I injure no one, and have a right to do what I will with my own." The woman at last meets the heart and mind of Jesus in the sense of all her utter nothingness before God; and then grace, which had wrought all up to this, though pent-up, can flow like a river; and the Lord can admire her faith, albeit from Himself, God's free gift. It would require the credulity of a sceptic to believe that this is not the self-same fact that we have before us inMatthew 8:1-34; Matthew 8:1-34. In the pagan world humility was regarded, not so much as a virtue, but as a vice. In his defilement he came to Jesus and sought to be cleansed, before the delivery of the sermon on the mount. Your promises are thrilling. Throughout it is the religious kind that are tested and found wanting. The second is, "So the last shall be first, and the first last; for many are called, but few are chosen." i. Sometimes a young person dies almost before the door of life and achievement have opened at all. Lowly, noiseless grace now it was to be, according to the prophet, till the hour strikes for victory in judgment. He's being despised and rejected. That was all over for the moment through Israel's blind sin; He was going to suffer, not yet reign, at Jerusalem. They boast, as the prodigal's elder brother did, of their good services; We have borne the burthen and heat of the day; that was the most they could make of it. God could not be limited by a question of place; His word was enough. Those hired later correspond to other people who became Jesus disciples later in His ministry. The apostles were sent forth at the first and third hour of the gospel day; they had a first and a second mission, while Christ was on earth, and their business was to call in the Jews; after Christ's ascension, about the sixth and ninth hour, they went out again on the same errand, preaching the gospel to the Jews only, to them in Judea first, and afterward to them of the dispersion; but, at length, as it were about the eleventh hour, they called the Gentiles to the same work and privilege with the Jews, and told them that in Christ Jesus there should be no difference made between Jew and Greek. "Upon this rock," says He, "I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." vi. And to these men who were blind, they saw this as their one opportunity for a whole new life. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brothers. Amen. They had their mistaken ambitions; they had their blindness; they had their wrong ideas; but he never dreamed of writing them off as bad debts. Secondly, In all the dispensations of his grace, God gives or withholds the means of grace, and the Spirit of grace, as he pleases. 111. 1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ii. ii. No doubt the tempest was great; but what harm could it do to Jesus? The Lord now lets them know their mad folly, and warns them that this blasphemy was about to culminate in a still deeper, deadlier form when the Holy Ghost should be spoken against as He had been. Help us purchase electrical generators for churches. Here is royalty and kingship restated and remade. That they might possibly be outstripped by their successors in profession, and, though they were before others in profession, might be found inferior to them in knowledge, grace, and holiness. That the same night that in which Jesus was betrayed, He took bread, and when He had broken it, He said, take eat this is my body which is broken for you. The Pharisees were enraged at a power they could not deny, which rebuked themselves so much the more on account of its persistent grace; but Jesus passes by all blasphemy as yet, and goes on His way nothing hinders His course of love. Mark gives them in the end of his second and the beginning of his third chapters. Thou didst; and wilt thou go and agree with the world? If God was there, what else could He, would He do? Sometimes we go without when God would want to give us something simply because we will not answer this question, and we do not have because we do not ask (James 4:2). Jesus, nevertheless, owned all that could be owned in him. Does this scribe offer to follow Jesus? Paul was as one born out of due time, yet came not behind the chiefest of the apostles, and outdid those that were in Christ before him. We are going to Jerusalem. It is a saying of R. Simeon ben Jochai F4. When they had divided among them the command of the four legions to be formed, the consuls summoned to the capitol, or Campus Martius, all the citizens who, by their age, were obliged to bear arms. Subsequent, considerably, to this was the case of the centurion's servant, preceded a good while before by the cleansing of the leper. Johannine Writings After this (what makes it still more unquestionable) comes the case of the demoniac. Probably thisto teach us that men who have wrought in Christ's service all their days may, by the spirit which they manifest at the last, make it too evident that, as between God and their own souls, they never were chosen workmen at all. They were greatly displeased: The other ten disciples mistakenly thought that a unique honor had just been bestowed on James and John. The next chapter (Matthew 18:1-35) takes up the double thought of the kingdom and the Church, showing the requisite for entrance into the kingdom, and displaying or calling forth divine grace in the most lovely manner, and that in practice. There is no incident which so demonstrates their invincible faith in Jesus. The discontent arose not because of any injustice in the landowner, but because of jealousy in the all-day workers (Matthew 20:9-15). 20Then the mother of Zebedees sons(K) came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down,(L) asked a favor of him. Thus, whatever the peculiarity of the new blessings, the old thing could be taken up, though upon new grounds, and, of course, on the confession that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. A Roman coin was once found with the picture of an ox on it; the ox was facing two things--an altar and a plough; and the inscription read: "Ready for either." In other words, the leper is here introduced after the sermon on the mount, though, in fact, the circumstance took place long before it. said the Lord; and then stretched forth His hand toward His disciples with the words, "Behold my mother and my brethren! Clarke's Commentary. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. The order of payment was important. "I am certain that there is much about the scourging about Jesus that we do not fully understand. It is the end of the account of Jesus itinerant ministry, and its setting as they went out of Jericho points forward to the next town on the road, Jerusalem. (France). Jesus openly acknowledged the suffering and agony that awaited Him. In this he had laboured, as he said, from his youth up: "What lack I yet?" Matthew 20:16 English Standard Version 16 So the last will be first, and the first last." Read full chapter Matthew 20:16 in all English translations Matthew 19 Matthew 21 English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. It is a summons from the King to His people Israel. Major Prophets Take what is yours and go your way. Evidently it is the change of dispensation that is in question and at hand, the cutting off of the fleshly seed for their unbelief, and the bringing in of numerous believers in the name of the Lord from among the Gentiles. They were offended that the landowner gave the men who worked less equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. 16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.(A). Thus shall every mouth be stopped, and all flesh be silent before God. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? b. is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. People do not merit salvation either by works or by attitudes of trust. The priest, in chap. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took Him even as He was in the ship. It means that no matter when a man enters the Kingdom, late or soon, in the first flush of youth, in the strength of the midday, or when the shadows are lengthening, he is equally dear to God. Those that have had gospel offers made them at the third, or sixth hour, and have resisted and refused them, will not have that to say for themselves at the eleventh hour, that these had; No man has hired us; nor can they be sure that any man will hire them at the ninth or eleventh hour; and therefore not to discourage any, but to awaken all, be it remembered, that now is the accepted time; if we will hear his voice, it must be to-day. Blessed Paul guarded against this, when, though the chief of the apostles, he owned himself to be nothing, to be less than the least of all saints. The man that was not called promises to go anywhere, in his own strength; but the man that was called feels the difficulty, and pleads a natural duty before following Jesus. Then, alas! When we are converted, we become members of Christs living body; and as we grow in grace, and get the true spirit that permeates that body, we shall say, when any member of it is honored, This is honor for usIf any brother shall be greatly honored of God, I feel honored in his honor. He believed that they could and would drink the cup, and that in the end they would still be found at his side. It is evident that the bodily presence of the Messiah is the very essence of the former scene, as it ought to be in dealing with the leper, who is a kind of type of what Israel should have been in seeking cleansing at His hands. Oh, you have to love the mothers, don't you? 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. He is there with the beggars. (1.) [6.] It seemed the last place on earth to which a man in his condition should have gone. What an anticipation of the walk by faith, not by sight, in which the Gentiles, when called, ought to have glorified God, when the rejection of the Messiah by His own ancient people gave occasion to the Gentile call as a distinct thing! Cecil Northcott in Famous Life Decisions tens of what Kagawa did. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12 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. They gave Him full honor with this title. The landowner did exactly as promised, but their supposition of more pay than promised was disappointed. So it was here. Then shalt thou call, saith the good and faithful servant, and I will answer. 97. The Greek word is constantly so used as an expression of contempt, "This [fellow] doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." Historical Books b. Dress up - slacks/tie, skirt/shirt. Finally, he was to be crucified; there we see the ultimate suffering of death. He said to them, "My cup you are to drink; but to sit on my right hand and my left is not mine to give, but that belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." This place seems to refer to the ancient Roman custom of recruiting their armies. I didn't come to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give my life as a ransom for many ( Matthew 20:28 ). It is as if Jesus said to them, "You have received the great privilege of coming into the Christian Church and fellowship very early, right at the beginning. It is a saying of R. Simeon ben Jochai d, "I have seen the children of the world to come (elsewhere e it is, of the chamber), , "and they are few".''. Succa, fol. You both must wear five pieces of clothing. A double action follows. The English translators have thus given the sense well; for the expression really conveys this slight, though the word "fellow" is printed in italics. When do you suppose these conversations actually occurred, if we go to the question of their date? And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them." Though Cushi gets the start of Ahimaaz, yet Ahimaaz, choosing the way of the plain, outruns Cushi. Luke-Acts He evinces, that at the very time when Peter forgot the vision and the Father's voice, virtually reducing Him to mere man, He was God manifest in the flesh. First of these comes the treasure hidden in the field, for which the man sells all he had, securing the field for the sake of the treasure. Passwords should have at least 6 characters. Jesus will use this story to answer a question from Matthew 19:27: See, we have left all and followed You. As we have seen, the pay was 4 pence a day; and, if they were unemployed for one day, the children would go hungry at home, for no man ever saved much out of 4 pence a day. Thus man's badness takes occasion from God's goodness to be more exceedingly sinful. They have treated the Bible either with levity, or as too awful a book to be apprehended really; not with the reverence of faith, which waits on Him, and fails not in due time to understand His word. . He may therefore give or withhold his blessings, as he pleases. But nothing would stop the two blind men; for them it was a matter of sight or blindness, and nothing was going to keep them back. At the close of this chapter 9, in His deep compassion He bids the disciples pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into His harvest. Oh, what a heart is ours! [2.] The blessings of the kingdom are the same for all who enter, whether Jews who had worshipped God for centuries, or Gentiles who had just been saved from heathenism; whether scribes who had studied Gods law for many years, or tax collectors who had just repented; whether those who had served God for a lifetime, or those converted in old age. & Sanhedrim, fol. Therefore He could not have any broken bones. This parable is not a perfect illustration of Gods grace, because the principle of working and deserving is involved. i. General Epistles The giving of a whole day's wages to those that had not done the tenth part of a day's work, is designed to show that God distributes his rewards by grace and sovereignty, and not of debt. The highest creature must go away into nothing, if he must go away with that only which is his own: but if we understand it of that which is ours by gift, the free gift of God, it teaches us to be content with such things as we have. He could and did form His instruments according to His own sovereign will. There were many that followed Christ now in the regeneration, when the gospel kingdom was first set up, and these Jewish converts seemed to have got the start of others; but Christ, to obviate and silence their boasting, here tells them. Think of when this request was made. A daily dose of Christian quotes to inspire and encourage. a. Poetical Books And yet the Lord says, we get the penny, and so that's good enough for me.Now the Lord does here point out, "look if I want to be good, if I want to extend grace, you shouldn't really complain about the grace that I extend. For many are called, but few chosen." a. One of the great fundamental facts to which we must hold on, even when we hate and loathe and despise ourselves, is that Jesus believes in us. Jesus knew what was going on in their minds; and he spoke to them words which are the very basis of the Christian life. He was tricked by the seeming helplessness of Jesus; he took Jesus to be a mere man; he tried to retain hold of Jesus, and in trying to do so, he lost his power and was broken for ever. He was not setting out rules for wages and employment, but giving an illustration of Gods grace. Yet it shall not be so among you is a stinging rebuke to the manner in which the modern church looks to the world for both its substance and style. And, behold, there were two blind men who were sitting by the way side, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, saying, Have mercy upon us, O Lord, thou son of David. a. The woman of Canaan, out of the borders of Tyre and Sidon, appeals to Him; a Gentile of most ominous name and belongings a Gentile whose case was desperate; for she appeals on behalf of her daughter, grievously vexed with a devil. They cannot hurt the Christ. Whereas, on the contrary, there are other kinds of order that call for more profound thought and enlarged views, if we may speak now after the manner of men; and, indeed, I deny not that these the Holy Ghost employed in His own wisdom, though it is hardly needful to say He could, if He pleased, demonstrate His superiority to any means or qualifications whatsoever. The motives of the natural heart are laid bare. In Matthew 12:1-50 we find not so much Jesus present and despised of men, as these men of Israel, the rejectors, in the presence of Jesus. We read in the book of Acts that Herod stretched forth his hands against the church and had James beheaded. The Lord Jesus, even before He pronounced the sentence, for so it was, indicated what was at hand in these two instances of the Sabbath-day, though one may not now linger on them. vii. I'll be turned over to the chief priests. Except where noted, scripture quotations are taken from the Easy-to-Read Version 2001 by Bible League International. The age of serving in the army was from seventeen to forty-five, and the manner in which they were chosen was the following: -. How little they had learnt the divine lesson of grace, not ordinances! Now what did Jesus mean when He broke the bread and said, "This is my body, broken for you"? But Jesus answered and said, You don't know what you are asking. In the end of the chapter is set forth parabolically the unlimited forgiveness that suits the kingdom; here, I cannot but think, looking onward in strict fulness to the future, but with distinct application to the moral need of the disciples then and always. He was really God in man; and all these wonderful features are here presented and compressed in this most simple, but at the same time significant, action of the Saviour the fitting frontispiece to Matthew's manifestation of the Messiah to Israel. And every Jewish mother wants the best for her son. There may have been a very natural reason for this request. (d) T. Hieros. About five o'clock in the evening he went out and found others standing there, and said to them, 'Why are you standing here the whole day idle?' What we have, is not our own, and therefore it is not lawful for us to do what we will with it; but what God has, is his own; and this will justify him, First, In all the disposals of his providence; when God takes from us that which was dear to us, and which we could ill spare, we must silence our discontents with this; May he not do what he will with his own? Whence they are hired? It is not only the fact that God slighted matters of prescriptive ordinance because of the ruined state of Israel, who rejected His true anointed King, but there was this principle also, that certainly God was not going to bind Himself not to do good where abject need was.