among such we may well believe that the report of Jesus com- ing in from Bethany would draw together many myriads of spectators to meet Him.
The Greek words, " for this cause," here seem to refer for- ward to the latter part of the verse, and not backward to the preceding verse. Compare x. 17, where the same form of lan- guage is used.
19.— [The Pharisees... said... prevail nothing.] This is the language of men baffled, angry, and at their wits' end from vexation, to see their plans defeated. Instead of finding people willing to lay hands on Jesus as a malefactor, and to deliver Him up into their power, they beheld a large multitude surrounding Him with joyful acclamations, and saluting Him as a King! Of course they could do nothing but sit still and see it. The least attempt to use violence against our Lord would have raised a tumult, and endangered their own lives. So that they were obliged to see their most hated enemy entering Jerusalem in triumph, like Mordecai led by Haman. (Esther vi. 11.)
"Perceive ye," I believe, should be taken as an imperative, and not as an interrogative indicative. It sounds like the lan- guage of men looking on from the city walls or the temple courts, as the huge procession wound slowly through the gates of the city. " Behold this sight! Behold how you do nothing effect- ual to stop this fellow's course ! Your order to denounce Him, and have Him apprehended, is utterly useless aud unprofit- able."
Chrysostom and Theophylact think that those who said this had some faith and felt rightly, but had not courage enough to confess Christ. But I cannot agree with them. Calvin and other reformers think, on the contrary, that it was the language of Christ's enemies.
Bullinger observes that wicked men show their wickedness especially by their dislike of true religion, and their annoyance when, as in the case before us, it seems to enjoy a temporary popularity. For neglect and contempt of religion they show no concern at all.
[Behold... world.. .gone after him.'] Some allowance of course must be made for the exaggerated language which angry aud disappointed men use under the influence of passion. Neverthe- less the word "world" may not be really so extravagant as it appears at first, when we consider the immense number of Jews who attended the passover feast. According to a computation made by Josephus there were nearly three millions of people as- sembled on such occasions at Jerusalem. At this rate we can un- derstand that the crowd drawn together by our Lord's public en- try might well be so large as to warrant the saying, " The world isgoue after him." Most of the crowd, it may be remembered, were not dwellers in Jerusalem, but strangers, who were only