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 A Ministry dedicated to preserving the truth and accuracy of the infallible Word of God. |
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| The Old Time Gospel: John Lightfoot's New Testament Bible Commentary Mark 11 | |
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John Lightfoot's New Testament Bible Commentary The Gospel of Mark Mark 11
11. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked
round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with
the twelve.
[And when he had looked round about upon all things.] Compare Mark with the
other evangelists concerning the time of casting out the merchants of the Temple, and it
will appear that the word he looked about, denotes not a bare beholding or looking
upon, but a beholding with reproof and correction; admonition, among the Jews. 13. And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find
any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of
figs was not yet. [For the time of figs was not yet.] See what we have said at Matthew 21:19. The
sum is this: I. The time of figs was so far off, that the time of leaves was scarcely yet
present. II. The other fig trees in the mount were of the common kind of fig trees: and on them
were not leaves as yet to be seen. But that which Christ saw with leaves on it, and
therefore went to it, was a fig tree of an extraordinary kind. III. For there was a certain fig tree called Benoth Shuach, which never wanted
leaves, and never wanted figs. For every year it bare fruit, but that fruit came not to
full ripeness before the third year: and such, we suppose, was this fig tree. 16. And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the
temple. [And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the Temple.]
"What is the reverence of the Temple? That none go into the Mountain of the
Temple" [or the Court of the Gentiles] "with his staff, and his shoes, with is
purse, and dust upon his feet: and that none make it his common thoroughfare, nor make
it a place of spitting." The same thing is ordered concerning a synagogue; yea, concerning a synagogue that is
now laid waste, much more of one that flourisheth: "A synagogue now laid waste, let
not men make it a common passage." And "his disciples asked R. Eleazar Ben
Shammua, Whence hast thou lived so long? He answered, I never made a synagogue a common
thoroughfare." It is therefore forbid by the masters, that the court of the Temple be not made a
passage for a shorter way. And was not this bridle sufficient wherewith all might be kept
back from carrying vessels through the Temple? But the 'castle of Antonia' joined to the
court; and there were shops in the Court of the Gentiles where many things were sold; and
that profane vessels were brought hither is scarcely to be denied. And these vessels might
be said to be carried through the Temple; although those that carried them went not
through the whole Temple. |
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