Matthew · Chapter 11

V. 1. In their cities-The other cities of Israel.

Verse 1. This verse properly belongs to the preceding chapter, from which it should on no account be separated; as with that it has the strictest connection, but with this it has none.

To teach and to preach] To teach, to give private instructions to as many as came unto him; and to preach, to proclaim publicly, that the kingdom of God is at hand; two grand parts of the duty of a Gospel minister. Their cities] The cities of the Jews.

Verse 1. When Jesus had made an end of commanding, that is, of giving instruction to his twelve disciples, and thereby of preparing them for the service they were now to undertake, he departed to teach and preach in their cities — The other cities of Israel, being unwearied and constant in his great work.

1. Jesus had made an end of commanding — This verse properly belongs to the close of the preceding chapter, upon which see the closing note. It informs us how Jesus was engaged during the trial mission of his apostles; while each couple took their own way, the Master himself was upon his Father’s business.

V. 2. He sent two of his disciples-Not because he doubted himself; but to confirm their faith. Luke 7:18.

Verse 2. John had heard in the prison] John was cast into prison by order of Herod Antipas, Matthew 14:3, &c., (where see the notes,) a little after our Lord began his public ministry, Matthew 4:12; and after the first passover, John 3:24.

Verses 2-6. Now when John had heard in the prison (into which he had been cast by Herod Antipas, a little after he began his public ministry, chap. 4:12, and 14:3, &c.) of the works of Christ — That is, of some of his many miracles, &c. — He sent two of his disciples — Not, as is probable, because he doubted himself, but to confirm their faith. And said, Art thou he that should come — Namely, the Messiah? Or look we for another — Under that character? “Considering what clear evidence John had received by a miraculous sign from heaven that Jesus was the Messiah, (see John 1:33,) and what express and repeated testimonies he himself had borne to this truth, it cannot reasonably be supposed that he now doubted of it. But some of his disciples, offended and discouraged by his long imprisonment, as well as the freedom of Christ’s conversation, so different from the austerity used by their master and his disciples, might begin to call it in question, and therefore John might think it necessary to put them in the way of obtaining further satisfaction.” — Doddridge. Now at this very time, according to Luke, (Luke 7:21,) Jesus cured many of their infirmities and plagues, &c. He therefore said to these disciples, Go and show John those things which ye hear and see — Which are a stronger proof of my being the Messiah than any bare assertions can be. Comp. Isaiah 35:5, 6, and 61:1. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me — Or brought to doubt my being the Messiah on account of the mean circumstances in which I appear. For many will be induced to question it, notwithstanding all the evidences I have given, and shall give of it.

§ 39. — THE MESSAGE OF JOHN TO JESUS, AND THE SAVIOUR’S ANSWER, 2-7. Matthew here inserts, not in its chronological order, a narrative, possessed of special interest, of a message sent by John from the solitude of his prison to Jesus. It possesses a marked completeness in itself, and should be read as one whole. See remarks at the close of the chapter.

John was imprisoned probably in the fortress of Macherus in Perea, east of the Dead Sea. At what time precisely this message was sent is not certain, but earlier than the events of the last chapter. Jesus was probably at Capernaum.

2. John — John the Baptist was like his prototype Elijah. See notes on Matthew 1:1; 17:10, 12. As the former was driven by Ahab into the wilderness, so the latter was shut up in prison; and as the former at a certain period (1 Kings 19:1-13) bore his solitude impatiently, so the evangelist now shows us of John that he bore his imprisonment impatiently. John had heard… works of Christ — Near eighteen months now had John remained in prison, a period about as long as the exercise of his active ministry. His disciples, apparently, had access to him, and through them the rumours of our Lord’s works might reach his ears. Successively he might have heard how Jesus had organized his twelve apostolates — one for every tribe of Israel; how he had healed the servant of the centurion of Capernaum, had lately raised the widow’s son at Nain, and had filled Palestine, and even Syria and Idumea, with the renown of miracle and preaching. These were indeed mighty works; but why did not the reign of righteousness and glory commence its era?

Sent two of his disciples — In regard to this message of John to our Saviour, there are at least two opposing opinions. One view, that supported by Watson and by Stier, and held by orthodox commentators more generally, is that John sent his message to Jesus not so much to satisfy any doubts of his own, as for the instruction of his disciples in the true character of Jesus from the lips of the Lord himself. This view is sustained by these commentators on the ground of John’s character. They dwell on the high office of John as the official witness for Jesus, and expatiate on the scandal upon Christianity arising from the supposition that he doubted the genuineness and truthfulness of his Lord. In spite, however, of all these opposing arguments, which appear to us to misapprehend the opinion they controvert, we are compelled to adopt the view that John sent his inquiry for the satisfaction of his own mind.

The doubts in John’s mind were not such as tended in the slightest degree to invalidate his previous testimonies to Jesus, or the evidence on which they rested. John’s misgivings were not in their nature skeptical, but anxious. He doubted not the divinity of Jesus, but queried what was to be his future course. Like others, he expected a more rapid development of the Messiah’s kingship; and as Jesus seemed to be permanently a peaceful prophet, he questioned whether a different royal Messiah was not yet to appear. The very fact that he sent to Jesus himself for relief, as the fountain and oracle of truth, shows that he still acknowledged him as one the latchet of whose shoes he was unworthy to unloose. The import of his message was: “I acknowledge thee profoundly as ever as the Son of God, ‘the way, the truth, and the life,’ whose unworthy harbinger and messenger I am. But thy present acts and words indicate that thou art to be a teacher and a worker of miracles. Art thou also the predicted King of the glorious divine reign about to come in, or must we wait for another?” John then did not retract or doubt the past; he only queried the future.

There is something severe in the whole of our Lord’s demeanour and language, as if reproving this shaking of John’s higher faith in God. Just so at a time when the firmness of Elijah’s faith was shaken, (1 Kings xix,) the Lord rebukes him, and instructs him with signs and miracles.

V. 3. He that is to come-The Messiah.

Verse 3. Art thou he that should come] o ercomenov, he that cometh, seems to have been a proper name of the Messiah; to save or deliver is necessarily implied. See Clarke on “Luke 7:19”.

There is some difficulty in what is here spoken of John. Some have thought he was utterly ignorant of our Lord’s Divine mission, and that he sent merely for his own information; but this is certainly inconsistent with his own declaration, Luke 3:15, &c.; John 1:15, 26, 33; 3:28, &c. Others suppose he sent the message merely for the instruction of his disciples; that, as he saw his end approaching, he wished them to have the fullest conviction that Jesus was the Messiah, that they might attach themselves to him.

A third opinion takes a middle course between the two former, and states that, though John was at first perfectly convinced that Jesus was the Christ, yet, entertaining some hopes that he would erect a secular kingdom in Judea, wished to know whether this was likely to take place speedily. It is very probable that John now began, through the length of his confinement, to entertain doubts, relative to his kingdom, which perplexed and harassed his mind; and he took the most reasonable way to get rid of them at once, viz. by applying to Christ himself.

Two of his disciples] Instead of duo, two, several excellent MSS., with both the Syriac, Armenian, Gothic, and one copy of the Itala, have dia, by; he sent by his disciples.

Verses 2-6. Now when John had heard in the prison (into which he had been cast by Herod Antipas, a little after he began his public ministry, chap. 4:12, and 14:3, &c.) of the works of Christ — That is, of some of his many miracles, &c. — He sent two of his disciples — Not, as is probable, because he doubted himself, but to confirm their faith. And said, Art thou he that should come — Namely, the Messiah? Or look we for another — Under that character? “Considering what clear evidence John had received by a miraculous sign from heaven that Jesus was the Messiah, (see John 1:33,) and what express and repeated testimonies he himself had borne to this truth, it cannot reasonably be supposed that he now doubted of it. But some of his disciples, offended and discouraged by his long imprisonment, as well as the freedom of Christ’s conversation, so different from the austerity used by their master and his disciples, might begin to call it in question, and therefore John might think it necessary to put them in the way of obtaining further satisfaction.” — Doddridge. Now at this very time, according to Luke, (Luke 7:21,) Jesus cured many of their infirmities and plagues, &c. He therefore said to these disciples, Go and show John those things which ye hear and see — Which are a stronger proof of my being the Messiah than any bare assertions can be. Comp. Isaiah 35:5, 6, and 61:1. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me — Or brought to doubt my being the Messiah on account of the mean circumstances in which I appear. For many will be induced to question it, notwithstanding all the evidences I have given, and shall give of it.

Verse 3. Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another. Brevity here is connected with obscurity. John could not doubt, after seeing the glory, and hearing the voice from heaven. The main object seems to be, to transfer his disciples to the pastoral care of Christ, as well as to obtain fresh support of faith in the time of trouble.

3. Art thou he that should come — Here is no doubt a reference to Malachi 3:1, where it is said: “Jehovah whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple.” The slowness of our Lord to develope the glory of his kingdom seemed to John not to agree with the suddenness ascribed to the Messiah. Do we look for another — John here seems to be running into the same train of reasoning as that which induced the later Jews to adopt the theory of two Messiahs, one of whom (called by them the Son of Joseph) should fulfil the humiliations described by the prophets as belonging to the Messiah; and the other (whom they called the Son of David) should fulfil the glorious part of the prophecies. I do not mean that John adopted or was acquainted with this Jewish theory; but that the same idea (namely, the contrast lying between the humble suffering Messiah and the glorious Messiah, Prince of the kingdom of God) which prompted that theory prompted his question.

CHAPTER 11. Verse 3. Art thou he that should come? &c. — That John sent these disciples to obtain such information from Christ as might remove doubts which he himself through infirmity had begun to entertain, as to the character of our Lord, is the view of many expositors. And they have devised and indulged conjectures to account for this failure in the strength of John’s previous faith; all of which, like the assumption that the prophet fell into any doubt on the subject, are perfectly gratuitous. The evidences which John had received as to Jesus being the Christ, were too strong to be easily shaken, and he had views too spiritual as to his kingdom to be “offended” at his lowly course of life. The expression of St. Matthew, “Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ,” also intimates this; for Christ is not here used as a proper name, but with the article, and would more properly have been rendered, the works of the CHRIST, or the Messiah. He knew that these were the works by which the CHRIST was to demonstrate himself; and he sends his disciples to hear, or to be witnesses of them, in order to their believing in him. This question is fully set at rest by the remark of our Lord respecting John in a subsequent verse, where he declares that “he was not a reed shaken with the wind,” and, therefore, a firm and immovable character; a eulogy which he would scarcely have merited had he, after such testimonies from heaven, doubted of the Messiahship of him whom he had baptized in Jordan, and on whom he had seen the Holy Spirit visibly descend. The disciples sent by him, therefore, were obviously sent to converse with our Lord for their own conviction. Some of John’s followers had already joined Christ, and their number had been greatly on the decline before he was cast into prison. This he knew was according to the Divine order; for his own words were, “I must decrease, but he must increase.” He had now probably very few disciples remaining; but as he would still continue his work of calling men to repentance as Christ’s forerunner, even in the prison, to which it does not appear that any were denied access to him, the men now sent were probably among his most recent converts. His office was to lead his disciples to believe in Jesus as the Christ, whose way he was to “prepare;” but he too would have to combat with their prejudices. They might, in several cases, be willing to admit John’s claim to be a prophet; but would stumble at his doctrine that Jesus was the Messiah whose approaching manifestation he was commissioned to announce, because of his not assuming the external splendour they expected. In such cases they would be most effectually put in the way of receiving full conviction by a personal conversation with our Lord. There is also another view. The life of John was precarious, and dependent upon the caprice of Herod, and he would naturally be anxious to provide for the religious welfare of his remaining followers, by attaching them to Christ; and the two here mentioned were probably sent with the question proposed, that they might report the answer of our Lord to the rest, an answer to which John knew well how to give weight. It is clear from the question, “Art thou he that should come, or do we,” must we, “look for another?” and from one part of our Lord’s reply, “Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me,” that a difficulty existed in their minds whether Jesus was the Messiah for whom John had taught them to “look,” arising out of circumstances as to which they were in danger of “being offended;” and this can only be resolved into the lowly condition of our Lord, and his keeping himself chiefly in the remote province of Galilee. They came, therefore, sent by John, and to him they were to report the answer, not for the resolution of any doubt of his, but that he might communicate it to his disciples, as an answer to their difficulties from Jesus himself.

V. 4. Go and tell John the things that ye hear and see-Which are a stronger proof of my being the Messiah, than any bare assertion can be.

Verse 4. Go and show John the things-ye do hear and see] Christ would have men to judge only of him and of others by their works. This is the only safe way of judging. A man is not to be credited because he professes to know such and such things; but because he demonstrates by his conduct that his pretensions are not vain.

Verses 2-6. Now when John had heard in the prison (into which he had been cast by Herod Antipas, a little after he began his public ministry, chap. 4:12, and 14:3, &c.) of the works of Christ — That is, of some of his many miracles, &c. — He sent two of his disciples — Not, as is probable, because he doubted himself, but to confirm their faith. And said, Art thou he that should come — Namely, the Messiah? Or look we for another — Under that character? “Considering what clear evidence John had received by a miraculous sign from heaven that Jesus was the Messiah, (see John 1:33,) and what express and repeated testimonies he himself had borne to this truth, it cannot reasonably be supposed that he now doubted of it. But some of his disciples, offended and discouraged by his long imprisonment, as well as the freedom of Christ’s conversation, so different from the austerity used by their master and his disciples, might begin to call it in question, and therefore John might think it necessary to put them in the way of obtaining further satisfaction.” — Doddridge. Now at this very time, according to Luke, (Luke 7:21,) Jesus cured many of their infirmities and plagues, &c. He therefore said to these disciples, Go and show John those things which ye hear and see — Which are a stronger proof of my being the Messiah than any bare assertions can be. Comp. Isaiah 35:5, 6, and 61:1. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me — Or brought to doubt my being the Messiah on account of the mean circumstances in which I appear. For many will be induced to question it, notwithstanding all the evidences I have given, and shall give of it.

Ver. 4. Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see. Unfold to him the accomplishment of all the glorious works foretold by the prophets, which the Messiah should graciously effectuate. Isaiah 35. Tell him that the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear; yea, that the lepers, foul and incurable, are cleansed; that the dead are called back to life, and that the poor have the gospel preached to them. Zephaniah 3:12. John will ask for nothing more. — To this passage Luke adds, “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:” Matthew 7:21. This being the proper place to notice the miracles of Christ, we pause, adore, and wonder at those signs and miracles. John was not commissioned to work miracles: he came to prepare the way for the glory of the Lord to be revealed. But our Saviour, coming to supersede the ritual law, and to establish the new covenant, it was essential that his mission should have the seal of miracles. Why require the nation to give up institutions which had the sanction of heaven, without a demonstration that the injunction was divine.

The number, the extent, and magnitude of his miracles were such as demonstrated that he was the Creator and Lord of nature. With him nothing was arduous, nothing difficult. He spake, as in the first creation, and the work was done: he commanded, and it stood fast.

Those miracles were, for the most part, plain historic facts, of which the common people could be as competent judges as the most learned. The vulgar were transported with joy, the learned were convinced. No man, said Nicodemus, can do those miracles which thou dost, except God be with him. John 3:2. This recital of those miracles was made to convince John that Jesus was the Christ, and to assure him that the cause should live, though the faithful herald should receive a martyr’s crown. This power of working miracles would have carried equal conviction to the jews, had they been disposed to believe. “The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.” “Believe me for the very works’ sake.” Nor should it escape remark, that the miracles of Christ were gracious works, and worthy of the Lord. He went about doing good; the crowd which his presence brought to the marriage in Cana, were amply supplied, and with the best of wine. Twice he fed myriads in the desert, when otherwise they had fainted by the way; and twice he more than filled the fishermen’s nets. In healing diseases his ministry was like a cloud, scattering blessings in all its course. Chronic cases, limbs deficient, and eyes to one born blind, limited not the arm of the Son of God. Inanimate nature equally obeyed his voice; the winds were still and the seas were calm at his command; and the figtree, emblem of the Hebrew nation, withered at his frown. The dead, the abodes of hades, or of paradise, heard his voice, and demons trembled at his word. Just was the conclusion of the vulgar crowd, “When the Messiah cometh, will he do greater miracles than this man doeth?”

4. Show John again — The words plainly show that it is John, not his disciples, who is to be taught the truth. To John’s question Jesus gives no direct reply. To his “Art thou he?” the Saviour responds not, “I am he.” He holds a reserve, partly severe and partly modest, or rather self-respecting. He performs most noted miracles, as Luke informs us, before the face of the messengers, and sends them back to John with a quotation from the prophets, which declares that those very miracles belong to the Prince Messiah. Just so the doubts of his type, Elijah, were relieved (1 Kings xix) by a sign.

V. 5. The poor have the Gospel preached to them-The greatest mercy of all. Isaiah 29:18; 35:5.

Verse 5. The blind receive their sight, &c.] anablepwsi, look upwards, contemplating the heavens which their Lord hath made. The lame walk] peripatwsi, they walk about; to give the fullest proof to the multitude that their cure was real. These miracles were not only the most convincing proofs of the supreme power of Christ, but were also emblematic of that work of salvation which he effects in the souls of men.

1. Sinners are blind; their understanding is so darkened by sin that they see not the way of truth and salvation. 2. They are lame-not able to walk in the path of righteousness. 3. They are leprous, their souls are defiled with sin, the most loathsome and inveterate disease; deepening in themselves, and infecting others. 4. They are deaf to the voice of God, his word, and their own conscience. 5. They are dead in trespasses and sins; God, who is the life of the soul, being separated from it by iniquity. Nothing less than the power of Christ can redeem from all this; and, from all this, that power of Christ actually does redeem every penitent believing soul. Giving sight to the blind, and raising the dead, are allowed by the ancient rabbins to be works which the Messiah should perform, when he should manifest himself in Israel.

The poor have the Gospel preached to them.] And what was this Gospel? Why, the glad tidings that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners: that he opens the eyes of the blind; enables the lame to walk with an even, steady, and constant pace in the way of holiness; cleanses the lepers from all the defilement of their sins; opens the ears of the deaf to hear his pardoning words; and raises those who were dead in trespasses and sins to live in union with himself to all eternity.

Verses 2-6. Now when John had heard in the prison (into which he had been cast by Herod Antipas, a little after he began his public ministry, chap. 4:12, and 14:3, &c.) of the works of Christ — That is, of some of his many miracles, &c. — He sent two of his disciples — Not, as is probable, because he doubted himself, but to confirm their faith. And said, Art thou he that should come — Namely, the Messiah? Or look we for another — Under that character? “Considering what clear evidence John had received by a miraculous sign from heaven that Jesus was the Messiah, (see John 1:33,) and what express and repeated testimonies he himself had borne to this truth, it cannot reasonably be supposed that he now doubted of it. But some of his disciples, offended and discouraged by his long imprisonment, as well as the freedom of Christ’s conversation, so different from the austerity used by their master and his disciples, might begin to call it in question, and therefore John might think it necessary to put them in the way of obtaining further satisfaction.” — Doddridge. Now at this very time, according to Luke, (Luke 7:21,) Jesus cured many of their infirmities and plagues, &c. He therefore said to these disciples, Go and show John those things which ye hear and see — Which are a stronger proof of my being the Messiah than any bare assertions can be. Comp. Isaiah 35:5, 6, and 61:1. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me — Or brought to doubt my being the Messiah on account of the mean circumstances in which I appear. For many will be induced to question it, notwithstanding all the evidences I have given, and shall give of it.

5. The blind receive their sight — Our Lord here refers to Isaiah 29:18, and other passages where these works are made the proofs of the Messiah.

Verse 5. The blind receive their sight, &c. — These were the proofs on which our Saviour rested his claim to be the Messiah for the conviction of John’s disciples; but why did he refer to such works when the disciples of John could scarcely have been ignorant of his miracles, the “fame” of which, it is so often said, spread throughout “all that region?” The reason was, that the message being sent to John their master, manifestly as the proper person to point out its force to his disciples, he could not but perceive that the cogency of Christ’s answer lay in the reference which it makes to the fulfilment of two illustrious passages in Isaiah, which speak so clearly of the Messiah, that the Jewish writers themselves have never hesitated in applying them to him. The first is Isaiah 35:5, 6: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing.” The other passage was indicated by the last clause of the reply, And the poor have the GOSPEL preached to them. It is Isaiah 61:1, &c: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the MEEK; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,” &c. The Messiah of the prophet was to perform miracles of healing; and he was to be a preacher of GOOD TIDINGS, of the Gospel, to poor, humble, afflicted persons, the captives of sin and misery; and this, as though our Lord had said, is the work in which I am engaged. He even adds to the miracles mentioned by Isaiah as to be performed by Messiah; and the dead are raised; the force of which would be felt, if the sentiment of the modern rabbins was then held, that “in the land where the dead should arise, the kingdom of the Messiah should commence.” That the Jews expected the Messiah to perform great miracles, is clear from John 7:31: “When the Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?”

V. 6. Happy is he who shall not be offended at me-Notwithstanding all these proofs that I am the Messiah.

Verse 6. Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me.] Or, Happy is he who will not be stumbled at me; for the word skandalizesqai, in its root, signifies to hit against or stumble over a thing, which one may meet with in the way. The Jews, as was before remarked, expected a temporal deliverer. Many might he tempted to reject Christ, because of his mean appearance, &c., and so lose the benefit of salvation through him. To instruct and caution such, our blessed Lord spoke these words. By his poverty and meanness he condemns the pride and pomp of this world. He who will not humble himself, and become base, and poor, and vile in his own eyes, cannot enter into the kingdom of God. It is the poor, in general, who hear the Gospel; the rich and the great are either too busy, or too much gratified with temporal things, to pay any attention to the voice of God.

Verses 2-6. Now when John had heard in the prison (into which he had been cast by Herod Antipas, a little after he began his public ministry, chap. 4:12, and 14:3, &c.) of the works of Christ — That is, of some of his many miracles, &c. — He sent two of his disciples — Not, as is probable, because he doubted himself, but to confirm their faith. And said, Art thou he that should come — Namely, the Messiah? Or look we for another — Under that character? “Considering what clear evidence John had received by a miraculous sign from heaven that Jesus was the Messiah, (see John 1:33,) and what express and repeated testimonies he himself had borne to this truth, it cannot reasonably be supposed that he now doubted of it. But some of his disciples, offended and discouraged by his long imprisonment, as well as the freedom of Christ’s conversation, so different from the austerity used by their master and his disciples, might begin to call it in question, and therefore John might think it necessary to put them in the way of obtaining further satisfaction.” — Doddridge. Now at this very time, according to Luke, (Luke 7:21,) Jesus cured many of their infirmities and plagues, &c. He therefore said to these disciples, Go and show John those things which ye hear and see — Which are a stronger proof of my being the Messiah than any bare assertions can be. Comp. Isaiah 35:5, 6, and 61:1. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me — Or brought to doubt my being the Messiah on account of the mean circumstances in which I appear. For many will be induced to question it, notwithstanding all the evidences I have given, and shall give of it.

Ver. 6. Blessed is he who shall not be offended, or scandalized in my poverty, or persecution, or in my doctrine through the pride of reason, or offended because of my poor members, who at a future day shall inherit my glory.

6. Offended in me — The word offended, here as elsewhere means to be made to stumble; that is, to fall into sin by some misunderstanding. The Lord here utters a warning to John. To John, we say, for the singular pronoun, “Blessed is HE,” is so pointed as to be very unaccountable if it be not intended. The Baptist is not in wickedness; but he is in danger of being offended in Jesus. This brief and somewhat stern procedure constitutes the whole of his reply to John; and the disciples of John departed with it to their master.

Verse 6. Offended in me. — Skandalizw is from skandalon, which in Scripture signifies a trap, or snare, a sharp stake driven into the ground to impede the march of an enemy by wounding the feet; a stone or block laid in a path to cause a person to stumble or fall; and metaphors from each are in the New Testament couched under the common term. Generally it refers either to that which gives occasion to sin and unbelief, or is made so by perversion, or that which acts as an impediment in the Christian cause, by producing discouragement and impatience.

V. 7. As they departed, he said concerning John-Of whom probably he would not have said so much when they were present. A reed shaken by the wind?-No; nothing could ever shake John in the testimony he gave to the truth. The expression is proverbial.

Verse 7. What went ye out into the wilderness to see?] The purport of our Lord’s design, in this and the following verses, is to convince the scribes and Pharisees of the inconsistency of their conduct in acknowledging John Baptist for a divinely authorized teacher, and not believing in the very Christ which he pointed out to them. He also shows, from the excellencies of John’s character, that their confidence in him was not misplaced, and that this was a farther argument why they should have believed in him, whom the Baptist proclaimed as being far superior to himself.

A reed shaken with the wind?] An emblem of an irresolute, unsteady mind, which believes and speaks one thing to-day, and another to-morrow. Christ asks these Jews if they had ever found any thing in John like this: Was he not ever steady and uniform in the testimony he bore to me? The first excellency which Christ notices in John was his steadiness; convinced once of the truth, he continued to believe and assert it. This is essentially necessary to every preacher, and to every private Christian. He who changes about from opinion to opinion, and from one sect or party to another, is never to be depended on; there is much reason to believe that such a person is either mentally weak, or has never been rationally and divinely convinced of the truth.

Verses 7-10. And as they departed — Or, as Luke has it, when they were departed, Jesus began to say concerning John — What he would not say concerning him in the hearing of these his disciples, lest he should seem to flatter him, or to compliment him into an adherence to his former testimony. To avoid all suspicion of this kind, he deferred his commendation of him till the messengers were gone: and then delivered it to the people, to prevent all imaginations as if John were wavering in his judgment, and had sent the two disciples for his own rather than their satisfaction. What went ye out into the wilderness, in which he preached, to see? A reed shaken by the wind — That is, a man of an unstable disposition, of a weak and cowardly conduct? In this question, which implies a strong negation, the invincible courage and constancy of the Baptist are applauded. His imprisonment for reproving King Herod showed that he was not afraid of men; and as for his constancy, though it might seem a little shaken by the message which he sent, it was not impaired by it in the least. For his faith in Christ could not but remain inviolable, as it had been founded on a particular revelation, and on the visible descent of the Holy Spirit, accompanied by a voice from heaven, declaring him to be the Son of God. A man clothed in soft raiment — An effeminate courtier, accustomed to fawning and flattery? You may expect to find persons of such a character in palaces, not in a wilderness. In this question, the austere and mortified life of the Baptist is praised, and the spiritual nature of the Messiah’s kingdom insinuated. His forerunner did not resemble any of the officers who attend the courts of earthly princes, and consequently Christ himself was in no respect to be like an earthly prince. A prophet? yea, and more (Luke, much more) than a prophet — John justly deserved to be called a prophet, because he excelled in every thing peculiar to a prophet. He was commissioned by God, and had immediate communication with him, John 1:33; he foretold that the kingdom of heaven, spoken of by Daniel, was at hand. He pointed out the Messiah by revelation. He declared the terrible judgments that were to befall the Jews on account of their impenitence, their unbelief, and their rejecting the Messiah, Luke 3:17. And he was more than a prophet, inasmuch as he was the Messiah’s harbinger, sent to prepare the way before him, (see note on Malachi 3:1,) an office which clothed him with a dignity superior to that of a simple prophet; not to mention that he had the honour of baptizing the Messiah himself.

§ 39. — JOHN’S POSITION AND CHARACTER, 7-15.

Our Lord now, to the people, takes occasion to discriminate the precise character of John, both in its greatness and its infirmities. Not being in the kingdom of God, John does not know its King, but asks of the heir apparent, “Do we look for another?”

7. What went ye out into the wilderness — The wilderness of Judea, bordering on the Jordan, where John preached and baptized. Our Lord asks in effect what was their expectation in regard to the true character of John, to whose preaching and baptism they had resorted. Reed shaken with the wind? — Did you expect, what John now appears to you, a trembling vacillator, shivering in every breeze of doubt and difficulty? Such is not John’s true character. And here our Lord, with singular beauty, borrows his illustration from the reeds which lined the banks of the Jordan, and shivered in the breezes that swept it.

Both Watson and Stier argue that John could not have sent his message to relieve his own doubts, because our Lord here denies that he was a reed shaken by the wind, or a soft, pliant man. Very true. But what suggested those particular denials? Plainly, the understanding that John’s mind is now apparently wavering; which understanding is based upon the assumption that the inquiry is his own. Our Lord admits the assumption, but denies the inference; and then he proceeds (10-14) to state John’s real case, with all its greatness, its littleness, and its palliations.

Verse 7. Concerning John. — The visit of John’s disciples gave our Lord an opportunity to bear a most honourable testimony to his faithful, but now imprisoned, herald and forerunner, and to declare him to be the Elias of prophecy. What went ye out into the wilderness to see? — That is, what kind of man did you find in the wilderness of Jordan, when you went out in multitudes to see and to hear John? Was he a reed shaken by the wind? Yielding to every gust like the reeds on the banks of Jordan where he baptized? The question implies a strong negative, which Whitby has well expressed. “You did not go to see a man wavering in his testimony, but firm and constant.” A man clothed in soft raiment? Dressed in luxurious garb, as they who are in kings’ houses. Here our Lord refers to his plain fidelity rather than to dress merely, to his truth-speaking and earnest appeals to them, so far removed from the phrase and flattery, and double-tongued hypocrisy, and delicate avoidance of offence, found among courtiers in the palaces of kings, who were distinguished for the softness of their raiment. A prophet? He was truly a prophet, as being a commissioned servant of God, favoured with direct revelations, acting under the impulse of inspiration; and appointed, like the ancient prophets, both to warn a guilty people, and to describe the character and glories of Messiah. In all these respects John was truly a prophet; but our Lord adds with emphasis, yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet, more than the greatest of the ancient prophets, not one of them being excepted; and he was so in this distinguished particular, that he was the precursor of the Messiah, and not only predicted his future coming, but actually introduced him to the people, and bade a sinful race “behold” not the typical sacrifice for sin, but “THE LAMB OF GOD,” the true, the divinely appointed sacrifice and oblation for “the sin of the world.”

V. 8. A man clothed in soft, delicate raiment-An effeminate courtier, accustomed to fawning and flattery? You may expect to find persons of such a character in palaces; not in a wilderness.

Verse 8. A man clothed in soft raiment?] A second excellency in John was, his sober and mortified life. A preacher of the Gospel should have nothing about him which savours of effeminacy and worldly pomp: he is awfully mistaken who thinks to prevail on the world to hear him and receive the truth, by conforming himself to its fashions and manners. Excepting the mere colour of his clothes, we can scarcely now distinguish a preacher of the Gospel, whether in the establishment of the country, or out of it, from the merest worldly man. Ruffles, powder, and fribble seem universally to prevail. Thus the Church and the world begin to shake hands, the latter still retaining its enmity to God. How can those who profess to preach the doctrine of the cross act in this way? Is not a worldly-minded preacher, in the most peculiar sense, an abomination in the eyes of the Lord?

Are in kings’ houses.] A third excellency in John was, he did not affect high things. He was contented to live in the desert, and to announce the solemn and severe truths of his doctrine to the simple inhabitants of the country. Let it be well observed, that the preacher who conforms to the world in his clothing, is never in his element but when he is frequenting the houses and tables of the rich and great.

Verses 7-10. And as they departed — Or, as Luke has it, when they were departed, Jesus began to say concerning John — What he would not say concerning him in the hearing of these his disciples, lest he should seem to flatter him, or to compliment him into an adherence to his former testimony. To avoid all suspicion of this kind, he deferred his commendation of him till the messengers were gone: and then delivered it to the people, to prevent all imaginations as if John were wavering in his judgment, and had sent the two disciples for his own rather than their satisfaction. What went ye out into the wilderness, in which he preached, to see? A reed shaken by the wind — That is, a man of an unstable disposition, of a weak and cowardly conduct? In this question, which implies a strong negation, the invincible courage and constancy of the Baptist are applauded. His imprisonment for reproving King Herod showed that he was not afraid of men; and as for his constancy, though it might seem a little shaken by the message which he sent, it was not impaired by it in the least. For his faith in Christ could not but remain inviolable, as it had been founded on a particular revelation, and on the visible descent of the Holy Spirit, accompanied by a voice from heaven, declaring him to be the Son of God. A man clothed in soft raiment — An effeminate courtier, accustomed to fawning and flattery? You may expect to find persons of such a character in palaces, not in a wilderness. In this question, the austere and mortified life of the Baptist is praised, and the spiritual nature of the Messiah’s kingdom insinuated. His forerunner did not resemble any of the officers who attend the courts of earthly princes, and consequently Christ himself was in no respect to be like an earthly prince. A prophet? yea, and more (Luke, much more) than a prophet — John justly deserved to be called a prophet, because he excelled in every thing peculiar to a prophet. He was commissioned by God, and had immediate communication with him, John 1:33; he foretold that the kingdom of heaven, spoken of by Daniel, was at hand. He pointed out the Messiah by revelation. He declared the terrible judgments that were to befall the Jews on account of their impenitence, their unbelief, and their rejecting the Messiah, Luke 3:17. And he was more than a prophet, inasmuch as he was the Messiah’s harbinger, sent to prepare the way before him, (see note on Malachi 3:1,) an office which clothed him with a dignity superior to that of a simple prophet; not to mention that he had the honour of baptizing the Messiah himself.

8. Man clothed in soft raiment — Were you attracted into the wilderness of Judea to see an effeminate courtier, who could not bear the severities of a desert or of a prison, as John now perhaps appears? Certainly not. The very direction you took shows the reverse. You would not have gone to the wilderness, but to the palace, perhaps of Herod, to find a soft dressed gentleman.

V. 9. More than a prophet-For the prophets only pointed me out afar off; but John was my immediate forerunner.

Verse 9. A prophet? yea-and more than a prophet] That is, one more excellent (perissoteron) than a prophet; one greatly beyond all who had come before him, being the immediate forerunner of Christ, (see below,) and who was especially commissioned to prepare the way of the Lord. This was a fourth excellency: he was a prophet, a teacher, a man divinely commissioned to point out Jesus and his salvation; and more excellent than any of the old prophets, because he not only pointed out this Christ, but saw him, and had the honour of dying for that sacred truth which he steadily believed and boldly proclaimed.

Verses 7-10. And as they departed — Or, as Luke has it, when they were departed, Jesus began to say concerning John — What he would not say concerning him in the hearing of these his disciples, lest he should seem to flatter him, or to compliment him into an adherence to his former testimony. To avoid all suspicion of this kind, he deferred his commendation of him till the messengers were gone: and then delivered it to the people, to prevent all imaginations as if John were wavering in his judgment, and had sent the two disciples for his own rather than their satisfaction. What went ye out into the wilderness, in which he preached, to see? A reed shaken by the wind — That is, a man of an unstable disposition, of a weak and cowardly conduct? In this question, which implies a strong negation, the invincible courage and constancy of the Baptist are applauded. His imprisonment for reproving King Herod showed that he was not afraid of men; and as for his constancy, though it might seem a little shaken by the message which he sent, it was not impaired by it in the least. For his faith in Christ could not but remain inviolable, as it had been founded on a particular revelation, and on the visible descent of the Holy Spirit, accompanied by a voice from heaven, declaring him to be the Son of God. A man clothed in soft raiment — An effeminate courtier, accustomed to fawning and flattery? You may expect to find persons of such a character in palaces, not in a wilderness. In this question, the austere and mortified life of the Baptist is praised, and the spiritual nature of the Messiah’s kingdom insinuated. His forerunner did not resemble any of the officers who attend the courts of earthly princes, and consequently Christ himself was in no respect to be like an earthly prince. A prophet? yea, and more (Luke, much more) than a prophet — John justly deserved to be called a prophet, because he excelled in every thing peculiar to a prophet. He was commissioned by God, and had immediate communication with him, John 1:33; he foretold that the kingdom of heaven, spoken of by Daniel, was at hand. He pointed out the Messiah by revelation. He declared the terrible judgments that were to befall the Jews on account of their impenitence, their unbelief, and their rejecting the Messiah, Luke 3:17. And he was more than a prophet, inasmuch as he was the Messiah’s harbinger, sent to prepare the way before him, (see note on Malachi 3:1,) an office which clothed him with a dignity superior to that of a simple prophet; not to mention that he had the honour of baptizing the Messiah himself.

9. A prophet — They went to find something better than kings or courtiers, namely, a prophet of God. And our Lord assures them, with an emphasis, that they were not mistaken.

V. 10. Malachi 3:1.

Verse 10. Behold, I send my messenger] A fifth excellency of the Baptist was, his preparing the way of the Lord; being the instrument, in God’s hand, of preparing the people’s hearts to receive the Lord Jesus; and it was probably through his preaching that so many thousands attached themselves to Christ, immediately on his appearing as a public teacher.

Verses 7-10. And as they departed — Or, as Luke has it, when they were departed, Jesus began to say concerning John — What he would not say concerning him in the hearing of these his disciples, lest he should seem to flatter him, or to compliment him into an adherence to his former testimony. To avoid all suspicion of this kind, he deferred his commendation of him till the messengers were gone: and then delivered it to the people, to prevent all imaginations as if John were wavering in his judgment, and had sent the two disciples for his own rather than their satisfaction. What went ye out into the wilderness, in which he preached, to see? A reed shaken by the wind — That is, a man of an unstable disposition, of a weak and cowardly conduct? In this question, which implies a strong negation, the invincible courage and constancy of the Baptist are applauded. His imprisonment for reproving King Herod showed that he was not afraid of men; and as for his constancy, though it might seem a little shaken by the message which he sent, it was not impaired by it in the least. For his faith in Christ could not but remain inviolable, as it had been founded on a particular revelation, and on the visible descent of the Holy Spirit, accompanied by a voice from heaven, declaring him to be the Son of God. A man clothed in soft raiment — An effeminate courtier, accustomed to fawning and flattery? You may expect to find persons of such a character in palaces, not in a wilderness. In this question, the austere and mortified life of the Baptist is praised, and the spiritual nature of the Messiah’s kingdom insinuated. His forerunner did not resemble any of the officers who attend the courts of earthly princes, and consequently Christ himself was in no respect to be like an earthly prince. A prophet? yea, and more (Luke, much more) than a prophet — John justly deserved to be called a prophet, because he excelled in every thing peculiar to a prophet. He was commissioned by God, and had immediate communication with him, John 1:33; he foretold that the kingdom of heaven, spoken of by Daniel, was at hand. He pointed out the Messiah by revelation. He declared the terrible judgments that were to befall the Jews on account of their impenitence, their unbelief, and their rejecting the Messiah, Luke 3:17. And he was more than a prophet, inasmuch as he was the Messiah’s harbinger, sent to prepare the way before him, (see note on Malachi 3:1,) an office which clothed him with a dignity superior to that of a simple prophet; not to mention that he had the honour of baptizing the Messiah himself.

10. Behold, I send my messenger — John is more than a prophet; he is a messenger; nay, even THE messenger before the Messiah’s face. Our Saviour here quotes Malachi 3:1.

Verse 10. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, &c. — That John was the person intended by Malachi 3:1, so that here is no pretence for an accommodated sense, we learn from the passage being here applied by Christ himself to his forerunner, in its direct and primary sense. As is usual with the Jews, a part of this prophecy only is quoted, as introductory to the whole; but from the entire passage we learn that John was God’s aggelov or messenger; that his office was to prepare the way of Messiah before his face immediately, the Master following the servant without any delay; that THE LORD, the Divine Messiah, whom, says the prophet, ye seek, whom all the Jewish people were looking for, should suddenly come to his temple, and that he should appear as the messenger of the covenant, bringing with him God’s covenant of grace and peace with man, to open its great provisions and promises, and to ratify it with his own blood, and then to publish it by his apostles to all nations. Thus emphatically does this illustrious prophecy mark the characters both of John and of our Lord, In both it was illustriously fulfilled; but no other two persons since the date when it was uttered can be adduced to whose characters and actions it in the least degree corresponds. In the prophecy of Malachi above cited, there is a considerable difference between the evangelist and the Hebrew and Septuagint. The words pro proswpou sou, before thy face, are added; and for ynpl, before me, we have emprosqen sou, before thee. The exact agreement of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, who all quote the same prophecy, sufficiently shows that their copies of the Hebrew or Septuagint differed in these particulars from the present; but, nevertheless, the sense is scarcely at all affected. The divinity of the Messiah, as JEHOVAH, THE LORD OF THE TEMPLE, as well as the messenger of the covenant, are the lofty characters under which it is presented.

V. 11. But he that is least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he-Which an ancient author explains thus:-"One perfect in the law, as John was, is inferior to one who is baptized into the death of Christ. For this is the kingdom of heaven, even to be buried with Christ, and to be raised up together with him. John was greater than all who had been then born of women, but he was cut off before the kingdom of heaven was given." [He seems to mean, that righteousness, peace, and joy, which constitute the present inward kingdom of heaven.] "He was blameless as to that righteousness which is by the law; but he fell short of those who are perfected by the spirit of life which is in Christ. Whosoever, therefore, is least in the kingdom of heaven, by Christian regeneration, is greater than any who has attained only the righteousness of the law, because the law maketh nothing perfect." It may farther mean, the least true Christian believer has a more perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ, of his redemption and kingdom, than John the Baptist had, who died before the full manifestation of the Gospel.

Verse 11. A greater than John the Baptist] A sixth excellency of the Baptist-he was greater than any prophet from the beginning of the world till that time:-lst. Because he was prophesied of by them, Isaiah 40:3, and Malachi 3:1, where Jesus Christ himself seems to be the speaker. 2ndly. Because he had the privilege of showing the fulfilment of their predictions, by pointing out that Christ has now come, which they foretold should come. And 3dly. Because he saw and enjoyed that salvation which they could only foretell. See Quesnel.

Notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven] By the kingdom of heaven in this verse is meant, the fulness of the blessings of the Gospel of peace; which fulness was not known till after Christ had been crucified, and had risen from the dead. Now the least in this kingdom, the meanest preacher of a crucified, risen, and glorified Saviour, was greater than John, who was not permitted to live to see the plenitude of Gospel grace, in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Let the reader observe, 1st. That the kingdom of heaven here does not mean the state of future glory. See Matthew 3:2. 2dly. That it is not in holiness or devotedness to God that the least in this kingdom is greater than John; but 3dly. That it is merely in the difference of the ministry. The prophets pointed out a Christ that was coming; John showed that that Christ was then among them; and the preachers of the Gospel prove that this Christ has suffered, and entered into his glory, and that repentance and remission of sins are proclaimed through his blood. There is a saying similar to this among the Jews: “Even the servant maid that passed through the Red Sea, saw what neither Ezekiel, nor any other of the prophets had seen.”

Verse 11. Among them that are born of women — That is, among the whole race of mankind in all former ages, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist — As John, with regard to his religious and moral character, was the best of men, so he had some peculiar honours superior to any prophet of former generations. “Our Lord,” says Macknight, “honoured the Baptist with the magnificent title of the greatest of all the prophets, under the law, for four reasons. 1st, He was the subject of ancient prophecies, and had long been expected by the people of God under the character of Elias, a name given him by Malachi, because he was to possess the spirit and power of Elias. 2d, His conception and birth had been accompanied with miracles. 3d, When the season of his inspiration came, he was favoured with a clearer revelation concerning the Messiah than had been enjoyed by any of the prophets under the law. 4th, By his preaching he prepared the Jews for receiving the gospel, and consequently began that more excellent dispensation.” Notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven — That is, in the gospel dispensation, when fully opened, understood, and enjoyed in all its privileges and blessings, is greater than he — For Christ’s ministers, and even his real people in general, under the gospel, were to receive superior supplies of the Spirit, and know many important truths respecting our Lord and his kingdom which had not been revealed to John himself. So Doddridge understands the clause. But Baxter confines it to Christ’s ministers, paraphrasing the verse thus: “There hath not been a greater than John before him; as being nearest the kingdom of the Messiah: but yet the least of my ministers in this my kingdom is greater than he, and shall have more eminent gifts of the Spirit, as well as a more excellent office and work; so far shall my kingdom, begun after my ascension, excel all ages that were before it.” Others, again, think the expression, is greater than he, is only applicable to Christ’s first servants, namely, the apostles and evangelists, and New Testament prophets, and interpret the words thus: “Though the Baptist excelled all the preceding prophets, the least inspired person in the kingdom of heaven, the least apostle or preacher of the gospel, was a greater prophet than he, being much better acquainted with the character, disposition, and doctrine of Christ. They were also employed, not in making preparation for, but in erecting the Messiah’s kingdom; hence they were greater than the Baptist in respect of the dignity of their office. Moreover, having gifts bestowed on them to fit them for that office, far superior to his, they were greater in respect of their illumination. They had the Spirit so dwelling in them, that, on all occasions they could declare the will of God infallibly, being, as it were, living oracles. To conclude, as they had likewise been the subjects of ancient oracles, Acts 2:16, they had long been expected by the people of God.”

Ver. 11. There hath not risen a greater than John the baptist. Of all men the prophets were the greatest that had ever lived; and John was more than a prophet.

(1) Because he was himself the subject of prophecy. Isaiah 40:3. Malachi 3:1.

(2) Because he received a special commission to prepare the way of the Lord, and was the messenger before his face.

(3) Because he was privileged not merely to predict the advent of Christ, but to see his face; and to say unto the cities of Judah, “Behold your God.”

(4) Because he was the chosen paranymph — the friend of the bridegroom, who led the infant church to her glorious spouse, and transferred to him all the fruit of his ministry and all the glory of his work. He stood and heard HIM, and rejoiced greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. John 3:29.

(5) The fidelity of John the baptist, his disinterestedness, his constancy; the purity of his conduct, the holiness of his life, and the seal of martyrdom; but above all, the humility with which he laid all his honours at his Master’s feet, saying “He must encrease, I must decrease.” All conspire to confirm the testimony of the Saviour, that among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the baptist.

Notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Whoever received the grace and unction of the Pentecost, when the Spirit was poured out upon the infant church, received nobler gifts, and richer grace and privileges, than were conferred on John the baptist. All that constitutes man great and good is received from above, that no flesh should glory in His sight.

11. Born of women — The world thinks that kings, generals, and statesmen are the greatest of men. But God measures differently. The divine head of Christ is the loftiest of all men’s heads, and his nearest servant’s is next. Least — More properly rendered less, or inferior. A man who is truly in the kingdom of God; who knows its true nature, both by fuller developments and by spiritual experience, is above making such a mistake as poor John, with all his greatness of position and character, committed.

Verse 11. The least in the kingdom of heaven is greater, &c. — Great is the testimony of Christ to the official character of John, who is also emphatically styled “the prophet of the Highest,” Luke 1:76; nevertheless it is added, the least in the kingdom of heaven, the least prophet or teacher of the full and perfected dispensation of Christ, instructed in its system of glorious truth, endowed with miraculous powers, which John was not; able to attest the actual death, resurrection, ascension, and glorious instalment of Messiah in his universal kingdom of grace and power, and, whether endowed with miraculous gifts or not, instructed in the method of salvation through faith in him, and commissioned to teach this simple and ever open way to God through him, empowered to offer pardon and remission of sins “in his name,” and to unfold all the holy attainments made possible to man by the promised influence of the Holy Spirit, is greater, greater as it respects his office, than John. These words are also applicable to subsequent Christian teachers, and even to private Christians with respect to their illumination on all the subjects connected with the kingdom of grace.

V. 12. And from the days of John-That is, from the time that John had fulfilled his ministry, men rush into my kingdom with a violence like that of those who are taking a city by storm.

Verse 12. The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence] The tax-gatherers and heathens, whom the scribes and Pharisees think have no right to the kingdom of the Messiah, filled with holy zeal and earnestness, seize at once on the proffered mercy of the Gospel, and so take the kingdom as by force from those learned doctors who claimed for themselves the chiefest places in that kingdom. Christ himself said, The tax-gatherers and harlots go before you into the kingdom of God. See the parallel place, Luke 7:28-30. He that will take, get possession of the kingdom of righteousness, peace, and spiritual joy, must be in earnest: all hell will oppose him in every step he takes; and if a man be not absolutely determined to give up his sins and evil companions, and have his soul saved at all hazards, and at every expense, he will surely perish everlastingly. This requires a violent earnestness.

Verse 12. And from the days of John the Baptist — That is, from the time he had borne his public testimony to the approach of the Messiah, or from the time when he had fulfilled his ministry, the kingdom of heaven — The dispensation which admits all persons equally, upon their repentance and faith, suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force — The spirits of men are so excited and animated by a desire after this kingdom, that it is, as it were, attacked like a besieged city, men of all sorts pressing to get into it, with a violence like that of men who are taking a place by storm. As if he had said, “Multitudes are flocking around me, to be instructed in the nature of my kingdom; and some, who were formerly of most licentious characters, and looked upon as utterly unfit to be subjects of the Messiah’s kingdom, are resolutely set on enjoying the blessings of it.” He that hath ears to hear, let him hear — A kind of proverbial expression, requiring the deepest attention to what is spoken.

Ver. 12. The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence. Like a fortress in war it must be taken by storm, and he who besieges the throne of grace by faith and prayer, is sure to prevail.

12. Suffereth violence — Our Lord here shows that John is not alone in his mistake. It is the error of the day. From the time of John’s first appearing to the moment of our Lord’s speaking, men have been disposed violently to hurry the kingdom into a premature existence. They will have it now. They will take it by storm.

The kingdom of heaven, as all admit, is here the kingdom of God on earth, the Christian dispensation. It is compared to a city under siege, or rather under assault by storm. Those who, like John, are impatient for its arrival, wondering why it does not come, and demanding of Christ whether he is really going to come out and be its king, are its captors, or rather ravishers. The kingdom suffers violence from them; and these violent captors are taking it, forsooth, with an onset.

Mr. Watson’s explication, (which is the popular one,) in which the “violent” are zealous Christians who conquer and win heaven by their holy warfare, is wrought out by him with much eloquence. But it does not occur to him to show what relevancy such an idea has to the current of thought or the subject in hand. Our interpretation makes Jesus explain the temper of John’s impatient inquiry. That other interpretation makes a very good idea, but nothing to the purpose.

Until now — Even unto the present stage of its development.

Verse 12. Suffereth violence. — The allusion here is to a siege, and the figure is taken from the rush of a multitude to take a city by assault; in which sense the passage is usually understood. One sense given to the passage is, that the hearers of Christ were taught by it that those only who were prepared to encounter the most violent opposition, and to put forth the strongest efforts to surmount it, could enter the kingdom of heaven; such was the strength of their own prejudices and errors, and such also the hostility of the scribes and Pharisees, and other influential persons among the Jews. — This was indeed a great truth, and it remains applicable to this day, since not only strong exertions must be made against our own interests and sinful passions, but, in many cases, against the example and persecuting hostility of others, if we would enter the kingdom of heaven in truth as well as in profession. But the words seem rather to refer to the eagerness with which the multitude received the testimony both of John and Christ, in spite of the calumnies heaped by their teachers and rulers upon both, and the rage which they often manifested. This sense of the words is greatly confirmed by the parallel place in Luke 16:16: “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.” And it will serve to illustrate the passage, if we recollect that the Jewish teachers, like the Gentile philosophers, confined what they esteemed their superior knowledge to persons of a certain class; and they neglected and even despised the body of the populace. “The people know not the law, and are accursed,” was their contemptuous language; and hence they were left “as sheep having no shepherd.” John’s preaching was popular, as all true preaching must be; it was adapted to instruct and save the mass of society; and the impression of it was so great, that multitudes from every part of Palestine came to his baptism, and gladly heard from him that “the kingdom of heaven was at hand.” Of this popular and condesending character, also, was the preaching of Christ. He held forth the same hope, that the same kingdom was “at hand;” and the multitudes hung upon his lips, and followed him on his journeys. The excitement, indeed, appears to have been as ardent as it was general; and thus did these neglected people “press into the kingdom of God,” as far as it was then revealed; and, like a tumultuous rush of soldiers sealing the walls of a city, they appeared determined to seize the glorious and heart-touching truths which had so long been withheld from them. There came, indeed, a time of trial afterward: many of these eager spirits were “offended” in Christ, turned back, and “walked no more with him;” and the subtle activity of the envious and exasperated scribes and Pharisees blasted much of this hopeful show in fields “white unto harvest:” but still great numbers, no doubt, were saved, and the people were prepared for the labourers sent forth among them after the resurrection; for we read in several places of the Acts, that in different parts “multitudes believed.” The body of the nation, however, remained impenitent; and Jerusalem especially maintained its ancient character for the obduracy with which its inhabitants rejected the testimony of God; and most of the higher orders everywhere, the persons who formed what was properly THE JEWISH STATE, put away from them the proffered grace, and succeeded at length in inspiring others with the same hatred of Christ and his servants, “until wrath came upon them to the uttermost.”

V. 13. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John-For all that is written in the law and the prophets only foretold as distant what is now fulfilled. In John the old dispensation expired, and the new began. Luke 16:16.

Verse 13. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John.] I believe proefhteusan means here, they taught, or continued to instruct. They were the instructers concerning the Christ who was to come, till John came and showed that all the predictions of the one, and the types and ceremonies of the other were now about to be fully and finally accomplished; for Christ was now revealed. The word is taken in this sense, Matthew 7:22.

13. Until John — The parallel passage in Luke runs thus: “The law and the prophets were until John; since that the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.” The word for presseth in the original signifies to force one’s self by violence in. The phrase describes the impatience with which men were entering into the kingdom of God in no genuine way, and truly not at all.

Verse 13. Prophesied until John. — The casual particle, gar, shows that a reason is here given for the pressing of the people into the kingdom of God, just mentioned. — The word prophesied, in order to make this reason apparent, must be taken in its proper sense of predicted, otherwise the connection is not discernible. Until John, the law and the prophets PREDICTED the kingdom of heaven, the spiritual reign and institutions of Messiah, as being still afar off in the distant future; but John did not so properly PREDICT that kingdom as ANNOUNCE it to be “at hand,” as even now introducing, and already incipiently present. This news was eagerly seized by the multitudes whom his preaching had brought to repentance, and they flocked in crowds to Christ its author, from whom they had been taught by John to expect the remission of their sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

V. 14. Malachi 4:5.

Verse 14. This is Elias, which was for to come.] This should always be written Elijah, that as strict a conformity as possible might be kept up between the names in the Old Testament and the New. The Prophet Malachi, who predicted the coming of the Baptist in the spirit and power of Elijah, gave the three following distinct characteristics of him. First, That he should be the forerunner and messenger of the Messiah: Behold I send my messenger before me, Malachi 3:1. Secondly, That he should appear before the destruction of the second temple: Even the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, ibid. Thirdly, That he should preach repentance to the Jews; and that, some time after, the great and terrible day of the Lord should come, and the Jewish land be smitten with a curse, Malachi 4:5, 6. Now these three characters agree perfectly with the conduct of the Baptist, and what shortly followed his preaching, and have not been found in any one else; which is a convincing proof that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

14. This is Elias — Elijah. Elijah came to restore the theocracy. He laboured, like John, with but partial success; and like John, was somewhat impatient at small results.

Verse 14. This is Elias, which was for to come. — Elias is the same as Elijah, under which name the Prophet Malachi, 4:5, predicted the coming of John the Baptist. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord;” that is, before the destruction of the Jewish state by the terrible judgments of God. That Elijah himself was not intended, as some of the Jews dreamed, and indeed still expect, but one called prophetically and figuratively by his name, on account of a similarity of character, we have confirmed to us by the same authority which dictated the original prophecy; for the angel sent from God to announce John’s birth, declares, “He shall go before in the spirit and power of Elias,” Luke 1:17. Thus the prophecy is also interpreted by our Lord, not of Elijah, but of John. Some of the fathers, and others since, have, however, held that Elijah should really appear before the second advent of Christ; but if in the original prophecy, John the Baptist, not Elijah, was intended, then John the Baptist must come again; but for what end, no one surely can devise, since the least preacher in the kingdom of heaven is “greater” in his office “than he.” The notion seems to have arisen from a misapprehension of Malachi’s prophecy, which speaks of Elijah coming before “the great and dreadful day of the Lord;” which they erroneously apply to the day of Christ’s second coming to judge the world. That, indeed, will be a great and dreadful day of the Lord; but it is not the day meant by the prophet; and, as we have seen, the whole prediction is restricted, by the angel who announced to Zacharias the birth, character, and office of his honoured son, to him alone. The resemblance of John to Elijah the Tishbite was very striking; and one can scarcely think of the inflexible and awakening preacher in the wilderness of Jordan, without being reminded of him who was “exceeding jealous for the Lord of hosts;” while Elijah’s boldness before Ahab and Jezebel has a striking parallel in the bold manner in which John reproved the incestuous intercourse of Herod and Herodias.

V. 15. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear-A kind of proverbial expression; requiring the deepest attention to what is spoken.

Verse 15. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.] As if our Lord had said, These things are so clear and manifest that a man has only to hear them to be convinced and fully satisfied of their truth. But neither the Jews of that time nor of the succeeding times to the present day, have heard or considered, these things. When spoken to on these subjects, their common custom is to stop their ears, spit out, and blaspheme; this shows not only a bad, but a ruined cause. They are deeply and wilfully blind. They will not come unto the light, lest their deeds should become manifest, that they are not wrought in God. They have ears but they will not hear.

15. Ears to hear, let him hear — He that has faculties of attention, let him use them well upon this point.

Verse 15. He that hath ears to hear, &c. — This is a solemn form of calling the attention to some point of great consequence, to be considered and well understood. Such was this whole discourse concerning John, and especially the prophecies respecting him which Christ had pointed out, because their accomplishment gave the strongest testimony to the claims of Christ, whose forerunner he was.

V. 16. This generation-That is, the men of this age. They are like those froward children of whom their fellows complain, that they will be pleased no way.

Verse 16. But whereunto shall I liken this generation?] That is, the Jewish people-thn genean tauthn, this race: and so the word genea is often to be understood in the evangelists.

In the markets] Or, places of concourse, agoraiv, from ageirw, I gather together; not a market-place only, but any place of public resort: probably meaning here, places of public amusement.

Calling unto their fellows] Or, companions. Instead of etairoiv, companions, many of the best MSS. have eteroiv, others. The great similarity of the words might have easily produced this difference. There are some to whom every thing is useful in leading them to God; others, to whom nothing is sufficient. Every thing is good to an upright mind, every thing bad to a vicious heart.

Verses 16-19. Whereunto shall I liken this generation — That is, the men of this age? They are like those froward children, of whom their fellows complain that they will be pleased no way. Saying, We have piped unto you, &c. — “It was usual in Judea, at feasts, to have music of an airy kind, accompanied with dancing, Luke 15:25; and at funerals, melancholy airs, to which were joined the lamentations of persons hired for that purpose. The children, therefore, in that country, imitating these things in their diversions, while one band of them performed the musical part, if the other, happening to be froward, would not answer them by dancing or lamenting, as the game directed, it naturally gave occasion to this complaint, We have piped, &c, which at length was turned into a proverb.” John came neither eating nor drinking — In a rigorous, austere way, like Elijah. And they say, He hath a devil — He is melancholy from the influence of an evil spirit. So, it is probable, the Pharisees in particular said. The Son of man came eating and drinking — Conversing in a free, familiar way. And they say, Behold a man gluttonous, &c. — Jesus did not practise those mortifications which rendered the Baptist remarkable. He fared like other men, and went into mixed companies, not avoiding the society even of publicans and sinners, but neither would they hear him; for, notwithstanding he maintained the strictest temperance himself, and never encouraged the vices of others, either by dissimulation or example, they attributed that free way of living to a certain laxness of principle, or unholiness of disposition. But wisdom is justified of her children — That is, my wisdom herein is acknowledged by all those who are truly wise, and all such will justify all God’s dispensations toward them in order to their salvation, and will entirely acquiesce therein.

Ver. 16. Children sitting in the markets. Musicians or minstrels who attended places of public resort to be heard, as well on occasions of festivity and mirth, as at funerals. See notes on Genesis 50:10, and Jeremiah 9:17.

§ 39. — CONDUCT OF THAT GENERATION TO JOHN AND JESUS, 16-19. With all its impetuous zeal for the kingdom of God, the conduct of the generation toward the harbinger and the King is most capricious and childish.

16. This generation — The contemporaries of John and himself. Children sitting in the markets — The ancient markets were places in which not only men transacted their business, but children performed their amusements.

Verses 16, 17. But whereunto shall I liken, &c. — This was one of the usual forms of introducing a comparison or parable, both of which were favourite modes of speaking among the orientals; and especially, says St. Jerome, were familiar to the inhabitants of Syria and Palestine: Familiare est Syris, et maxime Palestinis, ad omnem sermonem suum parabolas jungere. Thn genean tauthn, this race, meaning the perverse scribes and Pharisees, and their followers, a generation or race descended from others of like spirit, and likely to transmit the same pride, prejudice, and captiousness to those who should succeed them; men who united the malignity of persecutors with the perverse pettishness of children, refusing to be pleased with the sports proposed by their fellows. To such children, therefore, in the markets, en agoraiv, market places, squares, or any open spaces of a city, imitating in their plays the dances at a feast, or the lamentations at funerals, our Lord compares them. The Jews used pipes, tibiæ, to lead up the dance on festive occasions; and, as noted above, they employed them also at funerals, to lead the funeral dirge, in which all the mourners joined. We have piped in cheerful strains unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, played the sorrowful funeral dirge, and ye have not lamented, ye have not joined us in the sad strain, singing and beating your breasts. The meaning is, as appears from the next verse, that neither the affable familiarity with which Christ had mingled in their society, nor the secluded austerity of John, had succeeded to win their attention, or to soften their moroseness.

Verse 17. We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced] We have begun the music, which should have been followed by the dance, but ye have not attended to it.

We have mourned-and ye have not lamented.] Ye have not smote the breast: ouk ekoyasqe, from koptomai, to strike, or beat the breasts with the hands, particularly in lamentation. So used, Nahum 2:7; Luke 18:13; 23:48, and by the best Greek and Roman writers. There is an allusion here to those funeral lamentations explained Matthew 9:23.

Verses 16-19. Whereunto shall I liken this generation — That is, the men of this age? They are like those froward children, of whom their fellows complain that they will be pleased no way. Saying, We have piped unto you, &c. — “It was usual in Judea, at feasts, to have music of an airy kind, accompanied with dancing, Luke 15:25; and at funerals, melancholy airs, to which were joined the lamentations of persons hired for that purpose. The children, therefore, in that country, imitating these things in their diversions, while one band of them performed the musical part, if the other, happening to be froward, would not answer them by dancing or lamenting, as the game directed, it naturally gave occasion to this complaint, We have piped, &c, which at length was turned into a proverb.” John came neither eating nor drinking — In a rigorous, austere way, like Elijah. And they say, He hath a devil — He is melancholy from the influence of an evil spirit. So, it is probable, the Pharisees in particular said. The Son of man came eating and drinking — Conversing in a free, familiar way. And they say, Behold a man gluttonous, &c. — Jesus did not practise those mortifications which rendered the Baptist remarkable. He fared like other men, and went into mixed companies, not avoiding the society even of publicans and sinners, but neither would they hear him; for, notwithstanding he maintained the strictest temperance himself, and never encouraged the vices of others, either by dissimulation or example, they attributed that free way of living to a certain laxness of principle, or unholiness of disposition. But wisdom is justified of her children — That is, my wisdom herein is acknowledged by all those who are truly wise, and all such will justify all God’s dispensations toward them in order to their salvation, and will entirely acquiesce therein.

Ver. 17. We have piped, and ye have not danced; mourned, and ye have not lamented. The gospel came to that generation as glad tidings of great joy, but they did not rejoice in it. It came as a savour of death unto death to the impenitent, but they did not lament and turn from their sins.

17. We have piped unto you — We, that is, the multitudes who heard the preaching of John. Ours, say they, is the cheerful and the merry mood. We look for a prophet and preacher who can respond to our cheerful temper. But you are an austere denouncer of sin, not sparing the cheerfulness of life. We have piped, but you have refused to dance to our tune. We have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented — We, that is, the hearers of Jesus, are pensive in character. We love the weeping and denouncing preacher. But you are genial and joyous. We have mourned and you have not lamented.

Verses 16, 17. But whereunto shall I liken, &c. — This was one of the usual forms of introducing a comparison or parable, both of which were favourite modes of speaking among the orientals; and especially, says St. Jerome, were familiar to the inhabitants of Syria and Palestine: Familiare est Syris, et maxime Palestinis, ad omnem sermonem suum parabolas jungere. Thn genean tauthn, this race, meaning the perverse scribes and Pharisees, and their followers, a generation or race descended from others of like spirit, and likely to transmit the same pride, prejudice, and captiousness to those who should succeed them; men who united the malignity of persecutors with the perverse pettishness of children, refusing to be pleased with the sports proposed by their fellows. To such children, therefore, in the markets, en agoraiv, market places, squares, or any open spaces of a city, imitating in their plays the dances at a feast, or the lamentations at funerals, our Lord compares them. The Jews used pipes, tibiæ, to lead up the dance on festive occasions; and, as noted above, they employed them also at funerals, to lead the funeral dirge, in which all the mourners joined. We have piped in cheerful strains unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, played the sorrowful funeral dirge, and ye have not lamented, ye have not joined us in the sad strain, singing and beating your breasts. The meaning is, as appears from the next verse, that neither the affable familiarity with which Christ had mingled in their society, nor the secluded austerity of John, had succeeded to win their attention, or to soften their moroseness.

V. 18. John came neither eating nor drinking-In a rigorous austere way, like Elijah.

And they say, He hath a devil-Is melancholy, from the influence of an evil spirit.

Verse 18. For John came neither eating nor drinking] Leading a very austere and mortified life: and yet, he did not receive him. A sinner will not be persuaded that what he has no mind to imitate can come from God. There are some who will rather blame holiness itself, than esteem it in those whom they do not like.

He hath a devil.] He is a vile hypocrite, influenced by a demon to deceive and destroy the simple.

Verses 16-19. Whereunto shall I liken this generation — That is, the men of this age? They are like those froward children, of whom their fellows complain that they will be pleased no way. Saying, We have piped unto you, &c. — “It was usual in Judea, at feasts, to have music of an airy kind, accompanied with dancing, Luke 15:25; and at funerals, melancholy airs, to which were joined the lamentations of persons hired for that purpose. The children, therefore, in that country, imitating these things in their diversions, while one band of them performed the musical part, if the other, happening to be froward, would not answer them by dancing or lamenting, as the game directed, it naturally gave occasion to this complaint, We have piped, &c, which at length was turned into a proverb.” John came neither eating nor drinking — In a rigorous, austere way, like Elijah. And they say, He hath a devil — He is melancholy from the influence of an evil spirit. So, it is probable, the Pharisees in particular said. The Son of man came eating and drinking — Conversing in a free, familiar way. And they say, Behold a man gluttonous, &c. — Jesus did not practise those mortifications which rendered the Baptist remarkable. He fared like other men, and went into mixed companies, not avoiding the society even of publicans and sinners, but neither would they hear him; for, notwithstanding he maintained the strictest temperance himself, and never encouraged the vices of others, either by dissimulation or example, they attributed that free way of living to a certain laxness of principle, or unholiness of disposition. But wisdom is justified of her children — That is, my wisdom herein is acknowledged by all those who are truly wise, and all such will justify all God’s dispensations toward them in order to their salvation, and will entirely acquiesce therein.

18. For — Our Lord now applies his figure of the piping and mourning children to himself and John. John came neither eating nor drinking — That is, as our note on Matthew 3:4, has said, John ceremonially exhibited a perpetual fast. He came not accepting any festal invitations or joining any banquets, but adopting a religious diet indicative of pure abstinence, He hath a devil — Instead of being a prophet, inspired of God, he is, say they, a demoniac, dwelling, like other demoniacs, in the desert, and howling forth his denunciations.

Verse 18. For John came neither eating nor drinking, &c. — That is, he did not live a social life, nor attended any of their domestic feasts; and they, the scribes and Pharisees, say, He hath a devil, he is possessed by a demon, which drives him into solitude, and overwhelms him with melancholy. The Son of man came eating and drinking; he lived with men in cities, and only retired occasionally into the wilderness; when invited, he attended marriages and other feasts, to sanctify the cheerfulness of family meetings, to engage the attention of the guests to his heavenly doctrine, to overcome their prejudices by his mild condescensions, to make the customs of social life the means of conveying instruction by founding parables upon them, and in these respects, as well as once literally, to turn THE WATER INTO WINE. But for all this he was slandered as gluttonous and a wine-bibber, and a friend, not of the souls, but of the vices, of publicans and sinners. With such virulence were both the master and the servant treated! and so easy is it for envy and malice to give an odious colouring to the most wise and holy conduct! The comparison of the stately and affected Pharisees, and Jewish doctors, to peevish, ill tempered children in the market places, was sufficiently humbling to their pride.

V. 19. The Son of man came eating and drinking-Conversing in a free, familiar way.

Wisdom is justified by her children-That is, my wisdom herein is acknowledged by those who are truly wise.

Verse 19. The Son of man came eating and drinking] That is, went wheresoever he was invited to eat a morsel of bread, and observed no rigid fasts: how could he, who had no corrupt appetites to mortify or subdue? They say, Behold a man gluttonous, &c.] Whatever measures the followers of God may take, they will not escape the censure of the world: the best way is not to be concerned at them. Iniquity, being always ready to oppose and contradict the Divine conduct, often contradicts and exposes itself.

But wisdom is justified of her children.] Those who follow the dictates of true wisdom ever justify, point out as excellent, the holy maxims by which they are guided, for they find the way pleasantness, and the path, peace. Of, here, and in many places of our translation, ought to be written by in modern English.

Some suppose that our blessed Lord applies the epithet of h sofia, that Wisdom to himself; as he does that of Son of man, in the first clause of the verse: and that this refers to the sublime description given of wisdom in Prov. 8. Others have supposed that by the children or sons (teknwn) of wisdom our Lord means John Baptist and himself, who came to preach the doctrines of true wisdom to the people, and who were known to be teachers come from God by all those who seriously attended to their ministry: they recommending themselves, by the purity of their doctrines, and the holiness of their lives, to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. It is likely, however, that by children our Lord simply means the fruits or effects of wisdom, according to the Hebrew idiom, which denominates the fruits or effects of a thing, its children. So in Job 5:7, sparks emitted by coals are termed ãvr ynb beney resheph, the children of the coal. It was probably this well known meaning of the word, which led the Codex Vaticanus, one of the most ancient MSS. in the world, together with the Syriac, Persic, Coptic, and Ethiopic, to read ergwn, works, instead of teknwn, sons or children. Wisdom is vindicated by her works, i.e. the good effects prove that the cause is excellent. The children of true wisdom can justify all God’s ways in their salvation; as they know that all the dispensations of Providence work together for the good of those who love and fear God. See on Luke 7:35.

Verses 16-19. Whereunto shall I liken this generation — That is, the men of this age? They are like those froward children, of whom their fellows complain that they will be pleased no way. Saying, We have piped unto you, &c. — “It was usual in Judea, at feasts, to have music of an airy kind, accompanied with dancing, Luke 15:25; and at funerals, melancholy airs, to which were joined the lamentations of persons hired for that purpose. The children, therefore, in that country, imitating these things in their diversions, while one band of them performed the musical part, if the other, happening to be froward, would not answer them by dancing or lamenting, as the game directed, it naturally gave occasion to this complaint, We have piped, &c, which at length was turned into a proverb.” John came neither eating nor drinking — In a rigorous, austere way, like Elijah. And they say, He hath a devil — He is melancholy from the influence of an evil spirit. So, it is probable, the Pharisees in particular said. The Son of man came eating and drinking — Conversing in a free, familiar way. And they say, Behold a man gluttonous, &c. — Jesus did not practise those mortifications which rendered the Baptist remarkable. He fared like other men, and went into mixed companies, not avoiding the society even of publicans and sinners, but neither would they hear him; for, notwithstanding he maintained the strictest temperance himself, and never encouraged the vices of others, either by dissimulation or example, they attributed that free way of living to a certain laxness of principle, or unholiness of disposition. But wisdom is justified of her children — That is, my wisdom herein is acknowledged by all those who are truly wise, and all such will justify all God’s dispensations toward them in order to their salvation, and will entirely acquiesce therein.

19. Eating and drinking — Not living, like John, in the desert, on a diet that indicated fast; but joining in the social enjoyments of life, blessing the wedding and banquet with his presence, and preaching the Gospel of deliverance and joy. Man gluttonous — The sanctimonious hypocrites made even the gladness of the Saviour’s Gospel a charge against him. There is no form of virtue or excellence which wicked men cannot malign, and charge with being a vice which bears some analogy to that virtue. Wisdom is justified of her children — Besides these sets of captious children who capriciously assail the Gospel in its ministry and preaching, there is a choice body of other children — the children of wisdom. This wisdom is the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 2:7. It is the wisdom of the just — the blessed Gospel. This wisdom, however cavilled at by the children of perversity and captiousness, is justified, that is, vindicated and maintained against cavils, by her children.

Verse 19. But wisdom is justified of her children. — The kai here is properly taken by our translators in the sense of alla, but; for these words are not, as some understand them, a continuation of the censorious remarks attributed to the Pharisees, which would force a sense upon the verb which it never bears in the New Testament, or in the Septuagint; but they contain the meek but pointed answer which our Lord gives to all the slanders of his enemies. Wisdom is personified; and by the children of Wisdom he evidently intends John the Baptist and himself; while the term justified is to, be taken in its usual sense of “acquitted from blame.” The sense therefore is, that the heavenly wisdom or doctrine which both John and Christ had been commissioned to teach, so far from having been criminated by their conduct, as though it led on the one hand to a morose contempt of mankind, or on the other to any sanction of their vices, had been illustrated, honoured, and raised above all censure. The spirit and the conduct of each had declared that the doctrine they taught was the wisdom from above. This remark of our Lord is, however, a general truth of large application. The true “children of wisdom,” in every age, are all those who receive and hold the truth of Christ’s doctrine; and they will “justify” it, clear it of all the charges which ignorant and unbelieving men may direct against it, by their prudent and holy life and conversation. By this “the mouth of gainsayers” is most effectually “stopped,” and the truth of Christianity most effectually demonstrated before the world. Let the professed “children of wisdom,” therefore, always recollect this as a motive to maintain a conduct in all respects consonant with the truth which they have received, that they are charged with the very character and credit of Christianity, and that it depends upon them to extend or to diminish its influence upon all with whom they are surrounded. They are thus to justify it as the wisdom of God before the world.

V. 20. Then began he to upbraid the cities-It is observable he had never upbraided them before. Indeed at first they received him with all gladness, Capernaum in particular.

Verse 20. Then began he to upbraid the cities] The more God has done to draw men unto himself, the less excusable are they if they continue in iniquity. If our blessed Lord had not done every thing that was necessary for the salvation of these people, he could not have reproached them for their impenitence.

Verses 20-24. Then began he to upbraid the cities — Which he had often blessed with his presence, and in which he had preached many awakening sermons, and performed many astonishing miracles. It is observable, he had never upbraided them before. Indeed, at first they had received him with all gladness, Capernaum in particular. Wo unto thee, Chorazin, &c. — That is, miserable art thou. For these are not curses or imprecations, as has been commonly supposed; but a solemn, compassionate declaration of the misery they were bringing on themselves. Chorazin and Bethsaida were cities of Galilee, standing by the lake of Gennesareth, in which and the neighbouring places Jesus spent a great part of his public life. See notes on chap. 4:13-16. If the mighty works — The great miracles, which were done in you, had been done [of old] in Tyre and Sidon — Though cities inhabited by heathen, and remarkable for their luxury, pride, and contempt of religion, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes — That is, they would have exercised the deepest repentance, for sackcloth and ashes were used by the Jews in token of the bitterest grief. But I say unto you — Besides this general denunciation of wo to those stubborn unbelievers, I declare particularly that the degree of their misery will be greater than even that of Tyre and Sidon, yea, of Sodom. And thou, Capernaum, &c. — He mentions Capernaum separately by itself, and last of all, because, being the place of his ordinary residence, it had been blessed with more of his sermons and miracles than any other town. Nevertheless it abounded with wickedness of all kinds, and therefore he compared it to that city which, on account of the greatness of its crimes, had been the most terrible example of the divine displeasure that ever the world had beheld. It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, &c. — That is, the condition of the inhabitants even of the land of Sodom, in the day of the final judgment, shall be more tolerable than thy condition. For thy condemnation shall rise in proportion to thy more aggravated guilt, and to those more valuable mercies and privileges which thou hast abused. Dr. Hammond understands this passage as referring to the temporal calamities to come on those places by the Romans; who did indeed shortly after overrun the whole country, and made dreadful ravages in some of those cities. But, as Doddridge justly observes, “There is no evidence that the destruction of those cities was more dreadful than that of Tyre and Sidon, and it was certainly less so than that of Sodom and Gomorrah: besides, our Lord plainly speaks of a judgment that was yet to come on all these places that he mentions.” From this passage, therefore, we learn “two important particulars: 1st, That the punishments to be inflicted upon wicked men in the life to come shall not be all equal, but in exact proportion to the demerit of the sins of each. 2d, That great and signal punishments, befalling sinners in this life, will not screen them from the wrath of God in the life to come; for Jesus Christ, the judge, here declares that Sodom, though burned by fire and brimstone from heaven, shall suffer such dreadful things, that, in speaking of the pains of the damned, he mentions this city as an example of very great punishment.” — Macknight.

§ 40. — UPBRAIDING OF THE IMPENITENT CITIES, 20-24.

20. The cities — The children who justified divine wisdom were but the few. Whole cities rejected it, to whom it had been offered in all its beauty and power. Upbraid — Rebuke, reprove. Repented not — Our Lord upbraided not the bare walls or buildings of the cities, but the individuals in them who could repent of sin, but would not. As the Lord passed from considering John’s wavering faith to the faithlessness of that generation, so now he passes from that generation to the cities who had been most favoured, and were therefore most guilty of want of faith. Mighty works — There are those who maintain that miracles, even if performed, are no proof of a divine message. But this is as contrary to common sense as it is to Scripture. Mankind fully believe with their ordinary common sense that if a man in the name of God perform undoubted miracles, he is a messenger from God. Such is the doctrine of our Lord in this and many other passages.

V. 21. Wo to thee, Chorazin-That is, miserable art thou. For these are not curses or imprecations, as has been commonly supposed; but a solemn, compassionate declaration of the misery they were bringing on themselves. Chorazin and Bethsaida were cities of Galilee, standing by the lake Gennesareth. Tyre and Sidon were cities of Phenicia, lying on the sea shore. The inhabitants of them were heathens. Luke 10:13.

Verse 21. Wo unto thee, Chorazin-Bethsaida!] It would be better to translate the word ouai soi, alas for thee, than wo to thee. The former is an exclamation of pity; the latter a denunciation of wrath. It is evident that our Lord used it in the former sense. It is not known precisely where Chorazin was situated; but as Christ joins it in the same censure with Bethsaida, which was in Upper Galilee, beyond the sea, Mark 6:45, it is likely that Chorazin was in the same quarter. Though the people in these cities were (generally) impenitent, yet there is little doubt that several received the word of life. Indeed, Bethsaida itself furnished not less than three of the twelve apostles, Philip, Andrew, and Peter. See John 1:44. Tyre and Sidon] Were two heathen cities, situated on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, into which it does not appear that Christ ever went, though he was often very nigh to them; see Matthew 15:21. They would have repented long ago] palai, formerly, seems here to refer to the time of Ezekiel, who denounced destruction against Tyre and Sidon, Ezekiel 26, 27, and 28. Our Lord, then, intimates that, if Ezekiel had done as many miracles in those cities as himself had in Chorazin and Bethsaida, the inhabitants would have repented in sackcloth and ashes, with the deepest and most genuine sorrow.

A Hindoo who renounces the secular life, and becomes a religious mendicant, often covers himself with a coarse cloth sprinkled over with ashes. This is the sackcloth and ashes which our Lord refers to; and this covering was the outward sign of deep repentance, and forsaking of sin.

Verses 20-24. Then began he to upbraid the cities — Which he had often blessed with his presence, and in which he had preached many awakening sermons, and performed many astonishing miracles. It is observable, he had never upbraided them before. Indeed, at first they had received him with all gladness, Capernaum in particular. Wo unto thee, Chorazin, &c. — That is, miserable art thou. For these are not curses or imprecations, as has been commonly supposed; but a solemn, compassionate declaration of the misery they were bringing on themselves. Chorazin and Bethsaida were cities of Galilee, standing by the lake of Gennesareth, in which and the neighbouring places Jesus spent a great part of his public life. See notes on chap. 4:13-16. If the mighty works — The great miracles, which were done in you, had been done [of old] in Tyre and Sidon — Though cities inhabited by heathen, and remarkable for their luxury, pride, and contempt of religion, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes — That is, they would have exercised the deepest repentance, for sackcloth and ashes were used by the Jews in token of the bitterest grief. But I say unto you — Besides this general denunciation of wo to those stubborn unbelievers, I declare particularly that the degree of their misery will be greater than even that of Tyre and Sidon, yea, of Sodom. And thou, Capernaum, &c. — He mentions Capernaum separately by itself, and last of all, because, being the place of his ordinary residence, it had been blessed with more of his sermons and miracles than any other town. Nevertheless it abounded with wickedness of all kinds, and therefore he compared it to that city which, on account of the greatness of its crimes, had been the most terrible example of the divine displeasure that ever the world had beheld. It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, &c. — That is, the condition of the inhabitants even of the land of Sodom, in the day of the final judgment, shall be more tolerable than thy condition. For thy condemnation shall rise in proportion to thy more aggravated guilt, and to those more valuable mercies and privileges which thou hast abused. Dr. Hammond understands this passage as referring to the temporal calamities to come on those places by the Romans; who did indeed shortly after overrun the whole country, and made dreadful ravages in some of those cities. But, as Doddridge justly observes, “There is no evidence that the destruction of those cities was more dreadful than that of Tyre and Sidon, and it was certainly less so than that of Sodom and Gomorrah: besides, our Lord plainly speaks of a judgment that was yet to come on all these places that he mentions.” From this passage, therefore, we learn “two important particulars: 1st, That the punishments to be inflicted upon wicked men in the life to come shall not be all equal, but in exact proportion to the demerit of the sins of each. 2d, That great and signal punishments, befalling sinners in this life, will not screen them from the wrath of God in the life to come; for Jesus Christ, the judge, here declares that Sodom, though burned by fire and brimstone from heaven, shall suffer such dreadful things, that, in speaking of the pains of the damned, he mentions this city as an example of very great punishment.” — Macknight.

21. Chorazin — The three cities here named were all on the northwest side of the Lake of Gennesaret; but of their precise position no infallible account can be given, as no certain traces of them now exist. But the latest researches, those of Dr. Thomson, will probably establish the opinion that Chorazin is identical with the modern Khorazy. See note on Matthew 4:13, and the map. Tyre — This celebrated city, the commercial emporium of ancient Phenicia, was founded two hundred years before the time of Solomon. It stood on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, about midway between Egypt and Asia Minor. It was one of the wealthiest and most celebrated cities of antiquity. Sidon, or Zidon, was a still more ancient Phenician city, standing on the same shore, about forty miles north of Tyre. It was situated within the limits of the tribe of Asher, but was never conquered by Israel. It was celebrated for commerce and manufactures. It is now a town of some fifteen thousand inhabitants.

Verse 21. Wo unto thee, Chorazin, &c. — Ouai is sometimes an interjection of pity and grief, but of malediction also; for it was in this spirit that our Saviour pronounced his woes against these favoured cities, and against Jerusalem itself, but it was pity reluctantly giving place to righteous wrath. — Chorazin is placed by Jerome within two miles of Capernaum. Out of Chorazin as well as Bethsaida many disciples had doubtless been raised up; but the body of the people remained impenitent; and their guilt was aggravated by the mighty works which Christ had done among them, in attestation of his mission, and in the neighbouring country; for our Lord spent most of his public life on the shores of the sea of Galilee, in Capernaum, and Bethsaida, frequently itinerating through the other cities and towns of the adjoining districts. Tyre and Sidon, on the Mediterranean coast of Syria or Palestine, were the most celebrated maritime cities of antiquity, and as remarkable for their power and opulence, as for the greatness of their fall; their pride, luxury, and idolatry having brought upon them those tremendous judgments which left them signal monuments of desolation to future ages. What previous warnings they might have had from God we know not; but certainly they had none enforced by such “mighty works” as our Lord had wrought in the cities of Galilee. The peculiar hardness of the hearts of the inhabitants of the latter was therefore rendered the more conspicuous and inexcusable; and for them a sorer punishment was reserved. As to this life, indeed, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum had a similar fate to theirs: they were utterly destroyed by the Romans; and they lie, even to this day, in a state of as utter ruin. Yet a future judgment awaits both the inhabitants of the Syrian and Galilean cities; and in that day it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, and Sodom, than for them, because their sin will be punished according to its exact desert, as aggravated by the superior religious advantages which they enjoyed and slighted.

Repented long ago, palai, “in old time,” in sackcloth and ashes. — To put on a garment of hair cloth, and sprinkle ashes upon the head, was the custom of mourners and deep penitents. They would have repented as the Ninevites at the preaching of Jonas, and with much feebler evidences of his having a Divine commission. Whether this repentance would have been one produced by concern for their spiritual interests, or by terror at approaching temporal judgments, our Lord does not say. That of the Ninevites was obviously the latter; and God had respect to it as an acknowledgment of him, in the same manner as he had respect to the public and deep humiliation of Ahab, which also was excited by a threatened external punishment. Our Lord seems to have intended chiefly to say that, with all their wickedness, those ancient cities were not so obstinately set to resist supernatural evidences of truth as the cities he reproves. — Determined infidelity, the result of false reasoning, and pride, and self-righteousness, was not their sin; and in such cases his preaching to them, enforced by such mighty works, would have produced an impression which it did not upon the inhabitants of Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida. Still let it be remembered that they had SUFFICIENT warnings, instructions, and mercies to render them GUILTLESS; and they could have no ground to complain of severity, much less of injustice. All have not equal favours, but all are dealt with in perfect equity.

V. 22, 24. Moreover I say unto you-Beside the general denunciation of wo to those stubborn unbelievers, the degree of their misery will be greater than even that of Tyre and Sidon, yea, of Sodom.

Verse 22. But-it shall be more tolerable] Every thing will help to overwhelm the impenitent at the tribunal of God-the benefits and favours which they have received, as well as the sins which they have committed.

Verses 20-24. Then began he to upbraid the cities — Which he had often blessed with his presence, and in which he had preached many awakening sermons, and performed many astonishing miracles. It is observable, he had never upbraided them before. Indeed, at first they had received him with all gladness, Capernaum in particular. Wo unto thee, Chorazin, &c. — That is, miserable art thou. For these are not curses or imprecations, as has been commonly supposed; but a solemn, compassionate declaration of the misery they were bringing on themselves. Chorazin and Bethsaida were cities of Galilee, standing by the lake of Gennesareth, in which and the neighbouring places Jesus spent a great part of his public life. See notes on chap. 4:13-16. If the mighty works — The great miracles, which were done in you, had been done [of old] in Tyre and Sidon — Though cities inhabited by heathen, and remarkable for their luxury, pride, and contempt of religion, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes — That is, they would have exercised the deepest repentance, for sackcloth and ashes were used by the Jews in token of the bitterest grief. But I say unto you — Besides this general denunciation of wo to those stubborn unbelievers, I declare particularly that the degree of their misery will be greater than even that of Tyre and Sidon, yea, of Sodom. And thou, Capernaum, &c. — He mentions Capernaum separately by itself, and last of all, because, being the place of his ordinary residence, it had been blessed with more of his sermons and miracles than any other town. Nevertheless it abounded with wickedness of all kinds, and therefore he compared it to that city which, on account of the greatness of its crimes, had been the most terrible example of the divine displeasure that ever the world had beheld. It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, &c. — That is, the condition of the inhabitants even of the land of Sodom, in the day of the final judgment, shall be more tolerable than thy condition. For thy condemnation shall rise in proportion to thy more aggravated guilt, and to those more valuable mercies and privileges which thou hast abused. Dr. Hammond understands this passage as referring to the temporal calamities to come on those places by the Romans; who did indeed shortly after overrun the whole country, and made dreadful ravages in some of those cities. But, as Doddridge justly observes, “There is no evidence that the destruction of those cities was more dreadful than that of Tyre and Sidon, and it was certainly less so than that of Sodom and Gomorrah: besides, our Lord plainly speaks of a judgment that was yet to come on all these places that he mentions.” From this passage, therefore, we learn “two important particulars: 1st, That the punishments to be inflicted upon wicked men in the life to come shall not be all equal, but in exact proportion to the demerit of the sins of each. 2d, That great and signal punishments, befalling sinners in this life, will not screen them from the wrath of God in the life to come; for Jesus Christ, the judge, here declares that Sodom, though burned by fire and brimstone from heaven, shall suffer such dreadful things, that, in speaking of the pains of the damned, he mentions this city as an example of very great punishment.” — Macknight.

22. More tolerable — Because Tyre and Sidon had had less opportunities for knowing the truth. This text, with many others, teaches the doctrine of different degrees of retribution, proportioned to the guilt. The clearness of the light against which sin is committed aggravates the guilt. See note on Matthew 10:15.

V. 23. Thou Capernaum, who hast been exalted to heaven-That is, highly honoured by my presence and miracles.

Verse 23. Thou, Capernaum-exalted unto heaven] A Hebrew metaphor, expressive of the utmost prosperity, and the enjoyment of the greatest privileges. This was properly spoken of this city, because that in it our Lord dwelt, and wrought many of his miraculous works.

Shalt be brought down to hell] Perhaps not meaning, here, the place of torment, but rather a state of desolation. The original word is Hades, adhv, from a, not, and idein, to see; the invisible receptacle or mansion of the dead, answering to lwav sheol, in Hebrew; and implying often, 1st. the grave; 2dly. the state of separate souls, or unseen world of spirits, whether of torment, Luke 16:23, or, in general, Revelation 1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14. The word hell, used in the common translation, conveys now an improper meaning of the original word; because hell is only used to signify the place of the damned. But, as the word hell comes from the Anglo-Saxon, helan, to cover, or hide, hence the tiling or slating of a house is called, in some parts of England (particularly Cornwall) heling, to this day; and the covers of books (in Lancashire) by the same name: so the literal import of the original word adhv was formerly well expressed by it. Here it means a state of the utmost wo, and ruin, and desolation, to which these impenitent cities should be reduced. This prediction of our Lord was literally fulfilled; for, in the wars between the Romans and the Jews, these cities were totally destroyed, so that no traces are now found of Bethsaida, Chorazin, or Capernaum. See Bp. PEARCE.

Verses 20-24. Then began he to upbraid the cities — Which he had often blessed with his presence, and in which he had preached many awakening sermons, and performed many astonishing miracles. It is observable, he had never upbraided them before. Indeed, at first they had received him with all gladness, Capernaum in particular. Wo unto thee, Chorazin, &c. — That is, miserable art thou. For these are not curses or imprecations, as has been commonly supposed; but a solemn, compassionate declaration of the misery they were bringing on themselves. Chorazin and Bethsaida were cities of Galilee, standing by the lake of Gennesareth, in which and the neighbouring places Jesus spent a great part of his public life. See notes on chap. 4:13-16. If the mighty works — The great miracles, which were done in you, had been done [of old] in Tyre and Sidon — Though cities inhabited by heathen, and remarkable for their luxury, pride, and contempt of religion, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes — That is, they would have exercised the deepest repentance, for sackcloth and ashes were used by the Jews in token of the bitterest grief. But I say unto you — Besides this general denunciation of wo to those stubborn unbelievers, I declare particularly that the degree of their misery will be greater than even that of Tyre and Sidon, yea, of Sodom. And thou, Capernaum, &c. — He mentions Capernaum separately by itself, and last of all, because, being the place of his ordinary residence, it had been blessed with more of his sermons and miracles than any other town. Nevertheless it abounded with wickedness of all kinds, and therefore he compared it to that city which, on account of the greatness of its crimes, had been the most terrible example of the divine displeasure that ever the world had beheld. It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, &c. — That is, the condition of the inhabitants even of the land of Sodom, in the day of the final judgment, shall be more tolerable than thy condition. For thy condemnation shall rise in proportion to thy more aggravated guilt, and to those more valuable mercies and privileges which thou hast abused. Dr. Hammond understands this passage as referring to the temporal calamities to come on those places by the Romans; who did indeed shortly after overrun the whole country, and made dreadful ravages in some of those cities. But, as Doddridge justly observes, “There is no evidence that the destruction of those cities was more dreadful than that of Tyre and Sidon, and it was certainly less so than that of Sodom and Gomorrah: besides, our Lord plainly speaks of a judgment that was yet to come on all these places that he mentions.” From this passage, therefore, we learn “two important particulars: 1st, That the punishments to be inflicted upon wicked men in the life to come shall not be all equal, but in exact proportion to the demerit of the sins of each. 2d, That great and signal punishments, befalling sinners in this life, will not screen them from the wrath of God in the life to come; for Jesus Christ, the judge, here declares that Sodom, though burned by fire and brimstone from heaven, shall suffer such dreadful things, that, in speaking of the pains of the damned, he mentions this city as an example of very great punishment.” — Macknight.

23. Exalted unto heaven — The heaven here spoken of is the literal abode of the blest, and the word is used in the literal sense. The figure, if there be any, is in the exaltation. Figuratively, they are said to be exalted to a prospective and possible heaven by the offer of the Gospel. Its forfeiture by impenitence opens before them a prospective hell. It would have remained — Our Lord here denies the doctrine of fatalism. Events can result differently from what they do.

This text illustrates also that true view of God’s foreknowledge which is implied in his attribute of omniscience. God foreknows not only all things actually future, but all things possible. And he knows all the results, both possible and certain, of all possible future events; and this not as weak man knows futurities, by experience of the past, and by inferences and reasonings from cause to effect. He foreknows all future actualities and possibilities by his own perfect attribute of infinite knowledge, which is eternal, uncaused, and independent.

Nor does God’s knowledge, as predestinarianism affirms, depend on his determination or decree. For God’s knowledge is his own divine faculty or attribute of omniscience, while his determination is an act. To say that God’s knowledge depends upon his determination, is to say that his attribute depends upon his action. The act of God presupposes the attribute as being before it. For to suppose God to determine antecedent to his knowledge is to suppose that he determines without knowledge and in the dark. God’s foreknowledge is antecedent to his predetermination, and is the ground of it.

Verse 23. Capernaum. — Capernaum, as having been the residence of our Lord, is reproved distinctly; and the impenitence and obduracy of its people are more strongly marked by being contrasted, not with Tyre and Sidon, but with the infamous Sodom; — even Sodom would have repented, and remained to this day, had the mighty works been done in that devoted city as in thee, Capernaum!

Brought down to hell. — The word here used is adhv, not geenna, the place of future punishment, and is to be taken figuratively. Exalted to heaven, may express the flourishing condition of the city, or its pride, Isaiah 14:11; and to be brought down to hell means, therefore, its utter destruction; to express which adhv is used, a word which generally signifies the invisible world of disembodied spirits, but also answering to the lav of the Hebrews, which has often the sense of destruction. In the phrase, exalted to heaven, some think there might be a figurative reference to the lofty and commanding situation of Capernaum, on one of the hills of that mountainous region. But the exact site of this devoted city does not seem to have been certainly discovered by the most recent travellers, who conjecture only that certain ruins may be the remains of what was once Capernaum, but without any sufficient evidence of the identity. So completely have the words of our Lord been fulfilled as to the temporal punishment of this once favoured place! As the grave covers her inhabitants, so her very ruins are brought down to that region, and lie covered up in silence and darkness as the bodies of her slain. The punishment of the inhabitants, in the future life, is threatened in the next verse: “In the day of judgment it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom,” that is, the inhabitants of the land of Sodom, “than for thee.” Our Lord also intended to teach the righteous apportionment of punishment to the degree of guilt. By how much more terrible was the destruction of the land of Sodom by a tempest of fire than the destruction of Tyre and Sidon, by so much shall the punishment of the inhabitants of Capernaum at the day of judgment be than that of the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida, as more guilty even than they: the penalty, terrible as to all, shall be righteously distributed in its more intense degree. Let all deeply meditate upon these alarming passages who abuse the superior privileges and opportunities of instruction which they enjoy, and be awakened to this conviction, that the greatest guilt of man is to slight and reject the offered salvation of the Gospel.

V. 24. See Wesley note ... "Matthew 11:22".

Verse 24. But-it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom] gh sodomwn, the land of the Sodomites; i.e. the ancient inhabitants of that city and its neighbourhood.

In Jude, Jude 1:7, we are told that these persons are suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah happened A. M. 2107, which was 1897 years before the incarnation. What a terrible thought is this! It will be more tolerable for certain sinners, who have already been damned nearly four thousand years, than for those who, live and die infidels under the Gospel! There are various degrees of punishments in hell, answerable to various degrees of guilt, and the contempt manifested to, and the abuse made of; the preaching of the Gospel, will rank semi-infidel Christians in the highest list of transgressors, and purchase them the hottest place in hell! Great God! save the reader from this destruction!

Day of judgment] May either refer to that particular time in which God visits for iniquity, or to that great day in which he will judge the world by the Lord Jesus Christ. The day of Sodom’s judgment was that in which it was destroyed by fire and brimstone from heaven, Genesis 19:24; and the day of judgment to Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, was the time in which they were destroyed by the Romans, Matthew 11:23. But there is a day of final judgment, when Hades itself, (sinners in a state of partial punishment in the invisible world) shall be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, which is the second death. See Revelation 20:14.

Verses 20-24. Then began he to upbraid the cities — Which he had often blessed with his presence, and in which he had preached many awakening sermons, and performed many astonishing miracles. It is observable, he had never upbraided them before. Indeed, at first they had received him with all gladness, Capernaum in particular. Wo unto thee, Chorazin, &c. — That is, miserable art thou. For these are not curses or imprecations, as has been commonly supposed; but a solemn, compassionate declaration of the misery they were bringing on themselves. Chorazin and Bethsaida were cities of Galilee, standing by the lake of Gennesareth, in which and the neighbouring places Jesus spent a great part of his public life. See notes on chap. 4:13-16. If the mighty works — The great miracles, which were done in you, had been done [of old] in Tyre and Sidon — Though cities inhabited by heathen, and remarkable for their luxury, pride, and contempt of religion, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes — That is, they would have exercised the deepest repentance, for sackcloth and ashes were used by the Jews in token of the bitterest grief. But I say unto you — Besides this general denunciation of wo to those stubborn unbelievers, I declare particularly that the degree of their misery will be greater than even that of Tyre and Sidon, yea, of Sodom. And thou, Capernaum, &c. — He mentions Capernaum separately by itself, and last of all, because, being the place of his ordinary residence, it had been blessed with more of his sermons and miracles than any other town. Nevertheless it abounded with wickedness of all kinds, and therefore he compared it to that city which, on account of the greatness of its crimes, had been the most terrible example of the divine displeasure that ever the world had beheld. It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, &c. — That is, the condition of the inhabitants even of the land of Sodom, in the day of the final judgment, shall be more tolerable than thy condition. For thy condemnation shall rise in proportion to thy more aggravated guilt, and to those more valuable mercies and privileges which thou hast abused. Dr. Hammond understands this passage as referring to the temporal calamities to come on those places by the Romans; who did indeed shortly after overrun the whole country, and made dreadful ravages in some of those cities. But, as Doddridge justly observes, “There is no evidence that the destruction of those cities was more dreadful than that of Tyre and Sidon, and it was certainly less so than that of Sodom and Gomorrah: besides, our Lord plainly speaks of a judgment that was yet to come on all these places that he mentions.” From this passage, therefore, we learn “two important particulars: 1st, That the punishments to be inflicted upon wicked men in the life to come shall not be all equal, but in exact proportion to the demerit of the sins of each. 2d, That great and signal punishments, befalling sinners in this life, will not screen them from the wrath of God in the life to come; for Jesus Christ, the judge, here declares that Sodom, though burned by fire and brimstone from heaven, shall suffer such dreadful things, that, in speaking of the pains of the damned, he mentions this city as an example of very great punishment.” — Macknight.

§ 40. — UPBRAIDING OF THE IMPENITENT CITIES, 20-24.

20. The cities — The children who justified divine wisdom were but the few. Whole cities rejected it, to whom it had been offered in all its beauty and power. Upbraid — Rebuke, reprove. Repented not — Our Lord upbraided not the bare walls or buildings of the cities, but the individuals in them who could repent of sin, but would not. As the Lord passed from considering John’s wavering faith to the faithlessness of that generation, so now he passes from that generation to the cities who had been most favoured, and were therefore most guilty of want of faith. Mighty works — There are those who maintain that miracles, even if performed, are no proof of a divine message. But this is as contrary to common sense as it is to Scripture. Mankind fully believe with their ordinary common sense that if a man in the name of God perform undoubted miracles, he is a messenger from God. Such is the doctrine of our Lord in this and many other passages.

V. 25. Jesus answering-This word does not always imply, that something had been spoken, to which an answer is now made. It often means no more than the speaking in reference to some action or circumstance preceding. The following words Christ speaks in reference to the case of the cities above mentioned:

I thank thee-That is, I acknowledge and joyfully adore the justice and mercy of thy dispensations:

Because thou hast hid-That is, because thou hast suffered these things to be hid from men, who are in other respects wise and prudent, while thou hast discovered them to those of the weakest understanding, to them who are only wise to Godward. Luke 10:21.

Verse 25. I thank thee] exomologoumai soi, I fully agree with thee-I am perfectly of the same mind. Thou hast acted in all things according to the strictest holiness, justice, mercy, and truth.

Wise and prudent] The scribes and Pharisees, vainly puffed up by their fleshly minds, and having their foolish hearts darkened, refusing to submit to the righteousness of God (God’s method of saving man by Christ) and going about to establish their own righteousness, (their own method of saving themselves,) they rejected God’s counsel, and God sent the peace and salvation of the Gospel to others, called here babes, (his disciples,) simple-hearted persons, who submitted to be instructed and saved in God’s own way. Let it be observed, that our Lord does not thank the Father that he had hidden these things from the wise and prudent, but that, seeing they were hidden from them, he had revealed them to the others. There is a remarkable saying in the Talmudists, which casts light upon this: “Rab. Jochanan said: ‘From the time in which the temple was destroyed, wisdom was taken away from the prophets, and give a to fools and children.’ Bava Bathra, fol. 12. Again: ‘In the days of the Messiah, every species of wisdom, even the most profound, shall, be revealed; and this even to children.’“ Synop. Sohar. fol. 10.

Verses 25, 26. At that time Jesus answered, &c. — This word does not always imply that something had been spoken, to which an answer is now made. It often means no more than the speaking in reference to some action or circumstance preceding. The following words Christ speaks in reference to the case of the cities above mentioned: I thank thee — That is, I acknowledge and joyfully adore the justice and mercy of thy dispensations. The original word, exomologoumai, sometimes denotes to confess sins, sometimes to acknowledge favours, and sometimes also to adore or celebrate. It is chiefly in the last of these senses that the word is to be here understood. Because thou hast hid — That is because thou hast suffered these things to be hid from men, who are in other respects wise and prudent, while thou hast discovered them to those of the weakest understanding, to them who are only wise to God-ward. We have the same idiom, Romans 6:17, God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed, &c. — The thanks are not given for their having been formerly the servants of sin, but for their being then obedient. “It seems they were but a few, and those generally the lower sort of people, who embraced Christ’s doctrine, and co-operated with him in erecting his kingdom; nor was his religion soon to meet with a better reception in the other countries where it was to be preached; circumstances which, in the eyes of common wisdom, were melancholy and mortifying. But our Lord foresaw that, by the direction of God, these very circumstances would become the noblest demonstrations of his personal dignity, the clearest proofs of the excellence of his religion, and the most stupendous instances of his power, who, by such weak instruments, established his dominion in every part of the habitable world, against the policy, the power, and the malice of devils and men combined to oppose it. Our Lord, therefore, properly made the rejection of the gospel by the great men of the nation, and the reception of it by persons in lower stations, the matter of a special thanksgiving, both now and afterward in Judea, Luke 10:21. Nhpioi, babes, in Scripture language, are persons whose faculties are not improved by learning, but who, to that sagacity and understanding which is purely natural, join the dispositions of modesty, sincerity, humility, docility, and all the other engaging qualities that are to be found in children. This is plain from Matthew 18:3. Babes, therefore, stand in opposition, not to men of sound judgment and reason, but to proud politicians and men of learning, who are so full of themselves that they disdain to receive instruction from others, and who make all their abilities subservient to their advancement in this world.” — Macknight.

§ 41. — THANKS FOR THE REVELATION TO BABES, 25-26.

25. At that time — And doubtless in the same connection. For in contrast with the unbelieving cities above named, there were a choice few, the children of wisdom, (verse 19,) who accepted the Gospel in its simplicity. He thanks the Father that to such the Gospel is revealed, (25, 26,) affirms his complete concurrence with the Father in the whole plan, (27,) and issues an invitation for all to come in accordance with that plan, (28-30.) I thank thee — The divine arrangement was so wise and good that our Saviour was grateful at its completion. Hid — What was hid? The spiritual kingdom above described. How hid? By the very fact that God has constituted it a spiritual kingdom; for eyes that wickedly persist in being gross and carnal cannot see spiritual realities. The plainest divine truths, though placed before them, are hid, as the plainest objects by daylight are hid from the eyes of the owl; only the owl’s blindness is natural and innocent, theirs is voluntary and guilty. God does right in establishing spiritual things; that their spirituality renders them hid, is the sensual man’s fault. Those who understand by this text that God has from all eternity made salvation impossible to be attained by a fixed part of mankind, wrong divine justice, and abuse our Lord’s words.

Yet it is not at all probable that the thanks of our Lord rested upon the fact that the Gospel was hid; but upon the fact that though hid, it was wisely and graciously revealed to its spiritual receivers. Parallel to this is the language of Paul: “God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin; but ye have obeyed,” etc. If in either passage we insert although after the word that, we shall obtain the actual meaning.

But it is asked by Calvinists and other predestinarians, has God not a predetermined plan for the regulation of all events? That God has determinations founded on his foreknowledge, we have illustrated in our note on verse 23. That God’s plan, however, does not predestinate and fix all the wicked acts of wicked men, and then fix their damnation for committing those decreed acts, may appear from the following remarks by Dr. Fisk in his sermon on predestination and election:

“We acknowledge and maintain that God has a plan, one part of which is to govern his responsible subjects without controlling their will by a fixed decree; to punish the incorrigible, and save those who repent and believe. Does such a plan imply the necessity of a change, ‘on condition that his creatures act in this or that way?’ If indeed it was necessary for God to decree an event in order to foreknow it, this inference might be just. But as this is seen to be false, it follows that a perfect God, whose eye surveys immensity and eternity at a glance, and who necessarily knows all possibilities and contingencies, all that is, or will be, can perfectly arrange his plan, and preclude the possibility of a disappointment, although he does not, by a decree of predestination, fix all the volitions and acts of his subjects.”

Wise and prudent — He calls them what they call themselves, and what, for this world, they may be called. But the carnal heart, however sagacious in carnal things, understands not the things of the Spirit. Revealed them unto babes — Babes, from the very fact that they received the truth in its simplicity; babes, as the statesmen of Rome, the philosophers of Greece, and the Sadducees of Judea, would style them. They are the ones who realize eternal things, but value low the temporal. If eternal things be unreal, they are not only babes, but fools. But if eternal things be real, these babes, so called because they receive those things with simplicity, and ignore the depraved wisdom of the world, are wiser than the “wise and prudent.”

Verses 25, 26. At that time Jesus answered, &c. — To answer is not in the gospels always used in the sense of to reply to some previous question, opinion, or objection, but often expresses the commencement of a discourse, or of some new branch of discourse. One reason of this mode of speaking, in some cases, seems to be, that our Lord being surrounded with hearers still hanging on his lips, and anxious to hear his farther observations, they were tacitly regarded under the view of inquirers; and he is said to answer when he adapts his discourse to the various doubts, or to the questions which might be rising up, though indistinctly, in their minds. This is a striking character of the perfection of his teaching, that, knowing as he did the very thoughts and secret difficulties and prejudices of his hearers, he could adapt his discourses to them, as though they had been formally propounded as questions.

That thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, &c. — The things referred to are “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,” in which he was training up his disciples. It has been thought that the time when our Lord spoke these words was not that in which he uttered the predictions respecting the cities of Galilee, in the preceding verses, because in St. Luke we find them in connection with the return of the seventy; to which circumstance, it is therefore said, they properly belong: but they were probably spoken on two occasions; on which supposition we may establish the connection thus. The scribes and Pharisees, the professed wise and prudent, or learned of the Jewish nation, had been the main cause of fostering the unbelief of the devoted cities our Lord had been just reproving; and with reference to them he utters this solemn thanksgiving to his Father: not that he thanks God for their blindness and unbelief; but that, as these mysteries were hidden from them, through their own guilty pride and folly, God had not left himself without instruments to teach them to the world, and those more suitable for the work, as having themselves received the truth in simplicity and humbleness of mind. In other words, the subject of our Lord’s thanksgiving is, that since the scribes and Pharisees had been justly left without the special revelations of his doctrine, because of their hatred of the truth in the general form in which it was first proposed to them, he had chosen men esteemed neither “wise nor learned,” men not skilled in the traditions and literature of their country, to be the depositaries of his revelations, and to render them by his teaching “wise and learned” above all the most celebrated rabbins of the Jews, and philosophers of the Gentiles. Thus “the excellency of the power” was “seen to be of God, not of man,” because the administration of truths infinitely transcending the power of the highest and most cultivated human intellects to discover, was itself a proof that they were all “taught of God.” The disciples are called babes both because of their unacquaintance with human learning, and more especially because of their docility and humility. Modestly distrustful of themselves, they awaited their Master’s instructions with submissive, though often with perplexed minds.

Verse 26. Even so, Father] nai o pathr. An emphatical ratification of the preceding address.

It was right that the heavenly wisdom, despised, rejected, and persecuted by the scribes and Pharisees, should be offered to the simple people, and afterwards to the foolish people, the Gentiles, who are the children of wisdom, and justify God in his ways, by bringing forth that fruit of the Gospel of which the Pharisees refused to receive even the seed.

Verses 25, 26. At that time Jesus answered, &c. — This word does not always imply that something had been spoken, to which an answer is now made. It often means no more than the speaking in reference to some action or circumstance preceding. The following words Christ speaks in reference to the case of the cities above mentioned: I thank thee — That is, I acknowledge and joyfully adore the justice and mercy of thy dispensations. The original word, exomologoumai, sometimes denotes to confess sins, sometimes to acknowledge favours, and sometimes also to adore or celebrate. It is chiefly in the last of these senses that the word is to be here understood. Because thou hast hid — That is because thou hast suffered these things to be hid from men, who are in other respects wise and prudent, while thou hast discovered them to those of the weakest understanding, to them who are only wise to God-ward. We have the same idiom, Romans 6:17, God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed, &c. — The thanks are not given for their having been formerly the servants of sin, but for their being then obedient. “It seems they were but a few, and those generally the lower sort of people, who embraced Christ’s doctrine, and co-operated with him in erecting his kingdom; nor was his religion soon to meet with a better reception in the other countries where it was to be preached; circumstances which, in the eyes of common wisdom, were melancholy and mortifying. But our Lord foresaw that, by the direction of God, these very circumstances would become the noblest demonstrations of his personal dignity, the clearest proofs of the excellence of his religion, and the most stupendous instances of his power, who, by such weak instruments, established his dominion in every part of the habitable world, against the policy, the power, and the malice of devils and men combined to oppose it. Our Lord, therefore, properly made the rejection of the gospel by the great men of the nation, and the reception of it by persons in lower stations, the matter of a special thanksgiving, both now and afterward in Judea, Luke 10:21. Nhpioi, babes, in Scripture language, are persons whose faculties are not improved by learning, but who, to that sagacity and understanding which is purely natural, join the dispositions of modesty, sincerity, humility, docility, and all the other engaging qualities that are to be found in children. This is plain from Matthew 18:3. Babes, therefore, stand in opposition, not to men of sound judgment and reason, but to proud politicians and men of learning, who are so full of themselves that they disdain to receive instruction from others, and who make all their abilities subservient to their advancement in this world.” — Macknight.

26. It seemed good — It was not so done by God from mere arbitrary unreasoning and absolute will, but because it was good. It seemed right to the Infinite Mind. It seems right to all right reason. There is no demand in this passage for those favourite phrases, “divine sovereignty,” “unfathomable and mysterious,” “good pleasure,” as if the divine administration were not founded in clear and obvious right.

Verse 26. Good in thy sight. — The word eudokia corresponds with the Hebrew hxr, and denotes the decision of the Divine will; but we are not to conceive of the will of God as arbitrary, but as founded upon REASONS of the highest wisdom and goodness. The WISDOM of the appointment, in this case, appears from the character of the agents chosen, whose want of human learning made the Divine teaching in them the more conspicuous, and more visibly stamped their doctrine as a revelation from God; as well as better provided for its pure communication to others. These were men less likely to AFFECT either reasoning or eloquence, and were therefore better fitted channels to convey truth in its simple majesty. And the GOODNESS was as conspicuous as the wisdom, because whatever most accredits Christianity as of Divine origin and authority heightens its influence and extends its blessings. To which may be added, that it is another affecting proof of the Divine benevolence, that he has made simplicity and prayer, which all may attain and use, the gates to the knowledge of the deepest truths of religion; and not human learning and genius, which fall to the lot of few. Into what rich, hallowing, and consolatory views of the truth of the Holy Scripture are those led, who, though neither “wise nor learned,” according to the world’s estimate, look up with simplicity to the fountain of inspiration himself, and read the sacred page with the sincere desire to DO as well as to KNOW “the good, and perfect, and acceptable will of God!” To all such, “the entrance of the word giveth light;” and “the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him.” See note on Luke 10:21.

V. 27. All things are delivered to me-Our Lord, here addressing himself to his disciples, shows why men, wise in other things, do not know this: namely, because none can know it by natural reason: none but those to whom he revealeth it.

Verse 27. All things are delivered unto me of my Father] This is a great truth, and the key of the science of salvation. The man Christ Jesus receives from the Father, and in consequence of his union with the eternal Godhead becomes the Lord and sovereign Dispenser of all things. All the springs of the Divine favour are in the hands of Christ, as Priest of God, and atoning Sacrifice for men: all good proceeds from him, as Saviour, Mediator, Head, Pattern, Pastor, and sovereign Judge of the whole world. No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man, &c.] None can fully comprehend the nature and attributes of God, but Christ; and none can fully comprehend the nature, incarnation, &c., of Christ, but the Father. The full comprehension and acknowledgment of the Godhead, and the mystery of the Trinity, belong to God alone.

Verse 27. All things are delivered unto me, &c. — Here our Lord seems to address, not so much his disciples, as those of the people that stood near him, with a reference to what he had last spoken. As if he had said, Do not be led, by the example of your great and learned men, to slight and despise me; for mean and humble as my circumstances now appear, all things relating to the salvation of mankind are delivered into my hands, even all authority, power, and judgment. And no man knoweth the Son, but the Father — No one knoweth the mystery of his person, his character, and dignity; no one knoweth what he has done, and what he is yet to do, for the salvation of the world; save the Father that sent him. “These words evidently declare that there is something inexplicably mysterious in the nature and person of Christ; which indeed appears in the most convincing manner, from the account elsewhere given of his Deity in Scripture.” Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, &c. — Neither can any one savingly know God the Father, but the Son, by whom alone he is fully comprehended in his nature and attributes, his counsels and dispensations, his works and ways; and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him — Or make him savingly known by the gospel, and the illumination of the Spirit. Thus John, The Son of God hath given us an understanding to know, (ton alhqinon,) the true one; and we are in the true one in, or through, his Son Jesus Christ. The worship, therefore, of the Jews, who reject Christ, and consequently do not receive the knowledge of the living and true God through him, of modern Deists, and of all unbelievers, is in fact rendered to an imaginary deity; the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ being to them an unknown God.

Ver. 27. Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son. This was one of the first texts adduced against Arius, when he had broached his heresy against the Godhead of Christ. The knowledge here spoken of is above that of angels and men; and the mutual knowledge subsisting between the Father and the Son designates a unity of essence, and by consequence of all the incommunicable perfections of Deity.

§ 40. — JESUS, LORD OF ALL, INVITES ALL, 27-30.

This passage, 25-30, and especially verse 27, is so entirely in the style of John, that we might almost suppose Matthew to have inserted here a brief memorandum of our Saviour’s discoursing from that apostle’s hands. Alford more probably explains it as a momentary strain of a whole style of discourses of our Lord, reported by none of the evangelists but John alone.

27. All things — The whole system of salvation. Delivered unto me — Put into my hands as Lord of the hidden kingdom of God. No man knoweth the Son… neither… the Father — These are hid (verse 25) as mysteries from all save Omniscience. Whomsoever the Son will reveal — So that the Son not only thanks the Father for the things hid and revealed, but is the agent in the accomplishment of the revelation.

And now having affirmed the exclusive mode in which the Gospel is by God revealed; and having, with an unspeakable sublimity, announced not only his consent and his unison, but his executive agency in that revelation, Jesus is ready to make proclamation to all; to all who will come and obtain that blessed Gospel revelation according to its own peculiar and exclusive method. For though the method be exclusive, the power and possibility of assenting, coming, and obtaining that Gospel are universal; and hence the call is justly universal. The call is addressed to a peculiar and exclusive class of character; yet all may join that class and come in that character. The wise and prudent may, if they choose, become the babes. And then they will cease to be those from whom the Gospel is hid.

Verse 27. All things are delivered to me of my Father. — Those who interpret this delivering of all things to Christ, of the universal “power given to him” as Mediator, break the connection of the discourse, and bring in an entirely new subject without necessity. He had been speaking of the revelation of his doctrine by “THE FATHER,” but he here states that this revelation from the Father was not immediate or distinct from his own teaching, but made entirely through himself. Hence all things mean, all things contained in this revelation; and delivered is to be taken in the sense of being taught a doctrine; a meaning which paradounai frequently has. So Mark 7:13, “making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered,” or taught. Christ, therefore, received his doctrine from the Father, and revealed it to his disciples; yet not as the prophets, not as a mere man might receive wisdom from God, by inspiration. This supposition he excludes by the important and deeply mysterious words which follow; words which indicate a relation between himself, THE SON, and THE FATHER, which places an infinite distance between him and the greatest of the prophets. No man knoweth the Son but the Father, which it would have been even absurd to say, had the Son been a merely human being, and therefore as comprehensible as any other human being. There is a mystery in the Son which the Father alone knoweth. “For no one,” says Origen upon this very text, “can know him who is uncreated, and begotten before every created nature as the Father who begat him, wv o gennhsav auton pathr.” And no man knoweth the Father but the Son, the persons in the Godhead alone being fully known to each other; and it is from this perfect and adequate knowledge of the Father which is possessed by the Son, that he is able to communicate with absolute clearness and certainty the will and counsels of the Father. Such is the basis of the infallibility of the teaching of Christ: as THE DIVINE SON, he fully knows the Divine Father; and of him and his designs he revealed all that was necessary to the salvation of men to his disciples, in order to its being taught to the world. It is therefore added, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. There is no true knowledge of God but through the Son; and he who is taught of Christ sees “light in his light.” Instead of no man and any man, in this verse, the rendering ought to have been rather, no one or any one; for every created being, and not man only, is excluded here from the perfect comprehension of the Father and the Son.

V. 28. Come to me-Here he shows to whom he is pleased to reveal these things to the weary and heavy laden;

ye that labour-After rest in God:

and are heavy laden-With the guilt and power of sin:

and I will give you rest-I alone (for none else can) will freely give you (what ye cannot purchase) rest from the guilt of sin by justification, and from the power of sin by sanctification.

Verse 28. Come unto me] This phrase in the new covenant implies simply, believing in Christ, and becoming his disciple, or follower. All ye that labour and are heavy laden] The metaphor here appears to be taken from a man who has a great load laid upon him, which he must carry to a certain place: every step he takes reduces his strength, and renders his load the more oppressive. However, it must be carried on; and he labours, uses his utmost exertions, to reach the place where it is to be laid down. A kind person passing by, and, seeing his distress, offers to ease him of his load, that he may enjoy rest.

The Jews, heavily laden with the burdensome rites of the Mosaic institution, rendered still more oppressive by the additions made by the scribes and Pharisees, who, our Lord says, (Matthew 23:4,) bound on heavy burdens; and labouring, by their observance of the law, to make themselves pleasing to God, are here invited to lay down their load, and receive the salvation procured for them by Christ.

Sinners, wearied in the ways of iniquity, are also invited to come to this Christ, and find speedy relief.

Penitents, burdened with the guilt of their crimes, may come to this Sacrifice, and find instant pardon.

Believers, sorely tempted, and oppressed by the remains of the carnal mind, may come to this blood, that cleanseth from all unrighteousness; and, purified from all sin, and powerfully succoured in every temptation, they shall find uninterrupted rest in this complete Saviour.

All are invited to come, and all are promised rest. If few find rest from sin and vile affections, it is because few come to Christ to receive it.

Verse 28. Come unto me — Our Lord here shows to whom he is pleased to reveal the Father, and the things said above to be hid from the wise and prudent; to those that labour, or, are weary, as kopiwntev may be rendered, and are heavy laden; namely, those that are weary of the slavery of sin and Satan, and of the love of the world and the pursuit of its vanities, and desire and labour after a state of reconciliation and peace with God, and rest in him; and who, till they enjoy these blessings, are heavy laden with a sense of the guilt and power of their sins, and of the displeasure of God due to them on account thereof. To these, and also to such as are burdened with the distresses of life and various trials, Jesus graciously says, Come unto me — The original word, Deute, come, expresses not so much a command, as a friendly request; a familiar exhorting, desiring, and begging a person to do any thing, particularly what is pleasant, and would be profitable to him if done. To come to Christ, is to apply to him in faith and prayer for such blessings as we see we want. And I — I alone, (for no one else can,) will give you freely, (what you cannot purchase,) rest, namely, from the guilt of sin by justification, and from the power of sin by sanctification; rest, from a sense of the wrath of God and an accusing conscience, in peace with God and peace of mind; rest, from all carnal affections, and fruitless worldly cares, disquietudes, and labours, in the love of God shed abroad in your hearts; and rest in the midst of the afflictions, trials, and troubles of life, in a full assurance that all things shall work for your good, and that, though in the world you may have tribulation, in me you shall have peace. Some commentators, by the rest offered in this invitation, understand that freedom from the burdensome services of the law which Christ has granted to men through the promulgation of the gospel. And it must be owned that this interpretation is favoured by the subsequent clause, in which men are invited to take on them Christ’s yoke and burden, from the consideration that they are light and easy, namely, in comparison of Moses’s yoke. There is no reason, however, for confining the rest of the soul here offered to that particular privilege of Christianity. It is more natural to think that it comprehends therewith all the blessings of the gospel whatsoever. Christianity, when embraced in faith and love, and possessed in the life and power of it, gives rest to the soul, because, 1st, it clearly informs the judgment concerning the most important points, removing all doubts concerning them; 2d, it settles the will in the choice of what is for its happiness; 3d, it controls and regulates the passions, and keeps them under subjection to the peace and love of God. Philippians 4:7; Colossians 3:14, 15. See Dodd’s sermon on this text.

Ver. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden. Come with faith and hope, for he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Believe on me as the only Mediator, Redeemer, and Saviour, appointed by the Father for the salvation of men. Come guilty for a pardon, wounded to be healed, and wretched, burdened, and oppressed to obtain peace of mind. Be encouraged by all the invitations of the prophets, which open wide the gates of the temple, and exclude no man whatever, be his case or his colour what it may. Come weak and weary and “heavy laden,” groaning under the yoke of the law, the frowns of justice, and a sense of the guilt and baseness of sin. Come, under all the yoke of inward corruption, concupiscence, and all the solicitations of your heart to evil, and I will give you rest. I will refresh you with grace that shall reign in your heart, and supersede the reign of sin.

28. Come unto me — Me, the very me to whom John has lately sent his message, Art thou He, or look we for another? Yet the very me who am the revealer (verse 27) of God to man. The very me who exists in ineffable unity with God the Father Almighty — this person now stands as in the centre of a labouring, laden, oppressed world, and sends his piercing, mellow, tender voice to all the suffering sons of sorrow to escape all bondage by entering his bonds.

Labour and are heavy laden — The poor peasantry and common people toil and sweat under the burdens of their masters, the middle classes. And these middle classes struggle beneath the pressure of a higher aristocracy. And the higher aristocracy are scorched by the intolerable rays of the emperor. And the emperor groans under the cares and weight of empire, and works as for his life that neither rebellion nor assassination may lay him low. High and low are alike labouring and heavy laden. For high or low there is no relief, no rest. Then says Jesus, “Come unto me — I will give you rest.”

And I will give you rest — I, a spiritual Redeemer, am the one to redeem you. For know, all ye labourers, from lowest to highest, the real burden that bears you down is the world and the flesh; and your true oppressor is the devil. Be delivered individually from these, and you are truly free. Be delivered in mass from these, and you will cease to oppress each other. Thus is the same redemption a relief alike from internal and external oppression. Rest — No one can read the history of early Christianity without seeing that in its first Pentecostal power it was in the soul a fountain of peace and joy. Though the iron hand of despotism pressed heavy upon the world, and a fierce turbulence reigned among the tribes of the earth, yet the followers of Jesus rejoiced in a sweet resource within, which was a repose to the soul. When in the fulness of time its Pentecostal freshness shall return, and its abounding power be universally accepted; when those hapless sons of folly, “the wise and prudent,” shall become babes, then not only will the individual soul feel that Christ can give the true rest within, but the nations of the world will acknowledge that he alone, the Prince of Peace, is the giver of universal repose.

Verse 28. Come unto me &c. — Thus qualified to be the infallible guide of souls, our Saviour utters this public and universal invitation to every weary and heavy laden spirit. The yoke is the instrument by which oxen are subjected to their labour; the burden is a weight laid upon beasts or men; and the allusion of each is to the tradition of the scribes and Pharisees, by which the people were subjected to a variety of onerous and superstitious observances, which oppressed and galled the sincere but ill instructed seeker of salvation. Nothing indeed could so move the compassion of Christ, as the spectacle of many awakened souls, earnestly desirous of knowing what they must do to be saved, being directed only to those Pharisaic observances which, instead of giving them peace of mind, only cheated and deceived, and led to all the weariness of repeated disappointment. For what had these blind teachers to offer to troubled consciences of men who had given up the typical intent of their own sacrifices, by which it had been intended that faith in the great promised propitiation should always be maintained; and who had converted them into unmeaning and profitless ceremonies, besides multiplying the number of ritual observances beyond the requirement of their written law? They bound a harsh yoke upon the necks of their followers, and oppressed them with heavy burdens. Such are invited by Christ to come to him, and learn of him, to learn that which alone can meet their case, that he was the true sacrifice for sin, that an entire trust in him, by securing the remission of their sins, would give rest to their souls, and that thus being delivered from guilty fears, and assured of the Divine favour, and renewed in holiness, “his yoke,” the yoke of his commandments, moral, spiritual, and practical, would be found easy, crhstov, “benign, mild, and gracious;” and his “burden,” whether of duties or restraints, founded in the nature and relations of man, and enjoining nothing but what is itself” good and profitable to men,” would be “light.” — Thus are we taught, that he only can find “rest to his soul,” who comes to Christ as the true propitiation for his sins, in entire trust in the infinite merits of his sacrifice and mediation: and whoever has found this rest, runs with delight and joy the way of his commandments; which are so consonant with the holy principles that Divine grace has planted within him, so commend themselves to enlightened reason, and so manifestly and powerfully promote the peace of families, and the happiness of society, that though Christ also has his yoke, and requires subjection to his authority, and his burden too, since every man must toil and labour to his service, yet conviction, love, and the strength of grace render the yoke easy and the burden light; and all his true disciples unite in the testimony, that his “service is perfect freedom.”

V. 29. Take my yoke upon you-Believe in me: receive me as your prophet, priest, and king.

For I am meek and lowly in heart-Meek toward all men, lowly toward God:

and ye shall find rest-Whoever therefore does not find rest of soul, is not meek and lowly. The fault is not in the yoke of Christ: but in thee, who hast not taken it upon thee. Nor is it possible for any one to be discontented, but through want of meekness or lowliness.

Verse 29. Take my yoke upon you] Strange paradox! that a man already weary and overloaded must take a new weight upon him, in order to be eased and find rest! But this advice is similar to that saying, Psalm 55:22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain thee; i.e. trust thy soul and concerns to him, and he will carry both thyself and thy load. I am meek and lowly in heart] Wherever pride and anger dwell, there is nothing but mental labour and agony; but, where the meekness and humility of Christ dwell, all is smooth, even, peaceable, and quiet; for the work of righteousness is peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever. Isaiah 32:17.

Verses 29, 30. Take my yoke upon you — Believe in and obey me: hearken to me as a teacher, rely on me as a Saviour, and be subject to me as a governor. And learn of me — Maqete ap’ emou, Be my disciples; be taught by me, namely, all things pertaining to your acceptance with God, your duty, and your happiness: for I am meek and lowly in heart — Meek toward all men, lowly toward God. As an instructer, I will show myself to be most mild, gentle, and forbearing; kind and condescending toward all my disciples, directing them with tenderness, patience, and lenity, in the way to pardon, life, and salvation, not imposing on them any unnecessary burdens: and, as an example, recommending by my practice both meekness and humility; meekness by bearing all kinds of injuries, and humility by condescending to do the meanest good offices to the meanest of mankind. Learn, then, of me to be meek and humble, both in disposition and behaviour; and ye shall find rest to your souls — That composure, tranquillity, and satisfaction which nothing but humility and meekness, with an entire subjection to me, can give. The original words may be properly rendered, Ye shall find refreshment to your souls, such as you would in vain seek elsewhere; refreshment, arising from clear manifestations of the divine favour, consoling influences of his Spirit, lively hopes of his glory, and sensible communion with him. For my yoke is easy — Gr. crhstov, gracious, sweet, benign, agreeable; and my burden light — Or, pleasant, as elafron also signifies. Such it is to those in whose hearts the love of God prevails over the love of the world and sin. To them, the commandments of God are not grievous, but delightful. They love his law, and their pleasure is in it all the day long.

Ver. 29. Take my yoke upon you, the yoke of liberty, of obedience springing from love, and you shall find rest, even the peace of God which passeth all understanding.

Learn of me the lessons of piety — of diligence, of overcoming evil with good, of perseverance, of prayer, of resignation to the will of our heavenly Father. Come and repose under the wings of Jehovah, under all his covenant grace and care, and then you shall find a peace which the world can neither give nor take away.

For I am meek and lowly in heart — in opposition to the haughty scribes and doctors of the law who taught for hire, and repelled the simple and the ignorant. I am not merely a teacher of meekness and humility, but a meek and humble teacher. I will receive you with kindness. I will stoop to your ignorance, your weakness, your prejudices. I will condescend to the meanest, and patiently bear all your infirmities.

29. Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly — My gentle spirit and soul-subduing doctrines can alone give that temper by which the soul of the man, and the soul of the living world, may come to their true rest. Unto your souls — Unless there be peace within there can never be peace without. Theorists and socialists will in vain attempt by external organizations to give peace. They are mistakenly endeavouring to work from the without to the within. Men’s hearts need to be regenerated in order that a perfect organization of society may exist, or be maintained. Human institutions are what human hearts make them. The organization of society is generally as good as the moral and mental state of the mass will permit. When men’s hearts become right, the true freedom may be attainable.

V. 30. For my yoke is easy-Or rather gracious, sweet, benign, delightful: and my burden-Contrary to those of men, is ease, liberty, and honour.

Verse 30. For my yoke is easy] My Gospel imposes nothing that is difficult; on the contrary, it provides for the complete removal of all that which oppresses and renders man miserable, viz. sin. The commandments of Christ are not grievous. Hear the whole: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself. Can any thing be more congenial to the nature of man than love?-such a love as is inspired by God, and in which the soul rests supremely satisfied and infinitely happy? Taste, and know, by experience, how good the Lord is, and how worthy his yoke is to be taken, borne, and loved. This most tender invitation of the compassionate Jesus is sufficient to inspire the most diffident soul with confidence. See Clarke on “Mark 8:34”. Creeshna, the incarnate God of the Hindoos, is represented in the Geeta addressing one of his beloved disciples thus: “I am the creator of all things, and all things proceed from me. Those who are endued with spiritual wisdom, believe this, and worship me: their very hearts and minds are in me; they rejoice among themselves, and delight in speaking of my name, and teaching one another my doctrine. I gladly inspire those who are constantly employed in my service with that use of reason by which they come unto me; and, in compassion, I stand in my own nature, and dissipate the darkness of their ignorance with the light of the lamp of wisdom.” Bhagvat Geeta, p. 84.

The word lw[ aval, among the Jews, which we properly enough translate yoke, signified not only that sort of neck-harness by which bullocks drew in wagons, carts, or in the plough; but also any kind of bond, or obligation, to do some particular thing, or to do some particular work. By them it is applied to the following things:-

1. The yoke of the KINGDOM of heaven, השמים מלכות lw[-obedience to the revealed will of God.

2. The yoke of the LAW, hrwh lw[-the necessity of obeying all the rites, ceremonies, &c., of the Mosaic institution.

3. The yoke of the PRECEPT, hwxm lw[-the necessity of performing that particular obligation by which any person had bound himself, such as that of the Nazarite, &c.

4. The yoke of REPENTANCE, hkwvh lv lw[-without which, they knew, they could not enter into the kingdom of heaven. With the Jews, repentance not only implied forsaking sin, but fasting, mortification, &c.

5. The yoke of FAITH, hnwma lw[-the necessity of believing in the promised Messiah.

6. The DIVINE yoke, רלעילא lw[-the obligation to live a spiritual life; a life of thanksgiving and gratitude unto God.

In Shemoth Rabba it is said: “Because the ten tribes did not take the yoke of the holy and blessed God upon them, therefore Sennacherib led them into captivity.”

CHRIST’S yoke means, the obligation to receive him as the MESSIAH, to believe his doctrine, and to be in all things conformed to his Word and to his Spirit.

ST. MATTHEW

Verses 29, 30. Take my yoke upon you — Believe in and obey me: hearken to me as a teacher, rely on me as a Saviour, and be subject to me as a governor. And learn of me — Maqete ap’ emou, Be my disciples; be taught by me, namely, all things pertaining to your acceptance with God, your duty, and your happiness: for I am meek and lowly in heart — Meek toward all men, lowly toward God. As an instructer, I will show myself to be most mild, gentle, and forbearing; kind and condescending toward all my disciples, directing them with tenderness, patience, and lenity, in the way to pardon, life, and salvation, not imposing on them any unnecessary burdens: and, as an example, recommending by my practice both meekness and humility; meekness by bearing all kinds of injuries, and humility by condescending to do the meanest good offices to the meanest of mankind. Learn, then, of me to be meek and humble, both in disposition and behaviour; and ye shall find rest to your souls — That composure, tranquillity, and satisfaction which nothing but humility and meekness, with an entire subjection to me, can give. The original words may be properly rendered, Ye shall find refreshment to your souls, such as you would in vain seek elsewhere; refreshment, arising from clear manifestations of the divine favour, consoling influences of his Spirit, lively hopes of his glory, and sensible communion with him. For my yoke is easy — Gr. crhstov, gracious, sweet, benign, agreeable; and my burden light — Or, pleasant, as elafron also signifies. Such it is to those in whose hearts the love of God prevails over the love of the world and sin. To them, the commandments of God are not grievous, but delightful. They love his law, and their pleasure is in it all the day long.

30. Yoke… burden — Men serve the world, and in that service they are like the sturdy ox; a yoke is on their neck, and a burden on their back. And this is true, as shown above, (note on verse 28,) of all classes, from lowest to highest. Yoke is easy — The yoke of Christ is freedom. The service of God is the highest and truest liberty. The laws of God are the laws of our highest nature; and he who comes under those laws does but do what is fittest, rightest, most happy, and most highly natural for him. When Christ gives his law, he gives a heart and a pleasure to keep that law, so that he who obeys it does as he pleases.

And now this chapter, from the second verse, must be read in one connection as a single historical piece. John sends his query to our Saviour in regard to his kingly Messiahship. Jesus answers John by deeds more than words. Then does he first draw that mingled portraiture of John, which exhibits the greatness of John as the testifier, but his littleness as the questioner. Starting from John, the Lord then upbraids that childish generation who caviled at both him and John; he peals forth a strain of woes upon the impenitent cities who rejected him; soars into a lofty thanksgiving to his Father, who had yet revealed to the docile babe his kingdom; nay, he rises to the very height of his mysterious oneness with the Father; and from that height he finally descends to call the sons of men to accept his service as divine emancipator of their souls from bondage.