Luke 19
BolesLuke 19:1-28
- AND THE PARABLE OF THE POUNDS
1 And he entered and was passing through Jericho.—.Luke is the only one that records the events connected with Zacchaeus. As Jesus was passing through Jericho, this event occurred. The apparent discrepancy between Luke and the other writers was removed by the explanation that Jesus entered the old part of the town, and passed through and entered the new part of the town; as the road passed through the city or some suburb of the city, Jesus came in contact with Zacchaeus.
2 And behold, a man called by name Zacchaeus; “Behold” is a term used to call attention to the incident about to be related. “A man,” the Greek word here interpreted as “man” means “a man indeed,” which shows clearly that Zacchaeus was a person of importance and great consideration. He was a Jew as is seen from his name, which is the same as “Zaccai.” (Ezra 2:9; Nehemiah 7:14.) “Zacchaeus” means “pure,” just, or innocent; he was a Jew and a son of Abraham. He was “a chief publican”; Jericho was close to the fords of the Jordan and was therefore an appropriate seat for an officer of superior rank to preside over the collection of revenues. Zacchaeus had superior wealth and was able to receive the highest offices of his trade. He was a chief collector of taxes, and was despised as the publicans were by the Jews; there was nothing wrong in his occupation; taxes were necessary, and someone had to collect them.
3, 4 And he sought to see Jesus who he was;—He “sought”; that is, he continued to get a view of Jesus; probably he had heard much about Jesus and now, since he was passing that way, he desired earnestly to see Jesus. He not only desired to see him, but he was determined to see him. We do not know whether it was through curiosity or from some other motive; we do know that he was determined to see Jesus. He could not see Jesus because of the crowd; Zacchaeus was “little of stature,” and could not look over the heads of the crowd and see Jesus; hence “he ran on before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him.” The words “ran” and “climbed” showed that Zacchaeus was not to be outdone; he was a man of energy, forethought, and determination. “Sycomore” was similar to “fig tree” or mulberry; the fig-mulberry resembled the fig in fruit and mulberry in foliage. It grows with its large branches down and open so that Zacchaeus could easily have climbed into it. Jesus was to pass along by this tree so Zacchaeus took advantage of it to see Jesus.
5, 6 And when Jesus came to the place,—It may be that Zacchaeus thought that he could see Jesus, but that Jesus could not see him; but as Jesus came to the place, “he looked up, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down.” Perhaps Zacchaeus was surprised when Jesus spoke to him. Jesus not only saw Zacchaeus, but he saw the secret history of his heart, and the desire which had brought him to this place of prominence where he could see Jesus; Jesus saw his soul and saw what it needed. If Zacchaeus was surprised when Jesus saw him and spoke to him, how much greater was his astonishment when Jesus told him that he would abide at his house. Although Zacchaeus was a man of authority, prominence, and wealth, yet Jesus commanded him to come down from the tree, and imposed himself upon Zacchaeus as a self-invited guest. This was enough to impress Zacchaeus with the fact that Jesus could and did speak with commanding authority.
7 And when they saw it, they all murmured,—When the Pharisees and others of the multitude saw what Jesus had done and heard what he had said, they “all murmured”; some think that the word “all” included the disciples of Jesus. They did not think that it was becoming in a teacher, prophet, or one who claimed to be the Messiah, to go into the house as a guest of a publican. It seems that they kept murmuring; they were haters of the publicans and murmured because Jesus turned aside to become a guest that day of such a man as Zacchaeus. They said among other things that Jesus had gone “in to lodge with a man that is a sinner.” It seems that those who murmured here had no enmity against Jesus, but that they doubted the propriety of his being a guest of so notorious a publican as Zacchaeus. Some, however, have classed these murmurers with the Pharisees who seem to have attended Jesus to watch his words and actions to discover some ground of accusation against him. Others think that the murmuring came only from his friends.
8 And Zacchaeus stood,—Probably Zacchaeus heard the murmurings, and bethought himself and the reputation that publicans had, so he at once began to make confession. Zacchaeus “stood”; that is, he took a posture as of one who is about to make a solemn declaration; he was like the Pharisee in attitude, but different in spirit, though the same word describing the Pharisee’s posture is used of the publican. Zacchaeus, noting the murmuring of the people, seeks to justify Jesus in entering his house. He denies being an extortioner or unjust, and declares that he has given half of his goods to help the poor; that is, he had given half of his income to help the poor. Some think that Zacchaeus had not been so liberal, but that he now declares his liberality by saying that he would give half of his goods to feed the poor. It seems that he was expressing what he had done and that what he purposed to continue to do. He was willing to restore according to the law anything that he had “wrongfully exacted” of anyone, and restore “fourfold.” The law of Moses required only the addition of one-fifth to the amount of which the person had been defrauded. (Numbers 5:7.) Zacchaeus was willing to observe the extreme requirements of the law. (Exodus 22:1.)
9, 10 And Jesus said unto him,—Jesus saw his heart and knew his penitence and his faith. He said: “Today is salvation come to this house.” Salvation had come to this house because Jesus was present as a welcomed guest; it had come to Zacchaeus in that he was penitent and willing to receive instruction from Jesus. Zacchaeus, Joseph of Arimathaea, Nicodemus, and others remained in the situation in which Jesus found them for the time being. Probably other members of his household became disciples of Jesus. Zacchaeus was a descendant of Abraham and thus entitled to the blessings of the ministry of Jesus. Jesus then announces to Zacchaeus and all others the purpose of his mission: “For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” Zacchaeus was one of the lost sheep of the house of Israel; hence, Jesus came to save him. (Matthew 10:6; Matthew 15:24; Luke 15:1-6.)
11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable,—It seems that this parable was the conclusion of his discourse in the house of Zacchaeus, or as he left the house and went along the way toward Jerusalem. “He added and spake a parable” to what had already been said; this form of expression is equivalent to saying that he continued his discourse. There are two reasons assigned here for giving this parable: (1) “because he was nigh to Jerusalem”; (2) “because they supposed that the kingdom of God was immediately to appear.” Jesus and his disciples were on the way to Jerusalem, followed with great throngs of excited people; everything betokened the approach of great and stirring events; the nearer the approach to Jerusalem, the more crowded the thoroughfare with excited people. They thought that the kingdom of God was to be announced as set up when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem.
12, 13 Many have confused this parable of the pounds with the parable of talents recorded in Matthew 25:14-30. They are two different parables spoken at different times and different places. The parable of the pounds was spoken in Jericho or on the way from Jericho, whereas, the parable of the talents was spoken on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem; the parable of the pounds was spoken before Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, while the parable of the talents was spoken about the third day after his entrance into the city. The parable of the pounds was spoken to the multitudes as well as his disciples, while that of the talents was spoken to the innermost circle of his trusted followers. The scope of the parable of the pounds is wider and more complex than that of the talents. They differ in every essential and important point.
“A certain nobleman went into a far country” to receive a kingdom this was customary; it is said that Archelaus had done this very thing; hence there was historical basis for this parable. The nobleman called “ten servants of his” and gave to each of them a “pound,” or ten pounds to ten servants; they were to trade with these pounds and get gain for their master. The original Greek for pound is “mimas,” and was equal to about one hundred drachmas, or between sixteen and eighteen, dollars. This was rather a small amount to be committed to the servants, and is small compared to a “talent.” A “talent” was equal to 6,000 denarii, or about a thousand dollars, or 240 pounds. In the parable of the talents the Lord is transferring to his servants his entire property, while in the parable of the pounds he is putting into the hands of his servants only a small amount to test their faithfulness. All prominent men in Rome had many servants; sometimes they had a servant to do each particular task. This nobleman called “ten” of his servants to him and committed to them this trust.
14 But his citizens hated him,—This actually occurred with Archelaus; when Herod died he was followed by his son, Archelaus; he had no right to the throne until he obtained the sanction of Caesar. He took ship with certain attendants and went to Rome that he might receive the kingdom and return; the people were tired of the Herods; while he was on the way, his citizens who hated him sent an ambassage after him with the message that they would not submit to the reign of Archelaus. Jesus here could recite history with which the people were familiar. It is worthy of note to observe that this declaration was twice made by the Jews: “We have no king but Caesar,” and “Write not, The King of the Jews.” (John 19 15, 21.)
15 And it came to pass, when he was come back again,— This nobleman had gone to the proper authority to receive sanction for his reigning over a certain province or kingdom; while he was gone, the people of that kingdom sent to the authority from whence the nobleman was to receive sanction, and prejudiced him against the nobleman; however, the nobleman received “the kingdom,” and returned. He then “commanded these servants, unto whom he had given the money,” to come before him and give an account of their stewardship. The day of reckoning had come for them. He first took account of his servants and afterward inflicted judgment on his enemies. Judgment is to “begin at the house of God.” (1 Peter 4:17.) The reckoning was made to determine who had gained by trading and how much was gained. There is suggested here the stern character of justice.
16, 17 And the first came before him,—We know not the order in which he called these servants; we do not know which one ranked first. The first one who had been summoned to give an account to his lord had a very favorable report to make. He reported that “thy pound hath made ten pounds more.” He had so used what was entrusted to him that it had gained ten other pounds; literally, this means that the one pound had “worked out” ten other pounds, which was a tenfold increase; this was accomplished because of the wise and energetic management of the servant. This was a splendid report for this servant to make he was not boasting, but modestly gave a faithful report. The master pronounced a blessing upon his servant and said: “Because thou wast found faithful in a very little” he would give him “authority over ten cities.”
18, 19 And the second came,—The second servant that reported had gained five pounds. The verb “came” is different in the original and signifies a less intimacy and a less nearness of approach. The same personal merit is recognized in this servant as that one who had gained ten pounds. The implication is that he had been as faithful as the other, but his ability was not as great as that of the first servant. People with different abilities may be equal in faithfulness or the one with less ability may be even greater in faithfulness. He had gained fivefold, and his reward was in proportion to his faithfulness. He was placed “over five cities” because he had been faithful. His ability showed that he was qualified to manage five cities.
20, 21 And another came,—This one was unfaithful; he was either indolent and did not use his pound to gain for his master, or he was dishonest with his gain, or used bad judgment. His report was that he “laid up in a napkin” the pound and kept it until his master returned. “Napkin” as here used means a cloth for wiping off the sweat; this servant had been indolent and did not need a napkin for that purpose, hence he used it to wrap around his money. He gave as his reason for not using his pound that he feared his master, “because thou art an austere man.” It seems that he feared his master unwisely, for he should have been afraid of punishment if he did not use the pound as directed. “Austere” comes from the Greek which means “to dry,” hence “dry,” and thence “hard”; it means here harsh, stern, unforgiving; in Matthew the word “hard” is used. The servant proceeded to give some characteristics of his master; he said that he took up that which he did not lay down, and that he reaped where he did not sow.
22, 23 He saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth—“Out of thine own mouth”; that is, on the very principle of the excuse that the idle servant offered for his unfaithfulness, he should be judged. The master will judge this servant according to the principle that he attributed to his master. This is not an acknowledgment on the part of the nobleman that the servant’s description was correct. The master then told him how he could have handled the matter, since he was too indolent to use the pound in a way to gain; he could have put the “money into the bank” so that the master would have had interest on it when he came. “Bank” as used here means the “table” of the moneychangers. The exchangers were the bankers of that day, who sat at the counter or table to transact the necessary business.
24 And he said unto them that stood by,—“Them that stood by” means his officers of justice, or other servants whose duties were to execute the will of the lord; the day of reckoning had come; it always comes. The master commanded that they take the pound from this unfaithful servant and give it to “him that hath the ten pounds.” No mention is here made of positive punishment inflicted on the unfaithful servant, such as we find inflicted on the man who buried his talent in the parable of the talents. The privation of all privileges and taking away of all gifts and subjecting the servant to such humiliation is punishment to him. The servant that should make good use of his master’s property should be entrusted with greater honors; this one pound was taken away from the idle servant and given to the one who had ten pounds, because he had proved himself able to manage a larger share of his master’s goods.
25, 26 And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.— They were surprised that the one who had gained ten pounds should be given more; this was expressed as implying a doubt in the fairness of the distribution. This verse seems to be parenthetical; some think that it was spoken by those who heard the parable, and hence, it was a criticism against Jesus for his unfairness in distributing affairs. Still others think that his verse forms a part of the parable itself and was spoken by Jesus. In either case the lesson is the same; it shows that the honor placed on faithfulness is in proportion to the trust and responsibility.
I say unto you, that unto every one that hath—Jesus here gives point to his parable. He who has neglected to use the trust, however small, committed to him, shall lose it, but he who has diligently used that which was entrusted to him and has thus increased it, to him more shall be entrusted. Fidelity and ability, as shown in the use of the trusts or events, are the tests according to which Christ will bestow trusts in his spiritual kingdom. Here Jesus assigns the reason for the principle; it furnishes a reply to the wondering exclamation of the bystanders; some consider this language as an admonition to the disciples. Those who have acquired by industry and economy shall have more; they are worthy and capable of handling more; but the one who does not have the ability and faithfulness to handle shall lose even that which he has. Even that which was originally entrusted to one, and which he failed to improve, shall be taken from him. Jesus repeated this frequently. (Luke 8:18.)
27 But these mine enemies,—Jesus here reverts to his enemies (verse 14). The unprofitable servant represents those Jews who persisted in unbelief when Christ came among them. When this King comes into power the enemies who resisted his claim must be treated as rebels. They assumed this risk when they put themselves in hostile attitude against Jesus; now they must meet their doom; the day of retribution will come and final judgment will be meted out to them. There seems to be three classes of people as represented in the parable;first, those who were open opposers of Christ and the gospel; second, those who were faithful disciples; and third, those who were unfaithful disciples.
28 And when he had thus spoken, he went on before,—Jesus now resumes his journey toward Jerusalem. “He went on before.” Jesus led the way with determination to meet his enemies in Jerusalem; we cannot think of Jesus trailing behind anyone. He knew what awaited him at Jerusalem, but steadily marched, leading the way on to Jerusalem; he did not falter in his purpose, although he knew the suffering that awaited him. Again, he went “up to Jerusalem.” The road from Jericho leads “up” to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was geographically several thousand feet above the Jordan plain where Jericho was located.
Luke 19:29-48
SECTION FIVE
THE OF JESUS IN ;
LAST DAYS OF PUBLIC
Luke 19:29 to 21:38
- ENTRY
29 And it came to pass, when he drew nigh—Parallel records are found in Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; John 12:12-19. We come to the last movements and teachings of Jesus; the close of his public ministry, except the little that he said during the Jewish and Roman trials, is brought within the scope of the last week. His final teachings are given to his disciples. There is a close verbal resemblance between all the writers of this remarkable portion of our Lord’s history, yet there is enough diversity of expression to establish their claims to independent authorship. Between this triumphal entry into the city and the visit at the house of Zacchaeus, many place the visit of Jesus at Bethany. (John 12:1; John 12:9-11.)
“Bethphage and Bethany.” These places are mentioned together and may have designated different parts of the same village. “Bethphage” means “place of figs,” while “Bethany” means “the place of dates”; the first place denotes a fig orchard, while the other denotes a palm grove. Bethany was about a mile and a half from Jerusalem, corresponding to the “fifteen furlongs” of John 11:18. “Mount that is called Olivet” is the well-known eminence facing Jerusalem on the east and separated from it by the narrow, deep valley of the Kidron.
30 saying, Go your way into the village— Jesus sent two of his disciples and commanded them to “go into the village that is over against you,” and that they should find “an ass tied and a colt with her”; they should “loose them and bring them” to him. (Matthew 21:2.) The dam was probably brought because they would go better in company. Jesus further describes the colt as one “whereon no man ever yet sat.” Neither the Jews nor heathen employed in sacred use animals that had been employed for secular purposes. (Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy 21:3; 1 Samuel 6:7.)
31, 32 And if any one ask you,—If anyone should inquire why they were thus taking the animal, they were to reply “The Lord hath need of him.” Matthew has “the Lord hath need of them.” Mark gives the same answer that Luke recorded. Jesus who knew that the colt was there also knew that the owner would send him for his use;the man may have been a disciple of Jesus, and would gladly send the colt to him. The disciples “found even as he had said unto them.” This showed that Jesus had divine wisdom. This must have strengthened the faith of these two disciples in the divinity of Jesus.
33, 34 And as they were loosing the colt,—The owner or some of his servants or someone else standing by asked why they should loose the colt; Luke represents the owner of it as asking this question, while Mark represents those “that stood there” (Mark 11:5) asking the question. They promptly replied that “the Lord hath need of him.” This was exactly what Jesus had told them to answer. It is very probable that the owner with the others understood this as referring to Jesus. Mark represents them as saying that Jesus commanded them to take it. (Mark 11:6.) The faith of the two disciples should have been strengthened because the owner or others asked the very question that Jesus had predicted.
35, 36 And they brought him to Jesus:—Matthew tells us that they “brought the ass, and the colt” (Matthew 21:7), while Mark and Luke mention only the colt. They put their “garments,” or mantles upon the colt as .a saddle; the disciples seem to have put their mantles upon the colt, while the multitude spread their garments on the highway or along the way. “And set Jesus thereon.” This is the only case on record in which Jesus “rode” any animal; it is presumed that he always walked on his tours throughout Galilee, Perea, and Judea. The ancients were accustomed to placing their clothes, branches of tree, flowers, and other objects of adornment along the way before kings and conquerors in their trumphant marches. (2 Kings 9:13.)
37 And as he was now drawing nigh,—The procession was moving from Bethany westward toward Jerusalem; there was a valley between the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem; they had passed down the western slope of the Mount of Olives, and had crossed the narrow valley and were ready to proceed on into Jerusalem. At this point the multitude raised a shout and “began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen.” Some describe the descent from the Mount of Olives as going down the southern slope and then making a turn. As they turned down to the city the view of Jerusalem stirred the crowd to rapturous enthusiasm; this was the first sight of the city on this route which is soon obscured in the descent. The second view burst upon them. (Verse 41.) This praise was a long pentup enthusiasm which had gathered all along the way from Jericho;now it was unrestrained.
38 Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord:—Matthew records their saying: “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” (Matthew 21:9.) Mark records their saying: “Hosanna, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed is the kingdom that cometh, the kingdom of our father David: Hosanna in the highest.” (Mark 11:9-10.) Here the praise is a quotation from Psalms 118:25-26. John represents a multitude coming out of Jerusalem and meeting the procession and joining in the praise as they continued the march into Jerusalem. “For this cause also the multitude went and met him, for that they heard that he had done this sign.” (John 12:18.) The chorus of praise started by the procession that accompanied Jesus was swelled by the multitude that came out of the city and joined them. The leaders in this movement were his disciples, yet many who were not so closely associated with him joined in the movement; this served to bring his claims prominently before the people of Jerusalem, and in this respect it was of supreme importance at the closing stage of his public ministry. Matthew 21:10-11 suggests this: “When he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, Who is this? And the multitudes said, This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
39, 40 And some of the Pharisees—The enemies of Jesus were on hand watching his movements, and they caught some word or expression, which they made the ground of accusation. They took offense at the application to Jesus of the prophetic words which could be used only of the Messiah. They were not willing for the people to ascribe to him the honors of the Messiah. In the same spirit of unbelief the chief priests and scribes rebuked Jesus after he came into the temple for permitting the application to himself of such ascriptions of praise. Some think that these Pharisees had hypocritically disguised their enmity to Jesus and had followed him from Jericho as his friends. They asked Jesus to rebuke his disciples for ascribing to him the praise. Jesus promptly answered them and said: “I tell you that, if these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out.” Luke is the only one that records this.
41, 42 And when he drew nigh,—The procession led by Jesus descended the slope of Olivet, and when the city appeared in view the guilt and future ruin of Jerusalem gave the occasion for the mingled weeping and lamentation over the city; in pathetic sympathy Jesus said: “If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.” Jesus seems to mean that if Jerusalem and the multitude even who were acclaiming him. King had known that he was the Christ, they could have saved the city and themselves from much misery and destruction. Jerusalem had rejected God’s messengers, the prophets in former times; from the time of their departure from Egypt, they had been a rebellious people; yet if they had at least known in his day they could have done something to avoid the impending destruction. Their prejudice, their ignorance, their unbelief had blinded their eyes to the truth. Truly their hearts had “waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should turn again, and I should heal them.” (Matthew 13:15.)
43, 44 For the days shall come upon thee,—Jesus now points out clearly the doom that awaited the city. Their enemies should “cast up a bank about thee.” “Bank” here means stake, palisade, rampart; the ancient mound raised against cities was constructed of earth thrown up and set with sharp stakes or a palisade; the excavation made by the earth thus removed was called the “trench,” and was on the side of the rampart next to the city. The enemy should “compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side.” The city was to be completely surrounded, there was no hope of escape. Those who are familiar with the description of the siege of Jerusalem as given by Josephus know how effectively the city was besieged. The manner of destruction was also described by Jesus; “the enemies would dash them upon the ground; destroy their children; should not leave one stone upon another because they were ignorant of the tune “‘of thy visitation.’” The erection of the temple was described as the laying of stone upon stone (Haggai 2:15), hence the destruction of it is described as not leaving “one stone upon another.” The utter ruin of the city and temple was predicted this vivid description and prophecy of Jesus of the destruction of Jerusalem was so completely fulfilled that critics have denied the predictive prophecy, and said that Luke wrote after the destruction of Jerusalem.
45, 46 And he entered into the temple,—Jesus after this descriptive destruction of Jerusalem entered into the temple. We have parallel records of this in Matthew 21:12-13 and Mark 11:15-18. “Temple,” as used here, means the sacred place, including all the enclosure, as well as the temple proper. It is not to be understood that Jesus went into the temple as did the priests; they went into the holy place and the high priest into the most holy, but Jesus did not go into these places. When he went in he “cast out them that sold”; according to Mark (Mark 11:11-15) this was not done the first day, for he says that Jesus looked round upon all in the temple, and then retired to Bethany as the evening had come. Those who bought and sold animal sacrifices were present and Jesus drove them out and overthrew “the tables of the moneychangers.” It is probable that they obeyed Jesus here, not only because the multitude were on his side, which does not appear to have been the case when he first came to the temple (John 2:13-22) and cleansed it the first time. This cleansing is the second cleansing of the temple; he cleansed it at the first of his public ministry and now again at the close.
And my house shall be a house of prayer:—This is a quotation from Isaiah 56:7; Luke gives the meaning of the quotation, but not the words; Mark gives more nearly an exact quotation. The Jews had violated the sanctity of the temple by bringing these animal sacrifices into the courts and porches of the temple; they were not so much interested in the sacrifices that the people made as they were the profit that they would gain by selling the animals as sacrifices. This vigorous cleansing of the temple was an assertion of the prerogative of Jesus as the temple of God. Jesus so quotes the prophet. It seems that Jesus here quoted Jeremiah 7:11 and applied the epithet of “a den of robbers” to these money-changers. Their disregard for the sacredness of the temple and their lack of interest in the welfare of the worship, together with their dishonesty, made them “a den of robbers.”
47, 48 And he was teaching daily in the temple.—This is the last week of the earthly life of Jesus; it appears that he spent each night in Bethany, returning to the city and teaching through the day, and then returning to Bethany at night during the last week of his ministry. He continued his teaching every day of that week up to the time of his arrest; it appears from Matthew 21:14 that he worked miracles also; he occupied the outer court of the temple. “Chief priests” were those at the head of the twenty-four courses, and probably included the high priest. (2 Chronicles 36:14; Ezra 8:24; Nehemiah 12:7.) David had divided the priests into twenty-four courses, and had appointed a head of each course called a “chief priest.” (1 Chronicles 24:1-31; 2 Chronicles 22:8.) “Scribes” were those who transcribed the law; after the Jews were carried into Babylonian captivity, they began to build synagogues, and each synagogue needed a copy of the law; this required somebody to write copies of the law; these men were called “scribes.” They were also teachers of the law; as they transcribed the law they were supposed to know the law, hence became teachers. “The principal men of the people” included the elders and rulers of the people; all the dignitaries were thus determined to destroy Jesus. They sought to find a way that they might destroy him. They were afraid of the people, as the people believed in Jesus and “all hung upon him, listening.”