprisoned in the strong
fortress of Machferus, in Perea, east of
the Jordan. One sin leads to another, and
generally to a greater. Shutting up John
in prison was a greater sin on Herod's
part than his marrying his brother's wife.
It was an insult directly against God, for
God considers His .children as Himself.
Whoever injures one of tlwm,, injures Him,
for they are as dear to Him as the apple
of His eye. Besides, the incarceration of
John hindered the preaching of the Gos-
pel, and thus men's souls were murdered.
It is a dreadful sin to prevent the spread
of Divine truth. How difficult it is to
imitate John's fidelity ! A minister knows
that he shall give ofl'ense to sinners, if he
speaks to them plainly of their sins. As
long as he speaks in genend terms, he does
not ofiend them, but as soon as he points
out the peculiar sins of each class of per-
sons, then he makes them enemies. But
How wicked it is to be angry with a faithful
minister for pointing out our sins ! How
much more is he to be admired, than one
who says, " Peace, peace, when there is
no peace !" (See on Matt. xiv. 3, 4.)
21. Now when all the people were baptized, 'it came
to pass that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the
heaven was opened,— rMalt. iii. 13 ; John i. 32;
We are not to suppose that all the
people had been baptized before our
Lord's baptism. We must attach to the
word all the restricted sense, great numbers.
The meaning is, that at the period when
the greatest number of baptisms was
taking place, the baptism of Jesus of Naz-
areth took place among others. Not one
Evangelist communicates a complete act-
count of what happened at our Lord's
baptism, and it is only by collating their
several contributions that we obtain a
complete view of the occurrence. (Matt.
iii. 13-17 ; Mark i. 9-11 ; John i. 32.)
Jesus also being baptized. The reason as-
signed by Christ (Matt. iii. 15) for Hi3 being
baptized, was this : " Thus it becoineth us
to fulfill all righteousness." It was God's
will that all men should be baptized, and
therefore it was necessary that Jesus,
when He was a man, should be baptized,
for He came to do all God's commands,
that by His obedience many might be
made righteous. Christ was now about to
enter upon His great work, and it was
proper that He should be set apart by His
forerunner, and that He should manifest
His connection with him, and give His
sanction to what he had done. Besides, it
was requisite that some public act should
mark the commencem.ent of His ministry,
and afford occasion for God to declare by
some manifest sign His approbation of
CHAPTER III
COO
Him, and His solemn appointment to the
office of the Messiah.
And pray inr;. All the three voices from
heaven, by whicli the Father bare witness
to Christ, were pronounced while He was
praying, or very soon after it. (Chap. ix.
28, 35 ; John xi'i. 27, 28.) It is our duty to
sanctify every ordinance and every action
with j)rayer. The inward and s{)iritual
p;race, of which sacraments are the outward
and visible signs, must be obtained by
prayer, and therefore prayer must alwayji
accompany them.
The heaven was opened, i. e., cloven or rent.
This cannot possibly denote a flash of
lightning, or the shining of the stars, or a
sudden clearing of the sky, or anything
whatever, but an apparent separation or
division of the visible expanse, as if to
afford passage to the form and voice wdiich
are mentioned in the next verse. He that
by His power parted the waters, to make
a way through them to Canaan, now by
His power parted the air, to open a cor-
respondence with the heavenly Canaan.
Thus was it shown that heaven, which
was closed and shut against us for our
sins, is now opened to us by Christ's
undertaking for us. Compare the similar
expressions of Isaiah Ixiv. 1 ; Ezek. i. 1 ;
John i. 52 ; Acts vii. 56. In all these cases
the essential idea suggested by the version,
is that of renewed communication and
extraordinary gifts from heaven to earth.
22. And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape
like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven,
which said, »Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am
well pleased.
sChap. ix. 34, ai ; Ps. ii. 7; Isa. xlii. 1: Matt. xii. 18,
xvii. 5, xxvli. -13 ; Col. i. 13 ; 1 Peter ii. 4 ; 2 Peter i. 17, 18.
In every humiliation of Christ, provision
is made to render what is due to His
Divine glory. At His birth it was done by
the heralding of an angel ; in His circum-
cision by His name Jesus; in the presen-
tation in the temple, by the testimony of
Simeon ; in His baptism, by the demurring
of John (Matt. iii. 14), and the incidents
here recorded ; and in His passion, by
various supernatural manifestations.
And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily
shape like a dove upon him. This was the
first manifestation of the threefold miracle
attending Christ's inauguration as Media-
tor. The Evangelist is explicit and tells
us that the Spirit descended, was " in
a bodily shai)C," not merely alighting as a
dove would alight, but in a visible form or
shape, "Uke a dove." The most usual
symbol of the Divine presence was fire, or
light, or glory. We are entitled, then, to
conclude, that after the baptism of Jesus,
when it is said the Holy Spirit descended
ui)on Him, a flame of fire, or a bright
shining light, " in a bodily shape like a
dove," rested upon Him. (Isa. Ixi. 1.)
The form of a dove would indicate the
spirit of Christ's ministry, and, as the dove
with an olive-branch flew to the ark,
showing the waters of the flood to have
abated, so this was the symbolical testi-
mony of the Father, and the Spirit, at His
baptism, which agreed with the angels'
song at His birth, Peace on earth, &c. We
must not doubt that the Holy Ghost dwelt
in Jesus " without measure," from the very
time of His incarnation. It was designed,
on this occasion, that His receiving of the
Spirit might be notified to others.
It is clear that the Hohj Ghost cannot be
an attribute or influence which could not
be embodied or subjected to the senses,
but denotes a Divine Person. We have
here a striking illustration of the incarna-
tion. As the Holy Spirit, the third Person
in the Trinity, assumes the bodily form of
a dove, by way of self-manifestation to
the eyes of men, what difficulty is there in
supposing that the second Person of the
Trinity should become God manifest in
the flesh in a human form? The descent
of the Holy Spirit on Christ indicates Him
as the medium or channel through whom
this great blessing is to be obtained.
And a voice came from heaven. This was the
second feature of the threefold miracle on
the occasion. From heaven, or more exactly,
out of heaven. Which said, Thou art wy
beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased. This
was tlie third part of the miracle at the
baptism. We have here, 1. The nearness
of Christ^s relation. Thou art my Son.
Christ is the Father's Son, first, in respect
of His eternal generation. He is His Son,
secondly, in respect of His miraculous
conception, being conceived by the power
of the Holy Ghost. He is His Son, again,
by particular designation, to hold the
office of Mediator, and to be the heir and
Lord of all things, .whom the Father hath
roo
LUKE.
sanctified and sealed, and to whom He
said, " I will make him my first-born,
higher than the kings of the earth." And
He is His Son, or proved to be so, in
respect of His resurrection, being "de-
clared to be the Son of God with power,
according to the Spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead." 2. The en-
dcarediiess of Christ's person, Thou art my
beloved iSon. The article recurs twice in
the Greek, literally, the Son of Me, the be-
loved. This repetition of the article is
exceedingly emphatic. Jesus is elsewhere
called " God's dear Son." The Divine love
here affirmed is not to be deemed as the
ground or cause, but the eflect or co-eternal
adjunct of the Sonship here ascribed to
Christ. The Father loves the Son on
account of that independent absolute per-
fection, of which both are equally possess-
ed ; and He loves Him on the ground of
that most intimate relation which subsists
between them, as in some way distinct,
though in essence one, and of which the
relation of Sonship is the fittest analogy
to be found among men. The Father
loves the Son on account of the manner
in which He unfolds the Divine character,
in the creation and the government of the
world. But this love is drawn forth by
the still more illustrious manifestation of
these excellences, on the part of the Son,
in the accomplishment of the great and
beneficent work assigned to Him as the
Saviour of the lost, a work expressly com-
mitted to Him by the Father — a work
performed by Him, in the exercise of
adequate powers, in a manner absoluteh'
perfect — and, therefore, the proper object
of the entire approbation, the most com-
placential regard, of Him who appointed
Him. (John x. 17, 18.)
In thee lam ^^^e^l pleased. The verb meaning
to6ett'^/^pleased,andthe noun meaninggroof^
pleasure, are emploj'ed when one is pleased
by what he or another has or does. The
Father here proclaims that He accepts
Christ as the Mediator between God and
man. He publishes to the world that He
is satisfied with Him, as the propitiation,
the substitute, the ransom — payer, for the
lost family of Adam, and the Head of a
redeemed people. (John iii'. 35.) There
is a rich mine of comfort in these words.
for all Christ's believing people. In them-
selves, and in their own doings, they see
nothing to please God. They are daily
sensible of weakness, shortcoming and
imperfection in their ways. But let them
recollect that the Father regards them as
members of His beloved Son Jesus Christ.
They are clothed in Christ's righteousness,
and invested with His merit.
The baptism of our Lord affords a dem-
onstration of the doctrine of the Holy
Trinity. Three distinct persons are here
represented : God the Holy Ghost made
manifest "in a bodily shape like a dove;"
God the Son ascending from the waters of
Jordan in that bod}' which had been pre-
pared for Him ; and God the Father,
" whom no man hath seen or can see,"
manifesting Himself by the voice from
heaven — the three Persons but one God
of the Christian Trinity, co-essential
co-equal, co-eternal. Until we receive
this doctrine, Christianity has not even
effected an entrance into our mind. It
only has its perfect work within us, when
we are enabled to have near access to God
the Father, through the mediation of
God the Son, and by the Grace of God the
Holy Ghost.
23. And Jesus himself began to be 'about thirty years
of age, being (as was supposed) "the son of Joseph,
which was the son of Heh,
'See Num. iv. 3, 35, 39, 43, 47. "Matt. xiii. 55 : John vi.
42.
Jesus himself, or tJris same Jesus, the pro-
noun serving to distinguish Him from
others. Began to be about thirty years of
age. A better rendering of the original
would be — and Jesus icas about thirty years
of age, when thus (see verses 21, 22, in
which the Evangelist has been describing
the dedication of Christ to His work as
Messiah), beginning (or entering upon) His
public ministry. Thirty years, however,
was the legal age for entering on the
priesthood. It was also the age at which
the scribes entered upon professional duty
as teachers. Being {as was supposed) the
son of Joseph, i. e., being the reputed son
of Joseph. Which vas the son of Ileli.
Matthew, who also gives a genealogy of
the Messiah, says, chap. i. 2, that Joseph
was the son of Jacob ; here he is called the
son of Heli. This apparent discrepancy
is by most commentators explained by'the
fact, that two distinct pedigrees are given.
CHAPTER III
roi
Matthew giving the genealogy of Joseph,
Luke giving tluit of Mary. Tliis explana-
tion requires the word son, in the link
between Joseph and lieli, to be taken in
the sense of son-in-law, a meaning which
it has in 1 Sam, xxiv. IG, xxvi. 21, 25.
(Compare also Ruth 1. 11, 12, 13.) If it
be asked why Luke did not openly express
this idea, by j)utting the name of Mary in
]>laee of Joseph, and writing, wldchioas the
danghtcr of Ildl, the answer is, that as the
Hebrews never permitted women to enter
into their genealogical tables, whenever a
family happened to end with a daughter,
instead of naming her in the genealogy,
they inserted her husband as tlie son of
hini who was in reality but his father-in-
law. It is remarkable that the Jews in
their Talmud call Mary tJte daughter of
Ileli, showing that either that is their own
tradition, or that so they originally under-
stood the genealogy as recorded. And
on that i^assage in the Talmud, Easdii
thus comments : " Jesus was connected
with the blood royal by birth."
24. Which was the son of Matthat, which was the snn
of Levi, whicli was the son of Melchi, wliicli was the
xnn of Jamia, wliicli w;us //c xon of Jo.scph, 2). Wliieli
was thr xiin of Matlathias, wlucli was tlir mn of Amos,
whicli was thr sun of Nauiii, which was thr son of Ksli,
whicli was thr. .vo/iof Nagfje, 'Jli. Whicli was tlie.so)!. of
Maath, whicli was ttie son of Mattathias, which was
the son of Semei. which was <fte . von of Joseph, which
was the son of Judah, 27. Wliich was the son of Joanna,
which was the xon of Rhesa, which was the son of Zoro-
habel, which was tlieaon of Salathiel, whicli was the son
of Neri, '2S. Which was thr son of Melchi, which was
the son of Addi, which was tfie son of Cosam, wliich was
the son of Elniodani, which was ttie son of Er, 29.
Which wa^f/ir.soii of Jose, whji'h was the son of Eliezex,
whicli was thr son of Jorim, which was the so7i of Mat-
that, wliicli was Wi/- sou of Levi, .30. Which was ;/!«»o)i.
of Simeon, which was the son of Judah, which was thr
son of Josepli, which was the son of Jonan, which wa.s
the son of Eliakim, .31. Wliich was the soti of Melea,
which was the son of Menan. which was the son of Mat-
tatha which was the so)i of Natlian, which was the son
of David, 32. Which was t lie son of Jesse, which was
thr son of Obi>d. which was the son of Booz. whicli was
thr son of Salmon, which was Wie son of Naassoii, .33.
Whicli was the son of Aminadab, which was tlie son of
Ariim, which was the son of Esrom, which wa.sthe son
of Pliares, which was the so7i of .ludah. 34. Whicli was
the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was
tlie son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which
was t/ie son of Nachor, 35, Which w.as //)'■ .to?!, of
Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was thr son
of Phalec, which was the son of Helper, which w.as the son
ofSala, 3ti. Which was the son of Cainan, wliich was the
son of Arpliaxad, which was the son of .Sem, which
wa.s the son of Noah, which was the son of Lamech,
In regard to the catalogue of names, it
is most likely that Luke took his account
from family records. This will account for
the introduction of Cainan the son of Ar-
pliaxad, which is omitted in Gen. ii. 12, 13,
probably for a similar reason that the
names of three kings are omitted in Mat-
thew's genealogy.
37. Which was the son of Mathnsala. which wa.s tti^
son of Jsiiorh. \vhi('h was tlir son of Jai'.-d, whic-li wiw
the son of .Mulelecl, which was ihe son ol Cainan, :«.
Which was l/ir sun of Euos, which was l/(r son. ol Sctti,
which W;ls tlie son of Adam, which was llie sort of God.
Which was the son of Adam, 'which ivas the
son of God. " Who, being descende<i of no
human parents, but formed by the imme-
diate power of a Divine Creating Hand,
might, with peculiar proi^riety, be called
{the son) of God, in His original state, the
heir of immortality and glory." The fact
that Adam is here called the son of God,
signifies that Christ, born of a virgin, was
the second Adam, and that His production
by the Holy S])irit Avas no less the
peculiar work of the Divine Power, than
was the creation of Adam, Son of God,
therefore, in this passage, is one who,
other than God, has no natural father.
(Gen. V, 1, 2; comp. chap. i. ^7.) Luke
carried up the pedigree to Adam, the
human, and to God, the Divine Father of
ALL, that He might intimate the right of
the Gentiles in the IMessiah. Matthew,
writing more particularly for the Jews,
in pursuance of his purpose to demon-
strate the Messiahship of Jesus, by showi ng
the exact correspondence of His life to the
prophecies and tyjies of the Old Testanjent,
traced His descent not only from David
the first and greatest of the theocratic
kings, but from Abraham, the Father of
the Faithful, and the founder of the ancient
church or chosen people.
" The genealogy of Matthew," says Dr.
SmitJi, Cla.ssical Examiner in the University
of London, " is Joseph's genealogy as legal
successor to the throne of David ; i. e., it
exhibits the successive heirs of the king-
dom ending with Christ, as Josej^h's re-
puted son. Luke's is Joseph's private
genealogy, exhibiting his real birth, as
David's son, and thus showing why He
was heir to Solomon's crown. The simple
principle that one Evangelist exhibits
that genealog}'' Avhich contained the suc-
cessive heirs to David's and Solomon's
throne, while the other exhibits the pater-
nal stem of Him who was the heir, ex-
plains all the anomalies of the two
pedigrees, their agreement as well as their
discrepancies, and the circumstance of
their being two at all,"
" We agree with those," says Ih. Lange,
" who consider that, while Matthew gives
703
LUKE.
the genealogy of Josei^h, Luke gives that
of Mary Considered in itself,
it was far more likely that Luke would
give the genealogy of JMary than that ot
her husband. She is the principal figure
througliout his early chapters, while
Joseph occujiies a far more subordinate
position than in Matthew. He is very
explicit in narrating that Mary became
the mother of the Holy Child, through
the miraculous operation of the Holy
Spirit;; why then, should he, who was not
writing for Jews, give the descent of his
foster-father, when he is intent upon
asserting that the Lord was not related to
Joseph according to the flesh? He is
expressly contrasting His ti-ue descent
from Eli, the father of Mary, with His
supposed descent from Joseph, and ]\Liry
is simply passed over, because it was not
customary among the Jews to insert the
names of females in their genealogies.
We find it then here stated, that Jesus
was the descendant of Eli, viz. : through
Mary His daughter." Dr. Lange also says :
" On comparing the genealogies in Matthew
and Luke, we are immediately struck with
the difference between them. The former
is written in the descending, the latter in
the ascending line — the former extends to
Abraham, the common ancestor of the
Jewish nation, the latter to Adam, the
common parent of mankind; the former
is divided into three parts, each of four-
teen generations, and thus exhibits a more
artificial arrangement, while it wants the
completeness which we discover in the
latter. Both tables give fourteen names
from Abraham to David, while from David
to the Bal^ylonian captivity, Matthew
gives fourteen, and Luke twenty-one
names. Symmetrical arrangement causes
Matthew to omit certain names, while a
desire for historical completeness is more
strongly manifested in Luke, who, during
his stay with Paul at Jerusalem (Acts xxi.
17), might easily have found opportunities
of obtaining important particulars concern-
ing ]\Iary and her genealogy. The univer-
sal character of his genealogy is explained
by the fact that his Gospel was not written,
as that of Matthew, for the Christians of
Palestine."
Notwithstanding a few difficulties which
some have perceived in relation to the
genealogical tables of Matthew and Luke,
it is certain that no diflftculty was ever
found, or alleged in regard to them, by
any of the early enemies of Christianity.
There is no evidence that they ever ad-
duced them as containing a contradiction.
Many of those enemies were acute, learned
and able, and they show by their writings
that they were not indisposed to detect all
the errors that could possibly be found in
the sacred narrative. It is to be remem-
bered, also, that the Jeivs were fully com-
petent to show that these tables were
incorrect, if^they were really so, and it is
clear that they were fully disposed, if
possible, to do it. The fact, therefore,
that it is not done, is clear evidence that
they thought them to be correct. The
same may be said of the acute pagans Avho
wrote against Christianity, None of them
have called in question the correctness of
these tables. This is full proof that, in
a time when it was easy to understand
these tables, they were believed to be cor-
rect,
" The theory of Lord Arthur Hervey,"
says Dr. Whedon, "lately published in
England, founded in a great degree on
the theory of Grotius, seems likely to
be ultimately universally adopted. This
theory, in its details, solves so many of
the facts as not only to remove difficulties,
but to furnish a sort of proof of the genu-
ineness of the record. By this theory
Mattheio gives the genealogy of Joseph (in-
cluding, in fact, that of Mary) in the line
of royal inheritance; Luke gives that of
natural descent. This is made clear by the
following table :
CHAPTEIl III.
r03
Jline of
heirs to David's croitm.
DAVID.
Solomon. Natlian.
Koboam,
Joatliam.
Achaz.
Ezekias.
Manasses.
Amon
Josias.
Zinr of Joseph's
Natural dcscerU. from David,
JIuttatha.
Menan.
Abia. Melea.
Asa. Eliakim.
Jonan.
JosapUat. Josepli.
Joram. Simeon.
Period of Levi
4ia years. Matthat.
Jorim.
Eliezer.
Jose.
Er.
Elmodara.
Cos am.
Addi.
Melclii.
Jechonias. Nori.
Heir to the crown by transfer— Salathiel. = Salathiel— son by birth.
Zlorol; libel.
Abiud. Khesa.
Joanna.
Eliakim. Judah.
Joseph.
Semei.
Mattathiatj.
Sadoc. Maatli.
Nagge.
„ EsU.
Period of Naum,
584 years. Amos.
Eliud. Mattathias.
Joseph.
Janna.
» Melcbi.
■«r wu Levi.
Matthan. r= Matthat.
Jacob. Heli.
. Joseph == Joseph— son by birth.
Azor.
Eleazar.
Jacob's daughter by birth— JV/ary
CHBIST.
" From David, Matthew traces the royal
Z/jis through Solomon to Jechonias; Luke
gives tlie private line through Nathan to
Salathiel. But Jechonias was childless
(Jer. xxii. 30), so that with him the Solo-
monicline ended. Consequently, Salathiel,
of the Nathanic line, came into the royal
heirship. By this transfer Salathiel stands
in both, namely, the line of natural descent
from David through Nathan, and the line
of political succession to the crown. From
Zorobabel's son, Abiud, Matthew furnishes
a series of heirs ; from his other son,
Rhesa, Luke gives the natural line of
Joseph down to Matthat. But this Mat-
that is the same as Matthew's Matthan.
Of this Matthat Jacob and Heli are two
sons; the former, being the elder, is
crown-heir; the second stands in the
private line. Heli's son is Joseph ; Jacob,
the crown-heir, has only a daughter, Mary.
The royal line thus failing of a direct male
heir, Joseph marries Mary, and is thus
transferred to the royal line both by kin
and by marriage. Both these views secure
the true Davidic descent of Mary, which is
indeed absolutely necessary to the fulfil-
ment of a most explicit Divine promise
(2 Sam. vii. 12), to which Peter refers.
(Acts ii. 30)."
1. At what time did the word of God come unto John ? 2. Where did John preach T 3. What did he preach 7
4. What did he say to the multitude that came to be baptized ? 5. Who also came to John to be baptized 7 6.
What did he say of Jesus? 7. What did ITerod do to John? 8. Why did he shut liim np in prison? 9. What is
saidot the baptism of Jesus? 10. How wiis the heaven opened? 11. How did the Holy Ghost descend? 12.
What did the voice say ? IS. Why did Luke carry up our Lord's pedigree to Adam ? 14. What iasaid about the
ireuealogies of Mattiiew and Luke ?
704
LUKE.
CHAPTER IV.
1 The temptation and fastinp of ChrUt. 13 He over-
comethtlie devil: U begimitlli io j^reach. 16 1' he peo-
ple of Nazareth admire his gracious ivorks. 33 He
cureth otie possessed of a drvU, 33 Peter's mother-in-
law. 40 and divers other sick persons, 41 The devils
acknowledge C/irixt, and are reproved for it. 43 He
prea/:h£th through the cities.
AND "Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned
from Jordan, and twas led by the Spirit into the
\vilderiie>s,
"Matt. iv. 1 : Marki. 12, on which see notes. bCnap.
li. 27 ; verse 14.
The remarkable transaction in our Lord's
life we are now to consider, is one of the
most, if not the most, difficult to interpret
of all in the sacred history.
Some have undertaken to regard it is as
a parabolic description of an actual event,
others, as a train of thought, others as a
vision or prophetic trojice, others still as a
viyth. But to all these views there are the
following objections: 1. It is an established
rule of interpretation, that in explaining
the sacred writings we ought never, with-
out the most apparent and indispensable
necessity, allow ourselves the liberty of
departing from the plain, obvious and
literal meaning of the words. And, evi-
dently, no such necessity can be alleged in
the present instance. It is true there are
in this narrative many difficulties, and
many extraordinary, surprising and mirac-
ulous incidents ; but the whole history of
our Saviour is wonderful and miraculous
from beginning to end, and if, whenever
we meet with a difficulty or a miracle, we
should have recourse to figure, metaphor,
or vision, we should soon reduce a great
part of the sacred writings to nothing else.
2. There is not, in any j^art of this narra-
tive of the temptation, the slightest or
most distant intimation that it is nothing
more than a parable or a vision. And it
is certain that if any one had meant to de-
scribe a real transaction, he could not have
selected any expressions better adapted to
that purpose than those actuallj^ made use
of by the three Evangelists in the record
they have made of the temptation. 3. The
view that the temporal and earthly
thoughts which constituted the tempta-
tions to which Christ was exposed, were
tJie result of His oicn reflections, revolts us as
an outrage against the Person of our Lord.
Had Jesus cherished such thoughts in the
faintest degree. He had beeii Christ no
longer. We dare not suppose in Him a
choice which, presupposing within Him a
tendency for evil, would involve the ne-
cessity of His comjjaring the evil with the
good, and deciding between them. 4. It
was in itself extremely probable that there
should be a real and personal conflict be-
tween Christ and Satan. This chief of the
fallen angels has ever been an irreconcil-
able enemy of the human race. From the
very creation of man lie has exercised
toward him the most malignant art and
subtilty, and, with what success, in leading
to acts of folly, stupidity and weakness, we
all too well know and feel. At the time
of our Saviour's appearance, the tyranny
of this diabolical spirit seems to have ar-
rived at its utmost height, and to have ex-
tended to the bodies as well as the souls
of men, of both of which he took absolute
possession. It was, therefore, highly prob-
able that our blessed Lord would think it
a measure eminently proper, to begin His
ministry with showing a decided superi-
ority over the great adversary of man,
whose emjaire He was going to abolish,
with manifesting to mankind that the great
Captain of their salvation was able to ac-
complish the important work He had un-
dertaken, and v/ith setting an example of
virtuous firmness to His followers, which
might encourage them to resist the most
powerful temptations that the Prince of
Darkness could throw in their waj'.
And Jesus being full of the Jlolg Ghost. This
is peculiar to Luke, and is to be referred to
the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Him
after His baptism. (Luke iii. 22.) Christ
had now greater measures of the gifts,
graces and comforts of the Holy Ghost
than ever before. He was occupied, en-
dowed and governed by Him, not merely
as man, but as the God-man or IMediator.
Immediately afterward, He was exposed
to terrible sufferings and temptations. It
is often God's method to prepare His peo-
ple for great sufferings, by granting them
great consolations beforehand. Such as
are baptized with Christ, must expect to
be assaulted by Satan. Returned from Jor-
dan, probably a short distance toward Je-
rusalem.
CHAPTER IV.
roo
And was led by the Spirit into the ivilderness,
&c. We must not understand an act
of compulsion. There was some urgency,
but this referred to the necessity of this
for Christ's work, and not to any compul-
sion contrary to His will. Christ was led
l>y a strong impulse distinct from His own
will, though not opposed to it. (See on
Matt. iv. 1.)
2. Being forty davs tempted of the devil. And <^ln
those days he "did eat nothing: and when they were
ended, lie afterward hungered.
cExod. xxxiv. 28 ; 1 Kings xix. 8 ; see on Matt. iv. 2.
The forty days spent by our Saviour in
the wilderness toear a striking resem-
blance to the forty days' retirement of
Moses on Mount Sinai, and the forty days
spent by Elijah at Horeb ; and this likeness
l^etween the Mediator of the New Cove-
nant and the Mediator and Reformer of
the Old becomes the more significant from
the subsequent apj^earance of Moses and
Elijah with Jesus.on the Mount of Trans-
figuration. And yet Christ's fast of forty
days is not determined by theirs, but
rather theirs and His are atike determined
by the significance which this number,
forty, in the Scriptures everywhere
obtains. It is the signature of the punish-
ment of sin. (Gen. vii. 4, 12; Num. xiv.
33 ; xxxii. 13, 14 ; Ps. xcv. 10 ; Deut. xxv.
3 ; 2 Cor. xi. 24 ; Ezek. xxix. 11.) Tempted.
(See on Matt. iv. 1.) In reference to the
nature of Christ's temptation, the learned
commentator, Joseph Addison Alexander,
says: "Our Lord'*s susceptibility of tem])-
tation was no more inconsistent with his
sinlessness than that of Adam, and is
insisted on in Scripture as essential to His
office, and especially as necessary to a real
sympathy between Him and His tempted
people." (Heb. ii. 18.)
And in those days he did eat nothing. We
are to understand this fasting in tlie
strictest sense, forty days' and forty nights'
entire privation. Jesus not only abstained
from some kinds of food, or for a certain
portion of each day, but He ate nothing
all those days. This fasting was doubtless
miraculous or superhuman. It is beyond
the power of nature to endure such priva-
tions. There is no authenticated instance
of any healthy person having remained
for nearly so long a time without food.
Our Lord here intended our admiration
4j
rather than our imitation, or, if our imi-
tation, of the action only, not of the time.
In seasons of danger or general aftiiction,
it was customary among the Jews to
abstain from food as a religious duty
(Josh. vii. G; Judg.xx. 20); and the same
practice prevailed among individuals
when the occasion was personal. (Exod.
xxiv. 18; 2 Sam. xii. 16; 1 Kings xix. 8.)
Fasts are evidently of Divine authority,
and fasting at the present day may be re-
garded as one of the outward means which
may be profitably employed to humble
and chasten the soul, and train it anew to
the love and pursuit of holy and spiritual
joys. Thei'e can be no doubt of its being
sanctioned under the Gospel dispensation.
(Matt. vi. 18; ix. 15; Acts xiii. 3; 1 Cor.
vii. 5.) How far or how long a person
should abstain from food depends on cir-
cumstances. The great end to be kept in
view is, humiliation for sin and abstinence
from sin. " If," says Marshall, " abstinence
divert our minds, by reason of a gnawing
appetite, then you had better eat si)aringly,
as Daniel in his greatest fast." (Dan. x.
2,3.)
He afterward hungered. (See on Matt.
iv, 2.) Immediately after such a fast,
hunger must necessarily have made itself
felt with unexampled power, and the
more so, probably, from the combat with
the Prince of Darkness. Satan, who
doubtless had been heedfully watching
an opportunity to assail Jesus at disad-
vantage, thought he perceived an opening
for his insidious approaches, and sought to
make the want of food the occasion of
His sinning by the unlawful creation of
food.
The three temptations which follow are
by some compared to the threefold bait
presented to Eve (Gen. iii. 6), in which
the fruit being good for food, so appealed
to the appetite, and being jileasant to the
eye, so pleased the sense of beauty, and
being represented as being able to make
her as the gods, so awakened her ambition.
Others see in them the threefold descrip-
tion of unholy lusts by the Apostle (1
John i. 16), "the lust of the flesh, and the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life."
There is clearly one element common to
ail these temptations : they are attempts
706
LUKE.
to call up a willful and wayward spirit in
contrast to a patient, self-denying one.
3. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of
God, command this stone that it be made bread.
See on Matt. iv. 3.
Said unto him. The devil now probably
had a visible form, not terrifying, but as a
friend, and perhaps as an "angel of light."
(2 Cor. ii. 14.) At any rate it was such a
form as would render him most likely to
fascinate by his blandishments, or subdue
by menace and terror. If thou be the Son
of God. The voice of the evil one evi-
dently links itself with the remembrance
of the heavenly voice at the Jordan. (Luke
iii. 22.)
The phrase, " If thou be," &c., may be
either understood as expressing a doubt
(if thou art really the Son of God), or as
admitting that the fact was so (since Thou
art the Son of God.) Command, that is,
order, that this stone, probably pointing to a
loaf-like stone on the ground, before them,
be made, changed into, birad. How artful
the suggestion ! There is no severer physi-
cal want than hunger (unless thirst be
greater) — none that occasions severer
l^iangs — none that more tempts to extreme
resources for its gratification.
Under these circumstances,how perfectly
natural might it seem, at the first view, to
one conscious of possessing miraculous
power, that He should exercise those
powers for the satisfaction of His wants !
But Jesus understood the nature of this
insidious suggestion, and refused to yield
to it, knowing that to satisfy the appetite
by working a miracle would imply distrust
in God, and a disposition to leave the path
of duty, as well as to use improper means
of relief.
4. And Jesus answered him, saying, i^It is written,
That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word of Ciod.— dDeut. viii. 3; Isa. vlii. 20; Eph. vi. 17.
See on Matt. iv. 4.
The text which our Lord quoted is from
Deut. viii. 3, and was addressed by Moses
to the Israelites, when reminding them
that though God had suffered them to
hunger, He had fed them miraculously
with manna, to show that he had other
methods of sustaining man than by bread
alone. The application of the passage in-
tended by the Saviour to His own case was
this: '' He that brought me into tliis wil-
derness, and subjected me to these trials,
can supi:»ort me under the pressure of hun-
ger by a variety of means, besides the
common one of bread, just as He fed the
Israelites in the wilderness with manna,
with food from heaven." But by every word
of God. This does not mean that men must
dispense with bread, and feed only on the
study of the Divine word, but that our meat
and drink, our food and raiment, are all
the work of the creating hand of God, and
that a sense of dependence on God is the duty
of man. His word is to be the basis of our
hope. Through it we are to have commu-
nion with Him, and on it, on every tvord of
God, whether it be Hits instructive, con-
soling, or preceptive word, we are to rely
and rest, giving Him our entire confidence.
Satan often tempts Christians, first to
distrust God's Providential regard for them
and then to supply impi-operly their own
necessities. If they are in ditficulty, so
that it appears to the eye of sense as if
their Heavenly Father, instead of bread,
was giving them a stone, and if there seems
a way of helping themselves by doing
something not quite upright, not quite
open or honest, not quite according to the
commands of God, Satan recommends them
to take that way, to turn the stones into
bread, assuring them that if they are too
conscientious, they will never get out of
their difiiculties. At such times they
should remember that bread alone, with-
out God's blessing, cannot nourish them,
while with God's blessing, the want even
of bread itself cannot starve them. " God
will provide." (Gen. xxii. 8.) So, likewise,
in things spiritual, Satan tempts Christians.
When their mind is enfeebled by anxiety,
or their body weakened by disease, their
spiritual enemy urges the most distressing
doubts of the love of their heavenly Father
to them, or of their relationship to Him.
In hours like these, the Christian should
take refuge in the written Word, and lie
down in peace on the many blessed prom-
ises which God has given.
5. And the devil, taking him up into an high raoiin-
tain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the v.-orldin
a moment of time.
See on Matt. iv. 8. ■
Taking him up. Taking him along with
him, is the exact English of the original
Greek. But whether he did, or did not,
transport Him through the air, cannot, we
CHA-PTER IV.
707
think, be determined from this passage.
This part of the transaction is supposed to
have occurred in vision, even by some who
understand wliat goes before as literally
true. But such a dilTerence is highly arbi-
trary and unnatural, nor is there any more
necessity for such a supposition here than
in the other cases. Into an high mountain,
showed unto him all the kingdoms of the icorld
in a moment of time. If we take the world
to mean only the land of Judea, and some
of the surrounding nations, as it appears
sometimes to signify (Luke ii. 1), then
Mount Quarantania, which is fifteen hun-
dred or two thousand feet high, the high-
est mountain in Judea, and which is gen-
ei'ally supposed to h^ive been the scene of
this transaction, could have afibrded the
prospect in question. Of it, Maundrell
says: "It is, as Matthew calls it, 'an ex-
ceeding high mountain,' and in its ascent
difficult and dangerous." The Abbe Mariti,
also, in his travels through Cyprus, &c.,
speaking of this mountain, says : " Here we
enjoyed the most beautiful prospect imagin-
able. This part of the mountain overlooks
the mountains of Arabia, the country of
Gilead, the country of the Ammonites, the
plains of Moab, the plain of Jericho, the
river Jordan, and the whole extent of the
Dead Sea." These various domains the
tempter might show to our Lord distinctly,
and might also at the same time point out
(for so the original word rendered showed
sometimes signifies) and direct our Loixl's
eye toward several other regions that lay
beyond them, which might comprehend
all the principal kingdoms of the Eastern
world.
6. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I
give tliee, and the glory of tliem : for 'that is delivered
unto uie : and to whomsoever I will I trive it. 7. If
tliou thei-efore wilt *worship me, allsliall br thine.
pJohn xii. 31 ; xiv. 30 ; Kev. xiii. 2, 7. *Or, j'all down
before me.
See on Matt. iv. 9.
Before time began, the world was made
over in an everlasting covenant never to
be forgotten, to the incarnate Son. " Thou
shall have the heathen for thine inherit-
ance, and the uttermost parts of the earth
for thy possession." (Ps. ii. 8.) And, it
is distinctly declared not only " That the
Most High alone ruleth in the kingdom
of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He
will " (Dan. iv. 17), but also that Christ "is
the Governor among the nations" (Ps.
xxii. 28), and that "all power is given
unto Him in heaven and on earth." It
was therefore false for him whom Jesus
denominated " the father of lies " (John
viii. 44), to atiirni that all the kingdoms of
the world were committed to him, and were
at his disposal. If tJiou therefore wilt wor-
ship me, all shcdl be tliine. " Thou art come
to be great — to be a king on the earth, but
I am strong, and will resist Thee. Thy
followers shall be imprisoned and slain,
some of them shall fiill away through
fear, others shall forsake Thy cause, loving
this present world. Cast in Thy lot with
me, let Thy kingdom be an earthly
kingdom, only the greatest of all — a king-
dom such as the Jews seek to be established
on the throne of David. Worship me by
living as the children of this world live,
and so honoring me in Thy life ; then
shall all be Thine." Such was the base
proi^osition of Satan to Je.sus. What'
words can describe the reckless audacity
of that fallen and foul spint ?
8. And Jesu.s answered and said unto him. Get thee
behind me, Satan : for fit is written, Tliou shalt worship
the Lord thv God. and him only shall thou serve.
fDeut. vi. 13, aud x. 20.
See on Matt. iv. 10.
Get thee hence, begone, avaunt, out of my
sight ! a strong expression of indignation
and abhorrence. We are not to parley or
to reason with temptations, to hesitate
and delibei'ate whether we shall yield to
them or not, but must at once repel them
with firmness and vigor. Jesus did not
dispute with the tempter, or tell him that
the world was not his to bestow, or that
it was a perishing portion, but He simply
ai^pealed to the command of God. The
passage He referred to is found in Deut.
vi. 13, and is here given in the words of
the Septuagint version. We must oppose
to the dictates of our passions the plain
and positive precepts of God in His holy
word. Him only — this was the key of ail.
There could not be two masters — no
divided empire. The kingdom must either
be wholly spiritual — that is, of God — or
wholly temporal — that is, of the devil.
And there could be no question which it
should be — "Him onhi shalt thou serve."
This verse, compared with other similar
passages of Scripture, proves the Divinity
ro8
LUKE
of Christ. The worship and service due
to God cannot be given to a creature witli-
out the guilt of idolatry. Since then,
God requires " that all men should honor
the Son even as they honor the Father "
(John V. 23), and "when He bringeth in
the first-begotten into the world, He saith,
And let all the angels of God worship
Him " (Heb. i. G), and since Christians
" serve the Lord Christ " (Col. iii. 24), He
cannot be a creature, but must be truly
God.
9. ?And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on
a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him. If thou be
the ^!;on of God, cast thyself down from hence:
sMatt. iv. 5, on which see notes.
He brought Him, doubtless, by His own
l)eiinission. They went together, but at
Satan's instance, which is no more incon-
sistent with our Lord's Divine or human
dignity, than His submitting to be scourg-
ed and crucified by Satan's agents. In
either case it was a part of His voluntary
humiliation as a Saviour and a substitute.
Set 1dm on a 2)innade of the temple. (See on
Matt. iv. 5.) Set Him, literally, made him
Hand, but here again without implying
force or authority. If thou he the Son of
God, &c. How much artfulness was dis-
played in this proposition ! " You were wil-
ling to trust God for your food, now show
that you can equally trust Him for your
safety ; throw yourself boldly from this
elevation, and proclaim by this act at
once the strength of your faith, the com-
pleteness of your dependence, and the
reality of your Sonship, and you shall be
hailed with wonder and delight by the
assembled worshipers ! " thus tempting
our Lord, as it were, by the very excess of
that Christian grace, which He had before
so beautifully exhibited. To a vain-glori-
ous mind, nothing could have been more
gratifying, more flattering, than such a
]n'oj>osal.
in. For I'it is written, He shall give his angels charge
over thee, to keep thee: 11. And in their hands thev
shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot
affaiiista stone.
•>Ps. xci. 11 ; i Cor. xi. 14 ; Heb. i. 14.
See on Matt. iv. 6.
It is written. The devil can quote Scrip-
ture for his purpose. Nothing makes
wicked men so self-satisfied as to be able
to bless their crime with a holy text.
They can ridicule the Bible, and trample
upon it at any other time, but they are
profoundly Biblical, and deep reverers of
God's holy and inspired Word, if a text
can be wrested to their purpose. The
Bible, like every other good, can be mis-
used for our own destruction. It is a part
of our probation, that God has not given
a revelation so unequivocal that perverse
minds may not pervert it to the service of
error and sin. Satan now combats our
Lord with his own weapons. The passage
(Ps. xci. 11, 12) is not Messianic, but sj^eaks
of the saints in general, and the devil
leaves Christ to draw a conclusion /rom^/je
less to the greater, from the safety of the
saints to that of the Messiah. The cause
of truth, and sometimes of common sense,
has suffered a great deal by the quoting
of Scripture merely by scraps. The devil
did this on this occasion. In his quota-
tion he left out, because they did not suit
his purpose, the words to keep thee " in
all thy ways," thus making the passage a
general promise of safety in all ways,
whether ways of duty, or ways of folly and
of sin. God will command His angels to
guard the Christian from harm in all his
■irays, that is, in all the Avays in which he
ought to walk. God has promised the
protection of angels to encourage us to
trust Him, not to tempt Him. In their
hands they shall bear tliee %(p. This denotes
a tender care like that of nurses. (See
Num. xi. 12 ; Deut. i. 31 ; Acts xiii. 18 ; 1
Thes. ii. 7.) Lest at any time, or, lest haply
or by chance, thou clash, or strike thy foot
in walking so as to stumble, against a stone,
i. e., the one which happens to be lying in
the way. We are not, for the sake of
appearing more abundantly to trust God,
to incur danger where no duty calls, but
in the assured path of Christian duty, we
cannot trust Him too simjjly, or too ex-
clusively, or too largely.
12. And Jesus answering said unto him, ilt is said,
Thou Shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
'Deut. vi. 16 ; see on Matt. iv. 7.
Our Lord answers a third time in the
language of Scripture, from Deut. vi. 16.
The word of the Law Avhich He quotes
contains no contradiction of the devil's
quotation from the Psalm, but a rectifica-
tion of the misuse which the evil one had
made of it. Tempt — to demand further
evidence of what is already made suf-
CHAPTER IV.
709
ficiently plain. That this is the purport
of the phrase, tempting God, is easy to be
seen from comparing Ex. xvii. 2, 7 ; Num.
xiv. 22 ; Ps. Ixxviii. 18, and ovi. 14. If our
Lord, had cast Himself from the pinnacle
of the temple. He would have demanded
a needless miracle, publicly to prove
Himself "tlie Son of God," and would
have put Himself in expectation of au
interposition for which He had no war-
rant, and thus would have " tempted the
Lord."
13. And when the devil had ended all the temptation,
he departed from him kfor a seiuson.
kJohn xiv. 30 ; Heb. Iv. 15 : James iv. 7.
Ended all tlie temptation, the trial of forty
days. Jesus gave the tempter opportunity
to say and do all he could against Him.
He let Him try all his force, and yet de-
feated him. God expects His people to
pass through all their trials, to go through
the hour of temptation assigned them. He
departed from him — the idea here expressed
is not that of mere locomotion or depart-
ure, but of cessation from disturbance and
annoyance. For a season, literally, until an
opportune season, or a convenient time. Such
an occasion was furnished in the hour of
darkness (chap. xxii. 53), when our Lord's
" soul was sorrowful, even unto death."
(See Matt. xxvi. 38; John xiv. 30.) In
Matt. iv. 11, and Mark i. 13 (on which see
notes), it is said, angels came and ministered
unto him. As soon as the angel of darkness
departed, the angels of light appeared
upon the scene. It is a change from deep
night to glorious morning. Probably the
angels assumed a visible appearance, as
the devil had done in the temptation.
During the assault, they stood at a dis-
tance, that it might appear that Christ
vanquished Satan in His own strength ;
but when the conflict was over, i hey came
to congratulate Him on His success, and
to give the glory due to His name. 3Iin-
istered unto him — waited on Him, served
Him, with particular reference to food. In
our war ^viih devils, we may haveabundant
comfort from our communion uith angels.
God will more than make up to us, even
in this life, all we suffer or give up for His
sake.
14. ^ 'And Jesus returned mn the power of the Spirit
Into "Galilee : and there went out a lame of him through
all the region round about.
iMatt. iv. 12 : John iv. 43. mVerse 1. nActs x. 37.
Prepared by His baptism and tempta-
tion for His ministerial work, our Lord
now enters on His public activity in
Galilee. The p)Ower of the Spirit. Having
conquered the grand adversary, He went
forth, witli the Spirit which had descended
after His baptism not only not suppressed
by the temptation in tlve wilderness, but,
on the contrary, exhibiting Himself for
the first time in full power in Him after
the triumph there achieved. The phrase
may refer either to the miracles He
wrought in confirmation of His doctrine,
or to the energy which attended His word
to the hearts and consciences of the
hearers. Galilee was the most northerly
of the three general divisions of Palestine.
A considerable interval elapsed between
the time of the temptation and this visit
to Galilee. And there went out a fame, &c.
The mode of the Saviour's teaching, the
spirituality of His doctrines, John's testi-
mony of Him, His work at the temple in
Jerusalem, all these things had a wonderful
effect upon the peo]>le, and served to draw
their attention to this new spiritual teacher
who had come among them.
13. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified
of all.
This helped to excite the attention of
men concerning Him. We do not find
that the persecuting Jews ever hindered
Clirist or His disciples from preaching in
their synagogues. Being glorified of cdl, that
is, with universal applause. The word
synagogue, which means a " congregation,"
is used in the New Testament to signify a
recognized place of worshij).
16. And became to "Nazareth, where he had been
brought up : and, as his custom was, rhe went into the
.synivgogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to road.
"Matt. ii. 2,S, xiii. oi ; Marie vi. 1. pActs xiii. 14, xvii. 2
The account of this incident, verses IG-
31, is found only in Luke, although it is
doubtless alluded to in Matt. iv. 13-16.
Kazareth — beautifully situated among the
hills which constitute the south ridges of
Lebanon. Where he had been brought up.
The Holy Ghost has seen fit to communi-
cate but little concerning the Saviour's
life, until He entered upon His public
ministry. Importance and usefulness are
not confined to publicity ; we must be
willing to be hid as well as displayed ; a
great work requires much preparation —
710
LUKE.
before we teach we must learn. It was
probably Christ's long residence at this
place that caused Him to be called Jems of
Nazareth, though some regard this name as
one of reproach. As his custom ims, i. e.,
according to His habit of attending the
synagogue worship on the Sabbath. The
synagogue was the i^lace where His Fath-
er's day and word were publicly recognized,
and, as such. He thought it good to do it
honor. The example of Christ has the
force of a law to His followers. He went
into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Bad
a place as Nazareth was, it was not so bad
but that it had a synagogue. Here Jesus
preached the oi^ening sermon of His
whole activity in Galilee. And stood up for
to read. It was the custom in the syna-
gogue for persons when reading to stand,
and when they finished reading, and
undertook to expound or to teach, to sit
down and commence their address to the
congregation. The reading of the Scrij)-
tures should abvays be attended to
whenever an assembly convenes for the
worship of God. It is a great advantage
to the ignorant who cannot read for them-
selves. It honors the written word as the
Supreme authority in our religion. It
solemnizes the mind, and prepares the
heart for devotion and instruction.
17. And there was delivered unto him the book of the
Erophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book,
e louud the place where it was written ,
The shape of the ancient book was that
of a roll or scroll. It was a cumbrous roll
of linen, papyrus or parchment, with
letters laboriously written, with a calamus
or reed pen, or a stilus or iron pen. When
rolled up, it was bound round with thongs,
called in Latin lora. The scroll was read
by unrolling the one end, and rolling up
the other end, so as to glide the eye down
the open page. And there tvas delivered
unto him the booh. There was a " minister"
(verse 20), or servant of the synagogue,
called the chazan, who attended to what
may be called the keeping of the syna-
gogue. One of his functions was to take
charge of the sacred books, to jDroduce
them from the chest or ark near the pulpit
or desk in which they were kept, deliver
them to the reader, and to receive them
back again. Of the prophet Esaias. AVhy
this book in particular ? The book of the
Old Testament, to be read, was selected by
the ruler of the synagogue, but the partic-
ular portion was left to the choice of the
reader. And ivhen he had opened the book,
he found the place where it vms ivritten.
Whether Christ chose the particular pas-
sage quoted for the occasion, or whether
it was the first passage that presented
itself to His eye when He unfolded the
roll, is uncertain. The latter would seem
probable, yet, were this to be conceded, we
must remember that He did nothing
casually; accidental circumstances sub-
served His pleasure, and were parts of His
plan.
IS. qThe Spirit of the Lord in upon me, because he
hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor:
he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to
the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
qlsa. Ixi. 1, 2.
The Spirit of the Lord is %ipon me, &c.
This i^assage is found in Isa. Ixi. 1, 2, and
is almost in the exact words of the original.
In this prophecy Christ asserts His desig-
nation to the office of the Messiah, and
His qualification for it. The reference is
to His baptism, at which the Spirit was
given to Him without measure. Because
he hath anointed me. Not that He was
literally anointed, as were the kings and
priests who were the types of His office,
but that He had the unction of the Holy
Ghost to perform the very works here
predicted. To j^reach the Gospel. Preaching
is the great ordinance Christ Himself
made use of, and enjoined upon His
Apostles and ministers, for accomplishing
His purpose of salvation. Gospel — the glad
tidings of salvation. To thejwor — the poor
in spirit, and such also as are poor in out-
ward condition, if meekened and humbled
by the sight and sense of their sins. (Matt,
xi. 5.) Though the Jewish doctors dis-
dained the poor, such as are destitute of
worldly riches, yet to them the Gospel is
emphatically glad tidings.
He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted —
to comfort those who are bowed down
by a crushing sense of sin, or by heavy
afflictions. (Ps. li. 17.) To preach deliver-
ance to the captives and recovering of sight to
the blind. There is no bondage like that
of corruption, no vassalage like that of the
soul under the dominion of sin. and when
taken captive by the devil at his will.
CHAPTER IV.
711
There is here an allusion to the wretched
state of those prisoners, who, according to
tlie inhuman custom in some Eastern coun-
tries, had their eyes put out; and with regard
to such as these, this great Deliverer is rep-
resented as restoring them — a work far be-
yond all human power. To set at liberty
them that are bruised. These words seem to
have been quoted from Isa, Iviii. 6, to
strengthen the idea in the preceding
clauses. Our Lord may have turned to
that passage as He read, or quoted it, in
the hearing of His auditors, from memory.
Some suppose there is here, also, a refer-
ence to the Jews, whom, as bruised in
their consciences by the galling fetters of a
religion of external ordinances, our Lord
released by the promulgation of His per-
fect law of liberty.
19. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
There is here a manifest reference to
the Year of Jubilee. It was celebrated every
fiftieth year. For the manner of its
celeln-ation, see Lev. xxv. 8-18. It com-
menced on the great day of atonement,
and was ushered in with the universal
sound of trumpets throughout the land.
It restored individuals, families and com-
munities, as far as possible, to the same
situation they occupied at the beginning
of the fifty years. All servants of Hebrew
origin were set free ; there was a general
release of debts and obligations, all
pledges were given up, and the inher-
itances which had been alienated, no
matter how often, nor for what cause,
came back to the hands of the original
proprietors. So the trumpet of the Gospel
was to proclaim a restoration of all things
to their primeval order and harmony.
Our Saviour, by applying this text to Him-
self, plainly declares the typical design of
the institution referred to. The acceptable
year of the Lord, that is, the definite time
in which the Lord is gracious. A present
and full salvation is now proclaimed by
the Gospel. This is the time in which God
saves to the uttermost all' who come unto
Him in the name of His Son Jesus Christ.
Tlie whole continuance of this dispensa-
tion is represented as a year, and each of
us has only a day of it. " Behold, now is
the accepted time, behold now is the day
of salvation."
20. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to
the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them
that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Closed the book, &c. (See notes on verses
16, 17.) And the eyes of all them that were in
the synagogue were fastened on Him, that is,
were attentively fixed on Him. There was
something in His manner or tone of voice
which riveted the attention of the peoi^le.
That He should undertake to teach, ex-
cited surprise, as He was known there,
not as one learned in the law, but rather
as a carpenter's son, who had, perhaps,
Himself worked at His father's trade.
And yet strange and wonderful rumors
had come home lately in regard to Him,
as setting up high claims, and pretending
abroad to do great works,
21. And he began to say unto them, This day is this
Scripture fulfilled in your ears.
He began by exj^licitly declaring, that
the words read to them were, at that very
time, and on that very occasion, fulfilled in
their hearing, thus declaring, in no ambigu-
ous language, to His fellow-townsmen,
that He was the promised Messiah of whom
the prophet spake, and doubtless He ex-
plained the words at some length, as refer-
ring to the sjiiritual redemption which He
came to effect in behalf of enslaved sinners,
and earnestly exhorted His hearers to seek
these important blessings. Had this ex-
planation been necessary for our salvation,
it would have been recorded. The custom
of preaching from a text of Scripture,
which prevails throughout all Christian
churches, seems to have had its origin in
the authority of this example.
22. And all bare him witness, and rwoudered at the
gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And
they said, sis not this Joseph's son ?
rPs. xlv. 2 ; Matt. xili. 54 ; Mark vi. 2 ; chap. ii. 47.
sJohn vi. 42.
Bare Mm uitness, gave a favorable testi-
mony ; and wondered at the gracious words,
or, the words of grace. This phrase may
refer to the agreeable manner of Christ's
discourse, as well as to the matter of it.
They admired, especially when they re-
membered His humble origin, which gave
no warrant for such speaking. It cannot
be doubted that our Lord's elocution was
peculiarly becoming, majestic, solemn, im-
pressive and persuasive. In every sense
" He spake as never man spake." Proceeded
out of his mouth— an Oriental expression for
the utterance of a grave and earnest dis-
712
LUKE.
course. And they said, is not this Joseph's son?
This question was asked in the strange con-
versational freedom, in which the Jews in-
dulged at their religious meetings. One
moment they were astonished, the next
their pride rose. The impression made by
Christ's sermon was only on the surface,
for the audience were unconscious of their
si^iritual bondage, and felt no longings for
deliverance. They wondered, but did not
believe. Of how many, alas ! is this true,
in respect to the preaching of the Gospel !
23. And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me
this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we
have heard done 'in Capernaum, do also here In "thy
country.
•Matt. iv. 13 and xi. 23. "Matt. xiii. 54 ; Mark vi. 1.
Seeing the captiousness of prejudice
rising against Him in the hearts of His
hearers, as indicated by their contemptuous
allusion to His low birth, Jesus now ad-
dressed them in the language of reproof.
In doing so, He also gives them an intima-
tion in respect to the blessed purpose of
His appearance as Israel's j^hysician.
Physician, heal thyself, &c. From the latter
part of the verse, this proverb would appear
to be a demand upon Jesus to display His
miraculous powers in the sight of His fel-
low-townsmen. Whatsoever we have heard
done in Capernaum, &c. " Do for your own
Nazareth what you have done for Caper-
naum (in which He had healed the noble-
man's son (John iv. 46-54), and doubtless
performed other cures not mentioned),
and thus satisfy our craving for the mar-
velous, or, satisfy us of your claims to the
Messiahship, before you seek to convince
the nation of the truth of your iDreten-
sions."
24. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No TJrophet
is accepted in his own country.
'Matt. xiii. 57 ; Marlj vi. 4 ; John iv. 44.
He said, in answer to some res^Donse with
which they interrupted Him. Accepted, i. e.,
approved, acceptable. Ministers generally
are least acceptable among those who are
familiarly acquuinted with their extraction,
the follies of their childhood and youth,
and their education. That which comes
from afar, and has not been much known,
gains the greatest reputation among a
people. Ministers should avoid too much
familiarity with their congregations, and
by gravity of deportment keep up esteem
and a certain measure of awe, always tem-
pering their gravity with courtesy and a
condescending aflability. (See on Matt,
xiii. 57.)
25. But I tell j'ou of a truth, »many widows were In
Israel in the days of Elias, when tlie heaven was shut
up three years and six months, when sreat famine was
througliout uU tlieland ; 26. But unto none of them was
Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a
woman tlnd icas a widow. 'J.7. J^And many lepers were
in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet ; and none
of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
"1 K.ings xvii. 9 and xviii. 1 ; James v. 17. ^^2 Kings
V. 14.
Our Lord now illustrates His proverb,
as well as His line of conduct, by the ex-
amples of two of the greatest of Hebrew
prophets. The first example Avas in the
days of Elias (the Greek form of the Old
Testament name Elijah), when, though
there were many widou's in Israel, His oA'n
nation, yet none of them were qualified to
receive His miracles, but a stranger, a
widow of Sarepta, a heathen city (known as
Sarafend at the present time, and a large
inland village half way between Tyre and
Sidon), whom in time of great famine He
had sustained with oil and meal. (1 Kings
xvii. 8-24.) The heaven -was shut up three
years and six months. In James v. 17, the
duration of the drought is stated to be of
the same length as it is here, while from
1 Kings xviii., it appears to result that
Elijah in the third year returned to Ahab,
and very soon after his return the rain
commenced. In explanation of the seem-
ing difficulty, we may suppose that the
third year (1 Kings xviii. 1) must be reck-
oned from the arrival of Elijah at Sarepta
(1 Kings xvii. 9), which, however, had
been already preceded by a year of
drought, during which the prophet had
abode at the brook Cherith. (Verse 7.)
The second example was in the days of
Eliseus (Greek form for Elisha), when,
though there were many lepers in and
about the neighborhood, yet they, being
His countrymen, despised Him, and none
were qualified for a cure, but Naaman, the
Syrian, a man of another and heathen coun-
try. (2 Kings V. 10.) Lepers. Leprosy,
in its worst form, was one of the most ter-
rible of diseases. It began with red spots
upon the body, grouped in circles, and
covered with a shiny scale or scab. It be-
came, generally, incurable, and so cor-
rupted the system that it became heredi-
tary for generations. The body crumbled,
the limbs fell apart, and the man literally
CHAPTER IV,
713
went to pieces. The argument of Christ
hereis: "The Israelites had as good ground
to reproach thesie eminent prophets for
passing tlieni by, as you Nazarites have to
reproach me in the manner you liave
done."
28. And all thev in the synagogue, when they heard
these things, were filled with wrath.
Truth embitters tliose whom it does not
enhghten and convert. The Gospel, when
preached with soft words, wins the acqui-
escence of the godless, but, when it is ap-
plied to the conscience, it kindles indigna-
tion. The Nazarites could not bear the
doctrine of the Divine sovereignty — that
God has a right to do what He will with
His own. They saw, at least the great
majority of them, that the faithless widows
and lepers were but types of themselves,
and, instead of any longer wondering at
tlie gracious ivords, they were exasperated
to madness. Suddenly the church became
a mob.
29. And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and
led him unto tlie *brow of the hill whereon their city
was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
*0r, edye.
Perhaps their first intention was only to
expel Him from the town. But one act
of violence usually leads to another. Their
rage waxed more and more fierce, as they
dragged Him along, until they determined
to take His life. The treatment He re-
ceived remarkably resembles that with
which afterward Stephen met. (Acts vii.
51.) Rose up, in tumultuous excitement,
thrust him out, implying that He would
have stayed. The brow of the hill. As
Nazareth is a region of some fifteen hills,
abounding in precipices, there are several
which might have been suitable. Dr. Rob-
inson says, that in the south-west part of
the town is a hill, which breaks off in a
perpendicular precipice, forty or fifty feet
in height, and he suggests this, or some
one of the several precipices in that vicin-
ity, as the clifi' down which they were in-
tending to throw Jesus. Precipitation was
a punishment rarely used, though we meet
with it in the history of the kings, and in
subsequent times. (2 Kings ix. 30, 33 ;
2 Chron. xxv. 12.)
30. But he iipassing through the midst of them went
his way,— ^John viu. 59 and x. 39.
It has been maintained that Christ es-
caped by a mu-acle, either in rendering
Himself entirely invisible, or putting on
some otJicr form, or affecting their eyes or
minds in sucli a manner that thry should
not knovj Him. But Christ and ills Apos-
tles seem never to have Avrouglit miracles
in the way of self-preservation. The prob-
ability is that Jesus beheld His enemies
with a look of His hitherto unrestrained
majesty, reserved for this last need, and
they, receiving yet another sign of His
spiritual might, as a jjarting token, were
compelled on the riglit and left to make
place reverently for His going forth.
Had Jesus been less faithful in ijroclaim-
ing the truth. He might have avoided
persecution, but He sought not to please
men, but God. Persecution may be es-
caped by us hy acting insincerely and
unfaithfully. But what if we should, by
so doing, lose our peace of mind, and the
approbation of God ! The first sermon of
Jesus at Nazareth imparts pregnant sugges-
tions to the minister of the Gospel at the
beginning of his work. It shows, 1. The
origin, matter and object of preaching
(verses 18, 19). 2. That preaching is to be
grounded on Scripture, adapted to the
necessity of the hearers, and presented in
an attractive manner. 3. That blossoms are
as yet no certain signs of fruit, and that
unhappy causes may blast fair promises
and prospects of success. 4. That a new
work is to be begun, with thankful recol-
lections of the past (verse 16), with holy
spiritual might for the present (verse 18),
and with joyful hope of the future (verse
21).
31. And ^came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee,
and taught them on the Sabbath days.
bMatt. iv. 13 : Mark i. 21.
Capernaum, is compounded of the words
Kefr, village, and Nahuni, refreshment, so
called from the springs near which it
stood. Christ's residence and preaching
there were the subjects of prophecy.
(Matt. iv. 13-15.) The place is not named
in the Old Testament, which, probably,
though not necessarily, implies a later
origin. Josephus mentions the town once
by the name of Cepharnome, but applies
the form Capernaum for Capharnaum)
only to a fountain. It was situated upon
the shore of the lake of Gennesaret. Came
doivn. The way to Capernaum from Nazar-
eth was descending. Capernaum was six
ri4
LUKE.
hundred feet lower than the Mediterranean
sea, and much lower, therefore, than Nazar-
eth. And taught them on the Sabbath days.
What He preached there is given in Mark
i. 15. Nothing moved by the treatment
He had receivedat Nazareth (verses 28, 29),
Jesus patientl}' Avorked on in another
place. Christians should not give up any
work they are called to do, for want of
success. The day comes when every man
shall be rewarded according to his own labor.
The discouragements we meet with in
trying to do good, enable us to show the
world that there are such things as faith
and patience, and that, at all events, we
are persuaded that we have truth on our
side.
32. And they were astonished at his doctrine : cfor his
word was with power.— cMatt. vii. 23, 29 ; Tit. ii. 15.
Astonished — they ivere struck, literally,
struck out, driven from their normal or
customary state of mind by something
new and strange. At his doctrine, both the
matter of His discour.se, and the manner
of His teaching. For Ids word ivas with
2)ower, with authority. He spoke as one
not relying on rabbis, or elders, or prophets,
or even upon Moses, but as one greater
than they all, having authority, original
and unappealable, in His own Divine per-
son. Indeed it was Emmanuel, God-man,
who thus addressed them, although they
then knew it not. It is one thing to ad-
mire the preacher, but another and quite
a different thing to believe the truth he
proclaims. (See on Matt. vii. 28, 29.)
33. dAnd in the synagogue there was a man, which
had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a
loud voice.— ^Mark i. 23.
In the synagogue. See on verse 15. Syn-
agogues were intimately connected with
our Lord's life and ministry. In them He
worshiped in His youth, and in His
manhood. They were the scenes, too, of
no small portion of His work. In them
were wrought some of His mightiest
works of healing. (Luke xiii. 11 ; Mark i.
23 ; Matt. xii. 9.) In them were spoken
some of the most glorious of His recorded
works, (chap. iv. 16 ; John vi. 59) ; and
many more, beyond all reckoning, which
are not recorded. (Matt. iv. 23 ; xiii. 54 ;
John xviii. 20, &c.)
There icas a man which had a spirit of an
unclean devil. When God became incarnate,
Satan became incarnate also. It is unde-
niable that in the time of Christ there
was such a thing as the possession of
men's bodies by evil spirits, or devils, as
they are usually called in the Scripture.
Every expression that our Lord makes use
of with respect to these demoniacs plainly
supposes them to be really jiossessed.
He treated them as such. Everywhere a
plain distinction is made between common
diseases and demoniacal possessions, which
shows that they were totally different
things. (Matt. iv. 24; Mark i. 32; Luke
vi. 17, 18, vii. 21, viii. 2, xiii. 32.)
The evil spirit had permitted the man
to go to the synagogue. The Jews were
careful that a man thus afflicted should
suffer as little as possible on account of
his misfortune. He was allowed to go
where he pleased, and no restraint was
laid upon him, so long as his conduct was
not dangerously violent. Spirit of an un-
clean devil — sjnrit probably referring to the
influence, and devil to the personality of
the possessing demon. Unclean not only
indicates that wicked spirits are impure
and filthy, and continually endeavor to
pollute mankind, but it is probably in-
tended to teach the awful truth, that
works of uncleanness, in breach of the
seventh commandment, are works which
Satan especially labors to promote by
lascivious thoughts, images and desires.
It may also teach us that those who were
given over to Satanic possession were
often people who had been specially
addicted to sins of uncleanness and
impurity. And cried out. The term refers
to a specific act, and not to one of common
occurrence. The cry was under a certain
fearful looking for of judgment. The
unclean sjiirit felt at once that One was
nigh who was stronger than all the king-
dom to which he belonged; hitherto his
goods had been at peace, but now there
was come One who should divide the
spoil.
34. Saying, *Let tt.s alone : what have we to do with
thee, thouJesas of Nazareth ? art thou come to destroy
us?8 I know thee who thou art; fthe Holy One of
God.
*Or away. eVerse 41. fPs, xvi. 10; Dan. ix. 21:
chap. i. 35.
Let US alone, disturb not our actual con-
dition, a most miserable desire to have
nothing to do with Jesus. (Comp. Eev.
CHAPTER IV.
715
vi. 15.) What have we to do with thee?
what is there common to us or connecting
us, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? From the
phiral " we," " us," it is possible that the
demon spoke in the name of the whole
demon-world, or also in the name of the
entire throng assembled in the synagogue,
in the definite purpose of arousing a bit-
terness against Jesus and bringing His
life into danger. Art thou come to destroy
us? Here is a testimony of the decided
opposition between the demon empire
and Christ, and of His supremacy. From
tliis it may be inferred that the demons
live in fearful anticipation of the day
when they shall be f^cs^roycr/by being sub-
jected to greater torment than they now
sutler. Tliej' shall be cast into the bottom-
less i)it. (Eev. XX. 10.) They are now
reserved in chains of darkness unto the
judgment of the great day. I hnotv thee
vmo thou art, the Holy One of God. He does
not say, we know, he speaks of himself,
not the rest. The demons in the possessed
seem to have perceived before the rest
who Jesus was. Here, then, the powers
of hell avouch Christ's character and
mission (" to destroy the works of the
devil"), to which Heaven had already
borne its testimony. But earth gave no
responsive recognition. Heaven had
spoken — Hell had si:)oken — but Earth still
was mute. In Matt. viii. 29, the two
demons also recognize Christ in His
Divine and adjudging character. So in
Acts xvi. 16-18, the girl possessed Avith
the spirit of Python or Apollo, proclaimed
the Apostles to be the" servants of the
Most High. Let us beware of an unsanc-
tified knowledge of Christianity. It is a
dangerous possession, but a fearfully
common one. We may know the Bible
intellectually and familiarly, and yet it
may have no influence over our hearts,
will, consciences, lives — thus augmenting
our guilt.
35. And Jesus rebuked him, saying. Hold thy peace,
and come out of him. And wlien the devil had thrown
him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him
not.
Rebuked him, not as Michael the arch-
angel (Jude 9), but in His own name and
in His own power. Christ passes over for
a moment the sufferer Himself in order to
direct at once His word of might against
the evil spirit controlling him. Hold thy
peace, literally, be muzzled.
And, when the devil Itad throini him in tlie
midst, that is, had thrown him into con-
vulsions in the midst of the assembly.
This was the decisive paroxysm with
wliich the healing was declared ; at the
same time, a phenomenon exhibiting the
knavish, si>iteful and degraded nature of
the demons. (Mark ix. 2V>; Luke ix. 42.)
And hurt him not. Mark says (i. 26), lohen
the unclean spirit had torn him, but there is
UQ contradiction between that account and
this ; the meaning is, he did not inflict on
him any serious or permanent injury.
Every open sinner Avho scornfully rejects
the Gospel for his rule of life, and the
Lord Jcous for his Eedeemcr, even while
he knows that he cannot disprove the one,
or disbelieve the other, stands before God
in almost as awful a state of danger, as
the unclean spirit in the synagogue at
Capernaum. But whilst, for that unclean
spirit, not all the blood of Calvary could
avail to purchase him a release from ever-
lasting wo, yet to the sinner, however
obstinate, hardened and impenitent,
" Judah's cleansing fountain " still is open,
and no sooner does he fall before the
throne of God, a willing, earnest suppliant,
than he may enter within the door of
grace and mercy.
36. And they were all amazed, and spake among
tliemselves, sajnng, Wliat a word w this! for with
authority and power lie commandeth the unclean spir-
its, and they come out.
The miracle of casting out the demon —
the first miracle of the kind — struck the
people with amazement. No one doubted
of the truth of the miracle ; it was evident
beyond contradiction. ^Yhat a word, &c.
What kind of teaching is this? The
ground of their inquiry is contained in tlie
clause, for with authority and jiower, &c., i. e.,
as one having power, self-derived and in-
dependent. From the appearance of a
new power of delivering, they infeired
the appearance of a new revelation and
deliverance ; miracle and prophecy always,
to the Israelites, were reciprocal in tlieir
influence.
37. And the fame of him went out iuto every place
of the country round about.
The fame, literally, the sound. This is a
very elegant metaphor. The people are
716
LUKE.
represented as struck with astonishment, and
the sound goes out through all the coasts,
in allusion to the propagation of sound, by
a strong stroke upon any substance, by
which the air is suddenly agitated, and
conveys the report made by the stroke to
distant places. So this miracle, just per-
formed, was told to others by those who
saw it, till it was heard through all the
coasts of Galilee. (Mark i. 28.)
38. sAnd he arose out of the synagogue, and entered
into Simon's house. And Simon's vs'fl'e's motlier was
taken with a great fever ; and they besought him for
her.-- sMatt. viiL 14; Mark i. i.9.
See on Matt. viii. 14.
How indefatigable was the good Phy-
sician— one hour removing spiritual ail-
ments, and the next, bodily diseases, thus
evincing far more clearly than words
can speak, that there is nothing above
His power or His willingness to heal.
And he arose out of the synagogue, a concise
expression for lie arose and went out.
Sirnon^s house (in Mark i. 29), is the house of
Simon and Andreio. These brothers were
partners in the fishing business, and appear
to have lived together in the same house.
(Matt. iv. 18.) Peter is mentioned alone
by Luke for his strong persx)nal character.
And Simon^s ii-ifc^s another — whether his
mother-in-law lived with him, or whether
he received her into his house that she
might be affectionately attended to during
her sickness, is not known, but either
shows the kindness of his heart. We
should show piety at home. " Despise
not thy mother when she is old." (Prov.
xxiii. 22.) The Romish doctrine of the
celibacy of the clergy, certainly finds no
countenance in the fact that the chief of
the Apostles, who is claimed by that
Church as the first pope, was a married
man. We find Paul speaking of him as
such, many years after this. (1 Cor. ix. 5.)
When writing to Timothy, also, he says :
" A bishop must be the husband of one
wife." (1 Tim. iii. 2.) Marriage is one of
the first of Divine institutions, and a posi-
tive command of God, who declared the
state of celibacy not good. (Gen. ii. 18.)
"Marriage is honorable in all." (Heb.
xiii. 4.) Neither the Prophets of the Old
Testament, nor the Apostles of the New,
judged themselves too pure for an institu-
tion of their Maker. Several of the earliest
ecclesiastical writers mention others of the
Apostles, besides Peter, who were married
men, and one of them asserts that they all
Avere, " excepting John and Paul."
Was taken ivith a great fever. Strength of
grace, and special regard even from Christ
Himself, cannot prevail against diseases.
Though Peter was a good man, and his
mother-in-law probably a pious woman,
this did not exclude sickness from his
family. That her fever was of a serious
nature, ajipears not only from the terms
in which Luke, who was a physician, de-
scribes it, but also from the fact that it
hindered her even from entertaining, in a
manner somewhat befitting Him, the so
greatly desired guest. Of Tabiga, the
grand manufacturing suburb of Caperna-
um, Dr. Thomson says : " As there is con-
siderable marshy land about this Tabiga,
may not this account for the prevalence
of fevers at Capernaum ? for here it was,
of course, that Peter's wife's mother lay
sick of a fever. Fevers of a very malig-
nant type are still prevalent, particularly in
summer and autumn, owing, no doubt, to
the extreme heat acting upon these marshy
plains, such as the Butaiha, at the influx
of the Jordan." And they besought him for
her. Most probably she was too ill to ask
His help herself. Doubtless Jesus loved
Peter, and therefore could not be indiffer-
ent to the sufferings of his mother, yet He
waited until He was besought. So truly
does our Lord delight to hear the voice of
His praying people, that He delays many
a blessing until He has heard the voice of
faithful, fervent supplication.
39. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever :
and ii left her : and immediately she arose and minis-
tered unto them.
See on Matt. viii. 15.
Stood over her. Matthew says (viii. 15)
he touched her hand; Mark (i. 31), /(<.' took
her by the hand. The accounts taken to-
gether harmonize and complete the nar-
rative. The Evangelists who add some-
thing more, do not contradict the other
who says less. And rebuked the fever, as,
just before, the demon, and, as at other
times. He " rebuked " the Avinds and the
waves. (Matt. viii. 26 ; Mark iv. 39 ; Luke
viii. 24.) This is generally regarded as a
mere personification ; but may it not be
regarded as a recognition of Satan, and
CHAPTER IV,
717
the powers of evil as the authors of the
disharmony in the outward world, a
tracing of all these disorders up to their
source in a person ? "We speak of rebuking
a child or a servant, but not a clod or a
tree. And it left her. Not in that state of
extreme weakness and exhaustion which
fever usually leaves behind when in the
ordinary course of things it has abated.
There was not a gradual convalescence,
but an instantaneous cure was effected.
The suddenness of the cure showed the
reality of the miracle. And immediately
she arose and ministered unto them. The
completeness of her recovery was shown
by the fact that she at once girded herself
for serving. She was restored to her
original position, and resumed her ordi-
nary household duties. She ministered unto
them, or waited on them, served them, with
specific reference to food.
Serving Christ in His ordinances and in
His members, is the best proof we can
give to others that we are restored to
spiritual health. How few render to the
Lord according to the benefits they have
received ! Let those who have been re-
stored to bodily health, perhaps rescued
from the sight of an opening grave, not
forget the Divine goodness, but be found
ministering to the cause of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and to the Avants of His people.
" I will pay thee my vows, which my lips
have uttered and my mouth hath spoken,
when I was in trouble." (Ps. Ixvi. 13, 14.)
40. t]Vow when the sun was setting, all they that had
any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him ;
and he h\id his hands on every one of them, and healed
them.— ii Matt. vlii. 16; Mark 1. 32.
See on Matt viii. 16.
The report of Christ's two astonishing
miracles caused the light of a new hope
for the sick in the town and vicinity to
rise. When the sun tvas setting. As the
Jewish Sabbath ended at the setting of
the sun, the people felt no scruple in
carrying the afflicted, and laying them at
the feet of Jesus at this time. Then,
again, it must be remembered, that the
cool of the day was the best time for the
sick to appear on the street, and that some
time was necessary to spread the news of
tlie great Physician, and bring the sick
together. All they that had any sick with
divers diseases, &c., that is, ill, or being in
an evil condition — disease in general is
denoted. The sick, the lame, the blind,
the paralytic, the possessed (Matt. viii. 16 ;
Mark i. 32), walking, led, supported by
crutches, or carried in their beds, attended
by numerous friends, gathered at the door
of the house in which Jesus was. The
Saviour could not behold unmoved the
diseased creatures that were brought to
Him. His heart was full of compassion.
Some persons turn away from the view of
misery, because it gives them uneasiness,
but such conduct is selfish. Jesus felt far
more at the sight of suffering than we can
feel, yet He was willing to bear the pangs
of sympathy. " Surely he hath borne our
griefs and carried our sorrows." (Isa. Ivi.
3.) And he laid Ids hands on them, following
His usual custom of connecting the exer-
cise of His jwwer with some external act.
Most probably He uttered some kind word
of encouragement, as individual cases re-
quired. And heeded them. What rejoicing
was heard that night through all the
place ! No sinner need despair who comes
to Christ, conscious of his sjnritual malady,
to be healed by His merciful hand. Jesus,
as it was predicted (Isa. liii. 4-6), Himself
took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
(Matt. viii. 17.) His symijathy with the
distressed was a part of His sufiering, and
His removal of diseases was the fruit of
His bearing our sins, and the punishment
of them.
41. 'And devils also came ont -of many, cnnngon%
and saying. Thou art Clirist the Son of God. And h,>
rebuking ihcm suffered them not to *speak : for they
knew that he was Christ.
'Mark i. 25, 34, iii. 11. *Or, to say that they knew Him
to he Christ.
Came out of many, at His command. Suf-
fered them not to speak, i. e., declare His
Messiahship. (See on verse 35.) Our Lord
refused testimony from devils, for the very
reason ivhy they were eager to give it, Ijecause
He and they would thus seem to have one
interest. (Matt. xii. 24.) He wished to
show His abhorrence of their malignant
nature. He would not accept them as
preachers. They so mingled fiilsehood
with their truth, that he who listens to
them for their truth's sake will be led
away by their lies. Are we not here taught
at this day not to found our faith on pre-
tended spiritualistic manifestations from
unknown supernatural sources or sorceries?
718
LUKE.
This is an appropriate place for noticing
several peculiarities of our Lord's miracles.
1. They were public. Many of them, it is
true, were wrought in private, thus indi-
cating that there was no ostentation in the
manner of performing them ; yet as a
general thing they were wrought in public
— in the presence of His disciples, in the
sight of multitudes in all parts of the coun-
try, in a great number of pojiulous towns,
in broad day, and, in fact, under the eye
of a whole nation, for nearly four years.
2. They were of a beneficent character.
They were not, like the wonders of the
heathen magicians, either hurtful or
trifling, or like those of Mohammed, frivo-
lous, or like those recorded in the legends of
the church of Rome, most of which are so
grotesque that they make a rational man
smile and a Christian man weep, nor were
they a wild, arbitrary display of power;
but they all looked to some benignant re-
sult, such as comforting the distressed,
relieving the diseased, feeding the hungry,
consoling the fearful, and demolishing the
bulwarks of unbelief. 3. Christ's miracles
were of such a charactei", that if they were
not miracles, then miracles can have no
existence, and it would be impossible for
a Divine mission to be authenticated to
mankind by this species of evidence. They
are not of a nature to be referred to the
possible effects of imagination, nor to occult
laws of nature never till then developed,
nor to fortunate coincidences. The uni-
versal experience of man up to that time,
and since that time, proves that they were
not only above nature, but in many in-
stances contrary to all its fixed and uni-
form laws. They were, moreover, gener-
ally of such a character as to preclude all
preconcerted action with a view to collusion
and deception, being performed, not in
circumstances previously arranged, or at
places specially suggested, but just when
and where exigencies arose, and necessities
required.
■42. 'And when it was day, he departed and went into
a desert place: and the people sought him, and came
unto him, and stayed him, that he should not deisart
from them.— ijMark i. 35.
According'to Mark i. 35, Jesus "prayed"
during this retirement. There was an al-
ternation of prayer and labor in His life,
such as in truth might be called a praying
without ceasing, (Chap. iii. 21, vi. 12, ix. 29 ;
Mark xiv. 23, xiv. 34.) We must make
time for j^rivate meditation, and being
alone with God. Constant excitement and
engagement entail great peril on the soul.
The morning is the best time for devotion.
Boerhave, the celebrated physician, rose
early in the morning, and, through life, his
practice was to retire an hour for private
prayer and meditation. This, he often told
his friends, gave him firmness and vigor
for the business of the day. Chief Justice
Hale, too, rose early, and retired for prayer,
and to read a portion of God's word, with-
out which, he said, nothingprosjiered with
him all the day. " Ministers," says an old
divine, " should be much in prayer. They
use to reckon how many hours they spend
in reading and studj'. It were far better
both for ourselves and the Church of God,
if more time were spent in prayer."
A desert place, not a large desert, as when
the desert of Judea or of Sinai is spoken
of, but only a solitude near Capernaum.
And the people sought him, inquired whither
He went, and continued to ask until they
ascertained, then came unto him, even in the
solitary place to which He had retired.
And stayed him, that he shoiddnot depart frora
them. There was growing up a dangerous
IDopularity. The miracles Christ had per-
formed were in danger of producing too
secular and general excitement. He indica-
ted a disposition to go away, but the people
earnestly solicited and pressed Him to re-
main at Capernaum. (See on Mark i, 35-37.)
43. And he said unto them, I must preach the king-
dom of God to other cities also : for therefore am I sent.
I must jiveach — to other cities also. Not in
the sense of an absolute necessity, but of
a moral obligation which sprang from His
very relation as the Messiah of Israel, and
not of Capernaum alone. As it was Christ's
great design to plant and propagate the
Gospel, He must not confine His ministry
to one particular place. For therefore am I
sent, equivalent to " For that I have come
out." In Mark i. 38, " for therefore came
I forth." (Isa. Ixi. 1 ; John xvi. 28, xvii.
4; John x. 36.) Preaching was Christ's
great work. Hence those who regard
preaching as a thing of less importance
than some other religious observances, are
in error. (See on Mark i. 38-9.)
CHAPTER V.
719
44. niAnd he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
•"Mark: i. 39.
From this it appears that their syna-
gogues were scattered through the villages
of Galilee, as churches are among us. He
preached, the proper meaning of the word
is, He continued preaching ; He never slack-
ened His pace — He continued proclaiming
the glad tidings of salvation to all — there
was no time to be lost — immortal souls
were perishing for lack of knowledge, and
the grand adversary was prowling about,
seeking whom he might devour. In the
earlier part of our Lord's ministry, He
preached mostly in the synagogues. After-
ward, when the people followed Him from
place to i^lace by thousands, He was obliged
to address them in the open air, from a
ship anchored near the shore, or from some
eminence, where He could be seen and
heard by all. (See on Mark i. 39.)
1. Where did Jesas go after returning from Jordan ? 2. "What is meant by " led by the Spirit,? " 3. How long
was Clirist tempted ? 4. State the three temptations, with the particulars of each. 5. How did Jesus return into
Galilee? 6. W^iere did He teach ? 7. Wliat did He do in Nazareth ? S. What portion of Scripture did He read?
9. What effect was produced by His teaching ? 10. Why wa.s the Saviour thrust out of the city ? 11. Where did
He meet the man with the spirit of an unclean devil? 12. State the particulars of his restoration. 13. What
miracle is nest recorded? 14. Where did Jesus go "when it was day?" 15. What did He say to those who
sought Him ?
CHAPTER V.
1 Chi-ist teacheth the people out of Peter'' s ship : 4 in a
miraculous taking of fishes, sheweih how he will make
him and his partners fishers of men : 12 cleanseth the
leper ; 16 jirayeth in tlie wilderness : 18 healeth one
sick of the palsy : 27. calleth Matthew Ihe publican ;
29 eate.th vnth sinners, as being the physician of souls :
'H foretelleth Iht fastings and afflictions of th-e apostles
after his ascension : 36 and likeiuth fainthearted and
iveak disciples to old bottles and worn garments.
AND "it came to pass, that, as the people pressed
upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by
the lake of Gennesaret.
"Matt. iv. 18 ; Mark i. 16, on which see notes.
Pressed upon Mm. A crowd rapidly
gathered around One of whom so many
strange things had been rejjorted, and
about whom local curiosity had be'en so
intensely excited. Their wish was such
as Jesus never repelled — to hear the word of
God. It seems the sermons which He
had preached in His last tour through the
country, had made a great impression on
the minds of the people who heard Him.
There was a glorious prospect of a ijlentiful
harvest, but how few of these blades came
to full corn in tlie ear ! To hear with dili-
gence and affection is well, but a preacher
of the Gospel may expect that, out of
crowds of hearers, only a few, compara-
tively, will fully receive the truth, and
hold out to the end. He stood. It is
probable, from Matt. iv. 18 ; Mark i. 16,
that Jesus was in the habit of walking
upon the broad beach of the lake. He
now stopped in His course as He arrived
at the boats of the future Apostles. By
the lake of Gennesaret. This inland sea or
lake is called by various names. 1. The
Sea of Galilee (Matt. iv. 18) ; through it the
Jordan flows, along the east side of the
province so called. 2. The Sea (or Lake)
of Tiberias, from a city built by Herod on
the south-west shore, and named in honor
of the Emperor Tiberius. (See John vi.
1, xxi. 1. 3. The Lake of Gennesaret, in
Hebrew, Cinnereth (Deut. iii. 17), or Cin-
neroth (1 Kings xv. 20), from a city and a
district on the western shore. (Josh.xix.
35; Num. xxxiv. 11.) This lake is of an
oval shape, about thirteen geographical
miles long and six broad. The river
Jordan enters it at its nothern end, and
passes out at its southern end.
2. And saw two ships standing by the lake : but the
fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing
their nets.
Ships — two small vessels. Tliey were a
sort of large fishing-boats, of which Jose-
phus says there were about 230 on the lake,
and four or five men to each. Standing
by the lake. Stationed, at anchor, near the
720
LUKE
shore of the lake. But the fishermen were
gone out of them. They were not only fish-
ing on this occasion, but followed this
business as their stated occupation and the
means of their subsistence. This lake still
abounds in a great variety of excellent
fish. The fishermen mentioned in this
verse were James and John (see verse 7,
10), who are not mentioned by name, and
are therefore considered as strangers to
the reader. Were gone out of them. Out
of their boats, but were probably in sight.
Were washing their nets, from the filth of
the sea, before laying them out to dry, ere
they went home to get such rest and re-
freshment as might fit them for the toils
of another night. In Matt, iv 21, it is
said "mending their nets." Some of the
company might be employed in "mending
their nets," after washing, and others in
" washing their nets," by casting them
from the shore into the lake. The
" mending their nets " is a trivial circum-
stance which it would never have occurred
to the inventor of a fictitious tale to
mention, and is one of those minute,
latent, indirect proofs of the authenticity
of the Gospel, which it is most agreeable
to trace when opportunity offers, although
not, perhaps, of great importance. '' Fish-
ers of men," after they have cast in their
nets for a draught, should seek carefully
to purify and cleanse themselves from
aught which, in that very act, they may
have gathered of sin, impurities of vanity,
of self-elation, or of any other kind, and
this they must do if they would use their
nets effectually for a future draught."
3. And he entered into one of the ships, which was
Simon's, and i^rayed liim tliat lie would thrust out a
little from the land. And he sat down and taught the
people out of the ship.
Entered into, went on board, one of the
ships, which ivas Simon's. The ship of
James and John was at some distance,
perhaps around at the farther point of the
cove. Simon having descried Jesus ap-
proaching, followed by the multitude,
forthwith returned to his boat. And
prayed him that he would thrust out a little
from the land — requested him, for the
sake of convenience, to put out a short
distance iipon the sea, just far enough for
Him to be heard distinctly by those on
shore. And he sat down, the usual position
of a teacher, and taught the people out of the
ship, the knowledge of the Lord. The
shore was the church, the ship the pulpit,
the Saviour the preacher. Here, with the
deep blue sky above, the high rocks or
gently sloping hills around, and the placid
waters beneath, with brow yet unfurrowed
with the lineaments of predicted sadness,
He proceeded to unfold the great revela-
tion for which, during four thousand years,
the world had waited in anxious expect-
ancy. It was a momentous day in the
history of the Church. It is holy work
that makes holy ground. It is right that
there should be places set apart for holy
lessons and holy services, but we must
never think for one moment that there is
any spot of ground so holy, that there we
must think right thoughts, and speak right
words, and do good deeds, but that the
moment we are outside, the rest of the
ground is so profane that we may live just
as we like.
4. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon,
^Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for
a draught.— bJohn xxl. 6.
When Christ had done preaching, and
had probably dismissed the people to
their homes. He directed Peter to resume
his business. Time spent on week days
in the public exercises of religion, may
be but little hindrance to us in time, and
a great advantage to us in temper of mind,
in our worldly calling. Launch out into
the deep, and let down your nets for a draught:
as opposed to the shallow water near the
shore, and where would be a larger shoal
of fishes. The nets, including also those
of the fishermen empk>yed by Peter,
werfe probably seines, although some sup-
pose they were hag-nets or basJcci-nets, such
as were used in deep water. This com-
mand to Peter, following the slight test to
which his obedience had been already put,
had its force also with reference to the rest
of the crew of the boat, who must have
been active therein. Christ commands
the use of means.
5. And Simon answering said unto him. Master, we
have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing :
nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
Master. Peter familiarly addresses Jesus,
not as a new acquaintance, but as an old
disciple. He received the first blessed
word from Him on the banks of the Jor-
dan. We have toiled all the night, and have
CHAPTER V.
721
taken nothing, a circumstance which one
would have thought should have excused
them from hearing the sermon, but such
love had they to the word of God, that it
was more reviving and refreshing to them
than the softest slumbers, "Fishers of
men," says an old divine, " may labor all
night, and all day, too, and catch nothing.
This is sometimes the fisherman's fault,
but oftener the fishes, who are crafty and
cunning, and will not come near the net,
or are too slippery to be holden. It is the
fisher's fault that nothing is taken if he
doth only play upon the sand, and not
launch out into the deep, deliver some super-
ficial and less necessary truths, without
Oldening to the people the great mysteries
of godliness, and if he fish with a broken
net, either deliver unsound doctrine or
lead an exemplary life ; also, if he doth
not fish at Christ's command, but run a
fishing unsent." Certain it is that all the
labor of the ministry must be unsuccessful
where the 1)lessing of God is not. It is
the presence and influence of Christ in a
congregation that causes souls to be
gathered unto Himself; without these,
whatever the preacher's eloquence or
abilities may be, all will be night and
fruitless effort.
Nevertheless at thy word luill let down the
net. We are not to regard these as the
words of one half despairing of the issue,
yet merely complying with the request of
One whom, out of regard to their former
transient relation, he recognized as his
" Master," and felt bound to obey. On the
contrary, they were spoken more in the
spirit of the Psalmist, when he exclaimed,
" Except the Lord build the house, they
labor in vain that build it : excei^t the
Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh
but in vain." (Ps. cxxvii. 1.) They were
words of faith. "Though my own reason
is against Thine, though my conclusions
are the opposite of Thine, though I am a
fisherman, and have the greater experience
in my trade, and the knowledge of the best
seasons for prosecuting it, and of all the
likelihoods or unlikelihoods of success
that may attend it — nevertheless, my reason
shall be laid prostrate at Thy feet, my con-
clusions shall be dismissed, and because
Thou biddest me, I will do it." What a
46
precedent for us ! Let us not despond
upon any unsuccessful trial in our Master's
business, nor be dejected by any disap-
pointment in the way of our ordinary
calling, when we contem])late this eminent
example of such a blessing upon a mind
ready to labor at His word, and so large
amends made at once for so many fruitless
experiments before.
6. Aik) wlion tlipy liad tliis done, they inclosed a
great iiiiiUitiule ol' fishivs: and their net brake. 7. And
they heekdiied unto t/u ir partner^;, wliicli were in the
otlier ship, lliat tliey should cume and help them. And
they came, and tilled both the ships, so that they began
to siuk.
Break, literally, began to break or, was
breaking. Such an immense weight of fish
was inclosed in the net, as it was impos-
sible for the united strength of the
two brothers to draw, or for the
boat to manage. Perceiving this, the
brothers beckoned, or made signal, to their
l^artners in the other boat, who were
probably not within call, to come to their
aid. What a pity there should be such
an envious separation among the difi"erent
denominations that profess to believe in
Christ Jesus ! Did they help each other in
the spirit of Christian fellowship, more
souls would be brought to the knowledge
of the truth. And they came, and filled both
the ships, so that they began to sink. Perhaps
miraculous power gathered in more than
the nets. Probably the one-sided dip
came near to swamping the boats, the
beginning to be merged was arrested by
the righting.
8. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus'
knees, saying, "Depart from me : lor I am a sinful man,
O Lord.— <:2 Sam. vi. 9 ; 1 Kings xvii. 18.
He fell down at Jesus' knees — a profound
reverence, as to a Divine being. He had
a full Divine impression that this was no
prophet, or angel, but God incarnate, the
Son of God, who had just shown His lord-
ship over nature, animate and inanimate,.
and His knowledge of the secrets of the
deep. Depart from me ; for lam a sinful
man, 0 Lord. He was hot weary of Christ's
presence, but acknowledged himself un-
worthy of it. He felt he was in the-
presence of Deity, a sense of his sins and'
unworthiness suddenly rushed on his mind,
while, with mingled feelings of humility,
gratitude and awe, he entreated Jesus to
depart from one who was so guilty and un-
deserving.
723
LUKE.
Observe, 1. Peter's acknowledgment
was very just, and one which it becomes
us all to make ; for even the best of men
are sinful men, and should be ready upon
all occasions to own it, and especially to
own it to Jesus Christ ; for to whom else
but to Him, who came into the world to
save sinners, should sinful men apply them-
selves ? 2. His inference from it was not
just: if we be sinful men,as indeed weare,
we should rather say, " Lord, for that very
reason, while we own ourselves most un-
worthy of Thy presence, we most importu-
nately entreat it. Come unto me, 0 Lord,
for lam a sinful man, and if Thou stand at
a distance from me, I perish!" Prayer
should not be too much controlled by emo-
tion. When the ^vicJccd say to God, "Depart
from me, for I desire not the knowledge
of thy Avays," He often takes them at their
word, yet He does not deal thus with the
trembling penitent, but receives him in
His arms, and bids him live with Him
forever.
9. For he was astonished, and all that were with him,
at the draught of the lishes which they had taken :
The word astonished is far too weak for
expressing the effect which we find this
miracle produced upon Peter. The original
literally means amazement wrapt him round.
Terror was mingled with his astonishment.
All that were in his boat were similarly
affected. AVe learn, from Matthew iv. 18,
that Andrew, Simon's brother, was with
him.
10. And so was also James, and John, the sons of
Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus
said unto Simon, Fear not, <ifrom henceforth thou shalt
catch men.
dMatt. iv. 19 ; Mark i. 17, on which see notes.
James and John were affected with like
astonishment. The sons of Zebedee. In
respect to their relation to the Saviour,
it is more than probable that Salome, the
wife ofZebedee, was an own sister of Mary,
the mother of the Lord, so that her chil-
dren Avere own cousins of Jesus. The
children and wife of Zebedee are often
noticed in the New Testament, but it is in
this transaction alone that we catch a
glimpse ofZebedee himself. (Matt. iv. 21.)
It is supposed that he died shortly after.
And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from
henceforth thou shalt catch men. Though
Peter was immediately addressed, the rest,
Andrew, James and John, were included.
" Be not afraid, these discoveries tend to
life, not death, and ye shall become the in-
struments of life and salvation to a lost
world." This was properly the inaugura-
tion of the great work whereunto "thay
were about to be sent.
Jesus intending to call Peter, James and
John into His service, 1. Taught in their
presence, that they might know His doc-
trine; 2. He performed a miracle before
their eyes, that they might see and be con-
vinced of His power; 3. He called them to
go forth with this doctrine, and through this
2)ower, that they might teach the ignorant,
and be successful in their work. Thou shalt
catch men. Not only in His parables, but
in His other discourses, Jesus draws His
doctrines and instructions from the scenes
of nature, from the objects that surround
Him. The fishermen were to cedch men,
as David, the shepherd, was to feed. (Ps.
Ixxviii. 71, 72.) Julian the Apostate en-
deavored to turn the simile of fishing
against Christianity, inasmuch as fish were
caught from their living element for death ;
but the expression used singularly excludes
such a turn, for it signifies to take alive,
or for life, being compounded of the words
'^alive and capture. The parallel word
"fishers," used by the other Evangelists,
is the oldest name by which the minister-
ial office is described in the New Testa-
ment.
" Here," says a commentator of the last
century, " is the work of ministers set out,
to gain souls to God. They are not to
fish merely for a livelihood, much less for
honor and applause to themselves, but to
win souls to God, and are to bait their
hooks and order their nets to this end,
which they will never serve, if either by
general discourses they make the meshes
so wide that all will dart through them, or
if by their wit and learning they make
their discourses so fine and curious that
few or none of their hearers can under-
stand them. Nor will all our art make us
fishers of men. J vAll make yon. to become,
says Christ. Here we see His authority.
Paul may plant, and Apollos may water,
God must give the increase. But yet we
must order our nets rationally and proba-
bly, in order to our end, and without that
cannot expect God's blessing. Nor were
CHAPTER V.
r23
the Apostles presently to enter upon the
work of the ministry, but first to come after
Christ. And indeed such should all Gospel
ministers be. In the choice of Matthias,
Peter limited the people in their election
to those that had accompanied te'dJi Uiem all
the time the Lord Jesus went in and out amongst
them. (Acts i. 21.) Other fishers commonly
prove fishers for something else, not for the
souls of men.
11. And when they hart brought their shijis to land,
i^they forsook all, and followed him.
eMatt. iv. 20, xix. 27 ; Mark i. 18 ; chap, xviii. 28.
They — Simon or Peter, Andrew, James
and John (see notes on chap. vi. 14),
brought their ships to land, had drawn them
up again on the shore for a final aljandon-
ment. They forsook all and followed Him.
They renounced their boats, and nets, and
fish, the habits of life to which they had
been used, and the occupation in which
alone they were skilled, and which fur-
nished their subsistence. And this, not to
attach themselves to one who was rich or
great, or who could or did hold out to
them any worldly advantages, but to One
who was as poor as themselves. One with
whom they were often to suffer i^eril,
hunger and thirst, and who could not
assure them of a place where to lay their
heads. Whatever they left, it was their
all, and was as valuable to them as may be
the house or land, the library, the office,
the shop, of any one who reads this.
Forsaking consists not in the more or
less that is forsaken, but in the spirit in
which it is left. A man may be holden by
love to a miserable hovel with as fast
bands as to a sumptuous palace, for it is
the worldly affection which holds him,
and not the world. The sincere Christian,
in every age, though he does not cast
aside his worldly calling, is enabled to do,
what is in every respect the same — follow
his occupation with a single eye to God's
glor}', holding all his possessions in charge
•for God. The minister of the Gospel is to
give himself up wholly to his great work,
and not encumber himself, more than can
be avoided, with secular affairs and worldly
business. Churches should adequately
provide for their ministers, so as to pre-
vent necessity for their resorting to worldly
business.
12. ^ fAiid it came to pass, when he was in a certain
city, hoholil a man full of loprosy: wlio seeing .Icsus
fell on /i/.s' face. an<l be.suught liijii," saying, Lori.),lf thou
wilt, Iliou canst make mo clean.
fMatt viii. 1-1 : Mark i. 40-45, on which .see notes.
A certain city. We cannot ascertain
certainly where this miracle was wrought.
The confines of the city are intended, for
lepers were not suffered to live in towns.
A man full of leprosy. His disease was
deep-seated, virulent, and covered all his
body.
Of all diseases to which the human
frame is liable, the leprosy, perhtips, was
the most astonishing and appalling. It
was a poisoning of the springs of life, and
was deemed one of the Lord's most fearful
visitations of wrath. (Num. xii. 6, 10 ; 2
Chron. xxvi. 19.) It affected not merely
the body of the sufferer, which it covered
with deep bright spots, eating through the
skin into the very flesh, and spreading
like one great cancer over the whole
frame, but in some supernatural manner it
broke fprth ui3on the garments, in green
and reddish spots, fretting them away.
It even contaminated the walls of the
dwelling-houses, marking them with hol-
low strakes, greenish or reddish, which,
in sight, were lower than the wall (Lev.
xiv. 37), i. e., corroding not merely the
plaster, but eating even into the stones of
which the houses were iDuilt.
Fell on his face. In Mark (i. 17), hncellng
down; in Matthew (iv. 19), uvrshiped.
There is no essential difference in the
accounts. Either of the postures might
have been assumed, according to the cus-
tom of the country, in token of civil
respect, or as an act of religious homage.
A7id besought him. The leper exj^ressed
the profoundest reverence and mo.st earn-
est imj^ortunity. Lord, if thou ^l•iU, thou,
canst make me clean. The leper's faith had
doubtless been aroused and strengthened
by the report that had gone out concerning
Jesus. (See Luke iv. 37.) There was here
no questioning of Christ's power ; nothing
of his unbelief, who said, " If thou canst do
anything, have compassion on us, and help
us." (Mark ix. 22.) Wilt and canst are not
mere auxiliaries, but distinct and inde-
pendent verbs. If thou art willing thou art
able to cleanse or purify me, i. e., to free me
from the leprosy, considered not as a mere
disease, but as a symbolical and actual
724
LUKE
defilement. If the leper had known the
compassion of the Saviour's heart, he
■would not have said, '^ If thou wilt."
Christ's mercy is as great as His jooic'er. It
is true that by His power He stretched out
the heavens, and laid the foundation of
the earth. But it is also true, that " high
as the heaven is above the earth, so great
is His mercy toward them that fear Him."
How agonizing must have been the leper's
susi)ense after the utterance of his cry !
But it was not pi'otracted. A voice rei^lied
that went at once to his heart and filled it
with rapture.
13. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, say-
ing, I will : be thou clean. And immediately the
leprosy departed from liim.
See on Matt. viii. 1-4 ; Mark i. 40-45.
By the law of God (Lev. v. 3), he that
touched a leper was vmclean. By what
Christ did, as He was God, He could not
contract any ritual uncleanness. The sun
casts his beams upon all that is polluted
on the earth, but retains unscathed his
own purity and splendor. The deed of
stretching out the hand and touching the
leper had no magical, intrinsic power,
being frequently dispensed with, but it
visibly connected the author with the
subject of the miracle, and at the same
time symbolized or typified the healing
virtue which it did not of itself impart.
Saying, I will: be thou clean. Christ ratified
and appoved his utterance of faith, by
making the concession of his request in
the very words wdierein the request itself
had been embodied, I will. This is the
saying of God, and God only — the saying
of Him whose Almighty will is the cause
of all things. When His servants wrought
miracles, far different were the phrases
they used. Their cures were in the name
of another, but Christ's were in His aim
name, and by His own will. Joseph says
(Gen. xli. 16), " It is not in me, God shall
give Pharaoh an answer of peace." (2
Kings V. 7 ; Acts iii. 6.) And immediately
the leprosy departed from him. The effect,
as usual, was instantaneous — the man was
cleansed or purified, as he had asked, and
Christ had promised, both in a physical
and moral sense.
14. ?Aiid he charged him to tell no man : but go, and
show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing,
^according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto
them.
BMatt. viii. 4 ; Mark i. 40, on which see notes. iiLev.
xiv. 4, 10, 21,22.
Charged him to tell no man. Our Lord's
purpose in the injunction to the man that
he should not divulge the cure, as well as
on similar occasions, was probably this,
that His stiller ministry might not be
hindered or disturbed, by the inopportune
flowing to Him of multitudes, who should
be drawn to Him merely by the hope of
sharing the same worldly benefits, as we
see was the case on this very occasion
(Mark i. 45), nor yet by the premature
violence of His eneiliies, roused to a more
active and keener hate by the great things
which were published of Him. (Luke ii.
46, 47.) The words, tell no man, are to be
taken with this limitation, "till thou hast
shown thyself to the priests, lest if a rumor
of these things go before thee, the priests
at Jerusalem, out of envy, out of a desire
to depreciate my work, may deny either
that thou wast a leper, or else that thou
art now truly cleansed." This limitation
is suggested by the order of the sentence,
" see thou tell no man .... but go,"
&c. The man was ready to remain. Ad-
versity transfers our affections from natural
objects to Christ.
And show thyself to the priest, i. e., subject
thyself to the ins]>ection of a priest, and
obtain an official recognition of the cure
that has been wrought upon thee. The
Saviour condescends to permit His miracle
to be judged by the priest as to its genu-
ineness and completeness. And offer for
thy cleansing, according as Moses cofn-
manded. The sacrifice here referred to is
found prescribed in Lev. xiv. 10, 21, xli.
1-32. By this requisition Christ not only
provided for the full authentication of the
miracle, l:>ut, as it were, defined His own
relation to the ceremonial law. He knew
that the ceremonies of the Mosaic law,
which were only shadows and figures of
good things to come, and had in them-
selves no inherent power, were now
drawing to a close, and were soon to be
laid aside forever. But so long as they
were not abrogated. He would have them
respected. As they were ordained by
God Himself, they were not to be hghtly
esteemed. There is a time to be silent
about the work of Christ, as well as a
time to speak. There are times when our
Lord would have us work for Him quietly
CHAPTER V.
725
and silently, rather than attract attention
by a noisy zeal. There is a zeal which is
" not according to knowledge," as well as
a zeal which is righteous and praiseworthy.
Often we can be more useful by C[uietness
and patience, than in any other way. We
are not to "give that which is holy to
dogs," nor " cast pearls before swine." By
forgetfulness of this, we may even do
more harm than good, and retard the
very cause we want to assist.
For a testimony unto them, i. c, as a proof
that I reverence the law and comply with
its requirements, or it may refer to the
fact of the man's being cleansed, which
could be fully ascertained by nothing but
official scrutiny and attestation. " That
they may know that a mighty cleanser is
here." It was a most suitable case to
present to the priesthood, because it came
by law under their notice (Lev. xiv. 2, 10,
21), because of its peculiar symbolic signifi-
cance, and because of its demonstrative
character.
Leprosy is an emblem of sin. What are
we all but lepers, spirituallj^ in the sight
of God? Sin is the deadly sickness by
which we are all affected. It is inherited
from our parents. (Ps. li. 5.) It has eaten
into our constitution. It has affected all
our faculties — heart, conscience, mind and
will, are all diseased by it. (Isa. i. 6.) It
excludes from communion with God, and
from heaven, and, at length, it will bring
the body down to the grave (Eom. vi. 23),
and if sin is unpardoned, it will ruin the
soul forever. Who shall deliver us from
this body of death? Let us thank God
that Jesus Christ can. AVith Him nothing
is impossible. Let us never despair of
any one's salvation so long as he lives.
No cases of spiritual le^^rosy could be
worse than those of Manasseh, Saul and
Zaccheus, yet they were all cured ; Jesus
Christ made them whole. ^^ I will." These
two little words are a deep mine, rich in
comfort and encouragement to all labor-
ing and heavy-laden souls. They show xis
the mind of Christ toward sinners. They
exhibit His infinite willingness to do
good to the souls of men, and His readi-
ness to show compassion, and impart
salvation to all who, like this lejjer,
approach Him, sensible of their misery,
feeling that they have no claim other than
their misery gives them, realizing their
guilt, and exercising faith in His power
and mercy.
15. But so much the more went there a fame abroad
of him : iaiicl ureal multitudes came totrelher to hear,
and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
'Matt. iv. 2j ; Mark iii. 7, i. 45 ; John vi. 2.
The greater Christ's precaution against
having His cure of the leper blazoned
abroad, the more rapidly and extensively
the news spread. We learn from Mark i.
45, that the delivered one forgot the
injunction. (1 Sam. xv. 22.) Thankful
joy made silence impossible. It is notice-
able that in the Gospels we never find the
behavior of those who transgressed such a
command veiy severely censured. Yet
certainly this man, by his disobedience,
did the cause of Christ no service. The
rumor he started raised a crowd and ex-
citement, wholly unlike the gentle and
spiritual movement it was the purpose of
Jesus to create, and He was followed by
such numbers, that had He entered into
any city, He would have been in danger of
attracting the susi^icious notice of the
authorities.
16. kAnd he withdrew himself into the wilderness,
and pray ed.—kMatt. xiv. 23; Mark vi. 40.
Heuithdrevj, literally, He was icithdrawing,
or separating Himself, implying a habit,
and jjmijed. Christ frequently, doubtless,
daily went aside from the multitude, into
retired j^laces, for those exercises of devo-
tion in which His soul delighted. (Luke
vi. 12 ; Prov. xviii. 1 ; Matt. xiv. 23 ; Mark
vi. 4G.) Often, when the labors of the day
were so arduous and continuous as to give
Him no time for this, He drew upon the
hours of night, in order that the duty
and privilege of prayer might not sufier
interruption. It was not enough for Him
to have the feeling of devotion in His
soul ; He uttered audible prayer to God,
and retired and withdrew Himself from
other engagements, and from His most
intimate friends, for this purpose. Here
we have an- example for our imitation. If
Jesus gave Himself to prayer, shall ive
venture to neglect doing so ? The more
various and important public labors are,
the more evidently do we need to draw
down succor by ardent prayer, that we
may be strengthened and prospered in
them. We should so order our afJairs
736
LUKE.
that our public work and our secret
devotions may not encroach upon, or
interfere with each other. Ministers,
especially, are here taught that they are
to receive fresh supplies of light and
power from God by prayer, that they may
be the more successful in their work, and
that they ought to seek frequent oi:)portu-
nitiea* of being in private with God and
their boohs.
17. \ And it came to pass on a certain day, as lie was
teaching, tliat tliere were Pharisees and doctors of the
law sitting by, which were come out of every town of
Galilee, and Jiidea, and Jerusalem: and the iDower of
the Lord was i^resent to heal them.
Active and indefatigable as our Lord was
in preaching in their synagogue publicly
on the Sabbath, He considered this as no
sutficient reason for not instructing the
people in the same blessed truths on every
day, in private, and in the house in which
He resided. Where the heart is full of the
love of God, no time will appear inappro-
priate, no place unseemly, to speak of all
His wondrous works of providence and
grace.
There were Pharisees and doctors of the latv
sitting bij. It being ascertained where Jesus
might be found, persons of consideration
repaired to Capernaum (Mark ii. 1), not
only from other jjarts of Galilee, but even
from Judea and Jerusalem, some, doubt-
less, in search of benefit to their souls,
some from curiosity to see and hear One
whose name was in every mouth, and
others to watch Avhether any dangerous
principles lurked in a doctrine so actively
promulgated. Among these, and ah, prob-
ably, belonging to the latter class, were
Pharisees, and doctors of the law, who were
the same as the scribes (verse 21), so often
mentioned in connection with the Phari-
sees.
In the phrase, and the power of the Lord
was present to heal them all, if we refer the
pi-onoun them to the persons, implied in
the words he toas teaching, i. e., to such per-
sons in His audience as stood in need of
His healing power, the passage may be in-
terpreted, the poiver of Jesus was (operative)
to heal all vjhou'ere diseased; in other words,
there was on this occasion an eminent
display of His miraculous healing power,
accompanying His j^resentation of the
truth, and attesting to His Divine character
and mission.
18. lAnd, behold, men brought in a bed a man which
was taken with a palsy : and they sought means to
bring him in, and to lay him before hmi.
'Matt. ix. 2 ; Mark ii. a
Out of the other miracles of healing
which were performed at this time, this
one is recorded in detail, on account of the
remarkable circumstances which attended
it. Behold, merely indicates something
new and unexpected. Men brought in a bed.
Mark says (ii. 3), he was brought by four
men. According to Oriental usage, the
bed was jn'obably no solid framework like
our bedsteads, but a simple pallet, rug or
blanket. Even the most costly Oriental
beds consist of cushions and light cover-
ings, spread upon the floor or divan. A
man tvhich was taken with a palsy. Palsy
seems to be a contraction of the word pav-
alysis. It is the cessation of nervous
activity and muscular motion — a disease
that is found everywhere in various forms.
It was not uncommon in the East, and was
often caused by sleeping at night in the
open air. Sometimes it attacks the whole
body, sometimes only parts of it. Some
tliink this man's disease had been of long
standing. Others suppose it was the uni-
versal p)cdsy, which is quickly fatal, and
which may account for the earnestness and
haste of the bearers in getting their friend
to Christ. At all events his case was a
very aggravated one. He was totally dis-
abled. And they sought means to bring Mm
'in, and lay him before Him. When they
reached the house, they implored, but in
vain, that an opening might be made in
the crowd, that they might i^resent their
sick friend to Jesus. The door-way was
thronged, some were seeking a cure them-
selves, others were anxious to hear the
Saviour preach, many were influenced by
curiosity to see Him, and the envious
scribes were not disposed to give way that
He might again i)rove His almighty jjower.
19. And when they could not find by what way they
might bring him in because of the multitude, thej'went
upon the housetop, and let liim down through the tiling
with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
To understand the scene here described,
we must banish from our minds every
form of American or European houses. In
those Eastern countries houses were built
very low, with flat roofs (Sam. ii. 2 ; Josh,
ii. 6; Jer. xlviii. 38; Zeiih. i. 5), and with
a small square, or court-yard, in the midst
of the building. Access was obtained to
CHAPTER V.
the roof by a staircase outside, so that a
person might ascend . to the roof without
entering the hous^e. In the present case
our Lord appears to have been jjreaching
in tlie court-yard of the house. Those who
carried the paralytic not being able to
reach Him because of the crowd, ascended
to the roof, removed so much of it as was
necessary, and let down their patient
through the aperture. This could be done
by holding the corners of the couch, which
was but a thickly-padded quilt, without
any apparatus of ropes or cords.
What pains men will take about an
object when they are in earnest! The
friends of tlie paralytic were ingenious in
finding out a way. If we are as anxious
to obtain spiritual blessings as they were
to benefit the sick man, we shall be
ingenious too. We shall find time in
almost any circumstances for prayer and
for reading the Scriptures. Many have
shown great ingenuity in contriving means
to bring sinners to Jesus. The last day
will reveal how abundantly their pious
plans have been blessed.
20. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him,
Man, thy sins are Ibrgiven thee.
On verses 20-26 see on Matt. ix. 2-8 ;
Mark ii. 1-12.
The Saviour was not annoyed by the
interruption, so ready was He always to
help the afflicted. Not a word appears to
have been spoken by any one of the
party. The sick man's friends who re-
mained on the roof, and were, no doubt,
looking down with deep anxiety, con-
ceived, and conceived truly, that the silent
misery of the sufferer would plead his
cause fiir more effectually than their best
eloquence, while the sick man himself,
unable to speak from his malady, was
content to lie at the feet of Jesns, and
there to trust to His Divine compassion.
When he saw their faith — that of the bear-
ers of the paralytic, as well as of the
paralytic Jiimse.lf, manifested by their
making these extraordinary efforts to
bring him to Jesus. He said unto him, Man,
thy silts are forgiven thee. Saving faith and
healing were alike the gift of God, and
often, if not commonly, bestowed together.
Instead of healing the paralytic immedi-
ately, our Lord, who knew well the state
of his heart, artd, as if regarding him with
special tenderness, as one wlio^ mourned
more for his sins than his sufferings, pro-
nounced his sins forgiven. This absolu-
tion was not a declaration of what was,
or a wish for what might be, but a judicial
sentence of what took effect the moment
the words were uttered. The poor para-
lytic's sins were now actually pardoned,
and he must have experienced the blessed-
ness of the " man whose transgression is
forgiven, whose sin is covered, unto whom
the Lord imputeth not iniquity." The
worth of the pardon which Jesus bestows
is valued only by those who groan beneath
the burden of sin.
Our Lord's procedure on this occasion,
in i^ardoning the paralytic's sins before
healing his bodily disease, though it does
not show, as some maintain it does, that
He regarded special sufiering as punish-
ment for special sins, nevertheless was
calculated to remind him, and all who
were present, and all who read the account
of the transaction, that sin is the cause and
root of all pains and diseases. Greatly
may he rejoice, whose exj^erience enables
him to bless the Lord who hath first for-
given him all his iniquities, and then
healed all his diseases.
21. mAnd the scribes and Pharisees began to rea.son,
saying, Who is this wliich spealcetli blasphemies?
"Who can forgive sins, Init God alone?
"Matt. ix. 3 ; Marli ii. 6, 7. "Ps. xxxii. 5 ; Isa. xliii. 15.
The scribes and Pharisees who sur-
rounded Jesus now began to show their
malice toward Him. They began to reason,
to discuss or interchange views, secretly,
(Matt. ix. 3.) Blasphemy is committed
when, 1. unworthy things are attributed
to God ; 2. when worthy things are de-
nied to God; 3. when that w'hich is ex-
clusively Divine is attributed to others
than God. The charge of speaJdng blasphe-
mies, brought by Christ's subtle and bitter
foes against Him, was based upon an
arrogation of the Divine prerogative.
" What are this man's pretensions, that on
his own authority he should pronounce
forgiveness of sin, the sole prerogative of
God ? He is guilty of the rankest blas-
phemy." Had our Lord been a mere man,
or the highest of created beings, their
reasoning would have been correct, for no
one but God has power to forgive sin.
r38
LUKE.
But His language is becoming and appro-
priate, when regarded as spoken by a
Being who was God incarnate. As it
seems to have been then agreed on all
hands, that forgiving of sins was the pre-
rogative of God alone, and that for man to
arrogate to himself such a power as be-
longed to God alone, was no less than
blasphemy ; how can man, without guilt,
undertake to pronounce absolution ?
22. But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he an-
swering said unto them, Why reason ye in your hearts ?
Mark says (ii. 8), they reasoned within
themselves. Our Lord, seeing their thoughts,
addresses them with a question corre-
sponding in form with theirs : What reason
ye in your hearts ? In Matt. (ix. 4), the
question is, " Wherefore think ye evil in
your hearts ?" " Why do ye secretly
reckon and meditate evil ?" The words
refer to this process as going forward not
merely in their minds, but in their inner
parts, or secretly. In both cases the inter-
rogation implies censure. To know the
hearts of men was, with the Jews, a test
of the true Messiah's claims. In telling
them what the thoughts of their hearts
were (for they had expressed nothing
publicly), our Lord gave them the fullest
proof of His power to forgive sins, because
God only can forgive sins, and God only
can search and know the heart.
23. Whether is easier, to say, Tliy sins be forgiven
thee ; or to say. Rise up and walk ?
Whether is easier. This was a point which
could be determined without trouble.
Miracles had other prophets also perform-
ed, but really to bestow forgiveness, that
belonged to the Searcher of hearts alone.
Christ's enemies, however, as He knew,
thought that to say, or claim that sin is
forgiven, was undoubtedly the easier,
particularly so long as inquiry was not
made respecting the credentials of the
speaker's authority. In order, therefore,
that they might doubt no longer of His
credentials (which seem to have been the
great end of the miracle), the Saviour
accomplished the miracle of healing,
whereby the blessing of the forgiveness of
sins was at once manifested and sealed.
24. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath
power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the
sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee. Arise, and take up
thy couch, and go unto thine house.
The phrase Son of man appears to have
been taken from Dan. vii. 13, which the
Jews understood as referring to the
Messiah. (Luke xxii. 69, 70; John xii.
34.) That ye may knoiv, &c. " By doing
that which is submitted to the eyes of
men, I will attest my right and power to
do that which, in its very nature, lies out
of the region of ocular demonstration.
From what you shall see, you may con-
clude that it is no ' robbery' (Phil. ii. 6),
upon my part to claim also the power of
forgiving men their sins." Power upon
earth, the counterpart of j^oicer in heaven.
It could be no superior scientific skill, it
could be no mere earthly magnetic power,
it could be no accidental coincidence of
events. Earth is exclusively the place
where sins are committed and remitted.
The phrase implies a condition of heavenly
glory, in which no one will call in question
Christ's right to /emit sins. / say unto
thee. Arise, and take uj) thy couch, and go unto
thine house. This was added to show the
paralytic's perfect cure from a state of
absolute helplessness. Our Lord here
places the miracle as proof, in close succes-
sion after His claim of forgiving power as
the thing to be proved. No geometrician
could ever bring proposition and demon-
stration into closer contact.
25. And immediately he rose up before them, and
took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own
liouse, glorifying God.
Christ's command was accompanied with
Divine power, the helpless man instantly
sprang to his feet, lifted upon his head
the mattress upon which he had lain,
and strode with vigorous limbs out of the
court, through the crowd which now in-
stinctively made way for him, hastening,
under a command so pleasant to obey, first
of all to his own home and family, to be a
help where he had formerly been a
burden, glorifying God for the wonderful
cure which He had performed on his body,
and for the still more wonderful grace He
had bestowed on his soul.
26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God,
and were filled with fear, saying, W^e have seen strange
things to-day.
They tcere all amazed, or, literally,
"amazement took them all." The word
used for amazement is the same that is
translated in three places as " a trance."
(Acts X. 10, xi. 5, and xxii. 17.) The eflTect
CHAPTER V
729
was thrilling. Filled rvith fear. A natural
awe and reverence pervaded the people,
Mdiich led them to say, We have seen strange
things to-day, literary, events beyond belief,
marvelous, paradoxical, things contrary
to opinion, exjjectation, or ordinary expe-
rience. They glorified God — an admirable
antithesis, the enthusiasm of the people,
over against the murmuring of the scribes.
Matthew says, ix. 8, " The multitude glori-
fied God, who had given such power unto
men." From this it would seem that their
ideas of Christ were, as yet, very imper-
fect, and that they looked on Him in no
higher light than that of a man acting
with delegated authority, whereas they
ought to have concluded that He was the
Divine jMessiah. Nevertheless they glori-
fied God, saying, " We never saw it in this
fashion." " We never saw anything like
this."
In addition to the practical lessons
already derived from the narrative ex-
plained, the following are worthy of seri-
ous consideration : 1. Athiction may prove
a great blessing to a man's soul. Many a
one w^ould never think of Jesus, but for
the sickness with which he is visited. 2.
Whilst it is pleasant to see crowds flocking
to the house of God, there is too much
reason for the painful fear, that many go
there, not as humble worshipers, but as
censors and spies. 3. All who are them-
selves in health and strength and comfort,
ought to be ready to perform the various
offices of humanity to those who are in
sickness, or in any trouble. Esi^ecially
ought Christians who have friends and
acquaintances under the disease of sin,
to endeavor to bring them to the Saviour,
in a spiritual sense. 4. It is a solemn truth
that Jesus can perceive the thoughts of
men. This should be a daily and habitual
reflection with us. All our purposes or
desires even, for good or evil, are known
to Him. (Heb. iv. 13 ; see Ps. exxxix. 5.)
It is delightful to think that the Son of
Man has still power to forgive sin. " Him
hath God exalted with His right hand to
be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repent-
ance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."
(Acts V. 31.)
27. ^And after these things he went forth, and saw a
publican, named Levi, sitting at tlie receipt of custom :
and tie said unto him. Follow me. 28. And he left all,
fose up, and followed him.— oMatt. ix. 9 ; Maric ii, 13, 14.
On verses 27-38 see on Matt. ix. 17 ;
Mark ii. 14-22.
After these things, i. e., after He h id healed
the leper and restored the par.. lytic. He
went forth, left the house. And faw a pub-
lican named Levi, that is, looked ,:pon, atten-
tively regarded. A publican was a gatherer
of taxes imposed by the Romans on the
subject provinces of the empire. The.se
taxes being regarded with di>gust and im-
patient abhorrence, as badges of the na-
tional dishonor, the Jews who accepted
this office, and thus made themselves the
instruments of this disgrace to their coun-
try, were regarded with great aljhorrence.
Named Levi, or Matthew. The two were
one and the same person. It v/as a common
thing among the Jews for a jjerson to have
two names. Matthew, who w.i3 the first
Evangelist, was originally called Levi, but
later, as Simon was named by the Lord,
Peter, received from Him the new naine
of Matthew, which signifies, God's gift.
Sitting at the receijit of custom, i. e., the place
of such receipt. The publicans had tene-
ments or booths erected for them at the
foot of bridges, at the mouth of rivers, and
by the sea-shore, where they took the toll
of i^assengers. (See preface to ^Matthew.)
Sitting. Dr. Thomson says, "The peoj^le
of this country sit at all kinds of work.
The cari^enter saws, planes and hews with
his hand-adze, sitting upon the ground or
upon the plank that he is planing. The
washerwoman sits by the tub; and, in a
word, no one stands where it is possible to
sit. Shop-keepers always sit, and Levi
sitting at the receipt of custom, is the exact
way to state the case. And he said xmto
him, Folloio me. Doubtless this was not
Levi's first knowledge of the Saviour. The
analogy of the class described (Matt. iv.
18-22), makes it not improbable that this
man, like his predecessors, already be-
longed, for a shorter or longer time, to the
most attentive hearers of the Saviour.
But now he is called to accomiiany Him
continually as an Apostle, and to leave all
for His sake. And he left all, rose up and
followed Him. We are not to understand
that he departed without settling up and
arranging his affairs, so that his employers
might receive detriment from his change
of pursuit, and yet it is plain that unhesi-
730
LUKE.
tatingly, without the reply of a word, or
the least unnecessary delay, he left all in
which he had just before been immersed,
and obeyed the summons which was to
change the whole tenor of his life.
1. Such is the freeness of Divine grace
that it calls and converts when, where and
whomsoever it will. 2. Conversion is as
much a supernatural work now, as it was
eighteen hundred years ago. (Ps. xxvii.
8.) 3. We must never despair of any one's
salvation so long as he lives, after reading
of Levi's case. 4. Conversion now is as
equally decisive a work as it ever was.
Where the inward call of the Holy Spirit
accomj)anies the outward call of the AVord,
the soul promptly yields obedience to the
call of Christ, Satan cannot hold us down,
the world shall not keep us back. It is
admitted that Matthew's resigning his
worldly calling, and worldly gains, was
peculiar, but this only as regards the act,
and not as regards the state of mind which
produced the act, and which is required of
all. 5. Instant obedience to what Christ
says is duty. God says, "Believe — do."
We are not to discuss the metaphysics of
the question, but just believe as God says,
and do as God prescribes, and in the effort
we will find the strength that is adequate
to the occasion.
29. pAnd Tjevi made him a great feast in his own
house: and qthero was a great coinijany of publicans
and of others that sat down with them.
pMatt. ix. 10 : Mark li. 15. iLuke xv. 1.
Levi regarded the change in himself as
occasion of rejoicing and gratitude. There
are many who, if they hear of a relation
being converted, consider it rather a mis-
fortune. What an error! IS^othing can
happen to a man which ought to be such
an occasion of joy as his being made a
subject of Divine grace. Made him a great
feast. When Christ was invited to any
table, He never refused to go, even if a
publican or Pharisee invited Him, He
went mainly for an opportunity of con-
versing and doing good. A great feast. The
words refer more properly to the number
of the guests, and the manner in which
they were received, than to the quantity
or quality of the fare. The great company
of publiams consisted, in all probability, of
Levi's old friends and companions, whom
he desired to be convinced of the change
he had experienced, and to have the op-
portunity of seeing and hearing his heav-
enly Teacher. Having been graciously
delivered from the bondage of sin, he
wished others also to be set free. This
feeling of Levi will always be the feeling
of a true Christian.
30. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against
his disciples, .saying, Why do ye eat and drinli with
publicans and .sinners ?
Their scribes and Pharisees, i. e., those be-
longing to Capernaum, where this enter-
tainment was given. They were outraged,
not only by our Lord's going to a publican's
house to eat with him and his guests, but
also by His choo.sing such a man for one
of His most honored servants and closest
companions. W^e are not to suppose that
the scribes and Pharisees were among the
company at table, for they would then,
undoubtedly, according to their own opin-
ion, have defiled themselves. We are
rather to believe that the feast was so far
of a public character, that access to the
house was forbidden to no one, and that
the desire of Christ's enemies to observe
the Saviour was stronger than their disin-
clination to enter into the house of a pub-
lican. WJiy do ye eat and drink, &c. This
fault-finding question was not directly ad-
dressed to the Saviour Himself The defeat
suffered by them shortly before at the
healing of the paralytic, had probably de-
terred them from coining too frequently
in contact with Christ. But though the
cavil was addressed to His disciples, as it
was aimed at our Lord, He answered, not
merely to shame the scribes and Pharisees
and t-o maintain His own cause, but also and
e.specially in order to come to the help of
His perplexed disciples, who were not yet
in a condition suitable to defend themselves
and Him.
31. And Jesus answering said unto them, they that
are whole need not a physician ; but they that are siclc.
As if our Lord had said, " Why should
a jjhysician be censured for conversing
with sick patients? I came into the
world to perform the office of a kind phy-
sician unto men ; surely then I should
take all opportunities of conversing with
them, that I may help and heal them, for
they that are sick need the jjhysician, but as
for you, scribes and Pharisees, who are
strong and sound in your own opinion and
CHAPTER V.
73t
conceit, I have no hope of doing you
good, for such as think themselves u-hole de-
sire not the physician's aid." Very strik-
ing is this imago of sickness to mark the
prostrate condition of man in his sin.
The drooping, the disgust with the very
sights and sounds which gladdened him
before, the feverish restlessness, the
parched tongue, the weary limbs, the acute
pain, the dull, deep gnawing of mortal
disease, the disarrangement of all the
fanctions of the body, the sleeplessness,
the delirium, the helplessness and the
hopelessness of the poor stricken one, and
his death, if his sickness is not removed —
surely all this supplies a wonderful picture
of sin in the soul of man, the spiritual
disease under which he is suffering, and
his melancholy doom, if that disease is
not healed by the Great Physician.
32. '1 came not to caU the righteous, butsinners to re-
pentance.—fJIatt. ix. 13 ; 1 Tim. i. 15.
Here, as elsewhere, we see that our
Lord's call to sinners is not a bare call to
become His disciples, but a call to repent-
ance. Repentance, or godly sorrow for sin,
is for the just-named sick, the restoration of
the health of the soul. We are not to
understand that Christ found some who
were " whole," and " righteous ;" for an
Apostle has declared that " all have sinned."
Jesus called those scribes and Pharisees
" righteous " and " whole," not because
they were really so, but only because they,
with a holy mockery, esteemed them-
selves so. The language in relation
to them is entirely ironical. (See on Matt.
ix. 13.)
33. And they said unto him, 'Why do the disciples of
John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the
disciples of the Pharisees ; but thine eat and drink ?
sMatt. ix. H : Mark ii. 18.
The objection here made, that the disci-
ples of our Saviour did not fast so often
and so much, and " make prayers" so
frequently as the disciples of John the
Baptist, seems, according to the fuller ac-
count 'of Matthew and Mark, to have
come from the disciples of John them-
selves, in union with the Pharisees, the
Pharisees having, perhaps, incited these
disciples to make common cause with
them, which they could the more easily
do, as now Jesus was at a feast and John
in prison. The prayers do not refer to the
common and usual prayers of devout men,
but to those which accompanied a life of
austere devotion, such as John and his
disciples practiced, of whom many may
have been from among the Essenes, whose
previous asceticisms would lead them to
regard with surprise the departure of
Jesus and His disciples from the stern
habits of self-denial practiced by their
Master.
34. And he said unto them. Can ye make the children
of the bride-chamber fast, while the bridegroom is wittj
them ?
Can ye make, by your ordinances, pre-
cepts and practices, the children of the
bridegroom, &c. — an evident allusion to
the last testimony of John the Baptist
(John iii. 29), given with a look at his
murmuring disciples. It will be noticed
that there is an antithesis between this
and the following verse. In the one case
fasting would be performed, if at all, by
compulsion ; in the other case, it would
be spontaneous and genuine. Now that
the Bridegroom was with the children of
the bride-chamber, and it was a day of joy
and rejoicing with the disciples, mourning
and fasting would be very inapijropriate
for them. Christ would not discourage
His disciples by over-rigorous institutions,
and it is unfit that His religion should be
burthened with them. He suits the duties
of His people to their circumstances, and
kindly i^roportions their work to their
strength, with a tender regard to their
weakness, till by degrees they may be
fitted for the more difhcult and humbling
services. (See on Matt. ix. 15.)
J). But the days will come, when the bridgroom shall
be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in
those days.
" The days uill come, in which a much
greater sorrow will befall my disciples
than even that which has now smitten the
sorrowing disciples of John— I am not only
to be separated from them, but to be taken
array — an evident allusion to the violent
death He should die, and then shall they fast
in those days." The words, those days, are
not to be regarded as an unnecessarj' pleo-
nasm of the days vUl come, but as an em-
phatic repetition. Though the expres.sion
— then shall they fast — does npt seem to war-
rant the inference drawn by many from
it, that when the Saviour left the world,
literal fasting from meats and drinks, at
732
LUKE.
certain seasons, was to be the duty of all
Christians, yet it lu&y not be doubted that
fasting and abstinence were occasionally
practiced by believers after our Lord's as-
cension. (See on iv. 2.) The words in
this verse appear to have a deeper mean-
ing than any mere abstinence from food.
They describe the state of mind in which
all true Christians should live until their
Lord returns. It is time for daily and
hourly self-denial and mortification. The
time of fullness and satisfaction cannot be
until we see the Bridegroom amongst us
again.
36. 'And he spake also a parable unto them ; No man
putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old: if
otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and tbe
piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with
the old.— (Matt. \x. 16, 17 ; Mark iL 21, 22.
Our Lord now introduces a parable,
which here means a proverbial expression,
or simile, illustrative of some truth, to ex-
plain and enforce the principle of congru-
ity and fitness which would be violated,
should His disciples adopt the ascetic
habits of John's disciples, or those of the
Pharisees. The special fitness of a parable
taken from wine and clothing while ;He
sat at a feast, strikes the eye of itself. If
otherwise; if he does, he both rends the
new garment and the patch from the new
garment, and the patch from the new gar-
ment will not agree with the old. This is
meant to show how the attempt to patch
up the old with the new, spoils both sys-
tems. The new loses its completeness,
and the old its consistency. The Saviour
gave the murmuring scribes and Pharisees
to understand that that which He was
bringing in, was not a mere addition to,
or complement of that which had gone by.
The whole Jewish dispensation was passing
away. The dispensation of the Gospel
was at hand. But the latter was not to be
thrust into the midst of the former, in
order to make it last longer, or wear better.
The old dispensation was not the more
important of the two, and so the new ought
not to be used to renovate and help on the
old. The garment of law righteousness
was old. The garment of Christ's righteous-
ness was new. The first was waxing feeble,
and ready to perish altogether. The latter
was not to be jjieced into it, in order that
it might be preserved. The "agreement"
spoken of in the parable as not existing
between the new and the old, simply has
reference to any effort to bring them to-
gether, to unite them, to save the one from
perishing by the help of the other. The
old and new Covenants are both originally
from God, and both, as such, are good, but
they must not be blended together, or
mixed up with each other, as if to make
but one.
87. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles ;
else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled,
and the bottles shall perish. 3S. But new wine must be
put into new bottles ; and both are preserved.
This parable has nearly the same mean-
ing with the one preceding it. There is,
however, this distinction, that in the for-
mer, the new (the cloth) is rej^resented as
something added with the intent of mend-
ing the old, while, on the other hand, in
the second, the new (the wine) is now the
principal thing, and comes into prominence
in its peculiar force and working. The
first parable tells us that the improve-
ment must not be begun externally, leaving
the state of the inner man untouched ; the
other shows inversely, that the internal
renovation must reach to what is outward,
and give to this a suitable direction.
39. No man also having drunk old wine straightway
desireth new : for he saith. The old is better.
It seems very likely that in this con-
cluding verse, which is peculiar to Luke,
our Lord refers esisecially to the disciples
of John the Baptist. They had drunk of
the "old wine" of John's teaching, and
could hardly be expected to become at-
tached to the " new wine " of our Lord's
kingdom. Or, it may be that the reference
is to the Pharisees. The gracious Redeemer
apologizes for those hearts which had
grown accustomed to the nature of the old,
regarding it as not unnatural that they
should feel it difficult to depart from the
regular and wonted course, and venture
into a new and fermenting elemeht of life.
The old, though in itself less pleasant, is
yet, through custom, more acceptable.
" Use forms the taste."
CHAPTER VI.
733
1. From what place did Christ teach the people? 2. What did He say to Simon? 3. What did Simon reply?
4. Whatwiis the result of his obedience? 3. What did Simou Peter say at Jesus' kuees? G. Explain Christ's
reply to him. 7. State the particulars of the cure of the leper. 8. Where did Jesus withdraw Himself? 9. For
what purpose ? 10. E.xplain the narrative of tho healing of the paralytic. 11. Wliat did Jesus say to Levi ? 12.
At what did the scribes and Pharisees murmur? la. How did Jesua viudicate Hia course? 14. Explain the
parahles ia verses 30 aud 37.
CHAPTER VI.
1 Christ reprovrth thr P/iari.s-rr.f' hUndncfis about the ob-
servation of t fir SiOjh(ttlt,l>)i srrijjture, rrasoii. and mir-
acle: 13 choo.-icth twrlrr apo.sUrs : 17 hialrth the dis-
eased: 20 j/rrarhrth to his diseiplrs before tfie people
of blessinii.i ami eursm : 27 how we must love our
enemies: iG and join the obedience of good works to
the hearing of the word : lest in the evil day of tempta-
tion we fall like an house built upon the face of the
earth, without any foundation.
In this chapter we have Christ's expo-
sition of the Moral Law, which He came
<iot to destroy, but to fulfill, and to fill up
by His Gospel.
AND ait came to pass on the second Sabliatli after the
first, that he went through the corn-lield-; ; and his
disciples i^lucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing
them in their hands.— ''Matt. xii. 1 ; Mark ii. 23.
Second Sabbath after the first. From Pass-
over to Pentecost was seven weeks. The
customary reckoning of these seven weeks
was from the second day after the Passover,
and the first Sabbath after this second day
was called the second-first Sabbath. The
Passover was in April, a time not too early
for the ripening of the barley -fields in the
better parts of Palestine. He vent through
the corn-fieJds, attended by His discip)les
and some of the Pharisees, whose curiosity,
it is probable, prompted them to follow on
this occasion, in exjiectation of seeing
more miracles. The fields were sow'n with
corn, in the proper English sense of grain
or breadstufl's, with particular reference to
■wheat and barley. Rabin nic authority
shows that there were paths leading
through the fields of corn. And his disci-
ples, who had eaten nothing during the
day, plucked the cars of corn, wheat or bar-
ley, and as it was ripe, rubbed thera in their
hands, so as to separate the kernels from
the chaff, and did eat. This is a customary
way of appeasing hunger in Palestine at
this day.
2. And certain of the Pharisees said unto them. Why
do ye that bwhich is not lawful to do on the sabbath-
days?— bEx, XX. 10.
Why do ye that which is not lavful to do on
the sabbath-days f This could not refer to
walking in the fields, for, according to
Jewish tradition, one might travel beyond
the limits of a town, "a Sabbath-day's
journey," which was about seven-eighths
of a mile. (Ex. xvi. 20 ; Acts i. 12.) The
plucking of ears of corn by passengers in
a corn-field through which a path lay, was
allowed by the law. (Dent, xxiii. 25.) Dr.
Robinson says it is the custom still. Indeed,
the Pharisees only say that it was unlaivfid
on the sabbath-days. This was more than
the law of the Sabbath said or implied.
The law forbade servile work on that day,
but the act of the disciples was no servile
work. Hypocrites expend their zeal about
the lesser things of the law, whilst they
neglect the greater. (Matt, xxiii. 24.)
They i^lace all holiness in the observance
of outward' ceremonies, whilst they ne-
glect moral duties. An intolerant and
censorious spirit in religion is greatly to
be deprecated.
3. And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not r'^ad
so much as this, cwhat David did, when himself vvs
an hungered, and they whicli were with him ; 4. H<.'v
he went into the house of ftod, and did take and e;"
the shew-bread, and gave also to them that were witi;
him ; iiwhioh it is not'lawful to eat but for the priests
alone ?— i^l Sam. xxi. 0. dliev. xxiv. 9.
In the answer of our Lord there was a
reference to 1 Sam. 21. The house of God,
in which He dwelt among His people, an
expression no less applicable to the taber-
nacle than the temple. As the ancient
sanctuary, under both its forms, was meant
to symbolize the doctrine of Divine inhab-
itation and peculiar presence with the
chosen people, it was movable as long as
they were w'andering and unsettled, but
as soon as they had taken full jjossession
of the promised land, which was not till
the reign of David, the portable tent was
exchanged for a i^ermanent, substantial
dwelling. At the time here mentioned,
the tabernacle was at Nob. (1 Sara. xxi.
1.) The shew-bread, in Hebrew, '' bread of
734
LUKE.
the presence," or faces, because this bread
was to be set continually " before the face
of Jehovah:' (See Ex. xxv. 23 and 30.)
Twelve loaves were every Sabbath placed
on a table in the Holy Place, first in the
tabernacle, and afterward in the' temple
of Solomon, and when they were removed,
they were eaten only by the priests. The
argument of Jesus was this : " If David,
when he was fleeing from Saul, and was
overtaken with hunger, took and ate that
holy bread, and did this, not because he
was called of God to a peculiar work and
office in which he might lawfully do
things forbidden to others, for he gave also
to them that were with him, why might not
my chsciples pluck barley on a holy day,
when they Avere hungry? If God per-
mitted the rules of His own house to be
infringed in cases of necessity, would He
not allow work to be done on His own
Sabbath days, when it was work for which
there was really a need?" Our Lord did
not argue for a proper breaking of the
law, but for its true construction. The ex-
ample adduced by Him not only indicated
His purpose to remain in all things spiritual
faithful to the standard of His illustrious
ancestor, but was also admirably fitted to
show that under such a pressure a ceremoni-
al precept must give place to a moral duty.
5. And he said unto them, That the Son of man is
Lord also of the sabbath.
The Sabbath is an ordinance for man's
rest, both actually and typically, as setting
forth the rest that remains for God's
people. (Heb. iv. 9.) But He who is now
speaking has taken on Himself manhood
— the whole nature of man — and is rightful
Lord over creation, as granted to man,
and of all that is made for man, and
therefore of the Sabbath. The whole dis-
pensation of time is created for man — for
Christ, as He is man — and is in His abso-
lute power. Hence the Sabbath having
been ordained for man, not for any indi-
vidual, but for the whole race, it must
needs be subject to the Son of man, who
is its Head and Eei^resentative, its Sover-
eign and Redeemer. This implies that
though the Sabbath, in its essence, is per-
petual, the right of modifying and control-
ling it belongs to Christ, and can be
exercised only under His authority.
The Sabbath is of Divine institution. It
was established on the day of the holy
rest of God, at the end of the creative
week. It formed a part of the Patriarchal
religion. It was woven into the moral
code given to Moses. It was not given as
a part of the ceremonial law, but of the
moral. The injunction in the fourth com-
mandment, to "remember" it, implies that it
was an institution with which the Israelites
were already acquainted. We meet with
directions concerning it in the Prophets,
and then passing on we find it hallowed
by Christ's holy exumjile. (iv. 16.)
After the resurrection of Christ, the
Jewish Sabbath, which was laid upon the
primitive Sabbath, was abolished, and " the
Lord's day" (Rev. i. 10), or Christian Sab-
bath, was superimposed upon another day
— the first day of the week — tlius making the
day of universal and j^erpetual ol^ligation.
On this day, when His disciples were
assembled, Jesus api^eared to them. The
ajipearance was repeated by Him on the
same day a week afterward. On this day,
in all probability, the Holy Ghost was
given, for the day of Pentecost signifies
the fiftieth day fi'om the first day of the
feast of the Passover, and always happened
on the first day of the week. On the first
day of the week the disciples assembled
for worship. (Acts xx. 7.) On it contri-
butions were made for charitable purposes.
(1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2.) John refers to it as
"the Lord's day" (Rev. i. 10), meaning
that it was that day Avhich was consecrated
to the worshij) and service especially of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Ignatius, Bishop
of Antioch, A. D. 101, says: "Let us
(Christians) no more sabbatize," that is,
keep the seventh day, as the Jews did,
" but let us keep the Lord's day." The-
ophiliis, Bishop of Antioch, about A. D.
162, says : " Both custom and reason chal-
lenge from us that we should honor (he
Lord's day, seeing on that day it was
that our Lord Jesus completed His
resurrection from the dead." Trenieus,
Bishop of Lyons, A. D. 167, who had been
a disciple of Polycari:>, the companion of
the Apostles, says : " On the Lord's day
every one of us Christians keeps the Sab-
bath, meditating on the law, and rejoicing
in the works of God," Clement, of Alex-
CHAPTER VI.
735
andria, A. D. 192, says: "A Christian,
according to the command of the Gospel,
observes the Lord's day, thereby glorifying
the resurrection of the Lord." The words
of Tertullian, about the same time, are:
" The Lord's day is the holy day of the
Christian Church." Constant'me, in the
fourth century, issued an edict, obliging
all the Roman empire to " observe the
Lord's day, in memory of those things
which were done by the common Saviour
of men ;" and Chrysostom says : " The first
day of the week is to be observed by
Christians as the Lord's day."
The Sabbath is absolutely essential, not
only to the animal creation in the service
of man, but to man's welfare, pliysically,
intellectually, socially, morally. Hence
nearly all nations have observed a day of
rest periodically, and generally the seventh
day. The infidel actors in the French
Revolution abolished the Christian Sab-
bath. They voted "No God," instead of
the God of Abraham, and they voted " No
Sabbath," but substituted wliat they called
the Decades, or every tenth day. But what
was the result? After the desperate ex-
periment had been made, Robespierre was
constrained to say, " The world will go to
pieces if we cannot find a God;" and, in
the course of a few years, as if the Sabbath
was made for man, the world fell back into
the olden ruts, and seized the Sabbath again
as too precious to be let go.
We live in days when anything like
strict observance of the Sabbath is loudly
denounced by some as a remnant of Jew-
ish superstition. Vague talk like this has
no confirmation in the word of God. Let
us settle it in our mind that the fourth
commandment has never been repealed
by Christ, and that we have no more right
to break the Sabbath, under the Gospel,
than we have to murder and to steal. The
architect who repairs a building, and re-
stores it to its proper use, is not the de-
stroyer of it, but the preserver. The Saviour
who redeemed the Sabbath from Jewish
traditions, and so frequently exjjlained its
true meaning, ought never to be regarded
as the enemy of the fourth commandment.
On the contrary. He has "magnified it,
and made it honorable."
•! eAnd it came to pass also on another sabbath, that
he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there
wiLS a man whoso right hunil was witiiered.
«Matt. xii. U; Mark iii. 1 ; see chap. xiii. 14 and xiv. 3;
John ix. (i.
AnotJicr Sabbath, proljably the next after
the incident in the corn-field. The syna-
gogue, of those with whom He had thus
disputed (Matt. xii. 9), taught, according to
His usual custom. A)id there was a man
whose rigid hand icas vutli.cred. An atrophy
(of the limb), and an inability to move the
nerves and muscles, which would cause
the limb to be rigid, was what the Jews
understood by a "withered limb." It was
occasioned by a deficient absorption of
nutriment in tiie limb. It was attended
with great danger, and often proved fatal.
When once thoroughly established, it was
incurable by any art of man. Rigid hand.
The mention of the right hand is im^Dort-
ant, not only as it is a definiteness of ex-
pression which attests the independence
of Luke's narrative, but also as showing
the great mercy of restoring to a man the
use of the hand (or arm) with which he
labored.
7. And the scribes and Pharisees watched him,
whether he would heal on the sabbatli day ; that they
might tind an accusation against him.
Christ's enemies were present, for they
observed the foivns of religion, though tliey
knew not its pov:er. They watched him,
and, as the original verb denotes, w"ith evil
intent. It is thus that some minds place
themselves when tliey come to view reli-
gion. They scan it, not to know the true
will of God, and their duty in His sight,
but to see if some ground of perversion
cannot be found.
8. But he knew their thoughts, and said to tlie man
which liad tlie withered hand, Ei-e up, and stand forth
in the midst. And he arose and stood Ibrth.
But he kneiv their thoughts. This assertion
of Christ's omniscience is not the less
valuable and convincing a proof of His
Divinity, because introduced with so little
apparent design on the part of the Evan-
gelist. And said, to the man with the uithered
hand. Notwithstanding the men were
present who had just charged His disci-
ples with breaking the Sabbath, Jesus
here proceeded with His work. The un-
just censures and malicious cavils of wicked
men must not discourage us from doing
our duty either toward God or our neigh-
bor. Rise up, and stand forth in the midst,
literally, "up! into the midst." It may
736
LUKE.
have been the design of this command, to
stand forth and sho\v himself to the con-
gregation, that the sight of his distress
might move them to pity him, and that
they might be tlie more sensibly struck
with the miracle when they observed the
wasted hand restored to j^erfect soundness
in an instant.
9. Tlien said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one
thing : Is it lawlul on the sabbath days to do good, or to
do evil ? to save life, or to destroy it ?
To expose the malice and superstition
of His foes, our Lord appealed to the dic-
tates of their own minds, whether it was
not more lawful to do good on the Sabbath
days than to do evil, to save life than to kill.
He meant, more lawful for Him to save
men's lives than for them to plot His
death without the least provocation. In
Scripture, the mere negation of anything
is often expressed by the affirmation of
the contrary. Thus (chap. xiv. 26), not to
love, or even to love less, is called to hate
(Matt. xi. 25) ; not to reveal is to hide, and
here, not to do good, when we can, is to do
evil, not to save is to kill. From this, and
many other passages of the New Testa-
ment, it may be justly deduced, as a stand-
ing principle of Christian ethics, that not
to do the good which we have the oportu-
nity and poAver to do, is, in a certain de-
gree, the same as to do the contrary evil,
and not to x^revent mischief when we can,
the same as to commit it.
10. And looking round about upon them all, he said
unto the mail, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so :
and his hand was restored whole a.s the other.
See on Matt. xii. 13; Mark iii. 5.
The manner in which Christ performed
this miracle is very remarkable. First, He
made a full pause, gazing upon His adver-
saries as they stood with the obdurate
silence of hatred in a cii-cle before Him.
He could have healed the poor man by a
vjord, but He desired him to stretch forth his
hand. Was not this a strange command?
The man might have replied, " I have
often endeavored to stretch forth my hand,
and have not been able. Why should I
try again?" But he made no such unbe-
lieving answer ; he confided in the power
of Jesus, and his attempt was successful —
}iis hand was restored tvhole as the other. In
this simple history we have the best
answer to those doubts, hesitations and
questionings by which anxious inquirers
often peri^lex themselves in relation to re-
penting and returning to Christ. Let them
do as he did who had the withered hand.
Let them not stand still, reasoning, but
act. Depraved man is withered in every
limb of his soul, impotent by fallen nature.
Yet just as this man was commanded to
put forth his strengthless hand, so is the
strengthless soul commanded to commit
itself to the Redeemer, and in the effort to
do so it will find that power accompanies
the precejit.
11. And they were filled witli madness : and commun-
ed one with another what they might do to Jesus.
They felt they could not stand before
His arguments, sustained as they were by
such signs and wonders. Their credit was
in danger; they saw that if Jesus was
allowed to go on, their influence and gains
would be lost. What then would be done?
It was an afiair of so much importance
that they called a council. (Mark iii. 6.)
The enemies of Christ and His cause, when
arguments fail, fall to violence. It is a
certain sign of a weak cause, that it must
be supjiorted by jDassion, which is all
tongue and no ear. (See Mark i. 21 ; Mark
i.29; John V. 9; John ix. 14; Lukexiii. 14,
xiv. 1.)
12. fAnd it came to pass in those days, that lie went
out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in
prayer to God.— f Matt xiv. 23.
It would appear, from a comparison
with Matthew (x. 2-4) and Mark (iii. 13-
19), that what is here related took place
soon after Jesus returned from the sea of
Tiberias (Mark iii. 7), to avoid the mur-
derous designs of the Pharisees and
Herodians. (Mark iii. 6.) Weiit out. Out
of synagogue and city, from the crowded
haunts of men. Solemn was the exchange
from town to mountain. Hattin was the
mountain-summit to which our Lord as-
cended. To pray. What a sublime and
striking picture is here presented — the
incarnate Son withdrawn from the noise
and tumult of the world, to hold converse
with the ineffable Jehovah ! The Chris-
tian should be much alone with God.
Shut out from life's distracting cares and
business, he should hold communion with
his "Father who seeth in secret," and
place his soul under the beams, and
breezes, and blessed visions of heaven.
CHAPTER VI,
If the sinless Saviour found retirement
necessary for His spiritual strength, how
mucli more do we need it who are polluted
with sin !
And continued all night. "What ardor of
love must have filled His bosom to have
driven sleep from His eyelids, and sus-
tained Ilim in prayer during the watches
of the niijht ! This perseverance furnishes
a high and holy lesson for imitation. It
is not by the short and transient applica-
tions to a throne of grace, which we are
too apt to dignify with the name of
prayer, that we can hope to be qualified for
seasons of peculiar trial, temptation or
labor. This can alone be done by dwell-
ing near the mercy-seat ; by sitting, as it
were, upon the footstool of the throne
(1 Chron. xxviii. 2) ; bj' daily, hourly,
constantly sending forth our petitions to
Him whose grace alone can be sufficient
for us. In prayer to God, literally, in prayer
of God. This expression is a Hebraism,
meaning " fervent and earnest prayer,"
just as " mountains of God," and " cedars
of God," in the Old Testament, mean
"lofty" mountains, and "high" cedars.
(Ps. xxxvi. 6; Ixxx. 10.) We must not
only ask, but seek, and knock. It is not
difficult to detenuine what was the subject
of our Saviour's prayer that night, when
we observe that the next morning He
chose twelve from among His disciples to
be Apostles. Was He not praying in the
night for them, and for their followers
through all time?
Here, then, we learn the great impor-
tance of prayer and intercession in behalf
of ministers, and particularly at the time
of their ordination, that they may enter
upon the great work before them with a
becoming caution and fear — with a proper
sense of responsibility, not with aspiring,
but humble thoughts, /or ivho is sufficient
for tliese things? Those to whom the re-
sponsible office of ordaining is committed,
should pray that they may " lay hands
suddenly on no man." Those who offer
themselves for ordination should pray
that they may not undertake work for
which they are unfit, and not run without
being sent. The lay-members of the
Church, not least, should pray that none
may be ordained, but men who are in-
wardly moved by the Holy Ghost. Happy
are those ordinations, in which all con-
cerned have the mind that was in Christ,
and come together in a prayerful spirit.
l.'J. And when it \v;ts day, ho called unU) him his dis-
ciples: fund of tliem lie chose twelve, whom also he
named apostles ;—sM.aU. x. 1.
When it was day, probably early in the
morning, he called unto Itim Jiis disciples.
The persons commissioned were disciples
before they were Apostles, to teach us
that Christ will have such as preach the
Gospel to be His disciples before they are
ministers — trained up in the faith and
doctrine of the Gospel, before they under-
take a public charge. The successive
stages of apostolic induction are. First, the
admitting to a more intimate association
of one and another as disciples. (John i.
35-52.) Second, a choice of one or several
at a time to be strictly His intimate /o/Zo?(;-
ers in order to be His future preachers.
(Luke V. 1-11.) Third, the formation of
the whole into an organism of twelve, under
the title of Apostles, as specified here, in
verse 13. Fourth, a sending of them forth
on a trial mission. (Matt. x. 1-42.) Fifth,
the apostolic keys. (Matt. xvi. 13-20.)
Sixth, their qualifications for the exercise
of their inspired and miraculous apostolic
authority by the Pentecostal effusion of
the Spirit. (Actsii.4.) It will be remem-
bered, also, that Christ called them at first
servants (Matt. x. 24), afterward friends
and children (John xiii. 33 ; xv. 15), finally,
even brethren. (John xx. 17.)
And out of them he chose twelve. The
Saviour caused a great number of His
disciples to come to Him, and now out of
this number chose the twelve Aj^ostles.
He chose them, not they Him, yet He
chose with discerning power, knowing
their character and state of heart. Though
the call of all proceeded alike from their
Master's grace, we cannot fail to notice
those personal qualifications which He
Himself condescended to own and use in
His service — the firm faith of Peter (tJie
rock) ; the energy of the sons of Zebedee,
whom He surnamed Boanerges {sons of
thunder), united in John with that spirit
of love, which made him the beloved dis-
ciple; the fraternal and friendly affection
of Andrew and Philip ; the devotion and
guileless sincerity of Nathanael; the self-
r38
LUKE,
sacrifice of Matthew ; the practical godli-
ness of James, and the firm resolve of his
brother Judas, to " contend earnestly for
the faith once delivered to the saints,"
and, at the opposite extremity of the
moral scale, that love of the world which
made Judas Iscariot an awful exi'mple,
that even one of those chosen by Christ to
live with Him and hear His word, could
yet betray his Master, and prove to have
been all along "a son of perdition," for
" He knew from the beginning who should
betray Him."
Why Christ chose tivelve it is difficult to
say. Perhaps, if He had taken fewer, it
would have been too limited a testimony.
By taking twelve he took a competent
number who could be witnesses of the facts
they saw, and of the truths they heard,
and thus go forth as eye-witnesses and ear-
witnesses, to proclaim the unsearchable
riches of Christ. Or, perhaps. He selected
twelve, because that was the number of
the tribes of Israel. (See Matt. xix. 28.)
That there was a Divine idea in the selec-
tion of twelve Apostles, is evident from the
symbolical usages in the Apocalypse. In
Rev. xii. 1, the woman that symbolizes the
Church has ujdou her head a crown of
twelve stars. And the tree of life, emblem
of Gospel grace, has twelve manner of
fruits, that is, a monthly harvest, thus
combining therein a Mosaical and Aposto-
lic allusion. Whom also lie named Apostles.
Apostle means one sent forth. By this name,
thenceforth, wei'e those to be known,
whom Jesus now commissioned to be His
more intimate friends and followers, and
to be the founders, under Him as their
Great Head, of the Church which He was
about to establish. Judas by his betrayal
of Christ forfeited his apostleship. The
place thus left vacant was filled by Matthias,
although some, who look upon his ap-
pointment as not being in accordance with
the mind of the S^sirit, number Paul with
the twelve, in the jjlace of Judas.
The following are the names of the
Apostles, and the order in which they are
given :
(on the histoky of the apostles see appendix a.)
Matthew x. 2, 3, 4.
Mark iii. 16, 19.
Luke.
Acts i. 13.
1. Simon Peter, and
1.
Simon Peter.
1.
Simon Peter, and
1.
Peter, and
2. Andrew,
2.
James, and
2.
Andrew,
2.
James, and
his brotlier.
his brother.
S. James and
3.
John, surnamed
Boanerges.
3.
James, and
3.
John, and
4. John,
4.
Andrew.
4.
John.
4.
Andrew.
SonsofZebedee.
6. Philip, and
5.
Philip.
!).
Philip, and
5.
Philip, and
6. Bartholomew.
6.
Bartholomew.
a.
Bartholomew.
fi.
Thomas.
7. Thomas, and
7.
Matthew.
7.
Matthew, and
7
Bartholomew and
8. Matthew,
8.
Thomas.
8.
Thomas.
8.'
Matthew.
the publican.
9. James, the son
9.
James, the son
9.
James, the son
9.
James, the son of
of Alpliteus.
ot'AlphffiUS.
of Alpliseus.
Alplireus, and
10. Lnbhiyus, wurnamed
10.
Tliaddeus.
10.
Simon Zelotcs.
10.
Simon Zelotes, and
Thaddous.
11. Simon,
11.
Simon,
11.
Judas, the brother
11.
Judas, the brother
the Canaanite.
the Canaanite.
of James.
of James.
12. Judas Iscariot,
12.
Judas Iscariot,
12.
Judiis Iscariot,
" Who also betrayed
" Who also betrayed
" Which wa.s also the
Him."
Him."
traitor."
It will be observed that in Luke's cata-
logue their names are given by couples,
doubtless to indicate how they were as-
sorted in sending them forth two by two.
It will be noticed also that although the
arrangement of the names is so unlike in
these four lists, the variation is confined
to certain limits, as the twelve may be di-
vided into three quaternions, which are
never interchanged, and the leading names
of which are the same in all. Thus Peter
is invariably the first, Philip the fifth.
James the ninth, and Iscariot the last,
except in Acts, where his name is omitted
on account of his apostasy and death.
14. Simon, (hwhom he also named Peter,) and An-
drew his brother, James and John, Philip and Barthol-
omew,—hJohn 1. 42.
Simon, {whom h€ also named Peter.) Simon
was the son of Jonas, or Jona. This was
his original name, and signifies hearing.
He was born at Bethsaida, a town situated
on the western shore of the lake of Gen-
nesareth, but in what particular year we
CHAPTER VI
73^
are not infonnecl. (John i. 42, 43.) He
was a married man, and bad his house, his
mother-in-hiw, and his wife, at Capernaum,
on the lake of Gennesareth. (Matt. viii.
44; Mark i. 29 , Luke iv. 38.) He was by
<:)t;eupation a fisherman, and seems to have
been associated with his brother Andrew
i'l tJiis business.
And Andrew his brother. Andrew was a
native of Bethsaida, and brother of Peter.
Whether he was Peter's elder or younger
brother is uncertain. He, too, was called
from his fishing-net to be a fisher of men.
The name Andrew was Greek, and is
found in Herodotus. He probably had a
Hebrew name besides, which had been
gradually superseded by the Greek one.
James and John. These two Apo.stles in
most passages of the Gospels are named
together, and from the prevailing order it
is inferred that John was the younger.
Their father was Zebedee, their mother
Salome, whom some recent critics identify
with the sister of Mary, the mother of
Jesus, in John xix. 25. Zebedee, whose
occupation the two sons followed, was a
fisherman of Bethsaida, on the lake of
Tiberias, who, as he had a vessel of his
own and hired servants (Mark i. 20),
appears to have been in good circumstances
for his station in life. We know nothing
of him beyond his interposing no refusal
when his sons were called to leave him
(Matt. iv. 21), and his disappearance from
the Gospel narrative leads to the inference
that his death set Salome free to join her
children in ministering to the Lord. (Luke
viii. 3.)
Philip. The name is an old Greek one,
and is found everywhere in ancient history.
Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew
and Peter (John i. 44), and apparently
was among the Galilean peasants of that
district who flocked to hear the preaching
of the Baptist. He was a firm believer in
the Messiahship of Christ. (John i. 25.)
The statement that Jesus found him (John
i. 43), implies a previous seeking. To him,
in the whole circle of the disciples, were
spoken the words so full of meaning,
" Follow me."
Barthnlomeii- is a patronymic, the son of
Tholmai. His own name nowhere appears
in the three first Gospels. He is supposed
to be the same person who is elsewhere
eddied Nathanael.
15. Matthew and Thomas, the son of Alpheus, and
Simon caUed Zeloles.
Matthew is the same as Levi. (Luke v.
27, 29.) He was the son of a certain
Alpheus. (Mark ii. 14.) The only certain
information which we possess concerning
Matthew is contained in the Gospels, as-
his name occurs but once in the Acts of
the Apostles, and never in the Ejiistle^.
Although a Jew, he was in the employ-
ment of the Romans as a publican, or
tax-gatherer, and persons thus employed
were odious to their countrymen, even to
a proverb. The otfice was, however, one
of some trust, and the means of worldly
comfort which it oflered were in propor-
tion to its responsibilities, and this the more
enhances the devoted self-denial of Mat-
thew, in so readily leaving all to follow One
who had " nowhere to lay his head."
(See Prefiice to Gospel of Matthew.)
Thomas was also called Didymus, the
two names being Aramaic and Greek
synonymes, both meaning a titin. He
was probably a Galilean, as well as the
other Apostles, but the place of his birth
and the circumstances of his calling are
unknown. Besides the lists of the
Apostles, he is named eight times in the
Gospel of John : xi. 16, xiv. 5, xx. 24-29,
xxi. 2.
James the son of Alpheus. The words
the son, are not in the original, but the
ellipsis is no doubt to be supplied with
them. He is called by IMark, James the
Less (xv. 40), and appears to be that
James whom Paul calls " the Lord's
brother." (Gal. i. 19.) Alpheus seems to
be a Greek modification of an Aramaic
name, of which Clopas (John xix. 25), is
supposed to be another form. Now as
Clopas was the husband of the Virgin
Mary'sBister (John xix. 25), his son would
be the cousin of our Lord, and might,
according to a common Hebrew idiom, be
called brother. (See Gen. xiii. 8; 2 Sam.
i. 26; Acts vii. 25, 26, ix. 17.)
Simon called Zelotes, in Matt. x. 4, the
Canaanite. The two epithets attached to
his name have the same signification, the
former being the Geek translation of the
litter, which is Chaldee. Both seem to
740
LUKE.
point him out as belonging to the Jewish
faction called Zealots, which was animated
by a most bitter and uncompromising zeal
against the Roman rule, as a thing
accursed, unlawful, and by every means
to be put down, and which played so-
cons])icuous a part in the last defense of
Jerusalem. Simon is not mentioned in
the New Testament out of the catalogue
of the Apostles.
16. And Judas the 'brother of James, and Judas
Iscai'iot, wUicii was also the traitor.— > J ude 1.
Judas the brother of James. The place
here occupied by the name of Jude is
filled by that of Lehbxus in Matthew x. 3,
and that of Thaddeus in Mark iii. 18. It
is generally accepted that these were
three names for one and the same person,
who is therefore said by Jerome to have
been trionymus. He is the " Judas, not
Iscariot," mentioned by John, xiv. 22.
Judas Iscariot, which also luas the traitor, i.
e., who became, or turned out to be the
traitor. Judas is uniformly mentioned
last on the lists, with a brand of infemy.
Many conjectures have been made as to
the meaning of the appellative Iscariot.
Some suppose it to signify, " The zealot ;"
others, that it is derived from a word sig-
nifying suspension, and refers to the manner
of his death (Matt, xxvii. 5) ; others still,
that it means " the man of Carioth," or
Kerioth, a city of Judah. (Josh. xv. 25.)
The last explanation is now generally
accepted ; and if it be right, Judas is the
only one of the Apostles whom we have
any reason to regard as not a Galilean.
Also. i. e., besides being an Apostle, or
although he was one, which was a fearful
aggravation of his guilt, he became a
betrayer. Judas came to an awful end.
(Matt. xxvi. 34; John xvii. 2; Acts i. 25.)
17. H And he came down with them, and stood in the
plain, and the company of his disciples, i^and a great
multitude of people out of all Judea and Jerusalem,
and from the sea-coast of Tyre and Sidiin, wliich came
to liear him, and to he healed of their diseases :
kMatt. iv. 2) : Mark iii. 7.
After choosing His twelve Apostles, our
Lord descended with them, and stood in
the plain. As the place where the follow-
ing discourse was delivered, is said, by
Matthew (v. 1), to have been a mountfiin
or eminence, we must interpret the words
here of an elevated plain or table-land at
the foot of the mountain. Robinson and
Stanley both describe the Tell Hattin, lying
a little west of the sea of Galilee, and so
called from the village at its base, which
the Latin, though not the Greek tradition,
connects with the delivery of the sermon
on the Mount, and which is now called
the " Mount of Beatitudes," as consisting
of a ridge, from which rise two horns or
l^eaks, known as the Horns of Hattin. If
the tradition is correct, as Stanley is dis-
posed to regard it (and even liobinson finds
nothing contradictory to it in the situation
of the hill), our Lord ascending the ridge
into one of the peaks, would have gone up
into the mountain (Matt. v. 1), and coming
down afterward, for greater convenience,
upon the ridge, would have been upon a
level place, without having left the moun-
tain.
The company of his disciples — no longer
including in their class the Twelve who
had just been chosen as His immediate
attendants. And a great multitude of people,
&c. Some had come to hear the new
Teacher, whose fame had spread abroad
in every direction ; others, and perhaps
the large majority, to be healed of their
diseases.
la. And the.v that were vexed with unclean spirits:
and they were healed.
Persons demoniacally possessed were
among the gathered crowd. Were healed.
Those who were possessed with demons
were afflicted to a greater or less extent
with physical maladies.
19. And tlie whole multitude, Isonght to touch him :
for mthere went virtue out of hiin, and healed them all.
'Matt. iii. II, 3G. mMark v. 3U; Luke viii. 46.
There was such eagerness to be healed,
that they pressed forward in a body to
touch Jesus. Virtue means power. Tlie
word is the same as that used by our
Lord (Mark v. 30), when " He perceived
that virtue had gone out of Him." Christ's
inherent, underived power tvent forth from
Him, so that all who had approached Him,
desiring a cure, were healed. Happy are
they who, treading in the steps of Jesus,
delight in relieving the miserable ! What
a scene of suffering must have been
witnessed on this occasion ! Then what a
scene of joy ! Yet the.se changes were
but faint emblems of the glorious works
j which are now wrought where the Gospel
is preached in power ; for virtue, a Divine
CHAPTER YI.
•741
power, still goes out of Jesus, so that
tongues that were dumb in His praise are
loosed, feet that could not walk in His
ways are strengthened, and parents behold
their wandering children returning to
their forsaken God.
20. If And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and
said, "Blessed bf.v'^ poor: for yours Is the kingdom of
Qod.— "Matt. V. 3 and xi. 5 ; James ii. 5.
See on Matt. v. 1.
Without entering into any thorough
discussion of the question, about whi(;h
some difference of opinion exists, whether
the sermon here given and that recorded
in . the 5th, 6th and 7th chapters of Mat-
thew are two relations of the same
discourse, or distinct discourses, delivered
at different times, we shall assume, as
most harmonists and interpreters main-
tain, that they are identical. The very
variations in them tend to establish an
essential sameness. Both begin with
the same blessings and end with the
same striking parable concerning the
difference between hearing and doing,
and it is inherently improbable that
Christ, at different periods in His life,
should have made use of the same
commencement and the same con-
clusion of His discourse. Between this
common beginning and ending, it is true,
there is much in Matthew which Luke
does not give, and some ]>assages in Luke
which do not appear in Matthew, yet it is
algo true that the passages common to the
two Evangelists are perfectly identical in
substance, follow in the same order, and
contain those truths which are of univeisal
concern to the disciples of Christ in every
age. Should it be asked why Luke
omitted such extended and important
parts of the discourse, this question might
be answered, first, by replying that he
repeats the like sentiments in other
passages of his Gospel, and, secondly, by
asking why Mark omitted the whole dis-
course, or why Matthew passed over all
that is contained in chapters 1 and 2 of
Luke ? It is well that the Evangelists did
not follow servilely each in the steps of
his predecessor, else what need would
there have existed fer four Gospels ? In
what respect would the second, third and
fourth have added to the amount of infor-
mation given in the first?
In order to harmonize the arrangement
of Luke's report of the sermon with that
of Matthew, we must read tlie verses in the
following order: 20-26, 29-:J0, 27, 28, 32-
42. Verses 34 and 35 in Luke are additional
matter.
And he lifted up his eyes, a form of ex-
pression representing the solemnity and
importance of the discourse about to be
pronounced ; on his disciples, to whom, until
verse 27, His discourse is addressed, but in
the hearing of the people. Blessed be ye
poor. This is explained by the terms in
Matthew, "poor in spirit." The reference
is not to external situation, but to disposi-
tion and character. A bare outward pov-
erty, or an avowed voluntary poverty, will
entitle none to the blessing. Many poor
persons are proud, ungodly, dishonest and
profligate, while some of the rich are
humble, pious and holy. Poverty, indeed,
has advantages in respect of religion, but
none are here pronounced blessed, except
such as have "poverty of spirit," that is,
are of a true, humble, lowly spirit. For
yours is the kiiigdom of God. Such persons
are blessed, because their humility ren-
dering them teachable, submissive, con-
tented and obedient, and leading them to
rest their hope entirely on something out
of themselves, j^repares them to be mem-
bers of the kingdom of grace, and heirs of
the kingdom of glory, particularly as this
humility is connected with the other dis-
positions represented in this sermon ; for
all of them, though no doubt with a
great variety of degree, are to be found in
every man, who, being born again, has
entered into the kingdom of God.
21. "Blessed nre j/e that hunger now: for ye shall be
filled. 1 Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall
lau!;h.
"Isa. Iv. 1, Ixv. 13 : Matt. v. 6. Pisa. Ixi. 3 ; Matt. v. 4.
Hunger is used in all languages to ex-
press vehement desire. Filled is a figure
taken from cattle in good pasture, fed till
they are satisfied, and graze no longer.
Probably, many persons present were kept
at a great distance from their necessary
food by attention to our Lord's instruccions,
and thus would be the better prepared to
appreciate the declaration that hungering
after righteousness they should be satis-
fied in due time with Divine consolations
and a holy felicity. In the knowledge and
743
LUKE
iiiith of the truth respecting the Saviour,
they would obtain the gratification of their
de:^ires, and, in tlie fullness of their grate-
ful and happy hearts, would be able to ex-
claim, " Surely, in the Lord have we right-
eousness," we "are complete in Him,"
" who of God is made unto us wisdom and
righteousness, and sanctification, and re-
demption." (Isa. xiv. 24; Col. ii. 10; 1 Cor.
i. 30.) Blessed are ye that weep now: for yc
shall laugh. It is as if Christ had said, " Ye
disciples that are now in a sad, mournful,
afflicted state are blessed, for there will
come a time when ye shall oe comforted,
a time when God shall wijDe away all tears
from your eyes." Happy are they who
now sorrow after a godly sort for their
sins, " When they behold transgressors are
grieved" (Ps. cix. 158), and mourn under
that wholesome discipline of afHiction by
which God reduces His wandering chil-
dren, and trains them up to higher holi-
ness, for alltheir sorrow shall pass away
like a dream, and they shall ere long re-
joice in a complete deliverance from it.
22. iBlessed are j'e, when men shall hate you, and
when thoy rshall separate you.O'oj/i their company, and
shall reproach you, and ca-st out your name as evil, lor
the Son ol' man's sake.
iMatt. V. 11 ; 1 Peter ii. 19 and iii. 14, iv. 14. "-Johh
xvi. 2.
When men shall hate you. Hatred of
Christ's disciples is the bitter root from
which persecution grows. The wicked
hate the holy image of God, and those
who bear it ; His holy truth, and those
who profess and preach it ; His holy law,
and those who obey and stand up for its
obligation and authority ; His holy ordi-
nances, and those that attend on them.
And when they shall separate you from their
company. These words designate all kinds
of expulsion from society, in consequence
of the odium attached to faith in Christ,
and an open profession of His name. And
shall reproach you — shall cover you with
opprobrious epithets, as they eject you
forth from society. And cast out your name
as evil. It will be noticed tliat there is a
climax in the verse : 1. hatred; 2. sever-
ance from general and sj^ecial intercourse ;
3. reproach, and 4. formal excommunica-
tion from the synagogue, or church fellow-
ship. (John ix. 34; xvi. 2.) Christ's
disciples were abhorred for their name.'
As such, they were sometimes called
Nazarenes, and sometime.s Christians, and
both these names were matters of reproach
in the mouths of their enemies. For the
Son of man^s sake, because (or on account)
of me ; i. e., as being my discij)les, or be-
lievers in my claims to the Messiaship,
and therefore avowed subjects of my
kingdom. Such is the treatment which
He warns them to expect, as His profes-
sed followers, and such the consolation
which He gives them. They must have
tribulation in His service, but for that
very reason He pronounces them blessed.
" All who live godly must sufier persecu-
tion." The particular form of the opposi-
tion which wicked and worklly men make
to the cause of Christ, will depend ou
circumstances ; but in all countries and in
all ages it exists, and the followers of
Christ should count on being exposed to
derision, reproach, slander, and it may be
evils of a more formidable kind, from un-
godly men.
23. "Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy : for, be-
hold, your reward is- great in heaven : lor 'in the like
manner did their lathers unto the prophets.
sMatt. V. 12: Acts V. 41; Col. i. 24; James i. 2. 'Acts
vii. 51.
The defamed and persecuted are not
only pronounced " blessed," but are called
on to rejoice. It seems a strange exhorta-
tion for such, not merely to be patient
and resigned, but joyful and glad. But
when the whole of the case is taken into
view, the command appears in the highest
degree reasonable, and the duty not oijly
practicable, but easy. " This is the victory
which overcometh the world " — all diffi-
culties, " even our faith." (1 John v. 45.)
Let a man but believe what Jesus reveals
to him, and he will not feel it difficult to
do what Jesus commands, or endure what
Jesus appoints. The man who believes
that his reward shall be great in heaven,
will have no difficulty in rejoicing and
leaping for joy amid those afflictions,
which, however heavy, he will in this case
feel light, and which, however long con-
tinued, he will regard as but for a moment,
and which he knows are ''working out
for him a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory." (2 Cor. iv. 17.) For the
persecutions which the prophets referred to
endured, (see 1 Kings xiii. 4 ; 2 Chron.
xxiv. 21, xxxvi. 16; Neh. ix. 26; Heb. xi.
32-38.)
CHAPTER VI,
743
24. "But wo unto you 'that are rich ! for jye have re-
ceived your consolation.
"Amos vl. I ; James v. 1. ^Luke xil. 21. jMatt. vi. 2,
6, IG; Lulie xvi. 2o.
Wo unto you. This is the expression of
one lamenting (or bewailing the unhappy
■condition of another), not of one inflamed
with anger. We are not to understand
our Lord here as denouncing riches as
necessarily evil, or rich men as necessarily
wicked. He would not thus have spoken
of the rich Chuza with his wife (Luke viii.
2, 3), or the family of Bethany. (Luke x.
38-42.) His intention obviously was to
show His disciples the danger of riches,
worldly indulgences, and all those ruinous
advantages which men so eagerly pursue,
and of that pride and self-sufficiency which
are commonly increased by outward pros-
perity. For ye have received your consolation,
i. e., ye who love the good things of this
world supremely, and trust in them, hav-
ing chosen them for your hajipiness, shall
not receive Divine comfort, or the heavenly
reward.
2i. 'Wo unto you that are fuU ! for ye shall hunger.
•Wo unto you that hiusli now ! for ye shaU mourn and
weep.— ^Isa. Ixv. 13. »Prov. xiv. 13.
Full. Ye that abound in woi'ldly goods,
and take up with these things as your
portion, ye shall hunger — ye shall fall into
a sfate of great indigence and misery,
aggravated by all the plenty which ye
enjoyed and abused. The retribution
which, in the verse preceding, is described
only as a coming short of the exj^ected
consolation, is here re]iresented as a direct
feeling of hunger, pain and sadness. Mis-
erable are you that laugh now, that spend
your lives in mirth and gaiety, or are of a
light, trifling spirit, for yc sJiall mourn and
weep. You have reason to expect a portion
in those doleful regions where, without
intermission and without end, ye shall be
abandoned to weeping, and wailing, and
gnashing of teeth. Our Lord's declaration
is to be understood of that turbuleat, car-
nal mirth, that levity and vanity of spirit,
which arises, not from any solid founda-
tion, but from sensual pleasure, or those
vain amusements of life by which the
giddy and the gay contrive to fill up their
time — that sort of mirth which dissipates
thought, leaves no time for consideration,
and gives them an utter aversion to all
serious reflections.
2fi. bWo unto you, when all men Bhall speak weU of
you ! for .so did their lathers to tlie talae prophets.
I'Johu XV. I'J; 1 John iv. 5.
The phrase all men (like the term world)
is used to distinguish the great ungodly
mass, as opposed to the righteous few.
The sentiment is not that it is a positive
mark of evil to be spoken well of by a
bad man ; for Timothy "had a good report
from those that were without." To be
universally jiraised, however, is a most
unsatisfactory symptom, and one of which
a minister of Christ should always be
afraid. Plutarch tells us that when
Phocion in his orations had particularly
pleased the multitudes, he used to ask his
friends whether anything wrong had been
uttered in his address. So, the minister
who is universally applauded, may well
doubt whether he is faithfully doing his
duty, and honestly declaring all the
counsel of God ; for, according to the old
adage, " a compliant temper makes friends,
truth excites odium." For so did their
fathers to the false prophets. The false
prophets and teachers, whom the Jews
commended, accommodated their senti-
ments and doctrines to the wishes and
passions of their auditors. They spake to
them smooth things, and prophesied lies,
because the people loved to have it so; they
prophesied of peace, when war was at
hand ; they strengthened the hands of evil-
doers (Jer. xxiii. 14), and daubed the
ruinous wall with untempered mortar.
(Ezek. xiii. 10, 11.)
27. '5 rBut I say unto you which hear. Love your ene-
mies, do good to them which hate you,
fExod. xxiii. 4 ; Prov. xxv. 21 ; Matt. v. 44 ; verse 35 :
Rom. xU. 20.
But I say unto you which hear. The words
were not addressed by the Saviour, as in
verse 26, exclu'^ively to His disciples, but
to all within His hearing, and, of course,
to all who in future ages should hear His
Gospel.
This is the most sublime piece of morality
ever given to man. The thought of re-
quitingactsof enmity withacts of kindness
could only arise in the heart of Him who
has Himself prayed for the evil-doers.
Such sayings of the Saviour, particularly,
may well have elicited from even a godly
man, on reading the sermon on the
Mount, the exclamation, " Either this is
not true, or we are no Christians." The
744
LUKE.
precept is equivalent to a prohibition of
malignant feeling toward any human
being, a command to cherish kind wishes
toward all mankind. Instead of warranting
us to confine our benevolent regards to
those whom we may consider our neigh-
bors— our kindred or countrymen — our
benefactors or friends — men of our own
sect, or even religion — our Lawgiver com-
mands us to embrace, in the widespread
arms of our benevolence, all mankind —
strangers, foreigners, heathens, even
enemies. Every human being is to be re-
garded with good will, and, as we have
opportunity, to be treated with kindness.
It is quite obvious that we are not required
to regard with precisely the same kind of
feeling a Christian brother and an openly
profane and profligate person — a generous
benefactor and a malignant, inveterate
enemy. It is not possible, and, if it were,
it w^ould not be proper, to cherish the
same tender regard for strangers as for " our
own, those of our own household," the
same gratitude to enemies as to benefac-
tors, the same esteem for the bad as for
the good. But we are to regard all men,
even our enemies, with love; that is, we
are sincerely to wish them well, we are to
desire their good, we are, as we have
opportunity, to promote their happiness.
2S. Bless them that curse you, and dpray for them
which despitefuUy use you.
dLuke xxiii. 34 ; Acts vii. 60.
The word bless does not mean, according
to a common use of it in Scripture, to im-
yjlore blessings from God upon them who
are imprecating evils ujjou us, for then it
"would be synonymous with 2)ray for them.
It is quite i)arallel to the Apostle's injunc-
tion, not to " render railing for railing, but
contrariwise blessing." Be civil and kind
to those who are rude to you, and be
ready, when you can do so with truth, to
?;peak to the advantage of those who have,
by malignant and untrue statements, en-
deavored to injure your reputation. And
pray for them vhich despitefuUy use you, who
are making continual war upon you, and
constantly harassingand calumniating you.
"Knowing that you can do but little +o
make them happy, call in the aid of Om-
nipotence. Instead of imprecating ven-
geance, pray for forgiveness and for all
heavenly and spiritual blessings to them,
and do this for your most inveterate foes."
29. eAYid unto him that smiteth thee on the o?ii^ cheek
ofl'er also the other; 'and him that taketh away thy
cloak lorbid not Ut tafce thy coat also. 30. pGive to every
man that asketh oi thee ; and of him that taketh away
thy goods ask thnn not again.
'Matt. V. 39. fl Cor. vl. 7. gDeut. xv. 7, 8, 10; Prov.
xxl. 36 ; Matt. v. 42.
That smiteth thee, &c. Christianity obliges
us to bear many injuries patiently rather
than revenge one privately : we must leave
the matter to God and the magistrate. The
coat here mentioned was a tunic, generally
made of linen, worn next to the skin, with
armholes or sleeves, reaching down, like
a shirt, to the knees, and bound round the
waist by a girdle. The cloak, called in
modern times the "aba," w^as a large square
piece, several feet in length and breadth,
and worn very much as an American
Indian wears his blanket. Taketh away. In
the parallel passage (Matt. v. 40), the words
are, sue thee at the law, and take anxiy, &c.
Manifestly the precepts in these two verses
are not to be taken strictly, but restrain-
edly. They must not be so expounded as
to contradict other portions of God's word.
A literal interiDretation of them would
break up all the foundations of society, and
destroy all control of personal property.
The command of our Lord (verse 29), does
not forbid the repression of crime, or de-
clare the office of the magistrate and police-
man unla\y'ful. Nor does it declare all war
unlawful, or prohibit the punishment of
evil-doers, and disturbers of the peace and
order of society. (See Luke xxii. 36; Rom.
xiii. 4.) Neither does our Lord's command
forbid us to defend ourselves when we are
in danger, for this is one of the strongest
instincts of our nature, the law of God
written on our heart; or to avail ourselves
of the protection which the law gives* to
property, for justice to our creditors, to the
public, to our families, may require us to
defend our estate. At the same time, this
command condemns anything like a pug-
nacious, revengeful, litigious, or selfish
spirit. If a man give a disciple of Christ a
contemptuous or painful blow on the cheek,
it is his duty and wisdom to imitate his
Master, and take it patiently, nay, to turn
the other, and expose himself to a repeti-
tion of the insult or injury, rather than to
begin a contest, by returning the blow,
CHAPTER VI
r45
sending a challenge, or commencing a
process at law — even though he should he
ridiculed for his want of manly spirit, in
consequence of his obedience to the laws
of his Lord. If a man l)e sued at law, and
be unjustly deprived of liis "coat," which,
though not of great value, he might be ill
able to spare, he had better sufl'er himself
to be defrauded of his " cloak," than be
involved in the temptations and evils of
seeking legal redress. He ought, also, to
have resort to the tribunals of justice only
when the cause is important and the call
urgent — to prosecute his claims with hu-
manity, moderation, and a spirit of peace,
to be content with reasonable satisfaction,
and to embrace every opportunity of ter-
minating the contest. •
31. ^And as ye would that men should do to you, do
ye also to them likewise.— iiMatt. vii. 12.
We are not to do to others as thev do to
us, but as ive would that they should do to us.
In interpreting this rule we are to have
regard to the following limitations: 1. We
are not to overlook the difference which
exists between ourselves and others in
regard to the circumstances in which we
are severally placed. For example, all
that a father may expect from a child, or
a master from his servant, or a magistrate
from his subjects, is not, for this reason, to
be done by such superiors in rank or rela-
tion to their inferiors. 2. What we would
that others should do to us, is not to deter-
mine our duty to them, unless the thing
^\e would they should do to us is right in
itself. If a judge and a criminal should
exchange situations, it does not follow that
because the judge in the character of a
culprit would desire not to be condemned,
therefore he must not condemn the crimi-
nal before him in the judicial capacity in
which he is now called to act, for then
would offenders go unpunished, and society
be unhinged and ruined. 3. We are not
obliged to do all that to others, which we
might probably be glad they would do to
us; that is, the rule does not apply to
everything that is lawful, but to what is
reasonable. A poor man may desire that
one who is wealthy should give him
enough to make him rich, and it is likely
that if the rich man were poor, he also
might desire the same kindness ; but he is
not, for this reason, even though he might
lawfully do it, required to make the poor
man rich. As ye mould, the rule embraces all
things, small and great, seen and unseen
whether done when absent or present, and
whether involving much sacrifice or little.
This rule has the following, among other
points of excellence : 1. It is plain and
concise. 2. It is admirably adapted to
sudden emei-gencies, when there is not
time for long deliberation as to what duty
demands. 3. It is susceptible of universal
ajjplication — to all persons, places and
things. 4. It meets those cases in which
self interest and private feelings are likely
to dim our perceptions of right and wrong.
5. Being founded in the reason of things,
it is such a precept as approves itself to the
mind of a reasonable creature, as soon as
he hears and understands it, so as not to
need any labored proof. It should be no-
ticed that this rule holds negatively as
well as positively. Though it wears only
the positive form, we are as much bound
not to do to others what we would not
have others do to us, as to do to them what
we would have them do tons. To neglect
to do what we would expect from others,
is equally wrong in nature, though it may
not be equally wrong in degree, as to do
to them what we would not wish them to
do to us.
32. 'For if ye love them which love you, what thank
have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33. .A.nd if ye do good to thoni which do good to you,
what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the
same. 34. ^And if ye lend to thnii of whom ye hope to
receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to
sinners, to receive as much again.
iMatt. V. 46. kMatt. v. 42.
In these verses our Lord beautifully
shows that it is the duty of the Christian
to be better than anybody else. " A
Christian," says Cecil, "if he be a shoe-
maker, should be the best shoemaker in
the town." The disciples of Christ are to
exercise charity in giving, charity in for-
giving, charity in lending. It is sometimes
their duty (if they have ability) to lend
such poor persons as they cannot expect
will ever be in a capacity either to pay or
requite them. Love for love is justice,
love for no love is favor and kindness, but
love and charity to all persons, even the un-
deserving and the ill-deserving, is aCiirist-
like temper. A man ought to tremble
with fear, if, beside the external part of
740
LUKE,
his religion, he finds nothing in his Ufe
but what may be found in a Turk or a
heathen.
30. But Uove ye your pnemies, anrt do good, and "lend,
hoping for nothing a'^;iiiK and your ri'Wurd shall be
great, and "ve sluiU br the children ol' the Highest : for
he is kind uiito the untliaukiul and to the evil.
'Verse 27. mPs. xxxvii. 2o ; verse 30. "Matt. v. 45.
Love ye your enemies. This precept of
our Lord cannot be understood, in its full
force, without a reference to the low and
narrow doctrines which were about this
time inculcated by the Jewish teachers,
and acted upon by the people. A limit
was fixed, beyond which it was lawful to
hate an offending brother, though he
might be at first forgiven. Apostatizing
or heretical Israelites it was lawful and
meritorious to slay, openly, if opportunity
served, and legally if expedient, but at all
events to slay them, even if by subtilty
and craft. As to the Gentiles, even those
with whom they had no war or contention,
there was no instruction to plot theAr death,
but it was not lawful to deliver them from
death. In the face of such facts, how
noble does Christ's precept appear ! (See
notes on verse 27.) Do good, and lend,
hoping for nothing again, and your reward
shall be great. Confer acts of kindness,
lend cheerfully, without fearing the loss
of what shall be thus bestowed. It often
happens that, even contrary to appear-
ances, the loan is thankfully returned by
the borrower, but should it not be,
remember (and let this silence all your
doubts) that God chargeth Himself with
what you give from love to Him, and love
to your neighbor. He is the poor man's
surety. And ye shall be the children of the
Highest, rather, dear andacceptahle to God, or,
you u:ill be like unto God, for He is kind unto
the unthankful, and to the evil, bestows the
gifts of common Providence on the worst
of men, who are every day provoking
Him, rebelling against Him, and using
those very gifts to His dishonor.
.36. Beoye therefore merciful, as your Father also is
merciful.— oMatt. v. 48.
Be not satisfied with the low standard
of publicans and other ordinary men, but
make God your model. Follow not the
example of unregeaerated persons, but
aim at an imitation of your Father. Be,
literally, become merciful. In Matthew (v.
48), this is denoted by perfect. There is
no difierence in sense. Whoever has the
grace of compassion and mercy, flowing
from pure love to God and man, will be in
possession of all the kindred graces, though
destined to a higher development, which
constitute the perfection of moral charac-
ter. Let us not presume to call God our
Father, if we do not labor to resemble
Hiin, nor dare to claim the peculiar honor
and privileges of Christ's disciples, if we
do not distinguish ourselves from others,
by the charity of our tempers, and the
usefulness of our lives, as well as by the
articles of our faith, and the forms of our
worship.
37. '^Judge not. and ye shall not be judged : condemn
not, and ye shall not be condemned: lorgive, and ye
shall be lorgiveii :— ''Matt. vii. 1.
The judging here forbidden is not self-
judging, which is a great and necessary
duty, or judging by civil magistrates in
their spheres, or judging by ecclesiastical
officers of applicants for admission to the
communion, or that judgment which can-
not but be formed of the state and charac-
ter of men from their avowed principles
and visible conduct, for Christ directs His
disciples to judge by this rule. The judg-
ing referred to obviously respects personal
actions and characters. We are not to be
officious in our judgments — intermeddling
with what we have no concern with ; or
rash, not deciding, even when called to
judge, till we have carefully examined
the subject ; or presumptuous, pronouncing
on things beyond our reach — such as the
views and motives of another, and acting
as if our conjectures were infallible truths;
or severe, but putting the best construction
on doubtful actions ; or partial, condemn-
ing in one what we approve, or at least
pass by, in another, condemning in our
neighbor what we overlook in ourselves ;
or hasty in pronouncing our judgment,
because it is very difficult to obtain pos-
session of all the materials that in any
case are necessary to form a correct judg-
ment, and to pronounce judgment without
this, is to run the hazard, at least, of doing
cruel injustice.
And ye shall not be judged. It is not prob-
able that these words refer to what a man
may expect in the ordinary intercour.^e of
life. Their main reference, at least, is to
the judgment of God, and of eternity. Nor
CHAP T E K V I
747
is their meaning, "if you are lenient, or
severe, in your judgments of your fellow-
men, God will be lenient, or severe, in His
judgment concerning you;" but, "beware
of wrong judgments, for all your judgments
arie to be reviewed, and by these judgments
ye are to be yourselves then judged."
Condemn not, etc., expands and enforces the
preceding command. It denotes a censo-
rious, fault-finding spirit. Forgive, and yc
shall be forgiven, not that a bare forgiving
of others is all that God requires in order
to our forgiveness, but it is one part of that
obedience which we owe to God, without
which it is in vain to expect forgiveness
from Him.
38. iGive. and it shall be given unto you ; good meas-
ure. i)rp.s>efl down, and shaken together, and running
over, shall men give into your 'bosom. For switli the
8anie niea'-ure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured
to you again.
iProv. xix. 17. 'P.^i. Ixxix. 12. 'Matt. vil. 2; Markiv.
Zi : James ii. I'i.
Give liberally to those that need your
assistance, not out of mere human gener-
osity, nor out of vanity, but for the sake
of God, and it shall be given unto you, for
your kindness and liberality will naturally
gain you love and respect, and God also,
by His grace, will influence men's hearts
in your favor. (Prov. xix. 17.) Good meas-
ure, pressed donm, shaken together, and run-
ning over. The figure is taken from a full
measure of dry commodities, such as corn,
fruits, &.C. The whole appears to have
been a proverbial expression among the
Jews, to denote, metaphorically, abundant
and exuberant liberality. There were,
among the Jews, measures of various sorts,
overflowing, abraded, Jteaped up, pressed,
shaken, covered, &c. The representation
here of a measure secured by pressing douii
sucii articles as lie light and loose in the
vessel, shaking it up, and filling it to over-
flowing, brings into relief in a vivid man-
ner, the riches of the Divine liberality.
tShall men give. As the verb has no ex-
pressed nominative in the original, the
Saviour docs not say ivhom He uses for the
impartation of such a recompense to His
disciples, and hence it is not necessary to
restrict the matter to the future life, and
to understand it, as some do, of the angels,
as almoners of God's bounty ana love
toward such as exercise the spirit here
spoken of. Into your bosom. Almost all
the ancient nations, and particularly those
of the Rvst, wore long, wide and loose
garments, and when about to carry any-
thing away that their hands could not
contain, they used a fold in the bosom of
their robe, nearly in the same way that
women in this country use their aprons.
The word "bosom" or "lap" frequently
occurs in this sense in the best and purest
Greek writers. For tvith the same measure
that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you
again. Amazinggoodness! We ourselves
are, as it were, permitted to tell God how
much benignity He shall show us! Chari-
ties done in faith, in obedience to God, and
with an eye to His glory, will produce a
certain and plentiful increase. Liberality
is the way to riches, giving is the best and
surest way of thriving. A little charity
from us, if we have but little, is looked
upon by God as a great deal, but to do
little when we have the ability to do much,
is the greatest imprudence as well as im-
piety, for he that soweth bountifully, shall
reap bountifully.
39. And he spake a parable unto them, 'Can the blind
lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
'Matt. XV. 11.
This parable, or figurative saying, was
spoken by our Lord to His disciples. It
was introduced by Him as showing how
they who are leaders, e.specially, should
be examples of all that is good. It teaches
us that " it is not in man that walketh to
direct his steps," that each individual of
the human r:ice has his foolish heart so
darkened by sin as to be unable by any
means to find his own way out of the
labyrinth into which he has unhappily
wandered. It is not a difficult thing, gen-
erally, to convince men that they need
guidance regarding the things of God and
eternity ; yet, when thus convinced, they
readily, alas, fall an easy prey to the first
plausible guide that presents himself.
Both fall into the ditch. Ignorant and
unskillful instructors destroy themselves
and others. "The candle of the wicked
shall be put out." It is our duty to " be-
ware of false prophets" (Matt. vii. 15), to
"prove all things " (1 Thes. v. 21), to " try
the spirits whether they are of God."
(1 John iv. 1.) With the Bible in our
hands, and the promise of the Holy Ghost
to all who seek, we shall be without excuse
if our souls are led astray.
r48
LUKE
40. "The disciple is not above his master : but every
* one tliat is periect shall be as liis master.
"Matt. X. 24; John .\iii. 10, xv. 20. *Or, shall be per-
fected us his jnaster.
It cannot be expected that the scholar
will excel his teacher, but the complete
disciple will be as his teacher. If, there-
fore, men follow blind guides in their
religious inquiries, they must continue in
ignorance, or be deluded into error, so
that it is of the greatest importance for us
to take care on what teachers we attend,
lest onr greatest diligence and highest
attainment should leave us short of the
saving knowledge of God and of ourselves.
It must not be overlooked that an indirect
intimation is here given to the Twelve
to fashion themselves in all things after
the character of their new Master.
41. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy
brother's eye, but percoivest not the beam tluit is in
thine own eye? 4'J. E.tlier liow canst tlioiisa.v to tliy
brother, Brotlier, let me pull out t lie moto that is in t hino
eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is
in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, Jcast out first the
beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see
clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
ySee Prov. xviii. 17 ; Matt. vii. 3-5.
Mote means a small bit of straw, or
grass, or dry wood. Beam means a large
piece of timber, such as is used for the
rafter of a roof. A contrast is intended
between the little faults and great ones.
The epithet hypocrite, so frequently applied
by our Lord to the scribes and Ph-arisees,
does not always mean that they were
always deceiving those about them by a
profession which they knew to be hollow.
The offer of the man to pull out the mote
from his brother's eye, supposed him to have
considersd him self perfectly clear-sighted.
The censorious are here condemned,
and those, also, who, though never per-
haps designated censorious, j^et are lynx-
eyed for all the blemishes and fixults
which disfigure their neighbors, and set
themselves to the removal of what is
wrong in others, without due considera-
tion as to their own fitness for such duty.
We are here taught the lesson of the true
rrfo/iwe magnitude which our own faults, and
those of our brother, ought to hold in our
estimation. What is a " mote" to one look-
ing on another, is to that other himself " a
beam," just the reverse of the ordinary
estimate. We are not to close our eyes to
the defects of others, but, first, to bs
jealously anxious to obtain clear visions
ourselves. Cast out first, &c. The reason
of this requirement is obvious. Only the
man who has learned to deal with his own
heart unreservedly in the way of tracing
out and bringing into the light of day all
that would hide itself there, who has
experimentally learned how deceitful as
well as wicked that heart is, is prepared
to deal wisely with others. Then only
will he see dearly to pull out the mote icJiich
is in his brother^s eye. Besides, the very
process through which he has himself
passed, will give a gentleness and tender-
ness to all that he may be called to do
with others, which he never otherwise
could have possessed.
43. 'For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit ;
neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
iMatt. vii. 16, 17.
The word for indicates that this para-
bolic saying is connected with what
immediately precedes. Here, as frequently
elsewhere, the Saviour compares persons
to trees. The law that like produces like,
so immutable in the natural world, is
applied to the law of moral likeness
which exists between the state of the
heart and the external acts of men.
" Every teacher, who really knows and
believes the truth himself, cannot but, in
his teaching, declare that truth, and, in his
character and conduct, exemplify its
influence. On the other hand, a false
teacher cannot but, in his teachings and
conduct, exhibit what, to a careful obser-
ver, will be found a sufficient proof of his
true character."
44. For "every tree is known by his own fruit. For of
thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush
gatlierthey *grape3.— ^Matt. yii. 33. *Gr., a grape.
As men can always determine the na-
ture of the tree, not by its appearance,
leaves or blossoms, but by its fruits, so the
claims which religious teachers have to ■
our attention, faith and obedience can
and are to be decided, not by their pro-
fession, but by their doctrine and their
conduct. What is true of public teachers
is equally so of private individuals. The
habitual conduct of a truly pious man
must be good, and the tendency of his
example, conversation and instructions,
must be beneficial. But the habitual
tenor of an unconverted man's actions
must be evil, and the effect of his examjile
CHAPTER VI.
749
and doctrine pernicious, however it may
be disguised. Tlio only satisfactory test
of any man's religious character is his
conduct and conversation.
4.">. I'.v good man out of the good treasure of his heart
briBijcth fortli that which is good ; and an evil man out
ol' tlieevil treasure oT his heart bringeth Ibrth that
which is evil : ibr <<)f tlie abui\dance of the heart his
moutli speaketh.— bMatt. xii. So. 'Matt. xU 34.
A good man. The Saviour regards no
man as naturally good, in tlie Pelagian
sense of the word, but speaks of the sinner
who has become good through grace.
Both the good and the evil man He sets
fortli as they commonly reveal themselves
outwardly, witliout, however, denying
tliat even the good has his weak and the
evil man his better side. The heart of
the one and of the other, is the magazine
or storehouse, out of which perpetually
proceeds wiiat therein was in no small
measure hidden. For of the abundance of
the heart his mouth speaketh. Out of the
abundance of the thoughts and desires of
the good man's heart he will bring forth
whatever can conduce to the glory of God
and the good of mankind ; but wicked
men have within them a treasury of pride,
malice, impiety and seltishness, from which
they naturally educe evil things. A man's
conversation is one indication of the state
of his heart. It is not true, as some allege,
that no one can know anything of the
state of another's heart, and that, although
men are living wickedly, they have good
hearts. If a man's conversation is carnal,
worldly, irreligious or profane, his heart
is of a corresponding character.
46. TfiiAnd whj' call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the
things which I say ?
dMal. i. 6 ; Matt. vli. 21 and xxv. U ; Luke xiii. 25.
In Matthew (vii. 21) it is: "Not every
one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord." To
call a person lord, is equivalent to ac-
knowdedging him as master. If there be
any emphasis in the repetition of the
word Lord, it is intended to express, not
merely profession, but a decided, open,
habitual profession. A profession of dis-
cipleship, an acknowledgment of our
submission in mind and heart to Chris^t
Jesus, is a solemn duty. But such profes-
sion, however necessary in connection
with faith and obedience, is not enough
for the purpose of salvation. And do not
ll:P things vhich I say? The meaning of
Christ is: "Why are ye so inconsistent
in your {profession and practice, as to call
me Lord, and yet persist in disobedience
to my commands?" A few pious and
devotional forms of speech ai*e not enough
for salvation, if our practice conform not
to the Divine will. God judges of the
heart, not by ivords, but by works. A good
servant never disputes, speaks little, and
always follows his work. Such a servant
a real Christian is ; such is a faithfid min-
ister, always intent either on the work of
his own salvation, or that of his neighbor.
The inquiry in this verse constitutes the
transition to the parable which follows.
47. 'Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my say-
ings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is
like: 4S. He is like a man wliicli built a luiuse, and
digged (Icei), and laid the .iiundalinn u\\ a iiu-k : and
when tlie ftuDd arcise, tlie stream Ijeat velienientlv uixni
that house, and coukl nut shake it : lor it Wiia Iciumled
upon a rock.— >Matt. vii. 24.
The great purpose of this parable is to
show that we must " not be forgetful hear-
ers, but doers of the word," or, the folly of
Christian profession, unaccompanied by
Christian practice, and the certain ruin to
which such profession must lead if per-
sisted in. The reason why Christ thus
concluded His sermon, lies in the corrup-
tion of the human heart, which finds it
easy to hear, but difficult to do. Whoso-
ever cometh to me — as a scholar. These
words are omitted in Matthew, but with-
out impairing the sense. And heareth my
sayings. By these Ave are to understand
everything contained in this sermon ; yet
this is equally true of all Christ's words,
whether spoken by Himself personally, or
made known through the medium of His
inspired servants. To hear our Lord's
sayings, is just to have them addressed to
us, to have an opportunity of becoming
acquainted with them. And doeth them.
The man of whom this is true is the man
who not only listens to Christ's sayings,
and understands their meaning, but who,
believing them (Rom. iii. 27), learns to
think, feel and act according to them,
and who, through these sayings, under-
stood and believed, repents, changes his
mind, is " converted," is radicall}- changed,
is " born again," becomes " a new crea-
ture," being " transformed by this renew-
ing of his mind."
He is like a man ivhich built an house. (In
750
LUKE.
Matt. vii. 24, called " a wise man.") This
man has wisely thought over the plan be-
forehand—seen the amount of expewditure
it would require, and now he is doing his
work. He is building an house — the image
of desired felicity— that he may dwell in
it quietly, comfortably and securely, in the
midst of tempestuous weatlier. By the
building, we are to understand, 1. The
character which He cultivates — the whole
frame of his sentiments, affections and
active habits. He is moulded according
to "the form of doctrine into which he
has been delivered." (Rom. vi. 17.) 2.
The hope he chei'ishes. He has a " hope
of eternal life," a "good hope through
grace," but that hope rests entirljly on
■vyhat Christ has said to him. And digged
deep. He was not satisfied to begin his
building " on the earth," just as he found
it, or with lifting a spadeful here and
there, but toiled and labored, and descend-
ed deeper and deeper through the soil.
The lesson here taught is, that the study
of piety should not be superficial, but a
principle well founded and deeply rooted
in the heart. And laid the foundation on a
rock. This indicates the solidity of the
work, and under it hearing and doing are
to be understood. It is of essential im-
portance to have a firm foundation. The
man built, not on his own conjectures or
reasonings, nor the conjectures or reason-
ings of other men, but on " the true and
faithful sayings of God," in which Christ
is represented as "the Lord, our strength
and righteousness." It will be noticed
that what our Lord contrasts is not be-
lieving and doing, but hearing and doing ;
yet in the doing of Christ's sayings, be-
lieving them is of course necessarily
implied. In this representation of the
only foundation on which a character and
conduct pleasing to God can be reared, we
have a refutation of the opinion which
some entertain, " that it matters but very
little what doctrines we believe, if we
have a good life."
And ivhen the flood arose, the stream beat
vehemently upon that house, and could not
shake it. In Judea, as in other Oriental
countries, the rains are periodical. "When
they descend, they often descend in tor-
rents, and continue to do so, with unabated
violence, for a number of days. In conse-
quence of this, the most trifiing mountain
brook becomes a mighty river — a deluge
rushes down with dreadful impetuosity
from the high grounds to the plains, con-
verting them into one wide waste of
waters. The huts of the inhabitants,
generally formed of clay hardened in the
sun, are exposed to great danger, and,
when not founded on the solid rock, are
often undermined and swept away by the
resistless torrent. The Christian's edifice
of faith and hope may be subjected to
many trials, from Divine judgments ex-
pressed in various tribulations, persecu-
tions from men, accusations of conscience,
terrors of death and retribution and false
teachers (Eph. iv. 14), who seek to draw
him away from Christ, and overwhelm
him in sadness and despair, but they can-
not succeed. (Rom. viii. 33-39 ; John vi. 68,
69.) Neither will the building be over-
thrown by the final trial at the general
judgment, which, we suppose, is here
mainly intended by the flood.
Foi- it was founded upon a rock. In " the
day of the Lord Jesus," the floods shall be
let loose, " the secrets of all hearts i^hall be
disclosed," the tempest of Divine wrath
against sin shall sweep resistlessly along,
the streams ofall-searching judgment shall
beat vehemently on all that must be
tested; but they shall not even shake a
single stone in the building of the true
believer, because it is founded on the Rock
of Ages which can never be moved. There
will then be found much wantingand much
wrong, and that will be freely forgiven for
Christ's sake, but the frame of cliaracter,
of thought, feeling and action, formed by
the faith of the truth, will meet with the
unqualified approbation of God, and the
hope founded on these sayings will prove
to be a "hope that maketh I'Ot ashamed."
49. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man
that without a ihundiition built a house upon tlie earth ;
against which the stream did beat veliemently, and
immediately it tell: and the ruin of tliat house was
great.
Notice the points of similarity between
these men. Each was a builder, and set
to work. The object of both was the same
— shelter, pleasure, comfort. Both had
time given them to build. Both had the
choice of situation. Both took possession
CHAPTER Vi.
7C1
of their buildings. Both were tried. Henr-
elh, and doeth not. The man heard what
might have secured real, lasting work at
his hands, if he had attended to it, but he
did not. Many who hear Christ's words
make light of them ; others listen to them
with some degree of attention, and profess
to inquire, but refuse to believe and obey
them; others, still, profess to believe
Christ's words, and declare their determi-
nation to obey them, but fail to do so. To
this last class there is here a special refer-
ence.
Without a foundation built a house upon
the earth, in Matt. vii. 26, "upon the .sand."
Here is an image of deficient steadfastness.
The man began on the surface, and per-
haps prided himself on the skill with
which he nicely adjusted his building to
the ground just as it was. The building
which he erected was not based upon
Christ — the true and faithful sayings of
the Saviour — though he heard them, he
did not conform his rnind to them — he did
not believe them. His foundation consisted
of false principles, and the edifice he built
was just that character, that mode of
thinking, feeling and acting which such
false principles naturally produce. Against
which the stream beat vehemently, &c. This
" foolish " man's building was tested as
well as that of the " wise " man, and though
specious in appearance it proved ba.sele.ss,
and unable to endure the trial. "The fish-
ermen of Bengal," says Mr. Ward, in his
View of the Hindoos, " build their huts in
the dry season on the bed of sand from
which the river has retired. When the
rains set in, which they often do very .sud-
denly, accompanied with violent north-
west winds, the water pours down in tor-
rents from the mountains. In one night
multitudes of these huts are frequently
swept away, and the place where they
stood is the next morning undiscoverable."
And immediately it fell, and the ruin (f that
house u-as great. The self-delusion vanishes,
the man feels it is too late to correct his
error, his past life is forever fled, his misery
is boundless, the more so as he flatters him-
self with vain hopes. Charact-er and hopes
must be subjected to the test of the Divine
judgment. Then " that which was highly
esteemed among men" will be found to be
"abomination in the sight of God" (Luke
xvi. 15), and no character will stand but
that which is formed in accofdance with
the sayings of Christ.
1. What is mpant by the "second Sabbath after the first?" 2. How did Jesus answer the objection to the
plucking ol' the ears of corn by His disciples on the Sabbath ? 3. Who was cured by Him in the synagogue ? 4.
What lessons does this miracle teach ? .5. How many Apostles did Christ choose? 6. What are their names?
7. What did the "great multitude of people" come to Jesus (or? 8. Explain ver^e 20. 9. Why are Christians to
rejoice when persecuted for Uie Son of man's sake? 10. Is it desirable that all men shall speak well of us ? 11.
Howare we to treat our enemies? 12. Explain verses 28-.30. 1.3. Also verse 31. 14. What is said about a " good "
and a " corrupt " " tree ? " 15. Explain the parable of the two builders.
CHAPTER VII.
1 ChrUit flndeth a greatfr faith in the cnlnrion, a Oentil'',
than ia nni/ or' Ihr J'lus : 10 h<al''th hit sn-rant beiny
a'»!(>U .-11 raiseth from ileath the, witlow'i son at Nnin :
19 nnxicrrih John's yn'ssmprrs with ihr. decliiratiim
of his mirnrt/'s : 21 testiflf:tli l» thr peoplf wlint ouinioii
lip hf Id of John : 30 invigheth affain<t tlie Jfiv-t. who
with nritlfr tlif mniuirrs of Jiihn. 7i<ir of Jesus could be
toon : :i<j and sftewi Hi hi/ occasion of Marjj Maiidalene.
how he. is nfri/'nd to sinners, not to maintain tli em in
sins, but In forgive tliem their sins, upon their faith and
repentance.
Jesus proceeded continually from in-
struction to action, and from action to
instruction. Words speak only to the
understanding, works speak to the heart.
This chapter opens with a memorable
instance of His Divine power and corn-
pas; ion.
N'OW when he had ended all his sayings in the audi-
enceof the people, »he entered into Capernaum.
»Matr. viii. 5.
All his sayings. His sermon in the hear-
ing of the people of Capernaum, the
center of His operations, to which He
frequently returned after His itinerant
missions. Christ's doctrines a.ssert their
own intuitive truth, but it is the miracles
752
LUKE.
of the preacher that attest that it is with a
true Divine mission that He utters them.
2. And a certain centurion's servant, who was tdear
unto him, w;ts sick, and ready tp die. _ ^, .
l>2 Kings V. 1, &c. ; Job xs.xi. lo ; Acts x. 7 ; Col. iv. 1.
A ccnturiu)t, or captain in the army of
Herod, who was at that time Iving of Gali-
lee, but under subjection to the Romans.
He was stationed with a hundred men under
his command in the barracks at Capernaum.
Herod, to support himself in his authority
and to enforce the payment of tribute,
wiiich he had to render to the emperor
of Rome, had stationed large bodies of
soldiers in various parts of the land.
Like many other heathens of that age,
this centurion, unsatisfied with the old
and worn-out popular religion in which
he had been brought up, and his situation
having brought him into such approxima-
tion to Judaism as enabled him to observe
the great superiority of its moral and
religious spirit, and the refreshing contrast
which the simple purity of belief in one
God offered, to the perplexing crowd of
divinities which idolatry presented, he
was led to believe in Jehovah, and to
render to Him his worship. He was one
of the proselytes, whom the providence
of God had so wonderfully prepared in all
the great cities of the Greek and Roman
world as a link of communication between
Gentile and Jew, in contact with both —
holding to the first by their race, and to
the last by their religion, and who must
have greatly helped to the ultimate fusion
of both into one Christian church. Servant ;
the original word means, literally, boy, but
still a servant is denoted, otherwise the
statements that he was very dear to the
centurion, and was sick in his house,
would have been superfluous. Who ivas
dear unto him — literally, whom he held in
honor or esteem, or highly valued. The
centurion's feeling such a deep interest in
the well-being of his servant, is a beauti-
ful trait in his character, and highly
creditable to him, especially when the
temptations of military life are remem-
bered. Was sick, and ready to die, of a
paralysis. (Matt. viii. 6.) This is not
contradicted by the fact that he is said to
have been " grievously tormented," for
i>;indysi3 or palsy, with the contraction of
ihi' joints, is accompanied with severe
pain. United with tetanus, as it some-
times is in Eastern countries, extreme
suffering and rapid dissolution are often
the result.
3. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the
elders of the Jews, cbeseeching him that he would
come and heal his servant.— ^John iv. 47.
The report of Christ's miraculous
powers was now in the mouth of men,
and had reached the ear of this Roman
centurion. Elders of the Jews, doubtless
elders of the synagogue which the centu-
rion had built for the Jews. (Ver.se 5.)
As he was a Gentile, and Christ a prophet,
he thought Christ would not care to
converse with him, hence he sent persons
in authority, that by the dignity of the
messengers he might honor Him to whom
they were sent. Beseeching him that he
would come and heal liis servant. Beseech-
ing, here, is a participle, agreeing with the
centurion, so that even according to Luke's
language, the words were those of the
centurion. The request was earnestly
urged, and this furnishes another evidence
of the master's regard for the servant.
4. And when the.v came to Jesus, they besought him
instantly, saying, Tliat he wa-s worthy for whom lie
should do this : .5. For 'Uie loveth our nation, and he
hath built us a synagogue.
dl Kings v. 1 : Gal. v. 6 ; 1 John iii. 14.
Instantly, that is, with much earnestness.
Saying, that he ivas worthy, &c. We see here
the force of real goodness to conquer the
most inveterate prejudices, the elders of
the Jews at Capernaum petitioners for a
Gentile, for a Roman centurion. So may
we disarm the violence of a party spirit,
and conciliate the friendship of those who
otherwise might have their eyes upon us
for evil. The erection of a house of wor-
ship for the Jews by the centurion had
won the regard of these messengers. For
he loveth our nation, &c. Here was an in-
stance of marked generosity. Many a man
is indifferent to the wants of others. He
is in the midst of those who have no great
claim upon him. He is too glad of the
excuse or apology for steering clear of what
would touch his means, invade his time,
or burden him with new cares and respon-
sibilities. Not so the centurion. Those
acquainted with the Roman history know
well with what cruelty, rapacity and op-
pression, the governors and commanding
officers in the conquered provinces too
commonly behaved toward the people
CHAPTER VII,
753
whom they were sent to keep in awe. So
far were they from building them temples
or synagogues, that they frequently in-
vaded those sacred retreats, and laid their
sacrilegious hands on everything that was
•valuable in them. In the midst of this
brutality and insolence of power, this gal-
lant soldier stood up to patronize and as.sist
a distressed and an injured people, and
it is a glorious testimony to his memory,
that, after consecrating his own soul as a
living temple of faith, love and grateful
obedience, he upreared a sanctuary, where-
in his poorer fellow-citizens might serve
the God of their fathers. There cannot be
a stronger indication, both of love to man-
kind, and love toward God, than erecting
places of worship where they are wanted.
6. Then Jesus went with them. And when he was
now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends
to him. sa.ving unto him, Lord, trouble not tliyself : <-lbr
I am not wircliy tliat tliou sliouldest enter under my
roof; 7. Wherefore neither tliousclit I myself worthy
to nome unto thee; but fsay in a word, and my servant
sliall be healed. 8. For I also am a man set under au-
thority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto *one.
Go, and he goeth ; and to another. Come, and he Com-
eth ; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
fPiov. xxix. 23. fPs. cvii. 20. *Oi, this -man.
Far from being pufied up with a conceit of
his own merit, in having built a synagogue,
the centurion thought himself unworthy
to come to the Saviour, or to receive Him
beneath his roof; he even counted it a pre-
sumption to have asked, through the in-
tervention of others, the presence in his
house of so exalted and holy a personage.
Humility, in the Gospel sense of the word,
is a virtue with which the ancients, and
more jjurticularly the Romans, were totally
unacquainted. They had not even a word
in their language to describe it by, their
only word that seemed to express it signi-
fying baseness, servility, and meanness of
spirit. When, therefore, we see this cen-
turion differing so widely from his coun-
trymen in this respect, we may certainly
conclude that his notions of morality were
of a much higher standard than theirs.
The best men have always the lowest
thoughts of themselves; when we esteem
ourselves unworthy of any favors, Christ
accounts us worthy of all. While God
"resisteth the proud," He "giveth grace to
the humble." " He that humbleth himself
shall be exalted." "Learn of me," says
Jesus, "for I am meek and lowly in heart,
and ye shall find rest unto your souls."
48
But say in a word, and my servant shall be
healed. He had faith in Christ's Divine
power, he believed that He was able, at a
distance, and by a single word, to command
this disease from his servant ; that it re-
quired neither machinery, nor eflbrt, But
the briefest, slightest forth-putting of His
will. He thought that Christ's power was
equal to that of God, who said, "Let there
be light, and there was light."
For I also am a man set under authority,
&c. His profession as a soldier served
him with arguments as a Christian. He
argued from the less to the greater. "I
am a subaltern, an under-otficer, have
such power that I can say to this soldier,
' Take up that position,' and to that soldier,
' Be sentinel there,' and to my servant,
' Do this,' and he doeth it — much more,
surely, Thou, who art the Comniander of
all the armies of the skies, and the Ruler
of all the inhabitants of the earth, hast
but to speak the word, and my servant
then will be instantly healed." One's
profession may often be made serviceable
to one's Christianity, and lessons may be
gathered from domestic, private and pro-
fessional life, which will cast new lustre
on the truths, and inspire with new force
the precepts of the Gosjael. Humility is
the concomitant grace of faith. As a tree
sends its branches upward in proportion
as it strikes its roots downward, so in
proportion as a man is deep in huinility,
he is " strong in faith, giving glory to
God."
9. When Je.sus heard these things, he marveled at
him, and turned him about and said unto tlie people
that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so
great faith, no, not in Israel.
What can be more wonderful than to
see Christ wonder? The expression, he
marveled, is one of those which show the
reality of our Lord's human nature. He
was made like unto us in all things, sin
only excepted. As man. He grew in
wisdom and stature, hungered, thirsted,
was weary, ate, drank, slept, wept, sor-
rowed, rejoiced, groaned, agonized, bled,
suffered, died, and so also as man He
wondered. Yet all this time He was very
and eternal God, one with the Father, and
the Saviour of the world. This is a great
mystery, and one which we cannot fiithom.
The union of two natures in one person is
754
LUKE,
a thing passing our weak comprehension.
We must believe, admire and adore, with-
out attempting to define or explain.
/ say unto you I have not found so great
faith, no, not in Israel. It is worthy of
reihark, that our Lord unites with the
elders in praising the centurion, but for
qualities wholly unnoticed by them, viz. :
his fiiitli and humility. The faith of the
centurion was great, because he had to
ascend from paganism to attain it ; great,
because not purely physical, but spiritual,
realizing his own unworthiness and the
superiority of Jesus as the Holy One;
great, because it realized the Divine
mission of Christ from Jehovah, and
expressed a sense of profound submission
to His absolute word. It was a faith
enabling him to accept all that Jesus
should teach, and prompting him to aim
at obedience to all that He should com-
mand. The unbelief of the entire chosen
people of God was rebuked by the faith
of this stranger to the commonwealth of
Israel.
10. And they that were sent, returning to the house,
found the servaat whole that had been sick.
Whole, restored to perfect health and
vigor. There was not merely a remission
of the strength of the disease, but it had
altogether left him. This cure was the
effect of the faith, prayer and humility of
the centurion, through which the almighty
energy of Christ was conveyed to the
sick man. But these very graces in the
centurion were the products of grace.
It is God Himself who, by the gift of His
mercy, disposes the soul to receive its
cure, and nothing can contribute to the
reception of His grace but what is the
fruit of grace itself.
On this history, note, 1. Our Lord's
miracles had the fullest credit given to
them, by men of rank and character, who
were perfectly competent to ascertain the
truth of any facts presented to their obser-
vation, and not likely to be imposed upon
by false pretenses. 2. The profession of
a soldier is not an unlawful one. It is
never condemned in the Scriptures. On
the contrary, it is placed by the sacred
writers in a favorable and honorable light.
fMatt. xxvii. 54 ; Acts x. 2, xxvii. 43.) 3.
There is no situation in life that exempts
us from the obligation to be Christians.
Those who are not Christians because of
their circumstances, will find the difficulty
in their hearts, rather than in their cir-
cumstances. 4. We are to admire more
the least measure of grace in a good man,
than all the grandeur and glory of a great
man. 5. Christ is most pleased with us
when we put the most confidence in
Him. We are not guilty of presumption
on the one hand, or of rash and daring
intrusion on the other, when we lay much
upon the shoulder of Jesus to bear and
endure for us. The more we trust Him,
the more He feels He is honored by that
trust.
11. 11 And it came to pa-ss the day after, that he went
into a city called Naiii : and many of his disciples went
with him, and much people.
The day after — the day succeeding the
healing of the centurion's servant. Nain,
which is now only a little hamlet, inhab-
ited by a few families, was then a small
town in the tribe of Issachar, hard by the
source of the brook Kishon, not far from
Endor. The name signifies the " Lovely,"
perhaps on account of the pleasant situa-
tion in the plain of Esdraelon. It does
not appear that our Lord ever went to
Nain, except on this occasion. Many of
liis disciples. Among these, doubtless, were
the Twelve appointed to be Apostles, foi
it cannot be supposed that He would sufi'ei-
the chosen witnesses of His miracles to be
absent, when so great a miracle was to be
performed as the raising of a person from
the dead, and to be performed so publicly,
in the presence of all who were attending
the funeral. Luke is the only Evangelist
who records this miracle. Much people,
consisting, doubtless, in part, at least, of
hearers of the sermon on the Mount.
12. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city,
behold, there was a doad man carried out, the only son
of his mother, and she was a widow : and much people
of the city was with her.
Gate of the city. Most towns and villages
were walled for the sake of protection.
Behold, there teas a dead man carried out.
The place of burial was outside the city,
according to the universal custom of the
East, both in ancient and modern times.
Yet, though for this reason our Lord's
meeting the funeral at the gate was a
natural circumstance, and apparently acci-
dental, still it is to be regarded as one of
CHAPTER VII.
the wonder-works of God's grace, one
of those marvelous coincidences which,
thougli seemingly casual, are yet deep laid
in the councils of His wisdom and of His
love. The only son of his mother. The object
of her fondest affections, and perhaps the
support of her decUning years. There is
no one loss referred to in Scripture which
is spoken of as so deep, severe and i)ainful,
as the loss of an only son. " Make thee
mourning as for an only son, most bitter
lamentations." (Jer. vi. 26.) ''They shall
mourn for him as one mournelh for his
only son." (Zech. xii. 10.) That the gra-
cious Redeemer appreciated the bitterness
of such grief is evident from the fact that
of the three memoraVjle instances in which
He exerted His power over death and the
grave, and released their captives, one was
the case of an only brother, another an
only daughter, and this an only son.
And she was a loidow. This adds a still
darker shade to the desolation of the
scene. She had no one to help her, to
bear her loss. She had already followed
her husband to the grave. Perhaps she
had often thought that her son would
supply the loss of his father, and at length
he had arrived at an age to be her prop
and comfort, but now he was dead, and
with him had died her fondest wishes and
dearest hopes — the name of the family
would now perish out of Israel. Well
might this mother say, in the bitterness
of her soul, " Is there any sorrow like
unto my sorrow?" A7id much people of the
city was vAth her. Doubtless the large at-
tendance was an expression of the respect
and sympathy felt for the bereaved and
deeply distressed mother. We should
shovi^ sympathy with those around us in
their losses and calamities.
13. And when the Lord saw her, ?he had compassion
on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
eHeb. ii. 17 and iv. 15.
Jesus, whose tenderness made Him sus-
ceptible of the strongest impressions from
occurrences of this kind, was greatly
moved with pity at the sorrowful scene.
Weep not. As with Jairus, his fear, so
with this widow, her grief is first allaj-ed,
before the Lord displayed His miraculous
power. What tenderness He showed in
His manner of performing the miracle !
He undertook the work of our redemption
and salvation in his love and in his pity.
(Isa. Ixiii. 9.) We should but mock the
afflicted, if we were to say, " Weep not."
We can only weep with those that weep.
But Jesus could remove the cause of grief,
hence the words " weep not," which would
have been inappropriate in others, were
perfectly becoming in Him. Though Him-
self a man of sorrows, He tasted the pure
joy of comforting mourners. Though
others may despise our grief, He does not.
We are not to understand that Jesus in-
tended here to condemn proper sensibility
in our trials and sorrows. He ished tears
Himself. We are not to forbid weeping
on the part of those who are afflicted, but
to " weep with them that weep," showing
them that we have a fellow-feeling. Yet
there is no reason for inordinate and ex-
cessive grief for those that sleep in Jesus.
As they will rise again, rise in glory, we
must not sorrow as those that have no hope.
(1 Thess. iv. 13.)
14. And he came and touched the bier:* and they
that bare him stood still. And he said. Young man, I
say unto thee, iiArise.
*0r, coffin, kchap. viii. 54; John xi. 43; Acts Ix. 40;
Rom. iv. 17.
The people of the East bury their adult
dead without coffins, but they carry them
to the grave on a bier that is shaped like
one. On this the corpse is laid, wrapped
in folds of linen, and the bier is borne on
the shoulders of four, sometimes six per-
sons. Jesus touched the hier, as if to arrest
it, and the bearers, obedient to that inti-
mation, though they knew not why, stood
still. Then came the maje.stic command —
Young man, I say unto thre, Arise. Strange,
mysterious address to the body lying cold,
stiff and silent, in the rigors of death ! I
say unto tJiee — I, that am the Resurrection
and the Life, quickening the dead, and
calling those things which be not, as
though they were.
15. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak :
and he delivered him to his mother.
No sooner had Christ uttered the com-
mand, than it was obeyed. The utterance
to the body was heard by the departed
soul, and it returned to its tenement of
clay. Sat up. The young man, without
any human help, rose upon the bier, and
began to speak, thus showing that he was
-.G
L U K E .
really alive. What were his first words?
We are not informed. Did he inquire who
had restored him to life? He soon must
have known; for He who had snatched
him from the grasp of death, delivered kim
to his mother. This sweet office Jesus would
perform Himself O, what a solace it must
have heen to His loving heart to behold
the joyful meeting of the parent and the
child ! He did not oblige this youth, to
whom He had given a new life, to follow
Him, as His disciple to minister to Him,
much less, as a trophy of His dominion
over death, to get honor by him, but pre-
sented him to his mother, to attend her,
as a dutifid son, thus indicating that it was
mainly in compassion of her affliction He
had wrought the life-giving miracle.
It). lAnd tlH'iv raiuf :i loar <iii all : and they glorified
God, savini;, JTiiat a sreat priiplH't is risen up among
us: and, ^Tliat (Jod iiatli visitcnl liis people. 17. And
this rumor of hiiu went forth throughout all Judea,
and throughout all the region round about.
iLuke i. tio. JLuke .\xiv. 19 ; John iv. 19 and vi. 14 and
ix. 17. k£,uke i. tin.
The effect of the miracle upon the mul-
titude was marked. There came a fear on
all. A religious awe and reverence perva-
ded them; and they glorified God, praised
Him for His mercy in remembering and
visiting His people Israel. Saying, that a
great prophet is risen up among us. They
concluded that no ordinary prophet was
among them, but a "great" one, since none
but the very greatest prophets of the olden
times, an Elijah or an Elisha, had brought
the dead to life. In their other exclama-
tion, God hatJi visited, his people, lay no less
an allusion to the long periods during
which they had been without a prophet,
so that it might have seemed, and many
might have almost feared, that the last of
these had arrived.
And this rumor of him went forth. Wher-
ever this miracle was reported, which was
not only in Judea, but in all the neighbor-
ing regions, it produced the same opinion
in those who heard of it, namely, that God
had visited His people in an extraordinary
way, and had raised up among them a
very eminent prophet, which greatly
heightened and increased the mighty ex-
pectations from Him, which long before
they had begun to entertain.
From this narrative we may learn the
following lessons: 1. The young may die
Their bloom and beauty do not shield them
from the destroyer. 2. The tender com-
passion of the Saviour. He sympathizes
with us in our sorrows. To Him we should
go for succor and comfort in every time of
trouble. 3. There comes a day, of which
this was a foreshadow, when, for His peo-
ple, "God shall wipe all tears from their
eyes, and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain." (Rev. xxi. 4.)
4. The miracles of Christ were so peculiar
as to attest His Divinity. How many times
He may have raised the dead, we know
not; we have record of but three cases;
and these three cases form a striking con-
trast. The daughter of Jairus was raised
from her bed, the son of this widow from
his bier, and Lazarus from his tomb. Nor
was this a contrived climax, but api)ears
spontaneously, from a comparison of three
Evangelists, and, thus appearing, it is
deeply significant. 5. The soul separated
from the body plainly lives independent
of that body. 6. The fact that this young
man began to speak, and yet nothing is
said as to what the conversation was — this
fact, as well as the sequel of the resurrec-
tion of Lazarus, and that of Jairus' daugh-
ter, are indirect evidences of the inspira-
tion of the Gospel. If these incidents were
mere figments of the fancy, their authors
would have given whole pages of the con-
versation of these persons on their return
to this world ; and this would have been
done with greater boldne.ss, because they
knew that no wing could follow them to
see the districts they described, or confront
them with refutation. 7. This miracle is
a pledge of the resurrection. It is as easy
to raise a million of the dead as it is to
raise one. 8. Jesus will deliver to us again
our loved and lost ones who have died
sprinkled with His atoning blood, and we
shall recognize them, and dwell with
them forever, where no grave is opened,
and no tear is shed. 9. Christ has power
to quicken dead souls. (Eph. ii. 1.) Let
us never despair of any soul. Let us pray
for our children, and faint not. Our young
men and our young women may long seem
traveling on the way to ruin. But let us
pray on. Who can tell but that He, who
met the funeral at the gate of Nain, may
CHAPTER VII.
yet meet our unconverted children, and
say, with ahnighty power, " Young man,
arise ! " AVith Jesus, nothing is impossil)le.
18. 'And the discip
things.— 'Matt. xi. 1
John was now in prison (Matt. xi. 2),
where he had been confined for rebuking
the adulterous intercourse of Herod with
Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. The
prison, as we learn from Josephus, was the
fortress of Machierus, on the border of
Perea and the desert. It is very likely
that John's disciples attended the ministry
of our Lord at particular times. Though
bigotry existed in its most formidable
shape between the Jews and Samaritans,
yet we do not find that it had any place
between Jews and Jews, though they
were of different sects, and attached to
different teachers. At this time, the. dis-
ciples of John, who seem to have had free
access to him, shoicedhim of all these things,
i. e., of Christ's teaching ; His election of
the twelve Apostles to preach the Gospel,
and His miracles, particularly His raising
from the dead Jairus' daughter, and the
widow of Nain's son.
19. If And John, calling unto him two of liis disciplps.
Bent them to Jesus, saying. Art thon nilH' that should
come? or look we for another? 20. When tlie men
were come unto him, tliey said, John the Bajitist lias
Bent us unto thee, saying. Art thou he tliat should come ?
or look we for anotlier?
mGen. xlix. 10 ; Num. xxiv. 17 ; Dan. ix. 24 ; Zech. Ix. 9.
He that should come, more literally, the
coming one — the promised Messiah, or look
toe for another — under that character?
They did well to come to their teacher to
express their doubts. It is always well to
confide such thoughts to those who are
able to help us, for by hiding them in our
own bosoms, we may often occasion our-
selves much uneasiness, and expose
ourselves to great danger. Considering
what clear evidence John had received
by a miraculous sign from Heaven that
Jesus was the Messiah (John i. 33), and
what express and repeated testimonies he
himself had borne to this truth, it cannot
reasonably be supposed that he now
doubted of it. The utmost that we can
suppose concerning him is, that whilst
not doubting the Saviour's person, he
could not fully understand His mode of
iiction. He was somewhat impatient.
Matters moved too slowly for him,
especially as he himself, as a prisoner, was
now condemned to involuntary inactivity.
He was anxious for some speedy and
public declaration of the Lord in respect
to His Messianic dignity — a declaration
corresponding with the expectation which
doubtless he had formed to himself of the
Lord of the threshing-floor with His fan
in His hands. (Matt. iii. 11, 12.) But
John's disci2)Ies were unwilling to
acknowledge Christ to be the Messiah,
who about that time was generally expect-
ed,because they had such a zeal for the
honor of John, their master, that they
were not willing to own any one greater
than him. Probably, also, they were
prejudiced against the Lord on account of
His manner of life, which was very unlike
that of John, for Jesus freely mixed with
sinners, and was entertained by them,
while John had always led a solitary life,
and had lived upon the coarsest fare.
John, therefore, to whom a delegation
had been sent to know from him whether
He was the Christ, now sends two of his
disciples to Jesus, that they might obtain
further satisfaction as to His Messiahsliip,
and have their faith confirmed in Him
from whom they had otherwise fled, out
of a prej)Osterous emulation.
21. And in that same hour he cured many of their in-
firmities, and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto
many that were blind he gave sight.
What a view is here given of the
number and variety of our Lord's mira-
cles ! By plagues, we are not to understand,
as some do, palsies and leprosies, but more
violent and active diseases. It will be
noticed that Luke, the ])hysi(;ian, distin-
guishes the demoniacs from naturally sick
persons. He gave sight might be rendered,
"he made a present of seeing," or "he
graciously gave sight." The words denote
how highly gratifying the gift of sight was
to those who had been blind, as well as
the kind manner in which our Lord
bestowed it. In all Christ's miracles, not
only the cure, but the manner in which He
performed it, endeared Him to those who
were objects of His comijassionate regard.
22. "Then Jesus answering, said unto them. Go your
way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard;
"how that the blind see, the laiiie walk, the lepers are
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, Ho the
poor the gospel is preached.
"Matt. xi. 4. olsa. xxxv. 5 and xlii. 7. pLuke iv. 18.
Go your way, and tell John. The answer
LUKE.
is addressed to John, from whom the
question came, and therefore can deter-
mine nothing as to its true motive. What
things ye have seen and heard, of which a
specification is made in the remainder of
the verse — not exhaustive, but illustra-
tive, by means of a few signal instances.
Christ would have men judge of Him and
of others only by their works. This is the
only safe way of judging. A man is not
to be credited because he professes to
know such and such things, but because
he demonstrates by his conduct that his
pretensions are not vain. How that the
blind see. Our Lord here refers to Isaiah
(xxix. 18), and other passages where these
works are made the proofs of the Messiah.
The lame walk, literally, walk about, show-
ing their cure to be real. The lepers, are
cleansed — delivered from their disease and
defilement. The deaf hear — their ears are
unstopped. The dead are raised. Perhaps
the raising of the dead may have been
amongthe miracles the messengers actually
witnessed, or the reference may be to the
resuscitation of the widow's son at Nain.
To the poor the gospel is preached. This was
a sign of Messiah's time. (Isa. xxix. 19.)
Contempt for the poor seems to have been
very common in the times of the Gospel.
(John vii. 49; ix. 34 and James ii. 24.)
Concern and tender interest about the
poor was a distinguishing feature of our
Lord's ministry and that of His Apostles.
Theyi, as ever since, the poor of the world
have been more disposed than other men
to hear and embrace the Gospel. It will
be noticed that the miracles here enu-
merated werenotonly the most convincing
proofs of the supreme power of Christ,
but were also emblematic of the work of
salvation which He effects in the souls of
men. Sinners are blind, their understand-
ing is so darkened by sin that they see not
the way of truth and salvation. They are
lame, not able to walk in the path of
righteousness. They are leprous, their
souls are defiled with sin, the most loath-
some and inveterate disease, deepening in
themselves and infecting others. They
are deaf, to the voice of God, His word
and their own conscience. They are dead,
in trespasses and sins, God, who is the life
of the soul, being separated from it by
iniquity. As Christ would be known by
His works and doctrines, so must true
Churches of Christ and true ministers of
Christ. When the dead in sin are not
quickened, and the blind are not restored
to sight, and the poor have no glad tidings
proclaimed to them, we may generally
suspect that Christ's presence is wanting.
2.3. And blessed is he whosoever sball not be offended
in me.
Blessed, truly fortunate or happy, with
particular reference to the Divine favor.
Wliosoever, a contingent expression, not
necessarily implying that any one had
actually been, but simply that some one
might thereafter be offended, or be stumbled,
made to fall, i. e., betrayed into sin and
error. The warning thus given is just as
needful now as when it was delivered.
Many are offended at Christ : some at the
asserted divinity of His person, and the
meritoriousness of His satisfaction ; some
at the mysteriousness of His doctrine ;
others at the sanctity and strictness of His
laws; some at the free disi^ensation of
His grace ; others that the terms of Christi-
anity are too hard, humbling to the proud
and earthly hearts, and laying too great a
restraint upon human nature ; others, that
the world does not believe in Him, that
there are so many hypocrites and incon-
sistent professors of religion, and that his
real followers are generally poor and
unlearned. But those who believe in
Him, notwithstanding all these hin-
drances, shall be in a happy condition here,
and, at the judgment-day and beyond,
learn the deep meaning of our Lord's
words in this verse.
24. t qAnd when the messengers of John were de-
parted, he began to speak unto the people concerning
John, What went ye out into the wilderne.ss lor to see ?
A reed shalcen with the wind ?— qMatt. xi. 7.
JJnio the people. Not before John's dis-
ciples, but before the multitude, Christ
commended John, for as John's disciples
had too high, so the multitude had too
low an opinion of him, pos.sibly because
of his imprisonment and suflferings. Re-
minding the people of their visit to the
wilderness of Judea, bordering on the
Jordan, where John preached and bap-
tized, He assured them they had gone there
not to see a common sight, but an extra-
ordinary one. This He did by a form of
CHAPTER VII
759
expression not uncommon in the Bible,
by which a question is equivalent to a
strong and positive affirmation. John,
whom they had gone out to hear preach,
was not a reed shaken with the wind, not as
easily shaken as they, by every gust of
rumor or prejudice, or every change of
outward circumstances. He was not a man
of an unstable and unsettled judgment,
but fixed and steadfast. Convinced of
the truth, he continued to believe and
assert it. Steadiness is essentially necessary
to every preacher and to every private
Christian.
25. But wliat went ye out for to see ? A man clothed in
soft raiment? Beliold, they which are gorgeously
apparelled, and live delicately, are iu kings' courts.
It was unreasonable to expect to see in
the desert a man clothed delicately and
faring sumptuously, for such persons were
rather found in kings' palaces, whereas
John was a plain man, clothed in a camel's-
hair garment, with a leathern girdle, and
living' on plain, coarse fare, and there
was nothing to please the eye in his
appearance. Here John is commended
for his gravity and sobriety — his mortifi-
cation to the glory, honor, ease and
pleasures of the world. The spiritual
nature of the Messiah's kingdom is thus
intimated. As Christ's forerunner did not
resemble any of the officers who attend
the courts of earthly princes, consequently
Christ Himself was in no respect to be
like an earthly jirince. A minister of
the Gospel should have nothing about
him which savors of effeminacy and
worldly pomp.
26. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet?
Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a ijrophet.
Our Lord, with a fine climax iu His
questions, from a reed to a man (intending
by this that John was no weakling), and
then to a prophet, gave the people to under-
stand that John, instead of having lost in
any respect his claim to the name of a
prophet, was even exalted above ordinary
prophets. He was much more than a prophet,
because he pointed out Christ more clearly
and fully than any of the prophets before
him. The ancient prophets beheld Christ
afar off, but John saw Him face to face.
r/ie_V prophesied ofHim,/;^ pointed at Him,
prepared His way, foretold that His king-
dom was at hand, and had the honor of
ba])tizing Him. He excelled in everything
peculiar to a prophet.
27. This is hr, of whom it is written, 'Behold, I send
my messenger bel'ore thv face, which shall prepare thy
way before thee.— 'Mai. ill. 1.
Tltis is he. The clearer any ministry is
in discovering Christ, the more excellent
it is. Of whom it is written. In the verse
referred to (Mai. iii. 1), Jehovah, speaking
of the coming of Christ, says, "ryty face,"
and "before me:" but it is here quoted as
the language of the Father to the Son, and
He therefore says, " before thy face," and
"thy way before thee," so that, to prepare
the way of Christ was "to prepare the way
of the Lord Jehovah," for " He and the
Father are one."
28. For I say unto you. Among those that are horn o(
women there is not a greater prophet tliaii John llie
Baptist: but he that is least iu the kingdom of God is
greater than he.
Among those that are born of women, that
is, among the whole race of mankind in
all former ages, there is not a greater prophet,
&c. John was greater than any of the
ancient prophets, on account of his won-
derful conception and birth, his intimate
knowledge of Gospel mysteries (see espe-
cially John iii. 27, &c.), his express testi-
mony to the Messiah, and his remarkable
success in making way for Him. John
was also himself the subject of ancient
prophecies, and long expected by the
Church. The world thinks that kings,
generals and statesmen are the greatest of
men. But God measures differently. The
Divine head of Christ is the loftiest of all
men's heads, and His nearest servant's is
next. It was when John was in prison,
that Jesus thus commended him. How
I)recious is the thought, to faithful minis-
ters, that though the world may slight and
despise them, Jesus will maintain their
honor, support their cause, and prove to
them an unchanging Friend! How com-
forting is it also to all true Christians who
are suspected, slandered and falsely ac-
cused, to know that Jesus will never desert
any of His peoj^le ! But he that is least in
the kingdom of God is greater than he. Jesus
here speaks of His disciples, not only so
far as they appear as Apostles or Evangel-
ists, but without any distinction. The
humblest Gospel minister who preaches
Christ as come, is to be preferred before all
the old prophets who prophesied of ChrLst
760
LUKE.
as to come. That minister who sets forth
the life and death, resurrection and ascen-
Bion of Christ, is greater in the kingdom
of God— that is, has a higher office in the
Church, and a more excellent ministry—
than all the prophets, yea, than John
himself.
29 And all the people that heard him, and the publi-
cans, justified Uod, "being baptized with the baptism of
John.— 'Matt. iii. 5 ; Luke iii. li
The people who flocked to hear the
Gospel message, even the publicans, who
generally were esteemed notoriously
wicked, on account of their injustice and
extortion, justified God, that is, owned and
approved His wisdom and mercy, in hav-
ing called them to repentance by John's
ministry, and prepared them for Him that
was to come, and they testified their ap-
probation by receiving baptism at John's
hands.
.30. But the Pharisees and lawyers *rejected 'the coun-
sel of God tagainst themselves, being not baptized of
him.
*Or, frustrated. 'Acts xx. 27. tOr, within themselves.
They who esteemed themselves good, and
were generally regarded as learned, hon-
orable men, rejected tlie counsel of God, &c.,
that is, despised, frustrated and made of
no avail the gracious ofter of repentance
and salvation which God sent to them by
the Baptist. It is a fearful thought, that
men have power to ruin themselves for-
ever. God has "no pleasure in the death
ofhimthatdieth." (Ezek. xviii.32.) Christ
is willing to gather men to His bosom, if
they will only be gathered. (Matt. xxii.
37.) But by continued impenitence and
unbelief, by persevering in the love and
practice of sin, by pride, self-will, laziness
and determined loveof the world, we may
bring upon ourselves everlasting destruc-
tion.
31. f And the Lord said, "Whereunto then shall I
liken the men ol' this .generation? And to what are
they like?— "Matt. xi. 16.
Our Lord now proceeds to describe and
condemn the fickleness and perverseness
of the Pharisees, whom nothing could in-
duce to embrace the Gospel, neither His
own ministry nor that of John. This
generation, i. e., of this age. The question
is asked, as though it were difficult to
find an object with which such men could
be compared.
32. They are like unto children sitting in the market-
place, and calling one to another, and saying. We have
piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have
mourned to you. and ye have not wept.
The market-place. In the earlier times
of the Jewish history, the markets were
held near the gates of towns, sometimes
within, sometimes without, where the
difi'erent kinds of goods were exposed for
sale, either in the open air or in tents.
But we learn from Josephus, that in the
time of our Saviour, the markets, at least
in cities, had become such as they now
are in the East, where they are called
" bazaars." These establishments are
usually situated in the center of the towns,
and do not by any means answer to our
notions of " a market," which is usually
for the sale of articles of food, for in these
bazaars all the shops and warehouses of
the town are collected, and all the trade
of the city is carried on, of whatever de-
scription it may be. It was common for
children in the market-place to play at
rejoicing and at mourning. One party of
children imitated the glad songs of the
Jews at their marriages, and on other
joyful occasions, while another party were
expected to dance at the sound of their
music. But sometimes sullen and way-
ward children would not join in the
amusement. Then the other party would
good-naturedly change the play, and imi-
tate the mournful music of funerals, ex-
pecting their companions to use sorrowful
gestures and to appear to weep, but
the same froward children would object to
this play also. In a matter of infinite
imjjortance the Pharisees had imitated
this example. All the methods which
Divine wisdom had tried for their conver-
sion had proved vain.
33. For 'John the Baptist came neither eating bread
nor drinking wine ; and ye say, He hath a devil.
vMatt. iii. 4 ; Mark i. 6 : 1/Uke i. 15.
They had demanded cheerfulness of
John, and as he led so solitary and so
strict a life, being clad in skins, feeding on
locusts and honey, and refusing to taste
wine or strong drink, they accused him of
being demoniacally possessed, saying. He
hath a devil — he acts like a wild, distracted
demoniac, whom an evil spirit drives from
the society of men.
34. The Son of man is come eating and drinking ; and
ye .say. Behold a gluttonous man, and a wine-bibber, a
friend of publicans and sinners !
The severity of John's ministry proving
unsuccessful, with respect to the conver-
CHAPTER VII
761
sion of the scribes and Pharisees, God
sent His own Son to address and conduct
Himself toward them in a more free and
famiHar manner ; but because Christ man-
ifested a mild and joyous spirit, in no way
despising the comforts of Hfe, but temper-
ately enjoying them, these same Pharisees,
because they did not find in Him the
austere, unbending sternness which they
had not been able to endure in John,
applied to Him the epithets, glutton, ivine-
bibber, and friend of publicans and sinners,
in doing which, however, they did not
consider that these latter words indicated
His highest titles of honor. (Luke xv. 2.)
What a contradiction was this ! Yet thus
do men always and everywhere act, when
left to themselves. The first and natural
movement of the sinner's heart, when God
speaks to him, is to question something
regarding the mode, or even to doubt the
reality of the communication altogether.
No matter how clear and convincing the
evidence may be — no matter how varied
its attendant circumstances, as, for ex-
ample, in the outward difference of life
in the case of the Baptist and Jesus— no
matter how lavish God has been in fur-
nishing tokens of Himself, and of the
reality of what He demands, still the
wicked heart craves for something more.
"This is not the evidence exactly that
convinces me," are practically its words.
" If this single point had been diSerent, or
if some clearer statement had been made,
or if I were to see with my own eye the
miracles recorded in Scripture, I might
believe." So, too, those who hate the
Gospel, excuse themselves for not attend-
ing to it, by accusing those who preach it
of faults in their manner, or of errors in
their life.
35. "But wisdom is justified of all her children.
■Matt. xi. 19.
Rather, by all her children. Wisdom can
here be no other than the Divine wisdom
which had been revealed by John and
Jesus, and in Jesus was personally mani-
fested. Her children are those who are
born of her, and jwssess a wise heart. The
justification of wisdom takes ])lace where
she is acquitted of accusations of this kind,
and acknowledged in her true character.
Wise and good men, not only some, but
all, admire the beautiful variety in the
conduct of Providence, and in the methods
of revealing Divine grace, ajjprove religion
in their judgment, honor it in their con-
versation, and adorn it in their lives.
36. H I A lid one of the Pharisees desired him that he
would eat witli hiin. And he went into the Pharisee's
house, and sat down to meal.
'Matt. xxvi. li; Marie xiv. 3; John xi. 2.
The time and place of the occurrence of
the things here related are not particularly
indicated. In some respects the incitlent
here recorded is similar to the anointing
of Jesus' feet by Mary, as narrated (Matt.
xxvi. 7; Mark xiv. 3; John xii. 3); but
must not be confounded with that event.
We know nothing of this Pharisee, except
his name, *S'i7no/i. (Verse 40.) There is no
proof that he was the same as " Simon, the
leper," mentioned in Mark xiv. 3. He
certainly was not Simon Peter, or Simon
Zelotes. There is as little reason for ascrib-
ing his invitation to hostile intentions, as
for believing that it sprang from esteem
and affection. Perhaps pride itself im-
pelled him to receive a rabbi at his table,
whose name was already upon so many
tongues, and in respect to whom one did
not know how high He might yet rise, and
Christ readily accepted the invitation,
never refusing any opportunity for doing
good.
37. And behold, a woman in the city, which Twas a
sinner, when she knew that J(:.sr(.5 sat at meat in the
Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
jRom. V. b ; 1 Tim. ii. 9.
The woman mentioned in this narrative
is one whose name is, for -wise and kind
reasons, not stated. This is the view
maintained by the great majority of all
Protestant commentators. She is never
again mentioned, that we are aware of, in
the Gospel history. Which vas a sinner.
That she was an unchaste woman can
scarcely be doubted, from the emphasis
the word "sinner" receives from its con-
nection, and from the reference made to
her by the Pharisee, (verse 39.) She
ivas a sinner, but at the time here spoken
of gave evidence that she had already
learned to hate and forsake her sins, and
to love dearly and tenderly the Saviour
for whom she had forsaken them. When
she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Phari-
see's house. This is additional proof that
this woman was not, as some have
763
LUKE
strangely supposed, Mary, the sister of
Lazarus, for Mary was well known to
Christ, and had not come accidentally, but
had been invited. (John xii. 2.) It also
shows that the woman's heart had been
touched by some previous attendance upon
our Lord's ministry, inasmuch as she made
preparations for what she was about to do,
after she had learned that He was in the
Pharisee's house. Sat at meat — reclined,
which was the usual position at the table,
and, as it appears from the sequel, without
having His feet washed or being anointed.
Brought an alabaster box of ointment. The
alabaster box containing the ointment, or
rather oil, is in the original called simply
an alabastron, a name derived from the
Alabastron in Egypt, where there was a
manufactory of small pots and vessels for
holding i^erfumes, made from stone found
in the neighboring mountains, and which
was thought to conserve better than any
other substance the qualities of the pre-
cious unguents. The Greeks gave to these
vessels the name of the town which pro-
duced them, and then to the species of
stone of which they were made, and
eventually to all perfume vessels of what-
ever form or substance. Ointments and
oils were used in Eastern countries to an
extent we can hardly understand. The
excessive heat of the climate made it
almost necessary, to preserve the skin from
cracking. (See Ps. civ. 15.)
38. And stood at his feet behind him 'weeping, and
began to vviish his feet with tears, and did wipe them
with tlie hairs of her head, and kissed his leet, and
anointed th'm with the ointment.
'Isa. Ixi. 3 ; Matt. v. 4 ; 2 Cor. vii. 10, 11 ; James iv. 9.
It would appear that the meals at which
Jesus took part had a somewhat jmblic
character. The entrance stood open to
all, not because they were invited by
Him, but because the concourse could not
be hindered. Stood at his feet behiiid him.
The guests at meal-time so reclined on
couches that their feet were behind them,
toward the open space or passage, between
the couch and the wall, where the servants
stood in attendance. Into this open place,
to which access, without obtrusiveness,
was easy, this woman came. Christ could
not perhaps have seen her without turn-
ing His head. Hence, the force of the
expres.sion, " behind him." Weeping tears
of penitence and love. And begayi to wash
his feet luith tears. From a deep conviction
of her many sins, and of the obligations
she was under to the Saviour for bringing
her to a sense of them, she shed tears in
such abundance that they trickled down
on His feet, which were then bare.
Neither the Jews nor the Romans wore
stockings, and as for their shoes or sandals,
they always took them off when they
went to their meals. At feasts it was the
custom of the entertainer to provide
water, and direct his servants to wash the
feet of his guests. And did vipe them v-ii]i the
hairs of her head. Observing that the rears
shed so freely wetted the Saviour's feet,
she wiped them with her hair, which she
now wore flowing loose about her should-
ers, as mourners commonly did. And
kissed his feet with affectionate tenderness, or
kissed them again a,nd again, which is the
true force of the original word. The kiss
was used in ancient times as the emblem
of love, religious reverence, subjection and
supplication. It has the meaning of
supplication, in the way of adoration, accom-
panied with subjection, in 1 Kings xix. 18 ;
Job xxxi. 27, and in Ps. ii. 12. And
anointed them ivith the ointment. That which
she had before used in self-adornment,
she now poured out upon the feet of her
Lord, as a token of her love, and a pledge
that, thereafter, her chiefest beauty and
ornament were to be a meek, penitent and
believing spirit.
.39. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him,
saw it, "lie spake witli himself, saying, ''This man, if he
Were a prophet, would have known who and what
manner of woman this is that touclieth him : lor slie is
a sinner.— »Isa. Ixv 5. i>Luke xv. 2.
When Simon observed that Jesus per-
mitted such a notorious sinner to approach,
nay, and to touch Him, he sjxtkc uithin
himself, he thought in his heart, this man,
if he rvere a prophet, as he pretends to be,
would have knoum u'hat manner of woman,
what a disreputable i^erson, this is that
toncheth him, thus familiarly ; and, instead
of allowing her to do so, would immedi-
ately have driven her away with just
disdain, as the tradition Of the elders
directs, for it was a maxim with the Phar-
isees that the very touch of the wicked
caused pollution. The discerning of
spirits was, according to the Jews, one of
the characteristics of the Messiah. (Isa.
ix. 3. 4.)
CHAPTER VII.
rc:]
40. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I
have somewhat to say uiUo thee. Aud he saith, Mas-
ter, say on.
Th(ni<j;li Simon did not declare liis sen-
timents, they were not hidden from C'hri.st,
who, to sliow liim that He was' a prophet,
and that He knew not only the charac;ters
of men but the inward and invisible state
of their minds, conversed with him on the
subject of his tlioughts. Simon, I have
somewhat to say unto thee, something de-
manding thy whole attention, applicable
to thee, and important for thee. Blaster,
say on. Though the Pharisee's heart had
just pronounced his guest to be an impostor,
the courtesy of the li]) jn'ochlimed Him
" Master " still. If Jesus had directly
attacked Simon in regard to his wicked
and unreasonable pride, and unfeeling
disdain of the poor, weeping penitent, he
would probably have been only hardened
and irritated by it. He therefore adopted
a method adapted to convince, without
offending him. He did not expose him
before the company, by making what he
said within himself public, but with great
delicacy proceeded to utter a parable, to
show that Simon erred in condemning a
woman whom the Heavenly Judge had ac-
quitted, and that it was well known to Him
what both the woman and Simon were,
not merely as to what is outward, but in
the most secret recesses of the mind.
41. There was a certain creditor which had two debt-
ors: the one owed five hundred cpence, aud the other
fifty.— '-■See Matt. xvUi. 28.
Creditor. A man who is accustomed to
lend. Five hundred pence, about $75 ; fifty
pence, $7.50. God is the creditor, men are
the debtors, and sins the debts. The de-
terminate numbers used can only be meant
to indicate the great inequality of the debt
of these two jjersons, and at the same time
to teach, that whilst it is not true that any
man's sins are really small, yet sinners, in
the eye and according to the judgment of
God, "are not equal, but have different de-
grees of guilt ; all are guilty, but not all
alike.
42. And when they had nothing to pay, dhe frankly
forgave them botli. Tell me, therefore, which of them
will love him most?
■iPs. xxxi. 1, 5, ciii. 3; Acts xiii. 38; Rom. iii. 24 and
iv. 5, 8.
Nothing to pay — he frankly forgave them
both. Here, on the part of the debtors, two
tilings are evident: the certainty and
greatness of the debt, and their utter in-
capacity to make restitution, being entirely
insolvent; while on the part of tlie credi-
tor there apjiears correspondingly in the
remission of the debts, 1. A very great
goodness, and, 2. That goodness perfectly
free, depending sim])ly on his own will,
quite undeserved by the debtors, and never
to be demanded by them as a matter of
right. Such also is the relation of the sin-
ner to God, that all sins require an exer-
cise of grace tliat is perfectly free, and this
also it is possible for them to tind. Tell
me, therefore, ivhich of them will love him most ?
Both would love, for such a manifestation
of love infallibly begets love in the heart
of the receiver. It is also implied that the
degree of the reciprocal love will be deter-
mined by the apprehension of the great-
ness of the received benefit. Neither of
the debtors would love at all the creditor
before hei had forgiven them. An insol-
vent debtor, till he is forgiven, does not
love, but shuns his creditor, apprehending
severe treatment from him. It is entirely
the same in the heart of the sinner. He
learns from the Divine law, both his guilt
and his liability to punishment, so that
nothing but fear of God can take possession
of him. But the sinner, in such a state, is
met by God in the Gospel with the gracious
method of pardon for his sins, and this, in
the believing heart, which appropriates to
itself the word of God, becomes the means
of rooting out fear, and implanting a prin-
ciple of love (Rom. xv. 1, 8, 15; 2 Tim. i.
7; 1 John iv. 18, 19.) The application of
the parable, therefore, leads to the follow-
ing conclusions : 1. Love to God cannot
precede the pardon of sin. 2. And hence
it cannot deserve this pardon of sin. 3. But
infallibly marks an act of forgiveness,
already j^ast and experienced.
43. Simon answered and said, I suppose that Tie, to
whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou
hast rightly judged.
Simon answei'ed, and said, I suppose, &c.
He surely who was forgiven most was
under the greater obligations, and mu.st
reasonably be supposed to feel the greater
affection for his merciful and generous
creditor. By this acknowledgment he
was, unknowingly to himself, prepared to
receive our Lord's reproof. And he said,
r64
LUKE,
Thou hast rigldhj judged, and the reflection
is evidently suited to the case tiiat we have
before us.
44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon,
Beest thou this woman? I entered into thine house
thou savest me no water for my feet : but she liath
washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the
bairs of lit-r liead. 4 j. Thou gavest me no kiss : but
this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased
to kiss my leet. 4ii. 'My head with oil thou didst not
anoint: but tliis woman hatli anointed my feet with
ointment.— 'Ps. xxiii. 5.
Now follows the application of the par-
able.
He turned to the woman, who liad been a
notorious sinner, and was the greater, the
five hundred pence debtor. The Pharisee,
however, though the less, the fifty pence
debtor, yet was a debtor too, which was
more, perhaps, than he thought himself
to be, judging rather that God was his
debtor. (Chap, xviii. 10, 11.) Seest thou
this looman, afflicted and distressed as she
is ? and canst thou avoid taking notice of
the extraordinary tenderne.ss and affec-
tionate regard to me that she has now
manifested ? I entered into thine house, as a
guest, on thine own express invitation ;
thou gnvest me no water for my feet, though
that be so customary and necessary a re-
freshment on these occasions ; but she,
nobly supplying the lack of ser\ice, hath
washed my feet, not with inere water, with-
held by thee, but by something far more
precious, her tears, and wiped them, not with
a common napkin, but luith the hairs of her
hea'K Thou govest me no kiss, as men do
when they receive a guest, but this woman
since the time I came in (some copies read,
she came in), hath not ceased to kiss even my
feet with the greatest humility and affec-
tion. My head with even common oil thou
didstnot anoint, though few entertainments
fail of being attended with that circum-
stance (see Deut. xxviii. 40 ; Mi. vi. 15 ;
Ps. xxiii. 5, civ. 15 and cxli. 5); hat this
woman hath anointed, not my head, but my
feet, with precioas ointment. This compari-
son, drawn so much to the advantage of
the woman whom the Pharisee so
thoroughly despised, must liave put him
to shame. Then comes the judgment
pronounced by Christ — a judgment in
which He furnishes His reply to the silent
query of Himon, ivhether this professed
prophet discerned spirits, by showing him
tl^.at He did most truly discern both her
spirit and his.
47. fWherefore, I say unto thee, Her sins, which are
many, are Ibrgiven ; lor she loved much : but to whom
little is forgiven, t/ie same loveth little.— U Tim. i. 14.
Whenfore must not be coupled with I
say unto thee, but with what follows, so
that I say unto thee should be placed in
parenthesis. / say unto thee, I declare it
openly, both for her vindication and for
thy admonition, her sins, which are many,
and exceedingly heinous, as I well know,
are forgiven, freely and graciously, /o?-,
rather, therefore she loved much, as I have
been the means of bringing her to repent-
ance, and to enjoy pardon and peace, she
has thus testified the great love and high
regard she has for me, as being persuaded
that she never can sufficiently express
her sen.se of the obligation. From this
woman's manifestations of love to me,
thou mightest have drawn the conclusion
that her many sins have been forgiven
her. There are three things in this
passage which show that the forgiveness
of sin is not, as Romanists contend it is,
obtained through works of love. 1. Christ
said to the woman (verse 50), Thy faith
hath saved thee ; 2. In verse 47, forgive-
ness of sin goes before love ; and, 3. If
we, as debtors, could by anj' merit of our
own, obtain forgiveness of sin, we should,
then, in contradiction of the parable
itself, have something wherewith to jxiy. But
taivhom little is forgiven, or who thinks his
debt was but small, the same loveth little, is
not much affected by the kindness of the
creditor that forgives him, and feels but
little gratitude and love to him on that
account.
48. And he said unto her, eThy sins are forgiven.
EMatt. ix. 2 : Mark ii. 5.
The woman's sins were not now for-
given for the first time. She was really
forgiven before she came to Christ. Now
she received a public and authoritative
declaration of it before many witnesses,
as a reward for her open expression of
love and gratitude. Before, she had hope
through grace. Now, she received the
assurance of liope. Before, she was justi-
fied before God ; now, Jesus has justified
her before men, before this Pharisaic
company, by declaring that her sins had
been forgiven. While the Pharisees mur-
mured, the poor penitent rejoiced.
49. And they that sat at meat with him began to say
within themselves, ''Who is this that forgivetli sina
also?— "iMatt. ix. .■?; Mark ii 7.
CHAPTER VII,
7Gr,
Brgan to say. Just as in chap. v. 21. It
would seem almost inconceivable that the
same censure should have been already
repeated, if we forget that a Pharisaic
heart at all times remains the same ; be-
sides, these guests need not, of course,
have been acquainted with that which
had already taken place at the healing of
the paralytic. Sins also. A better trans-
lation would be, even sins, the contrast
being between the display of His power
in curing physical infirmities (verse 21),
and the greater exercise of it in the for-
giveness of sin, which was solely God's
prerogative.
50. And he said to the woman, 'Thy faith hath saved
thee; go in peace.
'Matt. ix. 'li ; Mark v. 34 and x. 52 ; Luke viii. 48 and
xviii. 4i
Our Lord rebuked not the insolent
murmurers, but the more they murmured
the more persistently did He assure the
penitent. He did not say, " Thy loi>e hath
saved thee." Here, as in every other part
of the New Testament, /a;7/t is put forward
as the key to salvation. This woman had
embraced our Saviour's invitation, " Come
unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy-
laden, and I will give you rest ;" and in
her case it w'as proved true that " where
sin abounded, grace did much more
abound." Faith is the instrument of re-
ceiving the salvation which is promised to
those who repent. Go in peace, was a
phrase which was a common valediction
among the Jews, like our " Good-bye," or
" God be with you."
The following lessons are taught by this
narrative :
1. Men may show some outward respect
to Christ, and yet remain unconverted.
This Pharisee even desired that our Lord
would eat with him, yet all this time he
was profoundly ignorant of the nature of
the Gospel. 2. For great sinners there is
a great Saviour. " This man receiveth
sinners," which was the ironical taunt of
proud and haughty Pharisees, is the
Saviour's own motto, and the glorious
peculiarity of His great salvation. 3.
Love to the Saviour forms a necessary
part of religion. It is not, as some main-
tain, enthusiasm, or the mere etlect of a
high-wrought imagination. It has its
ground-work in the sober foundations of
the word of God. That state of heart
which the Saviour on this occasion prized
so highly. He values still, for He is " the
same yesterday, to-day and forever." Just
in proportion to our love will be our obe-
dience. 4. Toward a great sinner there
ought to be great tenderness. However
his sin may be rebuked, he should be
deeply pitied. We should speak to him
in terms of holy sympathy, and be ready
to show the nature and issues of his
transgression, and direct him to Jesus,
who came into the world, " that whoso-
ever believeth in Him might not perish,
but have everlasting life." 5. Our salva-
tion is of grace. It is utterly impossible
for any person of himself to pay the debt
he owes to God's violated law. They that
owe least stand in need of mercy and
forgiveness, as well as they that owe most.
Let us rejoice to know that God, the great
Creditor, forgives freely, fully and f run Jdy,
not grudgingly or indifferently, but gra-
ciously, cheerfully all who come to Him
through Jesus Christ — who, though not
the cause of God's love, is yet the expres-
sion of it, and the channel through which
that love flows. 6. The knowledge of
forgiveness, instead of leading to presump-
tion or indifference to God's claims, will
produce humility, and stimulate to
o]>edience. That sinner loves Jesus most
who is the most sensible of what Christ
has done /or him.
1. Whose servant was sick? 2. What did the centurion do? 3. What did our Lord say about his faith ? 4.
Why was his faith great ? 5. V/hat did Jesus meet at the gate of Nain ? 6. How did He restore the dead man to
life ? 7. For what purpose did John send two of his disciples to Christ ? 8. What was our Lord's message in
reply? n. What eulogy did Jesus pronounce on John ? 10. Explain verses 31-3.5. U. What occurred when Jesus
»at at meat ? 12. How are we to understand the parable of the creditor ? 13. What did Jesus say to Simon ?
LUKE.
CHAPTER VIII.
3 Women minister unto Christ of their substance. 4
Christ, after he had preached from place to place, at-
tended with his apostles, propoundeth Vie. parable of
the .viivrr. Ki and of the candle: 21 declareth who
are his vuithrr, and brrtlirrn: '22. rebuket/i the windi :
26 ni^ltl/i llir iKjiiin of divils out Of tlie man into Vie
herd of sivine :' 37 is' rejected of the Oadarenes : 43
healr/h the ivuman of her bloody issue, 49 and raiseth
from death Jairus' daughter.
Much of what is contained in this
chapter in relation to Christ's preaching
and miracles is also recorded by Matthew
and Mark. These portions of our Lord's
history are here repeated, as well for their
intrinsic importance, as that out of the
mouth not only of two, but of three wit-
nesses, every word may be established.
AND it came to pass afterward, that lie went
throughout every city and village, pr>'aohing and
showing the glad tidings of thekingdom of God: and
the twelve were with him,
Afterward — after the laying of the plat-
form of the new dispensation, by preach-
ing the sermon on the Mount, and con-
firming it by miracles indicating His
power over body and soul, or, as the
original expression may be understood to
imply, in the order of His work, for He wen;
through it regularly, and the end of one
good work was with Him the beginning
of another. He ivent through every city, &c.,
that is, of Galilee. Preachmg and shovAng,
&c., proclaiming and evangelizing, or publish-
ing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God — •
the good news of the kingdom He was
now about to erect among mankind. And
the twelve were with him, that they might be
further instructed for their work, and that
their having been thus publicly seen in
His train, might promote their reception,
when they afterward came to any of these
places by themselves.
2. And acertain women, which had been healed of
evil spirits and inlirmities, Mary called Magdalene,
tout of whom went srven devils, 3. And Joanna the
wife of Cliuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and
many others, which ministered unto him of their sub-
stance.—'Matt, xxvii. 55, 56. bMark xvi. 9.
The women here mentioned seem for the
most part to have been of some social
standing and means. They were probably
attached to Jesus and His company, by
having been the subjects of remarkable
cures. Evil spirits and infirmities. It is thus
evident that the forms of affliction here
denoted were not the same. Devils and
diseases may combine, but they are not
identical. Mary called Magdalene, so called
from Magdala, now Medjil, a town on the
west side of Lake Gennesaret, the patrial
name being given her to distinguish her
from the other Marys in attendance on
our Lord's ministry. She is mentioned
here in a manner that does not betray the
faintest consciousness of her having been
mentioned before, and thus it is clearly
implied that she is not the same as the
sinful woman mentioned in the last chap-
ter. Out of whom went seven devils. This
phrase must here, as in every ot her passage,
be taken literally, not figuratively for sins.
It denotes an intensity of demoniacal pos-
session. Seven may be a symbolical and
indefinite number to indicate the malig-
nant character of the possession. Instances
of the indefinite use of the word seven may
be found in Matt. xii. 45, and in Ruth iv.
15; 1 Sam. ii. 5; Isa. iv. L Of Mary's life
previous to her having thus become a
miracle and monument of the Saviour's
])ower and mercy, we know nothing. Very
great injustice has been done by some to
the memory of Mary Magdalene, in sup-
posing her to have been, before her con-
version, a i^rostitute. (See notes on chap,
vii. 37.) The fact that she was possessed
with seven demons is no evidence against
her, for Joanna and Susanna (verse 3),
might as well, on this ground, be censured,
for they seem to have been dispossessed
likewise by Jesus. Then, again, such pos-
session, instead of necessarily implying
any peculiar criminality, seems to have
been an affliction, for we never find that
Jesus rebuked the persons who were pos-
sessed. From the time she had exper-
ienced Christ's miraculous power, she
became His devoted follower. She seems
to have exceeded all the other women in
duty and respect to our Lord's person. At
this time she came forth from the retire-
ment in which she had long kept herself,
in gentle considerateness to minister to the
indigence of her homeless Saviour, as she
afterward attended Him to His cross,
embalmed His corpse, watched by His
shroud, and wept at His grave. It will be
remembered that she had the honor of
being one to whom Jesus made His ap-
pearance on the morning of His resurrec-
CHAPTER VIII
767
tion, and that her name was the first word
His risen tongue uttered.
And Joanna, tlie wife of Chuza. Joanna is
the feminine of Jolin, and the same as Jane.
Herod's steiuard, of whom she was the wife,
was the manager of the property concerns
and household affairs of Herod Antipas.
The bad examples of Herod, and of Hero-
dias, had not Iiindered her from embracing
that Gos2)el wliich her superiors despised.
Slie also continued faithful to Jesus at His
death, and at His grave. (Luke xxiv. 10.)
Her case teaches us that not all our Lord's
followers were poor. It throws light on
Herod's anxiety to see our Lord, when He
was sent to him by Pilate. He had prob-
ably heard of Him through his steward's
family. It also suggests the pleasant idea
that John the Baptist's imprisonment by
Herod led to the conversion of some of
Herod's retainers. Even in the worst
places God has some to stand up for His
name, and bear witness for His truth :
there was a Joseph in Pharaoh's court, an
Obadiah in Ahab's court, a Daniel in Nebu-
chadnezzar's court, a church in Nero's
house, and a Joanna in the family of the
bloody Herod, who had put John the Bap-
tist to death.
Susanna means Lily. This is the only
place in which we find this woman men-
tioned, but doubtless she was one of the
noble band which exhibited their devotion
and constancy in the time of Christ's pas-
sion. Who the many others were, we do
not know. Their names, we may hope,
are in the Book of Life, and "the day will
de(;lare " them. Which viinistered unto him
of their substance, literally, things on hand,
possessions, property. For the words "to
him," many versions have "to them," i. e.,
our Lord and the Twelve Apostles. No
doubt the holy courage and liberality of
these female followers of our Lord drew
upon them jeers and scofis from many, for
following the carpenter's son, and a few
fishermen; but this, instead of cooling,
inflamed their zeal.
What was true during our Lord's minis-
try has been ever since: more women
than men have been, and are, among the
followers of Jesus. In many congregations,
at most communions, at meetings for social
■worship, and in enterprises of Christian
beneficence, the number of females largely
preponderates.
4. H cAnd when much people were gathered together,
and were come to him out oi' every city, he spake by a
parable :— "Malt. xiii. 2 ; Mark iv. i.
(We include in our exposition the ex-
planation of the parable given of it by the
Saviour in verses 11-15.)
A jjarable is a form of speech in which
something is presented to us in lieu of
some other thing whicli it resembles, and
which we wish to illustrate. It is derived
from a Greek word signifying to compare
togeilier. This first of the i)arables which
Jesus uttered is recorded also by Matt. xiii.
3-8, and Mark iv. 3. It is generally called
the " Parable of the Sower," but among the
Germans has the title of "The four kinds
of ground." The delivery of this very
heart-searching and conscience-rousing
parable, when the crowd of hearers was
greatest, shows that our Lord was far from
flattering men, and speaking smooth things;
and teaches that ministers should always
denounce sin most plainly when their
churches are most full, and their congre-
gations largest.
5. A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed,
some fell by the way-side; and it was trodden down,
and the fowls of the air devoured it.
It -cannot be doubted our Lord in-
tended to set Himself forth as the
Chief Sower, though nowhere, in -the
three interpretations of the parable, has
He announced Himself as such. His
entrance into the world was a going forth
to sow. Others were only able to sow,
because He had sown first. They did but
carry on the work which He auspicated
and began. By the .^eed is meant the
Word of God in general, but, pre-eminent-
ly, His Gospel ; His gracious message by
Christ; His gift of grace and glory; His
testimony and invitations concerning the
kingdom of heaven. It .should be noted,
that whilst the seed is the Word, the Word
is Christ. "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God and the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among
us." (John i. 1, 14.) Christ is the living
seed, and the Bible is the husk that holds it.
" His seed." The fields must all be
sown with Christ's own seed, with no
mixed grain. Woe unto the minister who
768
LUKE
sows his own seed, and not Christ's. It
will be observed that Christ sows the seed
upon all soils. He gives to all opportunity
of knowing Him ; if any perish, it is not
because the Sower withheld the seed, or
because the seed was not good, but because
their own hearts were not ready and oj^en
to receive it.
And as he sowed, some fell by the way-side,
that is, some fell on the hard foot-path
-which skirted the edge of the field, or,
perhaps, ran by way of short cut through
the middle of it, where the glebe was not
broken, and so it could not sink down in
the earth, but lay exposed on the surface
to the feet of passers-by, till at length it
became an easy prey to the birds, such as
in the East are described as following in
large flocks the husbandman, to gather
up, if they can, the seed-corn which he
has scattered. Those here represented
are such as, by deep-rooted prejudices
against Christianity, have minds which
are impenetrable, and inaccessible to con-
viction ; also, the thoughtless, the inat-
tentive, the inconsiderate, the trifling, the
gay, who think of nothing beyond the
present scene, and who do not consider
themselves as in the smallest degree in-
terested in a higher invisible world.
Those last described, though not formally
rejecting the Gospel, yet do in fact never
concern themselves about it. They hear
the word (verse 12). but here the matter
ends. The truth never goes beyond the
surface, never penetrates into their hearts,
but lies on the hard beaten highway. As
an effect of the refusal of the hard heart
to let the seed penetrate into it, or to
" understand " it (Matt. xiii. 19), the good
word of God, being exposed to the scorn
and contempt of others, is trodden down.
Nor only this, it is also devoured by the
folds of the air. The devil (verse 12) cometh,
<nd taketh away the word out of their hearts,
Irst they sltould believe and be saved. The
kingdom of darkness fights against the
kingdom of God, which is built up within
us through the word of God, and there is
still permitted to exist a secret power of
Satan, which, through much cunning and
nil kinds of wicked artifice, draws from the
heart the preached Word. (Eph. ii. 2 ; 2
Cor. iv. 3, 4.) Satan comes through his
emissaries, symbolized by the fowls. Temp-
tations have wings, and they come in
flocks, and they have open beaks to snatch
up the word of life and carry it off or
devour it. And how easily tiie seed of the
word does go ! People on Monday have
forgotten both the sermon and the text
of the Sabbath. The birds have come and
devoured them up.
6. And some fell upon a rock ; and as soon as it was
sprung up, it witliered away, because it lacked moisture.
Here, again, we include in our expo-
.sition, the explanation of the parable given
by our Lord, in verses 11-15.
Upon a rock. This explains what is des-
ignated in Matthew, stony places, and in
Mark stony ground — reference being had,
not to a field abounding in small stones,
for then would seeds germinate in the
crevices between, but to one, underneath
which were large flat rocks, covered with
a thin surface of' earth, which prevented
the seed from having any depth of root.
The rocky soil of many parts of Palestine
makes the circumstances here mentioned
far more likely than they appear to be in
a country like ours. The rock is the
earthly, sinful nature of man. And as soon
as it was sprung up, &c. In such a soil as
has been described, because the seed had
not fallen into deep earth, the plant the
sooner appeared above the surface, and
while the rock below hindered it from
striking deeply downward, it put forth its
energies the more luxuriantly in the stalk.
It sprung up without delay, but was not
rooted in that deep moist soil, which would
have enabled it to resist the scorching
heat of the sun, and being smitten by that,
withered and died.
The persons here represented are they,
tvhich, when they hear, receive the word ivith
joy, and these have no root, which for a while
believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
(verse 13.) They receive the word with joy,
with delight. It is not, however, a joy
springing up from the greatness of the
benefit, even after all the counterbalancing
costs and hazards are taken into account,
but a joy arising from an overlooking and
leaving out of calculation those costs and
hazards. The word to which they have
listened with delight, makes an impression
upon them, and this impression passes
CliAPTEK Vm.
769
into expression. They move out of the
passive into the active state, making a
profession, and entering on the practice
of religion. Tliey are also often marked
by the outward evidences of precocious
piety, and a forward, flaming zeal. But
after all, there is in them no real, thorough
change. Whilst there is no conscious, in-
tentional deceit, there is no radical reno-
vation. The sad mistake in all such cases
is, that convictions are mistaken for con-
version ; admiration of the preacher's
eloquence for attachment to the Saviour
(Ezek. xxxiii. 30-32) ; an appreciation of
the moral beauties of the Gospel, for an
appreciation of its holiness, and the pleas-
ures of emotion, or such gratification as
taste enjoys in a beautiful discourse, for
the pleasures of piety. And tliese have no
root. How beautifully does this figure
show, that, as from the roots which are
out of sight, a tree derives its stability and
firmness, so, upon the hidden life of the
Christian, that life which is out of the
sight of other men, his firmness and sta-
bility depend. The word has never gone
down into the hearts of the persons referred
to, their roots lie along in their profession
of religion.
Which for a tvhile believe, and in time of
temptation fall away. The striking chai'ac-
teristic here, is the rapid change from
bloom to decay, from the reception of the
word to the renunciation of it. Divine
truth has produced no deep or permanent
effect, for while the hearts are soft and
susce])tible, they are, at the same time,
weak and inconstant. Just as the sun
scorches the plants, which have not suf-
ficient depth of earth or moisture, whilst
it contributes to the growth of plants
which are not destitute of these conditions,
so the troubles, afflictions and persecu-
tions which will strengthen a true faith,
cause a faith which is temporary to fail.
7. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns
sprang up with it, and choked It.
The portion of the seed here referred to
wants neither root nor depth of earth. It
grows up, but the misfortune is that the
thorns grow up with it. The fault of the
soil is not that of bearing nothing, but of
bearing too much ; of bearing what it
ought not ; of exhausting its strength and
nutrition on vile and worthless produc-
tions— tliurns (under which term may be
included all rank weeds, varying with
countries and climates, which infect the
soil and hurt the harvest), the roots of
which drank up the H-Ap of the ground,
while their branches veiled oft' the sun-
light, so that the good seed, starved be-
neath and overshadowed above, although
it made a fair promise in the spring, pro-
duced nothing in the autumn.
And that which fell among thorns, &c.
(verse 14.) Many persons in their youth
receive religious instruction. They im-
bibe right princiijles, and listen to good
advice, but no sooner do they go forth — no
sooner do they leave those persons and
places from which they received them,
than they take the road either of business
or of pleasure, pursue their interests, their
amusements or their guilty indulgences
with unbounded eagerness, and have
neither time nor inclination to cultivate
the seeds of religion that have been sown
in their hearts, and to eradicate the weeds
that have been mingled with them. The
consequence is, that the weeds prevail,
and the seeds are choked and lost. All
classes and ranks are on this side exposed
to danger. As principal antagonists to the
efficacious working of the Divine word,
Christ mentions cares — care for our present
livelihood — the pressure of an earthly ex-
istence— riches, and pleasures of tJiis life
which riches procure ; the glittering side
of this life, both v.'ith poor and rich, with
those who are in quest of them, and those
who already have them, because both look
upon them as the highest good, and put
their confidence in them. So that, be it
woman's household cares, or the anxieties
and annoyances of man's business; the
harassments of poverty or the enticements
of wealth, the pursuit of fame or power,
whatever it be that engrosses our attention,
and stealing our thoughts from God and
our hearts from heaven, counteracts the
holy influences of Bibles, churches. Sab-
bath, sermons and sacraments, it is choking
the ivord. It should be remembered, how-
ever, that only where the seed and the thorns
greiv together was the mischief done. There
is a place for cares and for riches, too — a
place in which they help and do not
770
LUKE.
hinder the kingdom of God. Kept in its
own sphere, the lawful business of life
becomes a protecting fence round the ten-
der plant of grace in the Christian's heart.
We should not permit the thorns or
noxious weeds to occupy the position
which is due to the good seed. Not as
rivals in the field, but as guards around it
— earthly atiairs are innocent and safe.
" Seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall
be added unto you."
8. And oUier fell on good ground, and sprang up, and
bare fruit a hundred-fold. And when he had said the,se
things, he cried, He that hath eai's to hear, let him hear.
The fourth class of hearers, here, as
well as in Matt. xiii. and Mark iv., are
represented by certain salient distinctive
points of character, which are as touch-
stones, by which every man may and should
try himself. They hear the word willingly
and with attention, and understand it,
receive it in faith, obey it, and thus expe-
rience its power, in which respects they are
distinguished from the first class. They
also keep it in a pure, good heart, often
meditating on it, and laying it up in the
deepest recesses of the mind, which con-
stitutes their distinction from the second
class. They bring forth fruit, in them are
manifested the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. v.
22 ; 1 Cor. xiii. 4-7), v;ith patience, perse-
vering with unshaken steadfastne.ss against
opposition and difficulties, under the
reijroach of the world, in the storm of
persecution, and this patience which they
exercise distinguishes them from the third
class. The exjaressions, " good ground "
and " an honest and good heart," do not
imply that any one's heart is naturally
good, or even can become so without the
grace of God. The ground, here, like the
tree in another analogical lesson, is not
good until it is made good. The fairest
sense of these expressions is, " an un-
prejudiced heart, willing to be taught,"
such as was peculiarly lacking among the
Jews in our Lord's time. The Bereans
are an illustration of the expression good
ground. (Acts xvii. 9.) The good heart is
good by reception of the truth. It does not
receive the truth because it is good. There
is no regeneration of heart, except by the
power of the Spirit of God, and generally
through the instrumentality of the truth.
Bare fruit a hundred-fold. Luke only
mentions summarily the hundred-fold in-
crease, while Matthew and Mark speak of
the " thirty " and " sixty-fold." The return
of a hundred-fold for one is not unknown
in the East, though always mentioned as
something extraordinary. If there be no
fruit, there can be no Christianity. Fruit
is the test of the tree, character the symbol
of principle. That some portions of the
good ground prod need a larger return than
others, corresponds with the fact in the
spiritual sphere. There are diversities in
the Spirit's operation, diversities in natural
gifts bestowed on men at first, and diversi-
ties in the amount of energy exerted
by believers as fellow-workers with God
in their own sanctification and diversities,
accordingly, in the fruitfulness which re-
sults in the life of Christians. While all
true believers are safe in Christ, each
should covet the best gifts ; and no true
disci])le will be contented with a thirty-
fold increase of usefulness, if, through
prayer and watching, if, by denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, if, by
sternly crucifying the flesh, and trustfully
walking with God, he may rise from thirty
to sixty, and from sixty to an hundred-
fold, in that holy obedience which grows
on living faith.
And when he had said these things, he med,
He that hath ears to hear, let hint. hear. This
expression is especially recorded by all
the three Evangelists, and seems to point
out the special importance of the parable.
The verb rendered cried, implies an utter-
ance in loud and distinct tones, so that all
could hear. This method of announce-
ment Christ often adopted when uttering
some important and mighty truth.
9. dAnd his disciples asked him, saying. What might
this parable be ?— iiMatt. xiii. 10 ; Mark iv. 10.
They wished to understand the meaning
of the parable. We should earnestly
desire to know the true intent and full
f.rtent of the word we hear, that we may
be neither mistaken nor defective in our
knowledge.
10. And he said. Unto you it Is given to know the mys-
teries of the kingdom of God : but to others in parables ;
cthat seeing they might not see, and hearing they might
not understand.— "-Isa, vi. 9 ; Mark iv. 12.
Unto you it is given, &c., as a reward of
your diligence, and desire to be informed,
CHAPTEU Vill.
7l\
these things shull be explained to you, but
the rest shull be left in darkness, und shall
have their voluntary ignorance punished
with judicial ignorance. Mysteries of the
■kingdom of God; things respecting the
Messianic kingdom, things vhich cannot
be known until they are revealed. Bid to
others, &c.—" but to them that are without,
all these things are done in parables."
Here observe, 1 . That the doctrines of the
Gospel are great mysteries. 2. That it is
an invaluable privilege rightly to under-
stand them. 3. That in this privilege all
are not sharers, but only those to whom
it is given. 4. That whilst God does not
arbitrarily aim to confirm any in judicial
blindness, it is, nevertheless, a righteous
thing with Him to leave to farther blind-
" ness and ignorance in spiritual things,
those who, as the Pharisees in Christ's
time did, willfully reject the truth, and shut
their eyes against the evidence of it.
11. fNow the parable is this : The seed is the word of
God.— Qlatt. xiii. IS ; Mark iv. H.
Our Lord, in this case, gave both the
parable and its explanation. He became
His own interpreter. The Master takes
us, like little children, by the hand, and
' leads us through all the turnings of His
first symbolic lesson, lest in our inexperi-
ence we should miss our way. The Son
of God not only gave Himself as a sacri-
fice for sin. He also labored as a patient,
painstaking teacher of the ignorant. He
is the Apostle as well as the High Priest
of our profession. His instructions have
been recorded by the Spirit in the Scrip -
ture for our use. We may still sit at His
feet and listen to His voice. (See notes on
verse 5.)
12. Those by the way-side are they that hear; then
Cometh tlie devil, and taketh away the word out of
their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.* 13.
They on the rock an: tliry, which, when they hear, re-
ceive the word with joy : and these have no root, which
for a wliile believe, and in time of temptation fall
away.t 14. And that which fell amona thorns .are they,
which, when they have heard, go forth and are choked
with cares and the riches and ijleasures of t/iis life, and
bring no fruit to perfection.
*See notes on verse 5. fSee notes on verse 6.
Bring forth no fruit to perfection. In
Matthew and Mark, becometh unfruitful.
(See notes on verse 7.)
15. But that on the good ground are they, which in an
honest and good heart, having he.ard the wprd, keep it,
and bring fo-rtli fruit with patience.*
*See notes on verse 8.
Concerning this parable, let the follow-
ing things be observed: 1. It is addressed
to hearers of the Gospel: those who refuse
to hear are elsewhere in the Scriptures
noticed and condemned. 2. The four
classes of hearers described include the
whole mass of hearers. It is impo.-isible to
find any hearer who does not come under
one of these descriptions. 3. As there
never yet has been in the history of the
world an assemblage of mixed hearei-f»
which might not be resolved into these
four divisions, we have here decisive proof
of our Lord's power of foreseeing future
events. 4. It is a solemn thought, that
only in one, out of the four classes of
hearers, the seed brought forth fruit. 5.
It is not enough merely to admire this
parable. If a traveler, who possesses an
accurate map of his route, turn aside from
it and perish in a pit, it will not avail him
in his extremity to reflect that he carries
the correct track in his hand. 6. The min-
ister receives the seed which he sows from
Christ, but it must also have become,
through spiritual experience, his own pos-
session; for it must be taught of fiiith.
(Ps. cxvi. 10; 1 John i. 1-3.) 7. The min-
ister's vocation is one involving much
labor, and requiring patience. 8. The work
of spreading Divine truth is not confined
to those who are formally set apart to it.
As every leaf of the forest and every ripple
on the lake, which itself receives a sun-
beam on its breast, may throw the sunbeam
off again, and so spread light around, in
like manner, every one, old or young, who
receives Christ into his heart, may and
will publish, with his life and lips, that
blessed name. 9. It is not the fault of the
seed, or of the sower, if men do not bring
forth fruit unto eternal life. The difficulty
is with the soil. Men will not receive with
meekness the ingrafted word, as an Apos-
tle exhorts. (James i. 21.) The Gospel is
always fruitful seed in regard to its Divine
virtue, but not in regard to its actual
effects. 10. There is not a uniform pro-
ficiency in holiness among Christians.
None are destitute of fruit; but it is not
always the same, even in the same person,
nor is it so in different persons— it varies
according to their respective powers, the
relations of hfe, the spheres of operation
in which the Lord has placed them, and
LUKE,
especially according to their degrees of
fidelity in the cuUivation of their hearts.
10. 1 <:No miin, when he liatli lighted a candle, cover-
eth it witli a vr^spl, or puttetli it under a bed ; but set-
teth it oil ;i cHiKllcsticlv, that they wliich enter in may
see the liijht.— -ilatt. v. 1') ; Marli iv. 21 ; Luke xi. 33.
Lighted a cawllr, or lamp. Covereth it uitli
a vessel, &c. Frum some ancient writers
we learn, that only those who had bad de-
signs hid a candle, that, in the dead of the
night, when all were asleep, they might
rise np, and have a light at hand to effect
their bad purposes. But setteth it on a can-
dlestick, &c. " As men do not light a candle
that they may cover it, so I have not commu-
nicated my truth or my grace unto you, my
Apostles and disciples, merely for your
own use, but for that of others." Ministers
and disciples of Christ, shining by light
derived from Him as the " Light of the
world," are, in a subordinate sense, the
"light of the world," also, and diffuse His
truth and salvation where darkness and
wickedness would otherwise reign. It is
their duty, and should be their grand ob-
ject, so to recommend the truth by pious,
edifying conversation and conduct, that
men may see their good works and be led
to glorify God. Every Christian should
strive to be a burning and shining light.
Heavenly good things are lost by parsi-
mony, and increase by liberality.
17. hFor nothing is secret, that shall not be made
manilesf, neither any thinr/ liid, tliat shall not be
known, and come abroad.— iiMatt. x. -G ; Luke xii. 2.
What is committed to you in secret, should
he made manifest, or, rather, become manifest,
by you. Your Master did not give you
talents to be buried, but to be traded with.
Ye shall teach publicly, and explain and
illustrate what I now teach you in private.
18. Take heed therefore how ye hear : 'for whosoever
hath, to him shall be given, and whosoever hath not,
from him shall be taken even that which he *seemeth
to have.
■See Matt. xiii. 12 and xxv. 29; Luke xix. 26. *0r,
thiaketii that he hath.
IIov) ye hear. In Mark, what ye hear. The
same general idea of care and caution, in
regard to the reception of truth, lies at the
basis of both directions. Take heed that
you attend to my words, for they must be
listened to studiously, with teachableness
of disposition, and with diligence, since
they are symbolical and sublime, and not
spoken at random, or by chance. Every
advantage bestowed on us by Providence,
and religious instruction especially, is a
trust, of which we must hereafter give
account. We should therefore hear the
words of eternal life with attention, im-
partiality and seriousness of heart, mixed
with faith, not a mere historical persuasion
of the truth of the Gospel, though with
this we are to begin, but a deep sense of
the need of God's mercy promised in it, a
thankful acceptance of the terms on which
that mercy is offered, and an humble re-
liance on a'crucified Saviour for pardon,
grace and strength.
For V'hosoeeer hath, to him shall be given,
and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken
even that which he seemeth to have. The words
tuhich he seemeth to liave, throw light upon
the phrase what he hatli, in the parallel
places. (Mark iv. 25 ; Matt. xiii. 12.) The
gifts we have will either be continued to'
us, or taken from us, according as we do,
or do not, employ them for working out
our own salvation, for promoting the glory
of God, and for the edification of our
brethren. Men only seem to have what
they do not use, and mere shows of religion
will be lost and forfeited. It is not that
which a man does really possess, of which
he can be deprived, but of that which he
seemeth to have, i. e., of which he has got
a temporary or imaginary possession, like
the stony-ground hearers, who at first re-
ceived the word with joy, but falling away,
were stripped of every semblance of a
belief in Christ. There is no surer way to
thrive in grace and increase in gifts, than
to exercise and improve them. It is of
vast advantage to cultivate and cherish a
willing and receptive disposition and pur-
pose in relation to the Gospel.
19. IT kThen came to him hu mother and his brethren,
and could not come at him ibr the press.
tMatt. xii. 4B ; Mark ill. 31.
The earnestness and assiduity of Christ
in teaching the people notwithstanding
the opposition of the Pharisees, gave dis-
quietude to His friends. They wished Him
to desist from His labors, and they seem
to have engaged Mary to concur in the
design, which was doubtless reprehensible,
as it implied sentiments of Him derogatory
to His perfect wi-sdom and excellence.
His brethren, or near relations. Some think
the word means the children of Joseph by
a former wife, or His cousins. For the
wide signification of " brethren," see Gen.
CHAPTER VIII
773
xxxi. 46; Matt. xiii. 55, xxvii. 56; Mark
iii. 18; Gal. i. 19.
20. And it wai told him by certain which said, Thy
mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see
thee.
. As the crowd was so great as to render
it impossible for any one on the outside
to directly address Jesus, the report of His
mother and brethren being present, and
desiring to speak with Him, was passed
along through the crowd, and thus com-
municated to Him.
21. And he answered and said unto them. My mother
and my brethren are these which hear the word ol'Grod,
and do it.
Christ here reaffirms the sentiment
uttered while sitting in the temple in the
midst of tlie doctors, that He has higher
aftiaitiei and relationships than those of
an earthly nature. We must not suppose
from this answer that He intended any
disrespect to, or felt no regard for His
mother, or any of His relations, for we
know that He bore to His mother such
affection, that, when hanging on the cross.
He commended her with His expiring
breath to the care of His beloved disciple.
(John xix. 27.) My mother and brethren are
these. The pronoun having a strong de-
monstrative force, as though He pointed
with His linger to His disciples who were
present. As the Saviour speaks alone of
mother and brethren, it is probable that
Joseph was now dead. The fact that our
Lord, among the possible relations which
human beings can sustain to Him, does
not include that of father, may, however,
also be well explained from His unwilling-
ness to attribute to any human being the
relation which God alone sustained to
Him.
Observe, 1. That those united to Christ
in spirit, are nearer to Him than those^ re-
lated to Him in the flesh. With what sacred
dignity does this invest all true believers!
Although we cannot see our Lord, yet we
may love Him; and although His bodily
presence cannot be enjoyed by us. His
spiritual presence is not denied. Though
not ours in affinity and consanguinity, yet
He is or may be ours, in faith, in love, and
in service. 2. All true Christians are obe-
dient to God. As soon as any one is con-
verted, He begins to desire to do the will
of God. David said, "O that my ways
were directed to keep thy statutes ! " (Ps.
cxix. 5.) "I delight," said Paul, "in the
law of God after the inward man." Yet
the sin of his nature troubled him. He
said, "I see a law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind." All the
children of God endure the same struggle
that Paul and David endured.
22. ^ 'Now it came to panti on a certain day, that he
went into a ship witli liis disciples : and he said unto
them. Let us go over unto the other side of tlie lake.
And they launched forth.— 'Matt. viii. 23; Mark iv. 35.
This beautiful and instructive incident
is also recorded by Matt. viii. 18-27, and
Mark iv. 35-41. The time of it is here left
indefinite, but Mark tells us that it was
the same day in which He pronounced the
parables of the sower, the tares, the grain
of mustard seed, &c., by the lake of Galilee.
Jesus wished to visit the region that lay
east of the southern extremity of this lake,
and embarked with His disciples in a sliip,
or large boat, for that purpose. Tlte lake.
(See notes on chap. v. 1.) And they launched
forth, probably as the bright sun was set-
ting, and with the prospect of a fair wind
and prosperous voyage. Thus many launch
forth into the world, with fair appearances
and high-raised expectations.
2.3. But a.s they sailed he fell asleep: and there came
down a storm of wind on the lake : and they were tilled
■Willi water, and were in jeopardy.
He fell asleep. ^Fatigued with the labors
of the day, Jesus had withdrawn Himself
to the hinder part of the vessel, and com-
posed Himself to sleep. We have here
evidence of His humanity. Though Christ's
Godhead is the Rock to which we must all
fly for hope and help, and in the clefts of
which we must seek to be secure, yet it is,
as it were, through His human nature that
we have to enter into those clefts. What
comfort does it afford to see Him who is
all our hope and confidence, so- truly a
partaker of our necessities and sinless in-
firmities, as to need the repose which we
ourselves require ! The humanity of Je.sus
is here shown to be pure and perfect.
Jonah once slept in a storm, but his sleep
was the result of the opiate of a dead and
benumbed conscience. The sleep of Christ
in the tempest, was because of a pure, in-
nocent and holy conscience. Another
truth taught by the sleep of Jesus in the
storm is, that even when the case of His
people may seem most desperate. He has
774
LUKE,
not forgotten them. He may shut His
eye, but not His heart.
And there came down a storm of wind on the
lake, and they were filled with water, and were
in jeopardy. A sudden and violent squall,
such as those small inland seas, surround-
ed with mountain gorges, are notoriously
exposed to, descended on the bosom of
tlie lake, and the ship which bore the
Saviour of the world appeared to be in
imminent peril, as, humanly speaking, no
doubt it was, for the disciples, exercised to
the sea, many of them from their youth,
would not have been terrified at the mere
shadow of danger. Thus they who in
such fovorable circumstances had set sail,
were suddenly overtaken with a storm.
" Judge not according to the appearance."
" Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou
knowest not what a day may bring forth."
There is neither room nor reason to doubt
that Jesus is with us, because in temporal
or spiritual things trouble and sorrow
assail us. We may encounter storms when
sailing with the Son of God Himself "In
the world," says our Lord, " ye shall have
tribulation." "We are they," say the
saints in glory, " who have -come out of
great tribidation."
24. And U»e.v came to him, and awoke him, saying,
Master, Master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuk-
ed tlie wind and the raying of ^lie water: and they
ceased, and there was a calm.
How much was there to sustain the dis-
ciples with a sense of security ! Jesus
was in the same vessel with them, and
exposed to the same peril, and if He per-
ished not, their safety was surely guaran-
teed. Yet, for the moment, fear over-
whelmed them. AVe see their terror in
the double Master, Master, and in the words
of almost rebuke, " Master, carest thou not
that we perish ?" with w'hich, according to
Mark, they addressed Jesus. We perish.
According to Matthew, " Lord, save us, we
perish !" One advantage of trials is, to
make us know our weakness, so that we
shall apply to God by faith in Christ. It
L:; by /aii7/i alone that we may be said to
approach Him, by love we are united to
Him, and by prayer we awake Him. All
good perishes in us without Christ; with-
out His grace we are in momentary danger
of utter ruin.
Then he arose and rebuked tlu urind and
the raging of the water: and they ceased, and
there ivas a calm. The word rebuked is one
which we ajjply to living and intelligent
creatures only. We talk of rebuking a
servant, or a child, but not a tree, or a
stone. It is possible, therefore, that in
this case there is not a mere historical
personification, but a recognition of a
malignant agency to which the word is
spoken. There may have been demon-
spirits giving strength to the hurricane —
mustering, in diabolic rage, the destructive
forces of nature, under some mad delusion
that they might possibly effect the ruin
of the voyagers, and thus prevent the dis-
comfiture they seem to have known too
well was at hand. Jesus needed not, as
Moses, to stretch a rod over the deep— He
needed not an instrument foreign to Him-
self to do His mighty work. Calm and
collected He went upon the deck, and
addressed His reproof to the wind and the
watei — the wind as the cause, and the
raging billows as the effect. Nature yields
obedience to him of whom the Psalmist
prophetically sang : " Thou rulest the rag-
ing of the sea ; when the waves thereof
arise, thou stillest them." The sea, no
longer, as after a storm, rises, and falls,
and frets, but at once becomes smooth and
tranquil.
This scene strongly resembles that which
the commencement of the sacred volume
supplies : " And He said. Light be ; and
light was." And the analogy of the two
examples is nearer than might at first
appear; for He who now rebuked the wind
and the raging of the water is He " by
whom also God made the worlds," He
" without whom nothing was made that
was made." We have in this scene an
instance of the juxtaposition of lowliness
and greatness which is so often observable
in the history of our Lord.
2.'i. And he said unto them, Where is your faith ? And
they being afraid wondered, saying one to another.
What mannerof man is this ! for he commandeth even
the winds and water, and they obey him.
The disciples had faith, for they turned
to Christ in their need ; but it was not
quick and lively ; it was imperfect, as was
evident in their excess of terror, in their
counting it possible that the ship which
bore their Lord could ever truly perish,
for they doubtless meant to include Him
CHAPTER VIII
7W
in their ve. The haste, agitation and
weak faith of the disc-iples, drew forth
from Jesus the gentle, tender, yet Itiithful
words : Where is your failh f There is no
reproach for that rude awaking from
■ KhimlxM- He so much needed. But, gazing
with earnestness u2)on them, He asks (as
in Matthew), " Why are ye fearful, O ye
of little faith?'* ♦AVhat encouragement is
here given to feeble Christians, from the
fact that even the disciples themselves
possessed but "little faith!" A true and
living faith, -although it cannot be too
large for God's glory, and for our own
comfort, cannot be too small for the pur-
pose of salvation. What manner of man is
this? &c. By the miracle the disciples
were led into thoughts, even higher and
more awful, of that Lord whom they fol-
lowed, and were brought more and more
to feel that in nearness to Him was all
safety and deliverance from every danger.
Their faith was disciplined, and they were
prepared for sterner moral storms j'et in
reserve for them. God has a kind design
in all the atflictions which befall his peo-
ple. Hapjjy are those for whom all the
hurricanes of life's unquiet sea have the
effect of making Jesus more precious.
This miracle may be regarded as sym-
bolical of the Church — the Church in the
world, and yet not of the world, subject to
the storms of persecution. From all these
storms she shall be delivered, as she ever
has been, by ChristjWho is in her, being
roused by the cry of His servants. " God
is in the midst of her: she shall not be
moved : the Lord shall helj) her, and that
right early." This miracle was not a mere
miraculous feat, but also a prophetic fact.
It was not finished when it was done, but
a foreshadow, as all Christ's miracles were,
of a grand result yet to be. That clear
dominion of man's spirit over the material
universe which Christianity gives, the calm
courage which it inspires, and the lordship
over the winds and waves, and over all the
blind uproar of nature which it secures, is
the appointed sequence of the calming of
the storm on the Galilean lake. It is also a
part of the recuperative and restoring
process which is going forward under
Him " by whom and for whom are all
things."
It is an advance toward the time of the
promised " restitution of all things."
20. H mAnd they arrived at the country of the Gada-
renes, whic'h i.s over afcahist Galilee.
n>Matt. viii. -JJti; Mark v. 1.
We have just seen Jesus show Himself
the controller of the elements by which
our world is assailed. We now come to
contemplate Him in a light still more
glorious, as the Lord of the inner storms
— the moral hurricanes by which the
human mind and heart are deranged.
The country of the Gadarcnes. The city of
Gadara, which was one of the ten cities
called Decapolis, was on the east of Jordan,
in the vicinity of the lake of Gennesaret,
beyond the brook Jarmuk, about eight
miles above its junction with the Jordan.
This city gave its name to the district or
canton of which it was the chief town —
Gadarene. Gergesa was another city in the
same neighborhood, which gave to another
district the name of the country of the
Gergesenes, so that the region generally
might be designated by either name.
27. And when he went forth to land, th(>re met him
out of tlie city a certain man, which had devils long
time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house,
but in the tombs.
In describing this fearful scene, each
Evangelist that records it has some touches
which are particularly his own. (Matt,
viii. 28-34; Mark v. 1-20.) A certain man,
tvhich had devils long time, was long de-
moniacally possessed. (See notes on
chap. iv. 33, &c.) He was no madman or
maniac bereft of reason, the victim of a
disordered fancy or bewildered imagina-
tion; a deeper and darker woe brooded
over him. A careful observation of the
narrative shows us, that in that tempest-
tossed spirit there was a strange, mysteri-
ous blending of human consciousness and
fiendish hate — an interweaving of truth
and error — a confounding of his own per-
sonality with that of the devils. His own
nature was crushed to the dust by some
savage tormentor, lording it over him, yet
the overmastered soul (the nobler being
of the man), seems ever and anon to rise
to the surface, and to utter longings for
emancipation.
And ware no clothes. He was naked, for he
tore off wliatever was put upon his person.
Neither abode in any house, bid in the tombs.
There are in the part of the country re-
776
LUKE
ferred to, and especially near the ruins of the
city of Gadara, still to be seen numerous old
sepulchres hewn in the sides of the hills,
some of which are occupied as residences
of poor families. These places of tombs
being outside the towns, and being avoided
by the Jews, for fear of contracting pollu-
tion from contact with human bones,
formed secluded retreats, acceptable to
those who, from demoniacal possession,
madness or crime, or other causes,
shunned the society of men. Though
men are not literally possessed of devils,
all are by nature the slaves of sin, and
led captive by the great adversary at his
will. How frequently does sin cut off men
from social happiness and God ! Hemmed
in by deeds of moral turpitude, sinners
live on, shut out from Heaven's own joys.
Their home is but a tomb — a dark, cold
place, though songs and revelry and
thoughtless mirth are often found within.
28. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, aud fell down
before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to
do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high ? I
beseech thee, torment uie not.
The man may have rushed down from
his dismal dwelling-place, to encounter
with hostile violence the intruders that
had dared to set foot on his domain. Or
it may have been that he was drawn to
Christ by the secret instinctive feeling that
He was his helper, and driven from Him
by the sense of the awful gulf that divided
him from the Holy One of God. At any
rate, if it ivas with purposes of violence,
ere the man had fully reached Jesus his
mind was changed, " for he had com-
manded the unclean spirit to come out of
the man." (Verse 29.) Jesus, tho^i Son of
God most high. Perhaps the demoniac
was a Jew not wholly unacquainted with
the Messianic hope, but certainly it is in
the spirit of the Evangelists if we believe
that the knowledge of the Lord which the
demons usually exhibited had been at-
tained in a supernatural way. What have
I to do uith thee ? These are the words of
the devil, by whom the man was possessed,
rather than the man himself, and they
mean, " What have we in common ? Why
interferest thou with us ? Why wilt thou
not let us alone ?"
I beseerh thex, torment me not. How tor-
ment him not ? It has been alleged that
in this entreaty the possessed man identi-
fied himself with his demon, dreading the
pains and convulsions of the casting out,
but if that had been meant, the possessed
man would have distinguished himself
from his demon, and not identified
himself with him, for in that identifica-
tion he would have felt the nearness and
supremacy of Jesus itself a torment, and
still more banishment into the abyss.
These words, as well as those in Matthew,
" Art thou come hither to torment us be-
fore the time?" are a striking incidental
proof that there will be a judgment and a
hell. The devils believe this, if men do
not.
29. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to
come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught
him ; and he was kept bound with cli.ains and in fetters ;
and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil
into the wilderness.)
For he had commanded, &c. (See notes
on verse 28.) For oftentimes it had caught
him, therefore our compassionate Lord
had made the more haste to cast it out.
And he was kept bound, &c., he was pos-
sessed of that extraordinary muscular
strength which maniacs so often put forth
(Acts xix. 16), and thus all efforts to bind
him had proved ineffectual. Into the
uilderness, where he found a congenial
habitation, howling amid the barren and
dreary solitudes.
30. And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name ?
Andhosaid, Legion: because many devils were entered
into him.
When Christ commanded the unclean
spirit to come out, the demoniac con-
sciousness in the man was shaken to its
depths, but still he felt himself to be
possessed of a legion of evil spirits, and
hence our Lord proceeded to perfect the
cure, by asking him his name. Jesus did
not ask the name because of His own
ignorance of the state of this demoniac,
but in order to show to those around Him
how malignant was this Satanic jiosses-
sion, and the mighty power demanded to
effect the cure of the afflicted man ; also
to restore the man, before his last and
most fearful paroxysm, to personal con-
sciousness— to the remembrance of his
earlier history and better times. Antici-
pating the reply to the question, What is
thy name f as if it had been addressed to
him, the indwelling demon said. Legion
CHAPTER Yin
777
Legion is ;i well know name, by which a
division of the Roman army was designated,
and which is supposed to have contained
5,000 or 0,000 men. The word is here evi-
dently used indefinitely to express a great
•number, and it was used to intimidate
Christ, as though it had been said, " Don't
interfere with us; you will find that we
are not one that you can easily crush, but
a mighty multitude, that will rush upon
you and destroy you also." What a hor-
rible representation does this word Legion
make of this demoniac! — his whole inner
being invaded, wildly torn and dislocated,
by a host of infernal fiends — the spirits of
darkness running riot within him !
31. And they besought him that he would not com-
iua,ud them to go out "into the deep.— "Rev. xx. 3.
They besought him, &c. In Mark the sin-
gular is employed ; in the narrative before
us one of the demons is (verse 28) speak-
ing for himself and companions ; here, all,
uttering Themselves through one, unite
in beeseeching Jesus not to send them into
the deep. The deep here means, not the
sea, but the abyss or pit of hell. It is the
same Greek word which is five times
translated " bottomless pit " in the book of
Revelation: for instance, xx. 1, 3 ; xii. 11.
Evil spirits have their wishes and under-
stand their interest as well as man.
32. And there was there a herd of many swine feeding
on tlie mountain : and they besought liim that lie would
Bufler them to enter iuto them. And he suffered them.
The demons, in this ever-intensifying
conflict between themselves and the Mes-
siah, becoming aware that they must in
some way yield before Him, entreat at
least to be handled in the mildest way.
They had great objections to being in the
abyss, and much preferred to wander
about. But it was held that they could
only do this within the vehicle of some
body — human or animal, divested of which
they returned to the abyss. To avert this
the demons implored permission to enter
a herd of swine that was feeding near,
knowing that it would be in vain to ask
leave to enter into any other man, or into
any lawful beast of the country. It should
be remembered that to keep swine was a
breach of the Mosaic law, swine being un-
clean animals. If, therefore, the Gadarenes
were Jews — and there seem strong reasons
for supposing they were — they were com-
mitting an habitual sin. And he. suffered
them, permitted the fiends to enter the
swine.
3.1. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered
into the swine: and the herd ran violently down asteep
place into the lake, and were choked.
A large herd of swine were feeding on
the neighboring clilTs ; into these the
demons entered, and the herd rushed
headlong in frantic rage over the crags or
slopes overhanging the lake, and were en-
gulphed in the waters below, thus showing
the extraordinary malice, hatred and love
of mischief, which are attributes of Satan,
and which extend their operation beyond
men — even to brutes. The destructtion of
the swine does not. as some have imagined
it does, present any serious difliculty. A
man is of more value than many swine ;
and if the Lord that made all things could
do man good morally, physically, or other-
wise, by sacrificing these swine, He only
did then and in that act what is done
every day when the innocent lamb, the
unoff'ending bird, the patient ox, are
slaughtered for man's nutriment. In re-
lation to the loss incurred by the owners
of the swine (at which some have cavilled),
it is no more open to objection than every
murrain that causes cattle to die, or inun-
dation that destroys the fruits of the field,
or other natural calamity with which God
chastens His children, punishes, or seeks
to make contrite the hearts of His enemies.
For oftentimes the taking away by God is,
in a higher sense, a giving. It is the taking
away of the meaner thing, for the purpose
of making receptive of the higher.
34. When they that fed ^ftcmsawwhat was done, they
fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country.
3o. Then they w-nt out to see what was done: and came
to Jesus, and (bund the man. out of whom tlie devils
were departed, sittintr at the feet of .Tesus, clothed, and
in his right mind : and they were afraid. 36. They rtlso
which saw il toUl tlii'i" by what means he that was pos-
sessed of the devils was healed.
They that fed the swine fled in conster-
nation to the adjoining city. The inhabi-
tants hurried out to verify with their own
eyes the strange report that they had
heard. And not onlj' did they find the
herd perishing in the waters, but, stranger
than all, the scourgeandterrorof the region
sitting at tlie feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his
right mind — clothed, doubtless, by the in-
tervention of the disciples. It is likely
that the one-sided report of the swineherd,
in justifying themselves to the owners of
778
LUKE.
the swine, had filled the latter with hostile
intentions against Jesus for the loss they
had sustained. But when they came to
the spot, and saw the demoniac thus quiet
as a child, and heard from the keepers of
the swine, as actual spectators, by what
means he was healed, they were afraid to
molest Christ. The silting at the feet of Jesus
implies that the man, as a disciple, was
ready and anxious to receive and obey
His instructions. The mercy of Jesus is
the only medicine of the soul. When Jesus
forgives a man his sins. He enlightens his
mind, and thus is he brought to take the
lowest place, while his chief anxiety will
be to put the crown ujion the head of his
redeeming Lord. Christ also clothes the
pardoned soul with righteousness — a right-
eousness which His own hands have
wrought, which outshines the heavens in
their brightness, and which shall never
decay.
37. H oTheii the whole multitude of the country of the
Gadarenes round about Pbesought him to depart from
them ; for they were taken with great I'ear : and he
went up into the ship, and returned back again.
"Matt. viii. 34. pActs xvi. 39.
The whole multitude, gathered from the
entire country round about to see the
strange sight, having learned, by what they
heard and saw, of the wondrous miracle,
were seized with superstitious and half-
heathen fear, and dreading further de-
struction of their property, they besought
Jesus to depart out of their country, and
He returned to the boat. What a contrast
to the entreaty of the Samaritans! (John
iv. 40.) How seldom are the first offers
of a Saviour cordially heard, and immedi-
ately accepted, by those who have lived in
ignorance of God ! Many a repulsive feel-
ing, many a rebellious thought rises up
within them, and though few will emulate
the open opposition of the Gadarenes, and
say, " depart from us," how many there
are who pat the word of salvation willfullv
from them, rush into the world, give way
to folly, yield to sin, and in their days of
darkness seek any and every master,
rather than commit themselves at once to
the Shepherd of their souls, and give them-
selves up to be guided, governed, sanctified
and saved by the God of their salvation !
How awakening the reflection, that we,
like the Gadarenes, may be permitted but
once to have the offers of a Saviour's pres-
ence and a Saviour's love !
38. Now ithe man out of whom the devils were de-
parted besought him that he might be with him : but
Jesus sent him away, saying, 3!t. Return to thine'own
house, and show how great things Ciod hath done unto
thee. And he went his way, and published throughout
the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto
him.— qMark v. 18.
The prayer with which the recovered
demoniac followed the departing Saviour,
may serve as an unequivocal proof of the
completeness of his healing, as well as the
warmth of his thankfulness. The man
had friends at home.- Probably he was
now in danger of despising his own people.
Perhaps the fact that Jesus, who, in the
case of those who were healed elsewhere,
imposed silence, appointed this man to be
a living memorial of His own saving mani-
festation for that entire district, is a proof
that He had not the intention of returning
into the land of the Gadarenes. At all
events, Christ's refusal to let the recovered
demoniac accompany Him, may teach that
true rest and repose in a Saviour's presence
is reserved for Heaven, that life has great
duties and great responsibilities, that re-
ligion is not a thing to be thrust into a
corner, the joys of which are to be selfishly
appropriated, without one effort to impart
them to others, but home, friends, country,
human kind, are the successive sj^heres
for the operation of our Christian influence.
Shining first and brighest in our own
dwelling, the light of truth must radiate
to the earth's circumference.
There is no revelation of Christ as the
King of the world of spirits which con-
tains so much that is obscure, as that made
in the miracle we have just considered.
In relation to such miracles the Saviour's
own words hold good. (Luke vii. 23.)
40. H And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was re-
turned, the people gladly received him : for they were
all waiting lor him.
At landing, He met with a better recep-
tion than among the Gadarenes, for the
multitude gathered round Him to hear
Him preach, many having waited there in
expectation of His return.
41. t "-And, behold, there came a man named Jairus,
and he was a ruler of the synagogue, and he fell down
at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come
into his house : — fMatt. ix. 18 ; Mark v. 22.
Behold! The expression seems intend-
ed to call our attention to the greatness
of the miracle, and partly to the singular
CHAPTER VIII,
779
goodness of God in raising up friends to
the Gos])eI even in tlie synagogues. Jairus
y>-i\s i\ ruler of the synagogue, doubtless tlie
synagogue of Capernaum, wliere Jesus
now was. His duties were to direct the
performance of Divine worship, and to
govern tlie affairs of tlie synagogue. There
were commonly several of these officers
in every town, but one ranked higher than
the rest, and was called the president, or
■*' father of the synagogue." Such, it is
thought, was Jairus. It is most probable
that he was one of that deputation which
came to the Lord to intercede in behalf
of the centurion's servant. (Luke vii. 3.)
He was there pleading for the restoration
of another — one ready to die. He is here
pleading, if it be possible to conceive that
he realized the idea of a resurrection of
his daughter from the dead, for the restor-
ation of his own. And what does this
contrast teach us? That sympathy with
others in their trials is the earnest of suc-
cess to us in ours. Jairus fell down at Jesus'
feet — a revelation of the life of faith in the
president of a synagogue certainly not too
friendly to Jesus, of no mean significance.
And besought him that he would come into
his ou-n house, although he did not, like the
centurion of Capernaum; say that Jesus
could cure his child at a distance, yet he
held that He could by a touch of the
hand.
42. For he had one only daughter, about twelve
years of age, anrl she lay a dying. But as he went, the
people thronged him.
Luke is the only one of the Evangelists
who uses the pleonasm, one only daughter.
The statement of the age is also confined
to him — facts, both of which show that he
drew his materials from an independent
source. The expression " little daughter "
(Mark v. 23), is, according to the Talmud,
thus explained : A daughter, till she had
completed twelve years, was called "little,"
or, " a little maid," but when she became
of the full age of twelve years, and one
day over, she was considered " a young
woman." And she lay a dying. Matthew
makes the ruler say, even noiv dead; Mark
and Luke make him say, is at the point of
death, is a dying. The different accounts
admit of easy combination, if we only
consider the fexcited state of the speaker,
who certainly did not weigh his words in
a gold-balance. He left the child as one
who was dying, and having no certain
notices since of her actual condition, he
was perplexed whether to speak of her as
departed or not, and thus at one moment
he used one expression, at the next
another. The variant statements just re-
ferred to constitute one of those ajjparent
discrepancies in the Gospels which prove
that there was not, as has been alleged, a
conspiracy among the Evangelists to write
the same thing, and thus to palm a joint
imposture on a credulous world — that tliey
were the indei^endent witnesses of facts,
and the independent recorders of the
performance of them — and that what
appear to be discrepancies or discords in.
the Gospel narratives, are found, when,
really and thoroughly understood, to be
only grander harmonies. But as he went,
the people thronged him. The Saviour did
not allow Himself to be kei)t back by the
imperfect form of Jairus' faith, as shown
in conceiving of the miracle under one
form, and stipulating that the Saviour
must Himself come and lay His hands on
his little daughter, instead of entreating
" Speak, in a word." And as He went the
people crowded upon Him, as the original
verb rendered thronged signifies even to
suffocation, to witness whiit the issue
would be.
4.3. ^ 'And a woman liaving an issue of blood twelve
year.s, whicli liail spent all her living upon physicians,
neitlier could bo licaliil of any, 41. Came beiiind him,
aud touched the border of liis garment : and immediate-
ly her issue ot blood stanched,— sMatt. ix. 20.
A woman having an issue of blood, &c. To
realize the greatness of the miracle here
recorded, we should read Lev. xv. 19.
The woman's disease rendered her cere-
monially unclean. This helps to explain
her desire to avoid publicity and observa-
tion. Her case was very grievous, and of
long standing Which had spent all her
living upon physicians, &c. Her suffering
was much aggravated by many fruitless
efforts she had made to be relieved —
efforts which were not only painful, but
had also brought her to poverty. Yet it is
right, when we are sick, to use the means
which appear likely to restore our health,
for if we say we trust in God, while we
refuse those means which are suited to
our case, we only tempt Him, while to
depend on them alone is to dishonor Him.
rso
LUK E,
Came behind him. In her hopeless state
this woman heard that Jesus was near,
and forming her resolution in faith, hasten-
ed to join the multitude as they passed
along. The crowd heedlessly thrust her
aside, but she struggled on until she was
by the side of our Lord. And touched the
border of his garment. Possibly she had
heard of " the multitude " who, a short
time before, "sought to touch him, for
there went virtue out of him, and healed
them all." (Luke vi. 19.) Reaching forth
her trembling hand, she silently and se-
cretly touched the border or fringe of His
outer garment — the square mantle, or
vesture thrown over His shoulders. As
the subjects of an Eastern prince, when
presenting their petitions, touched the
end of his robe, as an act of submission,
this woman in like manner expressed her
reverence and faith, and in a moment her
issue of blood was stanched, not only the
blood ceased flowing, but she experienced
the healthy feeling of a new life. Her
faith had peculiar strength and energy.
Many had believed that a cominand of
Christ was sufficient to heal the worst mal-
adies, but none, that we are aware of, ever
had faith to believe, as this poor w^oman
did, that a single touch of His garment,
even of the hem of His garment, would
be superior to all physicians upon earth.
In every Christian congregation there
are some happy few, whose cases are re-
markably analogous to this. They make
no public displays of their deep conviction,
of the plague which lies at their heart's
core ; they have in vain tried many meth-
ods for relief; they come at length to
Jesus in the crowd, their malady unknown
even to those who follow in the same
throng, or worship in the same temple.
Thus all unknown and all unseen to
others, they draw near by faith to the
Saviour, and not only touch His garment,
but hide themselves, and their own cor-
ruptions, and their wo, beneath it, even
the garment of a Saviour's righteousness,
and find there, where alone it can be
found, their healing and their cure. These
are they whom David calls " the Lord's
hidden ones." (Ps. Ixxxiii. 3.) The mul-
titude of people who fill the churches, and
make the crowd at sermons, and yet cease
not to go in their usual course, in following
the world and their own passions, throng
and press Christ, but do not touch Him.
45. And Je>us said, Who touched me? When all
denied, Peter and they that were with him said. Mas-
ter, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest
thou, Who touched me ?
Who touched me f more literally, " who
is the person that touched me ?" Not
that Chri.st needed to be informed, for He
knew who had received the benefit. Nor
was He about to chide the trembling
woman for her boldness. The sequel of
the history in which the woman was
obliged, by this repeated question of the
Lord, to own that she had come to seek,
and had found health from Him, abun-
dantly proves that there was a purpose in
thequestion. Peter and they ihcU loerewith him.
said. The reply of Peter, which has in it
a shade of censure, that his Master should
ask who touched Him, Avhen such numbers
were pressing upon' Him, is entirely in
agreement with Peter's forward and pre-
cipitate character. Master. The word
thus translated is only used by Luke in
the New Testament, and is only applied to
Christ. It signifies literally, " one who is
set over any thing to take care of it." It
is a title of respect, and an acknowledg-
ment of authority.
46. And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me : for I
perceive that 'virtue is gone out of me.
'Maris V. 30 ; Luke vi. 19.
Virtue, i. e., the healing power. Out of
me, literally, away from — external rather
than internal separation being denoted by
the Greek preposition. Of the going forth
of this miraculous power, the Saviour had
an intellectual knowledge; He knew it
within Himself. And that this virtue
proceeds from the Lord need occasion as
little perplexity as that the Holy Spirit
proceeds from the Father. (John xv. 26.)
47. And uwhen the woman saw that she was not hid.
'■sue came trembling, and IViUing down belore him, she
declared unto him before all the people for what cause
.she had touched him, and how she was healed immedi-
ately.
"Ps. xxxviii. 9 ; Jor. xxxi. 18 ; Hosea v. 3. »Isa. Ixvi.
2; 2 Cor. vii. 15; Phil. ii. 12; Heb. xii. 28.
Not hid. (See Mark v. 32.) Came trem-
bling^ &c. She desired to remain in
concealment out of a shame which, how-
ever natural, was untimely here in this
crisis of her spiritual life : and this her
loving Saviour w^ould not suffer her to do ;
by a gracious force he drew her from it.
CHAPTER VIII.
781
yet even here He spared her as fur as He
fouUl. For not before, but after she was
healed, did He require the open confession
from her Hps. She declared unto Him before
all the people, &c., in contrast with the
s^reat pains she had previously taken
to promote the concealment of her ac-
tion. Silence, which, in the first instance,
was a proof of her modesty, would, if
persevered in, now have been culpable.
Though Jesus healed her upon her secret
application. He desired her to make a
jjuft/ic acknowledgment of her cure. He de-
sires every sinner to do the same. " With
the heart manbelieveth unto righteousness,
and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation." The feeblest believer
must not be ashamed to stand forth and
acknowledge his obligations to the Saviour.
The Christian may not be required to do
this at the very beginning of his course,
but neither will Christ permit him to be
long concealed. He must own his Re-
deemer, and for his Redeemer's glory. In
this will he resemble the saints above,
who are not ashamed to acknowledge the
blood by which they were redeemed.
48. And he said unto her. Daughter, be of good com-
fort : thy faith liatU made thee whole ; go in peace.
Her faith had made her whole, and
Christ's virtue had made her whole ; it is
as when we say that faith justifies; our
faith is not itself a blessing, but it is the
organ by which the blessing is received,
it is the right hand of the soul, which lays
hold upon it. Go in peace. This is not
merely, go with a blessing, but go into the
element of peace as the future element in
which thy life shall move. The words.
Daughter, be of good comfort ; go in peace,
express the one great privilege of the
Gospel. Take this from the believer, this
spirit of adoption, this assurance of his
sonship, and he is left poor indeed. For
there is no middle state here on earth, as
there shall be no middle state throughout
eternity, between those who are the chil-
dren of God through Christ Jesus, having
been reconciled and brought near by the
blood of the cross, united to Himself and
carried into His family by the Spirit of
adoption — and those who are outcasts and
rebels, neither partakers of God's grace
nor preparing for His inheritance.
It furnishes us with some little idea of
the abundance of the miracles of our
Lord, of which comparatively so few have
been recorded, when we find one so re-
markable as that just noticed conveyed
thus, as it were, merely in a parenthesis,
and so little dwelt upon, that had it not
occurred during Christ's passage to the
ruler's house, it seems probable it never
would have been narrated.
49. H "While he yet spake, there cometh one from the
ruler of tl)e synagogue's himsf. saying to him, Thy
daughter is dead ; trouble not the Ma.ster.
"Mark v. 35, on which see notes.
While he yet spake, &c. From this it ap-
pears that Jairus had come forth with the
knowledge and approbation of his family
to call the Master. It would seem, also,
from this messenger, who probably was
sent by the distressed mother, that no
further benefit was expected from the
Master or Teacher (the Greek word here
translated the Master not being the same
as that used in the 45th verse, but signify-
ing " the teacher "), that, however efficient
Jesus might be as a physician, it could not
be expected that He had power to call
back the jiulsation of blood into the still
and silent heart of her that was dead.
50. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, say-
ing Fear not ; ^believe only, and she shall be made
whole.— I John ii. 2.5-JO ; Rom. iv. 20.
It — the messenger's report. Fear not :
believe only, &c. Jesus gave this prescrip-
tion for hope and victory. The delay
with the cure of the woman had been
for Jairus a trial of fire, his just awakened
faith had been most intensely shaken, but
now, when about to succumb, he is
strengthened by the Saviour. In his
earlier ministry Christ allowed His mira-
cles to precede the faith in order to create
faith, but in His advancing ministry He
had a right, from His past works, often to
require faith brfore the miracle, and then
the miracle justified and rewarded the
fiiith.
51. And when he came into the house, heysuffered no
man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the
father and the mother of the maiden.
j2 Kings iv. 33, ;« : Isa. xlii. 2 ; Acts ix. 40.
He sujj'ered no man, &c. It was the Sa-
viour's intention to keep the miracle as
much as possible concealed. That He
admitted into the house with Himself the
three Apostles, who had a clearer revela-
tion of His Divinity, humanity, power
LUKE.
and compassion towards the sorrowful
and sinful, and who were with Him on the
Mount of Transfiguration and in the
garden of Gethsemane, is a proof of the
high significance which He Himself at-
tributed to the raising of the dead.
52. And all wept and bewailed her: but he said,
Weep not, slie is not dead, ^but sleepeth.
'John. xi. 11, 13.
Notice the quiet power and calm self-
possession of Jesus. In the midst of great
distress He was unmoved and composed,
and that, too, though performing a deed
which, in dignity and power, might rival
the creation of a universe. Thus quietly,
calmly, unobtrusively, Christ often still
acts by His Divine Spirit, when the yet
greater work of the spiritual resurrection
of a soul, dead in trespasses and sins, is to
be perfected. A single discourse, a sen-
tence, yea, even a word, has been blessed
to this great and wonderful end — no
effort visible, no display of majesty and
power, except to the happy soul thus
raised' to spiritual life. All truly great
men are quiet men. Evidence of power is
self-composure, self-possession. All the
greastest forces in nature make the least
noise. The light descending from the
sun has infinitely greater power than the
flashing lightning and rolling thunder.
Weep not, sJie is vol dead, but sleepeth. By
this our Lord meant, not that she was in a
state of suspended animation, or in a
swoon, or a trance, which He would have
said, if He meant this, but, " To you this
is indeed death without hope of resur-
rection, but with me, in power and in
purpose, it is but a sleep, from which she is
now to be awakened."
53. And »they laughed him to scorn, knowing that
Bhe was dead.— aJob xii. 4; Ps. xxii. 7.
Who shall complain that they are
subjected to the ridicule of the world,
when they behold their Lord, thus, at the
very moment of exerting the highest
attribute of Deity, " quickening whom he
will," calling the breathless corpse to lifp
again, laughed to scorn by these poor
fallen sons of earth ?
54. And he put them all out, and took her by the
hand, and called, saying, Maid, ijarise.
bLuke vii. 14 : John .xi. 43.
The words, he put them all out, and they
laughed h im to scorn, should be read together.
It seems a rule in Christ's dealings with
men not to force evidence upon them, but
rather to withhold from scorners and
scoffers those j^roofs of His own mission
which He afibrds to others. And noiv, as
tlien, the scoffing spirit is the spirit which
is often left to itself
55. And her spirit came again, and she arose straight-
way : and he commanded to give her meat.
Her spirit came again. This shows that
the soul is a thing distinct from the body
in which it sojourns. Commanded to give
her meat. This was intended to strengthen
that life which was come back to her, and
to prove that she was indeed no ghost, but
had returned to the realities of a mortal
existence. (Luke xxiv. 41; John xxi. 5;
Acts x. 41.) This precaution was the more
necessary, as the parents in that ecstatic
moment might easily have forgotten it.
56. And her parents were astonished : hut ^he charged
them that they should tell no man what was done.
"Matt. viii. 4 and ix. 30 ; Mark v. 43.
The astonished parents were not to make
the miracle known bej'ond the circle of
those who, of course, would know that the
once dead maiden still lived, thus giving
it an unsafe notoriety. The command of
Jesus to this effect was occasioned by the
intense expectation of the jDeople at the
time (among whom were scribes and
Pharisees, who would not be convinced),
who might easily have given themselves
up to insurrectionary commotions. Besides
as respects the little daughter awakened
to new life, who does not feel how injuri-
ously the continual questions and expres-
sions of astonishment and curiosity would
have worked upon the higher and inner
life in her case? Then, again, it was the
will of God that the Divine glory of Christ
should not be manifested to the world all
at once, and suddenly, but, little by little,
during His state of humiliation ; for His
resurrection was the time appointed by
God for the full manifestation of Christ's
Godhead. (Rom. i. 4.)
Practical Lessons. 1. Afiliction often is
the means of awakening to an appreciation
of Christ. But for sickness, sorrow and
trouble, many had never sought or found
the Saviour of the world. 2. All are ex-
posed to bereavement. Death is a cruel
enemy. He makes no distinction in his
attacks. He comes to the rich man's hall,
as well as to the poor man's cottage. He
CHAPTER IX.
783
does not spare the young, the strong, iind
the beautiful, any more than the old, the
infirm, and the gray-haired. Our blessed
Redeemer knows our trials when sorely
•bereaved, and sympathizes with us under
them. Of the three memorable instances
in which He brought the dead to Ufe, one
was the case of an only brother ; another,
an only son ; and this an only daughter.
3. Prayer is of great comfort in the hour
of sickness and death. Our prayers, like
that of Jairus, should be marked by faith,
fullness, earnestness, and importunity.
Faith is of vast importance. 4. Let the
convinced and anxious sinner only believe,
as he gazes upon Jesus on the cross, and
his heavy burden will fall at his feet, to
oppress him no more forever; let the dis-
couraged Christian do this, and perplexi-
ties and obstacles will disappear, or he will
be strengthened to encounter them; let
the dying saint do this, who has, for a
moment, amidst the clouds that overhang
him, lost sight of the Star of P>ethlehem,
and the shades of darkness will disperse,
the scales will fall from his eyes, the
anguish be removed from his soul, and all
will be peace. 5. Jesus is the great van-
quisher of death. The death of Christians
is like a quiet sleep. Soon the morning
hour shall strike, the waking time of im-
mortality arrive, and the voice of Jesus be
heard saying, " I go that I may awake them
out of sleep." Let us take comfort in the
thought that there is a limit to death's
power. Thanks be unto God, there is one
stronger than death, who has said, " 0
death, I will be thy plagues: O grave, I
will be thy destruction." .(Hosea xiii. 14.)
That One is the Friend of sinners, Christ
Jesus the Lord.
1. Where did Christ go, preaching, Ac. ? 2. What is said of " certain women ? " 3. What parable was spoken
"when much people were gathered together?" 4. Wlio was the Sower? 5. What is the seed? 6. What are
the four classes of persons represented ? 7. Explain verses 16 and 17. 8. What is said concerning Christ's" mother
and brethren?" 9. On what lake did the storm occur ? 10. What miracle was then wrought? 11. What took
place in the country of the Gadarenes? 12. Repeatthenarrativeof Jairus' daughter. 13. Also that of the woman
having an Issue of blood.
CHAPTER IX.
1 Chrtit sendeth his apostles to ivork miracles, and to
prearh. 7 Herod desired to see Christ. 17 Christ feed-
eth five thousand : 18 enquireth what opinion the world
had of him : foretellrth his passion : 23 2»'oposeth to all
tite pattrrn of his patience. 2s T)i.e transjiguration. 37
He healeth the lunatick : 43 again forewarneth his
disciples of his passion : 4G cominendeth humility : 51
biddeth them to shew mildness toward all, without de-
sire of revenge. 57 Divers would follow him, but upon
conditions.
In chap, vi., verse 13, we saw the Saviour's
choosing of His twelve Apo.stles to their
work and othce, and their several names.
They were first chosen disciples to be with
Christ, and learn of Him, and be witnesses
of what He did. Now they are sent forth
to execute their office. Our Lord deemed
it fit that those who were thereafter to
carry on His work on earth, should learn
to act without His personal presence, and
that through them the Gospel of the king-
dom should be more extensively proclaim-
ed by their dispersed and separate condi-
tion than it could otherwise be.
^PHEN •ihe called his twelve disciples together, and
J_ gave them powor and authority over all devils, and
to cure diseases.— aMatt. x. 1 ; Mark iii. 13 and vi. 7.
Jesus qualified His Apostles to authen-
ticate their mission by miracles. What
an evidence of His power! He could not
only work miracles Himself, but could
enable others to work them. He gave
them power and authority over all devils, i. e.,
to be exercised over or upon all devils, of
whatever malignity and potency. "Though
ministers," says an old divine, " cannot be
expected to cast out evil spirits, they may
fairly be expected to resist the devil and
all his works, drunkenness, blasphemy,
uncleanness, fighting, revelling, and the
784
LUKE.
like, faithfully reproving them." And to
cure diseases. In performing miracles, the
Apostles no doubt acted vicariously, as in
later times, in the name of Jesus of Naza-
reth.
2. And the sent them to preach the kingdom of God,
and to heal the sick.
bMatt. X. 7, 8 : Mark vi. 12 ; Luke x. 1, 9.
Preaching the kingdom of God was the
prime object of the mission of the Apostles,
healing of diseases and ejection of demons
were the credentials of their Divinely ap-
pointed ministry. None ought to take
upon them the office of preaching, or any
other ministerial function, until thereunto
called by Christ Himself. His ministers
are now called mediately, they receive
their authority from Christ by the hands
of the officers of His Church. If ministers
do not take a special interest in all sick
people, visit them, sympathize with them,
and help them, if needful, as far as they
can, they are not true to their office as
pastors. Yet preaching is the great work
to which they are called. This they are
to make their main business. The pulpit
is the place where the chief victories of
the Gospel have always been won.
3. cAnd he said unto them. Take nothing for your
journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither
money : neither have two coats apiece.
tMa"tt. X. 9 ; Mark vi. 8 ; Luke x. 4 and xxii. 35.
They were to go forth to the discharge
of their office without any anxious care
for the future. They were going forth on
God's work, and they might rely upon it
that God would provide for all their wants.
They were to make no provision for their
wants, to take no money in their purses
or girdles, no food in their scrips or bags,
and no new clothes to supply the place of
the old when worn out. If they had a
staff, they were to go forth with it (Mark
vi. 8), as they had it at the time, hut they
were not to seek one carefully, or make it
a condition of their traveling. The fun-
damental idea is this, that they were to go
forth with the slightest provision, and in
dependence ujaon being provided for by
the way.
4. dAnd whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide,
and thence depart.— ^Matt. x. 11 ; Mark vi. 10.
In every place to which they came, they
were to accept the first hospitality that
offered, itnd having thus attached them-
selves to one household, that would become
the center of operations, they might go
out of it for the purposes of their mission,
but not shift their quarters so as to subject
themselves to the imputation of being dif-
ficult to be suited, or of preferring the
hospitality of the more affluent to that of
the poor. They were there to abide, until
they departed from the place, like men
who regarded all the world as an inn,
heaven as their home, and were content
with any lodging, and any kind of enter-
tainment.
5. eAnd wlicsoever will not receive you, when ye go
out of that city, fshake off the very dust from your feet
for a testimony against them.
eMatt. X. 14. fActs xiii. 51.
And irliosoerer will not receive you. Our
Lord prepared His Apostles to find some
who would refuse to hear their message.
The sin of rejecting the Gospel is far
greater than any sin that the heathen can
commit. Men may think the idolater w-ho
leaves his aged parents to starve, or who
cruelly slaughters the innocent children
of his enemies, is the most wicked of the
human race. But the Bible declares that
the man who refuses to accept the merci-
ful offer of the Son of God is far worse than
any of the heathen, and that he shall suf-
fer the hottest wrath of his insulted Re-
deemer.
Shake off the very dustfrt>m your feet. This
symbolical act would be perfectly intel-
ligible to the Jews, as a declaration that
they were excommunicated — "no better
than heathen" — and that the Apostles
would have no further intercourse with
them. For a testiviony against them. Wher-
ever the word is preached, it is for a testi-
mony, either for or against a people. And
if the dust of a minister's feet whilst alive,
and the ashes of his grave when dead, do
bear witness against the despisers of the
Go.spel, their sermons will do much more.
6. gAnd they departed, and went through the towns,
preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere.
BMark vi. 12.
Preaching the gospel is expressed in the
original in one word. In Mark it is
"preached that men should repent." The
promises and blessings of the Gospel are
theirs only who truly repent of their sins.
Preaching the Go.spel embraces the preach-
ing of repentance ; the part is included in
the whole. Everyiohere, in all the towns
and villages to which they came. Minis-
CHAPTER IX,
785
ters of the Gospel stand in great need of
help and comfort, of the assistance and
encouragement of each otlier in the weighty
duties of tlieir calling, and, like laborers
in the same vineyard, should extend to one
another sympathy, the strong endeavoring
to strengthen the hands of the weak. And
healing ei'crj/whcrc. The healing activity
for which power was bestowed upon the
Apostles, is a striking symbol of that
which evangelization and missionary labor
must even now everywhere accomplish
wherever it directs its steps. Missionaries
who are also physicians, other tilings being
equal, have the largest success in winning
eouls to Christ.
Notwithstanding the instructions Jesus
gave to His Apostles (verses 3, 4, 5), ap-
plied peculiarly to the period in which
they were given, yet they contain a lesson
for all time, and their spirit is meant to
be remembered by all ministers of the
Gospel. Ministers are to free themselves
as much as they possibly can from worldly
incumbrances, which may hinder them in
performing the duties of their office. (2
Tim. ii. 4.) They are to avoid worldliness
and luxurious habits. They are to study
simi)licity in their mode of life, confidence
in God, contentment with such things as
they have, not being unwilling to accept
gifts, in imitation of the humility of their
Master, who received the donations of His
pious followers.
7. 1 hNow Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was
done by him : and he was perplexed, because that it
was said of some, that Jolui was risen from the dead ;
8. And of some, tliat Elias had appeared ; and of oth-
ers, that one of the old prophets was risen again. 9.
And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is
this, of whom I hear such things? "And he desired to
Bee him.— •! Matt. xiv. 1 ; Mark vi. 14. 'Chap, xxiii. 8.
Very little is related concerning the
events that happened while the Apostles
were absent from the Lord. This, how-
ever, we know, Jesus continued to preach
and to perform miracles. His fame was
so great that it reached the ears of Herod,
the governor. (See notes, chap, iii. 1.)
And he tuas perplexed, &c. It immediately
occurred to him that he had himself, not
long before, most cruelly and wantonly
put to death an innocent, virtuous and
holy man, whose reputation for wisdom,
integrity and sanctity of manners, stood
almost as high in the estimation of the
world as that of Jesus, and who had even
50
declared himself the herald and forerun-
ner of that extraordinary person. (See
noteson chap. iii. 19,20; also. Matt. xiv. 1-12
and Mark vi. 14-29.) This instantly sug-
gested to him an idea, the most extravagant
that could be imagined, that this very
person who assumed the name of Jesua
was (though some were of the opinion
that Elias, and others that one of tlie old
prophets, had api)eared), in fact no other
than John the Baptist himself, whom he
had beheaded, and who was now risen
from the dead, and was endowed with the
power of working miracles. Doubtless
Herod also imagined that John would
exercise this power for the purpose of
inflicting exemi)lary vengeance upon him
for the atrocious murder he had committed^
as well as for his adultery, incest, and all
his other crimes, which now probably pre-
sented themselves in their most hideous
forms to his terrified imagination, pursued
him into his most secret retirements, and
tortured his breast with unceasing agonies.
Who is this, of whom I hear such tilings ?
" Having just gotten rid of John, has he
returned? or who is this of whom I hear
such mighty works ? What am I to think
of him, or fear from him? With these
feelings he desired to see Jesus, that his
doubts and fears might be removed. Was
risen. It will be noticed that this expres-
sion is not employed of Elias, as of John
and one of the old prophets, inasmuch as
he did not suffer death, but was taken
bodily up to heaven. (2 Kings ii. 11.)
There is here exhibited the power of a
bad conscience. Amid all his splendor
and power the wicked monarch could not
forget his faithful reprover. He had
silenced the prophet by decapitation, but
he could not silence his own conscience,
which upbraided him with the murder of
the holy man. " The w^ay of transgressors
is hard." If, before sin was perpetrated, it
could be known what would be the state
of mind afterward, many would tremble to
do the deed. A bad man is a terror to
himself, and needs no further disquietude
than what his own guilty conscience occa-
sions him. " Which way I fly is hell, my-
self am hell." Conscience cannot save the
soul. Herod's fear was not followed by
repentance. When at last he did see
786
LUKE,
Jesus (chap, xxiii. 6-12), it was to insult
Him, and to array Him, just before His
crucilixion, with a gorgeous robe that ill
be'jame His wounded, bleeding form.
10. H i^Aun the aposUes, wlieu tliey were returned,
toW him !ill that, tliey liad done. 'And he took them,
and went aside privately mio a deaert-place belonging
to the city, c-alled Bettisaida.
kMark vi. 3U ; Matt. xiv. 13.
Ministers must report their labors to
God, by whose authority they preach.
The excitement among the people con-
cerning Jesus was very high when the
Apostles returned to Capernaum, and it
was so much increased by their return,
when they reported to Him how they had
executed their office, that it was imijossible
to obtain in the city the rest and repose
so much needed. With a view to the
enjoyment of Himself and His disciples,
Jesus withdrew with them privately into
a secluded place from the multitude. Occa-
sional retirement, self inquiry, meditation
find secret communion with God, are
absolutely essential to spiritual health.
"If a man is always driving through the
business of the day," says an old writer,
" he will be so in harness as not to ob-
serve the road he is going."
U. And the people, when they knew it, followed
him: and he received them, and spake unto them of
the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of
healing.
When the crowd were aware of Christ's
withdrawal, they flocked after Him. Some
have thought that the quiet spot to which
Jesus repaired was on the other side of the
lake ; others, on the same side across a
bay. He went by water, and the fact that
the crowd was able in a short time, and
without ai^parent instruction, to reach the
same place by land, is in favor of the
latter opinion, as the Upper Jordan (which
in the other case must have been crossed
by them) is, as well as the Lower, in flood,
and unfordable at and about the time of
the Passover, which was then at hand.
And spake unto them of the kingdom of God,
&c. Unmannerly and uninvited as this
intrusion of the multitude on the privacy
of our Lord and His Apostles seems to
have been, it elicited no rebufi" from Him.
On the contrary. He whose meat it was by
day, and sleep by night, to do good, em-
braced the opportunity for bestowing upon
their souls instruction, reproof and coun-
sel, and upon their bodies, health and
healing, thus teaching us by example that
no occasion for a good work should be un-
acceptable to us, and that spiritual alms
should be mixed with bodily relief. Mere
spiritual counsel cannot be expected to
produce much good eflect in the case of
those who are suffering physically from
causes which we could, but are not willing
to, remove, or at least abate.
1?. "^And when the day began to wear away, then
came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multi-
tude away, that they may go hito the towns and
country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for
we are here in a desert-place.
mMatt. XIV. 15 ; Mark vi. 35 ; John vi. 1-5.
The miracle, the record of which proper-
ly begins here, is one of the few which
are recorded by all the Evangelists. They
narrate it with that variety of manner,
yet agreement in fact, that evinces inde-
pendence of relation, with common truth
at bottom.
" A great multitude " of people (John vi.
2) were present, and composed partly of
Capernaites, and partly of passengers to
the approaching Passover at Jerusalem.
(John vi. 4.) The twelve, who were fre-
quently distinguished thus from the other
disciples, after their call to the Apostle-
ship, suggested that Jesus should dismiss
the crowds, and let them seek for the
refreshment which they required, in the
neighboring hamlets and villages. This
proposal implied that the people had not
brought provision with them, which, in-
deed, was true, except in the case of the
lad, who had five barley-loaves and two
small fishes. (John vi. 9.) But as Jesus
knew that mere love of wonder-working
was the low motive of the great number
(John vi. 2), He determined to perform
upon the whole mass a compassionate
miracle, emblematic of His mission to the
world, seeking on this bridge, as it were,
to bring them up to higher views.
13. But he said unto them. Give ye them "to eat. And
they said, "W^e have no more but fivo loaves and two
fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all these
people. 14. For there were about live thousand men.
And he said to his disciples, pMake thorn Fit down by
fifties in a company. 15. And they did so, and made
them all sit down.
i>2 Kings iv. 42,44. "Num. xi. 21,23; Prov. xi. 24,25.
pl Cor. xiv. 40.
We have no more but five loaves and two
fshes, &c. When Jesus commanded the
multitude to be furnished with food, the
Apostles, ignorant of their Master's will,
alleged their inability to comply with His
CIlArXEK IX
787
order, in view of the scantiness of their
supply of food, unless tliey should go and
bay, thus showing a niost pitiable per-
plexity, which had no other means at
command. These loaves, which were of
barley, were the kind of bread then and
still eaten by the poor of Palestine. What
u slender provision for about five tliousand
men, besides women and children (Matt,
xiv. 21) — a whole number, probably of
!!0t far from ten thousand persons ! With
this small stock of homeliest fare the
Lord undertakes to feed all the multitude,
and bids His disciples to make them all
recline on the " green grass"— at that sea-
son of the year a delightful resting-place,
and which both by Mark and John is
noted to have abounded in the place, for
though this was a desert-place, in the sense
that there was no possibility of making a
purchase there, it was not a desert in the
sense that nothing grew upon it. The
people were to recline hy fifties in a com-
pany, the separate companies looking, in
their symmetrical arrangement, like so
many garden-plots. In this subordinate
circumstance we behold the wisdom of
Him who is the Lord and lover of order.
Thus all disorder, all noise and confusion
were avoided. There was no danger that
the weaker, the women and the children,
should be passed over, while the stronger
and ruder unduly i^ut themselves forward ;
thus the Apostles were able to pass easily
up and down among the multitude, and to
minister in orderly succession to the ne-
cessities of every part. Loaves and fisJtes.
Idle and indecent application of sentences,
taken from the Scriptures, is a mode of
merriment which a good man dreads for
its profiineness, and a witty man disdains
for its easiness and vulgarity. {Eph. v. 4,
iv. 29.)
Ifi. ThPn lie took the five loaves and the two fishes,
and lo >kinij; up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake,
and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.
What a scene was then presented ! The
ranks of guests rising in lines on the as-
cending slopes— their canopy the evening
sky, their table the green earth. Order
and silence prevail. There stands the
Master of the feast,- majesty and benevo-
lence beaming in His countenance, as He
looks around on the gathered throng.
Before Him are laid the five loaves and the
tuv fishes. By His side stand the discii)les,
with their eyes directed to Him, awaiting
His command.
In the distance a few tishing-boats are
gently making their way on the lake.
And now the Saviour, taking the scanty
and humble provision into His hand be-
fore them all, looking up to heaven, lie blessed
them. It was customary with the Jews at
every meal to offer a prayer, commencing
with the thankful words, " Ble.ssed be
God." Hence the Hebrew to bless, which
originally had for its object God, as the
author of the meal, took as its objective
case the food itself, and thence arose the
phrase, to bless the food, or to ask a bless-
ing on the food. And gave to the disciples to
set before the multitude. Having blessed the
food before Him, and broken it, Jesus
delivered it to the Apostles, who in their
turn distributed it to the different tables,
if such they might be called. The em-
ployment of the disciples in the service of
distributing was doubtless intended, in
part, to gain respect to them from the
people. The marvelous multiplication
taking place, as many say, first in the
hands of the Saviour Himself, next in
those of the Apostles, and lastly in the
hands of the eaters, yet at all events so
that all were satisfied— the fact that the
hunger of the multitude had been fully
satisfied being evident by the gathering by
the Apostles of what remained. That
which the Apostles thought an impossi-
bility became a palpable fact — they fed
the thousands with the few loaves and
fishes. What does this teach us? That
to use what we have is the way to get
more. The man who will make good use
of the little religious light he has, is sure
to get more.
We are not told how the food was mul-
tiplied on this occasion. As it is not
po.ssible for us to realize to ourselves any
act of creation, it was wisdom in the sacred
narrator of this miracle to leave the de-
scription of the indescribable unattempted.
His appeal is to the same faith which be-
lieves •' that the worlds were formed by
the Word of God." (Heb. xi. 3.) All
that we can do, is .simply to behold in this
multiplying of the food an act of Divine
omnipotence, not, indeed, now, as at first.
rss
LUKE,
of absolute creation out of nothing, since
there was a substratum to work on in the
original loaves and fishes, but an act of
creative accretion, the bread growing
under Christ's hands, so that from a little
stock all the multitude were abundantly
supplied. AVonderful as this miracle was,
the same power that was seen in it is dis-
played every day. In the seed of the corn
that shoots into the stalk, the blade and
the ear, and in the acorn cast into the
earth, that develops itself into the gigantic
and overshadowing oak, we have processes
just as marvelous as turning the few bar-
ley loaves into a bountiful and a gracious
supply. But we are so accustomed to these
things that we call them natural occur-
rences, and only when the same result is
achieved by a more rapid or a more start-
ling process, do we call it a miracle. It may
be observed here that our Lord never
performed a miracle without laying hold
of a substratum to work upon, and certainly
this seems by analogy to teach us that
God is not going to supplant this earth by
another earth, and to supersede our pres-
ent bodies by other bodies, but out of the
present earth to constitute a glorious one,
and out of our present bodies to raise in-
corruptible from corruptible, and immor-
tal from mortal, till death is swallowed up
in victory.
17. And they did eat, and were all filled : and there
was taken up fragments that remained to them twelve
baskets.
They did eat, and were all filled. None of
our Lord's miracles were better attested
than this one. Five or more thousand
witnesses could not be deceived, for the
miracle was done openly, and was easy to
be observed. The want of food was
known to them all — they were in a desert
where it could not be obtained. There was
no delay to allow the disciples to buy it
in the distant villages, and no secret sup-
plies could have been obtained without
detection. The senses of the people con-
vinced them it was real. They saw the
small provision enlarged more than a
thousand fold; they heard the blessing
given ; they fdt the food in their hands ;
they tasted it and were satisfied that what
they received was real fish and bread.
This miracle is, as it were, a revelation of
the Creator. The impenetrable and mys-
terious veil which conceals God from the
creature in the midst of His creation is
drawn aside, and we see, not indeed sun-
shine and showers, sowing and reajnug,
but Christ the compendium of them all,
and from whom all of them issue, the
Lord of the sunshine and the shower, the
Lord of the spring and of the harvest, the
Lord of the fertility of the soil and the
produce of the earth. We are here taught
confidence in the providence of God. " It
is a greater miracle," says Augustine, " to
govern and provide for the whole world,
than to feed five thousand men with five
barley loaves of bread." God will supply
the wants of them that trust in Him, and
withhold no good thing from them that
walk uprightly.
Baskets. The Greek word thus translated
is only used in the New Testament, in the
accounts given of this miracle. It means
a wicker basket, such as the Jews were
remarkable for carrying with them, as
remarked even by the Roman poet Juvenal.
It was in just such a basket that Paul was
let down from the wall. (Acts ix. 25.)
The twelve basketsful of fragments gather-
ed by the Apostles were a greater quantity
than the original five barley loaves and
two fishes. It will be noticed there was
one basket for each Apostle. In the in-
crease of the loaves and the fishes, not-
withstanding the large distribution, we
have an apt symbol of that love which
exhausts not by loving, but really grows
after all its outgoings on others, and of the
multiplying which there ever is' in a true
dispensing. (2 Kings iv. 1 ; Prov. xi. 24.)
By feeding the hungry we shall often en-
rich ourselves, for God will bless our
earthly substance. How much more will
He bless those who feed souls with Divine
truth ! The teachers of Sabbath-schools,
who in an humble spirit search the Scrip-
tures, that they may scatter the crumbs
among poor little ignorant children, and
those missionaries who go abroad to point
the perishing to the Redeemer, find that
the Christian receives in the ratio in which
lie gives, so that the greatest giver is al-
ways the greatest receiver, and that the
Christianity that unfolds itself in liberality
or labor for others, by a beautiful reflex
CHAPTER IX
:so
openitioii, becomes deeper and richer in
the heart of him that has it.
Fragments that rnnained. From John vi.
12, we learn that the frajruients were jrath-
ered at the command of Jesus, that nothing
might be lost. In performing this miracle
Christ moved in the orbit of a God ; in
giving this command, He reassumed His
place, i-eaccepted the laws, and re-entered
the domain, of man. We see at once the
mighty God and the dependent man. How
strange the combination — bounty the most
profuse, economy the most rigid! The
gathering of the fragments by Christ's
command shows us how precious He es-
teemed even the least works of God, that
we may not dare to waste the food that
our Heavenly Father has provided. If
earthly bread is too precious to be wantonly
trampled under foot, how inestimably
precious must heavenly bread be! Yet
how much of the Divine Word is suffered
to fall to the ground ! How carelessly we
sometimes read the Scriptures! How many
he;irt-stirring sermons have we heard, and
then immediately forgotten! We should
gather up all the fragments that can be
made conducive to God's glory. " If," says
an old divine, "the great Housekeeper of
the world is so particular about saving
fragments, what account will they give at
the day of judgment, who think nothing
of wasting time, money, health and
strength, in the service of sin and the
world?"
The bread which Jesus multiplied was
an emblem of His own flesh, which He
gave for the life of the world. The Apos-
tles were appointed to proclaim the cruci-
fied Saviour to perishing sinners. It was
necessary that they should believe that
He could save by His death the souls of
all believers. They now saw with their
own eyes that He could make a little bread
sustain a vast multitude. They would re-
member this in future days when preach-
ing His name to assembled thousands.
This lesson of Christ's ability to su.:)p]y
our spiritual wants is as precious no .v as
it was then. We are poor sinners in the
midst of a dreary and wicked world, with-
out strength or power to save ourselves,
and sorely in danger of perishing from
spiritual famine. But He who said of the
starving multitude in the desert-place,
"give ye them to eat," is ever pitiful, ever
kind, ever ready to show mercy, even to
the unthankful and the evil. He is not
changed. He is just the same now that
He was eighteen centuries ago. The simple
truth that Jesus gave His tiesii for the life
of the world, has fed innumerable souls,
and will feed innumerable more, till the
multitude without number are gathered
around the throne, and then the Lamb
Himself will feed them through eternity
with food which we know not of (See
John vi.)
18. 1 qAnd it came to pass, as he was alone praying,
liis disciples were witli liim : and lie aslied them, say-
ing, Wljom say tlie people that I am ?
iMatt. xvi. 13: Marli viii. 27.
Our Lord's habit of private prayer is
frequently mentioned in the Gospels. He
sets an example to all who work for God.
Much private prayer is one f-ecret of suc-
cess. Some of the most glorious acts and
manifestations of Jesus were made in con-
nection with a season of prayer. Together
with the revelation which He here made
of Himself to the disciples, as a suffering,
dying, and rising Messiah, we might in-
clude in these seasons of prayer, the de-
scent of the Spirit at His baptism, the
ordaining of the Twelve, and the Trans-
figuration.
And he asked them, saying, Whom say the
people that I am f Not that Chri.st was ig-
norant of, or vain-gloriously inquired after,
the opinion of the multitude; but, as the
time had now come when He must speak
more openly than He had to His disciples
of His approaching suffering and death,
before He would grant them a deeper
view into the nature of His work, He de-
signed to establish them more firmly in
their faith in His person and His character.
Though the world fluctuatesamidst various
errors, the truth must not, on that account,
be de.spised, but rather the knowledge of
it should be the more diligently sought,
and the profession of it made with the
greater con!-t.incy.
19. 'They answering: said. John the Baptist: and some
say. Elias ; and others any. That one of the old proph-
ets is risen again.— 'Matt. xiv. 2 ; verse 7, 8.
The opinions of Himself reported to
Jesus by His disciples, though different,
are yet fully explicable. That John the
Baptist had risen was perhaps an echo of
;f)0
LUKE
tluit which was talked of at Herod's court
(verse 7, 8, 9) ; as to Elias, or Elijah, comp.
Mai. iv. 5 ; and as to one of the old prophets,
men believed, from Mic. v. 5 and other
passages, that they were warranted to
conclude that at the time of the Messiah
different })rophets would again appear. It
will be observed that no one took the
Messiah for an ordinary or insignificant
person. It should not surprise us to find
the same variety of opinions about Christ
and His Gospel in our own times. God's
truth disturbs the spiritual laziness of
men. It uljliges them to think. It makes
them begin to talk, reason, speculate and
invent theories to account for its spread
in some quarters, and its rejection in oth-
ers. Talk and speculation about Jesus and
His Gospel are one of Satan's great traps
for ruining souls. Many a man cloaks his
indolence about religion under a pretense
of the variety of oi^inions and the diffi-
culty of knowing who is right.
20. He said unto them. But whom say ye that I am ?
•Peter answering said. The Christ of God.
»Matt. xvi. 16; John vi. 69.
Having heard the echo of the people's
views concerning Himself, our Lord will
now hear an expression of the living, ffer-
sonal and indei^endent faith of His
disciples, to whom He had given occasion
to mention the several errors of the
world in relation to His person, that they
might be the more fully convinced that
their faith did not proceed from them-
selves. (Matt. xvi. 17.) The Christ of God.
This reply of Peter was in his own name
and in that of his brethren. Some make
the words, of God, equivalent to the Son of
God; others interpret the whole expres-
sion, as "the Messiah sent of God."
Matthew has it : " The Christ, the Son of
the living God." (xvi. 16.) Mark: "The
Christ." (viii. 29.) All are varied forms
of expression for the Messiah. The
veil of Christ's human nature did not
prevent the eye of the disciples' faith dis-
cerning Him in His true character. What
a noble confession was that by which,
notwithstanding the great, and wise, and
learned, of the nation to Avhich the dis-
ciples belonged, saw no beauty in their
Master, they acknowledged Him the Christ
of God! (See Dan. ix. 21.) We make a
proper use of those mistakes and false
conjectures which prevail in the world,
when we make them contribute to our
establishment in the truth. It is of great
significance that Peter does not in his
Ei)istles once mention a word of Christ
concerning his own personal priority
among the Apostles, least of all as the
institution of an official primacy.
21. «And he straitly charged thrm, and commanded
them to tell no man that thing ;— 'Matt. xvi. 2U.
The premature and unreserved avowal
of this truth must, without perpetual mir-
acles, have excited the ill-judging multi-
tude to such measures, as would have given
the scribes and priests an occasion against
Jesus, and even rendered the Romans
jealous of His popularity, and thus He
might have been cut off before His time.
It was, therefore, highly proper that He
should, in the most peremptory manner,
forbid the disciples to declare openly that
He was the Messiah. There is a time to
speak, and a time to be silent, concerning
the Divine mysteries.
22. Saj-ing, "the Son of man must suffer many things,
and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and beslain, and be raised the third day.
"Matt. xvi. 21 and xvii. 22.
The disciples being now in a measure
prepared to receive the great and mysteri-
ous truth, that Jesus was to sutler and
die for the sin of the world, He made it
known to them. This was done, 1. To
prevent that offense which otherwise they
might have taken at His sufferings. 2.
The better to prepare them for the great
trial when it should come. 3. To correct
the error which they had entertained of
the temporal kingdom of the Messiah.
Let it be noted that our Lord makes
known, 1, who the accomplishers of His
suffering should be ; 2, in what form it
was prepared for Him ; 3, the necessity
of this sufiering, and, 4, the issue of this
suffering, namely. His resurrection. By
the necessity of Christ's suffering, just
referred to, we mean becomingness, for
the Greek word translated must in this
verse, does not quite bear the sense of
force and necessity which our English
word " must " conveys. It rather means,
" It is becoming, it is suitable, it is neces-
sary for certain great ends and purposes."
In chap. xxiv. 2(3, the same expression is
rendered, " ought not Christ to have
suffered ?"
CHAPTER IX.
m
23. 7 'And he .said to them all, If any man will comp
after uie, 1. t, him ciony liiuiseU", and take up his cros.s
daily, and follow nie.
"ilait. X. o8 and x vi. ai ; Mark viii. 34 ; Luke xiv. -17.
What is meant by the connection of
this verse with the preceding one, if not
■that the mysteries of the Head mnst be
accomplished hkewise in the members,
and that those who have by the bapti.sm
of the Spirit been made partakers of the
Divine nature in Christ, are one day to
partake of His resurrection, but not unless
they have partaken of His sufferinj^s and
death? IJ7//, here, and in the followinf
verse, must be interpreted as " wills to,"
or " is willing to." It is not a future tense,
but the same Greek word that is used in
John V. 40 : " Ye will not come unto me
that ye might have life," which means,
"Ye have no will, or wish to come."
Thus our Saviour recommends His religion
to every man's choice, not attempting by
force or violence to compel any to the
profession of it.
If any man will come after me ; that is,
if any man choose and resolve to be a
Christian. Observe our Lord's terms of
discipleship. An impostor would have
made easy conditions, and promised a
prosperous and pleasant cai-eer to induce
people to follow him, but Jesus pursued
the opposite course. His terms are, 1.
Let him deny himself. By self-denial is not
meant that we are to ignore reason alto-
gether in matters of religion, but that we
should be willing to part with our earthly
comforts, and abandon all our temporal
enjoyments, for the sake of Christ and
His religion. We are to deny ourselves,
our earthly desires for ease, plea.sure,
riches, e.steem. We are to habituate our-
selves to give a flat denial to the most
clamorous solicitations of our pride,
ambition, avarice and carnal self-love, and
to curb every sensual inclination to sub-
mission. The injunction does not solely
or mainly refer to the renunciation of vice,
which, of course, is to be renounced,
but the advantages of this life, of which
the followers of Chri.st must be prepared
to suffer the loss with an undisturbed
mind. Even if those to whom we bear
the greatest natural affection, or any
authority on earth should tempt us to do
what Christ forbids, Christ must be loved
and obeyed before all these. 2. And take
■up his cross daily. By thi.- is meant Gos-
pel-suffering. Tiicre is hero an allu.sion to
a Roman custom, that the malefactor who
was to be crucified, took his cross upon
his shoulders and carried it to the place
of execution, and an obscure intimation
of Christ's own approaching suffering on
the cross. The duty enjoined is, not the
making of the cross for ourselves, but the
patient bearing of it when God lays it
upon our shoulders. The Christian is to
bo prepared even to die for Chri.st'.s sake.
He is to have the spirit of a martyr, and
to be ready to give up all things, even life
itself, for Jesus. Daily. This word is pe-
culiar to Luke, and has not only the sense
day by day, but through the entire day,
and also implies, that as day succeeds day,
so would one cross follow another. Par-
ticular notice of the word, daily, and of
the three words, to them all, should be
taken. No person is excused, and no day
is excepted. Of what, therefore, do those
think, and "what have they reason to
expect, who make every day a day of
pleasure, luxury and diversion? 3. And
folloiv me. By this is denoted Gospel-ser-
vice. Let him follow me, says Jesus ; that is,
obey my commands and imitate my
example. He must set my life and
doctrine continually before him, and be
daily correcting and reforming his life by
that rule and pattern.
24. For whosoever will save his life, shall lose It : but
whosoever will lose his liie lor my salio, the same shall
save it.
In order to make evident the indispens-
able necessity of self-denial, our Lord
presents a motive in verses 24-2G. Who-
soever u'ill save his life, &c. The meaning
of this apparently paradoxical exj^ression
is, "Whoever will preserve his natural,
selfi.sh life, walking in accordance with his
natural inclinations, may reckon upon it
that he loses his true, his proper life; but
those who, for the .sake of Christ and His
cause, set at stake the possession of life
and the enjoyment of life, in the common
sense of the word, will, through this very
temporary perishing, become partakers in
perpetually richer measure of the true and
higher life of the spirit." This a'as a truth
of infinitely deep significance for the first
Apostles of the Lord, who, for His sake,
792
LUKE,
left all, yet not less significant is it for the
history of the development of the Christian
life of each one. It is evident that the
word it, occurring twice, refers to the life
or salvation of (he soul, else how can he
who loses his life for ChriM's sake, save his
life?
25. "For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the
wliole woiiil, ;ind laso himself, or be cast away?
"Mutt. xvi. 2ti; Mark viii. 3li.
In Matt. xvi. 26, and Mark viii. 36, the
same word here translated advantaged is
rendered, as it shoidd have been in this
place, "profited." The equivalent expres-
sion to himself, also in those Evangelists, is
"his soul." Lose himself. What can this
mean but final perdition? Be cast away,
literally, bring loss upon liimself. If a man
should save his life, and gain the whole
world, by apostasy from Christ, or rejec-
tion of Him, and thus lose the hapjiiness
and insure the destruction of his soul,
where would be his gain? Nothing can
compensate the loss sustained by him who
loses his soul. Let ns but weigh the gain
and the loss which there is in following or
not following the rules of the Gospel, and
we shall soon be convinced that it is no
better than madness to be in the least
doubt or suspense what to do.
21. ^For whosoever shall be ashamed orme and of
my words, of him shall tiie bon of man bo iwhamed,
wlion ho shall coino in h:3 own glory, and in his
Fatlier's, and of tlio holy rngols.
Mutt. X. 33 ; Mark viii. 3ci ; 2 Tim. ii. 12.
Whosoever shall be asJiamcd, &c. ""Who-
soever shall deny and dioown me, either
in my person, in my doctrine, or in my
members, through the influence of shame,
he shall be disowned by me, and rejected
by me, at my second coming to judge the
world." Three kinds of glory are men-
tioned here, as accompanying the second
advent of Christ : His own, the Father's,
and the glory of the angels. In his own
glory. This, as distinguished from "the
glory of the Father," denotes the glory of
Christ as Mediator, exercising all Divine
perfections through the medium of His
human nature, in accomplishing and i^er-
fecting the grand purposes of His incarna-
tion. Besides the glory whi(;h the human
nature of Christ habitually wears in heaven,
some add^ional splendor shall be given
Him by (he Father, when sent with His
commission on an occasion so august as the
universal judgment. Whosoever is ashamed
of the truth while it is humbled and op-
pressed in this world, shall be humbled
and confounded before truth itself, glorious
and triumphant, in heaven.
27. yBut I tell you of a truth, there he some standing
here, which shuU not taste of death, till they see tho
kingdom of God.— jMatt. xvi. 28; Mark ix. 1.
These words are interpreted in three
ways. 1. As referring to the times of the
Gospel after Christ's resurrection and as-
cension, when the Gospel was propagated
far and near, and the kingdom of God
came with power. 2. As referring to
Christ's coming and exercising His kingly
l)ower in the destruction of Jerusalem,
which some of the Apostles then standing
by lived to see. 3. The right view, how-
ever, ai)pears to be that which connects
the verse with our Saviour's transfigura-
tion, and regards the glorious vision of
the kingdom, which the transfiguration
supplied, as the fulfillment of the promise
of the verse.
Practical Reflections. 1. Self-denial is an
absolute necessity. Itis not a mere accident
of Christian character, but essential to it.
Without it, and without following Jesus,
our claim to discipleship is vain. 2. The
soul is of unsi^eakable value. Other losses
can be comprehended, and often repaired,
but the loss of the soul is inconceivable,
incompensable, irrecoverable. It is the
loss of God, and Christ, and heaven, and
glory, and happiness to all eternity. A
sermon preached on Matt. xvi. 26, first led
an English missionary to care for his .soul,
lie was an ungodly youth at the time he
heard it, but afterward he gave up the
world, took uji his cross, and followed
Christ. At length he lost his life in His
service. Having landed ujion the island
of Erromango, in the New Hebrides, hoping
to preach the Gospel there, he was pursued
by the natives. lie had just reached the
sea, when he fell down, was overtaken,
and bruised to death by the clubs of (he
savages. His blood was mingled with (he
waves, his flesh was devoured by canni-
bals, and his bones made into fisli -barbs.
But will he regret the choice he made in
the day when the Son of man shall come
in His glory? 3. Thereis, perhajis, nosin,
to which every convert to true Chris(iani(y
is more powerfully tempted, than being
CHAPTER IX.
793
ashamed of Christ and His words, and no
temptation which induces such large
numbers to act habitually against 1 he light
and conviction of their own consciences
in order to escape the reproach and scorn
of men, and often of their dependents and
domestics. The wickedness of being
ashamed of Christ is very great, and the
fear lest the Saviour and Judge should at
last be ashamed of us, is the proper \ne-
servative from yielding to this temptation,
in all those who desire above everything
else to have conlidence, and not be ashamed
before Him at His coming. 4. The most
eminent servants of Christ, for fiath, holi-
ness, and service, must at length in God's
appointed time, taste and have experience
of death, as well as others. Yet although
they must taste, they shall but taste of
death, they shall not drink of the dregs of
that bitter cup ; though they fall by (he hand
of death, yet shall they not be hurt by it,
but in the very fall be victorious. They
shall "conquer though they die." The
valley through which they pass shall be
"the valley of the shadow of death" — the
substance being gone, and the shadow only
remaining.
28. t 'And it came to pass about an eight days after
these *sayings. he took Pfteraiid John and James, and
went up into a mountain to pray.
«Matt. xvii. 1 : Mark ix. 2. *0r, things.
The Transfiguration is also recorded by
Matthew (xvii. 1) and Mark (ix. 1). Ac-
cording to them it occurred six days after
the just mentioned conversation. If we
assume that Luke has reckoned in the day
of the discourse and a second day for the
Transfiguration, which had perhaps al-
ready taken place in the morning, the
difference is then almost reconciled. The
expression, after these sayings, seems to
make it plain that the words " see the
kingdom of God," in the preceding verse,
were spoken with special reference to the
vision of the Transfiguration.
He took Peter and John and James. Why
three witnesses? and why these three?
As the Law required no more than two or
three witnesses to constitute a regular and
judicial proof, our Saviour frequently chose
to have only this number of witnesses
present at some of the most important and
interesting scenes of His lifo. The three
disciples whom He now selected were
those that generally attended Him on
such occasions. They were chosen wit-
nesses at the raising of Jairus' daughter,
of the agony in Gethsemane, and of the
Transfiguration. And went up into a moun-
tain to pray — most probably labor. This
mountain stands alone, and its top is not
pointed like that of most mountains, but
liard and flat, and therefore well suited
for a resting-j)lace. Its height is not great.
In one hour it may be ascended.
29. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance
was altered, and his raiment teas white and glistering.
Here, in this retired and lovely spot, our
Saviour was j^raying with the three disci-
ples named. And as he prayed His form
underwent a most glorious alteration.
Tlte fasJtion of Ids countenance ivas altered,
more literally rendered, " other," that is,
His appearance was changed, " other than
it generally apjjeared" (see Mark xvi. 12),
but His bodily form remained the same,
without which the witnesses could not
have identified Jesus. And his raiment
teas V'liite and glistering. The word glistering
is only used once in the New Testament,
and is explained as meaning "to emit
flaslies of light, to shine or glister as light-
ning." (See Nahum iii. 3.) As the con-
junction is not found in the original, the
words uMte and glistering are highh^ in-
tensive, literally, whitcly glittering. There
is here evidence of the fullness of the
Spirit, which from within, over-streamed
the Saviour's whole being.
30. And, behold, there talked with him two men,
which were Moses and Eli.'is: 31. Who apiJearcd in
glory, and si)ak(' of his decease which he should ac-
complish at Jerusalem.
Tico men. Jesus was not alone. The
two men who ap2)eared beside Him were
Moses and Elias, the chiefs of the Law
and the Prophets, who came, as it were, to
give testimony and homage to the Con-
summator, who had, in these latter days,
appeared to finish the work which they
had, in their day, been employed to ad-
vance and prepare. Moses and Elias ap-
peared in glory, a glory somewhat similar,
we may suppose, though for inferior, to
that with which Christ was invented.
Like Him, they were probably clothed in
raiments of unusual whiteness and splen-
dor, and the fashion of their countenances
might also be changed to something more
794
LUKE,
bright and illustrious. Like their Lord,
both these holy men, when on earth, hud
fasted forty days in the wilderness. But
all their sufi'erings were over, while the
bitterest sufferings of Jesus were yet to
come. Hence they were well prejxxred, by
Avhat they had themselves endured, to
comfort the Lord in the prosjject of His
agonizing death. That death, as Luke
alone informs us, was the subject of their
discourse.
And spake of his decease uhich he should
accomplish, or fuHill, at Jerusalem, literally,
" His exode or departure." It is remark-
able that in Acts xiii. 24, we have a Greek
word used for our Lord's "coming" to
take the office of a Saviour, which might
be translated literally His "entrance."
Both expressions are singularly applicable
to Him who came into the world, and was
made flesh, and after doing the work He
came to do, left the world and went to the
Father. It is noticeable that Peter (2
Peter i. 15), calls his own death also, to
which he is looking forward, an exode.
The word accomplish, used in reference to
Christ's death, is a very peculiar form of
speech. To depart from life is the com-
mon lot; but to ftilfill His decease or
departure from the world was peculiar to
Christ, because His death was the grand
subject of prophecy, and the event upon
which the salvation of the earth was sus-
pended.
32. But Peter and they that were with him swerfi
heavy w:tli sleep; and wlien thev wore awake, they
saw lii-i Klnry, and the two men that stood with him.
"Dan. viii. 18 and x. 9.
Heavy with sleep. It should be observed
that the very same disciples who here
slept during a vif-ion of glory, were also
found sleeping during the agony in the
garden of Gethsemane. Flesh and blood
does, indeed, need to be changed before
it can enter heaven. Our poor, weak
bodies can neither watch with Christ in
His time of trial, nor keep awake with
Him ill His glorification. The grandeur
and solemnity of a scene may induce
drowsiness. (Dan. viii. 18, x. 9.) Perhaps
the cause just mentioned united with the
long-continued watching and fatigue of
the disciples, to throw them into a deep
slumber. This slumber accounts for the
fact, that there was no ill-timed interrup-
tion of the heavenly converse by the dis-
ciples, imtil at or near its close. Wheii
tliey were awake, &c. The disciples awoke
of their own accord, or, more probably,
were aroused by the flashing upon them
of the glorious light which emanated from
Jesus, for the bright cloud, the Shechinah
of God's presence, had not yet overshad-
owed them, as ajjpears from verse 34.
Saiu his glory, which was so great, that the
glory of tlie two men thai stood vith him is
not here mentioned as being observed by
the disciples.
33. And it came to pass as they departed from him,
Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be
liere: and let us make three tabernacles, one lor thee,
and one for Moses, and one lor Ellas: not knowing
what he said.
The first feeling which animated the
disciples in the view of the heavenly
spectacle was naturally fear. (Mark ix.
G.) But scarcely had they recovered
from that, when an indescriljable feeling
of felicity filled them, to which Peter,
almost with child-like transport, gave
expression. The full meaning of Peter's
exclamation, uttered, perhaps, with a
mingled feeling of joy and awe, was,
" What greater happiness. Lord, can we
experience than to continue here in
the presence of three such great and ex-
cellent persons ! Here, then, let us
forever remain ! Here let us erect three
booths: for Thee, for Moses, and Elias,
that you may all make this the constant
place of your abode, and that we may
alwaj's continue under the protection and
government and united empire of our
three illustrious lords and masters, whose
sovereign laws and commands we are
equally bound to obey."
It is evident that Peter's words were an
utterance of immediate feeling, and an ex-
j)ression of a state of perfect complacency.
They were spoken by a man who was
wholly taken captive by the extraord-
inariness of the whole scene, hence the
remark of Luke, not knou-ing uhat he said.
That Peter's request was improper and
unwise is evident, for these reasons: 1.
He placed Moses and Elias on a lev.el with
his Divine Master. 2. Peter himself was
not fit to continue in such a scene ; flesh
and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of
God. 3. He forgot the unwelcome truths
lately revealed by his Master, that He
CHAPTER IX.
795
must be offered as a sacrifice for sin before
He could enter into His glory, and that
His disciples must partake of His suf-
ferinr/s, before they could partake of His
glory. 4. He forgot also tliat there was
much work to be done in the world. But
though Peter's request betrayed an
ignorant mind, it showed an affectionate
heart, and we cannot but admire his de-
light in the company in which he found
liimself. It is a sign we have made one
step in religion, if we really prefer tlie
society of the godly to any other pleasure.
34. While lie thus spake, there came a cloud, and
overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered
into the cloud.
The cloud of light which formerly filled
the Sanctuary of the Lord now received the
three (Christ, Moses and Elias), as into a
tabernacle of glory, and withdrew the end
of the manifestation from the eyes of the
disciples, as its beginning also had re-
mained hidden from them — they again
being agitated with fear as they witnessed
the overshadowing process.
3-). And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying,
*This is my heloved Son: ^hear him.
"•Matt. iii. 17. 'Acts iii. 22.
The same voice which was heard before
on the Jordan consecrating Christ as King
of the Kingdom of Heaven, and afterward
(John xii. 28), as the High Priest of the
New Testament, here atte.sts his supreme
prophetic dignity. This is my beloved Son:
hear him. This is an echo of an utterance
of Moses (Dent, xviii. 15; comp. Ps. ii. 7;
Isa. xlii. 1), " This is my beloved Son (not
as Moses and the prophets were, my
servants), Him and Him only, shall ye now
and henceforth hear." Thus are we
placed under Christ's tuition alone, and
commanded from Him alone to seek the
doctrine of salvation, to depend upon and
listen to One, to adhere to One — in a
word, as the terms import, to hearken to
One only. (See on chap. iii. 22.)
36. And when the voice was past. Jesus was found
alone. 'lAnd they kept i>. close, and told no man in
those days any of those things which they had seen.
dMatt. xvLi. 9.
When the words referred to were uttered,
and the cloud of light melted into thin air,
Jesus irns found alone, and had resumed His
ordinary appearance, except that, perhaps,
a Divine effulgence hngered on His face,
as on that of Moses when he descended
from the Mount. The disappearanc;o of
Moses and Elias, and the fact that Jesus
was alone, together with tlie words hear
him, show that the law of ceremonies was
about to pass away, and that the true Lamb
of God and true Prophet was come. This
seems to have been one of the great things
the Transfiguration was intended mainly
to teach. Another was, that the sufl'erings
and death of Jesus were not, as the disci-
ples and Jewish converts in general in-
clined strongly to think, incompatible with
His dignity and glory.
From the scene of the Transfiguration,
observe, 1. The value of prayer. God's
people have many of their happiest ex-
periences, and make many of their nearest
approaches to heaven, in prayer. 2. The
appearance of those departed ssuints on the
Mount is calculated to comfort us also in
the prospect of death. Moses had been
dead nearly fifteen hundred years. Elijah
had been taken up by a whirlwind from
the eai-th more than nine hundred years
before this time. Yet here these holy men
were seen once more alive, and not only
alive, but in glory. Is it not evident from
the appearance of these saints, and their
recognition by Peter, that the spirits of the
saints do immediately pass into glory, not
waiting for the general resurrection to be
introduced into the presence of Christ,
and that we shall hww the saints in glory,
not only our ovn friends, whom we loved
upon earth, but all the saints? 3. The Old
Testament saints in glory take a deep in-
terest in Christ's atoning death. It is a
grave error to suppose that holy men and
women, under the Old Testament, knew
nothing about the sacrifice which Christ
was to offer up for the sin of the world.
Their light, no doubt, was far less clear
than ours ; but there is not the slightest
proof that any Old Testament saint ever
looked to any other satisfaction for sin
but that which God promised to make by
sending the Messiah. 4. The glory which
Christ will have at His second coming. To
this scene on the Mount, Peter, who wit-
nessed it, refers as a symbol of our Lord's
second coming. (2 Peter i. 10, 17.) 5. The
reason why heaven is not revealed to us
fully is, the disclosure of its glory would be
796
LUKE
insupportable. As there was necessity for
a cloud to be put before the disciples' eyes,
BO we must be content in this world to see
God through a cloud darkly : we could not
bear an unveiled view. G. Whilst enjoy-
ment of the privileges of religion is proper,
this must not be allowed to conflict with
the claims of duty : we must often descend
from the Mount to work for God. 7. The
obedient ear honors Christ more than
either the gazing eye, the adoring knee, or
the applauding tongue. 8. Let us learn to
bear with ignorance in others, and to deal
patiently with beginners in religion. If
Jesus could endure so much weakness in
His disciples, we may surely do likewise.
9. Let us not fail to notice the difference
between the manifestation of the Divine
presence liere, and iJiat at the giving of the
Law. On Sinai there was a cloud, but it
was dark and thick, and there were thun-
ders and 'ightnings, and the voice of the
trumpet exc:eeding loud, and all the people
that were in the camp treynbled. (Ex. xix.
16.) On Tabor, the cloud was bright, the
whole scene was luminous and transport-
ing, and nothing was heard but the mild,
paternal voice of the Almighty.
37. t "And it came to pass, that on the next day, when
they were come down I'rom the liill, much people met
him. 38. And, boliold, a man ofthe company cried out,
saying. Master, I beseech tliee, look upon my son : for
he is mine only child. 39. And lo, a spirit taketh him,
and he suddenly criotli out; .nnd it ti^aroth him that he
foametli ascaiii, ami liriiir.ur-cliini Ivn-.lly departeth I'rom
him. 40. Anil I b'^sou'rht tliy disciples to rast him out :
and they could not.— 'Matt. xvii. 11 ; Mark ix. 14, 17.
When our Lord descended from the
mountain, a scene of sin, sorrow and
suffering, met His eye. There were the
scornful scribes, the weak and waver-
ing disciples, a poor demoniac, and his
afflicted father, with the wondering mul-
titude gathered around them. How unlike
was this scene to that which the three
Apostles had just witnessed on the top of
the mountain! There all was light and
love, perfect blis-s and ineffable joy
Angels Ijehold the same painful contrast ;
for, as they gaze upon the glory of God,
they also watch over the sorrows of men.
Master, I beseech thee, &c. The appeal of
the distressed parent to Jesus is peculiarly
tender and touching. And as we notice
the painful peculiarities of his affliction,
we shall not wonder that when he came
to Jesus, he cried out, beseeching Him to
deliver him from it. Not only was the son
an only child, but he was a lunatic, in the
bloom of youth deprived of reason, and,
instead of being a comfort to his parents,
was a continual cause of care and distress.
Alarming fits often seized him, and so
suddenly, that sometimes he fell into the
fire, and at other times into the water
(Matt. xvii. 15), so that his life was always
in danger. Nor, at any intervals of reason,
could he pour his sorrows into the ears of
his parents, or hold affectionate communi-
cation with them ; for, alas ! he was dumb.
(Mark ix. 17.) And what was worse than
all, he was possessed by an evil spirit, who,
acting on the disease, grievously increased
his sufferings. When this spirit took him
in its might, then in these paroxysms of
his disorder he suddenly cried out (an ex-
pression not inconsistent with Mark's
statement that he was dumb, for his dumb-
ness was only in respect of articulate
sounds ; he could give no utterance to
these), and it tare him, till he foamed and
gnashed with his teeth, and bruised him,
reluctantly leaving him, so that altogether
he pined away (Mark ix. 18) like one the
very springs of whose life were dried up.
Besides, the application of the father to
the disciples had been unsuccessful, and
thus his hope was covered with a still
darker cloud, by being made to know that
the case of his son was one of such a de-
gree of Satanic possession, and of so long-
standing, as to baffle them. Perhaps the
siglit of the fearful condition of the boy
had filled the disciples with mistrust as to
their own powers; perhajjs they had also
become lately weary in fasting and prayer
(Matt. xvii. 4); at all events, the attempt
had failed: the evil spirit had not yielded
to their word.
41. And Jesus answer'n£;said, O faithless and perverse
generation ! how long shall I be with you, and sufi'er
you ? Bring thy son hither.
Our Lord's rebuke was designed, not for
the father of the lad, but for the surround-
ing multitude, and the term generation
seems to point to them as specimens and
representatives of the whole Jewish
nation: it was intended also for the disci-
ples, in whom so brief an absence from
Him had produced weakne.=!Sof faith, and
whom it had shorn of their strength, and
left powerless against the kingdom of
CHAPTER IX.
797
darkness. (Matt. xvii. 20.) Howlongshall
I be with you, and siiffcr you f are words not
s:o mm-h of one longing to put ofl" the coil
of liesli, as of a master, complaining of the
.slowness and dullness of his seliolars.
Bring thy son hither. This command was
intendedto contribute toward awakening
the believing expectation of the father.
42. And as lie was yet a coming, the d(!vil threw him
down, and tare /lim. And Jesus rebuked tlie unclean
spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to
his lather.
As the first bringingof the child to Jesus
caused anotiier of the fearful paroxysms of
His disorder, so the kingdom of Satan, in
small and great, is ever stirred into a fiercer
activity by the coming near of the king-
dom of Christ. Satan has great wrath
when his time is short. And Jesus rebuked
the unclean spirit, &c. There was nothing
intermediate, as usual in such cases — none
of the customary appliances and seeming
instrumentalities. He did not take the
lad aside — He did not touch him — He
made no application to His mouth, but
covering the failure of His disciples with
the glory of His own acts, He commanded
the unclean spirit to quit the child, and
enter him no more. The parting throe
was indeed terrible, and the boy lay as
dead upon the ground. But Jesus raised
him by the hand, and delivered him, per-
fectly restored, to his father.
43. 1 And they were all amazed at the mighty power
of God. But while they wondered ever.v one at all
things wliich Jesus did. he .said unto his disciples, 44.
fLet these .sayin^ci sink down into your ear.s : for the
Son of man shall he delivered into the hands of men.
4.3. KBut the.v understood not this saying, and it was hid
from them, that they perceived it not : and they feared
to ask him of that saying.
rMatt. xvii. 22. EMark ix. 32 ; Luke ii. 50, and xviii. 31.
The people were all amazed at the majesty
of God. Here, as often in Luke, the glory
redounding to God by the healing is the
crown of the Saviour's miracle. Jesus was
not to be misled by any false appearances,
and hence, whilst the multitude were
wondering at His mighty deeds, He pro-
ceeded to speak of his coming tuflerings.
Let these sayings, &e. By this Christ most
piobably meant that they should take
heed to those intimations which He had
made to them from time to time respect-
ing His sufferings and death, and which
He was now just about to repeat. We
are disposed to pass over lightly those
things which we do not wish to hear. The
dis(;iples could not bear to hear of their
Lord's painful and ignominious death.
Each display of His power and His glory
filled them with fresh hope that nothing
but success and triumph awaited their
beloved Master. Therefore, after every
such display, He reverted to the unwel-
come but profitable subject.
But they understood not, &.c. The disciples
seem to have understood the sayings
which Christ had just uttered, in a degree,
for "they were exceeding sorry" (Matt.
xvii. 23), but it was in a very faint degree.
The reason of this was that their minds
and hearts were still too full of worldly
desires — they were yet too much under
the notion of Christ as a temporal, reign-
ing, victorious Messiah. They could un-
derstand all joyful truths concerning Jesus,
because they loved them, but they could
not understand mournful truths concerning
Him, because they did not love them. This
explains the clause, and. it ivas hid from
them, showing that the hiding of the saying
was entirely the result of their own woiid-
lir.3ss of heart and dullness of umlerstand-
ing. And this is the more evident from
the fact that the word "that" is to be re-
garded here as equivalent to so that, or, in-
somuch that, and not in order that, as if it
was the intention of Christ that the dis-
ciples should not under.stand His words,
for if He so intended, why did He speak
to them at all on this subject ? It will be
noticed that they did not venture, through
fear, to interrogate personally their Master,
who alone could have cleared up the
obscurity of that saying for them, and
hence remained much in the dark con-
cerning it.
If Satan opposed a youth who was
brought to Christ to obtain a bodily cure,
how much more will he strive to prevent
the young from seeking the salvation of
their souls ! Many have found that Satan
has pursued them with the nio.st painful
temptations, just as they were escaping
from his bondage.
Through the fcdher's faith this son was
healed (as in the history of the nobleman,
and of the Canaanitish woman). Here is.
an encouragement for parents. If Jesus
showed so much compassion to one who
798
LUKE,
prayed for a bodily cure for his son, how
much more must He feel for those who
implore spiritual blessiugs for their chil-
dren ?
46. 1 fiThen there arose a reasoning among them,
which of them should be greatest.
lijVIatt. xviii. 1 ; Matt. ix. IM.
Strangely enough, when we remember
that Christ had just predicted to them
His approaching sufierings, it was with
reference to offices and position in an
earthly kingdom that the question of
their relative greatness was started.
Probably the occasion for this strife,
although the germ of rivalry must have
been in their hearts before, was found
in the singling out of the three intimate
disciples to be present at the Transfig-
uration, &c., &c. Alas, the best and holiest
of men are too subject to pride and
ambition, too disposed to covet worldly
dignity and superiority. There is no sin
against which we have such need to watch
and pray, as pride. It is a pestilence that
walketh in darkness, and a sickness that
destroy eth at noonday. No sin is so
deeply rooted in our nature. No pope
has recei^fed such honor as pope "self."
How displeasing must it have been to our
Lord, especially at such a time, to find
that His disciples were disputing about
personal preferment. Yet how gentle
His reproof.
47. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart,
took a eliild, and set him by him. 43. And said unto
them, 'Wliosoever sbaU receive this child in nny name,
receivetli me: and whosoever shall receive me re-
ceiveth him that sent me: Jibr he that is least among
you all, the same shall be great.
■Matt. X. 40, xviii. 5 ; Mark ix. 37 : John xii. 44, xiii. 20.
iMatl. xxiii. 11, 12.
Pexceiving the thoiigJit of their heart. Their
words spoken among themselves could
not escape Him, who knew their thoughts,
or reasonings. Took a child and set Mm by
him, i. e., by the side of Jesus, and said
unto them, &c. As in John xiii. 1-11, so
did Christ here give force to His instruc-
tion by a symbolic act. By the fact that
He shows how high He places the child,
He commends to the disciples the child-
like mind, and in what this consists ap-
pears from Matt, xviii. 4. The point of
comparison therefore is formed, not by
the receptivity, the striving after perfec-
tion, the absence of pretension in the
child, but most decidedly by its humility,
which was so entirely lacking in the
disciples. By this humility the child's
understanding was yet free from vain im-
agination, its heart from rivalry, its will
from stubbornness. Great as was the
affection our Lord showed to young
children, we must beware that we do not
wrest His language about them here and
elsewhere into the false notion that they
are naturally innocent and without sin.
(Verse 48.)
In my name, i. e., acting from Christian
principle. Not only did Jesus here show
His love for little children, but also and
mainly for such as resemble them in a
child-like spirit, and those who receive
them, resting upon His name, as a princi-
ple of action. For the attainment of this
child-like spirit, there must be an entire
transformation of the inner man. (Matt,
xviii. 3; John iii.3.) It is strong evidence
of the tender interest and attachment
cherished by Christ toward His followers
who resemble children in their humility,
that He regards the kindness and respect
shown to them, for His sake, as shown to
Himself. If we wish to please our Lord,
we shall show great tenderness to His dis-
ciples who are least in their own eyes.
God shall exalt, and men will honor,
them that stoop to the meanest services
for the good of souls.
49. If kAnd John answered and said. Master, we saw
one casting out devils in thy name; and we lorbade
liim, because be lollowetli nut with us.
kMark ix. 38 ; see Num. xi. US.
It seems much to the credit of the dis-
ciples that the word and conduct of
Jesus commanding humility, instead of
wounding their self-love, awakened their
conscience. John ansicered and said, &c.
John had a fact in his mind which he
must bring into the light of this act of
Christ. It was frank and ingenuous in
the Apostle to open up this matter to his
Master. He suspected that he, with his
colleagues, had acted wrong, but he did
not on that account conceal their conduct.
How apt are we to hide from the friends
we most revere those actions which we
fear have been faulty ! Yet if we were
frankly to acknowledge them, we might
obtain valuable counsel. We forbade him.
The disciples had hindered one who in
the name of Jesus was relieving the mis-
erable, and doing works of mercy. This
CHAPTER IX,
TOO
man was not a deceiver, for if he hud
been, he would not have been able to cast
out demons by the name of Jesus, for this
name wrought no magical efi'ects. (Acts
. xix. 3.) He was one who, though he
may not have been a decided believer,
and thus known to John as such, yet
had in him a measure of trust in the
name of Jesus, a germ of true faith— one
who, at a time when all the rich and
great were joined against the Son of God.
was not ashamed to acknowledge Him,
and who, though not having a commission
to work miracles as the disciples had, yet
attempted to cast out devils, and some-
times had success, God granting this
success for the honor of His Son. He
belonged to those servants of our Lord
who were not required, or even permitted
to follow Him, as the Apostles did, yet
they also were dear to Him. And yet this
man, because he did not statedly follow
with them, and was not regularly sent
forth as they had been, was forbidden to
cast out devils by the disciples ("we"),
nine of whom had themselves, very lately,
from unbelief, failed in working a miracle;
thus interdicting one whose faith was at
least equal to their own ! Perhaps, indeed,
this prohibition in some measure grew out
of the failure of the nine in healing the
lunatic boy, rendering them unable to
bear that another should succeed in this
respect better than they. It arose, mainly
however, from the assumption by the dis-
ciples that the Messiah's kingdom was to
be essentially like human governments,
that they were to form the regal court,
and hence, that they, to whom the com-
mand, " cast out devils," had been given,
were to be the sole medium of the Messi-
anic blessings to the people at large, and
that no one had a right to usurp their
prerogatives. The reason of the prohibi-
tion given, let it be observed, was not
"because he foUoweth not with Thee,"
but, " because he followeth not with tts "
— certainly the utterance of an excited
human party feeling. They signified that
the man should either follow Christ as
ihcii did, or abandon all working in the
;v;me of Jesus.
so. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for 'he
Uiat is not against us is for us.
iSee M tt. xii. 30 ; Luke xi. 23.
Forliid him not. V>y this command our
Lord as.<ured His disciples that the man
in question would not dishonor His name ;
his experience would prevent him from
turning round and going over to His
enemies. Had not Christ secretly and
effectually wrought by the man, he could
not have succeeded in the attempt to cast
out devils in His name. (A^ts xix. 13--20.)
And as the disciple.s could hardly have
been unaware of this, they should have
regarded the favorable result of this
man's endeavor as a proof, at least for the
time, that they had to do with no enemy
of the cause of the Saviour. They were,
therefore, reprehen.sible in prohibiting
him, especially without so much as asking
their Lord's advice. Hence Jesus warned
them not to forbid any such an one, for
the reasons which they gave for their
action in tliis case. Is for us (Mark ix.
40), "is on our part,",!, e., on our side, is
our friend and co-worker All who were
not engaged against them were to be con-
sidered as for them. The rule given by
Jesus here is not in the least conflict with
His saying in Matt. xii. 30. That rule is
applicable in judging our own temper, this
one must guide us in our judgment re-
specting others. The one shows the toler-
ance of the Gospel, the other its intolerance.
There is no neutrality in the cause of
Ch rist. All men are on one side or the other.
Man is so constituted that he cannot be
neutral in regard to anything that touches
his interest, and Christianity must be to
him either the savor of death unto death, or,
of life unto life. Many persons wish to be
neutral on the subject of religion. They
are afraid of being on the side of Satan,
but they have not resolved to be on the
side of Jesus. The devil reckons these
among his most trusty .'■ervants. Such
cowardly spirits are less likely to escape
from him than those who openly expose
his cause and do his work.
Bigoted exclusiveness is to be eschewed.
The words of Jesus, he that is not against ns,
is for Its, embody a solemn and most im-
portant lesson for all God's people. They
are not to exhibit the spirit of unholy
rivalry or contend with one another, but
to rejoice in any good that is doing in the
world, by whomsoever and by whatsoever
800
LUKE,
means it may be done. We do not under-
stand the passage as at all intended to
sanction such indifference to sound doc-
trine as would lead to the belief that it
matters not of what religious faith men
are, Jewish, Socinian, Pajjist or Protest-
ant, so long as they seem earnest-minded
men. The persons to whom the passage
applies, as will be noticed, are persons who
do apostolic work in the name of Jesus,
who labor to pull down the kingdom of
Satan by the use of Gospel weapons. We
must beware how we ever forbid such
persons, or hinder them in their work.
As has been Avell remarked, a right under-
standing of these words of our Lord will
prove most useful to us in these latter
days. The divisions and varieties of
opinion which exist among Christians are
undeniably great. The schisms and sepa-
rations which are continually rising about
Church government, and modes of wor-
ship, and the sectarian jealousies which it
requires no practiced eye to discern, are
very perplexing to tender consciences,
and exceedingly embarrassing to those who
look at the Church from without. Is thi 5
the normal condition of the Church ? Is
it that state of believers for which Jesus
prayed, in those tender words, " Tiiat they
all may be one, as thou. Father, art in me,
and I in thee, that they also may be one
in us ; that the world may believe that
thou hast sent me?" (John xvii. 21.) Is
it not true, as intimated in the last clause
of the verse just quoted, that disunion is
one cause of the slow progress of Chris-
tianity ? And may it not be feared that
this cause will operate still more fearfully
in the future? Certain it is that those
evangelical denominations which agree in
very many points, and differ only in a
few — the former essential, and the latter
not only non-essential, but practically ad-
mitted even by those who insist on them
to be so — have a solemn responsibility
resting upon them, in view of their con-
tinued separation. Whatever may become
of existing divisions, in union there is
strength. And it should not be forgotten
that men may be true-hearted followers
of Jesus Christ, and yet for some wise
reason be kept back from seeing all things
in religion just as we do. When we at-
tempt to stop any such an one from doing
service for Christ, because he does not
wear our uniform, and fight in our regi-
ment, and do battle in our way, we may
be sure that Jesus is saying to us, "' Forbid
him not: for he that is not against us is
for us."
51. H And it came to p;iss, when the time was come
thatmhe should be received up, he steadiastly set Ills
ta.ce to go to Jerusalem.— mMark xvi. 19; Acts i. 2.
We have now arrived at an extended
passage (including ix. 51-xviii. 15), which
may be called The Great Lukean Section,
comprising Luke's largest independent
contribution to Gospel history. It em-
braces the portion of our Lord's history
developed during His last journey to Je-
rusalem. (Matt. xix. 1; Mark x.l.) The
journey was not a direct or continuous
one to Jerusalem, but very circuitous, and
embraced the interval of time, from the
Feast of Tabernacles in October (to which
He went up privately, John vii. 10), to just
before the Passover, at which time He
made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
It was a journey which the Saviour, on the
approach of the end of His life, had enter-
ed upon with His view directed to His ex-
altation. At the same time, in the whole
narrative of the journeying, different
details do not appear in their strict his-
torical sequence, which was the more to
be expected as our Lord's whole public
life might properly be called a journey to
death.
When the time was come that he should be
received up, &c. Tliis clause, which refers
to Christ's assumption into heaven at His
ascension, is very erroneously translated,
and gives the idea that the time of the as-
cension had fully come, whereas, it wanted
nearly or quite six months to the time of
His crucifixion. It should be rendered,
when the days ivere being fulfilled, that is
during the period or stage of our Lord's earthly
ministry, which was closed by His death.
Having now, at the beginning of the last
six months of His life, left Galilee for the
last time, the mission of Jesus thereafter
was in Persea and Judea, and during this
period Jerusalem was the center toward
which, how often soever He diverged, He
must ever gravitate until His final hour
there. Steadfastly set his face to go to Jeru-
salem. Though Jerusalem was the place
CHAPTER IX.
801
of residence of many of Christ's enemies,
and where His bloody sufferings were to
be endured, He resolved with an invinci-
ble courage and fortitude to go. The fact
that there is here no mention made of
Christ's death, but of His ascension only,
as if all thought of death were swallowed
up in His victory over death, teaches us,
by His example, to overlook our sufTcrings
and death, as not worthy to be named or
mentioned with that glory we are to be
received into after death, in the heavenly
Jerusalem.
52. And sent messengers before his face, and they
went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, lo
make ready lor hird.
And sent messengers, &c. The large num-
ber of persons forming our Lord's retinue
rendered it necessary to make some pro-
vision beforehand for lodging in the towns
and villages through which they were to
pass. Some have conjectured that these
messengers were James and John. A village
of the Samaritcms. The central province or
section of the land of Canaan, having
Galilee on the north and Judea on the
south, was called, in the time of Christ,
Samaria. As but a single village is men-
tioned as thus rejecting Jesus, it would
seem that His journey was generally
pleasant. Samaritans. The Samaritans of
the time of our Lord sprang from (he colo-
nists with whom the king of Assyria peo-
pled Samaria after the ten tribes were
carried away. (2 Kings xvii ; Ezra iv.)'
The animosity between them and the Jews
was very bitter.
53. And nthey did not receive him, because his face
was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
njohn iv. 4, 9.
This refusal of theirs was no piece of
ordinary inhospitality, such as the Samar-
itans were wont to show the Galilean pil-
grims on their way to the feasts at Jerusa-
lem. It was not merely as such a pilgrim
that they shut their doors against Him,
but because, as they esteemed it, a Mes-
siah going to Jerusalem to observe the
feast there, did by this very act proclaim
that He was no Messiah, for on Gerizim,
as they believed, the old Patriarchs had
worshiped (John iv. 20.), consecrating it to
be the holy mountain of God — which,
therefore, and not Jerusalem, the Christ,
when He came, would recognize and honor
as the central point of all true religion.
n
54. And when his disciples, James and John, saw this,
they said, Jji)rd,\viU ihou that we command ttre to come
down ironi licavcn, and cousume tnem, even aa "Kliaa
did ?— oi: Kings i. lu, 12.
Lord. The exasperation of these dis-
ciples was i)robably associated with their
recollections of the scene of the Transfigu-
ration, where Moses and Elias did Jesus
homage. They did not say, " Master, will
it please thee, who art Lord of the (-reature,
to command fire to come down?" Nor
did they say, " If it be thy pleasure, com-
mand us to call down fire," but, Wilt thou
that u'c command fire to come down from
heaven, and consume them, referring to light-
ning, which comes from clouds in the at-
mospheric heaven. This savored too much
of pride, cruelty and revenge. Even as
Elias did. (2 Kings i. 10, 12, xix. 12.) They
so entirely overlooked the distinction be-
tween the Old and New Testament, that
they, in the service of the mildest Master,
continued to believe that they could act
as was permitted Elijah, in calling fire
from heaven, forgetting, too, that his office
was that of a stern judge and reformer,
and that he was the vicegerent of an
avenging Deity, to execute judgment upon
the worship of Baal, which had almost
wholly superseded that of Jehovah.
The si^irit exhibited by these two dis-
ciples, on this occasion, shows us that it
was not without good reason that our
Lord called them Boanerges, or Sons of
Thunder, when He first ordained them to
be Apostles. (Mark iii. 17.) It was com-
mendable on the part of these men that
they had so much love to Jesus, as to feel
indignant at a denial of an act of kindness
toward Him, but their ftmlt was that they
were so carried away with passion and
revenge. It is also evidence of the trans-
forming power of the grace of God, in
John's case, that though we find him
three times guilty of sins against charity —
once when he asked to sit at Christ's
right and left hand in His kingdom, and
to be preferred before all the Apostles;
another, when he forbade a man to cast
out devils, because he did not follow the
Apostles ; and here again showing a fierce
and cruel spirit against the Samaritan vil-
lagers for not receiving our Lord — yet
this was the Apostle who proved at last
most remarkable for preaching love and
803
LUKE.
charity. No change is too great for the
Lord to work.
" Our Saviour," says Paley, " always had
in view tlie posture of mind of tlie per-
sons whom He addressed. He did not
entertain the Pliarisees with invectives
against the open impiety of their Saddu-
cean rivals; nor, on the other hand, did
He soothe the Sadducees' ear with descrip-
tions of Pharisaical pomp and folly. In
the presence of the Pharisee He preached
against hypocrisy ; to the Sadducees He
proved the resurrection of the dead. In
like manner, of that known enmity which
subsisted between the Jews and Samari-
tans, this faithful Teacher took no undue
advantage to make friends or proselytes
of either. Upon the Jews He inculcated
a more comprehensive benevolence ; with
the Samaritan He defended the orthodoxy
of the Jewish creed. (2 Tim. ii. 15.)"
55. But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye
know not what manner of spirit ye are of, 56. pFor the
Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to
save them. And they went to another village.
pJohn iii. 17 and xii. 47.
Jesus rebuked the revengeful sjDirit of
the discii^les as contrary to the design of
Christianity, and as proceeding from ignor-
ance of the dispensation under which they
lived, of themselves and of Him as their
Lord and Master. " You are missing your
true position, which is, having been born
of the spirit of forgiving love, to be ruled
by that spirit, and not by the spirit of
avenging righteousness." There is no
slight cast here on the spirit of Elias. The
spirit of the Old Testament was such that
God was teaching men by "terrible things
in righteousness" His holiness. But the
spirit of the New Covenant, not contrary
but higher, is that of forgiving love. In it
He is overcoming man's evil with His
good. For the Son of man, &c., i e., the
proper intent and design of Christ's coming
was to save and not to destroy, though
the accidental eifect of it may be other-
wise, through the malice and perverseness
of men. Another village, where the friends
of Jesus may have been numerous.
A mild, merciful and forgiving spirit,
should be cultivated and cherished by all
Christians. God loves more to hear His
people intercede for perishing sinners (as
Abraham did for Sodom), than to hear
them plead for their destruction. It better
becomes a creature, who deserves himself
to be consumed, and who has been
snatched by the arm of Divine mercy, as
a brand from the burning, to ask for mercy
for his fellow-sinners, than to invoke ven-
geance. How important it is that our
zeal for God should be "according to
knowledge !" John afterward came down
to Samaria in a very diflerent spirit from
that manifested on tliis occasion. (Acts
viii. 25.) Our Lord's rebuke to his dis-
cii)les ijlainly expresses His entire disap-
proval of all persecution for religion's
sake. Whatever we may think of men's
doctrines or practices, we are not to perse-
cute them.
57. 11 qAnd it came to pass, that a.s they went in the
way, a certain man said unto him. Lord, I will follow
thee whithersoever thou goest. 58. And Jesus saidunto
him. Foxes have holes, and birds ot the air have nests ;
but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
qMatt. viii. 19.
A resolution to follow Christ is a good
one, if made deliberately, and not rashly,
nor for sinister and secular advantages,
which, it is to be feared from the answer
our Saviour gave, was the case here. There
is no reason to suppose that this aspirant
to discipleship meant at the time other-
wise than he spoke, yet he had not in him
true devotedness. (SeeRev.xiv, 4.) Seeing
this, Jesus met him w'ith rather a repulse
than a welcome, to throw him back on
deeper heart-searching. Foxes have lioles, &c.
"Lookest thou for worldly advantages
through the following of me? In this
thou must needs be disappointed. These
cannot be my followers' portion, since they
are not mine. Beasts have dens, and birds
have shelters, which they may call their
own, but the Son of man is homeless and
houseless upon earth, He has not where to
lay His head." Nor does this answer of
Christ our Lord come out to us in all its
dei:)th of meaning, till we realize that hour
when upon His cross He bowed His head,
not having where to lay it, and having
bowed it thus, gave up the Ghost. (John
xix. 30.)
The title, the Son of man, which Chri.st
here gives to Himself, is, 1. An intimation
that He who requires so much self-denial,
also fully deserves it; 2. Shows the truth
of His humanity, for the Son of man must
be man ; and, 3. Indicates the depth of
His abasement; Christ humbled, yea,
CHAPTER IX.
803.
emptied Hiniself, when, being the Son of
God, He submitted to be niude man. Had
this certain vian truly loved Jesus, he would
not have been deterred by any prospect of
privation from following His steps. As no
further mention is made of him, it is most
probable that he was discouraged by the
reply Jesus gave.
59. i-And he said unto another, FoUow me. But he
said. Lord, suffer nio first to go and bury my lather.
BO. Jesus said unto him, Let tlie dead bury their dead :
but go tliou and preach the kingdom ol'God.
'Matt. viii. 21.
Though Jesus deterred the former man
who had offered to follow Him, He calls
this man to do so. If the first was too
sanguine and inconsiderate, the second
was too melancholy, even in the most im-
mediate neighborhood of the Prince of
Life, finding himself pursued by the
gloomy images of death, and therefore re-
quiring encouragement. It was not un-
uillingness to obey His call, but a sense of
duty to an aged parent, whose funeral he
wished to attend that prompted the request.
The Lord replied. Let the dead bury their
dead, &c. " Let the other sons or relatives
who are spiritually dead bury the naturally
dead." Go thou and preach the kingdom of
God. Spread for and wide the glad tidings
of life, which as many as hear shall live.
By this remarkable instance — strong even
to seeming harshness — our Lord did most
pointedly indicate the superior object and
higher duty to which all others must give
place.
61. And another also said. Lord, «I will follow thee;
but let nie first go bid them farewell, which are at home
at my house. C2. And Jesus said unto him. No man,
having put his hand to the plough, and looking back.
Is fit for the kingdom of Ciod.— ^See 1 Kings xix.' 20.
It is not stated definitely in the case of
this person whether the initiative proceed-
ed from the Saviour or himself He de-
clared his willingness to go with Jesus,
but asked permission to delay his coming
for a little while, that he might hid them
farewell, &c. But he too nmst learn that
there is no dallying with a heavenly vo-
cation, that when this has reached a man
no room is left for conferring with flesh
and blood. (See Gal. i. 16; Ps. xlv. 10;
Matt. X. 36, 37.) Our Lord, therefore, gives
no allowance to His request, shuts out at
once all dangerous delays and interludes
between the offer of service and the actual
undertaking of it.
Put Ids hand to the plough, and looking back.
This proverbial expression derived from
the labors of agriculture, has been illustra-
ted by parallel citations from the heathen
poets. It was necessary that the 2)lough-
man should give his undivided attention
to the work before him, that his furrow
might be kept straight. This therefore
aptly inculcates that he who would be a
spiritual ploughman should not '' c;tst one
long, lingering look behind," upon the
world and its concerns. If he does so, hia
work will be toilsome, ill-regulated and
insignificant. Such a man is not Jit, liter-
ally, "well-placed or well-disposed," /or
the kingdom of God, or Gospel work, any
more than a man looking behind him ig
rightly placed for ploughing. It is not
merely that he may not turn back or with^
draw his hand. There must be no back
glances of his eye, no turning of his head,
but the forward throw of the man with all
bis might. It was by such a winnowing
that our Lord selected His seventy. How
hardly did even they fulfill the high office,
1. What power did Jesus give His twelve disciples? 2. What did He send them to preach ? 3. What direc-
tions did He give them ? 4. What is said of Herod ? 5. What is said of the " desert place ? " 6. What miracle
was performed there ? 7. What did CIiri.st ask His disciples when He was alone ? 8. How did Peter answer the
.Saviour's question ? 9. Explain verses 2.3 and 24. 10. What is said of those who .shall be asliamed of Christ and
of His words ? 11. What are the particulars of the Transfiguration ? 12. What miracle was next performed ?
13. Why did Jesus set a child by the disciples? 14. Explain verse 50. 15. State the peculiarities of the three men
referred to lu the close of the chapter.
804
LUKE.
CHAPTER X.
1 Christ se.ndrth md at once seventy disciples to work
miracles, and to iireach : 17 adnunushetti l/tem to be.
humlAe,und wherein to rejoice: 'li thankelh his Fatlier
for his grace : 23 maunijteth the happy estate of hit
church ■ 25 tcacheth the lawyer how to attain eternal
life and to take evn-y one for his neighbrn- that nee.deth
his niercy : 41. reprehendetJi Martha, and commendeth
Mary her sister.
Our Lord having finally withdrawn His
rejected ministry from Northern Palestine,
and having arrived at the northern
boundary of Judea on His last setting His
face in that direction, proceeds to perform,
in the midst of apparent dejection, a public
symbol of future triumph, by selecting a
body of seventy to perform a mission of
heralding His name and preaching through
city and country.
AFTER these things the Lord appointed other
seventy also, and "sent them two and two before
his face into every city and place, whither he himself
would come.— ^Matt. x. 1 ; Mark vi. 7.
Of the commissioning the seventy
Luke gives the sole account, and his
narrative is limited to three paragraphs.
We do not know the names of any of
these disciples. Their subsequent history
has not been revealed to us. The seventy
were probably selected from the messengers
mentioned in the last chapter,' from the
candidates so well sifted in its closing
verses, and from some of our Lord's friends
in Judea. But why the precise number
seventy? The most common opinion is
that as the number twelve had a reference
probably to the number of the Patriarchs
intimating the Lord's provision for His
Israel, so seventy may have reference to
the Elders chosen by Moses to aid him in
the government of the people. (Num. xi.
16, 25.)
After these things. What precedes in the
narrative. Appointed. The Greek word
so translated is only found in one other
place in the New Testament (Acts i. 24),
where it is rendered " show." It signifies,
"to mark out, or appoint to an office by
some outward sign ;" and as ministers
were so set forth or publicly inducted into
their office, the word becomes synonymous
with ordain. Otht^r seventy also; more
literally and correctly, others, ser'enty (in
number). Tuv and two. It has been re-
marked that reformers in different ages
seem to come in pairs: as Moses and
Aaron, Elijah and Elisha, Huss and .Te.
rome, Luther and Melanchthon. The
disciples were sent forth, two and tu'o, to
make their message of more authority,
and to encourage, strengthen and assist
each other. Thus they went forth, her-
alding Christ's name, and preaching
through city and country.
2. Therefore said he unto them, fThe harvest truly is
great, but the labourers are few : 'pray ye therelore the
Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers
Into liis harvest.
1 Matt. ix. 37, 38 ; John iv. 35. c2 Thes. iii. 1.
As seventy men were too few to instruct
all those who were perishing through
ignorance, Jesus commanded them to
pray that God would send forth laborers
into His harvest. Let it be observed, 1.
That the world is an harvest-field. 2.
That ministers are laborers in this field. 3.
That it belongs to God alone to send forth
laborers into His harvest. 4. That the
number of faithful laborers is compara-
tively small. 5. That it is the duty of the
Cliurch to pray earnestly and incessantly
to the Lord of the harvest to send forth
an increased number of faithful laborers.
The Greek word translated send forth con-
\ eys the idea of urgency. Literally signi-
fying, as it does, " to cast forth," or, " send
forth with a degree of force," it implies
that nothing but God's powerful and con-
straining call will ever move men to be-
come ministers and laborers in the Gospel
harvest. This declaration of Jesus to His
dLsciples loses none of its force in its
application to the spiritual harvest, which
is now in readiness for laborers in almost
every portion of the world. How small
the number of ministers and missionaries
scattered over the world ! When the
Sabbath dawns, how few rejoice to see its
beams! It is the duty of Christians to
pray for an increase of laborers. For
though it be the act of God to send foith
laborers, He has been pleased to connect
this with the prayer of man. Divine
operation will not dispense with human
co-operation.
3. Go your ways : ^behold I send you forth as lamba
among wolves.— liMatt. x. 16.
Go your um/s, literally, depart, take your
various routes — a word of dismissal, with
the slight additional notion of haste.
CHAPTER X,
805
Behold, I send you. The Greek for " I " is
here emphatically inserted, as if to show
the dignity of the disciples' office. As
lambs among wives. In Matthew (x. 16),
the word sheep was used. Either word is
a most impressive image of the contrast
between the meek messenger of the Gos-
pel and the persecutors by whom he will
be surrounded ; helpless, unarmed, unde-
fended, and, to all appearance, his only
destiny destruction. This prophecy of
persecution had a special reference to the
life-time of those to whom it was spoken.
We see its fulfillment in the many perse-
cutions described in the Acts of the
Apostles. But the spirit to which it refers
still exists, and ever will, as long as the
Church stands. Christians nnist make up
their minds to be hated, persecuted and
ill-treated by those who have no real
religion. (1 John iii. 13; 1 Peter iii. 8.)
4. 'Carrj' noither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and fsa-
lute no man by the wav.
'Mark vi. 8 ; Luke ix. 3. fiKings iv. 29.
Notwithstanding the dangerous charac-
ter of their mission, the disciples were
commanded to make no provision for
their necessary wants. Purses — the folds
of the girdle served as a Jewish pur;e to
carry money. Scrip was a wallet slung
by thongs upon the person, to contain
provisions or other necessaries. They are
merely the skins oi kids stripped of wool,
and tanned by a very simple process. Nor
shoes. In Mark (vi. 9) it is stated that
when the Apostles went forth, our Lord
commanded them to be " shod with san-
dals," which were a less expensive and
luxurious thing than shoes — the sandal
only covering the sole of the foot, and
being fastened about the foot and ankle
with straps, whilst the shoe covered the
whole foot. In the passage before us the
prohibition is only against shoes, and not
against sandals. In this fearless reliance
upon Divine support and protection, the
disciples were to go forth, deterred by no
danger, nor depressed by the apparent
power of their enemies.
Salute no man by the loay. In their salu-
tations on meeting, much time is often
consumed by the Orientals in mutual in-
quiries and compliments, manual and oral.
That our Saviour did not intend to inti-
mate any objection to proper salutations
of civility and respect, appears clearly
enough from the courteous salutation en-
joined in the next verse. At the same
time, whilst ministers and all Christians
are to obey the command, '' Be courteous "
(1 Peter iii. 8), they are not to waste their
time in useless and empty ceremonies, as
others do who have nothing better to do
with their time. On the contrary, they
are to beware of allowing the world to eat
up their time and thoughts. They are to
remember that care about money, concern
about external comforts, and excessive
attention to what are called " the courtesies
of life," are mighty snares, into which
they must take heed lest they fall. They
must show to the men of the world that
they find life too precious to be spent in
perpetual feasting, and visiting, and call-
ing, and the like, as if there were no death,
or judgment, or life to come.
5. fAnrl into whatsoever house ye enter, first say.
Peace be to this house, (i. And il' the Son of peace be
tliere, your pence sliuU rest upon it: it' not, it shall turn
to you again. —i^'Matt. x. 12.
The disciples, when they entered any
house, were to salute those who resided
in it, in the customary manner among the
Jews, wishing that the peace and blessing
of God might be communicated to them,
and proposing the Gospel of jjeace and
salvation. And if the family, or any per-
son in it, was so disposed to receive the
truth, as to bo worthy of the salutation
with which the disciples entered the
house, then the blessing would perma-
nently abide on him (Phil. iv. 7), and the
messengers of Christ would further in-
struct and pray for him. But, where this
was not the case, the prayers and endeavors
of the disciples would return in blessings
on themselves. The conclusion of verse
G is like the expression in the Psalms,
" My prayer returned into mine own
bosom." (Ps. XXXV. 13.)
7. hAnd in the same hou'^e remain, 'eating and drinfe-
ingsucli thinscs as they give: lor the tlabourer is worthy
ol'his hire, tio not irora house to house.
hMatt. X. 11. il Cor. s. 27. kMatt. x. 10; 1 Cor. ix. 4,
&c. : 1 Tim. v. 18.
The disciples were to abide in the same
house which they had entered, partaking
of such entertainment as their host might
give them. For (he laborer, &c. This is the
great principle on which they were to
freely partake of the hospitalities of those
for whose good they were ministering.
80C
LUKE,
This expression is a proverbial one. It is
reiuarliable as being the only expression
in the Gospels which is quoted in the
Epistles. Taul uses it in writing to Tim-
othy, in connection with the expression,
"the Scripture saith." (1 Tim. v. IS.) Go
not from house to house, be content with
such lodgings as have been provided for
you, and be not hard to please either in
the matter of bed or board. Spend not
your lime in convivial feasts. Show the
people that you are seeking ihcvi, and not
theirs. Not ministers alone, but all be-
lievers are here reminded of the necessity
of simplicity and nnworldliness in their
daily life. AVe must beware of thinking
too much about our meals, our furniture,
and our houses, and all those things which
concern the life of the body. We must
strive to live like men whose first thoughts
are about the immortal soul, and who
realize that they are pilgrims and strangers
in the world.
8. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they re-
ceive you, eat such things a? are set beiore you: 9. 'And
heal the sick that are tliorein, and say unto them, ™The
kingdom ot' God is come nigh unto you. 10. But into
whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go
your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11.
"Even liie very dust ot your city wliicli cleavetli on us,
we d 3 wipe olfagainst you ; notwithstanding, bo ye sure
ofthis, tiiat the Icingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
'Lnl^e ix. 2. mMatt. iii. 2, iv. 17 and x. 7. "Matt.
X. 14 ; Luke ix. 5 ; Acts xiii. 51 and xviii. 6.
Our Lord concluded His instructions by
denouncing woes upon the three favored
cities in Galilee, Chorazin, Bethsaida and
Capernaum. Why did He Sf^eak to the
seventy concerning the guilt of those
cities? To remind them how He Himself,
the Son of God, had been rejected by the
cities in which He most frequently preach-
ed, and thus to prepare them for similar
treatment. Our proud hearts are ready to
rebel when we find that our instructions
produce no effect upon the hearts of men.
But can we repine at want of success, when
we remember how our Lord, in general,
seemed to toil in vain? (See notes on ix.
1-G.)
12. But I say unto you, tliat "it shall be more toler-
able i;i tliat dav lor Sodom, than for that city.
"Matt. X. lo ; Mark vi. 11.
According to the common conception,
the judgment of retribution has already
smitten Sodom, and Gomorrah, which is
added by Matt. x. 15. The two places are
generally named in connection. According
to the steady teaching of the New Te.sta-
ment, on the other hand, this judgment,
terrific though it was, is only a foretaste
of that which is to be expected at the end
of days. Compare, for instance, Jude, verse
7, where it is affirmed that the miraculous
fire by which these cities were destroyed
for their sins was but a symbol of eternal
Avrath, by which they were set forth as
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. The
terrible judgment, moreover, with which
the Lord here threatens those who reject
His servants, is an unequivocal proof of
the high rank which He ascribes to them,
compared with the mo.st eminent men of
God, and indirectly, at the same time, a
striking revelation of Ilis own self-con-
sciousness that He was Divine.
More tolerable, because tJirit city was more
highly favored with spiritual privileges.
From this verse, in which our Lord is not
threatening the innocent bricks and walls,
but the guilty inhabitants of the cities
which reject His Gospel, it is evident, 1.
That there shall be a day of judgment. 2.
That then some sinners shall fare worse
than others. 3. That sinners are not to be
annihilated, for then how could it be
"more tolerable" for some than others ?
Where there is no consciousness there can
be no degrees of suffering. 4. That there
will be degrees of guilt and suffering among
the lost. 5. That of all sinners, the condi-
tion of those will be the saddest at the day
of judgment, and beyond, who, livingunder
the Gospel, die after all in impenitence
and unbelief.
13. rWo unto thee, Chorazin ! Wo unto thee, Beth-
saida ! i:or if the mighty works had been done in Tyre
and Sidon, which have been done in you, they I'.ad a
great while ago repented, sitting in sackclotli and ashes.
I4. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at
the.jndgment, than for you.
pMatt. xi. 21. qEzek. iii. 6.
Chorazin. This place is nowhere men-
tioned but in this and the parallel texts,
and in these only by way of reference. It
would seem to have been a town of some
note, on the shores of the lake of Galilee,
and near Capernaum, along with which
and Bethsaida its name occurs. Bethsaida
was in the same region with Chorazin. It
was the birth-place of Andrew, Peter and
Philip. (Mark xiv. 70; John i. 44.) Tyre.
This celebrated city, the commercial em-
porium of ancient Phenicia, was founded
two hundred years before the time of Sol-
omon. It stood on the eastern coast of the
CHAPTER X.
SOI
Mediterranean, about midway between
Egypt and Asia Minor. It was one of the
wealthiest and most celebrated cities of
antiquity. iSidon, or Zidon, was a still
more ancient Phenician city, standing on
the same shore, about forty miles north
of Tyre. It was situated within the limits
of the tribe of Asher, but was never
conquered by Israel. It was celebrated
for commerce and manufactures. Against
these two cities Ezekiel prophesies.
(Ezek. xxxviii.) They are now little
better than ruins. There must, undoubt-
edly, have been so many miracles per-
formed as well at Choraziu as at Bethsaida,
that the judgment here denounced against
them was fully deserved, and yet the
Evangelists relate nothing whatever of
them, a proof certainly that they have
been rather frugal than lavish in writing
their accounts of miracles. (Comp. John
xxi. 24, 25.) Of the precise position of
Chorazin and Bethsaida no infallible
account can be given, as no certain traces
of them now exist.
They had a great luhile ago repented, &c.
Here is confessedly a difficulty. It is
affirmed elsewhere, that "Jesus is exalted
to give repentance," and that " no man
can come to Christ except the Father
draw him," and yet it is said in thispassage,
that if the miracles done in certain cities
had been done in other cities, the inhab-
itants of those cities would have been led
to repentance. Would the mere miracles
have been able to produce this effect?
And if re])entance could thus have been
produced in those cities, why was it not ?
We are not competent to solve these diffi-
culties. It suffices, that Christ knew the
hearts of the impenitent Jews to be more
hardened in rebellion and enmity, and less
susceptible of suitable impressions from
His doctrines and miracles, than those of
the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon would
have been, and therefore their final con-
demnation would be proportionably more
intolerable.
15. i-And thou Capernaum, which art "exalted to
heaven, "shall be thrust down to hell.
'Matt. xi. iS. 'See Gen. xi. -1 : Deut. i. 23': Isa. xiv. 13;
Jer. li. 63. «See Ezek. xxvi. 20 and xxxii. 18.
Thou Capernaum. It is noticeable that
the Saviour, among the towns who.se judg-
uieat He denounces, does not speak i
expressly of Nazareth. This, say some,
was to avoid the appearance of a personal
revenge. But may we not rather suppose
that it was a manifestiition of human ten-
derness for the home of His mother and
of His own childhood? Of the precise
position of Capernaum, as of Chorazin
and Bethsaida, no certain traces now exi.st.
It was a prosj^erous city, where Christ
had chiefly resided after His entrance
upon His public ministry ; and as it had,
by His i)resence, preaching and miracles,
enjoyed privileges far above other places,
so, by reason of its misimprovement of
those privileges, its condition would be
far sadder than that of those who had
never heard of a Saviour. The words
heaven and hell are here to be understood
in a literal sense, as the abode of the blest,
or that of the cursed. The figure, if there
be any, is in the exaltation.
Learn hence: 1. That the enjoyment of
Gospel ordinances is a great honor to the
obscurest people and place. 2. That Gos-
pel ordinances enjoyed, but not improved,
provoke God to inflict the sorest judgments
upon a people. 3. That man is accounta-
ble for his belief, and that not believing
the Gospel is a sin which leads to hell as
really as not keeping the ten connnand-
ments. 4. That the clearness of the light
again.st which sin is committed aggravates
the guilt. The higher a people rise under
the means of grace, the lower they fall if
the.se means are not improved. They that
have been nearest to conversion, being
not converted, shall have the greatest
condemnation when they are judged. 5.
It is not alone the seeing of miracles that
is necpssary to convert souls. 6. Cities are
diflacult fields for the spiritual laborer to
cultivate. Even Jesus, whilst He met with
eminent success in preaching in numerous
country villages, and among the hamlets
of the poor, yet encountered peculiar ob-
stacles in Capernaum, Bethsaida, Chorazin
and Jerusalem. Far stronger is the like-
lihood, humanly speaking, that the mind
will be led to receive the truih, and to live
in communion with God, in the quiet
village where there is time for meditation
and worship, and where nature is con-
stantly exerting her elevating influence
upon the heart, and calling it to adore its
808
LUKE.
bountiful and benignant Creator, than
in the city, where vice extensively pre-
vails in its producing causes and sad
efiects, where business presses with unre-
mitting demand, where pride and poverty
both have their strongest temptations,
and where the whole system of things
strongly tends to hurry and hollowness,
to superficial acquaintance with one's self
and with others, and to the subordination
of the eternal future to the life that now
is.
IG. uHetliat heareth you heareth me; and 'he that
despiseth you rtespiseth me ; jaiid he that despiseth me
despiseth liiui that sent nie.
uMatt. X. io : Mark ix. 37 : John xiii. 20. ^1 Thess. iv.
8. JJohn V. 23.
The vital and indissoluble union, sub-
sisting between Christ and his followers,
rendering every act of love or hatred ex-
ercised toward them the same as done to
Him, is here asserted in the fullest and
most explicit terms. The union also be-
tween Christ and the Father, affirmed in
Matthew (x. 40), is here reiterated, as a
ground of assurance in times of peril and
persecution, and as giving dignity and
authority to the message, which the
disciples were to convey to their fellow-
men. Men may think it no great matter
to sHght or neglect the message and mes-
sengers of Christ, but that contempt
extends beyond them to Christ Himself,
who gave them their commission, and
beyond Him to God the Father, who gave
Him His commission; accordingly minis-
ters are called God's mouth (Jer. xv. 19),
their message and their mission being
both from Him.
There is probably no stronger language
than this in the New Testament about the
dignity of a faithful minister's office, and
the guilt incurred by those who refuse to
hear His message. It is language, be it
remembered, not addressed to the Apos-
tles, but to seventy disciples, of whose
names and subsequent history we know
nothing. It is one thing to regard the
minister's office with idolatrous and super-
stitious reverence. It is quite another
thing to despise it, and regard his warn-
ings and exhortations as of no importance.
Both extremes are wrong.
17. H And 'the seventy returned again with joy, say-
insi. Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through
thy name.— ^ Verse 1.
The exact period of the return of the
seventy is uncertain. It would seem
that their mission was of short duration.
They returned at short intervals, one after
another. With joy. They were jubilant
at their success according to their Master's
commission, but especially in the subjec-
tion of demons to their authority. It may
not be denied that, in comparison with the
conversion of souls, or any permanent gain
they brought to the kingdom of God, they
gave undue prominence in their joy to the
new power given, to them over demons.
Hence it was, our Lord deemed it neces-
sary to caution them against making this
a principal source of their joy. (Verse 20.)
It is right and commendable in those who
work for Christ, to long to see Satan's
kingdom pulled down, and souls converted
to God. But let them remember that suc-
cess, no less than failure, in the good work,
carries with it danger. There is such a
thing as "being lifted up with pride."
(1 Tim. iii. 6.) We are all inclined to sac-
rifice to our net, and burn incense to our
own drag. (Hab. i. 16.) In the midst of
our triumphs, let us cry earnestly, " Lord,
clothe us with humility."
Even the devils. Rather demons, which in
Greek is properly a different word from
devil. The word devil is seldom used in the
original in the plural, and commonly sig-
nifies Satan, the prince, while all the in-
ferior evil spirits are demons. The demons,
it was, who possessed men. Are subject unto
us. Not merely cast out, but subjected,
subdued and tamed. Through thy luime,
literally, in thy name, i. e., clothed with thy
authority. They confessed that it was
only in Christ's name they could do such
a work. The laborer for Jesus ma)^ rejoice
in the happy eflTect of his efforts, if he
ascribe the glory to his Master, and not to
himself.
18. And he said unto them, »I beheld Satan as light-
ning lall from lieaven.
"Jolin xii. 31 and xvi. 11 ; Rev. ix. 1 and xli. 8, 9.
It cannot be doubted that this verse, as
a triumphal declaration, of which the
report of the seventy was suggestive, is to
be regarded as setting forth the total down-
fall of the prince of darkness, as it passed
before our Lord's prophetic sweej) of spir-
itual wisdom, and is destined to go on and
be consummated in the future history of
the Church. Beheld, here, is in the Greek
CHAPTER X.
P09
imperfect, I ivas beholding, embracing the
past as well as the future, the entire down-
fall of Satan from the loss of his first estate,
to his future overthrow in the great contest
of heaven and hell on earth. / was be-
■ holding, the verb grammatically describes
the action as going on while another action
is being performed. AVe may properly call
the whole inner life of Jesus a continuous
spiritual beholding of "the discomfiture of
the kingdom of darkness, one which is to
be restricted to no particular time. By
Christ's words the seventy would under-
stand that they had by no means deceived
themselves, since He, accompanying them
in spirit, had seen the downfall of Satan,
whose servants the demons were. It will
be observed that Satan is here referred to
as a real and personal being. The words,
as lightning (see Zech. ix. 14), express not
only the suddenness of his fall, long since,
but the fact that he was an angel of light.
The words, from heaven, may refer to his
original state of glory and bliss, or the
greatness of his fall from such a height of
power and glory. From this verse we are
to learn, that the powerful and efficacious
preaching of the Gospel is the special
means ordained and appointed by the
Lord Jesus Christ for the subversion of
Satan's kingdom in the world: as the Gos-
pel is the power of God unto salvation to
them that believe and obey it, so it is the
power of God unto destruction to Satan, and
all that fight under his banner against it.
19. Behold, bl give unto you power to tread on ser-
pents and scorpions, and over all tlie power of the
eucniy : and notliinK sliall by any means hurt you.
bMark .\vi. 18 ; Acts xxviii. 5.
Power to tread on serpents and scorpions.
Are these words to be interpreted figura-
tively or literally? In favor of the literal
view, may be placed our Lord's promise ia
Mark xvi. 18, and the fact that Paul took
up a viper and was unhurt. (Acts xxviii.
56.) In favor of the figurative view, may
be placed the fact, that Satan is called the
"old serpent," that his agents partake of
his nature, and that there is a promise in
Gen. iii. 15, that "the seed of the woman
shall bruise the serpent's head," in which
all Christ's members are interested. (See
also Ps. xli. 14.) The probability is, that
both interpretations are true. (See Acts
xxviii. 56.)
Serpents are the well-known emblems of
Satan's power, and part of the curse in the
animal creation. Scorpions (poisonous in-
sects about four inches lung, with a sting
in their tails, and found in tropical climates)
are often put figuratively for crafty, wicked
and malicious men. (Ezek. ii. 6.) The
disciples were to go forth under the prom-
ise of Divine protection, assured that
neither strength nor stratagem should
overcome them. They were not only to
be unharmed by poisonous reptiles (Ps.
xci. ?>), but to cast down all might in the
spiritual world which exalted itself in
hatred against Christ.
Over all the pouxr of the enemy. This shows
that spiritual evil is mainly referred to, it
is supplementary and explanatory of what
goes before, and includes every form of evil.
And nothing shall by any means hni't you,
literally, m any respect. The form is inten-
sive. Neither the power, presence, nor
protection of God shall be wanting to any
of Christ's ministers or members, who go
forth in His strength against the spiritual
enemies of their salvation. Nothing shall
really hurt them. Faithful Christians will
be enabled by God's powerful grace to
tread unharmed on the evil things of this
life, and perform its secular business,
which bite other men and kill them. To
such faithful ones will be fulfilled the
promise, " Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you." (James iv. 7.)
2(1. Notwithstandins, in this rejoice not, that the
spirits are subject unto you : but rather rejoice, because
i^your names are written in heaven.
<Ex. xxxii. 32; Ps. Ixix. 28; Isa. iv. 3; Dan xii. 1 ;
Phil. iv. 3; Heb. xii. 23: Rev. xiii. 8, xx. 12 and xxi. 27.
In these words of our Saviour to the
seventy, there is something corrective, and
something directive. The corrective part
lies in the first words, in which Christ
checks their excess of joy for victories
gained over evil spirits. In this rejoice not,
&c. Let not your hearts too much over-
flow with joy upon this occasion. The
negative is not absolute, but comparative.
Christ does not forbid, but only qualifies
and moderates their joy. One might cast out
devils, and yet himself be still a child of
darkness, (Matt. vii. 22.) Then, again,
that joy must of necessity be ill-founded
and defective, which arises solely from the
success that attends labor for Christ. It
might easily and unconsciously be joined
810
LUKE,
with self-seeking and pride. It must, too,
be fitful and irregular in its exercise, rising
high with every external indication of
success, and depressed to an equal degree
when unsuccessful in the object of ])ursuit.
Our Lord, therefore, gave a better direc-
tion to the joy of His disciples. He called
upon them to exercise that spiritual joy
which springs from an assurance of per-
sonal acceptance with God, which will
always be permanent, well-regulated and
productive of all the Christian graces, and
in which there is no selfishness, inasmuch
as to rejoice in one's own personal union
with Christ, is to rejoice in everything
pertaining to a profession of His name, the
salvation of men, the progress of truth,
and the downfall of error. But ratJier rejoice
— let this be your chief rejoicing — it is a
far higher privilege to be converted and
pardoned men, and to have your names
written in the register of saved souls, than
to be allowed to cast out devils. Because
your names are uritten in heaven. It was the
ancient custom that citizens in every com-
monwealth should be enrolled in a book,
and when any were admitted to the 3'ights
of citizenship their names were registered
on this list. "Our conversation (citizen-
ship) is in heaven." (Heb. xii. 23.) The
seventy knew undoubtedly, as we also do,
the beautiful figure of the Old Testament,
which depicts to us the Eternal One with
a book before His face, wherein are re-
corded the names and deeds of His faith-
ful servants. (Ex. xxxii. 33; Mai. iii. 16;
Est. V. 1, 2; Ps. lix. 28; Dan. xii. 1. See
also Phil. iv. 3; Rev. iii. 5, xiii. 8, xx. 12.)
The assurance to them was: "You are reg-
istered in heaven as citizens of God's king-
dom, and persons who by God's eternal
love have been brought to salvation
through Christ, pardoned, accepted and
saved." Thus they were given to under-
stand that their own deliverance from the
power of the devil ought to dispose them
far more to thankful joy than their most
glorious triumph over His disarmed ser-
vants.
In this verse the important difierence
between grace and gifts is presented.
Gifts, such as mental vis;or, vast memory,
striking eloquence, ability in argunieiU,
power in reasoning, are often undulv
valued by those who possess them, and
unduly admired by those who possess
them not. These things ought not so to
be. Men forget that gifts without grace
save no one's soul, and are the character-
istic of Satan himself. Grace, on the con-
trary, is an everlasting inheritance, and,
lowly and despised as its possessor may
be, will land him safe in glory. '^ Our Lord
declares that many in the solemn day of
final account and retribution, even of such
as have preached the Gospel, projjhesied
in His name, wrought miracles, cast out
devils, will be rejected by Him. Not only
one Balaam who prophesied, or one Judas
an Apostle, will be condemned, but many
will plead in vain their profession, gifts,
and services, and the miracles which they
have wrought in the njime of Christ. He
will then, before commanding them to
depart from Him, disavow all knowledge
or approbation of them, as His disciples
and servants, saying. " I never knew you."
21. H din that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I
tliank thee, O Father, Lord of lieaven and eartli, that
tlKiu hiusthid these tilings iroin the wise and prudent,
and ha.st revealed them unto babes : even so, Father;
lor so it seemed good in thy sight.— "Matt. xi. 25.
In that hour — at the season of that tran-
saction. If from the preceding words
(verse 20), it might appear as though the
Saviour did not wholly share the trans-
port of His disciples, and regarded the joy
which they reaped in their work with
less satisfaction than they themselves, we
see here the contrary. Rejoiced in spirit,
literally, exulted, the word being expressive
of the most intense joy. (See Acts ii. 26;
1 Peter iv. 13; Rev. xix. 17.) Three times
we are told in the Gospels that our Lord
Jesus Christ w^ept. Once only are we
told that He rejoiced. And what was the
cause of His joy ? It was the conversion
of souls. It was the manifestation of the
abundant grace of God, in gathering
around Him this little band of (liscij)les,
as the messengers of His love, and endow-
ing them with such power against the
adversary. It was the reception of the
Gospel by the weak and the lowly among
the Jews, when the " wise and prudent "
on every side were rejecting it.
We might learn to know ourselves better
than we do, if each would inquire, " What
are the things that please and grieve me
CHAPTER X,
811
most?" We shall find that we are by
nature seliish — that we are too uiucli
concerned about the events that befall
ourxdven, and too little about those that
befall our fellow-creatures. Above all, we
are naturally indiflerent to the glury of
God. None, except those who are con-
verted, care in the least degree whether
Bouls are saved or not, or whether God is
honored or despised. But all such, in this
respect, sympathize with Jesus.
/ thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, &c. Christ addressed the Father
as the proprietor and governor of the
universe, who " doeth whatsoever pleaseth
Him," in heaven and on earth. And He
thanked or adored Him, and professed an
entire acquiescence in His wisdom, equity
and goodness, which were worthy of all
adoration, in that He was pleased to con-
ceal the mysteries of the kingdom of
heaven from some, and reveal them to
others. The two classes of persons in-
tended to be described were not the really
" wise and prudent," but those who called
themselves so, and who, for this world,
might be called so — men with a swelling
conceit of their proficiency in wisdom,
but whose proud and carnal hearts, how-
ever sagacious in carnal things, were not
favorably disposed toward, and understood
not die thing-; of the Spirit — not only the
statesman, the general and the prince, but
the scribe, the Pharisee, the rabbi, the
priest and the pontiff. Not really " babes,"
either, but such persons as, being humble,
modest, and having a low esteem of their
own wisdom, gave themselves up to the
Divine wisdom, and being free from carnal
and worldly aflections, were fitted to em-
brace it when it was revealed.
IVtat thoa hast hid these thinys from the uise
and prudent, and hast revealed them unto
babes. We are not to understand that
God did, by any positive influence, hide the
proofs of Christ's mission from the wise
and prudent. They had the Scriptures
in their hands; they saw or heard of
His miracles, and heard, or might have
heard, His doctrine, but they were blinded
by pride and carnal prejudices, and He
was pleased to give them up to be judicially
blinded. God did not put darkness into
their minds, but He left them to their
own darkness, or denied them that light
which tliey had no desire to see.
Euen so, Father, for so it seemed good in
thy siyht. This God had done for wise and
gracious reasons, which He was not pleased
to assign. (See Eph. i. 9-12.) It seemed
good— it seemed right to the Infinite Mind.
As though Christ had said: " Father, thy
choice pleases me, as being the choice and
good pleasure of thy wisdom." The truth
which this verse embodies is deep and mys-
terious. " It is high as heaven, what can
we do? It is deep as hell, what do we
know-?" Why some around us are con-
verted, and others remain dead in sins, we
cannot fully understand. Why America
is a Christian country, and India buried
in idolatry, is a problem we cannot solve.
We only know that it is so. We can only
acknowledge that the words of our Lord
Jesus Christ supply the only answer that
mortal man ought to give, "Even so.
Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight."
At the same time, it should be remembered
that God's ofiers of salvation are free,
wide, broad and unlimited, and that the
same God who does all things according
to the counsel of His own will, always
addresses us as accountable creatures— as
beings whose blood will be on their own
heads, if they are lost. We cannot under-
stand all His dealings. We see in part,
and know in part. Let us rest in the
conviction that the judgment day will
clear up all, and that the Judge of all will
not fail to do right.
22. fAll thinKsaroflPlivered tomoofmy Father: and
fno mail knoweth who the Son is, but tbo Father; and
who thp Father is, but the Son, and heto whom the Son
will reveal h<m.
rMatt. jtxviii. 18 ; John iii. 35, v. 27 and xvu. 2. fJolm
i. 18 and vi. 44-46.
This verse expresses the Divine corres-
pondence between the Father and the
Son which had been implied by the
thanksgiving of the previous verse. It is
a very remarkable declaration of our
Lord's personal and mediatorial dignity.
Tlie Father had delivered all things unto
Him — the whole system of salvation, all
power, authority and judgment over all
creatures. None knew Jesus as the Son
of God, but the eternal Father; even as
none knew the Father, except the Son;
neither could any man j^ruly know the
Father, except as the Son revealed Hia
812
LUKE,
nature and glory to Him; for this was
committed to Him as Mediator, in respect
of all the sinful race of men. This repre-
sents Christ as co-equal with the Father,
and is an argument for His Divinity. (See
Matt. xi. 25, 27.)
23. 1[ And he turned him unto his disciples, and said
privately, eBlessed are the eyes which see the things
that ye see : 24. For I tell you, iithat muny prophets
and kings have desired to see those things whicli ye
see. and have not seen them; and to hear those things
which ve hear, and have not heard i/ie/n.
BMatt. xiii. 10. 1>1 Peter i. 10.
Thus far the face of Jesus has been
toward the face of the seventy, but now
He so turns as to address the disciples
who had gathered around, privately, i. e,,
separately. He congratulates tJiem particu-
larly on the blessedness of the Gosjiel
revelation to them in connection with
the seventy. Tliis is one of our Lord's
sublimest utterances. He proclaims Him-
self as Him in whom alone not only the
expectation of the earlier time is fulfilled,
but ill whom also the ornament and crown
of mankind has ajjpeared. Blessed are the
eyes, &c. Your blessed eyes see not only
the outside shell of truth, but the inner
kernel. Many prophets, as Moses, Isaiah
and Daniel, and many kings, as David,
Solomon, Hezekiah, Jehoshaphat ancl
Josiah, and the other Old Testament
saints represented by them, to whom the
times of the Messiah, His character and
kingdom were all a matter of profound
interest, had earnestly longed to see and
hear the things which the disciples and
Apostles were seeing and hearing, but
were denied the privilege. The men of
old saw them only by faith in types,
shadows and dim intimations, but the
disciples saw them with their bodily eyes,
as living and present realities. They
looked forward to the Redeemer who was
in due time to appear, and rested their
hopes on Him ; they had their light from
this Sun, before He arose above the
horizon, and they longed to see Him
already risen, but this was reserved as a
peculiar blessing for the Apostles and
disciples, whose light was proportionably
more distinct and clear. The word kings
is here substituted for righteous men, in
y Matt. xiii. 17, and this was probably done
to give emphasis to the sovereign grace of
God, in revealing these great truths to
those of lowly condition ; also to magnify
the dignity of those to whom the revela-
tion of the Son in the flesh is vouchsafed.
We have probably a most inadequate
idea of the enormous advantages enjoyed
by believers who have lived since Christ
came into the world, compared to those of
believers who died before Christ was
born. It is the difference of twilight and
noonday, of winter and summer, of the
mind of a child and the mind of a full-
grown man. The humblest Christian
believer understands things which David
and Isaiah could never explain. Let us
see that we make a good use of our high
and holy privileges, never forgetting that
in proportion to our advantages will be
our responsibilitj'.
25. H And, behold, a certain lawj-er stood up and
tempted him, saying, iMaster, what shall I do to in-
herit eternal life?— 'Matt. xix. lU and xxii. 35.
At some pause in our Lord's discourse,
while the multitude still remained on the
spot, expecting further instruction, a cer-
tain lawyer, or one who devoted himself to
the study of the law of God, who was
watching his opportunity, interposed with
the demand. Master, what shall I do to in-
herit eternal life ? Of all questions this is
infinitely the most momentous for every
man ; and the wonder is that men gener-
ally can let so many far less important
questions agitate and vex them, whilst
this one is regarded with indifl'erence.
Though it is sai<i that the lawyer tempted
CJirist, yet to tempt — as when it is said that
God tempted Israel, which, in a bad .sense,
we know He could not do — is simply to
try; and by the law of charity, which
thinketh no evil, as well as from regard to
his answers and whole bearing, this man
is entitled to a favorable construction both
of his motives and object. He had heard
of Him whose fame filled the whole
land, and to ascertain whether He was as
great a teacher as fame — prone to exagger-
ate— rejjorted, to measure His ability,
perhaps to try His soundness, he tested
Him by this fair and momentous question.
26. He said unto him, Wliat is written in the law ?
how readest thou ?
This reply of our Lord is as much as to
say, the question you ask is already an-
swered. What need to make further
inquiries, when the answer is contained
in the words of that very law of which
CHAPTER X.
813
you profess to he a searclicr and ex-
pounder? What is written there eoneerning
this groat question? A very strong testi-
mony to the excellence and perfection of
Scripture is found in the simple fact, that
the Author of Scripture ever apjiealed to
it for answers to all questions that were
addressed to Him. The Bible, then, the
whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible,
should be the rule of our faith and
practice. Holding this jn-inciple we
travel upon the King's highway. The
road may sometimes seem narrow, and
our faith may be sorely tried, but we
shall not be allowed greatly to err.
27, And he answerinsr, said, i^Tliou shall love the Iiord
thy iTiKi witli all tliy heart, and with all thy soul, and
wi"th all thy stren-^th, and with all thy mind ; and ithy
neighbour as thvselt'.
kUeiit. vi. 5 ; Heb. viii. 10. iLev. xlx. 18.
That the lawyer should at once quote,
as he did, the great commandment, from
Deut. vi. 5, in connection with Lev. xix.
18, proved that he was superior to the
common range of his countrymen. This
reply was an answer to his own question.
For there is no entrance into life, or in-
heritance in heaven for an unloving spirit.
Whatever be the means by which that
love to God and man is to be produced,
one thing is clear, that unless it does
exist, there can be no eternal life, for
"God is love," and to love God is to live.
2.S. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right
this do, and'i'lhou shall live.
■"Lev. xviii. 5; Neh. ix. 29; Ezek. xx. 11, 13, 21 ; Rom.
X. 5.
In the view just given, our Lord's ansvrer
here is to be accepted in all simplicity as
the great universal cardinal truth in the
case. Life was offered at first, and life is
offered still, as the reward of obedience.
It is not safe, it is not needful to apologize
for this statement, or to explain it away.
It is not in any sense contrary to evangel-
ical doctrine. It is really true that the
fulfilling of God's law will secure His
favor. Nor is this a thing merely to be
admitted in its own place when it comes
up. It is the truth that lies at the founda-
tion, and on which all other truth leans.
The basis of all is, obedience deserves life,
and disobedience deserves death. Man-
kind have disobeyed ; we all have sinned,
and are, therefore, all under condemnation.
Nothing but a j^erfect obedience can gain
God's favor. Hence the covenant, and
hence the incarnation and sacrifice of
Ghrist; hence the substitution of the just
for the unjust. The Gosi)el is not an ex-
ception to the law, " This do and thou
shalt live." The Gospel is founded on
that law. This law Christ came not to
destroy, but to fulfill. In these M'ords,
Tliou hast an.vcercd rigid : this do, and thoa
sludt lire, there is concealed the secret
charge, that the lawyer was more con-
cerned about knowleiige and book-learn-
ing than to exercise himself unto obedience,
and that he had almost wholly neglected
this. Tliis do, which is as much as to say,
Lo, thou hast never done or fulfilled it;
tliis do, and thou sltalt live, as though Christ
had said, " Your knowledge is correct and
admirable, just convert it into action.
You have plenty of light, now let it shine
and glow through every act of your life
and every utterance of your lips. Your
answer is admirable ; only let your head
and your heart, and your hand be in per-
fect harmony, and the whole law will attest
that you have fulfilled it. If you do
perfectly fulfill it, you shall live ; but this
cannot be done by you, nor by others, ar.d
therefore life must be sought elsewhere."
Well is it for those to whom the law, by
convincing them of sin and misery, and
teaching them their inability to obtain
salvation by its works, has been a school-
master to bring them to Christ.
29. But he, willing to njustiTy himself, said unto Jesus,
And who is my neighbor '.'— "Luke xvi. 15.
Much as he might have deceived him-
self as to his loving God, he knew and
remembered — as we all do — many cases
in which he had not loved his neighbor
as he loved himself How could he escape
from the dilemma in which he was placed?
He wished to jusiify himself in regard to
these violations of law, and remove the
blame from himself, on the ground that it
might be laid upon the law itself and its
Divine author, who had not sufficiently
explained what He had meant by the
term neighlnjr, and had hence given occa-
sion to disobedience against this command.
He knew that if he could confine the
term neighbor within very narrow limits,
he might evade the difficulty pressing
upon him, and though he had failed doing
to many what he would have wished them
81-1
LUKE,
to do to him, still satisfy himself that he
had kept the whole law— hence the que.s-
tion, Who is my neighbor ?
30. And Jesas answering said, A certain man went
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among
thieves, wliich stripped him of his raiment, and wound-
ed liim, aud departed, leaving him half dead.
A certain man, evidently a Jew. It could
not have been said of a Samaritan, who
was not permitted to go to Jerusalem,
that he was departing thence to another
place. Besides, unless we suppose this
man to have been a Jew, having acknow-
ledged claims upon the kindness and pro-
tection of the priest and Levite, the point
of the parable is lost, namely, the striking
contrast between the hard-hearted selfish-
ness of these persons, and the great be-
nevolence of the Samaritan. Indeed, the
whole complexion of the narrative assumes
that this unfortunate sufferer was a Jew,
and we think his nationality is not stated
precisely because it could not be mistaken.
Went doun, or, " was going down," not
merely because Jerusalem, from the height
of the mountains on which it was built
was considerably more elevated than Jer-
icho, which stood in the vale of the
Jordan, but because the going to Jerusa-
lem, as to the metropolis, was always
spoken of as going up. (See Acts xviii.
22.) The distance between the two places
was eighteen miles. Jericho was at this
time an important city. Indeed, it would
seem from Josrphus to have been next in
consequence to Jerusalem itself.
How fitly the road from one of these
cities to the other was made the scene of
this interesting story, will appear when it
is understood that this road has always
been infested by numerous daring and
desperate robbers. Fell among thieves, not
merely robbers, but men whose trade it
was to take life with as little compunction
as they would take money. Which strip-
ped him of Itis raiment, i. e., despoiled him
of everything he had on or about his per-
son, and because, perhaps, he made some
plight resistance as they were despoiling
him, or out of mere wantonness and
cruelty, " irounded him, and departed, leaving
him half dead."
31. And by chance there came down a certain priest
that way : and when he saw him, "he passed by on the
other side.— "Ps. xxxviii. H.
And by chance. This is an unfortunate
translation. Strictly speaking, nothing
happens by chance. It was not by chance
that the priest came down by that road at
that time, but by " coincidence," that is,
by that concurrency of events which is so
often to be seen distinguishing the acts of
God's providence. Many good opportuni-
ties are concealed under these events
which appear to he fortuitous. If we hap-
pen to come in view of a man in distress,
that is just the intimation of God that we
must help him as much as we can (Matt.
X. 30), and not to regard such an intima-
tion is not the humane and child-like dis-
position which our Lord so highly praises.
Twelve thousand priests and Levites were
stationed at J'Tir^ho with a view to the
rotation of service at Jerusalem. Hence-
the peculiar propriety with which our
Lord introduces the priest and Levite as
passing this wa}'. Whether the priest was
traveling to discharge his office, or return-
ing from the performance of its duties, we
are unavoidably led to expect, on account
of his standing and office, that he would
be disposed to manifest a compassionate
feeling. (Mai. ii. 6, 7.) But although he
was a man consecrated to the service of
God, and even now on his way from his
turn of office in the temple, the sight of
his countryman and fellow-worshiper
moved in him no compission — he passed
by cold and unconcerned without so much
as coming near to help or even console
the unhappy sufferer.
He passed by on the other side, marks an
intentional turning away and going past
on the other side, in order not to permit
himself to be moved by a nearer view, or
to suffer any sort of detention. We are
not informed what his excuses were, but
we may be quite sure he had plenty, and
that they were very good. Those who
seek a good excuse for neglecting the labor
of love always find one. He was alone,
he could neither cure the unfortunate man
there, nor carry him away. To make the
attempt might bring the robbers down
from their fastnesses upon himself, and
thus he should throw away a good life
after a damaged one. Love saw no excu-
ses for leaving the man lying in his blood,
for it was not looking forth em ; but selfish-
ness saw them at a glance, and would have
CHAPTER X,
815
created them in plenty if there had been
none at hand.
32. And likewise a Levlte, when he was at the place,
came inid looked on him, and passed by ou the other
side.
Leviles were a class who served at the
temple, assisting the priests in sacrifices
and other services. They belonged to the
tribe of Levi, whicli was set apart to reli-
gion. (Num. viii. 5-22.) Priests were of
the family of Aaron in that tribe. The
Levites performed the humble services of
the temple, as cleaning, carrying fuel, and
acting as choristers. Tliey were also writers,
teachers, preachers and literati. This Le-
vite was probably returning also from the
temple service to Jericho, when he fell in
with this wounded man. Curiosity led
him near, to look upon the unhappy object,
but though he obtained a more exact
knowledge of his helpless position, he yet
passed by without helping him, and thus
manifested a still more inhuman heart, a
still more criminal conduct, for whilst the
first exhibited selfishness instinctively,
the second did so upon calculation.
Thus did the priest and the Levite, who
made their boast in, and were the express
interpreters of that law, which was so care-
ful in i)ressing the duties of humanity, that
twice it had said, "Thou shalt not see thy
brother's ass or his ox fall down by the
way, and hide thyself from them : thou
shalt surely help him to lift them up again."
(Deut. xxii. 4; Ex. xxxiii. 5.) Here not a
brother's ox or his ass, but a brother him-
self was lying in his blood, and they hid
themselves from him. (Isa. Iviii. 7.) These
men had not learned that God " will have
mercy rather than sacrifice ; " they had not
yet felt that to pour oil into the wounds
of the sufferer is nobler and more accept-
able to God than to. raise the richest in-
cense, or to perform with the most me-
chanical precision all the rites and cere-
monies of the temple worship. How prone
is religion to become a religion of rites and
ceremonies, of fasting and feasting, and not
a religion of mercy, of love, and of good
will ! And how apt, as experience shows,
are those, who, according to their othce
and calling, ought to be best, if they are
bad, to be not merely in their depravity
similar to others, but to go beyond and
exceed all others.
33. But a certain P8amarltan, as he journeyed, came-
where he wiia: uiid when he saw him, he liad cou»,)a.s-
sion on /iii)i. M. And 'iwent to /u'm. and bound iip his.
Wounds, iJourinK in oil and wine, and set liini on uia
own beiLSl, and hrouslit liim to an inn, and took care of
him. :i.j. And on tiie morrow wlien he deparletl, he
took out two pence, and gave llu/ii to the host, and
said unto him : Take care of liim : and whatsoever
lliou speiidest more, when 1 come again, I will reimy
thee.
pJohn iv. 9. lEx. xxiii. 4,5; Prov. xxiv. 17; Kom.
xli. 'M : 1 Thes. v. 15.
God's eye was on the sufferer, and He
raised up one who would look upon and
pity him. A certain Samaritan. His name
is not mentioned, but he has left a broad
footprint on the sands of time. The
.Samaritans sprang from the mixture that
took place at the time of the captivity^
between the Jews who still remained and
the heathenish Assyrians and Babylo-
nians. National hatred kept them still
apart, even at the time of Christ. (John
iv. 9, 20.) That a Samaritan is here repre-
sented as the deliverer was directed against
this national hatred, and was meant to
teach that one often finds in men utterly
despised, and from whom nothing was
expected, more humane feeling and truer
love than in hypocritical believers. (See
Luke xvii. 11-19.) The force and appo-
siteness of the parable is enhanced by con-
trasting the conduct of the despised
Samaritan with men of such public repu-
tation as a priest and Levite. How many
excuses might this Samaritan have framed
for neglecting the sufferer before him ! He
might have pleaded the traditionary en-
mity between the Jews and Samaritans,
and alleged that he, instead of returning
leisurely to his home in Jericho, was on a
journej'', and could comparatively ill afford
the expense or loss of time to which his
benevolence subjected him, and that he,
as much as others, had reason to appre-
hend danger from robbers lurking in the
vicinity, and that, whatever he did for the
sufferer, he would get no thanks, for the
man was a Jew, and he was a Samaritan,
and that the sufferer was beyond the help
of man, and that he who was found near
him might be accused of having been his
murderer. But, instead of doing this,
conquering his prejudices and those fears
for his safety which, amid such scenes,
and with such a sight before him, were not
unnatural, he hastes to the rescue. He
first saw him at a distance, as lying in his
blood, yet living, then had cornpasdon on
816
LUKE,
him, then went to him, and bending over
the bleeding form, appUed such remedies
as circumstances permitted and his slcill
suggested. He closed tlie lips of his gashes,
and bound them up, doubtless with strips
from his own garments, then poured in oil
and vine, a common remedial application
at that time for wounds, with which, as a
traveler, he seems to have been provided
(Isaiah i. 0), the wine probably to cleanse
the wounds, and the oil to allay the pain.
It was common with travelers in the East
to carry oil with them, the expressed juice
of the olive, that they might anoint and
strengthen their limbs, wearied with con-
tinued heat. (Gen. xxviii. 18.)
There are many persons vv^ho, on be-
ginning a good work, go at it at first with
zeal, but lacking perseverance and loving
change, they soon turn to something else.
But the Samaritan stuck by the cause on
which he had embarked. He did not
bind up and anoint the wounded man, and
then think that his work of benevolence
was done, but he set him on his own beast,
no douht with great difficulty, and brought
him to an inn, over rough and steep declivi-
ties, probably being obliged to sustain and
support him, to prevent his falling, through
weakness, from the animal, and took care
of him. The residue of that day, and the
-whole of the following night, he attended
to the wants of the wounded man, deny-
ing himself the usual repose so necessary
to a traveler. The inn to which the patient
was conducted must have been more than
a khan built on the wayside, and left
empty, a free shelter to each party of
travelers who chose to occupy it for a
night. It must have been something more
nearly allied to our modern system, for
there was a resident manager or landlord,
who kept in store such provisions as
travelers needed, and supplied them to
customers for money. But the Samaritan
was not satisfied with conducting the
wounded man to the inn. Mark the
beautiful climax. First, the compassionate
heart, then the helping hand, next the
ready foot, finally the true-hearted charge.
About to depart, next morning, as business
required, he leaves the unhappy man in
rest. He takes out of a girdle, tiro pence,
which, being the amount of a fair day's
wages, was more than as many dollars*
worth in our time (Matt. xx. 2), gives
them to the innkeeper, engaging him to
take care of the sufferer, and pledging his
credit for the balance, when he next came
that way, if the expense should ultimately
exceed the amount of his deposit. Thus
was he M'ise as he was humane, provident
as he was generous — qualities that com -
monly shine in conjunction.
36. WTiich now of these three, thinkest thou, was
neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37.
And hesaid. He that showed mercy on him. Thensaid
Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou hkewise.
Here the tables are turned upon the
questioner. In his question (verse 29), the
lawyer, or scribe, contemplated other peo-
ple, and speculated upon who had the
right to receive kindness: the answer of
Jesus, on the contrary (verse 36), contem-
plates the scribe himself, and inquires
whether he is prepared to bestow kindness.
The point on which attention is fixed is
not, Who, of all mankind, have a right to
receive kindness? but. Are you walling to
show kindness, as far as you have oppor-
tunity, to every human being who is in
need? It will be noticed that in his answer
the lawyer did not mention the name of
the Samaritan, but adopted the circumlo-
cutory phrase, He that shewed mercy on him.
This answer, drawn by our Lord from
him, was, virtually. The Samaritan is my
neiglibor ; since, if this man's compassion-
ate service to the Jew was such as to entitle
him, in the lawyer's estimation, to be re-
garded as the Jew's neighbor, then, by a
parity of reasoning, the conduct of the
lawyer to a Samaritan should answer to
the relationship which he had just acknowl-
edged. In other words, the obligation and
exercise of kindness was to be mutual.
Hence, our Lord closes with the bi-ief but
pertinent direction, Go, and do thou like-
unse. Deal with a Samaritan as this Sa-
maritan deals with a Jew, and so you will,
Jew and Samaritan, be neighbors. And
then the lawyer finds himself placed upon
that high platform by which the Divine
law of love, ignoring the divisions of race,
nation and color, unites mankind into one
neighbarship and brotherhood. It is not
without propriety that Luke, a Gentile,
should furnish this most beautiful parable.
In addition to the lessons drawn from
CHAPTER X
817
the panible, as the exposition of it has
proceeded, let the following, which are
plainly deducible from it, be considered :
1. It is perfectly possible to be acquainted
, with all the truths of Christianity, and not
to feel them. 2. We need to know the re-
quirements of the law, before we can ap-
preciate the provisions Of the Gospel. 3.
We are to do good to all men as we have
opportunity. We are not to ask querulous
or small questions when we see objects
which we know to be suffering with hun-
ger, cold, &c. We are not to ask. Can you
pronounce my shibboleth ? are you a mem-
ber of my sect, or party, or denomination?
Not that we are to love less the truth, but
that our love is to go beyond the limits of
our sect, and to express itself wherever
suflFering is found. 4. And this love, which
we are bound to cherish toward others,
must not be in word and in tongue only,
but in deed and in truth. Our Ipve must
be practical, entailing on us self-sacrifice
and self-denial, in money, time and trouble.
Our charity should be seen not merely in
our talking, but in our acting — not merely
in our profession, but in our practice. We
should think it no misspent time to work
as hard in doing good to those who need
help, as others work in trying to get money.
In the vast mass and complicated rela-
tions of modern society, says, an eminent
divine, it is extremely difficult to apply
right i)rinciples in the department of ma-
terial benevolence. On the two opposite
sides we are liable to err, and we ought on
either side to watch and pray that we enter
not into temptation. 1. It would be a mis-
chievous mistake to give money, food and
clothes to every imi^ortunate beggar who
contrives to cross our path and present an
appearance of distress. There are men,
women and children in our day, who trade
upon their sores, and even make sores to
trade upon. To give alms indiscriminately,
in these circumstances, is both to waste
means and propagate improvidence. But,
2, it is not enough to resist importunities
which may proceed from feigned distress.
Shut your hand resolutely against the
whine of trained, unreal pauperism, but,
at the same time, diligently search out the
true sufferers, and liberally supply their
wants. If from defective knowledge errors
must sometimes be committed, better far
that now and then a dime should be lost,
by falling into unworthy hands, than that
our hearts should be drained of their com-
passion and dried hard by the habit of
seeing human sufiering and leaving it un-
relieved. "A man's life consisteth not in
the abundance of things which he possess-
eth ;" it is Vjetter that his abundance should
be diminished by an occasional excess of
disbursement, than that love, in which his
life really lies, should wither in his breast
for want of exercise. " The milk of human
kindness " this compassion has been called,
but let us remember, that if no needy child
is permitted to draw it, this milk will soon
cease to flow.
It is a point worth considering, whether
the modern method of allowing benevo-
lence to vent itself in contributions for the
support and comfort of the suffering, un-
accompanied with personal visits to the
distressed, and personal care for them,
either bestows the best culture on the
heart, or meets the demands of this parable.
38. H Now it came to pass, as they went, that he en-
tered into a certain village: and a certain woman
nameil 'Martha received him into her house.
■■John xi. 1 and xii. 2, 3.
It is not quite clear at what period of our
Lord's ministry, the history here recorded,
comes in, nor what is the connection be-
tween it and the preceding passage. It
has been suggested that one object is to
supply a serviceable caution against the
idea that active working charity, like that
of the good Samaritan, was the only way
to serve Christ, and to show that sitting
still and hearing is just as useful in its
season as relieving distressed people ; that
outward performance must be based upon
an inner work.
He entered into a certain village. This was
Bethany, on the south-east side of the
Mount of Olives, about two miles from
Jerusalem. It was the scene of some of
the most interesting events of Christ's
life. (Matt. xxi. 17, xxvi. 6 ; Mark xi. 11,
12, xiv. 3; John xi. 1-46 and xii. 1-3.)
Our Lord did not often Himself enter a
village, in the latter days of His ministry,
when the increasing jealousy and hostility
of His enemies rendered it prudent for
Him to avoid the more public places.
And a certain woman named Martha re-
818
LUKE
ceiued him into her house. This is a common
expression to denote a hospitable recep-
tion. (See xix. 6, ix. 53.) Martha, it is
evident, not onl}' from this place, but
from her name being mentioned first in
John xii. 5, was the housekeeper.
Whether she was a widow or maiden lady
we know not; we only know that she
was mistress, if not proprietor, of the
house. From the fact that Bethany is
called the town of Mary and Martha
(John xi. 1), it has been inferred by some
that the sisters were large property-hold-
ers, and yet, though this may have been
the case, all that is probably meant by
this expression is, that they were perma-
nent residents of the village. That the
whole family was one of some considera-
tion is evident from the fact that many
persons came even from Jerusalem to con-
dole with the sisters after the death of
their brother. (See John xi. 9.)
39. And she had a sister called Mary, "which also tsat
at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
•1 Cor. vii. 32. &c. tLuke viii. 35 ; Acts xxii. 3.
A sister. Probably her only sister, v)hich
also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word.
May not " also " imply that Martha sat
there too till household claims called her
away ? In the East it is the custom to sit
upon the ground, or on low couches. Dis-
ciples sat near to the feet of the teacher or
rabbi. So young Saul sat at the feet of
Gamaliel. (Acts xxxii. 23.) There was,
therefore, nothing unusual in Mary's pos-
ture, as she listened to the Saviour's in-
struction on things relating to His kingdom,
and, possibly, to His approaching death.
It will be noted that as soon as Christ
entered this house, He began to preach.
Whilst bodily food was being provided
for Him, He was preparing spiritual bread
for others. O that, in our place and meas-
ure, we might all imitate Jesus in this
respect ! Can we come into any house or
company, and find nothing to say or do
for God?
40 TBut Martha was "cumbered about much serving,
and came to him, and said. Lord, dost thou not care
that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her
theretbre that she help me.— uJohn vi. 27.
But Martha was cumbered about much
serving. She was over-occupied, deeply
absorbed (the Greek word means "was
drawn about distracted") in efibrts to
make suitable provision for Christ and His
friends — prepare, what she supposed to bfe
demanded, a suitable entertainment for so
illustrious a guest and His disciples — make
ready their hedging apartments, &c. Thus
was she anxious to show her respect and
affection for her Lord. Was there any-
thing censurable in this ? Certainly not.
Jesus is entitled to the best we have. Our
most valuable jiossessions must be laid at
His feet. But there luas something cen-
surable in the spirit and maimer in
which Martha addressed our Lord. Per-
haps, as we have hinted already, Mary
had at the beginning, before the Saviour's
arrival, also assisted in the domestic
labors, but soon afterward had seen that
she could now use the precious time more
profitably, and therefore left her sister.
Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath
left me to serve alone f bid her therefore that
she help me. As if Martha had said, " Is it
right that both thyself and all this com-
pany should not be provided for ? or is it
reasonable that the whole responsibility
and labor should devolve on me, whilst
Mary sits still utterly neglectful of house-
hold duties ? send her, therefore, back to
her post, which she has left too early,
since she can no longer be spared there."
What infirmity and weakness intermix
with the virtues and graces of the best
Christians, especially when they give way
to unhallowed passion ! Here was fretful-
ness of temper, and may there not have
been something of domestic vanity?
Martha's anxiety to make suitable pro-
vision for her Lord was commendable, but
that anxiety was excessive as her concern
for the entertainment was, compared with
that which she manifested for the Saviour's
teaching at that time. This is evident,
not only from the whole tenor of her
complaint, but particularly from the fact
that, instead of telling her sister she
wanted help, she sought, in a difference
with that sister, to win the Saviour as her
confederate — using, indeed, a sort of two-
edged form of speech, which bore with
some almost rebuking force upon our
Lord and Mary. It will be observed that
Mary was silent under her sister's com-
plaint. She did not defend her course,
but left it to her Lord to answer for her.
When we are complained of for well-doing,
CHAPTER X.
819
it is onr duty, and may it be our prudence
to seal up our li]>s in silence, and to expect
our vindication from above.
41. And Jesus answered and .said unto her, Martha,
Martlia, thou art careful and troubled about many
■ things :
How contrary to her expectation was
our Lord's answer to Martha ! She thought
that her .sister would have been sent away
with a check, and herself with thanks ;
but instead of this, and that, too, notwith-
standing the provision she had made for
His comfort, Jesu.s failed not to tell her of
her fault. No obligations to any particular
persons, even our best friends, should keep
us from reproving their faults. The double
utterance of the name, as also afterward,
"Simon, Simon," "Saul, Saul," was meant
to express the dissatisfaction of the Saviour,
not so much with the act as rather with
the disposition of Martha. Thou art care-
ful and troubled about many things — thou art
solicitous and disquieted (as the waters
when agitated by a violent storm) about a
variety of interests comparatively un-
worthy of regard. Christ condemns not
l^er hospitality, but her solicitude and
superfluity, her distraction and perptexity.
O how prone we are to exceed in things
lawful and necessary ! Martha's enter-
tainment of Christ was a noble service,
but she was too anxious and solicitous
about it. One duty is t6 be limited by
another, and each is to receive its just
proportion of interest and attention.
42. But 'One thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen
that good part, which shall not be taken away from
her.
»Ps. xxvii. 4 : John xvli. 3 ; Gal. v. 6 : Col. 11. 10, 14 ; 1
John V. 11, 12.
But one thing is needful. The term need-
ful in the Greek is a noun — necessity. " Of
one thing, even of salvation, there is ne-
cessity." This is the thing which ought
first and principally to be regarded by us
— the well-being of our immortal souls.
Other things are needful to som^, this is so to
all; other things are needful in a measure,
this is infinitely so ; other things are need-
ful occasionally and for a season, this is so
always and forever. And wherever this
interest is properly attended to, all other
matters will be used or pursued in sub-
serviency to it. Mary hath chosen that good
part. It is not affirmed that Martha's
occupation was wrong, but that, for the
time, Mary's occupation was better thaii
Martha's. The phrase, that good parl^ is a
general expres.'^ion, and meant to be in-
terpreted with a reference to the conduct
of Mary at the time when her sister inter-
posed. She was choosing soul-benefit.
She was seeking more grace. She W»s^
striving after nearer and closer communion
with God and His Christ. This was the
portion which she preferred to everything
else, and to which she Avas willing for a
time to postpone all earthly care. That
good part, or jwrtion of the heavenly inher-
itance which Mary was by faith in Jesus
receiving into her soul, in comparison
with the excellence of which nothing else
deserved to be named. Hath chosen refers^
to Mary's own voluntary choice and agency
in receiving the blessing. It was her wise
and happy choice to " sit at Christ's feet,
and hear His words." She was not to be
drawn into a neglect of His instructions
by any secular cares and encumbrances,
and as neither life, death, nor eternity
would deprive her of her interest in His
salvation, so our Lord would by no means
consent to her being deprived of her
present satisfaction of listening to His dis-
course, in order to assist in providing a
needless entertainment for its plenty and
variety.
It will be observed that our Lord, in His
declaration that Mary had chosen the
good part, does not imply that Martha had
not so chosen. Nor is there any reason to
think that this was the case. On the con-
trary, the indication is quite clear that
she was possessed at this time, as we know
she was afterward (John xi. 27), of vital
piety. She erred, but rather from a mis-
taken view of the true mode of honoring
Christ, than from any real disrespect mani-
fested toward Him. She committed a
mistake, which was very natural in the
circumstances in which she was placed,
but which, when enlightened in reference
thereto, she was doubtless ready to
acknowledge and renounce with tears of
penitence. Martha was a true believer,
and did not, in her general conduct, ne-
glect " the one thing needful." In the
day of affliction her grace shone clearly
and brightly. There is hardly any con-
fession, in all the four Go.spels of our
?20
LUKE.
Lord's office, which will compare with
that which she made in the eleventh
chapter of John.
This interesting narrative suggests the
following reflections :
1. It is possible now to sit at Jesus' feet.
This may be done by thinking over His
words in foilh and prayer. Christ is not
for from any one of us, and to the humble,
waiting spirit will make known His love,
though now enthroned above. Mary sat —
she stayed a while, she waited on the
Saviour's words. With open heart, like
Lydia's, she listened, anxious to learn,
and held her memory, like a golden vase,
to catch each precious, fragrant drop of
truth which came distilling from His lips.
Many, alas, rush into the presence of
Christ with steeled hearts, and ears half-
closed, attention fast asleep and reason's
eye filmed o'er by prejudice, and rush
away again, and wonder they are not wise.
2. Let us not suppose that our Lord
would not have persons attend to their
own household afiairs. It is a duty to
superintend our domestic concerns with
watchful care and diligence. And we can
serve God in the family, as well as in the
closet and sanctuary, if only we are actu-
ated by the right spirit. We may and
should commune with our Lord in our
common employments. Thus will they
be sanctified, and become to us means of
grace. The great danger is from the cares
of this world. They come insensibly to
eat up our spirituality, and bring leanness
on our souls. It is far more frequently
an excessive attention to things in them-
selves lawful that leads men to eternal
ruin, than open sin, or flagrant breaches
of God's commandments.
3. We must take temperament into ac-
count in judging of religion. Looking at
these two sisters, we might be tempted to
infer that the care for eternal things
existed in Mary alone. But it was not so.
Both were friends and disciples of Christ.
As water is colored by the soil over which
it flows, so religion is modified in its
features and development by the peculiar
temperament of the individual in whose
heart it has found a place. Martha and
Mary both loved Jesus, and Jesus loved
both of them, but they were evidently of
very different turn of mind. Martha was
active, stirring and impulsive, feeling
strongly, and speaking out all she felt.
Mary was quiet, still and contemplative,
feeling deeply, but saying less than she
felt. It was the heartfelt pleasure of both
to serve Christ according to their best
ability, only each had her own idea how
this must be done. With Martha, pro-
ductivity, with Mary, receptivity, stands
in the foreground. Martha is the Peter,
Mary the John, among the female disciples
of Christ. Martha's character was one-
sided, in attaching too much importance
to the external, to outward activity ; Mary
also would have had something one-sided,
if she regarded every work of Martha
without restriction, as unworthy of her
attention and below her dignity. We
must not expect all believers in Christ t©
be exactly like one another. We must
not set down others as having no grace,
because their experience does not entirely
tally with our own. " There is one Spirit,
but a diversity of operations."
4. The true Christian's possession shall
never be taken from him. He alone, of
all mankind, shall never be stripped of
his inheritance. Kings must one day
leave their palaces. Rich men must one
day leave their moneys and lands. They
only hold them till they die. But the
poorest saint on earth has a treasure of
which he will never be deprived. The
grace of God, and the favor of Christ, are
riches which no man can take from him.
They will go with him to the grave when
he dies. They will rise with him in the
resurrection morning, and be his to all
eternity.
1. What is said about " other seventy ?" 2. What did our Lord say to them ? 3. What directions did He give
them? 4. What was spoken concerning Chorazin and Bethsaida? 5. What concerning Capernaum ? 6. What
did the seventy report on their return? 7. What did Jesus say to them? 8. For what did Christ thank His
Father? 9. What did He say privately to His disciples? 10. Who tempted Christ ? 11. How? 12. What ques-
tion did the lawyer ask Jesus ? 13. By what parable was it answered ? 14. What is said of Martha and Mary ?
CHAPTER XI.
831
CHAPTER XL
1 Chri.it trnrhrth to prai/, and thnt inxfantl}/ : 11 aa.tur-
t»!f/ fhut (iixl xo wilt ji'ivf \isiji,i,il thiiKjs. H Jlr, caxdng
out a timiil) li'Vtl, riinilcttli tin bldspli.nnim.'; J'/i(tri.srtx :
28 (tnd sli( wctli wlio art', blt:sst:d : 'I'J jnearliet/i tii tin:
pef>i>lf, ;i7 and rcprehrndelh the outward s/ieiu of hut i-
ness in tlie 2'hariseas, scribes and lawyers.
Prayer is one of the great laws of natural
religion. That man is a monster, that never
prays, that never gives glory to his Maker,
nor feels His favor, nor owns his depend-
ence on Him. One great design, therefore,
of Christianity is to assist us in praijer, to
enforce the duty on us, to instruct us in it,
and to encourage us to expect advantage
by it.
AND it came to pass, that as he was praying in a
certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples
said unto hhn. Lord, teach us to pray, as John also
taught his disciples.
As he u-as praying in a certain place. It is
not easy to determine the time or the lo-
cality here referred to. The circumstance
recorded may have occurred very soon
after the domestic scene in the house of
the sisters in Bethany, and since we know
from other j^assages that the Saviour was
especially accustomed to pray on the sum-
mits of mountains, we are almost sponta-
neously brought to think here of the Mount
of Olives, the subsequent theater of His
conflict and of His coronation. (Comp.
chap. xxi. 37.) When he ceased. These
words do not simply indicate that the dis-
ciples, instead of interrupting Jesus, waited
until He had finished His prayer, but con-
vey the idea that when He ceased praying,
there was a profound silence. Lord, teach
us to pray, &c. Teach us the body of bless-
ings Ave may hope to receive, and therefore
what object is right, and not presumptuous
to ask. It w\as well in the disciple who
offered this request, not only to attach im-
portance to prayer, and to feel his own ig-
norance and insufficiency in the perform-
ance, but to address One who is always
able and willing to hear and help us. None
.teach like Him. Four ways He teaches to
pray: 1. By His word; 2. By His exam-
ple; 3. By His providence; 4. By His
Spirit.
2. And he said unto them. When ve pray, say, "Our
lather winch art in heaven. Hallowed be thv" name,
ihy kmgdoni come. Thy will be done, as inheaven,
so in earth.— aMatt. vi. 9, on which see notes.
This was not the first occasion on which
Christ gave "The Lord's Prayer" to the
disciples. It is embodied, with very slight
variations, in the Sermon on the Mount
(Matt. vi. 9-13), which belongs to an earlier
date. Twice the Lord God wrote the Ten
Commandments on tables of stone. (Deut.
X. 10, X. 4.) Twice the Lord Jesus deliv-
ered the Lord's I'rayer. Why the repeti-
tion of this prayer? The disciples were
defective both in understanding and mem-
ory, and the Master gave them " line upon
line."
The existence of a progressive sequence
in the prayer is seen, even on a casual
view. At the outset the suijpliant appears
lost in the contemplation of the Being to
whom his spirit ascends; next, he turns
his thoughts upon himself and his own
wants. Further, it is not difficult to recog-
nize a progression in the three first peti-
tions, and in the three (or four) last. The
recognition of the name of God is the basis
on which alone the kingdom of God can
be established, and again, this kingdom is
the sphere in which the will of God is
fulfilled. Further, the prayer for the main-
tenance of the life of man precedes the
prayer for the forgiveness of his sins; and.
again, it is only when the guilt of the past
is removed that the thought is directed to
the temptations of the future. The thought-
ful reader, who has derived from other
sources the knowledge of the Trinity, will
also find a reference to that truth in the
scheme of this prayer. The petitions of
the first and second parts refer to God as
Creator and Preserver, the second petition
of either part refers to God as Redeemer,
W'hilst the third of either part relates to
God the Holy Spirit, by whom the Divine
will comes to be fulfilled, and through
whose power temptation is overcome.
When ye pray, say: (in Matt. vi. 9),
" after this manner therefore pray ye."
No rational man can think that it was our
Lord's meaning that we should use these
words exclusively. The prayer, as we
suppose, was intended as a model rather
than a mould. It was given rather as a
specimen, by the spirit and order and pro-
portion of whose several parts we should
guide our own spontaneous petitions, than
as a rigid and imperishable enclosure in
833
LUKE.
wliicli all our pious acknowledgments and
supplications should be compressed.
Our Father, &c. We have here grouped
together the three principles which settle
man's just relations to this and to the next
world : 1. The Filial. We see in the Most
High a Father. This representation of
God as Father of those who worship
Him, teaches us that He stands in a rela-
tion toward them similar to that in which
a father stands to his children, and that
He regards them in a manner similar to
that in wdiich a father regards and acts
toward his children — really loving them,
and disposed to bestow on them every-
thing that is necessary to their true happi-
ness. 2. The Fraternal. We come not
with our private needs and vows alone,
but with those of our race and brother-
hood. " Our Father." Believers, in all
their prayers, should think of others as
well as themselves. They should remem-
ber all their brethren in Christ, and all
their brethren of mankind. 3. The Celes-
tial. Though we are now of the earth,
and attached to it by these mortal and
terrene bodies, we are not originally from
it, nor were we made to be eternally upon
it. We are of Heaven, and for Heaven,
for there and not here our Father is, and
where He is our true home is. God, though
omnii^resent, has Heaven as His special
residence. The clause, which art in heaven,
directs our thoughts to the difference be-
tween earthly fathers and this Father.
" We are to have no earthly thoughts
respecting the heavenly majesty of God."
The very commencement of the prayer
assumes in the suppliant a spirit pene-
trated with reverence and love and confi-
dence— a spirit which, like the Psalmist,
thinks of God as the highest and best
portion. (Ps. Ixxiii. 25, 2G.)
Hallowed be thy name. (See on Matt,
vi. 9.) J3y the name of God, we are to un-
derstand His revealed character, and at-
tributes— even all that is implied in the
appellation by which He is known among
men. (See Ex. xxxiv. 5-7.) The word
hallowed is nearly synonymous with " sanc-
tified," or " glorified." God's name may
be hallowed by us in three ways : 1. In
our hearts, by entertaining suitable con-
ceptions of Him ; 2 By our lips, when we
acknowledge His Divine perfections, and
tell of all His wondrous works ; 3. In our
lives, when the consideration of these
Divine perfections engages us to suitable
obedience.
Thy kingdom come. (Ps. xxii. 28; Dan.
ii. 44; see on Matt. vi. 10.) This petition
implies an earnest desire that the kingdom
of God may be set up in our own hearts,
reducing all within us to entire subjection
to Christ, our king, that it may be set up
in the hearts of our children, relatives,
servants, friends, neighbors, that the word
of the kingdom may, in all nations, " be
preached with the Holy Ghost sent down
from Heaven," tliat Christian churches
may be established in every region of our
earth, and that "the kingdoms of this
world may become the kingdom of our
Lord, and of His Christ," that every oppos-
ing power may be put down, and God be
all in all. The final setting up of tliis
kingdom has been long predicted. (Gen.
iii. 15 ; Rom. viii. 22 ; Rev, xi. 15 and xxii.
20.)
Thy udll be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
(Ps. xl. 8, ciii. 20 ; see on Matt. vi. 10.)
God's will may be considered either as
preceptive or providential. To the former,
reference is here made, for God's provi-
dential will is done in earth, equally as in
heaven. Or, if the latter is also referred
to, that submission, acquiescence and sat-
isfaction in it, whicli angels feel and ex-
press, may be intended. It ought to be
the prayer and care, the study and en-
deavor of every Christian, that the
commanding will of God may be done by
himself and by all men on earth, as it is
by the saints and angels in heaven, with
entireness, harmony, cheerfulness, dili-
gence, constancy and ineffable delight.
(Hab. ii. 14 ; Heb. viii. 11.)
3. Give us *day by day our daily bread.
*0r, for tlie day.
Daily bread. (SeeonMatt.vi.il.) The.
bread which is convenient, or sufficient for
our daily subsistence. Bread is one prin-
cipal part of the things which are needful
for the body, and here, as is often the case,
it is put for the whole. By the use of this
word, therefore, we are taught to ask only
things that are necessary, without craving
superfluities, and to refer it to our Heavenly
CHAPTER XI
833
Father to determine what things are
necessary, according to our station in life,
our families, and various other cii-cumstan-
ces. We are to ask " day by day" the sup-
ply of the needs of life. Not being warranted
to ask, even of the necessaries of life, very
large supplies, which may serve for weeks,
months, or years to come, but as children,
continually exercising the spirit of entire
dependence on, and complete confidence
in, our Heavenly Father's care. The "our"
gives rise to two very important thoughts:
It points to necessary labor, the true way
of asking and receiving, according to God's
original appointment for man, in Gen. iii.
19, independently of which we eat not our
own bread (2 Thess. iii. 12; 1 Thess. iv. 11,
12), but another's. Similarly, it points to
the obligatory communication and fellow-
ship, since as we in "our" and "us," pray
with and for one another, so we may not
hold anything that we receive exclusively
and covetously, for ourselves alone. (Isa.
Iviii. ; break thy bread to the hungry —
comp. 1 Sam. xxv. 11.)
4. And forgive us our sins ; for we also forgive every
one tliat is indebted to us. And lead us not into tempt-
ation ; but deliver us from evil.
And forgive us our sins. (See on Matt.
vi. 12; Lev. xix. 18.) In this petition the
following things are supposed: 1. That we
are all sinners, and, as such, stand in need
of forgiveness. 2. That we are obliged to
pray every day for pardon, as we do for
daily bread, for our sins are many and
daily. That man is a sad self-deceiver,
dreadfully ignorant of God's law, and of
himself; who does not see that there is
much, very much, both wanting and wrong
in him, and that he needs to say every day,
"forgive me my sins." 3. That since we are
to pray for pardon of sin, itis imi)ossible for
us to ever satisfy the justice of God for sin.
For toe cdso forgive every one that is indebted
to us. The willingness of the suppliant is
by no means a ground upon which God
can bestow on him forgiveness, but rather
a subjective condition without which he
has no boldness to entreat the forgiveness
of his own sins. (Comp. 1 John iv. 18, 19.)
This condition, or qualification, let it be
observed, requires: 1. That our minds be
full of charity, free from rancor and ill-
will, and all desire of revenge and secret
grudge against another. 2. That we stand
ready to help, and to do any ofiice of love
and service for him that has ofiended us.
3. That we admit our oflending brother
into friendship and familiarity, which is
called a forgiving him from the heart; our
heart must be toward him as formerly. It
is a very striking consideration that this
petition is so framed that, if presented in
an unforgiving spirit, it is, indeed, an im-
precation of Divine vengeance.
And lead us not into temptation. (Gen.
xxii.l; seeonMatt. vi. 13.) "Temptation"
means "trial." God never put evil into
our hearts, or stirs it up there by any posi-
tive influence: in the former respect, "a
man is tempted by his own lust and enti-
ced," in the latter, by Satan or wicked
men. But Providence may permit us to
be brought into such circumstances as have
a tendency to give our inward corruptions,
and the temptations of Satan and his
agents, peculiar advantage against us. This
the Lord sometimes does, to prove the
reality or power of our grace, the sincerity
or hypocrisy of our profession, or the re-
maining pre valency of sin. This petition
asks that God would graciously prevent us
from being brought into circumstances of
strong temptation, that He would not leave
us to struggle with temptation in our own
strength, that He would instruct us to
avoid, that He would enable us to over-
come our temptations. He who would
honestly and acceptably present this peti-
tion, must guard against going into temp-
tation.
But deliver us from evil. (Ps. 1. 15 ; see on
Matt. vi. 13.) This may mean, either from
that which is evil, or from him who is evil —
from the evil thing or from the evil one. We
prefer the first sense as the more compre-
hensive one, and as including the second.
It is a prayer to be preserved from every-
thing that is really prejudicial to us, espe-
cially from sin, that evil in which there is
no good. In this petition we confess that
ever since the fall, the world "lieth in the
wicked one." (1 John v. 19.) We confess
that evil is in us, and about us, and near
us, and on every side, and that we have
no power to deliver ourselves from it. We
apply to the strong for strength. We cast
ourselves on Him for protection. It will
824
LUKE.
be observed that Luke omits the doxology
appended to the prayer. (Matt. vi. 13.)
5. And he said unto them, which of you shall have a
frirad.and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto
him, Frieud, lend me three loaves ;
After giving to His disciples the form of
prayer in verses 2-4, Jesus proceeded in
this parable to urge very forcibly on them
the duty, not merely of praying, but of
praying urgently, importunately, yea, of
never ceasing to pray until the prayer be
granted. The picture refers to a simple,
primitive condition of society, and reveals
corresponding social habits.
He said unto them, intimating that much
was said in the same current which is not
reported, but the following parable was
clearly recollected. Which of you shall
have a friend In teaching how God will
do, Jesus, at the same time, teaches how
we should behave. The same argument
is used here as in the j^arable of the unjust
judge, one from the less to the greater, or,
more accurately, from the worse to the
better, with this diilerence, however, that
here the narrow-heartedness and selfish-
ness of man is set against the liberality of
God, while there it is his unrighteousness
Avhich is tacitly contrasted with the
rigliteousness of God. At midnight. This
unusual hour is chosen to give force to the
reluctance of the man to rise and supply
the wants of his friend, and the power of
continual entreaties to overcome such
well-grounded reluctance. Midnight means
the time of the greatest internal darkness
and necessity. Intercession in behalf of
others can never be of any avail, except
in this day of gloom and thick darkness,
but now may be made in circumstances
the most discouraging. Friend, lend me
three loaves. That he required three loaves
for the use of his friend, clearly shows
that the bread of the Jews was in very
small loaves, or else in broad or thin cakes,
according to the present custom of the
East. That the applicant had no bread, or
anything else in his own house to set
before his friend, is to be accounted for by
the fact that the Orientals generally only
prepare sufiicient of bread and other food
for the current day ; so that a person who
arrives at night is more than likely to iind
the house bare of victuals.
6. For a friend of mine *in his Journey is come to me,
and I have notliing to set before him.
*Or, out v/ his way.
He urges the grounds of entreaty, 1, the
unexpectedness of the visitor ; 2, his own
inability. Of the words translated, " in
his journey," the margin gives a very
striking rendering, and, most probably,
the true one — " out of the way." The be-
nighted traveler represents the poor sin-
ner " out of the way," walking on still in
darkness, not knowing whither he goeth,
and then obtaining help from one who is a
fellow-sinner, and yet a believer, who
asks for him from God the bread of life,
which he is not himself able to furnish
him.
7. And he from within shall answer and say. Trouble
me not: the door is now shut, and my children are
with me in bed ; I cannot rise and give thee.
This person is meant to represent Him
to whom the believer must go. He from
vAthin. This, in addition to referring to
the person within, intimates that the door
was not open, that he did not come forth
to converse with his friend. God, from
within His house, which is heaven,
hears those who pray on earth. Trouble
me not. He is short and sharp. He
echoes not the honeyed word friend. We
trouble God by our sins, but not by our
prayers. The door is now shut, that is,
fastened, barred and bolted for the night.
The door of Divine mercy is always open
during this life. M'j children are with me in
bed. In the East v\'iiole families frequently
sleep in the same room. The man excuses
his disinclination by the disturbance and
vexation it would cause to him and his
household. I cannot rise and give thee. It
does not necessarily follow that the child-
ren were in the same bed with their father,
the meaning is that they would be dis-
turbed and fretful, if he should rise and
thus wake them at such an hour. The
supreme rest and happiness which God
enjoys in Himself with His saints, does
not make Him insensible to our pains and
miseries, and He need not quit the least
part of that happiness in order to assist
and relieve us.
8. I say unto you, ^Though he will not rise and give
him, because he is his fripnd, yet becauso of his inipor-
tunitv he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
bLiike xviii. 1, &c. ; Kom. xv. 30.
The term translated " importunity " sig-
nifies freedom from the bashfulness which
CHAPTER XI
825
cannot ask a second time. The shame-
facedness which prevents a modest man
from importuuiiig a fellow-creature for a
gift after the request has been refused, is
out of place in the intercourse between an
emjjty but believing supplicant and the
God of all grace. If this Jewish country-
man in his perplexity had been ashamed
to ask a second time, he would have failed
to accomplish his objed, but because he
was not so ashamed, or at least did not
permit the shame to drive him from his
purpose, he obtained at length all his de-
sire— even more, not only the three loaves
which he asked, but " as many as he needeth."
The case was similar to that of the Syro-
Phenician woman (Matt. xv. 21-28). It is
not true, in the sense that many affirm it,
that our prayers have an effect on us only,
and not on God. As the same unchangea-
ble sun softens the wax and hardens the
clay, so does God, who is " without varia-
bleness," sustain and save us in our peni-
tence, and harden and condemn us in our
obduracy. We are not to conceive of
prayer as an overcoming of God's reluct-
ance to give ; it is, in fact, a laying hold of
His highest willingness, as we see illus-
trated in the case of the woman just
referred to. Refusals to a believer are
only trials of his faith, to prove his confi-
dence in God, and make the gift, when
bestowed, a suitable confirmation of that
confidence.
9. <:And I say unto you. Ask, and it sliall be given
you ; seek, and ye sliall tiud ; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you.
cMatt. vii. 7 and xxi. 22; Mark xi. 24; John xv. 7;
Jaaies i. 6 ; 1 Jobii iii. 22.
The parablg concludes with words in
which the same duty of prayer is com-
mended, and no longer in a figure, but
plainly. The three repetitions of the
command are more than mere repetitions.
There is an ascending scale of earnestness.
Each one of the words, "ask," "seek,"
" knock," manifests increased importunity,
BO that each apparent refusal will add
earnestness to the entreaty, until the re-
quired blessing is received. The man in
the parable did ask, seek, knock, and it was
opened, granted, obtained by him, according
to the promise. So must all suppliants do.
A man, in order to offer up a good prayer,
must ask with the humility of a beggar;
he must seek with the carefulness of a
good servant ; and he must knock with the
confidence of a friend. This three-fold
command to jiray is, indeed, a commentary
on words of our Lord si)oken at another
time : " The kingdom of heaven suffereth
violence, and the violent take it by force."
10. For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that
seeketh findeth : and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened.
Lest the strong but general assurance of
the preceding verse should be neglected as
a customary or unmeaning form of speech,
it is repeated here in terms still stronger
and more universal, not as a promise to
be verified in future, but as a fact of actual
experience. The change from the future
to the present, therefore, is significant,
and not to be neglected in the exposition.
" I say, not only that you shall receive
hereafter what you ask, but that, in jioint
of fact, whoever does ask, does receive
accordingly." That is to say, believing
prayer is never vain or unsuccessful, and
the knowledge of this truth is among the
most efficient antidotes to skeptical mis-
givings and excessive care. When we do
not receive that which we ask, let us
always believe either that we do not ask
it as we ought, or that it is good for us not
to receive it.
11. iJIf a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a
father, will he {five him a stone? or W fie a.iku tish, will
he lor a tish give him a serpent" 12. Or if he shall ask
an egg, will he *ofler him a scorpion?
dMalt. vii. 9. *Greek, give.
Our Lord now draws from the domestic
circles of earth some precious arguments
for confidence in approaching our heavenly
Father. From that wiiich the friend -will
do, the discourse of the Saviour rises even
to that which one could expect of a father ;
from that which an imperfect earthly
father does, even to that which the per-
fect Father in heaven bestows. If a son
shall ask bread, &c. The phrase would be
better translated, ivhen your son, &c. In
the orisinal, the question has a negative
form, w^hich implies a negative answer.
This is not the way you ever dream of
dealing with your children who depend
on you for their support. Bread. Proba-
bly the round cake now used in the East,
and bearing some resemblance to a smooth,
flat stone. The same resemblance may be
traced between some kinds of serpents
826
LUKE,
and some kinds of M- ^39- This third
example is found only in Luke, the two
others also in Matthew (vii. 9, lOj. Old
writers say that there was a white scorpion
in Palestine, which, when folded up, re-
sembled an egg. Now, if earthly parents
will not mock their children, when hungry,
by giving them that which is not food,
and especially if they will not give them
a noxious and a deadly thing instead of
food, it may not be expected that God will
refuse humble and earnest suppliants the
good things which they ask. He will not
give us a stone instead of bread, but we
may ourselves, and we should fear lest we
do, change the bread of God into a stone,
by the hardness of our heart. When, too,
we do not get whatever we ask, and when
we ask it, we may be sure that, in our
ignorance and short-sightedness, we asked
a stone or a serpent, because they seemed
beautiful — not knowing that the one was
destitute of nourishment, and that the
other would sting.
13. If ye then being evil, know how to give good
gilts unto your children: how much more shall your
heavenly Father give the lloly Spirit to them that ask
him?
This is the formal argument or inference
from the facts indirectly stated in the
preceding verses. If ye then, being evil —
not a coniparison of the morally corrupt
man with God, but rather a contrast.
Men, notwithstanding their depravity,
which blinds their judgments, and makes
them defective in moral purity, and tends
to make them weary through repeated
provocations, and selfish, will satisfy the
demands of their children, if possible.
How then could it be that a holy God
should not do that which even sinful man
does? The argument of Jesus in this
verse seems to derive its force from
three considerations. 1. God is the Foun-
tain of natural affection. From Him all
the kindness, pity, compassion and love
have proceeded,which have flowed through
all the successive generations of the world.
If, then, the love of offspring be so strong
in our nature, how purely and how power-
fully must it operate in Him, who tells us
that the instinct which Himself has plant-
ed in our hearts, but feebly expresses the
affection that is in His own breast to the
family of mankind ! 2. The reception of
the Holy Spirit has relation to our highest
welfare. It concerns us in our spiritual
and eternal interests. How, then, can it
be, that He who blesses our bodies, and
inclines our hearts to give our children
what is requisite for their subsistence and
comfort, will not give us, if w-e ask, the
great blessing which is needed by our
rational, depraved, accountable and im-
mortal nature? 3. The influence of the
Spirit can never fail of being intrinsically
and eternally good. This is not certainly
known of any gift which a parent bestows
upon his child. But it is true of the Holy
Spirit, His influence is absolutely and in-
variably beneficial. Will not God, then,
willingly give the Spirit? It is a precious
truth that this view of God, as so human,
so paternal, is given us by one who knows
what He affirms. " No one knoweth the
Father but the Son, and he to whom the
Son may reveal Him." (Matt. xi. 27.)
Nothing can exceed the kindness and grace
which are thus represented as belonging
to our Father in heaven. This great gift
of the Holy Spirit, be it remembered, we
may ask unconditionally and without
limit, as we are permitted to supplicate for
nothing else, at the throne of grace. But
we must ask in the name of Him whom
the Father heareth always.
14. If cAntl he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb.
And it came to pass, when the devil wsw gone out, the
dumb spake ; and the people wondered.
*Matt. ix. 32 and xii. 22.
The connection between these verses
and those which immediately precede
them, is striking and instructive. In the
preceding verses our Lord had been show-
ing the jwwer and importance of prayer.
In the verses before us He delivers a man
from a dumb devil. The miracle is evi-
dentlv intended to throw fresh light on the
lesson. The same Saviour who encourages
us to pray, is the Saviour who destroys
Satan's power over our members, and re-
stores our tongues to their proper use. It
was the devil who was dumb ; it was the
mnn who spake ; the demon was the cause
of the dumbness of the afflicted person.
And the people vondei-ed. According to
Matthew they were "amazed," and on the
point of publicly proclaiming Jesus as the
Messiah. This culmination of enthusiasm
awakened the strong reaction of the Phari-
CHAPTER XI.
827
sees, and led to the sudden and malignant
accusation mentioned in the next verse.
15. 1 But some of them said. fHe casteth out devils
thniutch -Rcelzehub, the chiefof'the devils.
f Matt. i.\. o4 iind xii. 24. *Gr. Beclzebxd ; and so ver-
ses'is, 19.
Some of them — they were Pharisees and
scribes from Jerusalem. These person.^,
let it be noted, were unable to deny the
fact of the miraculous healing, and there-
fore used the only other means at their
dispo.sal to discredit Him who wrought it,
by malignantly accusing Him of impious
collusion with the very demons whom He
dispossessed. Thus their very charge
Against Him may be reckoned as involun-
tary testimony to the truth of His preten-
sions to a superhuman power. Beelzebub, or
Beelzebul. Beelzebub means " Lord of flies,"
and was worshiped by the Philistines in
earlier times at Ekron. (2 Kings i. 2.) This
god was so called as protecting his worship-
ers from noxious insects; or as being himself
worshiped under an insect form. Tliis
contemptuous description of a heathen
deity is perfectly agreeable to Jewish
usage, and its application in the case before
us is a conclusive proof of the extremes to
which these enemies of Jesus had carried
their contempt and hatred of Him, when
they chose the grossest nickname of a false
god to describe the unseen power by whose
aid He wrought His miracles. The prep-
osition through denotes not mere assistance,
but union and identification. Chief means
one who goes first, takes the lead, presides
or governs. There never was any person
so good as not to be subject to censure and
misconstruction. What a trial to the holy
and innocent Jesus to be charged with
familiarity with the devil!
16. And others tempting him. esought of him a sign
from heaveii.— =Matt. xii. 3A and xvi. 1.
The words, from heaven, show that it was
a sign of Christ's Mes.siahship which these
others demanded of Him. They appear
not to have been satisfied respecting the
expulsion of the demon, and now ask a
sign from heaven, as opposed to a sign from
hell, or one on earth, in proof of our Lord's
pretensions. It is always one mark of a
thoroughly unbelieving heart, to pretend
to want more evidence of the truth of re-
ligion. To one who has a sincere faith, it
is enough that God has once declared Him-
self. He who is not content with this,
wants faith, not proofs.
17. hBut ilie, knowing their thoughts, said unto them :
Every tcingduni divi(Ied against itself is brought to
desolation ; and a house divitled against a house lalleth.
i^iiatt. xii. 3.5 ; Mark iii. 24. 'John ii. 25.
Knowing their thoughts, hy His omnisci-
ence. Said unto them. Notwithstanding
the very awful and most flagrantly wicked
charge preferred against Him by His
enemies, Jesus, not in the least angry, but
rather pitying the misguided men who had
made the charge, reasons with them quietly
and calmly as rational men, thus teaching
us, that, however extravagant the charge
may be that is made against us, yet, if we
speak calmly and sensibly, there is some-
thing in human nature that will lead it to
listen the moment we do so. Every king-
dom divided against itself — in which there is
nothing but divided council and separate
action, making on one side, and unmaking
on the other, setting up and pulling down,
internal discord and civil war — is brought
to desolation, or, as Mark has it (iii. 24),
cannot stand, cannot be established, made
to stand, by such a process. The same
thing is true in a sphere still narrower : a
house or family divided against itself, com-
posed of hostile and discordant members,
falleth.
18. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall
his kingdom stand? because ye say that I caat out
devils through Beelzebub.
If Satan also be divided against himself, as
the Pharisees intimated, when they accused
Jesus of casting out Satan by Satan's own
power, hoiv shall his kingdom stand? No.
He is not so weak, so ignorant of what his
strength is, nor so reckless of his resources.
His bad power is yet a united power, and
it will not be for lack of oneness of purpose
and action that his kingdom shall at length
fall. Because ye say. These words mean
this, I put this question in order to show
you the absurdity of supposing Satan to be
thus arrayed agtiinst himself. The whole
argument of Christ was this : '' If Satan
were to cast out Satan, he would commit
suicide. Therefore, how can you suppose
that he will help me to depress and put
down that very kingdom which is his
strength, glory and stronghold?" It is an
unwarrantable calumny to endeavor to
make it believed that a man is an enemy
of the Church, because he is trying to es-
828
LUKE.
tablish truth of doctrine and promote holi-
ness of life, and to cast out error and sin.
We must not cease to serve the Church in
the midst of all the oppositions of false
brethren.
19 And if I by Beelzebub ca-st out devils, by whom do
your sons cast z7i<;7?t out? Iherelore shall they be your
judges.
Here is a second refutation of the charge
of the Pharisees : their objection, by parity
of reasoning, would extend to their own
exorcists, which they would not have been
willing to admit. Yozir sons. That is, your
disciples. That there were among the
Jews exorcists, who at least professed to cast
out devils, we know from the Apocrypha,
from Josephus, and from Acts xix. 12-14.
It appears, by the writings of the earliest
Christian fathers, that this power of exor-
cism remained for some time in the primi-
tive Church. Therefore they shall be your
judges, to convict them of injustice and
malignity in ascribing what Christ did, to
demoniacal collusion, when they made no
such charge against them and their real or
pretended dispossessions. The corruption
of the heart is the cause of the corrujition
of the understanding and judgment. Pas-
sion makes men frequently condemn in
some that which they approve in others.
20. But if I kwith the finger of God cast out devils, no
doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
tEx. viii. 19.
So numerous and powerful had been
ouf Saviour's works, that the Jews had
ascribed them, not to a spirit of common
order, but to the very chief of hell. But
if they were as beneficent as they were
powerful, why not ascribe them to the
Prince of Heaven, and so conclude that
the kingdom of Heaven had come? The
argument here a^jpears to be this : " If
these miracles which I work are really
worked by the finger of God (See Exod.
viii. 19), and I am clearly proved by them
One sent from God, then, whether you
will allow it or not, the times of Messiah
have evidently arrived. The kingdom of
God has come down upon you unawares,
and these miracles are signs that it is so."
There was solemn irony in this sugges-
tion to the leading Jews, that, in spite of
their unwillingness to see or own it, the
Messiah and His kingdom might be come
after all. We cannot bs assured that God
reigns in a soul, but only when the lusts
and evil habits which possessed it are cast
out, not by other lusts or evil habits, but
by the love of righteousness and the
hatred of sin, which is done by the finger
of God — namely, by His Holy Spirit.
21. 'When a strong man armed Iceepeth his palace,
his goods are in peace.— 'Matt. xii. 29 : Marli iii. 37.
Strong man. This, the context clearly
shows, is " the chief of the devils," Satan,
the great rebel against God, and the great
adversary of man. His palace are the
world and the sinner's heart. His goods
are the temptations of the world, and
those lusts and passions of the i)oor, fallen
soul, all those wondrous faculties which
once followed hard after God, but are
now alienated from him, degraded by
reason of the vileness of the objects on
which they now fasten. He allows noth-
ing to mitigate their abomination, or
change their character ; they are in peace.
The phrase keepeth, implies military vigi-
lance. We have, therefore, three qualities
brought to view — strength, completeness
of the means of defense and watchful-
ness. Satan is, indeed, strong, by not only
entering in, but now holding in complete
subjection such a palace as he occupies.
He " works in the children of disobedi-
ence," and that so constrainingly, that
Ihey are called his "children." He
"carries them captive at his will," and
"the whole world lieth in the wicked one."
He is called the " Prince of this world."
He is armed. He is well supplied with
defensive armor, not to be overcome by
slight assaults and feeble exertions. He
is also well supplied with offensive
weapons, never at a loss for means to
injure the soul of man. He has snares of
every kind, and engines of every descrip-
tion. He knows exactly how every
temperameflt, rank, class, age, nation and
people can be assailed with most advantage.
We are all born under the dominion of
this strong man armed, and have been his
habitation by being born slaves to sin.
AVould to God we had never been so by
our own will !
22. But mwhen a stronger than he shall come upon
him, and overcome him, he talcptli from liim all his
armour wtierein lie trusted, and divideth his spoils.
misa. liii. 12; Col. ii. 15
A stronger, literally, the stronger, that is,
he who is stronger. That stronger one is
CHAPTER XI
839
the Friend of sinners, Jesus, the Son of
God. Mighty as the devil is, he was over-
come by Jesus on the cross, when He
trinmjjhed over him openly. Christ can
pluck the devil's captives from his hands,
and break the chains which bind them.
If this stronger than Satan undertakes to
dissolve the terrible union between the
evil one and the sinner's soul, nothing can
keep Satan and that soul together. Power,
irresistible power, dissolves the compact,
severs the union and destroys the domin-
ion. The steps of this deliverance are as
follows : He {the stronger) enters into the
soul, comes upon the usurper there, falls
upon him in His might, overcomes him,
grasps him by a hand which is "mighty
to save," takes from him allkis armor, where-
in he trusted, makes the wondering soul
fully aware of his subtleties, and unmasks
the secret of his power, so that it is no
longer " ignorant of his devices," and
dlvideth his spoil, " recovers all those powers
and faculties of the soul, which before
only sounded as voices from the pit, and
tunes them to the melodies of Heaven, at
one time causing them to burst forth in
the grand swell of victory gained over the
tyrant ; at another, to join in the new song
of praise, with all its sweet cadences of
unutterable joy."
23. "He that is not with me is against me: and he
that gatLereth not with me scattereth.— "Matt. xii. 30.
This proverbial maxim, illustrative of
the contrariety of Christ's own kingdom
and that of Satan, as shown by the oppo-
site works of the two, was addressed
especially to such as, on the one hand
seized with astonishment at the miracle,
on the othe" hand struck by the blasphe-
mous allegation of the Pharisees, did not
•know what they should think of Jesus,
and were secretly inclined, at least for the
moment, to remain neutral in respect to
the two parties. These He gives to under-
stand, that in the case of so intense a
conflict of principles, such a neutrality
was impossible, and at bottom was no
better than open enmity. He — any one.
Not nnth ?n.c— that does not harmonize with
me in spirit and in action. 7s against me —
i-i opposed to me. Gathereth . . . scattereth.
These two words allude to a gathering in
harvest. Co-laborers gather in coiicert — ■
the ravager of their fields scattereth the
produce. This aphorism, and that other
which is the converse of it (Mark ix. 40),
do not in the least conflict. The rule,
" He that is not against me," must guide
us in our judgment respecting others. The
other, " He that is not with me," is appli-
cable in judging of ourselves. The flrst
warns us against bigoted exclusiveness,
the other gives us to understand that en-
tire neutrality in the Saviour's cause is
impossible. Let it be the settled determi-
nation of our minds that we will serve
Christ with all our hearts, if we serve
Him at all. Nothing is so offensive to
Christ as lukewarmness in religion. Let
there be no reserve, no compromise, no
half-heartedness, no attempt to reconcile
God and mammon in our Christianity.
Let us resolve, by God's help, to be " with
Christ," and "gather" by Christ's side,
and allow the world to say and do what
it will.
14. "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man,
he walkoth tlirougU dry places, seeking rest; pand find-
ing none, he saitli, I will return unto my house whence
I came out.
"Matt. xii. 43. pProv. Iv. 16 ; Isa. xlviii. 22 and Ivli. 21.
Sometimes an evil spirit forsakes his
habitation. This devil having left his
house, traveled through dry or desert
places, but found no rest, no satisfaction
and repose. It seems probable that in the
course of his wanderings he found no
opportunity of injuring souls. Our enemy,
we know, walks about seeking whom he
may devour. Sometimes there is a re-
straint laid upon him, and he cannot per-
petrate the evil that he desires, for he can
do nothing without the permission of
God. Perhaps this devil had left the
man, hoping to make new conquests, and
to increase the number of his victims, but
when disappointed, he thinks of returning
to his old abode. He says, " T will return
unto my house whence I came out." He
claims the heart as his own property —
"m?/ house."
25. And when hecometh, he findeth inswept and gar-
nished.
On his return he finds no obstacle to
regaining possession of the soul he once
inhabited. Nor is the house less accepta-
ble to him because it is "swept." He is
greatly satisfied with some appearance of
reformation, certain significant tokens of
830
LUKE,
cleanness, for he knows that these are all
for him. Had it been swept or cleansed
for another, he would have fled from it
with dismay and hatred, but as it is for
himself, he exults over it with fiendish
delight, as only making the habitation at
length more thoroughly his own — and it is
" gandshed," too. Many ornaments are
found within. The soul has put forth
some of its inherent powers. It has en-
riched itself from the stores of art, science
and philosophy. It has shown rare skill
in works of social benevolence It has
gained a good name for integrity and up-
rightness. And all this, too, is gain to the
evil possessor, not to the rightful owner
of it. All these he takes into his hand,
and turns them to his own bad purpose
of keeping the soul still further from God,
and making use of it for the enlargement
and increase of the dominion and the
power of darkness.
26. Then goetli he, and taketh to hiin seven other
spirits more xviclceil than himself; and they enter in,
and dwell tliere: and qthe last s^ate of that man is
worse than the first.
qJohn V. 14 ; Heb. vi. 4 and x. 26 ; 2 Peter ii. 20.
The unclean spirit will not re-enter
weak and alone, but will take with him a
strong reinforcement, so as not again to be
ejected. He selects some more wicked
than himself, seven in number, to be his
associates, and share his spoil. The number
seven is often used in Scripture, probably
to denote great increase in number, or
size, or quantity, or intensity. ■ (Ps. cxix.
164 ; Prov. xxiv. 16 ; Matt, xviii. 21 ; Dan.
iii. 19.) There are degrees of wickedness,
even among devils, and no doubt pre-emi-
nence in wickedness is their glory. It had
been better for this miserable man if the
first inmate of his heart had never quitted
it. His last state was at least seven times
worse than the first. How infinitely better
would it have been for him, if, when the
devil had left him, he had opened his
heart to the gracious Saviour !
The case above described is not that of
one outwardly going on in a course of vile
pollution and rampant ungodliness, but
of one in whom outward appearances are
favorable, and yet, these very things, ex-
ternally so fair and good, are turned, by
the power and subtlety of Satan, into
increased means of rebellion against God.
As long as the soul is " iiAthout God in the
world," no matter what it may be in other
respects, in its outward manifestations,
no matter what men may think of it, nor
what it may think of itself, it is still the
slave of sin, and the bond-slave of Satan.
27. H And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a
certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and
said unto him, "-Blessed i.v the womb that bare thee and
the paps which thou hast sucked.— ^Chapter i. 2S, 48.
A certain ivoinan. She sympathizes with
Christ as a great rabbi, but especially, we
suppose, in His eloquent denunciations of
that class who not only blasphemed Him,
but devoured widows' houses. We are not
told who she was, but that she was a
mother appears from the nature of her
felicitation. Of the company — out of the
crowd or multitude. Lifted up her voice, and
said unto him — her feminine voice over-
topping all other sounds in the crowd.
The scene is truly Oriental, it being the
custom in those countries, even now, to
implore blessings or imprecate curses upon
the heads of the parents of friends or ene-
mies. The words of this woman are to be
attributed rather to wonder and astonish-
ment at the sayings and doings of our
Lord, than to a spiritual perception of the
true excellence and glory of His character
and mission. Hence, in His reply, Head-
ministered a gentle rebuke for her admi-
ration of His words and miracles, unless
accompanied by a lively and productive
faith in the truth of God.
28. But he said. Yea, 'rather, blessed are they that
hear the word of God, and keep it.
'Matt. vii. 21 : Luke viii. 21 ; James i. as.
The Greek word here translated, Yea,
rather, is only found in three other places,
and in each is variously rendered: "Nay,
but" (Rom. ix. 20), "Yea, verily" (Rom.
X. 18), "Yea, doubtless" (Phil.iii.8). Christ
does not gainsay the woman's utterance,
but He rectifies it. "Very true, blessed,"
&c. — an intimation to the woman not to
let herself be borne along too much by
transient impressions. Mary's blessedness
proceeded from having borne the Son of
God in her heart, even before she bare
Him in her womb. While our Lord admits
the truth of the woman's asseveration. He
refers to a state or condition of blessedness
enjoyed by the believer, compared with
which the previously expressed cause of
gratulation diminishes into insignificance.
Word of God. Christ does not say my word, .
CHAPTER XI.
801
but the word of God. He frequently turns
the attention of Ills auditors from Himself
to the Father who sent Him; not, how-
ever, intending to intimate thereby tluit
they were other than one and. indivisible,
but only that in the work of redemption
the Son is subordinate to the Father, and
as such, makes it His supreme delight to
honor and obey Him. (Comp. Luke i. 48,
ii. 19-51; Matt.xii.45,4S; Luke viii. 19-21.)
What a trenchant blow is here struck
against the folly and sin of deifying the
mother of Jesus for an honor, which our
Lord Himself places below that which is
conferred upon every believer in the spir-
itual relation which he sustains to God, as
an obedient and devoted follower! We
have reason to rejoice that this great and
gracious privilege is not denied unto us
now. Altho;igli we cannot see Christ, yet
love Him we may; His bodily i^resence
cannot be enjoyed by us, but His spiritual,
gracious presence is not denied us.
29. 1[ 'And whfn the people were gathered thick to-
gether, he began to say, "Tliis is an evil generation :
they seek a sign ; and there shall no sign he given it,
but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
'Matt, xxxviii. 39. "Matt. iii. 7 ; John viii. 44 ; Acts
vli. 51, 52.
They sought a sign. They had a mob-
like desire to see splendid shows in the
sky, not unlike the excitement of the popu-
lace for fireworks on some day of public
celebration. They wanted a miracle so
far different from the other miracles of
our Lord as this, that it was to be perform-
ed, not on men who surrounded Him, but
on objects which were apparently elevated
above Him, and was therefore to strike
the eye so much the more strongly. An
evil generation. Nothing shows more clearly
the hardness and corruption of the hearts
of that people, than their asking a new
miracle — counting, it seems, all those as
nothing which they had seen before.
Heart unbelief always professes to want
evidence. Our Lord, in view of their ex-
traordinary perverseness, refuses any sign,
but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
30. For as 'Jonas was a sign unto the Nlnevites, so
shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
'Jonah i. 17 and ii. 10.
The sign of the prophet Jonah was full
of warning to the Jews. Jerusalem was
the modern Nineveh ; a living parallel to
Jonah, greater than Jonah himself, was
predicting its destruction. Jonah proph-
esied a destruction in forty days; forty
years elapsed between our Lord's ministry
and the destruction of Jerusalem. The
days and nights during which Joiuih was
in the whale's belly, and his coming forth
alive at the end of them, were typical of
our Lord's being in the grave, and rising
again the third day. This rising of Jesus
should be for Hiscotemporariesasign, but
not from heaven ; from the depth of the
earth would this sign be given, yet it served
for the condemnation of that unbelieving
people. Christ's prophecy of His burial,
after the manner of the swallowing of
Jonah, was in itself a miracle of fore-
knowledge, and so a proof of His Messiah-
ship.
31. "The queen of the south shall rise up in the .judg-
ment with the men of tliis generation, and condemn
them : lor she came from tl'e utmost parts of the earth,
to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and behold, a greater
than Solomon i6- here.— "1 Kings x. 1.
The allusion here is to the queen of
Sheba. (1 Kings x. 1.) Her name is not
known at all. Slteha (or Saha, of profane
history) is a province in the northern part
of Arabia, between the Red Sea and the
Indian Ocean. It was probably settled by
Sheba, a descendant of Shem, and the in-
habitants are called Sabeans. (Job i. 15.)
For she came from the utmost parts of the earth
— a hyperbole, found also in the best Greek
writers, for a great distance. It may have
been intended to suggest a difference of
race and of religion. The queen may well
be supposed to have had some traditional
knowledge of true religion, and, in the
commercial intercourse of her country
with that of the Hebrews, might have
heard much of the wisdom and piety of
Solomon, and to see and converse with
liiin she undertook a journey from what
was then regarded as the uttermost parts
of the earth. To hear the vdsdom of Solomon.
Solomon was the wisest man, and one of
the greatest kings that ever lived on the
earth. He exceeded the Orientals and
Egyptians in wisdom and prudence, and
his reputation spread through all nations.
He composed, or collected, three thousand
proverbs, and one thousand and five can-
ticles. He was the greatest philosopher
of antiquity, as well in natural history as
in morals, being acquainted with the nature
of plants and trees, from the cedar on
Lebanon to the hyssop on the wall; also
833
LUKE,
of beasts, of birds, of reptiles, of fishes.
He was favored with a remarkable promise
of the Divine favor. (1 Kings iii. 12-14.)
And behold, a greater tliun Solomon is here.
In order to feel the power of this compari-
son, we must realize to ourselves what is
written in the Old Testament regarding
Solomon. (1 Chron. xxii. 9, 10; 1 Kings
ii. 19,27, 31, iii. 1, 9, 16-28, iii. 12-14; 2
Chron. ix. 29.) Here, and in the end of
the next verse, the Greek word translated
"a greater," is literally, "a greater thing."
May it not be that the "thing" referred to
is "the sign?" There is One here who is
a sign of far greater moment than either
Solomon or Jonah. The point in which
the queen of the South surpassed the Jews
of our Lord's time and put them to shame,
was " faith." She had faith enough to come
a long journey to hear a wise man. The
Jews, on the other hand, had "the wisdom
of God" actually inthemidstof them, and
yet they would not believe.
32. The men of Nineveh shall riseupin thejudgment
with this generation, aiul shall conrlemnit: lor ^they
repented at tlie preacliing of Jonas; and behold, a
greater than Jonas is here.— ^Jonah iii. 5.
Mneveh was the capital of the Assyrian
empire. It was a very ancient city. It
was built by Nimrod. (Gen. x. 11.) Its
name denotes "the habitation of Nin,
which seems to have been the proper
name for that " rebel," as Nimrod signifies.
It was, as we learn from Jonah (iii.) and
profane authors, a -city of nineteen miles
in length and eleven in breadth, and from
forty-eight to sixty miles in circumference.
It contained a population of about six
hundred thousand. It was surrounded by
a wall one hundred feet high, and wide
enough for three carriages to go abreast,
and was fortified by fifteen hundred towers
of two hundred feet in height. Rise up in
the judgment does not mean to rise from
the dead at the day of judgment, but stand
at the bar to be tried. With — not against,
but at the same time, or in company.
Condemn it — not in words, but by example.
For they repented at the preaching of Jonas,
and behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The
point here in which the Ninevites sur-
passed the Jev?s, and put them to shame,
was repentance. They had among them
for a short time a prophet, and a very
weak and erring prophet, too. Yet they
repented and turned to God. The Jews
had among them the mightiest and most
faithful preacher that ever warned a
people, and yet they would not repent.
The sins of unbelief and impenitence are
exceedingly aggravated from the means
afi'orded by God to bring men to faith and
obedience.
33 yNo man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth
it. in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a
candlestick, that Ihey which come in may see the light.
jMatt. V 13 ; Mark iv. 21 • Luke viii. IG.
This verse is very similar to Matt. v. 15,
vi. 22, 23. The saying is a weighty one,
repeated at various times for the sake of
emjihasis and illustration. In the present
instance it may have been used for a two-
fold purpose. 1. As a rebuke to the un-
believing Jews, who had the light, but
would not use it. Our Lord intimates
that if He worked a miracle among such
an obstinate people, who were determined
to disbelieve every evidence of His Mes-
siahship. He should act as a man who
lighted a candle, and then covered it with
a bushel, which must prevent the accom-
plishment of the end for which it was
lighted. 2. As a warning to our Lord's
disciples, who believed in. the light, that
they ought not to conceal the light, but
display it to the world. " Men light can-
dles. God has lighted you for His candles
to the world. Men are not so foolish as
to light a candle to be covered up. So
God is not so unwise as to light you for
concealment. You are lighted that you
may illuminate." Candle. A word de-
noting any movable artificial light, whether
candle, lamp or lantern, though the first
is entitled to the preference from long
familiarity. Secret place, literally, in a
crypt, vaidt, a dark hole or corner. Bushel.
The fact that this measure really came
nearer to our peck than our bushel, can
have no effect upon the meaning of the
passage, which would be the same if the
word used had been basket, box or bed (as
it is in Mark iv. 21). A candlestick, or,
more exactly, the candlestick, i. e., the
one found, of course,' in every house.
Jyight. Eeference is here had both to the
beauty and use of the light, a two-fold
reason why it should not be concealed in
the way here mentioned.
The truths of the Gospel are not to be
CHAPTER XI.
833
concealed nor held captive in unrighteous-
ness, but the people are to be instructed
in them. The Scripture, and particularly
the Gospel, is our candle. It is the Spirit
■of God which has lighted and placed it on
the candlestick of the Church, that the
light of it might be seen by all. The ne-
glect of this light will be a heavy charge
against many at the last day. To forbi^i
or discourage the reading of the Bible, or
to oppose its circulation, is a heinous sin.
34. 'The light of the body is the eye : therefore when
thine eye is single, thy wliole body also is full of light ;
»but when Ihim' ryr is evil, tliy body also h lull of
darkness. 3-). Take heed therelbre, that the light which
is in thee be not darkness.
•Matt. \\. 22. aPs. Ixxxi. 12; Prov. xxviii. 22; Jer. v.
21 ; Rom. xi. 8, 10 ; 2. Cor. iv. 4.
The Saviour fears tliat the here-indicated
darkening is already found in part in His
hearers, and warns them, therefore, to
look to it that it does not become a total
darkening. Therefore, since the safety and
the comfort of the whole frame thus de-
pend upon the singleness and clearness
of the vision. The light ivJiich is in thee —
not the light in general, but that part of
the animal economy by which its blessings
are secured to the whole body. Darkness
■ — the correlative of light, and used in the
same way, not to denote absolute privation,
but aay obscuration, caused by the dis-
eased state of the organ. An irregular
intention corrupts the whole action. A
false light causes a man to fall into abun-
dance of faults. It is one of the most
dangerous for us to be unwilling to ex-
amine, according to Christ's direction,
■whether that by which we are led be not
rather darkness than light.
36. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having
no part dark, the whole shall be full of liglit, as when
the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.
The meaning of this verse appears to be
as follows: "If the eye of thy soul is
thoroughly healthy, and thy heart thor-
oughly right in the sight of God, so that
thy whole character is enlightened and
influenced by it, then shall thy whole
character shine after the manner of a
candle which enlightens thee by its shin-
ing. Thou shalt not only have light for
thyself, but reflect light on others." The
second expression, " full of light," should
be read in close connection with the like-
ness of the candle which immediately
follows. If thou art really full of lights
thou shalt be like a lighted candle on a
candlestick. Thou shalt be a light to the
world. The doctrine that is contrary to
the Gospel may say, Ignorance is the mother
of devotion, but Christ shows that there
can be no devotion without heavenly light.
Ignorance is the mother of superstition,
but with this the heavenly ligld has noth-
ing to do.
37. H And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought
him to dine with him : and he went in and sat down to
meat.
It is not known who this Pharisee was.
It seems clear that he was not a disciple
of Christ. Besought him, doubtless, in full
concert with the set mentioned in verse
53. The invitation was given, not by in-
terrupting the Saviour, but when He had
spoken. Dine. The Jews made but two
meals in the day; the first may be called
their breakfast or their dinner, because it
was both, and was but a slight meal. Their
chief meal was their supper, after the heat
of the day was over, and the same was
the principal meal among the Greeks and
Romans. As this was not the chief meal,
it would appear that the dispo.sition of the
entertainer toward Christ was not by any
means friendly. Went in. The form of
expression conforms to the fact that He
occupied no time in ablutions, betw'een
His entering the house and reclining at
the table. Sat dovn, lay dou-n or reclined,
as was the custom of the ancients at their
meal.
The conduct of our Lord, on this occa-
sion, as on all others, is meant to be an
example. Christ is our pattern as well as
our propitiation. There are evidently
times and occasions when the servant of
Christ must mix with the ungodly and the
children of this world, but he should con-
verse with them with prudence and cir-
cumspection. There may be seasons
W'hen it may be a duty to hold social inter-
course with them, to accept their invitations
and sit down at their tables. Nothing, of
course, must induce the Christian to be a
partaker in the sins or frivolous amuse-
ments of the world. But he must not be
uncourteous.
38. And tiwhen the Pharisee saw 77, he marvelled that
he had not first washed before dinner.— I'Matt. vii. 3.
Perhaps Christ omitted washing (Mark
vii. 3), because He had just accepted the
invitation, or because He was wearied by
834
LUKE.
His work. It is more probable, however,
that, knowing that the Pharisees imagined
that washing of their hands before dinner
rendered them holy, He purposely neglect-
ed to observe this custom.
39. tAiid the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Phari-
sees make clean the outside of the cup aud the platter:
but Jyour inward part is full of ruveniug aud wicked-
ness. 4U. I'c loots, did not he that made that which Is
without, make that which is within also? 41. fBut
rather give alms of such things as ye have ; and, behold,
all things are clean unto you.
cMatt. xxiii. 5. dTitus i. lo. "-Isa. Ivili. 7 ; Dan. Iv. 27 ;
chap. xii. 33.
Ye PJiarisees. The class of Pharisees to
which the host belonged. The figure here
is very simple. It is that of a person who
takes great care to make the outside of
the vessels used at meals thoroughly clean,
while he knowingly allows the inside of
those vessels, with which, of course, the
food he eats must be brought into contact,
to remain foul and uncleansed. This is
altogether different from " the form of
godliness." There is a satisfaction with
inward corruption, only so that the exterior
is fair and plausible. Your inward part,
i. e., your heart: the figure which began
with the outside of the cup and platter is here
dropped, and the heart or internal moral
state is substituted for what, if the meta-
phor had been continued, would have been
the inside of the cup. Is full, literally, loaded.
Ravening is the same word rendered in
Matthew, extortion. Wickedness. The word
thus rendered is a general term for excess,
found in the parallel passage in Matthew.
Who can say that he is entirely free from
this Pharisaical hypocrisy? Where is that
person to be found who, by the inward
purity of the motives of his heart, takes as
much care not to oflend the eyes of God
as he does not to displease men by his
outward behavior?
Ye fools, &c. The literal meaning of the
Greek word translated " fools," is, " persons
without mind or understanding." It is
the same word that Paul used. (1 Cor.
XV. 36.) Since God has created the inside
as well as the outside, one as much as the
other must be held holy; and it is not
only evil, but foolish, to wish to separate,
even in thought, to say nothing of act,
that which, in the nature of things, is ab-
solutely inseparable.
But rather give alms, &c. Some hold this
to be ironical. Give alms, forsooth! and
that is to make compensation for your ex-
tortions, a purification of all your guilt!
If this is the right interpretation, as it
seems to be, of course our Lord intended
to cast no slur upon alms-giving, but ujjon
using our alms-giving as a cover for sin.
42. f But woe unto you, Pharisees ! For ye tithe mint
and rue and all manner of herbs, and pa.ss over judg-
ment and the love of Ciod : these ought ye to have done,
and not to leave the other undone.—' Matt, xxiii. 23.
^U'ot'isa word of solemn denunciation
of punishment. It implies, as here uttered,
that calamities of the most awful nature
are impending over its guilty objects from
the Divine justice. Tithe. The law of tithes
is found in Lev. xxvii. 31. The "tithe"
of a thing is its tenth part. Of the yearly
products of the land of the Israelites, the
first fruits were deducted; out of the rest,
the tenth part was. taken for the Levites.
(Num. xviii. 21.) Ulint and rue. The herbs
mentioned in this verse correspond mainly
to those of the same name in Euroj)e and
America. The Pharisees pretended to such
excessive scrupulosity about giving a tenth
of all their jjossessions to the service of
the temple and to the maintenance of the
ceremonial law, that they were not content
with tithing their corn, but even titlied
their insignificant garden herbs. Yet all
this time they passed over, did not enforce, ■
or pay regard to, justice and equity toward
all mankind and real love to God. These
ought ye to have done, and not to leave the oilier
undone. It is an admirable proof of the
heavenly composure and imijartiality of
our Lord, that, whilst not abrogating the
fulfillment of minor duties, or declaring it
unimportant, He, on the other hand, per-
mits and commands it, but then also insists
on the performance of the higher duties.
(Comp. Matt, xxiii. 23.)
The neglect of the distinction between
that which is great and that which is s-mall,
first and second, essential and non-essen-
tial, has been the source of enormous evil
in every age of the Church. It is a dis-
tinction which the never-dying school of
the Pharisees is unable to draw. There
are many now who are enthusiasts in the
secondary things of religion, who know
little or nothing of the great practical
duties of humility, charity, meekness,
spiritual-mindedness, Bible reading, pri-
vate devotion, and separation from the
world.
CHAPTER XI.
835
*?. fWoe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the upper-
iDQOst seats in tiie synagoguas, and greetings lu the
markets.— sMalt. xxiii. (j, xii. 38, 39.
Behind the pulpit, in the Jewish syna-
gogues, were ranged high seats of honor,
' " chief seats," where the scribes and Phiiri-
sees loved to sit facing the people. They
also loved (jrcetlngs in the markets, that they
might pervert the ordinary tokens of social
respect to the purpose of establishing an
abject submission on the part of the jieople,
and a s^^irit of man-worship. Pride does
not consist in being first or chief, but in
loving the esteem and distinction which
attend upon the first place, and seeking
the advantages which accompany it. It
is a misfortune to be exposed to them,
because it is very rare not to be corrupted
by them.
44. hWoe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites !
'for ye are as graves whicli appear not, and the men
that wallv over them are not aware o/ them.
•"Matt, xxiii. 27. sp.s. v. 9.
The allusion here is to the notion which
existed among the Jews, that by walking
over a grave a man contracted ceremonial
uncleanness. And so here the hypocrite
is represented as the means of defilement
and pollution to others. Passers-by be-
come, before they are aware, infected by
him, and allured to evil. Thus Jeroboam
set up the calves at Dan and Bethel, and
said, " These be thy gods, O Israel," but
his heart-purpose was simisly, by this out-
ward respect for God, to secure himself, as
he thought, in the kingdom, and so, we
are told (2 Kings x. 29), he "made Israel
to sin." It is a dreadful judgment on
hypocrites when God suffers them to
conceal their corruption according to their
hearts' desire. Their being exposed to
public shame would be a stej) toward their
conversion.
45. 1[ Then answered one of the lawyers, and said
unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproacliest us also.
One of the lairyers, or doctors of the law.
These Jewish lawyers, as our translators
call them (though the term Zafryer naturally
suggests to us a modern idea of an office
which did not at this time exist among
the Jews), were the most considerable
species of scribes, who applied themselves
peculiarly to study and explain the law.
Probably some of them were Pharisees,
but it was not essential to their office that
they should be so. This man considered
himself and his brethren as superior to all
censure or reproof, and therefore wondered
that Jesus should join the scribes with the
Pharisees, in the i)receding wo, and charg-
ed Him with reproaching so honorable a
body.
46. And he said. Woe unto you also, j/e lawyers! jfor
ye lade men with burdens grievous V) be borne, and ye
yourselves toucli not the burden.s with one of your
lingers.— jMatt. xxiii. 4.
These words are a striking instance of
our Lord's boldness in rebuking sinners.
They added to tlie ceremonies of the law
others of their own invention, which were
not only burdensome and oppressive, but
had neither reason, expediency, nor reve-
lation to countenance them. Neither
would they lighten them to those over
whom they had power, not even touch
them, that is, either to modify or repeal
them, when they saw them to be burden-
some and grievous. They would come in
with both hands to disjaense with a com-
mand of God, but not with a finger to
mitigate the rigor of the unauthorized
traditional observances which they im-
posed.
True charity is compassionate, willing
to take upon itself the burden of others,
and far from laying upon them one whicli
is oppressive ; whereas, hypocrisy aims
at nothing but gaining to itself honor from
the austerities which it imposes on others,
without consulting their strength. Here
is a word in season to all teachers of young
people, masters of families, heads of
households, fathers and mothers, and
especially to all ministers of the Gospel, to
beware of the inconsistency of telling
others to aim at a standard which they do
not aim at themselves.
47. kWoe unto you ! for ye hnild the sepulchres of the
grophets, and your fathers killed them. 48. Truly *ye
ear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers :
for they indeed killed them, and ye huild their sepul-
chres. 49. Therefore also said ttlie wisdom of God. 'I
will send them prophets and apostles, and .TOmfofthem
they shall slay and persecute. .50. That the hlood of all
the prophets, which wa.s shed from the foundatitm of
the world, may be required of this generation : 51.
"Fnim the blood of Abel unto nthe blond of Zacharias,
which perished between the altar and the temple:
verily I say unto you. It shall be required of this gen-
eration.
kMatt. xxiii. 29. *Job xv. 6. fProv. viii. 1 ; 1 Cor. i.
30. 'Matt, xxiii. 34. "(Jen. iv. 8. "2 Chron. xxiv. 20, 21.
We are not to understand this as though
any part of the guilt lay in the building or
adorning the tombs of the prophets, con-
sidered in itself, but in their falseness in
giving this testimony of respect to the
prophets, whilst they were actuated by the
spirit, and following the example of their
LUKE,
Ijersecutors and murderers, insomuch that
they appeared to erect those sepulchres,
not to do honor to God's prophets, but to
serve as monuments of the success of
their progenitors in destroying them.
The word ''truly'' is a particle, denoting
that this verse is an inference from the
assertion contained in the preceding one.
If the persons referred to had been of a
better sort than their fathers, they would
have erected no monuments of a damnable
deed, which ought rather to be buried in
the dust of oblivion.
It is a disputed question what the words,
"said the wisdom of God" mean. Some re-
gard them as merely referring to the
wisdom of God speaking, in 2 Chron.
xxiv. 18-22, of which Jesus here gives an
amplification in the same spirit of Divine
or avenging wisdom. They are, however,
generally understood as denoting Christ
Himself; and, as the words which follow
are not found in the Old Testament, we
may suppose that He meant, as the Word
and Wisdom of God (1 Cor. i. 24), imme-
diateV to reveal to the hearers His wise
counsels and purposes respecting them.
In the parallel passage of Matthew (xxiii.
34), our Lord evidently spoke in His own
person: " AVherefore, behold /send," &c.
Prophets and Apostles. Prophets or preach-
ers (for as the word of God is a great
prophecy of the world to come, so he who
preaches it truly prophesies), to reprove
the people for their sins, and warn them
of the judgments of God, and who should
prove themselves Apostles, or messengers,
sent from heaven, by signs, and wonders,
and gifts of the Holy Ghost. Christ thus
gave His enemies to understand that,
though they builded the sepulchres of the
prophets, yet such was their hostility to
those, in their own day, that came to them
in the spirit and poivcr of those prophets,
that as soon as they had an opportunity
they would show that hostility by slaying
and persecuting them. A large share of
the first preachers, thinkers and writers
of the Church, were martyrs.
That. In order that — a statement of the
inevitableness of the result. The blood of
all the prophets, which was shed from the
foundation of the world, may he required of
this gennxttion. It may justly aggravate the
guilt of a criminal, if, though he have seen
a long series of misdeeds punished, yet he
has not even suffered himself to be de-
terred from similar delinquencies ; and
this, as it evinces a most incorrigible mind,
so it is worthy of severer punishment.
This generadon. Both here and in the fol-
lowing verse, it seems probable that the
word "generation" means nation or people,
as in Matt. xxiv. 34. It is certain that the
greater part of the men who were alive
when our Lord said these things must
have been dead forty years after, when
the great inquisition for blood took place,
at the destruction of Jerusalem.
From Abel, who was the first martyr.
Abel is counted among the prophets, be-
cause he prefigured Jesus Christ by his
innocence and death, as Cain did Judas,
&c. Blood of Zacharias — the last of the
I^rophets, whose martyrdom is, according
to the arrangement of the Hebrew canon,
recorded in the Old Testament. Jesus
here coujjles the first and last of Old Tes-
tament martyrs. This generation — nation
or people.
The number of those who have been
put to death for the faith of Christ in
every age of the world is exceedingly,
great. Thousands of men and women
have laid down their lives rather than deny
their Saviour, and have shed their blood
for the truth. At the time they died they
seemed to have no helper. The frequent
triumphing of the wicked is perplexing.
The frequent depression of the godly is a
problem that appears hard to solve.
But it shall be made clear on the judg-
ment day. The great white throne and
the books of God shall put all things in
their right places. Then shall all the
world see, that however they may die,
"precious in the sight of the Lord is the
death of His saints." (Ps. cxvi. 15.)
52 o\Voe unto von, lawyers! for ye have taken away
tlie key of knoWlertso: ye enter not in yourselves, and
tbeni that were entering in ye ^hindered.
oMatt. xxiii. 13. *Or, forbade.
Lawyers. (See on verse 45.) Key of
knowledge. The doctors of the law are
said to have been distinguished by the
symbolic figure of a key, intimating that
their proper office was to open and ex-
plain the Scripture, and to admit men into
the knowledge of God, and of His truth
CHAPTER XI.
837
and will. The meaning would then be,
" Ye have been by profession the instruct-
ors of the Jews in spiritual knowledge.
Ye have, so to speak, carried the keys.
Yet ye made no use of them yourselves,
and allowed nobody else to use them. By
your traditions ye have taken away the
true method of interpreting the prophe-
cies ; ye have given a wrong meaning to
those Scriptures which speak of the king-
dom of the Messiah, and the people are
thereby hindered from entering into it."
The sin here denounced is awfully com-
mon. It is the sin of the Romish priest,
who forbids the poor man to read his
Bible ; of the unconverted Protestant
minister, who sneers at the idea of con-
version ; of the ungodh', thoughtless
husband, who dislikes his wife becoming
" serious ;" and of the worldly-minded
mother, who cannot bear the idea of her
daughter thinking of spiritual things, and
giving up the gayeties and follies of the
world. All such are bringing down on
themselves our Lord's emphatic " wo."
53. And as he said these things unto them, the scribes
and the Pharisees began to urge him veliemenlly, and to
provolce him to speak of many tilings: 54. Laying
wait for liim, and ('seeking to catcli sometliing oiit of
his mouth, that they might accuse him.— I'Mark xii. 13.
■ Began to urge him vehemently — they began
to be furious. As they found themselves
completely unmasked, they were indig-
nant, and therefore questioned Jesus on a
variety of points, and hoped, by the mul-
titude and impertinence of their questions,
to ])uzzle or irritate Him, so as to induce
Him to spe(tk rashly, that they might find
some ground of accusation against Him.
The Greek word here rendered provoke, is
applied to the practice among teachers of
requiring tlie pupil to speak and answer
accurately from memory. Hence it means
that the scribes and Pharisees put prepared
questions, and required immediate answers,
in order to draw out exj^ressions of hos-
tility to Moses and the traditions, to the
temple, or to the Jewish nation, or to
Cfiesar, so as to excite the hierarchy,
the people, or the civil authorities against
Him. To speak of many things, literally, to
extemporize, ilvdt something inconsiderately
uttered might be caught up. Laying wait
for him — laying snaies as for an animal,
seeking to catch, or lay hold of, as in hunt-
ing, that they might accuse him, either to the
civil authorities, as a seditious person, or
to the people, as one who was a trans-
gre.ssor of the Mosaic law.
There is hardly an instance to be found,
where hostility to Jesus appeared in a
more deep-seated and diabolical form,
than on this occasion. The vileness of
the conduct of His enemies is enhanced
by the fact that their efforts to eficct His
ruin were put forth while He sat at the
table of one of their number, who, we
can scarcely doubt, invited Him with
hostile and crafty intent, and who was
among the foremost to find wherewith to
accuse Him.
1. "What did one of our Lord's disciples say unto Him as He was praying? 2. What is said about the " Lord's
Prayer ?" 3. Explain the pnrablo in verses 5-10. 4. What encouragement to pray does Jesus give us ? 5. What
charge was brought against Ilim as Ko was casting out a devil ? 0. How did He reply ? 7. What did Christsay
to the people when they were " gathered thick together?" 8. Who invited Jesus to dine? 9. What objection
was made to Him ? 10. How did He answer it ? 11. What effect was produced by His reply ?
LUKE.
CHAPTER XII.
1 ChriM prrnchi'th to hU disciples to avoid hypocrisy
av.dfcarj'ulii<:.i.i in piUdishi an his doctrine: 13 wariietk
thr propV: I,, hrwarc of covftousness, by the jxiraOle of
thr, rich man wlw set up greater barns. 22 We must
not br. over careful of earthly things, 31 but seek thr
Icingtlum of God. 33 give alms, 36 be ready at a knock
to open to our Lord ivhrnsoever he cometh. 41 C/irist's
ministers are to see to their charge, 49 and look for
persecution. 51 T/ie peopl". must take this time of grace
58 ttccause it is a fearful thing to die ivithout reconcili-
ation.
We have lately read the Saviour's warn-
ings to the scribes and Pharisees, now we
find Him addressing His own disciples.
Many of the sayings here joined in a
connected discourse by Luke, are related
by Matthew as spoken on other occasions.
These will be noted in their appropriate
place.
IN the mean time, when tliere were gathered to-
gether an innumera'ole multitude of' people, iuso-
mucli that tliey trodeono upon another, lie began to
say unto his disciples lirst of all, i^BeWiire ye of the
leaven of the Pnari.5ee3, w;)ich is hypocrisy.
»Matt. xvi. G; Mark viii. Ij. tMatt. xvi. 12.
In the mean time, while our Lord was
reclining at the table of the Pharisee, and
while the Pharisees were occupying them-
selves with ensnaring questions and plot-
ting. Trade one upon another. The crowd
was so great, that in their eagerness to
see and hear Jesus, they well nigh tram-
pled one another down. Beware ye of
the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
The disciples doul)tles3 were often ex-
posed to the influence of the conversations
of the Pharisees when our Lord was not
present. They would, of course, stand on
their guard against persons openly vicious,
but they needed to be cautioned against
Pharisees, who were great pretenders to
devotion. Leaven, here, is used to denote
false doctrine, because it spreads, works
secretly and silently, and insinuates itself
into and changes the whole character.
Those who come under its influence are
puffed up with pride, embittered with
malice, and their service is unacceptable
to God. Hypocrisy was the great sin of
the Pharisees, the leaven of which per-
meated and converted to its own vile and
odious nature their hearts, lives and con-
duct. Pharisaism lives still. Its principles
are deeply engrained in human nature. It
shows itself in attention to the oiitimrd in
religion, whilst the inward is overlooked
or despised. Let us beware of it, as a most
subtle and pernicious influence. Let us be
real and true in our Christianity.
2. cFor there is nothing covered, that shall not be re-
vealed ; neither hid, that shall not be known.
'Matt. X. 2B; Mark iv. 22; Luke viii. 17.
Here our Lord suggests a powerful mo-
tive to guard the heart against hypocrisy
— the discoveries and exposures of the
judgment day. llien all that has been
hid will be known. Not only will the
mask be torn from the deliberate hypocrite,
but the veil which has been cast over any
part of the conduct of true believers will
be lifted up. Nothing, good as well as evil,
that which is greatest as well as that M'hich
is least. (Eccl. xii. 14; Rom. ii. 16.) In
vain, when we are about to commit a sin,
do we shun the sight of men, since we
cannot possibly avoid that of our Judge.
The darkness of the night, and the light
of the day, to Him are both alike.
3. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness
shall be heard in the light: and thai which ye have
spoken in the ear in closets, shall be i.roclaimed upon
the house-tops.
Closets— any close room for stealth, or
chamber for privacy. Shall be proclaimed
upon the house-tops. " At the present day,"
says a modern traveler through Palestine,
" local governors in country districts cause
their commands to be thus published.
Their proclamations are generally made
in the evening, after the people have
returned from their labors in the field.
The public crier ascends the highest roof
at hand, and lifts up his voice in a long-
drawn call upon all faithful subjects to
give ear and obey. He then proceeds to
announce, in a set form, the will of their
master, and demands obedience thereto."
The more a sinner endeavors to hide him-
self here, with the greater shame and
confusion shall he be covered hereafter in
the sight of all the world. That which
constitutes the peace and satisfiiction of a
good man, is that he does nothing in secret
of which he need be ashamed at the day
of judgment, and that he shuns the eyes
of men on no other account but only that
he may not receive from them his reward.
4. rtAnd I say untn yon. rmy friends, Be not afraid of
them that kill the liody, imd iifter that have no more
that they can do. 5. But I will forewarn vou whom ye
shall loar: Fear him. which after he hath killed halh
power to cast into hell ; yea, I sav unto vou Fear him
dJsa. li. 7, 8, 12, 13; Jer. i. 8 ; Matt. x."28. ejohn xv'.
14, 15.
CHAPTER XII
839
How tenderly Jesus addresses those who
would be culled to sutler for His siike ! I
say unto you, my friends, Be not afraid of
them thai kill the body. He does not promise
His disciples to preserve theui from death,
but He does ])romise to keep them from
Jiell. And after that have no more that (hey
am do. From these words it follows tluit
the body may be dead, and the soul alive.
Men can murder the body, yet the soul is
still alive. Body — soul.* We have here the
two parts of man's compounded nature
placed in contrast.
Fear him, as opposed to the sinful slavish
fear of man, which was just condemned.
The holy, awful and prudential fear of the
omnipotent God is commended. The per-
sons on whom this fear is enjoined are
disciples and ministers, all the friends of
Christ. They not only may, but ought to
fear Him, not only for His greatness and
goodness, but also for His punitive justice,
as having ability and authority, after he
hath killed, that is, after deatli has been
inflicted, to cast into hell, or, as in Matthew
(x. 28), " to destroy both soul and body in
hell." In these last words our Lord does
not say kill both soul and body. To de-
stroy is not to kill, still less to annihilate,
but to ruin. Our Lord's words teach, not
the dismissal of the soul from existence, but
its catastrophe and ruin in existence. And
this is an evil, a destruction which we are
bound to fear, as a possible reality beyond
our bodily death.
Into hell. Hell is represented by SJieol
in the Old, and by Hades in the New Tes-
tament. The word is used by the sacred
writers in several senses, which it is im-
portant to distinguish. The Hebrew word,
translated hell in our Bible, sometimes
means simply the grave, the receptacle of
the dead, or the place of departed spirits,
as in Job xi. 7-9; Ps. xvi. 10, cxxxix. 8;
Isa. V. 14, xiv. 9; Amos ix. 2, 3; Acts. ii. 31 ;
Rev. XX. 14. In ot^er passages it denotes
the place of future punishment, as in Ps.
Ix. 17; Prov. v. 5, ix. 18, xxiii. 14, which
punishment consists, in part at least, in
the eternal separation of the soul from God
and from the presence of His glory, and
in the suffering of inconceivable anguish
and remorse forever and ever. In the
New Testament, hell, as the place of final
punishment for sinners, is more distinc-
tively indicated by the term Gehenna, or
valley of Hinnom (2 Chron. xxxiii. 6), which
is the word translated "hell" in the verse
now before us ; also in Matt. v. 22, 29, 30,
X. 28, xviii. 9, xxiii. 15, 33; Mark ix. 43,
45,47; James iii. G. It is also distinctively
indicated by such phrases as " the place
of torment " (Luke xvi. 28) ; " everlasting
fire " (Matt. xxv. 41 j ; " the hell of fire,"
" where their worm dieth not, and the fire
is not quenched." (Mark ix. 44.)
6. Are not five sparrows sold for two ffarthings, and
not one of them is ibrjrotten bel'ore God? 7. But even
the ver.v hair.3 of your head are all numbered. Fear
not therelbre: ye are ot luore value than many spar-
rows.—fSee Matt. X. 29.
The Saviour, in these verses, gives a
third reason to His disciples for not
shrinking from the execution of their
great commission on account of the dan-
gers which attended it. Not only was
the power of their enemies restricted to
the body, but their very bodies would be
under God's protection. The little value
of the sparrows is indicated by the market
price, two being sold for an assarion, a
coin intermed:ate in value between one
cent and an English penny. The argu-
ment is this, that as God's protective care
extends to the most insignificant and
worthless of the feathered tribe, it must,
and does, extend to man, and will especi-
ally extend to those who have been
honored with a most important mission.
And not one of them is forgotten before God.
God's providential care extends over the
minutest of His creatures. As nothing
was too little for Him to create, so nothing
is too little for Him to preserve. Of the
providence of God over the least things,
the heathen philosophers had no concep-
tion. They maintained that the gods re-
garded the universe in general, but not
particular persons and things. But even
the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
This is a strong proverbial expression for
minute knowledge and exact care. The
hairs are numbered for the purpose of
protection and careful preservation, so
that if one be wanting, it is missed and
looked for. It would be impossible to
frame in human language a more forcible
description of unerring oversight and
sleepless care. God's ])rovidence exalts,
instead of debasing Him. He acts in
840
LUKE
everything without growing weary, and
is sufficient far everything, without mul-
tiplying Himself. Fear not therefore: ye
are of more value than many sparrows.
Here is a continuation of the argument
from less to greater. Tliomson, in his
" Land and Book," sijeaking of the habits
of this little bird, says : " When we see
their countless numbers, and the eager-
ness with which they are destroyed as a
worthless nuisance, we can better appreci-
ate the assurance that our Heavenly
Father, who takes care of them, so that
not one can fall to the p;round without His
notice, will surely take cai-e of us, who are
of more value than many sparrows." Ye
are of more value. None can estimate the
value of a soul, for which Christ has given
His blood and life. Did the poet intend to
contradict Christ when he said :
" He sees with equal eye, as God of all,
A HERO perish, or a sparrow fall."
How cold and meager is this shallow,
deistical saying ! That is, a sparrow is of
as much worth in the sight of God, who
regards (if we may believe the poet)
things only in general, as an immortal soul,
purchased by the sacrifice of Christ!
8. ?Also I say unto ynn. Whosoever shall confess me
before men. liim shall the Son of man also confess be-
fore tlie angels of God : II. But lie that denieth me be-
fore men shall he denied before the angels of God.
sMatt. X. 32: Mark viii. 38; 2 Tim. ii. r2: 1 John ii. 23.
Whosoever, whether of yourselves who
preach.or of those who hear your preach-
ing. Confess me, that is, own Christ as
Lord and Master, before men, in this present
hfe. Him shall the Son of man also confess.
The reciprocal act here ascribed to Christ
is that of owning as His Apostle, disciple
or follower. Before the angels of God. The
time here referred to, as well as in the
next verse, must doubtless be the day of
judgment. The angels shall be specially
employed on that day in gathering God's
people, and separating the wicked from
among them. But he that denieth me before
men, more literally, "he that has denied,"
that is, disowned, shall be disowned before
the angels of God. Let it here be observed :
1. That not to confess Christ is in His
account to deny Him, and to be ashamed
of Him. 2. That whosoever shall deny or
be ashamed of Christ, either in His person,
in His Gospel, or in His members, for any
fear or favor of man, shall with shame be
disowned and eternally rejected by Him.
Christ may be denied three ways: doc-
trinally, by an erroneous and heretical
judgment; verbally, by oral expressions;
vitally, by a wicked and unholy life.
Those are guilty of this sin, who, from
unbelief or indolence, or love of the world,
or fear of man, shrink from confessing
Him as their Saviour and their King.
10. bAud whosoever shall speak a word against the
Son ot man, it shall be liirgiveri him : but unto liim that
bla-sphemeth against tlie Holv Ghost, it shall not be
lorgiveu.-iiMatt. xii. 31, 32 ; Mark iii. 28 ; 1 John v. 16.
The distinction here made seems en-
tirely unaccountable, if made between the
second and third persons of the Gc^lhead,
simply as such, without anything to qualify
or specify the statement. This difficulty
disappears, however, on observing that the
person m'entioned in the first clause is not
the eternal Word or Son of God, but the
Son of man, and this describes the Saviour
in His humiliation, in the form of a ser-
vant, as He was while resident on earth.
To speak a word against Him while His
Godhead was thus veiled and as it were
in abeyance, was a very different offense
from blaspheming against the Holy Ghost.
The sin of thus speaking against the Son
of man was committed by tho.se who did
not know Christ to be the Messiah in the
days of His humiliation, and did not re-
ceive Him, believe Him, or obey Him, but
ignorantly rejected and crucified Him, and
many of whom, so sinning, were i^ardoned,
we cannot doubt, as, for example, on the
day of Pentecost, after Peter's preaching.
The original meaning of the word blas-
pheme is simply to reproach or slander. At
the present time it is applied almost ex-
clusively in reference to the Supreme
Being. It may, therefore, in general, be
defined " to utter a presumptuous insult
toward God." But as such a sin may be
as ti'uly committed in thought or in act, as
in speech, it may rather be defined the
offering a presumptuous insult to God. It
is a great sin. Humanly speaking, there
may be greater crimes, but there can be
no greater sin. This sin of blasphemy
against the Hah/ Ghost, regarded by Him as
an insult to Himself it is declared, sJiall not
be forgiven. He resents the insult with a
justice that knows no mercy. This sin
was committed by those who, after the
CHAPTER Xll.
841
day of Pentecost, and the outpouring of
the Spirit, and the full publication of the
Gospel, persisted in unbelief and obstinate
impenitence, and were given over to a
repr()I>ate mind. These especially grieved
the Sjtirit, and resisted the ministration
of the Holy Ghost. That this was the state
of many of the Jews, appears from several
places in the Acts, and especially Acts
xxviii. 25-28. See also 1 Thess. ii. 15, 16.
This sin was the sin of the Pharisees who
maliciously disavowed, blasphemed and
resisted the operation of the Holy Ghost,
at the very moment when they were most
fully convinced that in so doing they were
fighting against God. And it may now be
committed by any one, in continuing to
oppose the Gospel from deliberate malice,
while at the same time the Holy Ghost
has convinced the mind of its truth. The
sin, therefore, to which our Lord here
refers, seems to be the sin of deliberately
neglecting God's truth, while the truth is
clearly known with the head, and deliber-
ately choosing sin and the world. It is a
combination of light in the understanding,
and determined wickedness in the Avill.
It shall not be forgiven. So says He whose
prerogative it is to forgive. Why it is so
is sufficiently answered by the reply, be-
cause God has willed it so. No sin can
be forgiven without repentance, but repent-
ance is the gift of God, and as the
blasphemer against the Holy Ghost drives
from him the only person who could " give
repentance " (Acts v. 31), he seals himself
up, under final and total apostasy, until
the day of doom. Such a man, indeed,
will never seek to have his sins forgiven.
This is exactly the root of his awful dis-
ease. He might be pardoned, but he will
not seek to be pardoned. He is Gospel-
hardened, and " twice dead." His con-
science is "seared with a hot iron." (1
Tim. iv. 2.) That those who are troubled
with fear that they have committed the
unpardonable sin, are just the persons
who have not committed it, is the judg-
ment of all the soundest divines.
11. 'And when they brin? you unto the synagogues,
and uiifo miisistrates, and powers, take ye no thought
how or what thins; ye shaU answer, or what ye shall
say: 12. For the Holy Ghost shall teach you la the
Kanie hour what ye ought to sav.
■Matt. X. 19, Mark xili. 11 ; Luke xxi. 14.
Our Lord here informs His Apostles
that, for preaching His doctrine and pro-
fessing His religion, they should be
brought before all sorts of magistrates,
and into all kinds of courts; but counsels
them, when they should be thus bnnight,
not to be anxiously thoughtful, or solicit-
ously careful what they should say, for it
should be suggested to them by the Holy
Ghost what they should speak in that
hour. Tlie assistance promised should be
so complete, that they would be mere in-
struments or organs of the Spirit. IIoiv
relates to the form, and what to the sub-
stance, of their public defenses or apolo-
gies. Christ does not forbid all forethoughts
what to say, but only distrustful thoughts ;
that they should not, like orators or advo-
cates, strive to make studied pleas or
rhetorical apologies for themselves. This
is so far from being a promise of Divine
assistance to unprepared and ofi'-hand
preachers, that it is not given even to the
twelve indefinitely or forever, but expressly
limited to one particular emergency, not
only by the first words of verse 11 {when
they bring you), but also by the words, in
Ihe same hour (verse 12). This promise
gives the highest authority to all the apos-
tolical defenses upon record, and precludes
the supposition of unhallowed anger in
sucii cases as that of Paul's reply to Ana-
nias. (Acts, xxiii. 3.) The doctrine of
inspiration is here stated in its strongest
form. In the Apostles, in the moment of
trial, the Holy Spirit would reside, and
the words they spake would be His words.
And if they were furnished with this in-
spiration in their momentary times of
trial, how can it be doubted that, in
recording their words for ages for the
instruction of the Church and the conver-
sion of the world, they should possess
the same high qualification ?
13. H And one of the company said unto him, Master,
speak to my brothfs", that he divide the inheritance
with me.
One of the company. It seems that a con-
tention had arisen between himself and
his brother concerning their proper shares
of their common inheritance, and he
wished the matter to be adjusted. There
was nothing sinful in this request that
Jesus should act as an umpire or arbitra-
tor, for if the half of the inheritance
belonged to this man, or was bequeathed
843
LUKE,
to him by a legal and proper will, it was
Ms duty, as it was bis right, to require
that half. (1 Cor. vi. 1-6.)' The man's
sin, therefore, lay not in asking for his
rights, but in interrupting so importunely
a discour.se so precious, so beautiful, so in-
structive to the multitude, with a petition,
purely, intensely and exclusively selfish.
14. And he said unto him, JMan, who made me a
iudge or a, divider over you ?— JJohn xviii. 3a.
Man. The word in the original has a
shade of disrespect, there being another
word for man, as a term of respect. WJio
made me a judge or a divider ? This reply
of our Lord is generally referred by ex-
positors to Ex. ii. 14. The word divider is
probably explanatory of judge, which
means a judge or umpire to settle disputes.
Over you, over mankind, men in general.
Who made me, &c. Who constituted me a
civil ruler, to judge or arbitrate between
men, in regard to worldly matters of dis-
pute? This is not my office. I was not
sent into the Avorld on such a mission. It
is undoubtedly the duty of ministers of
the Gospel to mark our Lord's conduct in
this case, and as far as possible to walk in
His steps. To this they are urged by the
shortness and uncertainty of life, the state
of the world, the worth of souls, and the
immense importance and arduousness of
their work. "Give thyself wholly to
these things," is a sentence which they
should never forget. It was eminently
characteristic of the Lord Jesus Christ,
during His ministry on earth, that He was
a reformer of principles, a purifier of
hearts: not a distributor anew of the me-
chanical and civil arrangements of society.
He undertook to change men's hearts, not
their circumstances, or rather to change
their circumstances by first changing and
ameliorating their hearts. He worked
from the inward to the outward. He did
not interfere with the laws, or the arrange-
ments, or the polity of the world, but en-
deavored to implant in men's souls living
truths, living principles, which should
germinate and grow until the whole world
should be overspread with that kingdom
whose great elements are righteousness,
and truth, and peace, and joy.
IS. And he said unto them. tTake hped and beware
of covptonsness : for a man's life consistelh not in the
abnndince of the things which he possesseth.
n Tim. 6 7, &c.
He said unto them, i, e., the multitude
around Him, be on your guard against covet-
ousness. The word in the original signifies
greediness, grasping selfishness. It is derived
from a concrete noun, denoting one irho ]ias,
or claims more than his share, one icho has
never enough. Covetousness is avarice, the
insatiable desire of more, springing out of
ungodly love and too high an estimation
of earthly things. It is not what a man
has that makes covetousness, but it is the
hunger after what he has not, and the
concentrating all his thoughts upon it, and
drawing from it the main elements of his
joy, his comfort, his satisfaction, his re-
pose. The desire, of having wealth, in
order to enjoy it, or the desire of having
and adding to our wealth, in order to
have more influence or more power, not
to do more good — this is covetousness.
For a 7nan's life consistelh not in tlie abun-
dance of the things which he possesseth. Christ
here denies that our life consists in abun-
dance, thus indicating the internal origin
and fountain-head from which the mad
desire of possessing issues. The word
translated life, is to be taken in its two-
fold meaning, accoi-ding to which it marks
a happy state of being, in time and in
eternity, so that the sense is, riches by no
means secure for us, of themselves, a life
of satisfiiction upon earth, nor do they
insure us of eternal blessedness, or, real
well-being is no necessary consequence of
the possession of riches. It is not for
ministers to meddle with the partition of
estates, or with the differences in families,
but they ought to teach the rules of true
religion, and the means of avoiding all
injustice. This vice still proceeds from
covetousness, and therefore this is the
thing which must be rooted up.
Covetousness is wide-spread and a
fearful sin. It estranges from God, by
putting something else in the heart in
place of Him. It leads to a suspension of
that Divine influence which is essential to
nearness with God. It cripples confidence
in God. More than any othei sin, it grows
upon men. It dishonors Christ. What
must men of the world think of Christ's
spirit, as they see it displayed by a covetous
Christian ? It injures the cause of Christ,
being like a moth fretting a garment,
CH A FT Eli XII.
84^
which, however costly and beautiful it
may be, will, by degrees, be destroyed.
Of all sins, it most assiniilutes the soul to
Satan, whose heart is covetous, whose
desires are inordinate, yet ail terminate in
himself, irresi)(;ctive of the glory of God,
thus producing the misery of this great but
fallen spirit. It would be vain to decide
positively which is the most common sin
in the world, but it would be safe to say
that there is none to which the heart is
more prone than covetousness. The warn-
ing of Jesus in this verse is a word more
in season for the members of Christian
Churches than an exhortation to beware
of theft.
IG. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The
grouud of a certain rich man brought ibrth plentifully :
This parable springs from the untimely
and intensely earthly interruption of our
Lord's discourse by one of the company
that heard it. Thus the Saviour makes
the covetousness, as well as the wrath of
man, to praise him, and restrains the
remainder thereof. A certain rich man.
His name is not given. It is not a sin to
be rich. We read of Gains, who exercised
hospitality to the saints. Joseph of Ari-
mathea was a wealthy man, and yet he
was a good man. The ground may denote
a large territory, or projierty in land.
Brought forth plentifully. The reference is
to the crop of that particular season, which
was so large that, if it could be well stored,
it would suffice for the wants of many
years to come, even if such rich harvests
should never be yielded him again. On
the fields of the covetous man the rain
fell and the sun shone. God makes His
sun to shine on the evil and the good. Wc
cannot judge of what we are by what
God's providence does to us, but must
judge by what God's word says respecting
us. Yet many persons reverse this rule,
and judge that they are good because they
are successful in business, and that others
are bad because their property is swept
away. Let the means be noted by which
this rich man became richer. It was not
by craft, dishonesty and fraud. He was a
farmer — one of the most harmless ways
of becoming rich. It was important to our
Lord's purpose that such a case as this
should be selected, for He was not aiming
His rebuke against what is regarded as
fraudulent between man and man, but to
illustrate the case of one who, by no unfiiir
or improper means, was increasing in
riches, but who, as they increased, had
" set his heart upon them," and neglected
God.
17. And he thought within himself, saying, What
shall I do, because i have no room where to bestow my
fruits ?
The expression, that this man thought
ivitltin hiinsdf, implies mental excitement
and anxiety. He was perplexed, not as
other men, to get wealth, but to dii^pose of
it. And surely the fact that riches and
cares are inseparably wedded together,
ought to go far to reconcile the poor to
their poverty, whatever the pains, and
inortifif-ations, and inconveniences of that
condition in life. This expression means
more : itshows thattheman waseminently
sclfiFih; he thought in himself, and io him-
self, as is indicated not only by the words
"m?/ fruits," but also by the words, u7iat
shall I do? which were in all probability
not the utterance of one brought to sore
straits and difficulties through the abun-
dance, for the sake of which others were
envying him, but of a worldling's heart,
rejoicing over his abundance, and realizing
to the very letter the making "provision
for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof."
It means still more : it shows that the man
was too reliant upon his own judgment in
a matter in which his judgment was likely
to be warped in his own fiivor; he ought
to have gone to God, who seems not to
have been "in all his thoughts," but of
whom it is said, "in all thy ways acknowl-
edge him ; and he shall direct thy paths."
(Prov. iii. 6.) What shall I do f How many
answers might have come back, if only
time had been given, from many an object
of compassion, many an orphan, man}^ a
widow, many an ignorant family, many an
avenue for doing good! But no such
answer was wanted by this man, as many
do not want them now.
18. And bo said. This will T do : I will pull down my
barns, and hnild grnatpr ; and there will I bestow all
my fruits and my goods.
This idll I do. The words are expressive
of a well-formed and final determination,
after full consideration. "I will" pull
down, /will build up. I will bestow my
goods. He is the only party, in his own
844
LUKE
opinion, capable of devising or executing
any plan in reference to the storing and
preserving of the property. He does not
say, " If God permit;" he has no reference
to God, but full confidence in himself.
" All my fruits and my goods." Persons of
that sort cull riches goods, not simply from
falling into the popular mode of speaking,
but because they consider these the chief
good. My fruits and my goods. His lan-
guage is full of pride, vanity, folly and
atheism. Pull down my barns and build
greater, and there will I bestow, &c. Here was
the turning point in the poor man's history
—determining to do this thing. As God's
goodness was showered upon him in such
abundance, he should have opened his
treasures and permitted them to flow: for
this end his riches had been bestowed upon
him. But self was the man's pole-star : he
cared for himself, and for none besides.
Hence the proposal to enlarge his barns,
in order to hoard his treasures.
19 And I will say to mv soul, Soul, 'thou hast much
goods laid up for "many years; take thine ease, eat.
drink, ami be merry.
lEccles. xi. 9 ; 1 Cor. x v. 32 ; James v. S.
The dialogue which he had commenced
before, proceeds ; the man has something
more to say to his soul : Soul, thoa hast
much goods laid up for many years. Because
he has much to enjoy, he flatters himself
with the hope that he shall have long to
enjoy it, and promises himself a great age ;
in his folly he thinks as little of the
possible loss of life, as of his goods ; nay,
he looks upon his riches as conveying a
sort of right to a long life. He also speaks
of his goods— as if the fruits and stores of
earthly things had anj' thing in common
with the soul, so as to be capable of satis-
fying that. However praiseworthy fru-
gality is, as not suffering any of God's
gifts to go to waste (John vi. 12), it does
not render less blameworthy the purpose
here expressed, of applying everything
for one's self, in the gratification of selfish
desires. Take thine ease. From the very
torture of anxiety and care, he feels how
sweet rest is, which he is unable to pro-
vide for himself. " Cease to gather and be
careful any more, withhold thyself from
any further pains and applications." So
must it ever be with the covetous — poor
in the midst of their overflowings, they
enjoy it not, for they think with anxiety
on some possible future want, and hence
strive and labor without getting satisfac-
tion. This rich man, however, is not of
such a covetous disposition, as desires
only to have, and keep, and handle
wealth or other possessions; he is bent
upon enjoyment, he has been working
only for future satisfaction ; now he counts
himself quite sure of attaining his end,
and hence he goes on to say, eat, drink and
be merry. The man stupidly imagines
that he could lay up in a barn an adequate
and satisfying portion for his soul. The
prophet's words are applicable to him.
" He feedeth on ashes, a deceived heart
hath turned him aside, that he cannot
deliver his soul, nor^ay, Is there not a lie
in my right hand ?" (Isa. xliv. 20.) What
a mockery it is to address the soul, whose
food and sustenance alone can be the
knowlege, love and fear of God, in such
terms as these, and yet it is just what
thousands and thousands are doing prac-
tically every day. Every one in whom is
the love of the world plays this trick with
his soul, and eagerly covets one thing or
another, in the vain and delirious hope
that he is laying up "goods for ]iis soul for
many years."
20. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night
*mtiiy soul sliall be required ol' thee : nthen whose shall
those things be which thou hast provided?
*Or, do they vfqtdre thy soiU ? mjob xx. 22 and xxvii.
8 ; Ps. lii. 7 ; James iv. 14. "Pg. xxxix. 0 : Jer. xvii. 11.
It is not necessary to inquire in what
way God spoke to the man: whether
by a sudden presentiment of approach-
ing death, by some strong alarm of
conscience, by some mortal sickness at
this instant falling upon him, or by what
other means. Thou fool. Literall3% /ooL'
The deep scorn of the epithet being weak-
ened by the unnecessary pronoun in
our English version. The Greek word so
translated means, literally, without mind,
or sense, or understanding. It is the same
word as in Luke xi. 40. This epithet was
applicable to the man: 1. As conveying
God's estimate of him, as opposed to the
opinion he entertained of his own wisdom.
2. For saying '' my soul," as if he had made
it, redeemed it, could command its pres-
ence, and determine the hour of its sepa-
ration, as if it were like his fruits and
goods, part and parcel of the stock or prop-
CHAPTER XII,
84^
erty which belonged to him. 3. Because
he put ofT his comfort, iu his abuiulunce,
till he had compassed his projects concern-
ing it. 4. Because he made such strong
calculations on an uncertain future, for-
getting how soon he might be parted from
his i^roperty. 5. Because he counted on
certain ease, from his abundance, whereas
there were many things that might make
him uneasy in the midst of all his abun-
dance. 6. Because he made no other use
of his plenty than to eat, and drink, and be
merry, never thinking of distributing the
overflowings of his granary among the
poor — thus robbing God, and failing to
" lay up in store for himself a good founda-
tion against the time to come." 7. Because
he believed that his soul would be satisfied
by the abundance of things he possessed.
What a mistake! Everything which God
has made requires a good suited to its
nature. The bird seeks, and must have,
its native air; the fish exists, and only can
exist, in the water ; the beast craves a plen-
tiful provision for its body, and is satisfied
therewith ; the human body cannot sub-
sist on ideas, hvA must have earthly food ;
the mind must receive suitable nourish-
ment: so the soul thirsts for some higher
enjoyment than this world can afford.
This night, stands opposed to years, in
verse 19. It is here implied that it was in
the night, the usual hour of repose, that
the rich man formed the determination
expressed in verse 19. His great and un-
expected wealth threw him into such a
state of restless, feverish anxiety, as to the
disposition for safe-keeping which he
should make of his treasures, that he lay
awake, planning and revolving one scheme
after another, until he came to the conclu-
sion stated in verses 18, 19. One commen-
tator remarks, that night is the time for
Divine revelations to men (Job xxviii. 20),
and also of sudden deaths. Thy soul, which
thou hast debased to the mere sensual en-
joyment of the brute. The man had for-
merly addressed his soul, and now he is
addressed about his soul. It is not the
whole man, but only his soul that is
wanted: his body will be left behind. But
the body, though left behind, cannot claim,
cannot use the goods. The treasure that
was not improved, and over which the man
claimed a monopoly, shall be recalled.
Shall be required of tliee. Here is the an-
nouncement of the sudden termination of
the man's course. He was given to under-
stand that he was on the verge of the
eternal world. He was like the unconscious
mariner, who is whistUng at the helm, and
only thinking of the many months of his
pleasant voyage, when suddenly he sees
that he is approaching the rock on which
he will be wrecked and ruined. The man
has received the summons, and in oljedi-
ence to it, he must arise and go ; he can
neither resist nor delay. He may weep,
tremble, rage, but he must go, and go on
the instant. The child of God yields up
his soul to God; commits, commends it to
God and the Father of spirits, willingly,
joyfully bids it depart and be with Christ ;
but the sinner who has enfleshed his soul,
and embodied it, and made it earthly, has
prepared to render its divulsion from the
body most hard, and hence it is said to be
required of him as a disobedient debtor,
that is delivered to pitiless exactors. Then
whose shall those things be which thou hast
provided f — those fruits, those enlarged
barns, this accumulated property — whose
shall it be? What will it do for thee?
Will it encounter death and conquer him ?
Will it follow thee to the judgment seat,
and prevail with the Judge to acquit you?
The obvious scope of the inquiry is, that
these things should not be his after death,
and could therefore furnish no happiness
to his soul beyond the grave. (Eccl. ii. 18,
19, 26, V. 15; Job xxvii. 16, 17; Ps. xxxix.
6, xlix. 16-20.)
21. Sn ;,s lie that layeth up treasure for himself, "and
Is not riih toward God.
"Mai!, vi. UO ; verse 33 ; 1 Tim. vi. X8, 19 ; James ii. 5.
Such a fool is every one who thinks and
acts after the manner of this rich man,
whose accumulations have no aim but the
gratification of the selfish desires and ap-
petites; since he is not rich in God, he is
much more to be pitied than to be envied,
and notwithstanding his riches in the
account of the world, he is still poor in the
eyes of God. (Rev. iii. 17, 18.) And is not
rich tomtrd- God. In respect to God and
Divine things, these riches con.sist in the
imperishable blessings of faith, love and
hope. (Eph. i. 3.) Those are not rich
toward God, who give nothing to God's
846
LUKE.
glory— neither money, affection, time, nor
interest.
Let us strive to be rich toward God.
Those are truly rich who have faith in the
Lord Jesus, a faith which is accompanied
with good worlvs. God has declared that
some of the jMor in this world are ric/t in
faith. (James ii. 5.) Faith is the gold
that Christ offers to bestow on all that ask
it. " I counsel thee to buy of me gold
tried in the tire, that thou mayest be rich."
(Rev. iii. 18.) If faith is in our hearts, we
shall never hear the summons, "Thou
fool, this night thy soul shall be required
of thee." But rather, shall we hear, in
God's appointed time, a voice saying to
our spirits, "Come up hither." (Rev. iv. L)
And when we ascend to heaven, we shall
find a treasure — an inheritance which
death cannot snatch from us, which is
incorruptible, and fadeth not away. (1
Cor. iii. 23.) How dreadful must be the
approach of death to him who, having
pampered his body, has starved his soul
— lived for the present, and had no
supreme and controlling regard to the
endless future !
" How shocking mn=it thj' summons be, O Death,
To him tliut is la i-ase in liis ijussessinns,
"Wlio, coiinti'iL,' (111 loiii; \'i-:ii-sor pleasure here,
Is quite un.iiniislied 'nr tlie w.irld to eniue !
In that dread inomeiit, liow tlie frantic suul
Kaves round tlie waU or lier clay tenement,
Euns to each avenue, and shrieks for help.
But shrieks in vain! How wishfully she looks
On all she's leaving, now no longer hers !
A little longer, yet a little longer-
Mournful sight !
Her eyes weep blood, and every groan
She heaves is big with horror. But the foe,
Iiike a stann?h murderer, steady to his purpose,
Pursues her close through every lane of lile.
Nor misses once the track ; but presses en,
.Till, forc'd at last to the tremendous verge.
At once she sinks to everhisting ruin."
22. H And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say
nnto you, pTake no thouglit ibr your life, what ye shall
eat: neither :()r the body, what ye shall put on. 2?.
The life is more than meat, and the body U more than
rainient.— I'Matt. vi. ii.
Therefore, in consequence of the danger
and vanity of earthly riches. I say unto
yon, as my disciples, with the authority
belonging to me as your Master, Take no
thought for your life. Life, a word which
properly denotes the vital principle or
living substance. It is sometimes used to
distinguish the soul from the body, as in
Matthew x. 28. Take no thought, be not
anxious or excessively solicitous. Our
Lord does not here forbid what His
Apostles elsewhere enjoin — the use of
lawful means to obtain for ourselves and
those who depend on us the necessaries
of life — nor that exercise of tiiought which
is requisite for this purpose — but He does
forbid us, while we use tiiese means, or
after we have used these means, to be
aiixnous and fearful as to their being
effectual for the purpose for which they
are intended. What ye shall eat; neither
for the body, what ye shall put on. Our
Lord's meaning is, "When, in pro.secuting
your great ol>ject — the heavenly happiness
— tlie attainment of the necessaries of life
for yourselves and your families, be not
anxious, God will provide for you. He
has given you life ; He has given you a
body, and, while it is His will that you
should continue to possess this life and
this body, He can and will take care of
them." The life is more than meat, and the
body is more than raiment. Here is an argu-
ment from greater to less. Surely He who
gave life can give food ; surely He who
gave you a bodj'^ can give you clothing for
that body. And, as to give life is a far
greater favor than to give food, to give a
body than to give clothing, surely He who
has given the more valuable blessing vjill
not withhold the less.
24. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor
reap : which neither have storehouse nor barn ; and
iGod feedeth them : how much more are ye better
than the fowls? — qJob xxxviii. 41 ; Ps. cxlvii. 9.
Consider. This means more than a
sujierficial view, rather an observing and
studying. The ravens. The ravens are
specially mentioned in Psalms (cxlvii. 9)
and Job (xxxviii. 41), as objects of God's
care. In the history of Elijah, tlie Holy
Ghost shows us the ravens providing for
others, as well as for themselves. (1
Kings xvii. 6.) Of this miraculous history
of the prophet, there is, perhaps, an indirect
reminiscence here. For they neither sow
nor reap, &c. They do not even use the
means which man is bound to use, and
does use, but are wholly dependent on
their instincts and the bounties of their
Maker. Sowing, reaping and ingathering,
are three stages of agricultural employ-
ment and provision for the food of man,
all of which are here denied in reference
to the birds, which is equivalent to saying
that they use no means at all for the pro-
dnction of their own food. And God feed-
eth them — provideth for them. Hoiu viucli-
more are ye better than the fowls? The reason-
CHAPTER XII.
847
ing ia made more pointed and popular by
being compressed into a question instead
of being stated as a formal proposition.
You are much better than the birds. As
men you occupy a far higher place in the
scale of being. You are creatures of a
nobler order than they, and designed for
a higher destiny. You are created in
God's image— you are acknowledged as
" his offspring." He has taught you more
than the beasts of the field, and made you
" wiser than the fowls of heaven." (Acts
xvii. 28; Job xxxv. 11.)
25. And which of you with taking thought can add to
his stature one cubit? 26. If ye then be not able to do
that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the
rest?
The word cubit signifies primarily the
human arm, from the elbow to the end of
the longest finger. This part of the human
frame (likethe/oo<) became, very anciently,
a measure of external objects. The ancient
Egyptian cubit was six handbreadths, or
two spans, a span being the measure from
the end of the thumb to the end of the
little finger of the extended hand. These
are somewhat variable measures, but the
cubit was about eighteen in(;hes. Stature
would be more properly rendered life. The
word here relates to time, and not to cor-
poreal growth. With taking thought, i. e.,
caring, being anxious ; can, is able ; add, or
put to. As thus explained, our Lord's
words contain a strong argument why we
should not be anxious about life or food.
It serves no purpose ; no anxiety of ours
can protract life. If we cannot by all our
anxiety secure that object for which a
supply of food is chiefly desirable — the
lengthening out of life — why should we
be anxious for that which is valuable,
only because it is fitted to gain this object?
27. Con=!ider the lilies, how they grow : they toil not,
they spin not ; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in
all liis slory was not arrayed like one of these. 28. If
then God so clothe the grass, which is to-day In the
field, and to-morrow is east into the oven ; how much
more will lie clothe you, O j'e of little faith ?
See on Matt. vi. 28.
Consider. The original means, to learn
thoroughly, and then, as a necessary means,
to study closely, to observe attentively.
The idea is, that what is thus proposed is
not a mere indulgence of the taste or
curiosity, but a moral lesson to be learned
by studying the works and providence of
God, a method of instruction practiced
long before by Solomon (see Prov. vi. G-8,
XXX. 24-31), to which there may be here
an intentional allusion, as his name is in-
troduced just afterward. 2' he lilies. Dr.
Thomson, in his " Land and Book," says:
" The Hdleh lily is very large, and the
three inner petals meet above, and form a
gorgeous canoi:)y, such as art never ap-
proached, and king never sat under, even
in his utmost glory." IIoiv they groii; &c.
They neither practice the labors of hus-
bandry to procure the materials of clothing,
nor engage in the processes of art to form
them into raiment, and yet they are
clothed in garments of beauty far Burpass-
ing any thing which the wardrobe of royalty
can display. Solomon — in the estimation
of a Jew the most illustrious of sovereigns,
Solomon — in all his glory, decked out in
purple, and gold, and jewels, was not
arrayed like one of these. If then. " If
God so clothe " such short-lived, and such
comparatively useless vegetables ; if God
so clothe " the herbage of the field " — for
the word rendered "grass" signifies
herbage generally, including the lilies of
the field — the flowers which grow up
among the grass ; if God so clothe this
herbage, " which is to-day in the field "
flourishing in all its beauty, and " to-mor-
row is cast into the oven," employed as
fuel — for, in Eastern countries, where fuel
is scarce, herbage is often employed to
heat the ovens and baths — " how much
more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith ?"
From the appellation, O ye of little faith,
it is obvious that those to whom our Lord
addressed Him.self were in a state of mind
like that of Nicodemus, when he came to
Jesus by night — persons disposed to admit
tlis Divine mission, yet afraid of the con-
sequences of acknowledging this, and
delivering themselves entirely up to be
guided by Him — disposed to lay up treas-
ures in heaven, yet not quite sure about
abandoning all hope of the treasures on
earth, which they had long so fondly
anticipated.
29. And seek not ye what yp shall eat. or what ye
shall drink, *'neither"be ye of'dn\ibt''iil mind. SO. For
all these things do the nations of the world seek after:
and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these
things.
*Or, live not in careful suspense.
A practical application of the argument
of God's care of inferior creatures. Seek
848
LUKE,
not. A strong expression for anxious de-
sire. Neither be of doubtful mind, refers to
the vacillation between hope and fear,
which characterizes those whose confi-
dence is not fully reposed in the protecting
care of God. The expression is probably
one borrowed from ships out at sea, which,
especially when seen from the shore, ap-
pear lifted up, tossed to and fro, and rest-
less. There are here two additional reasons
why those whom Christ addressed should
not be anxious. 1. For all these things, all
worldly goods and earthly treasures, do the
nations. of the ivorld seek after. Such anxieties
were characteristic of the nations of the
world, Gentiles, heathens — the world out-
side of the Jewish nation. 2. The other
additional reason is, " Your Father know-
eth that ye have need of these things."
He has made us, He knows our frame, and
if we regard him as our Father, who, we
know, is able to bestow them, can we
imagine that they shall be withheld from
us when He knows that we need them?
31. IT 'But rather seek ye the kingdom of God: and all
these things shall be added unto you.— i^Matt. vi. 33.
But rather seek ye— seek is emphatic, op-
posed to the seek in the preceding verse.
The phrase in the i)arallel passage in
Matthew is, "seek ye first:" as the Gentiles
seek " all these things," first and supremely,
so do ye seek fir.st and supremely the king-
dom of God, thit is, the dominion or su-
premacy of God — the kingdom, as then
about to be erected, and the cause which
they were bound, as Christ's disciples, to
promote. Make the attainment for your-
selves and others, of the holy spiritual
happiness which that kingdom — the new
spiritual economy— secures to all its gen-
uine subjects, your great object. Subordi-
nate and sacrifice everything else to it. In
doing this, all these things shall be added imto
you, everything really necessary and use-
ful shall be secured to you, added, given
over and above the spiritual good directly
flowing from devotion to God's service.
(Ps. ixxxiv. 11, 12; 1 Tim. iv. 8; Rom.
viii. 28.)
The great, important lessons taught for
every age in these sayings of our blessed
Lord, are, 1. Confidence in God. AVhilst
using the means for earthly support, and
shunning negligence and sloth, yet we are
not to be unduly anxious about it, noi
rely on our own industry, care and labor,
but, having God as our Father, we are to
trust to His wisdom, power, love and ten-
derness. 2. We are to make it the chief
business of our lives to secure a place in
the number of saved people, to have our
sins i^ardoned, our hearts renewed, and
ourselves made meet for the inheritance
of the saints in light.
32. Fear not, little flock ; for "it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom.— ^Matt. xi. 25, 26.
To banish inordinate cares, our fears
must be suppressed. Therefore Jesus
uttered these words of consolation and
encouragement. Little flock, or, literally
translated, very little flock. This is what
some term a double diminutive. Though
this expression refers solely to the Apos-
tles and first believers, of whom it was
literally true, yet we may say that the
number of genuine believers has been, and
is still, small, in comparison with heathens
and false Christians. Jesus Christ is here
referred to as the great and good Shepherd
of His Church, which is the flock; the
love and care, the compassion and tender-
ness, the guidance and vigilance of a good
Shepherd are found in Him. (John x.
1-18.) For it is your Father's good pleasure
to give you the kingdom — the kingdom of
heaven, mentioned in the last verse as the
object of those who seek it. Your Fcdher's
good pleasure to give, literally, "well
pleased." It is the same expression used
in Matt. iii. 17, xvii. 5 ; Mark i. 11 ; Luke
iii. 22. It is your Father's benignant pur-
pose to give, not of debt, but of grace.
Special stress is here laid on the fatherly
relation of God to all believers, as an
antidote to over-carefulness and anxiety.
33. 'Sell that .ve have, and give alms : "provide your-
selves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heav-
ens that faileth not, where no thief approaeheth,
neither moth corrupto'h.
'Matt. xix. 21 : Arts ii. 45 and iv. 31. "Matt. vi. 20 ;
Luke xvi. 9 ; 1 Tim. vi. 19.
Sell that ye have, a strengthening of the
admonition which in Matt. vi. 19-21, ap-
pears in another form. Rather than want
wherewith to relieve those that are truly
veressitous, sell that which you have super-
fluous, all that you can spare from the
support of yourselves and families, and
give it to the poor. Sell that ye have, if ye
find it a hindrance, or incumbrance, in the
CIIAPTEK XII
849
service of Christ. Thus giving alms, the
treasure laid out shall be as laid up for
yourselves and families in heaven. This
purse shall not grow old, and this treasure
shall not decay. Tlie titief represents
sudden and violent loss, the moth gradual
and silent waste or exhaustion. The
lesson here taught is, not that a man must
literally sell all his possessions (Acts v. 4 ;
1 Tim. V. 8), and distribute the avails to
the poor, but that he must give liberally,
and cherish such a whole-hearted benevo-
lence, that he would be willing to part
with all his possessions, if the cause of
his Redeemer and the interests of his
fellow-men demanded the sacrifice, and
thus giving he will lay up imperishable
treasure in hc^iven.
ai. For where your treasure Is, there will your heart
be also.
There is here indicated the deepest
knowledge of men. The principle stated
is the obvious but momentous one, ihat
what men value they will love, and that
the two things cannot be divided in expe-
rience. Whoever constitutes his god of
gold, his heart becomes as cold and hard
as metal ; whoever takes flesh for his
arm, or makes it his idol, becomes more
and more sensual, and takes on the prop-
erties of that which he loves above
everything*; but whoever has invisible
treasures keeps spontaneously eye and
heart fixed upon the invisible world.
Our Lord condemns no true earthlj'^ good,
no true earthly enjoyment ; He simply
claims that in these shall not consist our
treasures, and that all their value shall con-
sist in their enabling us to be better
servants of God, and winners of the true
happiness. Happy is that person who
has nothing on earth which detains and
fixes his heart there.
3^5. 'Let your loins be girded about, and ^your lights
burning; 3f>. And ye yourselves lilie unto men that
wait lor tlvMr lord, when lie will return from the wed-
ding: tliut when lie cometh and knockelh, they may
open unto liiin immediately.
vEph. vi. 14: 1 Peter i 13. "Matt. xxv. 1, <&c.
We have here the case of certain ser-
vants to whom is intrusted the care of
their master's house during his absence
from it. He has gone forth, and is expected
to return from his marriage, bringing his
bride with him. They are to have their
loins girded about, in allusion to the long,
flowing robes of the Orientals, which were
drawn up and held fast by the girdle when
active exercise is demanded; they were to
be in continual readiness for active duty.
They were to have their lights burning.
(Matt. xxv. 1, &c.) They were to "wait
for their Lord." They were to be in their
right place, not taking advantage of his
absence to be out of the way, but remain-
ing at home, ready, as soon as the master
came and knocked, to open unto him imme-
diately, just at the moment when they
heard him, to open the door. Thue we
are taught what believers ought to be in
their present condition — their Lord being
absent from them, and faithlessness
abounding in His professing Church. They
"ought to he "loaiting" for Christ. As the
Apostle has it, " The Lord direct your hearts
into the love of God, and into the patient
iraiting for Christ." This means steady,
calm endurance even to the end, not
moved by " evil tiding.s," or "casting away
confidence," but kept in perfect peace,
having " the mind stayed on God."
37. 'Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when
he cometli sliall find watching: verily I s:vy unto you,
that he shall gird himself, and make them" to sit down
to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
'Malt. xxiv. 4G.
Encouragement is here given to the
disciples, by announcing the reward to be
bestowed upon the faithful and watchful
servants. Verily I say unto you. (See Matt.
V. 18, xxiv. 46.) He sliall gird himself, &c.
At the Roman Saturnalia, the masters put
on the servile dress, and waited on and
served their servants. As our Lord bases
this parable upon the ancient relation of
master and servant, so He uses this custom
for an image to express the great honor
He will confer upon the servants at the
judgment day, when all the blessings ac-
cruing to His followers, from His ever
having worn "the form of a servant," will
then be conferred by Him. Wonderful
promise! Some think there will be a
literal fulfillment of it, and that our Lord
refers to this when He says at the last
Supper, " I will not drink of the fruit of
the vine, until the kingdom of God shall
come." (Luke xxii. 18.) A reference to
the same literal fulfillment is supposed to
exist in Isaiah xxv. 6. What a joyful
view is here given of the coming of Christ I
850
LUKE,
3.3. And If he shall come in the second watch, or come
in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those
servants.
Anciently the Jews divided the night
into three watches, consisting of four hours
each. The first watch began at six o'clock
in the evening, and continued till nine ;
the second began at nine, and continued
till twelve; the third began at twelve, and
continued till three next morning, and the
fourth began at three, and continued till
six. The first watch is not mentioned in
this verse, because the wedding-feast took
place- during that time. Neither is the
fourth watch mentioned, because the re-
turn at so late an hour was improbable.
Find them so. That is, in such a state of
readiness to receive Him. Blessed are
those servants, &c. An emphatic repetition
of verse 37. The Christian must look
upon every hour as that which may pos-
sibly be his last. He must not only be-
lieve in Christ, but look and long for His
appearing.
39. jAnd this know, that if the good man of the house
had known what hour the thief would come, he would
have watched, and nut have sutTered his house to be
broken through.
jMatt. xxiv. 43; 1 Thess. v. 2; 2Peteriii. 10; Kev. iii.
3 and xvi. 15.
The good man of the house, that is house-
holder, simply. The word good implies
here no moral character. There is here a
modification of the figurative language, in
which those who had hitherto been repre-
sented as servants now, during the pre-
supposed absence of their lord, are com-
pared with the master of the house, who
has to take care that his goods be not
stolen. Had knovm what hour the thief would
come — had been warned, as you are warned,
especially if he had known the precise
hour the thief would come, he would have
kept watch against his a])proach, and not
have suffered his house to be broken through —
be digged through, for the walls of the
Eastern houses are often of clay, and the
house would be attacked by excavation.
It is noticeable how frequently the coming
of the day of the Lord is compared, in all
miannjer of forms, with the coming of the
thief. (1 Thess. v. 2, 6-8 ; 2 Peter iii. 10 ;
Rev. iii. 3, xvi. 15.| Life is the time of
probation. It is the watch time in which
we are to be on the alert for the coming
of the Son of man. How unlike is this
parable to that which precedes it! The
reason of this diflference is, that our Lord
intended to teach that while some have
reason to rejoice at the expectation of His
coming, others have reason to tremble at
the thought.
40. 'Be ye therefore readv also : for the Son of man
cometh at an hour when ye think not.
^Matt. xxiv. 44, XXV. 13; Mark xiii. 33; Luke xxi. 34-
36 ; 1 Thess. v. 6 ; 2 Pjter iii. 12.
Be always on your guard, that you may
not be taken unawares. We are kept
uncertain concerning the precise time of
our Lord's coming, that we may be always
ready. The coming here referred to is
the second personal advent of the Lord
Jesus Christ, at the end of this dispensa-
tion. To apply the expression, as some
do, to death, is an entire perversion of
Scripture. The coming of the Lord is one
thing, and death is another.
41. H Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou
this parable unto us, or even to all ?
Some of the foregoing directions appear-
ed to be of such general aiaplication, that
Peter wished to know whether they were
intended for the Apostles alone, or for all
Christians. This parable means all the
cautions, directions and illustrations con-
tained in ver.ses 32-40. It is worthy of
remark, that this question was proposed
by that very Apostle who afterward most
of all needed the admonition, and so sadly
forgot it. (Matt. xxvi. 41.)
42. And the Lord said, * Who then is that faithful and
wise steward, whuni /i/s lord shall make ruler over his
household, til sive tJiun their portion of meat in due
season ?— *Matt. xxiv. 45, xxv. 21 : 1 Cor. iv.2.
Who then is that faithful and wise steward
— whoever, and whenever, and wherever
he is? As the steward was burdened with
the care of the whole domestic establish-
ment, his post was in the fullest sense one
of confidence, and therefore faithfulness
in every respect was required. Over his
household. The construction of the original
refers to a constant and vigilant oversight,
as though his authority and supervision
rested upon his charge continually. "To
give thein their portion of meat in due
season." The family is here properly the
Church of God, considered as a great con-
gregation, through all ages, waiting for the
coming of Christ. It is that Church of all
ages to whom He said of the Lord's supper,
" Ye do show forth the Lord's death until
He come." The servant seems to be more
specially the ministry of Christ through the
CHAPTEE XII
851
siges, t-o whom He said, " Lo, I am with
you until the end of the world."
43. BlessRd ix that servant, whom his lord when he
Cometh shall fliici so doing. 44. "Of a truth I say unto
Vou, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
»Matt. xxiv. 47.
Blessed (Rev. xvi. 15), rvhen he cometh —
Cometh to the judgment, the same coming
as in verses 37, 38, 39, 40— find so doing,
referring to the speciti cations of duty pre-
viously made; ruler over all that he hath,
simply the image of his master, drawn
from thecustom of appointing a competent
or favorite servant to be head steward, as
was Joseph in the house of Potiphar. The
more extended sphere of action is repre-
sented as the reward of fidelity.
4.5. ''But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord
delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the men
-servants and maidens, and to eat and drinic, and to be
drunken: 4(). The lord of that servant will come in a
day when he looketh not for htm, and at an hour when
he is not aware, and will *rut him in sunder, and will
appoint him his portion witli the unbelievers.
bMatt. xxiv. 48. *Or, cut him off. Matt. xxiv. 51.
If that servant, the same servant in whom
the lord had placed so much confidence,
and whom he had set over others,, say in
his heart, My lord delayeth his coming: the
speech of folly which believes the day of
reckoning and judgment to be far distant,
only to abandon itself to the more unre-
strained indulgence of its lusts. It is re-
markable that every mistake on the subject
of Christ's coming hitherto made, arises
from requiring it to be too soon. An(f, sliall
begin to beat the men servants and maidens,
laying claim in arrogance and hard-heart-
edne.ss to a right belonging to the lord.
And to eat and drink, and to be drunken, rev-
elling upon that which has been withdrawn
from others, and, at the same time, wick-
edly squandering the goods of his lord.
Cut him in sunder: false security sees itself
confounded by the unexpected arrival of
the lord, and is severely punished. Cut
1dm in sunder means quarter him, the image
of a very hard punishment. This was the
punishment at that time threatened against
a villain who first appeared to be faithful,
but who afterward manifested himself as
unfaithful. Appoint him his portion vnth the
unbelievers, hypocrites (Matt. v. 51), that is,
he shall have the same fate. It is here
taught that the Lord will judge His ser-
vants according to the condition in which
He finds them, and that no earlier mani-
fested faithfulness can deliver them if thev
afterward, in view of the delay of His
coming, shall fall into negligence and un-
faithfulness. Let it be observed also, that
it is after the punishment of being split
into pieces that the unfaithful servant has
his part appointed with the hypocrites,
and yet he is represented as still living.
47. And ••that servant, which knew his lord's will,
and prepared not himxrlf. neither did according to his
will, shall be b('at<'n with many slrii/rx. 48. rtfeut he
that knew not, ami did c-(iinniit tliings worthy of stripea,
shall be beaten with fi'W sfri/irs. For unto whomsp-'
ever much is given, of him sliall be much required J
and to whom men have committed much, of him they
will ask the more.
cNun:. XV. 30; Dent. xxv. 2; John ix. 41 and xv. 22;
Acts xvil. 30; James iv. 17. ^Lev. v. 17 ; 1 Tun. i. 13.
Which knevj his lord's vrill, either actually
by an open and express command, such
as Jesus was then giving His disciples, or,
virtually, because Divine revelation was
within his reach. Prepared not himself,
literally, did not hold himself in readiness to
execute his lord's command. Neither did
according to Ids will, i. e., his declared
will and purpose. With many stripes.
Although the fixed number of stripes, ac-
cording to the Mosaic jurisprudence,
amounted to forty (Deut. xxv. 2, 3), it is
of course understood that such determin-
ing of the number in this case would be
in conflict with the spirit of the parable.
But the same principle which is expressed
(Deut. xxv. 2), namely, that a righteous
relation must exist between the greatness
of the offense and the punishment, is also
emphasized here by the Saviour. (See
Num. XV. 30 ; John ix. 41, xv. 22 ; Acts
xvii. 30; James iv. 17.) Bid he that knew
not. This refers to comparative and not
absolute ignorance. In Rom. ii. 14, 15, it
is clearly shown that none are absolutely
devoid of the knowledge, of God's will.
God has not only bestowed on men the
light of a special revelation, but also the
light of conscience. Ignorance itself is
guilt, and hence even sins committed in
ignorance are punishable. All the subjects
of a kingdom are under obligation to
make themselves acquainted with its laws ;
and misconduct, arising from neglect, is
punishable guilt. Few expressions in the
Bible are more unfavorable to the heathen
who die in ignorance of the Gospel than
this. In Rom. i. 20, the heathen are de-
clared to be without excuse for sin, in
consequence of the abundant knowledge
of God, derived from the works of crea-
8.13
LUKE,
tion. Did things tvorthy of stripes. His acts
of disobedience may have been even
more glaring than those of his fellow-ser-
vant, who knew his lord's will, but his
sins being comparatively unintentional,
his punishment will be less severe, " lie
shall be beaten with few stripes." The
discrimination here drawn, though in one
view merciful, yet, in another, is full of
terror, for whatever may be the case
respecting past, forsaken and repented sins
of ignorance, no man is entitled to take
comfort to himself from this passage
respecting his present or future course of
life ; the very thought of doing so proves
that the person entertaining that thought
has sufficient knowledge to place him
beyond its favorable oj^eration. We may
infer from this passage, as well as from the
grades of bliss and glory in the rewards
of the righteous (1 Cor. xv. 41), that there
are different degrees of punish ment among
the lost. Here, also, is evidence that the
souls of the ungodly are not annihilated,
for, if they receive stripes, they must
knovj it, and they must know also whether
they are receiving many orfetv.
For %mto u-homsoever much is given, &c. In
tills sentence our Lord lays down a great
principle in His kingdom as an appropriate
conclusion to tlie parable He has just been
speaking. From it we learn, 1. That what-
ever we receive from God is both a gift
and a talent. 2. That every one has re-
ceived some gift or talent to improve for
God. 3. That God's gifts or talents are
not given to all in the same measure. 4.
That, whether we receive little or much,
all is in order to an account. 5. That, an-
swerable to our present talents will be our
future accounts. The greater opportunities
a man has of knowing his duty, and the
greater abilities he has for doing good, if
he do it not, the greater will be his con-
demnation, because the neglect of his
duty in this case cannot be without a great
deal of willfulness and contempt, which is a
heinous aggravation. If our gifts are few
and feeble, the less we have to account
for; if they are greater than those of
others. God expects we should do more
good than those others. This principle of
God's government is the principle on
which j«e?i judicially act. It accords with
the universal conscience and common
sense. And if men universally know the
principle, it is right that they should be
judged as knowing it.
49. If "-I am come to send fire on the earth ; and what
will I, ii it be already kindled ?— 'Verse 51.
We are disposed to think that the true,
literal meaning of the passage is, " I am
come to set the earth on fire— I am come
to produce a general conflagration." If
this be admitted to be the literal meaning
of the terms, there can be very little diffi-
culty in fixing on their spiritual significa-
tion. They indicate that His religion. His
doctrine, accompanied by His Spirit, should
rapidly, and at length universally, over-
spread the world, diffuse itself among
mankind, and either thoroughly impreg-
nate with its own spirit, or utterly consume
all human institutions — purifying what-
ever will submit to purification, and de-
stroying what is incapable of purification.
"Fire" is, in Scripture, the emblem both
of the word and of the Spirit of God. " Is
not my word a fire and a hammer, break-
ing the rock in pieces?" The cloven
tongues of fire, the forked lightning flames,
which sat on the heads of the Apostles on
the day of Pentecost, were appropriate
representations of the rapid dissemination
of the doctrines they were to propagate,
and the powerful destructive energy with
which they were instinct, against all the
varied forms of evil. (Acts ii. 3.) And
■what idll I, if it he already kindled ? These
words express desire rather than exulta-
tion. What vAll I, or, " What do I wish?
but that it were already kindled," or,
" What do I wish ? O, that it were already
kindled !"
50. Bufl have a baptism to be baptized with ; and
how am *I straitened till it be accimiplislied !
fMatt. XX. 22 ; Mark x. 38. =i Or, pained.
Hoiv am I straitened till it, that is, my
baptism of suffering, be accomplished ! How
am I straitened — compressed and grasped
as if by a pressure enclosing on every side.
The words, so far from denoting only a
pressure of longing and desire, or merely
oppression by anxiety and fear, mean
both these states of feeling. They ex-
press the feelings with which we look for-
ward to an event, in itself extremely
disagreeable, absolutely inevitable, and
which, when taken in connection with its
CHAPTER XII
853
consequences, we do not wish to avoid.
We may be assisted in forming a concep-
tion of the Saviour's state of mind at the
moment He used these words, by endeav-
oring to realize the feehngs of an ad-
vanced Christian in the immediate pros-
pect of dissolution — dissolution likely to
be the result of agonizing suffering. He
instinctively shrinks from pain and death
for their own sakes, but he knows that
there is no entrance for him into heaven,
to be with Christ, and to behold and share
His glories, except through death, and the
assured hope of obtaining this great honor
and blessedness makes him more than
willing to die, desirous "to depart, to be
with Christ, which is far better." Still
this desire has a very peculiar character,
easily distin;j:;ushable from the desire of
unmixed good. He is, as the Apostle says
(Phil. i. 23), "in a strait betwixt two,"
even when desiring to dei)art. So Jesus,
whilst realizing the dreadful agony through
which He would pass, in bringing forth
His Church by His pains, washing her in
His blood, giving her life by His death,
and establishing the kingdom and the
glorj"- of the Father by the sacrifice of
Himself, was more than willing to suffer
and to die. " For the joy that was set
before Him, He endured the cross, despis-
ing the shame."
51. ^Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on
earth ? I toll you. Nay ; fihnt ratlipr division. ^'2. >For
from hence forth there slial! be five in oneliousedivirtefl,
three a^uiiist two, and two against three, ■'i'-i. Tlie
iather shall be divided against the son, and tlie son
aga'nst tlie father; the mother aeainst tlie dausrhti r,
and the daughter ngainst the mother; the motlur-in-
law against lier da>ighter-in-law, and the daughter-in-
law against her mother-in-law.
iMatt. X. 31; verse 49. hMic. vii. 6: John vii. 43, ix.
16 and x. 19. iMatt. X. 35.
Suppose ye. The words imply a disposi-
tion so to think, or imagine, and to act
accordingly. " If, from the meekness of
ray character and my Gospel you imagine
that I am to send peace, not only in spirit,
but in result, among mankind," " I tell you,
Nay; but rather division." Is not the
Lord Jesus called the Prince of Peace, and
did not the angels join in chorus at His
birth, saying, " Peace on earth, good will to
men?" How, then, are we to understand
the expression that He came to give division ?
We must distinguish between the inten-
tional aim of Christ's coming, and the
accidental effect of it. Christ's intentional
aim was to plant, propagate and promote
peace in the world; but, through the lusts
and corruption of men's natures, the issue
andeventoflliscoming is warand division,
not that these are the genuine and natural
fruits of the Gospel, but occasional and
accidental only. Because Christ is the
Sun of Righteousness, it cannot but be that
torches of strife and funeral pyres should
be kindled by its fiery glow. When the
Holy One of God comes into personal con-
tact with an unholy world, a shock and
strife is inevitable ; and that not only
against Him personally, but also among
men themselves, inasmuch as these begin
to distinguish themselves into adversaries
and subjects of His kingdom. (See Luke
ii. 34; John ix. 39.)
The expression, ^re m one house diinded,
&.C.., and the expressions in the following
verse, are not to be pressed too literally.
In some houses there are not five persons;
in others, thej-e are more than five. In
some families, where the work of conver-
f-ion begins, the father and son are entirely
of one mind, and so also are the mother
and daughter. The expressions are mani-
festly proverbial. The plain lesson they
are meant to convey is this, that the Gos-
pel will often produce divisions in families ;
and that even two persons who are most
nearly related may become estranged from
one another, in consequence of one being
converted and the other not. That this is
constantly the case is well known to all
who know anything of true religion. So
faithful Abraham was divided against his
father, the idolatrous Terah. So religion
sets the pious child in opposition to the
impious parent. So temperance sets the
sober child at variance with the drunken
fother. So piety divides the fashionable,
godless mother or mother-in-law, against
the pious daughter or daughter-in-law, or
the fashionable, frivolous daughter or
daughter-in-law against the devoted
mother or mother-in-law. We find in
the Acts of the Apostles, that wherever the
Gospel came, persecution was stirred up ;
it was everywhere spoken against, and there
was no small stir about that way. The disci-
ples of Christ, therefore, must not promise
themselves peace on earth. They must
also hold themselves ready to break any
854
LTJKE.
union, how close and natural soever it may-
be, when faith and the interests of God
are in question. And those ministers
whose preachino; is marked by a carnal
peace and a sensual repose, should earn-
estly inquire how far this eifect may be
attributable to their failure to proclaim
the truth in all its plainness, purity and
power.
54. 1 And he said also to the people. Jwhen ye see a cloud
rise out of the west, straiglitway ye say, There cometli
a shower : and so it is. 55. And *when j/e see the south
wind blow ye say, There will be heat; aud it cometh
to pass.— JMatt. xvi. 2. *Job xxxvu. 17.
Having addressed His disciples, Christ
now addresses the people, the immense
multitude who surrounded Him, and who
were pressed so closely together that they
trode upon each other. When ye see a
cloud. The cloud which rose out of the
west, on the side of the Mediterranean
sea lying on the west of the whole Jewish
territory, was regarded as a sign of
approaching rain (1 Kings xviii. 44), while
the south wind from the great wilderness
of Sinai and hot deserts of Arabia, lying to
the south of the Jewish territory, was
considered as a sign of heat to be expected
(Job xxxvii. 17), and the people accord-
ingly either hoaised their hay and corn or
threw it abroad, and equipped themselves
for a journey, according as they foresaw
the weather would be.
56. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky
and ot'tlieearth ; hut how is it that ye do not discern
this time ? 57. Yea, and why et'en of yourselves judge
ye not what is right?
Our Lord here rebuked the multitude
for not discerning this time, as the time of
the Messiah's appearing, and He called
them hypocrites, that is, dissemblers or de-
ceivers, q, term entirely appropriate to
them, as men who could foretell the
changes of the weather by its dubious and
variable signs, and yet were not able to
discern that the time had come when the
Messiah long promised in the Scriptures
and expected by the people should appear.
All this, too, in face of the facts, that
Daniel's seventy weeks of years were
drawing to a close, at which time the
Messiah was to appear, and the scepter
was departing from Judah, at which time
their predicted Shiloh was to come, and
the harbinger of the Messiah had appeared
and warned them all with his warnings,
and Herod, alarmed by a sign from the
sky, had summoned the Sanhedrim to
inform him of the place of the Messiah's
birth, and there was a general presenti-
ment prevalent through the East that the
great One was about to appear, and He was
now before them, as One who, by their
recorded pedigrees of the line of David,
was proving by miracles — miracles which
they confessed were such as no power less
than the highest spiritual agent could
perform — that He was the Messiah of
prophecy. Yea, and wliy eveyi of yourselves,
&c. Our Lord does not here mean to say
that the Jews could understand spiritual
things, and see the kingdom of God by
their own unassisted judgment, and with-
out the teaching of the Holy Ghost. His
meaning is, " Why do ye not of yourselves,
by simply observing what is going on
around you, form a right judgment about
my claim to be received as the Messiah,
and a just decision upon the matters in
dispute between me and your teachers,
the scribes and Pharisees?" Righteous-
ness and truth seldom find admittance
into the minds of men, unless some interest
open their eyes, or grace work this miracle.
58. 1 kWhen thou goest with thine adversary to the
miigistrate. lo.s thou art. in the way, give diligence that
thou mayest be delivered from him ; lest he hale thee
to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer,
and the officer cast thee into prison. 59. I tell thee,
thou Shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the
very last mmite.
tprov. XXV. 8 : Matt. v. 25. 'See Ps. xxxii. 6; Isa. Iv.
6. ""See Mark .xii. 42.
WJten, that is, for instance icJien. Adver-
sary, a plaintiff at law, to whom a debt, or
payment of penalty, is due. Magistrate,
"as thou art in the way," to the place of
trial, an allusion to the Roman law, by
which the plaintifi' himsel/ seized the de-
fendant and drew him before the court for
trial. Give diligence, take i^ains, do thine
utmost, that thou mayest be delivered from
him, rescued from his demand, lest he hale
thee to the judge, by prosecution or com-
plaint, deliver thee to the officer, by passing
sentence, and ordering the ministerial at-
tendants to execute it, and those attend-
ants cast thee into prison. Thou shalt not
depart thence, thou shalt not be freed from
incarceration, till thou hast paid — though it
implies the possibility of paying, at the
same time suggests the debtor's hopeless
capacity to make it — the very last mite. The
coin mentioned is of much less value than
our cent, and therefore was adapted to
CHAPTER XIII.
855
convey what is here the essential idea,
that of an infinitesimal residuum. The
whole is a symbolical representation of
Divine judgment. The adversary stands
for the law of God, under the condemna-
tion of which we are, on account of our
sins, a condemnation from which nothing
but the intervention of the Saviour could
deliver us ; the ivay stands for the brief
period of our probation ; the judge is the
Son of man, at His coming; iha officer is
the judicial agent (Matt. xxv. 31) ; the
prison is hell. The attempt to sustain the
doctrine of purgatory from the words, not
depart thence, until thou hast paid, &c., is
vain. Such an argument would prove
many absurdities, if applied to other texts
where the expression " until " is used.
(See Ps. Ixxii. 7, ex. 1, and Matt. i. 25.)
It is of immense importance that we
seek reconciliation with God before it be
too late. His law is against us, and con-
trary to us, and its demands must be
satisfied. We are moving on to the judg-
ment. There is nut one moment to be
lost, since we cannot be (certain of one
moment. We ought, therefore, to be in
the greatest earnest in seeking pardon
and forgiveness through the blood of
Christ. When we are once out of the way
of repentance and mercy, what can we
expect but the rigor of an inflexible justice ?
1. What did Christ say unto His disciples first of all ? 2. In what verses is a particular providence taught ? 3.
What is said of confessing Christ ? 4. What of denying Him ? 5. Explain verses U, 12. 6. What are tlie main
points of the parable of the rich fool ? 7. For what purpose is reference made to the ravens and the lilies ? 8.
What is said of watchful servants ? 9, What is taught in verses 47 and 48 ? 10. Explain verses 51-54. 11. What is
said about hypocrites? 12. Wliat is meant by " adversary ?" 13. What by " way ?" 14. What by "judge?" 15.
What by " officer ?" 16. What by " prison ?"
CHAPTER XIII.
1 Christ prearhrfh >-epentnnce upon the punishment of the,
Oal.ileans, and ut/iirx. H The fruitless Jig treeniai/ not.
stand. \l Hf km I fill the crooked woman: 18 she weth
t/ie powerful working uf the word in the hearts of his
chosen, by the parable of the grain of mustard seed, and
of leaven : 24 exhortelh to enter in at the strait gate,
31 and reproveth Herod and Jerusalem.
At the solemn close of the discourse of
the last chapter, the assembled myriads
broke up their congregation, but a lesser
circle remained roundour Lord, with whom
a colloquy now ensued. The incident with
which this chapter opens is connected with
the foregoing discourse by the words, at
that season (more literally, on that same oc-
casion). Some persons who, perhaps, had
arrived lately from Jerusalem, reported the
slaughter which had just been committed
there by Pilate, of certain Galileans. Per-
haps they wished to get Christ's judgment
on the matter, and thus lead Him into a
snare. This led to the solemn admonition
which .Tesus uttered.
THERE were present at that season some that told
him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had min-
gled with their sacrifices.
Galileans. There were two eminent sects
among the Jews in our Saviour's time,
namely, the Herodians and the Galileans.
The former stood stiffly for having tribute
paid to the Roman emperor, whose subjects
the Jews now were ; but the Galileans (so
called probably from Judas of Galilee,
mentioned Acts v. 37) opposed this tribute,
and often raised rebellion against the
Roman power. The heads of this party,
Judas and his coadjutor, Sadduc, were put
down b}' the Romans, and measures of
active opposition suppressed ; but the party
still survived, and it is fair enough to con-
clude that the Galileans here mentioned
belonged to this party, and having by some
acts or declarations made their principles
known, were slain by Pilate, when they
had proceeded to Jerusalem to worship at
the temple. Mingled ivith their sacrifices.
An arrowy shower of death upon the Gali-
leans would cause the blood of the sacri-
ficers and of their sacrifices to blend in the
same stream. This massacre, besides being
856
LUKE,
intrinsically a heinous crime, had its hid-
eousness increased by being perpetrated
wliere and when it was.
2. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye
that these Galileans were sinners above all the Gali-
leans, because tliey sullered such ttini^ . i. 1 tell you.
Nay : but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewuse perish.
From these verses we learn : 1. That a
violent and sudden death is no evidence
of God's displeasure. 2. That people are
more ready to talk of the deaths of others
than their own. A murder, a sudden death,
a shipwreck, or a railway accident, will
completely occupy the minds of a neigh-
borhood, and be in the mouth of every one
you meet. And yet these very persons
dislike talking of their own deaths, and
their own prospects in the world beyond
the grave. Such is human nature in every
age. 3. That though no man suffers with-
out being a sinner, they are not to be re-
garded as the greatest sinners who suffer
most in this life. AVhilst it is true that
even temporal suff'ering is a penalty for
wickedness, and that all mankind are suf-
ferers because they are sinners, it is not
true that the greater suff"erings are proof
of the greater guilt. It is only in the next
world that God punishes with the view
chiefly of inflicting punishment, and that
His justice proportions the punishment to
the sin. Here the punishment proceeds,
either from His mercy, which would fain
save the sinner, or from His holiness,
■which purifies believers, or from His Provi-
dence, which establishes the belief of His
justice, or from His wisdom, which, by
means of fear, puts a stop to sin. 4. To
repent is not a matter of counsel, but of
absolute necessity. He who defers doing
it, hazards no less than eternity. He who
dies without doing it, must perish eter-
nally. This was to be the doom of the
Judeans and Jerusalemites as individuals,
however true it was also prophetically of
the tremendous slaughter of the .Tews by
the Romans under Titus, which was to
take place in a few years at the siege of
Jerusalem, and it is true of every man.
Repentance, beginning with knowledge of
sin, going on to work sorrow for sin, lead-
ing to confession of sin before God, showing
itself by a thorough breaking oft" from sin,
resulting in a habit of deep hatred for all
eins, and, above all, inseparably connected
with lively faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
— this repentance must be ours, if we would
escape the perdition of ungodly men.
Without repentance toward God, and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ, no man can
be saved.
4. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in SUoam
fell, and slew them, think ye that they were *sinners
above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem ? 5. I tell you,
Nay : but, except ve repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
*0r, debtors. Matt, xviii. 24: Luke xi. 4.
The tower in Siloam. This tower, no doubt,
stood near the pool of that name, which
was the only one whose waters gladdened
the city, and flowed at the base of Mount
Moriah, to the south-east. These and other
similar instances in which our Lord avails
Himself of recent occurences, which were
doubtless the subjects of general conver-
sation, to give jDoint or illustration to His
instructions, are of much interest, and must
have made a strong impression upon His
actual auditors. (See on verses 2, 3.) I
tell you, Nay, &c. The repetition of this
sentence shows the general importance of
repentance. Philip Henry is represented
as having said: "Some people do not like
to hear much of repentance. But I think
it so necessary, that if I should die in the
puljnt, I should desire to die preaching
repentance, and if I should die out of the
pulpit, I should desire to die practicing it."
The word likewise is not to be pressed to
signify preiisely the same kind of death
which the eighteen suffered by the falling
of the tower, although this was doubtless
true of many who fell before the Roman
sword, in the sanguinary scenes which
followed ; the similarity consisted rather
in the completeness and awful nature of
the ruin which was to come upon them,
and the passage cannot be limited to the
temporal judgments impending over the
nation, but has a higher and more awful
import in the judgments which will over-
take the finally impenitent in the world to
come. There is no medium : either repen-
tance or damnation.
6 1 He spake also this parable ; "A certain man had
a fig tree planted in his vineyard: and became and
sought frnit thereon, and found none.
alsa. V. 2 : Matt. xxi. 19.
And he spake also this parable. It should
not be overlooked how significantly typi-
cal the figure was which was employed
by our Lord to represent the rapidly ap-
proaching overthrow of the Jewish nation,
CHAPTER XIII.
857
in righteous vengeance for their deep and
wide-spread corruption, and tlieir incon-
siderate and obstinate impenitence, not-
witlistandingthemany provisions made by
God for their improvement. For tliough
that fig tree, the Jewisli nation, has been
cut down, the roots are yet left in the earth,
and the words of Job may be appUed to
that afflicted people : " There is hope of a
tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout
again, and that the tender branches there-
of will not cease. Though the root
thereof was old in the earth, and the
stock thereof die in the ground, yet
through the scent of water, it will bud, and
bring forth boughs like a plant." (Job
xiv. 7-9.)
But whilst this parable referred to the
Jews as a nation, it is not meant for them
only. It refers to every individual in
every age, and in every country enjoying
the means of grace. Indeed there is a
personal application made of the image
which supplies the ground-work of the
parable, by the Baptist (Matt. iii. 10), and
of an image very nearly the same by
Christ Himself. (John xv. 2.)
A certain man, that is God, had a fig tree-
planted. As the fig tree is a fruit-tree,
which should bear fine fruit, and besides
was planted in a vineyard and treated with
special care, this represents the favorable
circumstances and relations which the
mercy of God had granted to Israel, His
design to obtain fruit from the tree, and
the just expectation of the same. In the
Scriptures men are frequently compared
to trees, and their work to fruit. (Ps. i. 3 ;
Jer. xvii. 8; Luke vi. 43 ; John xv. 2, 4, 5 ;
Rom. vii. 4.) In his vineyard. The intro-
duction of this feature in the parable is
evidently designed to show that the tree
h.id a position in faVorable soil, and where
it was prominently exposed to the view
of the owner, as he passed along through
his vineyard inspecting its condition, and
seeing what fruit was ripening for his use.
Besides the life and faculties which they
possess in common with others, those who
dwell in Christian lands have spiritual
privileges which are peculiar to themselves.
Civil and religious liberty, the Scriptures,
the Sabbath, the Church, place us in the
position of the fig tree within the vine-
yard, while other nations, destitute of
these privileges, are more or less like a
tree rooted in the sand, or exposed on the
way-side. And he came and sought fruit
thereon, and found none. Here is a descrip-
tion of the ingratitude and impenitence
of those for whom God has done so much.
Long before, the prophets had upbraided
their people with thanklessness and diso-
bedience. And, at the time of Jesus,
Israel was actually in the condition of
deep moral corruption ; excessive wicked-
ness and hypocris}' reigned in almost
every heart. God, who gives us our
advantages, that we might bear fruit unto
holiness, has His eye upon us, and expects
this result, and has a right to expect it.
7. TliPti said he unto the dresser of his vineyard,
Behold, tliese three years I come seeking iniit on this
li'^ tree, and find none : cut it down; why cumbereth it
the ground?
The dresser, manifestly the Son of God,
Himself, the Intercessor for men. (Job
xxxiii. 23; Zech. i. 12; Heb. vii. 25.)
Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit,
and find none: a lively representation of
the numerous attempts and movements of
God to remind sinners of their obligation
to comply with His gracious design. He
comes always anew in His word, by means
of conscience, and through other media.
Along with this, however, we have here
depicted the patience and long-suflTering of
God, which waits for the expected fruits.
(2Peteriii.l5; Rom.ii.4.) Three years seems
to have been selected as a number neither
too great nor too small. A tree may
for some reason remain barren for one
or even two years. But if it be fruit-bear-
ing, it will hardly remain barren the third
year. Yet that, in extreme cases, this was
so, is evident from the plea of the dresser,
to spare it another year, in hopes of bring-
ing it by extra culture into a productive
state. I come. Thif^ is a verh of continuity.
During the whole three years, again and
again have I been coming. The visits of
God are secret and unrecognized, though
they be ever recurring. Seeking fruit.
The Master seeks and seeks from season
to season. There may be no fruit, there
may be leaves, there may be the leafless
branch ; in either case He departs in sor-
rowful disappointment. Cumbereth, rather,
makes sterile. The sinner can never sin by
858
LUKE
omission alone. He will commit positive
sin, and produce positive evil and de-
struction. Public chastisements, calamities
and diseases are so many admonitions
from God in order to our conversion, and
threaten us with His wrath and indigna-
tion. They are the voice of God, and
when we are deaf to them, it is He whom
we refuse to hear. Life is conferred upon
us to no other end but that we should
serve God, exercise reijentance, and work
out our own salvation. He who does no
part of this, well deserves to have it
immediately cut ofi' and taken from him.
8. And he answering said unto liim, JLord, let it alone
tliis yeai- also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9.
And it' it bear I'ruit, well: and if not, i/ien after that
thou Shalt cut it down.
Ld it alone. It is the voice of the Inter-
cessor. No worth or worthiness in the
sinner preserves him. He lives upon
sufferance, and dies when the pleading
voice becomes silent. This year also, seems
to imply that it was not the lirst time the
owner had threatened to cut down the
tree, but was induced to let it remain by
the entreaty of the dresser of the vine-
yard. Dig about it, &c. Three things
were necessary to the cultivation of the
fig tree — digging, dunging and watering,
and especially the first. We are told that
fig trees exhaust the soil. If it bear fruit,
well. In that case there will be no occasion
to remove the tree. And if not, then after
that, &c. Future time is here specified,
but it is left indefinite. One thing was
certain, if the tree afterward continued
unproductive, it was to be cut down. The
decree had gone forth. Even He who
was the impersonation of love, the Inter-
cessor, had yielded so far as to say, after
that thou shall cut it dovm. And if, and if
not. Upon these two ifs hangs eternity.
The patience of God with respect to sin-
ners is one of the most surprising things
imaginable, when we consider what God
and what the sinner is; and yet how few
frequently think of this, adore it, render
thanks for it, and co-operate with it ! But
this patience, though great and of long
continuance, is wearied out at last, when
it has no effect upon sinners.
10. If And he was teaching in one of the synagogues
on the Sabbath.
Frequent reference is made to our Lord's
attending the services of the synagogue on
the Sabbath days. These services con-
sisted of prayers, reading the Scriptures,
and preaching or expounding the law. We
should make conscience of attending the
house of God, as we have opportunity, and
not think we can spend the Sabbath as
well at home in reading a good book, for
religious assemblies are a Divine institu-
tion. We must give our testimony to
them, however small the number may be
of which they consist. If as teaching de-
notes a continuing act. He still taught the
people knowledge. He was in His element
when teaching.
11. And behold, there was a wonaan which had a
spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed to-
gether, and could in nowise lift up herself.
The woman was present, with the other
worshipers, in the synagogue. Spirit of
infirmity. Had we only these words, we
might be doubtful whether Luke meant to
trace up her complaint to any other cause
beyond the natural causes whence flow
the weakness and sufferings which afflict
our race. But our Lord's words, whom
Satan hath bound (verse 16), are more ex-
plicit, and leave no doubt of His mean-
ing. The power of wicked spirits to
liroduce disease is abundantly shown in
the word of God. (Mark x. 1 ; Acts x. 38;
2 Cor. xii. 7 ; Job ii. 7.) Though this
woman should be classed with those pos-
sessed by evil spirits, the type of her pos-
session was much milder than that of most,
as is shown by her permitted presence at
the public worship of God. Her affliction
had lasted for the long period of eighteen
years. Her nervous energies were so weak-
ened that she could not stand erect. She
was bowed together, bent down to the earth,
a situation equally painful and humiliating,
the violence of which she could not support,
and the shame of which she could not con-
ceal. She could in no case stand straight,
or look toward heaven.
Sin is the origin of all our diseases and
afflictions. Had this never entered into
the world, there had been neither pain,
distortion nor death. Many persons are
called to peculiarly painful and protracted
sufferings. Can we look back to uninter-
rupted years of health and activity ? What
cause for thankfulness ! The power of
Satan binds the soids of sensual men to the
earth. They are unable to look up to the
CHAPTER XIIL
Sod
God above them. It is the power of the
Redeemer that can loosen their bonds, if
they apply to Him, and give them power
to raise themselves up, and to use their
tongues in praise of His strange mercy.
How does the conduct of this sufiering
Jewess put to shame many strong and
healthy professing Christians, that allow
frivolous excuses to keep them away from
the house of God ! Souls that thirst after
God spare no pains to get a refreshing
<iraught from the wells of salvation.
12. And when .Tesus saw lier, he called her to him, and
said unto her, Woman, tUuu art loosed from thine in-
ilrniity.
She did not apply to Him for relief —
perhaps she did not know that He
would be at the synagogue, and as she
could not lift herself up, she may
never have seen His gracious counte-
nance. But her heart and her distress
spoke loudly, though her lips were silent,
and, as she was thus calling for help, the
Saviour called her to Himself that she
might receive help. How must she have
felt when she heard the Lord Jesus desire
her to approach. If our Lord does so
much for a person when unsolicited, how
much more will He do for those who call
ujion Him in prayer! And said unto her,
Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
Satan's grasp had fastened and tied her
down with stiffened sinews and muscles,
but now she was loosed from her infirmity,
the nature of her disease rendering this
form of address appropriate. O, what a
surprise, what a deliverance was this!
How unexpected, how free! Her only
merit was disease, but one word brings
her cure.
l.S. ^ And he laid /li.'! hands on her: and immediately
she was made straight, and glorified God.
bMark xvi. IS ; Acts ix. 17.
The hand of Christ's holiness terrified,
and the hand of His power expelled the
demon. The imposition of His hands
may also have been intended to confirm
the woman's faith, and rendered the cure,
in the eyes of the spectators, palpable and
unmistakable as to its source. Immediately
she was made straight, and glorified God.
She at once stood erect before them all,
in the vigor of health, and free from the
oppressions of Satan, and full of joy and
gratitude, she broke forth in devout praise
to God for her instant and wonderful cure.
It will be noticed that this cure was, 1. A
speedy one — it was done in an instant. 2.
It was a perfect one— the woman was made
completely whole. 3. It was a public one —
there were many to attest and render it
credible. 4. It was a stable and permanent
one — she was loosed, forever loosed from
her infirmity. 5. Her soul partook of the
good done to her body — sJte glorified God.
We need not doubt that this mighty
miracle was intended to sujiply hope and
comfort to sin-diseased souls. With Christ
nothing is impossible. He can soften the
hardest hearts, and bend the most stub-
born will. He can enable sinners who
have long been poring over earthly things,
or wasting themselves in soul-defiling ex-
cesses, to look upward to heaven, and see
the kingdom of God. Let us never, there-
fore, despair about the salvation of others
so long as they live, but pray on, labor on,
and faint not. Jesus is " able to save to
the uttermost."
14. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with in-
dignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sab-
bath day, and said unto the people, 'There are six days
in which men ought to work : in ILiem therefore come
and be healed, and <inot on the sabbath day.
<^Ex. XX. 9. dMatt. xii. 10: Mark iii. 2; Luke vi. 7 and
xiv. 3.
There were some present who, instead
of being touched by the ^ight of the
woman's joy, were filled with indignation.
The ruler of the synagogue was one of these.
He had not dared to prevent the Lord
from teaching in the synagogue, because
he knew the admiration in which He was
held by the people. But now he could
no longer restrain his rage, and he angrily
addressed the congregation loud enough
for Jesus to hear him, saying. There are
six days in which men ought to ivork : in them
therefore come and be healed, and not on the
sabbath day. The people had not come to
the synagogue m order to be healed, they
had come to worship God. The ruler
knew this, but he only sought for some
pretense to hinder the glorious triumphs
of the Redeemer. There are six days, &c.
The bitterness and sarcasm of this unhappy
speech are very remarkable, and show
that the wonderful miracle the man had
just witnessed, instead of convincing him
that Jesus was the Messiah, called forth
the corruption of his heart. He affected
to be hurt at what he chose to consider a
desecration of the Sabbath, but the true
860
LUKE.
reason for his indignation was the fact
that Christ was glorified. He feared the
effect of the miracle which liad just been
wrought, and under the influence of this
fear, he covertly and meanly endeavored
to conv'ey the impression that the cure
performed by our Lord was not super-
natural, but such as those effected by
human agency, and not therefore to be
distinguished from the common medical
treatment of patients.
15. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou
hypocrite, tdoth not each one of you on the sabbath
loose his ox or hia ass Iruiu the stall, and lead him away
to watering? l(i. And ought not this woman, fbehig a
daughter of Abraliaiu, whom Satan hath bound, lo,
these eighteen yeiirs. bi! locjseil from this bond on tlie
sabbath day ?— '^^Ohap. xiv. 5. 'Chap. xix. 9.
" Tliou hypocrite," literally, hypocrite !
This caviling at healing on the Sabbath
day was one of the stereotype tests of the
hypocrite. The epithet, though severe,
was spoken in love, and precisely suited
the case, for the man was not disturbed
because the Sabbath was violated, but be-
cause Christ was glorified, and besides,
not daring directly to find fault with the
Lord, he sou<rht obliquely to reach Him
through the people, who were now under
His influence, and whom he feared less.
Doth not each one of you on the Sabbath, &c.
The Talmud states that a beast might be
led forth to watering on the Sabbath day,
so that it bare no other burden than its
collar and halter. Indeed, it was held law-
ful to draw water for them and pour it into
the trough, but it was not lawful to bear
water to the beast, which must be led to the
well, pool or river, and watered there.
And ought not this woman, being a daughter
of Abraham, &c. It is not easy to doubt
that this woman was not only a natural
descendant of Abraham, but his daughter
by spiritual relation, in the Iiighest sense
of the term. (Gal. iii. 7.) Oar Lord's
reasoning was this : Is your loosing and
watering the beast a work of necessity ?
much more is mine. Is yours a work of
mercy? mine much more. Your compas-
sion is to a beast, mine to a rational crea-
ture, to a woman, and that not a stran-
ger, an heathen woman, but one of your
own, a Jewish woman, a daughter of Abra-
ham: nor this only ; my work was one of
far greater necessity, and more special
mercy than yours, for the beast might live
a day without water and not be sick, but
this woman was in sore distress for eighteen
years— she was in the hands of the enemy
of mankind, bound by Satan. Your work,
moreover, is a process of unfastening and
leading away to water, whilst I have but
spoken a word and released a body from
suflering. Was it not then a greater act
of compassion and mercy, and is it not
more lawful to loose this' woman, on this
very sabbath day (for so the original literally
signifies) than to lead a beast? There
will be noticed at the root of this argu-
ment, as of so much else in Scripture, a
deep assertion of the specific difference
between man, the lord of creation, for
whom all things were made, and all the
inferior orders of beings that tread the
same earth with him, and with whom on
the side of his body he is akin. He is
something more than the first in this chain
and order of beings, he is specifically dif-
ferent. (1 Cor. ix. 9; Ps. viii. 8.)
17. And when he had said these things, all his adver-
saries were ashamed : and all the people rejoiced IbraU
the glorious things that were done by him.
The ruler of the synagogue had his party,
but they were thoroughly put to shame.
Their shallow and malignant hypocrisy
had been so thoroughly exposed by Jesus,
that they were conscious that they had for-
feited the respect of the common people,
and hence they were filled with a sense
of shame and disgrace. But whilst Christ's
adversaries were ashamed, the people were
affected differently. They rejoiced for all
the glorious things that were done by him. The
view of the miracle which the_v had just
witnessed renewed again the recollection
of the former ones, wrought, as we have
reason to believe, on the same day, and
the continuity of this beneficent activity
disposed heart and mouth to the glorifying
of God.
18. V sThen said he. Unto what is the kingdom of God
like? And whereunto shall I resemble it? 19. It is
like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and
Cist it into his garden : and it grew, and waxed a great
tree : and the iowls of the air lodged in the branches of
it.— ;Matt. xiii. 31 ; Mark iv. 30.
The comparison wliieh Clirist uses,
likening the growth of His kingdom to
that of a tree, was one with which many
of His hearers may have been already
familiar from the Scriptures of the Old
Te.stament. (Ezek. xvii. 22-24; Ps. Ixxx.
8.) Like a grain of mnsfnrd seed. The
CHAPTER XIII
861
planl here spoken of was proba])ly the
" Khardal," or Turkish niustard (botanic-
iilly, the Salvadora Persica), which, from ii
very .small seed, grows to a tree with a
wooden tibre, and to such a size that it
can be climbed by a man, and so it truly
becometh a tree. It produces numerous
braniihes and leaves, among which birds
may and do take shelter and build their
nests. The peculiar aptness of the i)ar-
ticular kind of seed mentioned by our
Lord for His purpose, will be manifest,
when it is remembered that the point of
comparison in the parable is the greatness
of the effect from so small and unpromis-
ing a beginning, and that the mustard seed
was the smallest of domestic garden seeds
in proportion to the size of the tree which
it produces. The point presented by our
Lord is, not greatness in itself, but the
greatness of the tree when compared with
the smallness of the seed from which it
springs. By the kingdom of God, we may
understand saving truth, living and grow-
ing great, either in the world or in an
individual human heart.
Cast into Ids garden. The grai n of mustard
seed is here represented as sown in a good
soil, and a select spot, a giirdc!), and not a
field. And the fowls of the air lodged, &c.
Though this last circumstance may have
been introduced to complete the image of
a goodly tree, yet it is also to be recognized
as a prophecy of the refuge and defense
that should be for all men in the Church ;
liovv that multitudes should thither make
their resort, finding their protection from
worldly oppression, as well as the satisfac-
tion for all the needs and wants of their
souls. (See Ezek. xvii. 23.)
Like the mustard seed, the " kingdom
of God" was at its commencement, to out-
ward sense, small and insignificant. Behold
the stable in Bethlehem, and that weak
babe sleeping in the manger. In the
quiet of domestic privacy the child in-
creases; in His thirtieth year He comes
forth into public, teaches three years, and
then dies upon the cross. (Matt. xiii. 54,
55.) Fishermen and publicans, plain and
unlettered men, having no countenance or
support from the ordinary forces of the
w<>rld, are His first scholars and messen-
gers, and thev gathered themselves to
Pliin only by degrees (John i. 35-51) ; be-
sides the twelve, the whole umltiUule of
disciples amounted to but one hundred
and twenty (Acts i. 15). . So small at first
was the company of our Lord's followers;
small also is the beginning of the heavenly
kingdom in the human heart ; it begins
by a word of truth reaching the con-
.science, a ray of light from above fin<ls
its way into tlie darkness of the inner
man, and ])erhaps some trifling circum-
stance gives rise to consequences infinitely
important.
It grew, and waxed a great tree. The Gos-
pel spread on all sides from Jerusalem,
manifesting itself as an effect of the power
given to the exalted Son of man, and of
His blessed influence, since He accompa-
nied the preached Gospel with the gracious
workings of His Spirit. In spite of perse-
cution, opposition and violence, Christi-
anity gradually spread and increased.
Year after year its adherents became
more numerous. City after city, and
country after country, received the
new faith. Individual believers, also, ex-
perience only a gradual increase in
faith, discernment, love, hope, humility,
and all the Christian graces. Amid many
storms, both of external and internal
temptation, the new creature still grows,
and the old more and more decays. (2
Cor. iii. 18.)
The kingdom of God is like the mustard
seed in its great and glorious issue. The
parable places before us in a lively and
striking image such truths as these: "The
earth shall be covered with the knowledge
of the glory of God, even as the waters
cover the sea;" "all shall know me, from
the least to the greatest." The appearance
presented by a heart which wholly belongs
to Christ is in like manner great and glo-
rious. What did not a John, a Paul, be-
come? And all from the small beginning
that the word of God had been implanted
in the heart!
20. And afrnin lip said. Whereiinto shall I liken the
kins^dom of <>;xl ? 21. It is liko leavpn. which a woman
took and hid in three hmeasures of meal, till the whole
wa.s leavened.— I'See Matt. xiii. 33.
To the agricultural analogy just given,
our Lord added another borrowed from
domestic life and female industry, as if to
leave no part of every-day experience un-
863
LUKE,
employed in the elucidation and enforce-
ment of religious trutli. The kingdom of
God. Tills ijhrarfe may be understood as
denoting the reign of grace by which
Christ rules in the hearts of men ; also,
and mainly, as relating to Christianity in
its workings with the race. The following
points are noticeable in the parable : 1. As
"a little leaven leaveneth the whole
lump," so our holy religion had a small
and slight beginning in the world, and
has also in the human heart, generally be-
ginning by a word of truth reaching the
conscience. 2. As this leaven was a for-
eign importation, so Christianity was not
of earthly origin, and Divine grace is
something introduced into the soul from
without. 3. As leaven is of an assimilative
nature, so the Gospel transforms society
into the likeness of itself, and Divine
grace makes the subject of it a new crea-
ture. 4. The Gospel, like leaven, is
diffusive in the world and in the individual
heart. 5. The Gospel and Divine grace,
like leaven, work silently, gradually and
outwardly. Beginning in the center, they
reach an external development. 6. The
Gospel and Divine grace, like the leaven,
are destined to work until their saving
power reaches the full completion of its
design — until the whole mass is leavened.
Their triumph is sure.
A woman took. In the Scriptures the
Holy Spirit is frequently referred to in
such terms as these : "As a mother com-
forteth her son, so will I comfort thee."
"Under the apple tree (a name by which
Christ was denoted), thy mother brought
thee forth ; there she brought thee forth
that bare thee." " Ye must be born again."
Three measures of meal. A measure was
the third part of an ephah, and these three
were the usual quantity for a baking.
(Gen. xviii. 6; Judg. vi. 19; 1 Sam. i. 24.)
Till the whole loas leavened. There are some
who see in the three measures the constit-
uent parts of our compound being, soul,
body and spirit. But it is more than prob-
able that our Lord had not in His mind
any of the various allegorical meanings
which have been attached to His words.
The Gospel is destined to conquer the
world, and subdue it to itself. It is now
spreading, elevating society, and it will
continue to do so, until at the mean of
Jesus every knee shall bow and every
tongue confess. Nothing can prevent its
progress and dominion. So with the
grace of God in the heart, " The righteous
shall hold on his way." God " will per-
fect that which concerneth us." The
" good part " which has been " chosen "
'* shall never be taken away." " Being con-
lident of this very thing, that He which
hath begun a good work in you will per-
form it until the day of Jesus Christ."
22. iAnd he went through the cities and villages,
teacliing. and journeying toward Jerusalem.
iMatt. ix. 35 ; Mark vi. 6.
He went through the cities and villages.
This is Luke's general heading for the Perxan
minutry of Jesus. The cities and villages
were those of the trans-Jordanic region,
including Bethabara and the localities
generally of John's baptisms. Jesus preach-
ed by His holy doctrine, but also by His
exemplary life. Wherever Providence
brings us, we should endeavor to be doing
all the good we can. The pastor who in-
structs his people with care, visits his
flock, and is continually intent on his
duty, advances very fast toward the
heavenly Jerusalem.
23. U Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few
that be saved ? And he said unto them, 24. JStrive to
enter in at tlie strait gate: lor tmany, I .say unto you,
will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
JMatt. vii. 13. ^see John vii. 34, viii. 21 and xiii. 33 ;
Rom. LX. 31.
Then said one. The time, place and per-
son are not particularly stated. Lord. The
respectful address, and the confidence of
the inquirer in our Lord's ability to answer,
show that he had some proper view of
Christ's character, and render it probable
that his question was not one of captious-
ness or curiosity, but grew out of some
anxiety on the subject of salvation. Are
there few that be saved? The question was
much debated by the Jewish doctors,
some maintaining that all Israelites are
saved by birthright, others asserting that
the saved will be few, just as but few of
the original Israelites arrived in Canaan.
That the Saviour's instruction contains
an answer — it is true, indirect, but yet
satisfactory and powerful — to the question
addressed Him, strikes us at once on com-
paring the two. Strive. The word used to
denote those extraordinary efforts, made
bythe combatants in the Olympic games, to
CHAPTER XIII.
863
gain the victory. It is that from which
•we take our Eu<^lisli word "agonize." It
is like our expression, strain everi/ nerve to
enter in at the strait gate. The strait gate was
SL wicket-gate in a larger one. At would
be better translated " through." The idea
is that of a struggle to press through the
narrow entrance-way, to renounce the
world and sin, accept the ofl'ered salvation
through Christ, and press toward the
kingdom with great earnestness and per-
severance. Men may make devotion as
easy as they please — they may widen the
gate of heaven, and flatter themselves
and others that their salvation is continu-
ally in their hands. The direct contrary is
true ; since truth itself assures us so. Sal-
vation is neither for the slothful and idle,
who will not strive ; nor for such as will
not enter in at the strait gate ; nor yet for
•those who i)resume to the very last, either
upon their own strength or upon the grace
of God. God has His proper seasons,
which we must by no means let slip.
For many, I say unto you, &c. We are to
understand such a seeking as is in the
wrong direction and at the wrong time.
The word here translated " seek " is the
very same which is used in the familiar
promise : " Seek, and ye shall find ; knock,
and it shall be opened unto yOu." It does
not, therefore, mean faintness or feebleness
of effort, but effort to enter, at the wrong
time, and by the wrong way, into ever-
lasting life, into which there is but one
entrance-way, and that through the strait
gate. We are not to suppose that many
who are very anxious to be saved, may,
notwithstanding, come short of salvation.
But if men do not find eternal life, it is
because they do not seek it in the way in
which God hath appointed it to be sought.
No man who thus seeks it shall seek it in
vain. Neither are we to infer from this
statement of our Lord anything discour-
aging as to the number of the human race
that will be saved. The Scriptures inform
us that there are to be " nations of the
saved," and that they are to form " a mul-
titude whom no man can number."
25. iWhen once the master of the house is risen up,
and mliatli shut to the door, and ye begin to stand with-
out, and to l^nock at the door, saying, "Lord. Lord,
open unto u-i : and he shall answer and say unto you, "I
know yovi not whenee ye are :
iPs. xxxii. n : Xsa. Iv. fe. mMatt. xxv. 10. nLiiIfe vi. 46.
oMatt. vii. 23 and xxv. 12.
When once, literally, from the time, the
master of the house, the hospitable enter-
tainer of his friends, is risen up, from his
seat, in order to shut to the door. This ex-
presses deliberate forethought and deter-
mination, alter the exercise of patience
and forbearance. And ye begin to stand
witJiout, and to knock at the door, or, ye shall
take to standing without and knocking,
showing a change from carelessness to
concern ; saying. Lord, Lord, open to us.
This appeal implies earnestness and ex-
pectation ; all they ask is an open door and
a refuge. And lie shall answer and say unto
you, I know you not whence ye are. The
word " know " here is used in a somewhat
peculiar sense. It is equivalent to ac-
knowledged or approved — a sense of the
term of not unfrequent occurrence in
Scripture. "The Lord knoweth the way
of the righteous" (Ps. i. 6) — He approves,
and gives tokens of His approval, of their
way. " I know " — acknowledge — " my
sheeji, and am known " — acknowledged —
of mine. The words vjhence ye are should
be given interrogatively, " Whence are
YE?"
26. Tlien shall ye begin to say. We have eaten and
drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our
streets.
We have eaten and drunk in thy presence,
and thou hast taught in our streets. They
had, perhaps, partaken of His miraculous
feedings with the five thousand. Jesus,
doubtless, often ate and drank, and was on
terms of friendship and social intercourse
with those whom, as a public teacher, He
addressed. It is eating and drinking be-
fore the Lord that is spoken of, wittiout
inward communion with Him. It was
customary with Jewish doctors to teach in
the streets. It will be observed that there
is a striking climax in the earnestness of
those who applied for admittance : first,
standing some time without, then knock-
ing, then calling, finally reminding of
former acquaintance; but all in vain.
27. pBut he shall say, I tell yon. I know ye not
whence ye are; qdepart from me, all ye workers of in-
iquity.
pMatt. vii. 23 and xxv. 41 : verse 25. qPs. vi. 8: Matt.
xxv. 41.
The words, J knoy< yon not ivhence ye are,
are repe.ated, yet with still greater empha-
sis, showing that the judgment is inexora-
ble. Depart from, me all ye vorkers of
iniquity. The word workers here signifies
864
LUKE,
hired operatives. He charges them, there-
fore, with being the paid fabricators and
laborers of wickedness. The similarity
between this expression and Matt. xxv.
41, appears to show clearly that the time
describetl is the second coming of Christ,
and the judgment day.
28. rThPre shall be weeping and gniushing of teeth,
"When }"e shall see Abruhuiii, luid Isaac, and Jac"b, and
all the prophets, m the kingduui ol' God, and you your-
selves tUrnst ont.
'Matt. viii. 12, ; xiii. 42 and xxiv. 51. "Matt. viii. 11.
Those who by i^rocrastination and inac-
tion suffer the time of admission to the
Gospel feast to pr 5S by, and hence are ex-
cluded, are here represented as in the
midst of night (hell.) Yet they are said
to see heaven, thus showing that the lost
shall see afar olf the glory and blessedness
of the saved, and the sight shall add to their
misery, as they behold the patriarchs and
prophets of the Old Testament participants
of this joy, and they themselves as the
children of those spiritual ancestors, thrust
out. Weeping and gnashing of teeth, is a strong
image of that utter despair, darkness and
death of a soul excluded from God.
29. And they shall come from the east, and from the
west, and from the north, and/;'o«i the south, and shall
sit down in the kingdom of God.
The word many is here omitted, which
we find in the parallel passage in Mark
viii. 11, 12. Probably this omission is to
be accounted for by the fact that, by the
repetition of that word here, the Saviour
would have given a decided answer to the
question (verse 23), which, however, was
not in His intention, and was in conflict
with His wisdom in teaching. Shall come,
are to come hereafter: the reference is to
the calling of the Gentiles of all nations,
and people, and tongues, into the Church.
From the east, &c. The points of the com-
pass are given in their usual order, but it
is something of a coincidence that they
follow the course in which the Gospel
seems in human history to proceed. It
first took root in Syia and Asia Minor,
then spread to the west of Europe and
along the shores of the Mediterranean,
then turned northward to the Scandinavian
nations and Britain, and since that time
has spread, wherever it has spread, toward
the south, in Africa, Asia, South America
and the South Pacific ocean. AVe must co-
operate by our pmyers, desires, cares and
acts of charity, to enlarge the bounds of
the kingdom of God, if we cannot do it by
our labors and ministry. Sit doum, MteraWy,
lie down, or recline.
30. tAnd behold, there are last which shall be first,
and there are lirst which shall be last.
'Matt. xix. 3U and xx. 16 ; Mark x. 31.
The idea here is, that, in regard to the
Gospel feast, there shall be such a revers:,]
of present relations, that many of tho.sc
who seemed most likely to have been the
favored gtiests will be excluded, Avhile
others whose prospects for such an honor
were far less favorable will be selected as
the recipients. The Gentiles, who were
last, have become first; the reverse has
been the history of the Jews. And so in
the following chapters (xiv.-xvi.) the
Pharisees and publicans are reversed from
first to last.
31. H The same day there came certain of the Phari-
sees, saying unto him. Get tliee out, and depart hence :
lor Herod will kill thee. '
The same day — the day on which the
question of verse 23 was answered — there
came certain of the Pharisees, Herodian par-
tisans among the Jews, flatterers and tools
at the court of Herod Antipas. They were
Pharisees in profession, but Sadducees in
life and practice. Saying unto him, &c. Not
only Galilee, but also Pertea, and the boun-
dary district in which Jesus now was
(verse 22), belonged to the jurisdiction of
Herod.
32. And he said unto them. Go ye and tell that fox,
Behold, I ca.st out devils, and I do cures to-day and
to-morrow, and the third day "I shall be perlected.
uHeb. ii. 10.
The threats of Herod did not alarm the
Lord. He showed His abhorrence of
Herod's character by the name which He
gave him, a fox. It adds much to the force,
and points to the meaning of the message
sent, to understand that our Saviour called
the tetrarch of Galilee a " fox," in allusion
to a proverb at that time current, to the
eiTect, "Honor even the fox in the day of
his power." A fox among the Jews appears
to have been the emblem of a wicked ruler,
who united cunning with cruelty, and was
always plotting hoAV he might aggrandize
himself by robbing the people. Behold, J
cast Old devils, &c. Intentionally the Saviour
speaks not of His words but of His mirac-
ulous deeds, because these had most
strongly excited the uneasiness of Herod.
(Chap. ix. 9.) And the third day I shall hr
CHAPTER XIII,
865
perfected. These words do not refer to
bringing His works to a close on the third
day, but to His death. " I shall continue
my work, notwithstanding Herod's threats,
and at the end of that time I shall be per-
fected or finish my course by death."
(See Hosea vi. 2.)
33. Nevertheless I must walk to-day, and tomorrow,
and the day foUowinK: for it cannot be that a prophet
perish out of Jerusalem.
This is an intimation by our Lord that
He has nothing to fear from Herod, as
long as His day of life endures, and
tliat He united the fullest repose in
the present with the clearest con-
sciousness of His impending departure.
Walk. This conforms to the itinerant
ministry of Jesus, and is equivalent to, /
must jjroceed from place to place in the fulfill-
ment of my prescribed duties. It cannot
be, literally, it is not admissible. As John
the Baptist, to say nothing of other
prophets, did not die at Jerusalem, the
sense here must be, " It would be an un-
usual thing, an exception to a rule, for a
prophet to die in any place but Jerusalem.
When I do die, it will be at Jerusalem,
But I am not there yet, but in Galilee."
This was a rebuking irony upon guilty
Jerusalem. Jesus assigns the time and
place of His death, as having them more
in His own power than those who were to
inflict it on Him. The victim was not to
be sacrificed far from the temple, the
truth was to be accomplished near its
types and figures, and Jerusalem to fill up
the measure of her sins, in crucifying the
Saviour of the world.
3i. ^O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the pro-
phets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee ; how
often would I have gathered thy children together, as
a hen doth gather her brood under Iter wings, and ye
would not !~v]\Iatt. xxiii. 37.
The prospect of Christ's death, with all
its attendant horrors, did not excite angry
feelings in His breast. Instead of ex-
pressing anger, He burst forth into these
most tender lamentations over His mur-
derers.
0 Jerusalem. Jesus reiterated the same
apostrophe, in fuller terms, at a later mo-
ment in Jerusalem itself, as His closing
sentence before His retirement to the
sacrifice of Himself for the sins of the
world. (Matt, xxiii. 37-39.) KiUest the
prophets — identifying the Jerusalem of the
then present day with the Jerusalem of
past ages. How often would I. The beau-
tiful tenderness of this verse shows that
the warnings of the previous verses are
the language, not of human anger, but of
terrible Divine justice. Love, deep love,
may dwell in the breast of the judge who
pronounces the sentence of death. Would
I .... ye icould not. The Greek
word in both these phrases is stronger
than appears from our English translation.
It is, literally, "I willed, and ye willed
not." As a hen, &c. The emblem of " a
hen gathering her chickens under her
wings" is similar to what is used, with
respect of Jehovah, in several places of
the Old Testament. (Deut. xxxii. 11 ;
Ruth ii. 12 ; Ps. xvii. 8 ; xxxvi. 7 ; Ivii. 1 ;
Ixiii. 7 ; xci. 4.) Nor does all nature fur-
nish a more apt emblem of the Saviour's
tender love and faithful care of His re-
deemed people, but His jwnser is also
adequate to the confidence reposed in
Him. Ye would not. Our Lord does not
say, " thou wouldest not." By this mode
of speaking He makes it plain that He
charges the guilt of Jerusalem on its in-
habitants, and the men and women who
dwelt there, and specially on the priests,
and scribes and Pharisees, who governed
the city. They were neither willing to
be gathered themselves into the kingdom
nor allowed others to enter. Christ was
willing, but they were unwilling. Most
deplorably and inexcusably will they per-
ish, who perish by their own willfulness
and obduracy under the Gospel.
35. Behold, "your house is left unto you dasolate : and
verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the
time come when ye shall say, ^Blessed is he that cometh
in the name of the Lord.
"Lev. x.xvi. 31, 32; Ps. Ixix. 25; Isa. i. 7 ; Dan. ix. 27;
Micah iii. 12. "Ps. cxviii. 26 ; Matt. x.xi. 9; Mark xi. 10;
Luke xix. 38 ; John xii. 13
Your house is left unto you drsolaie. Je-
rusalem is pictured as from a future stand-
point, as a person whose habitation has
been completely desolated and abandoned
to the pillager. The house may be an
allusion to the temple. " Your temple
(now not God's house, but your house), in
which you glory, your holy and beautiful'
house, is now deprived of its glory. God.
has departed from it, and has no longer
any pleasure in it." Ye shall not see me. In
the word j/e, Jesus still considers Jerusalem
866
LUKE,
as being the same historical and national
person through all ages. Till ye — in your
posterity in a future age. Blessed is he that
Cometh, &c. The language by which the
children in the temple recognized Him as
the Messiah. (Ps. cxviii. 6.) Some think
that Christ here refers to the approaching
destruction of Jerusalem, when the fulfill-
ment of all His predictions would oblige
the Jews to confess that He was the Mes-
siah. Others think that our Lord's words
are not yet fulfilled, and that they refer to
the last times, when the Jews, after their
last tribulation, shall " look on Him whom
they pierced," and believe, at the time of
His second advent in glory. Though Je-
rusalem be still desolate, and Israel scat-
tered, the unseen person of Jesus is still
on Zion, and His unseen feet still stand on
Olivet. His ever preserving care perpetu-
ates the race in its vicissitudes,- waiting
for the day when devoted Israel shall say,
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the
Lord.
1. Who told Christ of the Galileans ? 2. "WTiat did He say to them ? 3. What parable did Jesnsspeak ? 4. Ex-
plain it. 5. What miracle did He perform ? 6. State the particulars of it. 7. How did our Lord answer the
objection of the ruler of the synagogue ? 8. Explain the parable of the grain of mustard seed. 9. Also that of
the leaven. 10. What did Jesus answer to the question, " are there few that be saved?" 11.- What message did
Christ send to Herod ? 12. State our Lord's lamentation concerning Jerusalem.
CHAPTER XIV.
2 Christ healeth the dropsy on the sabbath : 7 teacheth
humiUtij : 12 to/east the poor : 15 under the parable
ofthi-- prrat supper, sheweth how luorldly minded men,
uho rimlnnnihe loord of Ood, shaU he shut out of heaven
2.5 Thiisi who will be his disciples, to bear their cross
inust i.iaAr their accoutUs aforehand, lest with shame
they rfV'At from him afterward. 34 and become alto-
gether unprofitable, like salt thai hath last its savour.
Notwithstanding the severe language of
our Lord to Pharisees at their own table,
these Pharisees were themselves very apt
to repeat the invitation. It often happens
that men return, again and again, to hear
the preachingof ministerswhooffend them
through a wounded conscience. At the
feast, with a reference to Avhich this chap-
ter commences, our Lord is a central object
for all eyes and ears, while He Himself is
calmly at perfect ease.
AND it came to pass, as he went into the house of
one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sab-
bath day, that they watched him.
One of the chief Pharisees. As they had as
a sect no chiefs in the common sense of
the word, we are probably to understand
here a Pharisee who, by his rank, learning,
or influence, had obtained a moral pre-
dominance over those of his sect, like
Nicodemus, Gamaliel, and others. 2o eat
bread on the Sabbath day. The tables of the
Jews, as their Rabbinical writings show,
were generally better spread on the Sab-
bath than on any other days, and that, as
they themselves reckoned, on account of
religion and piety. As the Saviour so often
Vjorrowed the images of His parables from
that which was actually present before His
eyes and the eyes of His hearers, and as
He represented a certain man as having
made a great supper, it would seem that
this also at which He was now sitting was
more than an ordinary entertainment. As
inns and places of reception were doubtless
far more uncommon in our Lord's time
than they are now, and thus the duty of
entertaining strangers often devolved on
the chief man in each village or town, we
may regard this Pharisee, though not a
friend of Christ, as having done only what
was customary for a man in his position
in inviting to his table a stranger who was
teaching religion, and whom some regarded
as a prophet. They nvtrhed him, doubtless
for the purpose of finding something of
which they might accuse Him. Jesus went
among sinners as a physician goes into the
wards of a hospital, only because there is
good to be done.
Tho^e who cannot, like Christ, render a
CHAPTER XIV.
867
Sabbath social gathering a profitable occa-
sion, had better absent themselves. As
the world takes notice of everything in
C^hristiuns, what particular care should
they exercise in all their actions!
2. And behold there was a certain man before him
which had the dropsy.
Before him, as Jesus sat, perhaps, on the
divan, before the company had taken seats
at the table. There is the strongest proba-
bility that the man placed himself " bcfoi'e
Christ " in faith, hoping that He would see
and heal him. A.ny difficulty as to how the
man without permission could have found
entrance into a private house rests upon
an ignorance of the almost pubHc life of
the East, and a forgetting how easily, in a
moment of excitement, such as this must
have been, the feeble barriers which the
conventional rules of society would oppose
might be broken through. The dropsy is
a disease in which the body, or some part
of it, is filled with w^ater, most usually the
abdomen. It is sufficient sometimes that
our miseries be only exposed to the eyes
of mercy. Mercy is of a preventing nature,
and, without waiting for our solicitation,
is disposed to do us good. Jesus did not
omit any opportunity of helping and heal-
ing the distressed, though He knew that
His enemies, the Pharisees, might carp
and cavil at it, it being the constant guise
of hypocrites to prefer ceremonial and
ritual observances before necessary and
moral duties.
.•?. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and
Pharisees, saying, '■Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath
day ?— aMatt. xii. 10.
As we are not told that anything was
said or spoken by the lawyers and- Phari-
sees, we are to understand that our Lord
answered their thoughts. He knew their
usual objection (Matt. xii. 11 ; Luke xiii.
15), and anticipated it by a question, "Is
it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?"
Had they answered this question affirma-
tively, they would have sanctioned His
miracle ; had they answered it nega-
tively, they would have betrayed their
own want of love. It was not out of
ignorance, but charity, that Christ asked
this question, on purpose to give those
men an occasion of reflecting upon their
own thoughts, and by their answer to en-
gage them in such as are good.
4. And they held their peace. And he took him, and
healed him, and let him go :
They had been so often put to silence
before the people, that, at this time, they
feared to encounter Christ's arguments
and rebukes, and hence kept quiet. Ob-
serving they were silent. He took hold of
the man, healed him, and dismissed him
from the assembly — perhaps, lest they
should visit him with their malice, as they
had lately done to the man born blind at
Jerusalem. There is, in wicked persons,
a silence proceeding from pride, malice,
impotence, dissimulation and craft, but it
cannot hide their hearts from Him who
sees their inmost recesses, nor ought«we to
have any manner of regard to them, when
an opportunity of doing good works pre-
sents itself. We should do nothing which
can give occasion to the Lord's enemies to
blaspheme. The thing is i^ossible. By
the grace of God it can be done. The
haters of Daniel were obliged to confess,
" we shall not find any occasion against
this Daniel, except we find it against him
concerning the law of his God." (Dan.
vi. 5.)
5. And answered them,. say ing,'fcWhich of you shall
have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit. and will not
straightway pull liim out on the sabbath day ? (i. And
they could not answer him again to these things.
bEx. xxiii. 5 ; Deut. xxii. 4 ; Luke xiii. 15.
" You grudge that I should deliver this
man upon this day from the water which
is choking him, yet if the same danger
from water threatened one of your beasts,
an ass or an or, you would make no scruple
of extricating it on the Sabbath from the
dangers which threatened it; how much
then is a man better than a beast?" And
they could not answer him again to these things.
They w'ere convinced, no doubt, but we
read nothing of their conversion. The
obstinate and malicious are much harder
to be wrought upon than the ignorant and
scandalous. It is easier to silence such
men than to satisfy them ; to stop their
mouths than to remove their prejudices, for
obstinacy will hold the conclusion, though
reason cannot maintain the premises.
7. 1. And he put forth a parable to those which were
bidden, when he marked how thev chose out the chief
rooms: saying unto them, 8. When thou art hidden
of any »jan to a wedding, sit not down in the highest
room ; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden
of him ; 9. And he that bade thee and him come and
say to thee, Ciive this man place; and thnu heein with
shame to take the lowest room. 10. ■^^But when tl'.ou art
bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room : tb:it when
he that bade thee eomoth. he mav sav unto thee. Friend,
go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the
868
LUKE
presence of them that sit at meat with thee. 11. dFor
whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he
that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
<!Prov xxv. G, 7. liJob xxii. 29; Ps. xviii. 27; Pro v.
xxix. ii ; Matt, xxiii. 12 ; Luke xviii. 14 ; James iv. 6 ;
1 Peter v. 5.
Chose out the chief rooms. In the East it
is still the custom for guests to occupy
seats that mark their degree of rank. The
Pharisees showed a great anxiety to occupy
the most honorable eeats. Our Lord openly
censured their conduct, and alluded to one
ofSolomon'sproverbs(xxv. 6), an authority
that they professed to revere. The sinner
is bidden to enter the household of his
Father, and to hold fellowship with that
Father liimself, and with all his family.
Everything that is needful for his refresh-
ment and comfort is spread out for him
within the house, where he has been ad-
mitted. And having entered, he is in a
very different position from what he W'as
before he had heard or replied to that in-
vitation. Formerly an outcast and an
alien, now he is a recognized and welcome
guest. Now the "table is spread for him
in the presence of his enemies." But he
must take good heed to himself. There is
no room for self-exaltation here. He must
not hegin to take the highest room. The same
spirit which led him to feel so unworthy
of the least benefit from his Father — which
led him to stand afar off, and hardly to
dare to lift up his eyes unto heaven, must
characterize him still. In other words, Ave
are to obey the Divine command, " Let
each esteem others better than them-
selves." The injunction is to take the low-
est room — not to think of others at all, but
to feel that to be admitted to sit down in
such communion is sufficient, and the soul
asks no more. Our Lord says that this
conduct will be followed by the master of
the feast calling the lowly one higher. He
does not put forth this as a motive w?iy we
should take the lowest place, but merely
to show that the whole ordering and ar-
ranging of these things are of the Lord.
He may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher,
or, He may not. You have nothing to do
with that. It is enough for you to be at
the feast — leave all the rest to Him — with
this certainty, however, that whosoever ex-
alteth himself shall be abased, and he that Jnan-
bletk himself shall be exalted. God will Him-
self, according to His own will, and in His
own way, establish this truth. We must
honor Him by putting all this into His
hands with real heartfelt humility. And
He will take care just to give us that place
by which He will be honored, and we our-
selves made happy and glorious forever.
12. H Then said he also to him that bade him, When
thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends,
nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich
neighbours ; lest they also bid thee again, and a recom-
pense be made thee. 13. But when thou makest a
feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, ^the blind.
14. And thou shalt be blessed ; for they cannot recom-
pense thee : for thou shalt be recompensed at the res-
urrection of theiust.— cNeh. viii. 10-12.
To him that bade him. We must not even
allow the hospitality of those Avho appear
friendly to interrupt us in our duty, or in-
duce us to be unfaithful, though the con-
trary conduct will probably, on some
occasions, draw on us the censure of rude-
ness or ingratitude. A dinner or a supper.
The inhabitants of the East generally, and
as well the Greeks and Romans also, took
a slight dinner, chiefly of fruits, milk,
cheese, etc., about ten or eleven o'clock of
our time, and then, on account of the
burning heat of noon, deferred their prin-
cipal meal till about six or seven in the
afternoon. Call not thy friends, nor thy
brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich
neighbors. These terms merely mean the
higher classes of society, to which the host
himself belonged. ^-1 feast. A general en-
tertainment, or banquet. Some suppose
that Christ alludes here to the festival of
the second sort of first fruits (or the feast
of weeks), at which Moses enacted that
servants and widows, orphans and Levites,
should be make free partakers. (Deut.
xvi. 11-14, xii. 12-18) For thou shalt be
recompensed at the resurrection of the just. We
are not to understand here that resurrec-
tion is the special privilege of the righteous.
It is hard to put any other sense on the
expression than this : that there is a res-
urrection of which none but the just, or
righteous, shall be partakers — a resurrec-
tion which sh;ill be the peculiar privilege
of the righteous, and shall precede that of
the wicked. The last words, of the just,
would have been purposeless if the Saviour
had here had in mind the general resur-
rection which he describes, e. g., John v.
28,29. He distinguishes, like Paul (IThes.
iv. 16; 1 Cor. xv. 23) and John (Rev. xx.
5, 6), between a first and a second resur-
rection. (Comp., also, Luke xx. 34-36.)
CHAPTER XIV.
869
Our Lord, in these verses, gives no les-
son against the interchange of liospitalities
among friends. He does not deny that
they have their hoaUhful, social iniiuence
among men. The repayments of the social
debts of life, performed in the right spirit,
have the blessing of God upon them. He
would be evidently condemning Himself
in attending them, if. He v.'ere rebuking
the inviters. Neither did Jesus mean, ab-
solutely and universally, to prohibit men
fi'om entertaining their Avealthy friends,
relatives and neighbors. Nor did He in-
tend to encourage an injudicious, useless
and profuse expenditure of money in
giving to the poor. But the sentiment is
simply this : that we are not to lavish our
attentions upon those only from whom
we may expect some favor in return,
which is the very essence of selfishness,
but are to expend them upon those rather
whose condition in life forbids the hope
that they can repay our kind attention.
Only where one does something, not out
of an every-day craving for advantage,
but out of disinterested love, does the
Saviour promise the richest reward. The
venerable reformer and martyr. Hooper,
of England, while he was Bishop of Glou-
cester, entertained a certain number of
the poor everj' day, with a dinner of
whole and wholesome meats, in his great
hall, having first examined them in the
Creed, the Lord's Prayer and the Ten
Commandments ; nor would he himself
sit down to the table until his poor guests
had been served. But though he had
given his goods to feed the poor, and
though at length he gave his body to be
burned, so far was he from trusting in his
good deeds for salvation, that, when
brought to the stake, he was heard to
pray thus: " Lord, I am hell, but thou art
heaven ; I am a sink of sin, but thou art a
gracious God and a merciful Redeemer."
1-5. If And when one of thein that sat at meat with
him heard these things, he said unto him, 'Blessed is he
that shaU eat bread in the kingdom of God.
fRev. xlx. 9.
The moment our Lord touched upon
the resurrection of the just, one of the
company laid hold of His words, as afford-
ing a welcome opix>rtunity to turn the
conversation into another channel, and
expressed a great desire to participate in
the blessedness of that day, of which,
however, his heart knew nothing, so that
he only feigned this stroke of piety with
his lips.
To eat bread is a well-known Hebrew
phrase for sharing in a repast, whether it be
at a common meal or at a sumptuous feast.
Kiiiffdom of God. By this the Jew meant a
iXHurrection kingdom, when the Messiah
should come. Perhaps he wished, in say-
ing what he did, to end Chrii^t's discourse,
which contained nothing flattering for the
host, and thus, with worldly covetousness,
come to the help of the Pharisee who had
invited him, and avert the threatening
storm. At all events by what was pre-
viously intimated of the moral condition
of the guests, and still more by the whole
structure of the ixirable, in which it is
manifested, by means of the guests first
invited, how an earthly disposition and
the love of this present world withhold so
many from a blessed participation in. the
great supj^er, and how those only made
their appearance there, in whose case no
such hindrance existed, we are justified in
thinking that the man's language was not
expressive nor indicative of a real earnest
desire for i^articipation of the blessedness
of the finally saved.
10. BThen said he unto him, A certain man made a
great supper, and bade many :— k-ilatt. xxii. 2.
This parable, though there are some
points of resemblance between it and that
recorded in Matt. xxii. 1-14, is i^erfectly
distinct from it. This occurred at a meal,
that in the temple; this at an earlier
period, that at a much later. At the time
of Luke's narrative, the hostility of the
Pharisees was not yet so intensely ex-
pressed, and there was some hope of
softening down and winning to a better
mind, and therefore all is gentle and ])er-
suasive. At the time of Matthew's narra-
tive, the hostility and hatred of the
Pharisees to the Son of man had risen to
its highest > possible pitch. There seems
to have been left no hope, and therefore
there is a tone of stern and unsparing
severity.
A certain man, that is, the Saviour. In
this case it is not a king, but a i>erson in a
private station, who provides the feast.
And the occasion of the rejoicing is not
870
LUKE.
the marriage of the entertainer's son ; it
is an ordinary example of hospitaUty exer-
cised by an affluent citizen. Made a great
supper. The representation of the bless-
ings of the Messiah's kingdom, under
the image of a feast, was very common
(Lsa. XXV. 6; Prov. ix. 1-5 ; Matt. viii. 11 ;
also various passages in the Book of Rev-
elation). As men's relish is so little, their
desire so feint for the things heavenly,
they are therefore presented to them
under such inviting images as this, that if
possible they may be stirred up to a more
earnest longing after them.
The word translated supper was, in
ancient times, employed generally to sig-
nify the principal meal, without reference
to a particular period of the day ; and,
from the circumstances of this case, it
would appear that the feast was a dinner
at an early hour, not a supper in our sense
of the word. The supper may be called
great, as well on account of the abundance
of the refreshing viands, as on account of
"its being intended to be celebrated by
manj\ How rich and abundant the pro-
visions which God has made in His
Gospel for those who will come to His
house, enter the Church, and become true
members of it by repentance toward
God, and feith in our Lord Jesus Christ !
For such there is refreshment in the dis-
coveries and promises of the Gospel
(Luke i. 78; Mai. iv. 2) ; in its privileges
and blessings, such as the knowledge of
salvation by the remission of sins, the
favor of God, regeneration, adoption, &c.
(Matt. xi. 28) ; in the communications of
grace through the Spirit, and the prospects
of future glory and felicity. (lsa. Iv. 1-6.)
Provision is made in the Gospel for the
sustenance or support of the Divine life in
all penitent believers, namely, the blood
and righteousness, or the merits, of Christ
(.John vi.), received and fed upon by faith ;
" this is the bread that came down from
heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and
not die" (verse 50).
And bade vuiny. It was a custom exist-
ing among the Jews, in giving entertain-
ments, first to issue their invitations to
their guests generally, and then on the
day appointed to send out again to them
who were invited to call them to the feast.
The Jews, as sprung from 4-braham, were
invited to the feast, for to that patriarch
was the seed promised through which the
blessing was to come, and accordingly th«
prophets carried it forward, and showed
the people that there was no failure in
regard to the Lord's will concerning the
glorious festival for which He had made
all previous pi-eparation, and pressed on
them His invitations. At the opening of
the Gospel dispensation, God sent the
harbinger of the Messiah, John the Bap-
tist, the Messiah himself. His son and ser-
vant, with His servants, the Apostles, first
twelve and then the seventy, and by them
invitations had been given. The invita-
tion comes from the free grace and love of
God ; on the part of the invited there is
found no worth or desert. The invitation
is still always made through the procla-
mation of the blessed Gospel in churches,
schools and families, by all who communi-
cate its truth to others. The fact of many
invitations being given, is evidence of the
greatness and expensiveness of the feast,
and renders the conduct of those refusing
attendance more inexcusable.
17. And isent his servant at supper time to say to
tlieni that were biiiden, Come; for all things are liow
ready.— 1' Prov. ix. 2, 5.
It was an Eastern custom to bid the guests
a second time, by a messenger, who an-
nounced that they might come because
everything was ready. Servant. When
the fullness of time was come (Gal. iv. 4),
John the Bajitist and the Apostles went
forth to say to those that were bidden, to
the people of Israel, now is the time, come.
Servant, however, is to be taken in a col-
lective sense. It is the calling voice of God,
as uttered through all His messengers.
Supper time, literally, at the hour of supper.
Coming denotes the necessary internal
change and readiness for receiving what
was prepared, just as corporeal coming
implies a change of place. The repeating
of the invitation manifests the earnest
desire and gracious jjurpose of God to do
everything on His part to bring men to a
participation in the offered salvation, and
at the same time, also, the utter invalidity
of the alleged grounds of excuse, /or all
things are noiv ready. Now is indicative of
the present time, in the New Testament.
All things are now ready. All preceding
CHAPTER XIV.
871
dispensations were a preparation for
Christ. When He appeared in the flesh,
those who had been all along brought up
within the lines of the privileged people
were invited to behold the Lamb of God
that taketh away the sin of the world.
This is repeated in the experience of
every generation, and every individual
that grows up within the circle of Chris-
tian ordinances, as soon as the mind com-
prehends the message of niercy. As each
attains maturity, he is informed that all
things are now ready — he is invited and
pressed to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
that he may be saved.
It i.b a blessed truth that there is nothing
wanting on God's part for the salvation
of man. If man is not saved, the fault is
not on God's side. The Father is ready
to receive all who come to Him by Christ.
The Son is ready to cleanse all from their
sins who apply to Him by faith. The
Spirit is ready to come to all who ask for
Him.
18. And they all with one consent began to make ex-
cuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of
ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee
have me excused.
They began to beg off ; they did not give
a plain and flat denial, but " made excuse,"
thus acknowledging themselves the neces-
sity of an excuse in some manner plausi-
ble, and thereby indirectly establishing
the fact that they were under obligation
to appear. It is to the honor of Christian-
ity that so few deny its claims, and only
ask to be excused from yielding to them.
With one consent. There is no reason to
believe that they met together and framed
a plan to insult their entertainer. The
servant saw them separately and received
their answers ; the meaning is, with one
spirit or accord, unanimously. We must
not suppose that our Lord meant absolutely
that aZi the leading men among the Phari-
sees begged off, for there may have been
some exceptions, such as Nicodemus, for
example.
The first said unto him, &c. He alleges he
had bought the land without seeing it,
being thus a type of the folly of worldly
men, who spend their time, thoughts and
strength on things of which they do not
know the real worth. Must needs : I am
under the necessity of going away from home.
He wished to see his possession that he
might glory in it, as Nebuchadnezzar
gloried when he walked in his palace and
said: "Is not this great Babylon that I
have built by the might of my
power, and for the honor of my majesty."
(Dan. iv. 30.) Have me excused, not only
now, but always. This entreaty to be ex-
cised is an acknowledgment of the ground-
lessness of the pretext, the worthlessness
of the excuse, the improiDriety of remain-
ing away, the guiltiness of the man's con-
duct, and hence shows the greatness of
his perverse, worldly state of mind.
19. And another s.aid, I have bought five yoke of o-xen,
and I go to prove them : I pray thee have me excused.
The number five has no special signifi-
cancy. To prove, test their strength, endu-
rance and docility. I go; am going even
now — he has only just time to add, " I beg
thee," while he already desires to be with
the oxen.
20. And another said, I have married a wife, and
therefore I cannot come.
Married a ivife, &c. The other two, even
when they plead their excuses, are them-
selves conscious that they are hardly valid,
hence pray to be excused. This man makes
no such request, seems to regard his excuse
legitimate, and declares it in a tone of self-
confidence which does not even deem an
excuse as necessary. The greater peremp-
toriness of his refusal shows that the force
of his temptation lay in the difficulty of
reconciling conflicting duties. Attendance
upon the feast, however, would not have
involved the violation of any duty arising
out of his new relation, but simply the
holding it of inferior importance on a given
occasion.
Here we have a vivid i>icture of the re-
ception which the Gospel is continually
meeting with wherever it is proclaimed.
It is not avowed dislike to it which is so
much to be feared. It is that procrastina-
ting, excuse-making spirit, which is always
ready with a reason why Christ cannot be
served to-day. Let the words of our Lord
on this subject sink down into our hearts.
Infidelity and immorality, no doubt, slay
their thousands, but decent, plausible,
smooth-spoken excuses slay their tens of
thousands. No excuse can justify a man
in refusing God's invitation, and not com-
ing to Christ.
872
LUKE.
In relation to the excuses of the men in
the parable, let the following things be
noted :
1, They were frivolous. They did not
constitute a real hindrance. Neither sick-
ness nor the death of friends detained them
at home— they could have foreseen those
events ; but it showed great contempt to
purchase land or oxen, or to contract a
marriage at the time they had agreed to
come to the feast. It would have been far
better to have refused at first, than to
accept the invitation, and then to make
excuses when the feast was prepared and
the master was waiting. 2. They were the
same. Though variant inform, they were
identical in origin and substance. They
all manifest the same perverse state of
heart, only the obiect of the sinful love is
not uniform. 3. The excuses were all based
on things lawful in themselves. The abuse
of lawful things ruins many souls. 4. There
was an ascending scale of contumacy in
these men. The first pleaded necessity; the
second did not plead necessity, but went
to prove his oxen ; the third gave a rude,
point-blank refusal — " I cannot come." 5.
All these excuses were probably false, for
it is not likely that the first two would buy
ground and oxen before seeing and trying
them. As to the third, see on verse 20.
6. If these excuses were not false, they
were falsely applied. Men often give a
reason different from the real one, for not
being Christians.
21. So that servant came, and showed his lord these
things. Then the master of the house heing angry said
to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes
of the city, and bring in hitlier tiie poor, and the
maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
Ministers must lay before' their Lord
their good or bad success. They must do
it now at the throne of grace, going to God
with thanksgivings, if they see the fruit
of their labor, or with complaints, if they
labor in vain. They will do this hereafter
at the judgment seat of Christ, witnesses
against those who persist in unbelief and
perish, to prove that they were fairly
invited, and witnesses for those that have
accepted the call. (Heb. xiii. 17.) Being
angry. God is not liable to the passion of
anger, as the giver of a feast whose feast
is despised. Yet these words are meant
to teach us that unbelief and rejection of
the Gospel are very provoking to God. At
the same time that they indicate the right-
eous displeasure of God toward the conduct
of the guests ; they show once more His
earnest desire for their welfare, the unsat-
isfiictoriness of all their excuses, and the
justness of His expectation, that the
invited would accept the invitation.
Quickly, in haste, soon these offers must
cease, this opportunity shall have passed
away. This second sending forth of the
servant refers to the commission given to
the Apostles of Christ to preach the glad
tidings of His Gospel, and invite sinners
to the feast of salvation. By the terms of
this commission, they were to " begin a(.
Jerusalem." And so here it is " the
streets and lanes of the city " to which the
servant is sent. The poor, and the maimed,
and the halt, and the blind. These woids
describe primarily the Gentiles, who were
just in this miserable condition as com-
pared to the Jews. Secondly, they describe
all sinners to whom the Gospel is offered,
who feel their sins and acknowledge their
own spiritual need and poverty. In these
words there seems to be a reminiscence of
the precept Christ gave (verse 13.) Out-
ward want and corporeal wretchedness are
easily a^jprehended by the eye and the
mind ; hence under this description are
meant all such as feel the necessities of
their soul and their spiritual wretchedness.
(Matt. V. 3.)
22. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast
commanded, and yet there is room.
Much humility is shown in the servant's
reply. He does not say, " I have done as
thou hast commanded," lest it should look
like taking some glory or credit to himself,
but, " It is done as thou hast commanded,"
so that the instrument is lost and obscured
in the luster of him that uses it. A true
minister of the Gospel will thus feel.
Yet there is room, the feast must have its
full complement of guests. It has been
prepared at a most costly price, and there
must not be one vacant i^lace at the table.
Since now the will of the Lord has been
executed, the invitation held out to others,
and by them accepted, the greatness of
Divine grace is expressed in these words,
as is also its universality in verse 23. The
room is, indeed, as vast as the merits of the
atonement, capacious as heaven itself.
This expression seems to show that there
CHAPTER XIV.
873
is more willingness on God's part to save
sinners than there is on the part of sinners
to be saved, and more grace. to be given
than there are hearts willing to receive it.
23. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into
the highways and hedges, and compel them to coine in,
that my house may be tilled.
Highways and hedges, that is, the public
roads, and paths hedged in, and passing
through or along by vineyards. Compel
them to come in. It yields a most delightful
consolation, that God orders men to be
compelled, for it intimates that He really
seeks our salvation, and really wishes us
to be saved, as when a father is seriously
concerned about the government of his
son, he not only employs cold admonitions,
but also a certain severity of discipline
toward him, and constrains him to do
what is required. The meaning is, that
the moral compulsion of love must be
used. Men are to be compelled, by argu-
ment, by the force of moral suasion, by
commending the thing to their consciences,
to come in, and partake of those benefits
provided for them in the Gospel. That
my house may be filled. It is only God's
design of mercy to save sinners (Eph. i. 3),
not any proper merit on the part of men,
which is the ground of the invitation; it
must not be that His grace has been pre-
pared in vain. If some reject, others will
thankfully accept it. " Though Israel be
not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the
eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be
my strength," &c. (Isa. xlix. 5, 6.) God
will have a Church in the world, though
multitudes may reject the Gospel.
24. For I say unto you, 'That none of those men
which were bidden, shall taste of my supper.
'Matt. xxi. 43 and xxii. 8 ; Acts xiii. 46.
The ingratitude of those that slight
offers of grace and mercy, and the con-
tempt which they put on God, is a very
great provocation of Him. Mercy abused
turns to the greatest wrath. When the
ungrateful Israelites despised the land of
promise, God " sware in His wrath that
they should not enter into His rest."
Grace despised is grace forfeited. They
that will not have Christ when they may,
shall not have Him when they would.
Do not the words, none of those, &c., seem
to indicate that a time would arrive when
those who had made excuses wonld repent
of their folly, and seek to be admitted to
the feast ? But they would find the door
shut against them._ When they knocked,
they would hear a voice within, saying,
"I know you not." They would not be
permitted even to taste the supper, of
which they had once been invited to
partake.
2-5. H And there went great multitudes with him:
and he turned, and said unto them,
Jesus was now on His way to Jerusalem.
The multitudes which followed Him proba-
bly did so only as He walked from the
feast to His place of abode. At all events,
it is to be supposed that they returned to
their homes, as He approached the Jordan
to cross over to Jericho. They were under
a slight and transient impression. He
knew that they had generally very erro-
neous notions of His kingdom, and were
not prepared to submit to the lobse.-s and
privations, or to encounter the various
dangers and difficulties which certainly
awaited His true disciples. From love,
therefore. He is stern enough to portray
to them in darkest colors the conditions
of being His disciples, that they may be
held back from foolish fancy, and led to
self-examination. The temptation to ad-
mit people to full communion, and endorse
and approve them as true Christians,
before thej'' have given evidence of de-
cided grace, is very strong. The inclina-
tion to set before j^oung inquirers the joys
and comforts of the Gospel, without any
proportionate exhibition of the cross and
the tight, recjuires constant watching
against. The close imitation of our Lord's
conduct in this passage would probably
greatly lessen the number of our communi-
cants. But it may be doubted whether we
should not gain in quality what we lost
in quantity, and whether we should not
be freed from many of those disgraceful
backslidings and gross inconsistencies,
which so often nowadays brings discredit
on religion.
26. klf any man come to me, 'and hate not his father,
and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and
sisters, "yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my
disciple.
kDeut. xiii. G and xxxiii 9; Matt. x. 37. 'Rom. ix. 13.
™Rev. xii. 11.
The coming to Jesus is not the same as
the coming after Him. (Matt. xvi. 24.)
The latter presupposes that one is already
874
LUKE
His disciple, the other that one desires to
become such. And hate not his father, &c.
None can suppose that Jesus disapproves
of natural affection. This would have
been to contradict the fifth commandment.
His whole life and teaching, His conduct
to His mother when He was on the cross,
refute such a notion at once. By the
words themselves He guards himself
against possible misconstruction, for He
says not only, if any man hate not his father
and motlier, &c., but his ovm life also. To
know what He means by the hate in the
one case, we have only to consider what it
can mean in the other. One thing is said
to be loved, another hated, in Scripture,
when the former is much preferred, and
especially when, out of re'gard to it, the lat-
ter is neglected and forsaken. (Comp. Gen.
xxix. 31 ; Deut. xxi. 15-17 ; Mai. i. 3 ; Rom.
ix. 13 and Matt. vi. 24.) Matthew x. 37 ex-
presses the true meaning of the words hate
■not, when He says, He who loveth his father and
mother more than me. The meaning of the
expression, then, is, that love to Christ in
order to be genuine must be supreme.
Earthly affections, when they come into
collision with His claims must be postpon-
ed. He has done more for us than our
nearest relative. When, therefore, the
drawings of affection stand in the way of
our entire surrender to Him — our supreme
devotion to His interests — their power
must be rejected. If one or another dearly
cherished object stands on one side, and
Christ on the other, we need not love
them the less, because we cannot go with
them, but we must love Him more. Even
life and its attendant blessings are also to
be regarded as worthless, when placed in
an opposing scale to the love of Christ,
and therefore to be freely surrendered
when required to be yielded up in His
service. Without such a spirit, no one can
be Christ's disciple. He builds without a
foundation, wlio pretends to be the servant
of God, without loving Him, or to love
Him as he ought, without preferring Him
above all things whatsoever.
27. And "whosopver doth not bear his cross, and come
after me, cannot be my disciple.
"Matt. xvl. 24; Mark viii. 34 ; Luke ix. 23; 2 Tim.
iii. 12.
Our Saviour had not been crucified, but
death by crucifixion, though a Roman
punishment, had already been made by
the Roman dominion familiar to the Jew-
ish eyes. In adopting this symbol of self-
denial. He had Himself, doubtless, even
already in the distance, beheld this instru-
ment of His own i>ain and ignominy. The
cr-oss is a large and comprehensive word,
but, with whatever variety applied to in-
dividuals, it cannot lose its essential nature
— it still carries the nails that pierced the
body, and the shame that penetrates the
soul. What our Lord here commands, is
that each follower should bear, not his
Saviour's cross, but his own. The require-
ment is, that as Christ bore His own cross
to His own crucifixion, so His followers
should bear each his own cross to his own
crucifixion.
And come after me. Christ is here pre-
sented as our example in bearing of the cross.
He is everywhere described as being ever
tempted, just as we are, though ever victo-
rious, as — alas ! — we are not. Nor can we
doubt the disciplinary character of this
constant and painful struggle, when we
are told that, " though a Son, He learned
obedience by the things which He suf-
fered," that He was " made perfect through
sufferings," and by that means "became
the Author of eternal salvation to all them
that obey Him.
Those, therefore, who would be Christ's
disciples, must come after Him in those
sufferings which, under the blessing of
God, purify and fit for heaven. Each fol-
lower, who has the spirit of the Master, is
crucified in behalf of Christ and of truth —
crucified in fact or in readiness. They are
not ambitious to share with Jesus in the
merit of His suflerings as the Atoner, for
this is absolutely and forever impossible ;
but there is more than a willingness to
participate with Him in the benefit of His
sufferings as the Purifier, and also to be
conformed to Him in their own sufferings.
Paul joyfully suffered the loss of all things,
and counted them but dung, that he might
have the righteousness ivhich is through the faith
of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by
faith, that he might knoiv Him, and the power
of His resurrection, and the felloieship of His
sufferings, being made conformable unto His
death. (Phil. iii. 8-10; see Col. 1. 24.)
Christ never discouraged a sincere soul
CHAPTER XIV,
875
from following Him. But He has given a
true description of the nature of His ser-
vice, so that none can say that it was rep-
resented as easier than they found it. A
poor Madagascar woman, who had under-
gone great persecutions, was once asked
whether she was surprised when afhictions
overtook her. She replied: "No, from the
first we knew it was written, that thi-ough
much tribulation we must enter the king-
dom of God, and when our troubles came,
we said, 'This is what we expected.'"
This poor woman was once shut up for
live months in an iron case that prevented
her moving a single limb, yet, having
counted the cost, she proved more than
conqueror through Him who loved her,
2S. For "Which of you intending to build a tower, sit-
teth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he
have sufficient to finish it ?— "Prov. xxiv. 27.
Though there is no immediate external
connection between this parable or the one
that immediately succeeds it, and that of
the great supper, yet a certain internal
relationship may be recognized. That
points out the carnal mind and the love
of the world as the main hindrance which
stands in the way of the sinner's salvation,
whilst these similitudes represent the dis-
cipleship of Jesus to be a difficult thing,
which demands the greatest sacrifices, so
that its cost should be duly and carefully
estimated by all who would become His
followers. A tower. We are not so par-
ticularly to understand a tower in the strict
sense of the word, but an expensive edi-
fice requiring a more than ordinary devel-
opment of resources. The words, which of
yon, would indicate that Christ addressed
the multitudes, and they were not of a char-
acter and condition to justify the supposi-
tion of their building a "tower, such as
ki ngs, governors and military commanders
generally erected. Possibly nothing more
was meant than a dwelling house, on the top
of which, accordingto the Asiatic manner,
b.ittlements were built, both to take fresh
air on, and to serve for refuge from and
defense against an enemy. It was also
used for prayer and meditation. Sifteth not
do^iii first, and counteth the cost, whether he
have sufficient to finish itf The meaning is,
a man about to build a house, if he is wise,
will be careful what he is doing. He wishes
to have a house in which to shelter him-
self. His first duty is to sit down calmly,
and to look over everything connected
with his plans, to satisfy himself that he
is about to commence what he v/ill be able
to finish. That i)lan alone secures a good
beginning, and a hai)])y, successful ending.
In like manner, any one projiosing to be-
come a disciple of Christ should weigh
deliberately whether he is able and pre-
pared to bear all the losses, conflicts ayd
persecutions incident to such discipleship.
29. Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and
is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock
him, 30. Saying, pThis man begun to build, and was not
able to finish.
rMatt. vii. 27, xxvii. 3-8 ; Acts i. 18, 19 : 1 Cor. iii. 11-15 ;
Heb. vi. 4-8, x. 3S ; 2 Peter ii. 19-22 ; 2 Jolni viii.
3Iock means to deride, scoff at. The words,
this man, throw a shade of sarcasm on the
expressioji. In the ground-work of this
parable there is an allusion, it would seem,
to the si^irilual edifice referred to in 1 Cor.
iii. 11-15, whi'/h must be reared on the one
Foundation winch shall be tried in the day
of the Lord. "While the decidedly Christian
life constrains the world to involuntary
respect, half Christianity provokes it to not
unnatural scoffing — so absurd is it to under-
take to be disciples of Jesus, without
seriously con.sidering what difliculties are
to be met with. We must take great care,
however, that our deliberation and consid-
eration of difficulties do not deter us from,
but woi'k in us, a steady resolution to go
forward. The design of Christ here is not
to discourage, but to prevent men follow-
ing Him lightly and inconsiderately, and
to admonish all in taking up the cross, to
gird themselves with fortitude.
.31. Or what king, going to make war against another
king, sitteth not down first and consulteth, whether he
be able, with ten thousand, to meet liim that cometh
against him with twenty thousand ? 32. Or else, while
the other is yet a great way otr, he sendeth an ambas-
sage, and desireth conditions of peace.
Here is another view of Avhat a disciple
of Christ must make up his mind to, if
he would walk in the narrow path. The
king who declares war against another
without comparing his forces with those
of his enemy, and considering whether
the bravery of his troops and the conduct
of his generals, will be able to make up
what he wants in numbers, is sure to be
ingloriously defeated, unless he humbly
sue for peace before the matter comes to
an engagement. The two hings here are
the man desirous to become a disciple, to
876
LUKE,
work out his salvation, and God, with
whose just and holy law he is naturally at
variance; and the question for each man
to ask himself is, " Can I with my ten
thousand stand the charge of him who
Cometh against me with twenty thousand ?"
The numbers ten thousand and twenty thous-
and are designedly chosen to denote an
entirely unequal military power.
Or else, that is, if on deliberation, he is
of opinion that he cannot cope with the
more powerful enemy — cannot reckon on
a successful issue — he will not hazard a
battle, but sendeth an ambassage, and de-
sireth conditions of peace, that is, an embassy,
to obtain the terms on which peace will
be granted. This is spoken for the sake
of verisimilitude. It would not have
comjiorted with royal usage for the king
to have gone in person to sue for condi-
tions of peace. But this feature belongs
exclusively to the costume of the parable.
In seeking the forgiveness and favor of
God, each one must go in person. He
must go, as a penitent sinner, to God
whom he has offended, seek to be recon-
ciled, sui^i^licate for pardon and peace.
He must send his petition to his Heavenly
King, plead with Him through Jesus
Christ, the all-prevailing Mediator and
Intercessor, take with him ivords, and turn
to the Lord, his God, giving up all conti-
dence in himself, and confessing that he
is "poor, and miserable, and blind, and
naked," that he is utterly unable to save
or help himself, and cast himself on the
forbearance, the compassion and the kind-
ness of the Being whom he has offended.
It may be taken as the general teaching
of both the parables, that the consciousness
of our own incapacity should lead us to
seek for a higher power, to join ourselves
to the great empire of light and its Prince,
which, in all circumstances, contends
against the empire of darkness.
We are not to think of God as a real
enemy to us, but only an apiMvcnl one. He
desires our salvation, for He so loved the
world, that He gave His only-begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
might not perish, but have everlasting
life. It is only because of our sins that
we are obnoxious to His wrath and curse,
and He invites us to come and reason with
Him, that our sins, though as scarlet, may
be as wool, and though red like crimson,
may be made whiter than the snow.
33. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketli
not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
So likewise, that is, like the person who
" began to build, and was not able to
finish," or, like the king, who, being afraid
to face his enem}', sent an embassy and
desired terms of peace. Whosoever he he
of you — of you who are in great danger of
supposing that to be my pursuer is to be
my follower — that forsaketli not all that he
hath, who does not engage so earnestly
and resolutely in the Christian warfare
as to hold all things cheap in comparison
to life eternal, and be ready to forsake
them when I call him to it, he cannot be
my disciple ; he lacks the proper prerequi-
site of supreme love for me, he cannot be
acknowledged by me as a disciple, for my
disciples will be exi^osed to such trials
and afflictions, that unless thej^ prefer me,
and the cause in which I am engaged, to
all visible and temporal things whatever,
they certainly will not steadily adhere to
me, or continue faithful and constant in
my service.
34. 'i Salt U good ; qbut if the salt have lost its savor,
wherewith shall it be seasoned ? 35. It is neither fit for
tlie land, nor yet for the dung-hill ; hut men ct;st it out.
^He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
qMatt. v. 13 : Mark ix. 49, 50 : Col. iv. 6 ; Heb. ii. 4-8.
'Heb. viii. 8, ix. 44 ; Matt. xi. 15 ; Eev. ii. 7, 11, 17, 29.
These verses do not stand here inde-
pendently, but are in some measure the
ai:)plication of the previous remarks.
(Comp. Matt. v. 13 ; Mark ix. 50.) As the
disciples were a purifying salt with refer-
ence to the unbelieving world, so was
Israel (here represented in the people
following) called to be such a salt for the
heathen nations. Salt is good, literally,
salt is excellent, bid if the salt have lost its
savor, is insipid, wherewith shall it be re-
endowed with its saline power? It is
such a vile and worthless thing, that it is
neither fit to be used of itself as manure
for the land, nor even to be cast upon the
dung-hill, to be there mixed with other
manure, bid men cast it out — it is thrown
out of doors, and trampled under foot like
mire in the streets.
Our Lord could not have selected a more
striking illustration of the worthless char-
acter of false discipleship than the one
CHAPTER XIV.
877
here made use of. When the Church, or
any of its members, fail to exercise the
salutary influence for which they were
created, they become not only absolutely
worthless, but just objects of contempt to
those who ought to have revered them,
and been benefited by them. But what
is all the disgrace which the useless pro-
fessor of Christianity (the savorless salt)
can draw upon himself here, in comparison
to the shame and everlasting contempt
which awaits him in the other world?
(jNIatt. XXV. 30.) If the salt have lost its savor,
vhcrevnth shall it be seasoned ? That is, " if
the salt lose its taste, how is it to recover
it?" The sentiment intended to be con-
veyed seems to be this : A professed Chris-
tian, especially if he has seeijaed to be
distinguished for the knowledge and ex-
perience of the saving truth, and by being
so has seemed to be useful in making the
world wiser and better, who becomes
careless, and ignorant, and worldly, and
irreligious — who loses the hold he seemed
to have of truth — who ceases to manifest
anything like its native influence on his
temper and conduct, is in a state peculiarly
deplorable. There is less probability that
he shall be reclaimed than that the grossly
ignorant, the openly profane, should be
converted. An ignorant, wicked heathen
is in a less helpless condition than an
apostate Christian, whether the apostasy
be avowed or silent. This is a sentiment
very strongly expressed by the inspired
Apostles, who had the mind of Christ.
(Heb. vi. 4, 8; 2 Peter ii. 20-22.) It is
clear that " salt may lose its savor," and
that true Christians might lose the princi-
ple of Divine life, unless God had engaged
to preserve it, but in respect of all those
mentioned in Scripture, who became like
"salt which hath lost its savor," some in-
timation is annexed that there was pre-
viously a radical defect — " No root in
themselves," " No oil in the vessel," " They
went out from us, because they were not
of us." (Jer. xxxii. 39-iI ; Ezek. iii. 20,
21 ; Matt. xiii. 20, 22, xxii. 11-14, xxv. 1-13;
John XV. 2, 6-8 ; 1 John ii. 18, 19:)
He that hath ears to hear, let Mm hear.
This whole discourse (25-35) can only be
fairly understood by remembering that
the audience to which it was so kindly
directed consisted of a retinue of loose, but
admiring attendants, who applauded at
every step, but who were liable, under
opposing influences, to cry, Crucify Him,
to-morrow. This expostulation aims to
call them to consider their depth of feeling
and the true method of being an earnest
disciple of Jesus. Every man who had
cars to hear Christ's touching words is
earnestly admonished to accept them in
their true force. How can the faculty of
hearing be better employed than in attend-
ing to the word of Christ, particularly to
the alarms He has given us of the danger
we are in of apostasy, and run ourselves
into hy it ?
1. Who watched Jesus in the house of the Pharisee ? 2. "WTiat miracle did He perform ? 3. What parable did
ne put forth ? 4. What did one of them that sat at meat with Christ say ? 5. What parable did He then utter ?
6. Who are meant by the " servants ?" 7. Who by the " bidden ?" 8. What different excuses were made? 9.
What was the result ? 10. What did our Lord say to the great multitudes with Him ? 11. How are we to under-
stand what is said about a man intending to build a tower ? 12. Explain verses 34 and 35.
8:8
LUKE.
CHAPTER XV.
1 The parable of the lost sheep : 8 of the piece of silver ;
11 of the prodigal son.
An eminent expositor thinks that this
chapter forms a contrast with the severity
of the discourse in the preceding chapter,
the point of junction between the two
being our Lord's rejection of some and
acceptance of others. This view appears
the more plausible from the character of
the persons to whom the discourses were
addressed ; the former being, as this ex-
positor thinks, a company of self-reliant,
curious persons, who had flocked together
and were following Jesus to hear or see
something strange and wonderful, while
the present company were poor, despised
publicans and sinners. To the former He
laid down, in the most explicit terms, the
stern requirements of discipleship ; the
latter He invites to come to Him by the
most tender and winning appeals.
THEN drew near unto him all the publicans and
sinners for to hear him.— ^Matt. Ix. 10.
Then does not mark time by the mere
continuation of the narrative : it seems to
have the meaning of as. We suppose these
transactions to have taken place as our
Lord passed through Pertea, on His way to
Jerusalem. All the publicans and sinners.
As Bethabara was probably the rallying
point of His Persean ministry, this being
near Jericho and the fords of the Jordan,
with their custom houses, many publicans
and sinners wouldbeinthe.neighborhood,
to whom the preaching of our Lord pre-
sented powerful attractions. Publicans.
(See on v. 29, 30, vii. 3-i.) By all, we are
to understand all in that particular neigh-
borhood where our Lord was. Drew near
xinto him to hear him. This expresses a
confidential and continued concourse of
such persons about Jesus, with the design
of listening to Him.
. 2. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying,
This man receiveth sinners, i>and eateth with them.
bActs xi. 3 : Gal. ii. 12.
Pharisees and scribes. (See on xi. 42, 43,
44, xii. 1 ) Murmured. In their self-right-
eous spirit they were offended when they
saw the publicans and sinners gathering
around our Lord, and said : This man re-
ceiveth sinners, and eateth with than. This
objection was a most plausible one : it was
one which was likely to turn the tide of
opinion against Christ; nay, it was an ob-
jection which, if in a certain point of view
it could have been substantiated, would
have utterly condemned His mission. Had
our Lord's fellowship with the persons
here spoken of been such as this — that He
descended to their level, that He held con-
verse with them without rebuking their
sins — then, indeed, the objection, " this man
receiveth sinners, and eateth with them,"
would be well founded, and nothing else
of power or love on the part of Him who
did so could wipe away that stain. Jesus,
therefore, without giving heed to the spirit
which prompted the objection, at once
proceeded carefully to vindicate His con-
duct from any false construction which
might be put upon it, while, at the same
time, He took occasion from the accusa-
tion itself to set forth, under the most re-
markable imagery, the true nature of that
fellowship in which He Himself rejoiced.
His receiving sinners, and eating with
them.
3. U And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
The three parables which follow, the
Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prod-
igal Son, refer all to the same subject, and
describe the same fact. They contemplate
that fact, however, from opposite sides, and
produce accordingly different pictures. The
two first set forth to us mainly the seeking
love of God, while in the third there is
exhibited the receiving love of God. Whilst
the two first teach the same doctrine, they
differ in this : that in the case of the living
creature, the loss is sustained through its
spontaneous wandering; in the case of the
inanimate silver, the loss is sustained
through its inherent inertia. Both parables
alike represent the sinner lost and the
Saviour finding him ; but in the one case
the loss appears due to the positive activity
of an evil will, and in the other to the
passive law of gravitation. Not that, in
the spiritual sphere, one sinner departs
from God by an exercise of his corrupt
will, and another is drawn away by the
operation of an irresistible law : it is one
transaction represented successively on
CHAPTER XV.
8T9
two sides. The representations are differ-
ent, but both are true. In the foUen, sin
is both active and passive. The sinful
select their own course, and go astray in
the exercise of a self-determining power ;
they also gravitate to evil in virtue of an
inborn corruption, which acts like a law
in their members.
Some have noticed gradations in the
three parables : 1. A gradation of guilt —
the stray sheep wandering from the shep-
herd, and scarcely aware of the error into
which it has fallen, as representing the
stupid, foolish sinner; the lost coin, as rep-
resenting the sinner as altogether ignorant
of himself; and the prodigal son, as repre-
senting the daring and willful sinner. 2. A
gradation in the value of the lost articles,
rendered prominent by the decreasing pro-
portion in the number of what remained,
compared with what was lost — one out of
a hundred, one out of ten, one out of two;
this last one, also, being a son, for whom
there was a yearning of affection, and
depth of longing desire for his recovery
from sin and restoration to virtue and
happiness, which casts very far into the
background anj' grief for a lost animal or
piece of silver. Certain is it that all the
three parables represent a loving disposi-
tion, for it is love which moves the man
to seek his sheep, and the woman her
money, and love, also, which prompts the
father to take back his lost son.
4. What man of you having an hundred sheep, if he
lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine
in tlie wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until
he find it?
See Matt, xviii. 12.
What man of you f The Saviour here,
as also in verse 8, appeals to that universal
human feeling which impels, as well the
man as the woman, to seek what is lost,
and to rejoice with others over what is
found again. Having an hundred sheep.
That the shepherd in the parable means
Christ there can be no doubt. His own
assumption of this character and name in
John X. is conclusive here. The lost sheep
is sinful man, as originally created safe
and happy, in want of nothing, lying
down by pastures of tender grass, and by
tiie waters of quietness, but now straying
on the bleak and barren mountains of sin.
Lost sheep. What expression could exhibit
more graphically the hopelessness of a
sinner's state ? The lost dog finds his
way back to his master or to his kennel, but
the lost sheep rarely finds its way back to
its fold ; it goes farther and farther into
the wilderness, till it dies of hunger, or is
devoured by beasts of prey. No lost sin-
ner ever yet of himself found his way
back to God. Man by nature is lost to
God, and to the grand purposes of his cre-
ation. And he has lost God — His image.
His friendship, communion with Him, and
the hope of His favor and beatific presence.
The shepherd missed his sheep. What
an idea does this give of Christ's surveil-
lance over us ! His eye is upon every
stray sinner in all his wanderings. He
sees him from first to last, as He missed
him at the first. How natural the conduct
of the shepherd ! The mother, who has
many children that are all equally dear to
her, and would not have one of them
taken from her, when one of them falls
sick and comes into jeopardy, finds a
difference among the children ; the sick
one becomes now the dearest, and she
can neither interest herself much in any-
thing besides, nor pay much heed to it.
Thus, then, the conduct of Christ, as set
forth in this parable, is in harmony with
the analogies of nature.
As soon as the shepherd misses the sheep, he
goes after it. Christ's love is an active,
working love. He did not sit still in
heaven pitying sinners. He left the glory
which He had with the Father, and
humbled Himself to be made in the like-
ness of man. He came down into the
world to seek and save that which was lost.
The shepherd pursued the sheep till he found
it. He knew the nature of the country in
which the sheep was straying, and also
the nature of the sheep that was straying
there. He knew the roughness of the
mountain passes, and the silliness of the
solitary, truant sheep. He divined ac-
cordingly what track it would take. He
followed and found the fugitive. In like
manner Christ's love has no ebb and flow ;
it has no flux and reflux ; it has all the
fixity of an everlasting princi2)le, and all
the fervor of an inexhaustible passion.
He never lets the eye of His compassion
light upon a sinner without, by and by,
880
LUKE,
letting the weight of His power to save be
felt by that sinner also.
5. And when he hath found U, he layeth it on hLs
Shoulders, rejoicing.
We have here a sweet intimation of the
comi)assion of Christ. He transfers our
burden to Himself, becomes a victim for
us; thence bearing us, he carries us to His
own flock, bears, feeds, sustains and gov-
erns us. As the shejiherd dealt with the
sheep, not by law or force, as well he
might, driving it before him like other
sheep, and letting it go itself, but took all
the labor and trouble upon himself, that
the sheep might have ease and rest, so
Jesus lightens the sinner's return by this
exercise of love, helping him to overcome
hindrances, removing difliculties and
strengthening weakness with Divine
power. We are here taught that the work
of saving the sinner is done by Christ
alone. This fundamental truth, however,
that salvation is begun, carried on and
completed by the Saviour alone, does not,
of course, come into collision with another
fundamental truth, which expatiates on
another sphere, and is represented in the
parable of the Prodigal Son, that except
the sinful do themselves repent, and come
to the Father, they shall perish in their
sins. Rejoicing. Whatever trouble the
shepherd may have had, whatever care
and anxiety he may have gone through,
all is merged in the grandeur of that flood
of joy that the lost sheep is brought back
to the fold. So Jesus lifts His ransomed.
His redeemed one, by His strong hand
and His almighty power, and " makes a
show openly " of what He has done in de-
livering His poor, erring child, and He
does all this " rejoicing." His joy begins
not when the work is over, but when the
work begins.
6. And when he cometh home, he calleth together
hia friends and neighbours, saying unto them. Rejoice
with me; for I liave found my sheep dwhicli was lost.
dl Peter ii. 10, 2.5.
The shepherd succeeded in his search
which took him from home, or from his
house, and he returned home with his lost
one found. The evident purpose of the
introduction of such words is to impress
upon the hearts of all God's ransomed
ones this precious truth, that when the
Saviour carries them by His power from
the place of danger to the place of safety.
He is going home, and therefore so are
they. His home is their home ; His place
of rest theirs. The kingdom of God
recognizes two successive home-comings
in the history of every citizen : one when,
by the discriminating mercy of the Re-
deemer, though he was an exile, through
the regeneration he enters a state of grace ;
another when, under the leading of the
same chief, in the resurrection he enters a
state of perfect glory. It is over the first,
the repentance of a sinner, our Lord tells
us, a jubilee is held in heaven. They do
not wait till the ransomed one shall ap-
pear in bodily presence near the great
white throne. There is no need, the
entrance into grace insures the entrance
into glory. By the friends and neighbors
we are to understand the different orders
of heavenly beings. The heart of our Lord
Jesus Christ is l^ere represented so full of
joy and love that it were impossible for
any one to make Him appear more kind
and joyful.
7. I say unto you. That likewise joy shall be In heaven
over one sinner that repenteth, f more than over ninety
and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
"Luke V. 32.
I say unto you. The truth which follows
these words is wonderful in the extreme.
It assures us that heaven and earth are
united by a choi'd of sympathy. They
are not isolated provinces of the same
empire, but bound together by a tender
tie. The inhabitants of heaven take a
deep interest in the souls of our race.
Heaven is not in sight of earth, but earth
is in sight of heaven. The Church above
forever watches the Church below. Joy
shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth
— a single sinner — any sinner, in a cottage
or an almshouse, a palace or a prison, on
a throne or in a hovel; any one, even
though his condition be so obscure, and
his abilities so mean, that his conversion
stops in his own soul's salvation. One
sinner that repenteth — trusts in God's good-
ness through Christ, believes in the for-
giveness of sins, receives Jesus as a Saviour,
and shows a changed mind, by amendment
of life both outwardly and inwardly.
Over one such sinner there is and shall be
joy in heaven, joy with the Father, Son and
Holy Ghost, and with the holy angels.
CHAPTER XV.
881
More than over ninety and nine just persons
ivhich need no repentance. It is not, of course,
meant that a repenting sinner on earth is
worthy of more esteem than ninety-nine
confirmed saints in heaven. All that is
meant is, that the interest for the time
being is concentrated upon him, and the
others are comparatively lost sight of.
8. t Either what woman liaviog ten *pieces of silver,
if she lose one piece, cloth not light a candle, and sweep
the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
*Gr, I>raciuna, equal to the denarius. See Matt,
xviii. 28.
This parable, as we have shown, is not
identical with the one preceding it. Our
Lord never repeats the same sentiment
under the same symbol, ox with precisely
the same contemplated effects. The dis-
proportion between nine to one, and
ninety-nine to one, gives this parable an
increased emphasis over the former one.
In the case of the wandering sheep, there
maj' remain some faint, instinctive recol-
lection of the fold, and when darkness and
danger surround it, or the pangs of hunger
fasten upon it, some instinctive effort to
recover what it has lost. But the figure
of the piece of money tells us that, in the
case of the lost soul, even the conscious-
ness of his condition is wanting. He is
lost, but he knows it not He is in danger,
but he heeds it not. Either what luoman.
By this is meant the Holy Spirit. Sinners,
when regenerated, are " born of the
Spirit." Ten pieces of silver — in the original
a drachma. The value of this coin, which
was a Greek one, was about fifteen cents.
These ten pieces seem a small amount ; for
the woman, however, the loss of one was
of great importance, since her whole
treasure consisted of the ten drachmte.
Thus the idea is brought out, that not the
material worth of what is lost, in itself,
but the worth which it has in the eyes
of the possessor, is the cause of the care-
fulness of the love which seeks it. Notice
the increasing value of the sheep, the coin,
and the son, by the diminished number
from which they are lost. The sheep is
but the hundredth part of the flock ; the
coin is but the tenth part ; the son is one
of two. If she lose one piece. Here the
primeval dignity of the soul, in its original
state, is compared to a piece of silver,
having the image of the great Sovereign of
the universe stamped upon it. " God made
»fi
man upright," bearing resemblance to
Himself in His intellectual and moral
attributes, capable of an endless progress
toward perfection. But man, being left to
the freedom of his will, degenerated from
the rectitude of his nature, so that his
original glory is departed from him. In
this state of moral corruption, he is com-
pared to a piece of beautiful coin, for a
time lost in the dust of the earth, where
its former luster is miserably tarnished,
and its value diminished. (Lam. iv. 1 ;
Isa. i. 22 ; Jer. vi. 30.)
Doth not ligM a candle. This indicates an
earnest desire to recover what was lost.
The lighting of the candle may be explain-
ed by the help and hints of such passages
as these : Matt. v. 14, 15; Phil. ii. lo; Eph.
V. 13. When the Spirit of God takes the
Divine Word, and, carrying it into the re-
cesses of a man's soul, reveals its foulness,
danger and misery, then the sinner dis-
covers his lost condition, and, feeling his
need of a Saviour, cries, " What shall I do
to be saved ? " And sweep the house. Here
is further evidence of the great effort made
to recover the lost coin. The sweeping,
which disturbs the house and reveals a
foulness that, so long as it lay unstirred,
was perhaps never suspected, may indicate
the convictions, the alarms, the dread dis-
coveries, the searchings and agitations of
heart, which not unfrequently accompany
conversion. Thus is it with the Word of
God. For only let that Word be proclaim-
ed, and much of latent aversion to the
truth becomes open enmity, much of tor-
pid alienation against God is changed into
active hostility, and there is an outcry
a,gainst the troublers of Israel, the men
that will not let the world alone. But
amid all this, the Holy Spirit is diligently
seeking for the lost, not ceasing labor, care
or diligence, till the lost is found. Let it
be noticed that the coin was lost in the
house. It is unfortunate to lose a piece of
money in the house, but much more so in
a fiefd, forest or sea. Sins forgiven are
lost in the sea, but souls under condemna-
tion of the law and in danger of hell, are
lost in the house. Though deformed by
sin, and defiled by corruption, yet, being
within the house, they are within the
region of hope and the reack of mercy.
882
LUKE.
And seek diligently till she find it. The search,
it will be observed, was not only earnest,
but successful. The Holy Sj^irit seeks lost
sinners by speaking to their conscience, by
affliction, by the preaching of the Gospel.
The sinner is found, when he realizes his
lost condition, and yields to God on the
terms of the Gospel.
9. And when she hath found it, shecalleth hei- friends
and ftf7- neighbours together, saying, Rejoice withiue;
for I have touud the piece which I had lost.
Her friends and her neighbors. The femi-
nine gender is employed in the original.
It waS natural that the ivoman should call
together her female friends to rejoice with
her. The angelic hosts have not the dis-
tinction of sexes; they are considered,
however, as remaining at home, or going
abroad — abroad, in manly attire, prepared
for war; at home, in the domestic and
peaceful garb of females. By this verse
a gracious God, accommodating His lan-
guage to our ideas, expresses His joy in
saving sinners, and in seeing sinners saved.
As the angels here referred to are not "in
heaven," as they were represented to be in
the last parable, some suppose that thej^
are angels that walk up and down the
earth, are present in the congregations of
the faithful, offended at aught unseemly
among them (1 Cor. xi. 10), joying to be-
hold their order, but most of all rejoicing
when a sinner is converted.
10. Lilcewise,! say nnto you, f there is joy in the pres-
ence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
'"Ezek. xviii. 23, 32; Matt, xvlli. 10, 11; Acts v. 19;
Heb. i. 14.
Not as in the former parable (verse 7),
joy shall be; but joy is, &c. Neither is it
here said, "more than over ninety and
nine," &c. This special characteristic of
the joy seems to be left as its crowning one,
when the whole story of fallen and restored
humanity shall be made known from first
to last, with all its springs and all its con-
sequences. Here there is the present joy
expressed when one after another of the
family of man is taken out of the kingdom
of darkness and brought into the kingdom
of God's dear Son. (See on verse 7.)
11. IT And he said, A certain man had two sons :
This parable has justly been called "the
pearl and crown of all the parables of
Scripture." " AVhat human teacher," says
one, " has placed the folly of human nature,
and the c*isequence of this folly, in such
simple, clear and graphic colors before our
eyes, and, in contrast therewith, has given
of the long-suffering and compassion of
God so inexpressibly rich an exhibition,
as is done in this discourse, which, also,
has no parallel for its adaptation to the
capacity of all ! " Two sons. One of the
greatest difficulties meets us in this first
verse. It is evident that God, as specially
manifested in the Gospel, is represented
by the father; but who are represented by
the two sons— the elder, who remained at
home, and the younger, who went away ?
On this point three distinct interpretations
have been suggested: angels and men,
Jews and Gentiles, or Pharisees and pub-
licans. We shall probably more fully and
more correctly ascertain the mind of the
Lord by employing all these, than by se-
lecting one.
12. Andtheyoungerofthem said to 7!(.s father. Father,
give me ?the portion of goods that falleth to 7iie. And
he divided unto them ^his living.
EDeut. xxi. 16, 17. hMark xii. 44.
Father, give vie the portion, &c. His claim-
ing of his share in this technical and al-
most legal form is a delicate touch, charac-
teristic of the entire alienation from all
home affections which had already found
I>lace in his heart. Though treated with
kindness, and provided with every reason-
able comfort, he was restless and uneasv.
He found the sober, rational enjoyments
of his father's family dull and insii^id, and
he sighed after other amusements and
pleasures more suited to his taste. He
wished to get rid of godly discipline and
pious restraints, which were irksome to
him. He longed to be independent, to be
his own master, and to follow his own
inclinations. To have restrained him
would have been to increase his alienation
and disobedience. The portion asked by
the younger son, according to the Jewish
laws of inheritance, would be the half of
what the elder brother would receive.
(Deut.xxi. 17.) This request, in its spiritual
significance, is the expression of man's
desire to be independent of God, to be a
God to himself (Gen. iii. 5), and to lay out
his life according to his own will and for
his own- pleasure.
And lie divided unto them hvi lining. Tlie
case would seem to have been that the
younger son, having a right to expect a
CHAPTER XV.
883
certain proportion of his father's movable
property ("goods") on his death, was also
entitled, b}' usage, to demand that portion
before the demise of his father — jn-obably
that he might thus be enabled to establish
himself in life. Thus we see, in ]mtriarchal
times, that Abraham in his lifetime gave
his other sons tlieir portions and sent them
away, while Isaac (as does the elder son in
this instance) remained with him and
succeeded to the residue of the inheritance.
13. And not many days after, the younger son gather-
ed all together, and took his journey into a far country,
and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
Not many days after — a litates for very
soon after. He made ofi" as soon as possi-
ble. Gathered cdl together. His means
were now all in a movable form, perhaps
converted into money or into valuables
that he could easily carry, and he was
fully prepared for a profligate squander.
And took his journey into afar country. Here
is exhibited the spirit of apostasy and de-
parture into open sin. Wasted his substance
in riotous living — scattered even the patri-
mony which through the kindness of his
father had become his own property. The
essence of all sin is separation and de-
parture from God. Men are said to remove
themselves far from God, who lay aside all
fear of Him. (Ps. Ixxiii. 27.) The gather-
ing together of all and departing intimates,
on man's part, the collecting of all his
energies and powers,, with the deliberate
determination of getting, through tlieir
help, all the gratification he can out of the
world — the open preference of the creature
to the Creator. It is only when man is,
or imagines himself to be far from God,
that he dares to indulge his vicious pro-
pensities, and when thus distant, by put-
ting God far from His thoughts, he con-
tinually sinks deeper, so that all the
powers and faculties of his soul are misap-
plied and squandered upon what is worth-
less and vile.
14. And'when he had spent all, there arose a mjghty
famine in that land ; and he began to be in want.
His profligacy soon made way with his
means. Distress, disgrace and ruin was
all the fruit which he reaped from his sin
and folly. For a time he enjoyed himself,
and took his pleasure. But this was soon
over. His substance was squandered, and
he felt the pinchings of want. His distress
was increased by the fact that a mighty
famine had arisen in the land. Without
money, without friends, in a foreign coun-
try, far from home, his affliction must,
indeed, have been great. The words, he
had spent all, mark the internally degraded
state of the sinner, his ignorance, his
unbelief. (Eph. iv. 18, 19; Rom. i. 21.)
From the expression, there arose a mighty
famine, we learn that the desire of good,
the longing after bliss, is never wholly
extinguished in the human heart, how-
ever far sinners are from rightly under-
standing it, and if at times it seems quite
gone, and sinners think themselves happy,
other times again come when they begin to
be in want, i. e., to have a keen feeling of
their necessities, their misery, and the
unsatisfying nature of all that is temporal ;
for they hunger or seek after what can
afford a better and truer satisfaction to the
wants of their nature.
15. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that
country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
Joined himself, i. e., became a servant to a
citizen of that country. As he himself was
an alien and a foreigner, he hired himself
to a citizen. Is not this citizen the devil, or
one of his angels ? Is any man a citizen of
the realm of sin? To feed swine. This
was deemed an ignoble employment among
all nations, and especially by the Jews, to
whom swine was an abomination. His
jjroud heart was yet unsubdued ; his con-
fidence in his own resources not altogether
exhausted. Human sorrow is not all or
always godly sorrow. Convictions and
terrors seldom bring the w^anderer at once
to the door of mercy, he generally tries
in succession several other methods in
order to obtain relief. (See Isa. ix. 10;
Jer. v. 3 ; Isa. Ivii. 10 ; Amos iv. 6-10.) As
the prodigal attempted to keep body and
soul together, by the most desperate
and loathsome expedients, rather than
throw" himself on his father's compassion,
so an alienated human soul, conscious of
having offended a good God, and there-
fore hating deeply the Holy One, will bear
and do the will of the wicked one to the
utmost extremity of misery, rather than
come home a beggar, and be indebted for
all to a Father's love.
884
LUKE,
16. And Uie would fain have filled his belly with the
husks the swine did eat : and kno man gave unto hun.
ilsa. xliv. 2U, 1 V. 2 ; Lara, i v. 5 ; Hosea xii. 1 ; Rom. vi.
19-21. tPs. cxlii. 4 ; Isa. Ivii. 3 ; Jonah ii. 2-8.
The i)ods of the kharub trees were called
huskn, from their resemblance to a horn.
With the.se husks the prodigal would gladly
have filled his belly— the expression was
chosen of design— all he could hope from
them was just this: to dull his gnawing
pain, not that he should with them truly
satisfy his hunger, for the food of beasts
could not appease the cravings of man.
None but God can satisfy the longings of
an immortal soul. As the heart was made
for Him, so only He can fill it. And no
man gave unto him, rather, /or no man, &g.
No one, in this state of extreme scarcity
of food, gave him anything to eat, and
hence he was glad to eat the husks. What
a reverse ! Was this all the fruit he gained
by leaving his father's house and follow-
ing his own inclinations? Such are the
con.sequences of sin. Sinners will forsake
one another in the time of adversity.
17. And Hvlien he came to himself, he said, How many
hired servants of my father's have bread enough and
to spare, and I ijerish witli hunger !
iJer. xxxi. IS, 19; Ezels. xviii. 28; Acts ii. 37.
He came to himself. The prodigal's first
act, when light dawned on his darkness,
was to converse with himself. Hitherto
he had been acting the part of a fool and
a madman. It is a characteristic of the
insane that they never know or confess
their insanity until it has passed away.
The two beings to whom a man living in
sin is most a stranger are himself and
God. "Wlien the right mind returns, he
becomes acquainted with both again. We
cannot return to ourselves until God re-
turns to us. It is a beginning of happiaiess
for a man thoroughly to comprehend the
misery of sin, and to envy the happiness
of those who serve God.
18. I "iwill arise and go to my father, and will say
unto him, Father, I liave sinned against. heaven, and
before thee. ID. And am no more worth^ to be called
thy son : make me as one of thy liired servants.
"2 Kings ii. 3, 4; 2 Chron. xxxiii. 12, 13; Ps. xxxil. 5 ;
Jer. xxxi. 6.
In the midst of the prodigal's distressing
thoughts, a ray of hope broke in. The
very remembrance of his father's kindness,
which pierced him to the soul, yet raised
an idea in his mind that possibly he might
yet receive him, and at least might save
him from perishing. This idea, once raised,
is cherished as his only hope. luill arise.
He did not propose to remain at a distance,
until, by eflbrts of his own, he should make
himself, in some measure, worthy to re-
sume his original place in the family, but
to come in want of all things, that out of
his father's fullness all his wants might be
supplied. And go to my father. In returning
to his father, though bringing with him
poverty and hunger, he would leave the
instruments of his lusts, his associates,
habits and tastes behind. This is a dis-
tinctive, discriminating feature of true re-
pentance. And will say unto him, &c. By
the term father he expresses his confidence
in the still unchanged and loving disposi-
tion toward him of his much-wronged
parent. He determines freely and fully
to confess his great sinfulness, without any
attempt to excuse, palliate or diminish it.
We are not to suj^pose that a man can turn
to God in his own strength, or that a sin-
ner's repentance alone is sulficient to re-
concile him with his God, that he needs
not a Mediator and a sacrifice. Both these
errors are sufficiently guarded against by
innumerable passages of Scripture — the
first by such as John vi. 44, the second by
such passages as Heb. x. 19-22. We cannot
expect that every portion of Scripture is to
contain the whole circle of Christian doc-
trine.
20. And he arose, and came to his father. But nwlien
he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had
compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed
him.— o Acts ii. 39: Eph. U. 13, 17.
He not only resolved to go, but went —
went promptly, too, suffering no delay.
INIany are always on the eve of resolving,
" I will arise and go to my father," and not
a few come to the very point, but the
prodigal carried his purpose into action,
with firm, unshaken confidence in the ex-
ercise of his fother's love. But u-hen he vms
yet a great way off', &c. The kind and tender-
hearted father no sooner sees his returning
son, than, forgetful of all his guilt, he only
feels compassion for his present sufferings.
Regardless of his own age and dignity, he
runs to meet him, and instead of upbraid-
ing him with his faults, /f/Zs on liisneck and
kisses him, giving every evidence, according
to the custom of the East, of a cordial and
welcome reception. The gentlest motions
in the sinner's heart are known to the all-
seeing God. He with His grace antici-
CHAPTER XV,
pates the penitent in all the steps he takes
in order to return to Him. (Isa. Ixv. 24 ;
Psa. xxxii. 5.) He is careful to receive
him with a fatherl}' tenderness, since it is
His goodness which causes him to return.
Pie runs; that is, while we languish, He
draws us by His holy Word and S2>irit.
2Ie falls upon our neck, embraces us, sup-
ports us in trouble and distress, for we
should be overwhelmed with grief and
sorrow were we not aided and upheld by
God. He kisses tLS; that is. He intimates to
us the remission of sins, and assuages our
pains and fears by new light and consola-
tion.
21. And the son said unto him. Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and in »thy sight, and am no more
worthy to be called thy sou.— oPsa. li. 4.
Father, I have sinned against heaven, &c.
He recognized his sins to have been com-
mitted not merely against man, but against
heaven, or against God. Sin is committed
against God. We may injure ourselves by
our evil, we may wrong our neighbor;
but, strictly speaking, we can sin only
against God; and the recognition of our
evil, as first and chiefly an offense against
Him, is of the essence of all true repent-
ance, and distinguishes it broadly fi'om
many other kinds of sorrow which may
follow our evil deeds. As the prodigal
confessed his sin by a name of love — Father
— we learn that the love of God is the foun-
dation of true repentance. The chief
motive to the hatred of sin is, because it
is contrary to the goodness of God, and
because He, who is the best of all fathers,
is offended thereby. Confessing of sin is
a sign of true repentance. (Prov. xxviii.
13; Jer. ii. 35, xvi. 10; Hos. xiv. 2; 1 John
i. 9, 10.)
And no more worth )j to be railed thy son.
Melted, and, in some measure, confused by
the undeserved, unexpected w.a'mth of
his reception, the son bethought of the
speech which, at the turning-point of his
repentance (verses 18, 19), he had resolved
to address to his father, and began to recite
it, but stopped short before he came to the
wor^S, make me as one of thy hired servants.
Some say the father may have cut the
prodigal's speech short by giving aloud an
order to the servants for the kind and
honorable reception of his child. There
is, however, a deeper significance in the
omission. The son lying on the father's
bosom, with the fatlier's tears falling warm
on his upturned face, is some degrees fur-
ther advanced in the spirit of adoption
than when he first planned repentance
before the swine in his master's field.
There and then the legal si)irit of fear, be-
cause of guilt, still lingered in his heart;
he ventured to hope for exemption from
deserved punishment, but not for restora-
tion to the place of a beloved son. A^ow,
the spirit of bondage has been conclusively
cast out by the experience of his father's
love, and he could not finish the speech
which he had prepared — he could not ask
for the place of a servant, for he was al-
ready in the place of a son.
22. But the father said to his servants. Bring forth the
best robe, and put it on him, and put la ring on his
iiand, and shoes on his feet: 2:3. And In-ing liitlier the
fatted calf, and kill it ; and let us eat, and ije merry: 24.
tiFor this my son was dead, and is alive aguin ; he was
lost, and is Ibund. And they began to Ije merry.
pCien. xli. 42; Esther iii. 10 and viii. 2. q Verse 32:
Eph. iii. 1 and v. 14 ; Rev. iii. 1.
Let it be noted that the father does not
say a single word to his son about his
profligacy and wickedness. Bring forth the
best robe, and put it on him. The words,
translated " the best robe," are extremely
expressive in the original — the robe, that
first one, the most distinguished, that
chiefest, that best one. In the East, wed-
ding-garments hang upon the pegs in the
hall, and an individual had only to take
one and put it on. The father commanded
the servants, "Bring forth one of the
robes: there is going to be a great festi-
val, a high feast ; take from my child the
rags w^hich have degraded him as the
prodigal, and clothe him in the robe that
indicates the accejited son." By this is •
especially signified that act of God, which,
considered on its negative side, is a release
from condemnation, a causing the sinner's
iniquity to pass from him — on its jjositive
side, is an imputation to him of the merits
and righteousness of Christ. And a ring
on his hand. This was a mai-k of honor,
confidence and distinction. (Gen. xli. 42 ;
Ex. iii. 10; James ii. 2.) In ancient times,
rings were invariably used for seals. The
giving this ring or seal, therefore, was the
evidence that the prodigal Vas now no
more a servant, nor to seek a servant's
place, but a son that had received a father's
welcome. (2 Cor. i. 22; Rom. viii. 23; 2
LUKE,
Cor. V. 5.) And shoes on his feet. The Apos-
tle speaks of being "shod" with the prep-
aration of the Gospel of peace: so the
putting shoes on the prodigal's feet teaches
that he was not to wander any more, but,
like Abraham, to "walk before God;" like
Enoch, to "walk with God," and to lead a
life that should be the evidence of his
sonship.
And bring Jdther the fatted calf, and kill it.
Eastern hosi)itality always had in a state
of readiness a calf, or some such animal,
to be slaughtered and served up. (See
Gen. xviii. 7, xli. 2; 1 Sam. xvi. 20, xxviii.
24; 2 Sam. vi. 13.) This "fatted calf,"
literally, " the calf — that fatted one," seems
to have been one kept for a special occa-
sion. It was killed — plainly not for sacri-
fice, but simply for the feast, or the festival
to wliich they were called. And let us eat,
and be merry. As the shepherd summoned
his friends (verse 6), and the woman her
female neighbors (verse 9), so here the
householder his servants, to be sharers in
his joy. It is the very nature of true joy
— that it runs over, that it desires to im-
part .itself. For tliis my son loas dead, &c.
The prodigal's life before his repentance,
and the change when he repented, was a
state of death, after this change, it was a
state of life. All life, even when most
prosperous, without fellowship with God,
is but death and misery. (Eph. ii. 5, 6.)
W^as lost, in all that pertains to virtue and
happiness. Is found marks deliverance
from the condemnation of sin. Aiul they
began to be merry. The strong contrast
between this expression and the one at
.the end of verse 14 ought not to be over-
looked. Unconverted man begins to be
"in want." Converted he begins to be
" happy."
25. Now his elder son was in the field : and as he came
and drew nigh tothe house, he heard music and dancing.
In the field, engaged in the duties of
superintending the farm. As he ap-
proached the house, he heard music and
dancing. It would appear that a party of
musicians and dancers had been hired to
enliven the rejoicing entertainment given
on this occasion. In Oriental towns there
are large numbers of musicians and dancers
who derive their subsistence from their
exertions on such occasions. The guests
and members of the family are spectators
and auditors merely.
26. And lie called one of the servants, and asked
what these things meant. 27. And he said unto him.
Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the
tatted calf, because he hath received him safe and
sound.
The cool and calculating selfishness of
the elder brother betrayed itself in the
fact that, instead of entering the house, as
his i^osition in the family would have
justified, and learning by personal obser-
vation the cause of the unwonted joy, he
called one of the servants, and sought
information from him. And he said unto
him, &c. The father was overwhelmed
with the moral transformation of his son,
but the jjoor servant, who attended merely
to duty, and had no sympathy, except
with outward facts, replied to the elder
brother, that his brother had returned,
had been welcomed, and was received by
his father, safe and sound — none of his
limbs broken or features defaced.
28. And "-he was angry, and would not go in : there-
fore came his lather out, and entreated him.
"■1 Sam. xvii. 28 ; Isa. Ixv. 5.
Our Lord now holds up to the murmur-
ing Pharisees of verse 2, a likeness of
themselves, for them to recognize and
avoid. As the elder son, because of his
cold, selfish and contracted disposition, is
angry at the joy which welcomes the
prodigal home from his wanderings, so
have these men murmured at the mercy
with which Jesus had received the publi-
can and sinner. Came his father out, &c.
He went forth to meet the prodigal ; now, ,
though he saw his son acting in a manner
so unworthy of the affections and duties
of a son, he does not utter one word of
anger or rebuke, but entreats him to lay
aside his anger and enter the house.
29. And he answering said to his father, Lo, 'these
many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at
any time thy commandment; and «yet thou never
gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my
friends : 30. But as soon as this thy son was come,
which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast
killed for him the fatted calf.
sisa. Iviii. 2, 3 ; Zech. vii. 3. 'Mai. iii. 14.
The words, many years, stand opposed to
as S0071 as, in verse 30. Do I serve thee. The
word serve, here, is the service of a slave,
and hence some have held it as character-
izing the Pharisee's devotion to God.
Neither transgressed I, &c. In this profes-
sion of invariable obedience, contrasted
with the implied disregard of the father's
CHAPTER XV,
887
command, evinced by the desertion of the
younger son, there is strongly disphiyed
the self-righteous spirit of this elder
brother. He boasts of perfect obedience,
while at the very time his conduct belies
his words, and shows that he was devoid
of all true filial respect and moral upright-
ness. A kid, far inferior to the fatted calf.
See how expressive the language of this
brother is of the chagrin, envy and hatred
of his heart. He does not say, " as soon
as my brother is come," but " as soon as
this thy son," this contemptible fellow,
" which hath devoured thy living with
harlots." That was not matter of fact. The
elder son had had his share, and the
younger had had his. It had ceased to be
his father's, and became his own. There
was no evidence that he had wasted his
father's living " with harlots." This was
a mere guess, because there was nothing
in his past history to warrant it. It may
have been, or it may not, but there was no
evidence on which the son could say so.
Next he says, " as soon as he was come,"
not, " as soon as he repented and reformed
himself, and became a better man," and,
as if there were sinfulness and excessive
indulgence on the father's part, the elder
son added, " thou hast killed for him the
fatted calf." Envy, jealousy, ill-will, un-
charitableness, were all compressed into
this speech.
31. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me,
and all that I liave is thine. 32. It wa.s meet that we
should make merry, and be glad : ufor this tUy brother
was dead, and Is alive again ; and waa lost, and ia
found.— "Verse 24.
Son. The father speaks to him affec-
tionately, and does not immediately drive
from him the elder brother. Thou art
ever with me. Always, and therefore it was
not necessary that there should be any
special rejoicing. With me. It is better to
be happy with a father than with a multir
tude of friends. All that I have is thine, for
the younger brother had received his
portion, and the elder was sole heir to his
father's goods. It vjas meet, i. e., right,
proper, that we — the elder son is affection-
ately included in this general expression,
notwithstanding his contemptuous and
sneering words— /or this thy brother, pur-
posely repeated from this thy son, but with
different manner, denoting the deepest
affection. Was dead, and is alive, &c. (See
on verse 24.) This answer of the father
was wisely intended and adapted to avert
the wrath and jealousy of the elder brother.
From the spirit manifested by the elder
son, it was evident that he was lost, as well
as the younger, but as far as the parable
reveals his history, he was not like him
found again. He, like his brother, went
astray, but unlike him, for anything we
know to the contrary, refused to come
back. That which really in the last resort
hinders a man's salvation and secures his
doom, is not his sin, but his refusal to
know and own that he is a sinner, and
flee to God, through Christ, for jjardon^
peace, hope and heaven.
1. Who drew near to Jesus ? 2. "Why did they do so ? 3. What did the Pharisees and scribes say ? 4. Explain
the parable of the lost sheep. 5. Who are the " friends and neighbors " referred to ? 6. What is said of one
sinner that repenteth? 7. Who are the "ninety and nine just persons," &c., referred to ? 8. How does the
second parable dlffei- from the first ? 9. Who are meant bj- the " younger son," in the third parable ? 10. Who
by the " elder son ?" 11. What were the evidences of the genuineness of the prodigal's repentance ? 12. How
was he received by his father ? 13. What does this teach us ? 14. What do we learn from the spirit and conduct
ofthe elder son?
LUKE.
CHAPTER XVI.
1 The parabl^e of the. unjiMt steward. 14 Christ reproveth
the hypocrisy of the covetous Pharisees. 19 The rich
glutton, and iMzarus the beggar.
The object of our Lord's teaching in this
chapter is to awaken and quicken us all,
so to use this world as not to abuse it, so
to manage all our possessions and enjoy-
ments here as that they may promote our
happiness, and not increase our misery, in
the world to come. He also aims to rouse
us to take the warning given us by the
written Word, and not to expect imme-
diate messages from the other world.
AND he said also unto Iiis disciples, There was a cer-
tain rich man, which had a steward: and the
same was accused unto him that he had wasted his
goods.
Unto his discipJr^. Not exclusively the
Apostolic circle, but rather the whole body
of those who had attached themselves to
Jesus to be taught of Him, whom His word
had found out in the deep of their spirits,
and who, having left the world's service,
had decidedly passed over into the ranks
of His people. A certain rich man. This
maj' denote an ancient nobleman of very
high rank — probably a satrap, or the gov-
ernor of a very large district of country.
This rich man is not like the one referred
to in another parable, as preparing to build
new barns and storehouses in the miser-
able hope of a future of peace, prosperity
and comfort; nor like another spoken of
at the close of this chapter, who was
"clothed in purple and fine linen, and.
fared sumptuously every day," but a" rich
man who was careful of his goods. He does
not appear to be exceedingly anxious as to
their increase, nor yet lavish and luxurious
in their expenditure, but he takes good
care not to lose sight of them. Which had
a steward. This ofhcer was one who super-
intended domestic concerns, and minis-
tered to the support of the family, having
the products of the field, business, collec-
tion of rents, &c., put into his hands for
this very purpose, and having only to
render annually to his lord his accounts
of all his expenditures and receipts. As
our property increases, our personal con-
trol over it diminishes ; the more we pos-
sess, the more .we must intrust to others.
Every man stands in the relation of a
steward to God. Wasted his goods, had been
profuse and profligate, embezzling his
master's substance, and concealing the
fraud for a time under the folds of com-
plicated accounts. Some person discovered
the facts and informed the jiroprietor. Not
to use what has been intrusted to us ac-
cording to the design and intention of God
is to waste it. Nothing is concealed from
God.
2. And he called him, and said uuto him, How is it
that I hear this of thee ? give an account of thy steward-
ship ; for thou may est be no longer steward.
Hoiv is it that I hear this of thee? This is
the expostulation of indignant surprise —
an intimation of the abuse of the confi-
dence that had been placed in him, to
which he had so illy responded, and in
which he had shown ingratitude and in-
considerate forgetful ness of his obligations :
of thee, whom I had trusted so far, to whom
I had committed so much. Never is re-
buke so poignant as when it is given in
soft and gentle accents. Give an account,
&c. Produce thy books of receipts and
disbursements, that I may see whether the
accusation against thee be true or false.
Here is expressed God's holy zeal against
all unfaithfulness, and that the application
made by men of earthly goods is far from
being a matter of indifference to Him. For
thou wayest, &c., literally, "Thou wilt not
be able to be stewaixl any longer." It is
impossible that thou canst be. I cannot
allow thee. In this intimation of the re-
moval of the steward, God's righteousness
shines forth. A short resjiite, however,
was still allowed him, which he might
employ, and which is to be referred to the
period of life granted to every one, always
uncertain, and never long in continuance.
There are three things at the death of an
unfaithful man which are very terrible :
1. His being obliged to appear with a guilty
conscience before holiness itself 2. His
having an exact account to give of his
whole life, and of whatever he has re-
ceived. 3. His seeing himself deprived of
all forever.
3. Then the steward said within himself, aWhat shall
I do? for my lord taketh away from me the steward-
ship : I cannot dig ; to beg I am ashamed.
»Isa. X. 3; Hos. ix. 5; Acta ix. 6.
The steward seems to have given up his
CHAPTER XVI.
889
case as soon as he was accused. He at-
tempted no excuse. He uttered not a
word in his own defense. There was no
proof on the one side, and no denial on
the other. He said within himself, what shall
I dof &c. He thus disphiyed his perplex-
ity. He felt that he was about to lose his
position and support, and he was, for the
moment, at a loss what course to pursue
for a livelihood. With habits, both men-
tal and physical, cast in another mould, he
cannot win his bread as a laborer, and his
pride revolted against the prospect of be-
coming a beggar on the spot where he had
long been owned as master by the multi-
tudes. The aphorism repeated for many
hundred years is still true — "Honesty is
the best policy." No man ever gets rich
with that which is not his own. A little,
with the -conscience at peace with God and
man, is sweet; much, amid the fever of
remorse, generates no happiness.
4. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out
of the stewardship, they may receive me into their
houses.
So he said within himself, after a little
consideration; a lucky thought, as he
doubtless accounted it, coming into his
mind. As he was not yet ousted from
office, he resolved to use his power, for the
little time it remained, in such a manner
as to make himself friends, who would
succor him in his need. That they may re-
ceive me into their houses — that the tenants
or debtors of his lord, who paid their
rents or debts, not in money, but in wheat,
oil or other produce of the ground they
rented or possessed, might give him enter-
tainment in their houses, or provide for
him some other means of subsistence.
Dishonest men are often found to have
very sharp wits.
5. So he called every one of his lord's debtors %mto
him, and said unto the first. How much owest thou unto
my lord ?
It is quite evident, from the debts being
stated to consist of corn and oil, that these
debtors were the tenants of the steward's
lord, and consequently that the transac-
tion refers to the terms on which the
corn-fields and olive grounds were held.
6. And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he
said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and
write fifty. 7. Then said he to another. And how much
owest thou? And he said, a hundred measures of
wheat. And he said unto him. Take thy bill, and write
four score.
An hundred measures of oil, supposed to
be the Hebrew bath, containing nearly
nine gallons. What the quantities men-
tioned may have been in relation to our
standards, is only a question of criucal and
antiquarian interest. The amount of the
debt has no influence on the mea iiing of the
parable. The point which is really import-
ant is the pro2)ortion between the amount
owed by the debtors and the amount
exacted by the steward. Olive oil and
wheat were two of the staple products of
the country. Take thy bill, obligation,
bond. These bonds, it seems, were kept
in the hands of the steward, and of this
we have instances in the Roman law. Sit
down quickly, &c., says the steward. No
time to be lost. If you do not change
your bill now, you will never be able to
do it afterward. If you do, I will take
care in my reckoning that you are not
exposed. He displays his tact and shrewd-
ness in taking advantage of the very last
moment at his disposal, and also by impli-
cating others with him in his fraud. The
parable narrates the case of two debt-
ors as a specimen of the whole. Wicked
as the steward was, he had an eye to the
future. Disgraceful as his measures were,
he provided well for himself. He did not
sit still in idleness, and see himself re-
duced to jjoverty without a struggle. He
schemed, planned and contrived, and
boldly carried his plans into execution.
How different the conduct of most men
about their souls ! In this general point
of view, and in this only, the steward sets
us all an example. Like him we should
look far forward to things to come, pro-
vide against the day when we shall have
to leave our present habitation, and secure
a home in heaven. (2Cor. v. 1.)
8. And the lord commended the unjust steward, be-
cause he had done wisely : for the children of this
world are in their generation wiser than tthe children
oflight.
bJohn xii. 36; Eph. iv. 5, 8; 1 Thess. v. 5.
The lord, i, e., the landlord, the same lord
as in verses 3 and 5. Great care should
be taken so as not to confound the lord
or master of the steward here spoken of
with the Lord Jesus Christ. Commended the
unjust steward, because he had done wisely. He
did not commend him for his injustice.
He turned him out of his office on that
account, but as a man of the world, he
could not withhold from him commenda-
890
LUKE,
tion for his cleverness and shrewdness in
the phxn he had formed for his future pro-
vision and comfort. Our Lord now pro-
ceeds to make the application. By tJie
childrtn of thi^ luorld we are to understand
imrldly persons, those who make this
world their god, are devoted to the cares,
pleasures or pursuits of the present life ;
mind earthly things, have their treasure
here, and desire no better portion than
this world can yield. These, says Christ,
are in their generation, i, e., are for their life,
or for their day, wiser, more shrewd and
active than the children of light are in rela-
tion to their eternal good. By the children
of light are meant Chi'istians ; those who,
having been " some time in darkness, are
now light in the Lord" — whose under-
.standings have been enlightened to see
the truth as it is in Jesus, who no longer
walk after the course of this world, and
profess to be seeking a better country, that
is, a heavenly one. Our Lord's meaning
is, that Christians are not as prudently
careful over what spiritual interests they
possess, not as watchful that none shall in
any way rob or defraud them of them ;
not as clear-sighted and watchful in regard
to these interests as was this rich man in
I'elation to " his goods," neither are they as
quick and prompt to take advantage of
every moment, in order to make provision
for the time to come, or as eagerly vigilant
not to let slip any opportunity which
might be improved for this purpose, as
was this steward in relation to his future
prospects in the world.
9. And I say unto you, "^Make to yourselves friends
of the ^-mainmon of unri^hteousne.ss, that, when ye
fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
cDan. iv. 27 ; Matt. vi. 19 and xix. 21 ; Luke xi. 41 ; 1
Tim. yi. 17, 18, 19. *0r, riches.
And I say unto you — I give you the fol-
lowing counsel and advice. Mammon is a
Syriac word, and signifies riches or wealth.
In verse 13 our Lord beautifully represents
this as a person whom the folly of men
had deified : " Ye cannot serve God and
mammon." Mammon may be called
unrighteous, because it is generally un-
righteously obtained, unrighteously re-
tained, or unrighteously employed. Trade
is not unlawful, neither is property founded
in sin ; but because the spirit which per-
vades trade, if not purified by Christianity,
and as it exists in heathen countries, and
as a heathenish element in Christian
countries, is unrighteous, mammon, riches
or property is so called. That cannot be
unrighteous in itself which God gives to
so many persons by His blessing their dil-
igence, frugality and economy, so as to
make them rich, that they may be a source
of blessings to others by their beneficence.
We are not to suppose that we can make
to ourselves friends, in the sense here in-
tended, by ill-gotten wealth. This must be
restored, as in the case of Zaccheus.
(Luke xix. 8; see, also, Isa. Ixi. 8.) Neither
can any one fulfill the injunction of the
text who is still an unpardoned sinner.
The first thing to be attended to, by those
who would make a right use of their
money, is, that they themselves be justi-
fied, be at peace with God, and have Him
for their friend. (Eph. ii. 14.) The verse
evidently teaches that Christians are to
make use of their money, which has been
righteously obtained, not only for their own
necessities, but also for the support of the
cause of the Gospel, and for the relief of the
afflicted and destitute. (Matt. ix. 13 ; Luke
vi. 36 ; Matt. v. 7 ; Luke xii. 13 ; Matt. v.
44 ; Heb. xiii. 16.) That when ye fail — be-
come a bankrupt. The Greek may be
rendered, " when ye sufier an eclipse."
Death brings us under it ; our health,
strength, beauty, honor, glory and renown,
our powers of body and mind will suffer
an eclipse. In the final hour we shall fail,
as far as all earthly resources are con-
cerned. They may receive you into everlast-
ing habitations. They, i. e., the friends just
siDoken of, which are to be referred to God.
Everlasting habitations. This expression
must evidently mean heaven. Heaven
will be the eternal home of all God's peo-
ple. There those will be received with
welcome who brought forth fruits worthy
of repentance, whose love labored, whose
hope produced a patient continuance in
well-doing, and made them steadfast in
the faith, who, as they had the ability,
were " rich in good works, ready to dis-
tribute, willing to communicate." (1 Tim.
vi. 17, 18.)
10. dHe that is faithful in that which is least is faith-
ful also in much : and he that is unjust in the least ia
unjust also in much.— ^Matt. xxv. 21 ; Luke xix. 17.
Faithful. Oar Lord commends, not pru-
CHAPTER XVI
891
dence, but fidelity; for fidelity begets and
directs prudence. In that which is least.
This refers to the mammon of unright-
eousness, or the earthly stewardship com-
mitted to us. Is faithful also in much, i. e.,
the true riches. If we are faithful in this
world's least, we shall be faithful for
eternity's much. This, of course, does not
meantiiat honesty about money can justify
our souls, but that dishonesty about money
is a sure sign of a heart not being " right
in the sight of God." Unjust in the least
. . . in much. Our least sin is committed
for eternity, and, if unforgiven, must result
in an eternal woe proportionate to its guilt.
We may, by our degrees of unrighteous-
ness, more or less sink ourselves deeper
into perdition ; but the slightest unre-
moved condemnation is eternal. It is an
acknowledged truth, that a man's conduct
in little things is a sure test of what he is
likely to do in great things.
11. If therefore ve have not been faithful in the un-
righteous *mammon, who will commit to your trust the
true riches ?— *0r, richf:s.
Jesus speaks from a heavenly point of
view. He calls the blessings of salvation
by antithesis the true, because they are
not, like the unrighteous mammon, un-
trustworthy, deceitful and unsatisfying,
but fully deserve the name of genuine
and true good, whereby the highest ideal
is realized. (See John i. 9 ; Heb. ix. 24.)
The doctrine is, that he who is dishonest
and unfaithful in the discharge of his
duties on earth, must not expect to have
heavenly treasures, or to be saved.
12. And if ve have not been faithful in that which is
another mail's, who shall give you that which is your
own ?
The argument here is the same with
that in the preceding verse, though the
expressions are different.
INIammon is called by our Lord, not un-
righteous merely, but also a strange thing
{another man's), intimating that it is a
temporal good, and noi always abiding,
like that which is spiritual. We are made
Christians in order to enjoy heaven and
eternity, and therefore heavenly and
eternal treasures are those alone which
are properly our own. And these are given
to us, not of debt, or claim, but of grace.
13. 1[ 'No ser%'ant can serve two masters : for either
he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he
will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot
serve God and mammon.— «Matt. vi. 24.
If any one should think that possibly he
might reconcile the criminal employment
of temporal riches with the attainment of
eternal life, our Lord anticipates and ex-
plodes this vain refuge. Mammmi is the
Syriac word for riches, and seems here to
be an idol. The covetous man is an idol-
ater, and therefore no true servant of God.
The point contended for in respect to God
is not exclusive jjossession, but exclusive
dominion. Other things may occasionally,
for a certain time, and to a certain degree,
have . possession of our minds, but they
must not rule, must not reiijn over them.
We can serve but one master faithfully
and effectually, and that one must be God.
The concerns of this life may have their
due place in our hearts, but they must not
aspire to the first. This is the prerogative
of religion alone — religion must be su-
preme and p.iramount over all.
14. And the Pharisees also, fwho were covetous, heard
all these things : auu they derided him.— 'Matt, xxiii. 14.
The Pharisees who luere covetous, of a very
worldly spirit, literally, silver lovers, de-
rided him, as a visionary, who did not
understand human life, or only appeared
to despise the world, because (as they
supjiose) it was out of His reach. The
original word is very emphatic, signifying
they mocked Him, by a scornful motion of
the mouth and nose, as well as by what
they spake to Him. It is natural for the
human heart to shrink from the touch of
truth. Ministers often find that their
hearers have been offended by the most
searching parts of their sermons. Though
it be painful to be told of our sins, we
should not become angry when this is
done ; it is better to know our sins 7iow,
than to wait till we stand before God.
15. And he said unto them, Ye are they which qustify
youi-selves before men ; but i>God knoweth your hearts :
for "that which is highly esteemed among men is abom-
ination in the sight of God.
eLuke x. 29. i^Ps. vii. 9. U Sam. xvi. 7.
By shunning the company of sinners,
and your care of external appearances,
you make specious pretenses to extraordi-
nary sanctity before the world, and you
seldom fail to acquire a great reputation
for it. You also endeavor to make it
appear that ye can still feel an insatiable
thirst after the present world, and yet
secure the blessings of another — that ye
can reconcile God and mammon. But God
893
LUKE.
knoweth your hearts— yon cannot justify
yourselves before Him. He sees tlirough
your pompous and plausible disguise. He
knoweth that ye are alive to the ivorld, and
dead to God and goodness. For that which
is highly esteemed, &c. How often do we
see this solemn truth illustrated ! Riches,
honors, rank, pleasure, are the chief ob-
jects for which the greater part of man-
kind are living; yet these are the very
things which God declares to be " vanity,"
and of the love of which He warns us to
beware! Praying, Bible reading, holy
living, repentance, faith, grace and com-
munion with God, are things for which
few care at all; yet these are the very
things which God in His Bible is ever
urging on our attention !
16. JThe law and the prophets were until John : since
that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every
man pressetli into it.
jJIatt^ iv. 17 and xi. 12, 13; Luke vii. 29.
The laiu and the prophets, the Old Testa-
ment, the whole revelation of God's will
in that form. Until John — as far as, down
or up to John, as the last in the succession
of such agencies. Since that time, &c. You
forget that the dispensation of the law and
prophets was only intended to pave the
way for the better dispensation of the
kingdom of God, which was to be ushered
in by John the Bai^tist. That dispensation
has come. John the Baptist has appeared.
And humble men, who feel their wretch-
edness as sinners, are receiving the glad
tidings of the kingdom, whilst ye proud,
self-righteous men are deriding me and
my doctrine.
17. kAnd it is ea-sier for heaven and earth to pass, than
one tittle of the law to fail.
iPs. lii. 26; Isa. xl. 8, li. 6; Matt. v. 18; 1 Peter i. 25.
The idea that the law shall never cease
to be authoritative and obligatory is ex-
pressed by a comparison, familiar to the
style of the Old Testament, with the frame
of nature or the constitution of the uni-
verse, a striking emblem of immutability.
The immutability of the Divine Word, in
relation either to happiness or misery,
yields as much comfort to the righteous as
it gives despair to the wicked.
18. iWhosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth
another, committeth adultery; and %vhosoever marrieth
her that is put away from her husband, committeth
adultery.
iMatt. v. 32 and xix. 9 ; Matt. x. 11 ; 1 Cor. vii. 10, 11.
Here is an example of the permanence
and the violation of the law. The Phari-
sees had unconverted hearts. They pro-
fessed to love God ; but in reality they
hated Him. How did they show that
they hated Him? By hating His law.
They did not keep His holy command-
ments. Jesus reminds them of one great
sin, which they frequently committed.
They broke the seventh commandment
by putting away their wives in order to
marry others. Thay had lowered the
standard of the law of divorce. They had
allowed divorce for trivial and insufficient
causes. They had perverted and abused,
for licentious i)urposes, the Mosaic law
(Deut. xxiv. 1), that if " unclcanness "
were found in a wife, the husband might
" write a bill of divorcement, and put it
into her hand, and send her out of the
house." What was then permitted, and
that, too, only to prevent greater evils, and
because it was found to be necessary in
view of the hardness of the hearts of the
people, was now regarded as precept, and
when thus regarded, sadly misinterpreted
and applied. This language of our Lord
is to be interpreted in harmony with Matt.
V. 32, on which see notes. According to
this law, adultery or unchastity, is the only
sufficient reason for divorce.
10. 1 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed
in mpurple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every
day :— mjudg. viii. 26 ; Esth. viii. 15.
From the very earliest days it has been
a matter of dispute, whether this portion
of our Lord's teaching ought to be regarded
as a parable err a real history. It would be
safe, perhaps, to regard it as mainly his-
torical, and partly figurative; in other
words, as the relation of events which
actually occurred, though somewhat color-
ed with borrowed imagery, which the
great Teacher, according to His usual cus-
tom, employed to convey the important
instruction communicated. It is, however,
of no real importance to inquire whether
this is the history of men who actually
lived at Jerusalem, or whether our Lord
borrowed only general and probable char-
acters, and worked them into a parable.
In either case the moral is the same. It
cannot, for a moment, be supposed that
Jesus would use any embellishment, even
in a parable, that would leave any impres-
sion on an honest mind inconsistent with
truth. If the parable in part consists of
CHAPTER XVI.
893
drapery, it is not the drapery of error, but
of truth.
A certain rich man. No name is given to
him, because it would have been invidious,
and have provoked ill-will, to name any
one in such a description, but he is com-
monly called Dives, a Latin word signifying
a rich num. The omission of the name is
a means of generalizing the representation.
We are not told how this man became
rich. Which was clothed in purple and fine
linen. Purple was the color in that ajje
appropriate to princely rank. It was ob-
tained from the blood taken from a vein
in the throat of a certain shell-tish. The
wearing of fine linen (called byssus) was
then, because the manufacture of it was in
its infancy, considered a proof of the great-
est wealtla, or greatest luxury. And fared
sumptuously every day. He gratified his
palate with the most exquisite food which
nature, assisted by art, could furnish. The
original expression is very expressive, sig-
nifying that he feasted splendidly, or delighted
and cheered himself with luxury and splen-
dor every day. This rich display was not
reserved for special days, festivals or galas,
it was his ordinary style. It is important,
in order that the edge of the parable may
be retained, that the character of Dives as
evil should not be exaggerated. He is not
said to have been dishonest, nor a calum-
niator, nor a false accuser, nor an oppressor
of the poor, nor avaricious, nor a spend-
thrift, nor an adulterer, nor a murderer,
nor a criminal. There is not exhibited to
us any flagrant crime or peculiar wicked-
ness in his conduct. But the design of the
parable is to admonish us, not that a mon-
ster of wickedness shall be punished in
another world, but that the man who,
though not chargeable with doing much
ill, does little or no good, and who, though
not perhaps intemperate or sensual, is yet
careless about the situation of others, and
exists only for the gratification of himself,
the indulgence of his own appetites and
vanity, shall not escape punishment. It
shows the danger of living in the
neglect of duties, though not chargeable with
the commission of crimes, and particularly
the danger of considering the gifts of Provi-
dence as our own property, and not as a
trust from our Creator, to be employed in
His service {i. e., in doing His will), and for
which we are accountable to Him.
20. And there was a certain beggar Daaied Xiazarus,
wliich was laid at his gate, I'uU ol' sores,
This Lazarus was not the brother of
Martha and Mary. Lazarus was by his
own name known in heaven. The rich
man was not distinguished by any name
(verse 25) ; he had only a genealogy in
this world (verse 27). This is the only
one of our Lord's parables in which He
introduces parties to us by name. Which
ivas laid at his gale — placed there by others,
who either wished to rid themselves of
him, or to secure to him what fell from the
rich man's table; in sight of the rich
man, that he might not have ignorance to
plead. Full of sores, entirely covered with
them, ulcerated, one of the natural effects
of a mendicant's life. It is one of the
blessed fruits of the Gospel, that it provides
for the poor and the suffering. We are
apt to wonder at the ways of Heaven, and
perhaps temjited to arraign the conduct of
Providence,in crowning so worthless a man
as Dives with wealth and prosperity, whilst
all that diversified the lot of Lazarus was
scene after scene of poverty and pain.
But let us suspend our judgment. We see
but one link in the great chain of Provi-
dence. We live but in the infancy of
being. The great drama of life is but be-
gun. When the curtain between both
worlds is undrawn, the morn will ari^^e
that will light uie Almighty's footsteps i i
the deep, and pour full day uj^on all the
paths of His providence.
21. And desiring to be fed witli the crumbs which fell
from the rich man's table : moreover the dogs came
and licked his sores.
And desiring to be fed, &c. The expres-
sion, in the original, does not afford a
sufficient foundation for sujiposing that he
was refused the crumbs, the word render-
ed desiring, not implying so much in the
Scriptural use of it. Nor does such suppo-
sition seem to be warranted by the facts,
that the rich man afterward immediately
knew Lazarus, asked that he might be
made the instrument of the relief wanted,
and that, though the patriarch ui)braided
the rich man with the carelessness and
luxury in which he lived, he said not a
word of the refusal of the ciiimbs to the
beggar at the gate. Besides, as the beggar
894
LUKE,
appears to have been laid there repeatedly,
this implies some success. Moreover, the
dogs came and licked his sores. The act
attributed to the dogs accords, as is well
known, with their instincts and habits. It
was soothing to the sutierer in the sensa-
tions of the moment, and healthful in its
efiects. The true Christian, building on
the one foundation, even Christ, must be
ready not only to do, but to sujf'er. He
must make up his mind to a cheerful
acquiescence in the will of God, even if
God shall be pleased to send him manifold
"evil things" in his outward lot — even if
he be dependent on the merest charity for
his daily food.
22. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was
carried "by the angels into Abraham's bosom : the rich
man also died, and was buried ;
"Ps. xci. 11, 12; Heb. 1. H.
Lazarus died first. The earliest death
is not the evidence of judgment; the ripe
is oftenest taken — saints are frequently
gathered first. No mention is made of
Lazarus being buried. His poor, diseased
body was probably hid out of sight in any
obscure grave which the hand of charity
might provide for it. But his dust was
precious in the sight of that God in whom
he trusted, and in the resurrection morn-
ing God will show how much He
prizes the redeemed bodies of His saints.
Abraham's bosom, we may assume, was al-
ready an expression employed by the
Jews to designate the pli\ce of the blessed
beyond the grave. It is plain that heaven
is a place. The joys of the blessed after
death are here represented as a feast.
Abraham, the father of the faithful, is
placed, as it were, at the head of the
table. Heaven will be a feast of the in-
tellect, of love, of memory, of anticipation.
And ivas carried by the angels, that is, his
soul. (See Heb. i. 14; Ps. ciii. 20.) It is
not in vain that Christ assigns this office to
the angels, whom we know to be given as
ministers to the faithful. How great and
sudden the change ! He who was lately
the sport, not only of man but of dogs, is
now honored by the presence and kind
offices of angels ! The rich man also died, and
was buried. Death is no respecter of per-
sons. " It is appointed unto all men once
to die." No earthly resources, however
great or grand, can shield us from the
assault of the destroyer. The rich man
was buried, we may snpi)0se, with much
pageantry and j)omp. But Avhat a mock-
ery was this marked attention to the
lifeless body, now that his soul had passed
into punishment !
It must not for a moment be supposed
in relation to the parties mentioned in the
parable, that because the one was rich he
was excluded from heaven, and because the
other was poor he was admitted into
heaven. The true lesson here taught is
in one aspect the very reverse of this : an
ungodly man is in the highest sense poor,
in spite of his wealth, and a godly man is
in the highest sense rich, in spite of his
poverty.
23. And "in hell he lifted up his e.ves, being ;n tor-
ments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his
bosom.— oPs. ix. 17 ; Prov. v. 5 ; Isa. xii. 9.
Both were now in the world of spirits,
but the beggar in that world wa^ in Abra-
ham's bosom, and the rich man in tor-
ment ; the ransomed man entered the
Father's house and joined the company
of the holy, the ungodly gravitated accord-
ing to his kind into the place of woe. It
is evident that hell is a place. He lifted up
his eyes, being in torments. In interpreting
these expressions we must carefully re-
member that our Lord's language is adapted
to our understandings. It is plain that
lost souls can suffer intensely before
the resurrection, but how a lost soul can
be susceptible of bodily suffering before
the resurrection of the body we cannot
fully comprehend. A^id seeth Abraham
afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Among
the Jews, the rabbins say that the place
of torment and paradise are so situated
that what is done in one may be seen
from the other. The Grecian poets repre-
sent the abodes of the blest as lying
contiguous to the regions of the damned,
and separated only by a great imjiassable
river, or deep gulf, in such a way that the
spirits could talk with one another from
its opposite banks. Grecian mythologists
also tell us that the souls of wicked men
lie in a river of fire, where they suffer the
same torments they would have suffered
while alive had their bodies been burned.
It does not follow, however, from these re-
semblances, that the parable is formed on
the Grecian mythology, or that our Lord
CHAPTER XVI
895
approved of what the common people
thought or spake concerning those matters,
agreeably to the notions and language of
the Greeks. In parables, provided the
doctrines inculcated are strictly true, the
terms in which they are inculcated may
be such as are most familiar to the ears of
mankind, and the images made use of
such as they are best acquainted with.
24. And he cried and said. Father Abraham, have
mercv on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the
tip of his finger in water, and pcool my tongue; for I
qam tormented in this Hame.
pZech. xiv. 12. ilsa. Ixvi, 24 , Mark ix. 44, &a
He cried and said. He did not acknowl-
edge the justness of his punishment, or
the greatness of his sins. Father Abrahapi.
His pride on account of his fleshly descent
from Abraham, and his Judaism, had gone
with him; he thinks of laying claim to
salvation as a right wholly standing in
himself; and is quite blinded in regard to
his untilial state of heart (Matt. iii. 8 ; Rom.
ix. 6, 7), though he recognizes Abraham as
his father. In such a state of mind his
condition mu.st have been doubly painful
to him. (Matt. vii. 22, &c.) Send. He
still treats Lazarus as of little account, as
afterward Moses. (Verse 30.) It appears
probable, that those are always present to
the thoughts of the wicked whom they
remember to have been ill-treated by them.
Cool ray tongue, &c. — marking the continu-
ance of his lusts and desires, which were
now without any means of satisfaction,
and consequently increased his torment ;
the thirst bespeaks a longing desire after
an absent good, the suffering of pain a
present feeling of distress ; the flame is an
image of the highest degree of pain , he
begs, not for entire deliverance, but only
for alleviation; he sues for mercy who
himself had been so unmerciful. As this
is the only prayer to a saint recorded in
the Bible, and it, though for a small relief,
was not answered, of course, prayers to
saints are unwarranted. Tormented in this
flame. The evil passions which now rankle
in the bosoms of sinners here will here-
after produce in them inconceivable
anguish, by being released of every restric-
ti-^n, and being left unshackled to revel in
full and exasperated expansion forever.
Each passion which it was the concern of
a lifetime to indulge, but which it must
now be the employment of an eternity to
deny, will be as a flre-sheet around them.
The punishment of the wicked is often
represented by Christ, not only in parables
either, but in His explanations of parables,
by tire. (Matt. xiii. 41, 42; Mark ix. 44,
46, 48 ; see also 2 Thes. i. 7, 8, 9 ; Rev. xiv.
9, 10, 11.)
25. But Abraham said, .Son, "remember, that thou, in
thy lifetime, receivedst thy good things, and lilicwise
Lazarus evil tilings : l)ut now lie is comforted, and thou
art tormented.— rjob xx'i. 13; Luke vi. 24.
TiiY good things — the things you have
chosen as your portion — the things of earth,
and time, and sense, in the enjoyment of
which you lived contentedly and happily,
as your own. God put them into your
hands as a .steward, to be taken care of and
used for Him ; you have appropriated them
to yourself, as if they were your own j^rop-
erty. They have been your ^ood Receivedst.
This word, in the original, has great em-
phasis. It expresses the receipt in fidl—
the exhaustion of all claims on. " Those
that were good things to thee came to an end
in thy lifetime ; there are no more of
them." Whatever can be dei-ived from the
guilty use of the thingsof earth, aj^art from
the Giver, and in neglect of fidelity to Him,
had been received by this rich man. He had
taken them as his own, and he received his
reward. They gave him as much as they
could, and then left him to perish. But
noio he is comforted. His aflJictions are all
past, he has exchanged his place at the
gate, for a home in heaven, his want for
abundant .satisfaction of every necessity,
his rags for a robe of gloiy, his obscure and
despised condition for the sweet society
of God and angels, and the spirits of the
just made perfect. And thou art tormented
— thy gorgeous attire has given place to a
robe of flame, instead of sumptuous fare
thou art fed with bitter teai*s, and gnawed
continually by a condemning conscience,
and instead of thy past elegancies and com-
forts, nothing but torment and anguish
surround thee. Memory will follow the
soul into the future state. There is reason
to believe that no impressions made upon
the human soul in connection with the
body are ever permanently erased. In the
coming world of vivid intellection and
endless meditation,
" the past lives o'er again
In its effects, and to the guilty spirit
The ever i'Towning inxsent is its image."
89C
LUKE,
•26. And besides all this, between us and you there is
a great gull' fixed : so that they which would pass from
hence to you, cannot ; neither scan they pass to us, that
would come from thence.
82 Thes. i. 9 ; Rev. xx. 10 and xxii. 11.
* Besides all tJds—as to the favor thou de-
sirest from the hand of Lazarus, it is a thing
impossible to be granted, for between us and
you there is a great gulf fixed, a great chasm,
or void, is established. They tvhich ivould
pass from hence to you, cannot — if any should
be so compassionate as to desire to help
you, they are not able — neither can they
pass to us, that would come from you — but
we must still continue in an unapproacha-
ble distance from each other, the passage
is forever closed, the great gulf is fovever
fixed. The righteous will be " forever
with the Lord." The wicked shall be
" unjust still." The same word, " eternal,"
is written on the gate of heaven and the gate
of hell. (Matt. xxv. 46.) There is noth-
ing intermediate between heaven and hell.
How the doctrine of a purgatory can be
reconciled with this verse, it is impossible
to imagine. How solemn the thought,
that whether a person be happy or miser-
able in the future world, his state is
unchangeable !
27. Then he said, I pray thee, therefore, father, that
thou wouldest send him to my father's house : 28. For
I have five bretliren ; that lie may testify unto them,
last thej- also come into this place of torment.
The first prayer of the rich man (verse
24) being refused, he offered another
prayer for himself. Alas! what could
give us a more comj^lete idea of the hope-
lessness of his condition in the world of
woe, than his ceasing to ask for mercy !
Having given himself up to his fate, he
now appeals from justice to grace, and
begs that Lazarus might be sent to his
brethren, and warn them, testify unto them,
the certain truth of the immortality of
the soul, and of a future state of rewards
and punishments, and of the infinite im-
portance thereof. Some have inferred
from this request that in the future world
some good and kind sentiments may re-
main in those who are themselves forever
lost. It is more reasonable to suppose
that there was in this request of the rich
man the tormenting thought, that he had
himself been the means, by his example
and his life, of leading his brothers into
careless, irreligious habits, which were
most likely to involve them in eternal
ruin, and that their presence with him in
torment would increase his misery. He
dreaded the reproaches of those whom he
had loved in a wrong manner, and thereby
made companions in his misery. How
important it is to consider what kind of
influence we are exercising on the com-
munity at large, and especially on those
whom Providence lias placed under our
immediate supervision and control ! Those
who have sinned together on earth, in-
stead of being able to lighten each other's
burden in the world of darkness, will only
increase each other's misery.
29. Abraham saith unto him, 'They have Moses and
the projjhets : let them hear them.
tisa. viii. 20 and xxxiv. 16 ; John v. 39, 45 ; Acts xv. 21
and xvii. 11.
They have Moses and the prophets — from
these they might learn (not that it is
wicked to be rich and blessed to be a beg-
gar, but) that a rich, infidel, sensual
worldliness meets a terrible retribution
from a just God. From this answer of
Abraham, it would seem that these five
brethren were all Jewish believers ; they
had these writings in their hands, but
they did not permit them to influence
their lives. It is often asserted that the
doctrine of future punishment is not
taught in the Old Testament. Doubtless,
like the correlative doctrine of heavenly
reward, it was not announced in terms
as distinctly as in the New. But the gen-
eral doctrine of retribution, both for the
righteous and the wicked, is abundantly
taught there, so that, as the reply of
Abraham indicates, men were sufficiently
warned of the coming wrath. (Gen. ii.
17 ; Num. xv. 31 ; Ps. vii. 11 ; Prov. xiv.
32 ; Ezek. xviii. 4, 31, xxxiii. 8 ; Dan. xii.
2, &c.)
30. And he said, Nay, father Abraham : but if one
went unto them ftom the dead, they will repent.
Whatever aspect of sympathy the rich
man's prayer may have worn, it is plain
that it breathed the spirit of audacity. It
assumed that there was not sufficient evi-
dence of the authenticity, genuineness and
fullness of the Old Testament Scriptures to
warrant their reception as a rule of faith
and practice. It was a reflection on the
wisdom of God, inasmuch as He had
made a revelation unaccompanied with
evidence adequate to produce conviction
of its Divine origin, or so obscure as not
CHAPTER XVII
897
to be intelligible for practical purposes.
And it was a reflection on His justice, be-
cause it had doomed him to suffering, for
not yielding to the influehce of a system
of truth thus imperfectly attended with
marks and means of credibility. It was,
indeed, an effort on his part, for tacit ex-
culpation of himself, by taxing God with
having formerly used only imperfect and
improper means for his conversion. Thus
is it evident that the sinner carries with
him to his chec^rless abode the same
disparaging thoughts he had of the
Bible when on earth, and the same con-
ceit of wisdom superior to the Divine,
which supposes itself competent to dictate
a more effectual method of salvation than
God was pleased to appoint. Thus re-
garded, therefore, we are prepared for the
disposition which was made of this prayer.
31. And he said unto him. If they hear not Moses and
the propliets, "neither will they be persuaded, though
one rose Jrom tlie dead.— "John xii. 10. 11.
" They will repent," says Dives, but Abra-
ham replies, " They will not even be
persuaded." " They will repent," says
Dives, " if one went unto them from the
dead ;" but Abraham, with a prophetic
glance at the world's unbelief in a far
greater matter, further replies, "No, not if
one rose from the dead ;" as if he had said,
" A far greater act than you demand would
be ineffectual for producing a far sligliter
efiect. You suppose tliat wicked men
would repent on the return of a spirit ; I
tell you they would not even be persuaded
by the rising of one from the dead." The
state of heart in which the Bible is
rejected is such, that it would not bo
overcome or changed by any external evi-
dence. This was the point which Jesus
had mainly in view in this part of the
parable. He wished to explain the nature
of faith, to show that it is a moral act, an
act of the will and affections no less than
of the understanding, something therefore
which cannot be enforced by signs and
miracles ; for where there is a determined
alienation of the will and affections from
the truth, no impressions which these
miracles will make, even if they be
allowed to be genuine, will be more than
transitory.
1. With what parable does this chapter open ? 2. What was the parable of the unjust steward designed to
teaoh ? 3. What Ls said about '• two masters ?" 4. What did Jesus say to the Pharisees when they derided Him ?
5. What Lssaid about the possibility of the law failing even in the smallest particular? 6. What is said of "a
certain rich man ?" 7. What of " a certain beggar?" 8. What is meant by "Abraham's bosom?" 9. Ismemorj'a
source of anguish to the lost? 10. Why did Dives wish Lazarus to be sent to his live brethren ? 11. What
answer was made to the request that this should be done ? 12. Explain verse 31.
CHAPTER XVII.
1 Christ teacheth to avoid occaHions of offense. 3 One to
forgive another. 6 The power of faith. 7 How we are
bound to God, and not he to us. 11 Jle healeth ten
lepers. 22 Of the kingdom of Ck>d, and the coming of
the Son of man.
The awful parable of the rich man and
Lazarus, which had been specially spoken
to the Pharisees, seems to have caused
them to depart in .silence. But, though
silent, they were not penitent. They were
still bent upon opposing Christ. Their
busy and active hostility may have led
them to influence others to forsake the
company of Jesus, and to such they proved
stumbling-blocks in the way of salvation.
Some suppose that our Lord may now have
had in His mind the stumbling-block that
conduct like that of the rich man toward
Lazarus put in the way of weak believers,
or that possibly He referred again to His
lesson about "faithfulness in little things"
in the parable of the Unjust Steward, and
l)roceeded to warn His disciples not to
give occasion to the enemy to blaspheme.
THEN said he unto the disciples, >It is impossible but
that offenses will come: but woe unto him through
whom they come! 2. It were better for him that a
millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into
the sea, than that he should offend one of these little
ones.
898
LUKE.
»Matt. xviil. 6, 7, on which see notes : Mark ix. 42 ; 1
Cor. xi. 19.
Offenses, i. e., stumbling-blocks. So the
word is elsewhere translated. (Rom. xi.
9, xiv. 13 ; 1 John ii. 10.) Christianity, or
true rehgion, is considered as a path, or
way, and whatever occurs that tends to
prevent men from beginning to walk in it,
or to turn them out of it, or to hinder
them in pursuing it, is an offense or stum-
bling-block. (Rom. xiv. 13, 21.) It is im-
possible, &c. Considering the general
corruption of human nature, the snares of
the world and the temptations of Satan, it
cannot but be that, one way or other,
offenses will be given and taken. But woe
unto him, &c. Woe unto the man who is
the intentional author of these offenses by
persecution, or deceitful infidelities, or
heresies, or iingodly example.
A millstone, &c. Drowning a person with
a stone tied about the neck was an ancient
mode of punishment. One of these little
ones. One of these feeble believers. Prob-
ably Jesus pointed to some of the weak
and unestablished followers who accom-
panied Him and the twelve Apostles.
There are always many who are " babes
in Christ." (1 Cor. iii. 1.) Those who are
strong in faith must be careful not to in-
jure the vjeak in faith, even as the elder
children in a family must carefully avoid
hurting the tender frames of the younger
children.
3. 1 Take heed to yourselves : Mfthy brother trespass
against thee. >rebuke him; and if he repent, lorgive
him. 4. And if he trespass against thee seven times in
a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, say-
ing, I repent: thou slialt forgive him.
I'Matt. xviii. 15, 21 on which see notes. cLev. ^ix. 17 ;
Prov. xvii. 10 : James v. 19.
Take heed to yourselves, that you may
neither offend others, nor be offended by
others. If thy brother. If, in this com-
munity of Christ's little ones, there shall
be one who trespasses against thee who
art also one of the same childlike brother-
hood. Personal offenses or aggrievances
are here referred to. Rebuke him. While
our Lord cautioned them against all angry
passions, and that quarrelsome temper
which they naturally produce, He thus
prescribed a seasonable and prudent repre-
hension of any fault that might be com-
mitted, accompanied with forgiveness on
the part of the person injured, as the best
means of disarming the temptations that
might arise from such a disposition. And
if he repent, forgive him immediately, with-
out insisting on any rigorous satisfaction.
Whether a brother acknowledges his
offense or not, our hearts must stand ready
to forgive the wrong done to us, and pray
for forgiveness on his behalf at the hands
of God.
Seven times ina day denotes frequent repe-
tition. And turn again to thee, saying, &c.
This cannot mean that we are not to forgive
men unless they do repent. At this rate
there would be much bitterness constantly
kept alive. But it does mean that when
there is no repentance- or regret for an
injury done, there can be no renewal of
cordial friendship, or complete reconcilia-
tion between man and man. Thou shall
forgive fiim. Thou shalt consent to be at
peace with him, and hold him as not
having trespassed. You may be conscious
of his changing and careless disposition,
but beware of cherishing a purpose of
revenge. It is important to compare the
precept which Christ here gives for private
intercourse with that which He ordained
for the exercise of discipline in the Chnrch.
(Matt, xviii. 15-18.) To the individual
brother, there is not permitted what at last
may be allowed to the Church, namely,
to put one out as a publican and heathen.
The forgiveness must be repeated as often
as even the least trace of repentance is
shown.
5. And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our
faith.
If we consider these words — in reference
to the Being to whom they were addressed
— " the Lord," they teach us that He is the
source of grace and the object of worship.
If in reference to the persons who addressed
Him — " the Apostles " — they teach us that
even the Lord's disciples themselves have
their imperfections, but feel them, and are
concerned to be freed from them. If in
reference to the subject they express " our
faith," they teach us that faith is not
finished at once ; it admits of degrees,
and higher measures of it are attainable.
If in reference to the occasion which ex-
cited them — our Saviour's preceding charge
— they teach us that an increase of faith is
not only always desirable, but sometimes
necessary. Why did the disciples ofi'er up
CHAPTEK XVII,
899
this prayer? Not because our Lord had
just revealed some viysU'rij that it was
difficult to believe, but because He liad eu-
joined a dutu that it was clifficuh to practice
— the duty of forgiving oft-repeated tres-
passes. AVhoever has been deeply or
often injured, and has endeavored freely
to forgive, knows that the wicked heart
rises up against the righteous deed, and
that the struggle is sharp between the
sense of injury and of duty.
6. liAnd the Lord said. If ye had faith as a grain of
mustard seed, ye niiglitsay unto ttiissycamine tree, Be
thou plucked up by the root, and be tliou planted in the
sea, and it should obey you.
dMatt. xvii. ao and xxi. '21 ; Mark ix. 23 and xi. 23.
A grain of mustard seed was a proverbial
expression for anything diminutively
small. This sycamine tree. Probably the
same as the sycamore. The expression
seems to intimate that they were standing
by such a tree. Tlie sycamore is a spread-
ing tree, of great size, and one of the most
common in Egypt and Palestine. It strikes
its large, diverging roots deep into the
soil, and on this account is alluded to as
tlie most diflicult to be rooted up. Jf ye
had faith. The Saviour does not deny that
they had any faith, but only gives them to
feel how far they are removed from faith
in the liighest ideal sense, which alone
can make them capable of fullilling His
own so strict requirement. There is notli-
ing which may tend to the glory of God,
or to our own good and comfort, but may
be obtained of God by a tirm exercise of
faith in Him. All things are possible to him
that believeth.
7. But which of you, having a servant ploughing or
feeding cattle, will say unto him, by and by, when he
Is come trom the field, Go and sit down to nieat ?
The natural tendency of the human heart
might lead the Apostles to go from one
extreme to another, from the depressed
feeling of being utterly unable to attain to
such an amount of Christian grace as was
required to enable them to give no cause
of offense, and to forgive trespasses, to the
notion that, with the help vouchsafed to
them according to their request (verse 5),
and with their Master's testimony to its
power (verse 6), their graces and good
works might become intrinsically valuable,
and be so excellent in the sight of God as to
deserve commendation from Him on their
own account. It was to meet and obviate
this tendency that our Lord spake this
parable.
A servant ploughing or feeding cattle. Two
kinds of work are mentioned, in order
definitely to designate the Apostolical labor
awaiting them, and that on its more diffi-
cult as well as on its easier side. By the
servant we are to understand a serf, who
was entirely dependent on his lord, and
Ktrictly bound to obey him. By and by^
"immediately," "forthwith." When he is
come from the field. The work must be in-
defatigably accomplished. Rest follows
afterward, and there is no need of hurry-
ing for that. Go and sit down to meat. In one
thing or another to have been obedient, and
to have labored for the Lord, is not enough
to warrant our expecting from Him an
immediate refreshment and recompense.
8. And will not rather say unto him. Make ready
wherewith I may sup. and gird thyself, "^and serve me,
till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou
Shalt eat and drink ?— 'Luke xii. 37.
Here, what the servant has already done,
is regarded as a matter of obligation, and
his lord demands from him further obe-
dience, additional labor. Afake ready refers
to the general preparation for the evening's
repast, and gird thyself to the particular
service of waiting on his lord at the table.
(See John xiii. 4.) It was a common prac-
tice with servants, before making any
bodily exertion, to tie tlieir loose garments
tightly round the waist. The custom is
alluded to by Horace and Anacreon. Till
I have eaten and drunken, and afterward
thou shall eat and drink. It will be observed
that the fulfillment of duty, both in the
field and in the house, while it is required
fully, and no reserve of the one allowed
because of the discharge of the other,
nevertheless leads certainly to refresh-
ment and rest at last. Jesus delights in
the calm, spiritual enjoyment of His people.
But He knows this is neither good nor
safe, that in fact it cannot be attained by
a half-hearted or a half-performed service,
and so He never ceases to urge His com-
mands that they may be fully and heartily
complied with, because it is only " in the
keepingof them that there is great reward."
9. Doth hp thank that servant, because he did the
th'ngs that were commanded him? I trow not. 1(1. So
likewise ve. when ve shall have done all those things
which are commanded you. say. We are 'unprofitable
servants : we have done that which was our duty to do.
f.Tob xxii. 3 and xxxv. 7: Psa. xvi. 2: Matt. xxv. 30;
Rom. iii. 12 and xi. 35 : 1 Cor. ix. 16 ; Phile. 11.
900
LUKE.
This is a question of holy irony, by
-svhich the Saviour does not isrecisely mean
to approve tlie fact, that so many acts of
service in daily life are performed without
even a word of thanks, but simply reminds
of what is continually wont to happen.
The point of the inquiry is this : Does the
servant, by the mere discharge of what is
his incumbent duty, put his master under
any obligation to him? I trow not. The.
Greek word so rendered is generally trans-
lated "think," or "suppose," in a sentence
like that before us. The word which our
translators have used here they have not
used anywhere else in the Bible. We be-
long to God by absolute right. We do no
more than what we ought, when we even
spend ourselves in His service, since we
have received everything only from and
for Him.
So likewise ye. The Saviour will have
His disciples, even after their work is
faithfully accomplished, not esteem them-
selves higher than such servants. When
ye shall have done all, by the powers both
of nature and of grace, which have been
conferred on you. This is spoken by way
of concession, and must not be understood
contrary to the doctrine of Scripture, as
meaning that man actually can yield a
perfect obedience to what the law requires
in respect to God and Christ. Say, we are
unprofitable servants — confess, in a spirit of
deep, unpretending humility, that you can
build nothing upon your own worth. The
word rendered " unprofitable " is used in
Matt. XXV. 30 in a positive sense, denoting
worthless, i^unishable; here it is used
rather negatively, of one who brings no
gain, is useless, does only what is com-
manded, and hence can obtain blessings
only through grace. The whole expression
indicates and involves a consciousness of
one's own want of desert and worth, in
reference to God. We have done that, &c.,
no more than our duty. Note, 1. That we
are all God's servants. He owns us by
creation and redemption. We must obey
Him. 2. That salvation is entirely of grace.
Supposing all kinds of work, in the field,
and in the household, not only done, but
well doTie — still we are not for a moment to
presume that by all this we can make God
our debtor. All we do is only from grace
given to us, not from natural strength. It
gives us no merit. 3. The doctrine of
works of supererogation, which the Church
of Rome teaches, and according to which
men may not only render unto God as
much as they are bound to do, but may
also do more for His sake than of bounden
duty is required, and thus have surplus
merit to approj^riate to the salvation of
other men, is utterly untrue. He who,
after doing all that is commanded, must
still acknowledge himself an useless ser-
vant, cannot possibly have any merit of
which others can avail themselves to sup-
ply their own deficiency. 4. Though good
works are not in themselves in any sense
or degree meritorious, they are not by any
means to be neglected, for they will receive
a gracious reward. (Luke xii. 31; Matt.
XXV. 34-36.) At His second coming, Jesus
graciously promises to do, of His own love
and kindness, what He here shows He is
not hound to do by the deserts of His servants.
" Blessed are those servants whom the
Lord, when Ho cometh, shall find watch-
ing; verily I say unto j'ou, that he shall gird
liimself, and make them to sit down to meat,
and will come forth and serve them." (Luke
xii. 37.)
11. 1] And it came to pass, ?aslie went to Jerusalem
that lie passed tlirongli the midst of Samaria and Gali-
lee :—=Luke ix. 51, 52 ; John iv. 4.
We are, most probably, to understand
the Evangelist as saying, that our Lord,
with the band of His disciples, on this His
last journey to the holy city, from the
north of Palestine, passed between these
two regions, having, that is, one on His
right hand, the other on His left, and
skirting them both. This explains the
mention of Samaria first, whicli, from its
geographical position, is, on any other ex-
planation of the words, almost inexplicable.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there
met him ten men that were lepers, i>whieh stood afar
off — hLev. xiii. 46.
The village referred to is to us unknown.
Ten men that were lepers. (See notes on
chap. v. 12-14.) Lepers were not excluded
from villages. Neither was the law for
their exclusion understood to exclude
them even from any towns but such as
were already walled in the time of Joshua.
Their common misery had drawn these
ten lepers together, and had even caused
CHAPTER XVTI
901
them to forget the fierce national antipathy
which reigned between Jew and Samari-
tan (verse 16 ; see 2 Kings vii. 3).
Under common calamity, persons who are
alienated, if not hostile, are often made
to forget in judgment what they will not
forego in love. Which stood afar off. They
kept at a distance, because forbidden by
law and custom to come near to those
who were untainted. (See Lev. xiii. 4G;
Num. V. 2; 2 Kings xv. 5.) Sin, of which
lejtrosy was a type, is the great sej)!! rating,
rending, sjilittiijg clement. It is this tluit
keeps us far from God, and far off" from
each other.
13. Anft tliey lifted up ihf.ir voices, and said, Jesus,
Master, liave mercy on us. 14. And when he saw t/K m,
he said unto them, 'Go show yourselves unto the priests.
And it came tjo pass, that, as they went, they were
cleansed.
■Lev. xiii. 2 and .xiv. 2; Matt. viii. 4; Luke v. 14.
They had heard of Christ's approach,
and now ranged themselves on the road-
side, where they might catch His eye. and,
by a display of their misery, move His
heart to help them. Jesus, Master. Neither
His honor, nor His name, nor His power
is unknown to them. By the use of the
word " Master," they intimate their readi-
ness to acknowledge Hiin as their teacher,
and virtually profess themselves already
His disciples. Have mercy on us. They
were now in earnest to receive the mercy,
however at a later period they were slack
in giving thanks for it. By praying, thej'
showed that they felt their misery. No
man prays for deliverance till he feels
danger. The worse a bodily disease is,
the more one feels it ; but, alas ! the wor.se
the disease of sin is, the less one feels it.
In spiritual disease insensibility is evi-
dence of the greatest peril.
Go, show yourselves to the priests. (See on
Luke v. 12-14.) This command was- ac-
cording to the direction. (Lev. xiii. 2, &c.,
xiv. 2, &c.) Our Lord intended that their
cure should be received by faith. They
depended on His goodness and power,
and, though they had no promise, yet
they went at His command to do that
which those only were required to do who
were already healed. The Roman Catholic
inference from this verse, that our Lord
intended there should be a Christian
priesthood, and that sinners deriving
spiritual relief were always meant to go to
a priest, is utterly baseless. There is
nothing whatever in the ver.se to warrant
it. So long as the ceremonial law lasted,
and the Levitical priesthood continued,
all its requirements were to be observed.
The veil was not yet rent. The true sacri-
fice was not yet offered. Th3 Old Testa-
ment dispensation had not yet passed
away. In commanding lepers to go to the
priests, our Lord simply declared his
respect for the ceremonial law so long as
it lasted. As tJwy went. They started be-
fore they were healed. The highest reason
that can be given for believing is, that God
has commanded it. They were cleansed.
Their disease was removed ; they felt an
unu.sual and delightful sensation in their
bodies, which proved that they were re-
stored to health. As they looked at each
other, they mutually beheld, with surprise,
the ghastly hue of their flesh, and the un-
sightly glare of their eyes, change for the
bloom and freshness of health. Not one,
or a part — all — share the happy deliver-
ance. He who will not believe till he re-
ceives what he calls a reason for it is never
likely to get his soul saved.
15. And .ione of them, when he saw that lie was heal-
ed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16. And fell down on his face at his feet, giving hiru
thanks : and he was a Samaritan.— Jlsa. xxviii. 19.
All were healed, but only one was
thankful, and this man was a. Samaritan
(see notes on chap. x. 33), one of that
heretical nation from which one would
have expected less of anything good than
from the Jews, the professors of the true
religion, and members of God's visible
Church. If deliverance from a physical
evil evoked such thankfulness, what grat-
itude is due to God from those whose sins
He has so often pardoned ! This is a
thing of which we are by far too little sen-
sible. We preserve the remembrance of a
temporal blessing, of the healing of a
bodily disease, but too frequently forget
the exercise of God's forgiving .love
toward us. A recovered sinner should be
always prostrate in mind apd heart at the
feet of his Deliverer.
17. And Jesus answering said. Were there not ten
cleansed? but where are the nine?
Where are the nine? How touching are
these words ! The Lord keeps an account
of the number that He blesses, and He
expects to see them at His feet, giving
903
LUKE.
Him thanks. How rare a thing is true
gratitude ! The lesson before us is hum-
bling, heart-searching and deeply in-
structive. The best of us are far too
like the nine lepers. We are more ready
to pray than to praise, and more disposed
to ask God for what we have not than to
thank Him for what we have. Murmur-
ings, complaints and discontent abound on
every side of us. Few, indeed, are to be
found, who are not continually hiding
their mercies under a bushel, and setting
their wants and trials on a hill. These
things ought not so to be. Let us pray
for a daily thankful spirit. It is the spirit
which God loves and delights to honor.
18. There are not found tliat retnrned to give glory to
God, save this stranger. lU. ^And he said unto him,
Arise go thy way : thv I'aith hath made tliee whole.
kMatt. ix. 22; MarkV. 34 and x. 52; Luke vii. 50, viii.
48 and xviii. 42.
The connection between " returning "
to give thanks to Jesus, and " giving glory
to God," is peculiarly to be observed.
Save this stranger. The Greek word used
here means, literally, " one of another
nation," and cnly occurs here. It is a
strong expression, and shows clearly that
our Lord did not recognize the Samaritans
as anything more than Gentiles. This
man belonged to an ignorant nation ; to a
nation whom the Jews despised, and
whose religion the Lord disapproved.
This instance shows that among the most
ignorant there are some whose hearts God
has prepared to love Him. Arise, go thy
tuay, &c. The man was dismissed with a
new and better blessing ; the first had
reached but to the healing of the body,
and that he had in common with the un-
thankful nine, but gratitude for a lower
mercy led to his reception of a higher ;
one which reached not merely to the
springs of bodily health, but to the very
fountains of his spiritual being. These
also are healed, that which the others
missed, to which their bodily feeling
should have led them up, he obtained.
He had shown himself to his great High
Priest, and from Him received the blessed
assurance — thy faith hath made thee whole.
20. H And wheti he was demanded of the Pharisees,
when the kingdom of God should come, he answered
them and said, The kingdom of God cometh *not ^ith
observation; 21. 'Neither shall tliey say, Lo here! or,
Lo there! for, behold, nthe kingdom of God is twithin
you.
*Or, v'ilh outward show. 'Verse 23. "Bom. xiv. 17.
tOr, among you ; John i. 26.
It was common with our Lord, when
the Pharisees asked Him questions, to
disappoint them by His replies. They
made inquiries in the hope of entangling
Him, but they themselves were confound-
ed by the answers they received. In the
present instance He revealed a more im-
portant truth than that about which He
had been interrogated. The kingdom of
God Cometh not with observation. By this
some understand, " not with that royal
splendor or worldly grandeur, which shall
render it conspicuous in the eyes of the
world;" others regard the expression as
meaning, " it cometh not in such a way,
that men shall be able to observe it, but
quietly, noiselessly, unnoticed." Probably
both views are correct. Neither shall they
say, Lo here! or, Lo there! The truth in-
tended to be presented is here brought
out more fully. The coming and develop-
ment of the kingdom are not to be of such
a character as to be recognized by external
tokens, so that they, i. e., such as by their
spiritual discerninent are cognizant -of its
internal approach and presence, shall
trumpet forth the event with aLohere!
or, Lo there ! for, behold, the kingdom of God
is within you. According to some, what
our Lord here asserts is, that His kingdom
is not external, but internal ; that is, it is
not a thing of observation and localities,
liut of consciousness and uitliin. It is not
an external and political kingdom, but
an internal, spiritual one, erected in the
hearts of men, consisting in the subjection
of their will to the will of God, and in the
conformity of their minds to His laws.
Others hold that " within " means " among
you," and that the Saviour intended to
say, " My kingdom has already begun in
the midst of your nation, my disciples
have already joined it and become its first
subjects ; while you are waiting, my spir-
itual kingdom has already been set up."
This view they support on the following
grounds : 1, that in this way the antithesis
between the external coming and the
being already actually present is kept
more .sharply defined; 2, that the kingdom
of God had not been truly set up in the
hearts of these Pharisees ; 3, that in John
i. 26, xii. 35, Luke vii. 16, xi. 20, the same
thought which is expressed in our trans-
CHAPTER XVII
903
lation is expressed in another way. The
kingdom of our Lord, which began in a
manger at Bethlehem, without the knowl-
edge of the great, the rich and the wise,
and was afterward gradually and silently
developed, corresponded with the descrip-
tion given of it in these verses.
22. And he said unto the disciples, "The days will
come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the
Sou of man, and ye shall not see it.
"Matt. ix. 15; John xvii. 12.
Having disposed of the Pharisees by the
answer He gave them, our Lord here
turns away from them and addresses His
own disciples. His object was to prepare
them for His approaching departure. Pie
foresaw that under the pressure of mani-
fold tribulations in their efforts to establish
His kingdom, they would long even for
the temporary revelation of the glorified
One ; but to prevent their disappointment.
He told them that when He left the world
it would be His final departure until the
last day, when He should be " revealed
from heaven with His mighty angels in
flaming fire, taking vengeance on them
that know not God." (Acts iii. 21; 2
Thess. i. 7-10.)
23. "And they shall say to you. See here; or, see there:
go not after thein, nor Ibllow thnn.
"Matt. xxiv. 23, on which see notes; Mark xiii. 21;
Luke xxi. 8.
Our Lord now proceeds to give such
warning as should protect His followers
from being deluded by false Christs which
should appear. This warning was the
more important, inasmuch as the notion
that the coming of Christ would be at the
destruction of Jerusalem, was liable to lead
them to credit false deliverers, by which
the Jews were deluded in immense num-
bers to their own de.struction. This warn-
ing is unquestionably meant to apply to
the times immediately preceding the sec-
ond advent. False Christs, false prophets,
and pretenders to Divine commission, may
be expected in the latter days, and be-
lievers must be on their guard against
them. There are false churches as well as
false Christs, and the true spouse is known
by the same marks with the true Bride-
groom.
24. pFor as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the
one part under heaven, shineth unto the other pnrt
under heaven ; so shall also the Son of man be in his
i&y.
pMatt. xxiv. 27, on which see notes.
The coming of false Christs would be on
earth, while the next coming of Jesus
would be in the sky, like the lightnings
flashing along the firmament. It is here
distinctly declared that His second advent,
when it does take place, will be so sudden,
so clearly marked, and so unmistakable,
that true believers shall at once recognize
it as the coming of their King. Christians
are thus assured that when the Saviour
comes, they shall see Him, wherever they
may be, or whatever they may be doing.
The suddenness of Christ's second appear-
ing is a solemn thought. It ought to make
us study a continual preparedness of mind.
Our heart's desire and endeavor should be
to be always ready to meet the Lord.
(Rev. xvi. 15.)
2.1. iBut first must he suffer many things, and be re-
jected of this generation.
qMark viii. 31, ix. 31 and x. 33 ; Luke ix. 22.
The reference is here to the moral ne-
cessity arising from the work of redemption
which our Lord had taken upon Himself,
and which required that He should sufi'er
and die for the sins of the world. (See
Matt. xvi. 21; Mark viii. 31, ix. 31, x. 33.)
Jesus asserts the great truth which His
disciples and all the Jews were so exceed-
ingly slow to see — that He must first suflfer
and afterward reign.
26. 'And as it was In the days of Noah, so shall it be
also in the day.s ol' the Son of man. 27. They »did eat,
they drank, the.v married wive.><, they were given in
marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
■■Gen. vii ; Matt. xxiv. 37, on which see notes. »Deut.
vi. 10, 12 and viii. 12, 14; 1 Sam. xxv. 36, 38 ; Job xxi. 9,
13 ; Isa. xxi. 4 and xxii. 12, 14 ; chap. xii. 19, 20 and xtL
19,23; 1 Thes. v. 1, 3.
Although the coming of our Lord will
be the perfect redemption of His disciples
out of all tribulations (verse 22), it is here
represented especially as a judgment upon
the godless and unbelieving world, and
this judgment is tyi^ified in the fate of the
contemporaries of Noah. As in the days
of Noah. The same illustration is used in
2 Peter iii. 5, 6, and the parallelism shows
that it is the judgment day alone that is
the present subject. So shall it be also in
the days of the Son of man. The days pre-
ceding His second advent, just as the days
of Noah were the days preceding the flood.
(See Matt. xxiv. 37.) It should be noted
that the universality of the flood is asserted
in both passages, and thus valuable colla-
teral evidence is furnished of the totality
of that catastrophe, as recorded in Genesis,
904
LUKE
It is here plainly taught that the coming
of Jesus will be unlooked for by the mass
of mankind. They will be engaged in the
business and pleasures of the world, little
expecting, little thinking of the universal
ruin of the ungodly, til' it come upon them,
notwithstanding the express predictions
and declarations of Christ and His Apos-
tles. The hour of death and that of judg-
ment are uncertain. This should lead us
to live in constant preparation for these
unspeakably solemn events. We should
ehun the sottishness and strange stupidity
of worldly men, who are entirely taken
up with this present life, and regard not
in the least the threatenings of Divine
wrath.
28. 'Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they
did eat, they draiiic, tliey bouglit, they sold, tlicy plant-
ed, they huilded ; 29. But "tbesame day that Lot wont
out ot'Sodoni it rained lire and brimstone irom heaven,
and destroyed llir)a all. 30. Even thus shall it be in the
day when the Sun ol'man 'is revealed.
«Qen. xix. "Gen. .xix. 16, 24. >-2 Thes. i. 7.
It will be observed that the history of
Lot and the destruction of Sodom and of
Lot's wife, are here referred to as real,
true historical fiicts. This .second example
of the coming desolation Luke alone re-
lates. (See Jude v. 7.) Eat .... drank
.... bouglit .... sold .... jjhmtcd . . .
huilded — all these describe not any special
course of sinfulness, but a regular train of
careless daily life, expecting no sudden
advent of destruction ; they also show
that the people were active and enter-
prising, as well as earthly-nunded and cor-
rupt. It rained. Instead of ?i rained, Genesis
xix. 24 justifies the insertion of the pro-
noun He, designating .Tehovah. Fire and
brimstone denote sulphureous flames.
There is here a terrible likeness of a
faming fire, described in 2 Thes. i. 8, as
attending the second coming of the Son of
man. The suddenness of the doom of
Sodom is seen ft-om the narrative in Gen.
xix. 1-29. Even thus, &c. These are words
of faith, which assure us that the wrath
of God shall pour down upon .sinners like
a rain, and swallow them up like a deluge,
and that multitudes shall fail to escaj^e
His justice. A false notion which men
frame to themselves of a mercy without
rule or means, encourages the greatest
part of the world in the neglect of their
salvation. It becomes us to escape for
our lives like Lot. We must flee to the
ark like Noah. This alone is safety. Then,
and then only, we shall be hid in the day
of the Lord's anger, and avoid destruction
when the Son of man is revealed. (Zeph.
ii. 3.)
31. In that day, he 'which shall be upon the house-
top, and his sluil' in tlie house, let him not come down
to take it away : and he that is in the tield, let him
likewise not return back.
'Matt. XXIV. 17 ; Mark xiii. 15.
It is well known that the houses of the
Jews, as well as those of the ancient
Greeks and Romans, were flat on the top,
for them to walk upon, and had usually
stairs on the outside by which they might
ascend and descend without coming into
the house. In the walled cities, these
flat-roofed houses usually formed con-
tinued terraces from one end of the city
to the other, which terraces terminated at
the gates. The counsel here given is, that
those who were on the house tops should
not come down, neither should those who
were in the field return to take with them
their valuable goods, which they might
feel greatly disinclined to leave behind.
In either case, there must be an urgent
flight. If this is to be regarded, as it may
be, as having reference to the destruction
of Jerusalem by the Romans, through
Vespasian and Titus, we are also to see its
deeper and more direct significance, as
well as that of the verses which immedi-
ately follow, in its application to the time
when the Lord Jesi.s, by the trumpet of
the archangel shall suddenly summon the
world to judgment — the time when be-
lievers must give up all thought of worldly
goods, beware of lingering and locking
back to the world. Nothing but single-
ness of eye, wholeness of heart and un-
worldline.ss of .spirit will be able to abide
the fire of that day.
32. yBeiPember Lot's wife.— yGen. xix. 26.
The manner in which our Lord intro-
duces this short but emphatical warning
to His followers against any vacillation of
purpose in making their flight, in view of
the swift destruction to come on the Jews,
is suited to excite our deepest attention.
The incident referred to is recorded in
Gen. xix. 26. The more common opinion
of interpreters is that this woman was
suddenl}'^ petrified, and changed into a
statue of rock salt, which either by its
own nature or by miraculous power was
CHAPTER XVII.
905
made capable of continuing undissolved
by the action of the element'^. In con-
formity with this is the testimony of
Josephus, who says expressly that Lot's
wife " was changed into a i)illar of salt, for
' I have seen it, and it remains to this day."
Clement, of Rome, also says that it was
standing there to his time, which was
about the time of Josephus, and Ireneeus
says that it was there a century still later.
Ecclesiastical history informs us that
though Jerusalem was " compassed with
armies," no Christian perished in its siege.
The example of Lot's wife is replete w^th
solemn instruction. Though she was the
wife of a " righteous man," and connected
through him with Abraham, the father of
the faithful, and though she fled with her
husband from Sodom in the day when he
escaped for his life by God's command, yet
she had left her heart behind her. She
willfully disobeyed the strict injunction
which the angel had laid upon her,
looked back toward Sodom, and probably
turned back, and hence became a mon-
ument of the Divine displeasure, and
of her own folly and sin. Her case is a
most impressive warning against unbelief,
disobedience, worldly-mindedness, con-
tempt of God's threatenings and lingering
desires for wicked company. It is possible
to be almost saved — yet lost. We must,
even with joy, relinquish our friends and
relations, our wealth and temporal ad-
vantages, and dismiss them from our
memory, whenever they become obstacles
to our salvation. We love them with a
criminal fondness when we leave them
with grief and anxiety. Many such sepa-
rations as Lot then endured will take
place when Christ comes again.
33. 'Whosoeversliall seek to save his liTe shall lose it ;
and whosoever shall lose his liie shall preserve it.
«Matt. X. 39 and xvi. 2'), on which see notes ; Mark viii.
35; Luke ix. 21; John xii. 25.
The word tran.slated "life" signifies both
life and the soul. The person who seeks to
save his life is the person who, from a fear
of losing the wealth, or honors, or pleas-
ures of this life, or life itself — from a fear
of exposing himself to poverty, contempt,
suffering and death — neglects duty or
commits sin — refuses to become a follower
of Christ, or having become one, abandons
his profession, or acts a part unworthy of
it. That person shall lose his life in a far
higher sense than he has retained it — he
shall lose his soul. He shall not cease to
exist, but his everlasting existence shall
be but a capacity of feeling everlasting
loss — of enduring everlasting misery. He
who shall lose Jii-s life is he who acts as if
he considered wealth, honor, pleasure, life
itself, all things, of comjxiratively no
value, brought into competition with the
claims of truth and duty — who readily
sacrifices the former to the latter — who,
when these things claim to be regarded
above those, rejects the claim, and readily
parts with all rather than disobey God or
deny Christ. That person sJiall preserve
his life to eternal life ; when he seems to
be throwing away his life, he is securing
it. He shall live eternally, and his eternal
life shall be life indeed — the highest
measure of the highest kind of life of
which man is cai:)able.
34. al tell you, in that night that there shall be two
men in one bed; the one shall bo taken and the other
shall be lei't. 35. Two womrn shall bo grinding together ;
the one shall be taken and the other left. SO. Two men
shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the
other left.
»Matt. xxiv. 40, 41, on which see notes , 1 Thes. iv. 17.
Two women sfinll be grinding, &c. Corn
was then ground, as it still is in the East,
by a hand-mill, and generally by women.
The mill consisted of one stone turned
upon another by a handle, a woman sit-
ting on each side of it, one of them
moving the stone, the other supplying
the grain. (See Exod. xi. 5 ; al.so Isa.
xlvii. 2.) The Saviour in these ver.'^es
strengthens His admonition still more by
allusion to the definitive terrible division,
which will coincide with tlie great decision.
At His coming, that will be torn asunder
which outwardly, as well as inwardly,
appeared to be as closely as possible joined
together. The suddenness of separation
at the judgment day is here most strikingly
described. Two — one is a Christian, the
other is a sinner. The holy angels come
and snatch one, to bear him to the right
hand of Christ. The other is left, to be
borne by evil angelj io his doom at the
left hand. Sad, indeed, will be the sepa-
rations which will then take place. Those
who were most tenderly united and
attached to each other, wives and hus-
bands, parents and children, brothers and
sisters, will part to meet no more.
906
LUKE,
37. And they answered and said unto him, '■Where,
Lord - And liesaid unto them, Wheresoever the body
is, tuither will tue eagles be gathered together.
Mob xxxix. 30 ; Matt. xxiv. 2a, on which see notes.
Where, Lordf Not an expression of
terror, but a definite inquiry after the
locality in which all the things just men-
tioned should take place. Wheresoever the
body is, tliitker will the eagles be gathered to-
gether. This reply of our Lord was some-
wdiat enigmatical. He gave them neither
an evasive nor an entirely definite answer,
but only recited a proverb. This proverb,
as used by Him, is generally understood
as meaning that the Eoman armies (which
had eagles upon their standards) should
gather for the destruction of the guilty
city of Jerusalem, whose moral condition
is represented by a carcass, as ravenous
birds collect upon their prey. As already
suggested, this saying of our Lord is dark
and mysterious, and probably was inten-
tionally made so by Him to keep the
disciples ignorant of His full meaning, in-
asmuch as they were not at the time able
to bear it. It belongs to the " things hard
to be understood," which shall only be
fully explained at Hia second coming.
J. What is said about offenses ? 2, What course is prescribed in relation to a brother trespassing against usT
3. What did the Apostles pray for? 4. Explain our Lord's answer. 5. Who met Jesus as He entered into a cer-
tain village? fi. Wliat is said concerning them ? 7. What did Christ say about the coming of the kingdom of
God ? 8. What did he say about His second coming? 9. Explain the reference to Lot and Noah. 10. How are
we to understand verse 37 !
CHAPTER XVIII.
3 0/ the importunate widow. 9 0/ the Pharisee and the
publican. V> Cliildrrn brouyhl to Christ. 10 A ruler
that would follow Christ, but is hindered by his riches.
28 The reward of t/irm that leave, all for his sake. 31
J{e foreshewetli his death, 3o and restoreth a blind
man to his sight.
Tlie parable with which this chapter
opens is closely connected with the pre-
ceding chapter, in which there is a refer-
ence to the troubles and persecutions
which should precede the coming of the
Son of man. In view of these tribulations,
prayer, patience, and perseverance, would
be greatly needed, and hence these duties
are here inculcated with the cheering as-
surance of the success with which they
would be crowned.
AND he spake a parable unto them to this end, that
men ought "alway3 to pray, and not to faint ;
'Luke xi. 5 and xxi. 38; Kom. xii. 12- Eph. vi. 18:
Col. iv. 2 : 1 Thes. v. 17.
Ougld always to pray. We are not to un-
derstand that a man should be incessantly
performing the act of prayer. The life of
Jesus was a prayer, yet there were seasons
in which He especially applied Himself
to prayer with His heavenly Father. Men
ought to pray constantly at stated times ;
to be habitually in that spirit of humble
dependence, desire and expectation, which
give life to prayer; to be frequently offer-
ing ejaculatory petitions, and to be always
ready for prayer, secret, social or public,
when opportunity is afforded. And not to
faint, i. ^.*not to flag or be remiss. Jesus,
knowing how easily we become discour-
aged when our petitions are not immedi-
ately granted, and that the preservation
of the higher life of prayer involves a con-
test, inasmuch as it has constantly to labor
with the oppression of earthly things, here
earnestly warns us against yielding to such
discouragement and growing tired of such
internal warfare.
2. Saying, There was *in a city a judge, which feared
not God. neither regarded man :
*Gr., Jn a certain city.
According to Deut. xvi. 18, Israel must
have in all the gates of the city judges, to
administer justice, without respect to per-
sons. In the days of our Lord, also, such
municipal tribunals existed. (Matt. v. 21,
22.) What is here said about the judge, it
will be observed, is said, irrespective of the
special case about to be detailed in the
parable. It is the description of whnt this
man was, always and under every circum-
CHAPTER XVIII.
901
stance, thoroughl y, radically, lawless and
unjust. Which feared not God — was alto-
gether destitute of a we of God, and of that
reverence which belongs to ilim, as our
intinite superior. As practically atheistical,
he had no inducement from religion to do
justice. (See P]x. xxiii. 0-9; Lev. xix. 15;
Deut. i. 16, 17; 2 Chron. xix. 6, 7.) Neither
regarded man. Occupying a position of
power, in which men could not injure him,
he did not feel any concern as to what
thfey said oi* thought of him, and hence, in
all his decisions, he was influenced merely
by passion or interest. It is evidence of a
sad decline in the morality of an}' com-
munity, when unprincipled and corrupt
men occupy the sacred office of a judge.
The difficulty which some have found in
the fact that such a man as this jut^ge
should stand in the position of a type and
emblem of God, vanishes at once when we
rightly comprehend the design of the par-
able. The object of the Saviour is not
comparison but contrast.
3. And there was a widow in that city ; and she came
unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
The helpless and friendless condition of
a widow in Eastern countries and Bible
times, should be carefully remembered.
(See Ex. xxii. 22 ; Deut. x. 18, xiv. 17, xxtH.
19 ; Job. xix. 13 ; 1 Kings xvii. 9, 12 ; Mai. iii.
5.) The judge had doubtless seen this
poor widow very frequently. She was no
stranger to him. He could more easily
put aside her claims than those of one
who had a stranger's acknowledged right
to receive a redress of wrongs. This widow,
having no friends to assist her, could
neither defend herself from injuries nor
obtain satisfaction for them when commit-
ted ; hence, in an instance where she was
greatly oppressed, she found herself obliged
to petition the judge for redress. Avenge
me of mine adversary, or, rather, as the orig-
inal means, do me justice on mine adversary.
She desired to have justice, and that only.
She felt deeply her oppressed situation,
and wished the judge to make an end of
her tedious suit, and to deliver her forever
from the adversary who was wickedly and
obstinately oppressing and persecuting
her. The fact that the suppliant here is a
widow conveys the idea of perfect help-
lessness, and gives a still more frightful
idea of the hard-heartedness of the judge,
which continued unmoved by the circum-
stance of a desolate woman pleading, not
for revenge, but only for her just and
righteous claims against the wrongs of her
ojjpressor.
4. And he would not for a while: hut afterward he
said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard
man ; 5. ^Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will
avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary
me.— "Luke xi. 8.
Though the strength of the parable lies
in the unlikeness between the righteous
Judge of the world and this ungodly
earthly judge, it may not be denied, as is
here indeed taught, that God often seems
to man to be acting as this unjust judge, to
be turning a deaf ear to the prayer of His
people. Under this apparent indifi'erence,
Christians are tempted to say, with the
storm-tossed disciples, " Carest thou not
that we perish?" The parable, however,
is intended, as we shall presently see, to
meet this very difficulty and temptation,
to which believers, suflering long under
sore earthly trials, are exposed. But
afterward he said within himself, or thought
within himself. How many actions which
appear good have neither the love of God
nor that of our neighbor, but only self-love of
the basest kind, for their principle and
motive! Though I fear not God, &c. He
negatively confesses what did not move
him to fulfill the prayer of the widow : it
was neither the fear of God, nor a sense
of duty. This confession gives great em-
phasis to the point here to be illustrated :
the force of importunity, which could pre-
vail on such a judge to do a right action.
Yet because this widow troubleth me. Here,
in a special manner, the unrighteous
character of the judge displays itself in
the very act of granting the solicited re-
lief. He has taken no pains to discover
whether the woman's cause is right or
not, yet he determines to yield to her re-
quest ; and his sole reason for doing so is
the fear of being constantly annoyed by
her importunity. I will avenge her. I will
do her justice. Lest by her continual coming,
literally, coming to the end, i. e., forever.
She weary me. This exaggerated language
is like the common expression, " tire me
to death." The word rendered weary
properly signifies to beat on the face, and
particularly under the eye ; and hence, to
908
LUKE.
beat in general, as 1 Cor. ix. 27. In this
passage it has a metaphorical meaning,
and signifies to give great pain, such as
arises from severe beating. The sense of
the clause, therefore, is, that the uneasy
feelings which this widow raised in the
judge's breast, by the frequent and earnest
presentation of her case, determined him,
for his own comfort's sake, to dispose of it.
6. Aud Ibe Lord said, Hear what the uiyust judge
saith.
Our Lord intimates that we should
reason thus with ourselves : " If a person
of such an infamous character as this judge
was, could yield to the pressing and con-
tinual soUcitations of a poor widow, for
whom he felt nothing but contempt, how
much more ready must God be, who is
intinitely good and merciful, and who
loves His creatures in the tenderest man-
ner, to give His utmost salvation to all
who diligently seek it."
7. And '•shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry
day and night unto him, though he bear long with
them ?— oRev. vi. 10.
How these words — his own elect — touch
in the tenderest manner the great and
eternal contrast between this unjust judges
and God ! The latter yields to the prayer
of the .suppliants, first, because it is right
to do so, and then He does it with His
whole heart— it is His joy and delight to
do so. The suppliants are His own beloved
people, whether regarded as the Church
as a body, or as individual Christians —
they are His chosen ones, very precaous in
His siirht — so precious, indeed, that it is
said of them, "he that toucheth you,
toncheth the apple of his ej^e." And so
His gift comes to them distinguished by
that "holiness which becometh God's
house forever," as Avell as a " love which
passeth knowledcre." The very contrasts
which the parable presents only tend to
confirm the blessed assurance it conveys
to God's people, that He will without fail
grant their requests. Shall not God, must
be to the suppliant as clear and certain as
the sun shines at noon-day. Avenge his
own elect, i. e., maintain the right of those
■whom He has oho-^en to salvation — see
that redress is obtained for them. Cry, i.
e., fervently beseech — day and night, i. e.,
continually, for these two periods, in their
alternate revolutions, make up the entire
term of our earthly pilgrimage. Though
he bear long with them? or, delays to help
them. To the inquiry. Why does God
delay at all to answer the prayers of His
people? it may be replied, that this is
done with wisdom and love combined. It.
would be, so to speak, easier for a father
who is at once rich and benevolent, to
comply immediately and fully with all his
child demands, but it requires and exercises
a deeper, stronger love to leave the child
crying and knocking for a time in vain,
that the bounty given at the proper time
may in the end be a greater boon.
8. I tell you *that he will avenge them speedily.
Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh shall he
find faith on the earth ?— <iHeb. x. 87 ; 2 Peter iii. 8, 9.
I tell you, &c. This is the last ground of
confidence and continued prayer — the
true and faithful promise of Divine help.
God will interpose speedily, i. e., suddenly,
unexpectedly, before His people, with
their weak faith, and under their formida-
ble trials, looked for it. Nevertheless, when
the Son of man cometh. Every special in-
terposition of the Lord in behalf of His
own is a coming of Him, and He comes
mo.st unexpectedly when praj^er and fiiith
are well nigh extinguished. It is, how-
ever, undoubtedly, the last coming of the
Son of man to which reference is here
made. The Saviour transports Himself
in spirit to the time of His second mani-
festation, which shall be preceded by the
last conflict, and the deepest tribidation
of His Church, and which His disciples on
earth are to endure in faith, prayer, patient
waiting. Sltall he find faith on the earth f
That is, when the Son of man at length
shall come — arise to take vengeance — to
bring in the year of His redeemed, will He
find a faith among His people at all com-
mensurate to the truth, love and fullness
of what He has promised on His side ? Or,
like the disciples in the garden, will there
be " sleeping for sorrow," or, the " love of
many waxing cold," by reason of abound-
ing iniquity ? Solemn questions, indeed.
Enough to make each child of God tremble
for himself.
9. And he spake this parable unto certain 'which
trusted in themselves *that they were righteous, aud
despised others :
eliukex. 29; xvi. 15. *Ot, as being righU-ous.
This parable, likti the last, treats of
prayer. Each presents a different aspect
CHAPTER XVIII,
009
of the same subject. That recommends
generally the duty of pniyer, this gives us
to understand the property of a right
prayer. Thai teaches that prayer must be
eijrn^st and persevering, this that it must
also be humble. That dissuades from in-
(lolenre, tlris from confidence in ourselves.
The two extremes are remarkable. Indo-
lence and improperconlidence are opposed
in verses 1, 9, as proper confidence and
indolence are, also, in 2 Cor. iii. 4 ; iv. 1 ;
E])h. iii. 12, 13. Unto certain — the multi-
tude, among whom were doubtless persons
belonging to both the classes here
represented. TI7iO trusted in themselves tliat
they were righteous — who had confidence in
themselves — the false ground of their
confidence standing in the conviction,
that they were righteous, in possession of
the Divine favor; a vain imagination, a
mere conceit. They who have the least
righteousness always trust the most in
such as they have.asif they were inwardly
c'onscious that they had very little. And
despised others, disdained, made nothing of
others, treated them uitli sovereign contempt.
Others, "the rest," ''all others, who did
not complj' with their rules." The Phar-
isees were especially intended, who relied
on exemption from gross immoralities,
attendance on the externals of religion,
and exact observance of the traditions of
the elders.
10. Two men went up into the temple to pray ; the
one a Pharisee, aud the other a publican.
These two persons are introduced into
the parable as representing two distinct
classes of mankind in general. The. Phar-
isee represents the moral, the respectable,
the. externally correct. The publican rep-
resents the wicked, the profligate, and the
utterly irreligious. Went up into the temple
to pray. It was usual with ])ious people
to do this at that time, when the temple
was not only the place, but the medium
of worship, God having promised, in
answer to Solomon's request, that what-
ever prayer should be offered in a right
manner in, or toward, that house, it should,
therefore, the rather be accepted. Christ
is our temple, and to Him we must have
an eye in all our approaches to God.
There were other points of resemblance
between the.se two men, beside their
going up to the temjjle to pray, and thus
indicating their reverence for God's house.
(Isa. Ivi. 7 ; Matt. xxi. 13.) They were
both sinners. Their sins as to outward
form were diverse, but in essential char-
acter the sinfulness was in both the .same.
Both adopted the same attitude in ])rayer.
Both alike looked into their own hearts
and lives, and botli permitted the judg-
ment thus formed to determine the form
and mutter of their prayer.
n. The Pharisee fstood and prayed thus with himself,
rGod, I thank tlit-e tlial I am ncjt I'asotlier men arc, ex-
tortioners, unjust, adulterer-i. or even as this publican.
fP.s. cxxxv. 2. risa. i. 15 and Iviii. 2: Rev. iii. 17. hisa,
Ixv. .5: Matt. iii. 7, 10 and xix. is, 20; Luke xx. 47; Gal.
iii. 10 ; Phil. iii. 6 : James ii. 9, 12.
There was nothing to be blamed, as indic-
ative of pride, in the Pharisee's attitude.
The publican, whose prayer was an humble
one, stood also. Standing was the usual
posture among the Jews. (1 Kings viii.
22; 2 Chron. vi. 12; Matt. vi. 5 ; Mark xi.
2o.) Sometimes, however, in moments of
more than ordinary humiliation or emo-
tion of heart, they changed this attitude for
one of kneeling or prostration. (Ex.
xxxiv. 8; 2 Chron. vi. 13, xxix. 29; 1
Kings viii. 54 ; Ezra ix. 5 ; Dan. vi. 10, 40 ;
Ps. xcv. 6 ; Matt. xxvi. 39 ; Acts ix. 40, xx.
3G, xxi. 5.) Each of these postures has its
own peculiar appropriateness. Either is a
seemly and Scriptural method of bringing
the position of the body into significant
harmony with the desire of the soul.
Such being the case, all sorts of forms
being recognized by the Old and New
Testament Scriptures, how foolish, how
useless, to say nothing el.se, is it to dispute
about these forms ! The all-important
matter is to have the heart in a proper
frame. " Standing and kneeling," says
Burkitt, "are praying postures, but sitting
is a rude indecency, except in cases of
necessity." " In prayer," says Bishop Hall,
" I will either stand as a servant to my
Master, or kneel as a subject to my
Prince." Thus uitfi himself. The words
iiith himself strictly and properly belong to
the word " stood." " The Pharisee stood by
himself and prayed.''^ This man did not
pray with himself in the sense of praying
internally or secretly, that nobody might
hear him. but it was one of his main de-
signs that everybody should hear him. He
spoke for himself, for his own satisfaction,
910
LTJKE.
and with much complacency of heart. God,
I thank thee. It was not wrong in the
Pharisee to begin his prayer as lie did. It
is right to thank God. (See Ps. ciii.) It
was the proud, boastful spirit of the Phari-
see, that made his thank-offering vain.
That lam not as other mm are. Here, again,
there would have been nothing wrong in
what the Pharisee said, if it had sprung
from a proper feeling, if he had been con-
scious of his unworthiness, and amazed at
God's long-suffering. But this was not his
spirit. He was proud, self-righteous. He
presumed to give thanks not for what he
had received, but for what he was and did.
His thoughts of others excited in his heart
the very opposite of that real gratitude
which was expressed by one who, seeing
a felon led to the gallows, exclaimed,
speaking for himself, " But for the grace
of God, there goes John Bradford !" Ex-
tortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this
publican. Inasmuch as there is no reason
to believe that this Pharisee was a hypo-
crite, the good things which here and in
the next verse he affirms of himself may
be supposed to be true. He was free from
gross and scandalous sins. He was not an
extortioner, not a usurer, nor an oppressor
to his debtors or tenants, but equitable
and kind to all dependent upon him. And
not rapacious, seizing other men's property
under false pretenses. He was not unjust
in any of his dealings, did no wrung to any
man, did not take advantage of any man's
ignorance, want of experience or necessity,
in buying or selling. He was not an adul-
terer, but avoided every species of unclean-
ness. How solemn the truth that all this
may be true of a man who is yet far from
the kingdom of God ! Or even as this pub-
lican. He here drags into his prayer the
poor pubUcan, on whom his eye alighted,
making him to supply the dark back-
ground on which the bright colors of his
own virtues shall more gloriously appear,
doubtless congratulating himself that he
had no need to beat his heart, or cast his
eyes in shame upon the floor, because he
had done nothing to call for this.
12. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I
possess.
According to Lev. xvi. 29-31 and Num.
xxix. 7, a yearly fast only was enjoined ;
but the Pharisees, and others who laid
claim to peculiar sanctity, observed two
fast days every week — the second and fifth
days — for reflecting on the ascent of Moses
to Mount Sinai, when he went to receive
the law, and on his return thence. This
observance they accounted meritorious.
I give tithes of all that I possess. The law
commanded only to tithe the fruit of the
field and produce of the cattle (Num. xviii.
21; Dent. xiv. 22; Lev. xxvii. 20), but he
tithed mint and cummin (Matt, xxiii. 23),
all that came into his possession, probably
not capital but income, down to the trifles
on which there was question, even in the
Jewish schools, whether it was needful to
tithe them or not. (Hos. xii. 8.) To fast
is right, and to give tithes is right, but
this Pharisee spoiled all he had done by
his proud and self-righteous pretensions.
His prayer exhibits no sense of sin and
need; contains no confession and no peti-
tion— no acknowledgment of guilt and
emptiness — no supplication for mercy and
grace. It is a mere boasting recital of
fancied merits, accompanied by an unchar-
itable reflection on a brother sinner.
13. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift
up so much a.s his eyes unto heaven, butsniote upon his
breast, saying, God be mercilul to me a sinner.
The publican. The difference between
the men does not lie in that this was a
good man, while the other was bad. This
is a sinner too, but he has come to
know it, and therein lies the distinc-
tion between him and the Pharisee.
Standing afar off. If he was a Pagan, he
stood in the court of the Gentiles ; but if
he wag a Jew, such was his humilitj' and
sense of unworthiness, that he did not
presume to approach the place where
stood the Pharisee and other chief men.
He wished to keep out of .sight. Afar off
is really the proper description of man by
nature. Sin has borne him far off from
God. Woidd not lift up so much as Jiis eyes
unto heaven, much less his hands, as was
usual in prayer. He lifted up his heart,
indeed, to God, in holy desires, but, through
shame and humiliation, did not lift up his
eyes in holy confidence and courage. (See
Luke XV. 18; Ezra ix. 6.) But smote upon
his breast, lite/ally, kept smiting upon his
breast. Smiting the breast was a token of
excessive grief commonly practiced in all
CHAPTER XVIIl
911
nations. It seems to intimate a desire in
the penitent to punish tliat heart through
the evil propensities of wliich tlie sin de-
plored had been committed. God he mer-
ciful to me a siruicr. This prayer of the
publican was short; fear and shame hin-
dered him from saying much ; sighs and
groans swallowed up his words, but what
he said was to the purpose. Observe, 1.
He owns himself to be a sinner, and guilty
before God. The Greek words rendered
a sinner, literally signify "the sinner," that
is, "the great sinner." As the Pharisee
had compared himself with all mankind,
and concluded that he alone was good, so
the publican, in the depth of his shame,
Beems to count himself the only sinner.
He casts about for no palliation — thinks
of no excuse. He has none to condemn
but himself. 2. He has no dependence
but upon the mercy of God. He does not
present himself as a reformed sinner, nor
yet as a penitent sinner, nor yet as a praying
sinner, but simply as the sinner. He dis
claims all thought of merit, and flees to
mercy as his city of refuge, with nothing
to promise, nothing to extenuate, nothing
to pledge, nothing to pay. 3. He earnestly
prays for the benefit of that mercy. Un-
reservedly, fully, and yet confidently, he
leaves himself in the hands of God. The
only thing he can plead with such a God
is, "^e merciful," be propitious to me, for-
give my sins, be reconciled to me, and re-
ceive me graciously. We are not to under-
stand that the publican sought from God
absolute and unconditional mercy. His
prayer, as the original imports, was, "Be
propitious toward me, through sacrifice, or,
let an atonement be made." The Greek
word, rendered " be merciful to," is only
found in one other place, and is there ap-
plied to our Lord Jesus Christ, as a High
Priest, "making reconciliation" for the sins
of the people. (Heb. ii. 17.) The publican
may have learned the great truth, that
" without shedding of blood there can be
no remission," from seeing the lamb slain
morning and evening, as the daily sacri-
fice, and the lamb slain once a year as the
Passover lamb. Hence the peculiarity of
his prayer, as having reference to a Medi-
ator, a Saviour.
14. I tell you. this man went down to hia house .insti-
fled rcU/ier than the other ; 'for every one that ezalteth
himself shall be abased ; and he that humhleth him-
self shall be exulted.
i Job .\xii. 29 ; Matt, xxiii. 12 : Luke xiv. 11 ; James iv.
6 ; 1 Peter v. 5, 6.
Justified, i. e., accepted and approved in
the sight of God. Of course, it is not
meant that the prayer of the publican
justified him. That the man who pleaded
merelj' for mercy should be justified
merely by his prayer is absurd. He was
justified, forgiven, his sin pardoned, his
guilt remitted by that mercy which he had
invoked; but it was mercy in answer to
prayer. (See Rom. iii. 26.) Neither are
we to supi>ose that the Pharisee was a
little justified, and the publican very much,
and that the difference between them was
only one of degree. There are no degrees
in justiiication. The Pharisee was not
justified at all, except by and before him-
self. The idea designed to be conveyed
by these words is, that there was such
essential diff"erence in the religious act of
these two men, that one only could be
acceptable with God; and that such was
the deep self-abasement of the publican,
that his was the prayer which was accept-
ed, ratlter tJtan the one so offensive to God
as that of the Pharisee. Went down to his
house justified. Not merely was he justified
in the secret, unsearchable counsels of
God, but he returned to his home with a
sweet sense of a received forgiveness shed
abroad in his heart. (Ps. 1. 15, li. 3-5, 19 ;
Isa. Ivii. 15.) How great, sudden and
happy a change !
For every one that exalteth himself, &c.
(See Luke xiv. 11.) The repetition of
such a maxim will cause us the less sur-
prise, if we consider that it expresses the
unalterable fundamental law of the king-
dom of heaven, according to which all
men are judged, and, at the same time,
gives the deepest ground why the justifi-
cation of the Pharisee and the rejection
of the publican were each entirely impos-
sible. These words also form a beautiful
transition to the bringing of the children
to Jesus, the incident next recorded by
the Evangelist.
15. JAnd they brought unto him also infants, that he
would touch them : but when hix disciples saw it, they
rebuked tbem.
JMatt. xi.t. 13: Mark x. 13, on which see notes.
The connection between this passage and
the parable preceding it, in which humility
is inculcated, should not be overlooked
913
LUKE,
Here is an illustration of the truth there
taught. Also infants, literally, even the in-
fants. They were not only little children,
but infants. They brought unto ]iim. Ref-
erence is here doubtless had to the parents.
Thus they, 1, testified their respect for
Christ, and the value they set upon His
favor and blessing ; and, 2, manifested their
love to their children. That he would touch
them. (See Matt. xix. 13.) It was customary
among the Jews, when one prayed for an-
other who was present, to lay his hands
upon the person's head. (Gen. xviii. 14 ;
Matt. ix. 18; Acts vi. 6, viii. 17.) This im-
position of hands was practiced especially
in paternal blessing. (Gen. xlviii. 14-20.)
They rebuked them. In administering this
rebuke the disciples thought most probably
that compliance with the request of these
persons would be mere waste of their
Master's time, and that infants could derive
no benefit from being brought to Christ.
It is our duty to consecrate our children to
the Lord, in reliance upon His promise and
power. The souls of young children are
evidently jarecious in God's sight. They
are capable of receiving grace. The imj^er-
fection of charity and knowledge in the
present life, exposes the humble and the
little ones to suffer frequent repulses even
from good men.
16. But Jesus called them unto hitn, and said, Suffer
little ehilrtren to come unto me and forbid tUem not :
for i^ol'sucli is the kingdom of God.
''I Cor. xiv. 20 ; 1 Peter ii. 2.
Called them, i.e., the children themselves.
Mark says that when Jesus saw the disci-
ples rebuking those that brought the chil-
dren, Jesus was much displeased, (x. 14.)
The opposition between the friendly coun-
tenance of the Master and the contracted
brows of the disciples is indescribably
beautiful. Suffer little children to come unto
me, &c. (See on Matt. xix. 14.) This shows
that some were children, while others were
yet in their infancy. Our Lord does not
merely say suffer these children, but suffer
all little children to come unto me. He
was not only not offended, but delighted
with the presence of the little ones. For
of such 75 the kingdom of God. Here is the
reason why the children should be brought.
That these words were not meant to teach
thai children are born sinless and inno-
cent, is abundantly clear from other parts
of Scripture. (John iii. 6.) They teach.
1. That the Church of God on earth is
largely composed of children. " Of such
is the kingdom of God." We cannot ap-
prove of rendering the original words
translated "of such," such as resemlde these.
This idea is presented in the next verse.
2. That the Church of God is to be per-
petuated and prospered mainly by those
who, in their childhood, are dedicated to
His service, and receive a religious train-
ing. 3. That the kingdom of God in glory
will be largely composed of little children.
The salvation of all who die in infancy
may confidently be expected. Though sin
has abounded, grace has much more
abounded. (Rom. v. 20.)
17. 'Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not re-
ceive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall in no
wise enter therein.— iMark x. 15.
The kingdom of God here means the re-
quisitions of the Gospel. We must stand
affected to Christ as little children to their
parents. Whilst we are not to be like
children in their inconsiderateness or ig-
norance (1 Cor. xiv. 20), or inconstancy
(Eph. iv. 14), we are to resemble them in
exemption from prejudice (1 Cor. ii. 14) ;
in sincerity, in simplicity or artlessness ;
in humility (Psa. cxxxi. 1; 1 Peter v. 2;
James iv. 6, 10) ; in freedom from covetous
desires (Psa. cxxxi. 2; Luke xviii. 24;
Mark x. 17-22; 2 Tim. iv. 10); in a teach-
able spirit (1 Cor. i. 23); in a meek and
loving spirit, without malice (1 Cor. xiv.
20; Psa. XXV. 9, cxlvii. 6, cxlix. 4) ; without
dependence on our own works, as children
have nothing whereon to depend (Rom. ix.
30-33, X. 33) ; in faith, as children readily
believe their parents in whatever they
say; in confidence and trust, as children
rely on the power, love and faithfulness
of their parents (Rom. iv. 18-21 ; Heb. xi.
13) ; in prayer, as children ask their parents,
expecting to receive; in submission, as
children are not without trials and disci-
pline to which they are subjected. (Heb.
xii. 6, 7.) This requisition of our Lord is
not peculiar in its application to Christian-
ity. Lord Bacon says, in the introduction
to his book on the "Interpretation of
Nature," "It is fit and necessary in the
very front and beginning of this work,
without hesitation or reservation, to be
professed, that it is no less true in this
CHAPTER XV III.
913
human kingdom of knowledge, than in
God's kingdom of heaven, that no man
shall enter it except he first become as a
little child."
18. "And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good
Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal lile?
mMatt. xix. IH ; Mark x. 17, on which see notes.
A man may miss heaven for want of a
childlike indilFerence to worldly riches.
A certain ruler. It is probable that this
person was not a member of the Sanhe-
drim, but rather a magistrate in some
other court, or a ruler of a synagogue.
Good Master. The ruler was persuaded
that Christ was a Divinely-commissioned
Teacher, and thus manifested his affection
and peculiar respect to Him as such. What
shall I do to inherit eternal lifef From this
question it is evident, 1. That he believed
in a future state. 2. That he was anxious
to secure eternal life. 3. That he felt that
in order to this end something must be
done. 4. That he thought he was willing
to do what was to be done. 5. That he
was under the spirit of legality. How shall
I be saved, is the most interesting and
important question that any soul can ask
of God. It is peculiarly gratifying to see
an interest on this subject prevailing
among the young. The first step toward
being saved is to get instruction in the
way to heaven.
19. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me
good ? none is good, save one, that, is, God.
See on Matt. xix. 17.
Before replying to the young man's in-
quiry, the Saviour comments for a moment
upon the singularly unusual epithet which
he had applied to Him. There is nothing
here to disprove our Lord's supreme Di-
vinity. If, as Socinians allege, Jesus here
denies that He is God, He also denies that
He is good. Now as we know Christ to be
good, if the passage proves anything on
this point, it proves that He is God. It is
evident from the title of good, which the
ruler gave to Jesus, a title which the rab-
bles aff"ected, that he supposed Him to be
a mere man. The meaning of our Lord,
then, was evidently this : " None is good,
essentially and perfectly, but God ; why,
therefore, callest thou me good, since thou
hast never yet been taught that truth,
which flesh and blood cannot have re-
vealed to thee, that I am indeed the Christ,
*8
the Son of the living God?" If the ruler
had professed a belief in this vital truth,
our Lord would never have called in
question the propriety of his epithet, but
would have confirmed it, as He did the
declaration of Pilate, by the strongest pos-
sible allinnative and acquiescence. Our
Lord never refused any homage offered
Him, however high.
20. Thou knowest the commandments, "Do not com-
mit adultery. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not bear
iaise witness, "Honour thy lather and thy mother.
"Ex. X. 12, 16; Deut. v. 16, 20; Kom. xiii. 9. »Eph. vi.
2 ; Col. iii. 20.
See on Matt. xix. 17.
This reply of our Lord differs widely
and importantly from other answers given
both by Himself and by His disciples to
similar inquiries. (John vi. 28, 29; Acts
xvi. 31.) The reason of this diflerence is
probably to be found in the state of mind
of him whom He addressed. He was, as
his reference to doing shows, a man evi-
dently living under the covenant of works,
and Jesus simply met him on his own
ground. As a wise physician, He admin-
istered to the sick patient the medicine
most likely ultimately to conduce to his
spiritual health. He addressed him in
the way most likely to bring him to self-
knowledge. The Jews were not accus-
tomed, in ordinary discourse, or in the
commonly published books, to recite the
precepts of the decalogue in the very ivo^rds
in which they were expressed, but in
other words, or in another order. The
Saviour names the commandments of the
second table, because, when the ruler had
once seen his lack of love to his neighbor,
the conclusion as to his lack of love to
God could not be difficult.
21. And he said, All these have I kept from my
youth up.
From the statement of Mark (x. 21),
Jesus beholding him, loved him, it seems
probable that the young man, in express-
ing himself as in this verse, did not mean
to make a self-righteous boast, but to say
that he knew the will of God as contained
in the law, and that he had directed his
life generally according to that law.
Otherwise we should hardly be told that
Jesus loved him, except as He loves all
mankind. He would hardly have felt a
special interest in him. It is evident,
however, that like the generality of the
914
LUKE
Jews of our Saviour's time, this young
man had interpreted the decalogue by its
letter, not according to its spirit.
23. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto
him, Yet lacicest thou one thing: well all that thou
hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
pMatt. vi. 19, 20 and xix. 21 ; 1 Tim. vi. 19.
Yet lackest thou one thing, namely, to love
God moi-e than mammon. Our Saviour
knew his heart, and soon put him upon a
trial which laid it open to the ruler him-
self. Sell all that thou hast, &c. This com-
mand was given to cure his love of the
world, which could not, in him, be cured
otherwise. What a touchstone for his
sincerity ! What a trial of the power of
the law, to convict of disobedience all who
profess to keep it! When God command-
ed Abraham to offer up his only son Isaac,
he stood the test, and proved that he
loved the Lord above all. This young
man did iiot stand the test. He might
have stood an easier test, but this one he
could not endure. To sell not half, but
all his possessions, all his great possessions,
too, and then to distribute the precious
wealth, with his own hand, piece by piece,
among the poor, and thus see the source
of his earthly joy, pride and hope, as it
were, drop 1)y drop, dry up — this was more
than he C(iuld bear to do. Thus was he
shown, that, instead of preferring God and
His commandments to everything else, as
he profe.ssed, he really loved mammon
more than God. We are not to under-
stand that all Chri.stians are required to
do what was enjoined on the rich ruler.
Yet it is true that the Gosj^el requires
such a consecration of all property to God,
that, when the duty is made known, to
give some, or much, or all to God, the
offering can be made. Treasure in heaven
— in place of thy treasure on earth. And
come, follow me. Here was the Gospel hid-
den in this brief command. Jesus preach-
ed faith to this inquirer. His invitation
to him was the very language in which He
called almost every one of the disciples,
who doubted not the meaning, knowing
that in following Christ, they were to ac-
knowledge Him as the Messiah of God.
23. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful :
for he was very rich.
Very sorrowful. Men undergo great
agony of mind while they are in suspense
between the love of the world and the
love of their souls. For he vxis very rich.
What was his wealth — which he had found
could not give him comfort — in compari-
son with peace of conscience and eternal
life ? Yet he chose to retain his earthly
treasure, which he could only hold for a
few years, and to refuse the offer of im-
perishable treasure in heaven !
24. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful,
he said. qHovv hardly shall they that have riches enter
into the kingdom of Ciod ! 25. For it is easier for a
camel to go through a needle's eve, than lor a rich man
to enter into the kingdom of God.
iProv. xl. 28 ; Matt. xix. 23, on which see notes : Mark
X. 23.
This may be considered as the moral of
the story, the extreme increase of difficulty
which worldly possessions cast in the way,
to the attainment of the heavenly glory.
In Mark x. 24, it is, " them that trust in
riches." This somewhat modifies the de-
claration here; but how few are there to
be found who really possess wealth, and
never trust in it?
Some would read a cable, instead of a
camel, but this is unauthorized. The camel
being the largest animal they were acquain-
ted with in Judea, its name became pro-
verbial for denoting anything remarkably
large, and a cameVs passing through a needle's
eye came, by consequence, as appears from
some rabbinical writings, to express a thing
extremely difficult, or apparently impos-
sible. Our Lord here represents the sal-
vation of a rich man as being next to an
impossibility. Riches powerfully tend to
increase pride, covetousness, self-indul-
gence; they purchase flatterers, exclude
faithful reprovers, prejudice the mind
against the humbling truths and self-deny-
ingprecepts of the Gospel, and they increase
the numbei and force of those obstacles
which must be broken through, and the
supposed value of those objects which
must be renounced, if a man would be a
disciple of Christ.
26. And they that heard it said, Who then cati be
saved ? 27. And he said. rThe things which are Impos-
sible with men are possible with Ciod.
rJer. xxxii. 17 : Zech. viii. 6; Matt. xix. 2G; Luke 1.37.
The scene with the ruler, as well as the
last earnest utterance of Jesus, taught the
disciples to cast a deeper look into their
own hearts. In the living consciousness
of the wide prevalence of earthly-minded -
ness, both among the rich who have, and
the poor who are not able to acquire, they
CHAPTER XVIII
91&
express wonder or surprise, if not doubt,
as to the salvation of any.
There was much tenderness and sweet-
ness in tliis reply of our Lord to the ques-
tion proposed. It will be observed that
He does not retract what He had said, nor
even soften it in the least degree, but rather
strengthens it by representing the salva-
tion of a rich man as the utmost effort of
omnipotence. The energy of Divine grace
is able to make a man despise the world,
with all that it contains, when no efforts
of man, no arguments, eloquence or per-
suasions are able to do it. Money will not
keep us out of lieaven if our hearts are
right before God. Grace, and not place, is
the hinge on which our salvation turns.
28. sThen Peter said. Lo, we have left all, and follow-
ed thee.— ^Matt. xix. 27.
Peter speaks for himself and the rest of
the Apostles. Had he spoken this in pride,
he would have received rebuke instead of
encouragement. The disciples had, indeed,
but little to leave, yet it was their all. A
poor man's "all" is as dear to him, in a
certain sense, as the rich man's palace.
There is no season in life upon which the
believer looks back with so much joy as
that in which he first determined to engage
in his Redeemer's service. A man may
leave all without having ever possessed
anything. It is by the heart that we cleave
to earthly possessions; it is by renouncing
them in our heart, that we disengage our-
selves from them.
29. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you,
'There is no man that hath leJt house, or parents, or
brethren, or wife, or children, for the liingdom ofGod's
sake, 30. "Who sliall not receive manifold more in tliis
present time, and in tlie world to come lite everlasting.
'Deut. xxxiii. 9. "Job xlii. 10.
See on Matt. xix. 29.
There is no man that hath left, &c. Sacri-
fices like these were doubtless often neces-
sary when the Gospel was first preached,
and were bitterly opposed by prejudiced
Jews and ignorant heathen. At the pres-
ent day, a converted Jew is often obliged
to separate from his nearest and dearest
relatives, and a converted Hindoo is cast
off by all his family. Our Lord spoke, with
foresight, of cases like these, and His
words are singularly full of comfort. Who
shall not receive manifold more in this present
time. The compensating retributions in
this world and the next are definitely dis-
tinguished. Even with all their losses and
trials, the joys of Christians are much
greater than their sorrows. Rutherford
says, in his letters, that when he was im-
prisoned ill Aberdeen, he discovered a
sweetness in Christ that he had never
conceived before. Dr. Payson, when racked
with pain, in his last illness, said: "God
has used a strange method to make me
happy. I could not have believed, a little
while ago, that, in order to render me
happy. He would deprive me of the use
of my limbs, and fill my body with pain.
But he has taken away everything else,
that He might give me Himself." And
the Apostles bore the same testimony,
when they said, "As the sufferings of Christ
abound in us, so our consolation also aboun-
deth by Christ." (2 Cor. i. 5.) And in the
world to come life everlasting. To the earthly
advantages of godliness, which make it
profitable for the life that now is, life ever-
lasting is to be superadded. What believers
need, is more daily practical fiiith in Christ's
words that He will make up for the sacri-
fices they submit to for His sake.
31. If iThen he took unto him the twelve, and said
unto them. Behold, we so up to Jerusalem, and all
tilings ythat are written by the prophets concerning the
Son of man shall be accomplished.
iMatt. xvi. 21, xvii. •£• and xx. 17, on which see notes ;
Mark x. 32. yPs. xxii. : Isa. liii.
Took he unto him the tivelve — took them
apart. This was done because He did not
choose to declare before His enemies the
deeds which they would commit against
Him, for such declaration would have em-
boldened them in wickedness, and thus,
moreover. He might have seemed to pur-
posely procure the fulfillment of the pre-
diction concerning His sufferings. We go
up to Jerusalem. There was the site of the
Old Testament theocracy. There the sac-
rifices of the law, and the blood of the Old
Testament atonements, had shown forth
His death for ages. And from there, the
royal city of David, must go forth an an-
nouncement of the kingdom of the Son of
David to all the world. It will be observed
with what calmness and submission He
spoke of the painful trials that awaited
Him. And all things that are ivritten by the
prophets, &c. The Messianic prophecies
of suffering stand before the Saviour's eyes,
as a great whole put in writing, and are
referred to as though for every det;iil of
His passion sketched in verses 32, 33, there
916
LUKE.
must also be at least an intimation to be
found in the prophetic record. Such pas-
sages as the following were meant: Ps.
xxii., Isa. liii.; Dan. ix. 2G.
32. 'For lie shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and
shall be mucked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted
on : :W. And lliev shall scourge him, and put him to
death : and the third day he shall rise again.
'Matt, .vxvii. li; Luke xxiii. 1; John xvlii. 28; Acts
ui. 13.
The Gentiles — this word is from a Latin
one, signifying a race. The Jews, from
their own standpoint, called other peoples
the Gentiles, that is, the nations. Here the
word specifically designates the Romans.
For the mocking of Jesus by Herod and his
Roman soldiers, see Luke xxiii. 11. Spite-
fully entreated and spitted on, to express their
abhorrence of Hiui as a blasphemer.
Scourge him, and put him to death. This was
done by Pilate, the Roman governor. The
punishment of the cross was Roman, not
JewisJi, but the chief priests condemned Him
to it, and the Romans executed the sentence.
How little did they know that they were,
by this process, jointly offering up that
sacrifice which was to make an atonement
for Gentiles and for Jews; an atonement
for the sin of the whole world! How often
may it be literally said, The wrath of
man shall praise thee! And the third day he
shall rise again. Christ mentions His res-
urrection and glory, 1. To encourage Him-
self in His sufferings. 2. To comfort His
disciples, who would be overwhelmed with
sorrow and terrified by His death. 3. To
direct us, under all the sufferings of this pres-
ent time, to keep the eye of our faith fixed
upon the glory to be revealed. Nothing is so
capable of giving us comfort, and fortify-
ing our weakness against the fear of pain-
ful trials and the dread of death, as the
remembrance of the sufferings, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
,31. =i-Anr\ they understood none of these things : and
this saying was hid i'roni them, neither knew they the
things which were spoken.
"Mark ix. 32; Luke ii. 50 and ix. 4.5; John x. 6 and
xii. 16.
The blindness of the disciples about our
Lord's crucifixion and sufferings is, at first
sight, very extraordinary. The words just
spoken by Him seem so plain that we
can scarcely conceive how any one could
have failed to understand them. But,
perhaps, as the Lord often used figurative
language, the disciples supposed that His
prophecies concerning Himself were figur-
ative. They saw, and heard, and imagined
a great many things that seertjed to con-
tradict the natural import of these
prophecies, and hence declined to accept
their literal interpretation. In judging
them, we must remember that they were
all Jews, and trained from tlieir infancy
to expect a Messiah in glory and majesty.
In their ignorance as to the import of
Christ's words, we see the effect of pre-
possession in precluding the exercise of
ordinary intelligence. As they had unshed
a different manifestation of Christ's Mes-
siahship than that, though differing, they
seem, thus far, to have been unable to
understand or believe what He here, and
at other times, so plainly foretold. The
mind of man is naturally shut against the
knowledge of the cross, of sufferings and
of death.
35. H bAnd it came to pass, that as he was come nigh
unto Jericho, a certain bliud man sat by the '■vvay side,
begging:
^Matt. XX. 29, on which see notes : Mark x. 4C. i^l Sam.
ii. 8 ; Luke xvi. 20, 21 ; John ix. S ; Acts iii. 2.
Jericho was a stronghold of the Canaan-
ites,and was the first city subdued by Israel,
after the crossing of Jordan and entering
the Holy Land. (See Josh. vi. 26.) As he
was come nigh, &c. Matthew and Mark,
referring (as is generally supposed) to the
same miracle, say that it was wrought
when our Lord was " departing " from
Jericho. (Matt. xx. 29-34 ; Mark x. 46-.52.)
There was more than one Jericho, namely,
an old and a 7iew, situated a little distance
one from the other, so that, if the Saviour
was really leaving one and approaching
the other, the apparent discrepancy is
easily reconciled. A certain blind man, &c.
The sense of sight is the highest bodily
privilege, the purest physical pleasure
which man has derived from his Creator.
When indigence and blindness are united,
they present a truly sad instance of
wretchedness. Begging. He had placed
himself by the road-side in order that
travelers might see him and give him.
help. Except in extraordinary cases, it is
in all respects most advisable to relieve
those who are known by us both as to
their wants and conduct, and, provided
less be not given in charity, and no extreme
case neglected, the refusal of relief to
vagrant beggars is rather a proof of
discretion than an indication of defect in
CHAPTER XV III.
917
beneficence. If this conduct were gener-
erally adopted, the indigent would, in
ordinary cases, be compelled to .abide
where they are known ; the sums expended
in charity would be far more profitably
applied, the interests of morality and re-
ligion better secured, and the poor them-
selves far more adequately relieved.
36. And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what
it meant. 37. And tliey told him, Jesus of Nazareth
passeth by. :W. And lie cried, saying, Jesus, Ihou aou
of David, have mercy on me.
The sound of numerous feet and the
clamor of many voices, drew the attention
of the blind man, and he was led to
inquire what great person was on the road,
attended by this great throng of people.
Jesus of Nazareth. The people name
our Lord according to the customary style.
The " Prophet of Galilee," the raiser of
Lazarus from the dead, the Teacher and
Miracle-worker of Persea, is not unknown
by fame to this poor man. To the suffer-
ers throughout the land, that name would
have a special interest. Its report would
have a rapid circulation among the sons
and daughters of affliction.
No sooner was our Lord's name men-
tioned than the blind beggar, deeply
impressed with a sense of his own affliction,
and not knowing whether he should ever
again have so good an opportunity, earn-
estly appealed to Him. He cried. In the
midst of judgments God remembers
mercy. Though God had deprived this
man, for wise reasons, of his eyes. He had
left him the use of his speech. It is never
so ill with us but it might be much worse.
We should, therefore, be submissive and
thankful. Jesus, thou Son of David. The
blind man, by thus greeting Christ, shows
that his fiiith has reached a higher grade
than that of the people who had just told
him who was passing by. There was, on
his part, a double confession of faith : first,
that Jesus could heal him ; and, secondly,
not merely as a ijrophet from God, but as
the Prophet, as the one who should come,
according to the words of Isaiah, to give
sight to the blind. He recognized Him as
the true descendant of the ancient King
of Israel, the promised Messiah for whom
Israel was looking. Have mercy on me. He
asked for mercy, conscious that he deserved
nothing.
39. And they which went before rebuked ^hlm, that
he .should hold his peace: but lie cried so much the
more. Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
"•Chap. viii. 49, xi. 52 and xix. 39.
Of the great multitude who accompanied
Jesus on His way to Jeru.salem, some pre-
ceded, others followed Him. Rebuked him,
that he should hold his peace, rather, charged
him that he should be silent. At this time
the multitude were respectful to Jesus.
Their rebuke resulted simply from the
desire in those, for the most part spirit-
ually undeveloped men, that the proces-
sion to Jerusalem, where they anticipated
a public and open avowal by Jesus of His
Messiahship, even, perhaps, t he as.sumption
of the regal dignity, might not be delayed
by an affair of comparatively such trivial
importance as the giving sight to a poor
blind man. The beggar regarded not the
rebuke that was given him. His case was
urgent. The occasion was precious, and
he called louder and more fervently than
before, using the same form of address and
appeal as at first.
40. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be
brought unto him : and when he was come near, he
asked him, 41. Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do
unto thee ? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my
sight.
Above the respectful clamor of the mul-
titude, the voice of earne.st prayer reached
the ear of Jesus. He would not yield to
their haste to press forward. He stood. It
was impossible for Him to pass on with-
out turning an eye of compassion toward
him who had uttered the cry of misery —
the prayer of faith. Commanded him to be
brought unto him. He would not perform
the miracle till the blind man came to
Him, that, by the manner of his walking,
the spectators might be convinced that he
was truly blind. What wilt thou that I shall
do unto thee? This. question of our Lord
was, in part, an expression of His readi-
ness to aid ; in part, also, for the calling
out into j'et livelier exercise the faith and
expectation of the petitioner. (Matt. ix.
28.) Lord, that I may receive my sight. The
man's cry had hitherto been a vague
general cry for mercy, now he singles out
the blessing which He craves, declares the
channel in which He desired the solicited
mercy to run. "My eyes are thirsty for
the light. To me the wonderful realities
of creation have long been a dark and
dismal blank. Thine is the power that can
918
LUKE,
again reveal them like a new creation to
my view."
42. And Jasus said unto him, Receive thy sight : Hhy
faith hath saved thee.— 'Luke xvii. 19.
See on Mutt. xx. 29-34.
Receive ilnj sight. Here, and in the verse
preceding, as well as in the one following,
the Greek word so rendered means,
literally, " look up," or " see again." It is
worthy of observation, that giving sight
to the blind was peculiar to our Saviour.
No instance is recorded in Scripture of
this miracle having been wrought, either
by prophets before His coming, or by His
Apostles afterward; nor is il5 mentioned
among the miraculous powers which He
conferred on them. Thy faith hath saved
thee. This assurance must have been
dearer to the poor beggar than even his
bodily sight, for it implied a promise of
eternal ble.ssedness.
43. And immediately he received his sight, and fol-
lowed him. fglorifying God: and all the people, when
they saw it. gave praise unto God.
fi.ul<e V. 26 ; Acts iv. 21 and xi. 18.
The cure, by the power of Clirist's word,
was instantaneously effected. How great
and welcome the change ! The man who
had hitherto been tied by his infirmity to
one place was now free to go where he
listed; and he chose well, for he chose to
follow Jesus, by the way glorifying God.
And all the people, &c. All the multi-
tude, deeply impressed with the miracle
they had witnessed, united with the blind
man in his doxology.
In viewing the case of Bartimeus, let us
not fail to see an emblem of the blindness,
ignorance, misery and poverty, into which
man is cast by siil, with respect to heavenly
things. It is, alas ! one property of spirit-
ual blindness to keep the person from per-
ceiving it. The conversion of a sinner is
sometimes linked to, and depends upon a
first motion, which seems natural, upon
curiosity or mere chance, and yet it is
really no other than a gift of God, who
intends to save him. There are times
when Jesus passes specially near to us.
We should improve them, lest the oppor-
tunity may be lost forever. We should
not sit lazily at home, and wait for relief
to come to Christ. We are insensible of
our spiritual diseases, when we do not
find ourselves inclined and moved to pray.
In prayer we must expect, not because we
deserve, but because we need. When a
man is first in earnest about his salvation,
and begins to cry that his eyes may be
opened, he will find strong hindrances,
and these even sometimes from such as
seem, like this multitude, to be with Jesus,
and on His side. These hindrances, how-
ever, should only stimulate him to still
greater earnestness. Nothing is so at-
tractive to the Son of God as the cry of a
believing penitent. If our wish is a good
one, God will surely fulfill it. When Di-
vine grace has changed our hearts, the
praise of our salvation should be given to
God. We should resolve to show our
gratitude by becoming followers and dis-
ciples of Jesus.
1. What is the first parable in this chapter intended to teach T 2. How does it encourage importunity In
prayer? 3. To whom was the parable of the Pharisee and the publican spoken? 4. Explain it. 5. With what
solemn statement does it conclude? 6. What did Jesus say about little children? 7. Why did a certain ruler
approach Jesus ? 8. What did our Lord say to him? 9. What was the result of the interview? 10. What did
Christ say to the Twelve? 11. What miracle was wrought by Him on a blind man? 12. What effect wa«
produced by the restoration of his sight?
CHAPTER XIX.
919
CHAPTER XIX.
1 Of Zaccheus a jmhUcan. 11 Tlie ten piece.i of money.
2S C/iri.st ritlrth into Ji'riixalnn ioilli trium/jh: 41
weepet/i ovi r it: 4.) drivr.th t/ie Oui/crs anU .still r.t oat
of the trin/jlr : -17 ttur/iiny ilaili/ in it. T/if ruins
would Uave destroyed /liin, but for fear of the people.
ISIany, no doubt, were converted to the
faith of Christ of whom no record is ke])t
in tlie Gospels ; but the conversion of
some, whose case had something extra-
ordinary in it, is recorded, as that of
Zaccheus, with the record of which this
chapter begins.
./j ND Jssus entered and passed through Jericho.
Jericho, An ancient city in tlie plain of
Jordan, about six miles west of that river,
and nineteen east of Jerusalem. This
was our Lord's last journey toward the
scene of His approaching betrayal and
sufferings.
2. And, behold, there ivns a man named Zaccheus,
'Which was the chief among the publicans, and he was
rich.— jEzra ii. 9.
Behold. This word serves to call atten-
tion to the incident which follows. Zac-
cheus is a Hebrew name, signifying " Pure."
This Hebrew name, with Greek ending,
of itself denotes him as a man of Jewish
origin. (See also verse 9.) Which was the
chief among the publicans. The employ-
ment of publicans in the collection of the
revenue, was the only civil office in which
native Jews were employed by the
Romans. The office of chief of the pub-
licans at so important a place as Jericho
must have been one of great importance
and responsibility, and, as we learn from
the text, lucrative to him who held it.
"We may understand that Zaccheus was a
sort of comptroller-general to whom the
inferior publicans rendered their account,
and was himself the responsible officer to
whom the Romans looked. Or it may not
be unlikely that he farmed the revenues
of this district from the Romans. And he
was rich. Yet he had not incurred the
woe of those rich who are full. (Luke vi.
24.)
3. And ^he sought to see Jesus who he was ; and could
not for Uie press, because he was little of stature.
bJohn xii. 21.
He felt a strong desire to see Jesus, of
whose kindness to his despised order he
had, doubtless, heard much from other
publicans, and who had, in fact, a publican
among His chosen friends and followers.
Who he was. Not " who He was " in the
sense of " what manner of person," but
"which He was" of that confused multi-
tude, to distinguish Ilini from His company.
It cannot be doubted that Zaccheus was
influenced by curiosity to behold one of
whom he had heard so much, but it may
also be believed that he was also under
the power of a vague longing for some
spiritual good from the great Teacher,
whose miracles and instructions were so
widely talked of. His wealth did not yet
satisfy him, and some degree of desire
for higher treasures had been awakened
in his heart. We may suppose his state
of mind to have been like that of the
Greeks. (John xii. 21.) And he could not
for the press, &c. So earnest, however, is
he in the matter that, rather than be
defeated of his longing, he devises a way
for the satisfying of it, which will involve,
indeed, a certain compromise of his dignity,
but from which he does not on this
account shrink.
4. And he ran before, 'and climbed up into ^a syca-
more tree to see him ; for he was to pass that way.
"■Luke V. 19. <il Kings x. 27; 1 Chrou. xxvii. 2a' Isa.
ix. 10.
Ban before. (See on verse 3.) Sycamore
tree, more frequently called the sycamine
tree. Sycamore trees abounded in the
neighborhood of Jericho. For he tvas to
pass that way. It was publicly known that
the Saviour's route lay toward Jerusalem.
The running and climbing of so wealthy a
man and so prominent an official as Zac-
cheus to see a religious teacher, would, of
course, call forth mockery from all who
saw him. But he cared not for man's
opinion. He did not, like Nicodemus,
come to Jesus by night, but in open day,
surrounded by spectators, and he exposed
himself to ridicule in his efforts to see
Him. It is necessary, in order to true
conversion, for a man to have a holy
eagerness to raise himself above earthly
things, that he may see and know Christ.
Upon the little action of Zaccheus climbing
the tree, so far as man's eyes can see, there
hinged the salvation of his soul. We
must never " despise the day of small
things." (Zech. iv. 10.)
930
LUKE.
5. And when Jesus came to the place, 'he looked up,
and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccbeus, malie liaste,
and come down ; ilor to-day I must abide at thy house.
'Ezek. VI. G; John i. 48. 'Gen. xviii. 3,5; John .^iv.
23; Eph. iii. 17; Heb. .xiii. 2; Rev. iii. 20.
Zaccheus came to look upon Christ and
resolved to take particular notice of Him,
but little thought of being noticed by
Christ. That was an honor too great, and
too far above his merit, for him to have
anticipated. Looked up, and saw him, and
said. Zaccheus did not cry for mercy as
Bartimeus did. How much astonished
must he have felt when Jesus, glancing
upward to the overhanging branch on
which he rested, addressed him as he did !
He must have been ready to exclaim, as
Nathanael once did, " Whence knowest
thou me ?" (John 1. 48.) It was evident
the Lord knew not only his name but his
circumstances. He knew that he had a
house in which he could receive guests.
He knew more than this, He knew his
heart. He was sure that Zaccheus was
willing to entertain Him beneath his roof;
He must have known it, for He himself
had made him willing. 3fake haste, and
come down. Hurry and have done with
such expedients and concealments. For
to-day. My call to suffer at Jerusalem
brooks no delay. I must abide at thy house.
Knowing already the more than readiness
of the publican to extend a hospitable re-
ception, and his ability to do so, Jesus did
not ask him if it would be agreeable or
convenient for him to receive Him and
His disciples as guests, but assumed that
his hospitality would be cordially ex-
tended. On no other occasion is it
recorded that he entered without invita-
tion the house of a stranger. Christ
sometimes comes to those who seek Him
not. (Isa. Ixv. L) Impenitent men must
come down from their high opinion of
themselves, if they would receive salva-
tion from Him who is " meek and lowly
in heart," and the urgency of their case
requires that there should be no delay in
doing so.
R. And he made haste, and came down, and received
him joylully.
He rendered a prompt and cheerful
obedience to the command he had re-
ceived to descend from the tree. " Zac-
cheus," sa5\s one, " was as ripe fruit, which
dropped in the Saviour's lap at his first
and lighest touch." And received him joy-
fully. He had now seen who He was, and
he wished to hear what He was, and
therefore He rejoiced in the honor that
God had now conferred upon Him, lead-
ing the Saviour's way to the courts of his
home. No wonder he rejoiced in the
prospect of an ojiportunity of conversation
with Him who knew all things. The very
condescension of such a famous Teacher
of religion in offering to be a publican's
guest, touched and softened his heart,
which doubtless Jesus had already chang-
ed by heavenly influence conveyed with
the invitation to come down from the
tree. How often does Jesus make the
proposal of lodging, not only in our house,
but in our hearts, without its being ac-
cepted. (Rev. iii. 20.) When Jesus calls
us, we should hasten to obey. (Ps. xxvii. 8.)
7. And when they saw it, they aU murmured, saying,
BThat lie lias gone to be guest with a man that is a
sinner.— sMatt. ix. 11 ; Luke v. 30.
The self-righteous Pharisees were indig-
nant that He who claimed to be the Messiah
should compromise His dignity, and risk
the reputation of His holiness by avail-
ing Himself of the hospitality of a sinner.
Publicans and sinners were classed together,
because many of the tax-gatherers were
bad men and were despised by the Jews,
and hence to be a publican came to be
equivalent to being a sinner. This accu-
sation against our Lord was indeed a truth,
and one not confined to any person or to
any time. As it was then, so is it now —
the Saviour is the sinner's frequent guest.
No heart so vile, so polluted, so sin-defiled,
that Jesus refuses to enter there.
8. And Zaccheus sJood, and said unto the Lord, Be-
hold, Lord, tin? iialf ot'ray goods I give to the poor: and
it' I have taken anything Inmi any niau by tlalse ac-
cusation, "I restore hin four-lbld.
bOhap. iii. 14. "Ex. xxii. 1; 1 Sam. xii. 3; 2Sam. xii.6.
Zaccheus stood forth in the presence of
the whole company, and professed his read-
iness to make all the restitution in his
power for his ill-gotten gain. From the
very hour the tree was planted it began to
bear. TJie half of my goods I give to tlic poor,
not have given. Here was no boasting of
what had already been done in days of
ignorance, but a simple declaration of what
he was now ready, from this moment, un-
hesitatingly to perform. This he would
do, not expecting to be justified by his
CHAPTER XIX.
921
works, but merely by his good works,
through the grace of God, to evince tlie
sincerity of his faith und repentance. And
if I have taken anything from any iiuin, &c.
. It would seem that Zaccheus had hitherto
been no extortioner. Had he been so,
had he been conscious that his were in
the main treasures of wickedness, gotten
together by fraud and wrong, it would
have been ridiculous to offer as a gift half
of them to the poor, before it was seen
whether the whole would satisfy the de-
mands of justice. Without, however, hav-
ing been this extortioner, he yet feels
that according to that higher standard of
right which he recognizes now, some of
his gains may prove to have been unfairly
acquired, and any such injustice he will
make largely good. I restore hvm four-fold.
In our days he would probably have ex-
pressed himself as meaning to restore
principal and interest, but the law forbade
the Jews to take interest of one another.
The same law required a four-fold restitu-
tion, upon conviction, from a man who
stole a sheep (Ex. xxii. 1), but he had only
to add one-fifth of the value, when, with-
out being detected or tried, he made a
voluntary confession of his offense. (Num.
V. 7.) Zaccheus, therefore, showed the
unflinching character of his repentance, by
voluntarily subjecting himself to the strin-
gent penalties incurred only by a convic-
tion in the courts of law. True conversion
shows itself by the change of life. He
who has wronged his fellow-man must
make restitution, if he have it in his power.
9. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation
come to this house, loriismucli aa khe also is 'a son of
Abraham.
kRom. iv. 11, 12, 16; Gal. iii. 7. 'Luke xiii. 16.
Salvation has here, as in chapter i. 77, its
highest spiritual sense of deliverance from
sin and its consequences, and the bestow-
ment of eternal life and blessedness in the
kingdom of Christ. An indirect allusion
may also have been made in the use of
the term, to the name of Jesus {Saviovr),
who had been the guest of Zaccheus. The
publican had really shown himself to be
another man from what he appeared to be
in the eyes of the multitude. Forasmuch
as he also is a son of Abraham. Jesus pro-
nounced this eulogy upon him whom the
murmuring crowd had just before named
as "a man that is a sinner." "Notwith-
standing all the sins he has committed, it
is now manifest that even this man also
is a true son of Abraham, and that, not
only in respect of his lineal descent, but
of his faith and holiness."
10. mPor the .Son of man is come to seek and to save
that whicli was lost.
"Matt, xvjii. U : see Matt x. 6 and xv. 24.
Though our Lord was continually heal-
ing the lame and the blind, it was not to
heal them He came into the world. It loas
to seek and to save that wJdch was lost, lost in
sin, as we all are by nature. This was His
blessed and glorious errand. He came to
suffer and die that we might be saved.
And the greater the depth of sin and
misery into which we have fallen, the
more urgent should be the demand we
make upon the love of Him who " died for
our offenses, and rose again for our justifi-
cation," and who is able to save to the
uttermost — in point of number, as well as
of the heinousness of sin — all who come
unto God through Him. (See on Matt,
xviii. 11.)
11. And as they heard these thingfs, he added and
spake a parable, because lie was nigh to Jerusalem, and
because "tliey thought that tlie kingdom of God should
immediately appear.— lActs i. 6.
Our Lord had just spoken of Himself as
one who had come into the world for a
great end, to seek and to save that which
was lost. (Verse 10.) Through a misun-
derstanding of these words, the disciples
may have been confirmed in the error
which they held in common with the mass
of the people, that Jesus was to establish,
and probably during this very visit to Je-
rusalem, which He was now making in so
open and public a manner, an earthly
kingdom, from which they, as His friends,
would receive honor, power and great
glory. Before reaching Jerusalem, which
was about twenty miles distant from Jeri-
cho, our Lord undertook to correct these
erroneous views and expectations concern-
ing the Messiah's kingdom, by declaring
its true nature, and showing how men
would stand related to it.
Some have regarded this parable and
that of the talents, in Matt. xxv. 14-30, as
one and the same. But they are not so.
Although in many of their features there
is a strong resemblance, in others there is
a decisive difference. Tliis parable was
923
LUKE,
spoken before Christ's entrance into Jeru-
salem, and at the house of Zacchous, that
while He was seated on the Mount of
Olives, the third day after His entry into
the city ; this was addressed to a mixed
multitude, that to Christ's own immediate
disciples ; in i/iis there are ten servants, in
that there are three; this shows that
Christians differ in the diligence they dis-
play, that shows that they differ in the
amount of gifts they receive.
1" "He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into
a far country to receive for himself a liingdom, and to
return. ^ ,, , ... „.
oMatt. XXV. 14, on which see notes ; Mark xni. 34.
A certain nobleman — a man of noble
birth, through his birth, family, ancestry,
distinguished from the rest of the people.
(Verse 14.) The reference is to our Lord
Himself, who being descended from
Abraham and David, after the flesh, was
of kingly origin, and, besides, was the Son
of God. (See 1 Tim. i. 17.) Went into a
far country. Heaven is here meant, which
Isaiah calls " the land that is afar off."
To receive for himself a kingdom. Those in
Judea who, by hereditary succession or by
interest, had pretensions to the Jewish
throne, traveled to Rome, in order to have
it confirmed to them. Jesus ascended into
heaven to take possession of the kingdom,
the right to which, as Messiah, He had
acquired, and the foundation of which He
had laid by His obedience and sufferings.
(Dan. iv. 3; Isa. ix. 7; Luke i. 33; Phil. ii.
8, 9 ; Heb. i. 3, 8, 9.) All power was given
to Him in heaven and on earth. He was
invested with the kingdom by God, His
Father. In virtue of that investiture. He
has right to rule supreme over that world,
on which before He had not where to lay
His head. He has His kingdom in heaven,
and from thence He exercises His power
(Matt, xxviii. 18; Phil. ii. 9-11; Eph. i. 17,
20-22), until He comes at the last day to
the judgment. (Matt. xxv. 31.)
n. And he called his ten servants, ami delivered them
ten 'pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
*Gr., mina.
The word ten is here used of an indefi-
nite number. By servants, are represented
all who profess and call themselves Chris-
tians. Only two classes of persons are
mentioned as having remained in the
country while the nobleman was absent —
servants and adversaries. (Verse 14.) In
a spiritual point of view, only two classes
exist: tho.se who serve Christ as the Lord
that bought them, and those who, being
at enmity with God, refuse to obey the
Gospel of His Son. Ten jjounds— in Greek,
ten mina. A pound was the sixtieth part
of a talent, or about $15. The Greek word
translated "occupy" is only found here.
It means, literally, "employ in business, or
trading." Till I come, i. e., all the time of
my absence. The place and age in which
our lot has been cast, our early education,
our bodily members and mental powers,
our station in society, and the circle of our
honie.s, money, time, health, wealth and
influence, and, in addition, the graces of
the Spirit, in whatever measure they may
have been conferred, all that we are and
have belongs to God, and must be used for
His glory, and the good of our fellow-
creatures. For the use we make of all our
gifts, graces and opportunities, we are to
give account. Our belief of the return of
Christ, and the uncertainty under which
He has left us as to the time of His coming,
ought to make us ever active and diligent
in improving the sacred trust which He
has committed to us, in whatever way and
sphere this can best be done.
14. pBut his citizens hated him, and sent a message
afler him, saying, We will not have this nuin to reign
over us. — pJohn i. 11.
His citizens. By these are doubtless
meant in the first instance the Jews. They
are here thus named, as by John they are
called Christ's "own," for, according to the
oldest predictions. He was the King of
Zion. They sent messages after Him to
show that they would not acknowledge
Him as their king, when they incited the
heathen to persecute the followers of Him
whom they crucified. They still send after
Him such messages, because they pro-
nounce the curse over all their members
who venture to receive the Christain faith.
All persons, however, are included in the
number of these "citizens," who will only
recognize Jesus as an enlightened Teacher,
but not as their Lord and Saviour. Hated
him. The original imports a permanent,
settled hatred, entertained toward the
nobleman, even before he set out on his
journey. Sent a message after him, would
be better translated, sent an embassage, &c.
We will not have this man to reign over us.
CHAPTER XIX.
This very declaration twice found formal
utterance from the lips of the Jews — once
when they cried to Pilate, " We have no
king but Caesar," and aj^ain, when they
said, "Write not. The King of the Jews."
We vnll not. The verb iviU here, as in
several places of the New Testament, loses
much of its force by being mistaken for the
auxiliary verb will. Let it here be ren-
dered, "we ivill that this man shall not
reign over us ! " It is a wicked, insulting
will that originates and continues the foul
rebellion. This is no more than a mere
shadow of the rebellion of a sinner against
his God. None who refuse to have Jesus
Christ to reign over them can possibly
avoid being slaves to sin under the domin-
ion of the devil.
15. And it came to pass, that when he wa.s returned,
having receiveil tlie kingdom, then lie commanded
these servants to be called unto liim, to wliom lie liad
given *the money, that lie might know how much
every man had gained by trading.
*SUvei-— and so verse 23.
He commanded, &c. These words refer
to the general judgment. That he miglit
know. As the Omni.scient, Christ knows
all things, but the conduct of one and all
must be made known before the whole
world, as also the righteousness of the
Lord be acknowledged in rewarding and
punishing. How much every man hadcjained
by trading. The inquiry was two-fold. 1.
As to who had been diligent. 2. As to
the gain that had been made. The noble ■
man had not given them weapons for fight.
On the day of judgment all shall reckon
with the Judge. The dead shall be raised
from then- graves. The living shall all be
summoned to the bar. The books shall be
opened. High and low, rich and poor
shall stand " before the judgment seat of
Christ," to account for the powers, privi-
leges and opportunities with which they
were favored in the time of their proba-
tion. How solemn will that reckoning be !
16. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath
gained ten pounds.
With a sweet and cheerful boldness does
the faithful servant come before his Lord.
The investigation is carried on with each
one separately. Each must stand or fall
on his own merits. Thy pound hath gained
ten pounds. In deep humility he acknowl-
edges that the gain is not his own, but
the Lord's ; therefore, he says, with em-
phasis, THY POUND. So Peter speaks : " I,
yet not I, but the grace of God that was in
me." (See 1 Peter iv. 10.) He is not said
to have doubled his pound ; but, instead of
this, to have gained <«! pounds by his one.
By this we are given to understand the
unbounded power of expansion in the gift
of God's grace in Christ, when really and
faithfully received by His servants. It
is not said how the gain was accom-
plished by this servant. Such a result
may be reached by a minister in the
Church of God who faithfully discharges
his office, or by the faithful Sabbath-
school teacher or tract distributor, or by
the wealthy man who liberally distributes
his means for the good of man and the
glory of God, or by the magistrate vvho, in
the fear of God, well discharges the duty
of guarding the morals and peace of
society. How great will be the consola-
tion of the Christian, whose conscience
shall give testimony of his fidelity at the
hour of death !
17. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant:
because thou hiust been qf'aithlul in a very little, have
thou authority over ten cities.
qMatt. XXV. 21 ; Luke xvi. 10.
Well. A word of approval ; brief, but
comprehensive and final. Because thou
hast been faithful in a very little. The sum
intrusted to him was comparatively small,
but it served to test his industry and
fidelity, and therefore was not permitted
to limit his reward. However small a
man's gifts and opi^ortunities, he is as
much accountable for using them rightly
as if they were very great. And the poor-
est and the humblest Christian, if he uses
his one pound well, shall be as carefully
noticed and rewarded as the mightiest
king. Have thou aidhority over ten cities. An
allusion to the custom formerly (as it
seems) prevalent in the East, of assigning
the government and revenues of a certain
number of cities or towns, as a reward to
t^ivorites and faithful officers. The favor
which Christ will show at last to His faith-
ful servants will be, first of all, this; He
will show greater confidence in them now
than ever. They have had a certain charge
committed to them; they have been faith-
fnl in that; He will now enlarge His trust
exceedingly, which He will place in their
hands, on the principle He Himself enun-
924
LUKE,
ciated: "He that is faithful in that which
is least, will be faithful also in much." All
the faithful are made great; but the great-
est worker is the greatest winner when the
accounts are closed. He who has made the
best use of grace on earth is, on that very
account, fitted for the highest place in
heaven.
18. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound
hath gained five pounds.
The second. We hear nothing of the
other seven servants, but we need not, for
this reason, conclude that they had wholly
lost or wasted the money entrusted to
them. Rather may we believe that the
three who come forward are adduced as
specimens of classes, and that the rest,
while all we are to learn is learned from
the three, are, for brevity's sake, omitted.
Thy pound. Here, as in the former case,
humility is shown by the servant in ac-
knowledging that the gain is not his own,
but the Lord's. It will be noticed that
this servant had received an equal amount
with the first. Hath gained five pounds.
The limitation as regards the productive-
ness of God's grace, in this case, does not
spring from anything in that gift itself,
but from the less degree of faithfulness
and unceasing diligence on the part of
him who has it.
19. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over
five cities.
The commendation bestowed on the
first servant is here withheld from the
second, who, with the same pound, had
only gained the half of what the first had
gained, in order thereby to intimate that
the reward should be different in just that
proportion in which the profit of the labor is
greater or less. The gain, indeed, creates
the capacity for the reward. Over five cities.
The honor, riches, power and authority
of a temporal government are but a faint
shadow and resemblance of that which he
shall receive at the hands of God, who has
faithfully managed and improved the
wealth of his sovereign Master. (Rev. iii.
21, iv. 6; Matt. xix. 28 ; 1 Cor. viii. 2, 5.)
The doctrine of reward according to works
is here plainly taught, as it is also in other
places of Scripture. " Every man shall
receive his own reward according to his
own labor." There are degrees of glory
in heaven. Every vessel will be alike
full, but not alike large. And the degree
of glory there will be according to the de-
grees of usefulness here. (1 Cor. iii. 8.)
20. And another came, saying, 'Lord, behold, fiere U
tliy pound, which I have liept laid up in a napkin.
■■Prov. xxvi. 13, 16 ; Matt. xxv. 24 ; verse 13, iii. 9 and
vi. 46 ; James iv. 17.
Two are represented to have been dili-
gent and only one indolent ; but no infor-
mation is thereby given regarding the
proportions of mankind in general, or
within the Church, who shall be found
foithful in the great day. We can well
understand why this servant should have
lingered to the last, being reluctant to
appear in the presence of his Lord. Here
is thxj pound. Our Lord does not mean by
this that men of inferior responsibilities
are less likely to discharge them than
those of higher. The words here is are
not in the original, so that the expression
literally rendered, is, " Lord, behold thy
pound." Which I have laid up in a napkin.
The word rendered "napkin" literally
signifies a handkerchief, or " sweat-cloth/'
" which," says one, " not exerting himself,
his idle servant does not need for its
proper use (' in the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread' — Geu. iii. 19), hence uses
it for the wrapping up of his pound. That
he had it disengaged and so free to be
turned to this purpose, was itself a wit-
ness against him." This servant did not
waste the money committed to him. Let
jt be noted that his laying up his pound
in the handkerchief was not because the
sum he had received was less than that
of the others, or different from it, and
therefore incapable of increase. Neither
was it because he had no opportunity of
turning it to account, or no inherent
energy of action able to do so. Neither
was it because he had no intelligible in-
structions, for this is not pleaded. He
said in effect, " I give you back all you
gave me. I have done no harm." He
was mistaken in supposing that he could
return the pound as he had received it,
because not to use is to waste.
21. "For I feared thee, because thou art an austere
man : thou takest up that thou layest not down, and
reapest that tliou didst not sow.
»Matt. XXV. 24 : Rom. viii. 15.
Fean-d thee. He justifies the caution and
timidity he had shown, and how it was
CHAPTEU XIX.
925
that he would attempt nothing and ven-
ture u])on nothing; he feared to trade on
that pound, lest in the necessary risks of
business, seeking to gain other, lie might
lose that one, and so enrage his master
againt hira, even as men might profess to
fear to lay themselves out for the winning
of other souls, lest, so doing, they might
endanger their own. The man who feels
deejjly the value of his own soul feels most
for the situation of others. Austere. Harsh,
stei;n, unforgiving. Thou iukest up, &c.
This is a proverbial description of an un-
just, rigorous character. The slothful
servant, by impudently applying it to his
lord, and assigning it as the true reason
why he had not increased his pound, as
the others had done theirs, aggravated his
crime not a little. Many will doubtless
finally perish from moral cowardice. The
fearful, as well as tiie unbelieving, shall
have their part in the lake that burneth
with fire and brimstone. (Rev. xxi. 8.)
Obviovisly, the conception w^hich this man
had formed of his Master's character was
the direct, etficient cause of his unprofit-
able idleness. The picture, at this point,
represents a human heart secretly con-
scious of guilt, and reconciled through
the Gospel, and dreading the wrath of the
righteous Judge. When one is at peace
with God in the Redeemer, perfect love
casteth out fear; but here, in the absence
of this reconciliation, perfect fear cast-
eth out love. Many a man fears to
make a profession of religion, because he
thinks a hard Master demands more than
he can render.
22. And he saith unto him, 'Out of thine own mouth
will I judge tliee. thou wicked servant. "Thou knewest
that I was an austere man. taking up that I laid not
down, and reaping that I did not sow : 23. Wherefore,
then, gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at
my coming I might have required mine own with
Tusurv?
'2 Sam. i. 16 : Job xv. 6 ; Matt. xii. 37. "Matt. xxv. 26.
'Exod. xxii. 25, 27 ; Deut. xxiii. 19, 20.
From your own acknowledgment, you
are condemned. That which the .servant
had contrived for his justification the
Lord applies to his confusion. Thou
luicked servant. Sloth does not appear so
much in the condemnation of this man,
as doing wickedly. He had not listened
to the entreaty, " We beseech you that ye
receive not the grace of God in vain." A
man is wicked who does not improve the
gifts which God has bestowed upon him.
The tree which brought forth no fruit was
hewn down and cast into the fire. Thou
kneicest, &c. The master echoes the cul-
prit, in order to condemn him on hi.s own
grounds. This is not an acknowledgment
of the vile and detestable charge of God's
demanding of men more difficult services
than He has furnished them for, and
would assist them in, which would be a
most unrighteous thought of God, but the
servant's lord only argues with him on
his own base principles, and shows th W,
even on them, he would be justly con-
demned for his negligence.
The lord draws from the accusation
brought against him a conclusion just the
opposite of that which the servant had
drawn. " If thou didst really believe me
to be the rigorous person thou sayest I
am, w'hy didst not thou lend out my
money on proper security, that I might
have received mine own with interest ? —
a method of improvement of thy pound
which would have occasioned thee no
trouble at all. Thy excuse, therefore, is a
mere pretense."
24. And he said unto them that stood by, Take
from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten
pounds.
Tltem that stood by. The angels are here
meant, who never fail to appear and take
an active part in all scenes descriptive of
the final judgment. Take from hivi the
pound. Take what was intrusted to him,
from that idle, suspicious, unfaithful .ser-
vant, who otherwise might have had that
and much more allotted him for his own
property. All op])ortunity of serving
Christ is now forever withdrawn. And
give it to him that hath ten pounds. The lord
ordered this pound thus to be disposed of,
because it was agreeable to the rules of all
wise administrations to bestow^ the most
and the greatest trusts on them who, by
their fidelity in offices already enjoyed by
them, had shown that they best deserved
them. By having another pound given
to him, it was intimated that this man's
"ability" had become greater than before.
(Matt. xxv. 15.) It will be observed that
in this parable no other punishment is
inflicted on the indolent servant than the
deprivation of his capital. This may
possibly be intended to intimate that cul-
926
LUKE,
pable unfaithfulness in a true believer
may sometimes descend so far as to be
undistinguishable by human eyes from
the entire neglect of the unbelieving.
There is, however, in all cases, a dividing
line, although wo may not be able to trace
it— "the Lord knoweth them that are
His."
2.5. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten
pounds.)
They — the angels. He hath, &c. They
speak this in surprise at his assigning the
pound taken from the wicked servant to
one who had received so ample a reward,
thinking there was no occasion to give an
additional i)onnd to one who had so many
already. Perhaps they thought it more
projier to give it to him who only had
five pounds.
26. For I say unto you, 'That unto every one which
hath slKill be given ; and from him that liath not, even
that he hatli shall be taken away from him.
See "Matt. xUi. 1:! and xxv. 29; Mark iv. 25; Luke
viii. 18.
Here the Lord unfolds the deep ground
of His procedure, which, so far from being
arbitrary, consists in the highest righteous-
ness. (Matt. xxv. 29.) Which hath. Ob-
viously from the whole circumstances of
the case this means " wdiich possesseth
and useth aright." The wicked servant
was distinguished from the others, not by
not having, but by not using. The law
announced here is, that they who employ
well what they have shall retain it all, and
receive more in addition ; whereas, they
who do not rightly employ what they have,
will be deprived of that which they possess
and do not use. " The earth which bring-
eth forth herbs, meet for them by whom
it is dressed, receiveth blessing," that is,
a further blessing — the gift of a continued
fruitfulness " from God." (Heb. vi. 7.) Nor
is it merely that the one receives more,
and the other loses what he had, but that
very gift which the one loses the oiher re-
ceives: he is enriched with a pound taken
from the other. We see this continually;
one, by the providence of God, steps into
the place and the opportunities which an-
other left unused, and so has forfeited.
(1 Sam. XV. 28.) From 1dm that hath not,
&c., i. e., from him that does not use. This
is a natural as well as a penal effect, of not
using what we were bound to turn to
proper account. If we cease to use a limb,
its muscles die away, and its strength
utterly departs. Corn hoarded up in the
granary is soon destroyed. Intellect not
drawn on, soon flags. This taking away
is a process. It is steadily going forward
in this world. It will be completed in the
next, where all further probation and
chance for doing service will utterly and
eternally cease.
27. But those mine enemies, wliich would not that I
should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them
before me.
It can hardly be questioned that the'de-
struction of Jerusalem is here primarily
intended, but it would deprive the passage
of its principal force to limit it to the tem-
poral punishment of Christ's enemies. The
language has a more extensive significa-
tion, and includes the final overthrow and
punishment of all the enemies of truth in
the world to come. (1 Cor. xv. 24-58.)
Those mine enemies. They are here named
contemptuously, as they previously had
named their lawful king. (Verse 14.) Bring
hither. The command is given to those
who were addressed in verse 24. Slay them,
expresses strongly the severity and hope-
lessness of the coming retribution. The
sudden breaking off of the parable
heightens not a little its beauty. They
who will not stibmit to Christ the Cruci-
fied will be crushed by Christ the King.
Every eye shall see Him, they also who
pierced Him. Meekly, now, he stands at
the door and knocks; then He comes as
the lightning comes. Those who surren-
der to Him now will be His friends then.
28. U And when he had thus spoken, ihe went before,
ascending up to Jerusalem. 29. .vAnd it came to Das.s,
when he was come nigh to Betliphage and Bethany, at
the mount called the mount of Olives, he .sent two of his
disciples,
'Mark x. 32. yMatt. xxi. 1 and Mark xi. 1, <fec., on
which see notes.
Ascending up to Jerusalem — being deter-
mined to appear there at the approaching
Passover, tliough He knew that persecu-
tion and death awaited him there. This
city was geographically several thousand
feet above the Jordan, on whicli was the
Plain of Jericho. It is our duty to follow
Jesus toward the cross, ready to make any
sacrifice that fidelity to Him may require.
Bethphage, i. e., "the house of figs," a
village between Bethany and Jerusalem,
near the summit of the Mount of Olives.
No trace of it now exists. Bethany, i. e.,
CHAPTER XIX.
93T
"the place of dates," stood near the foot
of the eastern side of the Mount of OHvcis,
nearly two miles from the limits of Jeru-
salem. The Mount of Olives. Tlie well-
. known eminence on the east of Jerusalem,
separated from that city by the Valley of
Jehoshaphat. It is, however, not so much
a " mount" as a ridge, of rather more than
a mile in length, running in general direc-
tion north and south, covering the whole
eastern side of the city. The two disciples
were probably Peter and John. (Compare
xxii. 8.)
.so. Saying, 'Go ye into the village over against yoxt ;
in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied,
whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring liim
hit/ie.r.—'l Sam. x. 2, S) ; Jolin xiv. 20.
Village over against you — Bethphage. ^1
colt tied. This was an ass's colt. (Matt.
xxi. 2.) The Messiah was predicted as
coming on an ass. (Zech. ix. 9.) Asses
and mules were in common use in Pales-
tine ; horses were seldom to be met with.
The hoi'se was an animal of pride and
war; the ass, of humility and peace. (Hos.
i. 7 ; Micah v. 10, 11.) Even Solomon rode
on a mule in state. (1 Kings i. 38; see
Gen. xxii. 3 ; Ex. iv. 20 ; Judges x. 4.)
Whereon yet never man sat. Animals that
had never been used were put to sacred
purposes. (Num. xix. 2 ; Deut. xxi. 3 ; 1
Sam. vi. 7.) Jesus was born of a pure
virgin, and laid in a new sepulchre. Thus
his birth, triumph and tomb were alike.
We have here a wonderful instance of
Christ's prescience in veiy minute mat-
ters. He says, 1. You shall find a colt. 2.
On which no man ever sat. 3. Bound
with his mother (Matt. xxi. 2). 4. In a
place where two ways meet (Mark xi. 4).
5. As you enter into the village. 6. The
owners shall at first seem unwilling to
have him loosed. 7. When they hear the
Lord has need of him, they will let him go.
31. And if any man ask you. Why do ve loose him?
thus shall ye say unto him, "Because the Lord hath
need of him.
»Ps. xxiv. I: Luke x, 12; Matt. xxi. 2, 3, Mark xi. 3,
6 ; Acts X. 36.
Without doubt, the owners of the beast
belonged to the many concealed friends
of Christ, and He knew that a command
addressed in His name to these men
would not be in vain. The Lord. The
Proprietor of all things. There is not, we
think, one instance, in which this word,
with the article, and without either noun
or pronoun, is u.sed in speaking of any
other person than Jesus, except when
used of the glorious God absolutely. In
His humility Christ is ever giving proofs
of His Divinity. He has a right to every-
thing, and He can so control men's hearts
as to make them willing to obey Him.
32. And they that were sent went their way, and
found even aa He had said unto them. 3:!. And a.s they
were loosing tlie coll, the owners thereof said unto
them. Why loose ye the colt? 31. And they said, The
Lord halli need ol him.
Christ intended, by sending the dis-
ciples, to exercise them in unconditional
obedience, even where something remain-
ed inexidicable to them ; also to establish
their confidence in His superhuman fore-
knowledge. God's promises shall all at
last prove to be true.
The owners, i. e., jjersons belonging to
the family of the owner. What the
Saviour foresaw^ actually occurred. Ob-
jections were raised, but at the appointed
watchword they were withdrawn. We
must not hesitate to obey when God com-
mands.
35. And they brought him to Jesus : •'and tbey cast
their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus
thereon.
b2 Kings ix. 13 : Matt. xxi. 7 ; Mark xi. 7 ; John xli. 14.
The owner allowed the beast to be
taken, assured that it would be safely and
speedily restored, and satisfied that it was
now to be appropriated to the Master's
use. Cast their garments. The disciples
spread their mantles, instead of a saddle,
upon the colt, which, though never used
before for riding, was now perfectly tract-
able. This was done as a token of honor.
It was the custom of the people, as an
acknowledgment of an appointed king.
(See 2 Kings ix. 13.) And they set Jesus
thereon, more literally, they assisted Jesus to
mount thereon. We are to be workers to-
gether with the Lord.
36. "And as he went, they spread their clothes in the
way.--<'Matt. xxi. 8, on which see notes.
Spread their clothes in the way. This was
in conformity with the very ancient and
still existing custom on state occasions, of
honoring royal and illustrious persons, by
covering the ground over which they are
to pass. Clothes and rich tapestries were
regularly employed for the purpose, but
when the occasion was extemporaneous,
and no other provision was made, the
robes and mantles of the persons in at-
928
LUKE
tendance supplied the deficiency. It is
generosity well becoming a Christian to
make everything subservient to the
triumph and reign of Christ in the Church.
"We must, if necessary, strip ourselves of
all, that He may rule in our hearts.
37. And when he vvivs come nigh, even now at the
descent of the mount of Olives, tlie whole multitude of
the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a
loud voice I'or all the mighty works that they had seen ;
At the descent of the mount of Olives, i. e.,
where the road over the summit begins to
descend toward the valley of Kedron.
Multitude of the disciples. Most probably
many of the disciples here mentioned
were not really disciples in heart, but had
followed our Lord in much ignorance, and
under very mistaken expectations. The
enthusiasm which broke forth when the
point was reached from which the city
could be seen, spreading itself like a
grand panorama, increased in intensity
while the way began to descend. Began
to rejoice and praise God, more literally,
began rejoicing, to praise God. With a loud
voice — all speaking at once, and very earn-
estl)-. This is added as a heightening cir-
cumstance. For all the mighty works, &c.
Matter for praise and jubilant joy was not
wanting. Doubtless some of Christ's
wondrous works were recounted to them
by one another. The sight of the capital
city awakened the remembrance of many
miracles, and the name of Lazarus was
upon the lips of all. (John xii. 17.)
38. Saying, ^Blessed he, the King that cometh in the
name of the Lord: epeace in heaven, and glory in the
highest.
dPs. cxviii. 26 ; Luke xiii. 35. eLuke ii. 14 ; Eph. ii. 14.
Blessed be the King. Christ was, indeed,
a king, but His kingdom was not, as they
supposed, of this world. (John xviii. 36.)
They expected the kingdom of *' our
father, David," to be restored, enlarged
and glorified by this His more glorious
Son. (See Mark xi. 10.) As David was
the conqueror of surrounding nations, so,
they supposed, this his illustrious descend-
ant would emancipate Israel, subdue Rome,
make Jerusalem mistress of the world,
and thus be, in accordance with their de-
sires, a temporal Messiah. Cometh in the
name of the Lord, i. e., in the name and
authority of Jehovah, the ancient God of
Israel, as His messenger and representa-
tive. " The Coming One " was an appel-
lation of the Messiah. Peace in heaven.
This may refer to the blessing of peace to
be dispensed upon earth as the gift of
heaven, or it may have been a Scriptural
phrase used at any period of great religious
rejoicing. Glory in the highest. Glory and
salvation be ascribed to Him in the highest
heavens, and in the uttermost degree.
39. And some of the Pharisees from among the mul-
titude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
The Pharisees, who were present to
watch Christ's movements, evidently con-
sidered the multitude to be treating Jesus
as the Messiah, and Jesus to be claiming
the Messiahship by His not checking the
language His attendants used. Their
spirit was just that of modern Socinianism ;
the prophetic expressions used, the lofty
epithets applied to Him, who was simply,
in their view, a Teacher, offended them.
40. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you
that, if these should hold their peace, 'the stones would
immediately cry out.— fHab. ii. 11.
If these should hold their peace, &c. This
is a proverbial expression, denoting the
impossibility of repressing or concealing
an important fact. " If, at a crisis so in-
tense, so awful, even these should hush,
and no human voice should welcome the
Messiah, we might expect that God would
literally rebuke the criminal indifference
and stupidity of men by making the very
stones upon which they trod utter voices
and cry out." It is possible that the words
also contain a covert intimation of the
destruction of Jerusalem, in which the
stones of the city and the temple should
proclaim the majesty of our Lord.
41. H And when he was come near, he beheld the city
and Bwept over it,— eJohn xi. 35.
Come near — descending the slope of the
hill toward Jerusalem. Beheld the city —
gazed upon the metropolis which was
spread out before Him in all its beauty
and magnificence, and which He was now
about to enter in a more public manner
than ever before. JYeptoverit. Men, gen-
erally, are glad when approaching a city,
but Jesus now was sad. Here is evidence
of Christ's true humanity. Whilst the
multitude were in triumph, Jesus was
shedding tears. This He did, notwith-
standing He had already received much
ill usage from the inhabitants of the city,
and was at this very juncture to be put to
-^ -%^. w
CHAPTER XIX.
929
death by them. A sense of the guilt and
future ruin of the city overwhchued tlie
Saviour's spirit. The cause of the destruc-
tion of impenitent sinners is in themselves.
. Christ loves and pities all, even those who
are Ilis open enemies None are hated,
though none but believers are finally
saved. The true Christian feels a deep
concern about the souls of unconverted
people. (Prf. cxix. 136; Rom. ix. 2.) The
existence of a union between awful, in-
flexible justice, denouncing sentence
against the criminal, and benevolence sym-
pathizing in liis misery, even to tears, is
most aflectingly shown in this verse and
the two verses immediately succeeding.
(Ez. xviii. 23; Rom. ix. 1, 2, 3; Jer. ix. 1,
2, 10, 11.) It is afiecting to see a great man
like Newton or Bacon weep. How tremen-
dous the significance of the tears of the
Son of God ! They are awfully foreboding
in regard to the incorrigible, and yet full
of encouragement to penitent sinners.
42. Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least
In this thy day, the tilings which biiong unto thy peace !
but now they are hid iroin tliiue eyes.
If thou hadst known, or in the optative
form which the phrase admits, " O that
thou hadst known." It implies a wish. It
is like Isa. xlviii. 18. Even thou, rather,
thou also, thus placing the unbelieving
inhabitants of Jerusalem in oppoi^ition to
the disciples of our Lord. At least in this
thy day. The language of the original is
abrupt and interrupted, and peculiarly
expressive of the deep interest felt by the
Saviour for those of whom He was speak-
ing. These words refer to the time of thy
visitation, spoken of in verse 44. The whole
time of Christ's public activity in Jerusa-
lem was a respite of two years, which had
been prepared for more than twenty cen-
turies, and now, as it were, concentrated
itse)f in the one day on which He entered
as King into Jerusalem. There is a time
when the offer of mercy may be withdrawn
from the obstinately impenitent. The
things ivhich belong unto thy pence. Just as
our Lord's words to the people, "would
have gathered thy children together, even
as a hen gathereth her chickens under her
wings" (Matt, xxiii. 37), do not mean that
He would have been a temporal prince,
which He so often and earnestly declined
and disclaimed; so here, the things over
*8
their ignorance of which He lamented,
were not mainly the things pertaining to
their continued amity with the Roman
state, but to their i)eace with heaven. It
was over the alienation of men's minds
from God, their disaflection to the only
means of recovery, their indifference to
the time of their visitation, and their con-
sequent subjection to Divine wrath, that
Jesus wept. But now they are hid from thine
eyes. They were hidden by a voluntary
rejection of the evidence which our Saviour
gave of His Divine mission. God's keeping
silence is not approbation. His long suf-
fering is not even connivance. He can be
merciful, without allowing us to trifle, and
insult Him, for even His patience has its
rules and bounds.
43. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine
enemies shall ''cast a trench about thee, and compass
thee round, and l^eep tliee in on every side,
iilsa. xxix. 3, 4 ; Jer. vi. 3, 6 ; Luke xxi. 20.
This, with the next verse, is one of the
most striking predictions ever uttered. It
was literally fulfilled at the siege of Jeru-
salem under Titus. Josephus gives a very
particular account of the building of this
trench, by which we are to understand a
mound set with palisades, or abattis. He
says it was effected in three days, though
it measured thirty-nine furlongs, or almost
five miles, and the towers were thirteen in
number, every one of them being ten fur-
longs in compass. By this means the in-
habitants were kept in on every side, cut
off from all hoj^e of safety by flight, and
reduced to the most terrible distress by the
famine which ensued.
44. And 'Shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy
children within thee ; and Jtliey shall not leave in thee
one stone upon another: ^because thou knewest not the
time of thy visitation.
'1 Kings ix. 7, 8: Micah iii. 12. JMatt. xxiv. 2, oa
which see notes : Mark xiii. 2: Luke xxi. 6. i^Dan. ix.
24 ; Luke i. 68, 7S ; 1 Peter 11. 12.
Lay thee even vdth the ground. Josephus
says that the Roman emperor commanded
the whole city and temple to be Klemol-
ished, which command was so executed,
that strangers coming thither would not
believe that the place had ever been in-
habited. (Comp. Ps. cxxxvii. 9.) Thy
children vnlhin thee. Thy children and
thyself shall be laid in one common ruin.
By children is meant, not minors, but na-
tive-born inhabitants of any age. One
stone upon another, literally, they shall not
leave in thee stone upon stone. This was a
930
LUKE.
proverbial and figurative expression, to
denote an utter destruction, and need not
be interpreted that not a single stone
would be left lying upon another. The
city was burnt and destroyed. The Ro-
mans burned the extremest parts of it,
and demolished the walls. Three towers
only and some part of the wall were left
standing, for the better encampment of
the soldiers, and to show to posterity what
a city, and how fortified, the va^or of the
Romans had taken. As for the temple,
after it was burned the Roman general
ordered the very foundations of it to be
dug up; and, later still, Terentius Rufus
ordered its site to be farrowed with the
plowshare. Because thou knoivest not the
time of thy visitation. God's visitations are
either of wrath (Ex. xxxii.34),or of mercy
(Jer. xxix. 10). The term is here used by
our Saviour in the latter sense, and refers
to His visiting them by the prophets,
John the Baptist and Himself. Churches,
nations and even individuals, are some-
times visited with special manifestations
of God's presence, and the neglect of
these manifestations is the turning point
in their spiritual ruin.
45. 'And he went into the temple, and began to cast
out them that sold therein, and them that bought ;
•Matt. xxi. 12, on which see notes ; Mark xi. 15 ; John
IL 14, 15.
He went into the temple. He did not go up
to the court, or to the palace, though He
came in as a King, but to the temple ; for
His kingdom is spiritual, and not of this
world. And began to cast out, &c. A similar
transaction occurred about three years
before. (John ii. 13-15.) Thus Christ pu-
rified the temple from profane uses at the
beginning and at the end of His ministry.
A large place, furnished with shops, was
appropriated in the southern part of the
spacious outer court of the temple, called
the Court of the Gentiles, for the sale of
animals and birds for sacrifices, and what-
ever else might be required for off"erings
and sacrifices, such as salt, wine, oil, &c.
This arrangement, made at first for conven-
ience, afterward became a mere matter of
gain and exaction — a sad profanation of
the sacred place. The house of God should
not be devoted to secular purposes. Christ's
zeal for the holiness of the Church and the
sanctification of souls is here indicated.
46. Saying unto them, mit is written. My house is the
house or' prayer: but "ye have made it a den of thieves.
misa. Ivi. 7. "Jer. vii. 11.
Even in purifying the temple from pro-
fane uses, our Lord supports His conduct
by a text of Scripture. All reformations
in Churches should be built upon God's
Word. It is more than probable that the
Court of the Gentiles had become a harbor
of wicked men who cheated in their traffic,
and lived by dec it and extortion. Den
of thieves is a terrible antithesis to the
house of God. The word den, probably, is
an allusion to the caves and recesses of
rocks in Judea in which the robbers and
bandits found shelter. The offenders,
when cast out from the place of their traffic,
do not appear to have made the least re-
sistance; doubtless, they were struck with
a panic by the secret energy of Christ's
omnipotence. (See Mark xi. 1-3.) Perhaps
the casting out may be regarded as a mir-
acle. Prayer is good in all places; but
there is a particular blessing attends it
when offered to God in the house of prayer.
He who passes through religious exercises
carelessly and negligently, robs God of
that glory which he does not pay Him.
47. And he taught daily in the temple. But "the chief
priests and the scribes and the chief o. the people sought
to destroy him, 43. And could ucit iiiid what they
might do : for all the people were very attentive to
hear him.— "Mark xi. 18 ; John vii. 19 and viii. 37.
Having just called the temple " the house
of prayer," our Lord proceeds to show, by
His own example, that it is to be the house
of "teaching," as well as praying. His
crucifixion being near at hand. He em-
ployed Himself without intermis.sion in
instructing as many people as possible, and
in the most public place. He exhibited
courage, composure and energy of spirit.
Christ's example furnishes the strongest
motive for not being weary in well doing.
Bat the chief priests, &c. All this time irre-
concilable hatred and thoughts of murder
were rankling in the breasts of the worldly
aristocracy, which counted itself mortally
endangered by Him. Jesus endured the
contradiction of sinners, and was exposed
to their wicked designs in accomplishing
His mission.
Were very attentive; literally, they hung
upon him, hearing. They listened with so
great attention and pleasure, that they
hung, as it were, on His lips while He
CHAPTER XX.
nni
Bpake. Doubtless our Lord's words, in
those His last days, were of peculiar depth,
tenderness and solemnity. ^leanwhilc
His enemies were visibly perplexed. They
■could not find what they mujht do, or rather,
could not find tlie (way) in vhich thajmujht do
it. The Passover had brought numbers of
Christ's friends from Galilee, His j^reach-
ing had won many followers in the region
beyond Jordan, the raising of Lazarus in
Bethany had made His name wonderful
in and around Jerusalem, and thus the
Saviour and the people alike were for the
momentan obstacle to theaccomplishment
of the malicious purposes of His foes. A
true Christian should think nothing trou-
blesome and grievous when he finds him-
self useful in advancing the work of God.
1. Through what city did Jesus pass? 2. What is said of Zacchens? 3. What parable did Jesus speak 7 4.
Explain it. 5. How are we to understand verse 20? G. When Christ had thus spoken, where did lie go? 7.
Where did lie send two of His disciples? 8. t'or what purpose? 9. Wliat tool< place at tlie Mount of Olives? 10.
What did Christ do in the temple ? 11. What did He say there ? 12. What was the result ?
CHAPTER XX.
1 Chrixt avoucheth his aufhorifjj bi/ a qiiexlinn of John's
baptism. 9 JVieparahleof tlievineijard. 19 Of (living
tribute to Ccesar. 27 He convinceth the Sadducets that
denied the resurrection. 41 Ifow Chri.^t is the son of
David. 45. Me warneth his disciples to beware of the
scribes.
This chapter is remarkable, because of
the variety of attacks on our Lord which
it describes. Whether the whole of the
events here narrated took place on one
day, is a question on which commentators
do not agree. If they did not all happen
on one day, they must, at any rate, have
hapijened on two successive days.
AND "it came to pass, <Aa< on one of those days, as
he tauglit tlie peopie in tlie temple, and preached
the gospel, the cliief priests and the scribes came upon
hitn witli the elders.
"On verses 1-8 ; see on Matt. xxi. 2S-27.
One of those days. Supposed to have
been one of the four last days of our
Lord's life, mentioned in chap. xix. 47 ;
probably the last Tuesday. As he taught,
literally, was teaching. In the temple. Our
Lord persisted calmly in the work of
teaching, while He knew that danger be-
set Him, and that death was close at hand.
Came upon him. This conveys at once the
idea of suddenness and deliberateness.
2. And spake nnto him, saying. Tell us, bbv what
authority doest thou these thinsp? or who is he that
gave thee this authority ? 3. And he answered and said
unto them. I will also ask you one thing: and answer
me: 4. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or
of men ?— ^Acts iv. 7 and vii. 27.
Previous efforts had been made to en-
snare our Lord in His own words, but
now this is attempted in a more refined
way, and with united force. After three
years' exhibition of proof, they ask Je.sus
again to tell them ! By what authority
doest thou these things f They could not
deny that He had approved Himself by
miracles, hence they felt justified only in
asking Him for His authority. They
asked this question, not because they did
not know, but because they would not
acknowledge. The things referred to were
His entering the city with such a numer-
ous train of attendants ; His taking upon
Him to reform the economy of the temple,
and His receiving from the people the
title of the Messiah. Or who is he that
gave thee this aidliorityf The first question
related to the nature of the authority by
which He acted, whether it was as a
prophet, a priest or a king, no other per-
son having a right to make any reforma-
tion in Church or Scale. This second
question was, that if He claimed the
authority of any or all of tliese characters,
He should state from whom He derived
it — what proof He had that it had a
Divine source.
To an honest inquiry on the point men-
tioned, Jesus, notwithstanding lie had
already furnished such overwhelming
proofs of His Divine mission, would, no
no doubt, have given a direct answer, but
9C3
LUKE.
He knew that their puri)Ose was malicious,
and hence adopted the method which He
did.
The baptism of John, i. e., the religion
of which the baptism was a profession.
Baptism is mentioned as representing
John'o ministerial work. Froin heaven, or
of men. A Divine or human institution ?
Our Lord's question, it will be perceived,
was in reality an answer to the question
of His inquirers. His meaning evidently
was that John the Baptist had expressly
testified that He was the Messiah. They
knew this. They could not deny it. Now,
if they really believed that John was a
prophet, they would see by " what author-
ity He did what He did" — it was as the
Messiah, whom John had proclaimed Hiin
to be.
5. And they reasoned with thpmselves, saying. If we
shall say. From heaven ; l)e will say, Why then believ-
ed ye him no;? C. But and if we say. Of men ; all the
people will stone us : "^lor they be persuaded that John
was a prophet. 7. And they answered, that they could
not tell whence iZ wax. 8. And Jesus said unto them,
Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
'Malt. xiv. 5 and xxi. 28; Luke vii. 29.
They retired an instant, and made
the matter an object of common delibera-
tion. They saw and felt the dilemma in
which they were placed. If we shall say,
From heaven. They knew that in acknow-
ledging John's mission to be from God,
which they believed it to be, their saga-
cious opponent would confound them with
the inquiry, Wliy then believed ye him not f
i. e., Why did ye not believe the testimony
which he, as my forerunner, bore to me as
the Messiah? (John i. 29-34, iii. 28-3G.)
Here was the other horn of the dilemma.
Of men. If they denied John's Divine mis-
sion, they feared violence from the people.
Every way Christ's reply was calculated to
silence His enemies. It sul)jected them to
the charge of gross inconsistency on the
one hand, or to personal peril on the
other. Stone us. (See Acts vii. 54-00, xxi.
27-36.) John ivas a propliet. The rulers,
from political motives, had deserted John ;
but with all the ranks of the common
people, even to the publicans and harlots,
there was a deep feeling that John was a
messenger from God. These chief jiriests
and scribes feared the people, as Herod
did before them.
They did not like to confess. They
feigned an ignorance which they did not
possess, for the two possible cases lay
open to their discernment ; but, in their
depi'avity, they could not bring themselves
to give honor to the generally admitted
truth. Their internal thoughts and out-
ward conduct were in discord and opposi-
tion to each other, which is the essence of
hypocrisy.
If they had really not known and in-
quired in order to know, our Lord would
readily have answered them. But it was
useless to jDrofier any further proof of His
Messiahship to men who, if they would not
believe John's testimony in His favor,
would fiot, of course, believe that which
He should offer for Himself. He, there-
fore, simply exposed their obstinacy to
themselves, leaving them to reflect upon
it. Both were now silent — He, because on
good grounds He would not speak ; they,
because through their own fault they
could not speak. The people present
could easily decide which had been vic-
torious.
Practical Reflections. 1. Every true-heart-
ed Christian who tries to do good in the
world, must expect that the self-righteous
and worldly-minded will dislike his ways.
2. It is a great sin for any one to be willing
to acknowledge and proclaim the truth
only so far as will subserve his selfish
designs. 3. He who forbears sj^eaking
against the truth only through fear of men,
has betrayed and dishonored it alread}'^ in
his heart. 4. Pharisaic pride, according to
iti diflerent interests, either pretends to
know everything, or affects to know noth-
ing. 5. Many will say anything rather
than acknowledge themselves to be in the
wrong. 6. Lying is one of the commonest
sins in the world. Gehazi, Ananias and
Sapphira have more followers and imita-
tors than Peter and Paul.
9. Then began he to speak to the people this parable.
dA certain man planted a vineyard, and let it lorth to
Imsbandmen, and went into a lar country lor a long
time.— "iMatt. xxi. 33 on which see notes ; Mark xil. 1.
Planted a vineyard. This represents God's
attention to Israel, His covenant people,
"to whom, pertaineth the adoption, and
the glory, and the covenants, and the
giving of the law, and the service of God
and the promises." (Rom. ix. 4.) These
eminent privileges were conferred upon
them as a sacred trust to be cultivated and
CHAPTER XX,
933
improved. A vineyard was customarily
used in both tlie Old Testament and the
Xtw as a ligure for the Israclitish people.
(See Dent. xxii. 32 ; Isa. v. 1-7 ; Ps. Ixxx.
and Matt. xx. 1.) This " certain man " was
more than possessor of this vineyard. He
had himself ''planted" it. (Ex. xv. 17.)
The planting of this spiritual vineyard
found place under Moses and Joshua, in
the establishing of the Jewish jjolity in
the land of Canaan. It is described in
Deut. xxxii. 12-14. (See Ezek. xvi. 9-14 ;
Neh. ix. 23-25.) Let it forth — leased or
rented it, with rent to be paid from the pro-
duce. To husbandmen — The Jewish people,
especially their rulers and priests, who
were the chief instigators in all those
things which were bringing wrath upon
the nation unto the uttermost. And went
ado a far country for a long time. This
means either that after the open manifes-
tation of Himself, which God made to
Israel at the giving of the law from Sinai,
and in tlie miracles which accompanied
their deliverance from Egypt, and their
introduction to Canaan, He did not, in so
open and extraordinary a manner manifest
Himself to the people again (Dent, xxxiv.
10-12), or it indicates the feeling of the vine-
dressers, who think that God has no re-
garel to their conduct. (Ez. viii. 12, ix. 9 ;
Ps. X. 4, 5 ; Luke xii. 45.)
10. And at the season he sent a servant to the hus-
liaudmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the
vineyard : but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him
away empty.
At the season. An intimation of the
period in which the proper prophetic
activity began in Israel, which, as is
known, was a considerable time after the
founding of the theocratic state, so that
the fruits had had abundant time to come
to maturity. Sent a servant. Bv the 'ser-
vants mentioned are meant extraordinary
ambassadors who were sent from time to
time in the owner's name, to demand the
stipulated tribute— prophets, such as Elijah,
Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, men
not of the number or in the confidence of
the ordinary rulers, but specially commis-
sioned by the Supreme, to approach them
with reproof and instruction. That they
should give him of the fruit, &c. He had
reason to expect fruit, because all the
arrangements and agreements were to
this effect. So with the Jews, whom God
had taken into solemn covenant, and
otherwise highly favored. Beat lam, &c.
The established authorities of the nation,
exercising their oflice for their own plea-
sure or profit, rejected the counsel, and
assaulted tlie person of the messenger,
dismissing him without any fruit. (See on
Matt. xxi. 50.)
11. And again lie sent another servant: and they beat
him also, and entreated him shameiully, and sent hijn
away empty. 1-. And again he sent a tliird : and they
wounded him also, and cast him out.
The repeated messages sent by the
prophets, generation after generation, in-
dicate not only the continued patience,
long-sufiering and wonderful compassion
of God, but also the growing wantonness
and wickedness of the people, by whom
His servants, although sometimes effect-
ing temporary reforms, were almost uni-
formly i-ejected and maltreated.
13. Then said the lord of the vineyard, 'What shall I
do ? fl will send my beloved Son : it may be they will
reverence him. when they see hina.
elsa. v. 4 ; Hos. vi. 4, xi. 8. t'Matt. lii. 17, xvii. 5 ; John
1.34.
What shall I do? The Lord of the vine-
yard is brought before us in soliloquy,
that the act of love may be exhibited in
the most striking and affecting manner.
When men's hands were stained with the
blood of the prophets, it might have been
expected that the judgments of God would
descend upon them and crush them, but
He whose " ways are not as our ways,"
determined on another and far more
earnest effort to win the wicked and re-
bellious people to love and obedience.
I will semi my beloved Son. The Lord Jesus
here sjjeaks of Himself. He is God's
•'beloved Son in whom He is well-pleased."
God will send even Him, as the last trial
of Divine mercy with His covenant peo-
ple, as such. It may be that they vill
reverence him, &c. This expression is
natural and appropriate in the lips of a
human proprietor, but obviously, when
applied to God, it means only that such
reverence was claimed, was due, and might
justly be expected. The Omniscient
knew beforehand that the Jewish rulers
would iKjt yield even to this last and
tenderest appeal.
14. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned
among themselves, saying. This is the heir: come, let
us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.
This is the heir — the owner of the property.
934
LUKE
They confess his being the heir, among
themselves, but they otier no such confes-
sion to liim. Come, let lis kill liim. The
owner being absent, they imagined that
if the son was dead they could find none
to interfere with them in holding the
vineyard without paying the rent. Tliat
the inheritance may be ours. These rulers
-were determined to retain the power over
Israel. Their meaning here was, " If we
let this man alone, all men will believe
on him. Then the Romans will come and
take away our place and nation. Thus our
position will be irretrievably ruined. He
will get the heritage, if we do not take
instant measui-es to prevent it. It is expe-
dient for us that one man die for the
people. Let ustherefore put him to death.
This is our only hope for continued
authority and power."
15. So they cast liini out of the vineyard, and killed
hi>n. Wliat, thereiore, shall tlie lord of the vineyaivl
do unto them ? l(i. He shall come and destroy tliese
husbandmen, and .shall give the vineyard to otliers.
And when they lieard it, they said, God Ibrbid.
See on Matt. xxi. 39-41.
Out of the vinc;/ard. A striking prophecy
of the crucifixion outside of the city.
(Heb. xiii. 12, 13; John xix. 17.) What
therefore, &c. Christ makes an appeal to
His hearers as if willing that they shall
judge of the righteousness of the punish-
ment so richly deserved by the vine-
dressers. Unto them. It is observable
how the successive generations, who for
so many centuries had been filling up the
measure of the iniquity of Israel, are con-
sidered, throughout the entire parable,
but as one body of husbandmen. God
will deal with nations as indeed being, as
having a living unity in themselves, as in
fact bodies. They are something more than
mere aggregations of individuals.
The judgment pronounced is two-fold.
Destroy, bring all sorts of evil upon these
husbandmen, i. e., the Jewish state and
nation. And give the vineyard, &c. He
was about to take their privileges from
them and give them to the Gentiles, who
should cultivate the ground on which
they were placed, and render Him the
fruits. God forbid. This sudden ejacula-
tion by the people showed that they fully
understood the awful ai)plication of the
parable. The exclamation was either an
expression of fear, desiring that such evil
might be averted, or of unbelief: "That
sliall never be, it is impossible that our
privileges can ever be so forfeited."
17. And he beheld them, and said. What is this then
that is written, eThe stone which the builders rejected,
the same Is become the head of the corner ?
?Isa. .xxviii. IB: Acts iv. 11; Eph. ii. 3J ; 1 Peter ii. 6,
7; Ps. cxviii. 2U; Matt. xxi. 42, on which see notes.
What is tliis then, &c. He thus gives
them to understand that if they were
right in their deprecation, the prophecy
of the Scripture would not be fulfilled,
which yet is an absolute impossibility.
The stone which the builders rejected. This
refers to Christ and His rejection by those
whocalled themselves leaders and builders
in the Jewish Church. He was cast off
by them as a stone which the architect or
workmen, thinking too unshapely to work
into the structure, throws aside as unfit
and of no value. The same, is become the
head of the corner? The very man Christ
Jesus whom the official but false builders
refused, dishonored and slew, God raised
up and made King upon His holy hill of
Zion. It is a dreadful discovery for those
husbandmen to make, that the Son whom
they murdered lives, and has become
their Lord. The head-stone of the corner is
the large stone placed in the corner of a
stone edifice, for the purpose of binding
the two walls firmly together. Jesus
Christ is the strong and firm corner-stone
of the new building of the Christian
Church, in which those who were hitherto
divided, Jews and Gentiles, have been
united into one glorious body. (Eph. ii.
13, 20.)
18. Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be
broken ; but hon whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind
him to powder.
hDan. ii. 34, 35; Matt. xxi. 4-1, on which see notes.
Two kinds of puni.shment are here re-
ferred to, not two different degrees of the
same punishment. In the one, the person
offending is active (he stumbles and is
broken); in the other, passive (heisfiiUen
upon and crushed). In the first case,
whatever evil is experienced is self-in-
flicted by the person who endures it; in
the second, that which is experienced
rushes upon the sufferer with irresistible
force, from the offended and now avenging
Saviour. The one is a punishment only
of this life, where alone sinners have the
opportunity of stumbling on the rock of
salvation, and consists in all the loss of
CHAPTER XX,
935
peace, consolation and blessing, together
Avith all that judicial blindness, bitterness
of spirit, hardness of heart, and manifold
disquietudes of mind, which inevitably
blight and desolate the moral condition
of those who resist the claims of Messiah.
The other punishment belongs to eternity,
and consists in the fearful and everlasting
retribuHon which Clirist will inflict upon
all His adversaries when He takes to Him-
self ii is power and great glory — consigning
them to final perdition in utter darkness.
Practical Reflections. 1. Civil and religious
liberty, the Bible and the Sabbath, the
Church and its ministry, have been pro-
vided and preserved f<u- us by our Father's
care. We are permitted to enjoy all for
our own benefit, under deduction of a trib-
ute to the Giver. Our offerings cannot
directly reach Ilim, bat He has made them
payable to the nooi-. 2. Men not only re-
fuse to obey God, but are angry with those
who r^'prore their disobedience. 3. Uncon-
verted men bcconio more and more har-
dened in sia, as they resist calls to duty.
Every sin they commit, and do not repent
of, prepares for the commission of a greater.
4 Abuse of God's ministers because of
their character or faitlifulness is a gross
insult to Him who sent them. 5. God has
done all to secure the salvation of men
which, consistently with the highest wis-
dom and goodness, it was possible for Him
to do. 6. God overrules the wratli of man
so as to make it contribute to His glory.
7. The nation that will not render to God
the fruits of His vineyard, may have their
privileges in judgment taken away, and
given to another nation. 8. The blessed
Saviour, who might, like a stone, be a sui>
port and defense, will become, if we refuse
to believe in Him, the instrument of our
destruction.
19. ^ And the cliief priests and the scribes the same
hoursoujtlit to lay hand-i on him : and they feared tlie
people: for tliey perceived tli-.it lie had spoken tliis
parable a;^ linst them. 20. 'And they watched him, and
sent forth spies, wliich should feign themselves just
men, thai th"v might take hold of hii words, that so
they might deliver him unto tlie power and authority
of the governor.— 'Matt. xxii. 15.
A guilty conscience needs no accuser.
These enemies of our Lord, instead of
yielding to conviction, were exasperated
at Jesus as they saw the application to
themselvesof til J truth He had just uttered.
Only fear of the people prevented them
from at once putting Him to death. Watched
Jiim; better and more literally, having
ivatched their opportunity. Spies. The
Greek word so rendered means persons
who crouch in some secret place to spy,
listen, catch or hurt. Wh irh should feign, &c.,
i. r., 2)retend to be scrupulously conscien-
tious in every point. Take hold of his tvords,
<kc., if He answered as it was hoped He
would. Mifjht deliver him, &c. The Roman
power is meant.
21. And they asked him, saying, i^Mastpr, we know
that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest
thou the pei-son of aiii/, but teachest the way of God
* truly ; 22. Is it lawiul lor us to give tribute unto Cesar,
or no ?
kMatt. xxii. 16, on which see notes ; Mark xii. H. *0r,
of a truth.
Acceptest, showest no partiality to any man,
not even Herod himself. Truly, teachest
the true path of duty. There was some-
thing peculiarly artful in this flattering
address. "Their words were smoother
than butter," yet there was " war in their
hearts." (Ps. Iv. 21 ; Pro v. xxvi. 23; Rom.
xvi. 18.) Persons of this description will
be met with as long as the world stands.
The language of Christianity is precisely
that part of religion whicli a false Christian
finds it most easy to attain. The walk of
a man's daily life, and not the talk of his
lips, is the only safe test of his character.
We ought always to suspect the jiraise
which is given by men devoted to the
world.
Tribute, the annual poll-tax of a denarius
upon every person, levied by the Roman
emperor. This was a matter of fierce dis-
pute at this time, the Herodians holding
theaffirmative,and the fanatical Pharisees,
on the ground of Deut. xvii. 15, the nega-
tive. Ciesar. This was the general title
given to the Roman emperors, as Pharaoh
was for the Egyi)tian kings. Tiberius
Qvsar was at this time em2-)eror. This
question involved one of the mostcunning-
ly-devised snares whicli was ever laid for
Clirist. If He had answered in the alfir-
mative, they calculated rightly that He
would alienate and oflTend His disciples
and all the people, for there was never a
people by whom the yoke of bondage was
felt more heavily than by the Jews. On
the other hand, had Christ declared the
tribute unlawful, or let fall one word which
misht have been tortured to that mean-
93.
LUKE.
ing, they would doubtless have denounced
Him to the Romans as a promoter of sedi-
tion, and, under the reign of Tiberius, His
death would have been tlie inevitable con-
sequence of such an accusation.
23. But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto
them, Why tempt ye me?
Tempt ye me? — try me by such an en-
snaring question, and endeavor to draw
me into danger by it. Jesus saw at once
the trap laid for Him by His enemies, and
avoided it with the same admirable ad-
dress which had confounded them the day
before.
U. Show me a 'penny. Whose image and superscrip-
tion luxtli it? They an.swerod and naicl, Cesar's.
'Matt, xviii. 28, and xxii. 19, 20, on which see notes.
A penny. This was the denarius, a Roman
silver coin, the principal money at the
time. It became the current coin of
Judea after its subjection. It was the
price of a day's labor in Palestine (Matt.
XX. 2) ; a soldier's pay was less. Denarius,
like our word dtrn^, signifies ten; that i.s,
ten ase.s, to which it was originally equiv-
alent, hence its name. It does not follow
that a single piece of this coin formed the
entire amount of tlie tribute to be paid,
but the amount, whatever it was, was paid
in this coin. As the Jews were averse to
this and other coins of idolaters, the Ro-
mans probably required the tax to be paid
in this coin, in order to render it curi'ent,
as an evidence of their do'minion over the
country. Whose image and supersa'ij)twn
hath it ? Our Lord, of course, knew whose
effigy and inscription it bore, but He made
the inquirers answer to tlieir own confu-
sion. Cscsar^s. Tlius they acknowledged
that Caesar's superiority is peacefully sub-
mitted to in the quiet of society and the
commercial exchanges.
25. And he said unto theia, Kendcr therefore unto
Cesar the thing-i which be Cesiir's, and unto God the
things which be God's. — See on Matt. xxii. 21.
Said unto them. " The meekness of wis-
dom" was never more beautifully mani-
fested than in this answer of our Lord to
so insidious a question, and nothing can
be more worthy of imitation than
this : that He always took occasion, even
from the most captious and frivolous
questions, which would have excited con-
tempt or indignation in others, calmly to
call the attention of the bearers to some
very important instruction. The tilings
which he Caisar's. What is Caesar's? 1.
Honor. The civil government under which
a man lives, and by which he is i^rotected,
demands his honor and reverence. 2.
Obedience. The laws which are made for
the supi^ression of evil-doers, and the
maintenance of good order, which are
calculated to promote the benefit of the
whole, and the comfort of the individual,
should be religiously obeyed. 3. Tribute.
The government that charges itself with
the support and defense of the whole,
should have its necessary expenses repaid
by the people in whose behalf they are
incurred, hence tax should be paid. Ctesar,
however, has no right to infringe the
rights of God. Human laws are limited
by the Divine law. The Christian must,
as fi.\r as po.ssible, comply with both.
Where the human law conflicts with the
Divine, he must obey the latter and suffer
the consequences. It is not an easy mat-
ter to determine precisely in all cases
what are "the things of Ctesar," and what
are "the things of God" — where the
claims of Ca;sar end, and where the claims
of God begin. It would, perhaps, be safe
to say that the former include things
political, secular and temporal, and the
latter includo things sacred, moral and
spiritual. Gometimes a question of a
mixed character arises, involving both
political and moral elements ; in this case
duty in relation 1 > llio question is to be
performed by the individual under a sense
of double responsibility, regard for the
moral aspect always being supreme. Such
a question is also to be treated by the
Church and by the Ttatc according to the
view of it which it brings under their con-
trol respectively. Andunto God the tilings
irhich he God'i^. We are not to recognize
antagonism here, but unity. Their civil
duties did imt release them from religious
obligations (1 Peter ii. 17), nor did their
duties to God absolve them from duties to
the State. (Rom. xiii. 1.) Instead of one
class of duties being set at variance with
the other, our Lord harmonizes and con-
firms them both. (1 Peter ii. 13, 14.) He
has not divorced them, but united them.
V/e must never do anything contrary to
the rights of God in obeying the govern-
ment, and never violate the risjhts of
CHAPTER XX,
937
government under pretense of doing ser-
vice to God. Honor, love, obedience,
faith, fear, prayer, spiritual worship, were
payments to Gud which these " spies "
might daily make, and payments with
which the Roman government did not
interfere. Sucia jiayments Jesus directed
them to make.
26. And they could not take hold of his words berore
the people : and they marvelled ut his answer, and
held Iheir peace.
By Christ's answer, Cxsar is satisfied ;
he got his own to the uttermost farthing.
God is glorified ; His honor is, in every
respect, secured. The Pharisees cannot
complain ; for His decision is but their
own confession put in shape. The jwople
are edified. One of the most dilhcult
questions that could possibly come before
them is answered in such a way as to re-
lieve their consciences, and direct their
conduct. The very Gaulonites cannot
complain, for He does not decide that
there are no just grounds for revolution-
izing the government and asserting
independence. All He decides is that gov-
ernment is right; and that while Ciesar's
government is the acknowledged govern-
ment, it must receive its dues. This
answer, moreover, contained a principle
for all following centuries, by which, on
the one hand, the independence, on the
other hand, the practically .social direc-
tion, of the religious life, is sufficiently
secured. Well, therefore, might His
listening enemies be vexed and ashamed,
being clearly and unexpectedly confuted
on their own principles.
27. 1 mTlien came to him certain of the Sadducees,
nwbich deny that there is any re-iiirrection, and they
asked hira, 28. Saying, Master. "Moses wrote nnto us,
If any man's brotlier die. having a wi.'e, and he die
without cliildren. tliat hi.s brother should take his wile,
and raise up se»d unto his brother. 29. There were
therefore seven brethren : and the first took a wife, and
d'(>d without childreu. 30. And the second took her to
wife, and he died childless. 31. And the tliird took her :
and in like manner the seven also; and thov left no
children, and died. 32. Last of all the woman died also.
33. Tueretore in the reiurreetion whose wife of them is
she ? or seven had her to wife.
mMatr,. xxii. 23. on which see notes; Mark xii. 18.
"Acts xxiii. 6, 8. "Deut. xxv. 5 ; Euth i. 11, 12.
The attempt to entice the Saviour with-
in the sphere of the controversy between
polities and roligion having entirely mis-
carried, they now seek to allure Him upon
another not less dangerous territory, to
entangle Him in the strife between the
purely sensual and the strictly religious
view of the world. Malice is ever active :
let it be defeated ever so often, it returns
to the charge. Jesus and His Gospel
give no quarter to vice ; the vicious will
give no quarter to Him or it. Sadducees
vhich deny, &c. A Jewish sect often men-
tioned in the New Testament. Its founder
was Sadoc, a disciple of Antigonus, who
was pre.'^ident of the Jewish Sanhedrim,
and lived about two hundred and sixty
years before Chri.st. They taught, among
other things, that God was not to be served
from mercenary motives, that there were
no future rewards or punii-hments
appointed unto men, and, consequently,
no world of retribution, and no angels or
spirits.
As their object was to show that Moses
could not ijo.s.sibly have presupposed a
resurrection, they proposed to Je.sus a dif-
ficulty that would grow out of their law,
if the relations which it prescribed were
to be extended beyond the grave, viz., if
several brethren had come by the law to
have successively the same woman to wife,
who should claim her, of those seven, in
the future world? The law referred to
(Dent. xxv. 5, 0), which required a man to
marry the widow of a deceased elder
brother, and raise up children, as being
his, was intended to prevent the loss of
the memory of a son of Abraham. It was
a part of the system by which the memory
of the institutes of the old and true relig-
ion was to be preserved. Seven brethren.
It is very likely that the Sadducees in-
creased the number, merely to make the
question the more difficult.
34. And Jesus answering, said unto them. The chil-
dren of this world marry, and are given in marriage :
Children of this world, &c. By this is
simply meant those who live in this world,
not such as are wholly given to the
world, as before, (xvi. 8.) There is no
reflection on matrimony. It is merely
a declaration that the condition of men
and women in a world to come is utterly
unlike their condition in this world.
3-5. But they which shall be accounted worthy to ob-
tain that world, and the resurrection from the dead,
neither marrj', nor are given in marriage:
As the question of the Sadducees (briefly
feigning to be orthodox), which Christ
here answers, regarded .solely the children
of Abraham, who were assumed to be of
course heirs of the blessed resurrection.
938
LUKE.
it is of the blessed resurrection, or the
blessed side of the resurrection, only, that
Jesus now speaks, to which the worthy
alone do in foct attain. Nothing is said
of the resurrection of the wicked, because
it is only a resurrection to unmitigated
suffering. (Acts xxiv. 15; John v. 29.) It
Avill be an existence, but not the life which
is promised to them that believe. (Matt.
XXV. 4G; Phil. iii. 11.) That world. The
place where Christ reigns in glory. Those
who "shall be accounted worthy to obtain
that world" are not such as have personal
merit (which no one can have), but such
as are interested by faith in Christ's merit,
who purchased it for us, and have a holy
meetness for it wrought in them by the
Spirit, who 2Jrcpares lus for it. Neither marry.
Spoken of males. Given in marriage.
Spoken of females. In the resurrection,
the relations that are beautiful on earth
shall be utterly unknown. Not that one
shall fail to recognize another, but that the
relationship that they have sustained the
one to the other as man and wife shall
have ceased, when all shall be jierfectly
holy and perfectly happy.
3S. Neither can they die anj- more, for pthey are equal
unto tlie angels ; and are the children of God, qbeing
the children ofthe resurrection.
Pl Cor. XV. 42, 49, 52 ; 1 John ili. 2. qRom. viii. ^3.
Neither can they die any more. Hence the
necessity of marriage to perpetuate the
race no longer exists. Soul and body are
made incapable of separation, and both in-
capable of disintegration or extinction.
Equal unto the angels. Our Lord here vin-
dicates against the Sadducees the belief in
the existence of angels as personal beings.
(Acts xxiii. 8.) The meaning appears to
be, that the saints shall be angel-like, in
freedom from death and disease, in not
being subject to the appetites and propensi-
ties of the body, and in complete deliver-
ance from a condition of being in which
marriage and birth are needful to supply
the continual waste occasioned by death.
From this comparison, it does not follow
that the saints in heaven will not have
bodies. Our Lord did not use the simili-
tude at all to show this. The nature of
the future bodies of the saints is described
in 1 Cor. xv. 42, srq. And are tlie children
of God. Not here in the sense of adoption
through faith in Christ, but as partakers
of the Divine nature, so that they cannot
die. Tliis means, evidently, that the
saints are introduced into a state of pecu-
liar privilege, as members of God's family,
and residents in God's house, after a
fashion that they know nothing of here
on earth. Being the children of the resur-
rection, literall}', sons, or sharers of the resur-
rection, because they have attained ever-
lasting life and blessedness with Christ.
(Compare John xiv. 19; 2 Tim. i. 10.)
37. Now that the dead are raised, 'even Moses showed
at tlie bush, when he ciUk'th the Lord tlie God ol' Abra-
ham, and the God ot' Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
'Exod. iii. 6.
Are raised. The present in a general and
universal sense for the future. Even
Moses. To whom ye appeal for the proof
of the direct opposite. Showed at the bush.
See Exod. iii. 6, 16, which was probably
quoted because the Sadducees only ac-
knowledged the Pentateuch. Wlien he
calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, &c.
Abraham was dead upward of three
hundred years before these words were
spoken by Moses, yet still Moses called
Him the God of Abraham, &c. Now, the
Saviour argues, as God is not " a God of
the dead" (that word being equal, in the
sense of the Sadducees, to an eternal an-
nihilation), but of the " living ;" it there-
fore follows, that, if He be the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, these are not
dead, but alive — alive uith God, though
they have ceased, for some hundreds
of years, to exist among mortal.';. A
being who is elevated enough to have a
true, immortal God to be his God, must
himself be neither the creature of time
nor annihilation. The same thing is true
of all believers, for the promise is to them
also, as Abraham's seed.
38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living ;
for »all live unto him.— sRom. vi. 10, 11.
Not a God of the dead, of those who,
being (according to the Sadducean sense
of the word " dead ") destitute of life, and
consequently of sensibility, can neither
know nor honor Him. But of the living.
Pie is the God only of those who love and
adore Him, and are, by consequence,
alive. Hence the patriarchs named must
all be believed to be alive, in respect of
God, wdiom they still worship and serve.
For all live unto him. All those living on
the earth, or who have long been dead,
CHAPTER XX,
939
buried and removed from the world, are,
in thesightofHiiawhoinluibitetli eternity,
living. As Christians, the thought of the
resurrection should cheer us in every Bor-
row. (Job xix. 26.)
SP. H Thpn certain of the scrlbps answering Kaid,
Master, tlioii liast, well said. -lu. 'And alter tli.a lliey
durst not ask h\n\ iiuy (/uiustion at all. 41. And lie said
unto tliem, "How sa.v tli jy tliat Clinst is David's son ?
+2. And David liimself saitli in tlie book of Psalms,
'Tlie Lord said unto my Lord, Sit tliou on my rijrlit
liand. 43. Till I malco tli'lne enemies tliy footstool. 41.
Davia tlierefore calleth him Lord, how is lie then his
eon ?
'Matt. xxil. 4f>. on wliicli see notes; Mark xii. 31.
"Matt. xxii. 42; Mark xii. 3o. 'Ps. ex. 1 ; Acts ii. 34.
Thou hast well said. This was extorted
praise. It was probably uttered by the
Pharisees who had not yet left the field,
and who could never be more inclined to
forget their own recent defeat, and frankly
and openly to praise our Lord, than just
now, after He had thus publicl}' humbled
their deadly enemies.
They durst not ask, or, did not venture to
ask any other question, for fear of being
again confounded, as they had already
been.
How say tltey. This expression implies
that it was a common expression among
Jewish theologians — an acknowledged and
received opinion. TJiat Christ. Chriat is
the Greek word for the Hebrew Messiah.
The question was not asked by our Lord
concerning Himself, whom most of His
hearers were far from allowing to be "the
Christ," but concerning the Messiah whom
they expected. Is David's son. This was
a thing well known among the Jews, and
universally acknowledged (John vii. 42),
and is a most powerful proof against them
that the Messiah is come.
The Psalm referred to is the 110th. Our
Lord decides that David was the author of
it, and that he wrote under Divine inspira-
tion. (See "Matt. xxii. 43.) This Psulm
was pressed by Peter on the Jews, in the
first public sermon he addressed to them
on the day of Pentecost. (Acts ii. 34.)
The Lord said unto my Lord, that is, God
the Father said to God the Son, who was
to be incarnate, whom David called his
Lord, both as God and as Mediator, his
Lord by right of creation and redemption.
Sit thou on my right hand. Take tlie place
of the greatest eminence and authority.
Tin I moke thine enemies thy footstool, until I
tubdue both Jewsand Gentiles under thee,
and cause them both to acknowledge thee
as their Sovereign and Lord. It is not im-
plied that the Messiah's royal state will
cease when this result h;is been reached.
How is lie then his son ? Here was the point
to be explained. The question concerning
the Messiah's person could only be
answered by admitting that He must be
God as well as man, and man as well as
God — David's son, as man ; David's Lord,
as God-mtm. As the Jews did not attempt
to deny the conclusion of our Lord's ques-
tion, it is evident they could not. Indeed,
there was no other way of invalidtiting
the argument, but by denying that the
prophecy in question related to Christ;
but it seems the prophecy was so fully and
generally understood to belong to the
IMessiah, that they did not attempt to do
(his.
4"). 1 "Then in the audience of all the people he said
unto his disciples, 4(1. ^Beware of the scribes, which
dosire to wall< in long robes, and Jlove ^reetinss in the
murlccts, and tlie highest seats in the synagogues, and
the chief rooms at feasts: 47. ■Which devour widows'
houses, and lor a show make long prayers : the same
sliall receive greater damnation.
"Matt, xxiii. 1 ; Mark xii. 33. ^Matt. xxiii. 6. jLuke
ix. 43. «Matt. xxiii. 14.
Beware of the scribes. Take heed that ye
be not deceived by those who should st^how
you the way of salvation. It is a great
misfortune to be obliged to beware of
those who ought to be our rule and pat-
tern. Long robes. The Jews were requir-
ed to wear a blue border, or fringe, on
their outside garments, to remind them
that they were God's people. (Num. xv.
38; Deut. vi. 8, xxii. 12.) These fringes
the scribes made exces.sively large, in
order to impress on the minds of the
common people an opinion of their own
holiness and their great reverence for the
law. Greetings in the markets. They were
fond of resorting to the markets and other
l>laces of public concourse, to receive the
marks of deference and resjject, whicth
were generally given to men of rank and
reputation by the great body of the people.
There was nothing wrong in receiving
such tokens of respect ; but to " love "
them, to court them, to put themselvcT in
the way of receiving them, to be mortified
if they were withheld, and elated if they
were bestowed — all this was not only in-
dicative of a weak, ill-judging mind, but it
was also utterly inconsistent with the
very elementary princi]>le of a truly good
940
LUKE.
(jliaracter — supreme regard to what is true
and right, whetiier it pleases men or not.
(John V. 24.) Highest seats in the synagogues.
The synagogues were fashioned in imita-
tion of tlie temple, with a central erection,
supported by pillars, and a space surround-
ing it. In the center of this a place was
prepared for reading the law and the
prophets — an elevated platform, next to
which were the seats for the rulers, which
were raised above the other seats. The
"highest seats" here probably refers to
the highest of the seats appropriated to
the rulers — the highest of the uppermost
Beats. It was not wrong for the scribes to
occupy the seats set apart for them, but to
be eager to get the most honorable of
these showed a vain-glorious mind. This
is self-idolatry ; bad anywhere, but espe-
cially in places of worship. There to seek
honor to ourselves, where we come to
give glory to God, is to mock God, in-
stead of to serve Him. It savors much of
pride and hypocrisy, when people do not
Ciire to go to church unless they can pre-
sent a fine appearance and make a figure
there. The chief rooms at feastft, literally,
the uppermost reclining-places round a
table at a feast. Here the same radical
defect of character shows itself. Devour
li'idows' houses. This was done sometimes
by plotting with the children to deprive
their widowed mother of her estate, and
sometimes by inducing the widow to give
up her estate to them for superstitious
purposes. Make long prayers. A religious
rabbi would pray nine hours a day. It
was not the length of the prayers which
was their crime, but the fact that they
were a mere pretense — " for a show."
Greater damnation. For this hypocrisy,
doing the most despicable deeds under the
show of piety, they should be the more
severely punished in the future world.
Whatever else we are in religion, let us be
true. However feeble our faith, hope,
love and obedience may be, let us see to it.
that they are real, genuine and sincere.
Let us abhor the very idea of part-acting
and mask-wearing in our Christianity.
God requires "truth in the inward parts."
The very first piece of Christian armor
recommended by Paul is "truth." (Eph.
vi. 10.) As the Bible teaches distinctly
that there will be degrees of glory in
heaven, so it teaches, with no less distinct-
ness, both here and elsewhere, that there
will be degrees of condemnation and
misery in hell.
1. What did the chief priests, scribes and elders ask Jesui In the temple? 2. How did He reply to them ? 3.
What effect wai produced? 4. Explain tlio parable of the vineyard. 5. For what purpose were " spies " sent
forth? 6. What question was asked of Jesus i:i regard to giving tribute? 7. How did He dispose of it? 8.
Exjjlain His answer. 9. How did Jesus reply to the question of the Saddiioees? 10. How are we to understand
the reasoning in verses n-ll ? 11. Why were the disciples warned to beware of the scribes ?
CHAPTER XXI.
1 Christ cnmtn-nrl -th th". poor loid/yw. 5 Hf, foretell'th
til". d-.xIra'H'UKif th,", tpmol'i. and of the, cUy J;rii;aLzin :
2> r/t' xir/ii< (il:r> w.'iick shall t>^ before, the last dai/. 31
J£c ex.hortclli llinn to be watchful.
The time was near when Jesus would
leave the temple, never to return. Before
He left it. He sat for a while (Mark xii.
41) in the court called the ^'om^n's court.
The inner court was called the court of
Israel, and there no one was jiermitted to
sit down, but in the women's court sitting
was allowed.
AND he looked up. "and saw the rich men casting
their gilts into the treasury.
iiMark xii. 41. on which see notes.
And he looked up. This expression con-
veys the idea of watching attentively for
some time. Seating Himself in self-pos-
sessed repose, He watched the doings at
the temple treasury. Saw the rich men
casting, more literally, the rich who were
CHAPTER XXI
941
<-((stin(/. Tliiir gifts into the treasury — the
■t'liest.s which were placed in the court of
the women, under the pillars that adorned
the court, to receive otierings and contri-
butions.
2. And he saw also a certain poor widow, casting in
thither two *mitPS.
*Mark xii. 42. on which see notes.
A certain poor u-idow. She is singled out
from the whole crowd of donors. She
maj' have been one of those whose houses
the- proud had devoured, (xx. 47.)
She had to earn her own livelihood. She
must have been a believer in the promises
of God, or she could not have presented
a.n acceptable ofiering. (Heb. xi. G.) Two
mites. A mite was the smallest cop])er
coin in use among the Jews in our Saviour's
time. It seems to have been a native
coin. Two made one Roman quadrans,
which was equal to the fourth of an as.
"Ten or sixteen ases were equal tt> a denarius.
(See on xx. 24.) It was equal to the
fifth part of our cent. We call it viite,
from the French, miete, which signifies a
crumb, or very small morsel.
3. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, Hhat this
poor widow liatii oast in more than they all : 4. For all
these have ot'their abundance cast in unto the offerings
of God : but sheof lier penury hatli cast in all the living
that she had.— <>:: Cor. viii. 2 : see Mark xii. 43, 44.
Cast in more than they all. IMore in pro-
portion to her means; more in the faith
and love which j^rompted the gift ; more
in God's sight, who looks at the motives
and the circumstances of givers. Our
Lord does not at all censure or lightly
esteem the gifts of the rich, only He extols
far above their beneficence the gift of the
poor widow, whose offering was brought,
not like that of most of the Pharisees,
from ignoble impulses. Of their abundance.
This means that what the rich gave, they
gave, as the original literally signifies, of
their overflow, and thus hardly felt what
they contributed, because much was left
behind. Unto the ojf'erinys is equivalent to
into the treasury (verse 1), implying the ad-
ditional idea that these were ofFering.s
made to God. Of her penury. Both repre-
sentations are substantially the same, and
mean that what the widow gave, she gave
out of a store so small that, after giving,
nothing seemed to be left. All the living
that she had. Her offering was the whole
of her income fOr that day, or, perhaps,
the whole of the money in her possession
at that time. A person so poor as she
would necessarily live from hand to mouth,
and 2)ossess no capital or property, except
what was received from one source or
another, day after day.
Note, 1. Christ is omniscient. He knows
and observes all men and all things — all
we do in public and in private. (Jer. xvii.
10; Prov. XV. 3; Heb. iv. 13.) 2. He ob-
serves our state and situation. He knew
the abundance of the rich men, and the
poverty of the widow ; how much they
had given, and what they had left. 3.
He sees the motives which lead men to
perform their actions, and the different
motives from which they perform the
same action, whether we act from vanity
and hypocrisy, or from love and zeal for
His glory. 4. We are to judge impartially
in cases of this kind, not permitting our-
selves to be carried away to decide for a
I^erson by the largeness of the gift on the
one hand, or against him, by the smallness
of the bounty on the other. 5. The
Saviour estimates liberality according to
the ability of the giver. Men judge the
heart according to the deeds; the Lord
judges the deed according to the heart. It
is not said that He loveth a liberal giver
but a cheerful giver. He accepteth the gift
according to v:hat a man hath, and not ac-
cording to what he hath not. 6. Je^us
measures littleness and greatness by a
very different measure from the measure
of man. Those actions only are great in
His sight which are done with a true
Christian heart. He looks with gracious
favor upon the least offering which is only
presented in the right spirit. He is now
the same as when He marked the gift of
one "poor widow" as attentively as the
gifts of many " rich men." 7. There is
great power in little things. Penny clubs
have done much for the cause of Chris-
tianity. 8. The poor are expected to give
to God what they can, trusting in His
Providence, and looking for His blessing.
9. If people would "give their mite"
really and literally as the widow gave
hers, many would have to give far more
money than they ever give now. 10. "O,
our God !" says one, " the poorest of us,
Thy servants, have our two mites also, a
soul and a body. Persuade and enable us
943
LUKE.
to olTer them both unto Thee. Though
they are Thine already, yet Thou wilt
graciously accept them, and O, happy shall
we be in Thy acceptation !"
5 11 cAnd as some spake of the temple, how it wa.s
adorned with goodlv stones, and gilts, he said,
cMatt. xxiv. 1, &c., on which see notes , Murk xni. 1.
The feeling with which all Jews, in our
Lord's time, regarded the temple, was
something farbeyond what we can imagine
in the present day. Goodlif stones. As the
whole temple was built with the greatest
cost and magnificence, so nothing was
more stupendous than the uncommon
measu're of the stone.^, some of which,
particularly those employed in the foun-
dations, were in magnitude forty cubits,
and the superstructure was worthy of such
foundations. A cubit was aboat twenty-
two inches of our measure. S:)meof the
scones were of the whitest marble, forty-
five cubits long, five cubits high and six
broad. " Tlie appearance of the temple,"
says Josrphus, " was such as to strike the
mind, and astonish the sight. For it was
on every side covered with solid plates of
gold, which reflected, when the sun rose
upon it, such a strong and dazzling efful-
gence, that the eye could not sustain its
radiance. At a distance, it appeared a
huge mountain covered with snow. For
where the plates of gold were not, it was
extremely white and glistening." Tacitus
describes it as " of immense opulence."
Gifts, which persons had, in gratitude for
deliverance from imminent dangers or
from respect to the building, hung on the
walls and pillars. The hanging up of
consecrated gifts in their temples was com-
mon amiag the ancients.
6. A^ for thes° things which ye behold, the days will
come in the which dtliere shall not b,» let one stone
upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
-fl.nke xix.4t; 1 Kings ix. 7, 9; Isa. Ixiv. 10, 11; Jer.
vii. 11, 14. See on Matt. xxiv. 2, &c.
This prediction will strike us the more,
if wo bear in mind that these huge stones
were bound together with lead, and fas-
tened with strong iron cramps. Josephns
says, " Cfesar gave orders that they should
now demolish the whole city and temple,
except the three towers, Phaselus, Hippi-
cus and M iriamne, and a part of the west-
ern wall, and these were spared, but, for
all the rest of the wall, it was laid so com-
pletely even with the ground, by those
who dug it up from the foundation, that
there was left nothing to make those that
came thither believe it had ever been in-
habited." (See on xix. 44.)
It is a very common practice in the pro-
phetic writings, to carry on two subjects
together, a principal and a subordinate
one. In Isaiah, there are no less than
three subjects, the restoration of the Jews
from Babylonish captivity, the call of the
Gentiles to the Christian covenant, and
the redemption of man by the Messiah^
which are frequently adumbrated under
the same figures and images, and are so
blended and interwoven together, that it
is extremely difficult to separate them from
each other. In the same manner, our
Saviour seems to hold out the de.struction
of Jerusalem, which is His principal sub-
ject, as a type of the dissolution of the-
world, which is the under-part of the rep-
resentation. By thus judiciously mingling
these two important catastrophes. He gives
at the same time a most interesting admo-
nition to His immediate hearers, the Jews,
and a most awful lesson to all His future
disciples, and the benefit of His predic-
tions, instead of being confined to one oc-
casion, or to one people, isby thisadmirable
management extended to every subsequent
period of time, and to the whole Christian
world. Learn hence, 1. That sin has laid
the foundation of ruin in the most flourish-
ing cities and kingdoms; Jerusalem, the
glory of the world, is here by sin threat-
ened to be made a desolation. 2. That the
threatenings of God are to be feared, and
shall be fulfilled, whatever apparent im-
probabilities there may be to the contrary.
'Tis neither the temple's strength nor
beauty that can oj^pose or withstand God's
power.
7. And they asked him, saying. Master, bnt when-
shall these things be? and what sign willlhere 6e whea
these things shall come to pass ?
See on Matt. xxiv. 3.
The disciples inquired concerning two
things: L The precise time of the ap-
proaching catastrophe. 2. The sign of it.
Our Lord answered only the last question,
while He in reference to the first gave to
them only general intimations. (Comp.
Matt. xxiv. 34-36.) The signs which He
gives are at the same time of such a nature
that they, in fact, are only to be seen pre-
cursorily at the destruction of Jerusalem,
CHAPTER XXI
943
but will ai^pear decisively and in their full
force only at the end of the world. llapi)y
were it if we were as anxious to obey the
declaration of God's revealed will, as we
are to pry into the counsels of Plis secret
will.
8. And he said, «Take lieed that ye be not deceived ;
for m my shall comu in my name, saying, I am Cln-ist ;
*aiHi the tiniedraweth near: go ye not thereioro aller
•M ilt. X viv. 1 : Mark xiii. 5 : Eph. v. I! ; 2 Thes. Ji. 3.
*Or, and, The time. Matt. iii. 2 and iv. 17.
Take heed, &c. The disciples, it is prob-
able, believed that the time when Jerusa-
lem would be destroyed would be the end
of the world. Our Lord, therefore, wishing
first of all to set them right upon that
point, warned them that no future false
Christ should tempt them to believe that
His .second advent had arrived. This
caution is very .significant. The mistakes
that have been made about the fulfillment
of prophecy, in every age of the Church,
have been many and great. In our own
day we see some persons putting a literal
meajiingon figurative prophecy, and others
putting a figurative meaning on literal
prophecy. Amidst this tangled maze of
discordant opinions we need greatly the
solemn warning of our Lord, "Take heed
that ye be not deceived." For many shall
come in my name, &c. This part of the
prophecy began soon to be fulfilled. The
time draweth near, i. e., the time of the Mes-
sianic kingdom. These are the words of
the false Christs. How much were they
like the enthusiasts and ftuiatics who have
in our day, at different times, filled the
whole land with their predictions of an
immediate end of the world! Go ye not
therefore after ^/ion— become not their fol-
lowers, countenance not their schemes.
9. But f when ye shall hear of wars and commotions,
be not terr: iied : 'or these things must first come to pass ;
but the en I U no„ v,- and by.
'Ps. xxvii. 1, 3: i'rov. lil. 25, 2fi; Isa. li. 12, 13.
That there were wars and great disturb-
ances during the interval of forty years,
appears from all the historians of that
period, especially Josephus. To relate the
particulars would be to transcribe a great
part of the history of the. Jewish wars.
Bat the end — the end of the Jewish State.
By and by. This phrase, which by a sin-
gular reverse of meaning now signifies
after a while, meant, in the old English of
our translators, immediately.
10. BThen said he unto them, Nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
(Malt. ,\xiv. 7, on which .see noie.s.
Nation against nation. This por-
tended the dissensions, insurrections and
mutual slaughter of the Jews, and those
of other nations who dwelt in the same
cities together, as particularly at Cesarea,
where the Jews and Syrians contended
about the right of the city, which conten-
tion proceeded so far that about twenty
thousand Jews were slain, and the city
was cleared of the Jewish inhabitants.
Kingdom against kingdom. This portended
the open wars of different tetrarchies and
provinces against one another, as that of
the Jews who dwelt in Peraia against the
people of Philadelphia, concerning their
bounds, while Cuspius Fadus was procura-
tor, and that of the Jews and Galileans
against the Samaritans, for the murder of
some Galileans going up to the feast at
Jerusalem, while Cumanus was procurator,
and that of the whole nation of the Jews
against the Romans and Agrippa, and
other allies of the Roman empire.
11. And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,
and lamines, and pestilences ; and fearful sights and
great signs sliall Miere be from heaven.
See on Matt. xxiv. 7.
In the time of Claudius and Nero there
were great earthquakes at Smyrna, Mile-
tus, Chios, Samos, Laodicea, Hierapolis
and Colosse, in Crete also, and Campania,
and one at Rome in the reign of Galba. In
Judea, likewise, there were judgments of
the same kind. Famines. It is evident
from Josephus, as well as Eusebius, Sue-
toniusand several other profane historians,
that, in addition to earthquakes, there
were famines and pestilences in divers
places. And fearful siglUs, &c. Josephus
enumerates a great variety of astonishing
signs and prodigies, which he says preceded
the calamities that impended over the
Jews, and which he expres.sly affirms, in
perfect conformity to our Saviour's predic-
tion, were signs manifestly intended to
forebode their approaching destruction.
This account is confirmed by the Roman
historian Tacitus, who says that many
prodigies liappened at that time; armies
appeared to be engaged in the sky, arms
were seen glittering in the air, the temple
was illuminated with flames issuing from
the clouds, the doors of the temple sua-
944
LUKE,
deiily burst open, and a voice more than
human was heard, "that the gods were
departing," and soon after a great motionas
if they were departing. War, pestilence
and famine are judgments and calamities
inflicted by God upon a sinful people for
their contempt of Christ and Gospel grace.
V2 iiBut before all th&se, they shall lay their hands
on vou, and persecute you, deli%-ering you up to the
synagogues, and 'into prisons, jbeing brouglit before
kiuETS and rulers ^t'oT my name's sake.
I'l&ark xiii. 9: Kev. ii. 10. 'Acts iv. 3, v. 18 and xvi.
24. JAets XXV. i3. ''1 Peter ii. 13.
Before all these — before all these events
and ominous sights. Our Lord here ap-
pears to have a special reference to the
persecutions undergone by the early Chris-
tians between the time of His ascension
and the destruction of Jerusalem. There
is a noticeable climax in the indicated
persecutions. Every circumstance here
mentioned was minutely and exactly veri-
fied in the sufferings of the Apostles and
disciples. We learn from the Acts of the
Apostles, that the lives of the Apostles
were one continued scene of affliction and
distress of every kind. They were im-
prisoned, beaten, brought before councils,
and sanhedrims, and kings, such as Herod,
Agrippa and the Roman emperor, for the
sake of Christ, that is, for being called by
His name. Most, if not all of them, ex-
cept John, suffered violent deaths from the
hands of their enemies before the Romans
beleaguered Jerusalem.
13. And nt shall turn to you for a testimony. 14.
•"Settle if therefore in your hearts, not to meditate be-
fore what ye shall answer: 15. For I will give you a
mouth and wisdoni, nwhich all your adversaries shall
not be able to gainsay nor resist. 16. "And ye shall be
betrayed both by parent?, and brethren, and kinsfolk,
and friends: and v.iome of you shall they cause to be
put to death. 17. And <iye shall be hated of all men for
mv name's sake.
iPhil. i. aS; 2 Thes. i. 5. n>Matt. x. 19: Mark xiii. 11 :
Luke xii. U. "Acts vi. 10. »Mi. vii. 6; Mark xiii. 12.
pActs vii. 59 and xil. 2. qMatt. x. 22.
To you for a testimony. This means either
that their persecutions would prove an
evidence of the truth of Christianity, or
that they would be, in the judgment day,
a testimony to their faithfulness in behalf
of Christ.
The Apostles being, in general, persons
of ordinary education, and wholly unac-
quainted with the laws of the different
countries whither they were to go, and
with the forms of their courts, might have
been painfully anxious at the thought of
appearing before kings and rulers, and
other persons of distinction, and might
have feared lest, in their agitation, they
should be betrayed into some impropriety
of language or behavior by which the
cause of the Gospel might be injured. Our
Lord, therefore, bade them renounce all
earthly tempers and human ingenuity,
and cast themselves in simple depend-
ence on His aid. He would give them a
mouth to utter, and wisdom in the mat'io;-
of utterance. None but One who was
very God could have made such a promise
as this.
Ye shall he betrayed, &c. We learn from
Tacitus, that Christians were delivered up
by their parents, brethren, kinsfolk,
friends; from Josephus, that contention
sprang up in their very houses, and that
the Idumeans slew many of their own
kindred, and from the Scripture, that the
Jews persecuted those of their own country .
(1 Thes. ii. 15.)
Of all men, that is, of all men out of the
Christian community. Tacitus, the Roman
historian, says, like a true pagan, _ that
" the Christians were convicted of enmity
to the human race " — Jews hated them as
revolters from their own religion. Pagans
could tolerate each other, and respect and
worshij) each other's gods. But the Chris-
tians abhorred all paganism, and so all
pagans abhorred them ; thus Christians
were hated of all men, whether Jews or
Gentiles. For my name's sake. For your
attachment to me and my cause. (See
Rom. viii. 35-37 ; 1 Cor. iv. 9, 10 ; 2 Cor.
xi. 23-29 ; Heb. x. 32-34.)
18. 'But there shall not a hair of your head perish. 19.
In your patience posse.ss ye your souls. '20. »And when
ye shall see Jerusalem compa-ssed with armies, then
know that the desolation thereof Is nigh. 21. Then let
them which are in Judea flee to the mountains : and let
them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let
not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22.
For these be the days of vengeance, that <all things
wliich are written may be fulfilled.
rMatt. X. 30. "Matt. xxiv. 15; Mark xiii. 14. 'Dan.
ix. 26, 27. Zech. xi. 1.
But, literally, and (notwithstanding this
universal and deadly opposition), a hair
from your head shall not be lost. A strong
proverbial expression, indicating that they
should be inviolable upon earth so long as
they were necessary for the service of the
Lord; and that life and happiness, in the
higher, truer sense, would not be afiected
in the least by these temporal persecu-
tions.
In your patience, &c. Be calm and serene,
CHAPTER XXI,
945
masters of yourselves, and superior to ull
unreasonable and disquieting passions,
trusting in God, and waiting the j)erforni-
ance of His promises. By keeping the
government of your spirits, you will both
avoid niuc!h misery, and guard the better
against all dangers. There are three de
grees of Christian patience: 1. Silent sub-
mission to God's will. 2. A thankful ac-
ceptation of God's fatherly rod. 3. Serious
cheerfulness under sorrowful dispensa-
tions. This patience gives us the possession
of ourselves.
When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with
armies. Luke here explains the language
of the prophet Daniel, and that of the other
Evangelists. (Matt. xxiv. 15; Mark xiii.
14.) The same general idea of an array
of the idolatrous ensigns of Rome against
the devoted city is referred to in both
forms of expression. The desolation thereof,
i. e., the process of its desolation.
In Judea. In the heart of the i)opulation.
Flee to the mountains. Lonesome and inac-
cessible retreats, to which an army could
not follow them. There is a commenda-
tion of a hasty flight as the only means of
deliverance. I)i the 77udst of it, i. e., Jerusa-
lem. Countries, i. e., the open country, or
fields round about the city. These kind
admonitions were not lost upon the disci-
ples. Ecclesiastical history informs us that
no Christiano perished in the siege of
Jerusalem.
Days of vengeance. Not days in which the
one people takes vengeance on the disobe-
dience and refractoriness of the other
people, but in which God accomplishes
His judgment upon His enemies. May be
fulfilled. Our Lord thus declares that the
fall of the city and the temple was already
prophesied in the Old Testament. (See
Lev. xxvi. 14-40; Dent. iv. 25-28, xxviii.
49-67; Ps. Ixix. 22-28; Dan. ix. 25-27;
Zech. xi. 1-3; Mai. iv. 1.)
23 "But woe unto them that are with child, and to
tliem that give suck. Ill tliose days! for there shaU he
great distress in tlie land, and wrath upon this people.
24. And they shall iall by the edge of the sword, and
shall be led away captive into all nations: and ii"erusa-
le;n shall be trodden down of the Crentiles, ^until Uie
times of the G -ntiles be fulfilled.
"Matt. xxiv. 19. 'Dan. ix. 27 and xii. 7 ; Rom. ii. ij.
This is not an imprecation, but a bitter
lamentation, in which the compassion and
sympathy of the Saviour expresses itself.
Sad would it be for those who, in such a
time of terror and distress, had any natural
impediments to obstruct their flight. In
the land, i. e., Judea. Great distress. The
anguish and suilering brought upon the
l)eople by the siege was terrible. Although
the seat of war was eventually and finally
transferred to the city of Jerusalem, yet
the whole land had previously been over-
run by the Roman soldiery, and suffered
the most dreadful calamities.
Fall by the edge of the sicord. Josephus
computes the number of those who per-
ished in the siege at eleven hundred thousand,
besides those who were slain in other
I)laces. Shall be led anxiy captive into all
nations. The mmiber of the Jews taken
by the Romans during the war amounted
to about ninety-seven thousand, besides
eleven thousand who were either starved
through neglect, or starved themselves
through Bullenness and despair. Some of
the youngest and handsomest were sent to
Rome to adorn the triumph of Titus;
n.iany were distributed to the several cities
of Syria, v/here they perished in the
theaters, being comjjelled to fight with
wild beasts, and to engage in mortal com-
bats with each other. The remainder of
those above seventeen years of age were
sent to labor in the Egyptian mines, and
those under that age were sold for slaves.
And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the
Gentiles. Their city has remained for the
most part in a state of ruin and desertion,
from its destruction by the Romans to the
present time, and never has been under
the government of the Jews theiiK-eives,
but oppressed and broken down by a suc-
cession of foreign masters, the Romans,
the Saracens, the Franks, the Mamalukes,
and the Turks. Until the times of the Gen-
tiles hefulfdled. The times of the Gentiles
will be fulfilled when Israel is gathered
into the Christian Church. (Rom. xi. 26.)
Until that time Jerusalem shall continue
to be subjugated and debased, but theii God
will look again with favor upon His long-
rejected people, and restore them to the
spiritual rights and immunities of which
thoy had so long been deprived. Jerusa-
lem will cease to be trodden down, and
recover her ancient glory. Then shall
there be one Shepherd and one fold, and
the Lord alone shall be exalted in that
946
LUKE.
day. It cannot but seem probable to every
reflecting mind that the Jewish race is
preserved for some great and providential
reason.
25. ^ 7And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the
moon, and in the stars ; and upon the earth distress of
natiouj, with perplexity ; tlia sea and the waves roar-
ing:
jMatt. x.xiv. 29, on which see notes; Markxiii. 24; 2
Peter iii. 10, 12.
The prophecy, from this verse down to
the end, describes tlie hast days of the
world, the coining of Jesus Christ for the
judgment, the circumstances which will
attend that coming, and the duties which
the prospect of it entails on all Christians.
Sigyisinthesiin .... moon .... stars. By
some, these are regarded as figurative ex-
pressions. There is, however, no good
reason for doubting that they will receive
a literal fulfillment. The frame of nature
was convulsed when the law of God was
given at Sinai, and when Christ died on
the cross. It was known, even from the
Old Testament, that fearful signs in the
realm of nature would herald the day of
the Lord. (See Jer. iv. 23 ; Joel ii. 30,&c.)
It may well, therefore, be expected tliat
Christ's return to judge the world will be
accompanied with cosmic revolutions.
And upon the earth distress of nations, &c.
As in the animal world important altera-
tions in the atmosphere are instinctively
perceived, as often an inexplicable presen-
timent of a terrible calamity, whose break-
ing in is feared, makes even the most
courageous pale with terror, so does our
Lord give us to expect that an obscure
presentiment of a great event, shortly be-
fore His coming, will produce in many a
heart " oppressive anguish." The " roar-
ing of tlie sea and waves," as it seems ex-
cited from its lowest depths, and surges
with tempestuous violence, will remind
even those who do not live in expectation
of the judgment, of terrible things, never-
theless, which are about to come upon the
earth, while the evil conscience testifies
to them that they have the worst to ex-
pect therefrom, and they feel at a loss
what to do in order to avert impending
ruin.
26. Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking
after those things which are coming on the earth : 'for
the powers of heaven shall be shaken.— ^Matt. xxiv. 29.
Failing than. The original signifies "to
faint from fear, to become, not dead, but
as if dead." For looking after, i. e., through
fearful apprehension of still greater calam-
ities. On the earth. The Greek word so
translated, in all the other fourteen places
in the New Testament where it is used, is
rendered, " the world." For the powers of
heaven shall he shaken. This indicates, prob-
ably, a disturbance for the time of the
fixedness of the planetary system.
27. And then shall they see the Son of man »coming
in a cloud witli power and great glory.
i'Matt. xxiv. 30, on which see notes ; Rev. i. 7 and xiv.
14.
The signs above referred to are the ef-
fects of Christ's coming, and hence there
is no contradiction here of the rej^eated
declaration that the coming will be with-
out warning, and sudden. See the Son of
man coming in a cloud, with power and great
glory. The appearance of Jesus will be
visible to all. " Every eye shall see Him."
28. And when these things begin to come to pass,
then look up, and lift up your heads ; for i>your redemp-
tion drawetli nigh.— bRom. viii. 19-23.
We have in this verse a parallel between
the events predicted as preceding the
destruction of Jerusalem, and those to go
before the world's judgment. When the
former events, however ominous of evil,
and however depressing and distressing,
began to occur, Christ's disciples were to
be no longer dejected and alarmed, but to
be cheerful and joyfully expectant, for
under His protection their deliverance
from the horrors and carnage which ac-
companied the siege of the city was at
hand. When the latter events occur,
which are to precede the judgment, and
on which Ihe world shall gaze with help-
less terror, believers are to rouse them-
selves to joyful expectation, for their
complete deliverance from the power and
consequences of sin is just about to take
place. The heads which hitherto had
often been bowed under all manner of
misery and persecution, must then be
lifted up. (Comp. Rom. viii. 19 ; James v.
8.)
29. cAnd he spake to them a parable, Behold the fig
tree, and all the trees ; 30. When they now shoot Jbrth,
ye see and know of your own selves, that summer is
how nigh at hand. 31. So likewise ye, when ye see
these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom
of God is nigh at hand.— cMatt. xxiv. 32 ; Mack xiii. 28.
This comparison was designed by our
Lord to show that the signs of which He
had spoken were as indubitable precursors
of the appearance of the Son of man, as
CliAi'lEK XXI
947
the Bprouting of the tig tree, and other
trees, was an indication of tiie approach
of summer. Wlioever sees tlie one,
knows tiien of himself that tlie otlier is at
hand. As in tlie kingdom of nature, so in
the kingdom of Providence, there is a
sequence of one event on another.
Come to pass, literally, coming to pass.
Know ye, &c. Our Lord here teaches that
His kingdom will not be nigh at hand
until afier a period of fearful wars and
tribulation.
32. Verily I say unto you, This generation shaJl not
pa.is away, till all be I'uUilleci. 33. ^Heaven and earth
sliall pas-i away : but -ny words siiall not pass away.
"iMatt. x.tiv. 3i.
Commentators widely differ as to the
meaning of this dithcult verse. It would
only be perplexing to state the numerous
and various interpretations it has received.
Its true signification appears to be, *' This
generation shall not pass away without
the beginning of the end of the world,
here foretold you, having come to pass, in
the actual destruction of Jerusalem." The
justness of this interpretation is rendered
the more probable if we connect the verse
with the first question in verse 7, which
referred to the destruction of the temple.
Jerusalem was taken A. D. 70, or forty
years after this prediction. It was, there-
fore, within the lifetime of many then
living.
Heaven and earth, <kc. This was a pecu-
liarly strong and .solemn mode of declaring
the certainty of the whole prophecy being
fulfilled. The words evidently reach far
beyond the destruction of the Jewish State.
The heavens were to pass away like a
scroll at our Lord's coming. But His
word was to stand forever. Nothing could
prevent its being accomplished. Possibly
there is an allusion to the new heavens
and new earth which are to succeed the
destruction of the earthly economy.
St. V And Hake heed to yourselves, lest at any time
your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunk-
ennes:*, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon
yoa un."<.wares.
eRouj. xiii. 13 ; 1 Thes. v. 6 ; 1 Peter iv. 7.
Having disclosed as much as He thought
fit with respect to His departure and re-
turn, our Lord now teaches how His
disciples ought to act during His absence.
Hearts. The heart is the part which the
Christian must guard, if he would live
'eady to meet Christ. Overcharged, literal! v
made heavy, which is generally one of the
hateful consequences of intemperance in
eating or drinking. And. cares of this life,
anxious cares about visible and temporal
things, and the inordinate pursuit of them.
The former constitute the temptation of
those given to their pleasures ; these,
the temptation of men of business in
acquiring or possessing riches. Unawares
— sudden, unexpected, unforseen. Do not
make an improper use even of lawful
things ; do not make this earth your por-^
tion ; expect its dissolution and prepare to
meet your God.
35. For fas a snare shall it come on all them that dwell
on the faceot the whole earth.
>'l Thes. V. 2 ; 2 Peter iii. 10 ; Rev. iii. 3 and xvi. 15.
Here is an announcement of the sud-
denness and unexpectedne.ss of our Lord's
coming. A snare has a three-fold property,
to catch suddenly, to hold surely, to
destroy certainly. The destruction of
Jerusalem was not a sudden but a very
5I0W, long-fore.seen, well-forewarned event.
But Christ's coming to judgment shall be
as the falling of a trap upon a thoughtless
bird or animal, in which it finds itself
inextricably taken. On all them that dwell,
&c., literally, that are sitting, but the ad-
ditional idea of carnal ease and security is
also conveyed. They are to be taken at
once, as soon as the snare is sprung upon
them. (See Amos vi. 1-16 ; Jer. xxv. 29 ;
Rev. xviii. 7, 8.)
36. ffWatch ye therefore, and hprav always, that ye
may beaccounted worthy to escape ail these things that
shall come to pass, and 'to stand before the Son of man.
eMatt. xxiv. 42 and xxv. 13, on which see notes ; Mark
xiii. 33. •> Luke xviii. 1. 'Ps. i. 5; Eph. vi. 13.
This is the general conclusion of all that
precedes. Wairk iir therefore, guard against
ever}' temptation to negligence and sin.
The uncertainty of the event requires an
unremitting vigilance. And pray aJvays,
i. e., continually, or, be always in a prayer-
ful frame of mind. That ye may he accounted
worthy, n. >t " become worthy," but regarded
as worthy, through the mercy and grace
of God. 10 escape all these things, &c. Here,
as in verse 32, the premonitions of Christ's
coming a: 3 considered exclusively on their
terrifying side. To escape, is not to be
carried away by persecutions, brought to
apostasy by misleaders, or robbed of cour
age by trial. And to stand before the Son of
man, i. e,, before His throne, with courage
948
LUKE
and acceptance, acquitted and approved,
in order to view Him, to serve Him, and
to glorify Him. Tliis "standing" is not
only the beginning, but also the substance,
of the highest happiness, the opposite of
which is described, Ps. i. 5; Nahum. i. 6;
Rev. vi. 16, 17.
37. kAnci in tlie day time he was teaching in the tem-
ple ; and UU niglit he went out, and abode in the mount
that is called the mount olOlives.
kJoliu viii. 1, 2. iLiuke xxii. 39.
This appears to relate to the four last
days of Clirist's life already mentioned. In
the temple, where the people would naturally
assemble for religious instruction. At night
he loent out, &c. He taught all day in the
temple, and in the evening withdrew, and
lodged with hospitable friends in Bethany,
a village on the south-east side of the
Mount of Olives, about two miles from
Jerusalem. This was done that He might
not, at night, fall into the hands of His
enemies, who had now fully resolved to
effect His death, and who were afraid to
attack Him in the midst of His followers
by day.
as. And all the people came early in the morning to
him in the temple, lor to hear him.
Early in the morning. According to East-
ern custom, as thus described in Dr. Hack-
dt's Biblical Illustrations : " During the
greater part of the year, in Palestine, the
heat becomes so great, a few hours after
sunrise, as to render any strenuous labor
inconvenient. The early morning, there-
fore, is the proper time for work, midday
is given up, as far as possible, to rest, or
employments which do not require expo-
sure to the sun. The arrangements of life
adjust themselves to this character of the
climate. It happened to me often to ob-
serve how universal was the habit of early
rising. Men and women may be seen
going forth to their labors in the field, or
starting on journeys, at the earliest break
of day." (See Luke xxii. 66; Mark xv. 1;
Gen. xxii. 3, xxviii. 18; Ex. xxxiv. 41.)
Our Lord, having exhorted His disci-
ples, in the foregoing verses, to diligence
and prayer, here set an example of both
before them. Busy in God's service all
day in the temple. He spent much time at
night in prayer on the Mount of Olives.
What an example of indefatigable zeal and
diligence has He set before His ministers
and members!
I. -Whom did Jesus see casting their gifts into the treasury? 2. What did He say of the poor widow? 3. Why
didHesay this? 4. What did Ho say of the stones of the temple? 5. What reply did Ho make to the question,
" When shall these things bo ? " G. What is meant by verses 14 and 15 ? 7. What were the disciples to do when
they saw Jerusalem compassed with armies? 8. What parable did our Lord speak? 9. Where did He retire
after teaching in the day time in the temple " 10. Who assembled early in the morning to hear Him preach in
the temple ?
CHAPTER XXII.
1 The Jnoa cnmipirr aaain^t Cftrisr. 3. Satan prepareth
Judax to hftrav hiw'. 7 Thr a)Wf<Hes prepare the pass-
over 19 Ohri^'l instittif'th hix hiily supper. 21 covertly
foreielleth of thr traitor. 24 ilrhorteth the rest of his
ajMstles from ambition. 31 asstireth Peter that his
faith should not fail: :« and yet he shouM deny him
thrice. 39 He prayeJh in the mo nut. and /"f o'/'f^
blood 47 is betrayed with a kiss : 50 He healeth Mal-
chus''ear, .54 Jfe'is thrice denied of Peter, 63 shajne-
fulli/ abused, 66 and confe.sseth himself to be the iSon
of God.
i^VTOW the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh,
!^ wh!Ch is called the Passover. 2. And 'the chief
priests and scribes soualit how they might kill him ; for
thev feared the peoplP- , . . ^ ^t.
aMatt. xxvi. 2; Mark xi v. 1, on which see notes. "Ps.
ii. 2 : John xi. 47 ; Acts iv 27.
The Passover was the great festival
among the Jews, in celebration of their
deliverance from Egypt, when the destroy-
ing angel that slew the Egyptian first-
born had passed over the houses of the
Israelites marked with blood, and they
escaped from Pharaoh. (Exod. xii.) This
was associated in the type, and to be asso-
ciated in the fact, with a greater deliverance
of God's people by the blood of Christ.
This joyous festival lasted seven days.
Here, and elsewhere, it is called the feast
of unleavened bread, because the people
CHAPTERXXII.
9i9
were forbidden to allow any leaven, or
fermented food or yeant, in their houses
during this time. (Exod. xii. 18.) Drew
nigh. This feast was to be celebrated
■ witliin two days after our Lord had
delivered the prophecies and admonitions
above recorded.
Sought how, &c. This consultation was
held in the palace of the high priest.
(Matt. xxvi. 3.) They were determined
to remove Jesus out of the way at any
cost, but they felt it important to be yet fur-
ther agreed upon the manner in which to
carry out their purpose. For they feared
Vie people, because it remained at least
doubtful which side the people would take,
and the attempt was certain to breed some
kind of tumult, which would hardly fail
to bring down upon them the Roman gar-
rison (always present during the Passover),
who would probably, after their manner,
smite right and left, and defile the sacred
courts with blood, without regard to the
cause or circumstances. It was therefore
desirable to obtain possession of His per-
son privately by some craft or contrivance.
3. 1 '•Tlien entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot,
being of tiie number or' the twelve. 4. And he went
liis way, and communed witli tlie cliief priests and cap-
tains liow he niiglit betray liim unto them. 5. And
tliev" were glad, and acovenanted to give him money.
6. And he promised, -and sought opportunity to betray
him unto them -'in the ab^encs ortlie niviltitude.
'Matt.xxvi. H,&c., on which see note;; Mark xiv.IO;
John xiii. 2, 27. ^Zech. xi. 12. ^Zeoli. xi. 12. *Or, wUli-
out lumult.
Iscariot is the Greek form for Isch Ker-
ioth, or man of Kerioth, which was a small
town of Judea, mentioned in Joshua xv.
25. Dr. Ilackdt identifies it with Khurei-
tun, "a few miles south of Bethlehem."
" A dark spirit would find its own element
in the gloomy scenery of Khureitun."
(See chap. vi. 16.) Entered Satan into, &c.
This is not to be interpreted as an actual
possession of Judas, but as an infusion
into his soul, by Satan, of his devilish
spirit and purpose. His heart was filled
with avarice. Being of the number of the
twelve. This circumstance, which was so
high an aggravation of the baseness of
treachery, is mentioned with emphasis by
all the Evangelists.
He vent his icay. He went from Christ
and His company, who were at Bethany,
in the house of Simon (Matt. xxvi. fi, 14),
to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest,
•whom he knew to be a most bitter enemv
of Jesus. Communed — conversed — vnth the
chief priests and captains. The captains
were not lloman ofiicers, but commanders
of the Jewish guard of the temple. How
he might, &c. The experience and judg-
ment of these captains would be of great
use to determine the question whether the
proposal of Judas was worthy of accep-
tance. It is no uncommon thing for the
vilest sins to be committed by such per-
sons as make the most eminent profession
of holiness.
And they were glad. Not only because
there was now a ])rospect of the fulfill-
ment of their murderous purpose, but also
because in the band of the Apostles a
spirit of unfaithfulness and hatred began
to reveal itself. Covenanted — bargained
and agreed at once. To give him. This
shows that the money was not to be paid
until Jesus had been actually delivered
into their hands. Money, literally, silver.
Matthew saj's (xxvi. 15), " thirty jneces of
silver" — or shekels. (Zech. xi. 12.) The
sum which the traitor received seems
trifling, if we estimate it by the immense
consequences. But, after all, the whole
service Judas did was to inform the foes
of Jesus where He might be found and
taken without tumult, and guide them to
the place. Besides, why may we not as-
sume that the sum received was only in-
tended as a preliminary payment, to be
followed by a more considerable one if the
plan should be carried out successfully ?
Covetousness is the root of sin, and eager
and insatiable thirst after the world is the
parent of the most monstrous and unnatu-
ral sins. Hence our Saviour doubles His
caution. (Chap. xii. 15.)
He promised. The original conveys the
idea that he promised with professions of
thankfulness. Sought opportunity to betray
him, kept on the watch for a convenient
occasion to put Him into their hands in as
private a manner as possible. In the ab-
sence of the multitude — that, knowing noth-
ing of what was done, they might not
raise a tumult and rescue Him out of the
hnnds of those that seized Him.
7. If ^Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the
pa'isovpr must be killed. 8. And ho sent Peter and
John, saying, Go and iirepare us the passover. that we
m;iv eat. 0. And thev said unti) liim, Wliere wilt thou
tliat we prepare ? 10." Anil he sa'd unto them. Behold,
W'l-'i ''e nre entered into the city, there shall a man
950
LUKE,
roeot voii, bparing a pitcher of water; follow him into
tiie h.mse whore he eiiteretli in. 11. And ye shall nay
U'.itd the geod man of the house, Tlie Masttr .saitli unto
tliee, where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the
passover witli mv disciples? 12. And he shall show
von a large upper room lurnished : there malie ready.
J:!. And tht'y went, and found as hehad said unto them:
and they made ready the passover.
rjlatt. xxvi. 17, on which see notes ; Mark xiv. 12.
Tiiey called the day on which the
passover or jjaschal lamb was killed, one
of the days of unleavened bread, and the
"first day thereof " (Matt. xxvi. 17), because
it was preparatory to that feast, and on
that day the Jews began to eat unleavened
bread (Exod. xii. 18), though properly
speaking, the feast of unleavened bread
did not begin till the day after the pass-
over, thejifirenth day of the month Nisan.
(Lev. xxiii. 5, G; Num. xxviii. 16, 17.)
He sent Pder and John — from the place
where He had spent the night before in
retirement with them, saying, Go and pre-
pare us the 2->assover. They were to buy a
lamb, have it inspected by the priests, get
it killed, have the blood sprinkled at the
foot of the altar, obtain bread, and wine,
and bitter herbs, and make other necessary
preparations, as to a room, &c. The in-
habitants of Jerusalem prepared rooms,
with the necessary furniture, in their
houses, where strangers might celebrate
the passover. These apartments were not
let out for the occasion, nor was any com-
pensation taken, but were of common
right for any persons by whom they were
wanted, and were freely allowed to any
one who came to claim them. That we
may, once more, cat it together.
Where will thou, &c. They meant at
what house. As in Matthew and Mark,
the question would seem to have been put
first by the disciples, whereas here we
see that it arose from the i)revious com-
mand of our Lord, it is probable that at a
preliminary inquiry of the disciples, as to
the where, our Lord gave Peter and John a
definite command to go away to prepare
the passover, and that now they repeated
with more definiteness the natural inquiry
as to the place.
Into the city — the city of Jerusalem, for a
paschal lamb could be eaten at no other
place. There shall a man meet yon, hearing
a pitcher of water — doubtless a servant who
was a water-carrier. Follow him, &c. The
man came with water from the western
part of the city, as the Apostles entered
the eastern part. They were directed to
follow him, without saying anything to
him, because, as he was carrying the water
home, he would lead them straight to his
master's house, with which, it seems, the
Apostles were not acquainted. This direc-
tion, in connection with the others given
by Jesus to His Apostles, as well as the
predictions He uttered, were intended to
show them how completely He foreknew
everything that should befall Him, and to
convince thetn that His sufferings were
all predetermined of God, and that, on
His part, they were all submitted to vol-
untarily.
Ye shall say. Not a prophetic, but an
imperative future. The good man of the
house — the master of the family. The
master saitli unto thee. The word Master is
correlative to the word disciple, and thus
it is clearly implied that the hou.sehokler
is a folloivcr of Jesus. Indeed, when we
recollect that the rulers were afraid of the
multitude, as being adherents of Jesus, we
may reasonably infer that the number of
those who would call Him " Master " was
not a few. Wltcre is the guest chamber, &c.
(See on verse 8.)
Large upper room. Such as those which
the Jews used for the same purposes as
those to which our dining-rooms, parlors
and closets are applied. Furnished, i. e.,
with beds, couches or sofas, carpets, pil-
lows, stools, &c., such as among Oriental
nations supply the place of chairs, tables,
and, indeed, almost all the other furniture
of a room. TJicre make ready. (See on
verse 8.) Our Lord did not direct one or
both of these disciples to retu'-n and in-
form Him and the others where they had
made this preparation, and to direct them
to the house. This was unnecessary, for
as Jesus could predict these circumstan-
ces, of course He could at once find the
house. A large room, is the emblem of a
heart enlarged with love, joy and thank-
fulness ; an upper room, is an heart exalted,
not puffed up with pride, but lifted up by
heavenly meditations ; and a room fur-
nished, is a soul adorned with all the
graces of the Holy Spirit.
And they went, &c. The disciples, at
Christ's bidding, went into the city, and
CHAPTER XXII
951
found everything to happen exactly as
Jesus had foretold. This would tend no
little to conlirm their faith in Him, and
prepare them for the trial they would so
Boon have to i)a.ss through in His death, as
well as to proclaim the everlasting Gospel
to the guilty world. The foretelling and
fulfilling of all these circumstances fur-
nishes the strongest evidence of our Lord's
knowledge of every event, and of His in-
fluence over every heart. And they made
ready, &.C. (See on verse 8.)
H. ?And when the hour wa-s come, he sat down, and
the twelve Apostles with him.
sMatt. xxvi. UO, i&c, ou which see notes ; Mark .\iv. 17.
When t!ie hour was come — the hour of
partaking of the paschal feast. Between
three o'clock and nine was the time for
killing the lamb, called, also, between the
evenings (Ex. xii. 6), in the Hebrew. They
sat doicn. At the ancient meals there was
no sitting in chairs, but reclining on
couches, at the table. And the twelve apostles
with him. All the Apostles were present,
Judas not excepted.
15. And he said unto them, *With desire I have de-
sired to eat tliis passoverwitli you belore I suffer :
*0r, I have, heartily cU.^irtd.
The present passage (15-18) narrates
that part of the supper which belonged to
the Passover. That which belonged to the
institution of the Lord's Sujiper is verses
19, 20. With desire I have desired. The
Hebrew mode of saying I have had a
most intense desire. Some refer the reason
of our Lord's great desire to the whole
work of redemption, which He was about
to accomplish that week, and the strong
desire which He felt to accomi^lish it.
Others, and with much greater plausibility,
refer it to the institution of the Lord's
Supper, and the affectionate desire which
our Lord felt, not only to manifest Him-
self further to His own disciples, but, also,
to establish and celebrate for the first and
only time during His brief sojourn on
earth this sacramental festival, which has
ever since bound together and cemented
the hearts of His followers, and served
more than any ordinance to keep in vivid
remembrance His dying love for men.
With you, my beloved disciples. Before I
suffer. This is the only place in the Gos-
pels in which this absolute use of the
word is found. It is like the expression
in the Apostles' creed, " He suffered."
16. For I say unto you, I will not any more eat tbere-
Otj I'unlil it be lultiUed in the kingdom oi Uod.
■1' Luke XIV. lo; Acta x. 41 ; liev. xix. 9.
Eat thereof. Whether as Passover or
Lord's Supper, both being the same thing
in successive stages of development. Until
it be fulfilled, &c. That is, until that of
whicii the Pas.sover is a type is fullilledin
my death, through which the kingdom of
God, or of heaven (see Matt. iii. 2), shall
be established among men. The particle
" until" does not imply that after the
a(!complishment of (he salvation of men
our Lord was to eat the Passover. It is a
Hebrew form of expression, signifying
that the thing mentioned was no more to
be done forever. (See 1 Sam. xv. 35.)
17. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said,
Take this, and divide ii ai^'ong yourselves.
Jesus took into His hands the cup of
wine which it was customary to bring at
the beginning uf the paschal solemnity.
And gave tJianks, to Almighty God for His
great goodness to His people, mentioning,
no doubt, some of the principal instances
of it, especially their redemption from.
Egypt, and then from Babylon. Tak". this,
and divide, &c. Pass the cu]) from one to
another, until all have partaken of it.
Some maintain that Christ did not drink
it Himself, but there seems little reason
to doubt that He did, as He had just
spoken of His desire to eat of the Pass-
over, of which this cup was a part.
18. 'Fori sny unto you, I will not dr;nk of the fruit
of the vine, until tlio kingdom o.' God s'ui!! come.
'Matt. xxvi. 20, ou which see notes; Murk xiv. 22.
I trill not drink of the fruit of the vine, i. e.,
wine. This may have been an intimation
that this was the last paschal sujciper Christ
would partake of with His disciples, and
though He ate and drank withthe disciples,
after His resurrection, as we know He did,
in order that they might know that He
was really alive (Acts x. 41) ; yet He would
not make use of any wine, and we do not
find that He was ever present at any feast ;
at least we are sure He never celebrated
another Passover with them. Nor does it
appear that lie partook of the Eucharist
with them, or ever administered it, but at
this time of its institution. Until the
kingdom of God shall come. (Sec verse IG.)
19. H And he took broad and gnve thanks, and brake
U. and gave unto them, sayiner, Tliis i i my b<i(Jy which
Is criven for vou : kthis do in remembrance of mo.
iMatt. xxvi. 23, on which see notes ; Mark xiv. 22. kl
Cjr. X. IG.
9S3
LUKE.
And he took bread, unleavened bread. It
-was in the form of cakes. As we are not
under the ritual law, and as nothing in this
respect is spoken in the New Testament,
it does not a])pear that unfermented bread
is essential to the Lord's Supper. And
brake it. The breaking, under the old dis-
pensation, represented the breaking which
Israel suffered in Egypt, but in the new,
it symbolizes the violence by which our
Lord's body was put to death. (1 Cor. xi.
24.) And gave unto them. Not only the
breaking, but also the distribution of the
bread are necessary parts of the rite. Say-
ing, This is my body which is given for you,
i. e., this bread signifies or represents my
body, &c. This statement is made in ac-
cordance with the style of the sacred
writers. Thus it is said, "The three
branches are three days." (Gen, xl. 12.)
God says of the paschal lamb, our Lord's
grand type, "This is the Lord's passover."
(Ex. xii. n.) Paul, speaking of Sarah and
Hagar, says, "These are the two cove-
nants." (GaLiv. 2-i.) Lie also says, "They
drank of the spiritual rock which followed
them, and the Rock was Christ." (1 Cor.
X. 4.) Our Lord could not have meant
that the bread was His real body, because
His body was present at the table breaking
the bread, and He was speaking and acting
in person among them. Observe too. He
broke it after it was blessed, when Papists
think it was transubstantiated. Which is
given for you, as a sacrifice for your sins, to
purchase your redemption. T/.i.sfZo, break,
take, eat this bread — keep up the ordinance
I have just appointed ; in remembrance of
me, no longer in remembrance of the de-
liverance from Egypt, under which your
fathers groaned, but in remembrance of
me, who, by dying for you, will bring you
out of spiritual bondage, a bondage far
worse than the Egyptian, and establiifh
you in the glorious liberty of God's chil-
dren. We thus learn that the celebration
is to be a permanent memorial institu-
tion. The word rendered remembrance is,
literally, the recalling to mind, and refers
here to the vivid sense of Christ's suffcrhigs
and death, which this Supper is designed
and adapted to produce in such as par-
take of it in penitence, humility and
faith.
20. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, iThis
cup i.s the new testament in my blood, which is shed
lor you.— '1 Cor. x. Itj.
Likewise also the cup, i. e., having offered
thanks to God, and holding it in His hand
to give to His disciples. Saying, This cup
is the new testament in iny blood. The Greek
word for testament should be rendered
covenant. The same word is employed here
as in Heb. viii. 8. It signilies a covenant
or i^romise on the part of God to His
people, sanctioned with the blood of vic-
tims, and depending upon certain stipula-
lated conditions. The old covenant made
by God through Moses is found in Ex.
xxiv. 3-8. The fruit of the vine is the sym-
bol of the ratification of the new covenant ;
that is, the covenant of the new dispensar
tion, so called in contradistinction rather
from the Mosaic than from the Abrahamic
covenant. (Gen. xv. 1-18, xvii. 1-19; Gal.
iii. 17.) The old covenant was ratified by
the blood of bulls, goats and calves ; the
new covenant was ratified by the blood of
Christ. (See Heb. ix. 11-28.) Here is an
undeniable figure, whereby the cup is put
for the wine in the cup. And this is called
the new covenant in Christ's blood, which
could not possibly mean that it was the
new covenant itself, but only the seal of
it, and the sign of that blood which was
frhed to confirm it. In other words, as the
expression, this is my body, signifies. This
is the representation of my body, so, this is
my blood of the new testament, must signify,
This is the representation of my blood.
WJuch is shed for you. The emblem of the
death of the Lord's body substituted in the
place of the death of your soul. The mean-
ing of Christ, in the passage, is: "Allot you,
and all my disciples in all ages, must drink
this cup, because it represents my blood,
shed for the remission of sins — m}' blood,
in which the new covenant between God
and man is ratified."
21. 11 mBut behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me
is with me on the table.
mP-:. xli. 0; Matt. -xxvi. 21, 23, on which see notes;
Marli xiv. 18; John xiii. 'il, 26.
As INIatthew and Mark both represent
the incident referred to here by Luke, as
taking place while the}'' were eating the
Passover, and before the institution of the
Lord's Supper, no one who compares the
order of those two Evangelists with John
xiii. 21-35, can well avoid the conclusion
CHAPTER XXII
953
that Judas left the table on his dark and
traitorous errand before the Lord's Supper
was established. It is certain that it was
our Lord's purpose to get rid of the pres-
ence of the traitor before the ordinance of
the Supper was administered to His true-
hearted disciples. Hence His warning,
John xiii. 10, 18. TJie hand of him iliat
hetraijeth me is with me on tkc table. Our Lord
had said to the twelve, " One of you shali
betray me." (Matt. xxvi. 21.) Here He
narrows the circle and makes the exposure
Ktill more direct. The expression was an
Oriental one to denote that a person Avas
reclining at the same table with another.
22. "And truly the Son of man goeth, "as it was deter-
mined : but woe unto that man by wliom lie is be-
trayed !
"Matt. xxvi. 24, on wliich see notes. <>Acts ii. 23 and
Iv. 28.
The Son of man. By this appellation we
are to understand that Christ was a real
man — a perfect man — the representative
man, the predicted man. Gocth. This
.denotes His marching with nnfaltering
Btep to the scene of His crucillxion, His
return to His Father through death and
the resurrection. His going down to the
lowest poftit He could reach in this world
— the depths of the grave — and His going
up to the higliest point He could nsach in
the world to come — the throne of God ;
and by the words, as it was determined, is
meant that He did both in the (character,
for the purpose, with the dispositions and
in the circumstances, in which it was de-
termined that He should go. The Divine
foreknowledge and prediction of events
does not affect their moral character.
Judas was not the less guilty because, by
his perfidy, a Divine purpose was fulfilled,
a Divine prediction accomplished. It was
"by wicked hands" that Jesus, being
"delivered by the determinate counsel
and foreknowledge ot God," was "crucified
and slain." (Acts ii. 23.) If God deter-
mined to leave Judas to himself, and fore-
knew how he would act, this did not in-
terfere with his free agency and account-
ableness — it did not necessitate his
treachery. Augustine remarks that " God
is said to will things, in the way of per-
mission, which He does not will in the
way of approbation." Bishop Hall says,
" It is the greatest praise of God's wisdom
that He can turn the sins of man to His
own glory."
23. pAnd tliey began to inquire among themselves,
which 01 Ihem it wius tliat should do this thing.
I'Matt. xxvi. 22; John xiii. 22, 2.3.
It is not wonderful tliat Jhe di-sciples
should have been amazed and shocked at
our Lord's announcement. To think that
their beloved Master was to be exposed to
shame, and torture, and death, was most
painful. Peter expressed the mind of all
the rest, when, on His Lord speaking of
His approaching sufferings, he said with
eagerness, " Lord, this be far from thee."
But how much more painful to think that
the treason of a professed friend, and that
professed friend one of themselves, was to
be the means of bringing on their Master
sufferings which they so deeply deprecated.
Then the question comes up, '^tchich of
them it was that should do this thing?"
All but one felt as if they could sooner die
than betray their Lord to death, and none
of them seems to have thought his brother
capable of doing what he knew he him-
self was incapable of doing.
24. 1 q ind there was also a strife among them, which
of tlieni sliould be :u'C(.unted tuo greatest.
qMiitt. ix. o4 ; Luke ix. 40.
This was when they first took seats at
the table, as above remarked. (Verse 14.)
The competition seems to have been as to
who should have the chief reclining i)lace
at the table. The immediate introduction
of " the kingdom of God " was doubtless
considered by them as implied in what
our Lord had before spoken ; and they
overlooked all He hud said of His suffer-
ings, as what they could not understand.
The couch of honor was the more earnestly
desired, because it was supposed that it
would indicate its occupant's claim to the
highest office or post of honor in the Me.s-
siah's kingdom, of the temporal character
of which their minds were far from being
wholly dispossessed. It is wonderful that
when this strife arose, Christ did not at
once state that Peter was he to whom all
the rest must be subject, as a prince or
head, if, indeed, Peter, according to the
Roman Catholictheory, wasthe recognized
head of the Apostles. A desire to be
great, and to be greater than others, is
deeply rooted in our sinful nature. Even
afer we have turned to God we are
troubled by this evil propensity. We
954
LUKE,
often indulge feelings of self-complacency,
and are elated when others notice and
commend us. It would not be thus with
us if we were engrossed with the glory
of Christ. Then we should desire only to
BjDei-k of His wondrous works, and to talk
of His power, and of the glory of His
kingdom.
25. rXnA he said unto them, The kings of the Gen-
tiles excrcis(? lord niip over tliem ; and tliey that exer-
cise ajtlior;ty u;) j:i lliem arc called bene.acloro.
rJIatt. .XX. 'J.'} ; Mark x. 42.
Kings of the Gentiles — especially of the
Romans. Exercise lorclsJdp. Both the orig-
inal Avords here used imply arbitrary,
domineering authority ; authority for
authority's sake. They exercise dominion
to gratify their love of rule. Jesus here
does not condemn the exercise of a just
governmental authority, in which the
ruler, acting for the public good, is, in
l:ct, the I ubic servant. Le.vf dors. The
Greek word .so translated was a title often
assumed by heathen monarchs, who
prided themselves on being special bene-
factors of their subjects. One of the
Ptolemies, king of Egypt, was so called.
26. "But ye nhall not be so: <but lie that ]■? greatest
amour; you, let hi..i beni the younger; and he that ij
chic , ai 1k) that doth serve.
'Matt. XX. 2 j ; 1 Peter v. 3. 'Luke ix. 43.
Bat ye shall not be so — your greatness
shall not be like that of them who dwell
in earthly courts — shall not consist in
tempor.d power over your fellow-creatures,
or in honor or dignity among them,
though it should be joined with an affec-
tation of ti;lc3 which denote qualities
truly honorable. Our Lord here con-
demns, not a true ecclesiastical govern-
ment, but all ecclesiastical ambition, and
all asj)iration after selfish power. Greatest
may here, 2)erhaps, mean " greatest in
ago," the oldest. It is opposed to younger.
The sentiment is, that the eldest, to whom
the pre-eminence and respect due to age
would naturally and properly belong,
should be as condescending and humble
as the youngest of the number. The same
idea is enfonted and expanded in the cor-
resjjonding clause — he that is chief, &c.,
where there is a strong antithesis between
chief and lie that doth serve, i. e., is servant
of the company.
27. "For whether t? greater, he that sitteth at meat, or
he thatservetli ? is not ho that sitteth at meat? but >I
am among vou as lie that serveth.
i-Lul<exii". ;!7. 'Matt. xx. 28; John xiii. 13, 14 ; Phil,
li. 7.
I Our Lord, by proposing the question so
easy of answer, as to the relative superi-
ority of the guests over those who serve
at the feasts, illustrates His own humility
and condescension. And he that serveth.
There is an evident reference here to the
act of washing the disciples' feet, recorded
by John xiii. 14, and which had taken
place a very short time before the con-
versation We are now considering. At the
same time the expression describes the
whole tenor of our Lord's course on earth.
" lie took on Him the form of a servant."
" He came not to be ministered to, but to
minister." Usefulness in the world and
Church — an humble readiness to do any-
thing, and put our hands to any good
work — a cheerful willingness to fill any
post, however lowly, and discharge any
office, however unpleasant, if it can only
promote happiness and holiness on earth
— these are the true tests of Christian
greatness.
28. Ye are they which have continued with me in
ymy temptations.— jHeb. iv. 15.
rci/ziTJia/ZoJiS, literally, ^/'('a/sand afflictions.
Christ's whole life was little else than one
continued series of them, particularly
from the time of His entering on His
public ministry. We know the weakness
and infirmity of our Lord's disciples
during the whole period of His earthly
ministry. But here we find Him graciously
dwelling on one good point in their con-
duc^t, and holding it up to the perpetual
notice of His Church. They had been
faithful to their Master, notwit.standing all
their faults. Their hearts had been right
whatever had been their mistakes. They
had clung to Him in the day of His hu-
miliation. If we are true believers, let us
remember for our comfort that Jesus looks
at our graces more than at our faults, that
He pities our infirmities, and that He will
not deal with us according to our sins.
29. And 'I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my
Fatl;er hatli appointc'd unto me; 30. That "ye may eat
and drink at inv talile in my kingdom, 'and sit on
ihrniicsjudging tlic twdve tribes ol Israel.
Slatt. xx:v. -17 : Luke xii. 32 ; 2 Cor. i. 7 : 2 Tim. ii. 12.
"Matt. viii. 11 ; Luke xiv. 15: Kev. xix.9. ^pg. xlLx.
14: Matt. xix. 2»; ICor. vi. 2; Rev.iii. 21.
Our Lord having mentioned what His
disciples had done for Him (verse 28), now
adds an intimation of what He has pur-
posed for them. / appoint. The Greek
word so rendered might be translated, " I
CHAPTER XXII.
955
appoint nnto you by covenant." A kinrjdom.
The meaning of this phrase must probably
not be pressed too closely. It signilies
honor, dignity, reward, majesty, of which
a king's position in this world furnishes
the onljf emblem. That ye may eat and
drink, &c. This language is derived from
the custom of ancient and Oriental kings,
to invite to their own table their chief
ministers and confidential servants, as a
mark of royal favor and esteem. And sit
on thrones, jadginy the twelve tribes of Israel.
(See Matt. xix. 28.) In ancient times kings
performed all the functions of judges.
(See 2 Sam. xv. 4; 1 Kings iii. 9; 2Chron.
i. 11; Ps. Ixxii. 2.) When Christ shall
come to judgment, then, as great kings
have officers around them, dignitaries of
the kingdom, ye Apostles shall be exalted
to spetual honor, and shall sit on thrones
of majesty, judging the people of Go<l —
the twelve tribes of Israel. The primary
design of our Lord in this verse seems to
have been, to say to the Apostles: "As the
honors which I shall hereafter confer on
you are incomparably beyond those about
which you seem so solicitous, let a consid-
eration ofsthis awaken a nobler ambition
in your minds than that which now seems
to influence them, and, instead of contend-
ing for superiority over each other in my
Church militant, in which you must expect
to meet with continual reproach and suf-
fering, aspire after higher degrees of that
celestial glory which you are to share with
me in my Church Iriumphant."
31. % AnrI tlip Lord said. Simon, Simon. behold,''Satan
hatli riesirpd lo have, you, tlint he may is,\il you as
Wheat : —"1 Peter V. 8. dAmos ix. 9.
Simon, Simon. Peter had probably had
his full share ; would seem, indeed, to have
been one of those most forward in the con-
tention for pre-eminence, in the preceding
verses. Our Lord addressed him in par-
ticular, and in a very emphatic manner,
although the other disciples who also liad
that day been in a most fearful danger,
were likewise concerned, and the pronoun
is plural, you, not thee. The repetition of
Simon's name implies solemnity and im-
poriance in the statement about to be
made, his insensibleness to the danger
impending, and deep concern by Christ on
behalf of Simon's soul, than whom none
was more imperilled. Hath desired to have
you, ardently entreated for you, or. de-
manded you, as Satan demanded Job to be
put in his power, to test his integrity, that
he may sift you as vheat. The word you is
here again plural, and, therefore, includes
all the discii)les, except Judas, who had
now left them to consummate his deed of
treachery. The sifting Satan desired was
to agitate their niinds by his inward sug-
gestions, concurring with tlieir outward
perils and difficulties, as the Avheat is
tossed about in the sieve, to be separated
from the chaff. Probably tlie sifting pro-
cess spoken of incUides the idea of an en-
deavor of Satan to effect the separation of
some of the disciples, and Peter in particu-
lar, from fidelity to Jesus. He would gladly
have had the men who were to spread
abroad the name of Jesus. Satan is con-
tinually making efforts to test and ruin all
Christians. (1 Peter v. 8.)
32. But rl have jirayefi for thee, thr,t thy faith fail not :
rand wl.en thou art converted, stiengthen thy brethren.
tJohn xvii. 9, 11, lo. 'Pi. H. 13; John xxi. Ij, IG, 17.
J— in this discourse of our Lord, also,
His pei-son forms tlie immovable center.
The pronoun I emphasises the idea that
Jesus had opposed Himself in person to
the adversary. For thee, concentrates the
danger and final deliverance again upon
Peter, as tlie special and repeated address,
Simon, Simon,ha-d done in the first instance,
but which had been made by the plural,
you, to include the whole. I Itave prayed
for thee. For thee as a believing Chris-
tian, and for thee as a tempted Christian.
It is not said, I uill pray for thee, but, I
have prayed for thee. Christ prayed for
Peter before Peter understood that he had
need of His i^rayer. Christ j^rayed for
Peter as soon as ever Satan desired to sift
him. Our Intercessor is as i^rompt in His
prayer for us, as Satan is in his accusations
against us. Christ by no means prayed
that Peter might entirely escape the sift-
ing. (Comp. John xvii. 15.) That thy
faith fail not. Not that thy faith be not
assaulted, not that thy faith be not shaken
and become very feeble, but that thy faith
may not fail by an absolute and total ex-
tinction. " Faith " is the root of the whole
Christian character, and the part which
Satan specially labors to overthrow. (2
Tim. iv. 7.) Peter's faith did not fail as
life fails in death. His faith was grievously
956
LUKE,
interrupted in its exercise and effects, when
he denied His Lord, but the principle did
not fiiil in His heart. (Rom. v. 7-10, viii.
32-34 ; 1 Peter i. 2-5.) And when thou art
converted, that is, recovered from thy fall,
Avhen restored, upon thy repentance, to
the Divine favor. Strengthen thy brethren,
that is, establish others in the faith in
which thou didst grievously decline. Our
Lord does not here say " my" brethren, as
in John xx. 17, nor yet "our" but thy
brethren, i. e., those who will have been
shaken and enfeebled by thy fall, and who
are afflicted with the same weakness which
shall have brought thee to so deep a fall.
After his fall and recovery, Peter was pe-
culiarly earnest in encouraging the dis-
ciples to hope for a hajipy issue of their
trials, and in animating them boldly to
profess and preach the Gospel, while the
humiliating lessons which he learned by
those events, had a very salutary eflect on
his own spirit, and tended to qualify him
especially for encouraging and warning
the tempted, the fearful, the desponding
or the fallen, even to the end of his days.
33. And he said unto l>im. Lord, I am ready to go with
thee, both into prison and to death.
These words indicate how little Peter
was yet fitted for the strengthening of
others. He places himself first to desig-'
nate the source from which his exultant
feeling of strength proceeds. He doubt-
less felt all that he said, and his resolution
to accompany Christ both to prison and to
death was holy and good; but his too con-
fident opinion of bis own strength and
ability so to do, without Divine aid and
assistance, shows that he had not yet found
out the weakness of his faith and the de-
ceitfulness of his heart. There would seem
to be an intimation that the Lord's inter-
cession for him had not been so especially
necessary. Self-confidence is a sin too in-
cident to the holiest and best of men.
Men little know what they will do till the
time of temptation actually comes. (2
Kings viii. 13.) 'Tis an humble fear of
falling that must enable us to stand.
34. '^And hft snid. T tell thp?, Peter, the oock shall not
rrow tliis d,iy. hetore that thou shalt thrice deny that
lliat tlioii knowv^t mp.
sMatt. XX vi. 34: Mark xiv. 30; John xiii. 38.
IteJl thee, Peter. Now not Simon, though
he might have doubly deserved it, but
Peter, inasmuch as our Lord places Him-
self in the position of the man who, in hig
own eyes, stands there so rock-fast. It has
been remarked that this is the only place
in which our Lord addresses Peter by this
name, the name which signified " stone." It
was surely meant to remind him how weak
even the strongest disciples are. What
had been previously hinted at by Jesus in
regard to Peter's defection, is now openly
and emphatically asserted. TJie cock sliall
not crow tJiis day, &c. Our Lord is forced
by Peter's boasts to bring out the clear,
precise, sorrowful truth. This prediction
of what seemed at the time to be most im-
probable events, is a striking evidence of
Christ's foreknowledge. The fall of Peter,
thus foretold unto him, admonishes us to
renounce our own light and knowledge,
especially as to what regards the disposi-
tion of our heart. God and Christ, who is
true God, know better than ourselves the
use which we shall make of the freedom
of our will, and yet this foreknowledge
imjioses no manner of necessity upon it.
3-5. hAnd he said unto him. V/hen I sent you without
purse, and .scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any tiling ? And
they said. Nothing. Sii. Then said he uiito them. But
now. he that hath a purse, let him take lY, and likewise
Am scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his
garment, and buy one. 37. For I say unto you, that this
tliat is written must yet be accomplished in me, 'And
he was rackoned among the tran,sgressors: lor the
thimts concerning me have an end.
hMatt. X. 9 ; Lake ix. 3 and x. 'Isa. liii. 12 ; Mark xv.
28.
When Christ first sent out the Apostles
to preach. He desired them to make no
provision by the way. They were to take
neither purse nor scrip; the means, fig-
uratively, of conducting their ministry.
(:\[att. x'. 9, 10.) They obeyed this com-
mand, and, according to their own testi-
mony, wanted nothing during their journey.
The disciples of Jesus can always testify
that their Lord has kept His promises —
not one of them has ever failed, or ever
will. The providence of God is always
watchful over such as forsake all to follow
Christ, and continually mindful of their
wants.
But noiv, &.C. Childhood is past, and the
Divine order is, that your powers be de-
veloped into the efficiency of manhood.
They were not to expect such a constant
miraculous interprsition of God in their
behalf as would make them independent
of the use of means. He that hath. What-
ever of means or instrumentalilies you
CHAPTER XXII
957
have got, cultivate and put them to stren-
uous use. We are not to nej^lect human
instrumentahty in doing Christ's work.
lie that hath no sword, let himsdl his garment
and bmj one. The most satisfactory inter-
pretation of this is, that according to which
these words are Understood in a paraboHcal
sense, indicating that a time was drawing
near when all human means, of which the
"j)urse," the "scrip," and the "sword" are
emblems, must be diligently used by the
Ajyostles. "Our Lord will simi)ly, in a
concrete, j)ictorial form, rejiresent to His
disciples the right and duty of necessary
defense, in order that they may, by the
very ojjposition to the former command
(verse 35), finally come to the conscious-
ness that an entirely peculiar danger shall
break in upon them." Here is a warrant
from our Lord for the standing up of His
followers in their own defense. Christian-
ity, however, has no license from this pas-
sage to draw the sword for its own propa-
gation.
Tins that is iiritten, &c. This is not the
time for the true disciples of Christ to de-
pend upon the good-will of men, when
Christ Himself is to be reckoned and
treated as a transgressor and a malefactor.
Who would favor the followers of a cruci-
fied Master? He reminded them of the
words of Isaiah (Isa. liii.): "He Avas num-
bered with the transgressors." One of the
trials the Saviour endured was disgrace.
He was put to death as a wicked man, with
wicked men, and in the manner in which
wicked men were put to death. The dis-
ciples of such a Master ought to expect
disgrace. They should not be surprised
when they are insulted, reviled and falsely
accused. Let it be observed that our Lord,
in speaking of His approaching crucifixion,
does not speak of it as His "death" merely.
He cpecially describes it as His being
"reckoned among the transgressors." The
expression was evidently meant to remind
us that the chief end of His death was not
to be an example of self-denial, but to be
a substitute for us — a sacrifice for us — to
become sin for us, and be made a curse for
tis. For the things concerning vie have an end.
This does not refer simply to the fulfill-
ment of the Messianic prophecies, but
there was to be a complete and final close
to these predictions, and to that end all
thing.s were now rapidly tending. His
sufl'erings and death were a part of the
Messianic prophecy, and these also were
to be fully accomplished.
38. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords.
And he said unto them, It is enough.
Here are two swords. From these words
it is evident that the disciples took what
Christ said about the swords literally.
They had these two swords evidently con-
cealed from our Lord. They may have
provided them for defense against assail-
ants, as even the priests did in the passage
(Luke X. 31) from Jericho to Jerusalem.
But they may have been knives for slay-
ing the Passover lamb. It is enough — to
illustrate my metaphor, quite emnigh, and
too much, if it is real bloodshed you con-
template. If Jesus had intended that His
servants should fight. He would not have
said that two swords were enough. The
words gently rebuke the Apostles' mistake.
These two swords were enough, and even
too much, for Him who designed to defend
Himself only by delivering Himself up, to
fight only by suffering, and to conquer
only by dying. These were enough to give
occasion to Christ to instruct the Church,
in one of the chief of the Apostles, con-
cerning the use she was to make of the
sword, concerning the mildness we ought
to show toward our enemies, and the sub-
mission we ought to have for authority,
and to give Christ an opportunity of doing
good to His persecutors, of making known
His power to them, and of showing them
plainly that His oeing seized by them, and
His death, were altogether voluntary on
His part. When temptations come upon
us, let us use the sword of the Spirit.
Satan cannot resist it.
S9. 11 itAnd he came out, and 'went, a-i he was wont,
to the mount of Olives, and his discii^les also followed
him.
kMatt. xxvi. 3(i ; Murk xiv. 32; John xviii. 1. 'Luke
xxi. 37.
Our Lord now changes the scene from
the supper table to the garden. As he was
wont on the preceding days of this week
of His passion. To the mo^nt of Olives, and
Jtis disciples also folloived him. This mount
overlooks Jerusalem on the east, so that
every street and almost every house may
be distinguished from its summit. It is
about a mile in length, and about seven
958
LUKE,
hundred feet in height. To a spectator,
on the west it has a gently waving outline,
and appears to have three summits of
nearly equal height. That our Lord went
straight thither is a new proof that He no
longer sought to go out of the way of His
enemies ; for, according to John xviii. 2,
the place was known also to Judas, who
would, therefore, undoubtedly seek Him
there with the band, if lie no longer found
Him in the paschal hall. It is also a
proof of the heavenly composure and
clearness of mind which our Lord con-
tinually maintained, that He would
surrender Himself over to the hands of
His enemies, not in the city, in the midst
of the joyful acclamations of the paschal
night, but without it, in the bosom of
open nature, after He had previously
strengthened Himself in solitary jirayer to
His Father.
40. mAnd when he was at the place, he said unto
them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
mMatt. vi. 13 and xxvi. 41 ; Mark xiv. 3S ; verse 46.
Pray that ye enter not mto temptation. AVe
are not to understand our Lord as having
said this to all the eleven disciples, for
from Matthew and Mark we know that He
took three of them — Peter, James and
John — to attend Him, at a little distance
from the rest, in the moments of His
agonizing prayer. Christ's e.xhortation to
them was intended to keep them, when
they w^ere in the greatest alarm and
danger, from having any inclination to
desert Him. Prayers are a sure succor
against the most perilous assaults of our
enemies. We must not wait until the
time of temptation before we pray, but we
must pray before it comes. To be assaulted
by temptation is one thing, but to enter
into it quite another. To be tempted is a
painful thing and a heavy trial, but to
" enter into temptation " is a sin.
41. "And he was withdrawn fVnm them ahoutastone's
cast and lineeled down, and prayed, 42. Saving, Father,
if thou be *vvillinjd;, rcniDve tliis cup from" me: never-
theless, »not my will, but thine, be done.
nMatt. xxvi. 3!) : Mark xiv. 35. *Gr., ivUling tore-
move. »Jolm V. 30; vi. 38.
The ancients very frequently noted short
distances by such expressions as a stone's
cast or arrow's flight, and, indeed, We have
the same usage in our expressions, irithin
gunshot, irithin a stone's throw, &e. Kneeled
doivn. This denotes the posture of prayer
which He first assumed. Afterward, as
His mental agony increased, we see from
Matthew and Mark, He prostrated Himself
with His face upon the ground. And
prayed. The disciples were entreated to
watch with our Lord (Matt. xxvi. 38), but
not to pray with or for Him. That work
He does alone, and asks no participation.
They cannot pray His prayer. He may
intercede for them, not they for Him. The
example of the great Head of the Church
shows believers what they ought to do in
time of trouble. Both the Old and New
Testaments give one and the .same receipt
for bearing trouble. (Ps. 1. 15; James v.
13.) Father. However near the jiaternity
of God, it still leaves Him the right and
the reason to inflict upon us terrible
sorrows. Yet true faith looks up, even
to His frowning face, with a filial claim.
If tliou he unlUng, remove this cap from me.
" If it can consist with thy counsel." This
was the language of that innocent dread
of suflTering which Jesus, being really and
truly man, could not but have in His nature.
The sentence is incomplete in the original,
which is, literally, if thou be willing to
remove this cup from me. This is, however,
the natural expression of intense sorrow,
the words, "I pray thee to do thus," being
left to be supplied. The " cup " to which
Jesus referred was the extreme inward
anguish of spirit which He was suffering,
the fear with which He was oppressed, the
anxiety with which He was tortured, the
sorrow with which He was overwhelmed,
and the intense agony, mental and physical,
which yet awaited Him. Nevertheless, :iot
my will, but thine, be done. The prayer of
Christ was, as it were, taken bacik. before
it was entirely uttered. It must be
remembered that He who spake these
Avords, having two distinct natures in one
person, had a human will as well as a
Divine. Nevertheless, inasmuch as I have
entered into covenant engagements, and
have become surety for sinners, inasmuch
as "for this cause came I unto this hour, '
and to offer up atoning sacrifice in my
death is the great design of all the Divine
decrees and operations which have brought
me to this point ; inasmuch as without
this sacrifice the oracles of ancient
prophecy will be falsified, and the
redemption of men's souls, which is
CHAPTER XXII.
959
precious, cease forever. Not my will — not
the will of my human nature, but thine —
the will of God (as it is written concerning
me), which I dcUglit to do, lei that 6c done
(Ps. xl. 7, 8), at whatever expense of
agony. If we would imitate Christ in His
prayer, we must, 1. Pray when alone; 2.
Humble ourselves, internally, at least, and,
if we are able, externally also , 3. Be
fervent; 4. Lay our condition before God
with plainness and simplicity; 5. Be full
of trustand confidence ; G. Ilesigu ourselves
to the will of God, and choose rather to
have thatdone than our own; 7. Persevere
in praying. The sacrifice of ^ur own will
is that which God loves the most, and
which ought ever to accompany all others.
43. And tlipro nppparerl ran anijel unto liini from
heaven, strtJiigUieiiing liiiu.— iMalt. iv. 11.
The appearance of a holy angel to our
Lord, in this conflict, and when thus
weighed down with the feeling of the
wrath of God against our sins, was intima-
tion of approaching victory, and calculated
to strengthen Him by the brightening
prospect of future joy which was thus
symbolized to Him. The angel could not
efficaciously communicate strength even to
His human soul, but he might suggest en-
couraging to]>ics; and it was doubtless a
part of our Saviour's humiliation, and an
instance of His condescension, that He
was pleased to be thus " strengthened" by
"a ministering sjnrit," though "all the
angels of God worship Him." This verse
supplies additional proof that our Lord
was really and truly man. As man. He
was for a little time " lower than the
angels." (Heb. ii. 9.) As very God of
very God, and Lord of angels and men,
Jesus of course needed no angel to
strengthen Him. But as very man, in the
hour of his greatest weakness, He allowed
an angel to minister to Him. We must,
after the examjjle of Christ, not reject
those external consolations which God
sends us in our troubles.
44. lAnrt beinst in f.n agony, he prayed more earnest-
ly : and his swe it wa-> as it wore great drops ot' blood
lalling down to the ground.— qJohn xii. 27 ; Heb. v. 7.
Being in an agony. There can be little
doubt, that at this mysterious moment,
our Lord's distress of body and mind was
most intense and bitter. He was assaulted
by the prince of darkness with peculiar
and special temptations. Hell came to
meet Him in the garden of Gethsemane.
Satan, who had been defeated in the wil-
derness, returned with his legions to make
a last and fierce attactk. But Christ's in-
tense agony can only be satisfactorily ex-
iiUiined by the fact that His death was a
vicarious death. The sin of the world
began to be laid upon Him in a special
manner in the garden. He was being
" made a curse " for us, by bearing our
sins. He prayed more earnestly. Jesus
summoned up all His energies to an unre-
mitting struggle of prayer. (Coinp. Hos.
xii. 4, 5.) The mo.st .striking commentary
on this expression is found Heb. v. 7-9,
where strong crying and tears are spoken
of with which our Lord ollered up His
prayers and supplications to Him who was
able to save Him from death. The Divine
nature, without separating itself from the
human, leaves it to the Aveakness common
to other men, to the end that the Head
may be the consolation of the weakest of
his members, and the instruction of the
strongest. And his sweat was as it were
(jTcat drops of blood falling doim to the ground.
The physical frame of Jesus was now in
full sympathy with His mental distress..
Instances of what has been called bloody
sweat are on record numerous and authen-
tic. Galensiiys: "Cases sometimes happen
in which, through mental pressure, the
pores may be so dilated that the blood
may issue from them, so that there may
be a bloody sweat." The Latin poet,
Lucan, in his poem, the Pharsalia, vividly
describes a case in which tlic sweat is ruddy.
Yet Luke, the only one of the four Evan-
gelists who mentions the circumstance
now before us, afiirms not that the sweat
was blood, but " as it xvere great drops of
blood." If we do not understand actual
drops of blood, we must, at all events,
conceive them as heavy, thick drops,
which, mingled and colored for the most
part with jjorlions of blood, looked alto-
gether like drops of blood.
45. And when he rose from prayer, and was come to
his disciples, he found them sleeping lor sorrow, 4fi.
And said unto them. Why sleep ye? rise aud 'pray,
lest ye enter into temptation.— ■■ Verse 40.
Luke is the only Evangelist who men-
tions the cause of the disciples being
asleep. Sorrow, it is true, makes men
960
LUKE,
sleepless sometimes, but when it is very-
great it may so weary down the whole
outer and inner man that one, as it were,
sinks into a condition of stupor. The
same three who slept at the Transfigura-
tion were the three who slept in Geth-
semane. It seems as if the air of that
night were dense with fearful, su]iernatural
Influences, weighing them down with
stupor. In those circumstances of trouble
and affliction which oblige us to pray, we
must not forget even the wants of those
who are intrusted to our care.
Wh'j sleep ye f Hdw gentle His reproof!
" Is this a time to sleep, when your Master
is in such danger, when He is going to lay
down His life, and when all the powers
of hell are seeking to thwart the work of
human redemption?" Rise from your
sleepy, recumbent posture. Some say of
this, that a standing po.-,ture of the bod}' is
best suited for overcoming drowsiness in
prayer. And pray, lest ye enter into tempta-
tion. Christ said this, because He knew
what sharp trials were coming upon them.
Prayer was their only safeguard at this
awful cri.sis. How often shall we find,
when we look back upon our past lives, that
we received warnings before we fell into
sin ! While we exert our own energies
against the evil powers, let us also suppli-
cate Divine aid. As a fragile boat would
avoid the rocks and the rifts, so should
the feeble Christian avoid the dangers of
trials that threaten him.
47. IT And w'.iile h? yet sp.a'.vO, "beliold n multitude,
and lio tuat \v,u caUe<l Jud.n, one oi' tiie twelve, wont
before them, and drfw n nir unto to Jesui to kis.s liim.
■Matt. xxvi. 47 ; Murk xiv. 4J ; John xviii. 3.
Behold a multitude'. They came in force,
probably apprehensive of resistance from
the disciples, or of sojne attein])t of rescue
by the way. (Mark xiv. 47; John xviii.
10; Matt. xxvi. 47.) The multitude who
apprehended Jesus were of the following
four classes: 1. The hand (John xviii. 3),
being a detachment from the garrison of
five hundred Roman soldiers who, in the
fortress of Antonia, overlooking the tem-
ple, kept the Jews in awe. A detachment
was ever ready to be sent when the com-
mander was informed that a disturber
needed to be taken in custodv. So that
thus mu(!h Jesus was apprehended by the
loan of a Roman body. 2. The captains of
the temple (Luke xxii. 52), who came,
doubtless, attended by their guard or police
— men who kept order at the temple. 3.
Several of the Jewish dignitaries attended
to see the work carefully done, namely:
chief priests, zealous Pharisees and elders.
4. Servants of these dignitaries (John
xviii. 18), both private and official, like
Malchus. Our Lord was thus arrested by
the Jewish authority, partly using Roman
instrumentality. One of the twelve. With
this name, as with a branding iron, Judas
is designated even unto the end. Went
before them, in order to point out to the
multitude the one whom they were to ap-
prehend, by the preconcerted sign. (See
Matt. xxvi. 48.)
48. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the
Sou 0(' uiau vvitli u kiss?
With a kiss — the hallowed token of friend-
ship. "Must the Son of man be betrayed
by one of His own disciples, as if He had
been a hard Master, or deserved ill at their
hands? Must the badge of friendship be
the instrument of treachery?" To betray,
is bad enough ; to betray the /Sou of man, is
worse; to betray Him tvith a kiss, is worst
of all. There are some who behave to
Jesus now that He is in heaven, as Judas
did when He was upon earth. When it
seems to be their interest to appear to love
Him, they put on the mask of piety ; but
when they can gain worldly advantages
by betraying His servants, they will do it,
and yet all the time continue to observe
the forms of religion. They do not con-
sider how much their guilt is increased by
their acts of apparent devotion. Satan
employs such persons to do his darkest
deeds. To bear the deceitful caresses of
a false friend requires more virtue than
to endure the most violent attacks of an
avowed enemy.
49. When they which were about him saw what
would lollow. tliey said unto him, Lord, shall we smite
with tlie sword ?
Lord, shall we smite with the sword ? By
the approach of the band, and the insult
of Judas, they are at once persuaded that
they themselves are no longer a step
distant from the dreaded hour. They
believed themselves hitherto to have
dreamed, and appear now all at once to
awake. Looking upon the weapons
brought with them out of the paschal hall,
CHAPTER XXII
961
they addressed this question to the Master,
as if they would not have drawn the
sword without permission from Him ; but
they were in too much haste and heat to
wait for an answer; for already one of
them has followed the ill-considered
question with a hasty act. Christ and His
cause are not to be defended by force of
arms. He is very far from desiring to save
His own life by exposing that of others,
since He came to shed His blood, and to
die for all mankind. There are many
persons in the world who, like Peter,
consult God, and yet suffer themselves to
be hurried away by their passion or their
false zeal before they know His will.
50. 1 And 'one of them smote the servant of the high
priest, and cutoff liis right ear.
Olatt. x.xvi. 51 : Mark xiv. 47 : John xviii. 10.
John tells us, this servant's name
was Malehus, the Greek and Latin
form of Malek, signifying king. We might
have conjectured that it was Peter who
committed this rash deed, but we are not
left to uncertainty on this point. (John
xviii. 10.) Perhaps, as the other Evangelists
wrote their Gospels during the lifetime of
that Apostle, they were afraid of exposing
him to danger by revealing his name,
whereas John, who (it is supposed) wrote
his account after Peter's death, had no
inducement to conceal it. Cut off his right
ear. He meant, doubtless, to cut off his
head ; but, perhaps, the same power that
healed prevented the true aim of the
blow. It is much easier to fight a little
for Christ than to endure hardness and go
to prison and death for His sake. The
zeal of Peter was very short-lived. His
courage soon died away. The fear of man
overcame him. By-and-by when our
Lord was led away prisoner. He was led
away alone. The disciple who was so
ready to fight and smite with the sword
luid actually forsaken his Master and fled!
51. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far.
And lie touched his ear, and healed him.
iSuffcr ye thus far. Our Lord sees how
the band are just addressing themselves
to take Him prisoner, with the greater
bitterness, perchance, because blood had
already flowed, and He Himself is not
minded to counterwork their designs. He
only desires that they would leave His
hands yet a moment free, that He might
bestow yet one more benefit. " Leave me
still free for the moment, that with my
hand I may touch the ear of the wounded
man." (See Matt. xxvi. 50; Mark xiv.
46.) And he touched his car, and healed him.
Although all the four Evangelists mention
the cutting off" of the servant's ear, yet
Luke alone relates how it was healed. It
seems this miracle was the last the
Saviour performed. In one respect it was
the greatest. No doubt the Lord's power
was more fully displayed when the dead
were raised, but His grace was most
gloriously manifested when His enemy was
healed. Multitudes had often surrounded
Him, entreating Him with piteous cries
to restore their blind parents to sight, and
their sick children to health. But this
multitude came, not to entreat, but to assault.
Yet the gracious Saviour healed even
one of this wicked company. Jesus
permits evil, in order only to bring out of
it a greater good. He teaches us to return
good for evil. The sight of this miracle
converted none. 0, how insufficient are
all outward means of conversion without
the Spirit's inward operation !
52. "Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and
captains of tlie temple, and the elders whicli were come
to him, Be ye come out as against a thief, with swords
and staves ?— "Matt. xxvi. 55 ; Mark xiv. 48.
The chief priests. Some of these were
in Gethsemane, in order to convince
themselves of the fiict of the arrest of
Jesus, and, in case of need, to encourage
their servants by their presence. CajMins
of the temple. These are supposed to have
been the leaders of the priests and Levites,
who alternately kept guard at the avenues
of the temple. Be ye come out, voluntarily,
not sent out by authority, like the poor
soldiery. These dignitaries were the
principal and guilty movers. As against a
thief, roith swords and staves ? Eather, as
against a robber. Stares, literally, wood, i. e.,
all kinds of sticks and cudgels. This was
the manner in which they would have
sought to take a highwayman of desperate
character, and armed to defend his life.
They knew His purity. His holiness. His
mysterious power of rebuke. Yet they
would slay Him as a malefactor. He ex-
presses His indignation at this. It adds
not a little to the depth of our Lord's hu-
miliation, that He consented to be hunted
963
LUKE.
dmvn thus by wicked men, and to be treat-
ed as if He had been the worst of man-
kind. The best of persons are more sen-
sibly affected by the ill usage which
wounds their reputation and honor, than
they are by any other kind of injustice.
It is in order to secure us from that excess
to which tliis sense of human honoris apt
to carry us, that Christ was willing to be
treated as a thief — even He who had di-
vested Himself of all, and who was now
just going to lay down His life.
53. When I was daily with you in the temple, ye
stretched fortli no hands against me : »but this is your
hour, and the power of darkness. — iJohn xii. :^7.
Daily with you in the temple — for many
days before the Passover. Ye stretched
forth no hands against me. They refrained
from violence, not through want of an
eager desire to take Jesus, but because it
was not permitted them of God. This
utterance must have reminded them of
many a fruitless plot which they had
meditated, and many a word of rebuke
which they had heard, although our Lord,
who was not minded to eulogize Himself,
was entirely silent as to the miracles which
He had performed before their eyes, and
as to the triumphs which He by word or
deed had won over their perplexity and
weakness. But this is your hour, and the
power of darkness. (See John xii. 27.)
" How hard soever it may seem that I
should be thus exposed, I submit, for so it
is determined. This is the hour alloxeed you
to have your will against me ; there is an
hour apjiointed me to reckon for it." Two
parties are brought in here — the wicked
Jews, who were about to deliver our Lord to
Pilate, and the devil, under whose instiga-
tion they were acting. It was the brief
"hour" of triumph which the unbelieving
Jews, by the determinate counsel and fore-
knowledge of God, were to enjoy. It was
the little season, during which the prince
of the darkness of this world was to have
" power," and to all appearance to prevail
over the second Adam, as he had pre-
vailed over the first. And yet neither
wicked men nor a malicious devil could go
a hair's breadth beyond the limit appoint-
ed by God, or triumph over the Son of
God a minute beyond the time decreed by
the eternal counsels. They knew it not,
but so it was. Even now, our Lord would
have them know that they were only able
to take Him prisoner, because He submit-
ted, and because God permitted them a
little season of "power." Christ deter-
mines the hour of His death, as a volun-
tary victim, who offered Himself, not out
of necessity, but out of choice and love.
Such is the blindness of sinners, who
think they reign and triumph when they
accomplish their wicked desires, whereas
they are only the instruments of the devil,
who makes them serve His design, as the
devil is himself an instnmaent whom God
makes subservient to His.
54. IF jThen they took him, and led liim, and brought
him into the high priest's house. ^And Peter followed
afar off. 55. ^And when tliey had kindled a fire in the
midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat
down among them.
jMatt. xxvi. 57. 'Matt. xxvi. 58, on which see notes ;
John xviii. 15. aMatt. xxvi. 69; Mark xiv. 66; John
xviii. 17, 18.
Into the high priest's house. We are here
to understand Caiaphas. (Matt. xxvi. 57.)
uind Peter followed afar off. By this he
evinced two things : 1. Real attachment
to His Master — a desire to be near Him,
and to witness His trial. 2. Fear respect-
ing His personal safety. He therefore
kejjt so far off as to be out of danger, and
yet so near as that he might witness
the transactions respecting his Master.
Perhaps he expected to be lost and unob-
served in the crowd. Many, in this, imi-
tate Peter. They are afraid to follow the
Saviour closely. They fear danger, ridicule,
or persecution. They follovj Him, but it is
at a great distance, so /a)- that it is difficult
to discern that they are in the train, and
are His friends at all. Religion requires
us to be near Christ. We may measure
our piety by our desire to be near Him,
to be like Him, and by our willingness to
follow Him always, through trials, con-
tempt, persecution and death.
Kindled a fire. It is well known that the
nights in Palestine, especially in the early
year, are often very cold, particularly at
Jerusalem, from its great elevation above
the sea. The hall. The Greek word so
rendered is more frequently translated
" palace." Some suppose that here it
means " an open court enclosed by build-
ings— a court-yard exposed to the open
air." In Rev. ii. 2, it is translated " court,"
and can there bear no other sense. Peter
sat doivn among them. While the servants
CHAPTER XXII.
963
■were warming themselves in the open
court, Peter, assuming as well as lie could
the appearance of an indifferent observer,
took his place in the midst of them, in
order to be able to be cj'e and ear-witness,
in the immediate vicinity. He who loves
danger, and takes no care to avoid the
occasions of sin, runs the hazard of per-
ishing. It is infinitely better for a man
humbly to retire, acknowledging his
weakness, and having recourse to Him
who is the strength of the weak, till He
vouchsafes to show him mercy, than will-
fully to persist in performing a presump-
tuous promise, by endeavoi's which are
still more presumptuous.
56. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the
fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This
man was also with him. .57. And he denied him, say-
ing, Woman, I know him not.
As he sat htj the, fire. The Greek word
here rendered " fire " means, literally, " the
light." It is evident that the word was
used intentionally by Luke, in order to
show us that it was " by the light of the
fire" that Peter was recognized and charged
with being a disciple. Had he kept in the
background, and been content with a
darker position, he might have escaped
notice. A certain maid earnestly look-
ed upon him, &c. She did this because he
w'as a stranger, one whom she had not
seen before, and concluding that, at this
time of night, there were no neutrals there,
and knowing him not to be any of the
retinue of the high priest, she judged him
to be one of the retinue of this Jesus, or,
perhaps, she had some time or other looked
about in the temple, and seen Jesus there,
and Peter with Him, and remembered
him, hence she said, this man was also with
him. Every enemy is formidable to a per-
son not supported by God. An occasion
Avhich we entirely disregard is sometimes
very fatal to our virtue.
And he denied, &c. The very unexpect-
edness of the assault demands an instanta-
neous repulse, and already Peter rejoices
that he can preserve the guise of an ex-
ternal composure, and his answer is quick,
cold, indefinite: Woman, I know him not.
The love of life and the fear of death make
men forget the best resolutions, when they
have not been formed by God, and are not
supported by our humble prayer.
.W. »>And after a little while another saw him, and
said, Thou art al.so of them. And Peter said, Man, I am
not,— ''Matt. xxvi. 71 ; Mark xiv. (iy: John xviii. '2.5.
The first cock-crowing, which Mark,
xiv. G8, alone mentions, immediately after
the first denial, is not even_ noticed by
Peter. He appears, meanwhile, to have
succeeded in assuming so indifferent a de-
meanor that he at first is not further dis-
turbed. The disquiet of his conscience^
however, now impels him toward the door
(Matt. xxvi. 71); unluckily he finds this
shut. He does not venture to seek to have
it opened, that he may not elicit any un-
favorable conjectures, and is therefore
obliged to return to his former place. This
very disquiet again excites suspicion.
Another is masculine, referring probably to
some male attendant to whom the maid
had communicated her suspicions, and
who charged Peter directly with having
belonged to the company of Jesus. Man;
I am not. One sin hardens the. heart, and
disposes it for the commission of another.
God permits Peter to fall more than once,
that he may have no room to excuse
his sin as proceeding from surprise, and
that he may seek the cause thereof in his
own presumption.
59. cAnd about the space of one hour after, another
confidently aflirnud. saying, Of a truth this fellow also
was with liiin, lor he is a (ialilean.
cMatt. xxvi. 73 : Mark xiv. 70 ; John xviii. 26.
Another confidently affirmed, &c. Peter
had now returned into the hall, and as he
was discovered, by his peculiar manner of
speaking, to have come from that part of
Israel called Galilee, and as it was well
known that most of Christ's disciples were
Galileans, it was immediately supposed
that he was one of them. We know from
Jewish authorities that the rough provin-
cial accent of the Galileans W'as very dis-
tinguishable from that of the metropolis.
The space of one hour was allowed Peter
to recover himself; and he made no use
of it: in vain God gives men time for re-
pentance, if He do not give them likewise
a penitent heart.
60. And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou say-
est. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock
crewT.
On this occasion Peter not only denied
his Lord, but he began to curse and to
swear. (Matt. xxvi. 74.) He was now ir-
ritated beyond endurance. He could no
longer resist the evidence that he was
964
LUKE,
known. It had been repeatedly charged
on him. His language had betrayed him,
and there was a positive witness who had
seen him. He felt it necessary, therefore,
to be still more decided, and he accordingly
added to the sin of denying his Lord, the
deep aggravation of profane cursing and
swearing, affirming what he must have
known was false, that he knew not the
man. Immediately, then, the cock crew,
that is, the second crowing, or not far from
three in the morning. Let us not be weary
of considering the deplorable depravity of
the heart of man when left to himself.
These three falls are, as it were, three
witnesses of human weakness, and show
plainly that none but God knows perfectly
how great it is.
The steps by which Peter fell, or the
things which successively contributed to
his fall, were the following: 1. Self-confi-
dence, arising from too high an opinion
of himself. 2. His worldly vieAvs and ex-
pectations, and his aversion to the cross of
Christ. 3. His unbelief, as to the warn-
ings Christ had given of his weakness and
danger. 4. As a consequence of his unbe-
lief, he fell into unwatchfulness, and ne-
glected also to pray. 5. Venturing upon
forbidden ground, by going in among the
wicked servants of the high priests. 6.
Yielding to distrust, dejection and coward-
ice. The aggravating circumstances of
Peter's sin were these : 1. The character
of his person, a disciple, an Apostle, and
one who had been specially honored by
his Master. 2. The i)erson whom he de-
nied— His Master, Saviour and Redeemer.
3. The repetition of the sin — denying
Christ first with a lie, then with an oath
and next with a curse. 4. The persons
before whom the denial took jslace — the
chief priest's servants. 5. The time of the
denial — a few hours after he had received
the holy sacrament from Christ's own
hands. 6. The smallness of the tempta-
tion to deny his Lord — a damsel only at
first spake to him.
Gl. iAnd the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter.
And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he
had .said unto him, 'Before the cock crow, thou shalt
deny me thrice. 62. And Peter went out, and wejit
bitter! }-.
ajvratt. xxvi. 7.5 ; Mark xiv. 72. oMatt. xxvi. 74, 75, on
which see notes; John xiii. 38.
Looked upon Peter. Probably our Lord
cast this glance as He was led from Annas
to Caiaphas. Or, at this third denial, the
door of the 'apartment where Jesus and
Annas were, may have been opened upon
the court, and Peter may have painfully
found himself denying and swearing under
his Lord's glance. That glance, doubtless,
was turned full upon him with a signifi-
cance that called Peter to his recollections.
It does not appear that Peter came into
the examination-room, or was present
with his Lord. And Peter remembered the
word of the Lord, . . . and went out, and
wept bitterly. By a tender and compassion-
ate look — a single glance of His eye — the
injured Saviour brought to remembrance
all Peter's promises. His own predic-
tions and the great guilt of the disciple.
He overwhelmed him with the remem-
brance of his sin, and pierced his heart
through wdth many sorrows. The con-
sciousness of deep and awful guilt rushed
over Peter's soul, he flew from the palace,
he went alone in the darkness of the
night, and wept bitterly.
63. H fAnd the men that held Jesus mocked him, and
smote /um. 64. And when they had blindfolded him,
they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying.
Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? 65. And many
other things blasphemously spake they against him.
fMatt. x\vi. 67, 68 ; Mark xiv. 6.5.
The most remarkable night that has
been known since the beginning of the
world, was the night before the cruci-
fixion of the Lord. There was an inge-
nuity in the torments inflicted on Jesus,
worthy of Satan, their author. (See Matt,
xxvi. 67, 68; Mark xiv. 65.) Perhaps
there was a burst of applause when it was
first proposed to blindfold those meek and
sorrowful eyes, and no doubt a profane
laugh was heard, as each blow was struck,
and the question asked, tvho is it that smote
thee f How much astonished those men
would have been had Jesus told them who
had smitten Him ! They little thought how
well He knew their names, but they will
find hereafter that He did know who
struck Him that night. Many other things
blasphemously spake they against Him,
though, only a feiv of their blasphemies
are recorded as a specimen of the rest.
But insults could not degrade the Son of
God. He bore all their taunts with Divine
patience. (1 Peter iii. 23.) He regarded
every injury as a drop in the cup His
Father had given Him to drink. He knew
CHAPTER XXII,
965
the prophecies that had been made con-
cerning His sufferings. (Mi. v. 1 ; Isa. 1.
6.) Could tre receive all that happened to
us as the appointment of God, we should
not be so ea.sily provoked as we often are.
Yet the malice of our enemies could never
be vented against us, except by the per-
mission of God.
66. 1 fAnd as soon as it was day, ''the elders of the
people and the chief priests and the scribes came
together, and led him into their council, saying,
fMatt. xxvii. 1. ""Actj? iv. 26: xxii. 5.
As soon as it was day. There were three
stages or processes of proceedings against
Jesus : 1. The preliminary examination,
which probably took place wdiile the full
Sanhedrim was assembling. (Matt. xxvi.
57 ; Mark xiv. 63 ; Luke xxii. 5-1 ; John
xviii. 13, 19-24.) 2. The trial before the
Sanhedrim. (Matt. xxvi. 59-68; Mark
xiv. 55-65.) 3. The subsequent consultation
as to the best method of effecting the
death of Jesus. (Matt, xxvii. 1 ; ]Mark
XV. 1.) After the council had condemned
Jesus the tirst time, they seem to have
separated, and met again early in the
morning. It is to this second meeting of
the council the words, " as soon as it was
day," most probabh' refer. The sun rose
at that season of the year, in Judea, not
far from five o'clock. According to the
Talmud, capital cases were prohibited
from being heard in the night, as was also
the institution of an examination, pro-
nouncing a sentence and carrying it into
execution, on one and the same day.
These rules were flagrantly violated in
this case. The elders of the people and the
chief priests and the scribes — the classes of
w"hich the Sanhedrim w^as composed, which
consisted of seventy persons, of whom the
high priest was the chief. There were
other members of this great co'incil, such
as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimatliea.
67. "Art thou the Christ ? tell us. And he said unto
them. If I tell you, ye will not believe. tW. And if I
also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let 7)ic go.
'Matt. xxvi. 63 ; Mark xiv. 61.
Art thou the Christ f As Jesus had
already acknowledged Himself to.be the
Son of God, there was no necessity for
repeating this question. The resource
Avhich the Sanhedrim adopted was one
which our own rules of evidence would
declare most infamous, and which was
also wholly adverse to the first principles
of Mosaic jurisprudence, and the like of
which occurs in no circumstance of
Hebrew history. It was that of putting
the prisoner upon His oath to answer
questions framed for His own crimination.
(See Matt. xxvi. 63.) When Jesus was
asked, Art iliou the Christ f he showed by
His answer that He would have proved
His claim had His Judges been willing to
listen. If I also ask i/ou,&c. They would
not reply fairly to any questions which
He might pro[)Ose, and by which His
innocence might be proved, and His true
character and mission vindicated. On
former occasions He had asked them
various questions by which He had shown
He w^as the Christ, and that the Christ
was the Son of God. This is the great
truth that Jesus sealed with Hisown blood.
By confessing it, men are saved. " "Wiiosoever
shall confess," &c. (John iv. 15.) By
denying this truth, men are lost. " Who is
a liar," &c, (John iv. 22.)
69. tHereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right
hand of the power of God.
kMatt. xxvi. 64, on which see notes; Mark xiv. 62;
Heb. i. 3 and viii. 1.
Hereafter .... Son of man .... right
hand .... God. There is a plain refer-
ence in the.se words to the prophecy of
Daniel. (Dan. vii. 9-14.) Ouv Lord
evidently implies that He was the person
to whom that prophecy pointed ; and that,
although condemned by the Jews, He
would shortly be exalted to the highest
position of dignity in heaven. The Jews
saw this at once, and proceeded to put the
question of the next verse.
70. Then said they all. Art thou then the Son of God ?
And he said unto them, 'Ye say that I am.
'Matt. xxvi. 64, on which see notes ; Mark xiv-. G2.
Art thou then tlie Son of Godf Our Lord
in the preceding verse had called Himself
the " Son of man." His enemies in this
question, ask Him if He is the " Son of
God." They did so because His solemn
saying about sitting at God's right hand
showed them that He claimed to be the
Messiah, and very God. Ye say that I
am, which is a form of assenting or
affirming, and equivalent to saying,
" Ye say rightly that I am." The same in
sense is given by Mark xiv. 62, '' I am."
Seldom in the course of His ministry did
our Lord announce Himself as the ]\Ies-
siah. But here, in the great and trying
moment, when questioned by the repre-
LUKE.
sentatives of the Jewish nation, " Art thou
the Son of God?" He returned the
solemn reply, "Ye say that I am"— a
Hebraistic form of affirmation. The in-
carnation and resurrection of the Son of
God being the fundamental mysteries of
the Christian religion, which were to
make so many martyrs, it was necessary
that Jesus Christ, as the head of them,
should be Himself a martyr for those
truths. He knew very well that they
would cost Him His life, but He knew
likewise that life is a debt which all men
owe to the truth, and that to sacrifice it to
God is not to lose it.
71. mAnd they said, What need we any further wit-
ness ? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.
mMatt. xxvi. 65 ; Mark xiv. 63.
How different is the joy of these men,
upon hearing the truth out of the mouth
of Christ, from that of His true disciples !
These find therein the words of eternal
life, but those convert it into words of
death, both for Christ and themselves, by
the abuse they make of it.
The bold confession of our Master upon
this occasion is intended to be an example
to all His believing peojile. Like Him,
we must not shrink from speaking out
when occasion requires our testimony.
The fear of man and the presence of a
multitude must not make us hold our
l^eace. (Job xxxi. 34.) A confessing
Master loves bold, uncompromising and
confessing disciples.
1. What feast drew nigh ? 2. Wlio sought how they might kill Jesus ? 3. Who entered into Judas ? 4. Wliat
did Judas do ? 5. Where did Christ send Peter and John ? 6. For what purpose ? 7. What directions did He
give them? 8. What did our Lord say to His Apostles in eating the passover with them? 9. How was the
Lord's Supper instituted? 10. What strife arose among the Apostles? ]1 What did Jesus say to them? 12.
What did He say to Simon ? 13. What took place at tlie mount of Olives? 14. How did Peter deny Christ ? 15.
How and why did he repent ? 16. How did the men that held Jesus treat Him. ?
CHAPTER XXIII.
1 Jesus is accused be/ore Pilate, and sent to Herod. 8
Herod mockcth him. 1? Hi rod. mid Pilule are made
friends. 13 Barabbas ix desired nf the i>eiiiile. and is
loosed by Pilate, and Jexus in given to be crucified. 27
He telle'th the women, that lament him, the destruction
of Jerusalem: 'M prayeth for hus enemies, 'id Two evil
doers are crucified with him. 46 His death. 50 His
burial.
AND Hhe whole multitude of them arose, and led
him unto Pilate.
"Matt, xxvii. 2, on which see notes; Mark xv. 1;
John xviii. 28.
The whole multitude. Not of the jieople,
who were not as yet turned against Jesus,
but of the parties mentioned in verse 66
of the last chapter, namely, the ruling
clas.ses. Unto Pilate. Pilate was at this
time the governor or procurator appointed
by the Romans over Judea. He was placed
in this ofiice by Tiberius, then emperor
of Rome. The governor commonly resided
at Ccmrea, but he came up to Jerusalem
usually at the great feasts, when most of
the Jews were assembled, to administer
justice, and to suppress tumults if any
should arise.
2. And they began to accuse him, saying, We found
this b/fMoif perverting the nation, and 'forbidding to
give tribute to Cesar, saying athat he himself is.Christ a
king.
bActs xvii. 7. «See Matt. xvii. 27 and xxii. 21, on
which see notes ; Mark xii. 17. ajohn xix. 12.
We found — a judicial expression, intima-
ting that they had brought Christ, as one
con victed of guilt after diligent examination.
Felloiu, is not exjiressed in the original ;
but it is rightly inserted, being understood
in what is expressed. Perverting the nation,
&c., &c. They charged him with the polit-
ical ofiense of forbidding the people to pay
tribute to Caesar (the very trap into which
they had vainly tried to draw Him) and
making Himself a king, a claim Avhich they
alone had desired Him to make in a form
hostile* to the emperor. This charge, if
proved, would have exposed Him to in-
evitable death, for never were persecutions
for treason more severe than under the
reign of Tiberius.
.3. "-And Pilate asked him, saying. Art thou the King
of the Jews? And he answered him and said. Thou
sayest it. 4. Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to
the people, fl find no fault in this man. 5. And they
CHAPTER XXIII.
967
were the more fierce, saying, He stlrreth up the people,
teaching throughout all Jewry, sbeginnlng from Galilee
to this place. 6. When Pilate lieuni of Galilee, he lusked
whether the man were a Galilean. 7. And as soon as
he knew that lie belonged unto llerod'.s jurisdiction, he
sent him to ""Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem
at that time.
eMatt. xxvii. 11 ; I Tim. vi. 13. '1 Peter ii. 22. sActe
X. 37. kljuke iii. 1.
Pilate, not unacquainted with the pre-
vailing Messianic hope, formulated his
question very precisely, and sought to find
out whether Jesus was really the promised
and long-sighed-for King of Israel. To
this question our Lord could not possibly
answer otherwise than, without delay and
without the least equivocalness, with yes.
Thou sayest it. (See note on xxii. 70.)
Christ is still willing to be called the King
of this people, though they are so disloyal
and ungrateful to Him as to clamor for
His death.
How Pilate came to the conclusion that
a claim to be a king is no fault in this man,
we learn from John xviii. 36, 37, where it
is shown that Jesus satisfied Pilate that
His kingdom was no way dangerous to the
imperial power. He was king in the realm
of truth, where Cresar was no rival. It is
something, indeed, for a judge not to sup-
press and stifle the knowledge which he
has of innocence, but he becomes the more
guilty upon this account, if he abandons
the defense of it, and delivers it up to its
enemies.
Were the more fierce — grew more desperate,
more violent, more urgent. Since now
they see that their last charge of the
assumption of royal dignity finds no ac-
ceptance with the judge, they come with
so much the stronger emphasis back to
the first — namely, that He is perverting
the people ; and told Pilate that this man
had set the whole country in an uproar
from Judea even unto Galilee.
Heard of Galilee, &c. As they exiiected,
Pilate caught at the name of Galilee, which
had lately supplied more than one dan-
gerous demagogue ; and having ascertain-
ed that Jesus belonged to the territory of
Herod (see chap. iii. 1), he concluded to
get rid of this troublesome aifair by send-
ing the accused to the tetrarch, whose
immediate subject He was, and whom he
might suppose better qualified than him-
self to judge in this case ; nor did it escape
him that he would be thus enabled to
show a gratifying mark of attention to
Herod, with whom he had lately been on
ill terms. How many Christians are there
who, like Pilate, make Christ subservient
to their temporal afiTairs and designs !
8. ^ And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding
glad , for 'he was desirous to see him of a long season,
Jbecause he had heard many things of him, and he
hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.
'Luke Lx. 9. JMatt. xiv. 1 ; Mark vi. 14.
The exi)ressions in this verse are very
remarkable. They bring before us the
fearful histijry of Herod's sins, and throw
light on the power of conscience. Herod
had not forgotten John the Baptist and
his testimony. Moreover, he had proba-
bly heard much about our Lord from his
steward Chuza, whose wife Joanna was
one of our Lord's disciples. (Luke viii. 3.)
He had long desired to see Him, in the
hope of witnessing the performance of
some wonder bj' one so renowned for His
miracles. Many people of the world learn
the truths of Christianity with a joy
arising only from curiosity, and not from
any desire of being instructed in them and
of putting them in practice.
9. Then he questioned with him in many words, kbut
he answered him nothing. 10. And the cliief priests
and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. 11.
'And Ilcrod witli liis men of war set him at nought,
and nidckcd ////», and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe,
and sent him again to Pilate.
kPs. xxxviii. 13, 14 ; Isa. liii. 7 ; 1 Peter ii. 23. 'Isa.
liU. 3.
In many words. It was an extended ex-
amination, conducted probably before the
tetrarch's courtiers, with many a cross-
question and device to draw out the won-
der-worker. Ansivered him nothing. It
was no part of our Lord's calling to gratify
an idle curiosity, nor could any object be
gained by declaring His doctrine to one so
utterly worldly. He therefore performed
no miracle, and was silent to all the ques-
tions put to Him. A respectful silence is
an instruction for some, and a refuge
against others. That person says a great
deal who speaks by his modesty, humility
and patience.
Vehemently accused him. They saw very
well that their interest required them to
paint Him to Herod in colors as black as
was any way possible, and accuse Him ;
therefore, they did so, with visible empha-
sis (comp. Acts xviii. 28), as if they feared
that even Herod himself, perchance, might
be too equitable with their victim, seizing,
as it would seem, the favorable moment
when the chagrin of Herod disposed him
968
LUKE
to listen. An affected moderation would
have rendered those accusers less suepect-
cd, their accusations more probable and
their envy less visible, than this vehe-
mence ; but envy seldom or never consults
prudence.
Sit him at nought, &c. Herod was acute
enough to see that Jesus was not really
open to any capital charge, and after the
odium he had incurred on account of
John the Baptist, he was not willing to
add the death of Jesus to the number of
his crimes. Yet, being exasjjerated at the
dignified passiveness of Jesus, he, with
his guards, treated Him. as though He was
nobody, a nothing, then scoffed at Him,
then caused Him to be arraj'ed in a gor-
geous purple robe (doubtless one of his
own, and probably the same robe which
was afterward used by the soldiers of
Pilate), in derision of His Messianic dig-
nity ; then, not wishing to be outdone in a
complimentary act by Pilate, he waived
his claim of jurisdiction over Jesus, and
sent Him back to the Roman governor, at
whose tribunal He had first been arraigned.
12. •[ And the same day nPilate and Herod were
made friends together : for before they were at enmity
between themselves,— m Acts iv. 27.
The cause of the enmity between these
two men is unknown. Some think it may
have been the massacre of the Galileans.
(Luke xiii. 1.) It probably grew out of a
conflict in regard to their respective juris-
dictions. The method of the reconciliation
seems to indicate the nature of the pre-
vious alienation. The courteous act of
Pilate in sending Jesus to be tried before
Herod, and the equally courteous return
made by the Galilean prince in remanding
Jesus to Pilate's judgment seat, it would
appear, furnished the occasion for the re-
newal of friendship. Both these men
agreed in despising Jesus, and insulting
Him, and were utterly unbelieving as to
His claim to faith and respect. The cir-
cumstance of their reconciliation struck
the Apostles very much. They regarded
it as a fulfillment of part of the second
Psalm. They mentioned in prayer to God
the union of Pilate and Herod and the
Jews against their Master. (Actsiv. 23-30.)
13. 1 lAnd Pilate, when he had called together the
chief priests and the rulers and the people, l-l. Said
unto them, "Ye have brought this man unto me, as one
that perverteth the people ; and behold, pl, having ex-
amnied him before you, have found no fault in this man
touching those things whereof ye accuse him : 15. No
nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him, and lo, nothing
worthy of death is done unto him.
"Matt, xxvii. 23, on which see notes; Mark xv 14-
John xviii. 38 and xix. 4. "Verses 1.2. pVerse4.
Pilate was doubtless embarrassed to find
the case turned back upon his hands.
Called together the chief priests and the rulers
and the people. It was not enough for Pilate
to communicate his peculiar views merely
to the sanhedrists. He therefore convened
the people, the number of whom had con-
siderably increased during the sending of
our Lord back and forth, and who took a
lively interest in the matter, in order that
the declaration of our Lord's innocence
might be as public and unmistakable as
possible. Have found no fault. We ought
to notice how many and what various
persons bear testimony to the innocence
of Jesus — Pilate, Herod, Pilate's wife,
Judas Iscariot, the thief on the cross, and
the centurion who superintended the cru-
cifixion. We cannot doubt that this was
specially overruled and ordered by the
providence of God. Nothing ivorthy of death.
As a representative man, this Gentile
stands before the Jew, and pronounces
Jesus innocent. But while He thus con-
fessed Him innocent, he did not make
himself so. He shed innocent blood. So
the Gentile nations pronounce Jesus in-
nocent, yet it is their sin that ever cruci-
fies Him afresh.
16. ql will therefore chastise him, and release him.
17. rFor of necessity he must release one unto them at
the least.
qM' tt. xxvii. 2(); John xix. 1. rMatt. xxvii. 15; Mark
XV. 0 ; John xviii. 39.
Chastise. It was the Koman custom to
scourge those who were about to be cruci-
fied, especially slaves, making this the most
ignominious punishment. The scourge
was composed of ox nerves, extremely
sharp, interwoven with sheep bones, so as
to lacerate the flesh. The victim was bound
to a low pillar, in order that, stooping for-
ward, he might curve his bare back to re-
ceive the full, fair stroke.
Of necessity. This habit of releasing a
criminal unto the people at the feast of the
Passover was one of such invariable prac-
tice and long continuance, that it became
a fixed and necessary custom. From what
the custom arose, or by whom it was in-
troduced, is not known. It was probably
adopted to secure popularity among the
CHAPTER XXIII.
969
Jews, and to render the government of
the liomiins less odious. Any Uttle indul-
gence granted to the Jews during the
heavy oppression of the Romans Would
serve to conciliate their favor, and to keep
the nation from sedition. It might happen
often, that when persons were arraigned
before the Romans on charge of sedition,
some peculiar favorite of the people, or
some leader, might be among the number.
It is evident that if they had the privilege
of recovering such a person, it would serve
much to allay their feelings, and make
tolerable the yoke under Avhich they
groaned.
18. And 'they cried out all at once saying, 'Away with
this man, and release unto us Barabbas : lit. Who for
a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder,
was cast into prison.— 'Acts iii. 14. 'Acts xxi. 36.
All at once, literally, the whole multitude
together. Away with tJiis man, literally, aivay
this (fellow). Barabbas is called (INIatt.
xxvii. 16) " a notable prisoner." He was
distinguished for great crimes. He was,
perhaps, a leader of a band who had been
guilty of sedition, and had committed
murder in an insurrection. As he and his
adherents probably lived by plunder, he is
called a " robber." As a tierce and brave
Jewish patriot, he had become famous
among the populace. He was, perhaps,
like Robin Hood among the old English,
hateful to the government, but popular
with the masses.
What guilt there was in the few short
words of the people, "Release unto us
Barabbas !" They preferred a robber and
a murderer to Him who came to give life
unto the world ! It was not one man only
who made this wicked choice, bat a whole
multitude ! Shame ! The world prefers
the vilest of the vile before Christ ! And
yet rejoice. Christ's death is the only
hope for the vilest of men ! Christ dies,
and thus only is any Barabbas set free. (1
Tim. 1. 15; Acts iii. 13.) Jesus and the
guilty sinner exchange places. The
sinner, condemned and awaiting his
dreadful death, is now freely released by
this wonderful substitution of Christ. Not
that the sinner has been found innocent,
but that Christ has taken his place, and he
is set free. Yet Barabbas will, after all,
die eternally if he believe not in Jesus.
Christ's interposition will do us no saving
good, if we see not in Him our glorious
and Divine substitute — on whom our sins
were laid, and who freely died for us.
20. Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake
again to them.
See on Matt. xxv. 11.
The word rendered u'iZZm(/exi)resses the
idea of will combined with choice or 2)ur-
pose, and not sim[)ly one of mere inclina-
tion. Spake again to them. His address
probably consisted of a few words, and
those not essentially difierent from the
ones which are communicated to us a
little before and a little later. Pilate's
desire to acquit our Lord and set Hini
free, coupled with his great desire to please
the Jews and get the praise of man, is a
striking picture of the slavery to which a
great man, without j)rinciple, may be
reduced.
21. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.
For the first time the terrible cry is here
heard, which, as" the secret wish and
thought of the chief priests, is now by
these placed upon the people's lips, and
with fanatical rage raised by these.
Ch'ucify him. The cross was a Roman
mode of execution, reserved for slaves
and the vilest of the race, and was expres-
sive of the strongest contempt. The
halter, among us, is scarce so ignominious
a term of shameful sufiering. What sad
evidence have we here of the inconstancy
of the friendship of the world ! The very
same persons but six days ago cried out,
" Hosannah to the Son of David," who
now cry out, " Crucify Him, crucify Him."
22. And he said unto them the third time. Why, what
evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in
him : "I will therefore chastise him, and let hi7n go.
"Verse 16.
What evil hath he done? Luke alone
states that the governor, at this point of
the trial, raised, for the third time, his
voice in favor of our Lord. I have found
no cause of death in him. INIiserable tem-
porizer ! If he had found no fault in
Him, why permit Him to be thus wantonly
insulted, thus cruelly tormented ? The
fact is, for we see it through every feature
and lineament of Pilate's character, that
he would have been the friend of Christ
if he could have been at no sacrifice of
popularity or self-interest ; he would have
liberated Him, for His conscience told
him that he ought to do so, but he feared
970
LUKE,
the people, and therefore hoped, by taking
a middle course, to satisfy his conscience,
to please the people, and to save Jesus.
It should be remembered that it was not
open animosity, not undisguised and
reckless hostility, but this middle course,
this temporizing policy, which placed the
crown of thorns upon the Saviour's head.
Chastise him, <kc. (See notes on verse 16.)
03 A-iid tliPV were instant with lond voices, req^uiring
that he might be cruciHed. And the voices ot them
and of tlie cliief priests prevailed. 24. And vpiiate
*''ave sentence thi'.t it should be a.s they required, ii.
And he r l.-ased unto them him that for sedition and
murder was cast int<^ prison, whom they had desired,
but he delivered Jesus to their will.
'Matt, xxvii. 20; Mark xv. 15; John xix. 16. *Or
assented.
Instcmt— urgent. The rabble, and the
chief priests, by whom they were excited,
joined in the infuriated cry.
Pilate at length yielded to their impor-
tunity. The clamor of the people and
chief priests overruled him to act contrary
to his reason and conscience. He had
not courage to stem so strong a stream,
but gave sentence as they required. Here was
judgment turned airaij backward, and justice
standing afar off, for fear of popular fury.
Barabbas would thus be hardened in
wickedness, and do the more mischief,
yet him he released, but he delivered Jesus
to their vAll, i. e., to the will of the Jews.
He who loves anything more than truth,
will abandon it sooner or later. Christ is
delivered up to the will of man, that man
may deliver himself up to the will of
Christ through His grace.
26 "And as they led him away, they laid hold upoti
one Simon, a Cvrenian, coming out of the country, and
on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after
"Matt, xxvii. 32, on which see notes ; Mark xv. 21 ; see
John xix. V.
Led him away to the cross. The places
of execution were always outside the
walls of towns. At Jerusalem it was
upon a swell of ground called Golgotha—
the place of a skull— some say on account
of the skulls of dead criminals that lay
there, forgetting that the Jews never
suflered either the bodies or bones even
of criminals to remain unburied. They
laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming
out of the country. Cyrene was a city of
Libya, in Africa, lying west of Egypt, in
which, though consisting mostly of Greeks,
a Jewish colony was located. Having
much intercourse with Jerusalem, they
maintained a regular synagogue at that
city. Simon appears at this time to have
been a resident, at any rate, temporarily,
eitherof Jerusalem or its adjacent country,
inasmuch as it is from the country he is
coming when he is so sadly met by the
procession of our Lord's executioners.
And on him they laid the cross, that he might
bear it after Jesus. It was a part of the
usual punishment of those who were cru-
cified, that they should bear their own
cross to the place of execution. It was
accordingly laid first on Jesus. Weak,
however, and exhausted by suffering and
watchfulness. He probably sank under
the heavy burden, and on him they laid the
cross, that he miglit bear it after Jesus, either
entirely in Christ's room, or sharing a part
of its weight.
It is a great favor to be chosen of God
to accompany an afflicted soul, and to keep
it from sinking under the burden of its
cross. Jesus, though now in heaven, can
never forget that hour on earth in which He
bore His cross, and never does He see a
weak and fainting sufferer, upon whom
fresh trials are accumulating, without
calling to mind that heavy cross, the toil-
some journey up Mount Calvary, or with-
out stretching forth a hand to help and
succor him. To bear the cross of Jesus,
and to share His reproach, is reckoned in
heaven more honorable than to govern
kingdoms, or to discover worlds.
" We tread the path our Master trod.
We bear the cross He bore ;
And every thorn that wounils our feet,
His temples pierced before.
" O, patient, spotless Lamb !
My heart in jiatience keep
To bear the cross so easy made,
By wounding Thee so deep."
27. 1[ And there followed him a great company of
l^eople, and of women, which also bewailed and la-
mented him.
A great company of people — a great crowd,
as might be expected, followed the sad
procession, many of them the same per-
sons who, a few days before, had made
themselves hoarse in shouting hosannas
as Jesus entered, in Messianic triumph,
the gate of the city opposite to that which
He was now leaving as a prisoner con-
demned to die. Doubtless there were in
the company also disciples and friends of
Christ, and persons who were moved to
pity by the sight of an innocent person
suffering. And of wornen. The most of
these were probably drawn together from
CHAPTER XXIII.
971
motives of cariosity, but among them we
know to have been those noble women
who followed Him from Galilee, and who
were first to visit His sepulchre on the
■morning of His resurrection. Which also
be^ralled and lamented him. They wept
deeply for the sorrowful fate of the Just
One. It has been remarked that no
woman is mentioned as speaking against
our Lord in His life, or having a share in
His death. On the contrary, He was
anointed by a woman for His burial —
women were the last at His grave and the
first at His resurrection — to a woman He
first appeared when He rose again — women
ministered to His wants — women bewailed
and lamented Him — a heathen woman
interceded for His life with her husband,
Pilate — and, above all, of a woman He
was born.
28. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of
Jerusalem, weep not lor me, but weep for yourselves,
and for your children.
As He had now been relieved, at least
in part, from the weight of the cross by
Simon, He was enabled to turn partially
around as He walked along, so as to ad-
dress these women. Daughters of Jerusa-
lem— a Hebraism for persons born and
living in Jerusalem, or who resorted to it
as the capital of their country. Weep not
for me. Our Lord does not overlook the
fact that the compassion of these women
had not the three condemned, in equal
measure, but Himself personally, as its
object, therefore He does not say, " weep
not for us." A mere natural sympathy,
awakened even over the narrative of the
Saviour's crucifixion, though serving to
attract attention to the solemn subject,
and to be the entrance to deeper views,
has in itself no saving power. But v.wep
for yourselves, and for your children. The
Saviour does not condemn their tears for
Him, bxit warns them that they have not
more than enough for their own fate and
that of their children, alluding, in the lat-
ter, to the imprecation of the Jews. (Matt.
xxVii. 25.) Many of the women to whom
our Lord here spoke might easily have been
living forty years after, when Titus took
Jerusalem, to see and experience the inde-
scribable horrors of the siege, but it must
have been mostly the generation of their
children who sufiered the destruction itself.
29. ^For, behold the days are coming, in the which
they shall say. Blessed a^e the barren, and the wombs
that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
»M.att. xxiv. IS); Luke xxi. 23.
These days mean primarily the period
of the last wars between the Jews and
the Komans, and in particular the siege
of Jerusalem, but in all sucli predictions
of judgments to come a more fearful
doom lies far in the future, when all God's
enemies and those of His Son shall be
arraigned at His bar, and receive the
award of their impenitence and unbelief
in the righteous retributions of eternity.
They shall say. Here is a significant
change from the second person to the third,
from 7je to tliey. Perhaps the they refers to
children, perhaps impersonally to the
"wicked in the day of Jerusalem's destruc-
tion. Blessed are the barren, &c. In those
" days," viz. : when, at the destruction of
Jerusalem, all hope of deliverance would
be cut off, tho.^e would be regarded fortu-
nate who had never borne children. Al-
though we have not any reason to fear
the very evils which were to happen at
the siege of Jerusalem, yet those calami-
ties prefigure those of the lost, who shall
seek death without being able to find it,
and shall suflTer an eternal confusion.
Nothing but repentance and faith can pre-
vent these miseries.
30. yTlien .shall they begin to say to the mountains,
Fall on us, and to the hills. Cover us.
Jlsa. ii. 19 ; Hos. x. 8 ; Rev. vi. 16 and ix. G.
At the time I'eferred to, a sudden, even
though a terrible death, would be regarded
as a benefit. (Comp. Hos. ix. 14, x. 8 ;
Eev. vi. 16.) Here again, while immediate
reference is had to the destruction of Je-
rusalem, yet, in a higher sense, the great
day of God's wrath at the final judgment
is referred to, and the expressions, though
figurative, signify the intense misery and
distress, and the desperate helplessness
of all on whom that wrath shall fiill. If
now we will say to Jesus, " Pardon us,"
we shall never say to the mountains,
"Fall onus."
31. 'For if they do these things in a green tree, what
shall be done in the dry ?
'Prov. xi. 31 ; Jer. xxv. 29 ; Ezek. xx. 47 and xxi. 3,
4 ; 1 Peter iv. 17.
What is the meaning of these words?
In the prophecy of Ezekiel, xx. 47, there
is a little parable, in which the Jewish
nation is compared to a forest, and the
973
LUKE,
anger of God to a fire, A fire quickly de-
stroys dry trees, but green trees less easily.
Dry trees represent the vAcked, who are
prepared for destruction, gre^in trees the
righteous. God gives this explanation of
Ezekiel's parable: "Say to the land of
Israel, Behold, I am against thee, and will
draw forth my sword out of his sheath,
and will cut otf from thee the righteous and
the wicked." (Ezek. xxi. 3.) When Jesus,
therefore, spoke of a green tree, he meant
Himself; and when He spoke of a dry tree,
His enemies. This seems to be the expla-
nation of His words. *' If they (that is, the
Romans) treat me who am innocent so
cruelly, what will be done to the guilty?"
32. aAnd there were also two others, malefactors, led
with him to be put to death,
alsa. liiL 12; Matt, xxvii. 38, on which see notes.
Pilate did not reside in Jerusalem. When
he came there on the great feasts, or at
other times, it was, in part, to hold courts
for the trial of criminals. These robbers
had probably been condemned at that
time, and to show greater contempt for
Jesus, He was crucified with men of that
abandoned character, and on a cross which
should have been occujned by their com-
Jianion and leader, Barabbas. Their names
were joined with that of Jesus in the his-
tory of the executions of that day. Thus
the prophecy spoken by Isaiah was fulfilled,
"He was numbered with the transgres-
sors." (Isa. liii. 12.) Shame was one of
the ingredients in His bitter cup. Shame
is the consec^uence of sin, and He who
bare our sins bare also our shame.
.S3. And i>when they were come to the place which is
called *Calvary , there they crucified him, and the male-
factors, one on the right hand, and the other on the
left.
bMatt. xxvii. 33, on which see notes; Mark xv. 22;
John xix. 17. *Or, the place of a skull.
The place which is called Calvary. All the
four Gospel writers speak of it as "a place."
Not one of them calls it a " mount." It is
usually supposed to have been on the
north-west of Jerusalem, without the walls
of the city, but at a short distance. Jesus
was put to death out of the city, because
capital punishments were not allowed
within the walls. (See Num. xv. 35 ; 1
Kings xxi. 13.) There they crucified him.
The cross was composed of two pieces of
wood, one of which was placed upright in
the earth, and the other crossed it. The
upright part was commonly so high that
the feet of the person crucified were two
or three feet from the ground. On the
middle of that upright part there was a
projection, or seat, on which the person
crucified sat, or, as it were, rode. This was
necessary, as the hands were not alone
strong enough to bear the weight of the
body, as the body was left exposed often
many days, and not unfrequently suffered
to remain till the flesh had been devoured
by vultures, or putrified in the sun. The
feet were fastened to this upright piece,
either by nailing them with large spikes,
driven through the tender part, or by being
lashed by cords. To the cross-piece at the
top, the hands, being extended, were also
fastened, either by spikes or by cords, or
perhaps in some cases by both. Our Lord
was nailed both by the hands and feet, as
the prophets had foretold (Ps. xxxii. 16;
Zech. xii. 10; John xx. 25, 27, &c. ; Rev. i.
7), a method more exquisitely painful at
first, though tending to shorten the torture.
He was fiistened to the cross as it lay upon
the ground, and the shock, when it was
dropped with a sudden jerk into the hole
or socket prepared to receive it, must have
been terrible. Death did not ensue, usually,
for many hours after the criminal was
affixed to the cross. And the malefactors,
one on the right hand, and the other on the
left. (See notes on verse 32.) Christ, in
submitting to the punishment of slaves,
joins the greatest of ignominies with the
most violent of all pains, that nothing may
be wanting to the example of patience and
humility which He intends to give us in
His death, and to the remedy which He
prepares thereby for the cure of all our
wounds.
34. T Then said Jesus, Father, cforgive them ; <ifor
they know not what they do. And ^they parted his
raiment, and cast lots.
<^Matt. V. 44: Acts vii. 60; 1 Cor. iv. 12. ^Acts iii. 17.
cMatt. xxvii. 35 ; Mark xv. 24 ; John xlx. 23.
Christ had often preached the doctrine
of forgiving enemies, and praying for them.
He practices it here Himself in a most ex-
emplary manner. Observe, 1. The time—
then, this prayer was probably uttered di-
rectly after His suspension on the cross.
As soon as the blood of the Great Sacrifice
began to flow, the Great High Priest began
to intercede. 2. The character in which
He prayed — Father — it was as Son He both
CHAPTER XXIII.
973
atoned and interceded with the Father.
3. The mercy prayed for, forgiveness.
Forgive — for the sacrifice which makes for-
giveness possible is now being made. 4.
The persons for whom this prayer was
•oflered. Forgive them, for they know not
what they do. The persons for wliom the
prayer was offered were those who were
ignorant of the real nature of the act they
were performing. This was undoubtedly
true of the Roman soldiers. How far the
rulers and priests, the real murderers of
our Lord, were included in the terms of
this prayer, we cannot say. Our Lord does
not mention the ignorance of those He
prays for, as a plea for pardon, but as a
description of their state. On the one
hand, we must beware of supposing that
ignorance is not blameworthy, and that
ignorant persons deserve to be forgiven
their sins. At this rate ignorance would
be a desirable thing. All spiritual igno-
rance is more or less culpable. It is part
of man's sin that he does not know better
than he does. His not knowing God is
only i^art of his guilt. Ignorance, to be an
excuse, or to diminish the intensity of a
crime, must be sincere and unavoidabl6,
and it must be the ignorance of a will that
would have done right had it known the
truth. That those who aided in bringing
our Lord to the cross were guilty, is evi-
dent, not only from the fact that Peter, in
his sermon (Acts ii. 23), declared, " Him ye
have taken, and by wicked haivis have cru-
cified and slain;" but also from the fact
that three thousand were "pricked in
their hearts," and said : " Men and breth-
ren, what shall we do?" In this prayer
of Jesus, He "made intercession for the
transgressors," as had been foretold of
Him, and afforded a grand example of
magnanimity to all His followers who
might suffer for righteousness sake. Not
that the Gospel requires of us an insensi-
bility of wrongs and injuries, or that we
deliver up our rights and properties to the
lusts of every one that will invade them ;
but it forbids us to revenge injuries, and
requires us meekly to receive evil, and
readily to return good. And they pa rted h is
raiment, and cast lots. The literal fulfillment
of the twenty-second Psalm, in this verse
and the following one, ought to be care-
fully observed. (Ps. xxii. 17, 18.) Jesus
gave up to His executioners these gar-
ments, made by the hands of men ; but
He left us garments far more precious than
these — even His righteousness and grace
to cover the nakedness of our hearts.
35. And nUe people stood beholding. And tlieifrulers
also, with them, derided him, saying, He saved others ;
let him save himself, if he he Christ, the chosen of God.
'Ps. xxii. 17; Zech. .\ii. lu. sMatt. xxvii. 39, on whicb
see notes ; Mark xv. 29.
The impious throng mocked the dying
Saviour. It would appear that the people
joined in this with the riders. He saved
others, let him save himself. Instead of ad-
dressing the Son of God Himself, they
spoke to each other. It is more trying to
hear our enemies speak against us to
others, than to hear them address the same
reproaches to ourselves. There is more
contemi)t shown in such a way of attack
than in a direct assault. It does not seem
probable that they meant to admit that
He had actually saved others, but only
that He pretended to save them from death
by miracles, or that He claimed to be the
Messiah, and thus affirmed that He could
save them. This is, therefore, cutting
irony.
30. Antl the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him,
and ottering him vinegar, 37. And saying, If thou be
the King ot the Jews, save thyself.
Luke is the only one "who communicates
to us the fact that the soldiers also took
part in the mocking, which the examjjle
of the chief priests had excited. The
soldiers, rather from the natural inclina-
tion of persons of their profession to join
in any popular excitement and clamor,
than from deep feelings of hatred, like
that which rankled in the bosom of the
priests and rulers, left their jirevious com-
posed demeanor, and approached Jesus,
pretending to share with Him their stim-
ulating drink. Vinegar. This w^as posca,
a mixture of vinegar and water, a common
drink for the Roman soldiers, not the
medicated drink of wine and myrrh which
was given to intoxicate and benumb, and
which Jesus refused, because He would
die undisturbed and unclouded in His
mind. The soldiers also appropriated to
themselves the words of the chief priests
quite as eagerly and willingly as they had
previously done the garments of the con-
demned, exclaiming, not without bitter-
974
LUKE.
ness toward despised Judaism, If thou be
the King of the Jews, &c.
38. i>And a superscription also was written over him
in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew : lillb iS)
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
tMatt. xxvii. a7 ; Mark xv. 26 : John xix. 19.
It was usual for the Romans to put a
" title " or inscription at the top of the
cross, to denote the offense of the crucified
person; a custom observed also by the
Turks, in their analagous punishment of
impalement. In the provinces, these
inscriptions were in different languages,
so that all might be able to under-
stand for what offense the criminal was
executed. The title set upon our Lord's
cross was in Greek, the language most
generally spoken in the eastern parts
of the Roman empire ; in Latin, the lan-
guage of the Romans, and in the vernacu-
lar " Hebrew," or rather Chaldo-Syriac, the
language of Judea. John says (xix. 19)
that Pilate wrote the title and put it upon
the cross. Probably Pilate wrote it, or
caused it to be written, and directed the
soldiers to set it up. The difference in the
accounts the Evangelists give of this title
(Matt, xxvii. 37; Mark xv. 26; John xix.
19) may be easily removed. It is not at
all improbable that the inscription varied in
the languages in which it was written. One
Evangelist may have translated it from
the Hebrew, another from the Greek, a
third from the Latin and a fourth have
translated one of the inscriptions a little
differently from another. Besides, the
Evangelists all agree in the main point of
the inscription, viz.: That He was the
King of the Jews.
39. H 'And one of the malefactors which were hanged,
railed on him, saying. If thou be Christ, save thyself,
and us.— 'Matt, xxvii. 44; Mark xv. 32.
Malefactors. Thieves, robbers, or high-
waymen. Railed on him. Matthew and
Mark say both the thieves railed. It seems
probable that if the penitent thief had
railed at Jesus, he would have confessed
tltat sin when he rebuked his companion
for the same. It is j^robable that they
use the plural number in the general waj'^
that people sometimes use it, when de-
scribing a transaction. For example, it is
said (Heb. xi. 33), " they stopped the mouths
of lions," when, in fact, it was but one,
namely, Daniel, who did so, and " they
were sawn asunder," when, in all likeli-
hood, the allusion is but to one, namely,
Isaiah. (See on Matt, xxvii. 41, 42, 43.)
Jf thou be Christ. This was not a prayer,
it was a reproach.
40. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost
not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condem-
nation? 41. jAnd we indeed justly ; for we receive the
due reward of our deeds : but this man hath done noth-
ing amiss.
iiev. xxvi. 40 ; Josh. vii. 9, 20; Ezra ix. 13.
The other answering rebuked him. W.ho
this malefactor was, and what first struck
his conscience and moved him to repent,
we are not told. Perhaps it was witness-
ing the patient sufferings of Christ. Dost
not thou fear God? The pronoun is em-
phatic in the original, and gives this shade
of sense : dost not even thou, i. e., have you
no fear of Divine justice, that at this awful
moment, when, as a justly-condemned
criminal, you are about to be ushered into
God's presence, you can afford to unite
with this mob in taunting one whom we
both know to be innocent ? In the same
condemnation, i. e., condemned alike with
Him at whom you are railing. Community
of suffering might well have inspired for-
bearance and pity. We indeed justly, so
that the criminals are truly railing at the
innocent. We receive the due reward of our
deeds. He acknowledged that they had
been so great sinners, that even crucifixion
was not too severe a punishment. Nothing
amiss — nothing censurable, evil. The mild
expression denotes innocence the more
strongly. This testimony of the malefac-
tor presupposes a knowledge of the past
history of Jesus. The rebuke with which
the penitent malefactor rebukes his fel-
low, sounds not at all like the remon-
strance of one — would have fitted ill, in
that shape at least, to the lips of one — who
had just before been joining in the blas-
phemies, which all of a sudden he con-
demns.
42. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me,
when thou comest into thy kingdom.
There is abundant proof that this thief's
repentance was genuine. (See on verse
41.) He used for the honor of Christ his
heart and tongue, the only faculties at
liberty. His prayer was that of a believer.
Lord. He acknowledges Jesus to be the
King Messiah. He was concerned about
eternal salvation. Remember me. Here
was humility. He did not say, " Let me
CHAPTER XXIII,
975
sit on thy right hand, or on thy left, in
thy kingdom." When thou comest into thy
kingdom — the sentiment is, when thou
comest to abide in thy kingdom. What a
wondrous faith proclaimed itself in these
words. To believe that He, whose only
token of royalty was the crown of thorns,
that still clingi< to His bleeding brows, was
a king and had a kingdom— that He, on
whose eyes the mists of death were al-
ready hanging, was indeed the Prince
of life, wielding in those pierced hands,
nailed so helplessly to the cross, the keys
of death and of hell, that He could shut
and none could open, could open and none
could .shut, that it could profit something
in that mysterious world whither they were
both hastening to be remembered by this
crucified man — that was a faith indeed. It
was itself one of the miracles of the cruci-
fixion.
43. And Jesus said unto him. Verily I say unto thee,
To-day shall thou be with me in paradise.
Jesus said unto him. Over against all the
voices of blasphemy Jesus had thus far
observed steadfast silence, but such a pe-
titioner He permits not to wait a moment
for an answer. He does not upbraid Him
with his past thefts and other vices. He
accepts his repentance and faith, though
at the eleventh hour. To-day — this day
Perhaps the thief had feared that he
should have to languish slowly away,
hanging one or several days on tlae cross,
as was not unusual before death ensued.
Shalt thou, guilty as thou art, vile and de-
based as thou hast been, being renewed
by grace and made meet, be imth me; in-
stead of being merely remembered, thou
shalt be uiih me — perfect fellowship and
communion is promised. In paradise — a
word whose whole sweetness in such a
mouth, for such ears, could only be ex-
perienced if one had himself hung there
with the Saviour upon the cross. The
word paradise is a strictly Oriental one,
signify ing a park, or pleasure-ground. The
word here denotes the state of faithful
souls between death and the resurrection,
when, like Adam in Eden, they are ad-
mitted to immediate communion with
God in Christ and to a participation of the
true tree of life. Not that we should reject
the idea of some locality where the bless-
ed union of the thief with his Lord would
take place. But this is not the main ele-
ment in the promise of our Lord to him ;
it is simply, to-day shalt thou be irith me
(which expression, of course, implies some
l)lace in the world of spirits) in paradise, i.
e., m a state of ineffable bliss.
From this answer of our Lord we learn,
1. That the soul does not die with the
body, and may and does live when sepa-
rate from it. 2. That no i)uriflcation of
any kind after death is needed for the
person that dies a penitent believer. 3.
That as soon as believers die thev are
" with Christ." (See Phil. i. 23.) 4.'That
whilst there is life there is hope. It was
like the Son of God to close His life upon
earth by an act of especial mercy — the sal-
vation of a notorious sinner. It has been
well observed that one such instance is
recorded, that none may despair, and hut
one, tJiat none may presume. Certainly
the impenitent thief is a striking proof
that pain, suffering and the approach of
death, are not sufficient, without grace, to
convert a soul. Let no one abuse God's
goodness, which is intended to lead to re-
pentance.
44. liArtd it wa.s about the sixth hour, and there was a
darkness over all the *earth until the ninth hour. 45.
And the sun was darkened, and the 'vail of tlie temple
was rent in the midst.
kMatt. xxvii. 45: Mark xv. 3-3. *0r, land. 'Matt,
xxvii. 51 ; Mark xv. 38.
About the sixth hour, that is, our twelve
o'clock. The Jews divided their days into
twelve hours, beginning to count at sun-
rise. There was a darkness over all the earth
— over all the land, as it is translated in
Matt, xxvii. 45. Not the globe (for it
was night at the antipodes), nor, perhaps,
was even all Palestine covered, but the
vicinity and adjacent country. Nor was
it an eclipse, since the Passover was at
full moon. As the darkness was not uni-
versal but local, so it was not astronomical
but atmospheric. Until the ninth hour, i. e.,
three o'clock. Tlt^ sun vjos darkened. It
left the world in darkness while He who
was the Light of the world was about to
expire. The darkness here, and in the
preceding verse, was not what is some-
times called the sympathy of nature over
the scene, for that is too poetical for the
plain reality of the facts before us. But it
was a token of Divine displeasure, calcu-
976
LUKE,
lated to dismay the hearts of those wicked
men, and awaken in them some misgiving
as to the being they were crucifying. How
much thicker was the darkness which
covered the hearts of the Jews ! And Ihe
vail of ihe temple was rent in the midst. This
was doubtless the vail, curiously wrought,
which separated the holy from the most
holy place, in which the Divine presence
was supposed to dwell, thus dividing the
temple into two apartments. (Ex. xxvi.
31-33.) This vail or curtain was some
sixty feet long, and it was impossible for
it to be thus rent, as some have imagined,
by the force of the earthquake. This
miracle must have been as striking and
terrible to the priests who ministered in
the temple as the darkness was to the in-
habitants ot Palestine. It signified the
opening of the way into the holiest by
Christ's death — the passing away of the
Jewish dispensation — and the revelation
of the Gospel way of salvation to all
mankind. God speaks even yet by inani-
mate creatures to the obdurate people
who refuse to hear His Son. He makes
use of everything to awaken the sinner,
but the sinner, by his obduracy, renders
everything ineft'ectual when God works
not an internal and invisible miracle upon
his heart. How is it that they do not
now at least know that it is the Sun of
their souls, whose light and life they have
extinguished and put out, and that His
death rends the vail of types and shadows,
discovers the truth, and opens heaven?
But the time is not yet come.
46. f And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he
said, niFather, into thy hands 1 commend my spirit :
Hand havingsaid thus, he gave up the ghost.
mPs. xxxi. 5; 1 Peter ii. "^3. "Matt, xxvii. 50; Mark
XV. 37 ; John xix. 30.
Cried tvith a loud voice. This shows that
there was something jieculiar and uncom-
mon about our Lord's death. A dying
man's voice is generally not " loud," but
feeble. This was the expiring cry of
nature. Inasmuch as the agony of the
cross extorted from Jesus no cry of pain,
and His only complaint had been His ap-
parent desertion of God, may we not
attribute, in part, at least, this last cry to
His anguish of spirit, which was so great
as to hasten His death much beyond
what was usual? There are seven sen-
tences recorded as spoken by Him while
on the cross. Three were uttered before
the darkness overspread the land, and/our
near its conclusion. The first three con-
cerned others, not Himself. (See verses
34, 43 ; John xix. 26, 27 ; Mark xxvii. 46 ;
John xix. 28, 30.) The last sentence
spoken oy Christ while on the cross was,
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
These are the words of David, in the
thirty-first Psalm. (Ps. xxxi. 5.) Father.
As soon as Christ was nailed to the cross
He called upon His Father, and now,
when He was just expiring. He again said
"Father." (SeePs.lxxxix. 26.) Commend.
The original word thus rendered would be
better translated "commit." My spii'it.
Our Lord possessed a true body and
reasonable soul, united in close and mys-
terious union with His Divine nature, yet
each so distinct that acts and emotions
could be predicated of the one which be-
longed not to the other. This soul He
committed into the hands of His Father.
These words of Jesus are full of faith and
comfort, fit to be the last breathings of
every gracious soul in this world. Dying
believers are both warranted and encour-
aged by Christ's example believingly to
commit their precious souls into the
hands of God as a gracious Father. (See
Gal. iii. 26 ; John i. 12 ; Acts vii. 59 ; Rom.
viii. 15 ; 2 Tim. 1. 12.) Jesus trusted in
God. Even His enemies said, when they
scofied at Him, " He trusted in God."
Worldly i^eople cannot trust Him, for they
do not knoiv Him. They cannot trust Him
to guide them one step which they do not
see, nor to give them one blessing which they
do not already hold in their hands. This is
not to trust Him. But the children of
God can trust Him while they live with
their earthly concerns, and, when they
come to die, with their immortal spirits.
Martin Luther, the great Reformer, was
remarkable for his trust in God. Three
hours a day he set apart for calling upon
his Father, and he received the most
wonderful answers to his prayers. When
he was dying, he was often heard to say,
" Father, into thy hands I commend my
spirit." These were almost his last words.
He added, " God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that who-
soever believeth in Him should not perish."
CHAPTER XXIII.
977
And having said this, he gave up the ghost.
The proper meaniug is, resigned His
spirit, or expired. It is evident that the
Lord Jesus did not die because He was
obliged, but because He chose volun-
tarily and of His own free will to
submit to death. Finding Himself in
deepest dependence, He yet exhibited and
used His true freedom. (John x. 18.) His
death was " His own act." He " offered
Himself without spot to God." None of
the Evangelists say that Jesus died,
although that expression is ever after used
of His death, when stated as one great
fact.
47. "Now when the centurion saw what was done, he
glorified God, saying. Certainly this was a righteous
man.
oMatt. xxvii. 54, on which see notes ; Mark xv. 39.
The centurion — a captain of a hundred
men. He was doubtless the commander
of the quaternion of soldiers who watched
Jesus' death. Saw what was done — saw the
supernatural darkness, the trembling of
the earth, the rending of the rock.s, and
the opening of the tombs, and heard the
Saviour's dying words. He glorified God.
He had never seen such amazing instancies
of Divine power, and, therefore, took occa-
sion to adore God as the Almighty. Cer-
tainly this was a righteous man. The centu-
rion knew that Christ was executed for
claiming to be the Son of God. Christ was
righteous, in that His claim, for which He
was executed, was sustained by God, by
the supernatural phenom.ena. The utter-
ance of the centurion is less the expression
of an exactly defined conception of the
understanding, than the outgush of a
deeply-moved sensibility, and it is as un-
reasonable to deny the echo of superstition
as the voice of sincere faith in his manly
words. Christ had a testimony of His in-
nocency and righteousness given by all
sorts of persons. Pilate and Herod pro-
nounced Him innocent; Pilate's wife pro-
claimed Him a righteous person; Judas,
the traitor, declared it was innocent blood ;
the thief on the cross affirmed He had
done nothing censurable ; and the centu-
rion owned Him to be a righteous man,
yea, the Son of God.
48. And all the people that came together to that,
sight, beholding the things which were done, smote
their breasts, and returned.
At the time of the Passover, there were
*12
from two to three millions of Jews, gath-
ered from all lands of the earth, in the
capital, a multitude almost as great as that
which had come out of Egypt, and of these
it may be supposed that there was no
stranger among them that had not heard
of Jesus of Nazareth. (See Luke xxiv. 18.)
So far as the hills and plains around Cal-
vary gave room for it, all were covered
with beholders, who now, however, were
found in a wholly different mood from
that which is described, verse 35. As the
centurion glorified God by his confession,
so did these beholders accuse themselves
as sharers in the guilt of the death of Jesus,
and as objects of the holy displeasure of
God.
49. pAnd all his acquaintance, and the women that
followed him from Ualilee, stood afar off, beholding
these things.
pPs. xxxviii. 11; Matt, xxvil. 5.5; Mark xv. 40; see
John xix. 25.
These women (as we are informed, Mark
XV. 41 ; Luke viii, 2, 3) ministered unto
Jesus of their substance while He was in
Galilee. They had now come to Jerusa-
lem for the same purpose. Stood afar off.
They were, probably, not suffered to come
near the cross, because it was surrounded
by soldiers. Beholding these things, i. e., the
convulsions of nature and otlier wonders
which attended the crucifixion of Jesus.
These women stood the ground more
firmly than the disciples of Christ. They
witnessed, with intense feelings. His suf-
ferings, frgm some convenient place, as
near as they could approach. Christ has
often curious and inquisitive spectators of
His mysteries, who are only present in
body, but love and fidelity were the things
which kept these pious women there, as
they were those which caused them at
first to follow Jesus. His grace drew them
to Him ; His grace detained them.
50. II qAnd behold, there, was a man named Joseph, a
counselor, (UK? /i^ifw.s a good man, and a just: 51. The
same had not consented to the counsel and deed of
them : he vas of Arimathea, a city of the Jews ; 'who
also himself waited for the kingdom of God.
iMatt. xxvii. 57, on which see notes ; Mark xv. 42;
John xix. 38. 'Mark xv. 43; Luke ii. 25, 38.
Joseph, a counselor, probably, a member
of the Sanhedrim. Good man, and a just.
Good is here used of one who is kind,
benevolent, compassionate, just, of one
who is a strict observer of the law. Had
not consented, &c. He had not agreed with
his colleagues in conspiring to bring about
978
LUKE.
the death of Jesus, but he seems to have
lacked the courage to protest against their
judgment. OfArimathca. This was prob-
ably Ramathaim Tophim, lying a few miles
west of Jerusalem. Waited for the kingdom
of God. Waited for, or expected the coming
of the Messiah. But this expression means
more than an indefinite expectation that
the Messiah icoxdd come, for all the Jews
expected that. It implies that he believed
Jesus to be the Messiah, and that he had
waited for Him to build up the kingdom
of God, that he was a disciple of Jesus, but
secretly, for fear of the Jews. He was a
believer in Christ, but a timid one, not
willing at first to acknowledge his faith.
But God called him to a public profession
of attachment, and gave him grace to
evince it. So men often delay a profession
of attachment to Christ. They cherish a
secret love, they indulge a hope in the
mercy of God, but they conceal it for fear
of man. Whereas God requires that the
attachment should be made known. Those
who love the Saviour have no right to hide
their light under a bushel. They are
bound to profess Him before men. This
is the command of God, and this is the
way of peace.
52. This mmi went unto Pilate, and begged the body
of Jesus, h'-i. 'And he took it down, and wrapped it in
linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone,
wherein nevir man belore was laid.
sMatt. .\xvii. 59, on which see notes; Mark xv. 46.
No one had a right to remove the body
but the magistrate. God had raised up
this distinguished counselor, and secret
disciple for a special and most important
vocation. The disciples of Jesus had fled,
and if they had not, they had no influence
with Pilate. Unless there had been a
special application to Pilate in behalf of
Jesus, His body would have been buried
that ni(jht in the common grave with the
malefactors, for it was a law of the Jews
that the body of an executed man should
not remain on the cross on the Sabbath.
It needed no small measure of courage to
do this. Jesus had just been condemned,
mocked, spit on, crucified — the death of a
slave, or the most guilty wretch. To show
attachment for Him noiv was proof of sin-
cere affection. Begged the body of Jesus.
This shows that Joseph believed our Lord
to be dead. As Joseph was a " rich man,"
he could afford an honorable tomb. It is
a hopeful sign when men's faith grows in
time of danger. Who shall despise the
bruised reed, or the smoking flax, or the
day of small things? Many a timid fol-
lower of Jesus, if he be sincere, is in time
strengthened by God's grace for the front
rank of the battle, and the most fearful
onset of the enemy. And he took it down,
and wrapped it in linen — a large square
shroud or sheet. The head was wrapped
separately in a napkin of this material.
Laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone.
We must figure to ourselves a large room
cut horizontally into the solid rock for a
vault. In this room we enter, from the open
air, by a large door. On entering yo\i
would see small, long cells, or niches, cut
into the solid, adamantine sides, as deposi-
tories of the corpses; or from this first
main room you may enter one or several
smaller apartments, in whose walls the
niches for corpses are cut. A person could
enter into the first main vault, and then
into either of the smaller apartments.
Wherein never man before was laid. Prob-
ably Joseph had the new vault made for
his own family. It was so ordered, in the
providence of God, that Jesus was laid in
a tomb where never man before was laid,
that there might be no suspicion about
His identity when He rose, that it might
not be alleged that another person had
risen. Besides, by being buried here an
important prophecy was remarkably ful-
filled, (Isa. liii. 9.)
54. And that day was 'the preparation, and the sab-
bath drew on.— 'Matt, xxvii. 62.
As Saturday was the Jewish Sabbath, so
Friday, the day of the crucifixion, was
the day of preparation. The preparation
of the Jews began strictly at three o'clock
in the afternoon, but the name preparation
was properly applied to the whole day.
The sabbath drew on, i. e., the evening was
approaching, at which time the Jewish
Sabbath commenced.
55. And the women also, "which came with him from
Galilee, followed after, and vbeheld the sepulchre, and
how his bodv was laid. 56. And they returned, and
ifprepared spices and ointments, and rested the sabbath
day, ^according to the commandment.
"Luke viii. 2. ^Mark xv. 47. "Mark xvi. 1. lExod.
XX. 10; see on Matt, xxvii. 61 ; xxviii. 1.
Which came with him from Galilee. (See
chap. viii. 2.) Beheld the sepulchre, &c.
The affection of these pious females never
forsook them in all the trials and suffer-
CHAPTER XXIV.
979
ings of their Lord. With true love they
followed Him to the cross ; they came as
near to Him as tliey were permitted to
come, in His last moments; they followed
. Him when taken down and laid in the
tomb. The strong, the mighty, the youth-
ful had fled, but female lo\'e never forsook
Him, even in His deepest humiliation.
This is the nature of true love. In scent-s
of poverty, want, affliction and death, it
shows its genuineness. That which lives
there is genuine. That which turns away
from such scenes is spurious. Let it be
noted that these friends of our Lord, who
could not possibly be mistaken as to His
identity, were witnesses to the fact of His
burial, and actually saw His body laid in
the grave. They saw the linen in which
He was wrapped, and could therefore tes-
tify two days after, that the very same
linen was found wrapped together in the
empty tomb. And they returned, and pre-
pared spices and ointments. As but a short
time remained until sunset, they must
have hasted home with great diligence to
the purchase and preparation of those
ointments and spices. AVhat they lacked,
however, they procured when the Jewish
Sabbath had ended, which was at sunset
preceding the morning of the resurrection.
Spices and ointments. The former refers
to myrrh, aloes and other preventives of
})utrefaction, and odorous perfumes, the
latter to the ointments and oils with wliich
bodies were anointed. And rested on the
sabbath day according to the commandment.
(See Exod. xx. 10.) Eager as they were to
perform the lastoffices of love to their Lord,
yet these pious women would not trans-
gress the commandment. How blessed
was the result ! How unblessed would
have been the impatient yielding to their
own inclination! Had they presented
themselves sooner at the grave, they
would have been grieved by the presence
or molested by the rudeness of the Roman
soldiers, while their purpose could not
possibly have been effected. By waiting
till the Sabbath was past, they found the
guard dispersed, and their Lord already
risen. They unbound those limbs alive
which they had come to weep over and
anoint in death. Let us bury and serve
Jesus in the poor, since He has left them
in His place, and has in them continual
wants and necessities to be supplied.
1. Bywhom was Jesns led unto Pilate ? 2. Vfhat was their accusation ? 3. Wliy were they " the more fierce ?"
4, To whom did Pilate send Jesus ? 5. How did Herod receive Him ? 6. Did he send Him back again to Pilate ?
7. What course did Pilate pursue ? 8. Who was made to carry the Saviour's cross ? 9. What did Jesus say to
the women that followed Him ? 10. Who were led with Jesus to be put to death ? 11. What prayer did Christ
offer on the cross? 12. How did His enemies treat Him ? 13. What supernatural events occurred. 14. What is
said of the centurion ? 15. What of Joseph of Arimathea ? 16. What is said of the women approaching the sep-
jjlchre with a view to embalming our Lord's body ?
CHAPTER XXIV.
1 ChrisPs resurrection is dedi I red by tivo angels to the
women that conie to the. sepuU-hre. 9 These report it to
others. 13 Christ himself appearelh to the two disci-
ples that loent to Emmaics : 3(> afterwards he Ojjpeareth
to the apostles, and reproveth their unbelii:f: 47 givcth
them a charge : 49 promises the Holy Ghost : 51 and
so ascendeth into lieai^en.
In the histories of the resurrection, as
given by the Evangelists, we may discern
a Divine, ovei-ruling plan, giving a unity
to the whole. This symmetry of plan could
not have been fabricated by them; for
each, with evident unconsciousness, fur-
nishes his share without knowing what
the other contributes, so that the whole is
made up of unintentional parts. Luke is
less detailed and exact than the other his- •
torians, so that he must rather be comple-
mented from them, than they from him.
But, on the other hand, he furnishes us
new contributions to the knowledge of the
risen and glorified Lord, the contents and
980
LUKE
tendency of which are in the most beauti-
ful agreement with the broad humanistic
character of his Gospel, as will appear
from an examination of the individual
accounts. (See note at close of John xx.)
Now aupon the first rfnj/ of the week, very early in
the morning, thev came unto the sepulchre,
i>bringing the spices which they had prepared, and cer-
tain others witli them.
»Matt. xxviii. 1, on which see notes; Markxvi. 1;
John XX. 1. bLuke xxiii. 56.
Upon the first day of the iveek. This gram-
matically answers to the word sabbath day
in verse 56 of the preceding chaj^ter. The
Jewish Sabbath was our Saturday. The
first day of the week was our Sunday.
Hence, this day of the week was called
the Lord's day. (Rev. i. 9.) It is there-
fore recognized by inspiration as the sacred
day in the Christian week. The day of
the Saviour's sepulchral repose was the
last of Jewish Sabbaths. The first day of
the week has from that time to this suc-
ceeded to the honors of the fourth com-
mandment. Very early in the morning. The
visit of the women to the sepulchre may
have covered hours, extending from the
first start from home until they left the
sepulchre. They came unto the sepidchre.
The account is immediately connected
with chap, xxiii. 56; and the women of
whom Luke here makes mention can be
no oti: ~rs than those of whom he said
(verse 55), that they had come with Jesus
from Galilee. This early visit of those
holy women to the sepulchre is a strong
proof of their love and affection. It has
been said of woman :
" Not she with trait'rous kiss her Master stung,
Not she denied Ilim with unfaithful tongue :
She, when Apostles tied, could danger brave,
Zast at His cross, and earliest at His grave ! "
A woman was the first to eat the forbid-
den fruit. It was merciful in God to per-
mit her to be the first to visit the sacred
tomb. Bringing the spices ivhich they had
prepared. (See verse 56 of preceding chap-
ter.) The spices brought were aromatics,
substances used in embalming. The pro-
cess of embalming and applying sjuces to
dead bodies was usually repeated for
■ several days together, in order that the
aromatic and antiseptic compounds might
have their full effect. (See Gen. 1. 3.) And
certain others vith them. (See verse 10.) The
diligence and earnestness of a soul which
seeks God is represented in these holy
women. The good works which we would
ofl'er God ought to be preceded by two
conditions : we must prepare ourselves to
perform them with holy dispositions, and
we must set about them without delay.
(See on Acts xvi. 13.)
2. cAnd they found the stone rolled away from the
sepulchre.
cMatt. xxviii. 2, on which see notes ; Mark xvi. 4.
Rolled away. The stone was lying in the
hollow, cut deep into the rock, so as to
form the door ; and must accordingly be
rolled forth from this recess outward.
How often there seems to be a great stone
in the way of pious undertakings ! How
apt are Christians to be discouraged, and
to say, "Who shall roll it away?" Let
their answer be, " God." When he designs
that a work should be performed, He re-
moves every obstacle.
3. <iAnd they entered in, and found not the body of
the Lord Jesus.
*Mark xvi. 5 ; verse 23 ; see on Matt, xxvii. 2-6.
The Lord Jems. This is the first time in
the New Testament that our Saviour is so
termed. The Lord — Christ — Jesus — are
names He frequently has had. Here, after
His resurrection as a conqueror, Luke
calls Him " the Lord Jesus." God some-
times tries those who seek Him, when
they think to find Him, in the exercises
of piety. By whose hands had the body
of Christ been taken away ? Not surely by
the priests and scribes and other enemies
of our Lord! If they had had His body
to show in disproof of His resurrection,
they Avould gladly have shown it. Not by
the Apostles and other disciples of our
Lord. They were far too much frightened
and dispirited to attempt such an action,
and the more so when they had nothing
to gain by it. One explanation, and only
one, can meet the circumstances of the
case, and that exi:)lanation is the one sup-
plied by the angels in verse 6 : "He is
risen."
4. And it came to pass, as thev were much perplexed
thereabout, ^behold, two men stood by them in shining
garments :—<'John xx. 12; Acts i. 10.
They could not tell what to make of the
facts before them — the stone being rolled
away — the empty sepulchre — the linen
clothes lying by themselves — the body
gone. Tivo men. The angels are designa-
ted according to that form of manifestation
which they had in the view of the women.
Stood by them. We learn from Mark (xvi.
CHAPTER XXIV.
981
9), that on their first entrance the women
saw but one angel, and he sitting, at which
they were terrified. Luke adds, that, a
moment after, two angels stood before them
(the one being joined by a second, to con-
firm the truth by two witnesses), so that
the words (verse o) were uttered standing,
the first angel, doubtless, having risen and
being speaker for both. Thus, all these
Evangelists are reconciled in regard to the
number and positions of the angels. In
shining garments, i. e., in garments of daz-
zling brightness. Celestial beings are
usually represented as clothed in white.
(Acts i. 10; Dan. vii. 9; Rev. iii. 4,5, iv. 4,
vii. 13, 14.) It is asked sometimes. Whence
did Jesus obtain His resurrection clothes?
We might, with the same wisdom, ask.
Whence did these angels obtain their robes
of white ? Who manufactures the angels'
harps, or Gabriel's trump? The absence
of Jesus Christ ought always to give us
some perplexity, and to make us fear lest
this has happened through our own fault.
God never leaves those souls in trouble
long whom He exercises by withdrawing
Himself from them.
5. And as they were aft-aid, and bowed down their
faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye
the Uvins among the dead?
The cause of their fear was, doubtless,
the appearance of the angels ; or the word
afraid may be taken in a wider sense and
means agitated or troubled. Boivcd doicn
their faces to the earth. These words ex-
press a respectful and reverential declining
their heads and looking downward, that
they may not appear to gaze, which is
well known to have been forbidden to the
Jews upon the sight of a celestial vision.
(Ex. xix. 21 ; Judg. xiii. 20.) They said.
One of these was speaker, rJ'.hough the
act is naturally and properly inferred to
both. Why seek ye the living, or Him that
liveth, among the dead ? It appeared to
them an act of folly to look for the Lord
of Life in the abode of Death. They felt
that His followers ought to have known
that He was risen. We never seek Jesus
Christ without benefit and comfort, when
we seek Him sincerely and with our whole
heart.
6. He is not here, but is risen : fremember how he
spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7. Saying,
The Son of man must be delivered into Ihe hands ot
sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise
agam. 8. rAnd they remembered his words, 9. tAnd
returned ft-om the sepulclire, and told all these things
unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
fMatt. xvi. 1:1 and .wii. 2;i; Mark viii. 31 and Lx. 31 ;
Luke ix. •£!. ?Johu ii. 2i i^Matt. xxviii. 8 ; Mark xvi.
10.
He is not here — in the sepulchre— 6m^ is
risen, and has come forth from the tomb.
While the angels must be astonished at
the dullness and forgctfulness of human
creatures, they do not exult over them
with pride, or upbraid them with harsh-
ness. They instruct in a gentle and con-
descending manner. Let us try to teach
like them when we meet with those who
are more ignorant than ourselves. Eemem-
ber how he spake unto you. (Comp. ix. 22,
xviii. 32 ; Matt. xvi. 21, xvii. 22, 23.) The
angels referred them to Christ's own
words. Had they duly observed and be-
lieved the prediction of the resurrection,
they would easily have believed it when
it came to pass, and therefore they would
not have been so surprised and agitated as
they seemed to be. The belief of mysteries
is founded chiefly upon the word of
Christ. When he teas yet in Galilee. This
expression shows, no less than many other
similar ones, that the greater jxirt of our
Lord's discourses and sermons were de-
livered in Galilee.
Saying, &c. From this passage it would
seem that our Lord had, even before leav-
ing Galilee, assured these women that He
was to be crucified and rise again. Perhaps
they had assigned it a symbolic meaning
and forgotten it; and noAV it is brought
fresh by the angelic words to their mem-
ories and they realize its fulfillment. The
dullness of memory is a common spiritual
disease among believers, and is one among
many proofs of our fallen and corrupt
condition. Even after men have been
renewed by the 'boly Ghost, their readi-
ness to forget the promises and precepts
of the Gospel is continually bringing them
into trouble. Must be delivered. The Greek
words here mean, " It is necessary that He
should be delivered," necessary for the
fulfillment of prophecies and types, neces-
sary for the redemption of sinners. Strange
necessity of the humiliations and suffer-
ings of Christ ! How can sinners then
pretend to be exempted from suflTering !
Sinful men. L"'"nless reference is here made
to the Gentiles (xviii. 32), it is probable
LUKE.
thiit the angel added this epithet sinful as
his own expression of the character of all
who had any agency in the crucifixion
of Jesus. (See Acts ii. 23.) The third day
rise again. (See notes on verse 3.)
Remembered, &.c. (See notes on verse 7.)
They had heard Christ's words, but made
no use of them. Now after many days
they call tliem to mind. We need recol-
lection much more than information. A
reasonable remembrance of the words of
Jesus will help us to a right understanding
of His providence.
Told all these things. Obediently to the
express command of the angel, which
Matthew and Mark state. And to all the
rest of the disciples who were with the
Apostles. These women were the first
preachers of the resurrection of Christ.
10. It was Mary Magdalene, and iJoanna, and Mary
the- mother of James, and other irmnni that u-erc with
tliem, which told these things unto the apostles. 11.
kAnd their words seemed to them as idle tales, and
they believed them not.
■Luke viii. 3. ^Mark x vi. 11 ; verse S5.
Respecting the women here named, see
notes on chap. viii. 2, 3. Some think it
was from Joanna Luke derived his infor-
mation of those circumstances, which he
alone records. She is not mentioned ex-
cei)t by Luke here, and in chap. viii. 3,
whence we may conjecture she was hioicn
to him. Other women. These were proba-
bly the same spoken of in a former place,
who ministered to our Lord. (Chap. viii.
3.)
Idle tales, i. e., words of no value. They
had not forgotten, nor did they truly dis-
believe their Lord's predictions. But in
their dejection of mind they had lost the
realizing power and could not grasp the
fact. Besides, if our Lord is to rise again.
He ought to come in the glory of His
kingdom, appearing peAaps in the skies,
(ilark ix. 10-31.) Hence they afterward
ask Jesus, " Wilt thou at this time restore
again the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts i. 6.)
It is quite unexpected, therefore, that His
resurrection shall steal upon them, and be
first announced to them by women. There
must, they think, be some mistake, some
hallucination of mind, some imposition
practiced upon these simple, confiding
women, and it will not do to sufier our
hopes to be prematurely raised, and then
dashed to the ground, leaving us in deeper
despondency than before. Their distrust
in the report that Jesus had risen is to be
attributed to its incredible nature, and not
to any doubt on their part of the veracity
of these women. How can we wonder at
the unbelief of these disciples, when we
see, after eighteen centuries of additional
proof that Christ has risen from the dead,
a general want of faith in that great event !
Had the resurrection been a fable invented
by those Apostles, would they have made
themselves so little the heroes of the
history ?
12. 'Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre, and
stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by
themselves, and departed, wonderi ng In himself at that
which was come to pass.— 'John x.x. 3, 6.
This was in consequence of the strange
tidings of Mary of Magdala, who was the
first to bring the report of the absence of
the body from the sepulchre. (John xx. 2.)
And stooping doicn; so as to look in the
sepulchre. Beheld the linen clothes laid by
themselves. That the clothes and napkin
were carefully folded and deposited, indi-
cated that there had been no violence or
pillage, in which case everything would
have been in confusion. The whole was
as if a sleeper had risen from his couch,
arranged the clothes, and departed. Wo)i-
dering in himself, &c. It is the opinion of
those who are best judges, that these
words would be better rendered "departed
to his own house wondering." The unbe-
lief of the Apostles is one of the strongest
evidences that Jesus rose from the dead.
If the disciples and Apostles who were at
first so backward to believe in Christ's res-
urrection, were at last so thoroughly per-
suaded of its truth that they preached it
everywhere, and with every risk and loss,
Oirist must have risen indeed. The wonder
of that great event infinitely surpasses the
hopes and understandings of men.
13. T mAnd, behold, two of them went that same day
to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem
about threescore furlongs.— mMark xvi. 12.
The resurrection had taken place al-
ready, but the disciples had refused to
credit it. The Sun of Righteousness, which
seemed to have set forever, had again
risen, with healing on his wings, but the
disciples, not without grave fault of their
own, are walking on in darkness still, in a
darkness which in some sort they have
made for themselves. Toward the close
CHAPTER XXIV.
983
of the joyful day which saw the Lord
arise, two of them were walking together,
oppressed with sorrow. Cleopas was one
of them. (Verse 18.) He is not the same
with Clopas (John xix. 25), but— Cleopat-
rus. The name of the other disciple is not
given. Some have supposed he was Na-
thanael ; others, Simon ; others, Luke him-
self; others, Peter. Perfect certainty in
the case is not only impossible, but un-
necessary. That it could not have been
one of the Apostles is evident from the
ftict that we are told that when these two
disciples returned to Jerusalem, "they
found the eleven gathered together." He
was one of the wider circle of disciples
who were now together at Jerusalem.
We7it that same day. They had heard be-
fore they left some reports of what had
taken place in the morning ; that the tomb
had been found open and emjity, and that
the women had seen "a vision of angels,"
who said that Jesus was alive ; but they
seem to have attached no special impor-
tance to these reports. They were sor-
rowful for their Lord's death and perplex-
ed by the disappearance of Plis body, while
they more than all deplored the frustra-
tion of their hopes that He would " have
delivered Israel " from the Romans. To
a village, &c. The village of Emmaus,
north of Jerusalem, and mentioned by
Josephus, to which they were journeying,
ought not to be confounded, as it often has
been, with another Emmaus in the plain
of Judea, and not " threescore furlongs," or
something more than seven miles from
Jerusalem, but not less than twenty from
the capital city. All modern attempts to
discover the site of this village have been
unsuccessful.
14. And they talked together of all these things which
had happened.
Their great theme of conversation was
the death of Jesus and the circumstances
which attended and followed that event.
If the faith of these two disciples was
somewhat weakened, yet they were at least
filled with the remembrance of Christ's
mysteries ; and for persons to love to talk
of holy things is one means to raise and
revive their hope.
15. And It came to pass, that, while they communed
together, and reasoned, nJesns himself drew near, and
went with them.— nMatt. xviii. 20 ; verse 36.
Communed together is the same word in
the original translated in verse 14, talked
together. Reasoned — compared opposite
views (as the Greek word implies) in re-
gard to the late events. Jesus himself dreiv
near, and v>ent ivith them. As He appears to
have been going the same way. He must
have overtaken them and proceeded in
company with them. The way to have
Christ's presence and company with us, is
to be conversing of Christ and the things
of Christ. Conference on spiritual sub-
jects is a most important means of grace.
(See Mai. iii. 16, 17 ; Heb. x. 24 ; 1 Thes.
v. 11 ; Matt. xii. 34.)
16. But "their eyes were holden that they should not
know him.— "John x.\. 14 and xxi. 4.
By the power which He had of appear-
ing at will under various forms to human
senses, our Lord at first concealed Him-
self from their knowledge, but finally
resumed His well-known appearance to
their vision. (See 2 Kings vi. 17-20.) We
are dependent upon God for the use and
exercise of our faculties and members. He
has His secret and wise designs when He
sometimes hidesHimselffrom those whom
He loves most. We may have Jesus
Christ with us, and not know Him. We
may walk along with Him in His ways
and yet not see clearly into His conduct.
1". And he said unto them. What manner of commu-
nications ai-e these that ye have one to another, as ye
walk, and are sad ?
The two disciples were evidently in
earnest' debate, not unduly striving nor
contending, but still regarding from differ-
ent points of view and, each urging upon
the other his own interpretation of that
stupendous event, of which they had just
been the witnesses. What Jesus already
knew He wished to hear from their own
mouth, and began, therefore, with a ques-
tion of the kind Avith which shortly before
He had introduced His revelation of Him-
self to Mary. In interrupting their con-
versation He wished to induce them to
grant Him a participation in their sadness.
When we are conversing together, if the
Lord were to draw near and inquire about
the topics of our conversation, should we
be always willing to reply ? (Matt. xii. 34.)
Worldly people never take pleasure in con-
versing about their souls, or Christ, or
heaven. They delight in talking of the
trifling vanities of time.
984
LUKE,
18. And the one of them, rwhose name was Cleopas,
answering, saiil unto him, Art thou only a stranger in
Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are
come to pass there in these days?— PJohn xix. '25.
Ckvpas. (See notes on verse 13.) Art
thou only a stranger in Jerusalem f The
Greek words so rendered are somewhat
peculiar. On the whole, it will be best to
render them thus : " Dost thou lodge alone at
Jerusalem f" "' Dwellest thou in solitude
there, apart from the busy concourse of
men, and thus so withdraw from acquain-
tance with all which is passing in the city,
that no tidings have reached thee of the
mighty and marvelous events which with-
in the last few days have occurred ?" The
whole verse is an important evidence of
the publicity and notoriety of our Lord
Jesus Christ's crucifixion. How many
Christians are such strangers in the Church
that Christ and His mysteries are almost
unknown to them, after so many ages of
predictions, miracles and instructions !
19. And he said unto them. What things ? And they
said unto him. Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, qwhich
was a prophet 'mighty in deed and word before God
and all the people: 20. 'And how the chief priests and
our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and
have crucified him.
qMatt. xxi. 11 ; Luke vii. 16 ; John iii. 2, iv. 19 and vi.
14 ; Acts ii. 22. 'Acts vii. 22. "Luke xxili. 1 ; Acts xiii.
27, 28.
What things? He who asks a question
does not affirm that He does not know the
answer. Our Lord here, as w^ell as at a
later part of His history, draws out from
the disciples their opinions, feelings and
w'ishes. Concerning Jesus of Nazareth. The
official name Christ they do not now take
upon their lips, but respecting the name
Jesus of Nazareth, they presuppose that it
is sufficiently familiar to every one, in and
out of Jerusalem. Which was a prophet
mighty in deed and word before God and all
the people. Grieved though the disciples
were that they had lost their Lord, yet
they had noi renounced Him. They looked
upon Him still, not as a deceiver, but a
prophet mighty in deed and word. Before
God and all the people must mean, " By the
testimony both of God and the Jewish
nation." (See Acts ii. 22; John xii. 17.)
This was a brief confession of unbroken
faith in the genuine character of the Cru-
cified One. And how the chief priests, &c.
The disciples were not afraid to declare
that in respect to Jesus, an irreconcilable
difference of opinion existed between them
and the chiefs of the people.
21. But we trusted 'that it had been ho which should
have redeemed Israel : and Ijesides all this, to-day is the
third day since these things were done.
'Luke i. 68 and ii. 38 ; Acts i. 6.
Trusted that it had been he, &c. As if
Cleopas, speaking also for his companion,
had said, "We w^ere full of hope, that this
had been the Messiah so long expected by
us, but this being the third day since He
died, we fear we shall find ourselves mis-
taken." By the word redeemed is not
meant merely spiritual deliverance, or re-
demption from all the moral evils, which
mar the happiness of men, and turn away
the soul from the true worship of God, but
also deliverance from the Roman yoke.
And besides all this, in addition to that cruel
death inflicted on Him by our rulers, and
sufficiently explaining the sadness which
Thou hast noted in us, to-day is the third
day, &c. " "We might have had some
glimpse of hope up to this present time,
seeing that while He was alive He more
than once uttered mysterious words not
merely about His own death, words which
we have found only too true, but also
about a triumj^hant reversal of that doom
of death, mysterious words about what
should happen on the third day after His
death, but this day has arrived, and is un-
marked by any change." Alas! what is
the spirit of man without the Spirit of
God ! It hopes for everything when there
is the least foundation imaginable; and it
despairs of everything in the time of the
greatest hope. True faith waits for God's
proper time, without any concern or
anxiety. Christian hope is such only by
patience and perseverance.
22. Yea, and "certain women also of our company,
made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre :
23. And when they found not his body, they came, say-
ing, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which
.said that he was alive. 24. And fcertain of them which
were with us went to the sepulchre, and found if. even
so as the women had said: hut him they .saw not.
"Matt, xxviii. 8; Markxvi. 10; verses 9, 10; Johnxx.
18. > Verse 12.
Yea, and certain toomen, &c., literally and
better, but moreover certain ivomen, &c. The
hesitating, doubting disciples will not
speak confidently of this that it was a mere
subjective imagination of these women, as
little pledge themselves to its objective
reality. They speak of it therefore as o
vision of angels, leaving this matter unde-
cided. And certain of them, &c. They go on
to tell of the visit of Peter and John to the
sepulchre. But, having thus stated all
CHAPTER XXIV.
985
which gave them warrant for hope, they
yet leave oflf with the mournful, despond-
ing words — hut him they smu not. (John
XX. 3-10.) This incredulity of the disci-
ples is mysterious ; it makes a part of the
econotny of the Divine dispensations, and
is instrumental in promoting the faith of
all people. This they regarded as a
sufficient excuse for their believing them-
selves obliged to bid farewell to all hope.
God frequently permits faults in others for
our instruction, and the falls of the most
perfect are useful in supporting the most
weak.
2,'). Then he said unto them, lO fools, and slow of
heart to believe all thai the prophets have spoken ! 26.
rOught not Christ to have sulTered these things, and to
enter into his Klorj- ?
^Marli vii. 18 and viii. 17, 18; Heb. v. 11, 12. yVerse
40; Acts xvii. 3; 1 Peter i. 11.
Fools. The Greek word so rendered, means
"wanting in thought, understanding and
consideration," and does not imply any
contempt. And slow of heart to believe, &c.
Not hard of heart, but sloio, i. e., sluggishly
disposed. The disciples believed many
things which the proj^hets had spoken,
but they did not believe all; they had be-
lieved as much as fell in with their pre-
conceived notions, prejudices and opinions,
which is so often the way with us all.
Man's word, and woman's word, and angels'
words, they had paid more or less heed to
all these, but God's Word, that word
which liveth and abideth forever, they
had not built and established themselves
on it. Ought not Christ to have suffered, &c.
" Do you not find that the person described
by the prophets in the Old Testament to
be the Messiah, was to pass to His glory
through blood? "Why, then, is your hope
so feeble in the person who suffered three
days ago, when His death so well agrees
with the predictions of the prophets, who
foretold that the Messiah should be cut
off, but not for Himself, and be smitten
for the iniquities of His people ?" A7id to
enter into his glory — by ascension. Some-
times the great wisdom and grace of God
make the diffidence of His people an occa-
sion of further clearing up of the choicest
truths to them. Let it be noted, 1. That
with respect to God's purpose, and with
relation to man's guilt, the death of Christ
was necessary and indispensable. 2. That
His resurrection and exaltation were as
necessary as His suffering, 3. That there
was a meritorious connection between
Christ's sufferings and His glory ; His ex-
altation was merited by His suH'ering. He
7cas to drvik of the brook in the ivaj, and then
He was to lift vp His head. Chri.-tians must
expect suH'ering in their way to heaven.
This was the way of the Head, and it mu^t
be that of the members.
27. 'And beprinningiat Moses, and •'all the prophets,
he expounded unto them In all the Scriptures the
thinRs concerning himself.
'Verse 45. »Gen. iii. 15, xxii. 18, xxvi. 4 and xli.x. 10 :
Num. xxi. 9; Ueut. xviii. 15. i>Ps. xvi. 10. xxii. and
cxxxii. 11 ; Isa. vii. 14, ix. 6, xl. 10, 11, 1. 6 and lili. ; Jer.
xxiii. 5 and xxxiii. 14, 15 ; Ezek. xxxiv. 23 and jixxvii.
2.5; IJan. ix. 24; Mi. vii. 20; Mai. iil. 1 and iv-2; See
John i. 45.
This verse gives testimony to the Divine
authority and Christian interpretation of
the Old Testament Scriptures. The denial
of reference to Christ's death and glory in
the Old Testament is a denial of Christ's
own teaching. How delightful it must
have been to hear the Lord explain in iill
the Scrii^tures the things concerning Him-
self! But has He not promised His Holy
Spirit to enlighten us when we search His
holy Word ? There are things concerning
Himself in aZ? the Scriptures. In the be-
ginning of the Bible we find Him revealed
as the Seed of the woman, and in the last
chapter of the Old Testament we behold
Him as the Sun of Righteousness, and in
every intervening page we may discover
Him as a suffering Lamb, or as a con-
quering Lion, as a tender shoot, or a strong
branch, 'as a servant, or a king, as a child,
or the Ancient of Days, now made low as
a worm and now declared to be the mighty
God, the great Creator, the glorious Je-
hovah.
2-S. And they drew nigh unto the village whither they
went : and =he made a.s though he would have gone
further.
<;Gen. xxxii. 26 and xlii. 7; Mark vi. 48, on which see
notes.
He made as though he vjould have gone fur-
ther, literally, he was making as though, ^kc.
There was no dissimulation here. He
simply passed on as though He was intend-
ing to go farther. This He would have
done if they had not detained Him with
loving violence. In the nature of the
thing it is proper and natural by an olTer
to give an occasion to another to do good
actions, and in case it succeeds not, then
to do what was intended not. And so the
offer was conditional.
986
LUKE
29. But <ithey constrained him, saying, Abide with us:
lor it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And
he went in to tarry with them.
iGen. xix. :i; Acts xvi. 15.
Entreating with the utmost urgency,
they invited Him in, and pointed Him to
the sun hurrying to its setting, in the liv-
ing feeling that their spiritual light also
would set if He should leave their com-
pany. They wished to remind Him that
He "could not possibly continue His jour-
ney in the night (comp. Gen. xix. 2,3;
Judg. xix. 9), and desired that He should
therefore turn in with them, since proba-
bly one of them possessed a dwelling at
Emmaus, where a simple supper was
awaiting them. The love of truth and the
influence of charitable instructions, cause
charity to grow and increase in the heart.
We must use holy violence toward Christ
in prayer, that our im])erfections may not
constrain Him to forsake us. (Gen. xxxii.
26.) We have great reason to redouble
our importunities, when w^e see the Sun
of Righteousness begin to decline and the
light of faith to grow dim in ourselves, in
our brethren, or in the Church, and more
e.si^ecially when the day of life is likewise
far spent.
30. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them,
ehe tooli bread, and blessed U, and brake, and gave to
them.— f Matt. xiv. 19.
The Lord, on the ground of a tacitly ac-
knowledged superiority, acted as master
of the house at the table of His host.
Blessed it. The words to bless, mean only
to give thanks, sometimes to pray for a
blessing, that is, to pray for the Divine
favor and friendship, to pray that what we
do may meet God's approbation. In seek-
ing a blessing on our food it means to
pray that it may be made nourishing to
our bodies, that we may have proper grati-
tude to God, the Giver, for providing tor
our w^ants, and that we may remember the
Creator while we partake the bounties of
His providence. Our Saviour aluxiys sought
a blessing on His food. From His ob-
serving this practice, we may be sure that
it is wise, and useful, and necessary. And
brake. The loaves of bread among the
Jews were made thin and brittle, and were
therefore broken and not cut. As Christ
was known to the disciples " in breaking
of bread " (verse 35), this seems to imply
that there was something in the act of
breaking bread by which they recognized
at last with whom they had to do.
31. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him ;
and he vanished out ot their sight.
Their eyes were opened. These words,
going before they knew him, and put evi-
dently as the condition of their knowing,
imply that it was not a mere natural con-
clusion which they drew from something
w^hich they saw Him do, but a supernatu-
ral enlightenment, a ceasing of the condi-
tion indicated at verse 16. He vanished out
of their sigld. There was a sudden vanishing
of the Lord, a becoming invisible in an
extraordinary way. This and other ex-
pressions concerning our Lord's risen body
show plainly that it was a body in some
wonderful way different from the common
body of man. It was a real material body,
and true flesh and blood. But it was a
body callable of moving, appearing and
disapi^earing after a manner that we can-
not explain. We may fairly suppose that
it was a pattern of what our own bodies
will be after they are raised again. They
will be true bodies, material and real, but
bodies endowed with capacities of which
now we know nothing. What must the
mourners have felt when they discovered
that the wonderful stranger w'as their own
beloved Saviour! In the next world God
can open our eyes, and enable us to know
saints we have never seen, and to recog-
nize friends we have long lost.
32. And they said one to another, Did not our heart
burn within us, while he talked with us by the way,
and while he opened to us the Scriptures ?
They felt the power of His words. Christ
not only put light into their heads, but
heat also into their hearts, which burned all
the while He communed with them. Oh,
what an efficacious power is there in the
words of Jesus, when set home upon the
hearts of men by His Spirit. (See Ps.
xxxix. 3; Jer. xx. 9.) We do not always
perceive immediately the good effects pro-
duced in us by the word of God and by
sermons, but we find them afterward.
Jesus now converses with us by the way,
and He opens to us the Scriptures. This
He does in three ways: 1. By His dispen-
sations. As the Word explains Providence,
so Providence illustrates the AVord 2. By
the labors of His servants. He replenishes
His ministers, that they may dispense to
CHAPTER XXIV.
987
others; He gives them the tongue of the
learned that they should know how to
.speak a word in season to him that is
weary. 3. By the agency of His Holy
Sjjirit. " He shall lead you into all truth."
Means do not render His iniluence need-
less, revelation itself does not. The dial
tells us the time, but the sun must shine
upon it. The compass enables the mariner
to steer, but not if it be placed in the dark.
33. And tlioy rose up the samo hour, and returnod to
Jeriis;ilrm, f;ind ibmul the I'h'Vfn jjathcrcd ti];,'rtluT,
and theiu tliLit were Willi Iheiu. :il. Saying, The Lurd
is risen iinleed, and ^'hatli appeared to tsinion. So. And
tliey told wliat things were done in the way, and how
he was known of tbeni in breaking of bread.
f John XX. 19, 26. gl Cor. xv. 5.
These two disciples could not remain at
home after the joyful event that had hap-
2)ened. Convinced of the truth of Christ's
resurrection, notwithstanding their fatigue,
and the darkness of the night, and the
roughness of the road, they started to Je-
rusalem, a distance of seven or eight miles,
leaving all their private aflfairs, in order to
comfort their brethren with tlieglad tidings
of a Saviour risen, thus teaching us that
all secular affairs, all private and particular
business, must give j^lace to the glory of
God, and the comfort and salvation of
souls. Found the eleven gathered together. If
Thomas was there, he must have gone out
immediately after the two disciples came
ui. Only by supposing this, can we recon-
cile this account with that which John
gives of Christ's appearing when Tliomas
was not present. Probably Thomas was
absent, hence only ten were present. As
Paul calls the comimny of the Apostles the
twelve (1 Cor. xv. 5), though Judas, the
twelfth person, was dead, so Luke here
calls them the eleven, though Thomas, the
eleventh person, was absent, as appears
from John xx. 24. Saying, to the two dis-
ciples who had just returned from Emmaus,
The Lord is risen indeed, in very deed,
really, truly. Thus the eleven, and they
tluit were with them, were able to answer
good tidings with good. The great flood-
tide of joy was every moment rising higher
and higlier. Told u-hat things were done in
the ivay, narrated at length all that Jesus
said and did after He joined Himself to
their company by the way. Was knon-n
of them in breaking of bread. (See on verse
35.)
36. H h And aa they thus spake, JesiLs himself .stood in
the midst of them, and saitli unto them, I'eace be uuto
you.— I'Mark xvi. U ; John -xx. 19 ; 1 Cor. xv. 5.
Jesas himself stood in tJte midst of them.
Tliis, as appears from John xx. 19, " when
the doors were shut .... for fear of the
Jews." Whether our Lord passed through
the doors miraculously, without opening
them, or whether He opened them miracu-
lously, as the angel did when he brought
Peter out of prison, we cannot tell. (Acts
xii. 10). In either case, there was a mir-
acle. In any case, the appearance was sud-
den and instantaneous. And saith unto
them. It is His voice — can they doubt tlieir
own hearing? Peace be unto you. Though
this was the wonted salutation of peace, it
had from those lips and in this moment an
infinitely higher significance, which invol-
untarily reminded the disciples of the fare-
well benediition. (Johnxiv.27). The/art
of Christ's resurrection was to be the basis
of their peace. Jesus, as the good Shep-
herd, seeks His sheep in all places, to com-
fort them, to strcsigthen their faith, and to
show them, by His visible presence, that
He knows the means to render Himself
present to them in their wants, and when-
ever they are assembled together in His
name, and according to His word.
37. But tliey were terrified and affriglited, and suj)-
posed that they had seen "a spirit.— 'Marli vi. 49.
Terrified and affrighted. Even the man-
ner of Christ's entrance must have con-
tributed to this, and however much they
had begun to be prepared by all the events
of the day for this meeting, yet this sur-
prise must have come upon them the more
strongly as the message of the angels had
directed them to Galilee, and they, there-
fore, could by no means reckon on an ap-
pearance of the Master in the midst of
them this very evening, at Jerusalem. In
their hearts now prevails a mixtuie of
light and darkness. And supposed that they
had seen a spirit. Having in some de-
gree discredited most of the previous re-
ports, so now they distrusted the evidence
of their own sight, and supposed, to their
alarm, that what they saw was a ghost or
specter. Terror at the appearance of any
supernatural being, or any inhabitant of
another world, seems an instinct of human
nature, and is a strong indirect proof of
988
LUKE,
man's utter inability to meet God in peace
witliout a Mediator.
38. And he said unto tliem, Why are ye troubled ? And
why do thoughts arise in your hearts ?
Jesus tiastened to dispel their illusion.
Why are ye troubled f Here is the begin-
ning of the rebuke of their unbelief. The
question itself implies the groundlessness
of their alarm and trepidation. Why do
thoughts, i. e., scruples of a discouraging
nature, doubting and gainsaying thoughts,
arise — spring up and grow m your hearts.
Here, as elsewhere, our Lord shows His
knowledge of the inward man. The mind ,
of manisstrangely fruitful in such thoughts
as are contrary to faith. In all extraord-
inary visits from God, it is good to be some-
what fearful and diffident, but not to such
a degree as to be troubled, and to suffer all
sorts of thoughts to rise in our hearts.
39. Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself:
jhandle me and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones,
as ye see me have.— JJohn xx. 20, 27.
In order to convince them not only of
the reality, but also of the identity of His
appe-arance, as well as of His triumph over
death, Jesus would have them feel His
hands and feet ; nay, Himself, His body,
and, moreover, especially the exposed
places which bore the traces of the wounds
of the cross. There was a direct appeal to
two senses, touch and sight. How touch-
ing it must have been to see the Lord
showing His own wounded hands and feet
to His disciples, and inviting them to touch
His sacred person ! The Apostles enjoyed
some privileges which we have never
known. But the gracious Saviour, who con-
descended to eat with His disciples after He
rose from the dead, has promised to admit
all His people to intimate communion with
Himself Not one being who loved Him on
earth will be refused admittance to His pres-
ence in glory. There they shall see Him as
He is. There is a spiriiuaZ exhibition of Him-
self, in which Jesus says, "Behold my
hands and my feet." They are to be seen :
1. In the Scripture of Truth, in its types,
prophecies, history, doctrine. 2. In the
ministry of the Gospel, which is called
" the preaching of the cross." 3. In the
teachings of the Holy Ghost, who takes of
the things of Christ, and shows them to
lis, so that we see the Son, and believe on
Him; and, 4. In the ordinance of the Lord's
Supper, where, by emblems and memorials
the most simple and significant, before our
eyes, Jesus Christ is evidently set forth
crucified among us. And what should the
sight remind us of? Beholding His hands
and feet, we should think of the evil of
sin, that required His suffering and death
to put it away — and of the justice of God,
that spared not His own Son when He be-
came a surety for us — and the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, in His kindness toward
us.
A spirit hath not Jlesh and bones, as ye see
me have. Our Lord here speaks of " a
spirit," and the qualities of " a spirit," in
such a manner that it is impossible to deny
the existence of incorporeal beings. It is
an interesting and by no means unprofit-
able question with what bodj' our Lord
came forth from the tomb, and appeared
during the forty days He passed on earth
after the resurrection, whether with the
glorified one with which He ascended to
heaven, or with the body unchanged from
what it was previous to His death, the
change to' its glorified condition taking
place at His ascension from Mount Olivet.
We incline to the belief that the latter of
these suppositions is the true one. But
whilst we thus express a conviction that
our Lord's body had not yet been changed
to its full glorified condition, we will not
deny that His general appearance must
have been much altered from what it was
before His passion. He was no longer the
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
His work of toil and suffering had ended.
His mien was now that of a king and con-
queror. There was doubtless in His whole
appearance and movements a calm dignity
and majesty which awed His disciples, re-
pressed undue familiarity, and checked
vain curiosity, while, at the same time,
His asjject of tenderness and love filled
their hearts with peace, joy, and praise.
Inasmuch, moreover, as our Lord's body,
in its risen nature, possessed the power of
invisibility at will, also a superiority to
the control of gravitation, to the need of
food, clothing, and other bodily necessities,
as well as the power of resuming traces,
constituent parts, or substantive properties
of its former self, such as tvounds, limbs,
flesh and hones, must it not have been, that
C II A P T E R X X I V .
989
His body, though the same in substance,
was endowed with some new properties
and powers?
40. And wlion he had thus spoken, he showed them
his hands and his feet.
Christ retains the scars of His wounds,
1. To encourage us to sutler for Him, by
showing us how much he loves sufferings.
2. For tlie comfort and consolation of His
people. 3. For the confusion of the lost.
4. To afford us a sanctuary or refuge in our
temptations and troubles. 5. To show us
fountains of grace continuallj^ open to us
in our wants. As Jesus showed His wounds
here to His disciples, to enforce His in-
structions to them, so He showed them to
His Father to enforce His intercessions
with Him. He appears in heaven as a
lamb that had been slain. (Rev. v. 0.) His
blood speaks. (Heb. xii. 24; Zech. xiii. 6, 7.)
41. And while they yet believed not kfor joy, and
wondered, he said unto them, 'Have ye here any meat?
keen, xlv. 26. iJohn xxi. 5.
Believed not for joy. First they believed
not from the strangeness of the matter,
next they believed not because the fact
in their eyes was too terrible for them to
be willing to believe, and noAV they believe
not from joy. Perhaps Jacob was in a
similar frame of mind. (Gen. xlv. 26.)
Have ye any meat? "Anything eatable, any
food." Now that matters have come so
far, our Lord rests not until He has com-
pletely accomi)lished His work on His
disciples. The slowness and backwardness
of the disciples show that they did not
believe lightly and rashly. Everything
liere seems to oppose the belief of the
resurrection — amazement, fear, a prepos-
sessed imagination, joy and admiration ;
the evidence alone of the proofs here given
bears down all before it, and establishes
the belief of this truth.
42. And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and
of an honej-comb. 43. mAnd he took it, and did eat be-
fore them.— mActs x. 41.
Broiled Jish, and of an honeycomb. Some
think, a kind of cake, or bread, in use
among them. Eating might consist with,
though it were not needful to, that
kind of life to which Christ was risen. It
is evident from the appeal of our Loi'd to
the senses of the Apostles, that no greater
certainty can in this world be had of any-
thing than the testimony of our eyes, ears,
and other senses, and that it is unreason-
able in the highest degree to require men
to believe in direct opposition to them.
The honeycomb was a frequent food with
the ancients, nearly akin to that of John
the P>ai)tist. The honey of bees is
frequently found in Palestine, in clefts of
the rock, and in hollow trees. The viands
here named constituted, i)erhaps, the re-
mains of the already ended supper of the
disciples. Peter lays great stress on the
fact that the disciples had eaten with Jesus.
(Acts X. 41.)
44. And he said unto them, "These ai-e the words
which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that
all things must be fullilkd, which were written In the
law of Sloses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms,
concerning me.
"Matt. xvi. 21, xvii.22andxx.18; MarkviiLSl; Luke
ix. 22 and xviii. 31 ; verse 6.
Our Lord holds here, before He parts
from His disciples, a grand retrospective
review of His now almost accomplished
earthly career. He refers them to the
words He had so often spoken to them,
saying that the predictions about Him
must be accomplished. All things must be
fulfilled, whether concerning His suffer-
ings, or His kingdom — the hardest, and the
heaviest, even the vinegar — He could not
die till He had that, because He could not
till then say. It is finished. Must be fulfilled.
God had joined together the things in the
prediction, and they could not be put
asunder in the event. The three chief
portions of the Old Testament were named
by Christ, to indicate that He i:)ointed to
the Scripture in its unity. The law of Moses,
that is, the Pentateuch, or the five books
written by Moses ; the prophets, embracing
not only the books which are purely pro-
phetical, but those historical books that
were written by prophetical men ; the
Psalms, embracing the other writings,
which they called the Hagiographa. In
these various ways did God, of old, reveal
His will, but all proceeded from one and
the self-same Spirit, who, by them, gave
notice of the coming and kingdom of the
Messiah, for to Him bare all the praphets
witness. Let us be careful to seek Jesus
Christ in the Old Testament, as well as in
the New. He is in all parts thereof, and
in all He frames the heart of a Christian.
The Prophets exercise our faith, the
Psalms nourish our hoj^es, and the Law
tries and makes known our love.
990
LUKE.
45. Then t^pened he their understanding, that they
might understand the Scriptures,— o Acts xvi. 14.
It is one thing to open the Scriptures
themselves, and another to open the disci-
ples' understandings to perceive them.
Christ did the latter, imparting to them a
direct. Divine illumination, by which they
obtained a clear insight of the spirituality
of the Messianic kingdom, as revealed in
the Old Testament; probably, also, by
giving them now the first-fruits of the
spirit of prophecy, which fell more plenti-
fully on them at the day of Pentecost.
The understanding of the true sense of
the Scriptures comes only from Jesus
Christ. It is the fruit of humility, prayer,
true spiritual poverty, and of fidelity in
bringing the mind into subjection to the
yoke of faith.
46. And said unto them, pThus it is written, and thus
it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead
the tliird day : 47. And that repentance and ^remission
of sins should be preached in his name ramong all na-
tions, beginning at Jerusalem.
pVerse 26 ; Ps. xxii. ; Isa. !. G and liii. 2, &c. ; Acts xvii. 3.
<)Dan. ix. 24 ; Acts xiii. 38, 4G; 1 John ii. 12. rGen. xii. 3 ;
Ps. xxii. 27; Isa. xlix. 6, 22: Jer. xxxi. »1 ; Hos. ii. 23;
Mi. Jv. 2; Mai. i. U.
Thtis refers to the death and resurrec-
tion of Christ. It behooved Christ to suffer,
and to rise from the dead the third day. This
was done to fulfill the prophecies concern-
ing Himself. (Isa. liii. 1-3 ; Ps. ii. 2 ; Ixix.
21; Isa. 1. 5-7; Hi. 14; Dan. ix. 26; Isa.
liii. 4-6, 10; Ps. xvi. 10, 11 ; Isa. Hi. 13, liii.
8, 10, 12 ; Matt. xii. 40.) It behooved Him
"to suffer and rise from the dead:" 1. In
the execution of His Prophetic office, as a
Teacher come from God, that He might
confirm and show the certain truth and
the deep importance of His doctrine, and
manifest Himself to be the "faithful and
true witness." 2. In the execution of Ilis
Sacerdotal office, as the High Priest of our
profession. He suffered, to learn to sym-
pathize with us in our sufferings (Heb. v.
2, iv. 15, 16, ii. 17, 18) ; to atone for our
sins by offering Himself a sacrifice. (Heb.
V. 1 ; comp. vi. 20, ii. 17, vii. 27, ix. 11,
12, 24, 27, 28, x. 5-14 ; Isa. liii. 5, 6, 10 ; 2
Cor. V. 21 ; Eom. iii. 24; iv. 25.) He rose,
that He might be able to succor us in our
temptations; that He might give us full
proof that the sacrifice He had offered for
our sins was accepted, and lay a founda-
tion for our confidence in Him, that He
might ascend, and "appear in the pres-
ence of God " as our Advocate and Inter-
cessor. (John xvi. 7 ; Heb. i. 3 ; iv. 14 ;
ix. 12; Acts ii. 32, 33.) 3. Of His Regal
office, as the King and Governor of His
people. (Rom. xiv. 9 ; Phil. ii. 5-9 ; John
X. 10-18; Acts XX. 28; 1 Cor. vi. 20; 1
Peter i. 18, 19 ; Heb. xiii. 20 ; 1 Peter ii.
25 ; X. 12, 13 ; John x. 27, 28.) 4. Christ
suffered and rose as our Pattern and Fore-
runner. (Rom. viii. 17 ; 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12 ; 1
Peter ii. 21, iii. 14-18, iv. 12-16 ; 1 Cor.
XV. 20; John xiv. 1-3; Rom. vi. 3, 4; Col.
ii. 13, iii. 1 ; Eph. ii. 1.)
That repentance and remission of sijis
should be preached. Repentance which the
disciples preached during Christ's life
(Mark vi. 12), was preached by them in
all their sermons after His death, resur-
rection and ascension. (Acts ii, 38 ; iii.
19 ; xvii. 30.) The original word rendered
repentance means afte-r-consideration or
reflection. Repentance begins in looking
back, or reflecting, with attention and care
upon our past conduct, as our actions, sins
of omission and commission, our words,
tempers, desires, motives, ends, thoughts ;
comparing them with the will of God as
signified in His Word in general, and His
law in particular, and considering the
obligation laid on us to obey Him from
duty, gratitude and interest. A change of
mind, arising from the former. This
change takes place in the understanding,
the eyes of which are opened to see our-
selves as we are (Titus iii. 2) ; in the con-
science (Acts ii. 37 ; xvi. 30 ; Matt. xi. 28 ;
Heb. ix. 14) ; in the affections, including
shame and sorrow for past sin, hatred to
and fear of sin, and desire for and delight
in holiness (2 Cor. vii. 10, 11) ; in the uill,
as to its choice, leading us to prefer holiness
to siuj God to the world, the soul to the
body ; as to its intention, inducing us now
to propose God's glory as our end in every-
thing ; as to its determination, being resolv-
ed and fixedfor Godand eternal life ; in the
life. (Luke iii. 8.) Remission of sins was
preached continually to all the penitent by
Christ. (Luke vii. 47, 48, xv., xviii. 13, i4,
xix. 9), and by the Apostles (Acts ii. 38, iii.
19, V. 31, X. 43, xiii. 38.) It implies and is
followed by acquittance from guilt, condem-
nation and wrath, acceptance with God, His
favor, adoption into His fiimily, regenera-
tion, sanctification, atitle to and fitness for
CHAPTER XXIV.
991
His kingdom. (See 1 John i.9,Prov.xxviii.
13; Isa. i. 16-18.) His name. In Christ's
name as a prophet. (Deut. xviii. 15 ; Acts
iii. 22 ; Ezek. xviii. 21, 31, 32 ; Rom. i. 10 ;
Acts X. 43, xiii. 38 ; Rom. iii. 24, 25.) On
His authority and in imitation of His ex-
ample— in His name as a king (Jolin viii.
21) — in His name as a sufcrhig man (Isa.
liii. 5, 6 ; John xii. 32) ; in His name as
the incarnate God, and as the final jndge.
(Acts xvii. 31 ; 2 Thes. i. 7-10.) Among all
nations — all have sinned, need repentance
(Rom. iii. 23 ; Acts xvii. 30), and all being
!j;uilty, need remission of sins. (See 2
Cor. V. 15.) Beginning at Jerusalem. The
Gospel was to be begun to be preached at
Jerusalem, 1. Because Christ was first
promised to the Jews, and therefore must
first be offered to them. (Rom. ix. 4, 5.)
2. The foundation of the Gospel must be
laid at that place where it was first
ai.tacked. 3. Their day of gi'ace was likely
to be the shortest. 4. It was foretold that
the Gospel should go forth from thence.
(Isa. ii. 3, 4 ; Mi. iv. 2 ; Ps. ex. 2 ; Isa.
xxviii. 16; xl. 5-9.) The Apostles were to
begin at Jerusalem, to furnish a striking
example of the riches and freeness of the
grace of Christ, in the ofier of it to the
vilest of sinners. " Let them that struck
the rock drink first of its refreshing
streams, and let them that drew my blood
be first welcome to its healing virtue." If
the murderers of Christ were not excepted
from the offers of mercy, who need
despair ?
48. And sye are witnesses of these things.
sJohn XV. 27 : Acts i. 8, 22, ii. 32 and Iii. 15.
To be " witnesses chosen before of God"
of the doings and sayings of Jesus was the
very essence and object of the Apostolic
office. (Acts X. 41, i. 8, 22, xxvi. 16.) Peter,
at a later date, said : " We have not follow-
ed cunningly devised fables, .... but were
eye icitnesses." To the same effect is the
testimony of John, near the close of the
first century. (1 John i. 1.)
49. T[ 'And, behold, I send the promise of the Father
upon j'ou : but tarry ve in the city of Jerusalem, until
ye be endued with power from on high.
'Isa. xliv. 3 ; Joel ii. 28; John xiv. 16( 26, xv. 26, xvi.
7: Actsi. 4andii. 1, &c.
And, behold. A new point is here pre-
sented parallel with Acts i. 4, 5; John xiv.
16, 26, XV. 26. / send. Christ represents
Himself as acting conjointly with the
Father in sending the Spirit. The promise
of tlie Fatlier. The Holy Spirit is here re-
ferred to, whom Christ had repeatedly
before His death promised. He calls the
Spirit the promise of the Fatlier, not because
the Spirit was promised to Him, nor
merely inasmuch as God has ])romised the
bestowment of the gifts of the Spnrit by
prophetic oracles, but with retrospective
reference to utterances like John xiv. 16,
&c., and to the symbolical act, John xx.
22. Upon you. The language implies ef-
fusion. Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem.
This must have been uttered after the
return to Jerusalem from the visit to Gali-
lee, (Matt, xxviii. 16-20; John xxi. 1-24.)
This command was repeated just before
His ascension. (Acts i. 4.) Ye be endued,
clothed with power as with a garment ;
from on high, from heaven, from the abode
of the Father, who had promised through
His Son the gift of the Spirit. Comfort-
able promise this, for who could believe
that a God died and rose again, who could
hope for the remission of his sins, who
could love repentance and the cross, with-
out the Holy Spirit! Retirement and re-
pose were by Christ judged necessary for
the Apostles and disciples, in order to their
receiving the Holy Ghost who is the
strength of the weak ; and can we judge
otherwise of ourselves?
50. 1[ And he led them out "as far as to Bethany : and
he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.— "Acts i. 12.
Either during or after this conversation,
Jesus led them out — over the very ground
He had traversed with them six weeks
before, when He entered the city to suffer,
as far as Bethany, or rather over the brow
of the Mount of Olives, Avhere it descends
to Bethany, which village was about two
miles from Jerusalem. When Jesus thus
went forth at their head, as leader and
chief, toward the village which was so
much endeared to Him, it was for the last
time, and all His troubles were over. He
lifted, up his hands, eind blessed them. This
circumstance is full of meaning. The bless-
ing was significant. It showed the spirit
in which our Lord parted from His Church
on earth, and was an earnest of what He
would do for them in heaven. It typifies
His full assumption of His priestly office,
992
LUKE.
and gives assurance of what He will yet
do when He comes again.
51. :sAnd it came to pass, while he blessed them, he
was parted Irom them, and carried up into heaven.
i2 Tim. ii. 11 ; Marie xvi. 19 ; John xx. 17 ; Acts i. 9 ;
Eph. iv. 8.
There are other accounts of the ascen-
sion of Jesus in ]\Iurk xvi. 19, 20 ; Acts i.
9-12, on which see notes.
He was parted from them, and carried up
into heaven. As He blessed them He began
to ascend. And as He ascended, the cloud
gathering beneath His feet at once bore
Him upward, and closed Him from their
sight. The Apostles beheld Him as He
ascended, and continued to watch till they
could see Him no more. Two angels,
clothed in white apparel, remained below
to comfort them. They did this with the
promise : " This same Jesus, which is taken
up from you into heaven, shall so come in
like manner as ye have seen Him go into
heaven." See Zech. xiv. 4; Eev. i. 7, in
which we see that the words of the Prophet
and Apostle agree with those of the angels.
Whither did the person of Jesus ascend?
Into heaven. But where is heaven? We
know not its locality in the immensity of
the universe. Astronomers, indeed, tell
us that there is a center of our solar system,
and that is the sun. But the sun is a
member of a larger system, which has its
center or sun. And this is a member of a
still grander system revolving around its
center. At last there is a center of the
whole universe. At that center resides
the great Mover of the whole. There,
doubtless, is the central residence of God.
To that center, perhaps, Jesus departed.
At any rate, heaven is away from this
earth, and away from this earth is up.
Wherever heaven is, therefore, it is up.
The language of Scripture, the language
of humanity, the language of our child-
hood, herein is true, and strictly in accord-
ance with the highest science. Let us
think of Jesus where He now is, and let
us inquire what is our duty with regard to
Him. " Seeing, then, that we have a great
high priest, that is passed into the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
profession." We need not be afraid to
own Him, for He is able to take care of us,
however we may be exposed. We need
not be ashamed to avow Him, for He has
everything to induce us to glory in Him,
Let us follow Christ in our thoughts and
affections. Why seek we the living among
the dead? He is not here. He is in heaven ;
and where our treasure is, there should our
hearts be also. Let us as Christians rejoice
in the expectation of being forever with
our Lord. " Which hope we have as an
anchor of the soul, both sure and stead-
fast, and which entereth into that within
the vail, whither the forerunner is for us
entered, even Jesus." The anchor that
holds the ship is cast out of it, and our
hope must go out of ourselves. The anchor
lays hold of something invisible, and our
hope enters heaven. Yet it would find
nothing as the ground of its grasp there if
He was not there — but He is there, and
there for us, and His being there insures
our arrival. He is the forerunner of the
whole comj^any.
52. yAnd they worshipped him, and returned to Je-
rusalem with great joy: 53. And were continually ^in
the temple, praising and blessing God. Ameu.
jMatt. xxviii. 9, 17. ^Acts ii. 46 and v. 42.
How did the Apostles feel now that they
had lost their Lord? They worshiped him.
Religious worship is here intended. It
was not merely reverence to a present
superior, but the adoration of an absent
Suj^reme. (See Acts i. 24, vii. 59, 60, ix.
10-17.) They worshiped Him as God, the
eternal Son of God, being so declared by
the resurrection from the dead, and by
His ascension into heaven before their
eyes, from whence He will come to judge
both the quick and the dead. And returned
to Jerusalem with great joy. Though still in
the midst of their enemies they rejoiced ;
though dein-ived of the personal presence
of their Lord, they rejoiced; though they
knew that in the world they would have
much tribulation, they rejoiced. And why ?
Because they believed the promises. They
knew that Jesus was gone to the Father
to make intercession for them, and that
He would return again to make *them
blessed forever. (See 1 Peter iii. 22.) The
Apostle John, in the last page of the
Bible, and almost the last verse, has
recorded this prayer: "Even so, come
Lord Jesus." Do we partake in the joy
of these holy Apostles ? Jesus loves all
who love Him, whether they be the
greatest of His Apostles, or the weakest
CHAPTER XXIV.
993
of His lambs. " He ever liveth to make
intercession (not for Apostles only, but)
for all who come unto God by Him."
When He comes again He will say to all
such, " Come, ye blessed of my Father."
And iverc contlnualhj in the temple, &c. They
repaired to the temple continually (i e., at
all fit times), in preference to any other
place, since there the Jews were accus-
tomed to pray and return thanks to God,
especially on momentous occasions. Christ,
who obliged His disciples to prepare them-
selves for the coming of the Holy Ghost
by the exercise of praise, thanksgiving
and prayer, thus teaches us how we
ought to pi-epare ourselves for the same.
Churches are the House of God. There
He loves to receive our homage, to shed
forth His Spirit, and to communicate Him-
self to His creatures. "The Lord loveth
the gates of Zion more than all the dwel-
lings of Jacob." (Ps. Ixxxvii. 2.) Amen
is a Hebrew word which, when prelixed
to an assertion, signilies assuredly, certaihhj,
or, emi)hatically, so it is; but when it con-
cludes a prayer, so be it, or so let it he, is its
manifest im^jort. In the former case it is
assertive, or assures of a truth, or a fact,
and is an asseveration, and is properly
translated indeed. (John iil. .3.) In the lat-
ter case it is 2)etitionary, and, as it were,
epitomizes all the requests with which it
stands connected. (Num. v. 22 ; Rev. xxii.
20.) The promises of God are Amen, be-
cause they are made sure and certain in
Christ. (2 Cor. i. 20.) Amen is one of the
titles of our blessed Saviour (Rev. iii. 14)
as He is the faithful and true witness.
1. What took place on the first day of the week ? 2. What did the two men in shining garments say to the
women in the sexnilclire ? 3. To whom did the women tell what they had heard and seen ? 4. What did Peter
do? 5. What occurred as two of the disciples went to Enimaus? C. What did Christ reply to Cleopas? 7.
What took place as Christ and the disciples sat at meat ? 8. What did the disciples then do ? 9. How did Jesus
appear to the disciples? 10. \Vhat did He say to them after He had opened tlieir understanding ? 11. To what
Diace did He lead them ? 12. How did He ascend to heaveu ? 13. What did the disciples theu do ?
»13
Popular Expositor
OP
The Gospels and Acts.
FOR
Pulpit, Sunday-School, and Family.
ACTS.
ALFEED NEVIN, L. B., D.D.
ZIEGLER & McCURDY,
Philadelphia, Pa. ; Cincinnati, O. ; St. Louis, Mo. ;
Springfield, Mass.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by
ZIEGLER & McCURDY,
In the OflBce of the Lilirarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.
PREFACE
TO THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.
The fifth historical book of the New Testament, bearing this title, obtained it at a
very early period, though sometimes the epithet holy was prefixed to Apostles, and
sometimes also it was reckoned among the Gospels, and called the Gospel of the Holy
Ghost, or the Gospel of the Resurrection. The common designation, however, has chiefly
been that which is still in use. Whether this title proceeded from the author himself
is doubtful, but it is certainly very ancient, and occurs in the earliest notices of this
book. The work ia so called in the Muratorian Canon, and by Clemens Alexandrinus
and Tertullian.
IMPORTANT PECULIARITY OP THE BOOK.
The Acts of the Apostles is distinguished from the other books of the New Testa-
ment by this important peculiarity, that it comes much in contact with many well-
known facts of the ancient world, and thus admits of many illustrations from external
sources of information. The Epistles treat chiefly of Christian doctrine and practice,
and for the most part can only be explained and illustrated by internal criticism and
mutual comparison. The scene of the Gospel narratives, on the other hand, is almost
wholly confined to the narrow limits of Palestine, and profane history can tlierefore
afford very little assistance in their study. But the Acts of the Apostles touches at
every point on the history of the world. Countries and cities renowned in ancient
times were visited by Paul and his companions, and persons who played an important
part in the history of the world have also their places in the history of the Church.
The book of Acts also contains, as already hinted, materials, more particularly in its
later portion, of immense value for establishing the authenticity and genuineness of
the New Testament writings. It has been by means of a minute and careful compari-
son of the accounts in these with the allusions in Paul's epistles, that a most convinc-
ing, and, we may say, an irrefragable argument has been formed in proof of the his-
torical verity of both, by Paley in his Horx Paulina;, a work which will ever remain a
monument of his fine discrimination, practical sagacity and solid judgment.
AUTHORSHIP.
Respecting the authorship of this book there can be no ground for doubt or hesita-
tion. It is, unquestionably, the production of the same writer by whom the third of
the four Gospels was composed, as is evident from the introductory sentences of both.
(Comp. Luke i. 1-4, with Acts i. 1.) That this writer was Luke may be very satisfactorily
proved in both cases. With regard to the book now under notice, tradition is firm
and constant in ascribing it to Luke. From the book itself, also, it appears that the
author accompanied Paul to Rome when he went to that citv as a prisoner (xxviii.)
( 997 3
998 PREFACE TO THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.
Now, we know from two epistles written by Paul at that time, that Luke was with him
at Rome (Col. iv. 14 ; Phil. 24), which itvvors the supposition that he was the writer
of the narrative of the Apostle's journey to that city. The resemblance of style in
this book to that of the third Gospel, also favors the opinion that Luke was its author.
(For the history of Luke, see Preface to his Gospel.)
GENUINENESS.
The genuineness of the Acts of the Ai:)ostles has ever been recognized in the Church.
It is mentioned by Eusebius among the ojioxoyovfiEva. It is first directly quoted in the
epistle of the churches of Lyons and Vienne to those of Asia and Phrygia (A. D. 177) ;
then repeatedly and expressly by Irenseus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and so
onward. The only parties in primitive times by whom this book Avas rejected were
certain heretics, such as the Ebionites, the Marcionites, the Severians, and the Mani-
cheans, whose objections were entirely of a dogmatical, not of a historical nature ;
indeed, they can hardly be said to have questioned the authenticity of the book, they
l-ather cast it aside because it did not favor their peculiar views.
TIME AND. PLACE AT WHICH THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN.
These we are left to gather entirely from indirect notices. It seems probable
that the place of writing was Rome, and the time about two years from the date of
Paul's arrival there, as related in chap, xxviii. Had any considerable alteration in
the Apostle's circumstances taken place before the publication, there can be no reason
why it should not have been noticed. And on other accounts also this time was by
far the most likely for the publication of the book. The arrival in Rome was an im-
portant period in the Apostle's life : the quiet which succeeded it seemed to promise
no immediate determination of his cause. A large amount of historic material had
been collected in Judea, and during the various missionary journej's; or, taking another
and not less probable view, Nero was beginning to undergo that change for the worse
which disgraced the latter portion of his reign ; none could tell how soon the whole
outward repose of Roman society might be shaken, and the tacit toleration which the
Christians enjoyed be exchanged for bitter persecution. If such terrors were immi-
nent, there would surely be in the Roman Church prophets and teachers who might
tell them of the storm which was gathering, and warn them that the records lying
ready for publication must be given to the faithful before its outbreak or event. Such
(J priori considerations would, it is true, weigh but little against presumptive evidence
furnished by the book itself; but arrayed, as they are, in aid of such evidence, they
carry some weight, when we find that the time naturally and fairly indicated in the
book itself for its publication is that one of all others w'hen we should conceive that
publication most likely. This would give us for the publication the year 63 A. D.,
according to the most probable assignment of the date of the arrival of Paul at Rome.
DESIGN WITH WHICH IT WAS WRITTEN.
The book commences with an inscription to one Theophilus, who was probably a
man of birth and station. (See on Luke i. 3.) But its design nmst not be supposed to
l)e limited to the edification of Theophilus, whose name is prefixed only, as was cus-
tomary then as noAV, by way of dedication. The readers were evidently intended to
be members of the Cliristian Church, whether Jews or Gentiles, for its contents are
such as are of the utmost consequence to the whole Church.
The " Acts of the Apostles," says a distinguished Biblical scholar, "is not to be so
viewed, as if what we had chiefly to look for here were a historical account of the life
and labors of our Lord's Apostles after He had left them. Were that all, every one
must be struck with the extremely defective nature of the work, and must also feel
that in its object it occupies a much lower position than the Gospel of which it pur-
ports to be the continuation." But by the sacred hi.storian himself, the two are most
closely connected together: "The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all
PREFACE TO THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 999
that Jesus began both to do and teach." It was but the beginning of His mediatorial
ajreney tliat the historical account in the Gospel had embraced, though it reaches from
His birth to His resurrection — now, in this second account, he ju-oceeds to exhibit the
continued operation of that agency, and the results it accomplished among men. Jesus
still is the great subject of the Evangelist's delineations — the real spring of the move-
ments he describes ; only Jesus withdrawn within the veil, and from the sanctuary
alcove operating by the grace of His S])irit upon the souls of men, and actually setting
up the kin;,'dom, which it was the purpose of His mission to establish in the world.
Hence, Jesus, as the already exalted King of Zion, appears, on all suitable occasions,
as the ruler and judge of supreme resort, the Apostles are but His representatives and
instruments of working. It is He who appoints the twelfth witness, that takes the
place of the fallen Apostle (i. 24) ; He who, having received the promise from the
Father, sends down the Holy Spirit with power (ii. 33) ; He who comes near to turn
the people from their iniquities and add them to the membership of His Church (ii.
47, iii. 26) ; He who works miracles from time to time by the hand of the Apostles,
who sends Peter to open the door of fiiith to the Gentiles, who instructs Philip to go
and meet the Ethiopian, who arrests Saul in his career of persecution and makes him
a chosen vessel to the Gentiles ; in short, who continually appears presiding over the
affairs of His Church, directing His servants in their course, protecting them from the
hands of their enemies, and in the midst of much that was adverse, still giving effect
to their ministrations, and causing the truth of the Gospel to grow and bear fruit.
We have therefore in this book, not merely a narrative of facts^ which fell out at
the beginning of the Christian Church, in connection more especially with the apos-
tolic agency of Peter and Paul, but we have, first of all and in all, the ever-present
controlling administrative agency of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, shedding forth
the ]>owers of His risen life, and giving shape and form to His spiritual and everlast-
ing kingdom. If this leading idea is kept in view, it will present the book of Acts to
the mind as in scope and aim perfectly akin to the Gospels, and will also supply a
connecting thread to bind together into a consistent wliole the apparently isolated
and somewhat occasional notices it contains. Nor, if contemplated in the light now
suggested, will it appear accidental that the history should terminate with Paul's
work at Rome, as it commences with the work of the Twelve in Jerusalem, for the com-
mission of Christ to His ambassadors was, that they should preach the Gospel among
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and in Rome, the center and capital of the heathi-a
world, the different nations might be said to have their representation. The truth cf
the Gospel, when once fairly planted there, might well be regarded as in the act of
tJ.king possession of the world. It is probable, however, that other and more personal
reasons conspired to induce the Evangelist to conclude his narrative when it reached
the period of Paul's imprisonment at Rome. That period formed a sort of terminating
point, as well as a long jiause in the Apostle's labors, and we can easily suppose that
with the materials collected of the past, and amid the uncertainties of the future, the
Evangelist might deem it proper to bring his account to a close.
The style of Luke in the Acts is, like his style in his Gospel, much purer than that
of most other books of the New Testament. The Hebraisms which occasionally occur
are almost exclusively to be found in the speeches of others which he has reported.
These speeches are indeed, for the most part, to be regarded rather as summaries than
as full reports of what the speaker uttered ; but as these summaries are given in the
speaker's own words, the api^earance of Hebraisms in them is as easily accounted for
as if the addresses had been reported in full. His mode of narrating events is clear,
dignified and lively, and, as INIichaelis observes, he "has well suj)ported the character
of each i>erson whom he has introduced as delivering a public harangue, and has very
1000 PREFACE TO THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.
faitlifully and happily preserved the manner of speaking which was peculiar to each
of his orators."
ARRAN'GEMENT OF THE ACTS.
The work is divided into two distinct parts: the first part, embracing the first twelve
chapters, contains an account of the progress of Christianity among the Jews, and of
its extension to the Gentiles ; and the second part, embracing the remaining sixteen
chapters, contains an account of the missionary journeys of Paul. These two parts,
again, admit of various subdivisions. Thus the first part may be divided into four
subdivisions — the history of the Qhurch before Pentecost, the progress of the Church
in Jerusalem, its progress in Judea and Samaria, and its extension to the Gentiles.
The second part also admits of a four-fold subdivision, namely, the three missionary
journeys of Paul, each of them beginning at Antioch and terminating at Jerusalem,
and the account of his imprisonment. According to this plan, the Acts of the Apos-
tles admits of the following arrangement:
PART I. PROGRESS OF THE GOSPEL IN JUDEA, AND ITS EXTENSION TO THE GENTILES.
1. History of the Church before Pentecost, .... i.
2. Progress of the Gospel in Jerusalem, ..... ii.-vii.
3. Progress of the Cxospel in Judea and Samaria, . . . viii., ix.
4. Extension of the Gospel to the Gentiles, .... x.-xii.
PART II. THE MISSIONARY LABORS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL.
1. Paul's first missionary journey, ..... xiii.-xv. 35.
2. Paul's second missionary journey, .... xv. 36-xviii. 22.
3. Paul's third missionary journey, ..... xviii. 23-xxi. 16.
4. Paul's imprisonment, ...... xxi. 17-xxviii.
CHKONOLOGY.
The Acts of the Apostles evidently proceeds in a chronological order, but it is ex-
tremely difiicult to fix the precise dates of the difi"erent events recorded. We give,
for the sake of reference, a table containing a list of the Roman emperors, and of the
governors of Judea, along wath the chief events mentioned in the Acts, chronicled
under the years in which these events most probably occurred :
PREFACE TO THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.
TABLE.
1001
EMPEKORS.
a?. Tiberius.
.■M. ...
»5.
3C,.
37. Caligula.
.IS.
3;».
40.
41. Claudius.
42.
43.
44. ...
45. ...
46. ...
47.
48. ...
49. ...
50. ...
52.
53.
54. Nero.
55.
5G.
S7.
58.
59. Nero.
60.
61.
62.
63.
JEWISH GOVERNORS.
Pontius Pilate.
Herod Agrippa I.
Cuspius Fadus.
Tiberius Alexander.
Ventidius Cummanus.
Felix.
PRINCIPAL EVENTS
IN THE ACTS.
The ascension ? miracle of Pentecost-
Acts i. ii.
During tljcso years, tlie events recorded
1 Acts iii.— vi. 7 jjruliahly occurred.
Martyrddiu of Stoplieii; evangelistic
labors in Samaria— Acts vi. 8— viii.
Conversion of Pan!?— Acts ix. 1-19.
Paul's first visit to Jerusalem ; he retires
to Tarsus— Acts ix. 23-31.
The missionary labors of Peter ; conver-
sion of Cornelius ; the church at Antioch;
I'aiil at Aiitiiich— Acts ix. 32— xi.
Deatli of Herod; Paul's second visit to
Jerusalem— Act.s xii.
Paul's first missionary journey— Acts xiii.
xiv.
During these years, Paul appears to have
been at Antioch, whore he abode long
time witli the disciples— Acts xiv. 28.
Council of Jerusalem ; Paul's third visit.
Commencement of his second mission-
ary journey— Acts XV.— xvi. .5.
Paul in Macedonia and Achaia— Acts xvi.
6— xviii. 1.
Paul at Corinth— Acts xviii. 1-17.
Paul's fourth visit to Jerusalem. Paul's
third missionary journey, commencing
at Pentecost 54 ; he resides in Ephesus
for nearly three vears— Acts xviii. 18—
xix. 20.
Paul leaves Ephesus at Pentecost, and
winters in Corinth— Acts xix. 21— xx. 3.
Paul's journey to Jerusalem, which he
reaches at Pentecost; his arrest and
imprisonment— Acts xx. 4— xxiv. 26.
Paul a ijrLsoner in Caesarea— Acts xxiv.
26,27.
Paul's defense before Agrippa; in the
autumn he .sails for Rome, and winters
at Malta— Acts xxv.— x.xviii. 10.
Paul's arrival at Rome in the spring-
Acts xxviiL 11-29.
Paul a prisoner at Rome — Acts xxviii.
30.
Close of Paul's two years' imprisonment
— Acts xxviii. 30, 31.
ANALYSIS OF THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.
PART I.
From the ascension of our Lord to the admission of the Gentiles into the Church :
1. Before the Day op Pentecost.
Introduction: Promise of the Spirit: Ascension, etc. (i. 1-14).
Matthias cliosen in tlie place of Judas (15-26),
2. On the Day of Pentecost.
Descent of the Spirit: Tongues: Witnesses (ii. 1-13).
First preaching of Peter, effects of his discourse (14-41}.
1002 PREFACE TO THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.
3. After the Day of Pentecost.
At Jerusalem: Union, &c., of the first converts (ii. 42-47).
A lame man restored (iii. 1-11).
Second x^reaching of Peter (12-26).
Peter and John in prison : Peter's address to the Sanhedrim (iv. 1-22).
Prayer of the Church: its Unanimity and Benevolence (23-27).
Ananias and Sapphira (v. 1-11).
Miracles wrought by the Apostles (12-16).
They are imprisoned and delivered (17-20).
Before the Sanhedrim, &c., Gamaliel's counsel, &c. (21-42).
Deacons: Church increases : Stephen accused (vi. 1-15).
Stephen's apology or defense: his martyrdom (vii. 1-60).
Persecution of the Church: of Saul (viii. 1-4).
At Samaria, Philip the deacon preaches there (5-8).
Of Simon the sorcerer: Peter and John go to Samaria (9-17).
Peter rebukes Simon (18-24).
At other places : Philip the Ethiopian officer: (25 to 40).
Conversion of Saul (ix. 1-19).
He preaches at Damascus : first visit to Jerusalem : sent to Tarsus : the
Church has rest (20-31).
Miracle wrought by Peter at Lydda: at Joppa (32-43).
The admission of the Gentiles into the Church :
An angel appears to Cornelius : Peter's vision (x. 1-16).
Peter visits Cornelius: his discourse: Coi-nelius baptized (x. 17-48).
Peter blamed : he defends his condect (xi. 1-18).
Difi"usion of the Gospel : Barnabas and Saul at Antioch : of Agabus : Paul's sec-
ond visit to Jerusalem (19-30),
Herod Agrippa persecutes the Church: Peter's deliverance (xii. 1-19).
Death of Herod: Church increases: Saul and Barnabas go home from Jerusa-
lem to Antioch (20-25).
First apostolical journey of Paul among the Gentiles :
Designation of Saul and Barnabas: Seleucia: Cyprus: of Elymas the sorcerer:
Perga in Pamphylia (xiii. 1-13).
Antioch in Pisidia : Paul's discourse : proceedings there (14-51).
Iconium: Lystra: Derbe: proceedings: A cripple healed (v. 51, 52, xiv. 1-10).
Paul and Barnabas reputed gods (11-18).
Derbe: the Churches revisited: Pisidia: Pamphylia: Perga: Attalia: Antioch
(19-28).
Paul's third visit to Jerusalem: the Council (xv. 1-11).
Account of the Gentiles: speech of James: the Decree, etc (12-35).
paet IV.
The second apostolical journey of Paul among the Gentiles :
Contention of Paul and Barnabas : Paul and Silas go through Syria and Cilicia
(xv. 36-41.)
Derbe : Lystra : Timothy circumcised : Phrygia : Galatia : Mysia : Troas
(xvi. 1-8).
Samothrace: Neapolis: Philiiipi, conversion of Lydia (9-15).
PREFACE TO THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 1003
APythone.sri dispossessed: Paul and Silas im[)nsoned, the jailor, &c. (16-40).
Amphipolis: Apollouia: Thessalonica Berea (xvii. 1-14).
Athens (15-34).
Corinth ; of Aquila: Crispus; Gallio (xviii. 1-17).
Syria: Ephesus: Ctesarea: fourth visit to Jerusalem : Antioch (18-22).
The third apostolical journey of Paul among the Gentiles :
Galatia : Phrygia ; of A])ollos (xviii. 23-28).
Paul two years at Ephesus: disputes with the Jews (xix. 1-12).
Exorcists: Paul's stay at Ei)hesus (23-41).
Macedonia: Greece: Troas: of Eutichus (xx. 1-12).
Assos: Mitylene: Chios: Samos : Trogyllium: Miletus: Paul's discourse to
the elders of Ephesus (13-38).
Coos : Ehodes : Putura : Syria : Tyre : Ptolemais : Caesarea : of Agabus (xxi,
1-14).
Paul's fifth visit to Jerusalem (15-26).
Persecuted : rescued : permitted to speak (27-40.)
His defense before the populace (xxii. 1-21).
Claims the imvilege of a Roman (22-29).
His speech before the council : dissension (v. 30, xxiii. 1-10).
Paul encouraged: conspiracy against him (11-22).
Lysias sends him to Cfesarea (23-35).
Accused by Tertullus before Felix : his defense (xxiv. 1-21).
Felix postpones the matter, trembles at Paul's discourse (22-27).
Paul before Festus: appeals to Caesar (xxv. 1-12).
Meeting of Agrippa and Festus (13-27).
Paul's defense before them, &c. (xxvi. 1-32).
PAET vi.
Paul's voyage to Rome :
Voyage to Crete: Paul's counsel rejected: tempest (xxvii. 1-20).
Paul foretells the shipwreck, &c. : Malta (21-44).
At Malta: various miracles (xxviii. 1-10).
Voyage to Rome: arrival there (11-16).
Paul preaches to the Jews: upbraids them (17-29).
Preaches during two years to all who come to hear (30, 31).
THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.
The title, "The Acts of the Apostles," would be readily suggested by the general
contents of the work, viz.: the development and diffusion of the Christian Church,
which were effected by the Apostles, particularly by Peter, the Apostle of the Circum-
cision, and by Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles. Whether this title proceeded from
the author himself is doubtful, but it is certainly very ancient, and occurs in the earliest
notices of this book.
CHAPTER I.
I Christ, preparing Ai.v apostles to the beholding of his
ascension, (latherclh them together into the mount
Olivet, commandeth them to expect in Jerusalem the
sending down of the Holy Ghost, promisrth after a few
days to send him : by virtue whereof they should be
■witnesses unto him, even to the utmost parts of the earth.
9 After his ascension they -are xvarned by two angels to
depart, and to set their mirids upon his second corning. 12
They accordingly return, and, giving themselves to
prayer, choose Matthias Apostle in the place of Judas,
THE former treatise "have I made, O Theophilus, of
all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
sLuke i. 1-4, &c.
Treatise, or narrative. The former treatise
referred to, is the Gospel of Luke, which
had been previously written, and of which
the present book is the sequel or continu-
ation. The authority of each of these
books confirms the other. Let not new
sermons and new books make us forget
old ones. Have I made, or more definitely,
did make, at a particular time, well known
to the person here immediately addressed.
0 Theophilus. A person of distinction, to
whom Luke inscribed also his former pro-
duction. The word means " lover of God,"
whence some have fancied that it is to be
taken as a general name for any or every
lover of God. But there seems no foun-
dation for this opinion, as the circumstance
and style of address point to a particular
person of honorable station, with whom
Luke was acquainted. (See on Luke i. 3.
1005
Who Theophilus was, however, is a matter
of little importance, the substance of the
book that is dedicated to him is what is
vital and momentous. Of all, &c. This
statement divides the work of Christ into
two great branches: the one embracing
His work on earth, the other His subsequent
work /ro?n heaven, the one in His own per-
son, the other by His Spirit, the one com-
plete when He ascended on high, the
other to continue till His second ai:)pear-
ing. The expression "of all," means com-
pendiously. It often signifies, indefinitely,
a large portion or number. (Acts xiii. 10;
1 Tim. i. 16 ; James i. 2 ; Matt. ii. 3 ; Rom. xi.
2G.) Began. Christ's ministry here was
the beginning of a work which earth had
never witnessed before, something abso-
lutely neiv. His ivorks were original, He
did them in His own name, and by His
own might as God. His teaching was
original, He derived not His doctrines from
others, or from any source out of Himself.
To do — by miracles and holy deeds ; to
teach — by discourses.
2. Until Hhe day in which he was taken up, after that
he tliroush the Holy Ghost had given commandments
<^iinto the apostles whom he had chosen.
I'Luke xxiv. 51 ; verse 9 ; 1 Tim. iii. 16. cjiatt. xxviii.
19 ; Mark xvi. 15-19.
The day refers to the day of ascension.
1006
ACTS
Taken up, or, as some express it, " taken
back." This expression shows the famil-
iarity of the subject to tlie writer and liis
correspondent. The Rhemish version has
it, he VMS asswnpted, that is, into heaven by
God the Father. Through the Holy Ghost.
Tliis may either refer to our Lord's choos-
ing the Apostles, or to His giving them
commandments after His resurrection ;
but the latter seems to be intended. (See
on Luke xxiv. 44-49; John xx. 19-23.)
Jesus was endued abundantly with the
influence of the Spirit, and acted always
in conformity with His dictates. (See x.
38; Luke iv. 1 ; John iii. 34, &c.) This
subjection was one of the laws of His de-
pendent nature, one of the conditions of
His mediatorial office. The Apostles are
here mentioned as a well-detined and
well-known body of men, whose vocation
and mission had already been recorded by
this writer (Luke vi. 12-16), though their
names are afterward repeated for a special
reason. (See below, on verse 13.) He had
chosen. (LuKe vi. 13; John vi. 70.) Judas
is treated separately in verses 16, 17.
3. To whom also he shewed himself alive after his
passion by many dinfallible proofs, being seen of them
forty flays, and speaking of the things pertaining to the
kingdom of God.— ^Luke xxiv. 15 : John xx. 21.
Passion, or, suffering, which was once the
meaning of the former word. Infallible
proofs. As Christ is the great miracle, so
in Him the resurrection is the central
miracle apparent to man, and it was im-
portant, therefore, that this miracle should
be sustained by indubitable signs. Christ
seems to have made ten distinct appearan-
ces of Himself to His disciples after His
resurrection from the dead. The first was
to Mary Magdalene, recorded in Mark xvi.
and John xx.; the second was to Cleopas
and another of the disciples on the way to
Emmaus (Mark xvi. 12 ; Luke xxiv. 13-
32) ; the third was to Simon Peter (Luke
xxiv. 33-35 ; 1 Cor. xv. 5) ; the fourth
was in the evening of the same day
to the eleven, in the absence of Thomas,
and at Jerusalem (Luke xxiv. 36-43;
John XX. 19-25) ; the fifth, when, " eight
days afterward," He appeared to the
eleven at Jerusalem, Thomas being pres-
ent (Mark xvi. 14; John xx. 26-29; 1
Cor. XV. 6) ; the sixth, when he appear-
ed to all, or part of, tlie women who
had first visited the sepulchre, and sent a
command by them to the disciples to de-
part unto Galilee (Matt, xxviii. 1-lt)) ; the
seventh, when He appeared unto the
Apostles, and probably to the whole body
of disciples, on a certain mountain in
Galilee (1 Cor. xv. 6); the eighth He
appeared to certaiji of the disciples while
fishing on the lake of Galilee (John xxi.
1-24) ; the ninth when He appeared to
James, "the Lord's brother," in Galilee
(1 Cor. XV. 7) ; the tenth, on the morning
of His ascension, when He appeared to
the Apostles assembled in Jerusalem
(Luke xxiv. 43-51. Acts i. 4-8).
Our Lord showed Himself after His re-
surrection to none but His disciples. They
were the most fit persons to judge of the
truth of this event, as they had been inti-
mately acquainted with Him, knew ex-
actly His stature, voice and manner; and,
consequently could not but know whether
He who appeared to them, and conversed
frequently, and ate with them, was not
the very Person whom the Jews and Ro-
mans had put to death, for asserting that
He was the Son of God, and the King of
Israel. Nor could the disciples have any
other motive than the love of the truth to
make them persevere in publishing Christ's
resurrection, in the situation and circum-
stances in which they afterward found
themselves, and of which He had fully
forewarned them. Their conduct, there-
fore, demonstrates their full conviction of
the truth of the fact which they published
to the world, and for the love of which
they hazarded their lives, and in defense
of which, the greater part, if not all of
them, shed their blood.
The things pertaining to the kingdom of
God constituted the grand subject of
Christ's ministry. The discoveries of
science, the speculations of philosophy,
the politics of nations — such subjects as
these which agitated the outward world,
were not touched upon in His loftiest con-
verse with His disciples. Things of a
higher type, things that underlie and
regulate the univei'se, things, compared
with which the greatest realities of earth
are but as passing shadows, things that
restore polluted spirits to holiness, dis-
ordered spirits to liarmony, apostate spirits
to God — were the things of His ministry.
CHAPTER I,
1007
4. And, being assembled toRether with tlwiyi, com-
manded 'them that they should not depart Ironi Jeru-
salem, but wait lor tlie promise of the Father, wliich,
saifh lie, ye nhave heard of me.
fLuke xxiv -IB. gJohn xlv. 15, 16
Bring assembled, on the day of the As-
cension, and either at Mount OUvet or
Jerusalem, from which we read, " Jesus
led them out as far as Bethany." (Luke
xxiv. 50.) Commanded, &c. This last
commandment of our Lord to the Apostles
involved great self-denial on their part,
for they would naturally feel disposed to
withdraw from Jerusalem, and thus retire
from the i^resence of men whom they
dreaded, as well as escape, in a certain
measure, their own painful recollections
of the sufferings of Jesus, and of their
previous unfaithfulness and fainthearted-
ness. But it was the will of God that on
the spot in which enmity against His
Anointed had assumed the most awful
form, the suiDcrior power of grace might
be revealed. (See Isa. ii. 1-3.) Wait, in
holy thought, earnest prayer, and rapt
devotion. Such a state of expectancy is
essential to a j^atient continuance in well-
doing. In every spiritual gift the Lord
would have us to meet His faithfulness
with our faith. The promise of the Father
the fulfillment, realization of the promise
concerning the Holy Spirit. (Comp. Gal.
iii. 14.) This gift is said to be the promise
of the Father, because it was foretold in
the Old Testament that He would bestow
it. (See ii. 16 ; Joel iii. 1 ; Zech. ii. 10.) It
is unbelief, and not humility, to distrust
the promise of the Father — to wait with-
out expectancy for the coming of the
Spirit. Without exjiectation there will be
no truth — no reality, no fervency, no pre-
vailing power in prayer. Prayer is not
the mere instinctive utterance of desire,
it is the utterance of desire for things
known to be agreeable to God, ;.nd there-
fore expected. The indwelling presence
of the Spirit is the life of the soul — the
plentiful outpouring of the Spirit is the
life of the Church. Have heard of me, as
recorded in Luke xxiv. 49. (See John xv.
26, xvi. 13.)
5. For John htruly baptized with water, but ye shall
be baptized with the Holy "C^host not many dJij-s hence.
bMatt. iii. 11. 'Chap. ii. 4, x. 45, xi. 15.
There appears to be a reference to the
testimony of the Baptist himself. (Matt.
iii. 11 ; Luke iii. 16, on wdiich see notes.)
With water. Notice, the element is applied
to the person, not the person to the ele-
ment. Shall be baptized, by me, leith the
Holy Ghost, the gifts and graces of the
Holy Ghost. To the Apostles, and to the
one hundred and twenty assembled at the
Pentecost, the extraordinary gifts were
imparted, chiefly to enable them by their
inspired preaching and writings in the
Gospels (John xiv. 26, xvi. 13 ; 1 Thes. ii.
13), with their deeds and miracles to
spread the Christian faith throughout the
world. This was the common baptism of
the Church, for it was for the use of the
Church that the gifts of the Spirit were so
largely conferred on the disciples. Not
many days hence — only ten days. Yet
though the days were " not many," why
so many ? Why not the immediate char-
isma? The reasons may be .several: 1.
Their hearts must be yet further trained
in order to be fitted to become recipients
of so wonderful an outpouring of the
Spirit. Errors (like their questions in
verse 6) must be corrected, trials like the
last departure of their Lord must be en-
dured, hours of earnest supplication (verse
14) must be passed in order that their
wills may be brought into harmony with
the Divine will. 2. The final departure
of the Son was a requisite condition before
the advent of the Spirit. 3. As it was at
the Passover that the crucifixion was to
take place, so the founding of the new
Church must in the Divine order be placed
at the Pentecost. An epochal event must
have its epochal day.
6 When thev therefore were come together, they
asked of him.'sayint;. Lord, wilt Jthou at this time re-
store kagain the kingdom to Israel ?
JMatt. xxiv. 3, 4. kisa. 1 2G ; Dan. vii. 27.
When they therefore, &c. This seems to
be the same meeting to which the historian
refers in verse 4. The old leaven of Jew-
ish prejudices, and carnal ideas of the
Messiah's reign, still fermented in the
minds of the disciples, notv/ithstanding
His explanation of the nature of the dis-
pensation He was about to introduce.
(Verse 3.) To this must be attributed the
question. Lord, wilt thou, &c. The question
seems to have taken for granted that the
kingdom would be restored in some forni
or other. (See Isa. i. 26, ix. 7; Jer. xxiii.
6, xxxiii. 15, 17; Dan. vii. 13, 14; Hos. iii.
1008
ACTS.
4, 5; Amos ix. 10; Zech. ix. 10.) What
they wanted to know was, would the res-
toration take place at this timef " Is the
time now come, when Thou wilt deliver
Thy people from the oppression of a for-
eign yoke, and give them the empire of
the world?"
7. And lie said unto them, It 'is not for you to know
the times or the seasons, whicli the Father hath put In
his own i)ower — 'Matt. xxiv. 36; 1 Thes. v. 1, 2
Seasons, occasions. It is one thing to
know the general period of an event, an-
other to know the precise time of its oc-
currence. Fut, fixed, or arranged, in his
own poicer, i. e., in the sovereign exercise
of it. (Comp. Matt. xxi. 23.) The implied
inference is, that He may be expected to
reserve the knowledge of such decisions to
Himself. As the question of the disciples
relates merely to the time when Christ
would establish His kingdom. His answer,
as here given, He confines to the same
point. Few errors within the limits of
Christianity have been more dangerous or
disgraceful in efiect either upon the credit
of the Bible, or upon the mind of the in-
dividuals, than theattemptingby prophetic
calculations to fix the precise date of any
future event.
God conceals futurity from His people,
1. That they may not be diverted from
their proj^er Avork and business, the work
they have to do from day to day. 2. That
they may not be disquieted. Let us labor
to trust in Him, who has all the times and
seasons which concern us, and His people,
and the world, in His own power. (Deut.
xxxii. 4 ; Isa. xxx. IS.) Let us submit to
Him in a meek and quiet spirit. Since we
cannot know His times and seasons, let us
labor to know our own. (John vii. 6; Eccl.
ix. 12; Luke xix. 41, 42.) And since we
cannot look far into future time, let us
look more into eternity, over and beyond
all time. For it is only future time God
has shut up from us, while He leaves eter-
nity open to us.
8. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
Ghost is come upon you ; and ye nshall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and In
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
nLuke xxiv. 47-19 ; Matt, xxviii. 19.
Power — miraculous energy to work mir-
acles, to teach infallibly, and otherwise
to enable them to do the work of the minis-
try for which lie had ordained them.
Sliall be vAt7iesses, &c. Here the office and
mission of the Apostles are declared.
Their otRce is that of witness : " they
were not to be prophets of the future, but
witnesses of the past." Their mission was
to witness for Christ in Jerusalem, &c. We
see here the actual course which the Gos-
pel took : first it was preached in Jerusa-
lem, and after the dispersion, by reason of
the persecution which followed the mar-
tyrdom of Stephen, in Judea and Samaria,
and afterward by Peter to Cornelius, the
first Gentile convert, and by Paul in Asia
and Europe. Uttermost part, or, extreme
point of the earth. This and other kindred
jihrases are employed in the Old Testa-
ment, to signify all nations, not excepting
the remotest. (See Ps. ii. 8, xix. 4 . Isa.
xlviii. 20 ; Zech. ix. 10.) The mission here
given was not, in its completeness, execut-
ed by the Apostles ; it continues to be the
mission of the Church, until the whole
world shall be converted, and do homage
to Christ as its Lord and King. A Church
is only so far a vAtnessing Church, as it is
baptized Avith the Holy Ghost. Witnesses
shall testify while the world stands, of the
love of God in Christ, of redemption
through His blood, and of the forgiveness
of sins according to the riches of His
grace.
9. And when he had spoken these things, while they
beheld, he was taken up ; and a cloud received him
out of their sight.
Spoken these things, and still others (Luke
xxiv. 51). While they beheld, &c. The de-
scription is divided into two parts : at first,
the Lord is raised in a visible manner, the
eyes of the Apostles could follow Him for
a time as He Avent up ; then a cloud (pro-
bably a bright cloud — Matt. xvii. 5) coming
down, received and removed Him from
the sight of the disciples. He was taken
up. It Avas not some shadowy form of
Him, some apparition, some spectral out-
line of Him,that they saw ascend heaven-
Avard, it was He Himself, their veritable
Friend, Redeemer, Lord — He Avhom they
had followed three years, Avith whom they
had often mingled in closest fellowshii),
Avhom they had seen die upon the cross,
and Avhose living Avords were noAV vi-
brating upon their ear and heart.
If Christ Jesus has thus borne with Him
our nature into the inmost sanctuary of
heaven, if He has not hesitated to wear
C HATTER I
1009
the form that Adam wore, in that Holy
<if Holies -vV'hcre angels tremble as they
gaze, what onght to be our feelings, as wc
reflect upon this astonishing transit? IIow
ought we to be animated, as we remember
that a body, spiritual, indeed, but yet
tangible and visible — a nature immacu-
late, indeed, but yet human and ours — has
been uplifted by the energy of indwelling
Godhead, and set in the center of the
Paradise of God ? If this fact be believed,
it is impossible it cannot leave us as it
found us. To know it, and believe it, is to
awake to emotions that annihilate earth,
and open heaven already to the exulting
soul ! (Corap. Luke ix. 52-56.)
As to Himself, Jesus, in ascending, re-
turned to the place whence Pie came, and
assumed the glnry which He had laid
aside, or rather obscured. As He ascend-
ed with a body, heaven is proved to be a
place as well as a state. As to His enemies,
He showed that He had " triumphed over
them," and "received gifts for men : yea
for the rebellious also, that the Lord God
might dwell among them." As to His
people, He ascended as the High Priest of
their profession, to finish by intercession
for them what He had done by sacrifice —
as their Head and Representative — that
because He lives, they may live also — as
their Protector and Governor — as "Head
overall things unto His body the Church,"
make all things work together for their
good.
10. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven
as be went up, behold, two "U'en stood by tlieni in
white apparel. 11. Which also said. Ye nieii rof Gall-
lee, why stand ye gazing up Into heaven? this same
Jesus, whieh is taken up from you into heaven, shall
'ISO eonie in like manner as ye liave seen him go into
lieaven.
'John XX. 12. pChap. ii. 7, xlil. 31. qJohn xiv. 3; 1
Thes. iv. 16.
Looked steadfastly , continued to gaze long
after the cloud had concealed Him. It
was a look of astonishment and grief for
the sudden loss of all that was dear to
them, it was a look of eager desire to be
again gratified with a sight of their Mas-
ter. So too, the servants of Jesus, in an
especial manner, should fix their eyes and
hearts on Him, in all their purposes and
acts, in their struggles and their sorrows,
then will the glance of Jesus meet their
own, for while He dwelleth on high, He
humbleth lihnself to behold the things
that are below. (Ps. cxiii. 5, G.) Tiro men.
That these were angels, appears, 1. From
the suddenness of their api)earance, for no
one had seen them approach. 2. Their
white, shining ai)X)arel, which was a vis-
ible representation of celestial purity and
holiness. 3. The tidings which they
brought to the dis(;iples, being a message
sent from heaven to the earth. Why stand
ye, &c. " As if your now glorified Head
were gone from you never to return : He
is coming again, not another, but tJds same
Jesus, and as ye have seen Jam go, in like man-
ner shall he come — as personally, as visibly, as
gloriously : and let the joyful expectation
of this coming swallow up the sorrow of
that departure."
Among other reasons why Jesus should
thus return, are the following : " The
great transactions of redemption have been
public, open, often grand. The apostasy
was public, in the face of angels and the
universe. Sin has been open, public,
high-handed. Misery has been public,
and has rolled its deep and turbid waves
in the face of the universe. Death has
been public, all worlds have seen the race
cut down and moulder. The death of
Jesus was public, the angels saw it, the
heavens were clothed with mourning, the
earth shook, and the dead arose. The
angels have desired to look into these
things (1 Peter i. 12), and have felt an in-
tense solicitude about men. Jesus was pub-
licly whipped, cursed, crucified, and it is
proi^er that He should publicly triumph,
that all heaven rejoicing, and all hell at
length humbled, should see His public vic-
tory. Hence, He will come in the clouds
(emblem of sublimity), with angels, with
fire, and will raise the dead, and exhibit
to all the universe the amazing close of
the scene of redemption The.se
verses present the most grand and won-
derful events this world has ever known
consolation for the Christian
ceaseless alarm to the sinner." (Matt. xvi.
27 ; 2 Cor. v. 10 ; Phil. iii. 20 ; Col. iii. 3, 4 ;
Titus ii. 3 ; Matt, xxiii. 40, xxvi. 4 ; Mark
xiii. 26 ; Rev. i. 7 ; Dan. vii. 13.) The at-
tention and the hope of Christians are
now directed to the second appearance of
their Saviour. The ancient Church looked
for His coming in the flesh, we, according
1010
A C T S
to His promise, look for His coming in
glory. "Lift up your heads with joy, be-
lievers, for the day of your redemption
draweth nigh." " Beliold, he cometli with
clouds, and every eye shall see him."
Happy are they, and only they, who can
say, with holy and earnest desire, " Even
60, come Lord Jesus."
12. Then rreturned they unto Jerusalem from the
mount called Olivet, which is i'rom Jerusalem a sab-
bath day's journey.— 'Ijuke xxlv. 52.
The mount called Olivet; the same as is
elsewhere called "the mount of Olives."
(Matt. xxi. 1, xxiv. 3.) It was a high ridge
east of Jerusalem and parallel to the city.
It was formerly planted with olive trees.
From this mount Jesus ascended to heaven.
Which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day\s
journey. A Sabbath day's journey among
the Jews, was about a mile. The expres-
sion here used is not, however, to be so
strictly understood as to mean a definite
number of paces, neither more nor less ;
but, a short distance, such as, according to
Jewish custom, it was not considered
wrong to go on the Sabbath to attend
worship at a synagogue. Different parts
of mount Olivet were, of course, more or
less distant from Jerusalem. On one side,
the foot of the mountain was but five fur-
longs distant; while Bethany, which lay
on the opposite side, was fifteen furlongs.
(See John xi. 18.)
13. And when they wore come in, they went up into
an upper room, where abode both speter, and James,
and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Barthol-
omew, and Matthew, James the xon of Alpheus, and
Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
eLulco vi. 13-16.
Come in, that is, into the city. An tipper
room, &c. Probably the idea is, not that
Peter and the other Apostles made this
house their home, but that they habitually
resorted to it, and were generally there.
They would naturally wish to be frequently
together, and to be often occupied in social
prayer. The circumstances of the primitive
believers were such, that, not being able
to have an edifice specially dedicated to
the purposes of the new religion, they
were obliged to assemble in a private
house. All advantages, with respect to
time and place, and other circumstances,
for the better performance of holy duties,
ought to be made use of and improved by
us. This "upper room" was most raised
towari heaven most remote from noi^^e
and company, and worldly distractions.
Tiie Spirit of God descends upon, and rest.s
with such as have raised affections above
the world, and are nearest to heaven, not
upon such as are buried alive in worldly
business. (For sketch of Peter and the
other Apostles, see Appendix A.)
14. These all continued witli one accord in praver and
supplication, Willi llie twumen, and Mary the mother
ot Jesus, and with his lin'tliieu.
tLiUke xxiii. 49, 5.3, xxiv. 10.
These, whose names have just been
enumerated. Continued— -during the ten
days to the feast of Pentecost. This word
signifies, to go on, in performing or en-
during anything, courageously, and with
a certain invincible fixedness and resolu-
tion of mind. With one accord, or, ivilli one
mind. The term characterizes the entire
harmony of their views and feelings.
(Comp. Rom. xv. 6.) Prayer and supjylica-
tion for the promised baptism of the Spirit.
" Prayer " is the more general term, in-
cluding all sorts of uttered or mental wor-
ship, whether of simply thanks or petition.
" Supplication " is simply the ardent ex-
pression of our wants. With the women,
Their names are not given. Among tliem
may have been those who followed Christ
from Galilee, (See Luke xxiii. 55, xxiv.
10.) Perhaps some of the wives of the
Apostles were here, for some of them
were married. (Matt. viii. 14 ; 1 Cor. ix.
5.) Christianity has raised woman to her
present position in the civilized world,
and woman has ever proved the most
ardent and loyal in her love to the system
that has made her what she is.
Mary the mother of Jesus. This is the last
time her name is mentioned in the holy
book, and she is not mentioned with any
idolatrous homage, but spoken of simply
as one of the disciples of Christ. What
became of her afterward is not known.
One old tradition says she died early in
Jerusalem, and another says she accom-
panied John to Ephesus, and lived to an
advanced age. With his brethren. Or his
brothers. Who were they? They were
probably those who had accompanied the
mother of Jesus on different occasions, as
recorded in the Gospels. (See John ii.
12 ; Matt. xii. 46-50; Mark iii. 31-35 ; Luke
viii. 19-21.
If we would have a plentiful outjjouriiig
o
f
<
o
>•
O
>
ciiAPTi:rv I.
1011
of ^thc Spirit, we must, like tlie disciidos,
be found in earnest and united prayer.
Prayer is the spontaneous olfsijring of ex-
I>ectation and desire. It is hope's utter-
ance before God. Prayer for the presence
of the Hoi}'' Spirit is the first and most
prominent characteristic of the regenera-
ted soul, of the awakened or awakening
Church. Secret prayer is the life of tiie
individual, social prayer of the commu-
nity, congregational prayer of the Church.
In order to receive an outpouring of the
Spirit, we must, also, often meet together
with one accord in one place. The Lord
loves to see His family dwelling together
in unity, near and dear to Himself, and to
one another. He is doubtless to be found
wherever there is an humble and believ-
ing heart, but nowhere surely is such
manifested love as in the bosom of His
loving family, met together to wait for the
I)romise of their Fatlier.
15. 11 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of
the disciples, and said," (the number of the names to-
gether were about an hundred and twentj',)
Those (lays. The ten days between the
Ascension and the Pentecost. Peier stood
tip. He was the senior in age, had mani-
fested true repentance after his fall, and
chiefly was designed to the Apostleship
of the circumcision. (Gal. ii. 8.) He there-
fore takes the lead, when the preaching
was to the Jews. (See chap. ii. 3.) He
was, in one sense, " the mouth of the Apos-
tles," but he had no authority over them.
He does not here take upon himself the
right to fill up the vacancy in the Apostolic
office, but brings the matter before the
brethren. And it is not the Apostles only,
but the whole assembly, who agree to the
proposal of Peter, and set apart two as fit
candidates for the Apostolic office. Names,
is a Scriptural and classical Greek and
Roman word for persons. (Rev. iii. 4.)
An hundred and tavntij. These were the
eleven Apostles, and the seventy-two dis-
ciples. The other thirty-seven were prob-
ably (verse 21) those "who had been with
Jesus from the beginning."
16, Men ami brethren, this scripture must needs have
been fulfilled, which "the Holy Ghost by the mouth of
David spake before concerning Juda.s, which was guide
»to them that took Jesus.
iPs.a, xli. 9; John xiii. 18. 'JIatt. xxvi. 47; John
xviii. J.
3rnst needs have been, or it was neces.sary
that it should ho. fulfilled, as it has been ia
the death of Judas. Punishment must
needs follow crime. Which the Ilobj Ghost,
&.C. While David prophesied of the calam-
ties which should befall his persecutors,
it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that the enemies and murderers of the Mes-
siah should inherit tliose curses in all their
terror, and yet be more miserable than the
persons on whom they were more imme-
diately to fall. (See on John xiii. IS.) This
fact is asserted in these words, as what was
revealed by the same Spirit to Pe'.er.
Which teas guide, &c. Referring undoubt-
edly to the course which the betrayer took
in the garden of Gethsemane. (John xviii.
2-23.) Peter speaksof thegrievous sin and
horrible death of Judas with the greatest
earnestness and candor, but also with de-
vout sorrow and gentleness.
17. For he ''wa.s numbered with us, and had obtained
part of this ministry.— "Luke vi. 16.
As if he had said, " He helped with us
to make that significant and sacred num-
ber, twelve, which is now broken and
must be restored. "Obtained part," &c. The
clause might be more exactly rendered,
shared the allotment of this ministry, i. e., the
Apo.stleship, to which the same word is
applied by Paul (Rom. xi. 13), " O Lord !
how possible, and yet how sad is it to
preach to others, and to become castaways
ourselves! to prophesy in Thy name, and
yet to perish in Thy wrath ! to cast devils
out of others, and yet to be cast-out devils
ourselves! to have our ministry blessed to
others' comfort and salvation, and at the
same time to minister to our own condem-
nation."
IS. Now 'this man piirchased a field with the reward
yof iniquity, and fallini; lif:ullong, he burst asunder in
the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. li». And it
wius known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem, inso-
much as that field is called in their proper tongue,
Aceldama, that is to say, the field of blood.
^Matt. xxvii. 5-10. rl Peter ii. 15.
Purchased a field, &c. Matthew eays
(xxvii. 6, 7) that the chief priests bought
with the silver pieces for which Jesus was
betrayed, the potters' field, to bury strang-
ers in. The apparent discrepancy in the
accounts can soon be reconciled. It was
natural that in process of time Judas
should be virtually identified with the
chief priests, to whom he had sold him-
self to do iniquity, and that he might be
regarded as in effect doing what they did
with the money that accrued to liim for
1012
ACTS,
his share in the for.l transactions between
them. In other i)arts of Scripture yve find
similar iclentil5cations (see Matt. viii. 5
comp. with Lnlcovii.3; Marie x. 35 corap.
vilh ]Matt. XX. 20; also Acts vii. 16), and it
vas the more natural here, as in the
Tsalms ; applied by Peter to Judas there
was by anticipation the same sort of iden-
tilication of the traitor and his unbelieving
countrymen. Falling headlong, &c. The
revolting details recorded are perfectly
consistent with facts. In our own day,
where executions are effected with com-
parative skill, criminals of large stature
and bulk have, on the removal of the drop,
suffered precisely what is here recorded
of Judas; the internal viscera being sud-
denly shattered and ejected with great
violence .... without any external trace
of injury but in the immediate region of
the passage.
Knoun unto all — a bold appeal to public
notoriety, indicating the full confidence of
the writer in the p)ublic truth of the nar-
rative. Proper tongue — the Syro-Chaldaic.
Aceldama .... field of blood, so called as
bought with the price of Jesus' blood.
The field now shown as Aceldama, or,
propei'ly, Ilakal-Dema, lies on the slope
of the hills beyond the valley of liinnom,
south of Mount Zion. Richardson affirms
that bodies were thrown into the charnel-
house which occupies a portion of it, as
late as 1818, but Dr. Robinson alleges that
it has the ai)pearance of having been for a
much longer time abandoned.
20. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let ^his
habitation he desolate, and let no man dwell therein :
ami "Iii.s bislioprick let another take.
•Ps. Ixix. '£>. "Ps. cix. 8.
It is vriiten in the book of Psalms, &c. "Let
none be surprised, or stumble at it, that
tills should be the exit of one of the Twelve
for David had foretold not only his sin
(which Christ had noticed, John xiii. 18,
from Psa. xli. 9), but also his punishment.
( P.«.a. Ixix. 25.) Habitation, properly, a shep-
lierd's hut, with the enclosed cattle-yard,
and also generally a habitation of any kind.
From the rustic hut, says Valckendcr, the
word was transferred to other habitations.
Desolate. This is the lot of all things which
the ungodly possess in the world. Henry
says, "Perhaps Judas had some habitation
of his own at Jerusalem, wliich.ujion this,
everybody was afraid to live in, and so it
became desolate (people detesting the very
place where the suicide lived and died)."
And his bishoprick, &c. This passage is
from Ps. cix. 8, in the wordsof the Seventy.
That Psalm sets forth the wickedness and
desert of those who persecute the people
of God, and hence, as Judas had exempli-
fied so fully this idea, he too must be di-
vested of his oflice, and its honors be trans-
ferred to another. "Bishopric," though in
itself correct, because a mere corruption
of the Greek word, suggests foreign ideas
by its modern usage and associations. The
marginal translation in our Bible {charge
or office) is not only free from this objec-
tion, but much nearer to the meaning of
the Greek and Hebrew words, which both
denote official visitation and inspection.
21. Wherefore of these men cwhicli have companied
with us all the time that ttie Lord Jesus went in and
out among us, 22. Beginning from the baptism of John,
unto that same day that he was taken up from us. must;
one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrec-
tion.—''Luke X. 1, 2; John xv. 27.
Wherefore. As it is essential that the
vacancy occasioned by the apostasy of
Judas should be supplied, and the number
Twelve be restored. Companied vfith, be-
longed to our company. All the time, &c.
During the time that the Lord Jesus Avas
occupied among us in the duties of His
office. From the baptism of John, by whom
our Lord was not only Himself baptized,
btit first officially announced and introdu-
ced to His own disciples. That same day,
the day of the Ascension. (See on verses
2,9.) Must one be ordained. The Greek word
means simply to become, or more emphat-
ically, to bemade. Only such an one as had
"companied with them all the time," &c.,
could be an authentic witness of Christ's
resurrection, by which we are to understand
the doctrine, and miracles of Jesus, as well
as His rising from the tomb, because the
article of the resurrection includes many
other articles of faith in it, for if He rose
from the grave He was buried, if He was
buried He died, if He died He was born.
"He who believes the resurrection of
Christ," says Bengel, " believes all which
preceded and followed." Christ's resurrec-
tion is called by Atigustine, "the peculiar
faith of Christians," by Tertullian, "the
model of our hope, the key to our tombs,"
by Calvin, "the chief head in the Gospel."
CIIArTER I,
1013
23. And they appolnter; two, Josoph cailod 'iBarsabas,
tvlio \v:is suruanu'd Juslu.s, und Mattliiius.
"iCiiap. XV. 22.
Appointed tuo, or placed two, i. e., Ijefore
them, in llieir midst. (See v. 27, vi. 6.)
Joseph called Bari^abas, most probably son
of Sabiis. Though the lot to supply the
vacant office fell not upon him, it is more
than i^robable that he continued still to be
much with the Apostles, und to lend his aid
toward the establishment of Christianity
in his native land. His name, however, is
not again mentioned, and the traditions
given by Eusebius, that he was one of the
seventy disciples, and also that having
drunk some deadly poison he sustained no
harm, however probable, cannotbe deemed
certain. Mattldas. The name signifies,
"gift of Jehovah." No other particulars
of his history are certainly known, than
those here given. Various traditions de-
scribe him as preaching in Ethiopia, or in
Colchis, and being there martyred, or, ac-
cording to yet another account, as preach-
ing in Judea and being stoned by the
Jews.
24. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which
• knowest the hearts of all 7nrn, shew whollicr of these
two tliou bast cliosen, 2."). That he may take part of
this ministry and apostleshjp, from which Judas by
transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
«Jer. xvii. 10; Kev. ii. 23.
Thou, Lord. As Jesus had personally
appointed the other Apostles, many ex-
positors have argued, that this prayer was
immediately addressed to Ilim, and the
language favors the supposition. (See on
verse 2.) This praj^er implies, 1. A recog-
nition of Divine omniscience : Thou which
knowest, &c. A deep impression of the
Lord's acquaintance with all hearts is es-
sential to sincere and -earnest devotion.
(See John ii. 24, xxv. 21, 17; Rev. ii. 23.)
2. A desire to have their choice regulated
by the Divine — Shew whether, &c., as if they
had said, "Thy choice shall be ours, we
desire only to vote for him whom Thou
hast ordained for the office. Thy will be
done." This is the spirit of all true prayer.
Their prayer to Him attests their faith in
His Godhead. (2 Cor. xii. 8, 9.) That he
may take part, or lot, some read place. "Min-
istry and ajmstlcship," as an eminent com-
mentator observes, " is not a mere hendia-
dys meaning apostolical ministry, but a
generic and specific term combined, the
one denoting service in general, the other
a particular office. Fell, literally, went aside.
His own place. A euphemistic or softened
e^fprcssion of the awful future of the trai-
tor, implying not only destined habitation
but congenial element. Judas had fallcu
from what was not his place to go to the
2)lace which belongs to final apostates, hell.
Every person in this world of i)rol)atioa
has Ji is oien place in the world of retribu-
tion, a pjlace made }tis own, by his own con-
duct and character.
2f.. And they gave forth their lots, and the lot fell
upon Matthias ; and he was numbered with the eleven
apostles.
Gave forth their lots, perhaps gave them
to those W'hose business it was to collect
them. We know notthe particular method.
The account of Groiius seems x^robable,
that they put their lots into two urns, one
of which contained the names of Joseph
and ]Matthias, and the other a blank and
the word Apostle. In drawing these out,
the blank came up with the name of
Joseph, and the lot on which was written
the word Apostle came up with the name
of Matthias. The A]iostles and the assem-
bly of beHevers did not proceed to cast
lots until they had themselves decided con-
scientiously in accordance with their per-
sonal knowledge, as far as any human de-
cision could avail. Matthias. (See on verse
23.) Was numbered, was recognized as one
of their order, and had the character of an
Apostle thenceforth accorded to him. The
honor God had conferred on inciuiries by
lots, might influence the disciples to adopt
this method on this singular occasion.
(Coinp. Josh. vii. 1-4, 15; 1 Sam. x. 20, 21 ;
1 Chron. xxiv. 5, 7; Luke i. 9.)
"While the Lord remained with the
Apostles," sayfi Bengel, "they employed no
lots, neither did they subsecpiently employ
them after the coming of the Holy Ghost
(chap. X. 19, xvi. 6, &c.), but in this
single intermediate period and in this
peculiar afitiir, they very fitly adopted the
lot." In this age of the world, we are so
differently situated from those who, in tlse
old dispensation cast lots in order to ac-
quire a knowledge of God's will on im-
portant and doubtful matter.s, that a resort
to lots for deciding an important question
can scarcel}' ever, if indeed ever, be judi-
cious. A careful study of the Holy Scrip-
tures, an examination of all the circuin-
1014
ACTS,
stances connected with any particular case,
with prayer to God and consultation -with
judicious and pious friends, will thoroughly
furnish the man of God for every good
work, and will almost invariably lead to a
right result. Beyond question, to cast lots
upon trivial occasions, and solemnly to
appeal to God's determination in ludicrous
matters, is profanely to take the name of
God in vain.
1. What is the " former treatise " referred to 7 2. How did Jesus show Himself after His resurrection? 3.
What did Ke command His Apostles ? 4. Wliat baptism were they to receive ? 5. What did they aslv Christ?
6. What was His reply? 7. What great event tlien occurred? 8. State the particulars of the ascension. 9.
Where did the witnesses of the ascension then go? ILi. What did they do in Jerusalem.? 11. What is said of
Peter ? 12. Why was Matthias chosen to the Apostleship ? 13. How was he chosen ?
CHAPTER II.
I The apo.'tles. filled ii'ith the Holy Ghn!;t,aiHl spenlclng
tliver.i hini;/nt{firs, an' iidmircd by sonir. tttul drridcd tii/
othtrs. 14 li'/iuiii J'rtrr disproiniiy, iiirl sh' u-inij that
the apontlrx spitkf by the power of tlir ILiiy (iho.it. tliut
JesiLi iciix rixiii from the dead, ascendi d into lir((vcii,
find }jiinnd d'lWii the same Holy (r/iost, and was t/ie
Jl/' :<</'i^'. (f iiuiiiknoumto them to be approved of God
by hi.i iiiirii'-lfs, wonders, and signs, and not crucified
•Witiiuu' hix di Irrininate counsel and forfknfialcdi.ie : 37
he bajjtivii/i a (irrnt n\inihn- t/iat yrre i-unv,'rt< il. 41
Who afterward deroiitly and cfiaritcdil!/ canvrrse lo-
pether : the apostles n'orkiny many miracles, and God
daily increasing his church,
AND when the day of Pentecost »was fully come
the3' bwere all with one accord io one place.
•Lev. xxiii. 15. iJChap. 1. 14.
Daij of Pentecost. Ten days after the
Ascension, the time arrived which had
lieen appointed for the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit. The fiftieth day after the
f^econd day of the passover (the IGth),
came the feast of Pentecost, called also the
feast of weeks (('. e., seven clear weeks from
the 16th Abib). This was properly the
feast of the completed harvest of the
ground. Loaves made of the new meal
and grain were offered as first-fruits. (Lev.
xxiii. 17.) Many burnt ofterings were
now presented. (Lev. xxiii. 18-20.) This
feast brought to Jerusalem a greater con-
course of Jews and proselytes from all
parts of the Avorld than any other of the
three great festivals. Hence the season
was as well chosen for the first proclama-
tion of our Lord's resurrection and ascen-
sion, as its occasion and its rites Avere sym-
bolical of the first-fruits of the spiritual
harvest, which were offered to God as the
result of Peter's preaching. Was fully come,
i. e., when the appointed and therefore
necessary interval had quite elapsed. All
■with one accord. The same one accord as in
i. 14, of the same body enumerated in i.
15, namely, the about one hundred and
ttccnty names re])resentative of the New
Testament Church. They were of one
mind. They were one in faith, in hope,
and in spiritual sentiment, waiting in
patience and perseverance the accomplish-
ment of the promise which the Saviour of
their love had bestowed. A spirit of unity
among the disciples of Christ is greatly to
be desired — unity founded upon attach-
ment to the exalted power of the Redeem-
er, and guided by the hopes which the
word of His promise has taught them to
entertain. When such a spirit prevails,
the Divine blessing may be expected to be
received in the most plentiful abundance.
(See on A-erse 4 ; also chap. i. 13, 14.) In
onej)lace, probably the upper room men-
tioned chap. i. 13.
2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as
of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled call the house
where they were sitting.— ^Chap. iv. 31.
Suddenly. The atmosphere does not pass
at once from the serene to the tempest-
uous, but it was thus now, for the moment
before a profound quiet reigned around
them. The suddenness indicates the su-
pernatural. A sound from heaven, &c. This
was intended to solemnize the disciples of
Christ, to awaken them to the greatest
spiritual earnestness, and to make the cre-
scent of the Holy Ghost, in His miracu-
lous presence, an event ever to be remem-
CHAPTER II.
1015
bered as of llie most impressive o.nd salu-
tary nature. It did uot sweep horizontally
through the room, but came directly down,
v/ith a startling roar. It indicated that
. the Spirit of the Lord proceeded from
heaven, whither Jesus had so lately as-
cended. It was an emblem of the ^jurit's
influence, and of his irresistible power.
In the Scriptures the Spirit's influences are
frequently represented by the wind. (Ezek.
xxxvii. 9 ; John iii. 8.) We hear the sound
of the wind as it sighs along the valley, or
howls through the forest, or roars round
the summit of the hill. We trace its effect
as it waves the grass blade, or lays pros-
trate the giant oak, as it ruffles the smooth
lake, or lashes the ocean to a storm, but it
is itself unseen, and we are ignorant alike
of its origin and of its destiny, and of the
laws and limits of its course. So the Spirit
is real though invisible, and produces as
equally effective and manifest a change
upon the souls of men, as the wind does
upon the face of nature. Filled all tlie house
— the whole house was filled by the Di-
vine reverberation. The presence of the
Spirit will be equal to the requirements
of the whole Church, His aids will be dis-
pensed to meet and supply the spiritual
wants of every member of Christ's body.
Wherever there is faith in His Divine
Person, and prayerful dependence upon
His influences, these influences for the
glory of the Redeemer's intercession, will
be bestowed for promoting all the pur-
poses of vital godliness.
3. And there .appearpd unto them cloven tongues like
as of fire, aud it sat upon each of them.
Unto (Item, i. e., the believing recipients
of the power from on high. Cloven tongues,
that is, undivided at the root, but flaring
into several points at the extremity. By
this terminal division was beautifully sym-
bolized the variety of dialect spoken by
each tongue. Like as of fire, the tongues
were not fire, but like fire. This was to
intimate, that in the languages which the
Apostles were now enabled to spieak, they
should communicate to the world that
heavenly doctrine, which, like fire, both
illuminates and purifies, or rather to sig-
nify, that their tongues, touched as with a
live coal from the altar, should utter strains
of glowing eloquence, not fashioned, it
might be, according to the rules observed
by the orators of Greece and Rome, but
cajmble of i)roducing far nobler effects,
eloquence, whi(;h would terrify the bold-
est, and alarm the most careless sinner,
M'hich would hunil^le the proud, comfort
the dejected, inspire the timid with invin-
cible courage, and, with an energy un-
known to philosophy, kindle the living
fire of devotion in the coldest and most
unfeeling heart.
Uach of them, i. e., of those assembled
upon this occasion. There is nothing to
restrict or qualify the wide expression
used in verse 1, or to limit what is here
said to the twelve Apostles. The whole
assembly was collectively a representation
of the body of believers, now about to be
reorganized upon a Christian basis, and
perpetuated as the Christian Church. Sat
upon. Blessed be God for the promise of
the same Holy Spirit to abide with all be-
lievers, though not in His miraculous
gifts, yet in His sanctifying operations,
and saving graces to the end of the world.
(1 Peter iv. 14.) We are not to suppose
that this was the first time that the Divine
Spirit visited this world. He never came
in such a demonstration of ])Ower and
plenitude of influence as now.
4. And thej- were all ^filled with the Holy Ghost, and
began no speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave
them utterance.
dChap. 1. 5. cMark xvi. 17, x. 46.
All the disciples were filled with the
presence of the Spirit. Such gifts, and in
such measure, were bestowed on them
severally, as were conducive to the glory
of the Redeemer, and for the immediate
advancement of the best interests of
Divine truth. With other tongues, i. e., than
their native tongtie. The miraculous va-
riety was not in the ears of the hearers,
but on the lips of the speakers. (Chap.
X. 46, xix. 6 ; Mark xvi. 17 ; 1 Cor. xii. 10.)
The miracle consisted especially in giving
— without study, or any of the ordinary
means of acquiring the knowledge of
speech — the first disciples the power of
preaching the Gospel in a great variety of
languages. (1 Cor. xiv. 22.) The acquisi-
tion of a foreign language requires close
application and frequent practice. It is
difficult to become acquainted with the
signification of the great variety of sounda
i016
ACTS.
which are used in any country, so as to be
able to understand them as soon as they
are pronounced. Still more difficult is it
to attain the power of speaking a foreign
language fluently and accurately, or to be-
come so familiar with its words, as instantly
to call them up, to express the ideas, which
arise in the mind. Besides, the sounds of
a foreign language are, in some histances,
HO different from those to which we have
been accustomed, that we feel ourselves at
a loss to pronounce them, and that, unless
we begin to learn in an early period of
life, when our organs are flexible, we can
hardly ever speak in such a manner as to
please the ear of a native. These remarks
serve to show the astonishing nature of
the polyglottal miracle which was per-
formed on the day of Pentecost. .4s the
Spirit gave, &c. The Holy Spirit presided
in that assembly. He who conferred the
miraculous gift, also gave it direction, and
as the Spirit gave the power of utterance
to the disciples, so did they proclaim the
truths of everlasting hfe. No man should
dare to speak for Christ, without the Spirit
of Christ. Better be dumb t ban speak the
thoughts of a soul unrenewed by the Spirit.
A divinely filled soul must break forth in
divine language.
5. Anci thei-ewere dweUing at Jerusalem Jews, de-
vout moil, out of every nation under heaven.
Besides the Jews settled at Jerusalem,
there were, by the peculiar providence of
God, no small number of foreigners dwell-
ing there at the time, out of every nation
under heaven. They had come up for the
feast of Pentecost, or for the Passover, a
little time before, since which many per-
haps had remained. They were, however,
almost entirely men who had sought Je-
hovah's sanctuary as proselytes, or from
motives of piety. For the sound must go
forth into all lands under heaven, that
heaven was opened to all men, and that a
new Sun of grace had risen on the earth.
A devout spirit is precious in the eyes of
God. It [)rompts to willing and continued
obedience when God leads, and is reward-
ed with still more precious gifts of grace.
(Matt. xiii. 12.)
fi. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude
came tos;ptlier, and were confounded, because that
every man lieard them speak in his own language.
Was noised abroad, or, occurred, i. e., the
sound of the descending Spirit. The par-
ticipial clause here may involve the idea
of cause as well as time, and we may un-
derstand, therefore, that the sound in
question was avidible beyond the house
where the discij^les were assembled, that
it arrested the attention of those abroad,
and led them to seek out the scene of
wonder. Confounded, confused or per-
plexed. Language, or dialect. Dialect, a
kindred form to dialogue, originally means
discourse or conversation, then mode of
speech, style, or diction, then diversity of
language, whether national or provincial.
Own is emphatic, not merely in language
which he understood, but in his own par-
ticular, peculiar tongue. (See on venses
4, 11-)
7. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying
one to another. Behold, are not all these which speak
^Galileans ?— ^Chap. i. 11.
Gcdileans. Persons who know no other
dialect, save that of their own country.
Persons wholly uneducated, and conse-
cpiently naturally ignorant of those lan-
guages which thej'^ now speak so fluently.
Had the different speakers belonged to
so many different countries, the wonder
would have been diminished or removed.
This was the name thus early given to
the " sect."
S. And how hear we every man in our own tongue,
wherein we were born ? 9. Parthiani?, and Medes, and
Elarnites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in
Judea. and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia. 10. Phry-
gia. and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of
Libya about Cyrene. and strangers of Rome, Jews and
proselytes, 11. C'reres and Arabians, we do hear them
speak "in our tongues 'the wonderful works of God.
■1 Cor. xii. 10, 28.
In our own to7igue. (See on verses 4, 6.)
This list of fifteen countries from which
people were present, is, upon the whole,
systematically arranged, proceeding from
the north-east to the west, then turning to
the south, and concluding with the west.
Parthia was on the north-east of jMedia and
Hyrcania, and north of Asia, surrounded
entirely by mountains. Media bordered
north, on the Caspian Sea, west on Arme-
nia, east on Hyrcania, and south on Persia.
Elarnites, i. e., the inhabitants of Ehjmals
or Elam, which was east of the Tigris,
north of Susiana (annexed to it in Dan.
viii. 2), and south of Media, of which Pto-
lemy makes it a part. Dwellers, inhabitants.
Judea — which differed in dialect from Gali-
lee. (Verse 7.) Thus also a miracle was
CHAPTER II
1017
given to the native Jews. Cappadocia,
Pontus, provinces of Asia Minor. Pontus
bordered on the south of tl\e Euxine, or
Black Sea ; Cuppadocia was south of Pon-
tus. Asia. Asia strictly so called. (See
on vi. 9.) Pla'i/gia, and Pamphylia, provin-
ces of Asia Minor, the latter lying south
of the former, and on the Mediterranean
coast. Egypt. The writer now glances to
Africa, of which Egypt was a distinguished
part. Libya was an extensive region on
the west of Egypt. One of its principal
cities was Cyrene (now Grenna), of the
population of whicli at that time the Jews
constituted a fourth part. Strangers of (or
from) Rome. Jews, those born such, natu-
ral descendants of Abraham and Israel.
Proselytes, converts from the heathen.
Cretes and Arabians. The names, here
added, do not violate the order previously
followed, but complete the circle, as it
were, by passing from the extreme west
(Italy) to»the extreme south (Arabia), be-
tween which two extremes the important
island Crete (now Candia) lies in a direct
line.
Hoio hear we, &c. This extraordinary
fact could be nothing else than a real mira-
cle. In reference to the full substantiation
of the truth of this miracle, observe, 1. It
was predicted. "In my name they shall
speak with new tongues." (Mark xvi. 17.)
2. The character and the pursuits of the
men were well known ; it was well known
they were poor fishermen of Galilee. 3.
Their judges. If they had spoken in one
language only, the others might not have
detected it, but every man, whether Crete
or Arabian, heard them speak in the dialect
of their own country. 4. The place. They
did not go to a distance to tell their tale:
tiiey began when the Jews were around
them, who were their bitter enemies. 5.
The season — when large multitudes were
present. 6. The boldness of Peter in accu-
sing and denouncing the Jews. (Verse
23.) Would he, who had denied his Lord
and Master through fear, now have dared
to have charged them with having "killed
the Prince of Life," unless God had ful-
filled His promise, "It is not ye that speak,
but the Spirit of your Father which speak-
ethinyou?" And unless this had been
tru3. would the result have been what it
was? (Verses 37, 41.) The absence of
this miracle in the Church, in the work
of evangelizing the world, must now be
supplied by human learning. And we
ought to be very thankful to God that His
word has been translated into so many
tongues. But the time is coming when all
the inhabitants of the earth shall read "in
their own tongues the wonderful works
of God."
12. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt,
saying one to another, J What iiuauieUi this ? 13. Others
mocking said. These men are lull of new wiue.
JChaiJ. xvii. 20.
The efifect upon the multitude was two-
fold. Some were impressed, and became
inquirers. They ivere amazed, &c. Others
mocking said, &c. Some suppose that these
scoffers belonged to the hierarchical party
of the Jews — the enemies of Christ. Others
think that they were natives of Judea,
who, not understanding that the disciples
spoke in foreign languages, imagined that
they only uttered incoherent words. It is
probable that there was something in the
excited manner in which the disciples
acted, and in their ejaculations of praise
in foreign languages, whicli would appear
to those who were unsusceptible of receiv-
ing the supernatural impression, as fanati-
cism. (Comp. 1 Cor. xiv. 23.) New wine
might be more exactly rendered sweet wine,
as the Greek word properly denotes sweet-
ness, and although sometimes applied in
classic Greek to the fresh grape-juice, be-
fore fermentation, is also used of those
fermented wines, in which the sweetness
was retained by a peculiar process, and
some of which were unusually strong. The
opposition of infidels to the Gospel pro-
ceeds, not from want of evidence, but from
want of candor, a temper of mind upon
which arguments and demonstrations are
thrown away. A mind full of prejudice, a
heart attached to the world and its plea-
sures, will always find something to object
to a religion which teaches the purest
morality, and requires, from those who
embrace it, the sacrifice of their corrupt
propensities, and unhallowed gratifica-
tions. Even scoffiing, however, though it
is one of the most mournful evidences of
a Satanic opposition to the kingdom of
Christ should not be allowed to arouse the
indignation of the religious teacher so that
1018
ACTS
ho casts the scoffer altogether from liis
path. Rather should he pity him.
U. 1! But Peter, standing np with the eleven, lifted up
his voice, and s.Hid unto tiieni, Ye men of Jndea, and
all ye that dwell at .leiu^aleni, l)e this known unto you,
nnd hearken to my wcirds: 1.3. For these arenotdrunk-
en, as ye suppose, seeing; kit is liul the third hour of the
day. hi. Bnt this is that which was 'spoken by the
proplict ,I(iel : 17. And it shall oome to pass in the last
days, .saiili God, I will pour ont mof my Spirit upon all
flesh : and your suns and your daughters .shall prophe.sy
and your young men shall see visions, and your old
men shall dream dreams : 18. And on my servants and
on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my
Spirit, and they nsluill prophesy : 19. And I will shew
wonders in heaven ahove, and signs in the earth be-
neath, blood, and Are, and vapour of smoke. 20. The
osun shall be turned into darkne.ss, and the moon into
blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord
come: 21. And it sliall come to iiass. that whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord .-:hall be saved.
H Thes. V. 7. 'Joel ii. 2S-;i2. mlsa. .vliv. 3: Ezek. xxyvi.
27. nChap. xxi. 4, !), 10 ; 1 Cor. xii. 10. oMark xiii. 2J ; 2
Peter iii. 7, 10. plxxxv. 6 ; Rom. x. 13 ; 1 Cor. i. 2 : Heb.
iv. 16.
Standing up, perhaps in the place before
the house. With the eleven. They probably
spoke by turns, but Peter began the dis-
course. 3fen of Judea, &c. He begins by
simply naming the people he is addressing,
just as any other speaker, Jew or Gentile,
might have done in every-day life. Be
this known, &c. He bespeaks attention
with a skill and grace not unlike that with
which Brutus, in Shakespeare, attemi^ts to
justify the death of Ca?sar. " Hear me for
my cause, and be silent that you may
hear."
Theae are not drunken, <fcc. Their radiant
looks, their stately liearing, show that they
are more like seraphs than drunkards.
Mark the holy courage of Peter, in de-
fending the innocence of the Apostles, and
confuting the base and baseless calumny
which was now cast upon himself and
them. The third hour of the day, according
to the Jewish computation of time, was
our nine o'clock in the morning, and the
improbability of so many persons, of plain
character and industrious habits, plunging
into so early a debauch, and staggering
into public view in a state of disorderly
excitement at such an hour, was so great,
that the force of the Apostle's appeal is
felt and admitted by all classes of readers.
This is that, &c. The Apostle, having in
ver.se 15 presented the negative part of the
defense, now follows with the positive, fur-
nishing the explanation of the phenome-
non. The passage is quoted with substan-
tial faithfulness, from Joel ii. 28-32. It is
plain that Peter did not intend that the
completion of that prophecy was confined
to that point of time, for in verse 39 he
tells them that were now awakened, and
cried, "Men and brethren, what shall we
do?" that they muyt "repent and be bap-
tized, and they should receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost." For, say she, " the pro-
mise " (that promise most aiJi^arently that
he had reference to before,) " is unto you,
and lo your children," &c. So that all that
was intended in that prophecy is not ful-
filled, till God has done calling.
The last days— the times of the Gospel,
or the days of the Messiah, called " the
last days," because the dispensation of
God's kingdom among men, which the
Gospel sets up, is the last disi^ensation. I
will pour out, &c., i. e., there shall be a mo.st
plentiful effusion of the Holy Spirit, upon
all flesh, upon Jews and Gentiles, and upon
all sorts of persons without distinction of
age, sex or state, old and young, sons and
daughters, bond and free. To prophesy,
has here its usual sense, to speak by in-
spiration, or under a special Divine influ-
ence. " If any distinction," says Dr. J.
A. Alexander, " was intended to be made
between the parallel expressions dreams
and visions, the latter may denote day-
dreams, waking visions, and the former
visions seen in sleep, or dreams properly
so called. As we do not read of any such
efi'ects at Pentecost, the terms of the pre-
diction must have been understood by the
Apostles as figures or types of extraordi-
nary spiritual influence, and not as the
precise forms in which the promise waste
be fulfilled." Servants .... handmaidens
— without distinction of rank ; no condi-
tion, however ignoble, would exclude any
one from the promise. And I will shew
wonders in heaven above, &c. Here is pre-
sented the other side of the subject. The
primary reference is to the calamities which
God inflicted on the Jews in connection
with the overthrow of Jerusalem, and of
the destruction of the Jewish state and
nation. (See on Matt. xxiv. 29, with
which the language here coincides almost
verbally.)
Blood .... fire .... smoke denote
calamitous times in general, political,
civil, social and domestic. Yet here, too,
we are to recognize the wider scope of the
prophecy. The destruction of the Jews is
held forth by the Apostle, as a type of
C II APT Ell II
1015
the destruction which is to coino ni)oii
every rejecter of the Gospel. The nun, &.c.
Its Hght shall be withdrawn, the heavens
shall become black. A day is at hand
which will be one of thick gloom, of sad-
ness and Avoe. (Ezek. xxxii. 7; Isa. xiii.
10; Amos v. 18, 20.) The moon shall give
forth signs of distress. It shall exhibit
an appearance like blood. Men shall see
there an image of the carnage and misery
■which are to be witnessed on earth.
That great and notable day, &.(i. The de-
struction of Jerusalem by Titus, Avas, in-
deed a notable day — a day of judgment to
the Jewish people, but there is another
and more nokible day of the Lord, which
lies at the end of " these last days " — the
day of universal judgment. Whosoever
shall call, &c. In wrath God remembers
mercy. (liab. iii. 2; Mai. iii. 7.) How
great is His goodness ! He has made the
way of salvation easy ; it consists in call-
ing on the name of the Lord. (Comp.
Acts xvi. 31 ; Eom. x. 13-15.) Although
contrition of heart and godly sorrow on
account of our sins are indispensable,
nevertheless, strictly speaking, it is faith,
or the calling on the name of the. Lord,
by and through which we are justified and
saved. (Rom. v. 1 ; Eph. ii. 8.) Faith is,
pre-eminently, the condition which isjire-
scribed, as well when we are converted, as
when we finish our course.
22. Ye men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of
Nuzareth, a man approved of Cxud among you by
qmiracl&s and wonders and signs, wiiich Crod did by
liim in the midst of you, as, ye ryoursrlves also know":
2;?. Him, hPinc: '■delivered by the determinate counsel
and liirekiiiiwii-ilge of God, ye 'have taken, and "by
wicked liunil-t li;ive crucilied and slain: 21. W'hom
vGod hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death :
because it was not possible "that he should be holden
of it.
qJohn xiv. 10, 11; Heb. ii. 4. rJohn xv. 2-1. "Luke
xxii. 22, xxfv. -14, chap. iii. IS. 'chap. v. 30. "Matt.
xxvii. 1. '^liuke xxiv. 1, chap. xiii. .30, 34: 1 Cor. vi.
14; Eph. 1. 20. "Col. U. 12; 1 Thes. i. 10; Keb. xiii. 20;
1 Peter L 21.
Ye men of hrael — the orator at this point
seems to collect his strength and begin
anew. He addresses them by their no-
blest title of Israel, as if to show that it is
from no want of love or respect that he
lays upon them firmly the charge of being
the slayers of Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth,
originally used in the way of reproach,
but afterward came to be used simply as
a distinctive term. Approved of God,
rather, " authenticated," " proved," or,
" demonstrated to be from God." By
miracJe^ &c. This is not a low view of
our Lurd's miracles, as has been alleged,
nor inconsistent with John ii. 11, but is in
strict accordance with His i)rogress from
humiliation to glory, and with His own
words in John v. Ii). This view of Christ
is here dwelt on to exhibit to the Jews the
whole course of Jesus of Nazareth as the
ordinance and doing uf the Cod of Israel.
Ilim, being delinred, etc. Mark the bold-
ness of Peter ! However timid before, the
di.scii)les no sooner received the Spirit,
than they began to speak the "Word with-
out fear. He who, but a little while be-
fore, had trembled in the presence of a
servant maid, could not but tell thousands
to their face, that Jesus whom they cruci-
fied with wicked hands, is now Lord and
Christ. Determinate counsel and foreknow-
ledge—God'^ fixed plan and perfect fore-
sight of all the steps involved in it. Ye
have iaJccn, &.c. The volitions of free
agents, the evil as well as the good, are
constantly represented as falling under
the counsels and conduct of Heaven.
Never did men act more freely nor more
wickedly than the Jews, in the crucifixion
of Christ, yet in that whole business they
did no other than what " God's hand and
counsel determined before to be done."
(Chap. iv. 28.) The delivery of Christ
into their hands to be crucified, as per-
formed by Judas, was a wicked act, yet
was He " delivered by" (or according to)
'• the determinate counsel and foreknow-
ledge of God." That this subject is deep
and difficult, in the present state, is ad-
mitted, and wicked men may abuse it to
their own destruction, but the thing itself
is no less true and useful, if considered in
the fear of God. There is a link, as some
have expressed it, that unites the pur-
poses of God and the free actions of men,
which is above our comprehension, but to
deny the fact is to disown an all-pervad-
ing providence ; which is little less than
to di.sown a God. Peter, it should be ob-
served, here unites "the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge o/ God " to-
gether, and seems to have had no idea of
admitting the one without the other. It
is also worthy of notice, that, in his man-
ner of introducing the subject, it appears
to have no tendency whatever to excuse
1020
ACTS.
them from .cuilt, by tlirowing the blame
on the Almighty: on the contrary, it is
brought in for the purpose of conviction,
and actually answered this end, in those
to whiim it was addressed. (See verse 37.)
The decrees of God seem to be distinguish-
able into efficient and permissive. With re-
spect to moral good, God is the proper and
efficient cause of it. AVith respect to moral
evil, God permits it, and His decree to
permit sin does not in the least excuse the
sinner, or warrant him to ascribe it to
God, instead of himself. (See on chajo.
iv. 28.) Raided up. not into existence, as
in chap. iii. 22, but from the dead. V\Mth
their treatment of the Saviour is contrast-
ed that of God Himself. "When God gave
Plim up, the}' took Him, but when they
crucified Him, God raised Him.
Having loosed the pains of death. " Loos-
ing pains" is an unusual combination,
" perhaps arising from the use of thu
second Greek word in the Septuagint,
to represent a Hebrew one, which has the
double sense of cord and sorrow. (Comi).
Isa. xiii. 8 with Psa. xviii. 5.) Thus the
two Greek nouns may have become asso-
ciated, and their corresponding verbs
convertible. The very combination here
used appears also in the Septuagint ver-
sion of Psa. xxxix. 2. It is the less un-
natural because the verb to loose has a
figurative sense (relax) no less appropriate
to pains than its proper sense (untie) to
cords. The Greek noun strictly, means
the pains of parturition, which are often
used as figures of intense, but temporarj'
suffering. (See Isa. xxvi. 17; John xvi.
21, &c.) Because it was not possible, &c. 1.
It was naturally impossible, on account of
that Divine power which was inherent in
His i^erson as God. 2, It was legally im-
possible, because Divine justice being fully
satisfied by His sufferings, required that
He should be raised to life, as when a debt
is paid, the prisoner is discharged, and the
prison door opened.
25. For David speaketh scojicernin? him, I foresaw
the Lord always before my face, tor he is on mv right
hand, tliat I should not be moved ; 2(i. Therefore did
my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad : moreover
also my flesh shall rest in hope : 27. Because thou wilt
not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer
thine Holy One to see corruption. 28. Thou hast made
known tome the ways of life; thou shalt make me
full of joy with thy countenance.— ^Ps. xvi. 8-11.
David speaketh. (See Ps. xvi. 1-8.) He
does not tell them anything as to the Di-
vine authority of David's utterances : this
would have been unnecessary. He as-
sumes that the document refers to the
resurrection of Jesus whom they had cru-
cified. He is described as " having the
Lord always before his face," " always on
his right hand," as the "Holy One of
God," who speaks with an exultant assur-
ance of His own resurrection. Therefore,
on account of this assurance of Divine
protection, did my heart rejoice, &c. My
flesh shall rest, &c. "My body shall go
down to the grave in a joyful hope of
resurrection." Because, here is the ground
of the confidence exjjressed.
Hell, in its old and wide sense of the
unseen world (/fades), the world of spirits,
the state of the soul separated from the
body, without any reference to happiness
or misery. The essential meaning is, thou
wilt not leave my soul and body separate.
To see corruption. God would bring back
his soul from the invisible state, and re-
unite it to His body, before it was corrupted.
TIlc v:ays of life. God would restore Hiin
to life, after having been put to death and
laid ill the grave. Full of joy, &c. The
Redeemer was assured that He would not
only escape the power of death, but ascend
to dwell in the immediate presence of God
on high. It was for the "joy set before
Him, that He endured the cross, despis-
ing the shame, and is set down at the
right hand of the throne of God." (Heb.
xii. 2.)
29. Men onrZ brethren, let me freely speak unto you
of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried,
and his sepulclirc is with us unto tliis day. m. Tliere-
liire being ^a pniplict. and kiiowiiig tliat (\<id had sworn
awith an oath I'll! him, that of the fruit oi' his loins, ac-
cording to the ilesh, he would raise up Clirlst to sit ou
his throne; 31. lie seeing this "^before spake of the res-
urrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell,
neither his flesh did see corruption. 32. This "iJesus
hath God raised up, whereof ewe all are witnesses.
«2Sam. xxiii. 2. '^2 Sam. vii. 12, 13; Ps. cxxxii. 11.
bHeb. vi. 17. ^i peter i. 11, 12. ^Verse 24; Lulie xxiv.
48.
These verses contain the proof that
David, in the words quoted (verses 25-28),
was announcing prophetically the resur-
rection of Christ. Let me, allow me. Freely
speak. The Jews esteemed David highly,
and he had something not altogether fa-
vorable to say of him that the glory of
Christ might be enhanced. Patriarch. This
name is higher in dignity than that of a
king. His sepulchre. And that with the
CHAPTER II
1021
very body of David, in cnrruptiDii. He
speaks gently. With us. Thenionunients,
places, institutions, manners, families and
adages of the Israelites, marvelonsly ac-
corded with the Old Testament Scripture.
So too the New Testament books accord
with the subsequent state of events.
. A prophet. Plence the 16th Psalm is ;)ro-
phetic. Sworn iviih an oatli. God hud prom-
ised in the most solemn manner, using the
form of an oath in order to express ab-
solute certainty, and to prevent any doubt
in the mind of David and of other pious
men. (Ps. cxxxii. 11 ; comp. verse 2; see
also Heb. vi. 16.) Frtiit of his loins. Scrip-
ture speaks of projiagation with wonderful
correctness and delicacy. A periphrasis
for. Ids seed. His. David's. Sit on his
throne. David, as king, occupied the throne
of the nation of Israel, the national people
of God. The Messiah, who was to descend
from him, was in like manner to be King
of the Lord's people, namely. His spiritual
people, of whom the the nation of the
Hebrews was only an emblem. He seeing,
&c. Seeing by prophetic vision. Peter
thus reasons : David did notsjieak of him-
self as the ftict shows. Therefoj-e he spake
of Christ — the Messiah, who should rise
from the dead. Thai his soul, &c. Not
cojitent with saying simply that he spake
of the INIessiah's resurrection, Peter rej^cats
the very words of the prophecy in ques-
tion, applying them to Christ, of whom
alone it was predicted, and of which alone
it is historically true. (See on verse
27.) This Jesus, &c. Not only had the
Lord's body remained untouched by cor-
ruption, but Jesus had gone to the place
of the dead, without having remained
there. Witnesses, not merely of this resur-
rection, but of far moi-e. (See 1 Cor. xv.
15; also on Luke xxiv. 48.) We all. I with
the eleven — those who have stood forth,
but without excluding all the other disci-
ples.
33. fThereforo being hy the right hand of God exalted,
and having ereceived of the Father the promise of tlie
Holy Ghost, he hath shed I'orth hthis, which ye now see
and hear. 34. For David is not ascended into the
heavens, but he saith himself. The Lord 'said unto my
Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35. Until I make thy
foes thy footstool. 38. Therefore let all the house jof
Israel know assuredly, that^God hath made that same
Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both 'Lord and
n^Christ
fChap. V. 31; Phil. ii. 9. eJohn xvi. 7, 13, chap. i. 4.
^chap. X. 4.5; Eph. iv.8. iPs. ex. 1 ; Matt, xxii.24. jZecli.
xiii. 1. kChap. v. 31. iJohn iii. 35. ^Ps. ii. 2, (t-S.
The last point of the Apostle's argument
in proof of the Messiahship of Jesus, were
the extraordinary si)iritual ])henomcna
which they now beheld in the disciples
of Jesus — their miraculous utterances, and
their wonderful deportment. This was
the only exi)lanation of the i)henomena
which astonished all. Therefore being, &c.
Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had cruci-
fied, had not only risen from the dead, but.
had u.scended into heaven, and wa.s at the
right hand of God, the Lord of David, and
the Lord of all, and according to His ])ro-
mise, had now sent down the Holy Spirit,
filling the souls of His disciples with won-
drous sentiments, and endowing them
with miraculous speech. AVhat they now
saw^ and heard was a proof that He had
ascended to heaven, and His ascension to
heaven was a proof of His Messiahship.
For Datnd, &c. The Apostle appeals to
the prophecy as a confirmation of his tes-
timony. " David, confessedly, did not as-
cend to heaven, like Elijah, nevertheless,
he says: "The Lord said," &c. (Ps. ex.
1.) Peter, to whom, doubtless, the ques-
tion proposed by Je.sus, in Matt. xxii. 42,
had occurred, assumes that the word of
God, in Avhich a seat at His right hand is
promised to the Messiah, refers to Je.sus.
Sit thou, on mg right hand. This, shows the
felicity of Christ in heaven (Ps. xvi. 11,
xxi. 6) — Ilis glorious majesty (Heb. i. 3,
viii. 1) — the fullness of His power (Matt.
xxvi. 64, xxviii. 18 ; Ps. xx 6, Ixxxix,
13) — His authority in judgment (Eom.
xiv. 9.)
Vntil I make, &.c. An expression derived
from the ancient custom toward the van-
quished. (Josh. X. 24; Ps. Ix. 1.) The
dominion here, which Christ received,
belonged to Him as Mediator, and it is to
cease, therefore, when the objects of His
kingdom as Mediator are accomplished.
(Comp. 1 Cor. xv. 23-28.) This was the
doctrinal part of Peter's sermon — it treat-
ed of the person, life, miracles, death, re-
surrection and ascension of the Lord
Jesus, in a very close and convincing man-
ner. His warm application of the whole
now follows. Tlierefore let all tlte house of
Israel, &c. That is, God the Father has
ordained and ajipointed this Jc^us whom
ye have crucified, to be the Head and Sa-
1022
ACTS,
viour of His Cluircli, He being the true
and promised INIessiuli.
2"hat same Je^-as both Lord and
Christ. AV hat a fact is this! Wonderful
in itself, and especially wonderful in its
bearing on the men to whom it was now
proclaimed, and wonderful also for Peter
to declare to such an audience. What
sublime intrepidity and invincible courage
does he. as a poor iisherman, display in
doing so, before assembled thousands of
his nation! How very pungent also was
he in applying what he said to his hear-
ers ! He did not rest in generals, but said
plainly, This is the same Jesus whom by
wicked hands ye have slain. (Verse 23.)
An old writer observes, *' Had not the ap-
plication been so close, it is probable the
success of the sermon had not been so
considerable. Thence learn, That the
success and efficacy of the AVord preached
depends upon a particular and warm ap-
plication of it to every man's conscience,
generals will not affect. See an instance
of it in what follows."
37. IF Xow when thpy heard this, they were pricked
"in their heart, and said unto Peterand to the rest of the
apostles, Men anti bretliren, what "shaU we do?
lEzeli. vii. IG ; Zech. xii. 10. "Chap. ix. 6, xvi. 30.
Mark the effect produced by Peter's
discourse. It awakened compunctions,
and an eager inquiry. Their hearts were
pierced as with a sharp instrument. In
how different a light did the conduct of
the Jews appear to them, when the evi-
dence of the Messiahship of Jesus flashed
conviction on their minds ! What a crime
they had committed ! The annals of hu-
man guilt could not furnish another of
equal atrocity. How dreadful was the
punishment which they had reason to
expect! Now they remember their own
imprecation, " His blood be on us, and on
our children ;" and they trembled lest its
weight should press them down to the
lowest hell. Alarmed and perplexed, tor-
tured with a consciousness of guilt, and
dreading the just vengeance of heaven,
from which they knew not how to escape,
they say to Peter and the rest of the
Apostles, "INIen and brethren, what shall
we do?" They were anxious to hear of
these ambassadors of Jesus, whether there
was any hope of pardon for so great a
crime, any means of protection from the
wrath which was ready to overwhelm
them.
3S. Then Peter said unto them, pRepent, and be bap-
tized every one of you in tlie name of Jesus Clirist tor
the remission of sins, and ye sliall receive tlie gil't of
the Holy Ghost,— I'Luke xxiv. -17 ; chap. iii. I'J.
Peter said, in the name of his brethren.
Repent. The word denotes change of mind,
and here includes the reception of the
Gospel, as the proper issue of that revolu-
tion of mind which they were then under-
going. The change of mind required was
to be attested by an outward act — repent
and be baptized. In the name of Jesus Christ
is not the formula by which they were to
be baptized, and therefore different from
the one prescribed by Christ Himself
(Matt, xxviii. 19), but a description of the
rite as Christian, and not merely Jewish,
much less heathen baptism, or an un-
meaning form, connected with no religious
creed whatever. In Hie name of Jesus
Christ, i. e., by His authority, acknowledg-
ing His claims, su^bscribing to His doc-
trines, engaging in His service, and rely-
ing on His merits. For the ,remission of
sins — the pardon of sins, as the visible
seal of that remission. And ye shall receive,
(kc. They needed not only Divine par-
don, but Divine influence; not only the
remission of sins, but the gift of the Holy
Ghost. They would require this Spirit
after the remission to remove gradually
the sad effects of sin from their nature, to
guide them rightly in their future course,
strengthening them evermore to resist the
wrong and pursue the right. In order to
be saved we must be sanctified, as well as
justified. The Divine pardon and the Di-
vine Spirit, are essential to the salvation
of our fallen world.
39. For tlie promise lis unto you, and to your chil-
dren, and no all that are alar ofi", even as> many as the
Loid our Giod shall call.
qJoel ii. 28. rEph. ii. 13, 17.
For the promise, the promise of the gift
of the Holy Spirit, mentioned in the pre-
ceding verse, and announced with so
much particularity by the Prophet Joel
(verse 17, &c). Unto you, Israelites, bad as
you are, in having persecuted, derided
and crucified Jesus — the promise is to you.
And to your children. It is not easy to con-
ceive in what other light the audience
could understand these words, than that
the promise of salvation through Christ
was made, not to those alone who believ-
CHAPTER II.
1023
ed, but to their seed ; tluit their famiUes
were to be admitted to the privileges of
the new dispensation as well as them-
selves, and that baptism was to both a
sign and seal of their interest in the cove-
nant. They would naturally judge this to
be the meaning of the declaration, espe-
cially as it was expressed in the same
terms which had been used at the institu-
tiott of circumcision. (See Gen. xvii. 7,
10.) And to all that are afar off, not only
Jews who were scattered in different
countries, but to Gentiles also, to men on
every zone of the globe. However distant
the heart may be from God, it can never-
theless hear His voice. God is still will-
ing to call men unto Himself, and He has
still room for all who come to Him.
(Luke xiv. 21.) Even as many as the Lord
our God shall call, which calling, when ef-
fectual, includes regeneration.
40. And with many other words did he testify and
exhort, saying, Save j'ourselves from this untoward
generation.
Many other. One must be urgent until
the result is effected. Testify. This refers
to what goes before. Exhort. This,
to what follows. Save yourselves, or, rather,
he saved. Salvation begins in conversion.
(Eph. ii. 6.) This untoward generation.
This character is descriptive of the per-
vcrseness with which the unbelieving
Jews opposed all the methods of Divine
grace. (See Matt. xi. IG, &c ; Luke vii. 31, &c.
and notes.) Ko result is produced by the
operations of the Holy Ghost as long as
the soul resigns itself to the corrupting in-
fluences of society ; Christians are required
to shine as lights in the midst of a crook-
ed and perverse nation, and to sever every _
tie that attaches them to a sinful world.
41. H Tlien they that gladly received his word were
baptized : and the same da.v there were added unto
tlicin about three thousand souls.
Peter having spoken to his hearers of
"the remission of sins" (verse 38), it is
here added, they gladly received Ids word.
(See Ps. xxxii. 1.) Our Saviour joins
these two together, "Be of good comfort,
thy sins are forgiven thee." (See also Isa.
Ixi. 1.) Think with what joy the long-im-
prisoned debtor, drowned in debt, receives
a full discharge, and his liberty, or a con-
demned malefactor the news of his par-
don, and this will somewhat resemble,
but yet fall far !!^hort of the joy which
faith brings by bringing Christ to the soul,
and so forgiveness of sins in Him. Were
baptizid. As it is highly improbable that
there should have been none of John's
disciples in this large company, we may
fairly infer that Christ's baptism was not
precisely the same institution with John's,
and that from this time, at least, John's
disciples were baptized, when they were
admitted into the Christian Church, ac-
cording to the form appointed by our
Lord after His resurrection. (Matt, xxviii.
19.)
The same day evidently qualifies baptized
as well as added, because it was by bap-
tism that the additions were effected.
The conversion of these three thousand
with these words, was a greater work
than the feeding of four thousand or five
thousand with a few loaves. They Avho
are joined to Christ, are added to the dis-
ciples of Christ, When we take God for
our God, we must take His people to be
ours. " This -was the true model of a revi-
val of religion, and a perpetual demonstra-
tion, that such scenes as have characteriz-
ed our own age and nation especially, are
strictly in accordance with the spirit of
the New Testament."
42. And 'they continued steadfastly in the apostles'
doctrine and fellowsliip, and in breaking of bread, anil
in prayers.— U Cor. xi. 2; Heb. x. ij.
They continued. The conversion of this
great multitude was sudden, yet their pro-
fession was not transient or wavering.
Observe, 1. Primitive Christians looked
upon soundness in the faith as of great im-
portance. They were strangers to that
spirit of indifference to truth which loves
to represent its doctrines as mere matters
of speculation, and insinuates that "it
matters not what a man believes, if his
practice be but good." 2. The fellowship
which they maintained with one another
arose out of a union of sentiments in
Apostolical doctrines. They were full of
charity, but their charity was not of that
kind which led them to have fellowship
with men of all i:)rinciples. 3. They not
only listened to Christ's instructions as
their Prophet, and relied upon His atone-
ment as their Priest, but cheerfully com-
plied with His institutions as their King.
It is true, indeed, that the phrase "break-
ing of bread" docs not necessarily mean
1024
ACTS.
the Lord's Supper, bnt being here intro-
duced among the religious duties of the
primitive (Jliurch, it must be regarded as
signifying tliat institution, the whole
being denominated from a part. 4. They
were men that dwelt much with God in
prayer. Having obtained mercy them-
selves, they joined in supplicating the Di-
vine throne for the salvation of others.
43. Anri fear came upon every soul : and many twon-
ders and signs were done by the apostles.
tilark xvi. 17.
Fear came upon every soul. Religious awe
settled upon those who heard of the events
just related, viz.: the descent of the Spirit,
the miracle of tongues, the conversion of
such a multitude. They felt that God was
present, manifesting His great jwwer, and
they may also temporarily have had a
presentiment of that " wrath to come,"
which was to overtake the obstinate ene-
mies of God. This feeling of dread was
deepened by many miracles which were
Avrought by the Apostles as instruments,
while the power was God's." We are not,
however, to understand their "wonders
and signs" as having been restricted to
that particular day.
44. And all that believed were toffether, and "had all
things common ; 4o. And sold their possessioixs and
goods, and 'parted them to all men, as every man had
need. , ,
"Chap. iv. 32, 34. ^Isa. Iviii. 7 ; 2 Cor. rx. 1, 9 ; 1 John
iii. 17.
All that believed, those believing, the be-
lievers. This is one of the names given
in the history to those who followed
Christ and were professors of the new
religion. The phrase is elliptical for those
who believed in Jesus as the true Messiah.
Were together. Not locally, probably, for
no house could contain the multitude, but
spiritually. They were one in spirit, they
were together in soul. AVhat one felt, ail
felt. They wept with those that wept,
they rejoiced with those that rejoiced.
Leighton says : " The public ministry will
profit little anywhere, where a people, or
some part of them, are not thus one, and
do not live together as of one mind, and
use diligently all due means of edifying
one another in their holy faith." How
much of the primitive Christians' praise
and profit is involved in the word. They
were together witli one accord, vith 07ie mind :
and so they grow : tlie Lord added to the
Church. (Acts ii. 1,44, 47.)
And had all things common. It appears,
from the story of Ananias and Sapphira,
that the disciples were under no obliga-
tion, or wei'e bound by no positive law, to
dispose of their property for the benefit
of the Church, and that after it was sold,
they could retain the whole, or any part
of the price, provided that they did not,
like those unhappy persons, practice dis-
simulation and deceit : and it is further
evident from the passage before us, that
although in many instances they laid down
the price at the feet of the Apostles, en-
trusting them with the distribution, yet
they sometimes reserved it in their own
hands, and gave it to the indigent, accord-
ing to their own ideas of their need. These
considerations seem to prove that there
was not, as some have supposed, an actual
community of goods in the primitive
Church, but that, in consequence of the
fervent charity which united the hearts
and interests of the disciples, " no man,"
as Luke informs us in the fourth chapter,
" said that aught of the things which he
possessed was his own," or appropriated
them solely to his own use, but readily
parted with them for the supply of others.
TJicy parted them to all men, as every man
had need. All things were common, be-
cause they were at the service of every
man who wanted them. There is no evi-
dence that the conduct of the Church of
Jerusalem was followed by any other
Church, even in the Apostolic age, but so
far as it is an example of generous love,
triumphing over the selfish affections, and
exciting men to seek the welfare of others
as well as their own, it is worthy to be
imitated to the end of the Avorld. (See on
chap. iv. 32.)
4B. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the
temple, and breaking bread Irom house to house, did
eat their meat with gladness and singleness ofheart.
Daily with one accord, &c. — observing the
hours of Jewish worship. " However un-
like itself," says the Rev. John Howe, " the
Church of God is grown in a long tract of
time, the Spirit of God is not grown un-
like itself, and therefore when it comes to
be poured forth as it hath been, it will
still act as it hath done, uniformly and
agreeably to itself, and make them, that
now arc many parties, divided and shat-
CHAPTER II.
1025
tercJ, broken this way and that, all one
entire i)iefc." (Col. ii. 1, 2.)
A)id breaking bread from Jiouse to house.
The best authoiities are in favor of ex-
l)laining the words "from house to house"
ta mean, "in the house," or "at home,"
as distinguished from the foregoing i)hrase,
" in the temple." Allusion may here be
had to the charitable meals which the c;ir-
cumstances of many of these early Christ-
ians may have made necessary, they were
received, i)erha])s, in companies at various
houses. Such meals would partake, too,
A'ery much of a religious character, and,
as to the feelings which would prevail,
and the acts of thanksgiving and praise
which would be connected with them,
would doubtless well correspond to the
language in tlie latter part of this verse
and the beginziingof the next— they M'ould
be received with gladness and singleness
of heart, and with praise to God. (See on
next verse.) The phrase singleness of heart
denotes that they were characterized by
simplicity of spirit. There was no pride,
no ostentation, no self-seeking, no hypoc-
risy amongst them, but all were exquisite-
ly child-like in spirit.
47. Praisinp; G01I, and having ^favour'witli all the peo-
ple. Anil .vtliL' Lord added to the church daily such as
should be savod.
'Luke ii. 52 ; Rom. xiv. 18. yChap. v. 14, xi. 24.
Praising God. God permits none to ex-
ceed Him in liberality ; the more heartily
we praise and thank Him, the more abun-
dantly does He bestow grace and comfort
upon us. No one can more fully enjoy the
temporal gifts of God than a true Chris-
tian, for he rejoices at the same time in
God, and tastes and sees that the Lord is
good. And having, &c. Though looking
only to God, they had favor vnih all the peo-
ple, just as their Lord had while still a
child (Luke ii. 52.) A lovely i^icture of
the infant community ! Their faith the
peox^le might not approve, but their vir-
tues they could not refu.se to commend.
When Ciiristianity, in the conduct of its
genuine friends, jmts on the lovely aspect
of meekness, gentleness, and goodness, the
hearts of its enemies bear an unequivocal
testimony in its favor, and sometimes
their lips unwittingly pronounce its eulo-
gium.
And the Lord, now called upon by the l)e-
lieving as their Saviour, added, " kept add-
ing," i. c, to the visible community of
believers, or to the assembly of the follow-
ers of Christ. " The word Church (in the
Greek) properly means those Avho are
called Old, and is applied to Christians as
being called out, or separated from the
world." Such as should be saved. The
Church was a growing society. It received
daily accessions. The original should
rather be rendered, the saved. This is an
additional description of those called
believers in verse 44. ]\Ien are said to be
saved in reference not only to the final
consummation, but to the inception of the
saving work. Of every penitent believing
sinner, we may say, with equal truth, that
be will certainly be saved, and that he has
l)een saved already. AVe here learn, 1.
That the work of a thorough and saving
conversion, is God's work. Hence it is
said, " the Lord added," &c. 2. That though
the Spirit of God be the author and efh-
cient cause, yet the preaching of the Gos-
pel, and an exemplary walk and conver-
sation, are subordinate helps and instru-
mental means conducing thereto.
Let it not be supposed, that as this occa-
sion was peculiar, the power exerted was
unusual, and ought not to be looked for
again. " The Lord's hand is not shortened
that it cannot save." " The residue of the
Spirit is with Him," and the same effects
are still produced in the conversion of
every sinner. The Gospel is "mighty
through God " to subdue all opposition.
1. Explain the word " Pentecost." 2. What is said about a rushing mighty wind ? 3. What about " cloven
tongues?" 4. What is said of those who were assembled together? 5. Why were the multitude confounded ?
6. What did they say? 7. What was Peter's reply? S. Explain verse 23. 0. What wa.s the effect of Peter's
sermon on the multitude? 10. What did he tell them to do? 11. What is said of those " that gladly received
his word?" 12. What did "all that bei'eved" do with their possessions? 13. What is said of additions to
the Church 7
*15
102G
ACTS
CHAPTER III.
1 Pcler prrachlnp to tlicpeopW. that came to ^ee a lame man
restorrd to hi.i jut, lU pruffsseth Vie care not to have
been xcrouftht Ini /li.i or John's own power, or holiiiexs,
InU by God, unil Aw Son Jexux. and through faith i.nhi.i
name; li withal nprrhending them jor crucifying
Jesus. 17 Which because they did it throug/i is/no-
ranee, and that thereby were fulfilled God's d< ten in-
nate counsft, and the Scriptures; 19 he exhorteth
t/iein bi/ repentance and faith to seek remission Of their
sitis, and salvation in the sowte Jesus.
NOW Peter iind John went up together into the lem-
pleat "the lioui- of prayer, being the ninth hour.
»Ps. iv 1.7; Uan. vi. 10.
We find Peter and John very frequently
together in the Scripture. They seem to
have been more dissimilar than any other
two of the Apostles, yet their very unlike-
ness, perhaps, was one of the causes of
their friendship. Weiit up, &c. Their
friendship was religious, it took them to
the house of God in company. Those
connections are the most valuable, in
which the Bible is a witness between us,
in which another world is not forgotten.
The temple. Public devotion has claims
upon us. It is a commanded duty, and a
profitable one. The worship of the sanc-
tuary enlivens our feeling, endears us to
each other, and keeps the distinctions of
life from becoming excessive. Tl(e ninth
hour. The Jews had three stated hours
of prayer; the morning sacrifice at the
third hour, or nine in the morning, the
sixth hour, at noon (chap. x. 9), and the
evening sacrifice at the ninth hour, or
three in the afternoon. (Ex. xxix. 39 ;
Num. xxviii. 3, 4.) Christians did not alter
the times of prayer.
2. And a certain man, lame from his mother's womb
was carried, whom tliey laid daily at the gate ''of the
temple wliieh is called Beautil'ul. to ask alms of thein
that entered into the temple; 3. Who, seeing Peter
and Jolin about to go into the temple, asked an alms.
''John in. a.
Lame from his mother's womb. For upward
of forty years he had lived a cripple. (See
chap. iv. 22.) His lameness was not the
result of accident or disease, or some in-
firmity that had come upon him after a
period of physical perfection, but was a
constitutional defect, he was born a crip-
ple. Consequently the cure was the harder,
and the person cured the more credible
a witness. What a vale of tears in this
earth ! To what a variety of evils are the
human race exposed ! And what are they
all, but a commentary on sin as the text !
For sin
"Brought death into the world, and al! our woe."
We cannot be too thankful for our ex-
emption and preservation from physical
suffering or deformity. Such an instance
of misery as this, is presented to try our
disposition. Was carried, literally, used to
liave himself carried. Called Beautiful. This
gate was the great eastern gate of the tem-
ple enclosure. It was erected by Herod
(lie Great. It was above fifteen yards
high, and about eight yards wide, being
formed of Corinthian brass, with the most
exquisite workmanship. According to Jo-
sephus, it w^as suj^erior in size and decora-
tion to all the other gates. To ask alms,
&c. This poor wretch was not only de-
formed, but poor, and helpless, so that his
only expedient was begging. Where could
he expect aid, if not from those going into
the temple. Piety without benevolence is
hypocrisy. (Job xxix. 11-13.)
4. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John,
said, Look on us. 5. And he gave heed unto them, ex-
pecting to receive something of them.
Look on ns. Their object appears to have
been to gain his attention more fully to
their w'ords, so that, as they said, "In the
name of Jesus Christ," &c. (verse 6), he
might understand to whom he was in-
debted for the benefit conferred upon him.
He gave heed unto them, expecting, &c. It
was a constant custom for all who entered
the temple, to carry money with them for
the treasury, or poor, or both. The crip-
ple, wondering at the unusual character
of this address, of course looked on them
intently and expectantly, although only
under the idea that, as he desired, some-
thing in the way of alms should be given
him by them. (1 John iv. 20.) With what
diligence and attention we listen, when we
have reason to expect temporal aid ! It is
already a great blessing, when a pastor, by
the power of the Spirit, has awakened an
expectation in his hearers that they will
"receive something," they are then no long-
er dead, for their hearts begin to feel and
to hunger. But let them not wait in vain.
Alas! how often it may occur, that poor,
awakened and hungry souls, look on their
teacher, hoping to receive something, and are
sent empty away ! Here note, 1. The great
mercv of God that was mingled with this
CIIAPTKIl III
1027
poor man's affliction, though he was lame,
he was not bhnd. 2. That what the crip-
ple could do, he must and did do, toward
his own healing. He could not move a
foot, but he could fix his eye. We are
spiritual cripples, laboring under a moral
impotency, being witJiout strength. (Rom.
V. 0.) But God expects the exercise of
our faculties, and the use of our endeavors
in order to our recovery, help healing
(Phil. ii. 12.)
6. Then Peter said, Silver ami gold have I none, but
Biicli as I have prive I thee: In clliename of Je-sus
Christ of Nazareth, rise up and wallc.
<:Chap. iv. 10.
Silver and gold, &c. So poor were the
Apostles, that thej" had nothing to give,
either to the sacred treasury, or to the dis-
tressed. This, it should be observed, was
after the possessions were sold (ii.45),and
shows plainly how fai* the Apostles were
from enriching themselves by the riches
"laid at their feet." (Chap. iv. 35.) Cer-
tainly it was from conviction that such
men preached the resurrection of Jesus.
But such as I have, ttc. As if he had said,
" Money I have none, I am poor in this
world ; but such as I have — the power that
God has given me to help others — I will
employ on your behalf." A man like
Peter may be without money, and yet have
God with him, and in him, to work His
will. In the name, &c., i. e., by His author-
ity. Thus spake the servant and Apostle
of Him who, in a similar case, had said,
"I will, be thou opened." (Mark vii. 34;
see also Luke v. 24.) Of Jesus Christ. Since
the first enunciation of the great proposi-
tion (chap. ii. 36, 38), "Jesus is Christ,"
this is now become the comprehensive
holy name of their Lord and God, whom
they confess, and in whose name they do
all that they do, and freely give to every
one all that they have. Of Nazareth, in
Greek, the Nazarene. (See on ii. 22.) Rise
up and walk. It is difficult to decide,
whether the Apostle meant to say, As an
Apostle of Jesus Christ, and relying on
His power, I say unto thee, Arise and walk,
or, I say unto thee, Arise and walk, placing
thy confidence for ability to do so in Jesus
Christ of Nazareth. Perhaps both views
should be combined.
7. And he took him by the riprht hand, and lifted hhn
up : and immediately his feet and ankle bones received
strength.
And he took, t'cc. Precisely what his Lord
had done to his own mother-in-law. ( ^lark
i. 31.) The seeking soul must be sustained
not only by our words, but also by our
acts, even as if we took it by the hand,
and assisted it to walk. And lifted him up,
&c. How much more wonderful than the
change produced in this lame man's con-
dition, is that change which God efi'ccts in
the heart! But who gives heed to it? His
feet (or soles) and ankle bones, &c. — the
technical language of a physician. (Col.
iv. 14.) The suddenness of the cure was
ihe jjruuf of the miracle: his walking and
leajjing were the evidences of it. Observe
the simple and yet authoritative manner
in Avhich the miracle is performed. No
solemn preijarations are made, no mystic
ceremonies are used, which might work
upon the imagination of the patient, and
excite his reverence and admiration of the
persons of the Apostles. By a few words,
pronounced in a serious unaffected man-
ner, the effect is produced.
8. And he, leaping ^up, stood and walked, and enter-
ed witli them into tlie temple, walking, and leaping,
and praising Ciod.— Jlsa, xxxv. 6.
The poor cripple who had never used
his limbs for forty years (iv. 22), and who
did not seek their restoration leaped up,
stood, &c. This effect upon the man Idm-
self, shows the indubitableness of the mir-
acle. Though the cure was well nigh in-
stantaneous, yet there is a great gradation
observed. First, the strengthening of the
feet and ankle bones, at which moment
the spark of faith was kindled, then the
leaping up, then the standing, then the
walking, then the entering the temple.
The man's frame bounded with new energy,
his soul was flooded with divine joy and
jiraise, and his limbs were agile and blithe,
exjiressing these emotions. Entered w-ith
them, &c. How natural now to accompany
the Apostles into the temple! Praising
God, heartily, earne.stly, for giving this
soundness in the name of Jesus of Naza-
reth. By the wonderful goodness of God
toward this poor cripple, his miseries and
calamities, his lameness and poverty, are
overruled for his best good, namely for
bringing liim to the knowledge of Jesus
Christ, and salvation by Him. ]\Iercies
are then perfected when they are sancti-
fied.
1023
ACTS.
9. And all the people saw him walking, and prateiiig
Gol : 10. Ami thcv knew tliat it was he wbicli sat lor
alms at theBcautilulgateoi the- temple : and they were
fil'."xl with w.jiuier and amazemeut at that which
LaJ happened unco him.
And they knetr, &e. This effect upon the
people also shows the indubitableness of
the miracle. Here was the broad seal of
lieaven on the divine mission of the
Apostles. This patient resid ed in the very
midst of this people. He was well known,
for his forty years' affliction, and his pov-
erty. Multitudes had seen him: many
had relieved him, and many had handled
Iiim. (Verse 2). And his cure had been
effected not in an obscure corner, but at
the entrance into the temple, and in day-
light, when there was a concourse of peo-
j)le. Could anything have been more open
to detection, had there been any impos-
ture? Clearly, then, the rejection of the
Gospel by unbelievers cannot arise from
an intellectual, but a moral cause. They
do not want evidence, but disposition.
11. And as the lame man wliich -n'as healed held
Pater ami John, all the people ran together nnto tliem
i:i the porch fthat is called SoloraonV, greatly wonder-
ing.—ejohu X. 23; chap. v. 1-.
Held Peter and John. Did he imagine
their influence was confined to their bodily
jiresence ? and that if he let them go his
lameness would return ? Or did he wish
thus to point out his benefactors to the
multitude? Doubtless it was still more
tiie expression of his attachment. So it is
in our spiritual cures. It is natural and
light to feel a regard for those who have
been the means of our recovery, and to
keep hold of them. But let us remember
we may hold them too closely. And we
do so, if we suffer them to draw us away
from the God of all grace. (1 Cor. iii. 4-7.)
A II the people ran, &c. Some, only to grat-
ify their curiosity with the sight of men
that had such power; others, with a desire
to hear them preach, concluding that their
doctrine must needs be of Divine origin,
v/hich thus had a Divine ratification. In
the j)orch *S'ofo)«0)i's, the long portico
'or colonnade on the east side of th^e tem-
ple. This noble structure, was supported
by a wall four hundred cubits high, con-
sisting of stones of an almost incredible
size. (See on John x. 23.)
12. 1 And when Peter saw «, he answered unto the
people, Ye men of Israol, why marvel ye at t!d.-^? or
wliy look ye so earnestly on us. as thou?li by our own
• power or holiness we liad made this man to walk ?
'2 Cor. ni. 5.
Sav; it — (he concourse of the people, and
their iramonseamazement. W liy marvel yc,
&c. He does not intend to express censure
because of their astonishment, for that
was natural, but because of their ascribing
the deed to them, as the primal authors.
Here we see, and must admire, the true
humility Avhich the Gospel imparts to men.
May not the Apostles take a little credit
to themselves for this miracle? It will
not materially damage their Master, while
it may dignify them, and fix their author-
ity as His ministers. But, however anxious
they once had been to be advanced in
Christ's kingdom, they had learned by this
time not to seek their own things, but the
things which are Jesus Christ's. " Not
unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy
name give glory!" (Ps. cxv. 1.) Such is
the confession of all- true servants of God.
13. The God ?of Abraham and of Isaac, and of Jacob,
the God of our I'lhtiiers, hath glorified 'liis son Jesus;
whom ye delivered up, and denied Jiiim in tliepresence
of Pila"te, when lie ifwius determined to let liim go. 14.
But ye denied the Holy 'One and the™Just, anddesired
a murderer to be granted unto you ;
EMatt. xxii. 32. tCliap. v. 30, 31. ijoh'i xvii. 1 ; Eph.
i. 20, 22; Phil. ii. 9, 11 : Heb. ii. 9 ; Rev. i. 5. IS. JJohn
.\ix. 15. kMatt. xxvii. 17-25; Luke xxiii. 16-23. iPs. xvl.
10 ; Luke i. 35. "Chap. vii. 62, xxii. 14.
"When the circumstances are considered,
with what wonderful boldness does Peter
proclaim the truth ! (See on ii. 23.) The
charge he prefers is of a very aggravated
nature. They stood in a close covenant
relationship to God, who had set them
apart, and, amid many national vicissi-
tudes, had kept them apart, for a very
special purpose, viz.: that they might
cherish and preserve in the world such
lights and manifestations of the Messiah
as God was pleased to dispense before His
advent, and then, when He came, that
they might be prepared to bid Him wel-
come to the world — to erect His standard,
guard His interests, and share His tri-
umphs. He has come, was Peter's startling
announcement, and gone away again. He
has come — your long looked for Prince —
to His covenanted people, and you have
betrayed Him, and denied and killedHim.
Yet He is not dead, for God hath raised
Him up — nor is He dishonored, for God
hath glorified Him, and given Him a name
that is above every name, by the power
of which has this man been made whole,
whom ye both see and know. In the pres-
ence of Pilate, &c, Pilate, admonished by
CHAPTER III
1029
his wife's warning dream, and convinced
of Chrit^t's innocence, wrought with you to
save His hfe. All in vain, you insisted
tliat He should die.
15. And killed the "Prinoo of liTe, whom Go<l hath
r.iisod uirDin tlm dead, whereof iJwe a,re witnesses.
"John i. 4: 1 John v. 11. "Matt, xxviil. '^-o; Eph. i.
20. tChap. ii. Jii
Killed the Prince or author of life. Tlie
word is classically applied to military
leaders, or one who is first in anything
(comp. Heb. ii. 10, xii. 2). " You have
quenched the light of I.'^rael, you crowned
your King with thorns, and for a throne
you set Him upon a cross." Tiie contrast
between their killing such a person, while
they interceded for the pardon of a mur-
derer, a destroyer of life, has peculiar
energy. Whom God hath raised, &c. They
are made aware that in the whole of this
matter they have been fighting against
God. They pretended to be actuated in
what they did by jealousy for God's honor,
and appealed to Him as judge. And He
did appear upon the stage, but not upon
their side. They killed the Prince of Life
— God quickened Him; they laid Him in
the grave — God lifted Him to the skies.
Whereof we are untnesses. (See on chap. ii.
32.)
16. And his name, through faith in his name, hath
made this man strong, whom ye see and know : yea,
the faith whicli is by him hath given him this perfect
Boundueas in the presence of you alL
His name, by means (or on account) of
faith in that ?iame liath made, 6zc. 'ir/to)/!
ye see entirely restored now to bodily
vigor, and know as a person who was for-
merly infirm, helpless. Yea, &c. This
second clause of the verse repeats essen-
tially the idea of the first, in order to. af-
firm more emphatically that it was not
their own power, but the power of Christ
which had j^orformed the miracle. The
faith tvhich is by (or through) iiiin. Christ
is thus represented as the autlior or pro-
curing cause, as well as the end or object
of the faith in question. Jn the presence of
you all, and hence they must acknowledge
.that no other means had been used to ef-
fect the miracle. .
17. And now. brethren, I wot that fhrouijh ig^norance
qye did it, as did also .vour rulers, IS. Butthusi-rtliintrs,
which God before had shewed by the month of all liis
prophets, that Christ should siift'er, he hath so ful-
filled.
iLuke xxiii. 34: John xvi. 3 ; 1 Cor. ii. 8. 'Luke xxiv. i
4-1 ; ciiap. XX vi. 22, 2;j.
I fvot — old English for " I know," from I
tlie Anglo-Saxon ivitan, to see, lo know,
from which comes our word " vit." That
through ignorance, &.c. Docs Peter here
state the ignorance of the Jews as an ex-
cuse for their crinrxe, or merely as account-
ing for it? Undoubtedly it does account
for it. (1 Cor. ii. 8.) Are the Jews thea
guiltless because they moved in the dark?
Does their ignorance annihilate their
crime? Not at all. It only alters tlie
name of it. It shifts the burden of guilt
from one part of the transaction to
another, but it leaves the burden there.
That they did not know the Lord of Glory
was their sin — a greater sin than crucify-
ing Him. He did not come from heaven
witliout sufficient credentials, nor did He
put forth His claims without giving ample
proof that they were just. From Moses
and the Prophets, from John the Baptist,
from His own mighty works, from His
Father's testimony, given from the " ex-
cellent glory " — from every quarter a de-
cisive testimony was borne to the Mes-
siahship of Christ, and they who resisted
His claims were without excuse. Hence
we are not to regard Peter's statement as
a plea in justification of their conduct, but
as an explanation of God's. Because they
had proceeded in ignorance when they
crucified Christ, God was pleased to ope:j
the door of mercy to them, and gave them
an opportunity of making a quick escape
from hell. Thus the 17th verse is to be
sustained on to the 19th verse ; along with
the 18th verse it forms a ground on which
Peter calls them to repentance. "We learn
here that ignorance does not exempt us
from the punishment of sins committed
through it, nor does it entitle us to pardon.
At the same tune it forms a ground uj)on
which God is frequently pleased to shov/
mercy. (John xv. 22, 24; 1 Tim. i. 13.)
lie hath so fulfilled. This verse, as connect-
ed with the preceding one, may be taken
in this sense, "You fulfilled the Scrip-
tures, and did not know it. God was ful-
filling the Scripture, when you were grati-
fying your own passions." (See on chap,
iv. 28.)
19. Repent ye ftherePore. and he 'converted, that
your sins may be "blotted out, vviicn the times of re-
freshing 'shall come from the presence of the Lord.
"Chap, ii as. tisa. i. lC-20. Joel ii. 13. "Isa. xliii. 25w
'Jer. xxxi. 23-25 ; Zeph. iii. 14-20. Ilev. xxi. 4.
1030
ACTS.
Repent he converted, Tlicse two
forms of expression may have substan-
tially the same meaning, namely, that of
forsaking the Avrong course which the
A])ostIe's hearers had pursued in reference
to the Lord Jesus, and of turning to a
right mode of viewing Ilim and conduct-
ing toward Him, that is, acknowledging
Him as the jNIessiah, and becoming His
obedient followers. The first denotes the
inner change of mind, the second the out-
ward change of life. "What is required
here includes faith as a constituent part
of the act to be performed. Blotted out.
Instead of remission, we have here the
stronger figure of abstersion or oblitera-
tion. The Greek verb is applied by Xeno-
phon to the erasure of a name from a
catalogue or roll. It may here denote the
cancelling of charges against any one, and
thus amounts to the same thing with the
remission of sins. (Chap. ii. 38.) The
metaphor of blotting out occurs several
times elsewhere {.e g. Ps. li. 9; cix. 1-i;
ysa. xliii. 25 ; Jer. xviii. 23 ; Col. ii. 14.)
When, more properly, in order that the
times of n freshing may come, i. c., to you
personally, that you may have part in the
blessings of the Messiah's kingdom, for
which men can be prepared only by re-
pentance and the pardon of their sins.
From the 2)resence of the Lord. Since the
blessings in question (a Hebrew idiom)
are laid up where He is (see ii. 28), and
must be received thence. The word ren-
dered " Lord," which may refer to Christ
or God (see on i. 24), applies to the latter
here, since it prepares the way for the
subject of the next verb.
20. And he "shall send Jesus Christ, which before
was preached unto you :— "Chap. i. 11 ; Heb. i.x. 2S.
And he shall send, rather, and that he may
send fortli, viz.: from heaven (see verse
21.) Which before was preached unto you,
before appointed or prepared for you, i. e.,
from eternity. (See 1 Peter i. 20.) Nearly
all critics, says an eminent commentator,
understand this passage as referring to the
return of Christ at the end of the world.
The similarity of the language to that of
other passages which announce that event
demands this interpretation. The Apostle
enforces his exhortation to repent by an
appeal to the final coming of Christ, not
because ha v/ould represent it as near in
point of time, but because that event was
always near to tlie feelings and consciousness
of the first believers. (2 Peter iii. 12.)
21. Whom the Iieaven must receive until the times
^of restitution of all tbinj^s, which God hath spoken yby
the mouth of all his holy prophets Biuce the world be-
gan.—^^Matt. xvii. 11. jLiuke i. 70.
Wliom the heaven must receive. It was a
common opinion among the Jews, that
the Messiah would continue on earth.
(See John xii. 24.) Peter here anticipates
such an objection. The word receive has
here the additional idea of retaining or
holding. The Messiah is represented by
him as having been, according to Divine
appointment, taken up into heaven, where
He is by the same appointment to remain
until a certain period fixed by the Divine
counsels. Until the times of the restitution,
&,c. Christ, in heaven, as the monarch of
the creation, the representative of humani-
ty, the object cf universal wonder and
worship, will reign there, but for a certain
time only, Until the times of the restitution, or
restoration of all tilings, i. e., to a state of
primeval, order, purity and happiness,
such as will exist for those who have part
in the kingdom of Christ, at Ilis second
coming. By the mouth of all Jds holy pi'i'o-
phets. All the prophets were holy, all
entered heaven (Liike xiii. 28). They who
are rejected as Avorkers of iniquity, were
not prophets, even though they prophe-
sied. (Matt. vii. 22; comp. John xi. 51.)
Balaajii was a prophet, indeed, not in
Israel, however, but only in relation to
Ealak. Since the ivorld began, or, from the
beginning of time. (See on Luke i. 70 ;
Jude 14, 15 ; Job xix. 25, 26 ; Ps. 1. 3, 4,
xcvi. 13, xcviii. 9; Joel iii. 13.
22. For Moses ti'uly said unto the fathers, A 'prophet
shall tlie Ijord vuur God raise up unto you of your
hn'thrrii, like unto nie, him shall ye hear in all things
wliat.soever lie shall s:iy unto you. 2:J. And it shall
come to pass, tintt every soul, which will not hear that
prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
"IJeut. xviii. 15-19.
Moses truly said. See Deut. xviii. 15-22,
which contains one of the clearest pro-
phecies ever delivered of Messiah, who is
set forth as a supreme legislator, law-giver
and judge. A j)rop}iet like unto me.
Moses was a prophet, a peculiar prophet,
a pre-eminent prophet. He introduced
and established the whole of the Jewish
dispensation with miracles, wonders and
signs. He was a mediator between God
CHAPTER III.
1031
and the people. Other prophets received
Divine eomitmniciitions through variuus
■mediums, but he received everytliing
from God immediately. But " if the Law
was given by Moses, grace and truth came
by Jesus Christ." "The only begotten
Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,
he hath declared him." Yea, in all things
Ho has the pre-eminence. (See Heb. iii.
2~rt ; Deut. xxxiv. 10.) Moses was faithful
as a servant, but Christ as a Son over His
own liouse. The commission of Moses
was confined to one nation, Christ is not
only the glory of His people Israel, but a
light to lighten the Gentiles — the light of
the world. Him shall ye hear — not merely
Avith our outward ear, but also believing
His instructions, and cordially submitting
to them. In all things. Some dislike the
mysterious parts of Christianity, some
the humiliating, some the practical, but
the only inquiry of a true disciple is,
"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"
It is here supposed that some will not liear
this prophet. This is a sad intimation ; and
we might wonder at the fact. But the
depravity of human nature will account
fur it, and all history confirms it. Mark
the impartiality of the sentence, every soul.
The refusers may be many, and they may
differ from each other, each turning to his
own way, but none shall escape the })enal-
ty. Shall be destroyed, &c. Not annihilated!
this would be a privilege. They shall
seek death, but they shall not find it.
The penalty is not the loss of their being,
but of their liappiness, and of their hope,
the destruction of body and soul in hell
forever !
34. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel, and those
that follow after, as many as have spoken, liave like-
wise foretold of these days.
Moses and all the succeeding prophets.
beginning witli Samuel, have all uttered
jn-edictions respecting these times. It is
clear why Peter particularly mentions
Samuel after Mo^es, for between Moses
and Samuel there was but little prophesy-
ing (1 Sam. iii. 1), and he was the first
after Moses who wrote his i)roi)hecy.
a'). Ye«arethe children of the prophets, and of the
covenant which God made with our fattiors.sayiu;; un-
to Abraham, And 'in ttiy seed shall all the kindreds o(
the earth be blessed. 'M. Unto 'you lir.st. Cod, having
raised up his Son Jesus, sent liim to bless you, iu
turning away ^every one of you from lils iniquities.
»Kom. ix. 4. Kien. xxii. 18. <^Matt. x. 5; Luke xxiv,
47. ilsa. lix. 20; Matt. i. 21 ; Titua li. 11-14.
The Apostle applies the whole to hi.s
own age and to the people before him,
and presents two aspects of the case : first,
the promise of the blessing (made to
Abraham, Gen. xii. 3, xviii. 18, xxii. 18),
to Isaac (Gen. xxvi. 4), to Jacob (Gen.
xxviii. 14), belongs, as he declares, to his
hearers, but, secondly, on the condition
that they be turned away from their
iniquities. Unto yoa first. According to
the glorious sclieme of divine and %sover-
eign mercy, the Gospel was everywhere
first addressed to the Jews. To bless you,
literally, blessing you, in the very act of
executing thiscommission. Jn turning avjay,
ike. Learn, 1, ThatitisChrist's proper work
to turn sinners from their iniquities. O
that we would all subserve Christ in that
great work ! He is the i^rincipal agent, let
us be subordinate instruments, by prac-
ticing lioliness ourselves, and promoting
holiness in otliers. Learn, 2, That to be
turned by Clirist from our iniquities, is the
greatest blessing that we can realize from
Him, because it is a spiritual blessing, a
fundamental blessing, a comprehensive
blessing, an endearing blessing, an ever-
lasting blessing.
1. For what purpose did Peter and John go up to the temple ? 2. What is said about a certain man at the
gateof the temple? 3. What was the effect of the miracle wrought ? 4. What did Peter say ? 5. Explain verse
17. C. What is repentance ? 7. What is meant by the " times of refreshing," ttc. ? 8. What did Moses say unto
the fathers? 9. Why were those Peter addressed called " children of the covenant?" 10. To whom was Jesus
Bent first? 11. For what purpose was He sent ?
1032
ACTS,
CHAPTER IV.
1 The rulers of the Jews offended ivith liter's sermon,
4 (Uiouffh thuasaads of t/ie people ivrre converted that
heard the word,) imirrmon him and John. 5 After,
upon examination I'eter boldly avouchiny the lame
man to be healed by the name of Jesus, and that by the
same J<-!sui only we munt be et-ernoUy saved, 13 they
cmnmand /limuiid Juhn to preach no more in that
name, adding ul.io tlireatening, 23 whereupon the
church Jlei til to jirayrr. 31. And God, by moving the
place where tluy were assembled, testified that he lieard
tlieir i^raycr : confirming the. church with the gift of the
Moly Ghost, and wUh mutual love and charity.
AND as thev spake unto the people, the priests, and
the»captain of the tfuip'.e, and the ^Sadducees,
came upon them, 2. Beint; Kri('ved tliat they taught the
people, and preached throush Jesus the resurrection
from the dead. 3. And they laid hands on them, and
put them in hold unto the next day : for it was now
even-tide. 4. Howbeit, many "^of them which heard
the word believed, and the number of the men was
about five thousand.
"Xiuke xxii. 4. tMatt. xxii. 23. 'xxiii. 8, xxviii. 24.
Peter and John went on in their work.
What they said concerned all, and they
spake it openly and publicly. The priests,
i. e., the officiating priests, as soon as they
were released from their duties. Captain
of the temple. The prefect of those priests
and Levites who kept guard in the tem-
ple. The Sadducees, whose whole system
was now in danger, by the preaching of
the resurrection from the dead, for they be-
lieved not in the immortality of the soul,
nor in any future world. Came ripon them.
The Cross always attends the true Gospel.
Grieved — vexed or tired out. Through
Jesus, &c., that is, declared and proved
that the dead must rise again, since it was
an incontrovertible truth that Jesus had
risen from the dead. In hold — detention
or imprisonment. Even-tide — late in the
evening, and therefore not a proper
time to have them examined. Howbeit — •
notwithstanding the persecutions, the
Divine cause advanced. Though the
clouds gather and thicken into black-
ness, the sun rises. The tides flow,
though the force of the mightiest tempest
bears against them, and God's truth moves
on to universal empire, though earth and
hell combine against it. The number of the
men was, literally, became, i. e., in conse-
q'.ience of the present addition. (See i.
15, ii. 41.) About five thousand, without
enumerating females and children.
5. H And it came to pass on the morrow, that their
rulei-s, and elders, and scribes, 6. And Annas, dtlie
liiRh priest, and Caiapha-s, and John, and Alexander,
and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest,
were gathered together at Jerusalem.
ijohn xviii. 13.
Their rulers — the great council of the
Sanhedrim. Elders, and scribes, express
particular classes represented in that body
Annas Caiaphas. (See on Luke iii.
2.) John, and Alexander. No particular
account has reached us of these men.
They had, probably, held some official
stations, and were still men of note, and
members of the Sanhedrim. Kindred of
the high priest — sustained a family relation
to Annas and Caiajahas. Gathered
Jerusalem. This seems to imply, that all
the members of the Sanhedrim were not
residing, or at least not actually present
in Jerusalem.
7. And when they had set them in the midst, they
asked. By ewhat power, or by what name, have ye
done this ?— 'Matt. xxi. 23.
Our Apostles were put, probably, in the
very same place in which Jesus had stood
not long before. By tvhat 2J0wer, &c. They
do not ask first, whether this manifest
sign had actually taken place, for it was
obvious to all who dwelt at Jerusalem.
Bg what name, spoken as a word of power.
Have ye done this f Thus they made as
little as possible of the miracle, thinking
that they should be able to mystify, and
perhaps blacken, the evident fact of their
high magisterial inquiry, and to put down
the poor Galileans with their contemptu-
ous ye !
8. Then Peter, filled fwith the Holy Ghost, said unto
them : Ye rulers of the pedple, and elders of Israel ; 9.
If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the
impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 10.
Be it known unto you all, and to all the peoi^le of
Israel, that fby the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead,
even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
fyii. ao. dii. 6, IS.
Peter and John were not to be intimi-
dated, though placed at the bar for trial.
(See on ii. 23.) Filled with the Holy GJiost,
i. e., specially, for the occasion. (See on
Mark xiii. 11.) Rulers of the people and
elders of Israel may be taken as equivalent
descriptions of the whole body, since the
rulers of the chosen people, under the
patriarchal system were not elective but
hereditary magistrates. Be it known, &c.
There was no evasion in this answer, no
reluctance to bring out the truth, no at-
tempt to palliate it, although Peter knew
that it was in the highest degree offensive
to his audience. Tr/to?« ye crucified, ibiiom
CHAPTER IV
1033
God raised .... the copulii {and, or hut) is
omitted, to make the contrast more strik-
ing. " By tliat same man, with whose
innocent blood your liands are yet stained,
has this incontrovertible miracle been per-
formed." This vian — Jiike at once a monu-
mental proof and a firm confessor, the
lame-born stands with his benefactors in
the semi-circle of the court. Stand — and
so his legs speak though his tongue be
silent.
n. This is the stone tiwhich was set at nouKlit of you
builders, which is bcCDiiu' tlie head of the corner. 1-.
Neitlier is tliere salvation in unyolher: for 'there is none
other jnanie under heuven given umong men, whereby
we must be saved.
I'Ps. cxviii. 22: Isa. xxviii. 16; Matt. xxi. 42. "x. 43;
1 Tim. u. 5, 6. JPs. xlv. 17.
This is the stone, &c. This application of
Ps. cxviii. 22, already made by our Lord
Himself (I\Iatt. xxi. 42, on which see
notes), is here rei)eated with peculiar pro-
priety after the deed of rejection had been
consummated, and the rejected One had
by His exaltation to the right hand of the
Majesty on high, become the head of tlie
corner. It is to the head of the corner the
whole building owes its strength, its union,
and its beauty. Neither is there, &c. Here
is, 1. A positive assertion that there is no
salvation but by Christ, or, that besides,
or without Him, there is no possibility of
salvation, either for Jew or Gentile, both
those under the Old Testament had, and
we under the New Testament have, one
and the same common Saviour. 2. The
ground and reason of this confident asser-
tion, that there is no salvation but by
Christ, namely, because there is no other
name, &c., that is no other person designed
or appointed by God, to be the author of
redemption to, and procurer of salvation
for, a lost and miserable world, but only
Christ. Let us take good heed, then, that
we do not reject or set Him at naught, for
in rejecting Christ, we reject the wisdom,
authority, love, yea, the salvation of God.
13. K Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and
John, and perceived tliat tliey were ^unlearned and
ignorant men, they marvelled, and they took know-
ledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. 14. And
beholding the man which was healed standing with
them, they could say nothing 'against it. 15. But when
they had commanded them to go aside out of the coun-
cil, they conferred among themselves, Ifi. Saying,
mWhat shall we do to these rnea ? for that indeed a no-
taljle miracle hath been done by them i*- manifest to all
them that dwell in Jerusalem ; and we cannot deny it.
17. But that it sjiread no farther among the people", let
us strictly threaten them, that "they speak henceforth
to no man in this name. IS. And they called them,
and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in
the name of Jesus.
kMatt. xl. 2.5 ; 1 Cor. i. 27. 'xi.x. 30. "John xl. 47. "v.
40.
The boldness of Peter and John. Whence
did this noble, self-denying, and h(;roic
spirit (jiiginate ? They had seen the moral
glory of their Saviour's character, and felt
tlie constraining influence of His grace
and love. Rather, therefore, would they
now willingly undergo disgrace, and tor-
ture, and death, than deny the Lord that
bought them with His blood, or bring dis-
honor on the worthy name by which they
were called. Unlearned and ignorant. This,
for three centuries, was the objection
against the profes.sors of Christianity, yet
it is a great confirmation of the Christian
faith, and shows, as Justin Martyr well ob-
serves, that it was not of human, but Di-
vine origin, and that being with Jesus
was sufficient to make the ignorant and
unlearned wise. They took hiouicdge, &c.
Observe, 1. Some have been with Jesus,
in His Word, in His house, at His table,
in the closet, in the field. 2. It is expect-
ed that they who are with Jesus should
resemble Him. 3. Conformity to Christ
will not be overlooked. God, angel-s,
Ministers, fellow-Christians, the world
will take knowledge of it.
Tliey could say nothing, &c. So great was
the momentary efiicacy of the truth, and,
such was the effect of the yet remaining
consciousness and susceptibility of con-
science of the council, that they were
sj:>eechless, and were compelled to collect
their thoughts ere they could venture to
use threats against the truth. Commanded
out. The Apostles were directed to
withdraw while their judges should hold
consultation. What shall we do to these
men? Insteadof saying to these men. What
must we do to be saved? they say o/them.
How shall we stoj) their mouths? For that
indeed a notable miracle, &c. Why, then,
should the rulers wish to deny it, but that
they hated the light, and would not come
to the light lest their deeds should be re-
ji roved? That it spread no farther. It refers
not to the miracle, nor to its notoriety, but
to the Christian doctrine, the unexpressed
consequence of the miracle. JM us strictly
threaten them, &c. What a humiliating
position for the great council of the nation
to be placed in ! AVhat a tight! Seventy
1034
ACTS
at least of a nation's magnates and magis-
trates confounded by two poor men whom
they considered iUiterate and ignorant.
The restriction imposed only to the act of
preaching the name of Jesus. The world can
endure preaching and good works, but
will not tolerate the name of Jesns, the
preaching of the crucified One, or the doc-
trine that He alone can save the soul.
19. But Peter and John answered and said unto them,
Wlietlier it be right in tliesisl'tot'God to "liearlvBii unto
you more tlian unto Uod, judge ye. 2^1. For pwe cannot
but speak Die things which qwe have seen and heard.
21. So when they had further tlireatened them, they
let them go, finding nothing how they might puiiisli
them, because rot' the people ; for all »wh glorified Uod
for that which was done. 22. For the man was above
forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was
shewed.
ov. 29. pJer. XX. 9. qxxii. 15 ; 1 John i. 13. 'Matt. xxi.
2C ; chap. v. 26.
And John. Now John also enters more
prominently on the scene, for their open
confession has this effect, that ive two will
not keep silence about Jesus. Whether it
he right to hearken to you more than
God, judge ye, &c. There is here a
wonderful union of sober, respectful ap-
peal to the better reason of their judges,
and calm, deep, determination to abide the
consequences of a constrained testimony,
which betokens a power above their own
resting upon them, according to promise.
We here perceive the limits of the obe-
dience which we owe to our superiors in
Church and State. In those cases which
are agreeable to the laws of heaven, made
known by the light of nature, and by rev-
elation, or which, at least, are not incon-
sistent with those laws, we are bound ; but
in every other case we are free. God has
a prior claim to our obedience, which no
human interference, no relation Avhich
may be formed between us and others, no
promise or contract, can invalidate.
For we cannot but speak, &c. We cannot
in accordance with truth and duty. These
"things" we have "seen and heard," and,
therefore, are fully assured of ourselves,
and things which we only have seen and
heard: and, therefore, if we do not publish
them, who will? who can? Further threat-
ened, i. €., with threats superadded to the
inhibition of verse 18. Because of the peo-
ple, who looked upon the miracle with
admiration, and glorified God for working
it by the Apostles' hands. Above forty years
old. The length of time during which he
had been crippled is not mentioned to en-
hance the miracle itself, as if a case of
sliorter standing might have been more
easily restored, but to show the notoriety,
both of his previous condition and of the
sudden change which had been wrought,
I^recluding all possibility of error or de-
ception, and accounting for the popular
effect described in the preceding verse. It
is as easy with God to convert a sinner of
forty or fourscore, as one of ten years old.
But he who now refuses to obey the call
of God, has neither reason nor revelation
to support himself in the hope that he
shall yet in a future time, accept the sal-
vation which he rejects in the present.
2.'?. H And being Ipt go, they went «to their own com-
Eany, ivnd reported all that the chief priests and elders
ad said unto them.— ^ii. 44-46.
Their ovm company — the community of
believers, the Church in general. Among
believers the Apostles felt themselves at
home, as contrasted with being among the
rulers in the Sanhedrim. To them they
related all that the chief priests and rulers
had said to them. " Not for their own
glory," says Chrysostom, "did they tell the
tale, but what they disj^layed were the
proofs therein exhibited of the grace of
Christ. All that their adversaries had
said, this they told: their own part, it is
likely, they omitted." This Avas a most
important crisis for the infant Church.
The highest civil and religious authority
in the nation had decided against it. But,
weak and defenseless in itself, it does not
despond; on the contrary it betakes itself
to God in prayer, and filled with a holy
boldness, it defies all the powers of the
world combined to overthrow the cause
of Christ.
24. And when they heard that, they lifted up their
voice to God with one accord, ami said. Lord, 'thou art
God, whicli hast made heavi-n, and earth, and the sea,
and all that in them is. 2"). W'ho by the mouth of thy
servant David hast said. Why "did the heathen rage,
and the people imagine vain things? 26. The kings of
the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered to-
gether again.st the Lord, and against his Christ. 27. For
of a truth, against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou
liast anointed, both 'Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with,
the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered
together ; 2S. For »to do whatsoever thy hand and ihy
counsel determined 'before to be done. 29. And now,
Lonl. behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy
servants, that with all jboldntos thej' may speak thy
word, 30. By stretching forth thine hand to heal ; and
that zsigns and wonders may be done by the name of
thy holy child Jesus.
'? Kiiigs xix. 15. "Ps. ii. 1, 2. 'Luke xxiii. 1-8, Ac.
wiii. 18. 'Prov xxi. 30; Isa. xlvi. 10, liii. lo. rVerse 13,
31, xiv. 8, xxviii. 31 ; Eph. vi. 19. »ii. 43, v. 12.
They lifted up their voice to God unth one
accord. Prayer is enjoined on us in our
distresses. " Call upon me in the day of
CHAPTER IV.
1035
trouble." " Is any afflicted, let him pray."
Observe the substance of their prayer. It
was very seasonable, very suitable, and
very short, as all Bible prayers are. It
was also very exemplary, though they had
been so evil entreated, yet they felt no
disposition for revenge. (See on verse 30.)
Then we see the success of the prayer, and
God hath never said to the seed of Jacob,
Seek ye me in vain! The sign of the ac-
ceptance of t]ie \)\ace seems strange — "The
place was shaken." (Verse 31.) This
seemed much more likely to produce dread
than engender hope. But God would so
teach us, that He is "greatly to be feared
in the assembly of His saints," that He
will be sanctified of all them that come
nigh to Him, and that there was some-
thing awful in the dispensation of His
mercy and grace.
Thou art God, &c. Thy rule is universal,
and Thy power unlimited, for Thou hast
made the heaven and its glories, the earth
and the sea, and their endlessly varied and
numerous inhabitants, and hast them
under Thy direction and control. TT7io by
the mouth, &c. Here the Apostles declare
that God Himself spake by David, and it
is confessed by the Jews, that the ancient
rabbins interpret this Psalm of the Mes-
siah. Why, &c. The sense is.this. Why
do they, the peoples, kings and princes of
the earth, rebel against the Messiah, why
endeavor to shake off His rule ? The for
(verse 27) implies an acknowledgment of
the truth of God in the fulfillment of the
prophecy : TJiou art the God wJdch hast, (kc.
For these events have happened accord-
ingly. Herod Pilate Gentiles
Israel. All these four forces are
pictured as gathered together at the cruci-
fixion as the image of the persecuting
powers still in operation.
For to do, or rather, in order to do, though
not with that conscious intention on their
part. Thy hand, or Thy power. Thy counsel,
Thy purpose. The phrase denotes the
providential ordering of God. Determined,
&c. The sentiment is the same as is con-
veyed in ii. 23 and iii. 18, on which see
notes. All the hostility which was shown
against Jesus, and the successful efforts to
compass His death, were the means by
which this arrangement was fulfilled. The
actors in this dreadful tragedy had no de-
sign to fulfill ]n-ophecy ; they only acted
out the will of their own hearts, and were
unspeakably guilty, as being wholly vol-
untary in their determinations and their
conduct. God permitted them thus to
proceed, interposing no insupeiable obsta-
cles. Here is a chain thrown across a
river ; we can see the two ojiposite end.s,
but not the union in the midst; but were
the chain raised, or the water lowered, we
could see the connection as well as the ex-
tremities. All our knowledge of the affair
begins and ends here — God's foreknowl-
edge and man's free agency harmonize
really, but inexplicably.
Now, Lord, behold their threalcnings, &c.
Recognizing in the threatenings of the
Sanhedrim a declaration of war by the
combined powers of the world against
their infant cause, they seek not enthusi-
astically to hide from themselves its criti-
cal position, but calmly ask the Lord of
heaven and earth to "look upon their
threatenings." That vAth all boldness they
may speak thy word. Rising above self,
they ask only fearless courage to testify
for their Master, and Divine attestation to
their testimony by miracles of healing,
&c., in His Name.
31. ir Anct when they had prayed, "the place was
shaken where they were assembled together; and they
were all iilled with the Holy Ghost, and ^they spake
the word of God with boldness.
»il. 2, 4, xvi. 1:0. b Verse 29.
The place icas shaken — probably " the
house where they were sitting," (see on
ii. 2), of which scene this was a partial
repetition, on a smaller scale and in a
narrower circle, but with precisely the
same spiritual and an analogous sensible
effect. The sign here given of God's pres-
ence was fitmiliur to the saints of the Old
Testament. (Ex. xix. 18 ; Ps. Ixviii. 8, see
on verse 24.) And they were all filled — with
a fresh and renewed outpouring. Word
of God xdth boldness (see on ii. 22, 23.)
Prayer-strengthened and Spirit-inspired,
these men now speak words of faith and
firmness which no human power can dis-
turb. They are soon to feel the full trial
of their dauntless spirit.
32. And the multitude of them that believed were of
one "-heart and of one soul: neither said any of thrm
that ausht of the things which he possessed was his
own, but ''thev had all things common.
cRom. XV. 5", 6 ; 2 Cor. xiii. U ; Phil. ii. 2 ; 1 Peter ui. 8.
aii. U.
1036
ACTS.
The expression of one ficart and of one soul
denotes the most intimate and endearing
friendship. There was among them no
difference of sentiment, a remarlcable fact,
considering their number. (Comp. notes
on ii. 44-46.) " Where faith reigns, it con-
ciliates men's minds so that all will the
same thing. For hence comes discord,
because we are not ruled by this Divine
spirit of Christ." — Calvin. Ne'dher said any
of them, &c. (See on ii. 44-46.) The lan-
guage used concerning the liberal com-
munication of all the property of the more
affluent, with thoir jwor brethren, who
were thus exempted from all want, and of
their confidence in the disinterested faith-
fulness of the Ajjostles, is suited, as by a
specimen, to show what Christianity would
effect, in meliorating the condition of man-
kind, if universally and cordially embraced.
(See 1 Cor. xvi. 2, 3.)
33. And with great power "'gave the apostles witness
fof the rfsurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace
Fwas iipi>ii them all. 34. Neither wa-s there any among
them that lacked : for as many as were possessors of
lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of
the things that were sold, 35. And iilairt ^ftcni down at
the apostles' feet: and i distribution was made unto
every man according as he had need.
=i. 8. Tjuke i. 48, 49 ; chap. i. 22. I'John i. 16. tVerse
37, V. 2. 'ii. 45, vi. 1.
Gave the apostles ^dtness. Their testifying
to Christ's resurrection, may be under-
stood as comprehending the whole work
of preaching Christ and making known
the new religion. This they did vith great
power, not merely force of argument or
eloquence, but in the exercise of that ex-
traordinary spiritual power, with which
they were invested for this very purpose,
and by which they were enabled, both to
testify of Christ, and to confirm their tes-
timony by the evidence of signs or mira-
cles. And great grace, &c. The special
favor of God manifested to them, and the
powerful effects of His sanctifying grace,
in forming them to be such holy, lovely,
and happy characters, seem to be specially
intended. Neither . , . any . . . lacked. No
one among them was allowed by his
brethren to be in want. For as many, &c.
Those who owned property parted with
their possessions, to obtain ready money
forgiving immediate relief to the destitute.
Apostles' feet. The Apostles probably sat
upon a raised seat, on the step of which,
at their feet, the money was laid. The
whole work of relieving the necessitous,
although sustained by private contribu-
tion, was considered not a personal affair,
but a public or ecclesiastical proceeding,
and was therefore, as here appears, im-
plicitly subjected to the Apostolical con-
trol and management. This is aLso evident
from the fact that the statement of the
]>lacing of the prices at the Apostles' feet, is
immediately followed by the act of distri-
bution, as well as from the narrative con-
tained in the sixth chapter, where the
whole proceeding presupjjoses such auth-
ority in the Apostles.
36. And Joses. who by the apostles was surnamed
Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of con-
solation.) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37.
Having land, sold it. and brought the money, and laid
ii at the apostles' feet.
And Joses, &c. This is specified merely
as an eminent examjile of that spirit of
generous sacrifice which pervaded all.
Surnamed Barnabas, after his conversion to
Christianity. Son of consolation — perhaps
more properly son of ■prophecy or preaching.
Chap. xiii. 1, he is called a prophet. The
ei)ithet was probably a testimony from the
Apostles to his sacred eloquence. A Lcriie,
and therefore one of those whose temporal
interest Christianity seemed now particu-
larly to oppose, as it threatened the de-
struction of the Jewish economy. Cyprus,
one of the largest islands of the Mediter-
ranean, distant from the Syrian coast one
hundred miles, from Cilicia about sixty.
Historians inform us that it was the resi-
dence of many Jews. The future notices
by Luke of Barnabas remarkably coincide
with his character briefly given here. He
appears an able minister, full of kindness,
and seemingly strongly disposed to labor
in. Cyprus. (Chap. xiii. 2, xv. 39.)
1. What was the effect of Peter's sermon ? 2. What did Peter say to the rulers, elders, scribes, &c., who were
gathered at Jerusalem? 3. Explain the phrase— " filled with the Holy Ghost?" 4. WHiat is meant by " they
took knowledge of them, that the.v had been with Jesus?" 5. Wtiat command was given to Peter and John ?
6. What was their answer? 7. When they were released, where did they go? 8. What was the effect of their
report upon " their own company?" 9. What occurred when the Church betook itself to prayer? 10. Explain
" great grace was upon them all." 11. What is said of the love and charity of the disciples ? 12. What did Barna-
tas do?
C II APT Ell V.
103:
CHAPTER V.
I Affrr that An:miax anii S/ipptiira his rrifr fnr tlirir
hniiorrisjj nt liti rx r- UmI.c hadj'allrii doivii iliail, 12
nnd t/iitt titr n st u/ tin- iipasflrx had VT'iiifihl matij/
7nir(trlrt!, 14 to tlic ii>cr( asi- <,/ thf fdil/i : \1 tin- npiixtli'.i
are ariain imjirisom d, 111 hut drlivcred by an anpel
biddiiitl t/ii III. to prcarli upinli/ to all ; 21 when, after
their t.wJiin;/ ncrordiiuilj/ in the teiiijile, 2il and be-
fore the CDunril, 'i'-i they lire in doiifiir to be, killed,
throiii/h the irdeirr m' <!iiinn!iil, i( {treat eounseUor
anum'i! the J: le.i, thrij he krjit (ilii'r, .|0 aiid are but
lieateii : for ir/iie/i t/iey f/lorify (fod, and cease no day
from preaching.
I)UT a certain man nampd Ananias, with Sapphira
y liis wile, sold a possession,
Ananias — *" God's cloud," or, "God's
grace." (1 Chron. iii. 21). Sapphira (see
Job xxviii. 6, 16), "the beautiful." A cer-
tain man, &c. Ananias is introduced as a
contrast to Barnabas, (iv. 3G, 37.) It is
probable that he was one of the richer
members of the Church, as he had landed
proi)erty to dispose of. (VerseS). Itaffords
a humiliating view of humanity, that in a
comparatively small and select society of
persons of such pure, benevolent and high-
minded principles, there were found two
individuals, apparently exhibiting the
same traits of character, while they were
secretly slaves of the most sordid passions
and the most detestable hypocrisy. Where
there is light, there will also be a shadow.
If Ananias and his wife had not com-
plied with the common practice, and sold
their possessions, their character might
have been suspected. " No wickedness is
more capital," says Cicero, " than that of
those who, when most deceiving, thus
pass themselves off for good."
2. And kppt back part of the price, his wife also be-
ing privy to it. ami "brought a certain part, and laid it
at the apostles' feet.— "iv. 34 37.
The apostles' feet. (See on iv. 37.) By
the sale of their land, and the bringing in
of the money, they in fact professed to
give the v:ho!e price as a gift of brotherly
love to the common stock ; but their aim
was to get for themselves the credit of
holy love and zeal by one portion of the
price, whereas they had selfisldy kept
back the other portion for tliemselves.
They wished to serve two masters, but to
appear to serve only One. (See 1 Tim. vi.
10.) What a crime was theirs ! 1. It was
an insult to the Holy Ghost. 2. It was
committed deliberately (verse 4). 3. It
was preconcerted by a wedded pair. It
was a deception practiced on the Church.
Achan, Judas, Demas, are, with this An-
anias and Sapphira, among the many
examples which history furnishes of the
wickedness of avarice.
3. But ret or said, Ananias, why hath Satan 'filled
tliiiii' lioart In lii' toUlic Holy Ghost, and to keep<back
j/art of the price of tlie laud '.'
I'l.uke xxii. 3. iYerse U. i-Num. xxx. 2 ; Deut. xxiii.
21 ; Keel. V. 4.
The human heart is itself sufTiciently
wicked to contrive and i)erpotrate very
aggravated crimes, but some sins are so
heinous in their nature, and are marked
with such characters of audacity and pro-
fligacy, that they seem to have been sug-
gested by a sx)irit more completely de-
praved even than man — the "spirit who
works in the children of disobedience."
Wliy hath Satan, &c., that is. Why hast
thou x)ermitted Satan? or why hast thou
not resisted his temptations? All that
Satan can do is to tempt, not to constrain
men to sin. (James iv. 7; 1 Peter v. 9.)
Filled thine heart. The Hebrews thus ex-
press a person's being emboldened (im-
pelled, invited) to a thing. (Esth. vii. 5;
Eccl. viii. 11.) To lie to the Holy Ghost. It
is mentioned as an aggi-avating circum-
stance, that they lied to the Holy Ghost,
whose eye could see clearly through every
disguise.
4. Whiles it remained, was it not thine own ?and after
it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast
thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast
not lied unto men, but f unto God.— f Ps. cxxxix. 4.
Whiles, an antiquated form of while or
whilst. It remained, &c. From this it ap-
pears that there was no law in the Church,
no Apostolic injunction, which bound be-
lievers to sell their lands, and to place
their money in a common fund. It was
not a matter of law, but of love. (See on
ii. 44,45, 40.) Why hast thou conceived, &c.
Though Satan is said to have filled his
heart to do it (verse 3), yet he is said to
have conceived it in his own heart, which
shows that we cannot extenuate our sins,
by laying the fault of them on the devil,
the evil thing, whatever it is, that is said
or done, the sinner has conceived in his
own heart. But unto God. This verse is
of weighty doctrinal import, as proving
the Deity and personality of the Holy
Spirit. The "Holy Ghost" (verse 3), is
here called " God." It is impossible to lie
1038
ACTS,
_ to a mere qualitj'. Bcngel says, " This is
' the meaning: Ananias lied to God and
His Spirit, not to men and Peter. Dare if
thou canst, O Socinian, to say, he lied not
to the Holy Ghost and to Peter, but to
God."
5. And Ananias hearing these words efell down, and
gave up tliegliost : and great iifear came on all them
that heard these tilings.
sVerses 10, 11. i-Ps. Ixiv. 9.
The suddenness of his death is not to be
attributed to the violent agitation of his
mind, as instant dissolution has been
known to be the effect of paroxysms of
joy and peace. The stroke was inflicted
by the hand of God, who was pleased to
give this example of His holiness and se-
verity. Them that heard — not merely upon
those who saw. So in verse 11.
6. And the young men arose, wound ihim up, and
carried libn out, and buried /i;«j.— 'Johu iix. 40.
The young men. They were probably
the younger men in the assembly, in dis-
tinction from the older. Buried him. This
was done three hours after he died. (See
verse 7.) To us, who live in a country
where humanity has established the cus-
tom of waiting several days, in order both
to ascertain the reality of dissolution, and
prepare the minds of surviving relatives
for the painful task of committing their
friend to kindred dust, this transaction in
the primitive Church seems to have been
despatched with unnatural and almost in-
decent rapidity. But in warmer climates,
in consequence of decomposition begin-
ning much sooner than here, the practice
of early interments is quite common.
Seldom more than a day elapses, till a
dead person is deposited in the grave ;
and in the hottest season of the year, or
during the prevalence of an epidemic dis-
order, it is by no means an unusual sight
to see the funeral procession of people who
were in life and walking abroad a few
hours before. The simple preparations
for a funeral in the East render this easy ;
for there no coflins are required, no suit
of mourning, no elaborate dressing of the
corpse ; the usual way is to inter it in the
dress which the person wore at death, and
to carry it on a bier or plain wooden board,
to the place of burial. So that mean and
humble as was the manner in which Ana-
nias and Sapjihira were taken to the grave,
' it scarcely, if at all, differs from the com-
mon style of funeral processions in tlie
East at the present day.
7. And It was about the space of three hours after,
when his wile, not knowing what was done, came in.
8. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye
sold the land for so much ? And she said, Yea, lor so
much. y. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye
have agreed jtogether to tenipt the (Spirit of the Lord ?
behold, the feet of them which have buried thy hus-
band are at the door, and shall carry thee out. 10.
Then kfell she down straightway at his feet, and yield-
ed up the ghost : and the young men came in, and Ibund
her dead, and, carrying her lorth, buried her by ftrr
husband. 11. And 'great fear came upon all the church,
and upon as many as heard these things.
JPs 1. 18 ; verse 3. ''Verse 5. 'Chap. li. 43.
Sapphira was privy to the fraud, but
■\vas ignorant of her husband's doom. Still
she was steady to her purpose. How she
could have remained ignorant of such a
striking event for three hours after its
occurrence, appears indeed strange, but
circumstances we know not might have
been the occasion of it. Perhaps no one
had the courage to inform her of the
dreadful fate of her husband. Tell me
irhether, &c. Happy would it have been
for this woman if this question had stag-
gered her ill-founded courage, and had
led her, with unfeigned repentance, to
acknowledge her wickedness. Yea, for so
much. Here is an acknowledgrnent of her
husband's criminal act, and of her own
guilty i->articipation in the deed.
Ilmv is it, &c. It is plain that this pre-
concert or conspiracy was viewed by the
Apostle as a serious aggravation of the sin
committed, not only because each was
bound to hinder or dissuade, instead of
helping and encouraging the other, but
because this previous agreement .'showed
the sill to be deliberate and presumptuous.
Tempt. So to act, as to seem to doubt of
the omnipotence, omniscience, veracitj-,
or any other of the attributes of God. It
has well been said, that there is an
iniquitous perversion of the marriage ties :
1. When the marriage is simply a com-
munity of goods, a business transaction
designed to consolidate wealth, in.stead of
being a union of hearts in the Lord. 2.
When the union is effected for the pur-
pose of serving the flesh, the world and
the devil, instead of being influenced by
the holy principle : " As for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord." (Josh,
xxiv. 15.) 3. When married life is thus
converted into a downward path, conduct-
CHAPTER V
1039
ing both parties to hell, whether it be a
hell on earth (domestic strife) or eternal
perdition, Avhereas they shonld have been
partners in every holy joy, and shonld
have aided each other in their common
efforts to obtain everlasting blessedness in
heaven."
Behold, the fret of them vhich have buried,
&c. Melancholy union in death, as there
was guilty partnership in life! Others of
the early Church fell martyrs to the cause
of truth, and their names were honored,
but Ananias and Sapphira died victims to
their own base passions and hypocrisy,
and are enrolled forever with the company
of Judas, the fruitier. Shcdl carry thee out.
This, spoken before her death, decisively
l^roves that death to have been not a result
merely of her detection, but a judicial in-
fliction. Great fear, &c. This effect on the
Christian community itself Avas the chief
design of so startling a judgment, which
had its counterpart, as the sin itself had,
in Achan (Josh, vii.), while the time — at
the commencement of a new career — was
similar.
12. And by the hands of Uie apostles were "many
signs and wonders \vr()U;j)it anions the people : (aad
they were all witli one accord in Solomon's porch : IS.
And "of tlie rest durst no man join himself to them:
but "the people magnilied them. U. And believers
were tlie more added to the Lord, multitudes rhoth of
men and women ;) 15. Insomuch that they brought
forth the sick ointo the streets, and laid thrm on beds
and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing
by might overshadow some of them. 10. There came
also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jeru-
salem, bringing '■sick folks, and them which were vexed
with unclean spirits: and 'they wei-e healed every one.
™i\'. .30; Kom. XV. 19; Heb. li. 4. njohnxii. 42. "iv. 21.
pii. 47. qor, in every street. 'Mark. xvi. 17, 18 ; John xiv.
12. "James v. IG.
And by tlie hands of the apostles, &o. This
verse should be read with the 15th, to
which it properly belongs. Many sig7is,
&c. Miracles of mercy, many in number,
of different kinds, and often repeated,
succeeded the judgment which had fallen
upon Ananias and Sapphira. And they
were all, &c. — the whole body of disciples.
Solomon^s porch. (See on iii. 11 ; John x.
23.) And of the rest, i. e., those, perhaps,
who were not converts, but thought and
spoke well of them. Durst no man, &c.
Such an awe had the miracles of the
Apostles, and, perhaps, particularly, the
fate of Ananias and Sapphira jjroduced
in them, that they did not care to mingle
with the Christian company, at least in
public. The people magnified them. The
rulers, doubtless, affected to hold the
Apostles and other Christians in contempt,
but the people in general regarded them
with veneration, and spoke highly of them.
A7id bclieecrs, &c. AVhilst those (verse 13)
who merely admired the disciples, ven-
tured not to unite with them, many who
were truly converted, were added to their
number. The salutary fear of hypocrisy
did not cause any temi)orary pause in the
diffusion of the Gospel ; on the contrary,
nuiltitudes impressed with its truth, were
converted. It was a season of sifting :
the Gospel repelled some and attracted
others.
Insomuch that. What is now stated, the
bringing vast numbers to be healed, was
the consequence of all that is narrated in
the last three verses, namely, the miracu-
lous deeds, the awe and love of the people,
and the increased number of believers.
The words beds and couches denote the
softer couches of the rich, and the meaner
cribs of the poor. Tliat at least the shadow
of Peter, &c. The crowd was so great and
so incessant, that many could do nothing
more than place themselves, or their af-
flicted friends, under the shadow of the
Apostles, and especially of Peter, as the
most conspicuous and active, as he came by
or along. We need find no stumbling-
block in the fact of the shadow of the
Apostles having been the medium of
working miracles. Cannot the Almighty
work with any instruments, or with none,
as pleases Him? And what is a hand or a
voice, more than a shadow, except that
the analogy of the ordinary instrument is
a greater help to faith in the recipient?
Where faith, as apparently liere, did not
need this helji, the less likely medium
was adopted. But what a fertile harvest
of superstition and imposture has been
made to spring out of this example 1
There came also a multitude, &c. The cause
advances continually farther and wider.
Unclean spirits. (Comjj. xix. 12 ; see also
Appendix.)
17. t Then the high priest rose up. and all they that
were with him, (which is the sect of the tsadducees,)
and were filled with "indignation. 18. And laid their
hands on the apostles, and put them in the common
vprison. 19. But the angel of the Lord by night open-
ed the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,
20. Cio, stand and speak in the temple to the people all
"the words ^of this life. 21. And wlien they heard ?/ia?,
they entered into the temple early in the morning, and
taught. But ythe high priest came, and they that were
with liim. and called the council together, and nil the
senateof the children of Israel, and sent to the prison
to have them brought. 22. But when the officers came,
1040
ACTS,
and found them not in the prison, thej- returned, and
told, 23. Saving, Tla- prison truly found we shut with
ail safetv, aiid the keepers standing without before the
doors : but when we had opened, we found no mau
within. 24. ?J^ow when the high priest and nhe captain
of the temple and the chief pru-sts heard these things,
they doubted of tbein wlnnviinto tins wnuld gnnv. 2o.
Then came one and told ili.'m, saying, P.eliolii, the
men whom ve put in prison are standing in the temple,
and teaching tiie people. 2(i. Then went the captain
with the officers, and brought them without violence:
for "they feared the people, le.st they should have been
stoned. 27. And when they had brought them, they
set ^/iCTrt before the council: and the high priest asked
them, 2.S, Saving, Did not we I'straitly command you
thatve should" not teach in this name? and, behold,
ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and in-
tend to bring this man's blood cupon us.
'iv. 1,2. "or, envy. ^xii. 5-7, xvi. 23-27. '"Ex. xxiv.
3. iJohn vi. K), (iS, xvii. 8. yiv. .5, G. ^iv. 1. aMatt. xxi.
26. biv. 18. cMatt. xxvii. 25 ; chap. ii. 23, 36, lii. 15, vii.
52.
The Idgh priest — Caiaphas, the chief
agent in the crucifixion of their blessed
Master. The Sadducees zealously joined
him in this persecution. Filled vnth indig-
nation. This new attack upon the Church,
the language teaches, was not only pre-
ceded, but occasioned, by the things de-
scribed in verses 12-16. Our success al-
ways makes the fire of envy burn hotter
in the brtast of our enemies. The common
(or public) prison. It being too late in the
evening to bring them to a hearing. The
bonds and chains by which men are con-
fined for Christ's sake, are truly honora-
ble badges. The angel — an angel, rather.
By night — the same night. Opened the
prison doors. Did they think to imprison
celestial light? to bury immortal life?
Heaven derides their attempts. The de-
liverance of the Apostles at this time was
similar to the deliverance of Peter on a
subsequent occasion, (xii. 7.) It evi-
dently filled their enemies with perplexi-
ty, and themselves Avith boldness and con-
fidence in Christ. Since the establishment
of the Gospel, God will have us live more
by faith, and walk less by sense, and there-
fore we must not now (ordinarily) see
these ministering and beneficent spirits,
but although their visible appearances be
ceased, yet their invisible operations for
the heirs of salvation shall never cease.
(Heb. i. 14.)
Go, stand and spteak, &c. The order of
the angel was that they should stand free
and undismayed, and preach openly to
the people. The words of this life — " this
same life," that was so highly predicated
and extolled at that time, that no one
could be in doubt what kind of life it was.
The phrase must necessarily mean the
Gospel of Christ. 1. This is a supernatu-
ral and spiritual life, God must give it. 2.
A mo.st elevated life — it brings us into an
alliance with the Father and the Spirit by
Jesus Christ. 3. A holy life — it is given
for the very purpose of recovering man
from sin to holiness. 4. A progressive
life. Grace is represented as at first a
blade, then an ear, then the full corn ; as a
little leaven leavening the lump. 5. An
eternal life. Through all the periods of
an endless duration, they that have this
life shall never die. The words of the
Gospel are called the words of life, 1, Be-
cause this word is the means of begetting
this life. (James i. 18; John xvii. 17.) 2.
Because it improves this life. (1 Peter ii.
2.) 3. Because it carries in it the promise
of this life. (1 John ii. 25; chap. v. 11,
12.) 4. Because it is the rule of that
judgment by which all that partake there-
in are finally adjudged to eternal life,
(Matt. XXV. 46.) Ministers of the Gospel,
as they can have opj^ortunity, should
Ijreach the words of this life. It ought to
be their end, to help souls into this state
of life. (2 Cor. iii. 6; 1 Cor. iv. 15; Phil.
10; Eph. iv. 11, 12, 13; Matt, xxviii. 19;
f Tim. iv. 13; Ezek. xxxiii. 11; Dan. xii.
3; Isa. xlix. 5 ; 2 Cor. ii. 15, 16.)
They entered into the temple, &c. How
self-possessed ! the indwelling Spirit rais-
ing them above fear. Called .... edl the
senate, &c. — an unusually general conven-
tion, though hastily summoned. It was
called together, not solely because a most
solemn question under the old Mosaic law
was to be tried, namely, whether the
workers of certain miracles were prophets
of God, or agents of Beelzebub, but also
because the contest was now with the
people, who were largely on the side of
the Apostles, endangering the predomi-
nancy, as was feared, of the ruling Saddu-
cean powers. And found them not in the
prison. How terribly must these officers
have been surprised ! All things indica-
ted that the prisoners were safe within,
but when they entered the dreary pre-
cincts there was not a man to be found.
The angel had done no injury to the
building, no violence to the jailers. The
whole appeared just as it had on the pre-
vious night.
The captain of the temple. (See on iv. 1.)
CHAPTER V,
1041
They doubted, Sec. They wore filled with
iipprehension — thrown into the utmost
per])lexity. The words do not so much
express their wonder at wliat had hap-
pened, as their fear at what would be the
issue of the whole — the terrible bearing
U[)on themselves. Brought than irithoid
violence. The officers on reaching the
temple, found the multitude gladly re-
ceiving the doctrine of the Apostles, and
they were afraid to show any hostility to
the Apostles, lest the people should stone
them ; we may therefore conclude that
the officers entreated them to accompany
them to the council, and that they yielded
to the solicitation, and so cheerfully went
with them, trusting in the Lor<l their God.
Did not we straiUy command you, &c. (See
iv. 17-21.) They ought to have inquired
first, How did ye escape? But as if no-
thing had happened, they asked them,
" saying," &c. The same shyness of Oj-ien
allusion to the names of facts connected
with Jesus and the spread of His doctrine
may be traced in the words " this name,"
and " iliis man's blood," and is a strong
Kiark of truth and circumstantiality. The
high priest will not name Jesus; Peter
names and celebrates Plim. Behold, ye
hare filled Jerusalem with your doctrine. A
stronger testimony than this to the zeal
of the Apostles and to the growth of their
cause could scarcely have been given. It
was given by the most intelligent men in
Jerusalem — men who knew the prevailing
feeling and the general character of the
l)oi)ulation well — men, too, who would
have ignored and denied the fact if they
could. Circumstances wrested it from
their reluctant lips. And intend to bring
this man's blood upon us. To " bring blood
upon the head" is a peculiar Plebrew
idiom, meaning to make one answer for
the murder or the death of another. There
was conscience in tjiis. They felt that
they were implicated in the horrid crime
of the crucifixion of Christ, and that which
they once dared in the fury of their rage,
when they cried (Matt, xxvii. 25), " Let
His blood be upon us," they now depreca-
ted as the direst of judgments.
29. 1 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and
said. We bought to obey God rather than men.
dlv. 19.
We ought should rather be ice must, ex-
*16
pressing not mere obligation but ncH-es."-!-
ty. The same principle, only in a more
positive and pointed form, as in iv. 19, 20,
on which see notes. Besides the essential
idea of obedience, which the word here
translated obey involves, it suggests that
God is superior to man, not only in power,
but in rightful authority. On the Athen-
ians condemning Socrates, he exclaimed,
" I embrace and love you, but I will obey
God rather than you, and if you would
spare my life on condition of giving u}>
teaching you, I would rather die a thou-
.sand times than acquiesce." The Apostles
and early Christians acted on the princi-
ple that human governments forfeit their
claims to obedience when they require
what God has plainly forbidden, or forbid
what He has required. They claimed the
right of judging for themselves what was
right and what was wrong, in reference to
their religious and their political duties,
and they regulated their conduct by that
decision. In applying this principle, it
will be found that the Apostles in every
instance abstained from all forcible resist-
ance to the public authorities. They re-
fused utterly to obey the mandates which
required (hem to violate their consciences,
but they endured quietly the penalties
which the executors of the law enforced
against them. They evaded the pursuit of
their oppressors if they could (2 Cor. xi.
32, 33), secreted themselves from arrest
(xii. 19), left their prisons at the command
of God, yet when violent hands were laid
upon them, and they were dragged before
magistrates, to the dungeon, or to death,
they resisted not the wrong, but "followed
His steps, who, when He suffered, threat-
ened not, but committed Himself to Him
that judgeth righteously. (1 Peter ii. 22, .
23.)
30. The God of onr fathers raised up Jesns. whom ye
slew and hanged 'cm a tree. 31. Him hath God exalt-
ed fwith his rifTht hand to br a fPrince and a ''Saviour,
for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32. And we are his witnesses 'of these things ; and xn I'.s-
also the JHoly Ghost, whom God hath given, to tliem
that obey him.
fGal. iii. 13 ; 1 Peter ii. 2-». rPhil. ii. 9. elsa. ix. 6.
kMatt. i. 21. "Luke xxiv. 47-8. Jii. 4.
God of our fathers. By this solemn ex-
pression the Apostles assume that Jesus
and themselves are in true line of descent
from the fathers and under sanction of
their God. Raised v.p — exalted as the Sent
1042
ACTS,
of God. The idea of the resurrection is
also involved in that of the exaltation.
Hanged on a tree. The cross is here de-
signedly so called, because, according to
the Jewish law, being hanged on a tree
was esteemed an accursed death. (Gal.
iii. 13.) What superiority to the fear of
man, what inflexible fidelity to truth, what
more than human heroism, are exhibited
by the Apostles as they stand before the
most august assembly of the land, and
charge them with the greatest crime ever
perpetrated under heaven !
Him hath God exalted — raised up to hea-
ven. With his right hand, by the exertion
of His power, and to His right hand, i. e.,
to a share in that power, and in the dignity
connected with it. A Prince and a Saviour,
not "to be a Prince and a Saviour," but the
words are the j^redicate of Him as a Prince
and a Saviour. The one word expres.ses
that Roiialtij which all Israel looked for in
Messiah, the other His Saving character
■which they had utterlj^ lost sight of.
Each of these features in our Lord's work
enters into the other, and both make one
glorious whole, (iii. 15; Heb. ii. 10.) That
it was spiritual salvation that was here
spoken of, is evident from the remainder
of the verse. To give repentance — the grace
of repentance, i. e., power and disposition
to repent. Forgiveness — removal of all ob-
ligation to punishment. There is not a
meritorious connection between repen-
tance and forgiveness, but there is, 1, a
connection of propriety, for it would not
accord with the wisdoui of God to forgive
one incapable of enjoying or serving Him,
and, 2, a connection of certainty — they
are indissolubly united — no one ever
really enjoyed forgiveness without re-
pentance, and no one ever truly exercised
repentance without forgiveness. To Israel.
The express mention of Israel, as the ob-
ject of this favor, is not intended to re-
strict it to the Jews, but either to intimate
the priority of the offer made to them, or,
which is more probable, to assure the
contemporary Jews, who had been impli-
cated in the murder of their own ]\Tessiah,
that even this most aggravated sin was
not beyond the reach of the Divine forgive-
ness, if repented of, to bestow both which
gifts, i. e., repentance as the means, and
forgiveness as the end, was the very pur-
pose for which Christ had been exalted as
a Prince and Saviour.
Witnesses of these things — the death and
exaltation of Christ. Also the Holy Ghost —
the Apostles as competent human wit-
nesses to facts, and the Holy Ghost as
attesting them by undeniable miracles.
(See on ii. 4.) Whom God hath given to
(hem that obey him. There is no true obe-
dience without faith, or true faith without
obedience. " How rich in doctrine," says
the Hev. Dr. C/iaZwCT's, "are the two con-
tiguous verses, 31 and 32, both as respects
the Second and Third Persons of the Trin-
ity ! Let me not divide Christ, nor put
asunder the things which God hath joined.
It is the office of the Prince and the Sa-
viour exalted at His right hand to give
both repentance and the remission of sins.
Let me equally desire both, let me pray
for both, and O may I work mightily by
strength conferred upon me from on high,
so as to perfect my repentance and perfect
my holiness. And how relevant to this
jarocess is this weighty sentence — that the
Holy Ghost is given to those who obey
Him. By the blessed alternation of per-
formance and jirayer, give me, O Lord, to
experience that in serving faithfully^ I am
supplied plentifully and fruitfully with
grace from Thine upper sanctuary. Let
our righteousness spring up from earth,
and Thy grace look down upon us from
heaven."
3.'?. f Wlion tliey heard that, tlipy kwpre cut to ttie
heart, aud took counsel to slay them.— livil. a.
Tliej'^ were sufficiently enraged to con-
ceive the thought of putting these men to
death. When the truth is not voluntarily
received, let it cut to the heart; that, too,
is a victory. It is an evidence of the power-
lessness of the enemies of truth, that they
silence those who confess it, not by addu-
cing arguments, but by apjilying a gag,
and by attempts to slay them.
34. Thpn stood there up one in the council, a Phari-
see, named iGamaliel, a doctor of the law. had in repu-
tion amons; all the people, and commanded to put the
aijostles forth a little space.— 'xxii. 3.
As they were about to vote the death of
the Apostles, they were checked by Gama-
liel, who counseled that the Apostles retire
a short time, so that he might with the
more propriety give his advice to the
CHAPTER V.
1043
rulers. Gamaliel was renowned as one
of the great doctors of the law, and still
more as the preceptor of Paul. (xxii. o.)
He is identitied with the celebi-ated Jew-
ish doctor Gamaliel, who is known by the
title of " the yilory of the law," and was the
first to whom the title " Rabban," "our
master," was given. This Gamaliel was
son of Rabbi feimeon, and grandson of
the celebrated Hillel. He was president of
the Sanhedrim underTiberius, Caligula and
Claudius, and is reported to have died
eighteen years before the destruction of
Jerusalem. He was succeeded in the
presidency of the Sanhedrim by his son
Simeon, who perished in the siege.
S5. And naid unto them. Ye men of Israel, take heed
to yourselves what ye intend to do as touehing tliese
men. 3b. For belbre these days rose up Tiieiuhis,
boasting himself to be somebody, to whom a number
of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who
was slain, and all, as many a-s "obej'ed him, were scat-
tered, and brought to nouglit. 37. After this man rose
up Judas of CTalilee in the Jays of the taxing, and drew
away much people after him; he "also perished, and
uU. Mv It its muLiy ;us obeyed liim, were (fispersed. ;w.
And now I say unto you, Itelrain from tliese men, and
let them alone: Plbr if this counsel or this work be of
men, it will come to nought: aa. But if qit be of God, ye
cannot overthrow it, lest haply ye be found even to
light fagainst God.
''Or, believed. "Luke xiii. 1, 2. PProv. xxi. 30; Isa.
viii. 10; Matt. .\.v. 13. qJob xxxiv. 29; 1 Cor. i. 25. fix.
c, xiiii. 9.
Observe the sage counsel given, in the
several parts of it. 1. Take heed to your-
sclces what ye intend, &c.— implying that
men had need to take heed, how they en-
gage themselves in suj^pressing or destroy-
ing any sort of men, whatsoever, until
they have a clear and expressive warrant
from heaven for their execution. 2. He
assured them that it was an age of pre-
tenders, specifying Theudas and Judas
of Galilee, who had risen up not long be-
fore— in the memory of some of them, and
who had ended by breaking out into open
revolt and being destroyed by the power
of Rome. He wished the Sanhedrim to
understand, that if the cause of the Apos-
tles was undivine and merely human, it
would perish just like this Theudas and
Judas. 3. He suggested that the thing
might be indeed from God, and if so, to
overthrow it would be impossible, to resist
it would incur the guilt of fighting against
God. The argument is designed to show
that his hearers on their own principles,
were bound to take the course he recom-
mended. They jirofessed to regard the
new religion as an undivine thing. Thej'
need not, therefore, go to the trouble of
opposing it, on their own view of it, it
would soon die. But if it be of God, &c.
Here is another part of the argument — if
the movement was of God, opposition
would be futile and impious. Tlie if im-
ports a suspicion, some doubt and appre-
hension of the thing as not improbable. Ye
cannot, &c. Here is a recognition of the
solemnity and fixedness of the Divine
purpose. Attempts to crush the cause of
God are as futile as attempts to roll b;u;k
the tides of ocean, or reverse tlie course
of ]ilanets — worse than futile, it is fighting
against God— a mad and impious batthng
against the Infinite.
40. And to him they agreed : and when they had
called the apostles, and "beaten them, tliev commanded
that they should not si)eak in the name of Jesus, and
let them go. -II. 11 And they dei)arted from the pres-
ence of the council, rejuicins; "that thev were counted
worthy to suffer shame lor bis name. 42. And daily «in
the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach
and preach Jesus Christ.
■Matt. .X. 17. liv. IS. "Matt. v. 12; 2Cor. xii. 10; Phil,
i. 29 ; James i. 2 ; 1 Peter iv. IS-IB.
The advice of Gamaliel was so wise and
reasonable, that it prevailed with the
rulers to desist from their former inten-
tion of putting the Apostles to death. They
came not ofi" without blows, however,
though without bloodshed. They were
scourged, as their Master was before them,
which was both a painful and reproachful
punishment. (See on next verse.) Not
speak in the name of Jesus. (See on iv. 18.)
Worthy to suffer shame. By a beautiful
paradox they feel the glory of the disgrace.
The scourge or whip usually had two
lashes knotted with bone or brazen circles
or terminated with hooks, and was signi-
ficantly called the scorpion. It was inflicted
upon the bare back, apparently of the en-
tire twelve. Paul suflfered this five times,
Jesus once. For his name, rather, the name,
i. e., for the glorification of the name
whose confession and announcement was
always their highest and holiest solicitude.
Daily in the temple, &c. — every day, both in
the temple and in private. Ceased not to
teach, &c. — in defiance of the prohibition
which blows as well as words had just now
enforced on them. And preach Jesus Christ.
When they addressed the peoi)le, they did
not complain of their enemies, did not boast
of their own firmness, did not defend their
character, which had been sullied by the
scourge, but simply preached the Gospel
concerning Jesus Christ. They preached
1044
ACTS
in iDromiscuous assemblies, to T\'hich all
resorted, and in the select assemblies of
Christians for special ordinances. They
visited the flimilies, and gave particular
instructions to them, according as their
case required, even to the children and
servants. And the subject matter of their
preaching w;is Jesus Chrld, not themselves,
making it their business to advance His
interest. It ought to be the constant busi-
ness of Gospel ministers to preach Christ,
Christ, and Him crucified, Christ, and Him
glorified, nothing beside this, but what is
reducible to it.
1. What is said of Ananias and Sapphira? 2. Explain " laid it at the Apostles' feet." 3. What did Peter say
to Ananias? 4. Vi-'hat occurred to himself and his wife ? 5. What was the effect of these startling judgments?
fi. What is said of the Apostles? 7. What did the high priest and Sadducees do to the Apostles? 8. How were
they released from prison ? 9. What did Peter and the other Apostle answer before the council ? 10. What
effect was produced by their reply ? 11. What did Gamaliel say? 12. Who was Gamaliel? 13. What was the
nature of his argument on this occasion ? 14. In what spirit did the Apostles depart from the council ? 15. What
are they said to have done daily ?
CHAPTER VI.
1 The apostles, desirous to have the poor regarded for
their bodily sustenance, as also careful themselves to
dispense the word of God, the food of the soul, 3 appoint
the oflice of deaconship to seven chosen men. 5 Of whom
Stephen, a man full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost, is
one. 12 Who is taken of those, whom he confoutided in
disputing, 13 and after fasely accused of blasphemy
against the law and th^ temple.
AND in those days, when the number of the disciples
was naultipUed. there arose a murmuring of the
Grecians ^againist the Hebrews, because their widows
were neglected in ^the daily ministration.
"ix. 29, xi. 20. t'iv. 3-3.
The expression those days probably refers
to the preceding verse, while the Apostles
were daily engaged in the temple and in
private houses teaching and preaching the
Gospel, and when the disciples, as stated
in this verse, were as a consequence multi-
plied. A murmuring. In a multitude a
cause of murmuring easily arises. Grecians
— foreign Jews, such as spoke the language
of Greece. The Hebreivs — those Jews born
in Palestine, who used their native tongue,
and were wont to look down on the
"Grecians" as an inferior class. The
ground of the murmuring was the neglect
of widows in the daily ministration. It was
said, perhaps, by some, that there was
something like fovoritism in the distribu-
tion of the charities of the Church, and
that the widows of the Hellenist Chris-
tians were overlooked. There were many
poor in that new and large community,
many who were dependent, perha^js, al-
most entirely, for their support on the
public fiinds. Widows are especially
mentioned here, and they, as a rule, in all
communities are the most abject, and the
most deserving of aid. The Bible espe-
cially commends them to the compassion
of the benevolent. (James i. 27.)
2. Then the twelve called the multitude of the dis-
ciples utito them, and said. It cis not reason that we
should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
t-Ex. xviii. 17-26.
The expression serve tables is of the same
import with ministering to the necessities
of the poor. Their tables were to be sup-
plied with food convenient for them, such
things as they wanted, were to be provid-
ed, and it would be neither right nor be-
coming, that the Apostles, whose spiritual
work was now becoming too absorbing,
should be so much engaged in this service,
as to omit the more important duties of
their office. Jesus Christ had sent them
to preach the Gospel, and no inferior de-
sign, however useful and urgent; should
longer interfere with the great object of
their commission.
3. Wherefore, brethren, look iye out among you
seven men of fhonast report, full of the Holy Ghost
and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
dDeut. i. 13. exvi. 2 ; 1 Tim. iu. 7, «, 10.
Brethren, not brethren in the ministry
but in the faith. Look ye out, &c. The
selection, therefore, was made by the
body of the Church. It was the more
necessary that they should be consulted
in the election, because there had been
CIIArTEP. VI.
1045
dissatisfaction in consequence of the for-
mer management of tlie i)oor. The Apos-
tles, however, invested the persons with
the office, and gave tliem autliority to dis-
cjuirge its duties, as we sec froni the M'ords,
whom we may appoint over this husineas.
Seven. Various reasons have been assigned
wh}'^ seven should be the number selected
Some suppose that this number was arbi-
trarily selected, others because seven
nations are supposed to have been repre-
sented, others because this was the sacred
number among the Jews, others that there
were now seven thousand believers, and
that one almoner was chosen for each
thousand, others that tlie Church of Jeru-
salem was divided into seven congrega-
tions, &c., &c. But all these are arbitrary
suppositions. The qualitications of these
men as here stated, are, 1. MenqfJiomst
report, testified to, of good repute. 2. Full
of the Holy Ghost — thorough religious men.
3. Full of vjLsdom, that is, of prudence. It
is no uniinjx)rtant matter to dispense the
property of the Church. Even in a pub-
lic steward, and in a deacon as such, there
should be administrative and sanctifying
gifts.
4. But we will fgive ourselves continually to prayer,
and t(i tlie ministry of the word.
'1 Tim. iv. 15.
BiU,v)e, we on our part, as distinguished
from the persons thus selected. Prayer,
not personal devotion merely, but the
business of conducting public worship, as
the ministry (or dispensation) of the ivord,
evidently means the work of preaching or
public and official teaching. Continuall ij —
we M'ill have no leisure but for these.
Note, 1. That such as are called by God
to the work of the ministry, ought to give
themselves wholly to it. 2. That a minis-
ter's giving himself to prayer, is as great a
duty, as giving himself to the peaching of
the word. He should give himself to the
one as the end, to the other as the mean :
it is God that sets the Word on work, but
it is prayer that sets God on work.
5. H And the saying pleased the whole multitude : and
they chose Stephen, a man full pof faith and of the
Holy Ghost, and I'Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor,
and Timon, and Parmenas, and iNicohis a proselyte of
of AnMoch :
Exi. 2-1. bviii. 5, 26, xxi. 8. 'Rev. ii. 6, 15.
The whole midtitude, apparently without
exception, or dissent, which seems to
kIiow the absence of malignant jealousy
and party-s])irit. Stephen. As this and
tlie following names are all Greek, it is
likely they were all of the "Grecian"
class, which would effectually restore
mutual confidence. Fall of faith, wliich is
the root of all Christian virtues. (See on
verse 8.) And of the Holy Ghost. All that
is recorded of Stci)hen shows that he was
a man of distinguished excellence, and a
chosen organ of Divine thought and power.
Of Philip (not the Apostle, but another
person of the same name,) we read again
in viii. 5, 40, xxi. 8. Of the other five here
mentioned, none are elsewhere alluded to
in Scripture, one, Kicolas, is mentioned in
ecclesiastical tradition, the other four are
totally unknown. A prosehjte, &c., that is,
a Gentile by birth who had embraced the
Jewish religion, and submitted to the rite
of circumcision before he became a Chris-
tian.
6. Whom they set before the apostles : and whenjthcy
had praved, thev kiaid their hands on them.
Ji. 24. "kix. 17, xiii. 3 ; 1 Tim. iv. 14, v. 22 ; 2 Tim. i. 6.
Set, placed, caused to stand, the verb
translated apjwinted in i. 23. In both cases
it denotes the presentation of the persons
found to i^ossess the prescribed qualifica-
tions. Election, in the proper sense, is
not suggested by this word, but explicitly
recorded in the context, (verse 5.) Prayed
laid their hands — the one proclaim-
ing that all official gifts flowed from the
Church's glorified Head, the other sym-
bolizing the communication of these to
the chosen office-bearers through tlie re-
cognized channels.
7. 1! And 'the word of God increased : and the number
of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a
great company of tlie priests ™were obedient to the
taith.
ilsa. Iv. 11 ; chap. xii. 24, xix. 20. ^Ps. cxxxii. 9, 16.
" A happy event of a time of trial." In-
deed, the triumph of the Gospel, without
this, would in some respects have been
incomplete. Four thousand two hundred
and eighty priests returned fro;ii captivity
(Ezra ii. 36-39), and probably their num-
ber was now greatly increased. The num-
ber of priests was very great at Jerusalem.
The conversion of so many strikingly dis-
played the power of the Gospel, when we
recollect their prejudices against it, and
the disgrace, losses, and dangers attending
their confession of the name of Jesus as
the Messiah.
1046
ACTS,
8. " AnflStenhen, full of faiUi and power, did great
woudL-ij uud miracles among the people.
Full of faith and power, cheriahins an un-
wavering conlidence in the Lord Jesus,
and signally aided by Divine power. This
is the first instance of any, not an Apostle,
working signs and Avonders. He who is
faithful in that which is least (the office
of a guardian of the poor) is intrusted by
the Lord with much faith, power, mira-
cles.
9. Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which
is called the aynagognc of the Libertines, and Uyrenians,
and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia,
disputing with Stephen. 10. And they were not able "to
resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
"liUlce xxi. lo.
The synagogue of the Libertines, i. e., liber-
tini, freed-men, viz.: Jews, or the sons of
Jews, who having been slaves at Rome^
had acquired their freedom, and, living
now at Jerusalem, maintained a separate
synagogue of their own. The Cyrenians
take their name from the place they lived
in, mentioned in ii. 10. The Alexandrians
were the inhabitants of Alexandria, a
city of Egypt, situated on the Nile, built
by Alexander the Great in the fourth cen-
tury B. C, and originally peopled by col-
onies of Greeks and Jews. Cilicia, a pro-
vince of A.sia Minor, bounded on the south
by the Mediterranean Sea, east of Syria,
north and west by Cappadocia, Lycaonia,
Itauria, and Pamphylia. The opponents
of Stephen seem to have belonged to the
congregations of five different synagogues.
Disputing may imply that the discussion
which they sought, and which at first was
private, became generally known and pub-
lic. "The most zealous controversialists
and most skillful disputants, who select
religious truth as their topic, usually, "says
one," have the least religion and faith of
all." They were not able to resist, &c. He
was v;ise, well exercised and experienced
in Divine things, and, as appears bj' his
defense, in_ the following chapter, well
versed in the Jewish history. And the
Spirit, &c., that is, not merely ardor of
mind, but the Holy Spirit, with Avhom
Stephen was filled. (Verse 5.) They were
obliged either to yield to the teachings, or
were confounded by the truth. Here was
a striking fulfillment of Christ's promise —
" I will give you a mouth and wisdom,"
&c. (Luke xxi. 15, on which see notes.)
' U. Then they suborned omen, which said. We have
he.ird him speak bliuSj)hemons words against Moses,
and as'airt.s/ God. li And they stirred up the people,
and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him,
and caught him, and brought him to the council, 13.
And set up false witnesses, which said. This man
ceaseth not to speak blasphemous wox'ds against this
holy place, and the law : U. For pwe have heard him
sa.v that this Jesus of Nazareth shall qdestroy this place,
and shall change the rcustoms which Moses delivered
us. 15. And all that sat in the council, looking stead-
fastly on liim, saw his 'face as It had been the face of
an angel.
"2 Kings xxi. 10, 13 ; Matt. xxvi. 59, 60. pxxv. 8. iDan.
ix. 26. 'or, rites. sEx. xxxiv. 30, 35.
Suborned — instigated, put forward by collu-
sion, to do so. They got men to swear
falsehood — to perjure themselves. Blas-
phemous words — impious, abusive, and con-
tumelious words. Against Moses — " our
great legislator," and against God, whose
representative he was, and from whom all
his legislative power was derived. Nean-
der well remarks that this false charge,
coupled with the character of Stephen's
apologetic speech, shows the iral character
of his arguments v:ith his opponents — that he
seems to have been the first who plainly
set forth the transitory nature of the law
and temple, as compared with the perma-
nence of the latter and better covenant,
thus being in a remarkable manner the
forerunner of Paul. The jjeople, and the
elders, and the scribes, were alarmed, and
hastening, with common consent, they
aj)prehended and arraigned him before
the Sanhedrim, which had authority to
take cognizance of cases of blasphemy.
False ivitnesses, which said, &c. The false-
hood of their witness consisted, as in the
similar case of our Lord, in taking Ste-
phen's w^ords out of their context, ai:d
misrepresenting what perhaps iu so many
words he had actually said.
All looking steadfastly, wishing
and hoping, perhaps, to gaze him into con-
fusion and tremor. Face . . . angel. "Was
the aspect of Stephen's face at this time,
natural or su]iernatural ? He might have
had a corporeal loveliness. We know he
was at this time full of wisdom and faith.
His countenance was not pallid with guilt,
nor distracted by care, nor troubled with
fear, but full of confidence, serenity, mild-
ness and joy. Yet there was something
supernatural here, nor is it strange that
there should have been, for the occasion
was worthy a Divine interjjosition, and
that was an age of miracles. He who was
accused of blaspheming Closes bears the
CHAPTER YII
1047
radiance (Iiat aullienticated Mo^cs in his
own face. (Ex. xxxv. 2'.)-o5.) It was a
faint beam from that rilory of which ho
spoke in vii. 2, and which hiss own eyes
beheld in vii. 55.
Jesus honors tho.se who are not asham-
ed, or afraid to own, serve, and sutler for
Ilim. He frequently brings their enemies
to their feet, in awe and reverence. Often,
in their last hours, has He thrown a radi-
ance around them that has rendered the
dying chamber the house of God and the
gate of heaven, and induced the exclama-
tion from all beholders : " Let me die the
death oi the righteous, and let my last end
be like his."
" .Surp the last end
Olthe Kood iiuiii is peace. How calm his exit !
NiKht di'ws fall not more calmly on the ground,
Kor weary, woru-out winda expire so soil."
1. What are we to understand by " those days?" 2. What "murmuring" is referred to? 3. What did the
Twelve then do? 4. Why did they call the disciples ? 5. What did they say to them? 6. Describe the character
of men that were to be selected ? 7. What did the Apostles say they would do ? 8. Who were chosen ? 9. State
who they were. 10. What did the Apostles do to them? 11. What is said to have occurred in Jerusalem ? 12.
What is said ofStephen ? 13. Who disputed with Stephen 7 14. When not able to resist his address, what did
hey do ? 15. What is said of the face of Stephen ?
CHAPTER VII.
1 Stephen, permitted to answer to the accusation of bias-
pheiny, 2 sliewetfi that Aliraham warsliippcd God
rightly, and how God clwse tlie juthers '.JO bej'ore Hones
was born, and before tlie tabernacle and temple were
built: 31 tliat Moses himself witnessed of CItrist : 44
and that atl outward ceremonies were ordained accord-
ing to Vie heavenly pattern, to last but for a t'me: 51
rcprchcndiuij tluir rdx lUi>n,and murdering of Christ,
the Just One, ivhom t.'ie pruphets foretold should come
into the imrld. 51 Winn xi)ic,iitliey stone him to death,
ii'ho cennmcndeth his so^il to Jesus, and humbly pray eth
for them.
HPhEN said the high priest, Are these things so ?
The glorified countenance of Stephen
caused a pause of surprise and admiration
which the high priest, Theophilus, inter-
rupts by calling on the accused for his
defense.
[As to the nature of the speech (which
extends to verse 53) — its relation to the
charges brought against Stephen, and the
objects which the protomartyrhadin view
— see the paraphrase and remarks at the
close of the defense.]
2. And he said, »Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken ;
The Clod of glory apijeared unto our father Abraham,
■when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt, in Char-
ran, 3. And I'said unto him. Get thee out of thy coun-
try, and from thy kindred, and come into the land
which I shall shew thee. 4. Then came he out of the
land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran: and
from thence, when his fether was dead, he removed
him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. 5. And he
gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to
set his foot on : yet he promised ''that he would give it
to him for a possession, and to h.is seed after him, when
as yet he had no child. 6. And Cod spake on this wise.
That fhisseed should so.iourn in a strange land; and
that they should bring them into bond.age, and entreat
them, evil f four hundred years. 7. And the nation to
whom they shall be In bondage will I judge, said Go d
and afjer that shall they come forth, and serve nae in
this place. 8. And i" he gave him the covenant of cir-
cumcision: and so'^iira/iam begat Isaac, and circum-
cised him the eightii day : and Isaac jfeeg^ai Jacob ; and
Jacob ^begat the twelve patriarchs.
»xxii. 1. i^Gen. xii. 1. cGen. xii. .5. i^Gen. xiii. 15.
eGen, xiii. IG. 'Ex. xii. 40, 41. sEx. lii. 12. hQen. xvii.
9-11. 'Gen. xxi. 4. JGeu. xxv. 6. ''Gen. xxi.x. 32, &c.
The God of glory. This is not to be con-
sidered as a Hebraism equivalent to " glo-
rious God," but it refers to the " glory " of
the Jews — the glory of God, w'hich, as a
pillar of fire, guided them in the wilder-
ness, and rested upon the mercy-seat in
the tabernacle and in the temple — called
by them the Shechinah. Hence Paul men-
tions " the glory " as one of the peculiar
privileges of the Jewish nation. (Rom.
ix. 4.) Mesopotamia. Abraham resided
first in Ur of the Chaldees (Gen. xi. 28),
which lay probably in the extreme north
of Mesopotamia, near the sources of the
Tigris. Charran (Gen. xi. 31), was also in
the north of Mesopotamia, but south of
Ur. It was the later Carrx of the Greeks
and Romans, where Crassus was defeated
and slain by the Parthians. Its position
tallies remarkably with the sacred narra-
tive. The ruins have been identified a
few miles south of Urfa, on a road from
the north to the southern ford of the Eu-
phrates. Stephen's meaning evidently is
that Abraham's call in Charran was not
1048
ACTS,
the first which he received during? liis resi-
dence in Mesopotamia. We have no ac-
count of tliis first communication to the
patriarch in the Old Testament, but it is
implied distinctly in Gen. xv. 7 and Neh.
ix. 7. Philo and Josephus relate the his-
tory of Abraham in accordance with the
statement here, that he was called twice.
Of the Chaldeans. Whose land belonged
to Mesojiotamia. When his father teas dead,
he removed, &c. Though Abraham was in
Cauiian before Terah's death, his settle-
ment in it as the land of promise is here
said to be after it, as being in no way de-
pendent on the family movements, but a
transaction purely between Jehovah and
Abraham himself.
And he gave him none inheritance in it, no,
not so much, &c. But how does this consist
with Abraham's purchase of a hereditary
burial place (Gen. xxiii. 20; 1. 13)? We
may understand the words to mean that
He had not yet given him, or still more ex-
actly, did, not give him, i. e., in the first years
of his residence, the smallest portion of
the land of Canaan. This is all that was
necessary for Stephen's purpose, which
was simply to show what changes had al-
ready taken place in the condition of the
chosen people since the calling of Abra-
ham . Yet lie promised, &c. — it was promised
to him only as a future jiossession. Stephen
now mentions Abraham's seed, and, pre-
supposing the special circumstance that
his and Sarah's bodies were as if dead,
gives prominence to his faith in the future.
Sojourn in a strange land. (Comp. Gen. xv.
13, 14.) The residence of the Hebrews in
Egypt is here referred to four hundred
years. The exact number of years, as we
elsewhere learn, was four hundred and
thirty. (Ex. xii. 40; see also Gal. iii. 17.)
Stephen avails himself of a privilege which
cannot be reasonably denied to him, and
merely mentions a round number, without
taking into account the broken number.
But the question is. From what period are
these years to be reckoned? Do they
refer exclusively to the sojourn of the Is-
raelites in Egypt, commencing at the re-
moval of Jacob into that country ? Or do
they commence from the call of Abraham,
and include also the sojourn in Canaan ?
Certainly, at first sight, tlie words in the
Mosaic narrative would seem to intimate
that this was the period of Egyptian bond-
age, but Paul understands it differently.
He reckons four hundred and thirty j'^ears
as extending from the call of Abraham to
the giving of the law. (Gal. iii. 17.) And
there are interval marks in the Mosaic
narrative wliich show that this reckoning
is correct, for the mother of Moses was the
daughter of Levi (Ex. vi. 20), which would
be impossible were the whole period of
Egyptian bondage four hundred and thirty
years. The period of four hundred and
thirty years appears to be divided into two
equal parts, the one being the sojourn in
Canaan, and the other being the sojourn in
Egypt.
A covenant of circumcision may be either
circumcision itself, as a covenanted stipu-
lated rite, or a covenant of which circum-
cision was the sign and seal. (See Gen.
xvii. 10, 11, where both these ideas seem
to be expressed, and compare Gen. ix. 12.)
The eighth day. Circumcision was fixed to
take place on the eighth day. (Lev. xii.
3. "The fact that Moses fixed the eiglith
daj', which ndglit come on the Sabbath,"
says Stier, "notwithstanding the adoption
of the seventh day of rest even among the
ten commandments, may point out to us
that God, in appointing the eighth day,
I^refigured the abolition, or rather the al-
teration, of the Old Testament Sabbath."
9. And the patriarchs, moved with 'envy, sold Joseph
into Egypt: but ""Cxod w;us with him, 10. And deliver-
ed hini out of all his afflictions, tind gave hiiu lavour
and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh kingoi'Eyypt, and
he nmade him governor over Egj'pt and all his house.
11 Now "there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt
and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our lathers ibund
no sustenance. 12. But pwhen Jacob heard that there
w.os corn in Egj-pt, he sent our fathers first. 13. And
at the second time Joseph iwas made known to his
t)rethren ; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto
Pharaoh. 14. Then sent Joseph, and called his lather
Jacob to /iiw, and all rhis kindred, threescore and fif-
teen souls. 15. So Jacob went down into Egypt, and
died, he, and our fathers, 16. And swere carried over
into S.vchem, and laid in the sepulchj'u that Abrahani
bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor Uie
father of Sychem.
K^en. xx'xvii. 2S ; Ps. ev. 17. mQen. xxxix. 2, 21. "Gen.
xii. 10. "Gen. xii. .54. iCxen. xlii. 1, 2. iGen. xlv. 1, 16.
'Gen. xlvi. 27 ; Deut. x. 22. ejosh. xxiv. 32.
Moved vAth envy. Stephen shows that
the Jews' ancestors were already stifi"-
iiecked. Sold into Egypt. Eemoved from
them him who was soon after carried into
Egypt. But although thnj cast him ofi', God
was with him, and "gave him favor in the
sightof Pharaoh by his wisdom." (See Gen.
xl. 8, xii. 16.) Came a dearth, &o. Egypt and
Canaan are alike, though through the bless-
CHAPTER VII,
1049
ing of Josepli's God there was bread in
Egypt, whilst in the universul groat aftiic-
tioii the children of Abraluim found no
sustenance. Joseph was made knoum, &c.
(See Gen. xlv. 1-3, 16.) Thvn se.nl Joseph,
&c. (See Gen. xlv. 17-21.) Threescore and
Jifteen soit/s. The Hebrew text reckons
only seventy (Gen, xlvi. 27 ; Deut. x. 22),
but the Sei)tuagint adds five sons of Eph-
raini and Manasseh, born in Egypt, from 1
Chron. vii., which make seventy-live
But as Stephen speaks only of those that,
went down with Jacob, without perhaps
including the patriarch himself, or any
wlio were in Egvpt, the number may be
thus reclconed. Tlie eleven brethren, with
Dinah their sister, and tifty-two wlio liad
descended from tliem, amount to sixty-four,
to which add tlie eleven wives of Jacob's
sons, and the whole will be precisely sev-
enty-five. From so feeble a beginning the
Hebrews soon grew to a mighty nation.
(See verse 17.) Stephen would suggest to
the mind that contrast.
And were carried over into Sychem. Sychera
is the same as SiclLcm (Gen. xii. G), and
Shechcm (Gen. xxxvii. 12), in the Old Tes-
tament. It was a city among the moun-
tains of Epliraim, in the valley between
Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. The re-
mark of Stephen does not relate to the
burial of Jacob, but to that of the fathers, as
distinguished from him ; for, i\s we learn
from Gen. xlix. 29, 30, 1. 13, xxiii. 19, Jacob
was buried in Hebron, not in Shechem. In
regard to the patriarchs, the sons of Jacob,
there was a current tradition among the
Jews that their bodies were conveyed to
Shechem, and there buried, with the ex-
cejition of Joseph's body, which was pre-
served in Egypt, and was carried away by
the children of Israel when they left
Egypt for Canaan. (See Gen. 1. 25, 26;
Ex. xiii. 19.) The Old Testament gives us
no account of the matter. The sepulchre
that Abraham bowjht, &c. " Two accounts,"
says Dr. ^ dam Clarke, "seem here to be
confounded: 1. The purchase made by
Abraham of the cave and field of Ephron,
which was in the field of Machpelah ; this
purchase was made from the children of
Heth. (Gen. xxiii. 3, 10, 17.) 2. The pur-
chase made by Jacob from the sons of
Hamor or Emmor, of a sepulchre in which
the bones of Joseph were laid; this was in
Sychem or Shechem. (Gen. xxxiii. 19;
Josh. xxiv. 32.) The wor<l Abraham there-
fore, in this place, is certainly a mistake ;
and the word Jacob, which some have sup-
plied is doubtless more proi)er. Bishop
I'earce supposes that Luke originally wrote
wJticli lie bouffht for a sum of money, i. e.,
which Jacob bought, who is the last person
of the shujular number, spoken of in the
preceding verse. Those who saw that the
word bougld had no nominative case joined
to it, and did not know where to find the
proper one, seem to have inserted Abra-
ham in the text for that purpose, without
sulficiently attending to the different cir-
cumstances of his purchase, from that of
Jacob. Some ancient manuscripts of the
Acts have here, instead of the word Abra-
ham, the words our father, which may refer
to Jacob.
17. IT But when the time of the promise drew nigh,
which (iod liiul sworn to Abraham, the people 'grew
and iiuilliplifd in KL,'ypt, 18. Till another king arose,
which knew nut Juscpli. 19. The same dealt subtly
with our kindred, and evil entreated our lathers, so
"that tlicy cast out their younj? ciiildren, to the end
they mitjht nut live. 'M. In wliich time Moses >was
burn, and was »exceedi]i;-C lair, and nourished up in his
latlirr's house thr<>e nioullis : '21. And when he was
cast out, I'liaraoh's dausl.ter took hnn up, and inour-
ishi'd him Inr liir own son. '.'L'. And Mosrs was learned
in ai: the wi-^dom of the Kijyptians, and .^was mit;l,ty in
words and in deeds. Zi. And 'when he was lull lorty
years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the
children of Israel. 24. And seeing one of tliim suffer
wrouK, he defended him, and avenged him that was oi>
pressed, and smote the Egyptian : i"). "For hesuppos-
ed his brethren would have understood how that God
by his hand would deliver them: but they miderstood
not. 2S. And the ne.xt day he shewed himself unto them
as they strove, and would have set them at one again,
saying. Sirs, ye are brethren ; why do ye wrong one to
another? 27. But he that did hi-i neighbour wrong
tlirnsthim away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and
ajudge over over us? 28. Wilt thou kill me. as thtju
didst the Egyptian yesterday? 29. Then fled Moses at
this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian,
where he begat two sons. 30. And bwhen forty veara
were e.xpired, there appeared to him in the wilderness
of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in
a bush. 31. When Moses saw it, he wondered at the
sight : and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the
Lord came unto him, 32. Sayina. I am the 'God of thy
fathers, the God of Abraham, andthuCJod oflsaac, and
the tied of Jacob. Then Closes tn-mblcd and durst not
behold. 33. Then said tin- L'rd to him. Put 'kilT thy
shoes from thy tt"et: for the place where thfiu staiides't
is holy ground. .34. I have seen, I have s^ccn the afliic-
tion of my people which is in Eg.vpt, and I have heard
their groaning, and am come down to deliver them.
And now come, I will send thee into Egvpt. 3i. This
Moses whom they refused, saying, Who' made thee a
ruler and a.jndge ? the same did God send la lie a ruler
and a di>livrrcr, by the hand of the mangel which ap-
jK'ared t<i him in (be bush. ,3f!. He brought them out,
after 'that he had shewed wonders and signs in the
land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilder-
ness, forty pyears.
'E.\;. i. 7-9. "E.x. i. 22. »Ex. ii. 2, *c. ^Ex. ii. 10. .^Luke
xxiv. 19. 'Ex. ii. 11, <fec. »Or, now. bEx. iii. 2. <Sc.
■^Matt. xxii. 32: Heb. xi. 16. -i.Tosh. v. \h; Eccl. v. 1.
"•Ex. xiv. 19; Num. xx. 16. fEx. vii., viii., ix., x., xi.,
xiv. eEx. xvi. 35.
Exceeding fair, or diiinely beautiful, which
rendered his preservation more desirable to
his parents, and, most probably, was the
lOoO
ACTS,
chief motive which influenced Pharaoh's
daughter in securing his safety and future
comfort. Moses was learned, &c. The
Egyptians were anciently of distinguished
knowledge, grandeur and wealth. It was
a remarkable instance of self-denial for a
man of literature, with everj^ flattering
prospect before him, to retire in the jirime
of life from the court of Egypt, and to live
comfortably as a shepherd in the Arabian
desert. Mighty in tcorcls — judici(jus and
persuasive in his discourse, and in deeds —
prudent and bold, consequently he would
make a conspicuous figure, both in the
counsels which he gave, and in the com-
mands which he executed in that polite
and justly-renowned nation. (Verses 23,
24; see Ex. ii. 11, 12.) Put off thy shoes, &c.
A command intimating the reverence due
to the place where Jehovah deigns to ap-
pear ; the desert is, then, as holy as the
temple at Jerusalem. Some nations to
this day express their respect for a supe-
rior by putting ofl' their shoes ere thej^
enter his presence.
37. H This is that Moses, which saifl ^unto the chil-
dren of Israel, A pmpliet sliiill the Lord yourGod raise
up unto you of ycvur l)rHtliren, Hike unto me : him
jshall ye hear. 3S. This tjs lj(>, that wah in the church
in the wiidcrnpss, witli the angel Hvhich sjial^o to him
»in tlie Mount Sinai, and wi/h our I'atlicrs ; who "re-
ceive<l "tlic lively oracles to give unto us : :;'.». Ti wliom
our fatlu^rs W(julrt not obey, liut thrust /lim from them,
and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt : 4ii.
Saying I'unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us : for
as for this Mos&s, which brought us out of the land of
Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 41. And
they made a calf qin those days, and offered sacrifice
unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own
hands. 42. Then God turned, and gave them up to
worship the shost of heaven : as it is written tin the
book of the prophets. O ye house of Israel, have ye
oifered to me slain beasts, and sacrifice,?, by Vie space of
forty years in the wilderness ? 4.3. Yea, ye took up
the tabernacles of Moloch, and the star of your god
Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them :
and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
tDeut. xviii. 15, 18; chap. ill. 22. 'Or, m myself. JMatt.
xvii. 5; Heb. ii. 2. "Isa. Ixiti. 9: Gal. iii. 19. mEx. xix.
3, 17. "Deut. V. 27, 31 : John i. 17. oRom. iii. 2. pEx.
xxxii. 1. qDeut. ix. 16: Ps. cvi. 9, 20. "-Ps. Ixxxi. 12.
sDeut. iv. 19 ; 2 Kings xvii. 16 ; Jer xlx. 13. 'Amos v.
25, 26.
Yer.se 37. See on chap. iii. 22. In the
church — the collective body of God's cho-
sen people, hence used to denote the
whole body of the faithful under the Gos-
pel, or particular sections of them. In the
wilderness with the angel and ^l■ith
our fathers — alike near to the angel of the
Covenant, from whom he received all the
institutions of the ancient economy, and
to the people, to whom he faithfully re-
ported the living oracles, and among whom
he set up the prescribed institutions. (See
Ezek. XX. 5-8, 24.) To go before us. It
seems to have been the custom of the
Oriental nations of antiquity, to bear the
images of the gods before the people in
journeys or military expeditions, or in
going out to battle, since thus, they im-
agined, they should the more effectually
ejijoy their guidance, protection and sup-
port. (Num. X. 33; Deut. xxxi. 8, 15, iv.
3, 25, iii. 21.)
Made a calf. Thinking they were left to
make their own laws (Ex. xxxiii. 1), the
Israelites, after an Egyptian fashion, of
symbolizing their divinities, made this
symbol of the true God. Under the
figure of Apis, who was a bullock, the
Egyptians worshiped Osfr/s, who formerly
was an Egyptian king, and was supposed
to liave invented or introduced agriculture,
horticulture, &c. That the ox, which
among the ancients was a symbol of agri-
cultural labor, was to the Egyptians a
symbol of Osiris, we learn from Plutarch.
Turned. Because "our fathers" (verse
39) turned hack. Gave them up. Often,
from the time of their making the calf, to
the time of Amos, and afterward, as the
I^eople's perversity continually increased.
(Rom. i. 24.) The host of heaven, i. e., the
sun, moon and stars. The oldest form of
idolatry, more plausible than the others.
Took up tJie tabernacle of Moloch, i. e., to
carrjj^ it with them in their marches, or in
religious processions. Moloch was an idol
of the Ammonites. This tabernacle was
intended, no doubt, to resemble the one
consecrated to Jehovah. The star of your
God Remphan, rather, Rephan. Rephan is
the translation in the Septuagint of the
Hebrew Chiun. He is generally supposed
to be the same as Saturn. According to
Kircher, Rephan is a Coptic word, and
answers to the planet Saturn, and Chiun
is the Arabic term for the same planet,
and as the translators were Egyptian Jews,
they gave to the Hebrew word its Coptic
equivalent. Beyond Babylon — into coun-
tries more distant than those inhabited
by \he captives who were carried froni
Damascus. This is the most natural re-
conciliation of the ciifi'erence between
Stephen's words and the original in Amos,
where Ave have beyond Damascus, unless
the reading liere has been accidentally
changed.
CHAPTER VII
1051
44. H Our (iitliprs had tlip tubeniacle of witness in the
wildorDess, :is he luui aiJixjiiUi'fi.ispeaking uiiiij Jloses,
thiit vhesliould iiKiko it iiccDi-Uing to tlu' laMliiun tlmt
lie huli seen. l-'i. Whicli "also our tathiTS 'that came
uHiT. hroiiGiht ill with .Ii-.sus inlollie possession of tlie
(jeiitiles. vvhoiii Mioii ihavf out before tlie lace of our
fatlier.-i, unto tlie days (j1 David : 4i;. Wla) found favor
"belbre God, and <lesired "to liud a tabernacle lor tlie
Ood of Jaeol). 17. But Solonion I'imilt him an house.
48. llowheif.-tlu'JIost lliuli dwelletli not in temples
nunie with hands, iLssaitli the ))r(jpli(>t, IW. ] leaven •>i.i
niv throne, and e:irlh is my lootslool ; what house will
ye build me? saitli tlie J.ord ; (,r what /.v the place of
iny rcwt? 50. Hath not my hand made all these things ?
51. Ye fstitt-uecked, anil iiuirirciimeised in heart and
ears, ye do always resist the llfjly (ilmst: as your fath-
ers did, so d" ye. 5U. Which lol' thf jiropliets have not
your lathers persecuted ? And tln'V have slain tliein
which shewn! before of the comiiis of the iijust ( )ne, of
whom ye have been now the lietrayers and tiiurderers.
5;{. Who have reci^ived the law by 'the disposition of
augels, f ad have nut kept it.
"Or, loho spake. 'Kx. xxv. 40, xxvi. ,30; Heb. viii. .5.
"Josh. iii. 14. 'Or, hai'iiifl rrceivrd. yNeh. ix. 24 ; Ps. xllv
2, Ixxviii. .5o. ^1 Sam. .\vi. 1. "l Cbron. xxii. 7. '1 Kings
vi. 1, ifcc, viii. 20. il Kings viii. 27 ; chap. xvii. 24. <ilsa.
l.xvi. 1, 2. "Kx. .xxxii. !(; Isa. xlviii. 4. fLev. xxvi. 41 ;
Jer. ix. 20 ; llom. ii. 2S, 29. f2 Chron. xxx vi. 16 ; 1 Thes. ii.
15. ""Chap. iii. 14. "Gal. iii. 19.
Tabernacle of witness. So called because
it was the tent where God gave witness
of Himself, on which the glory of God
the Shechinah, rested. But Solomon built
]dm an house. David was not permitted to
build the temple, because he was a man
of war, and the temple was to be the
abode of peace. Houbcii. This building a
liou.se mustnot be misinterpreted,asthough
the presence of the highest were limited to
Ihe temple ! The pa.ssage quoted in verses
40, 50, is taken almost verbatim from the
Septuagint. Ye stiff-necJced, unwilling to
f^ubinit to God, self-willed, perverse. Un-
(ircumciscd in heart and ears — a Jewish
form of expre.ssion, meaning utterly indis-
posed to obey, and even to hear, the commands
of God. Circumcision was regarded as a
sign of moral purity and consecration to
God. Resist, literally, fall against, imply-
ing active as well as passive opposition to
the Holy Ghost, as the Divine author of
all revelation, whether history or pro-
phecy, doctrine or prece^Dt, law or Gospel.
Ye do always is addressed to the whole
race of Israel, past and present, as a col-
lective or ideal person, as explained in the
remainder of the .sentence. Which of tlie
prophets, &c. Deadly hostility to the mes-
sengers of God, whose high office it was
to tell of " the Righteous One"— thatwell-
known prophetic title of Messiah (Isa. liii.
11 ; Jer. xxiii. 6, &c.), and this consumma-
ted by the betrayal and murder of the
Messiah Himself, on the part of those
now sitting in judgment on the speaker,
are the still darker features of the national
character dejiicted in these withering
words. Wlio hare received tlie Uni:,<kc. This
may refer to the law being communicated
by the ministration of angels. In the
Psalms we are informed that the angels
were present at ^iiuii ( Ps. Ixviii. 17.) Paul
expressly says that the law was ordained
of angels (Gal. iii. 19.) And it is men-
tioned in the Epistle to the Hebrews as
" the word spoken by angels." (Heb. ii.
2.) The same opinion was among the
traditions of the Jews.
The following brief paraphrase of Steph-
en's defense, prepared by a competent
hand, obviates the necessity of any ex-
tended exegetical remarks, and represents,
we think, with much accuracy, the S])irit,
scope and point of Stephen's argument.
" You charge me with disparaging the
local character of our religion. You say
that I speak of this temple as destined to
an overthrow predicted by my Master. Let
ine remind you, then, how far, and how
far only, the faith of our fathers is bound
up with local conditions. The original
home and cradle of our race was not Pal-
estine, but Mesopotamia, in the far East,
on the other side of 'the great river,
the river Euphrates. It was there that
the voice of God was first heard calling to
fallen man. The God of glory appeared
unto our father Abraham, when he was in
Mesopotamia, before he even dwelt in
Haran ; before even that first migration
which landed him not in Canaan but in a
temporary resting-place. Hence in due
season He removed him by the same Di-
vine call, into this land in which ye
now dwell. But how did he enter it? As
an owner? Asa conqueror? As a sover-
eign? Nay, he possessed not in it land
enough to set his foot on, and yet the
promises were all his even then; and the
Divine favor and protection ; and the Di-
vine communion and friendship. Judge
ye, therefore, how far God's bles.sing is
local! Judge ye, even in this fir.st and
greatest example, how far God is a re-
specter either of place or forms ! And
that independence of place which was
first exemplified in Abraham, was indica-
ted no less in the prediction of his chil-
dren's fortunes. In a strange land should
they sojourn for centuries, and yet be
1052
ACTS,
God's people and God's chosen still. See
how that prophecy was fulfilled ; by what
sins, through what sufferings of man: by
what providences and what interpositions
on the part of God. Behold the young broth-
er sold as a slave by foes of his own house-
hold ; see him carried into a remote and
unfriendly land; him the best and noblest
of the sons of Israel; see him cast out of
his father's home as one despised and for-
saken, and yet, through vicissitudes as
strange as they were sudden, i-aised to the
pinnacle of greatness, while his fother's
sons bowed clown to him. Does the
thought occur to you, that in the varying
fortunes of Joseph may have been prefig-
ured the sufiering and glory of a later and
a mightier One? May not your own
hands be red with the blood of a brother
after the flesh, who is also after the spirit
of your Lord and your Judge ?
" Trace then yet ouAvard the course of
the national history and see the whole
family of Israel seeking refuge out of
Canaan; see generation after generation
toiling on in Egyptian bondage, excluded
from the land of promise, yet losing there-
by no one mark «f their ancestral privi-
lege; still recognized, in heaven if not
upon earth, as God's people, beloved for
the father's sake. And yet, all this time,
nothing was theirs in Canaan but a bury-
ing-place, and century after century was
wheeling its slow course over their exile.
;Mark, then, how the national fortunes
were sunk to their lowest level ; the very
permission to live sought in vain for their
sons from their oppressors ; when at last
he arose, guarded by God's special provi-
dence from a threatened similar fate,
who was to be first the deliverer from
bondage, and then (under God) the found-
er of a new dispensation.
"And observe when he came, late in
time and mature in age ; came with
thoughts and words of kindness, seeking to
reconcile or avenge his brethren ; how he
was received and dealt with. AVho made
thee (it was said to him) a ruler and a
judge over us? If he whom ye so much
reverence was once thus despised and re-
jected of his countrymen, may it not per-
haps have been so with One whom God
sent to supersede him? Can you urge as
an argument against the mission of Jesus,
that general reproach and rejection, which
would have been equally fatal to the
authority of Moses ? For forty years he
was in exile — a double exile ; not from
Canaan only, but from Egypt also. At
last his call came, came once more, not in
the land of promise, but in the wilderness;
came, too, on the ground, not of a new,
but an old relationship ; not as to the
founder of a new religion, but as to the
inheritor of a patriarchal covenant. For-
get not Abraham in Closes ! Never allow
j-ourselves to date from Sinai a possession
which was yours from Mesopotamia and
from Haran ! In your zeal for a Levitical
law, lose not sight of a patriarchal pro-
mise! The God who appeared to Moses
in the burning bush of Horeb, was already
the God of his fathers, the God of Abra-
ham, and the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob !
"This Moses, whom your ancestors re-
fused, the same did God send to be their
ruler and their deliverer. He brought
them out. And do I disparage his high
mission by declaring that he was neither
the first nor the last of God's messengers ;
that his dispensation came in but by the
way, between the patriarchal and the
]\Iessianic? Listen to his own words: A pro-
phet (he said) shall the Lord your God
raise up unto you of your brethren, like
unto me; Him shall ye hear. He Him-
self pointed the eye of fliith onward to
One who should come ; like himself, as to
the human nature; yet greater than him-
self, in proportion as the forerunner is less
than the foreannounced, the servant of
one nation than the Lord of all. I then
am but echoing the voice of Moses, when
I declare that the customs which he de-
livered were not designed to be indestruc-
tible or final.
" This is that Moses ; and how did you
receive him ? He was with the Church in
the wilderness ; with him was the angel
of the Divine Presence ; to him were de-
livered those living oracles by which God
communicated with His people ; how did
you treat him? Again and again you
thrust him from you, and in your hearts
turned back again into Egypt. Little did
you think then of that pleasant land which
CHAPTER VII
1053
you would now make the whole of your
inheritance and of your ho2)c ; yea, in the
very wilderness you committed idolatry,
and drew down upon you, before you en-
tered Canaan, the threat of a second exile,
of a national dis2)er.si()n,
" You charge me with blasphemy against
the temple. What have I said of it ? I
have said, it may be that the temple was
no more_ God's first or God's last dwelling-
place below, than the dispensation of Mo-
ses was either God's earliest or God's lat-
est revelation. I have said that before
the temple was a tabernacle — a tabernacle
foshioned under Divine direction, and ex-
hibiting in solemn type realities which have
their place in heaven. That was the center
of the Divine Presence with Israel at the
time when Joshua conquered, and through
all the generations from Joshua to David.
Does that consist with the idolatry of this
temple, as though without it God's pres-
ence would be impossible? Nay ; have
not your own i:)rophets declared that no
temple made with hands can contain or
enclose God? that heaven is His throne,
and earth is His footstool, and the very
house which you build for Him already
His handiwork? But with what hope
can I urge upon you suggestions of reason
or arguments of revelation ? There is in you
a tradition of resistance to the Divine and
the Spiriti;al. Ye do always resist the
Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
As they did to the servants, so ye have
done to the Master ; they slew the heralds
of the Just One, and ye have been now
His betrayers and murderers. 0 blessed
and privileged — knew ye but- your hajipi-
ness — above all nations ! possessors of a
law, in the promulgation of which, on
Mount Sinai, the very principalities and
powers in heavenly places exercised a sol-
emn and terrific office ! and yet not keep-
ing it-rtrifling ever with God's day of
visitation, until at last your house is left
unto you desolate !"
It is, as will be observed, the main de-
sign of Stephen's discourse, as far as it
proceeds, to combine both a vindication
of himself, and also a sharp rebuke of his
hearers, with explanatory statements of
the history of the people of Israel. His
speech, however, is evidently an unfinish-
ed production. He was interrupted be-
fore He came to the conclusion. He had,
we may well suppose, much more to say
in relation to Jesus as the Messiah, and
would have said it, if he had been permit-
ted, but as Jlenry remarks, " they were
wicked and unreasonable men with whom
he had to do, that could no more hear
thaji speak reason."
51. When they hean! these Jthings, thev were cut to the
heiirt, and they gnashud oa liim with their teeth.
JChap. V. 33.
Out to the heart, literally, sawn asunder, in
allusion to the cruel mode of cutting
criminals to death. This expresses, in the
strongest manner, the eflect of Stephen's
speech on his accusers and judges. His
accusations inflicted a wound on their
pride, the pain of which goaded them on
to madness. (See on chap. v. 23.) Such
was the violence of their resentment, that
they could not preserve even an external
decorum toward him by whom the truth
had been proclaimed, but gnashed on hhn
with their teeth, like beasts of prey, ready to
tear and devour him.
55. But he, kheins full of the Holy Ghost, looked up
steacl!astly into lieaveii, and saw the glory of God, and
Jesus standinjf on the right hand of God,
liChap. vi. 5.
Full of the Holy Ghost. The fact that
this is again mentioned (see chap. vi. 5),
intimates that Stephen had in that trying
moment a special visitation of Divine
strength and comfort. Looked up stead-
fastly into heaven, not attracted by the
vision, which appears to have been vouch-
safed afterward, while he was looking up.
The action carries its own comment. It was
an appeal from the injustice of earth to the
eternal justice of heaven, from merciless
men to a compassionate God. In Christian
heroism man goes out of himself to a higher
power ; but strength is in his weakness, he
trusts in another, an almighty power, and
thus confesses that he can do nothing.
Stephen looks steadfastly up into heaven,
commits his case there, and becomes
mighty through God. O let us learn, that
when we- sink we rise, when we are thus
nothing, we possess all in God. Saw the
glory of God. God Himself is invisible.
" No man hath seen Him," and it is physi-
cally impossible that any man should see
Him, because eyes of flesh are capable of
perceiving only material objects. The
1054
ACTS,
glory of God must therefore signify some
symbol of His presence, perhaps a bright-
ness surpassing that of the sun, which
pointed out the place where He reveals
Himself to angels and saints, who con-
template with admiration His infinite
perfections, and, at the .uncreated source
itself, imbibe the delicious draught of im-
mortality and joy. Such a vieAV of heaven
revives the spirits of a dying saint, and he
would willingly pass through a sea of
blood to participate of its bliss. And .Te-
stis standing, &c. Mark says (xvi. 19) that
our Lord, after His ascension, " sat on the
right hand of God." If we bear in mind
that it is not the posture, but the state,
which, in both cases, should be consider-
ed, we will perceive that the different
representations are not contradictory.
Sitting is the posture of a sovereign, or a
judge, or a person who has finished his la-
bors, and is enjoying ease ; standing is the
posture of a man who waits to receive
a friend, or is prepared to defend him. On
the present occasion, when a holy man
was undergoing a dreadful trial of his
faith, Jesus rose, if we may speak so, from
His throne, to send to him the necessary
succors of His grace, to meet and welcome
his spirit as soon as it should escape from
its persecutors, and to. introduce him into
the presence of His Father, that he might
receive from His hand the recompense of
an un&ding crown. To Stephen the sight
was consoling. It sustained his courage
amidst the terrors of a violent death, and
enabled him to resign his mortal life in
the joyful hope of a better.
56. And said, Behold, I see the 'heavens opened, and
"the Son of man stanrtins; on the right hand ofCiod.
lEzek. 1. 1. ""Dan. vii. 13.
Heavens opened, not merely open, but just
opened, i. e., to the view of Stephen. Tlie
Son of man. This is the only time that
our Lord is by human lips called " the
Son of man" after His ascension. (Rev.
i. 13, xiv. 14, are not instances.) And why
here? Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost,
speaking now not of himself at all (verse
55), but entirely by the Spirit, is led to
repeat the very words in which Jesus
Himself, before this same council, had fore-
told His glorification (Matt. xxvi. 64), as-
suring them that that exaltation of the
Son of man whicli they should hereafter
witness to their dismay, was already be-
gun and actual. It is only through Christ
and m Him, that the heavens are opened,
whether we live or whether we die.
57. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stop-
ped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord ;
Cried out. They interrupted him with
loud shouts, perhaps that the charge of
blasphemy brought against Him was
proved by his own words (verse 56), and
that he should be stoned to death (Acts
xxii. 22). They stopped their ears, to pre-
vent them hearing any more such blas-
phemy. And ran upjon him, &c. They
I'ushed upon him with one accord: the
audience was worked up into a frenzy :
the Jewish fanatics then present seized
upon Stephen ; and some of the members
of the Sanhedrim perhaps Joined in the
outrage ; for when passion is excited, rea-
son and justice are gone.
58. And cast ^him out of the city, and stoned him:
and tlie witnesses "laid down their clothes at a young
man's feet, whose name was pSaul.
"Luke iv. 29: Heb. xiil. 12,13. "Chap. vi. 13. pChap.
viii. 1, 3, xxii. 20.
Not only did they stop their truth-re-
fusing ears, as if to shut out a blasphemy,
and in their hatred of God, rush upon
Stephen, but they cast him out, just as they
had thrust out from them the Lord, the
prophets, and the first typical deliverer.
They cast him, indeed, like a criminal,
outside of the city, the holy places of which
they professed to reverence, and stoned
him. •And when the false witnesses were
about to cast the first stones, and were
making themselves ready to execute their
dreadful task, a young man took care of
their clothes, with cordial acquiesence in
their deed {chap. viii. 1, xxvi. 10), who
himself soon after stood forth as an active
persecutor of Christ's Church (chap. viii.
3), but only that he might ere long be
changed into the greatest of the Apostles
of the Son of man. Thus does the world
show its impotence when it stones the
witnesses for the truth! " The' faithful
witnesses of Jesus still hear the cry re-
peated : " Out of the city !" We cannot
long preach Christ in any city without
molestation ; even if stones are not always
thrown at us, the filth of slander is heaped
upon us. The case of Saul teaches us, ] .
How much evil may remain in the heart
under a show of virtue. Ho ke3"it the ]<av.
CHAPTER VII.
1055
as he thought, and yet he neither loved
God nor his neighbor. 2. How ciipuble
the conscience is of being perverted. See
a man so scrupulous as to pay tithe, no
doubt beyond the letter of the law, of
anise, mint and cummin, but as to " the
weightier matters of the law," a cruel im-
placable murderer. 3. How truly salva-
tion is of grace. The wonder of Paul
shows this. " I obtained mercy !" he ex-
claims. We may bring less of guilt of
some kinds than Paul, when we come to
the mercy-seat for pardon and holiness,
but none of us can bring more of merit.
It is the '■ ungodly" whom the Lord justi-
fies, and saved as ungodly we must be, or
we shall not be saved at all.
59. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and
saying, Lurd Jesus, receivt! imy ttpirit!
iPs. xxxi. 5; iiUKe xxiii. 40.
The word " God" is printed in the italic
character, whii-h shows that it is a sujiple-
ment, and in this case it is an improper
supplement; The context requires that it
should be read, " calling upon the Lord
Jesus," or invoking, andsaying,"Lord Jesus
receive my spirit." Thus he acknowledged
Christ as the Saviour, the only Saviour of
souls, in death. He paid, indeed, the same
adoration to the Redeemer wdiich the
Redeemer Himself offered to the Father,
when He said, " into Thy hands I com-
mend my spirit." Shall any, then, pre-
sume to insinuate that this eminent saint,
" being full of the Holy Gho.st," could die
in the commission of idolatry ? But this
horrible position must be maintained, if
it be not allowed that Jesus Christ is God,
equal with the Father. The prayer of
Stephen was one of confidence. How little
can the unassisted reason of man do to-
ward solving the problem of our immor-
tality ! Cicero says, " I know not how it
happens, that when I read, I assent, but
■when I have laid down the book, all that
assent vanishes. " It is time," says Socra-
tes to his judges, " for us to depart, that I
may die, and you may live ; to which of
us it shall be better, is unknown to all but
God." "I am going to take a leap in the
dark," exclaimed an infidel in the j^ros-
pect of dissolution. In contrast with this
hesitancy, and uncertainty, and gloom,
look at the assured confidence of the dy-
ing Stephen. There open up before him
the bright visions of immortality. No
gloom of annihilation shades the heaven-
ly luster which beams from his counte-
nance. His eye, though melting under the
tortures which he is enduring, is yet radi-
ant with the rays of glory which fall upon
him from the Eternal Throne, and know-
ing in whom he had believed, and being
persuaded that He was possessed of power
to preserve the sacred dei)Osit about to be
entrusted to Him, he exclaims with a con-
fidence for which the despairing sinner,
in his last hour, would give worlds, " Lord
Jesus, receive my sjiirit !"
fiO. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud
voice. Lord, rluy not this sin to their charge! And
when ho hud said this, he foil asleep.
"•Matt. V. 44 ; Luke xxiii. W.
Kneeled down. When the punishment
of lapidation, or stoning was inflicted, it
w^as common for the object of vengeance
to be thrown down, and then buried with
stones. Stephen had contrived to rise so
far as to reach his knees, and in this atti-
tude he cried iritJi a loud voice, &c. In the
council, amidst the gnashing of teeth, there
was in his shining face the triumph of
calmness. In committing his soul to the
Saviour, there was the triumph of faiih.
Here was the triumph of charitij. In the
spirit, and much in the manner of his dy-
ing Lord, he entreated that the fierce and
bloody men who were inflicting upon him
the greatest injury in their power, might
be forgiven. What an example this for
the Church in after ages ! How illustrious
a display of Divine grace ! And what a
striking display of the grandeur of soul
which our holy religion can inspire ! The
records of Roman greatness of mind, and
of Grecian magnanimity are ransacked in
vain for another such example as this.
Theirs is tumor, this is grandeur ; theirs
is heroism, this is Christianity ; they died
for their country ; Jesus for his enemies,
they implored the gods for themselves,
Stephen prayed to Him who is " God over
all and blessed forever," in behalf of his
murderers ! He fell asleej). He met his
dissolution with as much composure as if
he were retiring fi-om the fatigues of the
day, and seeking rest and refreshment in
repose for his weary body. Notwithstand-
ing the outward violence, all was ])eaco
within. He closed his eyes, not in the
lOoG
ACTS
darkness of non-existence, but to awake,
and to rise again, at the resurrection of
the just, with new vigor of nature, and
capacities more enlarged and improved,
to be happy with his glorified body, and
perfected soul, in the enjoyment of God
forever, far above the raging of every
storm, and secure from the scathing of
every tempest — " where the wicked cease
from troubling, and the weary are at rest."
1. How did Stephen answer the accusation of blasphemy 7 2. Explain the words " God of glory." 3. What
impression was made by Stephen's address ? 4. How was he " full of the Holy Ghost ?" 5. Where did he look ?
6. What did he see ? 7. What do we learn fi-om " Jesus standing on the right hand of God ?" 8. What did Ste-
phen say? 9. What did his enemies then do ? 10. At whose feet were their clothes laid ? 11. What was Stephen
doing when they stoned him? 12. What was his prayer? 13. What do we learn from his prayer? 14. Was
Stephen the iirst martyr of the Christian Church ? 15. Why is he said to have fallen asleep ?
CHAPTER VIII.
1 By occasion of the persecution in Ji rufsalrm, the chvrrh
being planted in Smnaria, 5 by J'/iitiji the it( aeon, xolio
preactied, did miracles, and bapiiztd main/, a/iiong
the rest Simon the sorcerer, a great seducer of the peo-
ple : li Peter and John, came to conjirm and enlarge
the church: wliere, by i>rayer and imposition of hands
giving the Holy Qlwst, 18 when Simon would haoe
bought the like power of them, 20 Peter sharply reprov-
ing /its hypocrisy, and covetousness, and exhorting him
to re2)entance, together with John preaching the word
of the Lord, return to Jerusalem. 2B But the mif/il
sendrth Philip to teach, and baptise the Mhiopian
eunuch,
AND "Saul was consenting unto his death. And at
tliat time there Wi« a great per.-jecutiou against
the c'hurch which was at Jerusalem : and they were all
scattered >>abroad throughout the regions of Judea and
Samaria, except the apostles. 2. And devout men car-
ried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation
over him. 3. As for Saul, he fmade havock of the
church, entering into every house, and haling men and
women committed them to prison. 4. Therefore they
that were scattered abroad went every where preaching
the word,
avit 58. kxi. 19. oxxvi. 10. 11 ; Gal. i. 13.
Among the many standing there whose
hearts rejoiced in what had been done,
was Saul. The word rendered consenting,
i.s of stronger imi)ort than our translation
bears. The amount of the expression is,
that Saul even approved of the deed. A
great jjersecution against the church, &c. It
was not to be expected that they should
spare the flock, who had already in many
cases attacked the shepherds. The first
object of the chief priests and rulers must
be to restrain the Apostles. This had been
tried. But now the persecution extended
to those who followed them. Looking
onward to these difficulties, the Lord had
given a general direction, "When they
persecute you in this city, flee into an-
other." (Matt. X. 23.) The Apostles them-
selves could not at present do so ; it was
needful for them, at all hazards, to remain
at Jerusalem; the affairs of the Church re-
quired this. But others were at liberty to
seek safety in flight, and were scattered
abroad througliout all the regions of Judea and
Samaria. But the persecution, instead of
crushing the infant Church, tended to
strengthen and enlarge it, and added an-
other to the numerous instances in which
"the wrath of man" is made, under provi-
dential direction, to minister to the grace
of God. (See on verse 4.)
And devout men carried Stephen to his
burial, &c. These were perhaps, or prob-
ably, men that had not yet avowed their
attachment to Christ and His cause, but
now came forward to make their first pro-
fession. Great lamentation. This was one
testimony of their love to him, and of
their sense of his value. The reason why
devout men performed this service is, that
it was a dangerous service, a service which
none but devout men would have ventured
to perform. Natural affection would have
been intimidated.
As for Saul, &c. The kindly feeling
shown toward Stephen no doubt exasper-
ated the persecutors more and more, and
Saul violently devastated and spoiled
God's Church. Haling, rather, dragging,
bearing oS with violence. " Haling" is an
old word for hauling or haiding. And tcomen.
Women in all ages have been exempted
from the insults of tyranny, but not always
freed from the persecutor's fury. And
C II APT Ell VIII.
1057
blessed be God for that masculine courage
and constancy which the feebler sex have
Kliown, when they have been called forlh
to bear Iheir testimony for Christ. Out
of weakness they have been made strong-
With what wisdom and courage have they
answered their examiners, convicted their
accusers, confuted their opposers, kissing
the stake, hugging the faggots, embracing
the flame! Thus can God help the weak
things of the world to confound the strong,
and teach the foolish to confute the wase.
Therefore they iliat were scattered abrocil,
&.?. How evident it is that the "govern-
mant" is U2ion the shoulder of Christ, who
riilos also in the midst of His enemies !
(Ps. ex. 2.) He can confound the rage and
malice of man, bring strength out of weak-
ness, and gaod out of evil. This very per-
Bejution of the Christians, which appeared
to the eye of man to threaten inevitable
destruction of the Church, was converted
into the moans of invigorating and extend-
ing it. The dispersed Christians preached
the Gospel ; thus the stoi-m which burst
forth carried the seed which had hitherto
been gathered together in a sinr/le spot, to
many different regions, and, in some cases,
to a considerable distance. And that seed
germinated and produced fruit. "The
enemy," says one, " have destroyed God's
witnesses in the flamo"!, and the sparks
have been scattered forth in all lands, ay,
and on they spread, now as ever! As
Luther sang of the two martyrs at Brus-
sels:
" Their ashes never can be washed away ;
In overy land their dust shall Iroel.v play.
Brj,)'.<, pa, ditjj, grave, they all ill vain employ
To liide that du.it the foe would fain destroy.
T;i05e mart.vro.l saints, whose testi.yin}; breath
The foe hatii sileiioed in t.ie calm oi death,
Tlioujii d^'ia, yet s;)ea.'v : an 1 now in every tongue
Th'j foe mu it hear the.r.jiyou i tr.uniph sung,
Ou every shore and every race auion^j ! "
5. Then Ph'lip ■'wsat diwi to the city of Samaria,
and prea^.ied Christ unto them. (i. And the jjeople
will) one aoc.ir.i fsavi? lieed unto those things winch
Pailip sjia'.J^, 'hearing and seeing tlie miracle-i which
he did. 7. For -unclean spirits, crying witli loud voice,
came out of m v.w that w-ra p )Si !i ied with tlinn : and
many tal^en with hpalsies, and that were 'lame, were
healed. 8. And there was preatjov in that c'tj'.
dvi. ■>. e2Chron. x.x.x. 12. fjohn iv. '11.42. pMarkxvi.
17. I'Mark ii. 3-11 : chap. ik. a!, 31. 'Matt. -xi. 5«
Philip— one of the seven chosen in the
daily distribution, (vi. 6, on which see
notes; xxi. 8.) The city, &c. — a city in
Samaria. There is no article in the Greek.
(See on verse 1.) The work assigned to
Philip in Jerusalem was finished, ns the
di-ipersion put an end to the primitive
community of goods, and daily distribu-
tion. We may mark the providence of
God in sending a Hellenistic Jew to a
j)eople who from national antipathy would
have been unlikely to attend to a imtive of
Jndea. (See on verse 1.) Preached Christ.
The Christ who, less than nine years ago,
had preached Himself to Shechem, in
Samaria. There may have been hearers
of Philip who remembered the person of Je-
sus Himself. And Philip himself had doubt-
less, heard from the Apostles the parable
of tlie (jood Samaritan. The true servants
of Christ may be compelled to change
their place of abode, but they do not
change their minds, and they are always
engaged in fulfilling the duties of their vo-
cation, wdicrever they may be.
Tlie people with one accord gave heed, &c.
The preaching of Philip was accompanied
and followed by no small measure of
signs and wonders, by which the Lord
confirmed His word, and opened the
hearts of the hearers, so that first by
hearing, and then by rightly seeing these
miracles, they were constrained to give
heed to that which was spoken. Unclean
spirits. (See Appendix.) Bcngcl observes
that Luke in the Acts never employs the
term daimonia in speaking of those pos-
sessed, although in his Gospel he employs
it oftener than any other Evangelist, and
from this he infers that the power of pos-
session was feebler after the death of
Christ. Taken with palsies, literally, jmra-
hjzed. Here, too, it will be observed, or-
dinary diseases, are distinguished from
demoniacal possession. Great joy in that
city — over the change wrought on it by
the Gospel, as well as the cures which at-
tested its Divine character. Joy is the
proper fruit and characteristic of Christian
truth (verse .70 ; chap. xi. 23, xvi. 34 ; Rom.
xiv. 17 ; 2 Cor. i. 24). " There was never,"
says Bacon, " found in any age of the
world, cither philosophy, or sect, or law,
or discipline, which did so highly exalt
the public good, as the Christian faith."
9. H But there was a certain man called Simon, which
beiOrelime in the same cay usedJsorcery, and bewitch-
ed the people ol Samaria, giving out tthat himself w;ts
some great one: 10. To whom >they all gave l)eed,
from the least to the greatest, s tying, This man is the
great power of God. 11. And to liira they had regard,
because that of long time he liad bewitched 'nthem with
tiorceries. 12. But when they believed "Philip jireach-
ing t!ie things "concerning the kingdom ot God, and the
name of Jesus Christ, tliey were baptized, both men
and women.
)
1058
ACTS
JChap. xiil. 0; Rev. xitil. 15. kChap. v. 36: 2 Tim. iii.
2, 5. i-J. Cor. xi. 13, n>GaI. iii. 1. "Verse 37; chap. ii. 41.
•i. 3.
A crrlainman called — the jirecise form of
expression used in verse 1. Simon — cele-
brated among the early Christian writers as
Simon Ma(jus, or Magician. The term
Magos is not applied to Simon by Luke,
but the word rendered used sorcery, and
which Luke here uses in the bad meaning
{magizing), is the same word in a verb
form. This man, for some time resident
in the city, by his lying and infernal jug-
gleries (in which he assuredly did not cast
out many devils, or heal many sick per-
sons), had brought into a state of stupid
astonishment, not only this particular city,
but the whole people of the Samaritans.
He had made himself out to be an ex-
traordinary and important man — some great
one, but the exact nature of his assumption
is purposely not told. Old people and
children, the rabble as well as persons of
higher standing, had paid regard to him,
and this man had become to them the
same thing which Philip now was, but
yet in a difl'erent way ; for they themselves,
with a vague conception characteristic of
the fanaticism of that period, had styled
him the 2>oir,r of God — the so-called great
personified authority of the Deity ; but
Philip preached to them Christ, and not
himself, in his words and works, said and
done in the power of God. This wretched
man, by his long-continued course of fas-
cinations had drawn to him this large
body of adherents, only to see all his
honors taken from him at once by the
Evangelist's word ! Philip's frequent, im-
portant and beneficial miracles had di-
verted the attention of the people from
the silly babbler and cheat, and induced
them to give heed to the messenger of
mercy. And now the word that preached
of the right nature of the true kingdom of
God, and its foundation on the one only
adorable name of Jesus Christ, met with
such a response of faith, that the greater
number of inhabitants, both men and wo-
men, were actually baptized.
13. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he
was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered,
beholding the pmiracles and signs which were done.
vSignti and great iiiiraclcs.
Simon's belief, of course, was a feigned
faith. Philip's miracles had thrown his
wonders into the shade, and the credulous,
sui^erstitious multitude had left him for
Philip. His popularity, like all popularity,
urged him to go with the populace. Hence
he i>rofessed to believe, and was" baptized.
Philip had no power to read the heart,
otherwise he would have checked the
cheat of this impostor. Why did t his man
join the followers of Philip? Was it to
hide the shame of his own desertion and
defeat? or was it from a wish to know the
power of Philip's miraculous performan-
ces ? or was it, as we have already hinted,
to retain his popularity? Perhaps all
these considerations had their influence
upon him. (See on verse 21.)
14. T Now when the Apostles which were at Jerusar
leni heard that S:uiuiria had received the word of God,
lliey sent unto them I'cter and John : lo. Who, when
tlirv were (-(jnie down, prayed for them, that they
niii,'ht reci'ivo tlie iloly Gliost: 16. (For as qyet lie w:i3
(alien upon none ot'tlieni : only they were rbaptized in
the nanieof llie Lord Jesus:) 17. Then laid 'they their
hands on tlieni, and they received the Holy Ghost.
qChap. xix. 'Z. 'Chap. ii. 38, x. 48, xix. 5, 6 ; 1 Cor. i. 13.
"Chap. vi. G ; Heb. vi. 2.
"If," says Henry, "Peter had been,
as some say he was, the prince of
the Apostles, he would have sent some
of them, or, if he had seen cause, would
have gone himself, of his own accord, but,
so far from that, he submitted to go as a
servant to the body, whither they sent
him. Two Apostles were sent to encour-
age Philip, and carry on the good work
that was begun." Who when they were come
down, &c. The design of their mission
was to assist Philip in his labors, to con-
firm those who believed, and, in particu-
lar, to impart spiritual gifts. Philip, it
would seem, did not possess the power of
communicating them, which appears to
have been exclusively granted to the Apos-
tles, to distinguish them as the immediate
ambassadors of Christ, and the first min-
isters in His kingdom. As yet he (the Holy
Ghost) v!as fallen upon none of them, &c.,
that is, His extraordinary gifts had not
yet been conferred upon the Samaritans.
They had already received His regener-.
ating influences, for they already believed,
and faith is one of the fruits of the Spirit.
Peter and John therefore prayed, that God
would bestow upon them the same super-
natural endowments, which had been so
liberally distributed to the Jewish converts,
and then "laid their hands on them."
This solemn rite was used in the primitive
V II A r T l: 11 \- 1 r I
lOofl
Churc-h, both in setting apart a i)erson to a
spiritual otlico, and in i'ouveying miracu-
lous powers. In tlic present ease, and in
all otliers of the same nature, it was merely
11 sign, with which the thing signified was
connected, not by the authority of the
Apostles, but by the will of the Spirit.
18. H And when Simon saw, that tlirougli laying on
of the apostles' lianUs tlie Holy Ghost \va.s given, lu;
oirereil lueai 'money, 11*. Saying, give me itiso this
power, tliat on whomsoevi r 1 lay liands, he may re-
ceive the Holy Ghost.— '1 Tim. vi. 5.
Slinon saw. Simon now takes no share
in the laying on of hands. He stood by,
a spectator, and saw. Simon the j\lagus is
intently g.izing on Simou the Apostle; the
very emblem of error and sin malignly
eyeing the power of Christian truth and
holiness, incapable of understanding its
nature. He sees a work performed on the
j^oung Samaritan converts that raises them
above themselves. He notes how beauti-
ful and miraculous the results. These
Apostles he sees are higher than the dea-
con; they are the topmost masters of the
new system, the possessors of the original
wonder-working power, alone able to im-
part that power to others. From them,
and not from their subordinate, Philip,
must the true primal secret be obtained.
ITe offered them money, &c. He regarded
the capability of imparting the Holy Spirit
rtijhtbj, as somctlung conferred, as a derived
power (see Matt. x. 1), hut nro77gIif, as one
to be obtained by an external method with-
out an inward disposition; and, since in ex-
ternal commerce everything may be had
for gold, he wanted to buy it. The spirit of
mercenariness was his inspiration. How
terrible is covetousness ! It is declared to
be " idolatry," against which, as one of the
most revolting forms of depravity, the
most awful curses and heaviest judgments
are denounced. Fr(jm Simon's infamous
attempt to bargain for the power of con-
ferring the Holy Spirit, all the methods of
turning the concerns of religion into a lu-
crative trade, are called Simony, of which
there have been, and are, a great variety
of species, and will be, so long as men con-
tinue covetous and ambitious, and verily
suppose that "gain is godliness." It is
much easier to expose and declaim against
such impious practices, than to find an
("fiectual remedy for them. Alas, Simon
laagus has left far more indisputable suc-
cessors tliaii Simon Peter has done, espe-
cially in that Church which grounds its
claims on succeeding to St. Peter's author-
ity ; but not in that Church alone.
20. Rut Peter said unto liim. Thy money perish with
thee, because "thou liiust thought that the giit'oltjod
may he jiureluused with money. 21. Thou liast neitlur
pari »nc)i- lot ill this mutter: lor Hhy heart is not right
m the .sight ol' God.
"2 Kings v. 1.'), Hi; Matt. x. 8. >x. 4o, xi. 17. "Jos. xxii.
25. »Po. l.\.\viii. 3ti, 'ii ; Kzak. xiv. i.
Thy money jxrish, &c. These words are
not a prayer, or a wish, they amount to no-
more than a strong expression of abhor-
rence for the avarice and hyjiocrisy which
Simon had so shamelessly betmyed. Tliou
hast thought — rather, thoa tlioayhtest. The
historic force of the tense is to be kept
here : the Apostle uses it as looking for-
ward to the day of his destruction. The
gift of God, elsewhere called " the gift of
the Holy Ghost." (See ii. 38, x. 45.) The
very terms imply gratuity, the Greek noun
being used in the accusative as an adverb
corresponding to the Latin gratis. (See
Matt. X. 8 ; John xv. 2-3 ; Rom. iii. 24 ; 2
Cor. xi. 7 ; Gal. ii. 21 ; 2 Thes. iii. 8 ; Kev.
xxi. G, xxii. 17.) The sin and folly of the
sorcerer's offer lay not merely in the
thought of bribing God, but in that. of
purchasing what, from its very nature,
could be only a free gift. Fart .... lot.
The two words are apparently synony-
mous : the first being literal, the second
figurative, but not without reference per-
haps to the inheritance of the kingdom of
God, the incorruptible inheritance. (1 Peter
i. 4.) " Christianity, with its glorious doc-
trines, promises and provisions, is no
more to thee than if it had never been,
and all the past portion of thy existence
is a blank, so far as the realizing thy des-
tiny is concerned. For thy heart is not rigid,
&c. The baptismal water had been ap-
plied to him externally, but his inward
parts were still unclean. The baptism of
the Spirit must be combined with the bap-
tism of water, else the latter remains in-
complete, and the individual is no true
Christian. The heart is the worst part of
man till it be renewed, and then it is the
best. Where most evil lies, there we must
first begin to be good : all will be good, if
the heart, which is the seat, the sink and
seed-plot of all evil, be made good. A
heart truly right Avith God, implies, 1.
That we venerate Him. 2. That wc en-
lUGO
ACTS
tirely submit ourselves to Him. 3. That
Ave maiutuiu a sacred intercourse with
Him.
tl. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray
God : ii .vperliaps tlie tliougUt oiiliiiie lieart may be lor-
giveu thee : -J. For I perui-ive tliac thou art iu the gall
«ot bitterness, and in tlie bond i'ofiniquity.
jDan. iv. 27:2Tiin. il. 25. 'Jer. iv. 18; Heb. xii. lo.
"Ps. cxvi. 1« ; Prov. v. 22 ; Isa. xxviii. 22.
Repent, &iC.,\\iGTi\\\Y, repent from thy wick-
edncss. Fray God. This shows how com-
pletely the Apostles referred the forgive-
ness of sins to, and left it iu, the sovereign
power of God, without undertaking it in
virtue of any assumed delegated power of
absolution. Jf perhaps. This expression of
doubt was designed to impress upon Simon
the greatness of his sin, and the need of
alarm on his jiart. The heart and the
thouglits arc the prime and principal spring
of that wickedness that ruins souls and
turns them into hell forever. (INIatt. v.
19; Jer. iv. 14; Ps. ix. 17.) Gall of bitter-
ness. Gall here .signifies " poison," as, ac-
cording to the opinion of the ancients, th^
poison of serpents resided in their gall.
(Job. XX. 14 ; Eom. iii. 13.) The expres-
sion denotes extreme depravity — the cor-
rupting and poisoning influences of sin.
The bond of iniquity. The meaning is, that
Simon was wholly enchained by sin — con-
firmed in the habit of sin. It is in Simon's
corruption of heart, that we find an ex-
planation of his strange and sad conduct.
Had he been free from this most false in-
terpreter of all law, human and Divine,
how could he have been capable of so
great an absurdity (leaving guilt at present
out of the question) as to imagine that for
money he could i:)urchase the power of
conferring the gifts of the Holy Ghost ?
24. Then answered Simon, and said. Pray t-ye to the
Lord lor nie, thHt none of these things which ye have
Bi)ol<en come upon me.
I'E.x. viii. 8 ; Num. xxi. 7; 1 Kings xiii. G; Job xlii. 8;
James v. IG.
Pray ye to the Lord for me. He thus re-
fers back to the Apostles, their summons
to him to individual prayer, and does it so
that one might well doubt whether he
spoke in derision or in truth, if it were
not that he adds, that none of these things,
&c. Simon here speaks in a very similar
way to the stubborn Pharaoh in Ex. viii.
28, ix. 28, x. 17. He is afraid of " the per-
ishing," but has no heart for repentance,
and for the second time places man be-
tv/ecnhim and his view of God, which
course of action would probably seem
peculiarly natural to him, and would
spring from the old fallacies of his pre-
vious system of deceit. He only half de-
fiantly enunciates something which sounds
like repentance, but is not repentance And
here Luke puts an end to the lii^toiy.
2-5. And thej', when they had testified and preached
the Word of the Lord, returned to Jei-usalem, and
preached the Gospel iu many villages or the Samari-
tans.
The Apostles, having finished the busi-
ness for which they came, returned to Je-
rusalem, for as yet they were not to dis-
perse. In many villages, &c. Though the
congregations were inconsiderable, their
souls were precious, and hence the Apos-
tles seized the opportunity to proclaim tlie
Gospel to them. John was one of those,
who formerly asked leave to call for fire
from Heaven, to consume certain Samari-
tans, but his Lord had now taught him
better things. Tlie true torches of God,
enkindled by the fire of Divine love, af-
ford both light and warmth wherever
they appear. Even when we are travel-
ing, the fear of God should be our guide,
and the love of our neighbor, be our com-
panion. (John iv. 3-5.)
2G. HAnd the angel of the Lord .spake unto PJiilip,
saying, Arise, and go toward the sontli unto the way
that goeth down irom Jerusalem unto 'Gaza, which is
desert.— "^^Josh. xv. 47.
The angel of the Lord. — rather, "an
angel." Saying, Arise, &c. Philip appears
to have received this direction in Sa-
maria (verse 13), and soon after the depart-
ure of the Apostles. Toward thesouth,be-
cause in Samaria he was so far to the
north of Jerusalem. This expression points
out, not the direction of the road from
Jerusalem to Gaza, but that in which
Philip was to travel, in order to find the
road. Gaza was about sixty miles south-
west of Jerusalem. It is one of the oldest
cities in the world, being mentioned in
Gen. X. 19. It has passed through various
vici.ssitudes of conquest and recovered
freedom. It was an important city in the
time of the Crusaders, and was finally
taken by Saladin. At present Gaza is a
considerable town, with a populatian of
about 15,000, known by the name Ghuz-
zeh, and much .frequented by merchants
going between Syria and Egj'pt. There
were several roads leading from Jerusalem
to Gaza. The words vJiich is desert, are to
CHAPTER VIII
1061
be consmcreJ as the words of the angel
pointing out to Philip the particuhir road
which he should take — namely, that
wliich Avas then known hy the name of
the desert road, or which led through the
desert of Judea.
27. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of
'EUiiopiii an 'eunucii of greataiitliori'ly luuK'r Canduca
gueen ot'tlie Ethiopians, wiio had tlio f'.iurKi;oiall licr
treasure, and had oonie fto Jerusalem for to worship;
2&. Was retnrning, and sitting in hia cuariot, read
Esaias the prophet.
<iZeph. iii. 10. «Isa. Ivi. 3-5. '2 Chron. vi. 32, 33.
Two countries were known in ancient
times by the name of Ethiopia — the one
lying south-east from Jerusalem, and the
other situated in Africa, beyond Egypt
and Nubia. In the last of these countries,
now called Abyssinia, the queens were
long distinguished by the name of Can-
dace, as Pharaoh was a common name for
the kings of Egypt. To this country the
eunuch belonged. He was a proselyte to
the Jewish religion, and is therefore not
viewed as one of the Gentiles. It is plea-
sant to observe how far the knowledge of
God had aiready spread, preparatory to
ttie publication of the Gospel. The Jews
were dispersed among all nations. Eunuch
— not necessarily one mutilated. In the
courts of Oriental monarchs, these were
generally mutilated, hence eunuch came
to mean such. ILid come to Jerusalem for
to v'orsliip, which ii a proof that he was a
worshiper of the Ood of Israel. Was re-
turning, &.C. He hud profited by the re-
ligious exercises in which he participated
in Jerusalem, and even in traveling, he i.i
improving his lime. A copy of the Scrip-
tures lay unr(^llcd before him, and he was
refreshing his memory with one of thot e
prophetic songs (see on verse 32), which
probably had been chanted at the recent
festival, and ruminating on the meaning
of ilv-i mystic page. God sees his simplici-
ty and earnestness, and provides him an
instructor, who should lead him into the
great truths of the Gospel ; which, with-
out such an one, he could not have under-
stood. Many, after having done their
duty, as they call it, in attending a place
of worship, forget the errand that brought
tliem thither, and spend their time on
their return, rather in idle conversation,
thait in reading or conversing about the
Word of God. It is no wonder that such
should be always learning, and neirerable
to come to the knowledge of the truth.
29. Then ftlic Siiirit said unto Philip, (io Hear, and
join tliysilllo thisiiianot. ;«i. And Piiilip luii thither
to /i/i<i, anil hraiil liliu road Uie pro])li( t Ksaias, and
said, I'UndiTslaiuU'st thou wliat tliou readest? 31. And
lie said. How 'eau 1 e.xeept some man shoulil jyuide
me? And he desired Pliaip tnat he would come up
and sit with him.
sisa. l.xv. 21: IIos. vi. 3. i>Matt. xiii. 23, 51; Eph. v.
17. 'Kom. X. i\. jPs. xxv. 9.
27(6 Spirit of verse 29, and the onrjel of
ver.-;e 2G, although coincident, are not
identical, the Spirit being the Divine
authority or power, of which the angel
was the instrument or agent. And Philip
ran thither to him, &c. On the KUj)position
that Philip had never met the Ethiopian
eunuch before, his conduct bear.^ the ap-
pearance of rude and forward familiarity.
But such is the .'simplicity of Eastern man-
ners, than no sooner do two persons meet,
than, although they are entire strangers
to each other, they enter into free conver-
sation the first moment of their interview
— difference of f.iith is forgotten, and they
talk as if they had all their lifetime been
the most familiar acquaintances. Accord-
ingly, the question of Philip, Undcrstandcst
thou what thou readest? instead of being
regarded as an evidence of impertinent
curiosity, would appear in the eyes of the
eunuch no greater freedom than univer-
sal custom warranted him to use. Nor is
there any difilculty in conceiv.ing how
Philip, walking on foot, could by an ef-
fort of running keep alongside the chariot
of the stately traveler. The carriage of
the eunuch, as well as all the carriages men-
tioned in the Bible, far from being like
the light and nimble coache.? of modern
times, which soon leave the pedestrian at
a hopeless distance, was a clums-ily built
vehicle, whose ponderous dimensions
borne along on a rough and mi.'-erable
road, were not very compatible with ex-
peditious traveling. Moreover, in the
East, when persons are reading privately
in a book, they usually go on reading
aloud with a kind of hinging voice, moving
their heads and bodies in time, and mak-
ing a monotonous cadence at regular inter-
vals, thus giving emphasis, although not
such an emphasis as would please an
English ear, and convey a knowledge of
the sense. From this practice, we can be
at no lo.ss to under.stand how it was that
Philip should hetir what passage in Isaiah
10fi2
A C T S
the Ethiopian eumich was reading, before
he was invited to come up and sit in the
chariot. How can I, &c., literally, Why do
ye ask me for, &c. He confesses his igno-
rance. Except some man — he who has the
first knowledge of Jesus, can understand
the prophets without a human guide. How
wonderful the modesty and humility of this
distinguished individual ! he thankfully
accepts Philijj's offer to instruct and teach
him. Such as are modest and thoroughly
humble are also truly docile and teacha-
ble, willing to learn knowledge, although
from the mouth of an inferior. He desired
Philip, &c. The guest in the chariot, who
had been so courteously invited, soon be-
comes a guide to the true home. " The
Holy Scriptures," says Bengel, " interest
and delight the reader; even when he
only partially understands them, the aro-
ma of spices penetrates the envelope
which encloses them."
32. The place of theseripturewhichheread wasitliis,
He was Ifd as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a
lamb dumb beibre his shearer, so opened he not his
mouth: 3:i. Inhis hiriiiliation his judgment was taken
away: and who shall declare his Keneration? for his
lile is taken Ironi the earth.— i^Isa. liii. 7, 8.
As a sheep to the slaughter — from Tsa. liii.
7, a chapter so descriptive of the Messiah,
that almost every verse is quoted or allu-
ded to in the New Testament. (John xii.
38; Mark ix. 12; Matt. viii. 17; Mark xv.
28.) HerS is a description of the sufferings
of the INIessiah, which He endured with
meekness and resignation, like a sheep
quietly following the person who leads it
to death, or a lamb submitting in silence
to be robbed of its fleece, and a declaration
that He was condemned through the in-
justice of men, and by violence was de-
prived of His life. In his humiliation his
judgment, &c., that is, he vias unrighteoushj
condemned in his humble condition, while
acting faithfully as God's servant, He was
put to death under the false accusation of
blasphemy. And who shall declare his gene-
ration?— that is, set forth the wickedness
of His contemporaries? Of the various
meanings whic'h have been attached to this
chiuse, iJiis certainly best suits the con-
text. "For" — as a proof and demonstra-
tion of this indescribable wickedness —
"His life was taken from the earth," i. e.,
He was put to death. There is some dif-
ference between the quotation in these
verses and the original passage in Isaiah,
owing, it is probable, to the former being
taken from the Greek version of the Old
Testament.
34. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said I pray
thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this ? Of himself,
or of some other man? '.Vt. Tneii Piiilip opened his
mouth, and began 'at the same scr.pture, ""and preach-
ed unto him Jesus.— 'Luke x.'iiv. 27. mChap. xviii. 28.
The Ethiopian officer could hardly fail
to have heard at Jerusalem of the suffer-
ings and death of Jesus, and of the exist-
ence of a continually increasing party who
acknowledged Him to be the Messiah.
But his question to Philip, whether the
prophet in this passage meant himself, or
some other man, clearly shows that he
had not the least idea of any connection
between the prediction and those facts.
Of u-hom speaheth tlie prophet this, &c. This
question was answered by Philip's sermon
on Christ. He showed to his new com-
panion the glorious burden of the proph-
ecy he was reading, and interpreted in the
light of Christ's wonderful life. Jie prcacJi-
uiito him Jesus — Jesus as the Son of God
and the Saviour of the world. His sermon
is not reported. We have nothing more
than his text, and his grand theme — Jesus.
By the blessing of God upon the preached
sermon, saving faith wa« effectually
wrought in the eunucli's soul. The know-
ledge of the Saviour comprises the know-
ledge of the whole plan of salvation. (1
Cor. ii. 2.)
Sfi. And as they went on fhfir way, they came unto a
certain water: and the eunuch said, See. Afr^ is water,
wliatdolh "hinder me to be baptized? 37. And Philip
said. If "thou believest, with all thine heart, thou may-
est. And he answered and said, I pbelieve that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God.
n.x. 47. oMark xvi. 16 ; verse 12. pjohu xi. 27 ; 1 C!or.
xii. 3 : 1 John iv. 15.
See, here is ivater — more simply, "behold
water!" as if already, his mind filled with
light and his soul set free, he was eagerly
looking out for the first water by which he
might seal his recei^tion of the truth, de-
clare his conviction of the Messiahship of
Jesus, and be enrolled among His visible
disciples. Baptism was indeed suggested
in the very prophecy the eunuch was
reading: "So shall He (Messiah) sprinkle
many nations," words which the Ethio-
pian, son of a distant nation, might feel
rightly to include himself. " Robinson,"
says Dr. Whedon, "plausibly decides that
this was 'a certain irater,' as the Greek
signifies, 'standing along the bottom of »
CIlArTKR VIT
ior.3
the; adjacent wady* (or valley, namely, of
Tell el-Ha.sy). 'This water is on the most
direct route from Beit Jibrin to Gaza, on
the most southern road from Jerusalem,
and in the midst of the country now desert,
that is, without villages or fixed habita-
tions. There is no other similar water on
this road.' Undoubtedly ' many changes '
may liave occurred in the earth, rendering
all such identifications somewhat uncer-
tain ; but the entire presumption is that
the traveler stands on the very spot where
Philip and the eunuch stood!"
WJiat doth hinder, &c. There is a becom-
ing niodesty in his manner of soliciting
baptism. He does not demand it as his
right, but whilst the question is expressive
of earnest desire, he leaves the Evangelist
to determine whether he was worthy of so
high a privilege. Philip throws no obsta-
cle in the way of his desire. Simon, whose
case is before related, had not believed
with all his heart, and had " no part nor
lot in the matter," though the rite of bap-
tism had been solemnized. If the Ethio-
pian did believe — so believe that Jesus
Christ is the *S'on of God, as to trust in Him
for all that the soul can need, or God sees
fit to bestow — then he had part in this
salvation. The blood of Christ should
"wash away his sins," as water cleanseth
the defilement of the body; nay, there
should be in him "a well of water, spring-
ing up into everlasting life" — he should
" receive the gift of the Holy Ghost," to
comfort, and strengthen, and purify his
mind.
38. And he commanded the chariot to stand still:
and they went down botli into the water, both Philip
and the eunuch, :i:id he baptized hitu. 33. And when
tliey were come up out of" tlie water, the Spirit of the
•iLord caught away Philip, that theeunuchsaw him no
more, and he went on his way Tejoicing.
il Kings xviii, 12 : £}zek. iii. 12, 14, qPs. cxix. 14.
Went down both into the water rehenthey
were come up out of the water. These words
merely imply that Philip and the eunuch
went into the water for the purpose of
baptism, but they state nothing as to the
mode of its administration. It is certain
that eis does sometimes signify into, and
eh out of, but it is equally certain that at
other times the proper translation of the
one is to, and of tlieother is from. When
Jesus came to the sepulchre of Lazarus
(Johnix. 38), we know he did not enter
into it, and when ships came /rom Tibe-
rias (John vi. 2o), we do not suppose that
they sailed out of the midst of the city,
but that that was the place from which
their voyage counnenced. Besides, ad-
mitting that eis here means more than to
the water's edge, the stronger sense of the
words rendered " into the water" is fully
satisfied, if we sujipose that Philip and
the eunuch stood in the water, which in
any language would be naturally ex-
pressed by saying Ihey went into it. The
precise mode in which Philip baptized
the eunuch is not certain, nor is it of any
consequence.
The Spirit of the Lord caright away, &c.
The removal was miraculous, al-
though its mode and nature are not de-
scribed. Similar miraculou.s removals ap-
pear to have happened in the case of
Elijah. (1 Kings xviii. 12; 2 Kings ii. IG.)
The same verb occurs in the description of
the ecstacy of Paul. (2 C'jr. xii. 2, 4.)
Saiv him no more, &c. How admirable,
how perfect are the works of God ! These
two persons were brought together by the
agency of an angel, and now they are
parted asunder by a miracle, but a mir-
acle of wisdom as well as of power. For
this sudden and supernatural removal of
the preacher was a powerful confirmation
of the doctrine which he taught, and had
an obvious tendency to impress on the
mind of the new convert this important
truth, that although a man had been em-
ployed as the instrument of his conver-
sion, yet the work itself was truly Divine,
and the glory of it due to God alone.
We can easily conceive that this man
would go on Jiis rray rejoicing. We can un-
derstand his feeling.s, and enter into the
state of his mind. We know that he was
acquainted with the Scriptures, which had
brought him to perceive his condition in
the world, as the creature of a pure and
holy God. He must often have feltwithin
himself a doubtful and anxious apprehen-
sion as to his state in the sight of that God.
The Scripture told him what God re-
quired, but he knew likewise his own
heart and practice, and he could not but
see in how many things he had offended,
and "come short of the glory of God." Like
a mariner on a stormy sea, in a sinking
'X4
ACTS.
ves.sel, he would be full of doubts and
fears. Now came certainty instead of
doubt, and hope instead of fear. He had
found an anchor for his soul, and fixed it
upon Christ, the rock of ages. He had
received a proof, proof not to be disputed,
of God's "good-will toward men," His
love and pity for the creatures He had
made. Nay, he had received for himself
a token of that love, and was enrolled as
one of His adopted children. So he went
on his way rejoicing. A wanderer on the
earth, he had been I'^d into a safe and cer-
tain faith. A creature ot God, he had
found assurance of His favor. A sinful
being, he had found a remedy for his sin ;
a dying creature he had found "life and
immortality."
It would not be all joy with him, as he
passed onward in his course. He would
have, like other men, his troubles, like
other Christians, he would have his trials,
but for the future there was hope, and for
the present there was joy : "joy and peace
in believing.*'
4a But Philip was found at Azotus: and passine;
through, he preached in all the cities, till ho catue to
Cesarea.
Found at Azotus, i. e., was next heard of
there, after the transaction in the desert.
This place was the ancient Ashdod, a city
of the Philistines, near the sea-coast. It
was about thirty miles from Gaza. The
ruins consist of a mound covered with
broken pottery, and of a few i)ieces of
marble. (See Amos i. 8.) A little village
not far off, called Eydud, perpetuates the
ancient name. Cesurca, probably his na-
tive place (xxi. 8, 9), was situated on the
Mediterranean, and was anciently called
Stratnice, or Strato's Toner. Herod the
Great, who bestowed on the city n::.uch
laboi and expense in repairing «nd adorn-
ing it, and in constructing a haibor for it,,
named it Cesarea, in honor of the Roman
emperor, Augustus Ca?sar. A map of
Palestine will show that, between Azotus,,
or Ashdod, and Cesarea, there were many
considerable towns, in which Philip would
have an opportunity to preach tho Gospel.
Cesarea is now a large heap of ruins, and
its stones are used to build and repair the
neighboring towns of Syria, whilst the old
name Kaisariyeh still lingers to mark the
spot where the proud metropolis of Roman
Judea stood, and to teach a lesson of the
vanity of earthly greatness. But in the
Apostolic age Cesarea was at the height of
its splendor — the city of palaces, the seat
of Roman government and law, and the
rival of Jerusalem as the capital of Judea.
1. What Is said of Saul ? 2. What eCisct was produced by the persecution of the Church at Jerusalem ? 3.
What kind of men carried Stcp'iicn to liis burial? 4. What did Saul do? 5. What is recorded oi' Philip? 6.
What u said of Simon ? T. To wiiom were Peter and John scut ? 8. What did they do ? 0. What did Simon
ask of Peter. 10. What w.is Peter's answer? 11. What did Slrron then request ? 12. Where was Philip directed
to go. 1.3. Who was the " man of Ethiopia " reierred to? 11. What ii raid of him ? 1>. What part of the Scrip-
ture wa; ho reading? l*!. Wiirt did Philip proacii unto him? 17. On what condition was he baptized ? 18. How
was Philip caught away 7 19. In what spirit did the euuuch go on his way ?
CHAPTER IX.
1 fkiiil, poi'np toirnrd Dmnafcu^, 4 h atrirken down to
to tlieiarlh, 10 ii railed to tin: Apomifahip, 18 and ii
bnptizedliy Ananiaa. 20 J{r. pixarliclh Vkri^l buUUu.
%i The Jcw.t la.i/ icait to kilt luni : 20 so do tlie Uvecian-i,
but lie cscapftfi both. 31. 'I'/ie church havvifi rest, J'rt/r
he.alHh 'E.neas of the palsy , 'Aj and rentoreth, TaOUlia
to life.
AND Saul, yet "hrpathin;; out thrpateninirs and
sUuisfliter against the disciples of the Ijord.weiit
unto tliohigli iirie?!t. 2 And dfsTed of him letter-, to
Pamasens lo the synagoprui'S, that, if he lonnd any
of th's way, whetlior tliey were im'n or women, Lo
might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
And, rather. But. The emphatic yet con-
nects the course of Saul, as here set forth,
with his earlier acts (viii. 3), and is in-
tended to denote the remarkable fact that
up to this moment his rage against the
disciples burnedas fiercely as ever. Breath-
ing— not breathing out, literal!}', inhaling, as
though threatenings and slaughter, or me-
nace and murder, were the element in
CHAPTER IX
1065
which he lived. Can any man l;e con-
ceived to be fartlier from Cliristianity than
Sunl at lliia time was? IVw liit/h })rii:ttt —
probably Tlieoplii'us, brotlier and succes-
sor to Jonathan, ■vvlio succeeded Caia])lias.
Letters, of authorization : written by tlie
higli priest (in tliis case, but not always,
presidentof the Sanhedrim) in the name of
Uie ivholc estate of tlie (Idas. (xxii. 5.) The
destruction of Chris; ians in Jerusalem was
not sulUcient to gratify the wrath of this
persecutor. He must go to Damascus, the
caj)ital of Syria, the great highway be-
tween Eastern and Northern Asia, about
a hundred and thirty miles north-east of
Jerusalem, the most ancient city perhaps
in the world. As there was a large Jew-
ish poi)ulation in Damascus, there would
be several synagogues. The Christians
had not as yet ceased to worship there,
and the rulers of the synagogues exercised
an oversight over the religious opinions
of their members. Tins nay, rather, tJw
way. If the expression Avas coined by
the enemies of the disciples of Christ, it
must have been a term of re])roach, in-
tended to rej^resent them as being a sepa-
rate faction or party by themselves. But
if, as is more likely, the name was taken
by Iheuiselves, and api)lied to them also
by their enemies, then, in all probability,
it was intended to set them forth as walk-
ing in the footsteps of Him who declares
Himself to be "The way, and the truth,
and the life." He might bring them hound,
&c. The Romans had granted the Sanhe-
drim the i:)0wer of trial and condemna-
tion in all religious matters: and Aretas,
king of Arabia, then ruling in Damascus,
was well disposed toward the Jews, and
some think a Jewish ])roselyte, as he liad
married his daughter to Herod Antipas.
The disciples of the Lord were now like
a scattered tlock without a shepherd,
and Saul was like a beast of prey ready to
devour them; they were like defenseless
sheep, and he like a raging wolf seeking
to destroy them; they were like lambs led
to the slaughter, and he like a roaring
lion thirsting for their blood.
3 AikI 'as lip.journoypfl, lip came near Damascus, and
BurUieniy tiiere sinned round ahoiit liini a light Crom
joavv^n : 4 And ho I'eU to the earth, and heard a voice
eayhig nnto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ?
ti Cur. .XV. 8 ; ■'Malt. xxv. 40, 45. I
On verse 3, &.C., see on xxii. G, &c.
He journeyed. Can we trace the jtroba-
ble route of this young hunter of heretics ?
TheJDurney from Jerusalem was jjrolxi-
bly made on the Roman road, i. e., that of
the Itineraries, by Neaj)olis (Sichem) tmd
Scythopolis, crossing the Jordan south of
the lake Tiberias — Gadara, and so to
Dama.scus. Or he might have joined
cither the Petra road, by Jericho and
Heshbon, and so by Botsrah to Damas-
cus, or the Egyptian caravan-track, which
passes to the north of the lake of Tibe-
rias, and near Cesarea Philij)])i. He came
near to Damascus — so xxii. G. Tradition
points to a bridge near the city as the
.sjiot referred to.- Events which are the
turning points in one's history, so imi)rint
themselves upon the meniori', that cir-
cumstances the most trifling in themselves
acquire by connection with them some-
thing of their importance, and are recalled
with inexpressible interest. Suddenly.
Already, i)erhaps, in sight of Damascus,
his progress was arrested. God often per-
mits the wicked to carry on their designs
till they are on the eve of being accom-
plished, when He suddenly interposes to
defeat them, in judgment or in mercy. He
either overwhelms the buildci- under the
ruins of his edifice, or makes him abandon
his impious project, and consecrate his
time and talents to the service of the
sanctuary, l^'iere shined round about him a
light from heaven. The light was instanta-
neous, not like that of the sun, for the full
splendor of which we are prepared by
the gradual illumination of the atmos-
phere, as he approaches the horizon, but
like the lightning which, bunsting from
the clouds amidst the darkness of the
night, dazzles and confounds us. Its bright-
ness was unusual, as Paul himself informs
us in his speech to Agrippa. (Chap.
XX vi. 13.) It must have been different
from any other light with which we are
acciuainted, for when tlie sun is in the
meridian, and shining in a cloudless sky,
lightning itself would scarcely be percepti-
ble. It was a signal of the approach of
the Son of God, "Who looketh on the
sun, and it shineth not, and sealeth up the
stars." By this symbol— light— how clearly
do we perceive the first step which the
Almighty takes in the conversion of every
1006
ACTS.
human son! wliicli is brought out of the
deadly (huksu'.-is of sin, and the gloom of
Satan's kingdom. (2 Cor. iv. 6.)
Saul fell to the earth, overwhehned with
a consciousness of the greatness of the
Saviour who appeared to him, and of his
own guilt, vileness and nothingness.
Mark here the second step in a true and
Scriptural conversion, a lowly, humbling,
self-abasing view of our own heart, life
and conversation, a view which throws all
our thoughts of self-righteousness into the
very dust, which lays us there ourselves
with all our virtues, and all our amiable
qualifications, as utterly poor, blind and
naked, waiting the will of our Divine
Master.
And heard a voice, &c. There was not
merely an impression made upon Saul as
if he had heard audible words, but he actu-
ally heard them. It was a part of the
miracle that those who accompanied him
heard the voice of the speaker, but failed
to disting-iish the words uttered. Said,
Saul! Though he was ignorant of Jesus,
Jesus knew him — knew his name, his
purpose, his mission, and appeals to him.
Why persecutcst thou me? The question ap-
peals to Saul's conscience, and is designed
to awaken in him a sense of the grievous
Avrong which he is committing. Paul
strikes in Damascus — Christ suffers in
heaven. Observe the unutterable tender-
ness, sympathy and loving kindness
which are implied in the manner in
which the Son of God here identifies
Himself with His own persecuted, de-
spised and suffering people. He charges
Saul with persecuting Ilim when he per-
secuted them, and we can be at no loss
here to discern the doctrine which he
elsewhere informs us He will maintain at
the final judgment: " Inasmuch as ye have
doneitunto one of the leastof my servants,
ye have done it unto me." (Matt. xxv. 40,
also, 45. Why persecutest thou me?"
What have I done to merit this at thy
liands ? What have my people done to
receive such treatment? What makes my
cause so odious in thy siglit? Why
ehouldst thou have done all this? — tJiou
who knowest the law, and the prophets,
and the psalms — thou who shnnhlxt have
kjiown that all these things must haxc
been fulfilled which you are now resisting,
and thou, who shouldst iiave believed that
the Son of man ought to sufl'er many
things, and to enter into His kingdom,
" Why persecutest thou me?" I who have
loved thee with an everlasting love, who
have laid down my life for thy sake, who
have interceded with my Father that
this worse than barren tig-tree should be
let alone until I should "draw hina with
the cords of a man, with the bonds of
love?"
5 And he said. Who art thou, Lord ? And the Lord
said. 1 am Jesus, wlioui thou persecutest : it is hard lor
thee to kick -^agaiust the pricks.— 'verse 39.
That Saul saw, as well as Jicard this glo-
rious speaker, is expressly said by Ana-
nias (verses 17,22, 14), by Barnabas (ix. 27),
and by himself (xxiv. 16) ; and in claim-
ing apostleship, he explicitly states that
he had "seen the Lord" (1 Cor. ix. 1, 15, 8),
which can refer only to this scene. Who
art thou. Lord ? This question of the be-
wildered persecutor indicates that he did
not immediately recognize Jesus, although
a presentiment respecting the nature of
Him who spoke, may have at once follow-
ed tiie appeal made to his conscience. /
am Jesus tvhom thou persecutest.
Never did information mure unexpected
and alarming burst upon the startled ear.
Jesus, whom the Jews had crucified as the
vilest of malefactors, without the gates of
their city ; Jesus, whom Saul believed to
be an impostor, and whose name he had
never mentioned but in terms of execra-
tion ; Jesus, whose helpless followers he
had, on all occasions, treated with the ut-
most indignity and cruelty ; this Jesus now
appeared in heavenly glory. It is Iiard/or
thee, &c. This is a proverbial expression,
denoting that the design of a person will
])rove abortive, and will terminate in his
own ruin. It is an allusion to a fierce un-
governable animal, which kicks at short
spikes of iron, and which as it vents its im-
potent rage, destroys itself. " It is hard
for thee to rush upon the bosses of Jeho^
vah's shield, it is hard f(n- thee to fight
against Omnipotence, it is hard for thee to
contend with God, for thou shalt not
prosper, and it is hard for thee to seek the
injury of my people, for thou wilt thereby
merely injure thyself, because I am with
then), ami they shall be mine in that day
C II A P T I-: LI 1 X
ii.i;
wlien I make up my jewels, and I will
S[)are them as a man spareth his sun that
serveth him, and he that toucheth them
shall touch the apple of his eye." Self-
ruin is the inevitable lot of those who per-
secute the Lord Jesus and His followers.
(See Deut. xxxii. 15; 1 Sam. ii. 29.)
6 Anil he trembling and astonished, siiirl, Lord, what
'will tliou have meto do? And tlie Lord .«(«( unto
him. Arise, and go into tlie city, and it sliall be told
thee what thou must do.— 'xvi. ;{0.
The effect jiroduced on Saul is just what
might have been expected. Astonished —
at himself, his blindness, guiltiness, mad-
ness and cruelty, at the long-sufiering pa-
tience that bore with such a bloodtliirsty
persecutor, at the marvelous goodness and
mercy that condescended to expostulate
with him, notwithstanding all that he had
done. Treriibliiif/ also at the same time,
because he knew that he was in the pre-
sence of the Holy On©, of Israel, because
he felt that he was condemned of his own
conscience, as well as charged with perse-
cuting the Son of God, and lest there
should be no forgiveness for one like him,
yet, notwithstanding all his doubts and
fears, and terrible perplexities, he lays
himself low at the footof the cross, asking
the question, so marvelous, considering
from whom it came. Lord, what wilt thou
have me to do f This inquiry is, 1. Personal
in its aim — nic. We should think of our-
selves in Divine things, and bring home
every truth to our own business and
bosoms. 2. Practical — not to know, to
hear, to believe, to talk of, but to do. Prac-
tice is essential to religion. 3. Impartial
it its desire. The true convert says not to
Jesus, if the service be honorable or prof-
itable, that is, carrying worldly credit or
profit in it, then will I do it: no, but what-
ever it is, if it be Thine, and Thou appoint
motoit, Here am I. (Is.vi.8.) Five principles
demand and more than justify the ab»'olute
sui-render of ourselves to Christ : 1. The
righteousness and excellency of His re-
quirements. 2. The endearing relations in
wliich He stands to His people. 3. H is great-
ness. He is Lord of all. 4. The obligations
He has laid us under by His kindness. 5.
His engagement to reward our devoted-
ness to Him. The recompense must be
of grace, and not of works; but it is real,
lie is not unrighteous to forget our work
of faith and labor of love. Arise, and go,
&.C. Perhai)S, in the present state of his
mind, he could not have given attention
to tlie instruction of the Saviour, and his
situation on a public road, and in the
midst of his unconverted companions,
was unfavorable. It was in the calm and
leisure of privacy, that he was to be pre-
])ared for the important services in which
Jesus purposed to employ him. Audit
shall be told thee, &c. Not by me, not in a
voice from heaven, not by some angel
nit-ssenger, specially sent down to instruct
and enlighten thee, but by some poor, un-
known, ignoble disciple oneof "</((U icay,"
which thou hadst intended to persecute
to the death, one who has himself learnt
by the appointed means of grace, and by
constant application at the throne of
grace, all that he shall be commissioned
to teach thee. Thus does God destroy the
wisdom of the wise, and bring to notiiing
the understanding of the prudent, that no
flesh should glory in His presence, but
that he that glorieth may glory in the
Lord. In the apolog}' of Paul before Agrip-
pa (xxvi. 16-18) a longer address is given
than is here recorded in verses 5 and 6.
(See on next verse.)
7. And the men which journeyed with him stood
speecliless, hearing a voice, Kbut seeing uo man.
«Dan. X. 7.
Hearing a voice. In xxii. 9, we read:
" They heard not the voice of him that
spake," &c. The Greek word for voice, like
our word utterance, may signify either the
vocal sound or the articulate words. So a
man partiall}' deaf would be said, popu-
larly but truly, to hear and not to hear the
same xdterance. (Compare John xii. 29.)
Seeing no man. They saw not, as S«ul did,
the speaker. The di-screpancy in the two
accounts of this great event are only
seeming, not real — only in the letter, noi'm
spirit. Those only will stumble at the
difference in the forms of narration, who
from enmity to the truth are .striving to
create or magnify discrepancies. "The
devout and intelligent student of Scrip-
ture," says ^//ord,"will see in such exam-
ples a convincing proof of the simple
truth of the narrative — the absence of
all endeavors to pare away apparent in-
consistences or revise them into confor-
10G8
ACTS,
niity— the bona fide work of holy truthful
men, bearing each his testimony of things
seen and heard under the guidance, not
of the spirit of bondage, but of that spirit
of whom it is said, "where the Splril of the
Lord is there is liberty." The diti'erence be-
tween these men and Saul marks the dif-
ference between mere convictions and
true conversions. Many liear the word in
a general way, and see enough to make
them tremble, but then it is only truly etiec-
tual when it is addressed to us as the voice
of One that speaks to us from heaven, when
it disarms us of our enmity to Christ, ex-
cites in us the desire of knowing Him,
and makes us willing, without hesitation
or delay, to obey His commandments.
8. And Saul arose from the eartli, and wlien liis eyes
were opened, lie saw no man : but tney led liim by ibe
hand, and brouj^at hiia into Damascus.
When Saul's eyes were opened, he
found himself blind. The blindness is
not to be explained on natural principles.
It was supernatural light that blinded
him. It is more than probable that this
blindness had a moral purjxjse, and serv-
ed not only to intimate to Saul the blind-
ness of the state in which ho had been,
but also to impress him with a deeper
sense of the power of Jesus as the protec-
tor of his people, and to turn his thoughts
inward, while ho was rendered less liable
to distraction by external objects. But
they led him b'j the hand, &c. In how dif-
ferent a manner did S.iul enter Damascus
from that which he had planned ! He is
led, humbled, afHicted and blind, the
prisoner of Jesus Christ, whose disciples
he intended to drag to prison. Submis-
sively he moves forward, asking no ques-
tions, starting no objections, and pleading
no difficulties. He did not shrink from
the ridicule he knew he would have to en-
counter at the instance of his old associates,
or from the dangers to which he would be
exposed at the hands of the scribes and
Pharisees.
9. And he was tliree days without sight, and neither
d.d eat nor dr.nu..
The anxiety of his mind and the an-
guish of his heart were so great that he
had no appetite for food. It is not neces-
sary to suppose that three entire days are
here meant. According to the Jewish
mode of speaking, they may have been
parts of two days, with one intervening
whole day. But what three days must
those have been ! Only one other space
of three days' duration can be mentioned
of equal importance in the history of the
world. " While his sight and taste were
inactive," says Bengel, " he was inwardly
reunited in his retirement through prayer.
(Verse 11.) The lousiness of conversion
is worth the bestowal of whole days, when
one is being drawn to God."
10. f And there was a certain disciple at Damascus,
named '■Ananlivs, and to Inm said the Lord in a vision,
Ananias. And he said. Behold, I am /le/c. Lord. 11.
And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the
street widen is called Straiglit, and inquire in the house
<ii' Judas lor one called Saul or' Tarsus : lor behold, he
prayeth ; V2. And hatli seen in a vision a man named
Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that
he migul receive his sigut.— iij-xii. 12.
Disciple, i. €., of Christ, a believer, a con-
verted Jew, as we know from xxii. Ana-
nias. All that we know of him is record-
ed here, and in the chapter just referred
to. Not Peter, or James, or John, no
great and eminent Apostle need be sent for
to instruct the learned and highly-talent-
ed Saul, but some poor, simple-hearted
Christian, of whom the Divine Word has
never before made mention, is fully suffi-
cient in God's hand, to teach this most
richly endowed of all the early converts.
Ananias may have taken refuge in Damas-
cus from the persecution at Jerusalem.
(See on verse 3.) In a vision. A real
vision of the Lord Jesus, not an angel, for
Ananias calls him " Lord," and Christians
"His saints." (Verses 13, 14.) Behold, I
am here. This answer implies that the
person licars and waits to listen further
(Comp. Gen. xxii. 1, 7, xxvii. 1 ; 1 Sam.
iii. 8, &c.) He felt that the Lord was
with him in reality.
Siraiyld — a name which the street in
that old city still retains. House of Judas.
The house is still pointed out as the place
where Saul lodged. " We visited tlie
great cathedral," says Mr. Tristam, " in the
street which is called ' Straight,' and sev-
eral of the mosques. The great mosque,
once the Christian cathedral, and in yet
earlier ages a lieathen temple, is a noble
structure, though, of course, without the
interest or the .splendor of the Mosque of
Omar. We looked in at one magniticent
portal, over which still remains engraven
the inscription in Greek, ' Thv kingdom,
CIIAPTlOIi IX
lOliO
0 Christ ! is an everlasting kingdom, and
tliy dominion oadureth tliroughout all
g(juerations.' There stand the words, un-
read by the Moslem. "We will take them
as a silent prophecy that the day is com-
ing when this dark land shall be Christ's
once more, and He shall reign forever and
ever. Even so, come. Lord Jesus." Smd
of Tarsus, afterward called Paul. Tarsus
was the capital of the jirovince of Cilicia,
lying along the north-east coast of the iMedi-
terranean. It was situated on the river
Cydnus; was a "large and populous city,"
says X.'nophon (and sec chap. xxi. 39),
" and under the Romans had the privilege
of self-government." Foi; behold, he prai/-
c!h. Saul, as a strict Pharisee, had often
formally performed this outward exer-
cise of devotion, but now ha j^raycd. The
prayer of a converted heart, the prayer of
faith, for the first time now passed his
hps.
Observe the reasons assigned for the
message received: 1. that Saul was pray-
ing, and, 2. that he had received — perhaps
in answer to his prayer — a vision of Ana-
nias coming and 2^>dting Ills hand on him,
that lie might receive his sight. Saul's jirayer
reached the heart of Christ, and the mis-
sion of Ananias was the answer. Con-
scious, as we are, of the Omniscience of
the great Jehovah, perhaps wc are never
so much struck by it, as when He thus
condescends to demonstrate it to us in His
dealings with ourselves, or our fellow-sin-
ners ; calling forth one man by name, de-
scribing the identical spot where another
lodges. How acurately does it mark God's
knowledge of all our movements, of the
city, the street, the house in which we
dwell ; how certainly, therefore, of all
that passes there !
13 Then Ananias answered, Liord, I liave heard by
many or'this 'man. how much evil lie hath done to thy
saints at Jerusalem : IJ. And here he Jhatli autliorlty
from the chief priests to bind all that call i^on thy
name.— 'V. 1. jv. 21.
I have heard, &c. Saul had been a dis-
tinguished persecutor. These words do
not seem to be the expression of reluc-
tance, as some su})pose, but of astonish-
ment, as if he had said, " Is it possible that
1 should be sent by my Lord to Saul of
Tarsus, the violent opponent of the Chris-
tians -Saul, who was coming here with
power and authority from the chief priests
to persecute the disciples." It could hardly
fail to have been notified to the Christians
at Damascus by their brethren at Jerusa-
lem, that Saul was on his way to persecute
them. That call on thg name. That Jesus
Christ was worshijicd by the i:)rimiiive
Christians, is a fact so clearly establi.-hed
in the New Testament, that nothing but
prejudice, blinding the mental eye, can
hinder any person from perceiving it. The
truth is, that this woi-ship was so gener..!,
and so publicly known, that it is used as a
description of His foil )wers, avIio are more
than once denominated those "who called
upon His name," a phrase which often
occurs in the Scripture i, and sigaifi^.i in-
vocation or prayer. (See 1 Cor. i. 2, 3 ; 2
Tim. ii. 22; Acts ii. 21, xxii. IG; also 2 Cor.
xii. 8; 1 Thes. iii. 11, 12; 2 Thes. ii. 16, iii.
IG.j
15. But the Lord said unto Iiim, Go thy way : for 'he
is acliosen vessel unto nij, t) b.'ar m / nun." hj.orii
""the Gentiles, and "kings, and tlie "children of Israel.
lU. For I will show him how great things he must suf-
fer plbr my name's sake.
'Chap. xiii. 2 : Rom. i. 1 : 1 Cor. xv. 13 ; Gal. i. Ij ; Eph.
iii. 7, 8. ™Rom<-xl. i;i; Gal. ii. 7.8. nChap. xxv. 2i, <tec.
"Chap, xxviii. 17, <S:c. PChap. xx. Ti ; 2 Cor. xi. ZS'27 ; 2
Tim. i. 11, 12.
Go tliij way, &c. Hero is another, and
the main argument, with which the mes-
sage was again urged. The arg iment is,
that Saul had been divinely ordained for
great work and great trial. Saul's subse-
quent history realized all that is here
stated. Ho bore the name of Christ to the
Gentiles, he made the heathen world ring
through all its temples with the doctrine
of the cross. Before kings and rulers he
stood expounding its meaning and enforc-
ing its claims, (xxv., xxvi., xxvii.) Great
things he suffered, too, for Christ's name's
salce. The whole of his Apostolic life was
a life of martyrdom. (2 Cor. xi. 23-28.)
Our Lord, it should be observed, sends the
messenger to tell Saul, not what great
things he shall do, but what far greater
things he shall suffer. And yet, notwith-
standing this message, Paul accepted and
fulfilled the ministry to which he was
called! What resistless evidence, then,
have we here, of the sincerity and unre-
servedness of Paul's consecration of him-
self to the service of Him wdiose tender
expostulation had reached him from the
cloud of light! Suff'erings are, after all,
the great achievements of the Christian.
We should not, then, be disappointed, if
1070
ACTS.
with every desire to do great things for
our Divine Master, we are denied the
power or the opportunity. If, as has been
been beautifully said.
They also serve who only stand and wait,"
how much more do they serve who are
called upon to endure and to suffer! Yes,
in the chamber of sickness, upon the bed
of pain, we may as greatly glorify our Re-
deemer, as amid the trials of life.
17. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the
house: and putting <ihis hands on liim, said. Brother
Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in
the way as thou earnest, hath sent me, that thou
mightest receive thy sight, and "-be filled with the Holy
Ghost.— iviii. 17. 'Chap. ii. 4.
Ananias immediately obeys, and pro-
ceeds to the designated house. Putting
his hands on him, as the Apostles did in
Samaria, but with a solemn declaration
of the authority by which he did it.
Brother Saul does not refer exclusively,
nor even primarily to their conmion na-
tionality as Israelites, but to the connec-
tion or fellowship now existing between
them for Christ's sake, of which the for-
mer had already been assured by the
words of the Lord. Beware of all those
contracted views of Christian fellowship,
Avhich are daily dividing the seamless
garment of our Lord into the veriest
shreds and tatters, learn to make no dis-
tinction except that which the converted
Paul himself made in after days, when he
said : " Grace be with all those who love
the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." Let
this be the broad platform of our Christian
fellowship ; let every minor point, whether
of doctrine or of discipline, be merged in
this — in every lover of our Redeemer re-
cognize a friend, to the feeblest lamb of
His fold stretch out a helping hand, to
the weakest of His true and sincere
followers offer a sympathizing heart.
The Lord, even Jesus. This clearly shows
in what sense the term "Lord" is used in
this book. It is Jesus that is meant, as
almost invariably in the Epistles also.
Ilath sent me, this was his connnission.
The design of his commission was two-
fold, outward and inward, bodily and
spiritual. The physical effect was to be
the restoration of sight. The other ef-
fect was that he might he filled uilh the Holy
Ghost, a stronger expression than receive
the Holy Ghost. (Johnxx. 22; vVcts. viii.l5,
xvii. 19; comp. ii.4, iv. 8, 31, vi. 3, v. 7, 55.)
It is therefore the more worthy of remark
that the instrumental agency employed
was the imposition of the hands of one
whom we do not even know to have been
a deacon or Evangelist. That gift was so
peculiarly Divine that the external me-
dium was comparatively unimportant.
18. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had
been scales ; and he received sight Ibrthvvith, and arose,
and was baptized. 19. And when he had received meat,
lie was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days witb
the disciples which were at "Damascus.
«xxvl. 20 ; Gal. i. 17.
The declaration of the purpose for which
Ananias came is followed by the record of
its instantaneous accomplishment, which,
with the express Divine command, shuts
out the idea of a natural cure. He arose —
apparently without leaving the room.
This symbolized His resurrection from the
dead : he was a new man. The arch-bigot
was gone forever, and the Ai:)Ostle was
up to do a work that the ages would bless,
and which eternity would celebrate. And
was baptized. Thus he was received into
the communion of the Church, and dedi-
cated to the service of Christ. He received
meat (food) anik was strengthened. The new
feelings that had flooded his soul had
taken away his appetite ; now his spirit
was calmed by a new faith, his appetite
returned, he took food and was revived.
Then was Saul certain days, &c. He asso-
ciated with the disciples at Damascus,
went to their meetings, and joined in
communion with them. How amazing^
the change! Such are the aspects, in
which Paul, thus far in this chapter, is
presented to us. First, as an enemy to the
cause of Christ, then as conquered by the re-
velation of Christ ; and then, as enlisted in
the service of Christ. What a change ! How
great! how Divine! how influential! It
was the opening of a jjerennial fountain
in the world's desert, the kindling of a
bright and quenchless guiding star in the
world's firmament.
20. And straightway he preached Christ in the syna-
gogues, that he is the Son ol' Ciod. 21. But all that
heard him twere amazed, and said, Is not this he uthat
destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusa-
lem, and came hither for that intent, that he might
bring them bound unto the chief priests? 22. But Saul
increased the more in strength, ^imd conibunded the
"Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is
very Christ.
tGal. i. 13, 23. uChap. viii. 3. vPs. Ixxxiv. 7. "Chap.
xviii. 28.
Synagogues — Jewish jjlace of worship.
That he is the Son of God. This expression
CHAPTER IX.
1071
is here used, as in John xi. 27, to denote
the Messiah, as an official title. Called on
this name. (See on verse 14.) Tlie word
rendered proving is taken from mechanics
— proving by quotations of Scripture,
skillfully arranged, and compared togeth-
er, and connected with each other, (xvii.
1-4.) Observe 1, the time of Paul's
preaching — straighiwui/. He entered at
once on his Master's work, not consulting
flesh and blood about the difficulties and
dangers that might attend it, but i)erform-
ing his duty with such zeal antl immediate
application, as bet'ame a person of his
holy character and profession. 2. The
effect of Paul's preaching. Some of his
hearers were astonished and surprised
that so bitter and jjersistent a persecutor
had become a powerful preacher. Others
were confounded, being unable to with-
stand the force and eloquence of his argu-
ment, by which he proved that tliis is verij
Christ — the very Messiah predicted by
prophets and longed for by Israel. With
such a theme as the Divinity of Christ,
and all the life-giving and saving doc-
trines which flow from it — such as the
great doctrine of the atonement, that
Christ died for our sins to purchase to
Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good
works ; of the resurrection, that He rose
again for our justification ; of the interces-
sion, that He ever liveth to make inter-
cession for us ; of His coming again, that
He may judge the world and save His
people — we cannot be surprised that the
Apostle "increased the more in strength,"
&c. If we, as preachers, desire to produce
these effects, the confounding of our spir-
itual adversaries, the increase of strength
in our own souls, if we, as hearers, desire
to participate in them, let us be assured
that we must be content with this one
subject, and, as the Reformers of old were
contemptuously called, by the learned
Erasmus, "men of one book," because
they read but the Bil>le, so we must be
content to be called men of one subject,
and to preach but Jesus Christ.
23. II And after that many days wprefnlflllPd. the Jews
took counsel ito kill him. 24. But their laying await
w;i*! known of'Saul. And they watched yttie gates day
and night to kill him. 25. Then tlie disciples took him
hy n'ght, and let '^him down by the wall, in a basket.
ixxiii. \i, XXV. ?,. 72 Cor. xi. 2t), &c. : P.s. xxi. n, 37,
■••xxii. 23. jjo.sh. ii. 15.
Many days. According to Paul's state-
ment, he went immediately after his con-
version to Arabia, and returned to Damas-
cus, and it was not until three years after
that he went to Jerusalem. (Gal. i. 1(>, 17.)
By "many days," then, are here meant
these three years, spent partly in Arabia,
and partly in Damascus. Took counsel to
kill him. "The Jews again," says Chrysos-
tom, "have recourse to the logic of force.
They no longer seek for suborned men,
and false accusers and false witnesses."
Gales. As the only outlets from the city.
Paul must have been very closely conceal-
ed, as there can be no doubt that the
ethnarch or viceroy of Aretas, then master
of Damascus, rendered them every aid to
apprehend him. The disrijjles took him by
7ii(/lit, &c. Here remark two things. 1. The
escape was not miraculous. In this way
the Lord has often delivered His servants,
and in this way He is continually able to
deliver them. But He never needlessly
multiplies miracles. In this instance the
deliverance could be effected by human
means, they were therefore properly em-
jiloyed, and Providence only rendered
them successful. 2. We are not to sacri-
fice our lives if we can i^reserve them con-
sistently with a good conscience. Our Lord
told His disciples to beware of men, to be
wise as serpents, as well as harmless as
doves, and if they were jiersecuted in one
city to flee to another. He Himself eluded
apprehension till He knew His hour was
come.
20 HAnd when Saul was come to 'Jerusalem, he as-
sayed to join himsell'to the disciples: hut they were all
p raid olliim, and believed not that he was a disciple.
27 But 'Barnabas took him, and brought Jiim to the
apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the
Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and
how he had preached bolaly rat Damascus in the name
of Jesus, as And lie was with them coming in and
going out at Jerusalem. 20 And he spake boldly in the
name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the (;re-
cians: but they ^went about to .slay him. 30 U'/iieh
when the brethren knew, they broug)it him down to
Cesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.
■Kjal. i.l8. biv. 36. inverse 20, 22. Averse 23,
Assayed to join Jiimself, &c. The disciples
were despised and persecuted. Saul had
himself once hated them, and endeavored
to exterminate them from the earth. But
now the world is not worthy of them. He
ranks them above princes and philoso-
phers; in them is all his delight. Have
we the same mind in us? Though in the
course of duty, unless we go out of the
world, we must often mingle witli otlieiv,
] 072
ACTS.
yet lire Christians those with whom we de-
light to associate ? But they were all afraid,
<kc. They supposed that he only pretended
to be a disciple, but was really come among
them as a spy or informer. They well
knew what a bitter adversary he had been
and had not heard of him since the wolf
had been turned into a lamb. If there
seems something strange in this, let it be
ob.served that Damascus was one hundred
and fifty miles from Jerusalem ; that the
modes of modern communication were not
then known, and that the war raging be-
tween Herod Antinas, and Aretas, must
have interrupted the intercourse between
the two capitals. Neither is it unlikely
that the unbelieving Jews maliciously and
artfully represented him as acting the part
of a deceiver. (See on verse 28.)
Barnabas stood high among the dis-
ciples at Jerusalem, (iv. 3G, xi. 22, on
which see notes.) It is very probable
that Barnabas and Saul may have been
personally known to each other in youth.
Cyprus is only a few hours' sail from Cil-
icia. The schools of Tarsus may naturally
have attracted one who, though a Levite,
was a Hellenist, and there the friendshi])
may have begun, which lasted through
many vicdssitudes, till it was rudely iuter-
rupted in the dispute at Antioch. (xv.
39.) The Apostles, viz. : Peter and James.
(Gal. i. 19.) The other Apostles were
probably absent from Jerusalem at this
time. Declared unto them, related fully,
since they may have heard a report of
their occurrence, but had received no de-
finite information concerning it. In the
name o/Zfsus, as the sphere of his preaching.
And he tvas with them, &c. He was fully
admitted to their friendship, and recog-
nized as a true Christian brother. He
went in and out, had free intercourse with
them. His stay here, however, on this
occasion, was only fifteen days. (Gal. i.
18.) We may here see, 1. That those dis-
ciples were careful whom they admitted
among them. They were only such as
they believed to be disciples. They did not
desire, for the sake of largeness, a church
filled with indiscriminate members, and
they could not bear them that were evil.
2. It is possible to err on the side of cau-
f i'vi. We mav be too strict as well as too
lax. It is easy to carry our suspicions too far,
especially with regard to those against
whom we have entertained any prejudice,
or from whom we have received any injury
or oflense. 3. We may depend on testi-
mony concerning character in the absence
of personal knowledge. This, indeed, is
not always infallible, but there are cases in
which it ought to be admitted, and should
be deemed sufficient not only for individ-
uals, but churches to act upon, in receiv-
ing others to their countenance and their
communion. 4. The introducing of a
young convert to the fellowship of the
saints is a good work, and should be en-
couraged. . Some are backward, not from
a want of inclination, but they want con-
fidence and help. Many are kept back
when they ought to come forward.
Spake boldly. His boldness was that of
the strongest conviction, founded on irre-
sistible evidence, and backed by his own
conscience. Disputed. He did not, as a
fanatic would, pour mere declamation on
their ears, but submitted his theses for
reasoning and discussion. The Grecians
were the Hellenists, or foreign Jews, of
whom Saul was one himself. (See on vi.
1.) In the name of the Lord Jesus. Notice
the subject of his ministry. As a man of
genius and learning, he could have taken
to them many subjects. He could have
discussed the beauties of their classic
literature, charmed them with sketches
of their wonderful history, 6r dilated on
the ethics of revelation. Such subjects
would have been acceptable to them, but
he selected a subject which they hated,
which he once hated, but which now pos-
sessed him — " the Lord Jesus." This be-
came his subject forever now, he viewed
everything through it, he judged the
world by it. But they went about to slay
him. (See on verse 23.) When the breth-
ren knew their hostile design, Paul depart-
ed in conformity with their advice.
Another motive concurred with this. (See
xxii. 17.) Cesarca. (See on viii. 40.) Tar-
sus, Saul's native city. It was the capital
of Cilicia, on the river Cydnus. (See on
viii. 40.) In sending Saul away from Je-
rusalem, the disciples not only consulted
for his safety, but complied with the Sa-
vioi^r's (lirc't ion i n Matt. x. 23. The Apostle
CHAPTER IX
1073
tells us that when he left Jerusalem on
this occasion, he came into the regions of
Syria and Cilicia (Gal. i. 21), which seems
to imply that he did not go to Cilicia by
Kea, but traveled thither through Syria.
31. Then 'had the churches rest 'throughout nil Jiidea
and Gu.liiee uiid S;iiu;iria, iind were cediiied, and walk-
ing ii.n tlie ie:ir of tlic Ljrd, and iu the 'com.'ort oi' the
Holy Ghost, wereJmuItipUed.
'Ztjch. ix. 1 ; chap. viii. 1. tPs. xciv. 13. fRom. xiv.
19. i>Ps. Ixxxvi. 11 ; Col. i. 10. iJohn xlv. 16, ir. JZech.
viii. 20-i;.
licst — from both the persecution by Saul,
and the per-secution of Saul. But concur-
rently with this, it is supposed that the
trouble of the Jews arising from the pro-
ject of the Emperor Caligula of placing his
statue for worship engrossed all their
thought and arrested the persecution of
Christians, The trouble of her foes was
the peace of the Church. Thus it is also
with ourselves. Our trials may be varied
and numerous, wave may follow wave, un-
til we are almost tempted to believe that
they will never cease, and yet, amidst the
darkness of the storm, our God is prepar-
ing for us the light and placid sunshine.
Edified, or, built up. It probably refers to
both external and internal strength and
accession of grace. Walking, a common
Hebraism to denote a course of conduct.
In the fear of the Lord, in conformity with
that state of mind, dcnotive of rule or man-
ner. The word rendered comfort, rather
means exhortation, admonition, encourage-
ment. Multiplied. Even when referring
only to the influence of the Holy Ghost,
on the external growth of the Church,
Luke still testifies that that influence was
an essential, animating and moving power
in the life of the Church.
32. II And it camo to pass, as Peter passed throughout
all (juarlrra, lie came down also to the saints whic!i
dweit at Lydda. 33. And there he found a certain man
named Eneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and
was sick of the palsy. 31. And Peter said unto him,
Eneivs, Jesus Chr! 't maketh ^thee whole, arise, and
make thy bod. And ) o arose immediately. 3>. And
all tliat dwelt in Lydda and 'Saron saw- him, and
turned "to the Lord.
i'C:iap. iii. C, IG, iv. 10— iChron. v. 16— n>Chap. xi. 21 ; 2
Cor. iii. 16.
This and the following miracle form the
introduction to the very important por-
tion of Peter's histot-y which follows in
chap. X. Passed throughout all quarters —
not now fleeing from persecution, but
peacefully visiting the churches. Lydda,
the Lod or Ludd of the Old Testa-
ment (Ezra ii. 33), was about a day'"
journey from Jerusalem. It was at this
period a place of considerable importance.
Jostphus observes that it was not less
than a city in size. At present it is a con-
siderable village, retaining its ancient
name Ludd. The probability is that Eneas
waj! a Christian, for it is said that Peter
" came down also to the saints which dwelt
iu Lydda," and in general faith was a pre-
requisite in those upon whom miracles of
healing were wrought. Observe, 1, the
difficulty of the cure here elfected. The
disease was palsy, wlii(-h had taken away
the use of the man's limbs, and confined
him to bed for eight years. 2. The man-
ner of the cure. He does not even name
himself as the instrumental cause, or in-
volve the name of Christ (as in iii. 6), but
expressly represents Him as the efficient
and immediate agent. In comparing this
with the manner of Christ's miracles, the
difiTerent characters of the servant and the
tSon, the creature and the God, are every-
where apparent. 3. The effects of the
cure. The instantaneousness of the cure
shows that it was miraculous. The man
at once arose, proving thus that the cure was
perfect. Make thy bed. (See on John v. 8.)
And all that dwelt, &c. The miracle seems
to -have been wrought publicly, the man
was well known. Saron, Hebrew^, Shareni,
was an extensive and fruitful plain, ex-
tending from Carmel to the vicinity of
Joppa. It was proverbial for the fragrance
of its flowers. This miracle was the occa-
sion of a general conversion to the new
religion in that part of the country. It
symbolizes the mission of Christianity,
which is restorative. Christ came to seek
and to save, &c. The Gospel is the poircr
of God unto salvation. It does not create
new faculties, but, under the Spirit's bless-
ing, restores. It implants in the soul a new
principle of life, and restores it, 1, to God's
knowledge; 2, to God's fellowship; 3, to
God's image.
36. Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named
Tabitha, which by interpretation is culled Dorca.s: this
woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which
she did. 37. And it came to pass in tliose da.vs, that
she was sick, and died : whom when they had washed,
they laid her in T.n upper chamber. 38. And foras-
much as Lydda wiis nigh to Joppa, and the disciples
had heard that Peter was there, the.v sent unto him
two men, desiring /iim that he would iiotpdelay tocome
to them. .39. Then Peter arose and went with them.
When he was come, they brought liim into Che upper
chamber: and all the widows stood liy him weeping,
and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas
made, while qslie was with them. -10. But Peter 'put
them all forth, and qkneeled down, and prayed: and
turning /u'ot to the body .said, 'Tabitha, ari.se. And she
1074
ACTS,
opened her eyes : and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
41. And he gave her Ms tiand, and li/led her up; and
when he had called the saints and widows, he 'present-
ed her alive. 42. And it was known throughout all
Joppa; "and many believed in the Lord. 4:i. And it
came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with
one 8imon a tanner.
»! Tim. ii. 10: Titus ii. 7,11. vOt. be grieved. qEccl.
ix. 10. 'Matt. ix. 2.). sJIark v. 41, 42 ; John xi. 43. U
Kings xvii. 23. "John xii. 11.
Joppa — the modern Jaffa, on the Mecli-
terranean, a very ancient city of the Phil-
istines, afterward and still the seaport of
Jerusalem, from which it lies distant forty-
five miles to the north-west. Tabitha.
This name, in Aramaic, answers to Dorcas,
in Greek, signifying a gazelle. It appears
also in the rabbinical books as a female
name; the gazelle being in the East a
favorite type of beauty. (See Song of Sol.
ii. 9, 17, iv. 5, vii. 3.) Liglitfoot remarks,
that she was probably a Hellenist {i. e., a
Grecian Jewess), and thus was known by
both names. This woman iras full of good
works. She is described by her personal
religion. This was not only real, but emi-
nent. She was not like multitudes who.se
life is filled up with vanity and vice. She
was full — not of pretenses, and of words,
but of good deeds. Her religion was sub-
stantial and practical. She not only obeyed,
but abounded in obedience. We should
constantly make progression in religion.
AVe should be anxious, not only to gain
heaven when we die, but to glorify God,
and serve our generation while we live.
She was sick, and died. This was during
the period in which Peter abode in the
vicinity. Washed. The custom of wash-
ing the dead was common, not only among
the Jews, but also among the Greeks and
Romans. Upper chamber. It was common
to deposit dead bodies alone in some se-
questered chamber of the house. Religion
does not exempt us from the common ca-
lamities of life, or the ravages of mortality.
The grave is "the house appointed for all
living." This peculiar consideration, in-
deed, attends the death of the godly, that
they are disposed of infinitely to their ad-
vantage, and in this view, "if we love
them we should rejoice because they go
unto the Father." But this very consid-
eration also aggravates our grief That
which prepares them for the enjoyment
of another world, qualifies them for their
passage through this, and in proportion to
Iheir miin is our loss.
Nigh to Joppa. The distance between the
modern village of Ludd (the ancient
Lydda) and Jafla is only about nine miles.
Disciples sent tuo men. The
Christian love of all for the departed Ga-
zelle, says Dr. Whedoii, is unanimous in the
prayer that she may return to life. There
is a blessed faith in the existence of a
truly present resurrection power. The
chiefest of Apo.stles, the wonderful first
disciple of Jesus, is but nine miles distant.
Perhaps he can restore to us even our be-
loved dead. Would not delay. They do
not expressly utter the request for a mira-
cle. Only they hope he will not delay ;
just as if the soul might soon go too far to
hear and return.
And all the widoirs, &c. These were the
particular objects of Tabitha's beneficence.
They are a class of claimants upon kind-
ness and charity, more frequently men-
tioned in the Scriptures than any other,
unless it be " the fatherless," who are com-
monly noticed along with them. And,
surely none have greater deinands upon
our tenderness and compassion. We ought
to have some definite plan of usefulness
to pursue. But we should not bind our-
selves down so exclusively to any one
class of beneficiaries as to be unable or un-
willing to aid other claimants, however
deserving or pressing ; nor should we lay
such stress upon our own objects of char-
ity as to think slightly or meanly of those
which may be preferred by others. Weep-
ing, &c. It was only after death that it
became known what a treasure she had
been to the Church ; the odor of the costly
ointment filled the house, when the vessel
in which it lay concealed, was broken.
(John xii. 3.) Coats and garments. These
were specimens of the articles of clothing
Dorcas had made for poor widows. She
did the work herself; she did not, as is cus-
tomary with many in these days, employ
others to do it for her, and feel that she
had done her duty by giving a subscrip-
tion for the purpose, she used her own
hands, she plied the needle herself. While
she was with them. She viewed life as "the
time to serve the Lord," and her " mim.
generation by the will of God." Some are
future benefactors. They do not refuse,
they only procrastinate. This is unwise,
CHAPTER IX
107.T
for in the meanwhile both the benefucitor
and beneficiary may die. (Prov. iii. 27,
28.) Soma are benevolent when they
leave ns, not while they are yd vith us.
But if it is well to bequeath, it is better to
achieve. Dying alms are commonly sus-
picious; they arise from necessity rather
than choice. There is little merit in dis-
tributing what we can hold no longer. Let
us, therefore, be our own executors.
Peter put them all forth, after the example
of his Master, and in order that he might
be undisturbed in his prayers. (See 2
Kings iv. 33 ; also Matt. ix. 25.) Prayed,
namely, to Christ, in whose name the
Apostles performed their miracles. (See
verse 34, iii. 6, 16, iv. 10.) "This praj^er
is the essential feature by which the resur-
rection of Tabitha is distinguished from
that of the daughter of Jairus. Jesus,
without any preceding prayer, took the
dead child by the hand, and recalled her
to life, but Peter tioes not do so until he
had prayed to the Lord for this miracle."
Peter's words were not, " \ say unto thee.
Arise," in the language of authority, but
simply, Tabitha, arise, as an intimation
that Jesus had restored her life; and it
should also be remembered that there
was no witness to the transaction. Peter
speaks as olie who felt assured that his
prayer had prevailed. (See Matt. xvii.
20.) A7idirhenshehadopenedItere)/es,&c. The
graphic minuteness of detail here imparts
to the narrative an air of charming reality.
And he gave her Jiis hand — in the way of
welcome or congratulation. (See Mark i.
31.) He presented her alive. Touching
spectacle ! Peter giving and they receiving
this present ! " There, take your benefac-
tress, and dry up your tears." We here
see that kindness was the principle of the
miracle, not self-apnlause, not vain glory.
Then Peter would have claimed her as an
attendant, and required her to follow him
as a standing proof of his supernatural
powers, but he resigns her to those who-
stood in need of her services. It is ex-
ceedingly cheering when a pastor can-
publicly diffuse the blessing which he
has sought in his closet on his knees, and
scatter it as the seed of new and more
abundant fruits. Luke mentions the grief
of the widows as they stood around the?
corpse of Dorcas, but does not describe
their joy when she was restored to life — it
could not be described.
Many believed in the Lord, literally, vpon
the Lord — Christ, whose Gospel had been
so signally attested as true. This was the
moral purpose of the miracle, and it was
realized. Tabitha w'as raised more for the
good of others than her own, for her being
restored to natural life was the occasion
of raising many to a life of faith. Peter
remained here many days, because the
place was large, and the people evinced a
preparation for the reception of the Word.
The Apostle's host on this occasion was a
namesake of his own. When God opens
a wide door for a minister on any spot, it
becomes his duty to tarry as long as pos-
sible, so that the good seed may take root.
The occupation of Simon was that of a
tanner. That Peter made his abode with
this individual, whom some of his coun-
trymen would have disesteemed on ac-
count of his employment, is evidence that
he thought little of worldly dignity in
connection with his being an Apostle.
His Master had taught him by instruction
and example, that true greatness is best
adorned by condescension. (Matt, xviii.
4; Mark ix. 35.) The sphere in society,
indeed, to which Peter had been accus-
tomed, was that of ordinary, though very
respectable, men, and he, doubtless,
would not think of any special difference,
as to the common usages of life, between
himself and Simon of Joppa,
1. For what purpose did Saul go to the high priest? 2. What occurred as he came near Damascus ? 3. What
.lid tht- voice say unto him ? i. Whose voice \v .is it? 5. W.iit d.d lie reply? B. What did tlie Lord then say
to him ? 7. What is next said of Saul ? 8. What d'.rection d!d the Lord give to Ananias? 9. What did An;:-
nias answer ? 10. What did the Lord then say to him ? U. What took place when Anania-s went to Saul ? 12.
What effect was produced hy Saul's preaching? 13. Why were the disciples afraid of Saul ? 14. Who brought
him to the Apostles? 15. State tlie pirticulars of the cure of Eneas by Peter. Ifi. What was the character of
Dorcas? 17. By whom, and how, was she restored to life? 18. With whom did Peter spend many days in
Joppa ?
1076
ACTS.
CHAPTER X.
1 Chmelius. a devout man, 5 beinp commanded by an an-
gel, sendeth for Peter : 1 1 w/io tty a vision 15, 20 is taught
not to dfxpixe the, OcnlUt's. 31 As he preacheth Christ to
Cbrnelius and his company. 44 the Holy Ohostfalleth
on them, 4S and they are baptized.
Thus far, in the progress of the Gospel,
efforts for the conversion of men to Christ-
ianity had been confined to Jews and cir-
cumcised proselytes. The disciples of
Christ had not yet entered fully into the
spirit of the Gospel, so far as? concerns its
extension to all nations, they still adhered
very much to Jewish opinions in respect
to ceremonial cleanness and the impro-
priety of associating with people of other
religions. They believed, indeed, as the
terms of their Lord's last commission to
them plainly showed (Matt, xxviii. 19 ;
Mark xvi. 15), that the Gospel was to be
everywhere spread, and preached to all
men. Still they expected that peo])le of
other nations would first become Jews,
and adopt Jewish rites, and then, as being
Jews, would become followers of the Mes-
siah. (See 28, 45, xi. 2, 3, 18, xv. 1, 5.)
This prejudice would have operated so as
finally to prevent the Gospel being preach-
ed to the Gentiles, had not God, by a par-
ticular interposition of His mercy and
goodness, convinced Peter, and through
him all the other Apostles, that He had
accepted the Gentiles as well as the J ews,
and would put no difference between the
one and the other, purifying their hearts
by faith, and giving the Gentiles the Holy
Ghost, as He had before given Him to the
Jews. The means which He used to pro-
duce this conviction in the minds of the
Apostles, are detailed at length in this
chapter, in which, what Abraham is to the
Jewish saints, Cornelius is seen to be to the
Gentile Christians — the first called out
miraculously by God — the moral father of
the great family.
n^HERE wa'J a certain man in Cesarea, called Cor-
l nelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian
band:
A certain man. Eneas also, who like-
wise had a Roman name, was only thus
styled in ix. 33. Cesriren—a city on the
coast of the Mediterranean between Joppa
and Tyre, about seventy miles north-west
of Jerusalem. It is sometimes called
Cesarea Palestine, to distinguish it from
Cesarea Philippi. Herod the Great en-
larged the city, and gave it its name in
honor of Augustus Ctesar, the Roman Em.-
peror. Its inhabitants were chiefly Greeks :
it contained a fine harbor, many splendid
temples, palaces, and other buildings. It
was the seat of the Roman governor, and
became the capital of Palestine after the
overthrow of the Holy City. It was one
of the most magnificent cities of the East-
ern world. After the destruction of Jeru-
salem, when Judea became a Roman
province, Cesarea was the chief city of
Palestine (Acts xxiv. 27, xxv. 1-13), and
was often visited by Paul (Acts ix. 30,
xviii. 22, xxi. 8). It was here that he
made his eloquent defense before Felix,
Festus and Agrippa (Acts xxiii., xxv.,
xxvi)., and here he suffered two years'
imprisonment. Philip the Evangelist re-
sided here (Acts xxi. 8).
Cornelius, a familiar but honorable name
in Latin, being that of a distinguished
Roman family.' A centurion was strictly
the commander of a hundred men, but
the title was applied with some degree of
latitude to those who led the subdivisions
of a legion. The. Italian band, so called, as
distinguished from native soldiers quarter-
ed at Cesarea. An ancient coin makes
express mention of such a cohort in Syria.
Many of these soldiers were alive when
these things were written, and could tes-
tify to them. Cornelius, though a Gentile,
though a soldier, though a commissioned
officer, was yet a pious, charitable, good
man. Alas ! how little the soldiers of our
day, in general, resemble the centurion !
In all nations, places, and lawful pursuits,
God has a number of persons to honor
Him in the world, according to their pre-
sent measure of light received from him.
I (See on verse 2.)
2 A "devout man, and one that ^feared God with all
<^his house, which gave much alms to Jthe people, ancl
prayed ^to God alway.
»vili. 2, xxii. 12. bEccl. vii. 18. ''Gen. xviii. 19. Ps. cL
2-7, xviii. 8. ^Pa. xli. 1. "^Ps. cxix. 2 ; Prov. ii. 3-5.
Cornelius was one of those Gentiles, not
uncommon in the Apostolic age, who had
become dissatisfied with the religious wor-
ship of his ancestors, and was attached to
the purer religion of the Jews. (See on
verse 4.) He worshiped God, the know-
CHAPTER X.
1077
ledge of whom he probably obtained by
residing with his men in Jiidea. Feared
God with all liis house. Here is a union
of personal and relative duty. This was hke
Joshua, who said, "As for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord." ]V]iich
gave much alms to the people. The reference
is to tlie Jewish people. (See verse 22.)
And prayed to God abvay. Philip the Evan-
gelist was probably already in Cesarea,
preaching the Gospel (Acts viii. 44). The
narrative supposes that Cornelius was not
ignorant of the facts of the life of Jesus.
(See particularly verses 3(5, 37.) Hence it
is not improbable that the great subje(;t
of his prayers was that he might obtain
more religious light, and especially might
be led to the truth with regard to Jesus
Christ. (See on 3, 4.) Here is an union
oipktyawd morality, or, of devotion to God
and charity to men. And their union forms
the consistent, the graceful, the respecta-
ble character of the real Christian, tho
, man of true worth. If we leave either of
them out of our system, even though we
excel in the other, we can stand trial only
in one point of view. It is only on one side
our character is fair, on the other it will
always be open to much reproach. And
as we dishonor ourselves, so we do great
injustice to religion. For, by dividing its
parts from one another, we never fail to
expose it to the censure of the world :
And perhaps, by this sort of partial and
decided so-called goodness, religion has
suffered more in the esteem of mankind
than by open profligacy. The unbeliever
will scoff at our piely when he sees us
negligent of moral duties. The bigot will
decry all morality when he sees us pre-
tending to be a follower of virtue, though
we be a despiser of God. Whereas he
who fears God, and is at the same time
just and beneficent to men exhibits reli-
gion to the world with full propriety. It
shines in his conduct with its native splen-
dor, and its rays throw a glory round him.
3 He saw in a vision evidently, about the ninth hour
of the day, an angel fof God coming in to him, and say-
ing unto him, Cornelius.— 'Heb. i. 14.
The angel appeared to him about the
ninth hour (3 o dock,' P. M.), or the third
hour of prayer, which the devout pagan
probably observed of his own accord, in
company with the Jews. He then saw in
a vision (fliat is, by an internal process, of
which God was the author, but, in other
respects, distinctly, not by a deception of
the senses) an angel of God, who entered
the chamber, and addressed him by name.
(See Dan. ix. 20, 23; Luke i. ll,&c.) Hours
of prayer are truly hours of grace, when
the angels of God are most of all prompt
in coming.
4. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and
said, What is it. Lord ? And he said unto hiin,Tliy
prayers anil thine alms are come up lor a memorial fbe-
Ibre God.— ulsa. xlv. 19.
Afraid, as the flesh ever is in the pres-
ence of spiritual beings. Thy prayers and
thine alrm are come tip for a memorial before
God, that is, " they have as(;ended to hea-
ven, like the smoke of the sacrifices, so
that they remind God of thee." It will be
observed that the angel places the " pray-
ers " and " alms " in a different order to
Luke, in verse 2. There the outward acts
were placed before the inward, according
to the custom of men, but now the inward
feelings are placed first, as they are valued
before God. Nothing ascends to God as a
sweet savor, except that which came from
Him, was wrought by Him, and was done
for His sake. (Phil. ii. 13.) The accepta-
ble sacrifices of the New Covenant are, 1.
The prayer of faith. 2. The alms of love.
What Abram wi^s, in respect of justifi-
cation, before he heard and believed what
was promised him concerning the Mes-
siah, Cornelius was in respect of salvation
before he heard and believed the words
by which he was to be saved. Both were
the subjecis of faith according to their
light. Abram believed from the time that
he left Ur of the Chaldees, and Cornelius
could not hiwe feared God without believ-
ing in Him ; but the object by which they
were justified and saved was not from the
first so clearly revealed to them as it was
afterward. Hence, what is said of Cor-
nelius in verses 2, 4, is easily reconciled
with the fact, that after this he was direct-
ed to send for Peter, who should tell him
words by which he and all his house should
BE SAVED. (Chap. xi. 14.)
5. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Si
mon, whose surname is Peter, (i. HelodKeth with one
Simon I'a tanner, whose house is by the sea-side: he
shall tell thee 'what thou oughtest to do.
hix. -13. ixi. 14.
Joppa. (See on ix. 38.) He who was
to speak to Cornelius this great message,
1078
ACTS.
is exactly specified both by name and
surname, his city, locality and house be-
ing mentioned, but yet no title of honor
is given to him. The fact that Peter was
sent for to come to Cornelius, and not just
the reverse, is likewise suitable to the
greatness of the event; it forms, as Bcngd
remarks, the beginning of the Apostles'
going forth to preach to all nations. By
the sea-side. The ancients had their tan-
ners' houses and workshops apart from
towns (on account of the fetid odor), and
near rivers, for convenience of water
necessary in preparing skins. He shall tell
thee, &c. AVhat an honor was here put
upon the Gospel ministry ! Cornelius has
now an angel from heaven talking to him,
yet he must not receive the Gospel from
him, nor be told by him what he ought to
do, but all that the angel has to say is,
" Send for Peter, and he shall tell thee."
God has not employed as the messenger
of His mercy, superior beings, whose
greatness would have made us afraid, and
to the charms of whose eloquence the
success of His Word might have been as-
cribed. " He hath put the treasure in
earthen vessels, that the excellency of the
power may be of God, and not of men."
We are addressed by mortals like our-
selves, to whom we can listen without
terror, and who, being sinful, weak and
imperfectly enlightened, can be consider-
ed only as instruments of the Divine
operations.
7. And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius
was dcparteci, he called tvo oi' his lioiiseliold .servaiUs,
and a devout soldier oi" them that waited on liiiii con-
tinually : 8. And when he had declared a,\\ these IhrngA
unto them, he sent them to Joppa.
Was departed — another token of the ob-
jective reality of the vision. He called.
He did not go himself for Peter. This he
would have readily done, but he Avas
ordered by the angel to send (verse 5.)
His presence was proper and necessary at
home. He was a man in office, and in
command. He had a weighty trust re-
posed in him : and we are to abide with
God in our callings. Household servants, i. e.,
two of his domestics. They were in all
probability godly servants. (Verse 2.) A
godly man will choose, as far as he can,
those that are religious to attend him.
(Ps. ci. 6, 7.) Or, he will be likely to
render them such, if they are not such
when he engages them. The devout soldier
had the same religious spirit as his master ;
he also had renounced idolatry, and was
a worshiper of the true God. And when
lie Jiad declared all these tilings, &c. Here
we have not a harsh injunction, not a bare
order, couched in a few unexplained terms,
not the sealed instructions, the orders of
a tyrant, who is to be implicitly obeyed,
and is afraid to trust. Here is intercourse,
openness. How happy, when in such re-
lations in life, there is union and harmony,
condescension, kindness, unreserve, on
the one side, and respect and obetlience,
without encroachment on the other.
9 ton the morrow, as they went on their journey,
and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went Jup upon the
Louse-top to pray, about the sixth hour:
Jxi. o, itc.
On the morrow — Starting at three in the
afternoon, they completed the journey of
almost thirty miles from Cesarea to Joppa
on the next day about noon. Thereby
their arrival and Peter's noon-day prayer
would coincide. Upon the fiousc-top, ther
roof which, according to the Oriental man-
ner, was flat, or but slightly inclined. It
was the place often chosen for the per-
formance of religious duties. The situa-
tion does not expose one necessarily to
public view. (See 2 Kings xxiii. 12; Jer.
xix. 13, xxxii. 15.) Sixth hour, or noon.
This was one of the stated hours of i^rayer
among the Jews. Prayer is the heavenly
attendant of the Christian during the
whole day. (Ps. Iv. 17.) He who would
.see " heaven opened," must pray.
10 And he became very hungry, and would have
eaten : but wffile they made ready, he lell into a
trance ;
Peter is prepared, in mind and body, for
the extraordinary revelation which awaits
him. Would liaue eaten, rather, desired to
eat. Wliile they made ready; while his
his friends, the people of the bouse, were
preparing either his noon-day meal, or in
anticipation of it, and at his request. He
fell into a trance, in Greek, there fell on
him an ecstacy, a p-e*^ernatural, abnormal
state of mind, preparing him for the re-
ception of the vision. In the mode of in-
struction wliit-h God employed in this in-
stance, He adapted Himself to the pecu-
liar circumstances in which Peter was
placed. " The divine light that was mak-
ing its way to his spirit, says Neander.
CHAPTER X.
1U79
revealed itself in the mirror of sensible
inuii^'us, wiiich proreeded from the exist-
ing state of his bodily frame."
lU And s;i\v kheaven opened, and n certain vessel de-
Gceuding unto liini, lu it IkuI iH-eii u ^reut slieet, knit ut
the luiir corners, and let down to the eurtU ;
ItCliap. vii. oo; Rev. xix. li.
IL'.iocn oprned ( not the heavens, us Stephen,
vii. .5'}). A certain vessel. The word vessel
is here used ia a general sense, like our
word ariicle, or implement. A more particu-
lar description is immediately given. A
great sheet, &c. — a large square piece of
cloth, drawn up at the corners,*iind thus
capable of holding what might be placed
in it.
12. Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of
the earlu, iin<l Wild beo-sUs, and creeping taiugs, and
fowlo o. tlie air.
All ..... .four-footed beasts, &c., i. e., the
clean and the unclean (ceremonially) all
mixed together. The Apostles, while they
thought that the distinction of'clean and
unclean animals and meats was to con-
tinue, and the Gentile? were unclean, had
forgotten, or never understood, the con-
trary doL-'Liration of Christ, in Matt. xv. 17,
18. Even our Lord's command, indeed,
"Go, teach all nations," &c. (Matt, xxviii.
19), they had misunderstood, thinking the
command applied only to those who liad
previously eml)raced the Jewish religion ;
for whie'h reason they had hitherto avoided
the society of Gentiles, and had not com-
municated to them the doctrines of Christ.
We see, therefore, how necessn-tj it was,
that this intention of God should be mani-
fested more strongly than language could
do it, by a most impressive exhibition of
the thing itself, which could not be mis-
taken. At the same time, it is true, that
the removal of the distinction of meats
need not have seemed strange to the Apos-
tles, since we find from the rabbinical
writings, that the Jewish masters main-
tained that this would take place in the
time of the Messiah.
13. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter, kill,
and eat. ,
Came a voice — a voice became audible.
Rise, this may imply that he was on his
knees. The direction to prepare food for
himself from that collection of animals,
was intended to excite in his mind the
thought that the ceremonial, or religious
distinction between clean animals and un-
clean, was abolished. (See on next verse.)
U. But Peter said, Not bo, Lord; for I have never
eati^n uuytliing tliat is 'common or unclean.
'Lev. xi. ■.;, (tc, XX. ij: Deal. xiv. 3, &c. : Kzek. iv. 14.
The same Peter who, on a previous occa-
sion would not consent that the Lord
should wash His sinful servant's feet, can-
not even now believe that lie is able to
cleanse that whit'h was unclean according
to Jewish principles. Common, i. e., not
sanctilied by Divine permission to eat of
it, and so "unclean." The distinction of
meats was a sacrament of national distinc-
tion, separation and consecration. The
devout Jews religiously kept the precepts
of the IMosaic law concerning this distinc-
tion. (See Dan. i. 8, 12.) Hence the course
Peter now pursued in reference to a com-
mand, against which all his religious no-
tions as a Jew revolted.
15. And the voice spafcf unto him a^ain the second
time, \Vii;it God luilU "cleiUisfd, tlial. call not thou
conimiin.
'"Matt. XV. 11; verse 23; Rom. xiv. 11, &c. ; 1 Cor. x.
25 ; 1 Tim. iv. 4.
The prohibited animals were not un-
clean from any natural impurity, but in
virtue of a positive institution, in conse-
quence of which an Israelite could not use
them for food, without contracting defile-
ment. They were cleansed when the in-
stitution was revoked, and might thence-
forth be eaten without any other scruple
than what arose from a regard to health,
or to taste.
Ifi. This wns done thrice: and the vessel was received
up again into heaven.
7'' his icas done thrice, for the same reason
that the dream of Pharaoh was doubled,
"because the thing was establiLdied by
God, and God would shortly bring it to
pass."
17. Now while Peter doubted In himself what this
vision whicn he ha>i seen should mean, bcliold. the
men which wore sent Irom Coniolius liad niado inqui-
ry ";br Simon's house, and stood beiorclln- gate, 18.
And called, and asked whether tsimon. wliicli wassur-
luimed Peter, were lodged there. lii. Wliile Peter
tliougliton the vision, the Spirit osaid unto him, Be-
hold, three men seek thee. 20. Arise, ptiierelore, and
get tliee down, and go with them, doubting nothing:
lor T have sent them.
"Chap. ix. 43. "Chap. xi. 12. pChap. xv. 7.
Eastern houses are surrounded with a
quadrangular court, and the entrance be-
ing by a small but well-secured gate,
which is at a considerable distance from
apartments occupied by the family, visi-
tors have often to stand long at the gate
knocking or calling aloud, before they
obtain admittance. The houses of the
richer class cannot boast of a statelier ap-
proach, and as in the limited establish-
1080
ACTS
ment of Simon the tanner, there might be
no servants, and that artisan himself, to-
gether with his family, were in all proba-
bility enjoying their meridian repose, the
messengers of Cornelius had to exercise
all the patience which an application fur
access into a house in the East generally
requires. Observe, 1. How Peter medita-
ted on Avhat he had seen and heard.
Whatever jxisses from God to man, either
by the eye or through the ear, ought to be
the subject of our deepest meditation. 2.
The care which the Holy Spirit took to
settle satisfactorily Peter's doubts and
reasonings. Here we see both the Divini-
ty and the Personality of the Holy Ghost.
He that knows the thoughts of man's
heart, as He did Peter's, is truly and really
God, and He that commands and forbids,
as Peter was here commanded to go to
Cornelius, and forbidden to doubt of the
lawfulness or success of his journey, is
really a Person.
21. Then Peter went down to the men which were
sent unto him Croin Uoraelius, and said, Beliold, I am
he whom ye seel< : what is the cause svlieie.ore ye are
come? 22. And tliey said, CoriieliiH qthe centurion, a
just man, and one tliat fearetli God, an.l or good report
■■among all the nation of tlie Jews, was warned irom
God by an holv angel, to send Jor thee into liis liouse,
and to" hear words oftliee. 2;5, Then called he them in,
and lodged thnn. And on the morrow Peter went away
with them, and certain 'brethren trom Joppa accom-
panied him. 2t. And tlie morrow a ter tliey entered
itito Cesarea. And Cornelius waited lor them, and had
called together iiis kinsmen and near iriends.
qVerse 1, &c. --Chap. xxii. 12; Heb. xi. 2. sVerse45.
Behold, I am he whom ye seek, &c. As
Chrysoslom observes, Peter shows that he
had no thought of concealing himself
from them, by first making himself known
and then inquring why they sought him.
Cornelius the centurion, a just man, &c. (See
on verses 2, 4.) The description here
given by the messengers of Cornelius of
their Master, is worthy of notice, and is
highly creditable to him as coming from
them who knew him b33t. Instead of
" devout," as in verse 2, we have now
"just," a term descriptive precisely of
that trait of character with which the de-
pendents of the man would be best ac-
acquainted from experience. And of good
1 cport, &c. This statement was eminently
judicious, both in reference to themselves,
who were pagans, it is true, but doubtless
were favorably inclined to the Israelites,
and also in reference to Peter, to whom
they thus intended to recommend their
master. To send for — otherwise Cornelius
himself would not have hesitated to come.
Hear words of thee, but of what kind they
could not as yet tell. TJteyi called he them
in, &c. They were wearied with their
journey, and needed refreshment, and it
was thought expedient that they should
rest that night with Simon the tanner.
Certain hrctJiren from Joppa, &c. Some of
the believers who dwelt at Joppa, that
they might- witness and be ready to attest
the whole of what passed on this unpre-
cedented occasion. They were six in
number, as we learn from chap. xi. 12.
And the morrow after, &c. (See on verse
9.) And Cornelius waited for them. He had
not occupied himself in other business
meanwhile, but wholly devoted himself
to this matter, and duriug this whole time
was being prepared for it. Called together,
not merely to do honor to his visitor, but
for their own instruction. Jlis kinsman,
from which some infer that Cesarea was
his native place, or at least that he had
formed intimate connections i:i the coun-
try. Near friends. This bond is more
comprehensive than kindred, and applies
even to relationship by marriage, neigh-
borhood, &c. Not all kinsmen and con-
nections are friends. Ho assembled those
who he thought would wish to be j^resent.
They were therefore men them .elves not
unlike Cornelius. (Verse 2.) How often
friendshij), cultivated with the good or
bad, unexpectedly results either in our
profit or injury! The desire that others
should share in our spiritual gifts, is the
great characteristic of love and friendship.
" We impoverish ourselves," says Quesncl,
" when we share our earthly goods with
others, but the more liberally we impart
our spiritual riches to them in love, the
more abundantly wc ourselves become
endowed with (hem."
2'). If And as Peter w.-vs coming in. Cornelius met him
and fell down at his f(>et. and wursliipiied /(i//i. -y,. But
Pi'ter took him up, saying. Stand uip, J niyselTulso am
a man.— 'Chap. xiv. 14, 15; Kev. xix. 10, xxii. 9.
Cornelius met him, at Ihe door, or in the
court of the house. The first interview
appears to have taken place there, and
then the centurion and the Apostle pro-
ceeded to the room where the company
were assembled. (See verse 27). Athisfet,
rather, iipon the feet, viz., of Peter. The
word here rendered worshipped, denotes a
total and reverential prostration of the
CHAPTER X,
1081
body to the earth ; a mark of profound re-
6j)ert, which the Jews and other Orien-
tals rendered, not to kings only, but also
to persons of high dignity. But the Ro-
mans yielded this homage to the Deity
only, and therefore Peter declined it, by
saying, I myself also am a man. Yet it does
not follow that Cornelius meant to have
transferred the honor due to the Deity,
to Peter, for he was devout and fearing God
(verse 2), and Peter had just been repre-
sented in the vision as a man, but, struck
with reverential awe at the sight of a Di-
vine legate, he could not preserve the due
distinction between the honor to be ren-
dered to the ambassador and the Prin-
cipal.
27. And as ho talke'l with him, he went in, and found
many tliul were cuiue togetlier.
Talked with him — f.aniliarly. He went in
— into the inner part of the house. Many
— a joyous harvest.
28. And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is
an unlaw 111 tiling ".or a man that is a Jew to keep
company, or como unto one oi'anotlier nation, hut (Jod
hath shewed mo "that I should not call any man com-
mon or unclean.
"John iv. 9. >Chap, xv. 8, 9 ; Eph. ill. 6.
Ye, know, &c. There is no command in
the Law of Mose^i, forbidding familiar in-
tercourse with the Gentiles, but this was
an interdict of the Jewi. h doctors, who
had burdened the Mosaic Law with many
added injunctions. Josephus says, " Those
strangers who came to us on any other
account but that of religion, he (Moses)
permitted not to be mixed with us in any
familiarities." Tacitus says, " The Jews
entertained among one another obstinate
hate, ready mercy ; toward all others hos-
tility and hxtc." TJiat I should not call any
man, &c.. The intent of the vision which
had appeared to Peter was now distinctly
perceived by him. To vi.-it a Gentile was
no longer to be regarded as an act of im-
piety.
29. Th"rp''or<» came T unto you without Kainsayine:,
as sour; ai I w »« sent tor. I ask, there. ore, lor what in-
tent ye have sent lor me ?
Therefore — Peter thought it necessary to
let them know how he came to change
his mind in this matter, by a Divine rev-
elation, lest he should be upbraided with
want of stability. For what intent — for
what reason. Although Peter knew the
reason, both from revelation and from the
mes-sengers of Cornelius, yet he desires
him to relate it for the benefit of the com-
pany, and that Cornelius himself might be
the more impressed by the narration.
Among the reasons and intents under
wliich the services of ministers, in matters
which relate to their spiritual interests,
can only be sought by any people, the fol-
lowing may be mentioned : 1. In general,
a regard to their personal salvation. 2.
Instruction in the truth. It must be their
desire to " hear words of him." 3. Faith-
ful and constant ajiplication and enforce-
ment of truth. 4. The continuance of the
oi-dinances and disci])line of the Church
of Christ. Those who send for ministers
to be over them in the Lord, should main-
tain a teacha]:)le spirit, and be " intent"
upon growth and advancement in know-
ledge and piety.
30. And rornelius said, Fonr days afro I was fasting
tint:i tiiis hour, ami at the ninth hour I pra.ved in my
ho\ise, and, heliold. a man stood he ore me »in bright
clothiug,— "Matt, xxviii. 3; Chap. i. 10.
Four days ago, &c. Thisjirobably means,
four days ago nnto this hour in which he
was then speaking. The fast commenced
with the day and had continued unbroken
until the ninth hour (corresponding with
our three o'clock, P. M.), when the angel
appeared. This view agrees with the
number of days which had elapsed since
the angel's communication, viz.: four, and
allows time enough for the abstinence to
justify the use of "fasting." I prayed in my
house — house being put for household, as
is ordinary. An old writer observes :
" He was praying in his family in his
ordinary cour-e, and there he had the be-
nign appearance of that kind messenger
from heaven, to direct him to the way by
which he might come to a more distinct
knowledge of the Mediator, and of wor-
shiping God in Christ. According to the
light he had, and the sincerity that God
had given him in proportion thereunto,
his acceptance above was declared before.
But God resolved to help him, in the
method and way which he most approved,
unto more distinct notices, and the.'^e he
is directed how to come by, even at the
time when he was engaged in his domes-
tic performances of religion in his house."
(See on verse 2.) Religious fasting, in
order to the greater seriousness and
solemnity of praying, was used by devout
l^eople that were not Jews, as at Jonah,
iii. 5. In bright cloUdng. Effulgent dress,
1082
ACTS.
probably the same with the white raiment
of the two men upon Ohvet. (See on
chap. i. 10.) This may be regarded in
both cases as an emanation or reflection
of the Divine glory, with which these
messengers from heaven were invested,
and as a proof of their legation and a
source of awe to the beholders.
31. And said, Cornelius, thy 'prayer is heard, and
thine alm-> are liad in remembrance in the siyht oi
God. 'Verse 4, &c. ; Dan. i. 12 ; Heb. vi. 10.
See on verse 4.
32. Send tlierefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon
whose surname is Peter: he is lodged in the house of
one Simon a lanner. by the sea-side; who, when lie
Cometh, shall speak unto thee.
See on verses 5, 6.
33. Immediately therefore I sent to thee : and thou
ha.st wc-ll done that thou art oume. Now Jthere^ore
are we all here present bei'ore (Jod, to hear all things
that are commanded thee ox God. jDeut. v. 27.
Thou hast well done A formula of praise.
He praises Peter because he had not de-
layed to come. Before God, i. e., in the
presence of God. He who so wonderfully
arranged matters as to call us together, is
present with us. to assist you in speaking
and us in hearing. Would that all con-
gregations had a consciousness of God's
presence! All here present, &c. Onr pub-
lic worship would prove much more both
comfortable and profitable, if our hearts
met in it as one, so that we could use this
e.K{)ression concerning our hearing of the
Word. All things thai are commanded, &c.
They were assembled, not as a matter of
custom, not for a mere performance, not
for entertainment, but to learn. They
were not seekers after a knowledge of
Peter's private speculations, or of aught
that was human in thought. They de-
eired information concerning the Divine,
will: and they wanted to know "all" of
it. As Peter himself was, .so all the min-
isters of Christ are, confined within their
commission, they must only speak what
God commands, neither are hearers bound
to receive anything else. Woe unto us,
if when God sends us on His errand, we
tell our own tale. The w(^d is the coun-
sel of God, and it is the counsel of God
only, and the whole counsel of God also,
that we are to declare, and our people are
to hear.
34. T Then Peter opened hix mouth, and said. Of a
truth I perceive that God 'is no respecter of persons :
3-1. But ill ''every nation he that feareth him, and work-
eth riE;hteonsness, is accepted with him.
'Dcut. X. 17: cliap. ii. xix. 7: Job x.xxiv. )9: Rom. il.
11 : Gal. ii. 0; 1 Peter i. 17. "Rom. ii. 13, 27, iii. 22, 29, x.
12, 13 : Eph. ii. 13-18.
Then Peter opened his mouth, these words
(as in viii. 35) inform us, with great solem-
nity, that the following address contains
important truths. The address itself, con-
sists of three parts: 1. The introduction,
verses 34, 35, stating that all men, without
regard to national distinctions, may alike
be received into the kingdom of God, pro-
vided that they fear Him, and do that
which is right. 2. A brief exhibition of
the life and work of Jesus, extending to
the judgment, verses 36-42. 3. The assu-
rance, supported by the prophetic word,
that through Christ, every one who be-
lieves in Him, shall receive remission of
sins, verse 43. Of a truth I perceive — in
truth, I comprehend. Truth is the foun-
dation, so that Peter's knowledge rests on
the truth, and, indeed is truth. No re-
specter of persons, i. e., not partial in the way
of regarding one man as better than an-
other, on the ground of national descent.
But in every nation, &c. These words
have often been quoted to prove that the
works of heathens are pleasing to God, as
well as those of Christians, but they are
grossly perverted. Any person who con-
siders the context, will see that they do
not teach that men of every nation may
work righteousness, but that, to whatever
nation those who work righteousness be-
long, they are accepted. No two things
can be more different, and that the latter
is the true meaning is evident, because
the Apostle is speaking in reference to the
prejudices of the Jews, who believed that
they were the objects of the Divine fiivor,
to the exclusion of every other people.
This he now discovered to be an error,
for, in the case of Cornelius, God had
shown that if there were any righteous
Gentiles, they also were acceptable to
Him. But Cornelius, il must be remem-
bered, was not such a Gentile as Socrates,
or Cato, or Aristides, but one who knew
the true God, and worshiped Him. (See
on ver.se 4.) Besides, as Cornelius was di-
rected by a vision to send for Peter, who
would tell him " what he ought to do "
(verse 6), it cannot be supposed that the
Apostle, in the first words he utters, would
declare that the Gospel, which God had
interposed in a miraculous manner, to
make know not the centurion, was not
CHAPTER X.
1083
necessary to him, because there were
other means, by which the Divine favor
might be obtained — in other words, that
the great end of rehgion might be accom-
phslied without his instructions. Before
the words can be api>Hed to mere hea-
then, therefore, it must be proved tliat a
person, by unassisted reason, may acquire
the knowledge of the true God, and, with-
out the aid of supernatural grace, may
perform su(;h works as the unerring
Judge, " by whom actions are weighed,"
will accept. "I think the text proves,"
says Doddridge, " that God would sooner
send an angel to direct pious and upright
persons to the knowledge of the Gospel,
than suffer them to perish by ignorance
of it. But so far from intimating that
such persons may be found among those
that reject Christianity it deter-
mines nothing as to their existence in
every nation."
36 The wnrd which Oori sent unto thfi children of
Israel, preaching peace 'by Jesus Christ ; (he is -^^LorU ox'
all:)
i>Isa. Ivii. 19: Col. i. 20. ^ps. xxiv. 7-10: Matt, xxviii.
18 : Rom. xiv. n : 1 Cor. xv. 27 ; Eph. i. 20, 22 ; 1 Peter iii.
22; Rev. xvii. 14.
Peace — salvation in general — the glad
tidings of the Gospel. Of all — masculine,
not neuter : Lord of all men, and there-
fore of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews.
This description evidently refers not to
God, but to Jesus Christ, the last ante-
cedent : He is the Supreme Head and King
of men.
37. That word. I 'ay, ye know, which was published
throuEchout all Judea, and began from Galilee, a.ter tlie
baptism whicli John preached:
Know. The word so rendered, does
not here mean full and accurate know-
ledge, but, in a popular way, " hear and
know,'' as in ii. 22, v. 7, ix. 13. Philip had
preached at Cesarea. (viii. 42.) " Tliat
word" — the report concerning Jesus they
had heard.
3S. How OJod ano'nted iiJesus of Nazareth with the
Holv Ghost and with power, who •went about doin?
good, and liealin? all that were oppressed fof the devil :
Bfor (Tod was witli him.
-iLnk-o iv. 18- Heb. i. 9. «Matt. xiii. 15. n John iii. 8.
gJohn iii. 2.
J>S7f.s transfers the mind from the Gos-
pel history to the personal subject of it.
Of (or, from) Nazareth, as the place of His
residence. (See Matt. ii. 23.) Anointed,
endowed Him with extraordinary spiritual
gifts for the performnnce of His IMediator-
ial functions, and thus con.sccrated Him
to His great offices as the Messiah. (See
on i. 2, and on iv. 2G.) With the Ilobj Ghost
and vith power, i. e., with the power of the
Holy Ghost, or with j)ower as a ncces.sary
consequence of this endowment. Who
went ahoul, &c. Jesus did good l)y His
miracles, His ministry, and His example.
lUa motives in doing good were pure and
perfect. Some men do good for a time,
but Jesus persevered in doing good. (See
Ptom. V. 7, 8 ; 1 Peter ii. 21.) Three things
are observable in the ministry of our Lord:
1. His unwearied diligence. (John iv. 34,
ix.4.) 2. His self-denial. ( Matt. iv. 2; John
vi. 10.) 3. His love for perishing sinners.
In order to copy the bright and beautiful
example of Jesus, we must have the mind
which was in him. (Phil. ii. 8.) "We can-
not imitate His miracles. The attempt
would be presumptuous. But let us fol-
low Him in diligence and zeal, in pure
benevolence, and in disinterested love.
Let us go about as we may have opportu-
nity, and do good to all. We should visit
the sick, relieve the needy, instruct the
ignorant, and direct peri^hing sinners to
Christ. Healing all those that irere oppressed,
&c. His triumph over this form of Satanic
agency is singled out as the highest ex-
hibition of His wonder-working power.
(See Appendix.) For God ?ms ivith Jiim.
This Nicodemus also perceived, and
honestly acknowledged. "No man,"
said he (John iii. 2), " can do these
miracles which thou doest, except God be
with him."
39. And ''wp are witnesses of all th'ngs which he did,
botli intlieland of the Jews and in J^TUsalem : whom
they slew and hanged on a tree.— ^Luke xxiv. 18.
Witnesses. You know the report, and we
are witnesses of the facts. Whom they
sletv, &c. As the truth of the resurrection
must depend on the reality of the death
of Christ, it was necessary that this i-hould
be stated, and shown to rest on the most
indubitable evidence. Peter was not
ashamed to own that the person whom he
preached as the IMessiah suffered an igno-
minious death. The shame of the cross
was done away with by the glory of the
resurrection.
40. Him God raided up Uhe third day. and shewed
him openly; 41. NotJto all the pooole. but uuro wit-
nesses chosen before ^of God, »^?'oi to nc, who dd eat
and drink with him a'ter he rose from thf drrd.
■Matt, xxviii. 1, 2. ijohn xiv. 22. xx. 21. 'John xv.
16.
10S4
ACTS,
Him God raised up the third day. He lay
long enough, under the power of death, to
prove that He was dead, and not too long,
lest it should be supposed that His disci-
l^les had time sufficient to have practiced
some deceit or imposture, to prevent
which, the Jews took care to have the
tomb well guarded, during the whole time
He lay there. (See on chap. ii. 27.) Not
to all the people, for it was impossible with-
out raising a mob. Those who knew Him
best were the only persons perfectly quali-
fied to judge, and become witnesses. If
they, without any secular motive, and even
contrary to every one, testified that He
Avas risen, who can question this fact? No
fact is ever attested by a multitude; wit-
nesses are always selected. The witnesses
were not so by chance, but cJiosen before of
God. Eat and drink. (See on Luke xxiv.
41; Johnxxi. 10.)
42. And he commanded u-? 'to preach unto thepeople,
and to teslii'y tliat "'il is lie wliicli waj ordained oi' Uoil
to li" the Jud?e or' quick and dead.
iM.itt. xxviii. 10, -JJ. nijouu V. 22, 27; cliap. xvii. 31;
2 Cor. V. 10 ; 1 Peter iv. 5.
Commanded us, or peremptorily required
us, not leaving it to our discretion, but
making it a part of our ofiicial duty. To
preach, i. e., proclaim, publicly announce,
as heralds did. Testlfi/—be.\r witness. Or-
dained of God~hy an unchangeable decree.
Quick, or, living. By the living are meant
those who will be alive when. Jesus comes
to judgment, and by the dead those who
lived previously but wall then be dead. In
naming Christ's office as Judge, the climax
of Hi.r5 dignity is testified to, so that there
may bs held out to the penitent, faith in
the atonement through Him. This im-
portant truth of the Christian religion the
Apostle Paul also explicitly declared to the
Athenians, as a chief reason why men
should repent and embrace the Gospel.
(Chap. xvii. 31.) Oar Lord had also taught
before His crucifixion, that the final judgT
ment of men was to be a part of His official
work (John v. 22, 27), and He had, accord-
ing to Peter's declaration, instructed His
Apostles to bring forward this truth in its
due prominence.
4S. To him •■srive all the prophets witne-ss, that through
his n-.ime. owhosoever believeth in him shall receive
remission otsins.
"Luke xxiv. 27, 44 , John v. 39. cjohn iii. 14-17 ; Kom.
X. U.
Forgiveness through this exalted One, is the
closing note of Peter's beautifully simple
discourse. To him give all, &c. — i. e.. This
is the burden generally, of the prophetic
testimony. It was fitter thus to give the
spirit of their testimony, than to quote
tliem in detail on such an occasion. But
let this Apostolic statement of the evan-
gelical import of the Old Testament writ-
ings be devoutly weighed by those who
are disposed to rationalize away this ele-
ment in the Old Testament. Whosoever
believeth, &c. This was evidently said with
reference to the Gentile audience then
before him, and formed a noble practical
conclusion to the whole discourse. (See
Matt. iii. 17, xxvi. 28; Heb. ix. 22; Acts
v. 31.) Let not the peculiarities of the-
preaching of the A postles, as set forth in
verses 30-43, be overlooked. 1. The sub-
stance of its testimony — the life, suffer-
ings and resurrection of Christ. 2. The
authority by which it is supported — the
command of Christ, and the call of all men
unto salvation. 3. Its object — the salva-
tion of believers through the peace of
Christ. How does Jesus Christ bestow
peace? (Verse 30.) 1, As our Prophet
(verses 37-39), 2, as our High Priest (verses
39, 43), and, 3, as our King (verses 40-42.)
44. H While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy
Olios; ilell on all them which heard the word.
pChap. iv. 31.
Here is the issue of Peter's sermon. God
owneil Peter's word.by conferring the Holy
Ghost on the hearers, even while he was
speaking. This descent of the Sj)irit was
necessary, in order to his admitting Cor-
nelius and his friends into the Church,
without the remonstrance of his Jewish
brethren who were present. They were
not yet j)repared for acknowledging the
Gentiles, their brethren, without circum-
cision and submission to Moses' law. It is
a blessed and cheering sight, when the ser-
vants of God can perceive that the word
takes hold of their hearers, and that,
through it, the Holy Spirit powerfully in-
fluences their hearts.
45. And <ithev of the circumcision which believed
were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because
that o 1 the Gentiles also was poured out the Rift of the
Holy Ohost: 4r,. For they heard them rspeak with
tongues, and mairnif'y God. Then answered Peler. 47.
Can -anv man forbid water, that these slif)Uld not be
baptized, which have received the Holv Ghost as well
as we ? 48. And he commanded them to be baptized in
the name of the Ijord. Then prayed they him to tarry
certain days.— iVer. 23. rChap. ii. 4. 'Chap, viii 12.
They of the drcvmrisinn ir(Te aston-
ished. The Jews had long ago a proverb
C H A P T E R X .
1085
among them, "That tlie Holy Spirit never
resis on u heathen." Thi.s asioiiislirneid
shows that notion prevailed even in tlie.se
Cliristians, whether the i)roverb was so
old or not. Gentiles, literally, the natiuns,
i. e., all besides the Jews. We should never
yield to a feeling of dissatisfaction, when
God bestows His gracious gifts on others^
but rather rejoice in iheir happiness, and
praise the ]>ord for it. Spcdk irith tongues,
<fe<'.. Various and foreign languages. This
is the Fentecost of the Gentiles. What is
called (chap. ii. 11) '" speaking thevvonder-
ful (or mighty) works of God," is here
more concisely expressed, magnifying God,
i. c, setting forth His greatness. Can any
man forbid water, &c. Peter at once makes
the practical application : If these men
have received the Holy Ghost as well as
we, that is, believers belonging to Israel,
who then can refuse the water,so that they
shall not be baptized ? The reason here
assigned is, that they who had received the
bai)tism of the Spirit must certainly be fit
for that of water. Why should the sign
be withheld from those who were pos-
sessed of the thing signified ? If God was
willing to accept them as converted Gen-
tiles, why should man insist upon their
coming forward as converted Jews? He
commanded them to be baptized. Peter did
not baj)tize them himself, but ordered
others to jjerform that ceremony. So our
Lord did not Himself baptize, and it wa.s
Paul's usual custom to em])lcy others to
administer baptism. (See J(jhn iv. 2. 1
Cor. i. 14, V. 17). "As none of these ex-
jiressions" (says an able commentator, in
reference to the i)assages just i)oiiited to)
" can be intended to detract from the value
and importance of the rite in question,
they may be best explained as warning
us against the error of exalting this part of
the Christian system to a dis{)roportionate
im])ortance, which may be just as super-
stitious as the eucharistical corruptions of
Popery, or tlie hierarchical excesses of pre-
lacy. Jn the name of the Lord. That is, aa
disciples of the Lord Jesus, acknowledging
Him as their Lord. Baptism in Plis name
was the public avowal of their being His
disciples. The Church should never re-
fuse to recognize him to whom God lias
given the certilicate of His Spirit. Tarry
certain days — remain. And as we are in
the next chapter informed, Peter comjilied
with the request : he remained and did eat
I with them. (xi. 3.)
1. Who was Cornelius ? 2. What was his character ? 3. What did he see ? 4. What did the angel say to him ?
5. Wliat did Cornelius do? C. As llie messenjjer.i drew nexr to Joppa where was Peter? 7. Wliat did lie see in
tlie trance? 8. What did ho hear? 9. Wiiat was the meaning: of the vision ? 10. What did the Spirit say to
Peter? 11. State the interview between Pater and the messengers. 12. How did Cornelius receive Peter? 13.
What did lie say to liim ? 1 1. What did Peter say in reply? 15. What great event took place " while Peter yet
fipake these words 7" IC. What u said about baptiiiia 7
1086
ACTS,
CHAPTER XI.
1 PrtfT, being accused for going in to the Oentilex, Smak-
et/i /lis (itjince, 18 iv'hich is accepted. 19 The gospel be-
ing spread into Plienicr, and Vi/prus, and Antioch,
J!arna!xts is sent to runjinn thein. 2() 2'he disciples
Ih-reare first called Chrislians. 'U Tliey serui relief
to the Ijreihren in Judea in tiinc of famine. »
AND iho apostles uiui brethren, that were in Judea,
he.ird that tlie Geiilil&s hud also received the
word ot' God. 2. And when Peter was come up to
Jerusale-ii. they -"that were of the circumcision con-
tended with hhu, 3. Saying, Thou weutest in to men
uncircu:ncised, and didst eat with them. 4. But Peter
rehear-ied the matter irom the beginning, and expound-
ed/< by order unto them, saying; 5. I was in the city
of Joppa, praying: a:id in a trance I caw a vision, A
cenain ves-tel desL-end, as it had been a great sheet, let
down .ro;n heaven by lour corners ; and it came even
tome: K. Upon the which when I had fastened mine
eyes, I c>niidJred, and saw lour-footed beivsts of the
earth, an i wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls
of the air. 7. And I heard a voice saying unto me.
Arise, Peter : slay and eat. 8. But I said. Not so. Lord:
for nothing; common or unclean liath at any time en-
tered into my mouth. 9. Bat the voice answered me
again .rom heaven, What God hath cleansed ; that call
not thou common. 10. And this was done three times :
and all were drawn up again into heaven. 11. And,
behold, immediately there were three men already
come unto the home wiiere I was, sent from Cesarea
unto me. II. And the Spirit thade me go with them,
nothin<? doubting. Moreover, thes3 six brethren ac-
comp:inied me : and we entered into tlie man's house :
13. An 1 he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his
hou-ie. which stood and s.iid unto him. Send men to
Jopp I, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter:
14. Who shall tell thee ^word-i, whereby thou and all
tliv house sliall be saved. r>. And as I began to .speak,
the Holy Gliost lell on them, as ''on us at the begin-
ning. l(i. Then renuviibered I the word of the Jjord,
how that he siid, J ilin 'indi'i'd b iptizi-d with water;
but fye shall be baptiz/'d witli the Holy Ghost. 17. For-
asmuch thi^na^God -give the-ii the like gift as /ii" d/,/
unto ii-i, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what
tiwas I, that I could withstand God? 18. When they
heard the=ie things, they held their peace, and glorified
Goil, saying. Then hath God also to the Gentiles 'grant-
ed repentance unto life,
'X. a. 23: Gil. ii. 12; chap. .x. 9, Ac. ''Job. i^x. 23.
«Gal. ii. 12. 'Luke i. 3. fx. 10. ex. 15. i>x. 19. ix. 30.
The de.-icent of the Holy Spirit on the
Gentiles ut Cesarea, and their reception
into tlie Church, was an event so extraor-
dinary that the tidings of it would soon
reach the ears of the other "apostles and
bnthrcn," who were still resident in Judea.
Tlinj that vcre of the circnmcision, that is,
the believing Jews. These held the opin-
ion common to the Phu-isees, that it was
not Lnvful to eat with Gentiles, but in this
they had no countenance from the law of
M )ses. Contend d vAth him. They held
liim not for u pope, but a heretic. What
Avill become of Moses, the law, and the
temple if he, the most eminent of the
Apostles, lowers himself to the level of
Saul of Tarsus, and allows baptism to be,
not the sequence, but the substitute of cir-
cumcision !
Thou wcntest in, &c. It can scarcely be
doubted that there was a great deal of
that miserable, narrow, and malign feeling
peculiar to intolerant religioni.sts, ex-
pressed to Peter oy this occasion. Peter
rehearsed, &c. (From 4 to IG; see on x.
10-18, &c.) Helistenedattentively to what
was spoken, nor, when he replied, did a
wlusper of censure escape his lips. H&
was calm, generous, dignified, and said that
which was best adapted to justify himself
and conciliate them. His account differs
a little in form from the facts recorded in
the preceding chtq^ter, but the difference
being simply formal, serves to show his
consciousness of accuracy. Forasmuch then
as God gave them the like gift, &c. This is
the logic of his address. He regarded the
facts as showing unmistakably that it was
God's will that the Gentiles should have
the Gospel, and that therefore it would
have been the utmost presum])tion on his
part to have attempted to withstand that
will. When therj heard these tilings they Jield
their peace. His argument was conclusive
and satisfactory; and more than this, for
it is said they glorified God, "they devoutly
rejoiced in the new conviction that God
had also to the Gentiles granted repentance
unto life." In consequence of Peter's state-
ment, "the objectors not only expressed
themselves satisfied, so that 1 hey in silence
withdrew their rej^roaches, but they glori-
fied God, because that God had also to the
Gentiles given repentance unto life. The
inseparable connection between repen-
tance and eternal life should not pass un-
noticed. Yet repentance is no recomj^ense
to God, it is not the thing that shall make
Him our friend, for He "grants," or gives
this repentance. But it is necessary to
make us capable of relishing the pleasures
of His friendship, which we can never do
if we do not turn to Him.
19. II Now they Jwhich were scattered abroad, upon
the per -iecution that arose about Stephen, travelled as
far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the
word to none but kunto the Jews only. 20. And some
o.'them were men ot'C.vprus and Cyrene, which, when
they were come to Antioch, spake iinto the 'Grecians,
preaching the Lord Jesus. 21. And the mhand of the
Lord W.T.S with them : and a great number believed,
and turned "unto the Lord.
JChap. viii. 1. ''Matt. x. 6. 'Chap. vi. l,ix. 29. n>Luke
i. 66. "Chap. XV. 19 ; 1 Thes. 1. 9.
Nou) tJiey which were scattered abroad. Luke
here resumes his account of the Christians
who had become fugitives in consequence
of the hostility of which Stephen, and, im-
mediately afterward, the Church in gen-
eral, had been the objects. Phenice, prop-
erly the strip of coa.st, about 120 miles .
CHAPTER XI
10S7
long, extending from the river Eleutherus
(near Aradus), to a little south of Tyre,
and belonging at this time to the province
of Syria. (See xv. 3, xxi. 2.) Its principal
cities were Tripolis, Byblos, Sidon, Tyre
and Berytos. It is a fertile territory, be-
ginning with the ujdands at the foot of
Lebanon, and .sloping to the sea, and held
a distinguished position for commerce
from the very earliest times. Cyprus is an
island near the north-east angle of the
Mediterranean Sea, next to Sicily in size,
remarkable for its richness of soil and the
dissoluteness of its inhabitants. In Chris-
tian history it is celebrated as the birth-
place of Barnabas, and as one of the fields
of Paul's memorable labors.
Aniioch. Here we have the first notice
of this important city. Antioch was the
capital of Syria, and the residence of the
Roman governors of that province. It was
founded by Seleucns Nicator, and named
after his father, Antiochus. It was almost
an oriental Rome, in which all the forms
of the civilized life of the empire found a
representative. Prenclnnr/ the xcord to
none hut unto the Jews only, who were dis-
persed in all those parts, and had syna-
gogues of their own, they did not yet un-
derstand that the Gentiles were to be
fellow-heirs. Men of Cyprus, i. e., Jews
born in Cyprus. (See ii. 5-9.) And Cyrnie
(See xiii. 1, ii. 10.) These, as well as the
Cyprians, were more accustomed to asso-
ciate with Gentiles. Grecians. (See on vi.
1.) Preaching the Lord Jesus — the Gospel
concerning Jesus, wherever they came.
This they did, even though they were not
Apostles, nor held any other office in the
Church. That they did not act presump-
tuously in adopting this course, was de-
monstrated by the blessed results stated
in the next verse. TJie hand of the Lord
was u'ith them. The hand is the organ or
instrument of working in man ; when it
is attributed to God, it denotes His power
and help. A great number believed, &c. —
many more than could have been ex-
pected, some of all sorts. They were con-
vinced of the truth of the Gospel, em-
braced it, and the eff'ect of this was, that
they turned away from all their former
grounds of confidence, to trust only in the
righteousness of Christ — turned from their
loose, careless, carnal way of living, to a
spiritual, holy, heavenly life.
22. 1 Then tidings of thesp things came unto the ears
ol'tlie Cluiruli which was in Jtru.siileni ; and lliey sunt
Ibrlli ^lJiiriiabu.s, tluil he sliouhl ^d lus lar as Antioch,
•j:i. Wlio, wlu'H he came, iiiiil iiail seen llieniace oi Goil
was I'Kiiul, and e.xhorlcd iilicni all, tlial with inrpose
rolMieart they would cleave unto the Lord. 21. For he
was a Kood man, and mil loi the llolv Ghosiandol"
laith ; and "much people was added uniotht; Lord.
"ix. 27. i;! John, iv.— Mxiii. ii, xiv. 22. »Ps. xvii. 3,
2 Cor. i, 17. "Prov. xxiii. 10, 2ti.
The Church luldch was in Jerusalem, jiart-
ly from its seniority, partly from its l(K-al
situation, and partly from its connection
with the Apostles, still continued to be the
center of influence to the Christian world.
Sent Barnabas asfaras Antioch.
(See on verse 19.) It is here implied
that on the way to Antioch he found
Churches to visit. It was in the first in-
instance, no doubt, a mission of inquiry,
and no one could be more suitable to en-
quire into the proceedings of those Cy-
l)rians and Cyrenians than one who was
himself a "Grecian" of Cyprus (iv. 'Mi, and
"a son of consolation." (See on iv. oG, and
ix, 27.) In those places where the work
of God prospers, the Church should .'-end
ministerial help, to promote and build up
that work. An infant Church is i)lacedin
critical circumstances. Young converts
have but little light; they are weak and
feeble, their carnal friends and relations
oppose them, and they are opposed by all
the powers of darkness.
Had seen the grace of God. Grace means
Divine influence, and is so called because
it is derived from the free and unreserved
communication of God. As grace is an
internal i)rinciple, it is, of course, discern-
ible only in its effects. Experience is valu-
able ; there is no real religion wiihout it,
and it is from our inward dispositions we
must chiefly assure our minds before God ;
but as others cannot read our hearts, only
our lives, therefore in our lives our godli-
ness must appear. Was glad. He re-
joiced, 1. As a man of piety. Piety is, so
to speak, absorbed in the promotion of
God's glory, and whenever a man is con-
verted, there is one in whom He is glori-
fied. 2. As a man of benevolence. He
knew that the body is nothing as compared
to the soul, and that every .subject of di-
vine grace is not only blessed in hiniself,
but he is made a blessing to others. 3. As
1088
ACTS
;i minister, wlio regarded salvation as the
very end of his office, the design of his
labors. 4. His pleasure was disinterested.
Barnabas could rejoice, though lie had not
been the means of producing here the re-
sults in which he took so much pleasure.
Some, alas, cannot rejoice to see things
done by others, especially if they do not
belong to their own communion, if they
cannot pronounce the shibboleth of their
party. Exhorted them all — young, old, those
who had just entered a religious course,
and those who had been walking in it; the
weak and wavering in the faith, and the
strong and established. None mus'. put
off his armor till he has quitted the field.
Purpose of heart, i. e., a purpose sincere,
earnest. Religion is a poor business un-
less the heart be in it ; but everything will
follow the heart. They leould cleave xinto
the Xo/'rf— adhere to Jesus — as their Teach-
er, who should lead them into all truth; as
their Saviour, whose V)lood cleansed them
from all sin, and whose righteousness
justified tliem before God, and gave them
access with confidence ; as their Helper, in
every duty and conflict, without whom
they could do nothing, and through whose
strength they could do all things ; as their
Comforter, tlie consolation of Israel ; as
their Example, whose life was to be made
manifest in their mortal bodies; and as
their Master, who had every claim upon
them, having bought them with a price,
and rescued them from their enemies, and
to whom as their rightful Owner they had
given themselves, body, soul and spirit.
Three things are here said of Barnabas
in a way of commendation : 1. He tras a
good man. The life of this great and good
man, as related in other parts of Scripture,
abundantly confirms the character here
given him. He sold his possessions for
the support of the infant cause of Christ,
(iv. 3fi, 37, ix. 27.) As he loved Jesus, so
he loved His people. He appears to have
possessed much of the tender and affect-
ionate, being called " a son of consola-
tion." Assiduous in discovering and en-
couraging the first dawnings of God's
work, he was the first person that intro-
duced Saul into the company of the dis-
ciples. (See on next verse.) 2. He was
full of the Holy Ghost. This expression
here signifies His indwelling and ordinary
operations, or what is elsewhere called
" an unction from the Holy One." (See
Gal. V. 22, 23.) The word full is not here
to be understood in an unlimited sense,
but in a comparative sense, and denotes
that he was habitually and eminently
under the Spirit's influence. 3. He was
full of faith. This term appears, in this
connection, to include, at least, the three
following ideas : Having the mind occu-
pied with Divine sentiment, being rooted
and grounded in the truth of the Gospel,
and daily living upon it. The first of
these ideas distinguished him from those
characters whose miiids are void of prin-
ciple, the next, from such as arc always
hovering upon the borders of skepticism,
and the last, from those who, though they
have no manner of doubts about the truth
of the doctrines of the Gospel, yet scarce-
ly ever, if at all, feel their vital influence
upon their hearts and lives. And much
people nris added unto the Lord. The labors
of Barnabas resulted also in the accession
of new believers. It may be laid down as
a rule, which both Scripture and experi-
ence will confirm, that eminent spiritutdity
in a minister is usually attended ivith eminent
usefulness. We do not say their usefulness
depends upon their spirituality, as an
effect depends upon its cause, nor yet that
it is always in proportion to it. God is a
Sovereign, and frequently sees proper to
convince them of it, in variously bestowing
His blessing on the means of grace. But
yet He is not wanting in giving ecourage-
ment to what He approves, wherevei it is
found. Our want of usefulness is often to
be ascribed to our want of spirituality,
much oftener than to our want of talents.
25. Then "departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek
Saul: 2ii. And when he had found him, he brought
him unto Antiocli. And it came to pass, that a whole
year they assembled themselves with the Church, and
taught imuch people. And the disciples were called
Christians first in Antioch.
vChap. ix. 27, :V). iMatt. x.xviii. 19.
To seek Saul, &c. Here is additional
evidence of the goodness of Barnabas, As
a preacher he does not seem to have been
equal to the Apostle Paul, yet so far was
he from caring about being eclipsed by
Paul's superior abilities, that he went in
search of him, and brought him to Antioch,
to assist him in the work of the Lord.
How worthy this example of imitation !
UA.MASCUS.
ANTIOCII IN SYRIA.
CHAPTER XI.
1089
If this spirit was more common, might it
not be hoped that, according to God's
usual manner of working, more people
would be added to the Lord f A whole year,
viz. : that of A. D. 44. The, Apostle had
spent the intervening years, from A. D. 39
to 44, in Syria and Cilicia. As.seinblcd
ihemselvcs, &c., i. e., they met in (and with)
tlie Church, for worship and instruction.
Taaglit much people, or more exactly a siif-
Jicient a-owd, implying that their hearers
were not only numerous, but of various
classes and descriptions. And the dhciples
were called, &c. Was the name "Christ-
ians " given by human or Divine author-
ity ? On this the Scriptures oiler no cer-
tain information, nor can anything be
affirmed with confidence. It is not at all
probable an appellation so inoflensive,
and even so honorable, originated with
their enemies, they would have invented
one that was more opprobrious. But sup-
posing it to have been assumed first by
the disciples themselves, we can scarcely
sujipose they would have venttired to take
a step so important as that of assuming an
appellation by wliich the Church was to
be distinguished in all ages, without Di-
vine direction, especially at a time when
the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit were
so common, and in a church where pro-
phets abounded. (See chap. xiii. 1.) ISTor
is it easy to imagine that they would
assume a new appellation without re-
course to the prophets for that direction,
or that, supposing it to have had no other
than a human origin, it would have been
so soon and so unanimously adopted by
every part of the Christian Church. This
opinion receives some countenance from
the Greek word here rendered " called,"
which is not in any other instance ap-
plied to the giving a name by human
authority. In its genuine import, it bears
some relation to an oracle. Names, as
they are calculated to give just or false
representations of the nature of things,
are of considerable importance, so that
the affixing one to discriminate the fol-
lowers of Christ in every period of time
seems to have been not unworthy of Di-
vine interposition.
What significance is there in the fact
that, not in Jerusalem, the city ot the Old
*19
Covenant, the city of the people who were
chosen to the exclusion of all others, but
in a heathen city, the Eastern centre of
Greek fashion and Iloman luxury, and
not until it was shown that the New Cove-
nant was inclusive of all others — that then
and there God's people were first called
Christians, and the Church received, under
an overruling Gorl, its true and honorable
name ! AV'hat blessed import is there in
this name, reminding us, as it does, tliat
those who worthily wear it, have, from
a mature deliberation and an unbiased
mind, embraced the religion of Clirist,
received His doctrine, believe His prom-
ises, and make it their chief and habitual
care to shape their lives by His precepts
and example ! What sad regrets, too, we
may add, does this name insi^ire, as it
bears us back from the present divisions
of God's people to the happy period when
the Church of Christ was " one fold under
one Shepherd," and the seamless coat of
the Eedeemer was of one entire piece
from the top to the bottom !
27. f And in these days came jprophets from Jerusa-
lem unto Ainioch. 2S. And there stood up one of them,
named ^Agabus, and signilied by the Spirit that there
should be groat de;irth througliout all the world : which
cametopii-ss In the days of Claudius Cesar. 29. Tlien
tlie disciples, every man according to his ability, de-
termined to send 'relief unto the brethren which dwelt
in .ludea: 30. Which also they did, and ijsent it to the
elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
.'•Chap. ii. 17, -xiii. 1 ; Eph. iv. 11. ^Chap. xxi. 10. "Bom.
XV. 26 ; 1 Cor. xvi. 1 ; 2 Cor. Lx. 1, 2.
Came prophets. These were evidently
endowed by the Holy Spirit, with the
power of foretelling future events. The
scarcity, predicted by Agabus, was to ex- .
tend throughout all the vxjrld, as the Iloman
empire was ostentatiously called. The
famine might be very general, and severe-
ly felt in the various provinces of the em-
pire, though some places might be less
straitened than others. Eusebius says
of this famine, that it oppressed almost
the whole empire, and that it was record-
ed by historians most averse to our re-
ligion ; viz. : by Suetonius, in the life of
Claudius, who says, it happened " through
a long barrenness." Josephus says that it
raged so much in Judea that
many perished for want of victuals : and
Dion Cassius, that it was a very great fam-
ine. In the days, or, reign, of Claudius
Cesar. Claudius reigned thirteen years,
from the year 41 to 54. In his reign, and
1090
AC TS,
therefore -within these years (probably in
the j'ears 44 to 45), this famine took place.
It is not implied that this prediction of
Agahus was made before Claudius com-
menced to reign, but it is merely an inti-
mation by the historian when the famine
occurred. Every man. There was not o)ie
disciple who did not contribute something.
The new love glowed in every heart, and
found its expression in the gift of every
hand. According to his ability. Not accord-
ing to what other people did, or what other
people expected, but " according to his
ability." Each did the utmost he could.
Determined to send relief, &c. The benefi-
cence was prompt. They did not postpone
sending the relief, or adjourn it for future
consideration : the thing was done at once.
Sent it to the elders — an office well-known to
be borrowed from the synagogue, after the
model of which, and not at all of the tem-
ple, the Christian Churches were constitu-
ted by the Apostles. By the hands of Bar-
nabas and Saul. This was Saul's second
visit to Jerusalem after his conversion.
It is thus evident that the disciples ar-
ranged judiciously for the distribution of
the relief they sent, in a most effective way.
Here, then, we have a beautiful display
of that philanthropy which the ancient
seers beheld as the light of coming ages,
and which has ever been the inspiration
of the godly. It is
" That bright chain of love which God hath given,
Reaching I'rom heart to heart, and thence to heaven."
True faith always manifests its power
and efficiency by works of love. (Gal. v. 6.)
When indications of the approach of afflic-
tions appear, our first thoughts and efibrts
should not be solely devoted to the work
of adopting precautionary measures in our
own behalf, but should also refer to others,
whose situation may be more exposed
than our own. Cases often occur like that
of the widow of Sarepta (Luke iv. 28 ; 1
Kings xvii. 9), who was first of all directed
to bestow her limited store on the prophet
Elijah, but who was abundantly afterward
consoled by the provision which was inade
for her and her son. Such will be the ex-
perience of those in whose hearts faith and
love abide.
1. WTio contended with Peter at Jerusalem? 2. Why? 3. "What did Peter say ? 4. What effect was produced
by his address ? 5. What is said about "those which were scattered abroad?" 6. What success had they in
preaching? 7. Whom did the church in Jerusalem send forth to Antioch ? S. What is said of Barnabas "when
he came, and had seen the grace of God?"' 9. What was the character of Barnabas ? 10. Where did Barnaba.s
then go ? 11. How long did he and Saul Labor at Antioch ? 12. What were the disciples called first in Antioch ?
13. Who came from Jerusalem unto Antioch ? 14. 'Who predicted a great dearth ? 15. Did it come to pass ? 16.
What did the disciples determine to do ? 17. By whose hands was the " relief " sent to the elders ?
CHAPTER XII.
1 King Herod pe.rse.cuteth the Christians, kiUeth James,
and imprisoneth Peter ; whom an angel delivereth
upon the prayers of the church. 20 In his pride taking
to himself the honour due to Ood, he is stricken bi/ an
angel, and dieth m'lserably. 24 After his death, the
v:ord of Ood prospereth.
NOW about that time, Herod the king, "stretched
forth his hands, to vex certain of the church.
K)r, began.
About that time, i. e., when Barnabas and
Saul went to Jerusalem, as has just been
related. This Herod was the grandson
of Herod the Great, by his son Aristobu-
lus, and nephew to Herod Antipas. The
royal title of the family expired with the
first Herod, but was restored to this man,
whom the Roman emperor constituted
king of Juclca. He was praised by the
Jews for his attachment to their laws and
nation. He began to persecute, by vexing
certain of the Church, perhaps by fines
and imprisonments, but a nobler sacrifice
was necessary to appease his rage, and to
gratify his sanguinary counselors.
2. And he killed James Hhe brother of John with the
sword.— iiMatt. iv. 21, xx. 23.
James, one of the Apostles whom Jesus
honored v/ith peculiar intimacy. (See Ap-
CHAPTER XII
1091
pendix.) He is here called the brother of
John to distinguish hiia from James the
son of Cleopas. Killrd trith the
sword, i. e., belieuded liim, for he had the
power of life and death, as had tlie Roman
procurators before him. Our Lord pre-
dicted (jNIark x. 35-40) that the sons of
Zel)edee would be called to suffer great
afUiction witli Him. This, as we see, was
fulfilled in the elder, in the violent death
he now suffered.
3. And becaiisp lie saw it pleased >^the Jews, he pro-
ceeded fiirtlier to take Peter italso. (Tben were the
days >of unleavened breiid.;
«xxiv. 27. iiJohu xxi. 16. cEx. xii. 14, 15.
Saiv it pleased the Jews. To obtain popu-
lar applause was, as Josepliu^ tells us, one
of the chief motives which influenced the
conduct of Herod; for this reason he sac-
rificed the life of James, and now desired
to sacrifice the life of Peter. It was pleas-
ing to the Jews. The people were now
hostile to the Christians. The Pharisees,
the popular fiiction, had declared against
them. Perhaps observing the numerous
conversions to Christianity, they regarded
the Jewish religion as in danger, and
looked upon Christians in general as they
did on Stephen, as blasphemers of Moses
and of God. Such are too often the mo-
tives that influence the actions of ambi-
tious men, when exalted to power; they
do not so much consider what is right and
just, as what may render them popular
and pleasing. Then were the days of unleav-
ened bread. For seven days at the feast of
the Passover the Jews had to eat unleav-
ened bread. (Ex. xii. 15.) The passover
itself was partaken on the first day, but
the feast was continued six days longer,
hence it is called " the feast of unleavened
bread." (Ex. xii. 13.)
4. And when he had apprehended him. he put him in
prison, and delivered him to ibiir quaternions of sol-
diers, to keep liini. intondins after Easter to brins; him
forth to the jieople. [For afler EciAtcr we should rather
read, " after the Pivssover," i. c, after the whole festi-
val was over. Tlie word in our authorized version is
an ecclesiastal terra of later date, and ought not to liave
been employed here.] 5. Peter therefore was kept in
prison, but fpra.ver was made without ceasing of the
church vinto God ior him. (i. And when Herod would
have brought him forth, the same nieht Peter was
sleeping between two soldiers, hound with two chains ;
and the keepers before tlie door kept tlie prison. 7. And,
behold, the angel sof the Lord came upon him, and a
light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the
side, and raised him up, .sayini;. Arise up qnickl.v. And
this chains fell off from /u'.v hands. 8. And the angel
said unto Iilm, Otird tliyself. and bind on thy sandals:
and so he did. And he saith unto him. Cast thy gar-
ment about thee, and follow me. 9. And he went out,
and followed him, and wi.st not 'that it was true which
was done by the angel; hut thought he sawaJvision.
10. When tliej" wer? iiast the first and the second ward,
they came unto the iron (mte that loadeth unto tlie city,
which opened to them of his own accord, and they went
out and p.-isscd on tlirough one sired ; and rmthwitli
tlieani,'il ilrjiarlcd frcmi him. U. And wlu n I'.'lcrwas
come lo liiiiisc'li', lu>s;iid. Mow I know of a si.r.ty that
the Lord liatli sent kliis aiiKcl. and hath ideliviTi'd nie
out of the hand of Herod, Mulfiuiii all the e.^pcctalii.n
of the people of the Jew.s. 12. And when he iiad con-
sidered tliK thinsr, he came to the house ol Mary the
mother of .Tohn, whose surname was Mark, where
many mwere KHlhiTcd lo^jethiT ))raving. i:i. And jus
Peler knocked at llic door of the gale, a damsel came
"to hearken, named Uhoda. M. And when she knew
Peter's Voice, she opened not the gale (or gladness, but
ran in, and told liow I'eier stood belbre the gale. l.").
And Uiey said unto her, Thou art mad. But she con-
stantly aflirmed that it was even so. Then said they.
It is his "angel. Id. Jint Peier <'enlinue(l knocking: and
when tliey liud opened f/ir f/</or, anil saw him, they
Were asioni-^lieii. 17. iJut he tieek.ining innto them
with the hanil. to holil (heir iieaee.qrleelared unto litem
how the Lord had liroui^ht liini oul oflhe prison. And
he s:nd. Go, shew these lhin(,'s unto James, and to the
brethren. And he dep;u-ted, and went into another
place. 18. Now tis sotJii as It was day, there w;ls no
small stir among the soldiers, what was become of
Peler. 19. And when Herod had sought for him. and
found him ncjt, he examiiie(l the ki-i>pers, and com-
manded that /A(.i/ siioiild he put to death. And he went
down from Jndea to Cesarea, and l/urr abode.
f Or, instant and carntst prayer zvas made ; 2 Cor. i.
11; Eph. vi. IS, 19; 1 Thes. v. 17: Jame.s. v. lU. sPs.
xxxvii. 32, 33; chap. V. 19. hChap. xvi. 2«. iPs. c.vxvi.
1. JChap. x. 3. 17. i<2Chron. xvi. 9; Ps. xxxiv 7; Pan.
iii. 2.S, vi. 22; Heb. i. 14. ip.s. xxxiii. 18, 19. xcvii. 10; 2
Cor. i. 10; 2 Peter ii. 9. m^rj-r^j^.^ nQr, to axle ir/tr, „jas
there. "Matt, xviii. 10. I'Chap. xiii. 16. qPs. Ixvi. Ifi.
A light sliined. The angel brings to tlie
prisoner no lantern, lamp or candle, yet
he brings a ligJit, the beaming of his own
person. Peter sees by it his prison, his
chain.s, his cloak, his sandals, and his
emancipator. Chains fell from his hands.
Literally, tlie chains. What human lumd
could have snapped those manacles, and
freed him without the knowledge of his
guards? Would the shock of an earth-
quake or the flash of lightning have done
it, without injuring him or the soldiers?
Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals, &c.
Here again is personal intelligence. The
angel did for Peter what he could not do
for himself — break his fetters ; but does
not do for him what he could do for him-
self— put on his tunic and mantle. Wist
not that it was true, actual, as distinguished
from a dream or vision. Peter's uncerta inty
arose from the extraordinary nature of
the interposition; it was too strange to be
credited. He was bewildered by the .scene,
unable at the moment to comprehend that
what he saw and did was a reality. And
forthwith (suddenly) the angel departed from
him. Hitherto it seemed to Peter as if lie
were dreaming. But now, when he ^tood
alone in the midst of the citj', his con-
sciousness first returned fully and dis-
tinctly, and he said, " Now I perceive in
truth — and I am sure that I do not deceive
mvself— that the Lord has sent His angel
1092
AC TS.
and delivered me from the power of
Herod and the eager expectation of the
Jews, which shall not now be fulfilled."
It is It is awjcl. The Jews believed tutelar}'
angels were appointed to all men ; so did
the Gentiles, for Cmsorinus says. " The
genius is a god, in whose protection so far
as each one is, he lives: it is appointed so
assiduous an observer of us, that it is never
absent longer than an instant, but ac-
companies us from birth to the last day
of life." (See Matt, xviii. 10.) Beckoning
unto them. His motive was haste: he tells
briefly the particulars of his deliverance,
and, while it was yet night, hastily departs.
Into another place. " I see in these words,"
says Alford, " a minute mark of truth in
our narrative. Under the circumstances,
the place of Peter's retreat would very
naturally at the time be kept secret. It
probably was unknown to the person from
whom the narrative came, or designedly
left indefinite." Kow, as soon as it vas day,
there was no small stir among the soldierswhat
was become of Peter. His mysterious de-
liverance created great excitement and
confusion. Fear and wonder filled them
with mental tumult " is soon as it was
day." Day would reveal the enormity of
the night, and the revelation would pro-
duce " no small stir," &c. Noiu as soon as
it was day, &c. It may easily be imagined
that the soldiers who had been commanded
to guard the prisoner, and who were re-
sponsible for his safe-keeping, were greatly
embarrassed when it was day, as they
knew not what had become of Peter. And
when the diligent search which was insti-
tuted, led to no results, Herod subjected
the guards to a trial befcre a military
court, and directed that they should be
executed. From Judca, i. e., from the in-
land or interior. Herod resided usually at
Jerusaleiii, and went now to Cesarea, as
Josephus informs us, to preside at the
public games in honor of the Emperor
Claudius.
Observe, 1. The miraculous deliverance.
The Romans secured their prisoners in a
singular way. A quaternion, or four sol-
diers, were appointed to mount guard over
them, and four such quaternions were
considered indispensable to watch the
cell, and the approaches to it, as well as
to afford tlie means of relieving those
Avhose duty it was to be in immediate at-
tendance on the prisoners, by a regular
night watch of three hours each. Around
the right arm of the criminal was fastened
a pretty long chain, while the other end
was attached to the left of a soldier, so
that a guard was bound to the prisoner,
and was under the necessity of attending
and moving with him in every change of
jilace, and almost every variety of posture.
\Yhen the security of the j^risoner Avas of
more than ordinary importance, two guards
were appointed, one on each side, having a
chain attached to both hands; and it was
in this irksome and painful manner that
Peter was fettered, with a chain both on
his right and left arm, extending to two
guards, on either side, on the occasion of
the angelic visitant so unexpectedly re-
leasing him from confinement. So strict
was the discipline to which soldiers on
guard were subjected, that if, by any
means, the prisoner who was chained to
them was permitted to escape, their negli-
gence was visited with capital ptmish-
ment, and hence we can easily imagine
the indescribable state of confusion and
terror into which the guards were thrown
the next morning, when they found that
the Apostle had disappeared. No clank-
ing of the chains, no harsh grating of the
ponderous doois, no sound of footsteps
betrayed the motions of Peter, as he fol-
lowed his supernatural guide, and, accord-
ingly, as neither a clue could be obtained
of the prisoner's retreat, nor an account
given of his mode of escape, except that
he had effected it while they slept, Herod
determined to carry the military law into
execution, by commanding those who had
been appointed to the office of guarding
Peter, to be put to death.
Observe, 2. The state in which Peter vjos
found when his deliverance came — he was
sleeping. What an instance of sublime
composure this! Think of the place A
prison — a dark, filthy cell. Think of his
position. Chained to two soldiers — linked
to two wretches from whom his nature must
have recoiled with horror. Think of those
who were watching him — sixteen soldiers.
Think of the time. It was the night when
Herod intended to bring him forth and jiut
CHAPTER XII,
1093
him to death. Peter must have been aware
of his danger. He knew that the wretch
who was " vexing tlie Church," who had
just killed James, and who imprisoned him,
intended to take away his Hfe. Yet he
sleeps, sleeps far sweeter and safer than his
bloody })'ersecutor could sleep that night.
His sleeping in these circumstances sug-
gests three things : First, A gracious Provi-
dence. Sleep is one of the choicest of the
temporal gifts of God. How it remvigor-
ates the frame! What more did Peter
want than sleep? It was the right and
needful thing for the season, sleep for the
night. *' He giveth His beloved sleej)."
Secondl3% An approving conscience. A
condemning conscience would have hept
sleep nwa3^ Peter knew that he was en-
gaged in the right work. Thirdly, A sense
of security. He had no fear or alarm
about the future. He had committed
himself to the care of heaven. He felt
himself safe in the hands of his IMaster.
He knew that Christ had said, " I give
unto my sheep eternal life." What need
we fear when this is done ? " God is our
refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble."
Observe, 3. The efficacy of united, believ-
ing and persevering prayer. Whilst Peter
was in prison, " prayer was made without
ceasing of the Church unto God for him."
Prayer is the refuge and solace of those
who are in any trouble. It is, indeed, one
of the designs of affliction to excite us to
pray more frequently and earnestly. And
intercession or praying for others, as well
as for ourselves, is a duty. Thus our Lord
teaches us, when we pray, to say, " Our
Father," and " give us day by day onr dailj'
bread." Thus we are commanded to pray
for all men — and surely, therefore, for the
servants of Christ, and those who are
suffering according to the will of God.
The Church did not draw up a petition
and present it to God. They go at once,
not to the jailer, but the judge, not to the
servant, but to the Lord of all. Let us
imitate their example. Let us, when we
wish even to carry an enterprise with our
fellow-creatures, engage the Lord on our
side, and follow the admonition of David,
who had often tried the measure and found
it successful : '• Commit thy way unto the
Lord, trust also hi Him, and He shall bring
it to pass." Nor, as it was on the very
night preceding the day tliat Herod would
have brought Peter forth for execution that
his deliverance was effected, let us de.-i)air
if the Divine interposition in our behalf is
delayed, as it was in the case of the
woman of Canaan, who cried to Jesus so
piteouslyon behalf of her daughter, or
of Abraham, when Isaac was even bound
and laid on the altar, and the knife was
uplifted.
"Just in thp last flistrossing: hour,
Till' Liji-d ilispkiys ili'liveriiit: power;
Tlic iiioiiiii <;l' (luii),'cr is tlic ))l;i<.-e
Wlieru we shall see surprisiug grace."
Observe, 4, The instrummt employed in
the rescue: "The angel of the Lord came
upon him." The age of miracles is past.
Angels do not now come in a visible man-
ner, to perform services to the saints but
their agency is as real and beneficent as
ever, " They are all ministering spirits,
sent forth to minister for them who shall
be heirs of salvation." They defend the
people of God against the incursions of
their spiritual adversaries, and preserve
them from dangers which are often un-
perceived. " The angel of the Lord en-
campeth round about them that fear Him,
and delivereth them." These glorious
creatures do not disdain to minister to
man, who was made a little lower than
they. His nature, united to the Son of
God, reigns above all principalities, and
powers on the throne of the universe, and
every believer can call the Lord of angels
his friend and brother. Perhaps, those
remarkable events, which sometimes oc-
cur in the history of the saints, and for
which it is difficult to assign any satisfac-
tory cause, those wonderful escapes, those
inexplicable impressions on the mind,
those unexpected revolutions in their
fsivor, the sudden and unlooked-for pat-
ronage of the wicked, the unaccountable
failure of the designs of their enemies,
the surprising accomplishment of their
hopes, when the ordinary means had been
tried in vain, and every appearance seem-
ed to justify despair, may be referred to
the secret operation of their powerful and
vigilant guardians.
Observe, 5., Hoiv strongly Peter^s bondage
represents the case of man by nature. A cap-
1094
ACTS.
tive of Satan— fast bound in the prison
of an unconverted state, tied down to
fearth by a thousand chains of sinful pro-
pensitief=, and watched by infernal spirits !
What but the sanie power which released
Peter could release this spiritual prisoner?
What but the light of God's Spirit shining
into his heart could dispel the moral
darkness? What but the force of Om-
nipotence could burst his chains of sin?
And what but Almighty Providence
could open for him an easy passage
through the midstof opposing difficult ies?
All that God did, literally, for Peter, He
does, spiritually, for those whom He de-
livers from Satan's bondage. Do we feel
that we are in this pitiable situation ? Are
we groaning under the yoke of sin? Then
p.re we in a fair way of being rescued, for
whenever a person renounces all depend-
ence on himself, realizes his moral help-
lessness, and cries, through Jesus, for de-
liverance, the Lord will assuredly hear,
and answer him. And if we have any
friend in this captive state, who is yet un-
conscious of his danger, let us do as the
disciples did— pray fervently— and the
Lord who released Peter, in answer to
prayer, may likewise answer ours.
20. II And Herod was highly displeased with them of
Tvre and «idon : but lliey oame with one accord to
him mill liaviiig made Blastus nhe king's chamber-
lain, llieir friend, desired peace, because their tcountry
was nourished by the king's country.
sThat was over the king's bed-chamber. 'Ezek. xxvii.
17.
According to the statement at the close
of the last verse, Herod, who resided usu-
ally at Jerusalem, went now to Cesarea.
This was done, as Josephus informs us, to
preside at the public games in honor of
the Emperor Claudius. Was highly dis-
pleased, &c. Herod probably showed his
displeasure, the cause of which is unknown,
by putting restrictions on the commerce
of Tyre and Sidon (which were then sub-
ject to the Romans), preventing them
from obtaining suj^plies from Judea, and
closing his ports against them. Having
made Blastus, &c. Having conciliated
Blastus, probably, by means of a bribe.
Blastus is a Roman name, and Herod
being long resident in Rome, it is not im-
probable that he would have a Roman as
his chief steward. Desired peace, &c. Peace
is not here opposed to war, but to alien-
ation— reconciliation. Phoenicia being a
district of narrow limits, depended upon
the adjoining countries for its supplies of
grain. It seems from the days of Solomon
to have been specially dependent on Pal-
estine. (1 Kings v. 11.) Besides, Judea must
have been one of the principal countries
where the Phoenicians disposed of their
goods. The splendid harbor of Cesarea
also must have been most cojivenient for
their numerous ships. It was therefore
their policy to live on good terms with
Herod Agrippa, as it was in his power to
cripple their trade, and to stint them in
their supplies of grain.
21. And upon a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal ap-
parel, sat upon his tlirone, and made an oration
unto them. 22. And the people gave a sliout, saving It
is "the voice of a god, and not of a man. 23. And im-
mediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he
gave not God the glory: and he was eateu of worms,
and gave up the ghost.— "Jude Iti.
The Jewish historian says that Herod's
robe was richly wrought with silver,
which, reflecting the rays of the rising
sun with an unusual splendor, gave his
flatterers an occasion of complimenting
him with the title of a deity, which he
did not reject, as he ought to have done,
■with abhorrence, and that immediately he
was seized with exquisite racking tortures
in his bowels, so that he was compelled,
before he left the place, to own his folly
in admitting such compliments. Five
days after, he expired in violent agonies.
The angel of the Lord smote him. Angels
are friends or foes, according as they have
the friends or foes of God before them.
Peter, who is chained, guarded, and con-
demned to death, is rescued. Herod, sit-
ting on his throne, surrounded by cour-
tiers, and worshiped by the people, is
punished. AVho would not, in both cases,
adore the ways of God ?
24. T[ But the word of God grew ^and multiplied.
vCol. i. ().
There is something inconceivably de-
lightful and sublime in these "words, con-
sidering their context. The enemies of
God and His Son shall perish, but His
Gospel shall grow by their opposition, and
eternally triumph. The Word of the
Lord is incorruptible seed; no one can
deprive it of its power to produce fruit.
2.5. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem,
when they had fulfilled ?/ic;r "ministry, and took with
them John, whose surname was Mark.
"or, charge, xi. 29, 30.
Barnabas and Said, who were previously
mentioned last in xi. 30. The connection
C II AFTER XIII
1095
between that verse and the one before lis,
makes it highly probable, if not entirely
certain, that the intervening narrative
records events which took pUu-e during
this oiBcial visit to Judea. Returned from
Jerusalem, i, e., made that their last point
of departure. Barnabas and Saul is still
the order of the names, and so continues,
until the public recognition or appearance
of the latter in the character of an Apos-
tle. John was a relative of Barnabas, as
we learn from Col. iv. lU, and this relation-
ship may have led to the present connec-
tion. He appears next in the history as
their associate in missionary labors,
(xiii. 5.)
1. What vexed certain of the church? 2. Whom did Herod kill? 3. How? 4. What did he do to Peter ?
5. By whom was prayer made for Pctor ? 6. In wliat state was he when Herod would have brouglit him forth ?
7. Wiiat is said of" the angel of the Lord?" S. Describe Peter's release from prison. 9. What is saiiloflihn when
he " was come to himself?" 10. "Where did he then go to ? 11. State how he gained access to the liouse of Mary ?
12. What did he say to those gathered there ? 13. When Herod could not find Peter what did he do to the keep-
ers of tiie prison ? 14. What is said of the inhabitants of TjTe and Sidou ? 15. Why did the angel of the Lord
smite Herod ? 16. What is said of the Word of God 7
CHAPTER XIII.
1 JPaiil and Barnahax are clioxen to po to the Gentiles. 7
0/ Sr^rpius Fnulua, and Elymas Vie sorcerer. 14 I'aiil
2Jreaclit:lh at Antiorh, that Jesu.i is ClirM. 42 The Gen-
tiles believe: 45 but the Jews gainsay and blaspheme :
46 whereupon they turn to the Gentiles. 48 As many
as were ordained to life believed.
The first seven chapters of this book
might be entitled, The Church among the
Jews; the next five (viii.-xii.) The Church
in transition from Jews to Gentiles, and the
last sixteen, beginning with the present
chapter. The Church among the Gentiles.
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch,
certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabiis, and
Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene,
and Manaen, "which had been brought up with Herod
the tetrarch, and Saul.— ''Or, Herod's foster-brother.
The mention of prophets and teachers
presupposes the existence of a flourishing
Church at Antioch, a Church composed
probably rather of Gentile than of Jewish
Christians. Prophets — those who were
gifted with inspiration, and delivered Di-
vine communications to the Church. Teach-
ers— those who devoted themselves to the
work of instruction. Barnabas is first
named, probably because the eldest. Sim-
eon is one of those Jews who bore a Latin
surname in addition to their Hebrew name,
like John, whose surname is Mark, men-
tioned in xii. 25, and like Saul himself.
Of this man we find no mention elsewhere.
The name Niger is of Roman origin, signi-
fying black, and was probably added to his
original name by some Roman acquain-
tance. Lucius, jjrobably the same as is
mentioned in Rom. xvi. 21, was a native
of Cyrene, that African city abounding
with Jews, and which sent to Jerusalem
our Saviour's cross-bearer. Manaen is a
Hellenistic form of the Hebrew Menahem.
(2 Kings XV. 14.) Manaen is spoken of as
the foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch.
This was Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of
Galilee, and since we learn from Josephm
that this Herod and his brother Archelaus
were children of the same mother, and
afterward educated at Rome, it is probable
that this Christian prophet or teacher had
spent his early childhood with these
princes, who were now both banished from
Palestine to the banks of the Rhine. Let
us not pass this slightly over. What dif-
ferent courses do men take who were once
in the same condition! Here we see
Herod and Manaen, brought up together
in the same house ; the one becoming a
profligate, a persecutor, the actual mur-
derer of James, and the intentional mur-
derer of Peter, awfully ending his course,
being smitten of an angel of the Lord, and
eaten of worms, the other becoming a dis-
ciple of Jesus, and a preacher of the Gos-
pel. So diverse were the characters of
these two individuals, brought up together,
1096
ACTS,
playing in the same room, hearing the
same voices, and surrounded with the same
examples, during the most impressible
period of life !
2 As thev ministprpfi to the Lord, and fasted, the
Holy Ghost' SHid, (-icpanite I'lne Barnabas and Saul for
tlie work >\vhcrennto 1 have called them.
KJal. i. 15. ^1 Tim. 11. 7.
As they ministered to the Lord, ^iC. — as they
were engaged in religious services, partic-
ularly prayer. The mention of fasting, in
this connection, seems to intimate that the
occasion was one of peculiar solemnity,
probably having reference to- some antici-
pated efforts for spreading the Gospel.
The Holy Ghost said. While they were
thus engaged, perhaps to all at once by
audible communication, or by special rev-
elation to some one among them. Separate,
The verb contains the idea both of selec-
tion and consecration. Me, for me, or to
me, i. e., for the Holy Spirit. The Spirit
makes the revelation, selects the mission-
aries, assigns to them their work. The
personality of the agent may be inferred
from such acts. The command in this
form was addressed to the associates of
Barnabas and Saul, but the latter would
hear the same voice pointing out to them
their duty and directing them to perform
the service laid upon them. Called them,
i. e., Barnabas and Saul, but not the rest
of you. This work was not to supersede
or take the place of the stated ministry,
but to be superadded to it.
3. And when they had fa-sted and prayed, and laid
their hands on theni, they sent them away.
The immediate consecration and dismis-
sion of the two men, demonstrates that
their associates had clearly understood the
revelation of the Spirit. While fasting and
praying, they laid their hands on both —
solemnly commended them, their journey,
and its great object, to the protection and
the grace of God (xiv. 26), and thus sent
them forth.
4. So they being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, de-
parted unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to
Cyprus. 5. And when they were at Salaniis, they
preached the word of God in the synas;ogues of the
Jews : and they had also John to their minister.
Departed, rather, leent douyn from Antioch,
which was inland, to Seleucia, which was
near the coast. Seleucia, built by Seleu-
cus Nicator about B. C. 300, was a strong
and almost impregnable city on the Oron-
tes, about four miles from its mouth. It
was the port of Antioch, and was about
sixteen miles distant from it by land, and
about forty by the river, on account of its
windings. Thence tliey sailed to Cyprus.
This large and fertile island, situated off
Syria, nearly opposite to Seleucia, is about
forty-eight miles distant from the coast,
and may be seen from the mouth of the
Orontes. It is about 130 miles in length,
and fifty in its greatest breadth. In an-
cient times it was remarkable for its fruit-
fulness, being celebrated for its wine,
wheat, oil, pomegranates, figs and honey.
In the time of the Apostles it had many
considerable cities, of which Citium, Sal-
amis, and Paphos were the principal. If
the sentence of excommunication, which
had been published against those who con-
fessed Jesus to be the Christ, was still in
force (John xi. 57), it is evident that it was
little noticed at a distance from Jerusalem :
for the Apostles were constantly allowed
to preach in the synagogues. John and
Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas, to
perform such services by their direction,
as he was capable of, with a view, no doubt,
of his being employed more and more as a
preacher of the Gospel.
6. And when they had gone through the isle unto
Paph(js, tliey found a certain sorcerer, a false propliet,
a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus : 7. Wliich weis with
the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent
man, who callea for Barnabas and Saul, and doslred to
hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so
is his name by interpretation) >iwithstood them, seeking
to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9. Then Saul,
(who also is caJJ/'d Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost,
set his eyes on him. 10. And said, O full of all subtilty
and all mischief, thou child of the.dfivil, tliou enemy of
all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the
right ways of the Lord? 11. And now, behold, the hand
of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shall be blind, not
seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there
fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went abo\it
seel<ing some to lead him by the hand. 12. Then the
deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being
aston!shedat the doctrine of the Lord.
<i2 Tim. iii. 8.
Unto Paphos. (See on verse 4.) This
place was situated on the western extrem-
ity of Cyprus, and was famous for its
luxury and licentiousness. It contained
a splendid temple, dedicated to Venus,
whose worship was of the most dissolute
character. A certain sorcerer. One of a
numerous class of impostors who, at this
time of general unbelief, were encouraged
even by cultivated Romans, (See on viii.
9.) A false prophet {and) a Jeio, or a Jeuish
false prophet, as the last word in Greek
may be either an adjective or a substan-
tive. This man was, therefore, not a
heathen sorcerer, like Simon Magus, but a
Jewish renegade, or still more probably a
CHAPTER XIII.
1097
professed Jew, but falsely claiming inspir-
ation. Tlw deputy — Roman dej^uty — of tlie
country, the island of Cyprus. A prudent
man, &c. How remarkably does the ap-
plication of terms, by the mouth of the
Spirit of God, differ from their application
by the mouth of the world ! If we can
conceive an instance of what the world
would term the height of imprudence, we
have it here. A Roman governor of high
rank, condescending to send for the teach-
ers of a new religion, for men who were
preaching certain doctrines promulged by
one Jesus, who had suffered as a criminal
under the Roman governor of Judca, and
desiring to hear from them the word of
God ! The strong i)robability that if he
received it, he would lose not only his
office, but his life, the certainty that if he
even rejected it, he would seriously injure
his character among his Gentile friends by
the inquiry, would have been quite suffi-
cient to stigmatize him in the ej'es of the
world as a most imprudent and injudicious
man. Yet the Spirit of God has declared
this man to be a " prudent man." And
surely the term is most appropriately ajj-
plied, for can there be a better evidence
of prudence than passing onward as we
know ourselves to be, to a state of bound-
less existence beyond the grave, seriously
to inquire, whether the faith which we pro-
fess, the religion to which we belong, be
indeed the word* of God, and sufficient
to carry us safely into the eternal man-
sions?
Elymas the sorcerer [for so is his name by
interpretation), or, for so his name sie/nijies.
These two appellations refer to his as-
sumed character, not his proper name ;
that was Bar-jesus, son of Joshua. Said,
{who is also called Paul.) The historian
from this period distinguishes the Apostle
by the latter name. Learned men have
conjectured that this change was made by
Saul himself, out of deference to Sergius
Paulus, who was perhaps the first idola-
trous Gentile, or at least the first person
of rank, converted by his instrumentality.
It was customary among the Romans to
assume the name of a person whom they
highly esteemed. We have an exampjle
of this in Josephus, who adopted the name
of Flavins, in compliment to the Emperor
Vespasian, of whom he was a great favor-
ite. But others ascribe the change to the
Apostle's new situation. He was hitherto
chiefiy conversant with the Jews and Sy-
rians, to whom the name of Saul was fa-
miliar; but coming, and indeed remain-
ing tlie greater part of his future life,
among the Greeks and Romans, they
would pronounce his name Paul, proper
names undergoing a partial change in dif-
ferent languages. But in whatever man-
ner the change of the Apostle's name hap-
pened, certain it is that ever after he was
known among the Gentiles by the name
of Paul. From this time, likewise, he is
generally mentioned by the historian be-
fore Barnabas, because he was now shown
to be the principal person, although for-
merly he was mentioned after Barnabas,
because he was the younger disciple, and
because his Apostolic authority was not
fully understood. What did Paul? "Filled
with the Holy Ghost" he " set his eyes on
him." We are not fond of hard names
and harsh language, says an eminent di-
vine, and there is nothing we should more
guard against than mingling our passions
with the cause of truth; " for the wrath
of man worketh not the righteousness of
God," The same actions require not only
the same circumstances, but the same
warrant. When, therefore, the Samarit-
ans would not receive our Saviour when
He was going up to Jerusalem, and James
and John seeing this said, " Lord, wilt
thou that we command fire to come down
from heaven, and consume them, even as
Elias did ?" He turned, and rebuked them
and said, " Ye know not what manner of
spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is
not come to destroy men's lives, but to
save them." Paul not only knew the de-
pravity of this wretch, how he misrepre-
sented their doctrine, and calumniated
their designs, but he was " filled " with
the Spirit as a " spirit of judgment and
of burning," he spoke in the name of the
Lord, and as a prophet, whose appeal was
sanctioned by the event. Observe, sec-
ondly, his denunciation.
And now behold, &c. The doom had five
characters. It corresponded vitli the crime.
Here was blindness for blindness, judicial
blindness for criminal blindness. It was
1098
ACTS.
suddenly inflicted. Immediately there fell
upon him a viist and a darkness. It was
comparatively mild. It was only the loss
of sight : but Ananias and Sapphira were
struck dead. It was temporary. He was
not to "see the sun for a season." It Avas
useful. Like other judgments at the be-
ginning of the Gospel, it was to guard
Christianity from abuse, and to awaken
attention, that others might hear and fear,
and turn unto the Lord. And as this was
the design, so this was the effect of it.
W]ien he saw vihat was done, &c. Hud this
"prudent man" listened to the dictates of
worldly policy, had he attended to the ad-
vice of worldly counselors, he certainly
never would have arrived at this merciful
conclusion ; but determining, through the
grace of God, to hear and to inquii-e for
himself, he was brought in humility, and
faith, and ol:)edience, to Him, whom truly
to know is everlasting life.
13. U Now when Paul and his company loosed from
Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia, and Jolm,
departins ^irom them, returned to Jerusalem.
eChap. XV. 3.S.
Paul and his company. (See on verse 9.)
Loosed, launched, or sailed. Paphos. (See
on verse 6.) The first city they come to
is Perga in Pampliylia. Pamphylia was a
province of A.sia Minor, lying over against
Cyprus, and Perga was the metropolis of
the province, situated not on the sea-coast
but on the river Cestrus, about seven miles
from its mouth. A bar obstructs the en-
trance of this river at the present time>
but Strabo says expresslj'' that it was
navigable in his day as far up as Perga.
The ruins of this city are to be seen still,
sixteen miles north-east of the modern
Adalia, or Satalia. They consist of " walls
and towers, columns and cornices, a the-
ater and a stadium, a broken aqueduct,
and tombs scattered on both sides of the
site of the town. Nothing else remains
of Perga but the beauty of its natural
situation, between and upon the sides of
two hills, with an extensive valley in front,
watered by the river Ce.strus, and backed
by the mountains of the Taurus."
And John departing from the-m,&Q,. What
induced John to leave the mission and re-
turn to Jerusalem, we are not informed.
It is generally supposed that he shrank
from the dangers and difficulties of the
mission. That his return was not alto-
gether justifiable, is evident from Paul's
afterward refusing to take him on his
second missionary journey. (Acts xv.
37-9.) Possibly John was influenced to
some extent in his course, by regard for
his aged, and, as it appears, pious and
widowed mother, then living at Jerusa-
lem. If so, this tends, in some degree, to
diminish the culpability of the desei-tion
of the scene of his labors. That he should
have remembered the claims which such
a parent had upon him before he embark-
ed in the great cause of evangelizing the
heathen, is true, that he who " loves
father or mothei: more than Christ, is not
worthy of him," is equally certain, but
whatever be the verdict which many may
pass upon him, who may thus have de-
serted for a season the work in which he
was engaged, from the strength of filial
afl'ection, and the love of a tender and per-
haps declining parent, we cannot speak
harshly of an act where such may have
been the motive, and surely He will not
judge harshly of it, who, amid the agonies
of the cross, looked down upon her who
had given him biTth, and provided for the
remaining j^ears of her embittered pil»
grimage, a solace and a home.
14. But when they departed from Perga, they came
to Antiocli in Pisidia; and went into the synagogue fon
the sabbatli day, and sat down. 15. And after the read-
ing Foi'tlie law and the i^irophet-s, tlie rulers ofthe syna^
goguesent unto tliem, saying. Ye men and brethren, if
ye have any word ''of exhortation for the people, say
on.— fxviii. 4. BVerse 27 ; I'Heb. xlii. 22.
Into the synagogue, &c. They met them
in their place of worship. Sabbath days
should be kept holy in solemn assemblies,
they are instituted chiefly for public wor-
ship. Paul and Barnabas were strangers,
but wherever we come, we must inquire
for God's faithful worshipers, and join
them, as those that desire to keep up a
communion with all saints. Sat down, pro-
bably near the entrance. The Pentateuch
was so distributed, as to allow of being
read through in the year, and to each pas-
sage was adjoined a portion, having some
affinity with it, from the prophets. The
reader, or another, then explained. Ben-
gel thinks Dent. i. and Isa. i. were the
lesson, since these chapters are even yet
read on one Sabbath, and Paul, at verse
18, refers to Deut. i. 31. Rulers, &c. These
CHAPTER XIII,
1099
wcn'O i">robubly the elders of the Jcwa in
Antioch, i. e., the iioadd of families, or
other hereditary chiefs uiid representa-
tives, as such conducting or controlling
])ublic worsliip. These now sod the hy-
peretcs (or clerk) to Paul, &c. Jf ije Juice
ani) ward, &c., literally, " if any word of
exhortation be in yon." There is, says
Beza, some emphasis in this Hebraism, by
which it is understood, that whatever there
is in us of Divine grace, is derived to us
from God, that we may carry it about as a
treasure shut up in earthen vessels.
16. Then Paul stood up, and bockoniug with his hand,
Siud, Men of Israel, and ye that tear God, give audi-
ence.
Paul seized the opportunity, accepted
the invitation, and Avith the bearing of an
orator, " beckoning with his hand," and
the zeal of an Apostle, commenced his ser-
mon. By " men of Israel " Paul means
the Jews and Jewish proselytes then pre-
sent; and by "those that fear God," the
devout Gentiles who had renounced idol-
atry, and worshiped God in the syna-
gogues, without, however, becoming prose-
lytes to Judaism by submitting to the rite
of circumcision — the so-called proselytes
of the gate.
17. Tlie God of this people of Israel chose 'our fathers,
and e.xalted tlie people when tlit^ dwelt Jas .strangers
in the land oi Egypt, and with an i^high arm brought
he them out of it.
iDeut. vii. (J, 7. JPs. cv. 23. kExod. xiii. 14, 16.
Exalted, made them numerous and pow-
erful. Viitli, an high arm, i. e., one raised
on high, and so ever ready to protect and
defend them. (Comp. Exod. vi. 6.)
18. And ahout the tiine of forty 'years suffered he
their manners in the wilderness.— 'Exod. xvi. 3-5.
Suffered lie their manners, i. e., bore with
them, endured them. Another reading
differing in a single letter, and preferred
by most modern critics, yields the mean-
ing, bore them as a nurse does, i. e., nursed
or nourished. (See Num. xi. 12 ; Dent. i.
31 ; also 1 Thes. ii. 7.)
19. And when he had destroyed nseven nations in the
land olChanaan, he "divided their land to them by lot.
"Deut. vii, 1. ojosh. xiv., &c.
Destroyed, or, cast out ; seven nations.
(Comp. Dent. vii. 1 ; Josh. iii. 10, xxiv. 11.)
20. And after that, he gave unto them judges, rabout
the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel
the proiihet.— pJudgcs ii. 16.
As this appears to contradict 1 Kings
vi. 1, various solutions have been proposed.
Taking the words as they stand in the
Greek, thus, " after that by the space of
450 years, he gave jadgc.^," the meaning
may be, that about 400 ye..r.s elapsed from
the time of the covenant with Abraham
iiidil the period of the judges, which is
historically correct, the word "about"
sliowing that chronological exactness was
not aimed at. l>ut taking the sense to be
as in our version, that it was the ])eriL)d of
the judges itself which lasted about 450
years, this statement also will appear his-
torically correct, if we include in it the
interval of subjection to foreign powers
which occurred during the period of the
judges, and understand it to describe the
whole period from the settlement of the
tribes in Canaan to the establishment of
royalty. Thus, from the exodus to the
building of the temple were 592 years
(Josephus, Antiqni., viii. 3, 1): deduct forty
years in the wilderness ; twenty-five years
of Joshua's rule (Josephus, Antiqui., v. 1,
29) ; forty years of Saul's reign (v. 21), forty
of David's, and the first four years of Solo-
mon's reign (1 Kings vi. 1) ; and there
remain just 443 years, or, in round num-
bei's, about 450 years.
21. And afterward tliey qdesired a king : and God gave
unto them Saul '■the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of
Benjamin, 'by the space of forty years.
11 Sam. viii. 6. '1 Sam. x. 1.
Desired a king. They wished to have a
government like that of the nations around
them. (See 1 Sam. viii. 5, 7, 22.) Sard the
son of Cis. Cis is the same as Kish in the
Old Testament. (1 Sam. ix. 1, 2). For the
manner of Saul's selection to be king, &c.,
see 1 Sam. ix. 10. Forty years. This agr(>es
with Josephus, {Antiqui., vi. 14, 9.) The
Old Testament does not mention the
length of Saul's reign.
22. And when 'he had removed him, he raised up
unto them David 'to be their king: to whom also he
gave testimony, and said, I have found David ti.e sun
of Jesse, a man "alter mine own heart, which shall iul-
fil all my will.
si Sam. xxxi. 6. '2'Sam. v. 3, "^1 Sam. xiii. 14.
Had re moved him, literally, liaring removed
(or deposed) him, i. e., from his kingly oflice,
as recorded in 1 Sam. xv. 11, 23, 35, xvi. 1.
I have found David, &c. These words do
not occur in the Old Testament, but are
made up from two passages: Ps. Ixxxix.
20, where God testifies, "I have found
David my servant," and 1 Sam. xiii. 14,
where Samuel, addressing Saul, says, "The
Lord hath sought him a man after his own
heart." After mine own lieart, referi'ing to
the general character of David. He was
1100
ACTS.
not, like Saul, a bad man, who had occa-
sional fits of piety, but a g<X)d man, not-
withstanding the transgressions he com-
mitted, and which he so bitterly repented
of. Mij tvill, literally, "the wills." Im-
plying the several particulars, in which
David, a prophet, a king, and a type of
Christ, accomplished the commands and
purposes of God.
23. Of this man's seed hath God, according to his
promise, vraisetl unto "Israel a Saviour, Jesus: 24:
When John ^had lirst preached, before his coming, the
baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 2.'i.
And as Jolin fulflUed his course, he said. Whom thinic
ye that I am? I am not he: but, behold, there comet li
one after me, whose shoes of hia feet I am not worthy
to loose.- vPd. cxxxii. 11. wMatt. i. 21. ^Matt. iii. 1-11.
The emphasis of this statement lies, 1 ,
in the seed from which Christ sprang —
David's — and the promise to that effect
which was thus fulfilled; 2, on thec/(«rac-
tp.r in which this promised Christ was given,
of God — " a Saviour." His personal name,
" Jesus," is emphatically added, as designed
to express that very character. (See on
Matt. i. 21.) When John had first jyreached,
&c. (See on Matt. iii. 1-11.) FulJilUd his
course. John's ministry finished the legal,
and brought in the evangelical dispensa-
tion. His career was brilliant and his
success extraordinary. By the authentic
historian JoscpJnis he is spoken of in terms
of the highest encomium. His course w^as
hurried and impetuous, eager, as it were,
to reach his destination, and to mingle his
grand soul with its kindred elements in
eternity. He was raised up for a partic-
ular service, and when that was accom-
plished he was removed. Note, 1. There
is a prescribed course or sphere of action
appointed to every individual by the
Author of our nature. 2. There is a set
and limited time allotted to that sphere,
and course of action. 3. Our happiness
and our honor consist entirely in complet-
ing the course which God has assigned to
us. It is a great mistake to suppose that
we should be able to conform ourselves to
the will of God, and to our own sj^here of
action, better in some other state, and
therefore to be dissatisfied with thtit pre-
cise state in which His providence has
placed us. The wisdom of each consists
in fulfilling his own course. The memory
of John the Baptist is perpetuated with
honor, because he "fulfilled his course,"
while that of Herod and Pontius Pilate
are covered with infamy. Which of these
characters w'ill we imitate? Will we be
among those whom God condescends to
honor, to whom He will say, "Well done,
good and faithful servants, enter ye into
the joy of your Lord?" or will we now
surround ourselves with a few sparks of
worldly pleasure, and lie down in eternal
darkness ?
26. Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abra-
ham, and wliosoever among you feareth God, to you
yis tlie word of this salvation sent. 27. Furtiiey that
dwell at Jerusalem, and tlie rulers, because they knew
him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are
read every Sabbath-day, ^they have fulfilled llicjn in
condemning him. 28. And though they found no cause
of death in him. yet desired they Pilate that he should
be slain. 29. And when they had fulfilled all that was
written of iiim, they took tiim down froiji the tree, and
laid him in a sepulchre.— y Matt. x. 6. Luke xxiv. 20, 44.
Children of the stock of Abraham. All ye
that are Jews. Feareth God, {i. e., the true
God), although not belonging to the cho-
sen people. To you, i. e., as some under-
stand it, you as distinguished from the
Jews of Palestine, referred to in the next
verse. But as we know that these were
not excluded from forgiveness and salva-
tion, the meaning rather seems to be, that
the rejection of the Gospel by the people
at Jerusalem, ought not to occasion its re-
jection elsewhere. The luord of this salva-
tion, &c. The Gospel brings salvation, 1.
By way of discovery. It reveals salvation
exclusively of any other way; no angel in
heaven could have discovered it, if God
had not first declared it in and by the
Gospel. 2. By way of tender and offer.
This joyful message of salvation is sent to
every man's door, and entreats every sin-
ner to accept it. 3. By way of efficacy and
power. The Gospel, says an old writer,
brings with it a convincing and converting
power to put men into a state of salvation,
and has also an establishing and confirm-
ing power to preserve them in that estate.
Blessed be God, that to us, even to every
one of us, is the word of this salvation sent.
What monsters, then, are they who are
enemies to the preaching of the Gospel !
Tliey are enemies to our salvation : tlie
only way to heaven is by Christ, the only
way to Christ is by faith, and the only way
to faith is by the word — it cometh by hear-
ing. Because they knew him not. A gentle
excuse for the persecuting high priests, &c.
They did not know that Jesus was the
Chri.st, because they did not know the
CHAPTER XIII,
1101
prophets. And v:hy did they not know
the prophets, which were read every Suhhatli
dayf Because they did not desire to Inou;
His will, and therefore they knew not tlie
doctrine of God : nor did they know that
in condemning Christ, they fulfilled those
very Scriptures which Avere read every
Saljbath day in their synagogues. (See on
ii. 23 ; iii. 17.) Jesus Christ is the sub-
ject of all the prophecies. No cause of
death — Christ's innocence. Though they
found, rather, because they found no cause,
although they sought it. Human judges
found no fault in Him, but there was an-
other Judge, who found Him hxden with
the sins of mankind. Fulfilled all, &c. All
that was foretold concerning the suflerings
of the Messiah was fuliilled in Christ, and
circumstances are noticed here, that made
Hisresurrectionthe more illustrious. They
laid Him in a sepulchre, and thought they
had Him fast. "Let no one take offense
at a Saviour to whom Jerusalem could give
nothing better than the accursed tree, and
a grave which the civil authorities sealed.
Thus it is written, and thus it must needs
be." (Chap. xvii. 3.)
.30, But God raised him from the dead: 31. And he
was seen ^many days of them which came up with lilm
from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto
the people. 32. And we declare unto you glad tidings,
how that the promise bwhich was made unto the fatli-
ers; 3a. God hath fulfilled the same unto us tlieir
cliildrep, in that lie liatli raised up Jesus again ; as it is
also written in the second psalm, Thou fart my Son,
this day have I begotten thee. 3^1. And as concerning
tiiat he raised liim up from tlie dead, 7ioi« no more to
return to corruption, he said on this wise. X will give
you the sure mercies of David. 35 Wherefore he saith
also in ^another psalm. Thou shalt ■ not sufl'er thine
Holv One to see corruption.
i^Chap. i. 3. ijRom. iv. 13. «Ps. ii.. 7. dPs. xvi. 10
But God raised him, &c. To take away
the scandal of the cross, the Apostle shows
that our Saviour's resurrection was as glo-
rious as His death was ignominious. God
wiped away the reproach of the cross by
raising up Christ from the grave, and de-
clared Him to be His Son with power, by
the resurrection from the dead. And he
was seen, &c. (See on chap. i. 3.) Glad
tidings, &c. The Apostle intimated that the
doctrine he preached, if received aright,
and understood by them, would bring them
the greatest honor and satisfaction imagin-
able, because, in the resurrection of Christ
the promise which was made unto the fathers,
the patriarchs, &c., was fulfilled unto their
children. Tliou art my Son, &c. Some re-
fer these words to the incarnation of
Christ, but here they are introduced as a
prediction of His resurrection. Although
He was the Son of God from eternity, yet
by His resurrection he was openly declared
to be so: it was the inauguration of His
Sonship. As the Apostle in Rom. i. 4, re-
gards the resurrection of Christ merely
as the manif.ntation of a prior Sonship,
which he afterward (chap. viii. 32), repre-
sents as essential, it is plain that this is his
meaning here. " The expression in the
Psalm, I have begotten thee," says Dr. Alex-
ander, "means, I am He who has begotten
thee, i. e., I am thy father. To-day refers
to the date of the decree itself {Jehovah
said, To-day, &c.) ; but this, as a Divine
act, was eternal, and so must be the Son-
ship it afhrrns. The sure m,ercies of David.
From Isa. Iv. 3. — '' I will make an ever-
lasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David," i. e., of Christ, the Son
of David, as frequently in the Old Testa-
ment (Jer. XXX. 9 ; Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24,
xxxvii. 24, 25; Hos. iii. 5), and it may re-
fer jjarticLilarly to the last words of David,
" an everlasting covenant, ordered in all
things and sure." It was the resurrection
of Christ, which rendered His mercies sure
to His people, who without that, could
have no hope from Him. (1 Cor. xv. 14.)
See corruption. " Experience i:)utrefaction."
(See on ii. 27.)
36. For David, fafter he had .served his own genera-
tion by the will of God. cfell on s'.eep, and was laid unto
liis fathers, aud saw corruption :— si Kings ii. 10
" Served his own generation." Not in-
deed exclusively, for he has served every
generation since. He is now serving the
present. Christians now living bless God
for His writings. Who has not found in
them a treasury of experience, a flame at
which he has often lighted his torch, a
harp that has often driven away his evil
spirit ? There are some who not only serve
their own age, but levy a tax of admiration
and gratitude upon every future one. Such
were the Reformers. Such were Luther,
and Calvin, and Knox, and others. And
nothing can be more unjust than to cen-
sure these men who did so much, because
they did no more, or diminish their fame
by reproaching them with a few faults,
which were rather the errors of the times
than of the men. If we cannot serve other
generations let us serve our own. Some
1102
ACTS
Btrain too much after distant olyects, and
overlook what is immediately before them.
Some leave large sums when they die.
They had better be their own executors,
and see and enjoy the application of their
own liberality. They had better convince
the world that they act from choice ; for
at death they can retain nothing, but must
part with all thej'- possess. By the will of
God. Nothing comes by chance in our
affairs. The Lord determines the bounds
of our habitations, appoints us our stations
and offices, and assigns us our talents and
opportunities. It was not only by God's
providential will that David served his own
generation, but also by His revealed will.
This he made the rule of his conduct.
" Lead me," said he, " in Thy truth, and
guide me, for Thou art the God of my sal-
vation, on Thee do I wait all the day " —
like a servant, to receive and obey the
orders of his master. We must not follow
our own fancies, or do that which is most
agreeable to our feelings, but what God
requires of us.
Fell on sleep. When those who survive
can declare with truth, after the death of
an individual, that, although the days of
his pilgrimage may have been few and
evil, he had always fulfilled the will of
God as far as his ability extended, they
could not inscribe a more honorable epi-
taph on his tombstone, or pay a nobler
tribute to his memory. And was laid unto
his fathers. This form of expression ap-
pears to have arisen from the practice of
the Hebrews in burying the dead. Their
sepulchres were large caves, either natural
or artificial, with spacious apartments.
When a person died, and his bodj' was
laid in one of these receptacles of the dead,
in which the corpses of his deceased kin-
dred had before been deposited, he was
said to be gathered unto his fathers, or
ancestors. (See Gen. xxv. 8.) The ex-
pression was familiarly used to convey the
thought of dying and being buried, with
the additional thought, in many instances,
of the departed soul going to join the souls
of deceased ancestors in the invisible world.
(SeeGen. xlix. 29; Judges ii. 10.) Andsaio
corruption. He also saw corriiption in the
body, like all except the One of whom all
prophecy testified as the promised One.
37. But he, whom God i>raised again, saw no corrup-
tion.—iiChup, ii. 24.
That is, Jesus Christ, whom God the
Father raised to life the third day, saw no
corruption. Sin had no inheritance in
Him, therefore death could have no more
do!xiinion over Him, but He overcame
death in its own territory — the grave.
Thus the Apostle draws the argument
home, that the foregoing words could not
be meant of David's person, but of the
IMessiah, w^hom David typified and repre-
sented.
38. Be it known unto you therefore, men and breth-
ren, that throusli 'this man is preached unto yon the
Ibrfjiveness of sins: 39. And by jhim, all that believe
are justified ironi all things, from whicli ye could not
be .justified by the law of Moses.
iban. ix. 24 ; Luke xxiv. 47 : 1 John ii. 12. jlsa. liii, 11 ;
Hab. ii. 4 : Rom. iii. 28, viii. 1.
Jesus had been shown to be the Messiah,
and He is, therefore, the author of pardon
and salvation to those who believe on Him.
Thronghlhis man tlie forgiveness of sins (hav-
ing been procured) is announced unto you.
(Comi^. X. 36 ; Luke xxiv. 47.) The next
verse reaffirms and amplifies the proposi-
tion. And by him all thcd believe are justified,
&c. All who really believe that the Lord
Jesus Christ is both able and willing to
cleanse them from their sins, to clothe
them in His righteousness, to guide them
by His Spirit, and afterward to receive
them into glory, and who give themselves
up freely and unreservedly to be governed
by Him, as well as to be saved by Him, to
belong to His obedient as well as His be-
lieving people — all such" are justified from
all things," they stand now, acquitted be-
fore God, every sin which hitherto sullied
their conscience, and distressed their
mind, and grieved the Holy Spirit of God,
if, indeed, deeply repented of, and brought
to " the blood of sprinkling," is pardoned
cast into the depths of the sea, whence it
shall never again rise to shame, or to con-
demn them. Blessed promise ! yet not too
good, not too great, to be strictly and un-
deniably true. All that believe, says the
A]50stle, are justified from all things : not
future, or he would have said " shall be
justified," not uncertain, or he would have
said, "justified from some things," but,
blessed be God, present, and certain, and
unlimited : " are justified from all things,"
are acquitted, are more than acquitted, are
considered holy through the imputed
CHAPTER XIII.
1103
righteousness of Christ, arc abundantly
pardoned, and received into God's love,
and shall be aburtdantly blessed, and re-
ceived into God's glory.
40. Efivvixre therpfore, lest that come upon ynu Khich
LS s-pokoii ol'iii lithe prcjpliets; -11. Jli'liold, ye dcspiscrs,
aiul woiiiU'r^ and pi-risli : Cor I work ;i work in' your
days, a, work wliii^h yr sliall in nowise believe, Hioiiyli
a inan declare.it unto you.— i^Isa. x.x.'ix. 11 ; llub. 1. 6.
Lest that come upon you, &c. The quota-
tion is from Hab. i. 5, ac(;ording to the
Septuagint, with some unimportant varia-
tions. God threatened Israel by the pro-
phets with the desolation and destruction
of their country ; but they would not be-
lieve till they experienced the truth of
the prophecies in all their horrors. Here
their descendants are warned of impend-
ing ruin, the dreadful nature of which
Paul does not pretend to describe ; but in-
timates that nothing could prevent it if
they believed not in Jesus as the Messiah.
The prophecy primarily referred to the
captivity, and was also verified in the de-
struction of Jerusalem. But the language
here employed is applicable to all ages,
and denounces the wrath of God uj)on un-
belief and rebellion : " I v:orl: a work in
your days," namely, a work of judginent,
" a work which ye shall in no wise believe,
though a man declare it unto you," even al-
though warned of the judgment, you will
be so hardened and insen.sible as not to
believe in it : you will cling to delusive
hopes of safety, even when danger is at
the door. "Well might Paul apply these
words as a warning to those who rejected
the Gospel.
42. ![ And when the Jews were gone out of the syna-
gogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be
preached to them 'the ne.\t Sabbath. 4;i. Now wlieu
the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and
religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who
.speaking to them, persuaded them to continue ™in the
grace of God. 44. H And the next sabbath day came
almost the whole city together, to hear the word of
God. 4o. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they
were filled with envy, and spake against those things
which were spoken by Paul, "contradicting and blas-
pheming. 4n. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold,
and siiid, It was necessary that the word of God should
first °have been spoken to you : but .seeing ye put it
from .you, and .judge yourselves unworthy of everlast-
ing life, lo, we I'turn to the Gentiles. 47. For so hath
the Lord commanded us. saying, ql have .set thee to be
a light of the CTentiles, that thou shouldest be for salva-
tion unto the ends of the eartli.
I//! the wcrk betwren, or, in the Sabbath between. —
"'Chap. xiv. 'il: Heh. vi. 11, 12, xii. Li. "Chap, xviii. 6.
"Matt. X. 6: Luke xxiv. 47; Rom. i, 16. rDeut. xxxii.
£1 ; Matt. xxi. 43 : Eom. x. 19. ll.sa. xlix. 6.
When the congregation was broken up, &c.
After this religious assembly had been
dismissed in the customary manner, a con-
siderable number of Jews and proseh^tes
followed Paul and Barnabas to their abode,
and were again addressed, in a still more
unconstrained and familiar manner. They
were urged to adhere with constancy and
fidelity to the grace of God, by which they
iiad already been influenced. Would that
it were more the custom in these our days,
for those who have been impressed by the
public ministry, or have been led by wliat
they have there heard, to inquire further
into these great and important subjects, to
go at once to their ministers : how many
doubts might be removed, how many mis-
takes corrected, how niany impressions
corroborated, how much of zeal, comR)rt,
and strength, imparted to the first weak,
tottering steps in the Christian life, if
there were, as there most obviously ought
to be, this free communication between
every Christian minister and his peojjle !
Came almost the whole city together, &c. The
crowd was probably increased by the in-
structions and appeals of Paul and Barna-
bas during the interval. Blaspheming,
joined here with contradicting, seems to
intimate that the Apostles were the objects
of it ; the word denotes here to revile, to
report slanderously, to defame. Seeing ye pjd
it from you, through their own prejudice,
stubbornness, and sin. Judge, or adjudge
yourselves unworthy, that is, their conduct
furnished matter or occasion of their con-
demnation as unworthy, unsuitable j^er-
sons, in their temper and conduct, of en-
joying eternal life. (See Rom. ii. 27.)
First have been spoken to you. This Vi^as
necessary according to the commission
which Christ gave the Apostles, implying
strongly that they were first, in all places,
to address the Jews, which plan they ad-
hered to on this and every future occasion,
(Matt. X. 5 ; Luke xxiv. 47.) There was a
Divine propriety in this plan, for the Jews
were possessed of the Old Testament
Scriptures, and valued them; they were
peculiarly qualified to judge of the truth
of the Gospel : and their reception of it
was calculated to rouse the attention of
the Gentiles to consider it. And as this
people were scattered among all nations
where the Apostles went, they became
proper witnesses to appeal to in respect of
the prophecies, the fulfillment of which
the Gospel announced. They were tlierc-
fore, through the good providence of God,
110-1
ACTS.
instrumental in introducing the Gospel
into all nations, and God honored them
as His chosen people, by selecting from
among them almost all the first ministers
of the AV^ord. Lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Two things are suggested here: 1. A
lamentable condition for a people. These
unbelieving Jews are left — the Apostles
turn from them— the Gospel is withdrawn.
A greater calamity this to a people tlian if
the sun went down and left their heavens
in sackcloth. Mercy will not always con-
tinue with a people. " My Spirit shall not
always strive with man." 2. An obvious
duty for a ministry. It was right for these
Gospel laborers to leave a rocky, sterile
and unproductive soil, and try elsewhere.
Their field is the world. Ministers are
not only justified, but often bound to leave
their sphere of labor. That ministry
which is unsuccessful in one sphere, is
often gloriously prosperous in another.
These Apostles wrought wonders amongst
the Gentiles.
For so hath the Lord commanded us, &c.
The Lord Jesus gave them directions to
witness to Him in Jerusalem and Judea,
first, and after that, to the utmost part of the
earth, to preach the Gospel to every creature,
to disciple all nations. This is according to
what was foretold in the Old Testament.
When the Messiah, in the i^rospect of the
infidelity of the Jews, Avas ready to say, /
liave labored in vain, He was told, to His
satisfaction, that though. Israel was not
gathered yet He should be glorious ; that His
blood should not be shed in vain, nor His
l^urchase made in vain, nor His doctrine
preached in vain, nor His Spirit sent in
vain. I have set thee, not only raised thee
up, but established thee, to be a light of the
Gentiles, not only a shining light for a time,
but a standing light, set thee for a light,
that thou shouldst be for salvation unto the
ends of the earth. Those of any nation
should be welcome to Him, some of every
nation have heard of Him (Rom. x. 18),
and all nations shall at length become Jiis
kingdom.
48. And when thp GentUes heard this, they were glad,
and glorified the word of the Lord : and ras many as
wore ordained to eternal life, believed.
'Chap. ii. 47 ; Rom. viii. 30.
They were glad — to perceive that their ac-
cession to Christ was matter of I>ivine ar-
rangement aswell as Apostolic efi'ort. And
glorifiedthe word of the Lord — by a cordial re-
ception of it. And as many as were ordained
to eternal life, believed — a very remarkable
statement, which cannot, without force, be
interpreted of anything lower than this,
that a Divine ordination to eternal life is
the cause, not the efiect, of any man's be-
lieving. Leighton says, " Who can conceive
whence this should be, that any man
should believe, unless it be given him of
God ? And if given him, then it was His
purpose to give it him, and if so, then it is
evident that He had a purpose to save
liim ; and for that end He gives faith : not
therefore purposes to save, because man
shall believe." (See Horn. viii. 29 ; Acts
ii. 47.)
49. And the word of the Lord was published through-
out all the region.
It is not stated how long Paul .and Bar-
nabas remained in Pisidian Antioch, but
probably it was for some time, during
which they would preach the Gospel in
the neighborhood. Christianity would
also be diffused throughout the region by
the zeal of their converts.
50. T But the Jews stirred up the devout and honor-
able women, and the chief men of tlie city, and "raised
persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled
them out of tlieir coasts.— ^2 Tim. lii. 11.
The Jews, being filled with envy. (Verse
45.) The words devout and honorable are
not to be taken in a spiritual, but in a con-
ventional sense, they were "devout" in
the .sense of being proselytes, " honorable "
in the sense of social rank. , It was the ob-
ject of the crafty Jews to gain the men
through the influence of the women, and
thus effect the expulsion of the Apostles
from the city. By women God's kingdom
is often greatly advanced or retarded.
Expelled — but there was no legal expulsion,
for they visited Antioch again on their
return. (Chap. xiv. 21.) Paul alludes to
this persecution in 2 Tim. iii. 11. The
powerful and successful preaching of the
Gospel usually stirs up violent persecution
against preachers of the Gospel.
51. But they shook 'off the dust of their feet against
them, and came unto Iconium.
'Mark vi. 11 ; Luke ix. 5 ; chap, xvlii. 6.
Shaking off the dust of the feet imported
disapprobation and rejection. The act
derived its significancy from the idea that
CHAPTER XIV.
llOo
those renounced in this way were so un-
worthy that the very dust of their kind was
defiling. In taking this course Paul followed
the direction of Christ, given in Matt.x. 14.
"The people of the world" says Starke, "need
convincing evidence that the truth is com-
municated to them, not for the sake of pri-
vate advantage, but solely for the purpose
of enabling them to obtain salvation. If
they will not accept ofheaven, let them re-
tain the earth audits dust." Iconium, an
important town of Asia Minor, referred by
Xenophon to Phrygia, by_ Strabo to Lycao-
nia, by Ammian to Pisidia, while Pliny
seems to represent it as the seat of a dis-
tinct provincial government. It is still a
place of some importance under the cor-
rupted name of Conieh or Koniyeh.
52. Ami tliedisciplos were filled with njoy, and with
the Holy Ohost.— "Matt. v. r.!; 1 Thes. i. 0.
The new disciples, won from among the
Gentiles into the new Israel, were filled
vMh joy and with the Holy Ghost, through
their faithful continuance in the mighty
grace of God which had been poured out
upon them. The little flock did not, as is
too often the case, disperse, or become
lukewarm, as soon as the agents by whom
they were brought to a saving knowledge
of the truth were taken fiom them. Here
we learn that God's grace, and the Church's
joy, may and do increase under the great-
est opposition and persecution of men.
Infinite wisdom and sovereign power
know how to overrule the contradiction
of sinners, for glory to Himself and good
to His Church.
1. 'UTio were in the Church at Antioch ? 2. 'WTiat did the Holy Ghost say as they ministered to the Lord and
fa-sted? 3. What did tuoy then do ? 4. Whore did Barnabas and Saul go? o. What is said of a " certain sor-
cerer ?" C. What did Saul say to him ? 7. What is said of Paul in the synagogue of Anitoch ? 8. State some
of the particulars of his address. 9. What impression did it make ? 10. What is said of the spirit and condfict
of the Jews? 11. What did Paul and Barnabas say ? 12. What effect had their statement upon the Gentiles?
13. How were Paul and Barnabas treated ? 14. How did they receive their persecution ? 15. What is said of the
disciples ?
CHAPTER XIV.
1 Paul and Sarnabas are persecuted from Iconium. 8 At
Lystra Paul healeth a cripple, ichfrrupon they are re-
puted as gods. 19 Paul is stoned. 21 Thfy j-iass thrc/ugh
divers churches, confirming the disciples in faith and
patience. 26 Returning to Antioch, they report what
Ood had done with them.
AND it came to pass in Iconium, that they went
both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and
so spake, that a great multitude, both of the Jews and
also of the Greeks, believed.
Iconium. (Seeonxiii. 51.) Both together.
How happy is it for ministers of Christ to
walk and work together in unity. So.
With such success. Persecution had in-
creased their power. The orator of this
world would experience but little satis-
faction, unless it could be said that he " so
spake that a multitude" applauded, that
an admiring audience hung upon his lips :
the minister of Christ, on the contrary, is
anxious " so to speak that a great multitude
may believe." His great desire is, that in-
stead of the power of eloquence and the
♦20
charms of oratory, the power of Divine
truth and the charm of Divine love may per-
vade every sentence which he delivers ;
that he himself maybe overlooked and for-
gotten in the wondrous message of mercy
and condescension which he brings, and
that by the power of the Holy Ghost, those
whom he addresses may be led to yield
themselves willing captives, not to the
strength of his arguments, but to the
sweet attractions of his Master's love.
Greeks, when opposed to Jews, means
Gentiles who follow the religion and man-
ners of the people of Greece. (Comp.
verse 5.) The original word is frequently
used in this sense. (See chap, xviii. 4,
xix. 10, XX. 21 ; Gal. iii. 28; Col. iii. 11.)
It is different from that which is trans-
lated Grecians. (Acts vi. 1.)
2. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles,
and made their minds evil-alfected against the breth-
ren.
1106
ACTS.
Unbelieving, (xvii. 5, xix. 9 ; John iii. 36 ;
Kom. ii. 8, x. 21, xi. SO, 31, xv. 31 ; Heb.
iii 18, xi. 31 ; 1 Pet. ii. 7, 8, 3, 1, 20, iv. 17.)
It is often rendered disobey, (xxvi. 19.)
Stirred vp. (xiii. 50.) Not elsewhere. Made
evil-affected, (vii. 6, 19, xii. 1, xviii.
10 ; 1 Pet. iii. 13.) He who is not wilUng
to obey the truth himself, is easily tempted
to seduce others from it. Against the breth-
ren. That is, not merely against the two
missionaries, but also against the newly-
converted Christians in the city. Luke
here apiihes this endearing name of" breth-
ren" to the Christians, because nothing was
more hateful to the unbelieving Jews, than
that believing Jews and believing Gentiles
should constitute one holy brotherhood in
Christ.
3. Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in
the Lord, which >gave testimony unto the word of His
grace, and granted sic;ns and wonders to be done by
their hands.— 'Matt. xv. 20 ; Heb. ii. 4.
Long time. Not thinking that they should
yield to violence. Speaking boldly in (rather,
upon) the Lord, ). e., in dependence upon
Him. It was their reliance on Christ that
inspired them with so much courage. That
minister who is afraid to speak and plead
for Christ now, will be ashamed to look
Him in the face at the great day. Which
gave testimony. The Lord by the testimony
of mii-acles confirmed the word of grace.
Unto the word of His grace. A noble defi-
nition of the Gospel. The end of the
ministry is to build up, as well as to bring
in, and this is done by our constancy in
preaching, and exemplariness in holy
living.
4. But the multitude of the city was divided : and
tpart held with tiie Jews, and part with the Apostles.
I'Chap. xxviii. 24.
This has ever been, and, doubtless, will
ever be, the efiect of a faithful, uncompro-
mising display of the word of truth, un-
less all who hear it are indifferent to its
dictates and deaf to its calls, to newness
of heart and life ; or unless, by the power
of Divine grace, all who hear it are con-
vinced and converted, it cannot be other-
wise. Until the Gospel was introduced
into Iconium, doubtless the city was per-
fectly quiet, and to the mere casual ob-
server its state was infinitely preferable
before the name of Christ was heard with-
in its walls. But how did that deceitful
calm appear to the heart-searching eye of
God ? He knew it to be not the repose of
peace, but the apathy of death. He knew
that the very division which worldly men
might deplore, and ignorant men might
misunderstand, was the natural efiect of
the sifting nature of the word of truth —
dividing, it is true, but dividing only the
wheat from the chaflf, the sheep from the
goats, the people of the Most High from
the deluded followers of their eternal
enemy. This efiect of the dissemination
of Divine truth, so continually appar-
ent during the first ages of the Gospel, is
by no means infrequent at the present
day, wherever it is plainly and faithfully
promulgated.
5. And when there was an assault made, both of the
Gentiles and also of tlie Jews, with their ruk-rs, to use
f,/ie7n despitefully, and to stone them; 6. They were
ware of it, and cfled unto Lj'stra, and Derbe, cities of
Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about : 7.
And there they preached the Gos-pel.— 'Matt. x. 23.
An assault, impulse, inclination, as in
James iii. 4. With their riders, i. e., those
of both nations, viz. : the heathen magis-
trates, and the ofiicers of the synagogue.
Stone them, as blasphemers of the law of
Moses. (Chap. vi. 13.) Ware, or aware.
The original order of the next clause is,
to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Berbe.
Lycaonia was an inland tract of Asia Mi-
nor, lying between Phrygia, Galatia, Cap-
padocia, and Cilicia. Lystra was in the
southern part of it, thirty miles south of
Iconium. The site of Lystra is supposed
to have been recently discovered. Derbe
was east of Lystra and south-east of Ico-
nium, mentioned by Cicero as the resi-
dence of his friend Antipater. Some trav-
elers suppose both the site and name to be
preserved in the modern Divle. The re-
gion, &c. This denotes the places in the
vicinity of Lystra and Derbe, hence the
adjacent parts of Lycaonia. They . . , fled,
In this they acted in perfect consistency
with the spirit of Christ's religion, which
by no means obliges its professors to
court unnecessary clangers. There cer-
tainly ai-e occasions when our duty would
require us to make the most important
sacrifices, even life itself, for the cause.
But this is a very different thing from that
indiscreet zeal, which, without considering
times and seasons for acting or suffering,
is equally ready to encounter all. Our
Lord Himself sometimes escaped, even by
CHAPTER XIV.
1107
miracle, out of the hands of His enemies
yet when His hour came, tlio hour pro-
per for Him to suffer, He yielded like a
lamb to the slaughter. And the Apostle
Paul, of whose flight we now read, showed
on other occasions the most undaunted
resolution, prudence without timidity,
courage without rashness. In order, there-
fore, to form a right judgment of the act,
we must consider the attending circum-
stances. In the present case these were
such, that no advantage, but on the con-
trary much mischief, was likely to arise
from a different conduct, for " the multi-
tude of the city was divided." (Verse 4.)
Thus the probable, or rather certain, con-
sequence of another meeting had been a
civil commotion, to prevent which no
method could be so effectual as what was
adopted. And it contains a lesson of wis-
dom and moderation, of great advantage
on all such, and all other less trying oc-
casions. Nothing can more obstruct the
progress of religion, than the U23holding
of any dissensions or animosities on the
subject : for its mild and gracious influ-
ence is lost upon hearts raging with con-
tention, and distracted with furious pas-
sions. Better is it to wait a more fa-
vorable moment, or if none such can be
hoped, to fly the contest, and prove our
faith by our lives : an argument at once
cogent and inotfensive, conciliating and
impressive, without clamor, debate or vio-
lence, and above all others best fitted to
subdue unreasonable prejudices and strong
antipathies. There they preached. The
storm of persecution only extends the
blessed effects of the Gospel.
8. H And there sat n certain man at Lystra, impotent
in liis feet, beiiifc a<ieripple from his mother's womb,
who never had vvallied :— ^^Chap. iil. 2.
Lystra. (See on verse 6.) Sat. Being
unable to walk, it is j^robable he sat in
some place suitable for attracting the no-
tice of the people and exciting their sym-
pathy, like the blind man in John ix. 8,
who " sat and begged," or the lame man in
Acts iii. 2, who was daily laid atone of the
temple-gates in Jerusalem. "Impotent
and a cripple from his mother's womb !"
Who has not, in his own experience, real-
ized the affecting picture? And how sad
is the condition of those, who are even
now as helpless as this lame man, as help-
less in spiritual things, as much in dark-
ness and im])otency as wlien they were
born, and who, in this sense, never yet
have walked, and are unable even now to
" run the way of God's commandments,"
having never yet received, because they
have never yet truly sought to receive,
the aid from on high, so to do !
9. Tliesamo lieanl Paiil Kpeali : who steadfa-stly be-
holding liiiii.iind iPiTci'iviij!,' tliat he iiiul laitli <Io be
healed; ID. Said wiili a loud voice, Hluud upright on
thy feet.. And la- liapeil fund walked.
<^Matt. ix. Z-6, 20. fisu. XXXV. 6.
2'he same heard, &c. Rather, was listen-
ing to Paul's preaching. Steadfastly he-
holding. It is the part of sjiiritual pru-
dence to observe the emotions of the
hearers, especially of the afflicted. Faith
to he healed. Tliis faith seems to signify
either a general belief of the power of
Barnabas and Paul, or rather of Jesus
Christ, whose ministers they were, to heal
infirmities and diseases, or a persuasion
that a cure would be performed upon him-
self in particular. In the former case, his
faith was founded on the account v.hich
he had heard of the character and mira-
cles of Christ, and of the extraordinary
gifts which He had bestowed on His fol-
lowers ; in the latter, it was the eflect of
a supernatural impression upon his mind.
This faith Paul perceived by the power of
discerning si5irits,or the power with which
the Apostles were occasionally endowed,
of discovering the thoughts and disposi-
tions of men. Said with a loud voice, &c.
The cure immediately followed the com-
mand. The disorder in the man's joints was
removed, his limbs recovered strength, and,
with the fondness so natural to a man who
has recently acquired a new power, which
he had long and earnestly desired, but
despaired of ever possessing, he tried it
in every way, leaping and walking. That
the miracles of the Gospel were real mira-
cles is evident from this important fact,
that they were not done in a corner, but
in the chief places of concourse, in the
streets of cities, in the midst of assemVjled
multitudes, in the presence of enemies as
well as of friends.
11. And wlien the people saw what Paul had done,
they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of L.v-
caonia, the fgods are come down to us, in the likeness
of men. 12. And the.v called Baraaba--. Jupiter : and
Paul, Mercurius, because he was tlwchiif speaker. 13.
Then the i)riest of Jupiter, which was 1" foretheircity,
brought o.xen and garlands unto the gates, and twould
have dune sacrilice with the people.
E(Jhap. xxviii. a. ''Dan. ii. 40,
1108
ACTS
The complete restoration of the helpless
cripple to the use of his limbs, drew all
eyes toward men who possessed more
than mortal powers, and immediately a
persuasion gained ground among the peo-
ple, that the mysterious strangers were no
other than gods, who had " descended in
the likeness of men." It was the univer-
sal belief of the Greeks and Romans, that
their deities frequently condescended to
visit the world, disguised in human form.
Innumerable passages in the works of the
poets will occur to the classical reader, in
which gods and goddesses are described
Jis negotiating with men, and taking a most
active interest in what is going on here
below ; and those incarnations are not to
be considered as the wild invention of
the poets — an ingenious machinery by
which they carry on the different parts
of their story, but as objects of the popular
belief which the poets took as they found
it, and merely applied it to embellish the
creations of their genius. Moreover, it
was a i^art of the fanciful theology of the
heathens, that in such expeditions gener-
ally the deities traveled in pairs, and that
Jupiter and Mercury were inseparable
companions. Hence we may perceive the
foundation of the opinion entertained by
the Lycaonians, that the Apostles were
Jupiter and Mercury. Not doubting that
Paul, from the copiousness and persuasive
power of his oratory, was the fabled god
and patron of eloquence, they concluded
from his always having the attendance of
that little active deity, that the other grave
and majestic stranger could be no other
than Jupiter.
The whole city being in a state of ex-
citement at the arrival of such unexpected
visitors, it was proposed to honor them,
according to the idolatrous customs of the
place, by offering sacrifice, and in the
brief notice given by the Evangelist of
this strange expression of popular admi-
ration, we meet with several of the pecu-
harities of heathen worship. The temples
were usually built in the suburbs, and the
images of the gods placed before the gates
of the cities, and as the number or grand-
eur of the statu^ erected to the honor of the
patron deity of the place was usually far
greater than those of any other object of
their worship, the image of Jupiter, who
was regarded as the tutelar deity of that
town, would stand in stately majesty at
the chief gate of the city. Thither, ac-
cordingly, the priest of that divinity di-
rected the oxen to be driven, whose blood
was to stream at the feet of the statue, in
honor of the occasion, and whose brows,
as well as those of the crowd who followed,
were adorned with chaplets of flowers.
These garlands were formed of a wreath
of cyi^ress, or pine leaves, or the blossom
of any particular tree that might be con-
secrated to the god for whose honor the
sacrifice was intended. No one appeared
without the distinction of the flowery
coronet, as that would have thrown dis-
honor on the festive occasion ; whereas,
every one decorating their brows with the
appropriate garlands, was sujjposed by
that token to take part in the sacrifice that
was offered, and to render homage to the
object of reverence, by strewing his altar,
or the neck of his image, with sweet-
scented flowers.
14. Which wben the Apostles, Barnabas and Paul,
heard of, they 'rent their clothes, and ran in among the
people, crj'ing out, 15. And saying. Sirs, why do ye
these things? We Jalso are men of liku passions with
you, and preach unto you, that ye should turn from
tiiese vanities tunto 'the living God, which ruade "hea-
veu and earth, and the sea, and all things that are
therein: 18. Who "in times past suft'ered all nations to
walk in their own ways.
' JIatt. xxvi. 05. JChap. x.2fi ; James v. IT ; Rev. six. 10.
kl Sam. xii. 21. 1 Kings xvi. 1.3; Jer. xiv. 22: John ii.
8 ; 1 Cor. viii. 4. U Thes. i. S). oiGen. i. 1 : Ps. xxxiii. 6,
0x1 V. 6 ; Eev. xiv. 7. "Ps. Ixxxi. 12 ; chap. xvii. 30.
When Barnabas and Paul noticed, from
the i^reparations and the preparatory words
of the priest, what the meaning was of this
cry in the Lycaonian dialect, which was
at first unintelligible to them,then they rent
their clothes, being actually filled with hor-
ror at the heathen idolatry, and at finding
themselves (poor fellow-sinners) in danger
of being looked upon as gods, thus affording
a palpable proof that they were mere fiesh
and blood, as other men, and throwingaside
all godlike demeanor, and putting an end
to the arrangements for the offering, they
rushed out among the people, and cried
out to them. Like passions. Obnoxious to
the same common infirmities. This is also
the meaning, James v. 17, and nothing
could be more absurd, or injurious to the
character of these holy men, than to im-
agine that it refers, in either of the places,
to anything of ungoverned passion. Tia-n
CHAPTER XIV.
1109
JTom these vanities, that is, from these idoh,
and false gods. Unto the living God, &c. The
Apostle thus spake to the ignorant barba-
rians among whom he was, in reference to
the consideration of God as the glorious
object of our worship. "Thus doth the
word magnify Him above the inanimate,
senseless deities of the pagan world, who
were wont to worship stocks and stones
and the works of their own hands, and bow
down and pray to a god that could not
save. And how should we magnify to our-
selves the object of our worship, under this
notion, and admire and bless God that He
hath revealed Himself to us, so as we are
not left altogether ignorant whom we ai-e
to worship, that we do not worship alto-
gether we know not what. We know the
object of our worship carries in it the rea-
son of its own being worshiped, which
renders it a rational worship. He is the
living and so the true God whom we wor-
ship."— Howe. Who. An anticipation of
an objection, lest the Lycaonians should
suppose that, had these things been true
they would have heard them from their
parents. Times, literally, generations, past,
departed, gone by. Suffered, permitted, or
allowed, not approved, much less required,
but did not hinder or prevent. All nations,
i, e., all but one to whom He granted an
exclusive revelation. The multitude of
those in error does not remove the error.
To wcdk in their own ivaijs. God bestowed
on them neither the law nor the prophets.
Yet left them without excuse in not ac-
knowledging God. (Eom.i.20,21.) Though
the law was silent, He gave them whence
they might learn to know Him. " If we
attend," says Plotinus, " to the voice of all
created ' nature, it will loudly proclaim its
origin from the deity, not from the Cretan
Jupiter, or the Arcadian Mercury, but from
the unknown God, whom Paul preached
to the Athenians." To sufler either na-
tion or person to walk without control or
check, from word or rod, from ordinances
or providences, in the ways of sin and
wickedness, is a very dreadful and tremen-
dous judgment. (See on next verse.)
17. "Nevertheless, he left not himself without witness,
in that lie did good, and gave us Frain from heaven,
and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts wiili food and
gladness.
"Kom. i. 20. PJob v. 10 ; Ps. exlvii. 8 ; Matt. v. '15.
Nevertheless, he left not himself, &c. Al-
though the Gentiles in past generations
had no written revelation, yet they wore
not left in complete darkness; God left
among them the witnesses of His exist-
ence and perfections in the works of crea-
tion, and in His benevolent dealings with
them. (See Rom. i. 19, 20.) In lluil he did
good, &c. With these W(jrds the Apostle
would turn the attention of the Lystrians
from the false gods they worshiped to the
real Giver of every good. They were in-
debted for the blessings of life, which they
ascribed to Jupiter and Mercury, to the
living God. Jupiter Avas regarded as the
giver of rain and fruitful seasons, and Mer-
cury, as the god of merchandise, was looked
upon as the dispenser of food. The men-
tion of rain in particular, as one of the
clearest manifestations of the Divine be-
nignity, was in accordance with the old
Jewish saying, that " there were three keys
— of life, rain and resurrection — always
kept in God's hand," not given to any dele-
gate or proxy, as indicating a more direct
or sjiecial act of power on the part of the
Supreme. The apparent irregularity with
which it falls, the difficulty of foretelling
it, and its absolute necessity to the pro-
longed existence of either animate or
vegetqjDle creatures, single the rain out as
worthy of emphasis in this brief record of
Heaven's gifts to man. "The circuit of
the waters," in their wonderful passage
from the sea into the atmosphere by evap-
oration, their condensation into clouds and
rain, their fall upon the earth into streams
and mighty rivers, and their return to the
great reservoir of the ocean from which
they issued in an invisible form, is to every
devout mind a perpetual miracle of celes-
tial power and goodness. (Jer. v. 24.) " If
we hearken to the voice of the world,"
says an ancient philosopher, ",we shall
hear it say nothing but God hath made
me." It will be observed that Paul in this
discourse, as well as in that at Athens
(Acts xvii. 23-31), to which this bears a
striking resemblance, dwells upon those
truths which his hearers could appreciate,
he builds upon the principles of natural
religion, thus affording to all succeeding
missionaries an examjile for imitation in
their reasoning with the heathen. " In
this appears the goodness of God ; consid-
1110
ACTS,
ering how hateful sin is to Him, and how
powerful He is to punish it, how easy were
it, if it pleased Him, in one moment to cut
off all the ungodly, high and low, through-
out the whole world 1 Yet He bears, and
forbears to punish ! Oh ! what a world of
sin is every day committed in nations, in
cities, and villages, yea, in families, which
he doth not strike with present judgments,
and not only forbears to punish, but mul-
tij)lies His common mercies on them, ' sun
and rain and fruitful seasons.' " — Leigldon.
13. And with these sayings, scarce restrained they
the people, that they had not done sacritice unto theui.
Scarce restrained they. &c. (See on x. 26.)
In view of the conduct and language of
the Apostles, as now stated, observe, 1,
Their benevolence. Nothing could have
been more truly benevolent than their
ardent concern for the spiritual good of
this people, their grief and distraction, for
the perverse impiety which they were
about to commit, and their strenuous en-
deavors to restrain them from the deed,
by making known to them the true God,
to whom alone religious homage is due.
2. Their humility. This appears in put-
ting themselves upon the same level with
those poor ignorant persons, who would
have offered sacrifice to them ; " "We also
are men of like passions with you 1" In-
stead of feeling the least complacency in
the honors designed them, they betray
nothing but horror and shame, at having
any part, however unwilling, in the pro-
fane attempt. 3. Their zeal for the honor
of God. This is consi^icuous through
every part of the transaction. This, in-
deed, seems to have been the prime object
in their thoughts, and chief cause of their
violent emotion. To witness that adora-
tion paid to the creature, which only be-
longs to the Creator, was shocking in their
sight, as offering violence to the first prin-
ciples of rational piety.
19. IT And there came thither certain Jews from An-
tiuch and leunium, wlio persuaded the people, and hav-
ing Istoned Paul, drew himoxiX, of the city, supposing ho
had been dead. 20. Howbeit, as the disciples stood
roundabout liim, he rose up, and came into the city:
and the nex^t day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
12 Cor. xi. 25.
Antioch and Iconium, from both which
places Paul and Barnabas had been ex-
pelled by the same influence. (See on
verse 5, and chap. xiii. 50.) Persuaded the
people, &c. The fickleness, as well as the
emptiness of human applause, is well illus-
trated by the history before us. The same
multitude who could be satisfied with
nothing short of paying Divine honors to
Paul, and even worshijiing him as a god,
in a few short days treated him as the
w^orst of malefactors, persecuted him, as
they hoped and believed, even unto the
death, " stoned him, and drew him out of
the city, supposing him to have been
dead." He had swooned away, and lay
for a time senseless. "Howbeit," continues
the Evangelist, " as the disciples (those
converted at Lystra) stood round about
him, he rose up, and came into the city."
Thus realizing, by his own repeated ex-
perience, the truth of the affecting descrip-
tion which he himself has bequeathed to
us, " We are troubled on every side, but
not distressed, we are perplexed, but not
in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken,
cast down, but not destroyed." To this
instance of stoning the Aj^ostle refers in
2 Cor. xi. 25. The wounds inflicted on
him at this time may have left some of
those scars on his body to which he alludes
in Gal. vi. 17, as proof that he was Christ's
servant.
21. f And when they had preached the gospel to that
city, and ^had taught many, they returned again to
Lystra, and Zo Iconium, and Antioch, 22. Contirming
tlie souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to con-
tinue »in the faith, and that 'we ciust through much
tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
'JTad niadf. many disciples. eChap. xlii. 43. 'Rom. viii.
17 ; 2 Tim. iU. 12.
What fortitude, what patience, what
magnanimity, appear in the Apostles on
this occasion ! How fit to be chosen the
witnesses of Christ's resurrection ! So far
from being deterred by the violence they
suffered, they venture, not only into other
churches and places, but return again to
the very Lystra where they had encoun-
tered such bitter and cruel hostility. Con-
firming, &c The office of the Apostles
was two-fold. To sow the seed of instruc-
tion in the mind — to regenerate men by
the Divine word to a heavenly light — this
was their finst object. When this was
done, they, secondly, endeavored to con-
firm their new converts — to lead them on
— to corroborate and strengthen them —
to teach them to bear the trials, and bring
forth the fruits which it was the end and
design of Christianity to produce. They
confirried the souls of the disciples during
CHAPTER XIV.
1111
this visit, by deepening the impressions
of Divine truth, instructing them more
fully in the way of God, guarding them
against temptation, and fortifying them
against the impression of fear. Exhorting
them, &c. They persuaded them, by all
possible arguments, to adhere to the doc-
trine of Christianity, to hold it fast, to
cleave to it with persevering faith, to
yield themselves ui? fully to its influence.
Men may hold Christianity to be ti-ue, and
yet never be under its proper influence,
never continue in the faith. And that we
must through much tribulation, &c. The
Apostles guarded the disciples from being
turned away from the profession and
practice of Christianity by tribulation
trials, various worldly discouragements
and persecutions. It was a new thing to
these converts to suffer for Christ: the
Saviour had only just begun to put His
cup into their hands. All Christians must
suffer, though not in the same degree or
under similar circumstances, with those
of the first age. Through much tribula-
tion they must enter the kingdom of God.
There is a kingdom before them, and only
one way to enter it, and that is by tribu-
lation, and not by tribulation thinly scat-
tered in the midst of flowery paths, but
" much tribulation," thickly sown and
continually returning.
23. And when they had ordained them elders in every
church, and had prayed with Casting, they commended
them to the Lord, ou whom they believed.
When ihcy had ordained them elders, liter-
ally, " chosen by show of hands." On this
the Rev. David. Brovm, D. D., observes :
" But as that would imply that this was
done by the Apostles' own hands, many
render the word, as in our own version,
' ordained.' Still, as there is no evidence
in the New Testament that the word had
then lost its proper meaning, as this is
beyond doubt its meaning in 2 Cor.
viii. 19, and as there is indisputable evi-
dence that the concurrence of the people
was required in all elections to sacred
office in the earliest ages of the Church, it
is perhaps better to understand the words
\o mean, ' when they had made a choice
of elders,' i.e., suijerintended such choice on
the part of the disciples: and had prayed
with /asiin^r, literally, 'fastings;' thus set-
ting them solemnly apart. This last
clause confirms our interpretation of the
former. For if ' ordination ' was by prayer
and fasting (see chap. xiii. 3), why should
it be said they first ' ordained elders,' and
after that ' prayed with fasting?' 'Whereas,
if the first clause refers to the choice and
the second to the ordination, all is natural.
They comme7idcd {' committed') theni,i. e.,
all those Churches, to the Lord— Jesus."
24. And after they had pa&sed throughout Pisidta
they camo to Paiii^)liylia. 2.5. And wlicn tbey had
pro.icLied tlio word in Perpa., they went down into At-
talia: 2<j. And liiunce sailed to Aliliocli,"lrom whence
they had been recommended »to the grace ot' God, for
the worli wiiich they /ultilled.
"Chap. xiii. 1, 3, »Cliap. xv. 40.
We have already indicated the sites and
circumstances of l?isidia, Pamphylia and
Perga. All these places, with the excep-
tion of Attalia, they had visited before on
their way out. At Perga, however, they
had only time to land on that occasion
(see chap. xiii. 13); now in returning they
"preached the word" there. Attalia was
a city of Pamphylia, at the mouth of the
river Catarrhactes, built by Attains Phila-
delphus, king of Pergamus, and is still a
seaport of considerable size and commerce,
under a slightly altered name. And thence
sailed to Antioch. Not, of course, the Anti-
och of verse 21, which was in Pisidia, but
the city of this name in Syria (chap. xiii.
1.) They had been absent, according to
the computations of some, about three
years on tliis first Apostolic journey; dur-
ing which time they had visited Salamis
and Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, and
Perga, Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe,
Attalia, and other places, in three of the
provinces of Asia Minor, viz.: Pamphylia,
Pisidia, and Lycaonia. Frora witence they
had been recommended, &c. Whence, hav-
ing been committed to the favor of God,
they were sent forth. (See xiii. 3.) For
the work of missions, it'/u'c/i workthey (now)
fuljllh'd, completed, brought to a conclu-
sion, by returning to the point from which
they had set out. Such honor attended
Jesus, when He went to the Father: "I
have finished the work which Thou ga vest
me to do." (John xvii. 4.) And nothing
but such a faithful performance of the
work assigned to us, can bear honorable
testimony in our behalf, when we depart
from the world.
1112
ACTS
27. And when they were como, and had gathered the
churcli together, they rehearsed -all that God had done
with them, and how he had opened nhe door of laith
unto the Gentiles. . „ „ ^, ■• ,.,. t>„^ ;;.- a
"Chap. XV. 4 : n Cor. xvi. 9 ; 2 Cor. n. 12 ; Rev. ui. 8.
Eehca rsei^, &c. Having called th e Church
together, they declared the great things
which God had done with them and by
them, with the intention, no doubt, that the
Church might join with them in their prais-
es and thanksgivings, who had before assis-
ted them with their prayers and supplica-
tions. They desired that God might have
the entire praise and glory from them. We
should not observe silence respecting the
works and wonders which God has
wrought, but, in sincere humility, proclaim
them aloud, so that others, besides our-
selves, may praise the goodness and al-
mighty power of God. And how he had
opened the door cf faith, i. e., had given
them access to the Gospel, participation
in its blessings, as well as to the Jews; not
that he had opened to the Apostles a door
of access to the heathen. This metaphor
is a favorite one with Paul (1 Cor. xvi. 9,
2 Cor. ii. 12, Col. iv. 3), and may have be-
come familiar to Luke in his intercourse
with him. God opens three doors, when
any work that leads to the salvation of
men is performed — the door of the teach-
er's mouth, the door of the hearer's ear,
and that of his heart. Utterly insufficient
are all external means, how excellent
soever in themselves, to operate savingly
upon men's minds, unless the Holy Spirit
opens the understanding as well as the
minister opens the Scriptures,
28. And there they abode long time with the disciples.
Long time, literally, not a little time.
How long is uncertain, depending on the
time occupied by the missionary journey,
but probably two or three years (A,- D. 49,
50).
1. What is said of the preaching in Iconium ? 2. What course did the unbelieving Jews pursue ? 3. What is
said of" the multitude of the city ?" 4. Describe the " certain man at Lystra." 5. What did Paul say to him ?
6. Why did he say it ? 7. What was the result ? 8. \Vhat did the people say ? 9. W^hat did the Apostles do and
say ? 10. What is recorded of certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium ? 11. What is said of Paul after being
stoned? 12. Where did the Apostles then go ? 13. To what places did they return ? 14. For what purposes ?
15. State the subsequent course of the Apostles. 16. Where did they abide long with the disciples?
CHAPTER XV.
1 Oreat dissension ariscth touchinn circumcision. 6 The
apostles consult about it, 22 and send their determina-
tion by letters to the churches. 36 JPaul and Bariwibas,
thinking to vixit the brethren together, fall at strife, and
depart asunder.
AND iicertain men which came down from Judea,
taught the brethren, atid said, E.icept bye be cir-
cumcised '•after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be
saved.— "Gal. ii. 12. tjohn vli. 22. 'Lev. xli. 3.
Some persons from Judea taught the
brethren in Antioch, that "unless they
were circumcised after the manner of
Moses, they could not be saved." The
law of Moses was virtually abolished by
the death of Christ, in which its design
was accomplished, but few among the
Jewish believers M'ere apprised of the ex-
piration of its authority. The simple ob-
servance of its rites, however, was not yet
unlawful, if it proceeded from a principle
of conscience, mistaken, indeed, but re-
vering what was still supposed to be ob-
ligatory, or from a charitable intention to
avoid giving offense to the weak. But
those men taught, that obedience to the
law of Moses was indispensably necessary
to salvation, or that circumcision, and the
other duties, ceremonial and moral, which
it enjoined, were the express condition of
our acceptance with God.
2. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small
dissension and disputation with them they determined
tliat iiPaul and Barnabas, and certain other of them,
should go up to Jerusalem, unto the apostles and elders,
about this question.— JGal. ii. 1.
As the doctrine these men taught was
subversive of the Gospel, Paul and Barna-
bas opposed them, and much contention
ensued. It was found impossible to settle
the controvers}'', even by the authority of
Paul, to whom the false teachers refused
CIIArTER XV
1113
to submit, and it was therefore determined
to refer it to the Apostles and elders in
Jerusalem. Besides, it was not a local
controversy, arising from the peculiar cir-
cumstances of the place, but might be
agitated in any other city or district where
the Jews resided, and for this reason
prudence required that it should be finally
decided in a higher assembly than that of
the rulers of Antioch, an assembly which
would command the respect and obedience
of all the churches in the world. There
is no doubt that it might have been de-
termined in Antioch, in which, besides
Paul and Barnabas, both men of high rank
in the Church, there were projjhets and
teachers competent to manage such athiirs
but the opposing party was refractory, and
there was no hope of reducing them to
silence except by the sentence of a court
from which there was no appeal. Paul
and Barnabas, and certain other of them, etc.
Whether these were delegates from the
other churches of Syria, and from those
of Cilicia, in which this controversy was
agitated does not appear. About this ques-
tion. It is evident that, in this case, there
was not merely a reference for advice, but
submission to a sentence.
3. And being obrought on their way by the church,
they passed through Phenice and Samaria declarhig
the f conversion of the Gentiles : and they caused great
Bjoy unto all the brethren.
cRom. XV. 24 ; 1 Cor. xvi. 6, 11 ; 3 John 6. 'Chap, siv,
27. BLuke xv. 7, 10.
Being brought on their way, &c. When the
Apostles traveled as ministers of Jesus, the
Church helped them on their way. This
help may refer to pecuniary aid (see Acts
xviii. 3, XX. 34; 1 Cor. ix. 1-15; 2 Cor. xi.
9; Acts xxviii. 10), to the deputation of
suitable companions (see 1 Cor. ix. 5; Acts
xxviii. 25), and to the prayers of the Church
(see 2 Thes. iii. 1; Acts xii. 5). Passed
through Phenice and Samaria. (See on chap.
xi. 19.) As Galilee is not mentioned, they
traveled probably along the coast as far
south as Ptolemais (xxi. 7), and then
crossed the plain of Esdraelon into Sama-
ria. Declaring the conversion, &c. The Gen-
tiles had been in great darkness, but were
turned round to the light of the Lord.
(Eph. V. 8.) They had been sl^ives to sin
and Satan, but had turned to God as
their rightful governor. (1 Cor. viii. 5, 6.)
And they had worshiped dumb idols, but
were turned round, and adored the only
living and true God. In short, tiiey turned
to God in their hearts and Hm :, and be-
came new creatures in Christ Jesus. (2
Cor. v. 17.) Great jog was caus( I by these
reports tni/o all the brethren in I'.ie various
towns on their way. Mon of different na-
tions, while they remain in a state of na-
ture, are at enmity with each other, Chris-
tianity promotes a spirit of love to all
mankind, and this spirit rejoices in the
conversion of sinners wherever they are
found. The enmity which nations have
cherished against each other, has been
productive of bloody and long-continued
wars, in which myriads of the human race
have perished by the sword. And while
this diabolical principle is cherished there
can be no settled peace ; the iidions will
curse each other with bitterness, and re-
joice in each other's calamity. But C liris-
tianity plants benevolent principles in (he
heart of man, and is calculated to unite all
the nations of the earth. When our souls
are opened to receive its healing influences,
we become new men, our love is stretched
out to every human being, and we rejoice
in the happiness of every child of man.
4. And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were
received of" the church, and o/' the apostles and elders,
and they ''declared all things that God had done with
them.— iiChap. xxi. 19.
Were come to Jerusalem.. This was Paul's
third visit to Jerusalem after his conversion,
and on this occasion took place what is
related in Gal. ii. 1-10. Were received, &c.,
evidently at a meeting formally convened
for this purpose : the deputation being one
so influential, and from a Church of such
note. They declared all, &c. (See on chap,
xiv. 27.)
5. I But there rose up certain of the sect of the Phar-
isees which believed, s.iying, .iThat it was needful to
circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law
of Moses. 6. And the apostles and elders came ''to-
gether, for to consider of this matter.
JVerse 1. ''Matt, xviii. 20.
But there rose tip saying, &c. Some
regard this as Luke's own statement of
what happened at Jerusalem, after Paul
and Barnabas had made their report.
Others consider these as a part of the
speech of Paul and Barnabas, in which they
relate the cause of their coming to Jerusa-
lem. (See verses 1, 2.) That it ivas need-
ful, &c. (See on verse 1.) And the Apos-
tles and elders came together for to consider of
1114
ACTS,
this matter. To canvass the arguments on
both sides, and to pass a final sentence.
In the form of procedure, there was nothing
diiferent from what may be practiced, and
often is practiced, in otlier assemblies. No
person rose and pronounced the dictates
of inspiration, by which the rest were
overawed, but Apostles and elders con-
sulted together on equal terms, and the
decree was the result of their united de-
lil:)erations. It was founded upon a well-
known fact, corroborated by other facts,
which were brought forward in the course
of the inquiry, and upon an argument
drawn from the Scriptures. It appears
from the following verses, 12 and 22, that
there were other persons present, besides
the Apostles and elders, and the commis-
sioners from Antioch, who are called "the
multitude," and " the whole Church."
Nothing, however, can be plainer, than
that they were present to hear, not to de-
liberate and judge ; for, besides that the
reference was not made to them, Luke
expressly affirms, that none came together
to consider this matter but the "Apostles
and elders." As the question, however,
was of the greatest importance, aflfecting
the interests of the Gentile believers, and
prescribing the terms of their admission
to the privileges of the Gospel, it could
not but excite general attention.
7. 1[ And when there had been much disputing, Peter
rose up and said unto theiii, Men and brethren, ye
know ihow that a good while ago God made choice
among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear
the word of the Gospel, and believe. 8. And God, which
mknoweth the hearts, bare them, witness, giving them
the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us : 9. And put no
difference between us and them, purifying "their hearts
by liiith. 10. Now, therefore, why tempt ye God, to
put a yoke "upon the neck of the disciples, which
neither our fathers nor we were able to bear ? 11. But
we believe, that through pthe grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
'Matt. .^vi. 18, 19 : chap. X. 20. mChap. i. 24. nHeb.
i.x. i:i. 1-t : ] Peter i. 22. "Gal. v. 1. pEom. lii. 24 ; Eph.
ii. S; Titus iii. 4, 5.
Peter rose up, &c. How long the " much
disputing " continued, and what was said
before Peter arose, we are not told. True
to his nature, he came first to the front.
Nor could any of them indeed have strong-
er claims to the first speech on this occa-
sion. He was probably the most aged,
had been the most accustomed to public
speaking, and was, as some think, the first
to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. It
is noteworthy that in speaking in this
assembly there is no assumption of supe-
riority on Peter's part. He does not take
upon himself to sum up the arguments or
to pronounce a judgment. He speaks
only as one of their number, strongly as
he would speak, but with deference to the
common judgment. In his speech he
shows that Jewish rituaUsm was unneces-
sary, inexpedient, and contrary to his
faith. Made choice among us (the Apostles)
that by my mouth, &c. The meaning is not
necessarily that no heathen had heard or
embraced the Gospel till Peter preached
it to them, but that it was he whom God
appointed to convey the Gospel to them
under circumstances which showed it to
be manifestly His will that they should be
admitted into the Church without circum-
cision. Which knoweth the hearts — who re-
gards the heart, not the flesh. Bare them
tt'itiiess, giving, &c. He testified by giving
them the Holy Spirit, that pleased him :
(Gal. iii. 5.) And jnd no difference, &c. He
accepts a Jew as well as a Gentile, and a
Gentile as well as a Jew, without difier-
ence, makes no difference, purifying their
hearts by faith. If they have such an
operative fiiith as shall be accompanied
and followed with heart purity, there
shall be no difference that one was a Jew,
and the other was a Gentile. The heart is
the seat of purity. Faith, or obeying the
truth, works this purity, but the Holy
Ghost works that faith (verse 8.) Tempt
ye God, i. e., put Him to the proof, try His
patience and forbearance, by requiring
further evidence of what He has already
made so plain. " The attempt of imposing
anything upon the disciples but what was
necessary," says Howe, " is judged a tempt-
ing of God, a bringing the matter to a
trial of skill with Him, whether He could
keep the Church quiet, when they took so
direct a course to distemper and trouble
it." But M'e believe, &c. The Apostle here
presents still another consideration, name-
ly, that to Jews, as well as to Gentiles, sal-
vation could come only through the un-
merited favor of Jesus Christ. No out-
ward obedience of Jeivs could purchase for
them salvation. Jews, as well as Gentiles,
were wholly dependent on the grace of
Christ. This is a precious summary of
the Gospel, which Peter here gives. It
comprehends the confession that Christ is
the true God, for Christ can confer saving
CHAPTER XV.
1115
grace only in case He is the Lord, to whom
all i)Ower in heaven and in earth is given.
"By grace alone" — this is the badge by
which the children of the family recognize
each other. Hence Melanchthou says, that
the doctrine of justification by grace, is
" the highest and most important article
in the Christian creed, the only key to the
whole Bible, without which the troubled
conscience can find no true, lasting, and
sure consolation." Even as they. The
fathers and prophets precede the trium-
phal chariot of Christ — we follow it. Their
faith and our own, is the same ; the objects
of their faith belonged to the future — the
same objects of our faith belong to the past,
12. Then all the multitncle kept silence, and gave
audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what mira-
cles and wonders Ood had wrought qauiong the Gentiles
by them.— qChap. xiv. 27.
All the multitude. (See on verse 6.) The
speech of Peter had i^roduced such a deep
impression that there was a breathless
"silence" when he sat down, and when
Barnabas and Paul arose. Barnabas is
mentioned first, for probably he spoke
first, as being better known in Jerusalem
than Paul. Their speeches are not re-
corded ; only so much is said about them
as to show that they were historic — a
recitation of the leading events connected
with their missionary tour to the Gentiles.
They related " what miracles and wonders
God had wrought among the Gentiles by
them." They did not parade these as
their own achievements, but ascribed
them all to God.
13. 11 And after they had held their peace, James ans-
wered, saying. Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
14. Simeon hath declared rhow God at the first did visit
the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name,
io. And to this agree the words of the prophets, as it is
"written, Ifi. After this I will return, and will build
again tlie tabernacle of David, which is fallen down ;
and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set
itu)): 17. That theresidueof men might seek afterthe
Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is
called, saith tlie Lord, who doeth all these things.
'Luke ii. 31, 32. sAmos ix. 11, 12.
James ansivered. It seems plain from
this that the matter was not determined
by any axithority in Peter. It is very pos-
sible that James resided in Jerusalem
more constantly than any other of the
Twelve, and had special charge of the
Church there, not however as an ordinary
pastor, much less as a diocesan bishop, but
as a resident Apostle, Hearken unto me, or
simply hear me, i. e., me too, or me also,
liear what I, as well as they who have
already spoken, have to say upon the suIj-
ject. This request is very far from favor-
ing the notion that James spoke with
superior authority. The discourse of
James consists of three i>arts : Exordium,
in a form of expression calculated to con-
ciliate the good-will of his auditors (verse
13.) Narration, with its confirmation from
the prophets; (verses IG, 17, and in verse
18, the reason); Proposition, which is, Tlia
Gentiles are not to be compelled to Juda-
ism, but are only to abstain from certain
things (verse 19), since Judaism cannot
bo entirely abolished all at once. (Verse
20), Simeon hath declared, &c. — a recaj)itu-
lation of the speech of Peter. Simeon is
a Hebrew variation of Simon, the Jewish
and family name of Peter. And to this
agree the words of the prophets, &c. Tliere
is a considerable difference between this
and the original passage in Amos ix. 11,
12. Perhajis we may account for the
difference, by saying that James intended
to give the sense, not the exact words, of
the prophecy, and in respect of the sense,
the two passages perfectly harmonize. In
both, God promises " to raise up the fallen
tabernacle of David," or to raise his family,
when sunk into obscurity, to greater glory
than ever, by the birth of Jesus Christ,
who should ascend the throne of that
monarch, and enjoy everlasting dominion.
What would be the consequence, or rather,
what was the design of this dispensation?
It is thus expressed by James, " That the
residue of men might seek after the Lord,
and all the Gentiles upon whom my name
is called ;" in which words, the conversion
of the Gentiles is plainly foretold. It is
thus expressed by the Prophet: "That
they may possess the remnant of Edom,
and of all the heathen which are called
by my name ;" that is, in consequence of
its exaltation, the family of David shall
" possess the remnant of Edom, and of
all the heathen;" an event which was ac-
complished when, in the words of the
Psalmist, " the heathen were given to
Christ for His inheritance, and the utter-
most parts of the earth for His posses-
sion," and being converted to the faith,
they were called by the name of the Lord.
The passages, it will be perceived, differ
only in sound.
1116
ACTS.
18. Known 'unto God are all his works, from the be-
ginning of tlie world. 10. Wherefore my sentence is,
that we trouble not them, wliicli from among the Gen-
tiles are turned "to CJod: ia Hut that we write unto
them, tliat tliey iibstaiu from jjoUutions of ''idols, and
frum "ibrnication, und/ro»( tliiiips strangled, and from
iljlood. -21. For Moses of old time hath in every city
them that preiich him ; being rread in the synagogues
every Sabbath day. „ . „ ^
tNum. xxiii. 19; Isa. xlvi. 10. "I Thes. i. 9. . 'Ex. xx.
4,5; 1 Oor. viii. 1, itc.x. 28; Rev. lii. 14, 20, ix. 20. «1
Cor. vi. 9, 18 ; Col. iii. 5 ; 1 Thes. iv. 3. ^Lev. xvii. 14 ;
Dent. xU. 16, 20. JChap. xiii. 15. 27.
KnoiLii unto God, &c. The calling of the
Gentiles is a certain truth founded on the
omniscience of God. It is not an unex-
pected event: it is what He Himself had
foretold. The whole train of events, from
the creation to the general judgment, was
present to the mind of God from eternity.
In the shifting scenes of human affairs,
He sees only the evolution of His own
plan. Wherefore my sentence is, literally,
therefore, I judge, " I give my opinion."
That we trouble not; by imposing upon them
circumcision and the ceremonies of the
Mosaic law. But that ire write unto them,
enjoin by an ejiistle. James proposes, for
the sake of peace, the abstinence from
certain things on the part of the Gentiles,
namely, from these four particulars: the
pollution of idols, fornication, things stran-
gled, and blood. Pollutions. The Gentiles,
after the sacrifices were concluded, and a
portion of the consecrated victim, (the
thing here intended) had been assigned to
the priests, used to hold a sacrificial feast
in honor of the god, either in the temple
or in private houses, and then ate the
residue of the flesh : or even from avarice or
poverty, salted and laid up the remnant for
future use, or even gave it to the butchers
to sell in the shambles. Fornication. The
Gentiles accounted fornication, or whore-
dom, as a thing lawful or indifferent. So
Terence. They committed it in their tem-
ple, at their festivals, &c. Notorious are
tlieir Bacchanalia, Lupercalia, the rites of
the Bona Dea, &c., in which the Gentiles in-
dulged with impunity to the honor of
Bacchus, the Bona Dea, &c. Comp. Num.
XXV. 1, &c. Things strangled. The flesh
of such animals as were killed in snares,
and whose blood was not poured forth,
was forbidden to the Israelites. Hence
all strangled animals were regarded as un-
clean. And from blood. Nothing was
more strictly prohibited to the Jews than
blood ; because in the lilood was the life
of the animal, and because it was the blood
that was consecrated to make an atone-
ment. (Lev. xvii. 10-1-1.) The heathen
were accustomed to drink the blood of
the animals at their sacrifices. For Moses
of old time, t&c. This verse assigns a rea-
son for the proposed restrictions, and
that is, that the Jewish believers, being so
accustomed to hear the things in question
forbidden, were naturally sensitive in re-
gard to them, and hence it was necessary,
for the sake of peace and harmony, that
the heathen converts should refrain from
such practices. None will dispute that
charity toward men, as well as love to
God, will dispose believers to regard the
i:irecepts contained in this injunction,
(which was sanctioned by the Holy Spirit,
verse 28), when placed in circumstances
any way similar to those in which the
disciples were placed when it was first
delivered. In regard to abstaining from
fornication and pollutions of idols, there
can be no dispute, for a fornicator or idol-
ator, cannot inherit the kingdom of God,
and as to the other prohibitions, they are
confessedly, considered in themselves,
distinct from Divine authority, of less im-
portance. But there was a Divine pro-
priety in prohibiting them all, for they
were, in fact, as already stated, incorpor-
ated in that system of idolatry from which
the Gentiles had been lately delivered.'
To renounce these practices, was, in effect,
to renounce the whole system of idolatry,
of which they made a conspicuous part ;
to adhere to any part of idolatry was
equally inconsistent- with the will of God,
as it was opposed to Christian fellowship
with the Jews, who held the whole sys-
tem of idolatry in the utmost degree of
abhorrence. And when they did so, they
acted in perfect consistency with the spirit
and sentiment of those Scriptures which
were read in their synagogues every Sab-
bath day. (See on verse 29.)
22. ^ Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the
whole church, to send chosen men of their own com-
pany to Antioeh, with Paul and Barnabas ; iHiindy,
Judas surnamed 'Barnabas, and Silas, chief men among
the brethren.— 'Chap. i. 23.
It jyleased, or seemed good to. The apos-
tles and elders, not as independent bodies,
nor as one body separate from the Church
itself, but acting in harmonious conjunc-
tion uith the whole church, as there repre-
sented, not by human delegation but by
CIIATTEIl XV.
1117
Divine appointment. The whole church
cannot mean all the members of the Church
in Jerusalem, for as we are certain that
there wore in that city many thousands
"who believed, it is utterly improbable that
so great a multitude should have been per-
mitted to meet in public, by a government
ill-affected to them and their cause. Chosen
men, men selected from among themselves,
i. e., members of the mother Church and
probably belonging to the number of its
elders. Judas surnamed Barsabas — there-
fore not the Apostle "Judas the brother
of James" (chap. i. 13), surnamed "Thad-
deus " (Matt. x. 3) ; nor can it be shown
that he was a brother of "Joseph called
Barsabas." (Chap. i. 23.) But nothing is
known of him beyond what is here said.
And Silas — the same as "Silvanus" in the
Epistles. He became Paul's companion
on his second missionary journey. (Verse
40.) Chief men among Ihe brethren — selected
purposely as such, to express the honor in
which they held the Church at Aniioch
and the deputies they had sent to the
council, and as the matter affected all Gen-
tile converts, to give weight to the written
decision of this important assembly. (See
on verse 32.)
23 An"! they wrote Utters by them after this man
ner : Tlie apostles, ami elders, and brethren, ,^f/uf sroet-
ing unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in
Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia: 24. Forasmuch as we
have heard, that certain »which went out from us have
troubled byou with words, ^subverting your souls, say
ing,:Ifir«r6,s« be circumcised, and keen the law: to whom
<iwe gave no such commandment : 2i. It seemed good
unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send cho-
sen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul
2fi. Men that have hazarded ^their lives for the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27. We have sent therefore
Jadas and Silas, who shall also tell you the .same tilings
byfmouth. 2S. For it seemed good to the Holy Olio.st
and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden cthan these
necessary things: 29. That ye abst.iin '■from meats
offered to idols, and from blood, and from things stran-
gled, and from fornication : from which if ye keep
■yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well" 30. So
when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch ; Jand
when they had gathered the multitude together, they
delivered the epistle: 31. W7ii'c/i when they had read
they rejoiced for the con.solation. 32. And Judas and
Silas, being prophets also themselves, e.xhorted the
brethren with many words, and confirmed '^Ar/ji. .^.s.
And after they had tarried there a space they were let
go 'in peace from the brethren unto the apostles. 34.
Notwithstanding, it pleased Silas to abide there still
35. Paul .also and Barnabas continued in Antioch
teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with
manv others also.
»Verse 1. i>Gal. v. 12. cQal. v. 4. <iGaI. ii. 4. cChap.
xiii. 50, xiv 19. tworda. gRev. ii. 24. I'^'erse 20. ^'2 Cor.
xi. 9 : James i. 27. JJohn v. 24 ; Jude xx. 21. tChap,
xiv. 23. 'Cor. ivi. 11; 2 John 10.
And they wrote letters by them. Greek:
" having written," It does not mean that
they wrote more than one epistle. Send
greeting, &c. The controversy rages prin-
cipally in the places here mentioned.
Ihongli the letter wa.s intended for all iu
similar circumstances. (See on chap. xvi.
4.) The substance of the letter we have
already noticed in the speech of James.
(See on verses 13-21.) This circular letter
rehearsed the ot^casion of its promulgation,
and directed its readers for further infor-
mation as to its verbal statements to its
bearers. The apostles and elders and brdh-
ren concurred in it. In it, 1. The persons
(verso 1) who started this controver.'^y are
shari^ly reproved. 2. Paul and Barnabas,
for their courage and constancy, arc highly
commended. 3. Judas and Silas (see on
verse 22) are mentioned to testify that this
decree was not forced or counterfeited. 4.
It is stated that it would conduce much to
their advantage to have this injunction
duly observed. 5. The Divine authority
I of the decree is affirmed : It seemed good to
the Holy Ghost, &c., i. e., it seemed good
unto us, under the guidance of the Holy
Ghost, whose direction and dictation we
have followed, not to impose unnecessary
things upon you. Necessary things. Two of
them, viz., abstaining from fornication and
from things offered to idols, were of a sim-
ple and absolute necessity ; the other two,
namely, abstaining from things strangled,
and from blood, were of an accidental and
temporary necessity, for the present time.
and to avoid giving scandal to the weak
Jews, till they should be better informed,
and better understand their lH)erty in
Christ. (See 1 Tim. iv. 4 ; Titus i. 15 ; also
on verses 19 and 20.) Ye shall do veil, what
is right and commendable. (See x. 33; 3
John V. 6.) Even when they mention
those few points which they deem neces-
sary, they employ very moderate terms
("Ye shall do well"), as compared with
the violent threats of the others (" Ye can-
not be saved," verse 1). How tenderly we
should deal with the consciences of men !
Fare ye well, literally, be ye strong (or
healthy), corresponding to the Latin word
valete. They could, with great propriety,
say " Fare ye well," to brethren who had
found eternal life by faith in the Lord
Jesus, and whose fraternal love was the
rule of their conduct in all the affairs of
this life. "Fare ye well," be faithful to
Jesus. When they 7i:cre dismissed .... They
therefore, being dismissed. Probably there
1118
ACTS.
was a solemn and formal dismissal, as when
Paul and Darnabas Avere sent forth on their
missionary journey. (Chap. xiii. 3.) When
they had yaihord the multitude — the whole
mass or body of believers, called the church,
in chap. xiv. 27. Paul and Barnabas, Bar-
sabas and Silas, enter the assembly, and
fleliver the Utter. This yielded "consola-
tion." They approved of what had been
done, they rejoiced at the prospect of so
happy a termination of the dispute. Bar-
i<aiAis and Silas (see on verse 22), who w^ere
religious teachers, being the greater stran-
gers, address the assembly. They instruct-
ed the brethren, both in Christian doctrine
generally, and respecting the directions
which they had brought from Jerusalem
in regard to the law of Moses. The epistle
from Jerusalem was brief, and there would
be room for explanations. The opportu-
nity was a favorable one, too, for confirm-
ing the brethren in their attachment to
Christ, and in their mutual Christian affec-
tion. Such was the method of settling
this first discussion in the Christian Church.
How simple, wise and successful! Had
the example been imitated in after times,
how much persecution would have been
avoided! how much disgrace would have
been spared the Christian name ! This
ecclesiastical assembly at Jerusalem is a
model for all times. It brought forth a
spirit which frees from the j-oke of the
ritualist, the prejudices of the bigot, the
arrogance of the self-righteous. Let go in
peace, probably a reference to the form of
dismissal. (See James ii. 16.) It would
appear that both Judas and Silas returned
to Jerusalem, to give in their report to the
Church, but that Silas came back to Anti-
och. Paul also and Barnabas continued in
Antioch. Critics are in general agreed that
it was at this time that the dispute be-
tween Paul and Peter, mentioned in Gal.
ii. 11-16, occurred. With many others also.
There was a flourishing Church at Anti-
och. At this time it contained more Chris-
tians than any other city in the world
except Jerusalem. .We do not know who
the other teachers -were, but among them
were Mark and Silas.
36. And some days after, Paul said unto Barnabas,
Let us go again and visit our bretliren in ™every citv
■w here we have preached the word of the Lord, and see
bow they do.— ""Chap. xiiL 4, &c.
It was upon this occasion that one of
those incidents occurred which even in the
lives of the best and holiest of men, too
plainly evidence that the old Adam still
remains, partially uprooted, partially over-
come, but still continually struggling for
the pre-eminence, and sometimes, alas!
obtaining it. And visit our brethren. Observe
the manner in which Paul speaks of the
persons referred to: "our brethren." He
does not avail himself of his office, talents
or success, to lord it over God's heritage.
He exercised no dominion over their faith,
but was a helper of their joy. Christians
are new creatures, they are born again,
but they are born of the same Sjjirit, re-
deemed by the same blood, justified by
the same righteousness, heirs of the same
glory, and while partaking of ''the common
salvation," a communion subsists between
them, unaflfected by any difference of
opinion, or distinction of circumstances.
See how they do. This was natural. The
persons Paul now wished to see were
known to him and Barnabas. They had
been blessed under their former ministry.
What wonder, then, that they should wish
to water what they had planted, or, that
having sown the seed, they wished to see
the blade, the ear, and full corn in the ear.
Besides, wherever the good seed was sown
the enemy was sure to sow tares. It was,
therefore, also necessary that Paul should
be concerned to visit " every city " where
he and Barnabas had labored, to know
their estate, to refute any error in doctrine,
to oppose any corruption in practice, to
warn the unruly, to comfort the feeble-
minded, to uphold the weak, and to help
them much who had believed through
grace. " Let us go again," &c. Paul was
never weary in well-doing. He made the
end of one good work the beginning of
another, and considered nothing done
while anything remained to be done. "Let
us go," &c. He did not wish to go alone,
but to take Barnabas with him as before.
He knew that two were better than one.
If one fell, the other would lift him up
again. If one was tempted, the other could
warn him. If one was distressed, the other
could comfort him. If onewaspierplexed,
the other could counsel him. Besides, he
remembered that his Lord and Master in
CHAPTER XV.
1119
the mission of the Seventy, had "sent them
forth two by two," &c.
37. Ami Barnabas (leterniined to take with them John
"whose surname was Mark.— "Chap. xii. 12, 25.
John, whose surname, &c. (See on chap,
xii. 12, 25.) Barnabas probably believed
that in " departing from them from Pam-
phylia" (see on chap. xiii. 13), Jolin Mark
had withdrawn only for a time for the
purpose of visiting his pious and widowed
mother at Jerusalem, or, that if there was
any blame, the second excursion would
wipe off the disgrace of the first; but as
Mark was " sister's son to Barnabas," it is
not improbable that the feelings of rela-
tionship might a little influence the Apos-
tle, and induce him to look with a more
favorable eye upon the desertion of his
nepliew, than he would have done upon
that of a stranger, or than could be ex-
pected from Paul.
3S. But Paul thought not good to take him with them,
who fleparted ofroni tlicni from Paniphylia, and went
not with them to the work.— "Chap. xiii."l3.
Paul was unwilling. (See on xiii. 13.)
He reflected on our Lord's words, " No
man having put his hand to the plough
and looking back is fit for the kingdom
of God." He felt a very different spirit in
himself, and deemed it right to notice a
misconduct which, if tolerated in a public
character, might be injurious by example.
Perhaps both these good men erred a lit-
tle; the one being too partial, and the
other too severe. There is here an instance
of the imperfection of good men, which the
word of God does not conceal.
39. And the contention was so sharp between them,
that tliey departed asunder one from the other: and so
Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; 40. And
Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended pby
the brethren unto the grace of God.
PChap. xiv. 26, xx. 32.
Sharp contention, an angry dispute. It
would appear that sharp words passed be-
tween them. That they departed asunder,
or, separated, one from the other. Since they
could not agree about Mark. And this
separation was highly conducive to the
progress of the Gospel. The Lord can
make the wrath of man to praise Him.
" The one stream of missionary labor thus
became divided into two parts, and the
more regions were in consequence sup-
plied with the water of life." But although
Barnabas and Paul separated, yet we are
not to suppose that they did so in anger.
Paul, in his epistles, speaks of Barnabas
with the greatest respect and affection.
(1 Cor. ix. G; Gal. ii. 9.) And he was after-
ward not only fully reconciled to Mark,
but employed him as a companion in his
labors. He recommends him to the favor-
able regard of the Church of Colosse (Col.
iv. 10), mentions him among the number
of his fellow-laborers (Phile. 24), and in
the last epistle which he wrote directs
Timothy to bring Mark with him, because
he was profitable for the ministry. (2 Tim.
iv. 11.) And doubtle^-s also this di.ssension
resulted in good to Mark himself; the se-
verity of Paul would lead him to repent-
ance and renewed activity, whilst the
mildness of Barnabas would preserve him
from despondency, and strengthen the
good which was in him. There is no rea-
son to doubt that this is the same Mark
whose praise is now in all the Churches as
the author of the second Gospel, and who
has thus so nobly made amends for the
fault committed in his youth. So Barnabas
took Mark, &c. The breach between -Paul
and Barnabas did not take them ofi" from
their work, or relax their zeal in the noble
cause to which they were pledged. Only
it is observable, not only that they moved
widely different from each other, but that
each repaired to his native country, Bar-
nabas sailing for CVprus, and Paul travel-
ing through Syria and Cilicia. Were they,
in taking these directions, guided by the
Holy Ghost, or did they follow their own
prudence and inclination? The latter
might not have been inconsistent with the
former. The Spirit of inspiration often
availed itself of common occurrences, and
fell in with the natural views and feeHngs
of the individual favored with it. Partial
affections are not incompatible with gen-
eral benevolence, but may be the very
means of aiding it. A peculiar regard for
a land in which we were born and trained
up, among all the endearments of life, is
natural and unavoidable, and deserving
of encouragement ; and it is certain that
we cannot show our love to it in any way
so nobly and importantly, as by endeavor-
ing to promote the spread and success of
the Gospel in it. Being reeommended, &c.
— being commended to the favor of God
for providential protection, and for the aid
of the Holy Spirit. Luke mentions only the
1120
ACTS.
dismission and recommendation of Paul,
because it was his history he was engaged
to write. But we have every reason to
believe that they did the same for Barna-
bas when he left them, as they did for
Paul. They would be alive to the excel-
lences of both these men of God; they
would be tender tov;ard both, they would
pray for both. Let us not fail to imitate
the interest which the brethren in Anti-
och took in the Evangelical tours of Paul
and Barnabas. Let us, in like manner,
perpetually commend to the Divine favor
the faithful missionaries who have gone
forth from among us to the regions of
spiritual death. (Comp. 3 John, verses
5-8.)
41. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, conflrm-
Ing the ichurches.— iChap. xvi. 5.
The disciples in Syria and Cilicia seem
to have been disturbed by the doctrines
of the Judaizers ; to tliem the decree from
the council at Jerusalem was specially di-
rected (chap. XV. 23), and hence Paul's
work would be to quiet these disturbances,
and to establish the Gentile Christians in
their freedom from Jewish observances.
By these means he would confirm the
Churches, and as formerly, at Antioch, the
reading of the letter caused great joy
among the brethren, the sarhe would be
the case in Syria and Cilicia.
How painful it is to find in tracing the
history of these men of God, as well as that
of Abraham, or Jacob, or David, or Peter,
to find in each and all, the same remnants
of the old and carnal nature raising its
hydra heads through all the opposing in-
fluences of Divine grace, and proving that
endowed as these good men unquestion-
ably were with the largest outpouring of
the Spirit of God, they were still the same
poor, fallible mortals as ourselves, still
carrying about with them a body of sin
and death, still having the same need of
daily application to the atoning blood of
Christ, still the same necessity for the
daily renewing of His good Spirit. Let us,
however far we may have advanced in the
Christian life, lay this seriously to heart,
that the greatest knowledge, the highest
spirituality of thoughts and views, will
not justify the smallest deviation from
Christian conduct or Christian tempers.
It was a serious blot in the character of
these Apostles, it cannot be an unimpor-
tant one in our own, if hastiness or sullen-
ness, if unkindness or uncharitableness,
be permitted to get the better of us, and to
ex]!)ose not only ourselves, but the religion
which we profess, to the animadversions
of the ungodly or profane. Many who
dwelt at Antioch, probably, had heard but
little of the devotedness and piety of Paul
and Barnabas, but all, we may well be-
lieve, heard of their dissension, their vio-
lence, and their separation. So will it be
with us, while many, even of our nearest
friends, will have little knowledge of the
greater enlightening of our mind, the in-
creased spirituality of our devotions, and
of our more frequent and more profitable
communion with God; all will know if we
are less amiable, less kind, less charitable,
in the hourly intercourse of life. It should,
therefore, be our constant prayer that we
may never be led by the allowance of any
unholy temper, to injure the cause which
we really desire to serve.
1. With whom had Paul and Barnabas discussion ? 2. Who were sent to Jerusalem touching the question in
dispute ? 3. Through what places did the Apostles pa.ss ? 4. What did the Apostles and elders come together to
consider? 5. What did Peter say on the occasion ? 6. What is said of the multitude in reference to Barnabas
and Paul ? 7. What did James say ? 8. Who were sent to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas ? 9. Repeat what
was said in the letters sent by them. 10. What proposition did Paul make to Barnabas ? 11. Why did not Paul
think !t good to take Marli with them ? 12. What was theresult of thisdiflferenceof opinion? 13, To what place
did Barnabas and Mark go 7 14. What ia said of Paul and Silas ?
CHAPTER XVI.
1121
CHAPTER XVI.
1 I^ul havinfj circumcised Timotliy, 7 and being called
by tke. Spirit fri,^n one. country to aiwIU-r, It ronverte.lh
Lydia, 16 castrth out a spirit of divination. 19 For
whic/i cau-te he and Sila.i are wfiipped and imprinonrd.
26 The prison doors are ojieiwd. 31 The Jailor is con-
verted. 37 and they are delivered.
^PHEN Clime he to "Perbo and Lystra: and, behold,
J. a certain disciple wsis there, named I'Timotheus.
the son oT a icerluin woman, which was a Jewess, and
believed; but his father was a Greek: 2. Which w;i.s
well 'reported ol' by the brethren that were at Lystra
and Iconium.
»xiv. 6. bxix. 22; Eom. xvi. 21 ; 1 C!or. iv. 17. =2 Tim.
t 5. dvi. 3 ; 1 Titus v. 10 ; Heb. xi. 2.
Dcrhe avd Lystra. (See on xiv. 6.) "We
have Derbe first, as lying nearest to the
pass from Ciiicia into Lycaonia and Cap-
padocia. Paul probably traveled by the
ordinary road through the " Cilician gates,"
a rent or fissure in the mountain chain of
Taurus, extending from north to south
through a distance of eighty miles. Tim-
otheus, whose name is sometimes written
in our Bible with an English termination,
Timothy. He seems to haye been a native
of Lystra. Timotheus was already a dis-
ciple, when Paul, in the course of the pres-
ent journey, came to this region ; it may
therefore be assumed that he had been
converted during the first missionary jour-
ney, through the agency of Paul, who calls
him his son in the Lord (1 Cor. iv. 17 ; 1
Tim. i. 2 ; 2 Tim. i. 2), perhaps in Antioch
in Pisidia. (See 2 Tim. iii. 10, 11.) So7i of
a certain woman, &c. We learn elsewhere
(2 Tim. i. 5) that his mother's name was
Eunice, and his grandmother's name Lois,
both eminent for faith. His father was a
Greek and a heathen, for the word " he-
licved" is not added to his name as it is to
his wife's. Though it was contrary to the
Jewish institution to contract matrimonial
alliances with heathen nations (Ezra ix.
12), it was sometimes done, and was re-
garded as less heinous for females to marry
Gentile husbands than for males to marry
Gentile wives. Which was veil reported of,
&c. His reputation for Christian principle
and for consistency was exalted and per-
haps wide-spread. This testimony corres-
ponds to his general character, as portray-
ed in both the epistles which Paul ad-
dressed to him (Philip ii. 19-23; 1 Cor. iv.
17, xvi. 10, 11 ; 1 Thes. iii. 1-6).
3. Him would Paul have to fro forth with him, and
took ;>nd C'rcnmr'=;od ehim. becanse of the Jfws fwhieh
were in those quarters: forthev knew all that his father
was a Greek.— eGaU iL 3-8, v. 1-3. n. Cor. tx, 20.
*21
Rim would Paul, &c. He purposed to
employ him in the ministry. Circumcised
him. Known,, says an able commentator, to
be of a Gentile father, and probably un-
circumciscd by that father's authority,
Timothy would not have been admitted
to the synagogues of the Jews as a religious-
teacher had he been uncircumcised, nor
Paul as his companion. As by this act
Paul conceded, not the necessity of cir-
cumcision to salvation, but only removed
a bodily liindrance to Timothy's accept-
ance among the Jews in various localities,
he transgressed no principle he ever as.sert-
ed. Yet at Jerusalem, when the Judaists
made the necessity of circumcision an ab-
solute requisite in the Christian system, he
refu,sed to allow Titus to be circumcised.
(Gal. ii. 3.) This circumcision of Timothy,
and that demanded circumcision of Titus,
involved two very different questions. So
nice, and yet so accurate, a line did this
wise Apostle draw between the closely
connected right and wrong. For peace
and acceptance he would yield up to the
very hairbreadth that divided right from
wrong ; but not all the world could compel
him of that hairbreadth to sacrifice one
half. It is a very difficult point, one great-
ly needing the enlightening power of God's
grace to determine it, when to conform to
the prejudices of those around us, and
when to oppose them, resisting, if it be
needful, even "unto blood." If we pray
for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, with
a determination to follow it in all godly
simplicity and sincerity, we will seldom
be left in doubt upon any point affecting
the welfare of our souls, or the glory of
our God, we will never be left to mistake
the dictates of a carnal, time-.serving
policy, for the inspirations of the Holy
Gh ost.
4. And as they went through thecities. they delivered
them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained sof the
apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.
eChap. XV. 23, 29.
Delivered them the decrees for to keep. They
indoctrinated them with the spirit of the
letter entrusted to them. The sentence
of the Council is called a decree, to signify
that it was not merely an advice, or a sim-
ple declaration of their judgment, but an
authoritative decision, to which the dis-
1122
ACTS
ciples wore bound to submit, if they would
remain in the fellowship of the Church.
Although tliere was only one general de-
cree embracing the several subjects of dis-
cussion, yet the historian speaks of it in
the plural number, because it related to
more points than one, declaring that cir-
cumcision and obedience to the law of
;Moses were not necessary to salvation, ex-
empting the Gentiles from any obligation
to observe it, and at the same time pre-
scribing some limitation to the exercise of
their liberty. As the decree was deliver-
ed to the Churches in other countries as
well as to those of Syria and Cilicia, who
had sent deputies to .Terusalem, the coun-
cil which met there, must be considered
as a general one, exercising jurisdiction
over the catholic Church. (See on pre-
ceding verse, and on chap. xv. 23, &c).
6. And so were the churches >>&stablished in the faith,
and increased in number daily.— '■Chap. xv. 41.
Tlie result was two-fold : 1. Spiritual in-
crease— " established in the faith." Their
views became clearer, their principles
struck a deeper root, their attachment to
Christ attained a greater strength. Their
religion jxissed from the region of theories
and feelings into their heart and life. 2.
Numerical increase — " increased in num-
ber daily." Let Christians improve in
character, and converts will multiply
daily. A spiritually improved Church
will swell the number of converts. This
confirmatory Avork, this work of improv-
ing the character of Christians, is pre-
eminently the work of Christians in this
age and land of ours.
6. Now when they had Kone throusthout Phrygia and
the region of "Galatia, and were forbidden of Jthe Holy
Ghost to iireach the word in ^Asla ; 7. After they were
come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: l)ut
the Spirit suUered them not. 8. And they passing by
Mj'sia came down to 'Troa-s.
'Gal. i. 2 ; 1 Peter i. 1. J Amos viii. 11, 12; 1 Cor. xii. 11.
kfiev. i. 4, 11. '2 Cor. U. li ; '2 Tim. iv. 13.
Phryyia. (See on ii. 10.) To reach Phry-
gia from Iconium or Antioch, they would
direct their way to the north-east. Galatia
was bounded on the north by Paphlagonia
and Bithynia, on the east by Pontus and
Cappadocia (separated from them by the
river Halys), on the south by Cappadocia
and Phrygia, and on the west by Phrygia
and Bithynia. Among the principal cities
were Ancyra, made the metropolis by Au-
gustus, and Pessinus. And were forbidden
of the Holy Ghost, &c. The Spirit spoke to
them either through one of the prophets,
or by an internal impression. By Asia
here, is meant, proconsular ^.sta, a province
in Asia Minor. (See on chap. ii. 9.) A
similar prohibition was given by the Holy
Spirit concerning i?(7/i;/;iia. (Verse?.) The
reason of this we cannot positively ascer-
tain. It was perhaps, the design of Provi-
dence, that while the Churches in the
neighboring provinces of Asia JMinor
might sound out the word into these re-
gions, Paul and his companions might
hasten to Europe — to the very center of
heathenism. By this means the Gospel
would in a given time be more widely
spread than, other things being equal, it
would have been, had they taken in all
the adjacent places in their way. It is,
however, certain, that in those places, now
seemingly overlooked, the Gospel was af-
terward preached with success. (1 Peter
i. 1.) Nor ought we to forget that the word
of truth visits every country at the precise
time and in the manner which Jehovah
prescribes according to His good pleasure,
who worketh all things after the counsel
of His own will. The Sun of Rigliteous-
ness shall illuminate every part of the
world the moment determined by the Su-
preme Lord of all. Mysia, the north-west
province of Asia Minor. Assayed, endeav-
ored, tried. Bithynia, a province on the
northern coast of Asia Minor, to the east
of Mysia. But the Spirit suffered them not.
(See on verse 6.) Came down to Troas — a
city on the north-east coast of the MgQCLn
Sea, the boundary of Asia Minor on the
west, the region of which was the scene
of the Trojan war.
9. H And a vision appeared to Paul in the night;
There stood a man '"Of Macedonia, and prayed liim,
saving, Come over into Macedonia, and help u.s.
mCliap. X. 30.
And a vision, &c. The expression does
not necessarily suppose that the revelation
was imparted to Paul in a dream, for if so,
it would have been more definitely stated.
(Matt. ii. 22.) ^4 man of Macedonia. We
are not to suppose anything real, but
merely a representation to the mind. Paul
recognized his country from the words of
the vision. A man, not Lydia nor the
Philippian gaoler, but a representative man
— " help Its." Macedonia, a large region of
C li A P T E U X \' I .
11:
Europe, north of ancient Greece. Mace-
donia was tlie original Ivingdoui of Philip,
and of Alexander the Great, his son. It
became universally distinguished by the
victories of Alexander. In process of time,
the country fell into the power of the
Romans, and in the time of the Apostles
it was a part of the Roman empire. Praynl,
earnestly entreated him. Come over unto
Macedonia. A glance at the map shows
that from Troas, Paul would have to paxs
over, or cross the yEgean Sea, to enter
Macedonia. Help us. The Macedonian
spirit once, as a proud conqueror, crossed
the Hellespont, and filled Asia with his
glory, but now he stands as a suppliant
before a man who has no other weapon
than the sword of the Spirit. This, it has
been well remarked, was a cry not of con-
scious desire for the Gospel, but of deep
need of it and unconscious preparedness to
receive it, not only in that region, but, we
may well say, throughout all that western
empire which iNIacedonia might be said to
represent. It was a virtual confession that
the highest splendor of heathendom,
which we must recognize m the arts of
Greece and in the polity and imperial
power of Rome, had arrived at the end of
all its resources. God had left the Gentile
world to walk in their own ways. (Chap,
xiv. 2.) They had sought to gain salva-
tion for themselves, but those who had
carried it furthest along the paths of nat-
ural development were now pervaded
by the feeling that all had indeed been
vanity.
10. And after he had seen the vision, immediately
we endeavored to go njiito Macedonia, assuredly gath-
ering tluit the Lord had called us tor to preach the Gos-
pel unto them.— "2 Cor. ii. 13.
He had seen — Paul alone saw it : yet all
are guided thereby. We endeavored —
Having sought out a ship. Here the lan-
guage begins in the first person, plural
number. From this some suppose Luke
was present. Assuredly gathering — They
were as certain from this vision as was
necessary for undertaking the journey.
Called us, literally, called to us. To preach
the Gospel unto them, literally, to evangelize
them. " Never," say^s an eminent English
minister, " in this world was there a ship
equal to that in which these men sailed to
Macedonia ! One of our distinguished
writers, Thomas Carlyle, refers to the little
ship Magjioiver, which sailed from South-
ampton in 1U20, having on board the Pil-
grim Fathers — men of strong hearts, with
religious faith in them, having an intense
love of liberty, and determined to go where
they could have freedom to worship God,
In that little ship were the seeds and ele-
ments of the intelligence, civilization, liter-
ature, religion, which were one day to be'
developed in a new national life beyond
the sea. But was there ever a Mayjtower
like this ? When these men went down to
the quay to look for a vessel, how little
the world thought, how little those who
saw them thought, how little they them-
selves knew, what history they were mak-
ing ! What efi'ects were to flow from thia
movement of theirs ! What an infiuence
it was to have on the future character of
dominant races ! And yet in ai)pearance,
it was one of the most ordinary things that
could possibly take place. These four men
go on board a vessel — Paul, with his fer-
vent soul and stiong intellect; Silas, with
his zeal and his prophetic gifts ; Luke, with
his scholarly oulture and professional ac-
complishments, and Timothy, with his
youthful earnestness, and as yet undevel-
oped powers for work. These four men,
guided by the Divine Spirit, came to Europe,
and that ship m which they sailed has in
it the seeds of all that is to be developed
in the religion and learning, the i)hiloso-
phy, legislation, art, science, and every-
thing else that has given European nations
the prominent place they occupy among
the nations of the world."
11. Therefore loosinsj from Troas, we came with a
straight course to Samutliracia, and the next do.v to
Keapolis: 12. And Irotii tlieiice to oPliilippi, which is
Mhe chief city of that part oi' Macedonia, and a colony.
And we were in that citv abiding certain days.
"Phil. i. 1. pOr, the first.
We came uith (or by) a straight course: a
nautical expression, referring to the favor-
able nature of the voyage — " we sailed be-
fore the wind." Two days were occupied
in sailing from Troas to Neapolis ; where-
as five d-ays were consumed in sailing in a
contrary direction from Neapolis to Troas
(Acts XX. ()). Sarnolhracia. A small island,
eight miles long, and six broad, in the
^gean Sea, so-called because it lay off the
coast of Thrace, and to distinguish it from
the island of Samos, off the coast of Ionia
1124
ACTS.
(Acts XX. 15). In ancient times it was
celebrated for its religious mysteries— a
mixture of Grecian and Oriental mytho-
logy. Its modern name is Samotraki.
Ncnpolis, a seaport of Thrac^e, situated on
the Strymonic gulf, the modern name of
which is Kavalla. As they were aware
that duty called them to Macedonia, they
continued their journey without delay,
until they reached the Macedonian city of
PhU'ippi. This city, built by Philip, the
father of Alexander, was on a steep accliv-
ity of the Thracian Ilermus, where this
range slopes toward the sea, on a small
stream called Gangas, or Gangitas. It was
at some distance east of the Strymon, and
not on that river, as some have said. The
adjacent i)lains are memorable in Roman
history as tlie places where Julius Ciesar
vanquished Pomi)ey, and the battle was
fought between the Republicans under
Brutus, and the followers of Antony and
Augustus, " Chief" designates it as one of
the first places there, and "colony" ex-
plains the ground of the epithet. Augus-
tus had sent a colony thither, which had
conferred upon it new importance. The
church at Philippi was the first church in
Europe which the Apostle established.
Certain days denotes apjiarently the few
days which they spent there before the
arrival of the Sabbath.
13. And on the qsabbath , we went out of the city by
a river siilp, where 'prayer wa^ wont to be made : and
we sat flown, and spake unto the women which resort-
ed tliUJier.—<iSabbalh day. ■'xxi. 6.
The Sabbath — the first after their arrival,
as the words imply. The Sabbath is pe-
culiarly " the accepted time, and the day
of salvation." It is commonly the day in
which the sinner is aAvakened, and brought
to "seek those things that are above," and
the people of God, by "waiting upon Him,"
have "their strength renewed." A river
side, viz., the Gangas. (See on verse 12.)
Wlwre 2Jrayer was wont to made. The Jews,
besides their synagogues, had small houses
in retired situations, where, free from noise
and disturbance, they could enjoy occa-
sioned devotion, either alone, or with any
of their connections. Becau.se of the use
to which they were appropriated, they
were called Proseudim, or ])laces of prayer.
Nothing rencler.s a people dear to God but
their conformity to Him, and nothing
makes a place of worship sacred but the
Divine Presence.
" WliPre'er we seek Him He is found,
And every place is hallowed ground."
The women which resorted thither. It ap-
pears that the whole company assembled
for the hallowed purpose of prayer were
women. Thus, even from the earliest ages
of the Church of ChrLst, has the weaker
sex put to shame the stronger. In the
days of Christ Himself they were the last
who left His cross, they were the first who
sought His tomb. In the times of the
greatest spiritual deadness, when an al-
most universal worldliness has overspread
the Church of Christ, religion, true, vital
religion, has been found still lingering in
the female bosom, and in the times of the
greatest spiritual revival, it has always
been observed that women have been fore-
most in the holy cause.
14. IT And a certain woman named Liydia, a seller of
purple, of the city ofThyatira, which worshipped God,
heard i(.«.- wliose heart sthe Lord opened, that she at-
teiKlf'd unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
»l.uke xxiv. 45.
Lydia was a common female name among
the Greeks and Romans. A seller of purple.
The guild of dyers at Thyatira have left in-
scriptions, still existing, showing the accu-
racy of our narrative. The celebrity of
the purple dyeing of the neighborhood is
as old as Homer. Th\'atira was a city of
the province of Asia. Thus, although for-
bidden to.preach the word in Asia, their
first convert at Philippi is an Asiatic.
Wliich worshij)ped God, i. e., was a prose-
lyte to the Jewish faith, and as such
present at this meeting. She was a moral
but not a changed character, piously in-
clined, but not a possessor of piety, she
worshiped God according to the light she
had, and was thereby ready for further
discoveries of Christ and salvation. Heard
lis. "Faith cometh by hearing." It is a
privilege to have the sound of salvation in
the ear, but a far greater one to experience
the power of salvation in the heart. Lydia
heard with attention, and no doubt with
prayer, we are quite sure she heard with
pleasure, because she heard with profit.
"Whose heart the Lord opened." What
does this imply, but that her heart was
shut? — shut, as ice shuts up the water
that it cannot flow — shut, as the miser
.shuts up his bowels of compassion from.
CHAPTER XVI.
1125
the poor — shut, as a door is shut to keep
the house from tlie entrance of the owner.
This is our Suviour's own image : " Beliold,
I stand at the door," &c. (Rev. iii. 20.)
!'The Lord opened." The work is ascribed
to Him whose power enables, and wliose
pity constrains Him to do it. Ministers
may open their Divine commission, Init
they cannot open the heartsof their lic-ar-
ers to receive it. We could as easily create
a world as convert a soul. " Whose luart,"
&c. Grace opens the heart. This gives
us a delightful and interesting view of
conversion. Its seat is the heart — and its
extent is intimated by the opening of the
heart. That site attended, &c. If some are
called without the direct and obvious in-
strumentality of the AVord of God, they
alwaj'S evince the divinity of their calling
by their attraction and attention.
15. And when she was baptized, and her household
she hesonglit 'Mv. suyiiiLr, If yo have Judged me to be
faithful to the Lord, cciiiip into iny house, and abide
there. And she coustraiued us.— 'Heb. xiii. 2.
She was baptized, &c. A profession of re-
ligion, without the reality is nothing, but
we are not only to be Christians, but to
appear such. "With the heart," indeed,
"man believeth unto righteousness," but
"with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation." Lydia, by her submission to
the ordinance of baptism, proclaimed her-
self a Christian. And, let it be observed,
she did this immcdlatdy, without consult-
ing with flesh and blood, and also without
reserve relatively, as well as personally, de-
voting her whole family to the sacred rite.
In view of the many instances of house-
hold baptism following forthwith upon the
faith of the householder (see x. 2, 44-48,
xvi. 15, 30-33, xviii. 8; 1 Cor. i. 16, xvi. 15),
it is not easy to doubt that it was just such
a consequence in the family as circumcis-
ion would have been in case of an induc-
tion into Judaism. Even admitting how-
ever that no inference for infant baptism
is hence deducible, it should be remem-
bered that the practice does not rest on
inference, but on the continuity and identity of
the covenant of grace to Jew and Christian, the
sign only of admission being altered. The
Apostles, as Jeirs, would have ])roposed to
administer baptism to the children, and
Jewish or proselyte converts would, as
matter of course, have acceded to the jiro-
posal, and that the practice thus by uni-
versal consent, tacitly (because at first
unquestioned) pervaded the universal
Church, ctin hardly with any reason be
doubted. She Jk sought us, &c. — as an ex-
pression of her desire to gain more spirit-
ual improvement from them, and of her
liberality. She was willing to "mini.ster
to the necessities ofthe saints," and "given
to hospitality."
16. And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a cer-
tain damsel i)iisscssp(I "with .a spirit of divination met
us, whicli bruunhl litr nuusti-rs nuich gain »by sooth-
saying :— "1 Sam. xxviii. 7. «xix. 24.
Never does our spiritual enemy rage
more fiercely than when we are going to
l^rayer. A certain damsel — girl, young
woman. A spirit of divination — a I'ytho-
nic spirit. Python was the serpent that
guarded Delphi, which was slain by
Apollo, and hence that god was called
Pythias. In the temple of Apollo the or-
gan of the oracle was always a woman,
said to be inst)ired by the god. The hea-
then inhabitants of Philip])i accordingly
regarded this woman as inspired by Apol-
lo, and Luke here uses the term in accom-
modation to their views. Brought, yielded
or afforded. Masters, joint-owners or em-
ployers. Gain. Fraud supports such gain :
true religion does away with it. Srjoih-
saying,di\inmg, telling fortunes, by the aid
of the spirit which possessed her. Thus
advantage was taken of the public cred-
ulity and superstition.
17. The same followed Paul and ns. and cried, saying,
These men are the servants of tlie most high ^God,
whicli slR'W unto us tlie way of jsalvation.
iGeu. xiv. 18, 22. JChap. xviii. 2t) ; Heb. x. 20.
These men are, &c. It is unnecessary to
suppose that she merely uttered what she
had heard sjioken by others, but the case
is similar to the testimonies of evil spirits
in favor of Christ recorded in the Gospels,
however such testimonies are to be ex-
plained. (Matt. viii. 29; Mark iii. 11;
Luke viii. 28.) Either the evil spirits were
constrained, against their will, to bear this
testimony to Christ and His disciples, or
they wished to make it appear that they
were confederate with them.
48. And this did she many days. But Paul, being
grieved, turned and said no the spirit, I command ti.ee
in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. Aud
»he came out the same hour.
'Mark. i. 25, 34. "Matt. xvi. 17.
Many days. She persevered in this, pur-
suing them wherever they went. Paul,
llliG
ACTS
being grieved, &c. The Apostle felt wound-
ed, as the woman often repeated the act,
because he could not accept of any recom-
mendation and support, or any honor
from a spirit which was not of God.
Hence, he suddenly turned to the woman
who was following him, and, in t]ie name
of Jesus Christ, by His authority, and as
His representative, commanded the spirit
to come out of her, withdraw the preter-
natural control now exercised. The same
hour, or, as the same phrase is rendered
elsewhere (Luke ii. 38), that instant. All
that is intended is, that the miraculous
effect, as usual, was instantaneous.
19. H And when her masters saw that the hope of
their gains bwas ffone, tliev caught Paul and Silas, and
drew f/i III into tiie I'lnarliet place, unto ^the rulers, ro.
And l)riiu.'ht tliera to the inaptistrates, saying. These
men l)ein^' Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city; 21.
And teaehCustoins which are not lawful for us to re-
ceive, neither to observe, being Romans.
bxix. 24-27. "Or, court. JMatt. x. 18. «! Kings xviii.
17.
Gains, &c. An irremediable change
had taken place in the girl, showing botli
power in the Apostle and a previous in-
voluntary condition in her. So impressed
was the Apostolic superiority over the in-
fernal or the pagan that we wonder not
that a Church of intense faith' arose in
Philippi, as we shall find to have been the
fact by reading Paul's most rich and loving
Epistle to the Philippians. But, alas for
these traders in oracles! they are unable
to conjure another response from their
pythoness. Trouble our city. Behold an-
other instance of that accusation, which
from the days of Christ Himself to the
present hour has been jjut, by our spirit-
ual enemy, into the mouth of the oppo-
nents of the Gospel of Jesus Christ ; the
Apostles troubled the city ! Yes, they did
trouble it, but it was, as the angel troubled
the pool of Bethesda, that he who entered
in, might be healed. Blessed is that city,
or that family, or that heart, which is so
troubled; godly trouble is the first fore-
runner of that "peace of God which pass-
eth all understanding." Teach customs, &c.
This second charge evidently pointed to
the Gospel which Paul preached, and it
was manifestly made to render his punish-
ment certain and condign, as in the eye
of the Roman law, there could scarcely be
a greater crime, than to make any inno-
vations on the established religion of the
empire.
22. And the multitude /ose up together against them :
and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and com-
manded to beat them.
The multitude probably cried out tumul-
tuously, as on other occasions (see Luke
xxiii. 18 ; chap. xix. 28, 34, xxi. 30, xxii.
22, 23), and the magistrates, without giving
the Christians a trial (verse 37), rent off
their clothes, viz.: by the lictors, whose
distinguishing badge of office was a bundle
of small rods tied together, which they
carried as the warrant of their authority,
and with which they kept themselves in
readiness to execute the commands of
their superior.
23. And when they had laid fmany stripes upon them,
they cast Ihem into prison, cliarging the jailer to keep
tliehi safely : 21. Who having received such a charge,
tlirust tliem inlo the inner prison, and made their I'eet
last iu the stocks.— '2 Cor. vi. 5, xi. 23, 25 ; 1 Thes. ii. 2.
After the scourging they were consigned
to the care of the jailer. That function-
ary, supposing from the particular nature
of his instructions that the two men were
no ordinary criminals, put them in the
inner jn-ison. This was the farthest in-
terior of the building, in which those ac-
cused of heinous crimes were kept for
greater security. It was a dark and loath-
some dungeon, where the feet often sank
in mud — where tlie entrance, like that of
a pit, was so small that the prisoner re-
quired to be thrust through the narrow
openings in the wall that led into it, and
where there was not an object to relieve
the awful solitude. In the storks. In the
original only the wood. This was an in-
strument for torture as well as confine-
ment. It was a heavy piece of wood with
holes into which the feet were put, so far
apart as to distend the limbs in the most
painful munner. Evsebius mentions, speak-
ing of the martyrs in Gaul, that their feet
were stretched to the fifth hole in the wood.
55. And at midnight Paul and Silas ^praved, and i>sang
praises unto Ood : and the prisonei's heard them.
Bisa. V. 13. hps. xxxiv. I.
At midnight, kind nature's season for
sleep, they were sleepless. They could
not sleep — their bleeding wounds drove
sleep away. Yet, instead of spending
those midnight hours of physical torture
in bitter imprecations on their enemies,
or rebellious murmurings against heaven,
they prayed, and sang. Those old prison
walls, which were accustomed to echo
groans and sigh-;, r:- ^oimded now with un-
earthly strains of joy and i^raise. There
C il A P T E R X V I
1127
was midnight without, but sunshine with-
in ; their bodies were in chains, but their
souls were free. Tlieir reUgion bore them
aloft to regions of unrestricted liberty and
unclouded light. " The limb feels nothing
in the stocks," says Tertullian, " when the
mind is in heaven." In what situation
can we ever be placed, with such an ex-
ample as this before us, in which we can
consider prayer as hopeless, or praise as
inappropriate ? How does it condemn
many, who, placed in the midst of pros-
perity and happiness, hardly know what
it is from the heart to praise God ! Let
Tis be more in praise, as well as prayer, for
a thankless Christian is one of the most
disgraceful characters upon whicli the all-
seeing eye of God can ever full. Prisoners
heard them — God meant this midnight song
not only for the sufferers' joy, but for the
prisoners' hearing. Let men know liow
Jesus is glorified in the exaltation of His
martyrs.
26. And suddpnly tliere was a groat earthquake, so
ithat the IbuiKKiuoii-i oi' the prisoii wtn'o shaUc'ii : and
iramediately Jall tlie doors were opened, aud every
one's bands were loosed.
'iv. 31. Jlsa. xlli. 7 ; chap. v. 19, xii. 7, 10.
Suddenly — before the last accents of their
praises had died upon the ear, before the
last sentence of their petitions had fallen
from their lips, the cry for deliverance
was he;;r(i and answered. A great earth-
quake— which, of course, was preternatural.
Its effects were moderated by the power
of God, so that the foundations of the
prison were shaken, but it was not throw n
down. When the doors were opened and
all bonds were loosened, the other prison-
ers felt the power of God, and, deeply im-
pressed by the miracle, remained motion-
less in their cells.
27. And the keeper of thn prison awakenina: out of
his sleep, and seeinic the pri-;nii doors open, he drew out
his sword, and would have killed himself, supposuig
that the prisoners liad been fled.
Roused from his slumbers by the crash
of the earthquake, and seeing the prison
doors thrown wide open, overwhelmed
with terror, the keeper of the prison at-
tempts to destroy himself. Tlie sword
was at hand. Probably he wore it at his
Bide. The law was, that if a prisoner es-
caped, the keeper was liable to the inten-
ded jmnishment of the fugitive. Self-de-
struction was considered by the Romans
as not only lawful, but a duty or a virtue
under certain circumstances. Gate's suicide
was celebrated as a heroic act; and by a
.singular historical coincidence, that very
city of Phiiippi, or its neighborhood, had
been signalized williin a hundred years,
not only by the great defeat of Brutus and
Cassius, but by the suicide of both, and by
a sort of wholesale self-destruction on the
part of their adherents, who had been pro-
scribed by Octavius and Anthony. What
an awful and impious deed is suicide!
How can he expect a welcome in the other
world, who rushes into it stained willi his
own blood? Will the Father and Fountain
of Life show mercy to those who indig-
nantly throw His own gift in His face?
The self-murderer, intent only upon es-
caping from his present agony, listens to
none of these considerations. His furious
spirit breaks from its confinement, and
leaps into eternity.
S**. But kPaul cried with a loud voice, sajMng, Do thy-
Belt'no liarin : lor we are all liere.
tProv. xxiv. 11, 12 ; 1 Thes. v. 15. lEccl. vii. 15—17.
But Paid. Master of the situation here
as ever. Perceiving in a moment how
matters stood, he uttered the noble en-
treaty here recorded. What kindness did
it exhibit on the part of the Apostle toward
his cruel keeper! Good men ever have
been, and are, men of tender .-ind compas-
sionate dispositions, not so solicitous for
their own liberties, as for others' lives.
The Apostles might have held their peace,
and suffered the jailer to slay himself, and
thereby made their own escape, but they
preferred the jailer's eterual salvation be-
fore their ow-n temporal liberation and
happiness. Christianity says. Do thyself no
harm, to every man who is ruining him-
self by sin, whether in health, in estate, in
body, in, intellect, in soul. All sinners are
suicides, cruel to themselves, relentless
upon their own natures.
29 Then he no"-'l for a lifchl. and sprang in, and
came mtromhlii. . .u.d fell down be'<ire Paul and Sdas:
30. And brouclu them out. and said. 8irs, what "must I
do to be saved ?— mjer. v. 22 "ii. 37. ix. 6.
A light, rather, lights, the original word
is plural, not singular. Sprang in, &c.
His conscience is roused, he enters the
place where Paul and Silas are confined,
he sees them with the chains stricken off,
and notwithstanding the uproar of nature
and marks of sufferintr that were on their
■ persons, standing with calm dignity, and
1128
ACTS.
beginning to tremble, he falls down at their
feet, then leads them forth from the " in-
ner" to the "outer" prison, which was no
doubt a more spacious, light and airy
place. And said : how has the lion become
a lamb ! Shs, vhat must I do to be saved f
"Tell me of that God to whom your pray-
ers and praises were addressed, and who
has wrought for you this wonderful deliv-
erance, tell me of that Being whose name
you bear — how can I propitiate His anger,
secure His fovor, deliver my soul?" How
often are the afflictions of God's people
productive of good! How soon can the
Spirit of God reach the heart, and enter
the conscience like a conqueror at the
head of an army! The jailer's question
expresses, 1. Conviction. This is the work
of the Holy Spirit on the mind of a sinner,
whereby he is convinced that he is a sin-
ner, and is properly aflfected with it. 2.
Fear. It is the language of terror and con-
sternation. And have not sinners much
to fear? Is it not "a fearful thing to full
into the hands of the living God." 3.
Desire. The awakened soul has new de-
sires, or, rather, all its desires are brought
into one, and that one is salvation. 4.
Hope. The poor jailer, though a heathen,
did not say, "There is no mercy for me, I
am such a sinner I never can be saved."
But his question seems to say, as the re-
penting Ninevites said, on the preaching
of Jonah, " Who can tell if God will turn
and repent, and turn away from his tierce
anger, that we perish not?" (Jonah iii. 9.)
5. A confession of ignorance. The man
wanted to be saved, but he knew not how,
nor can any man know this aright until
he is taught of God. 6. Legality. By this
is meant, cleaving to the law, or "going
about to establish our own righteousness "
by the deeds of the law, or our good works.
The jailer thought it must be by doing
something that we must obtain the i:)ardon
of our sins and eternal life. 7. Submission.
Poor man! His heart was humbled for
sin, he saw nothing but eternal destruction
before him, and would give all the world
to avoid it. As if he had said, " Show me
my duty, and let it be ever so difficult, I
am ready to do it."
31. And they said, Believe oon the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalthe saved, and th.v house.
"Hab. ii. 4 ; John iii. IS, 30, vi. 47; chap. xiii. 39. pii. 39.
They overlook his injurious treatment
of them. They do not take advantage of
his present distress to insult him, as the
council did Judas, when he cast down the
pieces of silver. (Matt, xxvii. 4.) How
brief, simjjle, direct, blessed and soul-sat-
isfying a reply ! All that the most despair-
ing sinner could need, all tha-t the most
weary and heavy laden sinner could re-
quire, all that the most ignorant sinner
could ask, is contained in these few but
comprehensive words: Believe on lite Lord
Jesus Christ, &c. Enough at that moment
for the jailer to have his faith directed
simply to the Saviour, with the assurance
that this would bring his soul the needed
and sought salvation — ^tlie how being a
matter for after teaching. Awakened souls
are to be led immediately to Christ. "Why
should I wait ? I want a mediator between
me and God, but I do not want a mediator
between me and Christ. I must come to
Him as I am. And I may come, with en-
tire confidence of being saved, if I simply
and entirely rely upon the finished work
of the salvation which Jesus wrought out,
and receive Him in the whole of His Me-
diatorial character into a penitent and
renewed heart." Andtliy house, or household.
This does not mean that they were to be
saved by his faith, but by faith in the same
Saviour. The children of believers enjoy
great advantages from the prayers, the in-
structions, and the example of their
parents, which are often followed, through
the blessing of God, with happy efiects.
32. And they spal^e unto him the word of the Lord,
and to iill qtliat were in his liouse. 33. And lie took
tiiem tlie .same hour of tlie night, and washed their
stripes, and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
3t. And wlien he had brouglit tliem into his house, lie
set meat rbelore them, and srejoiced, believiug in God
with all his house.
iKom. i. 14, 16. rLuke v. 29. sKoin. v. 11.
And they spake, &c. They begin at once
to proclaim- succinctly to him and to all
who belong to him, the word concerning
Jesus Christ. The same hour of the night —
unseasonable as it may have seemed
Washed their stripes. How meek, merciful
and compassionate is he now ! The grace
of God softens the hardesthearts, sweetens
the sourest natures, and changes the most
barbarous and bloody dispositions. And
was baptized, &c. This took place during
the same night. The rite would appear to
have been administered in the court
CHAPTER XVI.
1129
within the inclosure of the prison. And
from verse 33 we may infer tliat the jailer's
baptism occurred in immediate connection
with his own act of wasliing the bloody
marks made by the rods on the persons
of Paul and Silas. Paul's message to the
magistrates (verse 37) clearly implies that
he had not left the prison. Here is the
first mention of a Christian household.
Whether it included children, also in that
case baptized, is not explicitly stated, but
the presumption, as in other cases of
households baptized, certainly is that it
did. Yet the question of infant baptism
must mainly be determined on other
grounds, and such incidental allusions
form only one part of the historical ma-
terials for ascertaining the practice of the
Church. He set meat before them. Here is
another evidence of the entire change as
to his religious character the jailer had
undergone. And rejoiced, believing (i. e., as
the expression implies, " rejoiced because
he believed") in God — as a converted
heathen, for the faith of a Jew would not
be so expressed. That he believed also in
Jesus is implied. With all his house — the
wondrous change on himself and the whole
house filling his soul with joy. (See on
verse 33.)
35. And when it was day, the magistrates sent the
Serjeants, saying. Let those men go. 36. And the keep-
er of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magis-
trates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and
go in peace. 37. But Paul said unto tliem, Tliey have
beaten us openly nincondemned, being Romans, and
have cast ua into prison, and now do tliey thrust us out
privily ? Nay, verily, but let them come "themselves,
and fetch us out. XS.'And the Serjeants told those words
itnto the magistrates : and they feared, when thes' heard
that they were Romans. 39. And they came and be-
sought >them, and brought thrm out, and desired »7ftrni
to depart out of the city. 40. And they went out of the
prison, and entered into the house of 'Lydia : and when
they had seen the brethren, they comlorted them, and
departed.
t.xxii. -.5. uDan. vi. 18. 19; Matt. x. 16. 'Ex. xi.8; Kev.
iii. 9. "Matt. viii. 34. ^Verse 14.
And ivhen it was day. On the next morn-
ing, the duumviri, who had, after further
reflection, during the interval, perceived
that they had acted with too much precip-
itation, and who had probably received
tidings of the occurrences in the prison
during the night, were willing to dispose
of the whole matter at once, by dismissing
the prisoners. They according'.y sent an
order by the lictors to the jailer, directing
bira to dismiss those people — an order
expressed in haughty and contemptuous
terms. Go in peace. The jailer was, doubt-
less, happy at receiving the magistrates'
message, and rejoiced that the storm of
per.sefution liad passed away. Presuming
that Paul and Silas would at once embrace
the opijortunity of being set at large, he
addressed them with aifectionate desires
tor their prosperity, as if he had said, Go
and prosper, peace be with you. His lan-
guage to them seems to have impliccl a
suggestion from the magistrates, that they
would depart from the city.
TJiey Iiave beaten »« openly uncondemn-
ed, &c. "Openly" and "privily" are op-
posed : the injury had been public: the
reparation must be pnftlic also. Being Ro-
mans. By the Valerian Law, passed in
the year of Rome 254, and the Porcian
Law in the year of Rome 50G, Roman citi-
zens were exempted from stripes and tor-
tures : by the former, till an appeal to the
people w^as decided, by the latter, ab.solute-
ly. Another irregularity had been com-
mitted by the magistrates, in scourging
them uncondemnt'd. Let them come them-
selves, &c. " Let these magistrates come
themselves, and fetch us out, and this will
be a practical confession that they were
w^rong, and a practical vindication of our
conduct as citizens." A great soul will
repudiate favors offered on mean, unjust,
or unworthy grounds. A good man will
refuse liberty, social influence, wealth, un-
less they can be honorably and righteous-
ly obtained. They feared and came
and besougJit them, &c. A wholesome fright
is thus administered to them as to the
w^int of foresight they have shown in
their injustice, and they actually so far
humbled themselves, that they come, and
now with good words seek to appease
these ill-used Roman citizens : they, in
fact, personally brought them out, and be-
seech these now free persons, that, for the
prevention of further disorder, they will
of their own accord leave the city.
From Paul's behavior on this occasion,
we may learn that Christian humility is
not always to abase itself externally, and
to be all-forbearing on every occasion, as
the world itself only reckons it as hypoc-
risy. Any one whom God has put in pos-
session of civil and social rights should
mention them, and make use of them, in
case of need, for the service of God's king-
dom. Certainly only for the service of
1130
ACTS,
God's kingdom, not for his o-n'n private
benefit. It is perfectly clear that Paul did
not desire any vindication of his honor
for his own sake. It is also here evident
that the Apostle was far from putting a
fanatical or rigorous interpretation on
our Saviour's principle of non-resistance
(Matt. V. 39; Luke vi. 29), which, hke
many other precepts in the same dis-
course, teaches us what we should be
willing to endure in an extreme case, but
without ab(jlishing our right and duty to
determine when that case occurs. Thus
Paul obeyed it, both in letter and in spirit,
by submitting to maltreatment and by
afterward resenting it, as either of those
courses seemed most likely to do good to
men and honor to God.
Entered into the house of Lyd'ia. Her
dwelling seems to have been their home
while they were at Philippi. (See on
verse 15.) Happy Lydia, to be honored
and favored with such guests as Paul and
Silas ! But how short, how interrupted
were these delightful visits, as brief as
they were blessed! We must not expect
on earth the joys of heaven. The hrcthrrn
— the companions of their journey, or
those recently converted. Tliey comforted
them, better, exhorted them, that they should
not be oflended at adversity. " This as-
sembling of believers in the house of Ly-
dia," says Baumgarten, " was the first
Church thathad been founded in Europe."
A7id departed. They wisely complied with
the request of the magistrates, that they
might not seem to express any degree of
obstinacy or revenge, or give suspicion of
any design to stir ujj any kind of sedition.
Their course, be it observed, was not a
backward one, but farther on into Mace-
donia. How it fared with the oiher pris-
oners, and how many of them were sub-
sequently baptized, the narrative, which
only follows the chief points in the history,
omits to state: it also tells us nothing as
to further gathering in of Christian breth-
ren after this remariiable beginning. It
is perhaps more than probable that the
prisoners remained quiet in the gaol, and
that no further disturbance of the usual
order of things took place, for miracles
sent in favor of the Gospel were not to be
misused to effect a carnal liberty, nor was
the arrangement of worldly matters to be
interfered with more than was right.
1. What is said of Timotheus ? 2. What did Paul do to him ? 3. Why did he circumci?e him ? 4. What
" decrees " are referred to ? 5. What is said of the Cburclies? G. Why were Paul and Timotheus forbidden to
preach the word in ..sia? 7. What vision appeared to Paul ? 8. What is said of Philippi ? 9. Wliat is said of
the river side? 10. W4io was Lydia? 11. What is said of her? 12. What is said of a " certain damsel?" 13.
What did her masters do when they saw the hope of tlicir gains was gone? 14. Wliat did tlie magistrates do to
Paul and his colleagues? 15. What occurred at raidni'rht? Ifi. Describe the scene. 17. What did Paul say to
thejailer? IS. What did the jailer do ? 19. What did Paul and Silas answer to his question ? 20. What follow-
ed ? 21. What did the magistrates order ? 22. How were Paul and Silas brought out of prison ? 23. Where did
they go ?
CHAPTER XVII.
1 Paul preacheth at Thfxsalonica, 4 where some, hrlin'e.,
and others persecute him. 10 Me is sent to Bi rea, and
preachrth there. 11! Being persecuted at Thessalonira,
15 he cometh to Athens, and disputeth, and preacheth
the livinp frod to tfwm unknown, 34 wheretry many are
converted unto Christ.
NOW when they had passed through Amphipolis
and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where
was a synagogue of the Jews :
The place which next invited the labors
of Paul and Silas, accompanied by Timo-
theus, was Thessalonica, about a hundred
miles south-west of Philippi. They travel-
ed thither on the great military road which
led from Byzantium to Dyrrachium or
Aulona, opposite to Brundusium in Italy.
It was the Macedonian extension of the
Appian way. They could accomplish the
journey in three or four daj's.
On leaving Philippi, they came first to
Amphipolis. This was the chief town in
the southern region of Macedonia, and it
CHAPTER XVII
1131
"svas situated on the river Stryiiion, at no
great distance from its entrance into the
^gean Sea. It derived its name, which
signified around the citij, from tlie circum-
stance of tlie river flowing around it, and
forming a peninsuhi, or, as others say, an
island. It was originally a colony of the
Athenians, and occasioned many dillicul-
ties between that nation and the Spartans.
In the middle ages it was styled Chrym-
polis, or the Golden City, A town still
exists upon the ancient site, under the
name of Empoli, or Yamboli. ApoUonid,
their next station, was about thirty miles
south-west of Amphipolis, but the exact
site is not known. Thcssalonica. No city
on the great Egnatian Way surpassed Tlies-
salouica in importance. Under its ancient
name of Therma it was the passage way of
the great army of Xerxes in liis invasion
of Greece. It received its new name,
Thessalonica, from a sister of Alexander
the Great, on being rebuilt by her hus-
band, and this name it still retains in the
abbrevi;ited form of Saloniki. The Ajios-
tle foimd it the most populous city of
Macedonia, and until the founding of Con-
stantinople it was virtually the capital of
northern, if not of entire Greece. This
city was, on several accounts, a projjer
theater on which to disjilay the light of
the glorious Gospel. It was the metro-
polis of all those countries comprehended
in the Roman province of Macedonia.
Here the proconsul and queestor resided,
which rendered it the seat of government.
Hence it would be the pUrce of resort for
all those in the province distinguished for
their knowledge of philosophy and the
polite arts, and these would not probably,
from its vicinity to Greece, be few in num-
ber. Many of the inhabitants were there-
fore well qualified to judge of the evidence.;
adduced by Paul of the truth of the Gospel.
It was situated at the bottom of the Ther-
maic Gulf, and a place of considerable
commerce, and, by consequence, admir-
ably tilted for the spread of Divine know-
ledge. (See 1 Thes. i. 8, 9). The Jews
must haveestabli.-'hed themselves, in large
numbers, in this city, their synagogue
appears to have been the only one that
existed in northern Macedonia.
2. And Paul, as liis manner was, "went in unto them,
and three Siibbath days reasoned with tlieua out of the
Scripturfs, 3. Opening Jintl alloRlnp, th.it Dirlst nuist
' needs liavo Knllered, and risen anain Ironi tli.'d.iul;
and lliat this Jesus, iwliom 1 preach unln vi.ii, i,(' irist.
"L/uUe iv. IJ . ciiap. ix. 'A), xiii. 5, 1 1. iLul^,- xxiv. ai,
4r.: ciiap. xviii. 2.S ; Gal. iii. 1. cOr, wAohi, said he, 7
prtaaJi..
As his manner (custom) was, of preaching
the Gospel first of all in a synagogue,
wherever he found one. Three Sabbath
days. This implies a stay there of at least
two weeks, but without forbitlding the
supposition of a much longer one, which
some prefer, as more in keeping with the
statements and allusions in the two ei)is-
tles to the Thessalonians. The word rea-
soned denotes to carry on a discussion in
the form of a dialogue. Out of tlie Scrip-
tures, drawing his arguments, not from
literature and philosoi)hy, but from the
Jewish Scriptures, for on these Scriptures
the Jews built their hopes of the Messiah's
coming. The right of private judgment
in rel.tion to the S(;riptures is sacred and
inviolable. (1 Thes. v. 21 ; 1 John iv. 1 ;
1 Cor. X. 15; 2 Cor. 1. 24). Opcniny and
allvrjing, laying open and setting before
them, that Christ must needs have suji'cred.
"Let me," says Chalmers, " compare Scriii-
tural things with Scriptural, which is in
fact comparing spiritual things withspirit-
tual. Thence I shall gather that there
Avas not only a * need be' for the suffer-
ings of Christ, in that it was so foretold in
Scripture — and all its sayings must be ful-
filled— but a 'need be' for an atonement
in the deep-laid necessities of heaven's
jurisprudence,andofthe Divine character."
And risen again from the dead. This, too,
had been foretold in the Old Testament,
and it was extremely important to con-
vince the Jews on this point from their
own Scriptures, that they might correctly
understand the nature of the Messiah's
ofiice, and be led to acknowledge Jesus as
the Messiah. Tltis Jesus is Christ,
this Jesus is the Messiah.
4. And some ^of them believed, and 'consorted with
Paul and Silas, and or' ilie devout Greeks ii great multi-
tude, and oi' tlie chief women not a lew.
dxxviii. 24. '■■J, Cor. viii. 5 ; 1 Thes. i. 5, 8.
Consorted with, i. e., adhered to. The de-
vout Greeks were those who renounced
heathenism, had become proselytes to the
Jewish religion, and wor.diiped at the
synagogue. They were called by the Jews
" proselytes of the gate." The ch ief vomen
were females of influence, members of
1132
ACTS,
families of high rank. The converts were,
1. Numerous : " a great multitude." 2.
Influential : " chief women." 3. Thorough-
ly united : they " consorted with Paul and
Silas." Common beliefs awaken common
sympathies. Christ gathers men of differ-
ent types of character and grades of life
together
5. \ But the Jews which believed not, moved with
envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser
sort, anti gathered a company, and set all tlie city on
an uproar, and assaulted the house of 'Jason, andsought
to briu'^ them out to the people, (i. And wlien they
found tliem not. they drew Jason and certain brethren
unto the rulers of the city, crying, sThese tliat have
turned t lie world upside down are come hither also :
7. Whiim Jason liatli received: and the-^e all do con-
trary hto tlie decrees of Cesar,saying that there is another
Jjing, on'' Jesus. 8. And they troubled 'the people and
the rulers of th^ city, when they heard these things. 9.
And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the
other, they let them go.
rRom. xvi. 21. sLuke xxiii. 5: chap. xvi. '20. ^Iiuke
xxiii. 2 John xix. 12. iMatt. ii. 3 : John xi. 48.
Moved with envy — at the numerous con-
versions which followed Paul's preaching.
This passion has been the inspiration of
all persecutions. Leivd fellows, idle loung-
ers, the low rabble of the market, were
gathered together to constitute a mob, and
to create a riot. Jason, with whom (verse
7) Paul and Silas lodged. To the people —
more probably, to the demus, public assem-
bly, or town meeting. Thus does the Al-
mighty sometimes overrule the hatred of
Satan, by obliging him to make vise of
such instruments as shall, to the mind of
every unprejudiced inquirer into Divine
truth, convey an antidote with the poison,
for what reflecting man can be for a mo-
ment misled by the arguments of those
opponents to the truth of God's Word, who
have so obvious a motive as an unholy
life supplies, for desiring to find the tre-
mendous revelations of the Gospel, its day
of righteous judgment, and its eternity of
wo to the unrepentant sinner, a "cunning-
ly devised fable ?"
Found them not. Paul and his compan-
ions, anticipating the mob, had iDrobably
withdrawn to some other house. Certain
brethren. Some disciples or believers, con-
verts to Christianity since Paul's arrival.
Rulers of the city, in. Greek one compound
word, politarchs, the proper designation
of the elective magistrates of this free
city, as distinguished from the prsetors
or duumviri of a Roman colony. Crying
shouting, bawling, vociferating. These
that hare turned the world upside down, &c.
The complaint was, that the Apostles, hv
their doctrine, had caused disturbance and
disorder wherever it was preached, and
would produce the same effects if they
were permitted to remain in Thessalonica.
In a certain sense it was true that the
Apostles '■ did turn the world upside down."
The Gospel professed an intention to
change the face of human affairs, to over-
throw all the religions which existed in
the earth, to abolish idolatry, and with-
draw the worshipers of the gods from the
temples, to put an end to barbarous shows
and licentious festivals, to make the slaves
of vice sober, chaste, just and merciful, to
call off the thoughts and affections of meu
from the vanities of time, and to raise
them to eternal and invisible objects. This
is the grand revolution which it proposes
to accomplish, and which it did actually
effect in many regions of the earth. In-
stead of shrinking from a similar accusa-
tion to that preferred against the Apos-
tles, most earnestly do all true ministers
desire and labor that the love of the
world, and the fear of the world, and the
ways of the world, may be so completely
eradicated from the hearts of theh- hear-
ers, that their enemies might again de-
clare with truth, " These men have turned
the world upside down," have emptied the
assemblies of the worldly, the haunts of
the profligate, the dens of the drunkard,
the theaters of the ungodly, as their pre-
decessors did the temples of the devil,
until the love of God in Christ Jesus, and
the delights of His service, and the bles-
sedness of a close and intimate companion-
ship with Him, shall, in the heart of every
true believer, take the place of that sys-
tem of idolatry and alienation from God,
which is sealing uj) the world for the day
of its final and irrevocable judgments.
These all. Not merely Jason and his
guests, but the whole sect or jjarty which
they represent. Do contrary. They cov-
ered their envy under the garb of patriot-
ism. It is one of the falsest, and yet one
of the commonest prejudices that the
world has always entertained against
true religion, that it is an enemy ta
civil power and government. Saying
that there is another king, one Jesus. This
false charge seems to have been founded
on Paul's preaching much at Thessalonica
CHAP T E U X \' 1 1
1133
concerning the triumphant coming and
kingdom of Christ. This appears again
and again in his two epistles. (See 1
Thes. i. 10, U. 19, iii. 13, iv. 13-18, v. 1, 2;
2 Thes. i. 5, 7-10, ii. 1-12), and particu-
laily 2 Thes. ii. 5, where he refers to hav-
ing often told them of these t}iinijs,v'vA.: the
course and destruction of Antichrist, by
whom these Jews might perhaps misrep-
resent Paul as designating Cicsar.) Had
taken seairity of Jason and of the other (" the
others") — probably making them deposit
a money-pledge that the preachers
should not again endanger the public
peace. What a warm friend the Gospel
had won for Paul in Jason, in the course
of a few days! It is a noble act to be-
come surety for persecuted Christians, for
the whf)le world is ashamed of them.
10. H And the brethren immediately sent away JPaul
and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither,
went into the synagogue of the Jews.— Jix. 2.5 : verse 14.
Those who had received the Gospel at
Thessalonica, acted now as one man, and
were zealous in their efforts to rescue the
lives of the Apostles from the perils that
threatened them. Berea, now Verria, was
about forty-five miles south-west of Thes-
salonica, on the Astrseus, a small tributary
of the Haliacmon. The modern town has
six thousand inhabitants, of whom two
hundred are Jews, ten to fifteen hundred
Turks, and the rest Greeks. Went into
the synagogue, &c. Persecution had not
cooled their zeal nor weakened their de-
termination. The flight of a servant of
God, is merely a change of place, but not
of his work, of his mind, of his zeal, or
of his love for the cross.
11. These were more *noble than those in Thessalon-
ica, in that they received the word with all readhiess
lorniind. and searched the Scriptures "'daily, whether
those tl'.inETS were so.
iiPs. cxix. !m, 100. iJames i. 21; 1 Peter ii. 2. mJsa.
xxxiv. 16 ; Luke xvi. 29 : xxiv 44 ; John v. 39.
More noble— of nohlQv disposition— stirred
up, not to envy, but to inquiry. Received
the word with all readiness of mind. Heard
it, not only without prejudice, but with
eager interest. (See Luke viii. 15; John
vii. 17.) Searched the Scriptures, in order to
ascertain whether the claims of Jesus, so
zealously alleged and enforced by His
Apostle, were well founded or not. They
compared the prophecy with the event, the
figure with the reality, the anticipation
with the history and the fact.
Note, 1. We must search the Scriptures.
Talk of Keason as a sufiicient guide to the
race! She has no just claim to any such
character, and tlie individual wlio sliould
venture to follow her direction, would be
like a man carrying a little glimmering
taper in his hand at noonday, with his
back turned to the sun, as though his taper
gave more light than that glorious lumin-
ary.
" Dim as the borrowed beams of moon and stars
To loiu'ly, weary, wandering travelers,
Is lleasdii to Uie soul ; and as (jii hi«h
Those nillin- tires discnvrr hut the sky.
Nor lit,'ht us here : so Kcascjn's t;liniinerin(i ray
Was lent, not to assure our d(pulit !ul way,
ButKuule us upward to a l)ettiTday.
And as those nightly tapers disapjiear.
When day's hrlRht ford ascetuts our hemispliere,
So, pale Krows Reivson. at HeliKion's sight.
So dies, and so dissolves, in supernatural light.
2. We must search the Scriptures. The
Bible is .so constituted as to develtjp con-
stantly something new. It cannot be dis-
posed of at one reading. It demands a
vigorous and persevering exercise of the
understanding.
3. We should search the Scriptures with
a teachable mind. The state of the heart
has the chief influence in the search after
truth : humility, contrition, simi:)licity,
sanctity, these are the handmaids of the
understanding in the investigation of re-
ligion.
4. We should read the Scriptures fre-
quently. A portion of every day should be
set apart for this important work, and no
business be allowed to interfere with the
appointed duty, connected, as it is, with
an interest vast as eternity. And we mu.st
read, not merely to learn the Divine will,
but to obey it. " If ye know these things,
happy are ye if ye do them."
5. We must examine the Scriptures for
ourselves. The Bereans were not swayed
by the authority of others. They took
the old StTiptures in their own hands, un-
rolled the parchment, and sought the
moaning. This is what all should do.
There is much talk about the rigid of pri-
vate judgment, we want more about the
duty. It is the duty of every man to search
the Scriptures, and none can neglect to do
so, or be prevented from doing so, without
fearful guilt. Every man has an under-
standing to be informed, a heart to be
sanctified, a conscience to be quickened,
and a soul to be saved, and therefore all
1134
A C T S .
should peruse God's blessed word for
theras2lve.s. (See Luke xix. 22, 23. )
12. TliorefDr" imnv of tlie-n holievp'l: also of hon-
ourable women, wiiicli were Greeks, aud ofmen, not a
few.
They bowed to the force of evidence. It
is childish to believe without evidence.
It is wicked to resist evidence. It is noble
to surrender to its force. 1. Their faith
was inteUigcnt. It came as the result of
investigation. It was not a bUud preju-
d-ce, a traditional idea, it was a living con-
viction. 2. Their faith was general:
"Many believed." Influential women
and men not a few. It may be that the
women are mentioned before the men,
because, as it frequently occurs, they were
the first who received the faith, and the
men were influenced by them. The growth
of the kingdom of God depends, indeed,
on the house and family, in which woman,
unquestionably, finds an appropriate
sphere.
13. 1[ But when the Jews of Thessalonioa had know-
]e{is,'e that the word of (Jod was preached of Paul at
Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up nihe poo-
pit. 14. Aud tlien iuiiiieJiately tiie brethren scut away
•Paul to go as it were to the sea: but yiias and Tnno-
tlieu5 abode there still. 15. And tliey tliat conducted
Paul brought liini unto AtluMis : and recc'iving a coiu-
mand:nent unto s;Un an 1 Tiniiitheus pfor to come to
him with all speed, tiiey departed.
"Luke xii. 51. "Matt. x. 23. pChap. xviii. 5.
Thnj came thither also. "As Christ sends
all His ministers," says an old commenta-
tor, " so the devil sends his messengers
from place to place, and as the ministers
of Christ are never w^eary of His service
for the good of souls, so persecutors are
restless; they will compass sea and land
to harass and drive the faithful ambassa-
dors of Christ from city to city, and, if it
were in their power, to banish them out
of the world. Lord! help all thy faithful
ministers to execute this piece of holy re-
venge upon Satan, that we may be even
with him for all his malice and spite
against us. O, let us endeavor to do all
the possible service, and the utmost good
we can, wherever we come." To go as it
were, &c. These words do not mean that
they pretended to go the sea, but that they
went DCiually in the direction of the sea.
Pydna was the nearest seaport running up
from the ^gean Sea. That Paul actually
went by sea, altlinngh nut absolutely cer-
tain, is made highly probable, not only by
its being easier and usually shorter than
the land route, but also by Luke's silence
as to any of the places through which he
must have passed if he had gone by land.
<S'(7tts and 2'imutkeus abode there still — " to
build it up in its holy faith, to be a com-
fort and supjiort in its trials and persecu-
tions, and to give it such organization as
might be necessary."
Athens, the chief city of ancient Greece,
and so named in honor of the heathen
deity Minerva, whose name, in Greek, was
Athene. They departed. Paul, on his arri-
val at Athens, sends (by his conductors,
who returned) this mes age to Silas and
Timotheus, to come to him as soon as pos-
sible.
16. ^ Now while Paul waited for them at Athens,
ihis spirit was stirred in liim, when lie saw the city
wholly given to idolatry.— iPrf. cxix. ISU : 2 Peter ii. 8.
Athens was the chief seat of heathen
art and wisdom, and the very center of
the glories of idolatry. Not content with
the deities which the native superstition
had established, the ancient Athenians
opened their ports with boundless hospi-
tality to the gods and goddesses of for-
eign countries, although by the law of the
land no new object of worship could be
admitted. The number of deiii^s who
had a local habitation and a name in
Athens, increased in process of time to so
prodigious an extent, that it became one of
the distinguishing features of the city, and
the progress of the inhabitants in demon
worship was frequently made a subject for
the sarcastic wit and satire of the poets
and orators of classical antiquity. One
writer, for instance, says that it was
easier to find a god than a man in it. An-
otlier complains that the city was but
" one immense altar," and the name by
which it came afterward to be proverbi-
ally known was "the country and shop of
the gods." His spirit teas stirred, &c. He
was thrown into an agony of grief at what
he beheld. He had a standard of charac-
ter unknown to any Athenian sage. He
looked upon humanity with a new eye —
an eye that peered through all its sur-
roundings into its moral heart. Paul was
not dead to the sesthetic, but he was in-
tensely alive to the moral, and he felt that
the aesthetic glory of Greece was but a
gorgeous covering which genius had wo-
ven and spread over a vast cemetery of
CHAPTER XVII,
1135
moral corruption. "Whilst he could ad-
mire the skill that chiseled the nuirblo
into sucli exquisite forms, and piled it
into maguifirent superstructures, and the
ingenuity of intellect, and the adroit-
ness of logic, that propounded and dis-
cussed philosopliical hypotheses, he felt
that all this power was perverted, since it
was all on the side of idolatry, and this
"stirred" his spirit. Genius and intellect
waded, nay, worse than that, employed fur
immoral and impious ends, and innnortal
interests in danger of being wreclced and
ruined. As a cultured and earnest friend
of temperance gazes without one thrill of
admiration on the sesthetic magnificence
of some gin-palace, and feels only the
most poignant distress at the thought to
what the building is devoted, aye. and the
greater the display of genius in the archi-
tecture, the greater his agony of soul on
account of the immoral purj)Oses for which
it is employed, so Paul looked at Athens
now. There is nothing in mere materi;.l
civilization, even in its highest forms, to
delight a truly enlightened soul.
17. Thpre'Wre rli'sputpa he in the .synagopue with the
Jews, and wltli the Mevout "persons, and in the niar!<t :;
daily with Iheni, tliat met with hiui. IS. Tlicu ct'rlai:i
philosophers 'of the Epicureans, and of the Stdics. eji-
countered him. And some said, What will this babbler
say? Othersome, Ileseemethto be a setter forth of
stfana;e gods : because he preached unto them Jesus
and the resurrection. 19. And they took him, and
brought him unto Areopagus, saying. May we know
what this new "doctrine whereof thou speakest, is.' '10.
For thou hringest certain ^strange things to our ears:
we Would know therefore what these things mean. 21.
(For ah the Athenians, and strangeri which werethere,
spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to
hear some new thing.)
»viii. 2. 'Col. ii. 8. »John xiii. 34; 1 John ii. 7, 8. "Hos.
Vlii. 12.
Therefore, i. e., being aroused by the
sight of so much idolatry. The spectacle
around him urges him to commence
preaching simultaneously to Jews and
Greeks. The market-place was a place
of public resort. Met vith hba, net that
there was any formal meeting or previous
appointment; the phrase denotes such as
happened to be there. The Epic.nreanft, or
the disciples of Epicurus, who was born at
Athens, about A. M. 3(503, B. C. 341, were
in reality atheists. Although in words
they acknowledged God, yet they denied
His Providence, and His active superin-
tendence m^er the world. The soul, ac-
cording to their notions, was material, and
annihilated at deatli. Pleasure was re-
garded as the chief good, and although it
is said that their founder meant only that
pleasure was the in.separal)lo attendtmtof
virtue, yet liis disci[)Ies in the days of the.
Apostle, made sensual i)leasure the great
end of their existence. The Stoics were
another sect of Grecian phiioso])hers, who
derived their name from s^oa, "a porch,"
because Zeno their founder in the fourth
century before Christ, and succeeding
leaders, as Cleanthes and Chrysippus, used
to teach in the painted porch or colonnade
at Athens. In their physical doctrines
they maintained two first principle.s, the
active and the passive; the j)a.ssive was
matter; the active wus God, who wasone,
though called by many names. Of Him
they panthoistically believed that all souls
were emanations. They held the entire
independence of man, the truly-wise being
sufiicicnt in himself, but subject equally
with the Deity to inexorable fate. Each
person was to live according to the nature
of thing! in general; while as to a future
life their notions varied. Some held that
all souls were re-absorbed into the Deity ;
others held the separate existence of all,
or of only the good, till the general con-
flagration. The humbling doctrines of
the cross, the preacliing of Jesus and the
resurrection would, it is clear, be distaste-
ful to such ph:lo.sophers. Epictetus and
the emperor Marcus Aurelius were Stoics.
m\at. The pride of self-satisfied and
scornfill reason. Babbler. They treated
him as a contemptible prating fool, who
would speak while he was completely ig-
norant and destitute of common sense.
S< iter forth. This word Paul retorts upon
them, verse 23. Stranr/e. Whic h the
Athenians heretofore had not had. 77/e
resurrection, not only of Christ, but of all
the dead, by Christ. Those philosophers
thought, doubtless, that some such a hero,
or inferior god (as they expressed by dai'
rtiones, or daimonia, sometimes distin-
guished as the dei minore.^), was preached
by Paul, when they heard liim teaching
that Jesus was the Son of God, the Saviour
of men, who had been a mighty benefactor
to the human race, and after death had
been received up into heaven.
Brought him. Conducted him. Areopa-
gus. A court consi.sting of the greatest and
most accomplished men of Athens, whi(;h
1136
ACTS.
was held on the Hill of Mars, an insulated
rock in the midst of the city, and whose pe-
culiar province it was to take cognizance of
' all matters of religion, such asthe introduc-
tion of new gods, and the dedication of
altars. New doctrine. The word signifies
newer: the new imagination, or system, of
the preceding year, month or week, soon
became, like an almanac, out of date; it
was the taste of the age and place to^ dis-
card and antiquate every hypothesis as
soon as it became vulgar, and to substi-
tute some newer scheme in its place, and
lively, ingenious students, especially in
metaphysics, commonly run into this hu-
mor. If Paul, therefore, could start some
newer speculation than the newest fashion
of philosophy among them, his doctrine
would at least gratify and amuse them.
All the Athenians spent their time
hut to tell or hear some new thing, literally,
" newer thing," as if what was new, be-
coming presently stale, they craved some-
thing still more new. This lively descrip-
tion of the Athenian character is abun-
dantly attested by their own writers.
22 H Then Paul stood in the midst of yMars Hill
and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all
things ye are too ■•■superstitious. 2:1 For as I passed hy,
and heheld your -d<n-ntinns, I found an altar with this
inscription. TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom there-
fore ye ignorantlv worship, him declare I unto yon.
24 t'God that made the world, and all things therein,
seeing that he is >'Lord of heaven and earth, dwelletli
dnot in temples made with hands : 25. Neither is wor-
shipped with men's hands, as though he ^needed any-
thing, seeing he fgiveth to all life, and breath, and sail
things; 26. And hath made of one tbiood all nations
of men for to dwell on all the face of the j-arth, and
hath determined the Uimes before appointed, and the
bounds of their habitation : 27. That they should seek
the Lord, if haply they might leel after him, and find
him, though the be not far Irom every one of us: 28.
For in 'him we live, and move, and have our being : as
mcertaiii also of your own poets have said, For we are
also his offspring. 29. Forasmuch then as we are the
offspring of God, we ought not "to think that the God-
head is like unto gold, or sliver, or stone, graven by art
and man's device, 30. And the times o' this ignorance
God winked oat; but now pcommandeth all men every-
where to repent: .31. Because he hath appointed qa
day, in whicti he will judge the world in righteousness
by'that man whom he hath ordained ; whereof he hath
given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised
him from the dead.
yOr, fhr. court of the Areopagites. zJer. 1. 38. "Or
gods that ye ivorship. Gal. iv. 8. *xiv. 1.5. cjiatt. xi.
25. dvii. 48. ePs. 1. 8. fJob xii. 10; Zech. xii. 1. uRoni.
xi. 36. ''Mai. ii. 10. iPs. xxxi. 15. jxlv. 21. kxiv. 17.
IC0I. i. 17. mTitus i. 12. nisa. xl. 18, &c. "Rom. iii. 25.
pLuke xxiv. 47 ; Titus ii. II, 12. qKom. ii. 16.
In these few words does Paul instruct
the ignorance and refute the errors of
these heathens.
Ye men of Athens. A style in which De-
mosthenes and their great orators used to
address them. '^ Men of Athens," not
to mere human beings, but to men. I
apeak not to men indiscriminately, but to
" you men of Athens," liien or c^je a^j>&! ex-
alted city in the world. ja.e Is uppreciative.
Pie does not parade their evils ; he recog-
nizes their excellencies, and gives them,
full credit for the good he had seen.
I found an altar with this inscription,
To THE Unknown (ion. The Apostle re-
ferred to this familiar inscription as a text,
from which to discourse to them on the
being and character of the true and living
God. It was a dexterous accommodation
to a Christian purpose, of one of the favor-
ite customs of that heathen people, for we
are not to suppose that by the Deity de-
scribed as the unknown god, the Athen-
ians meant the pure and spiritual Being
whom the Apostle proclaimed. " It was
a custom," says Dr. Ellis, " among the an-
cients, to engrave on the altar the name
of the god to whom it was dedicated,
which, at Athens, in particular, was neces-
sary to distinguish them amidst a con-
flux of the most remote and strange ones
from all parts of the world."
Was the world made, or has it existed
forever? This was one of the questions
of the Athenians. God made the world, and
all things therein. How is He to be wor-
shiped? Will He inhabit the temples
built in His honor? Will His favor be
conciliated by the precious gifts which are
offered at His altar? He divelleth not in
temples made with hands, neither is uvrshiped
with men's hands, as though he needed any-
thing, seeing that Le is Lord of heaven and
earth, and givcth to all life, and breath, and all
things. " They who worship Him, must
worship Him in spirit and in truth." Does
it concern men that there is a God ? Are
they bound to reverence Him, to consult
His will ? This the Epicureans denied.
He has made men for this very purpose,
and determined the bounds of their habitation
that they shotdd seek the Lord, if haply they
might feel after him, and find him. Does He
notice men's conduct? Are their ways
seen by Him, and regarded by Him ? He
is not far from every one of us. Your own
writers acknowledge this, for they say,
We are his ofj'spring. If, then, we are His
offspring, he is not like unto gold or stone;
He is a living God : and in him v:e live, and
move, and have our being. These words
must have made a deep impres.-ion upon
CHAPTER XVII,
1137
his hearers. The most splendid images
of the gods stood before them— the master-
pieces of ancient sculpture — and in sight
of them Paul asserts the contrast which
there must be between them and God. It
is true that the thinkers among the Greeks
had risen above such a degraded view of
the gods as to suppose that tliey resembled
their images, but anthropomoriihism was
very prevalent among the people, and in
all probability Paul's audience was not
entirely composed of philosophers.
Thus does the Apostle lay the founda-
tion. He sweeps away the errors, that he
may establish the truth. And then he
proceeds to the more immediate subject
of his ministry. And the times of this ignor-
ance God winked at. The Apostle speaks
of the Divine forbearance toward the
heathen during the preceding ages, neither
cutting them off, nor yet applying the ef-
fectual remedy. (Comp. xiv. IG, 17.) God
had not seen fit to interpose, and make
Himself manifest to those who "did not
like to retain Him in their knowledge,"
who gave no sign that they were really
seeking after Him, and desiring to find
Him. Now, however, the time of ignor-
ance was past. God now commandeih all
men evr-nju-here to repent. They are no longer
to walk after their own desires; they are
no longer to make to themselves gods
which are no gods; or think by an out-
ward forAial worship to pay that reverence
which the Divine majesty requires. Gen-
uine repentance includes the conviction
of the conscience, the contrition of the
heart, the confession of the mouth, and
the conversion of the life. Becetuse, &c.
Here is a motive presented to the Athe-
nians, suited, if rightly apprehended, to
lead them to renounce their unworthy opin-
ionsand their sinful practices. Repentance
is, of course, indispensable to a prepara-
tion for the judgment day. Appointed a
day. The period is fixed. That day who
shall describe? No mortal can. The Judge
Himself alone can describe it. He has
done so. (See Matt. xxv. 31-46.) Who
knows when the day will dawn? No
one. It will come, perhaps, as the flood
came — whilst men are eating and drink-
ing, &c. ; or as Christ came — in the
deep hush of darkness, when men were
=■■•22
all asleep. "We know not when, but
we know it is fixed. It is registered in His
unfulfilled plans. His providence is get-
ting nearer to it every hour. It is "ap-
pointed," it must come. By that man, &c.,
i. e., the Lord Jesus. The Fatlier, and
Spirit, and His authority, are all one, for
they are all one God and one Judge, but
judgment shall be particularly exercised
and pronounced by our Saviour, God-man,
Je.vis Christ. By that eternal Word, by
whom all things were made, all shall bo
judged, and so. He shall be the Word in
that last act of time, as in the first. The
powers of the world and of hell are C(jm-
bined against His throne, therefore, they
shall be His foot-stool sitting on that
throne. (Comp. !Matt. xxv. 31, &c. ; John
V. 22, 27; Acts x. 42; 2 Cor. v. 10.) Ordained
— "designated," pointed out, as well as
chosen and appointed. Tlie world. Such
language, taken in connection with the ex-
pression "a day," beyond doubt teaches
that the judgment will, in its essence, be a
solemn judicial assize held upon all man-
kind at once. In righteousness, not merely
righteously or justly, as an epithet of
(juality or manner, but in the actual and
active exercise of righteousness or justice
as a moral attribute or trait of character.
The judgment here predicted will not only
be a just one, but a grand display of God's
essential justice. (Comp. Rom. i. 17, iii.
2j.) Hath given assurance, sure evidence.
Though Christ was put to death by the
Jews, and thus became a victim for sin,
yet God raised Him from the dead. By
raising Him from the dead, God has set
His seal to the doctrines He has taught ;
one of these doctrines is, that He shall
judge the world. (See Matt. xxv. 31,&c. ;
John V. 25.) His resurrection established
by the most incontrovertible evidence is
therefore proof, an incontestible proof,
that He will judge the world, according to
His own declaration. It must be an ex-
ceeding joy and comfort to all that have
believed on Jesus, that their Redeemer
shall be their Judge. He who was judged
for them, shall judge them, and pass sen-
tence according to that covenant of grace
which holds in Him, pronouncing then*
free from the wrath which He Himself
endured for them, and heirs of that life
1138
ACTS.
which he bought with His dearest blood.
And it gives no less accession to the misery
of the -wicked, that the same Jesus -whom
they opposed and despised, so many of
them as heard anything of Him, shall sit
upon their final judgment, and 2>ronounce
sentence against them, not partially aveng-
ing His own quarrel on them, but most
justly returning them the reward of their
ungodliness and unbelief.
32. And when they heard of the resurrection of the
•dead, siiine mocked: and others said, We will htar
thee u^ain 'of tlii:* mattrr. 33. So Paul dejjarted from
among them. 34. Howbeit certain men clave unto
him, and believed : among the which was Dionysir.s
the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and
others with them.
•xxvi. 8. 'Luke xiv. 18 ; chap. xxiv. 25.
The idea of existence beyond this pres-
ent world was not altogether strange to
the heathens. Vague notions floated
amongst them that the soul might survive
and continue to live in some new and dif-
ferent state. But what Paul meant by
the resurrection of the dead, the resurrection
of the whole man, with a body restored
to him, with a consciousness of the same
being which had lived, and thought, and
felt, and acted, in this preisent world : this
was entirely new to them, and when they
heard of it, some mocked, and thought, no
doubt, that it was enough to ask, " How
are the dead raised up, and with what
body do they come? And yet, had they
inquired, instead of mocking, they might
have found reason to see that it was not
incredible that God should raise the dead.
If man has been once formed — formed by
the hand of a Creator — he may be formed
again. God, who gave the first body, can
restore " to every man his own body."
But the seed fell by the wayside, and "the
fov>-ls of the air devoured it." In other
cases, when the seed is sown, the surface
is less hard, but the event is still the same.
So it proved with another class of these
Athenian hearers. Others said. We will
hear thee again oftJtis 7n((lter. It was not so
with the Ethiopian, who exclaimed, " Sir,
here is water, what doth hinder me to be
baptized ?" It was not so with the gaoler
at Philippi, who saw death on the one side
and life on the other, and " at the same
hour of the night was baptized, he and aU
his household, straightway." These Athen-
ians put off the subject to a distance. We
will hear thee again of i]ii.s matter. Thou
hast told an interesting tale. " When we
have a convenient season, we will send
for thee," and attend to it again. Nay,
" now is the accepted time, now is the day
of salvation." " To-day, if j^e will hear His
voice, harden not j^our hearts." The voice
which, if ye had listened to it, might have
been life from the dead ; if ye now prove
deaf to its summons, ye may hear no more
forever.
Notwithstanding the rejection of the
Gospel by the multitude at Athens, some
received it in its saving poAver. They
joined themselves to the Apostle for fur-
ther instruction, and so they " believed."
Among these was Dionysius, one eminent
man, and one woman sufficiently notable
to be named, with a few others nameless.
Of any further labors of the Apostle at
Athens, and how long he staid, we are not
informed. Certainly he was not driven
away. But " it is a serious and instructive
fact that the mercantile population of
Thessalonica and Corinth received the
message of God with greater readiness
than the highly educated and polished
Athenians. Two letters to the Thessalon-
ians, and two to the Corinthians, remain
to attest the flourishing state of those
Churches. But we possess no letter writ-
ten by Paul to the Athenians, and we do
not read that he was ever in Athens
again."
1. What is said of Paul at Thessalonica? 2. "What was the effect of his reasoning out of the Scriptures 7 3.
What did the unbelieving Jews do ? 4. What charge did they bring against Jason and certain brethren ? 5. To
what place were Paul and Silas sent ? 6. What is said of the Bereans ? 7. What course did the Jews of Thessa/-
lonica pursue? 8. To what city was Paul conducted? 9. What effect had the idolatry of Athens upon Paul?
10. What jihilosophers encounteerd him ? 11. What request was made of him ? 12. From what place did he
address the men of Athens ? 13. Repeat his address. 14. What does ftod now command all men everywhere to
do? 1.5. What is repentance? 16. What is said of the final judgment? 17. What wa.s said of Paul after he
preached the resurrection of the dead ? 18. What did he do ? 19. Who are mentioned among those that " clave
unto him?"
CHAPTER X V 1 1 1 .
ii3y
CHAPTER XVIII.
3 Pmtl lahovirfth witA his hands, and prrarheth at Oor-
inUi to thr. GrjUiU.s. 9 Tlw. Lord ( ncouiajirth him in a
vision. 12 Jie is accused before GuUto llie dr/jufi/. Out
■ is disinisseiL, 18. Afterwards passiny from city io cil if
he striiiglhrnrth tlie disrij/lrs. -i A/xtllo.i, lieing more
perfetlli/ instruct/ d by Aijuilaand J'riscilla, as preach-
eth Christ wUliyraU tjjicacy.
AFTKK thpso things, Paul departed from Athens,
ami curue to Coriuth :
The wealthy commercial city of Corinth,
situated on the isthmus between the
waters of the Ionian and yEy;ean seas,
was at that time also the j)olitical capital
of Greece, isasmuch as it was the residence
of the Roman proconsul. It was celebra-
ted for its wealth and maj^nificence, as well
as for the external refinement of its inhab-
itants. Cicero calls it "the light of all
Greece," and Florus"the glory of Greece."
It was populous, and noted for literature.
It was, however, infamous for its licen-
tiousness: Venus, the goddess of licen-
tiousness, was worshiped publicly in the
city, and a thousand prostitutes were de-
voted to her service. The inhabitants
were addicted to the practice of every
vice. " To live like a Corinthian," was a
proverbial expression designating a dissi-
pated, ijrofligate life. Corinth is now a
miserable village, still bearing the ancient
name.
Z And found a certain Jew named »Aquila, bom in
Pontus, lately cunio (rum Italy, with his wi,e Priscilla:
(becau'ie tint Claudius liad commanfied all Jews to de-
part from Rome,) and came unto them.
»Kom. xvi. 3.
Aquila — A Roman name assumed ac-
cording to custom, signifying eagle, in fact,
both aquila and eagle are different shapes
of the same primitive word. Pontus — the
north-eastern province of Asia Minor.
Priscilla — Also a Roman name, which was
strictly Prisca (2 Tim. iv. 19), signifying
antique. As in our day it is the fancy to
use in feminine names the pet termination
ie (as Lizzie for Elizabeth, and Carrie for
Caroline), the Romans used the more eu-
phonious termination ilia. So Terentia,
Prima, Prisca, became Terentilla, Primilla,
Priscilla. liabj, the country of which
Rome was the capital. Because that Clau-
dius, &c. The Roman emperor had by an
edict expelled all the Jews from the im-
perial city. Of this Claudius Suetonius,
the biographer, narrates the fact, and thus
furnishes a strong incidental proof of the
veracity and fidelity of Luke as the chron-
icler of the events of the Apostolic history.
Probably Aquila and his wife thought
hard of the Imperial decree that had ban-
ished them. But in consequence of this
trial they became acquainted with Paul,
and had him for their guest, their friend,
and comi)anion. And what a companion
must a man of his talents and grace havtf
been ! And what an advantage must they
have derived from his morning and even-
ing devotions, and his example, and his
constant conversations! Surely, they
would acknowledge. It is good for us that
we have been afflicted. Came unto them,
i. e., to their house or dwelling, for he had
alrt^ady found them or become acquainted
with them. His coming to them seems to
imi)ly that they were Christians, allhough
some take Jciv and Jcics in the distinctive
sense, and suppose that Aquila and Pris-
cilla were among Paul's converts.
3. And because he was of the same craft, he abode
witli lliem, ami iwrouRlit : lor by their occupation they
were teut-makers.— i-xx. 34.
Same craft — trade. Wrought. TheJew.s,
whatever the rank or circumstances
of their family, uniformly bred up their
children to the knowledge and practice of
some trade, not so much as a source of em-
I)loymentto secure them from the evils of
idleness, as to put them in the way of ob-
taining a livelihood, should they ever be
reduced by misfortune to the necessity of
laboring for the day passing over them.
Paul was really poor. Mark his disinter-
estedness ! (See XX. 34; 1 Cor. ix. 12; 2
Cor. vii. 2 ; 1 Thes. ii. 9 ; 2 Thes. iii. 8.)
It was suspected by many that the holy
men entrusted with the first promulgation
of the Gospel, were seeking their own ad-
vantage and promotion. How could Paul
remove such an unhappy and unfounded
con.struction of his measures and motives ?
Here was reason and room for betaking
himself to a secular vocation for a liveli-
hood. The general opinion now is that
he was a maker of tents from the "Cili-
cium "or hair-doth of Cilitian goods. The
Church owes her ministers a competent
support. This is not a gratuity — but a
dcht. (See 1 Cor. ix. 4, &c.) This Paul
well understood. But he waived his right
1140
ACTS.
to remiinenition for his services, lest,
ihroiKjh tlie pcndiarity of the people among
whom he labored, and the age in which he lived,
the Word of God might not have free
course. As God's people, we must not be
so strenuous and riyid in the mainte-
nance even of our rights, as to imperil the
tause of our Redeemer, or to bring dis-
credit upon our holy profession, or exhibit
even " the appearance of evil." Teiit-
makers — a business which, owing to tents
being in great requisition by all classes in
the hot season, was generally a lucrative
one.
From Paul at tent-making, we learn, 1.
That holy men may to all outward eyes,
apijear exactly like other people. 2. That
true holiness is not made up of extraord-
inary acts. 3. That a busy life is not in-
compatible with a life of devotion. We
need not turn our backs on the world to
save our souls :
" We need not bid, for cloister'd cell,
Our neighbor and our work farewell,
The trivial round, tlie common task,
May lurnish all we ought to ask,
Koom to deny ourselves, a road
To bring us, daily, nearer God."
4. And he reasoned in the "^synagogue every sabbath,
and per-iiiailcd tlie Jews and the Greeks. 5. And when
«lSil;is uHil TinuiUieus were come from Macedonia, Paul
was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that
Jesus t'u'a.? Christ, (i. And when they opposed ftheni-
selves, and blasphemed, he shook f/ii'.s' raiment, and
said unto them, Youri'blood br upon j'livir own heads, I
am clean : irom lienceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
cChap. xvii. 2. "iChap. xvii. 14, 15. ' Or, is t/te Christ.
•2 Tim. ii. 25. sNeh. v. 13. hEzek. xxxiii. 4.
Reasoned in the synagogue. (See on
chap. xvii. 2). When Silas and Timotheus.
They were left at Berea, and directed to
follow Paul (chap. xvii. 14, 15) and Timo-
thy joined him at Athens, and thence was
sent back to Thessalonica (1 Thes. iii. 2,
5, 6), he now ajipears to have returned
with Silas from Macedonia. Pressed in the
spirit. The tidings brought by them of
the great proficiency and piety of the
Macedonian Churches (1 Thes, iii. 6) ap-
pears to have incited Paul, and made him
more e irnest to gain the Jews at Corinth.
When they opposed — systematically op-
posed, put themselves in warlike order
against him, so the word implies. And
blasphemed. " This," says Dr. A. Clark,
" is precisely the way in which they still
act. They have no argument against Jesus
being the Messiah, Init, having made a
covenant with unljelief, as soon as they
are pressed on this point, they rail and
blaspheme." He shook his raiment. He
shook the dust out of his garments", as
(chap. xiii. 51) he shook off the dost of
his feet. This was an exjiressive act of
shaking oif the guilt of their condemna-
tion, and indicating that he would have
nothing more to do with them. Yonr
blood, &c. The guilt of your destruction is
your own, an allusion perhaps to Ezek.
iii. 4-9. livill go unto the Gentiles. This
does not mean an entire renunciation of
the Jews, but only that he would no long-
er preach to the Jews of that place. Thus
he avowed his intention to the Jews at
Antioch in Pisidia (chap. xiii. 46), yet in
the next adjoining city of Iconium he en-
tered into the synagogue, and preached.
(Chap. xiii. 51, xiv. 1.) Such Divine sever-
ity on the part of Paul, was due, not only
to the dignity of the preached Gospel, but
also to these obstinate souls themselves ;
it might i^ossibly make a salutary impres-
sion on them. But a carnal zeal cannot
justify itself by this example. Let him *
who desires to say with a clear conviction,
like the Apostle, tkat he is not stained
with the blood of the lost, previously ex-
amine whether he has j^erformed all that
the Apostle did in the case of these hard-
ened men.
7. And he departed thence, and entered into a certain
man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped CJod,
■whose house joined hard to the syua^josoe. 8. And
't'rispu'!, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on
the Lord, with all his house; and many of the Corin-
thians hearing, believed, and were baptized.
UCor. i. 14.
Justus is called a worshiper of God, that
is, a Jewish proselyte, to intimate that he
was a Gentile by birth. Paul entered his
house, and it joined hard to the synagogue.
The nearer the church, the proverb is, the
farther from God. This is founded on the
observation, that what men can easily
reach, and enjoy, they often neglect. It
was a trial of principle in this man to open
his house to Paul. It would create him
inconvenience, trouble, and expense, and
it would draw upon him anger and re-
proach, as it Vv^as an open avowal of his
adherence to the cause, and he knew that
the sect was everywhere spoken against.
How many professors of religion, yielding
to their selfish and dastardly reasonings,
would have refused. Bumjan, with as
much truth as genius, places all the pil-
CHAPTER XVIII.
1141
grims under the conduct of Mr. Great-
Heart. It is to intimate that we shall need
courage every step of the way to tlie Shin-
ing City. Let us not consult with tiesh
0,nd blood, but only with conviction, and
go forth to the Saviour without the camp,
bearing His rci>roat'h. The chkf ruler, &c.
The definite form of the expression may
merely designate him as a person of some
note, " Crisj)us, the (well-known) ruler of
the synagogue," just as we say, " the
Apostle Paul," "the Prophet Daniel," al-
though there were many othier i)rophets
and apostles. Believed on the Lord, &c.
There is joy in the presence of the angels
of God over one sinner that repenteth.
But here a man of some rank and influ-
ence, believes — nor is this all, his house too
is added to the Lord, yea, and many of
the Corinthians hearing of Crispus' conver-
sion, and Paul's word, believed, and uxre
baptized. " Rulers and great men (says
one) are looking-glasses, in the places
where they li.ve, by which many dress
themselves."
9. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a
vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy
peace : 10. Fur 1 Jam with tliee. and no man shall ;,et
on thoc, to la.rtthee: for I liiive much people in this
city. 11. And he continued ^/lere ayear and six mouths,
teacliing the word of God among them.
JMatt. xxviii. 20
Be not afraid. The Apostle was not a
timid man. Of a firm and ardent temper,
he eng:iged with earnestness in any enter-
prise, and was prepared to abide by his
purpose, in the face of opposition. But
the most courageous are but men, who
may experience moments of weakness^
and disapjjoint the exi)ectations of others
by a cowardly flight from danger. Jesus
Christ, therefore, appeared to His faithful
servant, to assure him of His assistance
and protection. There were other tritds
awaiting him, besides those which he had
already undergone. Speak, and hold not
thy peace. The policy of worldly men
seeks by flattery to gain the heart, and
thus to make sure of the object of its arts,
who will sufl'er himself to be led in the
chains ot vanity and self love, a captiveat
its pleasure. What is agreeable and sooth-
ing is readily told, but if anything would
wound the pride of others, or offend their
prejudices, the salutary truth is buried in
silence. The Apostles of Jesus Christ re-
nounced the artifices of dishonesty. Their
aim was not the praise of men, but their
salvation, not their own private interests,
but the honor of their Master, and to ac-
C()ni])lish these impurtant ends they did
not " hold their ])eace," although they
foresaw that their words should excite the
ridicule or the indignation of their audi-
ence. In the present case, Paul was assur-
ed, not that his doctrine should be ap-
plauded,and his person held in admiration,
nor that he should escape without reproach,
and sufl'er no sort of molestation, but sole-
ly that no man should set on him, to hurt him.
He might be j)ersecuted,Vjuthe should not
be destroyed. For I have much people in
this city. This expression takes in all who
should, according to the gracious purjiose
of Christ, be converted to Christianity.
" Here are many souls whom I design
eff'ectually to call and bring home by thy
ministry." What encouragement to Paul
to go forth among them as the minister of
reconciliation — what encouragement for
every Christian minister as regards the
people among whom he labors ! Continued,
&.C. Continued prayer, much patience,
great confidence in God, fervent zetil — are
the means by which the interests of the
cause of God are promoted.
12. 1 And when Gallic wa.s the deputy of Achaia, the
Jews made insurrection with on ■ accord against Paul,
and brought him to the ijudnnient-.scat, 13. Saying,
This/fMoiw persuadetli oumi to w cirship CJud contrary to
the law. 14. And when Paul was now about to open
hia mouth, Galliosaid unlotheJcws.il it were a matter
of wrong, or wicked lewdness, O T/r Jews, ""reason would
tl'.at I should hear with you : 1."). But it it be a (luestion
0! words and names, and cy y(jur "law, look ye lo if. lor
I will be no judge of .such matters. IG. And he drave.
them irom the judgment-seat. 17. Tlien all the Greek.*
took fSosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and
heat/ii!/t he.iire the judgment-seat. And Gallio cared
lor none ol those things.
ijames ii. (i. "Rom. xiii. 3. "John xviii. 31; chap.
xxii. 29 : XXV. 11, 19. »1 Cor. i. 1.
Gallio. His original name was ]\Iarcus
Anneeus Novatus; but, having been
adopted into the family of the rhetorician
Lucius Junius Gallio, he took the name
of Junius Annseus Gallio. He was brother
of Lucius Annseus Seneca, the philosopher.
Deputy. Here is disclosed another in.stance
of Luke's minute accuracy. Gallio was
deputed by the Senate durirg the reign
of Claudius, and was, therefore, a procon-
sul, as Luke says. But under the preced-
ing reigns the ruler was sent by the em-
peror, and so was not a proconsul, but a
legatus. There is historical evidence that
Gallio w\as in Achaia about the time of
1142
ACTS,
Paul's visit, and he appears to have re-
signed his office on account of ill health,
procl;iiming that it was "a disease not of
the body, but of the climate." Made imur-
rcrliun, or, rose up against. The judgment
seed is mentioned three times in the course
of this narrative. (See verses 16, 17.) It
was of two kinds: (1.) fixed in some pub-
lic and open place; (2.) movable, and
taken by the Eoman magistrates to be
placed wherever they might sit in a judi-
cial character. Probably here as in the
case of Pilate (John xix. 13), the former
kind of seat is intended.
Saying, This fellow. Fellow is not ex-
pressed in Greek, it is supplied by our
translators. Contrary to the law, not the
Jewish, but the Roman law, for Gallio, as
a Roman magistrate, would concern him-
self only with the latter. Matter of wrong,
literally, an injustice. Or wicked Icivdness
— reckless immorality, as distinguished
from a legal act. Reason ivould thcd I should
hear with you. A Roman magistrate could
take cognizance of injustice and gross im-
morality. Words. So far as the doctrines
were concerned,Gallio would consider them
only as so many words. Names — of j^er-
sons, as Moses and Jesus, which prob-
ably occurred in the statement of the pros-
ecutors, and which Gullio would consider
as mere names, I will be no judge, &c. It
was out of his province to take cognizance
of such questions. The Roman laws allow-
ed the Jews to regulate their religious
affairs in their own way. The magistrate
who dares to interfere with the religious
opinions of the people, incurs an amount
of responsibility too great for any man to
bear. He who dares to legislate for con-
science, not only insults his Maker, but
perpetrates an injury upon himself. Re-
ligion is not to be settled in courts of law
but in courts of conscience.
" Let Caesar's due be ever paid,
To Can -iXT and Iiis throne ;
But consciences and souls were mado
To be the Lord's alone."
And he drave them from the judgment seat,
he dispersed them. The verb shows that
they left reluctantly, but not that any
violence was used. A peremptory refusal,
a decisive manner would be sufficient for
the purpose. Then all the Greeks, &c. The
meaning seems to be, that when the pro-
consul so cavalierly sent them off, the
Greeks who had been looking on expressed
their indignation, and gave vent to their
long cherished hatred of the Jews, by
beating their official representative. "With
what measure ye mete, it shall be meas-
ured to you again." Society often gives
back to a man what he has given it. The
jiersecutor is often persecuted. Sosihenes,
the chief rider, &c. It is not necessary to
assume that Sosthenes was the successor
of Crispus, or the ruler of another syna-
gogue, as the office probably was not
elective, and was held by a plurality of
l>ersons. And beat Mm, &c. Probably just
as Sosthenes came out of the court, the
mob laid hold of h^m, in a riotous man-
ner, and beat him, probably with their
fists.
And Gallio cared for none of those things.
This means something more than magister-
ial unconcernedness to the religious dis-
putes which the Jews now brought under
his notice. There is reference, we think,
to his personcd indifference concerning re-
ligious questions themselves. As an edu-
cated, moral and high-minded Roman, he
regarded the religion of Paul as beneath Ids
notice. Gibbon tells us that the various
modes of worship which prevailed in the
Roman world, "were all considered by the
people as equally true,bj'- the philosophers
as equally false, and by the magistrates as
equally useful." Gallio, therefore, we take
as a type of this prevailing religious indiffer-
ence. This is one of the greatest and most
prevalent evils of this age too, and it is
inlidelity in its worst form. Mere theo-
retical infidelity can be put down by argu-
ment. But this is beyond the reach of all
logic. When ministers endeavor to con-
vince the ignorant, or to rouse the un-
thinking, they feel some hope, but as for
those who have heard the Gospel from
their infancy, or who have sat under it
long enough to learn distinctly and famil-
iarly all the truths it contains, and rest
satisfied, regardless of the influence of
these things in their hearts and lives, these
are the most likely to drive ministers to
despair, and to be summoned to meet God,
unprepared for the solemn interview.
18. II A nd Paul a/«erWj!.9 tarried ?Apr« yet a good while,
and then tooli his leave of tlie brethren, and sailed
thence into Syria, and with hii>i Priscilla and Aquila,
having shorn Phis head in qCeuchrea : lor he had a vow.
CHAPTER XVIII.
i:-{.j
19. And he came to Ephcsns, anr1 loft tlipm tlioro: but
lie liiui.seli' t'lilertU inio Uie s.viiimo^Ur, uiul rvusoufil
»\vith the Jews. i;u. Wlieii Uivy tlcsircil liiin to tarry
longer time with tlieiu, lie coiisenleu not ; -1. But bailu
them (;irt'\vell, savins. I nuist liy all means keep this
feast that Cometh in "Jerusalem : but I will return asain
unio you, il' 'God will. Aiulhe sailcii IVoni Kpliesus.
■22. And when he had landeil at Cesarea, and t,'(in<' up,
and isaluied the ciiurcli, he Weill down lo Aiitn.ch. 2.t.
.And alter he had sjient some time tlitn-, he departed,
and weni over all the eountry of "Ualaliu and I'hryuia
in order, streiistheninf; >aU the disciples, 'il. H And a
certain Jew named "Apollosi, born ut Ale.\andria, an
eloquent man, and miglity in the scriptures, came to
Epliesus. 2.i. This man wits instructed in the way of
the Liord: and being lerveiit »in the spirit, he spake and
taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing Jonly
the baptism of John. lii. And he began to speak boldly
in the synagogue: whom when Aqiiila and Priseilla
had heard, they took him unto th< m, and expounded
unto him theway of (Jod more porfectlj'. 27. Andwhen
lie was disposed lo pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote,
exhorting the disciples to receive liim: who, when he
was come, "helped ihem much which had believed
l>throui;h grace: 'JS. Fur he mightily convinced the
Jews, and Hint publicly shewing by ^tlie scriptures that
Jesus '-Was l.'ijrist.
rNum. vi. IS; chap. xxi. 24. qRom. xvi. 1. 'xvii. 2.
«xi.\. 21, x.x. Iti. U Cor. iv. 19; James iv 15. "Gal. i. '1.
vxiv. -ll, XV. 32, 41. "1 Cor. i. i:, iii. .5, 6; Titus iii. l:!.
»Rom. xii. 11 ; James v. lU. yxix. 3. 'ileb. vi. 1 ; 2 Peter
iii. l.s. "1 Cor. iii, 6. i-Eph. 11. 8. cJobn v. 39. dOr, is the
Chrint, verse 5.
The brethren. The converts who com-
posed the infant Church. Sailed thence, for
Antioch, in Syria. Having shorn his head
in Cenchrea, the eastern port of Corinth,
distant about ten miles. A Church had
been gathered here. (Rom. xvi. 1.) The
modern namo i.i Kirkries,a Uttle ?outli of
Kalamaki, and under tlie traveler's eye,
therefore, "who crosses the isthmus. For
he (Paul) had a vow. That it was the
Nazariie vow (Isum. vi.) is not likely. It
was probably one made in one of his sea-
sons of diiiiculty or danger, in prosecution
. of which he cuts off his hair and hastens
to Jerusalem to ofTer the requisile sacrifice
within the pre.scribed thirty days. {Jo-
sephus, Jewish TT«r, ii. 15, 1.) This explains
the haste with which he leaves Ephesus
(verse 21), and the subsequent ohtiervanco,
on the recommendation of tlie bre'ihreii,
of a similar vow. (Chap. xxi. 24.) Thisonc
at Corinth was voluntary, and shows that
even in heathen countries he systematically
studied the prejudices of his Jewish breth-
ren. Epliesus was the ancient cajjital of
Ionia, and at this time, of tlie Roman pro-
consular province of Asia, on the Cayster,
near the coast, between Smyrna and ]\Ii-
letus. It was famed for its commerce, but
even more for its magnificent temple of
Artemis (Diana). Sec xix. 24, 27, and
notes. I viiist by all means keep tliis feast.
It must have been one of the principal
feasts, which Paul was so anxious to keep
at Jerusalem, in all probability the Pa^.s-
over or Pentecost. In either case we dis-
cover here that the Apostle made the
journey in the spring of the year.
Lauded at Cesarea. This ci:y was for-
merly called Strato's T(jwer. It is bituuted
on the coast of the Mediterranean, at the
mouth of a small river, and has a fine h:ir-
bor. It is 3G miles south of Acre, about
(32 miles north-we.'^t of Jeru.salcm, and
about the same distance norlh-cast of
Azutus. This city is supposed by some to
be the Ilazor mentioned in Jo.^hua xi. 1.
It was rebuilt by Herod the Great, and
named Cesarea in honor of Augustus Cte-
sar. The city was dedicated to him. The
seaport wtis called Sebaste, the Greek
word for Augustus. It was adorned with
most splendid houses, and the ten* pie cf
Cicsar was erected by Herod over against
the mouth of the haven, in which was
placed the statue of the Roman emjjeror.
It became the seat of the Roman governor
while Judea was a Roman province.
And gone up, i. e., to Jerusalem. And
saluted the church, i. e.,the mother-Church
there, the only one that would be abso-
lutely so-called, he lecnt down (from Jeru-
salem again) to Antiuch, thus returning to
his point of departure, as he did at the
close of his fir^t mission. (See on chap,
xiv. 2o.) Here observe, 1. No hostile
hatred restrains Paul, where the Lord
sends him (verse 19). 2. xso brotherly
love retains him when the Lord calls him
away (verse 20.) 3. No place is too dis-
tant to him ; he hastens when the Spirit
draws him thither (verse21). 4. Noplace
is too pleasant to him ; he takes his leave
when the Lord cannot use him there
(verse 22).
After he had spent some time, &c. Thia
was the commencement of Paul's third
missionary journey. It is probable that
his residence at Antioch at this time was
short, and that he left it in the year A. D.
54 or 55. He visited those churches in
Galatia and Phrygia which he had already
established. SlrengtJicning all the disciples,
confirming them in the faith of the Gos-
pel. The direction the Apostle now took
was the reverse of his former journej :
then, "he went through Phrygia and
the region of Galatia" (Acts xvi. 6), but
now he goes lir.^t to Gahitia, and then to
Phrygia, and the reason was, because ho
1144
ACTS.
had proconsular Asia, adjoining to Phry-
gia, and especially Ephesus, in view.
" Lord," says Burkitt, " what a pattern is
here of ministerial diligence and faithful-
ness! What pains did Paul take! What
hazards did he run, in planting and pro-
pagating the Go.spel of Christ ! In labors
more abundant, in sufferings above mea-
sure! Well might he say, Jam able to do
all things through Christ that strcni/thcns me.
And, blessed be God, the same jiower that
assisted hiin, stands ready to succor us, and
if ever He calls us to extraordinary ser-
vice, He will come in with more than ex-
traordinary strength."
And a certain Jew, &c. The historian here
breaks away for a moment from the nar-
rative of the third missionary tour of the
Apostle to introduce the name, character,
and doings of a celebrated Jew, named
"ApoUos," which is contracted for Apollo-
nios, as Artemas for Artemonius. This
episode is so interesting and instructive,
that we have reason to be thankful for
the momentary interruption of the narra-
tive concerning Paul. Born at Alexandria.
A distinguished city in tlie north of Egypt,
on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It
"Wa; founded by Alexander the Great, three
hundred and thirty years before Christ,
and became the center of commercial in-
tercourse between the eastern and the
western world. It was an exceedingly
prosperous city, and numbered, at one
time, six hundred thousand inhabitants.
In the year of our Lord 26, it fell into the
power of the Romans. Large numbers of
Jews had their abode there. Neander
thinks that Apollos, as a native of Alex-
andria, had received probably the Jewish-
Grecian education, peculiar to the learned
among the Jews of that city, and had ac-
quired also great facility in the use of the
Greek language. Eloquent, or learned. The
first sense is the best, because "mighty in
the Scriptures" ascribes to him then a
different talent, and because his superior
faculty as a speaker appears to have been
the reason why some of the Corinthians
preferred him to Paul. (See 1 Cor. i. 12,
ii. 4 ; 2 Cor. x. 10.) Eloquence is a noble
gift <^f God, when it is properly employed,
whether in ecclesiastical or in secular
affairs, but when it is abused, it is like a
sword in the hand of a madman.
Mighty in the Scriptures. He possessed
an intimate and accurate knowledge of
the Old Testament, and an extraordinary
ability to explain and apply it. Ephesus.
(See on verse 19.) It is not the mere
knowledge of the literal sense of the
Scriptures, but a blessed experience of the
power of Divine truth in the heart, by
which a teacher becomes mighty in the
Scriptures.
This man was instructed. With regard to
the Christian knowledge of Apollos, Luke
describes him as a man acquainted, to a
certain extent, with the way of the Lord, that
is, with the Divine plan of salvation, or the
Divine purpose to enlighten and redeem
Israel, and, indeed, all mankind, through
the Messiah. Still, he needed more pre-
cise explanations and instructions respect-
ing the way of God. (Verse 2G.) Being fer-
vent in the spirit, literally means boiling,
and is a phrase used by the Apostle in
another place. (Rom. xii.ll.) Diligently.
This is not the meaning of the Greek
word, but accurately, exactly, or correctly.
Knoning only the baptism of John. He was
instructed, probably, by some disciple of
the Baptist, in the whole circle of John's
teaching concerning Jesus, but no more :
he had yet to learn the new light which,
the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost
had thrown upon the Redeemer's death
and resurrection, as aj^pears from chap,
xix. 2, 3. It is well to see a man using the
light he has. It shows that he is sincere
and in earnest.
Began. Opened his ministry in Ephe-
sus after he came. Had heard. They dis-
cerned what he needed. Expounded. By
private instruction. More perfectly, rather,
more accurately. Into Acltaia, of which .
Corinth was the caj^ital. The brethren wrote,
&c. Gave him letters of recommendation.
Helped them., &c. He contributed greatly
by his prayers, preaching, and example,
to the spiritual benefit of those who,
through the grace or favor of God, had
become Christians. Mightily convinced.
" Confuted the Jews." Puhlicly. Pr-each-
ing in the synagogues and elsewhere, in
public controversies. Shewing by the Sa-ip-
CHAPTER XIX.
1145
tures. Proving from the predictions of the ] the Messiah was Jesus, none other than.
Old Testament: that Jesus was CJirisl — that | lie. (Comp. verse 5.)
1. To what place did Paul go from Athens T 2. What la said of Aqiilla and Priscllla? S. VThat U rorordod of
Paul in relatiou to the synagogue? 4. What did he do to tlicm that opposed themselves and blasphemed ? 5.
What is said of Justus? 6. What of Crispus? 7. What did the Lord say to Paul hyavision? 8. When did tha
Jews make Insurrection against Paul? 9. Whatdid Galliosay tollie Jtws? 10. Whatdidhodo? 11, Wliatwas
done to Sosthenes ? 12. Wliere did Paul next go ? 1.1 Wl-.y was his head shorn ? 1 1. What did he do at r;>hi>3U3 T
15. What issaidof Apollos? ic. Wliatdid AquUaandPriaciUado to him 7 17. Whatiasaidof him whenhewaa
disposed to paiss iuto Achaia 7
CHAPTER XIX.
6 The ITnly OhoH is irivcn by Paul's hands. 9 Thf, Jrws
blasplieme, hijs doctrine, wiLic.h is coiijirmcd by miracles.
13 The Jewish exorcists 16 are beati n by the devil, li)
Gmjuring books are burnt. 24 Demetrius, for love of
gain, raiseth an uproar against Faul, 35 which is ap-
ptased by the tou/n^clerk.
AND it came to pass, that while Apollos "was at
Corinth, Paul having passed through tlie upper
coasts, came to Ephesus ; and finding certain discipJe-;,
2. He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghot
since ye believed ? And they said unto him. We have
not bso much as heard whether there be any Holy
Ghost.— »-l Cor. iii. 5, 6. i^viii. 16 ; 1 Sam. iii. 7.
While Apollos vias at Corinth, This notice
apprises us that Paul did not arrive at
Ephesus till after the departure of Apollos.
The vpper coasts here may refer to Pliry-
gia and Galatia, or the country between
them and Ephesus. Ephesus. (See on
xviii. 19). The cerlain disciples whom Paul
found at Ephesus, seem to have been dis-
ciples of John, who, having acquired some
knowledge of Jesus, and of the evidences
of His Divine mission, believed in Him as
the Messiah whose approach their Master
had i)roclaimed. But, from circumstances
of which we are not informed, the disttmce,
perhaps, at which they lived from Jiidea,
or the want of an opportunity to hear the
Apostles, or to converse with any of the
Christians, they entertained a very imper-
fect idea of the nature and privileges of
the new dispensation, for when Paul ask-
ed them whether they had received the
Holy Ghost, they answered, " We have
not so much as heard whether there be
any Holy Ghost." In the New Testament,
this name sometimes signifies the opera-
tions of the Spirit, and in several passages,
not His sanctifying, but His miraculous
influences. In the latter sense it must, at
present, be understood, for Paul did not
inquire whether those disciples had been
regenerated, but whether the extraordinary
gifts, which wore then common, had been
communicated to them. When they did
receive the Holy Ghost by the imposition
of hands, we read, that " they spake wilh
tongue.s, and prophe.sied." (Verse G).
We have not so much as heard, &c. They
were not apprised of the miraculous dis-
pensation which had commenced on the
day of Pentecost. They had not heard
that the Holy Ghost was restored to Israel,
who, according to the saying of the Rab-
bis, departed from it, after the death of
Zcchariah and Malachi. In like manner,
it is said, on a certain occasion, of Samuel,
who hud been trained up in the fear of
God from his infancy, and w;is then min-
iritering in the tabernacle, that " he did
not yet know the Lord," that is, as we
learn from the words which immediately
follow, that he had not yet been favored
with any vision, or revelation.
3. And he s.iid unto them. Unto what then were ye
baptized? And they said. Unto 'John's baptism. 4.
Then said Paul, Jolin ^verily liaptized with the baptism
of repentance, "paying unto the people, thai tney should
believe on him which stiould come ai.er him. that is,
on Christ Jesus. Ti. When tlu y iHnrii Ihi.s. they were
baptized in the nnme fof the Lord Jesus, (i. And when
Paul had l.iid !-/iit hands upon them, the Holy Ghost
came on them : and >>they spake with tongues, and 'pro-
phesied. 7. And all the m<n were about twelve.
cxviii. 25. ''Matt. iii. 11. 'J'lhn i. 15. 27. .■?(>. 'viii. 16:1
Cor. i. 13. rviii. 17. th. 4, x, ■«;. '1 Cor. xiv. 1, <fec.
Paul was surprised at their answer, and
said unto them, Unto what then v:ere ye bap-
tizf'l? From their answer it is evident
that thev had been baptized by Jolin liim-
3146
ACTS.
self, or by his disciples, and had received
no other baptism. Although they believ-
ed in Christ, therefore they were not pro-
perly members of the visible Church, into
which converts were received by that
sacred rite. John vn-Uy baptized xdth the
baptism of (water unto) repentance. (See
on Matt. iii. 11). John baptized his dis-
ciples into the faith of the Messiah as to
come, we are baptized into the faith of
Him as aetualbj come. The baptism of
John was evidently designed to serve a
temporary purpose, in common with all
the other parts of his ministry ; the bap-
tism of Christ is to continue to the end of
the world. The one did not properly be-
long to the Christian dispensation, but was
preparatory to it, the other is an ordin-
ance given by our Saviour to His Church,
to supply the place of circumcision. Chris-
tian baptism is administered in the name
of tne persons of the Trinity, whereas we
have no evidence that the Divine Persons
were explicitly recognized in the baptism
of John. From these considerations it
appears that the two ordinances differ so
much in their form, in their design, and
in their relation to the present dispensa-
tion, that they may be regarded as per-
fectly distinct, and consequently, that a
person who had been baptized by John
might have been baptized again by an
Apostle.
Laid his hands, &c. (See on viii. 17.)
The Holy Ghost came on them. They re-
ceived the miraculous gifts of the Spirit.
(See on verse 2). /^pake with tongues, and
prophesied— they spake with other, and to
them, strange and foreign tongues, and
sustained the character of prophets and
inspired teachers. About. It was unneces-
sary to state the precise number. The ex-
pression may have been intended to pie-
clude the false impression, that ad ttie
brethren in Ephesus were in this infantile
state of ignorance and backwardness. All
may then be understood to mean all told,
or at the most.
9. H And he went into thesynago^e, and spake bold
\j for the sp vce of three months, jdisputing, and kper-
suading the tUUv^i concerning the kingdom of God. 9.
Bat when divers wore Uiardened. and believed not, but
spake evil '"of that "way before the multitude, he "de-
parted from them, and separated the disciples, disput-
ing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. 10. And this
continnt-d by the .space pof two years; so that all they
which dwelt in Asia qheard the word of the Ijord J esus.
both Jtfvvs and Greeks. 11. And God wrought special
rmiraclfts by the hands of Paul . 12. So that from his
body were brought unto tiie sick "handkerchiets or
aprons, and the disea-ses departed from them, and the
evil spirits went out of them.
jxviii. 1!). k.xxviii. 23. lEom. xi. 7; Heb. iii. 13. "2
Tim. i. 15; 2 Peter ii. 22; Jude 10. nVerse 23. "1 Tim.
Yi. 5. I'.x.x. 31. qxx. 18. 'Malt. xvi. 20. averse 15.
Synagogue Spake boldly
three vionths. We have often remarked
that Paul, in every place, made his first
offers of salvation to the Je^rs, and it was
only when they rejected it that he turned
to the Gentiles. (See xviii. G). Disputing,
and. persuading, holding conversations with
them, in order to convince them of the
truth of the doctrine of Christ. He gave
them reasons to sustain his propositions.
He i)lled them with motives. Wlien divers
were hardened, &c. The same sun that
softens the wax, hardens the clay : the
same doctrine of the Gospel becomes the
savour of death unto death unto some,
which is the savour of life unto others.
Woe be to that people, who by their habi-
tual hardness, through their actual resist-
ing the impressions of God's AVord, pro-
voke the Almighty to superadd judicial
hardness of heart to them, m::king their
sin to become their punishment. School
of one Tyr annus — Ephesus was a Greek
city ; literature, philosophy, poetry, and
rhetoric flourished here. Driven from the
synagogire, therefore, the Apostle took to
the school ; doubtless a school of a Greek
rhetoricitD. Here he found a roomy
apartment and full congregations.
This continued, &c., i. e., this lecture room
was open to Paul, not only on the Sabbath,
but also at other times, and was used by
him for two years (A. D. 55-57) ; this
period is undoubtedly to be understood
a,s exclusive of the three months mention-
ed in verse 8. All, &c. The meaning is that
the Gospel spread far and wide through
Asia Minor. It is probable that at this
time the seven Churches addressed in the
Book of Revelation were planted. During
these two years and three months like-
wise it is suppo.sed Paul wrote his epistle
to the Galatians and the first to the Cor-
inthians. It should be observed that the
preaching of Paul and thf» otlier Apostles
was not in secret and obscure places, but
m the greatest cities of the known world,
abounding with learning, talents, and
philosophy — such as Antioch, Corinth,
Athens, Ephesus, Rome. And it was not
CHAPTER XIX
1147
merely to the ignorant multitude tlicy ad-
dressed themselves in those places, but to
all indiscriminately, rich and poor, great
and small, learned and illiterate: that
while they instructed every one, they
might not seem to shrink from the most
sagacious and even malicious inquiry. We
have seen what stay Paul made at some
of the cities now mentioned. An immense
number of people resorted to E;)hesus,
which was the capital and emporium of
Asia Minor, on all kinds of business, re-
ligious, political, and commercial. No
scene therefore could have been more fit
for this active Apostle.
Special (no ordinary) miracles. Paul's
supernatural ministry was, 1. Derived.
Unlike Christ he had not the power of
working miracles natural in himself. Gud
wrou'jht them by Ids hands. 2. Beneficent.
It was put forth, not to wound or to injure
men, but to heal and to bless them. 3. Strik-
ingly manifest.. The mere handkerchiefs or
aprons which touched his body carried
with them virtue to heal the diseased and
to expel the devil from the possessed.
"The rationalists, and semi-rationalists,"
says an eminent commentator, "are much
troubled to clear the fact related, that such
handkerchiefs and aprons were instrumental
in u'orking the cures, from participation in
what they are pleased to call a popular
notion founded in superstition and error.
But in this and similar narratives (see
verse 15 note) Christian faith finds no dif-
ficulty whatever. All miraculous working
is an exertion of the direct power of the
All-powerful ; a suspension by llim of His
ordinary laws, and whether he will use
any instrument in doing this, or lehcd in-
Bt rumen t, must depend altogether on His
own purpose in the miracle — the effect to
be produced on the recipients, beholders,
or hearers. AVithoutHis special selection
and enabling, all instruments were vain, with
these, all are capable. In the present case,
as before (in verse 15), it was His purpose
to exalt His Apostle as the Herald of His
Gospel, and to lay in Ephesus the strong
foundation of His Church. And He there-
fore endues him with this extraordinary
power. But to argue by analogy from such
a case — to suppose that our Eord was able,
and Peter, and Paul, and in Old Testament
times Elisha, were enabled to exert this
peculiar power, therefore the same will be
possessed by the body or relics of every
real or sui)posed saint, is the height of
folly and fanaticism. The true analogy
tends directly the other way. In no cases
but these do we find the i)Ower, even in the
Apostolic days : and the general cessation
of all extraordinary gifts of the Sjtirit
would lead us to the inference that H for-
tiori these, which were even then the rarest,
have ceased also."
13. H Then certain of the va^rabond Jpws. exorcists,
took upon thcin Ho cull over them which hud evil
spirits tli(> luuiii- of the Lord Jesus, saying, we adjure
"you by Jesus, whorii Paul prcaclieth.
■Matt. ix. 38. "Josh. vi. -Jti ■ Luke i.x. 49.
It was a righteous judgment of God, that
the people to whose care the true Word
of God had been previously intrusted,
should now, when they for.Sdok the truth,
addict themselves to the most degrading
magic arts. There were many impostors
who attempted to imitate the Apostles.
But what was their aim? Not to teach
the truth, nor to aid in the work of con-
verting men ; such a thought never occur-
red to them. They attempted to imitate
the miracles and deeds whii-h had raised
the Apostles to so high an eminence, and
thus acquire similar distinction. False
teachers still adopt the same course. It is
not their object to impart a knowledge of
the truth to others, and lead them in the
way of salvation, but rather to gain power
and influence ; hence they adopt the color
and ])lumes of the true servants of God.
14. And there were seven sons of 07ie Sceva. a Jew,
and chiefofthe priests, which did so. 15. And the evil
spirit an-wered and said. Jesus I know, and Paul I
know, lint wl-.o sreye? IM. And the man m whom the
evil siirlt was. hapVd >oii them, and overcame them,
and prevailed u'.,'aiiist thctn, so that they fled out oi that
house naked and wounded. 17. And this wa.s known
to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Kphesus.
and Tear "fell on them all, and the name of the Lord
Jesus was magnified. l<s. And many that believed
came, and 'coniessed, and shewed their deeds.
»Liike viii. 2!». »Luke i. 6o' chap. ii. 43. 'Matt. iii. 6,
V. 5, 11 : Eom. X. 10.
Seven. On this very number the exor-
cists seem to have relied. In our day
superstition ascribes a power to cure dis-
eases to seven sons, or a seventh son.
Nothing is known of this .SVr?'n but what
is mentioned here. It is possible that the
designation of him here has reference to
the worship of Diana, and that he was a
renegade or apostate Jew. This is tlie less
improbable because the Greek word here
rendered " chief of the priests " was not.
1148
ACTS.
only in genenil use among the heathen,
but occurs repeatedly on coins and in
other inscription's relating to the worship
of Diana at Ephesus. The evil spirit ans-
wered— speaking from within the man and
using his organs. The Jesus (whom you
invoke) / know, i. e., Ilis authority and
power, and tite Paul (whom you name) /
know well as the servant, messenger of God.
(Comp. xvi. 17). The question — Wlto are
yef is expressive both of indignation and
contempt,in which senseitisfamiliartothe
dialect of common life. It is here equiva-
lent to saying, What right have you to
use this venerable name, at which the
very devils tremble ? (See James ii. 19.)
And the man in whom the evil spirit was.
Mark the clear line of demarcation here
between "the evil spirit which answered
and said," and " the man in whom the evil
spirit ivas." The reality of such possessions
could not be more clearly expressed.
Leaped on them so that they fled
naked and wounded. This was so appall-
ing a testimony at once against those
profane impostors and in favor of Paul
and the Master whom he preached, that
we wonder not it spread to "all the
Jews and Greeks at Ephesus, that fear fell
on them all, and that the name of the Lord
Jesus was magnified.'" Keaven employs evil
to punish evil. The evil spirit, by the
Divine permission, acts the office of justice
and wreaks vengeance on i\m heads of
these religious pretenders. As a rule, God
punishes wickedness by wickedness. The
sinner is the tormentor of the sinner here
and everywhere, now and forever. Pro-
vidence, the Divine handmaid of truth,
often permits, and often creates, events in
a community that startle them like the
blast of a thousand trumpets, and force
them into new strains of thought. Some-
times, as in the case before us, the abom-
inations of a spurious Christianity have
so broken forth upon the i^uulic mind as
to star'Je it from its slumbers, and to ex-
cite it into earnest inquiry after truth.
Their deeds, thQ Qxi\ deeds in which they
had been engaged before they became be-
lievers. They became more deeply im-
pressed with the necessity of an ample
confession of their former evil courses of
life, and of an honest avowal of a determ-
ination to forsake such practices. The de-
feat of the sons of Sceva, and the evidence
of the invincible ]X)wer of Jesus, quicken-
ed the consciences of some who had
professed to believe, but who had, per-
haps, retained some secret evil practices.
19. Many of them also which used curious arts,
Droiigiit iheir honks tdut-thpr, unci burned tlu-ni bei'ore
all iiie)L: and tliey counted the price oi them, and ibund
(7 fi.ty thousand /vi'Y-r.f (if silver. 20. So mightily grew
Jthe word oiOod, and prevailed.— jxii. 24.
Many — Even magicians may be conver-
ted, (viii. 13.) Curious arts — magic arts, in
great variety. Brought together— vfiih.
great unanimity. Here is a remarkable
illustration of the force of conscience.
The events struck the moral chords of the
soul into thunder. Conscience rose from
serfdom to sovereignty. There is no bet-
ter evidence of the truth of a person's con-
version, than cheerfully to part with a
very profitable and pleasing lust. Their
books — True religion abolishes bad books.
Ephesus burned up curious and bad books
as accursed, when the Word of the Lord
began to prevail. Burning such books
was better than to sell them, even though
the money had been spent upon the poor.
Fifty thousand (literally, five myriads) of
silver, but of what denomination is not
mentioned, although commonly supposed
to be the Attic drachma, varying in value'
from liiteen to seventeen cents of our
money, makirg a total of at least seven or
eight thousand dollars. Like these ma-
gicians, we, if our rei)entance of sin be
genuine, will not be able to rest till we
have not merely confessed and deplored,
hut put aivay from, us the accursed thing,
till we have relinquished every unholy
profit, and given up every unlawful or
questionable enjoyment. TJiis may fairly
be assumed, indeed, a,s a test by which to
determine the strength with which the
Gospel of Christ has been brought to bear
upon ourselves. Has it ever influenced
us thus ? Has it operated thus powerfully
to the pulling down of the strongholds of
sin, even though the sacrifice be costly and
self-denying? Has everything displeasing
to God been relinqui.shed — everything
contrary to His will and Ilis commands
been given up? Or, if this be saying too
much, have we at least good reason to
hope that there is no profit, and no plea-
CHAPTER XIX.
1149
sure, and no pursuit, which we are not
anxious to sacrifice to tlie will and the
honor of our God ? Happy are tliey wliose
religion abounds in such unquestionable
fruits as these ; they proclaim at once tlie
tree of the Lord's planting, whose leaf
shall not wither, whose root is imbedded
deep in the liock of Ages, and whose head
liaa risen above the mists and diunps of
this world of sin, and is bearing much
fruit in the perpetual sunshine which lies
beyond them. GrewtJicivord. As all these
dark superstitions flowed from the one
great Ephesian idolatry, so their exposure
disgraced the system, and wrought a sense
in men's minds of the true Divinity of
Christianity. " This one word ' So,' " re-
marks a distinguished scholar, "is truly a
Divine Amen, a testimony coming from
heaven : This is mv beloved congrega-
tion in which I am well pleased." Lord !
Grant Thy grace, so that Thou mayest hear
such testimony in favor of every congre-
gation which confesses Thy name, and that
the earnest efforts of Thy people to free
themselves even from the most secret
cursed thing (Dent. vii. 20) may be made
manifest, so that the world may have no
other reproach to make except this — that
they zealously follow holiness, without
which no man shall see the Lord. (Heb.
xii. 14).
21. \ After 'these things were ended, Paul purposed
inliio spirit, when be had passed tliroujjh Macedonia
and A'-haia, to go to Jeruialjni, saying, Alter I have
been tiiere, I must also see '-Rome.
'Gal. ii. 1. »Bom. xv. 23, 28.
These things, the occurrences of verses 19,
20. Ill the Sjnrit, that is, in mind, an expres-
. fcion mostly used by Paul (see Rom. i. 9, viii.
16, xii. 11 ; 1 Cor. ii. 4, v. 3, 4, xiv. 14, and
other places). He proposed to visit again
Macedonia and Achaia, through which
l)rovinces he had passed on his former
tour. (xvi. 10, xvii. 15, xviii. 1). / vinst
also see Rome. Jerusalem and Rome, the
two metropolitan cities, the one ecclesias-
tically, the other politically. The same
purpose is expressed in his epistle to the
Romans, xv. 28, 29. The perfect and un-
studied agreement of these passages with
that before us, is one of the incidental
evidences in favor of the genuineness of
the inspired record. Paul's object in see-
ing Rome, was not mainly, if indeed at all,
in order to gratify curiosity, study the in-
stitutions and liabits of a wonderful peo-
ple, enricli his experience of life, and
increase his acquaintance with men and
things— but to carry the Gosi)el into the
heart of the imperial city. And his pur-
pose to visit Rome indicates his bflii-f in
three things : 1. That Christianity could
stand the scrutiny of the most enlightened
people. 2. That no intellectual or social
advancement can supersede tlie necessity
of the Gospel. 3. That the work of evan-
gelization should have a special regard to
the most inliucntial centers of population.
22. So ho sent into Marodnnja two of thf-rn tbat min-
istered unto him, Tiniotluii-i iiud ' Kraatus, but he bim-
seli stayed in A.sja for a seasou.
>>Rom. xvi. 2a; 2 Tim. iv. 20.
He sent into Macedonia, i. e., probably to
Thessalonica and Philippi. Thatviinister-
cd to him, both as personal attendants and
as fellow-laborers in the Gospel. Eraslas
may be the person of that name i a 2 Tim. i v.
20, but as he traveled with Paul, the best
critics distinguish him from the Erastus in
Rom. xvi. 23. The office of the latter as
" treasurer of the city" would demand his
more constant presence at Corinth. Tim-
othy and Erastus were probably sent be-
fore to set on foot the collections mention-
ed in 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 10. Bid he himself, &c.
In the first epistle to the Corinthians,
written shortly after he had sent away
Timothy, the Apostle writes, "I. will tarry
at Ephesus until Pentecost." (1 Cor. xvi.
8). He remained in Ephesus, the capital
of Asia, some time, for the good of Asia.
23. And the same time there arose no small stir
"■about tljat way. 24. For a ci-riain man named Demet-
rius, a silversmitli, wliicli made silver slirines lor Di-
ana, Ijrouijht no small 'iyain unto the crallsmen ; 25.
Whom be called ttogetber, witli tbe worlsincn of like
occupation, and said. Sirs, ye know that bylbiscrali
we have our wealth. 2(i. Moreover, ye .see and hear,
tliat not al'ine at Ephesus, but almost tlir<)Ui;liont all
Asia, tbis Paul hath persuaded and turned away nuieli
lieople, saying t'tlial they be no gods wliieh are made
with liands. 27. .So that not onl.v this our cralt i.s in
danger to be set, at nought, but also that the temple of
tlie great goddess Diana should bo ^despised, and her
magnineence should be destroyed, whom all Asia, and
the world iiworshippeth. 28. And when they heard
l/tc>:i' frn/inps. they were full of 'wrath, and cried out,
saying. Great /.■; Diana of the Ephesians! 2H. And the
whole city was filled with confusion: and having
caught JGaius and tAristarcbus, men of Macedonia,
Paul's companions in travel, they rushed w;tb one
accord into the theater. 30. And when Paul would
have entered in unto the people, the disciples sullered
him not.
<:2C'or. i. 8, vi. 9. dChap. xvi. 16. 19. 'Rev.xviii.il;
rps. c.w. 1 : Isa. xliv. 10-20. fZep. ii, 11. 'd John v. 19.
Rev. xiii. 8. Uer. 1. 38. JRom. xvi. 23 ; 1 Ctor. i. Ii kCol.
iv. 10.
That ivay is Christianity. Christianity is
a way to a certain kind of thinking, be-
lieving, loving and living. The cause of
the stir about that way is revealed below.
1.30
ACTS.
Demetrius, the author of the disturbance,
was a worker in silver, and, without doubt,
the jirojiriefor of a large manufacturing
establishment, devoted to the preparation
of articles of only one kind, namely silver
temples of Artemis, that is, small models
of the renowned temple of Diana, together
with the statue. Diana was one of the
twelve superior divinities, of which the
Roman poet Ennius gave a list in the fol-
lowing couplet : —
" Juno, Vpsta. Minprva, Cpres, Diana, Venui, Mars,
Merc'urius, Jovis, Nepttmas, Vulcanus, Apollo."
She was adored as Luna, or the moon in
heaven, Diana on the earth, and Hecate or
Proserpine in Hades. She was the god-
dess of hunting, of traveling, of chastity,
of childbirth, of enchantment, &c., and
was worshiped indifferent countries under
different names, and different qualities
were ascribed to her. But, at Ephesus,
she was rejaresented with a great number
of breasts, and regarded as JSature, the
mother of mankind. Thus, one of the in-
scriptions on an image of Diana was " Na-
ture, full of varied creatures, and mother
of all things." Now, the temple of this
goddess was so vast and beautiful as to be
ranked among the seven wonders of the
world. " Pliny tells us that it was 425 feet
long and 220 in breadth, and that it was
adorned with 100 columns each 60 feet
high, 27 of which were curiously carved,
and the rest polished. It occupied 220
years in building. All Asia contributed to
its erection, and 127 magnificent columns
were bestov/ed on it by as many kings. Its
altar was furnished by the famous Prax-
itetes, and Apelles contributed a portrait
of Alexander the Great. Little silver
models of the temple, with a goddess en-
shrined in them, were made for sale, and
sold in such quantity as to afford profit-
able work for many hands.
A correspondent of the London Times, at
Smyrna, under date of January 27th, 1872,
says :
"Most people have heard of those famous
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, who, taking
refuge from the persecutions of Diocletian
at the close of the third century, fell asleep
there and woke up two centuries after-
ward to find a new world and a Christian
empire. Scarcely less romantic have been
the fortunes of the famous temple of Diana
of Ephesus, one of the seven wonders of
the ancient world. Destroyed by an earth-
quake, and ijlundered by the Goths in the
thirdcentury of the Christian era, it served
as a quarry for the architects of the Byzan-
tine city built at Ephesus, probably in the
time of Justinian, till the appetite for
plunder being exhausted, the remnant of
its ruins was allowed to sit up cilently,
under the slow but sure action of alluvial
deposit. Thus the very site of the world-
famous temple was obliterated, till British
enterprise, piercing through 22' feet of al-
luvial deposit, came suddenly on the mar-
ble pavement, still strewed with broken
columns, cajntals and fragments of sculp-
ture. This discovery, one of the happiest
efforts of archaeology in our time, is due to
the persevering energy and sagacity of
Mr. Wood, who, after having searched for
the site of the temple since 1863, first at his
own expense, and subsequently with funds
supplied by the trustees of the British Mu-
seum, has been rewarded, after long years
of toil, by the discovery of the site, which
was finally ascertained about this time last
year. During the last twelvemonth a large
area of the temple has been cleared to the
pavement, and various architectural mar-
bles have been found, more or less mutila-
ted, lying as they had been left by the bar-
barous despoilers in Byzantine times. The
diameter of these columns of the temple
being six feet, the scale of the architecture
is, of course, colossal, exceeding, it is be-
lieved, in proportions the celebrated Tem-
])le of Jupiter Olympus, at Athens, the
temple at Branchidse and all extan' exam-
ples of Greek architecture.
" The great weight of the marbles discov-
ered rendered it necessary for Mr. Wood
to apply for naval aid, which was supplied
by the British government with that alac-
rity which has distinguished the admiralty
in the history of our recent archseological
expeditions, and which can alone insure
the complete success of such arduous en-
terprises. Her Majesty's ship Caledonia.^
a grand old iron-clad three-decker, was at
once sent to Mr. Wood's assistance, and
has been engaged since the beginning of
this month at Ephesus and Smyrna in
hauling, packing and shipping the marbles
of the temple selected by Mr. Wood for the
CUAPTER XIX.
llol
British Museum. I have been favored with
a sight of these huge masses before tlioy
were packed. The largest, weighing up-
ward of eleven tons, is part of a drum of
one of the ca'latce columnoe mentioned by
Pliny — i. e., columns with figures sculp-
tured on them, of which the temple had
thirty-six. Of this bold, striking innova-
tion in Greek architecture there exists, it
is believed, no other examjile except at
Ephe-us. The relief on this drum appears
to represent an assemblage of deities, of
whom the only one who can be positively
identified is Mercury, the rest being dniped
female figures. On a stone from a pilaster,
corresponding in dimensions to the sculp-
tured drum, is a relief representing Her-
cules struggling with a draped female fig-
ure, and on another fraguicut of a drum
are the lower halves of some seated and
standing female figures. This sculpture is
very bold and effective in decoration, but
wants the ineffable charm and freshness
of the frieze of the Parthenon, while in
masterly vigor of execution and dramatic
f tree it falls far short of the frieze of the
Mausoleum. It is careless and inexact in
execution, and has the characteristics
which we mitrht expect to find in the
Greek sculpture of the Macedonian period,
when work was executed rapidly to gratify
the vanity of kings, and when an Oriental
love for mere mass rather than beauty of
design had begun to affect both sculpture
and architecture. Allowing for this first
disappointment, I own that I gazed with a
peculiar interest on these relics of those
fiimous columns on which St. Paul must
have gazed when he preached against
them, but which local finaticism, aided by
lociil vested interests, preserved in all their
splendor for three centuries after his
coming.
"The architecture of the Temple of Diana
is Ionic. Mr. Wood has very properly se-
lected such fragments as will show what
the base, the capital, and the order gen-
erally were like. Once housed in the Brit-
ish Museum, they will furnish materials
out of which, not, perhaps, a complete
restoration of the temple, but a new chap-
ter in the history of Greek architecture
can be constructed, just as out of the fossil
bones of the Megatherium an Owen re-
constructs lost tyjies in the animal kiiig-
di)m."
iS'rs, ye know thai by tliis crnfl ve Jcive our
vrnllh. As they all derived jJHjfil from the
established religion, they would the more
readily concur in any measure for support-
ing it. Moreover, ye see and hear, thai not
alone at Ephc.ius, &c. Such was, indeed,
the doctrine of Paul, who publicly taught
that there was but one God, the Creator
of heaven and earth, that the gmls of the
Gentiles existed only in the imagination
of their worsliipers, or were dead men and
women, or unclean spirits, and that their
images, in which they were supposed to
be present, were alike unworthy of Divine
honors, as gold and silver, wood and stone,
in the rudest and most unshapely forms.
If this doctrine should prevail, as there
was reason to fear, from the great number
who had already embraced it, those crafts-
men would starve for want of employ-
ment. The Ephesians would no longer
])urchase models of a temjile which they
considered as jirofane, and images of a
goddess, whom they had learned to de-
spise.
They heard ftdl ofvrath. The ora-
tory of Demetrius takes full effect. Having
a common interest, these pagan brethren
have a common wrath, and their wrath
has a common object. Great is Dinna of
the Ephesians. This is not a mere doxologj'
or panegyric, but an assertion of their
grand religious tenet, namely that the
goddess whom they worshiped was, in the
strictest and the highest sense, entitled to
be called The Great. Gains is the Greek
form of the Latin Cains, one of the most
common names among the Romans. This
Gains, otherwise unknown to us, is distin-
guished, by his being a JNIacedonian, from
three persons of the same name mentioned
in Scrii^ture. (See Acts xx. 4: 1 Cor. i. 14
and Rom. xvi. 23; 3 John 1.) Ari^itrrhus,
on the other hand, is elsewhere mentioned
in Scripture. He accomjjanied Paul on
his memorable journey to Jerusalem (Acts
XX. 4), and sailed with him, either as a
fellow-prisoner or a volunteer, from Cesa-
rea to Rome. (Acts xxvii. 2). In one of
his epistles, Paul speaks of him as his
"fellow-prisoner" (Col. iv. 10), and in an-
other as his "fellow-worker." (Phile. 24.)
J 152
ACTS
One accord into the theater. As the ancient
theater was a place not merely of dramatic
gatherings, but for public assemblies of all
sorts, especially for city afiairs, this mob
spontaneously, without very well knowing
what it is about, moves to the theater.
This was all the more readily done, as the
temple where the lirst assemblage seems
to have taken place and the theater were
in sight of each other. " Of the site of the
theater, the scene of the tumult raised by
Demetrius," says Fellows, "there can be no
doubt, its ruins being a wreck of immense
grandeur. I think it must have been
larger than the one at Miletus, and that
exceeds any I have elsewhere seen
Its form alone can now be spoken of, for
every seat is removed, and the proscenium
is a heap of ruins."
On the above narrative let the following
things be observed: 1. Demetrius is a type
of all those dishonest religious zealots, who
pretend that they are governed by zeal for
sound doctrine, the honor of God, and the
preservation of truth and order, while
their real object is solely to retain their
income, ease and honors. 2. The Gospel
of Jesus Christ cannot possibly maintain
peace with the dead idols which the peo-
ple of the world worship, and it rebukes
the sinful lusts and evil works which give
pleasure to them. Is it a wonder that such
preaching should arouse the hatred, envy
and jealousy of men who will not abandon
their gods? 3. There are certain sins pe-
culiar to trade and business in general,
which long hinder the conversion of per-
sons who are so occupied. Many trades-
men adopt it as a principle that usury,
fraud, and unrighteous gains, are, as it
were, allowable in their business. It is by
the influence of this delusion that Satan
retains such men in his service. A wise
teacher will regard it as his duty to en-
deavor to expose and destroy all hidden
snares of this character.
31. And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his
friends, .sent unto him. desiring iftmi that he would not
adventure himself into the theater. 32. Some mthere-
fore cried one thing, and .some another, for the a.ssem-
bly wa-s contused . and the more part knew not wliere-
fore the.v were come together. 33. And thev drew
Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting liim
forward And Alexander nbeckoned with the hand
and would have made his defense unto the people. 34
But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one
voice, about the space of two hours, cried out. Great is
Diana of the Ephasians!
H'liap. xxi 12 mChap. xxL 34. ni Tim. i. 20- 2 Tim
Iv. 14.
The chief of Asia. These Avere the Asi-
archs, " men of noble birth and an affluent
fortune. These patrician superintendents
of the temples, of whom there were ten,
were chosen annually by the cities of Asia,
in common, and so great honor was at-
tached to the office, that those who held
it were universally looked up to as " the
chief of Asia." These high functionaries
were then occupied in the duties of their
office, and some of them, who were friendly
to the Apostle, sent a secret message ap-
prising him of the perilous consequences
that might result from his venturing into
the theater. And perilous they would
have been, for, among the most popular
of the games which the Asiarchs had to
provide for the public entertainment were
combats with wild beasts, to which mortal
encounters wore generally appointed only
tiie lowest criminals. But, in the fearfully
excited state of the citizens, if the populace
had insisted on Paul being consigned to
the arena, not all the authority and influ-
ence of the Asiarchs might have been
sufficient to protect him. It is thought to
have been with a view to throw them to
the wild beasts that were usually kept
there, that the mob dragged Gains and
Aristarchus (verse 29), who owed their
rescue from that dreadful fate only to the
fierce and discordant views that distracted
the meeting. Alexander (who is, without
any valid reason, supposed by some in-
terpreters to bo the person mentioned in
1 Tim. i. 20, 2 Tim. iv, 14) was thrust for-
ward by the Jews, while others of the
multitude made room for him in order that
he might come forward and address the
people. He seems to have been an un-
converted Jew. It may be that the Jews
wished Alexander, who was perhaps an
experienced public orator, to speak in their
behalf, and thus transfer the blame from
themselves to the Christians. But when
he attempted to speak, the people observed
that he was a Jew, and would not permit
him to utter a word ; on the contrary, the
fanaticism which was now aroused, burst
forth in the united and incessant outcry
which the workmen of Demetrius had al-
ready commenced.
3.5. And when the town-clerk had appeased the peo-
ple, he said, Ye men "of Ephesus, what man Is there
CHAPTER XIX.
1153
that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephoslans Is
a worshipper of the great goililess Diana, and of the
image which fell down from Jupiter ?— "Eph, ii. 12.
The speech of the toivn-clerk, whose calm
and prudent behavior on tliis occasion
merits the highest praise, is marked by
conciliation, conscience, counsel, and caution.
At the start it refers to two things uni-
versally known. 1. The citij of the Ephc-
sians, &c. The word translated " wor-
shiper" signifies properly an attendant
who took charge of a temple, but it came
afterward to be applied to those cities in
which there were situated any magnificent
or celebrated temples of a deity, whose
worship was the source of their grandeur,
and the object of their pride. The in-
liabitants, proud of the distinction, con-
sidered themselves as attendants or guar-
dians of the temple, and the honor of
their patron deity, and hence the Ephe-
sians, who were the first to assume this
vain-glorious title, although their example
met with general imitation, are called wor-
shipers of the great goddess Diana. 2.
The image which fell doivnfrom Jupiter. So
it was fabled of several other idols; and
among the first idols we read of are the
black stones which, falling from heaven,
(aerolites) were naturally venerated, and
supiwsed to have inherent divinity. Per-
haps some had a rude likeness to an im-
age. In countries where such falsehoods
are likely to be believed (not, at present,
in others), parts, at least, of the Eomish
Church show pictures of the Virgin, which
they tell the people came doivn from
heaven !
38. Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken
against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do qnolhing ra.shly.
iProv. xiv. 29.
Cannot he spolccn against, &c. Like a
truly legal man, he urges that such was
notoriously the constitution and fixed
character of the city, with which its very
existence was all but bound up. Did they
suppose that all this was going to l)e over-
turned by a set of itinerant orators? Ri-
diculous ! What did they mean, then, by
raising such a stir?
37. For ye have brought hither these men, which
are neither Tobbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers
of your goddess.— 'Chap. xxv. 8.
Ye have brought. Hastily into the the-
ater, as if to a tribunal, or to punishment.
These. (Verse 29.) Neither. That is, they
have neither by deed injured the temple,
nor by word injured Diana. Nor yd hlas-
pliemcrs of. The Apostles did not collect
many of the absurditiesfrom their mytho-
logy, but propounded God's truth, andthe
vanity of idols in general. (Verse 2G.)
They who believed, afterward of them-
selves rejected false gods.
.TS. WTierefore If Demetrius, and the craftsmen which
are with hiui, have a matter at:ainst any man, tlie law
is open, and llu re ar(> deputies : let t'.inm implead one an-
otlier. 3!>. But if ye jn(iuiro unytliiiig concerning other
matters, it sliall be detemined in a 'lawl'ul a.-N.sembly.
'Or, ordinary.
"If Demetrius, &c., have sufl"ered in
their properly, and have a charge of any
private injury to ofler against any one, the
civil courts are held in wiiich they may
have justice done them ; or if they have
any crime relating to the State to allege
against any, the law directs them how
they should proceed, and there are the-
Roman proconsuls to whom they may ap-
ply, who are the proi)er judges in such
cases. Let them, then, bring their actions,
and implead one another, and traverse their
suit in a legal manner in either of these
judicatories. Bid if the cause be not pro-
perly civil or criminal, and you are inquir-
ing anything concerning other matters, relat-
ing to our common utihty, or to religion,
which may seem of a special nature, there
is no room to doubt but it sliall he deter-
mined to the general satisfaction, in a law ■
fid assembly of the Asiatic States, who will
inquire into it impartially, and with a
diligence proportioned to its importance."
The regular periods of assembly (called
kuria, from their regularity) in those Greek
cities which exercised, under the Roman
empire, a qualified self-government, were
thi-ee or four times a month, though there
were extraordinary ones.
40 For we are in danger to be called in question for ■
this day's uproar, tliere being no cause whereby we
may give an account of this coucourse.
We are in danger, &c. The Romans, al-
though they granted freedom to many of
the Greek cities, yet were very jealous of
their popular assemblies. There was a
Roman law which made it capital to raise-
a riot. There heing no cause, &c., such
fire, sudden invasion, or some similar
emergency, which might justify a concoursa
of the people.
41. And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the
"assembly— "2 Cor. i. 8-10.
1154
ACTS.
Dismissed, or dissolved, the assembly, and
the people quietly dispersed. An import-
ant ;ind remarkable efiect, but not at all
incredible, considering the proverbial mo-
bility from wliich the mob derives its
name, and also the extraordinary force
and skill with which the appeal was made
to their rehgious feelings, local pride, mu-
jiicipal usages, and selfish fears. Their
wrath, which had been so quickly en-
kindled, was as quickly extinguished.
"Thus," as one has said, " the tumult was
suppressed by the wisdom and eloquence
of the town-clerk, whom the grace cf God
employed as an instrument for delivering
His servants from danger, and defeating
the enemies of the Gospel." But the roots
of such enmity cannot be destroyed ex-
cept by the silent power of the Divine word
and by the winning language of the Holy
Ghost, who is the true defender of the
people of God. 0 Lord Jesus, whom
the winds and the sea obey, assuage Thou
the raging of the nations, and of our own
flesh and blood against Thee, calm our
hearts, and teach them to obey Thy truth,
and to enjoy the blessed peace of Thy
life!
1. Who were the " certain disciples" whom Paul found at Ephesus ? 2. What did he say to them? 3. State
their reply. 4. AVhat did Paul answer ? 5. In whose name were they then baptized ? 6. What resulted when
laul laid his hands upon them? 7. How long did Paul speak boldly in the synagogue? 8. What is said of the
school of Tyranuus? 9. What special miracles did God worli by the hands of Paul ? 10. What is said of the ex-
orcists? 11. What of them which used curious arts? 12. What reference is m;ide to the Word of God? i;i
Whom did Paul send into Macedonia ? 14. State what is said of Demetrius. 15. What elfect was produced by
his appeal ? 16. What did the town-clerk say, after he had appeased the people ?
CHAPTER XX.
1 I'aul goeth to Macedonia. 7 He celebratrth the Lord's
supper, and preacheth. 9 Eutyrhus having fallen down
dead, 10 is raised to life. 17 At Miletum he calleth
the elders together, telleth them, what shall befall to him-
self, 28 committeth God's flock to them, 29 ivariieth
them of false teaclie.rs, 32 cmninendeth them to God,
3S prayelh with them, and goeth his way.
AND after the uproar »was ceased, Paul called unto
?iim the disciples, and embraced them, and de-
parted for to go ''into Macedonia.
^xix. 40. bl Cor. xvi. 5 ; 1 Tim. i. 13.
The clause, after the uproar vas ceased,
shows that Paul left Ephesus soon after
the disturbance, but furnishes no evidence,
says Neander, that his departure was has-
tened by it. He saluted the disciples with
parting expressions of kindness. Macedo-
nia. As he promised to the Corinthians.
(1 Cor. xvi. 5.)
2. And when he had gone over those parts, and had
given tliemmuch --exhortation, lie came into (Greece.
3. And there nhode three months. And when the Jews
laid wait 'ifnr liim, a.s he was about to sail into Syria
he purposed to return through Macedonia, 4. And
there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Betea;
and of the Tliessalonians, eAristarchus and Secundus",
and Gains of Derbe, and fTimotheus; and of Asia.
FTycliicus and I'Trophimus. .5. These goins before tarl
ried for us at TriKts. 6 And we sailed away troin Pliil
lippi ul'ti r tlie days iof unleavened brciid and fame
(into tliem to jTroas in five days; where we abode
seven days.
cl Thes. ii. 3. 11. •Jxxiii. 12 ; xxv. 3 ; 2 Cor. xi. 26. exix.
29. fxvi. 1. eEph. vi. 21 ; Col. iv. 7 ; 2 Tim. Iv. 12 ; Titus
iii. 12. hxxi. 29; 2 TLm. iv. 20. 'Ex. x.xiii. 15. .'2 Tim.
iv. 13.
Those parts. The cities and districts in
Macedonia. Greece. The country south
of Macedonia. It is the same as is else-
where called Achaia. (xviii. 12, 27 ; xix.
21.)
Paul always exhibits the same charac-
teristic features. In prisons, in tumults,
among the disciples, in the world, in jour-
neys— in short, under all circumstances,
he remained a servant of God, and never
forgot, even when he walked in paths that
were painful, to exhort, to comfort, and
to strengthen believers, wherever they
could be found.
The tnree rn.onths spent here preceded the
summer of this year. (See verse 36.) The
stay was thus brief because tl>3 Apostle
was anxious to return to Jerusalem (verse
16.) The Jewish plot was contemporan-
eous with his leaving, but did not occasion
it. It was just before his departure from
Corinth, that Paul wrote the epistle to the
CHAPTER XX.
1155
Romnns. Lnid vail, <kc. What was tlie
nature or ocrasion of the plot liere men-
tioned, we have no means of deterniininjj;.
As the Apostle was about to embark for
Syria, with the intention of going directly
to Jerusalem (see chap. six. 21 ), the effect
of the conspiracy was to change his route,
but not to cause him to depart premature-
ly. He purposed, or, it became his purjjose,
to reluni through Macedonia. How his jour-
neying by land rather than by sea would
enable him to escape the machinations cf
the Jews is not perfectly clear. It is pos-
sible that they intended to assault him on
his way to the ship, or else to follow and
capture him after having put to sea. Learn
hence, that it is high presumption, and a
biild tempting of God, to run headlong
upon evident and imminent dangers, and
not to improve all lawful moans we can to
prevent and decline them. To trust to
means, is to neglect God, but to neglect
the means for our own preservation, is to
tempt God.
There accompanied him, rather, there fol-
loived u'ith him, an expressitm which im-
plies both association and subordination.
Asia. Not strictly into Asia, but, as the
original states, as far as to Asia. Sopater,
the same as Sosipater, and probably the
same as Paul's kinsman of that name
mentioned in Rom. xvi. 21, who was with
him at Corinth. Berea, a city of Macedo-
nia. And of the T hessalonians, Aristarchus
and Secundus. Aristarchus was already
mentioned as a Macedonian (chap. xix.
20, on which see notes), with which his
being a native of Thessalonica agrees. Se-
cundus, is nowhere again mentioned. And
Gains of Derbe. This Gains was a different
person from Gains the ]\Iacedonian for-
merly mentioned (chap. xix. 29, on which
see notes), as Derbe was a city of Lycaonia.
And Timotheus. Timothy was most prob-
ably a native of Lystra. (See xvi. 1.) No
local epithet is attached to Timothy, per-
haps because his residence was supposed
to be well known. And of Asia, Tychicns
and TropJiimus. Both are elsewhere allu-
ded to in Scripture. Tychicus was the
bearer of the epistles to the Colossians and
Ephesianfi (Col. iv. 7, 8 ; Eph. vi. 21, 22.)
Paul there calls him " a beloved brother
and faithful minister of the Lord." In the
epistle to Titus he mentions his intention
of sending him to Oete (Titus iii. 12), and
in his last e[)istie he tells Timothy that he
had sent Tycliicus to Ephesus. (2 Tim.
iv. 12.) Trophimus appears on this occa-
sion to have accompanied the Apostle not
only to Asia, but to Jeru.salem, for hi.s
being in Paul's comjjany in that city was
the occasion of the Apostle'a apprehension.
(Chap. xxi. 29.) He is again mentioned in
Paul's last epistle. "Trophimus have I
left at Miietum sick." (2 Tim. iv. 20.) From
the mention of the places to which each
of these companions belonged, and still
more the order in which they occur, we
are led to conclude that they were deputies
fiom their respective Churches, charged
with taking up and bringing on the collec-
tion for the poor saints at Jerusalem, first
at Berea, next at Thessalonica, then at
Philippi, where we gather that our liistorian
liiniself rejoined the party (from the re-
sumption at verse 5 of the "ve" dropt at
xvi. 17), by whom the Philippian collec-
tion would naturally l)e brought on.
These going before — Perhaps to announce
and prepare for the Apostle's coming. At
Troas — the name of the region and town.
After the days of unleavened bread, i. e., the
week following the Passover. This ex-
pression may be regarded as a mere date
or chronological specification, like Christ-
mas and Easter in modern parlance, when
employed to designate the season, without
reference to religious observance. The
journey was accomplished infredays. Paul,
when he crossed it on a former occasion,
did it in ten days. (Chap. xvi. 11, 12). The
navigation, however, of the yEgean Sea
being uncertain, they were hindered, prob-
ably, by contrary winds. Abode seven days,
better "passed" or "spent." These mi-
nute chronological specifications are in
perfect keeping with the previous intima-
tion that the writer had again rejoined
Paul. (See v. 5, and on v. 4.)
7 IT And upon the fiTSf^da;/ of the week, when the
disciples came together to hrealv ibread. Paul preached
unto them, ready to depart on the morrow ; and con-
tinued his speech until midnight.
kl Cor. xvi. 6; Rev. i. 10. lii. 42,46, 1 Cor. x. 16, xi.
20-.34.
Upon the first day of the week, which was
observed by the Apostles instead of the
Jews' Sabbath. (1 Cor. xvi. 2. Rev. i. 10.)
Came together. This allusion to the observ-
1156
ACTS.
ance of the day here shows that its observ-
ance had become customary. It is not
said tliat the disciples were called together,
as on a special occasion, but that they came
together, as it seems, according to their
general practice of assembling on the first
day of the week for religious purposes,
v/hich began immediately after the Resur-
rection. The Roman philosopher Pliny , in a
letter to the Emperor Trajan, from the near
province of Bithynia, about fifty years after
this period, says : " They (the Christians)
are accustomed to meet together oyi a stated
day {stalo die) before it was light, and sing
among themselves alternately a hymn to
Christ as God, and bind themselves by an
oath [Sacramento) not to the commission
of any wickedness, but, on the contrary,
not to be guilty of theft, or robbery, or
adultery, never to falsify their word, nor
to deny a pledge committed to them." To
break bread. This does not show that, as
some maintain, the weekly celebration of
the Lord's Supper was a stated part of the
■worship of the church, and that there is
the same evidence for the weekly celebra-
tion of it as for the observance of the Chris-
tian Sabbath. We acknowledge that the
words, " came together to break bread,"
imply that it was the main purpose, but
for this very reason it is evident that it
was not the usual design of coming together.
The Scripture neither says nor insinuates
that the Lord's Supper is so much to be
preferred to prayer, and praise, and the
preaching of the word, as to be the j^rinci-
pal cause of holding religious assemblies.
Since, then, it is agreed that "to break
bread " was the chief intention of the meet-
ing at Troas, we conclude that the inten-
tion was special, not common, because it
cannot be proved from Scripture or history
or the nature of the ordinance, that to eat
the Lord's Supper ever was, or ever ought
to be, at all times, the principal reason for
assembling on the Sabbath. The disciples
at Troas probably embraced the opportu-
nity of commemorating the death of Christ
while they enjoyed the presence and min-
istrations of Paul, and hence this ordinance
is represented to have been, because it
really was, the design of this meeting.
(See on chap. ii. 42). Paid preached. The
preaching of the Gospel ought to accom-
pany the sacraments. What does the seal
signify without a writing ? The Apostle,
in this farewell sermon, had a great deal
to say, and knew not that he should ever
have another opportunity of preaching to
them. We know some that would have
reproached Paul for this sermon as a long-
winded preacher that tired his hearers,
but they were willing to hear him ; he saw
them so, and therefore continued his speech
until midnighl to the assembly, which per-
haps met in the evening for privacy. At
the same time it should be remembered
that those who would make as long ser-
mons, «fec., as Paul here, to the general bene-
fit of a promiscuous congregation on occa-
sions similar to this imique case of Paul's,
must be such preachers as Paul was, and
come as well prepared. In a Christian
community, the cases where such a pro-
tracted meeting is necessary will be very
few.
8, And there were many lights in the ^lupper cham-
ber, where they were gathered together. — ™i. 13.
Lights — lamps. The wick was merely a
few twisted threads, drawn through a hole
in the upper part of the oil vessel, and
there was no glass to give steadiness to
the flame; such are still in use around
the Mediterranean. Some suppose that
the fact that there were many lights is
noticed, to show that the fall of the young
man could be well observed, others, be-
cause many lights are apt to increase
drowsiness at such times, and others still,
in order that all suspicion might be re-
moved from the assembly.
9. And there sat in the window a certain young man
named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as
Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and
fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
In a luindovj. It will be recollected that
there were no windows of glass, and the
window here mentioned was a lattice of
joiner}'', or a door, which on this occasion
was set open on account of the heat from,
the many lights and the number of per-
sons in the room. Fell dozen, &c. The
window projected (according to the side
of the room where it was situated) either
over the street, or over the interior court,
so that in either case he fell from the
third story upon the hard earth or pave-
ment below. And vas tahen up dead. This
direct assertion concerning the man's state
CHAPTER XX.
1157
cannot be evaded by explaining it, " teas
taken up for dead," or b}'^ saying that it ex-
presses the judgment of those rvho look him
up. An accident which occurs during the
performance of a hiwful and holy act, is no
evidence of Divine displeasure. If this
sleep at midnight exposed the young man
to such danger, how can those be excused
who sleep during the sermon in the day-
time ? And if bodily sleep exposes to
danger, what is the situation of him whose
soul is asleep in spiritual security, or how
can those be excused who never sleep in
Church, because they never enter it?
10. And Paul went down, and fell " on him. and em-
bracing him, said, ^Trouble not yourselves, for his lile is
in liim.— ■>! Kings xvii. 21. 2 Kings iv. 34. "Matu ix. 24.
Embracing him. Compare, in 1 Kings
xvii. 21, the account of the prophet Eli-
jah's restoring to life the son of the widow
of Zarephath, and in 2 Kings iv. 34, o'l, of
Elisha's restoring the son of the Shuna-
mite. Trouble 7iot yourselves. "Loud dem-
onstrations" says Eieger " should always be
avoided, when tokens of the presence of
God are observed ; this princij^le specially
applies to cases in which a death occurs.
We should, at such times, direct the atten-
tion of those who are present to the invis-
ible world and to the ministry of the angels,
as far as the Scri]:)tures enable us to form-
conjectures on such subjects." His life is in
him, is returned to him. For the young
man is said to have been taken up dead.
U. When he therefore was come up again, and had
broPcen bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even
till break of day, so he departed.
Up again, — to the room in the third story.
Eaten. "Most interpreters," says Dr. J.
A. Alexander "identify this breaking of
bread with that mentioned in ver.se 7, and
which had been deferred by Paul's pro-
tracted conversation or discourse. It is
possible, however, that the love-feast and
the eucharist had been observed as soon as
they had assembled, and that the eating
here described was what we call an early
breakfa.st, preceding the departure of these
honored guests." Talked. More familiarly
after the solemn address spoken of in verse
9. Break of day, about five o'clock A. M.,
at that season. So. "Without the interven-
tion of any repose. Departed, went. forth
Oil his journey.
12. And they brought the young man alive, and were
not a little coiuiorted.
They brought, &c. Literally, Thy hd the
lad alive, that is, not they brouglit him homo,
but they led liim into the a.sseinblv. Not
a little comforted, by the fact that ho was
alive, and also by the evidence which such
a wonderful miracle as the restoration to
Ufe imparted to the Gospel. God can speak
to us through the dead, as well as through
those who live.
IS. "5 And we went before to ship, and sailed nntoA»-
sos, thi're n]lrM,i,ng to take In Paul: lor so had he ap-
pninti'd, nundiiig liiioscir to ko uloot. W. And when
he nict Willi us at Assos, w.-tn,,k him in, and came to
Mityl.'ne, I... And we sailed IIhmicp. atidcanie the next
(ta.vover against fhios: ami tin- ni-xt dro/ we arrivea
atSamos, and tarried at Troiivlliuin ; iiikI'iIic m-xx. lUvi
we came to Miletus. Ifi. For Paul had dctirniined to
sail by Kphesus, because he would not spend the lime
in Asia; lor he hsisted, if it were possible lor him.tu be
VM. Jerusalem the dav of qPentecost.
pChap. xviii. 21, xxiv. 17. qChap. ii. 1, 1 Cor. xvi. 8.
Assos, Trogyllium, and Miletus were cities
of Asia, on the sea-coast. Mitylene was a
city in the isle of Lesbos, which, with
CIdos and Samos, was situated near the
coast of Asia, in what is now called the Ar-
chipelago. Miletus, a city about thirty miles
fiirther to the south from Ephesus. The
Apostle seems to have had the direction
of the vessel, which he could not have
had, if merely a passenger ; it is, therefore,
probable that it belonged to some of his
friends. The historian continues to speak
in language w;hich shows that he was one
of the company. Determined — for Ephesus
was behind. He could not refrain from
ministering to a church so dear to his
heart. Spend the time. Not even in Asia
w^ould Paul have spent the time fruitlessly;
but he considered that he would have
w^asted it, if he had neglected greater re-
sults. The day — the accusative of time
— of Pentecost, (See on chap. ii. 1), Time
was pressing. (Verse 6.) At the feast there
were great crowds, and therefore a great
opportunity for conversions. Notice the
indefotigable diligence of the great Ajjos-
tle, and his unwearied industry in the ser-
vice of the gospel.
17. '!, And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and calV-4
the elders of the church. Is. And when they were come
to him, he .said unto them. Ye know, from the Hrst day
nhut I came into Asia, after what manner I liave been
with yon at all seasons. 19. Serving the Lord with all
'humility of mind, and with many 'tears, and "tenipt.v
tions. which befell nae by the lyingiii wait olthe.Tews:
20. And how I "kept back nothing that Wius prolitable
«/ito vow, but have shewed you. and have taught you
publicly, land from house to housi-. 21. Testifying l)oth
to the Jews, and also tti the Greeks, repentance ytoward
God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
rxix. 1, 10. n Cor. XV. 9, 10. 'Pliil. ili. 18. "2 Cor. iv.
7-n. ^Verse.3. "Verse '27. '2 Tim. iv. 2. jMark i. 15;
Luke xxiv. 47.
In the style of the New Testament, an
1158
ACTS.
" elder " does not signify a p3rsoii advanced
in years, but one invested with authority.
The title is given to the rulers of the Jews,
who are frequently called the elders of
the people and to certain office-bearers in
the Christian Church, of whom two classes
are pointed out by Paul in one of his epis-
tles, elders who only rule or govern, and
elders who both rule, and labor in word
and doctrine. Of the latter description,
we apprehend, were the elders of Ephe-
sus, for they are exhorted "to feed" the
Church, a duty of the pastoral office, which
consists in preaching the Gosi:)el for the
edification and comfort of the people. It
deserves notice that the same persons,
who here receive the appellation of elders,
are called, in verse 28, overseers or in-
spectors. Ye know, from the first day that I
came into Asia, &c. Hai:)i)y is he who can
begin his discourse in such terms, and to
whom the conscience of the hearer bears
a favorable testimony 1 Paul appeals solely
to the conscience of his hearers, and asks
for no flattering reply. It is not his object
to obtain letters of commendation from
men; he desires to see the fruit of his
labors, and to promote the cause of the
truth. With all, the utmost, humility of
mind, lowliness of mind. Many tears. How
beautiful a feature in the character of such
a man ! So much tenderness united to so
much energy, the very softness of a woman
to the indomitable spirit of a hero. What
a j)attern to the Christian minister, that
while in his own person he is "enduring
hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ,"
he may, in his conduct to others, imitate
the Christ-like spirit of him who could
say, " "We are gentle among you, even as a
nurse cherisheth her children, so being
affectionately desirous of you, we were
willing to have imparted unto you, not the
Gospel of God only, but also our own souls,
because ye were dear unto us" (1 Thes. ii.
7, 8), that while as the minister of God, he
is inflicting, as he is too often called to do,
like a wise physician, many a deep and
painful wound, he may learn to feel, and
even to weep, for those upon whom his
prayers and labors have been wasted, and
to whom the blessed Gospel of a loving
Saviour, has only been the " savor of
death unto death." Temptations (or trials)
^vhich befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews.
There is no distinct mention in the Acts
of the machinations of the Jews at Ephe-
sus, but we are informed that their dispo-
sition was so hostile, that Paul had to
separate himself and his disciples from the
synagogue, and in the tumult, Alexander,
a Jew, came forward, apparently with the
intention of accusing the disciples. (See
chap, xix. 9, 23.) That the condition of
the Apostle in Ephesus was one of great
danger, we learn from his epistles to the
Corinthians. (1 Cor. sv. 31, 32; 2 Cor. i.
8-10.)
The human mind, it seems, was the
same then as now. The hearer might wish
some truth to be kept back ; the preacher
might be tempted to indulge the hearer's
wish. The prophet might prophesy falsely,
because the people loved to have it so. (See
Jer. V. 31.) Paul, however, kept back nothing
that was profitable, but showed and taught
them both publicly and from house to house.
The history shows his manner of teacJung
p>ubUcly. Wherever there were Jewish
synagogues, these he entered, and ex-
pounding the law and the prophets, " show-
ed from the Scriptures that Jesus was
Christ." When, as at Ephesus, he could
no longer attend the synagogue without
danger, or when, as appears to have been
the case at Athens, there was no Jewish
synagogue, he used the most convenient
l^lace of meeting, as the school of Tyran-
nus, or even disputed in places of jDublic
concourse " with them that met with him."
(See xix. 9, xvii. 17 ) Thus he acted as
what he was, a herald, one who has some-
thing to announce, and the subject of his
announcement was: Man a sinner, and
Christ a Saviour; repentance toward God,
and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
But public preaching must not super-
sede private instruction. It opens the
way for it, but does not supply it. The
one draws the bow at a venture, the other
carries the arrow home, and lodges it in
the heart — not to wound, but to heal ; not
to destroy, but to save. Therefore he
taught both publicly and from house to house.
He had thus opportunity of pressing his
doctrine more closely upon the conscience,
and also of explaining it more accurately.
He could resolve doubts as well as declare
ciiAPT::rv xx,
1159
truths. He could reach the indivi<Aual
c'a:3c, and prove to every heart, which
"knew its own bitternes;-!," the nature of
that " grace of God which had appeared
unto all men."
Thus Paul fulfilled his mission, to the
Jews, and also to the Greeks. Both, it seenia,
required the same. Both required repen-
tance toioard God. The Jews had offended
against the law which God had revealed
to them ; the Greeks had offended against
"the law written in their hearts." So
that " there was no difference, for that all
had sinned, and come short of the glory
of God." All, though in various degrees
of guilt, were to come before God in one
common attitude as sinners. But as re-
pentant sinners, intending to lead a new
life, following the commandments of God,
and walking henceforth in His holy ways.
And, also, as sinners who sought accei>t-
ance with God, through faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Repentance toward God was
to lead to foith toward Christ Jesus. Sor-
row for sin was to produce love of the
Saviour. The law, convincing them of
sin, was to bring them to Him who takes
away sin. They were shown their con-
demnation in the sight of God, that they
might embrace His offer of salvation.
And if they were thus taught repentance
toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus
CJirist, nothing was kept hack which was pro-
fitable for them.
22. And now, behold, I go 'bound in the spirit unto
Jerusalem, not "knowing the things tliat shall befall
me there : ::;{. Save that the Holy Uhost wituesseth in
every city, saying, ''that bonds and afflictions ^abide
me.
'xix. 21. "James iv. 14. Mx. IG, xxi. 11. <:0t, wait for
me.
Bound in the spirit, that is, constrained
by an overpowering sense of duty. He
felt himself shut up to tlie conclusion that
he must go up to Jerusalem, and therefore
he could neither be terrified by dangers,
nor moved by entreaties and remonstran-
ces : he had no choice in the matter : a
necessity was laid upon him. Not knounng
the things, &c. Though Paul sometimes
prophesied, he could not command the
attribute of foreknowledge when he pleas-
ed. The use of it was always a miracle,
and limited to a particular subject. He
was therefore left uninformed of the or-
dinary course of life ; and had to learn the
nrill of God by events. (See Phil. ii. 23).
It is the same with u.g. Bat is this to bo
lamented ? " Even so, Father, for so it
seemeth good in tliy sight." The conceal-
ment is wise and kind. We may juugo
of this by our past feelings. Had we been
previously informed of the scenes through
which we have passed, our hearts would
have failed at the thought : yet Avhen the
dispensations came, we were able to bear
them, and had been really though uncon-
sciously prei)ared for them.
But Paul's ignorance was not entire.
Though he knew not what in particular
would befoU him at Jerusalem, yet the
Holy Ghost testified, probably through
the prophetic announcement of others,
(though Luke has not recorded the in-
stances) that in every place bonds and
afflictions awaited him : so that he was
sure of one thing — sure of being always a
sufferer. And thus it is with us. Though
the future is not laid open to our view,
3"et it is not concealed from us in every
resjiect and degree. We may certainly
expect that trials of one kind or another
will be our lot. They gi-ow out of our
very state and nature. " Man is born to
trouble as the sparks fly ui>ward." This,
however, is not all we know ; we know
also that God will be found to His child-
ren the same He always has been — that
He will prove Himself the hearer of pray-
er— and that He Avill never leave them
nor forsake them.
24. But none iJof these things move m?, neither count
I my lile dear unto myself, so that I might 'finish my
course with joy, and the ministry, -'wliich I have re-
ceived eof the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the
grace of God.
•'Chap. xxi. 1^; Rom. viii. a5, 37 : 2 Cor. iv. 16. *2 Tim,
iv. 7. (2 Cor. iv. 1. eGal. i. 1.
None of tJiese things move me, or, / make
accQtmt of nothing, i. e., which I may be
called to sufier. (See 2 Cor. xii. 10.) So
that, with this aim, L might finish, &c. That
he should shrink from no danger, that he
should be willing to offer up his life for
the sake of the Gospel, he regarded as due
to his office, as essential to his character
as an approved minister of Christ. With
joy. Paul's language expresses great de-
sire and great anxiousness for this result.
He deemed nothing too much to do or to
suffer for such a privilege. All who have
gone before us at death finished their
course, but many finished it with joy.
How will you finish yours? The Lortl
1160
ACTS,
has appointed us bounds which we can-
not pass. We have an allotted course of
service and sufl'ering ; and the end is sure
— and the end is nigh. Mark the perfect
man, and behold the upright, for the end
of that man is peace. lie shall enter into
rest, and be forever with the Lord. But
how will you end? will you be defeated or
crowned ? will you be clothed with shame,
or shine forth as the sun in the kingdom
of our Father? O let it be your prayer
and care to realize this final blessedness ;
and endeavor to judge of everything now
as it will affect you at last. The ministry
which I have received, &c. Note, 1. Paul's
jealousy for the peculiar character of his
mission, as immediately from Christ Him-
self, on which all the charges against him
turned. 2. The burden of that Gospel which
he preached — Grace. It was " the Gospel
of the grace of God." " Nothing," says
Ldghton, " begets so generous and un-
daunted spirits as the fear of God ; no
other fear, none of those base ones that
torment worldly men, dare claim room
where that fear lodgeth. The only cause
of the fear of Christ's legates is in consid-
eration of their ]\Iaster. Would they re-
member Him much, it would ennoble
their spirits to encounter the hardest evils
of life, and death itself, courageously in
His service."
25. And row, behold, I know that ye all, among
whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God,
Bhall see my face uo more.
I know. This expresses not absolute
certainty, but assured persuasion. S]taU
see my face no more. He was bound on a
dangerous journey, and it was probable
that he would never see them again.
Whether he afterward visited Ephesus or
not, is a matter of doubtful inference,
though critics have conjectured that he
revisited this region. (Phil. i. 25-27 ; ii.
24; Phile. 22.) Thoughts on death in-
crease the zeal of preachers. He who at
all times says to himself: " This is per-
haps my last sermon, my hearers will see
my face no more," will the more earnestly
entreat them : " Be ye reconciled to God."
25. Whereforp, I take you to record this day, that I
am Impure from the blood of all men.—t'i Cor. vii. 2.
I take you to record. I call on you to bear
witness, or, I solemnly protest unto you.
J am pure, &c. Those who perish in their
sins cannot charge their unhappy doom on
me. I have delivered my soul from the
guilt of not warning them. (Comp. Ezek.
xxxiii. 4-6.) It is happy when the min-
isters of God can appeal to the consciences
of their people, and summon them in as
witnesses to bear record for them at the
bar of Christ, Many would gladly imitate
the Apostle, and, like him, testify in their
farewell sermons, that they are pure from
the blood of all men, but that joyful con-
sciousness is the fruit only of long-con-
tinued humility, of trials, and of tears.
(See verses 20, 18-20, 27.)
27. For I have not shunned to declare jinto you all
the counsel 'of God.— 'Eph. i. 11.
Shunned. A military word from soldiers
who recoil, and leave their standing. " Its
proper import in such a connection," says
Doddridge, "is to disguise any imj^ortant
truth, and at least to decline its open pub-
lication, for fear of displeasing." These
words naturally suggest the idea that there
had been certain difficulties in the way of
his declaring all the counsel of God, diffi-
culties which might have operated t(j in-
duce a less zealous and less faith ful jireacher
to sink, or to obscure the message he had
been commissioned to declare. Consider-
ing the mixture there was in the congrega-
tions which heard Paul preach, it was
probable, if not certain, that by declaring
the whole counsel of God he would give
some offense, yet he had not shrunk from
doing so. God requires his servants who
are entrusted with the Gospel to " cry aloud
and spare not," to set their face as a flint,
to lift up their voice as a trumpet, to keep
back nothing which can profit, however
painful. Paul knew the character and con-
duct of Felix and Drusilla, but " he rea-
soned of righteousness, temperance, and
judgment to come." "It is a poor sermon,"
says Whitefield," that gives no offense, that
neither makes the hearer displeased with
himself, nor with the preacher." It was a
noble eulogium that Louis XIV. passed on.
one of his preachers, Massilon : " I don't
know how it is, when I hear my other
chai)lains I admire them, but when I hear
Massilon, I always go away displeased with
myself." Observe, Paul does not say he
had declared the whole counsel of God
(for who but God himself can do that?),
CHAPTER XX
llCl
but he " had not shunned to declare " the
whole counsel of God ; that is, he had not
concealed from them any truth necessary
to salvation. It was thus that he kept
himself " pure from the blood of all men."
It should be remembered that not only
the preacher who declares the counsel of
God, but the people who hear that Divine
counsel, are responsible to Him for the
manner in which they wait on the preach-
ing of the Word. On the great day of
reckoning, when the books shall be opened,
and the secrets of all hearts shall be made
known, the minister shall then answer for
his part and the people undoubtedly shall
answer for theirs. Those do not value
their own souls, or love their ministers,
whc- desire them to " speak smooth things"
tmto them, to " prophesy deceits," to de-
clare only such things as are palatable
such truths as even the natural heart can,
bear without reluctance or misgiving. (See
Ezek. xxxiii. 8, 9.)
28. Take heed itherefore unto yourselves, and to all
tlie flock. ovLT wliicli tbe Holy Ghost hath made you
koverseors, to feed 'the churcli" of God, which he hath
purcha-sed n>\vith his own blood.
JCol. iv. 17, 1 Tim. iv. Ifi. ^Heb. xiii. 17. iProv. x. 21, Jer.
iii. 15, John xxi. 15-17, 1 Peter v.2, 3. mEph. i. 14, CoL i. 14,
Heb. ix. 12, 14, 1 Peter i, 18, 19. Kev. v. 1.
Therefore: As I am innocent, take heed
lest the guilt of neglect shall fall on you.
(ITim. iii. 27, iv. 16, vi. 11.) Observe how the
personal is put before the pastoral care.
They are required first " to take heed to
themselves," that they might not be di-
verted from their duty by the cares and
amusements of life, nor through indolence
and remissness let slip opportunities of
doing good; that they might always perform
their functions from pure motives, with a
proper sense of their importance, and an
ardent desire to accomplish their design,
and that their conduct might uniformly
serve to illustrate and enforce the doctrines
which they taught. The duties of the
ministerial office are so various and weigh-
ty, the temptations are so great, and the
consequences of error and negligence are
so fatal, that incessant vigilance is indis-
pensably necessary. To all the flock. A com-
mon metaphor both in the Old and in the
New Testament. The general injunction
is limited to the duty of " feeding " the
flock, by the preaching of the Word, and
the dispensation of the other ordinances
of the Gospel, which are the means of
communicating spiritual nourishment to
the soul. The design of the ministry
is " to jjerfect the saints, and to edify the
body of Christ," to impart instruction and
consolation to believers, to assist their pro-
gress in faith and piety, and by this holy
discipline to train them for eternal life.
The care which is requisite for these im-
portant purposes must be extended to all
the flock, or to all the individuals of which
it is composed. The Holy Ghost. The Holy
Ghost, as the great agent in the selection
of ministers, the Lord of the harvest who
sends forth the laborers into His harvest.
(Acts xiii. 2.) The personality, deity, and
sovereignty of the Holy Spirit all are here
clearly show^n. Bishops is the Anglicised
form of the Greek word, which means
overseers, inspectors. It ia here apjdied to
the same persons who were before describ-
ed as elders (verse 17, on which see notes),
proving clearly that the titles are convert-
ible in this case ; as they are in Titus i.5-7,
a conclusion strengthened by the other-
wise inexplicable fact, that both are never
named together as distinct classes of church
ofiicers. The Cliurch of God, u-hich he hath
purchased with his blood. The most able
critics have shown that the present is the
genuine reading of the verse, though a few
copies have " the church of the Lord," a
phrase not used in the New Testament.
The passage is a most decisive testimony
to the Deity of Christ. The atonement
and ransom of our souls is the blood of Je-
sus, who is as truly God, as man : and thus
in His mysterious Person, as God and man,
He " purchased the Church with His own
blood." This gave the infinite value to His
sacrifice ; and it suggests to His ministers
the most powerful motives to faithfulness,
diligence, patience and fortitude in their
work. (See 1 John, 1. 7.)
29. For 1 know this, that after my departing shall
prievous wolves nenttr in among you, not sparing "^the
flock. 30. Also of ivour own selves sliall men arise,
speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples alter
them.
"Matt. vii. 15; 2 Peter li. 1. "Jer. xiii. 20, xxin. 1;
Ezek. xxxiv. 2, 3; Zech. xi. 17. Pi John ii. 19; Jude 4,
&c
Two classes of coming enemies are here
announced, the one more external to
themselves, the other bred in the bosom
of their own community. Both were to be
teachers, but the one "grievous wulves not
sparing," i.e., making a prey of " the flock,"
1162
ACTS.
the other not ouly teaching error in the
Church, but rending it by schismatical di-
visions forming schools or parties. Per-
haps tlie one pointed to that subtle poison
of Oriental Gnosticism, which we know to
have very early infected the Asiatic
Churches ; the other to such Judaizing ten-
dencies as we know to have troubled nearly
all the early Churches. See the epistles to
the Ephesians, Colossians, and Timothy,
also those to the seven Churches of Asia.
(Rev. ii., iii.)
31. Therefore qwatch, and remember, that by the
Bjiace ot'tliree years I ceased not to warn revery one
night ami dav with tears.
42 Kings iv. 5. rCol. i. 28.
Therefore ivatch, that is, on account of the
impending danger, a watchful oversight
becomes the duty of the elders. According
to Paul's statement, as here recorded, he
had resided three years at Ejjhesus. Ac-
cording to chap. xix. 8-10, he had taught
two years in the school of Tyrannus, three
months preceding, he had taught in the
Jewish synagogue, and previously (chap,
xviii. 19), he had been in Ephesus with
Aquila and Priscilla. It was usual among
the Jews to reckon a part of a day for a
whole one, and so a part of a year might,
in a general statement, be reckoned for a
whole one, as if the Apostle had said about
the space of three years. J ceased not to
tvarn, &c. How deep and tender was the
Apostle's solicitude for the welfare of the
Church! The language which evil-minded
men represent as that of self-praise, is not
always, really of that description. It was
love which constrained the humility of
Paul to reveal to us his tears.
32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to
the word of his grace, whicli "is al)le to build j-ou up and
to give you an inheritance 'among aU tliem which are
sanctified.
sJohn xvii. 17. 'Chap. x..xxvi. 18 ; Col.i.l2: Heb. ix.
15 ; 1 Peter i. 4.
The heart and thoughts of all those
whom Paul addressed were, at this trying
hour, fixed upon himself. How happy must
he, then, have felt at being thus able, at a
moment when he could no longer aid, no
more instruct them, to point them to One
from whom " neither life, nor death," nor
time, nor eternity could ever separate them.
" I commend you to God, to Him in whom
is all fullness of protection, all abundance
of power, all infinity of love. And to the
word of his grace. There may be many, in
passing through life, in whose spiritual
welfare we are deeply interested, and yet
from whom we are constantly and unne-
cessarily absent, many, perhaps, so circum-
stanced that they are unable to partake of
the spiritual advantages under which we
live. How highly encouraging, then, is it,
that in all such cases we are able to com-
mend them not only to God, but to His
written Word, which, thanks be to God, in
this favored country, cannot betaken from
them and which Paul here distinctly de-
clares " is able to build them up" for their
future and unfading inheritance. If we
are unable to do more for those we love,
we ought to urge them by every considera-
tion most awakening and most influential,
urge them by the value of that soul within
themwhichisperishingforwant of knowl-
edge, and by the Saviour who died for its
redemption, to search the Word of God's
grace frecjuently, daily ; however small the
portion to which their time and opportu-
nities may limit them, if it be accompanied
by earnest, fervent prayer, it shall not be
lost; it is an omnipotent word, it cannot
return void to him who sends it, but is pow-
erful through God, to the pulling down of
the strongholds of ignorance and sin, and
to the building up to " the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ," " all them
which are sanctified."
33. I "have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or ap-
parel.—"! Sam. xii. 3 ; 1 Cor. i.x. 12 ; 2 Cor. vii. 2.
Paul concludes his address with an as-
sertion of his disinterestedness, as an ex-
ample to the Ephesian elders, and as a
warning against avarice and covetousness.
(See 2 Cor. xii. 14). Apparel. Raiment
is here mentioned along with gold and
silver, because among the Orientals it was
a chief part of their wealth. The Ephe-
sians, we are informed, were celebrated
for their luxurious apparel. " Although
the preachers of the Gospel do not, like
Paul, work at a trade, but 'live of the
things of the temple' (1 Cor. ix. 13), these
words furnish them with a valuable lesson.
They ought to demonstrate by their self-
denial and personal efforts (which should
comprehend far more than the ordinary
official duties), and by their entire free-
dom from avarice, that the world very un-
justly accuses them of performing the
least amount of work, and of receiving for
CHAPTER XX.
11G3
it a dih'proportionately large amuunt of
wages."
34. Yea, ye yourselves ^^know, that tliese hands have
ministered unlo my uecessities, aud to them that were
with me.
»Chap. xvlU. 3 ; 1 Cor. Iv. 12 ; 1 Thes. 11. 9 ; 2 Thes. ill. 8 .
These hands : no doubt stretching out his
hands toward his audience. This refers
to tlie fact that Paul and his companions
supported themselves chiefly by their own
labor. No mention is made of this fact in
the account of Paul's residence atEphesus.
Luke, however, informs us that he labored
as a tent-maker at Corinth, and in the first
epistle to the Corintliians, written from
Ephesus, express mention is made of his
still continuing to work with his own hands.
(See 1 Cor. iv. 11, 12). Here, then, is an-
other example of the undesigned coin-
cidences between the Acts of the Apostles
and the epistles of Paul. It is not unlaw-
ful for a minister of the Gospel to labor
with his hands, for the support of himself
and his family, when the jjoverty of the
members of the Church is such that they
cannot maintain him without it. Observe,
1. Paul was sometimes reduced to the
want of the common suj^ports of life,
though so great a favorite of heaven, and
so groat a blessing to this earth. 2. He
did not work at his calling to enrich him-
self, but to maintain himself — it was to
have his necessities supplied. 3. He had q,
head and tongue by which he might have
made money, but he earned tiis bread by a
manual occupation. 4. He worked not only
for himself, but also for the support of
them that ivere with him. " It had better be-
come them," says an old writer, " to have
worked for him, to maintain him as their
tutor," but so it is ; those that are willing
to take the laboring oar, will find those
about them willing they should have it.
35. I have shewed you all things, how that so labor-
ing ve ouglit to "supiiort the weak, and to remember
the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It 'is more
blessed to give than to receive.
»Rom. XV. 1 ; Eph. iv. 28; 1 Thes. v. 14. »Luke xiv.
12-14.
The Apostle had shown them, both by
precepts and by his own exami)le, how
they ought " to support the weak," and he
exhorts them to remember the words of the
Lord Jesus, &c. In referring them to these
words for their remembrance, it is to be
supposed that he communicated them to
those whom he addressed, in the course
of the "three years" during which he ex-
ercised his ministry among thcni. It is
remarkable tluit there is no other i)assage
in which any words of our Lord are re-
corded, but this solitary one. Except
wlutt is Avrittcn in the four Evangelists,
tiiere is no record of the kind, except this
one, which mentions the blessedness of
giving above that of receiving. Tliis shows
us the great uncertainly of tradition. We
should have known nothing of this saying
of Christ, but for the Apostle Paul, which
shows us how improper it is for us to de-
pend on tradition for the support of im-
portant doctrines, when we cannot know
one word of the Saviour's teachings but as
it is recorded. The pleasure of giving is
superior to that of receiving. It is liigher,
purer, nobler. It is the pleasure which
arises from the testimony of conscience, the
testimony that we are rightly employing
the gifts which God has imparted to us,
and without which there cannot be true
enjoyment. It is the pleasure of sympathn.
God has so formed uS, as to feel our con-
nection with those around us, and to find
delight in beholding the flowers with
which we ourselves have decked the
moral garden of the world. There is
more improvement of character in giving
than in receiving. To be insuscefytible,
to be incapable of gratitude is deemed
monstrou.s, but tender compassion and rich
and self-denying liberality are regarded as
indications of a higher order of excellence,
and they are justly so regarded. In giving
we become imitatorsof God (Matt. v. 45-8),
like Christ, who " came not to be minis-
tered unto but to minister" (2 Cor. viii.
9), like the angels, whose nature it is to
give. (See Heb. i. 14; Luke svi. 22.) Giv-
ing is surer of a higher reward than re-
ceiving. We mean a reward which is not
of debt, but of grace. (See James i. 27;
John xiii. 34, 35; Matt. xxv. 30, vii. 21-27 ;
2Cor. ix. 14; Matt. v. 7; Ps.xh. 1-3; Luke
xvi. 9; Gal. vi. 7, 8; 2 Cor. ix. 0, 7; Prov.
xix. 17 ; Matt. vi. 19, 20; 1 Tim. vi. 17-19.)
3fi. And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled Jdown,
and prayed with them all.— JChap. xxl. 5.
Kneeled down, or, having kneeled. This
was the attitude in prayer which prevailed
among the early Christians, except on the
Sabbath, and during the seven weeks be-
1164
ACTS.
fore Pentecost, when they generally
stood. They regarded the latter posture
as the more appropriate one for the ex-
pression of gratitude, and adopted it, there-
fore, on joyful occasions. (See on Luke
xviii. 11.) And prayed with them all, no
doubt in the sense attached to the words
now, to wit, that of leading the devotions,
or praying in the name of all.
37. And they all wept sore, and 'fell on Paul's neck,
and kiased liiiu ; — «Gen. xlvi. 29.
Wept sore. Christians are not Stoics, who
professed to be unconscious of strong emo-
tions. Their love is a fountain from which
tears often flow. "We too," says one,
"should fall on Paul's neck, and endeavor
to retain him with us, and this is done
when we receive his doctrine and believe
the Gospel which he preached." (1 Thes.
ii. 13.) Fell on PauVa neck, &c. Still in the
East relatives and friends, on meeting or
parting, embrace each other, and kiss each
other's hands, face or shoulder. With the
Greeks and Komans it was not unusual to
kiss the head. How solemn, affecting and
tender, is this farewell! It is not possible
even for the nearest relatives and friends
to give more sincere and lively proofs of
concern. Whence could this be derived ?
Whence but from their common hopes in
the Gospel, which had blended their hearts,
and made of the disciples as it were, one
family? Such admirable effects of har-
mony and love was the faith of primitive
Christians able to produce. How different
from the sad apathy and indifference so
often shown toward Christian brethren in
modern tinies ! While our holy religion
teaches charity to all men, it commands it
more especially to the household of faith.
Let us look back frequently upon the an-
cient examples of true Christian love and
charity, and remember that Christ is our
Head, and we ourselves members one of
another. These are sacred bonds of affec-
tion, and persuasive motives to symj)a-
thy.
38. Sorrowing most of all for the »worcls which he
spake, that they should st>e his face no more. And they
accompanied him unto the ship. — » Verse 25.
Ste his face no more. This assurance
struck a tender chord in each heart, and
"tears unbidden flow." AVe cannot but
observe again how holy is that tie of spir-
itual interest, that clasping of soul with
soul, and heartfelt recognition of human
brotherhood, which is here manifested.
But a few years before, and what was Paul
to the elders of Ejshesus, or the elders of
Ephesus to Paul? They knew not, cared
not, for one another. But they accept
Jesus as their Saviour, imbibe His spirit,
catch a glimpse of the hallowed ties that
unite man to man, and man to God, and
lo! they are new creatures, they are born,
spiritually born, into a new universe. They
look upon each other with different eyes;
thej' are now brethren, they feel that
their connection is no coarse or common
one, but that it has been formed in heaven,
that it is knit by the fingers of God, and
will last evermore. And they accompanied
him unto the ship. Desirous of going as far,
and remaining as long with Paul as was
permitted them, they went with him even
to the water's edge, yet there they were
compelled to leave him. As has well been
remarked, it is an affecting thought that
there is a point at which our dearest bonds
must be broken, our closest relationships
dissolved, our most attached friends leave
us — a point at which husbands and wives,
parents and children, ministers and people,
must part. AVe may travel together long,
profitably and peacefully, but it cannot be
uninterruptedly. A parting hour must
arrive, when " one shall be taken and the
other left." Both may go together to the
water's edge, but we must enter those
waters singly and alone — Jordan must be
passed, and on its banks all that is earthly
must be left behind. Would we so part
that we may be reunited, that when that
flood is crossed, we may meet again in the
celestial city? It is now within our power
— the offer, the hope, the certainty, are
all within our reach. Instead of separating
from those we love with the feeling of
those Ephesian Christians, " we shall see
his face no more," in all our separations,
even the most painful and the last, if we
are, indeed, the children of the same Sa-
viour, the possessors of the same hope,
anchored within the veil, sure and stead-
fast, our feelings may rightly be, "Blessed
be God, we shall see their face again."
CHAPTER XX I. lir,.i
1. What did Paul do after the uproar wa« cca-^ed 7 2. ll.,w long did he abide in Greece? 3. VTno accompanied
him into Asia? 4. Explain tlie pluiLse- " the days of unleavened bread." 5. What did the disciples come to-
getlier upon tlie first day of the week to do? C. Who preached to them ? 7. Wh:it is said of Fulyc
would Dot Paul spend the time in Asia ? i). Whence did he call the elders of tlie church at Kpl
peat his address to them. 11. What did he do alter he had "thus .spoken ?•' r> What effect wa.s i
them all ? 13. Why did they sorrow most of all ? 14. Where did they accompany him .'
isciples come to-
chus? b. Why
esus? ID. Itc-
wa.s produced upon
CHAPTER XXI.
1 PmU will not bij an;/ mcan.i be dis.tuadcd from going to
Jira.icUcin. 9 I'hilip's ikiuglUcrs proptietesses. 17
2'aul cuttu:.th to Jerusalem : '27 where he is appre.hetui-
ed, and in great danger, 31 but by the chief captain is
rescued, and i^ermitted to speak to tlie people.
ANT) it came to pass, that after we were gotten from
them, and had launched, we came with ii stniinlit
course unto Coos, and tlie*i.v following unto Rhodes,
and from thence unto Patara ;
And it came to pass, &c., rather, " \V ht^n
now it came to pass that we set sail." These
who now journeyed with Paul to Jerusa-
lem were Luke, the author of the Acts,
Trophimus (xxi. 29), and Aristarchus
(xxvii. 2). No mention is made of the
others who accompanied him into Asia
(xx. 4), so that it is probable they re-
mained behind at Miletus. Gotten, liter-
ally, torn from them; language strongly
expressive of the powerful reciprocal affec-
tion of thes^ disciples of Christ. Coos, or
Cos, i.s a small island in the Archipelago,
about forty miles directly south of Miletus,
opposite the cities of Cnidus (xxvii. 7)
and Halicarnassus. It was famous for its
wines, its ointments, and its fabrics. We
learn from Josephus that many Jews were
residents in the island. Its modern name
is Stanchio, and it is still renowned for its
fertility. Rhodes was at the entrance of
the ^Egean, on the coast of Caria. The cel-
ebrated colossus was prostrate at this time^
having been overthrown by an earthquake.
Patara was a coast town of Lycia, at some
distance from the left bank of the Xanthus.
" Now its port is an inland marsh, genera-
ting poisonous malaria, and the mariner
sailing along the coast would never guess
that the sand-hills before him blocked up
the harbor into which St. Paul sailed of
old."
2. And finding a ship sailing over to Phenlcia, we
went aboard, and set forth.
Finding a ship (their former one going
no forther, probably). VntoPhenecia. (See
on xi. 19). Went aboard. One would al-
most think this extracted from a journal
of the voyage, so graphic are its details.
(See Is. Ix. 9, in which the aUusion is
doubtless to merchant ships.) The traders
in that ship Httle thought that the freight
which their Jewish fellow-travelers brought
on board, was more precious than the pur-
ple of Tyre, the spices of Arabia, and the
amber of the Hyperboreans — the precious
pearl of the Gospel that saves men.
3. Now when we had discovered Cj'prus, we left it on
the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre :
lor there the ship w.is to unlade her burden.
Cyprus. (See on xiii. 4.) We left it an
the left hand. As will appear by examining
the .map, they sailed along the southern
coast of Cyprus. Sailed into Syria, i. e.,
completed our voyage to it. Landed at
Tyre, the chief city of Phanicia (see on
chap. xii. 20), where it was foretold that
Christians would be. (See Ps. Ixxxvii. 4,
and compare with it concerning the people
of Philistia and Ethiopia, Acts viii. 40, verse
27.) Her burden. So frequently does God's
kingdom adapt itself to the outward op-
portunities of the world: but (7(;fZ secretly
directs worldly things to advance His
kingdom.
4. And finding disciples, we tarried there seven
days: who said »to P.iul through the Spirit, that lie
should not go up to Jerusalem.— 'verse 12.
Finding — when he had sought them.
At one time they Avere alone, at another
with the brethren. Seven — So that they
also enjoyed a Sabbath there. Paul was in
haste, but in a good way. Said — the Spirit
said that bonds awaited Paul : therefore
the disciples begged him not to go.
5. And when we had accomplished those days, we de-
parted and went our way : and the^ all brought us on
our way with wives and children, till irewrj-r nut of the
city : and we kneeled i-dowu on the shore, and prayed.
t'Chap. XX. 36.
Those days — the seven mentioned in the
preceding verse. They all hrnught «s, &c.
1166
ACTS.
It is not likely that Paul and his compan-
ions hud either wives or children with
them, and it is more natural to suppose that
the brethren of Tyre, with their wives and
children, are those that are meant. These,
through affection to Paul and his friends,
accompanied them from their homes to the
ship, and the coming out of the husbands,
wives and children, shows what a general
and affectionate interest the preaching and
labors of these holy men had excited. It is
delightful to discover by such little traits
as these, how early and how imi^ortant
was the advancement in civilization pro-
duced by the Gospel. In the most polished
state of society in the heathen world, what
was woman ? A mere toy, a gilded bau-
ble to help to while away a vacant hour,
but admitted to no partnership in the
higher and more elevating relations or
feelings of human life. But no sooner did
the Gospel, with its lessons of Christian
love, find its way into the heart, than wo-
man resumed that place in society to which
God in His mercy had originally ai:tpointed
her. She became the help-meet for man,
his ready partner in every sorrow and in
every joy, not merely the unintellectual
companion of his pleasures, but the true
and sympathizing friend, as valuable, per-
haps more valuable, in the darker hours
of sicknesses and griefs, and trials, and
partings, than in those brighter and hap-
pier moments in which alone she had, be-
fore the introduction of Christianity, been
ever heard of. And j^raijcd, i. e., the whole
company, though led no doubt by the
Apostle, as in xx. 36, on which see notes.
Parents ought to conduct their children
to those jilaces where they may be encour-
aged to pray and to do good in general,
but not to those where they may be cor-
rupted. The meeting and the parting of
Christians should not take place without
prayer and good wishes.
6. And when we had taken onr leave one of another,
we look ship ; aud they returned home again.
With the words taken our leave one of
another, are Connected both we took ship,
and they returned, &c.
7. And when we had finished mir course from Tyre,
we Ciinie to Plolemais, and saluted the brethren, and
abode with tiiem one day.
Tyre. (See on verse 3.) Ptolemais — a cel-
ebrated city south of Tyre, in the tribe of
Asher, anciently called Accho, now St Jean
d' Acre, or Acre. (Judges i. 31.) It re-
ceived the name of Ptolemais in honor of
Ptolemy the First, king of Egypt, who also
acquired dominion in Palestine. He en-
larged and adorned it. In modern days it
underwent a memorable siege by Napoleon
Bonaparte. Saluted the brethren, and abode,
&c. Disciples gathered probably as at Tyre,
on the occasion mentioned chap. xi. 19.
8. And the next day, we that were of Panl's company
departed, and came iiuto Cesarea : and we entori-d into
the house of Pliilip 'the evangelist, <iwhich was one of.
the 'seven : and abode with him.
"Chap. viii. 2(5-10. lEph. iv. 11, 2 Tim. iv. 5. eChap. vi. 5.
From Ptolemais the travelers proceeded
by land, as it seems, and at length reached
Ccsarea, which was only thirty-six Roman
miles distant, that is, not more than a day's
journey. This is the third time that Paul
has been at Cesarea. He was there on his
journey from Jerusalem to Tarsus, and
again on his return to Antioch from his sec-
ond missionary progress, (ix. 30, xviii. 22,
viii. 40, on which see notes.) Entcrcdinto the
house of Fhilip the evangdist (not the Apos-
tle, but), one oftheseven (whose appointment
is recorded in vi. 5, 6). In the persecution
on the death of Stephen, all the Church at
Jerusalem were scattered abroad through
Judea and Samaria except the Apostles.
Among those thus dispersed was Philip,
who seems never to have gone back after
the re-organization of the Church in which
he was ordained a deacon. The term
" evangelist " answers apparently very
much to our missionary. (See on viii. 26-
40. See also 1 Tim. iii. 13.)
9. And the same man had four daughters, virgins,
which f did prophesy.— fJoel ii. 28.
Had four daughters, &c. This remark
does not seem to be merely incidentally
introduced, but is probably an indication
that the daughters of Philip, influenced by
the spirit of proidiecy, foretold the suffer-
erings which awaited the Apostle at Jeru-
salem. (See verse 10.) Virgins. Eusebius
gives from Polycrates traditional accounts
of them, that two were buried at Hierapo-
lis, and one at Ephesus. From that pas-
sage, and one cited from Clement of
Alexandria, it would appear that two were
afterward married, according to tradition.
To find an argument for the so-called
" honor of virginity " in this verse, only
shows to what resources those will stoop.
CHAPTER XXI,
11G7
who have failed to apprehend the whole
spirit and rule of the Gospel in the mutter.
Proj)hesy, (See xix. 6, xxi. 9; Rom. xii.
6; 1 Cor. xii. 10, xiii. 2, 8, xiv. 6; 1 Thos.
V. 20.)
10. If And as we t.arripfl there, many days, tbpvo came
down from Jutioa a certain prupUct, nuiiiod FAi,'al)us.
II. And wlien he was (")nieuiito us, lifloolc PiuiTh gir-
dle, and Ijimnd his ou'n liaiids and Icet, and said, Tluis
Baitli the Hnly Ohost, So iishaU the .Ii'WS at Jerusalem
bind tlie man tliat owncth llii,- girdle, iiud shall deliver
him into the hands of'the Gentiles.
eCliap. xi. 2B. ''Verse 33; cliap. xx. 23.
Concerning this prediction, the fulfill-
ment of which is afterward related, we re-
mark, that although it is said that the
Jews should bind Paul, and deliver him
up to the Gentiles, yet he was actually
bound by the Gentiles, or by the captain
of the Roman garrison, who had rescued
him out of the hands of the Jews. There
is however, no contradiction between the
prophecy and the event, because in the
prophetical style, and indeed in the com-
mon style of the Scriptures, things are
represented to have been done by a per-
son which were done by others at his
command, or through his influence, direct
or indirect. It was in consequence of the
rage which the Jews expressed against
Paul, that the Romans seized and bound
him. Agabus accomijanied the prediction
of his sufi"erings with a symbolical action
or an action expressive of their nature.
Actions of this kind are frequent among
nations in the earlier periods of their his-
tory, when the imagination and passions
operate with great vivacity, and perhaps
the penury of language requires the aid
of visible signs, and some of them are re-
tained on particular occasions, after a peo-
ple is far advanced in civilization. They
were common among the ancient prophets.
Isaiah walked " naked and barefoot," to
signify, that the Egyptians and Ethiopians
should be spoiled, and led into captivity
by their enemies, and Ezekiel carried out
his household stuff in the sight of his
countrymen, to intimate that Jerusalem
should be plundered by the Chaldeans. In
the same manner, Agabus bound his own
hands and feet with Paul's girdle, to fore-
show that he should suffer bonds and im-
prisonment. It is probable, that when the
prophets first adopted the mode of com-
municating instruction by appropriate
actions, as well as by words, they merely
conformed to the manner of their age. It
was calculated to rouse attention, to give
a distinct and impressive idea of the sub-
ject, and, by interesting tlie imagination,
to fix it in the memory.
12. And when we heard these thlnss, both we, and
they ol tinit place, ihe.sou;;lit liua not lo Ko up to Jeru-
salem. );t. Then Paul tiiiswercd. What mean ye lo
Weep and to break mine lieart ? lor I am ready Jnot to he
bound only, but also to die at Jeruaaleni, lor the uumo
of the I^ord Jesus.
lilati. xvi. 22, 23. J2 Tint. Iv. 6.
What a fine mixture of tenderness and
fortitude ! It is impossible to read thi.s
passage with any degree of attention, with-
out sentiments of esteem and veneration.
We see a great and good man, whose life
and happiness were now at stake, willing
to meet every danger, and death itself, for
the cause of God and religion. Yet with
all his unshaken firmness and resolution
in this respect, he is not jiroof against the
tears and sorrows of his friends. His
heart melts, and sinks almof^t to breaking,
and he is forced in his turn to have re-
course to prayers and entreaties, that they
might spare him from witnessing their
grief, and their to o ai'dent affection. He
forgets all the terrors which await him-
self, unmoved by everything but their
sympathy. Can we imtigine a more noble
spectacle ? Compare him with the unfeel-
ing Stoic, and you will easily discern his
superior excellence. With more real
fortitude, because sustained by a power
above all human strength, he did not di-
vest himself of the amiable sympathies
and soft endearments of social life. He
did not affect a contempt for pain and
suffering, nor a disregard to the sorrows
of generous friendship. But while he felt
these, like other men, his sense of higher
motives kept them within just bounds,
nor suffered them to change the firm pur-
pose of discharging his duty. Here is the
model of a true Christian, who does not
root out his affections, but fixes them on
proper objects, and chiefly on things
above. All the sweet charities of kindred
and acquaintance are allowed their just
degree of force ; we are only to guard
against their excesses, to take care that
they may not tempt us to violate or omit
any of the Divine commands, or so en-
tirely occupy the mind, as in any manner
to prevent our perfect submission to the
Divine will. For Christianity not only
116S
ACTS.
instructs us in our several duties, but like-
wise in the relative order to be observed
among them; those which belong to God
deservedly governing the rest. It will
therefore sometimes happen, that we must
make painful sacrifices, where our affec-
tions are involved. But let us not for this
reason despond, for every such sacrifice
cheerfully made shall have its reward:
" the sufferings of the present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory
which shall be revealed." Let us " endure
hardness," as good soldiers of Jesus Christ,
whenever His name, or His honor, or His
word, or His people, need our countenance
and support.
14. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased,
saying, The twill of the Lord be done.
kilatt. vi. 10, xxvi. 42.
Would not be persuaded. One is often
moved for the sake of others, who is not
moved on his own account. Hence Paul's
firmness is jierceived. We ceased, with
pious modesty. The will, &c. They refer
the event to God's determination, and
submit all to His sovereign pleasure.
Hence we learn, that it is the duty and
desire, and ought to be the care and en-
deavor, of all the children of God, to be
willing to submit themselves and theirs to
the dispensations of God's Providence, in
whatever befalls either them or theirs.
Such is His justice and righteousness, that
He can do His children no wrong, and
such is His tender mercy and loving-kind-
ness, that He will do them no harm.
That which is often against their will is
not always against their interest. Afflic-
tions upon us, if we belong to God, are
federal dispensations and covenant bless-
ings, and either are good or shall work for
good. It is, therefore, both our duty and in-
terest to submit to the wisdom of Provi-
dence, and say with these discij^les, The
will of the Lord be done. (See Matt. xxvi.
39; 2 Sam. xv. 26 ; 1 Sam. i. 18.)
15. And after those days we toot up our carriages,
and went up to Jerusalem.
Took up our carriages. " We placed the
baggage on the mules or horses."
16. There went with us also certain of the disciples of
Cesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cj'prus,
an old 'disciple, with whom we should lodge.
iProv. xvi. 31.
Three things are indicated of this Mna-
son : that he was a native of Cyprus ; that
he had been a convert to Christianity for
some time — he was called " an old disci-
ple ;" and that he had a house at Jerusa-
lem, with whom Paul and his friends
were to lodge. It is an honorable thing
to be an old disciple of Jesus Christ, to
have been enabled by the grace of God to
continue so long in a course of duty,
steadfast in the faith, and growing more
and more prudent and experienced, to a
good old age. And with these old disciples
one would choose to lodge, for " the multi-
tude of their years shall teach wisdom."
17. H And when we were come to Jerusalem, the
brethren received ^us gladly.— mChap. xv. 4.
Received us gladly, consequently cheer-
fully accepted of his service for the poor
saints in Judea. Thus his prayers and
those of his Christian friends were an-
swered. (Comp. XV. 31 ; liom. xv. 31.)
18. And the dny following, Paul went in with us unto
"James ; and all the elders were present.
I'Chap. XV. 13, &c. ; Gal. L 19.
Went in with us, i. e., introduced us. Vhto
James, that is, James the Less, the son of
Alpheus, so called to distinguish him
from James, the sonof Zebedee. (Comp.
xii. 2; XV. 13.) The anomalous condition
of the Church until the downfiill of Jeru-
salem, sufficiently apparent from this very
chapter, required the constant presence of
an Apostle, while the others were engaged
perhaps on distant missions. This respon-
sible and arduous commission, which was
far more than the pastoral care of any
single Church, however eminent or im-
portant, would not have been assigned to
one of less than Apostolic rank, and is
therefore a sufficient jiroof that James
was an Apostle.
19. And when he had saluted them, he declared particu-
larly owhat things God had wrought among the Gen-
tiles by Phis ministry.
»Kom. XV. 18, 19. PChap. xx. 24 ; 2 Cor. xii. 12.
Declared particularly, in detail, 7vhat things
God had wrought among the Gentiles by his
ministry. As on previous occasions (chap,
xiv. 27, and see Rom. xv. 15), no doubt re-
ferring to the insidious and systematic
efforts of the Judaizing party in a number
of places, to shrivel the Church of Christ
into a Jewish sect, and his own counter-
procedure. With what humility Paul
speaks of his own labors ! God, he says,
has wrought all. He claims nothing for
himself save the joy which he experiences
on seeing the Divine name glorified.
CHAPTER XXI.
11C9
20. And when they heard it. they glorified the Lord,
and suid unto hiui, Thou see.st, brother, how many
thousands of Jews there are whicli behcve; and tliey
are all zealous qof the law: '2,\. And they are inlbrmed
of thee, that thou te:ichest all the Jiws which are
among the Gentiles, to forsake Moses, suying that they
ought not to circumcise 'Uieir children, neither to walk
after the customs. 22. What is it, therefore ? The multi-
tude must needs come Hogether ; for they will hear that
thou art come. 2a. Do therefore tliis that we s^iv to
thee : We have four men which have a vow on them ;
24. Them take, and purify thyself -with them, and be
at charges with them, tliat they may shave 'their heads :
and all may know, tliat tliose things, whereof thev
were informed concerning thee, are nothing, Imt Hint
thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
So. As touching the Gentiles which believe, we "have
written and concluded, that they observe no such
thing, save only that tliey keep themselves fVom thinrji
offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled,
and from fornication. 2<;. Then Paul took fthe men:
and the next day purifying himself with tliem, entered
»into the temple, to signify the accomplishment lof the
daj's of purihcation, until that an ottering should be
oliered for every one of them.
qChap. x.xii. 3; Rom. .x. 2. ^Gal. V. 3. "Chap. xix. 32.
«Num. vi. 2, 13, 18; chap, xviii. 13. "Chap. xv. 20, 29.
n Cor. ix. 20. wChap. xxiv. 18. iNum. vi. 13.
Thousands, or myriads of Jews. There
were many belonging to Jerusalem, and
many more were collected from other
countries, to keep the Jewish festival.
(Comp. chap. xx. 16.) Believe, and . . .
are zealous of the law, that is, were
zealous of the law as binding not on the
Gentiles (verse 25), but Jews, and even
on them not as a ground of justification.
This is plain from James and the elders
advising Paul to countenance them as be-
lievers, and to bear with their prejudices.
That they did not mean Paul to observe
the law as a matter of necessity, but ex-
pediency, is obvious from their reference
to that decree which explicitly declared
that salvation was not by the law. And
therefore we may conclude that they ad-
vised him to do no more in Jerusalem
than he would willingly have done any-
where else. To the Jew he became a Jew ;
while he taught that the law profited not,
he complied to observe it, that he might
not wound the weak brethren. And in so
doing he acted on the same principle as
when he says (Rom. xiv. 21), "It is good
neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine, nor
to do anything whereby thy brother stum-
bleth, or is offended, or made weak." He
had, however, been represented in a very
different light — as teaching the Jews to
forsake Moses. This he had hitherto never
done, and to refute the charge, he did not
hesitate to comply with the advice of his
Jewish brethren.
Them take, &c. It was no uncommon
thing among the Jews to assist those who
were under the vow of a Nazarite by
*S4
bearing expenses with them. Such an
action in Paul would be a suiruient evi-
dence that he did not contemn the law of
Moses. Walkest orderly, or regularly. It is
plain that James and his brethren thought
it most regular and convenient that the
Jewish ritual should be observed by those
of the circumci.'^ion who believed in Christ.
They were taught from their earliest years
to consider that ritual as of Divine ori-
gin ; and to be at once called to treat it with
neglect was probably more than they could
bear. Such a revolution was wisely ac-
complished by degrees ; first by the Apos-
tolical decree, which declared that the law
was of no avail in saving men ; next by an 0
epi.stle addressed to them, which demon-
strated that the death of Christ rendered
the law void, its end being accomplished,
and, lastly, by the destruction of the tem-
jjle, by which obedience became impossi-
ble. Then all genuine believers cheer-
fully forsook the whole ritual of Moses,
convinced that Christ had abolished by
His death all distinction between Jew
and Gentile. These events fully declared
the mind of God, and till their accomplish-
ment the strong were called to bear with
the weak, not at the expense of conscience
or duty, but on the principles of self-de-
nial and expedience in love ; they explicit-
ly declared that neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision availed anything, while
they acknowledged those brethren who
could not conscientiously neglect the law
of Moses. Things offered to idols, &c. (See
on XV. 20, 29.) To signify the accompUsJiment,
&c. Howson connects this sentence with
the words " he entered into the tem-
ple," and gives the following trans-
lation : " He entered into the temple,,
giving public notice that the days of puri-
fication were fulfilled (and stayed there),,
until the offering for each one of th&
Nazarites was brought." According to>
this view, which is also the view of Wiese-
ler, the period of the Nazarite vow was ac-
complished, and Paul now made to the-
priests the official announcement of its
fulfillment, and his readiness to pay for-
the necessary sacrifices which were to be-
offered on the same day. Most interpre-
ters, however, regard the announcement
as having reference to the future; that
1170
ACTS,
Paul here announced to the priest when
the days of purification were completed—
namely, in seven days (verse 27) ; and that
then, at the close of them, the offering
would be made for each of the Nazarites.
" Paul is among the Nazarites," says Lange.
1. Not as a slave of human ordinances, but
in the light of Evangelical liberty, which
had power over all things that promote
the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. vi. 12.) 2.
Not as a dissembler before the people, but
in the ministry of brotherly love, which
bears the infirmities of the weak. (Rom.
XV. 1.) 3. Not as a fugitive from the cross,
but in the power of Apostolic obedience,
which knows to deny itself from love to
the Lord. (Luke ix. 23 ; see 1 Cor. ix. 1.)
27. ^And when the seven days were almost ended,
the Jews jwhich were of Asia, when they saw him m
the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid ^hands on
him., jChap. xxiv. is. »Chap. xxvi. 21.
Having noticed the treatment which
Paul met with at Jerusalem, we have in
the narrative which now commences the
treatment he met with from the intolerant
Jew and the Roman authority. When the
seven days, &c. (See on verse 27.)
28. Crving out. Men of Israel, help : this is the man
that neacheth all men everywhere against the people,
and the law, and this place ; and further, brought Greeks
also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.
»Chap. vi. 13, 14, xxiv. 5, 6.
Men of Israel, help. A short watchword
to rouse the populace. This is the man. He
is well-known in Jerusalem, his name was
a household word in all Israel. The
charges of the infuriated mob, that this
man spoke everywhere " against the peo-
ple," were all false ; he had never spoken
against the people, never against the law,
never against the temple, and never pol-
luted the holy place. This last would have
been, according to the Jewish law, a most
criminal act, punishable by death. There
was a court of the Gentiles, so-called, within
the precincts of the temple, into which
they were allowed free admittance, but
beyond that, into the holy place, or court of
the Israelites, they were not suffered to
penetrate ; and inscriptions were written
upon the pillars, in the current languages,
forbidding any but a Jew to cross the fatal
threshold, as being unclean and tending
to desecrate the sanctuary of the Most
High. " This holy place." This was an in-
terior court, in which some of the sacred
things of the temple — as the altar of in-
cense, golden table and candlesticks— were
deposited and used. The Gentiles were
not allowed to enter that, nor the chel or
inclosure before it. Philo says that it was
certain death for any one who was not a
Jew to set his foot within the inner court
of the temple.
29 (For thev had seen before with him, in the city,
Trophimus i-an Ephesian, whom they supposed that
Paul had brought into the temple.)— H^hap. xx. 4.
For Trophimus, see on xx. 4. He was a
foreigner, and not a Jew from Ephesus.
Whom they supposed, &c. They had seen
Trophimus in the city with him, and from
that rushed to the conclusion that he had
brought Greeks into the temple. When
God has appointed a season of suffering
for us, the slightest circumstance may in-
troduce it. How closely the servants of
Christ are watched by the world, and what
reason had they to be circumspect in their
walk!
30. And all the city was moved, and the people ran
together: and thev took Paul, and drew him out of the
temple : and forthwith the doors were shut.
They took Paul. They tumultuously seized
on him, and drew him out of the temple, out
of the court of the Israelites, where he was
worshiping : and .... the doors were shut, to
guard against any profanation of it by
riot or bloodshed.
31. And as they went about fto kill him, tidings came
unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem
was in an uproar : 32. Who ^immediately took soldiers
and centurions.and ran down unto them: and when they
saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating
of Paul.— a Cor. xi. 23, &c. iiChap. xxiii. 27, xxiv. 7.
To kill— with blows. (Verse 32). Came
— to the Antonian tower, where there was
usually a Roman garrison and camp, to
overawe the Jews, and to prevent popular
tumults. Tidings — sudden. The chief cap-
tain of the band. His name was Claudius
Lysias. (Acts xxiii. 26.) Immediately — he
supposed that delay was dangerous. (Verse
38.) Soldiers — the number of soldiers un-
der the command of the Roman tribune
varied, according to circumstances, from
three hundred to one thousand. God
raises up what instruments He pleases to
subserve His own gracious ends and de-
signs in the preservation of His people.
The barbarous heathen soldiers protect
Paul, and keep him from being torn in
pieces by the Jews, who professed to wor-
ship the same God with him.
3.3. Then the chief captain came near, and took him,
and commanded him to be bound twith two chains ; and
demanded who he was, and what he had done,
V'erse 11 ; chap. xx. 23 ; Eph. vi. 20.
CHAPTER XXI
1171
Took him. With great violence, accord-
ing to chap. xxiv. 7, probably meaning an
armed force. To be bound with two chains.
To be bound between two soldiers, his
right hand chained to the left hand of the
one, and his left hand to the right of the
other. Demanded — of the crowd indiscrim-
inately, it being his first approach. (Verse
34.) Who, what — two heads of inquiry.
Let not the servant of Christ depend with
too much confidence on the aid which the
world affords. Here the tribune rescues
the Apostle from the hands of murderous
Jews, but nevertheless commands him,
without hearing his plea, to be bound with
two chains.
34. And some cried one thing, some another, among
the multitude : and when he could not know the cer-
tainty for the tumult, he commanded liim to be carried
into the fcastle. 35. And when he came upon the stairs,
so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers, for the vio-
lence Eof the people.
fChap. xxiii. 10, 16. kPs. Iv. 9 ; Hab. i. 3.
Some cried one thing. &c. They had no
intelligent account to give. Reason had
abdicated the throne ; they were the mere
creatures of impulse. A sad sight this. A
vast multitude of human beings moved not
by intelligent motives but by blind im-
pulse. It is this senselessness that makes
the opinion of mobs so worthless, their
movements so reckless, and their existence
so dangerous. Could not know the certainty,
i. e., the true state of the case. For tfie
tumuli, on account of the confusion, noise
and uproar. The castle — the castle of An-
tonia, commanded by the tribune. "This
castle," says Josephus, "had four towers,
one of which overlooked the whole tem-
ple, and was joined to its porticos, and had
a double pair of stairs from it, by which the
soldiers of the garrison in the castle were
used to come down with their arms on the
festival days, and keep the people in quiet.
As the temple was a guard to the city, so
was this castle to the temple." Paul was
conducted thither, probably in order to
disperse the multitude, and to allow a fur-
ther investigation. The soldiers bore him
up the stairs on account of the violence of
the people.
36. For the multitude of the people followed after,
crying. Away hwith him.
•"Luke xxiii. 18 : John xix. 15 ; chap. xxii. 22 ; 1 Cor.
iv. 13.
The people's violence and impetuosity
appear from their cries. Here we see
the antagonism of the depraved heart
to Christianity. Why was Paul that one
central figure in Jerusalem now against
which all that was corrupt in the city
pelted its fury and hurled its anathemas?
Simply because he embodied and radiated
the pure morality, the spiritual worship,
and the universal love of the Gospel.
Christianity clashes with the corrupt in
human nature, stirs it into malice, and
makes it rage with fury. Hence it is that
its progress is ever a history of battles —
battles fought on the arena of the sinner's
heart.
37. 'i And a-s Paul was to be led into the castle, he said
unto the chief captain. May I speak unto tliee ? Who
said. Canst thou speak Greek? '.is. Art not thou that
Egyptian, whicli before lliese days madesl an uproar,
and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men
that were murderers?
Men that were murderers, or, men of the
Sacurii, an appellation given to a number
of persons who carried a small crooked
dagger under their garments, with which
they committed many murders about this
time in Jerusalem. Tftcd Egijplian.' Jose-
phus speaks of this man coming to the city
when Felix w^as procurator. He pretended
to be a prophet, and persuaded many to
follow him to Mount Olivet, promising
that they should see Jerusalem fall down
at his command, and that they should have
a free entrance into the city over its ruins.
The fact that the chief captain made the
mistake indicated by this inquiry, plainly
indicates that he did not much concern
himself with the religious history of the
Jews, and felt no interest w^hatever in the
progress of the Christian religion.
39. But Paul said, I Jam a.m&n uJiich mnnJevn oT
Tarsus, ct city in Cilicia, a ^citizen of no mean city; and
I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.
JChap. ix. 11, xxii. 3. kChap. 2Lxii. 35.
Paul's reply to his question threw new
light upon his mind, and no doubt con-
vinced him that his prisoner was no ordi-
nary man. The Apostle did not here ex-
aggerate the importance of his birth-place,
for Tarsus was the capital of Cilicia, and
was famous for its schools of philosophy,
and the high refinement and wealth of
its people. Xenophon in his "Anabasis"
calls Tarsus " a great and flourishing city,"
and Josephus says that "it was the metrop-
olis and most renowned city among the
CiUcians." (See on chap. ix. 11.)
40 And when he had given him license, Paul stood
on the stairs, and 'beckoned with the hand unto the peo-
ple ■ and %vhen there was made a great silence, hespake
unto lliem in the Hebrew tongue, saying;
'Chap. xii. IT.
1172
ACTS.
The bearing and the spirit of Paul in his
answer induced the Eoman to grant his
request, and he "gave him license." The
wonderful advantage of this license to Paul
then and there to speak, will appear in the
sequel. A7id beckoned, &c. Addressing a
crowd, an Oriental would not bawl out
"silence!" to affront them, but lifts up his
hand to its extreme height, and moves it
backward and forward, and they say to
each other pasathe, be silent. In the Hebrew
tongue — the language which was spoken by
the Jews in Judea in the time of Christ
and the Apostles. It was, properly, a de-
generate form of the old Hebrew, though
it was still popularly called Hebrew%
1. Who said to Paul that he should not go up to Jerusalem ? 2. What great mark of respect did the disciples
at Tyre show to Paul ? 3. To what place did they who were of Paul's company depart ? i. Into whose house
did they enter ? 5. What is said of Philip ? 6. What of his daughters ? 7. What is recorded of Agabus ? 8. What
did Paul say to those who would dissuade him from going to Jerusalem ? 9. How was Paul received at Jerusa-
lem ? 10. What did he say in the presence of James and all the elders present ? 11. What was their reply ? 12.
Whatdidthe Jews which were of Asia? 13. What did Paul say as he was led into the castle? 14. How was he
" a Jew of Tarsus?" 15. In what tongue did be speak unto theai?
1
CHAPTER XXII.
1 Paul d^rlarrth at large, how he was converted to the
faith, 17 ami called to his aposlleship. 22 At the very
mentiuning of the Oentiles, the people exclaim on him. 24
He slwulii have been scourged, 25 but claiming the
privilege of a Boman, he escapeth.
MEN, 'brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defense
^whirh I make now unto you.
'Chap. vii. 2. i^l Peter ill. 15.
Paul appears before us now in a new
condition ; he is a prisoner, he was " bound
with two chains." (Chap. xxi. 33.) In this
condition we shall find him now in every
chapter to the close of his memorable life.
He closes his connection with the city in
which he had encountered such violent
per.secution, by two defenses of himself —
the one addressed to the people, and the
other to the great council of the nation.
We have now to notice his defense before
the people. Men {and, or, who are) brethren.
To this customary form of address Paul,
like Stephen, and perhaps in imitation of
him (vii. 2), adds fathers, either as a gen-
eral expression of respect, or, as most in-
terpreters suppose, with reference to such
priests or elders as he may have seen or
known to be among the multitude. Hear
now. Heretofore they had not heard
him because of the tumult.
2. (And when they heard thathespakeintheHebrew
tonf?ue to them, tliey kept the more silence: and he
salth.)
See on xxi. 40.
They kept the more silence. It is often the
fault of preachers themselves, when men
do not listen with attention to their words.
They do not express themselves intelli-
gibly, but adopt a style which betrays
affectation, or is above the comprehension
of the hearers. A teacher who is sincerely
desirous of edifying will always endeavor
to set forth the truth in the plainest and
most intelligible language, and to apply it
to the hearts of his hearers. The Saviour's
mode of teaching affords a blessed and
most perfect example.
3. I am cverily a man ivhich am a Jew. bom In Tar-
sus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city, at the
feet of ^Gamaliel, and taught ^according to the perfect
manner of the law of the fathers, and fwas zealous to-
ward God, as ye sail are this day.
cxxi. 39, 2 Cor. xi. 22, Phil. iii. 5. <iChap. v. 34. eChap.
xxvi. 5. fGal. L 14. sChap. xxi. 20 ; Rom. x. 2.
A Jew. This he avers in order to refute
the charge on which he was arrested,
namely, that of traitorous hostility to the
religion of his fathers. Born in Tarms.
(See on ix. 11.) Gamaliel. This Gama-
liel, by general consent, was an eminent
Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrim.
(See on v. 34.) At the feet. In Bible lan-
guage, the teacher is said to be at the head
of his disciple.s. (2 Kings ii. 3.) The pupil
sits at the feet — an intimation of the inti-
mate nearness and subjection to the teach-
er's authority. And taught according, &c.
CHAPTER XXII,
1173
He was not only a Jew, though born in
Tarsus, yet brought up in Jerusalem, and
taught by one of the most distinguished
Rabbis, but he was taught perfectly — strict-
ly in their law, and he was moreover
" zealous tovard God " — a zealot of God.
4. And I persecuted ''this way unto the death, bind-
ing and deliverinsi into i)iisons both men and women.
kChap. viii. 3, xxvi. 9-13 ; Phil. iii. 6; 1 Tim. i. 13.
This tvay. (See on ix. 2.) Unto death,
not the aim. merely, but the result of His
persecution. The facts in the case justify
the strongest sense of the expression.
(See V. 20 and xxvi. 10.) Paul utters not
a word in vindication of his conduct prior
to his conversion. He paints the whole
in the dark colors of fact.
5. As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and
all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received
letters unto the brethren, and went to iUamascns, to
bring them which were there, bound unto Jerusalem,
for to be punished.— 'Chap. ix. 2, <fcc.
DotJi bear me witness — He evidently could
bear Paul witness : Paul does not doubt
his willingness to do so, hence he speaks
kindly. Afterward, in chap. xxvi. 5, more
severely. All the estate of the elders — the
whole Sanhedrim. Brethren — Jews. (Chai).
ii. 29.) Went to Damascus, &c. (See on
ix. 2, &c.)
6. And it came to pass, that as T made my journey,
and was come nigh unto Damixscus about noon, sudden-
ly there shone from heaven a great light round about
me.
See on ix. 3.
7. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice say-
ing unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ?
See on ix. 4.
I fell unto the ground. "We must take off
the shoes from our feet, like Moses — fall
to the dust, like Isaiah — smite our breast,
like the publican, if we would hear what
God has to say. (Isa. Ixvi. 2.) And heard
a voice saying unto me. It was the manifes-
tation of Christ in the " light," the " voice,"
the address, which gave the turning-point
to Paul's life. Conversion does not origin-
ate with self, nor with the agency of man
outside, but always with Christ. " When
it pleased God to reveal His Son in me."
&c. Christ, when on earth, said not to
His murderers, Why hind ye me? Why
buffet ye me ? Why scourge ye me, and cruci-
fy me f But now, when His people suffer-
ed, He cries out from heaven. Said, Saul,
why persecutest thou me? He is more tender
of His mystical body than He was of His
natural body, more sensible of His mem-
bers' sufferings, than of His own.
S. And I answered. Who art thou, T^ord? And he
said unto me, I am Jesus of MazurelB, whom thou per-
secutest.
I am Jesus of Nazareth, or , as it should
have been rendered, " I am Jesus, tlw Nuz-
areiw, &c. There were three difl'crt^nt
names, or appellations, by which both
Jews and Gentiles were accustomed to
exi)ress their contempt of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He was sometimes contemptuous-
ly called, " The Galilean," at other tiiiu's,
" The Crucified One," and at other times,
" The Nazarene." These names were very
current among the enemies of Christianity
in the New Testament times. They were
intended to convey the utmost scorn and
contempt on the part of th.ose that em-
ploj'ed them, and, beyond all question,
they must have been often used and ap-
plied by Saul, in his frantic zeal against
the Church of Christ. (See on ix. 5.)
Jesus owned His name from heaven to
teach His memljers not to be ashamed
when reproached for it here on earth.
9. And they that were with me Jsaw indeed the light,
and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of him
that spake to me. 10. And I said. What shall I do.
Lord ? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into
Damascus ; and there it shall be told thee of all things,
which are appointed for thee to do. 11. And when I
could not see for the glory of that light, being led by
the hand of them that were with me, I came into Da-
mascus.—JDan. X. 7.
See on ix. 7, &c.
Saw indeed the light hd heard not
the voice. This extraordinary circumstance
indicates what is common in the world.
Everywhere there are men, hearing the
same voice, but receiving different im-
pressions, seeing the same lights, but ob-
serving different objects. A " voice "
fraught with deep meaning to some, is
mere empty sound to others. A " light"
revealing the grandest realities to some,
discloses nothing to others. What shall I
do. Lord ? " We may," says an old writer,
" sooner find fire without heat, than a true
convert without operative grace."
12. And one* Ananias, a devout man .according to the
law, having a good ireport of all the Jews which dwelt
there, 13. Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me.
Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I
looked up upon him.
I'Chap. ix. 17. 'Chap. x. 22 ; 1 Tim. iii. 7 ; Heb. xi. 2.
See on chap. ix. 10, 17.
Ananias, a \>io\\?, rai\\\, according to thelaw,
whose accei^tance of the Gospel had by no
means destroyed his regard to the Mosaic,
institutions, and who on that account had
an honorable character among all the Jews
1174
ACTS
who dwelt at Damascus. Thus Paul af-
firms that he was not introduced to Chris-
tianity by an opi^onent of Judaism.
Brother Saul. They were now brethren
by faith and profession, owning the same
God, united to the same Saviour, animat-
ed by the same Spirit, encouraged by the
same promises, partakers of the same
hope, and heirs of the same glory. As the
Scriptures speak of a brotherhood between
Christ and believers, he is not ashamed to
call than brethren, so it speaks of a brother-
hood between believers themselves. Love
the brotherhood, that is, the whole fraternity
and society of Christians, who are cemen-
ted by the'blood of Christ, and united by
the bond of love.
14. And he said, The mGod of our fathers hath chosen
nthee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see "that
pjust One, and shouldest hear the voice lof his mouth.
mChap. ill. 13, V. 30. nChap. ix. 1-5; Gal. i. 15. "Verse
18 ; 1 Cor. ix. 1, xv. 8. PChap. iii. H, vii. 52. ql Cor. xi.
23 ; Gal. i. 12.
See on ix. 15.
In the address of Ananias there is an
accommodation to the views and feelings
of the audience. God and Christ are
both mentioned by their purely Jewish
names. Ananias here asserts that Paul
saw Christ, so that we infer that an actual
appearance of Christ was granted him,
which is not indeed precisely stated either
in Luke's account of the transaction, or in
either of the accounts given by the Apostle
himself. (See on ix. 17.) This appear-
ance was to put him on a level with the
other Apostles who had seen the risen
Lord. " That Just One." (See iii. 14.)
Jesus is thus designated, not merely be-
cause, as God, He is absolutely just, the
Fountain of eternal rectitude, nor merely
because, as man. He " did no sin, neither
was guile found in His mouth," but as
Mediator who has engaged to make unjust
men just. His work as Mediator is to make,
by His justifying righteousness and sanc-
tifying Spirit, unjust men just to them-
selves, just to their fellows, just to the
universe, just to God. This is His work,
and His exclusively.
1.5. For thou rshalt be his witness unto all men, of
what thou hast seen and heard.
'Chap, xxiii. 11, xxvi. 16, <fec.
Unto all men. The universal ministry of
Paul is expressed in these terms : the
Gentiles being as yet not directly men-
tioned, for fear of irritating the Jews,
whereas, on the contrary, in chap. ix. 15,
the commission is to bear the name of Je-
sus before the Gentiles, and kings, and the
people of Israel. Thou shalt be hit witness,
&c. The work of ministers of the Gospel
is now to witness for, hereafter to witness
against; now they witness for God and
His truth, and persuade sinners to believe
it, hereafter they will witness against sin-
ners for not believing and obeying the
truth of God. With what an heart must
a minister study when he considers that
every sermon he preaches must be a wit-
ness against many, if not most of his
hearers !
16. And now, why tarriest thon ? arise, and be bap-
tized, and wash ^away thy sins, calling 'on the name
of the Lord.
sKeb. X. 22 ; 1 Peter in. 21. 'Bom. x. 13 ; 1 Cor. 1, 2.
Ai^ise, and be baptized, &c. This way of
speaking arises from baptism being the
visible seal of re^nission. Calling on the
name of the Lord, rather, " having called,"
i. e., after having done so, referring to the
confession of Christ, yvhich preceded bap-
tism, as chap. viii. 37.
17. And it came to pass, that when I was come again
to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was
in a "trance ; 18. And saw "him saying unto me. Make
haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem : for they
will not receive thy testimony concerning me. 19. And
I said. Lord, they »know that I imprisoned and beat in
every synagogue them that believed in thee : 20. And
when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed. I lalso
was standing by, and consenting junto his death, and
kept the raiment of them that slew him. 21. And he
said unto me, Depart: for •! will send thee far hence,
unto the Gentiles.
"2 Cor. xii. 2. "Verse 14. 'Verse 4. 'Chap. vii. 58. yChap.
viii. 1. zChap. xiii. 2, 47. Bom. i. 5, vi. 13, xv. 16, Gal. ii. 7,
8, Eph. iii. 7, 8, 1 Tim. ii. 7.
While I prayed. Prayer is an instinct of
the soul. Danger seldom fails to rouse
this instinct into a passionate supplication
even in the most depraved. (See Ps, evii.
13.) Yolney, in a storm at sea, was a striking
example of this. I was in a trance. The
trance is the state in which a. man has
passed out of the usual order of his life,
beyond the usual limits of consciousness
and volition. To an " ecstacy " in the
Apostle Paul we owe the mission which
was the starting point of the history of the
New Testament Church, the command
which bade him " depart far hence unto
the Gentiles." It is supposed by some,
and with much probability, that it is to
this trance Paul refers (2 Cor. xii. 1-5)
when he speaks of being caught up to the
third heaven. Real, earnest, believing
prayer, places the soul under the beams,
and breezes, and blessed visions of heaven.
CHAPTER XXII
1175
And saw him, the Lord Jesus, mentioned
in verse 16. Paul saw Him in his mind.
Saying unto me, &c. The idea was con-
veyed in this communication, not only
that Paul's testimony would be rejected
but that violence would be attempted
against his person. They know that I im-
prisoned, &c., — and when the blood of thy
martyr Steplien. (See on chap. vii. 5S.) Paul
thought that his conversion was so effect-
ual an argument that even the Jews would
be moved by it, but the Lord answers,
that the Gentiles rather will be moved by
it. It often occurs that faithful servants
of God imagine that a special blessing
would attend their labors in a particular
place, rather than elsewhere. But God
says : " Nay, thou errest !" and sends them
away from the spot where they wished to
remain. Depart, &.c. Paul relates this vis-
ion to show that his own inclination and
prayer had been that he might preach the
gospel to his oivn p)eople, but that it was by
the imperative command of the Lord Him-
self that he went to the Gentiles.
22. If And they gave him audience unto this word, and
then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with sucli a
fellow from the earth : for »it is uot tic that he should
live.— »Chap. iiV. 24.
Notwithstanding the consummate skill
with which Paul seemed to have conduct-
ed his defense, it was not to prove success-
ful. Aioay with such a fellow, &c. Remark-
able instance of pride and prejudice !
These Jews heard Paul relate a variety of
wonders attending his conversion without
the least appearance of displeasure or dis-
belief; butthe moment he cast the slightest
reflection upon themselves, although not
in his own words, but repeating the com-
mand of the Lord, they instantly lose all
patience, and are for sweeping him from
the face of the earth. The true cause of
their infidelity on this occasion, as we see,
lay in that part of the account which
seemed to reprove their hardness of heart
and to represent the Gentiles as directed
by God to receive the Gospel. And whj^
is the Gospel rejected by most unbelievers,
but because its meek, pure and holy doc-
trines are inconsistent with the pride and
appetites of the world? "Men love dark-
ness rather than light " — why? " because,"
says the infallible Word of God, " their
deeds are evil."
23. And as they crlod out, and ca.st off thoir clothes,
ttuu threw dust into the air ;
It is the invariable practice throughout
Asia, in the present day, for people who
apply for justice to be done against a crimi-
nal, to crowd in a tumultuous manner to
the gate of the governor's palace, and to
stand there uttering the most horri«l yells,
tearing their clothes, and throwing dust in
the air, till they succeed in obtaining at-
tention to their demands. These prepa-
rations of the mob, as has been well re-
marked, present even in our own day an
image of man, when the madness of pas-
sion controls him. He rends hi.s clothes,
casts otr the last remnant of shame and
modesty, and exhibits himself, without
disguise, in his brutal nakedness ; he throws
up dust in order to sully all that is bright
and beautiful, to pollute all that is noble,
and to delude himself. "It is dangerous
to awaken the Hon, the tiger'.s tooth is
destructive, but the most terrible of all
terrors, is man in his delusion."
24. The chief captain commanded him to he brought
mto the castle, and liade tliat he. should betxamined by
scourging, that he might know wherefore they cried so
against him.
Scourging was a common method of ex-
amination resorted to by the Romans. It
was administered by the lictors, and was
usually inflicted by rods. The tribune,
however, in ordering Paul to be imme-
diately scourged, acted contrary to the
Roman law, which enjoined that no ex-
amination should commence with scourg-
ing. Perhaps, in ordering Paul to be
scourged, he designed to appease the
wrath of the multitude, as Pilate for this
reason scourged Jesus. (John xix. 1.)
That he might know, &c. As Paul addressed
the multitude in Hebrew, the tribune,
being ignorant of that language, was not
able to understand what he said. But
when he saw the result, the rage and
violent actions of the Jews, he naturally
concluded that he had before him some
dangerous criminal.
25. t And as they hound him with thon^, Paul said
unto the centurion tliat stood by. Is it lawful for you to
scourge a man that is a 'Roman, and uncondemned?
2fi. When the centurion heard </ia/, he went and told
thechief captain, saying. Take heed what thou doest;
for this man is a Roman. 27. Then the chief captain
came, and said unto him, Tell me. art thou a Roman ?
He said. Yea. 28. And the chief captain answered,
With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul
said. But I was free born. 29. Then straightway they
departed from him which should have ^examined him;
and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew
that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
tCliap. xvi. 37 ; xxv. 16. cQr, tortured fiim.
1176
ACTS
.4s they bound him, literally, stretched him
out, that the Apostle's back might be fully
exposed to the stripes. This act is not as-
cribed to the centurion, who stood by, nor
to the chief captain, who was not present
even ; it refers to those of whom the com-
mencement of verse 22 speaks. With thongs.
With which they bound him before in-
flicting the strokes. Scourging was threat-
ened. Thongs differ from scourging, for
they were employed to bind any one who
Avas to be tortured by scourging. For you.
Emphatic. It was nowhere lawful. A
man that is a Roman. It was an evil deed,
as Cicero tells us, to bind a Roman citizen ;
it was a heinous crime to scourge one.
Paul did not assert his right of citizenship
against the bonds (verse 29), for bonds had
been foretold : he did assert it against the
scourge, that he might defend his body
and life, with the object of thereafter
preaching the Gospel. And — that too.
With a great sum, &c. The right of Roman
citizenship was at first granted only to
such foreigners as had conferred dis-
tinguished services on the country, or as a
mark of honor upon great and good indi-
viduals. But, in process of time, it could
be purchased for money, and under the
corrupt emperors, it was prostituted so
low, to fill their treasuries, that it lost its
value, and never again recovered its prim-
itive distinction. The tribune, in the
present instance, had purchased the privi-
lege with a large sum of money. " But I
was /rce born." This is generally supposed
to have been on account of Tarsus being
made ft free city by Augustus, and its in-
habitants thus being admitted to the
right of citizenship. Pliny, in his "Nat-
ural History," says that " Tarsus was a
free city ;" Appian, that " the people of
Tarsus were free, and discharged from
paying tribute;" and other expressions
are quoted from Dion C'assius and Philo,
bearing upon the same point.
30. !I On the morrow, because ^he would have knowa
the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he
loosed him from his bauds, and commanded the chief
priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul
down, and set him before them.— ^Chap. xxiii. 2S.
He would have knouni, &c. He wished to
ascertain the real ground of Paul's being
apprehended by the Jews. He loosed him
from his bands. From the chains which
had been put on him the day before.
(xxi. 33.) This was only a temporary re-
moval of his bands, for the sake of his
appearing before the Sanhedrim, for in the
subsequent notices, Paul appears to be
still wearing a chain, (xxi. 27 ; xxv. 27 ;
xxvi. 29.) Commanded, or required, no
doubt, by virtue of official powers in cases
of emergency belonging to the governor
when present, but devolving in Ms ab-
sence on the commander of the forces in
Jerusalem. The chief priests are men-
tioned as the most important class of coun-
selors, and all tJteir Sanhedrim, the pro-
noun their being omitted by the latest
critics. And brought Paul down from his
prison in the castle to the lower place
where the Sanhedrim assembled. Ac-
cording to Jewish tradition, that body
transferred their sittings at length from
Gazith, an apartment in the inner tem-
ple, to a room on Mount Zion, near the
bridge over the Tyropseon. It was here
probably that the council met at this time,
for Lysias and his soldiers would not have
presumed to enter the sacred part of the
temple. The Romans conceded to the
Jews the right of putting any foreigner to
death who passed the forbidden limits.
1. How did Paul begin his defense ? 2. Of what does it consist ? 3. What effect was produced on the audience ?
4. What did the chief captain command ? 5. How was Paul bound ? 6. What did he say to the centurion ? 7. To
wliom did the centurion report this ? 8. What was the result of the conversation between the chief captain and
Paul ? 9. Why was the chief captain afraid ? 10. Why did he loose Paul from his bands ?
CHAPTER XXIII,
1177
CHAPTER XXIII.
1 As Paul plcadeth his cause, 2 Ananias commnndcth
them to smite him. 7 Dissension among his accusers.
11 God cnamragcth him. 14 The Jews, laying wait for
J'aul 20 is drclarcd unto the chief captain, 27 Jfe
sendeth him to Felix the governor.
AND Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said.
Men and brethren, i^I have lived in all good con-
science before God until this day.
»Chap. xxiv. IG ; 2 C!or. i. 12 ; Heb. xUi. 18.
We have now the speech of Paul before
the Jewish council, commonly known by
the name of the Sanhedrim, and the highest
court in tlie nation. The Jewish writers
affirm that it subsisted during all the ages
of their commonwealth, and was instituted
in the wilderness, when seventy elders of
Israel were chosen to assist Moses in the
government. The Sanhedrim was com-
posed of the same number of members.
Some, however, are of opinion that its
commencement can be traced no further
back than the return from the Babylonian
captivity. It was a court to which appeals
were made from the sentences of inferior
judicatories ; but there were some causes
of greater difficulty and importance in
which it claimed a sole right to judge. The
council was now summoned by the chief
cai^tain, as it had been called together at
the birth of our Saviour by Herod. He
brought Paul before it, because he appear-
ed from the clamors of the people to have
been guilty of some offense against their
laws ; and, probably, that court asserted
its right to judge him as a blasphemer of
Moses, and of their sacred institutions.
Paul earnestly beholding, &c. In the
presence of this august assembly, Paul
was not abashed and intimidated. Alone
in the midst of enemies, who had both
the inclination and the power to injure
him, he surveyed them with an undaunt-
ed countenance, supported by conscious-
ness of innocence, and the expectation of
that assistance, which Jesus Christ had
promised to His disciples, when they
should be brought before governors and
kings for His sake. Instead of endeavoring
to disarm their resentment, and to court
their favor by any mean concession, or any
retractation of his principles, he dared to
assert the purity of his motives and the
rectitude of his conduct. I have lived, &c.
The word has an indirect reference to the
"polity" or "commonwealth of Israel,"
of which he would signify th;-t he had
been and was to that hour, an honest and
God-fearing member.
2. And the hlp;h priest Ananias comnanded them
that stood by him to smite him bon tlie mouth.
bJolm xviii. 22.
Who this Ananias is it is not certain.
He presided, however, as the high priest
on this occasion. The marvelous indigni-
ty which he ordered now to be inflicted
on Paul, was in accordance with ancient
and modern usages. Striking on the
mouth was perhaps intended to express
on this occasion that the tongue had been
unlawfully employed, and that it should
cease its utterances.
3. Then said Paul unto him, God shr,:i smite thee,
thoii whited w.ill : for sittest thou to judge mo after the
law, and commaudest me to be smitten 'lontrary to
the law ?
cliOV. xix. 35; Deut. xxv. 1, 2; John vii. 51.
Shall smite, literally, is (or is about) to
smite, the first verb denoting simple fu-
turity, without expressing (although it of
course implies) intention or determination
on the part of God, much less a desire on
the part of Paul himself. Thou whited wall
— alluding to the beautiful outside of some
walls, which were constructed with mud
and other base materials. This prover-
bial expression is analogous to our Sa-
viour's words, in which He compares the
Pharisees to whited sepulchres — beautiful
outside, but within full of dead men's
bones and of all uncleanness. (Matt,
xxiii. 27.) Siitest thoxt, to judge, &c. Dost
thou sit here on the seat of justice, in order
to judge me according to the laiv, and com-
mandest thou me to be smittai contrary to
the laic? Observe the incisive question as
to the complete opposition shown by his
judges between their office and their con-
duct.
4. And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's
high priest ? 5. Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren,
that he was the high priest: for it is ^written. Thou
Shalt not speak e%'il of the ruler of thy people.
dEx. xxii. 28. Ec. x. 20, 2 Peter ii. 10, Jude 8.
Iivist not, &c. These words plainly in-
dicate that Paul knew not the dignity of
the person whom he addressed, and con-
sequently that he si">oke to him simply as
sustaining the character and place of judge
without regard to any higher office. By
this assertion he weakened the force of
1178
ACTS.
the accusation brought against him with-
out acknowledging any guilt. Ananias un-
questionably was not at this time in the of-
ficial dress, otherwise he was easily known,
and it would have at once appeared absurd
in Paul to pretend ignorance of his dig-
nity. But as the Apostle had been absent
from Jerusalem, and the office of high
priest was frequently changing from one
person to another, although Paul had for-
merly been acquainted with Ananias, he
might not have known him as at present
holding the office of high priest. Michaelis,
after investigating this subject, says that at
this time the office of high priest was va-
cant, and Ananias must have assumed,
without authority, the presidency.
For it is ivritten, Thou shall not, &c. Had
Paul quoted, as some think, the law to in-
timate to liis accusers, that as he remem-
bered it, he could be charged only with an
unintentional transgression of it, it would
have been of little service, for ignorance of
the dignity of Anaiiias could not acquit him
from a breach of the i^recept which en-
joined respect to every ruler of Israel.
And indeed the Apostle's principles cor-
respond with the law of love, which forbids
speaking evil of any man. His design, we
ai^prehend, was to inform his accusers,
that as he could not want respect to the
high-priest, of whom he was ignorant, so
neither had he spoken inadvertentlj'', for
he remembered and regarded the Divine
law, with the violation of which they ac-
cused him, and that they ought, therefore,
to have considered his words in a very
diflerent light. He was indeed convinced
of his innocence in what he had said.
This was calculated at once to vindicate
himself, and to fix more impressively the
awful and solemn judgment which he had
annoumed on the minds of his hearers.
G. 'But when Paul perceived that the one part were
Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the
council, Men and brethren, I earn a Pharisee, the son
of a Pharisee : of fthe hope and resurrection of the dead
I am called in question.
■■Chap, xxvi.5; Phil, iii 5. fChap. xxiv. 15, 21, xxvi. 6,
xxviii. 20.
Sadducees Pharisees. The San-
hedrim was at this time divided between
these two factions. The Pharisees were
the popular party, and were perhaps the
more numerous, but Josephus informs us
that many of the sect of the Sadducees
were high in office. It would almost aj)-
pear that the high-priesthood was fre-
quently conferred on those of this party.
We are exjiressly informed that Ananus,
afterward high priest, was a Sadducee.
(Joseph Ant. xx. 9, 1). It was no doubt
favorable for the Church that there was at
this time this division of parties in the
Sanhedrim. The Sadducees were chiefly
incensed against the Christians, because
they taught the doctrine of the resurrec-
tion ; whereas the Pharisees, out of oppo-
sition to their rival sect, were sometimes
inclined to favor them.
7. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension
between the Pharisees and the Sadducees : and the mul-
titude was divided. 8. For the Sadducees Esay there is
no resurrection ; neither angel nor spirit : but the Phar-
isees confess both. 9. And there arose a gi'eat cry : and
the scribes that irrre of the Pharisees' part arose, and
strove, saying. We find tno evil in this man : but if a
'spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not jfight
against God.
BMatt. xxii. 23 ; Mark xii. 18 ; Luke xx. 27. i>Chap.
XXV. 25, xxvi. 31. "Chap. xxii. 17, 18. JChap. v. 39.
The multitude — of the associate judges,
who favored each of the two sects. Nor
spirit — spirit, as opposed to angel, means
here the spirit of a man who is dead.
Both — one of these points is the resurrec-
tion, the other is, angels and other spirits.
Scribes strove, disputed violently.
They appear as the champions of their
party, because they were the men of learn-
ing, and accustomed to such debates. We
find no evil m this man. Human passions
were violently inflamed ; nevertheless the
wisdom of God accomplished its great de-
sign. He rules in the midst of His ene-
mies. (Ps. ex. 2). Some, says Paul (Phil,
i. 16, 18), preach Christ, who are influenced
by hostile feelings, still, if Christ is preach-
ed, whatever the motive may be, I will
rejoice. If a spirit or an angel hath spoken
to him. The Pharisees here recollected
the declaration which Paul had made the
day before, respecting the supernatural
appearance of Jesus to him near Damas-
cus, and in the temple, (xxii. 6-8, 18-21).
As such appearances accorded with their
belief, and as they were now arrayed
against the Sadducees, they would, for
consistency's sake, express themselves as
believing in the reality of such commu-
nications from spiritual beings. Probably
they meant not merely to speak of those
two instances, but to profess that they
held themselves ready candidly to con-
sider any views which had, at any time,
CHAPTER XXIII.
1179
been presented to Paul from above. Let
V.S not fight against God. The hostility of
the Pharisees to the Sadducees led them
to assume the appearance of great candor.
Well had it been for them had they acted
on the principle they now appeared to de-
fend. We cannot but be struck with the
similarity of their declaration to that
which Gamaliel made when advising the
Sanhedrim not to persecute the Apostles.
(See V. 39).
10. t And when there arose a great dissension, the
chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been
pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go
down, and to take hini by force from among them, and
to bring him into the castle. 11. And the night follow-
ing, the Lord stood kby him, and said, Be of good cheer,
Paul : for as thou hast testified of me iu Jerusalem, so
must thou bear witness also at 'Rome.
i^Ps. xlvi. 1, 7 ; chap, xviii. 19, xxvU. 23, 34. 'Chap,
xxviii. 30, 31 ; Kom. i. 15.
As the tumult and quarreling continued
to increase, and the person of Paul him-
self began to be in peril, it was necessary
for the chief captain to take care that his
prisoner was not torn from him by the
frantic judges. AVhat could the astonished
man have thought of such conduct on the
part of the venerated assembly ! He was
well aware of the fanaticism of the Jews
in matters of belief, and, lest the members
of the Sanhedrim might in the tumult do
some injury to this man in his (the chief
captain's) presence — a man, too, who
seemed worthy of respect, and had shown
himself to be a Roman citizen — he ordered
a detachment of soldiers to come down
from the castle and to drag Paul from the
midst of them — to take him away by force,
and to take him into the barracks. The
Lord stood by him, &c. The danger was
great, but the comfort, too, was great. We
may very well imagine, that just at this
moment, when, amid all the complications
between the chief captain, the Sanhedrim
and the people, appearances seemed to
point to nothing but a wearisome impris-
onment and hostile plots — despondency
came over the Apostle, and he who had
stood up so boldly before the council now
humbly and meekly implored his Lord for
fresh strength and new life. For as thou
hast testified, &c. As certainly as the former
event (which was long previously indicated
to thee by the Spirit) has now taken place,
so surely shall the other come to pass in
due time. Thou shalt testify as thou hast
before testified, and I will continue to
guide thee. This is the comfort which the
Lord afibrds to His servant, who in all his
weakness is still anxious to testify. In the
two chief cities of the world at that time
— in the city of God and in the city of
Caesar — was this "chosen vessel" to con-
fess and preach the name of Jesus. " If,"
says an old writer, "the Lord standby,
and be graciously present with His ser-
vants, in a sufl'ering hour, it is no matter
how many and how mighty they be that
do withstand them, and appear against
them. No doubt these words, Be of good
cheer. Paid, turned the Apostle's })rison into
a palace, and enabled him to bid a bold
defiance to all the devilish designs of the
Jews in Jerusalem against him, having got
such good security for his safety, even
from God Himself, in the faith of which
our Apostle holily triumphs, saying. If
God be for iis, who can be against us. (Rom.
viii. 31.) That is, none can be against us,
either safely or successfully." We may lament,
it is diificult not to lament, that such mani-
festations as that which Paul received, are
no longer granted, that in our troubles and
difficulties we have no such encouraging
presence of "Him wIkuu having not seen
we love ;" and yet how much more cause
have we rather to rejoice than to repine.
"Lo! I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world;" that blessed promise
is for us, and for our children, a promise
which never has been, and never shall be,
broken to any of the believing followers
of our Lord, while time remains. And such
a promise of spiritual aid and spiritual
presence far outweighs in value any prom-
ise of a personal presence which our Lord
could have vouchsafed.
12. If And when it was day, "certain of the Jews band-
ed together, and bound themselves "under a curse, say-
ing that they would neither eat nordrhik ftill they had
killed Paul. 13. And thev were more than forty which
had made this conspiracy. 14. And they came to the
chief ppriests and elders, and said, We have bound our-
selves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing
until we have slain Paul. 15. Now therefore ye, with
the council, signify to the chief captam that he bnng
him down unto you to-morrow, as though ye would in-
quire something more perfecUy concerning him : and
we, or ever he come near, are ready ito kill him. 16.
And when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in
wait, he rwent and entered into the castle, and told Paul.
17. Then 'Paul called one of the centurions unto n>m,
and said. Bring this young man unto the chief captain :
for he hath a certain thing to tell him. 18. So he took
him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said,
Paul the prisoner 'called me unto him, and prayed me
to bring this voung man unto thee, who has .something
to say unto thee. 19. Then the chief captain took him
by the hand, and went vilh hiyn aside privately, and
asked Awn, What is that thou ha-st to tell me? 20. And
he said, The Jews "have agreed to desire thee that thou
1180
ACTS.
wouldest bring down Paul to-morrow into the council
as though they would inquire somewhat of him more
perfectly. 21. But do thou not yield vunto them : for
there lie in wait for him of them more than lorty men,
which have bound themselves with an oath, that they
will neither eat nor drinlc till tliey have killed him :
and now are they ready, loolving for a promise from
tliee. 22. So the cliief captain then let the young man
depart, ."xnd charged him, .Sec llwu tell no man that thou
hii.st shewed these things to me.
"■Verses 21, 3D ; chap. xxv. 3. "Or, icith an oath of ex-
er.rutioii. oPs. xxxi. la. pHos. iv. 9. qPs. xxi. 11, xxxvii.
:a, 33. i2 Sam. xvii. 17. "Prov. xxii. 3; Matt. x. 16.
•Chap, xxviii. 17 ; Eph. iii. 1, iv. 1 ; PhUe. 9. "Verse 12.
tE.i. siiii. 2.
Although Paul, through the firmness
and timely interference of the chief cap-
tain, was secured from the dangers of the
lawless and infuriated council, perils far
more to be dreaded than open violence
were prepared for the Apostle, by the se-
cret machinations of his enemies. Certain
of the Jews banded together, &c. This con-
spiracy, atrocious as it is, was quite con-
formable to the current maxims of the
time. On any one who was found guilty
of speaking disrespectfully of their law, or
impugning its authority, the traditions of
that corrupt and degenerate age authorized
every private Jew to inflict any measure
of violence he could, whenever he obtained
opportunity, without waiting for the
tedious forms, and the uncertan is.sue, of
a public trial. An offender of this descrip-
tion being considered a greater criminal
than either a thief or a mui-derer, his re-
moval by death was lauded as a merito-
rious and patriotic achievement, and we
need not wonder, therefore, that at a pe-
riod when such sentiments were univers-
ally entertained, men were found, not only
forming the deliberate purpose of assassi-
nation,but informing the leading characters
in the country, and receiving their ap-
probation and encouragement of the bloody
design. This execrable plot was sanctioned
by a solemn and inviolable oath of absti-
nence from meat and drink till the assassins
should be released from their vow by the
death of their victim. Nor was this either
an uncommon, or, on their part, a rash and
impracticable condition, the miscreants
imposed on themselves. In ancient times,
when revenge of insults and injuries was
inculcated and practiced as a part of every
man's duty, it was common for persons
who had such a dark and atrocious design
in view, to bind themselves to its perform-
ance, by voluntarily abjuring for a time
some favorite employment, or submitting
to some particular personal privation, such
as resolving not to sleep till their enemy
had fallen, if they were within reacli of
the object of their pursuit, and not to cut
their hair, to taste wine, or eat flesh, or
some other specified article of food, if they
were likely to be engaged for a consider-
able i^eriod in watching the fit opportunity
of accomplishing their purpose. Even to
this day the Arabs, among whom the prac-
tice prevails for the nearest of kin to avenge
the death of their murdered relatives, and
who will compass sea and land in search
of their victim, often bind themselves not
to eat salt with any one they meet on their
travels, for fear of interposing obstacles to
their discharge of this debt of honor.
Some deny themselves to one enjoyment,
others to another, and whatever be the
sacrifice they resolve to make, they con-
sider the vow sacred, and, at whatever
hazard or inconvenience, to be scruiDU-
lously observed, till the obligation has
ceased with the death of the object of their
pursuit. It was in the true spirit of Arab
revenge that the forty conspirators, who
plotted the death of Paul, bound them-
selves to abstain from food and drink till
that obnoxious individual was out of the
world, and perhaps, as such infamous vows
as those which the accomplices mutually
entered into, were far from being uncom-
mon, and as they could form no certain
calculations as to the length of time they
might take to pei-petrate the intended
murder, the oath by which they bound
themselves, in conformity with Eastern
usages, might extend only to abstinence
from some particular kinds of food and
liquor, although the language of the sacred
historian does certainly convey the idea,
that they imposed on themselves a vow to
abstain from all kinds of refreshment.
When Paul's sister's son, &c. In the method
recorded here, and in the following verses,
by which the purposes of evil men were
thwarted, we find three things which gen-
erally characterize the procedure of Prov-
idence. 1. Simplicity, What was the
agency employed? "Paul's sister's son."
This is all we know of the family of Paul.
Here is a young man, probably uninfluen-
tial and obscure, who does the work. It
has ever been heaven's plan to employ
apparently insignificant means for the ac-
CHAPTER XXIII
1181
complishment of great cuds. 2. Unex-
pectedness. Little did Paul expect deliv-
erance would come from such a quarter.
Means often most unlikely are employed
to accomplish important results. The
waters of heavenly mercy often come to
men from rocky Horebs. 3. Naturalness.
The whole is beautifully natural. It was
natural for Paul's nephew, having heai-d
of the malignant plot, to seek access
to his uncle, and to warn him of it. It
was natural for his uncle to despatch him
to the chief captain to impart the intelli-
gence to him. Thus God does, as a rule,
in His providential dealings with his
people.
23. 1[And he called unto hirn two centurions, saying.
Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Cesarea, and
horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hun-
dred, at the third hour of the night: 24. And provide
thon beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring
him sale unto Felix the governor. Z'y. And lie wrote a
letter after this manner : 2G. Claudius Lysias unto the
most excellent governor Felix scndtth greeting. 27. Thia
"man was taken of the Jews, and sliould have been
killed of them : then came I with au army, and rescued
him, having understood that he w.as a Koman. 28.
And iwhen I would have known the cause wherefore
tliey accused him, I brought him forth into their coun-
cils : 29. Whom I perceived to be accused of questions
yof their law, but to have nothing ^laid to his charge
worthy of death or of bonds. 30. And when »it was told
me, how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent
straightway to thee, and gave ^commandment to his
accusers .ilso, to say before thee what they had against
him. Farewell. 31. Then the soldiers, as it was com-
manded them, took Paul, and brouglit him by night to
Antipatris. 32. On the morrow they left the horsemen
togo witlihim, and returned to the castle: 33. Who, when
they came to Cesarea, and delivered the epistle <:to tl e
governor, presented Paul also before him. 34. And
when thegovernor had readZAe letter, he asked of what
province he was. And when he understood that lif was
of^Cilicia: 35 I will hear thee, said he when thine accu-
sers 'are also come. And he commanded him to be kept
in f Herod's judgment hall.
"Chap. xxl. 33, xxiv. 7. ^Chap. x.xii. 30. yChap. xviii.
1.5, XXV. 19. »Chap. xxvi. .31. averse 20, 21. bChap. xxiv. S,
XXV. 6. cVerses 25-30. ^Chap. xxi. 39. eChap. xxiv. 1, &c.,
XXV. 16. fMatt. xxvil. 27.
Tuv centurions. Though it is not said
exi:)res3ly, the inference is that these offi-
cers were to take charge of the expedition.
fSoldtei'S, who, as they are distinguished
from the other two classes named, must
be the ordinary heavy-armed legionaries.
Spearmen, a species of light-armed troops.
Tlie third hour of the night,i. e., nine o'clock
with us ; it being implied that they were
to march at that hour as well as be ready.
We should read, that ye may briny him safe,
not tJiat they may bring h im safe. Who that
reads of Paul, attended by his military
guard, does not at once think of Luther,
his brother in spirit, his successor in office,
the partner of his fortunes — how he was
taken by armed men, and safely conducted
to the castle of Wartburg ? Felix the gov-
ernor, or procurator, whose residence was
at Cesarea. Antonius Felix was a freed-
man of Claudius Ctesar, the lioman em-
peror, and brother of Pallas, the favorite
of Nero. According to the testimony of
Tacitus, he governed his people with a
servile mind, and indulged in every spe-
cies of cruelty and lust, and he says that
he expected to escape with impunity in
the conimi.ssion of his wicked deed.s
on account of his great power. He had,
at this time, been procurator about five
years, and remained in office two years
longer (chap. xxiv. 27), when he was suc-
ceeded by Porcius Festus. And he vrote a
letter, &c. The letter addressed by Claudius
Lysias to Felix here sets forth the simple
facts which had just occurred in connec-
tion with Paul's history. The letter ex-
tends from the 26th to the 30th verse.
This man was taken of the Jcics, &c. " When
we examine this letter,'* says one, "we
perceive that the pagan writes with more
honesty and equity than the orthodox
Jews speak. And even in our day, Paul
fares better with Lysias and Felix than he
does with those who profess to adhere to
the letter, but who deny the spirit. An-
tipatris. A city built by Herod, and called
in honor of his father, Aniipater. It lay
upon the route from Jerusalem to Cesarea,
about twenty miles from the latter, in a
large fertile plain. Its location was iden-
tified by Robinson, in his late researches in
Palestine and Arabia, The distance w.;s
great for one night's travel, but the Eomaii
soldiers were distinguished for their hardi-
hood ; the march was a forced one, and
the " night " might be used to include a
considerable part of the following day.
And on the morroiv, that is, not on the mor-
row after leaving Jerusalem, as the text
Avould at first sight suggest, but on the
morrow after they arrived at Antipatris —
having taken, in all, part of three days to
accomplish their journey from Jerusalem
to Cesarea. Returned to the eastle, or, bar-
racks. AVhen they reached Antipatris, the
foot-soldiers left and returned to Jerusalem,
whilst the horsemen proceeded with Paul
to Cesarea. The foot-soldiers were no longer
necessary to secure Paul's safety, as they
were forty miles distant from Jerusalem,
and no plot by the way was now to be ap-
prehended. And ivhenthe governor hadread,
1182
ACTS,
&c. This is a participial sentence, being
composed of three participles, literally
translated, "And after reading the letter,
and asking of what province he is, and
learning that he was of Cilicia, I shall hear
you," lie said, &c. Felix does not inquire
whether Paul was a Roman, as this was
stated in the letter, but of what province
he was, concerning which no information
was given. / icill hear thee, or, give a full
hearing. Herod's judgmenthall. The"Pr£e-
torinm of Herod " was the name which the
palace, built by Herod the Great, received
only after it was occupied by the Roman
governors. The Apostle was, as it here
appears, not confined in a public prison,
(probably in consequence of the favorable
statement made in the letter), but was
placed in an ajaartment of the same palace
in which the procurator resided. He was
thus enabled, after escaping the perils of
the road, to perceive the evidence of the
Divine protection which he enjoyed, and
he saw that he was conducted more and
more nearly to Rome, his point of desti-
nation, and, indeed, to his own happy end.
He was strong in faith, and glorified God.
He became more and more firm in his
resolution to deliver his Apostolical testi-
mony, and he w^as well prepared for any
future event. The pauses which the Lord
sometimes allows in our labors and sufler-
ings, are intended to render us similar
services.
1. What did Paul say to the council ? 2. What did the high priest Ananias command ? 3. What did Paul say
to him? 4. How did he answer the charge of reviling God's high priest? 5. What is said of the Pharisees and
Sodducees? n. What did the scribes say ? 7. What did the chief captain command? 8. What occurred on "the
night following?" 9. For what purpose did certain Jews band together? 10. Who told Paul of this conspiring?
11. What did Paul then do ? 12. What did the young man say to the chief captain? 13. What course did the
chief captain pursue ? li Bepeat the letter that was sent. 15. What took place when the epistle was delivered
to the governor ?
CHAPTER XXIV.
1 Paul being accrued hy Tertullxis the orator, 10 ansiver-
ethfor his life and doctrine. 24 He preacheth Chrixt
to the oovernor and his ici/e. 26 The governor hopeth
for a bribe, but in vain. 27 At last, going out of his
office, he Icaveth Paul in prison.
AND after five days, Ananias "the high priest de-
scended with tlie elders, and with a certain orator
named Tertullus, who informed tthe governor against
Paul.— »Chap. xxiiL 2, xxv. 2. bPs. xi. 2.
Time, that is, on the fifth day after Paul's
departure to Cesarea. Ananias. (See on
xxiii. 2.) Orator. This is the only pas-
sage in all Scripture where an orator, and
the term orator occur. Tertullus. He seems
to have been an Italian. Informed, in the
forensic or judicial sense, of which we
have examples in the English terms— m-
former, criminal informtdion, &c. Whether
this information was in writing or by
word of mouth, is not determined by the
narrative, and happily of no importance.
2. And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to
accuse h,m. saying. Seeing tliat by thee wp enjoj- cre.at
qiiielness. and that very worthy deeds are done iintni
this nation by thy providenno, X Wo .-vc-.-nt ,7 alwavs
fiUn^.-VpS, x^ifi'""'" "'""*' ^''"■■'' ''""'' '^" ^'^=*"'^-
Oreat quietness. Except clearing the
country of the Sicarii and other robbers,
Felix was cruel and unjust in his adminis-
tration. Very loorthy deeds, &c. Almost
every word of this oration is false — the ac-
cusation of Paul, the encomium of the
government of Felix, and the declaration
of a lawful intention in what they had
done and attempted.
4. Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious un-
to thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy
clemency a few words,
Of thy clemency, or in thy moderation
and impartiality. A few words. The word
in the original, thus rendered, is an abbre-
viated but intelligible phrase for hear us
speak concisely. This promise, to be brief,
might almost seem to have been caused
by some appearance of impatience in the
procurator, at the prospect of a formal and
elaborate harangue.
5. For we have found this man a pestilent /«7toK', and
"a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the
world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes :
6. W^ho also hath gone about to profane nhe temple :
CHAPTER XXIV
11S3
whom we took, and would have judgod faccording to
Oiir law. 7. Bat the chief Pt-aptain L,ysi:i.s came «po)i
t(v, and with great violence tciok h!ia away out of our
bauds, 8. Commanding his accusers '■to come unto
thee: by examining ot whom, tliyself mayest take
knowledge of all these things whereof we accuse him.
.9. And the Jews also assented, saying that these things
were so.
•iLuke xxiii. 2 ; chap. vi. 13; xvi. 20 : xvii. 6 ; xxi. 8 ;
1 Peter ii. 12, 10. eChap. xix. S7 ; xxi. 23. fJohn xviii.
31. eChap. xxi. 33. bOhap. xxiii. 30.
Pestilent fellow, literally, a pest, a danger-
our man, spreading discontent and di.saf-
fection throughout the body of the Jews.
A mover of sedition, &c., exciting the Jews
to tumults and to rebellion against the
government. Throughout the ivorhl. Paul
had been extensively traversing the Ro-
man empire ; and though Felix had no
jurisdiction out of Judea, yet Tertullus
wished to make out a strong ease, and to
j)rejudice him as much as possible against
Paul. Nazarenes occurs here only as a
term of reproach. (See on ii. 22.) To
2'>rofane the temple. By this the fawning
orator insinuated that as the Romans per-
mitted the Jews to be governed by their
own laws, it was Felix's duty to maintain
them in the possession of this privilege,
which he immediately hinted Lysias had
violated — he came upon us, and with great
violence took him awag out of our hands
(see on xxi. 31), when, as Tertullus pre-
tended, they were to judge him according
to the ecclesiastical law of their nation.
Of whom, rather, him, for none else was
examined.' This accusation of Paul, to-
gether with the circumstances by which
it was aggravated, were all mere fictions,
of which Tertullus offered no evidence,
except the assent of the high priest and
elders, persons who could scarcely be con-
sidered as impartial witnesses, and of what
consequence, therefore, was their base
assertion ? What a contrast is here pre-
sented to the noble defense of the Apos-
tle!
10. Then Paul, after that the "governor had beckoned
unto him to speak, answered. Forasmuch as I know
that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this
nation, I do the more cheerfully janswer for myself:
'Felix, made procurator over Judea, A. J). 53. Jl Peter
iii. 15.
Paul's very preamble stands in remaijc-
able contrast to Tertullus' speech. In it
the Apostle aims to convey some covert
rebuke to the conscience of the hired
orator, and to the Jews who were princi-
pally concerned. This rebuke is convey-
ed with as much plainness as delicacy,
and generally in this preamble, so full of
dignity and so superior to the babbling of
the speech-maker, an efficient ground-
work is laid for the defense which is to
follow. Tertullus commenced with de-
ceitful flattery ; Paul contents himself
with acknowledging the many years' ex-
istence of Felix's official position, giving
him to understand that he was acquainted
both W'ith his person and rule. Tertullus
spoke of gratitude for various praisewor-
thy matters, which in fact had no exist-
ence. Paul, on the contrary, by the
mention of his long-existing title asju.dge,
recalls to his inind the duties and obliga-
tion of his office. Tertullus,.with courtly
affectation, prayed for an indulgent hear-
ing ; Paul, without any such request, de-
clares— as before his judge he had a right
to do — that he will " answer for himself,"
only expressing a kindly expectation of
justice, and the more confidently as he is
speaking before Felix. Tertullus said
much more than he was cognizant of;
Paul utters only what he knew, and could
express without uncourteousness. Ter-
tullus spoke as the hired servant of others,
Paul desires " cheerfully to answer for
himself."
11. Beaiusethat thou mayest understand, that there
are yet but twelve days since I went up to ^Jerusalem
for to worship.— i^Chap. xxi. 15.
Paul meant that as it was only twelve
days since his arrival at Jerusalem, the
crime of which he was accused — namely,
an attempt to profane the temple — must
have been of recent occurrence, and there-
fore could be easily investigated.
12. And thev neither ifound me in the temple disput-
ing with anv'man, neither raising up the people, nei-
ther in the svnagogues, nor in the city: 13. Xeither
can they prove "otho things whereof they now accuse
me.— iChap. xxv. 8, xxviii. 17. "1 Peter iii. 16.
Here is Paul's answer to the charge that
he was a mover of sedition among all the
Jews throughout the Roman empire. To
this he replies that this was a mere asser-
tion, incapable of proof. Before the words
neither in the synagogues, nor in the city, are
to be supplied, " They found me disputing
with any man, or raising up a popular tu-
mult." So that these acts— disputing and
raising up a popular tumult — are denied
with reference to these three places— the
temple, the synagogues, and the city.
14 But this I conftss unto thee, that after the way
which thev call heresy, so nworship I the God of omy
fathers be'lieving all things which are pwntten in the
law and sihe prophets : 15. And have hope noward
1184
ACTS,
God, which thoy themselves also allow that there
sliali be a rcsiirrectiou "of the dead, both ot the just
"'■I'yltAyT'oi Ti.n. i. 3. .Luke xxiv. 27 : chap. xxvi.
22 xxviiU ii. iMutt. xxil. -lu ; Luke xyi. IC ; John i. .4j ;
Thxvxi\i.vi-. lloni. iii. 21. 'Chap, xxiii. 6^c , xxvi. 6,
7 xxViiil 30, Ac .Dan. xii. 2 ; John v. 23, 29 ; 1 Cor. xv.
12-27; Kev xx. 6, 13.
Christianity was stigmatized as a heresy.
But, with whatever odious name itmight be
branded by the Jews, it was not an apos-
tacy from the ancient rehgion of the
country, for Paul continued to worship
the God of his ancestors; and the doc-
trines which he had embraced, although
they were represented by his accusers as
novel and blasphemous, were contained
in their own sacred writings. The Law
prefigured and the prophets foretold Je-
sus Christ and redemption through his
blood. And have hope toward God, &c. The
reason for specifying this article of His
faith, seems to have been his former
avowal of it in the presence of the Sanhe-
drim, which, having caused much conten-
tion among the members of the court, had
probably been misrepresented to Felix.
" If I have declared my hope of the resur-
rection of tlie dead, they cannot consis-
tently blame me, since the same hope is
entertained and professed by themselves."
The resurrection,of the body is not a doc-
trine peculiar to Christianity, but has al-
ways been an article in the creed of the
Jews. It was rejected, indeed, by the
Sadducees, but while in point of number
they were an inconsiderable sect, their
naked and comfortless system was at va-
riance with the faith of the nation, found-
ed upon the promises of God, and was
regarded with detestation by the devout
and sober-minded part of the community.
"With a greater part even of the orthodox
Jews, this hope was nothing more than a
speculative ojiinion, but the life of Paul
was an illustration of its practical effects.
16. And herein do I exercise myself to have 'always
a conscience void of oHense toward God and toward
men.— 'Chap, xxiii. 1.
Paul appeals from those who persecuted
him to the great Ctod, before whom he
had walked in sincerity of heart — from
the multitude of those who were his ene-
mies, to all the rest of mankind, before
whom his conduct had been irreproacha-
ble, and he opposes to the artifice of Ter-
tuUus and the policy of Felix the purity
of his conscien(!e. 1 exercise myself, &c. I
strive, exert myself. In this conscience I
find a witness who clears me, an advo-
cate who pleads for me, a judge who ac-
quits me, and a superior authority which
relieves me from all the injustice men
can do me. In view of the retribution
which will take place at the resurrection
of the just and the unjust, it was the con-
stant study of the Apostle to act such a
part, that his conscience should bear tes-
timony in his favor, and anticipate the
approbation of hfs judge. Whatever opin-
ion, therefore, Felix might entertain of
the grounds of his hope, he could not con-
demn him for adopting a principle which
exerted so salutary an influence on his
conduct. Toward God and toward man. It
is not enough in order to have " a con-
science void of offense," that we be faith-
ful in the duties which we owe to man —
such as rendering to men their due, trib-
ute to whom tribute, being just in our
dealings, true to our word, charitable to
the poor, compassionate to the distressed,
and complaisant to all the world. Neither
is it enough that we attend to the duties
we owe to God — such as being zealous de-
fenders of sound doctrine, constant in
our attendance Ui:)on public worship, regu-
lar at home, in j^raying, praising and read-
ing the Scriptures. There must be fidelity
in both these classes of duty. There can be
no conscience toward men without con-
science toward God, and no conscience to-
ward God without conscience toward man.
The obligations which rest upon us in re-
lation to duties both Godward and man-
ward, rest upon the same foundation —
God's will. We cannot, dare not separate
them. Conscience is sadly defective when
it ignores either the claims of the Sui^reme
Being, or of those of our fellow- creatures,
or makes attention to the one a reason for
neglecting the other. The Emperor Con-
stantius Chlorus, father of the great Con-
stantine, though a heathen prince, indis-
criminately took into his service both
heathens and Christians. One day, with
a view to try them, he commanded all the
Christians of his household either to re-
nounce their faith, and become heathens,
or quit their office. As at all times men are
to be found who acknowledge no other
king but Caesar, and who prefer the favor
CHAPTER XXIV
n£5
of their prince to that of their God, some
of them sacrificed to idols, but others of
them renounced their worldly interests
that they might preserve their religion-
After this what did the Emperor? He
recalled and continued in his service all
those who had been faithful to their God,
and dismissed, with disgrace, those who,
from avarice or ambition, had abjured the
Christian faith. He went upon the suppo-
sition that a man who is a traitor to his
God would never be faithful to his prince.
In like manner it may be affirmed that a
man who is not faithful to his fellow-be-
ings, cannot be faithful to his God. From
this declaration of the Apostle, learn, 1,
That we must, in our several stations, so
far as they enable us to act, seek out for
all proper occasions to exercise our talents,
and this not merely for our own profit,
but for the glory of God and the good of
mankind. 2. That it is our duty care-
fully to examine our hearts and lives, for
how can we possibly know whether we
have a conscience void of offense without
a due inquiry into its real condition? 3.
That we should accustom ourselves to
contemplate the hopes and fears of a gen-
eral resurrection, so as to bring them into
action, as motives of conduct.
17. Now after many years, I oame "to bring alms to
my nation, ami offerings. 18. Wlicreupon certain Jvws
•from Asia found me piirifled in the temple, neither
with multitude, nor with tumult: 19. Who ought to
have been here '^before thee, and object, if thej' liad
aught against me. '-0. Or else let these same here say.
if they have found any evil-doing in me, while I stood
before the council ; 21. Except it be for this one voice,
that I cried standing among thorn. Touching the resur-
rection of the dsad, I am called iu question by you this
dav.
"Chap. xi. 29, 30, xx. 16 ; Rom. xv. 2.5. 'Chap. xxv. 16.
Here the Apostle states, that after many
years of absence, he came to bring alms
to his nation from the Chri.stians of Greece
and Macedonia, and was seen by certain
Jews from Asia, purified or performing his
Isazarite vow in the temple, without any
concourse of people or tumult whatever,
and that they ought to be present (and no
doubt would have been) if they had any-
thing to prove again.st him. But, since
they did not choose to appear, he appeals
to his accusers on the spot, whether he
had done evil while he stood before the
council ; or been guilty of any offense ex-
cept his crying out among them, " touching
the resurrection of the dead, I am called
in question by you this day." .
22. 1 And when Felix heard tlipse things, having
more per(e<-t kiiowlcilge of that way, he di-]crr<>d them
and said. When Lysiiw "the chief cui)tain shall come
down, I win know the uttermost of your mutter. 23
And he commanded a centurion to keep I'aul, and to
ha him have 'liberty, and that he should forbid none of
tils acquaintance to minl-ster or t« coaie unto him.
"Verse 7 »Chap. ixvli. 3.
In the Apostle's short defense every line
speaks truth and integrity. And Felix
was so sensible of Paul's innocence, that
he found it impossible to give sentence
again.st him. At the same time, willing
to gratify the Jews, he would not entirely
acquit and set him free, but deferred any
further hearing till Lysias the chief cap-
tain should come down. This, we are
told in verse 22, which may be more clear-
ly rendered as follows: "Then Felix de-
ferred them, and said, having obtained
more exact knowledge of that way (or
religion) when Lysias the chief captain
shall come down, I will determine your
matter." But we may easily perceive
what impression the business had made
upon his mind ; for although he ordered
him to be detained in custody, yet he
made this as light and easy as possible ;
" he commanded a centurion to keep Paid, and
to let him liave liberty, and that he should
forbid none of his acquaintance to minis-
ter or come to him." Here we have an
instance of a man wanting firmness to do
complete justice, yet endeavoring to make
some amends to the injured person, a case
by no means uncommon in life, proceed-
ing sometimes from fear, sometimes from
interest, sometimes from partial affection,
or other causes, which are sufficient to
turn conscience aside, yet not wholly put
down its awful warnings.
24. T And after certain days, when Felix came with
his wife Drusilla. which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul,
and heard him concerning the Auth in Christ.
After certain days — in which Paul had
been kept in this lenient confinement.
Felix came. It seems he had been absent
a short time, and now came again to
Cesarea. With his wife Drusilla, &c. It
appears from Josephus, that Drusilla was
the daughter of Herod Agrippa, and the
sister of that Agrippa who is mentioned
in chap. xxv. 13. She had been married
to Azizus, king of Emessa : but Felix,
struck with her great beauty, by means of
a wicked Jew, named Simon, who pro-
fessed him.self a magician, persuaded her
to abandon her husband, and marry him,
1186
ACTS,
which she did, though Aziziis had but a
httle before submitted to circumcision,
and so embraced Judaism, as the condi-
tion required, in order to his marrying
her. Josephus adds, that she was after-
ward coMsnmed, together with a son she
had by Felix, in a terrible eruption of
Mount ^'esuvius. To gratify Prusilla's
curiosity, as she was desirous of seeing
and liearing so extraordinary a man as
Paul, as well as to learn himself, from
Paul's own mouth, what were the prin-
ciples of his religion, Felix " sent for Paul ;"
and heard him concerning ihe faith in Christ.
It is here implied that, in preaching the
Gospel, the Apostle availedhimself of the
proper use of reason and argument, ac-
cording to the occasion. He adapted his
manner to the character of those address-
ed : he did this to the Athenian philoso-
phers (Acts xvii.), citing their own poets,
and appealing to Creation and Providence :
with the Jews, as in his epistle to the Ro-
mans he reasoned on Jewish grounds, and
here similarly adapted his moral reason-
ing to the Roman governor.
25. And as he reasoned of Trighteousness, temperance,
•andjudsmeiu "to come, Felix '■trembled, and answer-
ed. Go 'thy way for this time; when I have a conven-
ient season, I will call for thee.
jProv. xvi. 12; Jer. xxii. 15-17; Dan. iv. 27; John xvi.
8. »Prov. xxxi. 4, 5; Dan. v. 1-1; Hos. vii 5. ;1 Peter iv.
4. »Ps. 1. .3, 4; Dan. xil. 2; Matt. xxv. ;n-46 ; 2 Cor. v.
10; Rev. xx. 12. bPs. xcix. 1; Isa. xxxii. 11; Hab. iii.
16: Heb. iv. 1, 12. <^Prov. i. 24, 3; Matt. xxii. 52, xxv.
1-10.
Reasoned. If ever there was any man,
who, in the strength of the Spii it and light
within, might have neglected reason,
which he was so well qutlified to wield,
Paul was that man. If ever there was any
man who, on the .strength of speaking as
the oracle of God, might have expected a
blind assent in his hearers, Paul was that
man. But so far was he from doing this,
that it was his constant aim and effort to
establish the doctrines of revelation by the
arguments of reason. His epistles were not
florid, empty declamation. His discourses
were not loose harangues, made up of
rambling, disjointed observations, nor bold
assertions, abruptly thrown out, and un-
sustained by any show of argument. Nei-
ther ilid he summon to his aid the artifices
of rhetoric, or labor after the embellish-
ments of a gaudy eloquence, which, like
the meteor's flash, might dazzle for a mo-
ment, but leave no ray of light or of heat
behind. But he addressed man as a ra-
tional being, and his great object was to
enlighten the mind, and carry conviction
to the judgment. (See on v. 24.) He
"reasoned," presenting the truth in an ar-
gumentative strain, which he belived to be
best adax)ted to produce the desired effect
of conversion, and bending his whole soul
to accomplish this result, with as much
earnestness as if all depended on himself,
though knowing, as he did, that without
the bl&ssing of God, all his efibrts must be
fruitless.
Of righteousness. This includes truth,
justice and mercy in our outward actions,
as well as the inward disj^ositions from
which they flow, as meekness, long-suffer-
ing, love. (Titus ii. 12 ; Luke i. 75 ; Eph.
iv. 24.) Paul would probably show his
hearers, on this occasion, their want of
righteousness both toward God and man ;
he would show them the necessity of the
imputation of righteousness, or of justifi-
cation before God (Rom. iii. 24, 25), of re-
generation, sanctification, and a conformity
to God (Eph. iv. 22-24; Col. iii. 9, 10), of
practical obedience to His laws (1 John
iii. 7; 1 Cor. vi. 9), and he would likewise
display the excellency and happy eftects
of this righteousness here (Ps. xxxiv. 15,
17, 19; 1 Peter iii. 12, 13 ; Isa. iii. 10, xxxii.
17), and hereafter (Rom. v. 21), as well as,
the way of attaining this righteousness,
that it is through Christ (Jer. xxiii. 6 ;
Rom. X. 4; 1 Cor. i. 30; Gal, ii. 10; Acts
xxvi. 18 ; Phil. iii. 8, 9). Temperance. This,
as to its nature, consists in the due subjec-
tion and government of the body, its mem-
bers and senses, appetites and passions,
including sobriety, continence, and chas-
tity, in which both Felix and Drusilla had
trespassed in tlieir alleged marriage — in
the proper use of all God's creatures, and
not the abuse of them, using them with
moderation, not idolizing tliem, nor rest-
ing in them, being led to the Creator by
them. This would be strange doctrine to
Felix. The excellency and necessity of
temperance are seen, whetlier we regard the
good of our family, the health of our body,
the peace of our mind, tlie favor of God,
or the edification of our neighbor, whether
we regard justice to the creatures, grati-
tude to God for the loan or gift of tliem, or
CHAPTER XXIV
1187
onr own good here or hereafter. Judgment
to come. It is certain tliat there will be a
future judgment. Reason assures us that
virtue and piety ought to be rewarded, and
vice and wickedness punished, but here,
too often, wicked men prosper, and good
men are afflicted. Conscience condemns
us, and creates iu us fears and forebodings
of a future judgment, or apj^roves our ac-
tions, and fills us with confidence and
peace, as we do ill or well. (See chap,
xvii. 31; 2 Cor. v. 10; Rev.' xx. 12.) Jesus
Christ will be the Judge in the future judg-
ment. It will be exercised on man in his
incarnate state. He shall receive accord-
ing to the deeds done in the body. It will
be universal. It will be simultaneous; all
will be judged together. Men, under the
Gospel, will be judged as believers or un-
believers; the heathen, that sinned with-
out law, will be treated according to the
light of natural conscience. It will be sud-
den, as a thief in the night, like the deluge
on the generation of Noah, like the fire
from heaven on the men of Sodom. It
will be final, emphatically the last judg-
ment, from which there can be no appeal.
" Eternal judgment." (lleb. vi. 2.) Ob-
serve the consequence of judgment. (Matt.
XXV. 46, xiii. 48, 49.)
" Eternity, the various sentence past,
Assigns the sever'd tlirimg distinct abodes,
Sulphureous or ambrosial, what ensues ?
The deed predominant ! The deed of deeds !
Which malves a hell of hell, a heaven of heaven.
The goddess, with determin'd aspect, turns
Her adamantine keys, enormous size.
Through destiny's inextricable wards.
Deep driving every bolt, on both their fates.
Then, from the crystal battlements of heaven,
Down, down she hurls it, tlirongh the dark profound,
Ten thousand thousand fathom, there to rust,
And ne'er unlock her resolutions more."
Felix trembled — for Felix was not ignor-
ant of these things; he felt how justly the
Apostle spake — how reasonably and sim-
ply— how sincerely and faithfully. The
truth shook him, but not out of his iniqui-
ties. If a man will hear and take the
Word of God for his standard, he must fear
and tremble when he hears Avhat God says
of man dying an unpardoned and impeni-
tent sinner. Go thy icay, &c. The truth
when believed and felt, will always make
a man dislike either himself or the minis-
ter who sets it forth. " Let me put off the
evil day a little longer : I would fain shake
off my conviction." Here is an old device
of Satan : " You will not die just yet ; have
a little longer pleasure ; go on in thy ways
of vice ; think of it at some future season."
A more free and leisure perio<l to attend
to the things of the .soul, may never come.
It did arrive to Felix, but the opportunity
came without the disposition. He saw the
preacher frecpiently, but no trembling
now, the good feeling was gone forever !
Here we see, 1. The duty of a minister.
Paul neitlier considered the greatness of
the persons before him, nor did he bend
to their taste and notions, nor did he con-
sider his own safety. He preached justice,
to an oppressor, chastit}', to an adulteress,
judgment to come, to a judge on the judg-
ment seat, while he himself was the pris-
oner. Truth will pay no undue respect to
persons. It aims at the conscience. 2.
The force of truth. Drusilla, being a Jewess,
might possibly shroud herself under her
Jewish privileges, but Felix could not thus
shelter himself from conviction, he knew
something moi'e than Drusilla. Greatness
cannot support us against truth. Belshaz-
zar may revel in the midst of his lords and
concubines, yet, if God write upon the
wall, his loins will tremble, his greatness
will not save him.
20. 'i He hoped also that money ^should have been
given him of Paul, that he might loose him : wherefore
he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him.
27. But after two years, Porcius Festus came into Felix'
room : and Felix, willing to shew ^the Jews a pleasure,
left Paul bound.
<iEx. xxiii. 8. eMark xv. 1.5, Chap. xxv. 9.
Behold the deceitfnlness of sin. What mis-
erable evasions are here, when the truth
is so plainly set before him! Nay, worse
than evasions, for he hoped that Paul
would offer him a bribe for his liberation;
but because the Apo.stle would not use
money for this purpose, if he had it, Felix,
willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul
hound. Such is the deceitfnlness of sin,
that many will trifle with God and Avith
their convictions: they will regard their
self-interest and the good-will of men, as
Felix did, more than the truth and the fear
of God. Men are less disposed to that
which is good and has been disregarded so
long. Evil propensities have grown by
continuance. The disease has gained
strength by neglect, and the shrub, by
being left, has become a tree, and is too
radicated to be removed. Ble.ss God if
you tremble at His word, but remember
conviction is not conversion. Depend not
'•■ on excitement in religion, without princi-
118S
ACTS.
pie. Pray that you may tremble to pur- 1 refuge, to lay hold of the hope set before
pose. Let your fear induce you to flee for [ you.
. ™^ • <• ^^.t «,» „/,Tr„rnr,r ae-ainst Paul' 2. What points did Tertullus make In his accusation T 3.
n prraufra^ste 4.'Thardispo"^^^^^ 5- ^^^' co-mand did he give to the
^>ntur on ' 6 When and for ^vhat purpose, did Felix send for Paul ? 7. Of what themes did Paul reason ? 8
>vCwLstheeirect;rFelU 9. Why did hesend for Paul "the oftenerr 10. Who came into Paul's room ?
11. What was Felix wiUing to do, in order to show the Jews a pleasure 7
CHAPTER XXV.
2 TlwJnm r.'-rnac Paiilbrfore Frstus. 8. -H"« answereth
for hiriuflf, 11. niid appealeth unto Ceaar. 14. ^/i^''-
ward I'l-stus openeth hU matter to king Agrippa, 2o,
and he is brought forth. 2-3. Festus clcareth him to have
done nothing worthy of death.
N
OW when Festus was come into the province, after
three days he ascended from Cesarea to Jerusa-
Festus corner into the place of Felix.
From the scriptural narrative, as well as
from Josephus, we infer that he was a
Ijotter man and a more upright judge. His
official life at Cesarea seems to have been
very short. He commenced office in the
autumn of A. D. 60, and died in the sum-
mer of A. D. 62. After three days, &c. Tlie
governors of Judea at this time generally
resided at Cesarea, but Jerusalem was re-
g.irded, for many reasons, as the seat of
influence. Hence they spoke in those
days of ascending or going up to Jeru-
salem.
2. Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews in-
formed him iisainst Paul, and besought him, 3. And
desired favor against him, that he would send for him
to Jerusalem, laying "wait in the way to kill him.
'Chap, xxiii. U, 15.
Tim high priest, or, according to the old-
est copies and the latest critics, the High
[or Chief) Priests, in the plural number.
The actual high-priest, at this time, as we
loarn from Josephus, was not Ananias, but
I.Hhmael, the son of Phabi, nominated to
that office by Agrippa. The chief of the
Jinva. By these are meant the chief-people
of the Jews, and as most of these were
members of the Sanhedrim, the phrase
probably denotes a deputation from that
body. (See chap. xxiv. 1.) Two years had
elapsed since Ananias and the elders had
appeared before Felix to accuse Paul, yet
their enmity against the Apostle had not
decreased. They had found themselves
baffled by the procrastinating spirit of
Felix, but now that a new governor of
greater decision had arrived, they thought
they might succeed better with him, and
as it was his policy to ingratiate himself
with them on his entrance into office, they
had reason to hope that iheir request
would be granted. Desired favor, that is,
requested it as a favor from Festus on his
accession to office. Nothing is more cruel
than false zeal : its rage is heightened by
the suffering of its victims, and confirmed
by years : fortitude and virtue but inflame
it more, being looked upon as new insults
upon its infallible decisions. That he
would send, &c. According to the account
which Festus gave of the transaction, the
Jews first asked that judgment might be
pronounced against Paul, and to this re-
quest Festus replied that it was not the
manner of the Romans to deliver any man
to death before the accused had his accu-
sers face to face, and had opportunity
to answer for himself concerning the crime
laid against him. (Verses 15, 16.) Having
failed in this, they then requested that
Paul might be brought up to Jerusalem,
and there tried. The plea would doubt-
less be, that he was accused of offenses
I chiefly against the Jewish law, and that
I his accusers and the witnesses against him,
were in Jerusalem ; whereas the real pur-
pose was to assassinate him on the way.
1 Laying wait, &c. — forming an ambuscade.
CHAPTER XXV.
1189
4. But Festus answerwl, that Paul should be kept at
Cesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly
thUher. 5. Let them therefore, said he, Which ainoiic
you are able, go down with vie, and accuse this man, iF
tliere be any wickedness in him. 0. And when he liad
tjxrried amonK thiiu i more tlian ton duvs', lie went
down unto Cosan^a; iind tlio next day silUnif on the
judsmenl-seat, coiiimaiidi'd Taul to be'ljroiiK'lit. 7. And
when he was come, llie Jews which came down (Vom
Jerusalem stood rouiul about, and laid many and griev-
ous complaints against Paul, which '•they could not
prove.
I'Not more than eiRht or ten days is regarded bv the
best autliorities as the true text. «Ps. x.t.xv. 11 ; Matt.
V. 11, 12 ; chap. xxiv. 5, IX
Bat Festus answered, &c. God here pro-
tected Paul in u wonderful manner. The
Apostle hunself was not aware of the ex-
tent of the danger from which his life was
again rescued. (Verse 3.) How numer-
ous are the cases in which we have been
protected and rescued, and of which we
shall remain in ignorance until we here-
after stand before the throne of God ! The
expression stood round about indicates the
eagerness with which they crowded around
their long-lost victim. They felt a fiend-
ish pleasure in having him, as they
thought, once more within their reach.
Grievous complaints — a repetition, most
likely, of the charge before Felix, (xxiv.
5,G.)
8. '{ While he answered for himself, Neither ae;ainst
the law of the Jews, neither against tlie temple, nor
yet against Cesar, have I offended anything at all.
\Vhile he, answered for himself. In this
instance Luke gives only a general ac-
count, both of the accusations and of
Paul's defense. But from the words in
this verse, the charges appear to have
been three-fold. 1. That he had broken
the law. 2. That he had defiled the tem-
ple. 3. That he had dealt in treasonable
practices ; to all of which he no doubt an-
swered particularly, though we have noth-
ing further here than the general state-
ment made. Reproach has been the re-
ward of religion and righteousness. The
servants of Christ are happy in their own
Innocence, and their adversaries render
themselves odious by belying them, and
laying that to their charge which every
one can disprove.
9. But Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, an-
Bwered Paul, and said. Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem,
and there bejudged of these things before me ?
Willing to do the Jews a pileasurr. This
was merely to please them, and conciliate
their esteem ; for he knew that as Paul
was a Roman citizen, he could not oblige
him to take a new trial at Jerusalem.
Alhough men, who are not influenced by
the fear of God, may, for a season, pursue
the right path, they can at any time, when
earthly motives are presented, deviate
from it, and act deceitfully. Hence we
should put confidence, not in men, but in
God. (Ps. cxviii. 8, 9.)
10. Then said Paul, I stand at Cesar's jndgmenfc*eat,
where I ought to be judged : to the Jews have I dono
no wrong, as thou very well knowest.
The Roman governors were the emper-
or's representatives; the Apostle, there-
fore, as a Roman citizen, when standing
at the tribunal of Festus, Avas in the place
where "he ought to be judged," but
should he be sent to Jerusalem, to be
tried under the influence of the Jewish
rulers, he would, independently of plots
and conspiracies, be deprived of his priv-
ilege. Nero, who is still infamous, was at
that time the Roman emperor.
11. For if I be an offender, or have committed any-
thing worthy of death, I refuse not to diu : but if there
be none of these things wlieroof those accuse me, no
man may deliver me unto them. I appeal >iunto Cesar,
dChap. xxvi. 32.
If I he an offender — " if I am unjust,"
guilty, i. e., in consequence of past wrong-
doing. If the degree of guilt was such
that he deserved to die, he was willing to
die. I appeal, &c. It is well known that
the Roman law allowed such an appeal to
every citizen, before sentence was passed,
and made it highly penal for any govern-
or, after that, to proceed to any extremi-
ties against the person making it.
12. Then Festus, when he had conferred with the
council, answered, Ha'^t thou appealed unto Cesar?
uuto Cesar shalt thou go.
Festus (little expecting such an appeal,
but bound to respect it) having conferred
with the council (his assessors ii^ judg-
ment, as to the admissibility of the ap-
jjeal), said. Hast thou (for "thou hast")
unto Cesar shalt thou go — as if he
would add (perhaps) " and see if thou fare
better."
13. \ And after certain days, king Agrippa and Her-
nice came unto Cesarea, to salute Festus.
King Agrippa — son of Herod Agrippa,
spoken of in chap. xii. 1, and grandson of
Aristobulus, son of Herod the Great. As
he was but seventeen years of age when
his father died, the emperor Claudius did
not think it proper to appoint him king
of Judea in the room of his father, but
made it a Roman province. However, on
the death of his uncle Herod, he made hini
king of Chalcis, which, after he had gov-
1190
ACTS.
erned it four years, he cxchar.ged for a
greater kingdom, and gave him the te-
trari-hies of Philip and Lysanias,to which
Nero afterward added part of Galilee, with
several tDwns in Porea. Bemice was the
elde.it daughter of Agrippa the First, and
a sifter of Drusilla. (xxiv. 24.) She was
noted for her heauty and her profligacy.
Luke's accuracy in introducing her at this
stage of the history is worthy of remark.
After a brief marriage with her first hus-
band, she became the wife of Herod, her
uncle, king of Chalcis, and on his death
remained for a time with Agrippa, her
brother. She was suspected of living with
him in a criminal manner. Her third
marriage with Polemon, king of Cilicia,
she soon dissolved, and returned to her
brother, not long before the death of the
emperor Claudius. She could have been
with Agrippa, therefore, in the time of
Festus, as Luke represents in our narra-
tive. Her subsequent connection with
Vespasian and Titus made her name
familiar to the Roman writers. Several
of them, as Tacitus, Suetonius and Juve-
nal, either mention her exj^ressly or al-
lude to her. To salute Festus. It was their
visit of congratulation. Agrippa, being a
vassal of the Romans, came to pay his
respects to this new representative of the
power on which he was dependent.
14. And when they had been there many days, Festus
declared Paul's cause unto the king, saying : There is a
certain man lefc in bonfJs by Felix : ir>. About whom,
when 'I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the
ciders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judg-
inynt against him. IG. To whom I answered. It is not
the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die,
Ije.ore that he which is accused have the accusers face
to face, and have license to answer for himself con-
cerning the crime laid against him. 17. Therefore when
fthey were come hither, witliout any delay, on the
morrow I sat on the judgment-seat, and commanded
the man to be brought forth. 18. Against whom, when
the accusers stood up, they brouglit none accusation of
such things as I supposed : 19. But Khad certain ques-
tions against him of their ov^n superstition, and of
one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be
alive. 2U. And bec^ause ''I doubled of such manner of
questions, I asked liim whether he would go to Jerusa-
lem, and there be judged of these matters. 21. But
■when Paul had appealed to be n-served unto the 'hear-
ing of Aug\istus, I commanded him to be kept till I
might send liiiu to Cesar. 22. Then Agrippa said unto
Festus, I would also hear the man myself. To-morrow,
Baid he, thou Shalt hear him.
«Verses2, S. rverseG. eChap. xviii. 1.5. ^Or, T was
douOtJ'ul how to inquire hereof. 'Or, judgment.
To v'hom I ansivered, It is not the manner,
&c. Festus, in this address to Agrippa,
describes his own sense of ju.stice and his
impartial procedure, with much ostenta-
tion. But when we closely examine the
whole transaction, it plainly appears that
he did not express his real sentiments.
We are told in verse 9 that he wished to
confer a favor on the Jews. He was dis-
posed to employ indirect means for deliv-
ering up Paul to them in Jerusalem, and
was prevented from executing his purpose
solely by the appeal made to the Em-
peror. He was a mere man of the world,
who was anxious to be jjopular among all
classes, and he trimmed the sails accord-
ing to the direction of the wind. This is
by nature the evil tendency of us all. We
are very ready to set forth our own merits,
and to justify all our actions, although our
conscience may convict us of many human
infirmities. Observe what base and vile,
what low and undervaluing thoughts, and
apprehension, carnal men have of the
high and holy things of God. Festus here
calls the religion and worship, which was
of God's own institution, most jirofanely
and contemi)tuou.sly by the name oi super-
stition.
One Jesus, &c. " Xotice," says Eev. Robert
Hall, " the contemptuous manner in whicli
Festus speaks of the Saviour of the world,
as 'one Jesus,' which was dead. It is
very remarkable that this one Festus owes
all his celebrity to this one Jesus, for had it
not been for this one Jesus, we should never
have heard anything of this one Festus, for
his name is never mentioned in profane
history." Augustus. This surname was
borne by all the emperors, from Cassar
Oi.-tavianus, who first assumed it. Would
also hear the man mysdf. No doubt but
Agrippa had learned from his father, by
whom, it is to be remembered, James had
been put to death, and Peter imprisoned
(xii. 2, 3), and from many others, some-
thing of the history and pretentions of
Christianity ; so that he would naturally
have a curiosity to see and converse with
so eminent a Christian teacher as Paul
was ; who, on account of what he had been
in his unconverted state, was, indeed,
moi-e regarded and talked of among the
Jews, than any other of the Apostles.
2."?. T And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come.
and Bernice, with great jpomp, and was entered into
the place of hearing: with the cliief captains, and prin-
cipal men of the city, at Festus' commandment Paul
kwas brought forth. JEx. vii. 24. ^Chap. ix. 1.5.
With great pomp. The original word
properly signifies appearance, a lively im-
CHAPTER XXV.
1191
age in the mind, phantasy, but by the
later Greeks it id used to signify pomj),
splendor, parade. What ha.s become of
idl the pompous solemnities of kings and
])rinces at their births and marriages, cor-
onations and triumphs? They are now as
a dream — a mere phantasy. Hence learn
the folly and pride of man, who can glory
and please himselfin the frail and wretched
being he has here, who doats on this poor
natural life, and cannot be persuaded to
think on one higher and more abiding,
although the course of time, and his daily
experience, tell him this truth, that "all
flesh is grass." Into the place of liearing:
in Latin, auJUorium. Either the usual
place where such causes were heard, the
judgment-hall, or perhaps rather the place
of hearing, set ajjart for the present occa-
sion, ChUif captains, or " tribunes." These
were the commanders of the Roman co-
horts stationed at Cesarea. Prindpal men
of tlie city. Among them were the asses-
sor's, or counselors of the governor. (Acts
xxvi. 29, 30.) Thus Paul was brought be-
fore Festus, the representative of Csesar,
king Agrippa, the representative of the
Jews, and all the nobles of Cesarea. Now
was our Lord's prophecy fulfilled : " Ye
shall be brought before governors arid
kings for my sake, for a testimony against
them. (Matt. x. 18.)
24. And Ff'stiis said, King Agrippa, nnd all men
which are liere present with us, ye see this man, about
whom all itlie multitude of the Jews liuve dealt with
me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying mthat he
ought not to live any longer. 25. But when I found
that he had committed nothing "worthy of death, and
that ho liimself hatli appealed "to Augustus, I have de-
termined to send him. 2fi. Of whom I have no cer-
tain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have
brouglit him forth before you, and esiieeially before
thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I
might have somewliat to write. 27. For ritseemeth to
me unreasonable, to .send a prisoner, and not withal to
signify the crimes laid, ag.ainst him.
'Verses 3, 7. ■"C'hap. xxii. 22. "Chap, xxiii. 9, 29, xxvi.
31. "Verses 11, 12. vProv. xviii. 13. John vii. 51.
In the statement which Festus, in in-
troducing Paul, now makes, he vindicates
two things.
1. His personal conviction in the matter.
But vjlwn I found, &c. Here is a strong
testimony to Paul's innocence. Fe-stus had
heard all tJiat the Jews had to say against
him, both at .Jerusalem and at Cesarea, ho
had seen and si)oken to Paul himself; he
had undoubtedly given much attention to
the case, and here, in the open court of
Cesarea, he declares that he had found
" nothing worthy of death," and that he
had no " certain Uivnrj " of which to accuse
him. This indicates —
2. His official embarrassment. Festus was
bound to send Paul to Rome, to the em-
peror, to be tried. Paul had demanded
this, and the request he could not disre-
gard ; but in sending him to the chief au-
thority, whom he calls " my lord," it was
his duty to specify the crimes that he had
committed. But the crimes he could not
find. It scemeth to me unreasonable, &.c. If
Festus had done his duty, and acquitted
Paul, he need not have sent him to Rome;
but now he was bound to send him to
Rome, and here was his embarrassment.
AVhat was he to do? He was unable to
report the case to Nero without crimina-
ting himself. His hope, therefore, was,
that something would come out before
Agrijipa that would solve the difhculty.
Although God sometimes permits his
servants to be loaded with slanders and
reproaches, yet He will find a time to vin-
dicate their innocence, and cause their
veryjudges, if not their accusers, to iiroclaim
them guiltless. And it is no small mercy
to have our reputation freed from those
blemishes which the uncharitable suspi-
cions, or rash censures of men, have cast
ujion us.
1. Who informed Festus against Paul ? 2. What did they desire against him ? 3. What did Festus answer ? 4.
When and where did he command Paul to bo brought before him ? 5. What did Paul answer for himself? &
What did Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, say ? 7. State Paul's reply. 8. What did Festus decide T 9.
When was Paul brought before Agrippa ? 10. What did Festus say before king Agrippa ?
1192
ACTS.
CHAPTER XXVI.
2 JPatU, in the prexrncc of Agrippa, dcclareth his life
from his chilUlujod, VI and how miraculously tie was
convcrUd, and callidto hi.tapostle.ship. 24 i'estuschar-
geth him tu be mad, wlir.Tcunto he answcrcth modestly.
28 Agrippa is almost persuaded to be a Christian. 31
27i« wholt: company pronounce hi7n innocent.
^PHEN ACTippa said unto Paul, Tbou art permitted
1 to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the
bAnd, and auswered for himself:
As king Agrippa occupied the highest
rank in the assembly, as the guest of the
jirocurator, he enjoyed the honor of being
president on this occasion. Hence he
opens the proceedings, and at last breaks
up the meeting. Alas ! that the reign of
evil in our world should be so mighty as
to give tyrants a power over a good man's
tongue. " Fermitted to speak /" AVhy, Paul
had a Divine right to speak, and the world
stands in urgent need of his utterances.
Stretched forth the hand. A becoming ex-
pression of the earnestness of the speaker,
and designed to draw the attention of the
assembly. The eloquent Demosthenes
often used the same gesture with Paul
here.
2. I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I
shall answer for myself this day belore thee, touching
all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews :
It was gratifying to the Apostle to be
permitted to speak at all on this occasion,
for he had much that lay on his conscience
to say, much that would throw light upon
his history and his religion. But it was
especially gratifying to him to be able to
speak on this occasion before Agrippa.
8. Especially, because I know thee to be "expert in all
customs and questions which are among the Jews:
wherefore I beseech thee to hear bme patiently.
»Deut. xvii. 18. 'Chap. xxiv. 4.
/ know thee to he expert in all customs, &c.,
well acquainted with the customs and the
disputes which exist among the Jews.
Agrippa was himself a Jew, and was truly
represented by Paul as having adequate
knowledge of Jewish manners and opin-
ions. His early education in Jerusalem,
in the family of his father, Agrippa the
First, who was a bigoted Jew, his connec-
tion with the sacred treasure, and with the
government of the temple, and his having
a voice in nominations to the priesthood,
must have made him intimately acquainted
with Jewish affairs. The Apostle's open-
ing remarks were adapted to gain the good
will of Agrippa, but he by no means
transcended the limits of truth. Let us
imitate the courtesy of Paul, mingled, as it
was by him, with unswerving fidelity and
truth, without aught of the fulsome or ex-
aggerated in his compliments.
4. My manner "Of life from my youth, which was at
the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know
all the Jews: 5. Wliich knew me Irom the beginning,
if they would testily, that alter the most straltest sect
of our religion, I lived a ^Pharisee.
»2 Tim. iii. 10. dChap. xxii. 3 ; Phil. iii. 5.
Which kncwmefrom the beginning — plainly
showing that he received his education
even from early youth, at Jerusalem. (See
on chap. xxii. 3.) If they would ("were
willing to") testify — but this, of course, they
were not, it being a strong point in his
favor. After the most straitest (" the strict-
est") sect — as the Pharisees confessedly
were. This was said to meet the charge,
that as a Hellenistic Jew he had contracted
among the heathen lax ideas of Jewish
peculiarities.
6. And now 'I stand and am judged for the hope of '
the promise fniade of God unto our fathers: 7. Unto
wliich promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving
cCiOrf hday and night, hope to come. For which hope's
sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.
eChap. xxiii. 6. fOen. iii. 15, xxii. 18, xlix. 10; Deut.
xviii. 15 ; 2 Sam. vii. 12 ; Ps. cxxxii. 11 ; Isa. iv. 2, vii.
14, ix. 6, 7; Jer. xxiii. 5, xxxiii 14-16; Ezek. xxxiv. 23;
Dan. ix. 24; Micah vii. 20; Zech. xiii. 1-7: Mai. iii. 1;
chap. xiii. :;2: Gal. iv. 4. fLuke ii. 37; 1 Thes. iii. 10.
^Kioht a7id day.
For the hope of the promise, i. e., founded
on, excited by the promise ; or, the sense
may be, the hope of its fulfillment. Hade
— given, brought into existence. To
the fathers, i. e., to the patriarchs and to the
intervening generations. Our, which iden-
tifies the speaker with the Jewish race
and Church. I stand and am judged, lite-
rally, stand (or have stood), being tried (or
on my trial). Our twelve tribes. The twelve
tribes are also mentioned in the epistle of
James. (James i. 1.) This is probably an
expression used for the Israelites in gen-
eral, for although ten of the tribes were
carried away into captivity, and appear to
have been lost among the nations, yet the
Jews did not dissever themselves from
the twelve tribes of Israel. Besides,
several of the ten tribes returned with the
tribes of Judah and Benjamin from the
Babylonish captivity (Ezra vi. 17, viii. 35),
and although as a nation they were car-
ried captive to Assyria, yet several re-
mained behind and lived among the Sa-
CHATTER XXVI
1193
maritans. With earrieslness, serving God
night and day, alluding to the zeal and ear-
nestness with which the Jews clung to
their religion, a zeal which has carried
. them through the severest persecutions,
and which still preserves them as ii sepa-
rate i")eople, distinct among the nations in
the midst of whom they dwell, a zeal
which no violence has been al>le to de-
stroy, and no persuasion to overcome.
For, or concerning which hope lam accused
of the Jems. The accusations brought
against Paul by the Jews referred to the
Messianic hope, because he had taught
that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah —
he had preached the fulfillment of the
hope in the risen Jesus. Hence, then,
Paul affirms that he was not chargeable
with apostasy from Judaism. He was no
apostate, but, on the contrarj', a true Jew ;
along with his accusers, he believed in the
promise of the Messiah made to the fa-
thers, but whilst they looked forward to
His advent, he affirmed that He had
already come. Thus, then, in His defense
before Agrippa, as well as in his defense
before Felix, he connects Christianity with
Judaism, affirming that it is its develop-
ment, the legitimate carrying out of its
principles.
8. Why 'Should it be thought a thing incredible with
you, that God should raise the dead ?
»1 Cor. XV. 12, 20.
If this question be considered as ad-
dressed to Agrippa, it is not easy t o perceive
the propriety of it. The resurrection of
the dead was not deemed incredible by
the Jews, in whose Scriptures it is ex-
pressly taught, and who entertained such
conceptions of the power of God, as re-
moved the difficulties with which it seem-
ed to be encumbered. They did not dis-
believe the resurrection of our Saviour
because they judged it to be impossible
but because they counted Him an
impostor, in whose favor it was absurd
and blasphemous to suppose God to have
exerted His miraculous power. "We con-
sider the question, therefore, as addressed
to the Gentile part of the audience, to
whom the resurrection did seem incredi-
ble. As it was a doctrine of great impor-
tance in the Christian system, Paul was
careful in this stage of his discourse
to obviate an objection against it, which
arises from the complete destruction of the
boily in the grave. How can it be be-
lieved that its parts, which are separated,
decomi)osed, and in appearance annihilat-
ed, shall be collected together, and
arranged in their original order; and that
it shall live again, after an interval of liun-
drcds or thousands of years? He reminds
the Gentiles that, however stninge it may
seem, the event ceases to be improbable, as
soon as we reflect upon the agent, to whose
power no limits can be assigned. He who
created the body of man is undoubtedly able
to restore it, after it had been blended
with its native elements. Nothing which
may be done is impossible to Omnipotence ;
no effect, how much soever it may surpass
the common operations of nature, should
be accounted too wonderful to be believed,
when God has declared His intention to
produce it. " Ye do err," said our Lord to
the Sadducees, " not knowing the Scriji-
tures, nor the power of God." If we had
a lively hope of a resurrection and future
life, what influence it would exert over
us ! What a new color it would give to
the whole of our present existence, did wo
realize in very truth a coming heaven
when we die.
9. I jverily thought with myself, that I ought to do
many thinu'S contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazar-
eth.—Jl Tim. i. 13.
/ verily thought, <kc. I seemed to myself —
thought. The pronoun oi^poses his own
to another and higher judgment. This
same act in which Paul gloried at the time
appeared to him as the crime of his life
after he became a Christian. In 1 Cor.
XV. 9, he declares that he " was the last of
the Apostles, that he was not meet to be
called an Apostle, because he persecuted
the Church of God." The blessed change
which Jesus had affected in his soul, was
to him a perpetual miracle, he could not
forget the grace which had been granted
to him. (See 1 Tim. i. IG.)
10. Which thing I also did in •■Jerusalem : and many
of the saints did I sluit up in prison, having received
authority ifrom the cliief priests, and when thev were
put to death, I gave my voice against Hum. 11. "And I
punished tliem oft in "'every synagogue, and compelled
them to blaspheme ; and being exceedingly mad against
them, I persecuted tlu~/n even unto strange cities.
kChap. viii. 3 ; Gal. i. 13. 'Chap. ix. H. ""Chap xxil.
19.
Of the sai7its. So he terms the Chris-
tians, appropriately to the beginning of
his speech, u.sing a term transferred to
them from the Jews, /—emphasis. Hav-
1194
ACTS,
i7ig received, &c.— speaking as to his audi-
ence, not his judges. Authority, literally, the
autliority. The article signifies that Paul
could not have done this without the
authority, and that the chief priests gave a
general authority to all who wished to
persecute. / gave my voice, some read, gave
in my vote. Synagogue— oi J emsalem. Com-
pelled tliem to blaspheme. This was the
saddest of all. Mad. In the same chap-
ter, Paul confesses and denies madness in
himself. (Comp. verse 25.) While he was
mad, indeed, no one suspected him of it,
but when in his right mind, then Festus
taxeth him of madness.
!•> Whereupon !\s I went "to Damascus, with authori-
itv and commission from the chief priests ; 13. At m\a-
Uay O kiM«, I suw in tiie way a light from heaven
above tlie briKhtncss of th.- sun.shmmg round about
me, ami them wliirh joiuncycd with me.
■"Chap. Is. 3, ou which see notes.
At midday. Here, as in xxii. 6, the
time of the day when this occurrence took
place is particularly mentioned. This may
be intended either to remind the hearers
that this was no nocturnal vision, but an
incident occurring in the blaze of noon, or
as a vivid recollection which would natu-
rally dwell upon the mind of the chief
actor, although just as naturally passed by
in the narratives of others. A light from
heaven, &c. This light was not indebted
to a surrounding obscurity for any part
of its luster; on the contrary, it shone
forth at midday with a splendor that
eclipsed the beams of a meridian sun. It
was the light of Divine glory which Saul
beheld on this occasion, that light unap-
proachable, in which Jesus Christ contin-
ually dv/ells. It was of the same nature
as that which John describes in his vision,
when he says, " His countenance was as
the sun shining in liis strength." It was
that light in which He will appear when
He comes to judge the world, " and every
eye shall see him." Much as the pro-
phets and Apostles have said of the glory
of Chri.st, it is impossible for us to form an
adequate conception of it ; the full revela-
tion of it is reserved for a future state,
when, if we are true Christians, " we shall
be lilvc Him, for we shall see Him as He is."
(IJohn iii. 2.) How short is the transi-
tion between this and the unseen world !
How soon, when God pleases, can He trans-
port His creatures into higher scenes of exis-
tence ! It is but for Him to draw aside the
veil, and objects are presented to the view,
compared to which whatever is most admir-
ed on earth is mean and contemptible. Ev-
ery moment we stand upon the confines of
an eternal state, and, without dissolving
the connection between soul and body,
God can open a passage into the " heaven
of heavens." Why should we doubt of
good men's being admitted into the more
immediate presence of Christ at death,
when we consider what Saul was permit-
ted to see and hear before he was finally
removed from this world? Stephen be-
held the heavens open, and the Son of
man standing at the right hand of God ;
and Saul, in the transaction before us, was
permitted to see that Just One, and to
hear the words of His mouth.
14. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard
a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew
tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? it ix hard
lor thee to kick against the pricks.
Why persecutest thou me f It will be observ-
ed that Jesus identifies Himself with His
disciples, He makes their cause entirely
His own,and considers what is done against
them as against Himself. He and be-
lievers, notwithstanding the immense dis-
parity of their circumstances, are one. He
is touched with a feeling of their sufferings
and whatever insults or reproaches are
offered to them for His name's sake. He
feels and resents as done to Himself. Let
those who are tempted to insult and de-
spise the followers of Chri.st on account of
their conscientious adherence to Him, re-
member that their scoffs and insults reach
higher than they may apprehend ; they
will be considered as falling on their Sov-
ereign and their Judge. It is hard for thee
to kick against the pricks. He compares
Paul to the bullock unaccustomed to the
yoke, who, in order to free himself, wounds
himself by kicking against the goads. Thus
fruitless is all opposition to the cause of
Christ. It will be injurious, it will be de-
structive to ourselves if not desisted from,
but can never eventually injure the cause
against which it is directed. The heathen
may rage, and yet " the Lord hath set His
King upon His holy hill of Zion," and there
will forever continue to sit. (Ps. ii. 6 ; Isa.
viii. 14; Luke xx. 18.)
C HATTER XXVI.
1195
15. Anfl I said, Wlio nrt thou, Lord? AnJ he sjiid, I
am Jesus whom thou persecutost.
Whom thou persecutest. ' (See on verse 14.)
16. But riso, and stand upon thy foot : for T h.ivo np-
pearoil luito tluo for lliis purposr" lu niako Uno u "min-
ister aiidiii'wilni'ss li.it 1 1 ol'Uirso thiiit,'^ whii-li tlimi Ijii.st
Seen, and ol' those tliiiiL,'s in tlio wiiicli 1 will iii)i)i'ar
unto thee; 17. Delivering thee frimi the jjiMiph;, and
/7-oni the Gontilos, unto iwhom now I send tlieo ; is. To
open 'their ey<w, and to 'turn Ihirii Ironi darl;ne>» lo
lii^ht, and /com the power 'of Satan unto Ood ; that they
may receive lnrt;ive)ie,ss"ofisins,and ^lll^ritant■^■^ among
them wliich are "sanetilied, by lailh Mhat is in ine.
'Kph. iii. 7. I'ol. i. ZJi, 25. pC'liiip. xxii. 15. ^Chap. xxii.
21. 14om. xi. 13. risa. xxxv. 5, xlii. 7. "Luke i. 71): John
viii. 12; 2 Cor. iv. 6: Eph. 1. 18. 'Col. 1. 13; 1 Peter ii. y.
"Luke i. 77 ; Eph. 1. 7 ; Col. i. 14. vEph. i. U ; Col. i. 12 : 1
Peter i. 4. "John xvii. 17: chap. xx. 32; 1 Cor. i. 30;
Rev. xxi. 27. ^Eph. U. 8 ; Heb. xi. U.
But rise, &c. " The Lord killoth and
maketh alive — Ilebringcth low and liftctb
up — He raiseth them that are bowed down."
(1 Sam. ii, 6, 7; Ps. cxlvi. 8.) The same
evangelical word was addressed to the three
disciples on the holy mount, when they
heard the voice out of the cloud, and fell on
their faces. (Matt. xvii. 7.) And Saul, too,
arose, in order to .stand, by the power of
Jesus Christ, unto this day. (Verse 22.)
To make thee a minister, &c. It is evident
this commission was given to Paul by our
Lord, at the time of his conversion, though
not mentioned in Uie compendious narra-
tive of that event, (ix. 15, IG.) Ulsc, &c.
The words make a part of the sentence in
which Christ bids him rise from his aston-
ishment, into which his api^earance to
him, in the way to Damascus, had thrown
him. A minister and a u-itness may be un-
derstood as a generic and specific expres-
sion of the same idea, one who ministers
by witnessing, or each term may have its
distinct meaning, one who administers and
one who testifies. Delivering thee from the
people — from the Jeivs — ciyid from the Gen-
tiles, put here in oi:>position to the Jev:s;
and both meaning mankind at large, where-
soever the providence of God might send
him. But he was to be delivered from the
malice of the Jews, that he might be sent
with salvation to the Gentiles. To open
their eyes. Although, no doubt, amidst the
many other miracles which he performed,
the Apostle gave sight to some who were
literally blind, yet these words, like those
spoken of Christ's mission (Isa. xlii. 7),
are evidently to be understood of tho.se
spiritually blind, through inattention, un-
belief (2 Cor. iv. 4), prejudice, superstition,
love of the world, fleshly lusts, or wicked
habits of any sort. To turn them from, dark-
nessiolitjhl. The heathen, even the learned
Greeks and liouian.s, were in a state of
great darkness, i. e., ignorance and error,
as to sj)iritual and Divine things in gen-
eral. By the proacliing of the Gospel, and
the influences of the Spirit, men are trans-
luted from this darkness. And from the
power of I'ilutan unto God. Satan, who i.s
" the prince of darkness," " the ruler of the
darkne.ss of this world" (Eph, vi. 12), ob-
tains his power over mankind mainly
through their ignorance. The Gospel, by
enlightening men, and bringing them to
repentance, by conviction, humiliation, re-
generation, rescues them from Satan's
power, and brings them to the knowledge,
not merely speculative, but experimental
and saving, implying the fear and love of
God, and obedience to Him. That they
may receive forgiveness of shis. They do not
merit this as a reward or debt, but they "re-
ceive " it as a free gift, the effect of Divine
mercy and grace (Titus iii. 4, 5), obtain-
ed through Christ's sacrifice and interces-
sion (Piom. V. 9, 10), proclaimed in the
Word (Acts X. 43, xiii. 38, 3'J), received
" by faith that is in Christ " (see John iii.
14-18, Gal. ii. IG), and sealed on the heart
and conscience by the Holy Spirit (Eph. i.
13). This is the same with justification,
and is attended by peace with God, the
Divine favor, adoption, the spirit of adop-
tion, deliverance from the fear of death,
a lively hope of the heavenly inheritance,
gratitude, joy, patience under present
trials, purity of heart and life. And inher-
itance among them wliich are sanctified by
faith that is in me. Note, FaiiJi is here
made the instrument of salvation at once
in its first stage, forgiveness, and in its last,
admission to the home of the sanctified, and
the faith which introduces the soul to all
this is emphatically declared by the glori-
fied Redeemer to rest upon Himself — " Faith,
even that wliich is in me." And who that
believes this can refrain from casting his
crown before Him, or resist offering Him
supreme worship ?
19. Whereupon, O king Acrrippa, I was not disobedi-
ent unto the heavenly vision : 2o. But sliewed .'first
unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and through-
out all the coasts of Judea, and thru to tlie Gentiles,
that they should repent and turn to (Jod, and do works
imeet for repentance.— JChap. ix. I'J, <SiC. 'Jlutt. iii. S.
^yhlreupon — I was not disobedient. Paul
now speaks of his resolution to obey the
1196
ACTS.
Livine call, and of the labors in which he
subsequently engaged. He ascribes his
obedience to the Divine character of the
appearance which he had seen, but es-
pecially (if we also refer to the words
which immediately precede), to the na-
ture of the precious office which was in-
trusted to him. He could not resist this
heavenly call, he says, because this pre-
cious office was conferred on him by Divine
authority— an office by which many thou-
sands of benighted souls were to be en-
lightened and made partakers of the in-
heritance of the saints in light. (Col. i. 12.)
Surely if all teachers would diligently
consider what eternal glory they could
give to God, and how great a salvation
they could secure for themselves and for
others, they would become more diligent,
more faithful, and more obedient. Works
(acts, habits) meet for, or worthy of, repent-
ance, not merely consistent with it, but
suited and proportioned to it, both as its
necessary fruits, and as proofs of its exist-
ence and sincerity. This varied yet har-
monious statement of Paul's great commis-
sion may throw light also on the minis-
terial work in general, and on that of the
missionary in particular.
21 For these causes the Jews ^caught me in the tem-
ple and went aimut lo kill me, :'i. Having therelbre
obtained help of Ciod, I continue unto this day, witness-
ing both to small and Rreat, saying none other things
than those which Hbe prophets and Moses did say
should come: 23. That Christ sliould sufier, coid that
he should be the first cthatsliould rise from the dead,
and should shew light unto tlie people ; and to the Geu-
aChap. xxL 30. ^Luke xxlv. 27, 46. <:1 Cor. xv. 23.
Observe with what thankfulness the
Apostle owns and acknowledges the mer-
ciful providence of God in preserving
him both from the fraud and force of his
enemies. Having therefore obtained help of
God, I continue unto this day. And how
did the sense of Divine goodness upon his
soul stimulate him to go on with his work,
declaring no other thing concerningChrist,
but what Moses and the prophets had fore-
told of Him, namely, that He should be
put to death, and should be the first that
should rise again by His own power, and
be the author of our resurrection. Note
here, that the sufferings of Christ were
taught by Moses in all the commands
given about sacrifices, and not by Moses
only, but by the prophets also, particular-
ly the Prophet Isaiah (chap, liii.), the
evangelical prophet and prophetical evan-
gelist, who wrote as clearly of Christ's
coming as if He had then a,lready api^ear-
ed. From this the Apostle argues how
black the wickedness of the Jews was,
who sought to kill him for preaching the
same doctrine which Moses and the pro-
phets had taught before him.
24. 1 And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said
with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself, much
learning doth make thee <'mad.-''i2 Kings ix. 11.
Festus, who, no doubt, had sat in mute
astonishment at the declaration of truths
which to him must have been completely
unintelligible, could no longer keep si-
lence, when he heard the Apostle assert
that the crucified Nazarene had risen from
the dead, and that this was the incredible
fact for which he was hazarding his life.
He burst forth before the whole assembly
with the declaration which, in all proba-
bility, spake the honest conviction of his
heart — Paid, thou art beside thyself, &c. The
charge against Paul was mental derange-
ment. Festus did not denounce him as a
hypocrite or a knave, but rather as a brain-
less fanatic. How extremely natural a
result for such a mind to arrive at I A
man evidently capable of great things, an
educated man, a well-connected man, a
talented man, and more than all in the
eyes of Festus, a Eoman citizen — such a
man, at one time voluntarily traversing
the earth, from city to city, and from
country to country, at another, dragged
from prison to prison — for the sole pur-
pose of declaring a fact which Festus
imagined no one in his senses could be-
lieve, and inducing others to give up
every preconceived opinion, and to agree
with him' in honoring and obeying this
dead, but as he asserted, risen and living
malefactor — if this were not insanity, Fes-
tus was acquainted with no principle suf-
ficiently powerful to induce such a result.
This is precisely the judgment which the
world passes secretly upon every man in
every age, who really and conscientiously
follows the Apostle's example. There is
always in the mind of worldly men, when
judging of the conduct of the true and con-
sistent followers of the Lord Jesus Christ,
a certain indefinite suspicion that all is
not right with them ; that if they really
CHAPTER XXVI,
1197
are not hypocrites, a very difficult fact to
establish in the minds of their enemies,
they are certainly of very weak and ques-
tionable judgment ; and -while the ungodly
portion of the Avorld may exercise too
much courtesy to say, " Thou art beside
thyself," it fully believes, and does not
hesitate to insinuate, that the mind, so
deeply interested in the things of God as
to prefer eternity to time, the promise of
the future to the enjoyn:ient of the present,
has lost its balance, and should be no
guide to them in seeking the way of ever-
lasting life.
25. But he said. I am not mnd, mostnoblo Festu.s, but
speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
Paul had previously said, in verse 11,
that once in his life he had been " mad,"
but now the clear light of his preaching is
reviled by one whose eyes were not yet
opened. What doe.s he do ? He brings
forward the simple counter-proof in calm
and well-ordered language, in which he
ceases to address Agrippa for the i^resent,
and turns to Festus, with whom the
whole speech had its due weight. To the
charge — "These men are full of new
wine," Peter answered in the name of all,
" These are not drunken." (ii. 15.) Just
so Paul now replies, I am not mad. The
Master had Himself supplied the model
for such a reply, when He said to the Jews
" I have not a devil." (John viii. 49.) As
a proof of what he says, now ffdlows the
humble and jjroper address. Most noble
Festus! — a fitting parallel to the previous
address — " King Agrii^j^a." Thou seest
that I know well before whom I am stand-
ing, and that I am quite in my senses ! I
speak forth the words of truth and soberness,
even now, at this moment, while I am
calmly maintaining the fact. My words
are words of truth as regards their purport,
and of soberness (a contrast to nonsense) in
their form and style: this is a two-fold
counter-assertion, answering to Festus'
implied two-fold accusation. Bj' these
two words Paul makes a profound distinc-
tion between the sid>ject of his testimony
and Ms own personality, and declares that
he testifies quite reasonably of something
existing, and is not speaking of some fa-
natical idea which was only to be found
in his own feelings.
20. Fortlmkinsknowotli of these thincrs.beforn whom
also I spiiuk tic-ely : lor I am persuaded that none ol'
these tilings are hidden from him; lor this thing wa.^
not done in a corner.
The Apostle declares that his discourse
would bear the test of the severest exam-
ination. And in confirmation of this as-
sertion, he appeals to the king, before
whom he spoke with freedom, persuaded
of his qualifications to judge in the matter.
Agrippa was a Jew, knew the sacred writ-
ings, and could not be ignorant of the
events connected with Christianity, for
these things were accomplished in the
view of the public. For this tldng was not
done in a comer, Tiiis indeed is the best
test of truth, and what distinguishes the
religion of the Bible from all religions in
the world : for there never was one be-
side it, in which deceit, disguise, false pre-
tenses, and gross iinpositions, were not
practiced ujion the multitude ; whereas in
this, everything was done openly, chiefly
before enemies the most subtle and mali-
cious, who never slackened a moment in
their vigilance, yet never either in our
Lord or His Apostles were able to dis-
cover the smallest appearance of craft, or
any tendency to hidden arts. They, who
preached His resurrection, were enabled
to support their testimony by stupendous
miracles in the face of thousands: so that
if theise had not been favored with the
sight of our Lord after He rose from the
grave, they were yet favored (infinitely
above what they had cause to hope) with
undeniable evidence of the fact itself. In
the same manner Paul confirmed the ac-
count of his own conversion, and of hav-
ing seen the Lord. What better proofs
then could be required? And how well-
known and admitted must the facts have
been, when the Apostle ventures to call
upon Agrippa, an unconverted Jew, for
his conviction of their truth.
27. King Asrrippa, believest thou the prophets ? I
know that thou believest.
The courage and confidence here shown
proceeded from a vivid persuasion of
Agrippa's knowledge of the facts and faith
in ihe predictions which they verified: and
the king's reply is the highest testimony
to the correctness of these presumptions
and the immense power of such bold yet
courteous appeals to conscience. This
1198
ACTS.
passage may be thought, in every quality
of fine writing, equal to anything to be
found in Demosthenes, or any of the an-
cient orators.
28. Then Agrippasaid unto Paul, Almost thou ^per-
suadest me to be a Cliristiun.— «Jiimes i. '..3, ^.
■ There is not the slightest reason for inter-
preting this language of Agrippaas an irony.
To do so, would be to suppose him very un-
reasonably a nd absurdly ludicrous. Such an
interpretation, moreover, would be in di-
rect conflict with the Apostle's apprehen-
sion of his case, for it is evident from his
answer, and from the seuse in wdiich he
there uses "almost," in opposition to " al-
together," that he understood the king to
mean seriously that he was almost persua-
ded, and consequently that he did mean
so. Paul had an advantage with Agrippa,
which he had not on a former occasion
when reasoning with Felix. He had now
to deal with one who recognized the
Scriptures; acknowledged tliat God had
revealed Himself to mankind. Agrippa
had that general belief in the Divine
word which such men commonly have
when brought up in a country where it is
professedly received, and God is avowedly
worshiped. They are by no means pre-
pared to deny the truth of revelation, any
more than they are disposed to act as if
it were true. Still, as Agrippa, when
pressed closely by the Apostle, could not
deny that he believed the prophets, so in
our own land, and in our own day, a belief
rests upon the minds of many, though it
does not influence the heart. And in
time of trouble, of danger, of distress, they
are ready to say as Agrippa did. They
commence, perhaps, some plans of refor-
mation, they abstain from practices which
conscience condemns, and enter upon a
course of life more consistent with Chris-
tian faith. But, alas, they illustrate the
momentarjr feeling upon Agrippa's mind,
when he said, Almost thou pcrsuadcst me to
be a Christian.
29. And Paul said, I would fto God, that not only
tliou, hut also all that hear me this day, wore both al-
most, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
U Cor. vil. 7.
The words of Agrippa excited an affec-
tionate emotion in the heart of Paul, while
the thought arose with him.— Almost a
Christian! That profiteth little! Oh
that king Agrii)pa were indeed a Chris-
tian I
To be almost a Christian, only shows that
truth has been neglected or resisted.
'' This is the condemnation, that light hath
come into the world, and men love dark-
ness rather than light, because their deeds
are evil." Agrippa is himself an example.
Before what passed at this examination of
Paul, he probably knew little of the
Christians, except that they were a sect
called Nazarenes, and " everywhere spok-
en against." Now he knew what they
believed, and on what their belief was
grounded. Now he knew that they rested
their faith on the very law and prophets
which he himself confessed to be from
God. But instead of yielding to con-
science, and apjiointing a time when he
might hear Paul again of this important
matter, he rises up, and dissolves the
assembly. Because on the instant it would
cross his mind, that to become a Christian
would be the destruction of his worldly
prospects, and involve the new-modeling
of his whole life. Therefore the move-
ment of his conscience was but the turn
of a thought, the feeling of a moment ;
like the spark which blazes up, and on
which at the same instant a drop of water
falls, and it is extinguished. But it has
f.hown that there is something within,
something which we should not have
been aware of if the spark had not betrayed
it; sometliing which might have grown
up into a continuing and steady flame, if
means had been used to foster and not to
cjuench it. When account is given " of
the things done in the body," account
must be given of the perverseness, the
sinfulness, the hardness of heart, which
checked that rising flame.
This would furnish just cause for Paul's
passionate exclamation, and his prayer
that Agrippa might be altogether a Chris-
tian. Not only almost but altogether. Pie
could be nothing else, if he were a Chris-
tian at all, in any proper or available
sense. Tliere is no mid-way. To be a
Christian is to have sought acceptance
with God through Christ, and to be look-
ing for salvation through faith in Him.
1 This admits of no middle course. If <'.i3
CHAPTER XXVI.
1199
is accused before men, there is no middle
course; he must be either innocent or
guilty, and must j)leud either the one or
the other. So it is at the bur of God.
Either we are trusting in ourselves tliat
we are righteous, or because we are not
righteous, we are trusting in Clirist, who
has made propitiation for our sins. There-
fore there can be no mid-way as to faith,
no meaning in being almost a Cfinstian.
Neither as to practice, can there be a mid-
dle course. Because either we are seeking
" first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness," or we are seeking this
world first; that is, preferring it, wherever
the interests of the one clash with the in-
terests of the other. We cannot at the
same time love God most, and mammon
most. Either we are yielding to some
desires, and habits, and temptations con-
tcary to the Gospel, or we are rejecting
and opposing these, as they must who are
altogether Christians, and bringing every
thought, and word, and deed into obedi-
ence to Christ. Such must be their jjur-
pose and endeavor. Not because to be
altogether a Christian a man must be
altogether perfect, but because he must
be altogether sincere in aiming at perfec-
tion, and allowing himself in nothing short
of it.
This was the state of Paul's own heart ;
and knowing the comfort whioh he de-
rived from the consciousness of this, and
the blessed consequence which should
follow, he earnestly desired that both
Agrippa, and all before whom he was
pleading, might be nothing less :' might
be not only almost but altogether Christians.
Agrippa, however, had now heard
enough to satisfy his curiosity, and too
much, perhaps, to maintain his ease of
mind ; and he would hear no more.
30. H And when he had thus spoken, the. king rose
up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that .sat
with them. 31. And when they were gone aside, they
talked between themselves, saying. This man doetii
nothing worthy of death or of bonds. 32. Then said
Agrippa unto Festus, Tliis man might have been set
at liberty, If he had not appealed unto Casar.
The king rose up, &c. King Agrippa,
like Felix and Festus, like his ancestors in
the sacred story, flits now from the scene.
Nothing came, we believe, of this strange
interview between light and darkness, be-
tween sin and the Gospel. Agrippa kept
his useless idle faith iii Jewish Scriptures,
kept, too, his heart's lusts, his obscene
idol ; his earth-bound life. Times of trial
drew on. In the last Jewish wars he
sided with the Romans, and then retired
to drag out an inglorious age, through
thirty uneventful years, with a titular
royalty, and in real servitude, under the
imperial shadow of Rome. In the year
of our Lord 100, being the third year of
the Emperor Trajan, he died there, t)ie
last prince of the blood-stained race of
Herod. Yet, like all whose names, for
good or for evil, are once stamped upon
the holy page, Agrippa remains to all
time for the edification and instruction
of the Church which he despised. The
court leaves Paul. The king, and all who
heard him in the court, withdrew from
him, never perhaps to see him again in
this world. But he has not done with
them. His thoughts Avill tell forever on
their destiny. He will live in their mem-
Tory, he will meet them in another court.
TJiis man docth nothing, &c. The reference
here is to the general tenor of Paul's life,
his general character and views. His
defense had the natural effect of impress-
ing his judges with a sense of his inno-
cence.
Faithful servants of Jesus are grieved
when they perceive that their discourses
produce no other fruit than that the
hearers say : " The preacher is a good
man," or, "he has spoken well." And
yet, such is here the experience of the
holy Apostle. After he had testified of
Jesus Avith the utmo.st sincerity, joy and
power, and had with so much confidence
opened his heart to all the hearers, whose
salvation he earnestly desired, they all
arose, conversed together, and at last
said : " That is a good man." Should they
not have learned much more, on far more
important subjects, from his discourse?
Such is the world.
If he had not appealed vnto C'ccsar. The
appeal to Cresar had placed him beyond
their jurisdiction : they could now neither
condemn nor acquit him, but had to refer
■ the matter simply to the emperor.
1200 ACTS.
1. What did Agrippa say to Paul ? 2. What did Paul then do ? 3. What did he say ? 4. Bepeat his defense ?
5. What did Festus say with a loud voice? 6. What was Paul's reply ? 7. What did Agrippa then say unto
Paul ? 8. What is it to bo a Christian ? 9. What was Paul's answer to Agrippa ? 10. What was the result of the
consultation between the king, the governor, and Bernice, and those that sat with them 1
CHAPTER XXVIT.
1 Paul nhipping ioivard Rome, 10 foretellrth of the dan-
ger of the voyage, 11 but it is not believed. 14 TTiey are
tossed to and fro with tempest, 41 and suffer shipwreck,
22, 34, 44 yet all come safe to land.
AND when it was determined that we should sail
Into Italy, they delivered 'Paul, and certain other
prisoners, unto one named Julius, a centurion of Au-
gustus' band.— »xxv. 12, 25.
And. No packet ships or steamers in
this, the palmy time of imperial Rome,
crossed the sea at regular intervals, but
the waters had been cleared of pirates, and
from various directions a plentiful current
of commerce tended to the Roman capi-
tal. Even consuls and emperors were
obliged in crossing the sea to avail them-
selves of the merchant vessels, which were
of a size hardly inferior to the same class
of ships at the present day. Determined.
The path in which believers walk often
seems indeed to be determined by acci-
dent, or by the caprice or will of men,
nevertheless, it will always be found to be,
in reality, in strict accordance with the pro-
mises of God. The "n'e" includes Luke the
historian, and Aristarchus a Macedonian
Christian. Who the other prisoners were,
or what their crimes, we are not told.
With these criminals, Paul the incorrupt
and incorruptible was delivered by Festus
into the custody of Julius, a centurion, &c.
From the time of Augustus Octavianus,
legions took the name Augustan.
2. And entering Into a ship of Adramyttium, we
launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia, one
bAristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being
with us.— '■xix. 20.
Adramyttium was a sea-port with a har-
bor in Mysia, an Athenian colony. It is
now a viMage called Endramit. Welatinch-
cd. According to Mr. Lewin's reckoning,
it was on the twenty-first of August, in the
year of our Lord 60, when Paul's ship de-
parted from Cesarea. The winds at that
date are generally from the west, but not
violent, and the trip to Sidon was doubt-
less prosperous. This is the Aristarchus
named in xix. 29, xx. 4. (See Phile. 24 ;
Col. iv. 10.) God can alleviate our trials,
as in the case of Paul's captivity, when
another true friend was associated with
the faithful Luke. Aristarchus voluntarily
offered himself as a companion of the suf-
fering Apostle. Though he is called a
fellow-prisoner in Col. iv. 10, the same
term is ajiplied to Epaphras (Phile. 23),
where it denotes fellow-laborers. This fra-
ternal act of taking up the cross, was so
precious in the sight of the Spirit of God,
that He caused it to be recorded for our
benefit as an example.
3. And the next rfaj/ we touched at Sidon. And Julius
courteously ^entreated Paul, and gave him liberty tw go
unto his friends to refresh himselt.
■^xxiv. 23, xxviii. 16.
Sidon — a distance of sixty-seven geo-
graphical miles. This celebrated city is
generally joined in the New Testament
with Tyre, from which it was distant
twenty-five miles, and of which it was
probably the mother city. It was within
the lot of the tribe of Asher (Josh. xix. 28),
but never conquered by the Israelites.
(Judges i. 31, iii. 3.) Courteously entreated
Paul, &c. This record of the courtesy of
Julius teaches us not to undervalue those
civilities and attentions of the natural or
ordinary politeness which obtains in soci-
ety, even when they are rendered to us by
those who are without.
4. And when he had launched from thence, we sailed
under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. 5. And
when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pam-
phylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.
The expression "ive sailed tinder Cyprus,"
means they kept near to it for shelter and
safety. The ancient navigators, ignorant
of the mariner's compass, and other means
and resources now enjoyed, were accus-
tomed to creep along the shores as much
as possible in sight of land. With the
nautical advantages of modern times, the
open sea is considered the least perilous.
Thus sailing on over the sea of Cilicia and
Pamphylia, they came to " Myra, a city
THEPf?ALOXICA.
PFTEOLI.
CHAPTER XXVII
1201
of Lycia." Lycia was a maritime district
of Asia Minor, bounded on the north by
Pamphylia, and on the east, west and
south by the sea. Myra was tlie capital
of the district, and situated on tlie coast.
Here they landed.
6. And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria
sailing into Italy, iiiid lie put us therein. 7. And when
we had sailed slowlv many days, and scarce were come
over against Cnidiis, the wind not suliering us, we
sailed under '^Crete, over against Salmone; 8. And,
hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called
The Fair Havens, nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.
dOr, Oandia.
And there the centurion found a ship of
Alexandria, sailing into Italy ; and lie put us
therein. The first part of the voyage is
ended, the second part is commenced. The
population of Rome, at this time numer-
ous, were supplied with grain in a great
measure from Egypt, whose Nile made it
the granary of nations. The ship of Alex-
andria, now found at Myra, was laden with
wheat. It must have been a large vessel,
for, besides its cargo, it had tico hundred
and sixty souls on board, after the centu-
rion, Paul, and his companions, and the
prisoners, had embarked. Adverse winds
had probably driven the ship on the coast
of Asia Minor.
And when ive had sailed sloivly many days.
and scarce ivere com£ over against Cnidus,
This was a city, situated on a rocky and
mountainous peninsula of the same name,
in the province of Caria, between the island
of Rhodes and Coos or Cos. It was distin-
guished for the worship of Venus, and con-
tained the celebrated statue of that god-
dess by Praxiteles.
We sailed under Crete, now called Candia,
an island fronting the Ji)gean Sea, one
hundred and seventy miles long, and about
thirty or forty broad, distinguished for its
salubrity, fertility and beauty.
Over against Salmone. A promontory at
the east end of the island, which they
doubled, and sailed under Crete, or south
of it, to escape the contrary winds.
Hardly passing it. Having passed Sal-
, mone with great difficulty, being almost
driven on it, they steered round the coast
end of the island, and came to a roadstead,
a species of harbor, called the Fair Havens,
near the city of Lasea.
9. Now when much time was spent, and when sailing
was now dangerous, because the fast was now already
past, 'Paul admonished them, 10. And said unto them,
Sirs, I perceive fthat this voyage will be with ?liurt and
much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also
*26
of our livses. 11. Nevertheless, the centurion ^believed
the njaster and the owner of the ship, more than those
things which were spoken by Paul.
f2 Kings vi. 9, 10 ; Dan. U. 20 ; Amos lii. 7. sOr, injury.
tProv. xxvil. 12.
When much time was spent — since leaving
Cesarea. But for unforeseen delays they
jnight have reached the Italian coast be-
fore the stormy season. And sailing (the
navigation of the open sea) was now dan-
gerous because the fast was now already past —
the fast of the great day of Atonement,
which fell this year on the twenty-third
day of September, the Autumn equinox.
The period of safe navigation ends here in
October, and begins in March. Sirs, I j)cr-
ceive that this voyage will hevithhnrtand much
damage, &c. The prediction of the Apostle
implies a regard on his part to the proba-
bilities grounded on experience and the
laws of nature. It is not accordant with
God's actual economy to multiply miracles
indefinitely, and though He did honor
Paul with a miraculous revelation at this
time, and also gave him the power of shak-
ing off the serpent from his hand, so as
to escape unhurt by it (xxviii. 5), yet He
was pleased to leave the elements to their
wonted course, and interfered not for the
purpose of favoring His Apostle with a
prosperous voyage. When Paul spoke his
own human anticipations at the outset of
the voyage from the Fair Havens, he
stated the apprehension he felt of damage
to the lives of the company, but afterward
he spoke the word of prophecy, as receiv-
ed by him at the mouth of an angel, when
he told them that all their lives should be
saved — this having been communicated to
him on the very night of this address to
the passengers and crew. Nevertheless, &c.
That Julius should defer to the opinion of
these mariners, in preference to that of
his own prisoner, was natural enough, and
is here recorded, not as a reproach or cen-
sure, but as the unintentional occasion of
the subsequent disasters.
12. If And because the haven was not commodious to
winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also.
If by any means they might attain to Pbenice, and
tfu'7-e to winter ; which is an haven of 'Crete, and lieth to-
ward the south-west and north-west. 13. And when the
south wind blew softly, supposing that they had ob-
tained their purpose, loosing ithence, they sailed close-
by Crete. H. But not long after there ^arose against it
a tempestuous iwind, called Euroclydon. 15. And
when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into
the wind, we let her drive. 16. And running under a
certain island which is called Clauda, we had much,
work to come by tlie boat: 17. Which when they hadi
taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship ; and,.
fearing lest they should fall niinto the quicksands, stl'ake
1202
ACTS,
sail, and so were driven. 18. And being exceeding-
ly "tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened
the ship ; 19. And the third day we cast out "With our
own hauas the tackling of the ship. 20. And when
neither psun nor stars in many days appeared, and no
small tempest lay on us, all hope <ithat we should be
saved was then taken away.
'Verse 7. JVerse 21. ^Or, beat. iPs. cvii. 25. i^A'^erse
41. nps. cvii. 27. "Job ii. 4 ; Jonah i. 5. pPs. cv. 28. lEzek.
xxxvii, 11.
The crew intended, according to custom,
to winter in some convenient port ; but,
before they could get that purjjose accom-
plished, they were overtaken by a storm,
and, being deprived of their usual and
only guides, the sun, moon and stars, they
were tossed about in the Mediterranean,
not knowing whether they were carried
to north, east, west or south. The storm
that suri^rised them, and rendered the
voyage so disastrous, is thought to have
been one of those tremendous gales, called
Levanters, which at some particular periods
of the year sweep the Mediterranean, in
all directions, with the resistless impetu-
osity of a whirlwind. In this perilous
situation, they had recourse to all the
means which their limited experience in
navigation suggested for the preservation
of the ship. Their attention was first
directed to the boat, which, as is still the
custom in those seas, was towed to the
stern of the vessel, and consequently be-
ing violently tossed by the heaving bil-
lows, must have been a great drag and
inconvenience to the ship, already unable
to make head against the wind, as well as
have been in danger of being separated
from it altogether. They "took it up,"
but their purpose was not to hoist it into
the vessel, a thing which Oriental sailors
never do, but to fasten it closer to the stern,
while it was still allowed, as before, to
float upon the water. Their next expedi-
ent, as the planks were loosened, and
otherwise much damaged, and in danger
of falling asunder, was to throw a cable
around and underneath, to hold the tim-
bers more closely together — a singular
contrivance, which, however, in violent
storms, was very common in ancient, and
has also been occasionally practiced in
modern times. This method of under-
girding, as it is called, is by suspending a
stout cable under the ship, at one end, to
catch it as it is borne up by the water on
the other side, and then fasten the two
ends very tightly on the deck.
All hope that we should he saved was then
taken away. After human effort had ex-
hausted its powers, then God interposed.
It is so with the Gospel. It was after
human reason had tried every effort to
solve the stormy problems of the con-
science, and guide the soul into the haven
of spiritual peace, that Christ came. " You
may see," says one, " Socrates in the twi-
light lamenting his obscure and benighted
condition, and telling you that his lamp
will show him nothing but his own dark-
ness. You may see Plato sitting down by
the water of Lethe, and weeping because
he could not remember his former notions.
You may hear Aristotle bewailing him-
self thus, that his ' potential reason ' will
so seldom come into act, that his ' blank
sheet ' has so few and such imperfect im-
pressions upon it, that his intellectuals
are at so low an ebb, as that the notions
of Euripus will pose them. You may
hear Zeno say that his 'porch' 'is dark,
and Epictetus confessing and complaining
that he had not the right 'handle,' the
true apprehension of things. 'The world
by wisdom knew not God.' "
21. But after long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the
midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearken-
ed mnto me, and not have loosed etrom Crete, and to
have gained this harm and loss.
'Verse 10. ^Veise 13.
When their distress had reached its ex-
tremity, when the last ray of hope had
burnt out within them, and the cold shiv-
ering midnight of despair was settling on
their spirits; at this point a light from
heaven breaks on them, and that light
leads to their salvation. That light comes
through Paul. Sirs, ye should have hearken-
ed unto me, &c. When the advice of wise
and devout men has been rejected, and
evil results have thence followed, they do
not lose time by exhibiting undue sensi-
tiveness, and by uttering reproaches, but
proceed to give advice, if advice does not
come too late, and offer their assistance, if
it is still of avail.
22. And now I «exhort you to be of good cheer : for
there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but
of the ship.— 'Job xxii. 29 ; Ps. exii. 7 ; 2 Cor. iv. S, 9.
Though the Apostle felt that they had
done wrong in rejecting his advice, he
cheers them by an assurance that there
will be " no loss of any man's life," that
the ship only would be destroyed. Ob-
serve Paul's self-forgetfulness. Whilst all
CHAPTER XXVII.
1203
others were strugj^ling for themselves, he
seemed only concerned for them, though,
for the most part, they stood in an antag-
onistic position toward him. He was a
prisoner in the custody of Roman officers.
The vessel was bearing him, not to his
home, not to a scene of friendship, but
to that of punishment and death. He did
not seem to think of this. His own try-
ing circumstances did not appear to aflect
him, he was careful for others, he had the
"charity that seeketh not her own."
23. For there stood by me this night "the angel ^of
God, whose "I am, and wliom ^I serve.
"Chap, xxiii. 11. vHeb. i. 14. »Deut. xxxii. 9 : Ps.
cxxxv. 4; Isa. xliv. 5; Mai. iii. 17; John xvii. 9, 10;
1 Cor. vi. 20 ; 1 Peter ii. 9, 10. »Ps. cxvi. 16 ; Isa. xliv.
21 ; Dan. lit 17, vi. 16 ; John luL 26 ; Bom. 1. 9 ; 2 Tim.
i. 3.
The words " of God " are added because
Paul addressed heathens, who otherwise
would have understood by an angel a
messenger of the gods. The context does
not determine whether this vision was
made to Paul in a dream, or when awake —
probably the latter. Whose I am, to whom
I belong as His property ; in other words,
whose servant I am, and whom I serve,
rather worship, to whom I offer religious
service and homage. This verb refers to
external acts of worship, and not to a re-
ligious life in general, except as the latter
may be a concomitant of the former.
" Happy," says Rieger, " is he who can,
with sincerity and joy of heart, repeat
Paul's confession of faith : ' God, whose I
am, and whom I serve,' and who, amid
all the scenes which may be presented on
the troubled ocean of this world, can con-
tinue to pray, ' 0, God, I am Thine, I serve
Thee, be Thou my Preserver.' "
24. Saying, Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought be-
fore Cesar: and, lo, God hath given thee yall tliem that
sail with thee. 25. Wherefore, Sirs, be of good cheer ;
for '■I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told
me. 26. Howbeit, we must be ca-st upon a certain
'island. •
yGren. xix. 21, 29. iLuke i. 45 ; Rom. Iv. 20, 21 ; 2 Tim.
i. 12. 'Chap, xxviii. 1.
Lo, behold, God hath given thee, &c. Doubt-
less Paul prayed earnestly for the safety
of those who were in the ship with him,
and their lives were granted in answer to
his prayers. Paul does not here exalt
himself, but merely states what was re-
vealed to him. How greatly are men in-
debted for their blessings to God's favor
toward eminently pious men ! How much,
too, should this thought excite pious men
to a deeply serious and devout life ! Where-
fore, because of this Divine assurance,
cheer up, be cheerful, or of good cheer.
For assigns the reason of this exhortation,
I believe {or trust in) God, not only in the
general, but that it shall be (come to pass or
happen) even as, literally, after wJuit manner
it has been told (or spoken to) me. Howbeit,
but, tve must (or it is necessanj for us) upon
(literally, in or unto) a certain island be cast
(literally,/a// out). The name of the island,
it would seem, was not revealed to Paul.
27. But wlien the fourteenth night was come, as we
were driven up and down in Adria. about midnight the
shipmen deemed that they drew near to some coun-
try:
The fourteenth night, i. e., the fourteenth
night since they left the Fair Havens. In
Adria — in the Adriatic, Adria is not to
be restricted to what is now called the
Gulf of Venice, but embraces all that part
of the Mediterranean which lay south of
Italy, east of Sicily, and west of Greece,
and thus included the Ionian Sea. It was
on the same stormy Adriatic Sea that the
great Caesar cried to the trembling pilot:
" Steer boldly, thou carriest Csesar and his
fortune." The shipmen, i. e., the sailors,
deemed or suspected that they were in the
vicinity of land. "The roar of breakers is
a peculiar sound, which can be detected
by a practiced ear." Luke does not state
the grounds of the conjecture, but it was,
no doubt, suggested by the increasing
sound which proceeded from the surf.
28. And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms : and
when tliey liad gone a little further, they sounded
again, and found it fifteen fathoms.
To sound, is to cast or let down the
sounding line. A fathom is six feet, the
space measured by the arms stretched out.
The decrease in their soundings, at first
twenty fathoms, and a little farther on fif-
teen fathoms, convinced them that their
supposition was correct, and that they
could not be far distant from land.
29. Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon
rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and
wished bfor the day.— bPs. cxyx. 6.
Fearing lest, during the darkness of the
midnight, they should run against rocks
or be stranded, they cast four anchors out
of the stern. This was contrary to our
practice, but conformevil to the immemorial
custom of Eastern sailors, who drop theJr
anchors at the stern, which anchors have
four flukes, so that, in all probability, from
the permanent character of customs in the
1204
ACTS,
East, the instrument dropped by the crew
of Paul's vcvssel was a four-pointed anchor,
which both the celebrated travelers, Bruce
and Buckingham, inform us is the kind of
anchor used to this day by the sailors
who navigate the seas and rivers about
Egypt and Palestine.
30. And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the
ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea,
undercolor as though they would have cast anchors out
of the foreship, 31. Paul said to the centurion and to
the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot
be saved.
Dr. CJialmers, observes: "Perhaps the
most practically useful lesson in this pas-
sage is what is grounded on the compari-
son of verses 22 and 23 with verse 31, by
which we learn that the absolute decree
does not supersede the conditions which
precede its fulfillment, but that while the
one is sure the others are indispensable.
The prophecy — the announced predestina-
tion, it may be called — of verse 22, did not
supersede the urgency of the prescription
in verse 31 ; the ship's company were all
absolutely to be saved, and yet unless the
sailors were detained in the ship for the
purpose of working it, they could not be
saved. Here is a clear example of predes-
tination not infringing upon practice, nor
should it on the large scale of Christianity,
either. There is nothing, 0 my God, re-
vealed to me of Thy decree respecting my
future and everlasting state ; but let me be
very sure that except I repent I cannot be
saved — except I believe I cannot be saved
— without holiness I cannot see God. O
let me labor to make my calling and elec-
tion sure. Let me be enabled to superadd
the assurance of experience to the assur-
ance of faith; and meanwhile let me be
of good cheer when I bethink myself of
that proffered mercy in the Gospel which
is held forth to all, and which all have a
warrant to lay hold of."
32. Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and
let her fall off.
Then. Paul left it to the soldiers to con-
sider what they should do. It should be
our work to cut off the ropes of every boat
in which we put our trust besides God,
then will our dark night pass away before
the morning light, and we shall behold the
glorious help of God.
33. And while the day was coming on, Paul besought
them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth
day that ye have tarried, and continued fasting, having
taken nothing.
While. At dawn there was more oppor-
tunity for prolonged exhortation. Four-
teenth day thai ye hare tarried, or, waited, and
continued fasting. They had not so long
abstained from food, although perhaps
they had had no regular meals. So Appian
speaks of an army, which, for twenty days,
took no food nor sleep, by which he must
mean they never made full meals, nor
slept whole nights together.
34. Wherefore I pray you to take some meat ; for this
CIS for your health: for there tishall not an hair fall
from the head of anv of you.
cMatt. XV. 32 ; 1 Tim. v. 23. dl Kings i. 52 ; Matt. x.
30 ; Luke xii. 7, xxi. 18.
The word meat means, in the Bible, food,
that which is to be eaten. For this is for your
health, rather, this will be for your safety.
They all needed to recruit their strength,
so as to be ready to avail themselves of
the opportunity which would occur for
getting to laiad. Not an hair fall, &c. — a
proverbial expression denoting their entire
safety. (1 Kings i. 52; Matt. x. 29; Luke
xii. 6, xxi. 18.)
35. And when he had thus spoken, betook bread, and
fgave thanks to God in presence of them all : and
when he had broken it, he began to eat.
el Sam. ix. 13 : Matt. xv. 36 ; Mark viii. 6 ; John vi. 11,
23 ; 1 Tim. iv. 3, 4.
Notice, 1. The calm self-control. He was
in the midst of the most agitating scenes.
The boisterous billows — the furious hurri-
cane— the reeling, plunging, shattered ship
— the two hundred threescore and sixteen
terror-stricken men, were confessedly
scenes of terrible excitement, yet how
sublimely calm this man is ! He took bread,
&c. A finer jjicture of moral majesty in
man can scarcely be conceived than this.
The philosophy of his tranquillity we know.
It was faith in that God whose he was and
whom he served. 2. The practical piety.
He gave thanks to God in presence of them
all. This was according to the Christian
practice. (Matt. xv. 36, xxvi. 27 ; John vi.
11-23 ; Rom. xiv. 6 ; 1 Cor. x. 13, xi. 24,
xiv. 17 ; Eph. v. 20 ; 1 Thes. v. 18.) This
thanking God before food, on Paul's part,
was not a matter of fanaticism, form or
parade, it was an expression of the spirit
of his life. Paul lived in the element of
religion. There is no moral greatness
apart from religion.
36. Then were they all of good cheer, and they also
took some meat. 37. And we were in all, in the ship,
two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.
Then were they all of good cheer, &c. The
return of hope brought with it a keener
CHAPTER XXVII
1205
sense of their wants, and they could now
think with more calmness and comfort of
satisfying their hunger. " They also took,"
&c. The Apostle had set them the ex-
ample, and they all followed it. Two hun-
dred, &c. Amounting to two hundred and
seventy-six. This number, far from being
incredible, as some have thought, is not
unusually large, considering the size of
these Egyptian store-ships (see on verse
6), and compared with the statement of
Jose phus, that about this same time he was
wrecked in the Adriatic with a shipload
of six hundred.
38. And when they had eateti enough, they lightened
the ship, and cast out the wheat iuto the sea.
Wlieat. Most recent commentators trans-
late " provisions," as Job iii. 2-4, Prov. iv.
17, for, had their cargo been wheat, they
would doubtless have thrown it overboard
before, as there had already been two dis-
charges, verses 18, 19.
39. And when it was day, they knew not the land :
but they discovered a certain creek with ashore, into
the which they were minded, if it were possible, to
thrust in the ship.
When it ivas day. After the darkness,
light reappears, the night passes away,
and the sun rises ; our troubles will at
length come to an end. God is nearest to
us in our greatest distress.
Shore, i. e., beach to run upon, as is the
custom in the Mediterranean, even now,
with smaller vessels. This inlet on the
north-west of Malta, is now called La
Gala di San Paolo (St. Paul's Creek). It
opens to the north-east with a sand-bank
in its middle, formed by a current, which
passes between the coast and an island:
here two seas meet. (Verse 41.)
40. And when they had taken up the anchors, they
committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rud-
der-bands, and hoisted up the mainsail ij the wind, and
made toward shore.
They committed. The ship, and them-
selves with it. Loosed the rudder-bands.
Formerly fastened, when they left the
ship to drive, but now necessary to direct
their course. Ships in those days had fre-
quently two rudders or helms. And made
toward shore. Dashed by the force of the
tempest, the vessel is soon hurled thither.
41. And falling into a place where two seas met, they
ran the ship aground ; and the fore part stuck fast, and
remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken
with the violence of the waves.
A place ivhere two seas met. Such a place,
for instance, is an oblongmound composed
of closely compacted sand. (See on verse
39.) Amid conflicting eddies the forepart —
the bows or forecastle — s<uc/;/«.si— plunged
into the sand — and remained unrnoreable.
The stern, meanwhile, exposed to the fury
of the breakers, is broken to pieces. Now
it is a question of life or death — each man
for himself.
42. And the soldiers' counsel ewas to kill the prison-
ers, lest any of them should swim out and escape.
ePs. Ixxiv. 20.
The cruel purpose of the soldiers pro-
ceeded from their dread of being called to
an account, if any of the prisoners escaped ;
for the Roman law was very severe in
such cases, if there were any room to
suspect the guards of connivance or neg-
ligence.
43. But the centurion, willing to save iipaul, kept
them from their purpose ; and commanded that they
which could swim should cast tliemselves first intx) the
sea, and get to land : 44. And the rest, some on boards,
and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so 'it came
to pass, th^t they escaped all safe to hind.
^■2, Cor. xi. 25. iPs. cvii. 28-30 ; verse 22.
The centurion interposed to thwart this
murderous project, and he does so for the
sake of Paul, who was a prisoner, and who
had saved the vessel. Thus God, for Paul's
sake, not only saved all the rest of the
ship's company from being drowned, but
kept the prisoners from being murdered,
according to the barbarous proposal of
the soldiers. Ayid the rest. These words
depend on " commanded " — " he com-
manded the rest" to "get to land."
Boards, planks which were at hand in the
ship. On tilings from the ship, that is, pro-
bably on broken pieces of the ship, the
hinder part of which had been broken up.
And so it came to pass, &c. Thus all are
rescued, and thus, according to the word
of Paul, as given him by the angel, "there
was no loss of any man's life, but of the
ship."
Let the fi ereest tempest arise,let winds and
waves dash about us with the utmost fury,
yet if we trust in Jesus, and endeavor to
work out our own salvation with fear and
trembling, we shall, though " on boards
and broken pieces of the ship," escape " all
safe to land."
" Give thy mind sea-room, keep it wide of earth.
That rock of souls immortal ; let loose thy cord ;
Weigh anchor, spread thy sails, call every wind,
Eye thy great pole-star, make the land of life."
1206
ACTS
1. To whom was Paul delivered T 2. Whowas Julias ? 3. Who was Aristarchus ? 4. How did Julius treat Paul
at Sidon ? 5. What ship was taken at Myra ? G. Where was the place called the Fair Havens ? 7. Wl;at admo-
nition did Paul give? 8. What is said of a tempestuous wind which arose, and the consequences? 9. What
" after a long absence,'" did Paul say ? 10. What did Paul say as theshipmen were about to flee out of the ship?
11. Why did Paul urge them to take some meat? V2. How many persons were in the ship ? 13. How did they
lighten the ship ? 14. What occurred wlien they ran the ship aground ? 15. What was the counsel of the sol-
diers ? 16. What is said of the centurion ? 17. Did they all escape safe to land ?
CHAPTER XXVni.
1 Paul after hu shipwreck is kindly entertained of the
barbarians, a Tfie viper bn his liand hurteth him not.
8 He healeth many diseases inthe island. 11 They de-
part towards Borne. YI Me declare th to the Jews the
caxise of his coming. 34 After his preaching some were
persuaded, and some believed not. 30 Yethepreachelh
there two years.
AND when they were escaped, then they knew that
the island »was called Melita.— ''xxvii. 26.
Escaped. The ship is lost, but Paul and
his companions are saved. Empires and
kingdoms may perish, but the Christian
Church continues to float, and is wonder-
fully preserved. Mdita, the modern Malta,
which is sixty miles from Cajje Passero,
the southern point of Sicily, and two hun-
dred miles from the African coast. Melita,
when P.iul was there, was a dependency
of the Roman province of Sicily. From
its position in the Mediterranean, and the
excellence of its harbors, it has always
been important both in commerce and
war. It was a settlement of the Phoeni-
cians at an early period, and their lan-
guage, in a corrupted form, continued to
be spoken there in Paul's day.
2. And the barbarous ^people shewed us no little
kindness : for tliey kindled a fire and received us
cevery one, because of the present rain, and because of
the cold.
tRom. i. 14 : Col. iii. 11. cMatt. x. 42: Heb. xiii. 2.
Barbarous people, or, barbarians. "Every
one not a Greek is a barbarian," is the
common Greek definition, and in this
strict sense the word is used in Rom. i. 14
— " I am a debtor both to Greeks and bar-
barians." It often retains this primitive
meaning, as in the text, also in 1 Cor. xiv.
11, where it designates one using an un-
known tongue. Because of the present rain
and . . . of the cold. The appearance of
these shipwrecked men, destitute of food
and raiment, shivering in the cold and
the rain, stirred their hearts with com-
miseration. This feeling, though often
perverted, seems to belong to our nature.
Let us take courage in God who will not
leave us defenseless in the work of spread-
ing abroad His truth, even throughout the
families of a hostile world.
3. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks,
and laid tliem on the fire, there came a viper out of the
heat, and fastened on his hand. 4. And when the bar-
barians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they
said among themselves. No doubt i^this man is a mur-
derer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet ven-
geance sulTereth not to live. 5. And he shoolt off the
beast into the fire, and felt^no harm. C. Howbeit they
looked when he sliould have swollen, or fallen dovvii
dead suddenly : but aft^r they had looked a great while,
and saw no harm come to him, they changed their
minds, and said fthat he was a god.
dJohn vii. ai. ^Matt. xvi. 18 ; Luke x. 19. fxiv. 11.
There came a viper, &c. We may natur-
ally suppose that there had been fuel laid
before on the fire, and that the viper was
in this fuel, and that it had been revived
by the heat, and when Paul laid his bundle
on the fire, the viper was then in a state
to lay hold on his hand. The viper is one
of the most venomous of reptiles. When
the Lord designed to introduce His Apos-
tle to these strangers. He previously i^er-
mitted an evil to beftill him, which Paul
overcame by faith, thereby he made an
impression on the hearts of all who sur-
rounded him. Our afflictions are thus in-
tended, like a bell, to attract to us the
eyes and attention of men, the faith which
we exhibit under such circumstances, or
the victory which we gain by the grace of
Christ is designed to induce others to
imitate us. When the barbarians saw, &c.
Their conclusion was such as would na-
turally occur to persons persuaded that a
moral government is exercised over man-
kind, but whose views were not corrected
and enlarged by Scripture, or by accurate
observation and extensive experience.
They were right in believing that God
who knows the actions of men will recom-
pense them according to their desert, and
that He sometimes interposes, in a visible
manner, to punish atrocious crimes. But
they erred in supposing such interposi-
CHAPTER XXVIII.
1207
tions to be so regular as to aflfbrd certain
grounds for interpreting the design of
every calamitous event. Possibly these
people, not having any correct notions of
the justice of the true God, may have used
the word translated " vengeance," not to
express the quality or attribute of any be-
ing, but the goddess Dike, or vindictive
justice herself, who is represented as pun-
ishing the ini(]uities of men. Hesiod
makes a goddess of what the Maltese call-
ed ^ms^ ice.*
" Justice, unspotted maid, derived from Jove,
Eenown'd and reverenc'd by the gods above :
When mortals violate her sacred laws,
"When judges hear the bribe and not the cause.
Close by her parent God, behold her stand,
And urge the punishment their sins demand."
A7id he shook off the beast, &c. Then was
fulfilled the promise of the Lord : " I
give you power to tread on serpents," &c.
(Luke X. 19 ; Mark xvi. 18.) God often
exemplifies in His servants that -Christ
has recovered for us also the dominion
over the beasts, which had been lost.
(Gen. i. 16, 28, ix. 2 ; 1 Sam. xvii. 34, 35.)
Christians cannot be i^oisoned. When he
should have swollen, &c., rather, when he
should have been inflamed, by means of
an acrid poison introduced into the blood ;
it soon coagulates, and in consequence,
the extremities of the vessels become ob-
structed, strong inflammation takes place,
and all the parts become most painfully
swollen.
They changed their minds. So much were
they astonished at his remaining unscath-
ed, where his deliverance from such im-
minent danger could not have been owing
either to the vigor of his own constitution,
to his skill in enchantment, or any natural
resources of man, that they unanimously
ascribed it to a Divine Tpower, and said that
he was a god. iEsculapius, the god of phy-
sicians, who ruled over the serpent, was
specially worshiped in INIelita. So was
Hercules (who was famous for liaving de-
stroyed, in his youth, two serpents that
attacked him in his cradle), there wor-
shiped under an epithet signifying the
dispeller of evil. Hence they probably
thought that Paul was yEsculapius or Her-
cules. The inhabitants of Lystra had done
just the reverse of what was done by these
Melitese : first they sacrified to Paul as a
god, and then they stoned him. (xiv. 13,
18, 19.) Here we see a true picture of
man, who judges by ai:)pearances and
equivocal signs, and changes his opinions
as often as the scene around him fluctu-
ates. The same voices which applaud to
the very echo the hero of to-day ; are to-
morrow rending the skies with yells of
detestation and abhorence. Let us en-
deavor to attain to something of that truly
bcriptural and comfortable feeling which
enabled Paul to be alike indifierent to the
opinion which, at one moment, proscribed
him as a murderer, and in the next en-
rolled him among the gods : an indifier-
ence which he himself so plainly and so
forcibly expressed, when he said : " With
me it is a very small thing that I should
be judged of you, or of man's judgment :
yea, I judge not mine own self; but He
that judgeth me is the Lord." There is,
assuredly, no bar more insuperable to our
real progress in vital religion than an over-
weening respect for the opinion of our
fellow-sinners.
7. In the same quarters were possessions of the chief
man of the island, whose name was Publius; who re-
ceived us, and lodged us three days courteously.
Possessions — estates. The chief (or first)
man of the island, was probably an official
title : the more so, as Publius can hardly
have borne the appellation from his estates
during his father's lifetime. Two inscrij)-
tions have been found in Malta, at Citta
Vecchia, which seem to establish this view.
If so (and his Roman name further con-
firms it), Publius was legate of the Frcetor
of Sicily, to whose province Malta belong-
ed. Who received us, &c. — entertained us,
viz.: Luke, Paul, Aristarchus (xxvii. 2),
and no doubt the noble-hearted Julius,
not the entire two hundred and seventy-
six, as so indiscriminate a hospitality
would be uncalled for, and without any
sufficient motive.
8. And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay
sick of a fever, and of a bloody flux : to whom ?Paul
entered in, and prayed, and laid this hands on him,
and healed him.
?.Iames v. 14. 15. ^Matt. i.x, 18, Mark vi. 5, vU. 32, xvi. 18,
Luke iv. 40, Ch. xlx. 11, 1 Cor. xii. 9, 28.
It has been remarked that no writer of
the New Testament uses such exact tech-
nical expressions of diseases as Luke, who
WAS trained as a physician. Formerly it
was maintained that a dry climate, such
as Malta, did not generate dysentery and
inflammation of the lower bowels; but
1208
ACTS,
recently physicians resident in the islands
have shown that these diseases are by no
means uncommon at the present day.
Ajid prayed, &c., tliereby avowing that he
healed him, not in his own strength, but
as an instrument of the Divine mercy.
Paul experienced, almost at the same time,
two fulfillments of his Master's promise,
"they shall take up serpents
they shall lay hands on the sick, and they
shall recover." (Mark xvi. 18.)
9. So when this was done, others also, which had dis-
eases in the island, came and were healed : 10. Who also
honored 'us with many honors ; and when we departed
they laded us with such things Jas were necessary.
il Th. ii. 6. 1 Tl. V. 17. JMatt. vi. 31-34, x. 8-10, 2 Cor. ix.
5-11, PhU. iv. 11, 12.
The miracle on the father of Publius
brings all the sick in the island to Paul,
and all are healed. Now again beam forth
the power and glory of the Apostle : the
prisoner is now a miraculous benefactor,
and the supposed murderer is a dispenser
of life. Then must the ship's company
indeed have wondered. Those who were
healed amply expressed their gratitude
for the benefits received, for at their de-
parture they loaded them with all things
necessary for them. There was an infe-
rior honor due to the Apostles which the
miracles they wrought were the means of
procuring. They never, however, in a
single instance, employed their supernat-
ural powers to draw admiration to them-
selves or to promote their secular interests.
Notwithstanding the silence of the history,
we may confidently afiirm that Paul here,
as he did at Lystra, rejected with indignant
zeal the honor of being a god ; and made
the miracles which he performed in Malta
subservient to the cause of Christ. A man
so eager to do good, who, although a pris-
oner, does not seem to have been under
entire restraint, would not remain inactive
during the three months which he spent
in the island, and as his wonderful works
had gained him the favor of the people,
he enjoyed a very favorable opportunity
to instruct them in the knowledge of the
Gospel. And thus, what we should call
an accidental event, the shipwreck of Paul
upon an unknown coast, was overruled by
Providence as the occasion of introducing
Christianity into Malta, where it still ex-
ists in the corrupted form which it has
assumed in countries subject to the author-
ity of the Pope.
11. T And after three months we departed in a ship of
Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign
was Castor and Pollux.
We departed. They probably set sail not
earlier than the sixth of the ides of March
{i. e., March 10). Shi]) of Alexandria. Malta
was in the direct line of the great corn
commerce from Alexandria to Puteoli and
Rome. This ship, detained probably at
Valetta, like Paul's ship from Alexandria,
was more fortunate in escaping shipwreck,
though arrested in its career by winter.
When the Spring of this southern clime
approached and navigation opened, this
vessel was ready for Julius' use. Whose
sign was (literally, with the sign (of) the Dios-
curi). The ancient ships carried at their
prow a painted or carved representation
of the sign which furnished their name,
and at the stern a similar one of their tu-
telar deity. Sometimes these were one
and the same, as appears to have been the
case with this ship. Castor and Pollux
(the Dioscuri, sons of Zeus), sons of Jupi-
ter and Leda, were considered the tutelar
deities of sailors. Castor and Pollux are
nothing (1 Cor. viii. 4), but all the ships
that sail are the Lord's, and those who sail
in them with thanksgiving suffer no harm
from any idolatrous banner. Herein those
who succeed the Apostle of the Gentiles
find consolation, when they set forth with
the banner of the cross, but sail in vessels
that bear as their banner the golden calf
of " money -making."
12. And landing at Syracuse, we tarried tTif.re three
days.
This city, the capital of Sicily, on the
south-eastern coast of that island, was
about eighty miles north from Melita. It
was built partly on the adjacent island of
Ortygia, and from that circumstance, or as
others say, because it included at length
several villages, may have received its
plural name. The modern Siracusa or Si-
ragessa occupies only a part of the ancient
city, viz., Ortygia. They may have stop-
ped here for trade, or in the hope of a
better wind.
1.3. And from thence we fetched a compass, and came
to Rhegium : and after one day the south wind blew,
and we came the ne.xt day to Puteoli; 14. Where we
tbund brethren, and were de.sired to tarry with them
seven days : and so we went toward Rome.
Fetched a compass, rather, "coasted about."
Rhegium — now Reggio, a seaport on the S.
W. point of the Italian coast, opposite the
CHAPTER XXVIII
1209
N. E. point of Sicily, and at the entrance
of the narrow straits of Messina. After one
day the south tvind blew — " a south wind
having sprung up," being now favored
with a fiiir wind, for want of which they
had been obliged first to stay three days
at Syracuse, and then to tack and put in
for a day at Rhegium. The next day to Pu-
teoli — now Pozzuoli, situated on the north-
ern part of the magnificent bay of Naples,
about 180 miles N. of Rhcgium, a distance
which they might make, running before
their "south wind," in about twenty-six
hours. The Alexandrian corn-ships en-
joyed a privilege peculiar to themselves,
of not being obliged to strike their top-sail
on landing. By this they were easily re-
cognized as they hove in sight by the
crowds that we find gathered on the shore
on such occasions. Found brethren. How
the Gospel reached this place, and who
were the instruments of converting these
men to Christianity, we are %ot told.
Probably some of the disciples from Jeru-
salem, who had been scattered abroad in
time of persecution, went through Italy
preaching the Gospel.
15. And from thence, when the brethren heard of us
they came ^to meet us as far as Appii Forum, and the
Three Taverns : whom when Paul saw, he thanked
God, aud took icourage.
kxxi. 5; 3 John vi. 8. 'Josh. i. 6, 7, 9; 1 Sam. xxx. G;
Ps. xxvii. 14.
Tidings having gone from Puteoli to
Rome of Paul's arrival, brethren from the
imperial city hastened to meet him, and
they meet at Appii Forum and the Three
Taverns, two well-known stopping-places
on the oldest and most famous Roman
roads. "Appii Forum" was a market-
place, and Tres Tabernje, a group of shops
and inns, the former about forty miles from
Rome, the latter ten miles nearer. The
meeting of these brethren gave new inspi-
ration to the Apostle. He thanked God, and
took courage. Paul attributed their friend-
ship to the right source, the tender com-
passion of his God, and bold as he was and
indifferent to human opposition, he was
clearly not indifferent to human love, and
human sympathy. It is delightful, from
such instances as these, to see that even
this great Apostle now when drawing near
to the end of his course, was still glad to
avail himself of the same aids, and to cling
to the same human succors, as we our-
selves. Although, like God's people of
old, he doubtless " encouraged himself in
the Lord his God," although he possessed
His rod and His staff' to comfort him, he
was still not above the support of a human
arm, the ministering kindness of kindred
spirits. He who made us, made us weak,
suffering, dependent creatures, dependent
not merely upon Himself, but uj^on each
other, for much of our peace, comfort and
consolation, in traversing this vale of tears,
and, doubtless. He made us thus, that we
might educate that peculiar faculty of our
souls in lime, which should form the well-
spring of all our joys throughout eternity.
16. And when we came to Rome, the centurion de-
livered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but
Paul was suffered to dwell by hjmself rawith a soldier
that kept him.— mxxiv. 23, xxvii. 3.
Came to Rome. Starting from the Three
Taverns, our ambassador, with hiri compa-
ny of bondsmen and escort of freemen,
would pass the celebrated Alban Hills,
and on a summit a little beyond Aricia
would cast his first glance upon the im-
perial Rome. It was itself a magnificent
nation, the head of the nations of the
earth. He entered the city by the Cape-
nean Gate, where many a conqueror had
entered in triumphal procession, but none
with a name so notable to posterity as this
'■ ijrisoner of Christ." Captain of the guard,
rather, commander of the camp, i. e., the
Prostorian camp, where the emperor's
body-guard was quartered. (See Phil. 1,
13.) Was suffered. This permission pro-
bably resulted from the letters of Festus,
exi:)ressing that no crime was laid to the
charge of Paul ; perhajis, also, partly from
the favor of Julius and his report of the
character and bearing of Paul on the jour-
ney. A soldier — Prsetorian, to wliom he
was chained. The very imprisonment in
w^hich Paul was held favored him. Had
he been able to enter into the Jewish
synagogues, or to dispute, as at Athens, in
the public places with them that met with
him, the magistrates would have interfer-
ed, and the law would have put him down.
But being confined to his mm Idred house,
" with the soldier who kept him," he re-
ceived all who came to him, no man forbidding
him ; and though he was bound, " the
word of God was not bound." Many, we
suppose, of his visitors were his own
1210
ACTS
countrymen, whose lingering prejudices
he would endeavor, and often successfully,
to remove. But the greater number, pro-
babl}-, were Gentiles ; providentially led,
through acquaintance or connection, to
seek that light which God had set up,
ready to enlighten every man.
17. And it came to pass, that after three days Paul
caUed the chief of the Jews together: and when they
were come togetlier, he said unto them, Men and breth-
ren, though ni have committed nothing against the
people, or customs of our lathers, yet was I delivered
"prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Ro-
mans ; 18. Who, when pthey had examined me, would
have let iru; go, because there was no cause of death in
me. 19. But when the Jews spake against it, I wa.s
constrained to appeal qunto Cesar; not that I had
aught to accuse my nation of. 20. For this cause there-
fore have I called lor you, to see yoic, and to speak
with you : because that for the hope ^of Israel I am
bound with this »chaia. 21. And they said unto him,
"We neither received lettere out of Judea concerning
thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or
spake any harm of thee. 22 But we desire to hear of
thee what thou thinkest: ibr as concerning this sect,
we know that everywhere 'It is spoken against.
"Chap. xxiv. 12, 13; xxv. 8. "Chap. xxi. 33, &c.
pChap. xxiv. 10 ; xxvi. 31. qCliap. xxv. 11. "-Chap,
xxvi. 6. 7. sChap. xxvi. 29; Eph. iii. 1 ; iv. 1 ; vi. 20 : 2
Tim. i. 18 ; ii. 9 ; Phil. x. 13. 'Luke ii. 34 ; Chap. xxiv.
5, 14 ; 1 Peter u. 12 ; iv. 14.
After three days. Paul showed his earnest-
ne.ss, in sending for the rulers of the Jews
only three days after his arrival at Rome.
The three days would probably be spent
in intercourse with the Roman Christians,
in procuring a lodging, and in refreshing
himself after his long journey. By the
chief of the Jeios are here meant the rulers
of the synagogues, or the heads of the
principal Jewish families at Rome. Paul,
thinking that reports i;)rejudicial to him
might have been sent and circulated
smong them, was naturally anxious to
justify himself before them, and thus to
remove any obstacle which might hinder
the reception of the Gospel. I have com-
mitted, or, done nothing, &c. He held that,
so far from abolishing, he fulfilled the
law by the Gospel, that Christianity was
the true development of Judaism, and that
the Christian was the true Jew. His op-
position was not against the law, but
against its abuse — against the opinion that
it was sufficient for justification ; but, so
far from calling in question, he maintained
and defended its divine origin and au-
thority. Would have let me go, &c., would
have set me at liberty. Compare xxiv.
22, 23, 26, 27 ; xxv. 25 ; xxvi. 31, 32. In
all the examinations which the Apostle
underwent, before Roman officers and
king Agrippa, it became evident that there
was no just ground of complaint against
him, and that he ought to have been set at
liberty. Wlien the Jens spake against it. He
speaks mildly : for they had tried, by plot-
ting his murder, to stop his speaking in Pal-
e.stine. Iwas constrained, &c. His appeal to
the emperor had become indispensably ne-
cessary, only because the Jews protested
against his acquittal, to which the Roman
authorities judged him to be entitled.
Because that for, or, on account of, the hope
of Israel. By " the hope of Israel " here
is meant the Messianic hope — the promise
of the Mes.siah. As if the Apostle had
said: " My sufferings are caused on account
of my belief in the fulfillment of the hope
of Israel." And this was certainly the
case. It was his belief in Jesus as the
promised Messiah that was the cause of
the hatred of the Jews, and of all those
persecutions and sufferings which he en-
dured, lam 6o«)if/, literall}% encompassed,
^vith this chain, referring, perhaps, to the
fact that^he chain encompassed his arm.
As already noticed, it was the custom of
the Romans to bind their prisoners to
soldiers who kept them. Perhaps, how-
ever, the expression may be a general al-
lusion to his imprisonment, without nec-
essarily implying that he was always
bound to a soldier. Neitlier any of the breth-
ren came, shevjed, or spake any harm of, or
concerning thee. That is, they neither re-
lated the report of others, nor said any-
thing themselves, affecting his character,
any more than that of the followers of
Christ in general, who were represented
everywhere by Jews and Gentiles as a
dangerous sect, who sought to destroy
every religion on earth but their own.
This Was a peculiarly ftivorable circum-
stance, since it afforded Paul an opportu-
nitv to obtain as candid a hearing as any
one of the brethren in Christ, and it is no
less extraordinary, considering the light
in which the Jews in Judea and elsewhere
viewed him. It may, perhaps, be partly
accounted for from his long confinement
as a prisoner in Cesarea, in which situation
he would attract less the attention of the
public; but certainly the finger of God
was in it. When a man^s ways please the
Lord, his enemies are at peace vnth him,
when this is connected with his good and
the Divine glory. Concerning this sect, or
CHAPTER XXVIII.
1211
schismatical party, the reference being to
the Christians, to whom Paul notoriously
belonged, v:e know, literally, it is known to
us that it is eveii-y where opjjosed (or contra-
dicted), i. e., by the Jews, with whom they
were in correspondence or communi-
cation.
23. And when they had appointed him a day, there
came many to hiiu into hi.t i^ludging, to whom he 'ex-
pounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading
them concerning Jesus, both "out of the law of Moses,
and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
"Phil. 2. 'Luke xxiv. 27, Chap. xvii. 3, xLx. 8. "ixvi.
6,22.
When they had appointed him a day, at
his own suggestion, perhaps, since by
leaving it to them to designate the time he
would be more sure of their presence.
Lodging. Most interj^reters identify this
with the hired house mentioned in verse 30.
There came many to him, &c. (See on verse
16.) He expounded, &c. He furnished a
two-fold exposition: he first testified the
kingdom of God, i. e., he announced the
facts of redemption and of the establish-
ment of the kingdom of God through Jesus
Christ, he furnished in the second place
certain explanations concerning Jesus,
which were derived from the Old Testa-
ment and were intended to convince the
minds of his hearers. From morning till
evening. The whole day was occui^ied, not
probably in one formal discourse, but
partly in familiar and colloquial discussion
on the grand subject. " "Who" (says Bengel)
"would not wish to have been present?
but virtually we are present while listening
to those epistles which he dictated from
his prison at Eome, and to his other ejns-
tolary expositions of Christian truth
against the Jews."
24. And some ^believed the things which were spoken,
and some believed not.
»xiv. 1, xvii. 4, xix. 9: Kom. iii. 3.
Such has always been the success of the
Gospel ; to some it has been a savor of life
unto life, to others of death unto death. (2
Cor. ii. 16.) If all had believed there had
been no disagreement, so that all the blame
of the division lay on those who would
not believe. Perhaps no sermon ever
produced the same effect upon all the as-
sembled hearers. Even the discourses of
Chri.st were far from commanding uniform
impressions amongst his auditors.
25. And when they agreed not among themselves,
they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word.
Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaia.s Jthe prophet unto
our fathers; 26. Saying, Go unto this people, and say.
Hearing ye shall hear, and sliall not understand ; and
seeing ve shall see, and not perceive ; 27. For the heart
of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull ot
lieariiig, and their eyes have lUey closed, le.st they
should see with their eyes, and hear with tluilr ears, and
understand Willi their heart, and should be converted,
and I should heal thcni, 2s. Be it known Ihereforeunto
you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the ^GeutUes,
and tlKit they will hear it.
jPs. Ixxxi. 11, 12; Isa. vi. 9; Jer. v. 21; Ezo. viii. 6,7.xii.
2; Matt. xiii. 14, 15; Kom. xi. ». 'Matt. xxi. 41; Chap. xiii.
46, 47, xviii. 6, xxii. 21, xxvi. 17, 18 ; Kom. xi. 11.
Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias, &c.
A terrible farewell was this to the unbe-
lievers as they departed. It sounds as the
knell of doom. He peals into their ears
the soul-startling words of Jehovah to the
old prophet. (Isa. vi. 9, 10.) "In the fear-
ful process here indicated," says a modern
commentator, "there are three distinguish-
able agencies expressly or imi)licitly de-
scribed— the ministerial agency of the
prophet, the judicial agency of God, and
the suicidiil agency of the people them-
selves. The original passage makes the
first of these most prominent : " Fatten the
heart of this people, dull their ears, shut
their eyes," &c. The quotation in John
xii. 40 draws attention to the second: "He
hath blinded their eyes, and hardened
their heart." That in Matt. xiii. 15, like
the one before us, dwells upon the third,
and represents the people as destroyed by
their own insensibility and unbelief. We
have thus a striking and instructive in-
stance of the way in which the same es-
sential truth may be exhibited in difi'erent
I^arts of Scripture, under several distinct
aspects, or successive phases." The salva-
tion of God is sent, &c. The original word
here, soterion, is used sometimes for the
Author of salvation (as Luke ii. 30), and
sometimes, as here, for the preaching of
the Gospel. Possibly, God might have
given the preaching of the Gosj^el to the
Gentiles, though the Jews had not despised
and rejected it.
29. And when he had said these words, the Jews de-
parted, and had great reasoning among themselves.
As these were Paul's last words to the
Jews, the result was that they departed.
They left God's word and testimony, and
among themselves, now given up to their
own folly, they had great reasoning; much
disputation because they had rejected the
truth, much vacillating, asking and seeking
because they had refused to receive and
believe that which was sure and certain.
30. H And Paul dwelt two whole years in his owa
hired house, and received aU that came in unto him.
3212
ACTS.
Dwelt, or, rather, remained. Two whole
years, i. e., in the state mentioned, with the
evident impUcation tliat at the end of tliat
time his condition changed. The reader's
conclusion is, that the two years completed
the term of the Apostle's captivity. In
his own hired house, i, e., hired at his own
expense. In the bosom of a Christian
Church the Apostle could not have been
destitute of the means of providing for
such an expense. We learn, also, from
Phil, iv. 14, 18, that during this captivity
Paul received supjilies from the Church at
Philippi. Received — the original word
means in its special sense, received gladly,
because it afforded him such joy to preach
the Gospel. (Comp. xv. 4, xviii. 27 ; see
also on verse 16.)
31. Preaching <!the kingdom of God, and teaching
those things whicli concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with
all confidence, no man forbidding him.
div. 31, Eph. vi. 19.
Preaching the kingdom — in the very seat
of empire of the world. Which concern the
Lord of that kingdom, Jesus as Christ.
The kingdom of God, which was promised
in the Old Testament, is perfected in the
New Testament in and through Jesus.
There is no kingdom of God without Jesus,
but where Jesus is, there ultimately will
the kingdom of God have its full consum-
mation. He who will proclaim the king-
dom, let him teach of Jesus, and he who
teaches of Jesus let him not forget to pro-
claim the kingdom. To preach the kingdom
of God, and to teach about Jesus is repre-
senting the tohole of the Gospel — " it is the
circumference and the center" (see on
verse 10). With all confidence. Of this
confidence of the Apostles at Rome we
have additional evidence in the Ejaistles to
the Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians and
to Philemon, which were written in that
city. They are all fragrant with the oil of
joy, wherewith Jesus had anointed him.
They also enable us to gather some partic-
ulars of his residence, which history has
not elsewhere recorded. No man forbid-
ding him, better, unhindered — outwardly,
after so many hindrances were overcome.
A victory of God's word. It was in those
times considered a very great mercy when
the Gospel could be preached without
hindrance ; it Avas a source of comfort to
teachers, and they diligently employed the
time during which they could enjoy it.
But we, on the contrary, whose liberty has
so long been established, have well nigh
forgotten how great this mercy is. As we
have therefore oisportunity let us labor
to do good. (Gal. vi. 10.)
" The course of the Gospel from Jerusa-
lem to Rome (says Stie'r) embraces the whole
historical scope of the book ; and if, with
Rieger, we ask, ' When will it again return
to Jerusalem ?' we may find our question
provisionally answered in the Epistle to
the Romans, the succeeding book of the
New Testament in our arrangement. This
reveals, both as regards Jew and Gentile,
the whole of God's plan for setting uj) His
kingdom, which is righteousness, peace,
and joy in the Holy Ghost."
Here, as has been beautifully observed,
" the curtain drops upon the unfinished
life of Paul." AVe read no more of him
after this. He disappears forever. It is
true that tradition and certain references
in one or two of his Epistles have led
some to conclude that after this his first
imprisonment in Rome, he was released,
and returned to visit some of the churches
which he had planted. " It is very pro-
bable," says Howson, "that he went to
Spain, and not improbable that he came
to Brittany. The general impression is
that he wasbeheaded at Rome, in the last
j'ear of the reign of Nero, when Peter was
also crucified." All this, however, is at
best conjecture ; certainty ends with this
verse. Curiosity craves for minute in-
formation concerning the closing scenes
in the life of this wonderful man, but
Scripture offers no gratification. Why
this? Why is sacred history so frag-
mentary ? There are, no doubt, good rea-
sons. Fuller details are, indeed, unneces-
sary. Luke has given sufficient memo-
randa of this great and good man's life to
enable us to judge how sublimely he
l^assed through the last scenes. Many
years before he had said, " I am ready,
not to be bound only, but also to die at
Jerusalem, for the sake of the Lord Jesus."
Longer experience had not made him less
ready to do or to suffer for the Master
whom he served. We possess his parting
words : " I am now ready to be offered,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
1213
I have fought a good fight, I have finished
my course, I have kept the faith : hence-
forth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the riglit-
eous Judge, shall give me at that day ; and
not to me only, hut unto all them also
that love his appeai-ing." (2 Tim. iv.
6-8.)
Thus, like the i^rojAet before him (see
2Kingsii. 12, 13), who, taken himself from
his earthly trials, cast down his mantle to
encourage his successor ; so has Paul, in
his last recorded sentiments, left for others
the comfort wherewith he himself was
comforted of God. A crown of glory was
prepared for him. But not for him only,
the Ajiostle in labors most abundant, in
grace above measure ; but for all them
also that " love the Lord's appearing ;"
for all the faithful brethren in every age
and country, whose hearts have been di-
rected by the Spirit " to the love of God,
and the patient waiting for Christ." (2
Thess. iii. 5.)
1. What was the name of the island at which they escaped? 2. What is said of the barbarous people 7 3.
What is said of the viper? 4. What did the barbarians say among themselves? 5. What did Paul do with the
viper? 6. What did the people say when they saw him uninjured? 7. Who was the chief man of the island?
8. What ia said of the father of Publius ? 9. Were others in the island healed? 10. What is said of honors con-
ferred? 11. When did Paul and his companions depart? 12. What was the sign of the ship in which they
sailed? 13. At what points did they land as they went toward Kome? 14. Who met them at Appii Forum ? 15.
What disposition was made of Paul at Rome ? IG. What was Paul's address to the chief of the Jews ? 17. What
is said of his" lodging?" 18. When had the Jews great reasoning among themselves ? 19. How long did Paul
dwell in his own hired house 7 20. What is said of him during this time ?
APPENDIX A.
BIOaRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE APOSTLES.
SIMON (peter).
Simon was the son of Jonas, or Jona. This, which signifies hearing, was his original
name. Hence he is once called Simon Bar-jona, that is, son of Jona. (Matt. xvi. 17.)
He was born at Bethsaida. He was a married man, and lived at Capernaum. (Matt,
viii. 14; Mark i. 29 ; Luke iv. 38.) He was a fisherman, and probably associated with
his brother Andrew in this business.
The name Cephas (a Syrian word signifying a rock, and in Latin Petra, translated
Peter) was given to him when Andrew introduced Simon to our Lord, though he was
not called to the special discipleship till some time after this. (Matt. iv. 18-20.) The
name Peter, does not denote constancy, or firmness, which were not peculiar traits of
Peter's character, but strength and boldness. The new name did not wholly super-
sede the old one, as in the case of Saul and Paul (Acts xiii. 9), for we find the latter
still employed (Luke xiv. 37, xxii. 31, xxiv. 34; Matt. xvi. 16, 17; Acts xv. 14), and
throughout the Gospel of John, and in the opening words of Peter's second epistle,
both names are combined. The religious life of this Apostle, from its commencement
to its close, is filled with the most interesting incidents. His two epistles, the date
usually assigned to which is between A. D. 64 and 66, and which are called general,
because they were not addressed to any particular Church or community of believers,
constitute a valuable part of the inspired writings.
It may not be doubted that Peter was a spokesman to the college of Apostles, like
the foreman of a jury or the chairman of a large committee — a jjosition for which he
was qualified by his forwardness of speech and action, and which was naturally ac-
corded to him as one of the oldest, most active, most influential, and most faithful of
those who had " seen the Lord." The story that he was Bishop of Rome, upon which
popery asserts her claim to supremacy, has no historical value.
There is no satisfactory evidence that Peter had any superiority of rank, or ofl^ce,
among the Apostles, for the following reasons : 1. The fact that he is named first on
the catalogue of the Apostles does not imply that he had. This was owing to the pri-
ority of his call. According to Matt. iv. 18, 21, it appears that Peter and Andrew, James
and John, were called the earliest to attend constantly on the Saviour, with reference
to becoming His public servants. Matthew and Luke mention Andrew next to Peter,
as being his brother, and one of Christ's first disciples. The names of James and John
1215
APPENDIX A. 3
follow, as having been called next, and being persons of great eminence for piety and
usefulness, and James is placed before John as being the elder brother. The names
of the others seem to be placed nearly, at least, in the order in which they became
disciples— Judas (though, perhaps, not last called), being last named, because he was
the traitor. It is certain that the Apostles are not ranged in the catalogues according
to their dignity, else would the order of the names have been exactly the same in all
the Evangelists, which it is not, else, too, it must follow that John and Matthew, whose
praise is in all the Churches, on account of their writings, were inferior to Apostles
who are scarce once named, except in the catalogues. 2. Whatever honor or author-
ity Peter received from Christ, in establishing the firstinstitutionsof Christianity, and
declaring what it enjoined and from what it released (Matt. xvi. 18, 19), the other
Apostles also received. (Matt, xviii. 18 ; John xx. 23 ; 1 Cor. v. 3, 5 ; Eph. ii. 20 ; Rev.
xxi. 14.) 3. It is plain that the other Apostles and first Churches conceded to Peter
no primacy, or authority over his brethren (Matt, xxiii. 8-12; Acts viii. 14, xii. 12, xv.
6-21 ; 2 Cor. xii. 11 ; Gal. ii. 2, xi. 14) ; and that be did not claim it for himself.
(1 Peter v. 1^.) 4. Peter was frequently betrayed into the gravest errors, both of
judgment and of practice ; he was repeatedly rebuked with great severity by Christ,
and he alone of the eleven went so far as to deny his Master, and continued under the
reproach of that apostasy, until the risen Saviour condescended to restore him. (John
xxi. 15-17.)
Subsequent to Peter's history, as recorded in the Acts, he seems to have lived in the
East, as one of his epistles is addressed to the Churches of Asia Minor, and was writ-
ten from Babylon. It is supposed, from John xxi. 18, 19, that the death predicted of
Peter, and expressed by the stretching forth of his hands, and his being bound by
cords, was that of crucifixion. Accordingly, ecclesiastical history testifies that he
sufiered martyrdom, by crucifixion, at Rome, in the reign of the Emperor Nero. It
is added that this death, and the tortures connected with it, were endured by the ven-
erable Apostle with marvelous patience and fortitude, and that, deeming himself un-
worthy to die in precisely the same manner and posture as his Lord, he asked and
obtained permission to be crucified with the head downward — a posture which could
not fail greatly to aggravate the tortures of the cross.
ANDREW.
Andrew was a native of Bethsaida, and brother (w'hether the elder or younger is
uncertain) of Peter. He, too, was called from his fishing-net to be a fisher of men,
and was among the first called. (John i. 41 ; Matt. iv. 18.) The name Andrew was
Greek. He probably had a Hebrew name besides, which had been gradually super-
seded by the Greek one. It was very common for the Jews of that age to have double
names — one native and one foreign. (Comp. Acts i. 22, ix. 36, xii. 12, xiii. 1-9.) An-
drew was first a disciple of John the Baptist, whom he left to follow our Saviour, after
the testimony of John, (John. i. 40.) He set the first example of brotherhood in
Christ, and was the first to proclaim, " We have found the Messiah." John i. 40-42.)
He is mentioned several times in the Gospels, though is not prominent. See Matt.
iv. 18-20 ; Mark xiii. 3 ; John i. 35-40 ; vi. 3-13 ; xii. 22.) Except in the catalogue
(chap. i. 14), his name does not occur once in the Acts. In the catalogues of Matthew
and Luke, Andrew appears second, but in those of Mark and the Acts, fourth. Some
of the ancients are of the opinion that he preached in Scythia, others, in Greece,
others, in Epirus, or Argos. He is said to have died as a martyr at Patrse in Achaia,
being sentenced to be executed on a cross of peculiar form, by Egseus, proconsul of
that province.
JAMES THE SON OP ZEBEDEE.
James is the Greek form of Jacob, and it is somewhat remarkable that it now re-
appears for the first time since the patriarch himself. James, and John (here men-
1216
8 APPENDIX A.
tioned with him), are in most passages of the Gospels named together, and from the
prevailing order it is inferred that John was the younger. They occupy a conspicuous
position in the history of our Lord. (Matt. v. 7; Lukeviii. 51; Matt. xvii. 1; Markix. 2;
Luke ix. 28 ; Matt. xxvi. 37 ; Mark xiii. 3, xiv. 33.) Their father was Zebedee, their mother
Salome, whom some recent critics identify with the sister of Mary, the mother of
Jesus, in John xix. 25. Zebedee, whose occupation his two sons followed, was a fisher-
man of Bethsaida, on the Lake of Tiberias, who, from having a vessel of his own, aad
hired servants (Mark i. 20), ai:)pears to have been in good circumstances for his station
in life. We know nothing of him beyond his interposing no refusal when his sons
were called to leave him (Matt. iv. 21), and his disappearance from the Gospel narra-
tive leads to the inference that his death set Salome free to join her children in min-
istering to the Lord. Luke viii. 3.)
For the call of James and John to the discipleship, see Matt. iv. 21, 22. It occurred
in the Spring or Summer of 27. For a full year after this we lose sight of James. He
is then, in the Spring of 28, called to the Apostleship with his eleven brethren. (Luke
vi. 13.) In the list of the Apostles given us by Mark, and in the Book of Acts, his
name occurs next to that of Simon Peter ; in the lists by Matthew and Luke it comes
third. (See Mark v. 37 ; Luke viii. 51 ; Matt. xvii. 1 ; Mark ix. 2 ; Luke ix. 28 ; Matt,
xxvi. 37 ; Mark xiv. 33, xiii. 3.) On the night before the crucifixion he was present at
the Agony in the Garden. On the day of the ascension he is mentioned as per-
severing with the rest of the Apostles and disciples in prayer. (Acts i. 13.) His
zeal seems to have been ardent and strong.
The surname Boanerges was given to James and John, probably at the time of the
Twelve Ajjostles, or possibly before. (Mark iii. 17.) This term, which is no doubt a
double modification (Greek and Aramaic) of some Hebrew phrase, which cannot now
be certainly identified, is translated by Mark, The Sons of Thunder. They were doubt-
less so named with reference to their burning and impetuous spirit, which twice
exhibits itself in its unchastened form (Luke ix. 54 ; Mark ix. 37) ; and wliich, when
moulded by the Spirit of God, taking difierent shapes, led James to be the first Apos-
tolic martyr, and John to become in an especial manner the Apostle of Love. James
was the first of the Apostles who died. He was slain by Herod with the sword,
shortly before the day of the Passover, A. D. 44. Clement of Alexandria says, that
such was his firmness in death that the oflicer at his execution was converted thereby
to Christianity, and was martyred with him.
JOHN.
To the particulars given of this Apostle in the foregoing sketch the following must
be added. It is generally believed that John was the youngest of the Apostles, but
it is not agreed what age he was of when called to follow Christ ; some state it at
twenty-five or twenty-six years, others at twenty-two, and others conceive him to
have been about the same age as his Lord. His character appears to have been
affectionate. The most intense affection, however, is compatible with an ardent tem-
per and ambitious spirit, of both which qualities we find some traces in him. (Matt.
XX. 24 ; Luke ix. 49.) He enjoyed, in an eminent degree, the s;^ecial intimacy of
Christ. To him belonged the distinction, in the Apostolic band, of being "the dis-
ciple whom Jesus loved," and this love was returned with a more single, undivided
heart by him than by any other. He was present at several scenes in our Lord's
history, from which most of the other disciples were excluded. His attachment to
Jesus was remarkable toward the end of His earthly course. John was a witness to
the interesting circumstances which occurred after Christ's resurrection. The tradi-
tion which ascribes to him a life of celibacy receives some confirmation from the
absence of his name in 1 Cor. ix. 5.
*27 1217
APPENDIX A. 4
Ecclesiastical historians state that John remained several years at Jerusalem, or at
least in Judea, till after the death of Mary, who had been committed to his care.
This is corroborated by the Acts of the Apostles, in which we find him at Jerusalem,
as one of the chief Apostles of the circumcision. At first we find him with Peter
working miracles, and preaching the Gospel with great success and boldness. John
was also one of the Apostles present at the council held at Jerusalem, in the year 49
or 50, and before this time he had, probably, not traveled beyond Judea. But the
ancient writers inform us that after the death of Mary he traveled into Asia Minor,
where he founded many churches, making Ephesus his principal residence, and
which continued to be such until, toward . the close of Domitian's reign, he was ban-
ished to the isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Apocalypse, or Book of Revelation.
Being released on the accession of Nerva, it seems he returned to Ephesus, where he
wrote his Gospel and three Epistles, and where he died, the last of the Apostles, in
the third year of the emperor Trajan, when he must have been about one hundred
years of age. (See Preface to Gospel of John.)
PHILIP.
The name is an old Greek one, and is found everywhere in ancient history. Philip
was of Bethsaida (John i. 44), and apparently was among the Galilean peasants of
that district who flocked to hear the preaching of the Baptist. He is not to be con-
founded with Philip the Evangelist, spoken of in Acts vi. 5, xxi. 8. The statement
that Jesus found him (John i. 43), implies previous seeking. He was the introducer
of Nathanael, upon whom our Lord pronounced so high a commendation (John i. 48).
He apparently was among the first company of disciples who were with the Lord at
the commencement of His history, at the marriage of Cana, and on His first appear-
ance as a prophet in Jerusalem. (John ii.) In the lists of the Apostles his name is
uniformly coupled with that of Bartholomew. We find him present at the feeding
of the Galilean crowds which were miraculously fed. (John vi. 5-9.) 'Jo him the
Gentile proselytes (Hellenes) expressed their wish for an interview with Jesus. (John
xii. 20, 22.) He was distinguished for his frankness, through which he ventured to
open every difficulty to the Saviour. (John vi. 7, xii. 22, xiv. 8, 9.) He was among
the company of disciples at Jerusalem after the Ascension (Acts i. 13), and on the day
of Pentecost. After this all is uncertaiti, yet it is said that he labored in Phrygia, and
died at Hierapolis, probably as a martyr.
BARTHOLOMEW.
Bartholomew is a patronymic, the son of Tolmai. His own name nowhere appears in
the first three Gospels : and it has been not improbably conjectured that he is identi-
cal with Nathanael. (John i. 45.) Nathanael there appears to have been first brought
to Jesus by Philip, and in the three first catalogues of the Apostles Bartholomew and
Philip appear together. It is difficult also to imagine, from the place assigned to
Nathanael in John xxi. 2, that he can be other than an Apostle. If this may be
assumed, for which there seems to be strong reason, he was born at Cana of Galilee,
and was known for his uprightness. (John i. 47.) He is said to have preached the
Gospel in India, meaning thereby, probably, Arabia Felix, which was sometimes
called India by the ancients. It is an authentic fact of ecclesiastical history, that a
copy of Matthew's Gospel, in Hebrew, was found by Pantsenus in India, left there by
Bartholomew. Some allot Armenia to him as a mission-field, and report him to have
been there flayed alive and then crucified with his head downward.
THOMAS.
Thomas was also called Didymus, the two names being Aramaic and Greek synony-
mes, both meaning a tiom. He was probably a Galilean, as well as the other Apostles,
5 APPENDIX A.
but the place of his birth and the circumstances of his calling are unknown. Besides
the lists of the Apostles, he is named eight times in the Gospel of John (xi. 16, xiv. 5,
XX. 24-29, xxi. 2). In the three catalogues of the Apostles by the Evangelists he is
coupled with Matthew, and with Philip in Acts i. 13. His character was that of a man
slow to believe, seeing all the difficulties of a case, subject to despondency, viewing
things on the darker side, and yet full of ardent love for his Master. (John xi. 16, xiv.
5, XX. 25.) In the famous statue of him by Thorwaldsen, in the church at Copenha-
gen, he stands with the rule in his hand for the due measuring of evidence and ar-
gument. " He doubted," says Augustine, " that we might not doubt." The earlier
traditions, as he lived in the fourth century, represent him as preaching in Parthia or
Persia, and as finally buried at Edessa. His martyrdom (whether in Persia or India)
is said to have been effected by a lance. The Christians of the Syrian Church in
India claim him as their founder, and call themselves by his name.
MATTHEW.
For a sketch of Matthew's history see " Preface " to his Gospel.
JAMES THE LESS.
Was the son of Alpheus. He is called by Mark (xv. 40) James the Less, either be-
cause he was younger than the other James, the son of Zebedee, or smaller in stature,
or called later to be an Apostle ; and appears to be that James whom Paul calls " the
Lord's brother." (Gal. i. 19.) Alpheus seems to be a Greek modification of an Aramaic
name, of which Clopas (John xix. 25) is supposed to be another form. Now, as Clopas
was the husband of the Virgin Mary's sister (John xix. 25), his son would be the
cousin of our Lord, and might, according to a common Hebrew idiom, be called
brother. (See Gen. xiii. 8; 2 Sam. i. 26 ; Acts vii. 25, 26, ix. 17.) Alpheus appears to
have died before the commencement of our Lord's ministry, and after his death it
would seem that his wife and her sister, a widow like herself, and in poor circumstances,
lived together in one house, generally at Nazareth (Matt. xiii. 55), but sometimes also
at Capernaum (John ii. 12) and Jerusalem (Acts i. 14). James the Less is mentioned
with peculiar distinction. (Acts xii. 76, xv. 13, xxi. 18; 1 Cor. xv. 7; Gal. i. 19, and ii.
9, 12.) He was put to death in the year 62, and tradition says that he was thrown by
the Jews from the battlements of the temple, and then dispatched with a fuller's club,
while on his knees, and in the act of praying for his murderers. His Epistle was written
in the year 61 or 62. It is called general, because it was not addressed to any particu-
lar Church, but to the whole Jewish nation — to the twelve tribes scattered abroad. (Ch. i. 1.) .
LEBBEUS.
Besides being also named Thaddeus, (Mark iii. 18) he is called by Luke (vi. 16)
Judxts, the brother of James. It is generally accepted that these were three names for
one and the same person, who is therefore said by Jerome to have been trionymus.
As the words the brother (in Luke) do not occur in the original, it has been a question
whether the ellipsis should not be supplied with the words the son, as the ellipsis is
supplied here respecting James. The probability is, however, that he was the brother
of James the less, son of Mary (sister of the Virgin Mother), and therefore cousin-
german of the Saviour. He is the " Judas, not Iscariot," mentioned by John xiv. 22.
His given name, doubtless, was Judah, and his two surnames, Lebbeus and Thaddeus,
signifying hearty or courageous, are regarded by some as denoting him as a spirited,
brave man. He was the author of the short Epistle near the end of the New Testa-
ment canon, which was written, as many have supposed, about A. D. 65, but it is by
no means certain. Nothing is certainly known of the later history of the Apostle. It
is impossible to determine from conflicting traditions whether he died a natural death,
or was martyred, but Edessa seems to be the place where his earthly career
terminated.
1219
APPENDIX A. t
BiMON THE CANAANiTE, (or, properly, the Cananite.)
He is referred to in Luke vi. 15 as "Simon called Zelotes." The two epithets
attached to his name have the same signification, the latter being the Greek transla-
tion of the former, which is Chaldee. Both seem to point him out as belonging to the
Jewish faction called Zealots, which was animated by a mo.<t bitter and uncompromis-
ing zeal against the Roman rule, as a thing accursed, unlawful, and by every means
to be put down, and which played so conspicuous a part in the last defense of Jerusa-
lem. If Simon was really a member of this fierce sect, it was a great change for him
to be placed thus intimately near to Him who was " meek and lowly in heart." Pos-
sibly, as some suppose, the name was given to him on account of personal zeal for the
law. Simon is not mentioned in the New Testament out of the catalogues of the
Apostles. He is reported, on very doubtful authority, to have preached in Egypt,
Cyrene, and Mauretania, and to have been crucified in Judea, under Domitian. A
modern writer remarks, that, while IMutthew (x. 4) associates Judas Iscariot with
Simon the Canaanite, Luke associates him with Jude, the brother of James. This, he
thinks, arose not from a varying tradition, but from a varying practice of our Lord,
who allowed not Judas always to retain the same companion, for fear of his corrupt-
ing influence.
JUDAS ISCAEIOT.
Judas is uniformly mentioned last on the lists, with a brand of infamy. Some sup-
pose the appellative Iscariot to signify " The Zealot," others, that it is derived from a
word signifying suspennon, and refers to the manner of his death (Matt, xxvii. 5) ;
others, still, that it means " the man of Carioth," or Keriath, a city of Judah. (Josh.
XV. 25.) The last explanation is now generally accepted, and if it be right, Judas is
the only one of the Apostles whom we have any reason to regard as not a Galilean.
Judas came to an awful end. (Matt. xxvi. 34; John xvii. 2; Acts i. 25; see notes
below.)
Such were the persons (Matthias afterward being chosen in the room of Judas, and
Paul being subsequently selected) Jesus chose to be His Apostles — His assistants and
coadjutors in the establishment and administration of His kingdom. It was, indeed,
natural to expect that in making a choice He should look to men of influence,
authority and weight, that being Himself destitute of all the advantages of rank,
power, wealth and learning. He should endeavor to compensate for these defects in
His own Person, by the contrary qualities of His associates, by connecting Himself
with some of the most powerful, opulent, learned and eloquent of His time. In pur-
suing an opposite course, however, as He did, and choosing plain, humble, unpretend-
ing men, of low birth and low occupations, without learning or education (excepting
Paul, who was a scholar), without any extraordinary endowments, natural or acquired,
without anything, in short, to recommend them, but their simplicity, integrity and
purity of character. He meant to show that He was above all such great instruments
and agencies as the world might supply, and that He had far other resources, far dif-
ferent auxiliaries, to call into His support, in comparison with which all the wealth
magnificence, power and wisdom of the world were trivial and contemptible things.
(1 Cor. i. 26.) Such selection, however, is not an argument against learning in the
ministry noiv, unless it can be shown that the ministry now has power to heal the
sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out devils.
Why Judas was chosen by Jesus, when it was known that He would betray Him,
it must be admitted, is surprising, and at variance with the course which human wis-
dom would have marked out. (See 1 Cor. i. 25.) Thus was prophecy fulfilled, and
122&
7 APPENDIX A.
thus was the great purpose accomplished of redeeming the human race by Christ's
death. (See Ps. xli. ; Acts i. 16.) It may probably serve to solve some of the mystery
of this case, to look at the following lessons which it teaches : 1. It is possible to be
with Jesus, to hear Him night and day, to appear to be religious, and to preach holy
doctrines, and yet to perish everlastingly. 2. Although the Church is to desire and
aim at absolute purity, it cannot be expected, even in her highest places, during her
militant condition, and it is her duty to guard against terror and despair, when great
defections do occur. 3. It is the duty of ministers to guard against avarice, hypocrisy,
and all unfaithfulness. (Matt. xxvi. 34 ; John xvii. 12 ; Acts i. 25.) 4. The choice of
Judas supplied a powerful indirect evidence of the purity and blamelessness of our
Lord's conduct and ministry, as ; if anything could have been proved against Him,
Judas was exactly the witness who could have proved it, but he had nothing to
allege to Christ's disadvantage. (See Matt, xxvii. 4.) 5. Then, again, look how Christ
treated Judas— He warned him (Matt. vi. 19-21 ; Mark vii. 21-23 ; Luke xii. 10-20), He
left him free to go (John vi. 67, xiii. 27), with long-suflfering He endured him (John
xiii. 11), and finally, with majesty, He removed him.
1231
APPENDIX B.
APPENDIX R
DEMONIACAL POSSESSIONS.
The subject of demoniacal possessions has given rise to much discussion. Some
make the account of them merely symbolic without basis of fact, others regard them
as mere diseases ; others still look upon the narratives of them as mere accommoda-
tions to the error and superstition of the age in which they were written. In support
of the common, simple and ancient interpretation of these cases, and as relating to
the entire subject in its general bearings, we submit the considerations following:
The whole system of Bible demonology presupposes one arch enemy of God and
man, finite yet powerful, an archangel of evil, who is the mightiest finite representa-
tive of wickedness revealed to us in the universe. (See notes on Matt. iv. 1.) He is
known in the Old Testament history as Belial, Satan, and perhaps as Azazel. In the
New Testament he is Satan, Beelzebub, the devil, and the prince of devils, the word
diabolos, devil, being the corresponding Greek word for the Hebrew Satan. Under
him there are demons, or inferior evil spirits — a kingdom with its subordinate minis-
ters— " the devil and his angels." Tliis is the acknowledged meaning of the word.
Thus it is translated in James ii. 19, and rightly, too, for it cannot with propriety be
applied to any other beings, nor well admit of any other translation than "the devils
believe and tremble." Thus, also, in the Gospels, the same beings that are named
demons, are named also spirits, and unclean spirits, and evil, and wicked spirits. (Matt.
xii. 43, 45, x. 1, viii. 16, xvii. 18; Luke xi. 24, 26, iv. 33, &c., ix. 1, iv. 41, ix. 42;
Mark i. 23, iii. 11, ix. 25, 26), showing that these names are synonymous terms. It
further appears that demons are beings of the same kind, of the same nature as Satan
and Beelzebub, the prince or chief of the demons, for the reasoning of Jesus (Matt. xiii. 22,
32 ; Mark iii. 22, 30 ; Luke xi. 14, 26) shows that the casting out demons by Beelzebub,
is the same as casting out demons by Satan, and that Satan's casting out demons is cast-
ing out himself. So, too, when the Seventy returned to our Saviour (Luke x. 17, 18),
He considered the fall of demons as the fall of Satan, and Peter spoke of the demoni-
acs under the name and notion of " oppressed with the devil." (Acts x. 38.)
That the possessions in question were not mere diseases, such as epilepsy, mania and
melancholy, we think it impossible to deny. That there was a substratum of disease,
which, in many cases, helped to lay open to the deeper evil, and upon which it was
superinduced, there can be no doubt, but the scheme which confounds these cases
with those of disease cannot, even setting aside the testimony of Joseplms, and other
historians, that possession in those times was no uncommon case, be sustained by any
reverent handler of God's Word.
1222
» APPENDIX B.
There is a distinction everywhere drawn in the New Testament between natural
diseases and demoniacal possessions. In Matt. iv. 24 there is mention made of four
classes of the afflicted. 1. All the sick taken with divers diseases and torments. 2.
Those possessed with devils. 3. The lunatic. 4. Paralytics. In Matt. viii. 16 there
is a distinction made between healing the sick, and casting out spirits. Luke, likewise
(who was himself a physician), distinguishes (iv. 40, 41) between healing and casting out,
as well as between diseases and devils. How could it be said that common diseases
were cast out, and that they came cmt crying and saying anything, especially acknow-
ledging Christ as the Son of God! (See Mark i.23, 24, 32, xvi. 17, 18 ; Luke vi. 17, 18;
Matt. viii. 29 ; Mark i. 24, v. 7 ; Luke iv. 41, &c.) Besides, the unclean spirits are
said to " enter into" and " depart out " of those whom they possess, and remain out.
They speak and are spoken to, both while within their victims and after they have
come out, neither of which things could be affirmed of diseases. Every expression
that Jesus makes use of with respect to these demoniacs plainly supposes them to be
really possessed. He addresses the evil spirit as distinct from the man. (Mark i. 25
ix. 25 ; V. 8 ; Luke iv. 35.) In His confidential discourses with His disciples He
recognized this distinction. (Matt. x. 8, and especially xvii. 21 .) In the charge He
gave to the Twelve He distinguished between the casting out of devils and the heal-
ing of diseases. (Luke ix. 1.) When charged with casting out devils (Matt. xii. 24)
He did not deny the possibility of such a thing. He bade the demons to be silent.
(Mark i. 25.) He refers to a particular " kind " of demons. (Matt. xvii. 21.) In ad-
dition to all this, it must be borne in mind that the possessed had an invariable dis-
like and dread of our Lord. They do not appear ever to have come to Jesus of their
own accord; but, with one exception, to have been brought to him by others. In that
exceptional case, as in all the others, their antipathy and terror seeni to have been
extreme. " Let us alone ; what have we to do with Thee, Jesus of Nazareth ? art Thou
come to destroy us? I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God." Surely this
infatuated symi^athy with their oppressors, and their no less infatuated antipathy to
and avoidance of their Deliverer, is something more and something worse than mad-
ness. Further, we find that Jesus has represented the casting out of demons as a
necessary part of His own work. Very emphatically he sends this message to Herod:
"I must cast out demons and do cures to-day and to-morrow." (Luke xii. 32.) He
argues from His performance of this work to the truth of His mission, and the advent
of God's reign. " If I by the finger of God cast out demons, then the kingdom of God
is come unto you." (Matt. xii. 28.) And over their ejection by His disciples in His
name, He rejoiced in spirit, as the beginning and earnest of the downfall of Satan's
power, saying, " I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." How then shall all
this be accounted for if demoniacs were madmen of whatever sort?
Now it cannot be supposed that the Evangelists wrote and that our Lord spoke on
this subject, merely in a figurative manner, and " in accordance with the belief of the
time, and with a view to be clearly understood." Accommodation is possible, indeed,
when, in things indifferent, language is used which, although scientifically or etymo-
logically inaccurate, yet conveys a true impression, or when, in things not indifierent,
a declaration of truth (1 Cor. iii. 1, 2), or a moral law (Matt. xix. 8) is given, true or
right as far as it goes, but imperfect, because of the imperfect progress of its recipients.
But certainly here the matter was not indifferent. The age was one of little faith and
great superstition, its characteristic the acknowledgment of God as a distant law-giver,
not an inspirer of men's hearts. This superstition in things of far less moment was
denounced by our Lord. Can it be supposed that He would sanction, and the Evan-
gelists be permitted to record forever, an idea in itself false, which has constantly
been the stronghold of superstition? If the Evangelists use language with such ex-
traordinary freedom, if they make such amazing concessions to the prejudices and
errors of men, no person can have any distinct view of what was in fact their mean-
ing— no one can be certain when they relate things as they were in truth, and when
1223
APPENDIX B. 10
they relate them as they appeared to vulgar and prejudiced minds. All the ideas
which we can have of the man Christ Jesus, who flattered no popular prejudices, who
was not only the truth-speaker, but the truth itself, and who came into the world not
to make a lie the basis of His mission, but to put an end to all deceptions, to all hy-
pocricies, to all falsehoods, compel us to believe that He would not have used lan-
guage which would have upheld and confirmed so great and mischievous an error in
the minds of men, as the supposition of Satanic influence, which did not in truth
exist.
The distinguished feature of the condition of those whom our Lord and His Apos-
tles signalized by the name of demoniacs, was the complete or incomplete loss of the
suflerer's reason or power of will, his actions, his words, and almost his thoughts were
mastered by the evil sjiirit (Mark i. 24, v. 7; Acts xix. 15), till his personality seemed
to be destroyed, or, if not destroyed, so overborne as to produce the consciousness of
a two-fold will within him, like that sometimes felt in a dream. Plato affirms that
"demoniacs do not use their own dialect or tongue, but that of the demons who have
entered into them." Lucian says : " The patient is silent, the demon returns the answer
to the question asked." Apollonius thus addresses a youth supposed to be possessed:
" I am treated contumeliously by the demon, and not by thee." (Comp. Matt. viii. 28
and 31; Mark v. 2, ix. 12; Luke viii. 27, 32.)
We are not to suppose that those who were possessed by devils, were eminently
wicked, or in the highest degree oflTensive to God, and hence they were allowed to l^e
so possessed. Though they were greatly guilty, yet they were not the guiltiest of men
With the exception of Judas, whose case was specifically different from the others,
such persons were treated by the Saviour as objects of compassion rather than of con-
demnation. They may have been guilty of what opened the door and courted the
inrush, as it were, of the evil spirits by which they were inhabited, but still their case,
in the main, was misfortune — more misfortune tlian it was crime. Hence, there was
in them a groaning under the tyranny they endured, and a piercing cry was continu-
ally heard for deliverance. However mysterious it may be, it may not be doubted
that, like all God's ways of dealing with men, possession was meant to serve the great
ends of moral discipline. Although it might appear, like insanity, so to overbear the
reason, and conscience, and will, as to suspend responsibility, it can be readily under-
stood to have formed the most important exercise of the principles and dispositions
of all with whom those " vexed with the devil " were related in social and family bonds,
as in the beautiful and blessed example of the woman of Canaan and her daughter.
And in whatsoever way, or to whatsoever effect, all affliction, including insanity itself
subserves the great moral i)urpose of human life, the same end might be equally ac-
complished by the worst and most violent assaults of the demon's power.
In regard to demoniacal possessions, the Bible, as in many other things, without con-
tradicting ordinary experience, yet advances to a region whither human science can-
not follow. The state itself cannot be fully explained, nor need the skeptical complain
of this till they have explained mental derangement. The limits and mutual reac-
tions of the spiritual, mental and corporeal faculties in man have as yet baffled all the
researches of science.
To the question, Why were demoniacal possessions so numerous at the commence-
ment of the Christian era? the following answer has been given: "Other forms of
affliction have have had their day and place as well as this. If the fact were, as seems
likely, that about those times men were more addicted than ordinarily to sorcery and
divination (Acts xix. 18, 21), might not this, according to the rules of Divine judgment,
have provoked this special visitation ? Or, can it be thought unnatural, that with the
knowledge that their time was short, the evil spirits should then, so far as permitted,
have thus put forth their malice and activity to the uttermost? (Rev. xii. 2.) And
1224
11 APPENDIX B.
as regarded our Lord and the ends of His mission, what was so fitted to confirm His
claims, and to illustrate His work in the eye of a sense-bound people, as the opportu-
nity thus afibrded for the manifestation of His power over the enemy ? The demo-
niacs recovered by His word to a sound body and a right mind, were more convincing
trophies of His power, and more palpable representatives of His work, than were His
own disciples, in whom the effect of His influence was chiefly inward and spiritual.
Hence He once and again refers to His casting out of demons, not simply like
His other miracles, as the proof of His Divine mission in general, but as special evi-
dence of His work and errand, as manifested to destroy the works of the devil, and to
establish His own kingdom of grace."
Is it asked. Why do not demoniacs appear at the present day ? To this inquiry a
three-fold reply may be made. 1. Even admitting that they do not, the most profound
observers in mental and psychological science have remarked that certain supernatu-
ralisms seem to affect the human system in particular ages, then disappear, and are
the subjects of skepticism in a later era. Phenomena of this kind took place in the
middle ages which are unknown now. 2. Yet there are cases, especially of men given
over to delirium tremens, which exhibit a terrible approximation to possession, and
which, if Satan's power were at the present time in the manifest ascendant, would
very possibly develop a clear possession by the power of the evil ones. The same may
be said of the habitually lustful, and the opium eater. And how much of the diaboli-
cal mingles with the so-called spiritism of the present day, may be matter of serious
consideration ; certainly its phenomena belong not to the Divine, but to the lorver, if
not the infernal order of the invisible powers. 3. The might of hell, we cannot doubt,
has been greatly broken by the coming of the Son of God in the flesh, and with this
the grosser manifestations of its power. (See Luke x. 18.) Satan's rage and violence,
it is to be believed, are continually hemmed in and hindered by the preaching of the
Word. In heathen lands, where the great conflict between light and darkness begins
by the first in-coming of the Gospel, manifestations are sometimes seen not unlike
those in the days of Jesus.
1225
AN HISTORICAL INDEX
OF ALL THE PERSONS, PLACES, ETC., MENTIONED IN THE
GOSPELS AND THE ACTS OP THE APOSTLES.
Aaron (a teacher, a hill), the brother of Moses ; a progenitor of Elizabeth, the wife
of Zacharias. Luke i. 5 ; — the Israelites' request of him in the wilderness ; Acts vii.
40.
Abel {mourning, vanity, vapor), murdered by his brother Cain. His blood alluded
to by our Lord, Matt, xxiii. 35 ; Luke xi. 51.
Abia {will of the Lord), called also Abijam, son of Rehoboam, and a progenitor of our
Lord. (Matt. i. 7.)
Abiathar {e-xcellentf other), high--pTiest when David ate the shew -bread. (Mark ii. 26.)
Abilene {weeping, mourning), a small region of Syria between mounts Libanus and
Anti-Libanus ; and of which Lysanias was tetrarch. (Luke iii. 1.)
Abiud {father of praise), son of Zerubbabel, and a progenitor of Christ. (Matt. i. 13.)
Abomination of Desolation. The Roman army besieging Jerusalem ; of which the
ensigns and images were brought into the Temple, and placed over against the eastern
gate where the Romans sacrificed to them. (Matt. xxiv. 15 ; Luke xxi. 20, 21.)
Abraham {father of a great multitude), a progenitor of Christ. (Matt. i. 1.) Our Lord
rebukes the Jews for boasting of Abraham as their father. (John viii. 37-58 ; Matt,
iii. 9 ; Luke iii. 8, 34. Also alluded to in Luke i. 55, 73, iii. 34, xiii, 28, xvi. 23, 24, 30,
xix. 9 ; John viii. 33 ; Acts vii. 2, xiii. 26.)
Aceldama {the field of blood), the field bought with the thirty pieces of silver that
betrayed our Lord, and assigned to be a burial-place for strangers. The earth had
been dug from it to make earthenware, hence it was called the " Potter's Field." (Matt.
xxvii. 7-10.) And because of the violent death of Judas, it is supposed to have derived
the name of Aceldama, " the field of blood." (Acts i. 19.) It was outside the southern
wall of Jerusalem.
AcHAiA, a province in the south of Greece, comprising the northern portion of the
Peloponnesus, and of which Corinth was the capital. (Acts xviii. 1, 12; xix. 21.)
AcHAZ, or Ahaz {taking, seeing), son and successor of Jotham, king of Judah, and a
progenitor of our Lord. (Matt. i. 9.)
AcHiM {rising again, confirming), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Matt. i.
14.)
Acts op the Apostles, the history of the infant Church for thirty years after Christ's
death, written by Luke. It begins with the ascension of our Lord A. D. 33 (Acts i.
1227
14 HISTORICAL INDEX.
3-11), and concludes with Paul's first arrival in Rome, a prisoner two whole years for
the Gospel, A. D. G3. (xxviii. 30, 31.) The first part of " The Acts" is chiefly occupied
with the life of Peter, and the latter part with that of Paul ; yet many important inci-
dents respecting Paul have been found omitted, which his epistles supply to us.
Adam {red earth), our first parent, in whom all fell. A progenitor of Christ.
(Luke iii. 38.)
Addi [mtness, traveler), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 28.)
Adramyttium {mansion of deaiJi, a commonalty), a maritime town of Asia Minor, at
the foot of mount Ida, opposite Lesbos ; famous for its shipping trade ; a vessel from
which conveyed Paul to Rome. (Acts xxvii. 1, 2.)
Adria, the Adriatic Sea, including the Ionian and Sicilian Seas, and the waters
washing the western side of Crete. (Acts xxvii. 27.)
Agabus (a locust, a father'' s feast), a prophet who foretold the famine in the reign of
Claudius, in A. D. 44 (Acts xi. 28), and the imprisonment of Paul by the Jews, (Acts
xxi. 10.)
Agrippa {sick, sorrouful), or Herod Agrippa, II., was the son of Herod Agrippa, the
grandson of Herod the Great ; he was a favorite of Claudius, in whose court he con-
tinued some time, and having obtained from the emperor the provinces of Gaulanitis,
Trachonitis, Batansea, Paneas and Abilene, lately held by Lysanias, he left Rome
about A. D. 53. "When Festus arrived as governor of Judea, Agrippa went to Cesarea
to salute him, A. D. 60, and there, in company with his sister Bernice, he heard Paul,
and "almost" became a Christian. (Acts xxv. 13, 22, 26, xxvi. 1-32.) Neyo added
other districts to his rule ; and when the Jews rebelled against Rome, A. D. 66,
Agrippa united with the Roman power, led his forces against Jerusalem, after the
taking of which in A. D. 70, he retired to Rome, where he died, A. D. 90.
Alabaster Box. By the English word Alabaster is to be understood both that kind
which is also known by the name of gypsum, as well as the Oriental alabaster, which is
BO much valued on account of its translucency, and for its variety of colored streakings,
red, yellow, gray, &c., which it owes, for the most part, to the admixture of oxides of
iron. Both these kinds of alabaster, but especially the latter, are and have been long
used for various ornamental purposes, such as in the fabrication of vases, boxes, &c.
The ancients considered alabaster (carbonate of lime) to be the best material in which
to preserve their ointments. "Unguents," says Pliny, "keep best in alabaster."
Alexander {helper of men, strong, virtuous) — (1) a son of Simon, who carried our
Lord's cross. (Mark xv. 21.)
(2) lately high priest, and among those who examined Peter and John, when
brought before the Sanhedrim for healing a man lame from his birth at the gate called
" Beautiful." (Acts iv. 6.)
(3) a Jew of Ephesus, who encouraged the tumult raised by Demetrius. (Acts
xix. 33.)
Alexandria {irritation, prohibition), a celebrated city in Egypt, founded by Alexan-
der the Great (B. C. 332), whence its name, and colonized by him with Greeks and
Jews. It was the capital of Egypt under the Ptolemies, whose encouragement of
learning brought hither the most celebrated philosophers of the East, as well as of
Greece and Rome; whence it became the hot-bed of Gnosticism, and other heresies.
It was the Alexandrine Jews who persecuted Stephen. (Acts vi. 9.) Apollos was born
here (Acts xviii. 24) ; and in a ship of Alexandria Paul was taken to Rome. (Acts
xxvii. 6.) Mark, the Evangelist, after the death of Peter, is said to have retired into
Egypt, and founded a Christian Church in this city.
Alph^us {the thousand, learned)— {1) the father of Matthew or Levi ; Mark ii. 14.
1228
HISTORICAL INDEX. 15
(2) one of the Apostles, and the Father of Jamea the Less (Matt. x. 3 ; Mark
iii. 18; Luke vi. 15; Acts i. 13), and husband of Mary the sister of the mother of our
Lord ; he is thought to be the same with Cleophas (Luke xxiv. 18 ; John xix. 25), the
latter being his Syriac or Hebrew name, and Alphaeus his Greek name.
Amen (verily), '" it is true." (John iii. 3, 5.)
Aminadab (afreejifiopk), son of Aram, and father of Naason, and of Elisheba, the
wife of Aaron, and one of the progenitors of our Lord. (Matt. i. 4; Luke iii. 33.)
Amon (faithful), sou and successor of Manasseh, king of Judah, and a progenitor of
our Lord. (Matt. i. 10.)
Amos (a burden, miglit)/), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 25.)
Ampiiipolis (a city surrounded), a city of Macedonia, called also Chrysopolis, through
which Paul and Silas passed on their way to Thessalonica, after their escai>e from im-
prisonment at Philippi. (Acts xvii. 1.) It is said that Paul did not stay at Amphipolis,
because there was no synagogue there.
Ananias {the cloud of the Lord) — (1) a son of Nebedseus, and a high priest of the Jews,
A. D. 59. When Paul was brought before him by Claudius Lysias, his ignominious
treatment of the Apostle met with a very severe rebuke from Paul, who excused him-
self by alleging that he was ignorant of his office. (Acts xxiii. 1-5.) He went to
Cesarea to accuse Paul before Felix (Acts xxiv. 1), and at last was killed by a sedi-
tious faction, headed by his own son, at the commencement of the Jewish wars.
(2) one of the first Christians of Jerusalem ; but fruin attempting, in conjunction
with his wife Sapphira, to defraud the Apostles, and lie to the Holy Ghost, they were
both struck dead at Peter's feet. (Acts v. 1-5.)
— -(3) a disci])le of Christ at Damascus, directed by the Lord in a vision to visit
Saul, who had just arrived in the city after his conversion. (Acts ix. 10.) Knowing
Saul's late proceedings he was afraid (verse 13) ; but being a second time enjoined, he
proceeded, and after restoring his sight, baptized him (verse 15-20 ; Acts xxii. 12) ; he
is thought to have been one of the seventy discii^les, and to have become bishop of
Damascus, in which city he died a martyr, by order of Licinius (or Lucianus) the
governor.
Andrew {strong man), one of the twelve Apostles. (See Appendix A.)
Anna {gracious, merciful), a projihetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher
(Aser), and a widow of 8-1 years of age ; coming into the temple at the presentation
of the Lord, where Simon was ofl"ering up his hymn of thanksgiving, she also gave
thanks unto God, and spake of the Lord to all that looked for redemption in Jerusa-
lem. (Luke ii. 36-38.)
Annas {answering, merciful, afflicting), called also ^4nanws by Josephus, was high priest
of the Jews under Quirinus, the governor of Syria ; he was deprived by Valerius
Gratus, the successor of Quirinus ; still, however, retaining the title of high priest ;
and when his son-in-law, Caiaphas (or Joseph) obtained the dignity a few days after,
which he held from A. D. 26 to A. D. 35, Annas acted as his sagan or deputy,
and possessed considerable influence both over his son-in-law and over the people.
Our Lord, when betrayed, was brought before him (Luke iii. 2 ; John xviii. 13-24) ;
and at a subsequent period he encouraged the persecution of the Apostles. (Acts
iv. 6.)
Antioch {for, or against a wagon) — (1) the capital of Syria, founded by Seleucus Ni-
canor, B. C. 301, and named Antioch in honor of his father, Antiochus. It was the
birth-place of i^t^'(J and Theophilus; and here Paul and Barnabas preached (Acts xi.
19, 20, 22, xiv. 26, xv. 22, 35) ; and it was the center of Paul's movements. It is also
noted as the first place where the disciples of our Lord were called Christians. (Acts
xi. 26.) It subsequently suffered much from earthquakes, and is now but a trifling
place, known as Antakia.
1229
16 HISTORICAL INDEX.
(2) the capital of Pisidia in Asia Minor, founded by the same Seleucus, where
Paul and Barnabas preached, but from which they were driven out by a tumult of the
Jews. (Acts xiii. 14.)
Antipas Herod. See Herod.
Antipatris {for, or against a father), a small town on the road from Jerusalem to Cesa-
rea, rebuilt by Herod, and so called in honor of his father, Antipater ; about 18 miles
from Joppa, and 40 from Jerusalem. Paul passed through it when taken a prisoner to
Cesarea. (Acts xxiii. 31.)
Apollonia (destruction), a city of Macedonia between Amphipolis and Thessalonica ;
through which Paul passed when going to the latter place through Philippi. (Acts
xvii. 1.)
Apollos (Apolloni'us, a destroyer), a Jew of Alexandria, learned in the Scriptures, and
an eloquent preacher of the Gospel ; first at Ephesus, where he arrived in the absence
of Paul about A. D, 57, and at which time he was only acquainted with John's baptism,
yet still with the truth that Jesus was the Messiah (Acts xviii. 24) ; but he became
better informed by the teaching of Aquila and his wife Priscilla (Acts xviii. 25-28),
after which he went to Corinth, where his eloquence and philosophic arguments pro-
duced such an eflfect as to create a party in the Corinthian Church, which Paul cau-
tioned those believers to guard against, and not to boast themselves as disciples either
of Paul, or of Apollos, or of Cephas, but of Christ. He subsequently left Corinth for
Ephesus to meet Paul, who particularly urged him to return to Corinth, after which
out of regard for him the Apostle recommended him to the friendly consideration of
Titus. What ultimately became of him is not known.
Apostles {a messenger), those commissioned by Jesus Christ to preach the Gospel ;
appointed (Matt. x. 1; Mark iii. 13; Luke vi. 13); commissioned (Matt. x. 1, xxviii. 19 ;
Mark xvi. 15) ; sent forth (Matt x. 5; Mark vi. 7 ; Luke ix. 1) ; their power to bind and
loose (Matt, xviii. 18; John xx. 23) ; to perform great works (John xiv. 12) ; witnesses
of our Lord's resurrection (Acts i. 22.) (See Appendix A).
Appii Forum, a forum or market town built by Appius Claudius, about 50 miles from
Rome. (Acts xxviii. 15.)
Aquila {an eagle), a Jew, born at Pontus in Asia Minor, and who resided in Rome,
till the edict of Claudius compelled him with his wife Priscilla to quit that city ; whence
he retired to Corinth. While here, Paul for some time took up his abode in his house,
both being tent-makers (Acts xviii. 2, 3, 26), and by the Apostle's teaching Aquila and
his wife were converted to Christianity. When Paul left Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla
accompanied him to Ephesus, where he left them to improve that Church during his
absence at Jerusalem. They were instrumental in saving Paul's life, but whether it
was when the Apostle was brought before Gallio at Corinth (Acts xviii. 12), or in the
tumult at Ephesus excited by Demetrius (Acts xix. 24), is not known. They subse-
quently went to Rome, as we find Paul saluting them in his epistle to the Romans, A.
D. 58, and afterward returned to Ephesus about A. D. 65 ; as he salutes them again in
his Epistle to Timothy, who was then at Ephesus ; what became of them after this is
not known.
Arabia, an extensive country of Asia, lying between Syria, Palestine, the Arabian
and Persian Gulfs, and the Indian Ocean. Its inhabitants are descended^ from the
Ishmaelites, and some of them were in Jerusalem at the noted day of Pentecost, and
heard the Apostles preach (Acts ii. 11); hither Paul retired after his conversion,a.sl^G^t
period for study and reflection ; some indeed say for three years ; he probably did Viqt
go far from Damascus. locn
Aram {highness, deceiving), a progenitor of Joseph, the husband of Mary. (Matfexi.
3; Luke iii. 33.) ;iq
1230
HISTORICAL INDEX. 17
Archelatjs {praise of the people), the son of Herod the Great, by Malthace ; on the
death of his father the people proclaimed him king, but his brother Herod Antipas
having disputed his title before Augustus, the Emperor allowed him only a half of
his inheritance, and the title of Ethnarch instead of King. The cruelty of his govern-
ment, however, lost him even that ; after holding it but seven years, and on being
called to Rome to answer for his mal-administration, he was banished to Vienne in
Gaul, where he died. He was reigning in Judea on the return of the Holy Family
from Egypt. (Matt. ii. 22.)
Areopagus {hill of Mars), a tribunal or supreme council of magistrates in the middle
of the city of Athens, on the summit of the Hill of Mars, whence its name, and oppo-
site to the Acropolis or citadel, and before which Paul was brought " as a setter forth
of strange gods." (Acts xvii'. 19-33.) J[lt is said to have been instituted by Cecrops, the
founder of the city.
Aretas {virtuous, or from the Arabic AlHarath, a name common to Arabian kings).
A king of Petra in Arabia Petrsea, including eventually Damascus and the country
round ; he was father-in-law to Herod Antipas, against whom he levied war because
of his repudiating his daughter. Aretas sanctioned the apprehension of Paul, whose
conversion excited the Jews against him, but he escaped from Damascus by being let
down from the walls in a basket. (Acts ix. 23, 24.)
Arimathea (from Ramatha, "height"), a town about 36 miles west of Jerusalem be-
tween Lydda and Joppa, where Joseph the counselor lived, who begged the body of
Jesus from Pilate. (Matt, xxvii. 57 ; Mark xv. 43 ; Luke xxiii. 51 ; John xix. 38.) It
is thought to have been the same place as Rama or Ramatha.
Aristarchus {best prince), a Macedonian of Thessalonica, and a convert to Christian-
ity : he was a companion of Paul in many of his travels, and was almost killed in the
riot at Ephesus, but made his escape with the Apostle (Acts xix. 29) ; whom he thence
accompanied into Greece, Asia (Acts xx. 4), and finally to Rome (Acts xxvii. 2) ; where
he suffered imprisonment with the Apostle, and was beheaded at the same time.
Arphaxad {healing), a progenitor of Abraham and of Christ. (Luke iii. 36.)
Asa {a physician), son and successor of Abijam on the throne of Judah, and a pro-
genitor of our Lord. (Matt. i. 7, 8.)
Asia, which in the New Testament implies Asia Minor, included the regions of
Bithynia, Cappadocia, Caria, Cilicia, Galatia, Lycaonia, Lyeia, Lydia, Mysia, Pam-
phylia, Paplilagonia, Phrygia, Pisidia, Pontus ; and the islands of Cyprus and Rhodes ;
also the seven churclies of Ephesus, Laodicea, Pergamos, Philadelphia, Sardis, Smyrna
and Thyatira. (Acts vi. 9, xvi. 6, xix. 10, 26, 31, xx. 16, 18, xxvii. 2.)
Assos {drawing near to), a sea-port town of Mysia, some say of Troas, whence Paul
proceeded with Luke and others to Mitylene ; Assos was about midway between the
latter place and the city of Troas. (Acts xx. 13, 14.)
Athens {without increase, of Minerva), a celebrated city of Greece, and the capital of
Achaia, noted for its population, wealth, magnificence, philosophy and the fine arts ;
as well as for its idolatry. Paul visited it about A. D. 52, and "preached unto them
Jesus and the resurrection." The Epicureans and the Stoics, after disputing with
him, brought him before the judges of the Areopagus, accusing him of being " a setter
forth of strange gods." Paul defended himself, and having observed an altar bearing
the inscription " To the Unknown God," he unfolded to them in a most powerful ar-
gument the living and true God, whom they had hitherto been "ignorant of" (Acts
xvii. 15-33.) Many of his hearers were converted, among whom was Dionysius, the
Areopagite, who is said to have ultimately become bishop of Athens ; also a woman
named Damaris, and others (Acts xvii. 34 ; xviii. 1.)
Attalia {Atialeia, increasing), a sea-port of Pamphylia, founded by Attalus, King of
1231
18 HISTORICAL INDEX.
Pergamos, whence its name : hither Paul and Barnabas came from Perga, and preached
the Gospel about A. D. 47 (Acts xiv. 25), on their return to Antioch at the close of
Paul's first missionary journey.
Augustus Cjesar, (Odavitis) Emperor of Rome, in the 40th year of whose reign, A. IJ.
C. 750, B. C. 4, Jesus Christ was born at Bethlehem, in Judea ; reckoning, that is, from
his alhance with Antony and Lepidus in the Triumvirate, B. C. 43, He commanded
the enrollment to be made, which brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem. (Luke
ii. 1 ; Acts xxv. 21, 25, xxvii. 1.)
AzoK (lielper, entry), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Matt. i. 13, 14.)
AzoTUs {inclination, leaning), in Hebrew, and in the Old Testament, Aslidod : a city 30
miles north of Gaza, on the Mediterranean, where Philip was found after baptizing
the Ethiopian Eunuch. (Acts viii. 40.)
Babylon. (Matt. i. 11, 17 ; Acts vii. 43.)
Bar, in the composition of names, implies the " son of;" as 5ar-Jesus, son of Jesus ;
Par-Jonas, son of Jonas.
Barabbas {son of confusion), a thief and murderer, released instead of Jesus. (Matt.
xxvii. 17, 21 ; Mark xv. 11 ; Luke xxiii. 18 ; John xviii. 40.)
Bar-Jesus {son of Jesus), a Jewish magician of the island of Cyprus (Crete); who,
trying to prevent Sergius Paulus, the proconsul, from embracing Christianity at the
preaching of Barnabas and Paul, was severely rebuked and struck blind by Paul,
(Acts xiii. ti-11.) Luke gives him the Arabic name of Elymas, which means the sor-
cerer, or Wise-man. (Acts xiii. 8.)
Bar-Jona {the son of a dove, or of Jonas), an appellation given to Peter, indicating him
to be the son of Jona, or Jonas. (Matt. xvi. 17 ; John i. 42 ; xxi. 17.)
Barnabas, (son o/consoZaito/i), a surname given to Joses,a, Levite of the island of
Cyprus, and probably after his conversion, when he sold his possessions and laid the
money at the Apostles' feet. (Acts iv. o^.) He is said to have studied under Gamaliel,
when he acquired an intimacy with Saul, which will account for Barnabas introducing
him to the Apostles as lately converted to Christianity, when they avoided him at the
time he visited Jerusalem because of his former hatred to the cause, A. D. 37. (Acts
ix. 26, 27.) Barnabas, five years after was sent by the Apostle to Antioch, to strengthen
the disciples there (Acts xi. 22); and finding the numbers increasing, he went to Tarsus,
and brought back Saul to assist him. (Acts. xi. 25.) He next, in company with Saul, took
to Jerusalem the subscriptions of the brethren of Antioch for the i^oor saints in Judea,
A. D. 44. (Acts xi. 30); and when they had returned, having his nephew John Mark with
him (Acts xii. 25), he and Mark afterward accompanied Saul on his first Apostolic
Journey, A. D. 45 (Acts xiii. 1, 2, 50) ; while at Lystra, Barnabas was taken for Jupiter
(Acts xiv. 12); at length they returned to Antioch; shortly after, Barnabas with Paul
and Titus were sent to Jerusalem to consult the Apostles on the subject of circumcision
(Acts XV. 2, 12), and Barnabas, with Silas and others, took back the decision of the
Council, A. D. 50-1. It was not long, however, before he was led by Peter into some
error on this very point, which brought upon him the reproof Paul. And at the
next journey of the latter, Paul having objected to Mark accompanying them, Bar-
nabas separated from him and journeyed with his nephew to Cyprus. (Acts xv. 35-
39.) This step did not lose him the friendship of Paul, for the Apostle makes kind
mention of him in his Epistle to the Corinthians. What became of Barnabas after
this is not known ; according to Baronius he was stoned to death at Salamis, in
Cyprus.
Babs ABAS {son of rest, or of the oath) — (1) surnamed Justus, the unsuccessful candi-
date for the Apostleship vacant by the falling away of Judas Iscariot. (Acts i. 23.)
The lot fell upon Matthias. (Acts i. 20.) He is said to have been one of the Seventy.
1232
HISTORICAL INDEX. 19
(2) the surname o{ Jud/:is, one of the chief disciples of Jerusalem, sent with Bar-
nabas and Silas to Antioch, to carry the decree of the council. (Acts xv. 22.)
Baktuolomew (a sou that suspends the toaters, son of Ptolemy), one of the twelve Apos-
tles. (Matt. X. 3 ; Mark iii. 18 ; Luke vi. 1-1 ; Acts i. 13 ; see Appendix A.)
Bartim^us (son of blindness) , the son of Timseus, a blind beggar of Jericho, cured by
our Lord. (Matt. xx. 30 ; Murk x. 4G.)
Beelzebub, or Bclzehuh {lord of flies) , the same as Baalzebub, a name of a Phoenician
idol, worshiped at Ekron, and said to preserve the iieople from the flies or mosqui-
toes, with which that region was troubled ; but why applied by the Jews in our Sa-
viour's time to Satan, " the prince of the devils," is not known. (^latt. x. 25, xii. 24 ;
Mark iii. 22; Luke xi. 15-19.)
Berea [heavy), a city of Macedonia, where Paul preached with much success on leav-
ing Thessalonica. (Acts xvii. 10-14, xx. 4.)
Bernice (the weight of victory), daughter of Agrippa I., king of the Jews, and sister of
Agrippa II., with whom she eventually lived in incest. She first was married to Mark,
son of Alexander Lysimachus, alaba'rch of Alexander ; afterward to her own uncle
Herod, king of Chalcis; and at his death to Polemon (Polemo II.), king of Pontus and
Cilicia. It was not long, however, before she quitted her last husband, and returned
to her brother Agrippa, with whom she lived as just observed. Bernice was with
Agrippa at Cesarea staying with Festus, and when Paul was brought before him,
(Acts XXV. 13-27, xxvi. 30.)
Bethaeara {house of passage), a village beyond Jordan at the common ford of that
river where John baptized. (John i. 28.) It is by some critics considered the same
as Bethania or Bethany.
Bethany {house of song or affliction) — (1) a town at the foot of the Mount of Olives,
fifteen furlongs east of Jerusalem, on the road to Jericho, where Lazarus, and his sis-
ters, Martha and Mary, dwelt. (Matt. xxi. 17 ; John xi. 1, 18, xii. 1.) Also Simon,
the leper, at whose house Jesus was anointed (Matt. xxvi. 6, 7; Mark xi. 1, 12) ; and
from the neighborhood of which Christ ascended into heaven. (Luke xxiv. 50.)
(2) also, a village on the east side of Jordan, the same as Bethabara.
Betiiesda (/lOJise o/ merct/), a celebrated pool near the sheep market in Jerusalem,
having five porches round it, and noted for its medicinal virtues. (John v. 2.)
Bethlehem; {house of bread), a city of Judah, six miles south of Jerusalem, on the
road to Hebron. It was also called " Bethlehem Ephratah" (Mi. v. 2), to distinguish it
from another Bethlehem in Zebulun, in lower Galilee (Josh. xix. 15; Judg. xii. 10.)
It is renowned as the birth-place of the Saviour of the luorld, the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Matt. ii. 1, 5, G ; John vii. 42.) It is also called " the City of David," because David
was likewise born here. (Luke ii. 4-15.) Herod put to death its male children of two
years old and under. (Matt. ii. 16.)
Bethphage {house offgs), a small village at the foot of the Mount of Olives, between
Bethany and Jerusalem, in the lands of which figs were cultivated. (Matt. xxi. 1 ;
Mark xi. 1 ; Luke xix. 29.)
Bethsaida {house of fruits)— {1) a town of Galilee on the western shore of the Lake
of Tiberias (Sea of Galilee). The Apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip, were of this
place (John i. 44, xii. 21), but as it profited not from our Lord's ministry, who fre-
quently visited it, and even cured a blind man there (Mark viii. 22), He denounced a
woe against it. (Matt. xi. 21 ; Luke x. 13.) Philip the Tetrarch enlarged the town,
and called it " Julia," in honor of the daughter of the Emperor Augustus.
(2) a town on the eastern side of the Lake of Tiberias, in the district of Gaulon-
tis, over which Philip was tetrarch. (Luke iii. 1.) To a desert-place near here Jesus
retired at one time (Luke ix. 10) ; and at a subsequent period He is said to have taken
ship from this place. to Capernaum. (Matt. xiv. 22-34; Mark vi. 45; John vi. 17.)
*28 1233
20 HISTORICAL INDEX.
This town was enlarged by Philip, and called " Julius," for the same reason as the other
Bethsaida.
Bythnia {violent precipitation), a province of Asia Minor, on the shore of the Euxine
Sea, opposite to Constantinople, and some time under the government of Pliny.
(Acts XV. 7.)
Blastus {one who brings forth), a chamberlain to Herod, king of Judea. (Acts
xii. 20.)
Boanerges {sons of thunder), a name given by our Lord to James and John, the sons
of Zebedee (Mark iii. 17) ; because of their requesting Christ to call fire down from
heaven on certain villages of the Samaritans that had refused to entertain Him. (Luke
ix. 53, 54.) The name was probably prophetic of their zeal and power in preaching
the Gospel.
BoAz, or Booz {strength), son of Salmon and Eahab, and the husband of Ruth. A
l^rogenitor also of our Lord. (Matt. i. 5; Luke iii. 32.)
C-ESAR {cut or gash), a general name applied to the Roman emperors. (Matt. xxii.
17, 21 ; Mark xii. 14, 17; Luke xx. 22, xxiii. 2; John xix. 12, 15; Acts xvii. 7, xxv.
8, 11, 21, xxvi. 32, xxvii. 24, xxviii. 19 ; Phil. iv. 22.) To Augustus. (Luke ii. 1.) To
Tiberius. (Luke iii. 1.) To Claudius. (Acts xi. 28.)
Caiaphas (a searcher), also named Joseph, was a Sadducee, and the high-priest of the
Jews at the time of Christ's crucifixion. He was the son-in-law of Annas (or Ananus) .
He urged that Jesus should be put to death (John xi. 49, xviii. 13, 14, 28), and was
the chief instrument in efiecting it. (Matt. xxvi. 3, 57 ; Mark xiv. 53 ; Luke iii. 2 ;
xxii. 54.)
Cainan {possessor, one who laments), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke
iii. 36, 37.)
Calvary (a skull, calvus, a bald pate), thejylace of a skull, the same as the Hebrew
word Golgotha. It was a little hill of a skull-like form, north-west of Jerusalem, just
without the walls, and upon which Christ was crucified. (Luke xxiii. 33.) Crimi-
nals were usually executed there, it is supposed.
Cana {zeal), a town of Galilee in the tribe of Zebulun, 6 miles north-east of Naza-
reth, and 16 north-west of the Lake of Tiberias. Here our Lord performed His first
miracle of turning water into wine (John ii. 1-11), and likewise Hissecond, of healing
a nobleman's son of Capernaum. (John iv. 46-54 ; xxi. 2.)
Candace {pure possession), a queen of Ethiopia, whose eunuch was converted by
Philip. (Acts viii. 27.) Candace was the name of the dynasty, not of an individual.
Capernaum {city of comfort or consolation; from Caphar "village," and Nahum,"a.
comforter") ; a town on the borders of Zebulun and Nephthalim, on the western shores
of the Sea of Galilee, and which our Lord made the usual place of His abode, hence
called, " His own city." (Matt. iv. 13, 14, viii. 5 ; Mark i. 21 ; John ii. 12.) Here Christ
performed many mighty works (Mark ii. 1-12 ; John iv. 46, vi. 17, 24, 59) — and from
the great infidelity of the people denounced a woe against it. (Matt. xi. 23 ; Luke x.
15.) In the neighborhood was Matthew's receipt of custom, whence he was called to
be a disciple. (Matt. ix. 1, 9.)
Cappadocia {an apple, a violet), a region of Asia Minor, having Pontes on the north,
the Euphrates on the east, Galatia on the west, and Lycaonia on the south. People
from this country were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. (Acts ii. 9.)
Cedron {turbid), a brook in Palestine (John xviii. 1), called also Kidron; which
see.
Cenchrea {millet), the seaport of Corinth, whence Paul sailed to Ephesus. (See
Acts xviii. 8.)
Cephas (« stone), the name given by our Lord to Peter. (John i. 42.)
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HISTORICAL INDEX. 21
Cesaeea (bush of Jiair), a maritime city on the shores of the Mediterranean, G2 miles
north-west of Jerusalem, anciently the tower of Strato ; when beautified and enlarged
by Herod the Great, he named it Cesarea in honor of the emperor Augustus ; it was
the place of residence of the Roman proconsul. (Acts viii. 40, ix. 30, xviii. 22.)
Philippi, a town near the source of the Jordan, about a day's journey from Sidon,
and a day and a half from Damascus. It was beautiful and almost rebuilt by Philip
the Tetrarch, who named it Cesarea in honor of the emperor, Tiberius, and Philippi
was added to distinguish it from the other Cesarea. Our Lord visited its neighbor-
hood (Matt. xvi. 13), and while there healed the woman troubled with an issue of
blood. (Mark v. 25.)
Chaldeans {robbers, fields), the people whence Abraham came. (Acts vii. 4.)
Charban (a calling out), the country of Mesopotamia, whence Abraham came. (Acts
vii. 2.)
Chios {open), or Coos, an island off the coast of Asia Minor, near Lesbos. Paul
passed it as he journeyed from JMitylene, toward Samos. (Acts xx. 15.)
CnoRAZiN {the secret), a town near Capernaum on tlie western coast of the Sea of
Galilee ; against the inhabitants of which a woe was denounced by our Lord on
account of their impenitence. (Matt. xi. 21 ; Luke x. 13.)
Chjrist {anobUed.)
Chuza, or Chma {a seer), a steward to Herod Agrippa, and husband of Joanna. (Luke
viii. 3.)
CiLiciA {ivhich turns over), a country of Asia Minor, bordering on the Mediterranean,
and north of Cyprus. Its chief town was Tarsus, the native place of Saul. (Acts xx.
39, xxii. 3, xxiii. 34.) The men of this country disputed with Stephen (Acts vi. 9.)
Subsequently they were visited by Barnabas and Paul, and Silas. (Acts xv. 23, 41,
xxvii. 5 ; Gal. 1. 21.)
Clauda {lamentable voice), a small island near the south-west coast of Crete. (Acts
xxvii. 16.)
Claudia {larae), a pious Roman lady, a convert of Paul's, and thought to be the wife
of Pudens ; some say a British lady, and sister of Linns. (2 Tim. iv. 21.)
Claudius Cesar, the fifth emperor of Rome. In the fourth year of his reign the
famine predicted by Agabus occurred. (Acts xi. 28.) In the ninth, he banished all
the Jews from Rome. (Acts xviii. 2.)
Lysias, the Roman tribune commanding the guard in Jerusalem. He rescued
Paul from a conspiracy of the Jews. (Acts xxi. 23.) Ordered him to be scourged
(Acts xxii. 24), and afterward dispatched him with a letter to Felix. (Acts xxiii. 26.)
Cleopas or Cleophas {the ivhole glory, contracted from Cleopatros), also called Alphxus,
was a disciple of our Lord's, and said to be the brother of Joseph, the reputed father
of Christ. He married Mary,ih.Q sister of the Virgin (John xix. 25), and was the
father of James the Less, of Jude, of Joseph or Joses, and of Simeon, subsequently bishop
of Jerusalem. Cleopas was one of the two disciples overtaken by Jesus, while walk-
ing to Emmiuis. (Luke xxiv. 18.) Cleopas is found contracted into Clopas (John xix.
25), which has led some critics to suppose that Cleophas, the disciple going to Emmaus
is not the same individual as Clopas, the husband of Mary, the Virgin's sister.
CxiDUS, or Gnidus {age), a city standing on a promontory of the same name in Caria
a district of Asia Minor, jutting out between Rhodes and Cos. Paul passed it on his
way to Rome. (Acts xxvii. 7.)
Coos, or Cos {topj), a small island at a little distance from the south-west point of
Asia Minor, which Paul passed on his way to Jerusalem. (Acts xxi. 1.)
CoRBAN, the Hebrew word for a gift or offering made to God; the Jews sometimes
swore by it; and our Lord re^^roved them for cruelty to their parents in making a
1235
22 HISTORICAL INDEX.
Corhan of what should have been appropriated to their necessities. (Matt, xxiii. IS ;
Mark vii. 11, 12.)
Cornelius (a horn), a Roman centurion of the Italian band, living at Cesarea, whose
piety and charity were such, that it pleased God in a miraculous manner by direction
of an angel (Acts x. 1-7), and through the instrumentality of Peter, to make him
acquainted with the Grospel of salvation (Acts x. 25), whence he and his family receiv-
ed the Holy Spirit, and were baptized (Acts x. 31). He is supposed to have belonged
to the great Cornelian family of the Scipios, of Sulla, and the mother of the Gracchi.
CosAM (divining), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 28.)
Council (the first). Certain men coming from Judea to Antioch, taught that salvation
was not hy faith alone, but that, "except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses
ye cannot be saved." (Acts xv. 1.) Considerable discussion arose in consequence,
which ended in Paul and Barnabas, and certain others, going to Jerusalem unto the
Apostles and elders about this question (Acts xv. 6) ; they assembled together, and
thus formed what has been considered the First Christian Council, A. D. 49, or 50, or 51.
James appears to have presided, and after Peter had expressed his opinion, that " only
through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved," and Barnabas and
Paul had followed to the same effect, speaking of the miracles and wonders wrought
through them among the Gentiles, he delivered his opinion, which resulted in the
decree, that the Gentiles needed not circumcision, nor to keep the Mosaic Law; ....
and it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, that they should " abstain from meats offered
to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication." (Acts xv.
23-29.) This, having been formally written out, was sent to Antioch by the hands of
Paul, and Barnabas, and others, and was to be read to the various Churches.
Ckeation effected by God (Acts xiv. 15, xvii. 24) ; by the Lord Jesus Christ. (John
i. 3, 10; 1 Cor. viii. 6; Eph. iii. 9; Col. i. 16; Heb. i. 2; Rev. iv. 11.)
Crispus (curled), chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth, who was converted and
baptized by Paul. (Acts xviii. 8; 1 Cor. i. 14.) Some say he became bishop of
^gina.
Crucifixion. The charges upon which our Lord was condemned were in -accord-
ance with the tribunals before which He was arraigned. He was brought (1st) before
the Jewish Sanhedrim upon a charge of blasphemy; "Art thou the Christ the Son of
the Blessed (God)?" "Jesus said, I am." (Matt. xxvi. 63-66; Mark xiv. 61, 62.) They
then adjudged Him guilty of death ; but not having the power of life and death, they
carried Christ before Pilate, and charged Him (2dly) with sedition ; saying, " "We
found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cfesar" (Luke
xxiii. 2). Pilate, however, finding no fault in Him, was anxious to release Him. (3dly)
Jesus was again brought before the people, and they now accuse him of treason in call-
ing Himself a King : "Art thou the king of the Jews ? " said Pilate. Jesus said, " Thou
sayest." (Matt, xxvii. 11 ; John xviii. 33-37.) But our Lord having stated His king-
dom not to be of this world, Pilate again attempted to let Him go. The clamor of the
Jews prevailed, and our Lord was therefore condemned to undergo the Roman pun-
ishment of crucifixion.
Cyprus (fair), a large island in the Mediterranean Sea between Cilicia and Syria ;
and the native place of Barnabas (Joses). (Acts iv. 36.) Christianity was introduced
here soon after the persecution following the death of Stephen. (Acts xi. 10, 20.) Here
also Paul and Barnabas successfully preached the Gospel. (Acts xiii. 4, xv. 39.) At
Paphos, the governor, Sergius Paulus, became a convert. (Acts xiii. 7.) Paul sailed
by the island twice after this (Acts xxi. 3, xxvii. 4), and Barnabas is said to have re-
turned here, and to have met his death by martyrdom at Salamis. Mnason was also a
native of Cvpnis. (Acts. xxi. 16.)
1236
HISTORICAL INDEX. 23
Cyrene (a wall, coldne.^a), a (.ity in Libya in Africa ; whence came Simon, who carried
onr Saviour's cross (Matt, xxvii. 32; [Mark xv. 21 ; Luke xxiii. 26), and LucIuh (Acts
xiii. L) The Jews from this jilace had a synagogue in Jerusalem (Acts ii. 10, vi. 9),
and were among the chief opponents of Stephen. (Acts xi. 20.)
Cyrenius, or Quirinus, the Roman deputy of Syria. (Luke ii. 1, 2.) He is said to
have been sent into Syria about A. U. C. 749, to make an enrolment of the people ; and
jiossibly was associated with Saturninus, the then governor ; but he was not actually
governor till A. U. C. 755.
Dalmanutha (leanness, a branch), a city on Sthe ea of Tiberias in the district of Mag-
dala; some say east of the sea, and some say west. (Matt. xv. 39; Mark viii. 10.)
Dalmatia (deceitful lights), a country of Illyricum on the gulf of Venice, where Titus
preached the Gospel. (2 Tim. iv. 10.)
Damaris (a little v:oman), a female convert of Paul's, and thought to have been the
wife of Dionysius, the Areopagite. (Acts xvii. 3-1.)
Damascus (a sacic of blood), a celebrated city of Syria, the oldest in the world ; and
tradition makes it the place where Abel was slain. It was claimed by Aretas king of
Arabia. Saul came here on his persecuting errand, but was converted by the way,
and on his arrival, after three days, Ananias, by direction of an angel, came to him,
cured him of his blindness, and baptized him. (Acts ix., xxii. 5-13.) Paul is said
to have now gone into Arabia, and on returning to Damascus, and preaching his new
faith, the Jews sought his life ; but he escaped by a basket down the wall. (2 Cor. xi.
32 ; Gal. i. 17.)
Daniel (jndgment of God), his prophecy about the abomination of desolation (Dan.
ix. 27, xii. 11), referred to by our Lord. (Matt. xxiv. 15 ; Mark xiii. 14 ; Luke xxi. 20.)
David (beloved.) Jesus Christ is frequently spoken of in the New Testament as the
"Son of David." (Matt. i. 1, 6, ix. 27, xii. 23, xv. 22, xx. 30, 31, xxi. 9, xxii. 42, 45 ;
Mark x. 47, 48, xii. 35, 37 ; Luke iii. 31, xviii. 38, 39, xx. 41, 44 ; John vii. 42 ; Rom. i. 3 ;
2 Tim. ii. 8, &c.)
Deacons ; the seven appointed (Acts vi. 5), their duties prescribed. (1 Tim. iii. 8, 12.
Decapolis (ten cities), a country of Palestine containing ten principal cities on both
sides of the Jordan, whence its name. (Matt. iv. 25 ; Mark v. 20, vii. 31.) The chief
inhabitants of this district were foreigners, which will account for the abundance of
swine kept amongst them. (Matt. viii. 30.) The ten cities, according to Pliny, were :
1. Scythopolis ; 2. Philadelphia; 3. Raphanse ; 4. Gadara; 5. Hijjpos; 6. Dios ; 7.
Pella ; 8. Gerasa ; 9. Canatha ; 10. Damascus.
Demetrius (belonging to Ceres, or corn) — (1) a silversmith of Ephesus, who made little
shrines, or portable models of the celebrated temple of Diana in that city. Hearing
of the great progress of the Gospel, and fearing lest his trade should suffer thereby,
he raised so great a tumult that Paul was compelled to leave the city. (Acts xix. 24.
38.)
Demetrius (2) the elder, an eminent Christian alluded to by John. (John iii. 12.)
Derbe (a sling), a city of Lycaonia to which Paul and Barnabas fled when expelled
from Iconium. (Acts xiv. 6.) Its site is not discoverable, but some imagine it to be
Divle.
Diana (luminous, perfect), a celebrated goddess (of chastity) of the heathen, prin-
cipally worshiped at Ephesus, where there was a most splendid and costly temple
erected to her. Paul, by his preaching, made himself particularlj' obnoxious to her
worshipers. (Acts xix. 24, 35.)
Didymus (a twin), the surname of the Apostle, Thomas (John xi. 16), or the Hebrew
or Syriac signification of the name Thomas.
Dionysius (from heaven, or moved forward), a member of the Areopagus at Athens
1237
24 HISTORICAL INDEX.
Avhence his name of Dionysius the Areopagite, who after hearing Paul became a con-
vert to the Gospel. (Acts xvii. 34.) He is said to have been the first bishop of Athens,
and to have been burnt to death for his zeal in the faitli. A. D. 95.
Dorcas {a gazelle, or female roe), a female convert to Christianity, the widow of Joppa,
and celebrated for her alms deeds. (Acts ix. 36, 41.) Having died, she was raised to
life by Peter. (Acts ix. 39, 40.) Called also Tabitha, which see.
Deusilla {sprinkled ivitli dew), the third daugliter of Herod Agrippa I., and sister of
Bernice ; she married first Eiaiphanes, son of Antiochus, king of Comagena : but he
refusing to turn Jew, she left him and married Azizus, king of Emessa ; becoming
afterward attached to Felix, the Roman governor, she abandoned Azizus, and became
the wife of the Roman.
Egypt (anguish), in Hebrew, Mizraim, a celebrated country of Africa to which the
Holy Famih' retired when Herod ordered the destruction of all the children of Beth-
lehem. (Matt. ii. 13-19.) Allusion is also made to Joseph's sojourn there after being
sold by his brethren. (Acts vii. 9, 39.)
Elamites (a young man, or virgin), a name given to the country of Persia, anciently
peopled by Elam, the son of Shem. Some of these people were present in Jerusalem
at the descent of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, (Acts ii. 9.)
Eleazar [aid of God), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Matt. i. 15.)
Eliakim {God ariseth), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Matt. i. 13; Luke
iii. 30.)
Eliezer {help of God), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 29.)
Elijah, or Elias {God the Lord, or a strong Lord), a celebrated prophet of Israel,
promised to be sent again before the coming of the day of the Lord. (Mai. iv. 5.)
John the Baptist declared to be he. (Matt. xi. 14, xvi. 14, xvii. 3, 4, 10-13, xxvii. 47.
49 ; Mark vi. 15, ix. 4, 5, 11-13, xv. 35, 36 ; Luke i. 17, iv. 25, ix. 8, 19, 30, 33, 54 ; John
i. 21, 25.)
Eliseus {my God saveth), a name given by Luke to the prophet Elisha. (Luke iv.
27.)
Eliud {God of praise), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Matt. i. 14, 15.)
Elizabeth {oath or fulbiess of God) the wife of Zacharias, a Jewish priest, and mother
of John the Baptist. (Luke i. 5, 7, 24, 36), saluted by Mary; (Luke i. 40-45), her
delivery ; (Luke i. 57.)
Elmodam {God of measure, or of garments), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord.
(Luke iii. 28.)
Elymas (a sorcerer, or wise man), another name of the magician Bar Jesus, who
resisted the preaching of Paul in Cyprus, and would have prevented the conversion
of Sergius Paulus, the proconsul, but he was struck blind by the Apostle. (Acts xiii.
8.) See Bar-Jesus.
Emmaus (fearful, counsel,hot baths), a village seven or eight miles north-west of Jeru-
salem, celebrated for the conversation of our Lord on the evening of His resurrection,
with two disciples walking thither. (Luke xxiv. 13.)
Eneas, or ^Eneas {praised), a man who was miraculously healed of the palsy by
Peter when at Lydda. (Acts ix. 33, 34.)
Enoch {taught), the father of Me'.liaselah, translated to heaven on account of his
great faith. (Heb. xi. 5.) He prophesied the judgments of God upon sinners. (Jude
14, 15), where he is said to have written a book of prophecies, but this is only conjec-
ture ; he was a progenitor of our Lord. (Luke iii. 37.)
Enon, or-^NON (a cloud, or well), a place near Salim by the river Jordan where
John baptized, because there was much water there. (John iii. 23.) It was eight
miles south of Scythopolis.
1238
HISTORICAL INDEX. 25
Enos {desperation), son of Seth, and progenitor of Christ. (Luke iii. 38.)
Epiiesus {desirable), formerly one of the most celebrated citie.-^ of Asia Minor, noted
for its temjile of Diana, one of " the seven wonders of the world." Paul preached
there for three years, but the tumult of Demetrius and the craftsmen compelled him
to leave. (Acts xviii. 19, 24 ; xix. 17, 2r>, 35 ; xx. 10.)
Epiiraim {increasing), a city on the road to Jericho toward the Jordan, about eight
miles from Jerusalem, whither our Saviour retired just after raising Lazarus from the
dead. (John xi. 5-4.)
Epicureans, a sect of Grecian philosophers founded by Epicurus, who considered
pleasure the chief good, and pain the chief evil. They held tliat the world was made
not by God, but by a fortuitous concourse of atoms ; that God concerns not Himself
with its government ; that the soul dies with the body ; that there are no angels ; that
there is a God, but no Providence. This sect opposed Paul at A thens. (Acts xvii. 18.)
Er {watchman), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 28.)
Erastus {amiable), the chamberlain or treasurer of the city of Corinth, (Rom. xvi.
23), an office which he resigned on being converted, and then accompanied Paul to
Ephesus, whence he was sent with Timothy into Macedonia, (Acts xix. 22), and sub-
sequently returned to Corinth. (2 Tim. iv. 20.)
EsAiAS. See Isaiah.
EsLi {near me), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 25.)
Esrom {dart of joy), a. descendant of Phares, and spoken of by Matthew in his
genealogy of our Lord. (Matt. i. 3; Luke iii. 33.)
EssEXES, a sect in the time of our Saviour. The name is of Egyptian origin. They
differed from the Pharisees in not relying on traditions or a rigorous observance of
ceremonies : and from tjje Sadducees in their belief of a future state ; yet they pre-
tended to great sanctity of manners, and much self-denial : the austerity and recluse
life of the Essenes are thought to have given rise to monkish superstition. They are
not mentioned by name in the New Testament, but they are supposed to be alluded
to by Paul in Col. ii. 18, and in the Ephesians, and Epistles to Timothy. From Philo and
Josephus we learn that they believed in the immortality of the soul ; were absolute
predestinarians ; strict observers of the Sabbath ; and held the Scri2:>tures in high rev-
erence, but neglected their plain and literal meaning, indulging in mystical and alle-
gorical interpretations. The time of their origin is unknown.
Ethiopia {burning, black), an extensive country of Africa to the south of Egypt, Cnow
Abyssinia) governed by Queen Candace, whose eunuch was instructed in the Gospel
and baptized by Philip, the deacon. (Acts viii. 27.)
Eunuchs were of various kinds, (Matt. xix. 12); the one of Ethiopia converted by
Philip. (Acts viii. 27.)
EuROCLYDON (rt north-east ir : d) , a dangerous wind in the Levant or eastern part of
the Mediterranean Sea. (Acts ::xvii. 14.)
EuTYCHUS {happy), a young man of Troas, who fell from a window while Paul was
preaching, and was picked up dead, but Paul restored him to life. (Acts xx. 9, 10.)
Evening, the evening of the Jews consisted of two divisions ; the former evening
commenced at noon, as soon as the sun began to decline ; the second or latter began,
at sunset, so that the time " between the two evenings," when the passover was slain,
was about three o'clock in the afternoon.
EzEKiAS, or Hezckiah {strength of the Lord), son and successor of Ahaz, King of Judah ;
and a progenitor of our Lord. (Matt. i. 9, 10.)
Fair Havens, a place on the coast of Crete, possessing good anchorage, whence its
name. (Acts xxvii. 8.)
Felix {happy). Claudius Felix, the procurator of Judea, succeeded Cumanus, and
1239
26 HISTORICAL INDEX.
meeting with Drusilla, the sister of Agrippa, he persuaded her to leave her husband
Azizus, king of Emessa, and then took her as his own wife. Paul was sent a pris-
oner to him (Acts xxiii. 24, 26, 33), and on arriving at Cesarea, the Apostle was brought
before him and partially examined. (Acts xxiv. 3-23.) After a few days, he was
brought before Felix again, and his wife Drusilla, and in his defense Paul preached
so forcibly of Jesus Christ and judgment to come, that Felix trembled (Acts xxiv. 24,
25) ; hoping, however, to receive money for his release, he detained the Apostle two
j'ears in prison, till his government was superseded by the arrival of Fortius Festus
(Acts xxiv. 27 ; xxv. 14), when Felix returned to Rome, A. D. 50.
Festus [joyful). Fortius Festus was the successor of Felix as procurator of Judea :
three days after his arrival at Cesarea he proceeded to Jerusalem, where he was en-
treated by the Jews to order Paul to be brought to the later city, intending to as-
sassinate him by the way. (Acts xxv. 1-3.) Festus, however, desired his accusers to
go back with him to Cesarea, where Paul should be examined. On his return,
therefore, the Apostle was brought] before him: but Paul, perceiving the design of
the Jews to get him into their power, appealed unto Csesar. (Acts xxv. 4-12.) A few
days after, king Agrippa and Bernice coming to salute Festus, the latter stated
Paxil's case to them (Acts xxv. 14-27), and the Apostle was again brought up ; by his
pleading he almost i^ersuaded Agrippa to be a Christian ; and the whole company
esteemed him innocent, but having appealed unto Caesar, Festus ordered him to Rome.
(Acts xxvi.) Festus died in Judea, A. D. 62, and was succeeded by Albinus.
Gabbatjia [high), a Hebrew word for "the Pavement ;" an elevated place in Pilate's
palace, probably a terrace or balcony, where he pronounced judgment on our Saviour.
(John xix. 13.)
Gabriel [a man of God), one of the principal angels of heaven, sent formerly to
Daniel (Dan. viii. 16, ix. 21, x. 16), and in later times to ZScharias, to announce to
liim the birth of John the Baptist (Luke i. 11-19), and six months afterward to the
Virgin Mary. (Luke i. 26.)
Gadarenes [walled), the inhabitants of Gadara, a city east of Jordan and of the Sea
of Tiberias in the Decapolis ; here our Saviour ejected the devils out of a man, and cast
them into a herd of swine. (Mark v. 1; Luke viii. 20, 37.) The lands of the Gadarenes
were intersected by those of the Gergesenes. (See Matt. viii. 28.)
Gaius [lord, or carthhj), one of Paul's convei'ts, and thought to have been a Macedo-
nian (1 Cor. i. 14), but resident at Corinth, where he entertained Paul (Rom. xvi.
23), and afterward accompanied him to Ephesus. (Acts xix. 29.) This Gaius is also
thought to have been the same to whom John addressed his third epistle, and who
is styled " Gaius of Derbe," in Acts xx. 4.
Galilee [turning, rolling). Galilee was a large province divided into Upper and
Lower Galilee. It contained the tribes of Issachar, Zebulun, NephthaUm, Asher, and
part of Dan : and was bounded by Mount Lebanon on the north, by the river Jordan
and the Sea of Galilee on the east, by Chison on the south, and. by the Mediterranean
on the west. Lower Galilee contained the tribes of Zebulun and Asher. Upj^er Galilee
abounded in mountains, and was termed " Galilee of the Gentiles," from possessing a
mixed population of Egyptians, Arabians and Phoenicians, interspersed amongst the
Jews. It is the scene of many of our Lord's miracles and teachings.
Galilee of the Gentiles. See Galilee.
G.\LiLEE, Sea OR Lake OP. A lake of Palestine (Luke v. 1), called also the "sea of
Chinnereth" (Num. xxxiv. 11 ; Deut. iii. 17) ; "Chinnereth" (Josh. xi. 2), there being a
town called Chinnereth near (xix. 35), and " the Sea of Tiberias." (John vi. 1.) It is now
Bahr Tubariyeh. Anciently this lake was surrounded by busy cities ; vessels crossed its
waters ; the sights and sounds of life were there. Now it is solitary : the cities are no
1240
HISTORICAL INDEX. 27
more : the fishing vessels have ceased to ply their occupation : the aspect is bleak, and
the scenery monotonous. Yet, almost more than to any other s^wt, do the affections of
the Christian heart cling to this lake. The most remarkable fact in its physical geo-
graphy is its great depression. Its surface is about 650 feet (some make it as much as
845) below the level of the ocean. This has a marked effect on the temperature, cli-
mate, and natural products. The heat is intense during the summer months. The
harvest on the shore is nearly a month earlier than on the neighboring high lands of
Galilee and Bashan. Frost is unknown, and snow very rarely falls. The trees, plants,
and vegetables are those usually found in Egypt, such as the palm, the lote-tree, the
indigo plant, &c. Though the whole basin of the lake, and indeed the Jordan valley,
is of volcanic origin, as evidenced by the thermal springs and the frequent earthquakes,
yet the main formation of the surrounding wall of mountains is limestone.
Gallio {living on milk), the brother of Seneca, the philosopher, and proconsul of
Achaia ; he resided at Corinth, where Paul was brought before him by the Jews, ac-
cused of " teaching men to worship God contrary to the Law." (Acts xviii. 12.) Gallio
dismissed the charge without a hearing, declaring that he had nothing to do with
disputes concerning their law (Acts xviii. 15, 16), upon which they seized Sosthenes, the
ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before Gallio's face, but the proconsul troubled
not himself with the matter. (Acts xviii. 17.)
Gamaliel {reward of God), a celebrated Pharisee, and doctor of the law ; he was the
tutor of Paul (Acts xxii. 3), and it is said that Barnabas was also a pupil of his. When
Peter and certain other of the Apostles had been seized and brought before the San-
hedrim for preaching in the name of Jesus, Gamaliel recommended that they should
not be treated severely, which advice was followed. (Acts xxii. v. 34.)
Gaza {strong), a city of the ancient Philistines, which was destroyed by Alexander
Jannpeus, about B. C. 96. It was rebuilt by Gabiuius, and conferred by Augustus upon
Herod ; toward this place Philip proceeded by direction of the angel when sent to the
Ethiopian eunuch (Acts viii. 26), and when Luke wrote, the city had again been de-
stroyed, and was then desolate. f
Gennesaret {garden of a prince), a name given to the Sea of Galilee. (see Galilee),
and likewise to the land adjoining it. (Matt. xiv. 34 ; Mark vi. 53 ; Luke v. 1.)
Gentiles (" the na<io?is"), a name applied by the Hebrews to all who were not Jews.
They are promised by the prophets to be called to the faith (Ps. ii. 8), and Paul is par-
ticularly considered the Apostle of the Gentiles (1 Tim. ii. 7), while the others were
termed the A^wstles of the circumcision (Gal. ii. 8). Luke, in the "Acts" usually
designates the Gentiles liy the name of Grecians and Greeks (Acts vi. 1, xi. 20, xviii.
4, &c.) ; and so does Paul in his Epistles (Rom. i. 14, 16, ii. 9, 10, x. 12 ; 1 Cor. i. 22, 24 ;
Gal. iii. 28). So John in his Gospel. (John xii. 20).
Gate. The entrances to walled cities in the East were, and still are, secured by
gates, either of wood, iron, or brass. (Acts xii. 10.) Among the special purposes for
which they were used may be mentioned : 1. As places of public resort. (Gen. xix.
1,23, X. 24, XX. 24; 1 Sam. xiv. 18, &c.) 2. Places for public deliberation, administration of
justice, or of audience for kings and rulers, or ambassadors. Deut. xvi. 18, xxi. 19,
XXV. 7 ; Josh. xx. 4 ; Judg. ix. 35, &c. 3. Public markets. (2 Kings vii. 1.) In hea-
then towns, the open spaces near the gates appear to have been sometimes used as
places for sacrifices. (Acts xiv. 13 ; comp. 2 Kings xxiii. 8.) The gates of the city
were carefully guarded, and closed at nightfall. (Deut. iii. 5 ; Josh. ii. 5, 7 ; Judg. ix.
40,44.)
Gergesenes {men from pilgrimage) , or Gergashites, the posterity of Canaan; a people
who settled on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Decapolis. The
town was called Gergesa, or Gercsa, and in t he same district was the city of Gadara, whence
1241
28 HISTORICAL INDEX.
the Gadareues, and Gergesenes have been confounded one with another, so that our Lord
going into the country of the Gadarenes (Mark v. 1), is the same as going into the
region of the Gergesenes. (Matt. viii. 28.)
Gethsemane (plentiful valley, or oil press), a village on the Mount of Olives, whither
our Saviour sometimes retired, and in a garden of which He endured His agony, and
was betrayed. (Matt. xxvi. 36 ; Mark xiv. 32.) " The space inclosed as Gethsemane,"
says Prof. Hacked, " contains about one-third of an acre, and is surrounded by a low
wall, f!0vered with white stucco. It is entered by a gate, kept under lock and key,
under the control of one of the convents at Jerusalem. The eight olive trees here are
evidently very aged, most of them, though they are still verdant and productive, are
so decayed that heaps of stones have been piled up against their trunks, to keep them
from being blown down by the wind Other olive trees, apparently quite
as old, occur just beyond the limits of the inclosure. It may be allowed that the
original garden may have been more or less extensive than the i^resent site, or have
stood a few rods farther to the north or the south, but far, certainly, from that spot, it
need not be supposed to have been,"
Golgotha (the Hebrew word for the place of a skull, the same as Calvary, which see).
Here our Saviour was crucified. (Matt, xxvii. 33; Mark xv. 22; John xix. 17.)
GoswRRAH (rebellious 2^eo}}le), or Gomorrha, one of the cities destroyed by fire in the
time of Lot; their fate a warning to others. (Matt. x. 15 ; Mark vi. 11.)
Greece. A large country in the south of Europe; in its more extended sense it in-
cludes Ionia, and Asia Minor. Paul's visit was to Greece Proper. (Acts xx. 2.) Its
inhabitants were called Grecians. (Acts vi. 1, ix. 29, xi. 20.)
Greek, a term in the New Testament imi^lying a Gentile (which see), and who was,
or was not, a proselyte to Judaism, or converted to Christianity. (Mark vii. 26; John
vii. 35, xii. 20; Acts xiv. 1, xvi. 1, xvii. 4, 12, xviii. 4, 17, xix. 10, 17, xx. 21, xxi. 28.)
A Grecian was a Hellenistic or Grecizing Jew, who held to the Septuagint Scriptures
(Acts vi. 1, ix. 29), and of Alexandrian rather than Babylonian sympathies (see "He-
brew").
Heber (companion), a progenitor of Abraham, and of Christ. (Luke iii. 35.)
Hebrew. A Hebrew was a direct descendant from Abraham, educated in Judea, well
versed in the learning and traditions of his forefathers, and conversant with the He-
brew tongue (Acts xxi. 40, xxii. 2, xxvi. 14), and holding to the Targums and Chaldee
paraphrases of the Scriptures. They were the Aramcean Jews who resided in the re-
gion of the Tigris and Euphrates, and in Syria and Palestine. In one sense, therefore,
the Hebrew was more esteemed than the Hellenists.
Heli (ascending), the father, or rather the father-in-law of Joseph, the husband at'
Mary. (Luke iii. 23.)
Hellenistic Jews, were those Jews not purely descended from tlie stock of Abra-
ham ; and who adopted Grecian habits, and spoke the Greek tongue according to the
Hebrew idiom, whence their name of Hellenists or Grecians (Acts vi. 1), as opposed to
the pure Hebrews, and the pure Greeks or Hellenes; and their language was called Hel-
lenistic Greek, which is the language of the New Testament. They came from the "dis-
persed Jews" of Alexandria; as the Hebrews from those of Babylonia and Mesopo-
tamia.
Hermon. Called Great Hermon, north-east of Gennesaret, is considered by many
as the most probable locality of the scene of the Transfiguration of our Lord. " It is
impossible," says Stanley, " to look up from the plain to the towering peaks of I .ermon,
almost the only mountain which deserves the name in Palestine, and not be struck
with its appropriateness to the scene. That magnificent height, mingling with all the
views of Northern Palestine, from Shechem upward, though often alluded to as the
northern barrier of the Holy Land, is connected with no historical event in the Old
or New Testament. Yet this fact of its rising high above all the other hills of Pales-
1242
HISTORICAL INDEX. , 29
fine, and of its setting the last limit to the wanderings of Him who was sent only to
the lost sheep pf the house of Israel, concurs with the supposition which the words of
the Scripture narrative inevitably force upon us. High up on its southern slopes there
must be many a point where the disciples could be taker, 'apart by themsches.' Even
the transient comparison of the celestial splendor with the snow, where alone it could
be seen in Palestine, should not, i)erhups, be wholly overlooked."
Herod the Great {mount of pride), was an Idumeau, and the son of Antipater and
Cypres ; by skillful management he obtained from IMark Antony the kingdom of Judca,
B. C. 36; and to conciHate the Jews, he divorced his wife Doris, and united himself to
Mariamne of the royal fomily of the Asmoneans; but he maintained him. elf upon the
throne by the most atrocious cruelty and bloodshed. On the f dl of his p.itron Antony
Herod judiciously secured the friendship of Augustus (Octavius), by whom he was
confirmed in the possession of his kingdom. The jealousy, however, of the king, and
his remorse of conscience, made him suspicious of all around him; his wife, whom he
loved to extravagance, he ordered to execution, as he had lately done her Either and
her brothers; and not long after, her mother shared the same fate. Herod next cast
aside the mask of religion, and attempted to uproot the prejudices of the Jews in favor
of the Mosaic Law, and make them conform to the customs of heathen nations ; this
design of Romanizing Judea generated the hatred of the Jews against hio rule; con-
spiracies were plotted against his life, which he frustrated by redoubled watchfulness,
and a most rigid system of police; at length, thinking it better to endeavor to quiet
the indignation of the Jews, and yield in some measure to their religious prejudices, he
undertook to rebuild the Temple on a scale of great magnifieence. The dreadful
troubles, however, which continued to arise from the dissensions in Herod's family,
hastened him to the grave, and were such as scarcely to find a isarallel in history. His
two sons by Mariamne, Alexander and Ari.stobulus, were accused of conspiring for the
crown, and were immediately put to death ; another son, named Antipater, soon after
formed a like design, and met a similar fate ; five days after which, Herod, who had
been a long time ill with a most excruciating disease, himself died in the 37th
year of his reign. Just before the execution of Antipater, our Saviour Jesus Christ
was born (INIatt. ii. 1) ; an event which created great anxiety in the mind of Herod
(Matt. ii. 3); on the visit of the Magi, he endeavored through them to find out where
the infant Jesus was, that he might destroy Him (Matt. ii. 7, 8) ; but the Magi, under the
guidance of a Superior Power, frustrated his design ; in a moment of rage, therefore,
he ordered all the male children of Bethlehem of two years old and under to be put
to death, thus hoping to secure the death of our Saviour (Matt. ii. 16) ; but the Holy
f.\mily had retired into Egypt, and escaped his murderous design, and soon after Herod
died as above stated ; and Archelaus, his son, reigned in his stead.
Herod Agrippa I. {sick, sorrowful), the son of Aristobulus, and grandson of Herod the
Great, was brought up at the court of Rome ; on leaving Rome, his uncle Herod An-
tipas supplied him with funds, till his great extravagance compelled his uncle to with-
hold his liberality. Agrii:)pa then borrowed large sums of money from the Jews, and
returned to the court of Tiberius, the emperor; but he had not been long here before
he was accused of having absconded from Judea with money out of the imperial ex-
chequer. By the assistance of the Empress Antonia, Agrippa appeased the anger of
Tiberius. Shortly after, however, Caligula succeeded to the empire, and invested
Agrippa with the tetrarchy of Bataneea and Trachonitis, which his uncle Philip had
possessed, and likewise with the tetrarchy of Lysanias. Claudius, the succeeding em-
peror, gave him in addition Judea and Samaria. At length, with a view of gratifying
the Jews, he began to persecute the Church of Christ (Acts xii. 1) ; he put to death James
the Apostle (Acts xii. 2), and imprisoned Peter (Acts xii. 3, 4) ; but the hand of retri-
butive justice overtook him, for shortly after, proceeding to Cesarea to hold certain
1243
30 . HISTORICAL INDEX.
games in honor of Claudius, the applause and impious adoration of the people led him
to forget the existence of a Supreme Being, and in a moment an angel sinote him with
disease, because he gave not God the glory ; and in the course of five days, racked with
torturing pains, he was eaten up of worms, and died. (Acts xii. 20-23.)
Herod Agrippa II. was the son of the above, and called simply "Agrippa;" he was
staying at the court of Claudius at the time of his father's death ; where he was de-
tained a few years, the emperor sending Cuspius Fadus into Judea to direct the gov-
ernment. On the death, however, of his uncle Herod, king of Chalcis, Claudius be-
stowed on Agrippa his dominions, A. D. 48; and four years afterward, A. D. 52-3, an-
nexed to them the provinces of Gaulanitus, Trachonitis, Batansea, Paneas and Abilene
which had formerly belonged to Lysanias. Nero, the successor of Claudius, gave him
still further Julius in Perssea, and Tarichsea and Tiberias in Galilee. A little before
this, when Festus was governor of Judea, Agrippa, and Bernice his sister, who lived
with him in a state of incest, went to Cesarea to salute him (Acts xxv. 13) ; while there,
Festus spoke of the imprisonment of Paul (Acts xxv. 14-27) ; and Agrippa being anx-
ious to hear him, the Apostle was brought forth ; after hearing his history and defense
(Acts xxvi.), Paul by the force of his argument almost persuaded Agrippa " to be a
Christian " (Acts xxvi. 28), and at the conclusion Agrippa said, that " the prisoner
might have been set at liberty, had he not appealed to Caesar." (Acts xxvi. 32.) After
some years, A. D. 66, the rebellion of the Jews broke out, when Agrippa was compel-
led to unite his forces with those of the Romans, and after the fall of Jerusalem he
i-etired to Rome with his sister, where he died, about A. D. 90.
Herod Antipas, (for, or against all), was the son of Herod the Great, by Cleopatra,
of Jerusalem : he succeeded to a portion of his father's dominions, as tetrarch of Gali-
lee and Perea. (Luke iii. 1.) In honor of Julia, the wife of the emperor Augustus,
he called Bethsaida Julius; and in honor of Tiberius he called the sea of Cinnereth
the "Sea of Tiberias." Antipas first married the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia,
but he soon divorced her for Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. (Matt. xiv. iii.) For
this incestuous proceeding John the Baptist reproved him. (Matt. xiv. 4.) Antipas there-
fore, instigated by Herodias, imprisoned John, and eventually ordered him to be be-
headed. (Matt.xiv. 5-11; Markvi.l4, 17, 18; Luke iii. 19,20, ix. 7,9.) The f;ime of Jesus
reaching the ears of Antipas, he thought John had risen from the dead (Matt. xiv. 1);
and he is said to have sought the death of our Lord (Luke xiii. 31); but when Christ
was sent before him by Pilate to be examined he found no fault in Him: (Luke xxiii. 7-
15.) Subsequently, Antipas was accused to Tiberius of having joined the conspiracy
of Sejanus against the emperor, and of succoring the Parthians, the enemies of Rome ;
he was accordingly banished to Lyons in Gaul, where he died.
Philip {lover of horses, a ivarrior), the tetrarch of Itureea and Trachonitis (Luke
iii. 1), is thought by some to have been the first husband of Herodias, who left him to
live with his brother Herod Antipas. (Matt. xiv. 3; Mark vi. 17; Luke iii. 19.) Most
critics, hoAvcvcr, on the authority of Josephus, take Philip, the tetrarch (Luke iii. 1), to
be a different person from Philip, the husband of Herodias (Luke iii. 19, &c.) ; the te-
trarch they imagine to have been the son of Herod the Great by Malthace (others say
by Cleopatra), and the husband of Herodias to have been a son of Marianne (daughter
of Simon the high priest), and this Mariamne having been discovered plotting against
Herod was divorced, and her son Philip disinherited. The pride and ambition there-
fore of Herodias not relishing this disgrace, she abandoned Philip, and married Herod
Antipas. Herod Philip, the tetrarch, the same critics observe, married Salome, the daugh-
ter of Herodias ; and, they say, that the " Philip " of the Evangelists is the " Herod son
of Mariamne" of Josephus; a private individual different from Philip the tetrarch.
Philip the tetrarch was a very amiable prince, and much beloved by his subjects ; he
1244
'HISTORICAL INDEX. 31
enlarged and beautified the city of Paneas, and in honor of Tiberias called it Cesarca
(Cesarea Philippi.)
Herodians, a sect of the Jews in the time of our Lord, and rather of a political than
a religious character (Matt. xxii. 16; Mark iii. (5, xii. 13); according to Tcrtullian and
others, they took their name from believing Ilerod to be the Messiah, and who was to
raise the country to the highest pitch of glory ; but there is no foundation for this idea
in Scripture. They most probably were a set of men of very profligate habits, and
strongly attached to the family and rule of Herod ; and by consequence very zealous
for the authority of the Romans, and the introduction of Roman manners, games and
other heathen usages. This brought them opposed to the Pharisees, who considered
it contrary to the law to have a king who was not of their own nation, and therefore
held it to be illegal to pay the taxes. Some think the Herodians belonged to the sect
of the Sadducees; but this is doubtful. The caution of Christ to His disciples to "be-
ware of the leaven of Herod" (Mark viii. 15), probably meant to beware of suffering
views of interest and worldly policy to interfere, or be commingled with true religion.
Herodias (mount of pride), the daughter of Aristobulus and Bernice, was grand-
daughter of Herod the Great, and sister of Herod Agrippa I. She married her uncle
Philip, by whom she had a daughter Salome, but he falling into disgrace, and being
obliged to live in private, Herodias left him, and married his brother Herod Antipas,
tetrai'ch of Galilee. This proceeding incurring the censure of John the Baptist (Matt.
xiv. 3-6; Mark vi. 17-22; Luke iii. 19), she jjrocured his Imprisonment; and, subse-
quently, through her daughter Salome, whose dancing infatuated Herod, effected his
death. Her husband shortly after falling into disgrace was banished to Lyons in
Gaul, whither she accompanied him ; and there, it is supposed, died.
'House. Oriental houses are very unlike our own. They are commonly square in
their form, and of a single story. On approaching them from the street, a single door
is seen in the center, and, usually, directly above it, a single latticed window. This
destitution of doors and lights from the streets, though it gives their dwellings a som-
ber appearance, is yet adapted to the habits of retirement and secrecy among the peo-
ple of the East, where they are desirous of keeping their females from observation.
On entering the only door in front, the first room is a small square room, surrounded
with benches, called the porch. In this room the master of the family commonly
transacts business, and, on private occasions, receives visits. Passing through the
porch, you enter a large square room directly in the center of the building, called the
court. This court is paved commonly with marble, and if possible, a fountain of water
is formed in the center, to give it beauty, and to diflTuse a grateful coolness. This
room is surrounded by a gallery, or covered walk, on every side. From that covered,
walk, doors open into the other apartments of the house.
This center room, or court, is commonly uncovered or open above. In wet weather
however, and in times of great heat of the sun, it is covered with an awning or (Anvas,
stretched on cords, and capable of being easilj^ removed or rolled up. From the court
to the roof the ascent is by flights of stairs, either in the covered walk or gallery, or
in the porch. The roof is nearly flat. It is made of earth, or in houses of the rich is
a firmly constructed flooring, made of coals, chalk, gy^isum and ashes, made hard by
repeated blows. On those roofs spears of grass, wheat or barley, sometimes spring up,
but these are soon withered by the sun. (Ps. cxxix. 6-8.) The roof is a favorite
place for walking, for repose in the cool of the day, for conversation, and for devotion,
It was surrounded with a balnstradc, or railing, breast-high, on the sides, but where a
house was contiguous to another, and of the same height, the railing was lower, so as
to walk from one roof to another. In cities constructed in this manner, it was possible
to walk through a considerable part of the city on the roofs of the houses. A breast-
work or railing was, of course, built in the same manner around the open space in the
1245
32 HISTORICAL INDEX
center, to prevent them from falling into the court below. This railing or breast-
work is what Luke v. 19 says, the}"- let the paralytic down through.
IcoNiuM {coming), now Cognior, Koniah, or Koniifch, was formerly the capital of
Lycaonia in Asia Minor : Paul and Barnabas came hither from Antioch in Pisidia
(Acts xiii. 51, xvi. 2), and while here they preached in the synagogue (Acts xiv. 1);
but the unbelieving Jews having stirred up a tumult against them, they fled to Lystra.
(Acts xiv. 2-6, 19.)
Idum^a {red, earthy), a district of Arabia, south of Judea, extending to the Red Sea,
and anciently called the land of Edom, from having been occupied by the descendants
of Edom, another name of Esau. Herod the Great is said to have been an Idumtean :
and many of its inhabitants joined the multitudes following Jesus. (Mark iii. 8.)
Incense. This substance was composed of the perfumes stacte, onycha, galbanum
and pure frankincense. (See Exod. xxx. 34-38.) All incense which was not made of
these ingredients was forbidden to be offered. (Exod. xxx. 9.) The Jews were for-
bidden to make this composition for private use. Incense was burned by the priest
morning and evening. It was placed in a cup or vase, called the censer, upon the Golden
Altar in the Holy Place, hence called the Aliar of Incense, with burning coals beneath,
producing by its smoke a powerful perfume, filling the temple with its fragrance
Incense would seem to be symbolical, not of prayer itself, but of that which makes
prayer acceptable — the intercession of Christ. In Rev. viii. 3, 4, the incense is spoken
of as something distinct from, though offered with, the j^rayers of all the saints, and
in Rev. v. 8, it is the golden vials, and not the odors or incense, which are said to be'
the prayers of saints.
Isaac {laughter), the child of promise, sOn of Abraham and Sarah, and father of the
patriarch Jacob (Matt. i. 2; Luke iii. 34; Acts vii. 8), his being in the kingdom of
heaven alluded to by our Lord. (Matt. viii. 11 ; Luke xiii. 28.)
Isaiah, or Esaias {health, or salvation of the Lord), one of the greater prophets, and
who, from prophesying especially concerning Christ, is called the Evangelical prophet.
His prophecies are frequently referred to in the New Testament : as in Matt. iii. 3
iv. 14, viii. 17, xii. 17, xiii. 14, xv. 7; Mark vii. 6 ; Luke iii. 4, iv. 17; John i. 23, xii. 38,
39, 41 ; Acts viii. 28, 30, xxviii. 25.
IscARiOT. See Judas.
Israel {prevailing), a name given to the patriarch Jacob by the angel who wrestled
with him : in the New Testament the name is applied to his descendants, the Jews
(passim) ; hence Israelites.
Italy, a celebrated country in the south of Europe, of which Rome was the capital.
Aquila came from this place (Acts xviii. 2), and Paul journeyed hither when a prisoner
(Acts xxvii. 1). The Roman cohort garrisoned in Judea, and commanded by Cor-
nelius the centurion, was called " the Italian band." (Acts x. 1.)
Itur^ea (mountainous), a province of Syria or Arabia, beyond the Jordan, east of
Bat<anaB, and south of Trachonitis, over which Philip was tetrarch when John the
Baptist commenced his ministry. (Luke iii. 1.)
Jacob (heeler, supplanter)~{l) the son of Isaac and Rebecca, and twin brother of
Esau, and the father of the twelve patriarchs. He is referred to in Matt. i. 2, viii.
11 ; Luke iii. 34, xiii. 28 ; Acts vii. 14.)
(2) the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. (Matt. i. 15.)
Jacob's Well — a deep well near the city of Shechem (or Sichem, or Sychar), in
Samaria, cut out of the rock ; it became celebrated from the discourse of our Saviour
with the woman of Samaria. (John iv. 5-30.)
Jairus (illmninated), a chief ruler of the synagogue at Capernaum, whose daughter,
falling dangei-ously ill, he besought Jesus to heal her. (Mark v. 22; Luke viii. 41.)
As our Lord was proceeding, the girl died ; but when He arrived at the ruler's house,
He raised her to life. (Mark v. 35-43 ; Luke viii. 49-56.)
1246
HISTORICAL INDEX. 33
James [sapplantcr) — (1) the Orcalcr, the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother to
John the Evangelist. (See Appendix A.j
-(2j the Less, the son of Alphseus or Cleopas, and brother of our Lord.
Janna {wxsvxring, afflicted, poor) , mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke
iii. 24.)
Jared {ruling, coming down), the father of Enoch, and a progenitor of Christ. (Luke
iii. 37.)
Jason (healing), a kinsman of Paul's, in whose house he dwelt at Thessalonica, and
who hazarded his life to save the Apostles in a sedition excited in that city. (Acts
xvii. 5-9.) He seems after this to have gone to Rome. (Rom. xvi. 21.)
Jechonias, or Jeconiah {stability of the Lord), son and .successor of Jehoiachim, king
of Judah, and a progenitor of our Lord. (Matt. i. 11, 12.)
Jeremiah {exalting the Lord), one of the greater prophets, who lived in the reign of
King Josiah. (Matt. ii. 17, xxvii. 9.) John the Baptist thought to have been he.
(Matt. xvi. 14.)
Jeremy, the same as Jeremiah, which see.
Jericho {the moon, month), a city about 26 miles north-east of Jerusalem, and six from
the Jordan. Christ passed through it, and performed a miracle in its neighborhood.
(Luke xix. 1)— the parable of the good Samaritan laid here (Luke x. 30.) By the faith
of its assailants in the time of Joshua its walls fell down.
Jerusalem {vision of peace^, the metropolis of Palestine, and the seat of government
from the time of David. It was called Salem in the time of Abraham, and Melchize-
dec was its king (Gen. xiv. 18 ; Heb. vii. 2), and subsequently it was called Jebus (Josh.
XV. 8), whence its derivation, " Jcbus-Salem," " Jerusalem." Christ lamented over it
(Matt, xxiii. 37), and foretold its destruction (Matt. xxiv. 2-28), which took place by
the Roman armies under Titus, A. D. 70. It is mentioned continually in New Testa-
ment history, and it was the scene of our Lord's passion. (Matt, xxvi., xxvii., &c.)
Jesse {a gift, a being), the son of Obed and father of David, and therefore a progeni-
tor of our Lord. (Matt. i. 5, 6 ; Luke iii. 32.)
Jesus (Saviour)— {1) our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
— —(2) the name oi Jeshua or Joshua, the captain of Israel. (Acts vii. 45.)
Jews {praising), the people of Israel, so called from their ancestor, Judah, especially
after the Babylonish captivity.
Joanna {gift of the Lord) — (1) the wife Chuza, Herod's steward ; after being healed
by our Lord, she followed and administered unto Him. (Luke viii. 2, 3.)
(2) mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 27.)
JoATHAM, or Jotham {absolute, perfect), son and successor of TJzziah, king of Judah,
and a progenitor of our Lord. (Matt. i. 9.)
Joel (willing, sivearing), the son ofPethuel, and one of the minor prophets; he was
contemporary with Jeremiah, and his prophecy is referred to by Peter. (Acts ii. 16.)
John (gracious, hohj) — (1) the Baptist, the son of Zacharias, the priest, and Elizabeth,
was born six months before our Lord. His birth, name and otfice, were foretold to
his father while performing his functions in the Temple (Luke i. 10-17; Mai. iv. 5),
and for his incredulity he was struck dumb until the naming of the child, when his
faith gave him the name of John, and Zacharias' speech was immediately restored. From
this time the child was brought up in the wilderness in a very abstemious manner, and in
coarse clothing (Matt. iii. 4; Mark i.(;), and when he became 30 years ofage, he manifested
himself to the world as the forerunner of the Messiah, whom he declared about to
come. (Matt. iii. 11 ; Mark i. 7 ; John i. 6, 15, 19, 27.) He preached repentance and
confession of sins, and induced many to be baptized in the Jordan, whence he was
called " The Baptist." (Matt. iii. 1 ; Mark i. 5 ; Luke iii. 3 ; John iii. 23 ; Acts i. 5, xi.
16, xiii. 24.) He baptized Christ Himself (Matt. iii. 14;, and the next day proclaimed
34 HISTORICAL INDE^X.
Him to be the " Lamb of God." (John i. 29.) A Utile time after, in consequence of
reproving Herod for marrying Herodias, his brother PhiUp's wife, he was imprisoned
(Matt. iv. 12 ; Mark i. 14; Luke iii. 19), and at the instance of Herodias, by the request
of her daughter Salome, Herod commanded him to be beheaded. (Matt. xiv. 1 ;
Mark vi. 14, 16; Luke ix. 7.) While John was in prison, he sent certain of his dis-
ciples to inquire if Jesus was the expected Messiah. (Matt. ix. 14, xL 2, 4; Mark ii.
18; Luke v. 33, vii. 18, 19, 22, xi. 1 ; John iii. 25.) Subsequently Jesus bore testimony
to the character of John. (Matt. xi. 7, 14 ; Luke vii. 24, xvi. 16; John v. 33, 36, x. 41.)
•John was much esteemed by the people (Matt. xxi. 26 ; Mark xi. 32 ; Luke xx. 6), and
Herod was afraid of him (Mark vi. 20), yet for his oath's sake he sacrificed him to the
revengeful temper of Herodias. Paul found some of John's disciples at Ephesus, who,
not knowing whether there was any Holy Ghost, were baptized by the Apostles.
(Acts xix. 3-7.)
(2) — {the Apostle and Evangelist). (See Appendix A.)
(3) Mark. (See Mark.)
(4) A son of Annas the high priest, before whom and others, the Apostles were
examined for preaching in the name of Jesus. (Acts iv. 6.)
JoNA (a dove), or Jonas, the father of Peter. (Matt. xvi. 17 ; John i. 42, xxi.
15-17.)
Jonah {a dove), or Jonas, one of the minor prophets, son of Amittai, and he who was
sent to preach repentance to the Ninevites ; but in his endeavor to avoid this duty he
was cast into the sea, and swallowed by a whale, in which he remained three days and
three nights. When the Jews asked our Lord for a sign, He gave them only the sign
of the prophet Jonas. (Matt. xii. 39-41, xvi. 4 ; Luke xi. 29, 30.)
JoNAN (a dove), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 30.)
JoppA (comeliness), Japho, or Jaffa, a sea-port of Judea, on the Mediterranean, 30
miles south of Cesarea, and 45 north-west of Jerusalem. Peter visited Joppa, where
he remained at the house of Simon the tanner many days. In this city he raised
Tabitha (Dorcas) to life (Acts ix. 36, 43), and while here Cornelius sent for him. (Acts
X. 5, 23, xi. 5.)
JoRAM, or Jehoram {height of the Lord), son and successor of Jehoshaphat, king of
Judah, and a progenitor of our Lord. (Matt. i. 8.)
Jordan (from Jbr, a spring, and Dan, a town near its source), the principal river of
Judea, rising at the foot of the Anti-Libanus mountains at Cesarea Philippi (Paneas).
It runs a course of upward of 100 miles due south, passing through Lake Merom, and
the Sea of Galilee, and finally empties itself into the Dead Sea. John baptized in this
river (Matt. iii. 6; Mark i. 5, 9; John i. 28, iii. 26), and here Christ also was baptized.
(Matt. iii. 13.)
JoRiM {exaltation of the Lord), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke,
iii. 29.)
JosAPHAT, or Jehosaphat {the Lord is the Judge), the son and successor of Asa, king of
Judah, and a progenitor of our Lord. (Matt. i. 8.)
Jose {sparing, lifting up), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 29.)
Joseph {increasing) — (1) the son of the patriarch Jacob, by Rachel (John iv. 5) ; he
was sold into Egypt by his brethren. (Acts vii. 9, 13, 14.)
(2) The husband of Mary was the son of Jacob, and grandson of Matthan ; and as
well as being a descendant of the royal house of David, he was also the reputed father
of Christ. (Matt. i. 6, 16; Luke i. 27, iii. 23.) An angel informed him of the nature
of Mary's conception, which reconciled him to her position (Matt. i. 19, 24), after which
he proceeded with her to Bethlehem to be taxed, Avhere Christ was born. (Luke ii.
4, 16.) Directed b}'' an angel, he retired with Mary and the child into Egypt, till the
death of Herod (Matt. ii. 13), after which he returned (Matt. ii. 19), and took up his
1248
HISTORICAL INDEX. 35
aljode at Nazareth, where it is Bupposed he followed the callinp; of a carpenter. (Matt.
xiii. 55 ; Luke iv. 22 ; John i. 45, vi. 42. ) In one of his visit.s to Jerusalem to keep the
passover, Joseph lost the child Jesus, then about 12 years old, and after three days
found Him in the temple disputing with the doctors. ( Luke ii. 41^3.) What became
of Jos(!j)h is not known, but he is thought to have died before our Lord entered on
His public ministry.
(3) of Arimathea, i\ Jewish counselor, and private disciple of Christ's. (Matt.
xxvii. 57-59; Mark xv. 42^5 ; Luke xxiii. 50; John xix. 38.) He did not consent to
the condemnation of Jesus (Luke xxiii. 51), and after our Lord's crucifixion he went
to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus, and after wrapping it in linen, buried it in his
own tomb. (Luke xxiii. 52,53.)
Joseph (4) called also Barsahas, and surnamed Justus; he was a candidate with
Matthias for the Apostleship, vacant by the death of Judas Iscariot, but he lost it.
(Acts i. 23)
(5) called also Joses, which see.
(G, &c.) mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 24, 26, 30.)
JosES (the same as Joseph) was the son of Mary and Cleophas, and brother of James
the Less, and therefore one of the brethren of our Lord. (Matt. xiii. 55, xxvii. 56 ;
Mark vi. 3, xv. 40, 47.) Some critics think this person to be the same as Joseph, called
also Barsahas. See above. Joseph (4).
JosiAS, or Josiah {the fire of the Lord), son and successor of Amon, king of Judah, and
a progenitor of our Lord. (Matt. i. 10, 11.)
JuDA {confession, praise), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 26,
30, 33.)
JuDAS {confession, praise) — (1) or Barsahas, one of the disciples sent by the Apostles
from Jerusalem to Antioch, with the decree of the council respecting adherence to
the Mosaic ritual. (Acts xv. 22-32.)
(2) Qaidanitis, or the Galilean, a native of the city of Gamala, in that district,
and who raised a rebellion in Judea against the enrolment of taxing ordered by Cyre-
nius, in which he perished. (Acts v. 37.)
(3) Iscariot {hireling, or a man of Karioth, or Ccrioth, to which he belonged), one
of the Apostles of our Lord, and appointed their treasurer. (Matt. x. 4 ; Mark iii. 19 ;
Luke vi. 16.) He was angry with Mary for anointing our Lord, and wasting the oint-
ment. (John xii. 4.) Christ foretold his treachery. (Matt. xxvi. 21 ; Mark xiv. 18 ;
Luke xxii. 21 ; John vi. 71, xiii. 21, 26.) Judas, after this, went and bargained with
the Pharisees (Matt. xxvi. 14; Mark xiv. 10; Luke xxii. 3); he then betrayed our
Lord in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt. xxvi. 47 ; Mark xiv. 43 ; Luke xxii. 47 ;
John xviii. 3), but repenting of his infomy, he returned the money to the chief priests,
and went and hanged himself. (Matt, xxvii. 3; Acts i. 18.)
Judas (4) or Jude, called also Lchhcns {confessing), and Thaddeus {confessing), or the
Zealot, was the son of Mary -and Cleophas, and the brother of James the Less, and
consequently one of the brethren of our Lord. (See Appendix A.)
(5) or Judah, a son of Jacob, and a progenitor of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
(Matt. i. 2, 3 ; Luke iii. 33.)
JuDEA {confrssing), a name derived from Juda, and applied not only to the portion
of the tribe of Judah, but sometimes to the whole land of Israel ; called also Canaan,
Palestine, Land of Promise, and the Land of Judea. (Matt. xxiv. 16 ; Actsi. 8.)
Julius {soft, downy), the centurion of the Augustan cohort, to whose care Festus
committed Paul to be conveyed a prisoner to Rome. (Acta xxvii. 1.) He showed to
the Apostle great courtesy (Acts xxvii. 3), suffering him to land at Sidon, and visit his
friends there, and saved him from the murderous designs of the soldiers. (Acts
xxvii. 43.)
29* 1249
36 HISTORICAL INDEX.
Jupiter {the father that helpeth), the supreme ^od of the heathens, whom they regard-
ed as the maker of heaven and earth, and ruler of the universe. (Acts xix. 35.) Ju-
piter and Mercury the god of eloquence, were supposed to be those gods who most
frequently assumed the human form ; the former was rejeiesented as a large, majestic-
looking man , and aged , while the latter, who generally attended him, was young, light and
active ; on which account, when Paul and Ba- nabas were preaching in and about
Lystra in Lycaonia, they made so great an im jression as to lead the people to call
Barnabas Jupiter, and Paul Mcrcurius, because he was the chief speaker. (Acts xiv.
12, 13.)
Justus (just) — (1) the surname of Joseph jiarsabas, one of ^the candidates for the
Apostleship vacant by the death of Judas Iscariot, but the lot fell upon Matthias.
(Acts i. 23.)
(2) a Christian in Corinth, converted by Paul, and in whose house the Apostle
preached. (Acts xviii. 7), when rejected f om the synagogue.
KiDRON, or Cedron {maldng black, or saJ), a brook running through the valley of
Jehoshaphat, on the east side of Jerusalem, between the city and the Mount of Olives.
Our Lord crossed it on His way to the garden of Gethsemane. (John xviii. 1.)
KisH, or Cis {hard, straw), the son of Ner, a Benjamite, and father of king Saul.
(Acts xiii. 21.)
Lamech (poor, smitten), father of Noah, and a progenitor of our Lord. (Luke
iii. 36.)
Lasea {thick, uise), a city of the isle of Crete, near to the Fair Havens. (Acts
xxvii. 8.)
Laying on of hands, in blessing (Matt. xix. 15), in healing (Mark v. 23, vi. 5, xvi. 18;
Luke iv. 40, xiii. 13 ; Acts ix. 17, xxviii. 8), in imparting the gifts of the Spirit (Acts
viii. 17, 19, xix. 6), in ordaining (Acts vi. 6, xiii. 3).
Lazarus {help of God) — (1) the brother of Martha and Mary, living at Bethany,
near Jerusalem, and in whose house Christ sometimes lodged. He was taken ill, and
died, and after he had been in the grave four days, our Lord raised him to life. (John
xi. 2, 5, 11, 14, 43, xii. 17.) After this, six days before Christ's last passover, Lazarus
sat at table with Him (John xii. 2), and many people came to see him. (John xii.
9.) What became of Lazarus is not known.
(2) the poor afflicted man in the parable who sat at the rich man's gate begging,
and when dead was received into Abraham's bosom. (Luke xvi. 19-25.)
Lebbeus {confessing, praising), one of the twelve Apostles (Matt. x. 3), the same as
Judas or Judc, which see ; also Appendix A.
Legiox, a body of foot soldiers in the Roman army, comprising ten cohorts, each
cohort fifty maniples, and each maniple fifteen men, whence a full legion contained
G,000 men. Jesus cured a demoniac, who called himself " Legion," as if possessed by
a legion of devils. (Mark v. 9.) Christ told Peter that twelve legions of angels would
come to His relief if it were necessary. (Matt. xxvi. 53.)
Levi {joined) — (1) one of the twelve Apostles, also called Matthew. (Mark ii. 14;
Luke V. 27, 29.)
(2) mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 24, 29.)
Libertines. The Jews are thought to have been either emancipated slaves from
Italy, or their desendants {Libcrtini), or a people from a jjlace in Africa, near Carthage
called Libertina; they had a synagogue in Jerusalem for their special use, and joined
with the Cyrenians and Alexandrians in disputing with Stephen. (Acts vi. 9.)
Libya (gross), a province of Egypt in Africa, from which place many Jews were in
Jerusalem on the noted day of Pentecost. (Acts ii. 10.)
Locusts. The insects of this name are still used for food in the East. There are
different ways of preparing them for food. Sometimes they are ground and pounded,
1250
'HISTORICAL INDEX. 37
and then mixed with flour and water and made into cakes ; or they are salted and
then eaten ; sometimes smoked, boiled or roasted, stewed, or fried in butter. Dr. Kitto,
who tasted locusts, says they ire more like shrimps than anything else ; and an Eng-
lish clergyman, some years ago, cooked some of the green grasshoppers {Locusla viri-
dissima), boiling them in water half an hour, throwing away the head, wings and leg.s,
and tlien sprinkUng them with pepper and salt, and adding butter. He found them
excellent.
The Lord's Supper, instituted by Christ just before His death. It is also called the
" Eucharist," because Christ in the institution of it gave thanks unto God. The passa-
ges of Scripture particularly recommending this sacrament are Matt. xxvi. 26 ; Mark
xiv. 22; Luke xxii. 19 ; 1 Cor. v. 7, 8, x. 16, xi. 23-29 ; Acts ii. 42, xx. 7.
Lot {ivrapped, joined), the nephew of Abraham, delivered from the destruction of
Sodom by an angel, but his wife looking back became a pillar of salt. The circum-
stance alluded to by our Lord as a warning. (Luke xvii. 28, 32.)
Lucius {of light), of Cj'rene, one of the prophets of the Christian Church at Antioch
(Acts xiii. 1), and by some thought to have been one of the Seventy.
Lycaonia (a tmlf), a province of Asia Minor, forming part of Cappadocia ; here Paul
preached in the cities of Iconium, Derbe and Lystra. (Acts xiv. 6, 11, &c.)
Lycia, a province of Asia Minor, having Phrygia on the north, and the Mediterra-
nean on the south ; Paul landed at the port of Myra, in Lycia, on his journey to
Eome. (Acts xxvii. 5.)
Lydda {standing ivater), a city about 14 miles north-east of Joppa, and 32 north-west
from Jerusalem. Peter visited the saints in this place (Acts ix. 32), and cured one
Eneas of the palsy (Acts ix. 33, 34), and before he left, they all " turned to the Lord."
(Acts ix. 35, 38.)
Lydia {standing water), a woman of Thyatira, a seller of purple, who dwelt at Phil-
ippi, in Macedonia. (Acts xvi. 14.) She was a Jewish proselyte, and converted to
Christianity by Paul, and herself and family were all baptized. After this she pre-
vailed on the Apostle and his fellow-laborers to make her house their home. (Acts
xvi. 15-40.) Lydia was also a country of Asia Minor, peopled by the posterity
of Lud.
Lysanias {dissohnng, sadness), a tetrarch of Abilene, a small province of Lebanon.
(Luke iii. 1.)
Lysias (dissolving), the chief captain of the Roman troops in Jerusalem. (Acts xxiii.
26 ; see Claudius Lysias.)
Lystra {dissolving), a city of Lycaonia in Asia Minor, 40 miles west of Iconium, and
of which place Timothy was a native. (Acts xvi. 1, 2.) Paul and Barnabas preached
the Gospel here, and having miraculously cured a lame man, they were taken for
gods, for the tutelary deities of the city, Jupiter and Mercurius ; and sacrifices pre-
pared for them. Jews, however, from Antioch and Iconium excited the people against
the Apostles even to stoning them, and Paul was cast out of the city as dead. (Acts
xiv. 6, 8, 11 ; 2 Tim. iii. 11.) Its site is not discoverable.
Maath {wiping aivay, fearing), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii.
26.)
. Macedonia {burning, worshiping, crooJccd), a large country of Greece. Paul while at
Troas was called in a vision to preach the Gospel in Macedonia (Acts xvi. 9, xix.
21), and there founded the churches of Philippi, and Thessalonica. Silas and Timothy
also preached there. (Acts xviii. 5.) The Churches there were very liberal in their
contributions to the poor saints.
:Magd.\la (a tower, greatness), a town and territory placed by some authorities on the
eastern side of the Lake of Tiberias, and by others on the western side near Capernaum.
1251
38 HISTORICAL INDEX.
(Matt. XV. 39.) It included Dalmanutha (see Mark viii. 10), and is supposed to have
given name to Mary Magdalene.
Magi, Persian or Arabian philosophers, well versed in the moral and physical
sciences ; they came to worship the infant Messiah, and are supposed to have come
from Arabia, as their gifts of frankincense and myrrh were the produce of that country.
(Matt. ii. 1-14.)
Malchus {king, counsellor), a servant of the high-priest Caiaphas, whose ear Peter cut
off when our Lord was betrayed. (John xviii. 10.)
Maleleel, or Mahalecl {praising God), a progenitor of Christ. (Luke iii. 37.)
Mammon, the Syriac word for riches. Our Saviour says we cannot devote our lives
to the acquirement of riches and in seeking after righteousness at the same time ; we
cannot serve God and Mammon. (Matt. vi. 24 ; Luke xvi. 9, 11, 13.)
Manaen, or Manahem {comforter, leader). Christian prophet in Antioch, brought up
and educated with Herod Agrippa I. ; some say, with Herod Antipas. (Acts xiii. 1.)
Manasses, or Manasseh {forgotten), son and successor of Hezekiah, king of Judah,
and progenitor of our Lord. (Matt. i. 10.)
Marcus {filled, polite), the son of Mary, Barnabas' sister, in whose house the Apostles
used to assemble. He is thought to have been converted by Peter, as that Apostle
calls him his son. He is the same as John, Mark, or Mark the Evangelist. (Acts xii.
12, 25, XV. 39.)
Maes Hill {the Areopagus), an insulated precipitous rock in the middle of Athens,
where was the celebrated seat of judicature so called, opposite to the Aei'opolis, before
which Paul defended himself. (Acts xvii. 22.)
Martha {hitter, provoking), the sister of Lazarus, and Mary of Bethany. (Luke x.
38 ; John xi. 1, 5.) She was reproved by our Lord for being too much concerned about
temporal matters. (Luke x. 40, 41.) On the death of her brother Lazarus she expostu-
lated with Christ for His delay. (John xi. 20-40.) Subsequently, when Christ was sup-
ping at the house of Simon in Bethany, Martha served. (John xii. 2.)
Mary {exalted bitterness, mistress of the sea), (1) the Mother of Our Lord, and espoused
wife of Joseph. She was of the royal line of David, and cousin to Elizabeth, the wife
of Zacharias, the priest. (Matt. i. 16-20, xiii. 55 ; Mark vi. 3 ; Luke i. 5, 27, 36.) The
angel Gabriel announced to her the birth of Jesus. ( Luke i. 26-35.) She visited Eliza-
beth and offered up a song of thanksgiving, (Luke i. 46-55,) and having gone to Beth-
lehem, brought forth the Saviour. (Luke ii. 1-7.) The shepherds now visit her
(Luke ii. 16-19), she next presented the child in the temple to the Lord (Luke ii. 21-
24), and after receiving the visit of the Magi (Matt. ii. 11), and retiring for a short
time into Egypt (Matt. ii. 13-21), she went to Nazareth, but came annually with the
infant to Jerusalem to the passover. (Luke ii. 41.) On one occasion, however, when
Jesus was 12 years old, Mary lost sight of Him. (Luke ii. 42-51.) "When Christ had
commenced His ministry, she attended Him at the marriage in Cana (John ii. l),and
once, when He was teaching, inquired for Him (Matt. xii. 46 ; Mark iii. 31 ; Luke viii.
19). Mary attended our Lord at His crucifixion, when she was committed to the care
of John (John xix. 25), and after the ascension of Christ she was with the other
disciples. (Acts i. 14.) What became of the mother of our Lord after this is not
known.
(2) Magdalene, a woman of Magdala, out of whom our Lord cast seven devils
(Luke viii. 2, 3), after -which she followed Him and contributed to His maintenance.
She witnessed Christ's crucifixion at a distance (Matt, xxvii. 56 ; Mark xv. 40 ; John
xix. 25), waited watching at the sepulchre (Matt, xxvii. 61 ; John xx. 1), and brought
spices to embalm his body. (Matt, xxviii. 1 ; Mark xvi. 1 ; Luke xxiii. 55, 56) ; but
1252
HISTORICAL INDEX. 39
Christ had risen, and Mary Magdalene was the tirst who saw Him after His resurrec-
tion. (Mark xvi. 9 ; John xx. li-lf^i. and again asccond time. (Matt, xxyiii. 9 ; Luke
xxiv. 10.) She was a person of some ijroperty, but whither she went after this is not
known.
(3) Mother of James the Less, and of Joses, wife of Cleophas or (Alphfeus), wag
the sister of the mother of our Lord ; she witnessed the crucifixion afar off (Mark xv.
40, 47), and afterward stood by the cross (John xix. 25). She accompanied the other
women to the sepulchre (Matt, xxvii. 56, Gl. xxviii. 1), having brought spires to embalm
Christ's body. (Mark xvi. 1.) Further than this nothing more is known.
Mary (4), Mother of Mark, or of John, whose surname is Mark. In her house the
Apostles were accustomed to assemble ; Peter went there on his escape from prison ;
(Acts xii. 12.)
(5) Sist^er of Martha and Lazarus. She listened to our Lord's discourse while
Martha served (Luke x. 39-42), and was present when her brother Lazanis was raised
to life (John xi. 1-46), at a subsequent period, when Christ supped at Betheny in the
house of Simon, she anointed His feet. (John xii. 1-8 ; Matt. xxvi. 6 ; Mark xiv. 3.
Luke vii. 36.)
Matthan {gift, hope, death of them), the grandfather of Joseph, the husband of Mary
(Matt. i. 15.)
Matthat {gift), mentioned by Luke in the genealogy of our Lord, as the grandfather
of Mary. (Luke iii. 24), another (Luke iii. 29).
Mattatha {his gift), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 31.)
Mattathias {gift of the Lord), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii.
25, 26.)
Matthias {gift of the Lord), an Apostle chosen in the room of Judas Iscariot, and
thought to have been one of the Seventy. (Acts i: 23, 26.)
Mathusala, or Methuselah (he sent his death), the father of Lamech, and progenitor
of Christ ; he died aged 969 years. (Luke iii. 37.)
Melea {supplied), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 31.)
Melchi {my king, my counsel), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii
24, 28.)
Melita {flowing tcith honey), now Malta, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, on
which Paul was wrecked as he was taken to Rome (Acts xxviii. 1, &c.), here he shook
the viper from his hand, and healed many of their diseases.
Menan {numbered, revjarded), mentioned in the genealosy of our Lord. (Luke iii.
31.)
Mercurius {of merchandise), or Mercury, one of the heathen gods, the god of eloquence,
and whom the people of Lystra thought Paul to be. (Acts xiv. 12.) See Jupiter.
Mesopotamia {middle of rivers), a large country of Asia, between the rivers Tigris
and Euphrates, anciently styled Padan-Aram. (Acts vii. 2.) Jews from here were in
Jerusalem on the noted day of Pentecost. (Acts ii. 9.)
Miletum, correctly ^Iiletus (which see.)
Miletus {red kernels^ a city and seaport of Ionia, about thirty miles south of Ephe-
6US, and where Paul directed the elders of the Ephesian Church to meet him. (Acts
XX. 15-17.)
Mill. Grinding in the East was performed, as it is now, chiefly by hand. The
mill-stones were about two feet in diameter, and half a foot in thickness. The lower
one was fixed, and the upper one was turned by a handle or crank. This was done
by two persons, who sat opposite to each other. One took hold of the mill-handle,
and turned it half way round, the other then seized it, and completed the revolu-
1253
40 HISTO EI CAL INDEX.
tion. This was done by women, by servants of the lowest order, and was a labori-
ous employment. (See Ex. xi. 5 ; Job xxxi. 10 ; Isa. xlvii. 2 Judg. xvi. 21.)
MiTYLENE {assailing, breaking the Jaic), the capital of the isle of Lesbos, 8 miles from
Asia Minor, through which Paul passed on his way from Corinth to Jerusalem. (Acts
XX. 14.
Mnason (seeking, remembering,) a Jew of Cyprus, converted by our Lord himself,
and who was one of the Seventy. Paul abode at his house in Jerusalem. (Acts
xxi. 16.
Myea ( floic, weep), a city of Lycia in Asia, whence Paul embarked for Eome.
(Acts xxvii. 5.)
Mysia {abominable), a province of Asia Minor, having Phrygia on the east, and
the Hellespont on the west : here Paul preached. (Acts xvi. 7, 8.)
Naaman {fair), the Syrian, the general of the army of Benhadad, king of Syria,
cured of leprosy by Elisha (Eliseus) : the case referred to by our Lord. (Luke iv.
27.)
Naason {that foretells, a serpent), a son of Aminadab, and a progenitor of Joseph
the husband of Mary. (Matt. i. 4 ; Luke iii. 32.)
Nachoe {hoarse, angry, dry), also Nahor, the grandfather of Abraham, and a pro-
genitor of Christ. (Luke iii. 34.)
Nagge {light), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 25.)
Nain {beauty), a city of Palestine 2 miles south of Mount Tabor, where Christ
raised the widow's son to life. (Luke vii. 11-18.)
Naphtali {urcstUng likeness), called also Ncphthalim : the sixth son of Jacob : the
inheritance of this tribe lay in the northern part of Canaan, between Mount Leb-
anon to the north, and the Sea of Cinnereth (Galilee) to the south : Christ's residence
here fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. (Isa. ix. 1, 2 ; Matt. iv. 13-15.)
Nathan {given), a son of David mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke
iii. 31.)
Nathanael {gift of God), a disciple of our Lord's, and supposed to be the same
as Bartholomew. (John i. 45-50.) He saw Christ after His resurrection. (John
xxi. 2.)
Naum {comforted), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 25.)
Nazarene, Nazarxans, or Nazarite, {kept, a fiov-er), — (1) an inhabitant or native of
Nazareth, whence Christ has been so named. (Matt. ii. 23.)
(2) A man under a vow either for his whole life, as Samson and John the
Baptist, or only for a time, (as those in Num. vi. 18-20 ; Amos ii. 11, 12), to abstain
from wine and intoxicating liquors, to let the hair grow, and not to enter a house
where there was a dead corpse, nor be present at a funeral. Paul, or as some
say, Aquila, had a vow of this sort in Cenchrea. (Acts xviii. 18.)
(3) a sect of Judaizing Christians, who held that there could be no salva-
tion without full conformity to the law of Moses. They coincided in a great mea-
sure with the Ebionites, and accepted only Matthew's Gospel : they likewise objected
to the ceremonial strictness of the Pharisees ; and held Paul in high estimation.
(4) a term applied to the Christians by the Jews and heathens, by way of
reproach. Paul in this view is accused by one TertuUus, as being " a ringleader
of the sect of Nazarenes." (Acts xxiv. 5.)
Nazareth is situated among the hills which constitute the south ridges of Lebanon,
just before they sink down into the plain of Esdraelon. Of the identification of the
ancient site there can be no doubt. The name of the present village is en Ndzirali,
the same, therefore, as of old ; it is formed on a hill or mountain (Luke iv. 29), it is
within the limits of the province of Galilee (Mark i. 9), it is near land, according
1254
HISTORICAL INDEX. 41
to the implication in John ii. 1, 2, 11; a precipice exists in the neighborhood
(Luke iv. 29), and, finally, a series of testimonies reach back to Eusebius, the
father of church history, which represent the place as having occupied an invari-
able position. The modern Nazareth belongs to the better class of Eastei-n villages.
It has a population of 3,000 or 4,000, a few are IMoliammedans, the rest Latin and
Greek Christians. Most of the houses are well built of stone, and have a neat
and comfortable appearance. The streets or lanes are narrow and crooked, and
after rain are so full of mud and mire as to be almost impassable.
Neapolis {mw cify), a sea-port of Macedonia, a few miles south of Philippi. Paul
came here from Samothrace. (Acts xvi. 11.)
NcphthaKm. See Napiitali.
Neri {light of the Lord, land soicn biennially), mentioned in the genealogy of our
Lord. (Luke iii. 27.)
NicANOR {victorious), one of the seven first appointed deacons (Acts vi. 3-6) ; notb
ing further is known of him.
NicoDEMUs {innocent blood, victory of the people), a Pharisee and ruler of the Jewn,
belonging to the Sanhedrim, and who became a disciple of Christ after his con-
versation with Him. (John iii. 1, 4, 9.) He subsequently defended our Lord before
the Sanhedrim (John vii. 50), and joined with Joseph of Arimathea in His burial .
(John xix. 39.)
Nicolas {conqueror of tJie people), a Jewish proselyte of Antioch, who afterward
became a Christian ; and on account of his zeal and piety was subsequently aj^i^ointcd
a deacon. (Acts vi. 5.) His name is said to have been improperly connected with
the sect of the Nicolaitans (which see.)
Niger {black), the name of one Simeon, a prophet and teacher of Antioch, who
assisted in ordaining Saul and Barnabas for their Apostleship. (Acts xiii. 1.) He is
thought to have been one of the Seventy.
Nineveh {beautiful, a dvcUing-place), the capital of the ancient kingdom and empire
of Assyria. (Jonah iii. 6 ; 2 Kings xix. 36.) The name appears to be compounded fi-om
that of an Assyrian deity, "Nin," corresponding, it is conjectured, with the Greek
Hercules, and occurring in the names of several Assyrian kings, as in " Ninus," the
mythic founder, according to Greek tradition, of the city. Nineveh is first mentioned
in the Old Testament in connection with the primitive dispersements and migrations
of the human race. (Gen. x. 11, &c.) It was a city of nineteen miles in length and
eleven in breadth, and from forty-eight to sixty miles in circumference, and contained
a population of about six hundred thousand. (Jonah iv. 11.) It was surrounded by
a wall one hundred feet high, and wide enough for three carriages to go abreast, and
was fortified by fifteen hundred towers of two hundred feet in height. For its luxury
and wickedness the judgmeiits of God fell upon it. (Neh. iii. 1 ; Zeph. ii. 13-15.)
NoAn-(/-e6-i), the builder of the ark. in which he and his family alone, with certain
animals of every kind, were saved when the world was drowned for its wickedness
(Matt. xxiv. 37 ; Luke iii. 36, xvii. 26.) He was a preacher of righteousness, and his
faith is spoken of in Heb. xi. 7.
NoE. See Noah.
Obed (a servant), son of Boaz, and father of Jesse : also a progenitor of our Lord.
(Matt. i. 5 ; Luke iii. 32.)
Olives, Mount of, or Olivet ; is a range of hills extending a mile in length from
north to south, having three or four summits : from the center one, which is the highest,
and rises out of the Garden of Gethsemane, our Saviour ascended up to heaven (Acts
i. 12) ; on the southern one Solomon built temples to his idols. Olivet is a Sabbath-
day's journey (about a mile) eastward of Jerusalem, fronting the temple : it is
1255
42 HISTORICAL INDEX.
separated from the city by the brook ICidron, and the valley of Jehoshaphat ; and
its districts were named, 1. Gethsemane, the place of oil-presses ; 2. Bethany, the
house of dates ; 3. Bethphage, the house of figs, &c. The mountain takes its name
from the luxurious and spontaneous growth of the olive-tree, which continues at
this day, and was the scene of many circumstances connected with the life of
Christ. (Matt. xxi. 1, xxiv. 3, xxvi. 30; Mark xiii. 3, xiv. 26; Luke xix. 29, 37,
xxi. 37, xxii. 39 ; John viii. 1 ; Acts i. 12.
OziAS, or Uzztah, or Azariah (strength of the Lord), son of Jehoram king of Judah, and
progenitor of our Lord. (Matt. i. 8, 9.)
Pamphylia {nation of every tribe), a province of Asia Minor, having the Mediterranean
on the south, and Pisidia on the north ; it is situated opposite to Cyprus, and its chief
town is Perga. (Acts xxvii. 5.) Paul and Barnabas preached here (Acts xiii. 13, xiv.
24), and it was while they were in this province that Mark left them. (Acts xv. 38.)
Paphos, a city on the western coast of Cyprus, where the proconsul Sergius Paulus
resided, who was converted by Paul (Acts xiii. 6), and where Bar- Jesus (Elymas) the
sorcerer was struck blind for his opposition. (Acts xiii. 6-13.)
Parmenas [continuing,) one of the first seven deacons of the Church. (Acts vi. 5, 6.)
Parthians (flying from fear), the Persians, or inhabitants between Media and Meso-
potamia. Jews from among them were present at Jerusalem at the noted day of Pen-
tecost. (Acts ii. 9.)
Passover. There is considerable controversy in respect of the duration of our Lord's
ministry. Some reckon it to have been but one year; some, three years; and others
more. Dr. Lardner mentions /our Passovers: the fl.rst at our Lord's baptism (John ii.
13) ; the second, when Christ healed the cripple at the pool of Bethesda (John v. 1) ;
but that this feast was a passover is much questioned ; the third, when the miracle of
the five loaves and two fishes were performed (John vi. 4) ; the fourth, when the Jews
sought to apprehend our Lord. This would make Christ's ministry extend to about
three years and a half, according to the prophecy of Daniel, (ix. 26.) Very many writers
consider the period of the second passover to have been just before our Lord went through
the corn-fields on the Sabbath day as recorded in Luke vi. 1.
Patara (white-livered, bringing death), a maritime city of Lycia, where Paul going from
Philippi to Jerusalem embarked from Phoenicia. (Acts xxi. 1.)
Paul (marvelous, rest, little), the name of Saul of Tarsus. Many writers suppose that
Saul had from his birth the Gentile name of Paui. ; a not unusual thing with the Jews
and others in that age — others say he took the name in honor of his first Gentile con-
vert Sergius Paulus — others, because he was small in stature, or for humility sake,
Paulus meaning loiv, small, little: be this as it may, he assumed the name of Paul to the
exclusion of that of Saul, on the conversion of Sergius Paulus.
Pentecost, a feast of the Jews held./?/?'/ days after the departure from Egypt, or after
the Passover. Sometimes it was called the feast of lueeks, because it was kept seven
weeks after the Passover. The Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles on this day.
(Acts ii. 1.)
Perga (earthly), a maritime city of Pamphylia in Asia, upon the river Caystrus, where
Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel. (Acts xiii. 13, 14, xiv. 25.)
Peter, stone or rock.
Phalec (diviMon), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 35.)
PiiANtrEL (seeing God), the father of the prophetess Ajina, of the tribe of Asher. (Luke
ii. 36.)
Pharaoh (spreading vengeance, a king), a common name of the kings of Egypt : two
of which are referred to in the New Testament. (Acts vii. 13, 21.)
Phares (division), a son of Judah, and a progenitor of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
(Matt. i. 3 ; Luke iii. 33.)
1256
HISTORICAL INDEX. 43
Pharisees (separate). This was the most celebrated and influential of the Jewish sects
in the time of our Lord, including in its numbers the great mass of the people. This
appellation is derived from the Hebrew word Fharas or Pharash, " to separate," from
their separating themselves from the rest of the Jews as more devout and religious
They believed in the resurrection of the dead, and in the existence of angels, and
spirits, mixed up with some notion of a transmigration of souls: they were also pecu-
liar in attac-hing the first importance to the traditions of the elders, and in the observ-
ance of external rites and ceremonies; they placed also especial reliance on frequent
ablutions and fastings, long prayers, and the rigorous observance of the Sabbath. When
they had their beginning is not exactly known.
F HEN ICE {red, purple, palm), or Phcenice, a, sea-port on the western shore of Crete.
Christianity was introduced here soon after the persecution following the death of
Stephen. (Acts xi. 19.) Paul passed it when he was proceeding to Rome. (Acts
xxvii. 12.)
Phenicia, or Phenice, or Phcenicia, a province of Syria, lying along the Mediterra-
nean, the principal cities of which were Tyre, Sidon and Ptolemais. Paul passed
through it in some of his journeys. (Acts xv. 3, xxi. 2.)
Philip {lover of horses, a warrior), (1) a native of Bethsaida, in Galilee, was one of the
first called by our Lord (John i. 43, 44), he went and fetched Nathanael (Ji>hii i. 45-47,
49), and he was afterward numbered among the Apostles. (See Appendix A.)
(2) the deacon, ajipointed among the first seven (Acts vi. 5), is said to have
been a native of Cesarea; at the jiersecution that broke out on the death of Stephen,
Philip retired to Samaria where he performed many miracles, and made and baptized
numerous converts, Simon Magus amongst the number. (Acts viii. 5-13.) Some time
after, directed by an angel, he met with the Ethiopian eunuch on the road from Je-
rusalem to Gaza; having j^reached to him Jesus Christ, the eunuch believed, and was
baptized (Acts viii. 26-38) ; immediately after, the Spirit of the Lord took him away
and we find him at Azotus, preaching the Gospel in all the cities till he came to Cesa-
rea. (Acts viii. 39, 40.) Subsequently to this, some twenty years, possibly, he was
visited by Paul and his company, who stayed some days, during which Philip's four
daughters prophesied. (Acts xxi. 8-10.) Here Philip is thought to have remained
and died.
(3) a son of Herod the Great. (Matt. xiv. 3 ; Mark vi. 17 ; Luke iii. 19.) See
Herod Philip.
(4) another son of Herod the Great, and tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis.
(Luke iii. 1.) See under Herod.
PiiiLippi {warlike, lovers of liorses), (1) a city of Macedonia.
(2) a city near the source of the Jordan, called Cesarea Philippi, which see.
Phrygia (dry, barren), a large province of Asia Minor, divided into the Greater and
the Lesser ; it had Bithynia on the north, and Pisidia and Lycia on the south. The
chief towns were Laodicea, Hierapolis and Colosse. Paul is said to have introduced
Christianity into the province (Acts xvi. 6, xviii. 23) ; although the Jews from this
country were pre^nt in Jerusalem at the noted day of Pentecost. (Acts. ii. 10.)
Phylacteries {things to be especially observed), slips of parchment on which were writ-
ten certain words of the law, and which the Jews wore on their foreheads, on the
wrists of their left arm, and on the hems of their garments, from a mistaken interpre-
tation of Ex. xiii. 9, 16; the Pharisees wore theirs broader than other Jews, (Matt.
xxiii. 5.)
Pilate, Pontius (a hand, or oftJie sea; and armed with a dart), the successor of Gratus
in the governorship of Judea, which he held ten years (from about A. D. 26, to A. D.
36). (Luke iii. 1.) His impetuosity and obstinacy excited many disturbances among
the Jews; and why he mingled the blood of certain Galileans with their sacri-fices is
1257
44 HISTORICAL INDEX.
not known. (Luke xiii. 1.) Christ was brought before this tribunal ; and although
after examination he found no fault in Him, nor did Herod, and notwithstanding the
warning of his wife, yet being willing to content the Jews, he condemned our Lord to
be crucified against the dictates of his own conscience. (Matt, xxvii. ; Mark xv. ;
Luke xxiii.; John xviii., xix. ; Acts iv. 27, xiii. 28 ; 1 Tim. vi. 13.) He made five suc-
cessive attemjits, indeed, to release Christ, but when the Jews declared. " if thou let
this man go, thou art not Caesar's friejid," his fear of the jealousy and suspicion of the
Emperor Tiberius prompted him to yield to their malice, and therefore he immediately
ordered our Saviour's crucifixion. Some time after this, having put to death a number
of innocent Samaritans, he was accused before Vitellius, proconsul of Syria, who or-
dered him to Rome to answer the charge. Before Pilate arrived, Tiberius died ; Cal-
igula, his successor, hearing of the circumstances, banished Pilate to Gaul, where, it is
said, on account of extreme indigence he committed suicide, about A. D. 41.
PisiDiA {black with pitch) , a province of Asia Minor, having Pamphylia on the south
and Galatia on the north ; its chief town was Antioch : here Paul and Barnabas planted
a Christian Church. (Acts xiii. 14, xiv. 24.)
Pontius Pilate. See Pilate.
PoNTUS {the sea), a province of Asia Minor, having the Euxine Sea on the south.
Jews from here were in Jerusalem at the noted day of Pentecost (Acts ii. 9) ; and it
was the native place of Aquila (Acts xviii. 2) ; it is thought that it was converted to
Christianity by Peter, since he addresses his first Epistle to them amongst others.
PoRcius Festus {a festival calf). See Festus.
Prisca. See Priscilla.
Priscilla {ancient), or Prisca; the wife of Aquila (Acts xviii. 2, 26), and whose house
was so Christianized that Paul called it a Church. They came from Rome to Ephesus
when Claudius banished all Jews from there; but returi'.ed thither again, as Paul
salutes them in his Epistle to the Romans. They subsequently returned to Asia, where
it is supposed they died. See Aquila.
Prochorus or Procorus {presiding over the choirs), one of the first seven deacons of
the Christian Church. (Acts vi. 5.)
Proconsul, the governor of a province attached to the jurisdiction of the Senate of
Rome, and who was elected annually. Such was Sergius Paulus at Cyprus. The gov-
ernor of a province belonging to the jurisdiction of the Emperor, and usually calling
for the exercise of military power, was termed a " Proprtetor," or " Legatus," or " Com-
missioner,^' as the Governor of Syria. A subordinate jurisdiction in the Emperor's pro-
vinces was assigned to a " Procurator," or " High Steivard," as were Pnntius Pilate, Felix,
and Festus. The Proprsetor held office during the pleasure of the Emperor.
Ptolemais {assemblage of waters, warlike), a sea-port town, now Acre, on the Mediter-
ranean, at the borders of Galilee, and 27 miles south of Tyre. Paul stayed here one
day in his journey from Ephesus to Jerusalem. (Acts xxi. 7.)
Publicans. These were inferior officers, generally Jews, employed as collectors of
the Roman revenue. The Roman Senate farmed the direct taxes, and the customs, to
capitalists, who undertook to pay a given sum in the treasury {publicum), and hence
received the name of publicani. In the provinces were managing directors, and under
them were the iwrtitores, the actual custom-house officers. The system was essentially
a vicious one. The publicans, through their agents, overcharged when they had an
opportunity. (Luke iii. 13.) They brought false charges of smuggling in the hope of
extorting hush- money. (Luke xix. 8.) The employment brought out all the beset-
ting vices of the Jewish character. The strong feeling of many Jews as to the abso-
lute unlawfulness of paying tribute at all, made matters worse. Mr. Morier, at Perse-
polis, observes : " Here is a station of rah-dars, or toll-gatherers, appointed to lew a
1258
HISTORICAL INDEX. 45
toll upon kafilers, or caravans of merchants ; and who, in general, exercise their office
with so much brutality and extortion, that they are execrated by all travelers. The
collections of the tolls are farmed, consequently extortion ensues, and as most of the
rah-dars receive no other emolument than what they can exact over and above the
prescribed dues from the travelers, their insolence is accounted for, and a cause suffi-
ciently powerful is given for their insolence on the one hand, and the de'estation in
which they are held on the other." How unpopular the publicans were is evident
from the fact that that they were classed with sinners (Mutt. ix. 11, xi. 19), with har-
lots (Matt. xxi. 31, 32), with the heathen (Matt, xviii. 17).
PuBLius (common), the governor of Mdita (or Malta), who treated Paul with great
kindness when shipwrecked there : the Apostle healed his fother. (Acts xxviii. 7, 8.)
Purse, a sort of girdle which the Hebrews took with them when on a journey, and
which is often found at the present day in Eastern countries. It was used by them
for carrying their money (Gen. xlii. 35 ; Prov. i. 14 ; Isa. xlvi. 6) ; and if they were
merchants, also their weights. (Deut. xxv. 13 ; Mic. vi. 11.) Ladies wore ornamental
purses. (Isa. iii. 23.) A part of the girdle, sufficient to encompass the body, was
sewed double, and fastened with a buckle. The residue was wound round above and
below the first fold, and tucked under. The first fold had an opening, closed with a
leather cover or strap, through which the contents of the purse were passed.
PuTKOLi {the wells), a city of Campania in Italy, about 8 miles from Naples. Paul
stayed here seven days on his way to Rome. (Acts xxviii. 13.)
Ragau (a companion, breaking), a progenitor of Abraham, and of Christ. (Luke
iii. 35.)
Rahab, or Rachab (proud, strong, broad), the harlot, or probably the innkeeper of
Jericho who concealed the spies sent by Joshua. Paul speaks of her being saved by
her faith ; and James, by her works. Some consider this woman to be the mother of
Boaz, alluded to by Matthew in his genealogy of our Lord. (Matt. i. 5.)
Remphan (prepared), an idol of the Egyptians carried by the Hebrews, which Amos
reproved (Amos v. 26) ; the passage is quoted by Stephen in his argument with the
Jews. (Acts vii. 43.)
Rhegium (breaking), a city of Italy in the kingdom of Naples, at which Paul landed
on his way to Rome. (Acts xxviii. 13, 14.)
Rhesa (affection, a head), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 27.)
Rhoda (a rose), a young maid of the household of Mary the mother of John Mark ;
she opened the door to Peter on his escape from prison. (Acts xii. 13, 14.)
Rhodes (a rose), an island, and famous city south of the jarovince of Caria, in Asia
Minor, and so called from abounding in roses ; it was celebrated for its brazen colos-
sal statue, esteemed one of the seven wonders of the world. Paul visited this island
in his last journey to Jerusalem as he came from Miletus. (Acts. xxi. 1.)
Roboam, or Rehoboam (breadth of the people) , the son and successor of Solomon, and a
progenitor of our Lord. (Matt. i. 7.)
Rome (prevailing, mighty), the chief city of Italy, and in the time of our Lord's min-
istry, the mistress of the world. Its name, and that of Romans, are not found in the
Old Testament. Rome is first met with in the book of the Maccabees (1 Mac. vii. 1,
2), and it is thought to be referred to by Daniel (Dan. ii. 40) as the kingdom of iron.
Jews from Rome were at Jerusalem at the noted day of Pentecost (Acts ii. 10), but
some few years after, by an edict of Claudius, all Jews were expelled the city (Acts
xviii- 2). Paul had long desired to visit Rome (Acts xix. 21, xxiii. 11 ; Rom. i. 7, 15) ;
but the only times he visited it, the Apostle was a prisoner there, first when he ap-
pealed to Caesar, A. D. Gl, when he remained two years (Acts xxviii. 16, 30, 31), and
secondly, at the time of his martyrdom, A. D. 05-66. At this last period, Peter was at
1259
46 ISTORICAL INDEX.
Rome also, and suffered death in the same persecution. Peter is said to refer to Rome
in one of his Epistles under the name of Babylon, a name also adopted by John for
the same purpose. The word Roman is found to refer either (1) to its inhabitants
(John xi. 48 ; Acts xxviii. 17), or (2) to its privileges. (Acts xvi. 21, 37, 38, xxii. 25-
29, XXV. 16.)
RuFus {red), the son of Simon, the Cyrenian, who carried the cross of Christ ; he is
honorably mentioned by Mark (Mark xv. 21), and is thought to have been, as well as
his mother, a very intimate friend of Paul's ; both of whom the Apostle mentions in
the most affectionate terms.
Ruth (watered, filled,) the wife of Boaz, and referred toby Matthew in his genealogy
of our Lord. (Matt. i. 5.)
Sabbath (rest), the seventh day, on which God rested from the work of creation, and
sanctified it as a day of holy rest for man and beast. (Gen. ii. 2.) After the cruci-
fixion of our Lord, it was changed to the first day of the week, in commemoration of
His having then risen from the dead (Matt, xxviii. 1 ; Mark xvi. 1 ; John xx. 19, 26),
and was called the " Lord's day.'' (Rev. i. 10.) On this day also the Holy Ghost de-
scended upon the Apostles. (Acts ii. 1 ; see also Acts xx. 7 ; 1 Cor. xv. 20, xvi. 1, 2
Heb. iv. 9.) The Jews were very strict in their observance of the Sabbath; not
making a fire, nor baking bread, nor cooking victuals, all of which was done the
day before (Friday), lience called the Preparation day.
A Sabhalh day's journey (Acts i. 12) was reckoned at two thousand cubits, or one
mile, beyond which distance it was forbidden to journey, on the Sabbath, hence the
warning of our Lord in Matt. xxiv. 20.
Sadducees (just), a sect of the Jews who rejected the traditions of the elders, and
bound themselves only by the written law : they maintained that there was no fus-
ture state of rewards and punishments, no resurrection from the dead, neither angels
nor spirits. (Matt. xxii. 23 ; Acts xxiii. 8.) The Messiah they expected was to be
a temporal prince, for their views were limited to the enjoyment of the present life ;
and their great opposition to our Lord, and to His disciples, was the doctrine of a
resurrection, and the future judgment. (Acts iv., v. 17.) They took their name from
one Sadoc, a follower of Antigonus Sochjeus, president of the Sanhedrim, about B. C.
250; but whose doctrines Sadoc completely corrupted.
Sadoc (jmt), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Matt. i. 14.)
Sala (sending, spoiling), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 35.)
Salamis (shaken), afterward Constantia, a city on the eastern coast of the island of
Cyprus. Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel here for a short time, on their
first missionary journey ; and at Paphos converted Sergius Paulus. (Acts xiii. 5.)
Salatuiel (asked of God), a grandson of king Josiah, and a progenitor of our Lord
(Matt. i. 12.) Also another. (Luke iii. 27.)
Salim (foxes, pathways), some place on the banks of the Jordan now unknown,
where John baptized. (John iii. 23.) See ^non.
Salmon (peacemaker, perfect), father of Boaz, and a progenitor of Joseph, the hus-
band of Mary. (Matt. i. 4, 5 ; Luke iii. 32.)
Salmon (flowing, commotion), a sea-port and promontory on the eastern side of the
isle of Crete (Candy), passed by Paul when taken to Rome. (Acts xxvii. 7.)
Salome (peace), the wife of Zebedee, and mother of James the Great, and John
the Evangelist. (Mark xvi. 1.) She attended our Saviour in His journeys, and
ministered to Him ; and it was she who requested that her two sons might sit one
on our Saviour's right hand, and the other on His left in His kingdom (Matt. xx.
20) ; she also was at the sepulchre with the other women at our Lord's death. (Matt.
xxvii. 55, 56 ; Mark xv. 40, xvi. 1 ; Luke xxiii. 55.)
Samaria (keeping, a thorn), the country between Judea and Galilee, formerly belong-
ing to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh: the city, afterward called Sebaste, was the
1260
HISTORICAL INDEX. 47
capital of the kingdom of Israel. Oar Lord jxissed through it (Luke ix. 52), and held
conversation with a Samaritan woman (Luke xvii. 11; John iv. 4, 9); and at first the
Apostles were forbidden to enter into any village of the Samaritans. (Matt. x. 5.) At
the persecution, however, following the death of Stephen, many Christians retired
thither (Acts viii. 1, ix. 31) ; Philip preached the Gospel amongst its inhabitants with
great success (Acts viii.. 5, 14), and although a strong hatred existed between the Jews
and the Samaritans (John iv. 9, viii. 48), yet many of the Samaritans believed. (Luko
X. 33, xvii. 16; John iv. 39.)
Samos {full of gravel), an island in the Mediterranean, off Asia Minor, a few miles
south of Ephesus. Paul landed here on his way to Jerusalem, just before reaching
Miletus. (Acts xx. 15.)
Samothracia [full of gravel, rough), an island in the ^gean Sea, peopled by Samians,
and Thracians, whence its name. Paul leaving Troas for Macedonia came first to this
island. (Acts xvi. 11.)
Samuel {heard or asked of God), a judge, and prophet of Israel; who anointed King
Saul, and his successor David ; two of the books of the Old Testament are called after
his name. He is spoken of by Peter (Acts iii. 24), and by Paul (Acts xiii. 20; Heb.
xi. 32).
Sandals. The word translated shoes (Luke iii. 16), has a signification different from
what it has in our language. At first, in order to keep the feet from the sharp stones, or
the burning sand, small pieces of wood were fastened to the soles of the feet, called
sandals. Leather, or skins of beasts dressed, afterward w;is used. The foot was not
covered at all; but the sandal, or piece of leather, or wood, was bound by thongs. The
wooden sandal is much worn in Arabia, Judeaand Egypt. It has a raised heel and
toe, and, though often expensive and neat, it was usually a cheap, coarse and very
clumsy article.
Sanhedrim, the great council of the Jewish rmtion, comprising 70 or 72 judges or
senators, and which originated from the 72 elders appointed at the recommendation of
Jethro to assist Moses. Our Loi-d was brought before it (Matt, xxvii 1; John xi. 47),
and Peter and John (Acts iv. 5-7), and the Apostles (Acts v. 21, 27), and Stephen also
(Acts vi. 12-15).
Sapphira {declaring, fear, handsome), a Christian woman, and wife of Ananias, who
was struck dead with him for lying to the Holy Ghost. (Acts v.) See Ananias.
Sarepta {perplexity of bread, a goldsmith's shop), another name for Zarephath, a city on
the Mediterranean shore between Tyre and Sidon, where the prophet Elijah lodged
some time with the widow, (livings xvii. 9.) Our Lord adverted to the fact. (Luke
iv. 26.)
Saron, or Sharon {plain field), a fertile region of Palestine, extending between Ces-
area and Joppa, proverbially noted for its beauty and fruitfulness, whence the phrase,
the " rose of Sharon;" the people of this district were so astonished at Peter's cure of
Eneas, that they " all turned to the Lord." (Acts ix. 35.)
Saruch (o branch, palm tree), or Serug, a progenitor of Abraham, and of Christ. (Luke
iii. 35.)
Saul {lent, ditch, sepidchre, death, hell), (1) the name of Paul before his conversion (Acts
vii. 58), and which he retained till after he made a convert of Sergius Paulus, the pro-
consul of Cyprus (Acts xiii. 7-9), in honor of whom, it is said, he took the name of
Paid. (Acts xiii. 9.)
(2) also the son of Cisor Kis, anointed king over Israel by the i^rophet Samuel,
and which Paul mentions in his discourse to the people of Antioch in Pisidia. (Acts
xiii. 21.)
ScEVA {in order, prepared), a ruler of the synagogue at Ephesus, whose seven sons
1261
48 HISTORICAL INDEX.
went about pretending to cast out devils ; invoking, however, tlie name of Jesus, the
possessed were more dreadfully afflicted tlian before. (Acts xix. 14-16.)
Scribes (nrltfrs), originally mere transcri])ers of the law, but subsequently doctors
of the law (whence they were also termed " Imcyers" (Matt. xxii. 35 ; Luke x. 25), and
expounders of it to the people. The diversity of opinions they gave forth, and tlieir
corruptions, misinteri^retations, and additions to the written word of God, gave birth
to that obstinacy and blindness of the Jews which led them to reject Jesus as the ]Mes-
siah ; from them originated the other sects. (Matt. v. 20 ; vii. 29 ; xvi. 21 ; xvii. 10 ;
sx. 18 ; xxiii. 2, &c.)
Scrip. This was a bag in which the shepherds of Palestine carried their food or other
necessaries. The scrip of the Galileans, made of skin or coarse cloth, was used es-
pecially to carry their food on a journey, and slung over their shoulders.
Seleucia {troubled, broken, floiving over), a, sea-port of Syria on the Mediterranean coast,
near the mouth of the Orontes, and about 15 or 16 miles west of Antioch. It takes
its name from its founder, Seleucus, and it was also his burying-place ; here Paul and
Barnabas embarked for Cyprus. (Acts xiii. 4.)
Sem, or Sliem, (a name, renowned), a son of Noah, and progenitor of Christ.
(Luke iii. 36.)
Semei {hearing, obeying), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 26.)
Seegitjs Paulus {a net), a proconsul of Cyprus, converted to Christianity by
Paul, notwithstanding the opposition of Elymas, the sorcerer. (Acts xiii. 7-12.)
Seth {set, put), son of Adam, and progenitor of Christ. (Luke iii. 38.)
Seventy Disciples, sent forth to preach by our Lord. (Luke x. 1 — they return.
Luke x. 17.)
Sheba, Queen of, {captivity, encompassing,) Sheba is sujiposed by some to have b^en
Arabia, by others Ethiopia. (1 Kings x.; 2 Chrou. ix.) Our Lord alludes to her coming
so great a distance to hear the wisdom of Solomon as the Queen of the South. (Matt.
xii.42; Luke xi. 31.)
SiDON, or ZiDON {hunter, ship of judgment), a. celebrated city of Phoenicia on the Med-
iterranean coast north of Tyre. Many of its inhabitants became followers of our
Saviour. (Matt. xi. 21, 22 ; xv. 21 ; Mark iii. 8 ; vii. 24, 31 ; Luke iv. 26 ; vi. 17 ; x. 13,
14). Paul on his way to Rome touched at Sidon. (Acts xxvii. 3 ). A few years before
this they incurred the displeasure of Herod. (Acts xii. 20.)
Silas {considering), one of the chief men among tlie iirst disciples, and thought to
have been one of the Seventy. He accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their return to
Antioch with the decree of the council of Jerusalem respecting conformity to the Mo-
saic ritual (Acts xv. 22, 27, 32); he remained here a little time (Acts xv. 34), and
then accompanied Paul on his second journey (Acts xv. 40); when at Philippi the
unbelieving Jews excited an uproar, whicli led to Paul and Silas being imprisoned,
and put in the stocks (Acts xvi. 19-24) ; they were miraculously released by an earth-
quake ; and after converting the jailer (Acts xvi. 25-33), they went on to Thessalonica,
(Acts xvii. 1), but a disturbance occurring here also, they proceeded to Berea (Acts
xvii. 10); Silas stayed a short time (Acts xvii. 14, 15), and followed Paul to Corinth,
(Acts xviii. 5), where he Joined him, and proceeded with him to Ephesus, Cesarea and
Jerusalem. What became of Silas after this is not known. It is generally believed
that the name Silas is only a contraction of the Latin SUvanus, a common practice
among the Greeks, and which is strengthened by tlie fact of the Silvanus, mentioned
in Paul's Epistles, according exactly as to his position and circumstances with the
SUas in the Acts. He preached with Paul at Corinth, and was there when Paul
wrote his Epistles to the Thessalonians. He appears also to have been esteemed by
Peter, for this Apostle sent his Epistle to Silvanus.
SiLOAM {sent, bough, armor), a pool under the walls of Jerusalem on the east, between
1262
HISTORICAL INDEX. 49
the city and the Ijvook Kidron : it issued from a rock, and formed two reservoirs or
])ools; at one of the.-^e our Lord restored sight to the man born blind, telling him to
go and wash in the pool. (John ix. 7.)
Simeon {hearing, obedient), (1) a pious old man of Jerusalem, who expected the com-
ing of Christ for the redemption of Israel, and lived to sec Him (Luke ii. 25-28); ut-
tered forth a hymn of thanksgiving (Luke ii. 29-32), and concluded by blessing Joseph,
and Mary, and giving some intimation of her future trials. (Luke ii. 34, 35.) This is
all that is known of him.
(2) also a teacher of the Church, who from his swarthy complexion was called
Niger. (Acts xiii. 1.)
(3) aim used for Simon; as for Simon Peter in Acts rv. 14, referring to what Peter
had said in verse 7, &c.
(4) mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. (Luke iii. 30.)
Simon {lieanng, obeying) , (1) the C'anaanite, so called from being born in Cana of Gali-
lee, and likewise named Zclotcs or " the Zealous" (Luke vi. 15; Acts i. 13) ; either from
his great zeal, or from having been one of the Zealots (which see). He was an Apostle
(see Api:iendix A; Matt. x. 4; Mark iii. 18), and is supposed to have been the brother
of James the Less, and of Jude ; but nothing further is known of him.
(2) the Cyrenian, was the father of Alexander and Rufus ; he happened to be
passing by when our Lord, exhausted with mental anguish and bodily fatigue, could
no longer bear the weight of His cross; the soldiers in consequence stopped Simon,
and insisted on his carrying it to the place of execution. (Matt, xxvii. 32; Mark xv.
21 ; Luke xxiii. 26.) This is all that is known of him.
(3) the father of Judas Iscariot. (John vi. 71, xii. 4, xiii. 2, 26.)
(4) the Leper, dwelt at Bethany, and there entertained our Lord at supper, a
few days before His passion ; Lazarus, and his sisters Martha and Mary were present ;
and the last took this opportunity of anointing Christ's feet. (Matt. xxvi. 6; Mark
xiv. 3; John xi. 2.)
(5) Magus, or the Sorcerer, so called from his practice of magic, and his impos-
tures, as well as his skill in astroiogj% medicine and other sciences ; became a jjrofess-
ing convert to the Gospel, upon the preaching of Philip the deacon, in Samaria, and
was baptized by him. (Acts viii. 5, 9-13.) When the Apostles Peter and John came
there to confer upon the new disciples the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Magus offere.l
money to purchase those gifts ; Peter severely rebuked him, and urged him to re-
pentance ; Magus immediately besought the prayers of the Apostle in his behalf (Acts
viii. 18-24), and this is all the information of him afforded us in Scripture. "What be-
came of Simon Magus is not exactly known ; some say that he went to Rome about
eight years after, and died there while performing some piece of magic. (See Appen-
dix A.)
(6) son of Mary and Cleophas. (Matt, xiii. 55 ; Mark vi. 3.)
(7) Peter, the Apostle.
(8) the Pharisee, with whom our Lord dined, after he had raised to life the son
of the widow of Nain; and at whose house a sinful woman anointed Christ's feet
much to the displeasure of Simon. (Luke vii. 36.)
(9) the Tanner, a resident of Joppa, with whom Peter lodged when he visited
that place, and raised Tabitha (Dorcas) to life. (Acts ix. 43; x. 6, 17, 32.)
Sodom {secret, heel), a city of Canaan, destroyed by tire from heaven on account of
the wickedness of its inhabitants, at the same time with Gomorrah, Admah and
Zeboim, and which stood where the Dead Sea is. Its fate is alluded to as a warning
by our Lord. (Matt. x. 15 ; xi. 24 ; Mark vi. 11 ; Luke x. 12; xvii. 29.)
Solomon {peaceable), the son of David by Bathsheba ; he succeeded his father on
the throne of Israel. He built the temple with great splendor, and was renowned for
1263
50 HISTORICAL INDEX.
his wisdom and the prosperity of his kingdom. He was a progenitor of our Lord,
(Matt. i. 6); and his great glory is alluded to by Christ. (Matt. vi. 29 ; xii. 42 ; Luke
xi. 31; xii. 27.)
Solomon's Porch, a kind of terrace, or piazza, standing on the vast structure reared
by Solomon, four hundred cubits from the valley beneath, in order to widen the level
of the top of the mountain to admit the plan of the temple : and as it was the only
"work of Solomon's that existed in the second temple, it retained his name. Jesus
walked here when he discoursed with the Jews (John x. 23); so did Peter and John
after healing the lame man at the gate called " Beautiful" (Acts iii. 11). he other
Apostles also did many miracles here. (Acts v. 12.)
SosiPATER, or SoPATER {health of his father), a Christian convert of Berea, called So-
paier in Acts xx. 4 ; and saluted by Paul as his kinsman.
SosTHEN-ES {mighty savior), chief of the synagogue of Corinth, having succeeded
Orispus, when the latter became a Christian : he was the accuser of Paul before Gallio,
the proconsul ; but when the Apostle was discharged, the Greeks and others rushed on
Sosthenes and gave vent to their rage by inflicting on him a sound thrashing. (Acts
xviii. 17.)
Stephen (cro?OTe(i), a Hellenistic Jew; and said to have been brought up at the feet
of Gamaliel: hebecame a convert to Christianity, and was afterward the chief of the
seven primitive deacons. (Acts vi. 5.) He performed many miracles, and defended the
doctrines of the Gospel with such learning and zeal that the exasperated Jews stoned
him to death. (Actsvi., vii.)
Stoics {a porch), a sect of heathen philosophers at Athens, the followers of Zeno, who
held his school in a porch of that city, whence their name. They maintained that all
things were the result of necessity or fate ; that men had no free-will, and ought to be
unaffected by the passions ; hence they exercised great austerity and apathy, upheld
suicide, and denied a future state of rewards and punishments. The Stoics were nu-
merous in Athens when Paul visited that city. (Acts xvii. 18.)
Susanna {lily, rose, joyfnlness), a pious woman, who attended our Saviour and ad-
ministered to His necessities. (Luke viii. 3.)
Synagogues were the Jewish places of public worship. The building was surround-
ed with seats for the men — the " rulers " occupying the " chief seats," which faced the
rest. The women were placed in a gallery, or behind a screen. In the center, con-
spicuous to all, was the pulpit for the reader, while in the side of the building nearest
to Jerusalem was an "ark," in which were deposited the " rolls" of their Scriptures.
Worship was begun with prayers in the language of the district, read from a service
book, by the " angel " or " apostle " of the synagogue ; then was read a portion of the
law and of the prophets (Acts xiii. 15), in Hebrew, by the reader, from a roll taken
from the ark, and put into his hand by the " minister" (Chazan), the reader standing
(Luke iv. 16), the congregation sitting. After the book was returned to the minister
(Luke iv. 20), and after this followed an exposition of the Scripture read, and then,
after a little pause, some one stood up and gave forth a word of exhortation. Our
Lord pat during this elucidation, (Luke iv. 20.) At the close came the " benedic-
tion," and the "Amen."
Syracuse {drawing violently), the capital of the island of Sicily, on its eastern coast ;
here Paul spent three days on his way to Rome. (Acts xxviii. 12.)
Syria {high, descending, slander), the country lying between the Euphrates on the
east, and the Mediterranean on the west, having Cilicia on the north, Judea, Phoenicia
and Arabia on the south. Antioch was the capital, and Cyrenius was governor. (Luke
ii. 2.) The fame of our Lord reached throughout it. (Matt. iv. 24.) The Apostles
sent letters thither (Acts xv. 23), nnd Paul visited it (Acts xv. 41, xviii. 18, xxi. 3 ; Gal.
i. 21.) Naaman, cured of the leprosy by Elisha, was of this country. (Luke iv. 27.)
12(>4
HISTORICAL INDEX. " 51
Syro-Phcenician. Phcenicia, having been conquered by Syria, the latter prefixed
Syriato its old appellation, whence Syro-Phcenician. The Canaaniti.<h woman of Matthew
(xv. 22, 24), is called by Mark a Syro-Phoenician (vii. 2G) ; the country originally was
peopled by Canaanites.
Tabitha (a roe-buck), a Christian woman of Joppa, and renowned for her piety r.nd
alms-deeds, and whom Peter restored to life. She was called also Dorcas (which see.)
(Acts ix. 3G, 40.)
Tarsus iwingcd}, the capital of Cilicia, in Asia Minor, where Paul was born ; it is
called also Tarshish, (Acts ix. 11. 30, xi. 25, xxi. 39,«xii. 3.)
Taverns, the Three, {a city) ; some say only an Inn, about 33 miles south of Rome,
■where Paul's friends met him. (Acts xxviii. 15.)
Tektullus (a liar, ivondrous), an advocate employed by the Jews to plead against
Paul before Felix, the governor of Judea. (Acts xxiv. 1, 2.)
. Thamar, or Tamar, (a paZ^n-i'rfe), mother of Phares, and Zara, spoken of by Matthew.
(Matt. i. 3.)
TuARA {(/ood, small), also Terah, the father of Abraham, and a progenitor of Christ
(Luke iii. 34.)
TuEOPHiLus {friend of God, devout), an eminent Christian to whom Luke inscribes
his " Gospel," and the " Acts of the Apostles." Some think he was a magistrate ;
others, that the appellation means any good Christian. (Luke i. 3 ; Acts i. 1.)
Thessalonica {the other victory of God), a city of Macedonia in which Paul planted a
Christian Church,
Theudas (flotving vnth water), a seditious impostor, who excited a tumult among
the JeAVS, which ended in himself and four hundred of his followers being slain
(Acts v. 36.)
Thomas (twin, bottomless depth), one of the Apostles of our Lord. (See Appendix A.
Thyatira {sweet savor of labor, sacrifice, contritio.i), a city of Asia Minor, on the bor-
ders of Lycia and Mysia, the native place of Lydia. (Acts xvi. 14.) Here was also
one of the seven Churches to the angel of which Christ sent a message.
Tiberias {good vision, navel, hreaJdng asunder), a city of Galilee on the western shore
of the lake of Tiberias. The names of both the sea and the city were given by Herod
Antipas, in honor of Tiberias Csesar. (John vi. 1, 23.)
Tiberius, the successor of Augustus in the empire of Rome ; he reigned from A. D.
14 to A. D. 37. In the fifteenth year of his reign John the Baptist began to preach-
(Luke iii. 1.)
Trachonitis {strong, cruel), a small barren district south of Damascus, of which
Philip was tetrarch. (Luke iii. 1.)
Troas {bored through); a maritime city of Phrygia or Mysia, 25 miles north of Assos.)
Paul made several visits here ; in his first visit he had a vision inviting him into
Macedonia. (Acts xvi. 8, 11.) He immediately sailed thither, and called at Troas
many times after. (Acts xx. 5, 6.)
Trogyllium {a pantry), a promontory at the foot of Mount Mycale, opposite to .Samos
from which it is distant about five miles. (Acts xx. 15.)
Tropiiimus {nourished), a convert of Paul's, and born at Ephesus; he accompanied
the Apostle to Jerusalem, and went with him into the temple, which led the Jews to
charge Paul with taking Greeks into the temple (Acts xx. 4, xxi. 28, 29) ; afterward he
was taken ill at Miletum, where Paul left him.
Twelve. " In the Scriptures," says Prof. Stuart, " we might naturally expect to find
the number of twelve often introduced, on account of the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus
in Ex. XV. 27, twelve fountains of water at Elim ; Ex. xxiv. 4, twelve pillars around
the altar ; Lev. xxiv. 5, twelve cakes of show-bread ; Ex. xxviii. 10, 12, twelve gems
*30 1-260
52 . HISTORICAL INDEX.
in the breast-plate of the high priest; Num. vii. 3, 87, xxix. 17, offerings of different
kinds by twelves; Num. vii. 84-87, various vessels to be made for the temple by
twelves ; Num. xiii. 3, seq., twelve spies to the land of Canaan ; Josh. iv. 3, twelve
stones from the Jordan, carried by twelve men, and thrown into a monumental heap ;
1 Kings iv. 7, 26, twelve prefects of Solomon's household, and twelve thousand horse-
men ; 1 Kings vii. 25, twelve brazen oxen, supporting the laver ; 1 Kings x. 20, twelve
brazen lions near the throne ; Ezek. xliii. 16, the altar twelve cubits long and broad ;
not to mention many other twelves. In the New Testament the twelve Apostles take
the lead. In the Apocalypse we have twelve thousand in each of the twelve tribes,
who are sealed in the forehead as the servants of God. (Rev. vii. 4, seq.) In Rev.
xxi. 12, seq., we have an account of the New Jerusalem with twelve gates (comp. Ezek.
xlviii. 31, seq.), and twelve angels to keep them, and the names of the twelve tribes
are written on them. There are also twelve rows of stones in the foundation of the
walls on which the names of the twelve Apostles are inscribed. Besides all this, the
city measures twelve thousand furlongs, and its walls are twelve times twelve cubits
high."
Tychicus (casual), a Christian of Ephesus, converted by Paul, whom he accompa-
nied to Jerusalem. (Acts xx. 4.) He was very much beloved by the Apostle, and
was entrusted with his letters to certain Churches, Paul sent him to Ephesus
(Eph. vi. 21 ; 2 Tim. iv. 12), afterward to Colosse, and subequently to Titus.
Tyre {breaking with a flail, siege, binding, singing, strength, rock), a fomous and ancient
city and sea-port of Phoenicia, on the Mediterranean coast, about 20 miles south of
Sidon. Our Lord alluded to it when reproving the Jews for their unbelief (Matt.
xi. 21 ; Luke x. 13). It subsequently excited the anger of Herod. (Acts xii. 20).
Zaccheus {pure, meat, just), a chief publican, or farmer-general of the revenue.
When Christ passed through Jericho, he was very anxious to see Him, but could not
from the smallness of his stature ; he therefore climbed up a sycamore tree. Here our
Lord saw him, and calling him down, proposed to be his guest. Zaccheus' heart was
opened, and he became a sincere believer. (Luke xix. 2-9).
Zacharias {mindful of the Lord), also Zachariah and Zechariah, a priest of the course
of Abia, husband of Elizabeth, and father of John the Bcqilist. (Luke i. 5-10). When
the angel Gabriel visited him, and announced the birth of a son, he doubted, and con-
sequently was struck dumb till the event was fulfilled. (Luke i. 11-23, 59-64.) He
then prophesied concerning the redemption of Israel. (Luke i. 67-79).
Zaea (rising), a descendant of Judah alluded to by Matthew. (Matt. i. 3.)
Zebedee {dowry, endowed), a fisherman of Galilee, the husband of Scdome, and father
of the Apostles James and John, both of whom left him to follow our Saviour. (Matt,
iv. 21 ; X. 2 ; xx. 20 ; xxvi. 37 ; xxvii. 56 ; Mark i. 19, 20 ; iii. 17 ; x. 35 ; Luke v. 10 ;
John xxi. 2.) He is thought to have been not a poor man, for he had a ship of his
own and hired servants. (Mark i. 20.)
Zealots, A sect in Judea, extremely zealous for the exact fulfillment of the Mosaic
law ; maintaining that religious liberty and the Divine law were to be upheld by force
of arms : and that tribute was due to God only, and not to the Romans, nor any foreign
power : they therefore continually exhorted the people to shake off the Roman yoke.
Zebulun {dwelling place, abiding), the portion of Galilee allotted to that tribe, and in
which it was proi^hesied by Isaiah {Isa. ix, 1, 2), that our Lord's ministry would be
exercised. (Matt. iv. 13, 15).
Zelotes (full of zeal, zealous.) See Simon Zelotes, Zealots,
ZoROBABEL, Or Zerubbobcl, (banished), mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord, (Matt.
i. 12, 13 ; Luke iii. 27.)
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