EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

St. Matt. xxii. 34-46.

34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.

35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

36 Master, which is the great.commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang

all the law and the prophets.
41 While the Pharisees were gathered
together Jesus asked them,

42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.

43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

45 If David then called him Lord, how is he his son?

46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

Parallel Passages.St. Mark xii. 28-37; St. Luke xx. 39–45.

Notes. The accounts in the Gospels of the conversations recorded by St. Matthew in to-day's Gospel differ somewhat, though agreeing in substance. By examining the chapter in which they occur (St. Matt. xxii.), we find that Herodians,* Sadducees, and Pharisees, endeavoured to entangle our Lord by putting various difficult questions to Him. Thus, the political sect called Herodians questioned Him respecting paying tribute to Cæsar; the Sadducees (with whose religious opinions those of the

*The Pharisees have been already described, p. 23, Fourth Sunday in Advent. The Sadducees, like the Pharisees, were a religious sect. They were of the richest and most luxurious class of the people, and in their doctrines resembled the infidels of modern days (Acts xxiii. 8). Their sect is said to have been founded by Sadoc, B.C. 260. The Pharisees, like the Essenes, were fatalists and predestinarians, but the Sadducees maintained that the human will was perfectly free. The principles of the Sadducees were not popular. The Herodians were nothing else than Sadducees in religious matters, but they are generally regarded as a political rather than a religious party, and were devoted to the interests and cause of the Herods, saying that the dominion of the Romans over the Jews was lawful. They paid the taxes levied by the Romans willingly: in doing this they were unlike the Pharisees. They also erected a temple to Cæsar, adopted Roman games, and Herod even put a golden eagle-the Roman standard-over a gate of the Temple of Jerusalem.

Herodians agreed) questioned Him concerning the woman who had been the wife of seven brothers; and the Pharisees asked Him which He considered the greatest commandment of the Mosaic Law. Jesus not only put His questioners to silence, but also put a question to them concerning His own rank as the Lord -a rank which was clearly acknowledged by David in Ps. cx., who calls Him " My Lord." This question they could

not answer.

Ver. 34. Pharisees-Sadducees. See footnote, previous page.

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Ver. 35. A lawyer. The word translated "lawyer" means one who taught the Mosaic Law in synagogues and schools (St. Matt. xxviii. 35; St. Luke x. 25). Some have supposed that, because the same person who is called a lawyer" in these texts is called a "scribe" in St. Mark xii. 28, therefore the lawyers and scribes were always the same. It may, however, be that, though all scribes were lawyers, all lawyers were not scribes. Tempting Him. The word "tempting" is used here in the sense of trying to entrap or entangle Him.

Ver. 36. Master. The word is here the same in meaning as Rabbi. Having put a question respecting the Law, the questioner thought he would flatter Christ with a legal title. Nicodemus called Christ and Christ called Nicodemus by the same title (St. John iii. 2, 10). In our own day, we speak of Masters in Chanceryjudges skilled in chancery law or in equity.

Ver. 37. Love the Lord thy God, &c. Love is the main"spring of our duty to God and man. Everything in the Christian life must depend upon love, for it is that which makes our service willing. Without it we can only consider God as a master, not a father; while with it, our service becomes our delight-like Jacob's for Rachel (Gen. xxix. 20), or that of the Seraphim, those angels who excel in love. When a man loves God, he will go anywhere, and do anything, for His sake.

Ver. 39. Thy neighbour. A neighbour is one near us; but in a general sense, as here, it means every fellow

being. In this sense the negro is the neighbour of the European.

Ver. 40. Hang all the Law and the Prophets. This means that the teaching of the Mosaic Law, and of the prophetical books, hangs or depends upon (1) our duty to God, and (2) our duty to our fellow-beings. That is, their teaching may be summed up under these two heads.

Ver. 42. Christ. This word, like the Hebrew word Messiah, signifies the Anointed One. Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost (Acts x. 38)—not with oil-to the prophetical, priestly, and kingly offices; which three had never before been filled by one and the same person.

Ver. 44. The Lord said unto my Lord. Ps. cx. 1, where David plainly means "God said unto Christ my Lord." As David, speaking by inspiration, called Christ his Lord, even as he called God "The Lord," he taught the great truth that Christ, was a Divine Person. Now, the Pharisees acknowledged the Psalms as inspired compositions, and Christ being aware of that, proves His own Divinity out of them. They had not a word to say in answer to His argument; and, from that day, they put no more questions to Him. The learned Pharisees were confounded.

The reasoning in St. Matt. xxii. 42-45, is closer, clearer, and far more pointed than anything that is to be found within the entire range of sacred or profane writings. Herein is shadowed forth Christ's Divine wisdom and power; for no mere man could have framed an argument so conclusive as that which He employed.

Questions.-Ver. 34. Whom had Christ put to silence? Who heard that He had done so? How had Christ put the Sadducees to silence? [By His questions and answers: see ver. 2334.] What question had they proposed? [Ver. 24-28.] What other sect had Christ previously answered? [The Herodians, ver. 16-22.] Describe the Pharisees. ["Notes," p. 23.] Describe the Sadducees. ["Notes."] Describe also the Herodians. ["Notes."]

Ver. 35. Who put a question to Christ? For what purpose did he question Him? What does "tempting" mean here? ["Notes."]

Ver. 36. What was the question? What law did he mean? He called Jesus "Master; what word expresses the same thing? ["Notes."] Who called our Lord "Rabbi" on another occasion? ["Notes."]

Ver. 37, 38, 39. What did Jesus tell the lawyer the first great commandment was? And what was the second? What is meant by "neighbour"? Which of our Lord's parables was delivered to explain that every fellow-being is our neighbour? [The Good Samaritan; St. Luke x. 29-37.]

Ver. 40. What did Jesus mean by saying that the Law and the Prophets "hang" upon the two commands, to love (1) God and (2) our neighbour? ["Notes."]

Ver. 42. What questions did Christ put to the Pharisees? Whose son did they say Christ was? Was Christ David's son? [Yes; He was descended from David, St. Luke ii. 4.] But had He not a higher sonship? [Yes.] What does David call Christ in Ps. cx. 1? ["My Lord."] Which means that Christ was what? [God's Son, and therefore God as well as man.] Had the Pharisees overlooked the sense of Ps. cx. 1? And when Christ explained it to mean God's son as well as David's, as He Himself was, could they answer Him? And this fact was a proof of what kind of wisdom on our Lord's part? [Divine wisdom.]

Application.-What answer did Christ give when He was asked which is the greatest commandment? Then you learn that love is what? [The fulfilling of the law.] Whom ought you first to love? [God.] And can a man love God without loving his fellow-men? Then how may you test your love for God? [By asking myself, Do I love mankind?] Who loved even His enemies? What did He do to prove His love? Why then ought you to love God and man? [Because Christ loves me.]

NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

St. Matt. ix. 1-8.

1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.

2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto

the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.

4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts

said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?

6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the

palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

7 And he arose, and departed to his house.

8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

Parallel Passages.-St. Mark ii. 1-15; St. Luke v. 17-33.

Notes.-Passed over. Jesus went in a boat across the "Lake Gennesaret," sometimes called the "Sea of Galilee," "Sea of Tiberias," or "Sea of Chinnereth" (Num. xxxiv. 11). Its breadth, according to Professor Robinson's estimate, is about six miles. Children who have been accustomed to inland scenery only-to fields, woods, streams, rivers-are startled when they first gaze upon the sea. The view of so great an expanse of water— stretching away in the distance, until it seems to meet the sky now rising; now sinking; now shining, as a mirror, under the sun's light; now dull in appearance— fills them with delight and surprise. Remembering all that they have heard of the wonders of the ocean, they can scarcely believe their senses; and often ask, “Is this the sea?" Travellers in Palestine, coming suddenly to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, have often felt such pleasure as only surprised and delighted children can know. They behold that Lake of which they have heard and read from childhood, and seem to see, once more crossing it, Him who, when He was in the world, was ever bent on some message of mercy; sailing across it in storm or calm, early in the morning, at mid-day, or late at night, when no star was reflected in its waters. The traveller learns that many of the towns and villages which, in our Lord's time, were situated on its shores, are now in ruins, and deserted. The names of some from which He chose His apostles are quite unknown. The fisheries are greatly neglected, the Turks being too lazy to attend much to them. The sea remains; and this no Christian can visit without gazing upon it with interest. Came into His own city. That is, into Capernaum,* which

For an account of Capernaum, see ver. 5, Third Sunday after the Epiphany.