Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

injure the ground?' But the vine-dresser replied, ‘Master, let it alone this year also, until I shall dig and cast manure about it; and then, if it produce fruit,-but if not, then thou shalt cut it down."

[ocr errors]

It was a plain and pungent lesson. The fig-tree was the Jewish people, who had received all kinds of protection and culture from God, who had been expected to bear fruit for the good of the world, who had had time granted for that purpose, but who had not only been barren, but had kept the world back in the growth of improvement. It was like a tree drawing from the ground the nourishment which, if other trees had, they would produce fruit. It must be cut down. But a merciful space is left. If it begin to be productive, it shall be spared; if not, it shall be cut out from among all the trees of the nations which God has planted in the field of the world. IIis hearers certainly must have understood this to be a prediction of the destruction of their hierarchy and nationality. The construction of the parable, and the connection in which it is uttered, showed them that this was the meaning of Jesus. And he meant nothing else.

*The following receipt for curing a fig-tree of barrenness is quoted from Rosenmüller (Alte und Neue Morgenland, v. 5, p. 187): "Thou must take a hatchet and go to the tree with a friend, unto whom thou sayest, I will cut down this tree, for it is unfruitful. He answers, Do not so, this year it will certainly bear fruit. But the other says, It must needs be, it must be hewn

down, and gives the stem of the tree three blows with the back of the hatchet. But the other restrains him, crying, Nay, do it not; thou wilt certainly have fruit from it this year; only have patience with it, and be not over-hasty in cutting it down; if it still refuses to bear fruit, then cut it down. Then will the tree that year be certainly fruitful and bear abundantly."

CHAPTER VII.

A CHAPTER OF PARABLES.

Lake Gennesaret,

In the course of the afternoon of the same day Jesus left his residence in Capernaum and went to the shore of the lake of Gennesaret. His appearance in public would now immediately summon a congregation. To near Capernaum. Matt. the multitudes that had assembled from all the viii. neighboring towns and cities, he presented his doctrines in the form of parables, delivered while he sat in a boat near the shore.

xiii.; Mark iv.; Luke

It is to be noticed that Jesus was more liberal of this kind of teaching at this period of his ministry than ever before. In the next chapter we shall have occasion to consider the motive. We are following the order of the original historians as far as practicable. The first in order and in importance is the Parable of the Sower. Jesus considered it the fundamental parable. When his disciples questioned him privately as to its signifi

Parable of the Sower.

cance, he said, "Know ye not this parable? How then will ye know all parables?" (Mark iv. 13.) And this is that parable: "Behold the sower went forth to sow; and in his sowing some seeds fell by the wayside, and were trodden down, and the birds came and devoured them. And others fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth, and immediately sprang up, because they had no depth of earth; but the sun having risen* they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them, and they yielded no fruit. And others fell on good ground, and gave fruit, some an hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, some thirty-fold. He who hath cars let him hear."

* "There is a peculiar beauty in the Greek here, which cannot be retained in a translation, arising from the use of the same verb (but in a less emphatic form) to signify the rising of the plant

| and of the sun, as both are said in English to be up, when one is above the surface of the earth and the other above the horizon."-Jos. Addison Alexander.

Of the Tares.

The next parable is that of the Tares. He said to them, “The kingdom of the heavens was likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept his enemy came and oversowed tares † in the midst of the wheat, and went away. And when the blade sprang up and made fruit, then appeared also the tares. And the slaves of the master of the house coming said to him: 'Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then has it tares?' He said to them, An enemy man has done this.' And the slaves said to him, 'Wilt thou then that we go and gather them?' But he said, 'No: lest gathering together the tares ye root up the wheat with them. Permit both to grow together until the harvest; and in time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather first the tares, and bind them in bundles for to burn them: but the wheat gather into my barn.'

[ocr errors]

Of the Patient Farmer.

And he said, "So is the kingdom of God, like as if a man should cast the seed into the ground, and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. The earth bring ing forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear: but when the fruit is ripe, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

Then he set before them the Parable of the Mustard-seed. "The kingdom of the heavens is like a grain of mustard,‡ which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed Of the Mustard-seed. is the least of all the seeds, but when grown it is the greatest of the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of heaven come and roost in its branches and under the shadow thereof."

Then another parable. "The

Simply signifying "at night,"-the time when men usually sleep,-and not at all intimating any blame of the servants, as Chrysostom and Augustine have taught.

kingdom of the heavens is like

ingly difficult to extirpate it when it has once begun to grow in a field, and it is almost impossible to discriminate between tares and wheat. See a very full description (with pictorial illustration) in Thompson's Land and Book, vol. ii. pp. 111-114.

The botanical question is a matter of no importance whatever in the interpretation of a parable. The tares here are probably the Lolium temulentum, darnel, which resembles wheat when it first comes, but the seed is black and has an intoxicating effect. It is exceed-est.

Another botanical question, not very important in a parable. Of all the seed corn used in Jewish husbandry the mus tard-seed was probably the very small.

yeast,* which a woman having taken hid in three measurest of meal, until the whole was leavened."

Of Leaven.

Why Jesus spoke in

parables.

When he left the lake and retired to his house his disciples sought him, and asked the reason for the great change which was now coming over his manner of discourse. They could not have failed to notice that thitherto he had spoken with great directness, in a didactic style, when he wished to teach doctrine or incul cate duty, and that when his enemies sought to entrap him he had dealt with them in questions which greatly entangled them. Now he was filling his speech with parables. There must be some reason for this great change. So they put the question to him directly: "Why speakest thou unto them in parables?" His answer was this: "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it has not been given. For whosoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever has not, from him shall be taken even what he hath. On this account I speak to them in parables: because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor understand. And to them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: for the heart of this people is become gross, and they heard with their ears heavily, and their eyes they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their

In the Greek Sun, leaven or yeast, the sour dough used in all countries to produce fermentation, and thus make the bread light and puffy.

This measure, called Zarov, saton, in the Greek, was, according to Josephus, equal to one and a half Roman measures, each of which was equal to about a peck, so that all this meal was perhaps (for there is no absolute certainty as to these ancient measures) about an English bushel. But it makes little difference whether the Roman modius was nearer our peck than our bushel, no definite quantity being intended. So the number three can be of no importance in a parable, and yet the student

may be amused to hear the fantasies it has suggested to worthy and learned men. Theodore of Mopsuestia, in the fifth century, referred it to the Jews, the Samaritans, and the Greeks. Augustine in the fourth century, and Stier of the present day, refer it to Shem, Ham, and Japheth! Olshausen favors a reference of this particular number to the effect of the gospel on the three departments of human nature-body, soul, and spirit. This special number was used probably because it was common to mix about that much dough for a baking. See Gen. xviii. 6; Judges vi 19; 1 Samuel i. 24. In the last two passages the Septuagint has a perρa

heart, and might turn, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. Verily I say to you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see what ye see, and have not seen; and to hear what ye hear, and have not heard."

Meaning of his reply.

All this seems simply to mean that whenever any man uses his faculties aright and cultivates his moral character, he shall have constant growth and spiritual help, and that whosoever chooses to shut himself up against the truth shall constantly shrink. God gives to those who desire to have, whatever may have been their personal faults, and withholds from all others. These humble disciples lay with their souls to the sun, and consequently had its warming and brightening influence. The "mysteries of the kingdom," what appeared mysterious to others, began to become comprehensible to them. The Jewish people could not understand the present revelation, because they had closed their ears to former revelations. Jesus felt the truth that was in him, and set it forth in such a style that, if their souls would, they could receive the truth; but if they preferred darkness the parable would be unintelligible. The parable covers and discovers, conceals and reveals. It is the temper and previous culture of the hearer which determine the effect of the speech, whether he listen to Jesus or any other teacher. The power of closing the cars while one seems to hear is well known. If this be practised toward the truth, a man may come into such a state that when he desires to know and understand he cannot. In that case the fault is not in the truth nor in the teacher: a law of human nature has been violated.

There are special seasons of great advantage to the hearer, as when a peculiarly gifted teacher comes into the world or into a community. It is a blessed thing for any man to be in a receptive condition at such a time. Many an ancient prophet, saint, and prince had longed to know what those who listened to Jesus could learn. Blessed were the men who were ready to hear when Jesus began to speak. In saying so, Jesus assumed to be able to make revelation of great truths; to be, indeed, such a teacher as these prophets and kings had longed to hear, surpassing, in a word, all former teachers of mankind.

He then began to unfold the parables in a style which should be a guide to all succeeding commentators, presenting the essence

« AnteriorContinuar »