He foretelleth to the Jews in a parable their reprobation most worthy, and the vocation of the Church of the Gentiles in their place, (10) himself being the headstone thereof. (13) He defeateth the snare of the Pharisees and Herodians, about paying tribute to Caesar: (18) answereth also the invention of the Sadducees against the Resurrection: (28) also the opposition of a Scribe. (33) And so having put all the busy Sects to silence, he turneth and poseth them on the other side, because they imagined Christ should be no more but a man. (38) Bidding the people to beware of the Scribes, being ambitious and Hypocrites. (41) He commendeth the poor widow for her two mites, above all.
AND he began speak to them in parables, [a] A man planted a vineyard and made a hedge about it, and digged a trough, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen; and went forth into a strange country. 2And sent to the husbandmen in season a servant, to receive of the husbandmen, of the fruit of the vineyard. 3Who apprehending him, beat him; and sent him away empty. 4And again he sent to them another servant; and him they wounded in the head, and used him reproachfully. 5And again he sent another, and him they killed: and many other, beating certain, and killing others. 6Therefore having yet one [b] son most dear; him also he sent unto them last saying: That they will reverence my son. 7But the husbandmen said one to another: This is the heir; come, let us kill him; and the inheritance shall be ours. 8And apprehending him, they killed him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard. 9What therefore will the Lord of the vineyard do? [c] He will come and destroy the husbandmen; and will give the vineyard to others. 10Neither have you read this scripture, The [d] stone which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the corner: 11By our Lord was this done, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 12And they sought to lay hands on him, and they feared the multitude. For they knew that he spoke this parable to them. And leaving him they went their way.
13 * And they send to him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians: that they should entrap him in his word. 14Who coming, say to him: Master, we know that thou art a true speaker, and carest not for any man; for thou doest not look upon the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth, is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar; or shall we not give it? 15Who knowing their subtlety, said to them: Why tempt you me? bring me a penny that I may see it. 16But they brought it him. And he says to them: Whose is this image, and inscription? They say to him, Caesar’s. 17And Jesus answering, said to them: Render therefore the things that are Caesars, to Caesar; and that are Gods, • to God. And they marvelled at him.
18And * there came to him the Saducees that say there is no resurrection; and they asked him saying: Master, 19 * Moyses wrote unto us, that if any man’s brother die, and leave his wife, and leave no children, • his brother shall take his wife and raise up seed to his brother. 20There were therefore seven brethren; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no issue. 21And the second took her, and died: and neither this left issue. And the third in like manner. 22And the seven took her in like sort; and did not leave issue. Last of all the woman also died. 23In the resurrection therefore when they shall rise again, whose wife shall she be of these? For the seven had her to wife. 24And Jesus answering, said to them: Do ye not therefore err, • not knowing the scriptures, nor • the power of God? 25For when they shall rise again from the dead, they shall neither marry, nor be married, but are as the Angels in Heaven. 26And as concerning the dead, that they do rise again, have you not read in the book of Moyses, how in the bush God spoke to him, saying: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You therefore are much deceived.
28And * there came one of the Scribes that had heard them questioning, and seeing that he had well answered them, asked him which was the first commandment of all. 29And Jesus answered him: That the first commandment of all is, Hear Israel: the Lord thy God, is one God. 30And thou shalt love the Lord thy God from thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole power. This is the first commandment. 31And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self. And other commandment greater then these there is not. 32And the Scribe said to him: Well Master, thou hast said in truth, that there is one God, and there is none other besides him. 33And that he be loved from the whole heart, and with the whole understanding, and with the whole soul, and with the whole strength: and [e] to love his neighbour
as himself is a greater thing than all Holocausts and Sacrifices. 34And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him: Thou art not far from the Kingdom of God. And no man now durst ask him.
35And * Jesus answering, said, teaching in the temple: How do the Scribes say, that Christ is the son of David? 36For David himself says in the holy Ghost: Our Lord said to my Lord, sit on my right hand, until I put thine enemies the foot-stool of thy feet. 37David therefore himself calleth him Lord, and whence is he his son? And a great multitude heard him gladly. 38And he said to them in his doctrine: * Take heed of the Scribes that will walk in long robes, and be saluted in the market-place, 39and sit in the first chairs in the Synagogues, and love the highest places at suppers: 40which devour widow’s houses under the pretence of long prayer: these shall receive larger judgement.
41 * And Jesus sitting over against the treasury, beheld how the multitude did cast money into the treasury, and many rich men did cast in much. 42And when there came a certain poor widow, she cast in two mites, which is a farthing. 43And calling his Disciples together, he says to them: Amen I say to you, that this poor widow hath cast in [e] more than all that have cast into the treasury. 44For all they of their aboundance have cast in; but she, of her penury hath cast in all that she had, her whole living.
Footnotes
- ↑ This man, is God the Father; this vineyard, is (as Esay says 5, 1.) the house of Israel. The servants sent, are Moyses and the Prophets, whom the Jews did diversely afflict and persecute.
- ↑ His Son is Christ our Saviour, whom the Jews crucified out of the city of Jerusalem, as it were casting him out of the vineyard.
- ↑ The Jews and their guides to whom the vineyard was set, destroyed: and Gods vineyard given to the Apostles and their Successors in the Gentiles.
- ↑ Christ is become the corner stone of the Synagogue and the Church in which the faithful both of the Jews and Gentiles are contained.
- ↑ This excellence of Charity teacheth us that faith only is not sufficient.
- ↑ God doth accept alms that are correspondent to every man’s ability: and the more able, the more must a man give.
ANNOTATIONS. CHAP. 12.
↑ 17. To God.) These men were very circumspect and wary to do all duties to Caesar, but of their duty to God they had no regard. So Heretics, to flatter temporal Princes, and by them to uphold their Heresies, do not only inculcate men’s duty to the Prince, dissembling that which is due to God; but also give to the Prince more than due, and take from God his right and duty. But Christ allowing Caesar his right, warneth them also of their duty toward God. And that is it which Catholics inculcate: Obey God, do as he commandeth; Serve him first, and then the Prince.
↑ 19. His brother shall take.) Mark well here, that the Law which says: Thou shalt not marry thy brother’s wife, is not such as admitteth no dispensation, as though this marriage were against nature. For here the same Law says, that in some case, the brother not only might but then was bound to marry his brother’s wife.
↑ 24. Not knowing the Scriptures.) Who would have thought that by this place of Scripture alleged by Christ, the Resurrection were proved? And yet we see that Christ doth hereby deduce it, and chargeth these great Doctors and Masters (which arrogated to themselves the knowledge of Scriptures) that it is their ignorance, that they knew not so to deduce it. No marvel then if the Holy Doctors and Catholic Church make the like deduction sometime and proofs, where the Heretic doth not or will not see so much, therefore no doubt, because he knoweth not the Scriptures, whereof he boasteth so much, nor the sense of the holy Ghost in them. For example, when of that place, It shall not be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come, ancient Fathers deduce, that there are sins remitted after this life in Purgatory. See Mat. 12, 32.
↑ 24. The power of God.) Even so do heretics err two ways: because they know not the Scriptures, which they interpret contrary to the sense of the whole Church and of all the ancient Fathers, and because they know not the power of God, that as he is able to raise the self-same bodies again, so he can make his body present in many places: but being altogether faithless and not believing his power, they dispute of all such matters, only by reason and their own imagination.
Margin Notes
- annot. 17. God first to be served and then the Prince.
- annot. 19. Marrying the brother’s wife.
- annot. 24. Many truths deduced out of scripture which Heretics see not.
- annot. 24. Heretics ignorant and without faith.
Margin References
- 1. Esa. 5, 1. Mat. 21, 33. Luc. 20, 9.
- 10. Ps. 117, 22
- 13. Mat. 22, 15. Luc. 26, 20.
- 18. Mat. 22, 23. Luc. 20, 27. Act. 23, 6.
- 19. Deu. 25, 5.
- 26. Exo. 3, 6.
- 28. Mat. 22, 34.
- 29. Deu. 6, 5.
- 31. Lev. 19, 18.
- 35. Mat. 22, 41. Luc. 20, 41.
- 36. Ps. 109, 1.
- 41. Luc. 21, 2.
- annot. 19. Lev. 18, 16. Deu. 25, 5.
