The Pharisees having often quarrelled at our Saviour's doctrine before, they call in question his mission and authority now: although they might easily have understood his divine mission by his divine miracles; for Almighty God never impowered any to work miracles that were not sent by him. Our bles... [ Continue Reading ]
In the parable before us, the Jewish church is compared to. VINEYARD, God the father to an HOUSEHOLDER, his PLANTING, pruning, AND fencing HIS VINEYARD, DENOTES HIS CARE TO FURNISH HIS CHURCH WITH ALL NEEDFUL HELPS AND MEANS TO MAKE IT FRUITFUL; HIS letting it out to husbandmen, SIGNIFIES THE COMMIT... [ Continue Reading ]
Both St. Matthew and St. Mark tell us, that these spies, sent forth to ensnare our Saviour about paying tribute to Caesar, were the Pharisees and Herodians: the former were against paying tribute, looking upon the Roman emperor as an usurper; the latter were for it. These two opposite parties conclu... [ Continue Reading ]
Our blessed Saviour having put the Pharisees and Herodians to silence in the foregoing verses, here the Sadducees encounter him. This sect denied the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the body, and as an objection against both, they propound. case to our Saviour, of. woman that had se... [ Continue Reading ]
The design of our blessed Saviour in propounding this question to the Pharisees, (how Christ could be David's son, when David by inspiration called him Lord) was two-fold: 1. To confute the people's erroneous opinion touching the person of the Messiah, who they thought should be. mere man, of the s... [ Continue Reading ]
Observe here, what it is that our Saviour condemns; not civil salutations in the market-place, not the chief seats in the synagogue, not the uppermost rooms at feasts, but their fond affecting of these things, and their ambitious aspiring after them; it was not their taking, but their loving, the up... [ Continue Reading ]