the first last for 1 many be called, but few chosen. 17 ¶ And 2 Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, 1 Ch. xxii. 14. 1 Thess. ii. 13 Jas. i. 23–25. Ch. xvi. 21. Mark x. 32-34. Luke xviii. 31-34. not be so long in the vineyard; their race may be sooner run; but I have chosen to honour them in this manner; and I have a right to do it. I injure no one; and have a right to do what I will with mine own. Thus explained, this parable has no reference to the call of the Gentiles; nor to the call of aged sinners; nor to the call of sinners at all. It is simply designed to teach that in the church, among the multitudes that shall be saved, Christ makes a difference. He makes some more useful than others, without regard to the time which they serve; and he will reward them accordingly. The parable teaches one truth, and but one. And where Jesus has explained a parable, we have no right to add to it, and say that it teaches anything else. It adds to the reason for this interpretation, that Christ was conversing about the rewards that should be given to his followers, and not about the numbers that should be called, or about the doctrine of election. See ch. xix. 27-29. 17-19. See also Mark x. 32-34; Luke xviii. 31-34. And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem. That is, doubtless, to the passover. This journey was from Galilee, on the east side of Jordan, probably to avoid the Samaritans. Ch. xix. 1. At this time he was on this journey to Jerusalem, probably not far from Jericho. This was his last journey to Jerusalem. He was going up to die for the sins of the world. Took the twelve disciples apart. All the males of the Jews were required to be at this feast. Exod. xxiii. 17. The roads, therefore, on such occasions, would probably be thronged. It is probable, also, that they would travel in companies, or that whole neighbourhoods would go together. See Luke ii. 44. By his taking them apart, is meant his taking them aside from the company. He had something to communicate, which he did not 18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, 19 And 3 shall deliver him to 3 Ch. xxvii. 2. Mark xv. 1, 16. Luke xxiii. 1. John xviii. 28-32. Acts iii. 13. 1 Cor. xv. 3-7. wish the others to hear. Mark adds: "And Jesus went before them, and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were sore afraid." He led the way. He had told them before, ch. xvii. 22, that he should be betrayed into the hands of men, and be put to death. They began now to be afraid that this would happen, and to be solicitous for his life and for their own safety. 18, 19. Behold we go up to Jerusalem. Jesus assured them that what they feared would come to pass. But he had in some measure prepared their minds for this state of suffering, by the promises which he had made to them. Ch. xix. 27-30; xx. 1-16. In all their sufferings they might be assured that eternal rewards were before them. Shall be betrayed. See ch. xvii. 22. ¶ Chief Priests and Scribes. The high priest, and the learned men who composed the Sanhedrim, or great council of the nation. He was thus betrayed by Judas. Ch. xxvi. 15. He was delivered to the chief priests and Scribes. Ch. xxvi. 57. ¶ And they shall condemn him to death. They had not power to inflict death, as that was taken away by the Romans. But they had the power of expressing an opinion, and of delivering him to the Romans to be put to death. This they did. Ch. xxvi. 66; xxvii. 2. ¶Shall deliver him to the Gentiles. That is, because they have not the right of inflicting capital punishment, they will deliver him to those who have-the Roman authority. The Gentiles here mean Pontius Pilate, and the Roman soldiers. See ch. xxvii. 2, 27-30. ¶ To mock. See Note, ch. ii. 16. To scourge. That is, to whip. This was done with thongs, or a whip made on purpose; and this punishment was commonly inflicted upon criminals before crucifixion. See Note on ch. x. 17. To crucify him. That is, to put him to death on a cross, See the common punishment of slaves. ch. xxvii. 35. ¶ The third day, &c. For the evidence that this was fulfilled, see ch. xxviii. Mark and Luke say that he shall be spit upon. Spitting on another has always been considered an expression of the deepest contempt. Luke says, ch. xvii. 31: "All things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished." Among other things, he says he shall be "spitefully entreated;" that is, treated with spite or malice; malice, implying contempt. These sufferings of our Saviour, and this treatment, and his death, had been predicted in many places. See Isa. liii. Dan. ix. 26, 27. 20-28. See also Mark x. 35-45. 20. Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children, &c. This was probably Salome. Mark xv. 40; xvi. 1. With her sons. The names of these sons were James and John. Mark x. 35. Mark says they came and made the request. That is, they made it through the medium of their mother; they requested her to ask it for them. It is not improbable that she was an ambitious woman, and was desirous to see her sons honoured. Worshipping him. Showing him respect; respectfully saluting him. In the original, kneeling. See Note, ch. viii. 2. 21. Grant that my two sons may sit, &c. They were still looking for a temporal kingdom. They expected that he would reign on the earth with great pomp and glory. They expected that he would conquer as a prince and a warrior. They wished to be distinguished in the day of his triumph. To sit on the right and left You 22. Ye know not what ye ask. do not know the nature of your request, nor what would be involved in it. You suppose that it would be attended only with honour and happiness if the request was granted; whereas, it would require much suffering and trial. Are ye able to drink of the cup, &c. To drink of a cup often, in the scriptures, signifies to be afflicted, or sometimes to be punished. Psa. lxxv. 8. Isa. li. 17, 22. The figure is taken from a feast, where the master of a feast extends a cup to those present. Thus God is represented as extending to his Son a cup filled with a bitter mixture one causing deep sufferings. John xviii, 11. This was the cup to which he referred. The baptism that I am baptized with. This is evidently a phrase denoting the same thing. Are ye able to suffer with me-to endure the trials and pains which shall come upon you and me in endeavouring to build up my kingdom? Are you able to be plunged deep in afflictions, to have sorrows cover you like water, and to be sunk beneath calamities as floods, in the work of religion? Afflictions are often expressed by being sunk in the floods, and plunged in the deep waters. Psa. Ixix. 2; cxxiv. 4, 5. Isa. xliii. 2. Lam, iii. 54. &c. 23. Ye shall indeed drink of the cup, You are truly attached to me. You will follow me, and you will partake of my afflictions, and will suffer as I shall. This was fulfilled. James was slain with the sword by Herod. Acts xii. 2. John lived many years. But he attended the Saviour through his sufferings, and was himself banished to Patmos, a solitary island, for the testimony of Jesus Christa companion of others in tribulation. Rev. i. 9. Is not mine to give, &c. The translation of this place evidently does not express the sense of the original. The translation expresses the idea that Jesus has nothing to do in bestowing rewards on his followers. This is at variance with the uniform testimony of the scriptures, Matt. xxv. 31-40. John v. 22-30. The correct translation of the passage would be, To sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, except to those for whom it is prepared of my Father.' The passage thus declares that Christ would give rewards to his followers but only to such as should be entitled to them according to the purpose of his Father. Much as he might be attached to these two disciples, yet he could not bestow any such signal favours on them out of the regular course of rewards. Rewards were prepared for his followers, and in due time they should be bestowed. He would bestow them according as they had been provided from eternity by God the Father. Matt. xxv. 34. The correct sense is seen by leaving out that part of the verse which is in italics, and this is one of the places in the Bible where the sense has been obscured or perverted by the introduction of words which ave nothing to correspond with them in the original. See a similar instance in 1 John ii. 23. 24. The ten heard it. That is the ten other apostles. They were moved with indignation. They were offended at the ambition and desire of the two to be exalted above their brethren. The word it refers not to what Jesus said, but to the request. When the ten heard the request which they had made, they were indignant. 25-27. But Jesus called them unto him. That is, he called all the apostles to him, and stated the principles on which they were to act. The princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them; that is, over their subjects. You know that such honours are customary among nations. The kings of the earth raise their favourites to posts of trust and power. They give authority to some over others. But my kingdom is established There are to be in a different manner. no ranks, no places of dominion. All are to be on a level. The rich, the poor, the learned, the unlearned, the bond, the free, are to be equal. He will be the most distinguished that shows most humility, the deepest sense of his unworthiness, and the most earnest desire to promote the welfare of his brethren.' ¶ Gentiles. All who were not Jews, used here to denote the manner in which human governments are constituted. Minister. A servant. The original word is deacon, a word meaning a servant of any kind, one especially who served at the table; and in the New Testament, one who serves the church. Acts vi. 1-4. 1 Tim. iii. 8. Preachers of the gospel are called ministers, because they are the servants of God and the church, 1 Cor. iii. 5; iv. 1. 2 Cor. iii. 6; vi. 4. Eph. iv. 12: an office, therefore, the very opposite of a station of superiority, which demands the very lowest degree of humility, and forbids a lording it over God's heritage. A.D. 33. CHAPTER XX. among you, let him be your ser- minister, and 2 to give his life a ransom for many. vant: 1 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but 1 to John xiii. 4, 14. 1 Luke xxii. 27. ii. 7. Phil. 28. Even as the Son of man, &c. See Note, ch. viii. 20. Jesus points them to his own example. He was in the form of God in heaven. Phil. ii. 6. He came to men in the form of a servant. Phil. ii. 7. He came not with pomp and glory, but as a man in humble life. And since he came, he had not required them to minister to him. He laboured for them. He strove to do them good. He provided for their wants, fared as poorly as they did, went before them in dangers and sufferings, practised self-denial on their account, and for them was about to lay down his life. See John xiii. 4, 5. ¶ To give his life a ransom for many. The word ransom means literally a price paid for the redemption of captives. In war, when prisoners are taken by an enemy, the money demanded for their release is called a ransom. That is, it is the means by which they are set at liberty. So any thing that releases any one from a state of punishment, or suffering, or sin, is Men are by nature called a ransom. captives to sin. They are sold under it. Rom. They are under condemnation. in. 9-20, 23. Eph. ii. 3. 1 John v. 19. They are under a curse. Gal. iii. 10. They are in love with sin. They are under its withering dominion, and are exposed to eternal death. Psa. ix. 17; xi. 6; lxviii. 2; cxxxix. 19. Ezek. xviii. 4. Matt. xxv. 46. Rom. ii. 6-9. They must have perished unless there had been some way by which they could be rescued. There was such a way by the death of Jesus; by giving his life a ransom. The meaning is, that he died in the place of sinners, and that God was willing to accept the pains of his death in the place of the eternal suffering of the redeemed. The reasons why such a ransom was necessary, are: 1. That God had declared that the sinner should die; that is, that he would punish, or show his hatred to, all sin. 2. That all men had sinned; and if justice was to take its regular course, all must perish. 3. That man could make no atonement for his All that he could do, were own sins. 29 And as they departed from 1 Tim. 6. he holy, would be only to do his duty, Jericho, a great multitude followed him. 30 ¶And,' behold, two blind men sitting by the way-side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried 1 Ch. ix. 27. Mark x. 46. Luke xviii. 35. out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the 2 Ch. xii. 23; xv. 22. Acts ii. 30. 30. Two blind men. Mark and Luke mention but one. They do not say, however, that there was no more than one. They mention one because he was proba bly well known, perhaps the son of a distinguished citizen reduced to poverty. His name was Bartimeus. Bar is a Syriac word, meaning son; and the name means, therefore, "the son of Timeus." Probably Timeus was a man of note, and, as the case of his son attracted most attention, Mark and Luke recorded it particularly. Had they said there was only one healed, there would have been a contradiction. As it is, there is no more contradiction or difficulty than there is in the fact that the evangelists, like all other historians, often omit many facts which they do not choose to record. ¶ Heard that Jesus passed by. They learned who he was by inquiring. They heard a noise, and asked who it was. Luke. They had doubtless heard much of his fame, but had never before been where he was, and probably would not be again. They were, therefore, more earnest in calling upon him. ¶ Son of David. That is, Messiah, or Christ. This wes the name by which the Messiah was commonly known. He was the illustriors descendant of David in whom the promises especially centred. Psa. lxxxix. 3, 4; cxxxii. 11, 12. It was the universal opinion of the Jews that the Messiah was to be the descendant of David. See ch. xxii. 42. On the use of the word Son, see Note on Matt. i. 1. of the ancient city, or, as some think, the writers; that they did not conthree or four miles east of it, which aspire together to deceive, and are in all modern traveller describes as a poor, courts of justice considered as confirmadirty village of the Arabs. There are tions of the truth of the testimony. perhaps fifty houses, of rough stone, with roofs of bushes and mud, and the population two hundred or three hundred in number, is entirely Mohammedan. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho lies through what is called the wilderness of Jericho, and is described by modern travellers as the most dangerous and forbidding about Palestine. As lately as 1820, an English traveller, Sir Frederick Henniker, was attacked on this road by the Arabs, with fire-arms, who left him naked and severely wounded. See Notes on Luke x. 30. Jesus was going to Jerusalem. He had left Samaria, and crossed the Jordan. Ch. xix. 1. His regular journey was therefore through Jericho. As they departed from Jericho. Luke says, "As he was come nigh unto Jericho." The original word used in Luke, translated was come nigh, commonly expresses approach to a place. But it does not of necessity mean that always. It may denote nearness to a place, whether going to it, or from it. It would be here rendered correctly, when they were near to Jericho, or when they were in the vicinity of it, without saying whether they were going to it or from it. Matthew and Mark say they were going from it. The passage in Luke xix. 1,"And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho," which seems to be mentioned as having taken place after the cure of the blind man, does not necessarily suppose that. That passage might be intended to be connected with the account of Zaccheus, and not to denote the order of time in which these events took place; 31. And the multitude rebuked them but simply that as he was passing through because, &c. They chid or reproved Jericho, Zaccheus sought to see him, and them, and in a threatening manner toid invited him to his house. Historians vary them to be silent. ¶ They cried the more. in the circumstances and order of events. Jesus standing still, ordered them to be The main facts of the narrative are ob- brought to him. (Mark). They then adserved. And such variations of circum-dressed the blind men, and told them that stances and order, where there is no pal- Jesus called. Mark adds, that Bartimeus pable contradiction, show the honesty of cast away his garment, and rose and came |