(Chapter 10:46-11:26)
IN EACH OF the first three Gospels the Lord's entry into Jerusalem, and the miracle by which sight is given to the blind man, introduces the closing events that lead to His death and resurrection. His life upon earth as the Son of Man who came to minister in lowly grace is finished. Now He presents Himself to Jerusalem as the Son of David―the promised, Messiah. His rejection as the perfect Servant of Jehovah is followed by His rejection as the Son of David, and both prepare the way for His yet greater service of giving His life as a ransom for many as the Son of Man.
(10:46-52) The Lord enters Jericho―the city of the curse―not in judgment to execute the curse, but in lowly grace that was about to bear the curse. Passing out of the city we hear of a blind man sitting by the wayside begging. May we not say that the physical condition of the blind man sets forth the moral condition of the nation? The Messiah was present with grace and power to bless, but the nation, as such, was blind both to the glory of His Person, and to its own deep need. All they could see in Jesus was a despised Nazarene.
In contrast to the crowd, Bartimaeus was conscious of his need, and his own helpessness to meet his need. As ever it is the need soul that is attracted to Jesus, and that discerns His glory. The people may speak of Jesus as a Nazarene, but faith can discern in that lowly Man the Son of David, the One of whom it is written that He would “open the blind eyes” (Is. 42:7). Thus the blind man can “cry out, and say, Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”
As ever, when a soul is seeking Jesus there will be hindrances to overcome. Many would have the blind man hold his peace, and not have the Lord disturbed by a beggar. But faith rising above every hindrance, cried out the more a great deal, and grace on the part of the Lord “stood still” and commanded him to be called. Casting away his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. Good, indeed, when conscious of our need, and discerning something of the glory of Jesus, we cast away the garment of any righteousness of our own in which we might trust, and come to Jesus just as we are, in all our need and helplessness. Very blessedly, when the Lord asks, “What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” the blind man replies, “That I might receive my sight.” The Lord takes the place of the doer, and the blind man accepts the place of the receiver. At once the Lord acknowledges this simple faith. The blind man receives his sight and “followed Jesus in the way,” from henceforth to be His disciple. He did not attempt to follow Jesus in order to receive his sight; but having received the blessing he became a follower. We must first receive the blessings of salvation and forgiveness through what Christ has done before we can follow Him as an object for our soul’s delight.
(11:1-6). Having come nigh to Jerusalem, preparation is made for the Lord’s presentation to Israel as the Son of David in fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah (Zech. 9:99Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. (Zechariah 9:9)). This was a fresh witness to the glory of the Lord and a last testimony to the people. Coming as the King He acts with kingly authority. If any question is raised as to why the disciples were loosening the colt, it would be sufficient to reply “that the Lord hath need of him and straightway every question would cease. So it came to pass; and so will it be in the coming day of glory, when it will be true of Zion, that “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.” (Psa. 110).
(Vv. 7-11). Entering Jerusalem, the Lord is surrounded by a crowd who praise Him as the King, quoting the 25th and 26th verses of Psa. 118, “save now... Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the LORD.” Such will be the cry of the nation in a day to come, when a remnant awakened to repentance will look to the LORD for salvation. That time had not yet come. But though the leaders of the nation reject the Lord, the babes and suckling’s may render a testimony to His glory (Psa. 8:22Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. (Psalm 8:2)). Having entered the city and the temple, everything passes under the searching gaze of the Lord, only to make evident the signs of rebellion, corruption and unbelief―a condition that the Lord refuses to sanction by His presence; thus, at eventide, He returns to Bethany where there were a few by whom He was loved and owned.
(Vv. 12-14). On the morrow, returning to the city with His disciples, we read of the King that “He was hungry.” He sought fruit on a fig tree, but found “nothing but leaves.” May we not say, that with the Lord, it was not only a physical hunger, but a spiritual hunger that sought for some return from Israel for all the centuries of goodness bestowed upon the nation by God? Something that would be fruit to satisfy the heart of God. As in the tree, the Lord found plenty of leaves but no fruit; so in the nation, He found a great profession of piety before men, but nothing in the secret life that would be fruit for God.
How solemn the result! Those who, whatever their religious profession before men, cease to live rightly before God, will be set aside as a testimony before men. Thus the Lord has to say, “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever.” This surely is a principle of wide application, for, at a later date, the Lord has to say of the church at Ephesus, that made such a fair show of piety with their works, that their affections were not true to Himself, for He has to say, “Thou hast left thy first love.” In result the Lord warns them that He would remove their candlestick. The heart not being right with Christ they would lose their testimony before men—a solemn reminder to us all that the real test of spirituality is not the outward profession of piety before men, but the secret life lived before Christ.
(Vv. 15-19). Having come into the city Jesus went into the temple, only to find how great had been the corruption of the House of God in the hands of men. That House through which God approaches men, and man can approach God, had become corrupted in the hands of religious professors into a means of indulging their greed. What the leaders in Israel did, it is possible for the leaders in the Christian assembly to do, but for the grace of God. In after years, the Apostle Paul warns us against the intrusion into the Christian circle of men of corrupt minds that “suppose gain to be the end of piety” (1 Tim. 6:55Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. (1 Timothy 6:5)). Again the Apostle Peter, who presents the Church as the House of God, exhorts leaders to beware of attempting to feed the flock of God for “filthy lucre” (1 Peter 5:22Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; (1 Peter 5:2)). He also warns us, in his second epistle, that the time will come when men will arise in the Christian circle who “through covetousness” will “make merchandise” of believers. Thus we learn that the flesh never alters. The covetousness that corrupted the House of God at Jerusalem, has intruded with its corrupting influence into the spiritual House of God. So the time has come “that judgment must begin at the House of God.” (1 Peter 4:77But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. (1 Peter 4:7)).
In plain terms the Lord condemns this corruption. The House which, according to Scripture, was to be a house of prayer for all nations, had been made into a den of thieves (Isa. 56:77Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. (Isaiah 56:7): Jer. 7:1111Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 7:11)). The only effect of the Lord’s denunciation of this wickedness was to raise the most extreme opposition against Himself. “The scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy Him.” And, in our day, in the presence of the corruption of Christendom, those who seek to follow the Lord in making any stand for the truth, will in some measure encounter opposition. “Truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey.” (Isa. 59:1515Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. (Isaiah 59:15)).
(Vv. 20-26). The Lord instructs His disciples in the great principle that enables the feeblest saint to overcome the greatest difficulty and the most subtle opponent. Outwardly all the power and authority of the established order was in the hands of those who were opposing the Lord and His teaching. How then were a few poor fishermen to stand against the wisdom and power of men in high places? The Lord’s answer is, “Have faith in God.” All the power of those who were represented by the barren fig tree would vanish before the power of God used by faith. The Jewish nation which represented the whole system of the law, loomed large in the eyes of the disciples, even as a mountain that had stood for ages. Nevertheless, though to sight the nation looked so stable and enduring, faith could discern that it was about to be cast into the sea of nations. But though the mountain would be removed, God would remain, the unfailing resource for faith.
Moreover, faith expresses itself in prayer to God. But faith in God not only implies that we make known our requests to God, but in doing so, we look for an answer. So the Spirit of God by the Apostle Paul can exhort us to pray “at all seasons with al prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.” (Eph. 6:1818Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:18)). Thus we are warned against the formal repetition of general requests.
Furthermore, in prayer, we are warned by the Lord against cherishing revengeful thoughts against those who may have offended, or opposed us. Nothing will so hinder our prayers as unbelief in God—the One to Whom we pray, as an unforgiving spirit to man about whom we may pray. One has truly said that the Lord “joins with believing prayer the need of a tender spirit of forgiveness towards any against whom the heart might retain the sense of wrong, lest the Father’s government should be made to remember one’s own offenses” (F.W.G.).