The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 453

directly to hardness and harshness in dee.ling with other people, All this ls essentially degrading. The honoured steward becomes the boon compe.nion of low drunkards, 3, ffitJ ahook of surprise. Because hie lord t.arried., he l.,ega.n to think he should never be called to account. He was the more a.ma.zed and confounded with the sudden advent of his mBBter. Christ will come in judgment to men who never expeot him, 4. Hla au?.ftd doom. To such a man, and not to the abe.ndoned outcast, Christ threatens the most fearful punishment. The professed servant of God, the man in trust and honour who abuses his privileges, will be the victim of the direst wrath of Hee.van. -W. F.A. Vers. 1-3.-The coming of <Jhrist. After dooming the temple to desolation," Jesus went out." The action was significant (see Luke xix. 44). In every CBBe the departure of the Saviour is a solemn event. "His disciples," viz. Peter, James, John, and Andrew (see Mark xiii 8), called his attention to the magnificence of the structure, Men are naturally influenced by material glories. They had especie.lly noticed the greatness of the stones (see Mark xiii. 1), 11.Ild were astonished when Jesus declared that these should become disjointed and overthrown. How "slow of heart" are even good men "to believe all that the prophets have spoken" (see Micah iii 12; Jer. xxvi. 18) I What havoc in the material world is wrought through :mbra.l obliquity I "And as they sat "in full view of the temple and city (ver. 8), where the Shechinah had rested after leaving the temple and the city, and whence it ascended into the heavens-awful presage of the desolation of the temple and city by Nebuchadnezzar, and the captivity of the people by the Babylonians (Ezek. xi. 23) :-the action of Jesus here therefore was not only the expression of a tender, sorrowful, patriotic, human sympathy, but moreover a parable and a prophecy of momentous import. I. Cmwrr WAS COKING IN BIS KINGDOM:. 1. The advent of the King Messiah was the constant subject of ancient promise. 2. It was accordingly the chief expectation of the Jews. 3. But so dazzled were they with the splendour of the imagery, in which the coming of Messiah in his glory is set forth in prophecy, that they overlooked the predictions setting forth an earlier advent of Messiah in humiliation. 4. Hence, when Jesus came in that earlier advent his people were offended in him. II. HE COMES IN SPIRIT AND POWER. L So he came upon the memorable Day of Pentecost. Jesus had been corporeally transiently present with his disciples astheir Comforter, and he promised. after his removal from them in that capacity, to come again as their permanent or abiding Comforter in his Divine Spirit (see John x:iv. 15-21). 2. That advent was quickly followed by the "end of the world," or, more properly, the "consummation of the age." The Levitical dispensation ended with the destruction of the temple. For the temple was the very centre of that system. "The temple was destroyed: (1) J'IJ.lltl!J; beca11Se of the sins of the Jews. (2) Mercifully; to take away from them the occasion of continuing in Judaism. (3) MysterioU8l'!J; to show that the ancient sacrifices were abolished, and that the whole Jewish economy was brought to an end, a.nu the Christian dispensation introduced" (Clarke). 3. The judgment in the destruction of Jerusalem was a figure of the judgment of the great day. The scattered Jew-Christians found relief in the judgment which brought desolation to their perse- cut.ore (cf. Mark xiii 13; Jae. v. 7-9). IIL HE Wll.I. YET COKE VIBIBLY, IN POWEB AND GLOBY, L He will then come "in the clouds." (1) He will come upon a glorious throne. (2) He will come with a myriad retinue. Clouds of angels. Clouds of spirits of just men made perfect {see Heh. xii 1). 2. He will come to introduce the millennium. (1) He will begin that reign with judgments upon the obstinateI:r wicked. T~e antichristian nations will be overthrown. (2) He will end that age with the final Judgment upon the dead, small and great. lV. HE oolll!'.B m TBE ABTICLE OF DEATH. 1. This is the "end of the age" to us as the term of our probation. 2. It is to us virtually the day of judgment. 3. Ohr.il!'t comes in person to receive to himself his own (see John xiv. 3). 4, Let 11B be admonished and prepare.-J. A. M. Vere. 4-14.-Signs of the advent. The coming of Christ in his kingdom being the great event of prophecy to be fulfilled, the time and signf of that coming became qu811-' on. xxrv.1--51.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 459