The Harmony Chronicle and Order of the New Testament, Part 1 · Section 80 – Section 82

The Harmony Chronicle and Order of the New Testament · Part 1 · Section 80 – Section 82

p. 61SECTION LXXX.

And after these portions read JOHN Chap. XIII. from the beginning to Ver. 27. CHRISTS head annointed at a supper at Bethany two nights before the Passeover: At the same supper he washeth his Disciples feet: giveth Judas the sop and the Devil entreth into him.

THe proof of the proper order here will require some dispute, not so much in regard of any obscurity or difficulty of the order it self, but in regard of needlesse and groundlesse difficulties that are put upon it. There are two strange opinions we meet with here: The one is, that holdeth that this supper mentioned by Matthew and Mark, was the same supper which is mentioned in Ioh. 12. which was six dayes before the Passeover. And the other is, that holdeth, that this supper in Ioh. 13. was the supper on the Passeover night: so that for the shewing and asserting of the order as we have laid it, these three things are to be done.

First, It is to be proved, that the supper in Ioh. 12. and the supper in Matth. 26. and Mark 14. were not one and the same supper, but two suppers at some dayes distance. Secondly, That the supper in Ioh. 13. was not on the Passeover night, but before the Passeover night. And thirdly, That the supper in Ioh. 13. was the same supper with that in Matth. 26.6. and Mark. 14.3. two dayes before the Passeover.

First, That the supper in Ioh. 12. and the supper in Matth. 26. and Mark 14. were two different suppers [to which something hath been said before,] appears by these observations. 1. The supper in Ioh. 12. was in the house of Lazarus [unlesse we will unwarrantably strain the construction of the story,] but the supper in Matth. 26. and Mar. 14. was in the house of Simon the Leper. 2. At the supper in Ioh. 12. Christs feet were annointed, but his head was annointed at the supper in Matth. 26. and Mark 14.3. The supper in Ion. 12. was six dayes before the Passeover, but the supper in Matth. 26. and Mark 14. was but two dayes before: For observe Mark 14.1. After two dayes was the feast of the Passeover: and then ver. 3. And Iesus being at Bethany, &c. Here they that hold the opinion that we are confuting, will not acknowledge the order of the Evangelists direct, but say there is a dislocation, so that though two dayes be mentioned before, yet the story following was six dayes before the Passeover. But the method of Matthew and Mark hath been so direct hither through the story of Christs actions, since his last coming to Ierusalem, that no reason possible can be given why they should invert the order here. They had punctually mentioned his actions, five, four, three dayes before the Passeover, and now they come to speak of two dayes before, and under that account bring in this supper, and what sense or reason can there be to surmise that it was six dayes before? They had shewed you Christ five dayes before the Passeover, at Bethany, Joh. 12.1, 12. Mark 11.1, 11. And four dayes before the Passeover, at Bethany, Mark 11.12, 15, 19, 20. And three dayes before the Passeover, at Bethany, Mark 11.20, 27. & 13.3. And then they come and speak of two dayes before the Passeover, and they speak also of Christs being at Bethany, and yet would the opinion under confutation apply the reckoning of the two dayes only to point at the high-Priests assembling: and Christs being at Bethany, to be jumped backward over all the story before, even to beyond Matth. 21. Mark. 11. An opinion that by its improbability is confutation enough to it self.

A second think to be cleered is, that the supper in Ioh. 13. was not on the Passeover night but before: which may be evidenced by these arguments instead of more. 1. Because Iohn saith expresly ver. 1. that it was foreign, before the festivall of the Passeover, for so the word foreign constantly signifies, not the meal of the Paschal, as some would construe it here, but the whole festivall. 2. The Disciples when Iesus said to Iudas, What thou doest, do quickly, thought he spake about buying something against the feast, ver. 29. by which it appears that the feast was not yet come.

Thirdly, Luke sheweth, that the entring of Satan into Iudas [which was at the supper, Ioh. 13.] was before the Passeover day came: for observe his order, Luk. 22.3. Then entred Satan into Iudas, and he went and communed with the chief Priests, &c. and then ver. 7. Then came the day of unleavened bread: Upon all which considerations, it is apparent, that this supper in Ioh. 13. at which Satan entred into Iudas [whereupon he p. 62went and compacted for his Masters betraying] was not on the Passeover night, but some space before the Passeover day came. There is indeed a passage in Ioh. 13.38. which may seem to bring that supper to the Passeover night, which is, when Christ saith at the supper to Peter, The Cock shall not crow till thou hast denied me thrice, which seemeth to carry it, as if this supper were on that very night when Peter denied him. For answer to which, let it be observed: 1. That Peter denied Christ but once before the Cock crew. Mark 14.68, 69, 70. and it will teach us to expound the words of Christ, Ioh. 13.38. & Matth. 26.24. not as meaning that he should deny him three times over before any Cock crew, but that he should deny him thrice in the time of Cocks crowing, which time was a fourth part of the night, Mark 13.34. And that it meaneth in such a sense is yet more apparent by Mark 14.30. where he utters it, The Cock shall not crow twice. 2. Let it be observed, that in Ioh. 13.38. it is only said, The Cock shall not crow, but in Matth. 26. Mark. 14. when the speech refers to the very night when his deniall was, it is said, This night, before the Cock crow; And, This day, even this night before the Cock crow, &c. And so it is to be understood that Christ used that speech to Peter twice over, and in it he doth twice refute his presuming upon his own strength which Peter twice shewed: First at the supper in Ioh. 13. which was two dayes before the Passeover, and there the emphasis of the speech lieth especially in the word Thrice; as if he had said to him, Art thou so confident of thy strength and standing for me? I tell thee the time will be, when thou shalt deny me thrice in the time of Cocks crowing. The second was at the Passeover supper, and then Christ puts the emphasis upon the word This night: Art thou so confident? I tell thee this night thou shalt deny me, &c.

Thus having shewed that that supper in Ioh. 13. was not on the Passeover night, but before; a third thing is to shew, that it was two dayes before the Passeover, and the same with that supper mentioned by Matthew and Mark in Bethany: And for the proof of this we need go no further then this observation: That both the Evangelists Matthew and Mark, do begin the treason of Iudas from that supper in Bethany, Matth. 26.13, 14. Mark 14.9, 10. for as soon as they have related the story of that supper, they presently tell, Then one of the twelve called Iudas went to the chief Prists, &c. Now it is apparent that he began the acting of his treason from the time of Satans entring into him with the sop which was at that supper Ioh. 13. and so it concludeth that to be the same supper with that in Matth. 26.6.

The texture of the story then lieth thus: Six dayes before the Passeover Christ suppeth and lodgeth in Bethany: five dayes before the Passeover he rideth in triumph to Ierusalem, and at even cometh and lodgeth in Bethany again, four dayes before the Passeover he goeth to Ierusalem again, and at night cometh to Bethany again to lodge. The third day before the Passeover he goeth again into the City; and at even cometh to Bethany again: And that night he suppeth in the house of Simon the Leper, it being now two dayes to the Passeover: As he sits at supper, Mary the sister of Lazarus, called also Mary Magdalen, annoints his head, &c. And he before the table was taken away, ariseth from the table and washeth the Disciples feet, and after sits down and gives Iudas the sop.

SECTION LXXXI.

Satan entreth into Judas: he compacts for the betraying of his Master.

THe continuation of the story in Iohn cleareth the connexion. He dipped the sop and gave it to Iudas, And after the sop Satan entred into him. This was at a supper in Bethany two dayes before the Passeover, as hath been shewed: From thence, though it were night, Iudas trudgeth to Ierusalem, acted intirely by Satan, and agreeth with the Sanhedrin for his Masters betraying. They had met purposely to contrive the apprehension and death of Christ, but had resolved, that it must not be at the feast, for fear of tumult: but Iudas coming in, undertakes to deliver him up, though at the feast, yet quietly enough in the absence of the people: And they bargain to give him thirty pieces of silver; the price of a servant, Exod. 31.22. Maym. in Nizkei Mamon per. 11. The price of servants whether great or little, whether male or female, is thirty Selas of good silver; be he a servant worth a hundred pound, or be he a servant but worth a penny. Now the same author in Shekalim per. 1. rateth Sela at 384 barly corns weight in silver.

p. 63SECTION LXXXII. JOHN Chap. XIII. from Ver. 31, to the end. and Chap. XIV. all the Chapters. CHRISTS speech to comfort his Disciples, &c.

THe first words, Therefore when he was gone out, continue the story: When Iudas was gone out about his cursed work, and the hour was now come when Christs passion was beginning, [for we may justly take his being sold, for a part of his sufferings] he giveth his Disciples divers lessons, some of admonition, some of instruction, some of comfort. For the better judging of the time of this speech [besides the connexion which joyns it to Iudas his going forth upon the devils entring into him with the sop] these two things are observable. 1. That the last words of the 14^th Chapter are, Arise, let us go hence, by which it is plain, that the speech contained in this present Section, and the speech in Ioh. 15, & 16, and 17. were spoken at two severall times and in two severall places. That, at the Passeover supper, for Iohn tells, Chap. 18.1. that when Jesus had finished that speech, he went over the brook Kidron: but this, before, and in another place, because upon the ending of it it is plain Jesus removed to another place, by his saying, Arise let us go hence. 2. That Christ saith, Yet a little time I am with you, Chap. 13. ver. 33. Yet a little while and the world seeth me no more, Chap. 14. ver. 19. Hereafter I shall not talk much with you, ver. 30. which intimate some space of time yet to come, and not so suddain a parting, as the space was betwixt his rising from his last supper, and his apprehension. This speech therefore was spoken at Bethany after Iudas his going out: and the Section contains the summe of Christs discourse with his Disciples, while he staid there, which was the night that Iudas received the sop, and the next day and night, and till towards the evening of the day after: And the last words, Arise, let us go hence, intimate his removall from Bethany to Ierusalem on the Passeover day. Iudas either that night that he had received the sop, or the next day, layeth the plot with the high-Priests for the delivering up of his Master at the feast, and having so done, he returneth to his Master to Bethany again. And the next day which was the Passeover day, Christ sendeth Peter and Iohn from thence to prepare the Passeover for him, and when he saw time, he calls, Arise, let us go hence, and so he setteth for Ierusalem with the rest of the Disciples and Iudas in the company.