Amen I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.

“Behold, I. In this part he sets forth their cruelty, and adds the temporal punishment. And first he does the first; second he adds the punishment. And first he sets forth the benefit; second the fault; third the magnitude of the punishment. Hence he says, "Behold, I send to you prophets, and wise men and scribes," and so on. And it can be referred to that which immediately follows, or to that whole which follows. If to the whole, then it has a plainer sense. Thus I say that you are about to fill up, and that you are serpents, and so on. Hence, "I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes," and some of them you will kill, because you are such as have been accustomed to kill. Or otherwise, so that it is referred to the whole. The Lord wills that judgment be not only just, but that it appear just, so that others may take examples from it. Hence if someone has a good purpose, the Lord rewards him for the good purpose, and thence gives him the will to carry out a good work; so on the contrary, when someone has an evil purpose, and is full of evil will, according to what is said in Hosea 2:6: "I will hedge up your way with thorns," he stirs up the wrath of God, and from the wrath of God it comes about that his malice is made manifest. Therefore, "I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes"; and you will kill them. And he says "behold," because it is at hand, because he sent the apostles; hence Acts 1:8: "and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the end of the earth." But note that in this, that he says "I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes," he signifies the various gifts of the Holy Spirit. To one is given the gift of wisdom, to another kinds of tongues, and so on. 1 Corinthians 12:10. The apostles had all these gifts. They had the gift of prophecy in telling future things; Joel 2:28: "I will pour out of my spirit upon all peoples, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy." Likewise wisdom, because they knew all things; Luke 21:15: "I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries will not be able to resist and contradict." Likewise they were scribes, because they had understanding of Scripture; Luke 24:45: "he opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures." And why does he foretell this? So that the disciples, thinking on what they have heard, might more easily endure it. Likewise, to convict their malice, because just as their fathers killed the prophets, so these would kill the apostles; hence "some of them you will kill," as is found in Acts 12:2, because Herod killed James the brother of John with the sword, seeing that it pleased the Jews. Others were crucified; hence also "you will crucify." For this was the vilest death, therefore they killed Christ by this death, according to that saying of Wisdom 2:20: "let us condemn him to a most shameful death." And "you will scourge." Acts 5:40 says that, having beaten them, they charged them that they should not speak at all in the name of Jesus. And "you will persecute." This is evident from how they persecuted Paul. And above, chapter 10:23: "if they persecute you in one city, flee into another." Further, the punishment is set forth, which, because it seemed grave, he therefore confirms: "Amen I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation." He says: that upon you may come all the righteous blood, from the blood of Abel the just even unto the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah. Who this Abel is, is known, because he was killed by Cain his brother. But who this Zechariah was is not established. It is read that there were three Zechariahs. One the son of Barachiah, who was the eleventh among the prophets. But it cannot be understood of this one, because there was not yet an altar. Another was the father of John, and whose son he was is not found; but Chrysostom says that he was killed on account of Christ, because in the temple there was a place of the virgins, and when the Virgin Mary was sitting in the place of the virgins, the Jews wanted to expel her from the place; which Zechariah forbade, defending her, and on account of this he was killed. Another is said to be the son of Jehoiada, whom Joash killed in the court of the temple, therefore "between the temple and the altar"; hence the place agrees, but the name is discordant. But yet Jerome says that it is interpreted "blessed of the Lord," and the holiness of his father Jehoiada the priest is thereby designated. And he says that he himself saw the Gospel of the Nazarenes, and there it was contained, "the son of Jehoiada." But why it begins with this Zechariah can be a question of the letter. The reason, however, seems to be that although the preceding [killings] were more frequent, yet these were the ones found in Scripture. Or otherwise, that Abel was a shepherd, Jehoiada a priest; therefore by these two are signified the laity and the clergy. Hence every punishment for the killing of men shall come upon you. Or otherwise, because some are active, some contemplative; hence both are signified by these two. But "amen I say to you, that all these things shall come upon this generation." But how can it be that all these things come upon this generation? Is one punished for another? Ezekiel 18:20: "the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father." How then upon this generation? Jerome solves this, [saying] that it is customary in Scripture that the whole generation of the good is taken for one generation, concerning which in Psalm 111:2: "the generation of the upright shall be blessed." Concerning the generation of the wicked, above, 12:39: "an evil generation seeks a sign." Chrysostom says thus: some sin, but God does not immediately avenge; hence in Psalm 7:12: "does he grow angry every day?" But some, when they sin, are never corrected, but change for the worse; 2 Timothy 3:13: "but evil men and seducers shall grow worse and worse"; and then the Lord waits until their malice is completed. Hence these, in whom the malice will be completed, bear the weight of the whole as regards the temporal punishment, yet as regards the eternal punishment, each bears his own. Hence it will be so great that it will seem that they suffer for all; hence Exodus 32:34, it is said that this sin is reserved until the day of vengeance. Just as there was a fullness of good things for those who believe in Christ, so a fullness of evils for those who killed Christ; therefore he says, "all these things shall come upon this generation." But what is this punishment? The destruction of the city of Jerusalem. And since he intends to speak of the destruction of the city, therefore he turns himself to the city, saying, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem." And first he sets forth the offense; second he commemorates the benefits; third he foretells the punishment. The second is there: "how often would I have gathered your children ... and you would not?" The third is there: "behold, your house shall be left to you desolate." He says therefore, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem"; and this doubling designates the affection of one who pities; hence it is said in Luke 19:41, that seeing the city he wept over it. "You who kill the prophets"; Acts 7:52: "which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?" And he says "you who kill," not "you who have killed," because they were still persevering in malice. This is that Jerusalem, of which it is said in Ezekiel 5:6: "this is Jerusalem, I have set her in the midst of the nations, and the countries around her, and she has despised my judgments." They could excuse themselves: "we had no one to tell us"; therefore he says, "and you stone those who are sent to you"; hence "I sent prophets and many helps, and you did not recognize [them]." "How often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not?" In this is designated the perpetuity of his divinity, according to what he himself says, John 8:58: "before Abraham was made, I am." Hence Christ himself sent prophets, patriarchs, and angels. Whenever he sent, he willed to gather, and so on. Those are gathered who are converted to the Lord, because in him sinners are united; those are scattered who are separated from unity. Hence, "I would have gathered [you] as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings." It is said that there is no animal so compassionate to its young as the hen. The hen defends [them] from the kite, and exposes her life for them, and gathers them under her wings. Thus Christ has compassion on us: "surely he himself bore our infirmities," Isaiah 53:4. Likewise he exposed himself to the kite, that is, the Devil; Deuteronomy 31:27: "while I am yet living and going in with you, you have always acted contentiously against the Lord." But against this: the Lord willed, and these did not will: therefore their evil will prevailed over the will of God. Hence it must be said: as often as I willed, I did it, but with you unwilling, I did it when I did it; hence your will hindered it, so that I did not do it. Or, that he sent prophets was a sign that he willed to gather [you], and you were unwilling. Then follows the punishment: "behold, your house shall be left to you desolate." The whole people was honored on account of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem on account of the temple; therefore it is said, "your house shall be left," that is, the temple, or the dwelling; Psalm 68:26: "let their habitation be made desolate." Or the house is called desolate when it lacks its proper inhabitant; Psalm 10:5: "the Lord is in his holy temple." Hence it is said "to leave" with respect to the indwelling; therefore, "you shall not see me henceforth," etc., because I was with you through the power of my divinity, and afterward I was [with you] bodily, but I will withdraw from you. But now "your house shall be left to you desolate, and you shall not see me henceforth," neither bodily, namely after the Passion, nor spiritually. But is this true, that none of the Jews saw him, since nevertheless many were converted to him? Therefore he says, "until you say: blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," because when you shall confess [him], then you will see through faith. Or otherwise, he secretly designates the second coming: they saw him in the body, but they did not have this seeing until the second coming, in which you will be able to say, and you will recognize, that I am he who is blessed who comes in the name of the Lord.”

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,.... The metropolis of Judea, the seat of the kings of Judah, yea, the city of the great king; the place of divine worship, once the holy and faithful city, the joy of the whole earth; wherefore it was strange that the following things should be said of it. The word is repeated to show our Lord's affection and concern for that city, as well as to upbraid it with its name, dignity, and privileges; and designs not the building of the city, but the inhabitants of it; and these not all, but the rulers and governors of it, civil and ecclesiastical; especially the great sanhedrim, which were held in it, to whom best belong the descriptive characters of killing the prophets, and stoning them that were sent by God unto them; since it belonged to them to take cognizance of such who called themselves prophets, and to examine, and judge them, and, if false, to condemn them (h); hence that saying of Christ, Luk 13:33 which goes before the same words, as here, "it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem": and who are manifestly distinguished from their "children": it being usual to call such as were the heads of the people, either in a civil or ecclesiastic sense, "fathers", and their subjects and disciples, "children": besides, our Lord's discourse throughout the whole context is directed to the Scribes and Pharisees, the ecclesiastic guides of the people, and to whom the civil governors paid a special regard, Thou that killest the prophets; that is, with the sword, with which the prophets in Elijah's time were slain by the children of Israel, Kg1 19:10 and which was one of the capital punishments inflicted by the Jewish sanhedrim (i); and also that which follows was another of them, And stonest them which were sent unto thee; as particularly Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, before mentioned. The Jews themselves are obliged to own, that this character belongs to them: say (k) they, "when the word of God shall come, who is his messenger, we will honour him. Says R. Saul, did not the prophets come, "and we killed them", and shed their blood, and how shall we receive his word? or how shall we believe? And a celebrated writer of their's, on those words (l), "but now murderers", has this note, "they have killed Uriah, they have killed Zechariah. How often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Christ here speaks as a man, and the minister of the circumcision, and expresses an human affection for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and an human wish, and will for their temporal good; which he very aptly signifies by the hen, which is a very affectionate creature to its young, and which it endeavours to screen from danger, by covering with its wings. So the "Shekinah" with the Jews is called, , "the holy bird" (m); and that phrase, , "to betake one's self, or to come to trust under the wings of the Shekinah", is often used (n) for to become a proselyte to the true religion, and worship of God, as Jethro, and Ruth the Moabitess did. An expression much like to this here is used by an apocryphal writer of 2 Esdras: "I gathered you together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings: but now, what shall I do unto you? I will cast you out from my face.'' (2 Esdras 1:30). It seems to be a simile much in use with that people. Our Lord is to be understood not of his divine will, as God, to gather the people of the Jews internally, by his Spirit and grace, to himself; for all those whom Christ would gather, in this sense, were gathered, notwithstanding all the opposition made by the rulers of the people; but of his human affection and will, as a man, and a minister, to gather them to him externally, by, and under the ministry of his word, to hear him preach; so as that they might be brought to a conviction of, and an assent unto him as the Messiah; which, though it might fall short of faith in him, would have been sufficient to have preserved them from temporal ruin, threatened to their city and temple, in the following verse. Instances of the human affection, and will of Christ, may be observed in Mar 10:21 which will of his, though not contrary to the divine will, but subordinate to it, yet not always the same with it, nor always fulfilled: whereas his divine will, or his will as God, is, always fulfilled: "who hath resisted his will?" this cannot be hindered, and made void; he does whatsoever he pleases: and further, that this will of Christ to gather the Jews to himself, is to be understood of his human, and not divine will, is manifest from hence, that this will was in him, and expressed by him at certain several times, by intervals; and therefore he says, "how often would I have gathered", &c. whereas the divine will is one continued, invariable, and unchangeable will, is always the same, and never begins or ceases to be, and to which such an expression is inapplicable; and therefore these words do not contradict the absolute and sovereign will of God, in the distinguishing acts of it, respecting the choice of some persons, and the leaving of others. And it is to be observed, that the persons whom Christ would have gathered, are not represented as being unwilling to be gathered; but their rulers were not willing that they should, and be made proselytes to him, and come under his wings. It is not said, "how often would I have gathered you, and you would not!" nor, "I would have gathered Jerusalem, and she would not"; nor, "I would have gathered thy children, and they would not"; but, "how often would I have gathered thy children, and ye would not!" Which observation alone is sufficient to destroy the argument founded on this passage in favour of free will. Had Christ expressed his desire to have gathered the heads of the people to him, the members of the Jewish sanhedrim, the civil and ecclesiastical rulers of the Jews: or had he signified how much he wished, and earnestly sought after, and attempted to gather Jerusalem, the children, the inhabitants of it in common, and neither of them would not; it would have carried some appearance of the doctrine of free will, and have seemed to have countenanced it, and have imputed the non-gathering of them to their own will: though had it been said, "they would not", instead of, "ye would not", it would only have furnished out a most sad instance of the perverseness of the will of man, which often opposes his temporal, as well as his spiritual good; and would rather show it to be a slave to that which is evil, than free to that which is good; and would be a proof of this, not in a single person only, but in a body of men. The opposition and resistance to the will of Christ were not made by the people, but by their governors. The common people seemed inclined to attend his ministry, as appears from the vast crowds, which, at different times and places, followed him; but the chief priests, and rulers, did all they could to hinder the collection of them to him, and their belief in him as the Messiah; by traducing his character, miracles, and doctrines, and by menacing the people with curses, and excommunications, making a law, that whoever confessed him should be turned out of the synagogue. So that the plain meaning of the text is the same with that of Mat 23:13 and consequently is no proof of men's resisting the operations of the Spirit and grace of God; but only shows what obstructions and discouragements were thrown in the way of attendance on the external ministry of the word. In order to set aside, and overthrow the doctrine of grace, in election, and particular redemption, and effectual calling, it should be proved that Christ, as God, would have gathered, not Jerusalem, and the inhabitants of it only, but all mankind, even such as are not eventually saved, and that in a spiritual, saving way and manner, to himself; of which there is not the least intimation in this text: and in order to establish the resistibility of the grace of God, by the perverse will of man, so as to become of no effect; it should be shown that Christ would have savingly converted persons, and they would not be converted; and that he bestowed the same grace upon them, he does bestow on others, who are converted: whereas the sum of this passage lies in these few words, that Christ, as man, out of a compassionate regard for the people of the Jews, to whom, he was sent as the minister of the circumcision, would have gathered them together under his ministry, and have instructed them in the knowledge of himself, as the Messiah; which if they had only notionally received, would have secured them, as chickens under the hen, from impending judgments, which afterwards fell upon them; but their governors, and not they, would not; that is, would not suffer them to receive him, and embrace him as the Messiah. So that from the whole it appears, that this passage of Scripture, so much talked of by the Arminians, and so often cited by them, has nothing to do with the controversy about the doctrines of election and reprobation, particular redemption, efficacious grace in conversion, and the power of man's free will. This observation alone is sufficient to destroy the argument founded on this passage, in favour of free will, (h) Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 1. sect. 5. (i) lb. c. 7. sect. 1. (k) R. Isaac Arama in Gen. xlvii. apud Galatin. Arcan. Cath. ver. l. 3. c. 5. (l) Jarchi in Isa. i. 21. (m) Zohar in Numb. fol. 106. 3. & Imre binah in ib. (n) Tzeror Hammor, fol. 77. 4. &. 115. 2. Vid. Targum in Ruth ii. 12. Zohar in Exod. fol. 28. 3. & 29. 2.”

“Amen, I say to you. More severe punishments were inflicted on these Jews, on account of their more grievous and heinous transgressions; for nothing had been able to recall them from their wickedness. They had the example of their ancestors before their eyes, continually irritating the wrath of God; yet all they had suffered for their crimes, could not incite them to leave their sinful ways; but they proceeded further than their ancestors in impiety, and ought therefore to receive a more severe condemnation. Thus though Lamech had not killed a brother, but had neglected to be more prudent after the exemplary punishment of Cain, he still cried out: Seven-fold punishment is taken of Cain, but of Lamech seventy times seven. (Genesis iv.) (St. Chrysostom, hom. lxxiii.)”

“Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation--As it was only in the last generation of them that "the iniquity of the Amorites was full" (Gen 15:16), and then the abominations of ages were at once completely and awfully avenged, so the iniquity of Israel was allowed to accumulate from age to age till in that generation it came to the full, and the whole collected vengeance of heaven broke at once over its devoted head. In the first French Revolution the same awful principle was exemplified, and Christendom has not done with it yet. Lamentation over Jerusalem and Farewell to the Temple (Mat 23:37-39).”