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The fig-tree cursed.

S. Matthew.

Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected d praise? 17 And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.

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

19 And when he saw a figtree 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 fig-tree, hat 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 e came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou

d Perfected, procured praise. e Elders of the people, senators; the seventy, who composed the supreme council of the Jews.

Christ rebuketh the

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 ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.

25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?

26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.

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 man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard.

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 the way of righteousness,

in

priests and elders.

and

Chap. xxii. Parable of the vineyard.

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, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, 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 ?

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,f 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; g 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.

CHAP. XXII.

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

f See Psalm cxviii. 22. Isai.xxviii.16.

g Fall on this stone. Whosoever shall stumble, or be offended with Jesus Christ and his religion, will severely suffer, but on him who contemns and finally rejects it, will fall

41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those its heaviest denunciations.

11

The marriage-parable. S. Matthew. AND Jesus answered, and spake 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.

5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise;

6 And the remnanta took his servants, and intreated 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.

a Remnant, the rest or remainder.

Of paying tribute. 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 weddinggarment? And he was speechless.b

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, c and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians,d 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 thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cesar, e or not?

b 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.

c Pharisees, see Matt. v. 20. d Herodians, Partisans or friends of Herod.

e_Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Cesar, the Roman emperor?

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18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, ƒ and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites ? 19 Shew me the tribute-móney. And they brought unto him a penny.

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

21 They say unto him, Cesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render, therefore, unto Cesar the things which are Cesar's; and unto God the things 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 Sadducees, h which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,

24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise seed up unto his brother.

f Their wickedness consisted in endeavouring, by indirect questions, to induce Jesus to tell them whether it were lawful for the Jews to obey the Roman emperor, or whether he himself had come to be their temporal prince to relieve them from the yoke of their enemies.

g Image and superscription. The current coin at this time in Judea had the head of Cesar and his name impressed upon it; the piece of money here called a penny, was a Roman coin, in value about 14 cents.

b Sadducees, a Jewish sect, who denied the resurrection of the dead, and that there were angels or spirits.

of the dead.

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

26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 27 And last of all the waman 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 heaven.

31 But, as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was

i Issue, children.

j As touching, concerning.

k Resurrection, &c. In the 31 and 32d verses our Saviour is reasoning to shew there was a future state, which the Sadducees denied. Jesus told them, that God proclaimed himself the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, long after they had been dead, (see Exodus iii. 6.) which he could not have done, unless they still existed in a future state; for he could not with any propriety style himself the God of those who were finally dead, or did not exist; he can be a God only of those who live either in this or a future state; therefore the Sadducees might have understood from the Old Testament, which they believed, that there was a future state, and might be a resurrection.

S. Matthew.

Sadducees confuted. 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 God of the dead, but of the living.

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

34 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 commandment in the law ?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

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 hang m all the law and the prophets.

41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

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

1 Doctrine, instruction. m Hang, depend.

Pharisees exposed.

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

44 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I 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.

CHAP. XXIII.

1 The scribes' and Pharisees' good doctrine, but evil examples of life. 84 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. a

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 men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. b

5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men; they

# See Psalm cx.

a Moses' seat, the chair of Moses. b Burdens, &c. which they themselves will not put a finger to.

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