190 SECT. clii. They abuse the servants their master sent. went into a far country LUKE XX questioning his authority, and shewn how inex- a certain householder, cusable they were in not believing John, though yard, and hedged it which planted a vineMat. they could not deny him to be sent of God, con- round about, and digXXI. 33. tinued his discourse, and said to them and to the ged a wine-press in it, people, Hear now another parable, in which you for a place for the wine fat], and built a tower, are very nearly concerned, as your own consci- and let it cut to husences must quickly tell you: There was a certain bandmen, and man, a master of a considerable family and es[LUKE, for a long tate, who planted a vineyard, and spared no cost time.] [MARK XII. to render it fruitful; for he made a strong hedge -2. round it, to preserve it from the incursion of men 9.] or beasts, and digged [a place for] a wine-press in it, for a large cavity which might serve as a fat for the wine, to receive the liquor when pressed from the grapes; and he also built a tower in it for the accommodation and defence of the labourers; and then he let it out to husbandmen, who were to pay him a certain knowledgment out of the produce of it; and he himself departed thence, and took a journey for a long time into a distant country. 34 ac And at the proper season, then the time of 34 And [at the gathering in the fruit approached, and a return of the fruit drew near, season,] when the time was to be made him from the profits of it, he sent he sent his servants to his servants to the husbandmen who had farmed the husbandmen, that it, that he might receive from the husbandmen that they might receive [from the busbandproportion of the fruit of the vineyard which was men of the fruit of the 35 due to him for the rent. And the husband- vineyard.] [MARK men wickedly conspired to keep the vineyard to XII. 2. LUKE XX. themselves, instead of receiving them with due 35 And the hus10.-] respect, and returning the appointed payment, seized his servants, and beat one of the chief of those who arrived first, and sent him empty away: and as the demand grew more pressing, they another, and stoned took up the weapons with which their Lord him- another. [MARK XII. self had furnished them for very different pur3. LUKE XX.-10.] poses, and slew another, and stoned another, till they had driven him away. 36 mandmen [caught] his servants, and beat one empty.] and kiled [and sent him away 36 [And] again, he And when their lord heard the report of this their injustice, he did not immediately arm him- sent [unto them] other self against them, but sent again other servants servants, more than the to treat with them, more in number, and higher unto them likewise; first; and they did in office than the first; but still persisting in their [and at him who was the wickedness, they did the same unto them; and a A fat for the wine,] Matthew uses the word am, and Mark T. The former signifies the wine-press, the other the cavity under it, in which the vessel was fixed which received the liquor pressed particularly chief from the grapes. The one of these naturally implies the other; but our Lord might without any impropricty mention both. bI will and wounded him in Slaying many of them. 191 SECT. ciii. chief they cast stones, particularly at him [who was the chief] person the head, and sent him employed to account with them they threw stones away shamefully hand- and wounded him dangerously in the head, and led,] [LU KE, and sent him away not only empty, but very disho- XXI. 36. empty.] [MARK XII. 4. LUKE XX. 11.] nourably and shamefully treated. MARK XII. 5. And [the third time ;] and Mat. And again the third time he sent another of Mark again he sent another his principal servants; and him also they wounded XII. 5. as they had done the former, and even were him they [wounded also, and cast him out, so outrageous, that they cast him out of the and] killed and many vineyard, [and] killed him and in like manner others, beating some, they assaulted many others, who came with, or after him, on the same errand, beating some of them, and killing others outright. and killing some. [LUKE XX. 12.] LUKE XX. 13. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall Id)? I will send my -son. [MARK, Hav son, his well-beloved see him. 6.] XX. 13. Then the lord of the vineyard, being still un-Luke willing to proceed to the last extremity with them, though they had been so very wicked and ungrateful in the treatment of his servants, said ing yet therefore one to them that were about him, What shall I do he sent him also last farther to reclaim them? I will send my own son [of all] unto them, to them. Having yet therefore one son, who saying, It may be was his well beloved, and the heir of the family they will reverence [my son] when they he sent him also last of all to them, as the only [MA T. gentle expedient that remained, saying, Perhaps XXI. 37. MARK XII. they will reverence my son when they see him ; for surely they must needs have some respect for him, and will not presume to offer him any inMAT. XXI. 38. But jury. But when the husbandmen saw the son when the husbandcome into the vineyard, instead of paying any men saw the son, [LUKE, they reasondue regard to him, they grew yet more outraed among themselves, geous in their wickedness, and reasoned among saying,] This is the themselves, saying, This is the only heir of the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize whole estate, come, let us kill him, and seize on on his inheritance, his inheritance, that [it] may be ours from gene[LUKE, that it may be ration to generation, and no descendants of our ours.] MARK XII. 7. LUKE XX. 14.] master may remain to give any disturbance to 39 And they caught us or our children in the possession of it. him, with malignant hearts and cruel hands they fell Mat. XXI.38. And 39 upon ornamental circumstance, which cannot d Come let us kill him. &c.] If such a e And are very nearl ences must gi killed him. Aim; and, him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and cast him out slew him. [MARK posing his dead XII. 8. and insolent, as 15.-] LUKE XX. the vineyard himself 40 When the lord mer which they will be therefore of the stint what will he do, think he do unto those husyard cometh, what will and cruel husbandmen, baudmen ? courely at his disposal? [MARK II. 9.-LUKE XX. -15.] that they themselves were these unfaithful hus- him, He will miscraA as the Jewish rulers did not understand round it Luke bantmen, they say but he will incorrigible 41 They say unto unto him, There is no doubt bly destroy those wickmen, and will let wretches, ed destroy those wicked and out his vineyard unto nor is the most torment- other husbandmen, ing death too severe for them to expect; and he which shall render him their proper seasons. the fruits in their sea LUKE XX. 16. Thus did they, before they were aware, conthemselves; and [Jesus added], You have [Jesus said]. He shall answered right: he shall indeed quickly come, and husbandmen, and shall destroy these husbandmen of whom I speak, whoever they shall appear to be, with terrible severity, and will give the vineyard to others. Now all this was as if he had said, Consider your own concern in what you have heard: God has planted a church among you, and given you an excellent revelation of his will; abundant provision has been made, both for your protection and your improvement too: but you have ungratefully refused the fruits of obedience, which were so justly his due; and when he has frequently sent his servants the prophets, with one message and demand after another, you the rulers and teachers of Israel, to whom the cultivation of the vineyard has been committed, have treated them in a most ungrateful and barbarous manner and now at last he has sent his son, and you are going to seize on him, and to add that murder which you are now contriving to the And cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.] So Matthew and Luke express it; but Mark has changed the order of the words, and says, They killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard; if we may not render that clause, They both slew him, and cast him out, so as not to determine which was done first. One cannot suppose Christ uttered it both these ways; so that if there be no accidental transposition in Mark, he guilt come and destroy these give the vineyard to others. [MARK XII, -9.] probably meant thereby to intimate what is hinted in the paraphrase, the exposing his dead body in a most daring defiance of pub lic justice. Those that explain the casting him out of the vineyard, of excommunication, which preceded or attended the execution of a capital sentence, do not observe the proper import of the vineyard. See below, note i. f The He will therefore destroy them, and let the vineyard to others. 193 are say I unto clii. guilt of all your other crimes. I leave it there- SECT. fore to your own consciences to judge what the XXI. 43. event must be. And for this reason now I Mat The kingdom of say unto you plainly, That the kingdom of God, XXI.43. od shall be taken which you have thus vilely and ungratefully from you, and given abused, shall be taken away from you, and given to a nation bringing to a nation which shall bring forth the fruits thereof; that is, his gospel shall be taken from you, and be carried to the Gentiles, who will have more regard to the favour shewn them, and improve it much better than you have done. forth the fruits thereof. LUKE XX. 16. it, they said, God forbid. XX. 16. And when they heard this sad denunciation Luke And when they heard with which the parable concluded, and found that [it] was aimed at them, they said, God forbid that this should be the case with regard to us, nor can we ever believe that it will. the corner: [This is 42. MARK XII. 10, 17 And [Jesus] be- And Jesus looked upon them with great serious- 17 held them and said ness and solemnity in his countenance, and said [unto] them, What is this then that is writ- unto them, What is this then that is written? (Psal. ten? [Did ye never cxviii. 22, 23.) Did you never read, or never reread [MARK, this] in flect this remarkable upon, the scriptures], The in the scrippassage stone which the build- tures," The stone which the builders refused the ers rejected, the same same is become the head-stone of the corner1 : is become the head of this is the Lord's doing, and it is wonderful in the Lord's doing, and our eyes?" Words which though they might it is marvellous in our seem to be accomplished in the exaltation of Daeyes? [MAT. XXI. vid to the Jewish throne, are in their highest sense applicable to the Messiah 8, who, though disdainfully rejected by you scribes and Pharisees and rulers of the people, whose office it is to build up the church, is nevertheless chosen by God to be its great support and ornament. And therefore let me plainly tell you, That who-18 soever shall fall upon this stone, that is, whosoever shall stumble at me and my doctrine, while I am here on earth in this humble form, he shall be broken and damaged by it; but on whomsoever it shall fall, when raised up to so glorious an eminence, 11.] 18 [And] whoso ever shall fall upon [this] stone, shall be broken; but on whom soever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. [MAT. XXI. 44.] The head-stone of the corner.] This I take to be the meaning of the words Κεφαλην γωνίας, rather than the chief corner-stone, as it does not appear exactly to answer to axpoywnalov (Eph ii. 20, and 1 Pet. ii. 6), which, as the connection in those places shews (as well as the use of it in other authors), signifies that great corner-stone which lay at the bottom of the building as its support. What is mentioned afterwards of this head-stone falling on a person, seems not to suit with the suppo sition of its being laid on or under the g Though they might seem to be ac- h On 194 (Luke h Reflections on the parable of the unfaithful husbandmen SECT. eminence, it shall even grind him to powder b clii. like a brittle potsherd crushed by the weight of some huge stone falling upon it from on high: XX. 18. (compare Dan. ii. 44.) So whoever shall oppose me after my exaltation to glory, and the pouring out of my Sprit for the full revelation of my gospel and proof of my mission, he will bring upon himself aggravated guilt, and dreadful unavoidable destruction. 19 same hour sought to rable against them. 46. 19-And And when the chief priests and the scribes and [when] Pharisees had heard his parables which he had the scribes [and Phathe chief priests and now delivered, they were so provoked at what he risees had heard his had said, that even in that very hour they sought parables, they] the to lay their hands on him, that they might pro- lay hands on him; for secute him even to death; for they plainly per- they perceived that he ceived that he had spoken this parable of the wick- had spoken this paed husbandmen that should be destroyed against [MAT. XXII. 45. them', and had in effect set them all at defiance MARK XII. 12.-] by the application of so signal a prophecy to himMat. self. But they feared the people who were MAT. XXI. XXI. 46. then present in the temple, because they esteemed But they feared the him as a Prophet sent from God, and would not they took him for a have borne that immediate assault upon him Prophet: [and they which the rage of these rulers would otherwise left him, and their way.] [MARK, have engaged them to make. And therefore, XII-12.] LUXE XX. not daring for the present to attempt to seize him -19.] with an open violence, they left him, and went away to take counsel in private against him, and to lay a plot for his life, which they might execute with less hazard to themselves. multitude, because went IMPROVEMENT. WHEN We read this parable, and consider it as levelled at the Jews, we applaud the righteous judgment of God in revenging so severely upon them the quarrel of his covenant, and the blood of his Son; but let us take heed to ourselves, lest we also fall after the same example of unbelief. (Heb. iv. 11.) On whomsoever it shall fall, &c.] Dr. Whitby supposes that here is an allusion to the two different ways of stoning among the Jews; the former, by throwing a person down upon a great stone; and the other, by letting a stone fall upon him. But as I cannot see that the latter was at all more dreadful than the former, since in such a case a quick dispatch might seem most desirable, it seems to me that the force and beauty of this pathetic passage would be in a great measure lost by such an interpretation. God They perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.] One would think they could be at no loss for the interpretation of it, considering how nearly it resembles that in Isa. v. 1-7, with which they were, no doubt, well acquainted. Only it is to be observed that there Israel is the vineyard, here the true religion is represented under that figure; accordingly there it is threatened that the vineyard should be destroyed, but here that it should be let out to other husbandmen; each event suiting its connection. |