Passion Week

PASSION WEEK.

TUESDAY, THE TWELFTH OF NISAN, {.Afril 4th).

On this, the third day of Passion Week, Jesus went into Jerusalem as before and visited the temple. The Sanhedrim came to him to call him to account for the clearing of the temple. "By what authority doest thou these things?" The Lord answered their question by another, which when put to them in their capacity of a judge of spiritual things, and of the pretensions of prophets and teachers, was very hard either to — answer or to pass in silence what was their opinion of the baptism of John? If they replied that it was from heaven, their own conduct towards John would accuse them; if of men, then the people would not listen to them even when they denounced Jesus, because none doubted that John was a prophet. They refused to answer, and Jesus refused in like manner to answer them. In the parable of the Two Sons, given by Matthew, the Lord pronounces a strong condemna- tion on them for saying to God, "I go, sir," but not going (Matt. XXI: 23-32; Mark XI: 27-33; Luke XX: 1-8). In the parable of the wicked husbandmen the history of the Jews is represented, who had stoned and killed the prophets and were about to crown their wickedness by the death of the Son. In the parable of the wedding garment, the destruction of the Jews, and the invitation of the gentiles to the feast in their stead, are vividly represented (Matt. XXI: 1-2; XXII: 1-14; Mark XII: 1-2; Luke XX: 9-19). Not content with their plans for his death, the (different parties try to entangle him in argument and to bring him into

contempt. First come the Pharisees and Herodians, as if to ask him to settle a dispute between them. "Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?" The spirit of the answer of Christ lies here: that, since they had accepted Caesar's money, they had confessed his rule, and were bound to give to the civil power what they had confessed to be due to it, as they were to render to God and his holy temple the offerings due to it. Next appeared the Sadducees, who denied a future state, and put before him a contradiction which seemed to arise out of that doctrine. Seven brethren in succession married a wife (Deut. XXV: 5); whose wife should she be in a future state? The answer was easy to find, the law in question referred obviously to the present time: and the answer of the Lord was suited to that fact and to the class of men whom he addressed. Jesus now retorts the argument on the Sadducees. Appeal- ing to the Pentateuch, because his hearers did not acknowl- edge the authority of the latter books of the Bible, he recites the words, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," as used by Moses, and draws from them the argument that these men must then have been alive. Although the words would not at first sight suggest this infer- ence, they really contain it; for the form of expression implies that he still exists and they still exist (Matt. XX: 15-33; Mark XII: 13-27; Luke XX: 20-40). Fresh questions awaited him, but his wisdom never failed to give the appropriate answer. And then he uttered to all the people that terrible de- nunciation of woe to the Pharisees with which we are fa- miliar (Matt. XXIII: 1-39).If we compare it with our Lord's

account of his own position in reference to the law, in the Sermon on the Mount, we see that the principles there laid down are every where violated by the Pharisees. Their alms- giving was ostentatious; their distinctions about oaths led to falsehood and profaneness; they were exact about the small observances and neglected the weightier ones of the law; they adorned the tombs of the prophets, saying that if they had lived in the time of their fathers they would not have slain them: and yet they were about to fill up the measure of their fathers* wickedness by slaying the greatest of the prophets, and persecuting and slaying his followers. After an indignant

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denunciation of the hypocrites who, with a show of reh'gion, had thus contrived to stifle the true spirit of religion and were in reality its chief persecutors, he apostraphizes Jerusalem in words full of compassion, yet carrying with them a sentence of death: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth

her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, "blessed is he that Cometh in the name of the Lord" (Matt. XXIII). Another great discourse belongs to this day, which, more than any other, presents Jesus as the great prophet of his people. On leaving the temple his disciples drew attention to the beauty of its structure, its "goodly stones and gifts," their remarks probably arising from the threats of destruction which had so lately been uttered by Jesus. Their Master answered that not one stone of the noble pile should be left upon another. When they reached the Mount of Olives the the first four (Mark), speaking for the discipl(5s, or rather rest,asked him. when this destruction should be accomplished. To understand the answer it must be borne in mind that Jesus warned them that he was not giving them an historical account such as would enable them to anticipate all the events. "Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only." Exact data of time are to be purposely withheld from them. Accordingly, two events, analogous in character but widely sundered by time, are so treated in the prophecy that it is almost impossible to disentangle them. The destruction of Jerusalem and the day of judgment —the national and the universal days of account — are spoken of together or alternately without hint of the great interval of time that separates them. Thus it may be seen that a most important fact is omitted; but the highest work of prophecy is not to fix times and seasons, but to dis- close the divine significance of events, What was most im- portant to them to know was that the dest|:uction of Jerusalem

followed upon the probation and rejection of her people, and

that the crucifixion and that destruction were connected as cause and effect (Matt. XXIV; Luke XXI). The con- clusion which Jesus drew from his own awful warning was that they were not to attempt to fix the date of his own return; "therefore, be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh." The lesson of the parable of the ten virgins is the same; the Christian man is to be ever in a state of and preparation (Matt. XXIV: 44; vigilance XXV: 13). And the parable of the talents, here repeated in a modified form, teaches how precious to souls are the uses of time (XXV: 12-30). In concluding this momentous dis- course, our Lord puts aside the destruction of Jerusalem, and displays to our eyes the picture of the final judgment. There will he himself be present, and will separate all the vast family of mankind into two classes, and shall appraise the works of each class as works done to himself, present in the world though invisible; and men shall see, some with terror and some with joy, that their life here was spent either for him or against him, and that the good which lay before them to do was provided for them by him, and not by chance, and the reward and punishment shall be apportioned to each (Matt. XXV: 31-46). With these weighty words ends the third day; and whether we consider the importance of his recorded teaching, or the amount of sorrow and opposition and of sorrow pre- sented to his mind, it was one of the greatest days of all his earthly ministrations. The general reflections of John (XII: 37-50), which contain a retrospect of his ministry and of the strange reception of him by his people, may well be read as if they came in here.

WEDNESDAY, THE FIFTEENTH OF NISAN, {April ^th.)

This day was passed in retirement with the apostles. Satan had put it into the mind of one of them to betray him; and Judas Iscariot made a covenant to betray him to the chief priests for thirty pieces of silver. The character of Judas and the degrees by which he reached the abyss of guilt in which

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he was at last destroyed, deserve much attention. There is no reason to doubt that when he was chosen by Jesus, he possessed, like the rest, the capacity of being saved, and was endued with gifts which might have made him an able minis- ter of the New Testament. But the innate worldliness and covetousness were not purged out from him. His practical talents made him a kind of steward of th e slender resources of that society, and no doubt he conceived the wish to use the same gifts on a larger field which the realization of the "Kingdom of Heaven" would open out before him. These practical gifts were his ruin. Between him and the rest there could be no real harmony. His motives were worldly, and theirs were not. They loved the Savior more as they knew him better. Judas, living under the constant tacit rebuke of a most holy example, grew to hate the Lord; for nothing, perhaps, more strongly brings out evil instincts than the en- forced contact with goodness, and when he knew th at his Master did not trust him, was not deceived by him, his hatred grew more intense. But this did not break out into overt acts until Jesus began to foretell his own crucifixion and death. If these were to happen, all his hopes that he had built on following the Lord would be dashed down. If they

should crucify the Master they would not spare the servants; and in place of a heavenly kindom he would find contempt, persecution, and probably death. It was high time therefore

to treat with the powers that seemed most likely to prevail in the end; and he opened a negotiation with the high priests in secret, in order that, if his Master were to fall, he might be the instrument, and so make friends among the triumphant persecutors. And yet, strange contradiction, he did not cease wholly to believe in Jesus; possibly he thought he would so act that he might be safe either way. If Jesus was the prophet and mighty one that he had once thought, then the attempt to take him might force him to put forth all his resources and to assume the kingdom to which he laid claim, and then the agent in the treason, even if discovered, might plead that he foresaw the result; if he were unable to save himself and his disciples, then it were well for Judas to be- take himself to those who were stronger. The bribe of money,

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not very considerable, could not have been the chief motive; but as two vicious appetites could be gratified instead of one, the thirty pieces of silver became a part of the temptation. The treason was successful and the money paid; but not one moment's pleasure did those pieces of silver purchase for their wretched possessor; not for a moment did he reap any fruit from his detestable guilt. After the crucifixion, the avenging belief that Jesus was what he professed to be rushed back with full force upon his mind. He went to those who had hired him; they derided his remorse. He cast away the accursed silver pieces, defiled with the "innocent blood" of the Son of God, and went and hanged himself (Matt. XXVI: i4-i6; Mark XIV: lo-ii; Luke XXII: i-6).