AND WHEN THEY DREW NIGH UNTO JERUSALEM,.... The Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, "when he drew nigh, or was near"; but not alone, his disciples were with him, and a multitude of people also; as is evident from the following account. They might well be said to be near to Jerusalem, since i... [ Continue Reading ]
SAYING UNTO THEM, GO INTO THE VILLAGE OVER AGAINST YOU,.... Munster's Hebrew Gospel reads, "before you"; not Jerusalem, as some have thought, for that would never be called a village; though the Ethiopic version reads it, "the city"; but rather Bethany, which was near to Bethphage, and is mentioned... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IF ANY MAN SAY OUGHT UNTO YOU,.... As, what business have you with the ass and colt? why do you loose them? as certain persons, the owners of them did, as Mark and Luke relate; YE SHALL SAY, THE LORD HATH NEED OF THEM: he that is our Lord, and your Lord, and the Lord of these creatures, and of... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THIS WAS DONE,.... The disciples were sent to the neighbouring village for the ass and colt, and they brought them, and Christ rode upon them; not because of the distance of the place from Jerusalem, for he was just at it; or because he was weary, or it would be very fatiguing to him to walk thi... [ Continue Reading ]
TELL YE THE DAUGHTER OF ZION,.... These words seem to be taken out of Isaiah 62:11 where it is said, "say ye to the daughter of Zion, behold thy salvation cometh", or "thy Saviour cometh"; meaning, without doubt, the Messiah: by the daughter of Zion is meant, not the city of Jerusalem, but the inhab... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE DISCIPLES WENT,.... The two disciples, as the Arabic version reads, to the village over against them; and, as Mark says, "found the colt tied to the door without, in a place where two ways met": the house was just at the entrance of the village, at the door of which, on the outside in the st... [ Continue Reading ]
AND BROUGHT THE ASS AND THE COLT,.... To Jesus, as Mark and Luke add, and who only make mention of the colt: both were undoubtedly brought; the colt being unloosed and taken away, the ass, its dam, followed after: AND PUT ON THEM THEIR CLOTHES; their loose upper garments, to be instead of saddles a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND A VERY GREAT MULTITUDE,.... Which consisted partly of the great multitude which followed Christ from Jericho, and partly of the much people that were come up to the feast of the passover from divers parts, and met him from Jerusalem; see John 12:12. These, many of them, for it cannot be thought... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE MULTITUDES THAT WENT BEFORE,.... That is, that went before Christ; accordingly the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions, and Munster's Hebrew Gospel, read, "that went before him": these seem to be the much people that met him from Jerusalem, AND THAT FOLLOWED HIM; which were perhap... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE WAS COME INTO JERUSALEM..... The metropolis of the nation, the seat of the ancient kings of Judah, and of his father David, entering into it in this very public manner; as he never did before; riding in the manner the ancient judges and kings of Israel did, attended with a numerous retin... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE MULTITUDE SAID,.... Or the people, as the Vulgate Latin, and Munster's Hebrew Gospel read; the common people, that went before, and followed after him: these knew Christ better than the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Scribes and Pharisees, and rulers of the people. THIS IS JESUS THE PROPHET:... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JESUS WENT INTO THE TEMPLE OF GOD,.... At Jerusalem, which was built by his order, and dedicated to his worship, and where the Shechaniah, or the divine presence was. Christ went not to the tower of David, the strong hold of Zion, the palace of his father David; for he entered not as a temporal... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SAID UNTO THEM, IT IS WRITTEN,.... In Isaiah 56:7. MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED THE HOUSE OF PRAYER. These are the, words of God, calling the temple his house, which was built according to the plan he gave; and was the place of his worship, and where he dwelt, and vouchsafed his presence to his peo... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE BLIND AND THE LAME CAME TO HIM,.... The Syriac and Ethiopic versions read, "they brought unto him the blind and the lame". The blind could not come to him unless they were led, nor the lame, unless they were carried: the sense therefore is, they came, being brought to him: IN THE TEMPLE; th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND SCRIBES,.... The inveterate enemies of Christ; who upon hearing the shouts of the people at Christ's entrance into the city, and passage through it to the temple; and understanding that it was Jesus of Nazareth that was come thither, they came also to awe the people, a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SAID UNTO HIM, HEAREST THOU WHAT THESE SAY?.... Suggesting, that if he did, he ought to reprove them, or else he would be a very vain, as well as a weak man, to take such things to himself, which did not belong to him, and that from such poor, little, silly creatures, so void of knowledge and un... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE LEFT THEM,.... The high priests and Scribes, confounded and put to silence, and as unworthy of his company and conversation; AND WENT OUT OF THE CITY; of Jerusalem, partly to prevent being apprehended by his enemies before his time, and partly to remove all suspicion of seizing the city and... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW IN THE MORNING,.... Greek "in the first", or morning light, in the dawn, or break of day, the first spring of light; so the Latins s use "prima luce" for early in the morning, as soon as ever day breaks: so early did Christ rise, and return from Bethany to Jerusalem; AND AS HE RETURNED TO THE C... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE SAW A FIG TREE,.... In the Greek text it is "one fig tree", one remarkable fig tree: he must see a great many, as he went along; for a large tract of the Mount Of Olives was full of fig trees, and therefore called "Bethphage": and notice has been taken already of the figs of Bethany: but... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THE DISCIPLES SAW IT,.... The next day in the morning, as Mark says: they had, heard what Christ had said to it the day before, as the same evangelist observes; but did not take notice of the immediate withering of the tree; but the next morning, as they returned from Bethany, they saw it d... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO THEM,.... His disciples wondering at his power, in causing the fig tree to wither so suddenly: VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, IF YE HAVE FAITH; that is, in God, in his power, which reaches to all things: the object of faith is expressed in Mark, and by way of exhortation, "have... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER,.... Not only miracles, but any other thing which may be for the honour of God, the interest of religion, the spreading of the Gospel, the enlargement of the kingdom, of Christ, their own spiritual good, and the welfare of immortal souls, YE SHALL ASK IN PRAYER, BELIEVING.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE WAS COME INTO THE TEMPLE,.... The day following the cursing the fig tree: for the withering of it, and the notice the disciples took of it, and our Lord's discourse with them about it, were not in one and the same day, as is clear from the account the Evangelist Mark gives; but on the mo... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO THEM,.... Not by replying directly to their question, but by putting another question to them, whereby he escaped the snare he saw they laid for him: I ALSO WILL ASK YOU ONE THING, word, or question, WHICH IF YE TELL ME; honestly, and plainly answer to it, I LIKEW... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BAPTISM OF JOHN, WHENCE WAS IT?.... By the baptism of John, is meant the ordinance of water baptism, which was first administered by him; from whence he took the name of John the Baptist: and the doctrine which he preached concerning it, and previous to it, and even the whole of his ministry; wh... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT IF WE SHALL SAY OF MEN,.... They reasoned with themselves, that should they give their answer in this form, and say, that the ministry and baptism of John, were merely human, and what he took up of himself, or which he performed by an authority derived from men, WE FEAR THE PEOPLE; that were th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY ANSWERED JESUS AND SAID, WE CANNOT TELL,.... They saw the dilemma they were brought into; they chose rather therefore to speak against their own consciences, and tell a wilful lie, and incur the reproach of ignorance: who, at other times, took upon them to judge of a prophet, whether he was... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHAT THINK YOU?.... Matthew 18:12 A CERTAIN MAN HAD TWO SONS. This is a parable; the design of which is to show the hypocrisy and deceit of the Scribes and Pharisees, in pretending to works of righteousness, and not doing them; and to reprove them for their disbelief and rejection of John's min... [ Continue Reading ]
HE ANSWERED AND SAID, I WILL NOT,.... Which answer fitly expresses the language and practice of openly profane and unregenerate sinners, who will not come to Christ, that they may have life; nor will they serve the Lord, but are bent upon indulging their lusts; nor will they be subject to the law of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE CAME TO THE SECOND,.... The Scribes and Pharisees, by the ministry of John the Baptist, Christ, and his apostles also: AND SAID LIKEWISE; the same things as to the other son, the publicans and sinners; calling them into the Gospel dispensation, to hear the word, embrace truth, attend on ordi... [ Continue Reading ]
WHETHER OF THEM TWAIN DID THE WILL OF HIS FATHER?.... This is the question put by Christ, upon the preceding parable to the chief priests, elders, and Scribes; THEY SAY UNTO HIM, THE FIRST: an answer which natural reason, and common sense, directed them to; and therefore they give it out at once, d... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR JOHN CAME UNTO YOU IN A WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,.... He had a commission from God; he was no impostor; the doctrine he taught was true, and which he faithfully delivered; his life and conversation were unblamable; there was nothing in his credentials, ministry, and conduct, that could justly be fou... [ Continue Reading ]
HEAR ANOTHER PARABLE,.... Which, though Luke says was spoken to the people, who, were gathered round about him, yet was directed to, and against the chief priests; who continued with him till it was delivered, and the application of it made; when they perceived it was spoken of them. The design of i... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THE TIME OF THE FRUIT DREW NEAR,.... Of gathering the fruit, when it was ripe, and might be eaten, or profit made of it, according to the law in Leviticus 19:23. The fruit of all manner of trees, for the first three years, was uncircumcised; it was not to be eaten, nor any profit made of it... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE HUSBANDMEN TOOK HIS SERVANTS,.... They seized and laid hold of them in a rude and violent manner: so far were they from treating these servants with respect, as they ought to have done; considering whose they were, from whom they came, and upon what account; and also so far from delivering t... [ Continue Reading ]
AGAIN HE SENT OTHER SERVANTS,.... Meaning, perhaps, such as suffered in the times of the Maccabees: MORE THAN THE FIRST; their number was greater, though their office was the same, at least not higher: AND THEY DID UNTO THEM LIKEWISE; they beat them with rods, they killed them with the sword, and... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT LAST OF ALL,.... In the last times, in the last days, in the end of the world, the Jewish world, at the close of their ecclesiastic and civil state; after all the prophets had been sent, and finished their course, came the greatest prophet of all, to seal up the vision and prophecy: HE SENT UNT... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHEN THE HUSBANDMEN SAW THE SON,.... Whom many of them knew, though some did not: some were entirely ignorant of him; some knew him, but durst not confess him, yet were not injurious to him; others acted against light and conscience, with spite and malice, as did these men. They expected the Mes... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY CAUGHT HIM,.... Seized and laid hold of him, in a rude and violent manner, as they had some of the servants before. This regards their apprehending of Christ in the garden, by a band of soldiers and officers, sent by the chief priests and Pharisees, who with swords and staves took him, boun... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THE LORD THEREFORE OF THE VINEYARD COMETH,.... In a way of providence, to call these husbandmen to an account; not only for the fruit they were to bring to him; but for their barbarity to his servants, the prophets, time after time; and especially, for the inhuman usage and murder of his own so... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SAY UNTO HIM,.... Either the common people that were about him; or rather the chief priests, scribes, and elders, to whom he put the question; little thinking then, that they were the persons intended in this parable: HE WILL MISERABLY DESTROY THOSE WICKED MEN: in saying which, they own that p... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS SAITH UNTO THEM, DID YE NEVER READ THE SCRIPTURES,.... The passage which stands in Psalms 118:22. THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THE SAME IS BECOME THE HEAD OF THE CORNER: THIS IS THE LORD'S DOING, AND IT IS MARVELLOUS IN OUR EYES. Very appropriately is this Scripture cited, and appli... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE I SAY UNTO YOU,.... This is the application of the parable; and the words are directed to the chief priests, elders, scribes, and people of the Jews; and are delivered as what would be in consequence of the builders, rejecting the Messiah, the foundation and corner stone of the building.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHOSOEVER SHALL FALL ON THIS STONE,.... This is not to be understood of believing in Christ, or of a soul's casting itself on Christ, the foundation stone; relying on him, and building all its hopes of happiness and salvation on him; which is attended with contrition and brokenness of heart, or... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND PHARISEES,.... Which latter, though not before mentioned, were many of them of the grand sanhedrim, as well as the chief priests, scribes, and elders: "had heard his parables"; that of the two sons being sent into the vineyard, and that of the letting out the vineyard... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHEN THEY SOUGHT TO LAY HANDS ON HIM,.... Not that they attempted by any outward action to apprehend him, and carry him off, or by any immediate act of violence to take away his life; but they secretly wished, and earnestly desired to do it: they were so irritated and provoked, that they could s... [ Continue Reading ]