Commentary on the Gospels and Acts, Commentary 3 · Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII.
Verse 1. Now the feast of unleavened, &c.]
IT is good to bring Bibles to Church. Socrates relates of one…. lib. 7. cap. 5. Sabbatius a Novation Bishop, that reading this text, added such things of his own as carried away many simple people from the faith.
Verse 2. How they might kill him]
Not put him to death as Judges, but kill him as cut-throates. So Act. foreign.2. 23.
Verse 3. Then entered Satan]
He stood but at the door till now, that the businesse was concluded on.
Verse 4. And communed with the chief Preists]
Suopte ingenio, … reprobi Angeli, saith an Interpreter.
Verse 6. And he promised]
By mutuall stipulation (saithforeign. Beza) wherein the one asketh, Dost thou promise to do such a thing? the other answereth, I do promise. Like as of old it was, Credis? Credo. Abrenuncias? Abrenuncia. Beleevest thou? I do beleeve. Forsakest thou? I do forsake.
Verse 7. The day of unleavened bread, when, &c.]
It must be our care to cast out all filthinesse of flesh and spirit (that old leaven) before we communicate, 1 Cor. 5. 7. First throw the baggage into the brook Kidron (the town-ditch) and then kill the Passeover, 2 Chron. 30. 14.
Verse 15. With desire have I desired]
How much more should we come with strong affections and lusty appetites to this holy Supper? It is a vertue here to be an holy glutton, and to drink hearty draughts; that we may go from the Table, as Christ from Jordan, full of the holy Ghost. For this end consider what is before thee, as Prov. 23. 1. not to restraine appetite, but to provoke it. And the rather because Christ thus earnestly thirsted after our salvation, though he knew it should cost him so dear. See Luke 12. 50.
Verse 16. Untill it be fulfilled]
Untill the old Passeover be abolished, and the New brought in place, by my death and resurrection.
Verse 17. And he took the cup]
The cup of the common supper, John 13. 2, 3.
Verse 23. And they began to enquire]
Therefore the Lord had not perfectly pointed out the traytour to them: or if he did, they either heardnot, or heeded not.
Verse 24. There was also a strife]
This was so much the worse in them, because immediatly after the Sacrament, and before the Passion, which our Saviour had told them should fall out within two dayes after. Neither was this the first time that they had thus faulted, and were reproved for it.
Verse 25. The Kings of the Gentiles, &c.]
In striving for precedency the Disciples shew'd themselves but Gentiles, who stand upon their birth and priviledges.
Exercise Lordship over them]
As he did with a witnesse (ofJoh. Manlii loc. com. 636 whom Melancthon writeth) that wrung mony from his miserable subjects, by knocking out their teeth, one by one, till he had what he would.
Verse 28, Yee are they which have continued, &c.]
Agrippa having suffered imprisonment for wishing Caius Emperour, the first thing Caius did after he came to the Empire, was to preferre Agrippa to a Kingdome. He gave him also a chaine of gold as heavie as the chaine of iron that was upon him in prison. And shall not Christ richly reward all those his suffering servants?
Verse 29. And I appoint]
Gr. I bequeath as by my last Willforeign, …. and Testament. See Heb. 9. 17.
Verse 30. That yee may eate and drinke, &c.]
As Mephibosheth and Chinham at Davids table; which was an high favour.
Verse 31. Simon, Simon]
q. d. Mi charissime Simon. Piscat.
Satan hath desired, &c.]
As a challenger desireth to have one of the other-side to combat with, as Goliah did. He cannot harm us without leave. So he desired to have Job, and had him.
That he may sift you]
Cribratione Satanae non perditur, sed purgatur frumentum, saith Zanchy. See the Note on Matthew 3. 12.
Verse 32. But I have prayed]
So the plaister is ready made before the wound be given: for else the patient might perish, as those do that are stung with scorpions, if not presently anointed with … of scorpions.
That thy faith fail not]
It is our faith that Satan chiefly assaulteth:Seneca. He knowes that nihil retinet qui fidem perdidit.
Strengthen thy brethren]
So he doth notably, in both his Epistles, dooming Apostates most severely, 2. Pet. 2.
Verse 41. And he was with-drawn]
For privacy sake to pray, though … to leave their company, thorough extreame perplexity; which made him return so oft to them, calling upon them to watch with him.
Verse 42. If thou be willing]
He was so astonied with the greatnesse of his present pressures, that he seems for a time to suffer some kind of forgetfulnesse of his office.
Verse 44. And being in an agony]
foreign saith a Greek Father. Alphonsus is honoured in Histories for this, that he abased himself so far, as to help one of his subjects out of a ditch. Shall not Christ much more be honoured that helped all his out of the ditch of damnation?
Great drops of bloud]
Clotty bloud issuing through flesh and skin in great abundance. Oecolampadius tels of a certain poor man,foreign, who being kept hanging in the trusse of the cord (which is a certain hanging by the hands behind, having a weighty stone fastened at their feet) the space of six hours, the sweat that dropt from hisAct. and Mon. fol. 805. body for very pain and anguish, was almost bloud. But here was no (almost) in our Saviours bloudy sweat; whiles, without any externall violence meerly by the force of his own saddest thoughts working upon him, sanguinem congelatum quasi extruserit. So great was Scanderbegs ardor in battell, that the bloud burst out of hisBucholcer. lips. But from our Champions not lips only, but whole body, burst out a bloudy sweat. Not his eyes only were fountains of tears, or his head waters, as Jeremy wished Chap. 9. 1. but his whole body was turned, as it were, into rivers of bloud: A sweet comfort to such as are cast down for that, that their sorrow for sin is not so deep and soaking, as they could desire.
Verse 45. He found them sleeping]
Who should have waked,Socrates Theodoret. and wiped off his sweat (as the Angell did Theodorus the Martyrs) but they rather added to it by their security.
Verse 48. Judas, betrayest thou, &c.]
Sic Judaei, sub praetextu ….pietatis maximè delinquebant; & Deo osculum sine amore …. Julian the Apostate was no friend to Basil, though he wrote to him foreign. Nor was Libanius the more to be beleived for saying foreign.In … ad …. If Basil commend me, I despise other mens worse censures.
Verse 49. Lord shall we smite?]
But before he could answer, Peter smot: which might easily have cost him his life. Quod …, ne feceris, is a safe rule.
Verse 51. And he touched his eare, &c.]
After he had laid them flat on the ground. So he tryed them both wayes: but nothing would do.
Verse 53. And the power of darknesse]
The dark places of the 1 Cor. ….earth are full of the habitations of cruelty, Psal. 74. 20. Creatures… Tim. kept in the dark are … and furious. Had they known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. I did it ignorantly, saith Paul concerning his persecuting the Saints.
Verse 61. And looked upon Peter]
A stroke from guilt broke Judas his heart into despair: but a look from Christ brak Peters heart into teares.