title for Himself, but He rebukes the assumption of the title by the Rabbins, and the use of it by others to them. "But if," &c.-If a man were perfectly to keep the commandments He would merit eternal life. Christ does not quote all the commandments in reply to the Ruler's, "Which"? Those on the First Table,-containing our "duty to God," are omitted altgether, probably because the Ruler was a rigid observer of that part of the Law, as far as his light went. It was in his "duty to his neighbour "that he, like the rest of the Pharisees, &c., failed. "Thou shalt love," &c.-This may be regarded as a paraphrase of the 10th. Commandment, or of the whole of the Second Table. "All these things," &c.-He thought he had ever kept these commandments, and probably had done so, as far as the letter was concerned. "If thou wilt be perfect," &c.—i.e., "If you have the desire you declare you have to perfectly obey the Law." "Sell that thou hast."-Christ saw that the Ruler's bosom sin was love of riches; he knew that he could not be saved from this excepting by literally giving it up; accordingly He demands from him this sacrifice. The Ruler's refusal shewed that he was not prepared to perfectly obey the Law. The Law demands love of God and man, and yet he demonstrated that he was not ready to give up what he actually loved more than God, or than aught else. 66 Hardly" = with difficulty.-Mark makes Christ say, "How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God"! "It is easier," &c.—A camel's passing through a needle's eye was a Jewish proverb for a difficulty. It is evidently so to be taken here. Some, however, say that the small side gate of towns, for passengers, in the East, was called the "needle's eye," and that Christ here speaks of the impossibility of a loaded camel's passing through such a gate. "We have forsaken," &c.-It is clear, from this speech, that the Disciples still retained their notions of the Messiah's Kingdom being one of temporal splendour and greatness. "In the regeneration" = at the resurrection. "An hundredfold,"-i.e., (as Mark and Luke have it), "in this present time." Christians have on earth, amongst other rewards, pardon, peace and joy in believing, all the pleasures of religion, fellowship with God, and the sure and certain hope of eternal life. "Many," &c.-A proverbial expression often used by Christ. It means that many of the Jews, to whom the Gospel had been first offered, would be the last to accept it, and vice versa. The Parable of the Householder hiring Labourers into his Vineyard. (IN PEREA.) (c. xx. 1-16.) "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen." This Parable is peculiar to Matthew. "The Kingdom of heaven is like," &c—i.e., God's manner of proceeding in His Kingdom is like that of the householder of the parable. 66 66 Early in the morning,”—i.e., at 6 A.M. Vineyard."-Vineyards were abundant in Peræa. "A penny," labourer. -"a denarius," the usual day's wage of a "Third_hour,-sixth and ninth hour,-eleventh hour,”— correspond to our 9, 12, 3, and 5, o'clock. "Idle" = unemployed. "Market-place,"-"A place where the markets, judgments, and orations were held, and all the public business was transacted; where especially the idle, and those who were out of employment, assembled in order to procure employment, particularly at the third hour." 66 Even,"-6 o'clock, the end of the working day. "Steward" = bailiff. "Friend.”—The word in the original is not one implying friendship, but is one usually addressed to strangers, or persons to whom we are indifferent. This Parable was intended to teach that 1. The Gentiles, though called after the Jews, should share equally in all the blessings of "the Kingdom." 2. The earlier calling of the Apostles did not confer on them any peculiar prerogative. It teaches also incidentally that 1. Anyone may be saved, however late in life, 2. God bestows His gifts by Free Grace alone. Christ leaves Peræa, and enters Judæa: His 3rd. (W. OF JORDAN, OPPOSITE JERICHO.) "And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, 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, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again." "The Gentiles,"-i.e., the Romans. Salome asks that her sons James and John may sit respectively on the right and the left hand of Christ in His Kingdom. (W. OF JORDAN, OPPOSITE JERICHO.) (c. xx. 20-28.) "Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Matthew and Mark alone narrate this incident, agreeing in the main. Mark, however, says nothing of the mother; but represents James and John as coming, and preferring the request. Doubtless, all three joined in the petition. 66 Right hand, and... left," the two places of highest honour in the E. in the company of a king, or any great person. "Ye know not what ye ask,”—i.e., "You do not understand that you are requesting what will involve you in suffering; for the highest places in heaven will be given to those who are on earth most abundant in labours and sorrows." "Are ye able,”-i.e., "Are you prepared to suffer with me, that you may enter my kingdom"? "Ye shall drink," &c.-i.e., "You shall suffer with me here, and reign with me in heaven; but the highest places in heaven will be theirs to whom the Father shall justly award them, and I, being one with the Father, may not follow any inferior bias by promising those positions to gratify anyone's worldly ambition." James and John did, indeed, "drink of the cup" of suffering. James was the first Apostle who suffered martyrdom. John was, according to tradition, thrown into boiling oil, escaping unhurt; and was then banished to Patmos. He lived the longest of all the Apostles, and tells us he was a brother and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ." 66 "It shall be given to them,"—is not in the original, and should be omitted, since it obscures the sense. |