At Jericho "there was a man named Zacchæus, which was the chief among the Publicans, and he was rich." He had already heard much of Jesus, and now "he sought to see Jesus, who he was; and could not for the press," or crowd of people who surrounded the Lord, for Zacchæus was a short man, or "little of stature." Being really anxious to see Jesus, Zacchæus did not content himself with merely wishing, and regretting; but he took some trouble to accomplish his object, and met with his reward. We read that Zacchæus "ran on before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree," under which Jesus must pass; and by this means nothing could prevent his seeing the Lord.
The sycamore tree here spoken of, is also called the Egyptian fig; the leaves are like those of the mulberry tree, but the fruit resembles the fig, in size, shape, and taste.
Jesus, who knows all things, saw the heart of Zacchæus, and knew that he was willing to become a true disciple; and none such will He ever overlook. Therefore, "when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house." Most joyfully did Zacchæus obey: he had taken some trouble merely to see Jesus, and now he would have the privilege of listening to His words. But many of the Jews who were present were offended and displeased, because Jesus took such notice of a man belonging to a class, whom they, in their self-righteous spirit, condemned as unworthy to associate with them; "they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be a guest with a man that is a sinner." Zacchæus, seeing that Jesus was blamed for noticing him, thought it right to show that whatever his sins might have been, he was now truly penitent, and determined to undo as much as possible any wrong he had done to his fellow creatures, in making them pay more taxes than were justly due: so he stood up, "and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give," that is, I will from this time give, "to the poor, and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation," (or over-taxing,) "I will restore him fourfold": that is, I will give him back four times as much as he has lost, through any fault of mine. This was true repentance, springing from faith, and as such it found favour with God. "And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Zacchæus had shown himself to be, spiritually, as well as by descent, a son of faithful Abraham; and as such he and his family were to receive that salvation, which Jesus came to bring to those who would turn from their sins and be saved.
At this time, "Jesus spake a parable; because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear." By this parable of the nobleman, who went into a far country to receive a kingdom, and then returned to judge his servants for the use they had made of the talents which he had given them, Jesus showed that although He was Lord of all, He must leave this world for a time, and return again to judge His servants, before His kingdom could be visibly established,—before the kingdom of God could appear in glory.
It is very easy to understand the meaning of this parable: we all, that is, all the men, women, and children, who have ever been born, are sent upon earth that we may serve God, and show our love to Him, by doing His will in all things; and in doing all the good we can to others. Some have greater means and opportunities of doing good than others; such means and opportunities, as riches, wisdom, health, leisure, &c., are the "talents" entrusted to us; and we are to use them in the service of God, and not for our own pleasure only. Some have more of these "talents" than others; but all of us have opportunities of being useful, if we are ready to practise self-denial, and give up our own pleasure, wishes, and ease, in order to do little acts of kindness to others, in obedience to the word of God. If we do not do our duty to God and man to the best of our power whilst we are on earth, the Lord will be angry with us, as the king in the parable was with the "wicked servant," who had kept his talent "laid up in a napkin," instead of using it so as to make a proper return to the Master, who had given it to him.
When Jesus reached Bethany, Lazarus had already been buried four days. Bethany was a village about two miles from Jerusalem; "and many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother." It was a custom amongst the Jews for friends and relations to come in this way to the house where any one had died, and there to mourn and lament, with particular ceremonies, for seven days. We have no such custom; but when any one is in trouble, we should do all we can to comfort and help: even in all the little troubles and vexations which daily happen to those around us, we should try to do anything we can to help them. The best rule in this, as in all other matters, is to observe the precept, "Do unto others as you would wish them to do unto you." That is, think how you would feel if the same misfortune, trouble, or vexation, fell upon you; and thus try and feel for others: then think what you would wish to be done for you in a like case, and do the same for them. Show that you are sorry for them, by doing any little act of kindness that is in your power, without thinking of yourself,—your own wishes, pleasure, or convenience. Even children can do this; and the sooner they begin to do so, the more will they grow in favour with God and Man.
The beautiful story of the raising of Lazarus is to be read in St. John's Gospel (ch. xi.).
Martha's faith seems to have been weak; for though she believed that Jesus could have saved her brother's life had He come in time, she certainly did not believe that He could now restore him to life.
Mary, too, seems only to have thought that Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying; but her faith was stronger than Martha's, for she made no objection to the taking away the stone that lay upon the cave in which Lazarus was buried.
Jesus here sets us an example of feeling for others: He saw the great sorrow of Martha and Mary, and, although He was going to remove the cause of their grief, yet He felt for them in their distress—"Jesus wept." What a comfort to all who are in trouble upon earth, to know that their Lord in heaven feels for them, and will hear their prayers for help and comfort; though He will not answer them in the same way that He answered the prayers of Mary and her sister.
"Many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. But some of them," determined not to acknowledge Him as the Messiah, "went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done."
The Chief Priests and Pharisees immediately called together the members of the Sanhedrim, or great Council, and said, "What do we? for this man worketh many miracles." They could not deny that Jesus had worked many miracles; for multitudes of the people had seen, and been benefited by them. To the question, "What do we?" or rather, what shall we do? We might reasonably expect the answer, We will acknowledge Him as the Messiah, the Son of God; but, no: they did not say this; on the contrary, their only thought was to prevent others from believing in Him. Rightly did they judge, "If we let him thus alone, all men will believe in him": but they added, "and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation." In their blindness as to the spiritual nature of the Messiah's kingdom, these Jews thought, that if they acknowledged Jesus, the Roman Emperor would consider them as rebels, wishing to set up a temporal kingdom, and would send his armies to destroy them utterly. Far better would it have been for these unhappy men, if they had only considered the proofs before them, and acknowledged Jesus to be the Messiah, without fearing what man could do unto them. In a few years moreover, the very evil which they so wickedly strove to avoid did come upon them: their nation was totally destroyed, the people scattered over all lands, and the temple burnt to the ground.
No doubt there were many different opinions amongst the members of the Sanhedrim, for, after much discussion, "one of them, named Caiaphas, being the High Priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself; but being High Priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather in one the children of God that were scattered abroad."
The speech made in the Sanhedrim by Caiaphas, meant a great deal more than he did, when he used the words. Caiaphas meant, that if there were any chance of offending the Romans, it would be better at once to put one man to death, than to bring destruction upon the whole nation. But St. John bids us take notice that, without intending it, Caiaphas thus proclaimed the blessed plan of salvation through the atonement, which, by the death of One, would be made for all mankind.
Caiaphas was the "High Priest that same year." By the appointment of God, a man who once became High Priest continued to be so as long as he lived; but the Romans forced the Jews to alter many of their customs, and it had been so in regard to the office of High Priest, which was now seldom held by the same person for more than a year.
What Caiaphas said, seems to have decided the Sanhedrim as to what should be done; and the only question that remained was, how it should be done: how the death of Jesus could be safely managed, without causing a disturbance amongst the people, who might not be willing to see one who had worked such miracles for their good, put to death. This required consideration on the part of the Sanhedrim: "and from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death."
Jesus, knowing that His time was not fully come, went with His disciples into a small city, situated among the mountains in the wilderness of Judah, which lay on the borders of the Dead Sea. We read, "Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples." "And the Jews' Passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves": that is, to observe certain forms and ceremonies, without which no man was looked upon as fit to partake of this holy feast.
This was the third Passover which had occurred since Jesus began His public teaching; the last of which He was to partake. It was fitting that "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world," should be sacrificed at this solemn season. The Feast of the Passover was kept in remembrance of the deliverance of the Children of Israel from death, by the blood of the paschal lamb; but it was also a type, or sign, of a greater deliverance to come; when through the shedding of the blood of the Lamb of God, all mankind would be delivered from a far more terrible death. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is called "our Passover."
The Jews who now assembled in Jerusalem, to prepare themselves for the approaching Feast, naturally spake to each other of Jesus, whom all must have heard of, and whom many had, no doubt, seen. They sought for Jesus amongst those who were purifying themselves, and not finding Him, spake to each other, saying, "What think ye, that he will not come to the feast?" Many of them probably thought, that Jesus would be afraid to show Himself in public; for "both the Chief Priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should show it, that they might take him."
Mean time Jesus was calmly preparing to finish the work given to Him of the Father, by delivering Himself up to death; that through Him all men might have life. Till the time was fully come, Jesus remained with His disciples in the wilderness. "Then six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead." It is probable that at this time Jesus abode in the house with Lazarus and his sisters; but we read of Him as being "in the house of Simon the leper," a man whom our Lord had, no doubt, cured of leprosy; where "they made him a supper." Lazarus was one of the guests who "sat at the table with him," "and Martha served"; helped the giver of the feast to entertain and wait upon Jesus.
An event now took place, which is spoken of by St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John; though it is rather differently told by each, some mentioning circumstances of which the others take no notice: so much so, that some people have thought that they speak of different events; but it seems much more probable that they all allude to the same event, and therefore it will be so considered now.
The circumstance which happened at the supper given to Jesus in the house of Simon, (distinguished from others of that name by being still called the Leper, though now no longer one,) must be related according to what is generally believed.
"Mary having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious and very costly, brake the box, and poured it on his head as he sat at meat, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment." Thus did Mary show her love for the Lord. "But when his disciples saw it, there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?"
Judas Iscariot, under pretence of wishing to give the money to the poor, blamed Mary for thus wasting the ointment; and some of the other disciples seem to have held the same idea, and "they murmured against her."
A Roman penny, the money here spoken of, was worth about 7½d. of our money; so the cost of this box of ointment was about 9l.: and probably some of the disciples, not understanding the meaning of Mary's action as afterwards described by Jesus, really thought it would have been well to give that sum away in charity. But this was not the case with Judas, for St. John adds, "This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein." The joint stock of money, out of which the necessaries of life were purchased for Jesus and his Apostles, was trusted to the care of Judas, who was a thief, and took money out of the common bag for his own private purposes. If so large a sum as three hundred pence were to be added to the common stock, Judas would be able easily to take some without being found out; especially if he pretended that he had given it to the poor. Let us, as the Bible bids us, beware of covetousness even in the smallest matter. This feeling indulged in the heart is a great sin; and it constantly leads to the breaking of the eighth commandment as well.
When Mary was blamed for what she had done, the Lord defended her, saying, "Let her alone,"—do not blame her,—"why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good; but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial."
It was the custom among the Jews to anoint the bodies of the dead before burial, with perfumes and spices: this was also a custom of other nations, and the Egyptians had a manner of anointing, or embalming, the body, so that it would keep its shape, and not turn to dust, as it would otherwise do. Bodies so prepared are called mummies; and many have been found, which have been in that state for 3,000 or 4,000 years.
When Jesus said that Mary "had anointed his body to the burying," He meant, that she had done an action which was significant of His approaching death; but, of course, neither she nor the disciples understood it as such. He also declared, that so far from deserving blame, what she had done should be for ever remembered to her praise: "Verily, I say unto you, Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her."
Whilst Jesus was still in the house of Simon, much people of the Jews, knowing He was there, came not only to see Him, "but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead." Such a miracle had naturally been much talked of; and the Chief Priests, fearing the effect it might have on the people's mind, consulted whether they could not "put Lazarus also to death, because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus."
The next day,—that is, five days before the Passover,—the people that were assembled at Jerusalem for the feast, "when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna; Blessed is the King of Israel, that cometh in the name of the Lord." The word "Hosanna" is made up of parts of two Hebrew words, which mean "Save now." It was a word commonly used by the people to express their joy upon solemn occasions.
Then Jesus sent forth two of His disciples, with directions where to find a colt, the foal of an ass, upon which He purposed to ride into Jerusalem. The disciples did as they were directed, and "cast their garments upon the colt, and they sat Jesus thereon": and He rode towards Jerusalem, accompanied by many of the people who had been with Him in Simon's house, and "that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave." These were soon met by those who, with palm branches in their hands, had come from Jerusalem. "And as they went, a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way." Casting garments, branches of trees and flowers on the ground, for Kings and Conquerors to tread upon, was a mark of honour and welcome in the Eastern nations; and it was a fitting homage to Him, Who is King of Kings, and the Conqueror of Sin and Death.
"And when He was come nigh the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples, and the multitudes that went before, and that followed, began to rejoice, and praise God with a loud voice, for all the mighty works that they had seen; and cried, saying Hosanna to the Son of David—Hosanna in the highest. Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest."
"All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken" 400 years before "by the prophet" Zechariah, saying, "Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass."
At the Feast of Tabernacles, it had long been the custom for the Jewish people to sing Hosannas, and also to carry in their hands branches of palm or other trees, in honour of the Messiah whom they were expecting; and by receiving Jesus as they now did, the multitudes did, in fact, acknowledge Him to be that expected Messiah—at once God and man—the King spoken of by the prophets; promised by the Almighty.
No other king ever entered Jerusalem in this manner, which had been foretold by the prophets; and therefore what had now happened, ought to have convinced all the Jews that Jesus Christ was indeed the Messiah: but nothing will convince those who are obstinately determined not to believe, and even now, "some of the Pharisees from among the multitude," who chose to think it was blasphemy to give Jesus, a man, the honour due to the Messiah, "said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples." But instead of doing so, Jesus "answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should, hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." By this answer, Jesus plainly told the Pharisees, that so far from meriting a rebuke for speaking blasphemy, all that the people had said was so pleasing to God, that if they were prevented from saying it, the Almighty would, even by a miracle, raise up others to glorify His name, by proclaiming this wonderful truth. Nothing, however, could overcome the obstinate unbelief of the Pharisees. They "said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him."
They could not but own, that in spite of all they had done, the people did believe Jesus to be the Messiah; but this had no other effect than to make them the more anxious to put Him to death. Mean time Jesus rode on; "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation." The meaning of what Jesus now said is, that it would have been a happy thing for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, if while He was with them they would have believed on Him, for then He would have given them peace and happiness. And He wept in pity, whilst He foretold the utter destruction that would come upon the city, as a punishment to the Jews for refusing to believe in Him, and receive Him as the Messiah.
Everything that Jesus foretold, came to pass exactly a few years afterwards, when the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem, and made a trench, and a wall with strong towers all round the city, so as to prevent the inhabitants getting any help. The consequence was, that the want of food caused the most dreadful suffering and misery. When at last the city was taken, the Romans did destroy it so completely, that it might truly be said, that one stone was not left upon another.
"And when Jesus was come into Jerusalem," accompanied by multitudes, waving palm branches, and singing Hosannas, "all the city was moved," or filled with astonishment, saying, "Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."
Very soon after our Lord's baptism, He thus cleared the temple for the first time (Ch. VII.); then He blamed the people for making His Father's house a house of merchandise; now he tells them that they have made it like a den of thieves. There have always been people wicked enough to break the eighth commandment. In the land of Judæa, there were then many lawless men, who, instead of working to gain an honest living, went about the country robbing their fellow creatures, and so living on what they could get. These robbers joined together in bands, and took up their abodes in hollow places in the sides of the mountains, called dens or caves. These dens generally had a small entrance, but inside were of different sizes: they had no light but what came in through the entrance hole; but the inhabitants could burn lamps or torches to give them light, and of course they were quite sheltered from wind and rain. The robbers used to leave their hiding-places at night, and prowl about to take whatever they could find. Even if they met with cattle or sheep unguarded, they drove them away into their dens, where they kept all manner of things which they had stolen; and therefore when the court of the temple was filled with oxen and sheep, and other animals, it might well be compared to a den of thieves. Nothing like this can happen in our days; but let us remember that Jesus referred to the words of the prophet Isaiah, "Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people": Jesus blamed the people for profaning the temple, and not making the proper use of it: we are guilty of this sin, if we do not make a proper use of our churches, and behave reverently when we are in them. Let us all be careful to make our churches houses of prayer, by joining devoutly in the prayers, and listening attentively to all that we hear there: unless we do this, we shall sin against God by not hallowing His Name; and He will be as much displeased with us, as He was with the Jews for their desecration of the temple.
The blind and the lame came to Jesus in the temple; "and he healed them. And when the Chief Priests and Scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto Him, Hearest thou what these say?" meaning that He should stop these children from so speaking: instead of that, Jesus again plainly declared Himself to be the Messiah spoken of by the prophets, by applying to what had now taken place, the inspired words of David; for we read, that "Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?"
"And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast." The Greek language was very much spoken at this time, and the Jews called all foreigners who spoke it, Greeks: many of these persons had been converted, or turned, from the worship of idols to that of the one True God: but as they were not really Jews, they could only be admitted to worship in the Court of the Gentiles. These men wished to see Jesus, and expressed their wish to Philip—"Philip cometh and telleth Andrew; and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus."
Our Lord in His answer, declared that the time was now come, when His power and glory should be shown, not to the Jews alone, but to all nations upon earth. But He also said, that before He could be glorified, He must die; just as a corn or grain of wheat must be put into the ground and die, or rot, before it could bring forth fruit and fulfil its purpose: and then He warned His disciples, that any man who really desired to serve and follow Him, must be ready to give up everything he most values, and even to part with his life, if necessary, for the service of God.
Jesus in his human nature must have shrunk from suffering as a man; though firmly resolved to suffer the utmost agony for our sakes. He would not, therefore, ask God to save Him from the approaching trial, because He had come into the world for the express purpose of going through it, in order to purchase the salvation of man.
At this time Jesus saith, "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour; but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name." By these last words Jesus expressed His willingness to give Himself up entirely to God, that God might do with Him whatever would be for His own praise and glory. This same feeling of perfect resignation and self-denial should also govern us in all things. Jesus spake these words, and "then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him."
One of the most ancient signs, or tokens, of the presence of God was a voice from heaven, uttering words that could be heard by man. The Jews called such a voice "the Bath Col," which means the "Daughter of the Voice." It was often a deep, loud sound, attended, as in this case, with thunder; and many would not now believe it to be anything more. Others, who knew that their fathers of old had been spoken to in this way, acknowledged it to be the voice of an angel.
Jesus told those around Him, that this Voice came to show them that He was the true Messiah.
Many other things spake He unto them; but although they had seen so many miracles done by Him, yet they believed not that he was the Messiah; thus fulfilling the words spoken by Isaiah the prophet. "Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many believed on him but, because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."
The fear of man bringeth a snare. Never let us be tempted, for fear of man, to say or do the least thing which we know to be displeasing to God.
In the evening, Jesus again left Jerusalem, and lodged in Bethany, with the twelve disciples.
We are now come to the last week of our Saviour's life: we call it "Passion Week," because of His sufferings and death, which are often spoken of as "His Passion." The Sunday that begins this Holy Week is often called Palm Sunday, in remembrance of Christ's riding into Jerusalem, accompanied by multitudes carrying Palm branches; but in our Prayer Book it is only called "The Sunday next before Easter."
On this first day of the week, Jesus, after He had finished speaking to the people in the temple, went out to the little village of Bethany. Now the next morning, answering to our Monday in Passion Week, Jesus and His disciples returned into the city. On the way "he hungered, and seeing a fig tree by the way side having leaves, he came to it, if haply he might find any fruit thereon; for the time of figs was not yet,"—that is, it was not yet time for the figs to have been gathered, and therefore a tree which looked so flourishing ought to have had fruit upon it. But there was none; nothing, but leaves only. "Then Jesus said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And his disciples heard it."
And they came to Jerusalem, and went into the temple. It appears that, though driven out at the time, the buyers, and sellers, and money-changers had again established themselves in their former places. Again did our Lord cast them out, reminding them that His house was to be a house of prayer only: and this time we are told, that He "would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple." Jesus remained in the temple teaching the people, who "were very attentive to hear him." "And the Scribes, and the Chief Priests, and the chief of the people heard it, and sought how they might destroy him"; but they could do nothing openly for fear of the people, who were "astonished at his doctrine," and evidently inclined at this time to believe in Him as the Messiah.
The next morning, answering to Tuesday in Passion Week, Jesus and the twelve again returned to Jerusalem; and "as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! And Peter, calling to remembrance" (what had happened the day before), "saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away! And Jesus, answering, saith unto them, Have faith in God." Then He went on to speak to them of the necessity of having faith; and told them that, if their faith were strong, the most difficult things would become easy for them to do. He also told them to pray earnestly in faith; for that the faithful never pray in vain: but He again warned the disciples, that if they asked God to forgive their sins, they must truly forgive all who had in any way offended or hurt them; saying, "For if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father, which is in heaven, forgive your trespasses."
The fate of the fig tree teaches two lessons. In the first place, it was a warning to the Jews, who made a great show of their religion, and were very particular in performing all the outward forms and ceremonies which could be seen by men, and lead them to believe that those who did such things must be really good and religious men. Thus they were like the fig tree, with its green leaves making a good show to the eye. But the Jews, with all their outward show, did not do the Will of God: they did not bring forth the fruit of good works, and so their whole religion was valueless, and was to be put an end to by the destruction of the temple. Here again they were like the fig tree, which, in spite of its flourishing leaves, bore no figs, and being therefore useless, was to wither away.
But from all this we may learn an important lesson for ourselves. We should each compare ourselves to this fig tree, and consider whether we bear fruit, or have only a show of leaves. Leaves would be outward observances; such things as can be seen of men. Going to Church, even reading the Bible and saying our Prayers, may be looked upon as leaves, because they can be seen and known by others: but, if under these good leaves there is no fruit of obedience, kindness, self-denial, and holiness,—in short, if we are not trying to please God by growing better and better day by day, where is the fruit?
If, in spite of our Bible and our prayers, we follow our own wills, and indulge our own naughty tempers and feelings, then we are like the barren fig tree; and in the end, like that, we shall be rejected by our Lord in heaven. Let each of us often ask our own conscience this question, Am I a good or bad fig tree? Have I only leaves, or do I bear fruit also?
At this time Jesus taught daily in the temple; and on one occasion the Chief Priests and the Scribes and the elders of the people "spake unto him, saying, Tell us by what authority thou doest these things? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? was it from heaven, or of men? Answer me."
This question greatly perplexed those to whom it was put. They saw plainly, that if they acknowledged that John the Baptist was sent by God, Jesus would justly say, Why then did ye not believe him, when he told you I was the Messiah? On the other hand, they were afraid to say that John had no authority from God, because all the people looked upon him as a prophet, and would be ready to stone any one who said that he was not. "And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell whence it was." They had not asked the question from any real wish to know, for they would not speak what they felt to be the truth, because it would show that they were wrong. Under such circumstances, "Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things."
But our Lord did not leave them without an answer, if they would have laid it to heart; for, in the parable of the man who bid his two sons "go work to-day in my vineyard," He showed them plainly, that, in spite of all their profession of religion, they did not do what God had bade them, and therefore they would lose His favour; whilst the Gentiles, and all who repented and became the obedient sons of God, would go into the kingdom of heaven before them.
"Then began he to speak to the people another parable" of the householder; who, after planting a vineyard and doing all that was necessary to make it produce good wine, sent first his servants and then his son to receive the fruits: but instead of making the proper return, the servants were ill-used, and the son killed. The people, on being asked what the lord of the vineyard would do to such men, answered, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their due season." Jesus then showed them, that this parable exactly described what the Jewish nation had done; and He said, "Therefore I say unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." Jesus also spake another parable, wherein the kingdom of heaven is said to be like unto a certain king, which made a marriage feast for his son. This parable taught the same lesson; that if people will not come to God when He calls them, He will deprive them of the blessings they do not value. At the end of this parable, the king is represented as sending away into punishment a man who had not on a wedding garment. This is to warn us, that though the Lord has now given to Christians the blessings refused by the Jews, it is not enough to be called a Christian: each one of us must be really and truly a Christian in heart and life; clothed, as it were, with faith, love, obedience, and holiness, as with a wedding garment: without this, no man can enter into Christ's Church in Heaven.
In the parable of the Marriage Feast just spoken of, we read that when the invited guests refused to come, beggars were compelled to come in from the highways; now, though this may seem to us a strange thing, it would not appear so to those who heard this parable, as it was according to the customs of the East.
Even now, the Arab princes often dine in the open air before their dwellings, and invite all that pass, even beggars, to share their meal: these guests sit down and eat, and when they have done, return thanks and go away.
Another custom of those times is also referred to in this parable: kings and great men, when they made a feast, provided garments or robes to be lent to any guests who came without a proper dress for the occasion. As every man who needed it could have a garment if he asked for it, there was no excuse for any person who sat down without one. The man spoken of in the parable, could have had a wedding garment if he had sought for it; and so we read that he "was speechless," had nothing to say in his own defence, and was cast from the presence of the Lord.
So it is with us; God will give faith, and love, and strength to keep His holy Word, to all who ask, and seek: therefore, if we are not covered with the garment of faith and holiness, it will be our own fault that we are not allowed to sit down with the righteous in the kingdom of Heaven.
The righteousness of Christ is the real wedding garment of believers; and this will cover and save all, whose faith is true and lively; such as will show itself in their words and deeds.
The Pharisees and Scribes saw that these parables were spoken against them, to show them how wrong they were; and this made them the more angry, and the more desirous to destroy Jesus. Being afraid to do this openly by violence, they "took counsel (or consulted together) how they might entangle him in his talk": that is, get Him to say something which would either offend the people, or give them a pretence for accusing Him to the Roman governor of teaching the people to rebel against the authority of Cæsar.
They, therefore, sent forth certain of their own disciples, with the Herodians; spies, which should feign themselves just and good men, anxious to learn the truth by asking questions; whilst all the time, they hoped He would say something to enable them to "deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor." The Herodians here spoken of, seem to have been a party amongst the Jews, who were very favourable to the Romans; and thought they had the best right to appoint the kings and governors of Judæa. This party took its rise in the time of Herod the Great.
These Herodians, though Jews themselves, had been quite ready to join with Herod, when, to please the Romans, he set apart temples for the worship of their false gods: by such means they had got into great favour with the Romans, as also with Herod the Great and all his family.
The Pharisees and Herodians then came to Jesus, and having first declared their belief, that no fear of man would prevent His telling them plainly what was the Will of God, they said, "Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou, Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not? Shall we give or shall we not give?"
The Romans had laid a tax upon Judæa when it became a Roman province: the Jews hated this mark of subjection, and the Pharisees taught, that as the Jews were God's chosen people, they ought not to pay tax or tribute to any foreign power. The Herodians held the contrary opinion; and some of the Jews followed them. Cæsar was a common name or title given to all the Roman Emperors, who had each their own particular name besides. Augustus Cæsar was Emperor of Rome when Jesus Christ was born; and, at the time we are speaking of, Tiberius Cæsar was the Emperor. If, to the question now asked, Jesus should answer, "Do not pay tribute," the Herodians would be offended, and would get the Roman governor to punish Him. If, on the other hand, Jesus should declare that it was lawful and right to pay tribute, the greater part of the Jewish people would be very indignant, and perhaps stone Him at once: at any rate, He would lose their favour, so that they would not oppose His destruction. Thus the Pharisees felt confident that Jesus must fall into the snare. "But Jesus perceived their wickedness; and knowing their hypocrisy, said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute-money," that I may see it. "And they brought unto him a penny"—a Roman coin, equal to 7½d. of our money, having upon it the image or figure of the Emperor's head, with some words, called the superscription, round it: just as our money has the Queen's image upon it, and writing also. "And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Cæsar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's; and unto God the things that are God's." Thus teaching, that their duty to God as His people, did not interfere with their duty to the Romans as temporal rulers. The Pharisees could not take hold of such words: "they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace, and left him, and went their way." Let us remember that with us also, our duty to God will not interfere with our duty to man: on the contrary, those who most love God, will best do their duty as Parents and Children, Kings and Subjects, Masters and Servants, Friends and Neighbours.
The Pharisees having been put to silence in the matter of the tribute-money, another party or sect amongst the Jews, who did not believe in the future resurrection of the dead, came to Jesus, hoping also to entangle him in his talk. These Jews, who were called Sadducees, asked our Lord a question, which they thought it would be impossible for him to answer: but Jesus showed them, that only their own ignorance and inattention to what was written in their Scriptures, made them find any difficulty as to the resurrection of the dead: and He told them most plainly, that all the dead should certainly rise again; and that those who were worthy to live in Heaven, should "be as the angels of God." Some of the Scribes, who were present, agreed to the truth of all that Jesus spake, and said, "Master, thou hast well said."
But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a Lawyer, one of the Scribes, came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, "asked him a question, tempting him"; that is, hoping that His answer might give an opportunity of finding fault with Him.
Before we speak of the question now asked, it is necessary to understand, that at this time the Scribes and Pharisees had taken up an opinion, that it was quite impossible for anybody to observe all the precepts and commandments contained in the Law of Moses; and that, therefore, every man might choose out one or two, and that if he observed these perfectly, he would be forgiven for not keeping the others. This was, of course, quite contrary to the teaching of Scripture, where we learn that all men must do their very best to keep the whole law of God, and do His Will in all things. The Pharisees having thus settled that they need only keep one Commandment, the question was, which it should be: some considered that the ordinances as to sacrifices were the most important; others thought attention to the wearing of phylacteries was the chief thing. No doubt it was much easier to attend to such outward observances, than to keep the temper in order and practise self-denial; but no outward service can please God if the heart is not right. As the Scribes and Pharisees were constantly disputing amongst themselves, as to which of the Commandments it was most important to keep, this Lawyer now asked Jesus, "Master, which is the first commandment of all?" which is the great commandment in the law? "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first and great commandment." This answer could not be found fault with; for it agreed exactly with what Moses had said. But Jesus did not stop here. He knew that the Pharisees behaved with great unkindness to their Jewish brethren, who did not hold the same opinions as they did; and that they actually hated all their fellow creatures of a different religion: He therefore told them, that there was a second commandment, of almost equal importance to the first, and both must be kept. He said, "And the second is like unto it, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets": meaning, that these two commandments contain all that the Law and the prophets had taught, and that any man who kept these, would indeed, keep the whole Law.
Just as in our Catechism we say, that from the Commandments of the Law we learn two things: our duty towards God, and our duty towards man: nor can they be separated; he who really does love God with heart, and mind, and soul, and strength, will try in all things to please Him, and will not willingly break the least of His commands.
He who so loves his fellow creatures, as to do them all the good he can, and treat them as he would himself wish to be treated, will certainly never injure any one in his person or his property; nor even be unkind to him, in word or deed.
The Scribe who had asked the question, "tempting him," appears to have been more honest than many of his brethren: he felt the truth of our Lord's words, and at once "said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." Jesus meant, that this Scribe was not far from being a true believer and disciple, and, we may hope, that he did become a sincere follower of the Lord, and an inheritor of the kingdom of Heaven.
"And no man after that durst ask him any question." Seeing how all had failed to entangle Jesus in his talk, the Pharisees appear to have given up asking questions, which only gave Him an opportunity of showing His wisdom and holiness.
Whilst the Pharisees, who had asked questions in the hope of finding a fault, were gathered together, Jesus in His turn questioned them: He "asked them, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord? for David himself said by the Holy Ghost, in the Book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore calleth him Lord; if David then call him Lord, how is he his son?" The Pharisees could make no answer to this, without contradicting what David had said; or acknowledging that Christ, though in one sense the son of David, was more, and must be the Son of God spoken of by David and all the prophets. Therefore "no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. The common people heard him gladly," however, not being so prejudiced against Him.
Jesus at this time reproved the Scribes and Pharisees for their pride and hypocrisy; and for their observance of outward forms only, whilst they did not even try to act according to the real meaning and spirit of the Law of Moses. Jesus also told his disciples and the multitude, that though they ought to observe and do whatever the Scribes (whose business it was to explain and teach the Law) showed them that they ought to do, they must be careful not to follow their example: "The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's seat; all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say and do not." Other things Jesus said at this time (Matt xxiii., Mark xii., Luke xx.), and he ended with again lamenting over the misery which Jerusalem was bringing upon herself, by refusing to receive Him, the Lord of Life and Glory: and He reminded His hearers, that He would have saved them had they been willing. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." Jesus was teaching in that part of the temple where stood the chest, into which those who came to worship, put gifts of money, to be used for the service of the temple.
"And Jesus sat over against the treasury. And he looked up and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury; and many that were rich cast in much. And there came also a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing." There was a curious law at this time amongst the Jews, forbidding any one to put into the treasury so small a sum as one mite: this poor widow therefore put in the smallest sum she could. Many who saw her, most likely despised her offering; and thought that such a paltry sum was not worth giving. But He who seeth the heart, judged very differently: "He called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all that she had, even all her living."
The difference was, that the rich men had given large sums, of which they would not feel the loss: but the poor widow had practised the greatest self-denial, in order to do something for the service of God. She had to work hard to gain money to buy necessary food, and by giving all she had at this time, she would be obliged to go without a meal. Without self-denial, we cannot please God: and we can all practise self-denial, though it seems very hard to do so. If we give up our own wishes, and practise self-denial, in the most trifling things, though men may not know it at all, God does: and if He sees that we do it because He has bid us deny ourselves, He will be pleased with us.
Our Lord now departed from the temple, and as he went out "his disciples came to him, for to show him, the buildings of the temple"; that is, to draw His attention to the strength of the walls, and the size of the stones used in building it; as if they thought it almost impossible that one stone should not be left upon another. But Jesus again assured them that the temple, as well as the city, should be utterly destroyed.
Jesus then spake of the misery that would come upon the Jews, when the destruction of their city should take place. From this, He went on to speak of the end of the world, which must surely take place some day or other: and He warned them, that as no man could know when this event would take place, it was necessary that every one should be prepared to meet their God.
Let us remember this: let each one of us try to live every day as if it was to be our last. Many things He spake, to enforce the duty of watching, so as to be always ready.
In order to impress more strongly upon His disciples the dreadful consequence of not being ready, when the Lord should come to judge the world, Jesus told them the parable of the Ten Virgins, five of whom were wise, and five foolish. These latter were shut out from the marriage; and Jesus showed how this parable applied to all men, by saying, "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."
Again, to show them the necessity of being found at the last day, doing the will of God, and improving the talents committed to our care, Jesus told His disciples another parable of the Servants and the Talents; greatly resembling one spoken before, as given by St. Luke, chap. xix. He likewise showed His disciples, that though here all men seem to go on much alike, so that it is often difficult to know who are really serving God with all their hearts, and who are not, there will be no difficulty in the last day, when the godly and the ungodly shall be as easily divided, "as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats": and that while the Lord would take the one to live with Him for ever, the others should go away into everlasting punishment. Jesus also declared, that one way of gaining the favour of God, was by doing acts of kindness and self-denial, to help our suffering fellow creatures.
All these discourses, which followed the last cleansing of the temple, seem to have been uttered on the Tuesday in Passion Week. "And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount, that is called the mount of Olives;" at Bethany, as is generally believed. We have now come to the Wednesday in Passion Week, two days before the feast of the Passover, called also the feast of unleavened bread. Jesus, to prepare His disciples for what was about to happen, said unto them, "Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified."
"Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. Then assembled together the Chief Priests and the Scribes, and the elders of the people" (who had long sought to destroy Jesus), "unto the palace of the High Priest, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted how they might take Jesus by craft and put him to death," without causing any uproar among the people. If once they could contrive to deliver Him up as a prisoner to the Roman governor, there would be no possibility of His being rescued by the people.
The Priests and elders were now offered help from an unexpected quarter. "Then entered Satan into Judas, surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve." Judas had probably taken offence at what Jesus said, when Mary anointed His feet: he was a bad man, without any real love for his Master; and instead of fighting against the sinful lusts or desires of his own heart, he indulged them, and so let the Devil enter in, and lead him to betray the Lord. "And he went his way unto the Chief Priests, and communed with them how he might betray him unto them. And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And when they heard it they were glad, and promised to give him money. And they covenanted (or agreed with him) for thirty pieces of silver." Thirty shekels or pieces of silver (worth about 3l. 11s.), was the sum which Moses had commanded to be paid by the owner of any beast, which had by accident killed the slave of another man: thus, in every respect, did Christ take upon Him the form and condition of a servant or slave.
Judas having consented to sell the life of his Master for thirty shekels, "from that time sought opportunity how he might conveniently betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude." It is a terrible thing when a man is so hardened, as to watch for an opportunity of committing a crime! That, indeed, is wilful sin. The next day, Thursday, was "the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the Passover. The disciples came and said unto Jesus, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the Passover? And He sendeth forth two of his disciples, Peter and John, saying, Go ye into the city; and behold when ye are entered into the city, there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him into the house where he entereth in; and say ye to the good man (or owner) of the house, The Master saith unto thee, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house: Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples? And he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. And his disciples went forth and came into the city, and found as He had said unto them: and they made ready the Passover." What a strengthening of the Apostles' faith this must have been: He who could thus foretell all, even the most trifling events, must be God indeed. The blessed thought that God knows and governs all things, should make us trust in Him, and do our duty without any fear of the consequences.
In order to a better understanding of all that the Gospels tell us of the Last Supper, it will be well to see how the Jews at that time kept the Passover.
In the first place, on the day when the Paschal Lamb was to be killed and eaten, the Jews were to put away out of their houses all leaven or yeast, and live for a whole week on cakes made of unleavened dough: hence the Feast of the Passover was also called the "Feast of unleavened bread."
1. When the guests were assembled in the evening to eat the Passover, the ceremonies began, by the master of the house giving to each one a cup of wine mixed with water, saying at the same time, "Blessed be He that created the fruit of the vine": then they all gave thanks and drank the wine.
2. All the guests after drinking the wine, washed their hands; and then the three things ordered by the Law of Moses, were placed on the table before the master of the house. These three things were, the Paschal Lamb roasted whole; two cakes of unleavened bread; and a dish of bitter herbs. To these were added the remains of the peace-offerings offered the day before, and some other meats; also a thick sour sauce, intended to remind the Jews of the bricks made by their forefathers in Egypt.
The master of the house, or whoever took the direction of the feast, then ate, and gave to each of the guests a small piece of lettuce; at the same time blessing God for the fruits of the earth; afterwards each person present, ate a bit of the unleavened bread dipped in the bitter herbs.
3. In the third place, all the dishes were taken off the table, and the children, who were not of age to keep the feast, were called in: the meaning of the Feast was then explained to them, in obedience to the commandment of the Lord, spoken by Moses, saying, "And it shall come to pass when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, and your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, Who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians and delivered our houses."
4. After the young people had been duly taught, the supper was, in the fourth place, again set upon the table. Each person then, in turn, lifted up the bitter herbs and the unleavened cakes, and afterwards joined in declaring, that they ate them in remembrance of the bondage in Egypt, and the deliverance from it: then they praised God, by singing the 113th and 114th Psalms; and having blessed the Lord, a second cup of wine was drunk.
5. In the fifth place, the guests again washed their hands; and then the master of the family took the two unleavened cakes, broke one of them into pieces, and placed the broken pieces on the top of the whole cake: after this, he blessed it; and each person taking one of the broken pieces with some of the bitter herbs, dipped them into the sour sauce, and ate them; they then blessed God again. Thanks were now given over the remains of the yesterday's peace-offering, and some of that eaten. The next step was to give thanks over the Paschal Lamb, of which all partook. The Passover Feast was now, in fact, finished; but the Jews made the supper last longer, by eating any other food they liked; always taking care to finish by swallowing a little morsel of lamb, as after partaking of that, they were not supposed to eat anything more that night.
6. In the sixth place, the hands were washed for the third time; and the master of the house said a blessing over a third cup of wine, which was then drunk by each guest. This third cup of wine was commonly called the "Cup of Blessing." A fourth cup of wine was then mixed with water; and over this, certain Psalms, from the 115th to 118th inclusive, were sung; and then a prayer concluded the whole ceremony.
This was the manner in which the Jews kept the Passover Feast, when Jesus ate it with His disciples. When Jerusalem was destroyed, the Jews who were forced to go and live in other lands, could not sacrifice the lambs in a proper manner; and therefore they used to put a bit of unleavened bread under a napkin, and keep it for a last mouthful, instead of the morsel of lamb.
In the impossibility of continuing to carry out the ordinances of the Ceremonial Law, after the death of Jesus, we see the Hand of God, fulfilling His Word.
The Passover was a type of Christ—signifying the deliverance of His people from bondage to the Devil. When Christ had come, and once for all made atonement as the Lamb of God, a ceremony to prefigure His sacrifice was out of place. Another rite was instituted, "in thankful remembrance of His death." But the Jews, who would not believe that Christ was the true Passover, endeavoured, and still do endeavour, to observe that Law which He has done away with.
"And in the evening Jesus cometh with the twelve, and when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve Apostles with him." Then He told them plainly that this was the last Passover He should eat on earth; saying, "With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God." Then when Jesus, as Master of the family, had given the first cup to the disciples, "He gave thanks and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: for I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come." Jesus being the true Lamb of God, now about to be sacrificed for the deliverance of His people, would not Himself partake of things, only appointed as signs or types of what He was to accomplish by the sacrifice of Himself. When the supper, or some part of it, was ended, there arose some strife or dispute amongst the disciples, as to "which of them should be accounted the greatest."
For this Jesus gently rebuked them; and then, wishing to set them an example of humbleness and kindness, "He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel and girded himself:" that is, He took off His robe or upper garment, and then bound His other garments round him with a towel, as was usually done by those who served, or waited upon others. "After that he poureth water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter;" but he, believing that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, could not bear the idea of His acting a servant's part, and objected, saying "Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter." These words should have overcome all doubts and scruples; but in his anxiety and zeal for what he considered to be the glory of the Lord, Peter quite lost sight of his own duty, which was to be obedient in all things, and hastily exclaimed, "Thou shalt never wash my feet."
Peter was quickly recalled to a sense of his fault, for "Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." Such a declaration might well alarm Peter, who really loved his Lord, and wished to serve Him; and in his zeal he rushed into the opposite extreme, and cried out, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." But true and perfect obedience is doing exactly, as we are told, neither more nor less; and of this Peter was reminded by Jesus, who "saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit."
But these words of our Lord had a further meaning. By washing their feet, Jesus meant to teach His disciples, that as washing with water was necessary to cleanse the body, so holiness and purity were necessary to cleanse the soul: and that as through Him alone they could receive the latter, He now used that "outward and visible sign" as a type, or proof, of "the inward and spiritual grace" He would give to them. By washing the feet only, Jesus signified, that those who through faith and repentance were by His mercy cleansed from their sins, and redeemed from the curse by His sacrifice, would only in future need to be cleansed from such sins, as the weakness and frailty of man cause him daily to fall into: just as a guest, who after making himself clean to come to a feast, would only need, on his arrival, to wash off the dust which must settle on his bare feet during his walk.
To the words thus spoken to Peter, Jesus added, "And ye are clean, but not all": for knowing the hearts of all, He thus showed that the sin of Judas was not hid from Him: the disciples naturally would not understand these words, except Judas, whose conscience ought to have reproached him. "After Jesus had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him."
These words are too plain to require much comment. Washing the feet, was looked upon as the business of the lowest servant; and by taking such an office upon Himself, the Lord and Master of all, Jesus taught the disciples and all of us, that it can never be beneath us to do any kind office in our power, to help our fellow creatures. Let us ever remember, that Jesus Christ came upon earth not only to be a "sacrifice for our sins," but also "an ensample (or example) of godly life"; and that it is our duty as well as our happiness, to try in everything to follow His example where He has set us one; and in other matters, to think how, under the circumstances, He would have been likely to act, that we may do the same. This is, indeed, to follow Christ; and so following we shall enter into His kingdom in Heaven.