Chapter XX.
Second, he confutes the unbelief of the Jews through words and teachings, and this in three parts.
1. And it came to pass on one of the days, etc. After he confuted the unbelief of the Jews through deeds, here he confutes through words and teachings: Now this part is divided into three. In the first of which he confutes by teachings the Pharisees erring from malice. In the second he confutes the Sadducees erring from ignorance, there: But certain of the Sadducees came forward, etc. In the third he instructs the disciples unto wisdom, there: And in the hearing of all the people, etc.
The confutation of the Pharisees erring from malice, through three things.
The first part, in which he confutes the Pharisees, has three parts. In the first of which he repels the objected calumny. In the second he convicts the hidden perfidy, there: But he began to say to the people, etc. In the third indeed he refutes the contrived cunning, there: And the chief priests sought, etc.
The confutation therefore of the objected calumny the Evangelist describes in this order. First is introduced the insolence of the Pharisees in attacking: second, the sagacity of Christ in resisting: third, the craftiness of the Pharisees in fleeing: fourth, the truthfulness of Christ in refuting the adversaries.
2. (Vers. 1.). First, therefore, as regards the insolence of the Pharisees in assailing, he sets forth: And it came to pass on one of the days, as he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, according to the evangelical truth which must be declared to all, as he himself said to his disciples in Matthew 10: "What you hear in the ear, preach upon the housetops"; and Mark, last chapter: "Preach the Gospel to every creature." So also he himself was doing, according to that saying of Ecclesiasticus 24: "I illuminate all with doctrine as the morning light and will declare it even afar off"; and afterwards: "See that I have not labored for myself alone, but for all who seek wisdom." — But this doctrine of truth is hateful to the wicked, because "he who does evil hates the light," John 3: therefore it is added: The chief priests and scribes came together with the elders, through haughty insolence. For in the chief priests there was haughtiness on account of the excellence of dignity; in the scribes, on account of the excellence of knowledge; in the elders, on account of the hoariness of old age. Therefore they came together not as humble men to learn, but as the proud to calumniate, according to that saying of the Psalm: "The princes came together as one against the Lord and against his Christ." Whence in these is fulfilled that saying of Job 24: "They themselves were rebels against the light and knew not its ways." But rebellion had its origin from envy, which is the daughter of pride. This is "the most evil beast that devoured Joseph"; and concerning this Chrysostom says: "The priests were saying among themselves: We are the pillars of the temple, and behold, the whole Church leans upon him. We were as the visible tongue of the silent Scriptures, and behold, he resounds in the midst of the temple, and we, despised like a broken harp, are silent. We were the fathers; he begets children, and we are barren." This he says with regard to the aforesaid three kinds of persons, who were blinded by envy, and on this account cast what was manifest into doubt and calumniate.
3. (Vers. 2.). For which reason it is added: And they say, speaking to him: Tell us: By what authority do you do these things? Or who is it that gave you this authority? They ask this as though it were doubtful, when nevertheless it had been made manifest through the most evident miracles, according to that passage in John 5: "The works which I do bear witness concerning me"; but they wished by their questioning to lead all the people into doubt, as though those miracles were not from God, but rather from the devil. Hence the Gloss: "They doubt whether it is God's power and wish it to be understood that what he does is from the devil." This doubt came to them from the corruption of their own conscience; hence Chrysostom: "Every man judges another according to himself, and the fornicator thinks no one is chaste, the chaste man does not easily suspect a fornicator, the proud man thinks no one is humble: so the priest who is not from God thinks no one's priesthood is from God." Hence also the blind man who was given sight reproved the blindness of the Pharisees, who said that they did not know where Christ was from, according to that passage in John 9: "In this is the marvel, that you do not know where he is from." "But we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone does God's will," etc. Therefore it is said in Sirach 10: "The power of man is in the hand of God"; and in Romans 13: "There is no power except from God," etc.
4. (Vers. 3.). Second, as to the sagacity of Christ in resisting, it is added: But Jesus answering said to them: I also will ask you one word. When he should have responded, he asked a question—not because he did not know, but because they are better bound by a question posed than by a direct answer. Hence Bede: "He could have refuted the calumny of his tempters with an open answer, but he prudently asks a question, so that they might be condemned either by their own silence or by their own judgment," as above in the nineteenth chapter: "Out of your own mouth I judge you, wicked servant." For it is a precaution that "one who wholly opposes must be wholly opposed," and against those who equivocate one must proceed from what has been granted, so that they may be overcome.
5. (Vers. 4.). Therefore he carefully inquires and asks, so that whatever they answer, they may be refuted, when he adds: Answer me: The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven, or from men? To this they could not respond except in three ways: either simply by being silent, and thus they would be confounded; or by saying that it was from men, and thus they would be stoned by the people; or by saying that it was from God, and thus Christ would have his point established, because John bore witness concerning Christ at his baptism, according to that passage in John 5:
"You sent to John, and he bore witness to the truth." For it is said in John 1: "John bore witness, saying: Because I saw the Holy Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and remaining upon him"; "and I saw and bore witness that this is the Son of God." Whence the Gloss: "He whom you confess to have had prophecy from heaven bore witness to me, and from him you heard by what power I do these things." Since therefore, as is said in John 1, "he was not the light, but was to bear witness concerning the light," those who doubt the light are referred to the consideration of the lamp: for, as is said in John 5, "he was a burning and shining lamp"; and those who doubt the Word are referred to the voice; John 1: "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness."
6. (Verse 5.) Third, as regards the deceitfulness of the Pharisees in evading, it is added: But they thought within themselves, saying: If we shall say: From heaven, confessing the truth, he will say to us: Why then did you not believe him? thereby reproaching our unbelief, by which they refused to believe a heavenly man, according to that passage of Matthew 11: "John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say: He has a demon."
7. (Verse 6.) But if we shall say: From men, all the people will stone us, abhorring the falsehood. For blasphemers were to be stoned according to the Law: Leviticus 24: "Bring forth the blasphemer outside the camp, and let all who heard lay their hands upon his head, and let all the people stone him."
For they are certain that John is a Prophet, on account of his most evident holiness, for which reason it is said of John in Matthew 11: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A Prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a Prophet." Whence above in chapter 3: "As all the people were wondering about John, whether perhaps he himself might be the Christ, John said: I baptize you with water; there shall come one mightier than I after me, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loose."
8. (Verse 7.) And because hatred of the truth pressed from one side and fear of stoning from the other, therefore they feign ignorance of the answer, when it is added: And they answered that they did not know whence it was. The Gloss: "Fearing stoning, but fearing the confession of truth more." But this confession of ignorance was proud and deceitful, because they spoke falsely and against their conscience, in order to avoid open refutation. Whence Chrysostom: "Lies, even if they have no one to deceive, nevertheless lie to themselves"; the Psalm: "Iniquity has lied to itself"; and again: "Strange children have lied to me"; and therefore John 8: "If I shall say that I do not know him, I shall be like you, a liar."
9. (Vers. 8.). Fourth, with regard to Christ's truthfulness in refuting, he adds: And Jesus said to them: neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. For because they deny the truth, they are worthy that the truth of knowledge be denied to them by the Truth, according to that passage in Romans 1: "Because they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a reprobate mind."
And note that the Lord concealed the truth from them for a twofold reason; hence the Gloss: "For two reasons the truth must be hidden from those who inquire: either because they are less capable of hearing; whence it is said in John 16: I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now; or because they inquire out of hatred or contempt; whence it is said in Matthew 7: Do not give what is holy to dogs. " Hence Chrysostom says: "Because he himself said: Do not give what is holy to dogs, it was fitting that he himself should not transgress the precept which he established"; the Psalm: "He established a precept, and it shall not pass away." We are therefore instructed by this to conceal sacred mysteries from the malevolent: Isaiah 24: "My secret is mine, my secret is mine"; and to hide our own excellence: Proverbs 27: "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips."
10. He began to say to the people etc. After he repulsed the calumny of the Pharisees, here consequently he reproves and exposes their hidden perfidy through a parable proposed to the people. In this parable, however, three things are intimated. The first is the benignity of divine liberality. The second is the malignity of Jewish perversity, at the passage: And at the time of the vintage he sent etc. The third is the severity of judicial vengeance, concerning which at the passage: What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them?
The benignity of divine liberality toward the synagogue he shows in three ways, namely in calling the synagogue to his worship, in giving due guardianship, and in entrusting voluntary freedom.
11. (Vers. 9.). First, therefore, with regard to the parabolic expression of the calling of the synagogue to divine worship, he says: He began to say to the people this parable: because, namely, the leaders were not worthy to hear.
A certain man planted a vineyard: by this man God is understood, to whose image man was formed: Genesis 1: "Let us make man in our image," etc. This vineyard is the synagogue: Isaiah 5: "The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel." The Lord planted this vineyard when in the Patriarchs he chose and called them to his worship; on account of which, Jeremiah 2: "I planted you a choice vineyard, all true seed." Concerning the planting of this vineyard, Isaiah 5: "My beloved had a vineyard on a hill, in a fruitful place. And he fenced it and gathered out the stones from it and planted a choice vineyard and built a tower in the midst of it." By the hedge of this vineyard is understood the guardianship of the Angels: the Psalm: "He has given his Angels charge over you, to guard you," etc. By the chosen stones is understood the steadfastness of the Patriarchs; whence on the twelve stones of the breastplate were the names of the twelve sons of Israel, the penultimate chapter of Exodus. By the tower, however, Sacred Scripture is understood: Song of Songs 4: "Your neck is like the tower of David, which was built with battlements," etc.
12. Secondly, as regards the due custody given, he adds: And he let it out to husbandmen. By the husbandmen are understood the leaders and chiefs of the synagogue; the Gloss says: "The husbandmen are the workers who were hired to cultivate the vineyard at the first, third, sixth, and ninth hour," according to that passage in Matthew 20: "The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard." And concerning these, in the last chapter of Song of Songs: "The peaceful one had a vineyard, in that place which had peoples: the Lord delivered it to keepers." He is said to have let it out, because he requires a rent; whence Song of Songs 8: "A man offers for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver. My vineyard is before me. A thousand are for you, O peaceful one, and two hundred for those who guard the fruits." The husbandmen of this vineyard in the Church, which is the vineyard of the Lord, are bishops and priests; whence First Corinthians 3: "I planted, Apollos watered," etc. Concerning this, Chrysostom says: "The husbandmen are the priests who undertook the care of the people, either to great glory or to great peril: to glory, if they acted diligently; to peril, if they acted negligently." Therefore these husbandmen ought to carry out this cultivation most diligently, because they were appointed for this purpose, as Chrysostom says: "A priest does not please God so much on account of his own righteousness as for the holiness of the people, because his own righteousness is singular, but that of the people is manifold." Greatly therefore is that saying of Proverbs 24 to be feared: "I passed by the field of a slothful man and by the vineyard of a foolish man; and behold, nettles had filled the whole of it," that is, the sins of lust, "and thorns had covered its surface," that is, the sins of avarice. And therefore Augustine in Against the Five Heresies: "Where are you, O good farmers? What are you doing? Why are you idle? You see how full of evils the earth is: here thorns, here thistles, here grass springs up. Burn the thorns, uproot the thistles, scatter good seed."
13. Third, as regards the free will granted to each one, there is added: And he went abroad for a long time . Bede: " He went abroad who is everywhere present, because he left to the vinedressers free choice of working"; Sirach fifteen: "God from the beginning established man and left him in the hand of his own counsel." "He has set before you water and fire; to whichever you will, stretch forth your hand. Before man is life and death, good and evil; whichever shall please him shall be given to him." He is said, moreover, to be abroad for many days, because he has great patience in waiting for repentance. Whence Ambrose: "He was absent for a long time, lest the exaction seem too hasty. And therefore, the more indulgent the generosity, the more inexcusable the obstinacy." Therefore Romans two: "Do you not know that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" And Second Peter last chapter: "He acts patiently on your account, not willing that any should perish, but that all should return to repentance and come to the knowledge of his truth."
14. And at the time of the vintage he sent, etc. After he described the benignity of divine generosity, he here describes the malice of Jewish perversity. The perversity of the malice of the Jews is described in two ways: first, namely before the coming of Christ; second, after the coming of Christ, at the place: But the lord of the vineyard said: What shall I do?
Before the coming of Christ it is described in three ways, namely with respect to the lawgiver, with respect to royal power, and with respect to the prophetic company; and according to the three means by which that people could be led by the hand to justice, namely through the Law, psalmody, and prophecy, according to the height of power, the sweetness of goodness, and the certainty of truth.