As this parable is nothing else than a confirmation of the preceding sentence, _the last shall be first, _it now remains to see in what manner it ought to be applied. Some commentators reduce it to this general proposition, that the glory of all; will be equal, because the heavenly inheritance is no... [ Continue Reading ]
8._And when the evening was come. _It would be improper to look for a mystery in the injunction of the _householder to begin with the last, _as if God crowned _those first _who were last in the order of time; for such a notion would not at all agree with the doctrine of Paul. They _that are alive_,... [ Continue Reading ]
16._So the first shall be last. _He does not now compare the Jews to the Gentiles, (as in another passages) nor the reprobate, who swerve from the faith, to the elect who persevere; and therefore the sentence which is introduced by some interpreters, _many are called, but few are chosen, _does not a... [ Continue Reading ]
Though the apostles had been previously informed what kind of death awaited our Lord, yet as they had not sufficiently profited by it, he now repeats anew what he had frequently said. He sees that the day of his death is at hand; nay more, he is already in a state of readiness to offer himself to be... [ Continue Reading ]
18._Lo, we go up to Jerusalem. _Hence we perceive that Christ was endued with divine fortitude for overcoming the terrors of death, for he knowingly and willingly hastens to undergo it. (649) For why does he, without any constraint, march forward to suffer a shocking murder, but because the invincib... [ Continue Reading ]
Matthew 20:20._Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children. _This narrative contains a bright mirror of human vanity; for it shows that proper and holy zeal is often accompanied by ambition, or some other vice of the flesh, so that they who follow Christ have a different object in view from wh... [ Continue Reading ]
21._In the kingdom. _It was worthy of commendation in the _sons of Zebedee_, that they expected some _kingdom _of Christ, of which not even the slightest trace was then visible. They see Christ exposed to contempt under the mean aspect of a servant; nay more, they see him despised and loaded with ma... [ Continue Reading ]
22._You know not what you ask. _Their ignorance was worthy of blame on two accounts; first, because their ambition led them to desire more than was proper; and, secondly, because, instead of the heavenly kingdom of Christ, they had formed the idea of a phantom in the air. As to the first of those re... [ Continue Reading ]
23._You shall indeed drink my cup. _As they were disciples, it was proper that they should be assimilated to their Master. Christ warns them of what will take place, that they may be prepared to endure it with patience; and, in the persons of two men, he addresses all his followers. For though many... [ Continue Reading ]
Matthew 20:24._And when the ten heard it. _(660) Luke appears to refer this dispute to a different time. But any one who shall carefully examine that twenty-second chapter will plainly see that discourses delivered at different times are there brought together, without any regard to order. The dispu... [ Continue Reading ]
25._You know that the princes of the Gentiles rule over them. _It is first said that Christ _called them to him, _that he might reprove them in private; and next we learn from it that, being ashamed of their ambition, they did not openly complain, but that a sort of hollow murmur arose, and every on... [ Continue Reading ]
26._It shall not be so among you. _There can be no doubt that Christ refers to the foolish imagination by which he saw that the apostles were deceived. “It is foolish and improper in you,” he says, “to imagine a kingdom, which is unsuitable to me; and therefore, if you desire to serve me faithfully,... [ Continue Reading ]
28._As the Son of man _Christ confirms the preceding doctrine by his own example; for he voluntarily _took upon himself the form of a servant_, _and emptied himself_, as Paul also informs us, (Philippians 2:7.) To prove more clearly how far he was from indulging in lofty views, he reminds them of hi... [ Continue Reading ]
Matthew 20:29._And while they were departing from Jericho. Osiander _has resolved to display his ingenuity by making four blind men out of one. But nothing can be more frivolous than this supposition. Having observed that the Evangelists differ in a few expressions, he imagined that _one blind man r... [ Continue Reading ]
30._Have mercy on me, O Lord. _I stated, a little ago, that there was at first but _one _who _cried out_, but the other was induced by a similar necessity to join him. They confer on Christ no ordinary honor, when they request him to _have mercy_, and relieve them; for they must have been convinced... [ Continue Reading ]
31._And the multitude reproved them. _It is surprising that the disciples of Christ, who follow him through a sense of duty and of respect, should wish to drive wretched men from the favor of Christ, and, so far as lies in them, to prevent the exercise of his power. But it frequently happens that th... [ Continue Reading ]
32._What do you wish that I should do to you? _He gently and kindly asks what they desire; for he had determined to grant their requests. There is no reason to doubt that they prayed by a special movement of the Holy Spirit; for, as the Lord does not intend to grant to all persons deliverance from b... [ Continue Reading ]
Matthew 20:34._And followed him. _This was an expression of gratitude, (673) when the blind men became _followers _of Christ; for, though it is uncertain how long they discharged this duty, yet it showed a grateful mind, that they presented themselves to many, in that journey, as mirrors of the grac... [ Continue Reading ]