The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 347

14, 15; 1 Pet. ii. 8), Jerusalem became a desolation, The nation was broken. The spiritual judgment of blindness and obduracy is more terrible than the temporal irnf- foring (see Rom, xi. 8-10; 1 Thess. ii. 15). Instead of being humbled, the sinner is exasperate~ when hi? sin is poi?,ted out. (2) The stone becoming active aod falling upon the emner, he 1e crushed rnto duet (see Isa. lx.12; Dan, ii. 44). The ssme stone, Christ, now however coming, not in humiliation, but in the glory of his majesty and power. "How shall we escape, if we neglect his great salvation? "-J. A. M. Ver. 3.-Ready response to Divine claims. "Straightway he will send them.'" It does not at once appear whether our Lord made a claim on this animal, in a general way, for the service of God, or in a particular way, as a personal favour to himself. He must have been well known in the neighbourhood of Bethany, and it is quite con- ceivable that the man distinctly lent the animal to Jesus, It was not a working animal, and there was no loss of its labour, or its mother's, in this use of it by Jesus. What stands out to view, as suggestive of helpful thoughts and useful lessons, is the ready response of this good man. Think of it as a Divine claim, and he presents an example of prompt, trustful, unquestioning obedience, Think of it a., a request from the great Teacher, and then you have revealed a secret disciple, or at least one who felt the fascination of our Lord's presence. I. READY RESPONSE TO DIVINE CLAIMS AS AN Ex.AMPLE. There was no questioning or dispute; no hesitation or doubt; no anxiety, even, as to how the animals would be brought back again. There was no anxiety as to what was to be done with them; no fear as to any injury coming to them; the man did not even suggest that the colt would be of no use, for he had not been "broken in." It is beautiful and suggestive that the simple sentence, "The Lord hath need of them," sufficed to quiet and satisfy him. He could shift all the responsibility on the Lord. "He knows everything; he controls everything, What I have to do is to obey. Depend upon it, the rest will all come right." So away at once, and away cheerfully, went the animals. That is a noble example indeed. We spoil so much of our obedience by criticizing the things we are called to do, or give, or bear. Then we hesitate, question, doubt, and do languidly at last what we do, If we know what God's will is, that should always be enough. We have nothing to do with the how or the why. Send the animals at once if you know that " the Lord hath need of them," II. READY RESPONSE TO DIVINE OLAIMB AS A REVELATION OF 0HARACTEB. I like this ma.n, I seem to know this man, His act reveals him. A simple-hearted sort of man, whose natural trustfulness has not been spoilt. An open-hearted, generous sort of man, with very little "calculation" in him. He reminds one of Nathanael, "in whom was no guile." And simple souls somehow get the best of life.-R. T. Vera. 5, 8.-Signs of meekness and signs of joy. "Thy King cometh unto thee, meek;" "And a very great multitude spread their ~arments in the way." The word "meek" is useu. in Scripture for" not self-assertive,"" not seeking one's own.n It is not to be confounded with "humility." The apostle puts "humbleness of mind" and "meekness" alongside each other in such a way that we cannot fail to observe the dis- tinction between them. Moses was the "meekest of men," but certainly not the most humble. It ia usual to associate our Lord's "meekness " with his riding on so lowly an animal; but this is to transfer our Western ideas of asses to Eastern lands; and it also fails to observe that in ver, 5 there are two assertions, each distinct from the other. Our Lord was "meek ; " and our Lord was " sitting upon an ass." If we take the word "metik" here in its usual meaning, "not self-assertive," we may find fresh suggestion in the passage. The signs of joy given in vers. 8, 9 are characteristically Eastern. Bishop Heber thus describes his march to Colombo: "The road was decorated the whole way as for a festival, with long strips of palm branches hung upon strings on either side; and whenever we stopped we found the ground spread with white cloth, e.nd awnings erected, beautifully decorated with flowers e.nd fruit, and festooned with palm branches. These remnants of the ancient custom mentioned in the Bible, of strewing the road with palm branches and garments, are ourious and interesting." I. THI!: MEEKNESS OF JESUS, This is not the thing which first arrests attention. Indeed, on this one occasion Jesus seems to be asserting himself, Look deeper, an,l 352 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST, :MATTHEW. [oH, llL 1-48.