The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 425

EXPOSITION. Ver. 2.-And leBUI said. The beet mann- OHAP'fEB XXIV, acripte e.nd the Revised Version give, But Vors.1--51.-PnoPDICCJY 011' TBII DEBTBUO- he an8'11lered and said. See ye not all these TION 011' JEBUBALEM, AND 011' THE TUfES 011' things t Vnlgate, Videtis h= omnia? On:r 'l'BE END. (Me.rk xiii. 1-37; Luke ui. 5 Lord, in tarn, calls attention to the glorione structure in order to give e.d<led emphe.sis- -36.) to his weighty denuncie.tion. Not be left There is no ree.son to think, with here one ■tone upon another. Tbis prophecy Olshe.uson, the.t St. Me.tthew or his editor was most literally fulfilled. Recent ex- he.s oonaidere.bly amplified the origine.l _dis- plore.tione have shown that not a stone of course of our Lord by introducing dete.ila Herod's temple remain ■ in situ. The orders of Titus, given with regret, for the total and expressions from other quarters. The demolition of the walls of temple e.nd eity,. discourse, e.s we now he.ve it (oh. xxiv. e.nd were carried out with cruel exe.ctnese, so xiv.), forms e. distinct whole, divided into the.t, e.s Josephus testifies (' Bell. Jnd.,' vii. oertain portions olosely rele.ted to ea.eh other, I. 1), passers-by would not have snpposed and it would he.ve been unne.ture.l in St. that the place had ever been inhabited. When the e.poetate Jnlie.n, in the fonrth Matthew, e.nd opposed to his simple e.nd Christie.n century, endeavoured to co.at e. veracious style, to he.ve ·put words into our slur apon prophecy by rebnilding the city Lord's month e.t this moment, which were and temple, his design proved to be an not e.ctne.lly uttered by him on this solemn ignominions failure, and the sacred shrine occasion. he.a continned to this day e. monument of Vera. 1-S.-Occasion of the diBcouru. Divine vengeance. Ver. 3.-As he eat upon tbe Mount of (Mo.rk xiii. 1-4; Luke xxi. 5-7.) Olives. On his we.y to Bethe.ny towe.rds Ver. 1.-l'rom the temple; Revised the close of this day, he rested for a while Version, went out jr0'11I the temple, and taaa and communed with the disciples, nttering going on hi, way ( brop•6•TD). So the best the wonderful eschatological disconrse which mo.nusoripts e.nd versions. It was while he follows in this and the next chapter. It is was proceeding on the ronte to Bethe.ny noted that the ■iege of J emsalem by the the.t the disciples interrupted him wHh their Romane began on the very spot where this remarks about the temple. He had now prophecy of its destruction was delivered, to.ken his final lee.ve of the he.llowed courta; strategice.l reasons compelling them to make the propheoy of the desolation of the house their attack from this qnarter. "A sudden was beginning to be fulfilled (see on ch.xxiii. tu:rn in the road,'' writes Dr. Edersheim SS). His disciples oame to him. They were (ii. 431), "and the se.cred building was once disquieted by Ohrist'a words recorded at the more in full view. Just then the western end of the le.at che.pter, which spoke of e. snn was pouring his golden beams on tops terrible retribntion a.bent to fell, of the of marble cloisters and on the terraced desolation of the temple, of Ohrist's own conrts, and glittering on the golden spikee departure for a time. St, Me.rk (xiii. 3) on the roof of the holy place. In the setting tells us tho.t Peter, Ja.mes, John, and Andrew even more tho.n in the rising sun, must th~ asked him privately when these things vo.st proportions, the symmetry, and the should be, e.nd what signs should forewarn sparkling sheen of tliis mass of snowy ef their approach, e.s in ver. 3; St. Me.tthew marble and gold have stood oui gloriouslv. records here the.t his disciples came to him And across the black ve.lley, and np tlie for to show OmllEi(a,, to diBplay) him the alopes of Olivet, lRy the dark shadows of buildings of the temple (l•poii, the whole those gigantic walls built of massive stones, 11e.cred enolosure). They he.d gathered from some of them nearly twcnty-fonr feet long. his words that destruction e. we.ited this Even the re.bbis, despite their hatred of edifice, but BI! they gazed upon it they Herod, grow enthusiastic, and dream that could •aoaroely bring themselves to believe the very temple walls wonld have been in its ooming overthrow. Bo e.s they ge.ined covered with gold had not the variegated 11ome oomme.nding point of view, thef drew marble, resembling the waves of the see., Ohrist's attention to its beo.uty,me.gnificence, seemed more beauteous. It was probably, and unequalled aolidity, desiring him to e.s they (the disciples] now gazed on all tbilt exple.in further the mode and time of the grandeur and strength, that they broke oe.te.strophe. It we.s populo.rly so.id, '' He the silence imposed on them by gloomy who never eo.w the temple of Herod he.s thoughts of the near desolateness of that llever seen a fine buildiDg." house which the Lord predicted." Pri.vatel7.  430 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST, MATTHEW. [011. xxiv, 1-61.