in their strict, unfigurative sense, The statement is past their comprehension, a Their inquiry. And aoe they have left the temple courts, descended the side of Moriah, crossed the Kedron, and are seated on a slope of Olivet. What a lovely pros- t is there presented to their gaze! Right opposite and full in view was the temple, with its white marble, its roof and pinnacles overlaid with gold, the prodigious stone substructures already the objects of such admiration, all sparkling in the clear light of an Eastern sky. Here was a sight of such surpassing splendour that it was esteemed equal to one of the wonders of the world; a spectacle of such beauty that once seen it remained ever after a part of sight. Here was a prospect corresponding to the eloquent and withal exact words of Milman, when he says, “ At a distance the whole temple looked literally like a mount of anow, fretted with golden pinnacles.” And was the glory of all this, like ordinary mundane things, te pass so soon away! The disciples naturally desire more information on this stupendous subject ; they have by this time recovered somewhat from their surprise. They break silence by trying to ascertain with certainty and preciseness some particulars in regard to the wonderful event predicted, and its consequences, immediate and remote, implied in the expression, “these things —an expression erroneously referred by some to the world itself, and by others to the buildings of the temple. They are at once curious and anxious to be informed of the time when what was foretold would be fulfilled; of the sign of the Saviour’s coming for tne performance of what he had thus predicted ; and further, as we are informed by St. Matthew, of the end of the world. 6. Minuteness in details. As usual, St. Mark is most minute in his record of particulars, such as an eye-witness, or one writing the words of an eye-witness, would be most likely to take note of. He tells us here the exact position of our Lord and his disciples—on a knoll of Olivet, right over against (xarévarri, the ear being intensive) the temple. He also informs us that the disciples who were closest to our Saviour on the occasion, or who were most earnest and urgent in their inquiries which they probably repeated (¢xnpérey, imperfect), were Peter and James and John and Andrew. ‘These were the persons who spoke in their own name and that of their brethren—acting at once for themselves and the other disciples. ‘here was in this an evident appropriateness. These four disciples, consisting of two pairs of brothers, were the first who had enrolled themselves in the list of discipleship ; they were the first of the apostolic band. They had been longest with our Lord, and, it would seem, on the most familiar terms with him; and now they are nearest to him in position, and, on the ground of their cloge intimacy, venture to put questions from which perhaps the others shrank. Three of these, moreover, had been specially privi- leged—already on two, as subsequently on another and third occasion—to accompany our Lord. Long attendance on the Master, as the consequence of early and faithful discipleship, would thus appear to have peculiar advantages, and to elevate, not by merit but by grace, to higher privileges. How important, then, for the young to join themselves early to the ranks of Christ’s disciples, remembering their Creator in the days of their youth, and coming in early childhood to the Saviour! 7. Peculiarity in and fulfilment of the prophecy. We may not overlook, or lose sight of, the prediction that led to the inquiries of the disciples, and of these special favourites who represented the wishes of their brethren, as well as their own, on this occasion. The prediction in question is one of the most remarkable on record, if we consider all the circumstances. There was scarcely anything more unlikely at that time than the overthrow of such a stable fabric, where the buildings and substructures were 80 massive that Titus himself attributed his triumph to the hand of God. The original temple had been built by Solomon, and having stood for four centuries, was destroyed, after the lapse of that period, by Nebuzaradan, commander-in-chief of the forces of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. It was rebuilt by Zerubbabel, at the head of the restored Jews, somewhat more than five centuries before Christ. This was the second temple; and though it was renewed by Herod the Great, and had several magnificent additions made to it by that king, such as a porch with white marble slabs, towers, and so on, it was still known, not as the third, but second temple. The work of renovation commenced by Herod had continued six and forty years, as we learn from the Fourth Gospel (ii. 20), where we read, “ Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building.” It was still much more improbable even if, contrary to all expectation and all reasonable calculation of chances. it should be destroyed, that that
on. xm. 1—37.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. 217
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destruction would be carried to such an extreme of demolition that no ruins should be left—no, not so much as one stone upon another. Other temples have been destroyed by hostile attack, or fallen into decay and yielded to the corroding tooth of time; but their ruins at least remain, while the magnificence of those ruins attracts the visitor, and excites his admiration or astonishment. Witness the far-famed Parthenon or temple of Minerva at Athens, or the temple of Baalbek, or Karnak, or Luxor. But though the Roman general did his utmost to save the temple, it was destroyed by fire; and sub- sequently the work of demolition was carried out so thoroughly by the tenth legion, under Terentius Rufus, that the temple area and precincts were dug up. The great peculiarity of the prophecy was its uncommon clearness, distinctness, and definiteness at a time when all the probabilities were against it; while the exactness of its fulfil- ment has so puzzled infidels, that they have tried to make themselves and others believe that the prediction was post eventwm; and, finding that impossible and incredible, others have resorted to such miserable shifts as coincidences, lucky guesses, or skilful prognostications. All in vain; for it remains, and must remain, an irrefra- gable testimony to the truth of God. There was, besides, the fulfilment of an older
rophecy by Micah: “Zion shall be ploughed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become