1In the parable of the vineyard let out to wicked husbandmen Christ foretelleth the reprobation of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles: 13his reply to the insidious question concerning paying tribute to Caesar: 18he refuteth conclusively the Sadducees who questioned him concerning the resurrection: 28he sheweth which are the two great commandments of the law: 35he proposeth a difficulty to the scribes concerning the character of Christ: 38he cautioneth the people against their ambition and hypocrisy; 41and valueth the poor widow's two mites above all the gifts of the rich.
1AND hea began to speak unto them by 1parables. 2A certain man plantedb a vineyard, and set an 3hedge about it, and digged a place for the 4winefat, and built a tower, and 5let it out to 6husbandmen, and went into a far country.
a Mat. 21:33; Luke 20:9.
1 Gr. parabolai. See the exposition thereof at Mat. 13 on verse 3.
2 See the exposition of this parable at Mat. 21 on verse 33.
b Psalm 80:8; Isa. 5:1; Jer. 2:21; 12:10.
3 Or, fence, enclosure.
4 Namely, into which the wine runs, and is gathered together under the press.
5 Gr. gave it out, or leased it. Or, rented it out.
6 Or, tillers of the land, whereby here are mainly understood laborers in the vineyards.
2And at the 7season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.
7 That is, at the acceptable or due time, when the fruits, being ripe, were gathered in.
3And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
4And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away 8shamefully handled.
8 Gr. dishonoured.
5And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
6Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also 9last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.
9 Gr. at last.
7But those husbandmen said among themselves, Thisc is the heir; come,d let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.
c Psalm 2:8.
d Gen. 37:18; Mat. 26:3; John 11:53.
8And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
9What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? 10he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.
10 This the Pharisees themselves answer to the question of Christ in Mat. 21:41, and is here ascribed to Christ, because He repeated the same answer and approved of it.
10And have ye not read this scripture; 11The stonee which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
11 See the exposition hereof at Mat. 21 on verse 42.
e Psalm 118:22; Isa. 28:16; Mat. 21:42; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Rom. 9:33; 1 Peter 2:6.
1112This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
12 Other, this matter, or, This, namely the Head of the corner, is become of the Lord.
12And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.
13¶Andf they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and 13of the Herodians, to 14catch him 15in his words.
f Mat. 22:15; Luke 20:20.
13 Of the Herodians, see the exposition at Mat. 22 on verse 16.
14 The Greek word is a similitude taken from hunters and fishermen, who catch wild animals, or fishes, with snares, nets and traps.
15 Or, by their word, that is, by their question.
14And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the 16person of men, but teachest 17the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
16 Gr. the face. See hereof Mat. 22 on verse 16.
17 That is, the doctrine which God prescribes to come unto salvation.
15Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a 18penny, that I may see it.
18 Gr. denarius, whereof see Mat. 18 on verse 28.
16And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's.
17And Jesus answering said unto them, Renderg to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.
g Mat. 17:25; 22:21; Rom. 13:7.
18¶Thenh come unto him the 19Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,
h Mat. 22:23; Luke 20:27; Acts 23:8.
19 Of the sect of the Sadducees, see Acts 23:8.
19Master,i20Moses 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 21seed unto his brother.
i Deut. 25:5, 6.
20 This law pertained to the civil laws of the Jews, and had likewise something ceremonial, and therefore ceased with the Jewish polity.
21 That is, a son who bare the name of the deceased, and was his heir.
20Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.
21And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise.
22And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also.
23In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
24And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?
25For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are asj the angels which are in heaven.
j Mat. 22:30; 1 John 3:2.
26And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in 22the bush God spake unto him, saying, Ikam the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
22 Or, bramble bush, or, bramble, as Luke 6:44.
k Exod. 3:6; Mat. 22:31, 32; Acts 7:32; Heb. 11:16.
27He is not the 23God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do 24greatly err.
23 Of the sense and force of this argument, see Mat. 22:32.
24 Gr. much.
28¶Andl one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning 25together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the 26first commandment of all?
l Mat. 22:34; Luke 10:25.
25 That is, disputed together by mutual questions and answers.
26 That is, the most important and greatest of the entire law of God.
29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear,m O Israel; 27The Lord our God is one Lord:
m Deut. 6:4; 10:12; Luke 10:27.
27 The Hebrew word Jehovah, here rendered Lord, signifies the Divine Essence, Which subsists in and of Itself from all eternity, and gives all things their being.
30And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 28mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
28 Or, cogitation, that is, weighing, pondering in the understanding.
31And the second is like, namely this, Thoun shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than 29these.
n Lev. 19:18; Mat. 22:39; Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8.
29 Namely, these two principal commandments.
32And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33And 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 30burnt offerings and sacrifices.
30Burnt offerings were offerings which were laid upon the altar and there completely burned. Sacrifices, of which but a part was burnt on the altar and the other parts were eaten by the priests and Levites, as well as by those who offered. Although sometimes this word is also taken more extensively. See Leviticus 1; 2, etc.
34And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art 31not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
31 Forasmuch as this his confession seemed to proceed from a teachable disposition, verse 32, and thus far agreed with the doctrine of Christ, and the knowledge of the law might be a means to bring him further to the knowledge of himself, and so forward unto Christ, Gal. 3:19.
35¶Ando Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?
o Mat. 22:41; Luke 20:24.
36For Davidp himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, 32Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
p Psalm 110:1; Acts 2:34; 1 Cor. 15:25; Heb. 1:13; 10:13.
32 See further hereof Mat. 22:44.
37David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and 33whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
33 Or, how.
38¶Andq he said unto them in his doctrine, 34Beware of the scribes, which love to go in 35long clothing, 36and love salutations in the marketplaces,
q Mat. 23:5, 6; Luke 11:43; 20:46.
34 Gr. Look before you, namely, that you be not deceived by their outward shows, not by their example be brought to the same hypocrisy.
35 Gr. stolais, which signifies long coats or gowns down to the feet, thereby to be the more esteemed and regarded of men, so that Christ does not here reject the garments, but the ambition which was hidden under them.
36 Or, and have salutations.
39And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at 37feasts:
37 Gr. suppers.
40Whichr devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive 38greater 39damnation.
r Mat. 23:14; Luke 20:47; 2 Tim. 3:6; Titus 1:11.
38 Gr. more abundant.
39 That is, heavier punishment in the judgment.
41¶Ands Jesus sat over against thet40treasury, and beheld how the people cast 41money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
s Luke 21:1.
t 2 Kings 12:9.
40 Of this treasury, see 2 Kings 12:9, and Mat. 27:6.
41 Gr. brass.
42And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites,u which make a 42farthing.v
u (Gr. lepton) about 1/8th of $0.01
42 Gr. kodrantes; from the Latin quadrans, that is, the fourth part of an obolus, which was the sixth part of a drachme of silver, which sixth part, according to our reckoning, is about a stiver, so that a quadrans, after our account, is about the fourth part of a stiver.
v (Gr. kodrantes) a small coin: 2 of the mites
43And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That thisw poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
w 2 Cor. 8:12.
44For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her 43want did cast in all that she had, even all her 44living.
43 Or, of that whereof she had need herself.
44 Gr. life, that is, what she had left and needed to live on.