Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him: 52 Put up again thy sword into his place for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I 53 cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the 54 Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? - In that same 55 hour said Jesus to the multitudes: Are ye come out as against a thief, with swords and staves, for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me ; but all this was done, that the Scriptures of the prophets 56 might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.

ter, in the face of his triumphant enemies. A servant. John calls him Malchus. It had been already mentioned by Luke, xxii. 38, that there were two swords among the disciples. These were rather knives, or cutlasses, than long weapons, and, perhaps, were used to defend them against robbers in their travels. Luke informs us, that Jesus, with a divine compassion towards his enemy, healed the wound by his miraculous power.

52. Our Saviour, after the agony in the garden of Gethsemane, appears to have entirely recovered his fortitude and self-possession. He rebukes his treacherous disciple, heals his wounded foe, restrains the impetuous Peter, and remonstrates against the priests and captains. His. Old English for its. They that take the sword, &c. A proverbial expression, that those who resorted to violence would be likely to perish by violence. The sword devours those who resort to its arbitration. The history of the whole world is but a comment upon this text.

53, 54. Now. Even at this crisis of danger. Twelve legions of angels. Spoken, perhaps, in allusion to his twelve Apostles. The Roman legion consisted, at this period of the empire, of about 6000 men. The sense is, an indefinitely large num

He laid

ber. If resistance were my duty,
should I not be aided, not merely by
these few disciples, but by the ar-
mies of God? At my supplication,
would not the arm of infinite power
be stretched out in my defence?
This showed that the self-sacrifice
of Jesus was voluntary.
down his life of his own accord.
He says, that only by submitting to
his fate, would the great purposes of
his religion be fulfilled. The Scrip-
tures, in their intimations of a suf-
fering Messiah, and the love and
self-sacrifice, which were to prevail
under his reign, were thus to be ac-
complished. It is usual to refer to
Is. liii. in this connexion. Nothing
could better quiet the consternation
of the disciples, than to inform them
that the divine predictions of old
were now to receive their fulfilment.

55. In that same hour. Or, at that time. A thief. Rather, a robber, a desperate character, against whom force was necessary. Jesus expostulates with the crowd, because they had listened peacefully to his instructions in the temple, but had now rushed out with weapons of violence to seize him, as if he were a man of blood.

56. The Scriptures of the prophets, i. e. the writings of the prophets. See note on verse 54.-Then all the disciples, &c. There is a sad em

57

And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were 59 assembled. But Peter followed him afar off, unto the high priest's palace; and went in, and sat with the servants to see 59 the end. Now the chief priests and elders, and all the council, 60 sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death. But found none; yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found 61 they none. At the last came two false witnesses, and said: This fellow said: I am able to destroy the temple of God, and

phasis on the word all in this clause. Even the daring of Peter and the affection of John gave way at this exigency. They had perhaps supposed that Jesus would exert his miraculous power in self-defence. But when they see him, in the hands of his enemies, an unresisting victim, they flee panic-struck.

57–68. Mark xiv. 53–65; Luke xxii. 54, 55, 63-65; John xviii. 13-24.

57. John, xviii. 13, informs us that Jesus was first led to the house of Annas, who had, formerly, been high priest. This might be done as a mark of honor, or to gratify his curiosity. He was father-in-law to Caiaphas, who was then acting high priest, or, as John says, "high priest that same year; " for at that period the office frequently changed hands. - The scribes and the elders. Jewish Sanhedrim met at the house of Caiaphas. Their malignity against Jesus was manifested by their being assembled in the night, contrary to law, to try him, probably in order to guard against a popular tumult, and to forward the matter so far, as to turn the enthusiasm of the people against him, on the morrow.

The

58. The high priest's palace. Or, hall or court, which was open above. Servants, i. e. the inferior officers attendant upon the occasion. The other Evangelists add, that Peter warmed himself with them at a fire they had kindled, for the

night air in Judea is cold at that season of the year. The same vehemence of character, which had often before exposed the Apostle to temptation, now led him, unprepared, into the midst of danger. The very uneasiness of such a mind would naturally betray itself, while the calmer, but more feeling John, escaped unobserved.

59. All the council. The whole Sanhedrim had prejudged the case, and wished not for a fair trial, but for sentence of death against the prisoner. Such were the hands, that held the scales of justice among God's chosen people!-Sought false witness. They would have preferred true testimony, of course, if it was to be found, and would be equally favorable to their wishes; but, otherwise, they were ready to resort to false evidence. -John relates more particularly the words, which passed between the high priest and Jesus, previously to the calling of witnesses, and the indignities which Jesus suffered. John xviii. 19-23.

60. Found none, i. e. no testimony of any sort which was to their purpose. Mark says, their witness agreed not together."

66

61. Fellow. This is a needless and inappropriate addition of the translators. -I am able to destroy the temple of God. They put a false construction upon, and misquoted, language which Jesus had actually

to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said 62 unto him: Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the 63 high priest answered and said unto him: I adjure thee, by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him: Thou hast said. Nev- 61 ertheless, I say unto you, hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the

used, John ii. 19, in reference to the destruction of his body, and its resurrection from the dead, after three days. They so perverted his declaration as to involve him in a crime of speaking blasphemy against the holy temple. But, as Mark, xiv. 59, states, their testimony was still contradictory and inconclusive.

over it.

[ocr errors]

62. It would appear, notwithstanding the opposite opinion of some critics, that the Sanhedrim was now in session, and that the high priest was presiding as usual, - Answerest thou nothing? It seems to have been his aim to extort a reply, and to find matter of accusation in it against Jesus. What is it which these witness against thee? How great a crime are you charged with in their evidence! It is observable, that the high priest had arisen from his seat, in his state of excitement, and was now seemingly trying by threatening words to overawe his prisoner.

63. But Jesus maintains a dignified silence, as to the charges, and gives his reasons, Luke xxii. 67, 68, why he did not reply. He saw the futility of their charges, and the craft of the high priest to torture his words into proofs against him. But the ground is now changed; we hear no more of blasphemy against the temple. Nothing could be made of the false and contradictory witnesses.—I adjure thee, &c. Unable to effect their guilty purpose by the testimony of others,

[ocr errors]

they now resort to the most illegal method of compelling the prisoner to criminate himself. The high priest in the Jewish form administers an oath to which there was no innocent alternative, but to answer. Lev. v. 1. The Christ, the Son of God. In other words, Art thou the Messiah? As Dupin has remarked, the adjuration of the high priest was a gross infraction of that rule of morals and jurisprudence which forbids our placing an accused person between the danger of perjury and the fear of inculpating himself, and thus making his situation more hazardous.

64. Thou hast said, i. e. I am the Messiah, Mark xiv. 62. Jesus felt under obligation, when put under oath, to answer the high priest, and he could only answer in the affirmative, be the consequences what they would. His declaration was important, as he had forborne hitherto to declare himself the Messiah. But now, before the highest assembly of his nation, under oath, and in the most public and solemn manner, he asserts his great office. He puts his foes into the dilemma of freeing him, or condemning one, whom they now know to be the Messiah.

Nevertheless. Or, moreover, in addition.- Hereafter. Better, henceforth. The Son of Man, &c. This language was used of the Messiah, Dan. vii. 13, 14, to describe his conspicuous, powerful coming. - The right hand of power

€5 clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. 66 What think ye? They answered and said: He is guilty of 67 death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and 68 others smote him with the palms of their hands, saying: Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, who is he that smote thee?

Luke xxii. 69. Literally, the right hand of the power, i. e. of the Almighty. Clothed with Divine authority. They had been asking for signs from heaven. They would soon, either at the crucifixion or at the destruction of Jerusalem, be furnished with such powerful and ocular proofs of his Messiahship, as might be likened to his coming visibly in the clouds of heaven, invested with a divine majesty and glory. Prisoner as he was, Jesus rises at this time into the grandeur of his office, and awes them by the sublimity of his prophecies.

65. Rent his clothes. This was done with affected horror at Jesus' assertion of his high authority. The customs of the east tolerate more violent expressions of feeling, than are usual among us. Explicit prohibitions were made in the Mosaic law, Lev. x. 6, xxi. 10, that the priests should not rend their garments upon funeral occasions. Frequent allusions are found, both in the Classics and the Scriptures, to this singular usage. Gen. xxxvii. 29, 34; 2 Kings xviii. 37, xix. 1; Job i. 20; Acts xiv. 14. Blasphemy. As that he had spoken against God by claiming to be the Messiah, his Son. It was not that he had claimed to be God, or equal to God, for this he never did. Ye have heard, &c. There was no further occasion for witnesses, for they had predetermined to condemn Jesus, guilty or not guilty. They wrested what had been illegally ex

torted from him by an oath into grounds of condemnation. In truth, the whole scene before the Sanhedrim was an absolute mockery of justice.

66. He is guilty of death. Deserves to die. The council but too much resembled their president, in their injustice and fury against Jesus. So overwhelming was the popular feeling, that not one appears to have dared to lift his voice in behalf of the innocent and grossly injured prisoner, though we have reason to believe that at least Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus disapproved of such proceedings. Luke xxiii. 51; John xix. 39. The Sanhedrim could not, however, execute their sentence, for the Romans had reserved in their hands the power of life and death.

67, 68. Spit in his face. An act of the grossest abuse. Job xxx. 10; Isa. 1. 6. — Buffeted. Good grammar requires buffet, i. e. struck with the fist, inflicting heavy blows, such as would cause bruises and pain.

· Palms of their hands. Rods, according to some.-Prophesy unto us, thou Christ. This they said in derision of his pretensions to the office of prophet and Messiah. Mark states, that they had blindfolded him, and then required him to designate who struck him. What a hideous picture is here drawn of the highest Jewish tribunal, that would allow such outrages upon a prisoner, who had not been so much as legally convicted or sentenced!

Now Peter sat without in the palace. And a damsel came 69 unto him, saying: Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But 70 he denied before them all, saying: I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, 71 and said unto them that were there: This fellow was also with

longing to Galilee, because he was of Nazareth, and to distinguish him from others of the same name. It was a generous act for Peter thus to follow his Master into the midst of danger, but he was too confident of his own strength to realize his peril, and to be prepared by watch

When, too, we consider the spotless conduct of Jesus, his truth, benevolence, meekness, Divine origin and office, where shall we find words to describe the abominations of the Sanhedrim? When the first court of the nation had fallen to this depth of brutality and injustice, it was time for the avenger to come. The lying and prayer to overcome temptaing, apostate race were no longer to affront Heaven with their hypocrisy. The Roman eagle already scented his prey, and spread his wings for Judea and for Jerusalem.

[ocr errors]

69-75. Parallel to Mark xiv. 66 -72; Luke xxii. 56-62; John xviii. 17, 25-27. There are some slight variations in the history of Peter's denial, but they serve to confirm rather than to shake either the veracity of the writers or the genuineness of their record. The tumult of the scene would naturally lead to discrepancy in the accounts. 69. Without in the palace. Or, as Mark writes, "beneath in the palace. The place where the Sanhedrim met was elevated above the rest of the hall or court. Peter appears to have been in the lower part of the court among the attendants and officers, near the fire of coals. - A damsel came unto him, i. e. a maid-servant, probably a door-keeper, for females discharged that office among the Jews. The uneasy and distressed manner of one, so vehement in his feelings as Peter, would naturally cause him to be noticed. Thou also. In reference, perhaps, to John's being known as a disciple. Wast with Jesus of Galilee, i. e. of his party, or on his side. He was designated as be

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

tion. It is our duty to shun danger, when possible, and, when we cannot do that innocently, to put on the whole armor of God, and commend ourselves to his Divine aid, who is ever near and ready to assist his exposed children, and who "will, with the temptation, also make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it."

70. I know not what thou sayest. There is great naturalness in these words; such is the manner of persons accused. He feigns to be ignorant of the whole matter. He professes not to know what the question referred to. What a stroke of reality! Can any one believe that the book, which is inscribed everywhere with such luminous marks of truth, could ever have been the work of deceivers or deceived? Our faith in the Scriptures and their important contents will be immensely strengthened, if in reading them we trace these countless evidences of veracity and honesty. After this first denial, Mark states that the cock crew, or, as some with less reason suppose, the trumpet of the Roman watch now sounded, at the hour of midnight, which would bring the first denial to the time when Peter first came in.

71. And when he was gone out in

« ZurückWeiter »