In this parable, the Jewish church is compared to. VINEYARD; Almighty God 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 spiritually fruitful; HIS LETTING IT OUT TO HUSBANDMEN, signifies his co... [ Continue Reading ]
These words of our Saviour are taken out of the 118th Psalm, which the Jews understood to be. prophecy of the Messiah, and accordingly Christ applies them to himself: the CHURCH is the BUILDING intended, Christ himself the STONE rejected. The REJECTERS, or the builders REJECTING, are the heads of t... [ Continue Reading ]
Observe here,. grand design to entangle our blessed Saviour in his discourse. Where note, 1. The persons employed to put the ensnaring question to Christ, namely, the Pharisees and Herodians. The Pharisees were against paying tribute to Caesar, looking upon themselves as. free people, and the emper... [ Continue Reading ]
Our blessed Saviour having put the Pharisees and Herodians to silence in the former verses, here he encounters the Sadducees. This sect derived its name from one Sadock, who denied the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, and angels, and spirits. Here they propound. case to our Sav... [ Continue Reading ]
Observe here, 1. question propounded to our blessed Saviour, and his answer thereunto. The question propounded is this, WHICH IS THE FIRST AND GREAT COMMANDMENT? Our Saviour tells them, IT IS TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL THEIR HEART AND SOUL, WITH ALL THEIR MIND AND STRENGTH; that is, with all the powers, f... [ Continue Reading ]
The Pharisees had often put forth sevveral questions maliciously unto Christ, and now Christ puts forth one question innocently unto them; namely, What they thought of the Messiah whom they expected? They reply, that he was to be the Soul of David: that is,. secular prince descending from David, wh... [ Continue Reading ]
Observe here, What it is that our Saviour condemns; not civil salutations in the market-place, not the chief seats in synagogues, 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 upper... [ Continue Reading ]
As our blessed Saviour sat over against the treasury, that is, that part of the court of the temple where the CORBAN, or chests for receiving the people's offerings and gifts, were set, he observed, and took notice of those that offered their oblations; and some that were rich offered very liberally... [ Continue Reading ]