Christ TEAcnmo ix the Stnagogdk From Alexander Bida. THE New Testament, Notes and Comments. ACCOMPANIED WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. / By Rev. LYMAN ABBOTT. VOLUME L MATTHEW AND MARK A. S. BARNES «&: COMPANY, NEW YORK AND CHICAGO. 1875. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by A. S. BARNES & CO., In the OflSce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. PREFACE. THE object of this Commentary is to aid in their Christian work those who are endeavoring to promote the knowledge of the principles which Jesus Christ came to propound and establish — clergymen, Christian parents, Sunday-School teachers, Bible-women, lay-preachers. Intended for Christian workers, it aims to give the results rather than the processes of scholarship, the conclusions rather than the controversies of scholars ; intended for laymen as well as for clergymen, it accompanies the English version of the New Testament, in all references to the original Greek gives the English equivalent, and translates all quotations from the French, German, Latin and Greek authors. The introduction on pages 31-34, contains a statement of those principles of interpretation which appear to me to be essential to the correct understanding of the Word of God. This Commentary is the result of a conscientious endeavor to apply those principles to the elucidation of the New Testament. It is founded on a careful examination of the latest and best text ; such variations as are of practical or doctrinal importance are indicated in the notes. It is founded on the original Greek ; wherever that is inadequately rendered in our English version, a new translation is afforded by the notes. The general purpose of the writer or speaker, and the general scope of the incident or teaching, is indicated in a Preliminary Note to the passage, or in an analysis, a paraphrase, or a general summary at the close. Special topics, such as The Baptism, The Temptation, The Trial, and The Crucifixion of Jesus are treated separately in preliminary or supplementary notes. This volume contains thirty such excursus. The results of recent researches in Biblical archaeology have been embodied, so as to make the Commentary serve in part the purpose of a Bible Dictionary, A free use is made of illustrations, from antiques, photographs, original drawings, and other trustworthy sources. They are never employed for mere ornament, but always to aid in depicting the life of Palestine, which remains in many respects substantially unchanged by the lapse of time. Since the Commentary is prepared, not for devotional reading, but for practical workers, little space has been devoted to hortatory remarks or practical or spiritual reflections. But I have uniformly sought to interpret the letter by the spirit, and to suggest rather than to supply moral and spiritual reflections, a paragraph of hints is affixed to each section or topic, embodying what appears to me to be the essential religious lessons of the Vi PREFACE. incident or the teaching ; sometimes a note is appended elucidating them more fully. The best thoughts of the best thinkers, both exegetical and homiletical, are freely quoted, especially such as are not likely to be accessible to most American readers ; in all such cases the thought is credited to the author. Parallel and contrasted passages of Scripture are brought together in the notes ; in addition, full Scripture references are appended to the text. These are taken substantially from Bagster's large edition of the English version of the Polyglot Bible, but they have been carefully examined and verified in preparing for the press, and some modifications have been made. For the convenience of that large class of Christian workers who are limited in their means, I have endeavored to make this Commentary, as far as practicable, a complete apparatus for the study of the New Testament. When finished it will be fully furnished with maps ; — there are four in this volume ; a Gazetteer gives a condensed account of all the principal places in Palestine, mentioned in our Lord's life ; and an introduction traces the history of the New Testament from the days of Christ to the present, giving some account of the evidence and nature of inspiration, the growth of the canon, the character and history of the manuscripts, the English version, the nature of the Gospels and their relation to each other, a brief life of Christ, and a complete tabular harmony of the four Gospels. The want of all who use the Bible in Christian work is the same. The wish is often for a demonstration that the Scripture sustains the reader's peculiar theological tenets, but the want is always for a clearer and better knowledge of Scripture teaching, whether it sanctions or overturns previous opinions. I am not conscious that this work is written in the interest of any theological or ecclesiastical system. In those cases in which the best scholars are disagreed in their interpretation, the different views and the reasons which lead me to my own conclusions have been given, I trust, in no controversial spirit. For the sole object of this work is to ascertain and make clear the meaning of the Word of God, irrespective of systems, whether ecclesiastical or doctrinal. No work is more delightful than that which throws us into fellowship with great minds ; of all work the most delightful is that which brings us into association with the mind of God. This is the fellowship to which the student of the Bible aspires. I can have for those who use this work no higher hope than that they may find in its employment some of the happi- ness which I have found in its preparation, and that it may serve them as it has served me, as a guide to the Word of God, and through that Word to a better acquaintance with God himself. CoRNWALL-ON-HuDSON, May, 1875. LYMAN ABBOTT. TABLE OF CONTENTS. I N T E D TJ T I N . PAGE Nature of the New Testament 11 Origin and Authority. 13 Evidences of Inspiration 14 Limits of Inspiration 16 New Testament Canon ' 17 The Text 25 Our English Version 28 Principles of Interpretation 31 Relation of the Gospels to each other 34 Origin of the Gospels 36 Harmony of the Gospels 38 Life of Christ 40 Tabular Harmony of the Gospels 44 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW. Introduction to the Gospel of Matthew 49 Map of Palestine 50 Gazetteer 51 Supplementary Notes in Matthew — Names of Jesus 57 • Birth of Jesus 64 Baptism of Jesus 72 Temptation of Jesus 77 The Sermon on the Mount 83 Christ's Principles respecting Retaliation 96 Christ's Teaching respecting Care * 108 Judging our Fellow-men 109 Demoniacal Possession 123 The Publicans : 126 Viii TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE The Twelve Apostles : Their Lives and Character 147 John's Embassy to Jesus 153 Brethren of our Lord 187 The Foundation op Christ's Church 301 Lessons of the Transfiguration 310 Christ's Law of Divorce 334 Christ's Blessing of Little Children 336 Christ's Discourse on the Last Days 353 Marriage Ceremonies in the East 368 The Lord's Supper 383 The Lessons op Gethsemane 393 The Trial op Jesus before the Sanhedrim 397 The Denial op Peter 301 Lessons prom Peter's Denial 304 Character and Career op Judas Iscariot 307 The Crucifixion 313 The Nature of Crucifixion 315 The Resurrection of Jesus 330 THE GOSPEL OF MAEK. Introduction to the Gospel of Mark 335 Supplementary Notes in Mark — Ceremonial Washings 366 Authenticity of Mark 16 : 9-30 399 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Chuist Teachtng m the Synagogue. Frontispiece, page Bethlehem. Looking west from the Convent of the Nativity 57 Fisherman Casting his Net. Near Magdala 81 The Posture at Meal 127 Ancient Bottle 130 Staff and Scrip 138 Grain Basket ; Travelling Basket 198 Ancient Key 203 Tetadrachm or Stater 213 Denarius— A Penny *. 243 Phylactery in use 347 Fringed Garment 247 The Temple op ELerod .- 257 The Cloak 261 An Eastern Mill 266 A Modern Marriage Procession in Jerusalem 269 Assyrian Lamps 370 Lamp and Trimmer 371 A Shekel 381 Reclining at Meal 283 Roman Wine Cups 285 Egyptian Cups 385 Garden of Gethsemane : Jerusalem in the Background 390 The MachvEra 395 Interior Courtyard of Oriental House 303 Plan op Oriental House 303 Scourges 311 Scarlet Robe 313 Crown op Thorns 313 The Reed 313 Golgotha 314 The Three Crosses 815 Hyssop 318 X LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAOB Two Centurions 320 Road from Bethany to Jerusalem 333 A Grabatus 344 Ancient Candle-stick 350 Ancient Skiff 353 Tomb at Gadara 355 Ancient Mourning Women 359 Tools of an Egyptian Carpenter 360 Staff, Scrip anb Sken Bottle 362 Sandals— Shoes 363 The Charger 363 Executioner 363 Modern Hand- washing 366 Loaves of bread... 371 Tower of Tiberias 371 Treasury Boxes 389 dla.6ram of jewish sepulchre 396 Plan op Tomb Door or Golal 397 Tomb Door 397 MAPS AND PLANSi Sketch Map illustrating the Journeyings of our Lord 41 Map op Jerusalem in the Times of Christ 278 Map op Galilee. Showing the miracles and journeyings of our Lord in its neigh- borhood 343 THE STUDY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. THE New Testament consists of twenty-seven distinct documents, written by nine, perhaps ten, diflFerent authors. They were written without concert of action, at different times, for different purposes, and addressed to different readers. They differ also in character and style ; some of them are historic, some of them philosophic and didactic, one is poetic and prophetic. They were all composed during the first century after Christ, in the Greek language — unless Matthew's Gospel was first written in Hebrew — and the manuscript copies have long since perished. Thus our English New Testament is a translation from a Greek original, which is itself a copy of copies, the original being no longer in existence. I propose in this Introduction to trace the history of the New Testament from its origin to the present day ; to point out the central principle which unites these documents in one harmonious book ; to state the reasons which have led the Christian Church to regard them as in a peculiar sense inspired by God ; to give briefly the evidences which satisfy the Church that these books were really written by the authors whose names they bear; to describe the diflficulties which Christian scholars have encoun- tered in ascertaining what was the text of the original manuscripts, and how they have overcome those difficulties ; and to narrate the history of our present English translation, indicate some of its defects, and the principles adopted in this Commentary in the endeavor to afford the Christian student aid in its interpretation. I propose then further to describe the characteristics of the Gospels, and their relations to each other ; to point out the seeming discrepancies and real harmony in their accounts ; to indicate the prin- cipal features in the earthly life of Jesus Christ ; and finally to furnish a table of the Evangelical narratives, arranged in parallel columns, so as to enable the student to fill out and complete this ske.tch in detail. PART I. THE NEW^ TESTAMENT. I. Its IVatiire. — The word Testament means covenant or agreement. It is gener- ally so translated.' This meaning lingers in the phrase " last will and testament." The will of a deceased is his last testament because it is his last covenant, the last agreement which he can make, one which often has to be accepted and finally executed by his heirs. It appears very cleariy in the institution of the Lord's Supper. In the hospitable East a meal was the customary method of at once celebrating and sealing a treaty or compact, as is smoking the pipe of peace among the North American Indians, or the payment of a sum to bind the bargain in our more commercial age and nation. Christ, therefore, imme- diately before his death, arranged for a supper with his disciples, as a method of both » As in Acts 3 : 25; Gal. 3 :15, 17 ; 4 : 24 ; and in many places in Hebrews. 12 THE NEW TESTAMENT. sealing and celebrating bis compact or covenant witb bis Cburcb ; and taking tbe cup of wine, be pledged bis disciples in it witb tbe words, " Tbis cup is tbe new testament (i. e., tbe new covenant) in my blood, wbicb is sbed for you.'" Tbus every recurring communion season empbasizes tbe meaning of tbis word Testament, and repeats tbe solemn ratification of tbe compact between Cbrist and bis people. The New Testament, then, is God's own covenant or agreement with man.^ The opening chapter of Matthew intimates tbe character of tbis covenant. Tbe angel, in announcing the advent of tbe Son of God, says to Joseph, " Thou shalt call bis name Jesus, for be shall save his people from their sins." Tbe closing chapter of the Book of Revelation intimates the answer to tbe question, Who are his people ? " Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." Tbe New Testament, then, is God's promise to save from tbe present and future punishment of sin all those who come to Him for such salvation. It is not a book of rules for tbe government of conduct ; that is, it is not a new law. It is not a book of philosophy, respecting either human or divine nature ; that is, it is not a new theology. It is simply what its name implies, a new covenant on God's part to save from sin those who come to him, in child-like trust, for such salvation. This is a very simple truth ; but it is fundamental to a right interpretation of tbe book. The New Testament may be regarded as consisting of three kinds of books, (1) his- toric, (2) philosophic and didactic, (3) prophetic ; though each of these elements is to be found in all the books. 1. The four Gospels and the Book of Acts are mainly historic. The first afford us our only information concerning tbe life and teachings of Jesus Christ ; tbe second gives an account of the results, in the early church, of the work of the Divine Spirit, whom Christ, at the time of his death, promised to send to the disciples after bis ascension. These five books constitute tbe foundation on wbicb the superstructure of the New Testament is built ; the historical basis for the new covenant which Paul in his Epistles analyzes and interprets, and the fulfilment of which John, in tbe Book of Revelation, pictorially describes. 2. The Epistles, most of which were written by Paul, are philosophic and didactic. They explain the necessity for such a covenant as the New Testament, its nature, the conditions on wbicb we can avail ourselves of it, the consequences of rejecting it, the results of accepting it, in spiritual life, in the individual and the community, in the present world and tbe hereafter ; they contain wise counsels to Christians bow best to promote the general acceptance of tbis covenant by Jew and Gentile ; and witb vehement rhetoric they urge its acceptance upon the reader. These Epistles, of which I shall write more fully in the introduction to the volume which contains them, differ in character, scope, and purpose. Some of them were written as circular letters to the church at large, some of them to individual churches, some of them to personal friends. They contain, therefore, some personal allusions and practical advice, which are only indirectly applicable to our own time, and some counsels in respect to church organization and church work, which are not, however, to be interpreted as ecclesiastical laws, but as illustrations of those principles of organic action which will render the church efficient in proclaiming tbe pnvileges of the new covenant to others. 3. The only purely prophetic book of the New Testament is the Book of Revelation. Its object is to disclose the final fulfillment of tbe new covenant or agreement of God in • Luke 22 : 20.. ' This covenant is distinctly stated in Jer. 31 : 31-34, quoted in Hebrews 8 : 8-12. The difference between the old covenant and the new is indicated by comparing the language of the third commandment, "Showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments " (Exod. 20 : 6), with that of Paul, " God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ." Ephes. 3 : 4, 5. ITS ORIGIN AND AUTHORITY. 13 the second coming of Jesus Christ, the complete and final overthrow of sin and suflFerinf, and the manifest and perfect triumph of God and godliness throughout the universe. Thus it will be seen that the New Testament is not a mere collection of independent and disconnected treatises, but a harmonious whole, in which the new agreement or promise of God is first set forth in the life and death of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit ; second, explained and enforced by the arguments of Paul and his apostolic contemporaries ; and finally disclosed in its fulfillment in the vision of John the prophet- apostle. II. Its Origin aod Authority.— If the New Testament is a new covenant, there must be a covenantor. If it is a promise that God will do for man what man cannot do for himself, it must in a peculiar sense come from God, or it is not what it pretends to be. For example, if we suppose the declaration, " He shall save his people from their sins," was directly authorized by God, it is a divine promise on which we can with assurance rely ; if not, it only expresses the opinion which a Roman tax-gatherer of the first century entertained upon the subject, and is of no particular value. In other words, the divine origin and authority of the book is involved in its nature, and indeed in its very title. If it were a book of moral philosophy, i. e., if its object were to tell us how to conduct ourselves in this life, or if it were a book of theological philosophy, i.e., if its object were to teach, either by analogies drawn from nature, or by appeals to our own intuition, truths about God and our own souls, it might be uninspired and still valuable. But if it is an agreement on God's part to save his people from their sins, it must be inspired by God ; otherwise it is not a divine covenant to do, but only a human opinion concerning what God is likely to do. If it is not inspired it is no New Testament. Accordingly we find throughout the book the claim, or rather the quiet assumption, of that divine origin and authority which is imjjlied in its very title. Jesus Christ himself, at twelve years of age, declares to his mother that he has come to earth to do his Father's business;' he is repeatedly said by the Evangelists to be acting under the influence of the Divine Spirit;" he declares to the Jews in Jerusalem that he speaks to the world those truths which he has received from his Father;' he declares to his disciples that the Father dwells in him, and that the words which he speaks he speaks not of himself, but from the Father which sent him and dwells in him ;* and in solemn prayer he reasserts that the words of truth which he has taught them the Father gave to him for that purpose.^ He promises to his disciples before his death that he will not leave them alone, but will come unto them and dwell in them ;* that the Holy Ghost shall be their teacher and shall quicken their remembrance of their Master's teaching ;'' and after his resurrection, when he gives them their final commission, he promises to be with them in all their work, even to the end of the world.* The opening chapter of the Book of Acts records the beginning of the fulfillment of these promises in the visible manifestation of the presence of the Spirit of God. In the first apostolic sermon Peter refers to a prophetic promise of inspiration contained in the Old Testament, and declares that the day of its fulfillment has arrived ;'' and the subsequent portions of the Book of Acts contain on almost every page accounts of its further fulfilment." Throughout the Epistles the writers assume to speak, not their own opinions, but the truths which they have been taught of God. They not only declare in general terms that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the • Lake 2 : 49 ' Matt. 3 : 16 ; Luke 2 : 40 ; 4 : 14, 18 ; John 3 : 34 ; Acts 1:2; 10 : 38 ; Romans 1:4 'John 8: 28 ♦ John 14 : 10, 24. ...» Johnl7 : 8 « John 14 : 17-19 'John 14: 26; 16:7,13-15. Com- pare Matt. 10 : 19, 20 ; Luke 12 : 12 » Matt. 28 : 20. Compare Acts 1 : 4. 5, 8 "Acts 2 : 4, 16-18, 33 »" Acts 4 : 8, 31; 6 : 10; 7 : 55; 8 : 29; 10 : 19, 20; 13:2,4,9-11,52; 15:28; 16:6; 19:6; 20:22,23,28. 14 THE NEW TESTAMENT. Holy Ghost '—these declarations apply primarily only to the Old Testament— but they also declare of their own ministry and of the Gospel of the New Testament, that it is the "power of God," the "word of God," the "word of the Lord," "the glorious Gospel of the blessed God," " the commandments of the Lord," the " word of Christ," a " more sure word of prophecy " even than the Old Testament, spoken " in demonstration of the Spirit," in " words which the Holy Spirit teacheth," and preached " with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven." ^ If this claim be not true, the book not only ceases to be trustworthy as a promise or covenant of God, it also ceases to be trustworthy as a moral or spiritual guide. For, if the writers of the New Testament were not thus guided and impelled by the Spirit of God, if they were not the authorized bearers of a Divine promise to man, then they were either impostors or visionaries, the perpetrators of a fraud or the victims of a delusion. And neither impostors nor visionaries are safe and trustworthy sijiritual guides. III. Evidences of its Inspiration. — The claim of the New Testament writers that they speak by the authority of God, and under the impulse and inspiration of the Spirit of God, has been generally regarded as well founded by the great majority of those who have studied their writings and the history of the effects which they have produced upon the human race. It is impossible to do more here than summarize very briefly some of the principal considerations which have led to this conclusion. 1. It is the fundamental doctrine of Christianity, confirmed by the history and expe- rience of the Christian Church, that God dwells in the hearts of his children, that he guides, comforts, and strengthens them, that the soul was not made to live alone, but in constant communication with God, and that the influence of the Spirit of God, thus vouchsafed to the spirit of man, is always adapted to his needs. Thus the doctrine of the special inspiration of the sacred penmen is only part of the more general doctrine of the inspiration of all who will accept the divine guidance. 2. The history of the human race shows that there is a need of some more definite and explicit instruction concerning moral and spiritual truth and life than is afforded by the analogies of nature or the intuitions of uninstructed conscience. Without it no people have attained a high state of intellectual, political, or social civilization, still less a high state of moral and spiritual culture.' Without an inspired book the human race is with- out any adequate knowledge of God or the future life, without any reliable assurance of pardon for past sin or provision of escape from future sin, and without any trustworthy and immutable standard of human duty or ideal of human character. 3. This need, interpreted by the universal craving for inspired oracles, writings, or priests, is supplied by the Bible. This book or series of books reveals a paternal God, whose love satisfies the filial yearning of the soul for a heavenly Father ; it reveals a future life, which satisfies both the requirements of justice and the aspirations after immortality ; it not only promises divine pardon on the condition of repentance and faith, but upon such an historical basis that its assurances do actually afford jseace of mind to the believer, as no other religion does ; it promises, on like conditions, divine help in change of life and character, and the help afforded in innumerable instances, in moral and >2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1 : 21 "lOor. 1 : 18; 2: 4, 12, 13; 14 : 37; Col.3:16; lThess.2;13; 1 Tim. 1 : 11 ; 1 Peter 1 : 12, 25 ; 2 Peter 1 : 19. Compare, also, Acts 10 : 36 ; 20 : 24 ; Rom. 15 : 29 ; 16 : 25, 26 ; 2 Cor. 4 : 4^; 6:4; Gal. 1 : 11, 12, 16 ; Ephes. 3:9; 6 : 17 ; Col. 1 : 26 ; Heb. 2 : 4 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 3 ; 1 John 4 : 6. It can hardly be necessary to refer the reader to passages in the Book of Revelation, since that is an unmeaning dream except it be regarded as an inspired vision. ' Let him who doubts this statement, and cites the Greeks and Romans as exceptions, study Pressens6's TJm Beligions before Christ, or even Gibbon's or Lecky's descriptions of Roman and Grecian civilization. Or let the reader compare Paul's description of Roman morals, in Romans, chapters I and n, with any of the ancient historians, for they fully justify it. EVIDENCES OF ITS INSPIRATIOK 15 spiritual changes, not only in individuals but in entire communities, is the best evidence of the origin and trustworthiness of these promises ; it affords in the law of love a perfect and an inflexible standard of character, applicable to all ages, classes, and conditions of men ; and it affords in the life of Jesus Christ a perfect ideal of human life and character, which all can follow and which none have ever surpassed. 4. The supreme excellence of the precepts and principles of the Bible negative the hypothesis that they were the uninspired productions of the men who transcribed them. It is easier to believe that the Ten Commandments were inspired by God than to believe that they were wrought out by a man whose sole training was derived from a Hebrew slave mother, an Egyptian court, and the life of a Midianitish shepherd ; easier to believe that the Sermon on the Mount, and the 14th, 15th, and 16th chapters of John, were inspired by God, than to believe that they were the intellectual production of a Galilean carpenter. The lives which then, and ever since, those have lived who have received the Bible as the "Word of God, when compared with the lives of the heathen who have not received its influences, afford also a perpetual evidence that those precepts and principles are of superhuman origin, and possess a superhuman inspiring power. 5. The unity of the Bible indicates that one Supreme intellect directed the various writers by whom its books were composed. It consists of sixty-six separate treatises, written by between forty and fifty different writers, living centuries apart, sj)eaking dif- ferent languages, subjects of different governments, brought up under different civiliza- tions. Over fifteen hundred years elapsed between the writings of Moses and those of John. All forms of literature — law, history, biography, poetry, oratory, and philosophy — are contained in the Bible. Yet the same substantial truths are taught by all these various writers, and the moral and spiritual unity of the Bible is such that probably few of its readers ever realize that it is, humanly speaking, the product of so many individual minds. Unity of design in the Scriptures proves that there was one designer, as the unity in the architectural design of the cathedral, which is the construction of many dif- ferent hands, proves the supervising skill of the architect who planned and directed its construction. 6. The fulfilment in the New Testament of prophecies recorded in the Old Testament, and the fulfilment in later times of prophecies recorded in the New Testament, prove that at least those portions which are prophetic were the work of Him who sees the end from the beginning, and afford a sign and seal of the inspiration of the other portions of the sacred writings. 7. The miracles authenticate the divine authority of those who wrought them. Chris- tianity as a system of truth and duty does not, indeed, depend upon the miracles. But to those who accept the New Testament as an authentic narration of actual events, the miracles demonstrate that Christianity possesses the divine sanction, since they could have been wrought only by divine power. To this authentication of their authority frequent reference is made by the writers of the New Testament.' 8. The testimony of those writers is in itself not a demonstration of their inspiration, but it is an evidence thereof That they claim to be inspired, and that Christ promised them such inspiration, we have already seen. If this claim is unfounded we must believe either that they were impostors, pretending to an inspiration which they knew they did not possess, or visionaries, believing themselves to possess an inspiration which they did not in fact possess. The heroism and self-sacrifice of their lives prove that they were not impostors; the excellence of their doctrine proves that they were not visionaries. In brief, to the great body of thoughtful men it will always seem more natural to believe that the writers of the Bible wrote and spoke under the special influence of the Spirit of ' Mark 16 : 20 ; John 10 : 25 ; Rom. 15 : 18, 19 ; Heb. 2: 4. 16 THE NEW TESTAMENT. God, than to suppose that* they belong in the same category with either Mohammed or Joe Smith. 9. Finally, if the New Testament be not inspired, Christianity is not a divine covenant, but only a human system of theology and ethics. There is no trustworthy revelation con- cerning the nature and will of God, no assurance of divine pardon for sin, no provision of divine grace for the tempted. And in fact those philosophies which reject the Bible as the inspired Word of God teach that God is unknowable, or that there is no other God than nature, that his will cannot be ascertained, or is only manifested in natural law, physical and social, and that there is no forgiveness of sins, but that every man must bear in his own person the penalty of his transgressions, and work out by the force of his own will his own redemption. IV. L.iinits of Inspiration. — The word Inspiration means literally "in-breath- ing." The doctrine that the New Testament is inspired of God is the doctrine that the penmen in writing it acted under an influence from God, which conferred upon their minds and hearts a power greater than their own, or, as stated by Peter, that " holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."* The manner in which this Divine influence acted upon their minds, and the extent to which it afiected them and their writings, is nowhere distinctly stated in Scripture. There are various theological theories upon this subject, which I do not think it necessary to recount here. They may all be reduced to two general classes — the doctrines respectively of verbal inspiration and of moral inspiration. By verbal inspiration is meant the immediate communication by God to the writers, of every word which they wrote. " I believe," says Tregelles, " the sixty-six books of the Old Testament and New Testament, to be verbally the Word of God, as absolutely as were the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God upon the two tables of stone."* So Hooker' says of the prophets, " they neither spake nor wrote any word of their own, but uttered syllable by syllable as the Spirit put it into their mouths." That certain passages may have been written thus, as it were, by Divine dictation, the writers being mere amanuenses, is possibly true ; that the chief portions of the New Testament were thus written, is, I think, clearly not true. This method does not accord with God's general principles of action, which are to work in us and with us, helping our infirmities, not to relieve us of all responsibility and do the work in our stead. It does not accord with the claims of the sacred writers, who indeed, nowhere distinctly define the limits of inspiration, but who do very distinctly imply the existence of a human element, of personal thought and study in the writing.* It does not accord with those variations in style, expression, thought, and even teaching, which give individuality to each of the sacred books, which make the three Gospels so different in style, that of John so different from the other three in subject-matter, and the Epistles of James and of Paul so different in the phases of truth which they respectively exhibit. It does not accord with the verbal, and even more than verbal discrepancies which are notable where two or more writers narrate the same event. Many such instances are afforded by a comparison of the parallel accounts of the three Synoptic Gospels. In the four variant reports of the inscription on the cross ^ is a striking illustration of a discrepancy which is just such as we should expect from independent historians, who to a large extent relied upon their own memory, or upon the recollection of others, but is utterly irreconcilable with the theory that they recorded as amanuenses what the Holy ' 2 Peter 1 : 21. The trae rendition of this paesaee, "holy men spake from God," intensifies its meaning^ but does not otherwise modify it " Quoted in McWhorter's Hand Book of the New Testament, page 23 .' ' Quoted in Lee on inspiration, page 35 ♦ See for example Luke 1 : 3 ; 8 Pet. 1 : 21 ' Matt. 27 : 37 ; Mark 15 : 26 ; Luke 23 : 38 ; John 19 : 19. THE NEW TESTAMENT CANON. I7 Spirit dictated to them.' This theory does not accord with the subsequent history of the New Testament. For we have not the original words in which the books were written ; with the exception of a few scholars, the great majority of Bible readers are dependent upon a confessedly uninspired translation of a confessedly uninspired copy. Finally, the apostle distinctly declares that the letter killeth, while the Spirit maketh alive ; and a theory of verbal inspiration, i. e. of the inspiration of the words and letters, so far from quickening the spiritual impulse to a reverent study of the essential truths of the Bible, produces a directly opposite effect, and is neither productive of Scriptural scholarship nor true spiritual culture. By moral inspiration is meant such a divine quickening of the natural faculties of the sacred writers, that, while they used their own memory, reason, and religious and intellectual culture, they were protected from all such errors as would impair the value of their writings as instruments for religious instruction and spiritual impulse, or, in other words, that they were inspired just so far as was necessary to make their writings "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." Minor errors in science, in chronology, in dates, diversities in forms and methods of expression, partial and fragmentary utterances,'' immaterial discrepancies and apparent inconsistencies in different narrations of the same event, do nothing to shake the faith of those who hold this theory of inspiration. It allows, too, the opinion that the inspiration of different books is of a different kind, and that the same degree of authority is not to be attached to the books of Ruth and Esther as to the Ten Commandments, the purely personal epistle to Philemon as to the general epistle to the Romans, or to such a direction as that of 3 Tim. 4:13, as to the precepts of .the Sermon on the Mount. This is the doctrine of inspiration which throughout this Commentary I have assumed to be the correct one. The evidences of its correctness will appear in the notes themselves, > At the same time there are passages in which the language, as well as the idea, appears to me to have been supematurally inspired. This is especially the case in many instances in the Evangelical reports of our Lord's discourses, where a peculiar significance is involved in the words used by our Lord and preserved by his reporters— a significance which is often lost in our English translation.^ I believe, then, that the New Testament is God's covenant with man ; that it is not an outgrowth of human thought, but comes from God ; that he has chosen to impart it through imperfect men, as he chooses imperfect men to proclaim and to interpret it; that in writing this New Covenant they had all the divine guidance and impulse necessary to make it a safe and sufficient guide to man in moral and spiritual life ; and that their authority to speak for God is attested by the miracles they wrought, by the fulfillment of the prophecies they recorded, by the superhuman excellence of the doctrines and the life they inculcated, but yet more by the divine fulfillment of the compact which in God's name they professed to record, and in the beneficent effects, temporal and spiritual, which have resulted in the case of all individuals and of all communities which have accepted it and complied with its conditions. V. The New Testament Canon.— The word Canon means literally a carpen- ter's rule. Hence, by an easy transition, it is used to signify a rule or test in language, art, or religion. As applied to Scripture it may mean either the rules or principles by which the right of any book to be in the Bible is determined, or the authority of such book or books as a rule of faith and practice. It is in the latter sense that the word is now generally used. The term " Canonical books " means the books which afford an > See for examples the arrest of Christ, the trial, and Peter's denials. Matt., chap. 26, and notes ' Such as Romans 13 : 8, 9 » See for example Notes on Matt. 6 : 19, 44 ; 6 : 25 ; 7 : 1-6. The instances are very numerous ; these may serve to illustrate my meaning. 18 THE NEW TESTAMENT. autlioritative rule, in contrast with those which are uninspired and hence afford only human instruction. The history of the formation of the New Testament and the princi- ples which determine what books belong to it and are authoritative, constitute there- fore the theme of this section. What evidence have we that the New Testament which we now possess includes the inspired productions of the Apostles and excludes spurious imitations ? in other words, what evidence is there that we have the true canon or rule ? The evidence is of two kinds : external or historical, and internal or spiritual. I. External or Historical Evidence. — To the question, When, where, and by whom were the books of the New Testament collected into one volume ? no answer can be given. The New Testament was not formed ; it grew. The external evidence of its authenticity and authority is to be found in a history of that growth, and of the testimony of writers immediately succeeding the apostolic age. The Gospels bear the evidence in themselves that they were written for the informa- tion of the disciples of Jesus Christ, especially for those who had not directly received the Master's instructions, and who had not access to the verbal teaching of eye and ear witnesses.' The Epistles were written, either to local churches or to particular individ- uals, to impart, in a more systematic form, the precepts and principles of Christianity, to correct particular errors, or to afford instruction or inspiration needed in particular churches. Both apostles and churches anticipated the speedy second coming of Jesus Christ, and there is nothing to indicate that either recognized in these separate treatises a contribution to a permanent and universal book. But that the writers claimed to speak by authority of God, and in a peculiar sense under his inspiration, we have already seen.' The writers of the New Testament were, moreover, all immediate disciples of Jesus Christ, excepting Paul, who claimed to have received instruction directly from the risen Lord, and to be therefore not less an apostle than the twelve.^ The epistles thus received by the church from the immediate disciples of the Lord would be naturally held as a sacred possession. They were read publicly in the church services ; '' churches exchanged their epistles one with another ; ^ they were unmistakably regarded by both writers and recipients as authoritative ;" and in one significant passage Peter expressly classifies the writings of Paul with the Old Testament ScrijDtures.' Thus, toward the close of the first century the materials for the New Testament had been accumulated. Each church pos- sessed, in addition to a copy of the Old Testament in common with the Jewish Syna- gogue, a letter or a gospel, or two or three letters, obtained by a system of exchange, while no church probably possessed the entire New Testament collection. It existed, but in fragments, and divided among the different churches.* The apostles died, leaving these writings as a legacy to the inftint churches. As tradi- tion grew more and more remote, and direct counsel from the apostles in the solution of questions of ritual, government, discipline, and doctrine was no longer attainable, these writings appreciated in value, and the authority of the letter was established by the death of the writer. Meanwhile, with the growth of the church, heresies sprang ujj. The heretics were often unprincipled. They sometimes mutilated the apostolic writings, sometimes denied their authenticity and authority, sometimes endeavored to palm off upon the churches spurious doctrines, with the sanction of a forged apostle's name. These practices, of which we get some hints even in the New Testament,® and some indi- cations in very early corruptions of the text, increased after the death of the inspired » Luke 1:1^; John 20 : 30, 31 » See under Section m »1 Cor. 9:1; 15 : 8; Gal. 1 : 15, 16; 2: 2; Ephes. 3:3 « 1 Thess. 5 : 27 » Col. 4: 16 « Acts 15 : 23-31 ; 2 Cor. 10 : 1-10; Kev.,chap. 2 : 3 ' 2 Pet. 3 : 16. ' Mr. Norton, Genuineness of the Gospels, estimates that as many as 60,000 copies of the Gospels were in circulation by the end of the second century, by which time, however, the N. T. canon had been substantially organized » 2 Tim. 1 : 15 ; Titus 1 : 10-14 ; Rev. 22 : 18, 19. THE NEW TESTAMENT CANON. 19 writers. Thus at once the value of the genuine writings, and the evident necessity of a critical examination into all doubtful gospels and epistles, increased. Thus, too, in the controversies which ensued, and which reached their climax in the conflict between Arius and Athanasius (A. D. 325-336), quotations from the inspired writings of the Evangelists and Apostles grew more frequent. These quotations rendered necessary a larger inter- change of the original documents. Each church, dissatisfied with a second-hand report of an apostolic writing, sought and obtained a copy of the original, and thus gradually book was added to book, every claimant to inspired authority was subjected to a search- ing examination, the false were thrown out and the true alone accepted, until at length, by the close of the second century, the New Testament, substantially as we now have it, had grown into a book whose authenticity and authority all parties in the Christian church alike acknowledged.^ Thus the canon of the New Testament is established, not by the judgment of a single man, whose authority to select it would be difficult to estab- lish, not by the judgment of an ecclesiastical council, which might labor under the just suspicion of ecclesiastical prejudice, but by the general consent of thousands of local churches, and an innumerable body of individual Christians, whose combined judgment must ever be free from all possible suspicion of local prejudice or personal interest, and from any just charge of theological prepossessions. The evidence of the canonicity of the New Testament — that is, the evidence that we have in the New Testament the books written by the immediate disciples of our Lord, and only such — is to be found, not in the opinions of individual scholars, or the decrees of early councils, but in the abundant ref- erence to these books in the controversial writings of the three or four centuries which immediately followed the apostolic age. Without attempting to give this evidence in detail, which would be foreign to my purpose, I shall give such a summary of it as will afibrd the reader an idea of its character and the student a suggestion for more elaborate investigation.'' 1. Clement of Rome. Of his history little is known. He was Bishop of Rome at the end of the first century, is probably referred to by Paul in Philippians 4 : 3 as one of his " fellow workers," and was certainly a disciple of the apostles. Of the various works attributed to him, only the so-called 1st Epistle to the Corinthians is certainly known to be his. In this epistle, certainly published during the first century, and very probably as early as 64-70 A. D., he quotes, " as the words of the Lord Jesus," expressions in sub- stance identical and in phraseology similar to those reported in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke ; in a similar manner embodies sentiments and expressions found in James, 1 Peter, and several of Paul's Epistles; while his quotations from or similarities of expres. ' " With the exception of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the two shorter Epistles to St. John, the second Epistle of St. Peter, the Epistles of St. James and St. Jude, and the Apocalypse, all the other books of the New Testament were acknowledged as apostolic and authoritative throughout the church at the close of the second ccnturj y—Westcott on the Canon of the New Testament, p. 306. ^ To comprise in a few pages the results of discussions which fill hundreds of volumes, which have been conducted on both sides too often with unseemly acerbity, in which not unfrequently strong assertion has served for proof, and special pleading for critical scholarship, which depends on an examination and analysis of the literature of the first three centuries, its own authenticity sometimes involved in doubt, has been a matter of no small diflSculty. It was possible to accomplish such a condensation only (1) by giving results and discussions ; (2) omitting all authors whose works are really involved in any reasonable doubt, such as Ignatius and Barna- bas ; (3) passing by without notice, though not without careful examination, the objections of rationalistic critics to the conclusions of Christian scholarship. Whatever on a fair examination has seemed to me doubtful I have omitted; there is enough that is certain. The English student who wishes to examine the subject more thor- oughly is referred to Westcott, History of the Canon of the N. T., Scrivener's Plain Intro, to the Criticism of the N. T., Davidson's Intro, to the iV. T., Hone's Intro, to the Scriptures, and Smith's Bible Diet., art. Canon, pre- pared by Dr. Westcott. A popular statement of results is given by Edward Case Bissell in The Historic Oriffin of the Bible, and a condensed statement of the argument in a little tract by Tischendorf, entitled " TFA«« ■we7'e our Gospels Written ? " The most complete rationalistic argument against the canonicity of the N. T. in the English language is given by the anonymous work Supernatural Beligion. 20 * THE NEW TESTAMENT. sion to the Epistle to the Hebrews is so great that by some its authorship is attributed to him. In addition, his doctrinal statements accord with, and are apparently derived from, the writings of the apostles. 2. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, bom probably A. D. 70-80, martyred A. D. 166. One short epistle of his, to the Philii^pians, is extant, concerning the genuineness of which there is no reasonable question. It contains far more references to the writings of the New Testament than any other work of the first age ; and still, with one exception,' all the phrases which Polycarp employs are woven into the texture of his letter, without any sign of quotation. " In other cases it is possible to assig-n verbal coincidences to acci- dent ; but Polycarp's use of Scriptural language is so frequent that it is wholly unreason- able to doubt that he was acquainted with the chief parts of our canon." * His testimony to the genuineness and the then recognized value of the books of the New Testament is the greater because (1) it is incidental and indirect, and therefore demonstrates that the facts and doctrines referred to were already generally accepted in the church, and indi- cates that the books from which he apparently quotes were widely and popularly known, and regarded as an authority ; and (2) because he was personally a disciple of the apos- tles, especially of John, and was by the apostles ordained to the oflSce of bishop or pastor of the church at Smyrna. His character seems to have resembled that of John in piety and loveliness; he was esteemed even by his ecclesiastical opponents, and loved devotedly by his own disciples ; by Jerome he is called the most eminent man of Asia. His quota- tions from the first epistle of Peter and the epistles of Paul are especially abundant.' 3. Papias. Of his history little is known with certainty. He appears to have been bom toward the close of the first century, and to have been contemporary with Polycarp, but there is no adequate evidence that he ever saw any of the apostles. He refers expli- citly to a Gospel of Matthew, which he says was originally written in Hebrew, to a Gospel of Mark, whom he describes as writing as the interpreter of Peter, and also to 1 Peter, 1 John, and the Book of Eevelation. He does not refer to Paul's epistles, which Westcott explains by the supposition that he belonged to the Judaizing portion of the church ; " in such a man any positive reference to the teachings of St. Paul would have been unnatural." 4.- Justin Martyr. His birth is uncertain, probably toward the close of the first cen- tury. In his early life a Platonist, he was converted to Christianity A. D. 119-132, and wrote A. D. 140-147. His extant works are arguments for the truth of Christianity, which he mainly rests on the facts of Christ's life. Nearly all the principal events in that life may be gathered from his writings, which are founded on what he entitles "the Memoirs of the Apostles." These he describes as containing a record of all things con- cerning Jesus Christ, and as read customarily in the public services of the churches on the same footing as the projjhets, i. e., as inspired and authoritative ; in one passage he says that "they are called Gospels." ' That the " Memoirs" thus described are our four Gospels seems to me unquestionable, though the fact has been questioned. All Justin Martyr's facts not directly traceable to the Gospels, as we have them, are said not to exceed six in number, and there is but one inconsistent with them, which may possibly be accounted for by a variation of manuscript. Besides the Gospels his writings show an > The exception is as follows : The blessed and glorious Paul wrote letters to you (the Philippians), into which if ye look diligently ye will be able to be built up into the faith given to you. ' Westcott on the Canon of the N'ew Testament. » The apostolic fathers— under which general title are included such as were contemporary with any of the apostles (A. D. 70-120)— whose works are now extant, namely, Clement of Rome, Ignatius(?) , Polycarp, and Bamaba8(?), and possibly Hermias, contain references more or less distinct to the three Synoptic Gospels, the Epistles to the Romans, 1st and 2d Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1st and 2d Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, and 1 John. The allusions to Thessalonians, Colossians, Titus, Philemon, and 2d Peter are very uncertain. The reader will find a full and classified account of these references in McClintock ftnd Strong's Cyclopedia, article Apostolic FatMrs. THE NEW TESTAMENT CANON. 21 acquaintance with all the remaining books of the New Testament except the epistles of James, Peter, Jude, and John, and those to Philemon and Titus. He refers by name to the book of Revelation.' 5. The Canon of Muratori. This is a Latin manuscript, which derives its name from its discoverer. It is an imperfect copy of a Greek original, written either in Africa or Rome, both the beginning and the end being lost. It claims to have been originally written during the second century, and scholars regard the claim as sustained by internal evidence. Hence " it may be regarded as a summary of the opinion of the Western church on the Canon shortly after the middle of the second century ;" ' that is, when men were still living who had seen and possibly conversed with the apostles. It commences with a frag- ment of a sentence evidently referring to Mark's Gospel. It goes on to state that the Gospel of St. Luke stands third in the canon, and the Gospel of St. John, a disciple of the Lord, fourth. That the lost fragment refers to Matthew is probable, since four Gospels are distinctly recognized. In the list which follows all the books included in our present canon are embraced, except the Epistles of James and Peter and that to the Hebrews, and possibly 3d John. Two epistles of John are referred to, but it is not improbable that the 2d and 3d are included in one epistle, in this list. According to Westcott, the chasms found in the text of this writing afford the probable explanation of the omission of epistles which are known to have been in use in the churches at the time when the list is believed to have been prepared. An apocryphal " Apocalypse of Peter " is also mentioned, with the remark that some do not choose that it shall be used in the churches. It is a noteworthy and important fact that this Canon of Muratori does not give the writer's individual o^Dinion, but the general consent and judgment of the Christian church of the age, that is, of the second century. 6. Irenosus, born 120-140, a disciple of Polycarp, became bishop of Lyons A. D. 177, died probably about A. D. 200. His only extant work is a treatise against heresy. In this work " he maintains the co-ordinate authority of the Old and New Testaments ; finds a characteristic reason, in the four quarters of the globe, why there should be just four Gospels, and no more ; assigns the authorship of these Gospels to those whose names they now bear ; quotes as Scripture the Acts, twelve Epistles of Paul (omitting Philemon), the Apocalypse (or book of Revelation), 1st and 2d John, 1 Peter, and is said by Euse- bius to refer, in a work now lost, to the Epistle to the Hebrews." ^ He does not profess to give a complete list of canonical writings ; hence his omissions prove nothing against, the authority of the books not referred to, while his references are sufficient to prove that in his day the greater portion, if not the whole, of our New Testament was recognized as authority in the church. This testimony is the more significant because it comes from a disciple of a disciple of one of the New Testament writers. 7. Clement of Alexandria was a contemporary of Irenseus, and liis life covers about A. D. 165-220. His birthplace is thought to have been Athens ; the major part of his life was spent at Alexandria. A Christian in faith, he devoted himself to the study of philos- ophy, with apparently a supreme love for truth, which he was ready to welcome in whatever school he found it. In his writings he treats the Law and the Gospel of equal authority, refers to them as " the Scriptures of the Lord," as though they constituted one recognized collection, and makes unmistakable references to and quotations from the four Gospels, the Acts, all of Paul's Epistles, except that to Philemon, the Epistle to the Hebrews (which he imputes to Paul), 1 John, 1 Peter, Jude, and the Book of Revelation. ^ For a full list of his works, genuine and doubtful, see Dictionary of Greek and Boman Biographies, article Jmiinus Martyr ; for a full account of the bearing of his writings on the authority of the Gospels, see Westcott on the Canon of the N. T. » Westcott. Even the anonymous author of " Supernatural Religion " concedes to this canon as early a date as the third century " Bissell's Historic Origin of the Bible. 22 THE NEW TESTAMENT. But he also, as well as Irenseus, cites as "divine writings" some works now universally regarded as apocryphal, thus indicating that the final collection of the New Testament ■writings into one recognized volume was not completed. 8. TertuUian, born at Carthage about A.D. 160 ; the time of his death is uncertain, probably about A.D. 240. In middle life he abandoned the orthodox party and became identified with the Montanists, a sect of enthusiasts and ascetics. He was a voluminous author. His writings recognize the Old and New Testament Scriptures as one " divine instrument," the integrity of which he defends against heretics. He gives no complete catalogue of the New Testament books of his day, but incidentally refers to the four Gospels, the Acts, thirteen Epistles of Paul (including Philemon), 1 Peter, 1 John, Jude, and the Book of Revelation. Certain apocryphal books recognized by TertuUian he characterizes as unauthentic. Origen, A.D. 186-254, a pupil of Clement of Alexandria. His scholarship not only was remarkable for that age, but would be so in any age. He was a voluminous writer, especially upon Biblical topics ; lie prepared two editions of the Old Testament, together with commentaries upon it. His independence was such that he was excommunicated and exiled from Alexandria for holding and promulgating opinions which were regarded as not orthodox by his ecclesiastical superiors. His courage, his intellectual independence, and the thoroughness of his scholarship are now generally acknowledged. He distinctly recognizes the four Gospels, 1 Peter, the Book of Revelation, and one of John's Epistles, and refers in general terms to Paul's Epistles, and to the Epistle to the Hebrews, the authorship of which he says is not certainly known. In addition, his quotations from the New Testament are so voluminous that Tregelles asserts that at least two-thirds of it may be found in his extant writings, simply in the form of citations. The Heretics. The writings of the heretics of the first three centuries are among the not least significant testimonies to the genuineness of the New Testament books. Some- times they write to disprove the authority of these books, sometimes they quote from them in support of the heretical doctrine ; but in either case their quotations afford indubitable evidence that the books referred to were generally accepted as authoritative by the Christian church. Simon Magus ' and his followers not only recognized the facts in the life of Jesus Christ as recorded by the four Gospels, but also the peculiar weight attached by the church to the writings of the apostles. Cerinthus (probably beginning of second century) recognized the facts as reported by the four Gospels respecting Jesus Christ, though he denied the supernatural birth, and taught that the Divinity entered Jesus at his baptism and departed previous to his crucifixion. Basilides, probably a younger contemporary of Cerinthus, living in the age immediately succeeding the apostles, refers more or less explicitly to Matthew, Luke, John, Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, and Colossians. Marcion (A.D. 130), published a canon of books on which he founded his system of modified or reconstructed Christianity. It includes a revised edition of St. Luke and ten Epistles of Paul, excluding the Pastoral Epistle and that to the Hebrews. He set the others aside, however, not because their authorship was in doubt, but because, according to him, the apostolic writers themselves had but an imperfect apprehension of the truth. Finally Celsm (second century), and Porphyry (third century), distinguished opponents of Christianity, refer in their attacks upon it to the writings of the disciples of Jesus Christ, in such a way as to leave no doubt that the substantial facts reported in the four Gospels, and the substantial doctrines taught in the Epistles, were recognized by both friend and foe, as constituting the historical and doctrinal system of the Christian church. Versions and Collections. The Peshito Version, in the Syriac tongue, is still the recognized THE NEW TESTAMENT CANON. 33 authority among the various sects of Syrian Christians, who claim to have derived it from the cburch at Antioch, which sent out Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. It almost certainly dates as far back as the second century, possibly is of still earlier date. It contains in its earliest forms the four Gospels, Acts, fourteen Epistles of Paul, includin'» the Epistle to the Hebrews, James, 1 Peter and 1 John, and perhaps the Book of Revelation. An ancient Latin Version was almost certainly in common use in the second century which, according to Westcott, included the books embraced in the Muratorian Canon, i. e., the four Gospels, Acts, thirteen Epistles of Paul (excluding the Epistle to the Hebrews), three Epistles of John, 1 Peter, Jude, and the Book of Revelation. Eusebius, by order of Constantine, prepared (A.D. 332), fifty copies of the Scriptures for public use in Constan- tinople. The New Testament as prepared by him, embraced all the books of our present New Testament, except the Book of Revelation. Finally, the Council of Carthage (about A.D. 397), officially declared what were the books of the Canonical Scripture to be read in the churches. In their list the books of the New Testament are exactly those which are generally received at present. And it must be remembered that their action, like that of Eusebius, was not in the nature of an individual and authoritative decision of a doubtful question, but only an official declaration of the judgment which had been reached by the universal consent of the Christian church. Summary. The result of this investigation into the historical evidences of the canonicity of the books of the New Testament may be thus briefly stated. It is to be presumed, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, that books are the product of the authors whose names they bear. This reasonable presumption is greatly strengthened when they have borne that name for years and even centuries without question. In the fourth century the books of the New Testament, as we now possess them, were universally attributed to the authors whose names they bear, except the Epistle to the Hebrews, which is, in fact, an anonymous work.' In the absence of evidence to the contrary this universal opinion is to be presumed correct. But its correctness is not merely a reasonable presumption. The extant writings of a series of authors, extending from the days of the apostles to the fourth century, form an unbroken testimony to the genuineness of tlie collection. If the New Testament were destroyed, every important fact in the life of Christ, every important doctrine in the writings of the Apostles, and a considerable part of the words of both Evangelists and Apostles could be gathered from the extant writings of these unconscious and unintentional witnesses. They embrace representatives of every section of the Christendom of the first centuries — Europe, Asiatic Greece, Syria, Alexan- dria, Africa. They include orthodox and heretics, friends and foes of Christianity. Among them are to be found the ripest scholars, the most critical students, the ablest, most courageous, and most independent thinkers of their times. Many of them wrote before the church had become organized into a hierarchy, or Christianity into a system of recognized theology, and therefore before there was any considerable ecclesiastical or theological temptation to misstatement or misinterpretation. Their testimony is not, indeed, entirely unanimous ; some of them accept, as canonical, single books which are now rejected, and others reject, as uncanonical, single books which are now accepted ; but there is a substantial accord in their testimony ; not a single doubt is raised by any author, friendly or inimical, as to the authorship of the four Gospels,'' and none as to any of the more important Epistles, excepting, perhaps, the Epistle to the Hebrews ; and if every book not supported by their nearly unanimous testimony were laid aside, the substantial teaching of the New Testament would not be affected. It is true that the earlier authors > There is nothing in the Epistle to indicate the authorship ; the title " The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews " is no part of the original document. 'Dr. Peabody says that they were never doubted till the last century. " Christianity and Science," p. 24. See Sec. I. for some other evidences of genuineness of the Gospels, in their language, their geographical accu- racy, and their undesigned coincidences. 24 THE NEW TESTAMENT. do not cite the New Testament writers by name. But this might naturally be expected. The author of to-day, in writing of the well-known events of the Civil War, would refer to the fact without citing his authority, while in referring to the more distant events of the American Revolution, he would refer to Sparks, or Hildreth, or Bancroft ; so the Apostolic Fathers, assuming that their readers are acquainted witli the facts and the doctrines of which they write, abound in references to the facts recorded in the four Gospels, and the doctrines contained in apostolic writings, and even in quotations of words, phrases, sentences, and metaphors from the sacred books, without accompanying them with citations, while the writers of the succeeding ages refer by name to the authors from whom they quote. It is true that no list of the sacred writings appears till toward the close of the second century. But this might naturally be expected. For the New Testament was not written as a book, nor with any conference between the writers of its diflferent documents, but by different writers to different churches and for different purposes. A list of contents could not therefore be made until, by a mutual interchange of these documents, the collection itself grew into a book. This testimony of the ancient fathers is confirmed by that of the ancient manuscripts. While of Plato and Herodotus we have less than thirty manuscripts, and not one of them one thousand years old, we have forty-seven of the New Testament which are more than one thousand years old, four of which certainly date from the fifth century or earlier, and one, the Sinaitic, which is believed by one of the ablest scholars of the age to date from A.D. 325. These manuscripts, though some of them are imperfect, unite in confirming the authorship and authenticity of our New Testament books.' Finally, it must not be forgotten that this testimony has not only been weighed carefully by a large number of Christian scholars, but has also been severely scrutinized by a large number of rationalistic critics. As no ancient book has run the gauntlet of so much hostile criticism, so none is sustained by evidence so irrefragable. The most elaborate analyses of this evidence have been made by hostile critics. As interpreted by them it shows that the writings of the early fathers abound in quotations from certain widely-diffused and generally accepted Gospels and Epistles ; that these quotations embody the facts and doctrines of our New Testament, not infrequently in nearly its exact words; that in the middle of the second century Gospels by Matthew, Mark and Luke were in existence ; that before the middle of the third century our New Testament, substantially as we now possess it, was generally recognized and accepted in the churches. Unless our Gospels and Epistles existed from the days of the Apostles, these quotations were made from books most of which are not now extant and some are even hypothetical ; the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, referred to by Papias and Marcion, were not our Gospels, but other productions which have perished so utterly that not a trace of them is left in manuscript or quotation ; and all our Gospels and many of our Ej^istles were forged in lieu of the genuine and now lost books, and were accepted by the age which produced them, with a faith so unquestioning and so universal, that no one, heretic or orthodox, in African, Alexandrian, Syrian, or Roman Church, questioned the authorship of any Gospel or any important Epistle. And even this skepticism concedes, what the most hostile criticism cannot deny, that in the present Gospels we have the substantial facts concerning the life and death of Christ, and in the Epistles the substantial teaching of the Apostles, or, in the words of one of the most eminent leaders in infidel belief,' " whatever else may be taken away from us by rational criticism, Christ is still left — a unique figure not more unlike all his precursors than all his followers, even those who had the direct benefit of his personal teaching." In view of this examination it is perfectly safe to say that, while the canonicity of all » See below Section "V, the text ' John Stuart Mill, " Three Essays on Religion." THE TEXT. 25 the books of the New Testament does not rest upon the same evidence, while some are involved in an uncertainty which does not attach to the others," the genuineness of the collection as a whole is better established than that of any book or collection of books of ancient times — better than that of Homer in Greek, Virgil in Latin, or Shakespeare in English literature. II. The Internai, and SpiRixuAii Evidence of the canonicity of the New Testament books consists in a simple comparison of those books with those which are now univer- sally regarded as apocryphal and spurious. The limitations of my space forbid me from giving such a comparison, nor is it necessary., The contrast is so marked that no school, Protestant, Papal, or Rationalistic, attaches any value to the Apocryphal New Testament, and the contrast would be valuable only because it would indicate the nature of those mythical Gospels and spurious Epistles which really were the production of the sub- apostolic age, and with which modern skepticism desires to confound those of our New Testament. The reader who desires to trace the argument, the nature of which I here merely indicate, will find the material in The Apocryphal New Testament^ or, less perfectly, in the articles Epistles Spurious, and Gospels Spuriom, in McClintock and Strong's Cyclopedia. TT. The Text. — The books of the New Testament were originally written on pajiyrus paper, with pens made of reeds, and ink composed of lamp-black or burnt ivory. The material was not such as could be expected to survive a century of use, and in the first centu- ries there were no adequate libraries or archives where they could be preserved. They were probably written and used in the early churches, as the Old Testament Scriptures still are in the Jewish synagogues, in the form of scrolls ; but the form in which the most ancient manuscripts of the New Testament now extant are found is tliat of the modern book, generally folios or quartos. The earliest manuscripts now extant were written on parch- ment, i. e., the skins of sheep and goats, or vellum, i. e., the skins of abortive or at least sucking calves. The famous Sinaitic manuscript was manufactured of the skins of ante- lopes. It was not until the tenth century that paper came into use, manufactured from cotton rags ; and not till the twelfth century that paper was made from linen rags. The monks in the middle ages devoted much of their time to copying the books of the Old and New Testament, oftentimes with elaborate and rich illuminations. The libraries of the monasteries aflforded a safe repository for these sacred treasures of art and literature, in an age when only superstitious reverence could have preserved them from vandalism. Thus there are now scattered throughout Europe these manuscript copies of the Scrip- tures, a few complete, more copies of single books, or of incomplete collections of books. There are said to be preserved now more than 3,000 of these manuscripts, bearing date from the fourth to the fifteenth century, and the ablest scholars have devoted their best energies to a careful comparison of them, for the purpose of ascertaining what is the original reading. Among scholars whose judgments are generally regarded as most trust- worthy are Griesbach, Lachmann, Tregelles, and Tischendorf ; to their opinions on ques- tions of text the reader will find constant references in this Commentary. For the Ameri- can scholar there is no better method of ascertaining the correct text than that which is afforded by Dean Alford's " Greek Testament." This contains the text which he himself regards as the correct one, with an accompanying statement of the different readings afforded by the various manuscripts of recognized critical value. The difficulty of determining the original reading is of two kinds. There is first a diflBculty in deciphering the manuscript. The more ancient and therefore the more valu- able manuscripts, are written not only without division into chapters and verses, but without accents, or breathings, or punctuation, or any indication of the separation between • The canonicity of each book will be considered separately in the introduction to it. 26 THE NEW TESTAMENT. the words. The introduction of chapters and verses dates from about the fifth century ; they were employed probably for convenience of public service, and also for reference. The introduction of punctuation bears about the same date. That the reader may appre- hend the difficulty of deciphering a manuscript without these divisions of a later date, we place side by side an ancient manuscript version of John 1 : 1, 3, with the Greek ver- sion from Bagster's Greek Testament : * * * xal 6 Xoyoq tjv JiQoq Tov Q-eov, xal O-eoq t^v 6 Xoyog. ovToq vjv ev / y ^ ^ r^y a^xv ^q^? ^^^ The accompanying reproduction in English of a style and combination of letters answering to the ancient Greek manuscript, will give the English reader a jjartial idea of its character and the difficulty of deciphering it, enhanced as it is by variations in the form of the letters and obscurity in the manuscripts : * * * * ANDTHEWOKDWAS WITHGD'ANDGDWASTHEWOKD HEWASINTHEBEGINNINGWITHGD ALLWEKEMADEBTHIMANDWITH OUTHIM WASMADENOTONE THING' THATWASMADEINHIMiyJF^WAS- ANDTHELIFEWASTHELIGHTOFMN- ANDTHELIGHTINDARKNESSSHIN" ETHANDTHEDARKNESSDIDNOTITCOMPEE HEIS^D- THEEEWASAMNSE NtFROMGODWHOSENAME TF^5 I0HN-THISP£'iZS07VCAME ASAWITNESSTHATHEMIGHTTESTI FTCONCERNINGTHELIGHTTHATA LLMIGHTBELIEVETHROTJGHHIM- The difficulty of deciphering is not, however, the only nor the principal one. These various manuscripts present varieties of readings. A few of these varieties consist in what was probably a deliberate addition or a mutilation of the text for doctrinal reasons; in other instances an addition which one copyist has made, perhaps in the margin, perhaps parenthetically, in order to explain the original text, has been by subsequent copyists incorporated in it. The great majority of variations, however, are insignificant and unimportant, and are the result, simply, of a natural error in transcribing. Of the first kind of alteration 1 John 5 : 7 is an illustration : " For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one." This is now known to be an interpolation, added to the Greek text as late as the sixteenth century. Of the second, the statement in John 5 : 4 is an example : " For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool," etc. This was probably added by the copyist for the purpose of explaining why the impotent folk gathered about the pool of Bethesda. So, in some of the ancient manuscripts, Barabbas is called Jesus Barabbas, the name Jesus THE TEXT. 27 having been perhaps omitted by subsequent copyists from a sentiment of reverence. Such modifications are, however, very rare. Out of nearly one hundred and twenty thousand variations ' very few affect the sense, and fewer still have any bearing on the doctrinal and practical teachings of the Bible. Nearly all are merely differences in orthography (as in the EngWsh, favor and favour), or, in the order of words (as, then went there out to meet him, and then there went out to meet him), or in the names of the same person (as Cephas and Peter), or similar variations incident to manual transcription. In ascertaining which of various readings is the correct one, resource is had to two kinds of evidences, external and internal. The external evidence is derived from an examination of the manuscripts themselves. Where the more ancient manuscripts are uniform in their reading, their testimony is generally considered conclusive ; where they are not so, recourse is had to internal evidences, that is, to a consideration of the question which reading is inherently most probable. For example : John 5 : 4 is wanting in some of the best manuscripts and is found in others ; thus the external evidence is somewhat conflicting. But it is easy to understand how a copyist might have inserted this verse as an explanation of the account, while it is not easy to understand how it should have become expunged from the record if it was originally there, since the angelic interference thus described would not seem strange to the writers of the first centuries. Thus internal evidence is against the genuineness of the passage. The manuscripts differ not only in the matter of which they are composed, but also in the form of the letters. In the Uncial manuscripts, which are the oldest, the letters are all capitals ; in the Cursive manuscripts, which seem to have come into existence in the tenth century, the letters run together, often with no capitals except in the case of initial letters. Sometimes the original writing has been almost or altogether obliterated, and the parchment has been used for other writing. This has been subsequently removed and the original restored. Such manuscripts are called palimpsest manuscripts; that is, manuscripts re-written. When the text is accompanied by a version, the manuscripts are termed codices helingues or double-tongued. The age of the manuscript can be determined with substantial accuracy by the materials of which it is composed, the form of the letters and words, the presence or absence of punctuation, and other marks of division. The following are the most important Uncial manuscripts. For convenience of reference they are lettered by scholars as here, though in the notes I refer to them by name and not by letter. A. Alexandrine Manuscript (Codex Alexandrinus), now in the British Museum. It is on parchment, in four volumes, three of which contain the Old and one the New Testament. The first twenty-four chapters of Matthew are wanting. It is now generally agreed that it was written in Alexandria, and during the fifth century. B. Vatican Manuscript (Codex Vaticanus), in the Vatican Library at Rome. It is on vellum, contains the Old and New Testaments, but Timothy, Titus, Philemon, the Book of Revelation, and Hebrews 9 : 14 to the end are wanting. It is thought to have been written in Egypt during the fourth century. No really satisfactory edition of this manu- script has ever been published. C. The Ephraem Manuscript (Codex Ephraemi), in the Imperial Library at Paris. It is a palimpsest manuscript consisting of the works of Ephraem, the Syrian, written over fragments of manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments, It is believed to have been written in Alexandria in the fifth century. It contains only portions of the New Testament. D. Cambridge Manuscript (Codex Camhridgiensis), called also Codex Bern, because presented by Beza in 1581. It is in the University Library at Cambridge, is on parch- » The estimates are very various ; in the whole Bible they have been estimated as high as 800,000. 28 THE NEW TESTAMENT. raeut, and contains the four Gospels, the Acts, and a fragment of the Catholic Epistles, together with a Latin version. Its origin is uncertain, and its value is a matter of dispute ; it is now generally attributed to the fifth or sixth century. N. Sinaitic Manuscript {Codex Sinaiticus) in the Imperial Library at St. Petersburg. It derives its name from the fact that it was discovered by a singular accident by Tischendorf in 1859 in the convent of Mt. Sinai. His first hint of its existence was afforded by the fact that fragments of it were brought to him (in 1844) by the ignorant monks in a basket of rubbish with which to kindle his fire ! It contains part of the Old Testament and the whole of the New. It is one of the oldest and the most valued of the manuscripts. Tischendorf attributes it to the fourth century. There are Uncial Manuscripts and a great number of cursive manuscripts. Some of them of considerable value. The English reader will find a good account of them in Kitto's Cyclopedia, article Manuscripts. See also Alford's Greek Testament and Bissell's Historic Origin of the Bible. Our English New Testament is translated from a Greek text printed from very late Greek manuscripts, in the sixteenth century. This text, since it is the basis of our English version, is known as the Received Text or Textus Receptus.^ The discovery of ancient manuscripts since that time, the careful and critical collation and comparison of them, and the development of critical scholarship, by this very process, has led to the discovery of errors in the Received Text, and to the elucidatiou of a text which probably much more nearly conforms to the originals of the sacred writers. In this Commentary I have generally followed the text of Alford's Q-reelc Testament wherever any variation in the reading afl'ects the sense. In all such cases I have indicated the variation in the notes, and wherever there is any material question respecting the reading I have also indicated that fact, with a brief reference both to the difiisrent manuscripts and to the opinions of the leading critical scholars. These differences in the text, the reader must not forget, are for the most part of very minor importance. There are a few passages of some significance, as John 8 : 1-11, and Mark 16 : 9-20, the genuineness of which is involved in doubt. But for the most part the variations are verbal and trivial. " So great, in fact," says Mr. Bissell,* " is the harmony of teaching in all these documents, though we compare the earliest with the latest, that while three of the most important Uncials had not been discovered when our present English translation was made, and one that was known to exist was inaccessible (the Vatican), and only a single specimen of the less valuable of these most ancient vdtnesses was used (the Cambridge Manuscript), yet no person would hazard the opinion that in our English Bibles we have not, for substance, the teaching of the best documents brought to light during the last two hundred and fifty years." The slight variations in the readings, and the careful and critical examination to which they have given rise, enhance our assurance, that in all substantial respects we have the text of the original documents, whose character is testified to by so many and so independent witnesses. VII. Our English Version. — From a very early time the endeavor has been made by the church to supply the Bible in the vernacular tongue. A Greek version of the Old Testament Scriptures was in popular use in Palestine in the days of Christ, and the quotations from the Old Testament by Christ and the Apostles are generally from this version. It is known as the Septuagint, a word meaning seventy ; the name is derived » The " Received Greek Text " {Textus Receptm) on the continent of Europe, is that of the Elzevir edition of 16:3 and 1634. In England and America the " Received Text" is Mill's reprint, with a few typographical errors corrected, of Stephen's edition of 1550, often differing from the Elzevir edition. The groundlessness of its pretensions to be accepted as the Received Text of the New Testament, is shown by a writer in the Edinburgh Review for July, 1851.— Z>r. T. I. Cmant, in AbbotCs Beligious Dictionary. ' Hist&iic Origin of the Bible. OUR ENGLISH VERSION. 29 from an ancient though now discredited account of its origin. According to this legend, the Septuagint was prepared under tlie authority of Ptolemy Philadelphus (B.C. 309-247), by seventy-two scholars, who were commissioned for the purpose by Eleazar, the high- priest at Jerusalem, and were by the king shut up in the island of Pharos at Alexandria, till their task, which required just seventy-two days, was completed. That the translation was made in the third century before Christ, and at Alexandria, is probable ; the rest of the story is apocryphal. The Septuagint is rejected by the Jews and regarded by Christian scholars as imperfect. But, notwithstanding its errors, it is of inestimable value, not only in the study and interpretation of the Old Testament, but also in throwing light upon the proper rendering of the Greek of the New Testament. Next in importance to the Septuagint, which contains, of course, only the Old Testa - lament, is the Vulgate, an ancient Latin version of both Old and New Testaments. This translation was prepared by Jerome, A.D. 385-405, and since the seventh century has been adopted in the Romish Church as the authentic text of Scripture. By the Council of Trent it was ordained that this version alone should be esteemed as the authorized text, and that no one should dare to reject it under any pretence whatever. There are two principal editions of this version, called respectively, from the popes under whom they were prepared, the Sixtine and the Clementine. The latter is the standard in the Romish Church at the present day, and is the basis of the Roman Catholic English version of the Bible. This is commonly known as the Douay Version, from the fact that the Old Testament translation was prepared in the sixteenth century at Douay, in France. The New Testament translation was first published at Rheims. and is known as the Rhemish version. The translation is not from the original Greek and Hebrew, but from the Vulgate. It thus perpetuates the errors which the imperfect scholarship of the fifth century had not discovered and corrected; while the literalness of the translation renders it sometimes quite unintelligible. The best Roman Catholic scholars concede the imper- fections of the Douay and Rhemish versions, and the superiority of the Authorized or King James' version.^ The history of this version "^ carries us back to the beginnings of English history. An attempt was made to translate portions of the Bible into the English, or rather Anglo- Saxon, as early as the seventh century, by the venerable Bede ; and another, in the ninth century, by Alfred the Great ; but all these attempts were fragmentary and imperfect. They were, for the most part, loose paraphrases — poems founded on Bible narratives, or abridgments ; and down to the year 1360, the Psalter was the only book of the Scriptures literally translated into the English language. About this time Wyckliflfe, lamenting the degeneracy of the Church and the irreligion of the people, commenced and completed a translation of the New Testament from the Vulgate or Latin version. For this offence he was cited to appear before the Court of Rome, and probably nothing saved him from condemnation except his failing health and early death in 1334. Although before the days of printing, his translation seems to have been extensively circulated; one hundred and seventy manuscript copies, more or less, are still extant, some of them bearing the names of their royal owners. It is said that the yeomen were so anxious to obtain the word of God, that they often gave a load of hay for a few chapters. One and a half centuries later, William Tyndale published the first part of the Holy Scriptures ever printed in the ' In Smith's Bible Dictionary, article Versions Authorized, the reader will find a list of passages indicating the nature of the imperfections in this translation. They are chiefly of three kinds : (1) A few that are due to theological bias, such as the substitution of "do penance" for "repentance;" (2) Some that are due to the use of obsolete or un-English words, as " azymes," " pasche," " longanimity ; " (3) Some that are due to the avowed principle that the Scriptures were not intended for the common people— a principle which manifests itself occasionally in a translation that is absolutely unmeaning, as in the rendition of Ephes. 6 : 12, " Against the spirituals of wickedness in the celestials." » The following epitome is taken chiefly from my Dictionary of Religious Knowledge. 30 THE NEW TESTAMENT. English language. They were printed at Hamburg, Cologne, and subsequently at Worms; for Rome had still the control of England, and the first edition was so eflfectually destroyed, that only two copies of it are known to exist. The priests, however, overreached them- selves ; for they bought up Tyndale's Testaments at a high price, and publicly burned them, but by the operation unwittingly put Tyndale out of debt, and gave him the means to issue a larger and better edition. By treachery he was betrayed into the hands of the priests and put to death ; but his work lives to-day as the basis of our English Bible. Almost simultaneously with his death was published the whole Bible, translated by Myles Coverdale, and soon after the (so-called) Matthew's Bible, published under that name by John Rogers, the martyr. The accession of Bloody Mary drove the Reformers from England, and gave rise to the Genevan Bible, so entitled from the fact that it was pre- pared and published at Geneva. After her death the leading dignitaries in the English Church, under Queen Elizabeth, took measures for the publication of an official transla- tion, which went by the name of the Bishops' Bible. And toward the close of the six- teenth century, yielding to the pressure which had become too great to be longer resisted, the Roman Catholic authorities prepared and published the Douay and Rhenish versions already alluded to. These various versions were, in God's providence, only preparations for the great work of rendering the Bible in an authorized manner into the English tongue. On the acces- sion of James I., fifty-four of the first scholars of the kingdom, without regard to sect or party, eminent alike for learning and for piety, were appointed to make a new translation. They were engaged in the work for seven years — A. D. 1604-1611. Three years were occupied in individual investigations ; three more in systematic and united work. Only forty-seven of the fifty-four scholars were actually engaged. They were divided into six classes — two at Westminster, two at Oxford, and two at Cambridge. The books of the Bible were divided among these classes. Each member of each class translated all the books intrusted to the class. Then the whole class met, and, after thorough revision, adopted a common text. Then that text was transmitted in succession to each of the other classes for revision. Then the text of the whole Bible, approved by the entire six classes, was submitted to the final revision of six elected delegates, with six consulting assistants, and their approved manuscript was placed in the skilful hands of Dr. Smith, distinguished for his knowledge of ancient languages, to examine and prepare it for the press. In their work, not only the former English versions, but the Hebrew, Chaldee, Greek, Syriac, Latin, Spanish, French, Italian, and Dutch, were all consulted ; and among the commission were not only men eminent for Biblical learning, but men distinguished as linguists, naturalists, antiquarians, and historians. A single significant circumstance indicates how desirous the translators were to bring the reader into contact with the very letter of the originals. Eveiy word which had no direct representation in the original Hebrew or Greek was printed in italics, that it might be seen what the translators had supplied ; and in the marginal readings was added further information where the minds of the translators were in doubt. Thus it will be seen that the English version of the Scriptures is really the fruit of a century of study ; to which should be added the reflec- tion that it was prepared at a time when the Reformation was yet fresh, and the Reform- ers, scarcely free from the trammels of Rome, had not yet begun to divide into difierent denominations. There probably had never been an era in the history of the Church so < favorable for the preparation of an unsectarian translation of the Scriptures as that in which the King James version was prepared. Still, though a remarkable translation, it is not claimed by any to have been inspired or to be infallible. The state of the original text was imperfect ; the knowledge of the Greek and Hebrew grammars was less accurate and thorough than it is now ; the same PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION. 31 Greek and Hebrew word is not infrequently rendered bv different English words, and the English language itself has undergone changes which require in the translation some modifications.' These facts have at various times induced individual scholars to attempt further revisions of the whole or of parts of the Bible ; and at length a voluntaiy commis- sion has been organized, including representatives from the different Evangelical churches of England and America, and embracing the ablest Biblical scholars of both lands, to pre- pare a new and revised translation of the Bible. Their avowed purpose is, however, to accept the Authorized Version as a basis, and to introduce as few alterations in the trans- lation as is consistent with fidelity to the original. These committees, for there are two, one on the Old Testament and one on the New Testament, are now engaged upon their work. The notes in this Commentary accompany the Authorized or King James Version. Vm. Principles of Interpretation. — The Bible is not a substitute for thought ; it is a stimulant to thinking. Its office is not merely to reveal necessary truth to the unlearaed, but also to stir to the highest activity the faculties of all men. It is the store- house of divine truth, whence the centuries gather their supply. It is the widow's cruse of oil, which, forever drawn upon, never grows less. Thus it abounds with aj^othegms, proverbs, germinant philosophies enwrapped in single seed texts, which yield their fruit- fulness only to the careful and conscientious student. It treats of exjDeriences which transcend thought; it deals with themes which lie beyond the utmost vision of the imagi- nation. Its sujireme teachings are hidden alike from the careless and superficial reader, and from the prejudiced and dogmatic controversialist ; and are revealed only to the humble, earnest, and thoughtful student. For the assistance of such students, I embody here certain essential principles of interpretation, as they have been evolved in my own study of the New Testament, and have been applied and employed in its interpretation. 1. I have sought to secure the best Greek text. In general, I have followed that of Alford's New Testament ; but wherever there appeared, on careful study, any adequate reason for varying from his conclusion, I have done so. Generally the external evidences should outweigh the internal ; that is, we are generally to accept as the true text that which is indicated by the most ancient Greek manuscripts ; rarely, if ever, may we justly set aside their concurrent testimony, because the reading they afford is difficult to inter- pret or to reconcile with other passages of Scripture. 2. I have sought, by a careful study of the original, to ascertain the exact literal meaning of the words. When that has been doubtful the translations of the best scholars, in Latin, German, and English, have been compared. In determining the exact meaning of a doubtful Greek word the New Testament usage is always, and the SeiDtuagint usage is generally to be preferred to that of the classical writers. I have founded the notes on the English version, but my studies on the original Greek ; and wherever a new transla- tion seemed likely to convey more adequately or more freshly the meaning of the origi- nal, it has been given in the notes. 3. The original text and its meaning being understood, the student is next to master the general scope of the address or document which he is studying, and the aim of the speaker or writer. Texts are not to be taken out of their connection — still less to be woven into new connections and relations — to afford a basis for a doctrine, a ritual, or a discipline. The rule of legal interpretation is, in this respect, fundamental to a true interpretation of the Scripture, viz., that the parts of a document, law, or instrument are to be construed with reference to the significance of the whole. In many cases the neglect, on the part of Bible students, to put themselves en rapport with the sacred writer involves the writing ' For a fall account of the errors in our English version and the necessity for a new or revised translation, see Th& Revision of the New Testament^ combining three papers by Lightfoot, Trench, and Ellicott respectively. 32 THE NEW TESTAMENT. in needless obscurity. Thus the key to the famous parable of the laborers in the vine^ yard, in Matt., ch. 20, is given by the question of Peter in the preceding chapter, to which it is an answer ; and the still more difficult parable of the unjust steward, in Luke, ch. 16, is relieved of much if not of all its difficulty, by observing the fact stated in verse 14, " the Pharisees also, which were covetous, heard all these things : and they derided him." This hint that the parable is aimed at covetousness is the key to its right interpretation. 4. In studying the aim of the speaker or writer we may generally assume that he is to be understood as those to whom he spoke or wrote would have understood him. We are therefore to acquaint ourselves with their customs, their philosophies, their errors, their sins ; we are to put ourselves in their place, and to hear and understand as they would have done. It is indeed often true that there is more in Scripture than they could have perceived, a fullness of truth which only time could interpret. But this deeper meaning is rarely if ever inconsistent with the less profound truth, which the contemporaries of Christ and the ajjostles might, and generally would, have apprehended from the discourse or the letter. The failure to apprehend and apply this principle has involved the familiar passage concerning the power of the keys in much of its mystery.' 5. Everything in the New Testament is written for a practical or spiritual purjjose. It is not a book of abstruse metaphysics ; its aim is always the development of a divine life in the soul. It is therefore essential to a correct apprehension of its wording that the student weigh well its practical or spiritual significance. A careful and prayerful pon- dering of the question, How is this passage to make men better, to bring them nearer to God, or to render their manifestations of the divine life more luminous ? will often give the interpretation to passages which remain unsolved enigmas to unspiritual students. The spiritual and the critical study of the Scriptures must go together. The substitution of the critical for the spiritual deprives the New Testament of its soul ; the substitution of the spiritual for the critical supplants the doctrine of the Word of God with the imagi- nation of the commentator. Critical study has made great advance in modern times ; but I have found no better spiritual interpreters of the New Testament than Chrysostom and Matthew Henry, i. e., none that realize more fully, and employ more constantly, the truth that the words of the New Testament are life. In this Commentary I have devoted little space to drawing doctrinal or ethical conclusions from the text ; but I have sought always to ascertain its spiritual purpose, as a necessary condition of interpreting its true meaning. 6. According to the Roman Catholic doctrine the Bible is made for the church, and the church is its interpreter to the people. It is thus like a ship's chart, which the oflicers, not the passengers, are to consult. Protestant commentators have sometimes practi- cally adopted this view, while theoretically repudiating it. Believing that the Bible is given by God for the people, that it is meant to be their illumination and their inspira- tion in the divine life, I think it safe to assume that those interjjretations which are abstruse, involved, or obscure, those which require peculiar logical and metaphysical acumen, those which do not illumine but darken, do not inspire but deaden, which con- fuse the mind and benumb the soul, are always to be rejected. And of two interpreta- tions, one of which is characteristically ingenious and the other is characteristically simple, the preference is always, other things being equal, to be given to the latter. Ingenuity in interpretation is a fatal encomium to bestow upon a commentator. Often a knowledge of ancient life is necessary to an understanding of Scripture ; often some proficiency in divine truth ; still more frequently some attainment in spiritual experience, without which its sublimest declarations are incomprehensible.* But these attainments are open to the unlearned many as to the cultured few. Whenever after careful study I have not been » See Matt. 16 : 19, note ' Matt. 13 : 11-16 ; 1 Cor. 2 : 7-16. PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION. 33 able to find a simple and natural interpretation, I have contented myself with frankly pointing out the difficulty, stating briefly the principal interpretations of other commen- tators, and so leaving the passage for the elucidation of the future. 7. A reasonable regard is to be paid to the peculiar idiosyncrasies of the sacred writers and their peculiar circumstances. That Paul should inculcate faith, and James works, and John love; that Matthew should recount the miracles and the ethical instructions of Jesus Christ, and John his spiritual teachings, accords with the free spirit of the Gospel. The truth is divine ; its espression is human. Some consideration, therefore, of the temper- aments and mental characteristics of the writers, as indicated by their writings, and some allowance therefor is essential to the best elucidation of the truth.' From Paul's expres- sion in Rom. 9 : 3, " I could wish myself accursed from Christ for my brethren," a literal interpretation has deduced the doctrine that we ought to be willing to be damned for the glory of God. The interpreter who thus ignores the ardency and warmth of Paul's nature, and his constant use of hyperbole in the endeavor to give utterance to unutterable feeling, loses the truth which is really conveyed, a truth of experience, not of philosophy, the ardent desire for souls which should always characterize the disciple of Jesus Christ. A not less striking illustration of the consequence of ignoring or denying this principle of interpretation is affoi-ded by the doctrine of the Real Presence. This doctrine is founded upon Christ's declaration, This is my body, but with singular if not deliberate inattention to the circumstances under which it was uttered, the symbolic language of the Passover for which it was a substitution, and the fact that Christ often clothed his teaching in poetic forms, or, in other words, was a true poet. 8. Subject to these principles, due consideration is to be paid to the parallel or the contrasted teachings of Scripture. In this Commentary the material for a study of these is aflforded by the full marginal references, and by those which are incorporated in the notes. Where the meaning of any writer is in doubt, it is always legitimate to examine other utterances of the same writer, and to interpret what is enigmatical by what is clear. It is also legitimate to examine the utterances of other writers of the same general school or faith, and employ the one in interpreting the other. It is customary, upon this principle, to refer to the debates of the Constitutional Convention, and to the writings of Jefierson, Madison, Hamilton, and their contemporaries, in order to ascertain the meaning of doubt- ful phrases in the United States Constitution. The substantial hannony of doctrine of the various writers of the New Testament, and the consistency of each writer, is to be pre- sumed, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, and that interpretation is to be pre- ferred which sustains this presumption. For this reason it is true that in many cases Scripture is its own best interpreter. Thus Christ's paradoxical saying in Luke 14 : 26, *' If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother * * * he cannot be my dis- ciple," is to be interpreted in the light of the humanizing influence of his general teach- ings, and his example of filial love to his own mother. 9. But it is not legitimate to deny, limit, or interpret away the plain and unenigmati- cal declarations of a writer, in order to make them accord with his other utterances, or with the utterances of other writers. This has been often done in the predetermined endeavor to construct a system of theology and ethics out of the Bible. As in science it is the duty of the investigator to accept the plain facts of nature, to harmonize in his sys- tem such as he can, and to leave the rest to other investigators, denying nothing because he cannot understand it, so it is the duty of the Bible student to accept the plain facts of Revelation, to interpret in accord such as he can, and to leave such as do not adjust themselves to his system for the study of those that will come after him. It is my simple endeavor in this work to unfold the meaning of the New Testament, passage by passage, ' See Section IV., on the Limits of Inspifation. 34 THE GOSPELS. leaving to others to adjust the teachings in one harmonious whole. This is the work of the theologian, not of the commentator. The one constructs, the other simply gathers the materials. If there appear to be unreconciled views in the notes, there are also un- reconciled (I do not say irreconcilable) teachings in the Scripture text. 10. Finally, there is no book that has been such a battle ground as the Bible. The great body of those who accept its teachings as adequate authority, agree in respect to the fundamental truths which it teaches ; the chief differences in interpretation are between Protestant students and Roman Catholic theologians on the one Jiand, who deny that it is adequate without the church, and Rationalistic students on the other, who deny that it is authoritative. Still there are passages concerning the interpretation of which there are important and honest differences of opinion between Congregational, Presbyterian, Epis- copalian, Baptist, and Methodist students. In respect to all the more important of such passages, where a reasonable room exists for a difference of interpretation, I have endea- vored to set forth the different opinions briefly, usually indicating my own conclusion. Whether I have succeeded or not in laying aside denominational bias, it is certain that the student who wishes to get, unmixed, the teachings of the Scripture, must disabuse his mind of theological prepossessions. An unprejudiced mind is as essential to a fruitful study of God's word as a clear lens to the telescopic study of the stars. Next to the prejudices bred of sinful habits and affections, those which spring from a determination to find in the Bible a support for a previously accepted system of doctrine, or a means of assault upon a system prejudged, are the most fatal to a true understanding of the Divine Word. We must approach that Word like little children, in that we must approach it, as they their early studies, with unbiased minds, ready to receive whatever our inspired Instructor has to teach us. That I have always succeeded in applying these principles I do not claim ; to those that would build their religious faith and life upon the Bible, and the Bible only, they are none the less sincerely commended, as the conditions of a successful study and inter- pretation of the Word of God. PART II. THE GOSPELS.* I. Relation of the Gospels to Each Other. — The word Gospel is composed of two Anglo-Saxon words, God spel, meaning good news. It is a translation of a Greek word euaggelim {evayyiliov). From a cognate word is derived our English word Evan- gelist, who is, literally, a messenger or herald of good news. The title, which is com- monly given to each of the first four books of the New Testament, is interpreted by, and perhaps derived from, the announcement by the angels to the shepherds of the birth of Jesus Christ : " Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy." ' The Gospel is, then, the announcement to the world of good news, namely, the advent, incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of One whose life is our example, and in whose death is our pardon, and whose perpetual spiritual presence is the source and the assurance of spiritual life, both here and in the hereafter, to all those who accept him. Thus the word Gospel accords with and carries but the idea embodied in the title New Testament, as explained above.' A very marked difference is noticeable between the first three Gospels and the last. This difference is both external and internal. Matthew and Mark narrate chiefly Christ's ministry in Galilee, with only a brief account of teachings in Perea.' Luke narrates also the events and teachings in Galilee, but adds » Luke2:10 » SeePtrt I., SectionI » Matt, ch. 19 : - ; 20:16; Mark 10 : 1-31. RELATION OF THE GOSPELS TO EACH OTHER. 35 several chapters devoted to the report of what I believe to have been his ministry in Perea. But no incident of his ministry in Judea is related by any one of the three. " Had we only their accounts," says Dean Alford, " we could nevei* with any certainty have asserted that he went to Jerusalem during his public life, till his time was come to be delivered up." John's Gospel, on the other hand, is chiefly occupied with a narrative of the ministry in Judea. Only in the sixth chapter does he give any account of Christ's teachings in Galilee ; only in a sentence does he refer to a ministry in Perea.' The mira- cles he records as performed in Galilee are, with one exception, not mentioned by the other Evangelists ; ^ and tfie resurrection of Lazarus, the most remarkable of all the mira- cles, if a comparison can be instituted between them, is narrated only by him. The feed- ing of the five thousand is indeed narrated by John (ch. 6) in common with the others, but this is apparently only because it was the text to the discourse in the synagogue at Capernaum, which John alone reports. Even in the history of the Passion Week, where all the Evangelists narrate substantially the same events, a characteristic difference is observa- ble. Incidents which we should most expect to find in John's Gospel are omitted. He gives no account of the institution of the Lord's Supper, though fully and exclusively re- porting Christ's memorable discourse on that occasion, and makes no reference to the agony in Gethsemane, though he describes both Christ's going thither and his arrest there. A glance at the tabulated Harmony of the Gospels, given at the end of this Introduction, will further indicate to the reader how small a portion of the fourth Gospel is occupied with the narration of events or teachings given by the other Evangelists. I believe the expla- nation of this fact to be that John, who undoubtedly wrote after the others, had their narratives before him, and wrote to supply elements and incidents which they had omitted. But this view is by no means universally accepted. It is strenuously resisted by Alford. The difference in internal characteristics, between John and the other Evangelists, is even more remarkable, Matthew, Mark and Luke, are historians, John is a theologian ; they write simple historical narratives, he with a definite and an avowed doctrinal pur- pose ; they record most fully our Lord's life, he our Lord's teaching and character ; they rarely refer to our Lord's divine character and mission, except either by a reference to the fulfillment of ancient prophecy in him, or by the narration of his own teaching resjjecting himself,^ John opens his gospel with what is, perhaps, the most explicit declaration to be found in Scripture of Christ's divinity, lingers reverentially over every utterance in which Christ brings to light this truth, hidden, for the most part, from common appre- hension during his earthly life, and closes his account by declaring that, from the various signs wrought by Jesus in the presence of his disciples, he has selected those written in this book, " that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing ye might have life through his name." * The bearing of this contrast between John's Gospel and the other Gospels, on the authority of the former, will be considered hereafter." It must suflace here to state the fact, as one to be constantly borne in mind, in studying the Gospel narratives. The first three Gospels are commonly known as the Synoptic Gospels, from the fact that, to a large extent, they cover the same ground, so that from a combination and com- parison of them, a synopsis of Christ's life, though- not a complete or perfect one, may be obtained. These three Synoptic Gospels, however, by no means duplicate each other. Each con- tributes its own peculiar element. Referring the student to the sections below on the ■ 'John 10:4(M2 "John 8:1-12; 4:45-54 'Matt. 1:23; 16:16-20; 26:63,64 'Oh. 21 was probably added by John as an appendix some time after the completion of his Gospel 'See Intro, to John's Gospel. 36 THE GOSPELS. several Gospels, for a fuller account of their characteristics, we may here sum up the con- trasts between them in Bishop EUicott's brief but admirable note.' " (1.) In regard'of the external features and characteristics, we are perhaps warranted in saying that (a) the point of view of the first gospel is mainly Israelitic ; of the second, Gentile; of the third, universal; of the fourth, Christian: that (5) the general aspect, and, 80 to speak, physiognomy of the first, is mainly Oriental ; of the second, Roman ; of the third, Greek ; of the fourth, spiritual : that (c) the style of the first is stately and rhythmical ; of the second, terse and precise ; of the third, calm and copious ; of the fourth, artless and colloquial: that the most striking characteristic of the first is "symmetry; of the second, compression ; of the third, order ; of the fourth, system : that (e) the thought and language of the first are both Hebraistic ; of the third, both Hellenistic ; while in the second the thought is often occidental, though the language is Hebraistic ; and, in the fourth, the language Hellenistic, but the thought Hebraistic. (3.) Again, in respect of subject-matter and contents, we may say, perhaps, (a) that in the first gospel we have narrative ; in the second, memoirs ; in the third, history ; in the fourth, dramatic portraiture ; (i) that iu the first we have often the record of events in their accomplishment ; in the second, events in their detail ; in the third, events in their connection ; in the fourth, events in relation to the teaching springing from them : that thus (c) in the first we more often meet with the notice of impressions ; in the second, of facts ; in the third, of motives ; in the fourth, of words spoken : and that, lastly, (d) the record of the first is mainly collective, and often antithetical ; of the second, graphic and circumstantial ; of the third, didactic and reflective ; of the fourth, selective and supplemental. (3.) We may conclude by saying that, in respect of the portraiture of our Lord, the first gospel presents him to us mainly as the Messiah ; the second, mainly as the God-man ; the third, as the Redeemer ; the fourth, as the only-begotten Son of God." H. Origin of the Gospels. — "Whence did the Evangelists derive their informa- tion ? Matthew and John were eye and ear witnesses of the events and teachings which they recorded. Doubtless their personal recollection, quickened by the Spirit of God, was one chief source whence they derived their histories. But Luke and Mark were not of the Twelve. Moreover, there is, as already observed, a remarkable correspondence in the narratives of the Synoptic Gospels. Of Mark, nine-tenths ; of Matthew, a little more than half; of Luke, a little less than half, is common to the other Evangelists. In some cases the parallel passages are almost identical in language ; more generally the resem- blance is substantial, not verbal. These facts indicate that the Evangelists employed, at least to some extent, the same sources of imformation, yet wrote independently of each other. To account for the resemblance between them, four hypotheses have been proposed : 1. It has been suggested that the narrators made use of each other's work, and many have endeavored to ascertain which gospel is to be regarded as the first, which is copied from the first, and which is the last, and copied from the other two. But the theory, in its crude form, is in itself most improbable ; and the wonder is that so much time and learning have been devoted to it. It assumes that an Evangelist has taken up the work of his predecessor, and, without substantial alteration, has made a few changes in form, a few additions and retrenchments, and then has allowed the whole to go forth under his name. 2. It has been suggested that there may have been a common original gospel, since extinct, from which the three gospels were drawn, each with more or less modification. But if all the Evangelists had agreed to draw from a common original, it must have been widely, if not universally, accepted in the Church ; and yet there is no record of its » EUicott's Life of Christ, p. 46, note. ORIGDT OF THE GOSPELS. 37 existence. If the work was of high authority, it would have been preserved, or at least mentioned ; if of lower authority, it could not have become the basis of three canonical gospels. Nor is it easy to see why, if the Evangelists were transcribers, they should have made such remarkable modifications in the work from which they copied. 3. It has been surmised that our Lord spoke in the Greek language ; that the Evan- gelists reported him independently, but reporting the same words, naturally repeated each other in many cases. It is true that the most notable verbal agreements in the Synoptists are in their reports of the sayings of our Lord ; but that he spoke in Aramaic, is implied by Mark,' and it is almost certain that Aramaic was the language of the common people, to whom he addressed himself. Nor does this hypothesis suggest any explanation of the source whence Mark and Luke derived their knowledge. 4. The fourth hypothesis, the one which is now generaljy adopted by the most advanced Christian scholars, and which I think the most probable, is that the three Evangelists, in the preparation of their respective Gospels, made use of what is termed an "oral Gospel." This hypothesis — and the reader must bear in mind it is only that — may be thus stated : ^ • The apostles were chosen by Christ to be his companions while he lived, in order to be the personal vntnesses of his life, his death, and his resurrection. Almost immediately after his ascension they were scattered abroad. Driven out from Jerusalem by the Provi- dence of God, they went forth, we are told, " preaching the Gospel." ' This preaching of the Gospel was not with them, as it is with us, the unfolding of a system of truth, or its application to the heart and life of believers. It was just what the original words sig- nify, a heralding of good tidings. The early disciples went forth as witnesses to the fact that the Messiah had come ; and their preaching at first consisted chiefly in a simple description of the life, death, and resurrection of their Lord, a simple narration of the mighty works j by which he had authenticated his divine mission, and to which the apostles especially were personal vpitnesses. This historic character of their preaching is illustrated by the few glimpses of it which we obtain in the Book of Acts,"* and is further indicated by the fact that when the history to which they had been witnesses had become generally accepted, their mission appears to have come to an end. Of them all, John and Peter alone appear in subsequent New Testament history, as either theologians or ecclesiastical organizers. The result of their witness-bearing, taken up and repeated by others, would be, in a brief space of time, a generally accepted belief in respect to the fundamental facts, and the more important teachings of Jesus Christ. But this belief, though widespread, would not be systematized. Different localities and different churches would become possessed of different fragments of the whole, and in forms more or less diverse. When at length, however, the church began to spread from Judea into Greece, and Asia, and Africa, both the churches and the apostles would become sensible of the need of some more permanent record of this oral Gospel, this good news, and the demand and the supply would spring up together. Those less adapted to the work of oral teaching would reduce the current traditions to writing. And gathering their information from this common source, we should expect to find in their accoimts a certain similarity in sub- ' Mark 5 : 41 ; 7 : 34, notes ' For a faller exposition and defence of it, consult Alford's Greek Testa- ment, Prolegomena, and Westcott's Introduction to the Study of the Gospels » Acts 8:4; 11 : 19-21. * The same cardinal events which are described with the greatest fallness in the written Gospels are noticed with the most minute detail in the speeches in the Acts : the betrayal (2 ; 23) ; the condemnation by the San- hedrim (13 : 27) ; the failure of the charge (13 : 28) ; the condemnation by Pilate (3 : 13), and by Herod (4 : 27) ; the choice of Barabbas (3 : 14) ; the urgency of the people and rulers at Jerusalem (13 : 27, 28) ; the crucifixion (4 : 10 ; 5 : 30 ; 10 : 39) ; by the hand of Gentiles (4 : 27, 28) ; the burial (13 ; 29) ; the resurrection on the third day (10 : 40) ; the manifestation to fore-ordained witnesses (10 : 41), for many days (13 : 31), who did eat and drink with him after he rose (10 : 41) ; the charge to the apostles (10 : 42) ; the ascension to the right hand of God (2 : 33 ; 3 : 21)." — Westcott on the Study of the Gospels. 38 THE GOSPELS. stance, indicative of their common means of information, and certain discrepancies of form, indicative of the differences in the respective writers and in the diflferent phases of the current faith to which they had access. If we were to suppose that this oral tradition was not embodied in written narratives till after the death of the apostles, we might con- sider the authority of the Gospels questionable. But if, as I believe, our Gospels were all of them written by contemporaries of our Lord, two of them by his life-companions, the third (the Gospel of Mark) partially under the guidance of an apostle (Peter), and all of them under the inspiration of God, there is nothing in this supposition of common origin in an oral Gospel to weaken, in the least, their credibility. Their authenticity is further assured by the consideration that after they were written and were current in the churches, John wrote his Gospel, and could and presumably would have corrected any material errors if they had contained any. . The following considerations render this hypothesis a reasonable and probable one. It is the customai7 method of preparing history or biography. The conscientious modem biographer visits the most familiar friends of the subject of his work, gains by conversation with them the various inddents in the life to be described, and the traits in the character to be portrayed, and, even if himself a companion and friend, enlarges and corrects his own knowledge by such an examination of oral tradition. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, this customary method may be presumed to have been pursued by the Evangelists. It best explains the verbal discrepancies and substantial harmony of the three Synoptic Gospels, and accords with their broken, unchronological, and frag- mentary character. It accords with Luke's explicit statement of the sources of informa- tion whence he derived his own Gospel.' The early post-apostolic writers refer to such an oral tradition as one of the sources of information in their own day. Thus Irenaeus distinctly states that the great outlines of the Life of Christ were received by the barba- rous nations, without written documents, by ancient tradition ; and Papias similarly refers to his personal research among the traditions of his own day respecting the ajjostles and their teachings. The existence and importance of such a body of tradition appears thus to be well authenticated. I believe, then, with Dean Alford, " that the Synoptic Gospels contain the substance of the apostles' testimony, collected principally from their oral teaching current in the church, partly also from written documents embodying portions of that teaching ; that there is, however, no reason from their internal structure to believe, but every reason to disbelieve, that any one of the three Evangelists liad access to either of the other two Gospels in its present form ; " to which I add that in their use of this " oral Gosjjel " the Evangelists were aided either by their own personal recollections, as in the cases of Matthew and John, or in part by that and in part by the personal recollections of one or more of the apostles, as in the case of Mark, and perhaps of Luke ; that they wrote and pub- lished during the lifetime of the apostles, and when therefore any errors, if there had been any, would have received correction ; and, finally, that John's Gospel was written some time after the three Synoptic Gospels, with the knowledge of their contents, and in part to supply elements which were wanting in them, and which were necessary to a full com- prehension of Christ's character and mission. III. Harmony of the Gospels.— No one of the Gospels gives a connected and chronological life of Jesus Christ. They are not biographies, but biograjihical memora- bilia ; not connected histories, but collections of the teachings and the events in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. No one of them follows a chronological order ; no one of them gives a single date. Even the years of Christ's birth and death are left uncertain. Their » Luke 1 : 1-4. HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS. 39 records are in these respects exactly what their origin, an oral Gospel, and the inspiration of their writers, moral, not verbal, would lead us to expect.' There are, consequently, numerous discrepancies between the Gospel narratives. These are of several descriptions. Sometimes one Evangelist simply omits events recorded by another. Thus Mark gives no hint of the Sermon on the Mount, and no one of the Synoptists mentions the resurrection of Lazarus. Sometimes the order indicated in one narrative is different from that indicated in another. Thus if we only had Matthew's Gospel we should presume that the healing of the leper was performed immediately after the Sermon on the Mount, while Mark indicates another and a more probable time.* Sometimes the discrepancy is only apparent, not real. Thus Luke mentions the ordina- tion of the twelve apostles in connection with the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew gives their names in connection with the subsequent commission to preach the Gospel through- out Galilee. A careless or casual reader might easily imagine the accounts to be dis- crepant, though they are so only in appearance. Sometimes the difference is simply one of language. Thus the four accounts of the inscription over the cross differ in j)hrase- ology, as do the three accounts of the stilling of the tempest in their reports of the language of the disciples in awakening our Lord, and of his language in reply.' Some- times the discrepancy is such as would naturally arise from a difference in the point of view of the observers. Thus the variations in the four accounts of the arrest of Jesus Christ are just such as would naturally arise in reporting such a scene of confusion. Again, the accounts of the birth of Jesus given by Matthew and Luke are entirely differ- ent, but not inconsistent, one Evangelist recording one class of incidents, the other a dif- ferent class. There are a few discrepancies which, with our limited knowledge, it is difficult or perhaps impossible completely to remove. Such is the apparent difference between John and the Synoptists as to the true occasion of the Lord's Supper.* There are others which were formerly a serious stumbling-block to the Christian, but in which a fuller knowledge has discovered singular evidences of the truthfulness of Scripture. Such is the seeming geographical discrepancy in the narrative of the miraculous cure of the demoniac, which Matthew describes as performed in the "land of the Gergesenes," and Mark and Luke in the " land of the Gadarenes." ^ A careful comparative study of the four Gospels may not afford a satisfactory solution of all these apparent discrepancies, but it will conduct the conscientious and unprejudiced student to the conclusion of Dean Alford, who gives, indeed, undue weight to these natural variations in the Evangelists' narratives, but who says : " We may be sure that if we knew the real process of the trans- actions themselves, that knowledge would enable us to give an account of the diversities of narration and arrangement which the Gospels now present to us." In conducting such an investigation the following principles are to be borne in mind by the student : 1. The true chronological order of Christ's life is not to be found in any one Gospel, but is to be ascertained, if at all, by a comparison of the four accounts. It must often be only a matter of surmise. 2. No one of the Evangelists ordinarily gives a literal report of the language used. The habit of ancient authors was to embody in dramatic forms the substance of the inci- dent narrated. Of this literary habit not only the ancient histories, as Caesar and Sallust, but the Old Testament also, furnish many examples.^ Where a modern historian, narrat- ing the stilling of the tempest, would say, " The disciples awoke Christ and reproached 1 See above pages " See Matt. 8 : 1, note ' See Mark 4 : 35-41, notes * See note on the Lord's Supper, Matt. 26 : 12, 13, 30 » See for explanation of this discrepancy Matt. 8 : 28, note. " Thus, " God said, ' Let there be light.'" To whom should he say it? This is evidently simply a dra- matic and graphic portraiture of the act of divine creative will. So throughout the O. T. history the conferencea are given, not in the manner of a modern historian, but in a dialogue form. 40 THE GOSPELS. him for his indiflFerence to their danger," the Evangelists put the language of reproach into the disciples' mouths, in forms verbally diiferent, and representing slightly diflferent shades of feeling. 3. Christ often repeated substantially the same teaching, and often, apparently, clothed it in the same words. Certain aphorisms became even characteristic of his teaching. Moreover, to meet the same or similar needs, he repeated, on different occasions, substan- tially the same miracle of mercy. Thus the denouncing of the Pharisees reported by Matthew, in chap. 23, is in some sense a repetition of the previous philippic reported in Luke, chap. 11, and the feeding of the four thousand in Matt. 15 : 32-39 is in -almost all respects a repetition of the previous feeding of the five thousand, reported in chap, 14 : 15-21. 4. Hence we often find the same event or teaching reported by different Evangelists, in phraseology and in chronological connections slightly different ; and we also find teach- ings and miracles similar, yet not to be confounded, occurring on diflferent occasions ; and again we find some cases in which it is not easy to determine whether the two accounts are of the same or of diflferent events. In general we may say that when the diflferences are merely verbal and chronological it is probable that the event is the same, only the narrative diflferent ; but that when the end or object in view, or the important circum- stances, are diflferent, the events are not to be regarded as identical because similar in cer- tain minor or external respects. Thus, to suppose that Christ healed one blind man as he entered Jericho and two as he went out of it, in order to reconcile the discrepant accounts of Luke 18 : 35, etc., and Matt. 20 : 29, etc., is as unreasonable and improbable on the one side, as to suppose that the anointing described in Luke 7 : 36-50 and Matt. 26 : 6-13 are the same, because in both cases performed at a supper table and by a woman. 5. It is possible to determine with tolerable accuracy what were the great eras of Christ's life, what its outlines, what the general course and development of his ministry, and of the opposition which ended in his death. But the chronological order of the spe- cific events and teachings which belong in the several eras must probably always be largely a matter of conjecture. Applying these principles, we give, for the aid of such as wish to study the life of Christ in its connections, a sketch of that life in outline, and add, at the close of this Introduction, a tabulated harmony of the Gospels, cautioning the student that the latter, in its arrangement in detail of the Gospel narratives, represents only the best conjectures of Bible students. IV. The L.ife of Christ. — The life of Christ may be divided into eight eras, as follows : His birth and early education ; the inauguration of his public ministry ; his min- istry in Galilee ; his period of retirement ; his ministry in Judea; his ministry in Perea; his Passion ; his Eesurrectiou. His birth probably took place four years before the time indicated by our present chronology, i. e., B. C. 4; his baptism at thirty years of age, A. D. 26 ; and his death, after a ministry of between three and four years, A. D. 30.' 1. His Urth and education. — He is born in Bethlehem, whither his mother and reputed father have come from Galilee, on the taking of a census. From Bethlehem he is taken to Egypt, to escape the malice of Herod the Great, and on the king's death is carried to Nazareth in Galilee. Here he dwells till his manhood. Only one incident of his youth is narrated, viz., his disputing with the doctors in the Temple.^ Matthew (chaps. 1, 2) and Luke (chaps. 1, 2) narrate Christ's birth, each of them incidents apparently unknown to the other. 1 For a fuller sketch of the Life of Christ, from which this epitome is taken, see Abbott's Dictionary of Eeligious Knowledge, article Jesus. See also Abbott's Jesus qf Nazareth ' Luke 2 : 40-52. THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 41 2. The inauguration of his public ministry. — He first enters upon his life-work by receiving baptism at the hands of John the Baptist^ in the Jordan ; prepares for it by his mysterious experience of temptation in the wilderness ; signalizes it by his attendance on and miracle at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee, and his expulsion of the traders from the temple at Jerusalem. Here, in conversation with Nicodemus, he reveals privately the truths of atonement and regeneration, which are not publicly preached till much later. But he does not commence the public preaching of the Gospel till the arrest and impris- onment of John the Baptist, some months subsequent, though one miracle and some teaching in Samaria, consequent upon his conversation with the woman at the well, are recorded by John. This era is reported by Matt., chaps. 3, 4 : 1-11 ; Mark 1 : 1-13 ; Luke, chaps. 3, 4 : 1-13 ; and John, chaps. 1 to 4. To this period belong the journeys 1, 3, 3, and 4 on the accompanying map. Sketch Map Iixustbating the Jouenetings OF OuB LOBD. 1 and 2. First journeys : Nazareth, Bethany, beyond Jor- dan, Desert of Temptation. Re- turn : Bethany, beyond Jordan, Capernaum, Nazareth. 3. First Passover: Nazareth, Jerusalem. Return through Judea and Samaria (Si- chem, Jacob's Well), Cana, Naza- reth. 4. To Capernaum, &c. : Nazareth, Capernaum (dwelling there). 5. Feast of Purim: Capernaum, Nazareth, Nain, Bethany, Jerusalem. Return to Capernaum. 6. In Galilee, &c. : Capernaum, Bethsaida - Julias, Capernaum, Borders of Tyre and Sidon, Coasts of Decapolis, Coun- try of Dalmanutha, Bethsaida-Ju- lias, Caesarea-Philippi, Mount Ta- bor, Capernaum. 7. Feast of Tabernacles : Capernaum, Borders of Samaria, Jerusalem. Return to Perea. 8. Feast of the Dedication, &c. : Perea, Jerusalem, Bethany, Ephraim, Jericho. 9. Last Passover : Jericho, Bethany, Jemealem. 3. His ministry in Galilee. — He begins his ministry by preaching a sermon at Nazareth, where he is mobbed, and whence he departs to make Capernaum his home; calls four disciples by the seashore to follow him ; then Matthew ; then the rest of the twelve. These he ordains, and to them, in the Sermon on the Mount, he explains the fundamental principles of his kingdom. During this ministry he attends the Passover at Jerusalem, 43 THE GOSPELS. where, by his healing on the Sabbath, the first open opposition to him and his teaching is excited. He then returns to Galilee ; his ministry there is one of constantly increasing popularity, though also of increasing opposition, mainly stimulated by emissaries from Judea. He begins to employ parables, as a means of interpreting the nature of the king- dom he had before simply announced. He commissions his apostles to preach it also, and by their aid the Gospel is proclaimed throughout all Galilee. At length the jjopular enthusiasm reaches its height in a determination to make him king by force ; he declares, in the sermon which John alone (chap. 6) has reported, the spiritual character of his kingdom, and the self-sacrifice it entails ; the popular feeling, tested by this revelation, proves itself Untrustworthy ; many that were inclined to follow abandon him, and his public ministry in Galilee comes to an end. This period of Christ's ministry is reported by Matt., chap. 4 : 13 to chap. 15 : 20; Mark, chap. 1 to chap. 7 : 23; and Luke, chap, 4 : 14 to chap. 9 : 17. John reports Christ's journey to Jerusalem to attend the Passover, and his miracle of feeding the five thousand and subsequent sermon thereon, but nothing else of this period of his life.^ To this period belong the largest number of our Lord's miracles, and his simplest and most fundamental teaching, and most of his longest public discourses, particularly the Sermon on the Mount, the Parables by the sea-shore, and the Sermon or Commission to the twelve. 4, The period of Ms retirement.— Mtei the close of his ministry in Galilee, Christ spends a few brief months in retirement with his disciples, during whicfh time he visits succes- sively the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, the region about Cesarea Philippi, and the eastern coast of the Sea of Galilee, The miracles performed during this time are comparatively few, and are kept, as far as practicable, from public notice ; the indications of a constant endeavor to avoid the people are many ; and the instructions are chiefly in private, to the twelve, and concerning the principles which are to actuate them in the future conduct of the church. To this period belongs the healing of the Syro-Phoenician woman's daughter, Peter's confession of our Lord's divinity, the Transfiguration, and the feeding of the four thousand. The accounts of it are found in Matthew, chap. 15 : 21 to chap. 19 ; Mark, chap. 7 : 24 to chap. 9; Luke, chap. 9 : 18-62. John does not refer to any portion of it. This and the previous era include the journeys marked 5 and 6 on the accompanying map, and all the journeys indicated on the Map of the Sea of Gennesaret which accompanies Mark, chap. 1. 5, Tlie ministry in Judea. — This lasted for three months, from the feast of Tabernacles in October, to the feast of Dedication in December. It is reported exclusively by John, chap. 7 : 1 to chap. 10 : 39, unless, as may be the case, the parables of the Good Samaritan, and the Pharisee and Publican, and the incident iu the house of Martha and Mary ° belong to the same epoch. 6, The ministry in Perea. — This name was given to all that part of Palestine which lay beyond the Jordan. It was occupied by a population partly Jewish, partly heathen. Driven out of Jerusalem I believe that Jesus went into Perea, where he prosecuted his ministry during the winter months, and where he commissioned the seventy to aid him, as before in Galilee he had commissioned the twelve. This is a more probable account of his life than that which supposes his retirement to Galilee and the resumjjtion of his teaching there, after he had turned his back upon it and pronounced his denunciation upon the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. According to this view the chief portion of the teachings and events recorded in Luke, chap. 10 to chap. 18 : 34, together with those recorded in Matthew, chap. 19 : 1 to chap. 20 : 16, and Mark 10 : 1-31, belong to this period. From the ministry in Perea Christ was called by the intelligence of the sickness of Lazarus, and after the resurrection of Lazarus, recorded alone by John, chap, 11, retired » John, chaps. 5 and 6 » Luke 10 : 2fr42 ; 18 : 9-14. THE LIFE OF CHRIST. 43 to Ephraim, where he remained till the time for his Passion had arrived. The journeys marked 7 and 8 on the majJ, belong to this and the previous era, though I do not agree with the map in supposing that Christ went at this time into Galilee, a supposition which is not supported by evidence. 7. The Passion week. — The events of this week are recorded by all the Evangelists. Christ's triumphal entry into the city took place on Sunday. The two following days, Monday and Tuesday, were occupied with the instructions in the Temple, reported most fully by Matthew, ending with a terrible denunciation of the Pharisees, and followed b^ a prophecy, given to the disciples alone, of the impending destruction of Jerusalem and Judaism. These discourses are much more fully reported by Matthew than by Mark or Luke. "Wednesday was spent in retirement at Bethany, at which time, as I think, the supper was given to Christ and he was anointed by Mary, his rebuke of Judas Iscariot at that time being the immediate occasion of the latter's treachery. The Passover supper with the twelve in Jerusalem, took place on Thursday evening, and was followed by the agony in Gethsemane, the arrest, the mock trial, and finally the crucifixion on Friday. Compare for accounts of this week, Matthew, chaps. 21 to 27; Mark, chaps. 11 to 15; Luke, chap. 19 : 29 to chap. 23; John 12 to 19. 8. TJie Resurrection. — The accounts of the resurrection are given by Matthew, chap. 28 ; Mark, chap. 16 ; Luke, chap. 24 ; and John, chaps. 20, 21. These oiitlines of Christ's life I believe to be tolerably clear and certain. For the more detailed harmony of the Gospels, and the probable though confessedly conjectural order of the .events narrated, the student is referred to the following Harmony, which, however, he must remember is largely conjectural. TABULAR HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS. Where the same incident or teaching is treated by more than one of the Synoptic Evangelists in substantially the same manner, the notes are given in full in one Gospel, and only peculiarities of statement or diction are treated in the other. In this table the black-faced type indicates that the reader may expect to tind full notes oa the passage so marked. The notes on John are lull throughout. I. BIRTH AND EDUCATION. From b.c. 6 to a.d. 8.* "The Word" Preface, to Theophilus Annunciation of the Baptist's birth. Annunciation of the birth of Jesus.. Mary visits Elizabeth Birth of John the Baptist Birth of Jesus Christ Two Genealogies The vjratching Shepherds The Circumcision Presentation in the Temple The wise men from the East Flight to Egypt Disputing with the Doctors Jerusalem. Nazareth. Juttah. Bethlehem. Jerusalem. 18-25. 1-17. 2 : 1-12. 2 : 13-23 Jerusalem, II. INAUGURATION OF PUBLIC MINISTRY. From Summer, a.d, Ministry of John the Baptist Baptism of Jesus Christ The Temptation Andrew and another see Jesus Simon, now Cephas (Peter) Philip and Nathanael The water made wine Passover (ist) and cleansing the Temple Nicodemus Christ's disciples and John baptizing. . . The woman of Samaria Jordan. (?) Jordan. "(?) Cana. Jerusalem. ; 1-12. 13-17. ; 1-11. 1-8. 9-II. 12, 13. 1-4. 5-25. 26-38. 39-56. 57-80. 1-7. 23-38. 8-20. 21. 22-38. 39- 2 : 40-52. 26, TO Dec, 1-18. 21, 22. 1-13- 15-31. 32-34. III. MINISTRY IN GALILEE. From March, John the Baptist in prison Return to Galilee The nobleman's son Capernaum. Four Apostles called Demoniac healed there Simon' s wife' s mother healed First Circuit round Galilee Healing a leper Healing the paralytic Journey to Jerusalem to 2d Passover. . Pool of Bethesda. Power of Christ. . . . Plucking ears of corn on Sabbath The withered hand. Miracles Matthew the Publican "Thy disciples fast not" Jairus's daughter. Woman healed — Blind men, and demoniac The Sermon on the Mount The Centurion's servant The widow's son at Nain Messengers from John Woe to the cities of Galilee Call to the meek and suffering Anointing the feet of Jesus Second Circuit round Galilee Parable of the Sower " " Candle under a Bushel.. " " Growth of Seed " " Wheat and Tares " " Grain of Mustard Seed.. " " Leaven On teaching by parables Wheat and tares explained The treasure, the pearl, the net Conditions of following Christ Christ stills the storm Demoniacs in land of Gadarenes Healing of Demoniac and discourse I thereon ) Machserus. GaUlee. Jerusalem. Galilee. Sea of Galilee Galilee. 4:12; 14: 4 : 12. 4 : 13-22. 8 : 14r^i7. 4 : 23-25. 8 : 1-4. 9 : 1-8. 12 : 1-8. 12 : 9-21. 9 : 9-13. 9 : 14-17. 9:18-26. 9 : 27-34. 5:lto7:2 8 : 5-13. 11 : 2-i9. 11 : 20-24. 11 : 25-30. 13 : 1-23. 13 : 24-30. 13 : 31, 32. 13 : 33. 13 : 34, 35. 13 : 36-43. 13 : 44-52. 8 : 19-22, 8:2^8-^'4. 12 : 22-45. A.D. 28, TO Summer, a.d. 29. : 14 ; 6 : 17. 3 : 19, : 14, 15- 16-20. : 21-28. ; 29-34. : 35-39. 2 : 23-28. 3 : 1-12. 2 : 13-17. 2 : 18-22. 5 : 21-43. 3 : 13-19- 4 : 30-32. 4 : 33, 34- 4 : 35-41. 5 : 1-11. 4 : 31-37- 4 : 38-41. 4 : 42-44- 5 : 12-16. 5 : 17-26. 6 : 1-5." 6 : 6-1 1. 5 : 27-32. 5 : 33-39- 8 : 40-56. 6 : 12-49. 7 : i-io. 7 : 18-^'5. 7 : 36-50. 8 : 1-3. 9 : 57-62. 8 : 22-25. 8 : 26 39. [I : 14-26. 1 : 35-40. 1 : 41, 42. 1 : 43-51. 2:1-11. 2 : 12-22. 2:23to3:21. 3 : 22-36. 4 : 1-42. 3:24. 4 : 43-45. 4 : 46-54. t;h,. 4 : 46-54. * This chronology assumes, with Andrews, that Christ was bom B.C. 4. See Matt. 1 : 18, note. It follows Andrews, Life of oar Lord." TABULAR HAEMONY OF THE FOUR GOSPELS. MINISTRY AT GALILEE— Continued. 45 His mother and his brethren Galilee. Reception at Nazareth Tkird Circuit round Galilee Sending forth the Twelve Herod's opinion of Jesus Death of John the Baptist Machaerus. Approach of Passover (3d) Galilee. Feeding of the five thousand Walking on the sea Peter's attempt to walk on the sea.. Miracles in Gennesaret The bread of life The unwashen hands IV. PERIOD OF RETIREMENT. The Syro-Phcenician woman. Miracles of healing Feeding of the four thousand. The sign from heaven The leaven of the Pharisees. . Blind man healed Peter's profession of faith The Passion foretold . . The Transfiguration Elijah The lunatic healed The Passion again foretold . . . Fish caught for the tribute ... The little child One casting out devils Offences The lost sheep Forgiveness of injuries , Binding and loosing Forgiveness. Parable " Salted with fire " Fire firom heaven Phoenicia. Galilee. 12 : 46-50. 13 : 53-58. 9 : 35-38. 10 to 11:1. 14:1,2 14 : 3-12. 14 : 13-21. 14 : 22-28. 14 : 28-32. 14 : 34-36. 15 : 1-20. From Summer, 15 : 21-28. 15 : 29-31. 15 : 32-39. 16 : 1-4. 16 : 5-12. 14-16. 17-29. 9 : 1-6. 9 : 7-9- 16 : 13-20. 16 : 21-28. 17 : 1-9. 17 : 10-13. 17 : 14-21. 17 : 22, 23. 17 : 24-27. 18 : 1-5. 10-14. 15-17. 18-20. 21-35. Going to Jerusalem Discussions at Feast of Tabernacles Woman taken in adultery Dispute with the Pharisees The man born blind The good Shepherd Feast of Dedication Samaria. V. MINISTRY IN JUDEA Jerusalem, 6 : 53-56. 7 : i-23. .D. 29, TO Fall, a.d. 29. : 24-30. : 31-37. :l-9. : 10-13. : 14-21. : 22-20. : 27-29. : 30 to 9 : : 2-10. : 14-29. : 30-32. :Ml. : 42-48. 9 : 37-42. 9 : 43-45. 9 : 46-48. 9 : 49, 50. 17 : 1,2. 9:51-56. From Oct. to Dec, a.d. 29. VI. MINISTRY IN PEREA Beyond Jordan Perea. The Seventy disciples The Good Samaritan Mary and Martha Discourses of Jesus : time and occa- \ sion uncertain f Woman healed on Sabbath " Are there few that be saved ? " Warning against Herod Instructions at a Pharisee's house Following Christ with the Cross Parables of Lost Sheep, Piece of| Money, Prodigal Son, Unjust Stew- V ard, Rich Man and Lazarus ) Forgiveness and faith The ten lepers How the kingdom cometh Parable of the Unjust Judge " " Pharisee and Publican . . Divorce Infants brought to Jesus The rich man inquiring Promises to the disciples Laborers in the vineyard Raising of Lazarus Meeting of the Sanhedrim Christ in Ephraim Death of Cnrist foretold Request of James and John Blind man at Jericho Zaccheus Parable of the Ten Pounds wj 3 g g 2 Bethany. Jerusalem. Judea. Jericho. From Dec, a.d. 29, to March, a.d. 30. 10 : 1-24. 10 : 25-37. 10 : 38-42. i 11 : 37 to 1 13 : 9. 13 : 10-17. 13 : 22-30. 13 : 31-35. 14 : 1-24. 14 : 25-35. 1-12. 13-15. 27-30. 1-16. 20 : 17-19. 20 : 20-28. 20 : 29-34. 13-16. 17-27. 28-31. 32-34. 35-45. 46-52. chs. 15, 16. 17 : 1-10. 17 : 11-19. 17 : 20-37. 18 : 1-8. 18 : 9-14. 18 : 15-17. 18 : 18-27. 18 : 28-30. 18 : 31-34. 35-43. 1-10. 11-28. 6:4. 6 : 1-15. 6 : 16-21. 6 : 22-65. 6 : 66-71. 7 : 1-10. 7 : 11-53. 8 : 1-11. 8 : 12-59. 9 : 1-41. 10 : 1-21. 10 : 22-39. 10 : 40-42. 11 : 1-44. 11 : 45-53. 11 : 54-57. 46 TABULAE HAEMONY OF THE FOUE GOSPELS. VII. PASSION WEEK. From Sunday, 2 April, to Friday, 7 April, a.d. 30. Christ enters Jerusalem Cleansing of the Temple (2d) . The barren fig-tree Pray, and forgive " By what authority," etc Jerusalem. Parable of the Two Sons " " Wicked Husbandmen " " Wedding Garment .. The tribute-money The state of the risen The great Commandment David's Son and David's Lord Against the Pharisees The widow's mite Greeks visit Jesus. Voice from heaven Reflections of John Christ's second coming Parable of the Ten Virgins , " " Talents The last Judgment The anointing by Mary Plot against Jesus and Lazarus Last Passover (4th). Jews conspire , Judas Iscariot Paschal Supper Contention of the Apostles Peter's fall foretold Last Discourse The prayer of Christ Gethsemane The betrayal Before Caiaphas. Peter's denial Bef jre the Sanhedrim Before Pilate The Traitor's death Before Herod Accusation and condemnation The daughters of Jerusalem The Crucifixion The penitent thief Darkness and other portents The by-standers The side pierced The burial . Bethany. Jerusalem. The guard of the sepulchre,, 21 : 17-22. 21:" 23-27. 21 : 28-32. 21 : 33-46. 22 : 1-14. 22 : 15-22. 22 : 23-33. 22 : 34-40. 22 : 41-46. 23 : 1-39. 24 : 1-51. 25 : 1-13. 25 : 14-30. 25 : 31-46. 26 : 6-13. 26:1-5. 26 : 14-16. 26 : 17-30. 26 :' 31-35. 26 : 36-46. 26 : 47-56. ( 26 : 57, 58 I 69-78. 26 : 59-68. 1 27 : 1, 2, I ll-i4. 27 : 3-10. 27 : 15-26. 27 :' 27-50. 27 .■45-53. 27 : 54-56. 27:57-61. 127:62-66; 128:11-15. II : 15-18. j 11 : 12-14, 20-23. 11 : 24r26. 12 : 13-17. 12 : 18-27. 12 : 28-34. 12 : 35-37- 12 : 38-40. 12 : 41-44. 14 : 32-42. 14 : 43-52. 14 : 53, 54, 66-72. 14 : 55-65. 15 : 1-5- 15 : 6-^5- 15 : 16^37. IS : 38-41. 15 : 39-41. 19 : 29-44. 19 : 45-48. 20 : 41-44. 20 : 45-47. 21 : 1-4. 7 : 36-50- 22 : I, 2. 22 : 3-6. 22:7-23, 22 : 24-30. 22 : 31-39. 22 : 40-46. 22 : 47-53. 22 : 54-62. 22 : 63-71. 23 : 1-3. 23 :'4;il. 23 : 13-25- 23 : 26-32. 2I ; Was. 23 : 44-46. 23 : 47-49- 23 : 50-56. VIII. THE RESURRECTION. From 9 April to 18 May, The Resurrection I Jerusalem. 28 : 1-10 Disciples going to Emmaus Jer. Emmaus. Appearances in Jerusalem. At the Sea of Tiberias On the Mount in Galilee. Unrecorded Works. Ascension Jerusalem. Galilee. (?) Bethany. 28 : 16-20. 16 : i-ii. 16 : 12, 13. 16 : 14-18. 16 : 19, 24 : 13-35. 24 : 36-49. 24 : 50-53. The Gospel ACCORDING TO MATTHEW WITH NOTES AND COMMENTS. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. INTRODUCTION. By whom written. The testimony of an- tiquity is unanimous that the Gospel of Matthew was written by the apostle whose name it bears.* Its characteristics are such as one might expect from the writer. He was a publican or tax- gatherer by profession, and was thus trained to orderly and methodical habits of thought ; and of all the Gospels his is the most orderly and systematic In its arrangement. He gives more fully than any other writer the public discourses of our Lord. Thus it is that we find in Matthew by far the fullest accounts of the Sermon on the Mount, the apostolic commission, the discourse on blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, that on the duties of the disciples to forgive one another, and the whole series of invectives against the Phari- sees, as well as the parables by the sea and those that are prophecies of the destruction of the Jewish nation. t Original language. But though the au- thorship of the Gospel was never called in question until the last century, and is as well established as that of any ancient book, it is not certain that we possess this Gospel in its original form. The testimony of the early Church is unanimous that Matthew wrote originally in the Hebrew lan- guage ; and some confirmation is lent to this opinion by the fact that there are indications that he wrote his Gospel with special reference to exerting his influence upon the Jews, and from the statement of at least one of the' fathers that he belonged to the Jewish party in the Christian Church. On the other hand, doubt is thrown over this opinion, both by an examination of the statements of the fathers, and by a consid- eration of peculiar forms of language employed in the Gospel itself. The question is unsettled, the best scholars not agreeing in their judgment concerning it. If there was a Hebrew original, * For account of his life see Commentary, p. 111. For some account of this testimony see Intro., pp. 16-19. t Matt., chaps. 5-7; 10-18 : 21-25. it disappeared at a very early age. The Greek Gospel which we now possess was, it is almost certain, written in Matthew's lifetune, and it is not at all improbable that he wrote the Gospel in both the Greek and Hebrew languages. Time of composition. There are no data for determining with accuracy the exact time when it was written. The testimony of the early church, however, is unanimous that it was the first written of the Gospels ; and this is confirmed indirectly by the fact that in all copies of the N. T., and in all translations, this Gospel has been placed first. It was probably composed about the middle of the first century. Object. Whether originally written in the He- brew language or not, it is reasonably certain that it was written originally for Jewish readers. The ancient opinion that Matthew wrote in Hebrew indicates this, and the inference is confirmed by its character. "We have," says Dean Alford, "fewer interpretations of Jewish customs, laws, and localities than in the two other Gospels. The whole narrative proceeds more upon a Jewish view of matters, and is concerned more to estab- lish that point, which to a Jewish convert would be most important — that Jesus was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. Hence the com- mencement of his genealogy from Abraham and David ; hence the frequent notice of the neces- sity of this or that event happening, because it was so foretold by the prophets ; hence the constant opposition of our Lord's spiritually ethical teach- ing to the carnal formalistic ethics of the Scribes and Pharisees." Characteristics. Of these I have already in- cidentally spoken. His diction is the Hebraistic Greek of the Septuagint ; his external character as a writer is order, method, and simplicity ; his view of Jesus Christ is of him as the Messiah-King, come to establish on the earth the Kingdom of God ; and of that kmgdom he affords the most perfect delmeation in his report of the Sermon on the Mount and the Parables by the Sea, From Monteith's Comprehensive Geography. GAZETTEER. Bethany {how^e or place of dates). A well- known village about 3 miles from Jerusalem, on the eastern slope of the Mt. of Olives. Matt. 21 : 17; 26 : 6-13 ; Mark 11 : 1, 11, 13 ; 14 : 3-9 ; Luke 19 : 39 ; 3i : 50, 51 ; John 11 : 1-46 ; 11 : 18. Bethlehem (house of bread) a village 5 miles south of Jerusalem and east of the road to Hebron. It occupies part of the summit and sides of a narrow ridge which shoots out east- ward from the central chain of the Judean mountains, and breaks down abruptly into deep valleys on the north, south, and east. The village at the present time contains about 500 houses. Gen. 35 : 19 ; Ruth 1 : 19 ; 1 Sam. 16 : 4 ; 3 Sam. 23 : 15-17 ; Matt. 3 : 1-18 ; Luke 3 : 1-30. Bethphage {house of unripe figs). A village on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem, and near to Bethany, but whether east or west of it is not known. Matt. 31 : 1 ; Mark 11 : 1 ; Luke 19 : 39. Bethsaida {house offish). A town of Galilee, on the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret. Some scholars suppose two towns of the same name. This is an improbable and unnecessary hypoth- esis. See note on Mark 6 : 45. Bethsaida Julias, the only one known to have existed, was on the north shore of the sea, near the mouth of the river Jordan. Matt. 11 : 31 ; Mark 6 : 45 ; Luke 9 : 10 ; 10 : 13 ; John 1 : 44 ; 13 : 21. Caesarea Philippi. A city about 4 miles east of Dan, the Hazor and Baal-Gad of Josh. 11 : 10, 17. Its ruins are found in the little village of Banias. Matt. 16 : 13, note. Cana {reedy). A village in the hUl country of Galilee, about 9 miles north of Nazareth, and about 6 or 8 hours from Capernaum. John 3 : 1-11, notes ; 4 : 46-54 ; 31 : 3. Capernaum. A city on the sea of Galilee, the centre of Christ's missionary operations throughout Galilee. Its site is involved in un- certainty ; probably it is to be identified with Tell-Hum, an uninhabited ruin. Matt. 8 : 5, 14 ; 9 : 1, 9 ; Mark 1 : 16, 17, 31, 33 ; Luke 5 : 37 ; 7 : 1, 8 ; John 6 : 59. Choraziu {district of Zin). A town of Galilee. The site is uncertain, but recent researches tend to identify it with Kerazeh, two miles north of Tell-Hum. Matt. 11 : 31 ; Luke 10 : 13. Dalmanutha {branch). A village on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, perhaps iden- tical with Magdala. Mark 8 : 10, note. Dead Sea. CaUed the Salt Sea, The Sea, The Sea of the Plains, i. e., the Arabah, the East Sea, Asphaltic Lake, and Sea of Sodom. The Arabs terra it Bahr Lut, the " Sea of Lot." It is of an elongated oval shape, broken by a peninsula which projects from the eastern shore, near its southern end, and virtually divides the expanse of the water into two portions. It is about 46 miles long by 10 miles wide in the widest part ; its area is about 350 square geographical miles. The northern portion is of great depth, the southern is shallow. The sea, m its present extent, covers what was once the Vale of Siddim. Decapolis {of ten cities). A region in the north-eastern part of Palestine, near the Sea of Galilee. Matt. 4 : 35, note. Emmaus. A village, site unknown, 6 or 8 miles from Jerusalem. Luke 34 : 13-35. Enon. The place where John baptized. Its location is uncertain. Robinson places it near the north-eastern border of Judea, in the vicinity of Samaria. John 3 : 33. Ephraim. A city described as near the wil- derness ; that is, perhaps, the wild hiU country north-east of Jerusalem. John 11 : 54. Gadara. A Roman town south-east of Tibe- rias, giving name to the country of the Gadarenes. Matthew 8 : 38, note ; Mark 5:1; Luke 8 : 36. Galilee (cirrfe). A name originally confined to a little "circuit" of country round Kadesh- Napthali, in which were situated twenty towns given by Solomon to Hiram, King of Tyre. In Christ's time, it embraced the whole northern section of Palestine, including the ancient terri- tories of Issachar, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali. It extended from the Mediterranean to the Jordan Valley, and from the base of Mt. Carmel and the hills of Samaria, to Phoenicia and the Lebanon range. Remains of splendid synagogues still exist in many of the old towns and villages, showing that from the second to the seventh century the Jews were as prosperous as they were numerous. Josh. 30 : 7 ; 1 Kings 9:3; Matt. 4 : 15 ; Mark 14 : 70 ; Luke 17 : 11 ; John 1 : 46 ; 7 : 53. See Matt. 3 : 23, note. Galilee, Sea of. CaUed also Sea of Gen- nesaret, of Chtnnereth or Chinneroth, and the Lake of Tiberias. For map and description, see Mark 1 : 30, note. Jericho. An ancient city of the Canaanites, situated in the vaUey of the Jordan, at the entrance of two passes through the hUls, — one to Jerusalem, the other to Ai and Bethel. It is called in Judges 1 : 16; 3 : 13, "City of Palm Trees." The N. T. Jericho was 3 miles from the fountain of Elisha, the present Ain-es- Sultan. Josh.2:l-21;6:l; 2Sam. 10:5; lKingsl6:34; 3 Kings 3 : 1-33 ; Ezra 3 : 34; Neh. 3 : 3 ; 7 : 36 ; Jer. 39 : 5 ; 53 : 8 ; Matt. 30 : 29-34 ; Mark 10 : 46- 53 ; Luke 10 : 30-37 ; 18 : 35, 43 ; 19 : 1-10. Jerusalem. A city built on a promontory of rock that juts out from the table-land of Judea. GAZETTEER. Deep but narrow gorges separate it from sur- rounding hills. It is 25 feet above the level of the Mediterranean Sea, and 3600 feet above the valley of the Jordan. A valley divides its rocky foundation into two hills, and the city itself into an upper and lower town. Josh. 18 : 28 ; Judg. 1 : 8 ; 2 Sam. 5:6-9; 1 Kings 3 : 1 ; 2 Chr. 25 : 23, 24 ; Neh., chaps. 2-« ;. 2 Kings 24 : 10-10 ; 25. For map, see Matt., ch. 26, p. 257. Jordan. The only considerable river of Palestine. It rises in the Lebanon range, flows for six miles through a marshy plain, enters the waters of Merom, thence descends about nine miles to the Sea of Galilee, falling in that distance about 600 feet ; after quitting this lake at its southern extremity it becomes a headlong torrent, widening in its course, with many a precipitous fall through a strange, lonely valley, occupying in its serpentine course 200 miles in traversing a direct line of not over 60 ; and finally empties into the Dead Sea, 1316 feet below the Mediterranean sea level. From the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, it descends nearly, if not quite, 700 feet. Its width varies from 70 feet, at its entrance into the Sea of Galilee, to 180 yards at its entrance into the Dead Sea. For some of the historical events connected with the Jordan, see Josh, chaps. 3, 4 ; Judg. 8:4; 10 : 9 : 2 Sam. 3: 29; 17: 22; 19:15-39; 2 Kings 3 : 7-14 ; 5: 10-14 ; 6 : 2-7 ; Matt. 3 : 6, 13 ; Mark 1 : 5, 9, Judea. This name is now frequently applied to the whole of the Holy Land, more generally designated as Palestine. Properly speaking, however, it only signifies one of the three prov- inces into which Palestine, west of the Jordan, was divided at the time of Christ — Galilee, Sa- maria, Judea. The province of Judea comprised the territories of Judah, Benjamin, Simeon, and parts of Dan, from the Jordan to the Mediter- ranean ; it extended from the wilderness on the south to Shiloh on the north, running up, how- ever, on the sea-coast west of Samaria to a point north of Caesarea. After the disgrace of Arche- laus, A.D. 6, Judea was attached to the Roman province of Syria ; the procurator, subordinate to the Governor of Syria, residing at Caesarea. Machserns. See Matt. 11 : 3, note. Magdala. A town on the Sea of Galilee, identified with the modem el-Mejdel, a little north of Tiberias. Matt. 15 : 39 ; Mark 8 : 10, note. Nain. A city mentioned only in Luke 7 : 11. Its remains lie on the south side of the Little Hermon, two or three hours' distance from Naza- reth, on the road to Jerusalem. Nazareth. A town situated in a beautiful val- ley about five miles west of Tabor. The modern town is supposed to have been built upon the ancient site ; it has a population of 3120 persons. Matt. 2 : 22, 23, note ; Luke 3 : 39 ; 4 : 16. Palestine. This name is now universally applied to the country formerly inhabited by the Jewish people, though in the Bible it has other names, as Canaan, Land of the Hebrews, Land of Judea, Land of Promise, Land of Jehovah, and sometimes simply The Land. In size and shape Palestine does not differ widely from the State of Vermont ; its length is about 180 miles, its average breadth 65. But its variety of cli- mate, productions, and geographical features have no parallel in any section of equally limited area on the American continent. By its physical features it is divided into three long and narrow parallel sections- -the valley of the Jordan, the hill country of Central Palestine, and the rich and fertile lowlands which border on the Medi- terranean. On the north the hiUs rise into mountains, reaching, in the Lebanon and Anti- Lebanon, a height of from 6000 to 8000 feet above the level of the ocean. In the south they drop down into the level plains of the des- ert, while the waters of the Dead Sea are 1316 feet below the Mediterranean. Politically, at the time of Christ Palestine was divided into four sections — Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and Perea. See Luke 3 : 1, note and map. Perea {beyond). The region east of the river Jordan, including Bashan and Gilead, because lying beyond the river Jordan, so called ; in mod- ern literature it is often entitled the trans- Jordanic region. In the time of Christ it was fertile and populous, and inhabited by a mixed population, partly Roman, partly Jewish. It is said that the Jordan valley alone contains the ruins of 127 villages. Most of the events and incidents in Luke, chaps. 10-18, occurred in this district. Salini. Site unknown. Samaria. The province of Samaria once included all of Palestine north of Judea. That portion east of the Jordan which originally be- longed to it was taken away by the kings of Assyria; then the northern portion, Galilee, shared the same fate ; and Samaria was reduced to the dimensions which it possessed in the time of Christ. 1 Chron. 5 : 26 ; 2 Kmgs 15 : 29 ; Luke 9 : 51-56 ; 10 : 25-37 ; John 4 : 39-43. Sidon, or Zidon. An ancient city of Phoeni- cia, about 20 miles north of Tyre, and nearly 40 miles south of Beirut. See Matt. 11 : 21, note. Sychar. A celebrated city of Palestine ; called also Sichem, Shechem, and Sychem. The mod- em town is called Nablous, and contains about 8000 inhabitants. It is beautifully located in a fertile valley between Mt. Ebal and Gerizim, about seven miles south of Samaria. Gen. 23 : 18-20 ; Josh. 24 : 1-23, 32 ; Judges 9 ; 1 Kings 12 : 1-35 ; 2 Chron. 10 ; Jer. 41 : 5 ; John 4 : 5. Tyre. A commercial city of Phoenicia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. Its pres- ent population numbers between 3000 and 4000, the half being Christians. See Matt. 11 : 21, note. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. T CHAPTER I. HE boDk of the generation^ of Jesus Christ, the son of David," the son^ of Abraham. 2 Abraham'' begat Isaac ; and Isaac'' begat Jacob ; and Jacobf begat Judas and his brethren ; 3 And Judas begat Phares^ and Zara of Thamar ; and Phares begat Esrom -^ and Esrom begat Aram ;' a Luke 3 : 23, &c b ch. 22 : 45 ; Ps. ..e Gen. 25: 26 f Gen. 1 : 1-17. THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST.-The Old Testament prepares for the New.— Christ IS the consummation of Jewish history.— Har- lots (Kahab, Thamar, Bathsheba) share in the PREPARATION FOR HIS COMIN(i. — JeW AND GeNTILE, saint and sinner (Abraham, Ruth, and Rahab) abe among his ancestors ; thus the lowliest ancestry PREPARES FOR THE NOBLEST BIRTH.— ThE SON OF A PEASANT, TBCB SON OF DaVID, THE SON OF God are all one.— God preserves for his pur- pose THE PIOUS FAMILY. " It MAY GO DOWN, BUT NOT GO out; it stands BECAUSE IT WITHSTANDS." 1. The book of the generation, i. e., the genealogical register of Jesus Christ. This is the title of the first seventeen verses of this chapter, not of the whole Gospel as has sometimes been supposed. It was customary for the Jewish fam- ilies to keep with care records of their pedigree. Among the Jews the land was divided among the tribes, and according to families, the monarchy and the priesthood were both hereditary ; and these facts gave to such genealogical registers of the Jewish families a peculiar value. Instances of such records are afforded by Gen. 5:1; 3-32 ; 3.5 : 23-26. First Chronicles is full of such gene- alogies. These records were revived at the time of the restoration, and the re-settlement of the land of Israel under Ezra and Nehemiah, and the allotment of priestly and other ofHces was appa- rently determined according to them (Ezra, chaps. 2, 8 i Neh., chaps. 7, 10, is). Son of, L €., descendant of. The term son is frequently used in Scripture in this enlarged sense. The Messiah promised by the prophets was to be a son of David (jer. 23: b; Ps. i3.' : 10, n), and the chief object of this genealog- ical register of Jesus Christ appears to have been to show the Jews that he was a descendant of David, and a child of Abraham, and so fulfilled the prophecies respecting the Messiah. Another genealogical register is given in Luke 3 : 23-28. The wide differences between them have occasioned biblical students some difficulty. Luke gives the whole record from Adam ; Mat- thew begins at Abraham, and omits many names which appear in the O. T. history. Such omis- sions of unimportant names in the genealogical register are, however, common. But between David and Joseph the two lists are almost en- tirely different. This is a more serious difficulty. Without entering here into a full explanation of the difficulty and its solutipn, for which the reader must be referred to the treatises which have been written on the subject, it must suffice to say : 1st. That both genealogies were undoubt- edly taken from the public registers, that of Luke probably from the record made out for the purpose of the census ordered by Augustus, and referred to in Luke 2 : 1, 3. 2d. That both are unquestionably the genealogy of Joseph : gene- alogies of women were unknown to the Jews, and a careful comparison of the two refutes the old hypothesis that one is the genealogy of Jo- seph, and the other of Mary. 3d. That David had four sons by Bathsheba, and that Luke traces the genealogy from Nathan, one of these four sons (Luke 3 ; 3i), whUc Matthew traces it from Solomon, another son, and the inheritor of his father's throne. Thus Matthew's register shows the regal descent of Jesus Christ from David through Solomon, and his consequent right, so to speak, to sit on the throne of his father David — while Luke gives his natural and actual de- scent through Nathan, and the two come togeth- er at Salathiel. 4th. That it is probable that Mary was the cousin of Joseph, her husband ; so that in point of fact, though not in form, both genealogies are hers as well as his. 5th. That the fact that Jesus was a descendant of David does not rest alone upon the testimony of these genealogies. Psalm 133 : 11 ; Luke 1 : 33 ; Rom. 1 : 3 show very clearly that Mary also was of the family of David. The reason why Jesus is shown to be of the family of DaVid, by tracing his de- scent through Joseph, his putative father, and not through Mary, his real mother, is to be found in the fact that the Jews would not have recog- nized any fulfillment of the ancient prophecy ia a genealogy through the mother, which that age never recognized. 2-6. Judas, Greek form of patriarch Judah, eldest son of Jacob, and progenitor of the tribe of Judah, to which Jesus Christ belonged. From his name come the words Judea and Jews. Phares and Zara, same as Pharez and Zarah (Genesis 38 ; 29, so). The Tcst of the geuealogj to 54 MATTHEW. [Ch. L 4 And Aram begat Aminadab ; and Aminadab begat Naasson ; ' and Naasson begat Salmon -^ 5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab ;' and Booz begat Obed" of Ruth ; and Obed begat Jesse ; 6 And Jesse begat David" the king ; and David the king begat Solomon" of her i/tat had been the wife of Urias : 7 And Solomon begat Roboam ;p and Roboam begat Abia ; and Abia begat Asa ; 8 And Asa begat Josaphat ; and Josaphat begat Jo- ram : and Joram begat Ozias ; 9 And Ozias begat Joatham ; and Joatham begat Achaz : and Achaz begat Ezekias ; 10 And Ezekiasi begat Manasses ; and Manasses be- gat Amon ; and Amon begat Josias ; 11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon ; 12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jecho- nias begat Salathiel :' and Salathiel begat Zorobabel f 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud ; and Abiud begat Eliakiin ; and Eliakim begat Azor ; 14 And Azor begat Sadoc ; and Sadoc begat Achim ; and Achim begat Eliud ; 15 And Eliud begat Eleazar ; and Eleazar begat Matthan ; and Matthan begat Jacob ; 16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham lo David are fourteen generations ; and from David until the carry- ing away into Babylon are fourteen generations ; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. 18 Now the birth' of Jesus Christ was on this wise : When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, David is the same as that in Ruth 4 : 18-23, ex- cept that the Greek and Hebrew forms are dif- ferent, as Aram for Oram, and Booz for Boaz, &c. It is worthy of note that Ruth was a Moabite, and that thus, in the very genealogy of Christ, there is implied a rebuke of the Jewish pride of birth and disdain of the Gentile world. Boaz, too, is declared to be the son of Rachab, i. e., probably Rahab the harlot (josh. ch. 2), who was also a GentUe, and whose name, as well as that of Bathsheba, and Thamar, appears to be inserted here for the purpose of rebuking that form of Phariseeism which visits the sins of the mother on the children. Four women are men- tioned in this genealogy ; of whom three are de- scribed in the sacred history as unchaste at one time in their lives, though apparently subse- quently repentant. 7-11. These verses give the regal succession from the accession of Solomon to the captivity of the Jews in Babylon. Some confusion is pro- duced by the fact that the form of the names is changed from the Hebrew to the Greek. If we change them back to their Hebrew, i. e., to their O. T. forms, they wUl read thus : Solomon, Reho- boam, Abijah, Asa, Jehosaphat, Jehoram (there were two kings of this name, one the son of Ahab, and king of Israel, the other the son of Jehosaphat and king of Judah), Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah (1 ChrOD. 3 : 15, lo). 12. Jechonias begat Salathiel. Jeremiah (22 : so) prophesied that Jechonias should be " childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days ; for no man of his seed shall prosper, sit- ting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah." This prophecy may be under- stood to mean, however, not that he should have no offspring, but that he should have none to succeed him on the throne, as Alford inter- prets it ; or it may be that Salathiel, though not his son, but the son of Neir, and so a descendant of David through Nathan (Luke 3 : 27), was adopted as the heir of Jechonias, as Lord Hervey sup- poses (see art. on Salathiel in Smith's Bib. Diet.). Zorobabel, probably the natural son of Pedaiah, Salathiel' s brother (1 chron. 3 : 19), but adopted by his uncle Salathiel and succeeding him as head of the house of Judah. 12-17. These verses give the genealogy from the time of the Babylonian captivity to the birth of Christ. A similar register is given in 1 Chron. 3 : 19-24, and some of the persons here mentioned are also mentioned in Luke. The difEerence in the statements appears at first to be considerable ; but they are all due, probably, to the omission from one or the other of the genealogies of names deemed unimportant, or to a difference in the form of word employed for the same name, or to the employment of different names for the same person ; thus Hannaniah (chron.) and Joanna (Luke) are the same name, as also probably are Abiud (Matt.), Juda (Luke), and Hadaiah (chron.). 16. Jacob begat Joseph. Luke says that Joseph was the son of HeU ; while both Luke and Matthew agree in representing Joseph's grandfather as Matthan or Matthat. Jacob and Heli were accordingly brothers. By Jewish law even if a man died without issue, his broth- er was required to marry his widow, and the first-born succeeded to the rights of the child- less husband (Deut. 25 : s-io) ; Jacob and Heli prob- ably married in succession the same wife accord- ing to this law, and Joseph, who was the true son of one, was also legally the son and heir of the other. 17. So all the generations are fourteen. In counting these tables the first person is twice counted ; once as the beginning of a table, and once as the end of the preced- ing table. Thus Abraham is the first, and David the last in the first fourteen, David is the first and Josiah the last in the second fourteen, and Josiah is the first and Joseph the last in the third. 1 : 18-25. THE BIETH OF JESUS. — See Note [Oh. I. MATTHEW. 55 before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to malic her a public example, was minded" to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream,'' saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife ; for that which is conceived in ner is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS : for he shall save" his pet^le from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet," say- ings ' Job 33 : 15, 17 w Acts 6: 31; 13:23,38 x Isa. 1 : 14. BELOW ON Names of Jesus ; and on the Incarna- tion BEE Notes on John 1. 18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ. Ac- cording to the chronology, which regulates our present system of dates, Jesus was born in the year of Rome 754, and in the first year of the present system of reckoning, i. e., a.d. 1. But it is now generally agreed that this places his birth some years too late. Herod died in the year of Rome 750, i. e., B.C. 4. Jesus was bom during the lifetime of Herod, and certainly within less than two years previous to his death (Matt. 2 : le), i. e. , between the years of Rome 748 and 750, or between 6 and 4 b.c. The time of year of his birth is entirely unknown. There is no reason for supposing it to have occurred on the 25th of December ; that month was fixed upon for the commemoration of his birth (in the sixth cen- tury) for the purpose of drawing ofE heathen converts from the heathen festivities. (See Ab- ioWs Poindar Meligious Dictionary, article Christ- mas.) In this wise, i. e., the circumstances attending his birth were as follows. £.spoused. Among the ancient Jews the espousal or be- trothal, answering to our modem marriage en- gagement, was a formal and solemn contract, almost as much so as the subsequent wedding itself. It was ratified on both sides with oaths by the parties or their representatives. After betrothal the woman was considered to a certain extent a wife ; the contract could only be set aside by a solemn renunciation of it, answering to a divorce; and if, after the betrothal, the woman was guilty of infidelity, she was consid- ered guilty of adultery, exactly as if the marriage had taken place (Ezek. le : 8 ; Deut. 22 : 23, 24). Came together. The woman continued to live at her father's house prior to the marriage, which was completed by a public bringing of the woman to the home of her husband. Before this was ac- complished, and Joseph and Mary had begun to live together as man and wife, she was found to be with child. 19. Joseph, her husband, so called, and 80 in some sense regarded, though they were as yet unmarried (comp. Gen. 29 : 21 ; Deut. 22 : 24). Being just, i. e., haying a character such as rendered Mm unwilling to pass by what he deemed a fla- gitious offence against good morals and the law of God ; And yet not willing to make her a public example, being also kind and merci- ful, and probably greatly attached to her despite what he supposes to be her sin. Intended to put her away privately. According to the original he not merely thought of doing so, but had resolved to do so. By Jewish law the husband was final judge in all cases in which his wife was suspected of infidelity, so far at least that he might himself annul the marriage, provided, how- ever, he gave her a bill of divorcement, setting forth the reasons for his course. This must be in writing, and by the rabbinical law was re- quired to be given to her in the presence of at least two witnesses — {Lightfoot). This, however, apparently involved her in no condemnation, since she might in that case marry again (oeut. 24 : 1-4). But she could not be proceeded against criminally without a trial ; in such case, if found guilty of adultery, she was put to death by ston- ing (Deut. 22 : 22-24). Joseph proposed not to bring any criminal complaint against Mary, but simply to give her a writing of divorcement under the provision of the former of these two laws, and so separate from her. On these provisions of di- vorce, and their bearing on the questions of mar- riage and divorce, we comment elsewhere (Matt. 19 : 3-9). 20. Take unto thee Mary, thy wife,le., Take Mary to be thy wife ; do not fear to com- plete the marriage relation begun by the be- trothal For that which, etc. See on Luke 1 : 30, etc. Jesus, same as Joshua. The name of Joshua is rendered Jesus once in Acts 7 : 45, and once in Hebrews 4 : 8. See below on the names of Jesus. 22, 23. Now all this was done, etc., The prophecy referred to is to be found in Isaiah 7 : 14-16. About 740 B.C., Ahaz being king of Judah, an invasion was threatened by the com- bined armies of Syria and Israel. Ahaz was alarmed, and determined to call in aid from As- syria for his defence. God promised deliverance to Judah, and invited Ahaz to ask a sign in con- firmation. This Ahaz declined to do. Isaiah then, under divine inspiration, uttered a proph- ecy, which is confessedly somewhat enigmatical, and which Henderson renders as follows. The reader will do well to compare this translation with that of our English Bible. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son ; And shall call his name Immanuel. 56 MATTHEW. Ch. I] 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emman- uel ; which being interpreted is, Gody with us. 24 Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife •. 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born' son : and he called his name JESUS. » Butter and honey shall he eat, When he shall know to reject what is evU, And to choose what is good. But before the youth shall have knowledge To reject what is evil and to choose what is good. The land, which thou destroyest [Eng. vers, abhor- rest], shall be forsaken by both its kings. Shortly after uttering this prophecy Isaiah had a child by one who was, at the time of the proph- ecy, a virgin, and the declaration was then made by God (Isaiah 8 : 1-4) that before tliis son should be able to cry, "My father and my mother," the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shotild be taken away before the king of Assyria (Isaiah 8 : 1-4). Ahaz carried out his contemplated plan, secured the aid of the king of Assyria, and by doing so repelled the invaders. Damascus, the capital of Syria, was taken, and Rezin was slain. Shortly after Samaria was besieged by the same Assyrian king, and Israel was carried away captive. Thus, some years before the maturity of Isaiah's son, both the allied nations, leagued against Judah, were effectually destroyed (2 Kings 16-17 : 6). There are two explanations of Isaiah's prophr ecy. One is that he referred to the birth of his own son, Mahershalalhashbaz ; that his declara- tion should be translated as in our Bible, " the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings ;" and that this prophecy was literally fulfilled by the destruction of Damascus and the death of Rezin, and by the destruction of Sama- ria and the captivity of Israel, as recorded in 2 Kings 16 and 17. According to this view Isaiah did not himself have in mind the future birth of the Messiah, though the birth of his own son, and the consequent deliverance of Israel, was itself a prophecy of a greater deliverance to come, just as the raising of the brazen serpent in the wilderness was prophetic of the crucifixion of Christ. The other view is that the prophecy of Isaiah was not intended as a sign of deliver- ance but was a rebuke to Ahaz for persisting in his appeal to the king of Assyria ; that the proph- ecy should be translated as Henderson translates it in the passage quoted above ; that by it God declared to Ahaz that though temporary relief should come, yet the end of the Jewish nation was not far off, and that before the Messiah, long-promised and long-expected, should come to years of maturity, the land which Ahaz by his wickedness corrupted and destroyed, *. e., the land of Canaan, Jehovah's land, should be for- saken of both her kings, discrowned and subject- ed to a foreign power. This in fact occurred : for, at the time of the birth of Jesus, Herod was nominally king of the Jews, and after Herod's death, Archelaus, his son, reigned in his stead ; but in the 12th year of our Lord, the very year in which he evinced his wonderful discrimi- nation by disputmg with the elders in the temple (Luke 2 : 42-46), Archelaus was banished, and Judea was reduced to a Roman province. The former of these two interpretations is the more common one ; the latter appears to me to consort best with the original prophecy, and its divine fulfill- ment by the birth of Jesus Christ. It seems not reasonable, on the one hand, to unagine, as some have done, that the birth of Jesus Christ was fore- told by Isaiah as a sign for the purpose of assuring Ahaz of national deliverance, when, in fact, the deliverance preceded the sign over seven centu- ries ; nor consonant with the direct declaration of Matthew that the birth of Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, if, in fact, the prophecy had only an indirect reference to it ; nor does the birth of a child, who does not appear to have been called Immanuel, by a woman who was not at the time a virgin, appear to be a real fulfillment of the proi^hecy ; nor does it seem reasonable to sup- pose that God would encourage Ahaz in going on with his appeal to Assyria, a heathen ally, to whom he gave "the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord" (2 Kings le : s) ; while it entirely accords with the circumstances of the case to understand that the prophecies of Isaiah 7 : li-lG and 8 : 1^ are distinct prophe- cies, the latter a declaration that Judah shall be delivered speedily from Syria and Israel; the former that immediately subsequent to the birth of the long-anticipated Messiah the entire land, Israel and Judah, should be deprived of its na- tional glory, its kings discrowned, and itself re- duced to a subject province. Actual history ful- fils both prophecies, if thus understood, and thus gives to this interpretation an additional confir- mation. 24. Then Joseph took unto him his wife ; perhaps so as to preclude suspicion at- taching to her ; perhaps to convince her that no suspicion lingered in his own mind. It was, at all events, a strong attestation of his belief in the divine message. Knew her not tiJl she had brought forth her first-born son. Certainly there is nothing in this verse to imply the perpet- ual virginity of Mary. There is some doubt whether the word first-born belongs here. Alford thinks not, and suggests that it was bor- Oh. II.] MATTHEW. 57 CHAPTER II. NOW when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wse men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born'' King of the Jews ? for we have seen his star"^ in the east, and are come to worship'' him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things^ he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. : Num. 24 : 17 ; Isa. 60 : 3 djohn 5 : 23. rowed from Luke 2 : 7. The phrase seems to imply that she had other children, a question elsewhere considered (Matt. 13 ; 55). The Names of Jesus. — It was the Hebrew custom to give names possessing a special signi- fication (Gen. 27 : 36 J Exod. 2 : lo) ; and somctimes to change the name as an indication of a change of character. Thus Abram {high father) was changed to Abraham {father of a multitude), and Jacob (su2}planter), to Israel (a prince of Ood). Names given by parents might of course be meaningless, or might prove inappropriate, as Absalom {father of peace), and Rehoboam {liber- ator). The names of Jesus were given by God with the distinct recognition of their significance, and are therefore important indications of his character and work. Each of his three names, Christ, Emanuel, Jesus, are symbols of truths respecting him and his relations to us. Christ, is a Greek word corresponding to Messiah, which is Hebrew. Both mean the "Anointed One," and both are titles rather than names. The original in the 0. T. is sometimes translated Messiah, sometimes the Anointed ; and is applied to the high priests and to kings (Lev. 4 : 3, 5,16; 1 Sam. 12;3,6; 16:6; 2 Sam. 1 : 14 ; Ps. 18 : 60; 28:8; Is.45: l). Kings were not always anointed, but the essential element in the inauguration ceremonies of the high priest was anointing, and he was emphat- ically the "Anointed" to the Jews, as to the Romanist the pope (i. e. papa) is emphatically the Holy Father. The reiterated declaration of the prophets that redemption should come through the Messiah (Anointed One), was equiv- alent to a declaration that it should come through a Great High Priest ; and the high priest himself was a perpetual and living prophecy of the coming of such a deliverer. To us Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, i. e. the one whom God has anointed to be our Great High Priest, through whom we have access " with boldness to the throne of grace " (ueb. i:9; 4 : 14-16 ; ch. s). Emanuel or Immanuel is a Hebrew term signifying "God with us." The heathen relig- ions generally represent God as afar off or un- known (Acts 17 : 23). Natural religion also repre- sents him as the "Unknown" and "Unknow- able." " The soul cannever find the soft bosom of the mother in whose heart it can nestle." — (0. B. Frothmgham.) "It is alike our highest wis- dom and our highest duty to regard that through which all things exist as the ' Unknowable.' " — {Herbert Spencer.) Christianity represents him as our Shepherd, our Guardian, our Guide, our constant Companion, our supreme Comfort- er in sorrow, our strength in temptation, Im- manuel, God with us. It represents him in the 0. T. a Guide and a Deliverer (Ps. is : 23; ps. 104, 105, 107) ; in the N. T. a " God manifest in the flesh " (John 1 : 14 ; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 1 : 3. Compare Phil. 2 : 6-ll) ; and in the daily experience of the Christian he is disclosed as a God with us here and now, be- cause he dwells with us and in us, unknown to the intellect but known to the heart (Matt. 5:8; John 14 : 16-20 ; and see John 14 and IS throughout ; and compare Gal. 2 : 20, and similar passages). Jesus is a Hebrew term, signifying help, de- liverance, salvation. It is a modification of the name Joshua, which is itself an abbreviation of Jehosua, i. e., Jehovah his help (Numb, is : i6; i chron. 7 : 27). Its meaning is interpreted by the angel in verse 21, "For he shall save his people from their sins ; " observe, not from the consequences of their sins, but from their sins, i. e., from the power and dominion of sin itself (pbii. 4:13; Rom. 7 : 25 ; 8 : 27 ; Eph. 6:11, &c., &c.). This he does bccausc as our Messiah, i. e. our high priest, he takes away the burden of the past, and as our Imman- uel, i. e. God with us, he gives strength in the present, and assurance of victory in the future. Thus the three names of our Saviour — Christ, "the anointed high priest ; " Immanuel, "God with us ;" and Jesus, "he that saves" — embody the great doctrines of the gospel, that he makes atonement for the past, is our companion in the present, and so delivers us from the power of sin now, and its penalty hereafter. 2 : 1-12. VISIT OF THE MAGI. The light of na- ture IS BUT STARLIGHT. — I-T LEADS HONEST INQUmERS TO Christ by first leading them to the Script URE.— He who follows what light he has will be GIVEN more light.— The heathen enter the KrNG- DOM OF Christ before the Scribes (Matt. 8 : 11 12).— God adapts his TEAcurNG to the learner he teaches the Magi bt the stars, the ScBmES BY THE Scriptures.— It is better to believe the TEACHING OP nature AND OBEY IT, THAN TO BE- LIEVE THE TEACHING OF THE SCRIPTURE AND DIS- OBEY IT.— Herod is an example of an unbelieving BELIEVER ; HE BELIEVES THE SCRPPTURE, BUT " HOLDS IT IN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS," AND WRESTS IT TO HIS OWN HUBT (Rom. 1 : 18 and note ; 2 Pet. 3 : 16).— The SCROES POINT TO CHRIST AND YET ARE CAST-AWAY (1 Cor. 9 : 27).— The near are sometimes afar off; AND the afar off NEAR.- THE MAGI SAW THE STAR, AND REJOICED ; HeROD HEARD OP ChBIST, AND WAS 58 MATTHEW. [Ch. IL BETHLEHEM. Looking west from the Convent of the Nativity. TROUBLED (1 Kings 18 : 17; Matt. 10 : 34). Does the COMING of ChBIST give TOU jot OB TROUBLE? 1. Now when Jesus was born. The evangelist passes over the intervening results and the account of Christ's birth, and the rea- sons which had led his parents to Bethlehem, all of which are given in Luke 3 : 1-30, Beth- lehem of Judea. A village five miles south of Jerusalem. Its name Beth-lehem {house of bread) was due to the fertility of the adjacent corn- fields. The modem village contains about five hundred houses, a famous convent, within which is a large rock-hewn cave which the monks point out as the manger where Christ was born. Over this cave stands the Basilica built by St. Helena A.D. 325-337, in honor of Christ, the oldest mon- ument of Christ existing in the world. Bethle- hem is one of the oldest towns in Palestine, and has a sacred history. Near it is the tomb where Jacob buried Rachel. The supposed site is still shown to travelers. In the adjoining fields Ruth gleaned for grain and gained a husband. Here David was born and anointed king (oen. 35 ; le, 19 ; Ruth 1 : 19; 1 Sam. 16: 1-13; 2 Sam. 23 : 16-17). And here, m the fourth century after Christ, Jerome, flee- ing from persecution, accomplished the great work of his life, the "Vulgate," the translation of the Scriptures into Latin, the accepted ver- sion of the Roman Catholic Church. It is called Bethlehem in Judah or Bethlehem-Judah (Judg. 17 : 7,8,9; 1 Sam. 17 : is), to distinguish it from anoth- er Bethlehem in the tribe of Zebulun near the sea of Galilee (josh. 19 : 15). It was also called Ephrath, the fruitful (cen. 35 : i9; 48 : 7), or Ephratah (Micah 6 : s). " Herod the king. Herod is the name of a family which plays an important part in the his- tory of Palestine. Seven of that name are men- tioned in the N. T., as follows : I. Herod the Great. II. Herod Archelaus. He was a son of Herod the Great, was made by his father's will one of his heirs ; the will was confirmed by Augustus Cassar, and Herod Archelaus, with the title of monarch, received the one-half of his father's dominions, viz., Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, with the cities of Joppa and Caesarea. He is the Herod referred to below in ver. 32. Ch. IL] MATTHEW. 59 in. Herod Antipas, another son of Herod the Great, and by his father appointed tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. His ilUeit marriage to Hero- dias, wife of his half-brother Philip, was rebuked by John the Baptist ; the rebuke led to the lat- ter's execution. He was the Herod before whom our Lord was sent by Pilate during the Passion week (Luke 23 : 7). For some account of his life and character see Matt, li : 1, note. IV. Herod PhiUp I, known in the N. T. as Philip, a third son of Herod the Great, the first and lawful husband of Herodias, and the father of Salome (Matt. 14 : 3, e). He must not be con- founded with the tetrarch Philip. Owing to his mother's treachery he was excluded from all share in his father's possessions and lived in a private station. V. Herod Philip II, a fourth son of Herod the Great and made tetrarch of Batanea, Traehonitis, Auranitis and some parts about Jamnia. His territory lay east of Galilee and north of Perea. *He was the founder of Csesarea Philippi, and made a new city, which he called Julius, out of Bethsaida, on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. He married Salome, the daughter of Herod Philip I and Herodias. He was by far the best of the ruling sons of Herod the Great ; is referred to in the N. T. only in Luke 3 : 1. VI. Herod Agrippa I, a grandson of Herod the Great. He is the Herod mentioned in Acts 13 : 1-3, 33. See notes there. VII. Herod Agrippa II, a son of Herod Agrip- pa I. In A.D. 53, he was made ruler, with the title of king, of northern Palestine, the previous dominions of Philip and Lysanias. He is the Agrippa before whom Paul was tried (Acta 25 : 13, 22, 23 ; 26 : 27, 28). Scc notes there for life and character. There were other members of the Herodian family, but these are the only ones mentioned in the N. T. The Herod here referred to is the father, Herod misnamed the Great, the second son of Antipater, an Idumean, appointed procurator of Judea by Julius Caesar, b.c. 47, and subsequently receiving the title of "King of Judea " from the Roman Senate. He possessed energy of char- acter, but an unscrupulous ambition, and was remorselessly cruel. He was made governor of Galilee at the early age of fifteen, and distin- guished himself by his campaign against the brigands who infested the mountains. He trans- ferred his allegiance without scruple from Cassius to Antony, and from Antony to Caesar, as in succession they secured the possession of the political power of Rome. By Antony's influence he was made king of Judea, and on Antony's fall was confirmed in his position by Caesar. He rebuilt the temple in great magnificence in Jeru- salem, which is consequently known in history as Herod's Temple, to distinguish it from Sol- omon's Temple ; he also constructed another on Mt. Gerizim for the Samaritans and established heathen worship in Caesarea for the Romans. Ey nature jealous and suspicious, a terrible distem- per, which finally brought his wretched life to a more wretched end, aggravated the asperities of his temper. In succession, his wife's grandfather, his wife herself, and three of his own sons were slain by his command. His course on hearing that another "kingof the Jews" was born, was quite in keeping with all that secular history records of his character. He died miserably in the 70th year of his age, and the 38th year of his reign, issuing on his death-bed a characteristic order for the massacre of the courtiers whom he had called about him in his last Ulness. Thus he said he should secure universal mourning at his death. The events recorded in this chapter took place near the close of his reign, probably during the last year. There came wise men from the east. Concerning these "wise men" three questions nat- urally call for some answer : (1) Who were they? (3) From what country did they come ? (3) How should they know that the star foretold the com- ing of Christ ? (1.) The original expression is '■'■ Magi from the East.'''' The term magi is that from which comes our modern word "magician." Its etymology is uncertain. It is probably derived from a word {mogh, priest) found in the Zend, the ancient language in which the sacred books of the Per- sians wei'e written, and is connected with a simi- lar word {mahal, great) in the Sanscrit, from which the Latin magnus and our words major, magnify, magnificent, etc., are derived. This derivation corresponds with what is known of the magi, who were the priests and the great men, first of Media, afterwards of the Medo-Per- sian empire. The earliest notice, in Scripture, of this class is in Jer. 39 : 3, 13, where mention is made of Rab-mag, which is probably not a proper name, but a compound word signifying chief magi, after the analogy of such words as chief eunuch and chief butler. The same class is re- ferred to in Jeremiah 50 : 35, where our English version entitles them "wise men." But the most frequent references to them are in the book of Daniel. To this class Nebuchadnezzar ap- pealed in vain for the exposition of his dream (Dan. 2 : 1-13), and Bclshazzar for the interpretation of the handwriting on the wall (oan. s : 1-9). Dan- iel himself seems to have been in some measure identified with them, intercedes to save them from death (oan. 2 -. 24), and accepts the oflSce of the "master of the magicians" (Dan. 6: 11), which was probably that of Rab-Mag or Chief- Magi. The origin of this class is involved in ob- scurity. It is believed, however, to have origi- nally existed in the Chaldean empire, to have 60 MATTHEW. [Ch. II. 4 And when he had gathered « all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him. In Bethlehem of Judsea: for thus it is written ' by the prophet ; 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not P«. 2:2 £ Micah6:2: John 7 : 42. been preserved in the successive changes which wars of conquest produced in the political organ- ization and national complexion of the eastern world, and to have remained intact, though modified, in the successive Assyrian, Median, and Persian kingdoms. This hypothesis of the origin of this priestly class is confirmed by the fact that in the O. T. it is not unfrequently des- ignated by the title Chaldeans (Dan. 2 : 4, s, 10, etc). It certainly was not of Persian origin, and it is equally certain that it was reorganized and re- formed by contact with the Persian religion. Under the Persian empire the magi existed in three orders ; they wore a peculiar dress ; they had direction of the education of the monarch, who, as the special privilege of his rank, was permitted to become acquainted with their learning ; next to the king's wives and eunuchs, they stood nearest to his person, and constituted his chief counsellors (Esther 1 : 13), These peculiar prerogatives were due to the religious venera- tion which was paid to them (see Dan. 2 : 46). They performed all public religious rites, were the teachers of all religious truths, and were re- garded as the sole medium of communication between the Deity and his creatures. They practised divination, and by various means — au- guries, dreams, and especially a study of the stars— assumed to read the destiny of mankind, and to interpret the problems of the future. It was Daniel's pre-eminent success in interpreting the dream which the magi could not interpret that placed him at their head (Dan. 2 : 47, 48). The fact that he accepted this oflSce, and still more the fact that Nebuchadnezzer introduced as a novelty a golden image to be worshipped, and Darius, by special edict, forbade all petitions to god or man for thirty days (Dan., chaps. 3 and e), in- dicate that the magi were not image-worship- pers, and that their superstitions were mainly, or at least largely, those of honest seekers after truth, having, however, no other manifestation of God than was afforded them by nature. In later days they degenerated into mere sooth- sayers and fortune-tellers. In the N. T., except in this one passage in Matt., they appear only as impostors. To this class belonged, or pretended to belong, Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8 : 9-11) and Bar-jesus (Acts 13 : b). In classic history they are treated as a despicable class. But the itinerant magi, seeking personal aggrandizement among the ignorant, by the use of an honored name, may have been impostors, and yet the true magi in their own country, studying nature as the sole revelation given to them of an unknown God, may have been honest, honorable, and learned men, and sincere seekers after the truth; and this appears to have been the case with those magi who followed the star in the East in their search for the Messiah. Of the later legends respecting them it must suffice to say that there is nothing historical in any of them ; the legend that they were kings possibly grew out of such passages as Psalms 68 : 29 ; 73 : 10, 11, 15, and Isaiah 60 : 3, which it is hard- ly necessary to say do not refer to the worship and gifts proffered by the magi to the infant Jesus ; the legend that they were three in num- ber, preserved in song and in art, is said to have grown out of a desire to find in their visit a con-' firmation of the doctrine of the Trinity, or to see in them representatives of the three great divi- sions of the human family, descended from Noah. During the middle ages the bodies of these magi were, it was pretended, discovered; they were brought to Constantinople, thence to Milan, and finally to Cologne, in whose cathedral the shrine of the three kings is stUl shown as the greatest of its many treasures. (3;) '■'■The Ea^V was then, as it now is with us, a very general term. Probably the country in- dicated to the mind of any Palestinian Jew would be the region stretching forward from the Jor- dan to the Euphrates. Somewhere in this gen- eral district we must look for the home of the magi who visited the infant Jesus ; but whether in Arabia, Persia, Chaldea, or Parthia cannot with certainty be known. (3.) Secular history affords some answer to the third question — How should they know that the star foretold the coming of Christ ? An opinion, derived possibly through the Scriptures, pre- vailed throughout the ancient world that a Mes- siah would come at about this time. Confucius, in China, had prophesied the appearance of such a deliverer, and a deputation of his followers, going forth in search of him, were the means of introducing Buddhism into China. This belief is also recognized by Roman writers, as Tacitus and Justinius. But the clearest of all these prophecies was one by Zoroaster, the founder of the reformed religion of Persia, who had foretold the coming of a prophet, supernaturally begotten, who should found a kingdom of righteousness and peace ; and later traditions, borrowed per- haps from the faith of the Jews and the prophe- cies of Daniel, during the captivity, led the Zo- roastians to expect that this Messiah would be Ch. II.] MATTHEW. 61 of the seed of Abraham. Thus prepared to ex- pect the coming of a Messiah in Judea, the ap- pearance of a remarkable star traveling westward would naturally lead the magi to recognize in it an augury of the Messiah's coming, and to follow it to his birth-place. The coming of these magi af- fords a singularly literal fulfillment of the proph- ecy of Isaiah GO : 1-3 ; comp. that of Numb. 2i : 17. 2. We have seen his star iu the East. The ancients regarded any peculiarly bright star as a portent of the advent of some great person- age, and they also believed that at death their heroes migrated into some star. Thus Julius Caesar was deified at his death, it is said, because of a star which appeared at that time, and into which it was believed he had gone. Respectmg the star in the East an extensive literature has been written. The opinions respecting it are given below. The facts, as reported by Matthew, our sole authority, are these. The magi, coming from the East to Jerusalem, reported that they had seen a star in the East, which portented the advent of an anticipated "king of the Jews," and they came to Jerusalem to worship him ; they learned from the Council where he should be born, viz., Bethlehem; when they left Jerusalem the star again preceded them, and guided them to "where the young child was," an expression which may indicate either the town of Bethlehem or the house in the town. Concerning it the principal hypotheses may be classified as follows : (1.) That it was not a star, but a miraculous light, created for the special purpose of guiding the magi to Christ. This is perhaps the most common opinion, but it does not accord with the language of the Evangelist, who describes it as a star- (Jcnjo), not as a light (Xvxvog). (2.) That it was a meteor, or a comet. The second hypothesis is conceivable", the first scarcely so. For though the Greek word ren- dered star is used for a meteor (jude is), no me- teor, according to any known laws of its exist- ence, could have guided the magi so far, and its extinction would have been an omen full of evil to them. (3.) That it was one of the stars of heaven, then first created, or then first seen, and that the guiding was due, not to the real motion of the body itself, but to a miraculous diversion of its rays, in a manner analogous to that which is by many believed to have produced the appa- rent standing still of the sun and moon (josh, lo : 13), and the going back of the sun-dial (2 Kinia 20 : 11). This view is maintained, with no inconsider- able power, by F. W, Upham, in a monograph on The Star of our Lord. (4.) That it was a conjunction of planets, not in a true sense a mi- raculous phenomenon, and that God thus em- ployed nature to guide to Christ those who were seeking in nature for a clearer revelation of God and divine truth. It is now certain that in the year TiT of Rome, on the 20th of May, a conjunc- tion of Jupiter and Saturn occurred in that part of the heavens in which, according to astrology, signs denoted the most notable events. It was repeated on the 27th of October, and again on the 12th of November. The first of these conjunc- tions would rise, to the Assyrian, in the East, three and a half hours before sunrise. The jour- ney to Bethlehem would occupy about five months, and the November conjunction would be before them, in the direction of Bethlehem, when they were at Jerusalem. It was a tradi- tion with the Jews that a similar conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn preceded the birth of Moses, and there are indications that not only the Jews but also the Chaldeans regarded such a conjunc- tion as an indication of the near approach of the Messiah. The chief objection proposed to this hypothesis is that such a conjunction could not indicate "where the young child was," and the notion that another body of a meteoric nature did this guiding does not agree with the narrative, which identifies it as the same star. Each of these opinions is purely hypothetical ; each has difficulties. I incline to regard the latter as most consonant with the narrative, and to interpret the language of verse 9 to indicate simply that the town wherein the magi were to find the Mes- siah was indicated to them by the star. Not more than two years (verse le) nor less than five or six months intervened between the birth of Jesus and the appearance of the magicians at Jerusa- lem. The visit of the shepherds (Luke 2 : s-ie) hav- ing preceded, the babe was no longer dwelling in the stable, but in a house (verse 11). We have come to worship him. Do homage in the eastern fashion of prostration. Civil honors due to a king, not divine honors to a God, are here indicated. Yet it must be re- membered that the ancient heathen drew no clear distinction between the two, and used the same word and the same sign of homage m both cases (see Matt. 8 : 2, note). 3. Troubled— agitated, thrown into tumult. The same word is used in John 5 : 4, to indicate a stirring up of water. This is the original mean- ing of the word. The idea of uneasiness or dis- comfort is secondary. Josephus represents the commotion as stirred up by the Pharisees, who prophesied a revolution. 4. Chief priests. The priesthood were di- vided into twenty-four courses, each having its own chief or president (i chron. 24 : e). The term here used probably includes the high priest and any who had held that office, together with the chiefs of the priestly courses. Scribes— Jewish doctors or rabbis learned in the law and the commentaries thereon, the theologians of the first century. What Herod probably summoned was the Sanhedrim. It was the chief legislative 62 MATTHEW. [Ch. IL the least amongr the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a (jovemor, that shall rules my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. B And he sent them to Bethlehem ; and said. Go and search diligently for the young child ; and when ye have found him^ bring me word again, that I may comeh and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed : and, lo, the star, which they saw' m the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, theyj rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts ;' gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God' in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. 13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word : for Herod" will seek the young child, to de- stroy him. 14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt : 15 And was there until the death ot Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out" of Egypt have 1 called my eRev. 2 : 27 h Prov. 26 : 24 i verse 2 j P3. 67 : 4 k Ps. 72 : 10 ; Isa. 60 : 6 1 ch. 1 : 20 m verse 16. and judicial body of the Jews, consisted of seven- ty-one members, comprised the chiefs of the priestly courses, rabbis learned in the literature of the church, and elders chosen from the laity. It was the body before which Jesus was ar- raigned, and subsequently the apostles, as re- corded in the Acts (Matt. 26 ; 57, 69 ; Acts 4:5; 5 : 27 ; 6 : 12). 5. Prophet — Micah 5 : 2. The quotation is not exact, but the substantial thought is the same. The very body which subsequently cru- cified Jesus as an impostor, officially testifies that his birth in Bethlehem fulfills the prophecy uttered seven hundred years before respecting the Messiah. 6. Princes. The Jewish nation was divided into twelve tribes, each tribe mto families. The heads or chiefs of these families are here indi- cated. In Micah the language is ^'■thousands of Judah.'''' Here the term princes stands for the family and its city which the prince represented. Thus Bethlehem itself was the city of David. 7. Then Herod when he had secretly called the magicians, without the knowl- edge of the council, lest his object should be sus- pected and defeated. Inquired the exact time when the star appeared, that he might know what was the exact age of the infant whom he wished to slay. 8. Sent them to Bethlehem. They had evidently lost sight of the star (verse 10), and de- pended on Herod for information where the child should be found. I may come, etc. His purpose was to make sure of the chUd that he might slay him. 11. House. The throng brought together by the requirement of the census had dispersed, and Joseph and Mary were no longer in the stable (Luke 2: 7). With Mary. Possibly Joseph was not present at the time ; possibly he is not mentioned because the Evangelist recognized the fact that he was not in reality but only in seeming the father of the child. Treasures — chests or boxes. It was customary in visits to a sovereign to offer him gifts (1 Kings 10 ; 2, &c.). Frankin- cense — a vegetable resin, obtained by incisions in the bark of a tree called the arbor thuris, bit- ter to the taste, used for its odor in sacrifices (Exod. 30 : 34-36), and imported by the Hebrews gen- erally from Arabia (isaiah eO : 6 ; Jeremiah 6 : 20), thOUgh the best is said to come from Persia. Myrrh — an aromatic gum highly prized by the ancients, and used in incense and perfumes. It distils from incisions from a small thorny tree, which grows chiefly in Arabia. It is mentioned in Exod. 30 : 23 as one of the ingredients of the holy oil ; in Esther 2 : 12, Psakn 45 : 8, Prov. 7 : 17, Sol. Song 1 : 13, 3:6, etc., as a perfume. It was used also as an anodyne (Mark is : 23), and for embalming (john i9 : 39). 12. Their own country another way. They could easily go direct from Bethlehem to the Jordan river, leaving Jerusalem to the north and west. See map of Palestine. 2 : 13-23. FLIGHT INTO EGYPT.— CmsisT comes to HIS OWN, AND HIS OWN EECEIYE mM NOT (John 1 : 11) ; HE IS CAST OUT OP JUDEA, AND GOES TO THE HEATHEN. Thus the ChKIST-CHILD PROPHESIES THE FUTCIEE OP HIS OWN GoSPEL.— HEBOD EXEMPLIFrES the eollt and weetchedness of righting against God (Ps. 2 : 2-4).— Little children are the ttrbt MARTYRS. Even they enter the kingdom op HEAVEN through SUFFERING.- ThET ARE THE FIRST TO SUFFER, ABE KEPT CLOSEST IN THEIR FATHER'S CARE (Matt 18 : 10), are greatest in the kingdom OF heaven (Matt. 18 : 4).— Joseph's implicit obe- dience IS AN EXAMPLE TO US. " DUTIES ARE OURS ; EVENTS ARE GOD'S."— ChBIST'S HUMILIATION AS A NaZABENE PREPARES FOR HIS EXALTATION AS KiNG OF KINGS (Phil. 2 : 5-11). 13. Arise— at once ; there was no time for delay. Into Egypt. It was not more than three hundred miles distant, was a Roman pro- vince, was much inhabited by Jews, and was in- dependent of Herod. It therefore afforded a convenient and safe refuge. Jesus was probably between one and two years old at this time ; cer- tainly not over the latter age (verse le). 14. By night. That is, that same night. Ch. IL] MATTHEW. 63 i6 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently in- quired" of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremyp the prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. 19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and hia mother, and go into the land of Israel : for they are dead"! which sought the young child's life. 21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in i7....p Jer.31 : 15. 15. Out of Egypt. This prophecy is in Hosea 11 : 1. It primarily refers to the nation of Israel, and describes what God had done for it, ages before the prophet wrote, in the emanci- pation of the Jews from slavery. How then is it a prophecy of Christ's return from Egypt ? Be- cause the historical events in the O. T. are many of them prophetic, and point to a fulfillment in the New : the raising of the brazen serpent to the cross of Christ, the riven rock to the piercing of the side of Christ, the emancipation of Israel to the greater emancipation of humanity from sin by Christ. So the calling of Israel 1500 years before out of Egypt was itself a prophecy of the fact that Jesus should be called out of Egypt to dwell in the land of promise. "The subject of all allusions, the represented in all parables and dark sayings was He who was to come, or the circumstances attendant on his advent and reign." — {Alford.) 16. When Herod saw that he was mocked. The Evangelist describes his feel- ings ; it was one of rage against them as having deceived him and so disappointed him in his purpose. Slew all the children — i. e., male children ; the number would not have been great in a town of the size of Bethlehem. The coasts thereof— the borders, i. e., the country in the immediate vicinity. There is no authentic refer- ence to this slaughter in secular history ; but it accords exactly with what we know of Herod's character. (see on verse 1, above.) 17. 18. Jeremy. Jeremiah. The passage is chap. 31 : ver. 15. Rama — A small town in the tribe of Benjamin, and six miles north of Jerusa- lem. It was the birth-place and burial-place of Samuel, and the spot where Saul was anointed king (iSam. 1 : 19, 20; 2: 11; 8:4; 19: 18; 25: l). Not far distant from Ramah, yet south of Jerusalem and in the more immediate vicinity of Bethlehem, was the tomb of Rachel and the supposed place of her burial (oen. 35 : 18-20 ; 48 : ?). The passage in Jeremiah refers originally to an event which oc- curred very soon after the prophecy was deliv- ered. Jerusalem was captured by Nebuchadnez- zar the king of Babylon ; Zedekiah, the king of Judea, was taken captive, all his sons were put to death before his face, his eyes were then put out, and he was carried in chains to Babylon ; the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, and the chiefs of the city were carried away into captivity ; and Jeremiah himself was taken in chains as far north as Ramah, the first station where the cap- tives with their guards would rendezvous, M^here he was released (Jer. ch. 39 ; 40 : l-e -, 2 Kings ch. 5). It was in reference to this event that the prophecy in Jer. 31:15 was uttered. "It is," says Michaelis, "an exquisite figure. Rachel, during all her life ardently desirous of children, dying in childbirth, and buried on the border of Benjamin, lifts her maternal head from her tomb, looks around on the wide waste of ruin, and sees not one of her children in all the land ! She pours out her heart in most bitter tears ; then God appears for her consolation." But while this prophecy re- ceives its immediate fulfillment m the capture of Jerusalem and the terrible events which ac- companied it, it received a second and further fulfillment in the event recorded in this chapter. The one was a type and prophecy of the other. "Divine prophecies," says Lord Bacon, "being of the nature of their author, with whom a thou- sand years, are as one day, are not punctually fulfilled at once, but have springing and germi- nant accomplishment throughout many ages;" and Dr. Wordsworth adds, "have, at length, their summer blossom and autumnal ripeness in Christ. " 19. When Herod Avas dead. He died soon after at about seventy years of age, of a dreadful disease, at Jericho. The stay in Egypt is variously estimated. EUicott thinks that not over a fortnight elapsed between the flight into Egypt and the death of Herod. Greswell allows seven months ; other writers make it still longer. They are dead. The plural form is often used in speaking of kings. It is possible there is a reference to those who were concerned in the massacre ; perhaps to Antipater, a son of Herod, who was put to death by his father just previous to Herod's own death. 21. Land of Israel. Not the northern por- tion of Palestine ; it is here used as a general term for the Holy Land. 22. Archelaus. On the death of Herod the Great his kingdom was divided between his three sons, Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip. Philip's domains lay aU east of the Jordan, and outside of that portion of Palestine in which Christ conduct- ed his chief ministry. He is referred to in Luke 3 : 1. Antipas was made tetrarch of GaUlee and Perea, 64 MATTHEW. Judsea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither : notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of GaUlee :' [Ch. IL 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Naza- reth :' that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene.' 1 1 ■ 4S . . t Num. G : 13 : Jud. 13 - 5 ; 1 Sam. 1:11; Amos 2 : 10-12 ; Acts 24 : i. e., the region east of the Jordan. He is called in the N. T., Herod the tetrarch (Matt, u-.i; Luke 3 : 19; 9:1; Acts 13: i). To Archelaus feU Idumea, Ju- dea, and Samaria. His proper title was ethnarch, the liingly title perishing with his father, Herod the Great ; but in the beginning of his reign he assumed the title of kmg. This division of the kingdom is represented in a map inserted at Luke 3 : 1. Archelaus was dethroned in the ninth year of his reign, and banished to Vienne, in Gaul, where he is thought to have died. The fear of Joseph was very natural. The Jewish deputies in their complaints to Kome of the tyranny of Archelaus said, "he seemed to be so afraid lest he should not be deemed Herod's own son that he took especial care to make his acts prove it." See Josephus, Antiq. 17 : 11, 2. Notwithstanding, being warned, etc. This is ambiguous. It does not mean that he went to Galilee despite the fact that he was warned of God, but that in consequence of the divine direction he did so. He turned aside into the parts of Galilee. Matthew writes in seeming oblivion of the fact that Joseph and Mary came from Galilee in the first instance (Luke 2 : 4). He may not have known the fact ; or, writing chiefly for the Jews, he may have wished only to emphasize the fact that the birth of Jesus took place at Bethlehem in accordance with prophecy. It is observable that throughout his account he points out the fulfillment of proph- ecy. There are in these first two chapters five references to the Hebrew prophets (i :22; 2:5, 6, is, 17,18,23). Galilee. The northernmost of three provinces or districts into which Palestine, west of the Jordan, was divided at the time of Christ. (See map.) Its scenery was more ragged than that of Judea, its inhabitants a simple, humble peasantry ; industrious, unpretending, without wealth or culture, but also without those relig- ious prejudices which excluded the Gospel from the hearts of the Judeans. Twenty of their chief cities had been given by Solomon to Hiram, king of Tyre (i Kings 9 : n), but had been restored to Solomon again (2 chron. 8 : 2). The people had intermixed with other and heathen races, and thus had lost both Jewish purity and Jewish pride. Their very speech was provincial (Matt. 26 : 73). Galilee was the scene of Christ's most abundant labors ; and all his apostles, except Judas Iscariot, were Galileans. 23. Nazareth. Here first mentioned in the Bible. It reposes in the bosom of a beautiful valley on the northern edge of the plain of Es- draelon and about five miles west of Tabor. The modern Nazareth is one of the better class of Eastern villages and has a population of three or four thousand. All the mhabitants of Galilee were looked on with contempt by their wealthier and more cultured neighbors of Judea ; but Nazareth suffered under special opprobrium, and this among the Galileans as well as among the Jews (john 1 : 4g). The origin of this disrepute is not known. Called a Nazarene. No spe- cific prophecy is referred to ; but probably (this at least we tliink to be the better interpretation) those declarations in the prophets which declare of the Messiah that he should be despised and rejected of men. In fulfillment of this prophecy, he was, from the very beginning, known as a cit- izen of despised Nazareth (isaiah 53 and Ps. 22). The Bieth of Jesus. — The incidents connected Avith the birth of Jesus are narrated 07il>j by Mat- thew and Luke. Mark and John begin his life with his baptism. Matthew and Luke do not relate the same incidents ; it is only by comparing them that we get the entire story. To Matthew we are indebted for the account of the betrothal, the divine warnings to Joseph, the visit of the magi, the flight into Egypt, the return to Naz- areth. None of these incidents are mentioned by Luke. To Luke we are indebted for the ac- count of the annunciation, Mary's psalm of thanksgiving, the cause of the visit of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, the birth of Christ in a stable, the visit of the shepherds, the presenta- tion of the child at the Temple, and the prophecy of Suneon. The probable order is as follows : Mary is espoused to Joseph (Matt. 1 : 13) ; the birth of Jesus is announced to her, possibly be- fore her betrothal (Luke 1 : 26-33) ; and she visits her cousin Elizabeth and utters her psalm of thanksgiving (39-56) ; Joseph discovers that she is with child, and is told by God to take her, notwithstanding, as his wife (Matt. 1 : is-25). They go up to Bethlehem together, where Jesus is bom, and the same night the shepherds visit the chUd, having been told of his advent by the angels (Luke 2 : 8-2o) ; the chUd is presented in the Temple and the prophecy of Simeon is uttered (21-38). Meanwhile the star tu the east has ap- peared to the magi, and they have commenced their journey toward Palestine. After a journey which occupies several months, they find the child, now removed to a house, and offer their gifts (Matt. 2 : 1-12). The flight into Egypt and the massacre of the infants follow (13-23) ; and the accounts of the two Evangelists come to- [Ch. III. MATTHEW. 65 CHAPTER III. N those days came John" the Baptist, preaching in , the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of" by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilder- 1 Luke 3:2; John 1 : 6 y Isa. 40 : 3. gether again with the return of Joseph and Mary and the child to Nazareth (Matt. 2 : 23 ; Luke 2 : 39, 40). There is no inconsistency in the accounts ; but each narrates incidents which the other passes by in silence. 3 : 1-12. PREACHlIsG AKD BAPTISM OF JOHN.-Seb ON Luke 3 : 1-18. 1. In those days. A general terra, indica- ting possibly the days when Jesus was living with his parents at Nazareth, but more probably simply synonymous with " in that age or ei'a." The phrase is used in this way by the Old Testa- ment writers, e. g. Exod. 2 : 11, where a long in- terval is evidently to be supplied between the 10th and 11th verse, Moses having grown to manhood meanwhile, and similarly by us at the present time, e. g. in such phrases as "in these days of steam and electricity." An interval of about thirty years (Luke 3 : 23) occurred be- tween the birth of Jesus and the first public preaching of John the Baptist. Concerning the life of Jesus meanwhile, only one Incident is re- corded by the sacred writers (Luke 2 : 41-52). Con- cerning Christ's education meanwhile, nothing is positively known. He certainly did not receive an education in the Eabbinical schools (john 7 : 15, i-.nd note there). Jewish law required every man to teach his son a trade, even though he were des- tined to a learned profession as a theologian, and it is therefore probable that Christ worked at his father's bench learning the art of the car- penter (Mark 6 : s). It is probablc, too, that he at- tended the synagogue school ; for there Avas one connected with every Jewish synagogue, in which the children of the village were taught to read end to cipher, and were instructed In their own national history and in the Jewish Scriptures, and to some extent in the commentaries of the scribes thereon. It is certain, from the incident recorded in Luke 2 ; 41-53, that Jesus early showed a great aptitude for religious studies, and particularly for the deeper truths of re- ligion. Meanwhile, great political changes had taken place in Palestine. Archelaus had been banished, the semblance of kingly authority pos- sessed by Herod the Great had been taken away, and Judea was ruled directly by the Romans, through a governor or procurator, Pontius Pi- late. Galilee continued under the rule of Herod Antipas, and all of Christ's life and ministry con- tinued under the civil administration of these two men, Antipas in Galilee and Pontius Pilate in Judea (Luke 3 : 1). John the Baptist. He was the son of Eliz- abeth, a cousin of Marj', and was, therefore, a second cousin of Jesus. The circumstances of his birth are recorded in Luke 1. He was a Naz- arite (Lxike 1 : 15, and note there ; for an account of the tows of a Nazarite, see Numb. ch. 6) ; had Shut himSClf Up tO a solitary life of prayer and meditation (Luke i : so), from which he emerged to preach the doctrine of repentance as a preparation for the coming of the kingdom of God. His character was that of an ascetic ; he dressed in a rough garment woven of camel's hair, and lived on locusts and wild honey, food furnished him by the wilderness (see below, ver. 4). A fuller accouut of his preaching is given in Luke 3 : 4-18 ; it, however, changed in its nature after the baptism of Christ, from which time he preached not only repentance and good works as a fruit of repentance, but also faith in the Lamb of God that taketh away sin (John 1 : 29-36; 3 : 25-3g). Preaching, literally, pro- claiming as a herald. As one runs before a king announcing his coming, so John the Baptist came before Christ proclaiming the coming of the kingdom of God. Wilderness of Judea. The region between Jerusalem and the river Jordan and the Dead Sea. " This tract was not strictly a desert, but thinly peopled, and abounding in pasture for flocks."— (-'l?/o/'cZ.) The idea em- bodied is simply that he was ministering, not in the city and under the mfluence of the hierarchy, but in the country, and had rural habits and a rural education. The region is more definitely fixed by Luke 3 : 3, and by his baptism of the people, as being in the immediate vicinity of the river Jordan. He was at this time about thirty years of age, the age when, if he had intended to enter the priesthood inherited from his father, he should have come up to Jerusalem to be ex^ amined by the Sanhedrim. 2. Repent. This word in the Greek is com- posed of two words — {ut-td), after, and {roi^\ to perceive, i. e., to perceive afterwards ; hence, to change one's view, mind, or purpose. It has been even translated change your minds. But this, in the sense in which those words are ordi- narily used, appears to be clearly inadequate. No idea of sorrow for sin is involved in the ivord ; and though certainly genuine repentance does necessarily involve sorrow for the past, the radi- cal and fundamental idea is, not so much sorrovir as a change ; a change, however, be it obseiTcd, not merely of conduct, but of the thinking and immorta:l part— a change of one's view of life and truth, and a consequent change of one's pur- G6 MATTHEW. Ch. Ill] ness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And the same John had his raiment" of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins ; and his meat was locusts^ and wild honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing^ their sns. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sad- ch. 11 : 8; 2 Kings 1:8 x Lev. 11 : 22.... y Acts 1 : 5 ; 2 : 38 ; 19 : 4, 6, pose regarding life. It is interpreted by John himself in his directions to the people when they asked him what they should do (Luke 3 : 10-14), and by Jesus in the parable of the Prodigal Son, who gave evidence of his repentance not by tears, but by leaving the far country and his old companions, and his sins and consequent wretch- edness, and returning to his father with confes- sion and a humble prayer for pardon. "In the N, T., especially in St. Luke and in the Revela- tions, it denotes a change of moral thought and reflection;" hence, "to repent of anything is not only to forsake it, but to change one's mind and apprehensions regarding it." — {Cremer^s Bib- lical Theol. Diet, of N. T. Greek.) Another Greek word is used in four passages in the N. T., which is luif ortunately translated repent (Matt. 21 : 29, 32 j 27 : 3 ; 2 Cor. 7:8; Heb. 7 : 2l). ThiS WOrd iUVOlVCS more distinctly the idea of sorrow, and it is evident from its use in Matt. 27 : 3, that the idea which it embodies — sorrow in consequence of sin — is not the fundamental or principal element in a true re- pentance. Kingdom of Heaven. This phrase is used only by Matthew. The synonymous phrase. Kingdom of God, is used by Mark and Luke, "writing more especially for the Gentiles, who were to be disabused of their notion of local Deities, and taught the unity of God." — ( Words- worth.) Sometimes the phrase Kingdom alone is used, without any explanatory word (Matt. 8: 12; 9 : 35, etc.). The phrase appears, at first sight, to be used in different senses, but the meanings are really essentially the same. It always indicates a state of cheerful submission to the will of God as the Supreme King. When applied to the in- dividual, it denotes that state of heart in which God's will is recognized as the Supreme author- ity (Matt. 5 : 3). Applied to the community, it in- dicates the advent of the Messiah as the Supreme Lord (in which sense it is used here by John the Baptist), or his final advent, when all will recog- nize his supreme authority (Matt. 16 : 28). Applied to the future life, it indicates that state in which there shall be perfect submission by every heart to the Divine will (Matt. 55 : 34). The expressions " Kingdom of Heaven " and "Kingdom of God " are common in the rabbinical writers, who gen- erally mean the theocracy, and who expected in the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven the restoration of political power to the Jews and Jewish rulers, and hence to themselves, just as to the Romanist the supremacy of the church indicates, not the triumph of the principles of Christ in all organizations, but the political su- premacy of the pope and the priesthood. The peculiarity of the preaching of John the Baptist was that he taught that all the people, Jews as well as Gentiles, priests as well as people, must change their views of truth, their moral concep- tions of God and his kingdom, and their moral purposes respecting their own life, in order to enter into this kingdom. Thus it approached the preaching of Jesus to Nicodemus in his de- claration, " except a man be bom again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 3. Esaias — Greek form of Isaiah. The pas- sage is chap. 40 : 3. The prophet, contemplat- ing the restoration of the Jews from their cap- tivity in Babylon, announces the mission of John the Baptist as a herald of the Messiah. Some commentators regarded this passage as primarily a prophecy of the restoration of the Jews from Babylon, and so fulfilled long before the birth of John the Baptist, to whom they regard it as only applicable by a sort of accommodation (see Mr. Bames on Isaiah 40 : s). The better opinion (so Alford, Henderson and Cowles) regards it as more prob- ably referring wholly to John ; " first, because the words are expressly quoted by three of the inspired Evangelists as receiving their fulfillment in John (Matt. 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3 : 4-6) ; and Sec- ondly, because the way was to be prepared not for the Jews but for Jehovah himself." The language here is not that of John the Baptist but that of Matthew respecting him. It is not "I am," but "this is." But John himself refers to the same prophecy, and to himself as its fulfill- ment (John 1 : 23). Isaiah's symbol is borrowed from a common practice among Eastern mon- archs, whose kingdoms possessed no such broad highways as modern civilization has formed for all the people, and who therefore, on setting out on any great journey, were accustomed to send out pioneers to open roads through the wilderness for them, cutting through the hills and the forests, and filling up the hollows. Such a preparation for Christ's coming was the preaching of John the Baptist ; it was his mission to awaken the expectations of an inert and sluggish people; and he succeeded wonderfully in this Avork (Luke 3 ! 15). 4. Camel's hair. Not the camel's skin with the hair on, but a garment made of the shaggier camel's hair, woven into a coarse fabric like our drugget. It was recognized as a garb of the [Ch. hi. MATTHEW. 67 prophets (zech. is : 4), and is still worn in the East by the poor or those who affect austerity. His dress resembled that of Elijah, and in this respect also he fulfilled the prophecy of Malachi 4 : 5, being in other respects than his attire and ascetic habits an antitype of Elijah (Matt. 11 : w). Lo- cnsts and wild honey. '■'■Locusts'''' have been thought to designate, not the insect of that name, but the long sweet pods of the locust tree, which are still called St. John's bread by the monks of Palestine. This is a mistake. The locust proper was permitted as an article of food by Moses (Lev. U: 52). Different species of the family are referred to in the Bible, generally in connection with their great numbers, or the dev- astations which thej' commit (Exod. 10 : 12-15 ; Deut. 28 : 38 ; Joel 1 : i-i). They are, however, eaten in all parts of the world which they frequent, and in some places form an important article of food, especially among the peasantry and lower classes. In Palestine they are eaten either roasted or boiled in salt and water ; but when preserved for future use they are dried in the sun, their heads, wings and legs picked off, and the bodies ground into dust. This dust has naturally a rather bitter flavor, which is corrected by mix- ing it with camel's milk or honey, the latter being the favorite substance ; hence we may sup- pose that the food of John the Baptist was, like his dress, that of those of the people who lived at a distance from towns, and that there was no more hardship in the one than in the other. Wild honey. This existed in such abundance in the trunks of trees and the crevices of the rocks that to the ancient Israelites the land was described as "flowing with milk and honey" (Eiod. 3 : 8). There is a "honej'," so called, which exudes from the trees, and which has been supposed to be referred to here and in 1 Sam. 14 : 25 ; but the supposition is unnecessary and improbable. In some parts of northern Ara- bia the bees are said to be so abundant that no sooner is a hive deposited than it is filled. Com- pare Samson's experience in Judg. 14 : 5-9. 5. Then Avent out to him Jerusalem, etc. Not merely persons from these localities, but such multitudes that it might be said that all Judea was there ; so we say now on the occa- sion of a great procession, all New York turned out to see it (compare n : 7-15). About Jordau — i. e., the regions in the vicinity of Jordan besides Judea and Jerusalem. It would include parts of Perea, Samaria, Galilee, and Gaulonitis. (See map.) Among those that came were a delega- tion from the Sanhedrim at Jerusalem, and sev- eral Galileans who subsequently became Christ's disciples (John 1 : 15, 35-45). It should be added that the best chronologists are of the opinion that John commenced his preaching in the Sabbatical year (see Andrews' Life of our Lord, p. 139), when the laws of Moses forbade all agricultural labor, and the people, relieved from their ordi- nary toil, were at leisure for the hearing- of the truth (Eiod. 23: 10, 11; Lev. 25: 2-7; Deut. ch. 15). The Jordan — the principal river of Palestine. It rises among the Lebanon mountains in the north of Palestine, and flows almost exactly due south, first through a marshy plain to the Lake Huleh or Merom (josh. ii : s), then about nine miles to the Lake of Gennesaret or Sea of Galilee, de- scending in this distance 600 feet, and reaching, at the surface of the lake, a point 653 feet below the surface of the Mediterranean, and thence issuing a headlong torrent, crooked and precip- itous, through a narrow and desolate valley, occupying 200 miles in its course, though trav- ersing but 60 in a straight line, falling rapidly meanwhile, and finally issuing in the Dead or Salt Sea, whose surface is over 1300 feet below the level of the Mediterranean. Its average width between the two seas is from 70 to 80 yards, though at its mouth it is 180 yards. (Mr. Barnes says ninety feet, but this is evidently an error. See Lieut. Lynch's report.) The Jordan thus divides the Holy Land into two sections very clearly separated, partly by its waters, yet more by the valley or gorge through which it flows. This separation exerted an important in- fluence on the history of the Jewish people, a part of the tribes, Reuben, Gad, and half of Ma- nasseh remaining, in the distribution of the land, east of the Jordan, and never fully assimilating with their brethren. In O. T. times this region is described sometimes as the land " on this side Jordan " (Numb. 32: 19), and sometimes as the land "beyond Jordan" (josh. 13 : s), or "the other side Jordan" (joah. 7: 7), according as the location of the writer is east or west of the river. But the phrase "beyond Jordan," in the N. T. (johni: 28; 3 : 26), signifies the district east of the river. It is known in secular history by the name Perea, sig- nifying "beyond." 6. And was baptized. See note below on baptism of Jesus. Confessing their sins. The idea of a public and united confession ap- pears to be involved in the original Greek word, which is composed of three words («z ouo? /t/to) and signifies to speak out together. It is clear, both from this word and from Luke 3 : 10-15, that it is not a private confession to John which is indicated, and that the passage affords no foundation for the doctrine of auricular confes- sion, in support of which it has been quoted. The same word is used in Acts 19 : 18, where the confession evidently was open and public, and in James 5 : 16, where the original shows that a mutual and common confession of faults, not a private confession to the ear of the priest alone, is intended. 7. Pharisees and Sadducees. Phari- G8 MATTHEW. Ch. Ill] sees. This term meets us here for the first time in the Bible. The Pharisees are generally defined as a Jewish sect, but in fact they constituted the orthodox party in Judaism, and embraced the great body of the people. Historically the Phar- isees were the reformers of the second century before Christ. The sect arose as a protest against heathen corruptions during the period subse- quent to the captivity. The two characteristic features of their creed were faith in immortality and faith in the absolute decrees of God. They believed that all things were ordered by his will, that nothing therefore went wrong. They bor- rowed their hope from the future, and believed that whatever appeared to go wrong here God would set right hereafter. But the laws of Moses contain no clear revelation of any future state. In the main they represent God's gov- ernment as administered by temporal rewards and punishments. The Pharisees, accordinglj-, invented a singular fiction to give authority to their belief. They asserted that during the forty days which Moses spent in the Mount, Jehovah gave him an additional revelation, in which he promulgated the doctrine of a future life and the duty of prayer, and aflorded an authoritative interpretation of all the written law. This addi- tional revelation, it v/as said, had been handed down orally from generation to generation, and it was regarded by the rabbis as of equal bind- ing force with the Scriptures. Such a doctrine opened wide the door to corruption. These oral traditions soon outgrew the written word, and became to the Pharisees what, in the middle ages, the decrees of the Church were to the Romanist. The Scriptures took a subordinate place ; to read them, except in the light of the authoritative interpretation, was denounced as equivalent to atheism. This doctrine led in the first century, as in the middle ages, to a rigorous but fruitless ceremonialism. All outward forms of the law were observed by the Pharisaic lead- ers; but to personal morals they were for the most part profoundly indifferent (see Matt. 15 : 2-6, and note there). It is true that somc of the rabbis inculcated a pure and high-toned morality, but more frequently the spirit of even their purest ethics was mercenary. The basis of their moral- ity was the maxim, "Consider for whom thou dost work, and what is thy master who will pay thee thy wages." There were among the Phari- sees some pure spirits, who desired if they did not fully appreciate a more spiritual religion, and who thus were in some measure prepared for at least the ethical teachings of Jesus (Luke 10 .- 45-28 ; Mark 12 : 33 ; 15 : 43 ; John 7 : 60 ; Acts 15 : 5). But tllis party was neither strong in numbers nor in cour- age. Thus despite some pure precepts in their inculcations, the characteristic feature of their religion was a pious formalism thinly covering an intensely selfish spirit. They fasted and prayed with great regularity and precision, but generally in public and for applause. They paid tithes of all they possessed, but their almsgiving was without genuine love. They ignored the precepts of religion in their lives, but were care- ful to inscribe them on pieces of parchment bound on their foreheads, and to engrave them upon the lintels of their doors. Religion became a trade. "Three things," so ran their proverb, "will make thee prosper — prayer, alms, and penitence." They were not all hypocrites ; there were many honest but mistaken souls among them. Such was Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee of the Pharisees. Their hypocrisy, too, was for the most part unconscious, and they hid from themselves more effectually than from others the selfishness of their hearts by the rigor of their lives. This was the school which consti- tuted Christ's bitterest foe while he lived, which compassed his death, and which endeavored in vain to destroy the effect of his teachings. And it is hardly too much to say that the spirit of Pharisaism has continued to be in all ages the most dangerous and deadly enemy of Christian- ity, even when it has assumed the name and pre- tended to revere the memory of Jesus Christ. Sadducees. The infidels and materialists of the first century. They probably derive their name from one Zadok, who is supposed to have been their founder. They maintained that jus- tice is administered in this life, denied the exist- ence of the soul beyond the grave, repudiated not only the oral tradition of the Pharisees, but also the books of the Bible, except the Penta- teuch ; insisted, theoretically, that virtue should be practiced for its own sake, not for the sake of any hoped-for reward ; denied, not the existence of a God, but his control over and interest in the affairs of men ; were naturally led by this theol- ogy into a loose and easy morality, the motto of which was, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die;" and were quite ready to affiliate with the Gentiles if place, power, or wealth could be obtained by so doing. The Pharisees were pop- ular with the common people, who revered them for the real austerity of their doctrine and the seeming austerity of their lives. The Sadducees consisted wholly of men of a cold and heartless culture, but embraced a considerable portion of the priestly class, who performed with uncon- cern ceremonies in which they no longer had any faith. Their philosophy was a purely negative philosophy, though the same principles reappear in new forms from age to age, in the same or a similar class of minds. Sadduceeism, as a dis- tinct school of philosophy, has long since per- ished from Judea, and not even a trace of its in- fluence or a remnant of its literature has survived, except that which is incidentally found in the Ch. Ill] MATTHEW. ducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O gen- eration?, ot vipers, who hatn warned you to flee" trom the wrath to come ? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance : 9 And think not to say within yourselves. We have Abraham to our father : for I say unto you, that God ch. 12: M; 23 : 33 ; Isa. 59 : 5; Luke 3 : 7 a Jer. 51 : 6 ; Rom. 1 : 18. four Gospels and in the writings of the theologi- cal opponents of the Sadducees, the Pharisees. To this mention of the two prmcipal Jewish sects or schools of philosophy should be added, perhaps here, a paragraph concerning a third, which is not, however, directly referred to in the N. T. — the Ussenes, who may be briefly described as the Shakers of their age. "They lived in communities by themselves. They discouraged marriage. The higher orders forbade it. They mamtained an absolute community of goods. They abhorred alike war, slavery, and commerce. Their Avages were regulated by an inflexible sys- tem, administered by an absolute ecclesiastical superior. The hours of prayer, meals, labor, were all fixed by rigorous rules. Their doctrine was simple, but mystical. Their morals were pure, but austere. Their religious forms were observed with a rigor which even surpassed that of the Pharisees, but were accompanied with a life of practical virtue which rarely found a par- allel in the Pharisaic life. They were initiated into the order by a secret service and a novitiate of three years, and were, at its close, bound by the most solemn oaths ' to observe piety, justice, obedience, honesty, and secrecy.' For violation of his oath, the offender was excommunicated. Having sworn that he would receive no food save from his own sect, and driven by excommunica- tion from their table, he perished miserably of starvation. Four thousand of these ascetics lived in settlements of their own, chiefly in the wild region which borders the Dead Sea. They did not intermingle with their own countrymen. They exerted no influence upon the religious opinions and practices of their neighbors. They never seem to have come in contact with Christ." — {Abbotfs Jesus of Nazareth.) It has been soberly maintained by De Quincy that this latter sect were disciples of Christ, who were misrepre- Bented by Josephus, from whom most of our knowledge of them is derived, while other and skeptical critics have endeavored to maintain that Christianity was itself an outgrowth of Es- senism. Neither view, however, has any warrant in history. The strongest antagonism exists be- tween the life of bondage of the one and the spirit of freedom of the other. Doubtless the monastic habits of early and mediseval Christian- ity were analogous to those of the Essenes, but they were not in accordance with the precepts of Jesus Christ. Come to his baptism. Why ? Some think to oppose it. This is not probable, and there is nothing in the account to indicate it. It is clear, on the other hand, from Matt. 21 : 33, and Luke 7 : 30, 33, that the Pharisees were not in any con- siderable number baptized by John. Apparently, his preaching had produced a very great agita- tion, and they came as onlookers, and to some extent as inquirers. The latter fact is indicated by the statement of John (1 : 19), that a delega- tion were sent out from Jerusalem to inquire re- specting him. Offspring of vipers, in contrast with their proud belief that they were the favor- ites of God because the children of Abraham (verse 9 ; and compare analogous contrast in Christ's teaching, John 8 : 39, 44). The viper was a species of serpent ; but the term is here used as a general term, and equivalent to serpent, which was among the Jews a symbol of cunning (Gen. 3 : i), and mallcc (Pa. 58 : 4), and an emblem of the devil (cen. s, Rev. 12 : 9, 14, 15) ; SO that this phrase, offspring of vipers, was analogous to the subse- quent declaration of Christ, that the Pharisees were of their "father the devil." Vehemence of invective may be rarely right ; but it cannot be always condemned. There are times when noth- ing else will awaken the conscience and start the sluggish soul. The wrath to come. The prophet Malachi, who had foretold the coming of John the Baptist, also foretold that his advent would be followed by "the great and dreadful day of the Lord ' ' (Mai. 3 -. 1-3 ; 4 : 5), as it was by the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews among all lands, witnessed by some of that generation and probably by some of John the Baptist's auditors. For among his audience is believed to have been John the Evangelist (John 1:35; 41, and note there), whO WaS Still living at the destruction of Jerusalem. The primary ref- erence here undoubtedly is to this wrath so soon to come upon the nation, though it as undoubt- edly refers secondarily to that greater and more dreadful day of the Lord, the day of final judg- ment, of which we have, in Matt, ch.24, Christ's own warrant for asserting the destruction of Je- rusalem to be a symbol. 8. Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of a change of heart. Compare Matt. 7 : 1(3, 19. For a catalogue of the fruits of the new life, see Gal. 5 : 22, 23 ; and 2 Peter 1 : 5-7. Observe, first, that John and Christ, as well as the apos- tles, call for something more than fruits, viz. : a change of character (compare John 3 : 3 ; 2 Cor. 6:17); and second, that they recognize as an evi- dence of a change of heart, not a creed, a cere- mony, or a profession, hut fi-ioits worthy ), here translated vMh, properly signifies m, and certainly should be so trans- lated here. It implies that John's baptism involved a going into the water, though not neces- sarily complete Immersion in it. See note below. Unto repentance. It was not Christian bap- tism, i e., m the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, which was not established until after Christ's resurrection. See below. Is mightier than I. "I call to repentance, he remits sin ; I preach the kingdom of heaven, he bestows it. I baptize with water, he with the Spirit also." — f^Wonlsworth.) Whose sho6s I am not worthy to bear. In the other Gos- pels it is "to unloose " (Mark 1:7; Luke 3 : 16 ; John 1 : 27). It was the office of the slave to loose the shoe, to tie the same, or to carry it with other necessary articles of apparel before his master to the bath. Shoes proper were worn by the Greeks and Romans, but it appears to be the better opinion of biblical scholars that the Jews wore only, or at least chiefly, sandals which con- sisted simply of a sole fastened to the foot, and protecting its lower but not its upper surface. It was fastened to the foot by thongs or straps. It was sometimes beautifully ornamented, in- wrought with lines of gold, silver, or silk, and occasionally embroidered with jewels. The ma- terials were either leather, felt, cloth, or wood. It was occasionally shod with iron. Palm-leaves and papyrus-stalks were also sometimes used. Shoes or sandals do not appear to have been worn at all periods as with ourselves : they were laid aside when in-doors, and only put on by per- sons about to leave home. In the Holy Spirit and fire. A prophecy literally fulfilled at the Pentecost (Acts 2 : 1-4). Obscrvc that the same language is used here as before respecting water, in not with. Yet the apostles were not im- mersed in fire. There is, says Jerome, a three- fold baptism with fire : the fire of the Holy Spirit as at Pentecost (so termed because it makes the recipient fervent, that is, burning in spirit, Rom. 12 : 11), the fire of earthly trials (which are compared to a fire because of their purifying power, 1 Pet. 1 : 7 ; 4 : 13, 13), and the fire which at the last shall try every man's work, the great trial which is to test all life and character (i cor. 3 : 13). While John simply offers a symbolical test of character, the willingness of his hearers Ch. Ill] MATTHEW. 71 purge<= his floor, and gather his wheat into the gamer ; \ ie so now : for thus it becometh us to fulfill all right- but he will burn up the chafiff with unquenchable tire. 13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan, unto John, to be baptizede of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me ? 15 And Jesus answering, said unto him. Suffer zV io eousness. Then he suffered him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God*" descending like a dove, and lighting upon him : 17 And, lo, a voice from heaven, saying. This is my beloved' Son, in whom I am well pleased. .h Isa. ; 2 ; 4i : 1 ; 61:1; John 3 : 34. to acknowledge publicly their sins, and profess their change of purpose by a water baptism, Christ would test them by earthly trials and by his final judgment. While John could only bid them repent, and symbolize their purification by the washing of water, Jesus would really purify them, and give them a new heart by the Holy Spirit, and the fire of divine life and love. 12. Whose fan, etc. A metaphor drawn from the method of threshing and winnowing pursued in the Holy Land. A level spot was selected for the threshing-floor, in a situation where advan- tage might be taken of the wind for winnowing or separating the grain from the chaff ; the sheaves, being thickly spread on the floor, were trodden down by oxen driven over them, or by a threshing instrument or sledge made of thick planks, the bottom being studded with sharp stones or pieces of iron, or sometimes made with rollers of wood, iron or stone. Sometimes for lighter grains flails or rods were used. By these processes the straw was broken up, and the grain separated from it. A shovel or "fan" was also used for winnowmg. This was done by throwing the grain against the wind, and thus separating it from the chaff. Chaff. All that is not wheat, including the straw, which was commonly used in the East for fuel. Unquenchable lire. " Lest after the winnowing the chaff should be blown back and mingled with the wheat, the Jews were accustomed to put fire to it at the windward side, which was only extinguished when it had utterly consumed the chaff. In this sense it was an ' unquenchable fire. ' " — {Burders' Oriental Customs. See Isaiah 5 : 24.) For the spiritual significance of this passage compare Matt. 13 : 24-30, 36-43, 47-50. It is not only in the future that Christ wiU sift out the straw from the wheat. His fan is in his hand ; the sifting process is going on now ; his Gospel is measuring men ; every day is a day of judg- ment. For a consideration of John the Baptist's char- acter and preaching see Luke 3 : 18, and note there. Ch. 3:13-17. BAPTISM OP JESUS. — See kote BELOW. 13. Then. The time is uncertain. Jesus was about thirty years of age (Luke 3 : 23). To Jordan. Beyond Jordan (Joim 1 ; 28; sec note there) ; the exact site is unknown. 3 14. John forbad him. Rather sought to hinder him. " The word implies the active and earnest preventing with the gesture, or hand, or voice." — {Alfo7-d.) (Compare John 1:33, and note there.) I have need to be baptized of thee. With the Holy Spirit and fire Averse 11). 15. Jiow. Compare John 13:7, 8. Us. Not merely me, but you and me. To fulfill all righteousness. You by yielding to the will of your Lord, even in a matter the propriety of which you do not understand (John is : 7) ; me by taking my place under the law, and acting as one made in the image of sin, though I know no sin (Matt. 17 : 27). ScC nOtC bclOW. 16. From the water, not out of the water. The Greek preposition here is not (ix) out of, but (uTTo) from. The same preposition is used in Matt. 8 : 1, from the mountain, which clearly does not mean out of the mountain. In Mark 1 : 10 the preposition is (^z), out of, in the best manuscripts. But nothing is very clearly indi- cated as to the mode of baptism by the phrase- ology employed in either place. (See note be- low.) And, lo, the heavens. The Greek word here employed sometimes signifies the starry firmament, the blue canopy (Mark 13 : 25 ; Rev. 6 : 13, u) ; somctimes the clouds and the cloud region (Matt. 6:26; aw", 26 : 64). Opened. Com- pare the experience of Stephen (Acts ^ -. se) and of Peter (Acts lo : ii). He saAV. Christ, and also John the Baptist (john i : 30-34). There is nothing to indicate that the opening of the heav- ens or the descending of the dove were seen by any others. The vision in Stephen's case appears to have been confined to him ; and at the time of Saul's conversion, while a sound was heard by the men who accompanied him, they saw no man and understood not the meaning of the words addressed to Saul (compare Acts 9 : 7, with 22:9). Moreover, it was not the divine way to manifest the character of Jesus by such mani- festations to the multitude. These were af- forded only to those who already believed on him because of the supreme excellence of his character and teachings, as in the transfigura- tion, which was seen only by Peter, James, and John, and in the ascension, which was witnessed only by the disciples (Matt. 17:1; Acts 1:9; compare Matt. 12:39). Descending like a dove. In Mark, 1:10, the language is, "like a dove descending." The plain meaning is, not merely 72 MATTHEW. [Ch. III. that the Spirit descended as a dove descends, but that John and Jesus saw the Spirit taking on the form and appearance of a dove, and so descend- ing. The dove was a sacrificial animal which the poorest could afford, and which, in the case of the poor, was permitted as a substitute for a more costly sacrifice (Lev. s : -,). If the worship- per could buy none, he could catch one of the wUd pigeons which dwell among the hills of Palestine ( Jer. 4S : ss ; Sol. Song 2 : 14). Its coming was one of the prophecies of spring (soi. song 2 : !•:, where "turtle" signifies a turtle-dove). It WaS histor- ically connected in the Jewish mind with the abatement of the waters after the Hood, and has become, as well as the olive-branch, a symbol of peace among all Christian people (Gen. 8 : 8-11), and it is referred to by Christ as a symbol of harm- lessness and gentleness. It was thus a fitting emblematic form for the Holy Spirit to take on in giving a divine endorsement to him who is a sacrifice for all, whose coming brings life to the world, and the assurance of the peace of God to the soul which accepts him, and who was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners (Hei. 7 : 26). There is not a shadow of basis for the old gnostic notion, which some have since attempted to revive, that Christ received at this time the gift of the Holy Spirit, and though before a mere man, now first became in a true sense the Son of God. Lighting upon him. He was praying at the time (Luke 3 : 21 !. "The ordinances of re- ligion Avill commonly be ineffectual without prayer."— (^aj-jies.) John (1:33) tells us that "it abode upon him." That is, it was not a mere transient vision. 17. A voice from heaven. Compare Matt. 17 : 5 ; John 12 : 28 ; 3 Pet. 1 : 17. My beloved Son. Christians are called "sons of God" (1 John 3:2); but uowhero is the term beloved Son applied by God to any one but Jesus Christ, to whom it is given both here and in the hour of his transfiguration (Matt, n : 5). NOTE ON THE BAPTISM OF JES^US BY JOHN. The ceremony of baptism performed by John, which has given him his title, the Baptist or Baptizer (Matt. 3 . 1 ; 11 : 11, 12, etc.), is intimately con- nected with the rite of Baptism maintained in the Christian Church ever since the resurrection of Jesus Christ, if not during his lifetime. John 4:1,2, is the only reference to baptism by Jesus or his disciples during his life. This connection gives it an importance which it would not other- wise possess, and leads me to group here such scanty information as the Bible and other au- thentic sources give concerning it. History. The origin of baptism as a religious rite is unknown. It is certainly very ancient; Grotius even imagines that it is as old as the Deluge, and was established in commemoration of that event. Ceremonial ablutions of some sort were certainly common in the time of Christ, not only in Palestine, but also in adjoining lands. The Egyptian priests bathed twice a day and twice in the night, and inaugurated their feasts with a grand ceremony of purification.— ( Wilki7i- £on, 1 : 324.) The Greeks and Romans prepared for sacrifice and other religious rites by lustra- tion ; and not only the priests performed this ceremony — it was also performed by private in- dividuals when they had polluted themselves by any real or supposed criminal action, from the stain of which they desired purification. A sim- ilar rite was performed at times by the shepherd on his sheep, and even on the army or the fleet before entering on a campaign. It was in such cases performed by sprinkling the water on the person or persons, usually from a branch of olive or laurel. (See Smith's Dictionary of Antiq., Art. Lustratio, and authors there cited.) The O, T. abounds with examples of lustrations of various descriptions, of the person, the clothing, and objects offered for sacrifice. It was per- formed on both priests and people (Exod. 19 : 10 ; 29:4; 30:20; 40:12-15; Lev. ch.8; 16:26,28; 17:15; 22:4,6; Deut. 23 : 10, 11 ; 2 chron. 4 : 2, 6). The Spiritual Signifi- cance of these lustrations is rendered evident by other passages which refer to washings as a sym- bol of moral purification, in a way to leave no doubt that it was recognized by pious and intel- ligent Jews that a mere washing of the jjerson in water was not enough, but that the soul must be cleansed through repentance by the power of God (Ps. 26 : G; 51 : 2, 7; 73 : 13; Isaiah I : 16; 4 : 4; Jer. 4 : 14; zech. 13 : i). The act of Pilate in washing his hands before the people, and declaring himself innocent of the blood of Jesus (Matt. 27 : 34), would have pos- sessed no significance if both Jew and Roman had not recognized the moral meaning of washing as a sign of purification from sin. The N. T. also contains frequent reference to ceremonial wash- ings which had been instituted by the Pharisees, and through their traditions engrafted on the laws of Moses (Mark 7 : 4, 8, 14 ; Luke 11 : 38 ; Heb. 9 : lo). baptism of Proselytes. — Of these washings none was more significant or more universally recog- nized, if we may judge from the rabbinical writings, than the baptism of Jewish proselytes. Heathen converts on entering the Jewish church ratified their change of faith by two ceremonies, baptism and sacrifice ; in the case of males cir- cumcision was added. The baptism was admin- istered in the daytime by the immersion of the whole person ; and while standing in the water the proselyte was instructed in certain portions of the law. The whole families of proselytes, including infants, were baptized. (See Lightfoot on Matt. 3 : 6.) By this act of baptism the Ch. III.] MATTHEW. 73 proselyte si^fied that he was washed of his past sins and errors and entered his new life, cleansed and purified, a new man. John's Bapiisvi. — When, therefore, John com- menced his public ministry by preaching the ne- cessity of repentance, and added to it baptism as a symbol, its meaning would be readily under- stood. It was interpreted by his declaration that it was not enough to be a child of Abraham, but that Israelite and Gentile alike needed to repent of sin, a doctrine subsequently more em- phatically repeated by Paul (Matt. 3 : 9, lO; Rom. 2 : 12, 17-24; 3 : 9, etc.). By baptizing the people, John em- phasized this declai'ation and said to them, by a formal and solemn ceremonial, You need, no less than the despised Gentile, to wash away the past, to be cleansed, morally and personally, as a preparation for the Kingdom of God. Every one who submitted to baptism at his hands pub- licly recognized the truth that personal repent- ance of sin was as necessary to the Jew as to the Gentile. And it is a noteworthy fact that the delegation from the Sanhedrim v/ho inquired by what authority he baptized (John i : 2;), did not in- quire the meaning of the rite, showing evidently that they understood its significance. Baijtmn of Jesus. — Why Jesus should have been baptized is a question which has given rise to much discussion. The same perplexity which John felt then, the Christian Church has felt since ; for Jesus had no sins that needed to be washed away, and could not, therefore, become strictly a disciple of the doctrine of repentance, as by submitting to baptism he appeared to do. Various answers have been given, some of them certainly fanciful, others mystical, needing ex- planation more than the fact itself. Thus it has been said that the object of the baptism was to point out Jesus Christ as the sacrificial Lamb of the World, and to prefigure his death for sin, as baptism symbolizes death to sin ; that he was baptized as a priest, and because the priests re- ceived a like lustration before entering on their priestly duties, that by his baptism he pledged himself to the whole righteousness of the law, promising to fulfill all; that he brought the baptism of John to its consummation and inau- gurated Christian baptism in its place, as by par- taking of the Last Passover he converted it into a Christian ordinance ; that he sanctified by this act the water to the mystical washing away of sin ; and that in him the v/hole Christian Church were baptized into a new life, he acting as the type and representative of humanity. But here, as everywhere throughout Scripture, the rational and simple meaning is the best. The significance of John's baptism, as interpreted above, explains the significance of the baptism of Jesus. It was not merely like his submitting to circumcision and the purification (Luke 2: 21, 22), because they were rites required by the law, while baptism was not. It was apvMic renunciation of sin and a public profession of religion. It is true that Christ himself knew no sin and needed no re- pentance (John 8 : 46 ; 14 : 3o), but he was numbered with the transgressors, was made sin for us, and bore our infirmities and carried our transgres- sions (Isaiah 53 : 12 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 2l). lu taking UpOU Mm human nature he took all its humiliation and all its duties, though none of its real degradation, and fittingly commenced his public life by a public renunciation of sin for himself and his fol- lowers. Observe, too, that the religion which by this act he professed, was that of the spirit as opposed to the religion of form and ceremonies. His baptism was a public and solemn enunciation of his position as a teacher of personal righteous- ness, and his endorsement of the fundamental doctrine of which John the Baptist was a her- ald, but which received its fullest exposition in the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles, that they only are the true children of God who, whatever their birth or place in humanity, repent of their personal sins and bring forth fruits meet for repentance. The true follower of Christ must follow him in this public renunciation of sin and profession of religion. It is not true, as sometimes said, that Christ professed religion only by his life. Form of Baptism. — There is no clear and cer- tain information in the Scripture as to the mode in which John the Baptist administered baptism. The question is important only in its bearing upon another, viz., what is the proper mode of Christian baptism. Without considering the latter question here, it is enough to say that the indications are that the baptism of John was performed by a partial or total immersion. These indications are the following: 1. The Greek word {^iurtntoi), generally translated "baptize" in our version, and the corres- ponding Hebrew word sometimes rendered "baptize" and sometimes rendered "dip," im- ply primarily a partial or complete immersion. At the same time it appears clear that in biblical usage neither word necessarily involves the idea of complete submersion. Thus, in Mark 7 : 4, we have a reference to the washing (Gr. (iunrioiioc) of tables (perhaps couches or beds, see note there), which certainly does not indicate a sub- mersion of the table or bed in water as a means of purification. The only passages in the O. T. in which the original Hebrew word is used, are the following : Lev. 4:6; 14 : 6-51 ; Num. 19 : 18 ; Ruth 2 : 14 ; Ex. 12 : 22 ; Deut. 33 : 24 ; Ezek. 23 : 15 ; Job 9 : 31 ; Lev. 9 : 9 ; 1 Sam. 14 : 27 {twice) ;■ 3 Kings 5 : 14 ; 8 : 15 ; Gen. 37 : 31 ; Josh. 3 : 15. In the N. T. the only passages where the word occurs in which it is not trans- lated baptize or baptism, which is in fact no translation but only an English form of the orig- inal Greek word, are Mark 7 : 4, 8, and Hebrews 74 MATTHEW. [Ch. IV. 9 : 10. The word translated dip, in Luke 16 : 24 ; John 13 : 26 ; and Rev. 19 : 13, is etymologically the same, however, though slightly different in form. The English reader who is desirous to investigate more fully the biblical use of the word can do so by aa examination of these pas- sages. The result of a fair and impartial exam- ination will be that which the best scholarship has reached, viz., that the word does generally involve the idea of dipping into water, though not necessarily a complete immersion, still less a complete submersion in it. 2. Although cere- monial washings were performed both by Greek and Romans, and by Jews by means of sprink- ling (see above, and Numb. 7:7; 19 ; 19 ; Ezek. 26 : 25), yet the baptism of proselytes, from which probably the baptism of John was borrowed, was by immersion. It was regarded as indispensable that this should be complete. "If," said the rabbinical writers, "any wash himself all over except the very top of his little linger, he is still in his uncleanness." 3. The language of the passage descriptive of his baptism, "I baptize you in water" (see note on verse 11, above), tcnds to Confirm this impression, as does the fact that John baptized in the Jordan. The catacombs contain rude pictures of the baptism of Jesus by John. They never represent it as done by sprinkling, or by immersion, but by Douring; Jesus stands in the water and John pours water upon his head from a vessel, in a manner analogous to that pursued in the anoint- ing of a priest according to the O. T. ritual (Exod. 29:7). There are some other considerations which throw light on the method pursued in the N. T. times in later Christian baptism, but they will be considered hereafter. It should be added that nothing is known as to the formula, if any, used by John ; he certainly did not baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (Matt. 28 : 19 ; Acts 19 : 1-5 ; compare also Rom. 6 : 3, 4). Evidently baptism into "Christ's death" could not precede his death. See an able essay on the essential difference between Christ's baptism and the baptism of John, by Robert Hall. Ch. 4:l-n. TEMPTATION OF JSSUS CHRIST.— See Thoughts on the Temptation, below. Pkeliminart Note. This incident is recorded also fully in Luke 4 : 1-13, and briefly in Mark 1 : 12, 13 ; it is not mentioned in John. It is confessedly one of the most difficult passages in the Gospels to understand. The various inter- pretations may be conveniently classed under six different heads. 1. That no such event really occurred, but that Christ, in the form of a parable, of which he made himself a central figure, taught his dis- ciples how it is that temptations assail us all, and how we are to resist them. This interpreta- tion is rejected by nearly all Christian commen- tators ; for while this lesson is taught by Christ's example, the language is that of historical nar- ration, not of a parable. 2. That it is an historical narrative, but of a natural event ; that the devil was a human tempter, or animated a human tempter, and of- fered the temptation through him ; for example, that the tempter was one of the delegation which came up from Jerusalem to attend the preaching of John the Baptist (John i : 19), and that the temptation really consisted of proposi- tions which they made to him to join their party. "Probably," says Lange, "he was transported in a figurative sense to the summit of the temple pinnacle by the ostentatious offers of the depu- ties of the Sanhedrim." "The mountain on which they placed him was Mount Zion, accord- ing to its spiritual significance, in the last age of the world. The tempter displayed to him the prospect of the theocratic government of the world. Probably into this disclosure plots agamst the Romans were introduced. And Christ was urged to approve of their hierarchi- cal plan for the conquest of the world." This view, though defended by Lange and Bengel, is unmistakably an afterthought. There is noth- ing in the narrative itself to suggest or to war- rant it. It has, so far as I know, no other respectable endorsers. 3. That it is a vision or a dream, having its parallel in Ezekiel's vision of the valley of bones (Ezek. 37 : 1-14), and of Paul's experience of being caught up into the third heaven (2 cor. 12:1-3). But there is nothing whatever in the narrative to imply a vision or a dream, and the true spirit- ual significance of the hour, as one of real temp- tation, is taken away by such an interpretation. 4. That it is a personal and internal experi- ence, in which certain circumstances suggest temptations which Jesus overcomes only after a bitter struggle. "A stone by its shape or color suggests to an imagination affected by bodily cravings the appearance of a loaf of bread, and gives rise to the first temptation. His foot strikes against a stone and he stumbles ; perhaps is in danger of a serious fall. Instantly there occurs to him another passage of Scripture, ' He will give his angels charge over thee, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.' Since he has angels attending him, why may he not go to the city, ascend one of the pinnacles of the Temple, cast himself off and display to the as- tonished crowd his miraculous power? Once more he finds himself upon an eminence which commands an extensive view ; he feels the stir- ring of personal ambition, and bethinks him how, if he would only fall down and worship the evil thought, he might possess himself of univer- sal dominion. The tempter and the temptation were within his own soul." (Condensed from Furness's Notes on Schenckel's Character of Ch. IV.] MATTHEW. 75 CHAPTER IV. THEN was Jesus led up ofj the Spirit into the wil- derness, to be tempted!' of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said. If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said. It is written, Man' shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. j 1 Kings 18 : 12 ; Eze. 11 : 1, 24 ; Acts 8 : 39 k Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1; Heb. 2:18 1 Deut. 8 : 3. Jesus.) This view will at once be rejected by all those who hold that Jesus Christ was the sinless Son of God, in whose pure heart no solicitations of evil could arise of themselves to lure him to sin. If we accept the narrative at all, we must accept, as the very essence of it, that the sugges- tion of recreancy did not spring spontaneous in his heart from evil desires which lurked unrec- ognized there, but that they were suggested to him by the tempter only to be instantly and in- dignantly rejected. 5. That it is a literal narrative ; that Satan really appeared in tangible form to Jesus, and proposed to him to convert the stones into bread, carried him bodily to the pinnacle of the temple, and showed him from some high eminence a view which at least suggested all the kingdoms of the world. This is a common view among evangelical interpreters ; to it there are serious objections, objections which seem to me to be conclusive, a. We must either im- pute to the devil a degree of supernatural power, which the Bible nowhere else attributes to him, or must suppose that Jesus exercised it in his flight to the pinnacle of the temple, and this for the very purpose of entering into temptation. b. There is no mountain from which all the king- doms of the known world could be seen ; in part, then,- the narrative cannot be a literal one. c. The Bible nowhere else represents the devil appearing undisguised to man ; on the contraiy, his power lies in his disguises and concealments (Gen. ch. 3; 2 Cor. 11:3). cl. lu this particular case the temptation, especially the last, would be robbed of all its power if the devil had been rec- ognized before his proposition. It seems impos- sible that the suggestion of literal worship to a bodily fiend could offer any temptation — we will not say to Jesus — to any one of ordinary purity of heart and strength of conscience. 6. That it describes in dramatic language a real but internal experience, that Satan was really present, whispering the suggestions of evil to the soul of Jesus, as he still does to us (see note on verse below), but unrecognized until the last, the subtlest and worst of the three temptations ; that the narrative describes a suc- cession of pictures which passed before Christ's imagination, by which Satan endeavored to se- duce him ; that it was in imagination that Jesus was carried to the pinnacle of the temple, and in imagination was shown the kingdoms of the world, and that he was invited to gain control of them, not by a literal worshiping of the bodily fiend, but by yielding to the arts of the evil one, and serving him as the previous conquerors of the world, Cyrus and Alexander, for example, had done. This opinion is also beset with diffi- culties. Our temptations possess their strength and their bitterness in large measure because we possess a fallen nature which Christ did not. To us Satan is often undisclosed, and our sluggish consciences do not recognize quickly the evil when covertly disguised as good. But we can- not attribute to Christ a blunted and insensitive moral nature. These and kindred difficulties, however, are inherent in any conception of ChrisVs temptation here, a?id- in any attempt to understand his experiences of conflict elsewhere recorded. We can only reverently accept the declaration that he was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin, and interpret his experiences by our o\m, fully recognij.ing the truth that our souls cannot gauge and measure his, and that the ut- most study and thought will yet leave m this passage, as in all of Christ's mysterious life, an utterly inexplicable element, a mystery that is insoluble. Fully recognizing this, I adopt the last of the interpretations given above as on the whole the one most consonant with other Scrip- ture, the narrative itself, and with reason. The grounds on which I accept this interpretation, have been in part indirectly stated in disposing of the other views ; they will appear more fully in interpreting the passage itself. It is to be remembered that, though Satan is more distinctly embodied in this narrative than in any other, yet he is repeatedly referred to in Scripture as bring- mg trouble or temptation in cases in which no other than a purely spiritual and unrecognized presence is indicated (l Chron. 21 : l ; job 2 : 7 ; Matt. 13 : 19, 39 ; Luke 13:16; John 13 : 2). 1. Then. Immediately after the baptism and the descent of the Spirit. "Thou didst take up arms, not to be idle, but to fight." — (Chrysostom.) After the baptism of grace comes the battle. It is the wilderness, not Jordan and the dove, which tries us and shows our true character. Compare 2 Cor. 12 : 7-10. Was Jesns led. Bather brought or carried. The word is used to signify something more than a mere leading, and is the same translated brought in Luke 2 : 22 ; Acts 9 : 3!) ; 12 : 4. It is used also in describing the bringing of sacrifice to the altar. In Acts 7 : 41, it is translated offered. Under an irresistible impulse Christ was carried away into the wilder- ness (compare AcU 7 : 39). By thC Spirit, %. C, 76 MATTHEW. [Ch. IV. the Holy Spirit. God tempteth no man, but he sometimes brings us into temptation (compare Matt. 6:13; 20:41; Job 1:12; 2:6; 2 Cor. 12 : 7). IlltO the Avilderuess (see note on Matt. 3: i). Between Jeri- cho and the Mount of Olives is a wild region, where is a mountain called Quarantana, which Eobinson describes as "an almost perpendicular wall of rock, twelve or fifteen hundred feet above the plain." This is fixed on by tradition as the site of the temptation, and particularly as the mountain to which Christ was carried in the last one. But the tradition is entirely untrust- worthy. The site is wholly a matter of conjec- ture. To be tempted. This was the purpose for which he was led uito the wDdemess. " As he had been subject to his earthly parents at Naza- reth, so now he is subject, in the outset of his official course, to his Heavenly Parent, and is by his will thus carried up to be tempted." — {Alford.) By the devil. Not by his own heart, nor by a human tempter. The term, "the devil," is always used in the Bible to signify an evil spirit, never to personify the evil in man or in the world. On the contrary, the work of evil spirits is contrasted with the evil influence of the world (Eph. 6 : 12). Judas Iscariot is called a devil but not the devil (John g : io) ; and in Rev. 2 : 10, the devil working in the hearts of malignant persecutors is intended ; the word is not put for the persecutors themselves. The word devil (Gr. diix;So/.i)g) signifies accuser (Rev. 12 : 9, 10). He is also called Abaddon (Hebrew) or Apollyon (Greek), i. e., destroyer (Rev. 9 ; 11) ; Belial, i. e., a good-for-nothing (2Cor. 6: 15) ; Satan, i. e., an ad- versary (job 2 : 1). See also for descriptive titles : John 8 : 44 ; 13 : 31 ; 2 Cor. 4:4; Ephes. 6 : 12 ; 1 Pet. 5:8; 1 John 3:8; Rev. 12 : 7 ; 20 : 10. Less is disclosed concerning him in Scripture than many suppose ; much of the popular im- pression concerning him is derived from mediae- val theology, and yet more from Milton's Para- dise Lost. It certainly is not true that the idea of a personal devil was derived by the Jews from Persian philosophy during their captivity, for he appears by implication, though not expressly named, in the history of the fall (Gen. ch. 3), and more distinctly, probably, in Job, one of the oldest books of the Bible, if not the very oldest, than anywhere else (job I : G ; 2:3-7; compare also 1 Chron. SI : 1). He is represented in the N. T. as an adver- sary of human souls, endeavoring by various snares to take us captive, suggesting evil thoughts to our minds, or erasing good impres- sions which have been produced there, or putting hindrances in the way of Christian M'ork, or in- spiring persecutors of the faithful, and as cer- tain at last to be bound in chains, and finally cast into torment (Matt. 13 : 19 ; Luke 22 : 31 ; John 13:2; 2 Cor. 2 : 11; 11:3,14; Ephes. 6 : 11 ; IThess. 2:18; 2 Tim. 2:26; 1 Pet. 6 : 8, 9 J Rev. 2 : 10 ; 12 : 9 ; 30 : 1-3 and 7-lo). 2. Fasted. This does not necessarily imply that he ate nothing (can. lo : 2, 3). Some commen- tators think that his fasting may have consisted simply of abstaining from all ordinary food and subsisting only on the scanty supplies of the desert (compare with Matt. 3:4; 11 : is). But the language of Luke 4 : 2, taken with Exod. 34 : 28, and 1 Kings 19 : 8, implies that he literally ate nothing, being miraculously sustained dur- ing the period of fasting. Observe that the duration of Christ's fast was the same as that of Moses and that of Elijah, who were transfigured with him (Matt, v ■. s). According to Luke 4 : 2, and apparently Mark 1 : 13, he was subjected to temptations during this whole period of forty days ; those here recorded would seem to be the culmination of these temptations. 3, 4. The first temptation. It appeals to a natural and sinless appetite — hunger. It sug- gests an act seemingly innocent. Why should not Christ make bread of the stones, and so sup- ply his wants ? Because he had taken upon him- self the nature of man and the condition and sufferings of mankind (Phii. 2 : g-s). To have availed himself of his divine power to escape the bodily discomforts of humanity, would have been to fail in his mission of becoming our pattern and our sympathizing high priest at the very outset. Accordingly, there is no case in the N. T. in which Christ exercises miraculous power for his own benefit. The escapes recorded in Luke 4 : 30, John 8 : 59, and 10 : 39, are sometimes re- garded as miraculous, but there is no Scripture authority for so regarding them ; and the taking of the tax-money from the fish's mouth (Matt. 17 : 27) was for a moral purpose. (See note there.) I doubt whether there is any case in Scripture in which a genuine miracle is recorded as being wrought for the benefit of him at whose bidding it is performed. 3. If thou be. Rather, Since thou art. The "if," says Alford, "implies no doubt." 4. It is Avritten, in Deut. 8 : 3, The refer- ence there is to the feeding of Israel with manna in the wilderness, and may be literally rendered, " by every outgoing of the mouth of the Lord ; " i. e., by the whole course of God's providential care over those who obey his word. The mean- ing is the same as that involved in Matt. 6 : 24-34, viz. : that he who seeks first the kingdom of God and his righteousness may leave all questions of food and raiment to God. If man obeys the divine will, he may trust himself to the divine providence. The divine will respecting Christ was that he should be found in condition as a man. He obeys that will, and leaves to God to provide for his physical wants (compare Dent. 29:5,6). "They that taunted him on the cross, 'He saved others, himself he cannot save,' bore an unconscious testimony to the unselfishness of Ch. IV.] MATTHET\i. 77 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city," and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, He" shall give his angels charge concerning thee : and in their hj^nds they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou° Shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them ; 9 And saith unto him. All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. . ch. 27:53; Neh. 11: ...n Ps. 91 : 11, 12. . his spirit and the thoroughness with which he tooli upon himself the life of common humanity. He that fed five thousand in the wilderness, from two small loaves and five little fishes, would not supply himself, except by ordinary means, with one." 5-7. The second temptation. The devil appeals to love of fame, and proposes to Christ to found his kingdom upon fame. A single mir- acle wrought before all the people shall secure their reverence and allegiance. A single trial of the divine power which belongs to the Son of God will put an end to all doubts, in Christ's own mind and in the mind of the people. "If he would have a prosperous following and an easy victory over the world, let him become the mas- ter of marvels. Let him show men that a Divin- ity was among them, not by the inspiration of a higher life in their souls, but by such a use of divine power as should captivate the fancy of all who saw the wonders of skill, of beauty, of dar- ing, which he should show." — {Beecher''s Life of . Christ.) This, I think, is the true interpretation of the second temptation, which is one of ambi- tion, or rather vain glory, not one of mere pre- sumption, as supposed by Alford. The same demand for a wonder-working evidence of his divine authority is frequently repeatcl through- out Christ's life (Matt. 12 : as, 39), and always refused. It reappears in demands of modern skeptics for modern miracles, and in the language of Renan, who treats Christ as a thaumaturgist, i. e., a mere wonder-worker. 5. The holy city. Jerusalem. Pinnacle of the temple. The temple was built on Mount Moriah, on a foundation built up of solid ma- sonry, so as to present a nearly perpendicular wall of over 200 feet from the floor of the temple to the valley below, "almost equal in height to the tallest of our church spires." On this wall, overhanging the valley of the Kedron, was Her- od's royal portico. From the roof of that por- tico to the valley below was not less than 300 feet. "The valley was very deep, insomuch that if any one looked down from the top of the bat- tlements, he would be giddy, v/hile his sight could not reach to such an immense depth." — {JosepJms. ) According to Alford, it was the roof of this porch which is intended by the descrip- tion here. According to others, it was the apex of the temple proper from which he was called upon to cast himself down into the court below among the people who were always assembled there. If we suppose the whole event to have taken place in thought only, the location could not have been very definitely described, because it would not necessarily have been very definitely conceived. The essence of the temptation ap- pears to me to be its publicity, and, therefore, whatever point of the temple was brought to Christ's mind, it must have been one from M'hich the miracle proposed could have been generally observed. 6. It is written, in Psalm 91 ; 11 ; not, how- ever, as a prophecy of the Messiah, but as appli- cable to all the children of God. Christ has re- plied to the devil's first suggestion as a man, and the devil cites a promise of God applicable to all men in his second temptation. Observe that the devil misapplies Scripture, using it to lead into error. "If," says Jerome, "the text which ho quotes refers to Christ, he ought to have added what there follows against himself — the dragon shalt thou tread under thy feet " (verso 13). 7. It is written, in Deut. 6 : 16 ; thom shalt not tempt, i. e., try him,' put him on trial, pre- sume on his aid, and therefore attempt exploits which he does not command, or neglect precau- tions which reason dictates, 8- 10. The third temptation. An appeal to ambition. The Pharisees expected a literal establishment of a universal Jewish domain. As Alexander had conquered all the world, so they expected Judaism would conquer all the world, and Jerusalem would be its capital. This was unmistakably the expectation of Christ's OAvn disciples, even to the close of his life (Matt. 20 : 20, 21 ; Luke 19 : 11 ; 24 : 2i). The third temptation of the devil was an appeal to Christ to realize this dream of the nation. " There was a tremendous temptation to exhibit before men his real place and authority ; to appear as great as he really was ; to use his energies that men should admit him to be greater than generals, higher than kings, more glorious than temple or palace." — {Beecher's Lifeof Chrid.) " It v/as a proposition to use physical force for the accomplishment of moral results — to turn from the jjath of suffer- ing and labor and martyrdom for the truth." — {Deems' ^' Jesus.") "'All this power and glory will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and wor- ship me.' In other words, the glory and power shall be the Messiah's, if he consents to act in the spirit of the prince of this world.'"— {Pressense's 78 MATTHEW. [Ch. IV. xo Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan : for it is written, ThouP shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. II Then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels- came and ministered unto him. p Deut. 6 : 13 ; 1 Sam. 7:3 q Heb. 1 : 6, 14. Life of Chrint.) "The seductive promise was whispered in the ear of Jesus, 'This victory shall be thine. Only yield something of your religious zeal ; only consent to join hands with the priestly aristocracy of Judea ; only consent to look in silence on their sins ; only compromise a little with conscience ; only employ the arts of policy and the methods of state diplomacy, by which, always and everywhere, men mount to power. Be not righteous overmuch, for why shouldst thou destroy thyself. " — {AbbotVs Jesus of Nazareth. ) This temptation was repeated in different forms several times in Christ's life, especially in the effort of the people to make him king (john 6 : 15), and in the endeavors of the disciples to dissuade him from his voluntary sac- rifice of himself (Matt. 16 : 22, 23). Compare his language to Peter in the last-quoted passage with verse 10 here. 8. Of course there is no such mountain, and on a round globe can be none. The language "all the glory of them" indicates a picture seen in imagination rather than a literal view from any height. We must at all events dismiss at once all such puerile explanations as that the devil showed him the entire Holy Land, i. e., the Jewish domain, or the Roman Empire, which could not all be seen from any elevation, or pointed out the direction of all kingdoms. Either the sight was one afforded in imagination only, or there was a miraculous extension of Christ's vision for the purpose. But the whole theory of a series of miracles wrought for the ex- press imrpose of affording a temptation, is inconsis- tent with the general tenor of Scripture, and directly contradictory of James 1 : 13 ; and the difliculty of understanding how Christ's imagi- nation could be made a means of temptation is only part of the greater and insoluble difficulty of understanding how he could be truly subject to any temptation. Of the location of this mountain, if v/e suppose the scene to be real, not in imagination only, nothing is known. (See ndte on ver. 1.) 9. All these things Avill I give thee* There would seem to be little or no temptation in this promise if we suppose that the proposi^ tion was made by a fiend in bodily form, and in- volved a demand of divine homage paid to him. Christ, vv'ho knew that the devil was a liar from the beginning (john8;44,) would not be deceived by so self-evident a lie as this would be if it were made in this form. Nor is the supposition that he did not till the last recognize the devil in these suggestions of evil, inconsistent with the degree of supernatural knowledge attributed to him by the N. T. . (See notes on Matt. 8 : 10 ; Mark 13 : 32 ; and Heb. 6:8.) 10. Satan. Christ now first calls him by name, as though he now for the first time recog- nized the source whence these suggestions came to his mind. It is Avritten. A quotation, but a free one, and somewhat modified, of Deut. 6 : 13. 11. Then the devil leaveth him. For a season, but only to return with various tempta- tions in the subsequent life of Christ (Luke 4 : 13). From this time the devils recognize the Lord, acknowledge his power, and are cast out by his word (Mark 1 : 24, 34 ; 3 : 11 ; 5 : ?). AugelS Came and ministered unto him. The primary meaning is with food or other supplies, as in the case of EUjah,l Kings 19: 0,7. THOUGHTS ON THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. I. The nature of temptation is here indicated. It does not necessarily involve sin or even moral imperfection. We are tempted whenever desires, such as may he right in themselves, conflict with principles which are morally superior and should be their masters, as when appetite conflicts vrith trust in God ; love of approbation with humble obedience to and waiting on God ; love of influ- ence and power, with a supreme love for and alle- giance to God. We sin only when the higher principle yields to the lower propensity. In us temptation is strengthened by the fact that we have yielded to it ; yet before we have yielded we learn obedience-by experience of conflict. II. Christ was " in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin ; " i. e., he possessed the same propensities and was subject to the same conflicts, but never yielded (Hebrew5 4:]5). That he really felt the power of temptation and con- quered onlj' after a struggle analogous to our own heart struggles, is abundantly indicated not only in this passage and in the account of the struggle in Gethsemane and on the cross (Matt. 26 : 36-56 ; 27 : 46, and parallel passages), but alSO iu SUCh inci- dents as those recorded in Luke 12 : 50 ; John 12 : 27 ; and 16 : 32, and in such direct declara- tions as those of Hebrews 2 : 10, and 5 : 8. III. In this threefold temptation there is noticeable a regular progression. The first ap- pealed to the body ; the second to love of ad- miration ; the third to love of power. The first to a mere bodily appetite ; the second to a more honorable desire of fame, founded on human sympathy ; the third to a noble ambition which Ch. IV.] MATTHEW. 79 12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee : 13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the bor- ders ot Zabulon and Nephthalim : 14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet,' saying, 15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephtha- lim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles Satan tried to pervert. The first called for an act seemingly miraculous ; the second for one ostentatious and presumptuous, the third for one blasphemously wicked. The first disguised itself under an appeal to reason; the second sustained itself by an appeal to Scripture ; and in the third all disguise was cast off, and Satan revealed himself. The first was the most decep- tive ; the second the most plausible ; the third the most audacious. In the first, Satan tried to mislead by hiding the sin ; in the second, by sanctioning the sin because of a greater good to be accomplished by it ; in the third, to compen- sate for the sin by a promised reward. IV'. Christ receives the temptation as a man and resists it as a man. As he is tempted in all points like as we are, so his resistance is an exam- ple to us how to resist. He conquers the temp- tation through bodily hunger by trust in God, the temptation to presumption and ostentation by humble obedience to and patient waiting on God, the temptation to worldly ambition by su- preme love and reverence for God ; thus in every onset it is faith in God which is the shield that quenches the darts of the adversary (Ephcs. 6 : ig). V. We share Christ's first experience when poverty tempts us to violate God's law that we may provide for our daily wants ; we share the second experience when we are tempted to neg- lect duties which God's providence lays upon us or to run into needless dangers or dlfi[iculties, or to assume uncalled-for hazards, and trust the re- sult to God, or to make an ostentatious display of our faith in God ; we share the third experi- ence when we are tempted, for the sake of power, wealth, or influenco, to conform to the world and to employ Satan's instruments in even seeming to do God's service. We yield to the first temptation when we distrust God's provi- dential care ; we yield to the second when we presume unwarrantably on his grace, or make a show of our reliance on his word ; we yield to the third when we are conformed to this world and adopt its policies and methods and imbibe its spirit for the sake of its rewards. The first sin is forbidden by Matt. 6 : 25, the second by 6 : 1-7, the third by 6 : 24. We resist the first tempta- tion when we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and trust food, raiment, and shelter to Him ; we resist the second when, in humble trust in Him, we do all that God has given us power to do, looking to Him only to protect us from ills against which we cannot, by reasonable precaution, guard ourselves, and pa- tiently waiting for Him to bring about his own results in his own time and way ; we resist the third when we make a supreme love to God the sole inspiration of our hearts, and a supreme al- legiance to Him the sole rule of our lives. Ch. 4 : 12-25. CHRIST'S FIRST MINISTRY IN GALILEE. —The mission of Christ : to give light to those in DAEKNESS, LIFE TO THOSE IN DEATH. ThE MESSAGE OF Christ : Eepent, foe the kingdom of heaten is AT HAND. The call of Christ : to Christian labor : i will hake tou fishers of men.— how to accept Christ's call: immediately, though it require U8 to leave propertt, business, friends.— Christ, the model for the preacher ; Christ, the model for the physician. 13. Now. Anintervalof about a year, perhaps more, elapses between verses 11 and 12. During this time Christ goes from the wilderness to Cana of Galilee, where he performs the miracle at the wedding feast (John 2:i-ii), goes up to Jerusalem to inaugurate his ministry there (John 2 : ia-25; 3 : i-2i) ; after the Passover, joins the Bap- tist in Enon (John 3 : 22-36) ; leaves Judea to avoid threatened controversy, going through Samaria on his way, and arriving at the residence eithei" of his mother or some friends in Cana, where he heals the sick child by a word (john, ch. 4), and where he hears of the imprisonment of John the Baptist, which takes place about this time. There is some uncertainty as to the chronology, but this I think to be the most probable order of events. See AbhoWs Jesus of Nazareth, p. 139, note. Jesus had heard. John (the Evan- gelist) says the reason why he departed into Gal- ilee was that " the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John," i. e. the Baptist (John 4 : 1, s). The true explanation seems to be that this Avas the reason of his leaving the vicinity of the Jor- dan, viz. : to avoid the collision of his disciples with those of the Baptist, but that he did not commence public preaching in Galilee until after John's imprisonment. John was cast into prison. For account of this imprisonment and its result, John's death, see Matt. 14 : 3-13 ; Mark 6 : 14-29. 13. And leaving Nazareth. He was driven out of it by a mob, in consequence of a sermon in which he disclosed the opening of the door of salvation to the Gentiles (Luke4: le-si). Alford places this sermon later ; but his reasons for dif- fering from the opinions of most other scholars 80 MATTHEW. [Ch. IV. i6 The people which sat in darkness' saw great light : and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up. 17 P'rotn that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent : for' the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 18 And Jesus, walldng by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon" called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea : for they were fish- ers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers" of men. 20 And they straightway left" their nets, and fol- lowed him. 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two Isa. 4-2:6, 7; Luke 2 : 32. ch. 3: 2; IO:'I....u John 1 :42....v Luke 5 ; 10; 1 Cor. 9 : 20-22; 2 Cor. 12: 16. Mark 10 : £8-31. are not satisfactory. Indeed, his views in gen- eral on chronology are not more satisfactory than might be expected of one who in express terms asserts the "impracticability of constructing a formal harmony of the three synoptic Gospels." Capernaum. One of the chief cities of Galilee. It had a synagogue, in which Jesus often taught, a Roman garrison, and a customs station, and was the residence of Andrew, Peter, James, and John, and prob-ibly also of Matthew (Matt. 9 : 1-9 ; Mark 1 : 21 ; Luke 7:1,8; 5 : 27 ; John 6 : 69). It WaS de- nounced by our Lord for its rejection of him (Matt.'n : 23), and its destruction has been so com- plete that its very site is a matter of uncertainty. The better opinion fixes it at Tel Hum, on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The new name corresponds with the old, Cafar or Kefer, sig-nifying village, and Tel a deserted site. The ruins of an ancient synagogue have been recently discovered at Tel Hum, not impossibly the veiy one in which Christ preached. 14-16. That it might be fulfilled. As the life of the individual is ordered by God in such a way as to fulfill the divine but undisclosed pur- pose, so the life of Christ was ordered in such a way as to fulfill the divine will concerning him disclosed in the prophets, and for the purpose of 60 doing. Esaias. Isaiah 9 : 1, 2. The quotation does not follow the original literally, nor indeed are the quotations in the New Testament from the Old Testament generally verbally exact. Zabnlon and Nephthalim. The territories allotted to the tribes of Zebulon and Naphthali are referred to. They embrace the territory west of the Sea of Galilee, and constituted one of the most important, if not the most import- ant, field of Christ's ministry. The way of the sea, beyond Jordan. Our version is un- fortunate, if not inaccurate. These words are not descriptive of Zabulon and Nephthalim, but descriptive of other regions, the whole being em- braced in the last term of the sentence, Galilee of the Gentiles. (See paraphrase below.) Gal- ilee of the Gentiles. So called because of the intermixture of heathen with the Jewish population in Galilee. Which sat in dark- ness. A symbol of hopeless gloom. It signifies more than "walked in darkness;" they do not even attempt to escape from it. Zabulon and Nephthalim occupied the most northerly portion of the Holy Land, and were the tribes most dis- tant from Jerusalem. The history and char- acter of Galilee (see note on Matt. : 2, 22) had brought it into contempt among the Judeans, and its people, intermixed with Gentiles, were certainly in ignorance of the ecclesiastical rales and the traditions and ceremonies which prevailed in Judea, and constituted in all respects a more common and simple population. The prophet declares that this region of darkness and ignor- ance should be the scene of the Messiah's illus- trious appearance. Shadow of death. A common metaphor in the Old Testament (job 10 : 21 ; P8. 23 : 4 ; Jer. 2:6; and many other similar passages). Death is represented lilce a cloud that mtervenes between the sun and the landscape ; it thus casts a gloom on the face of the nation. Light is sprung up. " The light of itself sprung up and shone forth ; it was not that they first ran to the light." — (Chrysostom.) Compare Ephes. 2 : 4, 5; John 4 : 10. The whole passage then may be paraphrased thus : "The territories of Zabulon and Nephthalim, the region about the Sea of Gennesaret, the country beyond the Jordan, yea, the whole of Galilee, which you contemptuously designate Galilee of the Gentiles, whose inhabit- ants sit in the darkness of ignorance and under the gloom of impending death, from which there is no one to deliver, shall be the first to see the light which the Messiah brings." 17. From that time. Though he had com- menced his ministry at Jerusalem by casting out the traders, and by his conversation with Nico- demus (john2: 13; ch. 3), and some public instruc- tion in Samaria is implied by John 4 : 40-42, his sermon at Nazareth appears to have inaugurated his entry upon his life-work as a preacher of righteousness. There is no cessation of that work from this time until his death. Even dur- ing his retirement, after his rejection by the Galileans ,(Jo>in 6 : cg and Matt. 15 : 2i), he occupied himself with instructing his disciples in the principles of Christianity, and the nature and work of the Christian Church. His preaching is, however, at first only a preaching of repent- ance, like that of John the Baptist. It grows more explicit in its disclosures of the true nature of the kingdom of heaven afterwards. 18-22. The CAXL OF FOUR DISCIPLES. The ac- count in Luke 5 : 1-11, is much more full. See notes there. Sea of Galilee. Also called Lake of Gen- nesaret (Luke 5 : l), Sca of ChinnCrcth (Numb. 34 : ll), of Cinnereth (josh. 11:2), of Cinneroth (1 Kings 15 : 20), and of Tiberias (John 6 : 1). See map, Mark, ch. 1. Ch. IV.] MATTHEW. 81 brethren,^ James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets: and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teachings in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel^ of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease" among the people. 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria : and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which ; 19, 20 y ch. 9 : 35; Luke 4 : 15, 44 i ch. 24 : 14 ; Mark 1 ch. 8:16, 17: Ps. 103 : 3. FISHFRMAN CiSTIXG HIS NET Simon called Peter. The name Peter had been previously given to him by our Lord at or about the time of his own baptism by John the Baptist (John 1 : 42). The reason of the new name is given in Matt. 16 : 18. See note there. And Andrew his brother. Simon Peter, Andrew, and John had already met Jesus at the ford of the Jordan, where they had partially attached themselves to him under the influence of John the Baptist's preaching (john i : 35-42, note). The fact of their acquaintance with him, coupled with the miraculous draft of fishes recorded in Luke, accounts for the readiness with which they responded to his call. It was not the call of a stranger, but of one whom they had already recognized as a prophet if not as the Messiah. 20. And they straightway left their nets, etc. " Mark both their faith and their obedience. For though they were in the midst of their work (and ye know how greedy a thing fishing is), when they heard his command they delayed not, they procrastinated not, they said not, ' let us return home and converse with our kinsfolk,' but they forsook all and followed, even as Elisha did to Elijah." — (Chrysostom.) Compare Matt. 7 : 21, 23, and ch. 19 : 27-30. 21. Zebedee. The husband of Salome. The latter became a follower of Christ, and watched him on the cross, and ministered to him even in the grave (Matt. 27 : 55, 66 ; Mark 16 : 40 ; 16 : i). It 18 in- ferred from the mention of Zebedee's hired servants (Mark i : 20), and from the acquaintance of John with the high priest (John 18 : is), that the famUy were m easy circumstances ; and that the father and sons were actively engaged =^ m manual labor does not mUitate against this opinion. Zebedee is never ^ mentioned after this incident, and _ " there is no reason to believe that he ^^ ~ erer became a disciple of Jesus. Com- - pare Matt. 24 : 40, 41. One is taken J md the other left in the call of Christ, ^ a 3 in his final coming. % 22. Left the ship and their ^ father. Not only their property and ^ their business, but their home and -^= their father — for Christ's sake. Com- ' pare Matt. 10 : 37, and contrast Luke "" ^ 11 : 18-20. 23. Jesus went about. John preached in one locality to the people who came to him. Jesus went about seeking the people (Mark 1 : 37, 38). Teaching in their synagogues. Places of religious assembly among the Jews. Synagogues were first con- stituted during the captivity in Babylon, when access to the Temple was denied, and received their full development on the return of the Jews from captivity. They were built gener- ally on elevated ground; worshippers, as they entered and as they prayed, looked toward Je- rusalem. When finished, they were set apart, as the Temple had been, by a special prayer of dedication. The common acts of life, such as eating, drinking, reckoning up accounts, etc., were forbidden in them. Even if the building ceased to be used for worship, it was not to be applied to any base purpose. At the Christian era there were synagogues in every tovra, and in Jerusalem, according to the rabbinical writings, there were upwards of 450. The people assem- bled in them on Sabbath and other sacred days, for public prayer and the hearing of portions of Scripture (Luke 4 : i6 ; Acts 13 : is). In the interior ar- rangements of the synagogue may be traced an obvious analogy to those of the Tabernacle. At the upper end stood the ark or chest which con- tained the Book of the Law. Here were the " chief seats " (Matt. 23 ; 6; James 2 : 2, s). In frOUt of the ark was a lamp kept constantly burning, and an eight-branched lamp, lighted only on great 82 MATTHEW. [Ch. IV. were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy ; and he healed them. 25 And there followed him great multitudes" of peo- ple from Galilee, und/rom Decapolis, and yrom Jeru- salem, and/V-OOT Judaea, andyrom beyond Jordan, b Luke 6 : 17, 19. festivals. A little farther toward the middle of the building was a raised platform ; and in the middle of this rose a pulpit, in which the Scrip- ture was publicly read and the sermon or address was delivered. The officers of the congregation were composed of a college of elders (Luke 7: 3; Mark 5 : 22; Acts 13 : 16), presided ovcr by One who was the ruler of the synagogue (Luke 8 : 41, 49 j Acts is : 8, n). These managed the affairs of the synagogue and possessed the power of excommunicating. There were also an officer who was the chief reader of prayers, a minister of the synagogue (Luke 4 : 20), who had duties of a lower kind, resembling in part those of the modern sexton, in part those of the Christian deacon or sub-deacon, and who also often acted during the week as schoolmaster of the town or village, and ten men whose func- tions are not well ascertained. The latter were to be men of leisure, able to attend the week-day as well as the Sabbath services, and were proba- bly simply a body of men permanently on duty making up a congregation (ten being the mini- mum number), so that there might be no delay in beginning the service at the proper time. The service was a ritual, probably borrowed and modified from the established service of the Temple. The first five books of the Old Testa- ment were read through in a course of lessons, one lesson being read every Sabbath ; the proph- ets were read as second lessons. There was also a sermon or exposition of the passage of Scrip- ture which had been read, on which, however, any rabbi present might speak, by invitation of the ruler of the synagogue (Luke 4 : le, 17 ; Acts 9 : 20 ; 13 : 15). The liberty of preaching was not ordina- rily granted to any who were not versed in the lore of the rabbinical schools ; but it was ac- corded to prophets and others who were recog- nized as leaders of new sects or representatives of new opinions, in order that they might not be condemned unheard. Hence the permission granted to Christ, and subsequently to his apos- tles, to speak in the synagogues. The synagogue was a place of trial, and even, strange as it may seem, of the infliction of punishment (Matt. 10 : 17 ; 23 :34; Acts 22 : 19). And heralding the glad tidings of the kingdom. The word translated preaching, sig- nifies literally proclaiming as a herald or public crier ; the word gospel is composed of two words, god — spell, good tidings, and answers almost ex- actly to the Greek, which is a compound word, signifying good news. An illustration of Christ's preaching is afforded by Luke 4 : 10-32. The characteristics of Jesus as a preacher are indi- cated by references in the various Evangelists. He possessed in a remarkable degree that mys- terious personal magnetism which is the secret of all true oratory. No sooner did he rise to speak than all eyes were fastened on him (Luk« 4 : so). He spoke with ease and grace (ib., verae 22), but with peculiar power (Mark 1 : 22; Luke 4:32). For illustration of this power, see Luke 4 : SO ; John 10 : 39 ; 7 : 32, 45, 4(i ; 18 : 6. He showed no respect for rabbinical lore (jiatt. 15 : 3-9; Mark 7 : 6-13) ; but was familiar with and referred constantly to the Old Testament Scriptures (Matt. 12:5-7; 22:. "i, 32, 42-45; Mark 2 : 25, 26; John 5 : 39). He lOVCd Dature and interpreted her lessons (Matt. 6 : 26-29 ; 7:24-27, etc.), and drew innumerable illustrations from the common events of life (Matt. 13 : 3-9, 24-30, 33, 45-5f ; Luke 5: 10; 14:16-24), and from public and political events of importance (Matt. lO : 7-15 ; Luke 13 : 1-5 ; 19 : 12-28, and note). His discourscs Were generally brief, and abounded in apothegms, proverbs, and even startling paradoxes (see, for example, Matt. 5 : 10-12, 14, 29, 30, 44 ; 6 : 3, 21, 24, 34 ; 7:1, 7, 12, 20). And healing. For a graphic description of a day's work, see Mark 1 : 21-35. To this period of his ministry are thought to belong the casting out the devil in the synagogue (Marki : 21-23 ; Luke 4 : 31-37), the healing of Peter's mother-in-law and others (Matt. 8 : 14-n), the healing of the leper (Matt. 8 : 2-4), and of the paralytic (9 : 2-s). The fuller ac- counts of these cures thus given show plainly that they were miraculous. Though Jesus some- times used some of the simple remedies of his day (Matt. 9:29; Mark 6 : 13 ; Luke 4: 10; John 9 : 6, 7), and though some of the diseases, such as lunacy in its milder forms, hysteria, and some cases of par- alysis, can be relieved, if not cured, by a strong influence acting upon the system through the mind and brain, yet this is not true of the dis- eases which Christ for the most part treated, such as malarious fever (Matt. 8 : i4-n), chronic par- alysis (Luke 13 : 11-17), Congenital epilepsy (Matt. 17 : 14-21), long-continued ophthalmia (Matt. 9 : 27-30), or leprosy (Matt. 8 : 1-1 ; see ako Matt. 8 : 6-13 ; 9 : 13, 19, 23-26 ) Luke 7 : 1-16; John 4 : 46-54 ; 17 : 12-19). No natural CaUSCS can possibly explain these manifestations of Christ's power. His miracles, too, were charac- teristically unlike the acts of a necromancer. He never shrouded them in mystery ; he cured in his own name (Matt, s : 3), in open day, and before all the people (Mark 3 : 2-5 ; 9 : 25), by a word (Mark 3 : C), a touch (Matt. 9 : 29), a Command (jobn 5 : 8). For a full consideration of Jesus Christ as a preacher and healer, see Jesus of Nazareth, by Lyman Abbott, chapters 11, 12, and 13, from which this note is condensed. Ch. v.] MATTHEW. 83 24, 25. Comp. Mark 1 : 28. The Sea of Galilee was the centre of a busy traffic, and on the high- way between Damascus and the Mediterranean. The caravans would carry his f iime in both direc- tions. Possessed with devils. See note on Matt. 8 : 28-34. Lunatic. Literally, moon- struck; probably subject to epilepsy. The same word is employed in describing a specific case in Matt. 17 : 15 ; see note on Mark 9 : 7, 8. Palsy. See, for cure of a specific case of palsy, Matt. 9 : 1-8 ; Mark 2 : 1-12 ; Luke 5 : 17-2G ; and for descrip- tion of disease, notes on the passage in Mark. Decapolis {ten cities), a region in the northeast- em part of Palestine, near the lake of Gennesa- ret, and so called because it contained ten cities, which seem to have been endowed by the Ro- mans with some peculiar privileges. Their pop- ulation was mostly heathen. Jerusalem : in- cluding the territory round about Jerusalem. Beyond Jordan. East of the Jordan. In sec- ular history and in modern books of travel it is known as Perea (hcyond). It is even to this day a comparatively unknown land. See as to its character, note on Matt. 19 : 1. Ch. 5, 6, 7. SERMON OX THE MOUNT.— The keug- lON OP Jesus Cheist is a religion op spieitual BLESSEDNESS (1-16), OP SPIEITUAL OBEDIENCE (17^8), OP HUMBLE PIETY (6 : 1-18), OP SINGLENESS OF SERVICE (19-34), OP CHILDLIKE TRUST IN GOD (24-34), OP CHARITY AND PURITY (7 : \-%). It IS A DIVINE GIFT, IS TO BE ATTAINED BY PRAYER (7-12), BT SELP-DENIAL (13, 14), BY PRACTICAL OBEDIENCE (15-27). The KINGDOM OP Christ contrasted with earthly kingdoms (1-16), with the Mosaic commonwealth, i. e., the law (17-48), AND WITH the RELIGION OP FORMALISM (6 : 1 to 7 : 6). The conditions op citizenship in Christ's kingdom (7 : 7-27).— See note on Object OP Discourse, and Analysis below. Preliminary Note. — Of this sermon there are two reports having some points in common and some marked differences, one and the fullest here, the other in Luke (5 : 20-49. The sermon is not reported by Mark or John. In reconciling these two accounts there are several hypotheses proposed, of which the principal are the follow- ing : I. That Luke has given a report of the ser- mon, and that Matthew has grouped around it a collection of the sayings of our Lord, uttered at difEerent times during this period of his minis- try. But this is inconsistent with ch. 5 : 1, 2, which represents the discourse as given at one time, and no less so with the structure of the dis- course, which is as remarkable for its unity of thought as for the richness and the power of isolated. passages (see analysis below). II. That Matthew has given a full report and that Luke has condensed from it. But Luke adds matter which Matthew does not give (Luke 6 : 24-26), nor is there anything in his account to indicate that it is borrowed or condensed from the previous report of another. III. That there were two distinct discourses, one preached by Christ to the disciples alone and recorded by Matthew, the other and briefer preached to the multitude, and reported by Luke. This opinion is maintained by Dr. Eddy {Life of Christ, pages 312, 313\ Lange {Life of Christ, ii. 380-383), H. W. Beecher {Jesus the Christ, chap, xiv), following Tholuck, "Sermon on the Mount," and apparently Augus- tine. This hypothesis is pronounced " clumsy and artificial " by Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown, and "unlikely and unnatural" by Al- ford, and is rejected by Ellicott {Life of Christ, page 171, note), because it "has so much the ap- pearance of having been formed simply to recon- cile the differences as to locality and audiences, which appear in the two Evangelists, and in- volves so much that is unlikely and indeed unnat- ural. " It can at best be said to be but a possibly true explanation. IV. That there was but one discourse, that it was delivered to the disciples in the presence of the multitude, and with refer- ence to the wants of both the infant church and the great body of the people, and that of it we have different reports, with such variations as would naturally occur in the subsequent record by different writers. This is the view of Pres- sense {Life of Christ, page 361), Ebrard {Gospel History, pages 270-272), Neander {Life of Christ, page 224), Bengel (Gnomon on Matthew 5:1; Luke 6 : 17), Olshausen (Commmto-?/, Matt. 5 : 1), Wordsworth {Commentary, Luke 6 : 20), Robin- son {Harmony of the Gospels, § 41), and Town- send {JVeio Testament, page 75, PI. Ill, note 42). Those who believe in the verbal inspiration of the Scripture will reject this view. Those who believe that the Evangelists were left to use their natural faculties in recalling and recording the events and discourses they reported, being guarded by the Spirit of God from all material error, such as could affect the truth they were appointed to teach, will generally regard it, as I do, as the most rational and probable opinion. "It is," says Alford, "the view taken by ordi- nary readers of Scripture," and is "also taken by most of the modern German commentators." Object of the discourse. Luke has given the time of the discourse ; Matthew has not. Jesus had carried on his ministry for some time in Galilee ; his fame had extended throughout the Holy Land ; he had wrought the cures which Matthew subsequently records. While his popu- larity was constantly increasmg among the com- mon people (Mark 1 : 45 ; Luke 5 : 15, 16), his declaration that the Gospel was for the Gentiles (Luke 4 : 24-2S), his disregard of the Pharisaic ceremonials, and his controversies with the Pharisees respecting Sabbath observance, as recorded in Matt. 12 : 1-9 ; Mark 2 : 23-28 ; 3:1-6; John, ch. 5, which had taken place previous to this time though re- 84 MATTHEW. CHAPTER V. AND seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain : and when he was set, his disciples came unto him : [Ch. V. 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, say- ing," 3 Blessed are the poor in* spirit :« for their's is the kingdom of heaven. , etc d Isa. 67 : 15 ; 66 : 2. corded by Matthew subsequently, indicated the collision which was inevitable between his teach- ings and those of the Scribes and Pharisees. He summoned from the many that followed him, twelve to be his apostles (Lukee: is-ic) and the founders under him of the church which was to carry on the preaching of the Gospel after his death, and having consecrated them to their work he preached this sermon, primarily to them, but also to the great multitude who crowded to hear (Lake 6 : n). It was tlius in a proper sense an in- augural discourse. It sets forth to his disciples and to the people the character of that kingdom of heaven which he had declared to be at hand, but it does this by contrasting it, firstly, with the old theocracy which it was to fulfill, and sec- ondly, with the righteousness of which the scribes were the expositors, and which it was to overthrow. Analysis. — The sermon may be briefly ana- lyzed as follows. The kmgdom of God is one of blessedness, a blessedness which does not consist, however, in wealth and honor, but in character, in a lowly spirit, a merciful disposition, a pure heart. It brings earthly persecution but eternal reward (veraes i-is), and no one is worthy of it who has not the spirit to endure suffering for its sake (13-16). To make clear the nature of this king- dom, Christ points out its contrast with, first, the Mosaic law, and second, the traditional and ceremonial religion of the Scribes and Pharisees. He has been accused of disregarding the laws of Moses (Mark 2 : 24 ; John 5 : 10, 16). It is not true. The Messiah comes to fulfill, not to repeal, the Old Testament law. He has been charged with irre- ligion ; he replies that the religion of his disci- ples must exceed that of their accusers or they can never enter the kingdom of God (n-20). He explams his first declaration by showing how the laws of the kingdom of heaven require all that the Mosaic law required, and much more, and illustrates this truth by pointing out that while the Mosaic law forbade murder, adultery, and perjury, and restrained revenge within certain definite bounds, Christ's law forbids anger and unhallowed thoughts, and requires simplicity in aU speech, and love toward all men (21-48). He next illustrates the second declaration by depict- ing the vices which nullify all that is seemingly good in Pharisaism, the ostentation of the three good works of all formal religions — alms-giving, prayer, and fasting ; the greed which accompa- nies their pretended piety ; and the censoriousness which is the result of their self-righteous spirit (ch. 6 ; ch. 7 : 1-6). He finally, in a few brief aphor- isms, points out the way by which the soul may enter the kingdom of God (ch. 7 : 7-14) ; cautions his hearers against preachers of false doctrine ; gives a simple test of truth which every man, however unlearned, can easily apply for himself (15-23); and he closes by the declaration that discipleship consists not in hearing the tinth, nor in profess- ing the truth, but in living the truth (24-29). The fact that this discourse possesses a unity as characteristic as that of any address of equal length in the Bible, if not in any literature, is a sufllcient refutation of the idea that it is a mosaic of Christ's sayings, put together by Matthew ; the fact that it was preached for a specific pur- pose, viz., to exhibit the contrast of the religion of the Spirit with that of external observance, suflSciently indicates the reason why it contains no distinct enunciation of those doctrines of an atoning sacrifice, and a new and spiritual birth, which Jesus had already enunciated in private conversation with Nicodemus (John 3 : i-s), and which he at a later period emphasized, not only in addresses delivered to his own disciples, but in those delivered to the people (Matt. 22 : 11-13; 25 : 1-13; John ch. 6; ch. 10, etc.). At the Same time the fundamental truth that the kingdom of heaven is the gift of God, is indicated clearly in chapter 7 : 7-11. See notes there. 1; And seeing the multitudes. To escape from them and to secure a private interview with his disciples (compare Mark 3 : 9, 13). 3IOUn> tain. Not necessarily a particular mountain ; rather into the "hill-country." Luke says (ch. 6 : n) that he came down and stood in the plain (literally, level place). Nothing more is indicated by this than that he descended from one of the higher peaks to the plateau to give this dis- course, where it might be heard by the people as well as by the twelve. A tradition points out a hill, kno^vn as Mount Hattin, as the place where the sermon was delivered. The tradition is of no weight, but the hill itself contains a platform " evidently suitable for the collection of a multi- tude, and corresponding precisely to the ' level place ' to which he would ' come down,' as from one of its higher horns, to address the people." — {Btajileifs Sinai and Palestine, page 360.) And Avhen he ^vas set. The Jewish rabbis gave their instruction sitting, both in the schools and in the public preaching in the synagogues (Luke 4 : 20). His disciples. It is evident from Luke Ch. v.] MATTHEW. 85 4 Blessed are they that mourn :' for they shall be comforted.8 5 Blessed are the meek : for theyi" shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness : for' they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful : forJ they shall obtain mercy. f Isa. 61 : 3 ; Eze. 7 : 16 g John 16 : 20 ; 2 Cor. 1:7 h Ps. 37 : 11 i Ps. 145 : 19 ; Isa. 65 : 13. . . .j Ps. 41 : 1, 2. 6 : 13-16, that the twelve had been chosen and set apart to the apostleship immediately preced- ing this sermon. The account of their selection is given later by Matt, (lo : i-s) in connection with the command given to them to preach the gos- pel. This commission must, however, have been preceded by some preparatory special in- structioiL Comparing Luke and Matthew, the whole narrative will read as follows : "And it came to pass in those days that he went up into a mountain (rather, the hill coimtnj) to praj^, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day he called unto him his disciples, and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles (Matt. 5:1; Luke 6 : 12, is) ; and he came down with them, and stood in the plain (rather, a level place) with the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judea, etc., which came to hear him (Luke 6 : n) ; and he opened his mouth and taught them saying " (Matt. 5 : 2). 2. And he opened his mouth. A not in- frequent introduction to a solemn and weighty discourse (Job 3 : 1 ; Psalm 78 : 2, referred to in Matt. 13 : 35 ; Dan. 10 : 16 ; Acts 8 : 35 ; Ephes. 6 : 19). In the light of these references such deductions as those of the fathers, "He who before had opened the mouth of Moses and the prophets opens now his own mouth " (Gregory), " in his very silence he gave instructions, and not when he spoke only " ( Chry- sostom), though true, must be regarded as fanci- ful and far-fetched. Ch. 5:3-16. FIRST GENERAL DIVISION. -The char- acteristics OF Christ's true disciples. 3-12. The Beatitudes. These, which are eight in number (Luke adds four woes, 6 : 24-26), are not promises of blessings to be fulfilled in another life; they are enunciations of certain general principles, according to which each grace of dis- position receives its own peculiar experience of blessedness. The Jewish people were looking for political supremacy, a kingdom like that of Greece and Rome, when the long promised and now more lately heralded kingdom of God should come. In these beatitudes Christ teaches, first, what are the characteristics of the kingdom of God, and second, what is its true pomp and glorj'. It is in some sense a contrast with the earthly rewards promised by the Old Testament (Deut. 30 : 20 ; Isaiah 1 : 19, 2o). Yet a hint of the beati- tudes is to be found even in the Old Testament (see refcrencts below). " Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament ; adversity is the blessing of the New ; which carrieth the greater benediction and the clearer revelation of God's favor. Tet even in the Old Testament, if you listen to Da- vid's harp you shall hear as many hearse-like airs as carols ; and the pencil of the Holy Ghost hath labored more in describing the afflictions of Job than the felicities of Solomon." — [Lord Bacon.) 3. Poor in spirit. Those who possess a dis- position the reverse of proud in spirit and haugh- ty. The world still honors the high and haughty spirit ; it is the lowly in spirit whom Christ de- clares blessed. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Is noiv, not shall be hereafter. The kingdom of heaven represents not a future state, but the condition of obedience to God here. (See note on chapter 3 : 2, and compare Rom. 14 : 17.) To the lowly in spirit repentance and confession are not difficult, and, therefore, to them the door of en- trance into the kingdom of heaven swings open readily. A parallel teaching is that of Psalm 51 : 17, and Isaiah 66 : 3. "By spirit he hath here designated the soul, and the faculty of choice. Since many are humble not willingly, but com- pelled by stress of circumstances, letting these pass (for this were no matter of praise), he blesses them first who by choice humble and con- tract themselves." — {Chrynostom.) This beati- tude comes first because it is the foundation of all that follow, as repentance and confession are the entrance door into all the blessings which are attributed to the other graces— graces that be- long alone to the kingdom of God. 4. Blessed are they that mourn; not merely for their sins. It is an absolute promise to all those who in the kingdom of heaven are brought into the experience of mourning, and is to be interpreted by such passages as Romans 5 : 3-5, Hebrews 13 : 11, and Rev. 7 : 14. " Tears like rain-drops have a thousand times fallen to the ground and come up in flowers." — {R. W. Beecher.) "Every praying Christian will find that there is no Gethsemane without its angel." — {Binney. ) Compare with this promise Eccles. 7 : 3, 3 ; Isaiah 61 : 3, 3 ; 66 : 13. 5. Blessed are the meek. The Greek word here rendered meek (mufilQ) occurs also in Matt. 31 : 5 and 1 Pet. 3 : 4, and in a slightly different form in James 1 : 31 ; 3 : 13, and 1 Pet. 3 : 15. A comparison of these passages, together with those where the English word is the same, but the Greek is different in form, though from the same root, mdicates its significance in the Scrip- ture. Meekness is a spirit the opposite of the ambitious and self-seeking one which is charac- MATTHEW. [Ch. V. 8 Blessed are the pure in" heart : for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the' peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for right- eousness'"' sake : for their's is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute ^oa, and shall say ali manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : for great is your reward" in heaven : for so persecuted they the proph- ets which were before you. k Ps. 24 : 3, 4; Heb. 12 : 14; 1 John 3 : 2, 3 1 Ps. 34 : 14. Pet. 3:13, 14 n 2 Cor. 4 : 17. teristic of kings (Matt. 21 : 5), the opposite of the ambitious and self-assertive one which is charac- teristic of controversialists (1 Pet. 3 : 15). The root of meekness is the dominance of spiritual over earthly desires. It is the characteristic of one who seeks first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and leaves all other things to God's care (Matt. 6 : 33). Inherit the earth. Not the new heavens and the new earth, nor the land of promise, i. e., the heavenly kingdom here- after, nor great spiritual blessings here, but lit- erally the earth. Christ declares that the enjoy- ment of earthly blessings belongs not to those who grasp for them, and assert and maintain with vehemence and care their right to them, but to those who hold them lightly, and who, ranking them inferior to spiritual blessings, are not burdened by them while they possess them, nor harassed lest they lose them. " Selfish men may possess the earth ; it is the meek alone who inherit it from the heavenly Father, free from all defilements and perplexities of unrighteous- ness."— (/oAw Woolman''s Journal, page 3G.) This beatitude is found almost in the same form in Psalm 37 : 11 ; and the substance of the same truth is contained in Isaiah 57 : 13 ; 60 : 21. See also Matt. 19 : 29. 6. Hunger and thirst. Not merely desire, but so desire that we cannot be denied. Though It is Satan who said, "All that a man hath will he give for his Life " (job 2:4), it is, nevertheless, substantially true ; and he who has a similar de- sire for righteousness will count no sacrifice too great to secure it (Matt. 10 : 37-39, and parallel passages). Ri'j^hteousness. Perfect conformity to the will of God respecting us, as represented to us m the life and character of Christ, our example. Shall be filled. All other desires are liable to be dis- appointed ; the desire for righteousness, if it be supreme — not merely the wish, but the choice of the soul, can never be disappointed. Even suc- cess fails to satisfy other desires ; the desire for righteousness shall be filled. Compare Psalm 17 : 15 ; 65 : 4 ; 107 : 9. 7. Merciful. Mercy as a feeling is that habit of mind which leads one to feel pity and compas- sion rather than resentment toward a wrong- doer ; and as an act, it is the exercise of forgive- ness in the largest sense, i. e. , of good-will and helpfulness toward those who have wronged us and who are desemng of punishment. It is the highest exercise of love, because it is love to- ward not only the undeserving, but the ill-deserv- ing, and involves sympathy not only for the un- fortunate, but for the wrong-doer. Shall ob- tain mercy. Not only from men, because the tender consideration of the merciful from others reacts in tender regard of others for ourselves, but also from God (Ps. 18:26; Prov. 3:34; compare Matt. 18 : 23-35). " Mercy turns her back to the unmer- ciful." — {Quarks.) 8. Pure in heart. They who are not merely clean ceremonially or morally, i. e., in external conduct, but in motive and purpose. Compare Psalm 51 : 6 ; Prov. 4 : 23. Shall see God. Not merely hereafter, but now. True knowl- edge of God comes not through an intellectual study of his attributes, but through a spiritual conformity to his character (John u: 15, n, 21,23; 2 Cor. 3 : 13 ; Heb. 12 : 14; 2 Pet. 1 : s). As We grOW in grace we grow in the knowledge of God (2 Pet. 3 : is). The converse is also true ; when we see him as he is, we shall be by the sight made like him (1 John 3 : 2). For parallel to this promise, see Psalm 24 : 4, 5. " We must be in some way like God in order that we may see God as he is." 9. Peace-makers. Not merely they who reconcile differences between man and man, though such peace-making is included, but they who, by their presence and disposition, as well as by their conscious acts, carry with them the spirit of peace and quietness, and bring peace to others who are perturbed and troubled. See for a wondrous illustration of such peace-making John 14 : 27. One condition of such peace-making is the maintenance of a quiet and peaceful heart amidst all experiences of turmoil. As Solomon contrasts him who maintains peace in himself with the conqueror (Prov. 16 : 32), so Christ con- trasts him who produces peace with the war- makers whose victories were the envy of the Jews, and by whose prowess they expected to see the kingdom of God ushered in. Shall be called. Shall not only be the children of God, but shall also be recognized as such. It is this peace-giving quality which above all others is counted among men as saintliness. Observe that, as in James 3 : 17, so here, purity precedes peace, and that there is no true peace-making which is not also in so far pure-making. "No peace was ever won from fate by subterfuge or agreement ; no peace is ever in store for any of us, but that which we shall win by victory over shame or sin— victory over the sin that oppresses Ch. v.] MATTHEW. ■87 13 Ye are the salt" of the earth : but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good tor nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot ot men. 14 Ye are the light? of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 rjeither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick ; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven. Mark 9 : 50 p Phil. 2:15 q 1 Pet. 2:12. as well as over that which corrupts." — {Buskin.) In this truth is found the reconciliation of such passages as this with Matt. 10 : o4. 10. Compare 1 Peter 3 : 14. Not merely be- cause a heavenly reward compensates the perse- cuted for their sufferings, though this is true (see Luke 16: 25; and Rev. 7:14), but mOre bCCaUSe the persecution itself intensifies the martyr's abhor- rence of evil, and drives him to a closer refuge in God. The truth is illustrated in many a Chris- tian experience, is embodied in the hymns of the Christian Church, as in the lines, Man may trouble and distress me, 'T will but drive me to thy and is exemplified in the fact that the greatest purity of the Christian Church has been m times of persecution, its greatest corruption in the time of its wealth, its honor, and its worldly prosperity. "So long as the waters of persecu- tion are upon the earth, so long we dwell in the ark ; but where the land is dry, the dove itself will be tempted to a wandering course of life, and never to return to the house of her safety." — {Jeremy Taylor.) 11, 13. The preceding verse is the last of the beatitudes, each of which is seen to be the enun- ciation of a law which connects with each seem- ing lowliness of character, or bitterness of sorrow, a real experience of grace and glory. The 11th and 12th verses are addressed more di- rectly and immediately to Christ's own disciples, as an encouragement in view of approaching contumely and persecution. In the other prom- ises Christ says not, blessed are ye, but blessed are the poor, they that mourn, the meek, etc. Observe the qualifications of this blessing: "Lest thou shouldest think that the mere fact of being evil spoken of makes men blessed, he hath set two limitations ; when it is for his sake, and when the things that are said are false ; for without these he who is evil spoken of, so far from being blessed, is miserable." — {Chrysostom.) Reward. Of grace, not of debt. See Romans, ch. 4, and parable of the laborers. Matt. ch. 20, and note there. For so persecuted they, etc. Compare Matt. 23 : 29-31. Every age persecutes its own prophets, and reveres the prophets whom the preceding age has persecuted. 13. Ye are the salt of the earth. The significance of the metaphor consists not merely in the fact that salt is the great antiseptic, but also in its peculiar quality of imparting a flavor to everything with which it is mixed. Livy calls Greece "the salt of the nations." Observe that salt must be mingled with whatever it is to fla- vor ; and Christians are to mingle with men, not to live in monkish solitude apart from them ; they are to carry religion into daily life, not to keep it for the closet and the church. Lost its savour. " It is a well-known fact that the salt of this country (Palestine), when in contact with the ground, or exposed to rain and sun, does be- come insipid and useless. From the manner in which it is gathered much earth and other impu- rities are necessarily collected with it. Not a little of it is so impure that it cannot be used at all, and such salt soon effloresces and turns to dust — not to fruitful soil, however. It is not only good for nothing itself, but it actually de- stroys all fertility wherever it is thrown; and this is the reason why it is cast into the street. So troublesome is this corrupted salt that no man will allow it to be thrown on to his field, and the only place for it is the street, and there it is cast to be trodden under foot of men." — {Thompson'' s Land and Book, vol. ii, p. 44.) Good for nothing. Salt is a great antiseptic. Its func- tion in ordinary culinary purposes is to prevent decay and corruption. This is the function of the Christian Church. It does this by its spirit of self-sacrifice ; by showing itself willing to sufEer for truths and principles which the world but dimly recognizes, or not at all. If the church loses this spirit of self-sacrifice, it be- comes itself corrupt, ceases to be a purifier and preserver, and is '■'■good for nothing.'''' Observe, that the salt cannot restore that which is decayed, but only preserve from decay. "That men should be set free from the rottenness of their sins was the good work of Christ ; but their not returning to it again any more was the object of these men's diligence and travail." — {Chrysos- tom.) 14. Light of the world. Because Christ is in the midst of his church, which otherwise pos- sesses no light (John 1 : 9; 8 : 12; Epbes. 6:8; Rev. 1 : is). It is not truth in abstract forms, but truth em- bodied in living men, and chiefly incarnate in the man Christ Jesus, which is the light of the world ; i. e., example is more than precept, life is more than philosophy. A city set on a hill. Pos- sibly an allusion to Jerusalem. There is no au- thority for the notion that some city was in sight MATTHEW. [Ch. V. 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the' prophets : I am not come to destroy, but to' ful- fill. 18 For verily I say unto you. Till heaven and eartb pass, one jot or one tittle" stiaU in no wise pass from the law, till all be tulfiUed. • ch. 3 : IS E Isa. 42 : 21 t Ps. 40 : 7, 8 u Luke 10 : 17. at the time of the delivery of this sermon, though that may have been the ease. 15. Candle. This word often occurs in our version of the Scripture, where a lamp is more probably meant (job is : 6 ; Ps. is : ss). But candles made of wax or tallow, with the pith of a kind of rush for the wick, were used at this time among the Romans and probably among the Jews. 16. Good works. Does this conflict with what Paul says about good works ? No ! for though we are saved by faith, it is unto good works (Ephes. 2 : lo). Let your light so shine . . . that they may glorify your Father. The Pharisee displays his light (see ch. e) ; the true Christian simply lets his shine. The Pharisee glorifies himself by his works ; the true disciple of Christ glorifies only his heavenly Father. Ob- serve that in these verses (13-16) Christ teaches that the pre-eminence which Christian character and conduct gives to the true disciple is a part of the divine intention ; and hence rebukes the fear of being odd, and the tendency to conform to the world in its habits and usages ; also that he puts example above precept, and thus impli- edly teaches, what Paul declares most clearly, that the greatest heresies are not in doctrine, but in life (i Tim. i : 9-10). Ch. 5 : 17-48. SECOND GENERAL DIVISION.— The Laws op the kingdom of Christ contrasted with THOSE OP Moses. 17. Think not that I am come to destroy. This charge had already been made against Jesus (John 6 : 16, is) ; was substantially made against Paul (Acts 21 : 20, 21 ; Rom. 3 : 8, 31 ; 6 : 1) ; in the sixteenth century was made against Luther ; and is still made against every one who preaches the liberty of the Gospel. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill, i. e., to fill to the full the ancient laws with their own true and spirit- ual meaning. But see further below. In these words Christ declares the relations of the law and the Gospel, a theme to which we must con- stantly recur, especially in Paul's writings. Without essaying a full interpretation, a work which belongs to the preacher rather than to the commentator, it must suffice to say here : I. That by the term law the whole Mosaic sys- tem is meant. The Bible nowhere makes a dis- tinction between the moral and the ceremonial law. The whole is treated as one system, and the relation of the Gospel to the one is its rela- tion to the other. Observe that it is a portion of the ceremonial law which is apparently retained by the council of Jerusalem (Acts 15 : 28, 29) ; and the moral law, written in the hearts of the Gen- tiles as well as in the books of the Jews, which is treated of in Romans, chaps. 2 and 3. It is tam- pering with the plain meaning of Scripture to suppose that Christ destroyed the ceremunial but retains and enforces the moral law. See par- ticularly verse 18, and James 2 : 10. II. The N. T. nowhere treats any part of the law as abolished or repealed. The popular idea that it repeals the Jewish Sabbath and re-enacts a new one has no warrant in Scripture. There is no repealing clause in the New Testament; and nothing in it to set aside the O. T., or any part of it, as obsolete, common, old-fashioned, and useless. Paul may seem to treat a part of the law as repealed, in such passages as Ephes. 2 : 15 and Col. 2 : 14 ; but he carefully and indignantly repudiates this inference in Rom. 3 : 31, and im- pliedly so in 1 Timothy 1 : 8. III. The proximate object of law is the protec- tion and welfare of the community ; its ultimate object is the development of character ; but this it essays to accomplish only by forming right habits of conduct. Law, therefore, regulates only the external conduct. In the nature of the case, civU laws, enforced by civil penalties, can- not deal directly with the heart. While, there- fore, the ultimate object of law (1 Tim. 1 : i) and its indirect effect fps. 19 : 1, 8) is the improvement of character, it is composed necessarily of specific precepts commanding or forbidding actions. It prohibits adultery, not lust ; murder, not anger ; because this is all mere law can do. IV. The Gospel operates directly on the heart. It not only requires purity in thought and love, and forgiveness in feeling (see heiow) ; it bestows moral and spiritual power (john 1:12); and so, by making the character divine., removes all occa- sion for laws regulating the conduct. "When the character is conformed to the divine image, the end of the law is fulfilled, and the law itself be- comes useless and is forgotten. "As the shell breaks when the bird is hatched ; as the sheath withers when the bud bursts into leaf ; as the rough sketch is done with when the picture is finished ; as the toys of boyhood are laid by in adolescence ;" so the system of law, which is pre- paratory only, is superseded, not repealed or de- stroyed, and this just in the proportion in which the indi^^dual, the community, or the race comes into a moral state in which it no longer needs to be commanded and forbidden (Gai. 3 : 24, 2t ; 4 : 1-6), Ch. v.] MATTHEW. 89 V. The mere external law regulating conduct was all that was recognized by the Pharisees or by the great majority of the Jews ; just as even now the precepts of Christ constitute in the thought of many the chief part of Christianity. Yet in the O. T. are hints that the law looked to- wards something higher than a well-regulated conduct. See, for example, such commands as Exod. 20 : 17 ; Lev. 19 : 18 ; Deut. 6:5; 10 : 13 ; and such passages as Isaiah 1 : 10, 17 ; 66 : 3 ; and Micah 6 : 8. Indeed, the prophets are full of a constant protest against a mere obedience to the letter of the law, and insist on a spiritual life. Thus Christ does not destroy even that concep- tion of the law which the ancient Jews — that is, the best among them — entertained, but fulfills the meaning of the ancient statutes by the dis- closure of a life more deeply spiritual than any of which the prophets had ever conceived. It is to the contrast between the mere legal obedience rendered by the Pharisees and the spiritual life to which the law, rightly interpreted, should conduct, that Christ refers in verse 20. In three ways, then, does Christ fulfill the law ; first, by giving it in his exposition a fuller and more spiritual meaning than the Pharisees im- puted to it or than we now ordinarily impute to it, or even to his precepts ; second, by illustrat- ing its end and object, the development of a per- fect character, by his own life, free from re- proach, even by the Pharisees (john 8 : 46), because perfect in spirit ; and third, by giving to his dis- ciples the power, which the law never gave, of obedience, by changing the desires and aspira- tions of the heart, and so making the character to act out, naturally and free from restraint, the life which the law alone required from unwilling subjects through fear, but was unable to secure (Rom. 8 : 3, 5 ; Heb. 2 ; lo). Thesc principles will be recurred to hereafter in this work, and are em- bodied here m a brief statement partly for that purpose. They explain and are explained by the illustrations which follow. What becomes of the law against murder to one who is never under the dommion of anger, or of the law against adultery to one who is perfectly pure in thought, or of the law against forswearing to one who has been cured of the evil, from which all exaggera- tions and undue expletives come (see verse 3?), or of the law against excessive punishment and re- venge to one who loves his enemies ? Observe in this connection how Christ set him- self before the people as the one that was to come, and as the fulfiller of the whole imperfect and prophetic system of Moses. "When you know what it means and how long mankind had been kept waiting for it, there is sublimity in the composure with which this simple preacher of God sets himself forth as the fulfiller." — {Dykes.) Observe, also, th^t he declares it his mission to fulfill the prophets as well as the law ; that is, in him and the kingdom he has come to establish, the whole system of O. T. prophecy, type, and symboUsm, is fulfilled. 18. Verily. A common precursor of a sol- emn and weighty declaration ; but so used only by Christ. See, for examples, 6 : 3, 5 ; John 3 : 3, 5, 11 ; and Concordance, word verily. It is the Greek word Amen, and is used in the N. T. as an appellation of Christ (Rev. 3 : w), and also as a solemn close of prayer, being repeated by the people as their ratification or endorsement of it (i Cor. 14 ; 16 ; Rev. 6 : 14 ; 19 : 4), in which casc it is ren- dered in our version by the word Amen. I say unto you. Christ appeals to himself as author- ity, here and elsewhere, in his most solemn and weighty disclosures of truth; his "I say unto you" is equivalent to the prophetic formula, "thus saith the Lord." Jot or tittle. Jot is the Hebrew Jod, the smallest letter in the He- brew alphabet ; tittles, Uterally horns, are the Mttle turns of the strokes by which one Hebrew letter differs from another similar to it. At the time of Christ the O. T. scripture existed of course only in manuscript. In' the Hebrew Bible are over 66,000 jots. The Hebrew copyists were scrupulous to the last degree, and regarded the shghtest error in their copy fatal. For the purpose of illustration, Christ takes this well- known veneration of the copyists for the most minute details in their copying. Till all be fulfilled. Just in the proportion in which, by the baptism of the spirit and the regeneration and sanctification of the character, the law is fulfilled, it ceases to bind, but no farther. If lust and anger are still in the heart, the law against adultery and murder are not superseded. It is in the failure to recognize this truth that the Antiuomians fell into capital error. The note of Dean Alford on this verse appears to me so important that I transcribe the most essential portion of it in full : "It is important to observe in these days how the Lord here in- cludes the Old Testament and all its u7ifolding of the diviou purposes regarding himself, in his teach- ing of the citizens of the kingdom of heaven. I say this, because it is always in contem,pt and set- ting aside of the Old Testament that rationalism has begun. First, its historical truth, then its theocratic dispensation and the types and prophe- cies connected with it are swept away ; so that Christ came to fulfill nothing, and becomes only a teacher or a martyr ; and thus the way is paved for a similar rejection of the New Testament, beginning with the narratives of the birth and infancy, as theocratic myths, advancing to the denial of his miracles, then attacking the truth- fulness of his own sayings, which are grounded on the Old Testament as a revelation from God, and so finally leaving us nothing in the Scriptures 90 MATTHEW. [Ch. V. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven : but Whosoever shall do and teach tluin, the same shall be called great^ in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteous- ness shall exceed" the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven. 21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old 1 Sam. 2 : 30 w ch. 23 : 23-28 ; Phil. 3 : 9. but, as a German ^'riter of this school has ex- pressed it, 'a mythology not so attractive as that of Greece. ' That this is the course which unbelief has run in Germany should be a preg- nant warning to the decriers of the Old Testa- ment among ourselves. It should be a maxim for every expositor and every student, that Scripture Is a whole, and stands or falls together." 19. Break. Rather relax. The Greek word here used {ivuj) is generally translated loose, and when not used metaphorically embodies the idea of freeing from restraints, as in Mark 1:7; Luke 13 : 15 ; 19 : 30, 31 ; John 11 : 44. The same idea appears to be generally involved in its metaphor- ical use, as in Matt. IG : 19 ; Acts 3 : 24. And even when it embodies the idea of destruction, a general dissolution is ordinarily involved, as in 2 Pet. 3 : 11, 12. Least in the kingdom of heaven. See note on next clause ; and on mean- ing of phrase, kingdom of heaven, see note on Matt. 3 : 2. Whosoever shall do— m the spirit and fulness with which Christ fulfilled all right- eousness — and teach — expounding the law as Christ in this chapter expounds it, so as to bring out its spiritual meaning, and accomplish its spir- itual purposes — shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Chrysostom, and following him Owen, interpret the phrase " king- dom of heaven " here as equivalent to the " time of the resurrection and that awful coming," and "least in the kingdom " as equivalent to cast out from it. But our Lord does not say that he who loosens the obligations of the law shall be ex- cluded from the kingdom, but shall be least in it, and our duty is to find out what he says, not to substitute for it something which we re- gard as equivalent. The question of admis- sion to or exclusion from the kingdom is not raised here at all, and to regard "least in the kingdom" as equivalent to excluded from it, and great "in the kingdom" as not denoting grade or rank, but a full and free entrance into it, is not only to miss the meaning of this pass- age, but to make admission into the kingdom to rest upon obedience to law, which is never rec- ognized in the JH. T. as the condition of admis- sion. The natural and plain meaning of Christ's words affords the true interpretation. To relax the obligation of law either by precept or exam- ple is not the way to attain eminence in piety ourselves, or to promote it in others. The true way to overcome the spirit of externalism and legalism in the church is not by relaxing the obligations of obedience, but by teaching men the doctrine of a higher obedience. The true way, for example, to correct a formal technical and servile observance of the Sabbath, is not by re- laxing the Sabbath-law, but by leading up to a higher appreciation of Sabbath rest and Sabbath worship ; and so of all law. Of such true teach- ing Paul's Epistle to the Romans affords, when studied as a whole, a wondrous illustration. 20. Scribes. This term, which is sometimes used in the N. T. to designate certain officers whose duty it was to keep the official records of the Jewish nation, or to act as private secreta- ries of distinguished individuals, is ordinarily applied in the N. T. to persons devoted to read- ing and expounding the law. They generally appear in connection with the Pharisees ; but it would appear from Acts 23 : 9, that there were Scribes attached to the other sects also. The Scribes customarily opposed themselves to our Lord ; watching him to find matter of accusation (Luke 6: 7, n) ; peiTerting his sayings and his ac- tions (Matt. 9:3; Luke 6 : 30 ; 15:2); and Seeking to entangle and embarrass him by questions (Matt. 12 : 38; 21 : 23; Luke 20 : 21, 22). They tOOk the place, though they did not fulfill the functions, of the ancient prophets; and their authority as expounders of the law is recognized by our Lord himself (Matt. 23 : 1, 2), They kept schools for the teaching of the law and the com- mentaries thereon (Luke 2 : 46 : Acts 6 ; 34 ; compare with 22 ; 3, and see Jos. Antiq. 17 : 6, 2) ; they alSO COpicd the laW, and at a later date wrote commentaries upon it, and engaged with each other in fruitless and often heated discussions, respecting questions in rab- binical theology and casuistry. Pharisees. See note on Matt. 3 : 7. Their righteousness was one of external obedience to law merely ; that of Christ's disciples must be higher — the obedience of the heart and the spirit. Observe, that Christ does not denounce the obedience of the Pharisees, here or anywhere in the N. T (com- pare 23 : 23) ; he denounces their hypocrisies ; but he overturns formalism and legalism, not by de- nouncing it, but by propounding a higher stand- ard. The true way to overcome evil is always by pointing out and inciting to a better way. Ye shall in no case enter, etc. Compare 7 : 21 ; 25 : 31-46 ; John 3:5; Phil. 3 : 4-10. 21-48. These verses embody in five examples illustrations of the general principles laid down in verses 17-20. They show how it is that Christ fulfills the law, and in what sense the Christian Ch. v.] MATTHEW. 91 time," Thou shalt not kill : and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment : 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry ■with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his broth- er, Raca, shall be in danger of the council : but who- soever shall say. Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Ex. 20 : 13 ; Deut. 5 : 17. righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, 21-iJ6. First EXAMPLE. Law against murder. til. Ye have heard — viz., in the synagogues where the O. T. Scriptures were read iu a course of lessons, on the Sabbath (compare Luke IC .- 29; Acts 13 : 27) — that it was said by them of old time — rather, probably, to them of old time. Either rendering is grammatically correct, but the weight of authority appears to sanction the latter, and the contrast throughout this chapter is not between Christ and Moses as law-givers, but between the laws addressed to the world in its childhood, and those addressed to the disci- ples of Christ as the children of God ; between the law of servitude of the old time, and the law of liberty which Christ ushers in (Gai. 4 : 1-3, 7 ; james 1 : 25). Thou Shalt not kill. Murder was prohibited (Exod. 20 : is) ; the penalty was death (ch. 21 : 12) ; but provision was made for the escape of one accidentally killing another, from the re- venge of the next of kin, and for determining whether the killing was or was not intentional (xumb., ch. 35). Judgment. Not the final judg- ment ; the laws of Moses, like any other code of civil laws, depended for their enforcement on temporal rewards and punishments. Judges were appointed in every city (Deut. le : is), accord- ing to Josephus, seven to each city. It was by this tribunal the case of the manslayer was de- termined (compare Numb. 33 : 13, 24, 25 with Josh. 20 : 4). It is to this judgment Christ here refers. The tri- bunal might, if they could not determine the case, certify it for decision to the Sanhedrim, the chief court of the Jews at Jerusalem, — {Jo^e- pkm' Ant. 4 : 8, 14.) 22. Without a cause. There is some doubt whether this word has not been inserted by the copyists to soften the apparent rigor of the pre- cept. However that may be, the Bible recog- nizes elsewhere a righteous anger (Ephcs. 4:26; Jaaies 1 : 19 ; Ps. 7 ; 11 ; Rev. 6 : 16). Judgment, l. €., in Christ's kingdom, not as in verse 21, judgment in the Jewish commonwealth. There is between verses 31 and 33 a transition from the ancient law, which was enforced by temporal punish- ments, to the spiritual law, which is enforced by the judgments of God. But the Jewish terms "judgment," "council," and "hell-fire" are used metaphorically to indicate degrees in the divine penalties of the future world. Raca — empty. A general term of contempt. Coun- cil. The Sanhedrim, the highest court of judi- cature, answering as a judicial body to our Su- preme Court, or rather to the English House of Lords, since it exercised both judicial and legis- lative functions. Fool. Rather, probably, rebel. Baca is a Hebrew word ; probably the word used here was also, in the original, Hebrew ; but in at- tempting to preserve the Hebrew sound in Greek characters, a Greek word was used. The Greek word means fool, the Hebrew rebel. If we pre- serve the Hebrew significance here the climax is preserved. Fool and Raca would, on the contrary, be nearly synonymous. If I am right in this the obnoxious word embodies a bitter judgment of one's spiritual state, decrees him to certain de- struction, and answers to the most common form of modern profanity. Hell-fire. There are two words in the N. T. translated hell. One is Hades («t'>/c), and always signifies sim- ply the place of departed spirits ; the other is Oehemia (ytfia), and is the word used here. It indicates, by a significant metaphor, the place of future punishment. To the southeast of Jerusalem was a deep and fer- tile valley called the vale of Hinnom, or, in Greek, Gehenna. In a particular portion of this valley, known as Tophet (isa. so : 33; Jtr. 7 ; 31,32; 19 : 6, 11), the idolatrous Jews burned their chil- dren in sacrifice to Moloch, In the reformation instituted by Josiah (2 Kings 23 : 10) this valley was polluted, and thereafter became the place for casting out and burning offal and the corpses of criminals. Hence the phrase, "fire of Gehenna," translated "hell-fire," was employed to indicate the place of future punishment. Here and in Matt. 10 : 38 ; 18 : 9 ; S3 : 15, 33 ; Mark 9 : 43, 45, 47 ; Luke 13 : 5 ; Jas. 3 ; 6, the word translated by hell is Gehenna ; and the idea conveyed is, undoubtedly, a place of punishment. In all other passages in the Bible where the word hell occurs, the meaning of the original would be more appropriately expressed by the word Hades. Observe : 1. That the comparison of judgment, council, and hell-flre indicates that future punish- ment is adjusted according to the sin of the con- demned ; 2. That adjustment of punishment is graded exactly according to the sin, "to unjust anger the just anger and judgment of God, to public reproach a public trial, and hell-fire to that censure that adjudgeth another thither." — {Lightfooi} ; 3. That the outward expression of anger in words enhances the sin ; the highest duty is not to be angry ; nevertheless, if one is angry, it is a secondary duty to restrain all ex- pression of it. Observe, also, how these two verses illustrate the meaning of the general prin- 92 MATTHEW. [Ch. V. 23 Therefore, if thou bring thy gifV to the altar, and there remeniDerest that thy brother hath aught against thee, 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gilt. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him ; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee^ to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee. Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. 27 V'e have heard that it was said by them of old time. Thou shalt not commit adultery : 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh' on y Dent. 16 : 16, 17 z Prov. 25 : 8 ; Luke 12 : 68, ! Job 31 : 1 ; Prov. 6 : 25. ciple laid down in verse 17. "Is 'Be not angiy ' contrary to ' Do no murder ? ' or is not the one commandment the completion and the develop- ment of the other ? Clearly, the one is the ful- filling of the other, and that is greater on this very account. Since he who is not stirred up to anger will much more refrain from murder, and he who bridles wrath will much more keep his hands to himself. For wrath is the root of mur- der, and you see that he who cuts up the root will much more remove the branches, or, rather, will not permit them so much as to shoot out at all. " — ( Chrysotitom. ) 23, 24. Gift. Sacrifice. Compare Matt. 8:4; 23:18, 19. Altar— in the Temple. To bring a sacrifice to the altar was the Jewish method of public worship. The modem equiva- lent would be, "If thou goest to church." Hath aught. Justly or unjustly. The question whether you are in the right or wrong does not arise. If there is a variance, it is to be reconciled. As God in Christ sought to reconcile the world unto himself (2 Cor. 5; 19), so are we to seek to rec- oncile those that are in enmity to us. He that is sure he is right is the one to seek reconcilia- tion. Against thee. If others have any com- plaints against us, and we have not done all we can to remove them, our worship is unacceptable ; on the other hand, if we have aught against others, we are to forgive before we bring our offering (Mark 11 : 25, 26). Leave there thy gift. . . . then come and oifer thy gift. The whole language implies the urgency of the case. It is better to let even the worship of God be in- terrupted than that brotherly love should not continue ; and indeed there is no true worship where the heart fails in brotherly love. Compare with this teaching John 14:21, 23, with 15:12, 17 ; and 1 John 4 : 7, 8, 20. It gives a hint why prayer is often unavailing and worship unsatisfy- ing. Compare John 9 : 31 and Isaiah 1 : 10-15. Is Christ^s direction here to he literally interpreted ? Must the Christian, for example, stay away from the communion table if there is an unrec- onciled variance between himself and another ? No ! not if either, first, he has done all he can to remove it, or, second, he is ready to do all that he can and will put his resolution in execution at the first opportunity. If, however, he is unwil- ling to obey Christ's law of love, his worship is worse than useless. " The important thmg is to go to thy brother, not with the feet, but with the heart." — {Augustine.) Provided, however, that the feet go as soon as possible. It is the love, not of sentiment, but of action, which is commanded. Compare James 2 : 15, 16. 25, 26. Officer. An official among the Jews whose position and duties were substantially those of a modern constable or police-oflicer. There is some difficulty in the interpretation of these verses, and an effort has been made to give them a symbolical meaning. But such a meaning is certainly secondary, not primary. Adver- sary. Not the devil, for we are not to agree with him ; nor God, who is never represented in the N. T. as our adversary. The Roman law directed the plaintiff and defendant to make up the matter on their way to the judge ; after the case came before the judge, the law must take its course. The primary reference is perhaps to this provision. It is, at all events, counsel on the side of earthly prudence. Worldly wisdom, as well as duty toward God, advises to speedy reconciliation ; and the more imperious your op- ponent and the farther the quarrel has gone, the wiser is it to seek reconciliation. This is sub- stantially the view of Chrysostom, of Lightfoot, and of Barnes. Alford adds a spiritual deduc- tion, which is legitimate and may have been in- tended, but is not necessarily involved in the words. "As in worldly affairs it is prudent to make up a matter with an adversary before judgment is passed, which may deliver a man to a hard and rigorous imprisonment, so reconcilia- tion with an offended brother in this life is abso- lutely necessary before his wrong cry against us to the Great Judge, and we be cast into eternal condemnation." Farthing. A small coin equal to two mites and equivalent to about seven mills of our money. "These words, as in the earthly example they imply future liberation, because an earthly debt can be paid in most cases, so in the spu"itual counterpart they amount to a nega-' tion of it, because the debt can never be dis- charged."— (4//brd.) Matt. 18 : 30 ; Luke 7 : 43. 27-32. Second example. Law against adidtei-y. 27. Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exod. 20 : 14.) By the Mosaic law the punishment of this crime was the death of both parties by stoning, Lev. 20 : 10 ; Deut. 22 : 22-27 ; but if the woman were a slave she was to be whipped, not put to death, and the man was to bring a tres- Ch. v.] MATTHEW. 93 a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee : for it is profitable lor thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.'' 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 31 It hath been said. Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement :" 32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife,'' saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery : and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced, committeth adultery. 33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself,= but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths : 34 But I say unto you. Swear not at all :■■ neither by heaven ; for it is God's tnrone : 35 Nor by the earth ; for it is his footstool : neither by Jerusalem ; lor it iss the city ot the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea ; Nay, Rom. 8 : 13 ; 1 Cor. 9 : 27. . . pass offering (Lev. w : iMV-as). In case a wife were suspected of adultery by her husband, a singular ordeal was provided for her trial, the only case of trial by ordeal known to the Jewish law (Numb. 6 : 11-31). 28. Looketh .... to lust. Not every ris- ing of evil inclination is classed with adultery ; not every lust, nor every looking, but the looking to lust, i. e., the indulgence in an evil imagination. Whether the evil act be outwardly committed, or be committed in imagination only, the out- ward act being restrained by fear or shame, does not determine the question of guilt. Neither does our Lord say that there is no difference be- tween the act of imagination and the actual overt sin ; but that God sees, recognizes, and con- demns the former as a real violation of the law against adultery : as a civil statute it affects only the conduct ; as interpreted by Christ, it applies to the inward man also, (compare job 31 : l ; Prov. 6 : 25.) For illustration of the violation of this law, thus interpreted, and the crimes to which it led, see the story of David and Bathsheba, 2 Sam., ch. 11. 29. If thy right eye — the more important of the two— offend thee— i. e., tempts thee to 6in. The original means primarily to cause one to stumble, or to fall. It is used in the N. T, generally, if not exclusively, in the sense of lead- ing one into sin, or at least into moral perplexity. The following passages will suffice to indicate its various uses : Matt. 15 : 12 ; 17 : 27 ; 18 : 6 ; John 6 : 61 ; 1 Cor. 8 : 13. Pluck it out. A symbol of the thoroughness of the work. If self-denial is required, it is best to do it quickly and com- pletely. For it is better. The greatest self- sacrifice is really for our self-interest, " The eye to be plucked out is the eye of concupiscence, and the hand to be cut off is the hand of violence and vengeance ; i. e., those passions are to be checked and subdued, let the conflict cost us what it may." — {Porteus.) But much more than that is meant ; these verses make short work of all defenses of habits and recreations confessed to be injurious in their effects, but defended on the ground that they are not wrong per se. The hand and eye are not only in themselves innocent, they are, in their right use, highly important. To deprive one's self of them is both to maim the person and to lessen one's means of usefulness. Whatever, then, tempts the individual, or his neighbor, or the community, into sinful courses, even though it be not only in itself innocent, but in its right employment important, is to be put away until it ceases to be a source of temptation. Asceticism — that is, the denial of a real good for the sake of a higher good — has its root in a right principle, though its common manifestations have many of them been egregiously wrong. Compare for other Dlustrations of this general principle, in its wider application, Matt. 18 : 6-10 ; Rom. 14 : 19-21. 31, 32. The law referred to is to be found in Deut. 24 : 1. Fornication. This is not cited as another example of the contrast be- tween the external law of Moses and the spirit- ual law of Christ, but as a further illustration of the subject of adultery. To put away one's wife, save for the one cause, or to marry one that has been put away, Christ declares to be embraced among the sins which the law against adultery, spiritually interpreted, prohib- its. The general subject of divorce is more fully considered by Christ in Matt. 19 : 3-9. See notes there. 33-37.' Thibd example. Law against smearing. 33-35. Thou shalt not forswear thyself— swear falsely. False swearing and profane and idle use of the name of God are both prohibited by the third commandment (Exod. 20 : ?). The Hebrew word which answers to in vain may certainly be rendered either way, and probably includes both. Compare Lev. 19 : 12. False swearing is yet more distinctly forbidden by Numb. 30 : 3 and' Deut. 23 : 21-33. The false witness received the same punishment which was due for the crime to which he testified. (Deut. 19 : 16-19.) Neither by heaven . . . nor by the earth. " The Jews held all those oaths not to be binding in which the sacred name of God did not directly occur." —(Alford quoting Philo.) So Lightfoot quotmg from the rabbinical books, "If any one swear by the heavens, by the earth, by the sun, it is not an oath." See, however. Matt. 23 : 16-23. Swearing, in ordinary conversation, is much 94 nay: for whatsoever evil.'' MATTHEW. more than these, cometh of [Ch. V. 38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An' eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth : h Jas. 5 : 12 i Ex. 21 : 24. more common in the East than here. "The people now use the very same sort of oaths that are mentioned and condemned by our Lord. They swear by the head, by their life, by heaven, and by the Temple, or what is in its place, the church. The forms of cursing and swearing, however, are almost infinite, and fall on the pained ear all day long." — {Thompson' s Land arid Book, 2 : p. 284.) God's throne .... God's footstool . . . the city of the great King. The significance of an oath consists in its calling God to witness the truth of the assertion. All such quasi oaths do this indirectly. 36. Neither by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. Protestations of friendship were fre- quently confirmed by touching the forehead and swearing by it; and this custom is still main- tamed in the East. Christ says : Even your head is not your own ; to swear by it is to swear by him who made it. Christ here condemns all those " half- veiled " blasphemies which, common in our times as in his, are nearly all traceable, historically, to an appeal, more or less direct, to the name of God. The^' are either, (a,) like I svjan, I 8WOW, I vum, corruptions of I swear, 1 vow ; or, (6,) like gosh, gol, golly, corruptions of the name of God ; or, (c,) like gracious, goodness, mercy, glory, etc., appeals to God by some one of his prominent attributes ; or, (fZ,) like mercy on me, or laws-a-mas- sey, an abbreviation of the solemn oath, "If this be not true, may the Lord have mercy on me ; " or, (e,) like darri it, dang it, darnation, palpable ab- breviations of damn and damnation, the most solemn possible of all forms of imprecation, gen- erally on an enemy, real or imaginary, living or inanimate, a travestie on the Christian appeal to the God of Justice to do justice to wrong-doers (Rom. 12: 19) ; Or, (/,) like the fZciicc, fhedickens, the old nick, all terms for the devil, and abbrevia- tions of "to the devil," or "the devil take it," a less solemn form of the same imprecation ; or, (g,) like confound it, 2)lague take it, etc., an uncon- scious prayer to God to bring real or supposed enemies into confusion and failure (compare Psaim 4o : 14; 70 : 2) ; or, (/(,) like upon my soul, by my life, a pledging of one's life, or one's eternal destiny, in support of his assertion, as in Josh. 3 : 13-14, in which case there is an implied call on God to exe- cute the penalty. Thus nearly all the expletives used in common and even fashionable life to strengthen or confirm our assertions are de- generate oaths, a direct violation of the third commandment as Christ here interprets it. And it is no answer to this to say that those who use such phrases do not intend blasphemy by them ; frequently those who use more directly the name of God in vain, mean nothing by their impreca- tion. The meaningless use of such language is itself a violation of the simplicity of Christian discourse, even when it does not indicate a bitter, angry, or irreverent mood. 37. Cometh of the evil. The word here trans- lated "evil," when coupled with the article as it is here, in the Greek though not in our version (J Tturijwic, the evil), sometimes stands for the evil- one, i. e. Satan (Matt. i3 : 19 ; i John 2 : 13, 14), and is ren- dered the wicked one. This signification here would be in accordance with James 3:6. In the other and more general sense, it is true that all swearing, genteel or otherwise, comes of evil, i. e., of an underlying consciousness thafsimple asser- tion is not enough, that our word is not to be trusted, that some witness must be called in to attest it ; and as God, who knows all things, is the only witness, we call on him. If truth were perfect there would be no occasion to emphasize our assertions by such appeals ; and in point of fact, falsehood and profanity generally are close companions. Throughout this chapter Christ is giving directions for the individual character, not for the community. This passage does not, therefore, necessarily forbid oaths in courts of justice, any more than verses 38 and 39 forbid punishment from being inflicted by the State. Tet it is true that even judicial oaths come of evil ; i. e. , if truth were never violated in the community, there would be no need of solemn asseverations to give weight to testimony in the administra- tion of justice. And, in fact, in Christian courts the oath, as an appeal to God, has been in a con- siderable measure superseded by a mere affirma- tion. 38-42. Fourth example. Laio of retaliation. 38. An eye for an eye, etc. Exod, 31 : 24 ; Lev, 24 : 20 ; Deut. 19 : 21. Natural revenge does not stop at mere retaliation. For an insult is given a Liow ; for a blow with the fist one with the knife. The laws of Moses were a check on personal revenge and undue severity of punish- ment, for they forbade the injury inflicted to ex- ceed the injury received. The same principle, viz., that the punishment should be as the ofEence, and determined by it, is found in the laws of Solon of Greece, in the laws of the twelve tables of Rome, and others. On the other hand, the laws of Draco (7th century B.C.) pun- ished every crime, even petty theft and idleness, with death; and those of England, a.d. 1600, Ch. v.] MATTHEW. 95 39 But I say unto you,J That ye resist not evil : but whosoever shall smite thee'' on tliy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. 41 And whosover shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not tUou' away. j Prov. 20 : 22 ; 24 : 29 ; Rom. 12 : 17-19 k Isa. 50 : 6 1 Deut. 15 : 7, 11. 263 crimes in the same manner, while those of Moses provided capital punishment but for twelve crimes. The Mosaic law of retaliation was permissive, not compulsory. The injured party might require retaliation in kind at the hands of the magistrate ; but except In the case of murder (Numb. 35 : 31) he might take satisfaction in money, in which case the damages were ad- justed according to the injury done (see Exod. 21 : 30). Such money redemption was ordinarily substi- tuted for the infliction of the penalty. This law was for the regulation of the administration of justice by the government. Christ does not condemn it as a law of jmtice, but he declares in this and the next section (43-43) that his followers are to be governed in their personal relations by the law of love. 39. Resist not the evil— literally the evil, i. e., the evil one. Christ implies here what the Scripture elsewhere abundantly asserts, that the malice and wrong-doing of the world to the dis- ciples of Christ is the work of the devU (compare 1 joiin 2 : 13, 14 ; Rev. 2 : lo). So he transfers our anger from the instrument to the real cause of the wrong-doing. "What then, it is said ; ought we not to resist the evil-one? Indeed we ought, but not in this way, but as he hath commanded, by giving one's-self up to suffer wrongfully ; for thus Shalt thou prevail over him." — {C/iryxos- tom.) So Christ conquered Satan by yielding himself an unresisting victim to his malice. 40. Coat . . . cloak. The coat was a tunic made commonly of linen, and extending to the knees. The cloak or mantle was larger and more expensive, was commonly made nearly square, and was wrapped round the body like a cloak, but v/as thrown off for the purposes of labor. It was also used as a wrapper at night, hence might not be taken by a creditor (Exod. 22 : 23, 27). Christ's precept, then, is in principle, Submit to even a palpable injustice, without color of law, rather than resist even by an appeal to the lav/. This is not merely a precept of worldly wisdom, though worldly wisdom justifies it, nor an obso- lete requirement applicable only to the heathen tribunals of Christ's day, nor an absolute law, so that a follower of Christ cannot ever apply to the courts for redress without violating Christ's prohibition. TJiese aphorisms are expressions of a ChriMian spirit, 7iot enactments of a new law. See below. It is, nevertheless, noticeable that the tendency of Christianity has been, first, to lessen personal resistance to evil, and sec- ond, to discourage lawsuits ; and that while the commentators have difficulty with this passage, Christian lawyers constantly advise their clients, as matter of worldly wisdom, to submit to almost any injustice rather than to involve themselves in a lawsuit. "To seek the redress of grievances by going to law is like sheep running for shelter to a bramble-bush." — {Sel- wyn.) "To go to law is for two persons to kin- dle a fire at their own cost to warm others, and singe themselves to cmders." — {Bentham.) A lawyer "is a learned gentleman who rescues your estate from your enemies, and keeps it him- self." — (Brougham.) So far has this conviction gone that the abolition of all laws for the collec- tion of debt, except in cases of fraud, is seriously considered by able jurists in this country. And yet English and American justice is immeasura- bly superior to that administered by Oriental or Roman courts in the time of Christ. Compare with this precept 1 Cor. 6 : 7. 41. Whosoever shall compel thee to go, etc. The word translated compel is of Persian origin. Footmen were employed from a very early period of history hi carrying despatches (1 Sam. 22 : 17 ; 2 chron. 30 : 6, lo). At a later period this service was performed with mules and camels (Esther 3 : 13, with 15 ; 8 : 10, u). It was Continued under the Roman government, and these heralds were authorized to compel any person to accompany them as guides or assistants, or to lend them a horse, boat, or other means of transportation. A simi- lar law is in force in Persia to this day. The Jews particularly objected to the duty thus im- posed on them. Christ's disciples were to yield to the demand, though oppressive and injurious. 42. Give to him that asketh of thee. Compare for a proper understanding of this verse Christ's promise to his disciples (john i4 : u), and his own practical interpretation of it. He does not always give what we ask, but often far dif- ferent (2 Cor. 12 : 8, o). Sometimcs, too, we do not receive because we ask amiss (James 4 : 3). In this, as in all else, Christ is his own interpreter, and his example explains his precept. "To give every thing to every one— the sword to the mad- man, the alms to the impostor, the criminal re- quest to the temptress — would be to act as the enemy of others and ourselves." — (Alford.) It must never be forgotten that Christ throughout this sermon is speaking of the spirit which should animate his followers ; and the spirit of Christi- anity is one which leads the followers of Jesus 96 MATTHEW. [Ch. V. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said," Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy : 44 But I say unto you, Love" your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, Dent. 23 : 6 n Rom. 12 : U, 20. Christ to give to every true want; judgment keeps it from becoming indiscriminating, and 60 injurious. Borrow. Contrast witli this verse the spirit of the heathen world, as exem- plified in the saying of Cicero, that alms should be given to a stranger only when it involves no privation to ourselves. Compare with it, as an evidence and illustration that Christ does but fulfill the spirit of the ancient law, the provision in Deut. 15 : 8-10. Cheist's principles respecting retalia- tion. In considering the significance of this en- tire passage respecting retaliation (vs. 38-12), it is to be remembered, (a,) that Christ throughout this sermon inculcates principles for the government of the individual, not of the community ; and that, therefore, it does not affect, except indi- rectly, the right or duty of the community to use force in protecting itself or its members from evil ; (&,) that it does not affect the question of the right of the community to overturn a tyran- nical government, and substitute another and more just and equable one in its stead; (c,) that it does not necessarily deny the right or duty of one to use force, if need be, in defending others intrusted to his protection, as the husband his wife, or the father his child ; {d,) that it incul- cates the spirit in which the disciple of Christ is to receive injuries personal to himself, and that to interpret it as a series of mere rules for the regulation of conduct is to fall into the very error of Pharisaism, which the Sermon on the Mount is aimed to correct. With these qualifi- cations (if they are to be regarded as qualifica- tions) the precepts are not diiflcult to be under- stood ; the only serious difficulty is in complying with them. To set them aside, by treating them as Oriental forms of speech, as exaggerations which we are to qualify, as impracticable rules l)roposed only to stimulate us to greater gentle- ness, as an ideal which we are not to expect to realize in the present state of society, but only to strive toward, appears to me to be sub- versive of all right reading of the Bible. Let us either frankly say that Jesus was mistaken, and laid down principles which cannot be applied in the common intercourse of life, or let us ac- cept those principles as coming with divine au- thority from a divine master, and measure our common intercourse of life by them. So accept- ed they will be seen to cover the whole ground of personal resistance and retaliation to wrong. They include injustice inflicted by personal vio- lence (v. 39), that attempted to be inflicted by an appeal to the law (v. 40), and that inflicted by an oppressive and tyranical government (v. 41). In each case Christ counsels submission to wrong, rather than resistance to it ; and he has abun- dantly interpreted these precepts by his own illustrious example ; the first precept by his pa- tient suffering of personal indignity (Matt, eo : 67,68; and compare isa. 53 : 7) ; the sccoud by hls payment of a tax unjustly exacted (Matt, n : 24-27, and note tbere) ; the third by his yielding to the infliction of scourging and crucifixion after a trial which vio- lated the forms of law as palpably as it contra- vened justice, and his refusal to permit the use of violence as a means of rescue. See report of his trial, and notes there, and compare Matt. 26 : 51-53 ; Luke 22 : 50, 51. Observe that, yielding himself, he protested against the injustice to which he nevertheless submitted {mm. 26 : 55 ; John 18 : 19, 23), and, seemingly by a mii'acle, provided for the escape of his disciples (John 18 : e-s). On the other hand observe that, etmi regarded merely as Unas, these aphorisms do not require un- limiied yielding to wrong. Turning the other cheek does not require continued submission if experi- ment proves it unavailmg ; giving the cloak does not forbid the Christian from having recourse to the law ; going two miles is not going indefinitely. Paul's precept, " If it be possilole, as much as lieth in you, live peaceat^ly with all men" (Rom. 12 : is), evi- dently implies limits to non-resistance. He recog- nizes a right use of the sword (Rom. 13 : 4) ; and he himself appealed to Roman law for protection ( acu 16 : 37 ; 22 : 25), and dircctly to Ctesar from an unjust judge and a malignant prosecutor (Acts 25 : ii). 43-48. Fifth example. The law regulating our relations ivith enemies. 43. No law is to be found in the O. T. answer- ing the description here given. But the O. T. does inculcate in many passages an abhorrence of heathen character and heathen habits (oeut. 7 : 1, 2, 16, 23-26 ; 12 : 27, 32 ; Josh. 23 : 12, 13 ; Ps. 139 : 21, 22) ; whils the law of love has an appearance of being con- fined in its application to the Israelites (Lev. 19 : n, 18 ; compare Deut. 23 : 3-6). As WC tcacll OUr chUdren to abhor that which is evil in character and con- duct, and to avoid all evil companions, but after- ward build up on that a love for those who are evil and a spirit that seeks them out to redeem them, so God, in the childhood of the race, taught it only to abhor the evil practices and character of the heathen ; but on this Christ built up the higher law of personal love to the wrong-doer, a love which is practically perfectly consonant with an abhorrence of their sinful prac- tices, and of the sinful character of which those practices are the fruit. The Pharisee had con- Ch. Y.] MATTHEW. 97 and pray" for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you ; ^5 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven : for he malieth his sun to riseP on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye ? do not even the publicans the same ? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others ? do not even the publicans so ? 48 Be ye therefore perfect,') even as your Father which is m heaven is perfect. i Lake 23: 34: Acts 7 ! .p Job 25 : 3 q Gen. 17 : 1 ; Deut. 18 : 13 ; Luie 6 : 36, founded the moral abhorrence of the sin with personal hate of the man ; and the exact parallel to the precept here condemned is to be found in the rabbinical writings ; e. g., "An Israelite who sees another Israelite transgressing and admon- ishes him, if he repents not, is bound to hate him." 44. liOve your enemies. This is in a meas- ure interpreted by what follows. Yet it is a law of the heart, not of conduct merely ; it means more than bless, do good, pray for ; it is inter- preted by God's love for us when we were yet enemies (Rom. 6:8; Ephes. 2 : 4, s), and it is quite con- sistent with the utmost abhorrence of their wrong-doing, from which by love we seek to re- deem them. Bless them that curse. Seek God's blessing on those who call down upon you God's curses (compare Rom. 12 : 14, i9-2i). The Greek word (su'Aoyiw), which in our version is here trans- lated "Wess," never means in the N. T. to speak well of, nor does the word (xaruQuoixai), trans- lated curse, ever mean to slander. The one sig- nifies to invoke the divine blessing, the other to imprecate a curse. The latter is composed of two Greek words, signifjing prayer against. For parallel to the direction of this verse, see Ephes. 4:3;i; for illustration of the precept Joseph's treatment of his brethren, Gen. ch. 45, especially verses 5, 10, 11, 15, and ch. 50 : 15-31. It should, perhaps, be added that the clauses in this verse, "Bless them that curse you and do good to them that hate you," are omitted from some of the best manuscripts. But as they appear in Luke 6:27, 28, where there is no question of their genuineness, therp is no reason to doubt that they were uttered by Christ as we have them in our present report, though Matthew may have omitted them and they have been transferred from Luke to Matthew by some of the copyists of the latter. The 44th verse is the climax to which the sermon from verse 21 has conducted. "Seest thou how many steps He hath ascended, and how He hath set us on the very summit of virtue ? Nay, mark it, number- ing from the beginning. A first step is, not to begin with injustice; a second, after he hath begun, not to vindicate one's self by equal retal- iation ; a third, not to do unto him that is vexing us the same that one hath suffered, but to be quiet ; a fourth, even to give one's self up to sutler wrongfully ; a fifth, to give up yet more than the other wishes, who did the wrong; a sixth, not to hate him who hath done so ; a sev- enth, even to love him ; an eighth, to do him good also; a ninth, to entreat God Himself on his behalf." — {Chrysostom.) 45. In this way ye shall become the children of your Father. Both a reason for and the reward of so loving and doing good to our enemies. As the climax of Christian duty is loving one's enemies, so the climax of Christian reward is the becoming like God (compare Ephes. 6:1. 46. The publicans. The Eoman tax-gath- erers. See note on Matt. 9 : 10, 11. They are here a type of purely worldly men. If the Christian acts on the same principles as the man of the world, what right has he to expect any different regard or treatment from God ? 47. Salute. The Oriental salutation was generally in form a prayer for divine blessing (Gen. 43:29; Ruth 2:4; 1 Sam. 15:13; Ps. 129:8). The Pharisees only saluted members of the same re- ligious faith ; the modern Mohammedan con- fines his salutation to Mohammedans. Hence, Christ's inculcation was a direct innovation on the almost universal usage of his day. Its ap- plication to professing Christians who refuse to speak to those who have offended them is so plain as to need no enforcement. More than others. The Christian may not compare him- self with others and be satisfied because he is as others. Both God and men expect more of him than of others, and this in the common inter- course of daily life. 48. Perfect. Rather complete. The word never signifies in N. T. usage sinlessness, but completion in Christian character in contrast with a half-finished and partial character, a character that is Christian in some parts and worldly and selfish in others. This verse sums up that portion of the Sermon on the Mount in which Christ has developed the Christian ideal of character. It is the complement of verses 17 and 20. In it Christ explains in what consists the ful- fillment of the law and the prophets. " The an- cient statutes," says Christ in effect, "forbade murder, adultery, false-swearing, cruelty in re- venge. A complete obedience embraces the whole man, and brings the spirit as well as the members under allegiance to these laws. The ancient statute commanded love to your neigh- bor ; the spirit of that statute requires love to all mankind. You are to aim not at an external MATTHEW. [Ch. VL CHAPTER VI. TAKE heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of theai : otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.' 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory ol men. Verily I say unto you. They have their reward. obedience to laws and regulations, but at the at- tainment of a character which in all its conduct shall conform to the law, and in all its faculties to the image of Him whose sons you are called to be." In brief, one may be an imperfect, but one cannot be a partial Christian. He may obey Christ imperfectly, but he cannot obey in part and disobey in part (e : 24 ; compare Ephes. 4 : 13 ; Col. 1 : 28 J 4 : 12). The lesser interpretation, as Alford, "Com- plete in your love of others, not one-sided or ex- clusive," has grown out of a fear of giving coun- tenance to the doctrine of human perfectibility. But the passages which require perfection, i. e., completion of character, are numerous and can- not be explained away. God requires perfection of his disciples as the wise teacher continually holds perfection before his pupils ; not condemn- ing those who fall short (see Rom. 8 : 1), but not al- lowing them to rest satisfied with incomplete attainment. "The goal is not brought to the racers, but the racers must strive to reach the goal." — (Conder.) Ch. 6 : 1-34! 7 : 1-6. THIRD GENERAL DIVISION.— The pbinciples of lifb in Christ's Kingdom con- tkastbd with the practices of thb pharisees. 1-18. The first eighteen verses of this chapter constitute a warning against the dangers of os- tentation in religion, appUed to almsgiving, 2-4 ; prayer, G-15 ; and fasting, 16-18. The word almsgiving in the first verse should be ren- dered righteousness (see below), and the verse itself constitutes a general precept of which the verses following are particular applications, and consti- tutes, as it were, the text of this portion of the discourse, as do verses 17-20 of chapter 5 of the rest of that chapter. It may be paraphrased thus : I have set before you the nature of that righteousness of the spirit which the laws of God, as spiritually interpreted, require of you ; I now warn you to be on your guard lest you fall into the snare of doing the deeds of your righteous- ness before men for the sake of securing their approval, instead of seeking only the approval of your heavenly Father. 1-4. First example. Aim^giving. 1. Take heed. For the danger of ostenta- tion in religion is one that must be watched against, one that easily ensnares the unwary dis- ciple (compare Eiod. 23 : 13 ; Deut. 11:16; Matt. 26 : 41 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 12). Not to do your righteousness. The best manuscripts have here nghteous7iess (dtxaioavrt]), not alms (JAtjjuootSn;), as in the re- ceived text and in our English version. There is some uncertainty about the reading ; that which I have adopted is sustained by Lange, SchafE, Wordsworth, Alford, Tregelles, Tischen- dorf, Lachmann, Griesbach. To be seen. This qualifies the preceding clause. Not all doing of righteousness before men is condemned, not all public almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, but that tJie object of which is human applause. "We are to be seen to do good, but not to do good to be seen (oai. i : lo)." — ( Wordsivorth.) Otherwise, i. e., as explained below, if your object is human applause. No reward of your Father. Not no reward, but no reward from God. They who do righteousness for public applause receive public applause, i. e., the very reward for which they strive. 2. Therefore. A specific deduction from the general principle. When thou doest alms. There is no question here as to whether almsgiv- ing is or is not a wise form of charity, nor how far it is to be carried ; nor in the sections below are the general que^stions of prayer and fasting considered. Christ simply takes the three chief "good works" of Pharisaism to illustrate the principle that in our religious life we are to avoid ostentation. Almsgiving, however, is abund- antly enforced as a religious duty both in the Old and the New Testaments. The laws of Moses required provision to be made for the poor (Lev. 19 : 9, 10 ; 23 : 22 ; Deut. 14 : 28, 29 ; 15 : 11 ; 24 : 19 ; 26 : 2-13) ; and the importance of obedience to these pre- cepts is recognized elsewhere in the Scriptures (Job 29:13; Ps. 41 : 1 ; 112:9; Prov. 14 : 3l). The N. T. abounds not less in precepts whose spirit requires charity toward the poor (Luke 14:13; Acts ll : 27-30; 20 : 35 ; Rom. 16 : 25, 27 ; 1 Cor. 16:1-1; Gal. 2 ; 10 ; 1 Tim. 5 : lo) ; whUe at the same time the systematic beggmg carried on by the mendicant monks finds no sanction in its pages, . and we are impliedly guarded against encouraging idleness by indis- criminate giving (2 Thess. 3 ; lo). Do not sound a trumpet. " Not that they had trumpets, but he means to display the greatness of their frenzy by the use of this figure of speech, deriding and making a show of them thereby." — {Chrijsostmn.) It was customary to call the people together by a trumpet to see a great spectacle (Numb. io:3; 2 Kings 9:13; Ps. 81 : s) ; and cvcn up to as late a period as the fifth century, when bells were first introduced in the churches, the people were summoned to public worship by the blowing of a trumpet. It is probable the reference is to this custom. It is possible that Mr. Barnes' conjec- ture may be correct, and that the Pharisees really did summon the beggars by the use of a trumpet, blown ostensibly to call them together, Ch. VI.] MATTHEW. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand death. 4 That thine alms maybe in secret: and thy Fa- ther, which seeth in secret, himself shall reward' thee openly. 5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are : for they love to pray standing in the synagogues arid in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you. They have their reward.' r Lnke 8 : 17 : 14 : 14 3 Prov. 16 : 5; Jas. 4 : 6. really to make public proclamation of the charity about to be bestowed. It is said that the Mus- Bulmen to this day are accustomed to call the poor together by a trumpet to receive gifts of rice and other kinds of food. Hypocrites. Literally, stage-player or actor ; %. e., one who puts on his religion as an actor puts on his char- acter for the evening's performance. The vir- tues which he assumes as Hamlet and the vices which he represents as Macbeth are not his own. The word is said to be found in a religious sense only in the N. T. Our translation and our habit- ual usage of the word hypocrite deprives the sentence of its keen but delicate satire. They have. Gr. {dnt^w), receive in full. In Phil. 4 : IS, "I have all," the verb is the same. Their re- ward. The reward they seek. 3. Let not thy left hand know. Simply a pithy enforcement of the doctrine. Compare with it the Eastern proverb, "If thou doest any good, cast it into the sea ; if the fish shall not know it, the Lord knows it ;" or the rabbinical maxim, "He who gives in secret is greater than Moses himself ;" or the saying of Dryden, " The secret pleasure of a generous act is the great man's great bribe." For illustration of this pre- cept, see Ruth 3 : 1.5-17. 4. Openly. Not only in the judgment at the last day (Matt. 25 -. 40; Luke 12 ; 8), but also in the be- Btowal of the divine favor, in the recognition of the invisible world now (Heb. 12 :i), and some- times in providential disclosures in this life. See for example the case of Cornelius, Acts 10 : 4, whose secret almsgiving has been published to the whole world. Observe that Christ does not condemn the desire for the approval of others ; but he lifts it up into a higher sphere. Strive, he says, not for the approval of men, whose standard of moral judgment is low, but for the approval of God and his holy angels. " It were not meet for him who desires glory to let go this our theatre, and take in exchange that of men. For who is there so wretched as that when the king was hastening to come and see his achievements, he would let him go, and make up his assembly of spectators of poor men and beggars ? " — {Chrysostom.) In this passage Christ does not forbid public giving which he elsewhere commends (Mark 12 : 44), which the apostles by their example approved and by their words commanded in connection with the services of the early church (Acts 4 : 34, 35 ; n : 30 ; Romans 15 : 26, 27 ; 1 Cor. 16 : 1, s), but giving f Or the sake of publicity to be seen of men. It is the sjnrit of ostentation which our Lord here con- demns, as it is the spirit of purity and love which he has before commended. Neither does he directly condemn all appeals to men to give for the sake of what is expected of them by us ; and Paul based appeals to the Corinthians on this ground (2 Cor. a : 24 ; and see that chapter throughout). But all exhibiting charities, whether given with pub- lic announcement in great congregations or with a blazoning forth in the newspapers, are, when bestowed thus publicly in order to be seen and ap- plauded of m£n, contrary to the spirit of these precepts ; of such givers we may say, as our Lord did, They receive here their full reward. 5-15. Second example. Prayer. The significance of this passage is interpreted by an acquaintance with the prayer customs of the East formerly in existence among the Jews and still among the Mohammedans. The former had eighteen stated prayers which the pious were expected to repeat every day ; a summary of these was composed for those who had not the time or the memory to repeat the fuller forms. Special prayer was given by individual rabbis to their disciples for special occasions. Ejaculations, prayers, and blessings were added, to be repeated on various occasions. Certain set times for prayer were established, which the pious observed, leaving their work and repeating their prayer wherever they chanced to be. Long pauses were added before and after these prayers, so that it was not unfrequent to see a Jewish Rabbi in a praying position for three hours to- gether. In their liturgies they repeated over and over again the same petition in slightly dif- ferent phraseology ; and it was a proverb with them, "Every one that multiplies prayer is heard." The same practices still exist among the Mohammedans. The rules for daily and es- pecial prayer are prescribed with a most minute detail. Five daily caponical prayers are pre- scribed ; they must be uttered at the appointed time, wherever the Mussulman may chance to be, whether in the mosque, the market-place, or the house ; each prayer must be repeated a pre- scribed number of times and in a prescribed pos- ture ; any failure in the slightest particular ruins the whole, and the prayer must be repeated again from the beginning. Notwithstanding Christ's precepts, the same ritualism was introduced into the Christian church. In the fourth century seven times of devotion were required to be ob- 100 MATTHEW. [Ch. VI. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and, when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret ; and thy Father, which seeth in se- cret,' shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions," as the heathen do : for they think that they shall be heard for" their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them : for your Fa- ther knowcth" what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. t P«. 34 : 15 ; Isa. 65 : 24. , 1 Kings 18 : 26, etc w Luke 12 : 30; John 16 : 23-27. served at least by all the clergy and members of religious bodies ; prayers were appointed to be said and Psalms to be repeated for each hour ; and to such an extent was the ritualism carried, that if the entire service were observed, it would have required nearly the whole twenty-four hours. These canonical hours of prayer are still maintained by the religious devotees of the Ro- man Catholic church. 5. Standing. This was not in itself a sign of ostentation ; it was a common attitude of prayer (I Sam. 1 : 26 ; 1 Kings 8 ; 22). It iS UOt the Standing, but standing in public places, which Christ con- demns ; and this not as an act, but as an indica- tion of an ostentatious spirit. Synagogues. As with the Roman Catholic the cathedral, and with the Moslem the mosque, so with the Jews the synagogue stood open for purposes of prayer. 6. Closet. Sometimes in the women's apart- ments, sometimes over the porch or on a part of the roof, is a room in most Oriental houses, from which all are excluded except the women, their domestics, and the master of the house. This was, perhaps, the inner chamber referred to in 1 Kings 20 : 30 and 22 : 25, and the closet referred to here and in Matt. 24 : 26 ; Luke 12 : 3. The true significance of these verses is lost if they are made a rule for the regulation of times or places of prayer. The whole gist of the caution is in the words, ^^that they may be seen of men.'' ^ If one makes an ostentation of his secret prayer, he violates the spirit of this law ; if he prays in public places, but in secrecy of heart and feeling, he obeys its spirit. Cer- tainly Christ does not condemn public prayer, nor even all private prayer in public places ; at least his own disciples did not so understand him, for they went to the Temple to pray (Acts 3 : i). The habit of employing the church as a place of private prayer, universal in the Roman Catholic church, and borrowed by that church from the East, probably, grew out of the fact that the worshippers had not, and many of them still have not, any privacy at home. To such the church is the closet. Compare Luke 18 : 10 for an instance in which it was a closet to the publican and a public place to the Phar- isee. There may even be cases in which it be- comes a duty to pray publicly to be seen of men; in Daniel's case retirement would have been cowardice (nan. 6 : lo). On the other hand, there is no virtue in a closet. "Isaac's closet was a field (Qen.24:63); David's closet was his bed-chamber (Ps. 4 : 4; 7? : e) ; our Lord's closet was a mountain (Matt. 14:23); Peter's closet was a housetop" (Acts 10: 9). It is as possible to be ostentatious of private prayer as it is to be humble and indifferent to men in prayer in pub- lic places. The commentators, especially the ancient ones, have given to this deduction its true significance. "If thou shouldest enter into thy closet, and having shut the door, shouldest do it for display, the doors will do thee no good." — {Chrysosiom.) "Enter into the secret chamber of thine own mind, wherever thou art, shut the door thereof against the world, and commune with God." — {Ambrose.) "We may enter the chamber of our hearts even in a crowd." — (^Wordsworth.) " Every man can buUd a chapel ia his heart." — {Jeremy Taylor.) Christ condemns not the place, the attitude, or the act, but the spirit which chooses the place, de- termines the attitude, and inspires the act. 7, 8. Use not vain repetitions, etc. The meaning of this prohibition is interpreted to us by the Eastern custom of repetition in prayer, on which see note above. Not much praying is condemned (see Luke 11 : 5-8; is : 1-7; 21 : 36; Rom. 12 : 12j Ephes. 6 : 18 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 17) ; nor cven cvcry kind of repetition (Matt. 26 : 41) ; but repeating for the sake of repetition, of which the devotions of the prophets of Baal afford an illustration (1 Kings 18 : 26). This warning does not aflect the use of a liturgy in public prayers, nor even in private devotion, but the repeating of prayers, whether written and learned, or fallen into as a mere routine^ without real consideration of its meaning, which latter habits many parents, with the best inten- tions, unconsciously form in their children. It condemns all mere saying of prayers. The prac- tice in the Roman Catholic church of repeating pater noslers, i. e., the Lord's prayer, and meas- urmg the merit of the observance by the num- ber of times the prayer is repeated, is in direct contravention of the precept here given. Thus the very prayer which our Lord gave, not as a form, but as a prohibition to all formalism in prayer, has been made a means of perpetuating the very evil which he required his disciples to shun, a striking illustration of the truth of the precept, "the letter kUleth." Contrast with Christ's prohibition the direction of Liguori, a Roman Catholic writer of acknowledged stand- ing in that church: "We must always act like beggars with God, always saying. Lord, assist me ; Lord, assist me ; keep your hand upon me ; Ch. VI.] MATTHEW. 101 9 After this manner therefore pray ye : Our» Fa- thery which art in» heaven, Hallowed be* thy name. lo Thy kingdom'' come. Thy will be done in earth,' as it is in heaven. Luke n : 2, etc y Rom. 8 : 15. . . .i Ps. 115:3 a Ps. 111:9; 139 : 20. . ch. 16 : 28 ; Rev. 11 : 16 c Pb. 103 : 20, 21. give me perseverance; give me your love." Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him. And better than we know, and answers more fully than we ask or even think (Ephes. 3: 20), and teaches us both how to pray and what to pray for (Rom. 8 : 26). Why then pray ? Because God wUls it (Ezek. 36 : 3?) ; it f orms in us the wish, though it does not inform Him of the need ; it prepares us to receive what he is willing to grant ; it strengthens us, because it brings us into communion with Him who is our strength ; it is due to Him as well as needed by ourselves. " Not to inform Him, but to exercise ourselves in communion with Him." — {Ghrysostmn.) "It is one thing to inform the ignorant and another thing to beseech the omniscient." — (Jerome.) Nor is this all. Though he knows what things we have need of, he has made our preferring of requests the condition of his promise to sup- ply our need (Ezek. 36 : 37 ; Matt. 18:19; 21 : 22 ; Luke 11:13; John 14 : 13, 14 ; Heb. 4 : 16, etc.) ; and he VOUChsatCS blessings in answer to persistent prayer which are not given to the prayerless, nor even to the lukewarm petitioner (Matt, n : 21 ; Luke is s i-s). If we ask why, the sufficient answer is, Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. But the recognition of this truth that our Father knoweth what things we have need of, and not merely what things we desire, should always underlie our praying : it it does, it will make "Thy will, not mine, be done," to be the accompaniment of every prayer. 9-13. The Lord's Pr.4.ter. This prayer is given in a slightly different form by Luke 11 : 1-4, who says that Christ gave it to his dis- ciples in answer to their request, "Teach us to pray." The improbability that Christ should have twice taught the same form of prayer to his disciples, or that they, having once received from him a form of prayer, should have re- quested one again, has led some to the opinion that the prayer was really given at that time, but was inserted by Matthew here because cognate to the subject of the sermon. But this opinion is, at best, only a surmise., and the ques- tion is not very important. We have the prayer ; when it was given, and whether once or twice, is a matter of secondary moment. The opinion that it is composed largely of forms then al- ready existing in Jewish formulae is said by Al- ford to rest on "very slender proof." That there are parallels to some petitions in the rab- binical writings is certain ; but it is also certain that no one can be sure how much of the seem- ingly Christian precepts of the Talmud, no part of which was reduced to writing until the 2d century after Christ, was in fact taken from the instructions of Christ. The literature upon this prayer would of itself make a library. For eighteen centuries the Christian church has been studying it. To attempt to condense into a few paragraphs the fruits of this study would be idle ; the result would be unsatisfactory. I shall simply attempt to give the meaning of the pe- titions of which the prayer is composed, leav- ing tae reader to deduce his own spiritual con- clusions, or to look for them in some of the sermons and homilies that have been written on this prayer of prayers. 9. After tliis manner. Does Christ pre- scribe this as a set form of prayer for public or private use, or both, to take the place of the forms of prayer in vogue then among the Jews, and now among the Mohammedans, or does he merely indicate the spirit and manner in which we should approach God ? In favor of the first opinion are — first. The language of this verse, which ia literally Thus therefore pray ye, and that of Luke, which is yet more definite, '■'■When ye pray say;'''' second, The fact that the early fathers all treated it as not only a pattern or model of prayer, but also as a form to be used in the words in which Christ prescribed it ; their opinions are collated in Bingham's Antiquities, book 13, chap. 7. In favor of the latter opinion are — first. That it is reported in different forms by Matthew and Luke, and if the Holy Spirit had intended to give a form, that form would have been preserved unimpaired by the Evangelists m both reports ; second, That there is no indi- cation that it was ever used as a form by Christ himself, or by his Apostles subsequent to his ascension ; it first appears as part of a ritual in the third century, (see Tholuck on the Lord's Prayer) ; third, Christ here offers this prayer in illus- tration and enforcement of the doctrine that our prayers are not to be vain repetitions ; and the doctrine that he substituted one form for an- other, and made its use obligatory on hisfollowerSy violates the spirit of his teaching here and else- where, which is, not indeed against all religious forms, but strongly against all formalism in re- hgion (compare John 4 : 23, 24). I need uot Say that I hold to the latter view ; though in that view there is nothing opposed to the practice of employing the Lord's Prayer in formal ser- vice either in the family, the Sabbath school, or the church, provided it is not imposed on the wor- shipper as a laWf but is simply employed as a ve- 103 MATTHEW. [Ch. VI hide for tlie expression of his real desires. Onr Father. Observe the signiflcance of the word our. " How can we look round upon the people whom we habitually feel to be sepa- rated from us, those of an opposite faction, or whom we have reason to despise, or who have made themselves vile and are helping to make others vile, and then teach ourselves to think that in the very highest exercise of our lives they are associated with us, that when we pray we are praying for them and with them, that ii we do not carry their sins to the throne of God's grace we cannot cany our own?" — {Condensed from Maurice on the Lord's Prayer.) So Chrysostom, referring to the use of the plural number throughout (see verses 11, 12 and is), deduCCS the doctrine that, whether we pray alone or in com- mon with others, we are always to pray for our brethren. To the same effect Augustine : " The Prayer is fraternal ; he does not say 'My Father,' but 'Our Father.'" The Fatherhood of God does not here appear for the first time. Some traces of it are to be found in the O. T. (isa. i : 2 ; 63 : 16 ; Mai. 1 ; 6). Thc similc was uot unkuown in heathen religions. Among the North American Indians the Great Spirit was sometimes known as the "Father and Mother of Life." In the hymns of the Vedas, of the Hindoos, he is ad- dressed sometimes as "Father." In the Zend- Avesta, the Persian sacred writings, is an appeal to him " who was from the beginning the Father of the pure creatures." In Plato's Timaeus is a reference to "the supreme God, Father and Maker of all things." And Plutarch both em- bodies and interprets the symbol in the declara- tion, "Since, therefore, the world is neither like a piece of potter's work nor joiner's work, but there is a great share of life and divinity in it, which God himself communicated to and mixed with matter, God may properly be called Father of the world." But in all heathen use of this symbol, so far as I have been able to discover, the idea involved is not parental love, or paren- tal care, but simply production and begetting, God is represented as the Father, not particu- larly of humanity but of all life, because all comes forth from him. The same belief under- laid even the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth, who personified the producing powers of nature, one in the person of a male, the other in the person of a female. But nowhere in literature, outside of the Bible, and that which has been inspired by the Bible, is to be found a recognition of the truth that the relation of a father to his child, and the government of a father over his child, that is, the government of a personal, providing, sympathizing love, is the best symbol for the in- terpretation of the relations between God and man. Even the early fathers would not allow any but communicants to use this passage, be- cause "no one that was not baptized could pre- sume to say 'Our Father which art in heaven.' " — {Theodoret, quoted in Bingham's Antiquities, 10 : 5.) And some relic of this idea lingers in modern theology. Yet that there is a peculiar sense in which those are the children of God who have been adopted into the household of faith through Jesus Christ, is implied in such passages as Rom. 8 : 14 ; Gal. o : 2(j ; 1 John 3 : 1. For practical deductions from this truth see Gal. 4:6; Ephes. 5 : 1 ; 3 Pet. 1 : 4 ; 1 John 3 : 10 ; 5:1. Which art in heaven. The abode of the blessed, which is generally represented in the Bible as in the heavens. The Bible, while it recognizes and teaches the omnipresence of God, teaches also, and nowhere more clearly than here, his proper personality. We are not, how- ever, to conclude from this or other parallel pas- sages (e. g., Ps. 115 : 3 ; Isa. 57 : 16 ; 66 : l) that God haS, in any proper sense of the term, a local habita- tion ; on the contrary, while it sometimes pic- tures him to our thought as in the heavens, in order to give definiteness to our conception, it also declares that he dwells in the hearts of the contrite and humble (isa. 5? : is ; compare John U : 20, 23), and that no place is mthout his presence (Psaim 139 : 7-10). Contrast with the spirit of this opening address of our Lord's Prayer the modern phil- osophy which declares that "God is the highest dream of which the human soul is capable," of that he is " an Inscrutable Power," whose "na- ture transcends intuition and is beyond imagina- tion," and whose mode of being may " transcend Intelligence and Will." Let any one who wishes to contrast modern philosophy and the religion of Jesus essay a prayer to ' ' The Inscrutable Power, ' ' or "The Infinite," or " The Ultimate Cause," or the " Unconditional, " the common appellations which rationalism employs. Hallowed be thy name. At first it might seem this should be a commandment ad- dressed to us rather than a prayer addressed by us. In truth, however, the whole prayer is an amplification of this. God's name is hallowed, honored, lifted up for worship and adoration, just in the measure in which his kingdom comes, his will is done, his providential care and his for- giving kindness is manifested among men. The highest appeal we can make to him is for his own name's sake, for his great mercy's sake, or for Jesus' sake, which is, in fact, the same thing (Psalm 6:4; 25 : 11 ; 31 : 3, 16 ; 44 : 26). To SUp- pose that we are required to begin every prayer with an ascription of praise to God is entirely to miss the meaning. But underlying every true prayer is the deep wish, born of a supreme and filial love for God, that in all that he does for us, and enables us to do, his name may be hallowed. We come into the true spirit of prayer only as, in all our praying, his name is in our thought Ch. VI.] MATTHEW. 103 11 Give us this day our<* daily bread : 12 And forgive us our debts," as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into^ temptation, but deliver us^ from evil : For thine*" is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. d Prov. 30 : 8 ; Isa. 33 : 16. . . .e ch. 18 : 21-35 j Lake 7 : 40-48 f ch. 26 : 41 ; Luke 22 : 40, 46. . . .g John 17 : 15 h Rev. 5 : 12, 13. above every name, and we have the desire to see it everywhere so recognized. 10. Thy kingdom come, (see on Matt. 3 : 2.) Here the kingdom of God means all that the words in all their applications involve ; the per- fect obedience and allegiance of all created beings to the wiU and word of God. Thy will be done — respecting us, in God's providential dealings (Luke 22 : 42 ; Acts 21 : 14); by US, in our daily life (John 6 : 38 ; 17 : 18 ; Ephes. 6:6.); in US, by the Con- formity of our character to the divine image (John 17: 23; Rom. 12:2; Col. 4:12; 1 Theas. 4 : s). Ob- serve that this is much more than a mere sub- mission to the will of God. It is not "Give us such and such things, nevertheless thy will be done." This petition stands first in the prayer as it should stand first in our hearts ; the ex- pression of the pre-eminent desire of our souls that God's' \vill, not our own, may be accom- plished, and that ours may be made subject to it. In heaven. Not among the heavenly bodies, though the perfect conformity of the stars to the divine law may serve as an illustration of that perfect obedience for which we are to look and pray, but in the spiritual heavens. "Not by blind agents, but by intelUgent, spiritual crea- tures; by wills which might have fallen but which stood in holy, cheerful obedience." — (Maurice. ) 11. Our daily bread. There is some diffi- culty in translating the Greek word rendered in our version daily. The better opinion appears to be that it signifies not daily but necessary for our sustenance. It is, then, a prayer simply for suffi- cient bread to satisfy our real wants, and receives an interpretation from Paul's exhortation, "hav- ing food and raiment, let us be therewith con- tent" (1 Tim. 6:8). The word translated bread (aoroc) is said to stand generally for food, and by Mr. Barnes to denote everything necessary to sustain life. Yet literally it signifies only bread, and the fact that this word is used, and not one of the more general ones ((^^loj^ta or rQO(pij) translated respectively meat and food, is an indi- cation of the simplicity which should characterize our earthly desires, and our petitions for their satisfaction. The ancient commentators con- sidered that the term bread, as here used, signi- fies food for the soul as well as food for the body, and some of them even referred it directly to the body of Christ, and from it framed an ar- gument for the daily celebration of the Lord's Supper. But the word bread (uqtov) is never used in the N. T. to signify anything but mate- rial food, except in cases where the context clearly indicates a purely metaphorical use, as in John, ch. 6, where Christ employs it emblemati- cally, but distinguishes spiritual from material food by such phrases as "bread from heaven," or " true bread," or "bread of life." We are to take the words of Scripture in the sense in which the speaker or writer would have expected his audience or readers to have taken them, except where he himself gives a different interpretation, or peculiar circumstances compel the beUef that he was willing to be misunderstood for the time ; and it is very clear from John 6 : 34 (compare John 4 : 15, and Mark 8 : 15, 16), that the dlSCipleS WOUld not have understood this passage in a spiritual sense. This petition is not, then, a prayer for a supply of all our wants ; so to interpret it is to lose its significance. It is our warrant for carry- ing to God our physical wants. The lowest and most animal of them all, hunger, is taken be- cause that includes by necessary implication all the rest ; and the limits on our right of petition, so to speak, are given in the fact that we are taught to pray for just so much bread as is neces- sary day by day for our sustenance, leaving all the future in God's hands. He who can be con- tent with to-day's loaf, and trust the morrow wholly to God, has learned the spirit of this prayer as interpreted by verses 25-34 below. 12. And forgive us. The Greek word translated forgive is the same translated left in Matt. 4 : 20, 22 ; se?it aioay in ch. 13 : 36 ; Mark 4 : 36 ; put away in 1 Cor. 7 : 11, 12. I refer to these passages to give the English reader an idea of the primary meaning of the word, which is to send away, dismiss, set free. The Bible idea of forgiveness is not merely a remission of penalty or an absence of vengeance, but an absolute put- ting away of the sins, so that he who is wronged remembers them no more against the wrong- doer, and he who has done the wrong carries them no more in his memory as a burden. It is interpreted by such passages as Isa. 1 : 18 ; 43 : 25 ; Micah 7 : 19 ; John 1 : 29 ; and by the annual ceremony among the ancient Jews of binding the sins of the nation upon the scape-goat, and send- ing them away into the wilderness (Lev. le : 21, 22). But these symbols are not satisfied by a mere literal forgetting of the transgression; on the contrary, it is clear from Matt. 5 : 44 that we are often to remember the wrong we have suffered that we may repay it by love, and from Paul's experience (i Tim. 1 : 12-17), the wrong we have done that we may augment our love to Him who 104 has forgiven us. As. Not merely inasmuch as, or because, but literally as, i. e., in the manner in which we forgive. As elsewhere the Bible makes the divine forgiveness a type and model for us in the forgiveness of personal wrong, so here we are required to make our forgiveness interpret to God the forgiveness which we ask from him (compare Ephes. 4 : 32 ; Col. 3 : 13). If any Christian is perplexed by the question — How does Christ's law of forgiveness require that I should feel toward him Mho has wronged me ? he may an- swer it by another question — How do I wish Christ to feel toward me? Debts — debtors. Sins are compared to debts because they repre- sent all that duty and love which we owe to him but have never by our past lives paid, aU that in which we have come short of the glory of God. Not merely our positive sins need forgiveness, but our failures as children and servants of God to fulfiU the mission in life he lays upon us. So the phrase "our debtors" includes not only those who owe us confession and reparation for positive wrong-doing, but also all those who are in a more Kteral sense our debtors, all who in the common walks of life have come short of their duty to us. As we treat, not merely our ene- mies, but our children, our servants, our em- ployees, all who are under obligations of service to us, so we may expect God to treat us ; as we are willing he should exact of us, we may exact of them. Observe, the prayer assumes that we have forgiven and do habitually forgive or re- lease. If we understand this as a mere rule of prayer we miss its meaning ; the whole relates to the spirit rather than to the form of prayer, and this petition is interpreted by ch. 5 : 23, 24. 13. Lead us not into temptation. More strictly and properly, trial; i. e., experiences that try the character. The term is general, but it includes those experiences that in- volve temptation to sin. Though God never tempts any man, that is, never solicits him to evil (James 1 : is), yct hc orders our life and de- cides vrhat shall be the measure of its trials and temptations (l Cor. lO : 13; compare Job 1 : 12; 2 : 6). Directly contrary to the spirit of this prayer is the temper which courts trial for the sake of displaying to others or to one's self the strength of resistance ; the temper which twice led Peter into presumption and consequent danger (jiatt. 14 : 28-30 ; 26 : 69-75). In entire accordance with it is the spirit which, when God's providence does bring us into temptation, boldly faces it, and, by faith in him, vanquishes it, and even rejoices in the conflict and the VictOiy (compare James i : 2 ; 4 : 7). Observe the spirit with which Christ met the tempter in the wUderness, and observe that it is after that experience of temptation that he instructs his disciples to include this petition in their prayer. To lead into temptation is not MATTHEW. [Ch. VI. equivalent to bringing under the power of temp- tation ; God never does that. Deliver us from the evil one. Not merely evil, either in the moral or the physical sense ; but the devil, the author of all temptation. Compare with this petition Christ's prayer for us (joLn n : is). For thine is the kingdom, etc. There is consid- erable doubt whether this doxology was not added subsequently, when the prayer came into use as a liturgy. This appears to be the opinion of the best scholars, among whom may be men- tioned Tischeudorf, Wordsworth, Alford, Bloom- field, Lange. On the other hand, Chrysostom comments on it without any apparent doubt of its authenticity. For a statement of the argu- ments for and against it, see note by Dr. Schaff in Lange on Matthew, Addenda, 567. It grounds the entire petition on the royalty of God, being an appeal of a subject to his Lord and King; on the power of God, being an appeal of weak- ness to One mighty and able to help (compare 8:2); and on the honor and good name of God (compare Exod. 32 : 11, 12), our victory over the evil one be- ing not to our glory, but to God's (compare 5:16; 1 Pet. 2 : 12; Ephes. 2 : 8-I0). The commentators have undertaken to ana- lyze the Lord's Prayer, to divide it into sec- tions, to trace in it a parallel to the Ten Com- mandments on the one hand, and to the beatitudes on the other, and even to find in its arrangement an evidence of the doctrine of the Trinity, all of which the reader wUl find at some length in Lange's Commentary. To me this all seems quite foreign to a prayer whose beauty is its perfect simplicity. The best analysis is the quaint one which Matthew Henry affords : "This prayer, as indeed every prayer, is a let- ter from earth to heaven. Here is the inscrip- tion. Our Father ; the place, in heaven ; the con- tents, in the several errands ; the close, for thine is the kingdom ; the seal. Amen ; and, if you will, the date too, this day.'''' More important to study than any analysis of this prayer is the spirit which breathes through it all, and which it is its chief object to inculcate. It approaches God not with fear and awe, but with childlike confi- dence ; it finds him not hard to be entreated ; its petitions are framed in the simplest possible forms ; it is humble, without being groveling ; submissive, without being abject ; earnest, with- out being clamorous. We have in Christ's his- tory two records of prayer offered by him (Matt. 26 : 39, 42, 44 and John, ch. n). The Same Spirit brcathes in his example as in his precept. The true sig- nificance of both is interpreted by the contrast which is aflorded in the prayers of the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18 : 26). Alas ! that so much of public prayer should conform more to the ex- ample of the heathen prophets than to that of Jesus of Nazareth, Ch. VI.] MATTHEW. 105 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father torgive your trespasses.' 16 Moreover, when j'e fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance : for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto menJ to fast. Verily I say unto you. They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face ; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret : and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon'' earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal : , 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in' heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal : 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The light of the body is the eye :"> if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light : 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great ts that darkness ! 24 No man can serve two masters :" for either he Eph. 4 : 31 ; Jas. 2 : 13. . .j Isa. 68 : 3, 6. . . .k Proy. 23 : 4 ; Luke 18 : 24, 25 : Heb. 13 : 6. m Luke 11 : 34, 36. . . .n Luke 16 : 13. Isa. 33 : 6 ; Luke 12 : 33, 34 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 19. 14,15. Compare 18 : 23-35, and 5 : 7, and ref- erences there. " He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass him- self ; for every man has need to be forgiven." — {Lord Herbert.) 16-18. Third EXAMPLE. Fasting. For a gen- eral discussion of the question whether fasting is appropriate under the Christian dispensation, and for some information respecting Jewish fasts, see Matt. 9 : 14, 15, and notes. IG. Disfigure their faces. By leaving them unwashed and by covering them with ashes (Es- ther 4:3; Job 2 : S ; Lam. 3 : 16 ; Dan. 9:3; Jonah 3 : 6). TlliS use of ashes, which, with sackcloth, had been at first a symbol of mourning, and was its nat- ural expression in an age and among a people who gave expression to feeling by symbolic acts rather than by words, had been perverted by the Pharisees, and they employed the symbols of mourning without the real sorrow which alone gave the symbol significance. They for- bade all washing or anointing of the body dur- ing fasting; and it was a rabbinical proverb, "Whoever makes his face black in this world, God shall make his face to shine in the world to come." The spirit of Christ's precept forbids not merely disfiguring of the person, but all simulating of feeling of sorrow, and impliedly of any feeling, for the purpose of appearing unto men to possess it. Compare, on the spirit of true fasting, Isaiah .58 : 3-7. 10-34. Further contrast of Pharisaism AND THE Christian religion. From a rebuke of the ostentation of Pharisa- ism Christ passes to a rebuke of its spirit of greed. The two vices generally accompany each other (Matt. 23 : 14; compare Luke 16 : 14). Through thiS discourse Christ does not merely nor chiefly re- buke the wrong, but points out a more excellent way ; so here, from a mere condemnation of greed (19-23), he proceeds to set forth the piin- ciple upon which and the spirit in which his dis- ciples are to solve the problem presented by the twofold demands which this life makes on the body and the higher life makes on the soul (24:-3i). For a paraphrase of the passage and a consideration of its general significance, see note below. 19. Treasure not for yourselves treas- ures. AU laying in store is not forbidden ; but hoarding ; i. e., the accumulation of wealth as our treasure in which our heart is. Compare, for an illustration of the spirit forbidden, Luke 12 : 16-21. Where moth and rust. The first reason for not laying up our treasures upon earth. All such treasures are transient ; they are Uahle to be taken from us, and we are certain to be taken from them (Prov. 23 : 5; 1 Tim. 6 : 7, 8; compare also Eccies. 5 : 10 ; 6 : 2). One of the most common forms of riches in the East was garments, which were liable to moth (josh. ? : 21 ; 2 Kings 5 : 22 ; compare James 6 : 2, 3). Rust. The Greek word would be more literally rendered "ea^wigf," and it is so translated in 1 Cor. 8:4. It signifies here the whole corro- sive influence of time, " which eats into and con- sumes the fairest and the best-jjrotected posses- sions." 30. But treasure up for yourselves treas- ures in heaven. Compare Luke 12 : 33. How ? By charity administered as unto Christ (Matt. 25 : 40; 1 Tim. 6 : 18, 19) ; by Spiritual labors for others (james 5 : 19, 2o) ; by personal growth in grace (2 Peter 1 : 6-11). 21-23. The second reason for not hoarding ; its corrupting influence on the soul. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The heart is, in Scripture, used for the seat and centre of man's life, especially the de- sires and aspirations, out of which are the issues of life (Prov. 4 : 23). If we amass our treasures on earth, our desires and aspirations, and so our life, will be of the earth earthy. 22, 23. The light of the body is the eye. If thine eye be clear, thy whole body shall be full of light; but if thine eye be diseased, thy whole body shall be full of- darkness. What the eye is to the body, the heart, not the intellect, is to the soul. If the heart be pure, we see God and heavenly things, and take hold on the truth, and are made right- eous (Matt. 5:8; Rom. 10 : lo) ; if it be corrupt, all is corrupt (Matt. 12 : 33, 35 ; 15 : 19.), and the very power 106 MATTHEW. [Ch. YL will hate the one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to the «ne, and despise the other. Ye cannot" serve God and mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought? for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, '■•'-- ^ - -■- = ' ^ the body than raiment ? 26 Behold the fowls of the air : for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heavenly Fatheri feedeth them. Are ye not much bet- ter than they ? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature ? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment ? Consider o Gal. 1 : 10 ; 2 Tim. 4 : 10 ; Jaa. 4:4 pi Cor. 7 : 32 ; Phil. 4:6 q Job 38 : 41 ; Luke 12 : 24, etc. of moral and spiritual discernment is abated and finally destroyed ; for the soul which begins by practically disregarding spiritual truths, ends by losing the power of perceiving them (i Cor. 2 : 14). If the light be darkness, etc. If that which is intended to be the light of the soul be dark- ened, in what total darkness will the whole soul be plunged? " When the pilot is drowned and the candle is put out, and the general is taken prisoner, what sort of hope wUl there be after that for those that are under command."— {Chrysosiom.) See Luke 11 : 34-36, note. 24. The connection appears to be this: Not only you must not make it your object to accu- mulate your treasures on earth ; you cannot have two objects and two treasures, one on the earth and one in heaven. Serve. Literally, be the slave of, belong to. Evidently one may serve two masters if one is subordinate to the other, as the slave serves both the overseer and the owner, or the soldier both the captain and the colonel. He who keeps the world always in subordination to the Lord obeys this precept ; he who attempts to belong to both contravenes it. Mammon. A word of Syriac origin, meaning riches. It has been said to be the name of an idol worshipped as the god of riches. But this assertion rests on slender authority and is probably incorrect. Ob- serve that in this passage Christ does not con- demn the possession of riches, but the servi7ig of them; and the poor and successful man may sei-ve, while the rich man may master wealth. He that serves riches labors for them ; he who is the master of riches knows how to make them labor for him, and through him for others. "Job was rich, but he served not mammon, but possessed it and ruled over it, and was master, not slave." — (Chrysostom.) (see job 29 : 11-13). 25. Therefore. The whole of the following verses to the end of the chapter are a deduction from verse 24, and are to be interpreted accord- ingly. I say unto you. See on 5 : 18. Here this expression is the seal of a divine promise which underlies all that follows. Take no thought. The original Greek word signifies a division or distraction of mind. The command is literally, "be not divided in mind respecting your life." It thus follows logically from the prohibition of the preceding verse, against serv- ing God and mammon, and leads naturally to the conclusion of the whole, "Seek first the king- dom of God and his righteousness "(v. 33). See note at close of chapter. The word thought has the significance of anxiety in old English. Lord Bacon speaks of one who "died with thought and anguish." Compare, for similar use, 1 Sam. 9:5. Is not the life, etc. First reason for 7iot being anxious. Our anxiety is about matters of trivial importance. As the life is more than meat which serves it, and the body than raiment which clothes it, so the soul is more than either ; for both life and body exist only for the devel- opment of the soul. But our anxieties are not for the soul, but only about the outer things, the mere food and raiment. This appears to me to be the meaning, not, as most of the commenta- tors interpret it, God, who has given you life, will much more give you food. Compare Matt. 10 : 28. 26. Behold the fowls of the air. Second reason for not being anxious, viz. : our Father's care for us, as illustrated ia his care of the birds. Compare with this Psalm 104, especially 10-12, 21, 27, 28. It is veiy evident from our Lord's il- lustration that he does not forbid foresight and provision for the future. For though the birds neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, yet while winter storms linger afar off they foresee the evil, and by their flight into southern climes guard themselves against it; and when spring comes, they provide beforehand for the little ones yet to come, the father foraging in the fields and the mother plucking from her own bosom the down to furnish for them a resting-place. Rightly considered, therefore, there is nothing in this verse inconsistent with wise forethought, nothing to conflict with the lesson from the ant drawn in Prov. 6 : 6-8. Chrysostom, and, fol- lowing him, Alford, notice that Christ does not say we must not sow, nor reap, but that we must not be distracted and anxious. The illustration is an argument from the less to the greater, anal- ogous to the argument in Luke 18 : 1-7, from the unjust judge to the just God. If the birds, mcapable of sowing, reaping, storing, are cared for in the way God appoints to them, how much more will you be cared for in the way of your duty, to whom God gives the capacity of fore- thought and the means of providing for future ne- cessities. Much better. Rather of more value (cb. 10 : 31). It is not that we are better, morally, than the birds, and so more deserving of a Father's Ch. VL] MATTHEW. 107 the lilies of the field, how they grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin : 2g And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was liot arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith ? 31 Therefore take no thought,' saying. What shall we eat ? or. What shall we drink ? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed ? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek :) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. r Ps. 37 : 3 J 55 : 22 ; 1 JPet. 5 : 1 care, but of a higher order, to whom sufEering is sharper and life larger and grander, and to whom, therefore, the divine care is more important, and for and ia whom it will produce more important results. 27. Which of you by thought can add to his age one cubit. A third reason for not being anxious; viz., the uselessness of anx- iety. A cubit is equivalent to about a foot and a half in length. It would be not a small but a very considerable addition to a man's height. The word here translated stature is rendered age in John 9 : 21, 23. This would better convey the meaning here. Measures of space are sometimes employed by a metaphor in estimates of life (see for example Psalm 39 : 5). The idea, then, here is that anxiety and care do nothing to lengthen out the duration of life ; and this is in truth the object of all our solicitude. 28, 29. Consider the lilies of the field. This whole series of illustrations is an incidental enforcement of the truth that nature is full of unobserved lessons for us, an incidental appeal to us to study nature for the ascertainment of her moral and spiritual meaning (compare Job 12 : 1, s). The lilies of the field. Several flowers have been suggested as answering to the lily of the field. Dr. Thompson's Land and Book describes one of these, the Huleh lily. " It is very large, and the three inner petals meet above and form a gorgeous canopy, such as art never approached and king never sat under, even in his utmost glory. And when I met this incomparable flower, in all its loveliness, among the oak woods around the northern base of Tabor and on the hills of Nazareth, where our Lord spent his youth, I felt assured that it was this to which he re- ferred." It seems quite as likely that no special flower was intended, but that the language is general for wild flowers. These of the most brilliant hue — lilies, daisies, anemones, wild tu- lips and poppies — abound in the Holy Land. Solomon in all his glory, etc. Solomon represented to the Jewish mind the ideal of re- gal magnificence (see 1 Kings, ch. 10). In two respects this declaration is literally true ; first, 1)ecause his glory was external, a glory put on, while that of the flower is its own, being developed from within ; second, because the beauty of the most perfect fabric is imperfect and shows itself rough and coarse under the microscope, while the beauty of the flower has no imperfection, but, on the contrary, discloses under the microscope glories unseen by the naked eye. These verses indicate & fourth reason for not being anxious and troubled about earthly needs. Our worry and anx- iety are for the most part not for the food and clothing which is necessary for our life and usefulness, but for the means to equal or sur- pass our neighbors in disjjlay ; and yet, with all our striving, the wild flowers of the field sur- pass us. 30. The grass of the field * * * cast into the oven. Weeds and grass were and still are used in the East as fuel. Ovens were construct- ed in various ways : sometimes of earth ; some- times a pit, lined with cement, served the pur- pose ; sometimes baking was done simply on stones heated by fire previously kindled on them. The oven here mentioned was a large round pot of earthen or other materials, two or three feet high, narrow towards the top. This being first heated by a flre made within, the dough or paste was spread upon the sides to bake, thus forming their cakes. In all these cases the fuel was cast into the oven, and when the oven was suflQciently heated, was raked out again to make room for the bread, after the manner in vogue in the use of the old brick oven. The verse recurs to the underlying reason for not being anxious ; God who cares for birds and flowers much more cares for us his children. Oh ye of little faith. He cares even for the untrusting (2 Tim. 2 : 13). 31-34. These verses sum up the conclusion of Christ's warning against greed and its con- comitant care. 32. For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. An additional argument, in- terpolated by Christ in his summing up. If you are as anxious and concerned about food and raiment as the heathen, how are you any better Oflf than they (compare chap 5 : 46, 47) ? 33. Seek ye first. Not in order of time merely, but in order of importance. Interpret this command by verse 24. The kingdom of God (see on Matt. 3 : l). RighteOUSUeSS (see on Matt. 6 : 6). And all these things. All what things? Not an accumulation of food and rai- ment ; piety is not a short road to wealth ; but all of those things of which your heavenly Father knows you have need ; i. e., enough day by day to supply daily need. The promise is interpreted by David's testimony (Psaim .37 : 25), and by Paul's experience and assurance (Phu. 4 : n, 19). So in- 108 MATTHEW. [Ch. VL 33 But seek ye first" the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added' unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow : for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof ITim. 4:8....tLev. 26:20, 21j 1 Kings 3: 13; Pa. 37 : 26 ; Mark 10 : 30....U Deut. 33 : 25 ; Heb. 13:6,6. terpreted, life proves it true ; those that give themselves wholly to God's service often live in poverty, but they rarely or never sufEer for want of necessary food and raiment. 34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow ; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. That is, the future will bring not only its own trouble, but also with it the grace that is needed to bear it, or the guidance that is needed to escape it (Deut. 33 . 25 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 13 ; Heb. 13 : 6). Sufficient UUtO the day is the evil thereof. "Every day brings its own troubles, and to anticipate is but to double them." — {David Brown.) This verse indicates the line between the forethought that is a duty and the care that is a sin. Forethought considers a future possible ill only in so far as it is necessary to determine present duty. Care brings, by imagination, the possible evil from the future, and inflicts it on us here and now. NOTE ON CHRIST'S TEACHING RESPECTING CARE (vs. 19-54). The general significance of this passage may be indicated perhaps by a Paraphrase. — Do not make it your object to ac- cumulate treasures on the earth, because all such treasures are transitory, and the life which is devoted to accumulating them darkens and destroys the soul. Nor think to divide your energies, and to devote a part to God's service and a part to the accumulation of wealth. This you cannot do. Tou must choose your master, and serve him with single devotion. Having chosen God, do not allow your life to be distracted by the ambition for wealth, or by fears respecting the future. This is foUy ; for your soul alone is worthy of your care. It is needless ; for your heavenly Father, who feeds the birds, will care for you. It is useless ; for with all your worry you cannot prolong your life. It is wasted energy ; for it is spent, in truth, not on satisfying the real necessities of the body, but on vicing in display with others, and the highest success leaves you at last inferior to the wUd flowers of the field. It is unchristian ; for he who is guilty of it is in so far no better off than the heathen ■who know of no heavenly Father on whom they can cast their cares. God, your heavenly Father, knows what is necessary for you and wiU pro- vide it. Tou have only to do day by day your daily duty, making the sole object of your life to promote in your own heart and in the hearts of others, allegiance to him, and attending faith- fully to each day's cares and duties, sure that the present duty is all that God means you to perform, and that with to-morrow's problems will come grace and wisdom for their solution. A fair and reasonable interpretation of Christ's words does not forbid forethought or provision for the future, as is evident from, first, the gen- eral significance of the whole passage if read as it should be together, not dissected into separate and independent precepts; second, from the very illustrations employed, particularly that of the birds (v. 26), who do exercise forethought, and from the express declaration that we have needs which God recognizes (v. 32), and for which as they arise we are to provide (v. 34) ; third, from the example of Christ himself, who appointed a treasurer of his little band of disciples, provided a bag with money to meet their simple wants, and carried provisions on their journeys (Matt. 14 : 17 ; John 12 : 6 ; 13 : 29) ; fourth, f rom Other prc- cepts and examples in the Bible (Gen. 41 : 33-36; Ephes. 4 : 28 ; 1 Tim. 6:8; and also compare Prov. 6 : 6 with ch. 22 : s). It is clear, on the other hand, that it does forbid, as essentially unchristian, all mak- ing of acquisition and accumulation of wealth the object of life, and all attempt to divide the mind between two objects, one the promotion of the divine life in ourselves and others, the other the accumulation of wealth, or the viemg with others in external signs of earthly prosperity. This is alike forbidden by the general tenor of this passage, by the example of Christ, and by other biblical precepts (compare especially Luke 12 : 16-21 ; Col. 3:2; Heb. 13 : 6, where conversation means * coarse of life " ; 1 John 2 : 15). lu brief, this passage offers a cure of care by forbidding its real cause, a divided heart and life, and by pointing to the true rem- edy, moderate desires and trust in God for their gratification. That the original verb translated "take no thought " bears the significance I have given it throughout these notes, is agreed to by all the commentators. " No thought," says Mr. Barnes, "means no anxiety." "Take no thought," says Alford, "does not express the sense, but gives rather an exaggeration of the command, and this makes it unreal and nugatory. * * * It is. Be not anxious, at sea tossed about between hope and fear." "Our Lord," says Wordsworth, " does not forbid provident forethought, but he forbids anxious, restless, distrustful solicitude about earthly things." Ch. VIL] MATTHEW. 109 CHAPTER VII. JUDGE' not. that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged ; and with what measure ye mete," it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye ? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out ot thine eye ; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye ? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam" out of thine own eye ; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. 6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither^ cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. T Luke 6 -.37; Rom.2:l; 1 Cor. 4 : 5. ...w Judges 1 :7....x Gal. 6 : l....y Prov. 9 : 7, 8 ; 23:9. 1-6. The censoriousness of Pharisaism re- buked. These verses continue the contrast be- tween the principles which must actuate Christ's disciples and those which do actuate the Pharisees. Censoriousness is the common accompaniment of a self-righteous spirit (Luke 7 : 39 ; is : n), and against that spirit these verses are directed, except the last, which is a qualification of the general pre- cept of the first verse. 1. Judge not. See, on the meaning of this verse, note below. 2. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged. Firstly, by ourselves^ be- cause by judging others we condemn ourselves, being guUty of the same sins, not necessarily in form, but in spirit (Rom. 2 : 1) ; secondly, by our fellow-men, for men habitually judge leniently those that exercise lenient judgments, and se- verely those that judge severely (Luke 6 : 37, ss) ; and rightly, because he who customarily suspects the motives of others thereby testifies to the ground of his suspicion, which is the consciousness of evil motives in himself; and thirdly, by God, who will at the last judge us severely if we have so judged our fellow-men (james 2 : 13). And with what measure, etc. In Mark 4 : 24 the same aphorism is employed and the same princi- ple is applied to those that impart truth to others ; and in Luke 6 : 38 to all beneficence. It may here be equivalent to "the standard by which you measure others, they will use in measuring you ;" but it is more probable that it is the amplification of a general principle, that Luke's report is fuller, and that it is as if Christ had said. As you judge you shall be judged, in accordance with the gen- eral and universal principle that as you give to others they will give to you, charity for charity, severity for severity, generosity for generosity, niggardliness for niggardliness. 3. And Avhy beholdest thou, seeingit from without, — the mote, — the lesser fault,— in thy brother's eye, and considerest not,— by weighing well from within,— the beam,— the larger fault, in thyself? Our own faults ought to be to us beams ; our neighbor's faults should be but motes. In our common estimates the re- verse is the case •, we magnify the faults of others and palliate our own. So runs the old proverb : Men carry their own sins on their back and those of their neighbors before. But besides this, the spirit which rejoiceth in iniquity is always a beam, generally a more flagrant violation of the spirit of love (1 Cor. 13 : 5) than the sin over which it rejoices and which it condemns. 4. Or how wilt thou say. The preceding verse asserts that the Christian spirit will lead us to consider more carefully our own faults than those of our neighbor ; this and the next asserts that we cannot cure our neighbor's faults except in a spirit of humility, because of our own. It is interpreted by Gal. 6:1. In the rab- binical books is this saying : "If any one says to another, ' Take out the mote from thine eye, ' he wiU be answered, ' Take out the beam from thine own.' " If this was really a proverb in the time of Christ, he gives it a new significance and di- rection. From a mere expression of the spirit which resents reproof, it becomes a direction to him who would administer reproof. Victory over evn in ourselves can alone give the clearness of moral vision necessaiy to perceive, and the sympathy necessary to eradicate, evils from our neighbors. 5. Hypocrite. Every man who pretends to zeal in reform, but is zealous only to reform his neighbor, but indifEerent respecting himself, is but a pretender— a hypocrite, though sometimes a self-deceived hypocrite. Shalt thou see clearly. He that rids hunself of the spirit of censoriousness and seeks to discern the good and not the evU in his neighbor, is prepared to help him to get rid of the evil. It is not the spirit of criticism, but the spirit of charity, which is cura- tive. Before he had only beheld the mote ; now he sees to cast it out. " The beholding was yarn and idle ; the seeing clearly is for a blessed end, viz. : (18 : 15) to gain thy hvother. '"—(Alford.) Of JtnjGiNG OUR Fellow-men. — This passage has given rise to much diiHeulty from failing to note the proper meaning of the yvovd judge. The Greek word (;;p/jw)here translated jwcZ^e signifies primarily to separate ; then to form a judicial sentence, because that involves a separation of the good from the evil, as illustrated by the par- ables in Matt, 13 : 30, 49 ; 25 : 32. It is frequently used in the N. T. in this strict sense to express a judicial and official decree, as in 1 Cor. G : 2, and in Acts 15 : 19, in which latter passage it is rendered by rriT/ sentence is. It is also frequently used metaphorically for a quasi judicial decision (bm 110 MATTHEW. [Ch. VII. ranstrations below), and in one or two cases it is em- plo3'e(l to express a personal conclusion, but always one that is irrevocably fixed. Of this use an illustration is afforded by 2 Cor. 5 : 14: "We thuB judge that if one died for all, then were all dead," where not an opinion or probable conclu- sion, but a deliberate and settled conviction is expressed; and another in Acts 20 : 16 : "Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus," where not a mere purpose, but a settled determination is indi- cated, one so unalterable that the subsequent en- treaties of his friends could not swerve him from it (Acts 21 : u). Our translators have then almost exactly preserved the meaning of the original word in this passage. It is not equivalent to condemn nor to condemnatory judgment on the one hand, nor does it, on the other, signify every mental opinion concerning others ; but such opin- ions as are judgments, i. e., in their nature judicial, Christ certainly does not prohibit all formations of opinions respecting our fellow-men; this is not only necessary to be done, but directly com- manded both by Christ and his apostles (Matt. 18 = 15-17; 1 Tim. 5:20; 2 Tim. 4 : s), and it iS impliedly required in this very passage in verse 6. Nor is his prohibition of judging satisfied by interpret- ing it as a mere warning against harsh, unkmd, and censorious condemnation of others. It in- cludes this, but both here and in the parallel pas- sages (^Luke 6 : 37, where condemnation of others iB also rebuked ; Rom. 2:1; 14 : 4, 10, 13 ; 1 Cor. 4 : 3, 5 ; James 4 : 12) mUCh more is indicated than this. We get to the gist of the command here, as I am persuaded we shall do generally in Christ's sayings, not by de- parting from, but by adhering to his exact words. All assuming of God's judgment-seat, all undertaking to reach any final and conclusive judgment concerning our fellow-men, is prohib- ited by the spirit and the words of this passage and its parallels in the New Testament. It pro- hibits absolutely all attempts by man to fix the eternal state of any soul, or to declare what it is or will be, and so all excommunication which in- Tolves an imprecation of an everlasting curse ; all imprecation of men in the mass, as by the anathemas of the Roman Catholic church and the damnatoiy clauses of the Athanasian creed ; all such discussions respecting the character and eternal destiny of individuals as often occur after the death especially of public men — and this whether conducted in public or private ; all for- mation of ineradicable prejudices or final and settled judgments against any, such as cannot be readily set aside by clearer evidence or by their repentance and reformation (compare i Cor. 5 : 4, 5, with 2 Cor. 2 : 6, 8) ; and all judging of men's moral char- acter and status before God and their final con- dition by reason of their divergence from us in points of doctrine or of practice (Rom., ch. u, through- out). But it does not forbid such tentative and partial judgments both of conduct and character as are formed in the spirit of love and meekness, as are accompanied in our own minds with the recognition of the truth that they are imperfect, and that all the data for a perfect judgment are not and cannot be before us, as are held subject to revision or reversal on adequate evidence or in case of repentance and reform, and as are necessary for our own guidance in determining what shall be our conduct toward or in respect to the persons in question. Such passages as I Cor. 16 : 22 ; 2 Pet., ch. 2 ; and Jude, v. 4, do not mUitate against this precept, which does not for- bid our judging of principles and practices, but of assuming to judge individuals ; nor does Christ's example in Matt., ch. 23, contradict his precept, because he knew what was in man, and could judge then as he will judge finally (John 6 : 22, 27). 6. This verse can scarcely be regarded as a qualification, but rather as an interpretation, of what precedes. If one is evidently past our in- fluence, whether violent as the dog or given over to sensuality as the swine, we may adjudge him to be so, and need not go on casting pearls before him (compare Prov. 9 : 7, 8). But obscrvc that it was never the practice of the apostles to account any unworthy to receive the Gospel till by their own act they had rejected it, and so counted them- selves unworthy (Acts 13 : 46 ; Titus 3 : lo). Holy . The meat offered for sacrifice, a part of which was re- served for the priests (Lev. 2 : 3, etc.), was regarded among the Jews as peculiarly sacred, as much as the bread and wine, when consecrated for the Eucharist, were regarded in the early church and still are in many of the modern churches. To give such meat to the dogs would be, to the .Jewish mind, the extreme of profanation. No unclean person was permitted to eat of it (Lev. 22 : 6, 10, 14, etc. ; compare Exod. 22 : 3l). DogS — SVViue. The dog was never a pet or a favorite among the Jews. They lived and stUl live in Oriental cities in packs, half -nald, generally without masters or owners, and barely tolerated as scavengers. Both dogs and swine are common symbols in the Bible of vileness and uncleanness (Lev. ii : 7 ; se : 10, 11 ; Prov. II : 22 ; Matt. 15 : 27 ; Phil. 3:2; Rev. 22 : 15). Tum a§:ain and reud you. Proclaiming the truth to those that are determined against it only provokes their anger. See, for interpretation. Matt. 10 : 23. Ch. 7 : 7-27. FOURTH GENERAL DIVISION.-How to ENTER THE KINGDOM OP HeAVEN. The connection in this part of Christ's dis* course is not as close as in the preceding por- tion. Neither must it be forgotten that East- em teaching was more aphoristic than ours. Nevertheless, there is a connection which would be recognized more readily were it not for our division of the sermon into chapters and Ch. VII.] MATTHEW. Ill 7 Ask, and it shall be given vou ;^ seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you ; 8 For every one that asketh" receiveth ; and he that seeketh" findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone ? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent ? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children,'^ how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him ? 12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them : for* this is the law and the prophets. 13 Enter ye in"! at the strait gate : for wide zithe gate. ;6; Prov. 2:4,5 verses. The two conditions of entering into the kingdom are faith (7-11) and obedience (is-s?). Character is the gift of God and is to be sought by- prayer from him (7-11). Nevertheless, not every praying receives, but that whicli accompanies a life of non-conformity to the world (13-14) and of practical righteousness, from which many false prophets wiU seek to turn men away. They are to be known by their fruits, for the product of moral teaching is its best test (15-23). And though the false religion will find many to applaud it now, he whose religion consists in practical obe- dience to Christ's precepts, and he alone, has built upon a rock (24-27). It is noticeable that in this portion of the sermon, which gives the con- dition of entering into his kingdom, neither any public ceremony nor any formal creed is pre- scribed. 7-11. First condition. The prayer of faith. 7. The connection is thus given by Chrysostom : " For inasmuch as he had enjoined things great and marvelous, and had commanded men to be superior to all their passions, and had led them up to Heaven itself, and had enjoined them to strive after the resemblance, not of angels and archangels, but of the very Lord of all (ch. 5 : 48), * * * * that they might not say these things are grievous and intolerable * * * * he adds also the pinnacle of all facility, devising us no or- dinary relief to our toils, the assistance derived from persevering prayers." This is not all, how- ever. He puts prayer ilrst, the striving after- wards, so signifying that the first step toward the kingdom of God is seeking of God. Com- pare with this command John 4 : 10 ; Rom. 6 : 23 ; and in the O. T. Isa. 55 : 1. Observe that even here where character is represented as be- stowed on the soul by the Spirit of God, we are represented not as mere passive receivers of an irresistible grace, but as agents asking, seek- ing, knocking. For the kind of seeking, see Prov. 2 : 3, 4 ; 18 : 17 ; Jer. 29 : 13 ; Luke 13 : 24, and note there. Contrast with this teaching, where man is represented as seeking and knock- ing, other passages where the Lord is represented as the one seeking and we as the found (Luke 15 : 3, 10; Rev. 3 : 2o). And Compare ch. 5 : (>, where the mental state is described as hunger and thirst after righteousness, of which asking, seeking. knocking, is the expression or utterance, the activity to which it leads. 8. For every one that asketh. The ar- gument here is from the greater to the less and from the general to the specific. In the whole realm of life energetic faithful endeavor is gen- erally crowned with success. Even the Pharisee who seeks the praise of men by his public alms, prayers and fasting, has his reward. How much more shall he that asks, seeks, knocks, receive ia the kingdom of God's grace. 9-10. Or what man is there of you. Second reason for faith in prayer ; analogy from the earthly to the heavenly parent. Observe that the N. T. almost never, and the O. T. but rarely, employs nature as a symbol to represent God. He is represented to us by images drawn from the higher and better experiences of human nature ; or, in theological language, the N. T. symbolism is anthropomorphic. Modern philoso- phy argues from the apparent inflexibility of nature that God does not hear prayer ; Christ answers from the mobility of the soul, as il- lustrated by the common parental experience, that God does hear and answer. The root of modern unbelief lies just here, in an assumption that God is like nature. But the Bible does not say. As mountains stand immovable, as thunder- bolts strike irresistible, as the sea, as the river, as the earth, but "As a father pitieth his chil- dren," "as one whom his mother comforteth," "as a shepherd feedeth his sheep." Observe, too, that there is here implied, not merely a promise to give some answer to the prayer, but to give the thing asked for or something better. God may do more for us than we ask or think ; but never less. The argument here, as in the preced- ing verse, is from the less to the greater. This is brought out clearly in the verse following. Com- pare with this passage Luke 11 : 12, where is added, ". If he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?" 11. Being- evil. "He said this not to con- demn our race as bad ; but in contrast to his own goodness he calls parental tenderness evil, so great is the excess of his love to man.'"— Chry- sostom. Yet Stier well observes that the remark is a strong indirect support of the doctrine of original sin. Even in our highest holiest rela- tions there is evil ; selfishness is mingled with 112 MATTHEW. [Ch. VII. and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat : 14 Because strait is the gate: and narrow is the way, w hich leadeth unto lile ; and few' there be that 15 Beware of false prophets,^ which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening'' wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their' fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles ? f ch. 20 : 16 ; 25 : 1-12 ; Rom. 9 : 27, 29 g Deut. 13 ; 1-3 ; Jer. 23 : 13-16 : 1 John 4:1 h Acts 20 : 29-31 i ch. 12 : S3. our most unselfish love. Good things. Luke (11 : 13) says Holy Spirit. But the greater in- cludes the less. "He that spared not his own Son, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things." (Rom. 8:32.) 12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men, etc. From the general theme of his discourse, which is here a statement of the conditions of entering the kingdom of heaven, Christ turns aside to enforce a high standard of human duty by his consideration of the goodness of God to us. Therefore connects the golden rule directly with the preceding teaching, respect- ing divine compassion. The connection is the same in substance in ch. 5 : 48 ; and ch. 6 : 14, 15. Be- cause God is so ready to answer our prayers, we ought to show like sympathy and love to our fel- low-men. This precept is found not alone in the teaching of Christ. In a negative form the same rule of conduct is found in the rabbmical writ- ings : " Thou Shalt not do to thy neighbor what is hateful to thyself." Do ye even so to them. Observe that it is not said do that to them, but so to them, i. e. in like manner. The rule does not require us to do the things which they ask, but to act toward them in the manner and spirit in which we should wish them to act toward us. Observe, too, that this rule works in two ways ; while directly it requires us to act toward others as we should wish them to act toward us, in spirit and by implication it requires us to wish from others no more than we should be wilUng to render to them if our positions were reversed. This is the law and the proph- ets (Lev. 19 : 18 J Isaiah 1 : 17; Rom. 13 : lo). That iS, the object of the law and the prophets is to produce that state of heart and life of which the golden rule is the natural expression in daily conduct. 13-30. The second condition. Obedience. Verses 13, 14, state simply that obedience in- volves a non-conformity to and a separation from the world ; 15-20 warns the disciples against false teachers who will attempt to substitute some other conditions than faith and obedience, and so, under one pretence or another, attempt to widen the gate (Ephes. e : 6, and reference below) ; and verses 21-27 emphasize the doctrine that there is no true religion which does not show its spirit by its actual obedience to the precepts of the Master (john U : 21 ; 15 : 14; and reference below). 13, 14. The strait gate, i. e., a narrow and difficult gate. The word is not the same as straight. The idea of narrowness is preserved in our use of the word strait.'! to indicate a pass- age either in the mountains or from one sea to another, as "Straits of Gibraltar" ; the idea of difficulty is illustrated by its use in the verse, "I am in a strait betwixt two." Observe, the gate is put before the way. It is not, therefore, the gate out of life at the end of the pOgrimage, but the gate into Christian life, as Bunyan represents it in Pilgrim's Progress (compare Psaim 118 : 19, 20). The entrance into Christian life is narrow, i. e. requires a true spiritual separation from the world (Ephes. 5 : ii), and the life is beset with diffi- culties which must be counted on before entering (Luke 9 : 67, 58, and notes). As uscd here, the gate is not equivalent to the door in John 10 : 3. The strait gate is the spirit of real and hearty alle- giance to Jesus Christ, by ■which we enter in to him. It is the patient continuance in well-doing described in Eomans 2 : 7 as the condition of en- trance into eternal life ; it was too strait for the rich young man described in Matt. 19 : 16-23 ; through it the apostles entered into the way (ch. 19 : 27, and see ch. 4 : 20, 22 ; ch. 9 : 9) ; Christ haS entered into glory by the same door and way (Phii. 2 : 9, 10 ; Heb. 12 : 2). It is uot becausc the gate is difficult to find, but because we are unwilling to find and to enter in through this gate, that there are few who enter. It is wide enough to admit any soul, but too narrow to admit any sin. Observe, too, that not only the gate is strait, but the subse- quent way narrow. Like a mountain path cut in the rock, a little deviation is attended with dan- gerous consequences — deviation not from circum- scribed rules but from the spirit of Christ's pre- cepts. There is possible significance in the fact that the word here translated 7iarrow, is the participle of the verb elsewhere translated trou- bled (e. g., 2 Cor. 4:8; 7:5). The Way is uarrow be- cause it is a way hemmed in by persecution, es- pecially to the early Christians, from which perse- cution they were constantly tempted to escape by going out of the narrow path. The tempta- tion was the strait gate to Christ ; the trial-hour of Gethsemane and Calvary a part of the narrow way. Contrast with this teaching Ps. 119 : 45 ; Isa. 35 : 8. Though the way is narrow, it is a highway in which mere ignorance cannot go astray ; though compressed, it is to him whose heart is fully set to walk in it the way of life and of liberty. 15-20. Waknings against false teachers. The Hebrew word translated prophet is derived from a root signifying to boil over, and embodies Ch. VII.] MATTHEW. 113 17 Even so even* good tree' bringeth forth good fruit : but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can 3. corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ig Every' tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven : but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day. Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied™ in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils ? and in thy name done many wonderful works ? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you : depart from me," ye that work iniquity. 24 Therefore" whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise? man, which built his house upon a rock : 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house ; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.i 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish"' man, which built his house upon the sand : 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew," and beat upon that house ; and it fell : and great was' the fall of it Luke 6: 43, 45.... k ch. 3 : 10; John 15 : 2, 6.... 1 ch. 25:11, 12; Isa. 48 : 1,2; Luke 6 : 46 ; 13:25; Rom. 2:13....m Num. 24 : 4 ; 1 Kings 22 : 11, etc. ; Jer. 23 : 13, etc.; Acts 19 : 13-15; 1 Cor. 13:2....n ch.26:41; Pa. 5 : 5 ; Rev. 22 : 15.... o Luke 6 : 47, etc.... p Ps. Ill : 10: 119:99, 130.... q Ps. 92 : 13-15.... r 1 Sam. 2 : 30 ; Jer. 8:9.... s 1 Cor. 3 : 13....t Hub. 10 : 26,27. the idea of a fountain bursting forth from the heart of man into which God has poured it. It thus signifies not merely a foreteller, nor, on the other hand, every religious teacher, but such as teach under divine inspiration. A false prophet is not merely an erroneous teacher, but a lying teacher, strictly speaking one pretending to an inspiration which he does not possess ; seconda- rily, any teacher deliberately deceiving others ; it does not properly signify one deceiving himself, and so unconsciously deceiving others (see ch. 24 : 24 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 17, 18 ; 2 Pet. 2 : 1 ; 1 John 4 : l-S). The CautiOU ap- plies directly to such in our time as claim to pos- sess communication with the spirit-wprld, or to be invested with direct and infallible authority to speak for God ; indirectly to all who put on a semblance of piety for selfish purposes, and so get a position of honor as teacher in the church ; or who, without even that pretence, maintain the position for worldly purposes. Its application, as is made clear in the next verse, is not so much to open and avowed teachers of error, men who deny the fundamental principles of the Gospel, as to those who pretend to maintain but really under- mine and destroy them. So Chrysostom: "By false prophets I think he shadows out not the heretics, but them that are of a corrupt life yet wear a mask of virtue, whom the majority are wont to call by the name of impostors." Sheep's cloth- ing. The metaphor is of a wolf putting on the sheep's skin ; the thing signified is a selfish and designing man putting on the garb of meekness, gentleness and piety (2 Cor. 11 : 13, 15 ; 2 Tim. 3:5). Ye shall know them. Literally fully, per- fectly know them. The infallible test of aU re- ligious teaching is its practical result in the lives of those that receive it. The answer to modern eulogists of Buddhism and Confucianism is India and China ; the answer to the papal claim of in- fallibility is Spain and Italy ; the answer to the eulogists of "pure reason" and a Bible over- thrown is Paris during the Eevolntion and Paris during the Commune. New England is the best refutation of those that sneer at Puritanism ; and Christendom, contrasted with the heathen world, is a short but conclusive reply to all ad- vocates of a universal and eclectic religion. Here the test is applied only to religious teach- ing ; but elsewhere the same test is applied to the estimate of individual character (john 15 : e, s). 31-23. The fruits of true religion. Practical obedience in daily life. He that doeth the Avill. That will embraces trust in Christ as our strength (john 6 : 29), love to our fellow-men (John 15: 12), personal purity of character (iThess. 4 : 3), and the cultivation of the graces that are the fruit of the Spirit (1 Thess. 5 : is ; 1 Pet. 2 : 15 ; 4 : 2, etc.). It is by God's Spirit alone that we are en- abled to do his will (Heb. 13 : 21 : Rev. 7 : n). DevilS. See note on demoniacal possession (ch. s : 28-34). Then Avill I profess. Greek, publicly profess. The disclosure of the false character of the fruit- less professor of religion will be before men and angels (Matt. 25 : 32). Depart from me. God now abides even with the ungodly, that he may lead them to repentance (Rom. 2 : 4). He will then separate them from him for ever (2 Thcss. 2 : 9). Compare with this entire passage 1 Cor. 13 : 1-3, and observe that in the only passage where Christ pictorially describes the judgment-scene, the judgment is portrayed as dependent upon the course of daily life (Matt. 25 : 31-I6) ; and that the sentence, as recorded in Rev. 22 : 11, is a simple fixing, eternally and irreversibly, of the character formed here. 24-27. Conclusion of the discoukse. The test of true religion. The symbol which Christ employs here, would possess a significance for his hearers which it has not for us. In the East the peasants' huts are often unsubstantial structures, built of mud or sun-burnt brick, and sometimes washed away by a single furious rain- storm. Their mountain streams, too, are of a peculiar character. These water-courses, called wadies, are in the summer perfectly dry, in the rainy season they are swollen streams. The shepherd builds his hut by one of these water- courses, which often in the summer weather affords the only herbage which is not burnt up by the sun. If the house is built high up on the rock it is safe ; if down on the sandy soil, though there is no water at the time, the treacherous 114 MATTHEW. [Ch. VIII. 28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished" at his doctrine : 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. CHAPTER VIII. HEN he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. w 2 And, behold, there came a leper' and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell" no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer n Jcr. 23:29; Mark6:2....T Mark 1 : 40, etc. ; Luke 5 : 12, etc. . . .w ch.9:30; Mark 5 : 43. foundation gives away with the lirst freshet ; and these often come with almost no note of warning, and as a result of rains further up the stream. A friend of the writer, journeying through Palestine, pitched his tent, one fair night, in one of these icadies, and was before morning awakened by the sound of water, from which he and his party had barely time to escape with the loss of clothing, books and instruments. So the trial of the last great day will come, with- out warning (jiatt. 24 : 3&-39, 42-44), and overwhelm- ing those whose exterior was fair, but the foun- dation of whose life was insecure. As the builder would know, or easily might know, the danger of building on the sand, and yet build there for the sake of ease and transient conven- ience, so many, who confess that it is not safe to build on any other foundation than a practical obedience to Jesus Christ, yet do buUd other- wise, and trust to a vague hope to escape the day of trial when it comes. The building on the rock is building on Christ Jesus. " The Rock, as signifying him who spoke this, is of too frequent reference in Scripture for us to overlook it here (2 Sam. 22 : 2, 4? ; 23 : 3 ; Ps. 28 : 1 ; 31 : 2 ; Isa. 2G : 4 ; 32 : 2 ; 44 : 8 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 4, etc.). ' ' — (_Alf07-d. ) Tet the contrast is not between those who build on him and those who lay other foundations, but between those who build on him by mere intel- lectual belief and external profession, and those who build by practical obedience to his precepts. Compare ch. 21 : 28-33. See for a similar meta- phor of the judgment-day, Isaiah 28 : 15-18. This close gives a solemn significance to the whole discourse, which indicates the super- structure of character to be reared, while this metaphor indicates the foundation on which alone it can be built (i cor. 3 : n). No building of kindness and good-will towards others, and of purity, and of seeming simplicity, complies with the Sermon on the Mount, unless the foundation is laid in faith in Christ, and the building is that of a real and hearty obedience to him. 28, 29. Ch. 8 : 1. Effect of Christ's PREACHING. Doctrine, i. c, teaching. Not only what he taught, but the method and spirit of his teaching. As one having authority. Not only because, as Chrysostom, "He did not say what he said on the authority of others, quoting Moses or the prophets, but everywhere alleging himself to be the One who had the power ;" but also because his appeal was not to any external authority but to the moral con- sciousness of his hearers, to the law of God writ- ten in their own hearts, and because he spoke out of a perfect and personal assurance of the truth of every utterance ; for he was the truth. In this sense every religious teacher should imi- tate the example of him who is the great preacher. He will speak with authority just in so far as the truth is a part of his own being, not merely an external dogma intellectually appre- hended, and as he appeals to the dormant con- sciousness of moral truth, which is in the heart and conscience of every man. Ch. 8:1. Great multitudes followed him. His preaching not only singularly and powerfully affected his hearers, but it attracted hearers to him. During this early period of his ministry he was thronged by multitudes, not only curious to see or desirous to receive the benefit of his miracles, but also fascinated by the moral and spiritual power of his teaching. Ch. 8 : 2-4.— Ctjee op the leper— Leprosy a type OP SIN, rNSIDIOUS, DEADLY, HEREDITARY, OFTEN CON- TAGIOUS.— THE SPIRIT OP TRUE PRAYER : IP THOU WILT THOU CANST.- Christ touches the leper; Christ IS the touch op God's hand on a sko'ul world. — Christ's cleansing; perfect, immediate, cleanses FROM the foulest AND THE MOST INERADICABLE DIS- EASES (1 John 1 : 9).— The duty op the cleansed; A PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGMENT OP HIS PURIFICATION, AND A PUBLIC RETURN TO THE CHURCH. 2-4. This incident— the healing of the leper— also recorded in Mark 1 : 40-45 ; Luke 5 : 13-15, occurred during Christ's first missionary tour through Galilee, as described in Mark 1 : 21-45. Its apparent connection with the Sermon on the Mount is due to the modern division of the N. T. into chapters. Verse 1 of this chapter properly belongs with the preceding chapter, and the words "and behold " mark a transition from the preceding narrative. If Christ were on a tour of healing, and the leper had heard of the cures Christ had wrought, his appeal for help would not be extraordinary ; but it is incredible that such faith as he manifested should have been awakened by a sermon which he could not pos- sibly have heard. Nor is it probable that he would have been found in the midst of the multitude mentioned in verse 1; nor, if the Ch. VIIL] MATTHEW. 115 cure had been performed in their hearing, would the caution of verse 4 be likely to have been given. These considerations lead most harmon- ists to prefer the order indicated in Mark to that which seems to be implied by Matthew. The cure took place in a city (Luke 5 : 12), apparently not Capernaum (Mark 1 : 38-40). 2. There came a leper. Luke says "full of leprosy ; " an indication that it was an aggra- vated form of the disease from which he suffered. In coming to Christ, in the city, for cure, the leper violated the letter of the ancient law (Lev. 13 : 46), but not its spirit. See on verse 3, below. In the absence of accurate medical knowl- edge the term leprosy was used in ancient times to designate diseases whose natures were radi- cally different, but whose symptoms were some- what analogous. In its worst forms, leprosy {elephantiasis Grcecorum) is the most terrible of all diseases. From a commencement slight in appearance, with but little pain or inconven- ience, it goes on in its strong but sluggish course, generally in defiance of medical skill, till it re- duces the patient to a mutilated cripple, with dulled or obliterated senses. This disease as- sumes several forms, the most common of which is known as the tuherculatecl elephantiasis. It generally first shows itself by inflamed patches in the skin, on the face, ears, or hands, of a dull red or purplish hue, from half an inch to two inches in diameter. These soon change to a brownish or bronze color, with a metallic or oily lustre, and a clearly defined edge ; and in this state they very often remain for weeks or months. By degrees the discolored surface be- comes hard, and rises here and there into tuber- cles, at first reddish, but afterward either bronzed or white. The scarf-skin often scales off. After another period of weeks, months, or even years, many of the tubercles subside, and leave a kind of cicatrix thinner than the sur- rounding skin. The tubercles which do not sub- side, or which break out again, may vary from the size of a pea to that of a pigeon's egg, and, after continuing, it may be, for years, they ulcer- ate, discharging a whitish matter. The ulcers often eat into the muscle till they expose the bones ; should there be any hair on the tuber- cles it either falls off or turns white, and the hair of the head and eyebrows mostly disappears. When the disease is fully formed, the distorted face, and the livid, encrusted, and ulcerated tu- bercles, the deformed, sightless and uncovered eyes, the hoarse whispering voice, the foetid breath and cutaneous excretion, the contorted joints, which are often buried in or absolutely dislocated by tubercles, the livid patches on those parts of the body not yet tuberculous, all form a picture which is not exceeded in the hor- ror of its features by any other malady. The disease for the most part creeps on with irresis- tible progress until it attacks some vital organ and occasions death. Whether leprosy is contagious or not has ' greatly perplexed both the divines and physi- cians. The cases of Naaman and Gehazi (2 Kincs 6 : 1, and 27, with ch. 8 : 4) indicate Very clearly that some forms of the disorder were not so regarded. It is also asserted by Trench that the leper was allowed a place, though apart from the rest of the worshippers, in the synagogue, and in later times in Christian churches. On the other hand leprosy is universally regarded as a contagious disease in the East, where it is chiefly prevalent. "No healthy person would touch them, eat with them, or use any of their clothes or utensils, and with good reason." ( Thompson'' s Land and Book, 2 : 517. ) And it is only upon the theory of con- tagion that it is possible to account for the Mo- saic precepts and provisions referred to below. The fact appears to be, that of the several dis- eases designated in the Bible as leprosy, the worst form (tubercular leprosy) is contagious, but the milder (squamous leprosy) is not; and that the provisions contained in Lev. ch. 13 were for the purpose of determining oflBcially whether the person suspected of having the leprosy really had the contagious or only the milder form of the disease. In its worst form leprosy was universally re- garded by the Jews as a divine punishment ; and the disease was several times inflicted by God in judgment for flagrant transgressions (Numb. 12 : 10 ; 2 Kings 5 : 27 ; 15 : 5 J 2 Chron. 26 : 19). The Icpcr WaS CX- iled from the haunts of men, bore about with him the emblems of death, and wherever he went cried, as a warning of his coming, "Unclean, unclean" (Lev. 13 : 45; compare Numb. 12: 12; Ezek. 24 : n) ; his disease was regarded by universal consent as hopeless of cure ; and this opinion, so far as re- gards its worse forms, is confirmed by modern science. The same opinions and sentiments re- specting it reappear at a later date, as in Europe during the middle ages, when the leper was clothed in a shroud, and had mass for the dead read over him ; and at the present day, not only in Palestine but also in Persia, China, Japan, and indeed throughout the East where the disease is well known. Lepers associated together in com- munities of their own as they still do (2 Kings 7:3; Luke 17 : 12), and the leper-houses which now exist in the vicinity of Jerusalem, Damascus, Nablus, and Ramleh probably originated at a very early period. The Mosaic law provided for the official determination of the question whether a person suspected of being afflicted by leprosy was really subject to it or not, and whether the leprosy was of the more dangerous forms or no. These provi- sions are recorded in Lev. ch. 13. If the leprosy were the milder form, affecting the skin only, or 116 MATTHEW. [Ch. VIII. if it covered the whole body with a white erup- tion (verses 12, is), a sign that it was not the conta- gious form of the disease, but what is known as the lepra vulgaris, the patient was to be pro- nounced clean an'd discharged. The whole character of this disease made it a type of sin; it was a '■Hiving deaih,^^ appeared in- sidiously, was incurable except by divine grace, and separated its victim from the people of God. " The Jews called it ' the finger of God, ' and emphati- cally 'the stroke.' It attacked, they said, first a man's house, and then, if he refused to turn, his clothing ; and lastly, should he persist in sin, himself." — {Trench.) "The same emblems were used in his misery as those of mourning for the dead; the same means of cleansing as for un- cleanness through connection with the dead, and which were never used except on these two occa- sions. Compare Numb. 19 : 6, 13, 18, with Lev. 14 : 4-7. All this exclusion and mournful separation imported the perpetual exclusion of the abom- inable and polluted from the true city of God, as declared in Rev. 21 : 37." — {Alford.) Worshipped, No great stress can be laid upon this word, or the word "Lord," as radica- ting the divinity of Jesus Christ. The Greek word {TtQoaxvrid}), translated worshipped, is a general one, expressive of the homage paid by an inferior to a superior. "According to Herod- otus, the ancient Oriental, and especially Per- sian mode of salutation was, between persons of equal rank, to kiss each other on the lips ; when the difference of rank was slight, they kissed each other on the cheek ; when one was much Inferior, he fell upon his knees and touched his forehead to the ground, or prostrated himself, kissing his hand at the same time towards his superior. This latter mode Greek writers ex- press by {nQoay.vviv)) proskuneo.''^ — {Robinson^ s Lexicon. ) This word is uniformly translated, in the N. T., worship. The act of the leper is more fully described by Mark 1 : 40, as "beseeching him and kneeling down to him." Similar hom- age was paid by Lot to the angels (Gen. i9 : i) ; Joseph's brethren to Joseph (ch. 42 : e) ; and by Joseph to his father (ch. 48 : 12). And in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the 0. T., the same Greek word {nooay.vvko) is used. Compare Matt. 20 : 20, and Rev. 3:9. On the other hand, the same word is used in the N. T. to express the highest worship of God, as in John 4 : 20-24, and Rev. 7 : 11 ; 19 : 10, etc. It should also be noted that the term Lord {y.vqiog) is not used exclusively as an appellation of the Deity. It is employed as a common form of ad- dress to a superior, answers to our " sir," and is so occasionally translated (Matt. 13 : 27 ; 21 -. so ; 27 : 63) ; it is addressed to the apostles in one important instance, and received by them without rebuke (acui6:3o); Eud it is rendered "master" and "owner" (Matt. 6:24; Luke 19 : 33) ; and if translated lord is spelt with a small I in those passages where the translators regard it as not involving any idea of divine homage (Matt. 24 : 45-50 : 25 : is, 19). The same English word " lord " is employed in England to this day as a title of nobility. But though the fact that the leper paid this homage to Christ does not indicate that he conceived him to be possessed of a divine charactei', the fact that Christ in this and other instances received the homage without question, indicates that he assumed at least a super-human character. Com- pare his instructions to his disciples in Matt. 23 : 8-10, and Peter's reception of similar hom- age when offered to him in Acts 10 : 25, 26. If thou wilt. Contrast Mark 9 : 22. The leper does not doubt Christ's power, he does not dictate to his will. "He did not say, 'If thou request it of God,' nor 'If thou pray,' nor 'Lord, cleanse me,' but leaves all to him, and makes his recovery depend on him, and tes- tifies that all the authority is his." — {Chrysos- tom.) Observe that the prayer is not for a spirit- ual benefit, but for a temporal blessing, which Christ may refuse to impart (acor. 12:8, 9), and which must always be asked for subject to the higher will of God. In this the leper's prayer is a model in spirit for us. Observe, too, that if the leper were mistaken in attributing to Christ the power to cleanse from leprosy, it was Christ's place to correct the error, and to attribute the power to God, as the apostles did in a somewhat similar case (Acts 3 : 12). On the contrary, he con- firms it with his "/ wi7Z." Contrast with this assumption of power to heal, Moses' prayer for the healing of Miriam (Numb. 12 : 13). It was a general belief among the Jews, taught by their rabbinical books, that one of the signs of the Messiah would be his power to cure leprosy. Clean. The curse of leprosy was not merely in the suffering it caused, but yet more in the odium it entaUed, and in the fact that it made the Jew "unclean," i. e., an outcast, and classed with swine and dogs and all odious and abhorrent creatures. The leper's prayer is not therefore, Make me well, but. Make me clean, take away the shame and the moral pollution of this disease. 3. Be thou clean. The diseases, as the devils, obey Christ. Touched him. Mark gives the reason, "moved with compassion;" the touch was a touch of pity, the more wonder- ful because not only a universal prejudice, but also the Levitical law forbade touching any un- clean thing (Lev. 5 : 3). Yet even in this act Christ exemplifies the truth that he had come to fulfill the law, though he seemed to violate it, and did violate its letter. For the object of the law was the preservation of purity ; but Christ did better than preserve himself from impurity ; by hia ch. vm.] MATTHEW. 117 the gift that Moses commanded,' for a testimony unto ] 5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, them. there came unto liim a centurion,? beseeching him, Lev. 14 : 3, etc y Luke 7 : 2, touch he communicated purity to the impure. It is 7iever wrong to come in contact with evil for the purpose of curing it, if we are strong in God to ac- complish our beneficent purpose. To touch the dead was forbidden, yet both Elijah and Elisha did so (l Kings 17 : 21 ; 2 Kings 4 : 34), for the laW of lOVC is always superior to any mere ceremonial regu- lation. Immediately. Mark says, "As soon as he had spoken." Observe that, assuming that we have a true account, there was no room for mistake or for the operation of natural causes. The leper was "full of leprosy," and was cured "immediately." 4. Shew thyself to the priest. TheLeviti- cal law provided that when a leper claimed to be healed, he should present himself to the priest, his healing should be officially passed upon by the priest, and certain sacrificial ceremonies per- formed, among which was the giving by the man of three lambs, with fine flour and oil ; if he were poor a less costly gift might be substituted. The directions are contained in Lev. ch. 14. The birds and cedar-wood, and scarlet and hyssop, there referred to (verse 4) were no part of the gift, but were provided by the priest. The object of this ceremonial was both sanitary and ceremo- nial. It secured the community against the con- tagion of lepers who had not been really healed, by requiring the official sanction of the jjriest, and it also kept alive the symbolism which rep- resented leprosy as a tj'pe of sin which, for its cleansing, requires divine pardon as well as phj's- ical cure. It must be remembered that the priests were the learned class of the early ages, and that the practice of medicine was chiefly confined, in ancient lands, to the priesthood and the temples. Jesus directed the leper to comply with this law, and thus reunite himself with tlie church from which his leprosy had separated him. See thou tell no mau. Because, (a,) Jesus would not have the leper make a boast of his miraculous cure, glory in it and in himself as a special object of divine favor ; (&,) if the reputa- tion of his marvellous cure preceded him to Je- rusalem, the priests might deny that the man had ever been a leper, or was now truly cleansed, otherwise they would condemn themselves and their opposition to Jesus out of their own mouth ; (c, ) Christ customarily imposed silence on the sub- jects of his cures, because he would not that the faith of the people should rest upon the external evidence afforded by miracles, but upon their spi- ritual apprehension of the truth itself, (see Matt. 12 : 15-21, 38, u9.) The evidence from miracles he always treated as less valuable than the evidence which the truth carried in itself (john u : 11). Christ and Christian truth are always the best evidence of Chris- tianity. Testimony unto them. These words are to be connected with Christ's command, not with that of Moses. The original may be trans- lated as in our version, or "/or a testimony against them. " Both ideas are involved. Their official recognition that the leper was truly cleansed would render the miracle a conclusive testimony to them of Christ's healing power ; it would be no less a testimony against them, be- cause by accepting the gift and recognizing the cure the priests would testify against their own incredulity and rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. Ch. 8 ! 5-13. THE CURE OF THE CENTURION'S SER- VANT.— Exempliticatign of FAITH (10) ; IT 18 HUMBLE (8), CONFIDENT (8, 9), ACCOMPANIES PRACTICAL BENEVO- LENCE (6, Luke 7 : 1), has its eeward (13).— Christ's KINGDOM IS COMPREHENSIVE, INCLUDES THE OUTCASTS OF EARTH (11) ; IS EXCLUSIVE, CASTS OUT THE NATU- RAL BUT UNWORTHY HEm (12). — In THE KINGDOM OP HEAVEN ARE LIGHT, JOY, CHRISTIAN SOCIETY (11) ; IN THE KINGDOM OF SaTAN DARKNESS, DESPAIR, OUT- CASTS (12). This incident is recorded by Luke (7 : 1-10) more fully than by ilatthew ; for that the two ac- counts are of the same incident is beyond rea- sonable doubt. It is not to be confounded with the cure of the nobleman's son (jchn 4 : 46-54 ; see notes there). It appears from Luke that the miracle was wrought immediately after Christ's Sermon on the Mount, and on his descent from the moun- tain; that the sick person, who is here called boy or child (see on verse 6, below), was a scrvaut who was dear to the centurion ; that the centurion was a favorite vrith the Jews, having buUt a syn- agogue for them ; that he did not go in person, but sent the elders of the Jews to intercede for him ; and that when he heard that Jesus was coming he sent a second delegation with the message, "lam not worthy," etc. The careful study of these two accounts is itself a lesson in biblical interpretation. They show that the Evangelists give only the essential facts, those that are necessary to an understanding of the moral significance of the teaching or the miracle. 5. Capernaum. See Matt, i : 13. Centu- rion. A Roman military officer. All Palestme was under Roman military government ; this centurion was probably connected with the gar- rison at Capernaum. The Roman army was di- vided into legions, answering to our army corps, varying in size from three thousand to six thou- sand men ; each legion was divided into ten co- horts, usually called m the N. T. the "band;" 118 MATTHEW. [Ch. VIIL 6 And saying. Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And J esus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy^ that tliou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only," and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this ?«««, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh ; and to my ser- vant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard zV, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, 1 have not found so great faith,'' no, not in Israel. 11 And 1 say unto you, Thaf^ many shall come from Pa. 10:17; Luke 15 : 19, 21 a verse 3 ; Ps. 33 : 9 ; 107 : 20 b cl>. 15 : 28 c Isa. 2 : 2, 3 ; Luke 13 : 29 ; Acts 11:18, Eph. 3:6; Rev. 7 : 9. the cohort was divided iuto three mauiples, and each mauiple was divided iuto two centuries. These last contained from fifty to one hundred men, answering to our company, and each one v/as commanded by a centurion, ausweriug to our captain. There were thus in each legion sixty centuries, each under the command of a centurion. G. My servant. The Greek word («atc), translated so-vant, answers very nearly to the French tavra. garden, and to our term hoy ; but it indicates that the relation between this centurion and his servant or boy was one unusually tender (see Luke 7 : 2). Such instauccs of afEcction are more common in military than in domestic service. The regard which the master should have for his servant, especially in case of sickness, has been noted by the commentators as one of the morals indicated by this incident. "This centurion did not act as many masters do when their servants are afflicted — have them immediately removed to an infirmary or a work-house." — (Adam Clarke.) liieth at home sick of the palsy. The dis- ease indicated is not certain, for the ancients grouped many diseases together because of a certain similarity in symptoms which modern science discriminates, on account of their difEer- ent causes and tneir intrmsic nature. It may have been a form of paralysis, which is some- times accompanied with severe pain ; or it may have been tetanus, or lock-jaw, which in the East is not infrequently connected with paralysis. He was in great pain, "grievously tormented," and was " ready to die " (Luke 7 : 2). 8. Answered. By a second delegation which the centurion sent when he heard that Christ was coming (Luke 7 : c). What is done through another is often spoken of in Scripture, as in other books, as done by the person who directs it. See Gen. 40 : 22 ; 41 : 56 ; and compare Mark 10 : 35 with Matt. 20 : 20. I am not Avorthy. Observe three estimates of the centurion's char- acter ; first, his own, not worthy, because a Gen- tile, and because a sinner ; second, the Jewish estimate, ivorthy, because he had built a Jewish synagogue, the highest encomium on character which a Je^vish elder could pass on a Gentile outcast (Luke 7 : 4, 5) ; third, Jesus' estimate, wor- thy, because of his faith, and needing no commen- dation from Jewish elders, but himself an exam- ple and a rebuke to them. Come under my roof. " Counting himself unworthy that Jesus should enter into his doors, he was counted wor- thy that Jesus should enter into his heart." — {Augustine.) Speak the word. Contrast the centurion's faith, who trusts all to the word of Christ, with Martha's, who trusts only to his prayer to God. John 11 : 21, 22. 9. Under authority. The military author- ity of the East is even greater than in our own country. "No one ever inquires into the reason of an order of the rajah." — (Burder's Oriental Literature.) The idea appears to be, I am under authority ; yet my servants do my bidding with- out questioning ; you are no subordinate, how much more will disease obey you without ques- tioning or requiring your presence to confirm your command. But it is in no way probable that the centurion had any clear comprehension of an Almighty power in Christ, or regarded him in any other light than as a prophet and a worker of miracles. To deduce from this an argument for the divine power and character of Jesus is to attribute to the uninstructed centurion uot only a, faith but a knowledge which the apostles did not acquire until after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. 10. When Jesus heard it he marvelled. The significance of such declarations as this is not to be impaired by such interpretations as that of Augustine, "for our good that we may imitate the centurion's faith." It is difficult to understand how Christ, endowed with perfect knowledge of what was in man, could marvel at any disclosure ; but not more difficult than to understand how he could rejoice, weep, be tempted, have spiritual struggles. It is a part of that inexplicable mystery which belongs to a nature too deep for our comprehension. It is not to be explained away in the vain endeavor to make a clear and easily comprehensible analysis of his character. What David said of the knowl- edge of God (Psalm 133 : e) wc may say of the char- acter of Christ : It is too wonderful for us, we cannot attain unto it. So great faith. "To have high imaginations concerning him, this especially is of faith and tends to procure the kingdom and his other blessings. " — {Chiijsostom.) But this surely is not all. It was not merely be- lief, or hope, or expectation, which was exempli- fied, but/((i('7i, as a moral power impelling to ac- tion against moral obstacles. It was not merely an intellectual perception, but also a moral resolu- tion, which made the naturally skeptical Roman Ch. VIIL] MATTHEW. 119 the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom'' shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping' and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. 14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid,' and sick of a fever. d ch. 7 : 22, 23 e ch. 13 : 42, 50 f Mark 1 : 30, 31 ; Luke 4 : 38, 39. apply to a messenger of the God of the Jews, which made the naturally proud Roman apply to a prophet of a people whom the Romans de- spised and classed with slaves, which made a naturally haughty military officer recognize the superior authority of one who was under his military control, but whose power was from above, which made the naturally callous Roman appeal for help, not on his own behalf, but on that of a mere chattel servant. 11. Many shall come. The question is sometimes still asked whether any of the hea- then, who have never known of and received Christ, will be admitted to heaven, Christ an- swers the question, at least by implication, here and in Luke 13 : 29. Compare Romans 3 : 8-11, and observe that the Gentiles referred to in the lat.ter passage, and to whom Paul declares there Is at least a possibility of salvation, are those that never have received a written law, i. c, the Bible (verses 12-15), and that in the case of the centurion the spirit of faith preceded any knowledge of Christ, and that there is nothing to show that this Roman had any clear and correct intellec- tual apprehension of Christ's character, or of his kingdom. Sit down. To sit at table with other immortals is a common metaphor among ancient writers to express future felicity. 12. Cast out into outer darkness. "An emblem of such as are rejected and cast out of the door at the marriage-feast to which they had come. In despair they weep and gnash their teeth. The Jews generally had their great feasts in the evening ; those cast out are therefore in darkness." — {Burder''s Oriental Literature.) See for fuller interpretation notes on Matt. 25 : 1-13. Observe that, (a,) the kingdom of heaven is rep- resented as one of light and joy ; (&,) that punish- ment consists in exclusion from God and the companionship of the holy. There is no sugges- tion here of positive torments, and although there are such intimations elsewhere (Matt, is : so ; is : 34, 35 J Mark 9 : 43-48 ; Luke 16 : 23), yet the Contrast is very marked throughout Christ's teachings between his representations of future punishment and those found in heathen bterature. See, for ex- ample, the following quotation from the (Hin- doo) Institutes of Manu : "Multifarious tor- tures await the wicked. They shall be mangled by ravens and owls, and shall swallow cakes boiling hot, and shall walk over inflamed sands, and shall feel the pangs of being baked like the vessels of the potter ; they shall assume the form of beasts continually miserable, and suffer alter- nate afflictions from extremes of cold and heat, surrounded with terrors of various kinds. They shall have old age without resource, diseases at- tended with anguish, pangs of innumerable sort, and lastly unconquerable death." For the most part the Bible representations of future punish- ment are of a fixity in a state of sin (Rev. 22 : 11), and of banishment from the presence of God (2 Thess. 1:9). 13. Was healed. Evidently this cure is not one which can be attributed to any known natural causes ; not merely because severe paralysis is extremely difficult of cure, if not incurable (on this much stress cannot be laid since we are not sure of the disease), but because Jesus did not even see his patient, so that no remedy could have been employed, and there could have been no opportunity even for the operation of mental causes in relieving the sufferer. Ch. 8 : 14-17. HEAIJNG OF PETER'S MOTHER-IN- LAW AND OTHERS.— Cheist cures est the household AS WELL AS IN THE CHUECH. — HE CUBES INSTANTLY, WHOLLY.— He THAT CASTS OUT DISEASE ALSO IMPAETS BTENGTH (2 Peter 1 : 3).— He that is healed by Christ should immediately begin to serve Christ — He heals not only his friends but the multitude. —He sdffebs that he may heal, and thus exem- plifies the law of BURDEN-BEAEING for OTHERS (Gal. 6 : 2).— We may being to him not only our PAST SINS, BUT ALSO OUR PRESENT INFIEMITIES OF TEM- PEE AND SICKNESSES OF SOUL. These incidents are reported in Mark 1 : 29-34, and Luke 4 : 38-41, more fully than here. They occurred before the Sermon on the Mount, dur- ing Christ's first missionary tour of Galilee, on Sabbath evening, and immediately after his heal- ing of the demoniac in the synagogue (Mark i : 23-26, 29, etc. ; Luke 4 : 33-35, 38, etc.). The housc was in Caper- naum where Peter lived, and near which town he had been called to follow Christ (Matt. 4 : 18-20). The healing followed almost immediately after this call. Thus Peter, who left all to follow Christ, gained by it a mother (Matt. 19 : 29). Peter, Andrew, James, and John were all with Christ at the time. The three had followed Peter with Christ from their fishing just previously (Matt. 4 : 18-22 ; Mark 1 : 29). 14. Fever. Malarious fevers, of a malignant type, are common in the vicinity of Capernaum ; they are due, probably, to marshes near by. In the very imperfect medical language of that day fevers were simply divided into little and great fevers. Luke, who was a physician, character 120 MATTHEW. [Ch. VIIL IS And he touched her hand, and the fever left her : and she arose, and ministered unto them. i6 When ihe even was come, they brought unto him manys that were possessed with devils : and he cast out the spirits with /i/i- word, and healed all that were sick : 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by saias"" the prophet, saying. Himself took our infirmi- fies, and bare our sicknesses. 18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave conmiandment to depart unto the other side. 19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him. Master, I' will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 21 And another of his disciples said unto him,Lord,J suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus saith unto him, Follow me ; and let the dead bury their dead. 23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. Isi. 63 : 4; 1 Pet. 2 : 24 1 Loke 9 ; B7, 58. . . .j 1 Kings 19 : 20. izes this as a " great fever. " That she was en- tirely prostrated by It is evident from the lan- guage here, "laid and sick of a fever." 15. And he touched her hand. Accord- ing to both Mark and Luke he was asked to cure her. He not only touched her hand but lifted her up (M.irk 1 : 3i). The fever left her. Mark Bays immediately^ which is implied here. She ministered unto them. Such a fever invari- ably leaves the patient weak. The period of convalescence is always long and trying, often full of danger. The fact that she ministered to them, i. e., served in the ordinary duties of the household, shows that Christ in healing the dis- ease also imparted health and strength, and it demonstrates the miraculous character of the cure. IG. When the even was come. It was on the Sabbath day (Mark, ch. i), on which the Pharisaic law allowed no works of healing. The Sabbath ended at sunset. The Talmud says, "If in the going out of the Sabbath one do any work after one star is seen, he is bound to a sacrifice for sin ; if after two, to a sacrifice for transgression; if after three, he is clear." It was during this twilight hour that the people brought their sick to Christ. Observe, that he heals Peter's mother-in-law without waiting for sunset, and thus privately teaches his disciples that it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath-day, a lesson which he subsequently repeated publicly (Matt. 12 : 12 ; joiin 5 : 16, n). They bruught uuto him. i. e., the people generally. Mark gives an idea of the throng by his expression, " All the city was gathered together at the door." Many. " In one word the Evangelist traverses an unspeakable sea of miracles." — (Chrysostom.) Compare John 20 : 30. Devils. See note at end of this chapter. Mark and Luke both add that he suffered them not to speak. ir. That it might be fulfilled. The pas- sage referred to is Isaiah 53 : 4, 5. There the reference is clearly to sins and heart-sorrows; here to physical disease. ISIatthew interprets the one by the other, and leaves us to draw the conclusion that as Christ bore the fticknenses of those he healed, in like manner he bears the sins of those he redeems; i. e.., his character as a physician is the symbol of his character as a savior. How, then, did he bare the infirmities of the sick ? Not lit- erally. He removed them from others, but did not become diseased himself. Neither in remov- ing sins from others does he become stricken with sin himself. (Compare John 1 : 29 with Hebrewa 4 : 15.) But he did not merely heal the sick, he truly bore their sicknesses, not in his body, but in his heart. The metaphor both here and in Isaiah is of one who removes a burden by putting his own shoulder under it, and bearing it away upo7i him- self. This Christ did, because he entered through compassion into the sorrows and sicknesses he healed (Mark 7 : 34; John 11 : 33, 35). So, not by ajiy lit- eral transfer of sins from others to himself, but by a spiritual and sympathetic bearing of the bur- den of the world's sins in his own heart, he bore them away from all those who cast their burden on him. (compare Gal. 6 : 2 ; 1 Pet. 2 : 24.) 18-22. Conditions of following Christ. There is some uncertainty when this incident oc- curred. Mark does not record it, but he nar- rates the miracle of the stilling of the tempest, which he places immediately after the parables recorded in Matt. ch. 13 (Mark 4 : 35), and with that miracle Matthew connects this incident (verse is) ; Luke places it at a later period in Christ's life (Luke 9: 67). The hypothesis that the same inci- dents occurred twice is utterly indefensible. On the whole, the probability appears to be that it occurred on Christ's taking ship to depart to the other side of the lake, after preaching the para- bles on the kingdom of God, as recorded in Mat- thew, ch. 13. But as Luke's account is the full- est, I reserve comments on the practical and spiritual significance of the incident for the pas- sage in Luke. 18. The other side, i. e., of the Sea of Gali- lee. His object was to escape the throng, and secure quiet with his disciples. The offer of the scribe was therefore, if not an impertinence, cer- tainly an intrusion. 21. Another of his disciples. According to an ancient tradition this was Philip. It seems more probable that the phrase disciple is here used only in the more general sense of one who had loosely attached himself to Jesus as a learner. It appears from Luke that his request was in response to Christ's command, "Follow me." Ch. VIII.] MATTHEW. 121 24 And behold,'^ there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves : but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to hitiiy and awoke him, saying. Lord, save us : we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith ? Then he arose, and rebuked' the winds and the sea ; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying. What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him ! 28 And™ when he was come to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two pos- sessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding- fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have Luke 8 : 23, etc. ! : 11 ; Ps. 89 : 9 J 107 : 29. . : 6 : 1 ; Luie 8 : 26, etc. 23-27. Stilling the tempest. Recorded also in Mark 4 : 35-il and Luke 8 : 23-25. The account is fullest in Mark. It there appears that Christ departed a& he ivas, i. e., without making any preparations ; that there were other ships or boats accompanying him ; that the waves filled the boat so that it seemed to be in danger of foundering ; that Christ was asleep in the hinder part of the boat on a pillow or cushion ; and that the disciples not only aroused him, but did so with words which implied fault-finding, because of his supposed indifference to their danger. The incident occurred immediately after the preaching of the parables concerning the king- dom of God, recorded in Matt. ch. 13. See notes on Mark 4 : 35-41. Ch. 8 : 28-.S4. HEALING OF THE DEMONIACS. The DEVILS CAKNOT KEEP THE SOUL FKOM ChBIST.— ThET HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH JESUS THE SaVIOUB ; BUT HUGH TO DO WITH THE SON OF GoD, THE JUDGE.— The CREED OP THE DEVILS 13 THE SAME AS PeTER'S CREED (Matt. 16 : 16) ; the belief is the same but not the FAITH (James 2 : 19).— The holt are a torment to the wicked.— sm protests agaikst interference. Its cry is always Let us alone ; what have we TO DO with thee (1 Kings 18 : 17 ; Acts 16 : 20 ; 17 : 6). — The devil's possession is always for destruc- tion.— The DEVTL PROMISED ALL THE KINGDOMS OP THE EARTH TO JeSUS (ch, 4:8); HIS AGENTS CANNOT bven take possession op a herd op swesfe without Christ's permission.— The power and the power- lessness of the devil both exemplified.- to the covetous swine are worth moke than the sav- IOUR.— The SENTENCE OP THE JUDGMENT-DAT, "DE- PART " (ch. 23 : 41), will only echo the prater of THE sinner. This miracle is recorded also in Mark 5 : 1-31 and Luke 8 : 26-40, which, with the notes on the latter passage, see for some details omitted here. 28. The other side. The eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Gergesenes. Mark and Luke have Gadarenes, and some manuscripts substitute that word here. For a time the seem- ing conflict between the sacred writers in this respect caused great perplexity to biblical stu- dents, and in the minds of rationalistic critics threw doubt over the whole narrative. The city of Gadara is three hours to the south of the southern shore of the lake, and the miracle could not have been performed in its vicinity ; and it is hardly probable that the citizens of so distant a city would have turned out en masse for a jour- ney of three hours to see the one who had wrought this miracle. But recently Dr. William Thompson has discovered a Gergesa, now called Chersa or Gersa, on the eastern shore of the lake, and on the borders of the district or prov- ince which took its name from Gadara, one of the chief cities of Decapolis. This Gersa or Ger- gesa, so insignificant that it has escaped the at- tention of most travelers, was unknown to the Roman world. Mark and Luke therefore, who wrote for the Gentiles, described the miracle as occurring in the country of the Gadarenes, a de- scription which would have been readily com- prehended, since Gadara was one of the chief Roman cities of Palestine, and widely known. Matthew, who had been a tax-gatherer on this very shore, was familiar with every village and hamlet, and wrote for Jewish readers, described it as occurring in the country of the Gergesenes, thus fixing its locality more definitely. Chersa or Gersa answers to all the conditions of the nar- rative : it is within a few rods of the shore ; a mountain rises immediately above it, so near the shore that the swine, rushing madly down, could not stop, but would be inevitably driven on into the water and drowned ; the ruins of ancient tombs are still found in this mountain- side, and Capernaum is in full view on the other side, "over against it" (Luke 8: 26). See Tlwmp- sori's Land and Book, vol. ii. , pp. 34, 35. Two possessed Avith devils. Mark and Luke mention but one ; probably the fiercer of the two. He was naked (Luke 8 : 27), had been chained but had broken his chains, and had cut himself with stones until he was doubtless cov- ered with blood. He ran to Jesus and wor- shipped him, i. e., as the devils worship, not by paying him a true reverence, but by a compul- sory acknowledgment of his power. See Mark for a graphic picture of his condition. On the nature of demoniac possession, see below. Out of the tombs. These were caves formed by nature or cut in the rocks, with cells at the sides for the reception of the dead. They were ceremonially unclean (Numb. 19 : 11, 10 ; Matt. 23 : 27 ; Luke 11 : 44), and dwclUug in them was of itself a sign of degradation. Trench {N'otes on the Miracles) quotes from Warhurton''s Crescent and the Cross a striking illustration of this account : "I found myself in a cemetery, whose sculp- tured turbans showed me that the neighboring 122 MATTHEW. we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God ? art thou come hither to torment us before the time ? 30 And there was a good way off from them, an herd of many swine, feeding. 31 So the devils besought him, saying. If thou cast us out, suffer" us to go away into the herd of swine." [Ch. VIII. 32 And he said unto them. Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine : and, behold, tlie whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. 33 And they that kept them fled, and went their n Job 1 : 10-12 J 2 ; S-6. . . .0 Dent. 14 : village was Moslem. The silence of the night was now broken by fierce yells and bowlings, which I discovered proceeded from a naked ma- niac, who was fighting with some wild dogs for a bone. The moment he perceived me he left his canine comrades, and bounding along with rapid strides, seized my horse's bridle, and almost forced him backward over the clilf by the grip he held of the powerful Marmeluke bit." Exceeding fierce. Mark adds that he could neither be tamed nor bound, and Luke that the evil spirit drove him into the wilderness. 29. Comparing this account with Mark and Luke, the facts appear to be that the maniac made a rush towards Jesus and the twelve, per- haps purposing to destroy them ; that Christ stopped him by word of command, requiring the evil spirits to leave the man, and that the expos- tulation given in this verse was the devil's re- sponse to that command. Christ then asks his name, and is told it is " Legion." The devils be- seech that they may not be sent "out into the deep" (Luke 8:31, and note), literally into the abjjss, i. e., back into their prison-house, but instead may be suffered to enter into the herd of swine. What have we to do with thee ? A com- mon Jewish phrase, signifying a wish not to be troubled by the importunity or the interference of another (judges ll : 12 ; 2 Sam. IS : 10 ; 2 Kin^a 9:18; Ezra 4:3; John 2 : 4). To tormeiit US. Compare Mark 1 : 24. " Herein the true devilish spirit speaks, one which counts it a torment not to be suffered to torment others, and an injury done to itself when it is no more permitted to be injurious to others." — {Trench.) Before the time. When the devil and his angels shall be shut up in the fire prepared for them (Matt. 25 : 4i ; Jude g ; Rev. 20 : 10). 30. And there was * * * an herd of many swine. Mark gives the number, about 2000. The flesh of swine was forbidden as food by the Levitical law (Lev. 11 : 7; Deut. 14:8). It is generally believed that its use in hot countries tends to induce cutaneous disorders, and would tender the eater more liable to leprosy and kin- dred diseases. It is to the present day held in great abhorrence among the Jews (see isai.ah gs : 4 ; CO : 3, n). The rabbinical law forbade the keeping of swine. Whether this herd was kept by Jews or by heathen is a matter of uncertainty. The cities of Decapolis were largely filled with Ro- mans, with whom swine's flesh was deemed a luxury. 31. So the devils besought him, etc. This, as appears in both Mark and Luke, was in response to Christ's command to the evil spirit to come out of the man. Adam Clark remarks on this passage that since the evil spirit cannot enter the body of even a swine without divine permission, those need not fear the devil whose trust is in God. 33. It is impossible for an honest interpreter to understand this narrative in any other than its plain and natural sense, viz., that there were evil spirits in the man controlling his i^ersonality, that they left him and entered into the herd of swine, and that in consequence, either driven by fright or acting under the impulses of the evil spirits, the entire herd rushed headlong into the sea. Any such pseuclo interpretation as that offered by Lange, in his Life of Jems, but appar- ently abandoned in his Commentary, that the cries of the demoniac man, when the evil spirit came out of him, frightened the herd and threw them into a panic, are not interpretations at all, but the substitution of a new narrative for those which the Evangelists have given us ; the sup- position of Mr. Livermore that " Jesus miracu- lously transferred the insanity from the men to the swine " (Zife>'morc's Commentary, Matt. 8: 32) needs only to be stated ; it bears its own re- futation on its face. The general question of demoniac possession I consider below ; but some special questions, raised by this part of the nar- rative, may be briefly answered here. WJiy should Christ have permitted the evil S2nrits to €7iter th£ swine ? A difficult question ; but less so than the question why God should have permitted them to enter into the man, or indeed sin to enter into the world at all. Wliy should they have de- stroyed the herd of swine, and so deprived themselves, so to speak, of a terrestrial abode ? Perhaps the act of the swine was the result of panic, and in spite of the evil spirits. But Trench well remarks that it is the very nature of evil thus to outwit itself; "stupid, blind, self-contradictory, and suicidal, it can only destroy, and will involve it- self in the common rum rather than not destroy." What right had Christ to allow the destruction of the property of another ? He had the same right Avhich he constantly exercises through the de- structive agencies of nature to do what he will with his own. His destroying cattle by murrain, cities by earthquakes, ships with their living freight by storm, is all a part of the same in- Ch. VIII.] MATTHEW. ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. 34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus : and when they saw him, they besought him that he would departf out of their coasts. CHAPTER IX. A ND he entered into a ship, and 123 over, and came into his own city. 2 And,'" behold, they brought to him a man sicli of p Job 21 :14; Luke 5: 8; Acts 16 : 39. . . .q Mark 2 : 3, etc. ; Luke 5 : IS, etc. scrutable mystery. Here we can at least see that the destruction of the herd of swine, standing in contrast with the salvation of the man, has given the cure a significance it could not have possessed otherwise, and their panic-stricken flight affords a sort of testimony, coming from the lowest animals, against the consent which alone allows the devil ever to gain possession of us. If the herdsmen were Jews, they deserved the loss of their herd. How are we to uiulerstand the devils entering into the swine, i.e., " the working of the spiritual life in the bestial V We know so little of the means by which even through physical organs of speech, sight, and hearing, one spirit acts upon the other, that we may well admit the mystery of this possession of the swine by an evil spirit. But we daily see the horse and the dog catching the spirit of their master, emboldened by his courage or panic-stricken by his fear ; facts which may illustrate, if they cannot fully explain, how a herd of swine might be possessed by evil spirits. " The very fierceness and gross- ness of these animals may have been exactly that which best fitted them for receiving such impulses from the lower world as those under which they perished." — {Trench.) 33. Went * * * into the city. Not Gadara, which was three hours distant, but Chersa or Gergesa, which was close at hand. See on verse 28. Told everything, and what had be- fallen to the possessed. Evidently first what had befallen the swine entrusted to their keeping, next what salvation had come to the man. 34. The Avhole city. See note on Matt. 3 : 5. Besought him that he would depart. It appears from Mark and Luke that the sight of the well-known maniac clothed and in his right mind filled the people with fear. Awe at the miracle, mingled with dread because of the de- struction of their pi-operty, led them to beseech Christ to depart. The loss of 2000 swine was more to them than the saving of a soul. Ch. 9:1. And he took .ship. This verse belongs with the preceding chapter, and narrates Christ's response to the people's request. It does not connect the embarkation for the western shore of Galilee with the miracle following — the healing of the paralytic. See on ver^ 2. Twice in this narrative Christ hears the prayer whose petition is for evil— the prayer of the evil spirit, which ends in the destruction of the swine and in the exile of the evil spirits and their being driven back from earth into their own place again, and now the prayer of the people that he would depart from their coasts. "God sometimes hears his enemies in anger (Numb. 22 : i9, 20), even as he [sometimes] refuses to hear his friends in love (2Cor. 12:8,9)." — {Trench.) Christ appears never to have visited the country of the Gadarenes again. He does not abide where he is not wanted (comparo Esod. 10 : 28, 29 ; Acts 24 : 25). Mark and Lukc add to this account that the demoniac "published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him ;" an incidental evi- dence of the completeness of his cure. And came into his own city, i. e., Capernaum (Matt. 4 : is). OF DEMONIACAL POSSESSION. Of all the cases of demoniacal possession record- ed in the N. T. this is the most stiiking. The difficulties peculiar to it have been considered above. It remains to speak briefly of the general subject. The N. T., and especially the Evangelists, re- peatedly mention individuals whom they describe as possessed by devils. For the most part these persons seem to have been harmless ; sometimes, however, of a violent and dangerous character. The possession was often accompanied by physi- cal disease — blindness, dumbness, epilepsy. In one case it accompanied a disorder which was congenital, if not hereditary. The victim seems usually to have been possessed of a double con- sciousness. His acts were unwitting. And when, by the word of Jesus, the devil was cast out, and he appeared clothed and in his right mind, he was with peculiar significance a new creature in Christ Jesus (Matt. 12 : 22 ; Mark 9 .- is, 20, 21 ; Luke S : 29 ; and see references below). In rCSpCCt tO the narratives of these cases two important questions arise : 1st. What tare we to suppose the writers meant bij their narratives; i. e., how did they understand these cases. 2d. 7s tTieir understanding to be ac- cepted? i. e., did they correctly interpret the phe- nomena which they recorded, or are we to give to those phenomena, in the light of modem sci- ence, a different interpretation ? In respect to the first question there is really no difficulty. It was the universal belief of their age, both among the Jews and among the hea- then, that evil spirits operated upon and some- times controlled both nature and the human 124 MATTHEW. [Ch. VIII. Boul. Disease was often, and lunacy was gen- erally, attributed to the influence of evil spirits. The Evangelists unquestionably believed and intended to be understood as asserting that the persons described as possessed with evU or un- clean spirits were really and literally under the control of disembodied spirits, agents of Satan. They are frequently distinguished from those afflicted with mere physical disorders (Mark i : 32; 16:17,18; Luke 6 : 17, 18) ; the dcmons are distm- guished, nowhere, perhaps, more clearly than in this narrative, from the persons whom they con- trol, and are represented as recognizing in Jesus the Son of God, a title not given to him even by his disciples untU toward the close of his minis- try (see verse 29 ; Mark 1 : 24 ; 6:7; Luke 4:41; compare Matt. ic : 16). No honest interpreter can doubt that the Evangelists shared the common opinion of their day, and intended to be understood as asserting that these individuals were under the control of evU spirits, and that Christ literally emancipated them from this diabolical servitude, and cast the evil spirits out. The second question is really the only one in the case, viz. : Did they correctly interpret the phenomena which they recorded, or are we to give to those phenomena, in the light of modern science, a different interpretation ? It is certain that they beai^ a curiously strik- ing resemblance to cases of what is in modern scientific language called "moral insanity." In both there is a clear recognition of the dif- ference between right and wrong ; in both there is the testimony of the patient that he is impelled by a power beside himself ; both are accompa- nied sometimes by acts of violence, sometimes by attempts at suicide ; both are, in their worst forms, attended with epileptic convulsions ; both are frequently manifested in periodic returns of disorder, with intervals of sanity ; both are some- times traceable to willful self-indulgence in some form of sin as their provoking cause ; and in both there is at times, in a remarkable degree, an appreciation of the character of persons with whom the insane are thrown in contact, who are sometimes peculiarly affected by the presence of persons of a pure and holy character (Mark i: 24; 5 : 6, 9 ; 9 : 17, 18-22 ; Luke 4 : 33). The reader whO iS CU- rious to investigate this parallelism will find the material in Abbott's Jesus of Nazareth, chap. 13, and stUl more full reports of modern cases analogous to the demoniacal possession of the N. T., in Ray's Medical Jurisprudence, chap. 7, §5, pp. 202-260; Henry Maudsley's Physiology and Pathology of the Mind, chap. 3, pp. 306-316, and Forbes Winslow's Obscure Diseases of the Brain and Mind, pp. 179-211. These parallels have led a certain class of critics to the conclusion that the persons described in the N. T. as possessed of evil spirits were in fact only lunatics, and that the narrative of their disease and their cure is to be interpreted accordingly. The great majority of Evangelical scholars agree, however, in the opinion that the individuals described as pos- sessed by evil spirits, were really under their control, and that the cures described consisted in fact, as well as in appearance, in the casting out of the evil spirit. This opinion, which I think is the only one consistent with belief in the his- torical trustworthiness of the Scriptures, or con- fidence in the truthfulness of Christ, rests on the following grounds : — 1st. It best accords with the facts testified to by modern science, if not best wiiJi its hyiwtJieses. In certain of the cases of so-called "moral insanity," the patient not only recognizes the difference between right and wrong, and ab- hors the crime to the commission of which he is impelled, seemingly by a will stronger than his own, but subsequently, in his sane moments, or previously, in anticipation of the paroxysm, de- clares himself conscious of the indwelling of another spirit too strong for his resistance, and asserts that he is "prompted by Satan," while on the other hand medical examuiation, in many cases, fails to find any physical cause for the phenomena. These circumstances have led some of the highest authorities in mental disease to acknowledge the cause of those forms of "moral insanity" to be inscrutable (see both Henry Maudsley and Forbes Winslow), and others to recognize demoniacal possession, as a modem phenomenon, to be the most probable and rational explanation of them. This is the view of Es- quirol, who stands at the head of the French school, if not of all schools, as a student of men- tal disorders. 2d. It best accords with other teach- ings of Scripture. This represents that there is a world of disembodied spirits, both good and bad ; that they are not wholly separated from man, but exert a powerful influence upon him ; that their influence is not a thing of the past, but that the Christian has still need to watch and pray against it (judges 9 : 23; l Sam. 16 : 14-23 ; 18 : 10, 11 ; 19 : 9, 10 ; 1 Kings 22 : 22; Luke 22 : 31 ; John 13 : 27; Acts 5:3; 2 Cor. 4 : 4; Ephes. 6 : 11, 12 ; 1 Tim. 3 : 7 ; 1 Pet. 5 : s), 3d. It aCCOVdS with the teaching and conduct of Jesus Christ. He distinctly recognized the personality and presence of demons, distinct from the man in whom they were, and from whom they were cast out (Mark 1 : 25 ; 5 : 9 ; 9 : 25 ; Luke 10 : 17-20 ; 11 : 17-26). Either hiS words are falsely reported, i. e., demoniacal pos- session is a mythical addition of a later date, or he was himself under a delusion respecting these cases, i. e., he shared the ignorance and supersti- tion of his age, or he ratified and confirmed that superstition for the purpose of adding to his prestige by seeming to cast out spirits that had no existence ; i. e., he lent himself to imposture, or evU spirits really exercised a control over the im- pulses and the will of those wham they were sent ta Ch. IX.] MATTHEW. 125 the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son,' be of good cheer ; thy sins be forgiven thee. 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts,' said, Where- fore think ye evil in your hearts ? 5 For whether is easier, to say. Thy sins be forgiven thee ; or to say, Arise, and walk ? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive' sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his house. 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified" God, which had given such power unto men. 9 And' as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a 2 : 24, 26 ; Heb. 4 : 12, 13 ; ' . . .t Micah 7 : 18. . . .11 Acts 4 : 21 ; Gal. possess, and Christ really drove them out from their possession, and emancipated the soul from their con- trol. If the question is asked why this demoniac possession is unknown now, the answer is, that it is not unknown ; that, on the contrary, demo- niacal possession is the most natural explanation of certain forms of so-called " moral insanity ; " that it should exist in less degree and extent is just what we should expect from the declarations of Scripture (zech. 13 : 2 ; 1 John 3 : 8). How far the victim of demoniacal possession was responsible for his condition, how far he is to be regarded as guilty, and how far as simply unfortunate, is a difficult if not an insoluble question. ' ' The com- mon characteristic of all was cowardice, a cow- ardly surrender of a weak and lowered conscious- ness to wicked influences." — (Lange.) Every such surrender by the soul is one step toward a com- plete enthrallment of the soul by evil, though that enthrallment rarely becomes complete in this life. Ch. 9 : 2-8. Healing of the pakalttic. The accounts of this miracle in Mark 2 : 1-12, and Luke 5 : 17-26, are fuller than that given here. From these accounts it appears that the crowd was so great that the friends of the para- lytic could not reach the house in which Christ was teaching, and that they uncovered the roof and let the patient down mth the bed or mat- tress on which he was lying. This constituted the evidence of their faith, commended by the Lord. The miracle took place, not, as might l)e supposed, on Christ's return from the country of the Gadarenes, but more probably at about the time of the healing of the leper, recorded in Matt. 8 : 2-4. For notes on the miracle see Mark 3 : 1-12. Ch. 9 : 9-13. THE CALL OF MATTHEW.— A bad busi- ness IS a poor excuse for not poixowing Christ ; FOLLOW HIM OUT OF IT. — ThE POWER OF ChRIST'S CALLING : IT SUMMONS FROM ALL RANKS AND ALL AVO- CATIONS. — Christ's sociabilitt the true model of Christian sociabilitt.— A right and a wrong way TO ASSOCIATE WITH SINNERS ; A RIGHT AND A WRONG WAT TO BE SEPARATE FROM THEM. CHRIST ATE WITH SINNERS BUT WAS SEPARATE PROM THEM ; THE PHARI- SEES SCORNED THEM BUT WERE ONE WITH THEM.— MAT- THEW AN EXAMPLE OF A FISHER OP MEN : CALLED HIM- SELF, HE CALLS OTHERS.— Sin IS BOTH A WEAKNESS AND A DISEASE ; PERSONAL 8TMPATHT AFFORDS SPmiTUAL STRENGTH AND IS A SPIRITUAL MEDICINE.— THERE IS LESS RELIGION IN SACRIFICE WITHOUT MERCT THAN IN MERCT WITHOUT SACRIFICE ; TRUE RELIGION CONSISTS IN SACRIFICE AND MERCY.- TUE EXCLCTDED AND THE INCLUDED IN Christ's calling: the excluded all THE self-righteous; the included all CONSCIOUS OF SDsr. The call of a publican, and a subsequent feast given by him in honor of the Lord, are recorded by Mark 2 : 13-17, and Luke 5 : 27-32 ; but in Mark and Luke the publican is called Levi. Matthew never speaks of himself as Levi in his own gospel, and is never spoken of as Levi by the other Evangelists in any other passage. This has led some commentators to suppose that there were two persons and two feasts, a suppo- sition which is quite improbable, and is now universally rejected. Changes of name in com- memoration of any great event were not uncom- mon among the Jews, of which the cases of Abram or Abraham, Jacob or Israel, and Saul of Tarsus or Paul (oen. n ■.&■, 32 : 28 j Acts 13 : 9) are strik- ing illustrations ; that of Simon changed to Peter (John 1 : 42, and note there) iS Still more in point. If, aS is probable, the name Matthew means the same as the modem name Theodore, Gift of God or Given to God, its very significance would help to ac- count for the change. Chrysostom and Jerome note the " self-denial of the Evangelist who dis- guises not his former life, but adds even his name, when the others had concealed him under another appellation." Observe that in ch. 10 : 3 Matthew calls himself " Matthew the publican," while neither Mark nor Luke so characterize him in the lists of the apostles. There can be no doubt that the call of Matthew preceded the Sermon on the Mount, which was an ordination sermon following the solemn consecration of the twelve to their apostolic office (Luke 6 : 13-20) ; nor that it immediately succeeded the cure of the paralytic, with which Matthew directly connects it by his phrase "as Jesus passed forth from thence." At what time the feast was given by Matthew to Christ is not so certain. All the Evangelists connect it with the call of Matthew ; it is a ra- tional supposition that Matthew gave it at this time ; in that case he would naturally invite his old associates to the feast ; whereas, after enter- ing on his apostolate, and breaking ofE his old 126 MATTHEW. [Ch. IX. man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom : lo And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he aro^e, and house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and followed him. sat down with him and his disciples. life with them, he would be less likely to invite them ; and it seems almost certain that this feast preceded the charges brought against Jesus, and recorded in Matthew 11 : 19. On the other hand, Matthew connects this feast directly with the healing of Jairus' daughter (see verse is, below), which Mark and Luke place immediately after the cure of the Gadarene demoniac, but without any defi- nite note of time. The better opinion is that the feast was given at the time of Matthew's call, though this is by no means certain. Accepting this opinion, and combining the ac- counts of the three Evangelists, the fact and its significance may be concisely stated thus : Christ calls a tax-gatherer to leave his office and join the band of itinerant disciples ; the caU is ac- cepted with alacrity ; and as a means of knowing his new master, and at the same time bringing him to a knowledge of his old associates, Levi gives a feast to which both Christ and his disci- ples, and his own former companions, are invited. At the same time he takes on the new name of Matthew, which he henceforth bears. By ac- cepting the invitation Christ enters into familiar intercourse uith a class of men whose moral character was bad, whose reputation was worse, and whose iniquitous avocation was justly odious to all men. The Pharisees ask the disciples, tauntingly, for an explanation, and Christ replies by declaring his object to be the elevation and redemjjtion of sinners, and by referring them to the Scriptures which they pretended to teach, but whose spirit they totally misapprehended (2 Cor. 3 : 15, 16), as the authority for his course. 9. As Jesus passed forth from thence. This indisputably connects the call of Matthew with the preceding miracle, and places both in the period of Christ's earlier ministry in Galilee, where it is placed by Mark. Chrysostom ob- serves that Christ calls Matthew immediately after having asserted and demonstrated in the preceding miracle his power to forgive sins. Matthew. Luke says that he was the son of Alphfeus. This was a not uncommon name among the Jews. It is not probable it was the same Alphaeus who is described in Matthew 10 : 3 (see note there) as the father of Jamcs. This is the first mention of Matthew in the Gospels. On his life and character, see note at end of chapter 10. Sitting at the receipt of custom. The taxes IcAied by the Roman government on the inhabitants of Palestine may be roughly divided into two classes — internal taxes and tolls. The former included all taxes levied on persons and property directly ; the latter, all cus- toms levied on goods in transit ; and answered to our modem custom dues. They are distin- guished in Rom. 13 : 7 as tribute and custom. The customs were levied on all goods imported for trade, though not, ordinarily, on such as were imported for the purchaser's personal use ; they were levied at harbors, piers, and gates of cities ; they amounted to a sum varying at differ- ent times from one-eighth to one-fortieth of the value of the goods ; any attempt at concealment was punished by the confiscation of the articles. Matthew probably sat in the custom-house of Capernaum to gather some rate or toll of those that crossed the sea. Luke adds that he was a publican (see also Matt. 10 : s) ; and some knowledge of the character of the publicans is necessary to understand the significance of his call and the attending circumstances, as well as to ex- plain the frequent references to them in the N. T. Of the publicans. These were inferior offi- cers employed as collectors of the Roman taxes, which were of a character to make any collector sufficiently odious. Every article exported or imported paid a customs-tax ; every article sold paid a tax on each sale ; every house, every door, every column, had its special tax ; all property, real and personal, was taxed ; and the citizens of subordinate provinces, including therefore the Jews, paid in addition a poll-tax. The method of collecting these taxes made them the more burdensome, and those employed in their collec- tion more odious. The provinces were farmed out by the Roman government to wealthy indi- viduals, or joint-stock companies, who paid large sums for the privilege of collecting the taxes. They in turn let these provinces in smaller dis- tricts to sub-contractors, who employed in the collection of the taxes the lowest and worst class of the native population, since no others would assume a task so hateful. They were re- quired to pay over to their superiors the exorbi- tant sum fixed by the law, and depended for their profit on what they could make by fraud and extortion. They overcharged, brought false charges of smuggling to extort hush-money, seized upon property in case of dispute and held it untU their levy was paid, forbade the farmer to reap his standing crops until they had wrung from him all that his penury could produce. They were universally feared, hated, and de- spised throughout the empire ; but nowhere more than in Palestine. The Jews not only ac- counted all payment of tribute to a foreign and heathen government as a national degradation, but also the servitude which compelled such payment as a condition dishonoring to God; Ch. IX.] MATTHEW. 127 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, tliey said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with pubhcans and sinners ?" 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto tliem, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I' will have mercy, and not sacrifice : for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentances 14 Then came to him the disciples ot John, saying. Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy -disciples fast not ? w ch. 11 : 19 : Luke 15:2; Heb. . .1 ch. 12 : 7 ; Prov. 21 : 3 ; Ho«ea 6:6; Mlcah 6:8 y Luke 24 : 47 ; Acts 5 : 31 ; 2 Pet. 3 : 9. hence the publicans were m their eyes not only odious as tax-collectors, but yet more hateful as traitors to their nation and apostates from their religious faith. The Talmud classes them with thieves and assassins, and regards their repent- ance as impossible. No money known to have come from them Avas received for religious uses. They were classed with sinners, with harlots, with heathen in public estimation, and probably in their actual and customary companionships (Matt. 9:11; 11 : 19 ; 18 : 17 ; 21 : 31, 32). Nor WaS their ill-repute confined to the Holy Land. Cicero de- clares theirs to be the basest of all livelihoods. It was a current Latin proverb throughout the empire, "All the publicans are altogether rob- bers." Even Nero made an attempt to abolish both the nefarious system and the order of pub- licans which sprang from it, but their moneyed influence was too great, and he abandoned the endeavor. It was out of the lower class of these publicans that Matthew was called; and from them and their natural associates the guests were composed who attended the feast which Matthew gave. 10. In the house, i. e., in Matthew's house. He gave the feast (Luke 5 : 29), using it, as a fisher of men, to catch his old associates. Reclined with him. The posture at meal was that of reclinmg, as indicated m the cut. Thus, to recline at table with publicans and sinners was to come into the most intimate social relations with them. That culture which is so refined that it cannot bear con- tact with the sinful is not Christian culture. 11. Unto his disciples. Not to Christ, of whom they habitually stood in awe (compare Matt. 22 : 46). Perhaps there was in this question an en- deavor to estrange the disciples from their Lord. Luke says they murmured, i. e., talked over in a low voice privately, not intending that Jesus should hear. Their complaint was probably made subsequent to the feast ; for the Pharisees could not have been present at it without stulti- fying themselves. Why eateth. Observe the tenor of the complaint ; it is not that he taught sinners, but that he associated with them. The same complaint would be made now against any clergyman who should associate with the same outlawed class in the community. It is not always true that the man is known by the company he keeps ; nor always true that we are to avoid bad company. There is no instance in the Gospels in which Christ refused an invitation to a social gathering ; and none in which he refused to asso- ciate with any on account of their social or moral character, though both he and Paul' recognize the necessity of casting some out from all fel- lowship with us (Matt. 18 : 17 ; 1 Cor. 5 : 9). But the sigi^iflcance of Christ's social life is interpreted by the two verses which follow, and by his uniform practice of availing himself of these social op- portunities to teach some truth to or to inspire a higher life in the guests of the occasion (Luke ii : 38, etc.; 14: l,etc. ; 19 : 6-I0). 13, 13. Jesus * * * said unto them. The disciples made no answer. It is possible that they were as much perplexed as the Pharisees (see Acts 10 : 14, 15). It is not improbable that they were overawed by the assumed religious superiority and purity of the religious teachers of Judaism. They that be whole ; rather, strong. Sin is a disease needing cure ; it is a moral weakness ; the victim needs moral strength rather than in- struction; and it is through social fellowship that the Avay is opened to impart the needed strength to the moral nature and enable it to conquer its temptations. \^. Go ye and learn. This is said to have been a common form of speech amoftg the Jewish rabbis when they referred their hearers to the Scriptures ; Jesus thus treats the religious teach- ers as themselves pupils, and sends them to their own sacred writings to study their meaning. "He signifies that not he was transgressing the law, but they ; as if he had said, Whereof accuse me ? Because I bring sinners to amendment ? Why then ye must accuse the Father also for this."— ((7/tr?/.sos;o??i.) I Avill have mercy and not sacrifice. The quotation appears to be from Hosea 6 : 6, but its spirit is embodied in many passages in the O. T. (i Sam. 15 : 22; ps. so : 8-15) ; es- pecially in the prophets (isaiah 1 : 11-17 ; Amos 5 : 21-24 ; Mic. 6:7, 8). It would appear utterly incomprehen- sible that the Bible students of the first century could have failed to apprehend the meaning of 128 MATTHEW. [Ch. IX. 15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the groom shall be taken from them, and then shall" they bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom^ is tast. with them ? but the days will come, when the bride- 16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old z ch. 25 : 1, 10 ; Jolin 3 : 29 ; Rev. 21 : 2 a Isa. 52 : 12. these passages, and have discovered only a re- ligion of fruitless formalism in the 0. T., were there not so many similar misinterpreters at the present day. Sacrifice was the chief part of the ceremonial law, and represents here the religion of formal obedience to ceremonial rules ; mercy expresses that spirit of love to the fallen which seeks their restoration. The very essence of the Jewish sacrificial system was that it expressed the infinite mercy of God, in providing a way of pardon for sin. To be without the spirit of mercy was really to lose the meaning and heart of the sacrifices ; as now, to hold to the doctrine of Christ's atoning sacrifice, but to be without the spirit which leads to personal self-sacrifice for the salvation of others, is to be without the spirit of Christ (PhU 2 : 5, etc. ; 1 John 3 : 16). Not * * * the righteous but sinners. This is not exactly equivalent to "those who think themselves righteous" and "those who confess themselves sinners," as Wordsworth ex- plains it. Christ takes the Pharisees at their own estimation of themselves, and the publicans at the Pharisees' estimation of them, and says : " I have come to preach the doctrine of repentance as the condition of entering the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 4 : 17). Evidently the doctrine of repentance is for sinners such as these publicans are, not for the righteous such as you are !" It is in so far a keen irony of their self-righteous- ness. Chrysostom refers to Gen. 3 : 23 and Psalm 50 : 12, as similarly ironical. Compare for significance of the entire passage John 9 : 39-41 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 15 ; Rev. 3 : 17. To repentance. These words are not found here or in Mark in the best manuscripts ; but there is no doubt of their authenticity in Luke, and therefore no doubt that they are a part of Christ's response, and qualify and interpret his declaration. He comes to sinners that he may bring sinners to himself ; he does not conform to them, but conforms them to him by the renewing of their minds. His ex- ample is authority for social mingling with sin- ners, but not for acquiescing in or giving even tacit sanction to their sinful practices. These words, "to repentance," are the answer to the charge of Celsus (second century). "Jesus Christ came into the world to make the most terrible and dreadful society, for he calls sinners and not the righteous ; so that the body he came to assemble is a body of profligates, separate from good people, among whom they were be- fore mixed. He has rejected all the good and collected all the bad." Ch. 9 : 14-17. OF FASTING.— The cause op Chbis- TIAN JOT IS THE PKE9ENCE OF ChRIST ; THE CAtJSE OF Christian mourning is his withdrawal.— The jot- OUSNESS OF THE RELIGION OF JesUS ; IT 19 A WEDDING FEAST.— True and false fasting.— The law op Christian reformation: entire, internal.— The new life cannot be patched upon the old; the new spirit cannot be contained in old forms. — The FERMENTING POWER OF THE GOSPEL. This incident is recorded also in Mark 3 : 18-23 and Luke 5 : 33-38, and in the same connection. No doubt it occurred on the occasion of Mat- thew's feast. 14. The disciples of John, i. e., the Bap- tist. Luke adds "and the Pharisees." John the Baptist was in prison ; he was himself per- plexed by the course of Christ's mission (Matt, ii : 2, 3) ; it is not strange that his disciples felt ag- grieved that Jesus, instead of sorrowing and fasting over the national degeneracy that suf- fered the imprisonment of their master, should be feasting with pubUcans and sinners. Observe how, customarily, Christ left his sometimes enig- matical example to work out its own efEect with- out explaining it, unless called on for an expla- nation. We and the Pharisees fast oft. Mark says they " used to fast ;" literally, "«;e»-e fasting,''^ which may mean that at this time they were observing a fast, with which the joyousness of Matthew's feast seemed incongruous. In addition to the fast of the Day of Atonement, prescribed by Moses (Lev. 23 : 20-32), the Jews had instituted several national fasts, chiefly to com- memorate respectively the several captures of Jerusalem by alien armies ; special fasts were also common (Esther 4 : 15-17 ; Jer. S6 : 9 ; Joel 1 : 14) ; and the stricter of the Pharisees observed the fifth and the second day of every week (Lute is : 12) as a fast day, because on the fifth Moses M^as be- lieved to have gone up into Sinai, and on the sec- ond to have come dov.n. Fasts were connected with their superstitions as well as with their religion; they fasted to obtain ausjDicious dreams, or to secure the fulfillment of a dream, or to escape the fulfillment of an inauspicious dream, or to secure any desired object, or avert any threatened ill. This fasting was sometimes an absolute deprivation of all food, sometimes only an exclusion of aU viands but those of tlje simplest and plainest description (Dan. 10 : 2, 3). 15. Children of the bridechamber. The companions of the bridegroom, answering to our modem groomsmen. The wedding ceremonies of the Jews lasted often for days; the bride- Ch. IX.] MATTHEW. 129 gannent ; for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles, else'' the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish : but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. groom, with the children of the bridechamber, went to the house of the bride, and brought her to the bridegroom's house, where a great feast was given ; the nuptials were always celebrated with great festivities and mirth ; and the Tal- mud, which forbade to eat, to drink or to wash the face on the Day of Atonement, made an ex- ception in favor of the bride. The simile used by Christ could not fail to recall to the disciples of John their master's use of the same simile (John 3 : 29), whom Christ thus cites, though indi- rectly, in answer to their question. The signifi- cance of the metaphor is unmistakable. Christ is the bridegroom ; the church is the bride ; the or- dained teachers in the church are the children of the bridechamber, loho are instrumental hi bringing to- gether bride and groom ; the whole period of time intermediate ChrisVs first public ministry and his second coming is the weddi7ig -feast, during which th£ children of the bridechamber are bringing their Lord to the bride ; the marriage-supper of the Lamb in th£ heavenly kingdom is the final consummation of the wedding ceremony. There is significance in the fact that this metaphor employed in the O. T. to designate the relation between God and his chosen people is used in the N. T. to symbolize the relation between Christ and his Church (isa. 84 : 5 : Jer. 3 : 14 ; Hosea 2 : 19, 20 j Matt. 22 : 1-14 ; 25 : 1-13 ; Eph. 5 : 3&-32 ; Rev. 19 : 7). 3Iourn. Obscrve that, while John's disciples ask why Christ's disciples do not fast, he replies that they cannot mourn. Fasting is only the external symbol of mourning, or its natural expression and effect ; where there Is no mourning, there is no virtue in fasting. Luke's report is : " Can ye make the child of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them ? " i e., Can you by laws and regula- tions make them while in the period of their joy, fast in truth? Shall be taken from them. The first distinct intimation afforded by Christ of his own crucifixion. Its meaning can have been but imperfectly understood by either the disciples of John or by his own disciples ; but its pathos could not but have been felt. Shall they fast. Bather, will they fast ; it is not im- perative, but simply prophetic ; it indicates a fact, it does not embody a command. In fact, the disciples suffered no persecution while Christ lived, and neither knew any especial experience of mourning, prior to his passion, nor observed any seasons of fasting. Luther remarks on the two kinds of self-denial and suffering, the one which we inflict on ourselves (i Kings is ; 28), the other that which God lays upon us, and to which we cheerfully submit (John is : ii). There is no virtue in the first ; there is benefit in the second. What does Christ here teach respecting the obliga- tion of fasting? The laws of Moses prescribed many feast days and but one fast day. Christ himself prescribed no set fasts, and none were observed by the apostolic church. But occa- sional fasts were observed throughout the O. T. history by the Jews (l Sam. 7:6; Neh. l : 4; Joel 2 : 12. Compare Isaiah 6S : 3-6), and in the N. T. history both by Christ and his apostles (Matt. 4:2; Acts 13:2, 3; 14 : 23). Beading Christ's declaration in the light of this history, the plain inference from it ap- pears to be this : Fasting is the expression of mourning ; while Christ was with his disciples in the body, there was no occasion for mourning or fasting; so when the soul is conscious of his spiritual presence, when the bridegroom is with the children of the bridechamber, they cannot be made to fast in reality and truth ; but whenever Christ has withdrawn from the soul, whenever times of darkness hide, or experiences of sin banish him from the soul, or the strong need of a clearer sense of his presence overcomes the de- sire for food, or a failure in his work indicates a lack of his presence and power (Matt. i7 : 21), then there will be fasting. In other words, fasting is Christian only when it is the natural expression of a Christian experience. ' ' Fasting should be the genuine offspring of inward and spiritual sor- row, of the sense of the absence of the Bride- groom in the soul— not the forced and stated fasts of the old covenant, now passed away. It is an instructive circumstance, that in the Be- formed Churches, while those stated fasts which were retained at their first emergence from popery are universally disregarded even by their best and holiest sons, nothing can be more affect- ing and genuine than the universal and solemn observance of any real occasion of fasting placed before them by God's providence." — {Alford.) 16. No man puts a patch of unfinished {u7 fulled) material upon an old garment; for the patch tears away from the gar- ment and a worse rent takes place. The student wiU get the significance of the original ia several particulars which may escape him otherwise, if he wUl compare this transaction with that of our English version. Garments in the East were made sometimes of leather, some- times of cloth. The leather which had not been dressed, and the cloth which had not been fulled, i. e., soaked aud cleansed with water, 130 MATTHEW. [Ch. IX. i8 While" he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying. My daughter is even now dead : but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live." 19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 And,« behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment ; 21 For she said within herself. If I may but touch his garment,' I shall be whole. 22 But Jesus turned him about ; and when he saw : Mark 6 : 22 ; Luke 8 : 41, IJohnll : 25....eMaik6: 25 j Luke 8 : 43.... f Acts 19 : 12. was sure to shrink, and if such undressed or un- fuUed (not merely Tnevi) material was used in re- pairing a garment it would soon tear out the old cloth ; the consequence would be, not that the old rent would he made worse, but that a new and worse rent would he produced. Luke (cii. 5 : se) puts it a little differently, see note there ; and he gives the reason of the new rent, "the piece that v/as taken out of the new, agreeth not with the old." The disciples of John the Baptist looked not for a new religion, but for a re-formation, a patching up of the old Jewish religion. To them Christ responds that he has come to give the world new garments, not to patch the old ones ; any at- tempt to attach his religion of the spirit of love to the old religion of forms would be sure to make a worse state of things than that which he attempted to cure ; both because tM old is old, worn out, and can bear no strain, and because tlie new is new, and has as yet, as it exists in the minds of the disciples, none of that flexibility which would enable it to adapt itself to the pre- judices and prepossessions of others. The spirit in the apostolic church which was ofEended and stumbled at eating meat offered to idols, repre- sents the old garment; the spirit which could not yield, and for the sake of others abstain, represents the unfulled piece of cloth (Romans U : 11,15). It is true that the apostle sought to fuse these two factions, but by instructions which destroyed the factions and drove out the spirit of intolerance from the one, and of headiness or impatience from the other. In every religious refor- mation some have at- tempted to put on new patches on old garments ; e. g., John the Baptist, Erasmus, the Old Catholics of to-day. Let us beware lest, in our own souls, we attempt patch- work reformation. 17. New Avine into old bottles. The bot- tles of the East were and still are made of the skins of animals, the entrails being taken out, the form of the animal preserved, and the hair left on the outside. Hence the reference to wine bottles of the Gibeonites "old and rent and bound up" AUCIENT BOTTLE. (From a painting at PompL-ii.) (Joshua 9: 4). "New wiuc " Is wlne not yet fully fermented. In its fermenting it expands and would thus burst the bottle. Estahlishing new truths in tlie hearts of men is always hy a process of fermentation ; of excitement and agitation. To confine new truths in old forms only results in shat- tering the old. Note as examples the effect of Old Catholicism in Germany, and the ecclesiastical reformation of Henry VIII in England. "The new wine is something too Mving and strong for so weak a moral frame ; it shatters the fair outside of ceremonial seeming ; and the wine runneth out, the spirit is lost, the man is neither a blameless Jew nor a faithful Christian ; both are spoiled." — {Alford.) The connection of these two verses with the preceding question about fasting is unmistak- able. Fasting was prescribed by the old dispen- sation and still more by the Pharisees as a law, as it still is by the Roman Catholics. Christ's sys- tem recognizes no other law than that of love ; and it cannot be patched on to one which makes a virtue of a fast. But here, as often, Christ takes occasion of a question which relates only to an external service to enunciate a principle of much broader application. In so far as the soid receives the spirit of Christ as a new inspiration, it will work out for itself a new expression ; it may use but it cannot be confined -vvithin old forms, whether of devotional expression or of doctrinal statement. 18-26. Raising of Jairus' DAUGnTER. Heal- ing OF WOMAN WITH ISSUE OF BLOOD. It iS clear from the account here that these two mira- cles were wrought immediately after Matthew's feast. They are recorded in Mark 5 : 22-43 and Luke 8 : 41-56 as immediatelj' succeeding Christ's return from the land of the Gergesenes, and his casting out of the devil there. It appears from their accounts that Jairus was a ruler of the syna- gogue, probably at Capernaum, that his daughter was twelve years old, that the first message to Jesus was that she was dying, and that after- wards a second message was sent him, while he was on his way to the ruler's house, to the effect that she was already dead ; the two being embod- ied in one message in Matthew's account, and that the father and mother of the girl, -with Peter, James and John, went with him into the room, and were witnesses of her resurrection from the dead. The accounts in Mark and Luke also give details respecting the healing of the woman with Ch. IX.] MATTHEW. 131 her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort ; thy? faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.'" 23 And' when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the' minstrels and the people making a noise, 24 He said unto them, Give place ; lor the maid is not dead,'' but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 25 But when the people were put forth,' he went in, and took her by the hand, and tlie maid arose. 26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land. 27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David,"" have mercy on us. 28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him : and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this ? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30 And their eyes were opened : and Jesus straitly charged them, saying. See that no man know" it. g Luke 7 : 60 ; 17 : 19 ; 18 : 42 ; Acts 14 : 9. ,35: 25....k ActsSO: 10. ich. 12 : 16: an issue of blood, omitted by Matthew. See for notes on the two miracles, Mark 5 : 23-43. Ch. 9 : 27-34. HEALING OF THE 15LIKD AND THE DUMB.— Christ the Light op the world (John 8 : 12). He makes the blind to see (John 9 : 39). ^Per- sistent FAITH FOLLOWS CHRIST DESPITE HIS SEEMING BEFUSAL TO HEAR (Matthew 15 : 21-28).— The gift of God is to us according to our faith (Hebrews 11 : 6).— True faith illustrated ; personal trust in a PERSONAL Satiour.— Silence for Christ is some- times AS SACRED A DUTY AS SPEECH. — HE MAKETH THE DUMB TO SPEAK (Psalm 51 : 15). These incidents are peculiar to Matthew. Other cases of healing of the blind are recorded in Matt. 12 : 23 ; 20 : 29-34 ; 31 : 14 ; Mark 8 : 33- 26 ; Luke 7 : 31 ; and John, ch. 9. Blindness is very common in the East ; the dust, the hot sun, the sleeping in the open air, are among the causes said to produce it. Trench quotes a " modern traveler " as reporting that there are four thousand blind in Cairo alone ; Volney says that out of one hundred persons he met in that city twenty were quite blind, ten wanted each one eye, and twenty others suffered from ophthal- mia. Blindness is not as common in Syria as in Egypt, but the references in the Scripture indi- cate that it was not infrequent (Lev. 19 : u ; Deut. 27 : 18). This is also indicated by the fact that it was prophesied respecting the Messiah as one of the signs of his character and mission that he should open the eyes of the blind (isaiah 29 : is ; 35 : 6; 42 : 7). There is nothing in the original to indi- cate the nature or cause of the blindness in this case. It is worthy of note that the cure was instantaneous and complete, so that the blind men apparently straightway went out from his presence to proclaim their cure ; whereas in all cases of natural cure the eyes must go through a long process of protection from exti:eme light which in their weakened state they cannot bear. 27. And when Jesus departed thence. Possibly from the house, perhaps from Caper- naum, perhaps from that general region of coun- try ; the phrase is very vague and does not iden- tify the time or place of the cure. Crying : Rather, calling aloud, as Bartimeus did (Mart lO: 46,47). Son of David. A common appellation among the Jews for the Messiah (Matt. 21 : 9 ; 22 ; 42 j Ezek. 34 : 23, 24). Thus their appeal was a confession of their faith not only in his power to heal as a physician, or a prophet, but a distinct recogni- tion of his Messianic character. Have mercy on us. Physiological ailments were accounted among the Jews as an indication of and a punishment for special sin (John 9 : 2). The spir- itual significance of this cry is not to be pressed here ; nothing more is necessarily signified by the original than Have pity on us. Yet as disease is a fruit and a type of sin, so healing is a fruit and a type of divine mercy in the strictest sense of that term. The cry of suffering to God is always a cry for mercy as well as for pity. 28. And Avhen he was come into the house. Possibly, as Dr. Adam Clark, " the house of Peter at Capernaum where he ordi- narily lodged." But the phrase does not neces- sarily indicate any particular house ; " merely as we sometimes use the phrase ' the house ' as op- posed to ' the open air. ' ' ' — {Alford. ) Why should our Lord wait until he comes into the house be- fore he answers their prayer? Chrysostom re- plies : " To repel the glory that comethfrom the multitude. Because the house was near he leads them thither to heal them in private. And this is evident from the fact that he charged them to tell no man." Calvin, and so most of the com- mentators, that he may try the pertinacity of their faith, not only by his subsequent inquiiy, but also by his seeming to withdraw from them without heeding their request. He thus also illustrates the virtue of that importunity of prayer which he subsequently enforces by his direct teaching (Luke 11 : 5-8; 18:1-9). He further sounds the depths of their faith by a question : Believe ye that I am able to do this ? In the light of the prophecies above referred to (note on ver. 26) this was again a question as to their faith in him, not as a mere prophet, but as the Messiah. "He did not say. Believe ye that I am able to entreat my Father, that I am able to pray, but that I am able to do this P^— {Chry- sostom. ) 29. He touched their eyes. He is never 132 MATTHEW. [Ch. IX. 31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country. 32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man" possessed with a devil. 33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake :>> and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 34 But the Pharisees said, Hei casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. 35 And^ Jesus went about all the cities and villages. teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep* having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest' truly IS plenteous, but the labourers are few ; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth" labourers into his harvest. ) ch. 12 : 22 ; Luke 1 r ch. 4 : 23. . . .8 Numb. 27 : 17 ; 1 Kings 22 : said to have healed the blind by a mere word, but always, where any details are given, used some instrumentality (Matt. 20 : ,« ; Mark 8 : 23 ; John 9 : 6,7). According to your faith be it unto you. The universal answer of God to all our prayers for spiritual blessings. He is ready to grant more than we can ask or even think ; but we can receive only in proportion as our faith is l^repared to receive. "Eaith which in itself is nothing is yet the organ for receiving every- thing. "—( Tmic/t. ) 30-31. Straitly charged. The original word occurs in Mark 14 : 5, where it is rendered murmured, and in John 11 : 33, 38, where it is ren- dered groan. He so charged them as to imply indignation if they disobeyed. Why should he have given this caution which was often repeated (Matt. 8:4; 12:16; Mark 1 : 34, 43, 44 ; 3 : 12 ; 6 : 43 ; Luke 4 : 41 ; 8 : 56) ? Was it because he himself in the spirit of his own precepts shrank from having his bene- factions blazoned abroad (Matt. 6 : 3, 4 ; isaiah 42 : 2) ? or was it that the faith of the people might not rest upon his miracles but upon the truth itself (Matt. 12 : 39 ; John 14 : ii) ? sincc the faith that rested on the miracles wholly misapprehended his mission (john s: 2; 6:11, 15). Scc uotc ou ch. 8 : 4, If this last be the true explanation, is it not a mistake for us to rest the evidence of Christianity so largely on miracles of which Christ made so little, instead of resting it on the truth itself, of which Christ made so much ? As to the course of the blind men in spreading abroad their cure, one may ad- mire, as the Roman Catholic writers do, their spirit of gratitude, without justifying their dis- obedience of Christ's command. The effect of this and other similar acts of others was to bring to him a crowd, not of appreciative hearers, anxious to hear the truth, but of mere wonder- gazers, curious to witness his miracles. Such popularity only impeded his work (Mark 3 ; 20 ; 6 : 31 ; Luke 12 : 1, etc.). 32-34. An instance of a miraculous cure, very similar, is recorded in Matthew 13 : 23-34 ; Luke 11 ; 14, 15, etc. The report of the accusation of the Pharisees, and of Christ's reply, is fuller there than here. Whether the incident is really the same or not is uncertain; most harmonists regard it as different. For notes on the Phari- saic accusation, see on Matt. 13 : 33, etc. Ch. 9 : 35-38. PREPARATIOX FOR THE COMMISSION or THE Al'OSTLES.— Christ's training of his disci- ples IS THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ; FIRST THE SER- MON ON THE Mount, then a missionary cmcuiT. He EXEMPLIFIES THE WORK OP THE MINISTRY BEFORE HE COMMISSIONS THE APOSTLES TO IT. — In THE FmST MIS- SIONARY WORK HEALING OP THE BODY AND OP THE SOUL GJES TOGETHER. — ThE CONDITION OF SUCCESS IN Christian work: "moved with compassion." — There were many rabbis, but no shepherds; THERE may be MANY RELIGIOUS TEACHERS, BUT NO TRUE PASTORS.— Work fob all in Christ's vine- yard ; no one CAN SAY, " NO MAN HATH HIRED US."— The real impediment to the spread of the Gospel : LACK OF Christian laborers. 3S. Cities and villages. A distinction sim- ilar to that which prevails in modem times be- tween incorporated and unincorporated towns existed in the time of Christ. The city proper was environed by walls ; a council of elders, and a government answering to the modern common council and mayor, administered the govern- ment ; there were night-watchmen ; lights were unknown, except torches carried in the hand ; there was usually no sewerage ; the houses were crowded close together ; the streets were narrow and unpaved. The villages were unwalled col- lections of huts of stone or mud. Nearly the entire population of Palestine was gathered in cities and villages as a protection against robbers, etc. After commissioning his disciples Jesus continued his ministry among the cities (Matt, ii : i), while his apostles preached the gospels in the unwalled towns or villages (Luke 9 : e), where the word "town" (^w/";) is the same here translated "village." Healing every sickness, (voaoc), positive ailment ; and every disease (nu'/.a-yAa), weakness, want of health and vigor. Christ not only takes away our disease, he gives us health and strength. In the moral life weakness is sometimes the worst form of disease. Among the people. This is an addition not found in the best manuscripts. The language descriptive of this tour is almost identical with that em- ployed in Matt. 4 : 33. See note there for de- scription of the synagogue, and for references indicating the general character of Christ's preaching and miracles of healing. Observe that the commission of the twelve is preceded by a tour in which Christ exemplifies to the commis- Ch. X.] MATTHEW. 133 sioned apostles the nature of the work they are to do. This particular journey is generally char- acterized by the harmonists as Christ's third missionary circuit ; but there is no evidence that his ministry was divided in fact, or in the thought of the sacred winters, into any such definite cir- cuits. 36. He was moved Avith compassion. This fact coneerniag our Lord is repeatedly stat- ed by the Evangelists (ch. u : u ; Mark i : 41 ; 6 : 34) ; and it affords, humanly speaking, the secret of his power. We get influence over the debased and ignorant only as they awaken a feeling of true compassion and yearning, rather than of resentment, distaste, and aversion. Observe, that his compassion was for publicans and sin- ners. " Christ pities those most that pity them- selves least : so should we." — {MattJiew Henry.) Fainted. This is the correct translation of the received text {exXiXvi^siot), but the best authori- ties give another word {eaxv/.usvot), the proper translation of which is harassed. What moved his compassion was not their physical weariness, but their harassment and perplexity under the burdensome ritualism imposed on them by the Pharisees (Matt. 23 : 4-13, etc.). Scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd. There were many scribes and doctors of the law, but no shepherd, no one who watched over and tended and cared for their spiritual welfare (1 Kings 22 : n ; Ezek. 34 : 1-6). 37. The harvest truly is plenteous. " Mark how he points out the facility and neces- sity of the thing. For what saith he ? The har- vest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. That is : Not to the sowing, saith he, but to the reaping do I send you ( John 4:38). And these things he said, at once repressing their pride and preparing them to be of good courage, and sig- nifying that the greater part of the labor had al- ready come." — {Chrysostom.) Observe, too, here, and yet more in John 4 : 35, the plain intimation that the impediment to the spread of the gospel is not the hardness of heart and unpreparedness of the world for it, but the lack of activity in the church. The harvest of souls is ready ; but there are either no laborers, or they lack the true spirit of Christ — are rabbis, not shepherds. The harvest is a frequent symbol in the Bible of Christian work. God is the husbandman (john 15 : i) ; the world is the field (Matt, is : ss) ; Chris- tians are workmen whom the Lord employs (Matt. 20 :i); souls are God's husbandry (i Cor. 3:9, and note) ; the true children of God are separated from sinners by a process of threshing and mn- nowing (isaiah 21:10; Matt. 3:12); the end of the world witnesses the gathering of the grain into bams, and the destruction of the tares (Matt. 13 : 3o). Compare Psalm 126 : 5 ; Isaiah 9:3; 1 Cor. 3:6; and especially Matt. 13 : 24-30, 34-73. 38. Pray ye therefore, etc. "Though they were but twelve he made them many from that time forward, not by adding to their num- ber, but by giving them power. ^^ — {Chrysostom.) Observe that he who bids to pray sends forth the laborers, teaching us that we are to help to the answer of our owti prayers. Observe, too, that he bids those that were to go forth pray for laborers; pray, that is, that God would send them forth. Those only can labor successfully for God whom God sends forth. Compare for such a prayer Isaiah 6 : 8. .Send forth. The original word {ty.^idXXo}) certainly generally carries with it the idea of force. It is rendered drive in Mark 1 : 13 ; John 2 : 15 ; thrust, in Luke 4 : 29 ; put forth, in John 10 : 4 ; expel, in Acts 13 : 50. As the Holy Spirit uses a certain compulsion to bring sinners to Christ (Luke u -. n), so he impels Christian workers, against their first inclinations, into Christian work. So God impelled Moses (Exod.4 : 1, lo-n) ; SO by a goading of the conscienc j and a divine vision he impelled Saul ; so by eai .y persecutions he sent the early Christians out of Jerusalem, and scattered them everywhere, preaching the Gospel (Acta s : 4). Compare chap. 10 : 23, and note. So in a sense we may say that no one is competent to preach, either publicly or privately, the gospel to others, who is not im- pelled thereto by the strong power of the Holy Spirit. Compare Ezek. 3 : 14 ; Acts 9 : 26 ; 1 Cor. 9:16. Ch. 10 ! 1-42. THE MISSION OF THE TWELVE. Ch. 10 : 1-15. THEIR COMMISSION.— The weakness and the power op the apostles (2 cor. 4 : 7).— Christian work, like charity, begins at home (vs. 5, 6).— The foundation op the Gospel : the king- dom OF HEAVEN IS at HAND (v. 7).— ThE WORK OF THE Gospel: healing, cleansing, lipe-gfving, devil- CONQCTERING (v. 8).— ThE TRUST OF THE GOSPEL MINIS- TRY : God and the people. Their support: the voluntary contributions op their hearers (vs. 9-13). — The sin of rejecting the Gospel is the most HEINOUS of all SINS (V8. 14, 15). The conflict between Christ and the Pharisees had already commenced. They had attacked him for breaking the Sabbath (Matt. 12 : 2, 10, U; John 5: ic), and for associating with publicans and sinners (Matt. 9 : 11), and accused him of casting out devils by the Prince of devils (Matt. 12 : 24). He had made several missionary tours through Galilee, preaching the Gospel and healing the sick. Prior to this commission are undoubtedly to be placed, not only the miracles previously recorded by Matthew, but also those of the raising of the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7 : ii-n), and the heal- ing of the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda (John 6). He had also been mobbed at Nazareth (Luke 4 : 29, 3o), and had already not only vigor- ously exposed the errors of the Pharisees in the 134 MATTHEW. [Ch. X. CHAPTER X. ND when he had called unto him his twelve dis- . ciples, he' gave them power agaitist unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sick- ness and all manner of disease. 2 Now the names" of the twelve apostles are these : The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his Mark 3 : 13, 14 ; 6 : 7, .w Luke 6 : 13. Sermon on the Mount, but had denounced them and their hypocrisy before all the people (Matt, m -. 33-39 ; Luke 11 : 37-54), and had prcachcd the parables concerning the Kingdom of God recorded iu L'att. XIII. Meanwhile his popularity among the people had only been increased by the oppo- sition of the Pharisees. Wherever he went crowds gathered about him thronging the streets through which he passed ( JIark 2:15; 5 -. 24 : Luke 7 : 11 ; 8 : 45), crowding the houses he entered (Mark 2 ; 2), treading each other under foot in their eager- ness (Luke 12 : i), breaking in on his sleep and meals (Mark 3 : 2o), and following him on foot when he en- deavored to escape them by boat (Matt, u : is). Without entering here into the reasons for placmg this commission at a later date than appears to be assigned to it by Matthew, it may suffice to say that it appears clear from Mark 6 : 7-14 that the commission was given, if not after the death of John the Baptist, certainly about the same time. Two reasons appear to have led to this commis- sioning of the twelve : first, the growing eagerness of the people to hear the news of the kingdom could not be satisfied by one preacher ; second, the growing opposition of the Pharisees made ap- parent the necessity of not only appointing but training men to preach Christ's Gospel when he should be slain. This commission was, however, for a purely temporary service, and the instruc- tions which accompanied it apply directly only to this single preparatory mission (see notes below). There is nothing in this chapter to indicate that the twelve understood that they were appointed to any permanent office in the church, or that there was any permanent apostolic office created, or even that they comprehended that a church of Christ would be organized to promote the kingdom of heaven after Jesus' death, much less that a succession was established for all future time. Other passages of Scripture (e. g. Matt, as : 19, 20 ; Acts 1 : 13-26), taken in conjunction with the previous calling and present appointment of the twelve, seem to indicate that our Lord intended to confer upon them a quasi leadership in the in- fant church. Yet there are other indications that this leadership was not authoritative, such as the position of James, the Lord's brother (Acts 15 : 13 ; 21 : 18; Gal. 2 : 12 ; comp. Gal. 1 : Is), and that of Paul, both of whom are called apostles in the W. T. (i Cor. 15 : 9 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 5). The Significance of these passages wUl be considered in due course ; it must suffice now to say that this chapter throws Little or no light on the nature of the office and functions of the twelve in the church, as is evident from the fact that almost the same powers were conferred and almost the same directions given to the seventy (Luke lo : i-ie). 1. When he had called unto him his twelve disciples. The call and ordination of the twelve to be apostles had taken place some time previously ; in connection with it the Sermon on the Mount was delivered (Luke 6 : is). The lan- guage here "his twelve disciples " indicates very clearly that they had already been chosen and set apart to the ministry. He gave them power. See on verse 8. 2. The names of the twelve apostles are these. Of the twelve apostles there are four lists, the other three bemg found in Mark 3 : 16 ; Luke G : 14 ; and Acts 1 : 13. They difEer in the following particulars. Luke in the book of Acts does not insert the name of Judas Iscariot, who was then dead ; both hi his Gospel and in Acts he entitles the Sknon who is here and in Mark called the Canaanite, Simon Zelotes ; Matthew gives as the tenth disciple Lebbeus ; Mark calls him Thaddeus ; Luke and Acts Judas of James ; i. e. either son or brother of James ; and Mark says that James and John were surnamed by Christ Boanerges, i. e., The sons of thunder. In other respects the four lists are identical, except that the names are given in a slightly different order by the different writers. They all agree, however, in putting Simon Peter first and Judas Iscariot last, and all agree in arranging them in groups of four, Simon Peter being first of the first group, Philip of the second, James the son of Alphaeus of the third. There are three pairs of brothers among them, Andrew and Peter, James and John, James the less, and Judas or Thaddeus. James and John I believe to have been own cousins of our Lord. See note below. With the exception of Judas Iscariot all were Galileans ; several of them were by trade fisher- men, a laborious and profitable calling; they were all laymen, that is, there was neither priest nor scribe among them. They have generally been regarded as illiterate men (Acts 4 : la) ; but by this must be understood, not that they were specially ignorant, but that they were not versed in the rabbinical literature, the scholastic theol- ogy of their age. Philip and Peter both appear to have been acquainted with the Greek. This is indicated by the application of the Greeks to Philip (John 12 : 20, 2i) aud by the fact that the epis- tles of Peter were written in Greek. Matthew Ch. X.] MATTHEW. 135 of Zebedee, John his 3 Piiilip, and Bartholomew ; Thomas, and Matthew the publican ; James t/ie son of Alphseus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus ; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into afij/ city of the Samaritans^' enter ye not ; : 2 Kings 17 : 24 ; John 4 : 5, 9, 20. was a ready and methodical writer ; John evident- ly was a man of culture, as his writings show, and his social position was such as gave him ready access to the high priest's palace during the trial of Jesus (John 18 : 16) ; and there are unmistakable indications that several of the twelve possessed wealth or wealthy connections, for the father of James and John had hired servants, Peter appar- ently lived in his own house, and Matthew (Sen. ) had the means to give a large party to many friends (Mark i -. 20 ; Luke 4 : 3s ; 5 : 29). Several of them, Andrew, John, Philip, probably Peter and perhaps Nathanael or Bartholomew, were dis- ciples of John the Baptist, and in attendance on his ministry first became acquainted with our Lord (John 1 : 36 ; 37, 42, -u, 45, 49). I have groupcd together, in a note at the end of this chapter, a brief ac- count of the information which the Scripture affords us of their individual lives. The first, Simon Avho is called Peter. In the lists of the ajjostles Peter is always named first in order ; yet it is certain that he was not the first to come to Christ, for Andrew his brother brought Peter to him (jchn i : 40, 41), nor is there any other indication that he was the oldest than such as may be thought to be afforded by the fact that he was married (Mark 1 : so), and that he was generally foremost as spokesman of the twelve. (See below.) The precedence given to him, not only in the lists of the apostles but in the mention of him elsewhere in the Gospels, (Matt 17:1; Mark 6 : 37 ; 9 : 2 ; 14 : 33 ; 16 : 7 ; Luke 8:51; 9 : 28, and see references below), iS One Of the grOUndS On which the Roman Catholic church bases its belief that Christ made him and his successors the visi- ble head of the church. Here and elsewhere the Scripture indicates that he possessed a certain pre-eminence among the twelve, but it affords no hint of an ecclesiastical or official supremacy. On the contrary, though foremost in the early history of the church as a preacher of great power (Acts 2: 14, 41), he was less an ecclesiastical leader than James the Lord's brother (Acta 12:17 ; 15 : 13 ; 21 : IS ; Gal. 1 : 19), who iS UOt tO be COnfoundcd with either of the twelve of that name (see note below), and less a founder and buUder of the church than Paul, (see note on Matt. iG : 13-20. ) On the jjlace which the N. T. assigns to Peter, Alford's note is so admirable that I quote it entire. "We find Simon Peter, not only in the lists of the apostles, but also in their history, prominent on various occasions before the rest. Some- times he speaks in their name (Matt. 19 : 27 ; Luke 12 : 41) ; 7 sometimes answers when all are addressed (Matt. 16 : 16) ; sometimes our Lord addresses him as principal even among the three favored ones (Matt. 26 : 40 ; Luke 22 : s) ; somctimes he is addrcsscd by others as representing the whole (Matt. 17 : 24 ; Acts 2 : 37). He appears as the organ of the apos- tles after our Lord's ascension (Actel:15; 2:14:4:8; 5 : 29) ; the first speech, and apparently that which decided the Council, is spoken by him (Acts 15 : 1), All this accords well with the bold and energetic character of Peter, and originated in the unerr- ing discernment and appointment of our Lord himself, who saw in him a person adapted to take precedence of the rest in the founding of his Church (Acts 5 : 3, 9) and shutting (Acts 5 : 3, 9) and opening (Acts 2 : 14, 41 ; 10 : 5, 46) the doors of the kingdom of heaven. That, however, no such idea was current among the apostles as that he was destined to be the primate of the future Church is as clear as the facts above mentioned. For (1) no trace of such a pre-eminence is found in all the Epistles of the other apostles ; but when he is mentioned it is either, as in 1 Cor. 9 : .5, as one of the apostles, one example among many, but in no wise the chief ; or, as in Gal. 2 : 7, 8, with a distinct account of a peculiar province of duty and preaching being allotted to him, viz. the apostleship of the circumcision (see Pet. i : i), as distinguished from Paul, to whom was given the apostleship of the uncircumcision ; or, as in Gal. 2 : 9, as one of the principal pillars, together with James and John ; or, as in Gal. 2 : 11, as subject to rebuke from Paul as from an equal. And (2) wherever by our Lord himself the future constitution of his Church is alluded to, or by the apostles its actual constitution, no hint of any such primacy is given, but the whole college of apostles are spoken of as absolutely equal. Matt. 19 : 27, 28 ; 20 : 26, 28 ; Eph. 2 : 20. Again (3) in the two Epistles which we have from his own hand, there is nothmg for, but everything against, such a supposition. He exhorts the presbyters as being their co-presbyter (i Pet. s : i) ; describes himself as a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed ; addresses his second Epistle to them that have obtained the like precious faith with ourselves (2 Pet. 1 : 1), and makes not the slightest allusion to any pre-eminence over the other apostles." 5. These tAvelve Jesus sent forth. On the names, character and lives of the twelve, see note at the end of this chapter. And com- manded them saying. John gives no ac- 136 MATTHEW. [Ch. X. 6 But goy rather to the lost sheep' of the house of Israel. 7 And, as ye j heaven is at hanc :o, preach, saying," The kingdom of Ps. 119 : 176; Isa. 63 : 6; Jer. 50 ; 6,17; Eze. 34 : 5, 6, 8 ; 1 Pet. 2: 25 a ch. 3 : 2 ; 4 : 17 ; Luie 9 : 2 ; 10:9. count of this discourse ; Mark (e : 7-13) and Luke (9 : 1-6) present fragmentary reports of it. They were not apostles and were not present ; Mat- thew was, and his report is much the fullest. It is clear, both from the structure of the discourse and from Matthew 11 : 1, that it is no collection of our Lord's sayings uttered at different times, but a report of a single discourse delivered at one time and for a specific purpose. But similar precepts were given by Christ at the ordination of the seventy (Luke 10 . i-e) which should be com- pared carefully with this discourse, and some of the aphorisms found here and there are found elsewhere in the Gospels. Apparently Christ fre- quently repeated certain proverbial expressions in his itinerant preaching. Compare with verse 14, Luke 10 : 11 ; verse 17, Mark 13 : 9 ; verse 24, Luke 6 : 40, John 13 : 16 ; 1.5 : 20 ; verses 29-31, Luke 12 : 6, 7, etc. Much of Luke 13 : 1-11 ap- pears to duplicate portions of this address. Com- paring the reports of the three Evangelists, the following features are found characteristic of the mission of the twelve. The apostles were to go in pairs (Mark a : 7), " for they were to be ac- customed to work in brotherly fellowship, and when difficulties arose one was to have the coun- sel and aid of the other " {SchenckeVs Character of Jesus) ; they were to minister to both body and soul (verses 7 and 8) ; Were to preach in the towns and villages while Christ continued his ministry in the cities (compare Luke 9 : 6 with Matt. 11 : i) ; were to preach only to the Jews (verses 5, 6) ; and in their ministry were to follow the example and adopt the habits of the ancient prophets (See note below). The discourscs to them may be divided into three parts : first, their commission proper (verses 5-16) ; second, warnings of obstacles and persecution (verses 16-23) ; third, promises and encouragements (verses 24-12). The first comprises specific directions directly applicable only to this temporary mission, and part of them were sub- sequently declared by Christ inoperative in their later and wider ministry (see notes beiow) ; the second is more general, and applies to the Christian min- istry in aU times of religious persecution ; the third appears to be universally applicable to all followers of Christ, whether engaged directly in the work of preaching the Gospel or not. The first part contains (a) the limitation of the apos- tles' missionary commission (verses 5-6) ; (&) their commission itself (verses 7, s) ; (c) their provision (verses 9, lo) J {d) dircctious Es to their methods (verses II-I5). Go not into the way of the Gentiles, i. e., into the Gentile territory. And into a city of the Samaritans enter ye not. The Samaritans were a mongrel race produced by an intermixture of Jews and heathen. Their relig- ion was a composition of the worship of the true God and of idolatry (2 Kings n : 24-41). The enmity of the Jews against them was intense (John 4 : 9), and their character and conduct were charac- teristic of an apostate race. (See note on parable of Good Samaritan, Luke 10 : 25-37, and on John 4 :9.) 6. But go rather. The very form of this prohibition affords an intimation that it was not intended to be permanent. To the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Not to any particu- lar class of Israelites, but to the Jews, who were as sheep without a shepherd (chapter 9 : 36 ; 15 : 24 ; John 10 : 16). What was th£ cause and what is the significance of this prohibition ? It certainly "was not because Christ shared the prejudices of the age which caused the Jewish rabbis to forbid teaching the law to a Gentile (see to the contrarj-, Matt. 8 : 10-12 ; 28 ; 19 ; Acts 1:8); nor because any inherent necessity re- quired that the Gospel should be preached ex- clusively to God's chosen people before it was offered to the Gentiles, for Jesus had already preached it to the Samaritans (John 4 : 40) ; nor because he must by his death break down the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gen- tile before they could be made inheritors of the promise (Ephes. 2 : 14), for Christ before his death declared them to be sharers in the New Covenant (Luke 4 : 24-27). Two reasous are apparent, though none are declared by Christ himself ; first, because if the twelve had begun by preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles they would have intensified the Jewish prejudices against it, and so closed the door to Jewish hearts ; second, because they did not themselves understand the universality of the Gospel until long after, and if they had at- tempted to preach it to the Gentiles they would have inevitably became preachers of the Jewish law, and made at best only converts to a reformed Judaism. The practical significance of the com- mand is that our work for Christ should begin with those nearest to us ; that Ave are to preach the Gospel to our neighbors and friends, and so test our capacity before reaching out with relig- ious ambition for a larger field of personal work among the heathen at home or abroad. But it affords no justification for refusing aid to those who have proved their capacity and have entered on the larger work. 7. And as ye go. The ministry was to bo an itinerant one. Preach, saying the King- Ch. X.] MATTHEW. 137 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils : freely'' ye have received, freely give. 9 Provide'^ neither gold, nor silver, nor brass, in your purses ; lo Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves; for'' the workman is worthy of his meat. II, And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, ,20 c Luke 22 : i .d Luke 10 : 7, etc. dom of Heaven is at hand, i. e., draws nigh. Compare the following passages, where the Greek word {iyyiiu)), here translated at hand, is rendered draw nigh or come nigh (Matt. 21 : 1,34; Mark 11:1, Luke 15 : 25). The phrase Kingdom of Heaven first appears in the N. T., but this meta- phor is employed in the prophecies of Daniel (Dan. 4 : 3, 34 ; 7 : 13, 14), wheucc it passed iuto the rabbini- cal books, where it is used sometimes in a general and almost a scriptural sense to signify a state of complete and perfect submission to the divine will, sometimes in a more restricted sense to sig- nify that political reformation and national ex- altation which the Jews expected would follow the coming of the Messiah (see Luke n : 20 ; 19 : 11). The disciples were not directed to explain in what the Kingdom of Heaven consisted ; they were Blmply to proclaim that it was near. In this re- spect their preaching was to be patterned after that of John the Baptist (Matt. 3 : 2). It was their office in this mission not to instruct the na- tion, but simply to raise an expectancy, and so prepare the way for mstruction which Christ af- terward afforded in his sermon at Capernaum (John 6), and which the apostles themselves were afterward directed to give to the Gentiles (M.itt. S8 : 19 ; compare 1 Cor. 2:2; Col. 1 : 26-28). It iS not a law nor even a precedent for us ; but is it not always the first work of the preacher, whether lay or clerical, to awaken a spiritual appetite, even if it be not very intelligent at the beginning ? And is It not always to be done by proclaiming the kingdom of God as at hand, by making vivid the presence and power of God in nature and life, or awakening an expectation of his early coming in death and the judgment, or otherwise producing a sense of personal responsibility to God ? The immediate effect of this mission was to extend the fame of Jesus (Matt, u-.i; Mark e : 31). 8. Heal the sick, etc. This command was accompanied with the conferring of power (verse 1), the first bestowal of miraculous power on the disciples. In the call of the Seventy it led to a mistaken exultation which Christ corrected (Luke 10 : n-20). To those who see in the external acts of Christ's ministry a parable of his spiritual work, and especially in his ministry to the body a type of his ministry to the soul, it will not seem fanciful to trace that parallel here. The wise apostle of Christ will sometimes treat sin as a sickness to be cured (compare Cai. 6 : 1, 2), some- times as a leprous pollution to be cleansed away (Acts 8 : 22, 23), sometimes as a spiritual death, the remedy for which is a spiritual resurrection (Eph. 2 : 4, 5), sometimes as a possession of the soul by an evil spirit that must be cast out (Acts 13 : 10-12 ; 19 : 18, 19). He needs to exercise sometimes gentle- ness and long-suffering, sometimes the purifying power of loving-kindness, sometimes spiritual vehemence, sometimes courage in combat with op- posing evil. Christ healed his disciples of unworthy ambition (Mark 9 : 34-37), cleansed the woman that was a sinner (Luke 7 : 47, 48), raised Matthew from the dead (Matt. 9 : 9), and cast the devil out of Peter (Matt. 16 : 23). It should be added that the phrase "raise the dead "is omitted from some MSS., and placed in others before " cleanse the lepers." Freely ye have received, freely give. This clause properly belongs with the two verses following, and enunciates the general principle which they illustrate. Freely is here equivalent to gratuitously (see Isaiah 51:1; Acts 8 : 18-23). It iS Only as the minister, lay or clerical, receives from the Lord that he can impart in his name. As to the bearing of this verse on the question of free church 's, see below. 9. Provide neither gold. The articles referred to in this and the succeeding verses were the ordinary provision of travelers. They are of three kinds, money, food and clothing. Gold, silver, brass ; rather copper. Mark and Luke have in our translation the general term money ; but in the Greek, Mark has 'brass or copper^ and Luke siXver. All money in the East, in the time of Christ, was coined, and these three words embrace all coins ; the apostles were not to pro- vide themselves with money. Purses ; lite- rally belt or girdle. One end of the girdle was folded back so as to form a pocket : and it was used to carry money or an inkstand (Ezek. 9 : 2), a use to which it is still put in the East, 10. Nor scrip. " A bag used for carrying food or other necessaries ; it was generally made of leather, and slung over the shoulder (1 sam. 17 : 40) ; a similar article is still used by Syrian shepherds." — {Eitto.) Mark and Luke interpret this direction by their phraseology, "?*o scrip, no bread.'''' The apostles were to carry no food, and not even the traveler's bag or wallet in which to put such as might be provided for them. Nei- ther two coats, literally tunics. The tunic (Greek ztrwi) was the inner garment, worn next the skin, usually with sleeves and reachmg to the knees. It answered rather to our shirt than to our coat. Apparently two tunics were some- times worn, probably of different stuffs, by per- 138 MATTHEW. [Ch. X. inquire who in it is worthy, and there abide till ye go thence. 12 And when ye come into an house, salute it. 13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come sons of rank, wealth, or oflacial station. To this fact John the Baptist refers probably in Luke 3 : 11. In Mark 14 : 03, the high priest is said to have "rent his clothes," literally, "Ais tunics,''^ indicating that he had on more than one ; and Mark, in his account of this commission, says, "awd not put on two coals " or tunics. Neither shoes. Mark (ch. 6 : 9) gives the converse direction "6e .shod with sandals.'''' "Shoes were of more delicate use ; sandals were more ordinary and more for service. A shoe was of softer leather ; a sandal of harder." — {Lightfoot.) The whole prohibition is aimed at luxury and delicacy of at- tire. Nor yet staves. The proper reading is neither a staff. According to Mark (ch. 6 -. s) the apostles were allowed each to take a staflE ; prob- ably the reading here has been changed to har- monize the two accounts. But no traveler would think of taking an extra staff. According to Mark they are per- mitted to take a staff, i. e., the one which they already possessed ; ac- cording to Matthew they were not to 2^1'ovide staves for this jour- ney ; they were to go as they were, without any_ additional pro- vision. For the workman is Avorthy of his meat. This as- signs the reason for the prohibi- tion of special provision ; they are to be supported by those whom they serve. In the accompanying cut, from an Italian marble, a Eoman peasant is shown, with his staff, and with his scrij) or wallet slung over his shoulder. From these provisions in verses 9 and 10 re- garding the support of the twelve in this their first missionary tour, too much has sometimes been deduced respecting the support of the Christian ministry and their true method of operation. The commission was for a temporary service ; the requirements were adapted to the customs of society ; the apostles were cast upon the hospitality of the people partly to try their own faith, partly to try that of the people, and measure their readiness to receive the Gospel, partly because they thus conformed to the habits of the ancient prophets (1 Kings n : O; 2 Kings 4 : 8), and so assumed an oflBce and position with which the people were measurably familiar. It is no more just to assume that the ministry must always be itinerant and without a settled support, than to conclude that they must not preach to the Gentiles, and must confine their preaching to a mere heralding of the coming of the kingdom of heaven (verses 5-7). In subsequent directions for their later ministry, Christ gave the apostles com- mands directly opposite to certain precepts here (compare verse 6 with Acts 1 : s), and hiS OWn practice did not ordinarily conform to the precepts here given, forbidding provision. The band had a treasurer, and usually carried both money (John 12 : 6 i 13 : 29) and prOVisiOUS (Matt. 14 : n ; 15 : 04 ; IG t C, l) \ and Christ himself expressly declared later that these directions were not applicable in their sub- sequent ministry (Luke 22 : 35, se) ; observe that the disciples were abundantly provided for by the hospitality of the people (Luiie 22 ■ as). But while we shall miss the meaning of these precepts if we regard them as rules for the permanent govern- ment of the church, we shall also miss their meaning tf we do not gather from them for our guidance the spirit and 2irinciples which underlie them. They certainly involve this much, viz., that (a), the ministry are to seek, as well as to save the lost, and therefore are to go after them ; (6), they are to give freely, and not make a mer- chandise of the Gospel ; (c), they are to avoid all ostentation in attire and luxury in food ; (d), they are to depend on the voluntary contribu- tions of the people for their sustenance, as did the O. T. priesthood to a large extent, and the O. T. prophets altogether (xumb. is : 20, 21 ; Deut. 10 ; 8, 9 ; 18 : 1, 2) ; and not on the acquisition of property by the church so as to render its min- istry independent of the people, as the Roman Catholic hierarchy do, nor on the support of the state, as do the ministry of all established churches ; (e), their dependence is that of a laborer who earns his bread, not that of a beg- gar who receives it as a gratuity. But whether the wages are paid in chance and occasional con- tributions, or in a permanent and regular stipend is a matter not determined here, nor, so far as I can now see, anywhere in the Scripture. 11-15. These verses give further directions as to the method in which the apostles are to prosecute their mission now given to them. With these directions compare those given to the seventy reported in Luke 10 : .5-13. 11. Who ill it is worthy. For an interpre- tation of the kind of worth signified, see Acts 13 : 46, 48 ; 17 : 11. It is not moral excellence, but a readiness to receive the Gospel message. In this sense Zaccheus, though a publican, was worthy to be a host of Christ (Lute 19 : 5, 9). Chry- sostom notes that Christ requires his apostles to exercise circumspection. They are not to trust to the hospitality of every one, but to enquire where they will be likely to find a welcome. There abide. They are not to go from house to house (compare Luke 10 : ?), Icst the time that should be devoted to the preaching of the Gos- pel be frittered away in receiving hospitality and entertainment. A comparison of this direction Ch. X.] MATTHEW. 139 upon it : but if it be not worthy, let j'our peace return"^ to you. 14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake' off the dust of your feet. 15 Verily I say unto you, Its shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. 16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves : be ye therefore wise"" as serpents, and harm- less' as doves. 17 But bewareJ of men: for they^ will deliver you .f Neh. 5:13; Acts 13 : 51; 18:6. 16:10; Eph. 5 : 15. . . .i Phil. 2 : 15. . . .j Phil. 3 : 2. with the apostolic practice subsequent to Christ's resurrection (Acts 2 : 4c, but see note there), afforcls a hint of the right and the wrong kind of pastoral vis- iting ; the right kind goes for the preaching of the Gospel, the wrong kind for mere social entertainment. 13. And when ye come into the house salute it. Not the house that is vi'orthy, but any house which they enter. They are not to stand on ceremony and the dignity of their office and await a welcome ; they are at once to ofEer the customary salutation. The ancient Jews, like the modern Mohammedans, did not salute one of a different religious faith ; but the apostles were not to wait until they had ascertained how they would be received before proffering their bless- ing. For form of salutation see Luke 10 : 5 ; and compare Numb. 6 : 23-26. 13. Let your peace return to you. The prayer for blessing will receive no answer if the heart refuses to receive the blessing. Nor are the apostles to be disturbed in mind because of such refusal, still less to follow their rejected benediction with an anathema. Their peace is to return to them. "If your peace finds a shut in- stead of an open door in any household, take it back to yourselves who know how to value it, and it will taste the sweeter to you for having been offered, even though rejected." — {Dr. Urown.) There is no peace like that which comes from bearing insult and wrong with sweetness and serenity. 14. And whosoever shall not receive you * * * shake off the dust of your feet. Mark and Luke add by way of explanation "/w- a testimony against them.'''' Compare Luke 10 : 11. The Scribes taught that the dust of heathen lands defiled those who came in contact with it ; accordingly it was a custom of the Pharisees, when they entered Judea from a heathen country, to shake off the dust of the land as a testimony that they had no part or lot with heathenism. The apostles, if rejected, were to turn from the city or house that rejected them and hold no fur- ther intercourse with it. It was to be to them as a Gentile city to a Jew. Compare Matt. 18 : 17 ; and see for illustration of this precept A cts 13 : 51 ; 18 : 6. Is the Christian minister, then, to re- fuse all intercourse with and all second attempts to win those who reject Christ in the first presen- tation * No ! because these are not rules for the permanent ministry, but for a specific and neces- sarily rapid mission, whose object was not so much to win souls as to awaken attention and prepare for a future ministry. On this point Chrysostora's homily is admirable ; I quote a single paragraph : "For I indeed ofteutimes pronounce peace to you, and will not cease from continually speak- ing it ; and if, besides your insults, you receive me not, even then I shake not off the dust ; not that I am disobedient to our Lord, but that I vehemently bum for you. And besides I have suf- fered nothing at all for you ; I have neither come a long journey, nor with that garb and that vol- untary poverty am I come, nor without shoes and a second coat ; and perhaj^s this is why ye also fail of your part." 15. It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for that city. Compare chap. 11 : 21-23, and Luke 10 : 13-15. Observe, firsts that as there are degrees of guilt, so there will be degrees of punishment in the future world (Luke 12 : 47, 48) ; and seconil, that the guilt of reject- ing the Gospel is marked by Christ as greater than that of moral impurity of life. Neither secular nor sacred history contains a record of immorality and vice more loathsome and flagrant than that of the cities of the plain (oen. is : 20 ; 19 : 4-13) ; but Christ pronounces a heavier woe against those that refuse the proffer of the Gos- pel, because the refusal to accept help out of sin is more fatal than any form of immorality, however grievous. Ch. 10 : 16-23. WORDS OP WARNING. The Chkis- TiAN, LIKE Christ, is a sheep among wolves (Isaiah 53 : 7).— The Christian is in an enemy's country (vs. 17, 18). The danger in the first century was FROM OPEN attack, IN THE NINETEENTH IT IS FROM treacherous ambuscade. — The Christian's best preparation for threatened difficulty and dan- ger: the baptism op the holy spirit (vs. 19, 20). —a true rnspiration is the perpetual heritage OF God's people.— Tribulation in the world; GLORY beyond THE WORLD (vs. 21, 22; Johu 16 : 33). —Persecution is a wind that carries the seeds op TRUTH on its wings (V. 23). 16-23. In these verses Christ passes from the immediate and temporary mission to the future work of the apostles, and warns them of the dan- ger which their consecration to his service will involve. It is certain that these warnings are not exclusively, and it is doubtful whether they are even primarily, applicable to the immediate and 140 MATTHEW. [Ch. X. up to the councils, and they will scourge' you in their synagogues ; 18 And ye" shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But" when they deliver you up, take no thought Acts 6 : 40 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 24 m Acts, chs. 24 and 25. , . .n Mark 13 : 11 ; Luke 12:11; 21 : 14, 15. temporary mission laid upon them in this dis- course. It is observable that these warnings and the subsequent encouragements are not found in the discourse to the seventy (Luke lo : i-ie). Ob- serve that Christ always sets before the disciples the hazards and dangers of discipleship, and bids them count the cost before entering on their work. Compare Luke 14 : 25-36. 16. Behold I seud you forth. J, who give all power, both send and direct in what spirit and by what methods you are to execute your mis- sion. "In saying 'Behold, I send you forth as sheep, ' he intimates this, ' Do not therefore de- spond, for I know certainly that in this way more than any other, ye will be invincible to all." — {Chrysosfom.) Observe Christ's tacit claim of power in this declaration, which is quite incom- patible with the humUity which would belong to Jesus if he were mere man.- Compare Isaiah 6 : 8. As sheep in the midst of wolves. " Not to the wolves, but in the midst of wolves, in order to seek out those who would receive the king- dom." — (Lange.) Yet the symbol is intended to teach, not merely their apparent helplessness, but their real power, "the unresistable might of weakness." "For thus shall I best show forth my might when sheep do get the better of wolves, and receiving a thousand bites, so far from being consumed, do even work a change on them ; a thing far greater and more marvellous than kill- ing them, to alter their spirit and to reform their mind ; and this being only twelve, while the whole world is filled with wolves." — {Chrysos- totn.) Christ himself was as a sheep among wolves. See Isaiah 53 : 7 ; and compare Psalm 44 : 22 ; Rom. 8 : 36. There is possibly here a reference to the passage in Psalms. Has the church always been a sheep among wolves ? Was not the inquisition rather a wolf among sheep ? Be ye therefore shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. The Greek word {uy.inutuc) translated harmless, occurs also in Romans 16 : 19 and Phil, 2 : 15, and probably signifies unmixed, simple, i. e. the opposite of a character in which many motives mingle and every act is complex, and the aims covered up and concealed. There is in this aphorism of Christ's a contrast in terms which the translators have endeavored to soften, and which the above translation but imperfectly renders. The serpent was among the Jews a common symbol of diabolical craft, while the dove was proverbial for its stupidity ; it was an Arab proverb. There is nothing more simple than the dove ; both conceptions are embodied in the O. T. Scripture (oen. 3 : i ; Hosea 7:11); and a proverb very analogous in words, but very different in application to that of our Lord's, is found in the rabbinical books: "Ye shall be toward me as upright as the doves, but toward the Israelites as cunning as serpents." The Christian worker is to combine these two contradictory qualities in his conduct toward all men. He is to be guile- ful like the serpent (2 cor. 2 : re) and guileless like the dove (1 Pet. 2 : 1, 21, 22). Of the wisdom of the serpent, Christ's replies to the Pharisees in the last days of his mission afford an example (Matt. 22 : 15-46) ; the simplicity of the dove he exempli- fied during his trial (Matt. 26 : es, 64). "These qual- ities are opposed to each other ; they never occur combined in nature, or in the natural disposition of man. But the spirit of Christ combines in higher unity these natural antagonisms. The serpent slips innumerable times from the hand of the pursuer [and catches its prey by guile, see reference above] ; the dove does not settle in any unclean place, it approaches him who is gentle, and will never do harm to the persecutor ; its safety lies in flying upward." It may be added that Christian virtue often consists in holdmg in even balance opposing qualities, either of which alone or in excess becomes a vice. 17. But beAv^are of men, i. e., of all men (verse 22), not merely of particular persecutors, but of the enmity of mankind. See below. Coun- cils. The local tribunals established in every town. Their origin is indicated in Deut. 16 : 18. They consisted, according to Josephus, of seven judges ; according to the rabbinical books, of twenty-three. See on chap. 5 : 21. Scourge you in their synagogues. In every syna- gogue there was a bench of three magistrates, who had authority to inflict certain punishments, of which scourging was one. "The number of stripes could not exceed forty (Deut. 25 : 3) ; whence the Jews took care not to exceed thirty-nine (2 Cor. 11 : 24). The convict was stripped to the waist and tied in a bent position to a low pillar, and the stripes, with a whip of three thongs, were inflicted on the back between the shoulders." — {Smitfi''s Bib. Diet., Am. Ed., Art. Punishme7its.) This punishment is not to be confounded with the Roman scourging to which our Lord was subjected under Pilate (Matt. 27 : 26), which was a still more dreadful infliction. For general ac- count of synagogues, see note on Matt. 4 : 23 ; for evidence of direct fulfillment of this pro- phecy, see Acts 5 : 40 ; 22 : 19 ; 26 : 11. 18. And ye shall be brought before gov- Ch. X.] MATTHEW. 141 how or what ye shall speak ; for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to and the children shall d cause them to be put death, and the father the child rise up against their parents, i to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake ; but he" that endureth to the end shall be saved. Dan. 12: 12,13; Rev. 2 : 11. ernors, i. e., Roman ofllcials, e. g., Felix (Acts, ch. 24), FestUS (Acts, ch. 25), Gallio (Acts 18 : I2), PaulUS (Acts 13: 7). And kings, e.g., Herod Agrippa (Acts, ch. 26), and Caesar, i. e., Nero (Acts 25 : 12). For my sake* Compare Matt. 5 : 11, 13, and Acts 5 : 41. For a testimony against them. Neither against them, as in our version, nor to them, as in some commentaries, but bot?i against and to tJwm (2 cor. 2 : 15, le). " It was a tes- timony in the best sense to Sergius Paulus (Acts 13 : 7), but against Felix (Acts 25 : 25) ; and this dou- ble power ever belongs to the word of God as preached — it is a two-edged sword" (Rev. irie; 2 : 12). — {Alford.) And the Gentiles, rather the nations. Compare Matt. 2i : 14, and for an illus- tration of the effect of the bringing of an apostle before the kings, see Phil. 1 : 12-18. 19. Take no thought. Literally, be not di- vided in mind, i. e., between desire to be faithful to the truth and a desire to act prudently and to escape threatened evU. The Greek word here QiBQiuvow) is the same as that used in Matt. 6 : 25 ; see note there. Alford renders it, Take no anx- ious thought. Be not distracted, still more closely reflects the meaning of the origmal. Observe the qualification, " When they deliver you up,^^ and the contrary direction, contrary in words though not in spirit, given to those disciples, the grounds of whose faith were inquired into, "Be always ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, in meekness and fear " (1 Pet. 3 : 15). "As long as the contest is among friends, he commends us to take thought ; but when there is a terrible tribunal, and frantic assemblies, and terrors on all sides, he bestows the influence from himself, that they may take courage and speak out, and not be discouraged nor betray the righteous cause." — {Chrysostom.) This verse is best inter- preted by such practical illustrations as are af- forded by Acts 4 : 19, 20 ; 5 : 20-32 ; and see espe- cially Dan. 3 : 16-18. How or what ye shall speak, i. e., they are neither to be anxious con- cerning the matter nor the manner of their reply. Compare Romans 8 : 26 ; "for we know not what we should pray for as we ought." For it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. Even irrespective of the more distinct promise of the succeeding verse, it is generally safer in time of threatened danger to trust to the intuition of the hour and speak boldly and simply the truth than to study an answer which by much thinking is apt to become an evasion. Mental distraction never inspires moral courage. That this verse should ever have been quoted as an authority for giving instruction in the principles of the Gospel without previous study and thought affords one of the most amaz- ing examples of the capacity of the mind to mis- interpret and misapply the truth. 20. For it is not you that speak, etc. Compare Exod. 4 : 12 ; Jer. 1:7; Acts 4 : 8. And observe in the latter case how obedience to Christ's precept rendered the reply of the apos- tles a witness for Jesus to the Sanhedrim, (see verse 13.) The Spirit of your Father. The Holy Spirit, more explicitly promised in John 15 : 26, 27. This promise here given does not imply the inspiration of the Scriptures, but it does necessarily involve the strongest possible assurance of a divine insjnration, i. e., of a divine influence acting upon and giving peculiar power to the heart and mind of the disciple. The care- ful student should combine here the note of Alford and that of Chrysostom. The first ob- serves that "in the great work of God in the world, human individuality sinks down and van- ishes, and God alone, his Christ, his Spirit is the great worker;" the latter notes that "from first to last part is God's work, part his disciples'. Thus, to do miracles is his, but to provide nothing is theirs. Again, to open all men's houses, was of the grace from above ; but to require no more than was needful, was of their own self-denial. Their bestowing peace was of the gift of God ; their inquiring for the worthy and not entering in without distinction unto all, was of their own self-command. Again, to pun- ish such as received them not, was his ; but re- tiring with gentleness from them without reviling or insulting them, was of the apostles' meekness. To give the Spirit and cause them not to take thought, was of him that sent them ; but to be- come like sheep and doves, and to bear all things nobly [and to abstain from distracting thoughts], was of their own calmness and prudence. To be hated and not to despond, and to endure, was their own ; to save them that endured, was of him who sent them." Observe, too, how the promised inspiration is characterized by the very form of the promise, "speaketh in you." It is not a divine dictation of words to the speaker, but a divine inspiring of his oivn natural faculties, so that the Spirit speaks not to the disciple, nor through the disciple, but in the disciple. Com- pare 1 Pet. 1 : 31. 142 MATTHEW. [Ch. X. 23 But when they persecute you in this city, fleeP ye into another : for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. 21. And the brother shall deliver up the brother, etc. Natural affection is not adequate to counteract the power of religious bigotry. No power for evil is greater than that of a corrupted and misdirected religious zeal ; none is more unscrupulous and cruel. 22. Hated of all. For the reason why, see John 1.5 : 18, 19. For the Christian's answer to the world's hate, see Matt. 5 : 44. This verse, compared with such injunctions as Matt. 5 : 16, affords a striking illustration of the seeming contradictions of -which the Bible is full ; but not fuller than life itself. Christian character com- mends itself to the consciences of men, but is hated because it crosses their self-interest, and rebukes, by its very purity, their sin. See for illustrations of good works that led men both to glorify God and to hate his disciples Acts i : 13, 18 ; 5 : 28, 40. Chrysostom remarks on the com- bination of dangers of which Christ warned his disciples ; the courts of justice, kings, governors, synagogues of Jews, nations of Gentiles, rulers, ruled, their own kinsfolk, and finally the whole combined enmity of mankind. The spiritual power of Christ is exemplified in the fact that he could describe such dangers, and yet inspire the twelve with courage to go forth undaunted to meet them. Chrysostom's practical application to our own times is also worth quoting and worth pondering, " What then must we deserve, having such high patterns, and in peace giving way to eflEeminacy and remissness ? With none to make war we are slain ; we faint when no man pursues ; in peace we are required to be saved, and even for this we are not sufficient." But he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Some of the commentators, among others Alford, SchaH and Owen, see in this promise a primary reference to the destruction of Jerusalem, the end being, in their view, the over- throw of the holy city, and the being saved the de- liverance referred to in Matt. 24 : 15-18. There appears to me to be nothing either in the context or in the parallel passages where this aphorism occurs, to warrant this view. The promise is simply the general one ; he who endures perse- cution until its completion, and so by implication until it has completed in the soul its work of purification (Rom. 5:3-5; James 1:3, 4), Shall be saved, i. e, ransomed and presented perfect be- fore the throne of grace. So Dr. Alexander in- terprets it. See for parallels Matt. 24 : 13 ; 13 : 21 ; Ephes. 6 : 13 ; Hebrews 3:6; 10 : 23, 38, 39 ; Rev. 2 : 10, 17, 26, 23. But when they persecute you iu this city, flee you into another. It has been no- ticed that this implies a promise that they should find another provided, that they should not be without a refuge. In seeming contrast to this direction is John 10 : 11, 13 ; " the hireling fleeth because he is an hireling and careth not for the sheep." Wordsworth suggests the true recon- ciliation : " If a person has a flock committed to his care which will be scattered or t(3rn by wolves if he flies, then he must not fly." Christ himself exemplified on more than one occasion the mean- ing of the direction flee (Luke 4 : 28-30 ; John 8 : 59 ; 10 : 39). Through obedience to it persecution became in the apostolic era an instrument for the spread of the Gospel (Acts 8 : 1 ; 11 : 19). The same princi- ple in the later history of the church has wrought in the same way \ e. g., the flight of the Puri- tans from the persecutions of the Stuarts, and of the Huguenots from persecutions in France, led to the religious foundation which was imparted to the American colonies. Directly contrary to the spirit of this precept was the spirit of Chris- tians in the early church. The passion for mar- tyrdom became so great that men accused them- selves to receive the martyr's crown, or openly disturbed heathen Avorship for the same purpose ; and this singular fanaticism had finally to be re- pressed by the admonitions of the clei-gy, and even by a canon which refused the title of mar- tyrdom to those who sought it by publicly de- stroying idols. True Christian principle is quite compatible with true Christian prudence. For verily I say unto you. A common introduction to a peculiarly solemn aflflrmation. See note on Matt. 5 : 15. Ye shall not have gone over. Literally, Te shall not complete. But it is hardly possible to give to this the sense which Alford gives : ye shall not have preached the Gospel effectually. The meaning afforded by our English version is much the more natural. Dr. Owen paraphrases it. Shall not have finished passing through the cities to preach the Gospel. Till the Son of man be come. The phrase. Son of man., is used in the O. T. some- times to designate the descendants of Adam (job »6 : 6 ; Psalm 144 : 3 ; 140 : 3 ; Isaiah 51 : 12 ; 56 : 2) and in EzB- kiel that prophet is addressed by this appellation about eighty times. In Daniel (7 : 13) it is applied prophetically to the Messiah, and in this sense alone is it used in the N. T. In the Evangelists the writers themselves never use it of Christ, but fie uses it in describing himself, especially when speaking of himself as the Messiah (Matt. 9:6; 11:19; 12:8; 13:41; 17:9,22; 24 : 27-30, etc.). It is also used elsewhere by third persons, but always Oh. X.] MATTHEW. 143 24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the ! vant above his lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as Ms mas- ter, and the servant as his lord. If they have called q Luke 6 : 40 ; John 13 : 16 ; 15 : 20 r John 8 : s in speaking of him in his exaltation and manifest- ed glory (Acts 7 : 56 i Rev. 1:13; 14 : 14). And the Com- ing of the Son of man, wherever used it the N. T., prophetically signifies the disclosure of Jesus as the Messiah (Matt. 24 : 21, 37, 39 j 25 : 31 ; Mark 8 : 38 ; Luke 17 : 24), but not always his final coming to judge the world (Matt. 16: 28). It is evident that in this promise Christ cannot refer directly to his final coming in judgment, because he did not know when that event would take place (Mark 13 : 32). This much is clear ; but in the light of these facts the interpretation of this prophecy, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man be come, must be confessed to be difficult. The principal explanations are the following : 1. Before they had f ufilled their task Christ himself, following them, would overtake them and be ready to give them future directions. So Chry- sostom, Lange, and apparently Alexander. But this does not agree with the universal usage by Matthew of the phrase "coming of the Son of man," nor with the facts in the case, for Christ did not overtake the apostles, but they returned to him (Mark 6 ; 30; Luke 9 : lo). 2. Before the work of ejTeciuallij preaching the Gospel to the Jews, i. e. before the Jews were all converted, Christ would come in power and glory to judge the world. But he does not say before all missionary work is done, but before their ivorJc is done. The plain meaning of the promise is that it is to be fulfilled during their life-time. 3. Before their mission was ended the desti-uction of Jerusalem should take place, i. e. Christ should in his power by his providence come to judge the Jewish nation. This is the common view of most commentators, e. g. Alford, BrovvTi, Bloomfield, Barnes, Owen, &c. It appears to me to be untenable. In no proper sense did the Son of man come in the de- struction of Jerusalem. It may be conceded that this national judgment was itself a pro- phetic symbol of the final judgment when the Son of man shall come in power and glory ; but the promise here made to the apostles of his personal coming to aid them in their mission, is not fulfilled by an event whieh is not the coming of the Son of man at all, but only a prophecy and symbol of that coming. 4. Before their preaching to the Jewish nation should be completed, Jesus should be revealed as the Son of man, i. e. as the Messiah, a promise which was fulfilled by his crucifixion, resurrection, and second spiritual coming to dwell in the hearts of his disciples. This is apparently the view of Lightfoot and Calvin, It appears to me to be the true one for the following reasons : (a) The Son of man did not fully come until his crucifixion and his resur- rection, which not only disclosed his Messianic character (Matt. 27 : 54 ; Rom. 1 : 4), but also completed his Messianic mission (Luke 24 : 2G; John 12 : 31, 34; Acts 17 : 3). (&) Not until then did or could he fulfill the promise of his second and spiritual coming to abide in the hearts of his disciples (john i4 : is, 19, £1-23). That promise was fulfilled at the day of Pentecost by the descent of the Holy Spirit ; for the clearly marked distinction between the three persons of the Godhead belongs to a later epoch in theology, and Christ himself speaks of the coming of the Spirit and his own coining as all one (compare John 14 : 16, 17 with verses 18-23), and the apostles speak of the indwelling of the Spirit and of Christ as one (compare Acts 4 : 8 with verse 13, and Gal. 5 : 6, 24 with verses 16 and 25, and see Rom. 8 : l), (c) It iS after the disclosure of Christ as the Messiah by his resurrection and his second and spiritual coming, that the apostles begin to preach that Jesus is the Christ, that is, to declare that the Son of man, a Messiah, has come ; this forms the burden of their first preaching subsequent to the ascension (Acts 2 : 36 ; 3 : 18 ; 4 : 10-12 ; 8 : 5, and note 9 : 22 ; 10:42), and the revelation made to them by the Holy Spirit of Jesus as the Messiah is recognized by them as a fulfillment of the prophecies of the O. T., respecting the Messiah's coming (Acts 2: 16-21 ; 3 : 19), {d) Fmally it was not until after this spiritual coming of Christ, subsequent to his re- surrection and ascension, that the disciples made an end of preaching the Gospel to the cities of Judea and began to preach to the Gentiles. This promise, then, may be paraphrased thus : Go on ; fear not ; before your mission to the Jews (verse b) is Completed, the Messiah will be revealed and the Messiah's kingdom established : and this promise was fulfilled by Christ's passion, resur- rection, ascension and subsequent spiritual com- ing on the day of Pentecost, though in a manner very difiEerent from that which the disciples had anticipated. Ch. 10 : 24-42. CHRISTIAN EXCOURAGEJIENTS. Cheist's example the Chbistian's xnspieation in surfering as dj action (vs. 24, 25).— injustice suf- FERED HERE WILL BE SET RIGHT BY God's JUSTICE HEREAFTER (V. 26). — FeAR OF GOD CASTS! OUT FEAR OP MAN (v. 28).— God cares for his least disciples. God's greatness in little things (vs. 29-31). Earthly disrepute the road to heavenly honor (vs. 32, 33).— Forewarned is forearmed (vs. 34, 35). —Love easily carries all crosses (vs. .37, 38).— Self- sacrifice IS THE HIGHEST SELF-SERVICE (V. 39) — ThB Christian's mission is Christ's mission (John 17 : 18), AND THE Christian stands in Christ's stead (v. 40), 144 MATTHEW. the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household ? 26 Fear them not therefore : for" there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed ; and hid, that shall not be known. 27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in [Ch. X. light : and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. 28 And fear' not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul : but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold lor a farthing? and : 4 : 22 ; L\ike 12 : 2, 3 ; 1 Cor. 4 : 5. . . .t Isa. 8 : 12, 13 ; 61 : 7, 12 ; 1 Pet. 3 : 14. The All-seeing sees, and the All-loving eewabds the least sebvice (vs. 41, 82). Verses 24-43 consist of aphorisms whose gen- eral purpose appears to be to encourage the dis- ciples in view of the warnings already given. They are more general than those warnings, and are applicable to all Christians and in all ages of the world. Several of them are repeated else- where ; and there is a close parallelism between this portion of the discourse and one reported in Luke 12 : 1-12. It is possible that Matthew may have collected here utterances really delivered at other times in Christ's ministry ; it is more probable that Christ repeated the same proverbs on difierent occasions. The connection in this part of the discourse is not so marked as in the preceding portions. It is indicated in the notes below. 24, 25. The scholar is not above his teacher, nor the slave above his lord. * * * If the head of the house they have called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household. The three relations in which Chiist stands to his people here mentioned, are elsewhere brought out in Script- ure. He is teacher, and they learners (Matt. 6 : i ; 23 ; 7, 8 ; Luke 6 : 2o) ; he is lord Or owner, they serv- ants (Luke 12 : 35-48 ; John 13 : 13 ; Rom. 1 : 1 ; 2 Pet. 1:1; .jude i) ; he is head of the household, they its mem- bers (Matt. 24 : 45 ; 26 : 26-29 ; Luke 24 : 3o). Compare for the significance of the last metaphor, Hebrews 3 : 6 with Ephes. 3 : 14, 15, in one of which Christ, iQ the other the Father, is described as head of the family. Observe how each of these metaphors interprets the other; as teacher, Christ is lord, and speaks with authority (Matt. 7 : 29) ; as lord, he is over friends, not slaves, and rules by love, not law (John 15 : 15) ; observe, too, how Christ's claim of supremacy depends, not on isolated passages, but is woven into the texture of all his teachings. Beelzebul, not Beelzehuh. There is no account of Christ being called Beel- zebub, but the Pharisees referred his miracles to the power of Beelzebul, i. <>., of Satan (Matt. 9 : 34; 12 : 24 ; John 8 : 48). See notes on Matt. 12 : 24. 2G. Fear them not therefore ; for there is nothing covered — withslander, that shall not be uncovered— at the judgment day (Eccie?. 12:14), and hid, of the true glory of Christian truth and Christian character (CoL 3 : 3; i John 3 : 2), that shall not be known. "When Christ shall be manifested who is our life, then shall we also with him be manifested in glory" (CoL3:4; see note there). For the efEcct which this truth should have on those suffering from slander, see 1 Pet. 2 : 23 ; 4 : 19. The connection with the preceduDg verse Chrysostom thus gives: "For why do ye grieve at their calling you sorcerers and deceivers ? But wait a little, and all men will address you as saviours and benefactors of the world — yea, for time [still more the disclo- sures of the last judgment] discovers all things that are concealed ; it will both refute their false accusations and make manifest your virtue." 27. What ye hear in the ear. According to Lightfoot, the Jewish rabbis who explained the law in the schools in Hebrew, whispered their explanations to the ear of the interpreters, who then repeated them aloud to the scholars. There is, perhaps, a reference to this custom here. Preach ye upon the housetops. The Jew- ish housetop was flat. The ministers of the ancient synagogue on Sabbath eve sounded six times a trumpet to announce the coming in of the Sabbath. The Turkish crier calls to prayers from the housetop. Local governors in country districts cause their proclamations to be an- nounced in the same way, generally in the even- ing on the return of the people from their labors. The metaphor here is borrowed from, and illus- trated by, these uses of the housetop. Of Christ's whispering in the ear, see illustrations in Matt. 13 : 11, 18, 36 ; 16 : 20 ; of the disciples preaching on the housetop, see illustrations in Acts 2 : 6-11, etc. Christ speaks in darkness parables which the people do not understand, but which are subsequently interpreted to his disciples and thus to all mankind (Matt. 13 : 11, is, se). He spoke in the ear, chapters 14, 15, 16 and 17 of John, which the evangelist has repeated by his Gospel in the light. He still, by the inspiration of his Spirit, speaks in the ear experience which his followers are to interpret publicly by life and words (1 Cor. 2 : 7-13). 28. And fear not them which kill the body * * * rather fear him Avho is able to destroy both soul and body. Observe the double contrast, (1) between men • whose power extends only to the hody^ and God, whose power endangers hoth soul and body ; (2) between man, who can only kill the body, beyond which comes the resurrection and the new life, and God, who can utterly destroy (Gr. dnuXkv^i) both Ch. X.] MATTHEW. 145 one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But" the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore ; ye are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him' will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever" shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. 34 Think not that 1 am come to send peace on earth : 1=' came not to send peace, but a sword. Rev. 3:5 w 2 ^ Luke 12 : 49, 13. soul and body. As in several other passages of Scripture, there is an implication here that the punishment of the wicked is a true destruction, not a living in suffering. But it is only an impli- cation, and there are other passages which cer- tainly appear to teach otherwise. For a con- sideration of the whole question, see note on Matt. 13 : 50. I assume that Him whom we are to fear is God, as do most commentators, not Satan, as do Stier and some others ; for (a) It is not true that Satan can destroy either body or soul ; he has no power except such as God per- mits him to exercise (job l :12; compare Jame8 4:12); he is himself shut up in hell (iiatt. 25 : 4i ; Rev. 20 : 10), "does not destroy soul and body in hell, but before that time, and for the purpose of having them consigned to hell." — {Lange.) (6) The fear of Satan is but a sorry protection against the fear of man, but "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom ' ' (Prov. 9 : 10). (c) The context of the discourse calls for this interpretation. We are both to fear and to trust the All-powerful. See next verses. In hell. Gehenna. See note on Matt. 5 : 23. Dr. Owen concludes that Christ does not here speak of annihilation, " for the destruction spo- ken of takes place in Gehenna." But since the fires of Gehenna did in fact utterly consume the corpses of the criminals cast upon them, his de- duction is hardly warranted. On the other hand, the metaphor does not necessarily imply anni- hUation. That question of the true punishment of the lost must be determined by the teachings of other passages, or at least by a comparison of this with other passages. 29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? The farthing (Gr. uaaaqim) is a Roman coin which was equal to about a cent and a half in value. The word occurs m the N. T. only here and in the analogous passage in Luke I'i : 6. The sparrow is a general term for a large variety of birds, of which there are known to be above one hundred different species. The cor- responding Hebrew term is generally rendered bird or fowl. It is in the O. T. a symbol of weakness (psaim n : 1). The various species of sparrow are very numerous in Palestine. They are snared in great numbers and sold for food. The markets of Jerusalem and Joppa are said to be attended at the present day by many fowlers who offer for sale long strings of little birds of various species, chiefly sparrows, wag-tails and larks. It is to this snaring and sale of the spar- row our Lor4 alludes here. Without your Father. Observe he does not say their Father nor our Father, but your Father, i. e., without his knowledge and his permission (Luke 12 : e). This verse certainly forbids the construction put by Stier upon the preceding one, that it is the devil who can destroy both soul and body. Not even the sparrow can fall to the ground by the power of the devil without permission of God. Obsei-ye that nature as strikingly illustrates God's greatness in little as in great things, a truth of which the microscope affords abundant illustration. 30. But the very hairs of your head. A metaphorical expression to signify the minute- ness of God's care. Compare 1 Sam. 14 : 45 ; Luke 21 : 13 ; Acts 27 : 34. The lesson incul- cated is not only that God cares for us despite our insignificance, but also that he cares for us m respects that seem the most insignificant. 31. Of more value. Compare Matt. 6 : 26, and note. This is God's answer to David's ques- tion : "What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him ?" (psaim 8 : 4.) Obscrvc, that nature inspires both question and answer : the stars the question, the birds the answer. 32. 33. Every one therefore who shall confess in me. Observe the phraseology of the original of which the above is a literal translation. The promise is to every one {nag) who confessed in Christ {iv t/xoi). It is not a mere public profes- sion before the church which is meant, for it must be ^^before men,'''' i. e., as interpreted by verses 17 and 18, councils, synagogues, govern- ors, kings, in time of peril, when confession costs something ; nor is it even every public profession before men which is meant, but a confession in Christ, i. e., such a confession as has its root in Christ, and shows a living union with him. Such a confession in Christ the apostles witnessed be- fore the Sanhedrim (Acts 4: 13), and such Christ himself witnessed in God before Pontius Pilate (1 Tim. C : 13 ; compare John 18 ; 37 ; 19 : 8, 11, 12). Christ alSO confesses in us; that is, not only acknowledges us his disciples, but shows himself in us and us to be in him (John n : 21, 24). " The context shows plainly that it is a practical, consistent confession which is meant, and also a practical and enduring deniaL" The Lord will not confess the confessing Judas, nor deny the denying Peter."— (AZ/ord.) 14G MATTHEW. [Ch. X. 35 For I am come to set a man at variancey against his father, and the daughter agamst her mother, and the daughter m law against her mother in law. 36 And^ a man's foes shall be they of his own house- hold. 37 He° that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me : and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and foUoweth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He'' that findeth his life, shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it. 40 He'^ that receiveth you, receiveth me ; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. 41 He'' that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward ; and he that y Micah 7 : 6, 6. Luke 14 : 26. . . .b ch. 16 : 25. . . .c ch. 18 : 5 ; 26 : 40, 45 ; John 12 : 44. . . .d 1 Kings 17:10; Heb. Observe how Christ here ranks himself with God in judging not with man in being the object of judgment. 34. Think not I am come to soav peace on the earth. The metaphor is that of a hus- bandman sowing seed ; Christ's seed is a sword. Yet in the 0. T. Christ is called a prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6); his birth is announced by the angels as a precursor of peace (Luke 2 : 14 ; ccmpare 1:19); he bestows peace upon his disciples in his parting benediction (john 14 : 27) ; he declares that the peace-makers shall bear his own title and be called the sons of God (Matt. 5:9); and the peace of God is declared by the apostle to be among the fruits of the spirit (Gai. s : 22). We are not to reconcile these passages by saying, with De Wette, that divisions were not the purpose, but only the inevitable result of Christ's coming, for "with God results are all purposes.''' — {Alford.) Christ comes to declare war against the devil and all his works (Ephes. e : 11, 12; 1 Tim. 6 : 12), and to bring peace only with victory. The first coming of Christ always brings war, whether to the indi- vidual soul or to the community. War is the stalk, peace the ripened grain. Romans 7 : 23 depicts the sword, 7 : 25 and ch. 8, the peace. Compare Matt. 13 : 33, and note. 35. For I am come, etc. This verse is substantially quoted from Micah 7:6; it is illus- trated by John 7 : 1-5. 36. A man's foes shall be they of his own household. This declaration finds abun- dant illustration in the history of religious perse- cutions ; not less in daily life. Husbands, wives, parents, children are helps, but also often hin- drances ; the same one is sometimes a spiritual friend, sometimes a spiritual foe. Christ found foes in his warmest friends. Matt. 10 : 32, 23. 37. lie that loveth father, etc. * * * more than me. Compare with this the paral- lel passage, Luke 14 : 26. Observe that the test of love according to Christ is not emotional ex- perience, but obedience (John 14 : 21) ; hence this declaration is substantially embodied in Matt. 5 : 24. No man can serve two masters. For illus- tration of loving Christ more than father or mother, see Matt. 4 : 21, 22. For parallel and illustrative teachings, John 21 : 15 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 14, 15 ; Phil. 3 : 7-9. Is not Avorthy of me, i e. to be called my disciples. Compare Ephes. 4:1; Col. 1 : 10 ; 1 Thes. 2 : 13. For he only is Christ's disciple who learns like Christ to sacrifice all for God. " Stier well remarks, that under the words 'worthy of me,' there lies an exceeding great reward which counterbalances all the seeming asperity of this saying." — {Alford.) 38. He that taketh not his cross. The Roman custom obliged the crucified to carry their own cross to the place of punishment. To this custom reference is here made. The mean- ing of the symbol is, whoever is not willing freely to deny himself, even unto death, and that the most painful and shameful, is not worthy of me. It is, of course, a prophetic reference to Christ's own death, a prophecy which, at the time, the disciples could have only imperfectly understood (John 12 ; le). Observe that it is not only cross-bear- ing but cross-taking that is required of the disci- ple ; not merely submission to burdens which God's providence lays upon them, but a volun- tary assuming of burdens, even the burden of death, for the sake of Christ and humanity. In slightly different forms this aphorism repeatedly appears in Christ's teaching (Matt, is ■ 24 ; Mark 10 : 21 ; Luke 9 : 23). Paul, by his usc of the metaphor in Galatians (2 : 20 ; 5 : 24 ; 6 : 14), gives a partial inter- pretation to it. We take up our cross when we mortify the deeds of the flesh for the sake of the Spirit (Col. 3 : 5), or when we gladly suffer the loss of all things that we may be found in Christ (phii. 3 : 8-10), or share his sufferings and self-sacrifices that we may minister to his suffering ones (Matt. 25 : 35, 36). 39. He that findeth his life shall lose it. Repeated in Matt. 16 : 25 ; Luke 17 : 33 ; John 12 : 25. Not merely, he that finds the life of this world shall lose eternal life in the world to come, though this is implied in John, nor he that finds the lower earthly life shall lose the higher and spiritual life. The significance of the saying does not depend upon any such play on the word life. The aphorism goes deeper. All self- seeking is self-losing. Even in spiritual things, he who is perpetually studying how to secure joy and peace /or AimscZf loses it. A certain measure of self-forgetfulness is the condition of the high- est success even in Christian grace. ObseiTe ihaX finding implies seeking ; so that this proverb is not at all, He that gains this life loses the next, but. He that makes his own life the chief object of his endeavor and seems to succeed, really fails. 40. He that receiveth you receiveth me. Ch. X.] MATTHEW. 147 receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And whosoever sliall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. CHAPTER XL AND it came to pass, when J esus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence, to teach and to preach in their cities. The primary reference is to the twelve apostles in their commission ; the receiving is that referred to in verses 13, 14, receiving to the house with hospitality (compare Hebrews 13 : 2). Underneath this is a deeper meaning of wider application. He who receives the servant of Christ and his mes- sage in his heart, receives Christ ; he who opens his heart to Christlike influence from men, opens it, even though unconsciously, to Christ. Com- pare 2 Cor. 5 : 20. 41. In the name of a prophet, i. e., as a prophet, because he is a prophet. The word prophet in N. T. usage signifies not necessarily a foreteller of events, but an inspired teacher of God. See illustrations of this truth in 2 Kings, ch. 4. The joys of Christ's kingdom are awarded according to the spiritual aspirations, not ac- cording to the intellectual abilities and actual achievements in work. If one, however humble his station, shows himself in his spiritual sympa- thy one with the prophets, he shall receive the prophet's place ; if, however imperfect his char- acter, he approves himself the friend of right- eousness, he shall receive the reward of right- eousness. Observe that that reward is a perfect character (coi. i : 22) ; so that the promise is in- volved in Matt. 5 : 6. 42. Whosoever shall give * * * a cup of cold water. "This he saith lest any one should allege poverty." — {Chrysostom.) It is never, even in our intercourse with each other, the largeness of the gift, but always the spirit which inspires the giver, which determines its value. It is not the service we render to Christ's cause or church, but the will to render it which Christ looks at. Compare Luke 21 : 1-4. In the name of a disciple, i.e., "because ye belong to Cb:ist" (Mark 9: 41). To onc of these little ones; not, as De Wette, to the despised and meanly esteemed for Christ's sake; nor neces- sarily, as Alford, to children that may have been present; but to one insignificant and unknown in Christ's kingdom in contrast with the inspired teacher and the well-known righteous man. It is explained by Matt. 25 : 40. Dr. Brown notices here "a descending climax— ' the prophet,' 'a righteous man,' 'a little one,' signifying that however low we come dovni in our service to those that are Christ's, all that is done for his sake, and that bears the stamp of love to his blessed name, shall be divinely appreciated and owned and rewarded." Chrysostom, on the other hand, notices the climax in the entire pas- sage, the connection of which he thus indicates : "Seest thou what mighty persuasions he used, and how he opened to them the houses of the whole world ? Tea, he signified that men" are their debtors, first by saying. The workman is worthy of his hire ; secondly, by sending them forth bearing nothing ; thirdly, by giving them up to wars and fightings in behalf of them that receive them ; fourthly, by committing to them miracles also ; fifthly, in that he did by their lips introduce peace, the cause of all blessings, into the houses of such as receive them ; sixthly, by threatening things more grievous than Sodom to such as receive them not ; seventhly, by signify- ing that as many as welcome them are receiving both himself and the Father ; eighthly, by prom- ising both a prophet's and a righteous man's reward ; ninthly, by undertaking that the recom- pense shall be great even for a cup of cold water." Ch. 11 : 1. When Jesus had made an end, i. e., for the time, had finished this special discourse. He departed thence. The local- ity Is not fixed. The address was delivered during a journey in Galilee (Matt. 9 : 35). To preach in their cities. They preached in the towns or villages (Luke 9 : e), that men should repent (Mark e : 12), basing their preaching on the announcement that the kingdom of Heaven was at hand (Matt. 10 : 7). Their preaching thus cor- responded to that of John the Baptist and the earlier mmistry of Jesus (Matt. 3 : 2 ; 4 : 17). THE TWELVE APOSTLES: THEIK LIVES AND CHARACTERS. For the convenience of the student, I embody here very brief references to the Scriptural in- formation concerning the twelve apostles, and shall refer to this note in other parts of the com- mentary when their names occur. Simon Peter (rock). His original name was Simon or Simeon (Acts 15 : 14) ; he was born at Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee (john 1 .- 44) : with his father Jonas and his brother Andrew carried on the trade of a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee (Luke 5:3; John 21 : s) ; was married, and his mother- in-law lived with him (Mark i : 29, 30) ; was origi- nally, with his brother Andrew, a disciple of John the Baptist ; joined Jesus temporarily at the ford of Bethabara (John 1 : 4o, 41), where he re- ceived his new name of Peter (verse 42) ; he re* 148 MATTHEW. [Ch. X. sumed his fishing, and was a second time called to follow Christ, which he did, with Andrew his brother, and with James and John (Luke 6 : 8-11). The healing of his mother-in-law followed almost immediately (Mark 1 : 29-31 ; Luke 4 : 38, 39). The sub- sequent incidents in his life indicate a warm, affectionate, impulsive but unstable character. He starts to walk to Jesus on the wave, but loses courage almost as soon as his feet touch the water (Matt. i4 : 28-30) ; impetuously refuses to let Christ wash his feet, and as impetuously offers his head and his hands (John 13 : 6, 8, 9) ; draws his sword to fight single-handed the Roman soldiers, yet turns and flees with the others when Christ surrenders to the band (John 18 : 10 ; Matt. 26 : se) ; fol- lows Christ into the palace, but there denies with vehemence and oaths that he is a disciple (Matt. S6 : 69-75 ; John 18 : 16, 17, 25-27) ; iS OnC of the first tO baptize the Gentiles, then refuses to fraternize with them from fear of opposition in the church (Acts 10 : 47, 48 J Gal. 2 : 11-13 ; but compare Acts 15 : 7, etc.) Af- ter the resurrection and ascension of our Lord, Peter appears to have taken a leading position in the church, but as an orator rather than as an organizer or ecclesiastical leader (Acts i : is ; 2 : 14-41 ; 4:8). He traveled about in missionary work, taking his wife with him (1 Cor. 9 : 5), ministering to the Gentiles, and probably traveling as far east as Babylon (1 Pet. 5 : 13). If he ever visited Rome, which is uncertain, it was not until the later years of his life, and after the founding of the Christian church. According to tradition, he was crucified under Nero, with his head down- ward, and to this event our Lord is thought to refer in John 21 : 18. The personal friendship between himself and John, illustrated by many incidents (Luke 6 : 1-11; John 13: 23, 24: 18 : 16, 16; 21 : 7 ; Acts 3 : 1 ; 4 : 13), is One of the most touching and tender of the minor episodes in Gospel history, all the more so from the incidental indication of the contrasts in their characters (john 20 : 3-9 ; 21 : 7). Andkew {manly). A son of Jonas and brother of Peter. He brought the latter to Christ (John 1 : 40-42), and with him was subsequently called by Christ to become a disciple, and later an apostle (Matt. 4 : 21 ; Luke 6 : u). The Only Other incidents respecting him recorded in the Gospels are those narrated in Mark 13 : 3, John 6 : 8, and 12 : 22, and these give little or no information respecting his character. After the resurrection of our Lord, he appears only in the list of apostles in Acts 1 : 13. Tradition reports him to have preached the Gospel in Scythia, Greece, and Asia Minor, and to have been crucified upon a cross in the form of a X, which is called, accordingly, St. Andrew's cross. James (same as Jacob, i. e., SupplMiter). He was a son of Zebedee ; his mother's name was Salome (compare Matt. 27 : 66 with Mark 16 : 4o). He proba- bly resided at Bethsaida ; joined Jesus with his brother John at the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 4 : 21) ; is never mentioned in the Gospels except in con- nection mth his brother John ; was martyred under Herod Agrippa, a. d. 44 (Acts 12 : 2). There is reason to believe that he and his brother John were own cousins of our Lord. This opinion rests on the account given by Matthew, Mark, and John, of the women at the crucifixion. They describe these women as follows : M*rk 15 : 40. Mary, mother of Jesus. Mary Magdalene. Mary, mother of James and Joses. Mary, mother of James the less. Mary, wife of Cleophas. Mother of Zebe- dee' s children. Sister of Jesus' mother. It is evident, from a comparison of these ac- counts, that Salome and the mother of Zebedee's children are the same ; that is, that Salome was the mother of James and John. It is a question whether the sister of Jesus' mother mentioned by John is to be identified with Salome or with Mary, wife of Cleophas ; whether, that is, John mentions two or three persons in addition to Mary, the mother of Jesus. If Mary, wife of Cleophas, were the sister of Jesus' mother, there would have been two sisters of the same name, Mary, which is not impossible, as Jewish records show, but is improbable. On the whole, I think the better opinion to be that which identifies the sister of Jesus' mother with Salome, the mother of Zebedee's children, in which case Jesus was own cousin to James and John. See note on Matthew 13 : 55. John {grace of the Lord). He was a brother of James, and of course is not to be confounded with John the Baptist. Several references in the N. T. indicate that his family was one of some wealth and social position (Mark 1 : 20 ; Luke 8 : 3 ; 23 : 65, comp. with Mark 16 : 1 ; John 19 : 27). He appears tO haVB accompanied our Lord in his first ministry in Ju- dea, and he is the only one of the Evangelists who gives any account of that mmistry. He is men- tioned frequently in connection with Peter and James as especially intimate with Jesus (Matt, n ■ i , Mark 5 : 37 ; John 13 : 23) ; and of thosc three, he appears to have been the one most beloved of our Lord (John 13 : 23 ; 19 : 26 ; 20 : 2 ; 21 : 7, 20, 24). Of hiS personal Ch. X.] MATTHEW. 149 history subsequent to the crucifixion little is known. He went into Asia, exercised a pastoral supervision over the Asiatic churches, was ban- ished to Patmos, and probably died in extreme old age a natural death. Of his personal character much has been written, yet it is certain he has been greatly misunderstood. He was naturally im- petuous and ambitious (Matt. 20 : 20, 21 ; Mark 3:17; 10 : 35-37 ; Luke 9 : 54), and of all the apostlcs, he appears to have been the most courageous ; he alone of the EvangeUsts, apparently, accompanied Jesus in his earlier Judean ministry, since he is the only one who gives any account of it ; and he alone clung to him and followed him during the trial in the court of Caiaphas and before Pilate's judgment-seat ; this is evidenced by his narrative, which is unmistakably that of an eye-witness. His gentleness, patience, love, and spiritual ap- prehension of Christ's interior teaching, seem to have been the effect of Christ's personal influ- ence upon him. He was the beloved disciple, because of all the disciples he was the most docil* and most ready to yield to and receive Christ's teaching and influence. See further on his character, Introduction to Gospel of John. We have, in the N. T., four books from his pen : one Gospel and three Epistles. Philip {warlike). He was a native of Beth- Baida ; brought Nathanael, who was probably the Bame as Bartholomew, to Jesus ; and is generally mentioned in connection with Bartholomew. The only direct reference to him in the Gospels, except the mere mention of his name here and in other lists of the twelve, are in John 1 : 43-45 ; 12 : 21, 22 ; 14 : 8, 9. Of his life and labors nothing else is known ; and the traditions re- specting him are conflicting. He is not to be confounded with Philip, the deacon, mentioned in Acts 6 : 5 ; 8 : 5-13, 26-40 ; 21 : 8, 9. BAKTfiOLOMEW {son of Thohiiai). It is gene- rally thought by Biblical scholars that this apos- tle is identical with Nathanael. John alone men- tions Nathanael (johni :45-49; 21 :2), whom Philip brought to Jesus ; Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not mention him, but give the name of Bartholo- mew in connection with Philip. This fact, coupled with their otherwise singular omission of the name of Nathanael, and with the fact that Bartholomew is not properly a name at all, but a descriptive title, meaning son of Tholmai, have led to the hypothesis which identifies the two. It is, however, but an hypothesis, though cer- tainly a reasonable one. Nothing is known of his life or character, except what may be gath- ered from the above reference. Thomas (twin). This word is of Hebrew ori- gin ; its Greek equivalent is Didymus, and his name occurs in this form ( John 11 ; le ; 20 : 24 ; 21 : 2). He was doubtless a Galilean, but neither his parentage, birth-place, nor call are mentioned. There are but four incidents in his ]tfe recorded in the N. T. (John 11 : is ; U : 6 ; 20 : 24-29 ; 21 : 2). These indicate that he possessed an affectionate spirit but a skeptical mind. The earnestness and fidel- ity of his love was unaccompanied by a faith and hope at all comparable to it (John ii : le) ; he could not understand the "mansions" which Christ, after his death, would prepare for his followers (John 14 : 5) ; he refused to believe in his Lord's resurrection without tangible evidence (John 20 : 21-29). Of his history subsequent to the ascension of Christ, nothing is known with any certainty ; the Syrian Christians, however, claim bim as the founder of their church. Matthew (probably, gift). He is also called Levi (Luke 5 : 27-29 ; and see note on Matt. 9 : 9). He WaS a publican, i. e. tax-gatherer and the son of Alphae- us (Mark 2 : u) ; but Whether of the same Alphaeus mentioned m this history as the father of James the less is uncertain ; most scholars think not. The name Alphaeus is a common one in Jewish records, and if Matthew were a brother of James, the two would probably have been mentioned to- gether, as are Simon Peter and his brother An- drew and James and his brother John. Of his life, subsequent to his call, the N. T. gives no information, except that his Gospel indicates that he accompanied Christ to the last. No re- liance can be placed on the traditions respecting his later history. James, the son of Alph^tjs. His father's name is given by John as Cleophas or Cleopas, a dif- ferent form of the same word ; his mother's name was Mary (Mark 15 : 40), assuming, as I do from rea- sons which will appear elsewhere (see note on Brethren of our Lord on Matt. 13 : 60), that there are three persons of the name of James mentioned in the N. T., James the brother of John, James the son of Alphseus, and James the Lord's brother, and that the latter was the author of the Epistle Gen- eral of James, nothing more is known concerning this James, who is generally in Biblical literature distinguished from James the brother of John by being entitled James the less. Lebb^us (the meaning is uncertain). In Mark 3 : 18 he is called Thaddaeus, and it is prob- able that the addition here of the words, "whose surname was Thaddaeus," has been added by some copyist to harmonize the two accounts. In the lists given in Luke 6 : 14, etc., and Acts 1 : 13, neither Lebbseus nor Thaddajus appears, but in their place the name of Judas of James, which our translators interpret Judas the brother of James. This is, however, merely their interpre- tation, the word brotTier being added by them ; the better opinion appears to be that the proper in- terpretation would be non of James. This Jude or Judas, also called Lebbseus and Thaddaeus, is by many critics regarded as identical with the Judas mentioned in Matthew 13 ; 55, and as the 150 MATTHEW. [Ch. XL 2 Now« when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another ? Luke 7 ; 18, etc. writer of the epistle of Jude. WhUe the ques- tion, like that of the possible identity of James the less with James the Lord's brother is beset with diflaculties, I think the better opinion is that which considers that there were two persons of the name of Jude or Judas, one the apostle who is mentioned only in the lists of the twelve and is identical with Lebbseus or Thaddaeus, the other Jude the brother of James the Lord's brother, and so the brother of our Lord (Matt. 13:E5; jude, verse i), and the author of the Epistle which bears his name. See Introduction and notes to that epistle. Simon {that obeys) the Canaanite, In Luke and Acts he is called Simon Zelotes, i. e. Simon the Zealot. He is not to be confounded with Simeon the brother of Jesus (Matt. 13 : 55, and note there). The Zealots were a faction of the Jews who were conspicuous for their fierce advocacy of the Mo- saic ritual ; their fanatical violence was one of the principal causes which led to the destruction of Jerusalem. Nothing is known of his life and character. Judas Iscaetot. The derivation of this name is uncertain ; it is probably Of Kerioth, a town of Judea (josh. 16 ; 25). In that case Judas Iscariot was the only Judean among the twelve, and this fact would afford a key to his enigmatical char- acter and career. His father's name was Simon (John 6 : 71). He followed Christ with the other disciples, received from him a commission to preach the Gospel, and apparently preached it endowed with the same power to " heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease," was en- trusted with the funds of the little band, and ad- hered to Christ and his cause until the unmis- takable declaration of Jesus respecting his death, when he deserted and betrayed him. For a con- sideration of his enigmatical character and career see Abbott's Jesus of Nazareth, chap. 29, and notes hereafter, especially on chap. 27 : 3-10. Ch. 11 : 2-19. JOHN'S EMBASSY AND JESUS' DIS- COURSE ON JOHN. Quiet brings temptation to un- QOTET SOULS.— The perplexity of the disciplb to WHOM Christ is not cleaklt revealed: "Do we LOOK FOR ANOTHER f " — THE EVIDENCE OP CHRISTIAN- ITY, BOTH IN THE SOUL AND IN THE WORLD : A WORK OP Divine power, of Dftine HEALwa, of Divine love. —The best evidence is a present evidence ; what WE DO NOW HEAR AND SEE. — ChRIST 18 BOTH A STUM- BLING-STONE AND THE STONE OF THE CORNER (verSB 6 ; Matt. 21 : 42, 44).— John the Baptist a true preach- BK ; neither shaken by adversity, NOR seduced by prosperity.— The glory of John the Baptist, the ttLORY op the true PREACHER: A HERALD OF THE Lord.— The greatest ra the O. T. dispensation is LESS privileged THAN THE LEAST IN THE NEW.— ThB Kingdom op Heaven is worthy op our enthusiasm. — The fulfillment of prophecy is in unexpected ways; the Jews looked for Elijah and behold John the Baptist. — The unwilling can always FIND AN excuse FOR REJECTING BOTH THE WARNINGS AND THE INVITATIONS OF THE GoSPEL. — THERE ARE MANY MESSENGERS, YET BUT ONE MESSAGE ; MANY INVITATIONS, YET BUT ONE DlVINB LoRD. Of this embassy of John the Baptist to Jesus (vs. 2-6), and the subsequent discourse concerning him (vs. 7-19), there is also an account in Luke (t : 18-35). It occurred apparently immediately after the resurrection of the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7 : ii-u) ; and probably prior to the com- mission of the twelve ; for Herod beheaded John while the disciples of Christ were absent on their mission (Mark 6 ; 30 ; Matt. U : 13). 3. When John (Baptist) had heard in the prison. For an account of Ms imprison- ment, see Mark 6 : 17-20. For brief history of his life, see notes on Matt. 14 : 1-12. The prison was the castle of Machaerus, east of the Dead Sea. Next to Jerusalem it was the strongest for- tress of the Jews. "It is, as it were, ditched about with such valleys on all sides, and to such a depth that the eye cannot reach their bottoms." — (Josephus'' Wars of Jews, 7, §§ 1, 2.) Its ruins still exist. The citadel, an isolated and almost im- pregnable work, small, circular, and exactly one hundred yards in diameter, was placed on a sum- mit overlooking the city. The wall can be clear- ly traced. There are also remains of two dun- geons ; the holes where staples of wood and iron had once been fixed are clearly visible. See de- scription of the ruins in Tristram's Land of Moab. John, in this prison, heard of the works of Jesus through his own disciples (Luke i -. is). Tristram supposes that John was confined in one of the above dungeons. But it is not probable that at this time his imprisonment was very close, for his disciples had access to him ; and Herod, who was educated in the Jewish religion, stood in awe of John as a prophet whom the people revered (Matt. 14 : s). The works of Christ. Primarily of course, and chiefly, the miracles which Christ had wrought ; but the phrase may also here include those features in Christ's ministry which per- plexed the disciples of John the Baptist, such as Christ's not keeping any fasts (Mark 2: is). It is observable that it is said John had heard of the works of Christ, i. e. the Messiah, not the works of Jesus. It is the only place in Matthew where Ch. XI.] MATTHEW. 151 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see : 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he^ whosoever shall not be offended'' in me. d Isa. 8 : 14, 16 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 22, 23; 1 Pet. 2 : 8. the name Christ stands by itself in lieu of Jesus or Jesus Christ, and it indicates that John recog- nized in those works an evidence of the Messiah- ship of our Lord, even though he shared with the disciples their perplexity at Christ's course. See note below. Two of his disciples. Some manuscripts have here hy his disciples. The dif- ference is important only in its bearing on the question whether John sent to satisfy his own doubts or theirs. Luke says that he sent two, so that there is no question as to the fact. 3. And said unto him. Observe that both here and in Luke (t : 20), the message is represented as that of John the Baptist, not as that of his disciples. Art thou he that should come ? Literally, The coming one (Greek o in-/<>utvo;). The phrase is an unmistak- able reference to the Messiah, as to the one whom the prophets had foretold, and for whom the Jews looked. The same Greek word is used in the Septuagint in Psalm 118 : 26, and a different form of the same verb in Zech. 9 : 9. Compare Matt. 10 : 23 and note. The question then is this : Art thou the Messiah long prophesied, for whom we have looked, or are we still to look for the ful- filling of those prophecies in the coming of an- other V This is the common question of all dis- pirited and discouraged Christians. Has the Lord Jesus really come to me, or am I to look for some other experience of his coming ? And the answer is always that which the Lord makes here (verse 4). If your cyes see the truth more clearly, your limbs are stronger to run the Christian race, your disease of sin is even partly purged away, and you have begun to walk in newness of life, do not be disheartened because the kingdom of God comes without observation, nor look for another and more marvelous coming. In the soul, as in the world, God's work of love is best demonstrated by t^e fruits of love. 4. Jesus answered and said. Luke says (7 : 21), "In the same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits ; and unto many that were blind he gave sight." Go and shew John again. The word again is not in the original. It is one of the Illustra- tions of the need of a new translation of the Bible that the Greek here and in Luke is precisely the same (noQiv^irrf:! unayYiUXuti), but the English is quite different. In Luke the rendering is *' Oo your way and telV Observe, they were to shew John, an indication that the doubt, which led to the question, was truly his. "Those things which ye do hear and see." Ob- serve that the truths heard, as well as the mira- cles seen, are included among the evidences of Christ's divine character and mission. For by this phrase what ye do hear, we are not to under- stand that they were to report rumors of mira- cles heard of by them ; such rumors John had already heard. They were to carry the testi- mony of their own observation. 5. The blind receive their sight. "As the article is wanting in each of these clauses, the sense would be better perceived by the Eng- lish reader thus, though scarcely tuneful enough : ' Blind persons are seeing, lame people are walk- ing, le^jrous persons are getting cleansed, deaf people are hearing, dead persons are being raised." — {Dr. Brown.) The reference to the 0. T. prophecies respecting the Messiah is un- mistakable ; see in particular Isaiah 35 : 5 ; 61 : 1-3, and the application of the latter passage by Christ to himself in Luke 4 : 16-21. This is the principal, if not the only place in the N. T., in which Jesus Christ employs the argument from miracles directly in support of his mission ; and it is to be noticed that he refers to them, not to convince an opponent, but to strengthen the fal- tering faith of a friend. In John .5 : 36 and 10 : 38 the appeal is not merely to his miracles (aijuffor) but to works (iy/'Ji), which includes much more. The argument is as potent now as it was in the time of Christ ; viz., the healing and evangel- izing power of the Gospel of Christ, not as it is reported to us from the past, but as we do hear and see its beneficent effects now. The poor receive good news. (Greek ivuyytli^o\iaC). Our English version gives the true sense, but not as John would have appre- hended it ; for the Gospel, in the modem sense, dates from the death of Christ. Observe that it is characteristic of every revival of the Chris- tian religion that it proclaims the Gospel without money and without price, and therefore makes the poor full participants m its privileges. But the language here also embraces the poor in heart-life, all who suffer heart-hunger, the meek, the broken-hearted, the captives, the bound of Isaiah 61 : 1. 6. Shall not be offended in me. Shall not be caused to stumble in me. Compare Mark 14 : 27. See note on Matt. .5 : 29. Christ is a stumbling-stone, a rock of offence, to many, as he was to John the Baptist (Rom. 9 : 33 : 1 Cor. 1 : 23), because his character and mission are lowly, and because he does not immediately accomplish the redemption of the world, or of the individual 152 Boul. That he should be such a stumbling-block was prophesied by Jeremiah (o : 21). John (sec note below) shared the general expectation of an im- mediate and temporal reformation to be wrought by the Messiah. Christ's reply is well para- phrased by Andrews: "Blessed is he who shall understand the work I now do, and not stumble at it." John's embassy to Jesus. This embassy has given rise to some perplexity, and there are two principal interpretations of it. One supposes that John himself was in no doubt respecting Christ's Messianic character, but that his disci- ples were, and that he sent them to Jesus for the purpose of solving their doubts, selecting for that purpose two whose testimony would be conclusive to the others. In support of this opinion, it is argued that John the Baptist had repeatedly borne testimony to Christ's character as the divine Son and Lamb of God (Matt. 3 : n, u ; John 1 : 27, 29, 33, 34 ; 3 : 3o) ; that Christ, in his subse- quent discourse, expressly repudiated the idea that John was one easily shaken by stress of trial (verse 7) ; that he utters no word of rebuke, but much strong commendation ; and that while there are no other indications of a faltering faith in John, there are many that the disciples of John were skeptical respecting Jesus, and jeal- ous of his growing fame and influence (Matt. 9 : u; John 3 : 25, 26). This view was generally entertained by the early fathers, who seem to have adopted it to exculpate the Baptist. Wordsworth, who reflects their opinions throughout his commen- tary, even declares of this embassy that "it was the crowning act of St. John's ministry." "He thus guarded against a schism between his own disciples and those of Jesus ; he bequeathed his disciples to Christ ; he had prepared the way for Christ in the desert, he now prepared it in the prison." But this opinion rests wholly upon con- jecture. The other opinion is that John was himself in perplexity, and sent his disciples to solve both his own and their doubts. This opin- ion accords best with the natural meaning of the narrative. The message came from John ; the answer is sent to him, not to them, "Go and Bhew John ; " the message closes with a benedic- tion, which indicates that John was in danger of stumbling at the course of Jesus ; and the dis- course which follows is on the character of John, and gives no indication that the question was not truly his own. This view is entertained by nearly all modern commentators, and requires no con- jectural addition to the narrative to support it. Various attempts have been made to explain the cause andnature of John's doubts ; e.g., DeWette, Lange, and Dr. Schaff think the doubt was not respecting our Lord's mission, but his way of manifesting it; Olshausen attributes it to the discouraging effects produced by imprisonment MATTHEW. [Ch. XL on John's mind ; Lightfoot, and, apparently. Dr. Brown, to his dissatisfaction at not being liber- ated from prison ; Matthew Henry, to the neg- lect of Jesus to visit him there ; Alford, and sim- ilarly Neander, to impatience at the slow and \in- ostentatious course of our Lord's self-manifesta- tion, and a desire to impel Jesus to a public ac- knowledgment of his own character and mis- sion; still others, referred to by Alford, to a doubt whether the one of whose miracles rumors reached him in prison was really the Jesus whom he baptized, and to whom he testified. All this is but matter of conjecture ; the sacred narrative is silent as to the Baptist's motives, and leaves us only in possession of the fact. Observe, how- ever, that his doubt is not distrust, for he sends to Jesus for its solution; that Jesus carefuUy guards the people against the supposition that the temporary doubt really shakes his reUgious faith and character (verse 7) ; that similar experi- ences of perplexity at the course of God's provi- dential dealings are recorded of Moses (Eiod. 17 : 4), Elijah (1 Kings 19 : lo), David (Ps. 10 : 1), Jeremiah (jer. 12:1,2; Lam., ch. 3), and the uhknown author of Psalm 77, written during the Babylonian captivity; that it is not unnatural to suppose that John the Baptist shared the universal ex- pectation among the Jews and Christ's own dis- ciples of the temporal reign of the Messiah, and may, therefore, have been perplexed by the fact that there was no sign of the establishment of the kingdom of God in the nation ; that experi- ence of doubts are a peculiar temptation of ac- tive natures in times of enforced inactivity ; and finally that the result of this embassy was prob- ably to solve his doubts, certainly to put an end to the doubts and jealousies of his disciples. " The happy result of this mission is Intimated in those touching words, ' His disciples took up the body of John and buried it, and came and told Jesus,'' Matt. lA^-.Vi.'"— {Wordsworth.) Ob- serve, too, that Christ makes no direct answer, affords to John the Baptist no peculiar assurance or evidence, but leaves his faith to rest on the common evidence on which the faith of all the disciples is built. The moral of the incident thus interpreted is plain, viz. : that the strongest disciple is liable to incursions of unbelief ; that the true solver of doubts, in such times, is Jesus himself ; that he solves them by pointing us to those evidences of Christianity which are open to all — the beneficent works of this Gospel ; and that the argument from miracles is valid rather to sustain the faltering faith of the disciple than to compel the reluctant assent of a willing skep- tic. Compare effect of miracles on Pharisees, Matt. 12 : 14, 24. 7-19. DiscouKSE ON John the Baptist. This discourse evidently followed directly the departure of the disciples of John. Whether Ch. XL] MATTHEW. 153 7 And, as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went' ye out into the wilderness to see ? A reed shaken with the wind ?f 8 But what went ye out for to see ? A man clothed in soft raiment ? behold, they that wear solt clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what went ye out for to see ? A prophet ? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he of whom it is^ written. Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall pre- pare thy way before thee. 11 Verily I say xmto you. Among" them that are bom of women there hath not risen a greater than Luke 7 : 24, 30 f Eph. 4 : 14 ; James 1 : 6. . . .g Isa. 40 : 3 ; MiU. 3:1; Lake 1 : 76. the subsequent portion of this chapter is a part of the same discourse is uncertain. See prelimi- nary note verses 20-2-4, below, Luke (? : 29, so) adds an account of the effect this discourse produced. 7. As they departed. Christ utters no word of commendation of John while the disci- ples are present. " He would not flatter John, nor have his praises reported to him. * * * Pride is a corrupt humor, which we must not feed either in others or in ourselves." — {2IaWiew Henry.) What he has before said is in reply to the question of John, and is addressed to John's disciples ; what he now says is in reply to the thoughts of the people, lest they shall misinter- pret and misjudge the Baptist. But, as often in his sayings, the occasion becomes a text for spir- itual instruction respecting his kingdom. He begins with John the Baptist ; he ends with the privileges of the least in the kingdom of heaven. What went ye out into the wilderness to see ? The reference is to the earlier ministry of John the Baptist, when it is said of him that Jerusalem and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, went out to him (iiatt. 3 : 5). To see. Rather, to gaze upon. The original verb here is not the same as in the succeeding verse. A reed shaken with the wind ? The word reed is a general one, standing, as with us, for a variety of plants of a similar character. The Jordan abounded with these reed-like plants. In Scripture, the reed is an emblem of weakness (2 Kings 18 : 21 ; Isaiah 42 : s). The COntrast SUrcly iS not, as Alford interprets it, between a reed, or the banks of the Jordan with its reeds, and a man ; the former is employed as a symbol of a weak and wavering character, easily bending be- fore the storm of adversity. Because John has sent this message, the people are not to imagine that he is yielding to fear and persecution. John is "not a reed planted in the morass of a weak and watery faith, and quivering in the wind of doubt. Not a reed — but a rock." — {Wordsworth.) The question requires no answer ; Christ gives it none. 8. A man clothed in soft raiment ? Con- trast his real raiment (Matt. 3 : 4). Chrysostom gives the connection: "He was not himself a waverer. * * * Much less can any one say this, that he was indeed firm, but having made himself a slave to luxury, he afterwards became languid." Behold they that wear soft clothing. Luke interprets and at the same time adds to this declaration : '■'■Behold thexj which are gorgeoudy apjiaralled and live delicately.'"'' "Had he been minded to wear soft raiment he would not have lived in the wilderness, nor in prison, but in the king's courts ; it being in his power, merely by keeping sUence, to have enjoyed honor without limit. ' ' — ( Chrysostom. ) 9. A prophet ? All the people regarded John as a prophet (Matt. 21 : 26). Jesus thus ap- pealed to their public recognition of his charac- ter. Observe how our Lord begins by strength- ening and clarifying their appreciation of John as a prophet, and so establishing sympathy be- tween himself and them, as a preliminary to lead- ing them on to higher matters. The underlymg thought is this : Te were attracted, not by an ardent, impulsive orator, easily swayed from his purpose by adversity, nor by any glitter of ex- ternal show, but by the moral qualities of a reli- gious and inspired teacher. More than a prophet. More — because himself the object of prophecy ; because the last in the succession of the prophets and the clearest in his prophecies of the coming King ; because he pointed out the Messiah whom others only foretold, and saw Him whom kings and prophets desired to see, but died without the sight (Matt. 13 : n) ; and chiefest of aU because he was a forerunner as well as a prophet, and, as a herald, went before the Lord, preparing his way. For it was characteristically his office, not merely to foretell the coming of the Lord, but to bring about among the people a state of heart and mind which should make them ready to receive the Lord (Luke 3 : 4 ; 7 : 29). See next verse, which gives the reason for the declaration in this. 10. For. Equivalent here to because, and introduces the ground of the preceding assertion. This is he of whom it is written. The reference is to Malachi 3 : 1. Alford notes the change from the first to the second person ; in Malachi it is "<^ way before me;" here "<% way before tJiee;" and this change is preserved by all the Evangelists in their citations (Mark 1 : 2 ; Luke 7 : 27). That Christ thus changes the lan- guage, "making that which is said by Jehovah of himself to be addressed to the Messiah, is, if such were needed (compare also Luke 1 : 16, 17, and 76), nO mean indication of his own eternal and coequal Godhead." Alford's deduction is also note- 154 MATTHEW. [Oh. XI. John the Baptist : notwithstanding, he' that is least in the Icingdom of heaven is jgreater tlian he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent talce^ it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which* was for to come. 15 He' that hath ears to hear, let him hear. I John 1 : 15, 27 ; 3 : 30 j Luke 16 : 16 j Eph. 6 : .k ch. 17 : 1-2 ; Mai. 4:5. worthy: "Ii John was thus great above all others, because he was the forerunner of Christ, how above all prophets and holy men of old must Christ himself be." Behold I send my mes- senger. Observe that John attributes to him- self the humbler prophecy which designates him as "the voice of one crying in the wilderness " (John 1:23), while Christ designates him as "my messenger." The contrast illustrates Luke 14 : 11. Prepare thy way before thee. See note on Matt. 3 : 3. 11. There hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist ; notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. This is the climax in the ascending scale, for which the preceding verses have been a preparation. John the Baptist is more than a mere impetuous orator, fickle- minded and easily swayed by storm, more than a king gorgeously appareled, more than a prophet, yea, greatest of men, yet the least in my kingdom is greater than he. The object of the whole dis- course is to lead up the mind to an appreciation of the greatness of this kingdom and those who are in it. On the meaning of the phrase king- dom of heaven, see Matt. 3 : 2. Observe, that there John is represented as preaching, not in the kingdom, but as a herald who precedes it. Here, as there, the phrase points to the advent of the Messiah as King and Lord, and the inaugu- ration of Christ's kingdom by his crucifixion. What is meant by ^^ least in the kingdom of heaven?'''' Chrysostom and many of the fathers understand Christ himself. "Less in age and according to the opinion of the multitude," says Chrysostom, referring to verse 19, and to chap- ter 13 : 5.5. Wordsworth revives this opinion, which is now generally abandoned, which cer- tainly the plain reader would never attach to the words, and wliich is indefensible, because, (a,) Christ is never spoken of in the N. T. as in the kingdom of heaven, but rather as its Lord and King; (6,) the words "little" and "least" (Gr. uixQoc, uiy.ooTioog) applied to the kingdom of heaven have a well-defined meaning in N. T. usage = to humble in position, authority and in- fluence (Matt. 10 : 42 ; 18 : 6, 10, 14 ; Mark 9 : 42 ; Luke 9 : 48 ; n : 2 ; compare Matt. 13 : 32, and Acts 8 : lo) ; it iS Only in Mark 15 : 40, "James the Less," that the word bears the meaning of younger. The key to the interpretation is given by Maldonatus, quoted by Wordsworth and Alford : "The least of the greatest is greater than the greatest of the least. " It is here not greater in personal character, nor in eternal condition, but injjresetit privilege, pre- rogative, station, as the least child is greater than the highest servant. John was a servant, we are sons of God (Oah 4 : 7 ; compare John 16 : is). There is a significance, too, in the language used here, "&orw. of women,'''' Whoever enters the kingdom of heaven is born of the Holy Ghost (John 3 : s). Alford cmbodies the contrast well. "John not inferior to any that are born of women ; but these, even the least of them, are born of another birth. John, the nearest to the King and kingdom, but never having himself entered ; these in the kingdom, subjects and citizens and indweUers of the realm ; He the friend of the Bridegroom ; they, however weak and unworthy, his Body and his Spouse." Ob- serve, that Paul calls himself "least of the apos- tles" (1 Cor. 15,: 9). 12. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, etc. The metaphor is that of a city to which long siege has been laid, and into which at last the victorious troops pour joyfully, seizing on it as their prey. The preach- ing of John the Baptist inaugurated the new dis- pensation, in which the poor had the Gospel preached unto them. Crowds thronged to hear him, as now they were thronging to hear Christ, eager to seize hold of the kingdom which both John and Jesus declared to be at hand. There was no such eagerness to lay hold on the preach- ing of the Scribes ; this very contrast was an evi- dence that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, and it dated from the advent of John, M-ho was thus pointed out as the messenger sent before the Lord (verse 10), the Elias that was for to come (verse 14). Other interpretations have been pro- posed, as, (a,) that the kingdom of heaven forces itself on others, breaks in upon them with vio- lence, an interpretation explained by Joel 2 : 28-33, and Acts 2 : 16-21 ; (&,) it is forcibly re- sisted, and thus suffers violence; e.g., at the hand of the Pharisees ; (c, ) it yields only to a quasi violence, a spiritual resoluteness and im- portunity, as implied in Luke 14 : 25-33. Either of these interpretations is grammatically defensi- ble ; the one I have given alone agrees with the context, and is now generally adopted. Observe in this metaphor thus interpreted, a justification of intense enthusiasm in the religious Ufe. Com- pare for spiritual interpretation 2 Cor. 7 : 11. 13. For all the prophets and the law Ch. XI.] MATTHEW. 155 i6 But™ whereunto shall I liken this generation ? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows. 17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced ; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. prophesied until John. That is, until John the whole dispensation was typical and prophetic ; he introduced the new dispensation, that of ful- fillment ; for, 14. This is Elijah which was for to come, i. e. he fulfilled the prophecy of Malachi 4:5: " Behold I wLU send you Elijah the proph- et before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." How he fulfilled it is ex- plained in Luke 1 : 17 ; he came "in the spirit and power of Elijah." That John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy is again, if possible, more distinctly stated by our Lord in answer to the arguments of the scribes (Matt. 17 : 10-13), "Elijah is come already.''^ The rabbis held that as Elijah ascended bodily into heaven, so he is destined to reappear bodUy upon the earth before the advent of the Messiah ; and -some Christian scholars, Alford for example, seem to hold the same view, believing that the literal resurrection and re- appearance of Elijah will precede the second coming of Christ. But our Lord neither here nor in Matt. 17 : 10-13 gives any hint of this. T?iere is no more reason to regard John the Baptist as a typical fulfillment of the prophecy of the coming of Elijah than there is to regard Jesus of Nazareth as a typical fulfillment of the propMcies regarding the 3Iessiah. Christ thus gives the sanction of his authority to the spiritual inter- pretation of the O. T. prophecies ; these are largely books of inspired poetry, and are to be read and interpreted accordingly. The advent of Christ was to the Jewish nation the "great and dreadful day of the Lord," because it ush- ered in the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews. Observe that the closing words of the O. T. canon prophesy the advent of John the Baptist, and that in the opening chapter of the N. T. canon the fulfillment of that prophecy is recorded. John the Baptist, when asked, said that he was not Elijah (john 1 : 21). It is not probable that he fully understood his own mission, or the extent to which he fulfilled the O. T. prophecy, and ushered in the N. T. dis- pensation. The greatest and best men rarely understand their own mission fully, or are under- stood by others, till after their death. If ye will receive. Not receive it, as in our English version, i. e. the statement of Christ, nor him, i. e. John the Baptist, as a prophet, but receive simply, i. e. accept the divine teaching and in- fluence whencesoever it comes. The function of Elijah, as described by Malachi (4 : e), was to pro- duce domestic peace and concord by the preach- ing of repentance as a preparation for the com- ing of the Prince of Peace (compare Malachi 3 : 1). How far John would fulfill this prophecy depended on how far the people would receive and yield to instructions, which he gave in the spirit of the prophet Elijah. 15. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. A phrase frequently used to point out the fact that there is a deep significance in the instruction aiforded, which requires thought- ful hearing. (Mark. 7 : I6 ; Lute 14 : 33 ; Rev. 2 : 7, etc.) Its meaning is indicated by the reference in Matt. 13 : 13, 14 to those who, having ears, hear not. 16. 17. This generation * * * like unto children sitting in the market. The mar- kets were always held in an open street or square, as in many of our cities ; and these market-places were used, not only for business, but, like the streets and open squares of to-day, by children in their sports. Piped unto you * * * mourned unto you. The metaphor is drawn from the sports of children, imitating the serious business of life, here weddings and funerals. "Among the Jews, the Greeks, and the Romans it was customary to play the flute, especially at marriage dances. Similarly, solemn wailing was customary at burials." — {Lange.) Dancing in that age was radically different from the modem dance ; it is, however, worthy of note that Christ implies its common use as a recreation, and in- cidentally compares his gospel to a call to the dance, as it is elsewhere compared to an invita- tion to a feast (Luke 14 : 16-24). Observe, too, in this metaphor, one of the many indications in the N. T., not only of Christ's love for children, but also of his sympathy for them in then- chDdish sports and games. Of this parable, for such it is, in fact, three interpretations have been pro- posed : (a,) that the children represent the Jews, who called to John and to Jesus, but were dis- satisfied with the mourning of the one, and the joyousness of the other; (6,) that the children and their fellows represent different classes of the Jews, one part desiring one thing, and an- other another, so that they could agree in nothing; (c,) that the children represent Jesus and John, the one of whom called to joyousness and the other to mourning, and both of whom were rejected. The latter is the older interpre- tation, it accords best with the context, and it is that which the ordinary reader would at once gather from the passage. The objection that Christ says ^Uhis generation is like unto children 156 MATTHEW. i8 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He" hath a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating" and drinliing, and [Ch. XI. they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicansf and sinners. But wisdomi is justified of her children. ch. 10 : 25 ; John 7 : 20. . . .0 ch. 9 : 10 ; John 2 : 2. . . .p Luke 15 ; 2 ; 19:7.. P«. 92 : 6, 6 ; Prov. 17 : sitting and calling," is not conclusive, for he similarly says (Matt. 13 : 24), " The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man who sowed good seed," while he afterwards (ver. 37) explams that the sower is the Son of man ; compare similar use of language in Matt. 13 : 45. The objection that it is undignified or harsh to understand of the children John the Baptist and Jesus is even less forcible, for Christ elsewhere compares himself to objects lowlier and less dignified than children playing, e. g. to a road- way, to bread, to a gate, etc. See also for Biblical use of very lowly im- agery, Ezekiel 4 : 1-3 ; 5 : 1, etc. I accept, there- fore, the interpretation which is the most common and natural, though many of the ablest com- mentators, Lange, Schaff, Olshausen, and Alford among others, reject it. John comes mourning and warning, but the nation mourns not ; Jesus comes rejoicing and caUing to joy, but the nation rejoices not. 18. For. This connects the following verses with the preceding metaphor, and shows them to be an interpretation of it. John came neither eating nor drinking; i. e., sociably. He lived the life of an ascetic, almost of an her- mit (Matt. 3 : 4). He hath a devil. This charge is nowhere else reported against John, though it is reported as brought against Jesus (Matt. 9 : 34 ; 12 : 24 ; John 7 : 20 ; 8 : 48, 62 ; 10 : 2o). But the Pharisees, who rejected Jesus, and charged him with laxity of morals in mixing with siimers, also rejected John, whose spirit was the reverse of that of Jesus in this respect (Matt. 21:25 ; Lute 7: 30). Dr. Brown remarks: "When men want an excuse for rejecting or disregarding the grace of the Gospel, they easily find it. * * * One preacher is too austere ; another too free ; one is too long ; another too short ; one is too sentimental ; an- other is too hard." 19. The Son of man came eating and drinking ; i. e., he mingled in the social festivi- ties of his age. There is no record in the N. T. of his ever having declined an invitation. His habit m this respect is illustrated by his presence at the marriage at Cana of Galilee (john 2 : 1-11), the feast at Matthew's house (Matt. 9 : 9, 10), the house of Simon (Luke 7 : 36), the dinner' given him by the Pharisees (Lukeii : 37; u: 1), and the supper given by Mary and Martha (John 12 : i, 2). Christ's example justifies a right enjoyment of social festivity, and affords no ground for asceti- cism. They say. Note the value of a " they say ;'''' i. e., the weight that belongs to mere common report. Behold a man gluttonous and a wine-bibber. Observe that Christ did not permit the fear that his example would be misunderstood and misinterpreted to prevent his participation in social festivities, in which there was then, as there is now, sometimes ex- cess. It is not true that we are to avoid all ap- pearance of evil, as that language is ordinarily understood (see note on 1 Thess. 5 : 22) ; and the apos- tle's pi"inciple, "If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world stand- eth," is to be qualified by Christ's example. An example that is a stumbling-block to others some- times becomes a duty. A friend of publicans and sinners. A sublime truth, though uttered as a slanderous lie. But Avisdom is justified by her children, i. e., the divine Spirit is recognized by the children of God. Wisdom is not here equivalent to Christ ; it is the spirit of divine Wisdom which was mani- fested both in John the Baptist and in Jesus (see Prov. ch. 8). Justified is equivalent to recognized as right (compare, for use, Matt. 12 : 37 ; Luke 7 : 29 ; 10 : 29 ; 16 : 15 j IS : 14). In the Gospels, as in its theological use in Romans, it signifies, not a making right, but regarding as right, treating as right. Her children are the children that are begotten of the divine Wisdom, i. e., the sons of God (John i : 12, 13). The true meaning of the passage is indicated by Luke's declaration (Luke 7: 29): "All the people that heard him and the publicans justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John." For contrast between the effect produced by the Gospel on the children of foolishness and the children of wisdom, see 1 Cor. 1 : 23, 24. Observe that the Pharisees, the wise and mighty and rich of Judea, were stumbled, while the publi- cans and sinners, the foolish and weak and base, justified God (1 Cor. 1 : 26-28 ; compare John 7 : 48, 49). Ch. U : 20-24. WOES PRONOUNCED AGAINST GALI- LEAN CITIES. The object of Chkist's mightt WORKS : THE PRODUCTION OF REPENTANCE— ThB GROUND OP ETERNAL CONDEMNATION : THE REFUSAL TO REPENT.— The HEATHEN CONDEMN CHRISTENDOM.— The PROSPERITY OP GREAT CITIES OFTEN FALLACIOUS. —The rasTORT of divine judgments in the past an exemplification of divine judgments in the fu- ture.— differences in sin and in punishment.— The greater the grace, the greater the sin, and the greater the judgment. This discourse and that contained in the fol- lowing part of the same chapter (ver. 25-30), appear only in Matthew. But thoughts almost identical with those down to verse 27, appear in Luke 10 ; 13-16, 21, 22, in connection with the commis- Ch. XL] MATTHEW. 157 20 Taen"' began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they re- pented not : 21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! woe unto thee, Beth- saida !" for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say unto you, It' shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. 23 And thou, Capernaum, which art" exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell : for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. r Luke 10 : 13, etc. Isa. 14 : 13-15 ; Lam. 2 ; sion and the return of the Seventy. Most com- mentators regard the connecting words, "then he began to upbraid," as an indication that this entire chapter is one discourse. So Alford : "I would regard the 'then he began,' as the token of the report of an ear witness, and as pointing to a pause or change of manner on the part of our Lord." The original is, however, certainly susceptible of a more general signification. This occasion marked a change in Christ's ministry, from a mere proclamation that the kingdom is at hand to a warning of divine judgments against the people for rejecting it. Observe that from this time onward, these warnings grow more and more terrible to the close of his ministry. See Luke 11 : 39-54 ; 13 : 1^ ; 16 : 15, and their strong- est and most terrible expression in Matt. ch. 33. Whether the same woes were twice pronounced in the cities of Galilee, once at the time indicated here by Matthew, and again at the time indicated by Luke, or whether the two evangelists give in different connections reports of the same address, is a question which cannot be answered with any certainty. 20. The cities (of Galilee), wherein most of his mighty works were done. The Greek word (dvvuuic) here translated "mighty works," is elsewhere translated miracles (Mark 9 : 39 ; Acts 2 : 22). It unquestionably here means works of a miraculous nature. That there were many such miracles unrecorded is testified to in Luke 4 : 23 and John 21 : 25. Compare Matt. 9 : 35 ; Mark 1 : 34 ; Luke 7 : 21. Because they repented not. The object of his miracles, as his preach- ing, was to produce repentance. Compare Matt. 4 : 17. " He does not say because they believed not ; for some kind of faith [belief ?] many of them had, as that Christ was a teacher come from God ; but because they repented not ; their faith [belief V] did not prevail to the transform- ing of their hearts and the reformation of their lives." — {Matthew Henry.) 21. Woe unto thee, Chorazin. Chorazin is mentioned only here and in Luke 10 : 13, Its situation is not with certainty known ; the latest researches identify it with modern Kerazeh, two niiles north of Capernaum, modern Tel Hum, and this agrees with the testimony of Jerome. Nothing is known of its history. Bethsaida. There is no adequate ground for the hypothesis that there were two cities of this name in Galilee, one on the northern and one on the western shore of the lake, an hypothesis invented to reconcile Luke 9 : 10 with Mark 6 : 45. There are some passages in later writers, referred to in Smith's Bib. Diet., which seem to substantiate this hy- pothesis, but there is no relic of a Bethsaida on the western shore, and no adequate evidence of such a tovra to overcome the inherent improba- bility of two towns of the same name in such close proximity. There was a weU-known town of this name, a fisherman's village (the name sig- nifies house offish), on the north shore, where the Jordan enters the Sea of Galilee. See note on Mark 6 : 45. Tyre and Sidon. Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast (see map). Sidon, named from the son of Canaan (oen. 10 : ib), was one of the oldest cities in the Holy Land. Tyre, an off- spring of Sidon, became the chief commercial city of Palestine, if not of all the East. Joshua did not drive out the aborigines from the neighbor- ing plains (Josh. 11 : 8, with Judg. 1 : 19) ; and David and Solomon made treaties with the kings of Tyre (2 Sam. 6 : 11 ; 1 Kings 6 : 1-12). The Tyriau manufactures and commerce are graphically described in Eze- kiel, ch. 27. Carthage, long the rival of Rome, was a Tyrian colony. Both Tyre and Sidon fell into the hands of Alexander the Great, and Phoe- nicia became a province of Syria. Still , in the time of Christ, Tyre was the chief commercial city of Palestine, and the largest city, probably, except perhaps Jerusalem. Both cities are now com- paratively in ruins. The harbor of Tyre is filled up, the fishermen dry their nets on its rocks, and even if Palestine should become a prosperous nation again, Tyre never could be rebuilt as a commercial city, for want of a harbor, a striking illustration of the truth of Ezekiel's prophecy, " Thou shalt be built no more " (Ezek. 26 : 14). The warnings denounced against Tyre and Sidon in Eeekiel, chaps. 26, 27, and 28, rendered these cities notably a type of warning to the Jews. In sackcloth and ashes. Sackcloth is a coarse texture of a dark color made of goats' hair. It was worn by mourners in a garment resembling a sack in shape, with holes for the arms. For illustration of use, see 2 Kings 6 : 30 ; Job 16 : 15 ; Isaiah 33 : 11 ; Joel 1:8; Jonah 3 : 5. Ashes were also put upon the head and face as a symbol of mourning. See 2 Sam. 13 : 19 ; Esther 4:1; Job 3:8; Isaiah 58 : 5, etc. 158 MATTHEW. [Ch. XI. 24 But I say unto you, That' it shall be more tolera- ble for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. 25 At™ that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.^ 26 Even so, Father : for so it seemed good in thy sight. 27 All things? are delivered unto me of my Father : ..w Luke 10 : 21, etc 1 Ps. 8:2; Jer. 1 :7, 8; 1 Cor. 1 : 27 ych.28:I8; Luke 10 : 22 ; John 3: 36; 17: 2; 1 Cor. 15 : 27. 22. More tolerable. See note on Matthew 10 : 15. 23. And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven ? Thou shalt be brought down unto death. There is some uncertainty as to the reading ; that which I have adopted in this rendering is that of the Sinaitic manuscript, and is adopted by Lachmann, Tre- gelles, Conant, and Alford in his last edition. The word translated "hell" is not Gehenna (yiiva), the place of punishment, but Hades (f/df;?), the place of the dead. See note on Matt. 5 : 23. The declaration is not that the inhabi- tants of Capernaum shall be eternally punished, but that Capernaum itself, which was the chief commercial city of the Sea of GalUee, should not have its expectation of future greatness realized, but should be obliterated. This prophecy has been so literally fulfilled that the very site of Capernaum is a matter of uncertamty. See note on Matt. 4 : 13. Of course, the spiritual lesson is involved in the symbol, the judgment that has fallen on the place is typical of the judgment that will fall on the people, as on aU those that refuse to repent at the preaching and mighty works of Jesus. Had been done in Sodom. Christ elsewhere compares the suddenness of the judg- ment which overtook Sodom to that which will overtake the world (Luke n : 29, so). The O. T. prophets compared the sins of Israel to those of Sodom (isaiah 1 : 10 ; Lam. 4:6; Ezek. 16 : 46-57). It would have remained. It is then clear (a) that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was not brought about by the mere operation of natural law or an inevitable decree, but by divine Providence as a punishment for iniquity, a fact clearly stated in the O. T. narrative (Gen. is : 20, 21 ; 19 : 13), but here directly confirmed by Christ ; (6) that the decrees of God are not irrevocable, but are held by him subjected to change on the repentance and reformation of those warned of impending punishment, a truth illustrated in the history of Nineveh (jonah 3 : 10) ; (c) that there is no sin and no sinner that cannot obtain pardon and absolution through repentance, since even Sodom might have escaped if it had repented. 24. More tolerable in the day of judg- ment. History affords an illustration of this declaration; for "the name and perhaps even the remains of Sodom are still to be found on the shore of the Dead Sea, whUe that of Capernaum, on the Lake of Gennesareth, has been utterly lost." — {Stanley.) The moral meaning of these woes and their practical application is plain. "Unto whomso- ever much is given, of him shall much be re- quired " (Luke 12 : 4s). In the divine judgment the flagrant vices of ignorance are less culpable than the rejection of pardon and spiritual life by those educated in the Gospel. The historical fulfill- ment of these warnings, in the destruction of the cities, points forward to a further spiritual ful- fillment ; for the declaration is that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom i?i that day, which evidently looks to a judgment of Sodom, i. e.y of its people, yet to come ; but the judg- ment on the place, as a place, had long since been fulfilled. If Tyre and Sidon, and Sodom and Gomorrah would have repented if further op- portunity and greater manifestations had been awarded them, the question naturally occurs, why were these not given ? The answer is, that sufficient opportunity and sufficient warnings were given, and as no laborer in the vineyard has a right to call God to an account for giving a penny to all alike (Matt. 20 : lo-u), so no outcast has a right to call God to account for not giving all the same opportunity. If still the disciple, perplexed, asks why such seeming iaequalities in the administration of divine grace, why the gift of Christ to the cities of Galilee and the with- holding of Christ from the cities of the plain, the gift of Christianity to Europe and the withhold- ing it from India, there is no other answer than, Even so. Father ; for so it seemed good in thy sight. Ch. 11 ! 23-30. CHRIST'S INVITATION. The wakn- INa OF DANGER AND DOOM IS FOLLOWED BY THE IN- VITATION TO REFUGE AND REST. — SprRITtTAL TRUTH 19 DISCERNED, NOT BY INTELLECTUAL POWER, BUT BT CHTLD-LIKE DOCILITY. THE HUMBLE CHILD 18 WISER THAN THE CONCEITED PHILOSOPHER.— ALL THINGS ON EARTH ARE IN THE HANDS OP INFINITE MERCY. — ThE MYSTERY OP Christ's nature; no theology can FULLY INTERPRET HEM.— CHRIST THE GREAT ReVEALER. —Without Christ God is the Unknown and Un- knowable.— Who ARE invited? all IN NEED;_ TO WHOM INVITED ? TO JeSUS, WHO SAVES FROM SIN (Matt. 1 : 21) ; FOR WHAT invited ? for rest in TROUBLE HERE, FROM TROUBLE HEREAFTER. — CHRIST's YOKE, self-denial for the sake op others; light, be- cause borne fof christ and borne with christ. Christ's yoke, because borne by him for us, by us for him, and by it we are yoked to Christ.— The true Christian teacher must be meek aito LowxY IN HEART.— Christ's gift, a yoke, tet pkb- FBCT BEST ; A SEBVIOB WHICH IS JOY AND PBACB. Ch. XL] MATTHEW. 159 25. At that time. Not necessarily in the same discourse. It may mean at this period in his ministry, though the discourse from verse 7 may be all one. Compare for signification of phrase, Matt. 13 : 1 ; 14 : 1 ; Mark 10 : 30, etc. This much is certain ; at the same period in which Jesus began to pronounce woes against the cities of Galilee, he commenced to give to his ministry a tenderer aspect toward the weary and heavy- laden. Luke records the same acknowledgment of God's mystery of grace with a more definite note of time, "in that hour" (Luke lo: 21), i. e., in the same hour with the return of the Seventy. Robinson supposes it to have been twice uttered, and this is quite possible. See above, note on 20-24. I thank thee. The Greek verb (^;o,uoAoyito) so rendered here is nowhere else in the N. T. so translated, except in the parallel passage in Luke. The general idea is ^^ confess,'''' but with the idea of publicity. It is here "J puhlichj acknowledge to thee * * * that thou hast hid,^^ etc. Father, Lord of heaven and earth. It is to be observed that he does not address the Father as his Lord, but as Lord of heaven and earth. But see John 20 : 17, where he says "My Father and your Father, and my God and your God. These things. That is, the mysterious operation of that divine power which destroys the cities of Galilee and raises up other nations to become light-bearers, as set forth in Matt. 21 : 43. Compare Rom. 11 : 33, and ob- serve that Paul's expression there is in view of the casting out of Israel and the admission of the Gentiles. Both the warnings (Luke 19 : 42) and the invitations (2 cor. 4 : 3) of the Gospel are hid from the eyes of such as are wise in their own conceit. Compare 1 Cor. 2 : 6-8. From the wise and prudent. The wise ia philosophy, the prudent in worldly affairs (Acts 13 : 7). Observe, that the contrast is not with the unwise and imprudent, but with babes. The words (aocpog and oweruc), here rendered "wise and prudent," are never used alone in the N. T. in a bad sense, unless 1 Cor. 3 : 19 be an exception. The word wise (Gr. a'xpog) is employed to designate an attribute both of God and good men (i Cor. 3 : lO; Rom. 16 : 27), and the negative foolish (Gr. uaocpo?, Ephes. 5 : 15 only) and loithout understanding {davvcroc, Matt. 15 : is ; Rom. 1 : 31, etc.), are uscd only in a bad sense. The doctrine conveyed, then, is that religious truth is not acquired by any mere intellectual process, however good in itself ; it is revealed not to philo- sophical wisdom, or intellectual culture, or prac- tical sagacity in affairs, but to childlike humility and docility. Compare Job 11 : 7 ; Luke 18 : 17 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 12-21. The babes here are the disci- ples, contrasted with the wise and prudent (1 Cor. 1 : 26), unfamiliar with the wisdom of the Scribes (Acta 4 : 13), and disregarding worldly prudence In leaving all to follow Christ. The language here indicates that Luke has given this part of the discourse in the right connection, viz., im- mediately after the return of the Seventy from their mission. "When the Seventy came telling him about the devils, then he rejoiced and spake these things ; which, besides increasing their diligence, would also dispose them to be mod- est." — (Chrysostoni.) 27. All things are delivered unto me of my Father. Not revealed to me, but deiiv- ered to me ; i. e., the whole administration of human life is handed over to me. Compare Col. 1 : 16-19, and Hebrews 1 : 8. But observe that the power of Christ is represented as derived from the Father (delivered unto me by my Father), and that all will at the last be delivered to the Father again (1 cor. 15 : 23). Compare, as to both truths. Matt, 28 : 18 ; John 5 : 26, 36 ; 14 : 10. No man knoweth the Son. The designation of Jesus as "!]). It, however, embodies the idea that both the prophecy and the fulfillment were in accordance with God's purpose. For it is true that it was the purpose of Christ in life, char- acter, and death, to fulfil God's will coueeming him. I may take this occasion to say to the Greek student, that I dissent from Alford's conclusion that " it is impossible to translate 'iva (Jiina) in any other sense than 'in order that.' " Sophocles ( Greek Lex., art. 'ha) has given a number of illus- trations, some from the Septuagint, showing that it is used in the later Greek otherwise than in a telle sense ; and there are passages in the N. T. where it cannot be rendered "in order that," without forcing an unnatural meaning upon the sacred text. John 13 : 34 affords a striking illustration : " A new commandment 1 give unto you. That ((>«) ye love one another; as i have loved you, that (nu) ye also love one another." It is certainly unnatural though not impossible to render the first iru (Jdna) "in order that," i. e. to suppose Christ's declaration to be, I have given you a new commandment in order thai ye love one another ; but it neither accords with common sense nor with other teachings of Scripture to give that meaning to the second i'la, so as to read, I have loved you in order that ye love one another ; for the springs of Christ's love are in himself. So here, while 11 u has a qualified telle sense, yet "in order that " would not fairly rep- resent its true significance, for it is impossible to believe that the reason why Christ was gentle, did not strive nor cry, bore patiently and long with the bruised reed and smoking flax, was that he might fulfill a prophecy. This would make Christ for the prophecy, whereas the prophecy is for Christ. The mistake — for in spite of Dean Alford's very positive assertion, I cannot regard it but as a mistake — arises from forgetting that the language of the N. T. is popular, not ab- struse, and conforms in many respects rather to the later than to the classical Greek. I may add that while Winer (§ 53, t 10, sec. e) in the main appears to sustain Alford's view, though he is less positive and seems to allow of some exceptions, the other view is maintained by Olshansen, Note on Matt. 1 : 21 ; Owen, Note on same ; Ellicott, Note on Ephes. 1:17; Sophocles, Gr. Lex., Art. />■« ; Eobinson, Gr. Lex. of N. T., Art. Vi u, and other scholars quoted in those authorities. Olshausen's argument appears to me to be quite conclusive on this subject. "This Evangelist (John) has used (oart once only (joUn 3 : 10) in all his writings ; and in that instance it is after a preceding orrco? ; '(.Tdic, too, occurs only in John 11 : 57. But it is inconceivable that John should not sometimes have wished to express the notion of mere conse- quence without intention. Such passages as John 4 : 34 ; 9:2; 15 : 13 ; 16 : 7 ; 17 : 3, show that he employed iva for this purpose." 17. Which was spoken by Esaias, i. e. Isaiah. The quotation is from Isaiah 42 : 1-4. It is apparently a quotation from memoiy, for it follows neither the original Hebrew nor the Greek version (the Septuagint) with verbal accuracy. The N, T. quotations from the O. T. afford a striking illustration of the biblical disregard of the letter, and a conclusive argument against the doctrine of verbal inspiration, i. e. the doctrine that the Holy Spirit dictated the words, and that the writers were mere amanuenses. That the English Ch. XII.] MATTHEW. 165 i8 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen ; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased : I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. 19 He shall not strive, nor cry ; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking fla.x shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment 22 Then' was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb : and he healed him, insomucn that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. t Mark 3:11; Luke U : 14. reader may note the contrast in phraseology, I transfer Henderson's translation of the original "Behold my servant whom I uphold ; Mine Elect in whom my soul delighteth ; I have put my spirit upon him ; He shall cause judgment to go forth to the nations ; He shall not cry nor raise his voice, Nor cause it to be heard in the streets. A braised reed shall he not crush ; And a glimmering wick shall he not quench ; For permanence he shall cause judgment to go forth. He shall not glimmer [be dim], neither shall he be bruised, Till he have established judgment on the earth, And the maritime lands have waited for his law." 18. My servant. The same word (nai?) is translated child in Acts 4 : 27. It is the one em- ployed in Matt. 8 : 6 ; see note there. The phrase is used by Isaiah in various senses. It is applied to himself (isaiah 20 : s), to Ellakim (22 : 20), to the Jewish people (41 : 8, 9 ; 44 : 1, 2, 21 ; 45 : 4), and to the Messiah (42 : i ; so : 5-10 ; 62 : is). Its application to the Messiah, in the passage from which this quo- tation is made, is recognized by most Jewish rabbis, and in the Chaldee paraphrase the inter- pretation is incorporated in the text, which reads, Behold my servant, the Messiah. Whom I have chosen. The Greek word («(^)fr(;(u) here rendered chosen occurs no where else in the N. T. It is a difEerent word from that employed in such passages as John 15 : IG, and does not involve the idea of selection from many, but of preferment and love. In whom my soul is well pleased. Compare Matt. 3 : 17 ; 17 : 5. And for the reason why God the Father is well pleased with the Son, see Phil. 3:9; Hebrews 1:9. I will put my Spirit upon him. Compare Matt. 3 : 16, 17 ; John 1 : 3.2-34 ; 3 : 34 ; 10 : 38 ; 14 : 10. Observe that in some passages the Spirit of God is represented as taking on human nature (phii. 2 : 6, 7 ; Hebnws 2:16); and clsewhcre, as here, the man Christ Jesus is represented as clothed with and inspired by the mdwelling Spirit of God. Thus the Bible uses both forms of ex- pressing the incomprehensible character of Jesus Christ (see vtr. 27) which in the church have been employed separately by antagonistic schools of theologj'. To the devout Arian Jesus Christ is a man in whom the Spirit of God peculiarly dwells ; to the devout Athanasian, he is the Spirit of God dwelling in and with a perfect man. And he shall announce judgment to the Gentiles ; rather to the nations, i. e. to aU nations, including the Jews, but also including pagans. Compare Matt. 3 : 13, and note ; 25 : 31, 33 ; John 5 : 33, 27. 19. He shall not strive. Compare 2 Tim. 3 : 34. Observe that though error was common in Christ's day, as in ours, he rarely if ever en- tered into a theological discussion. His preach- ing was not controversial, though sometimes doctrinal. He denounced sin (Matt. ch. 23), cor- rected error by instructing in the truth (chaps. 5 and s), but avoided debate (ch. 21 : 23-27). Nor vo- ciferate. Christ's preaching was not vocifer- ous ; his power was gentle. Compare Psalm 18 : 35. Neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. Of course to be under- stood as an elaboration of the preceding clause. Christ was characteristically a street and field preacher. 20. A bruised reed. The reed was itself an emblem of weakness (see note on ch. 11 : s). A bruised reed is one broken, but not entirely in two. The flax floating in oU was a common form of lamp ; the smoking flax is one almost extin- guished. The half-formed purpose he will not discourage ; the disheartened aspiration he will not extinguish ; the least glimmer of faith and love he will accept as a beginning ; he will not, by coldness or rebuke, destroy. Read this meta- phor in the light of chap. 11 : 28. "He who holds not a hand to the sinner, nor carries the burden for his brother, breaks the bruised reed ; he who despises the spark of faith in a little one extinguishes the smokmg flax." — {Jerome.) Si- mon would have broken the bruised reed in the woman that was a sinner ; Christ forbade and strengthened the faltering purpose (Luke 7 : 37-43). The Pharisees would have extinguished the smoking flax in Zaccheus ; Christ fanned it into a flame of true penitence (Luke 19 : 1-10). Peter was a bruised reed whom Christ broke not (Luke 22: 55-62). Till he send forth judgment unto victory, i. e., until he brings long conflict with evil to an end by taking the judgment-seat and becoming conqueror as judge over all (1 Cor. 15 : 25; Rev., ch. 20). The implication is, that the work of redemption will cease with the final judgment. 21. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. Tor parallel declarations of the univer- 166 MATTHEW. [Ch. XII. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David ? . 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince ot the devils. 25 And Jesus knew their thoughts," and said unto them. Every kingdom divided j^ainst itself is brought to desolation ; and every city or house divided against it- self shall not stand : 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself ; how shall then his kingdom stand ? 27 And if I by Beelzebub' cast out devils, by whom u Pa. 139 : 2 ; John 2 : 24, 25. sality of Christ's kingdom of grace, see Isaiah 49 : 6, 12 ; 51 : 4, 5 ; Matt. 28 : 1^; Mark 16 : 15. 12 : 22-42. HEALING OF DUMB AND BLIND, AND DISCnUUSK THEREON. No evidence can convincb a DETERMINED SKEPTIC. — ThE ARGUMENT PROM MIRA- CLES, OP HEALING IN THE PAST, OP GRACE IN THE PRES- ENT : NONE BUT God is STRONGER THAN SaTAN.— In THE CONPLICT BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL THERE CAN BE NO NEUTRALITY. EVERY MAN IS A SUBJECT OP GOD OR OP Satan.— With Christ is always for Christ ; to BE SEPARATE PROM CHRIST IS ALWAYS TO BE AGAINST HIM. — All work that is not with Christ, wastes. — There are bounds to God's pardoning grace.— The unpardonable sin: treason against the holy Ghost.- The tree is more than its pruit; the character than conduct. — words are the incas- NATION op thoughts, the INTERPRETERS OP THE SOUL.— Our words are written in the record op OUR LIFE.- The resurrection op Christ the evi- dence OP Christianity. The time when this miracle was wrought, and the accompanying charges of the Pharisees and Christ's reply were uttered, is uncertain. There is no reasonable doubt that the three accounts given by Matthew here, by Mark (ch. s : i9-so), and by Luke (ch. 9 : 14-20), are all of the same incident and discourse, though some scholars have sup- posed its occurrence twice. Robinson places it almost immediately after the Sermon on the Mount. Townsend does the same. The internal evidence — the facts that so serious a charge was definitely brought against Jesus as that of co- operation with Beelzebul, and that the people designated him the Son of David, i. e., the Mes- siah, the first time this designation was given to him by the multitude — appears to me to point to a later period. It was probably subsequent to the charges made of eating with publicans and sinners (ch. 9 : 11) of blasphemy (ch. 9 : 3), and of Sabbath breaking (ch. 12 : 2, 10, etc). The place ap- pears from Mark 3 : 2:3 to have been Galilee, and from same chapter, verses 20, 21, to have been in a house 22. One possessed Avith a devil, or demon. See note on Demoniacal Possession, ch. 8, p. 85. 23. Son of David. A common Jewish ap- pellation of the Messiah. See references in note on ch. 8 : 27. 24. But when the Pharisees heard it. That is, when they heard what the people said. That they were present is indicated by Luke's phraseology "Some of them said." Mark gives a more definite description of these critics ; they were " scribes who came down from Jerusalem." There is nothing inconsistent in these different descriptions. They were, in office scribes, in sentiment Pharisees, at the time present with and part of the multitude. They said. Not openly, but to one another. This is evident from the language of the next verse. But by Beel- zebul the prince of devils. All the authori- ties agree that the reading here should be Beel- zebul. Beelzebub, or Baal-zebub {lord of flesh), was a god of the Ekronites (2 Kings 1 : 2). By the change of a single letter the Jews converted it into Baal or Beelzebul (lord of filth), and applied it to the prince of devils. In their demonology, the demons were divided into ranks or classes, Satan, or Beelzebul, or the devil, being the prince or chief of aU. See on his character note on ch. 4:1. Observe that during Christ's life it was never denied by his bitterest foes that he wrought miracles. Compare John 11 : 47. Even the Pharisees were compelled to admit the miracles which they attributed either, as here, to demo- niacal agency, or, as in their later books, to magical powers. A blasphemous Life of Jesus, compiled from the rabbinical authorities, asserts that he wrought them by possessing himself secretly of the incommunicable name of God kept in the Holy of Holies, and carefully guarded there ; and that the cause of his death was his deprivation, through the treachery of Judas, of the manuscript on which he had written this name and other mysteries there acquired. The first open denial of the reality of the miracles ap- pears as late as the second century in the works of Celsus. 25. And Jesus knew their thous^hts. Compare ch. 9:4; Heb. 4 : 13. Every king- dom divided against itself. The German version expresses the idea happily : Every king- dom not at one with itself (unein§). History affords abundant illustration of this principle in human affairs. The principle itself constitutes an incidental but strong argument against sec- tarianism. See 1 Cor. 1 : 13. Observe that Christ recognized and set the seal of his approval on the Jewish conception of two kingdoms, of good and evil, with their angels and archangels. The kingdom of Satan is as definitely recognized byJesus as the kingdom of God. And every * * house (olxlu), here equivalent to household. 2G. If Satan cast out Satan. Satan is Ch. XII.] MATTHEW. 1G7 do your children cast them out ? therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if 1 cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom" of God is come unto you. 29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil^ his goods, except he first bind the strong man ? and then ne will spoil his house. 30 He that is not with me, is against me -J and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad. 31 Wherefore I say unto you, All^ manner of sm and ch. 6 : 33 ; Dan. 2 : 44 ; Luke 11 : here evidently synonymous on the one hand with Beelzebul, on the other with the demon which Christ has cast out, who is treated as one of Satan's emissaries. The passage shows conclu- sively that in New Testament usage demon is nearly equivalent to devil with us, not merely to spirit, as in classical usage. He is divided against himself: how shall then his king- dom stand ? It is true that the kingdom of Satan is in perpetual discord and anarchy, for to this the spirit of selfishness iaevitably leads ; but in relation to the kingdom of heaven, it is at one. "Just as a nation or kingdom may em- brace within itself infinite parties, divisions, dis- cords, jealousies, and heart-burnings ; yet if it is to subsist as a nation at all, it must not, as re- gards other nations, have lost its sense of unity ; when it does so, of necessity it falls to pieces and perishes." — {Trench.) There is, however, a real as well as seeming unity in the kingdom of evil ; every evil influence co-operates with others, and tends to render the soul more subject to sin and Satan ; and in all conflicts the hosts of evil natur- ally and instinctively ally themselves together; while the truth tends to the development of the^ individual conscience and to liberty of judgment and action in the individual, and so leads at first to divisions which only time and a riper develop- ment can cure. Contrast, for example, the unity of the Papal Church with the divisions among Protestants. 2S^ By whom do your children cast them out? There are two interpretations of this verse. Chrysostom and the fathers gene- rally understand by "your children" the apos- tles. "He saith not 'my disciples,' nor 'the apostles,' but 'your sons,' to the end that if, in- deed, they were minded to return to the same nobleness with them, they might derive hence a powerful sirring that way. ' ' — ( Chrysostom. ) And he interprets the argument thus : " If I so cast them out, much more those who have received their authority from me. Nevertheless, no such thing have ye said to them. * * * Therefore, also he added, ' they shall be your judges.' For when persons from among you, and having been practised in those things, both believe me and obey, it is most clear that they will also condemn those who are against me both in deed and word." But this mterpretation is unnatural, and has probably been invented to avoid the difficulty felt in supposing that Christ imputes miraculous powers to the followers of the Phar- isees. The later and better interpretation un- derstands by "your children," the disciples of the Pharisees (see 2 Kings 2 : 3), and the argument to be. Tour own disciples assume to cast out devils ; how do they accomplish it? If in them it is an evidence of divine authority, what is it in me? They, therefore, shall judge. Did, then, the disciples of tJie Pharisees cast out devils ? That they pretended to do so is certain. There is no other evidence in Scripture of such a practice than that contained here ; for the persons men- tioned in Luke 9 : 49, and in Acts 19 : 13, 14, as- sumed to cast out devils only in Christ's name ; the latter incident, however, implies a not un- common practice of exorcism. But there is abundant evidence of this practice in the rab- binical books. Josephus refers to it: "He (i. e. Solomon) left behind him the manner of using exorcism, by which they drive away demons, so that they never return, and this manner of cure is of great force unto this day " (Antiq. viii., ch. 3, § 5). And he proceeds to give an account of the method pursued — a species of incantation. In one passage (Wars of Jews, viii., ch. 6, §2) he gives an account of a root called barras, which can only be plucked in a particular manner, but which " quickly drives away those called demons, which are no other than the spirits of the wicked, that enter into men that are alive, and kUl them, unless they can obtam some help agamst them." That the Pharisees claimed power to cast out devils is then clear ; but, notwithstanding Alford's argument, there appears to me to be nothing in the words of Jesus here to warrant the belief that they really possessed any such power. The argument is simply one ad hominem, and it is equally strong whether the exorcism of evil spirits was real or pi-etended. 28. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God. Literally in the Spirit of Ood, i. e. in the power of his Spirit; Luke says "with the finger of God." Then the kingdom of God is come unto you ; rather, as rendered in Luke, ujmn you. It comes upon the Pharisees and the devils, unto the disciples and the victims pos- sessed of devils. 29. Or else, i. e., If the Idngdom of God has not come, if one stronger than Satan is not here. How can one. Luke says "a stronger than he,'''' i. e., than Satan. The same Greek word {la/vQiiztQic), here translated "stronger," ia used by John the Baptist to designate Jesus (Matt. 3:11; Luke 3 : 16, there tranelated " mightier "). Enter 1G8 MATTHEW. [Ch. XII. blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men : but the blas- phemy against the Holy Ghost" shall not be forgiven unto men. 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man,'' it shall be forgiven him : but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be for- given him, ueituer in this world, neither in the world to come. Hcb. 10 : 29 ; 1 John 5 ; IG b Luke 7 : 34 ; John 7:12; 1 Tim. into a stroniT man's house, except, etc. The strong man is Satan, his house is the whole do- main of evil. It is only by binding Satan that his power over the souls of men can be broken. Compare for interpretation of metaphor Isaiah 40 : 10 ; 49 : 24, 25 ; 53 : 12 ; Col. 2 : 15, and note on Luke 11 : 21, 23, where the metaphor is given more fully than here. 30. He that is not Avith rae is against me, etc. The converse of the proposition is also true, He that is not against us is on our part (Mark 9 : 40 ; Luke 9 : 5o). This is the consummation of the first part of the discourse, and leads to the second part. See on next verse. It sets forth the division of all moral beings into two king- doms of good and evil, God and Satan, in one or other of ivhich every person is of necessity ; for there is no third kingdom. He that is not gathering with me,— for the final harvest,— is scatterinsr abroad, does not gather for any harvest, but scatters, wastes. This is not a mere repetition of the first clause of the verse. The first asserts that he who is not Christ's fol- lower is his foe, and it classes the multitude, who were listening but not obeying, with the Phari- sees, and both with Satan and the devils ; the second asserts that every act and influence in life, qf the disciple as well as of Mm who is not, if it gather nothing for Christ and wi(7t him, scatters and wastes that which has been or is beiag gathered. Every act as well as every individual is with and for Christ or against him. For meaning of the word "gathering" see Matthew S : 13 ; 13 : 30 ; of the word " scattering " see John 10 : 13, Observe that throughout this verse the con- trast is not between him who is for Christ or who gathers for Christ and him who is against Christ or scattereth, but between him who is with Christ (Gr. i^htu) or gathereth with Christ (avvuyu)) and him who is against Christ or scat- tereth. One can be for Christ only as he is with Christ. We are against him when we are not vdth him, i. e.,m. his fellowship. When we are in his fellowship we cannot be against him. Un- wisdom may make our work apparently scatter- ing, wasteful, useless; but he gathers it if we have worked with him. Mary doing no work, only sitting at Jesus' feet, was /or him ; Martha, cumbered about much serving, though for him, scattered, wasted her energies, because she was not with him in sympathy (Luke lo : ss-ts). 30. Wherefore. This conjunction connects the discourse following respecting blasphemy against the Holy Spirit closely with what pre- cedes concerning the kingdoms of good and evil, God and Satan. Mark (s : zo) gives the connection still more definitely : " Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit." I say unto you. A common introduction of a solemn assertion. See note on Matt. 5 : 18. Every sin and blas> phemy shiiil be forgiven. Our English ver- sion doubtless gives the sense : not every sin shall be forgiven, but every kind of sin ; that is, there is forgiveness through repentance for all sins except the one about to be mentioned. But the blasphemy of the Spirit. The word Holy is inserted by the translators in this verse to make it conform to the verse following. On the mean- ing of word blasphemy see below. 32. Against the Son of man, i. e., the Messiah. See note on Matt. 10 : 23. It is not true, as some commentators have supposed, that the contrast is between speaking against the Messiah in his veiled condition and unfinished work, and slandering the same Person after the change of glory which the Holy Ghost was soon to throw around his claims, and in the full know- ledge of that, for the phrase "Son of Man" is used by Christ in describing himself both as coming in spiritual glory and power on the day of Pentecost {mm. lO: 23, endnote), and subsequently to judge the world (Matt. 26: 64), and is quoted from Daniel and the rabbinical books, where it is an appellation of the Messiah. Neither in this world, neither in the world to come. All such attempts as that of Dr. Adam Clark to break the force of this language by such inter- pretations as "Neither in this dispensation, viz., the Jewish, nor in that which is to come, viz., the Christian," or that of Wordsworth, follow- ing certain of the fathers, "Is very unlikely to obtain pardon," are utterly inadmissible. The contrast here recognized between this world and the world to come is a common one among the Jewish rabbis, and no phrases could have been better adapted to cover, to the Jewish mind, the whole period of the soul's existence. There is certainly in this verse no necessary im- plication that there is forgiveness of any sin in the life to come, though that deduction has been drawn, even by Augustine ; on the other hand, there is positive assertion that there is a sin for which there can never be pardon. It would be impossible to employ language more definitely inconsistent with the idea that all men will be finally pardoned and restored to divine favor. Of blasphemy against the Holt Ghost. Volumes have been written respecting this utter- Ch. XIL] MATTHEW. 169 33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good ; 34 O generation'' of vipers ! how can ye, being evil, or else aiake the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt : speak good things ? for out" of the abundance of the for' the tree is known by his fruit. heart the mouth speaketh. ; ch. 7 : 16, n d ch. 3 : 7 e Luke 6 : 45. ance of Christ. In the early church conflicting sects charged each other with this sin. The fathers attributed it to the Arians because they denied the divinity of Christ, to the Macedonians because they denied the Godhead of the Holy Spirit, and, in brief, to all heretics because they spoke evil of the Holy Spirit's work. In later times multitudes have yielded themselves to despair, supposmg themselves guilty of it. It has been variously defined as, Persistent resist- ance to the influence of the Third Person of the Trinity ; Impious speaking against the Holy Ghost ; Attributmg the works of God to Satan ; A wanton and blasphemous attack on the divine nature and power of Christ ; A contemptuous treatment of Christ, not as he then appeared m his humiliation, but as he was ere long to appear, when his mission and character should be at- tested by the Holy Ghost ; Not a particular act of sin but a state of sin, a wilful, determined op- position to the blessed power of the Holy Spirit ; Not a sinful state of mind, but one great and deadly sin, which, when committed, renders for- giveness absolutely impossible. It has been sup- posed that the Pharisees had committed it, and Christ denounced this woe upon them ; that they had not committed it, but approached its com- mission, and Christ warned them of their danger. To a certain extent the sin appears to be left purposely undefined, the note of warning to be indefinite, that it may caution all against trans- gressing the bounds beyond which forgiveness never reclaims. In seeking to understand Christ's meaning, and governing ourselves by the canon, we are to understand him as he would expect to be understood by his auditors, the fol- lowing facts are to be considered, (a) There is an unpardonable sin ; a sin, be it act or state, for which there is no space for forgiveness. It is possible to go beyond the reach of God's mercy. (6) There are hints of such a sin elsewhere in the N. T. In the study of this subject these should be carefully examined. The principal passages are the following ; Heb. 6 : 4-<3 ; 10 : 26-31 ; 1:3 : 15-17 ; 1 John 5 : 16. (f) The connec- tion in this discourse is close between Christ's previous reference to the oppugnance of the two kingdoms of good and evil, and his allusion here to blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. " Where- fore," i. e., because he that is not with me is of necessity against me, " I say unto you, All man- ner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven except the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost." (cZ) It la also closely connected with the accusation brought against Christ by the Pharisees, This fellow doth not cast out devils but by Beelzebul the prince of devUs. (see Mark 3 : 30.) If they were not guilty of this sin they were approach- ing it. (e) The language used by Christ in de- scribing the sin had a more definite meaning with the Jews than it has with us. The Spirit of God was not first revealed at Pentecost. The phrase is of constant occurrence in the O. T. (Exod. 31 : 3 ; Numb. 11:26; 1 Sam. 10 : 10 ; 19 : 20 ; Psalm 137 : 7; 143:10; Isaiah 48 : 16 ; Ezek. 11 : 24, etc.). As USCd here by JeSUS, it would be understood by his auditors in the O. T. sense, viz., neither as the Third Person of the Trinity, for the doctrine of three Persons in one God was unknown to the Jews, nor as the divine power in Jesus Christ, for his divinity was not recognized fully, even by the disciples, till a later period, .but as God manifest in penonai presence and jjoiver in and upon tJie hearta ofinen. (/) The word blasphemy had a well defined meaning to the Jews. It was the designation of a crime defined by statutes, and punishable by death. Under the theocracy Jehovah was kmg of the Jews. He at first appointed directly all subordinate officers, and held, in his own name, all the land ; later the kings were his own anointed, and ruled in his name. To do aught to diminish reverence and allegiance to him was the blasphemy of the O. T., a crime answering to treason in our own times, and was carefully defined and rigorously punished by the Mosaic laws. (For laws, see Exod. 20 : 1-7 ; 22 : 20 ; Deut. 13 : 1-5 ; 18 : 19, 20 ; Numb. ch. IG ; 20 : 7-12 ; 1 Kings 18. See also Abbott's Jesus of Nazareth, ch. xxxv.) It was of this Crime that Jesus was accused, and for it condemned by the San- hedrim, because he assumed a divine character, and claimed divine honors {mm. 20 : gs-gg). (g) The warning here was uttered by Christ, not to infi- dels and open opposers of the kingdom of God, nor to hardened, flagrant, and undisguised sin- ners ; but to the Pharisees, who claimed to be leaders in the Jewish theocracy, citizens in the kingdom which the Messiah was to inaugurate. I conclude, then, that by blasphemy against the Holy Ghost Christ's auditors would under- stand, not a hardness of heart, a state of wilful, determined, obdurate sin, though only out of this could it spring, nor every kind of evil speaking against either the Third Person in the Trinity or the divine nature and office of Christ, but treason by professed members of the kingdom of Ood against the Spirit of God, manifested in this instance by wilfully confounding the two kingdoms of good and evil, God and Satan, and attributing to the 170 MATTHEW. [Ch. XIL 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things ; and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you. That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account' thereof in the day of judgmDnt : 37 F>)r by thy words? thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. 38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign'" Irom thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them. An evil and adulterous' generation seeketh alter a sign ; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 ForJ as Jonas was three days and three nights in f Ecc. 12 : 14 ; Eph. 6 : 4, 6 ; Jude 15 g Prov. 13 : 3 h ch. 16 : 1 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 22 i Isa. 67 : 3. . . .j Jo diabolical agency of the latter the blessed oper- ations in merciful healing wrought by the former. But all wilful, wanton, determined op- position to the work of the Holy Spirit, either in others' hearts or our own, especially when en- gaged in by those who profess allegiance to the Holy Ghost, approximates this sin. 33. Either make the tsee good and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt. The direct connec- tion with the preceding verses appears to be this : Be consistent ; either represent the casting out of the devil from the possessed as bad, or else acknowledge the power that has done it to be good. But the lesson is of wider application ; for it is not without significance that Christ uses the word make (Gr. Troitcu), which never appears to be used in the N. T. as merely equivalent to represent. The parable has a bearing on all work of reformation, public or individual, as well as on all judgments of real or pseudo reformation. We must always work at the tree if we Mish to affect the fruit (see John 3 : 6). For the tree is kuown by his fruit. Nevertheless, the tree is more than the fruit, just as the treasure of the heart (verse 35) is more than the speaking. Com- pare with this verse Matt. 7 : 15-20, and note. 34. O offspring of vipers. See Matt. 3 : 7, and note. How can ye, being evil, speak good things. Observe how even here, where Christ gives prominence to conduct (of the tongue), he still recognizes character (the being evil) as the source and root of conduct, and as that which must be changed. It is not merely the speaking against the Holy Ghost which is the unpardonable sin, but that kind of being evil which leads to such speaking. For out of the abundance. LitevaWy overplus (Gr. neolnaev^iu, ■what is over and above). The speaking not only in- dicates the state of the heart, but indicates much more than appears in the words. And observe the implication, that the words are evil because they are indicators of the evil state within. 35. The good man out of the good trea- sure, i. e., out of the character, which is a treasure or accumulation of aU previous education, train- ing, and habits. The words ''of the heart " are not in the best manuscript ; they were probably in- serted there from the preceding verse. Luke (6 : 46) gives almost the same aphorism in his re- port of the Sermon on the Mount. 36. Every idle word. This is not merely equivalent to evil word, though it includes such. The original (a'^yjc ) is used in the N. T. to desig- nate unemployed persons (Matt, so : 3, 6, etc ; i xim. 6 ; 13, etc.), and in the classics, money lying without interest, and land untilled, and a fallacious argu- ment, i. e., one that comes to no true result. Here the meaning is every non-productive word ; every word that adds nothing, either to the pre- sent happiness or the permanent usefulness of others, all talking for the mere sake of talking, and of course all words of falsehood, malice, and injury. "That is idle which is not according to the fact, which hath in it unjust accusation ; and some say that which is vain also, for instance, provoking inordinate laughter, or what is filthj', and immodest, and coarse." — {Cltrysodom.) Com- pare Ephes. 4: 39; 5: 3, 4, 37. For by thy words, etc. Literally out of thy words. Compare Rev. ~0 : 1:3, where the same Greek preposition (ix) is rendered out of. The dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books. Here the declaration is that words form a basis for the last judgment. But the reason must not be forgotten ; because the words are indicators of the heart which is to be judged. By our words we are writing the history of our lives and preparing the record for the judgment day. Compare with this jDortion of Christ's discourse, James, ch. 3. 38. Then certain * * •^- answered, saying, Master. Observe the language of respect. A portion had tried open reproach ; others tried flattery. Compare Matt. 22 : 10-24 ; Luke 20 : 21-28 ; and observe how Christ receives the hypo- critical advances of pretended respect. We would see a sign from thee. The same Greek word (o);i(£(oi) is often rendered miracle. A miracle had just been wrought in the casting out of the evil spirit. Luke explains the demand more definitely : "A sign from heaven" (compare Matt. 16: i), i. 6., a sigu in which the interference from above should be more evident and palpable, a miracle not wrought by him but from above. The same demand is made by modern scepticism, which calls for a repetition now of the N. T. miracles. See, for example, Kenan's Life of Jesus, p. 44, intro. Am. Ed. 39. An evil and adulterous generation. It was literally an adulterous generation. See Matt. 19 : 3-9, and notes. But the 0. T. symbol- Ch. XIL] MATTHEW. 171 the whale's belly ; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ^i The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn" it ; because they repented at' the preaching of Jonas ; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. 42 The" queen of the south shall rise up in the judg- ment with this generation, and shall condemn it : for she" came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 43 When" the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, hei* k Rom. 2 : 27. Jonas 3:5 m Luke 11 : 81, Luke 11 : 24 p Job 1 ; 7 ; 1 Pet. 5 : 8. ism gives to the phrase here a spiritual signifi- cance. Israel was married to God (isaiah 54 : s ; Jcr. 8 : 14), and because faithless to him was compared to an adulteress (Jer. 3 : 8-13 ; Ezck. IG : 33 ; ch. 23, etc.). It is the godless that demand a sensuous manifesta- tion of the Deity ; the true children of God know him by his spiritual presence (johu 14 : n. Compare 1 Cor. 1 : 22, 23). But the sigii of the prophet Jonas, i. e., of Jonah. This declaration is in- terpreted by the following verse. 40. For as Jonah * - * was in the belly of the great fish. The account is given in Jonah, chaps. 1 and 2. The word whale is a mis- translation. There is nothing in the original Greek here to indicate the species of fish, and nothing in the O. T. account. Observe that Christ gives his personal sanction to the account of this miracle, which, more than any other in the T., has been subjected to criticism and even ridicule. We must either accept the O. T. history of this miracle or believe that Jesus was a deceiver or was himself deceived. So shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. lie, in fact, died Friday afternoon at three o'clock, and rose again on Sabbath morning, so that he was in the heart of the earth only two nights and one day and a part of two others. But Jewish reckoning accounted part of a year as a whole one in estimating royal reigns, and a part of a day as a whole one in statements of time ; so that Christ's statement accords exactly with the facts as the Jews would have stated them. See for illustration Gen. 40 : 13, 20 ; 1 Sam. 30 ; 13, 13 ; 2 Chron. 10 : 5, 12. The birth of Christ is typified by the birth of Isaac and Mahershalalhashbaz, his death by that of Abel and the substitute for Isaac and the ap- pointed sacrifices in the Temple, his resurrec- tion by the deliverance of Isaac from death, Daniel's deUverance, and most of all by Jonah's. Observe that Jonah (2: 2) speaks of his prayer as being heard " out of the belly of hell," i. e., Hades (see note on Matt. 5 : 22). Christ Unmistakably recog- nizes in the miraculous deliverance of Jonah a parable of his own resurrection. Luke gives it, if possible, even more clearly (chap, n : so) : As Jonah, not his preaching, but Jonah himself by his deliverance, was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also th£ Son of man be, by his resurrection from the dead, to this generation. Observe that the first preaching of the apostles, on and after Pentecost, consisted largely of a personal testi- mony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 2 : 24-36; 3: 15; 5 : 31 ; 7 : 62, 66 ; 10: 39, 40; 1 Cor. 15 : 3-8, etc.). 41. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment. Observe the incidental confirma- tion of the doctrine of a general resurrection of both good and evil, and of a general judgment. A greater than Jonah is here, i. c, there is more in the presence and power of Christ and his word to i^roduce repentance than in the preaching of Jonah. The practical appUcation is that at the present day the argument for the truth of Christianity is stronger, and the influ- ence to produce repentance for sin and faith in a Saviour are greater, than they ever were be- fore ; wherefore, the condemnation of those that resist is heavier. Compare with this and the succeeding verse. Matt. 10 : 15, and note. 42. The queen of the south. The inci- dent referred to is related in 1 Kings 10 : 1-13, where she is called the Queen of Sheba, i. e., probably the Sabeans, descendants of Seba. There were two, a son of Cush, whose descend- ants settled in Ethiopia, and a son of Joktan, whose descendants settled in Arabia. Both these countries have traditions respectuig the visit of a queen to Solomon. Josephus and the rabbinical writers place the kingdom of Sheba in Ethiopia ; but it appears to be the better opinion that the queen referred to came from Arabia. This accords best with her gifts (i Kings lo : 2), and is maintained by Alford, Rawlinson, Poole, and others. From the uttermost parts of the earth. It is estimated that she must have taken a journey of no little hazard, and of over 1,000 miles. To the ancient Jews her kingdom was on the extreme borders of the known world. To hear the wisdom of So:omon. Observe, not attracted by the fame of his external grandeur, but by that of his wisdom. Compare 1 Kings 10 : 1 : " she came to prove him with hard ques- tions." A greater than Solomon is here. Not merely because moral greatness is greater than temporal, but because spiritual wisdom is greater than political. Observe, too, that Jesus assumes pre-eminence above Jonah the prophet, Solomon the kmg, and Abraham the patriarch (coBcp. John 8 : 58). Ch. 12 ! 43-45. PARABLE OF THE TTNCLEAN SPIRIT. Tbue and false bepobmation. The true: God casts the evil spibit out ; the false : the evtl spirit goes out : the tbue : god occupies the soul ; 172 MATTHEW. [Ch. XII. walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out ; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goetli he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there : and the last state of that man is worsei than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. 46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, hi^ mother and his brethren' stood without, desiring to speak to him. 47 Then one said unto him. Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him. Who is my mother ? and who are my brethren ? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his dis- ciples, and said, Behold my mother, and my brethren ! 50 For whosoever shall do the will' of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, q Heb. 6:4; 10:26; 2 Pet. 2: 20, 22....r rk 3 : 31, \ ch. 13 : 56. . . .t ch. 7 : 20 ; John 15:14; Gal. 5:6; THE FALSE : IT REMAINS EMPTY.— MeRELT NIIGATIVE BEFORMATION IS NEVER PERMANENT. 43-45. This is a parable ; nothing, therefore, is to be deduced from it concerning demoniacal possessions, except perhaps the reality of such possessions. Unclean spirit. See note on Demoniacal Possession at close of chapter 8, p. 85. Dry places. Rather desert places, which the Jews believed to be the abode of evil spirits. See Isaiah 13 : 21, and 34 : 14, where satyr prob- ably represents an imaginary demon, half man half goat. My house. Still his, for he has gone^ not heen cast out by divine power. Empty. Literally at leisure, idle, and so vacant. The eame Greek word {n/uXdtuiv) appears in the Sep- tuagint in Exod. 5 : 8, 17. Idleness is always a preparation for the devU. Generation. (Gr. yeif i.) This word here, as often in the N. T., would be better rendered nation. The lesson of this parable is twofold. Every reformation is transient unless : (a) The evil is cast out by the power of God (compare joim 3:5); (6) is supplanted by the indwelling of God (compare John 15 : 4). The direct application is to the Jewish nation. The evil spirit of idolatry had gone out, but no spirit of true allegiance to God had taken its place ; and the nation, with- out any true religious life, was prepared for the worse spirit which showed itself in the rejection of our Lord, the fearful excesses which accom- panied the death of Jesus, and their subsequent history. The indirect application is to all re- formation, which is permanent only when we overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21), in church, state, or individuals. It is illustrated histori- cally by France, out of which went the spirit of Jesuitism, only to make room for that of athe- ism and socialism, and individually by thousands who cast out an evil habit, but receive not the Spirit of God. Compare Heb. 6 : 4-6 ; 3 Pet. 3 : 20-33. Oh. 12 : 46-50. ATTEMl'T BY CHRIST'S MOTHER TO INTEPJiUPT HIS PREACHINO. Christ obeys his law ; forsakes mother and brethren to preach the Gospel. — The true disciples of Christ are the NEAREST TO HIM IN LOVE.— CHRIST'S LOVE FOR HIS HIS- CIPLES IS PERSONAL, THE LOVB OF A BEOTHER.— ThE condition op nearness to Christ : doing the wru. OF HIS Father. This incident is recorded also in Mark 3 : 31- 35, and Luke 8 : 19-31. Luke places it after the parable of the sower ; Mark agrees in order with Matthew. The circumstances — the crowd, the discourse delivered in the house, the enmity of the Pharisees, confirm Matthew's chronology. 46. His brethren. Presumptively his real brethren as his real mother. See note on chap- ter 13 : 55. Stood without, i. c, without the house in M-hich he was teaching (Mark 3 : 19, 20). Desiring to speak Avith him. Mark explains why : " They went out to lay hold on him ; for they said, He is beside himself " (Mark 3 : 21). Their endeavor was to interrupt his preaching, and so to rescue him from the danger of a conflict with the Pharisees, which he was provoking. To the worldly-wise, spiritual enthusiasm always seems craziness. Compare Acts 30 : 34 ; 3 Cor. 5 : 13. 47. And one said to him, Behold, etc. Mark says that his mother and brethren sent unto him. 48. Toward his disciples, i. e., toward the twelve. 43. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father. Compare Matt. 7 : 21 and note, and Johnl4:C3. The same is my brother, and sister, and mother. The personality of our relationship to Christ is elsewhere illustrated (John 10 : 3, 14 ; 15 : 15 ; Epbes. 5 : 25, Zl), but nOWhcrc mOrC clearly. "To be the brother of Christ and the Son of God— have we ever measured the full meaning of those words ? " Observe that Christ places every true disciple on an equality with his mother. For the bearing of this passage on Mariolatry, see Chrysostom, whose comments show what the early fathers would have thought of that practice and the doctrines with which it is connected. "That which she wanted to do was of superfluous vanity ; in that she wanted to show the people that she hath power and authority over her son." "How many women have prayed that they might become such mo- thers? What, then, is there to hinder? It is granted not to women only, but to men also, to be of this rank, or rather of one yet far higher." Ch. XIIL] MATTHEW. 173 His practical deduction is also worth noting : "There is only one nobleness, to do the will of God. This kind of noble birth is better than the other, and more real." Compare with Christ's example here his teachmg to his disciples in such passages as Matt. 10 : 35-37 ; Luke 9 : 59-62 ; and 14 : 26. Ch. 13 : 1-53. PARABLES BY THE SEA-SHORE. Cheist a poptiLAR PEBACHBB.— His authoeitt sanc- tions FIELD PREACHING (V. 2). — Hl8 USB OF ELLUSTEA- TIONS : NOT TO ENTEETAIN, NOT MEEELT TO INSTRUCT, BUT TO GIVE TEUTH ENTRANCE TO EELUCTANT HEARTS (v. 13).— His magazine of illustrations : nature and COMMON life.— The seven symbols of the KrNGDOM OP God.— It grows gradually (Mark 4 : 26-29).— Its obstacles in the human heart; indifference, irresolution, worldliness (vs. 18-23). —Their se- cret CAUSE : EVIL SEED SOWN BY SaTAN (V8. 37-43).— Its progress : from the least seed to the largest HERB (vs. 31,32).— The method of its growth: by permeation, by agitation,secretly, silently, sure- ly (v. 33). — Its value and its cost : all that a man HATH (vs. 44-46).— Its final perfection: complete purification, after death, in the day op judgment (vs. 47-50).-See, further, thougpts on each parable. PRELrMiNAET NoTE. — Of thcsc parablcs we have three reports. See Mark 4 : 1-34 and Luke 8 : 4-15. Matthew's report is the fullest ; seve- ral of the parables are given only by him, but Mark gives one omitted by the others (Mark 4 : 26-29). Luke gives only the parable of the Sower. 1. Were these seven parables uttered at one time ? It is tolerably evident that they did not consti- tute one discourse, for it is incredible that Christ should have interrupted such a discourse to in- terpret the parables to the twelve, and then re- sumed it again (ver. 10, so). It is clear that they were delivered at one period in his ministry, prob- ably on the same day (vcr. s.^). They arc all upon the same theme — the kingdom ofGod ; they are therefore to be studied together, however they may have been uttered. 2. What is a parable ? The original Greek word (nana^Ql>\) signifies, literally, placing side by side — hence a comparison. The parable always teaches by comparing a spiritual truth with some type or symbol, in nature or human experience. It dif- fers from a fable, which teaches only maxims of a prudential morality, and which, in its teaching, violates the truth of nature — representing the brute and inanimate world as reasoning, reflect- ing, speaking. This the parable never does, for it always compares truth with truth or with re- alistic fiction — never with an impossible and un- natural narrative. Judges 9 : 7-18 is, I believe, the only instance of a fable in the Scriptures. It differs from a myth, which represents fiction as fact, and in such guise that it is assumed to be a fact by the auditor, who often sees no moral meaning underneath it. Thus the myth of Wil- liam Tell shooting the apple from his son's head was long received as history, and its original sig- nification is now entirely lost. This can never be true of a parable. It differs from an allegory, which upon its face declares itself to be a symbol of spiritual truth, and conveys the truth in the story, not by an application or interpretation of it ; whereas the office of a parable is to veil the truth until it has been admitted into the mind reluctant to receive it. John 15 : 1-8, "I am the Vine," is an allegory ; Luke 13:6-9, "A certain man had a fig-tree," is a parable. It differs from a proverb in that it elaborates dramatically what proverbs, or rather certain kinds of proverbs, state concisely. Thus, "If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch," could be readily converted into a proverb. So, again, Psalm 103 : 13, " Like as a father pitieth his chil- dren, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him," is a proverbial utterance which the Parable of the Pi'cdlgal Son embodies in a dramatic form. A parable, then, is a fictitious narrative, true to na- ture, yet undeceptive, veiling a spiritual truth, un- der a symbol, for the purpose of conveying it to minds reluctant or indifferent. It differs from the proverb in being a narrative, from the fable in beuig triie to nature, from the myth in being un- deceptive, from the allegory In that it veils tJie spirit- ual truth, 3. Why did Christ speak in parables? He an- swers the question in this chapter (ver. n-is) ; and his language in Mark is still more definite : " That (Greek iru) seeing they may see and not perceive ; and hearing they may hear and not understand" (Mark 4:12). TWs auswcr is interpreted by the nature of the parable and its general object, viz., to veil the truth for the purpose of inculcating it. Christ did not use the parable because (a) he would have hazarded his life if he had openly taught the truth {Barnes) ; for when did he re- fuse to hazard his life for the sake of teaching the truth ? and was it not the plainness of his final teaching which led to his crucifixion? Nor (&) to compel his auditors to give closer attention if they would get the benefit of hia teaching {Kuinoel, Bloomfield, Andrews) ; for God'a avowed and unmistakable design is to afford in Christ a revelation of truth for the plain and the simple (isa. 35 : 8 ; compare Psalm 19:7; 119 : ICO). Nor (c) did he veil the truth as a punishment for the sins of the people in rejecting him {Scott, Dodd- ridge) ; for as yet they had not rejected him, but had received him with enthusiasm, even now crowded him into a boat for his pulpit, later sought by force to make him liing (Jotn 6 : is). Nor is it rational to suppose that he would teach the truth blindly as a punishment for their re- jection of him ; rather he would cease to teach ; and after their rejection of him at Capernaum this was in fact his course (compare John C : CG with Matt. 15: 21). Nor {d) to make his meaning clear to 174 MATTHEW. CHAPTER XIII. THE same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea-side. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship," and sat ; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. [Oh. XIII. 3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold,* a sower went forth to sow : 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way- side, and the fowls came and devoured them up : 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth ; and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth : Luke 5 : 3. . . .T Mark 4:2; Luke 8 : 6, etc. common understandings, as an orator commonly uses tropes and figures, for this is directly incon- sistent with Christ's own declaration, "That see- ing they may see and not perceive," and equally so with the fact that even his own disciples had to come to him for an interpretation of his par- ables (ver. 10, 36). His objcct was so to veil the truth that it might be received by those who, if they saw, would not perceive, and, (/ theij heard, would not understand, lest they should be converted ; i. e., who were determined not to receive the truth, since its acceptance would have required repen- tance and a change of life. His object is illus- trated strikingly in other passages where by veil- ing he compelled the Pharisees to condemn them- selves. See Matt. 21 : 28-45 ; Luke 10 : 29-C7. It is further illustrated by a consideration of — 4. The object of the parables in this chapter. Up to this time Christ's preaching had been chiefly confined to a simple proclamation, The kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt. 4:17; lo: 7). The Ser- mon on the Mount afforded some interpretation of the principles of that kingdom, but primarily to his own disciples, and chiefly in contrast with the Mosaic law and the Pharisaic system. See Preliminary Note and Analysis there, pp. 45, 46. In these parables Christ discloses those features respecting his kingdom which were surest to encounter prejudice and opposition ; its growth depends on its acceptance by its subjects (verses 19-23) ; it grows up with the kingdom of evil, not separated from it by natural or geographical boundaries (verses 37^3) ; it is a gradual growth, does not immediately appear (Aiark 4 : 26-29) ; it is obtained only through a process of conflict (verse 33), and by self-sacrifice (ver. 44-46). These truths were in this exposition received without opposi- tion because but half understood ; later, when distinctly declared, they were vehemently re- jected. Compare for illustration the declaration here (verse ss), "The field is the world" (Gr. <5 -/.oaring) with the reception of the same truth •when more plainly declared by Christ (Matt. 21 : 43-46), and by Paul (Acts 22 : 21, 22). 5. Time, place, and circumstances of the utter- ance of these parables. The time is uncertain. It was toward the latter part of Christ's Galilean ministry. This is evident from the order of the three evangelists, and from the facts that the throng had now so increased that Christ sought refuge from it in a boat, and that now first he began to interpret the nature of his kingdom, and to do so in parables. It was certainly sub- sequent to the developed hostility of the Phar- isees (chap. 12), and prior to the feeding of the 5,000 (chap. 14), which Avas followed by the sermon in the synagogue at Capernaum (john, ch. e), and Christ's withdrawal from GaUlee (Matt. 15 : 21), and the close of his ministry there. The place is also uncertain. It was by the sea (ver. 1), i. e., of Galilee, on the western shore (see Mark 4 : 35, and note). The common life of the place affords the imagery of these parables. The fertile plain of Gennesaret (see note on M.-itt. 14 : 34), with its thom bushes and its under- lying and occasionally out-cropping basaltic rocks in the midst of the fields of grain, suggests the stories of the Sower and the Tares. The -com- merce from the East to the Mediterranean, the remains of which in an occasional caravan are still seen in the vicinity of the lake, the parable of the Merchantman ; the fishermen at work along the sea-shore, as on the day when Christ called four of his disciples here (Luke 5: i-ii), the parable of the Drag net. It is worthy of note that the location of many of Christ's parables can be measurably determined by their adapta- tion to special localities or local customs. Thus the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke lo: 29-37) ; of the Vineyard (Luke 13 : 7-9), of the Good Shep- herd (John 10:1-18), and probably of the Pharisee and the Publican (Luke is : 9-14), all belong to Judea, as that of the Sheep lost in the Wilderness (Luke 15 : 4-7) to Perea, that of the Ten pounds (Luke 19 : 12) to Jericho, where Archelaus, whose history suggested it, had a palace, and those here given to the region about the Sea of Galilee. See notes on above parables, and on John 7 : 37 and 8 : 13, 1. The same day. The Greek word {)]uiQa), here translated day, is sometimes used loosely as equal to time or nearly so, and is so translated in Acts 8 : 1 (compare John 8 : 66 ; Acts 2 : 29). Here it may indicate nothing more than. At this period in Christ's ministry. Nearly all tBe chrono- logical notes in the Evangelists are indefinite. The house, apparently where the previous dis- course had been delivered (ch. 12 : 4$, and note). The house could no longer hold his audience. Sea- side. The Sea of Galilee. See notes on Matt. 4:18. 3. Ship, i. c, fisherman's boat; perhaps his own. See Mark 3 : 9. Sat. The usual attitude of the Jewish doctors in teaching. Compare Matt. Ch. XIIL] MATTHEW. 175 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched ; and because they had no root, they withered away : 7 And some fell among thorns ; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: '8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredtold, some sixtyfold, some thirty- fold. 9 Who" hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables ? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to^ know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 Fory whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance ; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away, even that he hath. w ch. 11 : 15 I ch. 11 : 25 : Mark 4:11:1 Cor. 2 : 10, 14 ; ] 26, 27 ; 1 John 2 : 27 y ch. 25 : 29 ; Luke 19 : 2G. 5 : 1, and Luke 4 : 20. Observe that we have the highest authority for street and field preaching. Observe, too, how utterly incongruous such an Informal service with the idea that any kind of ritualism is an essential accompaniment of reli- gious instruction. 3, Many things. At least one parable not recorded by Matthew. See Mark 4 : 26-29. In parables. See above, Preliminary Note, § 3. 3-9. Pakable of the Sower. See interpre- tation below. (Mark 4:2-9; Luke 8:4-8.) The seed-time in Palestine is from 1st October to 1st November. But Thomson's Land and Book, i., 115, implies that sowing is done in spring. It is always done by hand ; the ground is first scratched with a plough, which runs about four inches deep ; the seed is sometimes covered with a harrow, sometimes trodden in by the feet of animals ; the fields are not fenced or hedged ; the pathways run directly through them ; clumps of thorns are interspersed with the grain ; the farmers, who live in villages to guard agamst roHbers, go forth to do their 60\ving. Stanley {Sinai and Palestine, ch. xiii., p. 418) gives a graphic description of Gennesaret as he saw it, the probable scene of this parable. "There was the undulating corn- field descending to the water's edge. There was the trodden pathway running through the midst of it, with no fence or hedge to prevent the seed from falling here and there on either side of it, or upon it ; itself hard with constant tramp of horse, mule, and human feet. There was the 'good' rich soil, which distinguishes the whole of that plain and its neighborhood from the bare hills, elsewhere descending into the lake, and which, where there is no interruption, produces one vast mass of corn. There was the rocky ground of the hillside protruding here and there through the corn-fields, as elsewhere through the grassy slopes. There were the large bushes of thorn — the ' Nabk,' that kind of which tradition says that the Crown of Thorns was woven — springing up, like the fruit-trees of the more in- land parts, in the veiy midst of the waving wheat." Way-side. Road or pathway. Stony places (Gr. rciTpoidric). Rather, rock-like, i. e. places where the underlymg rock came close to the surface, having only a thin covering of soU. Thorns. There are a variety of thorny weeds common to Palestine. Smith's Biblical Dictionary describes five varieties. There is nothing in the original word here {uy.ardu) to determine whether any particular species was intended. A hundred- fold * * * thirtyfold. Dr. Thomson {Land and Book, i., 117) says that thirty-three per cent, is now regarded a good crop ; but both land and laborers have deteriorated. 10-17. Chkist's Reason for Teaching in Pakables. For general interpretation of this and the par- allel passage in Mark 4 : 10-12 and Luke 8 : 9, 10, see Preliminary Note above, § 3. 10. And the disciples. Not merely the twelve, but others with them (Mark 4 : lo). Came unto him. "When he was alone" (Mark), and therefore not, as Alford, during a pause in the dis- course, but subsequent to it. Perhaps Matthew has interpolated the account of the interview here in order to combine the interpretation with the parable. Unto them. " To them that are without " (Mark), i. €., to the multitude. In par- ables. Parables were a common method of in- struction in vogue among the scribes. The rab- binical books abound with them. There is no sufficient reason for supposing that the rabbis borrowed this method from Christ ; it is more probable that he adopted the popular mode of his day, but gave new character to it. Trench on the Parables (Introd., § 4) gives some illustration of these Jewish parables. What surprised the disciples was not parabolic teaching, but its adop- tion, now for the first time, by our Lord. 11. Because it is given. Observe that the language here and in the following verse is of grace as a gift. Compare Rom. 6 : 23 ; Ephes. 3 : 8. Unto you. To whom ? To those that were "about him with the twelve," who came to him "and asked him of the parable" (Mark 4 : lo), i. e., to those who sought to know the truth. There is no selection by Christ of a few for spe- cial instruction. He gives it to all those that seek it. Compare Isa. 55 : 1 ; Rev. 22 : 17. To know the mysteries. Scripture truth is always a mystery to the unspiritual (i Cor. 2 : 7-14). It can only be hinted at by parallels drawn from nature or common experience, e. g., the Saviour's care by the Shepherd's care, God's love by the love of an earthly father. 12. For whosoever hath, etc. See same aphorism with a different application in ch. 25 : 29. Here it is : If one possess some spiritual knowl- 176 MATTHEW. [Ch. XIII. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing, see not ; and hearing, they hear not, nei- ther do they understand. 14 And in tuein is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias,' which saith, Hy hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand ; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not per- ceive : 15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull'' ot hearing, and their eyes they have closed ; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16 But^ blessed are your eyes, for they see : and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, Thaf many prophets and righteous inen have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; i.nd to liear those things which ye hear, and have not heard thevi. 18 Hear'= ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word^ of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, thencometh the wickede c;«f, ; Isn. 6 : John edge and desire, these lead to more ; if he has no appreciation of such spiritual truths as he can discern, he will lose even that power of spiritual discernment. The first part of this declaration is illustrated by Prov. 4 : 18 ; the second part by Rom. 1 : 28. 13. Therefore speak I unto them in par- ables. See above Preliminary Note, § 3. 14. £saias. Isaiah 6 : 9, 10. Compare Isa. 44 : 18. Observe that in the former passage the command is, Make the heart of this people fat, etc. ; here they are represented as making them- selves stupid. When God leaves man to himself he makes himself gross, dull, spiritually dead. Hearing - * * shall not understand, i. e., with the heart (ver. 15). Seeing * * * shall not perceive, i. c, though they see the truth intel- lectually they shall not appreciate it spiritually ; they see it as the horse sees the same prospect with his rider, without appreciation. 15. Waxed gross; literally, fat. The growth of a fatty tissue about the heart is a common re- sult of self-indulgence and luxurious living, and dulls and deadens the whole system. Here the physical disease is a type of the spiritual. Their ears are dull of hearing. Literally, loith their ears they hear heavily, i. e. , they are not sensitive to the truth. Their eyes they have closed. The spiritual ignorance and obtuseness which Christ condemns is willful, deliberate, resolute. Compare Rom. 1 : 3'3-33, and the account in Matt. 13 : 24 of the Pharisees, who, seeing the miracle, would not perceive in Christ the power of God. Compare Matt. 11 : 16-19. This is made yet clearer by the clause which follows : Lest at any time they should perceive— not see; the Greek word here is {('>(>uw) the same translated /lo'cme in ver. 14. It differs from (liXinu)) see; that conveys the idea of a mere external sight, but this of an inte- rior perception, here a spiritual perception. For its signification see John 1 : 18, "No man hath seen God at any time," i. e., understood his na- ture ; John 8:38, "I speak that which I have seen with my Father, and ye do that which ye have seen of your father," i. e., we each speak out of the treasure of our own personal expe- rience ; Acts 8 : 23, "I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness," i. e., I see through the fair seeming, and recognize your spiritual death. And should be converted, and I should heal them. Mark (4:12) indicates the kind of healing: "Lest their sins should be forgiven them ' ' (Mark 4 ; is). Thc rcasou why men shut their eyes to the truth is lest they should be led to repentance and reformation. Compare 3 Cor. 4 : 3, 4. Observe, too, that the fault of remain- ing unforgiven is never because forgiveness is wanting, but always because repentance and ref- ormation are refused. Even the Pharisees might have been converted by receiving the truth which Christ inculcated and following it. 16, 17. Observe the connection between the O. T. and N. T., that the latter is not the abroga- tion, but the fulfillment of the former (Matt. 5 : n, and note), and that the 0. T. saints lived in faith of Christ, represented more or less distinctly in the promises and types of the old dispensation. Compare Heb. 11 : 39, and see for illustration of the longing here referred to, 3 Sam. 23 : 5 ; Job 19 : 23, 27 ; Luke 3 : 39, 33. For the reason why the eyes of the true disciples see and their hearts understand, see Psalm 119 : 110 ; Prov 24 : 35. 18-23. Interpretation of the Parable of the sowek. 18. Hear ye, i. e., with spiritual discern- ment (compare verses 15 and 16 above). Luke COmmcnCCS the explanation by the statement. The seed is the word of God (LukeSiii). The "word of God" sometimes stands for the written or spoken word (Mark 7 : 13 ; Luke 6 : i), and somctimes for Christ himself (John l : l, and notes there). But thCSe are not incongruous representations ; the written word has life only because Christ is in it ; Christ makes it a seed. " Christ is the live seed, and the Bible the husk that holds it." — (Arnot.) Christ is also the Sower in this parable as in the following one (verse 37), and the only sower ; aU good seed is sown by him ; apostles, prophets, ministers, teachers, and parents sow only as Christ is in them sowing the seed, as the Father was in Him (John U : lO ; 2 Cor. 6 : 20 ; compare Matt. 10 : 40). There is nothing inconsistent in the double char- acter thus attributed to hun, for he sows himself (Luke 4 : 16-22). 19. Every one hearing the word of the kingdom^ i. e., the word or message concern- Ch. XIII] MATTHEW. 177 and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy"" receiveth it : 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while ; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth be- cause of the word, by and by he is offended.' 22 He also that received seed among the thorns, is he that heareth the word ; and the careJ ot this world and the deceitfulness of riches" cholie the word, and he be- cometh unfruitful. h Isa. 58 : 2 : Eze. i 1, 32 ; Jolin 5 : 35 ; Gal. 4 : 15 i John 6 : 66. . . j Luko 14 : 16-24 k Mark 10 : 23 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 9 j 2 Tim. 4 : 10. ing the kingdom of God, whether spoken, as by Christ and his apostles, or written, as in the N. T. and in books of interpretation and of spiri- tual application. And understanding it not. The original {ovrhjftt) signifies literally to put together, and so affords the true idea of spiritual understanding, which consists in putting the truth with the life, i. e., applying it to the life. This the teacher cannot do ; every hearer must do it for himself. Christ signifies not a failure to comprehend the truth intellectually, but to receive and apply it spiritually. For illustration of non-understanding of the truth see James 1 : 23, 31. Compare 1 Cor. 2 : G-8, 14 ; 2 Cor. 3 : 14, 15 ; how to come to an understanding is told in verse 16 of same chapter. The reason why it is not understood is indicated here in verse 4. The heart is a road made hard by the traffic of the world. The seed cannot penetrate. Then cometh the wicked one. Luke says (s : 12) the devil. Observe that in the parable it is the fowls of the air which carry away the seed, and that in the application Christ imputes those wan- dering thoughts, which do the work of truth-rob- bers, to the evil one whose agents and instruments they are. And catcheth away. The same verb {un7tu:;w) is rendered in John 10 : 12 catcheth, in same chapter, ver. 38, 29, pluck, in Acts 33 : 10, take by force. The devil is a robber, and is to be resisted as a robber. That sown in his heart. A transient impression on the affec- tions appears to be recognized even in this class of hearers. This is he sown by the w^ay- side. Not, as in our English version. He that received seed by the way-aide. It is implied here that the seed and the product are identical, and this is more clearly stated in Luke (s : 14), That which fell among thorns are they who * * * are choked with cares, etc. The "word" is not a mere intellectual proposition ; it includes faith and love in the teacher, who thus becomes the germ of faith and love in the taught. As the seed reproduces itself in the grain, so the living truth, the truth that springs from the heart, re- produces itself in the heart ; and thus as Christ is the Word of God, so every Christian is to be a word of God, an embodiment of the truth which he has received (see 2 Cor. 3 : 3). 20. But that which is sown upon the rock ; not upon stony places, but in a soil which forms a thin covering of a ledge. The hardness of the second hearer is greater but less apparent thau that of the first. Is he that heareth the word, and straitway with joy receiveth it. The joy that is one of the fruits of the spirit (Gal. 5 : 22) rejoices alway (phii. 4 : 4). The transient glow of quick emotion is often the sign of a shallow nature, not of deep feeling. 21. Yet he hath no root in himself. The root gives the plant both life and stability. The hearer now described depends for both on others, not on sources within himself. Compare for analogous use of this metaphor Jer. 17 : 8 ; Hosea 9 : 16 ; Eph. 3 : 17 ; Col. 2 : 7. But is for the time {nQoaxaii^oe ianv). Not merely '■'■ dureth for a while,^^ but is, by the nature of his hold upon the truth, only for the occasion which begot his interest. When tribulation or persecution ariseth through the word. This answers to the whe7i the sun was up of the parable (verse a). Observe that, as the sun which sustains tlie healthy plant withers the weak and ill-rooted, so tribulation strengthens real grace, and destroys the counterfeit. Observe, too, that the withering is not because of the sun, but ^'■because they had no root.'''' The professed dis- ciple never fails because of his circumstances, but always because the root is not in him. Strait- way he is offended, i. c, caused to fall into sin. See note on Matt. 5 : 39. Luke says "fall away." Compare 1 Tim. 4 : 1, and Heb. 3 : 13. where the Greek verb {d(plotiiui) rendered depart, is the same as that in Luke 8 : 13 rendered '■'■fall away.'''' In Pilgrim'' s Progress, Obstinate received the seed by the way-side. Pliable on stony ground. 22. He that received * * * * is he that heareth, etc. See above on verse 19. The care of the world and the deceitfulness of riches. Observe the double aspect in which life presents its temptations— cares, anxieties, pres- sures to the poor, the deceitfulness of riches to the rich. It alternately threatens and cajoles. Compare Prov. 30 : 8, 9. Mark affords a hint of the secret cause of the temptation in both : The lusts of other things. Observe, too, Luke's lan- guage : Are choked 'with cares and riches and pleasures of this life. "Marvel not at his call- ing luxury thorns. For it pricks sharper than any thorn, and wastes the soul worse than care, and causes more grievous pain both to body and &o\iV'—{Chrysostom.) Choke the word. Doubly — both by drawing from the root its moisture, the thoughts and attention from spin- 178 MATTHEW. [Ch. XIII. 23 But he that received seed into the good ground, I which also beareth fruit,' and bringeth forth, some an is lie that heareth the word, and understandeth it: hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. tual things to worldly cares, and by excluding from the stalk the sun— shutting out from the soul the rays of divme grace. The church at Laodicea was thus choked with thorns (Rev. 3 : 17). Becometh unfruitful. Luke says, Bring no fruit to perfection. In the care-filled heart, as in the weedy soil, there may be some fruit, but it is both small m. quantity and immature. Observe, the difficulty here is not merely with the soil, but with subsequent lack of cultivation. In spiritual as m earthly husbandry the reception of the seed must be followed by persistent and careful labor to make it fruitful. In both Nicodemus and Judas Iscai-iot there were weeds ; one rooted them out, the other suffered them to grow. Observe, too, that the cares which choke, like the seeds of thorns, are unrecognized, till they have grown; and note Dr. Arnot's remark: " The thorns are at home, the wheat is an ex- otic ; the thorns are robust and can hold their own, the wheat is delicate and needs a protec- tor." 33. But that which is sown upon good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it. Rather, Personally applies it (Gr. ovvliiat). See above on verse 19. The in- terpretation is fuller in Luke : which in an honest and good heart having heard tlw word. Observe that Christ recognizes a measure of goodness in the heart before the word is received ; and ob- serve, also, that the goodness recognized consists not in any moral and spiritual flfe, but in a readi- ness to receive moral and spiritual life. "No heart can be said to be absolutely a good soil ; yet comparatively it may be afllirmed of some that their hearts are a soil fitter for receiving the seed of everlasting life than those of others." — {Trench.) For illustration of good heart-soil, see Acts 17 : 11. Which also beareth fruit. The three conditions of useful hearing are indi- cated in this verse ; he that heareth the word, with attention ; and understa7ideth it, by personal ap- plication ; who also beareth fruit, by actual obe- dience. Compare Matt. 7 : 17 ; James 1 : 23, 24. Some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. The usefulness of all Christians is not aUke ; but all are alike dependent on the Sower for the seed of truth and life, which can alone bear fruit. Lessons of the Pakable of the Sower. Luke indicates Christ's object in this par- able in the conclusion, Take heed, therefore, how ye hear (Luke s : is). Its general lessons are as follows : All spiritual life depends on a divine seed sown in the heart by the Di- vine Sower (1 Pet. 1 : 23). He sows on all hearts alike ; the life of the seed depends on, first, receiving it ; second, rooting it ; third, culti- vating it. The unfruitful hearers described are of three classes : The first hear, but heed noth- ing ; the second heed, but resolve nothing ; the third resolve, but persist not. The first hear, but without really apprehending the truth ; the second apprehend, but only for a transient emo- tional enjoyment— the truth gets no hold, and produces no real moral convictions or changed life ; the third hear, apprehend, and begin a new life, but suffer it to be choked by the world. The first receive a hindrance at the outset ; the second after the seed has germinated ; the third after it is well grown. In the first case the seed does not spring at all ; in the second it springs, but dies before it grows up ; in the third it grows up, but does not ripen. The first have no life ; the second have life, but only on the surface ; the third have life, but it is hindered and made unfruitful by the world. The first hearers are illustrated by the Pharisees, who refused to re- ceive the word ; the second by the Galileans, who heard with joy, but departed from Christ when he told them of his cross (John 6 : ee) ; the third by the heathen, who suffered Christianity to be corrupted and choked by their heathen habits and lives. Gallio (Acts is : n) exemplifies the first, the rich young ruler (Matt. 19 : 22) the second, Judas Iscariot the third. The first danger described is that of careless hearing ; its cause is a heart made hard by worldliness, and inattentive by wander- ing thoughts ; to guard against it, keep the heart tender and the attention fixed. The second dan- ger is that of mistaking emotion for principle — glad reception of the truth for resolute practice of it ; its cause is an underlying selfishness of life ; to guard against it, count the cost of fol- lowing Christ (Luke 14 : 25-33 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 3, 4). The third danger is worldliness, whether cares and anxie- ties, or pleasures and luxuries ; its cause is a divided heart and a divided service (Matt, g : 24) ; to guard against it, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and watch and pray agamst the first appearance of worldly-minded- ness. The first danger is passed when the truth is really received in the heart ; the second, when the good resolution has been tried by actual trib- ulation ; the third, never this side heaven. The first belongs peculiarly to childhood, the second to youth, the third to maturity. Most Christians in their experience illustrate each class. They are all at first utterly unreceptive of the word of God, because the heai-t is hardened by the world ; Ch. XIll.] MATTHEW. 179 24 Another™ parable put ne forth unto them, saying, The kingdom ot heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good" seed in his held : 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him. Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field ? tirom whence then hath it tares ? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him. Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up ? 29 But he said. Nay ; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest : and in the time of harvest" 1 will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles tof burn them : but gather the vvheati into my barn. 31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying. The kingdom of heaven is like to sJ grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field : 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becom- eth a tree," so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. m Isa. 28 : 10, 13 n 1 Pet. 1 : 23 1 Tim. 5 : 24 p Mai. 4:1., e 3 : 17 I Mark 4 : : next they are awakened and rejoice in the truth, but do not take hold of it with practical resolu- tion to realize it in their life ; then they begin the work of canying it into Life, and find it con- tinually choked with cares and ambitions, which must be weeded out ; finally it brings forth fruit. Thus the progress of the truth is from the first to the second, from the second to the third, from the third to the last ; there is more hope for the second than for the first, more hope for the third than the second ; but if the second gets no root, the condemnation is greater than if he had never received the seed, and if the third goes at last to thorns, his condemnation is greater than if the seed had never taken root. 24-30. Parable of the Tares. — Peculiar to Matthew. For interpretation see verses 37-43, and notes. 24. The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which soAved. Not merely to the man, which represents Christ (verse 37), nor merely to the sowing ; but the progress of the kingdom and the obstacles which it encounters are illustrated by the experience of a farmer beset by an enemy who sows tares in his field. Neither one of these parables illustrate Christ's kingdom in its entirety ; each illustrates a cer- taiQ phase or aspect of it. 25. While men slept. Not while the man slept, there is no intimation of any withdrawal of Christ, or any cessation of his personal activ- ity ; nor while the men slept, there is no intima- tiou of negligence on the part of his servants ; but simply while men slept, i. e., at night. For similar use of this phraseology see Mark 4 : 27. It is nevertheless true that, in the moral realm, the devil sows evil seed while good men are spiritually asleep, and at night, i. e., secretly, and under cover ; for all his works are works of darkness. Tares. A weed probably identical with the English darnel, and in character resembling the American chess or cheat. It grows frequently with the wheat, so nearly resembles it as to be practically indistinguishable untU the grain is headed out, is hence called bastard wheat, is be- lieved by the Eastern farmers to be merely a de- generate wheat or barley, produced from the seed of wheat or barley by an inauspicious season, espe- cially by rain, and this opinion is sanctioned by some ancient writers and even by some bibUcal scholars. It is a mistake, but one not unnatural. For sometimes the wheat will be drowned out with the rain, and the field wUl grow up to tares ; its seeds are light, they are carried by insects and birds and on the Avinds ; and the rain which destroys the wheat, is favorable to the tares. So the very air is full of the seeds of evil, always ready to spring up in hearts whose culture has seemingly all been Christian. The taste of the tares is bitter, its effect to nauseate ; when mixed with wheat in bread it produces sickness, and sometimes, if eaten in considerable quantities, death. It is said to be the only poisonous grass, a fitting symbol of the fruit of the devil's sowing. When intermixed with wheat the farmer makes no attempt to weed it out, both from the diffi- culty of distinguishing it, and from-the practical impossibility of separating it from the wheat with which its roots are often intermixed. They are therefore left to grow together till the harvest. Cases of malicious sowing of the tares or darnel by an enemy are not infrequent. Eoberts {Oriental Illiistrations) describes this as common in India ; Trench narrates a similar injury practised on an incoming tenant by an outgoing tenant in Ireland ; and Dean Alford narrates in his commentary an instance of the same act of malice practised on himself by the sowing of charlock on a field belonging to him in England. Went his way. It was enough to sow the evil seed. He did not need to remaia and culti- vate it. "He knew the soU ; he knew how the seed would take root and grow. He had only to sow the seed and let it alone. So Satan knows the soil in which he sows his doctrine. He knows that in the human heart it wUl take deep and rapid root. It needs but little culture."— {Barnes.) 31, 32. Parable of the Mustard Seed. Mark 4 : 30-33 ; Luke 13 : 18-21. Dr. Robinson supposes that Christ uttered this and the next parable twice— once at this time, once at the time 180 MATTHEW. [Ch. XIII. 33 Another parable spake he unto them : The king- took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole dom ot heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman was leavened. seemingly indicated by Luke. The mustard seed, of which four to six come in the pod, was used by the rabbis as a symbol to express the most dimin- utive quantity, and in one other instance was 80 used by our Lord (Luke n : e) ; it was, in fact, the smallest of the various kinds of seed in common use in Jewish husbandry. The pro- duct is a bush which grows sometimes as tall as a horse and his rider, though its common height is less. The birds, attracted by its seeds, often settle on it in great numbers. I cannot find that they ever built their nests in it, though this is indicated by the phrase here employed, "lodge in the branches thereof" (Gr. y.utaay.^ruw^ literally pitch tent). It is, however, a bush rather than a tree, and the phraseology in Luke, where it is called "a great tree," must be re- garded as qualified by the expression here, "greatest among herbs," i. e., garden plantft. Some writers have indeed supposed that our Lord here refers to a tree which is found in Palestine {Salvadora persica), the seeds of which are said to be used in Syria as a substitute for mustard, but the identification of the plant of the parable with garden plants renders that opinion improbable. See this question fully dis- cussed in Smith's Bible Dictionary, art. Mustard. Interpretation. — In the preceding parables Christ has presented certain obstacles to the growth of his kingdom ; in this and the follow- ing parable of the leaven he reassures his hearers of the certainty of its growth, despite small and secret beginnings, and great obstacles. O. T. symbols throw light on this parable. Daniel uses the growth of the tree to typify that of an earthly kingdom (oan. 4: 10-12), Ezekiel to sym- bolize that of the kingdom of God (Ezek. 17 : ss-m; compare Psalm 80 : 8-11). The parable is illustrated and fulfilled historically by (a) the external growth of the church from the smallest bsgin- nings — the despised Nazarene, the unlearned Galilean fishermen, the church to which not many wise, mighty, or noble were called (i cor. 1 : 26) — to a great tree overspreading the whole earth ; (6) the internal growth of the Church, as a system of truth and ethics, from the seed of the four Gospels, out of which all that is true Christianity, in doctrine or life, has grown ; (c) the spiritual life of the individual, which is always a gradual growth from a small seed, the repentance bred of hunger in the prodigal be- coming the tree whose fruits are the robe, the ring, the shoes, the fatted calf, the father's home and love. The law of Christian growth here set forth is exemplified in the Lutheran re- formation, the Wesleyan reformation, in the rise of Puritanism, in every revival of religion. It gives hope to every Christian worker who plants but small seeds, and must leave time to develop the tree ; to every Christian soul, who must ex- pect his religious life to be in its beginning an instantaneous planting of the seed of grace, but in its developmetit a gradual growth. Incidentally it is worthy of notice that the mustard seed is pungent, penetrating, searching, and must be bruised before it will give out its virtues, and when it is grown gives shelter and house-room to the birds. So the"seed of truth must be pungent, penetrating, searching; so Christ, who is the seed, because he is the living and life-giving truth, must needs be bruised before he could save ; so the church of Christ, as an organiza- tion, and the Christian, in his individual life, gives shade and shelter to the oppressed and the tempted (compare Ezek. 31 : 6). 33. Parable of the Leaven. Found also in Luke 13 : 20, 21. Leaven among the Jews generally consisted of a lump of old dough, in a high state of fermentation, inserted In the bread preparatory to baking. Like our yeast, its ob- ject was to ferment the bread, and the process and the result was analogous to that of yeast. The three measures of meal, equal to one ephah, was equivalent to a little over a bushel, more nearly four pecks and a half. Some of the commentators have seen a spiritual significance in the three measures ; e. g., Olshausen, who sup- poses it to refer to the body, soul, and spirit, and Stier to the three sons of Noah by whom the whole earth was overspread. But neither ap- pears to me to be natural. Three measures or an ephah was a usual quantity for baking (Gen. 18:6; Judges 6 : 10 ; 1 Sam. 1 : 24). Interpretation. Leaven, being itself corrupt, and leavening by a process of corruption, is usually in the Bible a symbol of evil (Matt. i6:6; icor. s: c-8 ; Gal. 5 : o), and, perhaps for this reason, was generally excluded from the offerings under the 0. T. (Eiod. 13 : 3 ; Lev. 2:11; Amos 4 : s). Woman, tOO, iS often employed as a symbol of an apostate church and its ministry (Prov. O : 13 ; Zach. 5 : 7-11 ; Rev. 17 : 3, etc). Hence, some commentators have regarded leaven here as a symbol of corruption, and the parable as illustrative rather of the opposition which the kingdom of God must encounter than of its process and progress. But this view is im- necessary, because (a) the Scripture uses the same thing to symbolize sometimes good, some- times evil, e. g., the lion as an emblem both of the devil and of Christ (i Pet. 5:8; Rev. 5 : b), the tree as an emblem of both pious and wicked men (Psaim 1 : 3 ; 37 : 36), the dovc as an emblem of both an evil and a right simplicity (nosca 7 : ii ; Matt. 10 : ir.) ; (&) leaven itself was in one instance required in a Oh. XIII.] MATTHEW. 181 34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables ;' and without a parable spake he not unto them ■ 35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Frophet," saying, I will open my mouth in parables ; will utter things which have been kept' secret from the foundation of the world. 36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house : and his disciples came unto Jiim, say- ing, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. 37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man : 38 The field is the world :" the good seed are the Ps. 78 : 2 V Luke 10 : 24 ; Rom. 16 : 25, 26 ; Col. 1 : 26 w Rom. 10 : sacred offering (Lev. 23 : n), and could not, there- fore, have been always regarded as an emblem of evil ; (c) it is a natural emblem of a good, warming, pervasive influence, imparting its own eavor and virtue to the lifeless lump. This view is also indefensible, because (a) Christ directly compares the kingdom of heaven to the operation of leaven, and it flatly contradicts his language to regard the parable as a symbol of the operation of the kingdom of Satan ; (&) he distinctly asserts that the leaven abides in the meal till all is leavened, which, if leaven be a sym- bol of corruption, would involve the idea that the Gospel is to be conquered and the influence of Satan become victorious ; («) its connection with the preceding parables point to a further and fuller illustration of the progress of the kingdom of God. I conclude, then, that the natural and plain meaning of the parable is the true one, and that Christ means exactly what his words mean, viz., that the operations of the influence of God in the community and in the individual heart are analogous to those of leaven in the dough. Why? Because the latter is a foreign power, not merely an awakening of life dormant in the dough ; it brings new life with it ; it is hidden in the dough ; it does its work secretly, silently, by a process of fermentation and agitation ; it is itself that which the dough is to become. The parable is historically illus- trated by the progress of Christianity in the world, which proceeds from the Bread which came down from heaven and was mingled with our common humanity ; came not with observa- tion, being unrecognized as a divine life-giving force by Jew or Gentile ; it permeates all so- ciety ; has won its way by a process of agita- tion, bringmg first the sword, then peace (Matt. 10 : 34) ; and has proceeded from the interior out- ward ; and, by a process of infection or conta- gion of beneficent influence, is leavening all society— governments, commerce, social cus- toms, as well as church organizations and the professed disciples of Christ. It is illustrated in the history of every Christian soul ; for Christ is hidden in the soul, and becomes the secret source of its Ufe ; to him it gradually becomes con- formed ; he is unrecognized by the world, though the sweetness and life produced by his presence is perceived ; and he gradually and silently pei-vades the whole being, until the whole is leavened. Observe, too, that as each part of the dough becoming leavened acts as leaven, stimulating life in that which adjoins, so each true Chris- tian, leavened by Christianity, operates as leaven upon his neighbor. 34, 35. Use of Parables. Without a parable spake he not to them, i. e., in this discourse his entire explanation to the multi- tude of the kingdom of God was by parables only ; the interpretation was reserved for his own disciples. 35. That it might be fulfilled. The Greek participle here is ottuj?, not n« (hopos not Mna) ; but what I have said concerning the latter in note on Matt. 12 : 17 is substantially appli- cable to the former. The reference here is to Psalm 78 : 2. That Psalm was written, according to the Hebrew insci'iption, by Asaph ; it contains no reference directly or indirectly to Christ, and it consists of an account, in poetical form, of the history of God's dealings with Israel, which are, however, a parable in this sense, that they are an ensample of his spiritual dealings with his people in all times (1 Cor. 10 : e, n). Only in this very general sense, in which the whole of the O. T. is prophetic of the New, can these words, and Asaph in uttering them, be regarded as prophetic of Christ and his method of instruction. Things kept secret. In these parables Christ was in- terpreting the spiritual nature of his kingdom, which was an enigma to the Jewish nation. 36-43. Interpretation of the Parable OF Tares. 37. Then Jesus sent the multitude awa,Y and went into the house. The parable of the leaven appears to have ended the public dis- course concerning the kingdom of God ; the sub- sequent parables appear to have been uttered to the disciples alone. His disciples. Not neces- sarily the twelve alone, but those who accepted him as their teacher, and wished to learn of hun. Compare the language of Mark 4 : 10, which in- terprets that of Matt. 13 : 10, the same as that employed here. Declare unto us, i. e., inter- pret to us. 37. He that soAveth the good seed is the Son of man, i. e., Jesus Christ. See note on Matt. 10 : 23. Observe that all sowing, whether done by prophet, apostle, preacher, teacher, or parent, is done by Christ in him. See note on verse 18, above. 183 MATTHEW. [Ch. XIII. children of the kingdom ;» but the tares are the chil- dren of the wickedJ one : .,,•,.,_. 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil : the har- vest is the end of the world -f and the reapers are the angels.* 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire ;" so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that of- fend, and' them which do iniquity ; ; 1 Pet. 1 : 23 y John 8 : 44 ; Acts 13 : -19. . . .b verse 30. . . 38. The field is the world. Not the church; the word world {xua/^oi) never repre- sents the church in the N. T., but the whole world of humanity. See 1 John 2 : 2, where the contrast between the church and the world is drawn. Observe that the world is his field (verse S4, above) ; the whole world of humanity is the kingdom of Christ, though only a part recog- nizes its duty of allegiance to him ; much of it is a kingdom in rebellion. Observe, too, that it is for the whole world Christ has died (john3:i6; 1 John 2 : 2), and that throughout the whole world the seed is to be sown (Matt. 28 : i9, 20). In the Donatist controversy, famous in ecclesiastical history, the Catholic commentators read, The field is the church, an interpretation which they endeavor to sustain by ingenious arguments, and which is, singularly, sustained by the great body of commentators since. It is, however, only an instance of the power of dogmatic prejudice to modify Scripture. The object was to prove from Scripture that the church was not to purge out by discipline all its evil, heretical, and hypocri- tical members. This may be indirectly implied ; it is not directly asserted. At all events, the direct and unambiguous words of Christ, The field is the world, are not to be departed from either (a) by confounding the world and the church, for (see above) the word world (xo'ff,uoc) never stands in the N. T. for the church ; nor (b) by supposing that it is used parabolicaUy for the church, for Christ is explaining the parable, not giving another, still less interpreting it by one more diflBcult to be understood ; nor (c) by sup- posing that the church is commensurate with the world, for it is not, the greater part of it still lying in heathenism, like portions of a field given over to tares. The application of the parable is not, except indirectly, to discipline in the church. See this matter well discussed in Arnot on the Parables. And see, for general teach- ing of parable, note below. The good seed are the children of the kingdom. In the parable of the sower the seed is the word of God ; but the two interpretations are not incongruous ; one includes the other. See note on verse 19, above. The tares are the children of the wicked one. Observe here, as throughout the Scriptures, the broad line is drawn between the two classes of men ; they do not, in fact as in ap- pearance, resemble one another. One is pro- duced from good seed, the other from evil seed ; one class are the children of God, the other are the children of the devil ; one belong to the kingdom of light, the other to the kingdom of darkness. Compare Matt. 12 : 30, and note ; John 8 : 4i ; 1 Thess. 5 : 5. But the difEerence is not ineradicable here ; the great gulf which be- gins on earth becomes impassable only at death (Luke 16 : 26). " We are not to suppose that the wheat can never become tares, or the tares wheat ; this would be to contradict the purpose of Uim who willeth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live ; and this gracious purpose shines through the command, Let both grow together till the harvest." — {Alford.) 39. The enemy ; who sowed the tares. Is the devil. See note on Matt. 4 : 1. Observe that here, as elsewhere, the personality of the devil is recognized by our Lord in unmistakable terms. This is no parable, but the interpreta- tion of a parable ; it is no concession to popular prejudice, for it is uttered to his own disciples alone ; the devil cannot stand for the evil in the human heart, for it is contrasted therewith, the natural evil of the heart being symbolized in the parable of the sower, the direct agency of Satan in this parable of the tares. Evil and false teach- mg is attributed directly to his influence ; of him are wicked and evil-producing men, who are the children of the wicked one, as good men are the children of the kingdom of God and seed sown by God. Observe, too, the nature of his work, fair in seeming, deadly in reality. "He at once mimics and counter-works the work of Christ." —{Trench.) The harvest is the end of time. The Greek word rendered here world {uioh) sig- nifies not the physical world, but rather the present era or cycle ; the reference is not to the destruction of the world, though elsewhere it is implied that such a destruction takes place at the judgment, but to the completion of the present cycle. Observe the implication that the judgment takes place at the end of the world, not as Swedenborg teaches, simultaneously with the world's existence, and for each man at the end of his life. The reapers are the angels. These are frequently represented as accompanying the Lord in his coming at the day of judgment (Matt. 16 : 27 ; 24 : 31 ; 2 Thess. 1:7; Rev. 19 : u). 41. Gather out of his kingdom. Observe that as the tares are represented as sown in Christ's field, so here the whole world of good and evil is represented as his kingdom, from which the evil is to be gathered out. See note Ch. XIIL] MATTHEW. 183 42 And'i shall cast them into a furnace of fire : there« shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine* forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treas- . ch. 3 : 12 ; Rev. 19 : 20 ; 20 : 10 e ! 60 ; ch. 8 : 12 f Dan. 12:3; 1 Cor. 16 : 49. on verse 88, above. All things that offend, i. e., tempt to sin. Compare note on Matt. 5 : 29. And them which do iniquity. Com- pare Matt. 7 : 23, and Rev. 21 : 8 ; 32 : 15. Ob- serve that not merely those who deliberately do iniquity, but also those who so carry themselves as to lead others into sin, are outcast. 40-42. Fire was employed as a punishment by the Chaldeans (Jer. 29 : 22 ; Dan. 3 : e), and has been similarly used in later times by the Persians. By fire Antiochus persecuted the Jews (Dan. 11 : 33 ; 1 Cor. 13 : 3), as In medieval times the Romanists persecuted the Reformers. Herod the Great burned to death certain who had opposed his authority in his last days ( Wars of Jews, i., 33, § 4). Weeds also were used among the Jews as a fuel, especially for heating their ovens ; a fire was kindled inside, and subsequently removed to make room for the bread (Matt. 6 : so). From this double use comes the employment of fire in the Bible as a metaphor of the punishment of the -ngodly. It is thus employed frequently in the O. T. (2 Sam. 23 : 6, 7 : Isaiah 5 : 24; 10 : 16, 17 ; Mai. 4 : l). Here and elsewhere it is adopted by Christ for the same purpose, and assuredly with a full sense of the terrible significance which the Jewish mind would attach to the metaphor (Matt. 7 : 19 : John 15 : 6), And it is uscd clscwhere in the N. T. in a similar manner (Matt. 3 : lo, 12, and note : Heh. 6:8; 10 : 27). Thls fii'c is represented not as some- thing external to the sinner, but as consisting of his sins, and as proceeding from himself (isaiah 9 : 18, 19 ; 33 : 11, li). An examination of these pas- sages will make it clear that (a) fire is used in them as a symbol not of purification but of pun- ishment ; (b) that it represents a punishment which is a finality, and from which thei"e is and can be no deliverance or restoration ; (c) that being borrowed from the most painful form of death in use among men, it stands for a terrible penalty, such as could be interpreted only by a physical symbol ; {d) that it is symbolical merely, and to give it a literal interpretation, and found on it a doctrine of physical torture, is wholly to miss the meaning and ignore the usage of Bib- lical symbolism ; (e) that it does not necessarily imply the literal destruction of the sinner, though the chafl, stubble, tares are utterly con- sumed, for in no other way could a physical symbol interpret spiritual penalty. The fire is represented as everlasting and unquenchable (haiah 66:24; Malt. 25 : 4i), and it is represented as an instrument, not merely or mainly of destruc- tion, but as one of true penalty, involving suffer- ing, as here in the words. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The question whether immortality is denied to the impenitent, or whether they possess an immortal but suffering life, must be determined by a consideration of other passages of Scripture. The symboUsm of fire throws little or no light upon that problem. Wailing and gnashing of teeth, A sym- bol not only of suffering, but even more, of rage (Acts 7 : 64). Compare Matt. 8 : 12, and note. 43. Then. When the tares are removed, the obstructions to growth in holiness and godliness are removed. Shall the righteous shine forth. Light is a symbol of joy, of clear appre- hension of truth, of a light and joy-giving ex- ample. Now, hindered and darkened by admix- ture with evil men, the light is not clear ; then it will shine out with unobstructed glory, both in and from the saints (Rom. 8 : 18 ; Col. 3 : 3, 4. Compare Dan. 12 : 3). Lessons of thk Parable of the Tares. The key-note of this parable is afforded by verse 30, "Let both grow together till the harvest." Its direct lesson is that man may not use force to purify the kingdom of God of evil elements that mingle in it ; the reason assigned is. Lest ye root up also the wheat with the tares, both («) by mistaking wheat for tares, as in the middle-ages the honest but perverted zeal of the hierarchy mistook truth and piety for heresy and sin, and (&) by uprooting tares which patience and in- struction might turn into wheat. Its direct ap- plication is to civil governments, which never have the right to punish sin for the purpose of avenging it, or of representing and carrying into effect divine justice, or of perfecting the purifi- cation of society, but only so far as is needful for the protection of society and the offender's reformation; its indirect application is to the church, which is not to use discipline for th^ purpose of excluding all from its communion whom it deems unworthy, nor even all who offend and do iniquity, but only such as, by their presence and influence, are destructive of the vitality of the church. It incidentally applies to all Christian work and Christian organizations, the duty of the Christian, in church. Sabbath school, and social life, being a duty of patience and long-suffering with the children of the wicked one, not of Pharisaic withdrawal from them, or indignant excision of them from social and Christian fellowship. It interprets the ground of God's being long-suffering, who bears with the tares that he may change them to wheat 184 MATTHEW. [Ch. XIII. ures hid in a field ; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth'' all that he hath, and buyeth' that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a mer- chant man, seeking goodly pearls ; 46 Who, when he had found one- pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered'' of every kind : 48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and g Prov. 2 : 4, 5 h Phil. 3 : 7, 8 i Isa. 55 : 1 j Rev. 3 : 18. . . .j Prov. 3 : 14, 16 ; 8:11 k ch. 22 : 10. (Luke 13 : 6-9; Rom. 2 : 4), and is an inspiration of patience to us in our intermixture with iniqui- tous and ensnaring men. Incidentally it teaches the following lessons : All good influences come from Christ ; all evil influences come from Satan. The world is Christ's kingdom, the ungodly are in revolt against their king. The difEerence be- tween the children of God and of the wicked one is, in appearance, nothing, the tares are un- distinguishable from the wheat ; it is in reality radical, they spring from different seeds and different sowers ; it is manifested in the fruit, the one is health-giving, the other poisonous ; and in the end, one is for the granary, the other for the furnace. The intermixture of good and evil men in life is a part of God's plan ; all attempts, whether by religious persecution or monastic seclusion, to interfere with it, are dis- astrous failures. Evil influence is propagated secretly at night ; grows rankly without cultiva- tion. Every good sowing in church, in Sabbath school, in the home circle, is followed by evil sowing, wherefore we must watch alway for tares. The certainty of a coming divine judgment ; the terribleness and the finality of the divine punish- ment of sin. Finally, the parable is historically illustrated in (a) the history of the Fall ; God sowed good seed, the devil dropped the seed of an evil ambition, the fruit was poison ; (&) the history of the Jewish nation, in which God sowed good seed by the hand of Moses and the prophets, the devU tares by the influence of apostate kings and false prophets and idolatrous nations, the end was national death ; (c) the history of the early church, in which the devil was still busy sowing tares (Acta 13 : lO ; 1 Cor. 1 : 11, 12 j Gal. 5 : 7, 8 ; 1 Tim. 4 : 1-3) ; (fZ) in the history of the post-apostolic church, into which the devil introduced false doctrines, ecclesiastical ambitions, heathen idol- atries ; (e) in the history of the Keformation, in which with much good seed was sown also the seed of Socinianism, Antinomianism, and modern Rationalism. The evil of attempting to uproot the tares is illustrated by the history of all reli- gious persecution ; whether of the Reformers by the hierarchy, or of the Puritans by the Church of England, or of the Baptists and Quakers by the Puritans. The practical lesson to every in- dividual disciple is, Be patient towards all men. 44-46. Parables of Hid Treasure and THE Pearl. These two parables, uttered to the disciples, not to the multitude (vtrse se), go to- gether. They represent different phases of the same truth ; each helps to interpret the other. Combined, they teach the general lesson that the kingdom of heaven must be seized and appropri- ated by each individual for himself. "It is not merely a tree overshadowing the earth, or leaven leavening the world, but each man must have it for himself, and make it his own, by a distinct act of his own will." — ( Trench. ) Neither does God re- deem the whole world of humanitj' by one gen- eral act of grace, but finds and purchases each soul unto himself by a special act of love. The fea- tures of the story in each case are taken from the common life in the East. Owing to war, robbers, and the absence of modern methods of investing property, such as banks, stock, bonds, etc., it was customary in the East for men to bury a part of their wealth in the ground, keep- ing the secret sacredly. In case of war, such burials were very frequent. A forced flight, sudden death, or other accident, would often prevent its removal. Hence the discovery of hid treasure in the East is, even at the present day, an occurrence not extraordinary. That such hiding was common in O. T. times is illus- trated by Job 3 : 31 ; Prov. 3:4; Jer. 41 : 8. The pearl, too, was held in higher estimation in ancient times than at present. The merchant- man and caravan were frequently seen by the sea of Galilee, which was on the highway of com- merce between the far East and the Mediter- Interpretation. Both parables bear a double meaning : (1.) In the human race was hid a trea- sure, viz., the faithful and elect to be gathered out of all nations. Christ discovered it ; for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and, though he "was rich, for our sakes became poor, that he might pur- chase the field — the world— and so procure the treasure— his church hidden in it. Through the world he still goes, seeking in human souls pearls, which, by his own grace, he makes goodly, and ransoming each one, which, by the price he pays, and by its own inestimable value in the eyes of divine love, is a "pearl of great price." Thus Christ's estimate of the value of the kingdom of God, and his sacrifice of all for it, is an inspiration to us. For (3) that kingdom is a treasure hidden from the eyes of those whom the god of this world hath blinded, but which, being suddenly revealed, inspires the finder with Ch. XIII.] MATTHEW. 185 sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast I 50 And" shall cast them into the furnace of fire : there tae baJ away. shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 49 So sliall It be at the end of the world: the angels shall 51 Jesus saitu unto them, Have ye understood all come forth, and' sever the wicked from among the just ; these things ? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. ch. 25 : 32. . . . joy ; it is a pearl of great price, whether mea- sured by what its cost is to Christ, or by its value to the possessor ; and this treasure, this pearl, is worth all else, is possessed only by him who forsaketh all to become Christ's disciple (Luke 14 : 33). (3.) The points of contrast in the parables are not accidental. The two represent different types of experience ; the first, a man who, without earnest seeking, finds, as it were by accident, the truth and life that is in Christ ; the second, the seeker after truth in various quarters (goodly pearls in many markets), Avho finds in Christ the one thing needful (the one pearl of great price), which costs all that he hath. Nathaniel and the Samaritan woman illustrate the first, Paul and the Ethopian eunuch (Acts 8 : L';) the second. (1.) Other points in the parable have been noted, e. g., The treasure hid in the field is compared to the truth hid in the external church (Trench, Alford), or in the Holy Scriptures (Jerome, Augustine) ; the joy that in- spires the finder is the inspiration which enables him to sell all that he hath, and is a hint that Christian self-sacrifice is gainful and should be joyful ; his hiding the treasure is thought to typify the young Christian's tremulous anxiety lest he lose the new-found life, or possibly his first inclination at concealment till he has mea- sured the reality and value of his experience. Unnecessary difficulty has been occasioned by doubts concerning the morality of the course of the finder iu the first parable. But Christ no more commends his course by using it, as an illustration, than he commends the merchant who devotes his life to getting goodly pearls, or the unjust judge (Luke 13 : 1-7), to v/hom he compares God. No difficulty need be experi- enced by the fact that the obtaining of the king- dom of God is compared to a purchase. This is a common symbol in the Scripture (Prov. 23 : 23 ; Matt. 25 : 9, 10 ; Rev. 3 : is), and is interpreted by such decla- rations as the exhortation of Isaiah to " buy with- out money and without price" (isdah ts : :, 2), and such experiences as those of Paul, who counted all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus (phu. 3 : :, s). 47-50. Parable of the Drag-net. The drag-net, or seine (Gr. (;«yi]i ij), is one of small depth but great length ; Trench says that some of these seines on the coast of Cornwall are half a mile long. One side is kept close to the bot- tom by weights, the other is buoyed up by corks or bladders ; thus, when spread, it stands in the water like a wall. Having been spread, the fish- ermen draw it at both ends to the land, enclosing in it every fish not small enough to escape through its meshes. Then the separation takes place, and the useless fish are thrown away, while the good are kept for the market. Interpretation. The aU but universal inter- pretation of the commentators is as follows : The net is the church, the fishermen are the ministry, the gathering out of the sea is the gathering into the visible church of both good and evil, the landing of the fish and the selec- tion of the good is the day of judgment. Thus this parable is only a repetition, in a different form, of the x^arablc of the tares. From this in- terpretation 1 dissent, because (a) it makes the central feature of the parable the present work of the ministry, while Christ's own interpreta- tion makes the fishing a mere incident, the sepa- ration of the fish the central feature ; (&) it repre- sents the fishermen as the ministry, while Christ declares that they represent the angels ; (c) it re- presents the church as gathering, not out of the world by moral lines, but a part of the world by mere geographical lines, and the contents of the church (the net) in nowise different morally from that of the Avorld at large (the sea beyond) ; {d) it gives no significance to the drawing to the shore, and, on the contrai-y, represents only the church as suljject to the judgment of God ; (c) it repeats the parable of tares, and is thus an anti- climax in a scries which otherwise possesses a true progress and development of the truth from the beginning to the close. I should hesitate to dissent from the whole current of thought in this matter, were it not that the ordinary inter- pretation was evidently originally adopted for conti-oversial reasons, to silence the Donatists, who demanded a rigid discipline in the church, and has since been accepted by each new com- mentator, apparently on the authority of preced- ing writers, with little or no original investiga- tion. To me the interpretation, which I find substantially in Arnot (to whose treatise on the parables the reader is referred for a careful and candid discussion of the subject), appears more consonant, both with the meaning of the parable and the course of the entire series. The sea is the world ; out of it, by unseen but invisible in- fluences, all humanity, good and evil, large and small, old and young, are drawn steadily, and despite their forebodings and struggles to escape, to the shore of eternity. Not until that shore is reached can the kingdom of God be fully dis- closed ; then the angels, who come with Christ 186 MATTHEW. [Ch. XIII. 52 Then said he unto them. Therefore every scribe ■which, is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, is lilce unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out" of his treasure things new and old." 53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus liad finished these parables, he departed thence. 54 Andi- when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said. Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son ? is not his mother called Mary ? and his bretiiren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us ? Whence then hath this man all these things ? 57 And they were ofFeud.id'' in him. But Jesus said n Prov. 10 : 21 ; ) Cant. 7 : 13. ,c. ; Luke 4 : 16, etc q Isa. 49 : 7 ; ; 3 ; John 6 : 42. in liis gloi-y to judge the world (Matt. 25 : 31), sepa- rate the good from the bad, gathering the former into the many mansions (vessels) and casting the latter away. On verse 50, see note on verse 42, above. This intcri^retation renders this parable a fit- ting climax in the series of seven. The Sower represents the work of Christ and the hindrances it meets in the human heart ; the Tares point to the true cause of these hindrances, evil influ- ences set at work by the evil one ; the Mustard Seed gives assurance of the final victory of Christ, in the growth of the great tree from a small seed ; the Leaven points out the method of that growth — secret, silent, by permeation, by agitation ; the Treasure and the Pearl teach that only by a joyful choice of Christ, as a chief good, can any one come into the kingdom; and the Drag-net points out its final consummation, after death the mevitable lot, and in the judgment the in- evitable test, of the whole human race. Each parable, too, receives an illustration in an his- torical epoch of the church. The apostolic church was the greatest of all the seed times of the church ; in the ages immediately following grew up, in corruptions of life, doctrine, and worship, tares, and, by persecution, the R. C. church attempted, in vain, to distinguish between the tares and the wheat, and to destroy the one and leave the other ; the little seed grew, and still grows on, more and more overshadowing all the earth ; the leaven secretly, but by perpetual agi- tation, penetrates society ; in that agitation, and in part because of it, hundreds and thousands of souls find the hid treasure ; and in this later age, in which knowledge is increased, when many run to and fro seeking it, many obtain the pearl of great price, worth all else ; till at last the end shall come, when all humanity shall be drawn from the sea of time to the shore of eternity, and the final and inevitable judgment shall take place. 51,53. Close OF THE Pabables. Compare with these verses Mark 4 : 34, "When they were alone he expounded all things to his disciples." Have ye understood? (Greek liiv/i/iu), i. e., with the heart. Compare verse 19 above and note, and Romans 10 : 9. Scribe. The scribes were the theological teachers of the age. See notes on Matt. 3 ; 4. The spirit of Christ's question is that of a father or teacher, who makes sure that his ex- planation has been understood. The answer is not one of undue self-confidence ; though it is not to be supposed that the disciples understood the whole significance of these parables, still less the prophetic meaning which is involved in thein. " Their reply must be taken as spoken from their then standing-point, from which little would be seen of that inner and deeper meaning which the Holy Spirit has since unfolded." — {Alford.) The parable of the householder which follows is interpreted by the contrast between Christ him- self and the Scribes, the theologians and profes- sional teachers of Judaism (Matt. 7 : 29, and note). They, like their modern antitypes, taught by rote what they learned from the teachings of their predecessors, and in unvarying routine, without any living experience of the truth. Christ declares that the Christian scribe must bring forth out of his own treasure, i. e., his own heart experiences (compare Matt. 12 : os), things both new and old, neither despising the old because it is old, nor rejecting the new because it is new. The contrast is not merely between the Old Tes- tament and the New Testament, nor between old and new forms of truth, but between old and familiar disclosures, and new experiences and apprehensions of the truth. It is interpreted and applied by the charge of Robinson the Puri- tan pastor to his Puritan flock on the occasion of their embarking for New England : "I charge you before God and his blessed angels that you follow me no farther than you have seen me fol- low the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord has yet more truth to break out of his Holy Word. I cannot sufliciently bewail the condition of the Reformed churches, who are come to'^a period in religion and will go at present no further than the instruments of their reformation. Luther and Calvin Avere great and shining lights in their times, yet they penetrated not into the whole counsel of God." Our preaching should be not a mere repetition and amplification of Christ's precepts, but, like that of St. Paul, rooted m Christ, yet with its own stalk and branches. "We must not content ourselves with old dis- coveries, but must be adding new." "Laying up is in order to laying out, for the benefit of others. ' ' — {Matthew Ilcnry. ) 5.3-58. Christ Rejected at Nazaketh. Alford and Olshausen regard this incident as Ch. XIIL] MATTHEW. unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. 187 5S And he did not many mighty worlis there, because of their unbelief. identical with that more fully narrated in Luke 4 : 14-29, In this they differ from most harmon- ists, and for reasons that appear to me inade- quate (see notes on Luke). Mark gives 'a more accurate note of time than Matthew, and inter- poses between the parables and the rejection at Nazareth the account of several miracles. Jl we suppose his chronological order to be correct, the reference here to the " mighty works " will be explained by these miracles. 54. His own country, i. e., Nazareth and the region about, see Matt. 2 : 23. Synagogue. For account of Jewish Synagogue see note on Matt. 4 : 23. Astonished. At the fact, the method, and the effect of his teaching, see Matt. 7 :29. 55. Carpenter's son. Mark (6:s) says t?tc carpenter. This, and the Jewish custom which required every father to teach his son a trade, whatever pursuit in life he might eventually fol- low, indicates that Christ worked in his earlier years at the carpenter's trade with his father. That carpentering was a real art and well ad- vanced is evident, both from the structures erected, e. g., the Temple and the palace of Sol- omon and Herod, and from the tools employed. There ave references in Scripture to the rule, the measuring line, the plane, the compass, the savvf, the awl, and the hammer and nails. His breth- ren. See note below. Joses. The Sinaitic manuscript has John, the Vatican has Jo.seph. 57. Offended in him. Stumbled at him. To them he was a stone of stumbling. Thej' recognized to a certain extent his wisdom and his power — observe wisdom, not learning — but they were too much prejudiced by what they supposed they knew of him, and his parentage, and his education, to receive his teaching. The question here put by the Nazarenes was subse- quently put by the Judeans (see John l -. 15 an.l note). Observe that Christ is himself a perpetual re- buke of the spirit of caste, whether of family, or station, or of culture ; for he was in appearance the son of a carpenter, in reality a carpenter, and in culture, humanly speaking, without the learning of the schools of his day. Observe, too, that the test of a religious teacher is, not the endorsement or certificate of the schools, which Christ did not possess ; nor personal popularity, which Christ did not always possess ; but real, permanent spiritual power and fruitfulness, as an instructor in righteousness. In his own house. See John 7 : 5. 58. He did not many mighty works. The Greek word (Jtiuui?) signifles litemllj power, or strength. Here it is equivalent to works such as would manifest the divine power. Mark's lan- guage is singular : He could there do no mighty works; he adds, however, that Christ "laid his hands upon a few sick folks and healed them ; " see note there. Because of their unbelief. The object of his miracles, then, was not to con- vince wilful skej^tics of his divine authority ; if it were, he would have done the most miracles where the unbelief was strongest. To use the miracles as an argument for the divine author- ity of Christianity, mth those who deny its au- thority and reject its teachings, is to misappre- hend their purport and aim. They are the seal of his divine authority, to those who are morally and spiritually ready to receive the truth, but need for it some external sanction (seejoha 14 : 10, 11). BRETHREN OF THE LORD. Brethren of our Lord are mentioned ten times in the N. T. (see references below). The ques- tion how we are to understand these references is one which is generally regarded as difficult; albeit, the diflSculty has been enhanced, if not absolutely created, by dogmatic and theological considerations. I shall give in this note, briefly, (1) the Scripture references ; (2) a statement of the three principal opinions concerning them ; (3) the reasons which have led to the view that the term brethren signifies cousins ; (4) the grounds of the opinion which I believe to be the correct one. 1. Scripture references. In Matt. 13 : 46, Mark 8 : 31, and Luke 8 : 19, we have an account of an endeavor by the mother and brethren of Jesus to interrupt Christ's preaching, and get him away from the multitude, on account of their fears for his personal safety, and their failure to appreci- ate and sympathize with his divine enthusiasm (compare Mark 3 : 2i). In Matt. 13 : 55 and Mark 6 ; 3 we have a reference by the Nazarenes to his brethren, in connection with his reputed father, and his real mother. In John 3 : 12 it is stated that Jesus and his mother and brethren went to Capernaum for a short time. In John 7 : 3, 5, 10, the brethren are introduced alone as urging Jesus to go up into Judea, and show himself and his works at Jerusalem ; and it is distinctly stated that his brethren did not believe on him. In Acta 1 : 14 they are represented as meeting with Mary and the twelve for prayer, after the ascension and before the descent of the Holy Spirit. In 1 Cor. 9 : 5 Paul refers to them in language which implies a distinction between them and the twelve. In Gal. 1 : 19 he refers to James, the 188 MATTHEW. [Ch. XIII. Lord's brother, as though he were an Apostle. Those are all the passages in the N. T. which refer directly to brethren or sisters of the Lord. (2. ) Theories of interpretation. These are three ; (a) that the term brethren is synonymous with cousins; that the brethren and sisters of our Lord were children of Mary's sister, and Lange supposes adopted by Mary uito her own family ; (6) that they were children of Joseph by a former wife, and so regarded as the brethren of Jesus, though not so in reality ; (c) that they were younger brothers and sisters, true children of Joseph and Mary. (3.) Arguments for the cousin theory, (a.) The term brother is sometimes used in the East to designate a more distant lateral relationship, as the term son is used to desigriate a more distant lineal relationship (Oen. n : 2?, w. is : 8, and ll : 16 ; SD : lit- is). The hypothesis that these brethren were cousins or other relations of Jesus is therefore not impossible. (6.) Their names appear to iden- tify the brethren of the Lord with certain of his Apostles. Their names are given as James, Joses (Joseph? John? see note above), Simon and Judas. Three of Christ's Apostles bore respec- tively the names of James, Simon and Judas. James, the Apostle, had also a brother Joses (Mark 15 : 4o) and a brother Judas (Luke6:iG). (e.) James, the Lord's brother, is distinctly classed by Paul with the Apostles (cai i : id), {d.) Christ would not at his death have commended his mother to John (John lo : 26, 27), nor would that dis- ciple have taken her to his own home to hve, if she had at the time other children living, for they would have been her natural protectors, (e.) It is derogatory to the character of Mary and to the dignity of our Lord to suppose that children were born to her subsequent to the birth of Jesus. This last argument is, I suspect, the real foundation of the cousin theory. The whole K. C. doctrine of Mariolatry rests upon the doctrine of her perpetual virginity, and the feeling which underlies that doctrine exists also in many Prot- estant minds in a modified form. (4.) Arguments against the cousin tJieory. (a.) The term brethren is never used in the JV. T. to signify a wider relationship than trae brothers ; though its use in a metaphorical sense, e. g. Matt. 1.3 : 43, is not uncommon. The O. T. references, given above, do not justify us in depriving it in the N. T. of its natural and normal meaning. (&.) The more general term kinsman (Greek (jryyfvijc), though of frequent use in the N. T. (Mark 6 : 4, Luke 1:36, 58; 2: 44; 14: 12; 21 : 16; John 18 : 26 ; Acts 10 : 24; Rom. » :3i 16 : 7, 11, 2i), and the more precise designations of cousin (Greek tiisi/'/.c), and sister's son (Gr. rioc t'lS udsXtpl'lc), (Acts 23: 16; Col. 4: lo) are UCVCr used in respect to the brethren of the Lord. (c.) In every instance in the Gospels they are mentioned in connection with Jesus' mother, and in such a manner as to imply that they were part of Mary's household ; while there is nothing to imply that they were either children of Joseph by a former marriage, or adopted children, (eh) In John it is distinctly stated that Jesus' brethren did not believe in him, while it is as distinctly stated in a preceding chapter that the twelve did believe in him, despite the withdrawal of other disciples (compare John 6 : 66-60 with 7 : 3-5). (C.) In Acts the brethren are said to have met with the twelve, and cannot therefore be confounded with or re- garded as in part making up the number of the twelve. (/. ) The language .of Luke 2 : 7 (comp. Matt. 1 : 25 and note), " shc brought forth her first- born SOD," implies that other children were sub- sequently borate Mary, (g.) The only Scripture argument for doubting that they were true brethren of the Lord is the identity of the names of three of them with those of three of the Apostles, James, Simon, and Judas. But the frequency with which these names occur in Jewish families takes all weight from this con- sideration. Josephus mentions twenty-one Sunons, seventeen Joses, and sixteen Judases ; and in the apostoUc lists are two Simons, two Judases and two Jameses. The fact that James, the Lord's brother, is called an Apostle (cai. i : 19), does not indicate that he was one of the twelve, for Paul and Barnabas are also called Apostles (Acta 14 : u). That title belongs not merely to the twelve, but to those who were living and personal witnesses of Christ's resurrection (1 Cor. 9 : 1 ; is : 8, 9). That Christ commended his mother to the keeping of John does not prove, and hardly imjilies that there were not other children, who, since they were then unbelievers, were not in sympathy with their mother, and who also may have been without means to provide for her com- fort. For myself I can find no other reason for taking the language of the N. T., concerning the brethren of our Lord, in any except its nat- ural sense, save a feeling, which I believe to be essentially false, that it somehow derogates from the dignity of Maiy and of Jesus, to suppose that she lived in the marital relation subsequent to Christ's birth. Such a feeling, even if well- grounded, would certainly be no basis for the interpretation of Scripture ; but it is not well- grounded. On this point Dr. Schafl's remarks are well worth pondering : "Neither his nor her honor require the perpetual virginity after his birth, unless there be something impure and un- holy in the marriage relation itself. The latter we cannot admit, since God instituted marriage in the state of innocence in Paradise, and St. Paul compares it to the most sacred relation ex- isting, the union of Christ with his church. And the Apostles and Evangelists, who are cer- tainly much safer guides in all matters of faith Ch. XIV.} MATTHEW. 189 CHAPTER XIV. AT that time' Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus ; *2 And said unto his servants. This is John the Bap- tist : he is risen from the dead ; and therefore mighty worlis do show forth themselves in him. 3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wile. r Mark 6 : 14 ; Luke 9 : and religious feeling than even fathers and re- formers, seem to have had no such feeling of re- pugnance to a real marriage between Joseph and Mary. It may be regarded as another proof of the true and full humanity and the condescend- ing love of our Saviour, if he shared the common trials of family life in all its forms, and moved a brother among brothers and sisters, that he might be touched with a feeling of our infirmi- ties." See on this subject the Introduction to Epistle to James, and note on The Apostles, their Uves and characters. Matt. ch. 10, p. Ii7. Ch. 14 : 1-12.-THE DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.— The testimont of a guiltt conscience (verse 2).— The wages op faithful preaching (Compare 2 Cor. 11 : 22-2T) — Fear of public opinion is a poor sub- stitute FOR the fear op God (verses 5 and 9).— The difference between dancing and the dance (verse 6 with chap. 11 : IT).— The danger of voLxn?- tuousness.— A bad promise is better broken than kept. — The power for evil op a wicked wipe and mother.— Jesus the refuge op the afflicted and persecuted (verse 12). For parallel accounts see Mark 6 : 14-29, and Luke 3 : 19, 20 ; 9 : 7-9. Luke does not relate the death of John. Mark gives some particulars omitted here. Josephus (Ant. is : s) gives more fully the history of Herod's marriage to Hero- dias. The facts in the case, necessary to an understanding of this narrative, are these : Herodias, the grand-daughter of Herod the Great, through his favorite wife Mariamne, was an ambitious, designing, unprincipled woman. She married Herod Philip, son of Herod by an- other Mariamne, and heir apparent to the throne. But Philip was disinherited by his father's M'ill, and the kingdom was divided between Antipas, Archelaus, and a second Philip ; Antipas, the Herod mentioned here, being Tetrarch of Gali- lee and Perea (see note on Luke 3 : 1, and map there). He married the daughter of Aretas, king of Petra, but being brought into company with Hero- dias, the wife of his half brother Philip, he divorced his own wife, and married Herodias, who abandoned her husband for the purpose. The king of Petra, indignant at the affront put upon him, declared war against Herod Antipas. John the Baptist, during the preparations for this war, denounced the Tetrarch for this crime, which had plunged the province into such diffi- culties, as well as for his other tyrannies (Luke 3 : 19), and Herod, fearing the influence of his preaching, arrested him and cast him into prison. Subsequent to the assassination of the Baptist, described in this chapter, Herod Antipas was totally defeated, and his army destroyed by Are- tas, an event which the Jews interpreted as a di- vine punishment upon Herod for John's death. Later in his life, Herod, instigated by Herodias, went with her to Rome to obtain the title of king, and to complain of Agrippa, his nephew, for assuming it, was banished by Caligula to Lyons in Gaul, whence he removed to Spain, where he died, his wife sharing his exile with him. The Scripture references show him to have been tyrannical (Luke 3 : 19), cunning (Luke 13 : si, 32), voluptuous, and superstitious. He is the Herod to whom Christ was sent by Pilate during the Passion week (Luke 23 : 6-11), and his conduct there agrees with his character as represented here. See for full history of John's imprisonment and death AbboWs Jesus of Nazareth, chapter 21. 1. At that time. At this period of Christ's ministry. Mark gives Avhat is the most probable chronological order. Subsequent to the para- bles by the sea-shore (Mark 4 : 1-33), followed cer- tain miracles (Mark 4 : 35-6 : 6), and the commission of the twelve (Mark 6 : 7-io), recorded by Matthew more fully in Chapter 10. Their itinerant minis- try added to Christ's fame and brought it to the ears of Herod. Tetrarch. Properly the gov- ernor of the fourth part of a country ; but also used to designate a tributary ruler whose author- ity and position were not sufficient to justify the title king. Herod Antipas is generally and prop- erly called Tetrarch, though also entitled " king " here, in verse 9, and in Mark 6 : 14, 23. 2. Therefore, i. c, because he is risen from the dead. Mighty works are at work in him. (Greek, iiwafim; ivtnyovair.) During his life John wrought no miracles (Jobn 10 : 4i). Herod supposed that his resurrection had clothed him with new power. This opinion was shared by others (Matt, le : 14 ; Mark 8 : 23). Luke SayS (Luka 9 : 7-9) that Herod was perplexed, and implies that his belief in John's resurrection was imbibed from others. 3. Laid hold. Arrested ; compare for mean- ing. Matt. 21 : 46 ; 26 : 4, 50, where the Greek is the same. This arrest of John the Baptist had taken place nearly a year previous (Matt. 4 : 12). Andrews places the arrest of John the Baptist in April, A.D. 28, his death in the winter of a.d. 29. Prison. In the castle of Macherus, as we learn from Josephus. For description of it, see note on Matt. 11 : 3. 190 MATTHEW. [Ch. XIV. 4 For John said unto him, It' is not lawful for thee to have her. 5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a' prophet. 6 But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daugh- ter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. 7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. 8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said. Give me here John Baptist's" head in a charger. 9 And the king was sorry :' nevertheless, for the oath's" sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given Iter. 10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. 11 And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought zVtoher mother. 12 And his disciples came and took up the body, and buried" it, and went and told Jesus. 13 When Jesus heard of it, he^ departed thence by ship into a desert place apart : and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities 4. Unto him. These words are omitted by the Sinaitic manuscript. It is tincertain whether John's reproof was a private and per- sonal one, or was a public denunciation, before the people, of the crime of their prince. It is not lawful. Because the wife of Herod Anti- pas was stUl living, the husband of Herodias was stUl living, and Herodias and Herod Antipas were relatives within the degrees of consanguin- ity, within which marriage was forbidden by Lev. 18 : 11 ; for Herodias was a grand-daughter of Herod the Great, and Antipas was a son of Herod the Great, though by another wife. Lev. 18 : 16 directly forbids marriage to a brother's wife, i. c, while the brother is living. 5. Because he feared the multitude. He also stood in awe of John, recognizing in him a prophet, and in many respects yielding to his counsel (Mark 6 : 2o). It is a reasonable deduction from Mark's language that Herod Antipas was not without some conscience, but was under the influence of his wife, who was more resolute and more wicked than himself. 6. Herod's birth-day was kept. By a great feast to the nobility of GalUee (Mark 6 : 21). The daughter of Herodias. By her pre- vious husband PhUip, her name was Salome. She subsequently married another Herod, Philip the tetrarch of Trachonitis, and subsequent to his death, Aristobulus, the brother of Agrippa (josephus' Ant. 18 : 5, 4). Daiiced before them. It was in the East, even more than with us, a dis- grace for a woman to enter such a scene of carous- ing as characterized the king's feast (compare Esther 1 : iD-12). The dance was and still is sensual and exciting. The maiden carries her own instru- ment with her, and accompanies herself. Only the professional dancer, whose position is infe- rior to that which she occupies here, will ordina- rily prostitute her womanhood to the entertain- ment of such an assemblage (see Thomson's Land and Book, 3 : 345). But the entertainment was adapted to please the voluptuous king, who was pleased, not shamed, by the dishonorable accom- plishment and exhibition of his adopted daugh- ter. 7. He promised with an oath to give her w^hatsoever she Avould ask. Mark adds. Unto the half of my kingdom. "Why marvel V Since even now, after the coming in of so high a wisdom, for a dance sake, many of these effeminate young men give up their very souls, and that without constraint of any oath." — {Chrysostom.) 8. And she being urged on by her mother (Gr. nno^-ii^-iu^w). Not, as in our Eng- lish version, before instructed. This is not the proper significance of the Greek, and it appears from Mark 6 : 24, that after the dance she went out and asked her mother. What shall I ask'r' before preferring the demand. She was not in the conspiracy, but was made the instrument of it. Charger. A wooden trencher or dish, on which food was served up. In Luke 11 : 39, the same word is rendered platter. 9. Sorry. Both because he feared the people (verse s) and the reproaches of his own conscience (Mark 6 : 2o). But he feared the ridicule of those that sat at meat with him more. He was not true Ling in his ovra court. Note the difference between sorrow and rejmitance, and the worth- lessness of sorrow that does not lead to repent- ance. 12. Went and told Jesus. Observe that the death of John the Baptist appears to have put an end to the doubts and jealousies which his disciples entertained concerning Jesus during the Baptist's life. Observe, too, that it was sor- row which drove them to Christ, to whom they came not while their own teacher was with them. When the deprivation of our earthly teachers brings us to the heavenly, it is gain, not loss. On this whole incident the reflection of Chry- sostom is worth pondering, "She looked to be concealed after this and to hide her crime (by the death of her accuser). But the very con- trary was the result ; for John's cry was heard the more loudly thereafter." "The more thou dost dissemble a sin, the more thou dost expose it. Sin is not hidden by the addition of sin, but by repentance and confession." 13-27. The Feeding of Five Thousand.— Walking on the Sea.— See Mark 6 : 30-56 ; Luke ch. xiv.:i MATTHEW. 191 14 And Jesus went forth, and' saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion'' toward them, and he healed their sick. 15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying. This is a desert place, and the time is now past ; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart ; give ye them to eat. 17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves and two fishes. 18 He said. Bring them hither to me. 19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass ; and took the five loaves and the two fishes, and, looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake ; and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 20 And they did all eat, and were filled : and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full." 21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children. 22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he" went up into a mountain apart to pray : and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves : for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26 And'^ when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled,"^ saying, It is a spirit ; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Bef of good cheer ; it is I, be not afraid. 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it^ be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid ; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying. Lord, save me ! •> . 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand,' 1 ch. 9:36; 15 -32.... a Heb. 4 ..b 2 Kings 4: 1-7 g Phil. 4: 13.... ...c Mark6: 46. ...d Job 9: 1 Pa. 69:1, 2; Lam. 3:67... 8 ; John 8 : 19. I Pa. 138 : 7. Luke 24 : 37.... f Acts 23:11; 8 : 10-17 ; John, ch. 6 ; and see notes on John. Comparing these accounts, the course of events appears to have been as follows : — Jesus commis- sioned his disciples (Matt, lo) to preach the gospel in the villages, while he preached in the cities. This combined preaching extended his fame and brought it to the ears of Herod, who believed Jesus to be John the Baptist risen from the dead. This fact came to the knowledge of Jesus about the time that his disciples returned from their commission (Mark 6 ; so, 31) ; he there- fore called them to leave their work and the multitude, and with them departed from the western and populous shore of the sea of Gal- ilee to a plain at the foot of the mountain east of Bethsaida, a town on the north banks of the sea of Galilee where the Jordan enters the sea (consult map). The people followed Jesus on foot, and from his retirement among the mount- ains he saw them gathering on the plain. The throng was doubtless increased by the fact that the Passover was nigh, and pilgrims were on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate it (John 6 : 3-5). Jesus thereupon descended the mountain, and spent the day in teaching them and healing them ( Mark 6 : 34 ; Luke 9 : ll), and toward evening (Matt. 14 : is) fed them with the five loaves and two small fishes. In their enthusiasm, the people would have made him king (john e : is) ; whereupon Jesus directed the disciples to take to their boat and row along the coast to Bethsaida, where he would meet them, i. e., Bethsaida Julias, not another Bethsaida on the western coast, as has sometimes been imagined (see note on M.irk 6 : 45). One of those winds which often sweep down the valley of the Jordan from the Lebanon, struck the disciples' boat, and swept it out into the lake. It was as they were rowing back to meet their Lord, according to appointment, that he came forth to meet them "swift walking on the wave." They then completed their jour- ney, and arrived at the land of Gennesaret, on the western shore, where Christ performed the miracles referred to here in verses 3i-36 and in Mark 6 : 53-56, and on the day following preached the sermon which John alone records (John 6 : 22-7i), in whlch he disclosed something more definitely of his approaching death, which led many of his Galilean followers to forsake him (John 6 : 66), and which constituted the close of his public ministry in Galilee. For notes on the miraculous feeding of the multitude and the subsequent walking on the sea, with the sermon which followed, see John chap. 6. Luke de- scribes the feeding of the five thousand, but not the walking on the sea. This feeding is not to be confounded with that of the four thousand (Matt. 15 : 32-39), which took place later in Christ's ministry. 28-31. Petee attempts to walk on the WATER. Peculiar to Matthew. This incident entirely negatives the hypothesis of Bleek, that perhaps Jesus was on the land, and the disciples in the storm and darkness thought him to be on the sea. Of course there was no room for mis- apprehension in the case of Peter. The incident itself is generally regarded as an illustration of Peter's great faith. To me the lesson appears quite different. Zealous, but impetuous and self-confident, the same spirit which led Peter into the court of the High Priest at the time of Christ's trial — a certain rash willingness to go into danger, a certain thoughtless scorn of it, a certain subtle and yet unconscious vanity in the exhibition of his own faith and courage— led him now to wish to show his faith by walking on the wave. But he only showed his fear. Christ walked on the wave for a purpose, to come to his disciples whom otherwise he could not reach ; and he fell not ; Peter walked on the wave for 192 MATTHEW. [Ch. XV. and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of httle faith, wherefore didst thou doubt }' 32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.'' 33 Then thev that were in the ship came and wor- shipped him, saying. Of a truth thou art the Son of God.' 34 And™ when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased : 36 And' besought him that they might only touch the hem" of his garment : and as many" as touched were made perfectly whole. CHAPTER XV. THENp came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3 But he answered and said unto them, VVhy do ve also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition }'' 4 For God commanded, saying,' Honour thy father and mother : and, He" that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5 But ye say. Whosoever shall say to /tis father or Ais mother, // is a gilt, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me ; 6 And honour not' his father or his mother, /le shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. 7 Ye hypocrites ! well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This" people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips : but their heart is far from me. James! : 6....k Ps. 107 : 59 1 Dan. 3 : 85 ; Lulcc 4 : 41 ; John 1 : 49; 6: 69; 11 : 27; Ai^ts 8 : 37 ; Rom. 1 :4 m Mark 6 : 9:20; Num. 15:38; Mi.ik 3 : 10; Lnke 6 : 19; Acts 19: VI.... a John 6 : 37.... p Mark 7 : 1, etc....q Col. 2 : 8, a3 ; Tit. 1 : 20: 12; Deut. 5 : 16 s Ex. 21 : 17; Lev. 20 : 9 t Deut. 27 : 16 u Isa. 29 : 13. no other purpose than the pleasure of doing a great deed, and demonstrating, perhaps to him- self even more than to others, that he dared attempt it ; and he would have sunk but for his Saviour's presence. It was a useless miracle for which Peter asked ; the result was an exhibition, not of his strength, but of his weakness. That Christ did not regard Peter's act as an exempli- fication of faith is evident from his rebuke, "0 thou of little faith." And the lesson appears to me to be, True faith never attempts wonders for the sake of doing them. It relies on God for every thing in time of need, but never seeks or tnanufactures occasions for marvelous experiences or exhibitions of faith. It is noteworthy that the Gospels narrate the failures in miraculous power and in faith in understanding of Christ (comp. Matt. 16 : 10, 11, 23; 17 : 16; Mark9:10-33) aS UO bOOk of mjths would do. 32, 33. They that were in the ship. Alford thinks the crew are designated. But there is nothing in the account to indicate that there was any crew. The disciples were fisher- men, and would have probably managed their own boat. Mark says they were sore amazed, and wondered, " for they considered not the miracle of the loaves ; for their heart was hard- ened." But this language is not severer than some words of condemnation uttered by Christ directly to the twelve, e. g., Matt. 16 : 8, 9 ; Luke 24 : 25. Thou art the Son of God. Com- pare Matt. S : 27. There a similar quelling of the storm led only to the expession, "What manner of man is this ? " Here the answer is af- forded to that question. This is the first time that Jesus is so called by men in the Synoptic Gospels. If we compare the expression with Peter's declaration of faith, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt, le : le), we may find in his experience here, the seed of his faith there. Observe that this miracle is re- garded by the disciples as an evidence of Christ's divine nature and authority, and that he does nothing to indicate that they are under any mis- apprehension. 34-36. Miracles ik the Land of Gennb- SARET. Peculiar to Matthew and Mark 6 : 53-56. John, however, gives a hint of it in his expres- sion : "After these things," i. e., after the ser- mon at Capernaum, which followed the feeding of the five thousand, "Jesus walked in Gali- lee" (John 7 : i). The chfonological order is somewhat uncertain. It is probable, however, that the account here and the parallel one In Mark is' of a tour throughout Galilee, mora or less protracted, following the miracle of the feeding and the sermon at Capernaum, which was his last discourse in that city ; that during this tour the rebuke of the Pharisees, narrated in the next chapter, was uttered ; and that shortly thereafter Jesus left Galilee, and re- treated with his disciples into the coasts of Tyre and Sidoii, as narrated in chap. 15 : 21. The land of Gennesaret. A plain lying along the north-western shore of the Sea of Gali- lee. It is stated by Drs. Robinson and Porter to be about three miles long and one broad. Stan- ley makes it much larger ; but, of course, its bounds are indeterminate, and one writer prob- ably includes what the other excludes from the plain. Though now covered with thorn-bushes, it gives evidence of having once possessed a marvel- ous fertility. Tiberias, Magdala, Chorazin, and Capernaum were situated on or near this plain, which was watered by four mountain springs, which at that time the heats of summer seldom if ever impoverished. Hem of garment. See notes on Mark 5 : 27. Ch. 15 : 1-20. Eating with unwashed Hands. Peculiar to Matthew and Mark 7 : 1- 23. The account is fullest in Mark. See notes Ch. XV.] MATTHEW. 193 9 But in vain they do worship me, teachingyi;r doc- trines,' the commandments of men. 10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand : 11 Not™ that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man ; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were oifended, after they heard this saying ? 13 But he answered and said. Every plant" which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone : theyy be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 15 Then answered Peter, and said unto him. Declare unto us this parable. 16 And Jesus said. Are ye also yet without under- standing ? 17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever enter- et.i in at the mouth^ goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught ? 18 But those thmgs which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart : and they detile the man. For^ ; of the heart proceed evil thoughts, ders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blas- phemies : 20 These are the things which defile a man : but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. 21 Then'' Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David ! 'my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word.* And his dis- ciples came, and besought him, saying. Send her away ; for she crieth after us. ...w Acts 10 : 15; Rom. 14: 14, 20; 1 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1 : 15. 5. . . .a Gen. 3:6; 8 : 21 ; Prov. 6:14; 24 : 9 ; Jer. 17:9: B Luke 18 : 3S, 39. . . .d Ps. 28 : 1 ; Lam. 3 : 8. there. The time and occasion are uncertain ; probably during the tour throughout GaUlee re- ferred to in the last verses of the preceding chap- ter, and more fully described in Mark 6 : 53-56, and hinted at in John 7 : 1. The Scribes and Pharisees came from Jerusalem (Mark i -. i), per- haps on their return from the Passover mentioned in John 6 : 4. With this passage should be com- pared the analogous teaching, on a difEerent oc- casion, ui Luke 11 : 37, &c. 12-14. These verses are found only in Mat- thew. The plant is a common symbol ia Scrip- ture of teaching, both true and false, (Matt. i:i : 3-8, 24-32 ; Mark 4 : 26-29 ; John 15 : 1, 2). Here the decla- ration is that any teaching, however erroneous, which God has not inspired, shall not abide ; the moral is the same as that of the parable of the tares (Matt. i3 : 37-43 ana notes) ; the principle the same as that substantially promulgated by Gamaliel to the Sanhedrim (Acts 5 : 38, 39). Let them alone. This seems at first a singular counsel respecting the teachers of error. It is, however, different from, Let the error alone, or, Let the pu- pils of error alone. Christ very rarely entered into direct controversy with false teachers. I think in no single instance did he invite to or provoke a controversy with them. He devoted himself to the affirmative work of preaching the truth, and, for the most part, let the preachers of error alone. And God has rooted up their plants. Christ is, in this respect, an example to the modern Christian teacher in dealing with modem antagonisms to Christianity. The best corrective of Rationalism and Romanism is the preaching of an affirmative and practical Chris- tianity. Fall into the ditch. Observe that Christ's disciples had been assailed for eating with unwashed hands, because this was in the eyes of the Pharisees an uncleanness. Christ's response to his disciples embodies the idea that the guidance of the Pharisees wiU lead directly to the foulest uncleanness. Ch. 15 : 21-28.— THE SYRO-PH(ENICIAN WOMAS — Faith illustiiated ; it is earnest, mPOETUNATE, HtrarBLE. This incident follows immediately after Christ's last tour through Galilee. It is recorded only here and in Mark 7 : 24-30. The account is full- est here, but Mark adds some significant facts, chiefly the intimation that Jesus' object in gomg into the heathen territory, was to secure the rest which he could not obtain, even among the mountains of his own land. 31. Thence. From GalUee. Into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. For description of this region see note on Matt. 11 : 21. Whether he went iuto the Phoenician territory or only to the borders of it has been questioned. The phrase here employed (Greek tic r« |U£^ij) occurs m Matthew 2 : 22, and 16 : 13 ; also in Mark 8 :10, and Acts 2 : 10, and in all of these cases indicates gomg into the territory. The context sustains that interpretation here ; he left Galilee and went into Phoenicia to secure rest. Mark 7 : 24, adds that he entered into a house, and would have no man know it ; but he could not be hid. 22. A woman of Canaan. Mark describes her more particularly. She was a Greek or Gen- tile, i e. in language and religious education, and a Sijro-Phmnician. There were Phoenicians in Africa, known as Llby-Phoenicians, and in Syria known as Syro-Phoenicians. She belonged to the latter ; was probably one of a mixed race, in which the blood of the Syrians and Phoenicians muigled, and therefore doubly despised by the Jews. The term Canaan was the older title of the country, and the inhabitants were successively termed Canaanites and Phoenicians, as the inhab- itants of England were successively called Britons and Englishmen. Matthew used the older term, Mark the later. From the same coasts coming out, cried unto him. Not, as in our version, came out of the same coasts. She was 194 MATTHEW. [Ch. XV. 24 But he answered and said,= I am not sent but u ito the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me ! 26 But tie answered and said. It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.' 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 28 Then6 Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith : be*" it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very' hour. 1 ch. 10 : 6, 6 ; Acts 3 : 26 f ch. 7:6; Rev. 22 : 15 g Job 13 : 15 ; 23 : 10 ; . 3 : 32. Ps. 145 : 19. . . .i John 4 : 60-53. a woman of Canaan from (yno) the same terri- tory, and came out to meet Jesus probably from her house or village. Have mercy on me. The suffering of the child is the burden of the mother. Her prayer is for mercy for herself, so clearly is she identified with her daughter. Ob- serve, she does not ask him to come and heal, as the nobleman in John 4 : 49, and the ruler in Matt. !) : 18. Her faith shows itself in the very outset. Compare the similar faith of the centurion in Matt. 8 : 8, 9, and observe that in both cases it was manifested, not by an Israelite, but by a Gentile. Son of David. Evidently the wo- man had some knowledge of the Old Testament, and its prophecies of a Messiah. She may have been a proselyte. Grievously vexed with a devil. Literally very evil deviled, and so ren- dered in one of the old versions. On the nature of demoniacal possessions see note at close of chap. 8, page 85. 23. Send her away. Dismiss her. The language does not indicate whether by healing or by giving a positive refusal to heal. The reason- able implication, however, is that they had en- deavored to drive her away, as was done in other parallel cases (Matt. i9: is ; Luke is : 39), but in vain. They recognized Christ's object to be retirement, an object which her presence and petitions were sure to defeat. 24. I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Compare note on Matt. 10 : 6. Here, however, Christ de- fines his mission, not that of his disciples ; but only the limits of his own personal and earthly ministiy. It was not till after his death that the vaU was rent, which shut out all but the high priest from the Holy of Holies — and by his death that he saves all who come unto him whether Jew or Gentile. James Morison gives well the reason for his declining to extend his earthly mission to Gentile races : " To have spread out his ministry farther during the brief period of his terrestrial career, would simply have been to have thinned and weakened his influence. What- ever might have been gained extensively would have been lost intensively." Compare Romans 11 : 12-17, where the impKcation is that the re- jection of Christ by the Jews was, in the Pron- dence of God, the precursor of the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles. It must come to the world either through the Jews, or despite the refusal of the Jews to receive it. Compare also Matt. 21 : 42, 43, where the implication is the same. 25. Then came she. Hitherto she had followed him in the way ; now she came, as Mark more particularly describes, to the house where he was. And Avorshipped him. Rather rev- erenced him. See note on Matt. 8 : 2, where the original verb is the same. 26. It is not meet. Not, It is not allowahle (tjeornr), though some manuscripts give this read- ing, but, It is not appropriate {xu'/.'ic). This is the reading of the Received Text, of the Sinaitic manuscript, and the undoubted reading in Mark 7 : 27. Mark adds an important sentence, which both explains this declaration and gives the key to the mother's reply. Christ says, "Let the chil- dren first be filled; for it is not meet," etc. This language implies that there is food in the Gospel for the GentUe as well as for the Jew, but that the Gospel should begin with Israel. It is clear from this that Christ did not teach that the Gentiles were to be despised and outcast, and did not intend to be so understood. And cast it to the pet dog:s. The Greek here {/.wdqiu^) signifies a little dog ; is here probably equivalent to house or pet dog, in contradistinction to the dogs of the street, (zuwr), which in the East are mostly without masters, and i-oam the towns and cities in packs, and feed upon offal and even corpses. The word which I have rendered "pet dogs," is used only here and in Mark 7 : 27, 28. Its use, coupled vrith the intimation that the Gentiles are to be fed but not at first, gives an indefinable but important color to the whole inci- dent, which has been generally overlooked. 27. Truth, Lord : for the pet dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the table of their masters. Observe, that she acquies- ces heartily in Christ's declaration : it is not fit that the dogs be fed before the children ; that she gives the reason: because thej^ feed from that which the children cast away or pass by in indif- ference ; and that she recognizes in the Israelites the masters, in spiritual things, of the Gentiles, from whose table the Gentiles are to be fed, for she says not. The table of the master, but The table of their masters (roJr -^vqImv uvtoh). Our English version, Yet the dogs feed, implies a con- trast between his statement and hers. The orig- inal (xiil y«o) implies that she gives, in her state- ment, a reason for her assent to his. It is not needful to deprive the children to supply the Ch. XV.] MATTHEW. 195 29 Andi Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Gahlee ; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. 30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast tliem down at Jesus' leet ; and he healed them •}■ 31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when .k Ps. 103 : 3 : Isa. 35 : B, 6 dogs. So it is not needful to deprive Israel of its blessing in order to give ine the blessing I crave : what they have cast away I seek. It would be different if I asked you to leave Israel to preach and to heal in Phoenicia. 28. Compare the language of Mark (7 : 30), " And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed." Meaning of this Incident. In interpreting this incident we are to remember certain facts which the commentators, as well as the skeptical critics, have sometimes forgotten, (a.) Jesus departed from Galilee, not to continue his minis- try, but to rest from it. To have complied with the mother's request would have defeated his purpose ; did defeat it, so that he straightway retreated again from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon into the mountains of Galilee, and thence into the region about Caesarea Philippi (Mark 15:29; 16:13). (6.) He knew by a perfect spiritual in- sight just what measure of trial the woman could bear, so that the test, which would have been hazardous if attempted by another, was not so when used by him. (c.) The presumption that the tone of his voice, and the manner of his utterance, gave to his words a different impres- sion from that which they bear in the simple read- ing of them, is not unreasonable, in the light of the result to which they led. The interpretation of this incident, which regards Christ as having repelled and rebuffed the woman, treated her with an appearance of Jewish contempt as a dog, and yielded at the last to her importunity, in spite of his original apparent, if not real inten- tion, I cannot accept because (a), so interpreted, the incident stands absolutely isolated ; there is no other case in the Gospels in which Christ re- fused help to the suffering and the needy. (&.) It contravenes his whole spirit ; there is no other ill which he indicated any sharing or appearance of sharing in the prejudice which treated Gen- tiles as dogs ; on the contrary, his ministry in Galilee was begun by a public rebuke of that prejudice (Luke 4 : 25, 26), a rebuke subsequently re- peated at Capernaum (Matt. 8 : 10-12). (c.) The language of the narrative itself does not, when carefully studied, confirm this impression — the impression of one hard to be entreated. His use of the distmctive word "httle or pet dogs," his intimation of mercy to the Gentiles in the phrase "Let the children ^rs< be filled," (Mark 7 : 27), and the woman's method of taking up his reply, not taking exception to his statement, but making his declaration, It is not fitting to take the children's bread and cast it to the pet dogs, a reason for her own, Truth, Lord, for the pet dogs eat of the crumbs, all look toward a differ- ent tone and spirit in the whole scene. It ap- pears then to me that Christ intended his lan- guage as a rebuke to the disciples, not to the mother ; that her quick intuition read in his tone what they failed to read in his words ; that her ready repartee is the language of awakened hope, not the last despairing C17 of a crushed and broken heart ; that he neither intended to repel her nor, in fact, did so ; but, knowing her faith, intended to draw forth its ex- pression as a lesson to his as yet untaught dis- ciples, to whom this woman of an apostate race was but a Gentile dog. In other words, I conceive that he spoke in the manner which we some- times use with children, when we intend to grant their request yet hold them off, and make pre- tence of finding reason why it should not be granted, for the purpose of trying their earnest- ness. His very commendation. Great is thy faith, I take to be a recognition of her spiritual appre- ciation of his love, which his disciples did not then and have not always since comprehended as well as she did. 29-39. The four thousand fed. The events which follow, up to and including chapter 18, describe a period of apparent retirement, spent partly in Galilee, partly north of Galilee in the districts about Caesarea Philippi. Matthew does, indeed, record some public miracles, as the one here, and Mark adds more that Matthew omits ; but it is noticeable that there is no inti- mation here, or anywhere after this, of any consid- erable preachuig of the Gospel in Galilee. On the other hand, Christ's endeavor to remain in retirement is not only clearly stated by Mark (9 : 30), but is also indicated, less clearly, in the fact that our Lord's miracles are performed apart from the multitude (Mark 7 : 33 ; 8 : 22-26), and are accompan- ied by injunctions of secrecy (Matt. 9 : 30; Mark 7: 36 ; 8 : 26). Hc gocs, too, f rom ouc district to another, as if seeking repose, which the throng deny him (Matt. 15 : 29, so, 39 ; le : 1, 4; Mark 7 : 22, 27). So marked is this change in his ministry, that his disciples taunt him with his concealment (John t : 2-5). This period, up to his departure from Galilee, mentioned in Matthew 19 : 1, to fulfill the min- istry, more fully described by John, is devoted chiefly to instructing his disciples respecting the 196 MATTHEW. [Ch. XVL they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see : and they glori- fied the God of Israel. 32 Then' Jesus called his disciples w«^o/i/;«, and said, I have compassion on tlie multitude, because they con- tinue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat : and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. 33 And™ his disciples say unto him. Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude ? 34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye ? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. 35 And" he commanded tlie multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and" gave thanks, and brake tkem, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 37 And they did all eat, and were filled : and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. 38 And they that did eat were tour thousand men, beside women and children. 39 And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, andP came into the coasts of Magdala. CHAPTER XVI. THE Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting, desired him that he would shew them a signi from heaven. 2 Kings 4: 43, 44... .p Marks: 10.... q ch. Kingdom of God, and embraces warnings against the leaven of the Pharisees (le : 1-12), the full dis- closure of his own divinity (ic : 13-20), accompanied by clearer prophecies o\ his death and resurrec- tion (16 : 21-23), the manifestation of his glory in the transfiguration (17 : i-s), and instructions re- specting faith, humUity, and forgiveness and kind- ness (ch. 17 : 19 to ch. 18 : 35). The accouut of the mira- cles of healing here referred to, as well as of the feeding of the four thousand, is fullest in Mark ; see notes there (Mark 7 : 31-37 ; 8 : 1-9). 29. It is evident from the fact that after the feeding Christ took ship to come into the coasts of Magdala, which was on the vrestern and pop- ulous side of the sea, that he came at first into the eastern coasts. Mark adds that he came through the coast of Decapolis, a district chief- ly on the eastern shore. See note there. Went up into a hill country. Not a particular mountain, as might be supposed from our version, but up into the hUl district east of the sea of Galilee ; for the most part then, as now, wild and uninhabited. Sat down there. That is, stop- ped there. Sit is sometimes thus used in the N. T. as equivalent to dwell or abide, e. g. Matt. 4 : 16 ; Luke 1 : 79 ; Acts 14 : 8. 30. Cast them down. A graphic indication of their haste and eagerness. 31. The maimed to be whole. Tischen- dorf omits this clause. Alford retains it. It does not imply that any missing members were restored. The word rendered maimed signifies literally hent or crooked, and nothing more is nec- essarily involved than a restoration of vitality to a before useless member, as from paralysis. The word applies particularly to the hands, as the word lame to the feet. In no recorded instance did our Lord create members which were miss- ing. Even his miraculous powers Christ did not put forth, says Olshausen, without internal law or order. In this respect, it may be added, his miracles differ from the mere prodigies of the pseudo wonder-workers. Mark (7 : 31-37) gives an account of a particular miracle, the healing of one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. God of Israel. The Pharisees accused Jesus of blasphemy under a statute (ceut. 13 : 1-5) which punished \\'ith death all attempts to divert the allegiance of the people from Jehovah to other gods, and subsequently condemned him to death on the ground that he had thus attempted to di- vert the allegiance of the people to himself. Observe the refutation of his charge here ; their reverence for the God of Israel was increased, not lessened. It is still charged that the doctrine of the divinity of Christ leads to idolatry, the substitution of a hero worship for the worship of a Divine Spirit. In fact, Christianity has pro- duced the highest and most intelligent and spir- itual worship of the Infinite and Invisible God (compare John 5 ; 23). 32-39. This miracle of the feeding of the four thousand, not to be confounded with the feeding of the five thousand before described by Matthew, is more fully described by Mark 8 : 1-9. See notes there. It is not mentioned by the other two Evangelists. The only material varia- tion in the two accounts is in the description of Christ's subsequent departure from the eastern shore. Matthew says he came into the coasts of Magdala, that is, its environs. Mark says he came into the parts of Dalmanutha. Nei- ther place is elsewhere mentioned in the N. T. Magdala or Magadar is undoubtedly identical with the modem El-Mejdel. It is situated on the western coast of the sea of Galilee. See map. It was probably the birth-place, and gave the cognomen to Mary Magdalene, that is, Mary of Magdala. Dalmanutha was either identical with it, being only another name for the same place, or a village in the immediate vicinity. Ch. 16 : 1-4. BEMAND OF A SIGN.— Ottr duty: to STUDY THE SIGKS OF THE SPIKITUAl SEASONS.— ThE ANSWER TO MODERN SKEPTICISM : THE SIGNS OF THE PRESENT TIMES. Peculiar to Matthew and Mark 8 : 10-12 ; fuller here. An analogous demand had been pre- viously made and compliance refused. For there is no reason for identifying this account with that given by Matthew, in chapter 12 : 38-40. Ch. XVI.] MATTHEW. 197 2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, // will be fair weather ; for the sit y is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day, for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites ! ye can discern the face of the sky ; but can ye not discern the signs of the times ? 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign ; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.' And he left them, and departed. 5 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said unto them,» Take heed and be- ware of the leaven' of the Pharisees and of tne Saddu- cees. Luke 12:1 1 1 Cor. 5:6-8; Gal. 6 : 9 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 16, 17. The Jews believed that false gods could work signs on earth, but only the true God could give a sign from heaven. It is not at aU strange that the Pharisees and Sadducees should repeat their demand for such a sign, nor that Christ should reply, as before, by referring them to his future resurrection, as typified by the miraculous res- cue of Jonah. That this was the second de- mand of this sort is incidentally confirmed by the touching allusion, in Mark, to the effect which their resolute unbelief produced on the mind of Jesus : He sighed deeply in his spirit. Observe that in Christ, skepticism, even the most obdurate, awoke pity rather than indignation or a spirit of controversy. "He pities and bewails them, as tacurably diseased." — {Chrysostom.) 2, 3. A figure analogous to that employed in these verses is to be found in Luke after the words, He answered and said unto them, are omitted in several of the best manuscripts, in- cluding the Vatican and the Sinaitic. Tischen- dorf omits them. This figure is net found, either, in Mark's account. But the internal evi- dence of genuineness is conclusive to my mind. I can easily imagine that an early copyist might, with Strauss, think the passage "totally unin- telligible ;" but I cannot as readily believe that any one should have had the genius to conceive and interpolate it. Lowering. Gloomy, with an aspect anal- ogous to that of one who lowers his brows in depression or anger. Ye can discern the face of the sky. The Jews were curious in observing the face of the heavens, and the tem- perature of the air, from which they believed they could discern the prospects of the season. Thus, from the direction which the smoke took on the last day of the feast of the Tabernacles, they undertook to foretell the quantity of the rain for the ensuing year. Signs of the times. The original word (xcd'^ic) rendered times^ signi- fies properly aw appointed ov set time. It is used in this sense in John the Baptist's preaching, "The time is fulfilled " (Mark i : 16), and in this sense here, Christ's question is, Cannot ye discern the signs or tokens of the time appointed, by symbol and prophet in the O. T., for the coming of the Messiah?— in the overthrow of the throne of Herod and the subjection of Israel to Rome, in the degradation, political and moral, of the realm, in the coming of John the Baptist in the spirit of Elijah, and in the miracles wrought for the blessing of the people in fulfillment of such prophecies as that of Isaiah 61 : 1-3. The word miracle in the N. T. is generally a translation of the Greek word {oii^mov) here ren- dered sign ; for the miracle is always a sign or token of the divine presence and power. Ob- serve then two practical lessons to ourselves in Christ's reply here. It is the duty of Christians to study the signs of God's seasons in church and state, and adapt their work accordingly. The answer to modern skepticism is not chiefly the miracles of the past, i. e. the signs of divine power in the first century, but the signs of divine presence and power in our own times. Christ never employs miracles to overthrow unbelief; in employing the argument from them for that purpose we do not use them as Christ used them. Compare note on Matt. 13 : 58. Ch. 16 ; 5-12. WARNING AGAINST THE LEAVEN OF FALSEHOOD.— The dangebs of false teaching and PERNICIOUS INFLUENCE —The DUTY OF WATCHFUL- NESS.— FORMALISM, Rationalism, Wokldlinbss, are SINS AKIN TO EACH OTHER. Peculiar to Matthew and Mark 8 : 13-31. The latter account is more graphic and minute. The same caution against the leaven of the Pharisees was repeated on another occasion. See Luke 13:1. 5. To the other side. From the western and populous side of the Sea of Galilee to the north-eastern shore. Immediately after this conversation they went, perhaps to get bread, to Bethsaida (Mark 8 : 22) which is situated at the en- trance of the Jordan into the lake (see map). To take bread. Rather loaves. Mark with characteristic particularity adds that ' ' neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf." The loaf was a thin cake or cracker, made of flower and water or milk, ordinarily mixed with leaven and left to rise, and baked in the oven. It was generally about a finger's breadth in thick- ness. Thi'ee were not too much for a meal for a single person (Luke 11 : s), and one was considered barely suflBcient to sustain life. It is one of these crackers or cakes that is intended by the phrase " morsel" in 1 Sam. 3 :36, and "piece " in Jer. 37 : 31. Two hundred were not a great supply for a company. See 1 Sam. 35 : 18 ; 3 Sam. 16 : 1. 6. Take heed and beware. A double in. 198 MATTHEW. [Ch. XVI. 7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. 8 (^K///V/i when Jesus perceived, he said unto them," O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread ? 9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the live" loaves of the five thousand, and how many bas- kets ye took up? 10 Neither the seven" loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 11 How is ii that ye do not understand, that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven ot the Pharisees and ot the Sadducees ? 12 Then understood they how that he bade them not . beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine* of the Pharisees arid of the Sadducees. ch. 6 : 30 : 8 : 26 ; 14 : 31. .w ch. 15 : 34, etc. . . .x ch. 15 : 1-9. junction. Be on the tvatch for secret errors and evil influences, and guard yourselves against them. Leaven. This answered to the yeast of modern times. It is in the Bible a symbol of a secret, subtle and pervasive influence ; generally of an evil character. Compare 1 Cor. 5 ; 6-8 and notes on Matt. 13 : 33. Of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Mark omits of the Sadducees and substitutes of Herod. The Pharisees were the formalists of the first century, the Sadducees the rationalists, the Herodians the unprincipled and worldly politicians. The leaven against which Christ warns his disciples is that of for- malism and pretence, of sneering unbelief, and of the craft and cunning of worldliness. Com- pare his characterization of Herod in Luke 13 : 32. 7. They reasoned among themselves, etc. Great care was taken by the Pharisaic canons what leaven was to be used and what not ; e. g. whether heathen leaven might be employed, is the subject of rabbinical discussions. The dis- ciples thought that Christ reproved them for their carelessness in forgetting to provide bread, lest they corrupt themselves by using bread mixed with the Pharisees' leaven. The incident Indicates the spiritual dullness of the disciples (compare Luke 22 : 3s), and rcfutes the idea of one school of modem rationalists, that many of the spiritual ideas of the Gospels originated with the Evangelists and were imputed by them to Christ. So far from originating any, they could not even understand his. Observe the indication that, in their ordinary travels, they provided tliemselves ^vith food, the injunction of Matt. 10 : 9, 10 being purely temporary in its application ; and also that in their travels our Lord depended on the disciples to provide the necessary food for their journey. (compare John 4 : s). 8. Which when Jesus knew. Perhaps from observation, perhaps by that immediate knowledge of the heart of which the N. T. af- fords so many illustrations (Mark 2:8; Luke 5 : 22 ; 6 : 8). O ye of little faith. Observe the implication as to the meaning of the word faith, as Christ uses it. Not here, Ye of small belief, limited creed, or even defective spirit of trust ; but Te of little spiritual perception. Compare for Scripture significance of faith 2 Cor. 4 : IS and Hebrews 11 : 1. To this report of Christ's re- buke, Mark makes an important addition. See Mark 8 : 17, 18. He also gives the questions be- low respecting the two miracles more fully than Matthew. See Mark 8 : 19-21. Observe the fact indicated in the account there, that the disciples remembered definitely the two miracles, and the exact number of baskets of fragments left, but did not learn their spiritual lessons. A striking illustration of " having eyes, yet seeing not." 9-10. Do ye not understand, neither re- member the five loaves of the five thou- sand, and how many traveling baskets {xi'xftimc) ye took up? neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many grain baskets {onvqlg) ye took up ? Observe that Christ distinctly refers to two mir- acles of feeding ; that he discriminates between them by his reference to the "five loaves of the five thousand" and the "seven loaves of the four thousand," and by referring to the different kinds of baskets used. This contrast corres- ponds exactly to the two accounts (compare notes on Mark 8 : 1-10 and John 6 : l-is), and tO the reCOUcction Of the a^DOstles who (Mark 8 : i9-2o) rcspond to Christ's question that in one case they gathered up twelve traveling baskets, in the other seven grain bas- kets. It is impossible in the face of this testi- mony to believe that the account of both mira- cles is derived from the same event, if we attach any credence to the Evangelist's narratives. SPORTA. COPHINUS. (Grain Basket.) (Traveling Basket.) The two accompanying illustrations show the dlfiEerence in kind between the baskets used on the two occasions. The Cophinus is taken from an engraved gem ; the Sporta from the statue of a young fisherman in the Royal Neapolitan Mu- seum. The Sporta was commonly used by the Romans as a provision basket ; the CopMmis was used by the Jews as a kind of traveling basket. The scholars are not agreed as to which was the larger ; perhaps there was no generic difference in size. 1 1 . The best critics give, by a slight change in Ch. XVI.] MATTHEW. 199 13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Phlippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whomydomen say that I, the Son of man, am ? 14 And they said,^ Some say that thou art John the Baptist ; some, Elias ; and otliers, Jeremias, or one ot the prophets. y Mark 8 : 27 ; Luke i , etc z ch. 14 : 2 ; Luke 9 : 7-9. reading and punctuation, a different rendering to this verse, which should read: "How is it that ye do not understand that I spake not to you concerning bread ? But be- ware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." Christ does not explain ; but he chides their dullness, then repeats his warning, and leaves them to study out its meaning for themselves, which they do. 13. But of the teaching of the Phari- sees and of the Sadducees. Not merely the doctrine, that is, the things taught, but the teach- ing, which includes the spirit and method. Luke, in his account of Christ's use of the same symbol on another occasion (Luke 12 : 1), gives Christ's own interpretation, "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy,^'' In considering the practical significance of this teaching, observe that (1) Christ rebukes his dis- ciples, not for a fragrant dereliction, but for a lack of spiritual perception ; (2) he teaches in enigma, and requires them to study out its mean- ing for themselves ; (3) their dullness to perceive the spiritual meaning of his teaching was akin to that of the Pharisees, for which he h^d just be- fore rebuked them (verses 1-4), and both spring from the same source, lack of spiritual life and consequently spiritual perception; (4) false teaching and pernicious influences are ranked by our Lord together and compared to leaven, be- cause subtle, unobserved, and pervasive ; (5) the false doctrine of the Sadducees, the worldly spirit of the Herodians, and the religious form- alism of the Pharisees are classed together ; (6) the disciples are warned to be on the watch against evil teaching in the very quarters where the nation looked and had a right to look for its religious, philosophical, and political leaders. Ch. 16 : 1^20. PETER'S COOTRSSION OF CHRIST.— The false and the tkite conception of Jesus con- trasted : A PROPHET ; THE MESSIAH. — ThE SECRET OF ALL TRUE SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE : THE TEACHING OF THE Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2 : 10).— The secret of ALL STABILITY IN CHRISTIAN CHARACTER : FAITH IN A LIVING AND LIFE-GIVINQ CHRIST. ThIS MAKES EVERT POSSESSOR A PeTER. — ThE FOUNDATION OF THE Christian church : living faith in a living Sav- iour. — How TO MAKE THE CHURCH STRONG AGAINST THE GATES OF HELL : A REVIVAL OF THIS LIVING FAITH BY RECEIVING THE SPIRIT OF GOD. — ThE POWER OF THE Christian in the Kingdom of God : power to BIND and loose, i. e.y to walk in the PERFECT LAW OP Liberty.— Necessity of caution in preaching THE TRUTH : PREACH ONLY WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE truly prepared TO HEAR (John 16 : 12). This significant and solemn colloquy is re- corded by Mark (s : 27-30) and Luke (9 : 18-21), though less fully than here. Matthew alone gives the blessing of Christ pronounced on Peter in verses IS and 19, John, who wrote his Gospel to make clear his Lord's divinity (john 20 : 31), omits this in- cident altogether. The omission is an indication that he wrote with the other Gospels before him, and supplied only what they lacked. The time is correctly indicated in the course of the narra- tive here. It was after Christ had closed his public mmistry in Galilee, and was seeking repose with his disciples for the purpose of imparting to them especial instruction in the principles of his kingdom. 13. When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea of Philippi. There were two Csesa- reas in Palestine ; one on the coast, midway be- tween Joppa and Mount Carmel, the other north of Galilee at the head waters of the Jordan, about four miles east of Dan, the northernmost town of the Holy Land proper (see map). It was termed Ccemrea in honor of Augustus Caesar, the great patron of the Herodian family, to whom the great temple erected here by Herod was ded- icated, and Philippi, i. e. of Philip, to distmguish it from the other Caesarea and in honor of Herod Philip the tetrarch (Matt. 14 : 1, and note), who made it the site of his villas and palaces. It is probably to be identified historically with the Baal-gad under Mount Hermon, which marked the north- ern boundary of Joshua's conquest (joshua 11 : n). Here, subsequently, was erected a sanctuaiy to the heathen god Pan, which gave to the town the new name of Paneas, which still lingers in the modern appellation Banias. This sanctuary of Pan was constructed in a cave in the rock {Stan- leifs Sinai and Paledine, p. 390) : Greek inscrip- tions on the face of the rock, testifying to the former existence of this sanctuaiy, still remain. Above this sanctuary, and on the cliff itself, Herod built the white marble temple in honor of Augustus. It is conjectured, not unreasonably, that Christ's colloquy with his disciples took place withm sight of this temple ; that he referred mdirectly to the temple thus founded on a rock, yet not to abide. From this same cliff burst forth, in rivulets, which just below unite in a single stream, the waters which constitute the higher source of the Jordan. Asked his disciples. Apparently the twelve only. Whom do men. Luke says, the people (Greek "/Aoc), that is, the common people, the multitude, as distinguished from the Scribes and 200 MATTHEW. [Ch. XVI. IS He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? i6 And Simon Peter answered and said," Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh" and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but' my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter ;"' ich. 14:33; Ps. 2:7; John 1 : 49 ; Acts 9 : 20 ; Heb. 1 : 2,5 bl Cor. 2 : 10 ; Gal. 1 : 16 ; Eph. lJohn4 :15;5:20....dJohnl:42. the Pharisaic leaders. That the Son of man is. This is the reading of the best manuscripts. The Son of man in the N. T. always signifies the Messiah. According to one interpretation, and one which the reading I have given seems to sus- tain, the question would be, what sort of a per- son do the public think the expected Messiah to be. But our English version evidently represents the spirit of the question more accurately : What estimate do the public put upon me, the Mes- siah ? For (a) the question is thus reported by both Mark and Luke, where there is no doubt as to the reading, and (6) Christ's second question to his disciples. Whom say ye that I am ? shows that he inquires not merely into the commonly received doctrine respecting the Messiah, but into the public opinion, and into his disciples' opinion, respecting himself. Why does he ask this question ? To lead his disciples on to a con- fession of their own higher faith. If one is un- certain respecting the divine character of Jesus Christ, let him, as here, compare that with other hypotheses, and by a comparison reach the truth. 14. They said, Some, John the Baptist. This was the opinion of Herod, who thought John whom he had beheaded was risen from the dead (Matt, u : 2). Others, Elijah. Malachi (4 : 6) had prophesied that Elijah the prophet should come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, a prophesy fulfilled by the advent of John the Baptist. See Matt. 11 : 14, and note. Some of the people thought Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, and looked forward to the coming of another Messiah. And others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets, %. e. "that one of the old prophets is risen agrai«, " (Luke 9 : 19). Jeremiah is placed first, because in Jewish canon he was placed first among the O. T. prophets. 16. And Simon Peter answered. His original name was Simon or Simeon, The appel- lation Peter was given him by our Lord, when he first and but temporarily joined Jesus at the ford of Bethabara (johni : 40,41). Chi^sostom charac- terizes him as the " mouth of the apostles and the leader of the apostolic choir," But there is nothing to indicate here that he spoke for them ; rather impulsively and ardently, he gave instant expression to his own conviction. Observe his language ; not, I say that thou art, nor. We say that thou art, but Thou art. He expresses not an opinion, but an assured and certain fact. Thou art the Christ. That is, the Messiah, literally the Anointed. See note on the names of Jesus, p. 21, The Son of the living God. Mark says simply Thou art the Christ ; Luke, The Christ of God. The phrase living God was com- mon among the Jews, not merely to distinguish Jehovah from idols (josh. 3 : 10 ; Acts 14 : 15 ; 1 These. 1 : 9), but also to indicate his character as a personal Being, who enters into sympathetic relations with the soul of man, and by the warmth of his own life imparts to the needs of the human soul. (Psahn 42 : 2 ; 84 : 2 ; 2 Cor. 3 : 3 ; 1 Tim. 4 : lo). It iS thUS peculiarly appropriate as a designation of Christ, who is the highest manifestation of this personal, living, and life-giving character of onr God, 17. Happy art thou, Simon, son of Jonas. The meaning of Jonas is dove. Some of the commentators see in this an allegorical meaning — Simon, son of the Dove, that is, child of the Holy Spirit. Others think that it recalls his earthly origin in contrast with the spiritual blessing conferred upon him. I should rather regard it simply as an emphatic address, as in John 21 : 1.5-17, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me. ' ' Such an employment of the double name is common with us in emphatic address. Why peculiarly happy V A similar confession of faith had apparently been made before ; by the disciples when Jesus quelled the storm on the lake of Galilee (Matt, 14 : 33), and by Nathaniel on his first meeting with Christ (John 1 : 49). Christ himself answers the question. For flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven. The previous expressions of faith were produced by wonder, and were founded on extraordinary dis- plays of power or knowledge, which are of them- selves very inadequate foundations on which to build such a faith. Peter's language here was the expression, in calmness, of a settled conviction, which was produced by a disclosure of the divine character of Christ to the spiritual apprehension of the disciples, by the direct influence of the Spirit of God. True spiritual blessedness con- sists not in a merely intellectual belief, but in the spiritual apprehension of Christ's divine charac- ter. Compare Matt. 11 : 27 ; 1 Cor, 2:5; Gal. 1 : 15, 16, Flesh and blood was a phrase in com- mon use among the rabbis to designate man in contradistinction to God. Here, it is equivalent to anything human, i. e., Christ declares. No power or faculty of man, in yourself or others, has imparted this knowledge to you. Compare 1 Cor. 15 : 50 ; Gal. 1 : 16 ; Ephes. 6 : 12 ; Heb, 2 : 14. Observe the implication of a direct dis- closure of the truth by the Spirit of God to the soul. Observe, too, that, whilst modern theology Ch. XVL] MATTHEW. 201 and= upon this rock I will build my church ; and the gatesf of hell shall not prevail^ against it. iQ And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou"" shalt bind on earth, Eph. 2 : 20 ; Rev. 21 ; 14 f Pa. 9 : 13 g laa. 64 : 17 ch. 18 : 18. attributes tlie work of revelation and inspiration to the Holy Spirit, it is here attributed to the Father; one of the many indications that the N. T. makes no such clear philosophical distinc- tion between the three Persons of the Trinity as were later made. 18. Thou art a rock and npon this rock. There is here a play upon the words which it is impossible to preserve fully in the English. The Greek word Peter signifies rock, though there is a difference in the form of the word as Christ uses it ; in the first clause of the sentence he em- ploys the masculine form {TtiTQug, petros), in the latter clause the feminine form {nirqa, petra). Some scholars have drawn important doctrinal conclusions from this variation (see notes below) ; but the grounds for so doing are very slight. The ordicary form is feminine. In applying the word to a man, Jesus would naturally change it to the masculine form. I will build my church. The word (^zzAj/- aia) here rendered church, means, etyraologically, somethinfj called together; it stands in the Septua- gint or Greek version of the 0. T. for the Great Congregation, or Jewish House of Parliament or Congress, a body half way between a represen- tative gathering and a mass meeting, probably sometimes one and sometimes the other. (Numb. 14:1-6,10; 27:18-23; 1 mng8 8:l-5; 1 Chron. 13:1-8; Psalm 22:22). "In the N. T. it most frequently oc- curs in the sense of an assemblage of Christians generally" (Kitto) • and if it ever signifies a definite ecclesiastical organization, with officers and spiritual or ecclesiastical powers, this is a secondary meaning, and one which the Apostles could not have attached to it at this time, ivJien no such organization existed. Here it is simply equivalent to mij called, i. e. those called out of the world to represent visibly among men Christ's invisible kingdom ; in other words, his entire inorganic body of professed disciples. The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. On the meaning of the word hell or Hades (here «iJi;c), see note on Matt. 5 : 23. The phrase gates of Hades may be regarded as here equivalent to the forces of the kingdom of death sallying out from its gates, as from a fortified city, to attack the Kingdom of Christ, represent- ed in its Great Congregation ; or we may con- ceive the metaphor to be drawn from the attempt of an enemy to hold captives in a walled city, but without effect, the gates being unable to keep them in their captivity. Thus the gates of Gaza did not prevail against Samson (jud-ea le : 1-3). This appears to me to be the better interpreta- tion. Thus the metaphor involves a promise of immortality, both to the Christian and the Church. Death seems to capture and carry cap- tive the Christian, and so to destroy the Church ; but the gates of Hades are powerless to hold the captives, and through the death portal they that seem to be captured enter into the assembly and church of the first-born in heaven (Hebrews 12 : 22, 23). Of the fulfillment of this promise, historical illus- trations are afforded by the deliverance of Peter from death (Acts 12 : 1-11), by the resurrection of the Saints at the death of Christ (Matt. 27 : 62), but most of all by the resurrection of Jesus himself as a first-fruits (1 Cor. 15 : 20). The Found.\tion op Christ's Chubch. This and the following verse have given rise to volumes of bitter controversy. I shall treat them separately, on account both of their diffi- culty and their importance. The principal inter- pretations of this verse are the following : I. Tlie ordinary Roman Catholic view; that Christ declares his purpose to found a great ec- clesiastical organization ; that this organization was to be built upon Peter and his successors as its true foundation ; that they were to represent to all time the authority of God upon the earth, being clothed, by virtue of their office, with a continuous inspiration, and authorized by the word, and fitted by the indwelling Spirit of God, to guide, direct, illumine, and command the dis- ciples of Christ, with the same force and effect as Christ himself. This view is untenable for the following reasons : (a. ) Christ does not, as we have seen, refer to a definite ecclesiastical organ- ization by the word church {iy.y.lrjolcc), and would not be so understood by his disciples, {b. ) Peter was not by nature rock-like ; he was, on the con- tary, characteristically impulsive and unstable. (See note on Simon Peter, pp. 109, 110.) There must be, therefore, some other significance in the words, Thou art a rock, which the Romish inter- pretation loses, (c. ) Neither he nor the other disciples understood that Christ invested him with any such authority and position. He did not occupy any such place in the church while he lived. In the first council at Jerusalem (acu 15 : T-11) he was simply an adviser, the office of chief, or President, being apparently held by James ; Paul withstood Peter to his face as no disciple ever withstood Christ, or would have withstood his acknowledged representative (oai. 2 : 11-14) ; and throughout the N. T. the apostles are all treated as co-equals (Matt, is : 1 ; 19 : 28 ; 23 : 8 ; John 15: 1-6; Rev. 21 ; 14). (d.) There is neither here nor anywhere else in the N. T. any hint of the 202 appointment of a successor to Peter, or of any autliority in him to appoint a successor, or of any such authority vested in any of the apostles, or exercised or assumed to be exercised by any of them, (e.) The N. T. throughout, and the 0. T. in all its prophecies, recognizes Christ as the chief corner-stone, the foundation on which the King- dom of God can alone be built (i Cor. 3 : n ; Ephcs. 2: 20). (/.) Mark and Luke omit from their ac- count this utterance of Christ ; if it really desig- nated Peter as the foundation of the visible church, and was thus essential and not incidental to the right understanding of the whole incident, it would not be omitted from their accounts. II. Various Proteaiant views. Of these the chief are the following : 1. That the church v/as built upon Peter, because he was the first to make it known, as to the Jews on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2 : 14-26) and subsequently to the Gentiles (Acts, ch. 10). But this view is untenable because (a) the words are too solemnly spoken, and too significant, to be reduced to a mere promise of personal prior- ity in time in preaching the Gospel ; (&) according to this view Peter was a builder of the church, not its foundation ; and (f) even as a builder he was less a founder than Paul, or perhaps even John and James. 2. That Christ does not refer to Peter, but to his declaration, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, i. e. he declares the rock on which he will build his church is not Peter, but the doctrine of the divinity of Jesus Christ, to which Peter has given expression. But this is untenable because («) it ignores Christ's play upon the words Bstros (tis rooc),Peter, a.ndpet}-a (.-rtrou), rock ; (&) the church is not represented in the N. T. as built upon any doctrine, but upon livingsouls(seeScripturereferencesbelow, III, 6); (c) in fact churches which have retained this doc- trine in their creed, the Roman Catholic for ex- ample, have become corrupted and Christless in their life. 3. That Christ refers to himself, as in the prophecy of John 2 : 19, " Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will build it up." Those who hold this view assert that the Rock is throughout the Bible a symbol of God or of Christ (Deut. 32 : 4, 31 ; 1 Sam. 2:2; Psalm 92 : 15 ; Isaiah 26 : 4, marg. ; 44 : 8, marg. ; 1 Cor. 10 : 4) ; that the Change in the Greek from the masculine form Petros (ttitquc), Peter, to the feminine petra (Tterna), rock, indi- cates a change in meaning, which Christ may have further interpreted by pointing to himself ; that the form of his language indicates such a change, since he does not say "upon ifiee," but "upon this rock." Thus they regard Christ's language as equivalent to. Thou art a piece of rock, and upon the Rock Christ Jesus, from which thou dost derive thy rock-like character, I will build my church. I regard this view un- tenable because {a) it fails fairly to interpret the play upon the words Peter (;t£t;)oc, petros) and MATTHEW. [Ch. XVI. rock {niTou, petra) ; (b) it contravenes the spirit of the figure, in which Christ, by the words, I will build my church, represents himself as the builder, not as the foundation ; (c) it fails to har- monize with the context, in which Christ promises to give to Peter, because of his faith and his place ui the church, the keys of the kingdom of heaven. {d.) A careful examination of other passages will indicate that Christ is represented as the Rock on which the church is to be built, only in so far as he is embodied in the life and the faith of his disciples. III. T7ie view which I believe to be the correct one is as follows : That which makes Simon to be in truth a Peter (a rock) is his vital faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Every one who possesses a like faith is, according to the measure of his faith, a Peter, that is, a rock, and Christ builds his church on this rock, that is, on this living experience of faith in the Christ, the Son of the living God, inspired in the hearts of men by the Spirit of God. If this living faith be wanting, neither a whole college of apostles and their sviccessors, nor the most orthodox creed, nor the most unquestioning belief in the divinity of the historic Christ, can sustain the church. Christ's words, then, as I understand them, might be paraphrased thus : Now, taught the fundamental truth of the Christian sys- tem, not by flesh and blood, but by my Father v)hich is in heaven, thy nature is changed, thy native instability is taken away, and henceforth tliof.i art Peter, a rock; and upon this rock, this character thus divinely transformed by the re- newing of the Spirit (Rom. 12 : 2) and made strong by a vital faith in the Son of the living God, / will build my church, the assembly of my disciples, whose faith is to stand, not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. This living faith in Christ, not an ecclesiastical order, nor a cor- rect creed, nor natural strength of character, shall be the basis of my church, which shall be built out of living men, and iqMn their living faith in me, as their Messiah and the Messiah of the world. (compare 1 Cor. 1 : 27-31 ; 2:6; 1 Thess. 1:5; 1 Pet. 2 : 5.) This vlew I believe to be the correct one, because (a) it accords with the character of Peter, who was not stable by nature, but derived all his true strength from a vital faith in Jesus Christ ; ib) it accords with other passages of Scripture, which represent the church as built of living hearts, and upon Christ as embodied in the faith and life of his disciples (Ephes. 2 : 20-22 ; Cal. 2:9; 1 Pet. 2 • 4-6 ; Rev. 21 • 14) ; (c) it accords with the sub- sequent historical fulfillment of this promise, which has proved that the church is strong and stable, just in the proportion in which its mem- bers possess a vital faith in Jesus Christ, and are made Peters {rochi) by this their divinely begot- ten faith in their Head ; (d) it embodies whatever Ch. XVI.] MATTHEW. 203 shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. 20 Then' charged he his disciples, that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. i Mark 8 : SO. of truth there is in the other interpretations ; the superficial truth in the Roman Catholic view, which seizes the letter, but ignores the spirit ; and the deeper truth of the more common Prot- estant view, which perceives correctly that the doctrine of Christ is the foundation of Christi- anity as a system of doctrines, and Christ is the foundation of his church as a living organism, but which has failed to recognize the significance of the letter, and so has failed to get Christ's full meaning; (e) it is incidently confirmed by Peter's words in 1 Pet. : 4-G, which indicate his understanding of Christ's teaching here, and which certainly point not to himself, but to a vital faith in Christ as the foundation of the Christian Church. In Lange on Matthew, Dr. SchafE's notes, the reader will find a statement of the views of the different commentators. He will be interested to observe that the fathers, Augustine, Jerome, Chrysostom, and others, make either Christ or Peter's confession of a faith in Christ, the rock, not Peter himself ; and that the last of the three views I have given above is substantially sustained, by Calvin and by the best modem scholars. Among them may be mentioned Lange, SchafE, Olshausen, De Wette, Meyer, Stier, and Brown. If this interpretation be correct, the passage teaches — (1.) That the only condition of member- ship in the visible church which Jesus Christ recognized is vital faith in himself, wrought by the indwelling Sjjirit of God, neither moral life nor doctiinal belief being adequate without ; for of those who possess this faith he declares he will construct his Great Congregation, his visible church. (2.) The condition of true power in the church is always vital faith in Jesus Christ, in the hearts of its members, without which neither ecclesiastical order nor doctrinal accuracy is of any eflBcacy. The first step, therefore, toward a revival of power in the church, is always the re- vival of this living faith in the hearts of both minister and people, by seeking and receiving in docility the teaching of the Spirit of God. 19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, etc. In consid- ering the meaning of this confessedly enigmatical and hotly contested passage, the candid student must bear in mind two canons of criticism : first, in interpreting Bible metaphors, we must ascer- tain how the hearers would have understood the metaphorical language; second, any principle which we find stated in the Bible in enigmatical or ambiguous language, we may generally ex- pect to find stated elsewhere in the Bible in sim- pler and more perspicuous language. For essen- tial truths do not depend upon isolated passages, still less upon such as are confessedly difficult of interpretation. Applying the first principle, the following facts must be noted : (1.) This verse is not a gift, but a promise of a gift : / will give. ANCIENT KEY. (3.) The key, in the East, was a symbol of author- ity, was made long, with a crook at one end, so that it could be worn round the neck as a badge of office. To this use of the key reference is had in the phrase, "The government shall be upon his shoulder" (isaiah 9 -. e), and in the promise to Eliakim, "The key of the house of David I will lay upon his shoulder" (isaiah a-. 22). (3.) The phrase "kingdom of heaven" in the Gospels never means the visible, external, organic church, and rarely, if ever, the future state in contrast with the present, but the reign of God in the individual soul, or in the community, (see note on Matt. 3 : 2.) The " kcys of the kingdom of heaven" do not, then, symbolize power to admit or ex- clude from the earthly church, or from heaven, but power in the life of allegiance to God, i. e. in the Christian life. (4.) The word Und [Siw) is never used in the N. T. as a metaphor for con- demnation, or fastening guilt upon the soul, but is used metaphorically for binding the individual by laws, as in Rom. 7 : 2 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 27, 39 ; and the word loose {Ivm) is never used as a symbol for pardon or deliverance from sin, but always, either literally of unbinding or dissolving, as in Mark 1 : 7 ; 2 Pet. 3 : 10, 11, 12, or metaphoricaUy of the relaxing or dissolving of a law, as in Matt. 5 : 19 (where, see note) ; John 5 : 18 ; 7 : 23 ; 10 : 35 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 27. The words " hind " and " loose " had also this well established significance among the Jewish rabbis, being nearly equivalent to " pro- hibit ' ' and ' ' permit. ' ' Lightf oot gives a number of illustrations; one wUl here suflice. "They do not send letters by the hand of a heathen on the Sabbath, no, nor on the fifth day of the week. Tea, the school of Shammai binds it (pro- hibits it) even on the fourth day of the week ; but the school of Hillel looseth it (permits it)." (5.) The declaration of Christ is not whomsfoever thou shall bind and loose, but whatsoever (<'> s h) thou shall bind and loose. Applying these facts, this verse will read thus : I will give thee authority 204 MATTHEW. [Ch. XVI. (the keys) in the Christian life (the kingdom of heaven) ; and whatsoever thou shalt prohibit thy- self (bind) on earth shall be prohibited (bound) in heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt permit thy- self (loose) on earth shall be permitted (loosed) in heaven. Two questions remain to be asked and answered : First, On whom is this gift bestowed ? Certainly not on Peter and his successors in office, for neither here nor anywhere else in the N. T. is there any hint that he had either office or suc- cessors. In Matt. 18 : 18 it is conferred certainly on all the twelve ; and since it is there coupled with instructions concerning forgiveness, and a promise concerning prayer, which are*of univer- sal application, it may safely be regarded as not confined to them, but bestowed on all who pos- sess that divinely inspired faith in Christ the Son of the living God, which (see note on preceding verse) made Simon, son of Jona, a Peter, a rock. Second, Are there any parallel passages to this promise, as thus interpreted? Confessedly there are none which sustain the papal intei-pre- tation. The supposed power of the pope to admit to and shut out from heaven rests solely on this one verse, though John 20 : 23 (see note there) is cited in support of his power to remit or retain sin. On the other hand, the right of the indivi- dual Christian to rely daily upon the personal help of a living Saviour, and to be governed in his life, not by laws and rules and regulations, but by the in-dwelling Spirit of God, illuminating and inspiring his conscience, is abundantly con- firmed by other passages of Scripture. See for example John 8 : 32, 36 ; Rom. 7 : 6 ; 2 Cor. 3 : 17 ; 5:7; Gal. 3 : 25 ; 4 : 7, 31 ; 5 : 1, 16, IS ; Col. 2 : 14-16, 20-22. It may be objected that this inter- pretation amounts to a repeal of all law, and a declaration of personal infallibility in every Chris- tian. To which I reply that the language is not more absolute in terms than is that of such prom- ises as, " Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you," which-, by common consent, we limit by other declarations of Scrip- ture, common sense, and by our own experience. Fairly interpreted, the promise of the keys gives not license to the individual to be without law, but it gives him liberty and power in his Christian life to follow the guidance of the Spirit of God, not sure that he will make no mistakes, but sure that there is no condemnation for them that "walk after the Spirit " (Rom. 8: i). / tmderstand, then, the promise of the keys to be made to Peter as the possessor of a living faith in Jesus as the divine Messiah, and through him to all who, by a like faith, are endued with a like strength of character, not natural but God-given, and I woidd paraphrase it thus : To my disciples I will give authority in their spiritual life, so that they shall no longer be bound by rules and regulations like those of the Pharisees or of the Mosaic code, but ivhatsoever, under the inspiration of a living faith in tne, they shall prohibit themselves, God will pro- hibit, and wiMtsoever, under that inspiration, they shall permit t/iemselves, God will permit ; for they shall have the mind of the Spirit. If I have read this passage aright, it is the spiritual Magna Charta of the disciples of Christ, and its conversion into an engine of ecclesiastical oppression must be ac- counted one of the most notable among the many perversions of Scripture. The other principal interpretations of this verse may be classified as follows : 1. Thei^apal; that the power of the keys was given to Peter and his successors in office, and confers upon the pope, and through him upon the bishops and other clergy deriving their power from him, authority to admit to or shut out from the kingdom of heaven. 2. Tlie ecclesiastical ; that this power is given to Peter and the twelve, and to their suc- cessors in office, the clergy of the Christian church, and that it confers upon the Christian ministry, or upon the Christian church through the minis- try, the power of the keys, whatever that may be, some regarding it as simply a power of teach- ing, and by teaching opening the kingdom of heaven (Lute n : ss), some the jjower of discipline, of opening and shutting the door of the visible church on earth, some of true admittance and exclusion from the heavenly kingdom, given to the apostles but retained by the modern ministry, "only conditionally, viz., on the supposition of true repentance and living faith, which the clergy cannot perfectly discern, since the gift of trymg the spirits has ceased." — (OlsTmuscn.) 3. Thehis- torical; that it was given only to Peter and his co-disciples, that it conferred on them the power of opening the doors of the kingdom by their preaching, or of bindmg and relaxing the Jewish laws by their inspired decisions, or of retaining and remitting sin ; and the following passages are cited among others in illustration of its exercise. Acts 2 : 38-41 ; 3 : 1-8 ; 5 : 1-10 ; 8 : 21 ; 10 : 44-48. 20. That they should tell no man. Both because they were themselves not yet fully in- structed, and because the people were not pre- pared to hear and receive the truth. The Mes- siahship of Jesus was perfected by his death and resurrection, and on the fact of the resurrection the apostles, Peter pre-eminently, based their sub- sequent public proclamation that Jesus was the Christ. (Acu 2 : 32-36. ) 16 ! 21-28. CHRIST'S TEACHING CONCERAHNG SELF- SACETFIOE.— "From that time forth:" Christ ADAPTS HIS teaching TO THE FAITH OF HIS HEARERS ; AFTER THEIR DECLARATION OF HIS DIVINITT COMES HIS rROPHECT OF HIS SUFFERING.— ThE IMPETUOSITY OF LOVE MAT LEAD INTO SIN.— ThE TRANSITION FROM THE fullness of faith to worldliness illustrated by Peter.— The same disciple is at one moment a rock. Ch. XVI.] MATTHEW. 305 21 FromJ that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee. Lord : this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee be- hind me, Satan ;'' thou art an offence unto me ;' for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any™ inan will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. j Luke 9 : 22; 18 : 31 ; 24 : 6, 7 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 3,4 k 2 Sam. 10 : 23. ; 34 ; Luke 9 : 23 ; 14 : 27 j AT THE NEXT, A STONE OP STUMBLING.— ThE CAUSE OP SPIRITUAL APOSTACT : " Thou regabdest not the things that be op god, but those that be of men." —Christ our model of resistance to evil : instant, earnest, resolute. — cross taking and cross bear- ING ABE THE CONDITIONS OF FOLLOWING CHRIST.— ThE NATURE OF TRUE CHRISTIAN SELF-DENIAL.— T WO IM- PORTANT QUESTIONS: What profit in bartering one's life for the things that should minister to IT ? How can a lost life be reclaimed ? — The cer- taintt op coming judgment a warning to the im- penitent, AN inspiration TO THE CHRISTIAN.— OUR PRIVILEGE : WE SEE THE GLORY OF THE SoN OF GOD IN HIS KINGDOM.— Compare Luke 10 : 24. Given by Mark (s : 3i-3s ; 9 : i) and Luke (9 : 22-27). But the latter says nothing of Peter's rebuke and Christ's reply. 21. From that time forth began Jesus to shew. This is the first clear prophecy, by Christ, of his crucifixion, though it was intimated in his sermon at Capernaum on the True Bread (John, ch. g). But the disciplcs could not receive the doctrine of his death, and did not until history confirmed it. (see Mark 9 : 32 ; Luke 9 : 45 ; 18 : 34). Ob- serve the regular development in his teaching. First, he simply proclaims "The kingdom of heaven is at hand " (iiatt. 4 : 17) ; then he explains the principles and laws of that kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount ; then in the parables by the sea (Matt. ch. 13), he sets forth in figures the nature of its progress and the obstacles it will en- counter ; but not untn, by no direct word of his, but by gradual acquaintance with him, the disci- ples have come to the full faith that he is the Mes- siah, the Son of God, does he begin to foretell to them his cross. He must go. Not because he could not escape, but because it was the way or- dained for the fulfilment of his work. Luke Si : 26 ; Acts 3 : 18. Elders, Chief Priests, and Scribes. The elders were leaders in the Jewish nation. Their office dates from the patriarchal era. Their age gave them their authority as counsellors and lead- ers ; hence their name. So the modern term Shiek means old man, and the shiek's age is the ground of his authority. These elders exercised certain not very well defined political functions ; were organized by Moses into a body, somewhat re- sembling our Senate (Numb. 11 : le, n ; compare Josh. 9 : 18-21 ; jer. 26 : 10-16) ; but existcd as a recognized class of men before his time (Exod. 3 : le ; 4 : 29) From among them were chosen the governors of districts (Deut. 31 : 28) and local magistrates (Deut. 10 -. 12 ; 21 : 3 ; 22 : 15 ; Ruth 4 : 9, 11 ; 1 Kings 21 : 8). From them were selected certain representatives of the lay element in the Sanhedrim, the supreme court of the Jewish nation in the time of Christ. The chief priests were the heads of the priestly courses ; the scribes were the Jewish rabbis, the writers and teachers of the law. Christ's lan- guage here represents the Sanhedrim, which was composed of these three classes, laymen, priests, and teachers (see note on Matt. 2 : 4), aiid constituted the tribunal before which he was tried, and by which he was condemned to death (Matt. 26 : 67, 59). 22. Then Peter took him. Apparently one side. For Mark says Christ spoke that saying openly, as though to contrast with the conference between Christ and Peter which followed ; and adds that after Peter's rebuke Christ turned about and looked on his disci- ples. Luther translates, Peter took him to him- self. — Rebuked him. The Greek {iTtinuuoj) signifies literally, to adjudge, hence to find fault with. Peter's impulse was founded on a love for Christ which could not bear the thought of his rejection and crucifixion. But it was the disci- ple's duty to listen to, not to instruct the Master. Be it far from thee. Literally, Ilercy on thee ! that is, God be merciful to thee, God forgive thee, for this speech. It was an exclamation of strong dissent, seemingly of impatient dissent. Compare for its significance 1 Chron. 11 : 19, where in the Septuagint or Greek version the language is the same, and would be literally rendered, "God forgive me the doing of this thing." This shall not be to thee. Peter assumed that he "knew better and could ensure his Divine Master against such an event. It is this spirit of confident rejection of God's re- vealed purposes which the Lord so sharply re- bukes." — {Alford.) It is the same spirit which made the cross of Christ a stumbUng-block to the Jews and to the Greeks foolishness (1 Cor. 1 . 23), and which leads modern philosophy to reject the N. T. doctrine of a suffering God ; and the cause of this rejection is always the same, namely, regarding "not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." 23. But he turned, i.e. away from Peter and back to the disciples. Compare Mark 8 : 33. —Get thee behind me, Satan. On which 206 MATTHEW. 25 For" whosoever will save his life shall lose it : nd whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find [Ch. XVI. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? or° what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? n .'oha 12 : 25 ; Es. 4 : 14 Ps. 49 : 7, 8. Gavazzi says that the church which is founded on Peter as its rock is a Satanic church. The word Satan signifies adversary. Peter was the adver- sary of Christ in that he employed his friendship, not to strengthen him for the day of trial, but to dissuade him from it. lie unconsciously repeated the temptation presented by the devil in the wil- derness. Observe here Christ's illustration of the spirit of his teaching to the disciples, in ch. 10 : 33, 37. Observe, too, that our best friend becomes our worst enemy when he employs his friendship to tempt us to evil, and notice the spirit in which Christ resists the solicitations of such friendship. — An offence unto me. The original word (axurduXov) here employed, is liter- ally a trap stick, i. e. a bent stick on which the bait is fastened, and against which the animal strikes and springs the trap. Hence it is used in the N. T. as a metaphor to designate anything which tends to lead one into moral or spiritual ruin. See note on ch. 5 : 29. To Christ Peter is such a trap-stick, who would be, if Christ yielded to him, a baited lure to trap him into sin. Con- trast Peter's quiet acceptance of this rebuke with the resistance and anger of Judas Iscariot in John 13 : 47, with Lulfe 32 : 3, 4. Compare the spirit of John and James when rebuked by our Lord. Luke 9 : 54-56. See Prov. 37 : 6. Thou art regarding not the things of God, but those of men. Contrast with verse 17 above. In accepting Christ, despite his ap- parent lowly origin and his really humble career, Peter showed his appreciation of spiritual things ; in rejecting the idea of a suffering Messiah he showed that he still retained the earthly idea of greatness, aspoioer, rather than the divine idea of greatness, as love. (See Exod. 33 : is, 19 ; Psalm 103 : 8, marg.). The Original word rendered savour- ed {(paoriu) expresses the action of the mind, heart and will ; it is more than thinking, since t'jat involves only the idea of intellectual activ- ity. Its significance Avill be indicated to the Eng- lish reader by comparing the use of the same verb in Rom. 8 : 5, Bo mind the things of the flesh ; Rom. 13 : 16, Mind not high things ; Phil. 2 : 5, Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. 24. Then said Jesus unto his disciples. Also publicly and to the multitude (Mark s : 34). The rebuke was private, the teaching public — a lesson to the ministry. Preaching should be practical, but not personal. — If any man Avills to come after me. That is, will make this his purpose.— Let him renounce himself. The Greek verb here {anaQvio^iui) rendered deny, is used in describing Peter's denial of his Lord (Matt. 26 : 34, 35). The Latin translation is dbnego, from which comes our verb abnegate. He must renounce self as his master, and accept Christ as his master. Christian self-denial consists, not in self-inflicted suffering, nor in sacrificing partic- ular interests, but in disowning self-interest as the motive of life and substituting therefor the will of God and the welfare of men. — And take up his cross. Luke adds daihj (Luke o : 23). Observe, his own cross, not some other man's. Compare Heb. 13 : 1, Let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Observe too, on the one hand, that the Christian is not merely to bear the inevitable cross laid upon him, but to take up the cross voluntarily ; and on the other, that Chris- tian cross-bearing consists not in assuming pen- ances and inventing self-sacrifices (Coi. 2 : 23), but in disowning allegiance to one's self and substitu- ting therefor allegiance to God, thus following Christ's example (John 5 : so ; 6 : 38. Compare Gal. 2 : 20 ; Col. 3 : 3), The self to be disowned is interpreted by Rom. 8 : 13. The connection between this and the preceding verse is clear: Not only must you accept the doctrine of a suffering Mes- siah, if you are to be my disciple you must pos- sess my spirit of willing self-sacrifice for love's sake. 25. Whosoever is determined to save his life shall lose it ; but whosoever is willing to lose his life for my sake shall find it. In the original Greek there is a differ- ence between the first and second clause of this verse which the English version does not pre- serve, but which the above translation may indi- cate to the English reader. On the spiritual significance of this aphorism see note on Matt. 10 : 39. 26. For what shall it profit a man if he shall acquire the ^vhole world and lose his own life ; or what shall a man give as a ransom for his life ; i. e. if it is lost. The word (>/ I'/'i) here rendered soul, is the same translated life in the preceding verse, and should be so rendered here. The contrast is not between gaining this world and losing the next ; nor exactly between acquiring material and sac- rificing spiritual interests ; but between gaining that which is external to one's self and losing one's own character and life in the process. Luke gives it more clearly, For what is a man advantaged if he gain the whole world and lose himself, or be cast away. This bargain is made by every man who Ch. XVIL] MATTHEW. 207 27 ForP the Son of man shall come in the glory of his I Father, with his angels, and"" then he shall reward every man according to h:s works. 28 Verily I say unto you, There'' be some standing nere, which shall not taste' of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. CHAPTER XVIL AND after' six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transtjgured before them : and his face p Dan. 7 : 9, 10 ; Zech. 14 : 5 ; Judc 14. . . .q Rev. 22 : 12 r Mark 9:1 5 Heb. 2 : 9. . . .t Mark 9 : 2, etc. ; Luke 9 : 28, barters physical health for luxuries he cannot enjoy, or intellectual culture for means to pur- chase books and pictures which he cannot appre- ciate, or affection for money to buy everything for wife and children but love, or worst bargain of all, epiritual life for earthly prosperity. Compare Luke 13 : 16-21 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 9-13, andEccles., espe- cially chaps. 1 and 3. The second clause of the verse is not, as it appears to be in our version, a repetition of the flrst clause ; it enforces the argument by a consideration of the irreparable loss when the life of the soul is lost. When a man's life has been spent, what can he give as a ransom or price to get its return? is Christ's question. See Psalm 49 : 7. All other loss can be repaired ; a lost life can never be regained. 27. The connection is this : The self-denial of the present is but temporary, and works out a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. 4 : n). The reference in this verse is cer- tainly not to the transfiguration which follows, nor to the destruction of Jerusalem, nor to the spiritual coming at Pentecost, for neither of these were the coming of Christ with his angels, nor ill the glorg of his Father. These phrases point distinctly to the last judgment. Not less do the words which Mark here adds, "Whoso- ever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful genera- tion, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with his angels" (Mark 8 : as). — According to his works. Greek (ttqu it?) praxis, from which comes our word practical. It is here rather \eorlcing than works. The character is judged, but by the con- duct. For illustration of this declaration see Matt. 7 : 21 ; 25 : 31-46 ; Rev. 21 : 8. And observe that men are never represented in the N. T. as judged at the last day according to their opinions, but according to their lives. 28. The transition between this and the pre- ceding verse is more noticeable in both Mark and Luke than here. Compare the phraseology there. There is a contrast between the commg, referred to in V. 27, in the glory of the Father, when Christ win become subject to the Father (i Cor. i5 : 28), and the coming in his own kingdom, referred to in v. 28. That the reference in this latter verse is not to the final judgment is evident (a) because Christ did not know when that event would take place (Mark 13 : 32) ; and (6) because he seems to imply that those who saw it should taste death after that coming. The reference is to the spiritual coming to establish his kingdom in the power of the Holy Ghost at the day of Pentecost. See this position fully stated in note on chapter 10 : 23, where the different interpretations are given. Ch. 17 ! 1-9. THE TRANSPIGURATION.-The divinb TESTrMONT TO THE DIVINE NATURE OF JeSUS CHEIST. — The beaxitt and character op the Spirit world. — The transient and the permanent in Christian experience. — See thoughts below. The account of this event is given also by Mark (9 : 2-8) and Luke (9 : 28-36). It is referred to dis- tinctly and directly by Peter (2 Peter 1 : le-is) and perhaps by John (John 1 : 14). The place is uncer- tain. Not Mount Tabor, the legendary site, for a fortified town occupied its top. Probably not Mount Hermon, which has been suggested, for the scene at the foot of the mountain the follow- ing day indicates that Christ and the twelve were in a Jewish, not a heathen neighborhood, (see verse 17, and the reference to the Scribes in Mark 9 : 14). The most probable supposition assigns as the site of the transfiguration, one of the hUls environing the Sea of Galilee. Tlie time : after Christ's Gal- ilean ministry had come to an end. He had pro- nounced the woes against the cities by the sea (Matt. 11 : 20-24), had withdra^vu with his disciples to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, and thence to Caesarea Philippi (Matt. 15 : 21 ; 16: 13), had received from them their recognition of his divine charac- ter and mission, and had foretold to them his ap- proaching death (Matt. 16 : w-as). Then, to strength- en their faith, he gives them a glimpse of his glo- ry. Observe that this is not afforded to the mul- titude, nor even to all the twelve, nor even to the three most intimate disciples until after their faith in him has been established and declared. For he will not have their faith rest on external evidence ; though he will by it support and strengthen them. So our clearest experiences of Christ's spiritual glory come, not in our first ac- quaintance with him, but after living with him as our Saviour. Thehmir: the night. For he had gone up into the mountain to pray (Luke 9 : 28) as he was accustomed to do by night (Matt, u : 23, 24 ; Luke 6: 12; 21: 37; 22: 39); the apostlcs Were hcavy with sleep (Luke 9 : 32), and did not descend until the next day (Luke 9 : 37). Moreover, the transfig- uration, especially as Luke describes it, would hardly have beeu recognizable, certainly not so marked, by day. 208 MATTHEW. [Ch. XVII. did shine as the sun," and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias, talking with him. 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here : if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles ; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one lor Elias. 1. After six days. That is, subsequent to the prophecies of Christ's death recorded in the previous chapter. All the evangelists give this note of time. Luke says, about an eight days: possibly he includes both the last day of the pre- ceding conversation, and the day of the transfig- uration ; or his language about {wod) may be taken to indicate that he is not and does not claim to be definite. — Peter, James, and John his brother. They were Christ's only companions in Gethsemane (Mark u : 32-42), and there, as here, they were heavy with sleep. They alone witnessed the resurrection of Jairus' daugh- ter (Mark 5 : 37 ; Luke 8 : 6l). Why WaS thiS privUegC accorded to them above the others V We can only answer, because it seemed good in their Lord's sight. (compare John 21 : 22 ; Rom. 9 : n). All Christ's disciples do not now share the same ex- perience of his glory.— High mountain. The site is wholly unknown. See above. He went up to pray and as lie prayed was transfigured (Luke 9 : 28). So at his baptism the heavens opened and the dove descended, as he was praying (Luke 3 : 21 ; compare Acts 7 : 65, 56 ; Rev. 1 : lo). 2. And was transfigured before them. The nature of the transfiguration is indicated by the description which follows, and yet more de- finitely by the accounts of Mark and Luke. His face shone as the sun; his garments became white " as the light " (Matt.), i. e. lummously white, " as no fuller on earth can ivhite them " (Mark), i. e. with a supernatural whiteness; ^^ white and glis- tering^^ (Luke), i.e. flashing. The same Greek word {itaarouTtTLo) m Luke rendered glistering, is used in Nahum 3 : 3 to describe spears glittering in the sun, and in Ezek. 1 : 7 to describe the brightness of the living creatures who " sparkled like the colour of burnished brass." The trans- figuration then consisted, apparently, in a lumi- nous appearance which pervaded the whole face and figure of Jesus (compare Exod. S4 : 29, 30). As Christ took on him human nature and condition for converse with man, so here, it appears to me, he is represented as taking on the form and con- dition of the spirits, for the purpose of commu- nion with the spiritual world. Observe that it took place before them, i. e. the disciples, not dur- ing their sleep. They saw, not only Christ after he was transfigured, but also the process of the change, as it came over him. It is true, Luke's account, in our English version, implies that they were asleep, and were wakened out of it to behold the glory (Luke 9: 32). But the original does not justify this interpretation. See notes there. 3. There appeared unto them. That is, to the disciples. The implication is, that they not only saw the appearance, but recognized, in the persons, Moses and Elijah. How this recog- nition was afforded, is not stated ; perhaps by a subtle spiritual power of recognition. We often appear to ourselves to recognize in dreams per- sons we have never seen ; why may not the soul, in special spiritual conditions, possess a similar power of recognizing, in reality, unknown per- sons ? That Moses and Elijah were recognized, at the time, by the apostles, is evident from Pe- ter's proposition (verse 4). — Talking with him. Luke gives the subject of the conversation : " His decease which he should accomplish at Je- rusalem." It is worthy of note that Elijah did not die, but was translated, and that Moses' death was shrouded in peculiar mystery (2 Kings 2: 11; Deut. 34:6). Dr. Brown's commcut here is im- portant : " They speak not of his miracles, nor of his teaching, nor of the honor which he put upon their Scriptures, nor of the unreasonable opposi- tion to him, and his patient endurance of it. They speak not of the glory they were them- selves enshrouded in, and the glory which he was so soon to reach. Their one subject of talk is his decease which he was going to accomplish at Jerusalem. One fancies that he might hear them say. Worthy is the Lamb that is to be slain." 4. Then ansAvered Peter. The foremost to speak ; awe silences the rest, but not him. Compare with his characteristic impetuosity here, the incidents recorded in John 20 : 5, 6 ; 21 : 7. Luke gives the explanation of his speaking. He spake "as they (i. e. Moses and Elijah) were de- parting," evidently to hinder their departure, and induce them to remain. — It is good for us to be here. It often appears to the Christian to be good to abide with Christ in spiritual ex- altation. But such hours are rare, and meant to be. It is better to descend and go about with Christ doing good. The one is often our wish, the other is his will.— Ijct us make. The bet- ter reading appears to be I ivill make. It is, at all events, an offer of service for the honor of Christ. — Three tabernacles. Rather booths, i. e. huts of the branches of the trees, such as Jacob made for his cattle (oen. 33 : 17), and Jonah for a temporary shelter (jonah 4 : 5). At the feast of the tabernacles, the Jews dwelt for a time in such booths, to remind them of their sojourn in the Ch. XVIL] MATTHEW. 209 5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud over- shadowed them : and, behold, a voice" out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom" I am well pleased ; hear" ye him. 6 And when the disciples heard zV, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touchedy them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying. Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. 10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why^ then say the scribes that Elias must first come ? ch. 3: 17: Mark ! 2, 23 ; Heb. 1:1,2; 2 ; 1-3. wilderness (Lev. 23:42; Neh. 8:15,16). LukC SayS that Peter spake '■'■not knowing what he said," and Mark gives the explanation * 'for they were sore afraid.'''' In other words, his was not a well-con- sidered proposition, to retain the spirits in earth- ly tabernacles, but an ardent expression inspired by awe and spiritual ecstasy commingled. 5. Behold, a bright cloud overshadow- ed them. The language of the English version in Luke would leave the impression that all, in- cluding the disciples, entered this cloud ; but such is not the significance of the original (see Lute 9 : 34, and note). Christ, Moses, and Elijah are alone represented as entering into the cloud, which separated them from the disciples' sight, and out of this cloud the voice spake to the disciples. By the disciples such a luminous cloud would be instantly accepted as a symbol of the divine presence. It is represented in the Scripture as the habitation or chariot of God (Psaims 97 : 2 ; 104 : 3 ; Isaiah 19:1; compare 1 Tim. 6 : 16). A bright ClOUd, the Shechinah, is throughout the 0. T. dispen- sation employed as a symbol of God's presence, being very generally entitled "the glory," or "the glory of the Lord." It appeared first to Moses in the bush, burning but not consumed (Exod. 3:2); led Israel through the wilderness (Exod. 13 : 21, 22) ; rested on Mount Sinai when Moses went up for conference with God (Eiod. 19 : 9, is ; 24:16); filled the tabernacle on its completion (Exod. 40 : 34, 35) ; appeared from time to time as an accompaniment of special communion with God (Eiod. 16 : 7, 10; 33 : 7-11; Numb. 14:10; 16:19,42; 20:6). After the death of Moses, just previous to which it is seen (oeut. si : is), it disappears from Jewish history to reappear at the dedication of Solo- mon's temple (i Kings 8 : lo). Ezekicl describes its solemn departure from Israel (Ezek. lo : 4, with ii : 23), but prophecies its return (Ezek. 43 : 2, 4), to which also there appear to be references in the other prophets (isaiah 4:5; Zech. 2 : lo). This symbol of the "glory of the Lord" appeared to the shepherds at the time of Christ's birth (Luke 2 : 9), and received Christ at his ascension (Acts 1 : 9). Since then it has disappeared again from earth, but will surround him at his second coming (Matt. S4 : 30 ; 26 : 64 ; Mark 13 : 26 ; 14 : 62 ; Luke 21 : 27 ; Rev. 1 : 7 ; 14 : 14), and will receive the ascending saints (i Thess. 4 : n ; Rev. 11 : 12, compare Rev. 10 : l). — A VOicC OUt of the clond. A voice directly communicating the divine will was a common accompaniment of the appearance of the Shechinah. See Exod. 33 : 9, and other references above. This is my beloved Son. Thus a triple testimony confirms the faith of Peter and the disciples declared in the previous chapter — Moses, the lawgiver, Elijah, the prophet, and the ap- pearance and voice of God. The phrase "be- loved Son" is applied to no one in the N. T. but to Jesus. Compare Matt. 3 : 17, and note. Ob- serve also the implied contrast between Moses and Elijah the servants, and Christ the Son of God. — Hear ye him. A gentle rebuke to Peter. There are times when the highest duty is not to speak, even in praise of Christ, but simply to be stUl and know the Lord. See Psalms 4 : 4 ; 46 : 10 ; Luke 10 : 39^3. Observe the implication that the law and the prophets both point to and pre- pare for Christ. The sum of their teaching to us is, Hear ye Him. 6, 7. Peculiar to Matthew. Observe that fear is the common effect in the human mind of any experience which brings near to us the invisible world (judges i3 : 20 ; Ezek. 1 : 28), and that Christ's reassuring message is. Be not afraid (Luke 2 : 9, 10 ; Matthew 14 ; 27 ; 28 : 4, 5 ; Rev. 1 : n). 8. They saw no man save Jesus only. Moses, the representative of the law, and Eli- jah, of the prophets, depart ; Christ the Son, abides. Compare Hebrews 3 : 5, 6. 9. Vision (Greek u^d^ia). This word is some- times simply equivalent to sight or things seen (Acts 7 : 3i), sometimes it indicates a spiritual ec- stasy or trance, or rather that which appears in the trance state (Acts lo : 3 ; lo, n), sometimes an ex- perience which may have been wrought through a dream (Acts i6 : 9; is : 9). Here Christ's direction is simply equivalent to. Tell what you have seen to no man. It leaves the question whether the sight had been afforded in a dream, a trance, or a natural condition, to be determined by other considerations. Luke states that "they (the dis- ciples) kept it close and told no man in those days ;" but he does not give the reason for their silence. Mark adds that they questioned one with another "what the rising from the dead should mean," one of the many indications in the N. T. that they did not understand, or at least did not accept, his prophecies of his death, nor comprehend his prophecies of his resurrection. 210 MATTHEW. [Ch. XVII. 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him what- soever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer" of them. 13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. Both events, though foretold, were entirely un- expected to them. Compare Luke 18 : 34. Lessons of the Transfiguration. Many attempts have been made to explain away this incident ; as that it is a legend growing out of the glory of Christ's person and teachmg, or a dream of Peter, induced by a thunder-storm, the cloud or mist pervaded by electric light being mistaken by the half-wakened disciple for the Shechinah, or that it narrates an experience in a trance, analogous to that of Peter described in Acts, ch. 10. No one, however, can doubt that the writers intended to be understood as narrat- ing a real occurrence. That it could not have been a dream is evident, because it was expe- rienced simultaneously by three, and whUe they were fully awake (Lute 9 : 32, and note). There is no incident in the Bible of a trance experienced by three simultaneously ; but we know too little of what a trance is to speak definitely on that hypo- thesis. The reality of the conversation of Jesus with Moses and Elias is assured ; that, in order to become cognizant of it, the disciples were thrown into a trance is possible, but is nowhere indicated in the narrative. These quasi explana- tions grow out of the assumption either tliat there is no spirit-world, or that it can never hold communion with this world, two errors which it is the express purpose of this incident to cor- rect. It appears to me to teach the following lessons : Directly (1) that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. It follows the testimony of Peter to his Lord's divinity ; confirms that faith ; gives it directly the divine sanction ; implies the sanc- tion of the law and the prophets. (2.) The reaUty and something of the nature of the spirit world. I hesitate to interpret its teachings concerning the nature of an existence which is necessarily beyond our clear apprehension. This incident, however, appears to me to indicate that the state intermediate death and the judgment is not one of unconscious existence ; that the departed dwell in glorified bodies (though Paul appears in 1 Cor. 15 : M, 51-53, to imply that the glorified body is raised up at the general resurrection) ; that they are, like the angels, ministering spirits (Heb. 1:7); that communication between the other world and this is possible, though exceptional ; that the immortal life is not exclusively future, but has already commenced. Indirectly it teaches the relation between high ecstatic experience and practical piety. The former are occasional, excep- tional, transient, confined to the few ; the latter is for all times, for all places, for all persons. But three ascend the mountam with Christ, and they cannot abide there ; the many throng him in the valley, and none are denied his presence. Ch. 17 ! 10-13. QUESTION CONCERNING ELIJAH.— The message and messenqeb of God ake often uneecognized. Elias is the Greek form of the word Elijah. Alford gives the connection of the discii^les' question with the preceding incident. "The oc- casion of this inquiry was that they had just seen Elijah withdraw from their eyes, and were en- joined not to tell the vision. How should this be ? If this was not the coming of Elijah, was he yet to come ? If it was, how was it so secret and so short?" The prophecy of Elijah's com- ing, as a forerunner to the Messiah, is in Mai. 4:5. On this prophecy and its fulfillment by John the Baptist, see note on Matt. 11 : 14. 11. Elijah indeed cometh. Not shall first co9ne, but is coming — the tense is present, not future. — And shall restore all things. Ob- serve, it is of a restoration^ not of a 7iew creation^ Christ speaks. John the Baptist attempted a ref- ormation of Judaism, and he was himself a res- toration of the extinct order of prophets and the last of that order. This reformation of Ju- daism was the preparation for Christianity. Cer- tain of the commentators look for a second com- ing of Elijah, personally, as a preliminary to the second coming of Christ. Do they also expect a second restoration of Judaism ? But this would involve the undoing of what has been done, in the establishment of the larger and freer religion of Jesus Christ. Old things are passed away, and are not to be restored ; all things are become new. I do not here consider the vexed question of Christ's second coming. But it seems to me that the language here, and in the succeeding verse, gives no countenance to and is scarcely reconcilable with the second coming of Elijah. However, on all unfulfilled prophecies I speak with difildence. 13. Elijah is come already. James Mor- ison renders Tlie coming of Elijah is already past. And they knew him not. They did not rec- ognize in John the Baptist the fulfilment of the prophecy of the coming of Elijah. — But have done unto him Avhatsoever they listed. The account of his martyrdom is given in Matt. 14 : 0-12, Mark 6 : 21-29. The murder was per- Ch. XVIL] MATTHEW. 211 14 And'' when they were come to the multitude, there came to mm a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 15 Lord, have merer on my son ; for he is lunatic, and sore vexed : for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation ! how long shall I be with you ! how long shall I suffer you ? bring him hither to me. 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him : and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out ? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your un- belief := for verily I say unto you. If'' ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain. Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove ; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit, this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting. 22 And while= they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men ; 23 And "they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry. 24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute ? 25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon ? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute ? of their own children, or of stran- gers? 26 Peter saith unto him. Of strangers. Jesus said unto him. Then are the children free. 27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend' them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up ; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money ; that take, and give unto them, for me and thee. petratecl bj' Herod. Here it is imputed to the Scribes and Pharisees, because their influence was adverse to John, and perhaps because, if they had recognized and received him, Herod, who feared the people, would have feared to per- petrate the murder. 14-21. Healing of the Demoniac Bot. Recorded also in Mark 9 : 14-29, and Luke 9 : 37 -43. The account is fullest in Mark. See notes there. But observe the transition from the scene of glory to the scene of suffering, and the reason why it would not have been good for Christ and the three disciples to have remained above in tabernacles, on the mountain ; because so they would have left the sufiering uncared for. 22, 23. Christ's Prophecies of his Death. Recorded also in Mark 9 : 30-33 ; Luke 9 : 43-45. See note on ch. 16 : 31. Ch. 17 : 24-27. DEMAND 0I-" TRIBUTE, AND CHRIST'S REPLY.— The chiirch of Christ is a free church. It 13 SUPPORTED BY VOLUNTARY OFFERINGS, NOT BY COMPULSORY TAXATION.— It IS BETTER TO SUBMIT TO AN UNJUST DEMAND, THAN, BY RESISTING, TO DO AN ACT OF SEEMING WRONG. Peculiar to Matthew. Whether this incident occurred at the time indicated by its place in this chapter is uncertain. The temple tribute, here referred to, was generally paid at the time of the Passover, and that leads to the hypothesis that Matthew has inserted it here, out of its place, because of its connection with the other teach- ings of Christ, in these chapters, concerning him- self as the Son of God, and the Church as the representative of the kingdom of God. But the tax was not always promptly paid. Payment •was indeed so irregular, that Lightfoot says that the receivers of the tribute had before them two chests placed, one of which received the tax of the current year, the other the tax of the year past. 24. Capernaum. The demand was made at Capernaum, because it was the residence of both Jesus and Peter. The wanderuig life of our Lord and his disciples had perhaps prevented the demand from having been made before. — Tribute. A mistranslation, and an unfortu- nate one ; for it at once conveys the idea of a tax to the Roman government. The true rendering is. Both not your master pay the didrachm (two drachmas), or half shekel, a sum equivalent to about thirty cents of our money. This was a tax levied annually on all Israelites, for the sup- port of the Temple, the morning and evening sacrifice, the incense, wood, shew-bread, scape- goat, &c. 25. Jesus anticipated him. That is, Je- sus, knowing what had passed between Peter and the tribute takers, spoke, before Peter had op- portunity to speak to him on the subject. — Of Avhom do the kings of the earth take custom {taxes oti goods) or tribute {tJie poll tax)? of their own sons or of other men ? The contrast is not between the citizens of the State and foreigners or strangers, for taxes were paid by all citizens, but between the children of the royal family, who were exempt from taxation, and the rest of the people. For significance of the word here rendered strangers, see Luke 16 : 13 ; Romans 14 : 4 ; 15 : 20, where it is rendered another man. 26. This is not a mere re-statement of Peter's declaration, equivalent to Then are the children of the kings free ; but an application of the principle to the question of paying the Temple tax, and is equivalent to, On this principle, the children of God are free from taxes for the support of his kingdom. 27. Lest we should scandalize them; by refusing to pay the tax, an act liable to be to- 213 MATTHEW. [Ch. XVIL tally misunderstood, and charged to impiety or religious indifference. — And when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find. But not necessaiily in his mouth, perhaps in the stom- ach where valuables are often discovered by fish- ermen. — A piece of money. Literally a te- tradrachm (four drachmas) or stater (Greek azar/iQ). The language of our Lord defines the TETADEACHM OR STATER. coin which should be discovered, and which would be of exactly the right amount to pay the tax for the two. The stater, which answered to the Hebrew shekel, was equivalent to about sixty cents of our money. For me and thee. It is a noticeable fact that Christ never ranks himself with his disciples. His language here is not for us, but for me and thee, as elsewhere it is not Our Father, but "my Father and your Father, my God and your God " (john 20 : n). Significance of this Incident. The first tabernacle was constructed wholly by voluntary offerings (Exod. 35 : 5). Subsequently, the amount to be paid yearly by each one for the Tabernacle or Temple was fixed at a half shekel (Exod. so : 12 -15), which was accepted as a ransom, for the soul of the giver, unto the Lord. Still no provision was made for compelling payment, if it were re- fused, and it seems to have remained in the na- ture of a voluntary gift. But in subsequent his- tory there was a bitter conflict between the Sad- ducees and the Pharisees, upon the question whether this should be regarded as a free-wUl offering or made compulsory. The Pharisees, who advocated the latter position, carried their point ; and so great was the conflict and their triumph, that they kept the anniversary as a kind of half festival. After the destruction of Jeru- salem the tax was continued by Vespasian, but was applied to the uses of the Temple of the Cap- itoline Jupiter (josephus' wars, 7 : 6, § 6). This temple tax was called for by the temple tax-gatherer, from Jesus. He is uncertain whether this new Rabbi will acknowledge or repudiate the tax, will class himself with the Pharisees or Sadducees. Peter, knowing his Lord's principle to fulfill all the obligations of the law (Matt. 3 : 15 ; s-.n-, 23 : 3), answers at once that his Master will pay it. Christ replies : The children of a king are not liable to compulsory taxation for their father's support. My followers are children of the Great King. They are not, therefore, to be compelled to pay a specified sum for the support of his house and worship. Their offerings must be free-will offerings. Thus Christ stamps with his disap- proval all systems which make the church of Christ depend for support on ecclesiastical taxa- tion of any kind, and declares that it must be supported by the free-will offerings of the chil- dren of God. This he has declared before by im- plication (Matt. 10 : 10, and note). This is the basis on which the church was subsequently placed by the apostles (Acts 2:45; 4:34; 1 Cor. 16:1,2; 2 Cor. 9 : 1, 7). The incident has been misinterpreted by soifte of the older commentators, who mistook the tribute referred to for the tax payable to the Roman government — an error which is refuted, both by the original Greek, and by the general scope of the incident. It has been misunderstood by many of the English and the continental com- mentators, who have been generally committed to a State church, and averse to see in the N. T, anything inconsistent with the support of such a church by church rates. They have accordingly generally regarded it as simply a personal claim by Christ to be free, because he is the Son of God. But that he signifies the freedom of aU his followers from ecclesiastical tax, and the support of his church by free-will offerings, is evident because (a) he declares not. Then am I the Son of God free, but then are the children free ; (6) he emphasizes this declaration by pro- viding payment for Peter as well as for himself ; (c) this accords (see references above) with other parallel teachings of the N. T. ; (d) it accords with the fact that a half shekel tax was a ransom paid for the soul (Exod. 30 : 12), and that the souls of the children of God are ransomed once for all by Christ. Trench says, "This (liberty) plainly is not true concerning dues owing to God ; none are so bound to render them as his ^so)is.'' " But this is an exact begging of the question, or rather a direct repudiation of the teaching of Christ and the apostles, which is, that all the law is included in love, and that no compulsory dues can take the place of a free-will offering. For a fuller state- ment of this interpretation see E. H. Plumptre in SmWi's Bible Bictionary, article Tribute. The Lord provides the money, however, "lest we should scandalize them.'''' James Morison gives the explanation well ; "leading them to think, per- haps, that he was opposed to the temple-service, or that he was churlish in his disposition, or that in his heart, the true state of which is often re- vealed by money transactions, he was irreverent toward God." And Plumptre draws aright the lesson from his compliance. " It is better to com- ply with the payment, than to startle the weak brethren, or run counter to feelings that deserve respect, or lay an undue stress on a matter of little moment." Ch. XVIIL] MATTHEW. 213 CHAPTER XVIII. ATs the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven ? 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you. Except ye be con- verted,'' and become as little children,' ye shall not en- ter into the kingdom of heaven. g Mark 9 : 33, etc. ; Luke 9 : 40, Pb. 61 : 10-13 ; John 3 : 3. 1 Cor. 14 : 20 : Ch. 18 : 1-14. DISCOURSE CONCERNING GREATNESS IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.— Chbist's use of ob- ject TEACHING (v. 2). — Lessons to be miaened from A little child. — Conversion illustrated (v. 3). — HuMiLiTT illustrated (v. 4).— To receive Christ, RECEIVE one of HIS LITTLE ONES (v. 5).— To OFFEND Christ, tempt one op his little ones (vs. 6-9). — The NEEDY ARE NEAREST TO GoD'S THRONE (V. 10).— Kfi- DEEMING LOVE ILLUSTRATED (VS. 11-14). Preliminaky Note. This eighteenth chapter of Matthew contains instructions concerning the Kingdom of God, which were given to the twelve alone. It may be divided into three sec- tions. In the first (verses 1-14) Christ warns his dis- ciples against ambition and self-seeking, and counsels them against leading astray humbler and feebler disciples ; in the second (verses 16-20) he tells them what course the disciple is to pursue toward the wrong-doer ; in the third (verses 21-35) he illustrates and enforces the duty of personal forgiveness. The conference appears to have taken place at Capernaum and ia the house (Mark 9 : 33), possibly the house vOf Peter, who resided there. Verses 1-9 have their parallel in Mark 9 : 33-50, and Luke 9 : 46-50. The rest of this chapter is peculiar to Matthew. Some of the aphorisms contained in it are, however, found elsewhere in Christ's teaching, and some points here hinted at are more fully treated by our Lord at other times (see notes below). Matthew connects the instructions given in this chapter by the par- ticles "moreover" (verse is) and "then" (verse 21); but these do not always, in N. T. usage, indicate a close chronological connection ; and though it is not improbable that this chapter constituted one discourse, delivered to the disciples at one time, it is by no means certain that Matthew has not gathered here instructions imparted at differ- ent times, but all during the same general period of Christ's ministry, and relating to the same general theme. 1. At the same time. Literally, In the same hour. That is, apparently, immediately subse- quent to the incident narrated in the previous chapter. According to this account the disciples came to Christ with the question, Who is the greatest? According to Mark (9:33) they had engaged in a dispute who should be the greatest," t, e., who should hold the chief offices in the political kingdom which they supposed Christ had come to establish. Christ asked them the subject of their controversy, and they held their peace, being probably ashamed of it. Town- send' s explanation of the seeming inconsistency is reasonable. This is, that certain of the dis- ciples had claimed pre-eminence, as James and John did later, that Jesus asked them of their dispute, that they were ashamed to reply, and that then the other disciples preferred the ques- tion. Who is the greatest ? Matthew has given only this question and Christ's answer; Mark has narrated the circumstances which led to it. Similar disputes continued, in spite of the teach- ing given here, down almost to the time of Christ's death. (Matt. 20 : 20, 21, 24 ; Luke 22 : 24.) — WhO is the greatest. Literally, greater, i. e., than the rest. The language is in the original, as iu the English, in the present tense ; but the ques- tion probably had a future meanrag. Their question was not. What elements of character make true greatness? who of us is greatest? but. Who of us shall occupy the highest place in your coming kingdom ? It was the question of the ecclesiastic, not of the true Christian dis- ciple. "Peter was always the chief speaker, and already had the keys given him ; he expects to be lord chancellor, or lord chamberlain of the household, and so to be the greatest. Judas had a bag, and therefore he expects to be lord treas- urer, which, though now he comes last, he hopes wUl then dominate him the greatest. Simon and Jude are nearly related to Christ (but query as to this statement, see pp. Ill, 112), and they hope to take the place of all the great officers of state, as princes of the blood. John is the beloved dis- ciple, the favorite of the Prince, and therefore hopes to be the greatest. Andrew was first called, and why should not he be first prefer- red ? " — {Matthew Henry.) 2. And Jesus called a little child to him. Evidently, from the language employed (the Greek is nuidlov, the diminutive), it was a young child ; evidently from his calling it, not a mere infant.— And set him in the midst of them. A striking illustration and an incidental endorsement of object teaching in morals. The 0. T. prophets, Ezekiel especially, often em- ployed the same method. 3. Except ye he converted. For the meaning of the word {citqt(pw) here rendered converted, see Luke 7 : 9, Jesus '■'turned him about,'" i. e., he was going in one direction and turned about so as to face in the other direction. Acts 7 : 39, "our fathers * * * in their hearts turned back again into Egypt," i. e., from following and serving Jehovah turned back to 214 MATTHEW. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself J as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. [Ch. XVIII. 5 And whoso shall receive one such little child'' in my name, receiveth me. 6 But whoso shall offend' one of these little ones j Luke 14 : 11 ; Jas. 4 : 10. . . .k ch. 10 : 42 1 Mark 9 : 42 ; Luke 17 : 1, 2. worship the golden calf which was an image of the Egyptian bull, Acts 13 : 46, "seeing ye judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, we turn to the Gentiles." These passages indicate the meaning to be attached to the word here rendered convert (aT'jeipui), which always signifies a radical and complete change, in method, sjjirit, or course. Here it is, Unless you be turned entirely away from this spirit of self-seeking you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, much less' be greatest in it. The verb is in the passive mood ; it is not, Except ye turn, but. Except ye be turned, thus indicating that the turning of the disciples, to be effectual, must be by a higher power than their own. [The Greek student should also observe that the tense here is not the future, but the aorist, and represents neither an act completed in the past time, i. e., it is not equivalent to, Except ye had been converted, nor one to be effected in the future, Except ye shall be converted, but one past and continuing^ Except ye be continually turned back from this spirit of self-seeking, and continually take on the spirit of a little child. Parallel is John 15 : 6, If a man abide not in me he is cast forth, neither has been nor will be, but is in the state of a branch broken from the vine. See Buttmann's N. T. Gr. § 137, p. l'J8 ; Wmer's N. T. Greek, § 40, 5, b, p. 277.J And become as little children. "Not foolish (i Cor. 14 : 2o), uor fickle (Eph. 4 : u), nor play- ful, but childlike (Matt, ii : le) ; as children we must desire the sincere milk of the word (i Pet. 2:2); be careful for nothing, but leave it to our heavenly Father to care for us (Matt, o : si) ; be harmless and inoffensive, and void of malice (i Cor. 14 : 2o) ; govcrnablc and under command (oai. 4:2); and what is here chiefly intended, we must be humble as little children." — {Matthew Henry.) See also 1 Pet. 1 : 14. (See note on next verse.) Observe that elsewhere manhood is set before us as our aim (Ephes. 4 : is). The sense in which child- hood is a pattern to us is well given by Chrysos- tom. " For such a little child is free from pride, and the mad desire of glory, and envy, and con- tentiousness, and all such passions, and havmg many virtues, — simplicity, humility, unworldli- ness, — prides itself on none of them ; having a twofold severity of goodness ; to have these things and not to be puffed up about them." 4. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child. This interprets the preceding verse, and points out the respect In which we are to become as little children ; and it is in turn further interpreted by the addition in Luke (9 : 48), He that is least among you all, i. e. who is willing to be least in rank and dignity, the same shall be great. Humility is not thinldng meanly of one's self, but being willing, even with great powers, to take a lowly office and perform seemingly menial and insignificant and not hon- ored service. The first Is not characteristic of childhood, the latter is. Christ's own example is the best interpretation of his teaching ; for an mterpretation of this precept, therefore, see Phil, 3 : 5-8. Compare Phil. 4 : 1:3, and Christ's sym- bolic repetition of this teaching in the washing of the disciples' feet, John 13 : 3-5, 12-15. 5. And whoso shall receive one such little child. These words are to be taken in their most natural signification. He who, for Christ's sake, receives a little child to his heart, receives Christ, and that irrespective of any faith in or love for Christ in the child's experience. Compare Matt. 10 : 40-43. — In my name. Lit- erally, upon my name, i. e. upon the ground of my name, out of consideration to me, and for my sake. — Receiveth me. Observe that the true way to receive Christ is to receive, into our hearts, for Christ's sake, those who need the hospitality of our sympathies, as the way to serve Christ is by serving the needy and suffering (Matt. 25 : 40). At this point in Christ's instructions occurred a significant interruption and Chrisfs response, for account of which see Mark 9 : 38-41 and notes there. On the passage up to this point Calvin observes that the disciples were guilty of a double fault, first in laying aside anxiety about their present warfare to discuss future reward, a fault allied to the vain curiosity of those who now neglect terrestrial duties for celestial specu- lations, whose condition is as if a man who was about to commence a journey made enquiries where a lodging-place was situated, but did not move a step ; the second in striving with wicked ambition to excel each other, instead of rendeiing mutual assistance. Matthew Henry observes that if Christ ever intended to teach the primacy of Peter, the occasion was afforded by the dis- ciples' question, Who is the greatest ? whereas his answer emphatically disallows any primacy. And Chrysostom, with characteristic quaintness, says, "We are not able to attain so much as unto their faults, neither do we ask v)ho is greatest in the king- dom of heaven ; but who is greatest in the earthly kingdom, who is wealthiest, who most powerful." 6. Btit whoso shall offend. Cause to stumble or fall into sin. See note on Matt. 5 : 29. Ch. XVIIL] MATTHEW. 211 which believe in me, it were better for him that a mill- stone were hangred about his neck, and i/tai he were drowoed in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe unto the world because of offences ! for™ it must needs be that offences come ; but woe" to tliat man by whom the oflFence cometh ! 8 Wlierefbre," if thy hand or thy foot oflFend thee, cut them off, and cast i/tem from thee : it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlast- ing fire. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast z'i from thee : it is better for thee to enterP into life with one eye, rather than, having two eyes,' to be cast into hell fire. 10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little m 1 Cor. 11 : 19 ; Jude 4 n Jude 11 o ch. 5 : 29, 30 ; Mark 9 : 43, 45 p Heb. 4:11 q Luie 9 : ! — Which believe in me. The Greek prepo- sition (si?) in, when employed, as here, respecting the feeUngs, signifies the end or aim towards which they reach. Here the meaning is, Whose faith reaches out after me as its chief good. For experience indicated by the phrase, compare Phil. 3 : 13, 14. In the N. T. we are said to be- lieve in (elc) Jesus Christ, but never to believe in (sic) any prophet, apostle or other human teacher, one of the numerous minor indications of Christ's superhuman character. " We beheve Paul, but we do not believe in Paul." — {Augustine.) — A millstone. Literally, an ass' millstone. The larger mills were turned by asses, the smaller ones by hand. The Greek here {i.ivh>g ovixng) sig- nifies the former kind of stone. — Cast into the depth of the sea, i. e. the open or deep sea, remote from land. This method of capital pun- ishment was practised by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, and possibly occasionally by the Jews. 7. Woe unto the world. The language may be read as that either of lamentation or of denunciation. Compare Matt. 23 : 15, IG, with Mark 13 : 17. Perhaps the feeling here represent- ed is a commingled one. — Because of temp- tations. Literally, tmjis. See note on Matt. 5 : 39 ; 16 : 23.— For it must needs be that temptations come. This truth is set forth as an additional warning. The disciple must not forget that there is no possibility of avoiding temptation, and must therefore always be on his guard both for himself and others. The lan- guage might imply nothing more than that, as life is constituted, temptations are unavoidable. Compare for use of the same word rendered here needs he (uiii/xj;), Luke 14 : 18 ; 23 : 17, where no absolute compulsion is indicated. But in an- other place (Luke n : 1), Christ uses even stronger language : It is impossible hut that offences will come. The question at once occurs. Why is it impossible ? This question carries the mind directly back to the origin of evil ; it belongs to philosophy, not to biblical interpretation. Christ makes no attempt to answer it here, or elsewhere. Personally, I count it one of the insoluble prob- lems of the universe. — But woe to that man by whom the temptation cometh. But if temptations be a necessity, why is he blame- worthy who produces them ? This is a question which the commentators and theologians discuss ; Christ does not, either here or elsewhere. He simply sets the two facts side by side ; the inevi- tableness of temptation ; the personal responsi- bility and sin of the tempter. The one is ratified by our observation ; the other by our personal consciousness. It is observable that Christ's method here is in general the bibUcal method, which frequently sets forth seemingly conflicting truths in strong terms, and often in close juxtapo- sition, but nowhere offers explanations to harmo- nize them. See, for examples. Acts 2 : 23 ; Rom. 9 : 14-23 ; Phil. 2 : 12, 13 ; 2 Pet. 1 : 4, 5, 10. 8-9. The connection is this. So great is the evil of becoming a cause of temptation to others or to yourself, that it is better to cut off the most innocent or even useful exercise of a God- given power, than so to use it as to lead yourself or others into sin. See the same aphorism, with a slighty different connection, in Matt. 5 : 29, 30, and note there. In the original the use of the article makes stronger the contrast than in our version, which should read, " Enter into the Ufe * * * than be cast into the fire everlasting." On the phrase hell-fire (verse 9), see note on Matt. 5 : 22. Mark adds a description of it in the words, "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched " (Mark 9 : 4s). He also adds two verses not given by Matthew or Luke. See Mark 9 : 49, 50. 10. Take heed, (o^utu.) A word of caution of frequent use in the N. T., and indicatmg a subtle temptation against which the Christian must watch. Compare Matt. 10 : 6 ; Luke 12 : 15 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 15.— That ye despise not one of these little ones. Not merely one of these children, but one of these little ones; i. e. any one who is insignificant and unimportant. Com- pare Matt. 10 : 42 ; 11 : 11. The caution is ad- ministered to the spirit that seeks a high place in the church, a caution not to look down with con- tempt upon the weak in faith, the poor in know- ledge, or in grace, or in station. Compare for the application of the principle, Rom. 14 : 1-3, 13, 15. The word here rendered despise {xutucpooriw) is literally to think down upon, or as we should say, look down upon. For I say unto you that their angels, i. e. their guardian angels. With possibly two ex- ceptions (Acts 12 : 15 ; Rev. 22 : 8, 9) ths term angel (uyYeXXoi;) is never used in the N. T. to designate a departed spirit, which is always rendered by another word {nvn'^u or ^dytuofiu). In some in- 216 MATTHEW. [Ch. XVIII. ones ; for I say uuto you, That in heaven their angels' do always behold" the face of my Father which is in heaven. 11 For the Son of man is come to save that' which was lost. 12 How think ye ? If" a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth mto the moun- tains, and seelieth that which is gone astray ? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep^ than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one" of these little ones should perish. 15 Moreover, if thy" brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone : if he'' shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. Acts 12: 15... stances both angel {ayytlloi) and spirit {nv%vp.a) are used in such connection as to indicate very clearly that they are not synonymous (Acts 23 : 8, 9). Etymologically the word means messenger, and it is sometimes so rendered in the N. T. (Matt. 11 : lO; Luke 7 : 24, 27). Usually it is employed to designate celestial beings, who are represented as the mes- sengers of God (2 Kings 19 ; 31 : Psalm 91:11,12; Heb. 1 : 13, u). Here are intended the celestial messengers who are allotted as the special guardians of God's children. Not their departed spirits after death, but their guardian angels while they live are represented as nearest the throne. Do always behold the face of my Father. That is, they always have direct and immediate access to God. The picture is inter- preted by the usage of courts, where certain special favorite officers always have access to the throne (l Kings 10 : 8 ; Esther 1 : 14 ; Jer. 62 : 25). With- out pressing the language, which is seemingly metaphorical, as all language descriptive of the spiritual world must be, it evidently implies (1) the doctrine of guardian angels, i. e. that angels are not only in general the ministering servants of God, but that special angels are allotted as the special guardians and attendants of individuals (compare Psalm 91 : 11, 12 ; Acts 27 : 23) ; and (3) that the weakest and feeblest of God's flock, not merely the children, but the little ones, in intellectual and spiritual power and in ecclesiastical position and eartihly honor, have the readiest and nearest access to God ; in other words, that weakness and want, not greatness, constitute the strongest appeal to him. And with this idea consorts the entire passage. Stier's note, though somewhat fanciful, is beautiful : " Here is Jacob's ladder planted before our eyes : beneath are the little ones ; then their angels ; then the Son of man in heaven, in whom alone man is exalted above the angels, who, as the Great Angel of the cov- enant, Cometh from the Presence and Bosom of the Father; and above Him again the Father Himself and His good pleasure." 11. For, the Sou of man is come to save that which was lost ; i. e., the celes- tial messengers of the weak are always before the face of God, because the very office of redeeming love is to save the lost, those that cannot save them- selves. Observe the implication (1) that the world is lost, undone, beyond all human help ; (3) that the object of Christ's coming was not to teach or to legislate, but to save. Compare John 1 : 13 ; 3 : 14r-17. This verse is wanting in the Vatican and Sinaitic MSS., and is omitted by Griesbach, Lachmann, Tischendorf and Tregelles. But it is found in the great body of MSS. both uncial and cursive, and in all the old versions, the Vulgate, Syriac, Armenian and Ethiopic. Al- ford retains it. It is found also in Luke 19 : 10, where its authenticity is undoubted. 12, 13. This parable is expanded in Luke 15 : 4-6. See notes there. The proper rendering of verse 13 is, Doth he not leave the ninety -nine upon the mountain? It is not the strong and safe that need care, but the weak and feeble. The strong expression of verse 13 is not to be Aveakened by any such modification as that of James Morrison, "In the calm depth of his soul there is a settled satisfaction in the possession of the 99, which is ninety-nine times deeper than the emotion which is stirred into activity by the recovery of the one." The words of Christ are not to be thus shorn of their meaning. . The highest joy, recog- nized in the Bible, as existing in heaven or on earth, is the joy, not of possessing, but of saving a soul. Compare Isaiah 53 : 11 ; Luke 15 : 7, 10 ; Heb. 13 : 3 ; Psalm 147 : 11 ; Micah 7 : 18 ; Zeph. 3:17. 14. The language of the original appears to me to be even stronger than that of our version. — So there is not a will in the presence of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. Not only it is not his will ; but he wiU not permit such a will in his presence. This verse alone ought to be sufficient as a refutation of the doctrine that God chooses some souls for destruction, in order to show forth his glory. Ch. 18 : 15-20.-CHRIST'S PRECEPTS FOR THE SET- TLEMENT OF QUARRELS.-THE POWER OF UNITED CHRISTIAN FAITH. 15. Moreover. This conjunction connects what follows with what proceeds. Christ has be- fore warned us from offending against others ; he now tells us what we are to do when others sin against us. Calvin traces the connection clearly and well. " Christ enjoins his disciples to forgive one another, but to do so in such a man- ner as to endeavor to correct their faults. It is Ch. XVIII.] MATTHEW. 217 i6 But if he will not hear thee^ then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses? every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church : but if he neglect to hear the church, let him» be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Deut. 19 : 15 ; 2 Cor. 13 : Rom. 16 : 17 ; 1 Cor. 5:3-5; 2 Tliess. 3 : 6, 14. necessary that this be wisely observed ; for noth- ing is more diflScult than to exercise forbearance toward men, and at the same time not to neglect the freedom necessary in reproving them." — If thy brother. Not merely fellow- Christian, Since God is the Father of the whole human race, it is treated in Scripture as one family, and all men as brethren. Compare Matt. 5 : 22-24 ; 7 : S^ ; Hebrews 8 : 11 ; James 2 : 15 ; 1 John 2 : 10. Evidently, from these and parallel passages the instructions here are not necessarily limited to the case of church members who ofEend. — Shall trespass against thee. Christ does not tell the church how it is to treat one who aposta- tizes from the faith or from a holy life ; but the individual Christian how he is to treat one who has personally sinned against him. True, some MSS., including the Sinaitic and the Vatican, omit against thee, as does Tischendorf and Lach- mann, but the ordinary reading is the better one. The omission was probably for the purpose of giving an ecclesiastical meaning to the passage. — Go and convince him between thee and him alone. Privately as possible, that you may not have his pride arrayed against you. For the spirit in which this should be done com- pare Gal. 6:1. In how many cases should we be ashamed of having taken offence, in the very attempt to speak of it ; in how many more, would such a kindly conference end all trouble. — If he shall hear thee. Not, as Chrysostom, " if he should be persuaded that he has done wrong ;' ' but, literally, "(/" he shall hear thee,^'' i. e. if, as we say, he is willing to listen to reason ; if he is ready for a Christian conference and mutual ex- planations. — Thou hast gained thy brother. Brotherliness is represented as something too valuable to be easily cast away. The idea is not, thou hast saved a brother from sin and death, but thou hast personally gained his brotherly affection. The original verb (xeQ^alvoi) always carries with it the idea of a personal gain. Com- pare Matt. 16 : 26 ; 25 : 17, 20, 22 ; Phil. 3 : 7. 16. But if he will not hear. Observe, not, if you cannot convince, but, if ?ie will not hear, i, e., if he refuses to enter into confer- ence, in the spirit of concession and concilia- tion, so that you cannot thus gain your brother. — Then take with thee one or two. "If possible," says Wesley, wisely, "men whom he esteems and loves." — That upon the mouth of two or three witnesses every word, i. e. between you and him, in your en- deavors for a reconciliation, — may be estab- lished. Observe the object of this second going. It is not, primarily, that they may convince him, but that there may be no room to doubt after- wards which of 3'ou sought reconciliation and which of you resisted it. Observe, too, that this proceeding is not as a foundation for inflicting punishment, but for the sake of the offender's amendment and a restoration of fellowship. 17. And if he shall refuse to hear them. Still observe the condition ; not, if he refuse to yield to them, but if he refuse to hear, i. e. to enter cordially into their and your spii'it of reconciliation. The same word in the Septua- gint in Esther 3:3, is rendered transgress. It carries with it the idea of a contemptuous disre- gard.— Tell it to the church. That is, to the assembly of Christ in which you are in fellowship, that they may understand and justify your position. On the meaning of the word {iy.y.li]a'la) here rendered church, see note below, and notes on Matt. 16 : 18. — But if he refuse to hear the church. If he resists their endeavors for a mutual reconciliation between the two. — Let him be unto thee. Unto thee, not unto the church. There is nothing said here, and nothing implied, as to any withdrawal of fellowship by the church. It is not even im- plied that the offender is in the church. — As a heathen man and a publican. With whom the Jews had no intercourse (Acta lO : 28 ; compare John 4 : 9). There is no suggestion of proceedings for punishment, either by the individual or the church. The direction is simply tantamount to this : If, after all your efforts, you cannot secure reconciliation, then you may have nothing more to do with him. That Christ does not justify the feeling of scorn and hate with which the Jews generally regarded the heathen and publican is clear from the parable which follows (vs. 21-35). But he does recognize the fact that exigencies in life sometimes arise which call for a complete separation from wilful wrong-doers. Of dealing with an offending bkother. These verses are frequently referred to as con- taining " the general principles on which church discipline should be carried on." Is this inter- pretation correct ? I think not, for the following reasons : (a.) At the time these directions were given no Christian church was organized, and the disciples did not anticipate the organization of one. They believed that Christ was about to set up a temporal kingdom in which they were to share. They could not, therefore, have under- stood this to be a rule of ecclesiastical discipline. (&.) The word (exxktinUt) here rendered church, etymologically signifies that which is called out, and 218 MATTHEW. [Ch. XVIII. i8 Verilv I say unto you, Whatsoever* ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven ; and what- soever ye shall loose on earth, shall be " heaven. 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thin^ that they shall ask, it!" shall be done for them of my f" ather which is in heaven. ch. 10 : 19 ; John 20 : 23 ; Acts 15 : 23-Dl ; 2 Cor. 2 : 10 b Mark 11 : 24 ; John 16 : 21 ; 1 John 6 : 15. SO an assembhj, and is so sometimes rendered in our version (s=e Acts 19 : 32, 39, 41). In the 0. T. (Septuagint or Greek version) it represents the Great Congress or Jewish Parliament (see note on Matt. 16:18). In the N. T. "the word most fre- quently occurs in the Christian sense of an assemblage of Christians generally, 1 Cor. 11 ; 18," {Kitto's Bib. Cijc.) ; see also, Rom. 10 : 5 ; 1 Cor. IG : 19. Here, certainly, it indicates not an ecclesiastical organization, still less the rulers or authorities in such an organization, but an as- semblage of the people of God, and is defined by verse 20. See note there, (c.) Nowhere else does Christ give any rules for the conduct of eccle- siastical affairs ; nothing respecting the number or nature of church officers, the mode of their appointment or election ; their length of service ; their authority. It must be regarded as remark- able if, leaving all other ecclesiastical questions to be determined by his followers, he should give particular rules for the determination of disci- plinary proceedings in the church, (d.) The context relates wholly to personal relations and personal duties ; the preceding verses are a warning against tempting the weak and feeble into sin ; the following verses are an exposition of the duty of personal forgiveness. We should not naturally look in such connection for rules of ecclesiastical procedure, (c.) The language throughout is inconsistent with the ecclesiastical interpretation. The direction is given, not to the church, but to the individual. "If t7iy brother shall trespass against thee f the "one or two" are to be taken, as witnesses that the individual has done all in his pov/er to procure a reconcilia- tion ; and the final result, in the case of one obstinate in refusing reconciliation, is not church action of any kind, but only this, that he is to be ^'■untotliee,'' i. e. to the person with whom he refuses to be reconciled, as a heathen and a pub- lican. (/.) The heathen and publicans were sub- jected to no penalties of any sort in Judea ; religious persecution was utterly foreign to the spirit of their institutions. The Jews simply had no intercourse with them. The command. Let him be unto tJiee as a heathen and a publican, does not therefore justify civil penalties or disa- bilities of any description, nor call for exclusion from the privileges and fellowship of the church, nor for any public condemnation or general obloquy, nor for any formal act of excommuni- cation, or any ecclesiastical pains or penalties. It simply justifies the individual Christian in ceasing to maintain friendly and personal rela- tions with one who, after this triple endeavor, re- fuses to live in friendly relations with him. The readerwill not understand me as denying the right of the church to discipline members, nor the propriety of i^ursuing the method here indicated in the case of church discipline ; but this passage has not in my judgment, any direct bearing on ecclesiastical proceedings, and certainly does not constitute a law for their conduct. But the reader ought to be advised that most commen- tators take a different view, and regard these precepts as directions for the administration of ecclesiastical discipline. Lightfoot and Alford might perhaps be regarded as exceptions, though their views are not very clear. "The business here is not so much concerning the cen- sure of the person sinning as concerning the vindication of the person reproving." — (Lighlfoot.) "That the church {ti<-^?.iii>lu) cannot mean the church as represented by her rulers, appears by verses 19, 20, where any collection of believers is gifted with the power of deciding in such cases. Nothing could be further from the spirit of our Lord's command than proceedings in what were oddly enough called 'ecclesiastical' courts." — (Alfonl) I understand then Christ's directions here to be simply this : If a brother man has wronged you, do not give up his brotherly love at once. First, try by personal conference to secure recon- ciliation ; if he will not be reconciled, take a friend or two to witness that you have done what you can to be reconciled ; if he refuses to listen to them, tell your Christian brethren of the dif- ficulty ; and if their intervention is in vain, then and only then are you justified in having nothing to do with him. In our ordinary mtercourse with each other, how often we reverse these di- rections, say of one who has offended us, I owe him no grudge, but I want nothing more to do with him, and after our decision tell the church and the neighbors our version of the quarrel as our justification. "If," says John Wesley, speak- ing of Christ's directions here, "if this be the way to take, in what land do the Christians live ?" Compare ynth this passage Matt. 5 : 31-20. 18. Observe that here the power of the keys (what that is I have considered in note on Matt. 15 : 19, which see) is conferred on all the disciples, for there is nothing whatever to indicate that the promise is not as universally applicable as the di- rections given in the preceding verse, and the promise in the verses which follow. The term heaven here is used as in Matt. 21 : 25, and is Ch. XVIIL] MATTHEW. 219 20 For where two or three are gathered together<= in my name, there am I in the midst of them. 21 Then came Peter to him, and said. Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive^ him ? till seven times ? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee. Until seven times ; but, Until seventy times seven. 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account' oi' his servants. John 20 , 19 ; 1 Cor. 5:4 d Mark 11 : 25 ; Luke 11:4; Col. 3:13 e Rom. 14 : 12. used in the same sense as in that passage, and in Matt. 10 : 19, loosed in heaven being nearly equiva- lent to loosed by God. The promise may be para- phrased thus : Whatever, under the guidance of the Spirit of God, you do, shaU be ratified by your Father in heaven. 19. Again I say unto you that if two of you shall agree. Literally, shall sympho- nize or sound together. The original Greek verb {avuipuivita) is One from which comes our word symphony, and carries with it a concealed meta- phor : Shall accord as musical instruments in symphony.— Concerning anything that they shall ask. Language could hardly be stronger. The Greek is, Concerning everything whatsoever ye shall ask. — It shall be done for them by my Father. It is impossible to reconcile this promise with any theory of prayer which denies that prayer is really influential with God. Compare with it Matt. 21 : 23 ; Mark 11 : 21 ; John 14 : 13, 14 ; 15 : 7, 16 ; 16 :23, 24, which indicate the condition of such prayer as may claim this promise. Illustrations of the fulfillment of the promise in this and the succeeding verse are afforded by Acts 1 : 14 with 2 : 1-4, and Acts 12 : 5, 12. An illustration of a misapprehension of Christ's meaning and of his refusal of a request presented by two of the apostles, who were agreed, is afforded by Mark 10 : 35. Comparing these passages, and I have purposely referred only to the words of Jesus, it is evident that his promise is not absolute and unconditional, but that the fundamental condition of the spirit of all true prayer, is implied, viz., trust in and sub- mission to the higher will and wisdom of our heavenly Father. And indeed this is hinted at by the language of this verse. Anything that they shall ask, since asking always implies a recogni- tion of the right to refuse ; and still more is this implied in the verse which follows, which gives the reason for the promise. Why shall such power be given to the disciples ? Because where two or three are gathered in Christ's name he is in their midst to inspire and direct their petitions. Compare Rom. 8 : 26. 20. For where two or three are gath- ered together in my name. "Not collecting themselves promiscuously in their own name, or according to their own devices, or for their own glory, much less in a spirit of strife and division ; but with yearnings of love to me and of union with me ; in the manner appointed by m3. in the unity of my church, and in obedience to my law, and for the furtherance of my glory." — ( Wordsworth.) For the meaning of ' ' in my name ' ' compare John 14 : 13 ; 15 : 7. Chrysostom's note on the connection of the 19th and 20th verses with what precedes is important. "Having de- clared the evils consequent on strife, he now dis- plays the blessings of unity. They who are of one accord do prevail with the Father as touch- ing the things they ask, and they have Christ in the midst of them." — There am I in the midst of them. Compare Matt. 28 : 20. Later theology has contrived no better definition of a church than this verse affords : The gathering of Christ's disciples, united in Christ, and with him in their midst. Observe that neither here, nor any- where else in the Gospels, is there any implication that his being in the midst of such an assembly, bringing with him the powers conferred here in verse 18, and in Matt. 28 : 19, 20, to baptize and preach, is dependent upon any church order, or- dained ministry, apostolic successors, special rites, ceremonies, or creeds, or anything of the kind. It seems also to me that wherever Christ is, there by a reasonable implication is the right to proclaim him, whether by words, as in preach- ing, or by rites and symbols, as by baptism and the Lord's Supper. Ch. 18 : 21-35. PARABLE OF THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT.— The duty of torgiteness ; the katurb op forgiveness; the motive of forgiveness.— See Thoughts below. 21-22. Then came Peter to him. For further instruction as to the duty of forgiveness inculcated in the preceding verses. He wanted a specific rule limiting the obligation of forgiveness. The Rabbis limited it to three repetitions of an offence. Peter, with a glimmering idea that the rule should be enlarged, proposed seven as the limit. Christ's reply "seventy times seven" (not as James Morison, and some others, seventy- seven) refuses to assign any limit. Living in a kingdom of grace, we are to exercise it as we de- pend upon it, without limitation. On the mean- ing of the word forgive [uipttjui), see note on Matt. 6 : 12. 23. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened. Therefore, i. e. because it is a kmgdom of forgiveness, founded on the forgiveness of God to us, the unforgiving cannot abide in it. " As certainly as there is no kingdom of God without the forgiveness which we receive, so cer- tainly there is no kingdom of God without the 220 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand tal- ents' : 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord com- manded him to be sold,' and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. MATTHEW. [Ch. XVIII. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying. Lord, have patience with me, and 1 will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion,^ and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of f 3 Kings 4:1; Isa. 60 : I g Ps. 78 : 38. forgiveness which we bestow." — {Drdseke.) — Unto a certain king. Literally, a man, a king. And because any comparison of the divine king- dom with the human kingdom is and must be imperfect, this parable must not be pressed in details, as has been done by some commentators. — Which would take account of his ser- vants. The Greek {di unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say. The Lord hath need of them ; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, e saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion,'' Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus com- manded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way ; others cut down branches from tne trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that fol- lowed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David ! Blessed' is he that cometh in the name of the Lord : Hosanna in the highest ! J 10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11 And the multitude said. This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. 12 And'' Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves ; 13 And said unto them. It is' written. My house shall be called the house of prayer ; but ye nave made it a den of™ thieves. ; ch. 16: 21, etc.; Mark 10 : 32, etc. j Luke 18 131, etc. ; John 12: 12, etc.... u ch. 27 : 2, etc. ; Mark 15 : 1, 16, etc. ; Luke 23 : 1, etc. ; John 18 : 28. etc. ; Act&3: 13; 1 Cor. 15 : 3-7 visa. 63: 6... w Mark 10: 35 x Luke 12: 60 v Acts 12 : 2; Rom. 8 : 17 ; 2 Cor. 1:7; Rev. 1 :9....zLuke 22:25,26....al Pet.6:3....bch.23: 11: Mark 9 : 35 ; 10:43.. .c Luke'2.' : 27 ; Johnl3:4-14; Phil. 2:7.... dl3a.63:6, 8. 11; Dan. 9 : 24,26; 1 Tim. 2 : 6 ; Titus 2 : 14; Heb. 9 : 28 ; 1 Pet. 1 : 18, 19; R-v. 1 : 5. . . .e ch. 9 : 27 ; Mark 10 : 46 ; Luke 18:36....f Markll : 1; Luke 19 : 29. . . .g Zech. 9 : 9. . . .h Isa. 62:11; Mark U : 4, etc.; John 12 : 15.... i ch. 23 : 39 ; Ps. 118:26.... j Luke2:14....kMarkll: 11; Luke 19 : 46, etc. ; John 2 : 16, etc.... 1 Isa. 66 : 7....m Jer. 7 : 11. heaven, and those who are prepared and so are among the chosen people of God. But here the context seems to forbid such an interpretation. It has been suggested that the term cJiosen is used here in a different sense, equivalent to choice ones, so that the meaning is. There are many disciples, but few that are pre-eminent in their calling. This is certainly a possible meaning, but it is not sustained by any parallel passage in the N. T., the term chosen or elect (ixkixtug) never having this significance, unless Rev. 17 : 14 be an instance. I incline to the opinion, which is as old as Calvin, that the sentence does not belong here. 17-34. Christ goes up to Jerusalem. In- cidents ON THE WAT. There is nothing to connect the remaining incidents in this chapter with those which immediately precede. They all occurred on the occasion of Christ's going up to Jerusalem to the last Passover and to his Passion and death. Luke's account of this journey (Luke 18: 31 to 19:28) is the fullcst, though he omits the peti- tion of the sons of Zebedee. Mark (10:32-04) gives the account of Christ's prophecy of his death more fully than Matthew, and (10 : 35^5) the account of the petition of the sons of Zebedee in almost the same form. For notes on those two incidents see Mark ; for notes on the healing of the blind men see Luke. Ch. 21 : 1-22. Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. There is some uncertainty as to the order of events here narrated. Certainly the impression produced by Matthew's narrative is- that all occurred on the same day. Mark, how- ever, (11 : 11) states that Christ entered the Temple and "when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve ;" and he gives the cleansing of the Temple on the following day. And this is probably the correct chronology. See note on Mark 11 : 11. 1-11. An account of this triumphal entry is given also in Mark 11 : 1-11, Luke 19 : 29^4, and Ch. XXI.] MATTHEW. 233 him in the 14 And the blind and the lame came temple ; and" he healed them. 15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna" to the son of David ! they; were sore displeased, 16 And said unto him, nearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them. Yea : have ye never read, OutP of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise ? 17 And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany ; and he lodged there. 18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. 19 Andi when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it. Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered' away. 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying. How soon is the fig tree withered away ! 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you. If* ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain. Be thou removed,' and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done. 22 And all things whatsoever ye shall ask" in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. 23 And' when he was come into the temple, the chief John 13 : 12-19. It is fullest and most graphic in Luke. See notes there. 12, 13. This casting of the traders out of the Temple, narrated also in Mark 11 : 15-19, and Luke 19 : 45-48, is not to be confounded with that recorded in John 2 ; 13-17 at the commence- ment of Christ's ministry. It is not at all strange that, scourged from the Temple, they should, in less than three years, have returned again to corrupt it. History is full of parallels. Com- pare Matt. 13 : 43-45 and note. The Temple was cleansed but not filled by the indwelling of the Spirit of God. For the symbolical significance of this purification of the Temple see notes on John ;3 : 13-17. 14. Peculiar to Matthew, who alone gives any account of miracles being wrought at this time. 15, 16. This incident of the participation of the children of the Temple in the greeting to Christ is also peculiar to Matthew. In the Jew- ish as in the Roman Catholic service, children took part in the service of song. It was probably these children who caught the public enthusiasm, ' and joined in the chorus of Hosanna to the Son of David. The incident marks the height which the enthusiasm reached. Christ's rebuke of the chief priests should be studied by those who would check Christian enthusiasm in children at the present day. Christ's reference, Have ye never read? is to Psalm 8 : 2. The Greek word (zuruorf Ju)) here translated -perfected^ is rendered in Matt. 4 ; 21 mending, in Gal. 6 : 1 restore; it is more literally Thou restor est praise. True praise of God had perished from the Temple; in the mouths of these children of the Temple it was being restored. So every babe is, in his inno- cence, a restorer of the praise of God to the earth. Compare Matt. 18 : 4 ; Mark 10 : 15. 1 7-22. The account of the cursing of the fig- tree is given only here and Mark 11 : 13-14, 20-36. It is fullest in Mark. See notes there. Ch. 21 : 23-46. Chaps. 22 and 23. Christ's last public discourses— Tuesday, 4th April, a.d. 30. The teachings contained in the rest of this chapter and in chapters 33 and 33, were aU given publicly in the Temple on Tuesday. They con- stitute the close of Christ's public ministry. Parallel to Matthew's report here is Mark 11 : 27 to end of chap. 13 ; and Luke, chap. £0. With these accounts should be read John 1:3 : 20-50, which repeats nothing given in the other Evan- gelists, but appears to report other instructions which were given on the same occasion. Mat- thew's account of the public teachings of this eventful day is much the fullest ; Mark (12 : 41-14) and Luke (21 : 1^), however, give the account of the widow and two mites, which Matthew omits, and John (12 : 20-36) gives the interview with the Greeks which no other Evangelist gives. The fact that John, whose general record of Christ's Judean ministry is so full, says almost nothing of the teachings of this day, is one of the many indications that he wrote with the other Gospels before him, and in part to supply what they lacked. In studying in detail the teachings contained in this and the two following chapters, their general character and aim must not be forgotten. Tuesday, the 4th day of April, was by far the most eventful in the life of Christ, prior to his passion and death. On the evening of that day, and for that day's utterances, not at his more formal trial, he was condemned to die. When he first entered the Temple it was evident that sys- tematic plans had been formed to silence him (Luke 19 : 47, 48). Pharisecs, Sadducces and Hero- dians united against him; assumed to be his disciples ; mingled their questions with those of honest enquirers ; endeavored to entrap him into answers that should arouse popular prejudice or embroil him with the Roman government ; plied him with flatteries ; and praising his boldness and independence, sought to cajole him (Matt. 22 : le ; Mark 11 : 27 ; 12 : 13, 14 ; Luke 20 : 20, 2l). HithcrtO, Christ had either openly refused or successfully evaded all such questions. He now pursued a diflerent course ; sought to draw out the hierarchy ; made plain to all the people the ineradicable antag- onism between him and the priesthood ; and closed with a solemn and terrible denunciation of them (Matt. 21 : 32 ; 22 : 21, 29-32 ; 23 : 13-36), Which yet 234 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXI. Eriests and the elders of the people came unto him as e was teaching, and said, By" what authority doest thou these things ? and who gave thee this authority. 24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, 1 in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John whence was it ? from heaven, or of men ? And tney reasoned with them- selves, saying. If we shall say. From heaven ; he will say unto us. Why did ye not then believe him ? 26 But if we shall say, Of men ; we fear the people ; for=' all hold John as a prophet. 27 And they answered Jesus, and said. We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. 28 But what think ye? A certain^ man had two w Exod. 2 : 14. . . .1 ch. 14 : 5 y Lake 15 : 11, « ended in an outcry of infinite pathos, of divine pity and compassion (23 : 37-39). This commingled denunciation and lamentation constituted Christ's farewell to Judaism — the culmination of his min- istry, the first word of whose earliest public and recorded discourse had been 'Blessed,' and to the graciousness of whose first sermons all had borne glad testimony (Matt. 6:3; Luke 4: 22). See AbboWs Jesus of Nazareth, chap. 38, pp. 402-40i, from which this note is condensed. Ch. 21 : 23-27. FIRST ATTACK ON CHEIST.-His AUTHORITY QUESTIONED. See Lessons below. Mark (11 : 27-33) and Luke (20 : i-s) give the ac- count of this interview in almost the same words. Christ was walking (Mark) and preaching tlie Gos- pel (Luke), i. e. telling the people the good news of the coming kingdom of God. 23. Into the Temple. The outer court of the Temple, the court of the Gentiles (see notes on John 2 1 13-17) was a Convenient gathering place of the people, and during the Passover week would be thronged. Here Christ and his apostles often preached (john7: 14 ; 8:2; Acts 2: 46; 3: 1, 11, etc.). — The chief priests. That is, the leaders of the priest- hood. See note on Matt. 3 : 4. — The elders of the peopJe. These were laymen. See note on Matt. 16 : 31. Mark and Luke add scribes ; these were the theologians of Judaism. Lange and Al- ford suppose this to have been an oflicial delega- tion from the Sanhedrim. That is certainly pos- sible, but by no means clear. I should think it more probable, from Matt. 33 : 15, that prior to the time there referred to, the efforts to entangle Christ were individual and extemporized. These things. This includes his whole min- istry. He had neither the authority of a rabbi to teach, nor of a priest to cleanse the Temple. There is significance in the vagueness of the lan- guage, these things. They were unwiUing to specify the cleansing of the Temple, and so seem publicly to justify its pollution. — And who gave thee this authority ? This question interprets the other, and indicates their object, viz., authority on which they could found a charge of blasphemy. They thus sought by indirection, what on his trial the high priest Bought by a direct question. See Matt. 26 : 63, 64. 35. The baptism of John. "Meaning thereby, the whole office and teaching of which the baptism was the central point and seal." — {Alford.) — From heaven. Equivalent here to from God. — And they reasoned among themselves. In a conference aside. Surely it is a strain upon the narrative to suppose that they returned to the Sanhedrim, and that a formal consultation was there held. As to the Evangel- ist's source of knowledge, it may have been, as Alford supposes, Nicodemus or Joseph of Ari- mathea; is it not more probable to have been our Lord himself, who knew what was in man and read even their unuttered thoughts ? — Why- did ye not then believe him ? Generally, accept him and his mission. How far they were from doing this is evident, from Christ's charg- ing them with the murder of John the Baptist (Matt. 17 : 12 and note). What givcs Special point to this inquiry, however, is John the Baptist's tes- timony to Christ (johnl : 27, 29, 34; 3 :3l). If they believed John was a prophet they could not question the authority of Christ. 26. We fear the people. Luke adds : all the 2xople will stone 2is. " Seest thou a perverse heart. In every case they despise God, and do all things for the sake of men." — {Chrysostom.) — For all hold John as a prophet. Compare Luke 7 : 37. 27. We cannot tell. Literally, ive do not know. "They were caught in a rough alterna- tive, and could extricate themselves only by a step of desperation — a confession of ignorance, and that of hypocritical (pretended ?) ignorance." — (Lange.) They assumed to judge of Christ's au- thority : he compelled them to confess publicly their inability to judge of the authority of John the Baptist. Their utter want of moral principle, their supreme and even unconcealed indifference to the truth stands out nowhere more clearly than in these last days of Christ's ministry. Com- pare Matt. 33 : 15 ; Luke 20 : 30 ; John 11 : 47-50. — Neither tell I yon. "An answer, not to their outward words, Wc know not, but to their inward thoughts. We will not teU." — (Alford.) Lessons. One may admire in this incident the skiU with which Christ confounds the ene- mies of truth. It illustrates (a) Christ's refusal to submit his claims to the decision of inimical skeptics ; (b) the unity of divine truth ; one can- not accept a part and reject a part, e. g. accept John the Baptist and reject Christ ; (c) the hy- pocrisy of much that appears to be religious investigation ; (d) the right of a religious teacher Ch. XXI.] MATTHEW. 235 sons ; and he came to the first, and said, Son, g;o work to-day in my vineyard. 29 He answered and said, I will not ; but afterward^ he repented, and went. 30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I ^p, sir ; and went not. 31 Whether of them twam did the will of /izV father? They say unto him. The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the har- lots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came unto you in the way of righteous- ness, and ye believed him not ; but the publicans'" and the harlots" believed him : and ye, when ye had seen zV, repented not<^ afterward, that ye might believe huu. 2 Chron. 33 : 12, 13 ; 1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 2 : Luke 3 : 12 b Luke 7 : 37, etc. . . .c Kev, 2 : 21. to answer a fool according to his folly, if he has the abilihj so to do. Ch. 21 : 28-32. PARABLE OF THE TWO SOXS.— The TEST OP PIETY IS PRACTICE, NOT PROPBSSIOK. This parable is peculiar to Matthew. The Btory is of a small vineyard, which the father works with the aid of his own family only. In other respects it corresponds to the parable of the laborers (Matt. 20 : i-ie). The owner of the vineyard represents God ; the two sous, two types of character ; the vineyard itself, the world, which is God's field (Matt. 13 : ss) ; and the com- mand the call of God to his children, which is a call to become co-workers with him (icor. 3:9). Compare notes on Matt. 20 : 1-16. 28. HoAV seems it to you? That is, what do you think yourself of the case I fiut to you ? Analogous to this appeal is Isaiah 1 : 18 ; analo- gous to our Lord's method here, is Nathan's with David (2 Sam. 12 : 1-12). It incidently indicates to the religious teacher how, by indirection, to ap- proach a sacred conscience. 29. He * * * said, I will not. This is the language of flagrant, open, and audacious sin. Compare Luke 15 : 13 ; 19 : 14. The char- acter and experience described are represented in such passages as Prov. 1 : 21: ; Jer. 2 : 25 ; 41 : 16. —But afterwards regretted it and went. The Greek word {uiTui^iiXoiiiai) here rendered repent should not be so translated. It occurs in the N. T. only here and in verse 32 below, and in Matt. 27 : 3 ; 2 Cor. 7:8; Heb. 7 : 21. It differs from the word {uttocroibj), more generally ren- dered repent; that word signifies a change of purpose, this, rather regret. See note on Matt. 3 : 2. Here, however, though the idea of regret is prominent, the result, a change of mind, is in- volved in the narrative. 30. He * * * said, I sir. There is an air of alacrity and of quasi self-assurance in the original, which our version hardly retains. Mor- ison paraphrases it, "Tou may depend upon me sir." The character and experience described are depicted in such passages as Isaiah 29 : 13 ; Ezek. 33 : 31 ; Matt. 15 ; 8 ; Rom. 2 : 17-23 ; Titus 1 :16. 31. 32. Publicans and harlots. For a description of the Publican see note on Matt. 9 : 9. For description of the Pharisees, here re- ferred to in the words "before ?/om," see note on Matt. 3 : 7. Publicans and harlots had accepted Christ and enrolled themselves among his disci- ples (Matt. 9:9; Luke 7 : 29, 37-60 ; 15:1,2; 19 : 2, 9, lo). — Go into the kingdom of God before you. An intimation that the way was stiU open, so that the Pharisees might follow on if they would. — In the way of righteousness. Preaching obedience as the way of Ufe, which was the radical doctrine of Pharisaism, but preaching a very dif- ferent kind of obedience, viz., compliance with the moral not with the mere ceremonial law (see Luke 3 : lo-u). John the Baptist came upon their own ground, yet they beheved not. — When ye had seen it, regretted not, that ye might believe him. That is, they had no such regret as led to a practical belief in John, and practical compliance with his instructions. Lessons. These two sons represent, not the Gentiles and the Jews, as interpreted by some of the earlier commentators, nor the Publicans and Pharisees, as usually interpreted by the later commentators, but those Publicans who re- gretted their open and flagrant sinfulness and commenced a life of obedience, and those Phari- sees who endeavored to cover a life of real dis- obedience by a pretence of compliance with the law. The first son indicates only Publicans who, mce Matthew and Zaccheus, forsook their sms to follow Christ ; the second son does not indicate Pharisees who, like Nicodemus, Joseph of Ari- mathea, and Paul, forsook their sins to follow him. In its modem application the parable teaches, not that there is more hope for a flagrant sinner than for a virtuous man, but that the fla- grant sinner vjho forsakes his sins, enters the kingdom of heaven before the orthodox and moral man, who clings to his sins. The first son is commended, not because of the daring wickedness of his reply, but because he regretted it and showed Ms regret by his action. "What comfort will it afford to the lost to reflect that they went openly to perdition, in broad day-light, before all men, and did not skulk through by-ways, under pre- tence that they were going to heaven." — {Arnot.) On the other hand the second son is not condemned for his answer, but in spite of it, and because, having promised obedience, he refused to render it. The lesson of the parable is then exactly the lesson of Matt. 7 : 21-27. Incidentally it opens the door of hope to all, even the least and the lowest. "'Who was more wretched than Mat- thew? But he became an Evangelist. Who worse than Paul V But he became an apostle. * * * MATTHEW. [Ch. XXL 33 Hear another parable : There was a certain house- holder, whicli'i planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country : 34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants" to the husbandmen, that they might re- ceive the fruits of it. 35 And' the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first : and they did unto them likewise. 37 But, last of all, he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said Raliab was a harlot, yet was she saved ; and the thief was a murderer, yet he became a citizen of Paradise ; and while Judas being with his Master, perished, the thief being on a cross, became a disciple." — {Chrysostom.) The whole parable il- lustrates Matt. 19 : 30. Ch. 21 : 33-46. THE PARABLE OP THE WICKED HUS- BAXDMEN.— The AccotnNTABiLiTT or nations to God. — The punishment of godless and unfaithful na- tions. This parable was a part of the Temple instruc- tion on the day which constituted the close of Christ's public ministry. It is reported also in Mark (12 : 1-12) and Luke (20 : 9-19). It was spoken to all the people (Luke) and therefore personally applied to all, not merely, as some of the com- mentators have supposed, to their religious leaders. 33. Hear another parable. Confounded by the previous parable and its application, those who came to perplex Christ (verse 23) would have withdrawn ; he recalls them. — There Avas a certain householder which planted a vineyard. Judea was formerly a land of vine- yards ; these were constructed on its hills, which were often terraced to the summit. From the earliest settlement by the Israelites it was famous for its grapes (Numb. 13 : 23 ; Isaiah 16 : 8-10 ; Jer. 48 : 32). The hedge was sometimes a stone wall, sometimes a true hedge of thorns ; this last, if formed, as is common in the East, of the prickly wild aloe, was an efEectual protection against wild beasts (Psalm 80 : 12, 13 ; Sol. Sonj 2 : u). The wilie-preSS WaS dug in the earth or hewn out of the solid rock. It consisted-of two vats, at difEerent elevations, the grapes being trodden out in one ; the other receiving the juice. The tower was a place of shelter for watchmen who guarded the fruit of the vineyard ; it was also used for storing the fruit. It is customary in the East, as in Ireland and in other parts of Europe, for the owner to let out his estate to husbandmen, i. e. tenants, who pay him an annual rent, either in money, or, as apparently in this case, in kind. The attempt to find a spiritual parallel for the hedge, and wine-press and tower, appears to me unnatural and far-fetched. But Chi7Sostom's remark is worth nothing. " Observe his great care and the excessive idleness of these men. For what pertained to the husbandmen he himself did, the hedging round about, the planting the vineyard, and all the rest." The sources of national prosperity, not only with the Jews, but with all nations, come from God. To preserve and ripen what he has given is alone left to man. And went abroad. "By his going into a far country he means his great long-suffering." — {Chrysostom.) But it seems to me he means more than this. Christ repeatedly represents God as appearing to withdraw from the earth, that he may test the fldelity and obedience of his children (Matt. 24 : 48 ; 25 : U ; Luke 19 : I2). I Should rather say this represents and partially explains "the eternal silences," God's seeming absence. 34. And when the time of the fruit drew near. By the Mosaic law the fruit of the trees was not to be eaten for five years after planting. This reasonable provision, though based on reli- gious grounds, gave the tree opportunity for maturing before use (Lev. 19 : 23-25). But the anal- ogy is not to be pressed. AU time is the time of fruit with the individual and with the nation. God continually seeks for f l-uit (Luke 13 : T ; John is : 35, 3G. Such scenes of violence as are here described (verses 38, 39), have been common, not only in the East, but even in Ireland, and they have not been unknown even in this country, e. g. in the days of the anti-rent controversy m N. Y. State. "For an abundant historical justification of this description, and as showing that the past ingratitude of the people is not painted here in colors a whit too dark, see 1 Kings 18 : 13 ; 19 : 14 ; 23 : 24-27 ; 3 Kmgs 6 : 31 ; 31 : IG ; 3 Chron. 34 : 19-22 ; 36 : 15, IG ; Jer. 20 : 1, 3 ; 37 : 15 ; and also Acts 7 : 51-55 ; 1 Thess. 3 : 15 ; Heb. 11 : 36, oi:'— {Trench.) Compare also Matt. 33 : 34r-37; Mark and Luke give this description of the treatment of the servants somewhat more graph- ically. 37. In Luke the lord of the vineyard is repre- sented as saying, Wliat shall I do^ a picture of human perplexity, representing the grief of the Heavenly Father over his rebellious children. Mark's report of Christ's language is noticeable. He says, Having yet therefore one son, Ms ivell- beloved. Christ thus discriminates clearly be- tween himself, the Son, and the prophets who were but servants (compare Heb. 3 : 6, 6). — They will respect my son. "So also elsewhere he saith, Ch. XXI.] MATTHEW. 237 among themselves, This is the heir fi come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39 And they'' caught him, and cast Aim out of the vineyard, and slew /tim. 40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen ? 41 They say unto him. He will miserably destroy' those wicked men, and will let out Ais vineyard unto otherJ husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The'' stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner : this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ? 43 Therefore say I unto you. The kingdom' of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation"" bring- ing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And whosoever shall fall" on this stone shall be broken : but on whomsoever it shall fall, it" will grind him to powder. If perchance, they will hear (Ezek. 2 ; 5), not being ignorant, but lest any of the obstinate should say that his prediction necessitated their disobe- dience." — (Chi-ysostom.) Perhaps this is all. Yet it seems to me that this language of Scripture, of constant appeal to the will of man, shows that God recognizes a real freedom of will, which theologians and philosophers have sometimes denied. The way was still open for them, so that they might respect and listen to the Son, though God foreknew their rejection of him. Compare Acts 2 : 33. 38, 39. This is the heir. That the Phar- isees recognized in Christ the divine Messiah is not probable ; that they did recognize his mirac- ulous power is certain from John 3:3; 11 : 47- .OO ; and the latter reference indicates that if they did not recognize in him the Messiah it was due to willful prejudice.— Seize on his inherit- ance. That which engendered the bitter hos- tility of the priests and scribes to Christ, was the fact that his teaching threatened to destroy their influence and power. They considered the nation their property ; and they slew the Son that they might hold it for themselves (joim 11 : 48; 12 : 19). — Cast him out of the vineyard. The com- mentators notice that Christ was delivered over to the Gentiles to be slain (john is -. 28), and was crucified without the gate (John 19 : n ; Heb. 13 : II, 12). But neither fact appears to me to be indicated here. Mark reverses the order of Matthew's language and says, Killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. 41. Miserable fellows ! miserably will he destroy them. {y.uxovg y.ay.wg uTtukiae Kutov:.) The language of indignation is far stronger m the original, of which I give, as nearly as possible, a literal translation, than in our English version. The Pharisees did not perceive the drift of his parable, or perhaps this was the answer of the people, and ^^ God forbid^'' (Luke 20 : 16) was their involuntary response to the pop- ular expression. To this their response, reported only by Luke, Christ replies with the quotation from the O. T. of the next verse, thus confirming the lesson of his parable. 42. This quotation is from Psalm 118 : 23. From the same Psalm, ver. 26, was taken the song Bung by the people on Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, two days before (Matt. 21 : 9). The date and occasion of that Psalm are uncertain, and to what the Psalmist referred in the proverbial phrase here quoted, is therefore also uncertain. Mr. Barnes' interpretation appears to me rational. " We are not to suppose that this Psalm had origi- nal reference to the Messiah ; but it is applicable to him, and it is used, here and elsewhere, merely to show them how the prmciple was found in their own writings, that one who was rejected, like a stone unfit to be worked into any part of a building, might be in reality so important, that it would be laid yet at the very comer, and become the most valuable stone in the edifice — that on which the whole superstructure would rest." The head of the corner refers not to the highest point or coping of the wall, but to the corner-stone, laid at the foundation, binding together the two walls ; on it the whole super- structure, in a measure, rests. There are four corner-stones, but in large buildings one is gen- erally laid with ceremony, as the first step in the true structure of the edifice. Christ is declared elsewhere in the N. T. to be the comer-stone of his church. See Acts 4 : 11 ; 1 Cor. 3 : 11 ; 1 Pet. 3 : 6, 7 ; compare Isaiah 28 : 16 ; Zech. 4:7; and especially Ephes. 2 : 20-33, where Christ's oflace in binding together Jew and Gentile in one spir- itual edifice is portrayed. — Marvellous. Be- cause the rejected stone is become the corner- stone. The superstructure also is largely made up of stones rejected by the world's builders. Compare Acts 4 : 13 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 36, 37. 43. Given to a nation producing the fruits thereof. Not any particular nation, nor the Gentiles generally, but God's peculiar people, his chosen nation out of all lands. See Acts 15 : 14 ; 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 5 : 9. 44. Trench gives well the meaning of this enigma. "They fall on the stone who are of- fended at Christ in his low estate (isaiah 8 : 14 j 53 .- 2; Luke 2 : 34 ; 4 : 29 i John 4 : 44) ; of thiS Sin hiS hcarcrS were already guilty. They on whom the stone falls are those who set themselves in self-con- scious opposition against the Lord ; who, knowing what he is, do yet to the end oppose themselves to him and to his kingdom. These shall not merely fall and be broken ; for one might recover himself, 238 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXII. 45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake ot them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because theyp took him for a prophet CHAPTER XXII. AND Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2 Thei kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a' marriage for his son, p Luke 7 : 16 ; John 7 : 40. . . .q Lake U : 16. . . .r Rev. 19 : 7, 9. though with some present harm, from such a fall as this ; but on them the stone shall fall as | from heaven, and shall grind them to powder." Compare Matt. 12 ; 33 and note. The verb here rendered grind to powder, is literally winnow, and here implies both making chafE of them and scaUeri7ig them as chafE to the winds of heaven. Compare Dan. 2 : 35 ; to which Christ perhaps intends a reference. Observe the implication that there is no possibility of restoration, an implication adverse directly to the restoration of the Jews as a nation, and indirectly to the resto- ration of a lost soul after judgment. "Mercy has lighted this premonitory fire. The Lord sends out foreshadowings of judgment to drive from their unbelief, those who refuse to yield to gentler means." — {Arnot.) 45, 46. According to Mark, after this parable, "They (i. e. the Pharisees) left Christ and went their way." They subsequently sent disciples as spies to assume an air of honest inquirers and so entrap him. Matt. 22 : 15 and note. Lessons of the Parable. The vine (Psaim so : 8-16 ; Jer. 2 : 21 ; Ezek. 15 : 1-6 ; 19 : lo) and the Vineyard (Isaiah 5 : 1-7 ; 27 : 2, z) are employed in the O. T. as symbols of the Jewish nation. See also Matt. 20 : 1 ; and John 15 : 1. The parallel between this parable and those in Psalm 80 : 8-16 and Isaiah 5 : 1-7 is so striking, that it is not improb- able that Christ and his auditors had one or both of those passages in mind. But a radical difiEer- ence is noticeable. In the Psalms the hedges are broken down and the vineyard ravaged by wild beasts, i. e. the Jewish nation was desolated by the heathen ; in Isaiah the vineyard brings forth wild grapes, i. e. the Jewish nation produced no good fruit. Here the vineyard is fruitful, but the husbandmen will not render up the fruits. In the O. T. the kingdom of God and the Jewish nation are treated as identical ; in the N. T. the vineyard is the kingdom of God, and is to be taken from the nation, and given to one bringing forth the fruits thereof. The householder then represents God ; the vine- yard the kingdom of God (see note on verse 33), the hedge, and winepress, and tower, the various ad- vantages conferred by God upon the Jewish people (Rom. 9:4); the husbandmen, not the religious leaders of the people, but the people themselves, who were intrusted with the kingdom, and who should have brought forth the fruits of right- eousness in themselves, and in their children, each generation cultivating the succeeding gen- eration ; the going into a far country, is the seeming withdrawal of God from the earth into the realm of the silent and the unseen; the servants are the prophets sent to the nation from time to time, and shamefully ill-treated ; the Son is Christ, the last appeal of a merciful God to an unfaithful nation ; the coming of the Lord of the vineyard is primarily God's coming in the destnic- tion of Jerusalem, when the nation was destroyed, and the kingdom taken from Israel and given to the nation bringing forth the fruits thereof, i. e. the elect of all lands. The practical lessons of the parable to our own times are as follows : The real foundation of national prosperity is found in God's gifts; every nation is accountable to God, as a nation, and for its national use of its privileges and position ; the seeming indifference and real watchfulness of God ; the certainty of a coming judgment, in time for the nation, in eternity for the individual ; the total destruction of the un- faithful nation, illustrated by history, and illus- trating the doom of the individual ; and the finality of that doom, enforced by the result of the final judgment in this parable, as expressed in the words, "Grind them to powder." Verse 42 indicates that Christ is the foundation of national life, as well as of Christian and church life, and verse 43 that the continuance of national prosperity is conditioned on practical righteous- Ch. 22 : 1-14. PAEABLE OF THE WEDDISG FEAST.- GtrELT IS DTDIVrDUAIi AND PERSONAL. — ThE GREATEST SIN : THE REJECTION OF THE GOSPEL.— ThE FALSE PRO- FESSOR OP RELIGION : HE PROFESSES CHRIST, BUT DOES NOT PUT ON Christ.— See analysis below. Analysis. — This parable, which is peculiar to Matthew, has been sometimes confounded with that of the Great Supper in Luke 14 : 15-24. We must believe either that Christ employed sub- stantially the same figure more than once in his ministry, though with variation both in imagery and in application, or else that we have here two different reports of the same parable. The former opinion appears to me the better one. The parallel between the two discourses is very clear. In both there is a supper, to which the guests first invited decline to come ; in both their places are filled up by a throng invited from the streets. But the difference is more marked than the resemblance. That parable was delivered in Ch. XXIL] MATTHEW. 239 3 And' sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding : and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying. Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner ; my oxen and tny fatlings are killed, and all things are ready : come unto the marriage. 5 But they made light' of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise : 8 Pb. 68 : U; Jer. 25:4; 36: 15; Rev. 22 : 17 t Ps. 106: 24,25; Prov. 1 : 24,25; Acts 24: 25; Rom. 2:4. a Pharisee's house, this in the Temple ; that before the enmity of the leaders had been fully developed, this as a warning of their danger ; that represented simply a supper given by a cer- tain man, this a wedding-feast given by a king on the marriage of his son ; in that the guests simply absent themselves, in this they maltreat the servants sent to invite them ; in that they simply are shut out from the supper, in this they are destroyed, and their city burned with fire ; that is addressed to the remark of a by- stander, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God, and points out how in all ages, and in all communities. Christian and Jewish, the actual invitation to eat bread in that king- dom is disregarded, and portrays the reasons in the three excuses assigned, this is closely con- nected with the preceding parable, and sets forth in a new light, and from a different stand-point, the judgment against the Jewish nation for its rejection of the Lord. In brief, that parable emphasizes the Gospel invitation, the fact of judgment and condemnation is subordinate and incidental, this emphasizes the judgment and condemnation, the Gospel invitation is subordi- nate and incidental. That illustrates the grace, this the judgment of the Lord. It is not deroga- tory to Christ to suppose that he employed this parable twice ; it is rather a token of the skill of the Great Teacher that he uses substantially the same picture to teach lessons which in modern theology have often been represented as incon- gruous if not inconsistent. The student should compare with this parable that in Luke and the notes there. This parable is closely connected with the pre- ceding one— The Wicked Husbandmen. It is unfortunate that the two are separated by a chapter division. The two teach the same les- son, the rejection of Christ by the Jews, God's chosen people, and their rejection and destruc- tion in consequence. But that represents God as coming to demand fruits, this to bring a gift ; that represents the nation as determined not to account for its trust, this as determined not to receive grace ; that is drawn from the O. T., this is redolent of the N. T. ; that deals with the Jewish nation a.s a nation^ for the husbandmen conspire and act together (ch. 21 : ss), this deals with individuals an individuals, each one declines for himself the king's invitation, some being simply indifferent, others open in their enmity (versjs 5, 6) ; that again represents the calling of a new nation to whom the kingdom of God shall be given (ch. 21:43), this represents that in this new call each soul shall give account of itself, and none shall abide in the kingdom of heaven without personal preparation, the wedding-gar- ment (verse 12). That therefore teaches the unity, responsibility and judgment of nations, this dis- tributes that responsibility, and allots that judg- ment to the individual. 2. The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man king (see note on Matt. 18 : 23) who would make a wedding feast for his son. The wedding festivities in the East are often protracted for several days, sometimes for an entire week or more (Oen. 29 : 27 ; judges 14 : 12. See notes on John 2 : 1, etc., and Matt. 25 : i). The word rendered marriage in this verse is the same translated wed- ding in the next. It properly signifies the wed- ding feast. "The two favorite images under which the prophets of the Old Covenant set forth the blessings of the New, and of all near communion with God, that of a festival (isaiah 25 : 6; 65 : 13; Sol. Song 5 : l), and of a marriage (Isaiah 61 : 10 ; 62 : 6 ; Hos. 2:19; Matt. 9 : 16 ; John 3 : 29 ; Eph. 5 : 32 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 2), meet and interpenetrate each other in the marriage festival here." — (Trench.) The fact that the guests, i. e. the disciples of Christ, constitute Christ's bride, exemplifies the fact that no figures borrowed from human life are adequate fully to illustrate spiritual truth. Even in the parable we only see through a glass darkly. For parallel passages of Scripture, see Prov. 9:3-5; Zeph. 1 : 7, 8 ; Luke 22 : 18, 30 ; Rev. 19 : 7. Observe, that the Bible by the symbol of the feast represents the religious life as one of joyousness, and by the symbol of the mar- riage as one of a most sacred and intimate fel- lowship with God. Observe, too, that the espousal takes place on earth ; the marriage is completed in heaven. 3. It is not uncommon in the East, when the feast is ready, to send a notice to those that have been invited (see Est. 6 : 8 ; 6 : u). Observe here the implication that the O. T. was an invita- tion to the feast, to which the N. T. was the second summons, with the declaration. All things are ready. Compare Gal. 4 : 4. 4. An attempt is made by some commentators to find a parallel in the N. T. for this double sending, e.g., that the first sending is by John the Baptist and the earlier ministry of the twelve during the lifetime of the Lord, the second by their preaching subsequent to Pentecost. I should rather see in it only a testimony to the long-suffering and patience of God, in repeating 240 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXIL 6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated" them spitetuUy, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth : and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed" those mur- derers, and burned up their city. 8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy." 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. to So those servants went out into the highways.and gathered together all,=' as many as they found, both bad and good : and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in to^ see tlie guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding' garment : 12 And he saith unto him. Friend, how earnest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was" speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand andf foot, and take him'' away, and cast him into outer darkness :<= there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. and re-repeating the Gospel message, as I should see in the end of the parable a justification for refusing to cast pearls before the swine that trample them under-foot and turn again to rend the giver. — All things are ready. See note on Luke 14 : 17. 5,6. In the parable in Luke the excuses of those that decline are given more fully. See notes there. Observe the two classes here. First are the indiflerent, They made light of it, literally, But they cariyig not ; the same word is rendered neglect in Hebrew 3 : 3, which illus- trates the character of these hearers. The second are the open enemies of the King (veree e). These two classes, the indifferent and the openly opposed, indicate nearly the whole Jewish na- tion. — The first class again are divided into two classes : They went their ways, one to his farm, the other to his commerce. Mer- chandise is admissible here as a translation only in the sense of "The act or business of trading." The original {ci^irtoQla from funooo?, traveler) sig- nifies literally, a. journey for traffic. Thus it here indicates, the labor, not the results, of acquisition. One was absorbed by his possession, the other by his getting. "The first would etijoy what he already possesses ; the second would acquire what is as yet only in anticipation. The first represents the rich ; the second those that would be rich (1 Tim. 6 : 9, vrith ny— {Trench.) Entreated them spitefully and slew them. Neglect of the invitation we can under- stand, but why this murdering of the king's heralds ? A royal feast often possesses a polit- ical significance. Thus it has been supposed that the feast recorded in Esther, ch. 1, is identi- cal with the great gathering called when Xerxes (Ahasuerus) was planning his Greek expedition. A refusal to attend such a feast would be signifi- cant of rebellion, which some might carry fur- ther than others. For the historical fulfillment of this as a prophecy of the Jewish maltreatment of the apostles, see Acts 4 : 3 ; 5 : 18, 40 ; 7 : 58 ; 8 : 3 ; 13 : 3 ; 14 : 5, 19 ; 16 : 33 ; 17 : 5 ; 21 : 30 ; 33 : 2 ; 1 Thess. 3 : 2, 14-16. Amot gives well the practical application : " In our own day, it does not require extraordinary sagacity to perceive the same spirit in the relish and readiness with which certain classes catch up a cry against any one who, not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, has discharged his commission in fuU." 7. The armies of the earth are God's armies, by whom he executes punishment 6n ungodly nations (Deut. 28 : 49, &c. ; Isaiah 10 ; 5, 6 ; Jer. 51 : 20-23). The direct reference here is, of course, to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman legions. Observe that only the murderers are destroyed ; those who simply rejected the invita- tion are only rejected from the supper. Compare Luke 14 : 34 with 19 : 37. I would not press this, except so far as it indicates a gradation in the divine punishments. 8. Not worthy. Compare Acts 13 : 46. Those that refuse God's grace, whatever the excellence of their character, are the unworthy ; those that show themselves ready to receive it are the worthy, whatever the natural poverty of their character. Luke 18 : 10-14. 9. 10. The highways. More literally the confluences of the ways, i. e., the open squares and market-places where the people would naturally assemble. Observe, the invitation is to be extended without discrimination, and all both bad and good are to be brought to the feast. There is no condition of coming to Christ, but just to come. The bad are invited tfiat they may be made good (i Cor. 6 : 9-11 ; Eph. 2 : 1-5). "The beau- tiful words of Augustine on Christ's love to his church may find here their application, 'He loved her foul that he might make her fair.' " — (Trench.) Compare Jer. 3 : 1-14. Of the "good," Nathaniel and Cornelius are illustra- tions (John 1 : 47 ; Acts 10 : 1, 2, 4, 22 ; compare Luke 8:15); Of the "bad," Matthew and Zaccheus and Saul of Tarsus (Matt. 9:9; Luke 19 : 2, 8 ; Acts 9:1,2; 1 Tim. 1 : 13-16). 11-13. It is a custom at the present day in the East for the host to present his guests with robes of honor. A story is told in Trench, of a vizier slain for failing to wear such a robe, his faUure being accounted a mark of disrespect. It is certain that robes were an important part of Oriental wealth (josh. 7 : 21 ; judges 14 : 12 ; James 5 : 2), and were often given as marks of peculiar favor (Gen. 41 : 42 ; 45 : 22 ; 1 Sam. 18 : 4 ; 2 Kings 5:5; Dan. 5:7; Esther 6 : s), and, probably, were frequently given out on State Ch. XXII.] MATTHEW. 241 14 For'' many are called, but few are chosen. 15 Then« went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. 16 And they sent out unto him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man ; for thou regardest not the person of men. 17 Tell us therefore. What thinkest thou ? Is it law- ful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? d ch. 7 : 14 ; 20 : 16 ; Luke 13 : S3, 24 e Mark 12 : 13, etc. ; Luke 20 : 20, « occasions to all guests. The symbolic meaning of the wedding garment has been a subject of discussion, some Protestant writers having in- sisted that it represents faith, the Romish writers that it represents charity. Christ gives no inter- pretation. Here he simply teaches that though all, both bad and good, are invited, no one will be allowed in the heavenly kingdom who is not prepared for the company and the occasion. In what that preparation consists, and how pro- cured, he does not here teach. But other pas- sages in Scripture answer these questions. Our own righteousness is as filthy rags (isaiah 64 : o) ; these God takes from us that he may clothe us Mdth garments of salvation (Lute 15 : 22 ; isaiau ei : 10), which are washed white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7 : 14). These we put on when we put on the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, in baptism (Rom. 13 : 14 ; Gal. 3 : 26, 27), which we do, uot merely by a belief in Christ, but by such a personal reception of him, that we lay off the old man and put on a new man in Christ Jesus (Eph. 4:24; coi. 3 : 10-14). Without these garments of holiness, the free gift of God (Rev. 3 : is), none can enter heaven (Rev. le : 15). The wedding garment, then, is neither charity nor faith, but the righteous- ness of the saints (Rev. i9:8), i. e., that radical change in character and life wrought by the spirit of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, without which no man can see the Lord (Heb. 12 : 14). To be without a wedding garment, implied that the man thought his usual attire good enough for the king's wedding ; he thus represents those who profess to follow Christ, but who think themselves good enough as they are, and do not seek from him that new birth without which no man can see the kingdom of heaven. The lesson, then, of this incident of the wedding garment is that no one can enter heaven except through humility and a change of nature, that we must not only accept Jesus Christ openly, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and that there is discrimination in God's king- dom, but to be exercised by the king, not by his servants (Matt. 13 : 29, 30), and at the door of the feast, not in the invitation. Friend. The word so rendered here (irar^oc), appears only here and in Matt. 11 : 19 ; 20 : 13 ; and 26 : ,50. See note on Matthew 20 : 13.— Speechless, literally gagged. That he had no answer to make shows clearly that it was not beyond his power to be properly attired. The spiritual significance Amot puts well. "The judgment will be so conducted that the con- demned will be compelled to own the justice of their sentence." — Servants. The Greek word translated sermnts, in verse 13, is not the same as that rendered servants in verse 3. The one are the messengers of the Gospel, the other are the angels. Compare Matt. 13 : 39, 49.— Outer darkness. See note on Matt. 8 : 12. 14. This verse is the text of the parable. The many called include, first, the entire Jewish nation, who are not chosen, because they refuse the Gospel invitation ; second, the Gentiles, of whom they alone are chosen who see and seek in the kingdom of God that in which it consists, "righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Rom. 14:17. Ch. 22 : 15-22. CONCERNING TRIBUTE TO C^SAR.— The gbound and the limitation of the duty op obedience to crvtl government. This incident is also given by Mark (12 : 13-17), and Luke (20 : 20-26). It occurred in the Temple, during the last day of Christ's public teaching. 15. Took counsel. That is, held a consul- tation ; no official meeting, as of the Sanhedrim, is indicated. Their previous attempt (Matt. 21 : 23) appears to have been without concert or prepa- ration. Luke describes more fully their object : "They sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor," i. e., the Roman governor Pilate. 16. Their disciples. Concealing them- selves, and sending persons who should be un- known to Jesus.— With the Herodians. These are mentioned only here and in Mark 12 : 13, etc., and Mark 3 : 6. The reference to the leaven of Herod in Mark 8 : 1.5 contains per- haps an indirect allusion to them. They are not described by Josephus or any contemporary writers. Their character can only be conjec- tured from their name. They were probably a political rather than an ecclesiastical party, the adherents of the Herodian family, who were the creatures of Caesar. The Herodians, therefore, would have been ready to prefer an accusation against any one who counselled refusal to pay the Roman tax. — Master, we know, etc. They purported to be true inquirers, to desire counsel, and by flattery sought to draw him on to a repudiation of the Roman tax. To them is applicable the proverb which Alford quotes: 242 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXIL i8 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites ? 19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto liim a penny. 20 And lie saith unto them. Whose is this image and superscription ? 21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render' therefore unto Caesar the things which are Csesar's, and unto Gode the things that are God's 22 When they had heard these ivordsy they mar- velled, and left him, and went their way. f ch. 17 : 25, 27 ; Rom. 13:7 g Mai. 1 : 6-8 ; 3 : 8-10. The devil never lies so foully as when he tells the truth. Compare with their language here their characterization of Christ on other occa- sions, e. g. John 7 : 13 ; 8 : 48 ; 9 : 16. 17. Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not ? Mark adds the still more direct question : Shall we give, or shall we not give? Cissar was the official name of the Eoman emperor. The reigning Caesar was Tiberius. The tribute, literally census money, i. e. poll tax, was paid by every Jew. It was inquisitorial, followed a careful taking of the census, in which every man was obliged to report his family, his property and his Income (see note on Luke 2 : i), and was extremely odious to the Jews, who counted it a badge of their national degradation (compare note on Matt. 9 : 9). Its payment was resisted by some, especially among the Galileans, not only on political but also on religious grounds. Deut. 17 : 15 might have been regarded as a quasi jus- tification for their resistance. The revolt re- ferred to in Acts 5 : 37 (see note there) appears to have been caused by this tax. 18. But Jesus perceived their wicked- ness. Luke characterizes it more clearly as craftiness, Mark as hypocrisy. — Why tempt ye me, hypocrites ? " Jesus shows them that he is true, as they had Bai6..'"—{£engel.) DENAKIUS — A. PENNY. 19, 20. Show me the tribute money. Literally, the coin of the census, i. e. the coin in which the tribute is paid. — They brought unto him a penny. Literally, a denarius, a Roman coin equal to about seventeen cents of our money. The annexed cut shows the image and super- Bcription referred to. By requiring them to bring him the coin he compels them to answer, tacitly, their own question; for the Jewish rabbis taught that, "wheresoever the money of any king is current, there the inhabitants ac- knowledge that king for their lord." — {Light- foot.) By accepting the Roman coinage they accepted the Roman government and all the con- sequent responsibilities and obligations. 21. Render unto Caesar. Rather here, give back to Ccesar. Compare for similar use of the same verb {anndidw^n), Luke 4 : 20 ; 9 : 43. They ask, is it lawful to give, he replies, give back. Since they accepted in the coinage of Caesar the benefits of his government, they were bound to give back a recompense in tribute. — The things that are God's. Not the tem- ple tribute merely, but all things. As the ac- ceptance of Caesar's government involves the duty of tax-paying to him, so the acceptance of every good and perfect gift from above involves the duty of supreme allegiance to God, Lessons of this incident. The problem. The enquirers appeared to be honest disciples (Luke 20 : 2o), approachcd Christ with the language of respect (verse 16) and with a question on which the nation was divided. If Christ replied. Pay tribute, he would render himself obnoxious to the people, who, without exception, expected to be delivered from the Roman yoke and Roman tax- ation by the Messiah. If he answered, Pay not, he would involve himself with the Roman govern- ment, and afford a real ground for the false accusation afterwards preferred against him (Luke 23 : o). The latter answer the Pharisees hoped to elicit from Christ. — ChrisVs solution. He com- pels the questioners to expose their own incon- sistency. They accept in the coin of Rome the Roman government. So long as they do this they are bound to give back support to it. For so long as the citizen accepts the benefit of a govem- men the owes it allegiance and obedience. At the same time Christ affords both the ground and the limitation of this obedience. The powers that be are ordained of God. Because we are to render to God the things that are God's we are to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, for Caesar is of God ; but when Caesar requires what God forbids we are to disobey. For illus- tration of the duty of obedience to human law, see Rom. 13 : 1-7 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 31-34 ; Ephes. 6 : .5-8 ; Col. 3 : 33-35 ; 1 Pet. 3 : 13-17.— For illus- tration of the duty of disobedience, under the higher law of allegiance to God, see Dan. 3 : is"; 6 : 10 ; Acts 4 : 19 ; 5 : 39. Certain of the commentators see in Christ's answer here a solu- tion of the much-vexed question of Church and State. But I am unable to see how it has any- thing more than a remote bearing on that -grd^i- lem.— Spiritual lesson. This Dean Alford sug- gests. It can hardly have been recognized by Ch. XXIL] MATTHEW. 243 23 The*" same day came to him the Sadducees, which' say that there is no resurrection, and aslced him, 24 Saying, Master, Moses said, It'J a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first when he had married a wife, deceased, and, hav- ing no issue, left his wife unto his brother : 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 27 And last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven ? for they all had her. not^ knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels' of God in heaven. 31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 1™ am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 33 And when the multitude heard thisy they were astonished" at his doctrine. . i Acts 23 : 8 j De 3:6,15,16; Heb. 1 Ich. 18 : 10: 1 Johns : 2 the auditors, but it is perhaps none the less in- volved, though indirectly, in the second clause of Christ's reply. " Man is the coinage and bears the image of God (oen. i : 27) ; and this image is not lost by the fall (Gen. 9:6; Acts 17 : 29 ; James 3 : 9). We owe then ourselves to God ; and this solemn duty is implied, of giving ourselves to Him, with all that we have and are." Ch. 22 : 23-33. THE SADDUCEES SILENCED.— The SCRIPTUBE PROVES THE BEStlREECTION.— FaITH Df God's oslnipotencb removes all difficulties. This conference is reported also in Mark 13 : 18-37, and Luke 30 : 37-40.— See the latter pas- sage and notes there. 23. The Sadducees. The materialists and infidels o\ the first century. They denied not merely the resurrection of the body, but also the immateriality and immortality of the soul (Acts 23:8). For brief statement of their history and opinions, see note on Matt. 3 : 7. — Which say. Rather, saying ; i. e, they came for the very pur- pose of arguing the point with Jesus. 34-28. The law referred to is recorded in Deut. 35 : 5, 6. For illustration of its exercise see Ruth, chap. 4. The case here proposed was doubtless an imaginary one,' invented for the purpose of presenting an objection to the doc- trine of a future life. An illustration of the spirit of much modern theological controversy. 2.'). Not knowing, i. e, not understanding. Two frequent causes of religious error are here hinted at : first, a failure to understand the Scrip- ture, which we often read, as they did, either superficially and carelessly, or blinded by our theological prejudices ; second, a failure to real- ize the power of God, it being a common error of theological and philosophical reasoning to Kmit the divine power to those forms of exercise with which we are acquainted. Observe the fact that the Bible expressly rests the doctrine of the resurrection on the exercise of divhve power (Acts 26 : 8 ; Rom. 4 : 17 ; 8 : U ; 1 Cor. 6 : u). 30. Compare Luke 30 : 34r-36 which gives the reply more fully. For a consideration of the Bible idea of marriage see notes on Matt. 19 : 4-6. This declaration does not imply that the angels are the spirits of the departed ; on the contrary, it discriminates between the two, for it compares the one to the other. Nor does it imply that there is no recognition of friends in heaven and no perpetuation of friendship. Nor does it involve the literal resurrection of the earthly body ; on the contrary, it implies a radical difference between the celestial and the terrestrial body. (Compare l Cor. 15:42.^, 60.) But Christ declares that as in heaven there will be no more death (Luke 20 : 36), so there will be no succes- sion and renewal of life, which is the main object of marriage ; hence the physical relation of mar- riage will not continue to exist ; and that alone constitutes the diflaculty in the case proposed. 31, 32. Christ refers the Sadducees, not to the teaching of the later prophets, but to Moses whom they had cited. And he carries them back to God's covenant with Israel as a nation, entered into at the burning bush (Luke 20 : 37 j Exod. 3 : 6). Observe that both here and there the language is in the present tense, I am the God of Abraham, etc. Thus the covenant, which rendered the Jews God's peculiar people, is itself called to witness to the resurrection of the dead. Christ's use of this passage is inconsistent with the idea of an intermediate unconscious state, and equally so with the position of those who maintain that the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead is not taught in the earlier books of the O. T. Christ shows that it is not only taught there, but is inwrought into the very structure of the teaching, and asserts that the Sadducees fail to recognize it only because they know not the Scriptures. A comparison of Christ's lan- guage here with Rom. 14 : 9, Christ is "Lord both of the dead and the living," affords a striking illustration of the verbal contradictions which are not infrequent in Scripture. But the con- tradiction is merely verbal ; the argument there really confirms the argument here ; for Paul cites Christ's death and resicrrection, as an evidence that he is the Lord of those that die, who are also raised from the dead that he may be their Lord. Luke repeats Christ's practical deduction, which is the same as Paul's : "All live to him." See Luke 30 : 38 and note, and compare Rom. 14 : 8. 244 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXII. 34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered to- gether. 35 Then" one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question^ tempting him. and saying, 36 Master, which is tne great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, ThouP shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This IS the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it,i Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 1 Lnke 10 : 25, etc p Deat. 6:5; 10 : 12 q Lev. 19 : 18. 33. Doctrine. Rather, teaching; here cer- tainly not what he taught, for the doctrine of the resurrection was generally accepted among the people, but the manner in which he confirmed it and confounded those who opposed it. Ch. 22 : 34-40. THE GREAT CO.MMANmiENT. CREED : LOVE.— Christ's DBmaTioN of pbbty and PHILiNTHROPY. Parallel to this is Mark 12 : 28-34. The ac- count is not given by Luke or John. But an incident analogous is found in Luke (lo : 25, etc.), where Christ, in answer to a further inquiry, de- fines by a parable what is a neighbor, and also interprets the nature of true love. The two passages should be studied together. That the two are not different reports of the same inci- dent is evident, because : that reported by Luke (a) occurs earlier in Christ's ministry ; (6) prob- ably in Perea ; (c) the inquirer gives the sum- mary of the law ; (rf) Christ's object is to humble a self-righteous inquirer. This occurs (a) at the close of Christ's ministry ; (6) in Jerusalem ; (c) Christ gives the summary of the law ; {d) his purpose is the rebuke of Pharisaic dialectics, and the inculcation of love as the essence of true religion. 34. That he had put the Sadducees to silence. Literally, had muzzled the Sadducees. In this victory over their opponents they exulted. Observe, the Sadducees, though probably not con- vinced, were silenced ; they could make no reply. 35. A laAvyer. That is, one versed in the rabbinical laws ; a Jewish theologian. In Mark he is called a scHbe. The latter phrase appears to have been an oflBcial designation of a recog- nized teacher ; the former an unofficial designa- tion of one learned in Jewish laws, both scriptural and traditional. — Tempting him. He subse- quently accepted Christ's answer heartily (Mark 12 : 32-34). It does not follow that he was an honest inquirer in the beginning. I judge that he was neither a caviller, nor a disciple, but one curious to see what reply Christ would make to one of the puzzling theological problems of the day. 36. Compare Mark's language (Mark 12 : 23). The question was a common one. Some Phari- sees asserted that the Sabbath commandment was first in importance ; others, the law against idolati7 ; others put first the rabbinical rules re- specting ablutions. 37. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, etc. The language of this verse is not that of mere emphatic iteration. Each word has its own peculiar significance. The heart is the seat of the affections and emotions. God calls not merely for obedience, but for love. Compare Prov. 23 : 26 ; Jer. 3 : 14. The word soid should rather be rendered life. This is unquestionably the primary significance of the Greek (ulxi'i), which is derived from a verb meaning to breathe. It signifies the vital principle, and in the N. T. generally, either physical life, as in Matt. 2 : 20 ; Acts 20 : 24 ; 27 : 10 ; or all that is embodied in our word life in its deeper significance. It would generally be better translated by the word life. Thus, What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul ? ia really, Lose his own life, that to which the world should minister (see note on Matt. 16 ; ss) ; Ye shall find rest unto your souls, is. Rest unto your lives, i. e. in your whole experience. Here the command is. Love with thy whole life, i. e., love must not only manifest itself in feeling, it must rule the whole life, by ruling its source and springs. "The reason must be a reason acting in the spirit of love ; the conscience must be a conscience acting in the atmosphere of love ; the taste must be a taste acting in the spirit and atmosphere of love — love to God and love to man. The appetites and passions, and every other faculty, in all their power and variety and versatility, may act, but they will act as steeds that feel the one rein, which goes back to the hands of the one driver, whose name is Love." — {He7u-y Ward Beecher.) John 14 : 15, 23 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 14 ; 1 John 2 : 5 ; 4 : 16, illustrate this com- mand. The mind embraces the intellectual powers and activities, whether employed in study, in business, or in social activity. A supreme love toward God must be the inspira- tion of the whole mental life, and furnish its purpose. Parallel to this is Prov. 12 : 5 ; Psalm 119 : 15, 97 ; 2 Cor. 10 : 5 ; Phil. 1 : 9. Mark adds, with all thy strength. That is, the love must be one of enthusiasm and power, not a sentiment, but a working /oree. Parallel to this is Eccles. 9 : 10 ; Rom. 12 : 11 ; Eph. 6:6, 7 ; Col. 3 : 23. The commandment is quoted by Christ from Deut. : 4, 5. 39. Like unto it. Because love is always the same in character, whether it goes out Ch. XXII.] MATTHEW. 245 40 On these two commandments' hang all the law and the prophets. 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What' think ye of Christ ? whose son is he ? They say unto him, Tlu Son of David. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him' Lord, saying, 44 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool ? 45 If David then call him Lord, now is he his son ? 46 And" no man was able to answer him a word ; neither' durst any man, from that day forth, ask him any more questions. r Rom. 13:9; Jas. i : i2:J4, 3Sj Heb. 1 : 13; 10: 12,13. toward God or toward man ; and because neither can exist without the other. True piety and morality can never be divorced. Piety without morality is superstition ; morality without piety is conventional and insincere. Compare 1 John 4 : 7, 8, 20.— Thy neighbour as thyself. On, Who is my neighbour? see Luke 10 : 25 and James 1 : 27. Observe that self-love is not wrong, when it is mated to and balanced by love to others. Observe, too, that the command here goes farther than the Golden Rule (Matt. ^ -. 12), though one interprets the other ; that affords a measure of conduct ; this calls for that love which can alone inspire right conduct. The precept is quoted from Lev. 19 : 18. 40. Remember that Christ came to fulfill the law and the prophets (Matt. 5 : 17 and nou) ; he here, therefore, declares the end of his mission, viz., the inspiration of love toward God and man. Love is the highest of the graces (1 cor. ch. 13), the fulfillment of the law (Rom. 13 : 9, 10 ; Gal. 5 : 13, 14), the test and measure of Christian experience (i John 3: 14). Neither a ceremony, a creed, nor an emotional experience, but love, is the heart of the religion of Jesus Christ. It is by love, as Christ defines it here, that the soul lives in harmony with God ; by love, as Paul defines it in 1 Cor. ch. 13, that he is to live m harmony with his fellow-men ; and by love that he is to secure harmony in himself. "There is but one pilot from the cradle to the grave — there is but one pilot from this world to the next— and his name is Zoye." — (Henry Ward Beecher.) But this love is not merely an emotion, or sentiment, or an impulse, but a principle, which seated in the hearty rules the life, inspires the mind, and im- parts strength to the whole man. Obsers^e, that the religion of Jesus Christ does not call for the suppression of man's powers, but for the highest conceivable inspiration and activity of the whole being, under the summer influence of love, and this the highest conceivable form of love, love received from and going out to God. Ch. 22 : 41-46. THE PHARISEKS B.\KFLED. - The nrvTNiTT OF THE Mebsiah peoved fbom the Old Testascent. This incident is recorded also in Mark 12 : 3.5-.J7 and Luke 20 : 41-44. Compare Mark's account. 42. What think ye of the Messiah ? The word Christ is not a proper name, but a title. The question is not. What think ye of me personally '? but, What think ye of the Messiah whom all are expecting 'i See note on names of Jesus, page 21.— The Son of David. This was the common opinion, and it was true (Luke 1 : 32j Rom. 1 : 3), but uot the whole truth. It waa not generally believed by the Jews that the Messiah should be divine. Jesus was condemned for blasphemy in calling himself the Son of God (Matt. 26 : 6.3-65). lu this colloquy hc proves out of the Scripture that the Messiah of prophecy was to be the Son of God. 43. In spirit. Mark's language is yet more clear, By the Holy Ghont : " a weighty declaration by our Lord of the inspiration of the prophetic Scriptures. " ' — (Alford. ) 44. The quotation is from Psalm 110. It is one frequently referred to in the N. T. as pro- phetic of the Messiah (AcU 2 : 34, etc. ; l Cor. 15 : 25 ; Heb. 1 : 13; 5:6; 7: 17, 21; 10:13). It IS evidcilt, frOm itS use here and in these passages, that it was gen- erally so regarded by the Jews. The language of the verse cited (ver. 1) is unambiguous. "There was not any one on earth in the time of David to whom it could be applicable ; any one whom he would call his "Lord" or superior. If, therefore, the Psalm was written by David, it must have referred to the Messiah, to one whom he owned as his Superior, his Lord, his Sover- eign." — (Barnes.) — Sit thou on my right hand. A place of the highest honor (1 Kings 2: 19; 1 Sam. 20 : 25; Matt. 20 : 21 ). — Till I make thiuc enemies thy footstool. Alford and Tichen- dorf, instead of footstool, read under thy feet. Putting the feet on captives taken in war was a common Oriental method of symbolizing com- plete triumph over them (joihoa lo : 24 ; 2 sam. 22 : 41). Parallel to this promise is 1 Cor. 1.5 : 2.5 and Heb. 10 : 13. 46. Neither durst any one from that day forth ask him any more. That is, for the purpose of cavilling. His disciples asked him questions subsequently (Matt. 24 : 3 ; 26 : 2S; John 14 : 5) ; and the effect of these instructions on the common people was not to repel, but to attract them (Mark 13 : 37). 246 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXIII. CHAPTER XXIII. THEN spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying, The*" scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat : 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do ; but do not ye after their works; for^ they say, and do not. 4 For they bind heavy burdens,)' and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders ; but they themselves will not move them with one ot their fingers. Rom. 2 : 21-23 y Acts 16 : 10. Ch. 23. CHRIST'S FAREWELL DISCOURSE IN THE TEMPLE.— Pharisaism described. It is burdensome AND UNSYMPATHETIC (3-4), OSTENTATIOUS (5-7), A HINDRANCE TO TRUE RELIGION (13), AVARICIOUS AND HTPOCRITICAL (14), ZEALOUS FOR SECT BUT NOT FOR SOULS (15), INGENIOUS BUT CORRUPT IN CASUISTRY (16-22), SCRUPULOUS IN CEREMONIALS, INDIFFERENT TO TRUE LIFE (23, 24), SCRUPULOUS IN EXTERNAL MO- RALITY, INDIFFERENT AS TO THE SPIRIT (25-28), SELF- RIGHTEOUS AND SELF-CONFIDENT (29-31), APPLAUDED BT MEN, CONDEMNED BY GOD (32-39). This chapter constitutes the closing public address of Christ. After delivering it he de- parted from the Temple, and gave no more instruction except privately to his own disciples. (Matt. 24 : 1.) It is One discoursc ; the attempt to interpret it as a series of fragments collected by Matthew, requires no other refutation than the simple reading of the discourse. On other oc- casions (Luke 11 : 42-54 and 13 : 33-35) SOmC Of the Same thoughts and almost the identical expressions here recorded were used. But we must either sup- pose that Christ not infrequently repeated the same or substantially the same discourse on dif- ferent occasions, or we must give up all reliance on the historical trustworthiness of the Evangel- ists as reporters. Matthew alone gives this dis- course fully; Mark (i2:3s-4o) and Luke (20:45-47) give a suggestion of it. It stands at the close of Christ's public ministry, and is its consummation as the Sermon on the Mount is its inauguration. | The burden of this, as of that, is a warning against the irreligion of Judea's religious teach- ers; but that is affirmative, this denunciatory, that points out the right way, this is a solemn condemnation of the wrong way. The whole discourse is an illustration of the precept, Abhor that which is evil (Rom 12: 9), and of the "wrath of the Lamb" against all unrighteousness, and interprets a phase of Christ's character, and therefore of God's character, which modern sentimental philosophy is fond of ignoring, his passionate and vehement abhorrence of sin. Christ's example is in all things a pattern for his followers ; and his spirit of indignation we are to imbibe, as well as his spirit of patient, long-suffering love. This philippic, therefore, is a sufficient justification for the disciple, when the occasion demands a similar disclaimer and denunciation of ecclesiastical oppression and hypocritical pretence. Yet its peculiar commin- gled character should be observed ; it is both a philippic and a lament, the language of vehement indignation and poignant sorrow. Terrible in its invective, it ends in an outcry of infinite, divine pathos and compassion. The discourse is by its construction naturally divided into three parts: (1) warnings against the spirit of ostentation which characterized the Scribes and Pharisees (verses 1-12) ; (2) solemn denunciation of their hypocrisy (verses 13-33) ; (o) conclusion and farewell to the temple and Jews (verses 34-39). 1 . Luke says In tM audience of all the people, thus emphasizing the fact that it was a public discourse, Christ confutes the Pharisees in col- loquy, then denounces their ostentation' and hypocrisy, 3-4. Scribes and Pharisees. See notes on Matt. 3 : 7 ; 5 : 20— Sit in Moses' seat. Because members of the Jewish Sanhedrim or Council (see note on Matt. 2 ; 4) which claimed to have originated in Moses' appointment (Numb, ii : n, 24) and which was the sole political representative of Jewish nationality. The word neat here is equivalent to our word betich, as in the phrase "The judicial bench ;" and the meaning is ijot, "Do aU thmgs which they, as successors of Moses, out of his law, command you to observe ;" it is not an endorsement of them as teachers, but a direction to obey their commands as Jewish magistrates. Compare note on Matt. 33 : 15-22, p. 204, and ref. there. That this does not impose, as the Roman Catholic commentators claim, a duty of implicit obedience to church authorities, what- ever their character, is evident from Matt. Ifi : C. Observe, however, that the bad example of a religious teacher is no excuse for not following what is right in his instructions, and that gener- ally Christ's method of emancipating the soul from oppressive laws, whether ecclesiastical or political, is not by direct attack on the laws, but by such a general development of the soul as makes it superior to and eventually free from them. See note on Matt. 5 : 19. — For they say and do not. Compare Rom. 3 : 18-24, and contrast 1 Cor. 4 : 16 ; 11 : 1 ; PhU. 3 : 17.— Heavy burdens. By their minute and exact- ing ritualism. For Ulustration of its charac- ter see notes on Matt. 12 : 2 ; and Mark 7 : 2. — But they Avill not move them. Not, it seems to me. They are indifferent and neglectful of their own laws ; this does not seem to have been the case ; but. Though rigorous in making laws, they proffer no sympathy or help to those that struggle to fulfill them. There is this char- acteristic difflerence between the religion of Jesus Ch. XXIII.] MATTHEW. 24^ S But^ all their works they do for to be seen of men : they make broad their phylacteries,' and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6 And"" love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. ch. 6 : 1-18 a Num. 15 : 38 b Mark 12 : 38, etc. ; Luke 11 : 43, etc. Christ and all false religions and all corruptions of Christianity. The latter only enact laws ; the former comes to impart power. See John 1 : 12 ; Eom. 8 : 3, 4 ; 2 Tim. 1 : 7. 5. In this and the two following verses Christ exposes the motives of the righteousness of Pharisaism, viz., desire of applause. Compare Matt. 6 : 1-18.— They make broad their phy- lacteries. These were strips of parchment, on which were written four passages of Scripture, viz., Exod. 13 : 2-10 ; 11-17 ; Deut. 6:4-9; 13-23. These were placed in a box of black calfskin and bound on the arm or forehead. The custom grew out of a literal interpretation of Deut. 6 : 8 and Exod. 13 : 9, but seems to have originated during the captivity. Minute regulations are given in the rabbinical books as to methods of wearing, &c. A similar practice is alluded to by Chrysostom as prevalent in his day : " So many of our women now wear the Gospels hung from their necks." Our cut illustrates one of these PHYLACTERY IN USE. From Jessup^s " Women of Arabia. ' ' phylacteries in use. They are employed even now in Mohammedan countries, the inscriptions being taken from the Koran. The phylactery is worn by modern Jews only on special occasions. What the Pharisees made broad was the case, not the parchments within. And enlarge the borders of their gar- ments. The ordinary outer garment of the Jews was a quadrangular piece of cloth, to each of the four comers of which, in conformity with Numb. 1.5 : 38, 39, and Deut. 22 : 12, a tassel was attached, as shown in the accompanying illustra- tion. Each tassel had a conspicuous thread of deep blue to symbolize the heavenly origin of the commandments, of which it was intended to serve as a reminder. The whole edge of the garment appears also to have been fringed, the ends of the threads composing the woof being left. Illustrations of the sacredness attached to FRINGED GARMENT. this fringe and tassels are afforded by Matt. 9 : 20 ; 14 : 36 ; Luke 8 : 44. The object of the original commandment, Chrysostom gives well, in comparing the wearing of this fringe to the binding of a thread round the finger as a re- minder. These rebukes of Christ applied to our own time, condemn the spirit, however mani- fested, which assumes a peculiar dress for the purpose of making a show of piety. 6, 7. And love the first places at feasts. Not rooms in the modern and common sense of the term, but the chief seats at the table. Every seat had, according to its locality, its peculiar dignity. See Luke 14 : 7, note. — And the chief seats in the synagogues. At the upper end of the synagogue stood the ark or chest containing the Book of the Law. This portion of the synagogue answered to the chancel in a modern church. Near it were the chief seats, which were usually occupied by the elders of the synagogue. Compare with Christ's condemna- tion of the Pharisees here, James 2 : 2, 3. — And greetings in the market-places. As man- ifestations of the reverence of their fellow-men. On the form of Jewish salutation see note on Luke 10 : 4.— And to be called Rabbi. A title of respect given by the Jews to their relig- ious teachers, and often addressed to our Lord without rebuke, being often translated Master. (Matt. 26 : 25, 49 ; Mark 9 : 6 ; 11 : 21 ; John 1 : 38 ; 3 ; 2, 26 ; 4 : 31 ; 6 : 25, &c.) To it very nearly answers in significance our modem title. Doctor. Its use is thought to have arisen about the time of Herod the Great. There were degrees of honor in the title, Kabbi being considered higher than Kab, and Rabbaa 248 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXIII 8 But" be not ye called Rabbi : for one is your Mas- ter, even Christ • and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon earth ; for one is your'' Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11 But" he that is greatest among you, shall be your servant. than Rabbi. The Pharisees, though they loved it, assumed to be indifferent to it. Lightfoot quotes the rabbinical motive, Love the work, but hate the title. 8. But be not ye called Rabbi : for one is your teacher. The best manuscripts omit from this verse the vrords even Christ, and give a different word for Master from that rendered Master below in verse 10. (Here it is iiiuay.iiXoi;, there it is y.u9riyt]t)iQ.) Verses 8-10 then, literally rendered, will read thus : ^^ But be not ye called JRabbi ; for one is your Teacher, and all ye are brethren. And call no one your father upon the earth ; for one is your Father, the Heavenly. JVei- tlier be ye called leaders ; for one is your Leader, Christ.''^ That by the "teacher " is intended the Holy Spirit is indicated by Prov. 1 : 23 ; Jer. 31 : 33, 34 ; John 14 : 26 ; 16 : 13, 14 ; 1 Cor. 2 : 13 ; 1 John 2 : 20. If so, " we have God in his Trinity, here declared to us as the only Father, Leader (Rom. 2 : 19), and Tcacher of Christians, the only One, in all these relations, on whom they can rest or depend. They are all brethren : all substantially equal — none by office or precedence nearer to God than another ; none standing between his brother and God.'''' — (Alford.) Observe, in confirmation of this, how Christ separates himself from man and ranks himself with God, who is our only leader. (Ephes. 5:1.) 9. And call no man your Father upon earth. The title of "Father" appears to have been given in early times to priests and prophets (Judges n : 10 ; 18 : 19 ; 2 Kings 6 : 21 ; 13 : u) and in later times, even by Paul, to the members of the Sanhedrim (Acts 22 : 1). In its ordinary use it carried with it a recognition of paternal author- ity in spiritual things, the Jewish Rabbi being regarded, as is the Roman Catholic priest of to-day, as an authority in matters of faith and conscience. — And all ye are brethren. Com- pare Ephes. 3 : 15 ; Rev. 1 : 9 ; 22 : 9. 10. Neither be ye called leaders : for one is your Leader, even Christ. The Pharisees all claimed to accept the Old Testament as a divine authority ; but they were divided into schools or sects, under human leaders, as the School of Hillel and the School of Shammai, and the zealous among them were more anxious for the triumph of their school than for the elucida- tion of the truth. Respecting the application of these three precepts to our own times, observe (1) that it is not the mere use of the words Babbi, Father, and Leader, which Christ condemns, but the spirit of strife and vainglory which leads to their use ; (2) that the three prohibitions are not mere reiterations of the same prohibition in different forms, but condemn essentially different though cognate faults ; (3) that those faults are as truly manifest in modern Christian usages as in ancient Jewish usages. The first prohibition, " £e not ye called Rabbi," forbids aU ecclesiastical titles given and received for the mere mice of honor, and indicating no real oflBce. In direct violation of its spirit, and almost in direct viola- tion of its letter, is the custom of conferring the title Doctor of Divinity on clergymen. I concur heartily with Mr. Barnes' note on this point. " This title (Rabbi) corresponds with the title Doctor of Divinity as applied to ministers of the Gospel : and, so far as I can see, the spirit of the Saviour's command is violated by the reception of such a title, as really as it would have been by their being called Rabbi. It makes a distinction among ministers.. It tends to engender pride and a sense of superiority in those who obtain it, and envy and a sense of inferiority in those who do not ; and the whole spirit and tendency of it is contrary to the simplicity that is in Christ." The \itle Reverend is legitimate only as a con- venient method of indicating the office of pastor or minister. But this prohibition does not seem to me to forbid such inartificial titles as are the natural and spontaneous exjiressions of respect and affection, e.g., "Pastor Harms," "Father Taylor," nor such as indicate a real oflBce, e. g., "Bishop Simpson," " Dean Alford. " Thesecond prohibition. Call no man your Father, forbids the exercise of spiritual authority over the conscience by pope, priest, or pastor, and equally forbids the disciples of Christ from submitting to such authority. It condemns both the ambition in priest and pastor which seeks authority over the conscience, and the spiritual indolence in laymen which yields to such claims in order to avoid the necessity of pefsonal search for the truth. This prohibition is interpreted by such passages as Rom. 14 : 4, 10, 12 ; 1 Pet. 5 : 3 ; Gal. 2 : 5 ; 2 Cor. 10 : 1. In direct violation of both its letter and spirit is the Roman Catholic custom of giving to the priests the title of "Father," and submitting to the exercise of a paternal authority in spiritual things. And observe that it is the apostles, whose successors the priests claim to be, who are for- bidden the title to the spiritual authority which the priests have assumed. The third prohibition, Neither be ye called leaders, forbids the formation of schools and sects, which look not directly to Ch. XXIII.] MATTHEW. 249 12 And' whosoever shall exalt himself, shall be abased: and he that shall humble himself, shall be exalted. 13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo- crites ! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men : for ye neither go in yourselves^ neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye devour widows' houses,^ and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites 1 for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte ! and when He is made, ye make him twofold more the child" of hell than yourselves. f Prov. 15 : 33 ; Jas. 4 : 6 g 2 Tim. 3:6; Tit. 1 I John 8 : 44 ; Acts 13 : 10 ; Epli. 2 : 3. Christ as the onhj Leader^ but to subsequent human teachers as leaders. It is interpreted by 1 Cor. 1 : 13, 13. In direct violation of its letter and spirit is the organization of the disciples of Jesus Christ into schools of theology under human leadership, as followers of Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Campbell, &c. This does not differ in any respect from the division of the Pharisees into the schools of Hillel and Shammai, which our Lord here rebukes. 11, 12. Verse 12 is an aphorism which occurs several times in Christ's teaching. (Luke 14 : 11 ; 18 : 14). On its significance see note on Matt. 18 : 4. Here it is uiterpreted by the preceding verse ; he humbles himself who makes himself the sei-vant of others (1 joim 3 : 16). The double declaration of the two verses is interpreted by history. Even in secular things we no longer regard as great those who have made the world serve them— as Alexander the Great, Gregory the Great, and our own " railroad kings ; " but those who have well served their generation — as Washington, Luther, and Stephenson. 13-33. This portion of Christ's discourse de- nounces three classes of sins which in different forms exist to-day as in Christ's day: (1) A semblance of religious zeal accompanying real worldliness and selfishness (verses 13-15) ; (2) A subtle casuistry, busying itself in distinctions that are conventional, false, and immoral (verses 16-m) ; (3) A scrupulous regard for external rites and ceremonies, accompanied with a supreme indifference to the heart and life (verses 23-33). 13. Because ye shut the kins^dom of heaven in the face of men ; not merely tt^aiHsi them, but in their faces as they are about to enter in, by taking away the key of knowledge (Luke n : 52). TWs the Pharisees did (1) by denying the Scripture, which is a key to the kingdom of heaven, to the common people, as the priests of the middle ages did subsequently (for to read the Scripture without note or comment was regarded as dangerous for the unlearned in the time of Christ as hi the time of Luther) ; (2) by perverting it and substitutmg traditions for it, thus shutting out the people from that knowl- edge of Christ which the Scripture affords (iiark 7 : 9-13; John 5 : 39) ; (3) by their evil and mislead- ing example (Matt. 23 ; 3). This the Roman Cath- olic Church did in almost precisely the same manner. This is still done whenever, in the pulpit or the Sabbath-school, the subtleties and technicalities of a metaphysical theology are substituted for the simple exposition and appli- cation of the Gospel, or the teachings of Scripture are made of none effect by the lives of professing Christians. Compare Lev. 19 : 14 ; Isaiah .57 : 14. 14. This verse is omitted from the best manu- scripts ; Tischendorf, Treggellei, Lachmann and Alford all omit it. It has probably been inserted here from Mark 13 : 40 and Luke 30 : 47, where it is unquestionably genuine. The Pharisees were scrupulous as to hours of prayer, as were subse- quently the Christians in the early Church, (see note on Matt. 6 : 6-15, p. 61.) It was a rabbinical proverb, Long prayers make a long life. An instance which illustrates this verse is given by Josephus in Antiq. 18 : 3, 5 : " These men persuaded Fulvia, a woman of great dignity, and one that had embraced the Jewish religion, to send purple and gold to the Temple at Jerusalem; and when they had gotten them they employed them for their own uses, and spent the money themselves." A similar power has been exercised from a very early period by the Roman Catholic priests, espe- cially over women ; and this to such an extent, and at so early a date, that Justinian passed ordinances forbidding the clergy to inherit pos- sessions ; these were revived in England in the statutes of Mortmain, which forbid any bequests for charitable or ecclesiastical uses. It was by their assumed sanctity that the Pharisees, as the priests, obtained their influence over women. Christ's denunciation applies to all who make their religion a cloak for covetousness (iThess. 2:5). 15. Go abont sea and land to make one proselyte. It is significant that the word here is in the original exactly that used respect- ing Christ in Matt. 4 : 23, Jesus went about all Galilee; but the object of our Lord's going about was to heal the sick and proclaim the glad tidings of the Gospel, the object of the Pharisees going about was to increase the number of their adherents. The difference between re- ligious and proselyting zeal is just this : one is for God and humanity, the other is for one's self, one's school, or one's sect. In Smith's Bible Dictionaiy, art. Proselytes, is given an account of the methods employed by the Pharisees in pros- 250 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXIII. i6 Woe unto you, v^ blind' guides, which say, Who- soever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing ; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. 17 } V fools,' and blind ! for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold ? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing ; but whosoever svveareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19 IV fools, and blind ! for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth'' the gift ? 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him' that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven, svveareth by the throne'" of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for" ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matter^ of the law, judg- ment, mercy, and faith : these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. ;4;Isa.66 l....iiLuke U •.42. elyting, which recalls the more familiar methods of the Jesuits. " When they had power they used force ; when they had not power they resorted to fraud. They appeared as sooth- sayers, divines, exorcists, and addressed them- selves especially to the fears and superstitions of women." The proselytes are divided in the rab- binical books into two classes. The proselytes of the gate, a phrase derived from Exod. 20 : 10, were such heathen as dwell in the land of Israel, or even out of it, and who, without submitting to circumcision or any other part of the ceremonial law, feared and worshipped the true God. Of such we probably ha^e examples in Luke, ch. 7 ; Acts, ch. 10 ; John 13 : 20 ; Acts 13 : 43 ; and it is generally believed that the phrases "religious proselytes" (Acts is : 43), "devout Greeks" (Acts 17:4), and "devout men" (Acts 2: 5) refer to this class. The proselytes of righteousness were circumcised and baptized, and took upon them the whole Jewish law and its observances. These were rare, and it is to these, doubtless, Christ here refers. Such a proselyte could but be made worse by \A9,p&eudo conversion ; he was "a disci- ple of hypocrisy merely, doubly the child of hell, condemned by ' the religion he had left, con- demned again by that which he had taken." — (^Alford.) Twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. The Pharisees taught that no heathen could become a member of the Jewish nation except he were "born agam" (see note on John 3 : s). Jcsus here asserts that the proselyte of the Pharisees is born from below, not from above. "Out of bad heathen they were made worse Jews." — {Erasmus.) And the reason was, not merely because those who were the most zealous proselytizers were most indifferent to moral and spiritual life, but, as Meyer, because "Experience proves that proselytes become worse and more extreme than their teachers." The warning ap- plies to all attempts to add numbers without spiritual life to the church, school, or sect. Of the effect of such endeavors Jesuit missions afford a mournful illustration. lG-22. The gold of the temple (verse le). Possibly the ornaments of the temple, but more probably the sacred treasure, made up of gifts devoted to the temple by the worshippers. Thus the Pharisees made the gift to the temple, which was in reality a gift to the ecclesiastics (see not« on verse 14) morc sacrcd than the temple itself — He is guilty (verse 18) should be rendered He is bound. The word is the same rendered ITe is debtor in verse 16. The precise nature of the Pharisaic precepts here condemned is largely a matter of surmise. It is clear, however, that by nice casuistical dis- tinctions the Pharisees made vows and oaths of none effect. The modern application is to all cas- uistry the object or effect of which is to lessen the sense of obligation to the law of God. Of a like casuistry in the Jesuit fathers, Pascal in his "Provincial Letters," gives numerous illustra- tions. These permitted miserliness, envy, false- hood, private revenge, duelling, and even assas- sination, on grounds as frivolous as those which Christ here exposes. The application to oaths of all forms, is also apparent. The appeal, however framed, is never to an inanimate thing, but to God, either directly, or through one of his attri- butes, or to some one as a witness in the place of God. To release, therefore, from an oath, because it is by the temple rather than by the gold, or by the altar rather than by the gift, is folly, not only because it reverses the true order of relative importance (verse n-19) but also because it ignores the fact that every oath, however phrased, is really an appeal to God (verses 21, 22). Compare Matt. 5 : .33-36 and notes. 23. Ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin. Under the Mosaic law the tenth of all produce belonged to Jehovah and must be offered to him in kind, or redeemed with money (Lev. 27 : 30-33). The mint, our modern mint, the anise, probably the modern dUl, and the cummin, were all insignificant plants used for sauces, or for perfume ; the dill or anise was also used as a medicine. These were, according to the letter of the law, liable to tithe, for it required "the seed of the land " as well as "the fruit of the tree." And our Lord does not condemn but impliedly approves the Pharisees' scrupulousness in paying the tithe of these herbs. What he condemns is the conscience that pretends to be scrupulous in matters of insignificant detail, and is indifferent Ch. XXIIL] MATTHEW. 251 24 Ve blind guides ! which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! forP ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Tkou blind Pharisee ! cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye are like untoi whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men^s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 Woe unto you, scribes and' Pharisees, hypocrites ! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and gar- nish the sepulchres of the righteous. p Mark 7 : 4, .qLuke 11 -44; Acts 23 : 3. in matters of real importance. The modern ap- plication is to the spirit which is scrupulous in ritualistic observance and indifferent to the weightier matters of the law as interpreted below. — And have neglected, not merely omitted but dismissed from mind ; the weight- ier matters of the law, not the more bur- densome but the more important requirements : judgment, mercy, and faith. By judgment is meant, not justice, i. e. "giving to all their just dues " (Barnes), for the original word (zounc) never bears this significance in the N. T. ; but spiritucd discrimination. Our English version exactly represents the spirit of the original. The Pharisees by their casuistry showed an utter lack of capacity to judge of moral and spiritual things. Compare Luke 13 : 57 ; John 7 : 24. Mercy is the exercise and manifestation of sym- pathy and goodwill to all mankind, especially the suffering and the sinful, precisely the opposite of the proud and uncharitable disposition of Phar- isaism. See note on Matt. 5 : 7, and for illustra- tions of their lack of mercy see Luke 7 : 39 ; John 8 : 3-5. Faith is not equivalent here to fidelity, as some of the commentators interpret it. So to render it is to miss entirely the spiritual meaning of Christ's words. Our English version renders the original correctly. The whole pas- sage is interpreted by Micah 6 : 8, and Hosea 12 : 6. Clear spiritual discernment, love to one^s neighbor, humble trust in God — these are the important matters of the law. Compare. 1 Tim. 1:5. —These ought ye to have done. Observe that Christ does not condemn scrupu- lousness in small matters, but demands that which is higher. The way to emancipate the conscience from bondage is not to denounce unnecessary scruples, but to fill the soul with a larger and higher idea of the religious life. 24. Blind guides which strain out a gnat. The word a< before strain was originally a printing error for o^d, which first appeared in King James' version in 1611, and has been faith- fully copied ever since. To strain at a gnat represents the stomach rising as it were against the little insect, but kept down by a strain or vigorous effort. To strain out a gnat is to pass the water or wine through a strainer before drinking, to purify it of insects. This is a com- mon practice in the East, and it was done by the Pharisees to avoid partaking anything cere- monially unclean (Lev. 11:23,41,42). The Hindoos have a similar proverb : Swallowing an elephant and being choked with a ilea. The camel was also ceremonially unclean, because it did not divide the hoof (Lev. 11 .-4). " It is not the scru- pling of a little sin that Christ here reproves; if it be a sin though but a gnat, it must be strained out ; but the doing of that, and then swallowing a camel. In the lesser matters of the law to be superstitious, and to be profane in the greater, is the hypocrisy here condemned." — {Matthew Henry.) 25, 26. Ye make clean the outside of the cup and platter. There is perhaps a reference to the scrupulousness of the Pharisees in the washing of their dishes, etc., to avoid ceremonial pollution (see Mark 7 : 2-5, note). The meanmg of the metaphor is clear ; Pharisaism is always solicitous for the external appearance, and indifferent to the inner spirit. Compare Matt. 15 : 19, 20.— But within they are full of extoi-tion, i. e. ravening, covetousness, greed, and excess, self-indulgence. Of the opposite spirit, Paul in 1 Cor. 9 : 27 affords an illustration. These two words suggest the two characteristic vices of Pharisaism, ancient and modem — a spirit of covetousness, and a spirit of self-indulgence, covered by a pretence of virtue and piety. 26, Christ indicates the only true method of radical reformation, from within working outward, not from without working inward. Religion is the preparation for morality, not morality for religion. But only God can cleanse that which is within (Psalm 51 ; 7, 10 , Ezck 36 • 23, 26 J John 3 ; 3, s). 27, 28. Whitewashed sepulchres. The Jews whitened the sepulchres annually with lime or chalk that all might know that the place was unclean and to be avoided. For this practice Ezek. 39 : 15 was cited. Dead bodies were un- clean according to the Mosaic law, and the touch of them. defiled (Num. 5 2; 6-6). In Luke 11:44 an analogous but different figure is used. There the Pharisees are compared to concealed graves, with which the people come in contact and by which they are defiled, unconsciously — Are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Greek uroiilu.) Pretending to be scrupulous in his obedience to the law, the Pharisee is oblivious 252 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXIII. 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherelore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed' the prophets. 32 Fill" ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, yc generation' of vipers 1 how can ye escape the damnation of hell ? 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes : and some of them ye shall kill" and crucify ; and sotne of them shall ye scourge" in your synagogues, and persecute i/iem from city" to city : 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood" shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous AbeU unto the blood of Zacharias^ son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. .tch. 3 : 7... u Acts 7 : 69 t Acts 6 : 40 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 24, 25 w Heb. 24. . . .y Gen. 4 : 8. . . .1 2 Chron. 24 : 20, 21. of its character (Matt. 5 : n, 20, 22, &c.) and of its object, the development of love (Rom. 13 ; 8 ; cai. 6 : 14 ■ 1 Tim. 1.5). That soul is truly lawless which is without the spirit of love. "Such are men now also, decking themselves indeed outwardly, but full of iniquity within. * * * If one should tear open each man's conscience, many worms and much corruption would he find, and an ill-savor beyond utterance ; unreasonable and wicked lusts I mean, which are more unclean than worms. "—( Chnjuostom. ) 29-31. Because ye repair the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the monu- ments of the righteous. That is, this is your only mode of honoring them, in lieu of observing their words, imbibing their spirit, or imitating their lives. Thus Herod the Great, a monster of cruelty (see note on Matt. 2 . i), rebuilt the sepulchre of David.— And say, if we were in the days of our fathers we would not be partak- ers with them. The language of self-confi- dence; very like much modern language con- cerning the bigotry and intolerance of past ages. Whenever, instead of chiding ourselves for our present faults, we exult because we do not repeat the faults of the past, we subject ourselves to Christ's condemnation here, — Wherefore ye witness to yourselves that ye are the children of them that killed the proph- ets. Compare Luke 11 : 47, 48. Certainly, build- ing the tombs and decorating the monuments of the murdered did not indicate an approval of the murderers. I can only understand this passage thus : By calling the murderers your fathers you testify that you are their children, and by build- ing the tombs of the murdered prophets you testify to their guilt in murdering the prophets. Of this guilt, as shown in the parable of the wicked husbandmen (Matt. 21 ; 37-39), and in the following verses of this discourse, they were partakers. The spirit of Pharisaism honors the martyrs of past ages and repeats its persecutions in the present. 32. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. The language both of prophecy and of terrible irony and invective. Somewhat analogous in spirit is the language of Eccles. 11 : 9. This whole discourse (see verse 35 and note) iS founded on the responsibility of nations as na- tions, and of the race as a race. If by act or ac- quiescence we ratify the sins of past eras we fill up its measure of guilt, and render ourselves accountable therefor. 33. Compare the language of John the Baptist, Matt. 3 : 7 and note. Observe, however, the difference. There it is. Who hath warned you to flee ? a door seems still to be left open ; here it is, How can ye escape? the door is shut. 34. Wherefore. The words. It is written, must be understood. In the analogous discourse reported in Luke the hiatus is supplied, There- fore, saith the wisdom of God, behold, &c. (Lute 11:49). Christ does not say, Because of your blood-guiltiness I send prophets and wise men that you may kill them, but, Because of your blood-guiltiness one of your own prophets has described your character in these words. But we do not find in the 0. T. any passage which answers exactly to Christ's language here. Al- ford, Olshausen and Stier refer to 2 Chron. 24 : 18-22. "The words in our text are not indeed," says Alford, "a citation, but an amplifi- cation of verse 19 there — a paraphrase, giving the true sense of what the wisdom of God intended." There is in the apocryphal book, 2 Esdras, 1 : 30-33, a passage which answers remarkably to the present. It is as follows : " 1 gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings : but now what shall 1 do unto you V I will cast you out from my face. When ye offer unto me, I will turn my face from you : for your solemn feast days, your new moons, and your circumcisions have I forsaken. I have sent unto you my servants the prophets, whom ye have taken and slain, and torn their bodies in pieces, whose blood I wUl require of your hands, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Almighty Lord, your house is deserted, I will cast you out as the wind doth stubble." — Prophets and wise men and Scribes. Prophets are the inspired teach- ers of the Jews ; wise men, those who possess natural or acquired wisdom, e. g. Solomon ; Scribes, those who simply copy and teach the wisdom of others, "In these last the character is for the most part acquired ; in vnse men, innate ; in prophets, inspired."— (^CMf/e?.)— Crucify. There is perhaps a reference to the ci-ucifixion of Christ. Subsequently many of his followers were crucified ; but in general, crucifixion appears to have been a heathen not a Jewish mode of pun- Ch. XXIII.] MATTHEW. 253 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37 O" Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, now often would I have gathered'' thy children togeth- er, even as a hen gathereth her chicliens under her wings, and ye would not ! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. = 39 For I say unto you. Ye shall not see me hence- forth, till ye shall say,'' Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. . b Deut. 32 : 1», 12 ; Paalm 91 : 4 c Zee. 11:6 d ch. 21 : 9 ; ishment.— Scourge in your synagogues. There is abundant evidence that the synagogue was a place both of trial and of punishment. (Matt. 10 : 17 : Acts 22 : 19). 35. So that upon you may come all the righteous blood which is being poured out upon the earth. The verb is in the present and represents this bloody stream as still flowing. It should come on them, because by slaying the Son they became participators in the crimes of those who had slain the heralds, because the guilt of murder lies not in the amount of blood shed, but in the f.pirit which sheds it, and be- because the nation is treated here, as in the par- able of the wicked husbandmen (Matt. 21 : 33^6 and notes), as a unit. The language is figurative, and represents the stream of innocent blood, flowing from the days of Abel, as coming upon and whelming the Jews in condemnation. Compare Matt. 37 : 3.5 ; Acts 5 : 38. — Unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias. For different explanations of this verse see Lange on this passage. It is hardly doubtful that it refers to the Zacharias mentioned in 3 Chron. 34 : 30-33. He was slain " in the court of the house of the Lord " by the people, and dying, cried, " The Lord look upon it and require it." It is true that this Zacharias was the son of Jehoida, not of Barachias, who was the father of Zechariah the minor prophet. But the Sinaitic manuscript omits the words " son of Barachias," as does Tischendorf, and it is not improbable that the phrase was added by an early copyist, who mis- took this Zacharias for Zechariah. Luke does not have the addition "son of Barachias." It is true also that Zacharias was not the last martyr in the O. T. history ; but his martyrdom was one of the most notable. Concerning it the Jews had a saying that the blood was never washed away until the temple was burned at the captivity. In the arrangement of the Hebrew canon of the O. T. it was narrated last, though chronologically that of Urijah (jcr. 2e : 23) was later. — Between the temple, i. e. the inner holy of holies, and the altar, i. e. of burnt-offering, which stood outside, in the priests' court. Two Greek words are used in the N. T. both of which are rendered in our version. Temple. The word used here (raoc) generally signifies the innermost court or holy of holies. 36. All these things shall come upon this nation. On the true meaning of the word (ytvtii) here rendered generation, see note on Matt. 34 : 34. The meaning of the verse is that all their crimes were treasured up and should return in punishment upon the Jewish nation. Compare Rom. 3 : 5. 37. That killest the prophets. See 1 Kings 18 : 4 ; Neh. 9 : 36 ; Jer. 3 : 30 ; 36 : 33— And stonest them Avhich are sent unto thee. See Matt, 31 : 35 ; John 10 : 31, 39 ; Acts 7 : 58 ; 31 : 31 ; 33 : 33, 33. The earthly ambas- sador is inviolable ; observe how God's ambassa- dors have been treated. — How often would I have gathered thee together. To protect from impending danger and destruction. This Christ sought to do, not only in his earthly life, and by his preaching in Jerusalem (comp. Acts 1 ; s), but by Divine messages and providences in the earlier history of the Jews. The verse is an indirect testimony to the divinity of Christ. For a similar figure used concerning God, see Psalms 17 : 8 ; .57 : 1 ; 61 : 4 ; 91 : 4.— I would * * * ye would not. God's will for our salvation may be defeated by our will resisting it. Com- pare Prov. 1 : 34, 35 ; Ezek. 18 : 33. 38. Behold your house. The temple : God's house no longer. — Desolate. Literally desert. The church is desolate when God dej^arts ; so is the soul, the temple of God, when godless. 39. Till ye shall say. Not except ye shall say, for the original will not bear that meaning, but until ye shall say. Alford sees in this a reference to such prophecies as Hosea 3 : 4, 5 ; Zech. 13 : 10 ; 14 : 8-11. It certainly looks toward a spiritual conversion of the Jews, a time when Jew as well as Gentile shall recognize whosoever cometh in the name of the Lord. Compare Rom. 11 : 11, 15, 36 ; Phil. 3 : 10, 11. Ch. 24. CHRTST-S DISCOFRSE ON THE LAST DATS.— The prkparation : tribulation (5-7) ; persecution (9) ; sectarian conflicts (10) ; false teaching (11) ; apostact (12) ; universal diffusion op the gos- pel (14). — the type : the destruction of jerusa- lem (15-22).— the great danger of the church: false christs and false schemes of redemption (23-27). — the hour : not until judgment shall be coterminous with corruption (28).— the final com- ing : manifest, glorious, recognized by all (29-31) ; immediately after the trial period, as summer follows spring (32,33); certain (34,35); surpris- ING (36-39) ; SEPARATING COMPANIONS (40, 41).— PRAC- TICAL LESSONS ; THE DUTY OF WATCHFULNESS (43-44), 254 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXIV. AOT) rrDELiTT (45-47) ; the danger of unbelief and LAPSE INTO sm (48-51). Pbeliminabt Note. — Mark (ch. 13) and Luke (21 : 6-33) both report this discourse. John gives no account of it, but his report of Christ's last words to his disciples (ch. i4-i6), which were also prophetic, should be studied in connection with this chapter. The unfulfilled prophecies are the most diflacult portions of Scripture, and this, the most definitely propjietic of our Lord's dis- courses, is confessedly one of the most difficult. Tlie Problem.— After the death of Jesus Christ, the violence of the Jewish people and their intestine feuds, of which, even in the Gospels, we get glimpses, rapidly increased. Friends were alienated, families broken up, and a man's worst foes were those of his own household. Brigandage, imposture, and assassinations were rife. Even the Temple was not a place of safety. The high priest was slain while performing public worship. The priests quarrelled, openly and shamelessly, over the tithes. At length, possessed by a seeming frenzy, the Jews broke into open revolt against the Romans, seized on the most important posts in the country, and inflicted a severe though temporary defeat on the Roman arms. Vespasian and Titus were sent to chastise them back to submission. In the spring of a. d. 70, when the city was crowded Avith the multitudes who came up to the feast of the Passover, Titus surrounded Jerusalem with his legions. Within, the people were di- vided into factions, and fought with one another. The horrors of famine were added to those of riot, pillage, murder, and siege. According to the accounts of Josephus, which are not alto- gether trustworthy, but which constitute our chief source of information, awful prodigies added terror to the scene : a comet hung above the city ; a bright light shone in the Temple ; the immense Temple gates swung open of their own accord ; armed squadrons were seen in the heavens. The Jews themselves, given over to madness, profaned the Temple, setting up as high priest an ignorant rustic. At length, after five months of a siege which has no parallel in its commingled horrors of famine, internal feuds, and external assault, the city was taken by storm, the Temple was set on fire and consumed, and the walls of the city were demolished. Of the Jews, the aged and infirm were killed ; the children under seventeen were sold as slaves; the rest were sentenced, some to the Egyptian mines, some to the provincial amphitheatres, some to grace the triumph of the conqueror. For fuller descriptions of this siege the reader is referred to the Bible Dictionaries, to Milman's Jlisiory of the Jews, and to Josephus' Wars of the Jews. See also note on verse 21 below. The question to be determined respecting this twen- ty-fourth chapter of Matthew, and it is one on which the ablest scholars are not agreed, is this : How far are its proijhecies to he regarded as ful- filled in and by this siege a7id destruction of Jeru- salem and the consequent dispersion of the Jews ? Hints toward its Solution. — The student may obtain some light from a consideration of the following facts : {a.) The discourse is elicited by the question of verse 3. The disciples, who had anticipated that Christ's kingdom was imme- diately to appear, awed by Christ's solemn de- nunciation of the Jewish nation (chap. 23 : 37-39), and his solemn assertion of the destruction of the Temple (verse 2), but still supposing that the destruction of Jerusalem, the coming of the Messiah, i. e. the public manifestation of Jesus as the Messiah, and the end of the world, were to be contemporaneous, desire to know when this will be accomplished. (6.) Though Christ's discourse is elicited by this question, he does not satisfy their curiosity. On the contrary, he as- serts in express terms that no man knows the day or the hour (verse se), makes this assertion of their ignorance the ground of the practical ex- hortation to "watch" (verse 42), and even asserts his own ignorance of it (Mark 13 : S2, note), (e. ) His object is practical, not theoretical ; he speaks not to inflame the imagination, nor to gratify cu- riosity, but to enforce the duty of patience, fidelity, and watchfulness. And whatever diffi- culty there may be in understanding the pro- phetic meaning of the discourse, there can be none in understanding and applying its practical and spiritual instructions, (d.) It thus resembles all unfulfilled prophecy. For the object of prophecy is not to give us foreknowledge, but 1st, to inspire with hope and incite to courage, and 2d, to give such outlines of future events as, when fulfilled, shall become evidences of the truth of God's word. "I have told you," says Christ, "before it come to pass, that, tvhen it is come to pass, ye might believe." (johni4:29, comp. Luke 24 : 8 ; John 2 : 22 ; 16:4; Isaiah 48 : 6 ; Jcr. 44 : 28). (e.) History is itself in God's hands prophetic The partial fulfilment becomes an historical prophecy of a further fulfilment ; in this case the judgment of God on Jerusalem and the Jewish nation, is itself a prophecy of God's final judgment on all who reject the Messiah of the world, and is indeed the beginnmg of his judg- ment of the nations, the end of which is not yet. To this chapter the words of Lord Bacon are peculiarly applicable : " Divine prophecies, being of the nature of their author, with whom a thou- sand years are as one day, are not punctually fulfilled at once, but have springing and germi- nant accomplishment throughout many ages." (/.) The interpretation of this discourse depends largely on the meaning given to certain verses in Ch. XXIV.] MATTHEW. 255 it, especially to the metaphor in verse 28, the confessedly poetic language of verses 29-31, and the word generation in verse 34. See notes below. Fully recognizing the diflQculty of the subject, doubting whether Christ's prophecy here can ever be perfectly apprehended until its fulfil- ment becomes its interpreter, I suggest the fol- lowing analysis as a key to the discourse. Analysts. — The question (verse 3) : When will oc- cur the destruction of the Temple, thine own glorious manifestation as the Messiah, and the end of the world ? ChrisVs fesjMnse. Do not imagine that the kingdom will immediately ap- pear. Be not deceived by the claims of false Messiahs. There must first be a period of trib- ulation, the travail out of which the kingdom shall be born (4-8), a period of persecution from without, and schism, apostacy, and false doctrine within (9-12), to be accompanied by the preaching of the Gospel throughout the habitable globe (13, u). The length of this period no one knows save the Father ; not even the Son (Mark 13 : 32). When, therefore, you see the fulfilment of Dan- iel's prophecy (Dan. 9: 27; 12 : 11), do not imagine that the end has come, and abide in Jerusalem. Flee ; for terrible wUl be the suffering of that time (15-22). Do not, then, allow false reports of the coming of the Messiah to mislead you. For his coming wUl be in such a manner that it can- not be questioned (23-27). Nor shall judgment stop at Jerusalem. Wherever there is corrup- tion, thither the executioners of God's judgment will hasten (23). Immediately after this period of travail and world-judgment, i. e., without any intervening sign or note of preparation, will come the Son of man to judge the world (29-31), even as summer follows spring (32, 33). But though Jerusalem is destroyed, the Jewish race shall abide, a living testimony to the truth of my words (34, 35). But the day and hour of their ful- filment no man knoweth (35). It will be sudden (37-41). Wherefore watch, be faithful, be always ready, looking for the appearance of your Lord (42-51), who will come to judge not only the world, but the church, condemning those who have lived in it without divine grace (ch. 25 : 1-13), with- out spiritual thrift and industry (ch. 25 : 14-30), and without practical benevolence and beneficence to their fellow-men (ch. 25 : 31-46). Othe7- Vieivs. — I summarize the other principal interpretations of this passage. They are almost as numerous as the commentators, but they may be classified conveniently as follows : 1. The rationalistic: that Christ himself sup- posed that the judgment would follow imme- diately upon the destruction of Jerusalem, and so taught. This view is not only inconsistent with belief in the divine or even the inspired character of Christ, it is also inconsistent with and refuted by the very terms of the dis- course. Analogous to this is the view of so Evangelical an interpreter as Olshausen, that "Jesus did intend to represent his coming as contemporaneous with the destruction of Jeru- salem and the overthrow of the Jewish polity," because " it should be considered every moment possible, and that believers should deem it every moment probable.''^ In other words, that Christ taught what he knew to be error for the sake of a moral effect, for this seems to me to be the practical result of this interpretation. 2. The semi-rationalistic: that the Evangelists misapprehended the tenor of Christ's discourse, interpreted it according to their own precon- ceived ideas, and so represented Christ as teach- ing that the destruction of Jerusalem and the final judgment were to be contemporaneous. So Neander interprets it : " It is easy to explain, how points of time which he kept apart, although he presented them as counterparts of each other, without assigning any express duration to either, were blended together, in the apprehension of his hearers, or in their subsequent repetitions of his language." It is true that this discourse was perhaps heard only by Peter, James, John, and Andrew (Mark 13 : 3), in which case our reports are not from ear-witnesses, and there may be omissions. But it is impossible to suppose that they are such as materially to alter the sense, and yet believe that Christ's promise of inspi- ration to his disciples (John 14 : 26 ; 16 : is) has bccn fulfilled. 3. The historical: that Christ's discourse re- lates wholly to the destruction of Jerusalem ; that the language of verses 29-31 is poetic and figurative, and amounts only to this, that " there would be nothing wanting to indicate the great- ness of the events that were at hand, that the violent commotions and terrible calamities which M^ere coming would be accompanied by extraor- dinary signs and portents that attend all great occurrences."— (i?Mraess.) This view is not only sustained by such writers as Professor Norton and J. H. Morison (Unitarian), but also by such Evangelical divines as Mr. Barnes and Drs. Ja- cobus, Owen, Brown, and Adam Clarke. It is the view of Lightfoot and of some other of the older divines. In the notes which follow, espe- cially on ver. 29-31, I state the grounds on which this opinion is based, and some of the reasons which appear to me to be conclusive against it. A still more serious objection is this : The object of this whole discourse is the closing exhortation to fidelity and watchfulness (verses 42-61), which Christ expressly declares is for all his disciples, not merely for the twelve (Mark 13 : 37) ; and it is not the past destruction of Jerusalem, but the future destritction of the world and coming of Christ, possible at any day or hour, which alone affords a ground for this exhortation. 256 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXIV. CHAPTER XXIV. AND"' Jesus went out, and departed from the tem- ple : and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you. There' shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disci- ples came unto him privately, saying. Tell us, when shall these things be ? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world ? e 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them. Take"" heed that no man deceive you. ; Luke 21 : 6. ... f 1 Kings 9:7: Jer. 26 : 18 ; Luke 19 : 44. ... g 1 Thess. 6 : 1, etc h Col. 2 : 8 ; 2 These. 2 : 4. Other interpretations: these are numerous, such as (1) that the whole discourse relates ex- clusively to the end of the world, and that the destruction of Jerusalem is only incidentally and indirectly alluded to, a more complete destruc- tion being yet to come, perhaps by an earth- quake ; (3) that the discourse may be divided into three parts which answer respectively three questions put by the disciples, e. g., verses l-li relating to the second coming of Christ, 15-28 to the destruction of Jerusalem, 29-51 to the end of the world ; (3) that Christ pictures the two events without regard, as it were, to perspective, the first, the destruction of Jerusalem, occupymg the foreground, the last, the end of the world, the background, with no intimation of the eras that intervene ; (4) that he separates them, but that his declaration ^'■Immediately after the tribula- tion of those days" (verse 29), is to be read in the light of the declaration that with God a thousand years are as one day, the intervening period being in his sight a small matter. It would make these notes too cumberous and perplexing to explain and refute these views in detail. The grounds of the historical interpretation are to some extent indicated in the notes. None of the other views appear to me at all tenable, except the one here adopted. This substantially agrees with the interpretation of Lange, Pressense, Howard Crosby, Alford, Calvin, James Morison, and Chrysostom, though no two of these agree in all detaDs. 1. His disciples came to him. As he was going out of the Temple (Mmk 13 : 1). — The buildings of the Temple. Few buildings in an- cient or modem times have equalled in magnifi- cence Herod's Temple. With its outbuildings it covered an area of over nineteen acres, was built of white marble, was forty-six years in building (John 2 : 2o), and employed in its construction ten thousand skilled workmen. The accompanying illustration is from H.W. Beecher's Life of Christ. The disciples were amazed and perplexed by Christ's public prediction of its destruction (Matt. 23 : 36-39 ; Luke 19 : 43, 44). And Well they might be, for the fortifications of Jerusalem and its natural advantages rendered it so apparently im- pregnable, that after its fall Titus, the captor, is reported by Josephus {Wars of Jews, 6 : 9, 1) to have said, "It was no other than God who ejected the Jews out of these fortifications. For what could the hands of men, or any ma- chines do, toward overthrowing these towers?" 2. There shall not be left here one stone upon another. This prophecy has been so literally fulfilled, the walls being demolished by order of Titus, that Josephus says, "There was left nothing to make those who had come hither believe it had ever been inhabited." Of the Temple proper not a vestige remains. It was built, however, upon an immense platform, partly com- posed of natural rock, partly of immense mason- ry. This platform is still standing, and some look for its future demolition by an earthquake. 3. Mount of Olives. This was over against Jerusalem, and directly opposite the Temple, which was therefore in fuU view. See map of Jerusalem, chap. 26, page 277. — The disciples came unto him. Mark (i3:3) specifies their names, Peter, James, John, and Andrew ; and the language implies, but does not necessarily prove, that these were the only ones to whom this dis- course was delivered.— Tell us when shall these things be, i. e., the destruction of Jerusa- lem.— And what shall be the sign of thy coming. Not of his second coming, for though Christ had foretold his crucifixion, the disciples did not understand his saymg (Mark 9:32; Luke 9 : 45), but the sign of his^Mft^ic manifestation as the 3fes- siah. This they were momentarily expecting (Lnke 19 : 11 ; Acts 1 ; 6).— Aud of the cud of the world. Not merely of the Jewish dispensation, though the Greek is perhaps capable of being so ren- dered. Christ had in public discourse alluded to the end of the world in connection with his own appearance as the Messiah (Matt is : 39, 40, 49). The disciples, supposing that the destruction of Jerusalem, the overthrow of Judaism, the mani- festation of Jesus as the Messiah-King, and the end of the world, would be contemporaneous, asked when they would occur, and what would be the sign of their approach. One principal ob- ject of Christ's discourse is to correct their mis- apprehension. Calvin interprets AveU their prob- able state of mind : " Having been convinced that, as soon as the reign of Christ should com- mence, they would be in every respect happy, they leave warfare out of the account, and fly all at once to a triumph," He also emphasizes the practical lesson : "No man wishes to sow the seed, but all vnsh to reap the harvest before the season arrives." i 3 p 1- ti 1 ? & S 258 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXIV. 5 For many shall come in my' name, saying, I am Christ ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars,J and rumours of wars ; see that ye be not troubled : for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For'' nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom : and there shall be famines, and pes- tilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. I Jer. 14: 14 j Dan.: . k Hag. 2 : 21, 22. 4, 5. Take heed. This is the text of this discourse, and to it Christ constantly recurs. Compare verses 13, 23-35, 42-44. " We ought not to inquire into future and final events, through curiosity, but from a desire to fortify ourselves."— (-Sertsre/.) I add that curiosity halts ever unsatisfied at this chapter ; but the spiritual desire for practical warning and admonition is abundantly satisfied.— That no man deceive you. The Jews, from such prophecies as Isaiah 54 : 13 ; Jer. 31 : 34 ; Mai. 4 : 2, expected that after the Messiah came they would enjoy immunity from false doctrine. Jesus here warns his disciples to be still on their guard against it. — For many shall come in my name. Literally upon my name, i. e., as Wordsworth in- terprets it, " standing upon it and usurping it." That by In my name Christ does mean, As my disciples, is evident from the following clause of the sentence. — Saying, I am the Messiah, i. e., taking the title and claiming the authority of the Messiah. Buck, in his Theological Dic- tionary, gives a list of twenty-nine false Christs, though he includes such persons as Mahomet in his list. The last of these was as late as the seventeenth century. It is evident that this prophecy was not completely fulfilled prior to the destruction of Jerusalem. The warning is equally applicable to our own day. What was Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, with his impious claim to be prophet, priest, and king, but a false Messiah ? 6, 7. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. A seeming anti-climax, but a real climax. The rumors of an expected in- vasion are often more dreadful than the invasion itself. Those who can do so, should read Dr. SchafE's graphic note descriptive of his personal experience in Gettysburg during the civil Avar (Lange on Matt. 24 : 6).— Be uot troubled. That is, be not apprehensive that the end of the world is yet. Compare 2 Thess. 2 : 2.— The end is not yet. Luke's language is yet more explicit. These things must come to pass ; but the end is not immediately (Luke 21 : 9, note). The end here is not equivalent to, The end of the Jewish dispensa- tion. When the words stand, as here, without qualification or interpretation, they generally mean in the N. T. " The end of the world.'''' Comp. 1 Cor. 15 : 34 ; 1 Pet. 4 : 7. For nation shall rise against nation, etc. Luke's description (21 : 10, 11) is yet more detailed and specific. In the period intervening this prophecy and the destruction of Jerusalem, there were serious disturbances, (1) at Aler-n- dria, A. d. 38, in which the Jews as a nation were the especial objects of persecution ; (2) at Seleucia, about the same time, in which more than fifty thousand Jews were killed ; (3) at Jamnia, a city on the coast of Judsea, near Joppa. Many other such national tumults are recorded by Josephus. See esijecially Wars of the Jews 2 : 17 ; 18 : 1-8. — Famines and pestilences. A great famine, prophesied in Acts (11 : ss) oc- curred A. D. 49, and another in the reign of Claudius, and mentioned by Josephus {Antiq. 3 : 15, 3). A pestilence, A. d. 65, in a single au- tumn carried off 30,000 persons at Rome. — Earthquakes. Between this prophecy and the destruction of Jerusalem there were (1) a great earthquake at Crete, a. d. 46 or 47 : (2) one at Rome, A. D. 51 ; (3) one at Apamia in Phrygia, A. D. 53 ; (4) one at Laodicea in Phrygia, a. d. 60 ; (5) one in Campania ; (6) one in Jerusalem, a. d, 67, described in Josephus {Wars of the Jews 4 : 4, 5). I take this hst from Alford's Commentary. It is, however, evident that the prophesies of these verses (s-s) are not peculiarly applicable to the period immediately preceding the destruc- tion of Jerusalem. The prophecy of wars and rumors of wars applies with still greater force to the campaigns of Charlemagne, the wars between the Popes and the German emperors, the con- flicts between Napoleon I. and the allied armies, the more recent wars between France, Italy, Austria, and Germany, the various civil wars which have devastated England, particularly the wars of the Roses and the Revolution under Cromwell, and in our owti country the American Revolution and the Civil War ; to many of these is equally applicable the declaration that " na- tion shall rise against nation." Of families, pes- tilences, and earthquakes there have been more remarkable instances since than before the de- struction of Jerusalem, and instances in which the Christian church has suffered far more se- verely. I understand Christ's language here to be an admonition to expect a long period of con- flict and trial before the end will appear, a prophecy which history has both interpreted and fulfilled. 8. All these are the beginning of tra- vail {(adh). Not merely of sorrows, but of that labor pain of the world, mit of which the kingdom of Ood is to be born. The figure is not infre- quent in the N. T. (see Rom. 8 : 22; 1 Thess. 6:3); and Ch. XXIV.] MATTHEW. 259 9 Then' shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill ™ you : and ye shall be hated of all na- tions for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be " offended, and shall be- tray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And" many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive p many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax i cold. John 16 : 2 i Acts 7 : 59 n ch. 13 : 21 o 2 Pet. 2 : 1 ; 1 John 4:3 pi Tim. 4:1 q Rev. 3 : 15, 16. it is one full of the brightness of hope. The world's anguish is itself a prophecy of the fu- ture birth of the kmgdom of righteousness. 9-13. Then. " During this period, not after, these things have happened."— (^4(/br(Z.) — Shall they deliver you up. The language is im- personal ; it is equivalent to, You shall be deliv- ered up. — Aud ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. Compare with this warning the blessing which accompa- nies it (Matt. 5:11, 12). Both warning and promise are applicable to all Christ's disciples to the end of time. Compare John 15 : 18-31 ; 16 : 1-4.— Then, i. e., during this period of persecution, and because of it. — Many, witliin the Church of Christ, shall be offended, i. e., stumbled, entrapped, caused to fall into sin. See Matt. 5 : 39 ; 16 : 34 and notes. — And many false prophets shall arise, i. e., false religious teachers, pretending to have a divine mission and to be entrusted with a divine message. Compare Matt. 7 : 15-30 and notes. — And be- cause iniquity shall abound, in the world without, the love, both toward God and man, of many, within the church, shall wax cold. "It is the nature of love to burn." — {Bengel.) The danger to the church in a time of the general prevalence of iniquity is coldness of love and worldliness of spirit ; a danger which peculiarly threatens in the present era. These verses indicate four dangers which will assail the church : persecution from without (verse 9) ; apostasy, schism, and controversy within (verse lo) ; false doctrine (verse 11) ; and worldliness and consequent backsliding (verse 12). Each of these dangers came in a small measure upon the Apostolic church before the destruction of Jeru- salem. The disciples were subjected to persecu- tion, and some of its leaders were killed (Acts 7 : 59, 60 ; 8 : 3, 4 ; 12 : 2, etc.). They werc hated by the Gentiles as well as by the Jews (Acts 16 : 19-22 ; 19 : 28 ; 28 : 22 ; 1 Pot. 2 : 12 ; 3 : 16). Some Were offended, and fell away (2 Tim. 4 : 10). There were schisms and controversies within the church (i cor. i : 11-13), and false teachers (1 Tim. 1 : 6, 7 ; s Tim. 3 : 6-8), and coMness and worldli- ness (l Tim. 6 : 9, 10, 17-19 ; 2 Tim. 4:10; James 2 : 2-6). In fur- ther illustration of the fulfilment of these prophe- cies the student may profitably consult the fol- lowing passages : Acts 30 : 30 ; Rom. 16 : 17, 18 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 13 • Gal. 1:7-9; Col. 3 : 17-end ; 1 Tim. 6 : 3-5, 30, 31 ; 3 Tim. 3 : 18 ; 3 Pet. 3 ; 1 John 3 : 18, 23, 33, 36 ; 4 : 1, 3 ; 2 John 7. But these were only the beginning of travail in the church. And in her history, subsequent to the destruc- tion of Jerusalem, the reader must look for a larger fulfilment. The persecutions of the Christian church constantly increased in violence up to the days of Constantme. By the edicts of Diocletian, all Bibles were ordered to be de- stroyed, all ecclesiastics to be thrust into prison, all Christians to be compelled by torture to sacrifice to the gods, and all the contumacious to be put to death. Mr. Lecky, who is certainly not inclined to exaggerate these Roman persecu- tions, thus describes some of the aflBictions to which the early Christians were subjected : " We read of Christians bound in chairs of red-hot iron, while the stench of their half consumed flesh rose in a suffocating cloud to heaven ; of others who were torn to the very bone by shells or hooks of iron ; of holy virgins given over to the lust of the gladiator or to the mercies of the pander ; of two hundred and twenty-seven con- verts sent on one occasion to the mines, each with the sinews of one leg severed by a red-hot iron, and with an eye scooped from its socket ; of fires so slow that the victims writhed for hours in their agonies ; of mingled salt and vin- egar poured over the flesh that was bleeding from the rack ; of tortures prolonged and varied through entire days." — {History of European Morals, Vol. I : 497.) That the disciples were hated is abundantly illustrated by Gibbon. They were charged with licentiousness, incest, and human sacrifice {Gibbon''s Borne, 11 : 11). Tacitus calls the Christians " a race of men hated for their crimes." Many in the church were offended, so many that the church was subsequently se- riously divided on the question whether such apostates and recusants might be received back again into the fold. The internal conflicts, of party against party in the church, is abundantly illustrated in its subsequent history, in the ter- rible persecutions inflicted by the Roman Cath- olic Church upon Protestants, surpassing in severity and extent any ever inflicted by the heathen, in the controversies in the Roman Cath- olic Church itself between the rival popes and between the Jansenists and Jesuits in France, and in the Protestant Church even down to our own day, between different sects. From false teachers and from cokhiess and worldliness, the church has always suffered, certainly to a greater degree in these latter days than in the Apostolic era. Observe, too, that, though every age has, in some degree, all of these tribulations, yet, 260 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXIV. 13 But ' he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be » preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations: and then shall the end come. 15 When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken' of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand :) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains : r Rev. 2 : 10 b ch. 28 : 19 ; Rom. 10 : 18 ; Rev. 14 : 6 t Dan. 9 : 27 ; 12 : 11. historically, each age is characterized by its own pe- culiar form of tribulation, and that they follow each other in consecutive order, as indicated in Christ's language here. First comes the period of peril from without, that of Imperial persecution ; next that of schism and conflict within, that of the Roman Catholic persecutions and of the ecclesiastical conflicts between Roman Catholic, ■Greek, and Protestant communions, and the sec- tarian strife between the Protestant churches. This has well-nigh passed ; and we are now in the age of "false prophets," an age which, with liberty of speech, brings within the church itself much false doctrine ; an age which produces a bishop (Colenso) who denies the inspiration of the Scripture, and a professor of theology (Strauss ) who denies the existence of a personal God, the immortality of the soul, and the reality of religion as a vital experience. Is it a mistake to con- elude that the dangers to the church in the fu- ture lie, not in any recurrence of religious perse- cutions, or of denominational conflicts, but in false prophets, and still more in an era, yet to be developed, of abounding iniquity without, and consequent coldness and worldliness within the church ? 13, 14. He that shall endure to the end. Not he that endures to the end of the Jewish economy shall be saved in the destruction of Jerusalem, nor he that endures to the end of the world shall be saved in the day of judgment, but he that endures to the end of the period of trial, ivhatever that in his case may be, shall be saved by and through his endurance of the ap- pointed discipline (Ephes. 6 : 13; Rev. 2 : 7, 11, 17, etc. ; 7 : u). Compare the more explicit language of Luke 21 : 19 and note. Mark (13 : 9-11) and Luke (21 : 12-15) report Christ's practical directions to the disciples how to endure the trial hour when it comes. — And this §^ood neAvs of the kingdom shall be heralded in the whole habitable globe. Not merely throughout Palestine. The Greek word here employed {oly-ovaiM]) never has that signification in the N. T. It may mean, either the then known world (Luke 2:1; Acts 11 : 28 ; 24 : s). Or the entire globe (Rev. 3:10; 12:9; 16:14). I think hcrc the latter meaning is included. — For a testimony unto all nations. A testimony to them of Christ's redemption ; a testimony against such as reject it. Compare note on Matt. 8:4. It is true that the Gospel was preached, in the greater part of the then kno^vn world, before the destruction of Jerusalem. But the prophecy here, as in the preceding verses, is, I think, more far-reaching. " The aposiacy of the latter days, and the universal dispersion of missions, are the two great signs of the end drawing near." — {Alford.) Observe that Christ does not say that the Gospel wUl be re- ceived by or even among all nations, only that it will be proclaimed to them. The standard will be set up ; allegiance may not be paid to it. But this certainly indicates that an increased Chris- tian activity in the church and increased tri- umphs of the Gospel will be contemporaneous events with the coldness, conflicts, and apostacy foretold in the preceding verses. — And then shall come the end, i. e., the end of the pe- riod of trial and judgment, and so the end of the world. 15. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, i. (., the abom- ination that makes desolate, spoken of by Daniel (Dan. 9:27; i2:ii). Stand in a holy place, not in the Holy of holies, the words here used are never employed in the N. T. to signify the Holy of holies or inner Temple ; nor Is it, as in the English version, The holy place, but, as I have translated it above, A holy place. Mark gives as an equivalent expression, Standing where it ought not.— Whoso readeth, let him un- derstand. This is generally regarded as an ad- monition of the Evangelist, added to emphasize Christ's warning. If this surmise be correct, the Gospel of Matthew must have been written not long prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, for the object of this addition is to enforce Christ's caution to the disciples, to make good their escape from the doomed city. The connection of this verse appears to me to be this : Daniel had prophesied of an abomina- tion of desolation which should precede the "consummation," i. e., the flnal coming of the Messiah as king. The disciples, imbibing the erroneous ideas of their time, would suppose that the Messiah's coming would immediately follow this sign, and with mistaken faith might remain in Jerusalem, awaiting there an expected divine deliverance. Christ, so far from confirm- ing this error, carefully corrects it. Therefore, he says, i. e. , because there is to be a long period of tribulation and judgment preceding the end of the world, when ye see the sign spoken of by Daniel, do not imagine that the end is come, and so abide in the city : flee upon the mountains. And in the following verses, to verse 22, he en- Ch. XXIV.] MATTHEW. 261 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out ot his house : 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And" woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days ! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day : 21 For" then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. u Luke 23 : 29. . . forces this admonition by a vivid description of the peril. The admonition was not in vain. Not a single Christian is known to have perished in the siege of Jerusalem. What is the abomina- tion which makes desolate referred to here and in Daniel, it Is not easy to determine. The com- mentators generally suppose it to refer to the standards of the Roman army, which contained heathen emblems, and the direction to be equiv- alent to that of Luke 21 : 20 : Whe7i ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, know that the desolation thereof is nigh. But the Roman eagles had been seen in and about Jemsalem for many years. Others refer the words to the internal desecration of the Temple by the Zealots. In either case there can be no doubt that Alford is correct in saying: "Whatever it was, it was a definite, well marked event, for the flight was to be immediate, on one day (not on the Sabbath), and universal, from all parts of Judea." When this sign appeared, whatever it was, the disciples were not to think the Messiah was at hand ; they were to flee. 16-18. These verses contain directions for the flight of the Christians. — Into the moun- tains. Rather, upon the mountains, i. e., to a refuge beyond them. It is said by Eusebius that at the siege of Jerusalem the Christians fled to Pella, a city on the northernmost boundary of Perea.— On the housetop. The Jewish roof is flat, is a common resort, and is a natural point of observation in time of peril (isaiah 22 : 1). It is said that one may run from one part of Jerusa- lem to another, and even to the city gates, along these flat roofs of the houses. But I should re- gard this and the next verse not as a command to flee in any particular manner, but simply as a warning against delay. They that were on the housetop were not to return to take anything with them ; they were to go unencumbered. — His clothes. Literally hie cloak {iuunov). This was an outer garment not used in work, but the almost necessary accompaniment of every Jewish traveler. It was a shawl or blanket, made of wool and of a square or oblong square form, fast- ened round the neck or on the shoulder by a brooch, and usually worn as an outside mantle over the tunic or undergarment. It was thrown off or left at home during work (John n : 4) ; but was used at night as a wrapper, and would seem to the disciples almost indispensable in such a flight. But they were not to turn back even for THE CLOAK. so important an article. The exigency would be too urgent ; the peril too great. 19, 20. Hindrances within their control they were not to permit, from hindrances beyond their control they were to seek deliverance by " prayer ; a hint as to the use and the limitation of prayer. They were to pray that the flight might not be in the ivinter, that thus they might avoid the additional exposure and suffering ; nor on the Sabbath day, because they would thus meet with impediments from without, such as the shut- ting of the gates of cities, or from their own Sab- bath scruples, from which the Jewish Christians were not wholly freed, and which forbade travel- ing further than a Sabbath day's journey (about one mile), and also because to flee from Judea on the Jewish Sabbath might subject them to the enmity and persecution of the Jews, who would in consequence regard them as both traitors and heretics. 21. For then shall be great tribulation. Luke describes it more in detail (Luke 21 : 24), and the ancient prophecies with still more terrible particularity (oeut. 28 : 49-57 ; Dan. 12: 1). Josephus ( Wars of the Jews, B. 6) gives an account of the hor- rors of this unparalleled siege. According to him there were slain 1,100,000 Jews ; 97,000 were taken captive, many of whom were subsequently tor- tured and slain ; the prisoners captured during the siege were crucified in such numbers that " room was wanted for the crosses, and crosses wanted for the bodies ;" the famine within devoured the people " by whole houses and families," and was so terrible that the prophecy of Deuteronomy was literally fulfilled ; one mother killed, roasted, 263 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXIV. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but" for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then ^ if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here zs Christ, or there ; believe z'i not. 24 hoTV there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and ^ shall shew great signs and wonders ; insomuch that, if » ii were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you. Behold, he is in the desert : go not forth : Behold, he is in the secret chambers ; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning" cometh out of the east, and w Isa. 65 : 8, 9. . . . X Deut. 13 : 1, 3. . . z 2 Thess. 2:9-11; Rev. 13 : 13 a John 10 : 28, 29 b Zee. 9 : 14 ; Lnke 17 : 24, etc. and ate her own child ( Wars of tJie Jews, 6 : 3, 4). The language of Josephus in narrating the events singularly resembles the language of Christ in prophesying them; "No other city," says he, " ever suffered such miseries, nor did any age, from the beginning of the world, ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness than this was." And again : " If the miseries of all man- kind from the creation were compared with those which the Jews then sufiEered, they would appear inferior." See Preliminary Note. 22. And except those days should be shortened there should be no flesh saved. Greswell, (and Alford quoting from him,) refers to several causes which combined to shorten the siege of Jerusalem : (1.) Herod Agrippa had be- gun to fortify the walls of Jerusalem against any attack, but was stopped by orders from Claudius (A. D. 45f or 43). (2.) The Jews being divided into factions among themselves, totally neglected any preparations to stand a siege. (3. ) The mag- azines of com and provisions were burnt just before the arrival of Titus. (4.) Titus arrived suddenly, and the Jews voluntarily abandoned parts of the fortifications. (5.) Titus himself confessed that he owed his yictory to God. See note on verse 1. But while this is the primary meaning of the promise, viz., that the providen- tial shortening of the siege should give escape to some, there is also included the large signifi- cance which Lange attaches to the words. The destruction of Jerusalem is a beginning of God's judgment on the nations ; but he cuts short the judgment, and waits, that by his long-suffering he may save (isaiah so : is ; Rom. 2 : 4 ; 2 Pet. 3 : 9). The student should observe Luke's language here, which clearly implies an interval between the consummation of the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world : Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles he fulfilled (Luke 21 : 24 and note). 23-25. Then. During the times of trouble just described. — If any shall say to you, liO, here is the Messiah, or there ; be- lieve not. Unbelief, then, is sometimes a duty. — For there shall arise false Christs. See note on verse 5. — And false prophets. See note on verse 11 and on Matt. 7 : 15-20. — And shall shew great signs and wonders. Josephus tells us that the false Christs and prophets appeared as magicians, promising to work miracles. The language here is precisely the same used of the miracles wrought by Moses (AcU 7 : 36), by the Apostles (Acts 2 : 43 ; 4 : 30 ; S : 12 ; 6 : 8 ; Rom. 15:19; 2 Cor. 12 : 12 ; Hebrews 2 : 4), and by Christ (John 4 : 48 ; Acts 2 : 22). The mere presence of prodi- gies, then, is of itself no evidence of revelation or inspiration ; they must accompany truth, which, by its inherent character and blessed fruit, gives divine sanction to the miracle. And the lack of this truth-teaching distinguishes the pseudo mir- acles of the false prophets of Judaism, of the priests in the middle ages, and of modem spirit- ualism, from those of the Bible. Compare Deut. 13 : 1-3.— So that they shall deceive, if it Avere possible, the very elect. So perfect will be the imposture. But it will not be pos- sible (John 6 : 39 ; 10 : 28 ; Rom. 8 : 38, 39 ; 3 Tim. 2 : 19 ; 1 John 6 : is). In these verses Christ recurs to the warning with which he began his discourse (verses 4, s). The disciples are not to confound the destruction of Jerusalem with the end of the world ; reports of the coming of the Messiah will be current, but are not to be believed. Of such false Christs we have accounts in Josephus. " The nearer the Jews were to destruction, the more did these impostors multiply, and the more easy credit did they find with those who were willing to have their miseries softened by hope." — {Kenrick.) See also Josephus' Wars of the Jews, 2 : 13, 4-7, and Acts 21 : 38. But while the primary appli- cation of the warning is to the destruction of Jerusalem, its application to later times is made clear by other passages of Scripture. See 2 Thess, 2 : 8-12 ; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 TiuK 3:1-5; Rev. 13 : 14 ; 19 : 19-21, Rightly understood " they will preserve the church firm in her waiting for Christ, through even the awful troubles of the latter days, unmoved by enthusiasm or super- stition, but seeing and looking for Him who is invisible."— (^(/("■f^- ) 26. In the desert in the secret cham- bers. According to Josephus, impostors ful- filled both these predictions, some drawing the people off into the desert, others concealing themselves in secret hiding-places in the city. 27. As the lightning * * * so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. This cannot refer to the preaching of the Gospel of Christ by the Apostles, as Calvin interprets it, for Christ distinctly declares elsewhere that the Ch. XXIV.] MATTHEW. 263 shineth even unto the west ; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever <= the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 29 Immediately alter the tribulation of those days shall <> the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens ' shall be shaken. 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man' in heaven : and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and theys sliall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound'' of a trumpet ; and they shall gather together his elect ' from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. kingdom of God shall come in the Gospel with- out observation (Luke 17 : 20, 21) ; nor to the de- struction of Jerusalem, as some of the modern commentators interpret it, for the Son of man was not recognized in that event by the Jews, and the very point of this declaration is that Christ's coming shall be recognized universally. It can only refer to his final coming in judgment ; and the connection is this : Be not deceived by false Messiahs, for when I come it will be in such a form that no one can doubt or question, it will be sudden, public, manifest to all ; observe, not merely as the lightning^ but as the hghtning when it shines from the East even unto the West, i. «., when the whole heavens are aglow with its light. 28. For. The best manuscripts omit this word. And the omission makes a material dif- ference in the connection, and therefore in the probable interpretation. — Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gath- ered together. The vultures were reckoned by the ancients as belonging to the eagle family, and are probably referred to here. The true eagle feeds readOy on carrion (see Goodrich's Nat. Hist., Vol. II, p. 38), but is a solitary bird, whUe the vultures congregate in great numbers. The history of the interpretation of this verse is a curiosity. The Fathers and, following them, Calvin and Wordsworth, understood it. Wherever Christ is, there will his mitiis and angels gather, an interpretation which is not consistent with the context, nor congruous with other passages of Scripture, and which is revolting to good taste. The modern commentators generally understand it. Where the Jevnsh nation is, there will the Roman armies, whose national standard was the eagle, be gathered. But this interpretation does not harmonize with the context. Dr. Crosby renders it. False Christs will gather where there is a false people. But the false Christs are themselves the product of the false people. In this, as in so many other passages, the Bible is its own best interpreter. The metaphor Is one employed in the O. T., where the eagle, or in more general terms, tJie bird of prey, represents foreign armies called by God to execute his judgment on a corrupt na- tion (Deut. 28 : 49 ; Lam. 4:19; Hosea 8:1; Habakiuk 1 : s). Christ's language here, then, is equivalent to, Judgment will not be inflicted on Jerusalem alone ; that wiU not be the end ; wherever there is corruption, there wUl be inflicted the judg- ments of God. This truth is illustrated in the destruction of Jerusalem, but not less surely and strikingly in the overthrow of Greece and Rome, in the decay of Spain, in the desolations visited on France, and in our own civil war. 29-31. Immediately, not merely suddenly, the Greek word (iv&iMc) is not capable of that translation. — After the tribulation of those days. That is, not immediately after the de- struction of Jerusalem, but immediately after the period of travail and judgment above de- scribed in verses 4^-14, and again referred to in verses 23-28. The end of the world and mani- festation of the Messiah as king shall follow this period of tribulation at once, with no other sign and no intervening period, as the summer fol- lows the spring (verses 32, 33). Shall the sun be darkened * * * The rest of the language of this and the two succeed- ing verses is undoubtedly poetic. We cannot conceive that a sign in the heavens should be seen or a trumpet be heard simultaneously on both sides of a round globe. Those who regard this twenty-fourth chapter as a prophecy simply of the destruction of Jerusalem, understand the language here as a poetic and figurative descrip- tion of the calamities to fall upon Judea. Ac- cording to their view these expressions are inter- preted as follows : The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light is equivalent to. Those shall be dark days, and in support of this are cited, Isaiah 13 : 10 ; 24 : 23 ; 34 : 4 ; 50 : 3 ; 60 : 19, 20 ; Ezek. 32 : 7 ; Joel 3 : 15, where sim- ilar language is employed in describing earthly judgments of God upon sinful cities, as Babylon, Tyre, etc. ; Tlien shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven is not. The sign shall appear in heaven, but a sign shall appear testifying that the Son of man is in heaven, this sign being the destruction of Jerusalem ; Then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn means that all the inhabitants of Palestine shall experience great sorrow at the desolation of their land and the destruction of their Holy City ; And he shall send his angels with the sound of a trumpet, is equivalent to. Then shall he send his messengers (the word here ren- dered angel is sometimes translated messenger, Mark 1:2; Luke 7 : 24 ; 9 : 52), with the trum- 264 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXIV. 32 Now learn i a parable of the fig tree : When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh : 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even " at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven ' and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. j Luke 21 : 29. . k Jas. 6 : 9 1 Ps. 102 : 26 : Isa. 61 : 6. pet of his Gospel to call together unto his church the true disciples of Christ, or. He shall send his guardian angels to preserve the elect from the calamities falling upon the Jews. The stu- dent may find this view in brief in Lightfoot, and more fully in J. H. Morison, Adam Clarke, and Owen, and something of it in Barnes, who ap- pears, however, not to he fully satisfied with it. To me it appears utterly untenable for the fol- lowing reasons : (a.) The Apostles, who were looking for a majestic manifestation of the Mes- siah as their king, could not have so understood Christ's language here, and it is ordinarily safe to assume that Christ meant his words to be taken in the sense in which his auditors would naturally have taken them. (6.) They did not so understand him ; for metaphors, unmistakably borrowed from Christ here, are used by the Apos- tles, especially Paul, in describing the last judg- ment (2Thess. 1:7; 1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:15-17: comp. joimii:52). I am unable to see why the same principle of interpretation which converts Christ's sublime description of the last days into a poetic description of the destruction of Jerusalem, would not expunge from the N. T. all its proph- ecies of Christ's second coming and the final judgment, by looking for their fulfilment in other terrible national calamities, (c.) The com- mon reader would certainly not understand Christ's language here to be applicable to the destruction of Jerusalem, and the Bible was in- tended for ordinary readers. Interpretations which contradict the common understanding are to be received with great hesitation, (d.) Christ him- self employs almost the same language in other connections, where it cannot be doubted that he refers to his final coming to judge the world (Matt. 25 : 31 ; 26 : 64 ; Mark 14 : 62). (g.) ThC inhabitants of Palestine did not in any sense see in the de- struction of Jerusalem the Son of man coming ; on the contrary, he is unrecognized by the great body of the Jews to the present day. (/.) Christ did not through his Apostles gather together the elect from the four winds of heaven; on the contrary, they were scattered abroad to the four winds of heaven, in the persecutions which im- mediately preceded, and in those which accompa- nied the destruction of Jerusalem, and went ev- erywhere preaching the Gospel (see Acu s : i,4 ; ii : 19). I then understand that Christ here refers to his second coming to judge the world, a coming that will be sudden, and that will be accompanied by such signs and portents that there can be no possible mistake concerning his appearing. I do not here consider the question whether there is to be a pre millennial coming of Christ prior to the last judgment. If so, the evidence must be found elsewhere in Scripture. There is nothing in this prophecy to indicate it. 32, 33. As we judge from the presence of certain signs in nature, that spring is over and summer is nigh, so we are to judge when the advent of the Messiah is at hand, by no miracu- lous signs and portents, but by the development and progress of the world's travail and judg- ment, as described in the preceding verses. Compare Matt. 16 : 3. 34. This nation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Of course, if the English version is correct here, and Christ de- clares that all this prophecy is to be fulfilled be- fore the then generation passed away, this verse would leave but one alternative ; we should be compelled to believe, either that the Lord him- self thought the destruction of the world would foUow immediately on the destruction of Jeru- salem, and this in the face of his distinct refusal to indicate when the former event would occur (verse 36), and his emphatic assertion that he did not know (Mark 13 : 32), and his careful and repeated warnings against that error (verses 4, s, 15, 23 and notes) ; or that he refers in this chapter only to the de- struction of Jerusalem, an interpretation which it appears to me does violence to the plain mean- ing of verses 29-31. But if we read this verse, as I have translated it above, then the marvellouB if not miraculous preservation of the Je-vvish nation, though dispersed through all lands, and persecuted through all these ages, is a perpetual and living testimony to the truth of Christ's prophecy. On the question whether the original word rendered generation in this verse can be properly rendered nation I transcribe, modifying it so as to make its references intelligible to the English reader, the note of Dean Alford. " As this is one of the points on which the rationaliz- ing interpreters lay most stress, to show that the prophecy has failed, it may be well to show that the original {yend) has in Hellenistic Greek the meaning of a race or family of people. For this purpose see Jer. 8 : 3 (Septuagint) ; compare Matt. 23 : 36 with verse 35, and observe that the then living generation did not slay Zacharias, so that the whole people are addressed. See also Matt. 12 : 45, where the sense absolutely requires that the meaning of nation should be attached Ch. XXIV.] MATTHEW. 265 36 Buf" of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until " the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not, until the flood came, and took them all away ; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field ; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill ; the one shall be taken, and the other left. m Zee. 14 : 7 ; 1 Thess. 6 : 2. to the word. See also Matt. 17 : 17 ; Luke 17 : 25 ; 16 : 8. In the latter passage, ' The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light,' the word generation is predi- cated both of the children of this world and of the children of light, and evidently not used literally of an age of men. Compare also Acts 2 : 40 ; Phil. 2 : 15. In all these passages genera- tion {yivid) is equivalent to nation (y^voc), or nearly so ; having, it is true, a more pregnant meaning, implying that the character of one gen- eration stamps itself upon the race, as here in this verse also." That is, here the prophecy is not merely that the Jewish nation, as a nation, should not pass away, but also that it should not lose its national characteristics ; amid all the changes of time it should remain unchanged; and this prophecy has been wonderfully fulfilled in the unparalleled history of the Jews. 35. This verse is wanting in the Sinaitic man- uscript. Tischendorf omits it. Alford retains it. It unquestionably belongs to the discourse, and is found in Mark 13 : 31 and Luke 31 : 33. Par- allel to it is Matt. 5 : 18. The physical universe is temporal and transient ; truth is eternal and immutable. The one is continually passing away before our eyes ; the other, like its divine author, is " the same yesterday, to-day, and for- ever." Compare 2 Cor. 4 : 18 ; and on the cer- tainty of coming judgment, here specially re- ferred to, Deut. 33 : 34 ; Jer. 3 : 23 ; Kom. 3 : 5. 36. But of that day. This phrase ''that day,^'' when used absolutely, as here, generally signifies in the N. T. the day of judgment, the great day, the consummation of all others. See for examples. Matt. 7 : 33 ; Luke 10 : 12 ; 1 Thess. 5:4; 2 Tim, 1 : 12, 18 ; 4:8. So the book of revelation is called the Bible, i. e., The Book, or the Scriptures, i. e.. The Writings. Here the context as well as the general N. T. usage for- bids the idea of any other reference than to the day of judgment, when heaven and earth shall pass away. — Knoweth no one, no, not the angels in heaven. Mark (13:32) makes the important addition nor the Son. See note there. Observe here, however, that the whole of the rest of this chapter is based on this assertion of ignorance concerning the coming of the day of judgment, and that it is therefore clear, (1) that Christ does not confound the destruction of Je- rusalem with the end of the world, nor intend to teU his disciples when the end will be ; (3) that all schemes of interpretation of prophecy which assume to predict the day, are in direct conflict with Christ's solemn assertion that it is not known to man, nor to the angels in heaven, nor even to himself. 37-39. The rest of this chapter is peculiar to Matthew. But the same truth — the necessity of constant watchfulness — is enforced in language analogous, and with the same or similar illustra- tions, in other discourses of our Lord reported m Luke 13 : 41-45 ; 17 : 26-87. Compare Christ's language there and here. Christ here employs the deluge as an illustration of the suddenness and certamty of the coming judgment. In Luke 17 : 28-30 he adds a reference to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. — Noe. The Greek form of Noah. — The coming of the Son of man. The same word coming {naQi)volu)is used here, as in verses 3 and 37 above. Nearly all critics are agreed that here Christ refers to his second coming in the day of judgment ; why not there ? Observe the parallel : In the days before the flood the people had warning of the impending judgment (1 Pet. 3 : 19), but did not know the day or the hour, neglected the warning, and gave themselves up, in disregard of it, to luxury and self-indulgence ; and when the flood came, preparation was too late. Observe, too, that eating, drinking, and marrying are right, but to give the life up to them is wrong ; and that luxury and seeming security are precursors of danger and doom. Alford notices the implication that wine and its effects existed prior to the fall of Noah (oen. 9 : 20), and that Christ indirectly confirms the O. T. ac- count of the flood. 40,41. Then shall tAvo be in the field, laboring together. Saints and sinners shall be commingled to the last. Compare Luke 17 : 34. — One is taken. Not shaU be ; the verb is in the present tense. Christ, as it were, stands in the midst of and sees the events he is describing. The word rendered taken is literally taken to or with another. The event is interpreted by John 14 : 3, and yet more clearly by 1 Thess. 4 : 17 : " Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." Evidently this is not to be confounded with the flight mentioned in verses 16-18 ; that is voluntary escape, this is divine deliverance. — Two grinding at the 266 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXIV. 42 Watch" therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house haJ known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his bouse to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready : for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh. 45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household,p to give them meat in due season ? 1 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler' over all his goods. Luke 12 : 39, 40 ; Rev. 3:3; 16:15. 1 Jer. 3 : 15 q ch. 13 : 62 r ch. 25 : mill. The mills of the ancient Hebrews prob- ably difEered but little from those at present in AJSr EASTEBN MILL. use in the East. These consist of two circular stones, about eighteen inches or two feet in diameter. The upper stone has a hole in it, through which the grain passes. The mill is worked by women, the lowest servants, or cap- tives (Exod. 11 : 6 ; judg. 16 : 2i), who are usually seated on the bare ground (is. 47 ; 1, 2), facing each other. Both hold the handle, and pull to or push from, as men do with the cross-cut saw. The preceding verses set forth the certainty (verse 35), the unexpecteduess (verse 36), and the suddenness (verses 37-39) of the coming judgment ; these set forth its closeness in separating those commingled on earth. " It will be a surprising and a separating day." — {Matthew Henry.) Com- pare chapter 25 : 31-33. Alford says of these verses, "Nor do they refer to the great judg- ment of 25 : 31, for then (verse 32) all shall be sum- moned : — ^but they refer to the millennial dispen- sation and the gathering of the elect to the Lord then.'''' Whether there is or is not to be such a millennial dispensation prior to the final judg- ment I do not here discuss. It seems to me, however, that there is nothing here to indicate a double coming of Christ. In both passages a separation is described, though in different lan- guage and with different metaphors. 42. Watch therefore. Not for the day of judgment, for no watching will give the disciples a knowledge of its approach ; but, in constant expectancy of its coming (2 Pet. 3 : 12), be watchful over yourselves, that ye may be always ready. That this is Christ's meaning is clear from par- allel exhortations to watchfulness. We are to watch and pray lest we enter into temptation (Matt. 26 : 41 ; Mark 14 : 38), accompanying our Watch- ing with faith (i Cor. i6 : 13), thanksgiving (coi. 4 : 2), sobriety (iThess. 5:6; 1 Pet. 6 : 8), and purity (Rev. 16 : 15) ; see also note to Parable of ten virgins (ch. 25 : 1-13, p. 229). Obscrvc (1) that the ignorance of the disciples eoncemmg the datj, as some man- uscripts have it, or the hour, as others have it, of Christ's coming, is the basis of the exhorta- tion to watchfulness ; (2) that the exhortation is given not only to the twelve, but to all Christ's disciples to the end of time (Mark 13 : 3?) ; and (3) that the connection clearly implies that the pre- vious verses refer to Christ's second coming, not to the destruction of Jerusalem. Watch therefore ; wherefore? Not because destruction did come unexpectedly on Jerusalem, but because it will come unexpectedly on the world. 43, 44. But ye know this. The verb may be rendered either in the imperative or the indicative mood. The idea is the same in either case : Te do not know the day of Christ's com- ing ; but ye know the duty and the necessity of constant watchfulness. — If the master of the house. Not any particular person ; this verse is a parable in brief. — In what Avatch. The Jewish night was anciently divided into three watches, the first or " beginning of the watches " (Lam. 2 : 1$) lasting from sunset to 10 p. m., the middle watch (judges 7 : 19) lasting from 10 p. m. to 2 A. M., and the morning watch (Eiod. i4 : 24 ; 1 Sam. 11 : 11) lasting from 2 a. m. till sunrise. But un- der the Romans the watches were increased in number to four (Matt. 14 : 25 ; Mark 13 : 35 and note). — The thief would come. Elsewhere in the N. T. Christ's coming is compared to that of a thief (iThess. 5: 1-10; Rev. 3:3; 16 : is), bCCaUSe (1) it is sudden, (2) to those whose treasure is all earthly, it is destructive. To such his coming, whether in death or in judgment, leaves nothing (Luke 12: 20). — And would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Literally dug through. The houses of the East were often built of sun-burnt brick, clay, earth, or even loose stones, through which it was easy to make an opening. — Be ye also ready. In Matt. 6 ; 19, 20, Christ tells us how to be ready. 45-47. In Luke 13 : 42-46 a similar parable is Ch. XXIY.] MATTHEW. 267 48 But anci if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming ; 49 And shi'.ll begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and djink with the drunlven : 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day' when he looketh not for kim, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites : there ' shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 1 Thess. 6:3: Rev. 3:3. . chap. 25 : 30. given in answer to Peter's question, Speakest thou this parable unto us, or even unto all? Here it answers the same unuttered question. Whoever is the faithful and wise servant shall receive the reward ; whoever is the evil servant shall receive punishment. Compare with this parable Mark 13 : 34r-37. — Who then is a faithful and wise servant? Faithful to his lord and so in his daily duty ; wise, i, e. prudent, foreseeing, looking for the coming of his lord. Compare Prov. 22 : 3 ; 27 : 12.— Whom his lord hath placed over his servants. Not merely the pastor, bishop, or apostle is here designated. Whoever, by reason of genius, position, or wealth, has influence or control over others is in so far placed over them, and is accountable to his Lord for the administration of his trust. — To give them meat. The object God has in making some men rulers^ is that they may feed others. The great are to be the servants of the feeble. Compare Luke 32 : 26 ; 1 Cor. 14 : 12 ; 1 Pet. 5 : 2, 3.— In the season. That is now, while the season for doing good lasts. Compare Gal. 6 : 9, 10 and note. — He shall place him overall his possessions. Compare Rev. 2 : 26 ; 3 : 21. But how can each servant be placed over all God's possessions ? Alford answers the question well : " That promotion shall not be like earthly promotion, wherein the eminence of one excludes that of another, — but rather like the diffusion of love, in which, the more each has, the more there is for all." So each saint owns all God's posses- sions, even now (i Cor. 3 : 21, 22). 48-51. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart. The worst skepti- cism is that which lurks in the heart of the pro- fessed disciple, not that which openly assails the church from without. — My lord. Observe, he is a professed disciple of the Lord (comp. verses 10,12). — Delayeth his coming. A frequent cause of apostacy in the church is practical un- belief in the second coming of Christ. Compare Rom. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3 : 3-12. — Shall begin to smite * * * and to eat, etc. The two forms of sin most common to those in high places, oppression and self-indulgence. — Shall cut him asunder. A punishment practised among both ancient Hebrews and other nations (1 Sam. 15 : 33 ; 2 Sara 12 : 31 ; Dan. 2 : 6 ; 3 : 29 ; Heb. 11 : 3?). — And shall appoint his portion, i. e. his fellowship (Rev. 21 : s), with the hypocrites. See note on chap. 6 : 2, and compare Rev. 21 : 27 ; 33 : 15. — There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. See note on chap, 8 : 13. In this verse is one of the incidental evidences that the metaphors of Scripture cannot be liter- ally interpreted. Cutting asunder indicates de- struction ; weeping and gnashing of teeth, a livmg in suffering. Neither can be regarded as indi- cating here anything more than a terrible and final punishment. Observe the contrast between the good and the evil servant. The good servant \& faithful, to his lord and in his trust ; prudent, in watching for his lord's commg ; beneficent, using his power as a trust, for others ; patient, in continuing his well-doing till the commg of his lord ; and his blessing is an enlarged honor, and a grander sphere of activity in the future. The evil serv- ant becomes a practical disbeliever in Christ's second coming, uses his power to oppress his fellow-servants, and to gratify himself, finds his companions with the self-indulgent, not with the self-denying ; and to him judgment comes sud- denly (Matt. 7 : 26, 27), Unexpectedly, without warning, and with terrible and final condemnation, that separates him from the saints, and allots his portion with sinners. Compare Ezekiel, chap. 34 ; and observe the illustration of the evil servant in the corrupt and worldly among the ministry in all ages and all branches of the church. Ch. 25. CHRIST'S DISCOURSE ON THE LAST DATS CONCLUDED. Peeliminart Note. — This chapter is peculiar to Matthew. It contains a description of the judgment, first in the parable of the ten virgins (1-13), second, in that of the talents (14-30), third, m a description which is pictorial, but not para- bolic (31^6). A question requires statement, if not answer, before entering on the interpretation of the chapter in detail. The millenarian com- mentators, e. g., Stier, Olshausen, Alford, hold that the millennium intervenes between the judg- ment described in the two parables (1-30) and that depicted m the closing section of this chapter (31-46). According to this view Christ first comes, selects his faithful followers (the wise virgins, the industrious servants), who reign with him for a thousand years. At the expiration of this time he comes again, to judge the rest of mankind according to their works, and this is the judgment described in verses 31-46. In support of this view reference is had to Rev., chap. 20, and to 1 Thess. 4 : 16, 17, with 2 Thess. 1 : 7-10. It is also said that it is the 268 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXV. doctrine of the Scripture that the world of unbe- lievers is to be judged accorditig to its works (Eccles. 3 : 17 ; 12 : 14 ; Matt. IC : 27 ; Rom. 2 ; 6 ; 1 Cor. 3:13; Rev. 20 : 12, 13; 22 : 12) ; that from this judgment believ- ers are delivered by faith in Christ, so that they shall not come into judgment ( John 3 : is ; S : 21 ; I Cor. 11 : 31), but shall themselves judge the world (Matt. 19 : 23 ; I Cor. 6 : 2, s). It is further argued that a distinction between the two judgments is indi- cated here ; that in the first two parables only the professed followers of Christ are judged ; that in the first one the condemned virgins are not only professed, but real disciples, who are waiting for their Lord, with lamps lighted and filled with oil ; that in the closing picture of the last judgment Christ represents in the "all na- tions" gathered before him only the world of non-believers, including the heathen, whom he distinguishes from his own brethren (ver. 4o), who have already entered with him into glory, and that he renders the judgment wholly upon the ground of works, not of faith, wnich excludes the idea that true believers in him are among those there assembled for judgment. Whether there is such a distinction between Christ's pre-mUlennial and final coming I do not here discuss. For the significance of the pas- sages which are supposed to support that view, see notes on them, especially Rev. chap, 20. It must suffice to say (1) that Christ evidently rec- ognizes here but one public and manifested ap- pearing of the Son of man (chap. 24 : 27, 39, 44, so ; 25 : I, 13; especially comp. chap. 24 : 30, 31 with 25 : 31) ; (3) that whatever selection of the saints takes place prior to the judgment will therefore apparently take place in an unrecognized manner, may be taking place now ; (3) that there is but one true judg- ment-day, and that the judgment of all mankind will be conducted upon the same general princi- ples ; a part will not be judged by one standard and a part by another, for the servants as well as the non-believers will be judged according to their works (Matt. 7 : 21-23 ; 24 : 45-51 ; John 5 : 28, 29 ; 2 Cor. 5:10; Gal. 6:8). And that this is not inconsistent with the doctrine that they will be saved by faith and not by works is apparent from John 15 : 3, 4, 6 ; Ephes. 2 : 10 ; James 3 : 17, 18 ; for good works are the fruits of faith (Heb. chap. ii). Whether we can, from the unfulfilled prophecies of Scripture, frame a more definite system of last things, I at present doubt. Alford himself, who lays down the millenarian view as inter- preted above very positively in the first edition of his commentary, in a later edition qualifies his strong assertion. "Having now entered," he says, "on the deeper study of the prophetic portions of the N. T., I do not feel the same con- fidence in the exegesis I once did as to prophetic interpretations here given of the three portions of this chapter 35. But I have no other system to substitute, and some of the points here dwelt on seem to me as weighty as ever. / very much question whether the thorough study of Scripture prophecy will not make me more and more distrust- ful of all human systematizing, and less willing to hazard strong assertion on any portion of the sub- ject.'" With the spirit of this self -distrust and doubt I most heartily concur. The practical lessons of the unfulfilled prophecies are plain ; their full prophetic meaning I am more and more persuaded can be interpreted only by their fulfillment. Ch. 25 ; 1-13. PARABLE OF THE TEN VIKGINS.— Daily gbace essential to pcttibe glory. Pkeliminaet Note. — To imderstand this par- able, some acquaintance with marriage ceremo- nies as they formerly existed among the Jews, is necessary. This, fortunately, it is not difficult to obtain ; for not only ancient literature de- scribes them very fully, but the Eastern marriage ceremonies of the first century have remained substantially unchanged. The betrothal was itself a much more solemn act than with us, and was often accompanied by a public ceremonial. Usually a period of twelve months intervened between the betrothal and the wedding ceremony, during which time the bride-elect continued to live with her friends, and all communications between herself and the bride- groom were carried on through the medium of a "friend of the bridegroom" (john3::9). No religious ceremonies appear to have been performed at the wedding, but it is thought that some formal ratifi- cation of the betrothal took place, with an oath ; to this custom there may be an allusion in Ezek. 6 : 8 and Mai. 3 : 14. The essential feature in the wed- dmg ceremony consisted in takmg the bride to her future husband's home. Throughout the day preceding this ceremony, both parties fasted, confessing their sins, and seeking forgiveness. It is thought, also, that the bride prepared her- self for the wedding- ceremony by a bath, taken, as it certainly is in modem times, with some pomp, and as an important part in her share of the wedding ceremonial (Ruth 3:3; Ezck. 23 : 40 ; Ephes. 6 : 26, 27). This is now usually done on the preced- ing day. When the evening of the wedding day arrived, the bridegroom, attired in wedding ap- parel ( Isaiah 61 : lo), of which a peculiar nuptial head-dress was a characteristic, set out, at a fixed hour, accompanied with his companions, known as " children of the bride-chamber" (Matt. 9 : 15), to bring the bride either to her new home, or to some other place appointed for her reception. It would appear from some modem accounts, that sometimes the bride is brought to the house of the bridegroom, who remains there to receive her. This marriage procession was, and still is, the essential feature in the Eastem wedding; and it gave a peculiar significance to the Hebrew Ch. XXV.] MATTHEW. ^69 phrase, to "take a wife." It was a symbol of capture, which in a ruder form is still preserved among some barbarous tribes in Africa, and among the modei-n Arabs, with whom the cap- ture and removal of the bride is accomplished with considerable show of violence. The bride, attired in her bridal costume (jer. 2 : 32), awaited the arrival of the bridegroom. This costume, when she was a maid, was always white (Rev. 19 : 7, 8), often richly embroidered (ps. 45 : u) ; essential parts of it were a wreath of myrtle on the head, or, according to some authorities, a chaplet, gold or gilt; a peculiar girdle encir- cling her waist, and a white veil (cen. 24 : es) not only concealing her face, but completely covering her person. This last was regarded as a symbol of her submission to her husband (1 Cor. 11 : 10), With her maids she joined the procession, which A MODERN MAERIAGE PROCESSION IN JERUSALEM. 'then marched back through the streets to the appointed place, where a feast was prepared for the company. Music, torches, and every demon- stration of joy accompanied the train. The for- mer, produced largely by small drums, and tam- bourines, is described, in accounts of the modern procession, as of a very extraordinay description. Often gymnasts or others accompany these pro- cessions, in the modern ceremony, performing their feats of dexterity before an admiring throng. The accompanying illustration, from the pencil of Mr. A. L. Rawson, is an exact reproduction of such processions, as they may be seen to-day in the streets of Jerusalem. As the procession neared the bridegroom's house it was joined by other friends of the bride and groom, swelling' its tumult and accompanying it to its destination. When this was reached the procession entered, including the invited guests ; the door was then closed, and no one arriving subsequently was permitted to enter (vers. 10-12, note). The mar- riage contract was then signed, and the party sat down to the feast. At the close of the meal came the nuptial benediction, pronounced ac- cording to a prescribed form, by the bridegroom himself; if the bride were a virgin, parched corn was distributed among the guests ; and the marriage ceremony was concluded by conducting the bride, in state, to her bed-chamber. The ac- companying festivities, however, lasted for days, sometimes for a fortnight. For Scripture illus- trations of marriage ceremonies, see Gen. ch. 24 ; Judges, ch. 14 ; Ruth, ch. 4 ; and John 2 : 1-10. The general lesson of this parable appears to me to be plain, though it has sometimes been missed, and oftener not clearly stated. The ten virgins go forth with their lamps lighted to meet the bridegroom. They thus represent professing Christians, in whom the light of piety has been really, or at least in appearance, lighted. All slumber and sleep while the bridegroom tarries. The sole distinction between them is that five have oil with which to replenish their lamps, and five have not. Oil was used in the Jewish econ- omy to bum in the lights of the temple, and to anoint both kings and priests. It was thus a symbol of divine grace (Psalm 45 : 7, 8 ; Acta 10 : 38 ; Heb. 1 : 9). By anointing with oil the king became the 270 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXV. CHAPTER XXV. THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins," which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom." 2 And five" of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil^ with them ; 4 But the wise took oil t in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered » and slept. I Pb.46 ! 14; C8.6 : 8,9; 2 Cor. U : 2. John 3 : 29. . . .w chap. , y 1 John 2 : 20 1 Th. 5 : 6. Lord^s anointed. It is by the grace which this oil symbolized that we are made kings and priests unto God. The chief lesson of the para- ble, then, I take to be this : It is not enough to experience religion once for all, and to join, even with a real experience, the professed band of Christ's followers. Our prayer must be for daily grace, as for daily bread. And those who have been content merely to light their lamps, without providing a supply of oil, i. e., to begin a Christian life without recognizing their continual dependence upon God for continual supplies of grace, will at the last find the door of his kingdom shut against them. Thus the distinction is not be- tween those who merely profess and those who really possess religion, but between those who are content with one experience and those who rec- ognize their need of continuous supply of divine grace. The Galatians were foolish virgins (oai. 3:1; 6 : 4, t). The parable emphasizes and is inter- preted by such passages as John 15 : 4-6, etc. ; 2 Tim. 2:1; Heb. 4 : 16 ; 12 : 15, 28 ; 2 Pet. 3 : 18. Parallel to it is the lesson of the manna, which had to be gathered day by day (Exod. 16:19-21). Thus, too, this parable emphasizes the soul's de- pendence on God, the next parable the soul's duty to God ; this our need, that our obligation ; this measures us by what we receive, that by what we do; this is Calvinistic, that is Armin- ian. It would not be safe to conclude that any souls really lighted from on high will apostatize and forever fall away. The parable represents the virgins as they appear to the bystander, the disciples as they appear to the world. The event alone shows who have oil with their lamps and who have not. For other lessons of the par- able, see the notes in detail. Mr. Amot calls atten- tion to the striking contrast between the insig- nificance of the story and the solemn sublimity of its lesson. " A few country girls arriving too late for a marriage, and being therefore excluded from the festival, is not in itself a great event ; but I know not any words in human language that teach a more piercing lesson than the con- clusion of this similitude." 1, 2. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto. Then connects the follow- ing parable with the preceding chapter. The discourse is all one. It is in the second coming of Christ that the kingdom of heaven is like this story of the virgins. — Ten virsrins. No special significance attaches to the number. It was a usual number in a marriage procession. Nor any to the fact that virgins are mentioned. In all ages of the world virgins have been chosen as bridesmaids. The Roman Catholic deduction in favor of professed virginity deserves to be men- tioned only as a warning against that literal interpretation of details, which is by no means confined to Roman Catholic interpreters. The deduction of Alford and Olshausen that both the wise and the foolish are true disciples of Christ, appears to me to be equally unfounded. If all had not been represented as virgins the pic- ture would have been false to real life. — Five of them were wise and five were foolish. For the meaning of this contrast compare Matt. 7 : 25-27; 24 : 45 ; 2 Pet. 1 : 5-9. Observe that in the Scripture godliness is always represented as wisdom, and ungodliness as folly (Psaim u : 1 ; Prov. 8 : 35, 36 ; Ephes. 5 : 16). 3, 4. These verses mark the only contrast between the two classes. See Preliminary Note. Observe that in the outset no distinction is visible between the wise and foolish virgins ; both have lamps burning, but the wise have the lasting supply of oil (grace), the foolish have not. So in the church no visible line separates those whose light is fed by their own resolution from those whose dependence is a continual supply of daily grace from God. The Jewish lamp was a- shallow vessel filled with oil. The wick floated ASSTBIAN LAMPS. (From originals in British Mueenm.) on the oil. Our illustration represents some lamps exhumed in the Assyrian excavations. The originals are in the British Museum. Others almost exactly like these have been recently dis- Ch. XXV.] MATTHEW. 271 6 And at midnight" there was a cry'' made. Behold, the bridegroom cometh ; go ye ouf^ to meet aim. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil ; for our lamps are gone out."" 9 But the wise smswered, saying , Noi so,- lest there be not enough for us and you ; but go ye rather « to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while' they went to buy, the bridegroom came ; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage : and the door was shut.e 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, say ing,"" Lord, Lord, open to us. Rev. 16 : 15. . . .b 1 Thess. 4 : 16. covered in Jerusalem. In the marriage proces- sion such lamps were placed on sticks, and thus converted into torches. In separate vessels, oil was carried with which to replenish the lamps. 5. While the Bridegroom tarried. In this there is a hint that the Lord would not come immediately, nor so soon as his church expected him. The same hint is given in chap. 24 : 48. Observe that there the wicked servant thinks the Lord delays, so watches not for his coming ; here the foolish virgin thinks he is coming immediately, so makes no provision of oil ; an indication that a sinful heart can find in directly contrary beliefs excuses for the same real neglect. — They all slumbered and slept. Literally, nodded and fell adeep. The fact is hardly to be spiritually pressed. If at all, it seems to me that Calvin, and following him, Arnot, give the key to its true meaning. "Dis- ciples in the body cannot be occupied always and only with the expectation of their Lord's ap- pearing. Sleep and food, family and business, make demands on them as well as on others, de- mands which they cannot and should not resist. If the coming of the Bridegroom be delayed till midnight the virgins must (naturally will) slum- ber; this is not a special weakness of individ- uals, it is the common necessity of nature." — {Arnot.) And observe the implication, if the Christian has grace in his heart, he is always ready, though asleep ; if not, he is unready, though he were wakeful and seemingly watch- ing. Not what death finds us doing, but how death finds us furnishM, is the important question, 6,7. At midnight. Observe the implication here, which underlies the instruction of the pre- vious chapter, that the coming of the Lord wUl be unexpected. — There was a cry made. Either by watchers more wakeful, or by the first of the approaching procession. Parallel to this cry is the "great shout" and "the voice of the archangel," which shall accompany the descent of the Lord, (i Thess. 4 = le).— Trimmed their lamps. " The hand lamp naturally was small and would not contain a supply of oil for many hours. The trimming itself implied two things, an infusion of fresh oil, and removal of whatever had gathered round, and was clogging the wick. For the last purpose a little instrument, often hung by a slender chain from the lamp itself, pointed, for the removal of the snuffs from the flame, and with a little hook at the side by which the wick, when need was, might be drawn further out. This instrument is sometimes found, still attached to the bronze lamps, discovered in sepulchres." — (Trench.) One of these instruments is to be seen in the an- nexed cut, hanging just above the lamp. The illustration is copied from a Roman bronze. 8, 9. Gone out. Literally going out. The apparent piety which is not furnished with con- stant supplies of divine grace may seem bright in life, but fails in the hour of trial, especially of death. — Not so. In the Greek the negative is expressed much more emphatically : Bij no means (aijrtoTi). Observe the significance of (1) the request: Give us of your oil. "How fondly in such a crisis the empty lean on the full." — {Arnot.) (2.) The answer : Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you. In this answer they show their wisdom. No one can supply grace for another's need. Incidently there is here a wit- ness against the Roman Catholic doctrine of works of supererogation, i. e., that the saints accumulate a store of good works from which the church may draw for those who have no merit of their own. Comp. Psalm 49 : 7 ; Rom. 14 : 12 ; 1 Pet. 4 : 18. (3.) The counsel : Go ye rather to them, that sell, and biiy for yourselves. This was the best advice possible ; but it was too late to comply with it. At midnight the stores would be shut. The opportunity for purchasing, which the foolish had enjoyed in common with the wise, was now past. Alford's interpretation of the language here. Go to them that sell, as " no mean argument for a set and appointed ministry and moreover for a paid ministry," appears to me a curious illustration of the literalism that misinterprets. Surely the ministry are not shop- keepers to sell the grace of God. The interpre- tation of this direction is to be found in Isaiah 5.5 : 1 and Rev. 3 : 18. God alone dispenses divine grace ; and the very point of the parable here is that one disciple cannot supply another 272 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXV. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I' know you not. 13 Watch J therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. 14 For'' ihe kingdom 0/ heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto tliem his goods. IS And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one ; to every man according to his several ability ;' and straightway took his journey. i Hab. 1 ...IRom. 12 : 6: 1 Cor. 12 : 4, 10-12. Mr, William Ward in his "View of the Hindoos," quoted in Trench, gives an account of an Oriental wedding, which illustrates the figure here. "After waiting two or three hours, at length, near midnight, it was announced, as if in the very words of the Scripture, Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. AU the persons employed now lighted their lamps, and ran with them in their hands to fill up their stations in the procession. Some of them had lost their lights and were unprepared ; but it was then too late to seek them, and the cavalcade moved forward to the house of the bride. * * * The bridegroom was carried in the arms of a friend, and placed upon a superb seat in the midst of the company, where he sat a short time, and then went into the house, the door of which was immediately shut, and guarded by Sepoys. I and others expostulated with the door-keepers, but in vain." Observe the significance of the spiritual lesson. The foolish virgins are now in earnest, but it is too late. "The salvation of the soul depends, not on frightened earnestness in the moment of departure, but on faith's calm closing with Christ, before the moment of de- parture comes." — {Arnot.) The door was shut. Christ is the door (John 10 : 7, 9), and now stands open to all who will come unto the Father by him (Acts 2 : 39), the door which admitted Aaron after his idolatry, David after his adultery, Peter after his denial, Saul of Tarsus after his persecution of the church. But this door does not stand open forever (Luke is : 24, 25). — Afterward came also the other virgins. Not having obtained the oil, but without it, yet hoping for admission notwithstanding. This at least is the implication of the narrative, for the shops would be closed at midnight— and of the parable, for its object is to teach that divine grace must be sought now, while it is to-day (Heb. 3 : is). " They came looking for mercy when now it was time for judgment." — (Augustine.) To the mar- riage-feast (heaven), none are admitted without light (holiness), which can be sustained only by oil (divine grace), (Ephes. 5:5; Heb. 12:14). "The door was shut, as much for the security and joy, without interruption of those within, as for the lasting exclusion of those without (oen. 7 : 16; Rev. s-.ii).— (Trench.) In Rev. 21 : 25, 27, the gates of the heavenly city are represented as always open, and the implication is that those who are without are excluded by no external or arbitrary barrier, but by their own nature and spirit. Com p. Rev. 22 : 11, 15.— I know you not, i. e., recognize you not as bridesmaids. Comp. Matt. 7 : 23, and note ; also 2 Tim. 2 : 19. He will not know those at the last who knew not him in life. Comp. Matth. 10 : 32, 33, and note. 13. Watch therefore ; for ye know neither the day nor the hour. The words, Whe7-ein the Son of man cometh, are omitted by the best manuscripts. But they undoubtedly interpret aright the meaning of the verse. This carries us back to Matt. 24 : 42, and connects the parables of this chapter with the warnings of the previous chapter. Thus the admonition to watchfulness is the text of the whole discourse ; and this and the foUowing parable both empha- size and interpret that admonition. Watch, that divine grace fail you not, is the lesson of this parable ; Watch, that your o^vn powers and op- portunities are not neglected or misused, is the lesson of the parable of the talents. Ch. 25 : 14-30. PARABLE OP THE TEN TAIENTS.— Deligencb in Duty Essentiai to Future Glory. This parable is peculiar to Matthew. Mark 18 : 34-36 contains an abbreviated form of it. Luke 19 : 11-27 contains an analogous parable, that of the ten pounds, which has sometimes been confounded with this, but is different in structure, and was uttered on a different occa- sion. The central teaching of this parable is clear. Its primary application is to his immediate disci- ples. Our Lord, when he ascended up on high, gave various gifts to them, adapting his divine grace to their natural capacities (Ephes. 4 : 8-i2\ and for their use of these gifts of the Spirit, he here teaches them they must give account on his return. Secondarily it applies to all his disciples throughout all time ; for all are his servants and receive their all from him, and for their use of it must give account to him. Thirdly it applies to all men; for all receive their native capacities and their opportunities, their characters and their circumstances, from God ; he bestowes them not as a gift, but as a trust ; and for their use thereof they will be called to account. The sin against which Christ admonishes his disciples here is not that of the unji^st steward (Lnke i6;i), for here there is no wasting of goods ; nor that of the prodigal (Luke is : 13), for here there is no riotous living ; nor that of the unmerciful servant (Matt. 18 : 25), for here is no indifference to humanity ; nor that of the evil servant (Matt. 24 : 49), for here there is neither excess nor oppression. Our Lord Ch, XXV.] MATTHEW. 273 i6 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents 17 And likewise he that had received two, he also pained other two. 18 But he that had received one, went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 19 After a long time,"' the lord of those servants Com- eth, and reckoneth " with them. 20 And so he that had received five talents, came and brought other five talents, saying. Lord, thou deliver- edst unto me five talents ; behold, I have gained be- side them five talents more. 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler" over many things: en- ter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22 He also that had received two talents, came, and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents : be- hold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant : thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24 Then he which had received the one talent, came, and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man,' reaping where thou hast not sown,i and gathering where thou hast not strawed : ch. 24:48 n ch. 18: 23,24 Luke 12: 44; 22:29; Rev. 3 : 21 p Job 21 : 15 q Jer. 2:31. admonishes us that non-use is a sin as truly as misuse, neglect as truly as flagrant disobedience. The whole parable pivots on the words unprofit- able servant, and it is one of solemn warning, not only to every church-member, but also to every person, who is so living as neither to grow in grace himself nor to edify others. " The warning here is for those who hide their talent, who, being equipped of God, for a sphere of activity, do yet choose, in Lord Bacon's words, 'a goodness soli- tary and particular, rather than generative and seminaL'" — {Trench.) The same lesson is en- forced by the parable of the barren fig-tree (Luke 13 : 6-9). For comparisou of this with preced- ing parable see Preliminary Note on the Parable of the Ten Virgins, above. For special lessons here see notes below. 14, 15. A man traveling into a far country. By this is figured primarily the seem- ing withdrawal of Christ from his church, and secondarily, the seeming withdrawal of God from all direct participation in human affairs. See Matt. 31 : 33, note.— His own servant. Rather slaves. These among the Romans were not only employed in the usual domestic oflBces and in the labors of the field, the mines, and the factory, but also as factors or agents for their masters in the management of business, and were often entrusted with property to a large amount. — Five talents. The Hebrew (silver) talent is variously estimated at from $1500 to $3350, the gold talent as high as J55000. See for fuller account of it, note on Matt. 18 : 24. The amount, therefore, here represented is con- siderable. Its spiritual significance is partially conveyed by our English use of the word talent, as equivalent to power or capacity, especially mental, a use which has grown out of this para- ble. But it also includes powers which are external, as well as those which are inherent in the character, and therefore wealth and position, Chrysostom gives the meaning well. " The tal- ents here are each person's ability, whether in money, or in teaching, or in what thing soever." — To every man according to his several abilty. If there be any lesson in this it is not that grace is given according to the measure of faith, for faith is the gift of God, nor that grace is adapted to the natural ability, for there is no real distinction between natural and supernatural ability, all are from God. In human life we grade our trusts according to the natural ability of the recipient ; God gives to different men in different measures, as it pleases him, but always grades his gifts, so that ability and opportunity go together. "No one is burdened beyond his ability (Exod. 4 : 10-12) ; therefore he is justly com- pelled to render an account." — {Bengel.) Also, there is a difference in endowments and therefore in requirements (Rom. 12 : le ; 1 Cor. 12 : 4-31 ; Ephes. 4 : 7-12). Observe the teaching in these passages, as in this parable, that there are no absolute gifts ; all arc trusts, to be employed in God's service for the edification of his church (i Cor. 14 : 12). 16, 18. Traded with them. Literally la- bored with them, i. e., he added to them by his own industry. Whoever, in allegiance to his divine Master, and by his diligent use of God's gifts, adds to the spiritual value of his own character (1 Pet. 1 : 6-10), or to the true welfare of his fellow- men (Rom. 15:2; 1 Cor. 14 : I2), fulfills the part of a faithful servant. The result is gain to God, a true addition to God's wealth.— Digged in the earth. A common method of hiding treasure in the East. Matt. 13 : 44-46, and note. 19-23. After a long time. A hint that the second coming of Christ would not take place immediately. Compare Matt. 34 : 48 ; 25 : 5, note. Observe (1) the language of the servants, Thou deliveredst unto me five talents ; behold / have gained beside them (literally upon them). In Luke it is " Thy pound hath gained five pounds. ' ' Both statements are true. All gain in spiritual things is both ours and God's ; whether in personal ex- perience (i Cor. 16 ; 10 ; Phu. 2 : 12, 13) or in Christian work (John 15 : 5 ; 1 Cor. 3 : 9) wc are co-laborers with God. His talent makes a gain ; yet we also make it, but always upon his talents, i. e., by their means. (3.) The language of the Lord. He com- mends not the acquisition but the fidelity. " Faith- fulness, not success, is rewarded." — (Alford.) And the reward conferred is a larger sphere of labor : " I wUl make thee ruler over many things.." This is yet clearer in Luke: "Have thou au- 274 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXV. in the earth : lo, there thou hast that is thine, 26 His lord answered and said unto hiin, Thou wick- ed" and slothful servant, thou knevvest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed : 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto ' every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance : but from him that hath not shall be taken away" even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness :' there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. •Prov. 26:13; Rev. 21 : 8....S ch. 18 : 32; ch. 13 : 12 ; Mark 4 : 25 ; Luke 8 : 18 ; 19 : 26. thority over ten cities." This principle of reward is constantly illustrated in this life, where fidelity in the smaller sphere leads to the larger one. But it receives its fulfillment in the other life, where reward is not merely kingly honors, but kingly responsibility and labor. (2 Tim. 4:8; Uev. 2 : 10. Comp. Heb. 1 : 14.) And it is illustrated here in the closing sentence, "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord," whose joy was and is in domg good. Matt. 18 : 13, note. Observe Leighton's comment on this promised reward : " Here some drops of joy enter into us ; there we shall enter into joy, as vessels put into a sea of happiness." 24-27. The spiritual significance of this ser- vant's report and his Lord's answer appears to me to be this : One of the most common causes of spiritual inactivity and indolence is a morbid fear of making mistakes, of losing the one talent in trading instead of increasing it, of doing harm rather than good by work. And this is founded on a false conception of God as a hard master, who calls to rigorous account for the results of our work, whereas he calls us to account only for the purposes that animate us (Rom. s : i ; 2 cor. 8 : 12). To this spirit Christ replies in effect, If it were as you imagine, God a hard and exacting master, this should make you afraid of neglect and indolence, for he will call you to account for non-use as well as for misuse. The foundation of the fear here rebuked is want of faith. The slothful servant does not recognize that he is to work in God as well as for God. Illustrating it by contraries is Augustine's prayer : " Give what thou dost command, and command what thou wilt." Observe, however, the implication in the Lord's rebuke, " Thou wicked and slothful ser- vant." The excuses which men offer for idle- ness, whether to others or their own consciences, are false ; the real reason is spiritual sloth. One talent. There is a significance in the fact that it is the servant with one talent who is idle, which Chrysostom puts well : " Let no man say, I have but one talent, and can do nothing ; for thou canst even by one approve thyself. For thou art not poorer than that widow (1 Kings n : 12) ; thou art not more unmstructed than Peter and John, who were both unlearned and ignorant men (Acts 4 : 13)." — Money-changers. These were men who carried on a business midway be- tween modem banking and modern pawnbrok- ing. They took money on deposit and loaned it out on interest, paying Interest themselves to the depositors. Their interest varied from ten .to thirty-six per cent. ; its average was from twelve to eighteen per cent. — Usury. Interest. This does not determine the rightfulness of the tak- ing of usury, or even of interest. Christ simply employs the common affairs of life as an illustra- tion, without, however, passing judgment on the principle involved in them. Taking usury was common among the Greeks, but the Jews were forbidden to take it from their brethren (Eiod. 22 : 25 ; Lev. 25 : 36 ; Dent. 23 : 19), but might take it from foreigners (Deut. 23 : 20). The spiritual sig- nificance of the language of verse 27, "Thou oughtest, therefore, to have put my money to the exchangers," is not quite clear. Alford's interpretation and application is reasonable and noteworthy: "The machinery of religious and charitable societies in our own day is very much in the place of the money-changers. Let the subscribers to them take heed lest they be not in the degraded case of this servant, even if his excuse had been genuine." 28, 29. The principle here enunciated is illus- trated continually in life. It is embodied in the proverb, "Drawn wells are never dry," and in the aphorism of the wise man in Prov. 11 : 24. Non-use leads to death. The limb used is strengthened, disused becomes weak. Bj' exer- cise the mental faculty acquires strength, by in- dolence loses power. Even money can increase only by being used for others' benefit. But these illustrations point to the final fulfillment of the principle, in the day when the indolent wDl find both his power and his oppoi-dmity for doing good forever taken away from him (John 9 : 4). 30. See Matt. 8 : 12, note, where the bearing of this language on the doctrine of future pun- ishment is considered. Observe that the same condemnation is visited on the unprofitable servant as on the guest without a wedding garment (Matt. 22 : 13), the hypocrites (chap. 24 : 51), and the workers of iniquity (Luke 13 : 27, 2s). Compare with the teaching of this parable the parable of the fig tree (Luke 13 : 6-9), that of the viucyard (uaiah 5 : 1-7), and the injunction of 1 Tim. 4 : 14, " Neglect not the gift that is in thee ; " and observe that the smaller the apparent gift, the more reason for its careful and diligent cultivation, development, and use. Ch. XXV.] MATTHEW. 31 When " the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy acgels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glorv : 32 And before'^ huu shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separates' them one from another, as a shepherd ' divideth Az's sheep from the goats : 275 sheep on his right hand," but 33 And he shall set I the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand. Come, ye blessed " of my Father,"= inherit the kingdom <• prepared = for you from the foundation of the world : w ch. 16:27; 19 : 28 ; Dan. 7 : 13; Zee. 14:5; Mark 8 : 38; Acts 1 : 11 ; 1 Tbess. 4 : 16; 2 Tliess. 1:7; Jude 14; Rev. 1 :7....x Rom. 14: 10; a Cor. 5: 10; Rev. 20: 12.... y ch. 13:49; Ezek. 20 : 38.... z Ps. 78 :52; Johu 10:14, 27.... a Heb. 1 :3....b Ps. 115 ; 15.... c Rom. 8: 17 ; IPet. 1 :4... d 1 Theso. 2 : 12 ; Rev. 5 : 10.... e 1 Coi-. 2:9; Heb. 11 : 16. Ch. 25 : 31-46. THE LAST JUDGMENT DESrRIBED.- There is no true piett without practicax philan- THROPT ; NO true philanthropy without piett. These verses constitute a pictorial and dra- matic but not parabolic description of the last judgment. Nowhere else does Christ describe definitely that event. The passage clearly teaches the following great truths : (1) That there will be a final judgment ; (3) that it will come with the final appearing of our Lord at the end of the world ; (3) that it will consist, not of a trial, but of a public announcement of the divine judgment, founded upon the trial which life affords ; {i) that it will be public — before all nations and all angels, i. e., all created beings known to us to exist ; (5) that it will result in a public separation of all men into two distinct classes, not into a great variety of grades ; (6) that this separation will be based, not on our creeds, our forms and ceremonies, or our religious pro- fessions, but on our practical charity to our fel- low-men ; (7) that the decisions of this judgment will be final, unappealable, and irreversible. See notes below, both for elucidation of these lessons and consideration of others not so clear. On the general relation of this description to preceding parables, see Preliminary Note. 31-33. When the Son of man shall come in his glory. Compare the language of de- scription in chap. 34 : 30, 31. The event de- scribed is apparently the same ; an incidental evidence that neither the destruction of Jerusa- lem nor a millennial coming prior to the last judgment is there described. — Then shall he sit— and before him shall be gathered. The language, when he shall come * * then he shall sit, points to a definite occasion of public judgment, at the second and pitblic coming of Vhrifil, but not necessarily a day in the limited sense of that term. True, " it is not implied that we shall all be gathered before him at one and the same moment " {J. If. Morison), but it is im- plied that it shall be a definite occasion, and when Christ comes in his glory (Matt. 13:40; Acts 17:31; Rom. 2:16; 1 Cor. 4: 5). —All angels— all nations. " How great publicity.''— (Bengel.) The term all nations is limited by the millenarian commenta- tors to the heathen, or at least the non-believing world. See Preliminary Note to this chapter. It is certainly capable of this interpretation, since the term {i9-yog) is most frequently used in the N. T. to signify the Gentiles in contradis- tinction to the Israelites, and is frequently ren- dered Gentiles (Acts 4 : 27), and sometimes heathen (Acts 4 : 25). But it is sometimcs used distinct- ively of the Jews (Luke 7:5; John 11 : 48, 50 ; Acts 10 : 22), and sometimes includes them with the Gentiles (Matt. 28 : 19 ; Luke 24 : 47), and it is therefore certainly capable of the meaning which our English ver- sion here gives to it. And this meaning appears better to accord with the description elsewhere given of the last judgment (Eocles. 12 : U; 2 Cor. 5 : lO; Rev. 20 : 12, 13).— He shall separate them one from another. Compare Ezek. 34 : 17. Ob- serve, the separation is not into a great variety of grades, which merge into one another ; it is into two well-defined classes. This description cannot be reconciled with the conception that the other world will be one simply of develop- ment, into which all men will enter at the stage of progress reached here, to pass by a process of education into the next higher class. There are but two classes, though there may be grades of character and condition in both. Observe, too, that there is a real separation between the righteous and the wicked on earth, but it is not made apparent till the judgment-day. Then the gulf between them is fixed forever (Matt. 13 : 37, note ; Luke 16 : 26). 34. Then shall the King say. Christ is the King, whose kingdom shall be then mani fested when he comes to judge the world (john 5 : 27 ; Rom. 14 : 9 ; Rev. 19 : 6,7). — Come. We COmC tO Christ both for salvation here and for glory here- after ; we come that we may be with him where he is (John 14:3; 17:24). — Ye blessed of my Father. Not, Te that are to be blessed, but Ye that have been blessed ; the perfect participle is used. They are blessed because all the fruits of true love which men apparently produce are really fruits of the Spirit (i Cor. 3 : 6; i John 4 : 7, 12). — In- herit the kingdom prepared for you. The kingdom of which Christ is King, and which consists in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom. 14 : 17). We enter it fully when we come where there is no more sin or tempta- tion (Rev. 21 : 27). We inherit it because it is God's free gift (Rom. 6 ; 23), and is given only to those who, being born again, are the children, and therefore the heirs, of God (John 3 : 3, 5 ; Rom. a -. is, 17; GaL4:6, 7). — From the foundation of the Avorld, i. e., so prepared in the councils of 276 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXV. 35 For I ' was an hungred, and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink : I was a stranger,^ and ye toolc me in : 36 Naked,'' and ye clothed me : I was sick, and ye visited ' me : 1 was in prison,' and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying. Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee f or thirsty, and gave thee drink ? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in ? or naked, and clothed thee ? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you. Inasmuch '' as ye have done // unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. f Isa. 68 : 7 ; Eiek. 18 : b. 13: 2....kPraT. divine love ; not actually made ready, for Christ went that he might prepare a place for us (john 14: 2). 35, 36. For. These verses give the reason why those on the right hand are accepted. They are a N. T. exposition of Prov. 19 : 17, "He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to the Lord." Comp. 1 Tim. 6 : 17-19 ; 1 John 3 : 16-18 ; ch. 4, and Scripture references given below. And observe that every element in this description is illus- trated by Scripture.— I was a hungered and ye gave me to eat. See 1 Kings 17 : 10-1.5 ; Ruth 3 : 14-17.— Thirsty and ye gave me drink. Matt. 10 : 40-42.— I was a stranger and ye treated me hospitably. The word here rendered took in is the same rendered in Deut. 22 : 2 and Josh. 2 : 18 bring in, and in Judges 19 : 15, 18, took in, and receive. For illustration of the spirit of hospitality see Numb. 10 : 29 with 1 Sam. 15 : 6 ; 30 : 11, 12 ; Acts 28 : 1, 2.— Naked and ye clothed me. Acts 9 : 36-39.— I was sick and ye visited me, more literally, looked after me. For illustration see Luke 7 : 2, 3; 10 : 30-37. — In prison and ye came to me. Jer. 38 : 7-13 ; 2 Tim. 1 : 16, 17. Respecting these verses observe (1) in Chry- sostora's language, "How easy are these injunc- tions. He said not, I was in prison and ye set me free ; I was sick and ye raised me up again ; but ye visited me and ye came unto me. " (2. ) No refer- ence is made to spiritual help. The case is one in which the less includes the greater, as the promise of reward to one who gives a cup of cold water, includes a promise for all larger service. Even the lowest forms of philanthropy, if they are the offspring of true love, have their reward. (3.) A real personal service is indicated, one in- volving some sacrifice of time and property. (4.) He that does these things has the spirit and follows the example of Christ, for we were hungry and he gives us to eat ( John 6 : 32-35), thirsty and he gives us drink (John 4 : 14 ; 6 : 55, se), strangers from the promise and he receives us to himself (Ephes. 2 : 18, 19), naked and he clothes us (Rom. 13 : uj J Cor. 5:3; Gal. 3 : 27 ; Rev. 3 : is), Sick and he VisitS US with redeeming love (Psalm 147 : 3 ; Jer. 3 : 22 ; Hosea 14:4; tuke 1 : 68, 78 ; Heb. 2 : 6), in prfSOU and he COmCS tO US, shares our prison fare, and so ransoms and de- livers us. (Rom. 8 : 2, 3 ; Heb. 2 : 9, 10.) 37-39. Most of the commentators regard this as the language merely of humility. But igno- rance that whatever we have done for our fellow- men has been done in and for Christ is not Christian humility. It argues, on the contrary, a defective Christian experience. "Such an answer (as that here given) it would be impossi- ble for them to make, who had done all distinctly with reference to Christ, and for his sake, and with his declaration of chap. 10 : 40-42, before them." — {Alford.) Nor is it necessary to suppose, from this language, that only the heathen are represented as here in judgment ; though that they are included, and wUl be accepted if they have endeavored to live according to the law of God as interpreted by their conscience, is clearly declared by Paul in Rom. 2 : 7-11. The plain teaching of the passage is this, that not only those who have in this life recognized Christ as their Lord and Master will be accepted by him, but also those who have never done so and yet have actually imbibed his spirit and followed his example, in the consecration of their lives to their fellow-men ; for they give thereby evidence that they are the children of God, born of the Spirit of God, blessed of the Father (verse 34, note), though the full disclosure of his grace they may not apprehend until they recognize their King m the day of judgment. With this accords a host of other passages of Scripture. Deut. 15 : 7 ; Job 29 : 13-16 ; 31 : 16-22 ; Psalm 112 : 9 ; Isaiah 58 : 7-11 ; Ezek. 18 : 7, 16 ; Dan. 4 : 27 ; Luke 11 : 41 ; Acts 10 : 31 ; Heb. 6 : 10 ; 13 : 16 ; James 1 : 27 ; 1 John 2 : 10 ; 3 : 14 ; chap. 4. It does not conflict with the doctrine that no man can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again ; but it recognizes love to man as the best outward evidence of the new birth (1 John 4 : 7). It does not conflict with the doctrine that all men are saved by Christ ; but it recognizes the truth that they may be saved by a Redeemer whose redemption they did not understand. But observe, that "it is not the toorks, as siwh, but the love which prompted them, that love which was their faith — which felt its way, though in darkness to him who is love — which is commended " {Alford) ; and that when Christ is, in the day of his glory, fully disclosed to them, they recognize him as their Lord. 40. Inasmuch as, i. e., just in so far as, ye have done it unto one of the least of Ch. XXV.] MATTHEW. 27? 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart' from me, ye cursed, into everlasting" fire, prepared " tor the devil and his angels : 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink : 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in : naked, and ye clothed me not: sick and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying. Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stran- ger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minis- ter unto thee ? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying. Verily I say unto you. Inasmuch" as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these p shall go away into everlasting punish- ment : but the righteous into life eternal. 1 ch. 13 : 40, 42 ; Rev. 14 ; 1 1 Jude 6 : Rev. 20 : Dan. 12:2; John 5 : 29. these my brethren. Primarily, his disciples (Matt. 12 ; 60 ; Hebrews 2 : n), but, secondarily, any one of the great family of man, Ye have done it unto me. " Let us then take heed not to neg- lect any, nor to apply ourselves out of natural inclination more to one than to another, but to those whom either the Providence of God sends us, or in their necessity obliges us to prefer." — (§ Mesne?.) 41. Depart from me. As the reward of the saints is to be forever with the Lord (i Thess. 4 : n), so the punishment of the wiclied is ever- lasting exile from his presence (2 Thess. 1 : 9). The language is that of intense moral aversion ; and it implies the hopelessness of the doom. For how can the sinner without God, redeem himself from his sin ? (John 15 : 5) — Ye accursed. Under the Jewish law persons or things might be devoted to Jehovah, by vow, in which case they became his irrevocably, and could not be re- deemed. Cattle were put to death (Lev. 27 : 26-29). Out of this custom grew the devotion to death, as a punishment, of an individual (exoA. 22 : 20), or an idolatrous city (Oeut. 13 : 12, etc. ; comp. Deut. 2 : 34, etc. ; 3 : 6 ; Josh. 6 : 17, etc. ; 10 : 28, etc. ; 11 : ll). Such perSOUS Or things were pronounced accursed. The reference here is to this Jewish custom. Those on the left of the judge are metaphorically described as devoted to death, and beyond the hape of redemption. — Into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Fire may be a symbol of purifica- tion, which it certainly is not here, or of destruc- tion, or of torment. The language here conveys apparently the latter shade of meaning. Comp. Rev. 19 : 20 ; 20 : 10. Observe the implication of the personality of the devil. How could a fire be prepared for abstract evil, or for the sinful propensities of the heart ? Contrast this verse with verse 3i. Come — depart; Blessed — cursed; the kingdom — everlasting fire. Observe, too, another and important contrast. "Blessed of my Father: but not Cursed of my Father, be- cause all man's salvation is of God, all his con- demnation //-om himself. The kingdom prepared for you, but the fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels, not for you; because there is election to life, but there is no reprobation to death ; a book of life, but no book of death ; no hell/o/- man because the blood of Jesus has pur- chased life for all ; but they who will serve the devil must share with him in the end." — (Alford.) On the word everlasting, see note at close of chapter, verse 46. 42-45. Observe there is here no charge of positive oppression, only of neglect. Comp. Luke 16 : 19-25. But, as in verses 37-39, the less includes the greater. "How severely shall they be punished who take away the goods of others, when those are punished after this manner, who only refuse to give what is their own.^'—{Qaesnel.) Observe, too, the significance of their ignorance, which is real, not pretended. They v.'ere uncon- scious that their inhumanity was also impiety. They would have shown honor to the king if they had recognized him ; but he measures their char- acter by their treatment of his subjects. 46. And these shall go away into ever- lasting punishment : but the righteous unto life everlasting. On this verse volumes have been written, and on its interpretation the best scholars are not fully agreed. Referring the student to larger treatises for an investiga- tion of verbal criticism, it must suffice here to say, (1.) That the same Greek word is used in both clauses of the sentence, rendered in the one "eternal," in the other "everlasting," and that, therefore, presumptively, the punishment threat- ened is as lasting as the life promised. (2. ) That the etymology of the word here rendered ever- lasting is m dispute ; some scholars find its ori- gin in two Greek words {utl cur, alvir), ever being, in which case .our word everlasting is an almost literal translation : others trace its etymology to a word («cu) signifying to breathe, and so find its equivalent to be primarily a life, a generation, hence an age or cycle of years. The former ety- mology is adopted by the majority of modem scholars. (3.) The word certainly does not always signify in the Scripture eternity. Of its applica- tion to a period of time which was really limited the following passages from the O. T. (Septua- gint) are illustrations : Gen. 17 : 8 ; 48 : 4 ; Lev. 16 : 34 ; Numb. 25 : 13 ; Hab. 3:6. In the N. T. it is used also of time limited, in Rom. 16 : 25 ; 3 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1 : 3, where the phrase since or before the world began would be literally since or before the time ages, i. e., the beginning of the cycle of time ; see also Philemon 15, Thou shouldest receive him, i. e., the fugitive Onesi- mus, forever, though here the idea of receiving The accompanying map pre'^ents the supposed sites m the citv of Jei usalem Tht y are how e\ er, 1 irgely hy pothetical. The city is built on two hills, environed on either side by valleys, that of the Hinnom and that of the Kedron ; a third valley, that of the Cheesemon- gers, penetrates the heart of the city, dividing it into two parts. This valley is now largely filled up with debris, produced by the frequent sieges to which the city has been subject. It is reasonably certain that the ancient Temple stood where the Mosque of Omar now stands, i. e., on the eastern hill, known in Scripture as Mount Moriah, and the palace of Herod on the oppo- site hill. Mount Zion. Across the valley of Jehosha- phat, over against Jerusalem, is the Mount of Olives. Somewhere in that valley, or on the western slope of that mount, was the garden of Gethsemane. Over the mountain about two miles away, was Bethany, the house of Mary Maitha andLazaiu'- Chrii-t, with his disciples, coming from Jericho, by the road marked on this map, entered Jerusalem in triumph on Saturday (ch. 21 ; 6-11) by one of the eastern gates ; every night he retreated from the city to Bethany, or perhaps to soli- tude on the Mount of Olives ; and from this mountain he overlooked the city with his disciples at the time of the prophecy contained in Matt., ch. 24 (see ver. a). The other localities of the Passion Week are quite uncertain. I believe, however, that the trial before the Sanhedrim took place in or adjoining theTemple (Luke 22:66, note), and the trial before Pilate at the Tower of Antonia (John is : 28, note). The place of execution and burial is unknown ; it is hardly possible that it can be the traditional site, which is indicated on this map. See Matt. 2T : 33, note. Ch. XXVL] MATTHEW. 279 CHAPTER XXVL AND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, 2 Ye know i that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be cruci- fied. 3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 And consulted' that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill hirn. 5 But they said. Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. q Mark 14 : . r Psalm 2 : 2. the slave in a Christian covenant and fellowship, to be literally ever-during, may be embodied. Of the other G6 times in which the word occurs in the N. T., it is 51 times used in describing the blessedness of the saints, 3 times is applied to the Gospel, 3 times to God or his attributes, 3 times (j Cor. 4 : is ; 2 Thess. 2:16; Heb. 6 : 2), where the word everlasting unquestionably correctly repre- sents it, and 6 times it is applied to future pun- ishment. Thus it will be seen that the ordinary usage of the N. T. justifies the translation here, everlasting. (4.) In all Scripture usage, I think without exception, the word indicates a period of time as long an the existence of the object spoken of. The Jewish nation, as long as it preserved its organic existence, possessed the Holy Land, and the priesthood service (Gen. n : s ; Lev. le : 34). So the Gospel was a mystery from the beginning of the world's existence (2 Tim. 1:9). If this be true, then whenever this word is predicated of the soul's condition it signifies one, whether of life or of death, of blessedness or of punishment, as lasting as the soul. (5.) There is nothing in this verse to indicate the nature of the punish- ment threatened. The question whether it con- sists in ever-during life in suffering, or real soul- destruction, must be solved, if at all, by reference to other Scripture. The phrase everlasting 2mn- ishment implies that the result, not the punish- ment., will be everlasting, as the phrase eternal judgment (Heb. 6 : 2) signifies not a judgment lasting eternally, but one having eternal results. (6.) The reward promised is life eter7ial, and this signifies not merely existence, which might or might not be a boon, but the highest and noblest activity of the soul, in all its God-given powers, and this eternal, i. e., with no fear of decadence, infirmity, or lapse into sin. Ch.2G ! 1-16. PREPARATION FORTHE CRTJCIFIXTON.- IN THE HEARTS OP THE DISCIPLES; BY THE ENEMIES OF Christ ; by the unconscious prophecy or love's offernsg; by the treachery op an apostle.— Though forewarned op sorrow, we are not al- ways FOREARMED AGAINST IT (ver. 1, 2, with Luke 2t : 31, 26).— Men love darkness rather than LIGHT, BECAUSE THEIR DEEDS ARE EVIL (ver. 3-.5 : comp. .Tohn 3 : 19, 20).— The true disciple rarely KNOWS THE TRUE VALUE OR MEANING OF HIS OWN LIFE (ver. 6-13).— Christ could never be crucified by THE WORLD BUT FOR TREACHKET IN HIS OWN CHURCH (ver. 14-16). In these verses Matthew groups several inci- dents that point to the crucifixion. They are four in number : (1) verses 1, 2, Christ's proph- ecy of the crucifixion ; (3) verses 3-5, the con- spiracy of the Jewish authorities; (3) verses 6-13, Mary's unconscious preparation for the Lord's burial by anointing him ; (4) verses 14-10, Judas' agreement to betray his Lord. Whether these events occurred in the order here narrated is uncertain. See note on verses 6-16 below. From this point the passion of our Lord properly begins. His mission as a prophet merges in his mission as a sacrifice ; his words are pregnant to the last, as his soul has suffered from the begin- ning. But it is as the Sufferer rather than as the Teacher he appears in the remaining scenes of his life. 1, 3. When Jesus had finished all these sayings. The discourse contained in chapter 23 was the last delivered by Christ in public. That contained in chapters 24 and 25, and those reported by John in chapters 14-16, were deliv- ered only to the apostles, the former, perhaps, to but four of them (Mark la : s). — Ye know. Be- cause he had previously foretold his passion.— After two days is the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed (the present tense, with a future force ; see Mark 9 : 31, note) to be crucified. Whether the Jewish Passover took place on Thursday, on the evening of which the Lord's Supper was instituted, or on Friday, the day on which our Lord was crucified, is confess- edly one of the most diflBcult questions in N. T. chronology. So far as this verse affords a note of time at aU, it appears to me to sustain the former view. If this prophecy was spoken im- mediately at the close of the discourse reported in chapters 24 and 25, i. e., on Tuesday evening, the Passover Supper would come on Thursday evening. Alford thinks, on the contrary, that this is a solemn declaration that " the deliverance of our Lord to be crucified and the taking place of the Passover strictly coincided," because Christ says, "After two days is the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified." But he apparently forgets that the betrayal took place on the evening of the day preceding the crucifixion ; so that if the betrayal and the Pass- over coincided, the Passover and the Lord's Supper also coincided. See on the whole ques- tion, Note on the Lord's Supper, below. 280 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXVI. 6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 There came* unto him a woman having an alabas- ter box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indigna- tion, saying. To what purpose is this waste ? 9 For this ointment migtit have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 3-5. Then assembled together the chief priests, etc. That is, the Sanhedrim (Matt. 2:4, and ncte). Prcsumptlvely this conference was held on Tuesday night, at the close of Christ's public denunciation of the Jewish leaders (chapter 23). — The high priest, called Caiaphas. The high priest was originally the highest religious oflicer in the land, and held office for life ; but at this time was appointed and removed by the Roman government at will, so that in 107 years the office had been filled with 27 appointees. He was the head of the Sanhedrim, and exer- cised some political and judicial as well as eccle- siastical functions. Caiaphas was a son-in-law of Annas (John 18 : u), with whom he seems to have in some way shared the duties of the office (Luke 3 : 2 and note). His character, as a wily and unscru- pulous politician, is indicated by his counsel re- specting Jesus (John 11 : 49-5i), and by his conduct during the subsequent trial of Jesus (Matt. 26 : 57-65, notes). Peter was at a later period brought before him and Annas (Acts 4 : e). He was appointed high priest 27 A. d., and was removed 36 or 37 a. d. Nothing is known of his history subsequent to his deposition. 5. But they said, Not during the feast. Not merely the feast-day, i. e., the day on which the Passover was sacrificed and eaten, but at any time during the festal season, which lasted for seven days. On these occasions Jerusalem was thronged with pilgrims. Christ was popular with the Galileans, and the leaders feared an attempt by them at resistance. Perhaps such an attempt would have been made, but for the fact that Christ discountenanced it (verses 52-54). 6-16. The anointing of Jesus by Mart, and the subsequent treachery of judas. — This anointing is also described by Mark (u : 3-10) and John (12:2-8). For general exposition see notes on John 12 : 1-8. From his account it ap- pears to have taken place at the house of Laza- rus and his sisters Mary and Martha, and to have been performed by Mary, who poured the oint- ment on Christ's feet as well as on his head. It is not to be confounded with the anointing men- tioned in Luke 7 : 36-50, though this has been done. There is nothing in common between them, except the name of the householder, Si- mon (Luke 7 : 40) ; and this was a very common name in Palestine. The occasion, the time, the parties, and the spiritual significance, are all dif- ferent. The repetition of the incident is not at all strange. " An act of this kind, which had been once commended by our Lord (as in Luke), was very likely to have been repeated, and espe- cially at such a time as six (V) days before the Last Passover, and by one anointing him for his burial."— (4(/bj'd.) The time when this anoint- ing here described took place is uncertain. John's account apparently indicates six days before the Passover, i. e., probably Friday pre- cedmg the crucifixion. And this is the view of Townsend, Andrews, Alford, J. H. Morison, and others. These writers suppose that Matthew inserts the account out of its chronological order, because Judas Iscariot's treachery is closely connected with his complaint of Mary's extravagance, and Christ's rebuke of him (john 12 : 4, 7). Matthew and Mark apparently indicate two days before the Passover, i. e., on the Tues- day night preceding the crucifixion. This is the view of Robinson, Geo. W. Clark, and Dr. Hack- ett {Smith's Bib. Diet., vol. ii., p. 1372, note). This view appears to me the more probable one, for, (1) the note of time is not definite or con- clusive in either of the Evangelists ; (2) the immediate occasion of Judas' s treachery seems to have been the rebuke administered at this supper (comp. Terse 14 here with John 12 : 4, 7) ; (3) tf hiS plan was formed four days before, why was it not earlier executed? (4) the discourses of Christ's prophesying the overthrow of Judaism, his own crucifixion, and a long period of trial preceding his second coming (chap. 24), might well prepare the mind of Judas, if his adhesion to Christ was largely induced by earthly ambition, for the temptation of avarice and ambition, com- bined with resentment. But without some pre- vious disappointment and bitterness of soul, such as would be produced by the final over- throw of all his hopes of preferment, it is difficult to understand how he should have been incited to his treachery. 6, 7. Bethany. A village about two miles east of Jerusalem (John 11 : is), being on the other side of the Mount of Olives. See map, p. 238. Itwas the home of Mary and Martha, where Christ was wont to visit when in Jerusalem (Luke 10 : 38-41; Matt. 21: 17; Mark 11 : 11,12). It WaS the SCCUe of the TCS- urrection of Lazarus (John, ch. ii), and of Christ's own ascension (Luke 24: so). It is not mentioned in the O. T.— Simon the leper. Nothing is known of him. Whether the father, or the hus- band of one of the sisters, or a more distant rela- tive, is merely matter of conjecture. He is not mentioned in the other incidents referring to Ch. XXVI.] MATTHEW. 281 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman ? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11 For ye ' have the poor always with you ; but me" ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did // for my burial. 13 Verily I sny unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be to.d for a memorial of her. 14 Then one' of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 15 And said unto them. What will ye give me, and I will dehver him unto you ? And they covenanted ™ with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. 1 14 : 19 ; n : 11 v ch. 10 : 4. . . . w ch. 27 : 3 j Zech. 11:12, 13. this family ; hence the surmise that he was dead. He could not at this time have been a leper, and living in the house, for in that case he could not have received guests. — A woman. Mary, the Bister of Martha and Lazarus (John 12 : 3). 8, 9. His disciples. The complaint ap- pears to have originated with Judas (John 12 : 4), but may have been caught up and echoed by the others.— For much. John and Mark specify the cost, 300 pence (denarii), equal to $54, but equivalent to nearly a year's wages of an ordi- nary laboring man (Matt. 20 : 2, note). 11. Ye have the poor always with you. Mark adds significantly ; "Whensoever ye will, ye may do them good. ' ' 13. The promise of this verse is given by Mark, but not by John. On it Alford well remarks, " This announcement is a distinct prophetic re- cognition by our Lord, of the existence of written records, in which the deed should be related ; for in no other conceivable way could the universality of mention be brought about." 14-16. Judas Iscariot, i. e., probably Judas of Kerioth, a town of Judea (josh. 15 : 25). On his character and the explanation of his treachery, see notes on chap. 27 : 3-10. — Chief priests, i. e., heads of the priestly courses. Matt. 2 : 4, note.— Thirty pieces of silver, i. e., thirty shekels, equal to about eighteen dollars. It was A SHEKEL. the sum fixed to be paid in case of the killing of a slave by an ox (Exod. 21 : 32. comp. Lev. 27 : 3). The exact sum to be paid for Christ's betrayal was a subject of prophecy (zech. 11 = 12, 13). The smallness of the sum forbids the idea that Judas was in- cited only by avarice, unless the thirty shekels be regarded merely as earnest money ; and this hypothesis appears untenable, for no more ap- pears to have been paid to him. The language in Zechariah and in Matt. 27 : 3, indicate that the thirty shekels was the price paid, not an earnest to bind the bargain. Whether the priests actually paid him the money at this time, or only agreed to pay it, is not clear from the original, which is literally, Tfiey placed to him thirty shekels. This may mean that they actually delivered it to him, as is indicated by Zechariah, or that they put it to his credit, on condition of his fulfillment of his promise. The latter agrees better with the accounts in Mark (14 : 11) and Luke (22 : 5). In the latter passage the word rendered covenanted is different from that employed here, and signi- fies a covenant or agreement. Ch. 26 ! 17-25. PREPARATIONS FOR THE LAST PASSOVER. Of the institution of the Lord's Supper, and the concurrent events, we have four accounts, viz.. Matt. 26 : 16-30; Mark 14 : 12-25; Luke 22 : 7-30, and 1 Cor. 11 : 23-25. John gives no account of the Lord's Supper, but is the only one who reports the contemporaneous feet-washing, and the discourses of Jesus in connection with the Supper. That he omits all mention of the Supper, and reports what the other Evangelists do not mention, is an incidental indication that he wrote with the other histories before him, and in part for the sake of supplying what they omitted. A harmonized narrative of the four Gospels is confessedly difficult, Alford thinks "impossible." It is at best but hypothetical. The most probable hypothesis combines these accounts as follows : Christ gives two of his disciples directions as to the preparation of the Passover supper for himself and the twelve (Mark 14:12-16; and Lnke 22 : 7-13, notes) ; WhCU the CVCU iS come he goes with the twelve to the place pre- pared for them, where an unseemly strife occurs as to which shall be greatest (Luke 22: 24-30, notes) ; this Christ rebukes by washing the feet of the disciples (John 13 : 1-20, notes) ; all then take their places at the table (Matt. 26 : 20) ; Christ prophecies his betrayal (Matt. 26 : 21-26 ; Mark 14 : 18-21 ; Luke 22 : 21-23 ; John 13 : 21-26, notes) ; Judas learning that his treach- ery is known, goes out to complete it (John 13 : 27-30, notes). The Supper, which has been interrupted by this incident, now goes on and ends with the institution of the Lord's Supper at the close of the Passover feast (Matt. 26 : 26-29, notes ; Mark 14 : 22-25 ; Luke 22 : 19, 20 ; 1 Cor. 11 : 23-25). After, Or during, this meal Christ gives his disciples the instruc- 282 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXVL 17 Now» the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover ? 18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him. The Master saith, My time is at hand ; 1 will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them ; and they made ready the passover. 20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. 21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily 1 say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 And they were exceeding: sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him. Lord, is it 1 ? 23 And he answered and said, He>' that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. Pa. 41 : 9 ; 55 : 12, 13. tions and utters for them the prayer recorded in John, chaps. 14-17 inclusive. 17. Now the first of the unleavened bread. That is, the first day, viz. Thursday the 14th day of Nisan, The feast of the unleavened bread, or the Passover, properly began on the 1.5th of Abib or Nisan, and lasted seven days. But the preceding day, the llth, was the one appointed for the slaying of the lamb, and on the evening of that day the paschal supper was eaten (Eiod. 12:6; Lev. 23 : 5). It was, therefore, termed the first day of the feast. See note on Lord's Supper below, § 1. —The disciples came to Jesus. The move- ment for the observance of the Passover originat- ed, therefore, with them. The directions were given to two of them only, Peter and John ( Luke 22 : 1 -1.3).— Where wilt thou that we prepare the Passover? The Scripture directions for the preparation of the Passover are contained in Exod. Iri : 1-11, llr-20, but are modified by Deut. 16 : 5, 6. The guest-chamber was already pre- pared (Mark 14: 16), and the lamb had probably been previously selected for the sacrifice (Exod. 12:10). The other preparations would consist of making ready the unleavened bread, the bitter herbs, etc. Jewish custom required that the Passover be celebrated, if not within the city walls, at least within the distance of a Sabbath day's journey, i. e., about three-quarters of a mile. 18, 19. The account of this direction and the apostle's compliance is not found in John. It is fuller in Mark (14 : 12-16) and Luke (22 : 7-13). See notes on Luke. — My time is at hand. Peculiar to Matthew. Its meaning can hardly be other than, The time for my passion and death (John 7 : e). 30. When even was come. The lamb must be kUied " m the evening " (Eiod. 12:6), or, as it is rendered in the margin in Exodus, " between the two evenings," a phrase interpreted by the rabbis as equivalent to between the declining and the setting sun, i e., between 3 p. m. and 5 p. m,, or between sunset and deep twilight. The former was the more general view. Deut. 16 : 6 specifies more accurately, " about the going down of the sun." The paschal supper followed, on the same night (Exod. 12:8). — He sat down with the twelve. Literally, Reclined with the twelve. The supper appears to have been originally taken standing (Exod. 12 : 11) ; but whether the direction so to take it was intended except for the Israelites at the time of the exodus, is uncertain. It was not observed in Christ s time. The reclining pos- ture had been borrowed from other nations long prior (Amos 6 : 4), probably from the Babylonians and Syrians (Esther 1 : 5, 6 ; 7 : 8). In taking their places in the manner indicated in the annexe'd cut, John reclined next to Christ on one side ; thus he might easily rest his head on the Master's bosom (John 13 : 25). Judas sat near Christ, probably on the other side, for Christ reached to him a sop or morsel (johnl3:26). Observe that only the twelve participated with Christ in this supper. The proprietor of the house was probably at the same time partaking the Passover in another room with his own family. On Passover week every Jew in Jerusalem ex- tended the hospitality of his house to pious strangers. Our Lord and the twelve were a full paschal company ; ten persons were the mini- mum number. Luke (22 : 24-30, notes) gives an ac- count of a strife among the disciples which should be greatest, probably a contention which should have the places of honor at the table, in Ch. XXVL] MATTHEW. 283 24 The Son of man goeth as it is written ^ of him : but woe unto that manTjy whom the Son ot man is be- trayed ! it had been good for that man if he had npt been born. 25 Then Judas, which betrayed h'm, answered and said, Master, is it I ? He said unto him. Thou hast said. 26 And as" they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed zV, and brake //, and gave it to the disciples, and said. Take, eat ; this is my body. z Ps. 22 : 1, etc. ; Isa. 53 : 3, etc. ... a 1 Cor. 11 : 23, etc. which case it doubtless preceded the supper, and was followed by Christ's washing of the disciples' feet (John 13 : 1-20, notes) in rebukc of their contention. 21-35. An account of Christ's prophecy of his betrayal is given by all the Evangelists, but most fully by John 13 : 21-25 ; see notes there. 22. Unto him. Not merely, as Alford, To each other. They both inquired among them- selves (Luke 22 : 23), and of Christ.— Lord, is it I ? Their language expresses in the original a much stronger negation than in our version. Surely not /, Lord? Compare their strong assertion that they will not deny him (ver. 35). To their questioning Christ makes no response. John then asks more quietly, Who is it ? (John 13 = 23-25). 23. This answer, apparently given only to John (John 13 : 25, 26), docs uot designate the be- trayer to the disciples. According to the Jewish ritual the administrator in the course of the supper dipped the bitter herbs in a prepared sauce, and passed the dish to the rest. This Christ now did. His reply to the question of John was simply an emphatic reiteration of his previous declaration (John 13 : is), " He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me." That it did not designate the traitor to any of the disciples is clear from John 13 : 28 ; Judas alone perceived that his treachery was known to Christ. 24. This verse is not found in John. In slightly different forms it appears in Mark and Luke. Compare with it Acts 2 : 23, and Matt. . 18 : 7, note. Observe the incidental confirmation of the doctrine elsewhere taught, that for the ffcally lost soul there is no redemption. It could not with truth be said of one. It had been good for that man if he had not been born, if the tem- porary punishment of his sin was to be followed by his final redemption, and his glorious realiza- tion, at last, of the image of God. 25. Alford supposes that these words, which are peculiar to Matthew, are "an imperfect re- port of what really happened, viz., that the Lord dipped the sop and gave to Judas, thereby answering the general doubt, in which the trai- tor had impudently presumed to feign a share." I should rather think that Judas, thunderstruck by the sudden unveiling of his secret purpose, was at first sUent ; that when he recovered him- self he sought to hide his confusion by repeating the question, or rather denial, of the other disci- ples, and that, in the intense excitement of the scene, they neither noticed hie question nor Christ's reply. Jesus added, " That thou doest do quickly," on which Judas left the room. That he was not present during the institution of the Lord's Supper appears to me, from a comparison of the narratives, to be the most probable hypothesis ; but John, who alone men- tions that Judas left the room, says nothing whatever concerning the institution of the Lord s Supper. — Thou hast said. A form of afllrm- ative, equivalent to Thou hast said correctly. Compare chap. 27 : 11 and Exod. 10 : 29. The spirit and aim of this disclosure is thus well hinted at by Chrysostom : "He said not. Such an one shall betray me ; but ' one of you, ' so as again to give him poAver of repentance by con- cealment. And he chooseth to alarm all for the sake of serving this man. " Christ's tender treat- ment of Judas, throughout, is one of the mosi touchuig and significant facts in his life. Was it not also in part his purpose to drive the traitor from the room ? Not until after Judas departs does Jesus open his heart to the disciples in the discourse preserved by John. Ch.26 ;2G-30, THE LORD'S SUrPER.— A memorial, A PARABLE, AND A PROPHECY.— It IS A MEMORIAL OF Christ as a gift, and Christ as a sacrifice.— It is A parable of the TRUE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY, Christ in us.— It is a prophecy of future glory, perfect communion with christ, perfect commu- NION OF Saints. See note on Lord's Supper below. Preliminary Note. The account of the insti- tution of the Lord's Supper does not difEer mate- rially in the three Synoptics, Matthew, Mark 14 : 22-25, Luke 22 : 14-20, and m 1 Cor. 11 : 23-25. Luke, however, mentions a cup before the supper, which is not mentioned by the other Evangelists (Luke 22 : n). The Rabbinical books give detailed instructions for the observance of the feast of the Passover. It is very doubtful whether the ritual therein prescribed was ob- served in Christ's time. But the following gen- eral rules respecting the Passover throw some light on Christ's administration of the supper described by Paul and the Evangelists. No uncircumcised male (Eiod. 12: 4?) was admitted. Women partook of the feast. Usually not less than ten nor more than twenty sat down to the table. The father or head of the family acted as master of the feast. The guests reclined at the table (verse 20, note). The supper was commenced with a blessing asked by the head of the family ; he next passed a cup of wine, referred to in Luke 22 : 17, and the bitter herbs (Exod. 12 : s). 284 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXVI. which were eaten either with or without being dipped in the prepared sauce. This was the sop referred to in John 13 : 26. Then the unleavened bread was passed, whereupon one of the chil- dren asked the meaning of the ceremonial ; this was explained by the father in accordance with Exod. 12 : 26, 27. It was at this distribution of the bread that Christ imparted a new signifi- cance to the Passover, by departing from the original and Jewish ritual, and declaring that the bread was henceforth a memorial of his death, not of the Jewish national deliverance (Matt. 26 : 26). A psalm was then sung— Psalms 113, 114— and the lamb was carved and eaten. This was followed by a thu-d and fourth cup of wine, or wine and water, and one or the other of these was the cup which Christ blessed and de- clared to be a symbol of his blood (see ver. 27). The supper was then closed by chanting Psalms 115-118, the hymn mentioned here in verse 30. 26. As they were eating. Compare Mark 14 : 23. This clearly indicates that the Lord's Supper was instituted during the progress of the Paschal Supper, not as a separate ordinance at its close. See note on the Lord's Supper below. Nor is it inconsistent with the statement in Luke 22 : 20, 1 Cor. 11 : 25, that he took the cup " after supper," for the third and fourth cup of the Passover were taken at the close of supper, and this language merely distinguishes the cup here mentioned from the one with which the supper began, which is mentioned only by Luke (22 : n). — And blessed. Some manuscripts have here "Gave thanks." But the reading of the Re- ceived Text is preferable. This blessing of the bread would include giving thanks, but it would also embrace the invocation of the divine bless- ing upon the bread. Comp. 1 Sam. 9 : 13. The language is precisely the same as that used in Matt. 14 : 19, Mark 6 : 41, and there is as litlte reason for supposing that it involves a mystical charge in the one case as in the other, that is, no reason at all. It was customary for the father at the distribution of the bread to pronounce the benediction, " Blessed be he who causeth bread to grow out of the earth." But, says Grotius, "not so much for the old creation, rather for the new, for which he came into this world, he pours out prayer and renders thanks to God for the redemption of the human race, as though it were already accomplished."— And brake. The bread that was broken was a round cake or cracker of unleavened bread. See Mark 8 : 6 for illustration. Throughout the entire Passover week no leavened bread was allowed in the house (Exod. j2: 8, 15). The administration of the Lord's Supper was subsequently termed the " breaking of bread " (Acta 2 : 42; 1 Cor. 10 : 16). lu the breaking and distribution of bread to others is there not symbolized, not only our covenant and commu- nion with Christ, but also our duty of breaking and distribution to others what we receive from him ? Is there not also significance in the fact that he passed by the lamb, which in the future history of the church it would often be incon- venient and sometimes impossible to provide, and took, as the symbol of his body, bread, which can always be obtained ? Take, eat ; this is my body. Luke adds, " which is given for you " (22 : 19) ; Paul, "which is broken for you" (1 cor. 11 : 24) ; and both add, "This do in remembrance of me." The bread, then, is (1) a symbolic reminder that Christ is God's unspeakable gift to us (john 3 : le ; 2 cor. 9:15); (2) that the gift is perfected only in that he is broken for us (John 3 : 14 ; 10 : is j 12 : 32) ; (3) that it is efficacious only as we partake of him, i. e., re- ceive him into ourselves, so that he becomes one with us, as he is one with the Father (John 17 : 23), as the bread when eaten becomes part of our nature, and so the sustainer of our life. Con- cerning the proper interpretation of Christ's declaration, " This is my body,''' from which the Romanists deduce the doctrine of transubstan- tiation, it must suffice here to note briefly, (1) that it is incredible that the apostles, with their Lord sitting before them in bodily form, should have understood Christ to mean literally that the bread was his body ; and we are to understand Christ as they would have understood him ; (2) that his language here closely conforms to that of the Jewish ritual. When the lamb was passed the master was asked by one of the children, " What is this ? " and the father replied, "This is the body of the lamb which our fathers ate in Egypt." Christ uses, but modifies, the same formula. Does any one suppose the lamb slain in Egj'pt was miraculously multiplied through all the subsequent ages ? (3) that Christ, in the fuller discourse reported in John, chap. 6, which is a prophetic interpretation of this supper, care- fully guards his disciples against the literalistn into which the Romish church has fallen. In verse 63 he distinctly declares, " The flesh profit- eth nothing," and gives the explanation that the spirit, received by receiving his words, can alone impart life ; (4) that the same literalism would make havoc of the symbolism of both the O. T. and the N. T. Let the student consider the effect of its application, for example, to the fol- lowing passages : Gen. 15 : 1 ; Psalm 31 : 3 ; 84 : 11 ; John 10 : 7, 11 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 4. The sacred writers commonly employ the verb "to be" as equivalent to the verb "to represent;" e. g., " The three branches are three days " (Gen. 40 : 12, 18) ; " These bones are the whole house of Israel " (Ezek. 37 : 11) ; "The field is the world, the good seed are the children of the kingdom, the tares are the children of the wicked one " (Matt. 13 : 38) ; "The seven stars are the angels, the seven candle- Ch. XXVI.] MATTHEW. 285 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it : 28 For this is my blood of the new testament,'' which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.'' 30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives. b Jer. 31 : 31. sticks are the seven churches" (Rev. i: 20). The key-note to the interpretation of the supper and Christ's language respecting it is well given by James Morison : " The supper is a parable to the eye, the touch, the taste." See below, note on the Lord's Supper, § 4. Whether Christ ate of the bread and drank of the wine has been a matter of some discussion. There is no clear answer to the question in the account. Chrysostom apparently thinks he did, Alford that he did not. James Morison suggests that "He was, as it were, giving himself to his disciples. To have given himself to himself would have been to have either ignored or per- plexed the profound significance of the ordi- nance." On the contrary, Luke implies his par- ticipation (See Luke 22 : 15, 18, note). But if he did UOt participate, this would be no reason why the modern administrator should not partake. " Al- though in one sense he represents Christ bless- ing, breaking, and distributing, in another he is one of the disciples, examining himself, confess- ing, partalsing." — {Alford.) Christ's language here, " Take, eat," is also quite inconsistent with the Romish doctrine that the Lord's Supper is a continuous sacrifice of Christ. "He bids his disciples take ; and therefore it is he alone that offers. What the papists contrive, as to Christ's offering himself in the Supper, proceeded from an opposite author. And certainly it is a strange inversion, when a mortal man, who is commanded to take the body of Christ, claims the office of offering it ; and thus a priest, who has been ap- pointed by himself, sacrifices to God His own Son." — {Calvin.) 27. And he took the cup. After supper (Luke 22 : 20 ; 1 Cor. u : 25). It was, therefore, the third or fourth cup as described above, at the close of the Supper, and after the bitter herbs, the unleavened bread, and the lamb had been eaten. Of the form of the ancient cups ^\ e give three illustrations — two of them Egyptian drinking-cups, such as are still used in Egypt ; the other, an ancient Roman ^ir,„ „.,r^ A„H „ « ROMAN WINE-CUP. wme - cup. — And gave thanks. The Communion should be an occa- sion, as the sacrifice of Christ should be for us an inspiration, of thanksgiving (psaim iie : 1.3 ; r«v. 5 : 6, 9). From the Greek verb here rendered gave thanks {n'y.aQiarko, eucharisteo) comes one of the names frequently given to the ordinance, the Eucharist. — And gave it to them. The Ro- mish church in the administration of the Supper, distributes only the bread to the laity, and con- fines the cup to the priest. The Romish writers do not claim direct Scripture authority for such a distinction, but they assert that the bread is " the body and blood and soul and divinity of Jesus Christ entire," so that there is no necessity for participating in his blood also. They cite Luke 24 : 30 and Acts 2 : 42, in support of the doctrine that participation in the bread alone is suflScient to constitute a full and true commu- nion. Of the direction here. Drink ye all of it, they say that the command was given to the apostles only, and therefore applies only to the priests. The argument proves too much. For only the apostles were admitted to the original supper, so that the same reasoning would ex- clude the laity altogether ; and if one kind suffices for the laity, by a parity of reasoning it suffices for the priesthood, and the cup might be abolished entirely. — Drink ye all of it. "Whj', con- cerning the bread, did he say simply that they should eat ; but, concerning the cup, that all should drink? It is as though he designed to counteract the cunning of Satan" {Calvin), i. e. by guarding against the error which he foresaw would be subsequently introduced into the church. 28. For this is my blood. See verse 26, note, and below note on Lord's Supper, § 4. Up to this time the blood of bulls and of goats had represented Christ's blood ; henceforth the simple wine of this memorial supper should represent it (Hebrews 9 : 13, 14). — Of the uew covenant. Alford and Tischendorf both omit the word new here. But in Luke its presence is undoubted. Therefore, the ordinary reading undoubtedly correctly represents Christ's words. — Which is EGYPTIAN CUPS. shed. He speaks by anticipation, but in the present tense, because his passion has already truly begun. — For many. In a sense for all, in that all may accept and become partakers of the new covenant (Rev. 22 : n) ; not for all, in that all will not accept nor become partakers (Rev. 286 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXVI. 22:16). Parallel to the many here are the many of Kom. 5 : 19 ; Hebrews 9 : 28, and the great host of Rev. 5 : 11. — For the remission of sins. Not, as James Morison, "a condensed way of exi^ressing remission of the penalty due to sin," but, literally for the remission, i. e., the putting away of sin. The blood of Jesus not only secures pardon (Acts 5 : 3i), but cleanseth from all sin (: John i .• i). The object of his death is that we may have eternal life (john 3 : i4-i6), and be re- deemed from all iniquity (thus 2 : u). Observe Christ's solemn and emphatic endorsement by the very institution of the Lord's Supper, (1) of the O. T. doctrine of sacrifices, i. e., of salvation through the shedding of blood ; (2) of the N. T. doctrine that the sins of the world are put away by Christ, not merely through the influence of his life, teachings and example, but by his blood, poured out for a sinful world. As by the bread he emphasizes the truth that our spiritual life de- pends on our receiving his spirit into our hearts, 80, by the wine, he emphasizes the trutli that his covenant or promise of grace depends on the pour- ing out of his blood, i. e., on him as a sacrifice for our sins (Matt. 20 : 28 ; John 12 : 24, 32, 33 ; 15 : 13 ; Rom. 3 : 25 ; 5 : 6, 8, 10; 1 Cor. 15 : 3 ; Hebrews 9 : 12, 16, 26, 28 j 10 : 10, 19 ; 1 Pet. 2 : 24 ; 1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5; 5:9). As tO the contrast between the Old and New Covenants, see Gal. i : 21-31 ; Hebrews 8 : 9-13 ; 10 : 10-18, and compare Deut. 28 : 1 ; 30 : 16, with Rom. 7 : 25 ; 8 : 1. But in the O. T. the promise of salva- tion from sin was, as it is m the N. T., to penitence and faith. See Rom. chap. 4 ; Isaiah 55 : 7. 29. This fruit of the vine. This language is used after tfie blessing has been pronounced on the cup, showing evidently that it still contained wine simply, and that the language "This is my blood" is to be interpreted as symbolical. — Drink it new. Not drink new wine, but drink it anew. (The Greek is not vine but ztniiJc.) The new heavens and the new earth shall have a new memorial of God's love in Christ. Observe (1) that the Lord's Supper is a prophecy as well as a parable; has a future as well as a com- memorative aspect ; looks back to the Passover, forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb ; (2) that as the Lord's Supper superseded the Pass- over, so the heavenly supper will supersede the earthly memorial. Luke (chap. 22 : is) reports sim- ilar language to that used here ; but in connec- tion with the cup before the Supper. Perhaps the words were repeated. 30. And when they had sung an hymn. Literally, when they had hymned. — Psalms 113, 114, 115, and 116, were ordinarily chanted at the Jewish Passover ; the first two during, the last two at the close of the service. These were probably the Psalms now chanted. — They went out into the 3Iount of Olives. Luke adds, ' as he was wont," i. e., during this passion week. Compare John 8:1. This may have been foe solitude simply, or also in part for safety. He went directly to the Garden of Gethsemane. Before going out to the Mount of Olives, Christ uttered a part at least, if not all, of the discourses reported in John, chaps. 14^16, and the prayer in John, chap. 17. Note on the Lord's Supper. — Several ques- tions relating to the proper interpretation of the account of the Lord's Supper, as given by the Evangelists, we consider together here. The theological and ecclesiastical questions respecting the proper mode of observance of the rite in our churches of to-day, it does not come within the province of a commentary to discuss, except in- cidentally. 1. Time of observance. There is no doubt that the Lord's Supper was instituted on Thursday evening, the day before the crucifixion. Between that day and the resurrection, which took place on the first day of the week (Matt, as : 1), two full days, Fridaj' and Saturday, inteiTened. But whether it was observed on the evening of the Passover supper, or on the evening preceding, i. e., whether Thursday or Friday evening was the time observed by the Jewish people as the Passover, is a serious question. This question is of no particular importance, except that the supposed discrepancy between John and the three Synoptic Gospels has been made the occa- sion of assault on the credibility of the gospel narratives. I shall here state very briefly the diflSculty, and what I believe to be the true solu- tion. For a fuller exposition the student is referred to Robinson's English Harmony of the Gospels, VIII, §§ 133-158, Intro, note, and An- drews' Life of Our Lord, pp. 423-400. The feast of the Passover properly began on the 15th and lasted to and including the 21st day of Nisan (Numb. 28 : 17), thus making a feast of seven days. But the Jews calculated their feast days, including the Sabbath, from the sunset of the day preceding. Thus the feast of the Passover strictly began on the evening of the 14th of Nisan. On that day the lamb to be eaten was slain be- tween three and five o'clock in the afternoon, and on the evening of the same day the supper, prescribed in Exod. 12 : 17-20, was eaten in the various households (Exod. 12:6; Lev. 23 : 6 ; Nnmb. 9 : 3- 5 ; Deut. 16 : s). Thls was not strictly ot a festival character. The unleavened bread, the bitter herbs, the dress and attendant circumstances (Exod. 12:8-11 ), all reminded the nation of their bitter bondage in Egypt. "It was," says Light- foot, ' ' a thing rubbing up the remembrance of affliction, rather than denoting gladness and making merry." After this supper, a memorial of the fearful night when the dead lay in every house of Egypt, followed the more joyous festiv- ities which rendered the week one of national Ch. XXVI.] MATTHEW. 287 rejoicing. The rites which characterized this week are described in Numbers 28 : 18-25, and Lev. 23 : 4-8. There were also introduced by the Jews, subsequent to the institution of the Passover, voluntary oflEerings, which were called Khagigah or Chagigah. These more joyous offer- ings were usually presented on the 15th of Nisan, the day succeeding the supper proper. These facts interpret both the dilBculty and the solu- tion. The three Synoptists unquestionably rep- resent Christ as eating the trae Passover with his disciples. Matthew says that on the first day of the unleavened bread (verse n) the disciples came to Christ for directions respecting prepa- rations for the Passover, i. e., the Passover sup- per. Mark and Luke are still more definite. " The first day of unleavened bread when they killed the Passover," says Mark; "when the Passover must be killed " is Luke's language. It would be almost impossible to designate more distinctly the lith day of Nisan, when the lambs were slain in the temple, to be eaten in the house- holds that same evening. " Philologically con- sidered there cannot be a shadow of doubt but that Matthew, Mark, and Luke intended to express, and do express in the plainest terms, their testimony to the fact that Jesus regularly partook of the ordinary and legal Passover meal on the evening after the lith of Nisan, at the same time with all the Jews." — {Robinson.) John's Gospel, on the other hand, has been taken to indicate that the meal described by the Syn- optists must have been taken before the Passover supper, i. e., on the evening of the 13th of Nisan. And Alford, who offers no explanation of the supposed discrepancy, declares in strong terms that "the narrative of John not only does not sanction but absolutely excludes " the other sup- position, i. e., that the Lord's Supper and the paschal supper were contemporaneous. The references in John's Gospel which are supposed to sustain this assertion are the following : John 13 : 1, "Now hefore the feast of the Passover" when Jesus knew that his hour was come ; John 18 : 28, "They themselves (the Jews) went not into the judgment hall (on Friday morning, the day of the crucifixion) lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover;" John 19 : 14, " It was the preparation of the Pas- sover, about the sixth hour," a phrase which occurs in describing the trial before Pilate on Friday forenoon; John 13 : 29, "Buy that we have need of against the feast," words supposed to have been uttered by Christ to Judas during the Lord's Supper, and therefore to indicate that the feast was still future. Referring the reader, for fuller interpretation, to these passages and the notes upon them, it must suffice here to say (1) that while the Synoptists generally mean by " the Passover" {to nlaxa) the feast of the pas- chal lamb, John generally uses the same term to embrace the festivities of the entire week ; (2) that John wrote after the destruction of Jerusa- lem and the end of Judaism as the divine religion, and, therefore, it might be expected that he would write with less precision of language con- cerning Jewish rites and ceremonials ; (3) that if we believe, as I think we have abundant reason for believing, that John wrote with the Synoptists before him, and to supply what they omitted, it is diflScult to conceive that he would have left what appears to be a glaring contradiction be- tween his account and theirs, if we assume that by the word "passover" in John 18:28, and 19 : 14, he means the paschal supper ; (4) that there is no contradiction whatever, if we under- stand by his use of that term the festivities of the Passover week, which did not, as we have shown, sti'ictly begin until the 15th of Nisan. As to the argument of Alford that the law forbade the Jews departing from their house after the paschal meal before morning (Exod. 12 : 22), whereas Christ and his apostles went out at the close of the supper, the answer is that, in point of fact, this prohibition, even if intended to be observed in the subsequent memorial services, which is doubtful, was in Christ's time no longer observed. As to the argument that, according to Rabbinical law, a trial and execution could not take place on a feast day, the suflScient reply is that many of the rules of the Rabbinical law were violated by the proceedings in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. I judge, then, with Robinson, that ' ' there is nothing in the language of John, or in the at- tendant circumstances, which upon fair interpre- tation requires or permits us to believe, that the beloved disciple either intended to correct or has in fact corrected or contradicted, the explicit and unquestionable testimony of Matthew, Mark, and Luke," and with Andrews, that " there is no dis- crepancy between the Synoptists and John. The Lord ate the true paschal supper at the appointed time, — the time when it was eaten by the Jews in general, on the evening following the 14th of Nisan," i. e., as we should say, on the evening of the 14th. For an opposite view, see Farrar's Life of Christ, Appendix, Excursus X. That the Lord's Supper was partaken on the evening of the Jewish Passover is maintained by Robinson, Andrews, Kitto, Smith, Eddj% Newcome, and apparently Lightf oot ; it is doubted or denied by Pressense, Milman, Ellicott, Townsend, Alford, Neander, and Farrar. 2. Relation of the Lorcfs Snpper to the Passover. The question whether our Lord simply adopted and modified the paschal supper, or at its close instituted a new and independent Christian ordi- nance, is a matter of debate. It is important only in throwing light on the significance of the ordinance. The paschal supper was a family 288 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXVI. rather than a church ordinance, was observed in the home circle, the father administered it, and originally killed the lamb himself, though a later law required the sacrifice to be performed at the temple (oeut. le : i-e). Matthe'w and Mark in their account of the Lord's Supper both say "As they were eating Jesus took bread" (see ver. 26; Mark 14 : 22). Luke and Paul both say that he took the cup "after supper" or "when he had supped" (Luke 22 : 20 ; 1 Cor. 11 : 25). Some eminent scholars, among whom may be mentioned Dr. Conant of this country, and Dr. Brown of Scotland, follow- ing Calvin, regard the Lord's Supper as entirely separate from the paschal feast and instituted at its close. The more general opinion is that the words " after supper" or "when he had supped " indicate simply that the cup referred to was the third or fourth in the paschal supper, which was taken toward the close of the feast ; and that as Jesus adopted but gave new significance to bap- tism, so he employed the paschal feast, but gave a new meaning to it. This substantially appears to be the view of Lightfoot, Lange, Ellicott, Stan- ley, Alford, Andrews, and Barnes ; and this ap- pears to me the better view. This view is also sustained, indirectly, by Paul's reference to Christ as our Passover in 1 Cor. 5 : 7. 3. Bid Christ intend this Supper as a permanent Church Ordinance? The language of the Evan- gelists is not conclusive on this question. His words, "This do in remembrance of me" (Luke 22 : 19; 1 Cor. II : 24, 25) might mean Simply, Hereafter keep the Passover feast, as long as it is observed, in remembrance not merely of the Jewish national deliverance, but of the new and grander covenant in my blood. The command is not in words more specific or significant than the command in John 13 : 14, 15, to wash one another's feet. But the subsequent practice of the apostles (Acts 2: 42, 46, 20 : 7), and still more the fact that directions for the Lord's Supper were made a matter of special revelation to Paul (1 Cor. 11 : 23), seem to make it clear that Christ intended the ordinance for a perpetual one, and that his apostles so under- stood it. Whether it was intended to be strictly a church ordinance, and confined to members of the visible church, is another question, and one on which the record of its institution throws no Ught. 4, Significance of the Loi-d^s Slipper. The Ro- man Catholic interpreters, taking literally Christ's words, "This is my body," "This is my blood" (verses 26, 23), hold that Christ's sacri- fice is a continuous one ; that by the blessing of the priest the bread and wine are now converted into the "body and blood and soul of our Lord Jesus Christ ; " that hence the consecrated ele- ments " contain Jesus Christ himself, the foun- tain of all grace, and become, if worthily par- taken, the pre-eminent means of grace, minister- ing to the spiritual nature, and preparing the body for the glorious change of the resur- rection of the last day." The objections to this view are, (1) that it violates the fundamental rule of Scripture exegesis, in not taking the words of Jesus Christ in the sense in which they would have been understood by his hearers at the time ; (2) it represents the sacrifice of Christ as contin- uous, while the Scripture declares it to have taken place once for all (Heb. 9 : 28; 10 : 12-18) ; (3) it represents the need of man to be a participator in Christ's body and blood, whereas what man needs is a participation in Christ's spirit, without which we are none of his (Rom. 8:9); (4) it rests on the assertion of a continuous miracle, viz., the change of bread and wine into flesh and blood, while confessedly there is nothing to indi- cate such a change ; the bread is still in appear- ance and in chemical constitution bread, and the wine is still wine ; and thus the very essence is wanting of a true miracle, which is an external and sensibk sign of a spiritual truth or a divine authority. See note above on verse 26. In studying the true significance of this sup- per, note the following facts : (1.) Its simplicity. It is instituted as the disciples are eating ; out of the materials of the supper ; without a pre- scribed form or ritual ; with no other prepara- tion than love in Christ for his disciples, and in the disciples for Christ. (2.) Historically it is connected with the Passover, which prefigured and interprets it. Thus it memorializes our deliverance from the bondage of sin by the death of Christ, who is our Passover (Rom. 8 : 2 ; 1 cor. 5 : 7). (3.) It prophetically points to the future mar- riage supper of the Lamb (ver. 29; Mark 14 .- 25). (4.) The bread and wine enter into and become part of our flesh and blood, and so the support of our life. It is Christ in us who is the hope of glory (Rom. 8:9; Gal. 2 : 2o). (5.) The whcat must be bruised and broken, and the grape crushed and bleeding, before we can eat the bread or drink the wine. It is by the death of Christ that we have life (see above, ver. 28, note ; Gal. 3:13; 1 Pet. 4:1; Rev. 6:6). Compare, for Christ's own interpreta- tion of this supper, John 6 : 26-65. Observe especially, in its bearing on transubstantiation, verse 63. * 5. Method and conditions of observance. These are evidently not to be determined by the exam- ple of Christ ; for the original supper was taken in a private house, an upper chamber, at night, around a table, reclining, women excluded, only the ordained apostles admitted. None of these conditions are maintained to-day by any Chris- tian sect. If the conditions are determined by Christ's words, these prescribe no form, give no hint who shall administer, and prescribe no con- dition of participation but a loving remembrance of Christ himself (Luke 22:19; 1 Cor. 11 : 24, 25). And Ch. XXVL] MATTHEW. 289 31 Then saitli Jesus unto them, All ye shall be of- fended because of me this night : for it is written,'' I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 32 But after I am risen again,' I will go before you into Galilee. 33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be oflfended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. 34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, betore the cock crow, thou shalt deny mo thrice. 35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. ch. 28 : 7, 10, 16. with this agrees the words of Paul (1 cor. 11 : 27-29), where he defines eating unworthily to be eating without "discerning the Lord's body," i. e., as the context shows, lilve an ordinary supper, and without remembrance of the Lord. Ch. 28 : 31-35. PROPHECY OF PETER'S DENIAL— Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall. The four Evangelists record Christ's prophecy of Peter's denial ; Mark 14 : 27-31 ; Luke 22 : 31-38 ; John 13 : 36-38. The prophecy appears to have been twice uttered— once before the supper, of which Luke and John give a report, once after the supper, of which Matthew and Mark give a report. Luke's account must be compared with Matthew's in order to under- stand Peter's spirit. He had been warned of his danger, and had resented the warning ; it is now repeated, but is still resented. The proverb, "Forewarned is forearmed," is true only of watchful souls. 31. Then. After the supper, but not neces- sarily after they had left the room. — All ye shall be offended. Caused to stumble and fall into sin. Compare Matt. 11 : 6, note. Christ is sometimes a cause of stumbling ; and a rock of offence ; so the Christian will be at times in the course of duty. — For it is written. The reference is to Zech. 13 : 7, which Henderson translates as follows : " Awake, sword ! against my Shepherd, and against the man who is united to me, saith Jehovah of Hosts ; smite the shep- herd, and the sheep shall be scattered." The sword is simply an emblem of death by any instrument (Exod. 5 : 21 ,- 2 Sam. 12 : 9 with 2 Sam. U : 24). It is therefore an appropriate emblem of the crucifixion. The prophecy itself is difficult ; but that it refers to Christ is evident, (a) because Christ is the only Shepherd who can be described as " the man who is united to God ; " (b) because Christ here explicitly applies it to himself.— I will smite the shepherd. Not merely, as Bengel, "God is said to smite Jesus, since he delivered him to be smitten." Throughout the N. T. Christ is represented as offered up by his own Father or by himself, though it is also ex- plicitly declared that he was slain by wicked men (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8; Heb. 7 : 27 ; 9 : 14, 28 ; comp. John 18 : 11 ; Acts 2 : 2.'i). 32. I Avill go before you into Galilee. For fulfillment of this prophecy see Matt. 28 : 7 ; Luke 21 : 7 ; John, chap. 21. The connection and significance is well given by Quesnel : "The sheep forsake the shepherd, but he forsakes not his sheep." 33. Peter answered, * * * I will never be oifended. Christ had previously warned Peter of his peculiar danger : "Satan hath de- sired to have you, * * * but I have pi'ayed for thee ' ' (Luke 22 : 32), and Peter had resented the idea that he needed the Lord's prayers. Now, when Christ wai'ns aU of their danger, Peter should have been the first to heed the admoni- tion, but is the most outspoken in resenting it. His self-confidence has not been weakened by the previous warning ; only experience can weaken it. " Where he should have prayed and said, Help us, that we be not cut off, he is confident iu himself and saith, ' Though all men should be of- fended in thee, yet will I never.' " — {C'hrysostom.) 34. Jesus said unto him. Mark (i4:3o) gives probably his exact words : "Verily (s^e Matt. 6 : 18, note) I Say uuto thcc. That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice." The first cock-crow is at midnight, but inasmuch as few hear it, the cock- crowuag is generally put for the second crowing, i. e., the early dawn. Matthew's language here, "before the cock crow," is thus equivalent to Mark's "before the cock crow twice ; " by both the early dawn is indicated. In fact, the cock was heard to crow twice during the thrice re- peated denials of Peter (Mark 14 : 68, 72). — Deny me. Disown me as Master and Lord. Comp. Luke 22 : 34. 35. Peter said unto him, Even if it should bind me to die with thee yet would I not disown thee. His language in the original is stronger than that of our Eng- lish version. — Likewise also said all the disciples. They were inspired by Peter's en- thusiasm, and imbibed his self-confidence. There is a right Christian confidence, but it rests on the presence and power of the Lord (phii. 4: 13; 2 Tim. 1 : 12) ; and upou a consciousness of personal weakness (2Cor. 12:9, 10). Peter's rested on his own courage and fidelity, and failed him in the hour of trial. "A man's willingness is not sufficient unless he receive succor from above ; but, we gain nothing by succor from above, if there be not a willingness on our own part." — {Chnjsostom.) Comp. Phil. 2 : 12, 13. 290 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXVI. 36 Then' cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gcthseniane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, vvh)le 1 go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons cf Zebedee, and began to be sorrowiul and very heavy. : 14 : 33, etc. ; Luke 2i : 39, etc. ; John : Ch. 20 : 36-46. CHRIST'S AGONY IN GETHSEMANE. — Christ's nature, experience, and office illus- trated; HE takes on him not merely the appear- ance but the reality of manhood ; becomes a sympathizing high priest ; is tempted in all points LIKE AS WE ARE YET WITHOUT SIN (Pliil. 2 : 7, 8 ; He- brews 2:16-13; 4 : 15, 16). — Christ's love for us illustrated: the agony of Gethsemane is the AGONY OF A SUFFERING LOVE. — ThE SINFULNESS OF SIN ILLUSTRATED : BY THE EXPERIENCE OF HORROR IT PRO- DUCES IN Christ. — The Christian's conflict illus- trated: THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE WILLING SPIRIT AND THE WEAK FLESH ; THE ARMAMENT, PRAYER; THE VICTORY, CALM ACQUIESCENCE IN THE DIVINE WILL. This inexplicable experience is recorded by Matthew, Mark (wisa^a), and Luke (22:39-46). John (18 : 1) mentions going into the garden, but not the agony, an indication that he wrote with the other Evangelists before him, and in part to supply what they had omitted. Luke, alone, (verses 43, 44) mentions the appearance of the angel strengthening Christ and the bloody sweat ; otherwise, the three accounts are substantially the same. The verbal differences, especially in their reports of the pi'ayer, are noteworthy and instructive ; " Shewing us, even in this solemn instance, the comparative indifference of the letter when we have the inner spirit." — (A/ford.) Observe the inconsistency of these accounts with the modern mythical theory of the origin of the Gospels. Such a struggle would never GAKDEN OF gethsemane: jebusalem in the background. he invented and imputed to the God-man, by his adherents. Even Celsus (3d century) and Julian (4th century) held it up for contempt as an evidence of weakness and fear ; and Renan and Schenckel endeavor, in vain, to reconcile it with their conception of the character of Jesus as merely a lofty and noble man. 36. Then ; probably about midnight ; com- eth Jesus to a place called Gethsemane. The word is Hebrew, and means oil-j^ress. Ch. XXVL] MATTHEW. 291 38 Then saith he unto them, My « soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death : tarry ye here, and watch with me. prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup ' pass from me ! nevertheless,^ not as I will, but as thou wilt. g Ps. 116 : 3 ; Is. 63 : 3, 10 ; John 12 : 27 h Heb. 5 : 7. ... 1 ch. 20 : 22. . . . j John 5 : 30 ; 6 : S8 ; Rom. IS : 3 j PhU. 2 : 8. Wordsworth comments on its significance as an emblem of trial, distress, and agony, and refers to Isaiah 63 : 3 ; Lam. 1 : 15 ; Joel 3 : 13. Comp. Rev. 14 : 20. It was a garden, i. e., an orchard, outside of Jerusalem, east of the brook Cedron, on the slope of the Mount of Olives beyond, and was a spot where Christ and his disciples were wont to resort (John is : l ; Luke 22 : 29). ItS lOCatiOU cannot be identified with certainty. Our illus- tration shows the traditional site, which is en- closed with a low wall covered with white stucco, and comparatively recently erected. A series of rude pictures are hung along the wall, represent- ing different scenes in Christ's passion. The place is under the control of the Roman Catholic priesthood. If not the genuine garden, which is very doubtful, it is in the same general locality, and the olive-trees are of very great antiquity, and so decayed as to require to be propped up to prevent being blown down by the wind. — Sit ye here while 1 go and pray yonder. Com- pare the language of Abraham in Genesis 22 : 5, " Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship." "Jesus, priest and victim, lays himself on the altar, with Abra- ham's faith and Isaac's resignation." — {Stier.) 37. Peter and the two sons of Zebedee. James and John. They had been witnesses of his transfiguration (Matt, n : i) and of one of his greatest miracles (Mark s : 37). " Jesus Christ im- parts his sorrow and heaviness of heart to those whom he loves the most." — (Qicesnel.) — Began to be very sorrowful and dejected. So great was his sorrow now, that all which he had previously endured was as nothing ; now, as for the first time, he began to experience sorrow. Mark says that he was ^^ sore amazed,''^ and the original, which is aptly rendered, implies that the disclosure of the sorrow came upon him, if not literally as a surprise, at least with new and unexpected force. Luke (23 : 44) says he was " in an agony,'" i. e., a conflict, for this is the literal meaning of the original. Combining these ac- counts we have a hint of the elements which entered mto this mystical experience. There was a conflict, i. e., between his dread of the im- pending Passion, and his desire to accomplish it. (Luke 12: 50; John 12 : 27, 28) ; a bitter sorrow, the secret of which we may partially conjecture, it is not and cannot be fully interpreted to us ; a dejection, produced by the seeming failure of his earthly mission, the rejection of him by -his na- tion, the dullness of spiritual vision, even in his disciples ; and a sense of surprise and horror in the full and unexpected disclosure made in that hour of the burden he must bear. See Lessons OF Gethsemane below. 38. My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. A proverbial expression indicating the severity of the suffering. Comp. Jonah 4 : 9. But here it is not hyperbolic. Cer- tainly it is not to be interpreted as Bengel, "Such sorrow might have driven an ordinary man to suicide." The sorrow itself was, if not alleviated, sulRcient to cause death ; it brought him to death's door. "Our Lord's whole inmost life must have been one of continual trouble of spirit. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. But there was an extremity of an- guish now, reaching even to the utmost limit of endurance, so that it seemed that more would be death itself.'' — (Alford.) Rather, more would have caused death, as is indicated by the bloody sweat produced by what he endured. See Luke 22 : 44, note. — Tarry ye here and Avatch with me. Not because " in the abasement of his humanity he regarded them as some comfort to him." The hunger of the human soul for sympathy and love is not a part of its abasement. It is in the O. T. attributed to God (jer. 3 ; u; si : 20; Ezek. 33:11; Hosea 11 : s) and here to the God-man. In his struggle with the powers of darkness he desired the fellowship of friends. 39. And he went a little further; about a stone's cast (Luke). The distance would not exceed forty or fifty yards, if so much ; the dis- ciples might therefore catch the leading words of Christ's prayer before drowsiness overpowered them. This separation from his disciples was because he would be alone. "When some great necessity urges us, because the fervor of prayer is more fully indulged when we are alone, it is useful for us to pray apart. And If the Son of God did not disregard this aid, it would be the greatest madness of pride in us not to apply it for our own advantage." — (Calvin.) — And fell on his face. Mark says, "on the ground;" Luke says, "he kneeled down." — And prayed, saying, * * * Let this cup pass from ine. The cup is in the O. T. an emblem both of the mercy (Psaim 23 : 5), and of the wrath (Pssim 75 : 8 ; Isaiah 61 : 22 ; Jer. 25 : 15-17 ; Ezek. 23 : 33) of God ; general- ly, the latter. The cup which Christ drinks, of sorrow, becomes the cup of our salvation (Psaim 116 : 13 ; Matt. 26 : 27, 28). To hun it is Wrath, tO US it is mercy. In studying this prayer of our Lord, compare the accounts in the three Evangelists. 292 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXVI. 40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What ! could ye not watch with me one hour ? 41 Watch,'' and pray, that ye' enter not into tempta- tion;"" the spirit" indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. k Mark 13 : 33 ; 14 : 38 ; Luke 22 : 40 ; Eph. 6:18; Rev. 16 : 15 1 Pr. 4 : 14, 15 m Rev. 3:10 n Is. 25 : 8, 9 j Rom. 7 : 18-25 ; GaJ. 6 : 17. Matthew. Oh my Father, if it be possi- ble, let this cup pass from me ; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. Mabk. Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee : take away this cup from me ; neverthe- less, not what I will, but what thou wilt. Luke. Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me ; nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. Observe (1) the variation in expression. Mat- thew says, "If it be possible;" Mark, "All things are possible;" Luke, "If thou be will- ing." If it was not possible, this was only be- cause God, in his supreme wisdom, did not will to remove the cup, i. e., because the Divine will could not be carried out except by Christ's Pas- sion and death. The spirit of the prayer is seen by combining the accounts thus : Father, all things are possible to thee ; if thou canst accom- plish thy Divine purposes and let this cup pass from me, remove it. Observe (3) the spirit of the prayer aa embodied in all these accounts, (a.) Its simplicity and brevity illustrate his own instructions (Matt. 6 : i, s). We need not suppose that the report is a verbatim one ; but it cer- tainly exhibits the essential character of this prayer. (6.) Its trustfulness. In the address Abba, Father, and the expression of confidence in the Father's power, All things are possible unto thee. Nothing depends on Judas, Caia- phas, or Pilate ; all on God (comp. verse 53 ; John 19 : 11). (c.) Its earnestness and outspokenness of peti- tion, " Take away this cup." Before his Father he pours forth his desire without hindrance. Comp. Heb. 4 : 16. (d.) Its supreme petition. Not as I wiU, but as thou wilt. This is not merely the language of submission, but of peti- tion ; he does not merely say. If not as I will, then as thou wilt, but, Do not what I will, rather what thou wilt. But (^Aip) is an adversative particle signifying a positive preference for the petition which follows. Thus he negatives the erroneous notion of prayer, viz., that it is the means by which the wish of man determines the will of God, "Not as I will ;" and teaches the true office of prayer, viz., to change the will hu- man into the will divine. See a sermon by F. W. Robertson on Matt. 26 : 39. The commentators see in this prayer a plain refutation of the Mono- thelite heresy, which held but one will in the Lord Jesus. "The distinction is clear and marked by our Lord himself. In his human said he willed to be freed from the dreadful things before him ; but this human will was overruled by the inner and divine purpose, the will at unity with the Father's will." — (Alford.) Similarly Calvin, Ryle, and others. But, in the same sense and to the same extent, the experi- ence of Paul (Rom. 7 : 16-17), and of every Christian, shows two wills. Such metaphysical refinements on Scripture belong not to the spirit of little children, with which we are to receive this and all the mysteries of the kingdom of grace (Matt. 18 : 3). The experience of Christ is to be inter- preted, so far as it can be interpreted at all, by our own I6sser but analogous conflicts. "It is not inconsistent with the spirit of prayer that Christ here asks a thing that is impossible to be granted to him ; for the prayers of believers do not always flow on with uninterrupted measure to the end, do not always maintain a uniform measure, are not always arranged even in a dis- tinct order, but on the contrary are involved and confused, and either oppose each other or stop in the middle of the course, like a vessel stopped by tempests, which, though it advances towards the harbor, cannot always keep a straight and uniform course, as in a calm sea." — (Calvin.) 40. And he cometh unto the disciples. That is to the three, Peter, James, and John, — And findeth them asleep. "Sleeping for sorrow " (Luke). Obscrvc, they forget sorrow in sleep, Christ conquers it by prayer. Compare with the world's forgetfulness of sorrow the Christian's victory over it, Rom. 5 : 3 ; 8 : 35-39. — Unto Peter. Who had just boasted that he would never forsake his Lord, yet forsook him at the very entrance-door of his Passion.— One hour. Not to be taken literally. There is nothing definite to indicate the time spent in the garden. Andrews supposes that they reached it about midnight, and the arrest took place be- tween one and two in the morning. Certainly considerable time elapsed between the arrest and daylight. 41. Watch and pray. Observe the double command. Some watch without praying, some pray without watching. Corresponding to this is Paul's direction in Phil. 3 : 12, 13.— That ye enter not into temptation. Contrast James 1 : 2, "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers Ch. XXVI.] MATTHEW. 293 42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except 1 drink it, thy will be done. 43 And he came and found them asleep again : for their eyes were heavy. 44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third " time, saying the same words. 45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them. Sleep on now, and take your rest ; behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son ot man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going : behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. temptations." It is a joy to us to be brought involuntarily into circumstances that try our faith, and so give us new disclosures of our Saviour's power and grace ; it is a sorrow to us when we enter into temptation voluntarily, and so entertain it with the will. Thus to enter into temptation is to enter into sin. — The spirit in- deed is eager, but the flesh is weak. The reference is unmistakably to Peter's eager decla- ration that he was ready to suffer imprisonment and death with Christ (Luke 22 : 33). Thus Christ looks mercifully upon their strong desire, and so pardons their weak performance. It is, however, true that our Lord himself illustrates this say- ing. " At that moment he was giving as high and pre-eminent example of its truth as the disciples were affording a low and ignoble one. He, in the willingness of the spirit, yielding himself to the Father's will to suffer and die, but weighed down by the weakness of the flesh ; they, having professed, and really having, a willing spirit to suffer with him, but, even in the one hour's watch- ing, overcome by the burden of drowsiness." — {Alford.) Observe in this contrast the lesson for us. In both Christ and the disciples there is a willing spirit, in both weakness of the flesh. But in Christ the spirit conquers the flesh, and he is victor ; in the disciples the flesh conquers the spirit, and they are defeated. "Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord," the wilUng spirit, " but he that doeth the will of my Father," whose flesh obeys the will, " shall enter into the kingdom of heaven " (Matt. 7 : 21). 42. He Avent away again and prayed the second time. "More earnestly," says Luke, who adds the account of the bloody sweat (Luke 22 : 41, note). Obscrvc the Change in the prayer which Mark and Luke do not indicate. The continuance of the trial he accepts as God's answer to the petition, "Let this cup pass from me;" he now asks only, "Thy will be done." The wish to be relieved from the Passion is sub- dued ; the will to fulfill the Father's will is su- preme. At what time the angel appeared to him, strengthening him, as described in Luke 22 : 44, is uncertain. I should agree with Alford in placing it after the first prayer, and consider- ing the change in the form of petition, which Matthew alone notes, as due to that gracious interposition. His prayer was heard and an- swered, as was Paul's (2 cor. 12 : 8-10). 43, 44. And he left them. Observe that he makes no attempt to arouse them the second time. — Saying the same words. Mark uses the same language in describing the second prayer. Matthew's account is, apparently, the most specific of the three. Luke does not men- tion the third prayer. 45, 46. Sleep on henceforth. Not merely now. The language implies that the opportunity for watchful sympathy with the Master has for- ever passed. He will make no further demands upon their sympathies. — Rise, let us be going. The language of the next verse indicates that the Temple officers, with Judas, were already ap- proaching the garden, and the instant arousal of the disciples was essential to their safety. The seeming contradiction of the two directions has given rise to various explanations. The best, because the simplest and most natural, is that which interprets them as the expression of in- flections of feeling. The direction to "Sleep on " is uttered in semi-soliloquy, "partly in bit- terness, partly in reproach, partly In a kind of irony, partly in sad earnest." The direction, "Rise; let us be going," is a practical command, uttered directly to the disciples, to arouse them to the danger at hand. The one is a gentle re- proach for past neglect ; the other is a kindling command for the present exigency. The moral significance of the two is admirably drawn out by F. W. Robertson, in a sermon, which em- bodies them in two sentences : "The irreparable past; the available future." Lessons of Gethsemahe.— The mystery of Gethsemane is a subject for reverent study, not for full interpretation. No theology can explain Christ's character, no psychology can fathom his experieoce. No one may enter into the mysteries of his experience of grief ; but no one who loves his Lord can pass it by uncontemplat- ed. In studying it, beware of any interpretation which professes to afford a complete explanation. Such interpretations are either extra Scriptural, or anti-Scriptural ; they either deny the agony, because it is inconsistent with Christ's divine nature, or belittle it, by explanations inconsistent with the heroism of his human nature. Rever- ently recognizing the incomprehensible mysteiy of this agony, we may yet discern in it clearly certain facts and lessons. In deducing them I quote in part from my Jetius of Nazareth, chap. 31, where I have endeavored to give a fuller analysis of this experience. (1.) A real spiritual 294 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXVI. struggle with temptation is described. The lan- guage of the Evangelists is explicit. Christ is sorrowful, dejected, surprised, in an agony. See verse 37, note. Other incidents in his life indi- cate analogous though lesser struggles with temptation (Matt. 4 : l-ll, note, p. 40 ; Luke 12 : 50 j John 12 : i? ; 16:32). The Epistle to the Hebrews, referring unmistakably to this experience, describes it as a real spiritual conflict. Heb. 5 : 7 declares that Christ suffered being tempted, i. e., temptation really entered into his soul (Heb. 2 : is ; comp. 4 : 15). (3.) The nature of the conflict is indicated. — This was not between two wills, the human and the divine ; the conception of two wills in one per- son is not found in Scripture, and is a hypothesis of later theology, to account for the person and experience of Christ. All such extra-Scriptural psychology is to be regarded with distrust. Christ intimates the nature of the conflict as one between the flesh and the spirit, the natural de- sire to escape the anguish of the Passion, and the higher spiritual purpose to fulfill, at what- ever cost, the mission given him by the Father (yer.4i, note). Thus it is partially interpreted by the analogous conflicts in Christian experience. But the contrast between our partial and his perfect victory is noteworthy. See, for examples, the cases of Moses (Eiod. 4 : i-n), Gideon vJuiiges, cbap. 6), Elijah (1 Kings 19 : l-u), DaVid (Psalms 42, 43, 73, 77, etc.), Jeremiah (i : 4-io, ii ; ch. 4, etc.), Jonah (chap. 4), Paul (Rom. 7 : 13-25). (3.) Some hints of the elements in Christ's agony are given or may be reverently surmised, (a.) Jesus was in the prime of man- hood ; life was just opening before him ; his soul was eager for work, and conscious of rare capa- bility to perform it ; his death was the end of all human hope of achievement. (6.) Into this one hour was crowded by prevision the combmed horrors of the Passion, its cruelty, its shame, its physical torment, its spiritual tortures. "His flesh with all its capacities and apprehensions, was brought at once into immediate and simul- taneous contact with eveiy circumstance of horror and pain that awaited him (John is : 4) ; which is never the case with. us. Not only are the objects of dread gradually unveiled to our minds, but hope is ever suggesting that things may not be so bad as our fears represent them." — (Alford.) (c.) To his own anguish was added that of others vicariously borne : his mother's grief, his disciples' dejection and dispersion, the doom of his country (Luke 19 : 41-44), which he had vainly striven to succor and save (Mitt. 23 : 37), and the future perils, persecutions, conflicts, and de- feats of bis church — all seen in instantaneous vision, (d.) The torment of unloving hearts added torture — the kiss of Judas, the denial of Peter, the desertion by all the disciples save one, theory "Crucify him, crucify him," coming from those for whom he died, and all this a prophecy of future betrayals, denials, crucifixions. "He saw the seeming fruitlessness of his sacrifice ; he saw his cross despised by some, ignored by many more ; he heard the story of his love repeated in a thousand pulpits by cold lips, and falling in a thousand congregations on dull ears." (e.) The sense that all was voluntarily borne, might have been easily escaped, might still be escaped. He laid down his own life ; no man took it from hira (verse 63; John 10 : is). Was he uot throwing away a life which duty as well as instinct demanded he should preserve ? (/.) The Tempter added sub- tle suggestions of evil, hinted at (john i4 : so) but unreported. " He who employed in the wilder- ness all his arts of flattery, employed in the garden all his inconceivable enginery of malice." Such seems to me to be some of the human elements of anguish and conflict which enter into this hour ; but they alone do not interpret it. For (4.) Thei-e was an element in that conflict which we can never fully appreciate. Of this, the later writers, Paul especially, gives some hint, but in language which the heart rather than the reason must interpret (Rom. S : 3 ; 2 Cor. B : 21 : Gal. 3 : 1.3). To Christ "death as the punishment of sin, bore a dark and dreadful meaning, inconceivable by any of us, whose inner will is tainted by the love of sm. Psalms 40 : 12 ; 38 : \-\Q.''—{Alford.) " To see as in the revelation of an instantaneous vision the dark deeds and darker thoughts of generations past and generations yet to come ; to turn from the setting sun of the past to the rising sun of the future, and alike in the night and in the morning horizon of history see only written the deep damnation of a lost world ; and then to feel the dark pall of this accursed load settling strangely down upon the soul — a soul whose divine purity trembled with unutterable horror at the lightest thought of sin — this, infi- nitely more than human experience, is incapable of any other interpretation than that which it receives from the superhuman agony of hira who, for our own sakes, endured it." (.5.) The method of ChnsVs conflict and the secret of his victory. By his experience he explains and quali- fies his teaching : " Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof." He looks intently and courage- ously on the future ; he summons all his powers to consider it and equip himself for it ; he pours forth in full freedom of prayer his wish, "Let this cup pass from me ; " he compels that wish to yield to the supreme purpose of his life, "Thy will be done ; " and he receives the gracious an- swer by the presence of the angel strengthening him to do that will (Luke 22 : 43 ; comp. Heb. 6:7). (6, ) The completeness of Chrisfs victm-y. He did not cease the struggle until he had conquered ; once ended it was never renewed. In all the terrible scenes of the Passion which ensued, he never wavered, hesitated, faltered, or showed signs Ch. XXVL] MATTHEW. 295 47 And while he yet spake, to,P Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude, with swords and staves, from the chiet priests and elders of the people. 48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign,i saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that sam^ is he : hold him fast. 49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Master ; and kissed "■ him. p Acts 1 : 16 q Ps. 38 : 12 r 2 i , 3 : 27 ; 20 : 9 ; Pb. 28 : 3. of fear. At the last he not only endured the cross, but despised the shame (Heb. 12 : 2). For a fuller study of the spiritual significance of Gethsemane I may refer the reader to Abbott's Jesus of Nazareth, from which I have quoted in this paragraph. Ch. 26 : 47-56. BRTRAYAL AND ARREST OF JESUS.— Christ interprets and exemplifies his own teach- ing : OF non-kbsistance to violence (Matt. 5 : 39-41): OF LOVE TO ENEMIES (Matt. 5 : 44) : OP CHEERFUL FUL- FILLMENT OF THE DiviMB WILL (Matt. 6 : 10 ; 7 : 21 ; 12 : 50). The arrest of Jesus is described by the four Evangelists, Mark 14 : 43-53 ; Luke 33 : 47-53 ; John 18 : 3-13. Matthew and John were eye-wit- nesses ; Mark is thought to have derived much of his information from Peter ; Luke's account is briefer than the others. John alone mentions the falling of the guard to the ground. Here, as throughout his Gospel, there are evidences that he wrote to supply what the other Evangelists omitted. The witnesses of this event had just been aroused from sleep ; their eyes were still heavy ; they were surprised, terrified, confused ; the discrepancies in their accounts are those of independent narrators ; they are not irreconcila- ble, but the exact order of events narrated is somewhat hypothetical. I think it to have been substantially as follows : Christ's prayer is broken in upon by the tramp of the approaching guard, and the gleaming of their lights as they issue from the gate of the city ; their approach, ob- served across the intervening brook Cedron, he interprets as God's final answer to his prayer — it is the divine will that he should drink the bitter cup. He proceeds to the entrance of the garden and arouses his disciples (ver. 46) ; Judas, who leads the band, draws near to kiss Jesus accord- ing to the pre-arranged signal ; is abashed by the Lord's reproachful question, "Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss ? " and makes no reply (ver. 49, 50 ; Luke 22 : 4s) ; the band sharc his confu- sion, and under the influence of the superhuman majesty of our Lord, fall backward (John is : 4-6) ; the disciples emboldened, ask permission to re- sist (Luke 22 : 49) ; and Peter, more impetuous than the rest, does not wait for an answer, but initiates the attack (ver. 51 ; John 18 : 10) ; Christ rebukes him (ver. 52-54) ; heals the wounded servant (Luke 22 : si) ; and demands of the oflScers that they let the dis- ciples go their way (john is : s) ; the disciples, for- bidden to resist, interpret this as a hint to escape. and flee (ver. se) ; at the same time the oflBicers, who have recovered from their momentary awe, proceed to bind Jesus (john is : 12), disregarding his dignified remonstrance against being treated as a thief (ver. 55). For a full understanding of all the elements in this midnight scene all the accounts should be carefully compared, but especially Matthew and John. See notes here and on John. 47. And while he yet spake. He had barely time to arouse the disciples before Judas arrived ; not improbably their arrival awakened the eight, who were sleeping at or near the en- trance to the garden. — Judas, one of the twelve, came. There is a solemn significance in the fact that the three Synoptists all note that the betrayer was "one of the twelve." John (18 : 1) explains Judas' knowledge of Christ's re- treat. — And with him a great multitude. A comparison of the various accounts shows the composition of this multitude. There were, (1) a police force from the temple. They are called in John 18 : 3, " officers from the chief priests and Pharisees," in Luke 23 : 53, " captains of the Temple." These were a portion of the Temple police, a strictly Jewish force, composed of Levites, and frequently referred to both in O. T. and N. T. history (2 Kings 11 : 9 ; John 7 : 32 ; Acts 4 : l-s). These were all armed with "staves," answering to the modem policeman's baton ; (3) a Roman force, furnished probably at the request of the Sanhedrim, by the Roman authorities. This is the " band " referred to in John 18 : 3-13. They were armed with a peculiar short sword, one- edged, defined here and in Mark as a machcera (ftdxatQu). Our illustration, from an engraved gem, indicates its probable character ; (3) ser- THE MACELSBA. vants of the high-priest (ver. si), who accompanied the band, perhaps to assist in the arrest, perhaps merely led by curiosity and that contagion of malice which induced their subsequent persecu- tion of Jesus (ver. 67 ; Mark 14 : 65) ; (4) Cgrtaln of the priests and elders in person, to make sure of the consummation of the arrest (Luke 22 : 52). The force was provided with lanterns and torches (John 18 : 3, note) to scarch in any dark places in the garden. Judas preceded the guard (Luke 22 : 47).— MATTHEW. [Ch. XXVI. 50 And Jesus said unto him,' Friend, wherefore art thou come ? Then came they and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. 51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. 52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for' all they that take the sword, shall perish with the sword. 53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of" angels ? 54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that " thus it must be ? Ps. 41 : 9 J 55 : 13. ; Gen. 9:6; Ezek. S5:6, 6; Rev. 13 : 10 u cli. 4 : 11 ; 2 Kings 6 : .7 : 9 V Luke 24 : 20, From the chief priests and elders. Mark adds "the scribes." Probably by this descrip- tion is intended the Sanhedrim, tlie chief judicial and legislative body of the Jews (.sto Prei. Note, p. 268. j, though their act, in planning and ordering the arrest, may have been informal and unoflacial. Comp. John 7 : 50, 51, where Nicodemus protests against a similar course of action, as illegal. 48, 49. Gave them a sign. That is, had given them the sign previously. It was neces- sary, inasmuch as in the darkness Christ might be confounded, by the oflScers, with the disci- ples. The whole account indicates anxiety lest he should escape as he had done before (John 7 : 45, 46 ; 8 : 69 J 10 : 39), — Hold him faSt. Mark (U : 44, note) says, "Lead him away securely." This fear of a rescue affords a singular evidence of the moral incapacity of Judas to understand the character of Jesus. The guards evidently shared his apprehensions or they would not have bound Jesus. But it is not so strange as the misappre- hension of the eleven, who actually asked per- mission to attempt such a rescue (Lute 22 : 49). 49, 50. Hail, Rabbi; and kissed him. The kiss was a customary salutation amongst near relatives and friends, both in patriarchal and later times, (oen. 27 : 26, 27 ; 29 : 11, 13 ; 33 : 4 ; 45 : is ; Exod. 4: 27; 2 Sam. 15 : 6 ; 19:39; Rom. 16:16; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 6 : 26 ; 1 Pet. 5 : u). The trcachcrous klss of Judas recalls that of Joab (2 Sam. 20 : 9, 10). — Com- rade. Not "JVie«fZ." {itaiqt not (pUog.) Christ never sacrificed truth to courtesy or convention- alism. This word, mistranslated " friend," occurs in the N. T. only here and in Matt. 20 : 13 ; 23 : 13 ; it conveys reproach. — Wherefoie art thou come ? This is not asked for information, but as an appeal to the conscience of Judas. He replies with the treacherous kiss. Christ re- sponds with a final appeal, "Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man Mith a kiss ? " (Mark), but receives no answer. These are his last words to the apostate disciple. The incident recorded by John 18 : 4-9, I regard as occurring after this conference with Judas, who was in advance of the rest, and before the final seizure of Jesus by the band. 51. One of them which were with Jesus. Mark's language is still more indefinite ; he says a "by-stander." John alone gives the name of the assailant, Peter, and of the assailed, Malchus. The hypothesis is reasonable that the other Evangelists concealed the names, in order not to involve their co-disciple in danger from the Jewish authorities, John did not write until after the destruction of Jerusalem, when the Jewish authorities had no longer power to avenge this assault. We may reasonably surmise that Malchus was one of the foremost to lay hands on Jesus, and that Peter aimed the blow at his head, but was too impetuous to be sure-aimed. Christ healed the wound inflicted (Luke ';2 : 51). Before this assault some of the disciples asked permission to resist (luIio 22 : 4o), but Peter did not wait for the Lord's answer. The sword {aa/uiQu, machmra) was the short one-edged sword of which we have given an illustration above. 52-54. Pecviliar to Matthew. Parallel to these verses is John 18 : 11 ; "Put up thy sword into his sheath : the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ? " Observe, the sword is Peter's, not his Lord's ; thy sword, not mine ; and the place of the Christian's sv/ord is its sheath, from which he may draw it only at the divine command. — All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. — Not a com- mand, as Alford interprets it ; so rendered it is self- contradictory, and would even justify Peter, who meant that Malchus, who had taken the sword of injustice, should perish by the sword of a just resistance and retribution ; not an un- qualified and absolute assertion, for it is not true of all, and the right to bear and use the sword is elsewhere distinctly recognized in the N. T. (Rom. 13 : 4) ; but the statement of a general law, that violence begets violence, and that those Avho are most ready to resort to physical force for self- protection, are the most liable to suffer from it, while non-resistants are the least sufferers, a truth abundantly illustrated by the history of the Friends. — Twelve legions of angels. One each for Christ aud the eleven. A legion, in the Roman army organization, consisted of 6000. Compare Christ's declaration here with John 10 : 18 and with the language of his prayer in Gethsemane. The choice was still open to him to escape the Pas.sion, to conquer his foes by force. But so he could not become the conquerer of the world by the patience of love. His sub- mission was not a passive acquiescence in the inevitable, but a supreme choice to fulfill the Father's mission in the Father's way. —But how then shall the Scriptures be ful- Ch. XXVI.] MATTHEW. 297 55 In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes. Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves for to take me ? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. 56 But all this was done, that the scriptures'' of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples for- sooU him, and fled. 3: 15; Ps. 22: 1, etc. ; 69: Dan. 9 : 24, 26 ; Zech. 13 : 7 ; Acts 1 : 16. filled ? That is, How shall the divine will be fulfilled y for the Scriptures are the reflection of that will, and they had clearly disclosed that the world was to be conquered, not by irresistible might, but by suffering love (isaiaU ch. 53). The act of Peter exemplifies the folly of misdirected zeal. It was the only circumstance which could give any color to the chara:es afterward brought by the priests against Jesus before Pilate (luUc 23:2,6). Peter carries out in action the spirit which Christ had before rebuked in him (Matt. 16 : 22, 23) and in his co-disciples James and John (Luie 9 : 54-56). 55. Are ye come out as against a thief? Judas had cautioned the guard to lead Jesus away securely (Mark u : 44), and when they finally arrested him they bound him (john is : ij). This indignity, it appears to me, probably called forth the remonstrance of this verse. Compare the language of Luke 23 : .53, 53. — I sat daily Avith yon teachiiis: in the Temple. The offence with wliieh he was charged was one of teaching, not of robbeiy or violence ; it was open, public, unconcealed, and the time to arrest him was the time of his teaching ; he had neither hid himself nor surrounded himself with his followers for self-protection ; the indignity of this midnight arrest was, therefore, gratuitous. 56. That the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled. Whether these words were uttered by Christ or added by Matthew, is un- certain. The fact that they are found subse- quently in Mark's account renders the former hypothesis preferable. For prophecies referred to, consult marg. ref.— And they all forsook him and fled. But Peter, and probably John, only for a little way. Finding they were not pursued, they turned and followed the band to the high priest's house (john is : is). Cli. 20 ! 57-68. TRIAL OF JESUS BEFORE CAIAPIIAS ATsD THE COUNCIL. — Wicked ends beget wicked INSTRUMENTS. — CHRIST SOUGHT MAN'S LIFE; MAN SOUGHT Christ's death.— The common cause of slander (ver. 61, with John 2 : 19, 21).— The best ANSWER to slander— silence (vcr. 63). — Christ's solemn testimony to his own divine nature and mission (ver. 64). — '■ Despised and rejected op men " (ver. 67, 68). Pkeliminabt Note. — Harmony of the narra- tives. The N. T. certainly records three, possibly four, distinct judicial or quasi-judicial examina- tions of Jesus prior to his crucifixion. The con- trast in the four Gospel narratives appears from the following tabular view. Matthew and Mark differ only verbally. Matt. 28 : 57 to 27 : 2. Mark 14 : 63 to 16 : 1. Jeaus is led to Caiaphas' palace, the council assembles, witnesses are summoned, a trial proceeds, Jesus Is con- victed, the denial of Peter oc- curs, whether at the same time and place is not clear, the con- viction is followed by insults and huffe tings, and by a second council (27 : 1) to insure the execution of the sentence pro- nounced ; thence Jesus is led away to Pilate. Luke 22 : 54-71. Jesus is led to the high priest's palace, Peter denies him, he is insulted and buf- feted, but no formal trial Is re- ported until at daybreak the Sanhedrim is assembled, and Christ is led to it ; the trial takes place, he i^ convicted and at once conducted to Pi- late (23 : 1). John 18 : 13-27. Jesus is taken to thehouse of Annas, a preliminary exami- nation ensues, whether at the house of Annas or Caiaphas is not clear ; during this prelimi- nary examination, the denial by Peter takes place, and thence Christ is led to Pilate. There is no report of a formal trial by the Sanhedrim. It is evident from a comparison of these reports that with our imperfect knowledge we cannot be certain as to the order of the events described, and equally evident that there is no necessary or irreconcilable inconsistency. Some scholars sup- pose that the examination reported in John 18 : 19-23 took place before Annas, was followed by an informal trial in the palace of Caiaphas (Matt. 26 : 67-5s), succceded by a formal trial at daybreak (27 : 1), the latter being described by Luke (22 : 66-71) ; others suppose that Jesus was sent at once from Annas to Caiaphas, that the preliminary examination described in John took place in the palace of Caiaphas while the Sanhe- drim was assembling, was followed by a second examination before the Council reported by Mat- thew, which was in turn succeeded by a formal trial and sentence hinted at in Matthew 27 : 1, 298 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXVL but more fully reported iu Luke 21 : 66-71 ; still others suppose, and this appears to me the more natural and probable supposition, that Matthew, Mark and Luke report, though in a different form, the same proceedings, and that the real order of events was probably substantially as follows : Christ was first led to the house of Annas, the leading spirit of the priestly party ; thence at once to the house of Caiaphas, where the examination described by John took place, and the denial by Peter, recorded by all the Evan- gelists; meanwhile the Sanhedrim had assem- bled, and the formal trial was had as described by Matthew, Mark and Luke, though whether in the palace of Caiaphas or the council-chamber adjoining the Temple (luIso 22 : cg, note) is uncertain, as is also the question whether the buffetings and insults took place after the formal condemnation as implied by Matthew, or during the prelimi- nary examination as implied by Luke, or twice. According to this view the meeting of the San- hedi-im referred to in Matthew 27 : 1, was not a trial but a private conference to determine on the necessary measures to secure the execution of the death sentence agreed upon. The reasons for this opinion will partly appear in the notes hereafter. See especially on ver. 59 ; ch. 37 : 1 ; Luke 33 : 07-70 ; Jolm 18 : 24. The trial. The court convened to try Jesus Christ was the Sanhedrim or Sanhedrin. The origin of this assembly is traced in the Mishna to the seventy elders whom Moses associated with him in the government of Israel (Numb. 11 : ic), but this is doubtful. It is now more generally thought to have arisen subsequent to the Mace- donian supremacy in Palestine. It consisted of chief priests; that is, the heads of the twenty-four priestly classes ; scribes, that is, rabbis learned in the literature of the church ; and elders, who were chosen from amongst the most influential of the laity. Hence a common designation in the N. T. is " chief priests and scribes," or "elders and chief priests and scribes," 01: " chief priests and elders " (Matt. 2: 4 ; 16 : 21 ; 27 : i). Jewish tradition puts the number of members at seventy-one. The high priest usually presided ; the vice-president sat at his right hand. The other councillors were ranged in front of these two in the form of a semicircle. Two scribes or clerks attended, who on criminal trials registered the votes, one for acquittal, the other for condemnation. The place in which the sessions of the Sanhedrim were or- ilinai-ily held was, according to the Talmud, a hall called GazzU\ supposed to have been situa- ted in the south-east corner of one of the courts near the Temple building. The language of Luke (22 : 66, note) indicates that the trial of Jesus was held in this council-chamber. The Sanhe- drim had lawful and exclusive jurisdiction in all cases where capital punishment could be inflicted, although the power of inflicting capital punish- ment had been taken from them by the Romans (John 18 : 31, note). If, as I supposc, this trial took place after Peter's denial, the hour is fixed by the cock crowing at about four o'clock ; the day Friday, AprU 7, a.d. 30. Methodic of procedure. The Jewish methods of judicial procedure are fully given in the Rab- binical books. Their rules constitute an elabo- rate and on the whole a merciful code. The court could not be convened by night ; the ac- cused could not be condemned on his own con- fession ; two witnesses were necessary to secure sentence of death ; these witnesses must be examined in the presence of the accused ; he had the opportunity of cross-examination ; a perjurer was liable to the penalty which would have been visited in case of conviction upon the prisoner ; the latter had a right to be heard in his own defence ; a verdict could not be ren- dered on the same day as the trial, nor on a feast-day ; the discovery of new evidence, even after the preparations for execution had com- menced, entitled the condemned to a new hear- ing. These rules were utterly disregarded in this trial. The letter of the law forbidding night trials was observed (Luke 22 : ec), but its spirit was violated by a midnight examination and a hasty trial in the twilight of the dawn. A quorum of the court was present, but it was convened with haste so great, and with notice so inadequate, that one at least of the most influen- tial friends of Jesus had apparently no opportu- nity to participate in its deliberations ( Luke 23 : si ; 22 : 70, and Mark 14 : 64). Witncsses wcrc Summoned, and discrepancies in their testimony were noted ; but the just and reasonable rule requiring the concurrent testimony of two was openly and almost contemptuously disregarded. An oppor- tunity was formally offered Jesus to be heard in his own behalf, but no adequate time was af- forded him to secure witnesses or prepare for his defence, and the spirit of the court denied him audience, though its formal rules permitted him a healing. Finally, all other means of se- curing his conviction having failed, in violation alike of law and justice, he was put under oath and required, in defiance of his protest, to bear testimony against himself. The law requiring a day's deliberation was openly set aside, and with haste as unseemly as it was illegal, the prisoner was sentenced and executed within less than twelve hours after his arrest, within less than six after the formal trial. The sentence and its significance. The crime of which Jesus Christ was accused and found guilty, and for which he was sentenced to death by the Sanhedrim, was blasphemy (see ver. 65. Comp. John 19 : 7). This was a well recognized and clearly defined crime among the Jews. It con- Ch. XXVL] MATTHEW. 399 57 And '^ they that had laid hold on Jesus led Aim away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 58 But Peter followed him afar off, unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death : 60 But found none : yea, though many false wit- nesses came, yet found they none. At the y last came two false witnesses, Mark 14 : 53, etc. ; Luke 22 : 54, etc. ; John 18 : 12, etc y Ps. 27 : 12 : sisted of any act which tended to turn the hearts of the people from Jehovah, who was both their God and their King. This was not only irreli- gion, but treason, and was punishable with death (Eiod. 22 : 20 ; Numb. 25 : 1-5 ; Deut. 13 : 1-5 ; 18 : 9-20 j aee Matt. 12 : 32, note). Illustratious of this Crime and its fruits are afforded by Numbers 16 : 1^0; 1 Kings 18 : 17-40. Jesus was accused of blasphe- my because he had proclaimed himself to be equal with God, and had claimed and received divine honors. To this accusation there were but two possible defences ; one that he had made no such claim, the other that he was indeed the Jehovah of the O. T. manifested in the flesh, and being a new revelation, the supplement and completion of the old. On this trial he took the latter course. Put under oath, called on to declare in the most solemn manner his position and claims, he asserted that the charge that he had pro- claimed himself the Son of God was true, and that the assertion itself was true. Thus his declaration (ver. 64, note) of his Divine Sonship con- stitutes Christ's solemn testimony to himself, uttered at the momentous crisis of his life, under the solemn sanction of an oath, in the course of judicial proceedings, in the presence of the highest council of the realm, in the far more sacred presence of God and his recording angels, at the peril of his life, and with a clear compre- hension of the meaning which not only priests and people would attach to it, but with which it would be forever invested by humanity. If it had not been true it would have been blasphemy. "It is not easy," says one of America's most distinguished jurists. Prof. Greenleaf, "to con- ceive on what ground his (Christ's) conduct could have been defended before any tribunal, except upon that of his superhuman character. No lawyer, it is conceived, would think of plac- ing his defence upon any other basis." See, for a fuller description of the trial and a fuller statement of this question and the Scripture passages bearing upon it, Abbott's Jesus ofNiaza- reth, chaps. 33, 35. , 57. Led him aAvay to Caiaphas. First, however, to Annas, by whom he was sent to Caiaphas (John is : 13, 24). He was the son-in-law of Annas, was appointed high-priest by the Ro- man Procurator about 27 a. d., held the office during the whole administration of Pilate, was deposed 36 or 37 a. d. He had predetermined the death of Jesus (John ii : 50). Both Annas and Caiaphas were creatures of the Roman court; both belonged to the Saddusaic party ; both, that is, were openly infidel concerning some of the fundamental truths of the Hebrew faith. — Were assembled. In preparation for the trial. They had planned the arrest (Matt. 26 : 3-5, 14, 16), and had furnished the temple guard to consummate it (John is : 3). 58. Peter followed him afar off. This has been the text for many a denunciation of Peter ; but he could not have followed in any other way. His fault, if any, was for following at all. — Unto the courtyard of the high- priest. Not the jMlace, but the open courtyard around which the palace was built (ver. 69, note). — To see the end, i.e., what the end would be. Curiosity, not devotion, led him into danger. 59. AH the council. This seems to indi- cate that Matthew is describing a meeting of the entire Sanhedrim, and hence probably the for- mal and official trial of Jesus. If so, the pre- liminary examination before Caiaphas, and Pe- ter's accompanying denial of his Master (John is : 13-2?), took place between ver. 58 and 59 here, and Matthew goes back from his description of the trial to describe subsequently, and out of its chronological order, Peter's denials (ver. 69-75). — To put him to death. Not to ascertain the truth, but to destroy one whom they considered a personal enemy, was this trial conducted (john 5:18; 7: 19, 25; S:37, 40; 11 : 50). 60. But found none. That agreed together. Two witnesses were required by Jewish law for conviction (Dcut. 19 : 15 ; John 8 : 17 ; 2 Cor. 13 : l). The charge against Jesus of declaring himself the Son of God and so making himself equal with God (John 10 : 33) was ouc which it was impossible to substantiate by any witnesses outside the im- mediate circle of Christ's disciples, for his min- istry had been one of singularly commingled boldness and caution — boldness in the truths he uttered, caution in the methods of his utterance. He never publicly proclaimed himself the Mes- siah. He forbade the evil spirits from announ- cing his character (Mark i : 34). He received the confession of his disciples, but refused to permit them to repeat it to others (Matt. 16 : 20). Interro- gated by the Jews whether he was the Christ, he had refused a direct reply, and had referred them to his works (John 10 : 24, 25, note). He had given the same response to the public questioning of John's disciples. In most of his later ministry 300 MATTHEW. [Ch. XXVI. 6i And said, This fellow said,' I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. 62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, An- swerest thou nothing ? What is it which these wit- ness against thee? 63 But ''Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure" the^ by the liv- ing God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ,' the Son ol God. 64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said ; neverthe- less 1 say unto you. Hereafter'' shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand ' of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. he had veiled his meaning in parables, which re- vealed the truth to honest inquirers, but hid it from his foes. " Probably no two witnesses could be found out of the ranks of the disciples who had ever heard out of his own lips an avowal of his Messiahship." (Andrew's Life of Christ, p. 501.) In John 4 : 26 and 9 : 37, the declaration of his Messiahship was made to docile believers if not to actual followers. 61. I am able to destroy the Temple of God, etc. Observe in reference to this charge, (1) that Christ had not said so, he had said (john 2:19) that the Jews would destroy the temple, which he would restore ; (2) that they under- stood, at least partially, that he had referred to his own body (Matt. 27 : 40, 63) ; (3) that in their testimony these false-witnesses did not agree (Mark 14 : 53) ; the nature of their discrepancy is, perhaps, indicated by the variations in the testi- mony as reported by Matthew and Mark ; (4) even if he had used the words attributed to him they would have formed no ground for a death- sentence. The charge illustrates the growth of calumny. " False evidence takes up some truth ; and a great calumny can often be made by no great change of words." — (Bengel.) Observe, too, that Scripture imputes falsehood to those who pervert the truth as well as to those who invent a lie. 62, 63. And the high-priest arose. An- gered by the failure of the prosecution and by the stinging rebuke of Christ's silence. By that silence he eloquently condemned the preju- dice of the court and declared his own conviction of the uselessness of defending himself before it. — Jesus held his peace. The best answer to wilful calumny is ordinarily silence. — I adjure thee by the living God. An ordinary formula of administering an oath. (see Gen. 24 : 3, Jahn's Bib. Archeology.) By this act, therefore, the high-priest put Christ under oath to testify concerning his own claim and character. The high-priest's action was illegal, since by Rabbinical laws the accused could not be condemned on his own confession. Comparing Luke's account (22 : 67-7i) it appears that Christ first protested against the illegality, that his protest was overborne by a clamorous demand from all the members of the court, and that to this demand Christ acceded by giving the testimony recorded in the following verse. Thus he literally fulfilled his declaration, " I lay down my life ; no man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself " (john 10 : 17, is.) — The Messiah, the Son of God. These phrases are not used by the high-priest as synonymous. In Luke's account they are represented as embodied in two questions (Luke 22 : 67, 7(^). The O. T. prophets indicate that the Messiah was to be in a peculiar sense the Son of God (Psalm 2 : 7 ; 46 : 6, 7 ; Isaiah 7 : 14 ; 9 : 6 ; Micah 5 : 2). But it is clcar from Jewish Rabbinical writings, from the treatment accorded to Jesus, and from the ready facility with which false Christs were at this time and a little later received by the Jews, that they did not generally believe that their Messiah would be other than a great prophet and a king, coming to achieve victory for the nation. The demand of the high-priest here is, therefore, twofold. He asks : Dost thou claim to be the Messiah ? Dost thou claim to be the Son of God ? To both questions Christ replies, using language singularly explicit in defining the sense in which he claims to be the Son of God. The language of the succeeding verse utterly forbids our interpreting this phrase when applied to Christ as parallel to its use when applied to ourselves, e. g., 1 John 3:1. 64. Thou hast said. A Jewish form of affirmation equivalent to "I am " (Mark u : 62). It is found also in ordinary Greek ; e. g., " Thou thy- self, said he, sayest this, Oh Socrates" {Xenop7ion''s Memorabilia, Book III.) A simple assent to the question in the case of the Jewish oath sufficed (see Numb. 5 : 22). Christ, howcvcr, adds a solemn de- claration of his future coming as a divine Judge. —Nevertheless. Rather, more than that {nXiiv), i. e. , not only am I the Messiah and the Son of God, but I shall come hereafter to judge the world. — Hereafter. Literally henceforth, i. e., from this time forward, including also, the far future. The time of Christ's humiliation draws to its end, and with his resurrection commences his era of glory and power, consummated at the judg- ment-day (i Cor. 15 : 24-28). — The Sou of Man. A common appellation of the Messiah, borrowed by Christ from Daniel and used by him to desig- nate himself (see Matt. 10 : 23, note). — On the right hand of power. Equivalent to "power of God " (Luke 22 : 69). " The Hcbrews oftcu called God, Yoyfer.''— (Bengel.) Comp. Psalm 110:1. — And coming in the clouds of heaven. For judgment (Matt. 25 : 31 ; John 6 : 27). Observc the contrast in this verse betweeu the present and Ch. XXVI.] MATTHEW. 301 65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy ; what further need have we of witnesses ? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. 66 What thinlc ye ? Tney answered and said, He is guilty of death.' 67 Then 8 did they spit in his fa-e, and buflfeted him ; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, 68 Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee ? f Lev. 24 : 16 ; John 19:7 g Isa. 60 : 6. the future. They now sitting to judge him, he will then sit to judge them ; they are now strong and he apparently weak, then he will sit on the right hand of power and they will call in vain on the mountains and rocks to hide them (Rev. 6 : 16). " As the Passiou advances, its amaz- ing co7ilrasts grow in affecting interest. The Deliverer in bonds ; the Judge attainted ; the Prince of Glory scorned ; the Holy One con- demned for sin ; the Son of God as a blasphe- mer ; the Resurrection and the Life sentenced to die. The Eternal High-Priest is condemned by the high-priest of that year." — (Stier.) On the significance of Christ's testimony here to him- self, see Prel. Note. 65. Then the high-priest rent his clothes. This was a common Jewish sign of grief. Of rending clothes at hearing blasphemy, see an illustration in 3 Kings 18 : 37 ; It) : 1. Lightfoot quotes from the Rabbinical books the rule " when witnesses speak out the blasphemy which they heard, then all, hearing the blasphemy, are bound to rend their clothes." The rending of clothes was ordinarily forbidden to the high- piiest (Lev. 10 : e), but the prohibition probably applied only to private mourning. His act here may have been a natural expression of abhor- rence at what he sincerely regarded as language of blasphemy. More probably it was a simulated and theatrical expression for the purpose of producing an effect upon the court. — He hath spoken blasphemy. By claiming to be the Son of God. On the nature of blasphemy under the Jewish law, see Prel. Note and ref. there. — He is liable to death. The Jewish law made it a capital offence to turn the people away from allegiance to the true God (Deut. i3 : i-s). Of this Christ was accused, and for this condemned to die (John 19 : 7). In fact, however, the doctrine of the divinity of Christ has not weakened but strengthened the allegiance of the human race to the Father (john u:6; phu. 2:ii). Quesnel's practical commentary on this sentence is note- worthy. "The Author of Life, and Life eternal itself, is then judged worthy of death ; and can we complain after this of the injustice of human judgments as to ourselves? " 67, 68. Buffeted him. The original (x as he passed bv, he saw Levi the son of Al- Ehaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto im, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. 15 And " it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans ' and sinners sat also to- gether with Jesus and his disciples: f^r there were many, and they followed him. i6 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disci- ples. How is it that he eateth and drmketh with publi- cans and .sinners ? 17 When Jesus heard zV, he saith unto them. They"" tliat are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick : I came not to call the righteous, but sinners » to repentance. 18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast : and they come and say unto him, Why do ths disciples of John aud of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not ? 19 And Jesus said unto them. Can the children of the bridechamber fas', while the bridegroom" is with them ? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then p shall they fast in those days. 21 No man also sevireth a piece of new cloth on an old garment : else the new piece that hlled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. 22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles ; els2 the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred:'' but new wine must be put into new bottles. 23 And ' it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day ; and his disciples be- gan, as they went, to pluck" the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath oay that which is not lawful ? 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did,' when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him ? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the show- bread," which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him ? 27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man," and not " man for the sabbatli : 28 Therefore » the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. CHAPTER III. NDy he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. 2 And they watched^ him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day ; that they migiit accuse him. 3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand. Stand forth. 4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil ? to save life,'' or to kill ? But they held their peace. 5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man. Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched zV out : and his hand was restored whole as the other. 6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the " Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. A i .\I:itt. 9: 9; Luke 5 : 27.... k Luke 19 : 10; 1 Cor. 6:9-11 6: l,etc....3Deiit. 23: S5. . 18.... X Johu9; 14; Ephes. 1 itc 1 Luke 16 : 1-5... .....o Mull. 25 : 1....P fi....u Exod. 29 : 32,33 ; 10 y Matt. 12 : 9. el m Matt. 9 : 12, 13 ; Luke 5 : 31, 32. . . .1 Acts 13 : 2. . . q Job 32 : 19 ; Ps. 119 : ; Lev. 24 : 9. . . .V Neli. 9:14; Isa. 58 Isa. 1 : 18; 66 : 7 ; Matt. 18: 11 80, 83. . . .r Mint. 12:1, etc. ; Luke 13 ; Ezek. 20 : 12, 20 w Col. 2 : Hosea 6:6 b Matt. 22 : 16. The student will observe that there is no verbal expression of either penitence or faith on the man's part, and no demand by Christ for such expression. However this may accord with our method of dealing with sinful and suffering souls, it accords with Christ's method, who customarily by his insight perceived and by his gracious help- fulness developed the first germs of repentance and faith, not always waiting till they had wak- ened even into consciousness (Luke? : 47-60; 23:42, 43; John 5 : 8, 9, 14 ; 8 : ll). It is the disclOSUre Of divine forgiveness that leads to repentance (Rom. 2:4). 13-22. The call of Levi (Matthew) and Christ's consequent teaching. Matt. 9 : 9-17 ; Luke 5 : 37-39. See Notes on Matthew. The phrase here. In his house (rerse 15) means the house of Levi or Matthew (Luke 6 : 29), not the house of Jesus, who had none (Matt, s : 20). 23-28. Ch. 3 : 1-6. The Law of the Christian Sabbath Illustrated. Matt. 13 : 1-8; Luke 6 : 1-11. See Notes on Matthew. I treat here only one or two points, peculiar to Mark. 20. In the days of Abiathar the hish- priest. The reference is to 1 Sam. 21 : 1-9. There, however, Ahimelech is represented as the high-priest, and elsewhere Abiathar is repre- sented as his son. The most probable explana- tion is that Abiathar was the son of Ahimelech and ministered with his father, and perhaps per- sonally gave the shew-bread to David, and being subsequently high-priest is here given his title, a title which did not, however, properly become his until a later period. 27. Peculiar to Mark. It implies (1) the per- petuity of a sabbath rest ; it was made for man, not merely for the Jews, and the law requiring it is written in man's physical and spiritual nature; (2) its universality ; it was made for man, not for any single class, for man-servant and maid-ser- vant, and the stranger within the gates (Exod. 20 : 10) ; (3) its object, for man — man^s day, there- fore, as truly as the Lord's day ; hence, what- ever is for man's highest and truest welfare, whatever generally adopted, will tend to the phys- ical, intellectual and spiritual development of man, not of exceptional indimduals, but of the com- munity or the race, is appropriate for the day which was made /or man, and whose observance is tested by its usefulness to man. Ch. 3 : 3. Stand forth. His object ap- parently, was to call attention to the cure and make it prominent in order to emphasize his teaching. 4. Is it laAvfuI * * * to save life or to kill? "A terrible home-thrust. He was in- tending to do good, to relieve a disabled fellow- man — they were harboring murderous thoughts. They would fain destroy Jesus. ' Which of us,' he virtually asks, 'is breaking the sabbath, you or I?' " — {Furness.) 348 MAEK. [Ch. III. 7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea : and a great " multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, 8 And Irom Jerusalem, and from Idumsea, and/rotn beyond Jordan ; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. g And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. lo For he had healed many ; '^ insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. 11 And« unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying. Thou art the Son of God. 12 And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known. ' 13 Ande he goeth up into a mountain and calleth unio him whom he "^ would : and they came unto him. 14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils : 16 And Simon ' he surnamed Peter ; 5. With anger being grieved. Grief and indignation are not inconsistent emotions. Only that anger which grieves at sin is the Christian's anger. — The hardness of their hearts. Exemplified by their silence, as an evidence of their obdurate persistence in their murderous designs. 6. Pharisees. Matt. 3 : 7, note. — Hero- dians. Matt. 23 : 16, note. T-12. Christ's period of popularity in Galilee. — Parallel to Mark's account here, is Matt. 13 : 15-21. See notes there, especially on verses 17-21, which are peculiar to Matthew. Mark's account of the multitude which fol- lowed Christ is more detailed. He also narrates the incident of the boat kept for Jesus' disci- ples (ver. 9). There appears to be no chrono- logical order observed by Mark in this chapter. The ordination of the twelve Apostles (verses 13-19) and the Sermon on the Mount, which Mark does not report, but which accompanied their ordina- tion, preceded the teaching of Christ on the Sab- bath question (ch. 1 -. 23-28 ; 3 : i-g) and the incidents narrated here. For other evidences of Christ's great popularity at this period of his ministry, consult Matt, li : 13 ; Mark 5 : 24 ; 6 : 33 ; Luke 8:45; 12:1. 7. 8. To the sea, i. e., the Sea or Lake of Galilee. See map and description, ch. 1 : 39. — From Galilee. The northern province of Pal- estine. On its character and inhabitants, see ch. 1 : 39 ; Matt. 2 : 22 ; 4 : 11-10, notes.— From Ju- dea. Compare Luke 5 : 17. — And from Idu- mea. A Greek word answering to the Hebrew Edom. It was the region inhabited by the de- scendants of Esau or Edom (oen. 25 : 30), whence its name. Originally the Edomites occupied a tract of countiy extending from the Dead to the Red Sea, about fifteen or twenty miles broad and one hundred miles long ; but after the Babylonish captivity they were permitted to settle in South- ern Palestine, and subsequently, under the Macca- bees, were subdued and compelled to submit to the Jewish rites and Jewish goverament, and were practically incorporated in the Jewish na- tion. Herod the Great, the last king of the Jews, was an Idumean.— They about Tyre and Sidon. See note on Matt. 11 : 21. 9. A small boat. Probably a row-boat, used for fishing, and perhaps also furnished with a sail. See Mark 4 : 36 for illustration. Christ's object was probably twofold, in part retirement, for by the boat he could easily escape to the eastern and comparatively solitary shores of the sea (Matt. 14 : is), in part labor, for from the prow of the boat, he could preach to the people on the shore, without being hindered by the throng (Luke 6 : 3). We may fairly deduce Christ's fond- ness for both the water and the mountains, from this and analogous incidents in his ministry. 10. Pressed upon him. Literally, threw themselves iqMii him. — As many as had plagues. Literally, scourges. Disease was re- garded by the Jews as a scourge from God. Not any particular kind of contagious disease is meant; all physical afflictions would be included under the general word here rendered plagues. 11. 12. And unclean spirits, i. c, persons possessed with them. See Note on Demoniacal Possession, Matt. 8 : 28-34, p. 123. For the reason of Christ's command to silence, see notes on Matt. 8:4; Mark 1 : 25. 13-19. The Call and Ordination of the Twelve. — This occurred previous to the events recorded in the preceding part of this chapter. Immediately following this ordination Christ preached the Sermon on the Mount. Mat- thew gives the ordination of the twelve out of its order, in connection with their first commission to preach the Gospel (Matt, lo : i^) ; Luke in its proper order (Luke 6 : is-ie). On the ordination of the twelve, see Matt. 10 : 1-4, and notes, and on their individual lives and characters. Note on the Twelve Apostles, Matt. chap. 10, p. 147. 14, 1.5. Mark states more definitely than either of the other Evangelists the office of the Apos- tles. They were to be ivith Christ that they might bear personal witness to what they had them- selves seen (john i5 : 27 ; Acts 1 : 21, 22), and Paul rest8 his claim to be an Apostle on his having been an eye-witness to Christ's resurrection (icor. 9:i; 16 : 8, 9) ; this was their preparation for their work. Ch. III.] MARK. 349 17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James ; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder : J 18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son ot Alphseus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, iQ And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him : ancf they went into an house. 20 And the multitude cometh together again, so^ that thev could not so much as eat bread. 21 And when his friends heard 0/ it, they went out to lay hold on him : for they said, He ' is beside himself. 22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusa- lem said. He™ hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan ? 24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be di- vided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27 No " man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, unless he will first bind the strong man ■ and then he will spoil his house. 28 Verily I say unto you. All ° sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith so- ever they shall blaspheme : 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost p hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation ; 30 Because they said. He hath an unclean spirit. 31 There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. 32 And the multitude sat about him ; and they said unto him. Behold, thy mother and thy brethren with- out seek for thee. 33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren ? 34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said. Behold my mother and my breth- ren ! 35 For whosoever shall do' the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. Isa. 58 : 1 ; Jer. 23 : 29. . . .k ch. 6 : 31. . . . . .n l3a. 49 : 24, 26 ; 61 : 1 ; Matt. 12 : 1 ; 25; 1 John 2 : 17. Hosea9:7; John 10:20....m Matt. 9:34; 10:25; 12:21; Luke 11 : 15 ; John 7 ; 20 ; 8 : 48, 6» ...0 Malt; 12:31; Luke 12 : 10... p Heb. 10:29....q Matt. 12 : 46-48 ; Luke 8 : 19-21.... r James They were to preach, literally to herald, i. e., to go before and proclaim the coming of the Mes- siah, in person to the Jewish nation, in spirit and in power to the whole world, and in his second advent to his church ; this was their work. And they were to have power to heal the sick and cast out devils, a power subsequently exercised by the Apostles ; this was the divine seal and evidence of their authority. In strictness of speech the Apostles can have no successors, for none after that generation can bear personal witness to Christ's life, death, and resurrection, and none can show the miraculous evidence they showed of their authority. But every true minister of the Gospel must be a successor to the Apostles, and read his commission in this verse. He must have Christ with him (Matt. 28 : 20), and testify out of his personal experience to the Christ he knows (Acts 26 : 16 ; 1 Cor. 2 : 12 ; I John 4 : 14, 16) ; mUSt act aS a herald of the Messiah and Saviour, preaching not himself but the Lord Jesus Christ ; and he must attest his divine authority by his power in and through Christ to fulfill Christ's mission of mercy. Luke 4 : 18, 19, with John 19 : 18. 16-19. Simon he surnamed Peter, i. e., a rock. This he did previously (john 1 : 42), for Peter and Cephas are different words with the same meaning— the former Greek, the latter He- brew. The reason for this title Christ explains subsequently (Matt. 16 : is, note). — Boaner&;es. This word is composed of two Hebrew words signifying "sons of thunder." The reason of this appellation, which appears only here, is not given. It may signify the character and power of James and John as preachers, though their subsequent history does not justify this expla- nation. More probably it referred to their nat- ural fiery temperament, of which we see signs in Mark 9 : 38 and Luke 9 : 54. — Judas Iscariot. See Note on Character, etc., of Judas Iscariot, Matt. 27 : 1-10, p. 303, 304. 1 9-35 . AttemptedInteeeuption of Cheist's Preaching by both Friends and Foes. Comp. Matt. 13 : 22-50 and Luke 8 : 19-31 ; 11 : 14-26. See notes on Matthew for a consideratioQ of the time, p. 166, 172 ; for discussion of Blasphemy against Holy Ghost, pp. 168, 169 ; for attempt by Christ's mother to interrupt his preaching, p. 173. 19-21. And they went into a house. Not, as one might suppose from the English ver- sion here, immediately after the ordination by the twelve. The incidents and teachings re- corded here took place at a later period in Christ's ministry. See Matt. 12 : 33-37, Prel. Note, p. 166.— So that they could not so much as eat bread. That is, Christ and his apostles had no time or opportunity for their ordinary meals. — And when his kinsfolk heard of it. The original (ol nuqu aizoO) is ambiguous ; it may mean either companions or kinsfolk. The latter meaning is given by both Robinson and Winer, and better suits the con- text. The interference here referred to is that attempted by Christ's mother and brethren (ver. 31-35), the intervening verses being parenthetical. At the same time that the Pharisees were at- tempting to put a stop to Christ's ministry by their accusations, his mother and brethren, thinking that he was carried beyond the bounds of prudence by his religious enthusiasm, endeav- ored to get him out of the crowd and away from the emnity in which he had involved himself. 23. In parables. That is, with illustrations or in figures. These are reported in verses 24, 25, 27, and another one is added in Matt. 12 : 43-45. 29. Is subject to eternal sin. The re- ceived text has here eternal judgment (xqIoi?), but 350 MARK. [Ch. IV. CHAPTER IV. AND" he began again to teach by the sea side : and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea ; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things by parables,' and said unto them in his doctrine, 3 Hearlj the waves, and in Luke, was gettitig filled. The process of filling was going on. Luke adds that they were iti jeopardy. 38. And he Avas in the stern of the boat, asleep on a pillow. Rather a cushion ; one such as are used for passengers in our modem row-boats. Bengel's statement that a part of the boat is intended appears to be without any adequate authority. Trench contrasts the sleep of Jesus with that of Jonah (jonah i : 5). " We behold in him exactly the reverse of Jonah ; the fugitive prophet asleep in the midst of danger out of a dead conscience, the Saviour out of a pure conscience ; Jonah by his presence making the danger, Jesus yielding the pledge and the assur- ance of deliverance from the danger." — And they awake him and say unto him. It is curious and significant that whUe each of the three Evangelists reports the words with which Christ was awakened, they do not agree. Mat- thew's report is. Lord, save us, we perish; Mark, Teacher, carest thou not that we perish? Luke, Master, Master, we jierish. The difference is not merely verbal ; there is also a difference of tone in the three appeals. The first is the language of appeal, the second that of reproach, the third that of importunity aroused by imminent dan- ger. It seems to me impossible to reconcile- such variations with the doctrine of verbal inspi- ration. Bnt they are just what we might expect from honest and independent eye-witnesses. Probably all three feelings were commingled in the disciples, and perhaps all three had expres- sion. Is it asked. Which Evangelist gives the correct account '? The answer may be that each gives, in dramatic form, that phase of feeling which was most prominent to his own mind, but neither of them the exact words. 39. And he arose. More literally, and being awakened. Note the sudden change from the deep sleep to the scene of confusion and terror. " It is such cases as these — cases of sud- den, unexpected terror, met without a moment of preparation — which test a man, what spirit he is of, which show not only his nerve, but the gran- deur and purity of his whole nature." — {Trench.) — And rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. Literally, Be muzzled. I cannot see, with Trench, in this language " a tracing of all the discords and disharmonies in the outward world to their source in a person," viz., Satan ; rather a rebuke of that notion, and a distinct implication that the winds and waves are the servants of God, and do his bidding. Mark alone gives the words of command, Peace, be still— And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. The command was ad- dressed to both wind and wave, and both obeyed. The stopping of the wind might have been thought an accidental coincidence, for these sud- den storms cease as suddenly as they arise. But it always requires time for the sea to subside ; here the calm was instant. 40. And he said unto them. There is an- 354 MARK. [Ch. V. CHAPTER V. AND"" they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediate- ly there met him out of the tombs a man with an un- clean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling' among the tombs: and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters brolien in pieces : neither could any tnan tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the moun- tains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and wor- shipped J him, 7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 8 For he said unto him. Come'' out of the man, tkou unclean spirit. 9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying. My name is Legion;' for we are many. h Matt. 8 : 28, etc. ; Luke 8 : 26, etc i Isa. 65 : 4 j Ps. 72 : 9 k Acts 16: 18; Heb. 2: 14; IJohn 3 : 8 1 Matt. 12:45. Other instructive difference in the three reports of the Evangelists here. According to Matthew, Christ first rebuked the disciples ; according to Mark and Luke, first the sea, then the disciples. According to Matthew he characterizes them as of '■'■ little faith ; ''' according to Mark he asked, How have ye no faith ? according to Luke, Where is your faith ? The spirit of the rebuke is the same in all the accounts ; very probably neither has preserved Christ's exact words. That he first stilled the tempest and then addressed his admonition to the disciples seems to me most probable ; for during the howling of the storm his admonition could have had but little effect. Observe that it is Matthew, whose repre- sentation of the appeal of the disciples is, Lord save, we perish, who reports his reply as "Ye of little faith." There may have been a glimmering hope in their call, that he who had wrought other miracles could save them from this peril. That they did not expect it is evident from the next verse. Trench expresses well their mental state. " They had it (faith) as the weapon which a soldier has, but cannot lay hold of at the moment when he needs it the most. Their sin lay, not in seeking help of him ; for this indeed became them well ; but in the excess of their ter- ror." It must not, however, be forgotten that the peril was, in seeming, imminent. Nothing less would have terrified these fishermen, accus- tomed to the perils of the sea. 41. And they feared exceedingly. Mat- thew says, Tfie men feared, which Alford inter- prets as " the men who were in the ship, besides our Lord and his disciples." But there is no in- dication that there were any other men. See ver. 36. That his disciples should be astonished at the miracle accords with what is said of them on other occasions (Matt, le : 6, l ; Mark 6 : 52 ; John 6 : 5-9 ; 20 : 25). The direct lesson of this incident appears to me to be that Christ is the Lord of nature, that we may trust him in times of peril from wind, or lightning, or wave, or earthquake. He does not always deliver ; but always the winds and the sea obey him. Compare the O. T. teaching of Psalms 89 : 8, 9 ; 93 : 4. Contrast with his com- mand to nature Elijah's prayer to the God of nature (james s : n, is). The commentators have delighted to treat this incident allegorically. Thus Augustine : " We are sailing in this life as through a sea, and the wind rises, and storms of temptation are not wanting. Whence is this, save because Jesus is sleeping in thee. If he were not sleeping in thee, thou wouldest live calm within. But what means this, that Jesus is sleeping in thee, save that thy faith, that which is from Jesus, is slumbering in thine heart? What shalt thou do to be delivered? Arouse him, and say. Master, we perish. He wUl awaken ; that is, thy faith will return to thee, and abide with thee always. When Christ is awakened, though the tempest beat into, yet it will not fill thy ship ; thy faith will now com- mand the winds and the waves, and the danger will be over." So again Quesnel : "The ship in the midst of the sea is an emblem of the church in the midst of the world. We ought to expect to meet with tempests in the church, and to see it covered with waves." " The waves of heresy toss it from without; but the corruption of manners within, like the water which beat into this ship, puts it in much greater danger of per- ishing." Carrying out this allegory, we may observe, (1) Christ's presence does not prevent our ship of life from being endangered ; but if he is with us it cannot be wrecked. (2.) Our unuttered but often heart-felt reproaches of a seemingly indifferent Christ, " Carest thou not that we perish?" are always unjust. (3.) To timid disciples, who imagine, because of sudden and serious storms, that all is lost, for them- selves, their children, the nation, or the church, Christ still says, Why are ye fearful ? How is it that ye have no faith? (4.) He does not always bring the help he might, nor as soon as he might (comp. Mark 6 : 48 ; John 11:6). But he askS US tO trUSt him alike when he comes and when he tarries, when he seems to be watching and when he seems to be sleeping. Ch. 5 : 1-21. Cure of the Gadarene De- moniac. Matt. 8 : 28-35 ; Luke 8 : 26-39. See notes on Matthew, where I have discussed, briefly, Ch. v.] MAKK. 355 10 And he besought him much, that he would not send them away out of the country. 11 Now there was there, nigh unto the mountains, a great herd of swine ■" feeding. 12 And all the devils besought" him, saying. Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13 And forthwith Jesus gave" them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine : and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand,) and were choked in the sea. 14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. 15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and p had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 1 16 And they that saw it, told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also con- cerning the swine. 17 And they began to pray him to depart' out of their coasts. 18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 19 Howbeit, Jesus sufl^ered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and ' tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had com- passion on thee. 20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapo- lis how great things Jesus had done for him : and all 7nen did marvel. 21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him : and he was nigh unto the sea. 7,8; Deut. I4:8....n q Job 13: 11; Ps. 14: 10, 12; 2:6,6 Rev. 13:7; 1 Pet. 3 : 22 ; Job 5 : 26. . . .p Isa. 49 : 25 ; Col, Job 21: 14; Luke6:8j Acts 16 : 39.... s Pa. 66 : 16 ; Ua. 38 : 19. the phenomena of demoniacal possession, p. 133. Matthew mentions two possessed of devils, Mark and Luke but one. On this discrepancy see notes on Luke. 3-6. This description of the possessed is more detailed, definite, and graphic ithan is afforded by either of ^^» " — the other Evangelists. Mat _ r _ *" ' thew attempts no descrip tion ; Luke's is briefer. The great muscular strength, and the habit of self- wounding here referred to, are not un common in certain cases of modern lunacy. Luke adds that " he wore no clothes , ' and the propensity to go en tirely naked is also charac teristic of certain forms of mental disease. The tombs are not infrequently used in Palestine by certain of the poorer classes as dwelling places. Their character (caves cut in the rock) makes them a perfect shelter Tombs are found in the im mediate vicinity of Ger&a, the scene of this miracle The annexed cut of such a tomb is from The New Testa- ment Illustrated. 10. That he would not send them out of the country. Equivalent to, "That he would not com- i mand them to go out into the deep," that is, back into their prison-house. See Luke 8 : 31, note. 18-20. On this request and Christ's reply, see note on Luke 8 : 38, .39. It is not mentioned by Matthew.— Decapolis. See note on Matt. 4 : 25, Ch. 5 : 22-43. CURE OF THE WOMAN WITH AN IS- SUE OF BLOOD.-RAISINU OF JAIRDS' DAUGHTER.- Cheist's cure of superstition.— Christ's inter- pretation OF DEATH. Compare Matt 9 18-26, and Luke 8 41-56 BOCK CUT TOMB AT GADAKA. Matthew gives a definite note of time, from which it appears that these miracles immediately fol- lowed the feast made by Matthew or Levi to Christ (Matt. 9 : is). But whcQ that fcast was given is not 356 MARK. [Oh. V. 22 And,' beholdj there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name ; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point" of death : I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed ; and she shall live. 24 And Jesus went with him ; and much people fol- lowed him, and thronged him. 25 And a certain woman, which had an issue" of blood twelve years, 26 And had suflFered many things of many physicians. and had spent all that she had, and was nothing ^ bet- tered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched ^ his garment : 28 For she said. If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up : and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue y had gone out of him, turned him about m the press, and said, Who touched my clothes ? t Mutt. 9 : 18, BO clear (see Matt. 9 : 9-13, Prel. Note, p. IJ?). There iS some dill'erence in the accounts of the three Evangelists, those of Mark and Luke heing much fuller than that of Matthew. The comparison of these three accounts is instructive, and indi- cates the independence of the narrators, while their substantial accord sustains their trustwor- thiness. The more important differences are noted below. 22. One of the rulers of the synagogue. That is, one of the board of presbyters or elders who managed the affairs of the synagogue ; probably the chief or president of the board. See Matt. 4 : 23, note.— He fell at his feet. Matthew's language, worshipped Mm, is inter- preted by the language here and in Luke. See Matt. 8 : 2, note. 23, 24. My little daughter. She was an only daughter, twelve years old (Luke 8 : 42). — Lieth at the point of death. Matthew re- ports Jairus as saying, " My daughter is even now dead." But Matthew makes no mention of the delegation described here in verse 3.5, which reported her death. He probably embodied the two appeals in one, giving a summary of the events which Mark and Luke more fully de- scribe. Luke's language is, "She lay a dying." — And she shall live. He speaks with an as- surance of faith. — And much people folloAV- ed him. Perhaps drawn by curiosity to see whether he could heal the maiden. This would furnish an additional reason for Christ's exclu- sion of all from the room (ver. 40). 25-29. An issue of blood. A hemorrhage, either from the bowels or the womb, probably the latter. A private note from Dr. William H. Thomson, of New York, to me, in reply to a question on this subject, states the reasons for this opinion to be, (1) that the latter disease is much more common with females than the for- mer ; (3) that certain peculiar conditions produce prolonged attacks of uterine hemorrhage, which are still unmanageable by the most proficient members of the profession, and that Lev., ch. 15, contains severe regulations concerning the latter, but says nothing concerning the former disease. He adds the noteworthy suggestion : "I think the circumstances of the N. T. narra- tive render the inference almost certain that this account was meant for the consolation of those multitudes of stricken women, in all ages, who seem to be afflicted with sorrows in very unequal measure, compared with the strongerr, and so generally also the more depraved, sex." — And had suffered many things of many physi- cians. Medicine was not in that age a science ; disease was exorcised by charms ; the physicians resembled in knowledge and practice the medi-* cine-man of the North American Indians. See Abbott's Jesus of Nazareth, pp. 157, 158. Light- foot gives an account of some of the prescrip- tions contained in the Eabbinical books for this disease. One will suffice to illustrate the sort of things she had suffered from the physicians : " Let them dig seven ditches, in which let them bum some cuttings of such vines as are not cir- cumcised {i. e., are not yet four years old) ; let her take in her hand a cup of wine ; let them lead her away from this ditch, and make her sit down over that ; let them remove her from that, and make her sit down over another. In every removal you must say to her, 'Arise for thy flux.'" — But rather grew Avorse. Observe her sorrowful condition, sick, impoverished, helpless. — Touched his garment. Matthew and Luke say, "The hem of his garment." This was a peculiar fringe, required by the law (Nnmb. 15 : 37^0 ; Deut. 22 : 12). The Jews paid to it a super- stitious reverence (Matt. 23 : 6, note and iiius.). Shar- ing this superstition, and imagining that Christ healed by a sort of magic, this woman touched it in hope of cure. An ordinary teacher would have rebuked her superstition ; Christ used it to teach her better. Observe that Christ complied with Jewish law and Jewish usage in his attire. — For she said. " Within herself " (Matt. 9:21). — She Avas healed. Compare Mark 6 : 56 ; Luke 6 : 19, for similar cases of healing, in all of which, however, says Olshausen, "the cures plainly ap- pear to be actions of his (Christ's) will." See, also, Acts 5 : 15 ; 19 : 12. 30. Jesus immediately knowing that power had gone out of him. According to Luke, he said, "I perceive that power is gone Ch. v.] MAEK. 357 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou. Who touched me ? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told ^ him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith " hath made thee whole : go i' in peace, and he whole of thy plague. i ch. 10 : 52 ; Acts 14 : 9 b 1 ! ; 17; 20:42; 2 Kings 6 : 19. out of me. " He consciously put forth the power for her healing. The idea that the woman was healed by the garment and without the conscious will of Christ, repeats the superstition of the woman, which this incident is recorded to cor- rect. Christ, not his garment, healed. See below, Lessons of (Ids incident. — And said, Who touched my clothes ? Not because he was ignorant, for his searching glance showed to the woman that she was not hid from him (Luke 8 : 47), but to draw out her confession of her faith. For illustration of similar questions, see Gen. 3:9; 4 ; 9 ; 2 Kings 5 : 3.5 ; Luke 24 : 19. Olshausen and Trench compare the question to that of " a father coming among his children, and demand- ing. Who committed this fault? himself con- scious, even while he asks, but at the same time willing to bring the culprit to a free confession, and so to put him in a pardonable state." 31. His disciples said unto him. Peter was the spokesman ( Luke 8 : 45). The commentators have noted the difference between thronging Christ and touching him. " Many throng Christ ; his in name ; near to him outwardly ; in actual contact with the sacraments and ordinances of his church ; yet not touching him, because not drawing nigh in faith, not looking for, and there- fore not obtaining, life and healing from Him." — {Trench.) The contrasted notes of Words- worth and Alford on this verse are so suggestive that I transcribe them both. " A solemn warn- ing to all. who crowd on Christ ; who use his name lightly and profanely ; who make familiar ad- dresses to him in so-called religious hymns ; who treat with carelessness and irreverence his day, his house, his sacraments, his ministers ; or who read his holy Scriptures in a carping spirit, handling them as a common book. Although such as these may crowd upon Christ in his word, with a pressure of earthly labor and learning, they never touch him." — {Wordsioorth.) " It is difficult to imagine how the miracle should be, as Dr. Wordsworth, ' a solemn warning to all who crowd on Christ ; ' or how such a forbidding to come to him could be reconciled with ' Come unto me, all ye that labor. ' Rather should we say, seeing it was one of those that thus crowded on him who obtained grace from him, that it is a blessed encouragement to us not only to crowd on him, but even to touch him ; so to crowd on him as never to be content until we have grasped, if it be but his garment, for ourselves ; not to de- spise or discourage any of the least of those who make familiar addresses to him in so-called religious hymns, seeing that thus some of them may touch him to the healing of their souls. I much fear that if my excellent friend had been keeping order among the multitude on the way to the house of Jairus, this poor woman would never have been allowed to get near to Jesus. But I hope and trust that he and I shall rejoice together one day in his presence, amidst a greater crowd, whom no man can number, of all na- tions and kindreds and peoples and tongues." — {Alford.) 32. To see her who had done this thing. Observe, not to see who had done it, i. e., inquir- ingly, but to see her who had done it. The impli- cation is that she was already known to him. 33, 34. The woman fearing and trem- bling. If the hemorrhage was from the womb, the woman would be ceremonially unclean, and whoever touched her would be unclean until even (Lev. 15 : 25, 27). Perhaps the woman feared Christ's anger, and his rebuke for polluting him by her touch, or possibly, the indignation of others in the crowd, in which she had joined, without in any way indicating her uncleanness. It thus showed a very considerable confidence in him, to throw herself upon his compassion and tell all, as she did. — Knowing what Avas done in her. And that " she was not hid " (Luke 8 : 47). — Thy faith hath made thee whole. — Be- cause by faith she had laid hold on Christ who had made her whole. Compare Ephes. 2 : 8. " More than once a person first learned that he had faith when the Saviour told him of it." — {Bengel.) — Go in peace. So the healing was to mind as well as to body. Go, not fearing and trembling, nor in uneasiness lest the trouble return. — Be whole of thy plague, i. e., perma- nently whole. These words are Christ's assur- ance that the relief is not temporary but final. Lesson of this incident. To suppose that vir- tue resided in Jesus' garment, not in his will, is to wholly miss the meaning of this incident. The woman superstitiously reverenced the sacred fringe and pressed forward to touch it, hoping so to be healed. Christ knowing her approach cured her, not by touch, or even word, but by a mere act of will. Then, when she was healed, he turned him about, fixed his eye upon her, then made manifest to her that she was not hid and by his question called forth a public 358 MAEK. 35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, certain which said, Thy daugh- ter is dead : <= why troublest thou the Master any tur- ther? 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only '' believe. [ChV. 37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save « Pe- ter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept wailed greatly. ^9 And when he ■H hy make ye this ado, and weep ? the damsel is not (9 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, hy make ye this ' ' ~ ' dead, but sleepeth.' 2 Chron. 20 : 20 ; Jobn 11 : 40. ch. 9 : 2 ; 14 : 33. • f John II : 11-13. confession from her who, before the healmg, lacked the courage to make it. So interpreted I find in it these lessons : (1.) It is not merely intelligent faith which saves, but/ai/^, even when mated to and marred by superstition. The superstitious reverence which regards the hem of Christ's garment is better than the super- cilious wisdom which rejects Christ himself. *' This is a most encouraging miracle for us to recollect when we are disposed to think despond- ingly of the ignorance or superstition of much of the Christian world ; that he who accepted this woman for her faith, even in error and weak- ness, may also accept them." — (Alford.") (2.) The proper method of dealing with and curing honest superstition, viz., not by attacking the superstition, but by encouraging the faith which underlies it, and directing that faith from the material object to the living Christ. Compare Paul's course in Athens, Acts 17 : 23, 23, note, and apply to our dealings with honest Komanists whose faith in the hem of Christ's garment is sometimes a rebuke to our doubt of Christ him- self. (3.) Christ's tenderness with the weak and the ignorant. "A bruised reed will he not break. ' ' Ignorance and error need never keep the soul from him. " It would have been too hard to have required her, before her cure, to speak openly vn the presence of the people. Our gra- cious Lord, therefore, softened the diflBculty by making this demand subsequent to the cure, and thus helped her along the narrow way." — (OMausen.) (4.) But he required an open con- fession, a very striking illustration of the truth that " Christ will have himself openly confessed, and not only secretly sought ; that our Christian life is not, as it is sometimes called, merely a thing between ourselves and God ; but a good confession to be witnessed ' before all the people ' (Luke 8 : 4^)." — {Alford.) Comp. Matt. 10 : 32; 1 Tim. 6 : 12. 35, 36. There came * * * certain. According to Luke, a single messenger ; Mark's language indicates more than one. Probably others, volunteers, accompanied the messenger. — Thy dan^hter is dead. It is clear, then, -that the immediate friends did not believe in the modem theory +.hat this was a case of syncope. —Why troublest thou the Master? This might be the language of those who truly recog- nize in Jesus a Master. I should rather regard it as an indication that only the ruler had faith in Christ, and that his friends, who could not dis- suade him from appealing to our Lord while his daughter lived, hoped to do so by the report of her death. The language of verse 40 confirms this opinion. — As soon as Jesus had overheard. The original in the best MSS. indicate that the message was not intended for Jesus, but was over- heard by him. Tischendorf renders it, Having casually heard the word ; Alf ord, Having straight- way (yverlieard. It is noted that Christ anticipates the ruler and speaks words of cheer, before the latter can give expression to doubt and fear. — Be not afraid; only believe. Luke adds, "And she shall be made whole." 37. The whole multitude, doubtless, followed Jesus to the house. It was after the exclusion of the mourners (verse 4o) that he sufiered only the three disciples and the parents to go with him into the room where the dead lay. This is the first time, but not the last, that peculiar honor was conferred upon these three. Comp. Mark 9:2; 14 : 33. Why this choice among the chosen twelve ? We can no more answer, than we can tell why, in this day, Christ discriminates in his gifts to his church. We can only say, It is his wUl. 38. Them that wept and wailed greatly. Including professional mourners, in Matthew designated as "minstrels." "In the Orient, yet more than with us, mourning customs are con- ventional. Fashion dictates them. The friends of the dead beat their breasts, make the house resound with their lamentations, cover their heads, cut their flesh, put on the habiliments of grief, and rend their garments. There are with them, as with us, various shades of grief nicely expressed m external symbol. The length of the rent in the garments is accurately deter- mined by the relation of the deceased. Profes- sional women, skillful in the simulation of grief, are hired to swell the songs of lamentation on these occasions (jer. e : n, i3 ; Amos 5 : 16). Acquaint- ing themselves with the private sorrows of their auditors, and interweaving in their chants the stoi-y of their woes, they evoke their tears, and thus add amateur to professional weeping. Such was the scene which Christ found enacted in the house of the prelate when he arrived." — {AhhoiVs Jesus of Nazareth.) Playing of dirges on flutes Ch. v.] MAEK. 359 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. 41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi : which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.s 42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked ; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 43 And he charged '' them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat. gActs9:40 h ch. 3: 12; Matt. 8:4; 12:16-18; Luke 6: 14. or other instruments accompanied this profes- sional mourning. Similar customs prevailed in Greece and Rome, and to the present day exist in Ireland. In France and Italy professional mourners are also employed in the funerals of the wealthy. The annexed cut, from an ancient sarcophagus, represents three professional mour- ners in the attitudes and actions of grief. Christ's act in excluding these mourners from the house, is a protest against conventional and hypocritical grief. ANCIENT MOURNING-WOMEN. 39» Not dead but sleepeth. Even so evangelical a writer as Olshausen has taken this literally, and supposed the case of the maiden to he one of syncope. But, according to Lightf oot, it was a common thing among the rabbis to express the idea of death by the metaphor of sleep. Christ's language here is not more explicit than in John 11 : 11. Comp. Deut. 31 : 16 ; 1 Thess. 4 : 13. The whole account of this incident is inconsistent with the idea that the maiden was simply raised from slumber or a fainting fit. She is reported dead by the messenger (ver. 35) ; is known to be dead to the bystanders (Luke 8 : 53) ; on Christ's taking her by the hand her spirit returns to her again (Luke 8 : 65 ; comp. 1 Kings 17 : 21, 22), thOUgh this does not of itself necessarily imply her death (comp. Judges 15 : 19) ; and the account of the cure (ver. 42, note) implies, uot a natural awakening from sleep, but a miraculous resurrection from the dead. It seems to me unquestionable that the historian believed in the death, and the miracu- lous resurrection from the dead, of this maiden. 40. And they laughed him to scorn. Because they knew that she was dead (Luke 8 : ss). Chrysostom suggests that it was Christ's object to impress upon the minds of the people the death of the maiden, that he might anticipate the objection of subsequent unbelievers that she was not dead; and he quotes as parallel the cases of Moses and his rod (Exod. 4 : 2), and of Lazarus (John 11 : 34, 39). — When he had put them all out. From a comparison of the three accounts, it would appear that the minstrels were in an outer room ; Christ stops the mourn- ing, orders the mourners to leave, and then en- ters the inner room where the damsel is, accom- panied only by the parents and the three disciples. The reason of this exclusion, and of the prohibition of verse 43, is, he will not have the faith of the people rest on his miracle. Meyer observes that Christ never forbids that men should know his teaching. He has no mys- teries in his doctrines which he hides from the public. Observe the incidental evidence of the father's faith ; though the maiden is dead, he allows the mourning to be stopped and the mourners to be sent away. Christ is truly , " master " in this house. 41. Talitha cumi. This is Aramaic, the language generally spoken by the common peo- ple in Palestine at the t'ime of Christ. Its pres- ence here, and in Mark 7 : 34 and 15 : 34, is an indication that Christ used this language in his ordinary intercourse with the Jews. But some- times, as in his conference with Pilate, he must probably have used the Greek. The indication of verbal fidelity in this report is considered an evidence that Mark derived his report from Pe- ter, who was an ear-witness. — Damsel awake. "I say unto thee" is properly put in paren- thesis ; it is not in the original Aramaic phrase, but is added as an interpretation by the Evan- gelist. The word which I have rendered awaM is different from that translated ariae in the fol- lowing verse. 42, 43. And straightway; not after a time, as if arousing from a trance, or as in the case of the boy raised by the prayer of Elisha (2 Kings 4 : 34, 35).— The damscl arose; the verb is the same used in the N. T. in describing un- doubted resurrection from the dead (Luke 16 : 31 ; John 6:54; 11 : 23, 24; 20:9) ; and Walked; au evi- dence of the completeness of her restoration. One who had been at the point of death (ver. 23), and was simply aroused from syncope, could not have walked, except by the miraculous imparta- 360 MAEK. CHAPTER VI. AND he went out from thence, and came into his own country ; and his disciples follow him. 2 And ' when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagoeue : and many, hearing him, were astonished, saying. From -i whence hath this man these [Ch. VI. things ? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands ? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James,'' and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us ? And they were offended ' at him. tion of strength. The command to give her something to eat evidenced the reality of the resurrection ; it was a tangible proof to the par- ents that it was no apparition they saw. Comp. Luke 24 : 30 ; John 20 : 27 ; 21 : 13. Perhaps it was given in part to prevent too great revulsion of feeling in the parents, by giving them some- There are three specific cases of resurrection from the dead wrought by Christ — this, that of the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7 : n-is), and that of Lazarus (john, ch. n). In the first the miracle is performed immediately after death ; in the second, at least twenty-four hours after death, and during the passage of the funeral procession to the grave ; in the third, four days after burial, and after corruj)- tion would naturally have commenced ; in the first case privately, in the second before the people, in the third before embittered enemies ; in each case by a word, with no effort, with no appeal to God, though in the case of Lazarus with a public acknowledgment to God. Thus Christ shows his power to destroy the last enemy, which is death. "Let no man, therefore,beat himself any more, nor wail, neither disparage Christ's achievement. For indeed he overcame death. Why then dost thou wail for nought ? The thing is become a sleep. Why lament and weep ? ^^—{Chrysostom.) EGYPTIAN CAUPENTER'S TOOLS. 1, 2, 3, 4. ChiPels and drills. 9. Horn of oil. 5. Part of drill. 10. Mallet. 6. Nut ofwood belonging to drill. 11. Bagr for nails. 7. 8. Saws. 12. Basket which held thing to do. Comp. John 11 : 44.— They were astonished. Luke says, "Her parents." — That no man should know it. Matthew, who describes this event from the position of one without, and gives less details, says that the fame of the miracle went abroad. Ch. 6 : 1-6. Christ Rejected AGAIN AT Nazareth. Matt. 13 : 53-58. See notes there. He had been rejected by the Nazarenes once before (Lnke4: 14-29, and notes). 2, 3. Whence hath this man these things? This question of the Nazarenes uttered in contempt, we may repeat in seriousness, to the un- belief of to-day, which accounts Jesus of Nazareth only a carpenter's son. — The carpenter. The implication is, that he actually worked with his father at the trade ; and it is confirmed by the fact that every father was required by Jewish custom, to teach his son a trade, that he might be able by his industry to earn an independent live- the tools, lihood. The fact is itself a rebuke of the unchristian pride which despises me- chanical employments. The Jews derived their civilization largely from Egypt ; therefore the annexed cut, representing the tools of an Egyp- tian carpenter, the originals of which are now in the British Museum (see Wilkinson's Egypt, II, 112), probably gives a just idea of the general Ch. VL] MAEK. 361 4 But Jesus said unto them,'" A prophet is not with- out honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. 5 And ■> he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. 6 And he marvelled" because of their unbelief. AndP he went round about the villages, teaching. 7 Andi he called unto liiM the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two, and gave them power over unclean spirits • 8 And commanded them that they should take noth- ing for their journey, save a staff only ; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse : 9 But be shod ' with sandals ; ' and not put on two coats. 10 And he said unto them. In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. 11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shakt ' off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you. It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Go- morrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. 12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent." 13 And they cast out many' devils, and anointed with oil™ many that were sick, and healed them. n Matt. !.■) 67; John 4 44. ..n ch. 9 2.3 ; Gen. 19 : 92. . ..0 Isa 59 • 16 • Je r. 2 : 12. . . p Matt 9 : .35 ; Luke 13 99 A ts 10 ■ 38 oh 3:13, Matt. 10 : ; ; Luke 9 l.etc; 10: , . ,r Ephe». 6 : •8 t ..u Luke 24'' 47 Acta 2 :3tj ; 3 19.... T Luke 10: 11.. .w James 5 14. nature of the tools used in Joseph's carpeuter's shop in Nazareth. 4. Not without honor but in his own country. A superficial knowledge of Jesus may prevent a truer and more spiritual acquaint- ance with him. 5. And he could there do no mighty work. Matthew states definitely the reason, "because of their unbelief " (Matt. 13 : ss). Alford says, "The want of ability here spoken of is not absolute but relative. The same voice which could still the tempest, could anywhere and under any circumstances have commanded diseases to obey ; but in most cases of human infirmity, it was our Lord's practice to require faith in the recipient of aid, and that being wanting, the help could not be given." Similarly Theophylact, "Not that he was weak, but that they were faithless." But is this all ? May we not say that among the con- ditions to which Christ subjected himself on earth was this, that he put forth his powers of healing only as a means of spiritual development, and only, therefore, to those in whom at least a germ of faith was awakened ; and that this being want- ing, he could not heal, without violating the fun- damental principle of his life ? Nay, may we not go further and think it at least probable, since Christ always called for the exercise of faith in the patient, that his miraculous cures were not wrought merely by the exercise of a physical power on the body, but in a considerable meas- ure through the connection of mind and body, the healing power of Christ having, by the very constitution of human nature, to act on the mental or spiritual nature, before it could prove effectual on the body, and hence it could not prove effectual except as the sufferer exercised faith ? And may we not say further, that this essential principle still holds good, that, by its very nature, his salvation can be made available only to such as are willing in humble trust to accept it, and that where that trust is wanting, it is still true that Christ cannot do the mighty work of salva- tion? The language employed here does not necessarily imply a literal want of power, as is evi- dent from the analogous expression in Gen. 32 : 25. That the divine remedy is in fact efficacious only where there is faith to receive it, is illustrated and enforced by many passages of Scripture. See, for examples, Isaiah 59 : 1, 3 ; Mark 9 : 23 ; He- brews 4 : 2. 6. He marveled. Their unbelief was a real wonder to him. Compare Matt. 8 : 10, note. — He Avent round about the villages. See Matt. 9 : 35, note. 7-13. Christ ' 8 Commission of the Twelve. Matt. 10 : l-i2; Luke 9 : 1-6. The account is much the fullest in Matthew. See notes there. According to Matthew they were not to provide a staff ; here one is permitted. The true explanation is, that they were to go as they were, without providing a staff for the journey, but using one if they already possessed it. The scrip was a bag used for carrying food, answer- ing to the modern haversack. For bread, they were to depend on the hospitality of the villages (Matt. 10 : 11-14). The '■'■money'''' here is, literally, brass or copper ; even the smallest money was not to be provided by them. In Matthew they are directed not to wear shoes ; here, to be shod with sandals. The shoe of the ancients resembled the modem shoe ; the sandal was simply a sole of leather, felt, cloth, or wood bound upon the feet by thongs, the shoe-latchet of Mark 1 : 7. The former was for more delicate use. See Matt. 10 : 10, note. Our illustrations show the staff and the scrip of the East, and the ancient shoes and sandals. With the staff and scrip is also represented a leather or skin bottle, such as travelers often used for carrying liquids on jour- neys where water was likely to be inaccessible. The reference to anointing with oil (ver. 13) is peculiar to Mark. Oil was in the O. T. a symbol of divine grace, and anointing with oil a symbol of the gift of the Spirit. See Matt. 25 : 1-13, Prel. Note. Anointing with oil appears here to have been used as a means of teaching the lesson that the healing was wrought by the disciples, not as necromancers — with whom they might otherwise have been confounded, but as Apostles MAKK. [Ch. VI. 14 And" king Herod heard 0/ hivt; (for his name was spread abroad ;) and he said, That John the Bap- tist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others y said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said. It is John, whom I beheaded : he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison, for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. X Matt. 14 : 1, etc. ; Luke 9 : 7, etc y ch. 8 : 28 ; Matt, 16 : 14. of the Lord, and through the gift of his grace. It is evident from the general tenor of the in- structions that the oil was not taken by them, but was such as they found at the houses. The practice of using oil in this way was practiced long after (james 5 : 14). There is nothing in this passage to justify the extreme unction of the Romish Church, for that is administered in the STAFF, SCKIP, AND SKIN BOTTLE. hour of death, to prepare the soul spiritually for the last great change ; this in case of sickness, as a symbol of the miraculous gift of restoration of the body to health. 14-29. The Death op John the Baptist. Matt. 14 : 1-13 ; Luke 9 : 7-9. See notes on Mat- thew. Luke refers to, but does not describe the death of John the Baptist. Mark gives some par- ticulars not given in Matthew. From his account we learn that it was Herodias who instigated the imprisonment of John (ver. n), that Herod was kept back from earlier putting John to death, not only by a fear of the people (Matt, u : 5), but also by a real regard for the prophet (ver. 20), that the snare for the king was laid by the mother (ver. 21, note), that the maiden went and asked counsel of her mother before preferring her re- quest for the head of the prophet, and that he was beheaded by one of the Tetrarch's body-guard (ver. 27, note). On the true chronology, see Matt. 14:1. 14. And king Herod heard of him. In strictness of speech he was Tetrarch, not king. Matt. 14 : 1.— His name was spread ahroad. Increasingly so by the mission of the twelve. 15. A prophet, like one of the prophets. The conjunction or is not in the original, Alford gives the meaning well : "He is not the Prophet for whom all are waiting, but only some prophet like those who have gone before." 17. Bound him in prison. This prison, as we learn from Josephus, was in the fortified citadel of Machserus. See Matt. 11 : 2, note. Recent investigations have brought to light the ruins of this fortress, and even the dungeons connected with it. Mr. Tristram {Land of Ifoab, p. 272) thus describes the citadel and dungeons annexed to it : "The citadel was placed on the summit of the cone, which is the apex of a long flat ridge, running for more than a mile from west to east. Tlie whole of this ridge appears to have been one extensive fortress, the key of which was kept on the top of the cone, an isolated and almost impregnable work, but very small, being circular and exactly one hundred yards in diam- eter. The wall of circumvallation can be clearly traced, its foundations all standing out for a yard or two above the surface ; but the interior remains are few. One well of great depth, a very large and deep, oblong, cemented cistern, with the vaulfring of the roof still remaining, and— most interesting of all — two dungeons, one of them Oh. VI.] MAEK. 363 i8 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful' for thee to have thy brother's wife. , 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him ; but she could not. 20 For Herod feared" John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him ; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Her- od on his " birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee ; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced,^ and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel. Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her. Whatsoever ^ thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my king- dom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother. What shall I ask ? And she said. The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by, in a charger, the head' of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry : yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought : and he went, and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel : and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they' came ancf took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. 30 And 6 the apostles gathered themselves together z Lev, 18 : 16. . . .a Eiod. 11:13; Ezek. 2:6-7. Esther 5: 3, 6; 7:2... Ps. 37 : 12, 1 deep and its sides scarcely broken in, were the only remains clearly to be defined. That these were dungeons, and not cisterns, is evident from there being no traces of cement, which never perishes from the walls of ancient reservoirs, and from the small holes still visible in the masonry, where staples of wood and iron had once been fixed. One of these must surely have been the prison-house of John the Baptist." But appar- ently he was not, throughout his imprisonment, kept in such close confinement as this would in- dicate, since his disciples had access to him. 18. It is not lawful. See Matt. 14 : 4, note, and Prel. Note to that chapter. 19. Therefore Herodias Avas angry with him. More literally, held herself against him. " Had a quarrel " indicates a personal controversy between them, whereas there is nothing to show that the two ever met. — She could not. On account of her husband's opposition to her, de- scribed in the next verse. 20. For Herod feared John. Matthew says, "he feared the multitude." The two ac- counts are not inconsistent. His conscience and his fears supported each other. — And preserved him. Not observed him, as in our English ver- sion. The Greek verb (ffun/otw) is elsewhere rendi&r&iii preserved (Matt. 9 : n ; Luke s : ss), and kept (Luke 2 ; 19). He guarded John from his wife's malice, and at the same time kept him in prison, and so silenced his public rebuke. 21. A convenient day. Rather, a season- able day, i. e., for the execution of Herodias' plans. The implication is that Herodias watched her opportunity to obtain by device from her hns- band the death of her enemy, and seized this as a favorable occasion. — Lords, high captains, and first men of Galilee. The first were princes, civilians but men of official rank, the second military officers, the third, perhaps, simply leading men, influential but without spe- cial rank or office. 22-2.). Compare notes on Matt. 14 : 6-9. The word here rendered by and by (ver.ss) should rather be rendered immediately. The charger or platter (Luke n : 39) was a flat dish answering somewhat to the modern waiter. Our illustra- THE CHAKGEB. tion represents this dish and its use, as seen at the present day in Palestine, 26. For his oath's sake and for their sakes that sat with him. His conscience, which regarded his oath more than his higher duty, and his fear of public reproach, opera- ted now to drive him on to the murder, as before they had kept him from it. 27. An executioner. Ra- ther, one of his body-guard. The Latin version renders it '■'■ spiculalor.'''' "Under the em- pire, this name was given to a select body of men retained for the service of the prince's per- son, as a sort of detective force and body-guard. They were armed with a lance, and are frequently repre- sented on the columns of Trajan and Antoninus, EXECUTIONEK- Spiculator. 364 MARK. [Ch. VI. unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31 And he said unto them. Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. 32 And they departed into a desert place by ship pri- vately. 33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. 34 And Jesus, when h'e came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, be- cause ^ they were as sheep not having a shepherd ; and he began to teach them many things. 35 And ' when the day was now far spent, his disci- ples came unto him, and said. This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed : 36 Send them away, that they may go into the coun- try round about, and into the villages, and buy them- selves bread : for they have nothing to eat. 37 He answered and said unto them. Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him. Shall we J go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? 38 He saith unto them How many loaves have ye ? go and see. And when they knew, they say. Five, and two fishes. 39 And he ^ commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40 And they sat down in ranks by hundreds, and by fifties. 41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed,' and brake the loaves, and gave i/ie»i to his disciples to set before them ; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42 And they™ did all eat, and were filled. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the frag- ments, and of the Jishes. 44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. 45 And straightway" he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. 46 And when he had sent them away, he ° departed into a mountain to pray. 47 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. 48 And he saw them toiling p in rowing ; for the wind was contrary unto them : and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed 1 by them. 49 But when they saw him walking "■ upon the sea, they* supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: 50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: ' it is I ; be not afraid. 51 And he went up unto them into the ship ; and the" wind ceased : and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. 52 For they considered not i/ie miracle of the loaves : for their heart '•' was hardened. 53 And™ when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore. 54 And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him, 55 And ran " through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was. 56 And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch,y if it were but the border^ of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole. 1 Kings 22 : 17 . i Matt. 14 : 15, etc. ; Luke 9 : 12 1 1 Sam. 9:13; Matt. 26 : 26 ; Luke 24 : 30 n 6:12 p Jonah 1:13 q Luke 24 : 28 r J . . . -x ch. 2 : 1-3 ; Matt. 4 : 24. . . .y ch. 5 : 27, 28 etc. ; John 6 : 6, etc j Numb. 11 : 13, 22 ; 2 Kings 4 : 43 k ch. 8 : 6 ; Malt. 15 : Deut. 8: 3.... n Matt. 14:22, etc. ; John 6 : 17, etc. . ..o ch. 1 : 35 : Matt. 6 : 6 ; )9:,8....9 Luke24:;;7....t Isa 43: 2....uPs. 93 : 3,4. . . .v Isa. 63 : 17.... w Malt. Matt. 9 : 20 : Acts 19 : 12. ...z Numb. 15 : 38, 39. in attendance upon the emperor, or keeping guard before his tent, in the manner shown by the example annexed." — {Rich's Dictionary.) 30-56. The feeding of five thousand. — "Walking on the sea. Of these incidents, the first is narrated by all four of the Evangelists — Matt. 14 : 13-21 ; Luke 9 : 10-17 ; John 6 . 1-14 ; the latter is omitted by Luke, but narrated by the other three. John's narrative is fullest. Comp. especially John 6 : 5-8. But Matthew alone narrates Peter's attempt to walk on the sea (Matt. 14 : 2S-32). Immediately after the retura of Christ and his Apostles to Capernaum followed the sermon in the synagogue, which John alone reports. On the chronological order, see note on Matthew ; on the incidents themselves and the subsequent sermon, see notes on John, ch. 6. 30, 31. These verses are peculiar to Mark. By a desert place is meant merely an uninhabited region of country, not necessarily a barren dis- trict. Luke (9 : lo) identifies the spot as " a desert plain belonging to the city called Beth- saida," a city on the northern coast of the sea, at the point where the river Jordan enters it. Observe Christ's recognition of the need of sea- sons as well as days or hours of rest. 45. To go before unto the other side (tic to niQav) in the direction of Bethsaida {TtQog [itiS-aaiduv). According to Luke, the mir- acle of the feeding took place in the vicinity of Bethsaida (Luke 9 : lo), and according to John (e : i), on the opposite shore of the sea from Caper- naum. Hence it has been conjectured that there were two cities called Bethsaida, one the weU-known place of that name, on the northern shore of the sea, to which Luke refers, the other a place now extinct, which is supposed to have been situated somewhere on the western coast. This theory was originated by Reland, and has nothing whatever to sustain it but a laudable de- sire to reconcile the accounts of the Evangelists, which, however, require no such hypothetical second city. If the reader will look at the map of the Sea of Galilee, which accompanies this work (page 342\ he will see the site of the true Bethsaida at the point where the River Jordan enters the Sea of Galilee. East of this, on the edge of the sea, is a grassy plain, shut in by the mountains to the east and south, which is admi- rably adapted to such a miracle as that of the feeding of the five thousand, and answers to the description of ver. 39 and John 6 : 10. The ship which Jesus took in the morning, with the twelve, at Capernaum, is properly described as Ch. VIL] MARK. 365 CHAPTER VII. THEN came " together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition " of the elders. 4 And ^vhen they come from the market, except they wash,' they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and jsots, brazen vessels, and of tables. 5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands ? Matt. IS : 1, ( Gal. 1 : 14 ; Col. 2 : 8, 22, 23 c Job 9 : 30, 31. going over the Sea of Galilee (John 6 : i) to "a desert place belonging to the city called Beth- saida" (Luke9:io), or even, in general terms, as going "to Bethsaida," as Alford's reading gives it. On the various readings see note on Luke 9 : 10. When the meal was ended, and the mul- titude were dismissed, Christ directs his disci- ples to take boat and " go away to the other {%. e., the western) side " (fie representing the final end of their journey), in the direction of Bethsaida {nqog representing not the end, but the direc- tion), which would lie in their course ; where, after the multitude had departed, Christ pur- posed to rejoin them. And it is while the disci- ples are rowing against the wind, which prevail- ingly sweeps down upon the sea, from the Lebanon range on the north through the valley of the Jordan, that Christ comes on the waves to meet them. 55, 50. Comp. Matt. 14 : 34-36, note. Observe that the people "besought him that they might touch " his garment, an incidental evidence that the healing was afforded, not by any magic in the garment itself, but by the will of Christ, and was so recognized by the people. Comp. notes on Mark 5 : 25-34. Ch. 7 : 1-23. OF EATINtf WITH UNWASHEN HANDS. — Chbist's teaching concerning the religion of eitualism : its worship is vain (vers. 6, 7), its origin IS HUMAN (ver. 8), its effect is the displacement of THE DFVINE law BY HUMAN CEREMONIES (VCrS. 9-13).— Christ's teaching concerning purity: it is inter- nal, not external (vers. 14-16.) This discourse is recorded only by Mark and Matthew (15 : 1-20). The former's report is fullest ; but the timid remonstrance of the disciples, and Christ's reply, are peculiar to Matthew (ch. 15 : 12-14, snd notes). The time is not certain ; probably the summer of a. d. 29 {Andrews), immediately after the sermon at Capernaum (john, oh. s), and during the mis.sionary circuit briefly described in Mark 6 : 55, 56 ; Matt. 14 : 34-36. If so, it was near the close of Christ's Galilean ministry. 1. Coming from Jerusalem. Probably sent there, formally or informally, by the Sanhe- drim, to investigate the character and mission of Christ, as a previous delegation had been sent to attend the ministry of John the Baptist. See John 1 : 19. 3-5. And Avhen they saw some of his disciples. Not necessarily here any of the twelve, but probably that is the meaning.— Eat with defiled hands. The word here ren- dered defiled, is rendered common in Acts 10 : 14, 28, and wtclean in Rom. 14 : 14.— That is, with unwashen hands. Not with dirty hands, but with hands which had not been sub- jected to the ceremonial process described be- low.— They found fault. "The Pharisee takes more pleasure in blaming another than in amending himself." — (Quesnel.) — For the Pharisees and all the Jews, i. e., the Ju- deans, the inhabitants of Judea, the southern province of the Holy Land, where the influence of the ecclesiastics was very considerably greater than in Galilee. — Except they wash their hands oft. There is some uncertainty as to the meaning of the word rendered oft. Some critics give the rendering of our English version, others, as Alford, render it "sedulously." It is, literally, with the fid, and that appears to me to be the better rendering. It is, then, a refer- ence to the Rabbinical rules, which are said to have required the rubbing of the open palm with the closed fist.— Eat not, holding fast. Not merely holding but holding flrmhj. See for analogous use of the same word, Col. 2 : 19; 2 Thess. 2 : 15 ; Heb. 4 : 14 ; Rev. 2 : 18 ; 3 : 11. And observe, by examining these references, what the Christian should hold fast.— The tra- dition of the elders. Alford, following Meyer, renders this of the ancients, and Hebrews 11 : 1 is an evidence that the Greek is capable of this meaning. But the original {rtQfoi^vTiqog), gen- erally signifies, in the N. T., a certam class of oflScials, partly ecclesiastical, partly political. See Matt. 16 : 21, note. That it is used in this ecclesiastical sense here, is indicated by Light- foot's quotations from the Rabbinical writings: "The words of the elders are weightier than the words of the prophets. " In fact, their "words" were traditions derived from their ancestors, and exalted above Scripture, as at a later day the traditions of the church were exalted above Scripture by the church of Rome. — And com- ing from the market except they plunge; literally baptize. The Greek word here is not the same as that rendered wasli in the previous verse. Apparently, in the ritual of the Pharisees, MARK. 6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied '' of you hypdfcrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit, in vain do they worship me, teaching /^r doctrines the commandments of men. [Oh. VII. 8 For laying « aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups : and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them. Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. washing by the pouring on of water sufficed for those who remained at home, while the immer- siop of the hands in water was required for those who had gone abroad. It was the hands, not the whole body, nor the article brought from market, that was required to be washed. — And many other thins;s there be which they have received to hold, as the washing (literally, baptizing) of cups and pots (or meas- ures) and brazen vessels, wooden ones were to be broken if unclean (Lev. 15 : 12), and couches ; not tables^ but the couches on which the guests recliaed at the meal. (See Matt. 26 : 20, note and Ulustration.) It is hardly credible that these lounges were im- mersed ; we have, therefore, here an evidence that the Greek word rendered in the N. T. bap- tism or baptize, does not in the. N. T. usage always signify immersion. The ceremonial clean- sing of the furniture in the room was probably done by sprinkling ; while that of the person appears to have been done by immersion. — Wliy Avalk not thy disciples according to the traditions of the elders ? — The common ques- tion of ecclesiasticism in all ages, which makes the traditions of the church, not the law of God, the standard of life. The law of Moses required ceremonial wash- MODERN HAND-WASHING. ings : (1) of certain sacred persons, as the priests at their consecration (Exod. 40 : 12; Lev. 8:6; comp. Nam. 8 : 6-7, 21), and habitually before sacrificing (Exod. 30 : 18-21 J 40 : 30-S2 ; Lev. 16 : 4, 2 j) ; (2) of all the peo- ple on certain special occasions, as the leper on being pronounced clean of his leprosy (Lev. i4 ; 8, 9), the man with an issue, etc. (Lev. is : 6, a, etc.) ; (3) as a testimony to innocence (Deut. 21 : 1-9). Analo- gous to the first of these is the modern practice by the priests in the Romish and Greek churches of washing the hands immediately before cele- brating mass ; analogous' to the second is the use of holy water by all the worshippers. The Mo- hammedan still washes five times a day that he may approach God acceptably in prayer. Our illustration, which is taken from actual life, shows the practice as it is scrupulously observed to the present day in Palestine. It is evident that the Jewish requirements were partly sani- tary ; this is clearly the case with certain of the requirements in Lev. ch. 15 ; but they were partly ceremonial. The Pharisees converted the Mosaic ablutions into an elaborate and burdensome ritual. They never entered their houses without washing, lest they should have unknowingly contracted defilement in the streets ; and as the hands were held to communicate uncleanness to the food, they never ate without a previous ceremonial washing of the hands. This was required to be done in a prescribed manner, by plunging them three times up to the wrists, in running water, which was fresh, and had done no work. Whether water was ceremonially fresh which had been kept so by the intermixture of vinegar or lemon-juice, whether it had done no work if in it fish had been bred or eggs boiled, — these were serious theological problems. Such a ceremonialism was not regarded by the com- mon people, who were content simply to wash their hands for the purpose of actual cleanli- ness, before meals. The scribes condemned the disciples, not for eating literally with unwashen hands, but with hands which had not been ceremonially washed, and this only as a means of condemning Christ, who, as a religious teacher, was expected to require the" ritualism of his day from his immediate followers. " Their wonder was that Jesus had not inculcated this observance on his followers, and not, as some have fancied, that he had enjoined them to neglect what had been their previous practice." —(Kitto.) Isaiah 29 : 13. Observe the rest Ch. VII.] MAKK. 367 10 For Moses said, Honour' thy father and thy mother ; and, Whoso curseth e father or mother, let him die the death. 11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, /f z> Corban,'> that is to say, a gift, by whatso- ever thou mightest be profited by me ; 7ie shall be free. 12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his fiither or his mother ; 13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered : and many such like things do ye. 14 And when he had called all the people unto him., he said unto them, Hearken unto me, every one of you^ and understand : ' 15 There is nothing from without a man that, enter- ing into him, can defile him : but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. 16 If any ' man have ears to hear, let him hear. .h Matt. 16:6; 23:18. 6; Isa. 6:9; Acts of the prophet's description of the formalists : •' Their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men." 7-9. In vain do they worship me. Comp. Isaiah 1 : 10-15. — Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Not /or, i. e., in lieu of doctrines, but teaching doctrines which are of human origin. — For laying aside the com- mandment of God ; this the rigorous ceremo- nialist generally does ; ye hold fast the tradi- tions of men, literally, the things given hy men. That is, a tradition of men which is handed down from father to son, is traceable only to a human author, yet is cited by the ecclesiastic as an authority, as though it came from God. — Excel- lently well. The language is that of bitter sarcasm. — Ye displace the commandment of God, that ye may observe the traditions of men. 'Litev&Wy, keep close watch orer ; comp. Matt. 19 : 17, note, latter clause. On the whole passage, comp. Matt. 33 : 16-19 ; and Col. 2 : 18-23, and observe here, (1) the nature of that which Christ reprobates, the employment as an au- thority in religion of systems of doctrine, ethics or ritual, which are of human origin, a radical vice, whether the system be a Protestant creed, a Romish ritual, or a Jewish ceremonial ; (2) the folly of all religion founded on such human au- thority ; " /« rain do they worship me," because it substitutes allegiance to man for allegiance to God ; (3) the effect of it, the displacement of the divine laws which concern the heart-life, by human rules, which require only external con- duct. An unconscious desire to be rid of God's spiritual law is the true secret of all additions to the simple religion of the Bible. What follows is an illustration taken from Jewish casuistry, of the nature and effect of this substitution of human for divine authority. 10-12. For Moses said. In Matthew (is : 4), it is, "For God commanded." "A remarkable testimony from our Lord to the divine origin of the Mosaic law ; not merely of the Decalogue as such, for the second commandment quoted is not in the Decalogue." —(^//orc?.) — Honor thy father and mother. See Exod. 20 : 12 ; Deut, 5 : 16.— And whoso curseth father or mother let him die the death, i. e., let him be put to death, literally, Let him end in death. The quo- tation is from Exod. 21 : 17 ; Lev. 20 : 9.— But ye say. The quotation which follows is from the Rabbinical rules. There are two difficulties in its interpretation : (1) Its grammatical con- struction ; (2) the uncertainty respecting the law to which it refers. As to its grammatical con- struction, our translators have undoubtedly given the sense correctly, but the addition of the words he shall be free is not grammatically neces- sary, though sanctioned by some of the critics. The true meaning of the passage may be thus rendered, If a man shall say to his father or mother^ That hy which thou mightest be jirofited by me is corban (that is, a gift, consecrated to God), ye suffer him no more to do aught for his father or mother. So in the parallel passage in Matt, 15 : 5, 6, the verb honor not his father or his mother is, according to the best readings, in the future, and the passage reads, " Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, That by which thou might- est have been profited hy me is a gift, he shall not honor his father or his mother.^'' For different grammatical readings, see Schaff's Note on Matt. 15 : 5, 6, in Lange on Matthew. As to the Rabbini- cal law to which it refers, the facts appear to have been as follows. The Mosaic law laid down rules for vows both affirmative and negative. By the former, persons, animals, and property might be devoted to God ; by the latter, persons interdicted themselves, or were mterdicted by their parents, from the use of certain things, either temporarily or permanently (Ley. ch. 27 ; Num. ch. 30 : Judges 13:7; Acts 18:18; 21 : 23, 24). On these rules the rabbis enlarged, and laid down that a man might not only interdict himself from using for himself, but also from giving to another anything. The thing thus interdicted was considered as corban, that is, as consecrated to God, yet the person making the vow might use it for himself ; his vow only bound him not to give it to the other. So far was this doctrine carried, that the contemptuous or angry use of the language of a vow was held to exempt the person making it from his obligations of assist- ance, so that a child, on being applied to for aid by his parents, might even contemptuously re- ply. Let it be corban whatever of mine might profit you, and this simple expression freed him from the filial obligation of supporting his par- 368 MAEK. [Ch. VII. 17 And when ^ he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the par- able. 18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without under- standing also ? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth mto the man, ii cannot de- file him ; 19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but' into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats ? 20 And he said. That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from >" within, out of the heart of men, pro- ceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lascivi- ousness, an evil eye. blasphemy, pride, foolishness : 23 All these evil tnings come from withm, and defile the man. 24 And from" thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know ii : but he ° could not be hid. 25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet : 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by na- tion; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: forP it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 28 And she answered and said unto him. Yes, Lord : yet the") dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. 29 And he said unto her. For' this saying go tLy way ; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone » out, and her daughter laid upon the bed. 31 And again,' departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech ; and they beseech him to put nis hand upon him. Gen. 6 : 5 ; Ps. U : .q Rom. 15 : 8, 9 ; Ephes. 2 : 12-14. ents. Such casuistry would be incredible were not its parallel to be found in the Jesuitical casu- istry of the seventeenth century. 13. Making the word of God of none effect through your traditions. The con- ference began by an accusation of illegal teach- ing, brought by the scribes against Christ ; it ends with an accusation of illegal teaching, brought by Christ against the scribes. 14, 15. And Avhen he had called all the people. The previous conference was with the scribes who had come upfront Jerusalem for the purpose of confounding Christ (ver. i ; Matt, is : i). The teaching that follows was public. — There is nothing from without a man that entering in can defile him; but, etc. This verse is to be interpreted by the subject-matter and by verses 18 and 19. Nothing that is and remains external to man, and enters only into his body, not into his heart to become a part of his character, can defile. The Pharisees feared defilement from their food; it is of this defilement our Lord speaks. Comp. Matt. 15 : 11. " Not that which goeth inlo the mouth.'''' But underlying this is the deeper truth, that nothing which is external to character can defile the soul, so long as it re- mains external, does not become incorporated in the character. Evidently this verse is only a brief epitome of a considerable discourse. 1 G. See Matt. 11 : 15, note. 17-19. His disciples asked him. By dis- ciples is here meant, probably, the twelve. Ac- cording to Matthew, Peter was the spokesman. — Without understanding, i. e., without spirit- ual appreciation of the truth. — Because itenter- eth not into his heart. That which is from without and does enter the heart can defile a man. — Goeth out into the draught, cleansing all the food. Whatever food the body needs it assimilates, and whatever it needs is not unclean nor defiling. Whatever it does not need, it, by a natural process, rejects from the system. Thus nature provides for its own purification, and the laws of health are the only laws of cleanness and uncleanness which the Christian need recognize. In this declaration is the germ of the doctrine which Paul subsequently expounded more fully (Rom. 14 : 2, 3, 14 J 1 Cor. ch. s). 20-23. Observe in these verses, (1) that the defilement which Christ recognizes is one of the soul, and consists, therefore, of something in the heart, not foreign to it ; (2) that all the vices here catalogued and described as evil thoughts, the evil even of adultery, murder and theft, lie primarily and chiefly in the thought, only second- arily in the outward act and its visible effects ; (3) that Christ refutes the idea, sometimes ex- pressed, that if there is evil in a man he had better let it out in expression rather than keep it m ; our Lord declares that the coming out itself defiles. The " evil eye "is not merely, as Lange, an "envious eye," but an eye which is apt, in any form, to evil, the eye here standing for the desires which look through it and are inflamed by it. Comp. Prov. 28 : 22 ; Matt. 6 : 22, 23 ; 18 : 9 ; 20 : 15 ; 1 John 2 : 16. 23. To this verse Matthew makes the significant addition: "But to eat with unwashen hands," i. e., with hands not subjected to a ceremonial washing, "defileth not a man." 24-30. The Strophcenician woman. Pecu- liar to Matthew (is : 21-28) and Mark. See notes on Matthew, whose account is fullest. Observe in verse 24 here the incidental evidence of Christ's extended fame and wide popularity among the common people. Oh. 7 : 31-37. HEALING OF THE DEAF AND DUMB.- Chbist's mission: to give power to beceite and Ch. VIL] MAKK. 369 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his ringers into his ears, and he" spit, and touched his tongue ; 34 And looking' up to heaven, he" sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway " his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man : but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it ; 37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying,^ He hath done all things well: he maketh^ both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. JVIatt. 8 : 3, 15. . . .y Ps. 139 : 14 : Acts 14 : 11. POWER TO PROCLAIM THE TRUTH.— AN ELLUSTRATION OF HIS METHOD OF AWAKENING FAITH IN THOSE BE- TOND THE REACH OF HIS SPOKEN WORD. Peculiar to Mark. It is one of the miracles described in general terms by Matt. 15 : 30, 31. The chronological oi-der is the same in both Gos- pels ; the miracle belongs to Christ's period of retirement, subsequent to the close of his public ministry in Galilee, and before his going up to Jerusalem, i. e., between John, chaps. 6 and 7. 31. Tyre and Sidon. See Matt. 11 : 31, note. — He came through the midst of the territory of Decapolis. Matt. 4 : 25, note. Probably Christ made a detour round the north- em shore of the Lake of Galilee (see map, p. 340), coming thus into the region of the sea, but stiU keeping in retirement by remaining m heathen territory. That the word here rendered coast is equivalent to territory see Matt. 3 : 16 ; 4 : 13 ; 8 : 34, etc.— They bring unto him, i. e., the people bring; one that was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. Literally, a dumb stammerer. That he could speak, but not plainly, is indicated by the effect of his cure, "he could speak plain " (ver. 35). 33, 34. He took him aside. As he did subsequently the blind man (ch. s : 23), because he was seeking retirement with his disciples, and wished to avoid publicity. The indications that his public ministry in Galilee was at an end, and that he sought retirement with his apostles for rest and private instruction, are repeated con- tinually in this portion of his life. See ver. 24, ch. 8 : 27 and Matt. 15 : 39-39, note, p. 195, and ref. there. But Trench's remark on our Lord's course here is suggestive. " The Lord does now oftentimes lead a soul apart, sets it in the soli- tude of a sick-chamber, or in loneliness of spirit, or takes away from it earthly companions and friends, when he would speak with it and heal it."— And put his lingers into his ears, and having spit, i. e., probably, touched his finger with spittle, he touched his tongue, i. e., the dumb man's tongue. I can only understand this by supposing it was a chosen means of communi- cating with the dumb man, and by sympathy through the touch awakening his faith. For all other media of communication were closed ex- cept that of touch, unless we suppose the man able to read writing and Christ provided with Implements of writing, neither of which is prob- able. It was an appeal to the man's trust, like that made in other cases by a word, and re- quired of the man at least a tacit obedience, as a requisite to the cure.— And sighed. Possibly this expresses the idea of an inarticulate prayer, as Robinson interprets it (Hob. Lex., aytyj^w) ; more probably it is an expression of Christ's deep-felt sympathy with the sufflering of sin- stricken humanity, as in the parallel case at the resurrection of Lazarus (joim u : 33-35). — And said unto him, Ephphatha. An Aramaic expres- sion. See note on Mark 5 : 41. 35. And straightway. Immediately. — His hearing, not his ears ; the word is differ- ent from that rendered ears in verse 33 (it is ixxoi'i, not oiJc), and the language implies a deep- seated difficulty.- Was opened ; and the string of his tongue, the hinderance, whatever it was, which before prevented his speaking plamly.— Was loosed. Evidently the imper- fection in utterance was not merely a conse- quence of loss of hearing, but there was a physi- cal diflBculty with the organs of speech. — And he spake plain. Impliedly, both here and in verse 32, he could speak before, but not so as to be easily understood. 36. Comp. Matt. 8 : 4, note. Here there was special reason for the prohibition in that Christ was seeking to avoid the public and to secure quiet conference with his apostles. See verse 33, note. 37. He hath done all things well. Comp. Gen. 1 : 31. " This work was propei'ly and wor- thily compared with that first one of creation— it was the same Beneficence which prompted and the same Power that wrought it." — (Alfoi-d.) — He maketh both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. Spiritually this characterizes Christ's ministry, for still he opens the ears of those deaf to spiritual truth, so that hearing they hear and do understand, and unstops the tongue of silent disciples, and teaches them to speak his praise. Comp. Isaiah 35 : 5 ; Matt. 13 : 16. See also 1 Cor. 3 : 10, 14-16. Ch. 8 : 1-10. The Feeding of the Four Thousand. This miracle is recounted only here and in Matt. 15 : 33-38. It is not to be confounded with the feeding of the five thousand, described by all four Evangelists (Matt, u : 13-21 ; Mark 6 : 32^4 j Lake 9 : 10-lT : John 6 : I-I4). " EvCry CirCUmstaUCC which can vary, does vary, in the two accounts. 370 MARK. [Ch. VIII. CHAPTER VIII. having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciple him, and saith unto them, 2 I have compassion " on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat : 3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way : for divers of them came from far. 4 And his disciples answered him, From whence" can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wil- derness ? 5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. a Matt. 15 : 32, etc. . . 15 ; Heb. 6 : 2. . c ch. 6 : 36, 37, etc. The situation in the wilderness, the kind of food at hand, the blessing and breaking and distribut- ing by means of the disciples, these are common to the two accounts, and were likely to be so ; but here the matter is introduced by the Lord himself, with an expression of pity for the mul- titude who had continued with him three days ; here, also, the provision is greater, the numbers are less than on the former occasion." — {Alford.) What is conclusive on this question, however, is our Lord's reference to both miracles (Matt. i6 : 9, lo), which, as Alford justly says, "must have been forged if the two are identical;" and his dis- crimination there between the traveUng baskets employed on the one occasion, and the grain baskets on the other, — a discrimination which tallies exactly with the language of the two narratives. In all four accounts of the first mir- acle the baskets used in gathering up the frag- ments are designated in the original by the word cophinus {xmpivog), "traveling basket," while in both the Evangelists the baskets used on the occasion of the feeding of the four thousand are designated by the word qwrta (anvQls), grain basket. This distinction is recognized by Christ in his subsequent recall of the two miracles. See Matt. 16 : 9, 10, note, where illustrations of the two kinds of baskets are given. Unfortu- nately, there is nothing in our English version to indicate this difference. The only reason for imagining the two miracles to be identical, is the seemingly singular fact that the disciples, after witnessing the feeding of the five thousand, should be perplexed what to do for the provision of the four thousand. But, (1) the disciples did not on this occasion, as on the other, propose to send the people away (Matt, u : is), though now three and then but one day had passed ; they waited for Christ to do as he would ; (2) their question here (ver. 4) hardly indicates a doubt ; it is elicited by Christ's previous question, and is such as they might readily have proposed, if they wished merely to leave all to Christ without suggesting, as they never did throughout all his ministry, the performance of a miracle ; (3) even if the facts showed a failure to believe and trust in divine power, similar instances are common in Scripture history, and, unhappily, not rare in the Christian experience of the disci- ples of to-day. Comp. Exod. 16 : 13 with Numb. 11 : 21, 22, and Exod. 17 : 1-7, foUowing the passage of Israel through the middle of the Red Sea. With the account of this miracle should be carefully compared that of the feeding of the five thousand. The spiritual significance of the two is the same ; and for that the reader is re- ferred to the notes on John, ch. 6, especially verses 1-14. 1 , 2. Ill those days. The time is apparently during Christ's period of retirement, after his withdrawal fi-om Galilee as indicated by Matt. 15 : 21 ; the place, the high table-land east of the Sea of Galilee (Matt, is : 29 with Mark 1 : 31), in the terri- tory of Decapolis, which was occupied largely by a Roman population. This ministry of feeding does not then belong properly to Christ's Galilean ministry. The former feeding was on the nor- thern coast of the Sea of Galilee, among the Jews ; this one was among the heathen. — Nothing: to eat. Not to be taken literally ; for this would imply, either a three-days' fast, or a singularly improvident consumption of their provisions. They had with them no adequate sujiply for their wants. In the East, meat is used much less than with us. Milk, fruits, and various prepara- tions of bread are staple articles of diet. Three days' sojourn in the -wilderness would not, there- fore, require with them so great preparation as with us. And the wilderness (ver. 4) was not a true desert, but a country district, remote from towns, and consequently from habitations, since, on account of wild beasts and robbers, the people lived almost wholly m towns and villages. 3-5. From afar. Comp Matt. 4 : 25, note. — Bread — Loaves. The bread of the East is baked in thin round cakes or sheets, like our crackers in form. They were often baked by spreading the dough, when prepared, on stones previously heated, or throwing it on to the heated embers itself, or placing it between layers of dung, which burns slowly, and is therefore es- pecially adapted to the purpose. Dr. Robinson {Biblical Jtesearches, II, 496) describes such a baking : " They had brought along some flour, or rather meal, of wheat and barley filled with chaff, of which they now kneaded a round, flat cake of some thickness. This they threw into the ashes and coals of a fire they had kindled, and after due time brought out a loaf of bread as .black on the outside as the coals themselves, and Ch. VIII] MAEK. 371 6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground : and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them ; and they did set them before the people. 7 And they had a few small tislies : and he blessed,* and commanded to set them also before them. 8 So they did eat, and were " filled : and they ' took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. 9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand : and he sent them away. 10 And straightway e he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. Ps. 107 : 6, 6 ; 145 : 16. ... f 1 Kings 17 : 14-16 ; 2 Kings 4 : 2-7, 42-44. . . . g Matt. 15 : 39. not much whiter within." Comp. note on John 6 ; 9. The accompanying illustration represents some loaves as they were discovered in a baker's shop at Pompeii ; they are about eight inches in diameter, and in shape and size resemble those LOAVES OF BREAD. then In use among the Jews. Besides the loaves the disciples had "a few small fishes" (verse?). Fish, both fresh and salt, appear to have been a common article of food, especially about the Sea of Galilee. 6-9. Gave thanks and brake. Christ's practice ' of giving thanks before meal (comp. 6 : 41 ; 14 : 22 ; Luke 24 : 3o) is a precedent for the modern custom of asking a blessing at meal time. — And gave to his disciples to set before them. A symbol of the truth that only as Christ's ministers receive the truth from Christ can they dis- tribute the truth to the people. For Christ, by his sermon after the previous feeding (John, ch. 6), makes of the miracle an enacted parable. — So they did eat and were filled, i. e., satisfied. Observe the simplicity of the nar- rative ; seven loaves and a few small fishes blessed by Christ, and four thousand people adequately fed by them — of these two facts the narrators are sure, for they were eye-witnesses; the reader is left to draw his own conclusions. — — Seven baskets. See Prel. Note above, and note on Matt. 16 : 9, 10, for illustration of baskets. 10. Into the parts of Dalmanutha. Matt. 15 : 39 says Magdala, or, accordmg to the better reading, Magadan, The exact location is uncer- tain ; it appears from the narrative to have been on the western coast of the sea, though it is not necessarily implied that Jesus crossed the sea. Both Matthew (is : 39) and Mark here use indefinite language, one saying he " came into the coasts of Magdala," the other that he came " into the parts of Dalmanutha. " He may therefore have landed at a point near two towns which were adjacent ; and this is the ordinary view. The map, p. 342, shows the general location. Dr. Howard Crosby, however, has suggested the not improbable con- jecture that the two may be identified. A private note to me thus states this conjecture : " One of the Levitical cities of Naphtali was Kartan (josh. 21 : 32), apparently in the southern part of Naph- TOWEB OF TIBERIAS. tali. Kartan is not mentioned in Josh. 19 : 35-38, as so prominent a Levitical city would naturally be. The other Levitical cities, Kedesh and 372 MAEK. [Ch. VIII. 11 And the Pharisees'' came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign trom heaven, tempting him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith. Why- doth this generation seek after a sign ? verily 1 say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this genera- tion. 13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf 15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, be- ware ' of the leaven > of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. 17 And when Jesus knew ?V, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread ? perceive ^ ye not yet, neither understand ? have ye your heart ' yet hardened ? 18 Having eyes,"" see ye not ? and having ears, hear ye not f and do ye not remember ? " 19 When I brake the five loaves" among five thou- sand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him. Twelve. 20 And when the seven p among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up ? And they said. Seven. 21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand ? 22 And he cometh to Bethsaida : and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.i 23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town ; and when he had spit ■■ on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24 And he looked up, and said, I ' see men as trees, walking. 25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up : and he was restored, and saw ' every man clearly. h Mutt. 12 : 38 ; IG : 1, eti-. ; John 6 : 30.... i Piov. 19 : 27 1 ih. 3 : 5 ; 16 ; 14....m Isn. 44 : 18.... n 2 Pet. 1 : 12... .q Isa. 35 : 6, 6 ; Matt. 11; 5... Luke 12:1. 3 ch. 6 : 38, r ch. 7 : 33. .i Exod. 12:20; Lev. 2 : 11 ; 1 Cnr. 6 : 6-8. . . .k ch.6:52.... 1; iMatt. 14 : 17-21 ; Luke 9 : 12-17 ; John 6 : 6-13.... p ver. .s Judges 9 : 36; Isa. 29 : IS ; 1 Cor. 13 : 11, 12.... t Prov. Hammath, are. Migdal-el (josh. 19 : 38) I there- fore conjecture to be Kartan. If so, it would be naturally called Migdal-Manutha {Hebrew, Mig- dal-Menath), 'tower of the portion,' i e., the Levitical portion." From this compound name might easily come the two names Magdala and Dalmanutha, the former being the original name, Migdal-el ; the latter, an abbreviation of the ful- ler name Migdal-Manutha. It is true that the supposed site of Magdala is a little south of the supposed boundary of Naphtali ; but neither can be fixed with sufficient certainty to make this conclusive. It would appear not Improbable that sites often received their name, as in the case of Magdala, from a tower in connection with them. The accompanying cut shows the ruins of an ancient tower at Tiberias. The reader is looking north ; before him is the Sea of Galilee ; Mt. Hermon is in the distance ; to the left, hid- den behind the town, is the site of Magdala or Dalmanutha, which means tower. 11-13. Keqilest of a Sign from Heaven. See notes on Matt. 10 : 1-4. The statement here, *'He sighed deeply in his spirit," is peculiar to Mark, and is a touching testimony to the pity of Christ, which embraced even such captious and cavilling spirits as these Pharisees. His depart- ure again so soon to the eastern shore of the lake is one of the many indications that he considered his public ministry ended, and was seeking re- tirement. See Matt. 15 : 29-39, note. 14-21. Warning against the Leaven of THE PHARfSEES AND OF HeROD. Matt. 16 : 5-13, notes. There are some graphic touches here not in Matthew, as the statement that they had but one loaf (ver. u), the additional reproof (ver. is), and the reference to the two miracles of feeding, given here more at length (ver. 19-21). According to Matthew, Christ's warning was against the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Matthew adds the disciples' understanding of Christ's admonition (Matt. 16 : 12). Ch. 8 ; 22-26. CURE OF A BLIND MAN.— Gbace la SOMETIMES GRADUAL. This miracle is recorded only by Mark. It is peculiar in that it represents, more distinctly than any other miracle, a gradual cure, and its successive stages. There is no reason to doubt that the chronology is correctly indicated by Mark, i. e., that it occurred after the close of Christ's public Galilean ministry, and during his period of retirement. 22. And they came to Bethsaida. This is the better reading. Bethsaida was a town on the northern shore of the sea of Galilee, at the entrance of the river Jordan into the lake. See Mark 6 : 45, note.— And they bring a blind man unto him. The people, not the disciples, brought him. 23. And taking the hand of the blind man, he led him out of the town. Rather, village (yuifiii). Bethsaida {house offish) was ori- ginally a fishing village. The tetrarch Philip enlarged it, raised it to the dignity of a town, and gave it the name of Julias. This part of the town was on the eastern bank of the Jordan, the original fishing hamlet was on the western bank. The language here implies that Christ was in the fisherman's part of the town, the unwalled vil- lage. Observe that Christ personally leads the blind man, a mark of tenderness and condescen- sion, and that the blind man entrusts himself, apparently unquestioningly, to the leading of this stranger, a mark of his confidence in Christ, and a touching illustration of that peculiar attractive power which Christ exercised over all men by his personal presence. — And when he had spit on his eyes. Spittle was regarded as medicinal by the ancients. Why Christ used it here is not Ch. IX.] MAEK. 373 26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Nei- ther go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town. 27 And Jesus" went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Csesarea Philippi : and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? 28 And they answered, John ^ the Baptist: but some say^ Elias- and others. One of the prophets. 29 And he saith unto them. But whom say ye that I am ? And Peter answereth and saith unto him. Thou * art the Christ. 30 And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. 31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he spake tliat saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked =' Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan : y for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. 34 And when he had called the people unio him with his disciples also, he said unto them Whosoever^ will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ^5 For » whosoever will save his life shall lose it ; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gos- pel's, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? 38 Whosoever" therefore shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful genera- tion, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels. CHAPTER IX. AND he said unto them. Verily "= I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not <■ taste of death, till they have seen the king- dom of God come with power. 2 And « after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, n Matt. 16 • 13, etc. ; Luke 9 : 18, etc. . ....y 1 Cor. 6 : 5 z Miitt. 10 : 38 9 : 24 ; 17 : 33 ; John 12 : 25 ; 2 Tin 9 : 27....d John 8 : 6-2 ; Heb. 2:9.. Matt. 14 : 2. ...vv John 1 : 41-49; 6 : 6 : '.'4 ; Luke 9 : 33 ; 14 : 27 ; Tilus 2 : 11 ; 4 : 6, 8 ; Rev. 2 : 10 ; 7 : 14-17. Matt. 17 : 1, etc. ; Luke 9 : 28, etc. ) : 11 : 27 ; Acts 8 : 37 I 1 12.... a Esther 4 : 14 ; M .b Luke 12 : 9 ; 2 Tim. I John B : 1 x Kev. 3 : 19. Ut. 10 : 39 ; 16 : 25 ; Luke 8 c Matt. 16 : 28 ; Luke clear. Perhaps as the readiest means of strength- ening the faith of the blind man (see Mark 7 : 33, 34, note) ; perhaps (this I am inclined to think the true explanation) to make as little impression with the miracle as possible, because he was now seeking retu-ement, and wished to avoid the throng and publicity which miracles always brought upon him. 21, 25. And he looked up. In order to make a trial of his eyes. — And said, I see men ; for (things) like trees I see, walking. This is the literal rendering of the Sinaitic, Alex- andrine, and Vatican MSS., and is adopted by Lachmann, Tregelles, Tischendorf, and Alford. The meaning appears to be this : I see men ; for, though what I see resemble trees, they cannot be so, for they are walking about. The very vagueness of the language pictures forcibly the groping of one through an uncertain vision tow- ard the truth. To a blind man, who knew trees only by feeling, that is, only knew the trunks, men might well seem like trees, except for their motion. — Then a§i^ain he put his hands upon his eyes; and he saw discriminat- insly, and was thoroughly restored, and saw all things plainly. There is some un- certainty as to the reading here. That which I have given is adopted by Alford, Tischendorf, and Tregelles. The meaning is that the blind man was at once able to distinguish objects, and being perfectly restored, thereafter saw all things clearly. 26. The double prohibition of this verse has given the commentators needless perplexity. How, they have asked, could he tell any man in the town if he did not go into it ? The prohibi- tion is simply emphatic. The reason is Christ's desire to preserve his retirement. His public ministry in Galilee is ended. Those who believe, as I do, that the ministry of Christ's healing is a symbol of his redemption, will easily trace the spiritual lessons in this mir- acle. He who in his blindness consents to be led, in the dai% by Christ, is led toward the light. His sight may come to him gradually ; if so he is not to be discouraged ; nor are those that see clearly to be impatient at the delay. The end of Christ's ministry of grace is that the blind not only see, but see with discrimination, and clearly. 27-30. Peter's Confession. Matt. 16 : 13-20 ; Luke 9 : 18-21. Caesarea Philippi was in Northern Palestine, and a heathen town. It would appear as though Christ were finally driven out of Galilee in his endeavor to obtain a season of repose for the confidential instruction of his apostles. The chronology is as given here. It is the same in Matthew and Luke. Luke says this colloquy took place when Christ and his dis- ciples were alone and he was praying. Matthew adds to the account here a blessing promised by Christ on Peter for his faith. With this excep- tion their accounts do not differ materially from Mark's. For a full consideration of the passage see notes on Matthew. 8 : 31 to 9 : 1. First announcement op OUR Lord's passion and resurrection. Matt. 16 : 21-28; Luke 9 : 23-27. This prophecy, as indicated by all three Evangelists, was uttered immediately after the confession of Peter and prior to the transfiguration. Luke omits the re- buke of Peter. Mark alone (ver. 34) indicates the presence of other than the apostles ; but Luke (9: 23, "to all,") intimates it. Ver. 38 is also pecu- liar to Mark in this connection ; but the same utterance is repeated by Matthew in another con- nection, and in a slightly different form (Matt. 10 : 32, 33, note). The language there, deny, is nearly equivalent to the language here, be ashamed of; 374 MAKK. [Ch. IX. and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfig- ured before them. 3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white ' as snow ; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4 And there appeared unto them Elias, with Moses ; and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here : e and let us make three tab- ernacles : one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 6 For he wist" not what to say ; for they were sore afraid. 7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them : and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This ' is my beloved Son ; hear J him. 8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10 And they kept that saying with themselves, ques- tioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.i' 11 And they asked him, sa5ring, Why say the scribes that Elias ' must first come ? 12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things ; and how it is written "> of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be " set at nought. 13 But I say unto you, That" Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him. 14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. f Dan. 7:9; Malt. 28 : 3. . . .g Ps. 63 : 2 ; 84 : 10. k Actan : 18.... 1 Mal.4:6....m Pa. 2-.' : 1, el o Matt. 11: 14; Luke 1 : 17. the one represents the external manifestation, the other the inward feeling. With this verse comp. Hebrew 2 : 11 ; 11 : IG. On the whole passage see notes on Matthew. 2-13. The TRANSFIGURATION. EXPLANATION AS TO Elias. Matt. 17 : 1-13 ; Luke 9 : 28-36. See notes on Matthew and Luke, especially former. 10. "Questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean." This is peculiar to Mark. The Jews believed in a final resurrection (john ii : 24 ; Acts 23 ; s), to be accompanied by a general judgment. How, after such a resurrection, they were to tell men of the transfiguration, they could not com- prehend ; nor did they understand that Christ was to be a first-fruits of them that slept, and rise, straightway, from the dead. 11, 12. Why say the scribes and Phari- sees that ESias {Elijah) must first come ? As was prophesied in Mai. 4 : €. — And he answered and said unto them, Elias ver- ily cometh first and restoreth all things. The prophecy respecting Elijah was fulfilled in the spirit by the coming of John the Baptist (Matt. 17 : 11-13). — And why is it written of the Son of man that he must sufler many things and be set at nought ? Christ answers the question of the scribes with another. If they can interpret prophecy and make it bear testi- mony against the Lord's Messiahship, let them in- terpret the prophecies which foretell his passion and death. For the prophecies referred to, see marg. ref. Ch. 9 : 14-29. HEALING OF THE LTOATTC BOY.— The hopelessness of the srs-STRicKEN and the 8UKFEBING WITHOUT CHRIST : ILLtrSTRATBD BT THE FATHER AND HIS SON. — ThB WEAKNESS OP THE CHURCH WITHOUT CHRIST : ILLUSTRATED BT THE FAIL- URE OF THB DISCIPLES. — THE LONG-SUFFERING OP Christ (ver. 19).— The condition of RECEmNG his HELP : faith (ver. 23).— The prater of the doubting disciple : HELP MT UNBELIEF (VCr. 24).— ThE CONDI- TION OP SUCCESSFUL Christian work (vers. 28, 29; Matt. 17 : 20, 21). This miracle is reported also in Matt. 17 : 14-21 and Luke 9 : 37^3. The three Evangelists agree in placing it immediately after the transfigura- tion, and therefore during Christ's period of re- tirement, subsequent to his Galilean and prior to his principal Judean ministry. Its connection with the transfiguration is intimate and instruc- tive. Mark's account is the fullest and most graphic. He paints more vividly than the others the condition and sufferings of the boy ; he alone gives the conference between Jesus and the father (vers. 21-24), and his picture of the cure is the most detailed. Most evangelical commen- tators treat this as a case of real demoniacal pos- session. That evil spirits do really sometimes gain absolute control of men I believe and have argued elsewhere (see Note on Demoniacal Possession, p. 123) ; but that this is such a case is not so clear. The father characterizes his son as taken by a spirit (vers. 17, 18 ; Luke 9 : 39) ; Christ addrcsscs the spirit (ver. 25) ; Mark and Luke speak of him as con- vulsed by the spirit (ver. 20 ; Luke 9 : 42) ; but in Mat- thew he is described as a lunatic (Matt, n : u) ; his diflficulty had existed from childhood (ver. 21), and therefore, presumptively, before his own wilful transgression could have given the devil control over him ; the symptoms described are those of epilepsy ; it is known that various diseases, es- pecially those accompanied by convulsions, were attributed by the Jews to evil spirits ; the word here used in describing this sufferer's condition is (except in Luke 9 : 43) spint (rtrivfia), not devil {dtxtfiwr, d,tiii6Mor), and while the latter word is used in the Gospels only to describe a distinct evil spirit, the former is used also to describe the spirit of man himself (Matt. 26: 41 ; Mark 8: 12; Luke 1 : 47). Accepting, as I do, the doctrine of demo- niacal possession, I regard this as a case of that description ; but if there were no other evidence of real demoniacal possession, this might be inter- Ch. IX.] MAEK. 375 15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed; and running to hiniy sa- luted him. 16 And he asked the scribes. What question ye with them? 17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Mas- ter, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb P spirit : 18 And wheresoever he talieth him, he teareth him ; and he foameth,") and gnasheth with his teeth, and pin- eth away ; and I spake to thy disciples, that they should cast him out ; and they could not. 19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless ' genera- tion ! how long shall I be with you ? how long shall I suffer you ? Bring him unto me. 20 And they brought him unto him: and when he p Matt. 12 : 22 ; Luke 11 : 14. . . . q Jude 13. ... r Deut. 32 : 20 ; Ps. 78 : 8 ; Heb. 3 : 10. preted as simply a case of epilepsy, accompany- ing or producing deafness and dumbness. 14. And when he came to his disciples. Three of them, Peter, James, and John, were with him on the Mount of Transfiguration (ver. 2), The time was the day after the transfiguration (Luke 9 : 37) ; the place the foot of the mount, ■which was probably not Mount Hermon, for the scribes would not have been in heathen territory, nor Mount Tabor, the top of which was the site of a fortified town. Observe the contrast be- tween "the open heaven and the sons of glory on the mount, and the valley of tears Avith its terrible forms of misery, and pain, and unbelief." — {Stier, in Alford.) This contrast illustrates the greater change of scene between Christ in his glory with the Father and Christ in the humilia- tion of his earthly life (Phu. 2 : 5-s). Compare, for an analogous contrast, Moses on the mountain- top and the people in their idolatry below (Exod. 31 : 13 ; 32 : 1-6). Observe, too, that if Peter's re- quest to abide in the mountain-top (ver. 5) had been granted, the father's woe would not have been relieved. It is not by abiding in ecstasy with a transfigured Christ, but by following in dally duty a healing Christ, that we show our attachment to him.— Questioning with them. The spirit of the scribes' questions can easily be gathered from their language to Jesus on other occasions, for example, Matt. 21 : 15, 16 ; Mark 2 : 6, 7 ; 3 : 22 ; Luke 5 : 30 ; 11 : 53, 54. Doubt- less they were taunting the disciples with their failure. The conference which follows indicates a skilful, because an indirect defence of the disci- ples, whom afterward, but in private, Christ re- buked (vera. 28, 29 ; Matt. 17 : 20). 15, 16. Were greatly amazed. Possibly at his unexpected appearance upon the scene. But, remembering how Moses' countenance glis- tened on his descent from the mount (Eiod. 34 : 29, 30; 2 Cor. 3:7), the hypothesis is not unreasonable that a similar glory irradiated Christ's face. The former brightness awed the people ; this at- tracted them.— Greeted him. An indication of Christ's popularity. — And he asked the scribes ; " taking the baflled and hard-pressed disciples under his own protection, and declar- ing that whatever question there was more, it must be with himself." — {Trench.) And observe that both they and the disciples are silent, the one from fear of Christ, the other from self-humilia- tion. It is the father who replies. 17, 18. According to Luke the son was an only child (Luke 9 : 38) ; according to Matthew a lu- natic (Matt. 17 : is), literally moon-struck, it being a notion with the ancients, and even in later times, that the influence of the moon produced mental disorder (Ps. 121 : e). The symptoms here de- scribed are those of epilepsy, and according to Dr. Robinson (Lexicon of N. T.) the Original in Matthew translated lunatic {ae^ijviuuniui) in Greek usage indicates to be epileptic ; but for this statement he cites but one authority. Comp. with Mark's de- scription of the boy's condition Luke 9 : 39. The boy was deaf and dumb (ver. 25), and was subject to convulsions, Matthew ( n ; u) says he suffered severely, for this is the significance of the phrase rendered " sore vexed." — Teareth him. Rather throws him to the ground, as one wrestler throws another {(ji'iyrvi.11). — Piueth away. Perhaps, becomes dry or stiff, a phenomenon often ac- companying or following epileptic convulsions ; either translation is admissible. Luke adds," he suddenly crieth out, " i. e., with an inarticulate cry, and " it," z. e., the evU spirit," hardly," i. e., with difficulty, "departeth from him." In other words, the convulsions were sudden, severe, and long-continued. — And they could not. "The faith of the disciples wavered by the plain diffi- culty of the thing which seemed impossible to overcome, when so many evils were digested into one, — deafness, dumbness, phrensy, and posses- sion of the devil ; and all these from the cradle." —(Lightfoot.) 19. O unbelieving race, how long shall I be Avith you? How long shall I suffer you ? Literally, Hold up under you. The lan- guage illustrates the sense in which Christ bears our weaknesses, our woes, and our sins — how they burden him. Comp. Matt. 8 : 17, note. The lan- guage is not, as Calvin interprets it, that of indig- nant invective, but of pity and soul- weariness (comp. John 14 : 9). It is truc that Matthew and Luke add to the phrase unbelieving generation the. adjective />«•- verse, but this does not necessarily indicate invec- tive or an indignant spirit, for the verb is in the perfect passive, and the literal translation would he perverted race, i. e., race turned aside from the truth. Christ's indignation went out against those who had perverted the people, their reli- 376 MAEK. [Ch. IX. saw him, straightway the spirit tare him ; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21 And he asked his father. How long is it ago since this came unto him ? And he said. Of a child : • 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him : but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us. 23 Jesus said unto him. If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears," Lord, I believe ; help' thou mine unbelief. 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running to- gether, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him. Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26 And the spirit cried, and rent " him sore, and came out of him : and he was as one dead ; insomuch that many said. He is dead. 27 But Jesus took him by the' hand, and lifted him up ; and he arose. 28 And when he was come into the house, his disci- ples asked him privately. Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them. This kind can come forth by nothing but by y prayer and fasting.' gious leaders ; his pity embraced those who were perverted by a false education. And his lan- guage here is called forth, not by the malig- nance of the scribes, but by the unbelief of his disciples. It is not directed to either scribes, disciples, or people alone, but to the Jewish race, as a race, and even still to his church and to humanity. On the Greek word (/£»£«), here rendered generation, see note on Matt. 24 : 34. — Bring him unto me. The language of calm assurance. The disciples could not cure him ; bring him then to the Master. Often this is the direction of Christ to the sin-stricken soul. The minister has failed to give comfort ; the failure is itself a call from the Lord to himself, Comp. 2 Kings 4 : 31-37, where the prophet's staflE fails, but the prophet does not. 20. And when he, the boy; saw him, Christ ; straightway the spirit convulsed him. " The kmgdom of Satan in small and great is ever stirred into a fiercer activity by the com- ing near of the kingdom of Christ. Satan has great wrath when his time is short." — {Trench.) 21-24. This instructive conference with the father is given only by Mark. The question and the father's answer operates as a plea for the dis- ciples, by showing how serious and deep-seated Is the disease.— Of a child. Literally, from childhood, here probably equivalent to from in- fancy. If this was a true case of demoniacal possession, it is the only one in the N. T. in which the possession was congenital, and hence not possibly due to the victim's own wrong-do- ing. Can a true demoniacal possession be inher- ited ?— If thou canst do anything. A very natural doubt, since the disciples had failed to cure. — Help us. Gome to our help. The Greek {fioii^iin) literally signifies to run up at a cry for help. See Josh. 10 : 6 ; Acts 16 : 9 ; 21 : 28. Ob- serve how the father and the child are one in their misery : help us is his prayer. Comp. the similar language of the Syro-Phoenician woman (Matt. 15 : 22, note). — Jesus said uuto him this (saying) : if thou canst believe, all things are po.ssibte to him that believeth. There is some uncertainty as to the proper rendering of the original. That which I have given, adopted by Alford, seems to me to accord best with the grammatical construction of the sentence. It indicates that the saying was one repeated by Christ on other occasions, as we know its sub- stance to have been. Comp. Matt. 9 : 29, and Christ's language to his own disciples (Matt. n:2o), subsequent to the cure here recorded. Christ's answer implies, (1) that the diflBculty of healing was not and never is in any weakness of the Lord, but in the want of faith of the supplicant ; and this because, (2) the healing is to be wrought, if at all, not in answer to the challenge "if thou canst do anything," but in answer to a humble, devout trust in him who can do all things. " Hence may be learned a useful doctrine, which will equally apply to all of us, that it is not the Lord who prevents his benefits from flowing to us in large abundance, but that it must be at- tributed to the narrowness of our faith, that it comes to us only in drops, and that frequently we do not even feel a drop, because unbelief shuts up our heart." — (Calvin.) — I believe. Come to the help of mine unbelief. " The little spark of faith which has been kindled in his soul reveals to him the abysmal deeps of un- belief which are there." — (Trench.) This is always the true prayer of the doubting Christian. It is noteworthy that in this case, w7iere the child is incapacitated from, the exercise of faith, he is healed upon the faith of the father, or rather upon the father's aspiration after faith. 25-27. This description of the cure is much fuller and more graphic than in either Matthew or Luke. The miracle is wrought before the people have crowded round the patient, that, as far as possible, publicity may be avoided ; it is perma- nent, being accompanied by the command, " Enter no more into him ; " it is in seeming, at first, no cure, for the boy is more terribly con- vulsed than before, and at first taken to be dead ; but the work begun by the word is fin- ished by the touch of Christ, " Jesus took him by the hand." The commentators note in the frightfulness of the last convulsion a symbol of Satan's outgoing in the moral world, always with Ch. IX.] MAEK. 377 30 And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee ; and he would not that any man should know it. 31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them. The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him ; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. 32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask» him. 33 And •> he came to Capernaum : and being in the house, he asked them. What was it tliat ye disputed among yourselves by the way ? Matt. 18 : 1, etc. ; Luke 9 : 46, i seemingly destructive violence. In the quaint words of Fuller, be is " like an outgoing tenant that cares not what mischief he does." Comp. Mark 1 : 26, note. 28, 29. Matthew's report of the private con- ference between Christ and his disciples is fuller than Mark's. To their question, " Why could we not cast him out ? " Christ replies : " Because of your unbelief," and adds the promise to faith, subsequently repeated at the time of the wither- ing away of the fig-tree (Matt, it : 20). See note on Mark 11 : 23-36. — Prayer and fasting. Prayer, because it is only in and through the di- vine power that the power of the devil can ever be conquered (Ephes. 6 : 10, 11) ; fasting, because (1) this is the outward symbol of self-denial which is a condition of following Christ, and therefore of successful Christian achievement ; (3) because the most intense spiritual labor, as the most in- tense intellectual labor, is naturally accompanied by a cessation, for a time, of the bodily wants. Comp. John 4 : 31-34. On the general subject of Christian fasting, see Matt. 9 : 15, note. In this miracle, as m nearly if not absolutely all Christ's miracles of healing, the student may easily trace a parable of redemption. The soul is under the bondage of Satan ( John 8 : 34 ; 2 Pet. 2:19); it is deaf, ignorant of the glories of the divine kingdom ; dumb, unable to speak God's praise (1 Cor. 2 : 14) ; no human helper is able to ransom, no minister, no priest (Psaim49:7s Acts4: 12); the disease is in the soul, as in the race, from its in- fancy (Rom. 5 : 14; Ephes. 2:3); a deliverance is possi- ble through faith to every one that bolieveth (Rom, 3 : 22) ; cvcn the unbelieving ftiay have help in their unbelief (Ephes. 2:8); the first approach of Christ to the soul often seems to aggravate the evU (Eiod. ch. 5) ; the command of Christ leaves the soul dead, as to the world ; but the love of Christ raises it from the dead to newness of life in him (Rom. 6 : 11 ; Gal. 2 : 2o). Observc, also, that faith is the essential strength of the Christian (ijohn6:4); its lack subjects us to Christ's just rebuke (ver. 19) ; it gives power not only with God, but also, if rightly exercised, power over men (Gen. 32:8); it is attainable only by prayer, i.e., communion with God, and fasting, i. e., abstinence from whatever impedes, permanently, or for the occasion, the highest spiritual life. Ch. 9 ; 30-32. PROPHECY OP OUR LORD'S DEATH AND RESURRECTION.— History is the true interpreter OF PBOPHECT. See Luke 9 : 43-45, notes. Matt. 17 : 23, 23 ; Luke 9 : 43-45. See notes on Luke, who gives some particulars not given here. Compare also previous prophecy of his Passion. Matt. 16 : 21, notes ; Mark 8 : 31, notes. 30. Aud he would not that any man should know. One of the numerous indica- tions that this period was one of retirement, not of public ministry. See Matt. 15 : 39-39, note. The reason of this retirement is mdicated in the following verse. 31. For he was teaching his disciples, i. e., the twelve. Not as in our English version, he taught, but at this time he teas teaching them, i. e., concerning his passion and resurrection. He went through Galilee secretly, because this period of retirement was devoted to the confiden- tial instruction of his Apostles. — Is delivered. The present tense with the force of the future, but expressing more impressively the nearness and the certainty of the predicted event. Comp. Matt. 26 : 2. 33. Understood not that saying. — That even the twelve apostles had no understanding of the Passion, and no correct apprehension of the spirituality and universality of Christ's mission until after Christ's resurrection, is evident from many references. See Matt. 16 : 23 ; Mark 16 : 14 ; Luke 18 : 34 ; 34 : 35-37, 44. That it was not intended that they should clearly apprehend our Lord's death or his resurrection, is mdicated by Luke 9 : 45. See note there.— Were afraid to ask him. Perhaps simply from the awe with which they regarded him (Mark 10 : 32 ; John 16 : is, 19) ; rather, I should think, because they dimly per- ceived the terrible sorrow which was in store for them, and shrank from knowing it more fully. Ch. 9 : 33-50. DISCOURSE CONCERNING THE KING- DOM OF HEAVEN.— True greatness : to forget self ; TO SERVE others (33-37).— Never thwart work done FOR CHKIST, because IT IS DONE IRREGULARLT (.38-40). —The condemnation OF the tempter (42-48).— Self- sacrifice NECESSARY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (49, 50). Of these mstructions, Matthew (ch. is) gives a fuller, and Luke (9 : 46-50) a briefer account. They may possibly be not a single discourse, but a sum- mary of instruction afforded by Christ during the period of retirement with the twelve, after the close of his Galilean ministry, but this is not probable. On the whole discourse, see notes on Matt. 18 ; verses 1 to 9 are parallel to verses here. I treat here only such expressions as are not found in Matthew. 3?l MAEK. [Ch. IX. 34 But they held their peace : for by the way they had disputed among themselves who should be the greatest. 35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If'= any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them : and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 Whosoever* shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me : and whosoever shall re- ceive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. 38 And John answered him, saying. Master, we saw" one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. 39 But Jesus .said, Forbid him not: for there' is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40 For 8 he that is not against us, is on our part. 41 Fori" whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, ver- ily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. 42 And wlio'soever shall offend' one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a mill- stone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 43 AndJ if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is bet- ter for thee to enter into lite maimed, than, having t\vo hands, to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched ; 44 Where "^ their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, tlian, having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched ; 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out : it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire : 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire' is not quenched. 49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice "" shall be salted with salt. 50 Salt is good: but if the salt" have lost his salt- ness, wherewith will ye season it? Have" salt in yourselves, and have p peace one with another. I, 27....d Luke 9 : 48 e Numb. 11 ; 26-28 f 1 Cor. 12 : 3 r Matt. 12 : .jDeut. 13:6; .VIntt. 5 : 29. . . .k Isa. 66 : 24 ; Rev. 14 : 11. . . .1 ver. 44, 46 i; Luke 14:34....o Col. 4: 6.... p Pa. 34 : 14 j 2 Cor. 13 : 11 j Heb. 12: 14. 2:13; Ezck. 33. In the house. Possibly of Peter who resided at Capernaum (Mark i : 29). — What Avas it that ye disputed ? For seeming discrepancies in the accounts of the three Evangelists and their reconciKation, see notes on Matt. 18 : 1. 35. The same shall be last. Equivalent to "last among you all" in Luke, and inter- preted by, " Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child " in Matthew. — And servant of all. Peculiar to Mark. But the same proverb is often repeated. See, on its meaning. Matt. 33 : 11, 13, note. It adds an element wanting in Matthew's and Luke's reports. The two condi- tions of greatness in Christ's kingdom are, (1) voluntary humility, a willingness to take the lowest and least place ; and (3) an enthusiasm of love, showing itself in practical serving of others. Observe, "servant of ally The love which serves only a class, a church, a sect, or especial and congenial friends, cannot claim anything under this declaration of our Lord's. Compare Matt. 5 : 46-48 ; Luke 10 : 39-37 ; Kom. 1 : 14. This meaning is best interpreted by his own example. See Phil. 3 : 5-11. 37. Receiveth not me, i. e., not merely me. — But him that sent me. God the Father (John n : is). Compare John 5 : 23, and Matt. 10 : 40, note. 38-40. This interruption by John, and our Lord's reply, are not reported by Matthew. The disciples had shortly before returned to Christ from their first missionary tour, in which they were empowered to cast out devils (Matt. 10 : s). The man here referred to they probably met dur- ing this tour. He must have been a disciple of Christ, who was enabled by his faith, yet without a commission, to cure the possessed. It is not necessary to trace a logical connection between John's question and Christ's preceding instruc- tion. The Lord has rebuked the pride of the disciples ; and exclusiveness is always the result of pride. John feels, rather than sees, that his act was inconsistent with the spirit of Christ's teach- ing, and reports it for further instruction. The force of Christ's reply is somewhat impaired by our English version.— Forbid him not : for there is no one (not merely no mati) who shall do a mighty Avork^not merely a miracle, not o»;,i(fujv but (SiJruKic) and shall be able hastily to speak evil of me. The work he has done in Christ's name, will itself prevent him from forthwith using an influence against Christ. The principle inculcated forbids discouraging any work, by whomsoevei- undertaken, minister or layman, man or woman, which is really accom- plishing spiritual results (comp. Numb. 11 : 26-29; 1 Cor. 12:3; Phil. 1 : 16-18). " Let them hccd this who confine spiritual gifts to a canonical succession" (Bengel) ; or, let me add, to a clerical oflBce, for- bidding either laymen or lay-women to cast out devils in Christ's name. But, though doing mighty works in Chrisfs name is never to be forbidden, he who does them may not be a true child of God (Matt. 7 : 22, 23). 40. He that is not against us is for us. The converse of this proposition is true ; " he that is not with me is against me" (Matt. 12: 30, note). So far from being inconsistent, the two sayings represent opposite poles of the same truth. Every one is either for Christ or against him ; neutrality is impossible. Therefore (1), let him that is not consciously working for Christ, beware lest he be found working against him ; (3) let no one thwart or hinder any work that is Ch. IX.] MARK. 379 not clearly opposed to Christ, for it may prove to be work for him (comp. acu 5 : 38, 39). 41. See Matt. 10 : 42, note. The connection here is this : Even since the smalled service done in and for Christ shall not be unrewarded, so great an one as casting out of devils, should not be prohibited. 42-48. The phraseology here is very nearly the same as in the parallel passage in Matt. 18 : 6-8. See notes there, and on Matt. 5 : 23. But the solemn addition of verses 4rt, 46, 48, " Where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched," is peculiar to Mark. Thqre is some doubt about the genuineness of verses 44 and 46, but not about verse 48. There is some doubt, also, as to the genuineness of the phrase in verse 45, " into the fire that never shall be quenched." Alford doubts, and Tischendorf omits it. The phrase " where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched " (verses 44, 46 and 48), is quoted from Isaiah 66 : 2i It there unquestionably indicates, not the torture, but the utter destruction of transgressors. They, i. e. their corpses, should be consumed with a fire like that of Gehenna, which consumed the ofEal of Jerusalem (Matt, s : 22, note), and eaten with worms, as the unburied on the battle-field ; and this destruction should be open, public, continuous, a warning to others ; for Isaiah adds, "they shall bean abhorring to all flesh." The symbol here, therefore, of the worm and the fire, is not of ever-during torment, but of a complete destruction from which there would and could be no deliverance, and after which no restoration. Whether the destruction of the wicked here and elsewhere foretold (Matt. 13:30; 2Thess. 1 :9) is to bc literally or spiritually Interpreted, is another question, to be determined, if at all, by reference to other passages of Scrip- ture. 49, 50. These verses are confessedly difficult of interpretation. They are peculiar to Mark. In respect to the proper rendering of verse 49, I remark (1) the substitution of in for with will render the meaning somewhat clearer, and it is grammatically justifiable. (The Greek student will observe that the dative alone is sometimes in the N. T. usage equivalent to the dative coupled with iv. Compare in Greek Testament, 1 Pet. 4 : 1, first clause with last clause, and Tit. 1 : 13 vrith Tit. 3 : 2.) (2.) The clause, "And every sacrifice shall be salted with salt," is not in the Vatican or Sinaitic manuscript. It is omitted by Tischendorf, but retained by Alford. I incline to regard it as spurious. It is, however, true that in the O. T. ritualism the meat-offerings (Lev. 2 : 13), and later the burnt-offerings (Ezek. 43 : 24), were required to be salted. To this law the clause in question refers, whether it was uttered by our Lord, or added by a copyist. The con- Junction and is equivalent to even as, and shall be salted is equivalent to is required to be salted. The future is used because the law is quoted, not because futurity is referred to. Verse 49, then, will read thus : For every one (under the N. T. dispensation) shall be salted in fire, even as every sacrifice (under the O. T. dispensation) is required to be saSted with salt. The proper rendering of verse 50 presents no difficul- ties. In interpreting these verses, consider (1) the Scripture meaning of the symbolism here employed. Fire is sometimes a symbol of de- struction (isaiah 33 ; 14 ; Obad. 18 ; Rev. 20 : 9 ; 21 : 8 ; verse 44 above), sometimes a symbol of purification by trial (Jer. 23 : 29, and references below), SOmetimCS a Sym- bol of God's presence, but always of his presence to purify, either the individual sinner by con- suming his sins, or the world by consuming the irredeemable sinners (Deut. 4 : 24 ; Heb. 12 : 29 ; Mai. 3 : 2, 3; comp. Matt. 13 : 40-12. 49, 60). Salt is cmploycd by Christ in a parallel passage (Matt. 5 : 13, note), as a symbol of Christians, who, because of their spirit of willing self-sacrifice, exert a purifying and pre- serving power upon a corrupt world — a power to flavor it with divine grace. (2.) Notice the con- nection. The conjunction for (ver. 49) connects these aphorisms with the previous exhortation to voluntaiy self-sacrifice (ver. 43-48), and the whole is connected closely with, and springs out of the previous controversy among the twelve as to which should be the greatest (ver. 33, 34). These facts interpret the meaning of the passage which may be paraphrased thus : Cut off the right hand or the right foot, or pluck out the right eye, i. e., sacrifice what is dearest to you, rather than suffer it to lead you or others into sin ; for every one of my disciples must be salted in the fire of trial, i. e., prepared to become a living sacrifice (Rom. 12 : 1) by fiery trial, even as under the O. T. dis- pensation, every sacrifice is required to be salted with salt. Ye are, as I have before told you, the salt of the earth. But if the salt hath lost, its salt- ness, i. e., the Christian the spirit of voluntary self-sacrifice, by which alone his purifying influ- ence is exerted, whence shall it derive its moral power. Rave salt in yourselves, have, that is, this spirit of self-sacrifice, and you will have peace one with another, there will be an end to unseemly strife as to which shall be the greatest. The passage as thus interpreted accords with the declaration of John the Baptist concerning the mission of Christ : He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire (Matt. 3 : 11, note; comp. Matt 20 : 22) with Christ's own declaration concerning his mission. " I am come to send fire on the earth " (Luke 12: 49), and with the subsequent employ- ment of the same symbol by the Apostles (1 Cor. 3 : 13 ; 1 Pet. 1 : 7 ; 4 : 12, 13). It aCCOrdS, alSO, With the unsymboUc teachmg of Christ, in other passages, respecting the necessity of self-sacrifice in his followers (Luke 9 : 23 ; 14 : 26, 27 ; John 12 : 26, etc.), and 380 MAEK. [Ch. X. CHAPTER X. ANDi he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea, by the farther side of Jordan : and tlie people resort unto him again ; and, as he was wont, he taught them again. , , l- 2 And tlie Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away /lijwife? tempting him. 3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you ? 4 And they said, Moses' suffered to wnte a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. 5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you tliis precept : 6 But from the beginning of the creation God made' them male and female. 7 For ' this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife : 8 And they twain shall be one » flesh : so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. 11 And he saith unto them," Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adul- tery against her. 12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. 13 And" they brought voung children to him, that he should touch them : and his disciples rebuked those that brought thein. 14 But when Jesus saw zV, he was much» displeased, and said unto tliem, Suffer tlie little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such y is the king- dom of God. 15 Verily I say unto you. Whosoever shall not re- ceive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon thera, and blessed them. 17 And^ when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eter- nal life ? 18 And Jesus said unto him. Why callest thou me good ? There is none good but one," that is, God. 19 Thou knowest the •> commandments, Do not com- mit adultery, Do not kill. Do not steal, Do not bear false witness. Defraud not, Honour thy lather and mother. 20 And he answered and said unto him. Master, all* these have I observed from my youth. 21 Then Jesus beliolding him, loved him, and said unto him. One" thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure ^ in heaven : and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away, grieved ; for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples. How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God ! 24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answerctli again, and saith unto them. Chil- dren, how hard is ic for them that trust ' in riches to enter into the kingdom of God ! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves. Who then can be saved ? 27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men ii is impossible, but not with God: fore vvith God all things are possible. z8 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you. There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions ; and in the world to come eternal life. ..r Deul. 24: 1; Matt. 6 : 31. . ..s Gen. I : 27 ; 6 : 2 ; Mai. 2 : 16... t Gen. 2:24....u 1 Cor. 6 : 16; Ephes. Luke 16 : 18; Rom. 7:3; 1 Cor. 7 : 10, 11 w Matt. 19 : 13 ; Luke 18 : 16 x Ephes. 4 : 56....y Matt. ■2: Rev. 14 : 5 z Matt. 19 : 16, etc. ; Luke 18 : 18, etc a Ps. 86 : 5 ; 119 : 68 b Eiod. 20; Rom. 13 : 9. 58:2: Ezek. 33 : 31, 32 ; Aial. 3 : 8 ; Rom 1:9; Phil. 3 : 6. . . .d James 2 : 10.... e Matt. 6 : 19,20; Luke 12: 33; 16 : 9.... f Job 31 : 24; Ps. 62 : 7 ; 62 : 10; Hab. 2 ; 9 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 17 ; Rev. 3 : 17. ...g Gen. 18 : 14 ; Job 42 : 2 ; Jer. 32 : 17 ; Luke 1 : 37. Matt. 19 : 1, etc. ; John 10 : '. 6 : 31 V Mali. 6 : 32 ; 19 : 18 : 10; 1 Cor. 14 : ' with the actual experience of the Christian church, in which it is almost universally obser- vable that those who have sufEered in Christ's fiery trial, possess an indescribable flavor and power of character and experience, which makes them in a peculiar sense, the salt of the commu- nity or the church. Ch. 10:1. The mission in Peeea. See note on parallel passage in Matt. 19 : 1, 3. 2-12. Christ's law of marriage and di- vorce. See notes on Matt. 19: 3-13. Of these instructions Luke gives only a hint (Lute i6: is). Verse r3 here is peculiar to Mark. " It is ex- pressed as though the woman were the active party, and put away her husband, which was allowed by Greek and Roman law (i Cor. 7 : 13), but not by Jewish (Deut. 24 : 1 ; Josephns' Antiquities XV : 7, ,„)." — (Alford.) It confirms what I have said on Matt. 19 : 9, that the principles respecting di- vorce here inculcated apply equally to either sex. The other variations in language between the ac- counts of Matthew and Mark are unimportant. For the most important see note on Matt. 19 : 4-6. 13-16. Christ blesses little children. Matt. 19 : 13-15 ; Luke 18 : 15-17. See notes on Matthew. Mark adds some graphic touches not given by Matthew, viz., that "Ae was much dis- pleased, " and that "/te took them up in his arms." Verse 15 is given by Mark and Luke, but not by Matthew. On the respects in which we must beconae like little children in order to enter Christ's kingdom, see notes on Matt. 18 : 3, 4. 17-22. The rich toung ruler. Matt. 19 : 16-33 ; Luke 18 : 18-33. In studying this inci- dent compare these accounts with care. On the whole incident consult notes on Matthew. The pictorial and graphic nature of Mark's writing is illustrated in his account here. It is he alone who tells us that the young man came running (a token of his earnestness*, and kneeled to Jesus (a token of his reverence) in the way, i. e., on the public road (a token of humility). He alone tells us (ver. 21) that " Jesus beholding him loved him " ; he graphically portrays the change in tbe young man at our Lord's answer: Ch. X.] MAEK. 381 31 But"* many that are first shall be last; and the last first. 32 And ' they were in the way going up to Jerusa- lem ; and Jesus went before them : and they were amazed ; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, 33 Saying-, Behold, we J go up to Jerusalem ; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles ; 34 And* they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him ; and the third day he shall rise again. 35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, iVlaster, we would that thou should- est do tor us whatsoever we shall desire. 36 And he said unto them. What would ye that I should do for you ? 37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy riglit hand, and the other on thy lelt hand, in thy glory. Matt. SO : 16 : Luke 13 : 30. Matt. 30 : 17, etc. ; Luke 18 : 31, etc j Acts 20: 22. . . .k Ps. 22 : 6, 7, 13. "He saddened at the saying and went away grieved " (ver. 22). 33-31. Discourse concerning riches. Matt. 10 : 23-30 ; Luke 18 : 24-30. See notes on Matthew. Mark's report contains some import- ant particulars not given by the others. To him we are indebted for what is the key-note to the entire discourse, and, indeed, to the whole Scripture teaching on the subject of wealth. " How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God " (ver. 24) ; to him also for the explicitness of the language in which Christ's promise of earthly prosperity is clothed, the words "now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and chil- dren, and lands, with persecutions," being pecu- liar to Mark. On the promise see note on Matthew, p. 230. After this discourse, and form- ing an integral part of it, follows the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, reported alone by Matthew, ch. 20 : 1-16. Ch. 10 : 33-34. PROPHECY OF CHRIST'S PASSION AND IiESURUKCriON. — Chbist's constauot the Chbis- TiAN'a EXAMPLE (Heb. 12 : 2). Matt. 20 : 17-19 ; Luke 18 : 31-34. The place of this prophecy is the road leading to Jerusalem (Lukei9:i); the time is intermediate the close of the ministry in Perea (Matt. 19 : 1, 2, note) and the Passion week, and, in the judgment of the best harmonists, after the resurrection of Lazarus (John, ch. 11). 32. This graphic description is found only in Mark.— In the way. The public highway. — Amazed * * * afraid. In a ministry of three months in Jerusalem the Jews sought to assassinate Jesus, twice mobbed him, and once issued an order for his arrest (john7 : 19, 32; 8 :S9; 10 : 31, 39). Their enmity was increased by the res- urrection of Lazarus (john 2 : 46-5o). The disciples were amazed that Jesus should return to Jerusa- lem in the face of this hostility. They were afraid to follow, yet would not turn back (jobn 11 : 8 with 6:67, 6s). It is in auswer to their unex- pressed amazement and fear that Christ, who would have all his followers count the cost (Luke u : 27, 28), foretells his approaching death. There may have been something in his determined gait and mien, expressed here in the words, "Jesus went before them," which enhanced their awe. Wordsworth notes this as one of the indications in the N. T. of the peculiar effect produced on others by Christ's external appearance and de- portment ; I should add, by the unconscious manifestation of his moral and spiritual power. See for other illustrations of this. Matt. 21 : 13 ; Mark 9 : 15 ; Luke 4 : i:0, 30 ; John 7 : 44-46 ; 18 : 6. The spirit of Christ's going up to Jeru- salem as described here by Mark illustrates and is illustrated by Heb. 13 : 2. He " endured the cross, despising the shame." — Began to tell. More fully and clearly than ever before. This was the third prophecy of his sufterings (M.-.tt. 16 : 21 J 17 : 22), but uow for the first time he dis- tinctly declares that he is to be crucified (Matt. 20 : 19). 33, 34. Luke adds, "All things that are writ- ten by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished," a clear recognition of the truth that the Passion of the Messiah was a distinct subject of O. T. prophecy (Luke is : .11, note). — Betrayed, by Judas Iscariot, unto the chief priests and scribes, i. e., the Sanhe- drim (seeMatt. 2:4, note).— And they Shall Con- demn him to death, etc. For the literal fulfilment of these prophecies see Matt. 20 : 14-16, 47, 66 ; 27 : 2, 28-81, a5 ; 28 : 19. Luke adds that the disciples did not understand Christ's prophe- cy (Luke 18 : 33, note). This, too, IS evident from the incident that follows. Ch. 10 : 35-45. AMBITIOUS BEQUEST OF THE SONS OF ZEBEDEE.— Illustrations of unanbwered prater : A UNITED PRAYER OF FAITH DENIED.— The FALSE AND THE TRUE ASPIRATION FOR GLORT (ver. 37 wlth John 17 : 5 ; Rom. 2:7; 2 Tim. 4 : 7, 8).— The answer op Christ to the Christian's prater for glory (vers. 38, 39; Rom. 5: .3-5; 8 : 18).— Christ the administra- tor OP the Father's will (ver. 40).— The heathen and the Christian ideas of greatness contrasted (vers. 42-44).— The mission of the Messiah (ver. 45). Comp. Matt. 20 : 20-28. There is no material difference in the two accounts, except that Mat- thew represents the request as preferred by the mother, Salome. But in Matthew Christ's reply is made to the sons. Probably the sons brought their mother with them, as the modem office-seeker seeks through the intervention of another ; perhaps, too, they remembered the re- 383 MAKE. [Ch. X. 38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye' know not what ye ask. Can ye drink of tlie cup that I drink of? and oe baptized with the baptism "> that lam baptized with ? 39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus sad unto them, Ye" shall indeed drink of the cup" that I drink of: and with the baptism that I am bap- tized withal, shall ye be baptized: 40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand, is not mine to give ; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. p 41 And wlien the ten heard zV, they began to be much displeased with James and John. 42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto ; them. Ye"! know that they which are accounted to rule 1 Matt. 10 : 26 i John 17 : 14 o ch. 14 ; 36 p Matt. 26 : 34 ; Heb. 11:16 q Luke 22 : 26. bukes previously administered to the twelve for their ambition (Mark 9 : 33-37). 36-37. James and John. On the charac- ter and lives of these apostles, see note on Mat- thew, ch. 10, pp. 147-150. They thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately (Luke 19 : ii), and probably expected the immediate realization of Christ's promise of kingly honor (Matt. 19 : 23). The fact that John united in this request does not tally with his traditional char- acter, as one, hy nature, humble and spiritually minded. See Mark 3 : 17, note. Compare this prayer with Christ's promises (Matt, is : 19), and observe that the denial here of a petition, in which two were agreed and which was apparent- ly founded upon a faith in Christ as a Messiah, whose reign was not distant, constitutes a divine limitation of that promise. Comp. James 4 : 3. — One on thy right hand and the other on thy left. The places of special honor. In Jo- sephus (Ant. 6: 11,9), Jonathan is represented as sitting at Saul's right hand and Abner at his left. In the Eabbinical books God is represented with the Messiah on his right and Abraham on his left. Comp. 1 Kings 3 : 19 ; 22 : 19 ; Heb. 1 : 13. Observe the promises of the Lord are places of trusty power, and activity (Matt. 19 : 28 ; 26 -. 21, 23) ; the request here is simply for places of honor. — In thy glory. Compare Christ's prayer, whose language is similar, but whose spirit how different. John 17 : 5, 24. Ob- serve that he asks to participate in the glory of the Father after he has finished his work, the disciples before they have done theirs. Comp. Rom. 2 : 10 ; 2 Tim. 4 : 7, 8. 38. Ye knoAV not Avhat ye ask. An il- lustration this of ignorant prayer. Within a month they saw the places'on his right hand and his left occupied by the two thieves in the cru- cifixion ; and they could not have failed to real- ize then the solemn significance of Christ's dec- laration and of the question which followed. — Are ye ahle to drink of the cup * * * and be baptized Avith the baptism ? * * The cup and the baptism are Scriptural emblems of sorrow ; it is not fanciful to regard the first as a symbol of inner and spiritual bitterness, the second as a symbol of outer persecution and trial (isa. 61 : 22 ; Matt. 26 : 42 ; 3 : II, note). There ap- pears to be here a latent reference to the sacra- ments. In that case the cup of the Lord's Sup- per must be regarded by the communicant as a pledge to share in the sorrows of him who was in travail for the sins of the world, and baptism as an admission to the kingdom whose perfected glory is the harvest of a sowing of trials and tears (Rom 6 : 6-8 ; 2 Tim. 2 : I2). 39. We can. The language of assurance ; but assurance may be of faith or of ignorance ; here it is of ignorance. They could say this be- cause they knew not what it meant. When the Master drank the cup they shared not his sor- row, but slept ; when he entered into the bap- tism of his Passion they forsook him and fled (Mark 14 : 33-37, 60). — Ye shall. "One of these brethren was the first of the apostles to drink the cup of suffering and be baptized with the baptism of blood (Acts 12 : 1, 2) ; the other had the longest experience among them of a life of trou- ble and persecution." — {Alford.) See Matt. 10, pp. 147-150. 40. But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give, but (is for those) for whom it is prepared. Mat- thew adds. By my Father. This declaration is not to be interpreted away by translating it {ukXu o'ii) except (to those) '■'■for whom it has been pre- pared,^'' as Owen and Alford, which is doubtful Greek (see Winer, § 53 : 10, and Rob. Lex., art. lilku) ; nor by rendering it, "/s not mine to give on the grou7id of private friendship''^ {Owen), '■'■in an arbitrary way" (James Mbrison), or, "It is not mine to promise now " {Matthew Henry), all of which are more than doubtful interpreta- tions. The spirit of the original is correctly rendered by our English version. The works which Christ does are done by the power of the Father dwelling in him (john 6 : se ; 9 : 4 j 10 : 26) ; the words which he speaks are his Father's words (John 14 : lo) ; his life is to do his Father's will (Luke 2 : 49 ; John 4 : 34) ; the glory he had before the foundation of the M'orld he had with the Father (John 17 : 6) ; the powcr of the present and the glory of the future he derives from the Father (Col. 1 : 19 ; Phil. 2:9; Heb. 1 : 2, 4). So, the plaCC Which he goes to prepare for his disciples (john u : 2), and the crown which he will give his followers (2 Tim. 4 : 8), are given as they have been tviUtcl by the Fa- ther. In brief, in the final adjudication of rewards and punishments, as in aU else, Christ executes the Father's will. 41. They began to be much displeased. Oh. X.] MAEK. 383 over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43 But so shall it not be among you: buf whoso- ever will be great among you, shall be your minis- ter: 44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but' to minister, and to' give his life a ransom for many. 46 And " they came to Jericho : and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of peo- Ele. blind Bartimseus, tae sou of Timseus, sat by the ighway side, begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of Da- vid, have mercy on me. 48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace : but he cried the more " a great deal. Thou Son of David, have mercy " on me. 49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him. Be of good comfort, rise: he" calleth thee. 50 And he, casting y away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered and said unto him. What wilt thou that I should do unto thee ? The blind man said unto him. Lord, that I might receive my sight. 52 And Jesus said unto him. Go thy way ; thy^ faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. cb. 9 : 35 ; .Matt. 20 : 96, 28 5:6; Tit. 2 : 14. ...u Matt 6 : 34 ; Matt. 9 : 22. The same spirit of self-seeking which incited the request of James and Jolm incited the displeas- ure and indignation (Matt. 20 : 24) of the ten. Christ rebukes both. 42-44. But Jesus called them. Their controversy had been carried on aside, and apart from Jesus. — They which are accouuted to rule over the Gentiles. " Not equal to, Those who rule, which God alone does." — {Alfo?-d.) Moreover, the apparent are rarely the 7-eal rulers. — Lord it over them. The original verb, in both cases, is compounded with a preposition (xutd), which gives a peculiar tone to the lan- guage, as of lordship and authority exercised over and against the ruled. And this is the essen- tial spirit of all despotism, whether civil or eccle- siastical. See note below. — But whosoever will be great among you. Primarily, in the Christian church ; secondarily, in Christian communities. — Shall be your servant. The word {SLay.ovoc) properly signifies one who waits on guests at a table ; hence it is taken typically in the N. T. to signify a preacher and pastor (2 Cor. 11 : 23). Here it is not used in the ecclesi- astical, but in the more general sense. Great- ness is to be achieved in serving, not in com- pelling the service of others.— And whosoever of you will become first, shall be the bondman of all. The original {dovXo?) never signifies hired servant, but always slave. The idea conveyed by the metaphor is not, however, submission to the authority of others (see on the con- trary Matt. 23 : 7-12, notes ; John 8 : 32 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 23 ; Gal. 32 : s), but stibservioicij to their real interests and needs. It is interpreted by the verse succeeding. 45. For even the Son of man. The Mes- siah. See Matt. 10 : 23, note.— Came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. This is still trae, and he best serves Christ, not who offers him the best service, but who hunger- ingly seeks and humbly receives from him the most. For illustrative interpretation of this say- ing, see Luke 10 : 38-42. — And to give his life a ransom for many. It is hardly possible to misunderstand the meaning of this metaphor, which clearly implies a true sacrificial offering by Christ, in order to redeem from sin the souls of those that trust in him. Comp. Isaiah 35 : 10 ; 51 : 10 ; Jer. 31 : 11 ; Hosea 13 : 14 ; 1 Cor. 6 : 20 ; Gal. 1:4; Titus 2 : 14 ; 1 Pet. 1 : 18, 19. The ransom is offered for all, 1 Tim. 2:6; it is effica- cious for the many who accept it, the great mul- titude, which no man cotild number, of Rev. 7 : 9, 10. The principles here inculcated (vers. 42 to 45) do not forbid classes in society, nor the exercise of legitimate authority, by appointed officials in church or state. But they do require that all apparent rulers shall be the real servants of the people, and shall use their place and authority as a means of serving others, not of self-aggran- dizement. Quesnel's notes on the parallel pas- sage, Matt. 20 : 25-28, should be read by those who have the opportunity. His deductions con- cerning the duty of the clergy, are the more noteworthy, because he is a Roman Catholic. The clergy are not to lord it over the laity, not to assume the air and deportment of secular princes ; they are to look upon their office as only a service or ministry, to be, in service though not in submission, the bondmen of the people, and to be always ready to spend and be spent for their flocks (John 10: 11 ,- 2 Cor. 12 : 15 ; 1 John 3:16). 46>52. Healing op blind Bartimjeus. Matt. 20 : 29-34 ; Luke 18 : 35-44. See notes on Luke, where the accounts are compared and the variations noted. Ch. 11 : 1-11. The triumphant entry INTO Jerusalem. Of this entry we have four accounts. Comp. Matt. 21 : 1-11 ; Luke 19 : 29-44 ; John 12 : 12-19. See notes on Luke for all that is common to the four accounts and for a consideration of the probable chronology. Two or three details are peculiar to Mark. — StraightAvay he will send him hither. There is some uncertainty as to the correct read- ing of this phrase. According to Origen, Lach- mann, Tischendorf, and Tregelles, it should 384 MARK. [Ch. XL CHAPTER XI. AND " when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage, and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, 2 And saith unto them. Go your way into the village over against you : and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall tind a colt tied, whereon never man sat ; loose nim, and bring him. 3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need >" of him ; and straight- way he will send him hither. 4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without, in a place where two ways met ; and they loose him. 5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them. What do ye, loosing the colt ? 6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had com- manded : and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him : and = he sat upon him. 8 And many spread their garments in the way ; and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed tkem in the way. 9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cned, saying, Hosanna ; Blessed " is he that cometh in the name of the Lord : 10 Blessed be the kingdom « of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord : Hosanna in the high- est.' 11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple : and s when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out into Bethany with the twelve. 12 And '> on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry : 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off, having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon : and when he came to it, he found nothing ' but leaves ; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it. No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. 9:7; Jer. 33 : 15... read, Straightway he, i. e., the Lord, will send him back again. That is, it is a promise to the owner of a speedy return of the ass. Alford retains our English version, which interprets the words as a prophecy to the disciples that the owner wUl send the animal at once on receiving the message, "The Lord hath need of him." — Where two ways meet. Rather, "m the roundabout ivaij ;'''' either, as Wordsworth, "in the back way which led round the house ; " or, as James Morison, "a topographical note that could only be given by an eye-witness ; the like- lihood is that the village would be straggled along a road that deviated from the highway, but came round to it again." — Cut down branches off the trees. This corresponds with the parallel passages in Matthew and John. But the best reading here is, " And others twigs, having cut them out of the fields.'''' The original (ari|/i(ic) indicates small twigs, such as ai-e fit for a bed or mattress, and might include rushes or leaves." — And strawed them in the way. This phrase is wanting in the best manuscripts. It is borrowed probably from Matthew, and cor- rectly describes the facts. Verse 11 is peculiar to Mark. Matthew and Luke write as though Jesus drove the cattle and dealers out of the Temple that same day, though they do not ex- plicitly say so. Greswell's supposition is a rea- sonable one, that the traders and their effects had been removed for the day, but that Christ saw the indications of their presence, and, re- turning the next day, drove them out as de- scribed by the three Evangelists. It would appear from this verse and Matt. 21 : 17 and Luke 21 : 37, that during the Passion week he remained in Jerusalem only by day, spending the night either at Bethany, just over the Mount of Olives, or on the mount itself. In that cli- mate and at that season sleeping In the open air was no hardship. Probably two motives con- spired to this course : safety from the machina- tions of the priest and a desire for quiet for devotion, and perhaps for private conferences with his disciples, which he could not secure in the now over-crowded city. Oh. 11 ; 12-26. CURSINU OF THE BARREN FIG-TREE. -CASTING OUT THE TIUDEUS Fi;())I THE TEMPLE.- The prater op faith.— The punishment op fruit- less PROFESSION IS DEATH.— The CONSECRATION AND DESECRATION OP God's TeMPLE : IT IS CONSECRATED TO THE USE OP ALL NATIONS ; IT IS DESECRATED WHEN PERVERTED TO A MEANS OP PECUNIARY PROFIT.— ThK PROMISE TO THE PRATER OF FAITH AND ITS CONDITIONS. Parallel with this account is Matt. 21 : 12-33 and Luke 19 : 45-48. Luke does not mention the cursing of the fig-tree. 12-14. Few passages in the N. T. have given rise to more discussion or presented more diflS- culties than this incident. The difficulties, and what I believe to be the true solution, may be, perhaps, best represented by embodying them in the form of question and answer. I. How can we reconcile Christ's ignorance of the fruitless condition of this tree Avith his divine character? (1.) It is not stated that he was ignorant of its fruitless character, or that he expected to find fruit upon it ; only that he went to it as if seek- ing for fruit. (2.) He may, however, have been ignorant; and this is implied, though not as- serted, in this narrative. For it was a part of his voluntary humiliation to subject himself to all the ordinary conditions of humanity, and he did not use his divine knowledge except for the sake of others and in the execution of his divine mis- sion. See ch. 13 : 32, note. II. How could he, as a reasonable man, have expected fruit if " the time of figs was not yet?" This difficulty has led to various explanations ; first, to proposed emendations of the text, as, " Where he was it Ch. XL] MARK. 385 15 And' they come to Jerasalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers," and the seats of them that sold doves ; 16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not writ- ten,' My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer ? but ye have made it a den ™ of thieves. 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard zf, and sought how they might destroy him : for they feared him, because all the people was astonished " at his doc- trine. 19 And when even was come, he went out of the city. j Matt. 21 : 12, etc. ; Luke 19 : 45, ( 1 ch. 1 : 22 ; Matt. 7 : was the season of figs," or, "Was it not the time of figs? " but neither of these are admissi- ble ; and, second, to different renderings of the present text, as, "It was not a good season for figs that year," or, "It was not the harvest sea- son for figs," that is, the time for gathering them ; hence our Lord might reasonably expect to find figs there ; but neither of these accords with the facts or with the text. The reader will find a compact statement of these and the other explanations in Trench's Notes on the Miracles. The facts are that figs are produced in Palestine at two or even three seasons of the year, viz., the end of June, or sometimes a little earUer, the middle of August, and the late fall ; the latter figs remaining on the tree through the winter. But the early fig usually appears before the leaf; hence in this case (it was the beginning of April) the leaf was precocious, and justified a hope if not an expectation of finding precocious fruit, and the language here, "If haply he might find anything, ' ' indicates that it was only a bare pos- sibility which he or his disciples had in mind, Mr. Thomson {Land and Book, I, 538) says that he has plucked the early figs as early as May on the Lebanon, one hundred and fifty miles north of Jerusalem ; a w^arm and sunny spot on the slope of the Mount of Olives might have pro- duced leaves as early as April on a specially early fig-tree. III. Why should Christ have in- flicted judgment on the tree, or been angry with it for failing to furnish him with fruit? Of anger there is not the slightest trace in the narrative. This has been invented and imputed to Christ by a cavilling criticism. Judgment, in the true sense, there was none. For the tree, \vithout moral responsibility, was neither guilty of sin nor capable of receiving punishment. But it was a natural parable of the condition of the Jewish nation, and the withering away which ensued (ver. 20) was an enacted parable of the punishment which divine providence would bring upon that nation, which was morally re- sponsible for its condition, and morally capable of bemg judged and punished. The act here is thus parallel to and interpreted by the parable in Luke 13 : 6-9 ; comp. Matt. 3:8; 7 : 16 ; 21 : 43. "The tree, by its precocious leaves, made a pretence of f ruitfulness, and thus exactly symboUzed the Jewish nation, whose sin was not so much that it was without fruit, as that it boasted of so much." " It (the tree) was pun- ished, not for being without fruit, but for pro- claiming by the voice of those leaves that it had fruit ; not for being barren, but for being false." — {Trench.) The present and personal applica- tion of this incident is to all those who make a fair show of religion, but bring not forth the fruits thereof, as Paul describes them in Gal. 5 : 22, 23. 15-19. Christ had, at the commencement of his ministry, cast the traders out of the Temple. That event, described by John (2 : is-n) is not to be confounded with the one described here and by the other Synoptists. See Matt. 21 : 12, 13, note. For description of the Temple, and notes on the signification of the cleansing, see on John. The part of the Temple occupied by the traders was the Court of the Gentiles ; they were thus practically excluded from aU participation in its benefits, since they were not allowed in the inner courts. The priests winked at this dese- cration, and probably participated m the profits, "^e icould not suffer any vessel to he carried through the Temple,^'' indicates, not a prohibition to carry through these outer courts the sacred utensils of the Temple proper, but a prohibition of the use of the outer court for the purpose of a thoroughfare. The word here rendered vessel is translated in Matt. 12 : 29 and Mark 3 : 27 goods, and in Luke 17 : 31 stuff. The references in Christ's address which follow are to Isaiab 56 ; 7 and Jer. 7 : 11. The peculiar language here, '■'■ My house shall le called a house of prayer for all nations,'^'' reported only by Luke and mistranslated in our English version, indicates that this act was a rebuke, not only of the sacri- lege put upon the Temple by converting it into a market-place, but also of the Jewish bigotry which, by thus using the only part of the Tem- ple which was accessible to the Gentiles, ex- cluded them from its benefits. The Tem- ple was not merely for Jewish worshippers, but for all nations. The language, " Te have made it a den of thieves,''^ indicates that it was a corrapt and fraudulent trafftc which a corrupt and fraudulent priesthood had permitted to encroach on the worship of God. There is scarcely anywhere in the N. T. a more striking illustration of the marvellous moral power of 386 MAEK. [Ch. XI. 20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tre*; dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, calling to remembrance, saith unto him. Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedstis withered away ! 22 And Jesus, answering, saith unto him. Have faith in God. 23 For verily, I say unto you. That whosoever " shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea ; and sliall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass ; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 2^ Therefore 1 .say unto you, Whatf things soever ye desire when ye pray, beheve that ye receive tkem, and ye shall have tke/n. 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive,i if ye have aught against any ; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But ■■ if ye do not forgive, neither will your Fa- ther which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. 27 And they come again to Jerusalem: and' as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, 28 And say unto him, By' what authority doest thou these things ? and who gave thee this authority to do these things ? 29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 The baptism of John, was ii from heaven, or of men? Answer me. 31 And they reasoned with themselves, saving. If we shall say. From heaven ; he will say. Why then did ye not believe him ? 32 But if we shall say. Of men : they feared the peo- ple : for " all men counted John, that he was a prophet mdeed. 33 And they answered and said unto Jesus, We' cannot tell. And Jesus answering, saith unto them, Neither do I ^ tell you by what authority I do these things. . Matt. ]7 : 20 : Luke 17 : 6. . . .p Malt. 7 : ' ; Luke 11 ; r Matt. 18 : 35.... s Matt. SI : 23, etc. ; Luke 20 : 1, Jer. 8:1 ; Hos. 4:6....w Luke 10: 21,22. Christ than this act of his in cleansing the Tem- ple, single-handed, of a corruption so entrenched. Tet we must not forget that in it he was doubt- less supported by the sympathies of the Gentiles and the more pious Jews, as well as by the con- sciences of the very men who were driven out ; and that while the priests winked at the traffic, they would hesitate openly to sanction it. 20, 21. Observe that the effect to the fruit- tree exceeds the sentence ; that simply con- demns it to f ruitlessness. But both in nature and in grace fruitlessness always issues in death. It is only by and through fruit-bearing that life -is ever perpetuated. 22-26. Have faith in God. Comp. John 14 : 1 ; Heb. 11 : 6. Here evidently faith in a God who is master over nature. It is an exhor- tation which in this age of naturalism the church needs ever to recall. — To this mount. That is, the Mount of Olives, on which they were standing ; the language points out a particular mountain. — And shall not doubt in his heart. Literally, Shall not he at variance vnth himself in his heart. The original {Siaxqlvoj) is rendered staggered in Kom. 4 : 20, and wavering in James 1 : 6. — But shall have faith that those things which he saith shall come to pass. Not merely a general faith in God or even in prayer, but a faith in God as then present and hearing, and in that particular prayer as then heard and to be answered. — He shall have whatsoever he saith. The words Whatsoever he saith are omitted by Tischendorf and doubted by Alford. But the omission does not materially modify the meaning of the prom- ise.— For this reason I say unto you. Be- cause the promise of blessing is only to the prayer of faith (james i : 6, t ; 5 : 15), therefore we need to strengthen our faith in the time of -prayer.— And when ye stand. " To stand is the attitude of praying with confidence ; to be prostrate, of praying with deprecation." — {Ben- gel.) — Forgive if ye have aught against any. Comp. Matt. 5 : 23, 24. The connection appears to me to be this : Christ's faith had wrought itself out in a symbolical condemnation of an unfruitful nation. The disciples were to imbibe his faith, but not to imitate its exercise. Their prayers were to be, not for the punish- ment, but for the pardon of ofEenders. Comp. Johu9 : 54r-56, Only Mark contains verses 25 and 26 in this connection, and there is some doubt as to the authenticity of verse 26. Alford retains it ; Tischendorf and Tregelles omit it. There is a difficulty in these verses (22-26), which probably every reader feels, and which the commentaries do not help much to solve. No one takes the promise here literally, "He shall have whatsoever he saith," and, "Believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them. " It is true that Christ sometimes taught by hyper- boles, but he never employed mere exaggeration to produce an effect. I confess, therefore, that the largeness of the promise perplexes me ; I can only note three facts in partial interpretation of it. (1.) The promise is only to him who has faith that those things tvhich he saith shall come to pass. But this faith must rest on some founda- tion. It cannot be a mere baseless expectation. The promise, therefore, carries some limitations in its terms ; it is made only to such prayers as are based on and accord with the revealed will of God ; (2) it teaches emphatically that the ben- efit of prayer is not wholly a spiritual benefit to the one praying, but that it also is efficacious to change or modify, by the divine intervention, the course of natural phenomena ; (3) it in- volved a promise of miracles in answer to prayer in the apostolic age, when miracles were needed to carry on God's work ; but it involves no such Cu. XII.]. MAEK. 387 CHAPTER XII. AND he began to speak unto them by parables. A » certain man planted a vineyard, ana set an hedge about ity and digged a place /or the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a ser- vant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the y fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they caught him^ and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4 And again he sent unto them another servant : and at him they cast stones,^ and wounded lii}H in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. 5 And again he sent another ; and him they killed, and » many others ; beating some, and killing " some. 6 Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he "= sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. 7 But those husban-imen said among themselves. This is the heir ; come, let us kill him, and the inheri- tance shall be ours. 8 And they took him, and killed hint, and cast him out '' of the vineyard. 9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do ? He will come and <= destroy the husbandmen, and will f give the vineyard unto others. 10 And have ye not read this scripture ; The s stone which the builders rejected is become the head of ihe corner: 11 This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ? 12 And •• they sought to lay hold on him, but feared ths people : for they knew that he had spoken the para- ble against them: and they left him, and went their way. 13 And' they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. 14 And when they were come, they say unto him. Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man : for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth : Is it lawful to give tribute to Cxsar, or not? 15 Shall we give, or shall we not give ? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them. Why tempt ye me ? Bring me a penny, that I may see it. 1 16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, \ Whose is this image and superscription ? And they • said unto him, Caesar's. ' 17 And Jesus, answering, said unto them. Render to Caesar J the things that are Caesar's, and to God" the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him. 18 Then' come unto him the Sadducees, which say™ there is no resurrection ; and they ask him, saying, 19 Master, Moses wrote" unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave /?« wife behind him, and leave no chil- dren, that his brother " should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 20 Now there were seven brethren : and the first took a wife, and dying, left no seed. 21 And the second took her, and died : neither left he any seed : and the third likewise. 22 And the seven had her, and left no seed : last of all the woman died also. 23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them ? for the seven had her to wife. 24 And Jesus answering said unto them. Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, nei- ther the power of God ? 25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they nei- ther marry nor are given in marriage ; but p are as the angels which are in heaven. 26 And as touching the dead, that they rise ; have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying,i I atn the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob ? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living : ye ' therefore do greatly err. 28 And » one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that ne had answered them well, asked him. Which is the first com- mandment of all ? 29 And Jesus answered him. The first of all the com- mandments zj,' Hear, O Israel ; The Lord our God is one Lord : Matt. 21 : 33: Luke 20 : 9, etc y Cant. 8 : 11 ; Micah 7 : I ; Luke 12:48; John 15: l-8....zHeb. 11 : 37.... a Neh. 9 : 30 ; Jer. 7 : S5, etc. b Matl. 23 : :« c deb. 1:1,2 d Heb. 13 : 12 e Prov. 1 : 24-31 ; Isa. 5:6-7: Dan. 9 : 26 f Jer. 17 : 3 g Ps. 118 : 22. . . li ch. 11 : 18; John 7 : 30.... i Matt. 22 : 15; Luke 20 : 20, etc.... j Matt. 17 : 25-57; Rom. 13:7; 1 Pet. 2:17....k Eccl. 6:4,6; Mai. 1:6.... 1 .Mat:. 2-' : 23 ; Luke 20 : 27, etc m Acta 23 : 8 n Deut. 25 : 5 o Ruth 1 : 11, 13 pi Cor. 16 : 42-63 q Exod. 3:6 r ver. 24.... a Matl. 22 : 36.... t Deut. 6 : 4, 5 ; Luke 10 : 27. . r i promise now, since there is no ground on which we can base a just expectation that God will work miracles in answer to prayer, and cannot, therefore, in accordance with the laws of the human mind, believe that if we ask for them we shall have them. 37-33. Christ's authority questioned. Compare Matt. 21 : 23-27, and Luke 20 : 1-8. The accounts are almost verbally identical. See notes on Matthew. Ch. 12:1-12. Parable op the wicked HUSBANDMEN. Narrated, also, in Matt. 21 : 33-46, and Luke 20 : 9-19. There is no material variance in the reports, except that Mark gives some details here in verses 4 and 5, not given by the others, and their condemnation here ex- pressed by Christ (rer. 9) in Matthew, he is repre- sented as compelling his auditors to express themselves. Both may well be true. For notes, see Matthew. 13-1 '7. Concerning tribute to C^sar. Compare Matt. 32 : 15-22, and Luke 20 : 20-26. Luke gives the object of the inquiry of the Phar- isees, " That they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him into the power and authority of the government," and their failure, "They could not take hold of his words." Mark puts the question more directly than the others : ••Shall we give, or shall we not give?" Otherwise the accounts are substantially iden- tical. See notes on Matthew. 18-27. The Sadducees silenced. Compare Matt. 22 : 23-33, and Luke 20 : 27-40, and notes in both places. 28-34. The great commandment. Peculiar to Matt. 22 : 34-40, and Mark here. See notes on Matthew. There is a seeming but not real discrepancy in their reports. According to Mat- thew the scribe asks the question of our Lord, " tempting him." Mark's language indicates no such hostile purpose, and the scribe's response, and Christ's commendation of him (vers. 33, 34), have been thought inconsistent with Matthew's interpretation of his motives. He may have been an honest inquirer whom Matthew classed with the other inquirers " without entering into careful 388 MAKK. [Ch. XII. 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou " shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other com- mandment greater than these. 32 And the scribe said unto him. Well, Master, thou hast said the truth : for there is one God ; and ' there is none other but he : 33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more" than all whole burnt oiferings and sacrifices. 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him ' any question. . 35 And Jesus answered and said, while he Uught m the temple. How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David ? 1 36 For David himself said by' the Holy Ghost, The" Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord ; and whence is he then his son ? And the common people heard him gladly. 38 And he said unto them"" in his doctrine. Beware" of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market-places, 39 And '^ the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts ; 40 Which devour widows' houses,"^ and for a pretence make long prayers : these shall receive greater damna- tion. 41 And f Jesus sat over against the treasury, and be- held how the people cast money into the treasury : and many that were nch cast in much. n Lev. 19 : 18; Matt. 22 : 39 ; Rom. 13 : 9 t Deut. 4 : 39 ; I«a. 45 : 5, 6, 14 ; 46 : 9. . X Matt. n::46....v Matt. 22 : 41 ; Luke 20 : 41, etc.... J 2 Sa'n. 23 : 2 ; 2 Tim. 23:1; Luke 20 : 46, etc. ...d Luke 11 : 43 ...e 2 Tim. 3 : 6.... f Luke 21 : 1, etc. and accurate discrimination" (J.{/brd); but this is not a necessary hypotliesis. He may have been a caviller, not a disciple, and yet not so encased in prejudice but that he could appreciate the force of Christ's simple but eloquent response, and acknowledge its truth and beauty. On ver. 34, Alford's comment is worthy of study by those who are inclined to regard obedience, not faith, as the root and foundation of a religious life. "This man had hold of that principle in which Law and Gospel are one. He stood, as it were, at the door of the kingdom of God. He only wanted (but the want was indeed a serious one) repentance and faith to be within it. The Lord shows us here that even outside his flock those who can answer discreetly, who have knowledge of the spirit of the great command of Law and Gospel, are nearer to being of his flock than the formalists ; but then as Bengel adds, * If thou art not far off, enter ; otherwise it were better that thou wert far oH. '" Comp. Matt. 19 : 16-23. 35-37. The Pharisees baffled. See notes on parallel passage in Matt. 22 : 41-4(5. Observe in verse 36, here, Christ's testimony to the inspi- ration of the O. T. Scripture, and in verse 37, Mark's account of the effect of Christ's teaching on the common people, they " heard him gladly; " while according to Matthew (22 : 46) the Pharisees and Scribes were confounded by it. Perhaps the common people were not sorry to see their auto- cratic teachers put to confusion. 38-40. Denunciation of the Scribes. Mark's language here, " And he said unto them in his teaching," indicates that these verses are only a quotation from a longer discourse. Such is the fact. The discourse occupies the whole of Matt., ch. 23. The verses here and in Luke 30 : 4.5-47 are parallel to Matt. 23 : .5, 6, 14. See notes there. The language here "love to go in long clothing" answers to "enlarge the borders of their garments," in Matthew. The "long clothing" CGr, aro/r, stole) wa.3 a long, flowing robe reaching to the feet, and worn by king and priests, and by the scribes, probably as a symbol of sanctity, and as a means of attracting attm- tion and securing the reverence of the common people. The holy garments of Aaron, Exod. 28 : 2, and the white " robes " of Rev. 7 : 13, are both in the Greek " stoles," the same word here ren- dered "long clothing." Observe that here are condemned, (1) the spirit that is more scrupulous concerning the outward ceremonials than the in- ward spirit of religion (ver. ss) ; (2) that which covets the praise of men more than honor from God (ver. 38 ; comp. Matt. 6 : 1-5, 16-18) ; (3) SOCial pride and vain-glory (ver. 39; comp. Luke 14 : t-u) ', (4) the concealment of practical selfishness by a pre- tence of piety (ver. 40 ; comp. Isaiah 1 : lO-ls). Ch. 12 : 41-44. THE WIDOW'S MITES.— A EEBtTKE to THE PBOUD rich; AN INSPIRATION TO THE HUMBLE POOR. This incident is recorded only by Mark and Luke (21 : i-i). The report is fuller here. The time and occasion are uncertain ; there is, how- ever, no especial reason to doubt that it occurred at this time and in conjunction with the discourse against the Scribes and Pharisees. 41-42. And Jesus was sitting over against the treasury. What this treasury was, is uncertain. According to the Mishna there were in the Temple thirteen treasure chests for the re- ception of gifts of money, to be devoted to so many special purposes, designated by the in- scriptions upon them. These chests were called "trumpets," probably from the shape of the open- ings into which the contributions were dropped. To such a chest there is a reference in 2 Kings 12 : 9, 10 ; comp. 22 . 4, 5. Posssibly the reference is to these chests. It is, however, clear from John 8 : 20 that there was a room in the Temple called the treasury. To such a room Josephus refers in Antiq. 19 : 6, 1. That there were side-rooms of the Temple used for receiving and keeping the Ch. XIIL] MARK. they which have cast 42 And there came a certain poor widow and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto liijii his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, Thatf this poor widow hath cast more in, than all t' ■ ■ • • into the treasury : 44 For all they did cast in of their abundance : ^ but she of her want did cast in all tliat she had, even all ' her living. CHAPTER XIII. A NDJ as he went out of the temple, one of his disci- 1\. pies saith unto him. Master, see what manner of stones and wliat buildings are here ! 1 And Jesus, answcnng, said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings ? there ^ shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, over against the temple, Peter and James and John and An- drew asked him privately, 4 Tell us, when shall these things be ? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be ful- filled? 5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say, Take ' heed less any man deceive you : 6 For many shall come ™ in my name, saying, I am Christ : and shall deceive many. 7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be " ye not troubled : for such things must needS be ; but the end shall not be yet. 8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom ; and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles : these are the beginnings of sorrows. 9 But take heed to yourselves : for they shall ° de- liver you up to councils ; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten ; and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. 10 And p the gospel must first be published among all nations. 11 But when they shall lead you^ and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, nei- ther do ye premeditate ; but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye : for it is not ye that speak, but '' the Holy Ghost. g 2 Cor. 8 : 2, 19....h 1 Chr. 29 : 8 ; Eph. 5 : 6 ; 2 Thess. o MiiU 10 : 17, etc. ; Rev. ! Matt. 28 : 19; Rev. 14: 6.... q Acts 2: 4; 4 ; 8, 31 ; 6 : 10. TREASURY BOXES. tithes, both in money and kind, is evident from Neh. 10 : 38, 39 ; 1 Chron. 28 : 11, 13. I judge the reference here to be to this treasury chamber, in which, perhaps, Christ was teaching at the time, and in which possibly the treasure chests referred to in the Mi.shna, may have been Icept. Our illustration shows the treasury boxes used in the East in the synagogues.— Was watching ho\vth3 people ca.st money into the treas- ury. The original indicates that he was pur- posely observing the people, studying their action and characters ; a hint to the preacher how to get both subjects for discourse, and knowledge how to treat those subjects. Christ still keeps like ■watch in his church. See Rev. 1 : 13.— Two mites. The mite was the least Jewish coin, about equivalent to two mills of our money. Observe, she \\.iAtwo; she might have retained 43. Calling his disciples. To direct their attention to this woman and to emphasize the lesson which he wished to inculcate. — This poor woman hath cast more in. Because God reckons not according to the gift, but ac- cording to the giver ; not according to the value of that which is bestowed, but according to the self-sacrifice in the bestowal. Compare 3 Cor. 8 : 13. Ch. 13. Christ's discourse on the Last Days. This discourse is reported also in Matt, ch. 34, and Luke 31 : 5-38. For the analysis of this discourse, its general lessons, and all that is common in the three accounts, see notes on Mat- thew. Here I call the attention of the student only to phraseologies peculiar to Mark. 1 , 2. The language here is more dramatic than in Matthew, and more expressive of the admiration of the disciples for the Temple struc- ture. Matthew brings before us most vividly the structure itself : " His disciples came for to show him aU the buildings of the Temple ; ' ' Mark, the substantial materials employed in the structure: "What manner of stones and what manner of buildings ; " Luke, the ornaments and ofEerings : "How it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts." 3. Peter etc. asked him privately. This may either mean apart from the multitude, but in the presence of the rest of the disciples {James Morison), or apart from the other disci- ples, and in a purely private conference (Lame). The language rather implies the latter ; the full- ness of Matthew's report indicates, however, that he was present. 5-8. The language here is almost verbally identical with Matt. 24 : 3-S. Luke's language (21 : 8-11) differs only in one or two respects. 9-11. These verses are not in Matthew. But MAEK. [Ch. XIII 12 Now the brother' shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son : and children shall rise up against tkeir parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. 13 And ye shall be hated » of all men for my name's sake : but he ' that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desola- tion, spoken of" by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand), then let them that be in Judaea Hee to the mountains: 15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein^ to take any thing out of his house. 16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. 17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days ! 18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. 19 For " in those days shall be aftliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation wliich God cre- ated unto this time, neither shall be. 20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved : but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. 21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo,'*herez> Christ; or, Lo, he is there : believe him not: 22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if // were pos- sible, even the elect. 23 But " take ye heed ; behold, I have foretold you all things. 24 But in those days, after that tribulation,'' the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give Let light, 25 And ^ the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 26 And" then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds, with great power and glory. 27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth, to the uttermost part of heaven. 28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree ; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near. 29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. 30 Verily, I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these thmgs be done. 31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but"" my words shall not pass away. 32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. r Micah 7 : 6. . . .s Luke 6 ; !!2 ; John 17 : 14. . . .t Dan. 12 : X 2Pet. 3:17....v Dan. 12 : 1 ; Zeph. 1 : 15-17. ...7. 1=^ 14 : 62 ; Dan. 7 : 9-14 ; Matt. 16 : i7 ; 24 : 30 ; Acts 1 ; U ; Rev. 2: 10 n Dan. 9 3 : 10; 24 : 20, 23 ; Je;-. 4 : I TUess. 4:16; 2 Tbess. 1 : : 27 V Dan. 12:1; Joel 2:2 w Lnl;i 2S ; 2 Pet. 3 : 10, 12 ; Rev. 6 : 12-14 j 20 : 7: 10; Rev. 1 : 7. ...b I