James and John ask for the highest posts in his kingdom. hid from them, neither which were spoken. MAT. XX. 20. Then came to him the mo ther of Zebedee's chil dren, with her sons [James and John,] desiring a certain thing 133 cxlii. and this [saying was and this matter was hid from them to so great a de- SECT. knew they the things gree that, after all our Lord had said, they knew not the meaning of the things which were spo- Mat. ken. (Compare Luke ix. 44, 45, Vol. VI. p. 483.) XX. 20. Nevertheless they apprehended thus much, that whatever difficulties lay in the way, they should certainly end in his triumph and glory. And upon this presumption then the mother of worshipping him, and Zebedee's children came at their instigation to him, with her sons James and John, who were peculiar favourites of our Lord; and they all three fell down at his feet, worshipping [him] in a most respectful manner, and desiring a certain [favour] of him with great importunity, weakly saying, Master, we would earnestly beg, that thou shouldest give us a general promise to do for us whatsoever we shall request of thee; for it would be a very great grief to us if we should not succeed in the important petition we have to present. of him, [saying, Master, we would that thou should do for us what soever we shall desire.] [MARK X. 35.] MARK X. 36. And he said [unto her, and} X. 36. And he said to her [and] to them, You cannot Mark unto them, [What wilt expect that, whatsoever kindness I have for you, thou! or] What would I should at all adventures enter myself into so ye that I should do for rash an engagement; tell me therefore particuyou? [MAT. XX.21.] larly, What wouldest thou have? [or] What would you so earnestly desire that I should do for you, if I was fully disposed to grant your request? left-hand, in thy [king 37 [She saith unto She says unto him, I entreat thee to grant that 37 him, Grant that these these my two dear sons, to whom thou hast shewn my two sons,] and they said Grant unto us, so much regard, and who are so zealous for thy that we may sit, the cause and interest, may be preferred to stations one on thy right-hand, of the highest dignity, trust, and profit ; [and] and the other on thy they joined with her in the same request, and said, dom and glory. [MAT. Grant us, that when thou art established in thy glorious kingdom, which, as we apprehend, will shortly be erected in the world, we may not only have a place there, but may be fixed near thy throne, and sit in distinguished honour and authority, the one at thy right hand, and the other at thy left, as thy chief ministers of state. XX.-21.] MAT. XX. 22. But But Jesus said to them in reply, Alas! you are We may sit, the one at thy right-hand, and the other at thy left.] There may perhaps be an allusion in these words to a circumstance which the Talmudical writers relate concerning the sanhedrim: that there were two officers of peculiar distinction, who sat on each side of the nasi, or presi Mat. under XX. 23. cxiii. Mat. 134 They are only for those for whom the Father has prepared them. SECT. under the force of such carnal prejudices and Jesus answered and mistaken views, that you know not what you ask, said [unto them,] Ye know not what ye ask: or you would be ashamed of so unseasonable a Are ye able to drink XX. 22. petition. This is not a time to think of tem- of the cup that I shall poral grandeur and authority; but it is much drink of, and to be baptized with the bapmore proper that I should ask you, and that you tism that I am bapshould put the question to yourselves, Are you tized with? [And] able to drink of the bitter cup of which I am now they say unto him, We are able. [MARK about to drink so deep, and to be baptized with x. 38, 39.-] the baptism, and plunged into that sea of sufferings with which I am shortly [to be] baptized, and, as it were, overwhelmed for a time? And they say to him, with a self-confident assurance, Yes, Lord, we doubt not but that for thy sake we are able to undergo all this. 23 And [Jesus] saith unto them, Ye with the baptism that is not mine to give, 23 And Jesus says unto them, You shall indeed both of you drink of this my cup of which I am to shall drink indeed of drink, and be baptized with the baptism of extreme thy cup [that I drink sufferings with which I am to be baptized; of,] and be baptized for you shall endure great extremities for the sake with I am baptized with: of my gospel, and hazard your lives in its de- but to sit on my rightfence: but as to what you have now desired, to hand, and on my left, sit on my right-hand, and on my left, in my king- but it shall be given to dom of glory, this is not a privilege which is them for whom it is mine to give by partial friendship, or to the first prepared of my Faand most importunate asker; nor can I dispose ther. [MARK X.—39, 40.] of it to any but [to those] for whom it is prepared by my Father, who has appointed that the exaltation and happiness of the other world shall be proportioned to the degrees of piety and holiness which are attained in this. 24 And when the ten other apostles heard [of it,] 24 And when the and were acquainted with this motion which the ten heard it, they [besons of Zebedee had made, they began to be much gan to be much displeased, and] were displeased that they should aspire to a superiority moved to d To drink of the cup, &c.] It was customary among the ancients to assign to each guest at a feast a particular cup, as well as dish; and by the kind and quantity of the liquor contained in it, the respect of the entertainer was expressed. Hence cup came in general to signify a portion assigned (Psal. xvi. 5, xxiii. 5), whether of pieasure or sorrow; and many instances occur in which it refers to the latter. Compare Psal. xi. 6; xxiii. 10; Isa. li. 17, 22; Jer. xxv. 15, 17; Zech. xii. 2; John xviii. 11; and Mat. xxvi. 39, 42. You shall indeed drink of my cup, &c.] Accordingly it is observable that this James was the first of all the apostles who suffered martyrdom for Christ: (Acts xii. 2.) And John was scourged by the Jews (Acts. v. 40; and afterwards banished by Domitian into the Isle of Patmos, where he speaks of himself as a companion of Christ's tribulation: (Rev. i. 9.) Not to mention Tertullian's tradition, that at Rome he was plunged into boiling oil; by which it is said, instead of being destroyed, he was sensibly refreshed (Tertull. Præscript. cap. 56): nor what the pretended Prochorus says of the attempt made by some heretics to poison him; which is generally referred to in the pictures of this apostle where the venom is ridiculously represented as coming out of the cup in the form of a serpent, to signify that the poison did not take cffect, f The He that would be chief should be the servant of all. 135 moved with indigna- to which each of them imagined he had himself SECT. tion against the two an equal claim; [and] as they were moved with brethren] James and John.] [MARK X. indignation against the treo brethren, James and Mat. John, they were going to expostulate the matter XX. 24. with some severity. 41. 25 But Jesus calicd them unto him, and said [unto them,] Yc know that the princes But, to prevent the evil consequences which 25 might arise from such an ill-judged debate, and to root out that envy and ambition which preof the Gentiles exer- vailed among them, Jesus called them all to him, cisc dominion over and said unto them, You well know that the princes them; and [their great ones] exercise autho- of the heathen nations lord it over them in a rity upon them.- very imperious manner; and their great men, in [MARK X. 42.] 25 But it shall not be SO among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. [MARK X. 43.] stations of subordinate government, imitate their tyrannical masters, and exercise an arbitrary authority upon them that are more immediately subject to their command; and that ambition, which is so natural to the depraved heart of man, engages them eagerly to pursue such distinguished stations which may give then an opportunity to gratify it. But my kingdom is of another 26 Dature, and it shall not be so among you; for, instead of appointing any one among you as the chief who should govern the rest, I tell you plainly, that you are to look on each other as brethren and equals, or rather, each to esteem others as worthier of regard than himself: indulge not therefore an ambitious temper, but chosoever would indeed be great among you, let him, instead of aiming at power and authority, choose to be your minister, and attend on the rest with all the humblest offices of condescen27 And whosoever sion and love. And whosoever would be chief 27 will be chief among among you, or first in my esteem, and in future honour and happiness, let him be ready to vaut of all.] MARK behave himself on all occasions as your servant ; X. 44.] [yea], let him be the servant, not only of your you, let him be your servant, [yea, the ser The princes of the heathen nations.] Mark expresses by οι δοκονίες είχειν των 5wv, which we render, they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles; but this (with Gataker, Cinn. lib. i. cap. 3) I take to be a pleonasm, and think it should be translated, they who rule over the Gentiles; and so it coincides with the clause inserted from Matthew. (Compare 1 Cor. xi. 16; xii. 23; xiv. 57; and Phil. iii. 4, Gr.) Instances are produced of the like use of the phrase in the best Greek authors by Mr. Blackwall, in his Sacred Classics, Vol. I. p. 74, to which may be added, Joavlas adının, for adınsıkış, Polyb. lib. i. little cap. 5, and rav ev umepoxy doxarlwv, Epictet. g Instead of appointing any one among The 136 cxlii. Reflections on Christ's readiness to meet his sufferings. SECT. little fraternity, but of all that are about himh; Mark X. 45. 46 And wonder not that this should be required And, quickly after this, they came to Jericho, MARK X. 45. For even the Son of man came not to be minis tered unto, but to mi- 46-And they came to Jericho. Mark IMPROVEMENT. ASTONISHING grace and compassion of the Son of God in going X. 33,34 up to Jerusalem at this passover, when he so circumstantially knew all the things which were to befall him there! not only that he should be put to death, but in what manner he should suffer; and what cruelty and what scorn should introduce the last scene of his agonies! Yet, with so sad a prospect in his eye, he marched on with distinguished alacrity, leading the company, 32 as if he longed to encounter what they could not bear to see, or even to hear of. Glorious Captain of our salvation, give us the like alacrity in all the sufferings we are called to bear for thee! 35--37 Who would not grieve to see these good apostles still so much possessed h The servant of all] There is a gradation here not commonly observed. The word daxn in the former verse, which, for want of a better word, we render minister, is a name which might be given to any who occasionally attended others, or was statedly employed to render them any particular kind of service; but de, servant, signifies one whose whole business it is to serve, and who is indeed the property of another. The words, of all, do likewise increase the gradation. a Ac Jesus passes through Jericho, and many follow him. 137 cxlii. possessed with the spirit of this world, and still dreaming of pre- SECT. ferment in a temporal kingdom? Who would not especially lament it, that his most intimate friends, James, and John the beloved disciple, should be the persons who should come to him with this. strange request? Justly did our Lord answer them, You know not 38what you ask. And may not the same answer often be made to us? When therefore he denies us the great things that we are seeking for ourselves, let us be satisfied with the denial he sees fit to give us; believing that it is wisdom and love, and not unkindness, that produces it. Let us often ask ourselves, Can we share the sufferings which our —38 Lord endured? If we do not desire to do it so far as he shall appoint, we are not worthy to be called his disciples. Let us then gird up the loins of our minds, and wait our Master's signal to go forth to any suffering or service that he shall require; ever ready to make ourselves the servants of all, and therein to imitate the 44, 45 humility of the Son of man, who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister: yet, after all we can do or bear for him, let our trust still be in the merits of his righteousness and blood who gave his life a ransom for many. So shall we be fitted for those distinguished honours in the heavenly world, in comparison with which thrones and sceptres on earth are but empty pageants and childish toys. SECT. CXLIII. Our Lord, passing through Jericho in his way to Jerusalem, cures two blind men as he came out from thence, and converts Zaccheus the publican. Mat. XX. 29, to the end. Mark X.-46, to the end. Luke XVIII. 35, to the end; XIX. 1-10. MARK X-46.— AND as he went out of Jericho with A MARK X. 46. SECT. cxliii. X. 40. ND Jesus, being come to Jericho, proceeded his disciples, [a great on his journey towards Jerusalem; and bemultitude followed ing observed by many as he was passing through Mark him.] [MAT. XX. the city, they were all ready to run after him: 29.1 and accordingly, as he went out of Jericho with his disciples in his train, a great multitude of other people followed him. MAT. XX. 30. XX.30. And behold, an occasion offered for a remark- Mat. And behold, [LUKE, able display of his power and grace at his deparit came to pass, that as he was come nigh ture thence; for it came to pass; that Providence Jericho,] Two so ordered it, as he was yet nigh unto Jericho, unto blind that As he was yet nigh unto Jericho.] In nigh unto Jericho; but the original, ev Tw our translation it is rendered, as he was come say, only siguifies, when, or while he was |