Being now come to the place of his Passion, he entereth with humility and triumph together: (12) Showeth his zeal for the house of God joined with great marvels. (15) And to the Rulers he boldly defendeth the acclamations of the children. (18) He curseth also that fruitless leafy tree: (23) avouches his power by the witness of John: (28) and foretelleth in two parables their reprobation (with the Gentiles vocation) for their wicked deserts, (42) and consequently their irreparable damnation that shall ensue thereof.
AND when they drew nigh to Jerusalem, and were come to Beth-phagee unto Mount-olivet, then Jesus sent two Disciples, 2saying to them: Go ye into the town that is against you, and immediately • you shall find an ass tied and a colt with her: loose them and bring them to me: 3And if any man shall say ought unto you, say ye, that our Lord hath need of them: and forthwith he will let them go. 4And this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet, saying, 5Say ye to the daughter of Sion: Behold thy King cometh to thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass and a colt the foal of her that is used to the yoke. 6And the Disciples going, did as Jesus commanded them. 7And they brought • the ass and the colt: and laid their garments upon them, and made him to sit thereon. 8And a very great multitude spread their • garments in the way: and others did cut boughs from the trees, and strew them in the way: 9and the multitudes that went before and that followed, cried, saying: • Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of our Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
10And when he was entered Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, saying: who is this? 11And the People said: This is Jesus the Prophet, of Nazareth in Galilee. 12And * Jesus, entered into the temple of God, and cast out all that [a] sold and bought in the temple, and the tables of the bankers, and the chairs of them that sold pigeons he overthrew: 13and he saith to them: It is written, My house shall be called the • house of prayer: but you have made it a den of thieves. 14And there came to him the blind, and the lame in the temple; and he healed them. 15And the chief Priests and Scribes seeing the marvellous things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they had indignation, 16and said to him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus said to them: Very well, have you never read, That out of the • mouth of infants and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? 17And leaving them, he went forth out of the city into Bethania, and remained there.
18 * And in the morning returning into the city, he was an hungered. 19 * And seeing a certain [b] fig tree by the way side, he came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves only, and he saith to it: Never grow there fruit of thee for ever. And incontinent the fig tree was withered. 20And the Disciples seeing it marvelled saying: How is it withered incontinent? 21 b Jesus answering said to them: Amen I say to you, * if you shall have faith, and stagger not, not only that of the fig tree shall you do, but and if you shall say to this mountain, Take up and throw thyself into the sea, it shall be done. 22And all things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer • believing, you shall receive.
23And when he was come into the temple, there came to him as he was teaching, the chief Priests and Ancients of the People, saying: * • In what power doest thou these things? and who hath given thee this power? 24Jesus answering said to them: I also will ask you one word: which if you shall tell me, I also will tell you in what power I do these things. 25The Baptism of John whence was it? from Heaven, or from men? But they thought within themselves, saying: 26If we shall say from Heaven, he will say to us, why then did you not believe him? But if we shall say from men: we fear the multitude, for all hold John as a Prophet. 27And answering to Jesus they said: We know not. He also said to them: Neither do I tell you in what power I do these things.
28But what is your opinion? A certain man had two sons; and coming to • the first, he said: Son, go work today in my vineyard. 29And he answering, said: I will not. But afterward moved with repentance he went. 30And coming to the other, he said likewise. And he answering, said: I go Lord, and he went not: 31which of the two did the father’s will? They say to him, The first. Jesus saith to them: Amen I say to you, that the Publicans and whores go before you into the Kingdom of God. 32For John came to you in the way of justice, and you did not believe him. But the publicans and whores did believe him: but you seeing it, neither have ye had repentance afterward, to believe him.
33Another parable hear ye: A man there was a householder who * planted a vineyard, and made a hedge round about it, and digged in it a press, and builded a tower, and let it out to husbandmen: and went forth into a strange country. 34And when the time of fruits drew nigh, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive the fruits thereof. 35And the husbandmen apprehending his servants, one they beat, another they killed, and another they stoned. 36Again he sent other servants more than the former: and they did to them likewise. 37And last of all he sent to them his son, saying: They will reverence my son. 38But the husbandmen seeing the son, said within themselves: This is the Heir, come, let us kill him, and we shall have his inheritance. 39And apprehending him they cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40When therefore the Lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to those husbandmen? 41They say to him: The naughty men he will bring to nought: and his vineyard he will let out to other husbandmen, that shall render him the fruit in their seasons.
42Jesus saith to them: Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected, the same is made into the head of the corner? By our Lord was this done, and it is marvellous in our eyes. 43Therefore I say to you, that the Kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a Nation yielding the fruits thereof. 44And * he that falleth upon this stone, shall be broken: and on whom it falleth, it shall all to bruise him. 45And when the chief Priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they knew that he spoke of them. 46And seeking to lay hands upon him, they feared the multitudes: because they held him as a Prophet.
Footnotes
ANNOTATIONS. CHAP. XXI.
↑ 2. You shall find.) Christ by divine power both knew where these beasts were, being absent, and commanded them for his use, being another man’s, and suddenly made the colt fit to be ridden on, never broken before.
↑ 7. The ass and the colt.) This ass under yoke signifieth the Jews under the Law and under God their Lord, as it were his old and ancient People: the young colt now first ridden on by Christ, signifieth the Gentiles, wild hitherto and not broken, now to be called to the faith and to receive our Saviour’s yoke. And therefore the three last Evangelists writing specially to the Gentiles, make mention of the colt only.
↑ 8. Garments in the way.) These offices of honour done to our Saviour extraordinarily, were very acceptable: and for a memory hereof the holy Church maketh a solemn Procession every year upon this day, specially in our Country when it was Catholic, with the Bl. Sacrament reverently carried, as it were Christ upon the ass, and strewing of rushes and flowers, bearing of Palms, setting up boughs, spreading and hanging up the richest clothes, the choir and choristers singing as here the children and the People; all done in a very goodly ceremony to the honour of Christ, and the memory of his triumph upon this day. The like service and the like duties done to him in all other solemn Processions of the Bl. Sacrament, and otherwise, be undoubtedly no less grateful.
↑ 9. Hosanna.) These very words of joyful cry and triumphant voice of gratulation to our Saviour, holy Church useth always in the Preface of the Mass, as it were the voice of the Priest and all the people (who then specially are attent and devout) immediately before the Consecration and Elevation, as it were expecting, and rejoicing at his coming.
↑ 13. House of prayer.) Note here that he calleth external Sacrifice (out of the Prophet Esay) prayer. For he speaketh of the Temple, which was builded properly and principally for Sacrifice.
↑ 16. Mouth of infants.) Young children’s prayers proceeding from the instinct of God’s spirit, be acceptable: and so the voices of the like, or of other simple folk now in the Church, though themselves understand not particularly what they say, be marvellous grateful to Christ.
↑ 22. Believing.) In respect of our own unworthiness, and of the thing not always expedient for us, we may well doubt when we pray, whether we shall obtain or no: but on God’s part we must believe, that is, we must have no diffidence or mistrust either of his power or of his will, if we be worthy, and the thing expedient. And therefore St. Mark hath thus, Have ye faith of God.
↑ 23. In what power?) The Heretics presumptuously think themselves in this point like to Christ, because they are asked, in what power they come, and who sent them: but when they have answered this question as fully as Christ did here, by that which he insinuateth of John’s testimony for his authority, they shall be heard, and till then they shall be still taken for those of whom God speaketh by the Prophet: They ran, and I sent them not.
↑ 28. The first.) The first son here is the People of the Gentiles, because Gentility was before there was a peculiar and chosen people of the Jews, and therefore the Jews here as the later, are signified by the other son.
Margin Notes
- 1. The fifth part of this Ghospel. Of the Holy week of his Passion in Jerusalem.
- 1–9. The Ghospel on Palm Sunday before the benediction of the Palms.
- 7. PALM SUNDAY.
- 10–17. The Gospel upon Tuesday the first week in Lent.
- 18. MUNDAY.
- 23. TUESDAY.
- 33–46. The Ghospel upon Friday the 2nd week in Lent.
- annot. 8. Procession on Palm-Sunday with the Bl. Sacrament.
- annot. 8. All devout offices in that kind, exceeding grateful.
- annot. 9. HOSANNA.
- annot. 22. Prayers not understood of the party, are acceptable.
- annot. 23. Heretics run, not sent.
Margin References
- 1. Mar. 11, 1. Luc. 19, 20. Joh. 12, 15.
- 5. Esa. 62, 11. Zac. 9, 9.
- 9. Psa. 117, 26.
- 12. Mar. 11, 15. Luc. 19, 45.
- 13. Esa. 56, 7. Jer. 7, 11.
- 16. Ps. 8, 3.
- 18. Mar. 11, 13.
- 21. Mat. 17, 20.
- 23. Mar. 11, 28. Luc. 20, 2.
- 33. Esay. 5, 1. Mar. 12, 1. Luc. 20, 9.
- 42. Psa. 117, 22.
- 44. Esay. 8:14.
- annot. 7. Jerom. in Mat. Aug. lib. 12 cont. Faust. ch. 42.
- annot. 23. Mar. 11:22.
- annot. 23. Jer. 23.
