John, xii. 37, which he had never done before,) impatient of his preaching and miracles, and being not able otherwise to stop the increase of his followers, (for, said the Pharisees among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? Behold, the world is gone after him.' So that the 'chief priests, and the Scribes, and the chief of the people,) sought to destroy him,' the first day of his entrance into Jerusalem. The next day, again they were intent upon the same thing. And he taught in the temple; and the Scribes and the chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him; for they feared him, because all the people were astonished at his doctrine.' 103. The next day but one, upon his telling them the kingdom of the Messiah should be taken from them, the chief priests and Scribes sought to lay hands on him the same hour; and they feared the people,' Luke xx. If they had so great a desire to lay hold on him, why did they not? They were the chief priests and the rulers, the men of power. The reason St. Luke plainly tells us in the next verse: And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him into the power and authority of the governor.' They wanted matter of accusation against him to the power they were under: that they watched for, and that they would have been glad of, if they could have entangled him in his talk, as St. Matthew expresses it.' If they could have laid hold on any word that had dropped from him, that might 1 Chap. xxii. have rendered him guilty or suspected to the Roman governor, that would have served their turn, to have laid hold upon him, with hopes to destroy him: for their power not answering their malice, they could not put him to death by their own authority, without the permission and assistance of the governor, as they confess, John, xviii. 31: 'It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.' This made them so earnest for a declaration in direct words from his own mouth, that he was the Messiah. It was not that they would more have believed in him for such a declaration of himself, than they did for his miracles, or other ways of making himself known, which it appears they understood well enough; but they wanted plain direct words, such as might support an accusation, and be of weight before an heathen judge. This was the reason why they pressed him to speak out: Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou hold us in suspense? If thou be the Messiah, tell us plainly,'' appŋoía; that is, in direct words: for that St. John uses it in that sense, we may see chap. xi. 11—14: 'Jesus saith to them, Lazarus sleepeth.' His disciples said, ' If he sleeps, he shall do well. Howbeit, Jesus spake of his death; but they thought he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus to them plainly, appnoía, Lazarus is dead.' Here we see what is meant by rappŋoía, plain direct words, such as express the thing without a figure; and so they would have had Jesus pronounced himself to be the Messiah. And the same thing they press again, Matt. xvi. the high-priest adjuring him by the living God, to tell them whether he were the John, x. Messiah, the Son of God, as we shall have occasion to take notice by-and-by. 104. This we may observe in the whole management of their design against his life. It turned upon this; that they wanted and wished for a declaration from him, in direct words, that he was the Messiah; something from his own mouth, that might offend the Roman power, and render him criminal to Pilate. They asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly; neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Cæsar, or no?' By this captious question they hoped to catch him, which way soever he answered; for if he had said, they ought to pay tribute to Cæsar, it would be plain he allowed their subjection to the Romans, and so in effect disowned himself to be their king and deliverer; whereby he would have contradicted what his carriage and doctrine seemed to aim at, the opinion that was spread amongst the people, that he was the Messiah. This would have quashed the hopes, and destroyed the faith of those who believed on him, and have turned the ears and hearts of the people from him. If, on the other side, he answered No, it is not lawful to pay tribute to Cæsar, they had had out of his own mouth wherewithal to condemn him before Pontius Pilate. But St. Luke tells us, 'He perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?' that is, why do ye lay snares for me? Ye hypocrites, show me the tribute-money.' So it is, Matt. xxii. 19. Whose image and inscription has it? They said, Cæsar's. He said unto them, Render, therefore, to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are God's.' By the wisdom and caution of which unexpected answer, he defeated their whole design. 'And they could not take hold of his words before the people; and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace,' Luke, xx. 26; and leaving him, they departed,' Matt. xxii. 22. 105. He having, by this reply, (and what he answered to the Sadducees concerning the resurrection, and to the lawyer about the first commandment, Mark, xii.,) answered so little to their satisfaction or advantage, they durst ask him no more questions any of them. And now their mouths being stopped, he himself begins to question them about the Messiah, asking the Pharisees, Matt. xxii. 'What think ye of the Messiah, whose Son is he? They say unto him the Son of David:' wherein, though they answered right, yet he shows them, in the following words, that however they pretended to be studiers and teachers of the law, yet they understood not clearly the Scriptures concerning the Messiah; and thereupon he sharply rebukes their hypocrisy, vanity, pride, malice, covetousness, and ignorance; and particularly tells them, 'Ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in yourselves, nor suffer ye them that are entering, to go in.' Whereby he plainly declares to them, that the Messiah was come, and his kingdom began; but that they refused to believe in him themselves, and did all they could to hinder others from believing in him, as is manifest throughout the New Testament; the history whereof sufficiently explains what is meant here by the kingdom of heaven,' which the Scribes and Pharisees would neither go into themselves, nor suffer others to enter into. And they could not choose but understand him, though he named not himself in the case. 106. Provoked anew by his rebukes, they get presently to council: Then assembled together the chief priests, and the Scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high-priest, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast-day, lest there be an uproar among the people. For they feared the people,' says, St. Luke, chap. xxii. Having in the night got Jesus into their hands, by the treachery of Judas, they presently led him away, bound, to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the highpriest, who probably having examined him, and getting nothing out of him for his purpose, sends him away to Caiaphas, where the chief priests, the Scribes, and the elders were assembled, John, xviii. 19, 20: The high-priest then asked Jesus of his disciples and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.' A proof that he had not in private to his disciples declared himself in express words to be the Messiah, the Prince. But he goes on. askest thou me ?' Ask Judas, who has been always with me. Ask them who heard me what I have said unto them; behold, they know what I said.' Our Saviour, we see, here warily declines, for the reasons above mentioned, all discourse of his doc 6 Why |