18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.

19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.

d

20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered.

away.

22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

e

24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have

when

them.

25 And when ye stand praying, 'forgive, if ye have ought

reminds the Jews, from one of their own prophets himself, that God had made his house a house of prayer for all nations, waσi Tois cover, for all Gentiles. The latter part of the verse is quoted with great force of reproof from Jeremiah vii. 11: "Is this house, which is called by my name, become a DEN OF ROBBERS in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord."

Verse 22. Have faith in God.-cov, is a genitive of the object, as in Rom.

iii. 22.

Verse 24. What things soever ye desire, &c.—This is a general encourage ment added, as in St. Matthew, to what is said as to the faith by which miracles were wrought. See note on Matt. xxi. 21. It is, however, expressed a little more fully by St. Mark, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive

them, and ye shall have them. An ill use has sometimes been made of this passage, as though it meant, that, when praying, whatever we believe, that is, persuade ourselves that we receive, we do receive,—an absurdity and a self-contradiction. Here, however, to believe, does not signify to persuade ourselves into an opinion; but to trust, or to have faith in God. This trust must necessarily be regulated by God's Own PROMISE and WARRANT, and it is exercised in order that we may receive. The sense therefore is, believe, trust, that ye shall receive them, and ye shall obtain them; that is, all things which God both expressly promises, and which are, as St. John states, “according to his will.”

Verse 25. And when ye stand praying, forgive.-See notes on Matt. vi. 12, 14, 15.

:

against any that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

27 And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,

28 And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?

29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

30 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?

answer me.

31 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?

32 But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.

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

CHAPTER XII.

1 In a parable of the vineyard let out to unthankful husbandmen, Christ foretelleth reprobation of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles. 13 He avoideth the smart of the Pharisees and Herodians about paying tribute to Cæsar: 18 convincetà de error of the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection: 28 resolveth the scribe, th questioned of the first commandment: 35 refuteth the opinion that the scribes brid of Christ: 38 bidding the people to beware of their ambition and hypocrisy : 41 commendeth the poor widow for her two mites, above all.

a

1 AND he began to speak unto them by parables. certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it e to husbandmen, and went into a far country.

2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.

3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.

4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.

5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.

6 Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my

son.

7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our's.

8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

9 What shall therefore the Lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.

b

10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:

11 This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our yes ?

12 And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the eople: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against nem: and they left him, and went their way.

13 T • And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch him in his words.

14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, e know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou gardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Cæsar, or not?

15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing

b Psalm cxviii. 22.

Verses 13-17. Certain of the Phari- and of the Herodians, to catch him in

c Matt. xxii. 15.

his words.-See the notes on Matt. xxii. 16-22.

their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me ? bring me a penny, that I may see it.

16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Cæsar's.

17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.

d

18 ¶ Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying

19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.

21 And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise.

22 And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also.

23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.

24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

ye

27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: therefore do greatly err.

Valuing of our money sevenpence halfpenny, as Matt. xviii. 28.

Verse 18. Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him,

d Matt. xxii. 23.

saying, &c.-See notes on Matt. xxii 23-33

28 ¶And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 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 commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment

greater than these.

32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth for there is one God; and there is none other but he :

33 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.

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

e Matt. xxii. 35.

Verse 28. One of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together.The only difference between St. Mark and St. Matthew here is, that the latter quotes the passage from Deut. vi. 4, 5, short; the latter, no doubt as our Lord spoke it, in full, "Hear O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love," &c. St. Matthew wrote in the first place for the Jews, to whom this partial mode of quoting would suggest the whole passage, which was put into their phylacteries, and repeated twice a day. See notes on Matt. xxii. 36, &c.

Verse 30. Thou shalt love the Lord, &c. -St. Mark adds to "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind," as the words stand in Matthew, with all thy strength, conformably to Deut. vi.

5, and 2 Kings xxiii. 25. To love God with all our might or strength, is to have all our faculties raised to their best pitch, and employed in their utmost vigour in his service.

Verses 32-34. Well, Master, &c.-St. Mark adds this reply of the scribe, who respectfully salutes him as Rabbi, and acknowledges that the love of God and our neighbour is more, more acceptable to God, than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. In this our Lord acknowledges that the scribe answered discreetly, Vouvexws, judiciously, with proper knowledge of the subject, and pronounced that he was not far from the kingdom of God; that is, that his principles well corresponded with those of Christ's doctrine, and that holding them he was in a state of preparation to embrace it.