Mark 12

Chap. XI, Ver. 20—33. “ Alas! how many professed Christians and ministers are barren fig-trees, covered with leaves, raising, and disappointing, the expectations of those who seek fruit from them; and exposing themselves to the doom of being withered, and remaining to all eternity unfruitful under the awful curse of the Lord! We should fear this sentence far more than death, and should rest in no religion which does not render us ‘fruitful in good works.’ This will be the sure effect of ‘faith in God,’ in proportion as it is vigorous and 18 | Then P come unto him the Sadducees, which say ‘there is no resurrection; and they q Ac.23.8. asked him, saying, lively. Thus our feeble attempts to do good may be rendered more successful than we could have vom, oma by a divine blessing on our labours of love: and though we may not possess superior abilities or station, influence or authority, we may yet make a useful stand against the prevalence of impiety and iniquity, by the silent efficacy of fervent, constant prayers whilst ‘we lift up holy hands, without wrath and doubting: and, provided our petitions be dictated by a forgiving and loving spirit towards men, as well as by zeal for the honour of God, we may in this way, and by a Christian example and conversation, by ‘a word spoken in due season,’ and various other similar attempts, be useful; without any one having so much as a pretence for inquiring ‘by what authority we do such things.’ ’’—T".

Scott. Chap. XII. Ver. 41—44. The widow’s mite commended.— It is true that Mark introduces very few facts into his gospel that had not been mentioned by Matthew; but those few are valuable, and particularly this before us, which explains Ged’s method of estimating charity, even when resulting from a good principle; and when it does not, he estimates it as nothing, or worse than nothing.: In remarking upon this inciden‘*, we may notice, 1. Tre benevolent object here proposed, which commentators are agreed was a fund for the support of the Temple worship. Such funds are commonly reckoned among our charities; but with the greatest impropriety, if by that term we understand any thing optional, which we may either do or let alone at pleasure, Sacks seems to be the common notion of acharity.

The support of divine worship, and the spread of divine truth, yea, and the relief of the distressed poor, are duties as forcibly enear on us as sobriety, chastity, or honesty; only God has eft it to our honour and gratitude to apportion the measure to our means. And, 2. Jesus Christ sits opposite to the treasury box, and eyes every piece of money that is put in, whether gold or silver or copper: and though he is well pleased when he sees the “rich cast in much,” he singles out the poor widow’s mite for commendation. If we were to consider this fact, and we cannot deny it, without also denying the divinity of Christ, it would surely greatly enlarge our y ollocaaal on. such occasions: every one would be anxious to give the utmost he could afford.

3. The measure of our benevolence should be regulated by our means, ‘“‘ God loveth a cheerful giver;” but “if there be first a willing mind, a man’s contributions are acceptable according to that he hath; not according to that he hath not.” ((2 Corinthians 8:12); ix. 7.) To give away the property of others for any private ends of our own, is a datradal and not benevolence; but to hoard up riches under pretence of bestowing a large sum by legacy, is defrauding God and ourselves too. It defrauds Him of what should have been given to his cause long before; and defrauds ourselves of that reward which his grace might have bestowed on our timely charity. Butsurely no man can expect a reward for giving away that which he could by no possibility retain one moment longer.

It is an awful thing for a professor of religion to die rich! especially when he has not a large and needy family to provide for. 4. We may remark that this goed woman gave her all—‘‘all her living’’—all she had, which shows not only her gratitude, but her faith; she not only acknowledges that ahodal received all she had from God, but she could trust him in future for all she wanted; and if he gives “a hundred fold,” as he has aut ie gospel must be preached to all ire 14 rarer calamities shall happen to ews; 24 and the manner of his coming to judgment: 32 the hour whereof being known to pose, every man is to watch and pray, that we be not found unprowhen he cometh to each one particularly by dea’ ND ‘as he went out of the temple, one of| » Lu1944.

his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings at i Mee one pone upon another, that shall not 1612 winter. John and Andrew asked him privately, ingore | SHAll be. 13 And ye shall be hated « of all men for my name’s sake: but he! that shall endure unto 2 standing where it ought not, (let him that promised, she was surely wise to make God her banker. Ah! ad those silly speculators, who have sent their thousands and tens of thousands to the very ends of the earth, only given them to serve the cause of God, or presérve the lives of their starving countrymen—how many blessings would they have called down upon themselves !

Notes on the verses

Chap. XII. Ver. 1. Built a tower.—Mr. Buckingham, in his late travels, “was particularly strack with the appearance of several small and detached towers in the midst of vine-lands, from which watchmen looked out to gaurd the produce of the lands, even in the present day.”. Ver. 10. The stone which.—{That this passage refers tv the Messiah, some of the ancient Jews fairly acknowledge. It was literally fulfilled in our Lord, who was rejected by the Jewish builders, but is become the head of the corner; the head of principalities and powers, and of his body, the church.]—B. Ver. 13-17. And they send—That is, the Pharisees, that were offended with this parable, as aimed at them, sent some of their disciples.

i Ver. 18—27. Then come unto him the Sadducees, &¢.—This conversation is related by Matthew, Chap. xxii. 23—32. 1081 Ver. 24. Do ye not therefore err.—{As the five books of Moses were the only Scriptures which the Sadducees admitted as divine, our Lord confutes them by an appeal to these Books, and proves that they were ignorant of those very writings which they professed to hold sacred. In Avoda Zara, and Sanhedrim, it 1s said, ‘‘ These are they which shaJl have no part in the world to come: those who say, the Lord did not come from heaven; and those who say, the resurrection cannot be proved out of the Law.’ Our Lord not only rectified their opinions, but so explained the doctrine, as to overthrow the erroneous decision of the Pharisees, that if two brothers married one woman, she should be restored at the resurrection to the jirst.]|—Bagster.

ee And one of the scribes cume, &c.—See Matthew xxii. 35; Xxiii. 14. Ver. 29. The Lord our God is one Lord.—This passage m the Greek is quoted literally from the LXX. of (Deuteronomy 6:4). The word Lord in Greek is Kurios, but in Hebrew Jehovah. The passage in both Testaments is translated as a single proposition; but the best critics in both places divide it into two, ‘as in our note on (Deuteronomy 6:4),) thus: ‘‘ Jehovah our Elohim, Jehovah is one.” So Ainsworth: or as in the LXX. and this verse, “ The Lord is our God; the Lord is one;”’ rata as generally, answering to Jehovah. So Vitringa, Campbell, Doddridge, &c. Dr. Lightfoot remarks, that our Lord here quotea to the Jews one of the texts inscribed on their phylacteries.

Ver. 32. Well, Master, thou hast said the truth.—Doddridge, “Truly, Master, thou hast spoken well.’,——For there is one God.—‘‘ God” (Theos) is wanting in the Alexandrian and three other ancient MSS., besides mane others; and in several ancient versions. It must, however, be necessarily understood, unless we supply, instead of it, Kwrios, or Jehovah, as Parkhurst does. _ oe 34, ot aes art not far from the kingdom of God—Or from the doctrine of the gospel. q Ver. 41. Cast money into the treasury.—Marg. “ Brass money;” answering to our copper; but it is difficult to state the exact value oftheee pieces, as they were of different sizes, and changed their value with time and cncumstances. It is probable the Pharisees gave large pieces of brass, instead of small silver, as making a greater chink.

These are supposed to he nearly of the value of our sixpence, and much, or many of these brass pieccs, would make a great sound.: Ver. 42. 7’wvo mites, or “a farthing.”—{The lepton, which we render mite, (probably from the French mete, a crumb, or small morsel,) was the smallest piece of money in use among the Jows.)—bagsier.