Matthew 21

Notes

Ver. 13. By their merchandise in the temple they robbed God of his due honour, and at the same time they defrauded their neighbours in their dealings with them. 19-22. This tree represents the Jews, who made great professions of their regard to God, and readiness to receive the Messiah, but nevertheless brought forth no good fruits of faith or holiness; wherefore our Redeemer, by his curse, quickly ejected them from their church state, and rendered them fearfully miserable. 28-32. The first of these sons represents the notorious sinners of the Gentiles, who, after long professed rebellion against God, their Creator and Preserver, did at last repent and turn to the Lord by the gospel: and the second represents the Jews, who, notwithstanding their high professions of readiness to serve God, did not believe in his Son, nor bring forth good works. 33-41, 43. This vineyard denotes the church state given to the Jews, furnished with God's oracles, ordinances, protection, and privileges. After withdrawing from them the cloudy pillar and other miraculous tokens of his presence, he sent his prophets to remind them of their duty, direct them in it, and encourage them to it; but all of these they persecuted and murdered one after another. After a long interval he sent his Son, as the last expedient for rendering them penitent and fruitful. But when they saw him speaking and acting with divine power and authority, and extolled by the people as the Messiah, their rulers in church and state resolved to establish their own authority by excommunicating, persecuting, and murdering him: on account of which God, about forty years after his death, deprived them of all their privileges in church and state, and by sword, famine, pestilence, and captivity, rendered them dreadfully miserable; and admitted the Gentiles into the gospel church in their stead. 42, 44. Notwithstanding all the abuse and persecution which Christ suffered from the Jewish rulers till he was put to death upon the cross, yet was he exalted to glory, and made Head over all things to his church. They who, through ignorance and prejudice, undervalued him in his state of humiliation, endangered their souls: but they who obstinately reject him in his exalted state after the wonderful effusion of the Spirit, draw down upon themselves fearful and inevitable misery.

Ver. 12. Jesus went into the temple. Not into the 'house of the Lord'—(for in that case the word employed would have been ναὸς)—but into some of the courts, which, together, were called ἱερὸν—and most probably the outer, called the court of the Gentiles.—All that sold and bought—oil, flour, wine, frankincense, animals, &c., for sacrifice.—Money-changers, who furnished Jewish money for the Roman and other heathen coins, which, being impressed with the images of emperors and idols, could not be admitted into the treasury of the temple—or occasionally furnished local coin for such foreign money as was not current at Jerusalem.—Doves, the offerings which the poor were authorized to offer in place of more expensive sacrifices. C.

Ver. 22. Believing—in the Word of God, which has instructed you to ask them—in the truth of God, which has promised to grant them—and in the power of God, which is able to accomplish them—'ye shall receive.' The promise cannot be strained to any other sense—especially to any sense that puts any presumptuous confidence of men into the place of the authority and promise of God. C.

Ver. 27. Our Lord was not evading the question, but demonstrating, out of their own mouths, how unworthy his questioners were of an answer—unworthy in any case upon their own showing. For they were either so unintelligent that they could not judge of John's credentials, or so dishonest that they would not declare their conviction. C.

Ver. 28. Two sons. By comparing ver. 28, 31, and 45, it will be evident that the 'two sons' represent two classes—the first, the 'publicans and harlots,' who, in their youth, had refused to serve God—but who repented at the preaching of John, and believed in our Lord for salvation. The second, the 'chief priests and elders,' ver. 23, who, from their youth, had been professors of religion, but who, 'counting themselves righteous,' rejected 'the righteousness of God,' and denied and crucified the Lord of life and glory. C.

Ver. 44. Whosoever shall fall upon this stone (as the Jews stumbled at the humiliated condition of Christ, and so rejected him) shall be broken (rather, bruised): but on whomsoever it shall fall (when the long-suffering of God comes to an end, and he rises terribly to judgment), it will grind him to powder—(rather, 'he shall be driven away as chaff from a winnowing-fan.' See Ps. 1. 4). All which things were fulfilled on the Jewish nation, who were first bruised in their own land, then utterly dispersed throughout the earth. C.

Reflections.—Let me at once behold in Jesus the omniscient, the all-commanding, the temple-purifying, the miracle-working God; and the weak man, pinched with poverty and hunger! Yea, the true Messiah riding on an ass, attended with shouts of salvation in order to die for the people! But what ignorant and diversified views men have of him! And how is the church of God often corrupted, and her ordinances profaned, while they, who ought to reform others, hate to be reformed, or to hear of others more devout than themselves, or to see God perform his promises to, and glorify his Son! Yea, careless clergymen are apt to oppose every faithful administration of the truth, unless shame or fear restrain them. And the most ignorant and notorious sinners are frequently turned to the Lord and his ways, when forward professors draw back unto their everlasting perdition. But if God bestow his means of salvation upon men, he will demand their careful improvement of them. And if his ministers be contemned and persecuted, he will unchurch the persecutors at last, and put others in their room. Yea, let men trample the Redeemer under foot as they may, God will cause him to be highly exalted, and made the Connector and glory of his church. If men will not bow to the outstretched sceptre of his grace, they must, self-condemned, fearfully perish under the weight of his wrath. And awful is the prospect when faithful reproofs do but exasperate the reproved: and when God must make the awe of inferiors restrain the rage of persecuting superiors.