Luke xix. 47. and the chief of the people, Mark xi. 18. heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: Luke xix. 48. Mark xi. 18. for they feared him, because all the people were astonished at his doctrine, Luke xix. 48. and * were very attentive to hear him. LUKE xix. part of ver. 37. 47 But the Chief Priests and the Scribes-sought to destroy him ; Jerusalem. * Or, hanged Mark xi. 19. SECTION XI. Christ retires in the Evening from the City. MARK XI. 19. And when even was come, he went out of the city. SECTION XII. Tuesday-Third Day before the Passover. The Fig Tree is now Mark xi. 20. Matt. xxi. 20. Mark xi. 21. Mark xi. 22. Mark xi. 23. withered. MATT. XXI. 20-23. MARK Xi. 20-27. 19. And in the morning, as they passed by, they o Matt. xxi. saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig-tree withered away! And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig-tree which thou cursedst is withered away! And Jesus answering saith unto them, + Have + Or, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, Matt. xxi. 21. that if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig-tree, but also But nobody, I imagine, could have known the meaning and propriety of the words ornλalov and Ags@v, if St. John had not informed us that oxen and sheep were brought into the temple to be sold; whereby the prophecy of Jer. vii. 11. Μὴ σπήλαιον λητῶν ὁ οἴκος μᾶ, (to which our Saviour alludes) was fulfilled ; for the temple could not have been called orλatov Aysuv, had not oxen and sheep been brought into it. See Bowyer. the faith of God. Jerusalem. p Matt. vii. 7. q Matt. vi. 14. 10 That whosoever shall say unto this mountain 1o, Mark xi. 23. it shall be done, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Matt. xxi. 21. Mark xi. 23. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer Matt. xxi. 22. believing, ye shall receive. Therefore I say unto you, P What things soever Mark xi. 24. ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. q And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye Mark xi. 25. have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Mark xi. 26. Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. MATT. xxi. part of ver. 21. 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you-if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea SECTION XIII. Christ answers the Chief Priests, who enquire concerning the MATT. xxi. 23, to the end, and xxii. 1-15. MARK Xi. 27, to the end, and xii. 1-13. LUKE XX. 1-20. And it came to pass, that on one of those days, Luke xx. 1. they come again to Jerusalem : Mark xi. 27. was the epithet attached by the Jews to any of their learned הוא עוקר הרים 10 or eminent men, who excelled in explaining the difficulties of Scripture (a). Peter was told, if he had faith he should be able to remove mountains, &c. &c. It is difficult to perceive the immediate connexion between the surprise of Peter, and the exhortation of our Lord. It may possibly refer to the power which was afterwards given to the Apostles to interpret the Scriptures in their spiritual sense, and to change the religion of the world. Such is the supposition of Witsius, that St. Peter understood that Christ, by the withering away of the fig tree, intended to signify the destruction of the Jewish Church; and that Christ al (a) See Lightfoot, 8vo. edit. vol. iii. p. 135. Matt. xxi. 23. And when he was come into the temple, as he taught the people in the temple, and Matt. xxi. 23. and the elders of the people came unto him, as he Mark xi. 27. Luke xx. 2. Mark xi. 28. Mark xi. 29. and as he was walking in the temple, And spake unto him, saying, Tell us by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority, to do these things? me, And Jesus answered, and said unto them, Matt. xxi. 25. Mark xi. 30. Mark xi, 31. The baptism of John, whence was it? was it from heaven, or of men? answer me. And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Matt. xi. 25. unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; Matt. xxi. 26. Luke xx. 6. Mark xi. 32. Mark xi. 33. Luke xx. 7. Matt. xxi. 28. Matt. xxi. 29. Matt. xxi. 30. Matt. xxi. 31. all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded they feared the people: for all men counted John, And they answered, and said unto Jesus, We whence it was. And Jesus answering, saith unto them, Neither But what think you? A certain man had two He answered, and said, I will not: but after- And he came to the second, and said likewise. not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith luded, in Mark xi. 23. to that apostle becoming the means of throwing the mountain (the temple,) into the sea (the world:) that is, that St. Peter should be chosen to open the doors of the Church to the Gentile world (b). (b) Witsii Melet. Leidens. de ficu Maled. sect. xv. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. unto them, Verily I say unto you, that the Publi- r Ch. iii. 1, &c. For John came unto you in the way of righte- Matt. xxi. P. Then began he to speak to the people this pa- Luke xx. 9. rable; S Hear another parable: There was a certain Matt, xxi. 33. Isaiah v. 1. housholder which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, Jer. ii. 21. and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for Mark xii. 1. the wine-fat, and digged a wine-press in it, and built a tower, Matt. xxi. 23. and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far that he might receive from the husbandmen of the Mark xii. 2. fruit of the vineyard. but the husbandmen Luke xx. 10. caught him, and beat him, and sent him away Mark xii. 3. empty. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and they beat him also, and wounded him in the head, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him shamefully handled. Mark xii. 4. Luke xx. 11. Mark xii. 4. away Luke xx. 11. Mark xii. 4. And again he sent a third: and they wounded Luke xx. 12. him also, and cast him out. And again he sent another; and him they Mark xii. 5. killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall Luke xx. 13. I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, Mark xii. 6. he sent him also last, last of all, unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. Matt. xxi. 37. Mark xii. 6, Matt. xxi. 39, But when the husbandmen saw the son, Luke xx. 14. they reasoned among themselves, Jerusalém. Matt. xxi. 38. they said among themselves, This is the heir; tcome, let us kill him, and let us seize on his in- t Ch. xxvi. 3. heritance. Matt. xxi. 39. Matt. xxi. 40. Matt. xxi. 41. Mark xii. 9. Matt. xxi. 42. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When therefore the lord of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, he will come, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and Therefore I say unto you, The kingdom of God Luke xx. 16. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. Luke xx. 17. then that is written? John xi. 53. Matt. xxi. 42. Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone u Ps. cxviii. 22. which the builders rejected, the same is become Acts iv. 11. the head of the corner": this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Matt. xxi. 44. Matt. xxi. 45. Rom. ix. 33. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be x Is.viii. 14,15. broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will 1 Pet. ii. 8. grind him to powder. And when the Chief Priests Luke xx. 19. and the Scribes Matt. xxi. 45. and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them; Luke xx. 19. had spoken this parable against them. Matt. xxi. 46. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet: Mark xii. 12. and they left him, and went their way. Matt. xxii. 1. Matt. xxii. 2. Matt. xxii. 3. And Jesus answered and spake unto them y Luke xiv. 16. again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son. And sent forth his servants to call them that 11 To prove that the Jews refer this passage to the Messiah, Schoetgen quotes Rasche ad Micah v. 1, and Abarbanel ad Zachar. iv. 13.—Schoetgen, Hor. Heb. vol. i. p. 174. Rev. xix. 9. |