The Life of Christ Our Lord

Sunday, June 5, 2022

Parable of the wicked husbandmen

St Mark Chapter XII : Verses 1-12

And laying hold on him, they killed him... J-J Tissot

[1] And he began to speak to them in parables: A certain man planted a vineyard and made a hedge about it, and dug a place for the wine vat, and built a tower, and let it to husbandmen; and went into a far country.

[2] And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant to receive of the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.

[3] Who having laid hands on him, beat him, and sent him away empty.

[4] And again he sent to them another servant; and him they wounded in the head, and used him reproachfully.

[5] And again he sent another, and him they killed: and many others, of whom some they beat, and others they killed.

[6] Therefore having yet one son, most dear to him; he also sent him unto them last of all, saying: They will reverence my son.

[7] But the husbandmen said one to another: This is the heir; come let us kill him; and the inheritance shall be ours.

[8] And laying hold on him, they killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

[9] What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those husbandmen; and will give the vineyard to others.

[10] And have you not read this scripture, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the corner:

[11] By the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes.

[12] And they sought to lay hands on him, but they feared the people. For they knew that he spoke this parable to them. And leaving him, they went their way.

[1] Et coepit illis in parabolis loqui : Vineam pastinavit homo, et circumdedit sepem, et fodit lacum, et aedificavit turrim, et locavit eam agricolis, et peregre profectus est. [2] Et misit ad agricolas in tempore servum ut ab agricolis acciperet de fructu vineae. [3] Qui apprehensum eum ceciderunt, et dimiserunt vacuum. [4] Et iterum misit ad illos alium servum : et illum in capite vulneraverunt, et contumeliis affecerunt. [5] Et rursum alium misit, et illum occiderunt : et plures alios : quosdam caedentes, alios vero occidentes. [6] Adhuc ergo unum habens filium carissimum, et illum misit ad eos novissimum, dicens : Quia reverebuntur filium meum. [7] Coloni autem dixerunt ad invicem : Hic est haeres : venite, occidamus eum : et nostra erit haereditas. [8] Et apprehendentes eum, occiderunt : et ejecerunt extra vineam. [9] Quid ergo faciet dominus vineae? Veniet, et perdet colonos, et dabit vineam aliis. [10] Nec scripturam hanc legistis : Lapidem quem reprobaverunt aedificantes, hic factus est in caput anguli : [11] a Domino factum est istud, et est mirabile in oculis nostris? [12] Et quaerebant eum tenere : et timuerunt turbam : cognoverunt enim quoniam ad eos parabolam hanc dixerit. Et relicto eo abierunt.

Notes

1. to speak to them : to the deputation from the Sanhedrin. St Luke has “ to the people” This is not a contradiction ; Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in the hearing of the crowd. This parable sets forth —

(а) The nature of the guilt of the Sanhedrin, they will kill the heir.

(b) The just retribution that awaits them, since Christ “ the Corner-stone ” will crush them to powder.

in parables. St Mark only gives one parable, while St Matthew gives this one and two others, the Two Sons and the Marriage Supper (xxi. ).

A certain man. God the Father.

Note. — Our Lord almost quotes the words of Isaias, as will be seen by comparing the two parables. My beloved had a vineyard on a hill in a fruitful place. And he fenced it in, and picked the stones out of it, and planted it with the choicest vines, and built a tower in the midst thereof, and set up a wine-press therein ; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. . . . And now I will shew you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be wasted : I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down. And I will make it desolate: it shall not be pruned , and it shall not be digged ; but briers and thorns shall come up : and I will command the clouds to rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel : and, the man of Judah, his pleasant plant : and I looked that he should do judgment, and behold iniquity : and do justice, and behold a cry (Isaias v. 1, 2, 5-7). Our Lord also used an Old Testament similitude when He spoke of Himself as the Good Shepherd, and of His flock.

planted. Not only He possessed it, but He caused it to exist.

vineyard. The Jewish nation with its exclusive privileges. The vine was extensively cultivated in Palestine, and wine was the national drink, as it is still. Under the Maccabean dynasty, the vine was on their coin as the national emblem.

a hedge = the Law of God. The hedges were either made of thorn bushes or of stones.

Enclosures of loose stones, like the walls of fields in Derbyshire or Westmoreland, everywhere catch the eye on the bare slopes of Hebron, of Bethlehem, and of Olivet ; and at the corner of each may be seen a square grey tower” (Stanley, Sinai and Palestine , p. 421).

dug a place for the wine-vat. St Matthew has dug in it a press. The whole apparatus was called a wine-press. It consisted of two parts : the press (gath), or upper trough in which the grapes were trodden, and a smaller trough which received the expressed juice through a spout or a hole bored in the upper press. Sometimes, in order to keep the wine cool, the lower trough was dug in the earth or lined with cement. The lower one was the “ wine-vat.” “ Vat ” comes from an obsolete word meaning “ vessel.” The wine- vat represents the Altar of Sacrifice or the Temple.

a tower = the Jewish priesthood, or God’s protection. Either a stone building or a wooden structure erected on a high platform.

Such buildings were used by the watchmen who guarded the vineyard. From these elevations they could command a full view of the vineyard, and they were accustomed to use their slings against wild animals and marauders. Some towers were large enough to afford a permanent home for the wine-dressers and watchers, and served to store the fruit. Feasts were also held in the tower at the time of vintage.

let it to husbandmen. Evidently on the métayer system, [French métayage (1840; compare Middle French moitoiage agreement to share in halves (1396)) OED] by which arrangement the owner of the land received as rent a certain proportion of the vintage. This system existed in England in the fourteenth century, and still exists in parts of Europe. “ At the time of our Lord’s ministry it was customary for the Romans to restore conquered lands on condition of receiving one-half of the produce.” The word let shews that God reserved the possession of the Jewish nation, His vineyard, while He gave it into the charge of the husbandmen, i.e. of its spiritual rulers, to cultivate.

went into afar country. As applied to God, this means that He withdrew the visible signs of His presence and action when the Israelites were established in the Holy Land.

2. the season. The time for gathering the fruit. God waited patiently for His people to bring forth fruits of virtue.

a servant. St Matthew gives “ his servants ” without mention of their being sent in succession. St Luke agrees exactly with St Mark in referring to three servants being sent on three different occasions.

of the fruit. The share due to him by contract.

3. having laid hands, etc. Notice, the husbandmen increase in audacity —

1. The first servant they laid hands on him, beat, and sent away empty.
2. The second they stoned, wounded in the head, and used reproachfully.
3. The third they killed.

Lastly, many others, of whom some they beat, others they killed. St Matthew’s account runs, other servants more than the former, which may mean of higher rank, or in greater number, or both.

The treatment of the prophets by the Jewish nation is illustrated by the following examples —

(a) Elias was persecuted by Jezabel, who also killed the prophets of the Lord (3 Kings

xviii. 4).

(b) Micheas was imprisoned by Achab (3 Kings xxii. 27).

(d) Jeremias was put in the stocks (Jer. xx. 2).

(e) Isaias was cut asunder (a tradition). See also Heb. xi. 34-40.

4. wounded in the head. This detail is peculiar to St Mark. This man was not stoned to death as a culprit who had been legally condemned. He was assaulted by the husbandmen, who injured, but did not kill him.

6. Therefore having, etc. These words bring out the love of the father for his son, and his persevering efforts to win over the husbandmen to fulfil their duty.

They will reverence my son. The owner of the vineyard represents God Himself, who is omniscient. The language of doubt and deliberation is here used. What shall I do ? It may be when they see him they will reverence him (St Luke xx. 13). This, of course, does not imply that God did not foresee the ill-treatment that His prophets and His Son would alike receive ; but as God is understood here by the owner, the latter is represented as acting like a wise, prudent man, and not as God. “ They may be merely an ornamental part of the parable, or rather they convey the excessive love of God for man when, desirous of leaving nothing undone for their reparation, He thinks of the last expedient, viz., of sending His Son ” ( MacEvilly ).

7. This is the heir. As the “ Son of man ” God has appointed Him heir of all things (Heb. i. 2). And Christ is as the Son in his own house, which house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and glory of hope unto the end (Heb. iii. 6). As the Son of God all things were necessarily His. Possibly some of the Sanhedrin recognised Jesus as the Messiah, since they confessed this man doth many miracles (St John xi. 47) ; but as they saw it would ruin all their ambitious designs and earthly prospects to accept His doctrines, they deliberately chose to reject Him and to keep the vineyard for themselves.

come, let us kill him. This prophecy was fulfilled when the Pharisees plotted against Christ and devised to put him to death (St John xi. 53).

the inheritance shall be ours. Not legally, but by usurpation. The application of the parable cannot be pressed here, since men cannot ultimately defeat God, though for a time He may allow their crimes to go unpunished.

8. killed him, and cast him out. St Luke has, casting him out of the vineyard , they killed him (xx. 15). These words refer to our Lord’s excommunication by the Sanhedrin, and His Crucifixion.

9. What therefore will the lord, etc. Christ asks the question which His hearers are asking mentally.

He will come and destroy, etc. St Matthew puts these words on the lips of Christ’s listeners, either the Pharisees or the crowd that stood around. This prophecy was partly fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed, and will be fully accomplished at the last day. The Jews here, either consciously or unconsciously, pronounce their own condemnation. Jesus probably repeated the words after them, and added, Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation yielding the fruits thereof (St Matthew xxi. 43). It seems that at these words, either in daring hypocrisy or in real horror, they exclaimed God forbid (St Luke xx. 16).

will give the vineyard to others. The kingdom of God was to pass from the Jews to the Gentiles, of whom it is here prophesied they shall render him the fruit in due season (St Matt. xxi. 41). Then, looking at them with divine penetration, Jesus said, Have you not read, etc.

10. The stone, etc. Jesus here drops the parable of the vineyard and takes up the simile of a builder. The quotation is from Ps. cxvii. 22, which was sung at the Feast of Tabernacles, and “ was probably composed for the first celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles after the completion of the second Temple.” (See 2 Esdras viii. 13-17.) Some verses, if not all of it, were sung by the multitude on Palm Sunday, when Christ entered Jerusalem in triumph. It was regarded as a Messianic psalm in its secondary signification, though its primary application was to Israel, the corner-stone having been rejected by God during the captivity, and afterwards restored by Him when the Israelites were freed and returned to Jerusalem.

which the builders rejected. The figure is taken from a stone quarried and cut by order of the architect, for a corner-stone of the second Temple. This stone the builders, ignoring the architect’s design, had rejected.

the head of the corner. The cornice stone, binding the two walls and supporting the roof. This stone is a type of Christ and of His Church, and those who resist Him and His Church shall be bruised, and ultimately will be ground to powder when He comes to judge mankind (St Luke xx. 18).

Note the results produced by this parable —

(a) They are more eager than ever to seize Him.
(b) They knew that he spoke this parable unto them.
(c) They left Him and went their way.

Our Lord himself interpreted the parable in one short sentence of denunciation : Therefore I say to you , that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation yielding the fruits thereof (St Matt. xxi. 43).

Additional Notes

Note. — This parable fits in admirably after the request of the Sanhedrin, “ By what authority dost thou these things ? ” It answers their question and shews that Jesus was the Son of God, and therefore invested with divine authority. At the same time, Christ pointed out their contempt of authority whenever it opposed their interests, by comparing them to the wicked husbandmen, who had rejected first the servants and then the son of the owner, though they knew well that both had been lawfully sent. Jesus had refused to answer their captious question directly, but He replied to it indirectly.

Fuller interpretation of the Parable

A certain man. = God.

The planting. = The establishment of the Jewish Theocracy in Palestine under Josue and the Judges. “ Thou hast brought a vineyard out of Egypt. Thou hast cast out the Gentiles and planted it ” ( Ps . lxxix. 9).

The vineyard. = (1) The Jewish Church. (2) The Christian Church.

The hedge. = (Various interpretations are found.) (1) The Law of God, which was “the middle wall of partition” between Jew and Gentile. (2) The special protection of God (cf. Isaias v. 5). (3) The political or geographical isolation of the Jews.

The wine. = (1) The altar of holocausts. (2) The inspired prophets.

The Tower. = (1) Jerusalem with its Temple. (2) The protection of God, our “ Tower of Strength.” (3) The Jewish rulers, especially the priests.

The purpose of retaining the vineyard. = The Jews’ determination to keep their exclusive privileges and to kill Christ, lest the Romans should take away their “ place and nation.”

The murder of the heir. = The Crucifixion of Christ.

The return of the owner and the

destruction of the husbandmen. = (1) The destruction of Jerusalem. (2) The day of judgment.

The “other” husbandmen. = (1) The Gentiles in general. (2) The Apostles, who were to be the foundation of the Catholic Church.

The fruit in due season. = The virtues of those who should profess Christianity.

Note.— It is not necessary in a parable to see a meaning for each detail ; some cannot be pressed too far. The broad lines here are sufficiently clear, and the minor points come in to complete the narrative. Thus the hedge, wine-vat and tower have been variously interpreted ; while the owner, vineyard, messengers and heir point clearly to God, the Jewish nation, the rulers, the prophets and Christ. Therefore, in the foregoing interpretation of the parable, where several meanings are given, the most important or direct is given first.

7. This is the heir ; come , let us kill him. It may be asked how we are to reconcile these words, by which the husbandmen clearly recognize the son of the owner of the vineyard, with the words of St Peter and of St Paul. “ But the Author of life you killed, whom God hath raised from the dead . . . . I know that you did it through ignorance, as did also your rulers” ( Acts iii. 15-17). “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery .... which God ordained before the world, unto our glory, which none of the princes of this world knew : .... for if they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory ” (1 Cor. ii. 7-8). It may be said in a sense that they knew Him, since the prophecies, the testimony of St John the Baptist, and the miracles of Christ were sufficient proofs to convince them that He was the promised Messias, but they were too proud to accept Him in his lowliness, so they wilfully shut their eyes to the truth. They preferred subjecting Him to death, who preached the truth, rather than embrace the truth which He preached. The celebrated passage from the Book of Wisdom (ii. 12-21) throws great light on this subject. “ Let us therefore lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn, and he is contrary to our doings, and upbraideth us with transgressions of the law, and divulgeth against us the sins of our way of life. He boasteth that he hath the knowledge of God, and calleth himself the Son of God. He is become a censurer of our thoughts. He is grievous unto us, even to behold : for his life is not like other men’s, and his ways are very different. We are esteemed by him as triflers, and he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness, and he preferred the latter end of the just, and glorieth that he hath God for his Father. Let us see then if his words be true, and let us prove what shall happen to him, and we shall know what his end shall be. For if he be the true Son of God, he will defend him, and will deliver him from the hands of his enemies. Let us examine him by outrages and tortures, that we may know his meekness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a most shameful death, for there shall be respect had unto him by his words. These things they thought, and were deceived, for their own malice blinded them.”

10. have you not read ? etc. In this verse, Jesus passes from the comparison of a vineyard to that of a building, and this, because the parable of the vineyard could not express the punishment of the wicked husbandmen by the heir, since he was slain, and in the natural order of events could not punish his murderers ; therefore the owner is represented as taking away the vineyard and giving it to “ others. ” In the second similitude the punishment of those who rejected Christ is clearly prophesied.

The punishment of the wicked husbandmen.

(1) The kingdom of God was to be taken from them and was to pass to a nation yielding fruit in due season.

(2) Those who fall on “ the Stone,” that is, those who were scandalized at Christ’s lowliness and rejected Him, shall be “ bruised ” and “ broken.”

(3) The divine vengeance shall overtake those who thus rejected “ the Corner Stone, for it shall fall on them and grind them to powder.” This was partially realized when Titus dispersed the Jews and burnt Jerusalem, and its final realization will take place at the general judgment.

Parallel Passages on the Punishment of those who reject Christ.

From these passages we see clearly that Christ, in prophesying the final punishment of the Jews, was but quoting a former prophecy and applying it to them. Further, from the words of St Peter, we see that they also apply to those for whom the Catholic Church is “ a stone of stumbling and a rock of scandal.” By their incredulity they injure themselves, and if they continue wilfully to reject the truth, they will be ground to powder, or, according to the Greek text, “shall be scattered like chaff” ; where we have a clear allusion to the separation of the wheat from the chaff, when He shall come, “ whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his floor : and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire ” (St Matt. iii. 12). The same thought is expressed in the vision of Nabuchodonosor where the stone “cut out of a mountain without hands ; and it struck the statue upon the feet thereof that were of iron and clay,” and the whole image was “ broken to pieces together and became like the chaff of a summer’s thrashing floor .... but the stone that struck the statue, became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth ” (Dan. ii. 34, 35).

10. the head of the corner. “ Christ is ‘ the Rock.’ St Peter, because he is Christ’s Vicar, is also the rock against which neither waves, nor winds, nor all the powers of hell can prevail. All St Peter’s strength and stability come from our Lord. Anyone who assails Him shall be broken and dashed to pieces, and when, in the end, the anger of our meek and patient Lord must come down on the reprobate, it will indeed grind them to powder” ( Gallwey , S.J.).

11. By the Lord this hath been done. “ Requiring His omnipotent power. ‘ This ’ does not refer to ‘ corner ’ or to ‘ the head of the corner,’ but to the whole preceding event, since it must be so understood in the Hebrew text of the psalm. To men, indeed, it seems strange, ‘ wonderful in our eyes,’ that when the long-expected Messias finally came, He was rejected and maltreated by those very persons whom He came to save and exalt ” (Maas, S.J.).

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Saturday, June 4, 2022

The withered fig-tree; the Sanhedrin question Jesus

St Mark Chapter XI : Verses 20-33

The withered fig-tree

The withered fig-tree. J-J Tissot.

[20] And when they passed by in the morning they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

[21] And Peter remembering, said to him: Rabbi, behold the fig tree, which thou didst curse, is withered away.

[22] And Jesus answering, saith to them: Have the faith of God. [23] Amen I say to you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed and be cast into the sea, and shall not stagger in his heart, but believe, that whatsoever he saith shall be done; it shall be done unto him.

[24] Therefore I say unto you, all things, whatsoever you ask when ye pray, believe that you shall receive; and they shall come unto you.

[25] And when you shall stand to pray, forgive, if you have aught against any man; that your Father also, who is in heaven, may forgive you your sins.

[26] But if you will not forgive, neither will your Father that is in heaven, forgive you your sins.

[20] Et cum mane transirent, viderunt ficum aridam factam a radicibus. [21] Et recordatus Petrus, dixit ei : Rabbi, ecce ficus, cui maledixisti, aruit. [22] Et respondens Jesus ait illis : Habete fidem Dei. [23] Amen dico vobis, quia quicumque dixerit huic monti : Tollere, et mittere in mare, et non haesitaverit in corde suo, sed crediderit, quia quodcumque dixerit fiat, fiat ei. [24] Propterea dico vobis, omnia quaecumque orantes petitis, credite quia accipietis, et evenient vobis. [25] Et cum stabitis ad orandum, dimittite si quis habetis adversus aliquem : ut et Pater vester, qui in caelis est, dimittat vobis peccata vestra. [26] Quod si vos non dimiseritis : nec Pater vester, qui in caelis est, dimittet vobis peccata vestra.

Notes

20. In the morning : 12th of Nisan. Tuesday in Holy Week.

they saw the fig-tree : which Jesus had cursed the previous morning.

dried up. The withering was the immediate cause of our Lord;s malediction, and consequently a proof of His divine power.

21. And Peter. It would have been from Him that St Mark learned these details.

remembering, — i.e. the curse pronounced, which all his disciples heard. St Matthew remarks that the disciples seeing it wondered saying ; How is it presently withered away ? (xxi. 20). It was the power and wonder of the act, rather than its deeper significance that astonished the disciples.

22. Have the faith of God, — i.e. “ in ” God. The disciples’ astonishment shewed their faith was not yet strong, or they would have expected the tree to wither up after Christ had cursed it.

23. The Apostles were soon to go forth on their mission, and the whole world lay before them. It was only by a firm faith in God that they would be able to triumph over all obstacles. Our Lord now explains the lesson to be drawn from the miracle which they had witnessed. As a parable, it was only later that they understood this incident.

to this mountain. Olivet, on the slopes of which they were walking. Thus Zacharias spoke figuratively of this very mountain, And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is over against Jerusalem toward the east : and the Mount of Olives shall be divided in the midst thereof to the east, and to the west with a very great opening , and half of the mountain shall be separated to the north, and half thereof to the south (xiv. 4). Liglitfoot, touching this expression, quotes from the Rabbinical writings that “a certain Resh Lachish taught in the school, as if he were plucking up mountains and grinding them one upon another.”

Be thou removed. A metaphorical proverb meaning, “ Accomplish an impossibility.”

and shall not stagger in his heart. St James possibly had these words in his mind when he wrote, But let him ask in faith , nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea , which is moved and carried about by the wind (i. 6). The saints by their faith, work miracles, where ordinary Christians “ stagger ” and doubt. The Church, among other proofs of sanctity, exacts that those who are raised to the honour of canonization shall have performed miracles either in their lifetime or after their death.* These miracles are proofs of extraordinary faith on the part of the one who worked them, and hence they are proofs of extraordinary virtue.

it shall be done : provided it be in accordance with God’s will. Our Lord does not promise that every imprudent petition shall be answered. He alone knows what is for our greater good, and will not grant what is injurious, even though we, in our ignorance, pray earnestly for it. As regards spiritual gifts, we know it is God’s will that we should grow in faith, hope, and charity, that we should resist temptation, etc.

25. when you shall stand to pray. This was a common custom among the Jews. Thus the Pharisee “ stood and prayed .” This was always the position when the Israelites rendered thanks to God, whereas prayer of petition, and especially of humiliation, was offered kneeling or prostrate. We read of our Lord kneeling and prostrating Himself in prayer, but we may be certain He conformed to the ordinary standing posture generally, at least in public devotions.

forgive. It is one of the conditions upon which God has promised to grant us the grace of remission of our sins. In the “Our Father” we pray, Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them , etc. The Apostles would need to remember this lesson when their Master was crucified by His cruel enemies. How difficult it must have been for them to forgive in this case, and yet the pardon of their own sins of cowardice depended on their so doing.

if you will not forgive, etc. Jesus reiterates the same truth in a negative form, that the disciples might clearly understand His meaning. In like manner He repeated a truth, both in the positive and negative aspect, when He said, Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them: and whose sins you shall retain , they are retained (St John xx. 23).

your Father that is in heaven. Jesus reminds His disciples that all mankind are brethren.

Details peculiar to St Mark —

(a) It was in the morning that the disciples noticed that the fig-tree had withered up.

(b) St Peter was the spokesman for the others.

(c) Our Lord’s words (in this particular conjunction) on forgiveness of injuries as a condition of prayer being answered.

* “ Between the beatification and the canonization of a saint, it must be proved that at least two miracles have been wrought through the intercession of the “ Blessed ” person since the beatification” ( Cath . Diet., p. 125).

The Sanhedrin question Jesus

[27] And they come again to Jerusalem. And when he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests and the scribes and the ancients,

[28] And they say to him: By what authority dost thou these things? and who hath given thee this authority that thou shouldst do these things?

[29] And Jesus answering, said to them: I will also ask you one word, and answer you me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

[30] The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me.

[31] But they thought with themselves, saying: If we say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did you not believe him?

[32] If we say, From men, we fear the people. For all men counted John that he was a prophet indeed.[33] And they answering, say to Jesus: We know not. And Jesus answering, saith to them: Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

[27] Et veniunt rursus Jerosolymam. Et cum ambularet in templo, accedunt ad eum summi sacerdotes, et scribae, et seniores : [28] et dicunt ei : In qua potestate haec facis? et quis dedit tibi hanc potestatem ut ista facias? [29] Jesus autem respondens, ait illis : Interrogabo vos et ego unum verbum, et respondete mihi : et dicam vobis in qua potestate haec faciam. [30] Baptismus Joannis, de caelo erat, an ex hominibus? Respondete mihi. [31] At illi cogitabant secum, dicentes : Si dixerimus : De caelo, dicet : Quare non credidistis ei? [32] Si dixerimus : Ex hominibus, timemus populum : omnes enim habebant Joannem quia vere propheta esset. [33] Et respondentes dicunt Jesu : Nescimus. Et respondens Jesus ait illis : Neque ego dico vobis in qua potestate haec faciam.

Notes

27. when he was walking: a detail peculiar to St Mark. Jesus would be walking either in one of the porches or courts.

there come to him : — As he was teaching the people in the Temple and preaching the Gospel (St Luke xx. 1).

chief priests .... scribes .... ancients : hence a deputation from the various bodies forming the Sanhedrin. The chief priests and scribes represented the religious constituent, and the ancients the political and executive.

28. By what authority, etc. They propose a double question — (a) Did Christ claim a human or divine authority ? ( b ) Who had sanctioned or authorised Him to teach? There is here, perhaps, a suggestion that they considered Him as inspired by Beelzebub, as they had previously affirmed. The Jews had a law that no man could teach without having rabbinical authorisation. Those who aspired to the office of teacher studied under some famous Rabbi, who, when they were sufficiently qualified, gave them a diploma to that effect. The degrees were (1) Rabbi, (2) Elder, (3) Judge. It was the duty of the Sanhedrin to examine the credentials of those who taught, in order to preserve the law in all its purity. They were exercising a legal right in questioning our Lord, -but they were not exercising it in a proper spirit. As on previous occasions, they came tempting him. They knew the despised “ Prophet of Galilee ” had no diploma from their Rabbis, so practically they were repeating their demand for a sign, as they had done after the first cleansing of the Temple (see St John ii. 13-22).

dost thou these things ? They evidently referred to our Lord’s recent acts, particularly the triumphal procession into Jerusalem, His acceptation of the “ Hosannas ” of the multitude, and the cleansing of the Temple. Possibly this last action was the one which made them most bitter, since it was a reproach to them and a silent condemnation for tolerating an abuse which they should have prevented.

things. They avoid using the word “miracle,” though they must have known of the resurrection of Lazarus, of the cure of Bartimeus, and of the blind and lame whom He cured after casting the vendors forth from the Temple.

29. one word , — i.e. one thing ; and that question was one which, if they had answered honestly, contained the information they required. For if they accepted St John as a prophet, as they professed to do, they were bound to accept his testimony that Christ was the Messiah.

answer you me. Jesus speaks as a Master in Israel: — as one having power and not as the scribes (St Mark i. 22).

30. The baptism of John. Here the word baptism stands for the mission of St John the Baptist, baptism being one of its distinctive features. Another was his testimony to Christ as the Messiah. Jesus inquires of them by a counter question from whom St John the Baptist derived his authority, and whether he had a human or divine sanction, for the Baptist held no diploma from the Rabbis.

31. they thought with themselves : and also spoke saying : If we say , etc. We may conclude that, since they had to agree upon a common answer, they withdrew a little and consulted each other. Either this conversation was overheard at the time, or it was made known by some of those who took part in it, and who became converts to Christianity later on, or it was revealed to the Evangelists by the Holy Ghost,

31. If we say, etc. The deputation find themselves in a double dilemma. There were four possible answers : 1. “ From heaven ” ; 2. “From men” ; 3. “We know not” ; 4. “We decline to answer.” Any one of these answers involved them in a false position. If they replied “ from heaven,” they foresaw clearly what answer our Lord would make ; and to reply “ from men ” would arouse the anger of the people and expose their own lives. By pleading ignorance they would lose their prestige as spiritual leaders of the people. If they declined to reply they shewed their insincerity and hypocrisy, and revealed that their question was dictated, not by zeal for the purity of their Mosaic faith, but by unworthy motives, such as jealousy, hypocrisy, and hatred.

33. We know not. They express thus their unwillingness to say what they think of St John the Baptist’s mission. The Sanhedrin had hated and feared St John,* and had they dared, would have denied him to be a prophet, but they were forced into recognising him as such, through fear of the people. In reality they had rejected St John, as they were now rejecting Christ.

Neither do I tell you. Jesus had utterly confounded His enemies and they can make no reply, nor do they dare reiterate their question.

*Cf. [6] And were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. [7] And seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them: Ye brood of vipers, who hath shewed you to flee from the wrath to come? [8] Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of penance. [9] And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father. For I tell you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Matth. iii.

Additional Notes

The arrival of the deputation from the Sanhedrin. Jesus and His little band of disciples were surrounded in the cloisters of the Temple by a “ formidable deputation, imposing alike in its numbers and its stateliness. The chief priests, heads of the twenty-four courses, the learned scribes, the leading Rabbis, representatives of all the constituent classes of the Sanhedrin were there to overawe Him — whom they despised as the poor, ignorant Prophet of despicable Galilee, by the presence of all that was venerable in age, eminent in wisdom or imposing in authority in the great council of the nation. The people, whom He was engaged in teaching, made reverent way for them, lest they should pollute those floating robes and ample fringes with a touch ; and when they had arranged themselves around Jesus, they sternly and abruptly asked Him, “ By what authority dost thou these things ? ” (Farrar). These words give us a vivid verbal picture of the scene that took place, when the Sanhedrin questioned our Lord.

The signs of the true prophet. The chief priests and scribes, as the spiritual guides of Israel, were bound to exercise a supervision over those who taught the people, or took to themselves the office of prophets. In Deut. xviii. 20-22 we read, “ But the prophet, who being corrupted with pride shall speak in my name, things that I did not command him to say, or in the name of strange gods, he shall be slain. And if in silent thought thou answer : How shall I know the word that the Lord hath not spoken ? thou shalt have this sign : Whatsoever that same prophet foretelleth in the name of the Lord, and it cometh not to pass : that thing the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath forged it by the pride of his mind : and therefore thou shalt not fear him.” St John the Baptist came as a prophet of God and announced the coming of “ one mightier. ” Had the Sanhedrin searched to know the truth respecting St John the Baptist, they would have learnt the extraordinary circumstances relating to his birth. Some of the Pharisees had gone out to St John in the wilderness and had heard his doctrine. Many had seen him point out Jesus as the Lamb of God and had seen his prophecy realized. “ He upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him, he it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.” Therefore, according to the test imposed by the Law, St John was a true prophet, since his predictions were fulfilled, and consequently Christ was the Messias. On this occasion Jesus “had recourse to a method familiar to both Jews and Greeks, of answering by interrogation, and solving one question by proposing another, which if candidly answered, would solve the former ” (MacEvilly, Com., p. 387).

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Friday, June 3, 2022

The barren fig-tree; the second cleansing of the Temple

St Mark Chapter XI : Verses 12-19

The barren fig-tree

The accursed fig-tree. J-J Tissot.

[12] And the next day when they came out from Bethania, he was hungry.

[13] And when he had seen afar off a fig tree having leaves, he came if perhaps he might find any thing on it. And when he was come to it, he found nothing but leaves. For it was not the time for figs.

[14] And answering he said to it: May no man hereafter eat fruit of thee any more for ever. And his disciples heard it.

[12] Et alia die cum exirent a Bethania, esuriit. [13] Cumque vidisset a longe ficum habentem folia, venit si quid forte inveniret in ea : et cum venisset ad eam, nihil invenit praeter folia : non enim erat tempus ficorum. [14] Et respondens dixit ei : Jam non amplius in aeternum ex te fructum quisquam manducet. Et audiebant discipuli ejus.

Notes

12. the next day. The eleventh of Nisan, Monday in Holy Week.

when they came out from Bethania: where Christ had retired the previous night.

he was hungry : the words are to be taken literally ; possibly Jesus had spent the night in prayer, as He often did, for had He come direct from the house of Lazarus, He would not have lacked food ; or it was very early, before the usual hour for taking food. These words shew our Lord’s perfect humanity ; He hungered and thirsted like an ordinary human being. Our Lord did not feign hunger, nor excite it preternaturally ; His hunger was a real craving for food, due to His fasting or great temperance in the use of food.

13. he had seen afar off. He saw the tree in the distance perhaps as He descended the slope of Olivet. It was conspicuous, as having leaves.

a fig-tree. Figs were largely cultivated in Palestine. They also grew wild, and formed a staple article of the Jews’ fare. St Matt, adds the tree was by the wayside. They were planted thus, since the dust of the road was supposed, by checking the growth of foliage, to favour the production of fruit.

he came. Jesus went up close to the tree, which stood alone by the wayside.

if perhaps he might find anything on it. He knew well there were no figs. In spite of His omniscience, Jesus commonly acted as prudent men would act, so that this seeming disappointment cannot astonish us ( Maas, S.J. ). Jesus was teaching His disciples by a parable in action, for the fruitless fig-tree with its abundant foliage was a figure of the Jewish nation, which, with all its profession of godliness, lacked the essential virtues of mercy, truth, charity, humility, etc.

nothing but leaves : therefore as the leaves had all attained their full size, there should have been figs on the tree, since blossoms and fruit precede the leaves in the case of the fig-tree.

it was not the time for figs. Figs were ripe in Palestine at two different seasons, the early ones about June, the later about October, but Josephus tells us that near the Lake of Galilee, figs were to be found ten months out of the twelve. The winter figs only ripened after the fall of the leaves. This passage has greatly puzzled some commentators, who ask, “ How could our Lord expect to find fruit, if it was not the season?” To this others reply, that although early in April the figs were not ordinarily ripe, yet if a tree stood in a particularly favourable soil or had a good exposition, fruit would be found earlier, and the extraordinary luxuriance of the growth of the leaves in this particular case justified our Lord in expecting to find fruit.

14. answering , he said to it ( i.e . “ arbori fructum neganti”). Jesus, by a Hebrew idiom, is represented as addressing the tree, which “ may be supposed to say to Him, ‘ I have no fruit for Thee . . . .’ Our Lord is often said to answer when no one has spoken to Him. He is either answering some secret thought in the mind of His hearers, or, as in this instance, what the circumstances seem to say ” (P. T. Gallwey, S.J.).

May no man hereafter, etc. Our Lord having pronounced this curse, immediately the fig-tree withered away (St Matt. xxi. 19), which typified the rejection and destruction of Israel.

his disciples heard it. Hence when they saw the fig-tree withered away the following morning they knew what had produced this phenomenon.

The sudden withering was miraculous, for a tree, even when cut down, does not at once dry up, and the topmost branches will even continue to bud for a time. This cursing of the fig-tree was a miracle , a parable in action , and a prophecy. “ As Jesus went to the fig-tree seeking fruit and found none, so now He comes to our soul in the hope of being comforted and refreshed by finding some good fruit. His people are the fig-tree ; each one created to His image and redeemed by His Sacred Blood is the fig-tree. Our poor souls are each His fig-tree ” ( Gallwey , S.J .).

The second cleansing of the Temple

He began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple... J-J Tissot

[15] And they came to Jerusalem. And when he was entered into the temple, he began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the chairs of them that sold doves.

[16] And he suffered not that any man should carry a vessel through the temple;

[17] And he taught, saying to them: Is it not written, My house shall be called the house of prayer to all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves.

[18] Which when the chief priests and the scribes had heard, they sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because the whole multitude was in admiration at his doctrine.

[19] And when evening was come, he went forth out of the city.

[15] Et veniunt in Jerosolymam. Et cum introisset in templum, coepit ejicere vendentes et ementes in templo : et mensas numulariorum, et cathedras vendentium columbas evertit : [16] et non sinebat ut quisquam transferret vas per templum : [17] et docebat, dicens eis : Nonne scriptum est : Quia domus mea, domus orationis vocabitur omnibus gentibus? vos autem fecistis eam speluncam latronum. [18] Quo audito principes sacerdotum et scribae, quaerebant quomodo eum perderent : timebant enim eum, quoniam universa turba admirabatur super doctrina ejus. [19] Et cum vespera facta esset, egrediebatur de civitate. [20] Et cum mane transirent, viderunt ficum aridam factam a radicibus.

Notes

15. into the Temple. Into the court of the Gentiles. For the convenience of the worshippers, especially for those who came from a distance, a kind of market was set up in this court. Booths were erected, where sacrificial victims, oil, incense, flour, wine, etc., for the sacrifices and religious rites, could be purchased.

cast out. With His irresistible authority, as He had done on a previous occasion in the first year of His ministry.

them that sold and bought. Both buyers and sellers were desecrating the Temple. This is an example of being a partaker in the sin of another, which is one of the nine ways of giving scandal.

overthrew. The word denotes our Lord’s extreme indignation. the tables of the money-changers. The pilgrims required money —

(a) To purchase what was required for the sacrifices.

(b) To make voluntary offerings to the Temple, as we learn from St Mark : And Jesus sitting over against the treasury, beheld how the people cast money into the treasury , and many that were rich cast in much (xii. 41).

(c) For the half-shekel which every Jew was bound to pay for the Temple expenses, (as we are commanded by the Church to contribute to the support of our religion).

As the Roman, Greek and other foreign coins were frequently stamped with idolatrous images and emblems, and thus rendered “unclean” and unfit for use in God’s service, payments had to be made in a Hebrew coin called the “Temple shekel,” which was not in general currency. Pilgrims therefore had to exchange their foreign money for native “ shekels.” The money-changers charged “ a kolbon,” a small coin, as their fee for exchanging foreign money. This fee was unlawful, and gave ample opportunities for defrauding the buyers. This market was much frequented, even by the inhabitants of the city, since the priests guaranteed that the animals sold there were of the right age and without blemish, as the law exacted ; moreover, the priests profited by these transactions, since they received rents from the booth-owners, and they themselves furnished the lambs and doves, which were a profitable source of revenue. Our Lord did not overthrow the chests which contained the offerings for the Temple, but the “kolbons” which were so unlawfully obtained.

the chairs of them, etc. The doves were generally sold by women, who sat beside the dove cages.

doves. These were required by the poor women who came for the ceremony of purification. The rich offered a lamb. At one time as much as a gold coin was asked as the price of a dove, but a zealous Rabbi insisted on the prices being lowered, and “doves were sold that very day for two farthings ” ( Lightfoot ).

16. he suffered not that any man, etc. Christ would not suffer porters to carry burdens through the courts of the Temple, which they were in the habit of doing in order to avoid a long circuit. Josephus writes, “ it is not .... lawful to carry any vessel into the holy house,” i.e. the Temple (Against Apion. ii. 8). This law had evidently become a dead letter. Necessarily, if the Gentiles’ court had become a place of traffic, the private devotions of the worshippers would be greatly disturbed. The Jews only tolerated this abuse in the court of the Gentiles ; the other courts were not thus desecrated. St Mark alone relates this detail about Christ forbidding vessels to be carried through the Temple precincts.

a vessel : a pail or basket.

17. he taught. He explained to them how they were infringing the law of God by referring them to a text in Isaias, My house shall be called the house of prayer for all nations (Ivi. 7).

Hence it was unlawful to traffic therein, and since the Temple was the house of prayer , all commerce was illegal, and as it was for the use of “ all nations,” the court of the Gentiles was to be as much respected as the courts where the Israelites worshipped.

a den of thieves : rather “ bandits ” or “ robbers.” The caves of Palestine were infested with these brigands ; there they made their evil plans and carried their booty ; there, too, they quarrelled and fought over their respective shares. In much the same spirit the avaricious vendors were chaffering and quarelling over the price of their wares.

18. when the chief priests and the scribes, etc. St Luke adds, and the rulers of the people (xix. 47) ; hence the whole Sanhedrin was now formally arrayed against Jesus.

they sought how they might destroy him. Three reasons may be assigned for their perplexity —

(а) They could not accuse Him of any evil deed.

(b) They feared Him ; His mighty deeds and majestic demeanour awed them.

(d) They apprehended that if they laid hands on Jesus, it would cause a rebellion, and so endanger their, own position as rulers in the eyes of the Romans.

doctrine : better “ teaching ” ; not so much what He taught, but how He taught.

19. when evening was come: at sunset, when the gates of the city would be closed, and all who did not dwell in Jerusalem had to leave the city to seek shelter elsewhere.

he went forth out of the city. Various reasons have been assigned as to why Jesus left Jerusalem, since He had many disciples there who would gladly have received Him. It has been suggested that —

(а) He wished to pass the night in the house of Lazarus.

(b) He desired to pray in Gethsemani as He was wont.

(c) He wished to avoid dwelling in the city, lest He should be suspected of plotting with His disciples in order to secure a rising of the people on His behalf.

(d) He willed to get away from the multitude that thronged Him in Jerusalem.

Note. — St Matthew alone relates that after Christ had driven the vendors out of the Temple, there came to him the blind and the lame in the temple, and he healed them (xxi. 14). Doubtless many of these afflicted people were beggars who usually thronged the approaches to the Temple and exploited their infirmities, in order to obtain alms from the worshippers. By working these miracles Jesus proved Himself to be the Messiah.

Lesson. — From the cleansing of the Temple we may learn with what reverence Christ would have us treat His house, where in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist He abides with us. Our souls, too, are His temples, and they must be pure and free from stain, that He may dwell within us by His grace, and that we may be well prepared to receive Him in Holy Communion.

Additional Notes

The Barren Fig-tree.

The cursing of the barren fig-tree is an example of a miracle of punishment. “ Jesus, after miracles of love, performs just one miracle which should demonstrate His power to punish and ruin, as it belongs to the Judge of all flesh. He did not, however, perform this on man, whom He has not come to destroy, but on an inanimate object ” (Heubner).

14. May no man hereafter eat fruit of thee , etc. These words on the lips of an ordinary human being might seem like an expression of disappointment and vexation, but coming from Him “ who knew no sin,” they take the character of a solemn judgment, passed, not so much on the tree, as on that of which it became the representative. The Jews, in their show of the “leaves ” of devotion, in the absence of the “fruits” of righteousness, were as that barren tree. Only a few weeks previously our Lord had spoken a parable of a certain man who had “a fig-tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none ” (St Luke xiii. 6). Then, when the dresser of the vineyard had begged that the execution of the sentence “ cut it down” should be deferred, the owner of the fig-tree had granted his petition. Since Jesus had thus spoken, the Jews had had still clearer proofs that He was the Messias, but, in their pride and obstinacy, they still hardened their hearts and refused to accept Him. Now by this parable in action, Jesus warns them that their final rejection is near at hand — the Synagogue and Jerusalem are doomed for their unbelief.

This cursing of the barren fig-tree may be regarded as a prophetic parable ; as such we notice —

14. May no man hereafter eat fruit of thee. Some non- Catholic writers have cavilled at these words of our Lord, on the grounds that —

(а) It was an act of useless destruction.

(b) The owner thereby was deprived of his tree (as the Gadarens were of their swine).

To these futile objections the following answers can be given —

(a) The fig-tree thus withered was useful in conveying a solemn truth both to the Jews and to our Lord’s disciples, and this was a nobler use than the mere nourishing of the body. By its medium, they learnt that retribution follows impenitence, that hypocrisy will be punished, and that faith can work miracles.

(b) There is not a shadow of evidence that the tree was private property.

(c) “ When the hail beats down the tendrils of the vine, when the lightning scathes the olive .... do any but the utterly ignorant and brutal begin at once to blaspheme against God ?”

(d) “ Is it a crime under any circumstance to destroy a useless tree ? If not, is it more a crime to do so by miracle ? Jesus hastened the withering of the barren fig-tree, and founded, on the destruction of its uselessness, three eternal lessons : a symbol of the destruction of impenitence, a warning of the peril of hypocrisy, an illustration of the power of faith ” (Farrar).

The second cleansing of the Temple.

The two cleansings of the Temple. St John records that Jesus cast out the buyers from the Temple in the first year of His ministry, while the Synoptists make no mention of this, but agree in relating a cleansing of the Temple as having taken place in Holy Week, of which St John makes no mention. From this, some critical writers have concluded that all four Evangelists refer to the same occasion, that there was but one cleansing, which St John does not place in its correct order. In answer to this objection it should be noticed that —

(a) The greater number of commentators agree that our Lord cleansed the Temple twice.

(b) St John seems rather to have had in view, among other purposes, to supplement what the Synoptists had omitted ; therefore it is not astonishing that since they all refer to the second cleansing, he should pass it over.

(c) The silence of the Synoptists concerning the first, does not prove that it did not take place, since we have many proofs that the argument from silence has not great weight.

(d) It was perfectly natural that the practice of buying and selling in the Temple, would have the support of those who profited by this traffic ; hence it is probable, that although our Lord had once driven out the buyers, they had taken advantage of His absence from Jerusalem, to return thither and resume their traffic.

(e) The circumstances differ in the two cases, as will be seen by com¬ paring the two narratives.

St John’s Account of the Cleansing.

“ And the pasch of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple them that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting. And when he had made as it were a scourge of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen, and the money of the changers he poured out, and the tables he overthrew. And to them that sold doves he said : Take these things hence, and make not the house of my Father a house of traffic. And his disciples remem¬bered that it was written : “ The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up.” The Jews therefore answered and said to him : What sign dost thou shew us, seeing thou dost these things? Jesus answered and said to them : Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said : Six and forty years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days ? But he spoke of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture, and the word that Jesus had said” (St John ii. 13-22).

Harmonised Account of the Second Cleansing of the Temple.

Luke xix. 45-48 ; Mark xi. 15-19 ; Matt. xxi. 12-13.

(Monday in Holy Week, 33 a. d.) “And they came to Jerusalem. And when Jesus had entered the temple, he began to cast out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers and the chairs of them that sold doves. And he suffered not that any man should carry a vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying to them : Is it not written : My house shall be called the house of prayer to all nations 1 but you have made it a den of thieves. Which when the chief priests and scribes had heard, they sought how they might destroy him ; for they feared him, because the whole multitude was in admiration at his doctrine. And they found not what to do to him. And he was teaching daily in the temple, and all the people were held in suspense, hearing him. And when evening was come, he went forth out of the city.”

On reverence for the Temple precincts. “ What is the reverence of the Temple ? That none go into the Mountain of the Temple (or the Court of the Gentiles) with his staff and his shoes, with his purse, and dust upon his feet : and that none make it a common thoroughfare nor make it a place of spitting” (Talmud). Even in the case of the site of a ruined synagogue, the same law held good. Hence Jesus in cleansing the Temple was merely insisting on the observance of a law, with which all the Israelites were acquainted. On both occasions when He drove out the vendors, He was devoured by zeal for God’s House.

The Temple shekel. This sum, equal in value to about 1s. 2d. of our money, was rigorously exacted from all Jews. Lightfoot, speaking on this subject, quotes from the Talmud and the treatise Shekalim : — “ It is an affirmative (i.e. as opposed to what the Jews called negative precepts) precept of the Law, that every Israelite should give half a shekel yearly : even the poor who live by alms, are obliged to this, and must either beg the money of others, or sell their clothes to pay half a shekel, as it is said, ‘ The rich shall give no more, the poor shall give no less.’ In the first day of the month Adar, they make a public proclamation concerning these shekels that every one .... be ready to pay it. On the fifteenth day, the exchangers sat in every city civilly requiring this money : they received it of those that gave it, and compelled those who did not. On the five and twentieth day they sat in the Temple .... and from him that did not give, they forced a pledge, even his very coat. ”

Note. — St Jerome regarded the cleansing of the Temple as one of our Lord’s greatest miracles, and he based his opinion on the following reasons : —

(a) Jesus was considered by many only as the despised “ Prophet of Galilee.”

(b) The Sanhedrin was bitterly opposed to Him, and would have supported the traders in their opposition, had they offered any.

(c) In working other miracles, Jesus had dealt with disease and inanimate objects. Here He triumphs over the will of so vast a multitude. St Jerome attributes their obedience as being due to a supernatural light in our Lord’s eyes, and to an irresistible splendour that overawed them. On the other hand, there may have been no miracle, for our Lord’s demeanour was majestic at all times, and when intensified by His zeal and indignation, it must have been irresistible. In addition, He was accompanied by a vast multitude of enthusiastic followers, and “ the mighty deeds ” that all had witnessed, would have given Christ such a prestige that none could resist His commands. Even the Sanhedrin “feared him.” Lastly, there must have been a consciousness of wrong-doing in the souls of those whom He cast out, and a sense of guilt generally makes men timid and docile.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Thursday, June 2, 2022

Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem

Sequence of events in Holy Week

Palm Sunday.

Jesus enters Jerusalem in triumph. He goes to the Temple, and in the evening retires to Bethania.

Monday.

He returns to Jerusalem, and curses the barren fig-tree by the wayside. He turns the buyers and sellers out of the Temple for the second time, and retires to Bethania in the evening.

Tuesday.

He goes to the Temple and is questioned by —

(a) the Sanhedrin.[ late Hebrew sanhedrīn, < Greek συνέδριον council, lit. ‘sitting together’, < σύν together + ἕδρα seat. OED ]
(b) the Herodians and Pharisees.
(c) the Sadducees.
(d) a scribe.

On this day Jesus relates the following Parables —

(a) The Two Sons.
(b) The Wicked Husbandmen.
(c) The Ten Virgins.
(d) The Talents.

Christ also —

(a) Denounces the Pharisees.
(b) Prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem.
(c) Prophesies the end of the world.

In the evening He again returns to Bethania.

Wednesday.

He remains at Bethania.

Thursday.

He goes to Jerusalem towards evening for the Paschal Supper. He institutes the Holy Eucharist.

Then follow —

The Agony in the Garden.
The Betrayal.
The Trials before Annas and Caiphas.

Good Friday.

Christ is tried before —

The Sanhedrin.
Herod.
Pilate.

The Crucifixion, Death and Burial.

Holy Saturday.

Jesus lies in the tomb.

Easter Sunday.

He rises from the dead.

St Mark Chapter XI : Verses 1-11

The foal of Bethphage. J-J Tissot.

[1] And when they were drawing near to Jerusalem and to Bethania at the mount of Olives, he sendeth two of his disciples,

[2] And saith to them: Go into the village that is over against you, and immediately at your coming in thither, you shall find a colt tied, upon which no man yet hath sat: loose him, and bring him.

[3] And if any man shall say to you, What are you doing? say ye that the Lord hath need of him: and immediately he will let him come hither.

[4] And going their way, they found the colt tied before the gate without, in the meeting of two ways: and they loose him.

[5] And some of them that stood there, said to them: What do you loosing the colt?

[6] Who said to them as Jesus had commanded them; and they let him go with them.

[7] And they brought the colt to Jesus; and they lay their garments on him, and he sat upon him.

Hosanna in excelsis! David. J-J Tissot.

[8] And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down boughs from the trees, and strewed them in the way.

[9] And they that went before and they that followed, cried, saying: Hosanna, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

[10] Blessed be the kingdom of our father David that cometh: Hosanna in the highest.

[11] And he entered into Jerusalem, into the temple: and having viewed all things round about, when now the eventide was come, he went out to Bethania with the twelve.

[1] Et cum appropinquarent Jerosolymae et Bethaniae ad montem Olivarum, mittit duos ex discipulis suis, [2] et ait illis : Ite in castellum, quod contra vos est, et statim introeuntes illuc, invenietis pullum ligatum, super quem nemo adhuc hominum sedit : solvite illum, et adducite. [3] Et si quis vobis dixerit : Quid facitis? dicite, quia Domino necessarius est : et continuo illum dimittet huc. [4] Et abeuntes invenerunt pullum ligatum ante januam foris in bivio : et solvunt eum. [5] Et quidam de illic stantibus dicebant illis : Quid facitis solventes pullum? [6] Qui dixerunt eis sicut praeceperat illis Jesus, et dimiserunt eis. [7] Et duxerunt pullum ad Jesum : et imponunt illi vestimenta sua, et sedit super eum. [8] Multi autem vestimenta sua straverunt in via : alii autem frondes caedebant de arboribus, et sternebant in via. [9] Et qui praeibant, et qui sequebantur, clamabant, dicentes : Hosanna : benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini : [10] benedictum quod venit regnum patris nostri David : hosanna in excelsis. [11] Et introivit Jerosolymam in templum : et circumspectis omnibus, cum jam vespera esset hora, exiit in Bethaniam cum duodecim

Notes

1. And when. Between the cure of Bartimeus and the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem we must note the following events —

(а) Jesus reaches Bethania on the evening of Friday (Nisan 6).

(b) He passes the Sabbath there, and in the evening sups with Simon, who had been a leper.

(d) During that night the Jews met in council to plot against our Lord, and also they thought to kill Lazarus (St John xii. 10).

to Jerusalem and to Bethania. St Mark inverts the order. Bethania, which lay on the south-eastern slope of Mount Olivet, about a mile from the summit, must have been reached first. Jerusalem, however, is mentioned first, as being their destination. The Triumphal Entry took place, Nisan 8, on the first day of the week ; hence in commemorating this event, we refer to it as “ Palm Sunday.”

at the Mount of Olives. Literally towards the Mount of Olives, so called from its rich olive groves. (See Geog. Notes, p. 86.) The sides of the mountain still bear a few olive trees.

two of his disciples. From the minute details given by St Mark, it has been surmised that these two were St Peter (from whom this Evangelist received so much information) and St John.

2. the village. Most likely Bethphage (i.e. house of figs). This village has been located differently by eminent writers ; some place it north-east or south-east of Bethania, others are of opinion that it was north-west or south-west of that village. In any case it was close both to Bethania and Jerusalem. Modern research seems to prove that it stood about half a mile from the summit of Olivet, while Bethania was about the same distance lower down. Hence a person coming from Jericho would first come upon Bethphage. From our Lord’s words, go into the village that is over against you, it seems to have lain back from the high road.

a colt. St Luke tells us it was the colt of an ass. In the East, the horse is used chiefly in war ; asses there are held in high esteem, and are far superior to the European ass. The ass was ordinarily used on peaceful occasions.

no man yet hath sat. Such an animal was proper for a sacred use. St Matthew and St John point out how, on this occasion, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Zacharias, Tell ye the daughter of Sion : Behold thy king cometh to thee , meek and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of her that is used to the yoke (St Matt. xxi. 5).

3. the Lord hath need. The owner of the ass was probably a secret disciple ; knowing that Jesus required the animals, he would have lent them gladly.

immediately he will let him come hither. Two meanings have been assigned to these apparently simple words. They may mean “ the Lord will immediately ( i.e . soon) send back the colt hither,” or they may signify that the owner would lend his colt immediately when requested to do so. The difficulty arises from the fact that in some MSS. the text runs, “he will send them hither again.” Most commentators agree in taking the words to signify the owner’s willingness to lend his colt. St Mark and St Luke mention only the colt. St Matthew says that they brought the ass and the colt (xxi. 7).

4. before the gate without, etc. Outside the courtyard, ready for the owner’s use. The original signifies that they found the colt tied at the gate, in a back lane which skirted the dwelling.

5. some of them that stood there said, etc. The bystanders questioned the disciples’ right to loose the colt, likewise the owners thereof said to them, Why loose you the colt ? (St Luke xix. 33).

7. they lay their garments on him, “ upon them ” (St Matt, xxi.) The disciples took their “ abbas,” and folding them, placed them as a saddle both on the ass and the colt.

He sat upon him. Christ rode on the colt, as three Evangelists relate. A few commentators are of opinion that Jesus rode on the ass and the colt in turn, but it is more probable that an ass and a colt are in apposition and refer to the same animal, while the ass walked riderless beside the colt.

8. many spread their garments, etc. The multitude spread their “ abbas ” in the way. It was customary to spread garments in the path of kings, conquerors, and rabbis renowned for their holiness and learning. Thus a royal procession was improvised for Jehu when he was anointed king of Israel. Then they made haste , and taking every man his garment, laid it under his feet, after the manner of a judgment-seat, etc. (4 Kings ix. 13).

others cut down boughs, etc. St John mentions that they took branches of palm trees (xii. 13). These could readily be had in the neighbourhood of Bethania (i.e. house of dates). In St Matthew the original word stands for branches of any description. Olive and palm trees abounded in the locality. Branches of these were used for waving on festal occasions, as on the Feast of Tabernacles. The palm leaves, which measured from twelve to sixteen feet, were roughly twisted together to make a leafy carpet.

9. they that went before. There were two processions, one coming out from Jerusalem to greet Jesus, the other following Him ; those from Jerusalem carried palm branches. On meeting Him the people turned round and headed the procession. When they had heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm-trees and went forth to meet him, etc. (St John xii. 12, 13). The palm was a symbol of joy and of victory. The resurrection of Lazarus, the cure of blind Bartimeus, and the proximity of the paschal season account for the vast concourse of people that thronged our Lord. By a census taken in the time of Nero, it was ascertained that 2,700,000 Jews were present at the “ Pasch.” St John lays special stress on the fact that the people came to meet him , because they heard that he had done this miracle (St John xii. 18), that is, raised Lazarus. St Matthew adds, And when he was come into Jerusalem , the whole city was moved, saying , Who is this ? And the people said : This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth of Galilee (xxi. 10-11).

Hosanna, — i.e. save now. [Etymology: < late Latin osanna, hosanna (Vulgate), < Greek ὠσαννά, ὡσαννά, representing the Hebrew hōshaʿ-nā, abbreviated form of hōshīʿāh-nnā save, pray! Compare Psalms 118:25, 86:2. In Rabbinical literature the phrase occurs as a word in yōm-hōshaʿnā, ‘hosanna-day’, the seventh day of the Feast of Booths, also as a name for the palm (or willow) branches carried in procession. OED]

blessed is he, etc. This quotation is taken from Ps. cxvii. (26). This psalm, together with psalms cxii. to cxvii., were sung by the Jews on solemn festivities, such as the Pasch, the Feast of Tabernacles, etc. The Levites sang each verse of these psalms, to which the people responded, by way of refrain, “ Hosanna, Blessed is He that eometh in the Name of the Lord.” These chants were also used by the Jews when they went out waving branches of trees to greet the bands of pilgrims, as they arrived in large caravans for the religious solemnities. On this occasion “The actual procession would not proceed farther than the foot of Mount Moriah, beyond which they might not advance in travelling array or with dusty feet.”

he that cometh. This was a title of the Messiah. Thus the disciples of St John the Baptist ask our Lord, Art thou he that art to come, or look we for another ? (St Matt. xi. 3).

10. Blessed be the kingdom of our father David that cometh : the words “ that cometh ” refer to kingdom.

Note. — At a turn in the road, the city of Jerusalem would stand before them in all its beauty ; and “ seeing the city,” Jesus wept over it, because it was doomed to destruction for having rejected Him.

11. into the temple : better “ into the courts of the Temple.” The Temple covered a vast area, and was surrounded by various courts for the men, for women, for Gentiles, etc. (see notes on the Temple, Part IV.).

having viewed all things, etc. Doubtless Jesus noted how the sacred precincts were being profaned by the vendors of sacrificial objects and by the money-changers.

St Luke’s account differs in the refrain from the other Evangelists. He gives the spirit and meaning of the words rather than the text, and his words are like an echo of the angels’ song at Bethlehem. The shouts of triumph would have re-echoed from the mountain glens and gorges and have been heard distinctly in Jerusalem. Additional details are given by the other Evangelists.

The following are peculiar to St Mark —

(a) The colt was “ tied before the gate without.”

(b) Some “stood there” looking on.

The Triumphal Entry as given by the four Evangelists.

From The Gospel according to St Mark, by Madame Cecilia (1904)

Site of Bethphage.

This village, through which our Lord passed in His triumphal procession to Jerusalem, seems, according to modern research, to have been located about midway between the summit of Mount Olivet and Bethania. Local tradition points out a spot so situated as the site of this village, and recent excavations prove that the locality was once a hamlet, if nothing more, for foundations of houses and of a church have been discovered there (Gallwey, S.J.). If this opinion be correct, then Bethphage lay on the eastern slope of Mount Olivet, about half a mile south-east of the summit, about the same distance from Bethania. The caravan road led from Jericho to Jerusalem on the road to Bethania, and would therefore pass Bethphage (according to recent writers). At Bethania the road sloped southward and two other paths opened out leading to Jerusalem, a winding path on the north, a rugged bridle-path over the summit, while the wide and most frequented road wound due south. Local tradition prefers the path over the summit as the one taken by our Lord, but it is scarcely probable that a vast multitude accompanying Him would have chosen a narrow rugged path in preference to the caravan road. “ The view that Jesus passed over the southern or main road, accords better with the various accounts of the procession and its incidents. The hill, about seven hundred feet high, is entirely separated from Jerusalem by the Kedron valley. Gethsemani is located on the side that overlooks Jerusalem, that is, on its western descent” (Maas, S.J.).

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

The Blind Man of Jericho

St Mark Chapter X : Verses 46-52

Healing blindness at Jericho. J-J Tissot

[46] And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho, with his disciples, and a very great multitude, Bartimeus the blind man, the son of Timeus, sat by the way side begging.

[47] Who when he had heard, that it was Jesus of Nazareth, began to cry out, and to say: Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.

[48] And many rebuked him, that he might hold his peace; but he cried a great deal the more: Son of David, have mercy on me.

[49] And Jesus, standing still, commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying to him: Be of better comfort: arise, he calleth thee.

[50] Who casting off his garment leaped up, and came to him.

[51] And Jesus answering, said to him: What wilt thou that I should do to thee? And the blind man said to him: Rabboni, that I may see.

[52] And Jesus saith to him: Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he saw, and followed him in the way.

[46] Et veniunt Jericho : et proficiscente eo de Jericho, et discipulis ejus, et plurima multitudine, filius Timae Bartimaeus caecus, sedebat juxta viam mendicans. [47] Qui cum audisset quia Jesus Nazarenus est, coepit clamare, et dicere : Jesu fili David, miserere mei. [48] Et comminabantur ei multi ut taceret. At ille multo magis clamabat : Fili David, miserere mei. [49] Et stans Jesus praecepit illum vocari. Et vocant caecum, dicentes ei : Animaequior esto : surge, vocat te. [50] Qui projecto vestimento suo exiliens, venit ad eum. [51] Et respondens Jesus dixit illi : Quid tibi vis faciam? Caecus autem dixit ei : Rabboni, ut videam. [52] Jesus autem ait illi : Vade, fides tua te salvum fecit. Et confestim vidit, et sequebatur eum in via.

Notes

46. they came to Jericho. Our Lord remained there until the following day, since it was on this occasion that He abode at the house of Zacheus, and also taught the people by the parable of “ the lord and his servants ” (St Luke xix. 1).

Jericho. “It lies in the Ghor, i.e. the Jordan Valley. The plain of Jericho was formerly celebrated for its luxuriant vegetation, due to the tropical climate and the abundance of water. In the time of our Lord a large stone aqueduct, built by Herod the Great, brought a plentiful supply into the city. The city was the first to fall before the armies of Israel when they entered the Promised Land. After its destruction Josue pronounced a curse on the city, saying, “Cursed be the man . . . that shall raise up and build the city of Jericho. In his first-born may he lay the foundation thereof, and in the last of his children set up its gates ” (Josue vi. 26). In Achab’s days Hiel of Bethel rebuilt the city, and paid the penalty (see 3 Kings xvi. 34). A famous school of the sons of the prophets flourished there in the days of Elias and Eliseus. Under the Herods, Jericho was a prosperous city, a commercial centre, and a seat of customs. Herod the Great beautified the city with palaces and public buildings, and here he died. After Herod’s death Jericho was sacked and burnt, but restored by his son Archelaus. It was also a city of priests and publicans.

as he went out of Jericho . St Matthew agrees with St Mark in placing the time of this miracle, when they went out from Jericho (xx. 29). St Luke places it when he drew nigh to Jericho (xviii. 35). Many commentators agree in reconciling the discrepancy by supposing that as Jesus entered the city a blind man called to Him for pity, but that Jesus did not heal him until the next day ; and that as He was going out of the city, after having stayed in the house of Zacheus, this same blind man, in company with a fellow-sufferer, again appealed to our Lord, and this time successfully. A few writers favour the idea that three men were restored to sight, one as Jesus entered Jericho, and two others as He left the city.

a very great multitude. Large numbers of pilgrims on foot or on asses and camels would be on their road to Jerusalem. The pilgrims were accustomed to utilize their pilgrimages of devotion for commercial purposes, both in Jerusalem and at the principal towns on the road. Jericho was celebrated, among other things, for its trade in balsam. The pilgrims travelled in companies or caravans, for personal safety and for the protection of their goods.

Bartimeus = Bar = “ son of.” St Mark explains its signification to his Gentile readers. St Matt, speaks of two blind men. St Luke mentions one only. Possibly Bartimeus was the greater sufferer, or the better known of the two.

by the way side , begging. In Palestine there were no middle classes. There were the very wealthy classes and also great numbers of poor and afflicted, for whom no organised provision was made. Hence the latter lived largely on alms, and the passage of the pilgrims was their harvest

time.

47. Son of David. The name by which the Jews called the Messiah. Jesus answered now to that name, since it was the full time for Him to reveal Himself as the Messiah, whereas on a previous occasion He did not answer publicly to the call of two blind men who thus invoked Him, but waited until they had followed Him into a house, and there He healed them privately (St Matt. ix. 27-30).

48. many rebuked him. Various reasons have been assigned for this unwillingness on the part of the multitude to favour the cause of the blind men. They rebuked them because —

(a) The beggars publicly expressed their faith in Jesus as the Messiah.

(b) They thought it unseemly for beggars to trouble our Lord.

(d) They did not wish to hinder the journey to Jerusalem, since, if Jesus healed these two men, many more might present themselves, as most of these beggars had some affliction.

The last opinion has the greater number of supporters — St Thomas Aquinas, Maldonatus, C. a Lapide, etc.

49. commanded him to be called. Other MSS. have “ said, call him.”

Be of better comfort. The multitude now encourage the men.

50. casting off his garment. The “abba” or outer covering. He threw it down that he might hurry to our Lord.

51. Jesus answering. Replying to his cry for mercy.

What wilt thou, etc. Jesus knew full well, but He willed an explicit statement on the part of the blind man. The question would arouse the blind man’s hope and strengthen the faith of the multitude by proving to them that Bartimeus was really blind.

Rabboni — i.e., “my Master.” It is a title of great reverence. St Mary Magdalene used it when she saw Jesus after His Resurrection. “ The gradations of honour were, Rab, Rabbi, Rabban, Rabboni ” ( Maclear ).

that I may see. It was prophesied that the Messiah should open the eyes of the blind. That thou mightest open the eyes of the blind (Isaias xlii. 7).

52. thy faith hath made thee whole. St Matthew adds, Jesus having compassion on them , touched their eyes (xx. 34). St Luke gives the additional words of our Lord, Receive thy sight (xviii. 42).

immediately he saw. St Thomas Aquinas says, Jesus touched their eyes, thus acting according to His humanity, and immediately they saw, thus manifesting His Divinity.

in the way. On the road to Jerusalem.

Note. — St Mark’s graphic touches are particularly noticeable in this narrative. He describes the miracle minutely, and he alone relates —

1. That a very great multitude accompanied.
2. The name of the blind man (or of one of them).
3. That the multitude encouraged Bartimeus to come to Jesus.
4. That he cast down his abba.
5. That he leaped up to go to our Lord.

Additional Notes

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Pages

Sunday, June 5, 2022

Parable of the wicked husbandmen

St Mark Chapter XII : Verses 1-12

Notes

Additional Notes

Saturday, June 4, 2022

The withered fig-tree; the Sanhedrin question Jesus

St Mark Chapter XI : Verses 20-33

The withered fig-tree

Notes

The Sanhedrin question Jesus

Notes

Additional Notes

Friday, June 3, 2022

The barren fig-tree; the second cleansing of the Temple

St Mark Chapter XI : Verses 12-19

The barren fig-tree

Notes

The second cleansing of the Temple

Notes

Additional Notes

Thursday, June 2, 2022

Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem

Sequence of events in Holy Week

St Mark Chapter XI : Verses 1-11

Notes

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

The Blind Man of Jericho

St Mark Chapter X : Verses 46-52

Notes

Additional Notes