And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
Read Chapter 26
Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
And it came to pass, when He had finished, or completed, all that He had spoken in the last chapter concerning, the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world, then He girded Himself to meet His Passion, which was nigh at hand, and foretold it. He would not seem to be ignorant of the things which were shortly to come to pass, whilst He prophesied of those in the far distant future. He would not have His disciples suppose that Christ was ignorant of the things which were to befall Him, or that they happened to Him against His will; but that they might know that all was foreseen by Him. The meaning Isaiah , as S. Thomas expresses it, "When Christ had fulfilled His office as a Teacher, He began to prepare Himself for the office of a Redeemer and a Saviour."
Ye know, &c, after two days. He said, therefore, these things on the Tuesday evening, when, after the Hebrew custom, the fourth day of the week, or Wednesday, was about to begin. This was the reckoning employed with respect to ...
ily I say unto you . . . for a memorial of her, i.e, of Mary Magdalene, not of Christ, as is shown by the fem. pronoun αυ̉τη̃ς. This anointing and pious devotion shall be celebrated throughout the whole world for the everlasting praise and honour of Mary, and for the infamy of Judas, who found fault with her. Victor of Antioch paraphrases as follows, "So far am I from condemning her as though she had done amiss, or blaming her as though she had not acted aright, that I will never suffer this deed of hers to he forgotten in all time to come. Yea, the whole world shall know what she did in a house and in obscurity. For she did it with a pious mind, and with fervent faith and a contrite heart. What was done was pleasing, not so much because of the money that was spent, as because of the faith which she offered together with the ointment. For this was to Me as the most fragrant of all odours."
Then went away (abiit) one of the twelve, &c. The word then refers partly to what has imm...
Let them blush with shame who think the Savior dreaded death and said out of fear of suffering, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” After two days, about to celebrate the Passover, he knew that he was to be betrayed and crucified. However, he did not turn away from the snares or take flight in fear. While the rest were unwilling to proceed, he remained unruffled when Thomas said, “Let us go that we may die with him.” Wishing to put an end to the earthly festivity and to declare the truth in the passing shadow of Passover, he said, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Indeed, “Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed” if we eat it with “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Furthermore, because he says, “After two days the Passover will be here” and omits a simple explanation, we should seek what is holy. After two days of the brilliant light of the Old and New Testaments, the Passover is celebrated for the world. Thi...
In good season again does He speak of the passion, when He had reminded them of the kingdom, and of the recompense there, and of the deathless punishment; as though He had said, Why are you afraid at the dangers that are for a season, when such good things await you?
When he had reminded them of the kingdom, he spoke again of the season of his suffering and of final judgment. It was as though he had said, “Why are you afraid of the dangers that are only for a season when such good things await you?” Notice how he has thrown into the shade what was most painful to them. For he does not say, “You know that after two days I am betrayed,” but “You know that after two days is the Passover feast,” to show that what is done is a mystery. A feast and celebration is being kept for the salvation of the world. With foreknowledge he is prepared to suffer all. So then, as though this were sufficient consolation for them, he did not even say anything to them now about a resurrection. He had already spoken about it, and did not need to speak about it again. And moreover, as I said, he shows that even his suffering itself is a deliverance from countless evils, having by the Passover reminded them of the ancient benefits received in Egypt. The Gospel of Matthew, Ho...
