brought the colt to Jesus, and laid their garments on him; and He sat thereon. And many spread their garments in the way, and others cut down branches off the trees, and strewed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the coming of the kingdom of our father David: Hosanna in the highest!' And Jesus made His entry into Jerusalem, and into the temple; and when He had looked round upon all things, and now the eventide was come, He went out unto Bethany with the Twelve.

This is the royal procession of Christ. Jesus of Nazarethso is the procession called. The blind beggar on the wayside knows the meaning of this name, and cries after the King; and all uncalled masters of ceremonies in this train cannot put down his cry. The ear of the King hears the lamentation of the blind beggar above the rejoicings of the host. The procession must halt for the blind beggar's sake. drawing of the Spirit of Christ The Church preserves his name. Christ clear away the wretchedness on its path. A blind beggar can cause it to stop. A blind beggar, changed into a seeing and happy disciple, can enlarge it.

The beggar is healed, and the carries him along in the train. Thus does the royal train of

How poor, however, and yet at the same time how rich, does the Lord hold His entry into the holy city,-in what humility and in what majesty,-this is shown by His sending for the ass's colt! Already they are near to the holy cityand still He wanders thither with His fellow-travellers on foot. At length He thinks of a festive entry. For this a colt suffices,1 which stands bound in the neighbouring village, on the public road. But how regal is the look, the tone, the confidence, with which He causes it to be fetched! He knows that the animal stands there at His disposal. His retinue goes through the holy city straight to the temple; and of high significance is here the eagle glance with which He silently regards it all-looks through its whole appointments.

NOTE.

Mark has provided for the preservation of the name of the 'Which Weisse (i. 573), without much ado, makes out to have been the foal of a horse.

blind beggar, Bartimeus. He describes very pictorially the encouragements which the beggar receives, and the boldness and haste with which he comes to Jesus. He indicates the relation of the approach to Jerusalem, and to the villages that lie between, quite according to their respective positions. Also, he indicates the place where the disciples find the colt bound (ver. 4). In this account of the Hosanna, there resounds also a Hosanna for the kingdom of our father David.' The mention of Jesus looking round upon all things in the temple is peculiar to this Evangelist.

SECTION XVI.

THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE; THE DECISIVE STRUGGLE; AND THE FAREWELL TO THE TEMPLE.

(Chap. xi. 12-xiii. 2.)

When the Lord on the following morning returned with His disciples from Bethany into the city, He distinctly intimated the impression which the Israelitish people had made upon Him the previous evening, when He looked around Him in the temple. On the way He felt hunger; and seeing from the distance a figtree, having leaves, He went to see if He might find anything thereon; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet. Thus had the tree deceived with the inviting richness of its foliage. On this Jesus gave forth judgment against it: No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever.' And His disciples heard it.

And now they proceeded farther to Jerusalem. And Jesus, as soon as He came into the temple, began to cast out them that sold and bought in it. And, further, He overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and suffered not even that any man should carry a vessel through the temple. And He taught them, saying unto them, 'Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations? But ye have made it a den of thieves.' When the chief priests and scribes heard of this act of Christ,

they were excited anew to resume consideration of the question, how they might most conveniently destroy Him. For they feared Him-they found it exceedingly difficult to get Him into their hands-because all the people were greatly moved, and full of astonishment at His doctrine. And when even was come, He went again out of the city.

On the following morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots. This awoke the recollection of Peter; and he said to the Lord, 'Master, behold, the fig-tree which Thou cursedst, is withered away.' Jesus answered, and said unto them, 'Have faith in God! For verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that it shall come to pass according to his word, it shall be unto him according as he saith. as he saith. Therefore I say unto you, In all things which ye ask in prayer, believe that ye shall receive them, and they shall be done unto you. And when ye stand and pray, forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your Father also, which is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses.'

So they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, there came to Him the chief priests, and the scribes and elders, and said unto Him, 'By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority, that thou doest such things?'-Whence hast thou the authority or commission? and whence the warrant and credentials? Jesus returned them for answer: 'I also will ask you one (single) thing: answer Me it, and then will I tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, what think ye of it? -was it from heaven, or of men? answer Me.' And they reasoned with themselves, If we shall say, From heaven, he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? Shall we however say, Of men?1-to this thought they would not further give utterance. They feared the people 2-that is to say; for all men accounted of John, that he was a prophet indeed. And so they answered Jesus, 'We cannot tell.' And Jesus, answering, said unto them, 'Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.'

1 Against á declare most of the codd.

2 The reading oßoveda is not sufficiently attested.

Although, however, He now refused to give them an open declaration regarding His Messianic authority, He gave them a representation of it, nevertheless, in parables, in which He, at the same time, depicted their own evil conduct towards Him, the Messiah.

'A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, digged a trough for the wine-press, built a tower-in the same, then let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And at the appointed season-for the delivery of the fruit-he despatched a message to the husbandmen-from the distance by sending to them a servant, who should receive from them a part of the fruit of the vineyard. But they caught him, beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant. At him they cast stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away with contumely. And again he sent another. Him they slew. And so it went with many others; some they beat, others they killed. As now he had still an only son, who was dear to him-to whom his heart clave, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours! And they took hold of him, and killed him, and cast him outside of the vineyard. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.'

To this parable the Lord added these words: 'Have ye not read this scripture: The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: This is the Lord's doing, and it is an event marvellous in our eyes?' And they sought to lay hold on Him, but were afraid of the people. For they understood well that He had spoken this parable against them. They left Him therefore, and went their way.

On this they send unto Him some of the Pharisees and Herodians, to catch Him in His words. And when they were come, they said unto Him, 'Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man; for thou regardest not the person of men, but according to the truth teachest thou the way of God. Is it permitted to give tribute to Cæsar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?' But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, 'Why tempt ye Me? bring Me a denarius-the

current penny—and let Me see it.' And they brought Him one. And He said unto them, 'Whose is this image and superscription?' They said unto Him, 'Cæsar's.' Then Jesus,

answering, said unto them, 'Render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are God's.' And they marvelled at Him.

Then came unto Him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection, and proposed to Him the following question: 'Master, Moses gave us the precept, If a man's brother die, and leave a wife behind him, and leave no children, his brother shall take his wife, and shall raise up seed unto his brother-so to speak, raise up an after-growth from his grave. Now there were seven brethren. The first took a wife and died, without leaving seed. And the second took her and died, and he also left no seed. In like manner the third. And so all seven took her, and left no seed. Last of all the woman died also. Now in the resurrection, when they shall arise, whose wife among them shall she then be? for the seven had her to wife.' Jesus, answering, said unto them, 'Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, nor the power of God? When they shall rise again from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but they are like to the angels in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise, have ye not read in the book of Moses, in the passage concerning the bush, how God spake unto him: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? dead, but the God of the living. On this came one of the reasoning together, and had perceived that He had answered them well, and proposed to Him the question, 'Which is the first commandment of all?' And Jesus answered him, 'That is the first of all the commandments: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first of the commandments. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.' And the scribe said unto Him, 'Well, Master, thou hast said the truth; for God is one, and there is none other but He and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the under

God is not the God of the Ye, therefore, do greatly err.' scribes who had heard them