Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
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 rujera—over the Geutlleg exercise lortlslilp over them: and their great ones exercise authority upon them—as Bupeiiors exercising an acknowledged autliority over inferiors. 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 rej Jresented by him as one. The only difl Terence 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 mi Klit"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 discipies," 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 liuov tU.Tt <hon art true, and carest for no ntnn; for tliou rej>ard(-st not the person of men, 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 saj Mng 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 perfectly 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 re Hurrectiou 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 din Vrent from wlmtllesliowed to cuvi Hers—ever observing His own
(ipposillmi i>) a Ijliiui devotion, or mere devoteeism. I>iislly, '-Tliim slialt, love the Iord 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 considerably. 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 received 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 cliaracter, 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 utterisnce 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 .at Tectiou 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'oc Zgiven 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 al Teclion 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'/ Pour 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