Wherefore, behold I send unto you prophets
To try them, whether they would show the respect to prophets,
they pretended to have for them; by building and beautifying
their sepulchres; by exclaiming against their forefathers for
shedding their blood; and by declaring, that had they lived in
their days, they would not have joined with them in it; and to
make it appear, that these were all empty words, and specious
pretences; and that they had the same malicious and bloody
principles in them; and would be guilty of the same practices,
and so fill up the measure of their fathers' sins; and bring upon
them the punishment of everlasting burnings hereafter, as well as
ruin and destruction on their nation, city, and temple now.
Christ here speaks, as, one having power and authority, to
qualify and send forth men, under the several characters here
mentioned, and of what he should do after his resurrection: for
notwithstanding the people of the Jews would crucify him, and use
him as they did, in a barbarous manner; yet after all this, he
would send his ministers to them, to gather his elect out from
among them, to render the rest inexcusable, and to show his
longsuffering and patience. The persons designed by "prophets",
"wise men", and "Scribes", are his apostles: called "prophets";
because they were divinely inspired to write, and preach in his
name; had the gift of foretelling future events, and of
explaining with the greatest clearness and exactness, the
prophecies of the Old Testament; showing their respect unto, and
accomplishment in Christ: "wise men"; because they were made wise
unto salvation, and capable of instructing others: they were
filled with all spiritual and evangelical wisdom, and preached
the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom: and
Scribes; because they were well instructed in the kingdom of
heaven, and had the true knowledge of the law, and could rightly
interpret it, as well as make known the Gospel of the grace of
God. Christ chooses to use these names and titles, because the
Jews pretended to have great veneration for the ancient prophets,
and these he should send, would not be a whit inferior to them,
but in many things exceed them; and they had great esteem for
their wise men and Scribes, who would be vastly exceeded by these
ministers of his, and yet would be used very badly by them:
and some of them ye shall kill;
as Stephen, the first "martyr", who was stoned to death by them;
and James, the brother of John, whom Herod, to their good liking,
killed with the sword; and the other James they threw headlong
from off the pinnacle of the temple, and killed him with a
fuller's club F18. And crucify;
so Simeon, the son of Cleophas, was crucified at the instigation
of the Jews, as Eusebius relates F19. And some of them ye
shall scourge in your synagogues;
as John, Peter, and Paul: and persecute them from city to
city;
as they did Paul and Barnabas, as the Acts of the Apostles
testify.