Matthew 21:32

For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him. FOR JOHN CAME UNTO YOU IN THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - that is, 'calling you to repentance;' as Noah is called "a preacher of righteousness" (), when like the Baptist he warned the old world to "flee from the wrath to come." AND YE BELIEVED HIM NOT. "They did not reject him;" nay, they "were willing for a season to rejoice in his light" (): but they would not receive his testimony to Jesus. BUT THE PUBLICANS AND THE HARLOTS BELIEVED HIM. Of the publicans this is twice expressly recorded,...

32._For John came. _As _John _was a faithful servant of God, whatever he taught Christ ascribes to God himself. It might have been more fully expressed thus: God came pointing out _the way of righteousness _by the mouth of _John; _but as _John _spoke in the name of God, and not as a private individual, he is most properly named instead of God. Now this passage gives no small authority to the preaching of the word, when those persons are said to have been disobedient and rebellious against God, who despised the pious and holy warnings of a teacher whom tie had sent. There are some who give a more ingenious exposition of the word _righteousness, _and I allow them to enjoy their own opinion; but, for my own part, I think that it means nothing more than that _John’s _doctrine was pure and right; as if Christ had said, that they had no good reason for rejecting him. When he says that the publ...

28-32 Parables which give reproof, speak plainly to the offenders, and judge them out of their own mouths. The parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that those who knew not John's baptism to be of God, were shamed by those who knew it, and owned it. The whole human race are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but they have rebelled against him, only some are more plausible in their disobedience than others. And it often happens, that the daring rebel is brought to repentance and becomes the Lord's servant, while the formalist grows hardened in pride and enmity....

Verse 32. _JOHN CAME UNTO YOU IN THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS_] Proclaiming the truth, and living agreeably to it. Or, _John came_ _unto you_, who are _in the way of righteousness_. This seems rather to be the true meaning and construction of this passage. The Jews are here distinguished from the Gentiles. The former were in the _way of righteousness_, had the revelation of God, and the ordinances of justice _established_ among them; the latter were in the _way of unrighteousness_, without the Divine revelation, and iniquitous in all their conduct: John came to both, preaching the doctrine of repentance, and proclaiming Jesus the Christ. To say that it was John who came in the way of righteousness, and that to him the words refer, is, in my opinion, saying nothing; for this was necessarily implied: as he professed to come from God, he must not only _preach_ righteousness, but _walk_ in it....

BUT WHAT THINK YE? - A way of speaking designed to direct them particularly to what he was saying, that they might be self-convicted. TWO SONS - By those two sons our Lord intends to represent the conduct of the Jews, and that of the publicans and sinners. IN MY VINEYARD - See the notes at Matthew 21:33. To work in the vineyard here represents the work which God requires man to do. I WILL NOT - This had been the language of the publicans and wicked men. They refused at first, and did not “profess” to be willing to go. REPENTED - Changed his mind. Afterward, at the preaching of John and Christ, the publicans - the wicked - repented and obeyed. The s

EXPOSITION MATTHEW 21:1 _Triumphal entry into Jerusalem_. (Mark 11:1; Luke 19:29; John 12:12.) MATTHEW 21:1 We have come to the last week of our Lord's earthly life, when he made his appearance in Jerusalem as Messiah, and suffered the penalty of death. If, as is believed, his crucifixion took place on the fourteenth day of the month Nisan, the triumphal entry must be assigned to the ninth, which day was reckoned to commence at one sunset and to continue till the follow-lug evening. Th

FOR JOHN CAME UNTO YOU IN A WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,.... He had a commission from God; he was no impostor; the doctrine he taught was true, and which he faithfully delivered; his life and conversation were unblamable; there was nothing in his credentials, ministry, and conduct, that could justly be found fault with: AND YE BELIEVED HIM NOT; to be the forerunner of the Messiah, or the Elias that was to come; nor attended to the doctrine of repentance preached by him, nor were subject to the ordinance of baptism he administered; nor gave any assent, or credit, to the Messiah he so manifestly pointed out: BUT THE PUBLICANS AND HARLOTS BELIEVED HIM; what he said concerning the wrath to come, and the miserable state and danger they were in; and they repented of their sins, and confessed them, and were baptized of him in Jordan; believing the testimony he gave of Jesus of Nazareth being the Mes...

Matthew 21:23. _And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto, him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?_ Jesus knew that these men came to him for no good purpose, mad that willing were only trying to trip him up in his speech. He was always willing to teach when men were willing to learn, but he did not care to cast his pearls before swine. Therefore, mark the holy caution, the sacred ingenuity with which our Lord replied to these men. Matthew 21:24. And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or o

RIGHTEOUSNESS (_ See Scofield) - (Romans 10:10). _...

MATTHEW 21:32 ouvde, The confusion that marks the transmission of Matthew 21:29-31 seems to have affected also the text of the final clause of this verse. Instead of ouvde, (which is read by B O Q S F 0138 1 ¦13 22 33 157 543 565 700 892 1579 1582 most of the Old Latin vg copbo eth) other witnesses (including a C L W X P 28 118 209 the Byzantine text and copsa) read ouv. D and syrs omit the negative; itc, e, h alter its posi...