12 1 And Jesus went into the tem- was it? from heaven, or of men? And ple of God, and cast out all them that they reasoned with themselves, saysold and bought in the temple, and ing, If we shall say, From heaven; he overthrew the tables of the money-will say unto us, Why did ye not then changers, and the seats of them that believe him?

sold doves,

26 But if we shall say, Of men; we 13 And said unto them, It is writ-fear the people; for all hold John as a ten, My house shall be called the prophet. house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

27 And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

28 ¶ But what think ye? A certain

15 ¶ And when the chief priests and man had two sons; and he came to scribes saw the wonderful things that the first, and said, Son, go work to-day he did, and the children crying in the in my vineyard. temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased,

16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

17 And he left them, and went out of the city into Beth'any, and he lodged there.

18 Now, in the morning, as he returned into the city he hungered.

19 And when he saw a fig-tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig-tree withered away.

20 And when the disciples saw it they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig-tree withered away!

21 Jesus answered, and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the figtree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall

receive.

23 ¶ And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if tell ye I in like me, wise will tell you by what authority do these things.

25 The baptism of John, whence

5 Bethany, a village about two miles from Jerusalem.

6 Elders of the people, senators; the seventy, who composed the supreme council of the Jews.

29 He answered and said, I will not; but afterward he repented, and went.

30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir; and went not.

31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness,7 and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him; and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

33 Hear another parable; There was a certain householder which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine-press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits of it.

35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first; and they did unto them likewise.

37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.

38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves,

7 John came unto you who are in the way of God, and his ordinances, and are externally of righteousness; that is, who have the laws righteous.

8 And ye, when ye had seen, &c. The word. it injures the sense. The meaning is: and ye, when ye had seen the truth of John's doctrine, repented not that ye might believe it.

In order to acquire such a belief of the truth, as may be called faith, we must repent of those sins which the truth discovers in us.

This is the heir; come, let us kill him, 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise;

and let us seize on his inheritance.
39 And they caught him, and cast
him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40 When the lord, therefore, of the
vineyard cometh, what will he do unto
those husbandmen?

41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

42 Jesus saith unto them, Did_ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner; this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken;10 but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

46 But when they sought to lay hands on him they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

Questions. What did our Lord to those who traded in the temple?

What to the blind and lame?

6 And the remnant1 took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

7 But when the king heard thereof he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burnt up their city.

8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

9 Go ye, therefore, into the highways, and, as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all, as many as they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was furnished with guests.

11 ¶ And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding-garment:

12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment ? And he was speechless.2

13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

15 ¶ Then went the Pharisees, and What did the children say, who saw his mi- took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

racles?

Where was Bethany?

CHAP. XXII.

1 The marriage of the king's son. 9 The calling of the Gentiles. 11 The wedding-garment. 21 Tribute ought to be paid to Cesar. 23 Jesus confuteth the Sadducees.

AND Jesus answered, and shake unto them again by parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

3 And sent forth his servants to call

them that were bidden to the wedding; and they would not come.

4 Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come unto the marriage.

9 See Psalm cxviii. 22. Isaiah xxviii. 16. 10 Fall on this stone. Whosoever shall stumble, or be offended with Jesus Christ and his religion, will severely suffer; but on hin who contemns and finally rejects it, will fall its heaviest denunciations.

16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Hero'dians,3 saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man; for thou regardest not the person of men. 17 Tell us, therefore, what thinkest Cesar, or not? thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto

edness, and said, Why tempt ye me,
18 But Jesus perceived their wick-
ye hypocrites?

they brought unto him a penny.
19 Shew me the tribute-money. And

20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription ?5

1 Remnant, the rest or remainder.

2 In ancient times wedding-garments were often provided by the person who made the wedding; so that they who appeared without had no excuse; the king was therefore just in his command.

3 Herodians, Partisans or friends of Herod. 4 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Cesar, the Roman emperor ?

5 Image and superscription. The current coin at this time in Judea had the head of Česar and his name impressed upon it; the piece

21 They say unto him, Cesar's. 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt Then saith he unto them, Render, love the Lord thy God with all thy therefore, unto Cesar the things which heart, and with all thy soul, and with are Cesar's; and unto God the things all thy mind.

that are God's.

22 When they had heard these words they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

23 The same day came to him the Sad'ducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it,' Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang9 all the law and the prophets. 41 ¶ While the Pharisees were ga

24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his bro-thered together, Jesus asked them, ther shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

25 Now, there were with us seven brethren; and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased; and having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:

26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.

27 And last of all the woman died also.

28 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven for they all had her.

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God.

30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels of God in hea

ven.

31 But, as touching the resurrec-1 tion of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,

32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

33 And when the multitude heard this they were astonished at his doctrine.

34 T But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence they were gathered together.

35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

36 Master, which is the great com

mandment in the law?

42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.

43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord,1o saying,

44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till 1 make thine enemies thy footstool?

45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son ?

46 And no man was able to answer him a word; neither durst any man, from that day forth, ask him any more questions.

Questions. What paralle is here given?
Whom did the Pharisees send to converse

with Jesus?

What did the Sadducees deny?
What answer did Jesus give to the lawyer?

CHAP. XXIII.

The scribes and Pharisees' good doctrine, but evil examples of life. 34 The destruction of Jerusalem foretold.

THEN spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.

3 All, therefore, whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not.

4 For they bind heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on will not move them with one of their men's shoulders; but they themselves fingers.

5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men; they make broad their phylacteries1 and enlarge the

of money here called a penny was a Roman borders of their garments,

coin, in value about 14 cents.

6 Issue, children.

7 As touching, concerning.

6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

9 Hang, depend.
10 See Psalm cx.

8 Resurrection, &c. In the 31st and 32d verses our Saviour is reasoning to shew there was a future state, which the Sadducees denied. Jesus told them, that God proclaimed 1 Phylacteries, scrolls of parchment, conhimself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Ja-taining sentences of the Mosaic law, bound to cob, long after they had been dead, (see Exo- the forehead and wrists. Deut. vi. 8. xi. 18. dus iii. 6.) which he could not have done, unless 2 Borders, &c. See Numb. xv. 38. Deut. they still existed in a future state. xxii. 12.

7 And greetings in the markets, 23 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithes of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.4 8 But be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren."

9 And call no man your father upon the earth; for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

10 Neither be ye called Masters; for one is your Master, even Christ.

11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

24 Ye blind guides! which strain at a gnat9 and swallow a camel.

25 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

26 Thou blind Pharisee! cleanse 13 T But wo unto you, scribes and first that which is within the cup and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up platter, that the outside of them may the kingdom of heaven against men; be clean also.

in.

for ye neither go in yourselves, neither 27 Wo unto you, scribes and Phari-
suffer ye them that are entering to go sees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto
whited sepulchres, which indeed ap-
14 Wo unto you, scribes and Phari-pear beautiful outward, but are within
sees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' full of dead men's bones, and of all
houses, and for a pretence make long uncleanness.
prayer; therefore ye shall receive the 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear
righteously unto men, but within ye
15 Wo unto you, scribes and Phari-are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
sees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea 29 Wo unto you, scribes and Phari-
and land to make one proselyte ; and sees, hypocrites! because ye build the
when he is made, ye make him two- tombs of the prophets, and garnish10
fold more the child of hell than your the sepulchres of the righteous,

greater damnation.

selves.

16 Wo unto you, ye blind guides! which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.7

17 Ye fools, and blind! for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

19 Ye fools, and blind! for whether is greater the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

20 Whoso, therefore, shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets..

31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers! how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city;

35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Bara22 And he that shall swear by hea-chias, whom ye slew between the temven, sweareth by the throne of God, ple and the altar.

and by him that sitteth thereon.

8 Tithe was a tax of one-tenth part of income, which the Jews devoted to God. The

3 Greetings, to be honoured with respect in Pharisees were scrupulously exact in the obpublic places.

servance of ceremonies, but negligent of the

4 To be called Rabbi, Rabbi, and to be call-duties of humanity, and the love of God.

ed by men, master, master, at every word.

5 Compass, ye traverse or pass over sea and land.

6 Proselyte, a convert to Judaism.

7 He is a debtor; he is bound to regard his oath.

9 Which strain at a gnat; that is, strain
out a gnat from your liquor. They were scru-
pulous about small matters, but regardless of
the most important.

10 Garnish, adorn.
11 The blood, in killing.

1

36 Verily I say unto you, All these be afflicted, and shall kill you; and ye things shall come upon this genera- shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

tion.

37 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!

38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Questions. For what did the Pharisees perform their good works?

Should we love worldly titles and honours?

What was the tithe?

CHAP. XXIV.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14 And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.2

15 When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth let him understand,)

16 Then let them which be in Jude'a flee into the mountains:

1 The destruction of the temple fore- 17 Let him which is on the housetold. 29 Of Christ's coming to judg-top not come down to take any thing

ment.

AND Jesus went out, and departed from the temple; and his disciples came to him, for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here another, that shall not

one stone down.

be thrown
3 And, as he sat upon the mount
of Olives, the disciples came unto
him privately, saying, Tell us, when
shall these things be; and what shall
be the sign of thy coming, and of the
end of the world?

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you:

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive, many.

6 And ye shall hear of wars, and ruinours of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of

sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to

1 Mount of Olives, or Mount Olivet, was a little more than half a mile east of Jerusalem, and separated from it by the valley of Jehoshaphat, through which ran the brook Kidron. From the top of this mountain our Saviour ascended into heaven.

out of his house:

18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19 And wo unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days!

20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath-day:

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened there should no flesh be saved,3 but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that (if it were possible) they shall deceive the very elect.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth; behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

2 The end come. The end of the Jewish state in Judea. This event took place with the destruction of Jerusalem about forty years after the crucifixion of our Lord.

3 And except those days of tribulation shall be shortened, there could no soul survive.