Romans 15:3 - Clarke's commentary and critical notes on the Bible

For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For even Christ pleased not himself - Christ never acted as one who sought his own ease or profit; he not only bore with the weakness, but with the insults, of his creatures; as it is written in Psalms 69:9 : The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me - I not only bore their insults, but bore the punishment due to them for their vicious and abominable conduct. That this Psalm refers to the Messiah and his sufferings for mankind is evident, not only from the quotation here, but also from John 19:28, John 19:29, when our Lord's receiving the vinegar during his expiatory suffering is said to be a fulfilling of the scripture, viz. of Psalms 69:21 of this very Psalm; and his cleansing the temple, John 2:15-17, is said to be a fulfillment of Psalms 69:9 : For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up, the former part of which verse the apostle quotes here.