understand it, unless I cleanse thee from the pollution of sin, em blematically represented by washing thee with water, thou art none of mine. But Peter understanding Christ's saying literally, supposed that his being washed was necessary to his partaking with him in the felicity of his reign. He answered therefore, John xiii. 9. Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not, save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: one who has bathed himself, needs not after that wash any part of his body except his feet, which in coming out of the bath may have been dirtied. This he said in allusion to their custom of bathing themselves before they sat down to eat the passover; and with a design to teach us, that persons converted do not after that stand in need of an entire change of mind, but only to cleanse themselves from the particular sins which they happen to commit through infirmity. For that he spake of a spiritual washing, is evident from his adding, and ye are clean, but not all; ye are men of ho ly and virtuous dispositions, only ye are not all of you so. 11. For he knew who should betray him; he was perfectly acquainted with the wickedness of the traitor, therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. In this manner were the twelve disciples honour. ed by their Master, who performed unto them the office of the meanest slave. 12. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garment, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Know ye the meaning of what I have done? for the action was emblematical. 13. Te call me Master and Lord, and ye say well, for so I am: I am really what you call me, being the Son of God, and Saviour of the world. 14. If I then your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet: If I have condescended to wash your feet, ye ought with pleasure to perform the humblest offices of charity to one another. 15. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you: I have set you a pattern of humility to recommend it to you. And it must be acknowledged, that nothing shews us more effectually the necessity of this grace, than its being recommended to us by so high an example; a recommendation which, in the present circumstances, was peculiarly seasonable, for the disciples having heard Jesus say that the kingdom of God was at hand, (Luke, ver. 18.) their minds were so fired with ambitious passions, that before they arose from supper, they fell into an hot contention about sharing the principal posts in the kingdom. Our Lord added, Ye need not be ashamed to follow my example in this, seeing no servant can think it beneath him to condescend as far as his Lord condescends, neither can he that is sent grudge to imitate the humility of him that sent him. 16. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord, neither

he

he that is sent, greater than he that sent him. And therefore knowing your duty in this particular, ye are happy if you practise it. 17. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. I do not expect however that all of you will hearken to me, for I know there is one among you whom no instruction will profit. At the same time, that I should have called such an one to the apostleship, needs not surprise you, for I was well acquainted with the dispositions of each of you, when I made choice of you, and did not make choice of a traitor to be my apostle through ignorance of his character, but that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. 18. I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the Scripture may be fulfilled (Psal. xli. 9.) He that eateth bread with me, hath lift up his heel against me. This hint merits your particular notice, for I have given it to you before I am betrayed, to convince you that from the beginning it was determined in the Divine decree, and foreknown by me to be so; and to prevent your calling my mission in question on that ac.count. 19. Now I tell you before it come, that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he, even the Messiah; see on John vi. 71. § 62. With assurance, therefore, may you go forth and do the duties of the office to which I have called you. He that believes you, my apostles, whom I send to preach the words of eternal life, believes me; and he who believes me, believes God, who has authorised me to teach men the way of salvation. 20. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that

sent me.

CXXVIII. Jesus openly declares that Judas would betray him. Matt. xxvi. 21,-25. Mark xiv. 18,-21. John xiii. 21,-29.

THESE things spake Jesus concerning the perfidy of Judas. But as the thought presented itself immediately after he had given the disciples in general such a signal token of his love, the treachery of one of them could not but be very grieving to him, which was the reason that he complained of it to the rest at table, declaring with great concern that one of them should betray him. John xiii. 21. When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, i. e. greatly troubled (see on Luke x. 21. § 81:) and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Matt. xxvi. 21. And as they (Mark, sat and) did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you (Mark, which eateth with me) shall betray me. John xiii. 22. Then the disciples looked on one another (with astonishment) doubting of whom he spake. 23. Now there was leaning on Jesus bosom, one of his disciples whom Jesus loved. This was John, the memory of whose sweet disposition, and other amiable qualities, is perpetuated

4

perpetuated in the peculiar love which Jesus bare to him. Being the beloved disciple, he lay at supper on the same couch with Jesus, and next to him, reclining on his bosom. 24. Simon Peter, therefore, not daring to ask Jesus himself, beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. 25. He then lying on Jesus breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? He leaned backward, and whispered Jesus in the ear, that the rest might not hear what he said. 26. Jesus answered, he it is to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped · the sop *he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27. And after the sop, Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou dost, do quickly. This he said immediately after he put the morsel into his mouth, but the disciples did not under stand his meaning. 28. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him, John does not here speak of him self, but of the other disciples; for though they could know nothing of the matter, in all probability he must have comprehended the meaning of Christ's words to the traitor. 29. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast, that is, the seven ensuing days of the feast; or that he should give something to the poor. These meanings were what first oc curred to the disciples. But being in great perplexity on account of his declaration concerning the treachery of one of their num ber, they did not think much upon what he now said to Judas, The declaration which engrossed their attention, had not pointed at any of them in particular; and the discovery of the person

was

John 26. And when he had dipped the sop he gave it to Judas Iscariot.] Ainsworth, in his Annotation on Exod. xii. tells us, that Maimonides, in Korban Pesach, chap. viii. § 11. says, the Jews in eating the passover used a thick kind of sauce called Haroseth, made of palm-tree branches, or of raisins and such like berries, which they bruised and mixed with vinegar and other seasoning, to represent the clay whereof their fathers in Egypt made brick, called in the Hebrew language, Haras testa. Into this sauce it is thought Jesus dipped a morsel of the meat he was eating, and gave it to Judas. See vol. I. p. 158. From the kind and smallness of the bit that was offered him (↓wulov, frustulum, buccella; &wusa, Tu TY ARTY ATOL gavara, Hesych. frustra panis, crumbs of bread) as well as from its being dipped in the sauce, it is probable that Jesus put it into the traitor's mouth. For to cut a morsel, and dip it in sauce, is the action of one who is going either to put it into his own mouth, or into the mouth of another. And what increases the probability of this conjecture is, that the devil is said to have entered into Judas upon his receiving the sop. 27. And after the sop, Satan entered into him, i. e. took possession of him, and hurried him on to the execution of the crime he had resolved upon. Because it was not usual to give a morsel into the mouth of any person at table, Judas, whose evil disposition prompted him to put the worst construction upon every thing, might take it as a reproof of his gluttony, especially if it was done while he was eating. Accordingly, thinking himself much affronted, the devil laid hold on his passion, and impelled him to execute the impious project which his covetousness had first suggested to him.

was made to John only. They were therefore swallowed up in grief, and each of them would fain have cleared himself. Matt. xxvi. 22. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, (Mark, one by one) Lord, is it I? The idea of the crime laid to their charge, filled them with such horror, that on the first mention of it, they were astonished and speechless. But having recovered themselves while their Master talked with John, and gave Judas the sop, he had no sooner done speaking to the latter and was at leisure to attend, than they 'said to him one after another, with the utmost concern, "Lord, is it I?" 23. And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. To the ele ven who were cleared by it, this was a joyful declaration which our Lord now made; but to Judas, whom it accused, it was perfectly confounding. Impudent as he was, it struck him speechless, pointing him out plainly, and uncovering the foulness of his heart. While Judas continued mute, Jesus had time to declare that his death should be brought about according to the Divine decree, but that this would by no means excuse the person who betrayed him. 24. The Son of man goeth (uwayu, dieth) as it is written of him; but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed: it had been good (Mark, good were it) for that man, if he had not been born. Upon this Judas recovering him-self a little, asserted his innocence by a question which implied a negation of the charge. But Jesus silenced him, with positively affirming that he was the person. 25. Then Judas, which be trayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. See on John xiii. 30. § 129.

Matt. xxiii. He that dippeth his hand with me, &c.] Grotius on John, Lamy, Clarke, and others, thinks this implies that Judas had placed himself so near his Master as to eat off the same platter with him. But their way of lying on couches at meat, must have made it inconvenient for two or more persons to eat in that manner. It is more probable that the dis. ciples being in the deepest distress, had left off eating, only Judas, to conceal his guilt, continued the meal, and was dipping his meat in the Haroseth, or thick sauce mentioned above, when Jesus happened to be putting his into it; which sauce, according to custom, was served up in a separate dish.

CXXIX. Jesus institutes the sacrament of his supper, to keep up the remembrance of his sufferings, which he thus predicted the ninth time. See § 127. See 127. Matth. xxvi. 26,-29. Mark xiv. 22,-25. Luke xxii. 19,-23. John xiii. 30. 1 Corinth. xi. 23,-25.

THE Consideration of Judas' treachery did not sour our Lord's spirit in the least. For that his love to mankind might be the more effectual, he instituted the sacrament of his supper, to perpetuate the memory of it through all ages. Matt. xxvi. 26. VOL. II.

3 N

And

And as they were eating (cobiovrwy de autor, now they having eaten, namely, the paschal supper, as is plain from 1 Cor. xi. 25.) Jesus took bread, and blessed it, (Mark, and blessed and brake it. Luke, and gave thanks and brake it) and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body; this is the representation of my body broken on the cross. See a like form of expression, Gen. xli, 26, 27. Luke xxii. 19. Which is given, viz. to death, for you: This do in remembrance of me. The passover solemnity was usually concluded with eating a little bread, and drink ing a cup of wine. Jesus therefore, when he instituted the sacrament, did not appoint any new rite, but appropriated an old one to answer a new purpose. Hence the propriety of the expression, This do in remembrance of me. Do it no longer in remembrance of the deliverance from Egypt, but in remembrance of me, who, by dying for you, will bring you out of the spiritual bondage, a bondage far worse than the Egyptian, under which your fathers groaned, and will establish you in the glorious liberty of God's children. Do it in remembrance of me, who, by laying down my life, will ransom you from sin, and death, and hell; and will set open the gates of heaven to you, that you may enter immortality in triumph. Matt. xxvi. 27. And he took the cup, and thanks. At the institution of the sacrament, Jesus gave thanks, not only before he brake and distributed the bread, but before he delivered the cup, to shew how infinitely we are obliged to God for our spiritual food, the flesh and blood of his Son, which nourishes the divine life in the soul. And gave it

gave

to

Matt. 26. And blessed it.] The word it is not in the original, for which reason, and because Luke, in the parallel passage, uses the word Exagisnous, he gave thanks, many are of opinion that the word God should be supplied in Matthew, He blessed God.

• Luke 19. This do in remembrance of me.] From our Lord's words here recorded, and from those wherewith the apostle has concluded his account of the sacrament, 1 Cor. xi, 26. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come, (xatayysλats, je preach, ye declare the Lord's death; ye assure the world of the truth of it), it ap pears that the sacrament of the supper was instituted not only to bring Christ's sufferings, and the happy consequences thereof, to the remem brance of his disciples, but to demonstrate the truth of these things to the world in all ages. In this view the sacrament of the supper is the strongest proof of our Lord's integrity, and of the truth of his mission; for if he had been an impostor, and was to have suffered death on account of his deluding the people, is it to be imagined that he would have instituted any rite with a view to preserve the memory of his having suffered pu nishment for the worst of crimes? No; this is beyond all human belief. And, therefore, since by this institution he has perpetuated the memory of his own sufferings, it is a strong presumption that he was conscious of his own innocence, that his character was really what the evangelists have represented it to be, and that our faith in him, as the Son of God, is well founded.