Ch. xviii. 28--43. 28 impoffible with men, are poffible with God. Then 29 Peter faid, Lo we have left all and followed thee. And he faid to them, Verily I fay unto you, There is no man that hath left houfe, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's fake, 80 Who fhall not receive manifold more in the present time, and in the world to come life everlasting. 81 * Then he took to him the twelve, and faid to them, Behold we go up to Jerufalem, and all things that are written by the prophets will be accomplished on the 32 Son of man, For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked, and fpitefully intreated, and fpit33 ted on; And they will fcourge him, and put him to 34 death and the third day he will rife again. And they understood none of these things; and this faying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. 35 + And while he was yet nigh to Jericho, a certain 36 blind man fat by the way-fide begging. And hearing 37 the multitude pafs by, he afked, what it meant? And 88 they told him, Jefus of Nazareth paffeth by. And he cried aloud, faying, Jefus, thou Son of David, have 39 mercy on me. And they that went before charged him to hold his peace.; but he cried fo much the more, 40 Thou Son of David have mercy on me. And Jefus ftanding-ftill, commanded him to be brought to him; 41 and when he was come near, he afked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I fhould do for thee? He faid, 42 Lord, that I may receive my fight. And Jefus faid to him, Receive thy fight, thy faith hath faved thee. 43 And immediately he received his fight, and followed him, glorifying God: And all the people seeing it, gave praife to God. XIX. And he entered and paffed through Jericho. V. 34. They underflood none of these things-The literal meaning they could not but understand. But as they could not reconcile this to their pre-conceived opinion of the Meffiah, they were utterly at a lofs in what parabolical or figurative fenfe to take what he faid concerning his fufferings; having their thoughts ftill taken up with the temporal kingdom. V. . He paffed through Jericho-So that Zaccheus must have lived near the end of the town; the tree was in the town itself. And he was rich-Thefe words feem to refer to the difcourfe in the laft chapter, ver. 24-27, particularly to ver. 27. Zaccheus is a proof, that it is poffible by the power of God, for even a rich man to enter into the kingdom of keaven. V. 2. The * Mat. xx. 17. - Mark x. 32. + Mat. xx. 29. Mark x. 46. 2 And behold a man named Zaccheus, who was the chief 3 of the publicans, and he was rich. And he fought to fee Jefus who he was, but could not for the crowd, 4 because he was little of ftature. And running before, he climbed up into a fycamore tree to fee him; for he 5 was to pass by that way. And Jefus, when he came to the place, looking up he faw him, and faid to him, Zaccheus, make hafte and come down; for to-day I 6 must abide at thy house. And he made hafte and came 7 down, and received him joyfully. And feeing it, they all murmured, faying, He is gone in to be a guest with 8 a finner. And Zaccheus ftood and faid to the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have wronged any man of any thing, I 9 reftore him fourfold. And Jefus faid to him, To-day. is falvation come to this houfe; forafmuch as he alfo is to a fon of Abraham. * For the Son of Man is come to feek and to fave that which was loft. 11 And as they were hearing these things, he added and fpake a parable, because he was nigh Jerusalem, and be caufe: they thought the kingdom of God would imme 12 diately appear. He faid therefore, † A certain noble» man went into a far country, to receive for himself a 13 kingdom, and to return. And having called ten of his fervants, he gave them ten pounds, and faid unto V. The chief of the publicans—What we would term, commiffioner of the customs. A very honourable as well as profitable place. V. 4. And running before-With great earnestness, He climbed up Notwithstanding his quality: defire, conquering honour and shame. V. 5. Jefus faid, Zaccheus, make hafte and come down-What a ftrange mixture of paffions muft Zaccheus have now felt, hearing one speak, as knowing both his name and his heart. V. 7. They all murmured-All who were near: though most of them,, rather out of furprize than indignation. V. 8. And Zaccheus ftood-Shewing by his pofture his deliberate purpofe and ready mind, And said, Behold, Lord, I give—I determine todo it immediately. V. 9. He alfo is a son of Abraham-A Jew born, and as such has a › right to the first offer of falvation. V. 11. They thought the kingdom of God-A glorious temporal king-dom, would immediately appear.. V. 12. He went into a far country to receive a kingdom-Chrift went to heaven, to receive his fovereign power as man, even all authority in hea- yen and earth. V. 13. Trade till I come To vifit the nation, to destroy Jerufalem, to judge the world: or, in a more particular fenfe, to require thy foul of thee. Mat. xviii. 11. + Mat. xxv. 14. Märk xiii. 34. V. 14. But 14 them, Trade till I come. But his citizens hated him, and fent an embassy after him, faying, We will not 15 have this man to reign over us. And when he was returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded thofe fervants to be called to him, to whom he had given the money, to know what each had gained by 16 trading. Then came the firft, faying, Lord, thy 17 pound hath gained ten pounds. And he faid to him, Well done, good fervant; because thou hast been faith ful in a very little, be thou governor over ten cities. 18 And the fecond came, faying, Lord, thy pound hath 19 gained five pounds. And he faid to him likewife, Be 20 thou alfo over five cities. And another came faying, Lord, behold thy pound, which I have kept laid up in 21 a napkin. For I feared thee, because thou art an au ftere man: thou taket up what thou layedst not 22 down, and reapest what thou didft not fow. And he faith to him, Out of thy own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked fervant. Thou knewest that I am an auftere man, taking up what I laid not down, and 3 reaping what I did not fow! Wherefore then gaveft thou not my money into the bank, and at my coming 24 I fhould have received it with intereft? And he faid to them that stood by, Take the pound from him, and 25 give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they faid 26 to him, Lord, he hath ten pounds!), * For I fay unto you, To every one that hath fhall be given : from him that hath not, even what he hath fhall be 27 taken away from him. Morcover those my enemies, but who would not that I fhould reign over them, bring 28 hither and flay before me. And having faid thele things, he went before, going up to Jerufalem. V. 14. But his citizens-Such were thofe of Jerufalem, hated him, and Sent an embally after him-The word feems to imply, their fending embaffadors to a fuperior court, to enter their protest against his being admitted to the regal power. In fuch a folemn manner did the Jews proteft, as it were, before God, that Chrift fhould not reign over them. This man-So they call him in contempt. V. 15. When he was returned-In his glory. V. 23. With intereft-Which does not appear to be contrary to any Jaw of God or man. But this is no plea for ufury, that is, the taking fuch interest as implies any degree of oppreffion or extortion. V. 25. They faid-With admiration, not envy. V. 28 He went before-The foremost of the company, fhewing his readiness to suffer. * Mat. xxv. 29 Luke viii. 18. V. 29. Ha 29 + And as he drew nigh to Bethpage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of 30 his difciples, Saying, Go ye into the village over against you, in which entering, ye fhall find a colt tied, whereon never man yet fat, loose him and bring him 31 hither. And if any man ask you, Why do you loose him, thus fhall ye fay to him, The Lord hath need of 32 him. And they that were sent went, and found even 33 as he had faid to them. And as they were loofing the colt, the owners thereof said to them, Why loofe ye 34 the colt? And they said, The Lord hath need of him. 35 And they brought him to Jefus, and they caft their 36 garments on the colt, and fet Jefus thereon. And as 87 he went they fpread their clothes in the way. And when he was now come nigh, at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the difciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice, for 38 all the mighty works that they had seen, Saying, Bleffed be the king that cometh in the name of the Lord:: 39 Peace in heaven, and glory in the higheft. And fome of the Pharifees from among the multitude, faid 40 to him,. Mafter, rebuke thy difciples. And he answering said to them, I tell you, that if these should hold their peace, the ftones would immediately cry 41 out. And as he drew near, he beheld the city, and i 42 wept over it, Saying, O that thou hädst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things that are for thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes.. 43 For the days fhall come upon thee, that thine enemies V. 29. He drew nigh to the place where the borders of Bethpage and Bethany met, which was at the foot of the mount of Olives. V. 37. The whole multitude began to praise God-Speaking at once, as > it feems, from a Divine impulfe, words which most of them did not understand. V. 38. Peace in heaven-God being reconciled to mans V. 39. Rebuke thy difciples-Paying thee this immoderate honour. -V. 40. If these should hold their peace, the ftones which lie before you,» would cry out That is, God would raife up fome ftill more unlikely instruments to declare his praife. For the power of God will not return empty. V. 42. O that thou hadst known, at leaft in this thy day—After thou haft neglected fo many. Thy day The day wherein God ftill offers thee his bleffings. V. 43. Thine enemies fhall caft a trench about thee, and compass thee around—All this was exactly performed by Titus the Roman General, fhall caft a trench about thee, and compass thee round, 44 and ftraiten thee on every fide, And fhall cast thee to the ground, and thy children that are in thee: and they fhall not leave in thee one stone upon another: because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. 45 *And going into the temple, he drove out them 46 that fold, and them that bought therein, Saying to them, It is written, + My houfe is the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves. 47 And he was daily teaching in the temple. But the chief Priests, and the Scribes, and the chief of the peo48 ple, fought to deftroy him, And found not what they might do; for all the people hung upon him, to hear him, XX. And on one of thee days, as he taught the people in the temple and preached the gofpel, the chief Priests and the Scribes came upon him, with the Elders, And spake to him, faying, Tell us by what authority doft thou these things, and who is he that gave thee 3 this authority? And he anfwering, faid, I will allo 4 afk you one thing, and tell me, Was the baptifm of 5 John from heaven, or of men? And they reafoned among themselves, faying, If we fay from heaven, he 6 will fay, Why then did ye not believe him? But if we fay of men, all the people will ftone us; for they 7 are perfuaded that John was a prophet. And they 8 answered, They could not tell whence. Jefus faid to them, Neither tell I you, by what authority I do thefe things.. 9 Then he fpake this parable to the people: A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it out to hufbandmen, and went into a far country for a long 10 time. And at the feafon he fent a fervant to the husbandmen, that they might give him of the fruit of V. 44 And thy children within thee All the Jews were at that time gathered together, it being the time of the paffover, They shall not leave one fione upon another-Only three towers were left ftanding for a time, to fhew the former ftrength and magnificence of the place. But thele likewife were afterwards levelled with the ground. V. 9, A long time-It was a long time from the entrance of the Ifraelites into Canaan, to the birth of Chrift |