32 you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him; and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not after33 ward, that ye might believe him. Hear another parable : There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine-press in it, and built a tower; and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a out of their own mouth. - Publicans, &c. They were classed among the most vicious. They corresponded to the son who first refused, but afterwards went to the vineyard. Though disobedient and sensual, they had been more affected by the preaching of John, than the learned and respectable. They, who promised the least, performed the most; whilst they, who promised the worst, proved the best. 32. In the way of righteousness. Campbell translates it, in the way of sanctity, referring to the austerities of John's mode of life in the desert, in respect to food, drink, and clothing, which was severe enough to please the most punctilious Pharisee. Although they would not acknowledge John's divine authority, yet, as he came in the way of righteousness, preaching reformation, and practising virtue, their not believing on him was a mark of their ill dispositions. But the publicans, &c. See Luke vii. 29, xvi. 16. See note on Matt. xi. 12. Great moral revolutions proceed from the lower to the higher, rather than from the higher to the lower classes of society. The mightiest changes in history have been effected by the instrumentality of the obscure, the forgotten, and the despised. When ye had seen it, repented not. You not only failed to repent as soon as the vilest sinners, but, even after you had seen their repentance, the good effects of John's influence up on them, you still continued impenitent. 33-46. Parallel to Mark xii. 112; Luke xx. 9-19. 33. The object of this parable is to condemn the Jews for their unbelief and rejection of the prophets and the Messiah himself, as that of the preceding was to reprove them for their impenitence under the preaching of John. The same imagery is found in Isa. v. 1–7. The householder represents God, the husbandmen the Jews, the servants the prophets and wise men sent from time to time to recall the nation to their allegiance, the son is Jesus Christ. It is a historical view of Jewish disobedience, containing also a prediction of Jesus' death. -Householder. Master of a family.-A vineyard. Judea was favorable for the cultivation of the vine. -Hedged it. Or, fenced it. It was a custom to enclose vineyards with walls, or fences, or hedges of thorns. - Digged a wine-press, i. e. a wine-trough, or vat. We learn from Mark xii. 1, that the upper vat or press, in which the grapes were trodden by men, is not meant here, but the lower receptacle, into which the liquor flowed through a grated opening from the upper one. The lower cistern was dug in a rock, or the earth, and plastered. Chardin, the modern traveller, found vats built in this way in Persia. - Built a tower. The tower was a place of abode for the keepers, who pro far country. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he 34 sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and 35 beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he 36 sent other servants, more than the first; and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, say- 37 ing They will reverence my son. But when the husband- 38 men saw the son, they said among themselves: This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and 39 slew him. When the lord, therefore, of the vineyard cometh, 40 what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him: 41 He will miserably destroy those wicked men; and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them: Did ye 42 never read in the Scriptures : "The stone which the builders 34. The time of the fruit. The season of gathering the fruit.-Sent his servants, i. e. the prophets. Might receive the fruits of it. It was a custom to pay the rent in kind, or with a part of the produce. 35, 36. Beat one, and killed another, &c. This had been historically true of Jeremiah, the prophets in the time of Elijah, and Zechariah, not to speak of others. Luke xiii. 34; Heb. xi. 37; 1 Sam. xxii. 18; 1 Kings xix. 10; 2 Chron. xxiv. 21, 22, xxxvi. 16; Neh. ix. 26; Jer. xxxviii. 6.-More than the first. Not in number, but of greater dignity and honor. 37. Sent unto them his son. God, finally, commissioned his son with an embassy, to bring his chosen people to a sense of their duty. Although he had sent many prophets, and they had been persecuted and slain, yet the riches of his compassion were not exhausted, but he still gave a beautiful manifestation of his long-suffering and love, by sending his beloved Son. For, though they had maltreated his previous messengers, yet it seemed that they would surely reverence the brightness and image of God. 39. Slew him. A virtual prediction of Jesus' own death. 40. The lord, i. e. the owner. 41. Miserably destroy those wicked men. To preserve the paronomasia, or play upon words, contained in the original, Campbell translates it, he will put those wretches to a wretched death. This remark is ascribed by Mark and Luke to Christ, and not to his hearers. These diversities are to be expected in independent writers, and bear witness to the honesty of their accounts. 42. In the Scriptures. Ps. cxviii. 22, 23. The stone which the build rejected, the same is become the head of the corner; this is 43 the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes"? Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on 45 whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, 46 they perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude; because they took him for a prophet. ers rejected, &c. Having led them by his parable to condemn themselves out of their own mouth, he proceeds to bring home the application more pointedly to the Jews, quoting for this purpose a passage from their Scriptures, in which reference is made to architecture. The stone, which was laid aside as worthless, by the builders, finally becomes the main strength and ornament of the edifice. So it was in things spiritual. The stone despised by Jewish builders proved to be the Rock of ages, the chief corner-stone, the crucified Jesus, to be the Messiah of the world. Head of the corner. Not the foundation, but the uppermost stone of the corner, which binds all below it firmly together. Some critics ingeniously transpose the 42d and 43d verses, so that the 41st and 43d, the 42d and 44th verses, come together, as the sense seems to require. 43. The kingdom of God shall be taken from you. The ecclesiastical superiority of the Jews shall be destroyed. Their privileges shall be taken away, and given to a nation, i. e. the Gentiles, who will be more faithful, and, in the language of the parable, render the owner the fruits in their season. This has been fulfilled. The hearers of Jesus could no longer mistake his mean ing, after he had made this declaration. 44. An evident continuation of the metaphor in verse 42, expressing the different degrees of criminality and punishment of neglecting and rejecting the Christ. Isa. viii. 14. Criminals in the east were sometimes put to death by being thrown from a pillar or eminence upon a rock below, or, if that did not terminate life, large stones were cast upon them to crush them. Jesus probably alludes to this custom. Whoever runs against the cornerstone, whoever is offended with Christ, shall injure himself; but he on whom it falls shall be ground to powder; they who reject and persecute me shall perish miserably. 45, 46. Mark xii. 12. A prophet. But not the prophet, the Messiah. His parables were so simple, and his application so direct, that they could not mistake his meaning, and their anger was kindled to such a flame, that they were ready to do him personal violence on the spot, if his popularity had not been_so great as to overawe them. they bided their time, wove more thickly the meshes of their conspiracy, and, ere many more days had elapsed, they had so far turned the tide of popular favor by their cabals, as to be able to gratify their envenomed passions. But CHAPTER XXII. The Parable of the Marriage Supper.- Conversations of Jesus. AND Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said: The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, 2 which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants 3 to call them that were bidden to the wedding; and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying: Tell 4 them which are bidden: Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready ; come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went 5 their ways; one to his farm, another to his merchandise. And 6 the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth; 7 CHAP. XXII. 1. Jesus answered and spake. Proceeded to speak. A similar parable is related, Luke xiv. 15 24. 2. Kingdom of heaven. The administration of the Gospel. A marriage. More properly, a marriage feast. The object of this parable appears to be similar to that of the vineyard let out to husbandmen, in the last chapter. The Gospel was first proffered to the Jews, but they rejected it, as a nation, and were destroyed by the Romans. It was then made free to the Gentiles, whom they esteemed the offscouring of the world. Stories resembling this parable are found in the Rabbinical writings. 3. Call them that were bidden. It has been said by some critics, that it was an ancient usage to invite the guests sometime beforehand, and then summon them again to the entertainment, when it was nearly ready. An allusion seems here to be made to two invitations. 4. Sent forth other servants. There is a moral significance to this feature in the parable. For God suffereth long and is kind, and urges repeatedly his messages of love upon the attention of mankind, through various dispensations, and by the ceaseless flow of his blessings.My dinner, i. e. my feast, without reference to the time of day. - - Fatlings, i. e. fatted animals, of whatever kind. It was agreeable to ancient simplicity to speak thus familiarly. Similar instances are frequent in Homer, one of the oldest poets in the world. 5, 6. It was considered a breach of the law of God, and an affront of the greatest indignity, to neglect a marriage festivity. Two classes are here described, the trifling and worldly, the malignant and persecuting. The bulk of the Jews heeded not the Gospel invitation, because they were devoted to business and pleasure; but some, the Scribes and Pharisees, chief priests and elders of the people, were not satisfied with silent neglect and contempt, but proceeded to open acts of hostility against Jesus and his Apostles. Entreated them spitefully. Or, rather, treated them injuriously, barbarously. and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, 8 and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants: The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye, therefore, into the highways, and as many as ye shall 10 find bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all, as many as they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a 12 man which had not on a wedding garment; and he saith unto him Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding 13 garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping 7. Destroyed those murderers, &c. There is an evident allusion here to the destruction of the Jewish people by the Roman armies, and the burning of their temple and city. The cause of these national calamities was national wickedness. A long series of crimes and injuries committed, even against the messengers and Son of God, had "treas ured up wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." The eternal law thus vindicated itself with such awful sureness, that the chosen people themselves became but the more notorious examples of its execution. 9. Highways. Rather, crossings of the streets, or thoroughfares. It was customary with the rich men among the Jews, to invite all destitute strangers and travellers to their feasts. Jesus refers, in this part of the parable, to the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles. 10. Both bad and good, i. e. all sorts. 11. Which had not on a wedding garment. Those who attended upon such an occasion were expected to appear in an appropriate garment. The usual marriage dress was a white embroidered robe. According to many authorities, it was customary for the host to provide rich clothes for his guests, and to refuse to wear them would be a gross insult. Instances are cited from Homer, Diodorus Siculus, and modern travellers. Gen. xlv. 22; 2 Kings v. 22, x. 22; Esth. viii. 15. It is required of every Christian, that he be clothed with humility, and all the graces of the spiritual life, else his presence will be impertinent in the guest-chamber of his Lord. He 12. And he was speechless. had no excuse to offer for himself, for he had neglected to clothe himself with the garment provided by the hospitality of his entertainer. His sordid dress was not therefore an indication of poverty, which would have been excusable, but an evidence of contempt or indifference towards the king. 13. Cast him into outer darkness. See note on Matt. viii. 12. As entertainments were given in cheerful, illuminated rooms, to be driven out from them was to be thrust into the cold and darkness. In connexion with the binding of hand and foot, reference is thought to be had to confinement in a dark dungeon. — |
