The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 287

not what it bad been; his enemies had to a large extent succeeded ( or seemed to have succeeded) in undermining his influence. He was "a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with gril'f." A few days of thankless labour awaited him at Jerusalem and then the awful cross. He knew it all. We cannot discern the secrets of the future· God has mercifully shrouded them in darkness. The shadow of the cross fell along' the whole life or the Lord. And now he knew that his hour WAS come, that he should depart ont of this world unto the Father. The thought gave an awful dignity to his mien, a Divine majesty to his figure, & strange stateliness to every gesture (Mark x. 32), He wa.s going to meet his death. He saw it plain before him in all its circumstances of shame and anguish; but he shrank not. He went forwards with a sweat and holy calmness, with a more than heroic courage, which shone through his features and . illumined those clear holy eyes with a light that spoke of heaven. 2. The disciples. The Lord went before them, leading them to the fearful conflict. They followed in silent awe; they watched the Lord's demeanour; they bad never before seen such a strange high glory of steadfast resolve even on that blessed face, and they were amazed, terror-stricken. They regarded him with the deepest reverence-reverence not diminished by familiar intercourse, but constantly increasing; and now, it seems, they feared to intrude upon his meditations; but they were troubled and anxious. They felt that some momentous crisis was at hand. The Lord cared for them. He was not so absorbed in the intense contemplation of his coming sufferings as to forget his fol- lowers. He is our ~eat Example. We think that the excitement caused by the expectation of great joy or great sorrow is an excuse for the neglect of our or<linary duties. It was not so with Christ our Lord. " Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." He took them apart in the way. He would• in his loving tenderness prepare them for the dreadful trial. 'l'\vice already he had .pre- dicted his death, but they seemed unable to take it into their minds; he would tell them a third time, more plainly now, in greater detail. And so he took them apart. Perhaps the roads were crowded; there were multitudes going up· to the Pass- over. He would not tell them the dreadful secret within the reach of unsympathizing ears; they would best hear it alone, where none were present save those most deeply concerned-the blessed Master, and the little company who so dearly loved him. Mark the tender delicacy of bis dealings with them. II. WHAT WAS TO BE EXl'ECTED. 1. The betrayal. "Behold, we go up to Jeru- salem," the Lord said. It was a glac. thought commonly. "I wss glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, 0 Jerusalem." And they were now going up to the Passover. It may be that the disciples, like other Jews, were looking forward to that great festival with feelings of joy; and very probably they were cherishing the hope that their Master would then manifest himself openly as the Messiah, that he would be welcomed as the great King, the Deliverer that was to come. He was to be manifested, but upon the cross; he was to reign, but from the tree. He told. them calmly of the double betrayal that was coming. He should be oetrayed (be did not say by whom; they could not bear yet to bear that) unto the chief priests and scribes. They would not acknowledge him as the Christ (as perhaps the disciples were hoping); they would condemn him to death, and betray him to the Gentiles. His own disciple would betray him to the priests; his own nation, nay, the priests, who knew where the Christ should be horn (eh. ii. 4), one of whom "prophesied that Jesu.s should die for that nation" (John xl. 51), would betray him to the Gentiles. 2. The manner of his death. He told them very rlainly now. It would be the act of the Gentiles, but the guilt would rest mainly with the Jews (John xi.x. 11). He predicted the harrowing details of his Passion; Le would be mocked, scourged, crucified. He had mentioned the cross already (eh, x. :~s: xvi 24), but it was in figurative language; the spiritual cross of self-denial was to be the test of his true disciples. Now he told them plainly what it was that was to give a new meaning to the hated word, and make it another name for the bcliest and loftiest self-sacrifice. He himgelf was to die upon the cross, not in figure, but in reality. He, the Christ, the Son of the living God, he whom the three chosen apostles had seen glorious with the radiance of heaven, he was to die that death which hitherto had been regarded as of all things ho1Tible the most horrible, or all things ignominioUB the most intensely shameful. Yet the future was not 11.ll dark; he CH, xx. 1-34.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 291