The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 309

Jerome gives e. mystioe.l reason: the BSR re- 11, a quotation being oftEJD woven from two presents the Jewish people, whioh bad long or more passages (see on eh. xxvii. 9). borne the yoke of the Le.w; the colt adum- Ver. 5.-Tell ye the daughter of Zion. b111.tee the Gentiles, as yet unbroken," where- Thie ie from Isaiah (comp. Zeph. iii. H). on never me.n se.t." Obrist called them The passage in Zechariab begins, "Rejoice both, Jew and Gentile, by his apostles. greatly, 0 daughter of Zion; shout, 0 Loose them, e.nd Dring them unto me. daughter of Jerusalem." The "dau,,hter of He speaks with e.uibority, as One able to Zion" is Jerusalem herself, named f;om the 'make a requisition e.nd oommand obe- chief of the hills on which the citv was built. ldience. Of conrse, the term includes all the inhabi- Ver. 3.-Se.yaughtunto you. This might tants. Behold; marking the suddenness anrl :naturally be expected. Christ foresaw the unexpected nature of the event. Thy King. opposition, and instructed the disciples how A. King of thine own race, no stranger, one to overcome it with a word. The Lord; 6 predestined for thee, foretold by all the pro- '.Kop,os, equivalent to" Jehovah," or the Kin_g phets, who was to occupy the throne of Messiah. Doubtless the owner of the am- David and to reign for ever. Unto thee. mals was a disciple, and acknowledged the For thy special good, to make his abode with 'claims of Jesus. Hie presence here was a thee (comp. Isa. ix. 6). Meek. A.s Christ :providentially guided coincidence. If he himself says, "I am meek and lowly in was a stranger, e.s others suppose, he must heart" (eh. xi. 29), far removed from pomp have been divinely prompted to acquiesce and warlike greatness; and yet, according to :in the appropriation of his bee.sts. He will his own Beatitude, the meek shall inherit the send them. Some manuscripts read, "he earth (eh. v. 5), win victories which material 1 sends them," here, as in St. Mark. The forces ce.n never obtain, triumph throagh present is more forcible, but the future is humiliation. Theoriginal in Zechariah gives well attested. Tbe simple announcement other characteristics of Messiah : "He is just, that the a.sees were needed for God's service and having salvation; " i.e. endowed with ,would silence all refusal. The disciples, in- salvation, either as being protected by God, deed, were to act at once, as executing the or victorious and so able to eave his people. orders of the supreme Lord, and were to use Sitting upon e.n asa. Coming as King, be the given answer only in case of any objec- could not walk undil!tinguisbed among the tion. Throughout the transaction Christ crowd; he must ride. But to mount a war- assumes ihe character of the Divine llieesiah, horse wou,d denote that he wns leader of an King of his people, the real Owner of all that army or a worldly potentate; eo he rides they possess. upon an ass, an animal used by the juclges ! Ver. 4.-All this was done; 1101.D (3~) all of Israel, and chieftains on peaceful errands €his hath come to pass. llio.ny manuscripts (Judg. v. 10 ::x. 4); one, too, greatly valued, omU ".e.11," but it is probably genuine, as in and often of stately appearance in Palestfo.e. other similar passages; e.g. eh. i. 22; xxvi. And («al) a colt the foal of an ass; such as 66. This observation of the evangelist is she-asses bear,and one not trained. It is ques- intended to convey the truth that Christ tioned whether the conjunction here expresses was e.oting consciously on the lines of old addition, implying that Christ mounted both prophecy, working out the will of God de- animals in succession, or is merely explana- clared beforehand by divinely inspired seers. tory, equivalent to videlicet, an a,s, yea, The disciples acted in blind obedience to even the foal of an a,,. It seems unlikely Christ's commo.nd, not knowing that they that, in accomplishing the ehort <lists.nee were thus fulfilling prophecy, or he.viug e.ny between Betbphage and Jerusalem (only a such purpose in mind. 'fhe knowledge co.me mile or two), onr Lord should have changed afterwards (see John xii. 16). That it might from one beast to the other; and the other be fulfilled (fva 1rA71pwOfi). The conjuuction three evangelists BBY expreesly that Christ in this phrase is oertainly used in its final, rode the colt, omitting all mention of the not in a consecutive or ecbatio senee; it de- mother. The she-ass doubtless kept cloee notes the purpose or design of the o.ction of to its foal, so the prophecy was exactly ful- Obrist. not the result. Not only the will of filled, but the anim11l that bore the Saviour the Father, but the words of Scripture, had was the colt. If the two animals represent delineated the life of Chriet, o.nd in obeying respectively the Jews and Gentiles (see on that will he purposed to show that he ful- ver. 2), it seems hardly nece5l!Bl'y for typical filled the prophecies which spake of him. reasons that Jesus should thus symbolize his Thus any who knew the Scriptures, and triumph over the disciplined Jews, while it were opon to oonviotion, might see thnt it ie obvious that the lesson of his supremacy was he alone to whom these e.ucient oracles over the untaught Gentiles needed exempli• pointed, and in him alone were their words ficatiou. The prophet certainly contem- accomplished. By (through, &,d) the pro- plates the two animals in the procession. phet. Zeoh. ix. 9, with a hint of Isa. !xii. "The old theocraoy runs idly and instino• 314 THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO ST. MA'lTHEW. [oa. n.1. 1--46.