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who can use them. We pray that as you daily read and meditate on God's
Word, you will be able to use these to help you spiritually grow in
your daily walk with the Lord
It is our desire to make these devotionals readily available to anyone who can use them. We pray that as you daily read and meditate on God's Word, you will be able to use these to help you spiritually grow in your daily walk with the Lord.
May God richly bless you this day!
Sunday, October 1st
MATTHEW 18:15-35
THE KING'S LAW CONCERNING OFFENSES
30. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should
pay the debt.
Not he could not - but he would not. He gave no time, proposed no composition
promised no mercy, He used the law of his own generous king as a means
of treading down his poor fellow servant. He personally attended to
the debtor's arrest: he went and cast him into prison. He sees him sentenced
to a debtor's dungeon, without hope of coming out again unless by payment.
It was his lord's own prison, too: he was making use of his generous
sovereign's lock-up to gratify his own malevolence. He vowed that his
fellow servant should lie there till he should, pay the debt. Base conduct
this! As common as it is base!
31. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry,
and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Others could see the evil of his conduct if he could not. His fellow
servants saw what was done: he was a notable character, and what he
did was sure to be observed. Much had been forgiven him, and much was
expected from him. His fellow servants were very sorry for the imprisoned
debtor, and sorry that any fellow servant of theirs should degrade himself
by acting in a manner so opposite to the treatment which he had received
from his lord. They were right in reporting the transaction to headquarters;
for such a foul offense ought to be known where right could be done.
Instead of carrying out lynch law, they told unto their lord all that
was done. This was a very sensible course of conduct on their part.
Let us adopt this plan if we are ever in similar circumstances, instead
of indulging in foolish gossip and angry denunciation.
32, 33. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him,
O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst
me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant,
even as I had pity on thee.
The wretch was not condemned unheard: his lord only judged him after
that he had called him. His lord and king set the matter before him
very clearly, and appealed to his own judgment upon the case. He reminded
him of what he appeared to have forgotten: at least, he had acted as
if it had never happened.
MATTHEW 18:15-35
THE KING'S LAW CONCERNING OFFENSES
His lord addressed him in words of burning indignation: "O thou wicked servant." It was atrocious wickedness of heart that had permitted him to indulge in such unworthy conduct. "I forgave thee all that debt." What an all it was! How freely was the debt removed! "I forgave thee." The reason given was, "because thou desiredst me." Not because thou hadst deserved such leniency, or couldst ever repay it. The inference from such abounding generosity was clear, strong unanswerable. The last words of the verse are forcible in the highest degree: "Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant" How readily should we forgive the little offenses from which we suffer, since our Lord has pardoned our grievous transgressions! No offense of a fellow servant can be compared with our sins against our Lord. What a model for our compassion is set before us in those words, "even as I had pity on thee"! The culprit made no defense. What could he say? He was unable even to make another appeal to mercy. He had refused mercy, and now mercy refused him.
34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till
he
should pay all that was due unto him.
His lord was wroth: he who could be so compassionate was necessarily a
man of warm feelings, and therefore he could be angry. Naturally, he was
compassionate towards the poor debtor in prison, and this made him indignant
with the wretch who had imprisoned him. It was righteous wrath that gave
up the unforgiving servant to tremble punishment: delivered him to the
tormentors, the proper executioners of justice. His punishment would be
without end, for it was to last till he should pay all that was due; and
the debtor could never pay the ten thousand talents. Things must take
their course with malicious spirits. They have put themselves beyond the
reach of mercy. Love's own greatness necessitates great indignation at
the malice which insists upon revenging its little wrongs. The sovereignty
of God is never unjust: he only delivers to the tormentors those whom
the law of the universe necessarily condemns.
MATTHEW 18:15-35
THE KING'S LAW CONCERNING OFFENSES
35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from
your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
This is the great moral lesson. We incur greater wrath by refusing to
forgive than by all the rest of our indebtedness. W e cannot escape from
condemnation if we refuse to pardon others. If we forgive in words only,
but not from our hearts, we remain under the same condemnation. Continued
anger against our brother shuts heaven's gate in our own faces. The heavenly
Father of the Lord Jesus will be righteously wrathful against us, and
will deliver us to the tormentors if we do not from our hearts forgive
every one his brother's trespasses. Lord, make me of a meek, forgiving
spirit! May my heart be as ready to pardon offenses as it is to beat!
CHAPTER 19
MATTHEW 19:1-12
THE KING AND THE MARRIAGE LAWS
1. AND it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he
departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan;
and great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
He had finished these sayings upon forgiveness, and so he hastened to
other work that was not finished. He was ever on the move, and he departed
from Galilee, which had received so much of his care, that other regions
might enjoy his ministry. He now turned more to the south, into the coasts
of Judaea beyond Jordan, and he did good at every turn. When he had finished
speaking to the disciples, he began working deeds of grace in a new district,
and great multitudes followed him. Ever the crowd was at his heels, held
both by his word and by his work. He was drawing near to Jerusalem, and
his foes were on the watch; but he did not restrain his works of mercy
because of their jealous scrutiny: he healed, them THERE. The place of
our Lord's gracious work is worthy to be remembered. Where the need was,
there the help was given.
MATTHEW 19:1-12
THE KING AND THE MARRIAGE LAWS
3. The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him.
Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
Here are these vipers again! What perseverance in malice! Little cared
they for instruction, yet they assumed the air of enquirers. In truth,
they were upon the catch, and were ready to dispute with him whatever
he might say. The question is cunningly worded "Is it lawful for
a man to put away his wife for every cause?" The looser the terms
of a question, the more likely is it to entangle the person interrogated.
Their own consciences might have told them that the marriage bond is not
to be severed for any and every reason that a man likes to mention. Yet
it was a question much disputed at the time, whether a man could send
away his wife at pleasure, or whether there must be some serious reason
alleged. Whatever Jesus might say, the Pharisees meant to use his verdict
against him.
4-6. And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which
made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this
cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife:
and they twain shall be one flesh. Wherefore they are no more twain, but
one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
In his reply, Jesus challenges their knowledge of the law: "Have
ye not read?" It was a forcible mode of appealing to their own boasted
acquaintance with the books of Moses. Our Lord honors Holy Scripture by
drawing his argument therefrom. He chose specially to set his seal upon
a part of the story of creation - that story which modern critics speak
of as if it were fable or myth. He took his hearers back to the beginning
when God made them male and female, and made them sons. "In the image
of God created he him; male and female created he them." (Genesis
1:27). The woman was taken out of man, and Adam truly said, "This
is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh" (Genesis 2:23). By
marriage this unity is set forth and embodied under divine sanction.
MATTHEW 19:1-12
THE KING AND THE MARRIAGE LAWS
This oneness is of the most real and vital kind: "They are no more
twain, but one flesh." All other ties are feeble compared with
this: even father and mother must stand second to the wife:
"For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and, shall
cleave to his wife." Being divinely appointed, this union must
not be broken by the caprice of men:
"What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
Our Lord thus decides for the life-long perpetuity of the marriage bond,
in opposition to those who allowed divorce for "every cause",
which very frequently meant for no cause whatever,
7. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of
divorcement, and to put her away?
Every reader of the passage in the books of Moses which is here referred
to will be struck with the Pharisees' unfair rendering of it. In Deuteronomy
24:1, 2, we read: "When a man hath taken a wife, and married her,
and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath
found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement,
and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she
is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife."
Moses commanded nothing in this instance; but barely tolerated, and
greatly limited a custom then in vogue. To set Moses against Moses is
not a new device; but the Pharisees would hardly venture to set Moses
against God, and make him command an alteration of a divine law ordained
from the beginning; yet our Lord made them see that they would have
to do this to maintain the theory of easy divorce. The fact is, that
Moses found divorce in existence to an almost unlimited extort, and
he wisely commenced its overthrow by curtailing the custom rather than
by absolutely forbidding it at once. They were not allowed to send away
a wife with a hasty word, but must make a deliberate, solemn ceremonial
of it by preparing and giving a writing of divorcement; and this was
only allowed in a special case: "because he hath found some uncleanness
in her." Although many of the Pharisees spirited away this last
limitation, and they considered that the enactment in Deuteronomy sanctioned
almost unlimited divorce.
MATTHEW 19:1-12
THE KING AND THE MARRIAGE LAWS
8. He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered
you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
Moses tolerated and circumscribed an evil custom which he knew that such
a people would not relinquish after its having been established among
them for so long a time. They could not bear a higher law, and so he treated
them as persons diseased with hardness of heart, hoping to lead them back
to an older and better state of things by possible stages. As impurity
ceased, and as the spirit of true religion would influence the nation,
the need for divorce, and even the least desire for it, would die out.
There was no provision in paradise for Adam's putting away Eve; there
was no desire for divorce in the golden age. The enactment of the Mosaic
law of divorce was modern and temporary; and in the form into which a
loose interpretation of Scripture had distorted it, it was not defensible.
9. And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be
for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso
marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
Fornication makes the guilty person a fit subject for just and lawful
divorce; for it is a virtual disannulling of the marriage bond. In a case
of fornication, upon clear proof, the tie can be loosed; but in no other
case. Any other sort of divorce is by the law of God null and void, and
it involves the persons who act upon it in the crime of adultery. Whoso
marries her who is put away doth commit adultery; since she is not really
divorced, but remains the wife of her former husband. Our King tolerates
none of those enactments which, in certain countries, trifle with the
bonds of matrimony. Nations may make what laws they dare, but they cannot
alter facts: persons once married are, in the sight of God, married for
life, with the one exception of proven fornication. Even his disciples,
looking at the risks of unhappy married life, concluded that it were better
to remain single. They said, "It is good not to marry;" and
there was a measure of truth in their declaration.
MATTHEW 19:1-12
THE KING AND THE MARRIAGE LAWS
10. His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his
wife, it is not good to marry. 11. But he said unto them, All men cannot
receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.
It may be better in some respects not to marry; but all men cannot receive
this saying, and put it into practice: it would be the end of the race
if they could. A single life is not for all, nor for many: nature forbids.
To some, celibacy is better than marriage; but such are peculiar in constitution,
or in circumstances. Abstinence from marriage is to a few a choice gift
answering high purposes; but to the many, marriage is as necessary as
it is honorable.
12. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's
womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and
there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of
heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
Some have but feeble desires concerning marriage, and they were so born.
They will find it good to remain as they are. Others subdue the desires
of nature, for holy and laudable reasons, for the kingdom of heaven's
sake; but this is not for all, nor for many. It is optional with individuals
to marry or not: if they marry, nature commends, but grace is silent;
if the forbear for Christ's sake, grace commends, and nature does not
forbid. Enforced celibacy is the seed bed of sins. "Marriage is honorable
in all" Violations of purity are abominable in the sight of the Lord.
In this matter we need guidance and grace if we follow the usual way;
and if we elect the less frequented road, we shall need grace and guidance
even more. As to a resolve to persevere in a single life: He that is able
to receive it, let him receive it.
MATTHEW 19:13-15
THE GREAT KING AMONG THE LITTLE CHILDREN
13. Then there were brought unto him little children, that he should put
his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.
From questions of marriage to the subject of children was an easy and
natural step, and providence so arranged events that our Lord was led
to proceed from the one to the other. We see how gentle was our King in
the fact that anyone thought of bringing boys and girls to him. Their
friends brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands
on them, and bestow a blessing; and also lift up his hands to God, and
pray for them. This was a very natural desire on the part of devout parents,
and it showed much faith in our Lord's condescension. We feel sure that
the mothers brought them, for still holy women are doing the same. The
disciples, jealous for their Lord's honor, bade the mothers and nurses
forbear. They judged that it was too childish an act on the mothers' part,
and it was treating the great Teacher too familiarly. Were not the disciples
the more childish of the two in imagining that their Lord would be unkind
to babes?
14. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come
unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
The Lord is more lowly than his servants. He bids them cease to hinder
the little children; he calls them to himself; he declares that they are
the very kind of people of whom his heavenly kingdom is made up. "Of
such is the kingdom of heaven" - this is the banner of the Sunday
school. Children, and those like them, may freely come into the kingdom
of the Lord of heaven; yea, these are the characters who alone can enter
into that kingdom.
15. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
He did not baptize them, but he did bless them. The touch of his hands
meant more than pen can write. Happy children who shared that laying on
of hands; for those hands were neither empty nor feeble! Jesus did not
tarry even with this lovely company, but hastened on to his appointed
work, and departed thence. Yet he had said so much in the two sentences
of the former verse that earth and heaven will never cease to be the richer
for them.
MATTHEW 19:16-30
THE KING SETTLES THE ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
16. And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing
shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
Here was one who thought himself first, yet he had to go last; yea, and
even to go away sorrowful. He was a self-sufficient gentleman: he seemed
to feel that one good thing from him would be enough, and that he could
and would do it at once. He had some misgivings, or he would not have
asked the question, "What good thing shall I do?" Perhaps, even
in so admirable a life as his own, something might yet be lacking. But
if it should turn out to be so, he could readily supply the lack. He was
very respectful, and addressed the Lord Jesus as "Good Master."
So far, so good. His question was of great personal importance. "What
shall I do, that I may have eternal life" Oh, that more young men
would ask a similar question! It was a very suitable inquiry for an earnest
person, such as he undoubtedly was. He sought eternal life, and could
not be content with the honors of the hour. He only wanted to know what
to do to win that eternal life, and he would set about it at once. This
is a hopeful inquirer. Surely he will be a grand, convert! Let us wait
a little, and we shall see.
17. And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good
but one, that is, God but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Our Lord cared not for empty compliments, and so he asks, "Why callest
thou me good?" Many modern heretics praise Jesus, and their commendations
are such an insult to his glorious person that he might well say, Why
do call thou me good? Did this man really mean it? If so, the Lord Jesus
would let him know by a hint that he to whom he speaks was more than man.
The argument is clear: either Jesus was good, or he ought not to have
called him good; but as there is none good but God, Jesus who is good
must be God. As for the question of having eternal life through a good
work, Jesus answers him on his own ground. Life by the law comes only
by keeping its commands: "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the
commandments."
MATTHEW 19:16-30
THE KING SETTLES THE ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
No one has ever fulfilled them so as to be we good: did this young man
think that he could do so? Yet, on the ground of law, if he would deserve
eternal life as a reward, he must be as good as God, and keep the commandments
to perfection. Thus the rugged way of works was set before him; not
that he might attempt to win eternal life thereby, but that he might
perceive his own shortcomings, and so feel his weakness as to look for
salvation by some other method.
18, 19. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder,
Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not
bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself.
The questioner ventures to ask, "Which?" Did he suppose that
certain ceremonial precepts would be mentioned? Probably he did, for
he felt himself quite sure upon all the points of the moral law. Our
Lord, however, gives him nothing new, but turns to the ancient Decalogue.
He quotes the second table of the law first, and begins with commands
which would appear to the young man to be the mere commonplaces of morality.
The last-quoted command summarized the rest, and it ought to have opened
the questioner's eyes to his short comings; for who has loved his neighbor
as himself? The young aristocrat was not, however, convicted of sin.
He pressed his enquiry as to salvation by works because he thought himself
on the road to winning it.
20. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from
my youth up: what lack I yet?
Perhaps he spoke the truth, as he understood the law. He had maintained
an excellent moral character from his early boyhood. He was no braggart,
but could honestly claim to have led a commendable life. He was, no
doubt, a very exemplary person, and so amiable that Jesus looked on
him very lovingly. We know some who are like him, and may be described
"as touching the law, blameless." "What lack I yet?"
is an inquiry few would dare to put. He felt that if there was anything
lacking in him, he was altogether ignorant as to what it could be. His
self-esteem needed no increasing.
MATTHEW 19:16-30
THE KING SETTLES THE ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
21. Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou
hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
and come and follow me.
Our Lord brings him to the test of the first table of the law: "Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart." If he did this,
he would be willing, at a divine command, to part with his property,
even as Abraham was ready to offer up his son. Our Lord Jesus, as God,
claimed from him an unusual sacrifice. Did he love God sufficiently
to make it? The command of our Lord was a challenge to self-righteousness
to prove its own profession. We may also regard it as putting on its
trial his profession to have loved his neighbor as himself. Did he love
the poor as well as himself? If so, it would be no hardship to sell
his possessions, and give to the poor. We must not infer that Jesus
would have all his followers part with all that they have: it was a
test for this one man: "If thou wilt be perfect." Still, if
we love our possessions more than we love God, we are idolaters; and
if we hug our property so as to let the poor hunger, we cannot be said
to love them as ourselves. We have heard of persons claiming to be perfect,
and yet retaining possession of hundreds of thousands of pounds; and
we have doubted their perfection. Was there not a cause? Compassion
for poverty, zeal for the truth, and love of doing good, will hardly
allow of any Christian's owning enormous riches. At any rate, such wealthy
ones will find it hard to render an account at the last great day. We
must love Jesus and his great cause better than our wealth, or else
we are not his true followers.
22. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful:
for he had great possessions.
He could not go the whole length of his own plan. He failed to observe
the spirit both of the second and the first table. He loved not his
poor brother as himself; he loved not God in Christ Jesus with all his
heart and soul. He thought himself first; but he soon stood behind the
last, for he went away sorrowful That which glittered so much is not
found to be gold. This man's great possessions, so possessed him that
he never possessed his own soul.
MATTHEW 19:16-30
THE KING SETTLES THE ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
23. Then Jesus said unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That
a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Worldly possessions, apart from divine grace, have a deadening, hardening,
hampering influence upon the soul. Some rich men do enter into the kingdom
of heaven, but it is hard for them; very hard indeed. The temptation is
to let riches rule the mind; and when that is the case, the kingdom of
this world opposes the kingdom of heaven. Houses and land, and gold and
silver, act as bird-lime to the soul, and prevent its rising towards heaven.
This is especially the case in persecuting times; but it is sufficiently
a fact in all periods of human history. It is worthy of notice that this
hard sentence was intended for Christians; for it is written, Then Jesus
said unto his disciples, "Verily I say UNTO YOU."
24. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God.
Weighty words are introduced with the authoritative formula, Again I say
unto you. Into this statement our Lord throws the full weight of his personality.
He uses an expressive proverb, which means precisely what the words convey
to the common reader. There is no sense in hunting up abstruse metaphors
where the proverbial teaching is as plain as possible. He would show that
wealth is far more a hindrance than a help to those who would enter into
the kingdom of God. A camel is not only large, but it has humps, and how
can it go through so small an opening as the eye of a needle? It could
not make such a passage except by a strange miracle; nor can a rich man
enter into the kingdom of God except by a marvel of grace. How few of
the rich even hear the gospel! They are too great, too fine, too busy,
too proud to regard the lowly preacher of the gospel of the poor. If,
perchance, they do hear the heavenly message, they have not the necessities
and tribulations which drive men from the present world to seek consolation
in the world to come, and so they feel no need to accept Christ. Should
the rich begin the divine life, how hard it is for them to persevere amid
the cares, the luxuries, the temptations of a wealthy position! Yet, blessed
be God, we have seen rich men become poor in spirit! We have seen camels
go through this needle's eye, humps and all!
MATTHEW 19:16-30
THE KING SETTLES THE ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
25. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying,
Who then can be saved?
No common astonishment filled them Much astounding truth they had already
heard from their Master; but this exceeded all, and they were exceedingly
amazed. They had previously thought that wealth was an advantage: and
now they judged that if those who had riches could only be saved with
surpassing difficulty, poor working-men like themselves could have no
hope whatever. They were ready to despair; and therefore they put to their
Lord the very natural question, "Who then can be saved?" Even
our Lord's disciples felt themselves bewildered by his plain utterance,
so hard is it to get rid of prejudices in favor of wealth
26. But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible;
but with God all things are possible.s
Jesus beheld them. He looked on them with pity and with love, and told
them that God could do that which, apart from him, would never come to
pass. To enter the kingdom is impossible to man unaided: one sin or another
blocks the way. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches
are a sadly effective barrier to the soul when it attempts to enter the
city of holiness; but God can cause those barriers to yield, and enable
the soul to enter by the narrow way. He is mighty to save. With God all
things, are possible. What a joyful truth for the writer and the reader!
Our salvation, when we view our own weakness and the power of sin, is
impossible with men. Only when we turn to God and his grace, does salvation
range among the possibilities. The rich man is set by our Lord, not at
the head, but at the foot of the line of aspirants for the kingdom. Lord,
my hope of being found in thy kingdom lies in thy power, and grace, and
not in my possessions!
27. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all,
and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
Here is another claimant for a front place. Peter answered, adding, as
he seemed to think, a question needful for the full discussion of the
subject. Peter speaks for his brethren: "Behold, we have forsaken
all, and followed thee," we have done what the rich young man refused
to do: "What shall we have therefore?
Saturday, October 14th
MATTHEW 19:16-30
THE KING SETTLES THE ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
He spoke as the representative of a number who had become poor for the
kingdom's sake: surely these must have a large reward. Little as these
first believers had to leave, it was their all, and they had forsaken
it to follow Jesus: Peter would fain hear what their recompense would
be what Peter said was true, but it was not wisely spoken. It has a selfish,
grasping look, and it is worded so barely that it ought not in that fashion
to have come from a servant to his Lord. After all, what have any of us
to lose for Jesus compared with what we gain by him? "What shall
we have?" is a question that we need not raise, for we ought rather
to think of what we have already received at our Lord's has. Himself is
reward enough to the soul that hath him.
28. And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have
followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the
throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel. Our Lord regards Peter as spokesman for them
all, and he therefore answered them all: "Jesus said unto them."
Seeing their questioning state of mind, he begins with, "Verily I
say unto you." He condescendingly meets their somewhat selfish enquiry.
They needed not to doubt but what there would be a large and full reward
for those who had followed him. His first adherents would have high rank,
and should sit as assessors with the great Judge in the day of his exaltation.
Those who share his humiliation shall share his glory also. When our Lord
shall sit in the throne of his glory, all things will have been made new.
That dispensation will be called the regeneration: then shall the highest
honors among their fellows of the twelve tribes of Israel await the twelve
who followed Jesus, even to the loss of all things.
29. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters,
or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake,
shall receive an hundred-fold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
No man shall be a loser by the Lord Jesus in the long run. Every one that
hath bravely forsaken the comforts of this life for Christ shall receive
an hundred-fold recompense. Our Lord makes up to the persecuted all that
which they part with for his sake.
MATTHEW 19:16-30
THE KING SETTLES THE ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
Exiles for the truth have found a father and a brother in every Christian;
a mother and a sister in every holy woman. Our Lord, by giving us his
own love, and the love of our fellow-Christians, supplies a hundred-fold
compensation to those who have to leave wife or children for his sake.
In entertaining and hospitably by loving the brethren. Saints in banishment
have had their houses and lands in a sense have been restored to them.
To be at home everywhere, is a great gain, even though for Christ's
name's sake we should be exiled from our native shores. Above all, in
God we have a hundred-fold recompense for all that we can possibly lose
for his cause; and then there is the eternal life given to us, which
no mansions and estates could have procured for us. In faith of this
we look forward to the reign of the saints, when even here they shall
inherit the earth, and rejoice themselves in the abundance of peace.
Beyond this, when time ceases, there remains endless bliss; for we shall
inherit everlasting life. Oh, that we may never hesitate to be glad
losers for Jesus! They who lose all for Christ will find all in Christ,
and receive all with Christ.
30. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
Thus our Lord sums up his deliverance as to rich men, and gives us the
aphorism now before us, which he has already illustrated, and means
to repeat further on in the sixteenth verse of the next chapter. Our
King is here seen arranging human positions as they appear from his
throne. To his eye, many first are last, and many last are first; and
he will in his kingdom to place men according to the divine order.
MATTHEW 20:1-16
A PARABLE OF THE KINGDOM
1. FOR the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder,
which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into
his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a
day, he sent them into his vineyard.
The kingdom of heaven, is all of grace, and so is the service connected
with it. Let thin be remembered in the exposition of this parable. The
call to work, the ability, and the reward, are all on the principle
of grace, and not upon that of merit. This was no common man that is
an householder, and his going out to hire laborers into his vineyards
was not after the usual manner of men, for they will have a full day's
work for a full day's wage. This householder considered the laborers
rather than himself. He was up before the dew was gone from the grass,
and found laborers, and sent them into his vineyard. It was a choice
privilege to be allowed to begin holy service so early in the morning.
They agreed with the householder, and went to work on his terms. They
might well be content, since they were promised a full day's hire, and
were sure to get it: a penny a day represented the accepted wage.
3, 4. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing
idle in the marketplace, and said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard,
and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
Hating indolence, and grieving that he saw others standing idle in the
market place, he hired more workers about the third hour. They would
make only three-quarters of a day; but it was for their good to cease
from loafing at the street-corner. These are like persons whose childhood
is past, but who are not yet old. They are favored to have a good part
of their day of life available for hallowed service. To these the householder
said: "Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I
will give you." He pointed to those already in the field, and said,
"Go ye also;" and he promised them, not a definite sum, as
he did those whom he first hired, but he said: "Whatsoever is right
I will give you." They went to their labor, they did not wish to
remain idlers; and as right-minded men, they could not quarrel with
the householder's agreement to give them whaOctober 16
MATTHEW 20:1-16
A PARABLE OF THE KINGDOM
5. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
Had it been altogether and alone a business transaction, the householder
would have waited to begin a new day, and would not have given a whole
day's wage for a fraction of a day's work. The entire matter was alone
of grace; and therefore, when half the day was gone, about the sixth
hour, he called in laborers. Men of forty and fifty are bidden to
enter the vineyard. Yes, and about the ninth hour men were engaged.
At sixty, the Lord calls a number by his grace! It is wrong to assert
that men are not saved after forty; we know to the contrary, and could
mention instances. God in the greatness of his love calls into his
service men from whom the exuberance of useful vigor has departed;
he accepts the waning hours of their day. He has work for the weak
as well as for the strong. He allows none to labor for him without
the reward of grace, even though they have spent their best days in
sin. This is no encouragement to procrastination; but it should induce
old sinners to seek the Lord at once.
6, 7. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing
idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They
say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go
ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye
receive.
The day was nearly over, only a single hour remained; yet about the
eleventh hour he went out. The generous householder was willing to
take on more workmen, and give them hire, though the sun was going
down. He found a group lingering at the loafers' corner - standing
idle. He wished to clear the whole town of sluggards, and so he said
to them, "Why stand ye here all the day idle?" His question
to them may be read by making each word in its turn emphatic, and
then it yields a fullness of meaning. Why are ye idle? What is the
good of it? Why stand ye here idle where all are busy? Why all the
day idle? Will not a shorter space suffice? Why ye idle? You have
need to work, you are able to do it, and you should set about it at
once. Why is any one of us remaining idle towards God? Has nothing
yet had power to engage us to sacred service? Can we dare to say,
"No bestir ourselves! It is time that we went, without delay,
to kill the weeds and prune the vines.
MATTHEW 20:1-16
A PARABLE OF THE KINGDOM
8. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his
steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from
the last unto the first.
Days soon end, and to all the laborers even was come. This was pay-time,
and the lord of the vineyard did not forget his agreements with the
laborers, nor tell them to wait for their wages. Our Lord will rob
no man of his reward. The householder in the parable sees to everything
personally. His is the hiring, and the order for the paying. Promptly
he saith unto his steward, "Call the laborers, and give them
their hire." We shall be called each one to receive our reward
when our day is over. Happy are we to have been already first called
into the vineyard: thus the second call to receive the hire becomes
a welcome one. The lord of the vineyard, who so transactions in hiring
had been of no ordinary kind, was equally peculiar in the manner of
payment. He chose to arrange it so that those who first came were
last served; which is not often the manner of men. It was not a transaction
of a mercenary sort, but a display of free favor; and so the great
quality of sovereignty comes in as to the very order of payment -
"beginning from the last unto the first." The Lord will
take care that, in the transactions of his grace, his sovereignty
as well as his goodness shall be conspicuous.
9. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they
received every man a penny.
Our Lord's pay is not a hire of deserving, but a gift of bounty. He
paid on the scale of grace, and not at the rate of merit. He commenced
in superb style, and to those who began to work at the eleventh hour,
he gave every man a penny: here was a full day's pay for one hour's
work. Herein was displayed the boundless bounty of the lord of the
vineyard. That some, who have served the Lord but a very brief time,
have equaled and even excelled those who have been for many years
believers, is clear, for many short but blessed lives attest it. Converted
late in life, they have been singularly diligent, specially consecrated,
and memorably holy, and thus they have obtained the full result of
grace at a speedy rate. God will place in heavenly glory those who
turn to Christ even at the last. Did not our Lord say even to the
dying thief. "
Thursday, October19th
MATTHEW 20:1-16
A PARABLE OF THE KINGDOM
10. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have
received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
Possibly the first felt their vanity wounded by being paid after the
others. They used their waiting time in considering their own superiority
to the late comers. Filled with legal principles, they kicked at the
sovereignty of grace, and virtually in this matter rebelled against
justice also. Those who are not friends to any one attribute of God
are not in love with the others. Sooner or later, those who rage at
sovereignty resist justice also. They had what was promised them:
what more would they have a fair wage was given: they received every
man a penny. What more could they expect? But they supposed - there
was the difficulty: they had a theory to support, a supposition to
justify; and so they were aggrieved because their supposition did
not develop into a fact. God will not be bound by our supposings;
and we do but deceive ourselves if we think he will.
11, 12. And when they had received it, they murmured against the good
man of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and
thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and
heat of the day.
As soon as the penny was in their hand, a murmur was in their mouth.
It was a fair wage, and what they agreed to take; but yet, when they
had received, it, they murmured against the goodman of the house.
His only supposable fault was that, as a good man, he was too good
to the short-timers. The Lord does often greatly bless men whose working
lives are short, and even those who are saved late in life. He does
not measure up work as we do, by the rod, or by the hour. He has his
own gracious ways of estimating service, and the reckonings of grace
are not like those of law. At the sight of great grace envious hearts
grow sour. The murmurers said, not that the generous Lord had lowered
them, but that he had advanced others who had wrought but one hour.
Their complaint was, "Thou hast made them equal unto us."
In this he had used his own money as he pleased, even as God dispenses
grace as he wills. He is never unjust to any; but in gifts of bounty
he will not be bound by our ideas of equity.
MATTHEW 20:1-16
A PARABLE OF THE KINGDOM
Had they been of the right sort, they would have rejoiced that they
had
been able to give to him a fair day's work, since they had borne the
burden and heat of the day. At any rate, it is a great privilege to
be serving the Lord throughout a long life, and those who have enjoyed
this high favor are deeply indebted to the grace of God. Blessed be
our heavenly Father, some of us have been his servants from our youth,
and have endured no little labor for his name's sake; but in this
we rejoice greatly, and magnify his love.
13. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong:
didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
He did not fall into a dispute with the whole company; but he answered
one of them, which was quite enough. They had been individually hired,
and individually he argues with them. It is a calm and reasonable
reply:
"Friend, I do thee no wrong." If the Lord rewards us graciously
for what we do, we are not wronged because another who has done less
has a like recompense. The quiet personal question is one to which
there is no answer: "Didst not thou agree with me for a penny?"
Yet the legal spirit will come in even concerning work which is all
of grace. Even among the Father's true sons, the elder brother gets
touched with this alien spirit. None of us are quite free from it:
it seems bred in the bone of our proud nature, yet nothing is more
unlovely or unreasonable.
14, 15. Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this
last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will
with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
The good man stands to his determination of bounty. He will not be
driven from liberality by envious tongues. What he gives is his own,
and he maintains his right to do as he pleases with it. This is a
fine illustration of the sovereignty of divine grace. Each man shall
have all he can claim. "Take that thine is;" and having
it, let him rest content: "Go thy way The Lord will not be ruled
by our regulations, but declares, "I will give unto this last,
even as unto thee." It is condescending on his part to say a
word in defense of his most fit and fair position: "Is it not
lawful for me to do what I will saith my own?" If mercy be the
Lord's own, he may give it as he pleases.
MATTHEW 20:1-16
A PARABLE OF THE KINGDOM
If the reward of service be wholly of grace, the Lord may render it according to his own pleasure. Be ye sure that he will do so. In words of thunder he says, both under the law and under the gospel, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." That was a home question for each of the grumblers to answer, - Is thine eye evil, because I am good?" Does it make you jealous to see others enjoy my bounty? Because I am good to these who deserved so little, does this deprive you of the good which I have granted to you? Let us never envy late converts their joy or their usefulness; but applaud the sovereignty which blesses them so largely. We share the mercy with them; let us give them an equal portion of our Joy.
16. So the last shall be first, and the first last; for many be called,
but few chosen.
Here our Lord repeats his famous saying, which we noted in chpt. 19.
:30, and lets us know that precedence in the kingdom of heaven is according
to the order of grace. The King will rule in his own courts; and who
shall question his will? As he is King, it is his right to rule. Loyal
subjects are ever ready to support their sovereign. Our King reigns
by right divine, and cannot do wrong. It was said of David, "Whatsoever
the king did pleased all the people." Let this be true of David's
Son and his people. Jesus tells us that, while many men are called to
service, few reach the standard of choice men. Some of the last shall
be first, for abounding grace is seen in their brief hour of work; but
some of the first shall be last, for they are not always diligent throughout
their longer day, and so fall back in the race, or their legal notions
put them far behind those who were called later in life, but who are
better instructed in the principles of divine grace.
MATTHEW 20:17-28
THE KING ON HIS WAY TO THE CROSS
17-19. And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart
in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and
the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the
scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him
to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the
third day he shall rise again.
Marching up, towards the guilty capital, with resolute and vigorous
step, Jesus out walked the trembling disciples, who for-saw some dire
tragedy would transpire. They went with him, and that was something;
and showed that, if timid, they were sincere. His words were true
and significant: "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem." He thought
it wise to tell them yet again of the dark future which was now drawing
very near, so he took the twelve disciples apart in the way. That
is the best communion when Jesus himself takes us apart. He knows
the fittest seasons for fullest revelations. Possibly, in this, his
human soul was seeking fellowship; but how little of it he found among
his feeble followers! Lord, when thou cost take me apart, prepare
me for full communion, lest I miss a golden opportunity! The heart
of Jesus was full of his sacrifice. Mark how he dwells on the details
from the beginning to the end of his sufferings, death, and resurrection.
He uses very much the same terms as when they abode in Galilee. We
noticed that statement while reading in chapter 17:22, and this is
very like a repetition of it. It was a subject too grave to be set
forth with variety of expressions. He calls their attention to the
fact that they were going up to Jerusalem, the place of sacrifice:
the journey of his utmost grief was now beginning: the end was hastening
on. What a pang shot through his heart as he said, "The Son of
man shall be betrayed"! This he said in the hearing of the disciple
who would act as the traitor: did no compunction visit his base heart?
The twelve knew that Jesus had no more cruel foes than "the chief
priests and scribes," the men of the Sanhedrin, by a mock trial,
would "condemn him to death," but as they could not carry
out the sentence themselves, they would "deliver him to the Gentiles."
How accurately the Lord traces the line of action! He omits none of
the shameful details. He says that they would deliver him to the Romans
"to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him."
MATTHEW 20:17-28
THE KING ON HIS WAY TO THE CROSS
Here were three sharp swords: one scarcely knows which had the keenest
edge Our hearts ought to melt as we think of this threefold sorrow:
scorn, cruelty, death. Our blessed Master, however, added a word that
overpowered the bitterness of the death - draught. Here was the bright
lining of the black cloud: "The third day he shall rise again."
This poured a flood of light on what else had been a sevenfold midnight.
Did our Lord thus dwell on his passion, and should not we? Yes, it
should be our life-long theme. They say, in this hour of defection:
"Think of his life rather than of his death; "but we are
not to be duped by them. "We preach Christ crucified." "God
forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."
20, 21. Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her
sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he
said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these
my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the
left, in thy kingdom.
While the mind of Jesus was occupied with his humiliation and death,
his followers were thinking of their own honor and ease. Alas, poor
human nature! The mother of Zebedee's children only spoke as others
felt. She, with a mother's love, sought eminence, and even pre-eminence,
for her sons; but the fact that the other disciples were displeased
showed that they were ambitious also. Doubtless, they wanted to fill
the positions, that the mother of James and John craved for them.
She approached the Savior reverently, worshipping him. Yet there was
too much familiarity in her request to be granted an unnamed thing:
desiring a certain thing of him. Our Lord here sets us the example
of never promising in the dark. He said unto her, "What wilt
thou?" Know what you promise before you promise.
Great was this woman's faith in the Lord's ultimate victory and occasion
to the throne, since she regards his enthronement as so certain, that
she prays that her two sons should sit in his courts on his right
and left hand. Was she aware of what our Lord had told his disciples?
We half think so, for the words are - Then came to him the mother
of Zebedee's children.
MATTHEW 20:17-28
THE KING ON HIS WAY TO THE CROSS
If she knew and understood all that wont before, she was willing that
her sons should share the lot of Jesus, both as to his cross and his
crown; and this sets her petition in a bright light. Still, there was
a good deal of a mother's partiality in the request. See how she speaks
of "these my two sons" with a touch of pride in her action.
How grandly she describes the desired situation - "may sit the
one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom"!
She had evidently very courtly notions of what the kingdom would ultimately
become. In any case, her request had in it much of trust, and much of
loyal union to Christ, though somewhat. We need not censure her, but
we may question ourselves as to whether we think as much of our Lord
as she did.
22. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able
to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the
baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
The petition of the mother was that of the sons also; for Jesus answered
and said, "Ye know not what ye ask." As from the mother, the
request was probably of better quality than as from the sons; for our
Lord speaks to them rather than to her. They had asked, through the
mother, but they may have asked in greater ignorance than she; and had
they known what their request included, they might never have presented
it. At any rate, our Lord treats the petition as theirs rather than
their mother's; and as it was about themselves, he questions them as
to how far they were prepared for the consequences. To be near to the
throne of the King would involve fellowship with him in the suffering
and self-sacrifice by which he set up his spiritual kingdom: were they
ready for this? Had they strength to endure to the end? "Are ye
able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with
the baptism that I am baptized with?" They say unto him, "we
are able." Perhaps this was too hasty an answer; and yet it may
under the aspect have been the best they could give. If they were looking
alone to their Lord for strength, they were, through his grace, quite
able to bear anything. But, when they thought of his throne, had they
remembered the cup, and the baptism, without which there would be no
enjoying the kingdom?
MATTHEW 20:17-28
THE KING ON HIS WAY TO THE CROSS
23. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my
right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given
to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
Hearing their professed willingness to have fellowship with himself
in all things, our Lord assures them that he does not refuse to be associated
with them; but he points them to the immediate and certain result of
that fellowship. Our practical present business is not to aim at eminence
in the kingdom, but submissively to drink the cup of suffering, and
plunge into the deeps of humiliation which our Lord appoints for us.
It is a great honor to be allowed to drink of his cup and to be baptized
with his baptism: this he grants to his believing disciples. This fellowship
is the essence of the spiritual kingdom. If our cup be bitter, it is
his cup; if our baptism be overwhelming, it is the baptism that he is
baptized with; and this sweetens the one, and prevents the other from
being a death-plunge. Indeed that the cup and the baptism are his, makes
our share in them to be an honor bestowed by grace. Other rewards of
the kingdom are not arbitrarily granted, but fittingly bestowed. Jesus
says that the high places in the kingdom will be given to them for whom
they are prepared of his Father. He has no hesitation in speaking of
what his Father has "prepared." Everything about our Lord's
Kingdom is divinely arranged and fixed; nothing is left to chance or
fate. Even Jesus will not interfere with the divine appointment concerning
his kingdom. As a friend, he may not be solicited to use a supposed
private influence to alter the arrangements of infinite wisdom. Eternal
purposes are not to be changed at the request of ill-advised disciples.
In a sense, Jesus gives all things; but as Mediator, he comes not to
do his own will, but the will of him that sent him, and so he correctly
says of rank in his kingdom, It is not mine to give. How thoroughly
did our Lord take a lowly place for our sakes! In this laying aside
of authority, he gives a silent rebuke to our self-seeking. It may be
that he intended to reprove, not only the mother of Zebedee's children,
but all the disciples, who were constantly seeking great things for
themselves.
MATTHEW 20:17-28
THE KING ON HIS WAY TO THE CROSS
24-26. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation
against the two brethren. But Jesus called them unto him, and said,
Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them,
and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall
not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him
be your minister.
Naturally, the other ten apostles did not relish the attempt of the
sons of Zebedee to steal a march upon them. We never hear that they
resented our Lord's preference of Peter, James, and John; but when
two of these sought precedence for themselves they could not bear
it. Peter was with them in this, for we read, When the ten heard it.
Unanimously they were angry with upstarts. That they were moved with
indignation, was a proof that they were ambitious themselves, or at
least that they were not willing to take the lowest place. Because
they were guilty of the same fault, they were moved with indignation
against the two brethren. Here was a sad division in the little camp;
how could it be healed? Jesus called them unto him: he personally
dealt with this rising evil, and bade the twelve come aside, and listen
to something meant only for their private ear. They were confounding
his kingdom with the ordinary government of men, and therefore they
dreamed of being great, and exercising dominion in his name; but he
wished them to correct their ideas, and turn their thoughts another
way. It was true, that to be his followers was a highly honorable
thing, and made them partakers of a kingdom; but it was not like earthly
kingdoms. In the great Gentile monarchies, princes ruled by authority
force, and pomp; but in his kingdom the rule would be one of love,
and the dignity would be that of service. He who could serve most
would be the greatest. The lowliest would be the most honored: the
most self-sacrificing would have most power. Whenever we see the nobles
of earth contending for precedence, we should hear our Master say,
"But it shall not be so among you." We must for ever quit
hunting after honor, office, power, and influence. If we aim at greatness
at all, it must be by being great in service, becoming the minister
or servant of our brethren.
MATTHEW 20:17-28
THE KING ON HIS WAY TO THE CROSS
27. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
To rise in Christ's kingdom we must descend. He who would be chief,
or first, among saints, must be their servant, bondsman, or slave. The
lower we have stooped, the higher we have risen In this kind of rivalry
we shall be allowed to excel without exciting the indignation of the
brethren.
28. Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister,
and to give his life a ransom for many.
Assuredly HE who is greatest and chief among us has set us the example
of the utmost love-service. No servants waited on him. He was Master
and Lord; but he washed his servants' feet. He came not to be served,
but to serve. He received nothing from others; his was a life of giving,
and the giving of a life. For this purpose he was the Son of man; with
this design he came; to this end he gave his life a ransom for many.
No service is greater than to redeem sinners by his own death, no ministry
is lowlier than to die in the stead of sinners.
MATTHEW 20:29-34
THE KING OPENING THE EYES OF THE BLIND
29, 30. And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed
him. And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard
that Jesus passed by, cried out saying, Have mercy on US, O Lord, thou
son of David.
On Jericho a curse had rested; but the presence of Jesus brought it
a blessing. We suppose he must needs go through Jericho as once before
he must needs go through Samaria. Our Lord departed from Jericho, and
a vast crowd attended him; for his fame had spread far and wide. Nothing
striking is noted concerning his doings till two beggars come upon the
scene. Mercy needs misery to give it an occasion to work. Behold, two
blind men sitting by the way side. They could not behold Jesus, but
we are asked to behold them. They had taken up a hopeful position by
the way side. They had ears if they had not eyes, and they used their
hearing well.
MATTHEW 20:29-34
THE KING OPENING THE EYES OF THE BLIND
On enquiry, they learned that Jesus passed by, and believing that he
could restore their sight, they grew earnest in prayer to him: they
cried out. Their plea was pity: "have mercy on us." Their
appeal was to the royal heart of Jesus: "O Lord, thou son of Israel."
Our Lord's sermon was interrupted by the repeated outcries of these
two blind beggars of Jericho; but this never displeased him; neither
would true preachers of the gospel be disconcerted if some of their
hearers were to cry out with similar eagerness for salvation.
31. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace:
but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son
of David.
The crowd desired to hear Jesus, but could not do so because of the
shouts of the blind men: therefore his multitude rebuked them. Did they
upbraid them for ill manners, or for noise, or for harshness of tone,
or for selfishly wishing to monopolize Jesus? It is always easy to find
a stick when you wish to beat a dog. The people wanted them to be quiet,
and hold their peace, and found plenty of arguments why they should
do so. This was all very well for those who were in possession of their
faculties; but men who have lost their sight cannot be quieted if there
is an opportunity of obtaining sight; and as that opportunity was rapidly
passing away from these poor men, they became vehement in their earnestness.
Unhindered by the threats of the crowd, they cried the more. Some men
are urged onward by all attempts to pull them back. When we are seeking
the Lord, we shall be wise to make every hindrance into a stimulus.
We may well bear rebukes and rebuffs when our great aim is to obtain
mercy from Jesus. Unvarying was the blind beggars' cry: "Have mercy
on us, O Lord, thou son of David" Variety of words they had no
time to study. Having asked for what they needed, in words which leaped
from their hearts, they repeated their prayer and their plea, and it
was no vain repetition.
MATTHEW 20:29-34
THE KING OPENING THE EYES OF THE BLIND
32. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye
that I shall do unto you?
Jesus stood still. At the voice of prayer, the Sun of righteousness
paused in his progress. Believing cries can hold the Son of God by
the feet. He called them: and this because they had called him. What
comfort that call yielded them! We are not told that they came to
him: there is no need to tell us that. They were at his feet as soon
as the words were uttered. How sadly blind are those who, being called
a thousand times by the voice of mercy, yet refuse to come! Our Lord
enlightened minds as well as eyes, and so he would have the blind
men intelligently feel and express their needs. He puts to them the
personal inquiry: "What will ye that I shall do unto you?"
It was not a hard question, yet it is one which many an attendant
at our places of worship would find it difficult to answer. You say
you "wish to be saved": what do you mean by those words?
33. They say unto him, lord, that our eyes may be opened.
They needed no time for second thoughts. Oh, that our people were
as quick to pray, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened"! They
went straight to the point. There is not a word to spare in their
explanatory prayer. No book was wanted, no form of words; the desire
clothed itself in simple, natural, earnest speech.
34. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately
their eyes received sight, and they followed him. So, that is, since
they thus stated their desire, and had so great a need, Jesus had
compassion on them, pitying their loneliness in the dark. He touched
their eyes. What hands were those which undertook such lowly fellowship
with human flesh, and wrought such deeds of power! Immediately their
eyes received sight. Only a touch and light entered. We best use our
spiritual sight when we look to Jesus, and keep close to his heel.
Oh, that the reader, if he is spiritually blind, may ask for the touch
of Jesus, and receive it at once, for immediately he will receive
sight! An inward light will in an instant shine forth upon the soul,
and the spiritual world will become apparent to the enlightened mind.
The Son of David still lives, and still opens the eyes of the blind.
He still hears the humble prayer of those who know their blindness
and their poverty.
CHAPTER 21
MATTHEW 21:1-11
THE KING RIDES TRIUMPHANTLY INTO HIS CAPITAL
1. AND when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage,
unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto
them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall
find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto
me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need
of them; and straightway he will send them.
The time was come for our Lord to finish his great work on earth, and
his going up to Jerusalem was with this intent. He now determines to
enter his capital city openly, and there to reveal himself as King.
To this end, when he came near to the city, Jesus sent two disciples
to bring him the foal of an ass whereon he should ride. His orders to
the two disciples whom he come to Bethphage, are worthy of our serious
attention. He directed them to the place where they should find the
animal: "Go into the village over against you." The Lord knows
where that which he requires is to be found. Perhaps it is nearer to
us than we dream: "over against out" He told them that they
would not have to search: "straightway ye shall find." When
the Lord sends us on an errand, he will speed us on our way. He described
the condition of the creatures: "an ass tied, and a colt with her."
Our Lord knows the position of every animal in the world, and he counts
no circumstance to be beneath his office. Nor did he leave the disciples
without orders how they were to proceed: "loose them, and bring
them." Demur and debate there would be none; they might act at
once. To stand questioning is not for the messengers of our King: it
is their duty to obey their Lord's orders, and to fear nothing. The
two animals would be willingly yielded up by their owner when the disciples
said, "The Lord hath need of them;" nay, he would not only
give them up, but "straightway he will send them." Either
the owner was himself a secret disciple, or some awe of the Lord Jesus
was on his mind; but he would right joyfully consent to lend the ass
and its foal for the purpose for which they were required. What a singular
conjunction of words is here, "the Lord" and "hath need".
MATTHEW 21:1-11
THE KING RIDES TRIUMPHANTLY INTO HIS CAPITAL
Jesus, without laying aside his sovereignty, had taken a nature full
of needs; yet, being in need, he was still the Lord, and could command
his subjects, and requisition their property. Whenever we have anything
of which the Lord's cause has need, how cheerfully should we hand
it over to him! The owner of the ass and her colt regarded it as an
honor to furnish Jesus with a creature to ride upon. How great is
the power of Jesus over human minds, so that by a word he quietly
moves them to do his bidding! We have here the record of two disciples
being sent to fetch an ass: those who do little things for Jesus are
honored thereby. Their errand appeared strange, for what they did
might seem like robbery; but he who sent them took care to protect
them from the least shade of suspicion. The messengers raised no question,
offered no objection, and met with n difficulty. It is ours to do
what Jesus bids us, just as he bids us, and because he bids us; for
his command is our authority.
4, 5. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by the
prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh
unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an
ass.
Matthew is always reminding us of the Old Testament. Every point of
detail is according to prophetic model: All this was done, that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. The Old and New
Testaments dovetail into each other. Men have written "Harmonies
of the Gospels"; but God has given us a Harmony of the Old and
New Testament. The passage referred to is in Zech. 9:9. It represents
Zion's King as meek and lowly even in the hour of his triumphant entrance
into his metropolis, riding, not upon a war-horse, but upon a young
ass, whereon no man had sat. He had before said of himself, "I
am meek and lowly in heart," and now he gives one more proof
of the truth of his own words; and, at the same time, of the fulfillment
of prophecy: "Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King
cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon an ass." The tenderness
of Jesus comes out in the fact of his having the ass brought with
her foal that they might not be parted. How blessed is it for us to
be ruled by such a King!