The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 510

And the ■oribea. These words are omitted impress the spectacle of retribution upon on vory good e.uthorit,y by mnny modern the greatest nnmher; but in the case of editJrs. 'fhey 11re not found in the Vulgate, Jesus, after what bad occurred during tl,e though they occur in the p11rnllel passages last few day~, and when Jerusalem ,ms in the other synoptiale, If genuino, they, filled wilh Galilmane, who might nature.Uy in oonneotion will! "elders" and " priests," favour their countryman's pretensiom, it would signify that e.11 the elements of the we.a deeme,l dangerous to make any open Sanhedrin were present e.t this council. The o tt.ack. Their fears were relieved in the :;-e.le.oe ( czv>dw) of the high priest. Th is, then, most unexpected manner 1,y the appearance was not a form11l meeting, or it wonld he.ve of Jude.a among them (ver. H:). been he!J in the hall G11zitb, "the hall of hewn stones," on the south side of the court Vere. 6-13.-The anointing at Bethany. of the priests. It was aseembled in the court (Mark xiv. 3-9; John xii. 1-8.) This of the high priest's houee, because it com- parentbetical episode is introduced by the prised persons who were not Sanhedrists, two synoptists out of its chronological order, such as temple officio.ls, e.nd connections of the high priest, forming whe.t wns known as the with the view of indicating the immecliato priestly council, which was the officio.I co.use of Judas's resolution to betray his medium between the Roman authorities Master, the issue of which they proceed to and the people. Who we.a co.lied Caie.phas. narrate (see on ver. 14). This anointing Josephus ('Ant.,' xviil. 2. 2) epre.ks of him must not be confounded with that related as "Joseph, who i.s also Caiaplias;" hence the way in which he is introduced in the by St. Luke (vii 37, etc.), where the scene, present pe.esago. · He had been elevated the time, and the actor were diJferen t, e.nd to his high post by the Homans, who found the significance was of e. very inferior in him a submissive tool. His fe.iher-in- nature. law Annas L:e.d been appointed by Quirinius, but after nine years had been deposed ; he Ver. 6.-When J'eeus we.a in Bethany. was succeeded in turn by Ismad, Elee.zar St. John tells us that the incident took son of Annas, Simon, e.nd fourthly by place six days before the Passover, i.e. on ·Ce.iaphe.s, who superseded his immediate the S.i.tur<le.y preceding Palm Sunday. It predecessor by the favour of the procure.tor is St. Matthew's custom to describe e~ente V e.lerins Gre.tus, the tenant of the office not always in their historical sequence, but before Pontius Pila.ta. The ex-high priest, according to some logical or spiritual con- Annas, was counted still by some rigorists nection which in his mind overrides con- as holding the office, e.nd he appears to siderations of time or place. (For Beth11ny, have possessed high authority (see John seeonch.w.l.) Simontheleper. Notthe.t xviii. 13; Acts iv. 6). he was a. leper now, but either the e.ppello.- Ver. 4.-By subtilty. They had decided tion was hereditary, in reference to some such to put Jesus to death ; the question was me.lady inflicted on his family, or he him- how to get possession of his Person when self, having been cured by Christ, retained there would be no attempt nt a. rescue, nor the name in memory of his cleansing. So any tumult in his f,vour. The original is St. Matthew is called "the publican " after literally, They took oou11Bel in order that they he ha.d relinquished bis obnoxious business might take, etc. '!'hey eoem scarcely to have (oh. x. 3), and the revived man is termed reckoned on any legnl trio.I ; once they he.d "the dead" (Luke vii. 15). The frequency him quietly in their hands, they would find of the name Simon among the Jews rendered means to dispose of him. the addition of a. surname expedient; thus Ver. 5.-Not on the feast day: dv -rji eop-rii: we have Simon the Ce.ne.nite, Simon tlie dwring tlUJ feast; i.e. during the eight do.'i•s tanner, Simon Bar-jone., etc. Kothiog of the Passover oelebration. The assembled certain is known a.bout this person. Tradi- multitncles did not leave the city until the tion mo.kes him father of Lazarus or husband close of the oote.ve, so the danger of a. rising of Martha.. That he we.s connected with the was not removed till then. The rulers well holy family of Ilethany, either by relation- knew the stern temper of Pile.ta the pro- ship or olose friendship, seems to be well curator, who was prepared to crush any established. popular movement with the strong hand, Ver. 7.-A wom&n. St. John identifies and at festive.I-times he.d e.lwayH his soldiers her o.e Mary the sister of Lazarus and ready to hurl upon the mob o.t the slightest M11rthe.. Why the synoptiste omit her provocation, and to deal indisorimine.te na.me is not known : it i.s eq ue.lly uncertnin slaughter. Henoe arose the plan of a. why St. John makes no mention of Simon. clandestine apprehension. It was, indeed, None of the synoptists notice Lazarus, the oustom to exeoute groat orimin11ls o.t though St. Luke no.mes M,utha. 11n<l Mtlry the time of the chief festive.ls, in or<ler to (x. 38, 39). It ma.y h<1ve b~cn e.t th<>  516 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. ~oB. xxv1. 1-7&.