AND [JESUS] ENTERED, AND PASSED THROUGH JERICHO. Though the word "Jesus" is not in the original text it is rightly supplied in our version; as it is also in the Syriac, Persic, Ethiopic versions; for of him the words are manifestly spoken: after he had healed the blind man he met with near to Jerich... [ Continue Reading ]
AND BEHOLD [THERE WAS] A MAN NAMED ZACCHAEUS,.... Or זכאי, "Zaccai", a name in use among the Jews; see Ezra 2:9. We often read of רבי זכאי, "Rabbi Zaccai", or "Zacchaeus" a, and very frequently of R. Jochanan ben Zaccai, a famous doctor that lived in the times of Christ, and even till after the des... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SOUGHT TO SEE JESUS WHO HE WAS,.... What sort of a person he was for complexion, stature, and age: having heard much of him, he was very desirous of indulging his curiosity with a sight of him; having, as yet, nothing else that induced him to desire to see him: his desire to see Jesus was not... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE RAN BEFORE,.... Jesus, and the company that was with him; so very desirous was he of seeing him: AND CLIMBED UP INTO A SYCAMORE TREE TO SEE HIM: which sort of trees were very common about Jericho: hence we read of, של שקמה קורות, "beams of sycamore" in Jericho, which those that were strong... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN JESUS CAME TO THE PLACE,.... Where the tree stood, in which Zacchaeus was. Christ knows where his people are, and where to find them, where they commonly dwell, or where at any time they are, he being God omniscient: besides, the bounds of their habitations are fixed by the determination an... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE MADE HASTE,.... Such power went along with the words of Christ, that they immediately reached his heart, awakened his conscience, affected his mind, and drew his soul to Christ, and knit him to him, that be made all imaginable haste to be with him. So souls sensible of their dangerous state a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THEY SAW IT,.... The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions read, "when they all saw this"; that is, as the Persic version, rather paraphrasing than translating, says, "the men and the multitude that were with him"; the "pharisaical" sort, the priests and Levites, of which there were gr... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ZACCHAEUS STOOD,.... Before Christ, in respect to him, and reverence of him; and in the presence of others, to make a public confession before them, and that they might all hear it, when come to his own house: AND SAID UNTO THE LORD; that is, to "Jesus", as the Syriac and Persic versions, and s... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JESUS SAID UNTO HIM,.... The Persic version reads, "Jesus said to the multitude, and to his disciples"; to which well enough agree the following words: THIS DAY IS SALVATION COME TO THIS HOUSE: to the master of it, and it may be to others in it; the Arabic version reads, "to the inhabitants of... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE SON OF MAN,.... Meaning himself, who was truly man, and the Messiah, and which was one of his names in the Old Testament: IS COME: from heaven, into this world, being sent by the Father, and with the full consent and good will of his own: TO SEEK AND SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST: as all his el... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AS THEY HEARD THESE THINGS,.... What Zacchaeus said to Christ, and what Christ said to Zacchaeus; particularly, that salvation, or the Saviour was then come to his house, and that he was come to save lost persons: HE ADDED, AND SPAKE A PARABLE; that is, as the Syriac version renders it, "he add... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SAID THEREFORE,.... The following parable, with the above said design and view: A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN; the son of a great family, as the Syriac version renders it; of noble descent, of an illustrious extract; by whom is meant Jesus Christ, who was a "man", as he agreed to be, and was prophesied of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE CALLED HIS TEN SERVANTS,.... By whom are meant, not all mankind; for though these are all his servants of right, yet not in fact; nor the elect of God, who are called by grace; for though these are the servants of Christ, and are peculiarly his, yet all that received the pound were not such,... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT HIS CITIZENS HATED HIM,.... Not those who are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; whose citizenship is in heaven, and who are seeking the better country, and heavenly city; but the Jews, who were his own people and nation, among whom he was born, to whom he was sent and... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT WHEN HE WAS RETURNED,.... Which return was either in power to Jerusalem, in the destruction of that city; or which will be in person to this earth, at the end of the world; and will be local and visible, and in great glory, attended with the holy angels, and with all the sai... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN CAME THE FIRST,.... Who were set in the first place in the church, the apostles of Christ, and who had the greatest gifts, and laboured more abundantly, and were eminently useful; such an one was the Apostle Paul: SAYING, LORD; acknowledging the sovereignty and dominion of Christ over them, ow... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID UNTO HIM, WELL, THOU GOOD SERVANT,.... Signifying he had well done, and had approved himself to be an honest, diligent, and laborious servant; who, having the grace of God, which made him a good man, and gifts and abilities, which made him a good minister of Christ, he made a good use th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE SECOND CAME,.... He who was next, though less useful, yet equally diligent and active: SAYING, LORD; acknowledging also the power and authority of Christ over him: THY POUND HATH GAINED FIVE POUNDS; is increased fivefold, or is turned to a fivefold account, to the interest of Christ, and g... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID LIKEWISE TO HIM,.... He commended him as a good and faithful servant, though this is not expressed; and added, BE THOU OVER FIVE CITIES; which does not denote any inequality of glory in Christ's ministers, who will all shine as the firmament, and as the stars for ever and ever; at least... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ANOTHER CAME,.... Who was one of the servants; had a gift, but did not use, and improve it, nor did it turn to any account: SAYING, LORD; owning also the lordship and dominion of Christ, as all will confess at the last day, even those who have no interest in him, and cannot call him their Lord;... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR I FEARED THEE,.... Not with a right fear, with a fear of his goodness, who had bestowed such an excellent gift on him; for this would have taught him to have departed from evil, and have put him on doing his master's will, and making use of his gift to his glory: his fear was not of the right ki... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAITH UNTO HIM,.... By way of reply to his vile slander, and unrighteous charge; OUT OF THINE OWN MOUTH WILL I JUDGE THEE, THOU WICKED SERVANT; as he might be justly called: he was not only a wicked man, as all men are, even enemies by wicked works, and lie in wickedness; and a wicked profes... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE THEN GAVEST NOT THOU MY MONEY INTO THE BANK,.... Or "on the table", at which the bankers sat, and received and delivered money on interest. The Complutensian edition reads, "to the tablers", or "bankers": had Christ been such a person as he represents him, he ought to have been the more di... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID UNTO THEM THAT STOOD BY,.... The angels, it may be; though this may not be strictly taken, as if any persons, angels, or men, will be employed in what follows, only that it will be done, or may be expected: TAKE FROM HIM THE POUND; which shows, that it was not special grace, for that is... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY SAID UNTO HIM,.... The bystanders; LORD, HE HATH TEN POUNDS; which they say either through envy, at his superior gifts, and usefulness; for it is generally the lot of the most eminent and useful servants of Christ to be envied by others; or in surprise, as wondering at the conduct of Chris... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR I SAY UNTO YOU,.... And it may be depended on as truth, and what will be found matter of fact: THAT UNTO EVERY ONE THAT HATH, SHALL BE GIVEN; greater and larger gifts, fitting him for greater usefulness: he that has gifts, and makes use of them, increases in them; they enlarge with their use, a... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THOSE MINE ENEMIES,.... Meaning particularly the Jews, who were enemies to the person of Christ, and hated and rejected him, as the King Messiah; and rebelled against him, and would not submit to his government; and were enemies to his people, and were exceeding mad against them, and persecuted... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE HAD THUS SPOKEN,.... When he had delivered the above parable, in order to remove the prejudices of his disciples, and the multitude, concerning a temporal kingdom, and to give them true notions of his own kingdom, and the case of the Jewish nation: HE WENT BEFORE; his disciples: he was... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS WHEN HE WAS COME NIGH,.... The other evangelists, Matthew and Mark, add "unto Jerusalem"; but this Luke designs afterwards, Luke 19:37 and therefore here means, as is expressed, that he was come nigh TO BETHPHAGE AND BETHANY; two tracts of land which reached from Mount Olivet to... [ Continue Reading ]
SAYING, GO YE INTO THE VILLAGE OVER AGAINST [YOU],.... What village this was, is not said by any of the evangelists; it seems to be either Bethany, or Nob; and rather the latter, since the village of Bethany was fifteen furlongs, or near two miles from Jerusalem, John 11:18 and therefore must have b... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IF ANY MAN ASK YOU, WHY DO YE LOOSE [HIM]?.... As our Lord, being God omniscient, knew this question would be asked by the owners, and therefore prepares his disciples with an answer to it: THUS SHALL YE SAY UNTO HIM, BECAUSE THE LORD HATH NEED OF HIM. The Syriac and Persic versions read "our L... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY THAT WERE SENT WENT THEIR WAY,.... The two disciples that were sent by Christ, were obedient to him, and went, as he directed them, and did as he ordered them; AND FOUND, EVEN AS HE HAD SAID UNTO THEM. The Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions, and so some copies, add, "the colt standing"; t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AS THEY WERE LOOSING THE COLT,.... In order to bring it away, as Christ bid them: THE OWNERS THEREOF SAID UNTO THEM, WHY LOOSE YE THE COLT? Mark takes notice of this, but does not tell us who they were, only that they were persons that stood there; but this evangelist informs us who they were:... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY SAID, THE LORD HATH NEED OF HIM. Or, our Lord, as the above versions in verse 31 (Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic). They used the words Christ directed them to, and it had the effect he said it would; for the owners both let them go, and the colt with them directly; Matthew 21:6 and Mark 11:6.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY BROUGHT HIM TO JESUS,.... That is, the colt: AND THEY CAST THEIR GARMENTS UPON THE COLT; that is, the disciples, who brought him to Jesus; the Persic version here, as in Matthew 21:7 renders it very wrongly, "Jesus put his own garment on its back, and sat on it"; it follows, AND THEY SET... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AS HE WENT,.... Riding on the colt towards Jerusalem: THEY SPREAD THEIR CLOTHES IN THE WAY; not the disciples, for they had put their garments upon the colt; but the multitude, which either came with him from Jericho, and other parts, or that met him from Jerusalem, or both; see Matthew 21:8 an... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE WAS COME NIGH,.... To the city of Jerusalem, and which was then in sight, EVEN NOW AT THE DESCENT OF THE MOUNT OF OLIVES; being come to the foot of that mount, which lay to the east of Jerusalem, and was about five furlongs from it, or a little more than half a mile o: THE WHOLE MULTIT... [ Continue Reading ]
SAYING, BLESSED BE THE KING,.... The King Messiah, the King of Israel, the son of David, the Christ of God; so the Ethiopic version adds, "blessed be the King of Israel"; they sung their "Hosannas" to him, as the other evangelists say: THAT COMETH IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Matthew 21:9 PEACE IN HEA... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SOME OF THE PHARISEES FROM AMONG THE MULTITUDE,.... Who had placed themselves there, to watch and observe what was said, and done, that they might have something to reproach Christ with, expose him for, or bring as a charge against him: SAID UNTO HIM, MASTER, REBUKE THY DISCIPLES: not being abl... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO THEM, I TELL YOU,.... As a truth, which may be depended on, and you may be assured of; this he spake with great earnestness, fervour, and courage: THAT IF THESE SHOULD HOLD THEIR PEACE; be silent, and not sing the praises of God, and ascribe glory to him, and profess t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE WAS COME NEAR, HE BEHELD CITY,.... Of Jerusalem; being now nearer, and in a situation to take a full view of it, he lift up his eyes, and looking wistfully on it, and beholding the grandeur and magnificence of it, the number of the houses, and the stately structures in it, and knowing wh... [ Continue Reading ]
SAYING, IF THOU HADST, KNOWN, EVEN THOU,.... As well as other cities; or who hast been so long a flourishing city, the metropolis of the nation, the seat of the ancient kings of Judah; yea, the city of the great God, the place of divine worship, whither the tribes came up, time after time, to serve... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE DAYS SHALL COME UPON THEE,.... Suddenly, and very quickly, as they did within forty years after this: THAT THINE ENEMIES; the Romans, and such the Jews took them to be, and might easily understand who our Lord meant: SHALL CAST A TRENCH ABOUT THEE, AND COMPASS THEE ROUND, AND KEEP THEE IN... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SHALL LAY THEE EVEN WITH THE GROUND,.... Beat down all the houses in it, the stately edifices, and even the temple itself; Matthew 24:2 AND THY CHILDREN WITHIN THEE; that is, the inhabitants of the place should be slain with the sword of the enemy, and so fall to the ground, and lie upon it; A... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE WENT INTO THE TEMPLE,.... Being come into the city, he alighted from the colt he rode on, and having committed it to the care of a proper person to return it to the owner, he went up directly to the temple, of which he was the Lord and proprietor, and where he had some work to do the few days... [ Continue Reading ]
SAYING UNTO THEM, IT IS WRITTEN,.... In Isaiah 56:7 MY HOUSE IS THE HOUSE OF PRAYER; built and devoted for that service: BUT YE HAVE MADE IT A DEN OF THIEVES; which clause is not written in the above prophecy, but are the words of Christ referring to Jeremiah 7:11. The Ethiopic version adds, "and... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE TAUGHT DAILY IN THE TEMPLE,.... Every day till the passover came, and only in the day; for at night he went out of the city to Bethany, or to the Mount of Olives: some of his discourses in the temple, the parables he delivered, and his disputations with the doctors, are recorded in Matthew 21... [ Continue Reading ]
AND COULD NOT FIND WHAT THEY MIGHT DO,.... The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, and so Beza's most ancient copy, add, "to him"; they could not find an opportunity of seizing him, nor any advantage against him; they knew not what steps to take, nor how to bring about their wicked design... [ Continue Reading ]