18 name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. But when ye shall see the abomination of 14 desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains: and let him that is on the 15 house-top not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: and let him that is in the field 16 not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them 17 that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those 19 days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no 20 flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. And then, if any man 21 shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or lo, he is there; believe him not. For false Christs, and false prophets shall rise, and 22 shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all 23 things. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall 24 be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars 25 of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the 26 clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his 27 angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. sions with literal exactness. What is meant is, that there would be a great and general diffusion of Christianity, before the destruction of Jerusalem; which was accomplished as predicted. 13. But he that shall endure, &c. According to Winer, he who has endured to the end will be saved. 19. For in those days shall be affliction. Literally, "for those days shall be affliction;" as it were, one continued calamity. 20. Elect's sake, i. e. on account of the Christian converts. 22. Shall show signs, &c. Not that they would actually perform miracles, but would promise or undertake to produce them. And the fulfilment of the prediction may be found in the Jewish historian, who says that "these impostors and deceivers persuaded the multitude to follow them into the wilderness, and pretended that they would exhibit manifest wonders and signs, that should be performed by the providence of God." 24, 25. Powerful imagery, drawn from the material creation, to shadow forth stupendous changes in the civil and religious world. 28 Now learn a parable of the fig-tree: When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: 29 so ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, 30 know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily, I say unto you, 32 away. That this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. 31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the 33 Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray for ye know not when 34 the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work; and commanded the porter to watch. 35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or 32. Neither the Son. Here is an explicit declaration, made in so many words, and which it would seem no torturing interpretation could gainsay, that the Son did not know the exact time when a certain event would take place, and, therefore, did not possess omniscience, one of the attributes of the Deity. If it be said, as is done, that he spoke only in his human nature, whilst all the time he did know, in his divine nature, "that day and that hour," two difficulties are encountered, both insuperable; one, that there is not a particle of proof that he had two natures; the other, that the very expression, Son, precludes, according to the Trinitarian hypothesis, the supposition of his speaking as a man; for the very point is, a contrast between the Son and the Father, the second and first persons of the Godhead, so called. Now, Jesus, as the Son in the capacity of his divine nature, must have known the time, it would seem; yet he assures us he did not. We must believe him; or suppose him to have made a mental reservation, or prevaricated in a manner wholly inconsistent with his inflexible integrity. 5 VOL. II. Another train of thought. Let us suppose he had said, that the Son does know of that day and hour, and thus exhibited proof that he was indeed God. But if an interpreter should arise and try to neutralize such evi, dence of his Deity, by the assertion that he spoke, not in his own person, but in the character of the Divine Spirit which dwelt in him; that as a man he did not know, but as the inspired of God he did know, the thing in question, what horror would be expressed at such a wresting of the Bible, and such a wiredrawn distinction in the nature of Christ, in order to escape the conclusion that he was indeed God! But, to turn the case, is not this very expedient resorted to, to escape the argument of the limited knowledge, and therefore dependent nature, of our Lord, springing from his own plain declaration? and is not the fiction of two natures, and that Christ spoke sometimes as man and sometimes as God, brought in to cut a knot, which cannot be untied? 35. The four Roman watches of the night are here introduced. in the morning lest coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 36 And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch. * CHAPTER XIV. 37 The Anointing of Jesus. The Institution of the Supper, the Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus, and the Denial of Peter. AFTER two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread and the chief priests, and the scribes, sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. But 2 they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. And being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he 3 sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster-box of ointment of spikenard, very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indigna- 4 tion within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three 5 hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble 6 ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the 7 poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good but me ye have not always. She hath done what she 8 could she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily, I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached 9 throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of, for a memorial of her. : 37. Watch. Eternal vigilance is the price, not only of liberty, but of every virtue that makes a Christian. Each striking clock, each ringing bell, and all the measured watches of night and day, bid us be on the alert for the welfare of the neverdying soul. "Awake to righteousness, and sin not.” CHAPTER XIV. This chapter is illustrated at full length in Mat. xxvi., with which it is parallel. See also Luke xxii., and John xii. 1–8, xiii., and xviii. 3. Ointment of spikenard, very precious. Robinson translates it, "oint ment of pure spikenard.”— Brake the box. This probably means, that she broke the small neck of the flask, or the seal, or cement, or whatever other fastening secured the opening; not that the whole box was destroyed in coming at its contents. 5. Three hundred pence. About forty dollars. 8. She hath done what she could. A high eulogy. She had expressed her love and gratitude in the best way which occurred to her; and the noble generosity and uncalculating enthusiasm of her act, were not to be measured by the cold standard of worldly and selfish prudence. 10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief 11 priests, to betray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. 12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go 13 and prepare, that thou mayest eat the passover? And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: 14 follow him. And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guest-cham15 ber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there 16 make ready for us. And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made 17 ready the passover. And in the evening he cometh with the 18 twelve. And as they sat, and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me, shall betray me. 19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, 20 Is it I and another said, Is it I? And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve that dippeth with me in the 21 dish. The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good 22 were it for that man if he had never been born. And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to 23 them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and 24 they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood 25 of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily, I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. 26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the Mount 27 of Olives. And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shep28 herd, and the sheep shall be scattered. But after that I am risen, 29 I will go before you into Galilee. But Peter said unto him, Al30 though all shall be offended, yet will not I. And Jesus saith unto him, Verily, I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. But he 31 spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all. And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane and 32 he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he 33 taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; and saith unto them, My soul is 34 exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And 35 he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. ́ ́ And he said, 36 Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me nevertheless, not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, 37 Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch 38 ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. And again he went away, and 39 prayed, and spake the same words. And when he returned, he 40 found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy;) neither wist they what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, 41 and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go; lo, he that be- 42 trayeth me is at hand. And immediately while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the 43 twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders. And he 44 that betrayed him, had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and 45 saith, Master, Master; and kissed him. And they laid their 46 hands on him, and took him. And one of them that stood 47 by, drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high-priest, and cut off his ear. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye 48 come out as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take 31. If I should die with thee, &c. In this connexion Wakefield and Bradford, following some of the oldest versions, have inserted the phrase, O my Master, which adds earnestness and decision to the language of Peter. 41. It is enough. Rather, All is over, it is done. |