Chapter XXVIII (continued, part 3)
tl me have known better what He took up His attention with—that He ever left the whole care for His own temjmral tvants to the Twelve: that He did this so entirely, that finding they were reduced to their last loaf they felt as If unworthy of such a trust, and could not think but that the same thought was in their Lord's mind which was pressing upon their own; but that In this they were so far wrong that it hurt His feelings—sharp Just in proportion to His love—that such a thought of Him should liave entered their minds I Who that, like angels, "desire to
Ver. 1-13. Jesus is Transfigured — ConversatioIt about Elias. (=Matthew 16. 28-17. 13 ; Luke 9. 27-36.) See Luke 9. 27-36.
14-32. Healing of a Demoniac Boy—Second Explicit Announcement of His Approaching Death and Resurrection. (=Matthew 17. 14-23; Luke 9. 37-45.) Healing of the Demoniac Boy (t\ 14-29). 14. And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them—
7Jj
The Disciples Dispute wilh the Serines. MARK IX. A Dumb and Deaf Spirit Cast Forth.
This was "on the next day, when they were come down from the hill" (Luke 9. 37). The Transfiguration appears
ability, it would be to change the whole nature of the rebuke to suppose it addressed to those who had no faith at all, and were ivholly perverted. It was because faith sufficient for curing this youth was to be expected of tlie disciples, and because they should by that time have got rid of the perversity in which they had been reared, that Jesus exposes them thus before the rest. And who does not see that this was fitted, more than anytliing else,
to have taken place at night. In the morning, as He came down from the hill on which it took place—with
Peter, and James, and John—on approaching the other
nine. He found them sun-ounded by a great multitude, and the scribes disputing or discussing with them. No doubt these cavillers -vvere twitting the apostles of Jesus with their inability to cure the demoniac boy of whom we are presently to hear, and insinuating doubts even of
to impress upon the bystanders, the severe loftiness of the training He was giving to the Twelve, and tlie unsophisticated footing He was on with them? Bring hisu unto me—The order to bring the patient to Him was instantly obeyed; when, lo! as if conscious of the presenc! of his Divine Tormentor, and expecting to be made to
tlieir Master's ability to do it; while they, zealous for
their Master's honour, would no doubt refer to His past miracles in proof of the contrary. 15. And straightway oU tlie people—' the multitude'—wlien tUey belield liliii, were gi eatly amazed—or ' were astounded'—and nmnliag to Utm saluted Ulm—The singularly strong expres-
quit, the foul spirit rages and is furious, determined to die hard, doing all the mischief he can to this poor child while yet within his grasp. 20. And they brouglit him unto him : and when he saw liim, straiglitway the spirit tare him—Just as the man with the legion of demons, "when he saw Jesus, ran and worshipped Him"
sion of surprise, the sudden arrest of the discussion, and
the rush of the multitude towards Him, can be accounted
for by nothing less than something amazing in His ap-
pc^arance. There can hardly be any doubt that His coun-
(ch. 5. 6), so this demon, when he saw Him, immediately " tare him." The feeling of terror and rage was the same in both cases—and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming—Still Jesus does nothing, but keeps conversing with the father about the case—partly to have its desperate features told out by him who knew them best.
tenance still retained traces of His transfiguration-glory. (See Exodus Si. 29, 30.) So Bengel, De Wette, Meyeb, Tkexch, Alford. No wonder, if this was the case, that they not only ran to Him, but saluted Him. Our Lord, however, takes no notice of what had attracted them, and probably it gradually faded away as He drew near; but addressing Himself to the scribes. He demands the subject of their discussion, ready to meet them where they had pressed hard upon His half-instructed and as yet timid apostles. 16. And he asked the scribes, Wliat question ye with themT Ere they had time to reply, the father of the boy, whose case had occasioned the dis-
In the hearing of the spectators; partly to let its virulence have time to show itself; and partly to deepen the exercise of the father's soul, to draw out his faith, and thus to prepare both him and the bystanders for what He was to do. 31. And he asked his father. How long is it ago since this came unto !iim T And lie said, Of a child, &c.—Having told briefly the afTecting features of the case, the poor father, half dispirited by the failure of the disciples and the aggravated virulence of the malady itself in presence of their Master, yet encouraged too by what he had heard of Christ, by the severe rebuke He had given to His disciples for not having faith enough to cure tjie boy, and by the dignity with which He had ordered him to be brought to Him—in this mixed state of mind, he closes his description of the case with these touching, words : but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us—"us," says the father; for it was a sore family affliction. Cf. th« language of tlie Syro-phoenician woman regarding her daughter, " Lord, help me." Still nothing is done: the man is but slrvggling into faith: it must come a step farther. But he had to do with Him who breaks not the bruised reed, and who knew how to inspire what He demanded. The niiin had said to Him, "If Thou canst do." 23. Jesus—retorting upon him—said unto him, If thou canst believe
pute, himself steps forward and answers the question;
telling a piteous tale of deafness, and dumbness, and tits
of epilepsy—ending with this, that the disciples, though entreated, could not perform the cure. 17. And one of the multitude answered, and said. Master, I have brought auto thee my son—" mine only child" (Luke 9.
3{i>—which hath a dumb spirit—a spirit whose opera-
tion had the effect of rendering his victim speechless, and deaf also (v. 25). In Matthew's report of the speech (17. 15), the father says "he is lunatic;" this being another and most distressing eflfect of the possession. 18. And wheresoever he talceth him, he teareth him; and he foauieth, aud gnashetli with his teeth, and pineth away
' becomes withered,' 'dried up,' or 'paralyzed;' as the same word Is everywhere else rendered in the New Testjvment. Some additional particulars are given by Luke, and by our Evangelist below. "Lo," says he in Luke 9. 39, "a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out ; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly (or with difficulty) departeth from him." aud I spake to thy disciples tliatthey should cast him out ; and they could not—Our Lord replies to the father by a severe rebuke to the disciples. As if wounded at the exposure before such a multitude, of the weakness of His
rather,
Tlie man had said, "If Thou canst do anything." Jesns replies—all things are possible to l»lm that believetli 'My doing all depends on thy believing.' To impress
this still more. He redoubles upon the believing: "If thou canst believe, all tilings are possible to him that believeth." Thus the Lord helps the birth of faith in that struggling soul; and now, though with pain and sore
disciples' faith, which doubtless He felt as a reflection on Himself, He puts them to the blush before all, but in language fitted only to raise expectation of what Himself would do. 19. He answereth him, and saltli, O faith-
travail, it comes to the birth, as Trench, borrowing from Olshausen, expresses it. Seeing the case stood still, waiting not upon the Lord's power but his own faiyi, tlie man becomes immediately conscious of conflicting prin-
' perverted' (Matthew
less generation-" and perverse," or
17. 17 ; Luke 9. 41)—how long shall I be with you J how loug shall Isnffer youl—language implying that it was a shame to them to want the faith necessary to perform' this cure, and that it needed some patience to put up witli them. It is to us surprising that some interpreters, as Chryhostom and Calvin, should represent this rebuke as addressed, not to the disciples at all, but to the scribes who disputed with them. Nor does it much, if at
ciples, and rises into one of the noblest utterances on record. SJ4. And straightway tliie father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Liord, I believe: help thou mine unbelief—g'. d., ' 'Tis useless concealing from Thee, O Thou mysterious, mighty Healer, the unbelief that still struggles in this heart of mine; but tliat heart bears me witness that I do believe in Thee; and if distrust still remains, I disown it, I wrestle with it, I seek help from Thee against it.' Two things are very remarkable here: First, 7^he felt and owned presence of unbelief, which only the strength of the man's faith could' have so
all, mend the matter to view it as addressed to both, as most expositors seem to do. With Bkngel, De Wette, and Meyer, we regard it as addressed directly to the nine apostles who were unable to expel this evil spirit. And though, in ascribing this Inability to their 'want of faitir and the 'perverted turn of mind' which they had drunk in with their early training, the rebuke would undouljtedly apply, with vastly greater force, to those who twitted the poor disciples with their In-
reve.aled to his own consciousness. Second, His appeal to
Christ for help against his felt unbelief—a. feature in the ease quite unparalleled, and showing, more than all protesta-
tions could h,ave done, tlie insight he had uttained into the existence of a power in Clirist more glorious than any h«
Secniiii Announcemenl of ChrisCn Death. MARK IX. The Twelve Strive as to Who should bt Greatest.
had bfsnnxihl for his poor chUd. The work was done; and
completely dashed by such announcements, that they were afraid of laying themselves open to rebuke by asking Him any questions. But "they were excee<ling sorry" (Matthew 17. 23). While the other Evange'isls, as Websteu and Wilkinson remark, notice their ignorance and their fear, St. Matthew, who was one ol them, retains a vivid recollection of their sorrow.
!is llie commotion and confusion in the crowd was now
iiicrrasing, Jesus at once, as Lord of spirits, gives the word of command to tiie dumb and deaf spirit to be
jii'iie, never a;^ain to" return to liis victim. 30. And tlie
>il>irit tried, and rtiit iilui sore, and cnme ont of Ulm ;
nitil itc Avas ns one (Scad; in»oinucli that many said, Fie
33-.50. Strife among the Twelve who SHOtTLD bb Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, with Relative TeachingIncidental Rebuke of John fob ExcLUSiVENESS. (= Matthew 18. 1-9; Luke 9. 40-50.)
Is dead—Tlie malit;nant, cruel spirit, now conscious tliat
liis lime was come, gatliers up liis wliole strengtli, witli intent l).v a last strolve to Itill liis victim, and had nearly succeeded. But the Lord of life was there; the Healer of
Strife among t/ie Tivelve, with Relative Teacliiitg (v. 33-37). 33. What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way !—From this we gather that after the painful communication He had made to them, the Redeemer had allowed them to travel so much of the way by themselves; partly, no doubt, that He might have privacy for Himself to dwell on what lay before Him, and partly that they might be induced to weigh together and prepare themselves for the terrible events which He had announced to them. But if so, how different was their occupation ! 34. But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest—From Mattliew 18. I we should infer that the subject was introduced, not by our Lord, but by the disciples themselves, who came and asked Jesus who should be greatest. Perhaps one or two of them first referred the matter to Jesus, who put them off till they should all be assembled together at Capernaum, He had all the while "perceived the thought of their heart" (Luke 9. 47) ; but now that they were all together " in the house," He questions them about it, and they are put to the blush, conscious of the temper towards each other which it had kindled. This raised the whole question afresh, and at this point our Evangelist takes it up. The subject was suggested bj' the recent announcement of the Kingdom (Matthew 16. 19-28), the transfiguration of their Master, and especially tile preference given to three of them at that scene. 35. If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and ser-vant of all —i. e.,
all maladies, tlio Friend of sinners, the Seed of the woniun, "tlie Stronger tlian the strong man armed," was
thcie. The very faith wliich Christ declared to be
enoujili for everytliing being now found, it was not pos-
sible that the serpent sliould prevail. Fearfully is he perniitled to bruise the heel, as in this case; but his own
}ie(id shall go for it—his works shall be destroyed (1 John
a. 8' a7. Bta* .Testis took U8m by the Uand, and lifted
Iiliii «p; and lie arose. iiS. Wiiy could not we cast hiiu out 5 ao. And lie snid unto tUein, This Ictnd can tuine fortSi by notlttng but by prayer and fasting— i. e., as nearly all good interpreters are agreed, ' this kind of
evil spirits cannot be expelled,' or 'so desperate a case of demoni.ical possession canni^t be cured, liut by prayer and
lasting.' But since the Lord Himself says that His disci-
ples conld not fast wlijle He was with them, perhaps this was designed, as Alford hints, for their after guidance— unless we take it iis but a definite way of expressing the gen-ral truth, that great and difficult duties require special preparation and self-denial. But the answer to their question, as given by Matthew (17.) is more full
"An;l Jesus said unto them. Because of your unbelief. For verily I say unto you. If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and itshall remove; and nothing
shall be impossible unto you" (v. 20). See on ch.ll. 23. " Howlieit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting" (v. 21): i.e., though nothing is impossible to faith,
yet such a height of faith as is requisite for such triumphs
is not to be reached either in a moment or without eflort
' let him be' such : he must be prepared to take the last and lowest place. See on ch. 10. 42-)5. 3G. And he took a child— ' a little child' (Matthew IS. 2); but the word is the same in both places, as also in Luke 9. 47—and set him In the midst of tliem : and when he Iiad taken him In Iiig arms—This beautiful trait is mentioned by our Evangel-
—eilherwith God in prayer or with ourselves in self-denying exercises. Luke (9. 43) adds, "And they were all Mnia/.ed at the mighty power of God"—'at the majesty' or
' mightiness of God,' in this last miracle, in the Transflgunuion, Ac; or, at the Divine grandeur of Christ rising upon tliem daily.
ist alone—he said unto them—Here we must go to Matthew (18. 3, 4) for the first part of this answer: " Verilj' I say unto j'ou, except ye be converted, and become as lit-
iSV'L'Oiid Explicit Announcemenl of His Approaching Death and liemrreclion (v. 30-32). 30. And tliey departed tlieiice, and passed—'were passing along' — tlirougW Galilee; and be would not tliat any man sliould know it—By comparing Matthew 17. 22, 23 and Luke 9. 43, -11 with this, we gather, that as our Lord's reason for going through Galilee more privately than usual on tlii^ occasion was
tle children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven:" 7. d., 'Conversion must be thorough; not only must the heart be turned to God in general, aiui from earthly to heavenly things, but in particular, except ye be converted from that carnal ambition which still rankles within you, into that freedom from all such feelings which ye see in this child, ye have neither part nor
to reiterate to them tlie announcement which had so sliocked them at the first mention of it, and thus familiar-
lot in the kingdom at all ; and he who in this feature has most of the child, is highest tliere.' Whosoever, there-
ii-.e them with it liy little and little, so this was His reason
liir eiijoiningsilence upon tlieni as to their present movements. 31. For lie tauglit Uis disciples, and said unto (liem—"Let these sayings sink down into your ears"
fore, shall " humble himself as this little child, the .sanle
is greatest in tlie kingdom of heaven:" "for he that is (willing to be) least among you all, the same shall be great" (Luke 9. 48). And Whosoever shall receive one of suchchlhlren-so m.anifesting the spirit unconsciously displayed by this child—in my name—from love lo Me— recelveth me ) and wliosoever shall receive mo, reeelveth not me, but Him that sent me—See on Matthew
I Luke 9. -14) ; not what had been passing between thent as
lo His grandeur, but what He was now to utter, "for"— Tin: Son of man Is delivered-The use of the present tense e.xpresses how near at hand He would have them
to consider it. As BknokIj says, steps were ali'eady in course of 'being taken to liring it about—Into the Iiands of men—Tills remarkable antithesis, "tlie .Son of man
10. 40. Incidental Rebuke of John for Exclusiveness (v. 38-41). 38. And Jolin answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils lu thy name, and he followeth not
slijill be (ielivered into the hands of men," it is worthy of
notice, Is in all tlie three Evangelists-and tlicy shall kill bim—7. (/., ']!e not carried oil' your feet by all that mandeur of Mine which ye have lately witnessed, but bear in mind wliat I have already told you aiui now distinctly repeat, that that Sun in whose beams ye now re-
lis t and we forbade him, iM'cause he followeth not us —The link of connection here with the foregoing context
lies, we apprehend, in the emphatic wonls whicli our Lord had just uttered, " in My naTne." 'Oh,' interi>oses JoVm—young, wjirm, but not suHlclently apprehending Christ's teaching in these matters— ' that reminds me of something that we have just done, and we should like to know If we did right. Wc saw oue casting out devils "in
ioice is soon to set in midnight gloom.' and after lie Is Rilled, lie sliall rise tbe third day. 3'i. Itut tbey understood not that saylug—"and it was hid from them,
lso| lliat tliey perceived it not" (Luke H. 4.'))—and were afraid to ask him—Their most cherished Ideas were so
Co-V'tions againul Offcudinxj ihe FaUliJul. M'AKK X. Ch'-isCis Third Annonnceinent of Idis Deacn.
to season him. (Cf. Malachi 3. 2, <tc,) The reference to salting the sacrilice is of course to that maxim of live Levitical law, that every acceptable sacrilice must l.e sprinkled with .salt, to express symbolically its .soundness, sweetness, vvholesonieness, acceptability. But as it had to be roanled flrst, we have here the further idea of a salting with tire. In this case, " every sacrifice," in the next clause, will mean, ' Every one who would be Jound an acceptable oll'eriiig to God ;' and thus the whole verse may perhaps be paraphrased as follows: 'Every disciple of Mine shall have a fiery trial to undergo, and everyone who would be found an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing to God, must have such a s<dting, like the Levitical saci'ifiees.' Another, but, as it seems to us, far-fetched as well as harsh, interpretation suggested tirst, we believe, by Michaells, and adopted by Ai.EXANDKit—takes the "every sacrifice which must be salted with fire" to mean those who are "cast into hell," and the preservative effect of this salting to refer to the preservation of tlie lost not only in but by means of the lire of h*ll. Their reason for this is that the other interpretation changes the nicaningof the "fire," and the characters too, from the lost to the saved, in the.se verses. But as our Lord conlesscdly ends His discourse with the ease of His own true disciples, the transition to them in the preceding verse is perfectly natural; whereas to apply the preservative salt of tlie sacrilice to the preserving quality of liell-fire, is equally contrary to the symbolical sense of salt and the Scripture representations of future torment. Our Lord has still in His eye the un.seenily jarrings which had arisen among the Twelve, the peril to themselves of allowing any indulgence to such passions, and the severe self-sacrifice which salvation would cost them. 50. Salt is good ; but If the salt liave lost hi4 saltness—its power to season what it is brought into contact with—wherewith will ye season it!—How is this property to be restored ? .See on Matthew 5. 13. Have salt in yourselves—'See to'it that ye retain in yourselves those iirecious qualities that will make you a blessing to one another, and to all around you;' and—with respect to the miserable strife out of which all this discourse has sprung, in one concluding word—have peace one with another—This is repeated in 1 Thessalonians 5. 13.
Thy name," and wcforbade him, because he foUoweth not
us. Were we right, or were we wrong?' Answer—'Ye were wrong.' 'Uut we did it because lie followeth not
Uii.' 'XoniattPr." 39. But Jesiis wild, PorbUI lilm mot
for tlirrc U leo man wtiicJt shnll do » mii-ncle in my uamtr, tliat can ligUtly—or, 'soon,' i. c, ' readily'—speak
evil of me. MO, For lie titat Is not against us Is on our port—Two principles of iiunrense importance are here
laid do'A'ii; ' First, No one will readily speak evil of Me
\» ho has the faith to do a miracle in My name; and second. If such a person cannot be supposed to be against us, ye are (o held him /o)- us.' Let it be carefully observed
that our Lord tloes not say this man should not have "followed Ihem,
" nor yet that it was indifferent whether
lie (lid or not ; but simply teaches how such a person was
to be regarded, although he did not—viz., as a reverer of His name and a promoter of His cause. 4:1. For wUosoevcr slioll yive you a cup of water to drink in my luuie, because ) e belong to Christ, verily 1 say unto yon, Ue sikall not lose lils reward. See oa Matthew
10. i-z. Continuation of Teaching suggested by tlte Disciples' Strife
(v. -12-50). What follows appears to have no connection with the incidental reproof of John immediately preceding. As that had interrupted some important teach-
111(1, our Lord hastens back from It, as if no such inter-
ru|ilioii had oci iirred. And whosoever sluall offend cue of tilie.(ie little ones that believe in me-^r, shall cause them to stumble; referring probably to the effect
Wliicli such unwivoury disputes as they had held would have upon the inquiring and hopeful who came in con-
tact with them, leading to the belief that after all they wci e no belter than others—It is better for blm that a uilllstone were hasiged about his neck—The word here
is simply 'millstone,' without expressing of which kind.
But in Matthew IS. S it is the 'ass-turned' kind, far heavier than the small hand-mill turned by female slaves, as in Luke 17. 'So. It isjof course the same which
is meant here—and lie were cast Into the sea—meaning, that if by such a death that stumbling were prevented, and so its eternal consequences averted, it would be a happy thing for them. Here follows a striking verse in Slalthew 18. 7, "Woe unto the world because of offences!" 'There will be stumblings and falls and loss of souls enough from the world's treatment of disciples, without any addition from you: dreadful will be its doom in (jonsequence; see that ye share not in it.' '.'For it must
Ver. 1-12. Final Departure from Galilee — Divorce. (=Matthew 19. 1-12; Luke 9. 51.) See on Matthew
nce<.ls be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence comelh !" 'The struggle between light aiid darkness will inevitably cause stumblings, but not less guilty is he who wilfully makes any to stumble.' 43. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it oft':
19. 1-12.
13-19. Little Children Brought to Christ. (=Matthew 19. Vi-lo; Luke 18. 15-17.) See on Luke 18. 15-17.
17-31. The Rich Young Ruler. (=Matthew 19. 16-^9; Luke IS. lS-30.) See on Luke 18. 18-30.
It is i>elter for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell—See Matthew 5. 29,
32-15. Third Explicit and still Fulleh Announcement OF His Approaching Sufferings, Death, and Resuukection—The Ambitious Request of James and John, and the Reply. (=Malthew 20. 17-28; Luke 18.
30. The only difl'erence between the words there and here
Is, that there they refer to impure inclinations; here, to an ambitious disposition, an irascible or quarrelsome temper, and the like: and the injunction is, to strike at the root of such dispositions and cutoff the occasions of them. 47. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out:
31-34.) Third A nnouncement of His approaching Sufferings, Death, and liesarrection {v. 32-31). 3:<J. .\nd they were In tlic way—or on the road—going up to Jerusalem—in Perea, and probably somewhere between Ephraim and Jericho, on tlie farther side of the Jordan, and to the north-east of Jerusalem — and Jesns wetit before them—as Gkotius says, in the style of an intrepid Leader, and they were amaz<»I—or ' struck with astonishment' at His courage in advancing to certain death, and as they followed, they were afraid— for their own safety. Tliese artless, lifelike touclies—not only from an eye-witness, but one whom the noble carriage of the Master struck with wonder and awe—are peculiar to Mark, and give the second Gospel a charm all its own ; making us feel as if we ourselves were in the midst of the scenes it describes. Well might the poet exclaim
It Is better for thee to enter Into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast Into
hell-fii-e ; 48. Where their worm dieth not, and the flre Is not quenched—See on Matthew 5. 30; and on the words "hell" and "hell-fire," or 'the hell of fire,' see on Matthew 5. 22. The " unquenchableness" of this fire has already been brought before us (see on Matthew 3, 12); and the awfully vivid idea of an undying worm, everlastingly consuming an unconsumable body, is taken from the closing words of the Evangelical prophet (Isaiah 60. 24), which seem to have furnished the later Jewish Church with its current phraseology on the subject of future punishment (see LiGllTFOOT). 49. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt — A difficult verse, on which much h.as been written—some of it to little purpose. " Every one" probably means 'Every follower of mine;' and the "flre" with
' The Saviour, what a noble flame
Was kindled in His breast, When, banting to Jerusalem,.
u'blrh he "must be salted" probably means 'a fiery trial'
lie man U'd bel'ure the rest 1' Cowpbr.
Ambitious Request of James and John, MAKK X. and the Reply of our Lord.
Anil lie took again the twelve—referring to His previous announceinents on this sail subject^and began to tell fliem tvliat things should Itappen unto Iilm—
baptized with his Master's baptism of blood (Acts 12. 1, 2); while John, after going through all the persecutions to which the infant Church was exposed from the Jews, and sharing in the struggles and sufferings occasioned by the first triumphs of tlie Gospel among the Gentiles, lived to be the victim, after all the rest had got to glory, of a bitter persecution in the evening of his days, for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. Yes, they were dear believers and blessed men, in spite of this unworthy ambition, find their Lord knew it; and perhaps the foresight of what they would have to pass through, and the courageous testimony He would yet receive from them, was the cause of that gentleness which we cannot but wonder at in His reproof. And Jesus said nnto them, Ife shall Indeed drink of the cup that I drink of) and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye b« baptized—No doubt this prediction, when their sufl'erings at length came upon them, cheered them with tlie assurance, not that they would sit on His right and left hand— for of that thought they would be heartily ashamed—but that"if they suffered with Him, they should be also glorified together." 40. But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand Is not mine to give ; but [it shall V>e given to them] forwhom It is prepared—" of my Father" (Matthew 20. 23). The supplement which our translators have inserted is approved by some gooti interpreters, and the proper sense of the word rendered "but" is certainly in favour of it. But besides tliat it makes the statement too elliptical — leaving too many words to be supplied — it seems to make our Lord repudiate the right to assign to each of His people his place in the kingdom of glory; a thing whicli He nowhere else does, but rather the contrary. It is true that He says their place is " prepared for them by His Fatl\er." But that is true of their admission to heaven at all ; and yet from His great white tlirone Jesus will Himself adjudicate the kingdom, and authoritatively invite into it those on His right hand, calling them the "blessed of His Father;" so little inconsistency
' were going to befall Him.' The word expresses something
iilre;iiiy begun but not brought to a head, rather than something wholly future. 33. Saylug, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem—for the last time, and—" all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man
sliall be accomplished" (Luke 18. 31). the Son of man shall he delivered unto the chief priests and unto the scribes ; and they shall condemn Ikim to death, and shall deliver hliii to the Gentiles—This is the first express statement that the Gentiles would combine with
t lie Jews in His death; the two grand divisions of the human race for whom He died thus taking part in crucifying the Lord of Glory, as Webster and Wilkinson observe. 31. And they shall mock him, and shall scourge hlni, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill
him : and the third day he shall rise again—Singularly lexplicit as this announcement was, Luke (18. S4) says "they understood none of these things; and this saying was liid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken." The meaning of the words they could be at no loss to understand, but their import in relation to His Messianic kingdom they could not penetrate; the whole prediction being right in the teeth of their preconceived notions. That they should have clung so tenaciously to the popular notion of an MnsufTering Messiah, may surprise us; but it gives inexpressible weight to their after-testimony to a suffering and dying .Saviour.
Ambitiom Request of James and John— TTie Reply {v. 35-
ir>). 35. And James aitd John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying — Matthew (20. 20) says their "mother came to Him with her sons, worshipping Him and desiring," &o. (Cf. Matthew 27. 56, with ch. 15. 40.) Salome was her name (ch. 16. 1). We cannot be sure with whicli of the parties the movement originated ; but as our Lord, even in Matthew's account, addresses Himself to James and John, making no account of the mother, it
Is there between the eternal choice of them by His Father, and that public adjudication of tliem, not only to heaven In general, but each to his own position in it, which all Scripture assigns to Christ. The true rendering, then, of this clause, we take it, is this: 'But to sit on My right hand and on Myleftliand is not Mine to give, save to them for whom it is prepared.' Wlien therefore He says, " Ikis not mine to gi ve," the meaning is, ' I cannot give it as a favour to whomsoever I please, or on a principle o{favouritism; it belongs exclusively to those for whom it is prepared,' &c. And if tliis be His meaning, it will be seen how far our Lord is from disclaiming the riglit to assign to each his proper place in His Kingdom ; that on tlie contrary. He expressly asserts it, merel.v announcing that the principle of distribution is quite different from what these petitioners supposed. Our Lord, it will be observed, does not deny the petition of James and John, or say they shall not occupy the place in His kingdom wlilch they now improperly .sought:—for aught we know, that may be their true place. All we are sure of is, tliat their asking it was displeasing to Him "to whom all judgment is committed," and so was not titled to gain their object, but just the reverse 'See what is taught in Luke 14. 8-11.) One at least of these brethren, as Alford strikingly remarks, saw on tlie right and on the left hand of their Lord, as He hungupon the tree, the crucified thieves; and hitter indeed must have been the remembrance of this ambitious prayer at that moment. 41. And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John—or " were moved with indignation," as the same word is rendered in Matthew 2i). '24. The expression "bet/an to be," which is of frequent occurrence in the Gospels, means that more pas.sed than is expressed, and that we have but the result. And can we blame the ten
is likely the motlier was merely set on by them. The thought was doubtless suggested to her sons by the recent promise to the Twelve of " thrones to sit on, when the Son of man should sit on the throne of His glor.v" (Matthew 19. '28); but after the reproof so lately given them (ch.
9. 38, ifcc.) they get' their motlier to speak for them. Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire—tluis cautiously approaching the subject. 3G. And he said unto them, \Vliat would ye tJiat I should do for you 1—Though well aware what was their mind and their mother's, our Lord will have the unseemly petition uttered before all. 37. Grant unto us tliat we may sit, one on thy right han X, and the other on thy left hand. In thy glory—i. e.. Assign to us the two places of highest honour in the coming kingdom. The semblance of a plea for so presumptuous a request might possibly have been drawn from the fact that one of the two usually leaned on the breast of Jesus, or sat next Him at meals, while the otiier was one of the favoured three. 38. But Jesus said unto tliein, Ye know not what ye ask—How gentle the reply to such a request, preferred at such a time, after the sad announcement just made !—caji ye drink of the cup that I drink ofI—To 'drink of a cup'
is in Scripture a figure for getting one's fill either of good (Psalm 10.5; 2:i.5; 110.13; Jeremiah 16.7) or of ill (Psalm
75. 8 ; John 18. 1 1 ; Hevelal ion U. 10). Here It is the cup of suffering—and be baptize<l with the baptism that I am baptlxed with 1—(Cf. for the language. Psalm 42.7.) The objed of tliis question soems to have been to try how far those two men were capable of the dignity to whicli they aspired; and tliis on the principle that he who is able to suffer most for His sake will be the nearest to Him in His kingdom. 39. And they said unto him, We can—Here we se(; them owiilng their mother's petition for them as their own; and doubtless they wi^re perfectly sincere In professing their willingness to follow their Master to any sullerlng He might have to endure. Well, and they shall have to do It. .A.S lor James, he was the first of the apos-
for the indignation which they felt? Yet there was prol>- ably a spice of the old spirit of rivalry in It, which in spite of our fiord's recent lengthened, divei-sifled, and most solemn warnings against it. had not ceased to stir
ill their breasts. 4'/2. But Jesusfcallrd them to him, and salth unto them. Ye kikuw that tikcy which ai-e hc-
tles who was honoured, and showed himself able to bo 82
The Barren Fig Tree Cursed, MARK XI. and Lessons to he Derived therefrom.
off having leaves—and therefore promising fruit, which in the case of figs come before the leaves—lie came, If haply he might find any thing thereon : and wlien he came to It, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not [yet]—What the precise import of this explanation is, interpreters are not agreed. Perhaps all that is meant is, that as the proper fig season had not arrived, no fruit would have been exj ected even of this tree but for the leaves which it had, wliicli were in this case prematurely and unnaturally developed. 14-. And Jesus answered and said unto it. No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever—Tiiat word did not make the tree barren, but sealed it up in its own liarrenness. See on Matthew 13. 13-15. And his disciples heard It—and marked the saying. This is introduced as a connecting link, to explain what was afterwards to be said on the subject, as the narrative has to proceeil to the other transactions of tliis day.
counted to nile—are recognized or acknowledged as ru-
jera—over the Geutlleg exercise lortlslilp over them: and their great ones exercise authority upon them—as Bupeiiors exercising an acknowledged autliority over in-
feriors. 43. But so shall it not be among you : but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister—a subordinate servant. 44r. And wliosoever of you will be the chiefest—or ' first'—shall bt—t. e., ' let him be,' or ' shall be he who is prepared to be'—servant of
till—one in the lowest condition of service. 4:5» For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for—or, ' instead of—many q. d., 'In the kingdom about to be set np this principle shall have no place. All ray servants shall there be equal; and the only "greatness" known to
It shall be the greatness of humility and devotedness to the service of others. He that goes down the deepest in these services of self-denying humility shall rise the highest and hold the "chiefest" place in that kingdom; even as the Son of man, whose abasement and self-sacrifice for others, transcending all, gives Him of right a place above
Second Cleansing of the Temple (v. 15-18). For the exposition of thi.s portion, see on Luke 19. 45-48.
Lessons from the Cursing of tlie Fig Tree {v. 20-26). 20. And in the morning—of Tuesday, the third day of the week : He had slept, as during all tliis week, ab Betliany as they passed by—going into Jerusalem again—they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots—no partial
all! As "tlie Word in the beginning with God," He was ministerSd unto; and as the risen Redeemer in our nature He now is ministered unto, "angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him" (1 Peter 3. 22); but not for this came He hither. The Served of all came
bligiit, leaving life in the root; but it was now dead, root and branch. In Matthew 21. 19 it is said it witiiered away as soon as it was cursed. But the full bliglit liad not appeared probably at once; and in the duslc perhaps, as they returned to Bethany, they had not observed it. The precision with whicli Mark distinguislies tlie days is not observed by Matthew, intent only on holding up the truths which the incident was designed to teach. In Matthew tlie whole is represented as taking place at once, just as the two stages of Jairus' daugliter—dying and dead—are rejJresented by him as one. The only diflTerence
to be the Servant of all ; and His last act was the grandest Service ever beheld by the universe of God "He gave His Life a Ranso-m fob Many !" ' " Many" is here to be taken, not in contrast with few or with all, but in opposition to one—the one Son of man for the many sinners.
40-52. Blixd Baktimeus Healed. (=Matthew 20. 29-
ai ; Luke 18. 35-43.) See on Luke 18. 35-43.
chapter'xi.
is between a more summary and a more detailed narrative, each of which only confirms the otlier. 21. And Peter calling to remembrance saltli unto him—satisfied that a miracle so very peculiar—a miracle, not of
Ver. 1-11. Christ's Tkiumphai, Entky into Jerusalem, ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK. (=MattheW 21. 1-
9: Luke 19. 29-10: John 12. 12, 19.) See on Luke 19. 29-40.
11-20. The Barren Fig Tree Cursed, with Lessons FROM IT—Second Cleansing of the Temple, on the becond and third days of the week. (=Matthew 21.
blessing, as all His other miracles, but of cursing—could not have been wrought but with some higher reference, and fully expecting to hear something weighty on the subject — Master, behold, the fig tree whicli thon cursedst Is withered away— so connecting the two things as to show tliat he traced the death of tlie tree entirely to the curse of liis Lord. Matthew (21. 20) gives this simply as a general exclamation of surprise by the disciples "how soon" the blight had taken effect. 22. And Jesus answering salth unto them. Have faith In God. 23. For verily I say unto you, Tiiat whosoever shall gay unto this moiintain. Be thou removed . . . he shall have whatsoever he salth—Here is the lesson now. From the nature of tlie case supposed—that they might wish a mountain removed and cast into the sea, a thing far removed from anytliing which they could be tiiought actually to desire—it is plain that not physical but moral obstacles to the progress of His kingdom were in tlie Redeemer's view, and that what He designed to teach was
12-22; Luke 19. 45-18.) H. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, nnil into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon—or 'surveyed'—all things, and now the even-tide was come, he went out into Bethany with the twelve—Thus briefly does our Evangelist dispose of this His first day in Jerusalem, after tlie triumphal entry. Nor do the Third and B'ourth Gospels give us more light. But from Matthew (21. 10, 11, 14-16) we learn some additional and precious particulars, for which see on Luke 19. 45-48. It was not now safe for the Lord to Rleep in the city, nor, from the day of His Triumphal Entry.did He pass one night in it, save the last fatal one.
The Barren Fig Tree Cursed {v. 13-14). 13. And on the morrow—The Triumphal Entry being on the first day of tlie week, tliis following day was Monday—when they were come from Bethany—" in tlie morning" (Matthew
21. IS)—he was hungry—How was that? Had he stolen forth from that dear roof at Bethany to tlie "mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God?" (Luke 6.
tlie great lesson, that ?(o obstacle s/tould be able to stand be' fore a confiding faith in God. 24:. Therefore 1 say unto you. What things soever ye desire, when ye pi'.ay, believe tliat ye receive them, and ye sliall have them This verse only generalizes the assurance of the former verse; which seems to show that it was designed for the special encouragement of evangelistic and missionary ef-
12); or, "in the morning," a.s on a former occasion, "risen up a great wliile before day, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed" (ch. 1. 3.5); not breaking his fast thereafter, but bending His steps straight for the city, that He miKlit"work the works of Him that sent Him while it was day?" (John 9.4.) We know not, though one lingers upon and loves to trace out the every movement of that life of wonders. One thing, however, we are sure of—it was real bodily hunger whicli He now souglit to allay by the fruit of this fig tree, "if haply He might And any thing thereon;" not a mere scene for the purpose of teaching a lesson, as some early heretics maintained, and some still seem virtually to hold. 13. Ami seeing a fig tree—(In Matthew 21. 19, it is 'one fig tree,' but the iiense is the same as here, 'acertaln flgtree.'asin Matthew
forts, while this is a directory for prevailing prayer in general. 2.5. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any ; that your Father also which is In heaven may forgive you your trespasses, &c.—This is repeated from ttie Sermon on the Mount (see on Matthew 6. 14, 15); to remind them that if this was necessary to the acceptableness of all prayer, much more ivhen great t/iings were to be asked and confidently expected.
27-3.3. The Authority of Jesus Questio.ved—His Reply. (-Mattliew 21. 23-27; Luke 20. 1-8.) See ou Matthew 21. 23-27.
8. 19, (fee.) Bethphage, which adjoined Bethany, derives Us name from its being a flg-region—' House of figs'-afar
On rayinij Ti ihulc unto Casar. MARK XII The Error of the Sudductes Confuted.
warranted to extend the equality here taught beyond tli« one point—the iimnortalitj/ of their nature. A beautiful clause is added in Luke— "and are the children of God" not in respect of eharacter, which is not here spolicn of,- but of ncrfitrc—"being the children of the resurrection," as rising to an -undecaying existence (Romans 8. 21, '2.3), and so being the children of their Father's immortality (1 Timothy 6. 16). 20. And as touching the deafl, that they rise t have ye not read in the book of Moses—"even Moses" (Luke 20. 37), whom they had just quoted for. the purpose of entangling Him—how in the bush God spake unto him—either 'at the bush,' as the same expression is rendered in Luke 20. 37, i. e., when he was there; or 'in the (section of his history regarding the) bush.' The structure of our verse suggests the latter sense, which is not unusual —saying ( Exod us 3. 6) I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of .Jacob i 37. He is not the God of the dead, but [the God] of t!ic livij»g— not ' the God of dead but [the God] of living persons.' The word in brackets is almost certainly an addition to the genuine text, and critical editors exclude it. "For all live unto Him" Luke 20. 38—'in His view,' or 'in His estimation.' This last statement—found only in Luke— though adding nothing to the argument, is an important additional illustration. It is true, indeed, that to God no human being is dead or ever will be, but all mankind sustain an abiding conscious relation to Him; but the "all" here means " those who shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world." These sustain a gracious covenant relation to God which cannot be dissolved. (Cf. Romans
CHAPTER Xri,
Ver. 112. Pauahle of the Wicked Husbandmen. (=M!itthew L'i. 33-i(); Luke 20. 9-lS.) See on Matthew 21.
33-46. l;MO. Entangling Questions about Tribute, the RESURItECTlON, AND THE GREAT COMM AND.MENT, WITH THE Uephi:sChri.st baffles THE Pharisees by a Question akoqt David, and Denounces the Scribes. {^Matthew 22. lo-Jli; I.uke 20. 20-i7.) The time of this section appeiirs to be slill Uie third day of Christ's last week —Tuesday. JIattliew iutroduoes the subject by saying
(22. 1.)), "Tlicn. went the Pharisees and took counsel how they nii'_'ht entangle Him in His talk." 13. Aiirt they send unto Itiiu ct-rlain of tlie PUarlsees—"their disci-
pies," says Mattliew; probably young and zealous scliolars in tliat liardening school—and of the Herodians— See on Matthew 22. 16. In Luke 20. 20 these willing tools are called ".spies, which should feign themselves just (or •righteous') men, that they miglit take hold of His words, that so they miglit deliver Him unto the power and authority of the governor." Their plan, then, was to entrap Him into some expression which might be construed into disatl'ectiou to the Roman government; the Pliarisees themselves being notoriously discontented with the Roman yoke.
Tribute to C(esiir (c. 1-1-17). 14. And when they were covue, they say unto Iilm, Master—or ' Teacher'—we liuo^v tU.Tt <hon art true, and carest for no ntnn; for tliou rej>ard(-st not the person ofmen, but tenches! the way of God in 1mt)>—Bysuch flattery—though theysaid only the truth— tlu-y hoped to throw Him off His guard.
6. 10, 11.) In this sense our Lord affirms that for Moses to call the Lord the "God" of His patriarchal servants, if at that moment they had no e.xistencc, would be unworthy of Him. He "would be ashamed to be called their God,
Is It lawful to give tribute to Ceesar, or not T— It was the civil i)olI-tax paid by all enrolled in the 'census.' See on Matthew 17. 25. 15. Shall we give, or shall we not give 1 But he, knowing their hypocrisy—" their wickt'iiness" Mattliew 22. IS; "their craftiness" Luke 20.
if He had not preiiarey for them a city" (Hebrews 11. 10). It was concluded by some of the early Fathers, from our Lord's resting His proof of the Resurrection on such a p.assage as this, instead of quotingsome much clearer testimonies of the Old Testament, that the Sadducees, to whom this was addressed, acknowledged the authority of no part of the Old Testament but the Pentateuch ; and this opinion has held its ground even till now. But as there is no ground for it in the New Testament, so Josephus is silent upon it; merely sajMng that they rejected the Pharisaic traditions. It was because the Pentateuch was regarded by all classes as the fundamental source of the Hebrew religion, .and all the succeeding books of the Old Testament but as developments of it, that our Lord would show that even there the doctrine of the Resurrection was taught. And all the rather does He select this passage, as being not a bare annunciation of the doctrine in question, but as expressive of ttiat glorious truth out of rvhieh the Resurrection springs, "And when the multitude heard this (says Matthew 22. 33), they were astonished at His doctrine." "Then (adds Luke 20.
Zi. The malignity of their hearts took the form of craft, pretending wtiat they did not feel—an anxious desire to be guided aright in a matter which to a scrupulous few might seem a question of some diftieulty. Seeing per-
fectly tlirougll this. He said unto them, Why tempt ye me T—" liypocrili s I" bring me a penny tliat I may see jt—or " tlie tribute money" (JIattliew 22.10). 16. And they brought it. Asid he saith unto them, AVhose is this image—stamped upon the coin—and superscription !— tl>e words encircling it on the obverse side. And tliey said unto him, Ctiesnr's. 17. And Jesus answering said tjjito them, Render to t's>esar the things that arc Ci«-sar's—I'uttiiig it in this general form, it was impossible for sedition itself to dispute it, and yet it dissolved the snare—and to God tl»e things that are God's —How much is there in this profound but to them startling addition to the ma.xim, and how incomparable Is the whole for fulness, brevity, clearness, weight! ami tJiey marvelled at him— "at His answer, and held their peace" (Luke '20. '2ti), "and left Him, and went their way" (Mattliew 2'2. 22).
39, 10) certain of the scribes answering said, Master"— 'Teacher,' "thou hast well said"—enjoying His victory over the Sadducees. "And after that they durst not ask Him any [question at all]"—neither party could ; both being for tlie time utterly foiled.
Tlie Resurrection (v. 18-27). 18. Then come unto him the ^nddueees, which say there is no res<irrec(lon neither angel nor spirit" (.\cts 2.'!. 7). They were the materialists of the day. See on Acts 23.7. and they nsked him, snyiicg, 19-^^. Master, Moses wrote unto us —(Deutironoiny 2r>. ;>)—If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, i&c. . . . And the seven had her, and lefl no ue< d : last of all the woman died also. In the rchurreetlon therefore wlien they shall rise . . . 31. 0« ye not therefore err, becatisc ye know not the Scriptures — regarding the future state — neither the power of God I— bi'fore wliich a thousand such dltlicul-
The Great. Commantlment {v. 2S-S4}. " But when the Pharisees had heard that He had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together" (Matthew 22. 31). 28. And one of the scribes—"a law.ver," says Matthew (22. 35) ; i. e., teacher of the law—came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him—manifestly in no bad spirit. Wlien Maltliew therefore .says he came "tempting," or
trying him," as one of the Pharisaic party who seemed toenjoy the defeat He had given to IheSadducees, we may suppose tliat though somewhat priding himself upon his insight into tlie law, and not indisposed to measure his knowledge with One In whom he had not yet learned to believe, lie wtis nevertheless an honest-hearted, fair di.Mputant—Which is the Hrst commandment of all !— first in importance; the primary, leading eoniniandineiit, tho most fundamental one. Tills was a question whicli, wltU some others, divided the Jewish teachers Into rival schools,
tlcs vanish, 'i'y. For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage —"neitlier can they die any more" (Luke 20.30). Marriage is ordained to perpetuate the liumaii family; but as tliere will be no breaches l)y death in tlie future state this ordinance will cease—but are as the angels which are in heaven—In Luke It is "equal unto the angels :"
but as the subject Is death and reHurrectiou weave not
The Fi- ;t Great Commandmenl. ViMi:^ xi:. jTwe Scciind Great Cominanilinent,.
Ov.r Lord's answer is in a strain of rrspoct very dinVrent from wlmtllesliowed to cuvi Hers—ever observing His own
(ipposillmi i>) a Ijliiui devotion, or mere devoteeism. I>iislly, '-Tliim slialt, love the I^ord thy God" with thy strength—Tins comuuinds our energies: 'Thou shall put i)itensiLy into thine affection'—"Do it with thy miglit" {Ec<Uesiasles >). 10;. Taking these four things together, the cooiiiiand of the Law is, 'Thou shalt lo.ve the Lord thy God u'itJi all t/ty poivei-s—with a sincere, a fervid, an intelligent, an energetic love." But this is not all that the Law demands. God will have all these qualities in tlieir most perfect exercise. "Thou shalt love the Lord tliy God," says tlie Law, "with all tliy heart," or, with perlect sincerity; "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God witli all tliy soul,'' or, with the utmost fervour; "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind," or, in the fullest exercise of an eiiliglitened reason ; and "Thou sliall love tlie Lord thy God with all thy strength," or, with the whole energy of our being! So much for the First Commandment. 31. And the second is like—"unto it" (Mattlicvv
direi:li()n, " Give not that vvliicli is lioly to tliedogs, neitlier
ctist ye your pearls before swiiie; lest tliey trample tbem under tlieir feet, and turn again and rend yon" (Maltliew
7.(1!. ii'J. And Jeaus answered lilin, The flrst of nil tlie coi»m«udinent« Is—Tlie readings liere vary consider-
ably. TitiCUENDOKF and Tregelles read simply, 'the
first is;' and they are followed by Meyer and Alfobd. But tliough the autliority for tlie precise lonn of tlie re-
ceived text is slender, a form almost identical with it
Boeiiis to have most weight of authority. Our Lord kere gives ffis explicit sanction to the distinction between oiimmandments of a more fundamental and primary clia-
racter, and commandments of a more dependent and subom/nrj/c nature; a distinction of which it is coutideutlj'
as.-ierted byacertaiii class of critics tliat the Jews knew
notliiiig, that our Lord and his apostles nowhere lay down, and which lias been invented by C'hi istian divines,
22. :j9); as demanding the same affection, and only the extension of it, in its proper measure, to the creatures of Him who:ii we thus love—our brethren in the participation of the same nature, and neighbours, as connected with us by ties that render each dependent upon and necessary to the other. Thou shult love tUj' ncigltl>o»r as thyself—Now, as we are not to love ourselves supremely, this is virtually a command, in the nrst place, nut to love our iieiglibour with all our heart and soul and ninid and strength. And thus it is a condemnation of the idolatry of the creature. Our supreme and uttermost affection is to be reserved for Go<.l. But as sincerely as ourselves we are to love all mankind, and wiyi the same readiness to do and suffer for them as we sliould reasonably desire them to show to us. The golden rule (Mattliew 7. 12) is here our best interpreter of the nature and extent of these claims. There is none other couiinandnient g;reater thnii Siie&e —or, as in Matthew 22. 40, " On these two commaiidinents hang all the Law and the Prophets" (see on Matthew 5.
(('t. Jlalthew iS. Si.) Hear, O Israel; the Lord owr God
is one Lord — This every devout Jew recited twice every
da.v. and the Tews do it to this day; thus keeping up the gn-at ancient national protest against the polytheisms and pantheisms of the heatlien world: it is the gi'eat utter-
isnce of the national faitli in One Living and Personal God—"One jEiloVAH!" 30. And thoii shalt—We have here the language of law, expressive of God's claims. What then are we here bound down to do? One word is made to express it. And what a word ! Had tlie essence of the Divine law consisted in deeds, it could not possibly have been e-xpressCi.' in a single word ; for no one deed is comprehensive of al; others embraced in the law. But as
It consists in an affection of the soul, one word suffices to express it—but only one. i-'car, though due to God and enjoined by Him, is limited in its'spliere and distant in cliaracter. Trust, Hope, and tlie like, though essential features of a right state of heart towards God, are called into acticm only by personal necessity, and so are—in a good
17). It is as if He had said, 'Tills is all Scripture in a nutshell; tlie whole law of human duty in a portable, pocket form.' Indeed, it is so simple tliat a child maj' understand
Bi nse, it is true, but still are properly—«e(/is/i att'ectioiis; that is to say, they have respect to our own well-being. But Love is an all-inclusive affection, embracing not only every other .atTectiou proper to its OI)ject, but all that is proper to be done to its Object; for as love spontaueousl.y Becks to please its Object, so, in the C"ase of men to God, it
it, so brief that all may remember it, so comprehensive as to embrace all possible cases. And from its very nature
it is uncfiangcable. It is inconceivable tliat God should require from his rational creatures anytiiing less, or in substance anything else, under anj' dispensation, in any world, at any period tliroughout eternal duration. He cannot but claim tills— all this — alike in heaven, in earth, and in hell! And this incomparable summary of the Divine Law belonged to the Jewish religion! As it shines in its own self-evidencing splendour, so it reveals its own true source. The religion from which the world has received it could be none other than a G'ocZgiven religion! 3J. And tlic scribe said unto Iiint, Weil, Blaster—
is the native well-spring oi a voluntary obedience. It is,
besiiles, the most personal of all atlections. One may fear an event, one may hope for an event, one may lejoice in an event : but one can love only a I'erson. It is the tenderest,
tlie most unselfish, the most Divine of all affections. Sucli,
tlien, is the alTeclion in which the essence of tlie Divine law is declared to consist^—Tlioii shalt love—We now come to the glorious Object of that demanded affection. Thou Shalt love tlie Lord, thy God— i. e., J(diovah, the Self-Existent one, who has revealed Himself .as the '"1 Am," and there is " none else;" who, though by his name Jehovah apparently at an unapproachable distance from His finite creatures, yet bears to Thee a, real and definite relationship, out of which arises His claim And Thy duty —of Love. But with what are we to love Him'/ P^our things are here specified. First, "Thou sluilt love the Lord thy God" with thy heart—This sometimes means 'the whole inner man' (as Proverbs 1.23;; but that cannot be meant here; for then the other three particulars would be superfluous. Verj' often it means ' our emotional uature'—the seat of feeling as distinguished from our intellectual nature or the seat of lltouglU, commonly called the "mind" (as in Philippians 4. 7). But neither can this be the sense of It here; for here the heart is rtistinguislied both from the "mind" and the "soul." The "lieart," then, must here mean the sincerity of both the thoughts and the feelings; in oilier words, 'uprightness' or 'trueheartedness,' as opposed to a hypocritical or divided affection. But next, " Thou shalt love the Lor*l Miy God" with thy soul. This is designed to command our emotional nature: 'Thou Shalt \mlfeeling or wurmih into thine affection.' turttier, "Thou shalt love tlie Lord thy God" wtlh thy mind—This commands our intellectual nature: 'Thou shalt put intelligence into thine altectlou—in
' Teacher'—thou hast said the truth : for there is one [God] ; and there is none otlier hut he Tlie genuine text here seems clearly to have been, "Tiiere
is one," without the word "God;" and so nearly all critical editors and expositors read. 33. And to love hlin with nil the heart . . . and to love his neighbour as Iiiino
self, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrilice*—more, i. e., than all positive institutions; thereby showing insight into the essential difference between what is moral and in its own nature unchangeable, and wliat is obligatory only because enjoined, and only so long as enjoined. 3^. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly—rather, 'intelligently,' or 'sensibly;' not only in a good spirit, but with a promising measure of insight into spiritual things—he said unto him. Thou
ai-t not far from the kingdom of God—for he had but to follow out a little further what he seemed sincerely to own, to find his way into the kingdom. He needed only the experience of another eminent scribe wlio at a later period said, "We know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin:" who exclaimed, "O wretched man that I am ! Who shall deliver me?" but who added. "I thank God through Jesus Christ!" (Romans 7. 14, '24,
25.) Perhaps among the "great company of tlie priests" and other Jewish ecclesiastics who " were obedient to the
Oirist Baffles the Pharisees. MARK XIII. Destruction of Jerusalem Prophesied.
are less definite. "As some spake," says Luke: "His disciples came to Him," says Matthew. Doubtless U waa the speech of one, the mouth-piece, likely, of others. Master—
faith," almost Immediately after the day of Pentecost (Acts 6. 7), this upriglit lawyer was one. But for all liis nearness to the Kingdom of God, it may be he never entered it. Aud no man after that durst ask any question—all feeling that lliey were no match for Him, and that it was vain to enter tiie lists willi Him.
' Teacher'—sec what manner of stones and what buildings are here—wondering, probably, how so massive a pile could be overthrown, as seemed implied in our Lord's last words regarding it. Josephus, wlio gives a minute account of the wonderful structure, speaks of stones forty cubits long {Jewish War, v. 5. 1.), and says the pillars supporting the porches were twenty-five cubits high, all of one stone, and that the whitest marble (ib., v
Chrlil Baffles the Pharisees regarding David { v. 35-37). 35, Aitd Jesus answered and said, wliile He tau|;Iit lu the temple—and "while the Pharisees were gathered to-
gettier" (Matthew 22. 41)—How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David J—How come they to give it Cut that Messiah is to be the sou of David? In Matthew, Jesus asks them, "What thinli ye of Clirist?" or of the promised and expected Messiah? "Wliose son is He (to be)? They say unto Him, The son of David." Tlie sense
5. 2). Six days' battering at tlie walls, during the siege, made no impression upon them (ib., vi. 4. 1). Some of the under-building, yet remaining, and other works, are probably as old as the first temple. 2. And Jesns answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings J—'Ye call my attention to these tilings? I liave seen them. Ye point to their massive and durable appearance : now listen to their fate.' there shall not be left—"left here" (Matthew 24. 2)—one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down—Titus ordered the whole city and temple to be demolished [Josephus, J. ir., vii. 1. 1.]; Eleazar wished they had all died before seeing that holy city destroyed by enemies' hands, and before the temple was so profanely dug up (ib., vli. 8. 7). 3. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, over against the temple—On their way from Jerusalem to Bethany they would cross Mount Olivet; on its summit He seats Himself, over against the temple, having the city all spread out under His eye. How graphically is this set before us by our Evangelist ! Peter and Jamea and John and Andrew asked him privately—The other Evangelists tell us merely that " the disciples" did so. But Mark not only says that It was four of them, but names them; and they were the first gttarternion of the Twelve, i. Tell us, when shall these things bel and what sliall be the sign when all these things shall be fultille<ll—"and wliat shall be the sign of thy coining, and of the end of the world?" They no doubt looked upon the date of all these things as one and the .same, and tlieir notions of the things themselves were as confusea as of the times of tlieiii. Our Lord takes His own way ot meeting tlieir questions.
is the same. "He saitli unto them. How then dotli David in spirit call Him Lord?" (Matthew 22. 42, f8.) 36. For David liimself said by the Holy Ghost (Psalm 110. 1), The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my t'i{;ltt Iinitd,
till I make tliine enemies thy footstool. 37. David therefore liimself callcth liim Lord ; and wlience is he then liis son 1—There is but one solution of this difficulty. Messiah is at once inferior to David as liis son according to the tlesh, and superior to hiin as tlie Lord of a kingdom of which David is himself a subject, not tlie sovereign. The human and Divine natures of Christ, and the spirituality of His kingdom—of which the highest
eartlily sovereigns are honoured if they be counted worthy to be its subjects—furnish the only key to this puzzle. And the common people—or, 'the immense crowd'—heard him gladly—"And no man was able to answer Him a word; neither durst any man from tliat day forth ask Him any more questions" (Mattliew 22. 4(j).
The Scribes Denounced (v. ;^8-40). 38. And he said unto them In his doctrine—rather, 'in His teaching;' implying that this was but a specimen of an extended discourse, wliich Matthew gives in full (ch. 23). Luke says
(20.45) this was "in the audience of all the people said unto his disciples"—Beware of the scribes, wliich love —or 'like'—to go in long clothing—(see on Mattliew 23.
5)—and [love] salutations in the market-places, 39. And tlie clklef seats in tlie synagogues, and llie uppermost rooms—or positions—at feasts—See on tliis love of distinction, Luke 14. 7; and on Mattliew 6. 5. 40. Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers : these shall receive greater damnation—Tbey took advantage of tlieir helpless condition and couHding character to obtain possession of tlieir property, while by their "long prayers
Prophecies of the Destruction of Jerusalem {v. 5-31). 5. XnA Jesus answering them began to say. Take Iieed lest any man deceive you : 6. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]—(see Matthew 24. 5)—"and the time diaweth nigh" (IjUke 21.8); that is, the time of the kingdom in its full splendour—and shall deceive many—"Go ye not therefore after them" (Luke 21. 8). Tlie reference here seems not to be to pretended Messiahs, deceiving tliose wlio rejected the claims of Jesus, of whom indeed there were plenty—for our Lord is addressing His own genuine disciples—but to persons pretending to be Jesus Himself, returned in glory to take possession of His kingdom. This gives peculiar force to tlie words, " Go ye not therefore after them." 7. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not t roubled—see on
" they made them lielieve tliey were raised far above "filthy lucre." So much the "greater damnation" awaited them. (Cf. Matthew 2;i. 33.) A lifelike description this of the Romish clergy, the true successors of "the scribes."
41-44. The Widow's Two MiTes. (=Luke 21. 1-4.) See on Luke 21. 1-4.
Ver. 1-37. Christ's Pkophecy of the Destruction of Jerusalem, and Warnings sugge.sted by it to Prepare FOR His Second Coming. (=Mattliew 24. 1-51 ; Luke
V. 13, and compare Isaiah 8. 11-14—for such things must needs be j but the end sliall not be yet—In Luke (21. 9), "the end is not by aud by," or 'immediately.' Worse must come before all is over. 8. These are the beginnings of sorrows—'of traVail-pangs,' to wliich heavy calamities are compared. (See Jeremiah 4. 31, The annals of Tacitus tell us how the Uoman world was convulsed, before the destruction of Jerusalem, by rival claimants of the imperial purple. 9. But take heed to yourselves: for—"belbre all these things" (Luke 21. 12); i.