Archive for October 31st, 2008
37 O Hierusalem, Hierasulem, thou that
killest the prophetes, and stonest them that are sente unto thee: howe
often wolde I have gathered thy children together, even as a henne
gathereth her chickens vnder her, and ye wolde not.
{O Hierusalem, Hierusalem.}
C. [Calvin] By these words our savior Christ does more plainly declare how just occasion he has to be angry, because Jerusalem (which God had chosen to be a holy and heavenly house, as it were to himself) did not only show itself to be unworthy of such honor, but as though it were a den of thieves, it had used and accustomed a long time to drink the blood of the prophets. Christ therefore cries out pitifully against so monstrous behavior, because the holy city of God was fallen into such madness, that it went about daily to extinguish the wholesome doctrine of God, by the blood of the prophets. B [Bucer] This bewailing therefore of Christ was a token of his great and exceeding love towards this people. It is a token of great affection, that names the city itself, and that he does double the appellation or name of the same, saying Jerusalem, Jerusalem.
{Thou which killest the Prophetes.}
Because the Evangelist Matthew uses the participle of the present tense, and the words of Christ seem to have respect unto both times, the deed may be taken or understood without any certain limiting of time: as if thou should say, “Thou killer of the prophets, which hast killed, do kill, and will kill.”
C. [Calvin] Thou I say which should be the faithful keeper of God’s word, the mistress of heavenly wisdom, the light of the world, the wellspring of true doctrine, the place of the sincere worship of God, and the example of the faith and obedience, art the killer of the prophets, in so much that thou has gotten now a habit and custom of drinking blood.
Hereby therefore it appears that they were worthy of all kinds of reproach, which had so filthy profaned the sanctuary of God. E. [Erasmus] Many think that by the name of Jerusalem, which was the head of Jewry, is understand the whole country or region of the Jews .