S. MATTHEW. HEN spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying, The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. [of the Pharisees. 5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. a professor of the Jewish law, now came tempting him with this question," Master, which is the great commandment of the law?" On this occasion, our Lord divides the whole moral law into two tables; the love of God, and of our neighbour. This question, "Which is the first and great commandment?" had, it seems, been often argued by the Jewish doctors; "some contending for the law of circumcision, others for that of sacrifices, and others for that of the phylacteries :" and Dr. Lightfoot remarks, that our Lord answered this scribe from one of the sentences usually written on their phylacteries. (See chap. xxiii. 5.) EXPOSITION-Chap. XXII. Continued. Next, the Sadducees endeavour to puzzle our Saviour, on a difficulty of their own raising, and attempt to expose to ridicule the doctrine of the resurrection. A woman is supposed to have been married successively to seven husbands; which of them can claim her at the resurrection? The reply is, "Neither :" that blessed state knows nothing of the matrimonial connexion; men then shall be as pure as angels. "But (adds our Lord) as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken to you by God (himself), saying, I am the God of Abraham-of Isaac-and of Jacob? (Exod. iii. 6. 16.) God is not the God of the dead, but of the living;" that is, they must continue to exist, or he cannot be said to bear any relation to them. Dr. Doddridge here remarks, that "As it is expressly said (Acts xxiii, 8), they denied (the existence of) any spirit (human or angelic), and consequently the existence of the soul in a separate state; so our Lord's answer here, and much of St. Paul's reasoning in 1 Cor xv., goes on the supposition of such denial on their part." God can bear no relation to what has no existence: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, must therefore still exist, or he would not acknowledge himself as their God. It is observable, that the passage here referred to, is quoted from the Pentateuch, or the writings of Moses. Passages far more express, if not more decisive, might be found in the Psalms and Prophets; but the Sadducees, it is said, paid little or no regard to them. By the quotation from Moses, however, they were completely silenced. At this the multitude were astonished; and we might have expected the Pharisees would have been gratified, as our Lord's argument was in their favour: but so inveterate was their malice, that they were only thereby excited to attack him themselves. One of them, who was a lawyer, that is, : It is worthy of remark that, in all these "What think ye of Christ? is the test Unless you think rightly of him." Newton. 10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. 13 But woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. CHAP. XXIII, [Pharisees reproved. 16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. : 19 Ye fools and blind for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. (B) EXPOSITION. (B) Ver. 1-22. Jesus commends the teaching of the Pharisees, but severely censures their conduct.-The Scribes and Pha risees, while they sat in the seat (or chair) of Moses, that is, while they delivered the precepts of his law, were intitled to reverence and respect; and whatever they NOTES. CHAP. XXIII. Ver. 2. Sit in Moses' seat.-They were accustomed to teach sitting, and considering themselves as the successors, or representatives, of Moses, wished to be so considered by the people. Ver. 3. Observe and do-that is, so far as they produce the authority of God's word. Doddr. justly observes, that " If this limitation be not supposed, this passage will be inconsistent with all those in Which Jesus condemns the doctrines of the Scribes and Pharisees."Scribes.-See Note chap. v. 20. Ver. 5. Phylacteries." These were four sections of the law, written on parchments, folded up in the skin of a clean beast, and tied to the head and hands. The four sections were the following: Exod. xiii. 1-10; Ditto, 11-16; Deut. vi. 4-9, and xi. 13-21. Those that were for the head, were written of four pieces of skin, rolled up separately, and fastened with strings to the crown of the head, towards the face. Those that were for the hands, were written in four columns on one parchment, which, being rolled up, was fastened to the inside of the left arm, between the shoulder and the elbow, that it might be over against the heart. The Jews call them Tephillin. The Greek term Phylacteries, means preservatives; namely, against evil spirits. See Allen's Mod. Judaism, chap. xvii. Ibid. The borders, &c.-Doddr. "Fringes." See Note, chap. v. 20. Ver. 6. Uppermost rooms— "Places." Doddr. and Camp. Ver. 7. Rabbi, Rabbi-that is, "great" namely, in respect of learning; and is equivalent to our term Doctor, and was conferred with no less ceremony, on which occasion they were presented with a tablebook and a key; the latter, implying their ability to open the mysteries of the law, was afterwards worn as a badge of honour. Orient. Lit. No. 1220. Compare chap. xvi. 19, and Notes. Ver. 8. One is your master-Greek, Kathegetes, teacher, or guide. Campbell says, a great number of MSS. here read Didaskalos; the Gr. term usually answering to Rabbi. This is also sanctioned by the Syriac interpreter, by Origen and Chrysostom, and by many modern critics. He adds, "The internal evidence is entirely in favour of this reading. Ver. 12. Whoever shall exalt himself-Doddr. remarks, "No one sentence of our Lord's is so frequently repeated as this, which occurs at least ten times in the Evangelists." Ver. 13. Hypocrites. Dr. More (Theol. Works, p. 293) observes, that "this word, in its most exact application, signifies players, who, according to the unnatural custom of the ancients, acted a part under a mask." Ver. 14. The greater damnation-Camp. "Punishment." So Boothroyd. Ver. 15. Ye compass sea and land.-The zeal of the Jews in making proselytes, even at Rome, was so remarkable, that it became almost proverbial. See Orient. Cust. No. 1207. Ver. 16. It is nothing-that is, "it has not the power of binding." Campbell. So in ver 18. Ver. 17. Ye fools and blind.-See chap. v. 33-37 and Notes. Our Lord here subjoins a specimen of the various ridiculous subterfuges adopted by these men to cheat their consciences, and evade the guilt of perjury. Ver. 18. He is guilty - Marg. "Bound," or " a debtor." Doddridge," He is obliged;" Camp. "It is binding." Compare the Expos, of chap. v. 33-48. The Scribes and] S. MATTHEW. 23 ¶ Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. [Pharisees reproved 25 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. EXPOSITION-Chap. XXIII. Continued. taught under that authority, commanded obedience; but it was a terrible drawback upon their character, when our Lord added, "Do not after their works; for they say, and do not." Let ministers of every denomination consider this. If they wish to obtain respect, let them, above all things, study moral consistency; that is, practise what they teach: for neither learning or eloquence on the one hand, nor rank or riches on the other, will balance the want of this. So Pope says, "Worth makes the man, anl want of it the fellow; The rest is all but leather, or prunello." But even this respectability should not be the ultimate object of the preacher: he "must give au account of himself to God." And at the judgment-seat of Christ, it will not do for him to plead popularity among the multitude, or high promotion in the church for many in that day will say, "Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils?" to whom he will certainly reply, "Depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matt. vii. 22, 23.) But what did the Scribes and Pharisees? They bound heavy burdens”—namely, of rites and ceremonies, and voluntary offerings upon the shoulders of meu," which they contrived themselves to evade, without feeling any of the burden. They made a great parade of outward religion, "to be seen of men," without a particle of spiritual religion in their hearts. They loved the chief places at feasts and in their synagogues, greetings in the markets, and other places of public coucourse, and the high-sounding titles of Rabbi, Father, and Master, to distinguish them from other men. Such men only act a character to which they have no claim; they are literally hypocrites. Our Lord's precepts must not, however, be taken too rigidly. It is the spirit, and not the letter of them, to which we must adhere. The doctrine of this chapter is humility. We may be called to fulfil all the duties of father, master, and Rabbi, or teacher, without a vain-glorious parade of such titles; nor do we consider the titles themselves improper, when not assumed without due authority. Some persons, indeed, have hence contended against the use of literary degrees; and nothing can be more contemptible than the obtaining of such distinctions by improper means; yet when acquired in a course of liberal education, we consider them neither useless nor improper. If the degree of Doctor in Divinity be taken only as a teacher of Scripture doctriues, it is well; but Christ is the only Master, the only Rabbi, the only Doctor, to whom we may listen on his own authority. But we have still greater charges against these hypocrites. They assume the keys of the kingdom of heaven, but they lock the door against mankind; aud, instead of promoting the knowledge of truth and righteousness, they neither enter in themselves, nor suffer others. They " devour widows' houses;" or, according to the English proverb, when they once get into a widow's house, they will "eat her out of house and home," covering their real designs with long and florid prayers; and by these pretences of piety, only increase their condemnation. They put on zeal, but it was only as a NOTES-Chap. XXIII. Con. Ver. 23. Ye pay tithe of mint and anise-Camp. "dill," a medicinal herb resembling fennel. But Doddr, and others retain the term anise, which is said to be a native of Tartary, though brought to us from the Philippine islands; it resembles fennel, and is sometimes called the Chinese fennel, and used by them in the preparation of their tea. With us it is only used medicinally.And cummin.-This was another medicinal plant, cultivated by the Jews (see Isa. xxviii. 25, 27), and very similar to the preceding. See Dr. Harris's Nat. Hist, of the Bible. Faithrather, "fidelity." The word (pistis) Doddridge remarks, "has undoubtedly this siguification in many places," he refers to Tit. ii. 10; Gal. v. 22; Rom. iii. 3. Ver. 24. Strain at a gnat, and swallow a camelDoddr."Strain out a gnat, and swallow down a camel;" i. e. you affect to scruple little things, and disregard those of the greatest moment. "In those hot countries, guats were apt to fall into wine, if it were not carefully covered; and passing liquor through a strainer, that no gnat, nor part of one, might remain, grew into a proverb for exactness about little matters." Orient. Cust. No. 412. Ver. 25. They are full- that is, the cup and platter, the emblems of their own characters. 27 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. [and cruelty. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and Scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto EXPOSITION. cloak to their crimes; and when they made a proselyte to their corrupt system of Judaism, they led him into all their follies and their vices, and made him, if possible, even worse than themselves. They introduced a system of shuffling and evasion into their religion, even into their oaths, and trifled with the sacred name and character of God! This was truly awful; hut we must not quit this topic without confessing that we verily believe the trade of swearing, or evasive perjury, is carried to a greater length in England than ever it was in Judea. We will briefly refer to three classes of oaths. 1. Judicial oaths: it is too well known, that but a few years ago, there were many persons who made a livelihood in the purlieus of our courts of judicature, by being always ready to swear to any thing that might be required. Some of our judges have, indeed, laudably attempted to correct this evil; but we fear that their success hitherto has been very partial; we hope, however, that they will persevere. those who take them, pay little regard to their contents. The writer was much shocked, some years since, with being informed by one of the partners in a respectable wholesale house in the city, that they kept a simple, half-witted man, on purpose to go through this drudgery of swearing, which none of their better informed servants would undertake! And, 3dly, Electioneering oaths, which many, both candidates and electors, seem to suppose merely matters of course, and that at such times all moral obligations are suspended. And after the election is closed, it is not at all unnatural for mem~ bers who have bought their seats, to suppose they have a right to sell their votes. Let it not be thought the writer is wandering from the province of an expositor, in feebly attempting to enforce a topic on which, not only the Old Testament prophets repeatedly insisted, but likewise our Lord himself. It is a dangerous error, to consider any point of moral truth inculcated by our Saviour as below the dignity of a Christian teacher; yet, at the same time, preachers should be very careful not to set the law in the place of the gospel. NOTES. 2. Customary (or custom-house) oaths, which are so numerous and complicated, that it is to be feared the greater part of Ver. 25. Excess.-Many MS. Versions, and Fathers read (adikios) injustice. Ver. 27. Whited sepulchres- Harmer says, the Turks whitewash their sepulchres against the feast of Ramadan; perhaps the Jews might do the same against the passover. The primary object with the latter is supposed to be, to prevent ceremonial deflement; afterwards, probably, the object was embellishment. See ver. 29. According to Dr. Shaw, the practice is still continued. Ver. 31,32. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto your selces, that, &c.-Doddr. So that ye bear witness to yourselves, that you are the sons of those that murdered the prophets; and ye do (then) fill up the measure of your fathers' (sins)." The expression is evidently elliptical. Ver 33. Ye serpents.-See chap. iii. 7.-—How can ye escape the damnation (Camp. "punishment") of hell.-(Gr. Gehenna.) See chap. xxv. 41. Ver. 34. Behold, I send -This refers to the ministers and writers of the New Testament, who were "scribes well instructed." ch. xiii. 52. Ver.35. The son of Barachias.-We have no hesitation in referring this to Zacharias, son of Jehoida, mentioned 2 Chron. xxiv. 20, 21, whose father might possibly have two names, as was not uncom mon; and both names are very nearly of the same import, Jehoiduh meaning one that confesses the Lord, and Zachariah one who blesses him. See Doddr. Or possibly the son of Barachias," may have been the Note of some early transcriber. Ver.39. Till ye shall say-that is, until ye are ready to join in those Hosannas with which, but a few days since, ye were so much offended. See chap. xxi, 15, 16. 66 EXPOSITION-Chap. (C) Ver.23-39. Further proofs of pharisaical hypocrisy; and warnings respecting the destruction of Jerusalem. - Nothing can be more just than the remark often made, that those who are most minute and exact in ritual observances, are at the same time often the most negligent in the weightier matters of God's law. This is instanced in the case of the Pharisees, who while they were very exact in tithing their medicinal herbs, were very deficient in the moral virtues of "justice, mercy, and fidelity." Again, our Lord represents these hypocrites as persons very particular in exterior cleanliness, but equally negligent of moral purity; within, "full of extortion and excess." Thirdly, he resembles them to whited sepulchres, clean and white without, but internally "full of rottenness and dead men's bones :" like the tombs of the prophets whom their fathers had slain, and which they builded and embellished. "Hypocrisy," says Mr. R. Robin-son, "is well characterized by its affected veneration for virtuous predecessors. Diou says, the emperor Caracalla, one of the worst of men, hated good men as long as they lived, and honoured them after they were dead. Herod, who murdered Aristobulus for his virtues, paid him the highest funeral honours after his death. Thus the Jews dealt with the prophets; and thus modern hypocrites (meaning papists), erect statues of the apostles, procure fiue pictures of Jesus Christ and his renowned disciples, and cherish, like the old Pharisees, the same bloody dispositions, that brought them all to the grave." (Claude, vol. ii. p. 304, Note.) Some difficulty has been felt in the words (ver. 32), "Fill ye up the measure of your fathers.' The expression is evidently [over Jerusalem. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (C) CHAP. XXIV. AND Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him, for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here XXIII. Continued. elliptical, and, we think with Dr. Campbell, spoken ironically; as our Lord said to the Pharisees in another instance, " Full well (do) ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own traditions!" (Mark vii. 9.) So here it is as if our Lord had said, "Go on in this your fatal career of sin, till you fill up the measure of your iniquities, as did the Canaanites of old (Gen. xv. 16), and bring upon yourselves as they did, the full vengeance of the Almighty, which shall certainly fall on this generation!" The heart of Jesus was, however, so far from being insensible of these calamities, that we find him immediately lamenting over the woes he had predicted. "O Je rusalem! Jerusalem! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" We shall have a farther occasion to consider these words more fully (on Luke xix. 41, 42); at present we shall conclude this section with a short practical remark from the excellent Mr. Howe: "The principal intention of this lamentation, though directly applied to a community, is equally applicable to persons living under the gos pel; or to whom the ordinary means of their conversion and salvation are vouchsafed; but are neglected by them, and forfeited. We may therefore thus sum up the meaning of these words that it is in itself, a thing very lamentable, when such as, living under the gospel, .... have had an opportunity of knowing the things belonging to their peace, (but) have so lost the opportunity, that the things of their peace are now hidden from their eyes!" and that for ever! NOTES. CHAP. XXIV. Ver. 1. To shew him the buildings of the temple-their magnitude and beauty.-See Luke xxi. 5. Ver. 2. One stone upon another.-Some of these stones Josephus describes as 45 cubits long, 5 high, .... and 6 broad; yet these stones were not only broken and dislodged, but the very ground on which they were erected, was dug up, and afterwards ploughed by one Turnus Rufus. |