Annotations Upon the New Testament, Matthew · Chapter 21
CHAP. XXI.
Verse 3. AND if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, the Lord hath need of them, and straightway he will send them.] Our Saviour did this as Lord, not onelyonly of the Beast, but also of the owner. And therefore when he sent his Disciples, at the same time he enclined the heart of the owner to be willing to let them go, shewing thereby himselfe to be the Lord, that hath the hearts of all men in his hands, and consequently the Governour of all things else.
Asino insidere apud Haebraeos veteres non erat paupertatis signum, nam proceres asino vectabantur; ut Jud. 10.4. & 12.14. videre est: sed cum Salomonis temporibus Aegypti commercio equorum copia apud Judaeos crevisset, ex eo eviluere asini. Sed & ipsa asini. Sed & ipsa asini statura & comitatus urbem ineuntis facile ostendunt regnum quod sibi Jesus vindicabat diversissimum esse à regnis mundi. Grotius in loc.Vers. 5. Tell the daughter of Sion] That is, Jerusalem built on Mount Sion, the inhabitants of that City, a metaphore and metonymie both.
It plainely appeares by the other Evangelists, that Christ rode onelyonly upon the Colt. He names two for one,Calvin. by a Synecdoche, or after the familiar use of the Hebrew tongue,Non utrique insedit sed pullo vehebatur sequente illius matre. Liveleius in Hos. Caldaeus dixit apud Zach. in asino, pulloque filio asinae, unde & notissima de Iudaeis ac Gentibus allegoria quam Chrysostomus, Theophylactus, Cyrillus, B. Hieronymus & alij, hic adferunt, quemadmodum non minus diligenter quaesiverunt quid sit factum asina, cum inveheretur pullo Dominus. Alij enim modò huic modo illi insedisse, alij insedisse huic illam baiulosse vestes, alij postremò quod plerisque placuit, cum Iohannes insedisse eum pullo dicat, asinam secutam volunt. H…insij dissertat. de verae Criticae apud veteres ortu, progressu, &c. vide Bezam in loc. he rehearseth one thing twice.
Vers. 8. Great multitude spread their garments in the way] viz. As to one annointed and in deed a King; It was a custome with the Jewes, when Kings were made, to strew their garments and submit unto them.
Vers. 9. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cryed, saying, Hosanna] So saith one, both those which lived before Christ, and those which lived after him, are saved by him; see Weemes Divine ex ercitat. p. 171. This prayer was taken out of the 118. Psal. 25. Matthew also doth advisedly rehearse the Hebrew words, that we may know that applauses and votes were not rashly given to Christ, but that they reverently followed that forme of praying, which the Holy Ghost had dictated to the whole Church by the mouth of the Prophet. Calvin.
This word Hosanna consisting of a verbe, and Hebrew particle,Grotius. Vide Canin. loc. Novi Testam. is used for the hymne it selfe, as foreign with the Greekes. It is used so also, 15. v. the sense is, we sing this well wishing hymme to the Messiah our King. The custome of carrying bowes the Jewes received, as many …thers, from the Graecians.
Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord] Out of Psal. 118.26. The Latines in their acclamations said, Felix sit, aut vivat.
He is said to come in the name of God, which doth not intrude himselfe, but by the commandement of God undertakes a kingdom. Divino mandatu ac potestate. Grotius.
Vers. 11. The Prophet] Whom we have acknowledged hitherto as a Prophet, we honour as a true King.
Vers. 12. Whereas people were to bring their sacrifices of Pigeons and Lambes a great way off, they provided all these, that the strangers might buy them for mony at the Temple, and so save a great deale of trouble, but Christ saw that under a pretence of buying and selling, they did nothing but cheate and cosen the poore people, and did in over-reaching and circumventing the poore buyers, steale.
Vers. 13. Yee have made it a den of theeves] In that they robbed God in converting the place to profane and common uses which he had ordained onelyonly for sacreduse, viz. the Temple.
Vers. 16. Thou hast perfected praise] The same word is used, Gal. 6.1.
Vers. 17. Bethany] Some expound it a house of sheep, others a house of a song, others the house of obedience, and others the house of affliction.
Lodged] foreign, which Matthew useth here, and Luke 21.37. of Christ lodging at Bethanie, is properly spoken de armentis, of Heards,Formatur ab foreign quod stabulum significat. Gerh. Harm. afterward it was applied to men turning a side, and lodging all night with one, as it is often used by the Septuagint. Iosh. 6.11. and 8.9. Iudg. 19.6.
Vers. 19. The fig-tree (as naturalists observe) puts forth her fruit as soone as her leafe; whereas Marke saith the time of figges was not yet, he meanes the time of ingathering figges.
The tree (say some) was like others, and as fruitfull, Christ onelyonly intended to shew to his Disciples that He was God and man,Voluit in arbore symbolum proponere qualis tandem exitus maneat hypocritis, & simul detegere quam inanis sit ac nihili eorum ostentatio. Calvin. man in that He was ignorant whether it had fruit or no, God in that it withered upon his cursing of it. Others say, that though the time of fruit-bearing was not come, yet he cursed it, because it had no signe of any fruit.
Vers. 20. Withered away] The leaves falling off,Casaubonus Monet illud vitandae ambiguitatis causa potius vertendum esse, ut statim exaruit, quam quomodo. exatuit, cum foreign hic non sit quaerentis de modo, sed admirantis. and its naturall moisture being wholly consumed; the same Greeke word is used Mark. 5.29.
Vers. 22. Here might seeme to be a tautologie, one would think that it had been large enough to have said, whatsoever yee shall aske, ye shall receive: but here is,Mr. Burrh. There is this illogicall reasoning of unbeliefe, that though we agree to the promises in generall, yet when we come to particulars, we thinke they will not be made good to us. all things whatsoever. We would not speake so in ordinary language. And all things] Here is the generall promise, that all things which yee aske yee shall receive, and whatsoever may referre to particulars, every particular thing that yee aske yee shall receive.
Vers. 25. The baptisme of John] That is the whole ministrie of Iohn, both the Doctrine He taught, and the signe of baptizing, wherewith he did confirme his doctrine.
Which question tendeth to affirme that it was of God and not of man, and therefore to the Pharisees that despise Iohns baptisme, he saith, that they despised the counsell of God against themselves.
Vers. 32. Iohn came unto you in the way of righteousnesse] That is, the Doctrine of Iohn was sound and right.
Beleeved him] That is, allowed, and with earnest affection embraced it.
Vers. 33. Another parable] Iohn 19.32. Rev. 6.4. as one with the Hebrews signifies the first. The scope of the parable is to shew, 1. Gods great benefits to them. 2. Their great unthankfulnesse. 3. The great punishment that would fall upon them for their sinnes.
Luke saith, Christ spake to the multitude, and the speech is here directed to the Priests and Scribes. But this is easily answered, for though Christ bent his speech to them, yet he discovered their shame before all the people. The summe of the Parable is this, it is no new thing if the Priests and other Governours of the Church do indeavour wickedly to defraud God of his right, for they have used the like theevery before, against the Prophets, and now they are ready thus to slay the Sonne, but they shall not escape unpunished, for God will arise to revenge his own right. And this is spoken for two principall causes. 1. That he might reprove the Priests of unthankfulnesse and infidelity.Calvin. 2. That he might take away the offence which might be taken at his death, which was so neare at hand.
Let it out] In Greek gave it out for their use for a time.
There was a certaine house-holder, which planted a Vineyard] That is, God the people of the Jewes. Esay 5.Esay 5.2. a Wall.
In universum ijs omnia significantur quae aut ad tutelam aut ad ornatum pertinent. Grotius.Hedged it] 1. For distinction, God separates his people from all the people of the world. 2. For safety and defence. Some make the hedge the law of Moses in the whole latitude of it, others circumcision with all the Leviticall rites.
A wine-presse] That is, all holy dutyes.
Divinus cultus. Cartw.And built a Tower] That is, the glorious Temple. Mic. 4.8. Not so much in reference to the materiall structure, as the Ministry of it, the doctrine and discipline of it. Ezek. 7.20.
Let it out to husbandmen] That is, commended the Vineyard to the care and diligence primarily of the Church-governours, the Priests and Levites, and also of the civill magistrate.
And went into a farre country] Some say this is spoken ornatus gratia, to fill up the parable; it is spoken (saith Ambrose) secundum opinionem colonorum, according to the opinion of the wicked husbandmen.
Vers. 34. He sent his servants] That is, the Prophets God raised up in the Church of the Jewes from Samuels time till the comming of Iohn the Baptist.Ier. 25.4.
Vers. 25. Beate one] Ieremie. See 1 Kings 22.24. Ier. 20.2. And killed another] The Greek word signifies to murder with cruelty, as Esay. And stoned another] That is, killed him with stones. 2 Chron. 24.21. Zacharie the Son of Iehoiadab.
Vers. 38. Expressing plainely in this Parable Gods dealing with Jerusalem, and theirs with him, and what was the immediate cause of their destruction.
Vers. 42. By the stone is not meant any particular stone rejected in the building of Salomons materiall Temple (as some conceit) nor secondly the people of Israel, who though contemned for a while, yet were afterward advanced; but David literally rejected by Saul and the Nobles of the kingdom, and Christ typically, who was refused by the Jewes, but yet exalted and advanced by God to rule in the throne over his Church graciously, and over his enemies terribly, therefore compared to a Stone, because he is the foundation and support of his Church.
The builders rejected] He granteth the Priests this title of chiefe builders, in respect of their calling, though they sought the ruine and destruction of the Church.
The head of the corner] That is, Hee should be the chiefe stay of the building, as the Corner-stone upholds the chiefe weight of it.
Some doe very curiously discourse of the word Corner, that Christ was placed in a Corner, that He might joyne together two divers walls, viz. the Gentiles and Iewes.
And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken] That is, (saith Grotius) he that shall stumble upon Christ yet living, shall perceive his own weaknesse to his losse, as an earthen vessel struck at a stone.
But on whosoever it shall fall, He seemes to have reference to that place. Dan. 11.44.it shall grind him to powder] But he that shall persist in opposing him after he shall be exalted into his heavenly kingdome, shall as utterly perish as an earthen vessell on which a great stone is cast from a high place. This befell the Jewes when Titus beseeged Ierusalem, and will much more befall them at the day of judgement.