Matthew
From the Original 1599 Geneva Bible Notes
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | 5
| 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
15 | 16 | 17 |
18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23
24 | 25 | 26 |
27 | 28
Mt 1:1
1:1 The {1} {a} book of the
{b} generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the {c} son of Abraham.
(1) Jesus Christ came of
Abraham of the tribe of Judah, and of the family of David as God promised.
(a) Rehearsal: as the Hebrews used to speak; see Ge 5:1 , the book of the
generations.
(b) Of the ancestors from whom Christ came.
(c) Christ is also the son of Abraham.
Mt 1:11
1:11 and Josias begat {d}
Jechonias and his brethren, at the time of the carrying away of Babylon.
(d) That is, the captivity
fell in the days of Jakim and Jechonias: for Jechonias was born before the
carrying away into captivity.
Mt 1:17
1:17 All {e} the generations,
therefore, from Abraham to David [were] fourteen generations; and from David
until the carrying away of Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the
carrying away of Babylon unto the Christ, fourteen generations.
(e) All those who were
considered to be in the lineage of David's family, as they begat one another
orderly in turn.
Mt 1:18
1:18 Now the birth of (2)
Jesus Christ was thus: His mother, Mary, that is, having been betrothed to
Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child of [the]
Holy Spirit.
(2) Christ is the true
Emmanuel, and therefore, Jesus (that is, Saviour) is conceived in the virgin
by the Holy Spirit, as foretold by the prophets.
Mt 1:20
1:20 but while he pondered on
these things, behold, an angel of [the] Lord appeared to him in a dream,
saying, Joseph, son of David, fear not to {f} take to [thee] Mary, thy {g}
wife, for that which is {h} begotten in her is of [the] Holy Spirit.
(f) Receive her from her
parents and kinsfolks hands.
(g) Who was promised, and made sure to you to be your wife.
(h) Of the mother's substance by the Holy Spirit.
Mt 1:21
1:21 And she shall bring
forth (3) a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save {i} his
people from their sins.
(3) Christ is born of the
same virgin who never knew a man: and is named Jesus by God himself through
the angel.
(i) Save, and this shows us the meaning of the name Jesus.
Mt 1:23
1:23 Behold, a {k} virgin
shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name
Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
(k) There is an article
added in the Hebrew and Greek text, to point out the woman and set her forth
plainly: as we would say, the virgin, or a certain virgin.
Mt 1:25
1:25 And knew her not {l}
till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
(l) The word "till", in the
Hebrew language, gives us to understand that a thing will not come to pass
in time to come: as Michal had no children "till" her death day, 2Sa 6:23 .
And in the last chapter of this evangelist: Behold, I am with you "till" the
end of the world.
Mt 2:1
2:1 Now when {1} Jesus was
born in Bethlehem of {a} Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there
came {b} wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
(1) Christ a poor child,
laid down in a crib, and though given no attention by his own people,
receives nonetheless a noble witness of his divinity from heaven, and of his
kingly estate from strangers: which his own people unknowingly let happen,
although they did not acknowledge him.
(a) For there was another in the tribe of Zebulun.
(b) Wise and learned men: It is a Persian word which they use frequently.
Mt 2:3
2:3 When Herod the king had
heard [these things], he was {c} troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
(c) Was much moved, for he
was a foreigner, and became ruler by force; and the Jews were troubled; for
wickedness is mad and raging.
Mt 2:4
2:4 And when he had gathered
all the {d} chief priests and {e} scribes of the people together, he demanded
of them where Christ should be born.
(d) The chief priests, that
is, such as were of Aaron's family, who were divided into twenty-four
orders. 1Ch 24:5 2Ch 36:14 .
(e) They that expound the law to the people, for the Hebrews take this word
for another, which means as much as to expound and to declare.
Mt 2:6
2:6 And thou Bethlehem, [in]
the land of Juda, art not the {f} least among the princes of Juda: for out of
thee shall come a Governor, that {g} shall rule my people Israel.
(f) Though you are a small
town, yet you will be very famous and notable through the birth of the
Messiah, who will be born in you.
(g) That will rule and govern: for kings are rightly called leaders and
shepherds of the people.
Mt 2:11
2:11 And when they were come
into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and {h} fell
down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their {i} treasures, they
presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
(h) A kind of humble and
lovely reverence.
(i) The rich and costly presents, which they brought him.
Mt 2:12
2:12 And being {k} warned of
God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their
own country another way.
(k) God warned and told
them of it, even though they did not ask him.
Mt 2:13
2:13 {2} And when they were
departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream,
saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt,
and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child
to destroy him.
(2) Christ having just been
born, begins to be crucified for us, both in himself, and also in his
members.
Mt 2:17
2:17 Then was fulfilled that
which was spoken {l} by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
Mt 2:18
2:18 In Rama was there {m} a
voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, {n} Rachel weeping
[for] her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
(m) A voice of lamenting,
weeping and howling.
(n) That is to say, All who live around Bethlehem: for Rachel, Jacob's wife
who died in childbirth, was buried by the road that leads to this town,
which is also called Ephratah, because of the fruitfulness of the soil, and
the plentifulness of corn.
Mt 2:19
2:19 {3} But when Herod was
dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
(3) Christ is brought up in
Nazareth, after the death of the tyrant by God's providence: that by the
very name of the place it might plainly appear to the world that he is the
Lord's true Nazarite.
Mt 3:1
3:1 In {a} those days came
{1} John the Baptist, preaching in the {b} wilderness of Judaea,
(a) Not when Joseph went to
dwell at Nazareth, but a great while after, about fifteen years: for in the
30th year of his life Jesus was baptized by John: therefore "those days"
means the time when Jesus remained as an inhabitant of the town of Nazareth.
(1) John, who through his singular holiness and rare austerity of life
caused men to cast their eyes on him, prepares the way for Christ who is
following fast on his heels, as the prophet Isaiah foretold, and delivers
the sum of the gospel, which a short time later would be delivered more
fully.
(b) In a hilly country, which was nonetheless inhabited, for Zacharias dwelt
there, Lu 1:39,40 , and there was Joab's house, 1Ki 2:34 ; and besides
these, Joshua makes mention of six towns that were in the wilderness, Jos
15:61,62 .
Mt 3:2
3:2 And saying, {c} Repent
ye: for the {d} kingdom of heaven is at hand.
(c) The word in the greek
signifies a changing of our minds and heart from evil to better.
(d) The kingdom of Messiah, whose government will be heavenly, and nothing
but heavenly.
Mt 3:3
3:3 For this is he that was
spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, {e} make his paths straight.
Mt 3:4
3:4 And the same John had his
raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat
was {f} locusts and wild honey.
(f) Locusts were a type of
meat which certain of the eastern people use, who were therefore called
devourers of locusts.
Mt 3:5
3:5 Then went out to him {g}
Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
Mt 3:6
3:6 And were baptized of him
in Jordan, {h} confessing their sins.
Mt 3:7
3:7 {2} But when he saw many
of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O
generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
(2) There is nothing that
shuts up the way of mercy and salvation from us so much as the opinion of
our own righteousness does.
Mt 3:8
3:8 {3} Bring forth therefore
fruits meet for repentance:
Mt 3:9
3:9 {4} And {i} think not to
say {k} within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto
you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
(4) The faith of the
fathers does not benefit you unbelieving children at all: and yet for all
that, God does not play the liar, nor deal unfaithfully in his covenant
which he made with the holy fathers.
(i) Think not that you have any reason to be proud of Abraham.
(k) In your hearts.
Mt 3:11
3:11 {5} I indeed baptize you
with water unto {l} repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than
I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy
Spirit, and [with] fire:
(5) We may neither dwell
upon the signs which God has ordained as means to lead us into our
salvation, neither upon those that minister them: but we must climb up to
the matter itself, that is to say, to Christ, who inwardly works that
effectually, which is outwardly signified to us.
(l) The outward sign reminds us of this, that we must change our lives and
become better, assuring us as by a seal, that we are ingrafted into Christ;
by which our old man dies and the new man rises up; Ro 6:4 .
Mt 3:12
3:12 {6} Whose fan [is] in
his hand, and he will throughly {m} purge his floor, and gather his wheat into
the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
(6) The triumphs of the
wicked will end in everlasting torment.
(m) Will clean it thoroughly, and make a full riddance.
Mt 3:13
3:13 {7} Then cometh Jesus
from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Mt 3:15
3:15 And Jesus answering said
unto him, Suffer [it to be so] now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil {n} all
righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Mt 3:16
3:16 And Jesus, when he was
baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were
opened unto {o} him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and
lighting upon him:
Mt 3:17
3:17 {8} And lo a voice from
heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am {p} well pleased.
(8) Christ's full
consecration and authorization to the office of mediator is shown by the
Father's own voice and a visible sign of the Holy Spirit.
(p) The Greek word signifies a thing of great worth and such as highly
pleases a man. So then the Father says that Christ is the only man whom when
he beholds, looking at what opinion he had conceived of us, he lays it clean
aside.
Mt 4:1
4:1 Then was {1} Jesus led up
of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
(1) Christ is tempted in
all manner of ways, and still overcomes, that we also through his virtue may
overcome.
Mt 4:2
4:2 And when he had fasted
{a} forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Mt 4:5
4:5 Then the devil taketh him
up into the holy city, and setteth him on a {b} pinnacle of the temple,
(b) The battlement which
encompassed the flat roof of the Temple so that no man might fall down: as
was appointed by the law; De 22:8 .
Mt 4:7
4:7 Jesus said unto him, It
is written again, Thou shalt not {c} tempt the Lord thy God.
(c) Literally, "Thou shalt
not go on still in tempting."
Mt 4:12
4:12 {2} Now when Jesus had
heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
(2) When the Herald's mouth
is stopped, the Lord reveals himself and brings full light into the darkness
of this world, preaching free forgiveness of sins for those that repent.
Mt 4:13
4:13 And leaving Nazareth, he
came and dwelt in {d} Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders
of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
Mt 4:15
4:15 The land of Zabulon, and
the land of Nephthalim, [by] the way of the {e} sea, beyond Jordan, {f}
Galilee of the Gentiles;
(e) Of Tiberias, or because
that country went toward Tyre, which borders the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
(f) So called because it bordered upon Tyre and Sidon, and because Solomon
gave the king of Tyre twenty cities in that quarter; 1Ki 9:11 .
Mt 4:17
4:17 From that time Jesus
began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at {g} hand.
Mt 4:18
4:18 {3} And Jesus, walking
by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his
brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
(3) Christ, thinking that
he would eventually depart from us, even at the beginning of his preaching
gets himself disciples of a heavenly sort, poor and unlearned, and therefore
such as might be left as honest witnesses of the truth of those things which
they heard and saw.
Mt 4:23
4:23 And {4} Jesus went about
all Galilee, teaching in {h} their {i} synagogues, and preaching the gospel of
the {k} kingdom, and healing {l} all manner of sickness and all manner of {m}
disease among the people.
(4) Christ assures the
hearts of the believers of his spiritual and saving virtue, by healing the
diseases of the body.
(h) Their, that is, the Galilaeans.
(i) Synagogues, that is, the Churches of the Jews.
(k) Of the Messiah.
(l) Diseases of all kinds, but not every disease: that is, as we say, some
of every kind.
(m) The word properly signifies the weakness of the stomach: but here it is
taken for those diseases which make those that have them faint and wear
away.
Mt 4:24
4:24 And his fame went
throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were
taken with divers diseases and {n} torments, and those which were possessed
with devils, and those which were {o} lunatick, and those that had the {p}
palsy; and he healed them.
(n) The word signifies
properly the stone with which gold is tried: and by a borrowed kind of
speech, is applied to all kinds of examinations by torture, when as by rough
dealing and torments, we draw out the truths from men who otherwise would
not confess: in this place it is taken for those diseases, which put sick
men to great woe.
(o) Who at every full moon or the change of the moon, are troubled and
diseased.
(p) Weak and feeble men, who have the parts of their body loosed and so
weakened, that they are neither able to gather them up together, nor do with
them as they wish.
Mt 5:2
5:2 {1} And he opened his
mouth, and taught them, saying,
(1) Christ teaches that the
greatest joy and happiness is not in the conveniences and pleasures of this
life, but is laid up in heaven for those who willingly rest in the good will
and pleasure of God, and endeavour to profit all men, although they are
cruelly vexed and troubled by those of the world, because they will not
adapt themselves to their ways.
Mt 5:3
5:3 Blessed [are] the {a}
poor in {b} spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(a) Under the name of
poverty are meant all the miseries, that are joined with poverty.
(b) Whose minds and spirits are brought under control, and tamed, and obey
God.
Mt 5:8
5:8 Blessed [are] the {c}
pure in heart: for they shall see God.
(c) Fitly is this word
"pure" joined with the heart, for as a bright and shining resemblance or
image may be seen plainly in a clear and pure looking glass, even so does
the face (as it were) of the everlasting God, shine forth, and clearly
appear in a pure heart.
Mt 5:13
5:13 Ye {2} are the salt of
the {d} earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be {e}
salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be
trodden under foot of men.
(2) The ministers of the
word especially (unless they will be the most cowardly of all) must lead
others both by word and deed to this greatest joy and happiness.
(d) Your doctrine must be very sound and good, for if it is not so, it will
be not regarded and cast away as a thing unsavoury and vain.
(e) What will you have to salt with? And so are fools in the Latin tongue
called "saltless", as you would say, men that have no salt or savour and
taste in them.
Mt 5:14
5:14 Ye are the {f} light of
the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mt 5:17
5:17 {3} Think not that I am
come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but {g} to
fulfil.
(3) Christ did not come to
bring any new way of righteousness and salvation into the world, but indeed
to fulfil that which was shadowed by the figures of the Law, by delivering
men through grace from the curse of the Law: and moreover to teach the true
use of obedience which the Law appointed, and to engrave in our hearts the
power for obedience.
(g) That the prophecies may be accomplished.
Mt 5:19
5:19 {4} Whosoever therefore
shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall
be called the {h} least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and
teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
(4) He begins with the true
expounding of the Law, and sets it against the old (but yet false) teachings
of the scribes: He is in no way abolishing the least commandment of his
Father.
(h) He shall have no place in the Church.
Mt 5:21
5:21 {5} Ye have heard that
it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill
shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mt 5:22
5:22 But I say unto you, That
whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be {i} in danger {k}
of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in
danger of the {l} council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in
danger of {m} hell {n} fire.
(i) He speaks of the
judgment of God, and of the difference of sins, and therefore applies his
words to the form of civil judgments which were then used.
(k) Of that judgment which was ruled by three men, who had the hearing and
deciding of money matters, and such other small causes.
(l) By that judgment which stood of 23 judges, who had the hearing and
deciding of weighty affairs, as the matter of a whole tribe or of a high
priest, or of a false prophet.
(m) Whereas we read here "hell", it is in the text itself "Gehenna", which
is one Hebrew word made out of two, and is as if to say "as the Valley of
Hinnom", which the Hebrews called Topheth: it was a place where the
Israelites cruelly sacrificed their children to false gods, whereupon it was
taken for a place appointed to torment the reprobates in Jer 7:31 .
(n) The Jews used four kinds of punishments, before their government was
taken away by Herod: hanging, beheading, stoning, and burning. It is burning
that Christ meant, because burning was the greatest punishment; therefore by
making mention of a judgment, a council, and a fire, he shows that some sins
are worse than others are, but yet they are all such that we must give
account for them, and will be punished for them.
Mt 5:23
5:23 {6} Therefore if thou
bring thy gift to the {o} altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath
ought against thee;
(6) The covetous Pharisees
taught that God was appeased by the sacrifices appointed in the law, which
they themselves devoured. But Christ on the contrary side denies that God
accepts any man's offering, unless he makes satisfaction to his brother whom
he has offended: and says moreover, that these stubborn and stiff-necked
despisers of their brethren will never escape the wrath and curse of God
before they have made full satisfaction to their brethren.
(o) He applies all this speech to the state of his time, when there was then
an altar standing in Jerusalem, and therefore they are very foolish that
gather from this that we must build altars and use sacrifices: but they are
bigger fools who consider this to be purgatory, which is spoken of as peace
making and atonement one with another.
Mt 5:25
5:25 {p} Agree with thine
adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the
adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the
officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Mt 5:26
5:26 Verily I say unto thee,
Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast {q} paid the uttermost
farthing.
(q) You will be dealt with
in this manner, to the utmost extremity.
Mt 5:27
5:27 {7} Ye have heard that
it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
(7) He is taken for an
adulterer before God, whoever he is, that covets a woman: and therefore we
must keep our eyes chaste, and all the members we have, yea and we must
avoid all opportunities that might move us to evil, no matter what it costs
us.
Mt 5:29
5:29 And if thy {r} right eye
{s} offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable
for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body
should be cast into hell.
(r) He names the right eye
and the right hand, because the parts of the right side of our bodies are
the chiefest, and the most ready to commit any wickedness.
(s) Literally, do cause you to offend: for sins are stumbling blocks as it
were, that is to say, rocks which we are cast upon.
Mt 5:33
5:33 {8} Again, ye have heard
that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself,
but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
(8) The meaning of the
third commandment against the perverse opinion and judgment of the scribes,
who excused by oaths or indirect forms of swearing.
Mt 5:37
5:37 But let your
communication be, {t} Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these
cometh of {u} evil.
(t) Whatever you affirm,
affirm it alone, and whatever you deny, deny it alone without any more
words.
(u) From an evil conscience, or from the devil.
Mt 5:38
5:38 {9} Ye have heard that
it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
(9) He shows that contrary
to the doctrine of the scribes, that the sum of the second table must be so
understood, that we may in no wise render evil for evil, but rather suffer
double injury, and do well to them that are our deadly enemies.
Mt 5:45
5:45 {10} That ye may be the
children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on
the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
(10) A double reason: the
one is taken of the relatives, The children must be like their father: the
other is taken of comparisons, The children of God must be better than the
children of this world.
Mt 5:47
5:47 And if ye salute your
brethren only, what do ye more [than others]? do not even the {x} publicans
so?
(x) They that were the toll
masters, and had the oversight of tributes and customs: this was a type of
man that the Jews hated to death, both because they served the Romans in
those offices (whose heavy bondage they could not overthrow) and also
because these toll masters were for the most part given to covetousness.
Mt 6:1
6:1 Take heed that ye do not
your {1} alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no {a} reward
of your Father which is in heaven.
(1) Ambition makes alms
vain.
(a) This word "reward" is always taken in the scriptures for a free
recompense, and therefore the schoolmen fondly set it to be answerable to a
deserving, which they call "merit".
Mt 6:2
6:2 Therefore when thou doest
[thine] alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the {b} hypocrites do in
the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I
say unto you, They have their reward.
(b) Counterfeits, for
hypocrites were players that played a part in a play.
Mt 6:5
6:5 {2} And when thou prayest,
thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in
the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of
men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
(2) He rebukes two
revolting faults in prayer, ambition, and vain babbling.
Mt 6:7
6:7 But when ye pray, use not
{c} vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be
heard for their much speaking.
(c) Long prayers are not
condemned, but vain, needless, and superstitious ones.
Mt 6:9
6:9 {3} After this manner
therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mt 6:11
6:11 Give us this day our (d)
daily bread.
(d) That which is suitable
for our nature for our daily food, or such as may suffice our nature and
complexion.
Mt 6:13
6:13 And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from {e} evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
(e) From the devil, or from
all adversity.
Mt 6:14
6:14 {4} For if ye forgive
men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
(4) They that forgive
wrongs, to them sins are forgiven, but revenge is prepared for them that
take revenge.
Mt 6:16
6:16 {5} Moreover when ye
fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they {f} disfigure
their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you,
They have their reward.
(5) That is, those that
desire a name of holiness by fasting.
(f) They do not let their original pallor to be seen, that is to say, they
mar the natural colour of their faces, that they may seem lean and palefaced.
Mt 6:19
6:19 {6} Lay not up for
yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves break through and steal:
(6) The labours of those
men are shown to be vain, which pass not for the assured treasure of
everlasting life, but spend their lives in scraping together stale and vain
riches.
Mt 6:22
6:22 {7} The light of the
body is the eye: if therefore thine {g} eye be single, thy whole body shall be
full of light.
(7) Men maliciously and
wickedly put out even the little light of nature that is in them.
(g) The judgment of the mind: that as the body is with the eyes, so our
whole life may be ruled with right reason, that is to say, with the Spirit
of God who gives light to us.
Mt 6:24
6:24 {8} No man can serve {h}
two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he
will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and {i}
mammon.
(8) God will be worshipped
by the whole man.
(h) Who are at odds with one another, for if two agree they are as one.
(i) This word is a Syrian word, and signifies all things that belong to
money.
Mt 6:25
6:25 {9} Therefore I say unto
you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink;
nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat,
and the body than raiment?
(9) The perverse burdensome
carefulness for things of this life, is corrected in the children of God by
an earnest thinking upon the providence of God.
Mt 6:26
6:26 Behold the fowls of the
{k} air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet
your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
(k) Of the air, or that
line in the air: in almost all languages the word "heaven" is taken for the
air.
Mt 6:27
6:27 Which of you by {l}
taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
(l) He speaks of care which
is joined with thought of mind, and has for the most part distrust yoked
with it.
Mt 6:28
6:28 And why take ye thought
for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they {m} toil
not, neither do they spin:
Mt 7:1
7:1 Judge {1} not, that ye be
not judged.
(1) We ought to find fault
with one another, but we must beware we do not do it without cause, or to
seem holier than others or because of hatred of others.
Mt 7:6
7:6 {2} Give not that which
is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your {a} pearls before swine, lest they
trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
(2) The stiff-necked and
stubborn enemies of the gospel are unworthy to have it preached unto them.
(a) A pearl is known among the Greeks for its oriental brightness: and a
pearl was in ancient times greatly valued by the Latins: for a pearl that
Cleopatra had was valued at two hundred and fifty thousand crowns: and the
word is now borrowed from that, to signify the most precious heavenly
doctrine.
Mt 7:7
7:7 {3} Ask, and it shall be
given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mt 7:12
7:12 {4} Therefore all things
whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this
is the {b} law and the prophets.
(4) An explanation of the
meaning of the second table.
(b) That is to say, The doctrine of the law and prophets.
Mt 7:13
7:13 {5} Enter ye in at the
strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mt 7:14
7:14 Because {c} strait [is]
the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it.
(c) The way is straight and
narrow: we must pass through this rough way and suffer, endure, be changed
and so enter into life.
Mt 7:15
7:15 {6} Beware of false
prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are
ravening wolves.
Mt 7:21
7:21 {7} Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mt 7:22
7:22 Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy {d} name? and in thy name
have cast out devils? and in thy name done many {e} wonderful works?
(d) By "name" here is meant
mighty working power of God, which every man witnesses that calls upon him.
(e) Properly, powers: Now these excellent works which are done are called
powers because of those things which they bring to pass, for by them we
understand how mighty the power of God is.
Mt 7:23
7:23 And then will I profess
unto them, {f} I never knew you: depart from me, {g} ye that work iniquity.
(f) This is not of
ignorance, but because he will cast them away.
(g) You that are given to all kinds of wickedness, and seem to make an art
of sin.
Mt 7:24
7:24 {8} Therefore whosoever
heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise
man, which built his house upon a rock:
(8) True godliness rests
only upon Christ, and therefore always remains invincible.
Mt 8:2
8:2 {1} And, behold, there
came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make
me clean.
(1) Christ in healing the
leprous with the touch of his hand, shows that he abhors no sinners that
come unto him, be they ever so unclean.
Mt 8:5
8:5 {2} And when Jesus was
entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
(2) Christ by setting
before them the example of the uncircumcised centurion and yet of an
excellent faith, provokes the Jews to jealousy, and together forewarns them
of their being cast off and the calling of the Gentiles.
Mt 8:11
8:11 And I say unto you, That
many shall come from the east and west, and shall {a} sit down with Abraham,
and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
(a) A metaphor taken of
banqueters, for they that sit down together are fellows in the banquet.
Mt 8:12
8:12 But the children of the
kingdom shall be cast out into {b} outer darkness: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
(b) Who are outside the
kingdom: For in the kingdom is light, and outside the kingdom is darkness.
Mt 8:14
8:14 {3} And when Jesus was
come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.
(3) Christ, in healing many
diseases, shows that he was sent by his Father, that in him only we should
seek remedy in all our miseries.
Mt 8:16
8:16 When the even was come,
they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out
the spirits with [his] word, and healed {c} all that were sick:
Mt 8:18
8:18 Now when Jesus saw great
multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the {d} other side.
Mt 8:19
8:19 {4} And a certain scribe
came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
Mt 8:20
8:20 And Jesus saith unto
him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air [have] {e} nests; but the
Son of man hath not where to lay [his] head.
(e) Literally, "shades made
with boughs".
Mt 8:21
8:21 {5} And another of his
disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
(5) When God requires our
labour, we must cease all our duty to men.
Mt 8:23
8:23 {6} And when he was
entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
(6) Although Christ often
seems to neglect his own, even in most extreme dangers, yet in due time he
calms all tempests, and brings his own to the haven.
Mt 8:28
8:28 {7} And when he was come
to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two
possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no
man might pass by that way.
(7) Christ came to deliver
men from the miserable enslavement of Satan: but the world would rather go
without Christ, than the vilest and least of their conveniences.
Mt 8:30
8:30 And there was {f} a good
way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
(f) On a hill, as Mark and
Luke witness: Now Gederah, as Josephus records, book seventeen chapter
thirteen, lived after the order of the Greeks and therefore we must not be
surprised if there were swine there.
Mt 8:34
8:34 And, behold, the whole
city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought [him] that
he would {g} depart out of their coasts.
(g) Where men live as
swine, there Christ does not abide, but demons.
Mt 9:1
9:1 And he {1} entered into a
ship, and passed over, and came into his {a} own city.
(1) Sins are the cause of
our afflictions, and Christ only forgives them if we believe.
(a) Into Capernaum, for as Theophylact says, Bethlehem brought him forth,
Nazareth brought him up, and Capernaum was his dwelling place.
Mt 9:2
9:2 And, behold, they brought
to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus {b} seeing their
faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be
forgiven thee.
Mt 9:3
9:3 And, behold, certain of
the scribes said within themselves, This [man] {c} blasphemeth.
(c) To blaspheme, signifies
among the divines, to speak wickedly: and among the more eloquent Greeks, to
slander.
Mt 9:9
9:9 {2} And as Jesus passed
forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the {d} receipt of
custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
(2) Christ calls the humble
sinners unto him, but he condemns the proud hypocrites.
(d) At the table where the tax was received.
Mt 9:10
9:10 And it came to pass, as
Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and {e} sinners came
and sat down with him and his disciples.
(e) The publicans who were
placed by the Romans, after that time Judea was brought into the form of a
province, to gather the taxes, and therefore by the rest of the Jews they
were called sinners, that is to say, very vile men.
Mt 9:14
9:14 {3} Then came to him the
disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy
disciples fast not?
(3) That is, wicked rivalry
in matters of small importance.
Mt 9:15
9:15 And Jesus said unto
them, Can the {f} children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the
bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be
taken from them, and then shall they fast.
(f) A Hebrew idiom, for
they that are admitted into the marriage chamber are as the bridegroom's
closest friends.
Mt 9:16
9:16 No man putteth a piece
of {g} new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up
taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
(g) Raw, which was never
processed by the fuller.
Mt 9:18
9:18 {4} While he spake these
things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him,
saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and
she shall live.
(4) There is no evil so
old, and incurable, which Christ cannot heal by and by, if he is touched
with true faith, but lightly as it were with the hand.
Mt 9:23
9:23 {5} And when Jesus came
into the ruler's house, and saw the {h} minstrels and the people making a
noise,
(5) Even death itself gives
place to the power of Christ.
(h) It appears that they used minstrels at their mournings.
Mt 9:27
9:27 {6} And when Jesus
departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, [Thou] Son of
David, have mercy on us.
Mt 9:32
9:32 {7} As they went out,
behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
Mt 9:36
9:36 {8} But when he saw the
multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and
were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
(8) Although the ordinary
pastors cease, yet Christ has not cast off the care of his Church.
Mt 9:38
9:38 Pray ye therefore the
Lord of the harvest, that he will {i} send forth labourers into his harvest.
(i) Literally, "cast them
out": for men are very slow in a work so holy.
Mt 10:1
10:1 And {1} when he had
called unto [him] his twelve disciples, he gave them power [against] unclean
spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner
of disease.
Mt 10:2
10:2 Now the names of the
twelve apostles are these; The {a} first, Simon, who is called Peter, and
Andrew his brother; James [the son] of Zebedee, and John his brother;
(a) Theophylact says that
Peter and Andrew are called the first, because they were first called.
Mt 10:4
10:4 Simon the Canaanite, and
Judas {b} Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
Mt 10:7
10:7 {2} And as ye go,
preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
(2) The sum of the gospel,
or preaching of the apostles.
Mt 10:8
10:8 {3} Heal the sick,
cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received,
freely give.
Mt 10:9
10:9 {4} Provide {c} neither
gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
(4) The ministers of the
word must cast away all cares that might hinder them, even the least of
them.
(c) For this journey, namely, both that nothing might hinder them, and also
that they might feel some taste of God's providence: for at their return
back, the Lord asked of them whether they lacked anything by the way, Lu
22:35 .
Mt 10:10
10:10 Nor scrip for [your]
journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is
worthy of his {d} meat.
Mt 10:11
10:11 {5} And into whatsoever
city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till
ye go thence.
Mt 10:13
10:13 And if the house be
worthy, let your {e} peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your
peace return to you.
(e) It is an idiom taken
from the Hebrews, by which they meant every type of happiness.
Mt 10:16
10:16 {6} Behold, I send you
forth as {f} sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents,
and {g} harmless as doves.
(6) Christ shows how the
ministers must behave themselves under the cross.
(f) You will be in great danger.
(g) You will not so much as take revenge for an injury: and by the mixing of
these beast's natures together, he will not have our wisdom to be malicious,
nor our simplicity mad, but a certain form of good nature which is composed
exquisitely of both of them.
Mt 10:17
10:17 But beware of {h} men:
for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in
their synagogues;
Mt 10:23
10:23 But when they persecute
you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall
not have {i} gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
(i) Bring to an end, that
is, you will not have gone through all the cities of Israel and preached in
them.
Mt 10:25
10:25 It is enough for the
disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have
called the master of the house {k} Beelzebub, how much more [shall they call]
them of his household?
(k) It was the idol of the
Acronites, which we call the god of flies.
Mt 10:26
10:26 {l} Fear them not
therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid,
that shall not be known.
Mt 10:27
10:27 What I tell you in
darkness, [that] speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, [that] preach
ye upon the {m} housetops.
(m) Openly, and in the
highest places. For the tops of their houses were made in such a way that
they might walk upon them; Ac 10:9 .
Mt 10:28
10:28 And {n} fear not them
which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him
which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
(n) Though tyrants rage and
are cruel, yet we must not fear them.
Mt 10:29
10:29 Are not two sparrows
sold for a {o} farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without
your Father.
Mt 10:32
10:32 {7} Whosoever therefore
shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is
in heaven.
Mt 10:34
10:34 {8} Think not that I am
come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mt 10:37
10:37 {9} He that loveth
father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
(9) Without exception,
nothing is to be preferred before our duty to God.
Mt 10:39
10:39 He that {p} findeth his
life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
(p) They are said to find
their life, who deliver it out of danger: and this is spoken against the
opinion of the people, who think those that die are certainly lost, because
they think not of the life to come.
Mt 10:40
10:40 {10} He that receiveth
you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
Mt 10:41
10:41 {11} He that receiveth
a prophet in {q} the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and
he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive
a righteous man's reward.
Mt 10:42
10:42 And whosoever shall
give to drink unto one of these {r} little ones a cup of cold [water] only in
the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his
reward.
Mt 11:1
11:1 And {1} it came to pass,
when Jesus had made an end of {a} commanding his twelve disciples, he departed
thence to teach and to preach in {b} their cities.
(1) Christ shows by his
works that he is the promised Messiah.
(a) Of instructing them with precepts.
(b) The disciples' cities, that is to say, in Galilee, where many of them
were born; Ac 2:7 .
Mt 11:7
11:7 {2} And as they
departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye
out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
(2) The similarity and the
difference between the ministry of the prophets, the preaching of John, and
the full light, of the gospel, which Christ has brought.
Mt 11:11
11:11 Verily I say unto you,
Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the
Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the {c} kingdom of heaven is
greater than he.
(c) In the new state of the
Church where the true glory of God shines: the people are not compared
together, but the types of doctrines, the preaching of John with the law and
the prophets: and again, the most clear preaching of the gospel is compared
with John's.
Mt 11:13
11:13 For all the prophets
and the law {d} prophesied until John.
(d) They prophesied of
things to come, which are now present, and clearly and plainly seen.
Mt 11:16
11:16 {3} But whereunto shall
I liken this generation? {e} It is like unto children sitting in the markets,
and calling unto their fellows,
(3) There are none who are
more stout and stubborn enemies of the gospel, than they to whom it ought to
be most acceptable.
(e) He blames the perverseness of this age, by a proverb, in that they could
be moved neither with rough nor gentle dealing.
Mt 11:19
11:19 The Son of man came
eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber,
a friend of publicans and sinners. {4} But {f} wisdom is justified of her
children.
(4) That which the many
refuse, the elect and chosen embrace.
(f) Wise men acknowledge the wisdom of the gospel when they receive it.
Mt 11:20
11:20 {5} Then began he to
upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they
repented not:
(5) The proud reject the
gospel offered to them (to their great hurt and pain) which leads to the
salvation of the simple.
Mt 11:25
11:25 At that time Jesus
answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast {g} revealed
them unto babes.
(g) Through the ministry of
Christ, who alone shows the truth of all things pertaining to God.
Mt 11:26
11:26 {h} Even so, Father:
for so it seemed {i} good in thy sight.
(h) This word shows that he
contents himself in his Father's council.
(i) God's will is the only rule of righteousness.
Mt 11:27
11:27 {6} All things are
delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father;
neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and [he] to whomsoever the
Son will reveal [him].
(6) There is no true
knowledge of God, nor quietness of mind, but only in Christ alone.
Mt 11:30
11:30 For my yoke [is] {k}
easy, and my burden is light.
(k) May easily be carried.
For his commandments are not grievous, for all who are born of God overcome
the world; 1Jo 5:4 .
Mt 12:1
12:1 At {1} that time Jesus
went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred,
and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
(1) Of the true sanctifying
of the sabbath, and the breaking of it.
Mt 12:4
12:4 How he entered into the
house of God, and did eat the {a} shewbread, which was not lawful for him to
eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
(a) The Hebrews call it
"bread of faces", because it stood before the Lord all the week upon the
golden table appointed for that service; Le 24:6 .
Mt 12:5
12:5 Or have ye not read in
the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple {b} profane
the sabbath, and are blameless?
(b) When the priests do
God's service on the sabbath day, they do not break the law: much less does
the Lord of the Sabbath break the sabbath.
Mt 12:9
12:9 {2} And when he was
departed thence, he went into their synagogue:
Mt 12:14
12:14 {3} Then the Pharisees
went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
Mt 12:18
12:18 Behold my servant, whom
I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my
spirit upon him, and he shall shew {c} judgment to the Gentiles.
(c) By judgment is meant a
godly kingdom, because Christ was to proclaim true religion among the
Gentiles, and to cast out superstition; and wherever this is done, the Lord
is said to reign and judge there, that is to say, to govern and rule
matters.
Mt 12:20
12:20 A bruised reed shall he
not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he {d} send forth
judgment unto victory.
(d) He will pronounce
sentence and judgment, in spite of the world and Satan, and show himself
conqueror over all his enemies.
Mt 12:22
12:22 {4} Then was brought
unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him,
insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
(4) A truth, be it ever so
obvious, is subject to the slander of the wicked: however, it ought to be
resolutely defended.
Mt 12:25
12:25 {5} And Jesus knew
their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is
brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall
not stand:
Mt 12:32
12:32 And whosoever speaketh
a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: {6} but whosoever
speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in
this world, neither in the [world] to come.
Mt 12:34
12:34 {7} O generation of
vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaketh.
Mt 12:36
12:36 But I say unto you,
That every {e} idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof
in the day of judgment.
(e) Vain and unprofitable
trifles, which for the most part, men spend their lives in search of.
Mt 12:38
12:38 {8} Then certain of the
scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign
from thee.
Mt 12:39
12:39 But he answered and
said unto them, An evil and {f} adulterous generation seeketh after a sign;
and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
(f) Bastard, who fell from
Abraham's faith or forsook the true worship of God.
Mt 12:41
12:41 {9} The men of Nineveh
shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because
they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas
[is] here.
(9) Christ teaches, by the
sorrowful example of the Jews, that there are none more miserable than they
who put out the light of the gospel which was kindled in them.
Mt 12:42
12:42 The queen of the {g}
south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn
it: for she came from the {h} uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom
of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon [is] here.
(g) He means the Queen of
Sheba: whose country is south in respect to the land of Israel; 1Ki 10:1-13
.
(h) For Sheba is situated in the farthest coast of Arabia at the mouth of
the Arabian Sea.
Mt 12:46
12:46 {10} While he yet
talked to the people, behold, [his] mother and his brethren stood without,
desiring to speak with him.
(10) Christ teaches by his
own example that all things ought to be set aside in respect of God's glory.
Mt 12:49
12:49 {11} And he stretched
forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my
brethren!
Mt 13:2
13:2 {1} And great multitudes
were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the
whole multitude stood on the shore.
(1) Christ shows in putting
forth this parable of the sower, that the seed of life which is sown in the
world does not do as well in one as in another, and the reason for this is
that men for the most part, either do not receive it, or do not permit it to
ripen.
Mt 13:11
13:11 {2} He answered and
said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
(2) The gift of
understanding and faith is given only to the elect, and all the rest are
blinded through the just judgment of God.
Mt 13:16
13:16 {3} But blessed [are]
your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
(3) The condition of the
Church under and since Christ, is better than it was in the time of the
fathers under the law.
Mt 13:19
13:19 When any one heareth
the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked
[one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his {a} heart. This is he
which received seed by the way side.
(a) Though there is mention
made of the heart, yet this sowing is referred to as hearing without
understanding. For whether the seed is received in the heart or not, yet he
that sows, sows to the heart.
Mt 13:24
13:24 {4} Another parable put
he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which
sowed good seed in his field:
(4) Christ shows in another
parable of the evil seed mixed with the good, that the Church will never be
free and rid of offences, both in doctrine and manners, until the day
appointed for the restoring of all things comes, and therefore the faithful
have to arm themselves with patience and steadfastness.
Mt 13:31
13:31 {5} Another parable put
he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of
mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
(5) God begins his kingdom
with very small beginnings so that by its growing (even though men neither
hope nor expect it to) his mighty power and working may be displayed all the
more.
Mt 13:37
13:37 {6} He answered and
said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
Mt 13:44
13:44 {7} Again, the kingdom
of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath
found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and
buyeth that field.
(7) Few men understand how
great the riches of the kingdom of heaven are, and that no man can be a
partaker of them but he that redeems them with the loss of all his goods.
Mt 13:47
13:47 {8} Again, the kingdom
of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of
every kind:
(8) There are many in the
Church who nevertheless are not of the Church, and therefore at length will
be cast out: but the full and perfect cleansing of them is deferred to the
last day.
Mt 13:51
13:51 {9} Jesus saith unto
them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
(9) They ought to be
diligent, who have to be wise not only for themselves, but who have to
dispense the wisdom of God to others.
Mt 13:54
13:54 {10} And when he was
come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that
they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this [man] this wisdom, and
[these] mighty works?
(10) Men not only sin
because of ignorance, but also knowingly and willingly they lay stumbling
blocks in their own ways, that when God calls them, they may not obey, and
so most plainly destroy and cast away themselves.
Mt 14:1
14:1 {1} At that time Herod
the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,
(1) Here is in John, an
example of an invincible courage, which all faithful ministers of God's word
ought to follow: in Herod, an example of tyrannous vanity, pride, and
cruelty, and in short, of a refined conscience, and of their miserable
slavery, who have given themselves over to pleasure: in Herodias and her
daughter, an example of whore-like licentious women, and womanly cruelty.
Mt 14:2
14:2 And said unto his
servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore
mighty {a} works do shew forth themselves in him.
(a) By works he means that
force and power by which works are performed, and not the works which are
often seen before.
Mt 14:6
14:6 But when Herod's
birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased
{b} Herod.
(b) There were three Herods:
the first of them was Antipater's son, who is also called Ascalonius, in
whose reign Christ was born, and it was he that caused the children to be
slain. The second was called Antipas, Magnus his son, whose mother's name
was Malthaca or Martaca, and he was called Tetrarch, because he enlarged his
dominion, when Archelaus was banished to Vienna in France. The third was
Agrippa, Magnus his nephew by Aristobulus, and it was he that slew James.
Mt 14:14
14:14 {2} And Jesus went
forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them,
and he healed their sick.
(2) Christ feeds a great
multitude with five loaves and two little fish, showing by it that they will
lack nothing who lay all things aside and seek the kingdom of heaven.
Mt 14:24
14:24 {3} But the ship was
now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
(3) We must sail even
through mighty tempests, and Christ will never forsake us, so that we can go
wherever he has commanded us to go.
Mt 14:25
14:25 And in the {c} fourth
watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
(c) By the fourth watch is
meant the time nearer to day break: for in ancient times they divided the
night into four watches in which they posted watches.
Mt 14:26
14:26 And when the disciples
saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a {d} spirit;
and they cried out for fear.
(d) A spirit, as it is
taken here, is that which a man imagines to himself vainly in his mind,
persuading himself that he sees something when he sees nothing.
Mt 14:28
14:28 {4} And Peter answered
him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
(4) By faith we tread under
our feet even the tempests themselves, but only by the power of Christ,
which helps that faith, which he by his mercy has given.
Mt 14:34
14:34 And when they were gone
over, they came into the land of {e} Gennesaret.
(e) This Gennesaret was a
lake near Capernaum, which is also called the Sea of Galilee or Tiberias; so
the country itself grew to be called Gennesaret.
Mt 14:35
14:35 {5} And when the men of
that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round
about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;
(5) In that act where
Christ heals the sick, we are shown that we must seek remedy for spiritual
diseases at his hands: and that we ourselves are bound to not only run to
him, but also to bring others unto him.
Mt 15:1
15:1 {1} Then came to Jesus
scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
(1) None commonly are more
bold condemners of God, then they whom God has appointed keepers of his law.
Mt 15:2
15:2 Why do thy disciples
transgress the tradition of the elders? for they {a} wash not their hands when
they eat bread.
(a) Which they received
handed down from their ancestors, or their elders allowed, who were the
governors of the Church.
Mt 15:3
15:3 {2} But he answered and
said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your
tradition?
(2) Their wicked boldness
in corrupting the commandments of God (and that upon the pretence of
godliness) and usurping authority to make laws, is reproved here.
Mt 15:4
15:4 For God commanded,
saying, {b} Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or
mother, let him die the death.
Mt 15:5
15:5 But ye say, {c}
Whosoever shall say to [his] father or [his] mother, [It is] a gift, by
whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
(c) The meaning is this:
whatever I bestow upon the temple, is to your profit, for it is as good as
if I gave it to you, for (as the Pharisees of our time say) it will be
meritorious for you: for under this form of religion, they gathered all to
themselves, as though he that had given anything to the temple, had done the
duty of a child.
Mt 15:6
15:6 And honour not his
father or his mother, [he shall be free]. Thus have ye made the commandment of
God of none {d} effect by your tradition.
(d) As much as you could,
you destroyed the power and authority of the commandment: for otherwise the
commandments of God stand fast in the Church of God, in spite of the world
and Satan.
Mt 15:7
15:7 {3} [Ye] hypocrites,
well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
(3) The same men are
condemned for hypocrisy and superstition, because they made the kingdom of
God to consist of outward things.
Mt 15:10
15:10 {4} And he called the
multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
(4) Christ teaches us that
the hypocrisy of false teachers who deceive our souls is not to be endured
at all, not even in small matters, and there is no reason why their office
or position should blind our eyes: otherwise we are likely to perish with
them.
Mt 15:21
15:21 Then Jesus went thence,
and departed into the {e} coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
(e) Coasts which were next
to Tyre and Sidon, that is in that region where Palestine faces toward
Venice, and the sea of Syria.
Mt 15:22
15:22 And, behold, a woman of
{f} Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy
on me, O Lord, [thou] Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a
devil.
(f) Of the people of the
Canaanites, who dwelt in Phoenicia.
Mt 15:23
15:23 {5} But he answered her
not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away;
for she crieth after us.
(5) In that Christ
sometimes shuts his ears, as it were, to the prayers of his saints, he does
it for his glory, and our profit.
Mt 15:24
15:24 But he answered and
said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the {g} house of Israel.
(g) Of the people of
Israel, who were divided into tribes, but all those tribes came from one
family.
Mt 15:29
15:29 {6} And Jesus departed
from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a
mountain, and sat down there.
(6) Christ does not cease
to be beneficial even where he is condemned, and in the midst of wolves he
gathers together and cares for his flock.
Mt 15:30
15:30 And great multitudes
came unto him, having with them [those that were] lame, blind, dumb, {h}
maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed
them:
(h) Whose members were
weakened with paralysis, or by nature, for after it is said that he healed
them. Now Christ preferred to heal in this way, that such members as were
weak, he restored to health, and yet he could easily, if he had wanted, have
given them hands and feet and other members which they lacked.
Mt 15:32
15:32 {7} Then Jesus called
his disciples [unto him], and said, I have compassion on the multitude,
because they {i} continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and
I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.
(7) By doing this miracle
again, Christ shows that he who follows Christ will never be in need, not
even in the wilderness.
(i) Go not from my side.
Mt 15:35
15:35 And he commanded the
multitude to {k} sit down on the ground.
(k) Literally, "to lie down
backwards", as rowers do in rowing, when they draw their oars to themselves.
Mt 15:37
15:37 And they did all eat,
and were filled: and they took up of the broken [meat] that was left seven {l}
baskets full.
Mt 16:1
16:1 The {1} Pharisees also
with the Sadducees came, and {a} tempting desired him that he would shew them
a sign from heaven.
(1) The wicked who
otherwise disagree with one another, agree well together against Christ, but
do what they can, Christ is victorious, and triumphs over them.
(a) To see whether he could do that which they desired, but their purpose
was useless for they thought to find something in him by it, in which case
they might have just occasion to reprehend him: or else distrust and
curiosity moved them to do so, for by such means also is God said to be
tempted, that is to say, provoked to anger, as though men would strive with
him.
Mt 16:3
16:3 And in the morning, [It
will be] foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O [ye]
hypocrites, ye can discern the {b} face of the sky; but can ye not [discern]
the signs of the times?
(b) The outward show and
countenance, as it were, of all things, is called in the Hebrew language, a
face.
Mt 16:4
16:4 A wicked and adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but
(c) the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
Mt 16:5
16:5 {2} And when his
disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
Mt 16:8
16:8 [Which] when Jesus {d}
perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among
yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
(d) Not by others, but by
virtue of his divinity.
Mt 16:9
16:9 Do ye not yet
understand, neither remember the {e} five loaves of the five thousand, and how
many baskets ye took up?
Mt 16:11
16:11 How is it that ye do
not {f} understand that I {g} spake [it] not to you concerning bread, that ye
should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
Mt 16:13
16:13 {3} When Jesus came
into the coasts of {h} Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom
do men say that I the Son of man am?
(3) There are many
judgments and opinions of Christ, nevertheless he is known by his followers
alone.
(h) There were two Caesareas, the one called Stratonis upon the
Mediterranean Sea, which Herod built extravagantly in the honour of Octavius;
Josephus lib. 15. The other was Caesarea Philippi, which Herod the great the
Tetrarch's son by Cleopatra, built in the honour of Tiberius at the foot of
Lebanon; Josephus lib. 15.
Mt 16:14
16:14 And they said, Some
[say that thou art] {i} John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias,
or one of the prophets.
Mt 16:17
16:17 {4} And Jesus answered
and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for {k} flesh and blood
hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
(4) Faith is of grace, not
of nature.
(k) By this kind of speech is meant man's natural procreation upon the
earth, the one who was made, not being destroyed, but deformed through sin:
So then this is the meaning: this was not revealed to you by any
understanding of man, but God showed it to you from heaven.
Mt 16:18
16:18 {5} And I say also unto
thee, That thou art {l} Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and
the {m} gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
(5) That is true faith,
which confesses Christ, the virtue of which is invincible.
(l) Christ spoke in the Syrian tongue, and therefore did not use this
discourse to distinguish between Petros, which signifies Peter, and Petra,
which signifies a rock, but in both places used the word Cephas: but his
meaning is what is written in Greek, in which the different word endings
distinguish between Peter, who is a piece of the building, and Christ the
Petra, that is, the rock and foundation: or else he named him Peter because
of the confession of his faith, which is the Church's as well as his, as the
old fathers witness, for so says Theophylact. That confession which you have
made, shall be the foundation of the believers.
(m) The enemies of the Church are compared to a strong kingdom, and
therefore by "gates" are meant cities which are made strong with wise
preparation and fortifications, and this is the meaning: whatever Satan can
do by cunning or strength. So does Paul, calling them strongholds; 2Co 10:4
.
Mt 16:19
16:19 {6} And I will give
unto thee the {n} keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt {o}
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven.
(6) The authority of the
Church is from God.
(n) A metaphor taken from stewards who carry the keys: and here is set forth
the power of the ministers of the word, as Isa 22:22 says, and that power is
common to all ministers, as Mt 18:18 says, and therefore the ministry of the
gospel may rightly be called the key of the kingdom of heaven.
(o) They are bound whose sins are retained; heaven is shut against them,
because they do not receive Christ by faith: on the other hand, how happy
are they to whom heaven is open, who embrace Christ and are delivered by
him, and become fellow heirs with him!
Mt 16:20
16:20 {7} Then charged he his
disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
(7) Men must first learn,
and then teach.
Mt 16:21
16:21 {8} From that time
forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto
Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the {p} elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
(8) The minds of men are at
this time to be prepared and made ready against the stumbling block of
persecution.
(p) It was a name of dignity and not of age: and it is used for those who
were the judges, whom the Hebrews call the Sanhedrin.
Mt 16:22
16:22 Then Peter {q} took
him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall
not be unto thee.
(q) Took him by the hand
and led him aside, as they used to do, which meant to talk familiarly with
one.
Mt 16:23
16:23 {9} But he turned, and
said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, {r} Satan: thou art an offence unto me:
for thou {s} savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of
men.
(9) Against a preposterous
zeal.
(r) The Hebrews call him Satan, that is to say an adversary, whom the Greeks
call diabolos, that is to say, slanderer, or tempter: but it is spoken of
them, that either of malice, as Judas, Joh 6:70 , or of lightness and pride
resist the will of God.
(s) By this word we are taught that Peter sinned through a false persuasion
of himself.
Mt 16:24
16:24 {10} Then said Jesus
unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow me.
(10) No men do more harm to
themselves, than they that love themselves more than God.
Mt 16:25
16:25 For whosoever will save
his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall {t}
find it.
(t) Shall gain himself: And
this is his meaning, they that deny Christ to save themselves, not only not
gain that which they look for, but also lose the thing they would have kept,
that is, themselves, which is the greatest loss of all: but as for them that
doubt not to die for Christ, it goes well with them otherwise.
Mt 16:27
16:27 For the Son of man
shall come {u} in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall
reward every man according to his works.
(u) Like a King, as Mt 6:29
.
Mt 16:28
16:28 Verily I say unto you,
There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the
Son of man coming in his {x} kingdom.
(x) By his kingdom is
understood the glory of his ascension, and what follows after that, Eph 4:10
, or the preaching of the gospel, Mr 9:1 .
Mt 17:1
17:1 And {1} {a} after six
days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up
into an high mountain apart,
(1) Christ in his present
company is humble in the gospel, but all the while he is Lord both of heaven
and earth.
(a) Luke counts eight days, containing in that number the first and last,
and Matthew speaks but of the days between them.
Mt 17:2
17:2 And was {b} transfigured
before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as
the light.
Mt 17:5
17:5 While he yet spake,
behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud,
which said, This is {c} my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye
him.
(c) The word "my"
distinguishes Christ from other children. For he is God's natural son, we by
adoption; therefore he is called the first begotten among the brethren,
because although he is by right the only son, yet he is chief among many, in
that he is the source and head of the adoption.
Mt 17:6
17:6 And when the disciples
heard [it], they {d} fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
(d) Fell down flat on their
faces and worshipped him, as in Mt 2:11 .
Mt 17:9
17:9 And as they came down
from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the {e} vision to no man,
until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
(e) Which they saw,
otherwise the word used in this place is usually used in referring to that
which is seen in a dream.
Mt 17:14
17:14 {2} And when they were
come to the multitude, there came to him a [certain] man, {f} kneeling down to
him, and saying,
(2) Men are unworthy of
Christ's goodness, yet nonetheless he pays attention to them.
(f) As men used to do when making supplication.
Mt 17:15
17:15 Lord, have mercy on my
son: for he is {g} lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the
fire, and oft into the water.
(g) They that at certain
times of the moon are troubled with the falling sickness, or any other kind
of disease: but in this case, we must so understand it, that besides the
natural disease he had a demonic derangement.
Mt 17:19
17:19 {3} Then came the
disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
Mt 17:21
17:21 {4} Howbeit this kind
goeth not out but by {h} prayer and fasting.
(4) The remedy against
distrust.
(h) To help us to understand the watchfulness and diligence of earnest
prayer, which cannot be without sobriety.
Mt 17:22
17:22 {5} And while they
abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into
the hands of men:
Mt 17:24
17:24 {6} And when they were
come to Capernaum, they that received tribute [money] came to Peter, and said,
Doth {i} not your master {k} pay {l} tribute?
(6) In that Christ
willingly obeys Caesar's edicts, he shows that civil policy is not taken
away by the Gospel.
(i) He does not deny, but he asks.
(k) Should he not pay?
(l) They that were from twenty years of age to fifty, paid half a shekel to
the Sanctuary, Ex 30:13 . This was an Attic didrachma which the Roman
exacted after they had subdued Judea.
Mt 17:25
17:25 He saith, Yes. And when
he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou,
Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own
{m} children, or of strangers?
(m) By children we must not
understand subjects who pay tribute, but natural children.
Mt 17:27
17:27 Notwithstanding, lest
we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the
fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt
find a {n} piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
(n) The word used here is "stater",
which is in value four didrachmas; every drachma is about five pence.
Mt 18:2
18:2 {1} And Jesus called a
{a} little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
Mt 18:3
18:3 And said, Verily I say
unto you, Except ye be {b} converted, and become as little children, ye shall
not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mt 18:6
18:6 {2} But whoso shall
offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him
that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and [that] he were drowned in the
depth of the sea.
(2) We ought to have great
respect for our brethren no matter how base they may be: and he that does
otherwise shall be sharply punished.
Mt 18:7
18:7 {3} Woe unto the world
because of offences! for it must needs be that {c} offences come; but woe to
that man by whom the offence cometh!
(3) A good man cannot help
but experience offences, yet he must by no means offer offence.
(c) Obstructions and hindrances which stop the course of good works. The
Greek word conveys the sense of things which we stumble at.
Mt 18:8
18:8 Wherefore if thy hand or
thy foot {d} offend thee, cut them off, and cast [them] from thee: it is
better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two
hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Mt 18:10
18:10 {4} Take heed that ye
despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their
angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
(4) The weaker that a man
is, the greater care we ought to have for his salvation, as God teaches us
by his own example.
Mt 18:15
18:15 {5} Moreover if thy
brother shall trespass against {e} thee, go and tell him his fault between
thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
(5) We must strive for
agreement, and not to revenge injuries.
(e) If his offence is such that only you know your brother's offence.
Mt 18:16
18:16 But if he will not hear
[thee, then] take with thee one or two more, that in the {f} mouth of two or
three witnesses every word may be {g} established.
(f) That is, by the word
and witness; the mouth is sometimes taken for the word of speech, Nu 3:16 ,
and also for a still witness, namely, when the matter speaks for itself, as
below in Mt 21:16 .
(g) Sure and certain.
Mt 18:17
18:17 {6} And if he shall {h}
neglect to hear them, tell [it] unto the {i} church: but if he neglect to hear
the church, let him be unto thee as {k} an heathen man and a publican.
(6) He that condemns the
judgment of the Church, condemns God.
(h) Literally, "does not condescend to hear", or "make as though he did not
hear".
(i) He speaks not of just any policy, but of an ecclesiastical assembly, for
he speaks afterward of the power of loosing and binding, which belonged to
the Church, and he has regard for the order used in those days, at which
time the elders had the judgment of Church matters in their hands, Joh 9:22
12:42 16:2 , and used casting out of the synagogue for a punishment, as we
do now by excommunication.
(k) Profane, and void of religion: such men, the Jews called Gentiles: whose
company they shunned, as they did the publicans.
Mt 18:19
18:19 Again I say unto you,
That if two of you shall {l} agree on earth as touching any thing that they
shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
(l) This word, which is
normally used of the body, is here used of the mind, for it belongs properly
to poetry.
Mt 18:21
18:21 {7} Then came Peter to
him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive
him? till seven times?
(7) They will find God
severe and not too pleased, who do not forgive their brethren even if they
have been purposely and grievously injured by them.
Mt 18:24
18:24 And when he had begun
to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him {m} ten thousand talents.
(m) Here is set down a very
great sum of six thousand crowns, that the difference may be the greater,
for there is no proportion between them.
Mt 18:26
18:26 The servant therefore
fell down, and {n} worshipped him, saying, Lord, {o} have patience with me,
and I will pay thee all.
(n) This was a polite
reverence which was very common in the East.
(o) Yield not too much to your anger against me: so is God called in the
Scripture, slow to anger, that is to say, gentle, and one that refrains his
fierce wrath, Ps 86:5 ; patient and of great mercy.
Mt 19:1
19:1 And it came to pass,
[that] when Jesus had finished these sayings, he {a} departed from Galilee,
and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
Mt 19:3
19:3 {1} The Pharisees also
came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to
{b} put away his wife for every cause?
(1) The band of marriage
ought not to be broken, unless it is because of fornication.
(b) To send her a bill of divorce; see Mt 1:19 .
Mt 19:5
19:5 And said, For this cause
shall a man leave father and mother, and shall {c} cleave to his wife: and
they {d} twain shall be one flesh?
(c) The Greek word conveys
"to be glued unto", by which it signifies the union by marriage, which is
between man and wife, as though they were glued together.
(d) They who were two become one as it were: and this word "flesh" is
figuratively taken for the whole man, or the body, after the manner of the
Hebrews.
Mt 19:6
19:6 Wherefore they are no
more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath {e} joined together, let
not man put asunder.
(e) Has made them
yokefellows, as the marriage itself is called a yoke, by a borrowed kind of
speech.
Mt 19:7
19:7 {2} They say unto him,
Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her
away?
(2) Because political laws
are adjusted to allow some things, it does not follow that God therefore
approves of them.
Mt 19:8
19:8 He saith unto them,
Moses {f} because of the hardness of your hearts {g} suffered you to put away
your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
(f) Being brought about
because of the hardness of your hearts.
(g) By a political law, not by the moral law: for the moral law is a
perpetual law of God's justice; the other bows and bends as the carpenter's
bevel.
Mt 19:9
19:9 And I say unto you,
Whosoever shall put away his wife, except [it be] {h} for fornication, and
shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put
away doth commit adultery.
(h) Therefore in these days
the laws that were made against adulterers were not regarded: for they would
have no need of divorce, if the marriage had been severed by punishment of
death.
Mt 19:10
19:10 His disciples say unto
him, If the {i} case of the man be so with [his] wife, it is not good to
marry.
(i) If the matter stands in
this way between man and wife, or in marriage.
Mt 19:11
19:11 {3} But he said unto
them, All [men] cannot {k} receive this saying, save [they] to whom it is
given.
(3) The gift of celibacy is
peculiar, and therefore no man can set a law to himself of perpetual
celibacy.
(k) Receive and admit, as by translation we say, that a straight and narrow
place is not able to receive many things.
Mt 19:12
19:12 For there are some {l}
eunuchs, which were so born from [their] mother's womb: and there are some
eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have {m}
made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to
receive [it], let him receive [it].
(l) A man can become a
eunuch in one of two ways: the first is by castration or emasculation, and
the other by natural causes, such as a rupture.
(m) Who abstain from marriage, and live as celibates through the gift of
God.
Mt 19:13
19:13 {4} Then were there
brought unto him little children, that he should put [his] hands on them, and
pray: and the disciples rebuked them.
Mt 19:16
19:16 {5} And, behold, one
came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may
have eternal life?
Mt 19:21
19:21 Jesus said unto him, If
{n} thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me.
(n) The young man did not
answer truly in saying that he had kept all the commandments: and therefore
Christ sets forth an example of true charity before him, to show the disease
that lay lurking in his mind.
Mt 19:23
19:23 {6} Then said Jesus
unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter
into the kingdom of heaven.
Mt 19:24
19:24 And again I say unto
you, It is {o} easier for a {p} camel to go through the eye of a needle, than
for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
(o) Literally, "it is of
less labour".
(p) Theophylact notes, that by this word is meant a cable rope, but Caninius
alleges out of the Talmuds that it is a proverb, and the word "Camel"
signifies the beast itself.
Mt 19:28
19:28 {7} And Jesus said unto
them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the {q}
regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also
shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
(7) It is not lost, that is
neglected for God's sake.
(q) The regeneration is understood to mean that day when the elect will
begin to live a new life, that is to say, when they will enjoy the heavenly
inheritance, both in body and soul.
Mt 19:30
19:30 {8} But many [that are]
first shall be last; and the last [shall be] first.
(8) To have begun well, and
not to continue unto the end, is not only unprofitable, but also hurts very
much.
Mt 20:1
20:1 For the kingdom of
heaven is like unto a man [that is] an {1} householder, which went out early
in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
(1) God is bound to no man,
and therefore he calls whoever and whenever he desires. This only every man
ought to take heed of, and upon this bestow his whole endeavour, that he go
forward and come to the mark without stopping at all or staggering, and to
not curiously examine the doings of other men, or the judgments of God.
Mt 20:2
20:2 And when he had {a}
agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
(a) Literally, "fell in
time": it is a kind of speech taken from poetry.
Mt 20:6
20:6 And about the {b}
eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto
them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
(b) The last hour: for the
day was twelve hours long, and the first hour began at sunrise.
Mt 20:15
20:15 Is it not lawful for me
to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye {c} evil, because I am good?
(c) Naught, that is to say,
do you envy at my goodness towards them? For by an "evil eye" the Hebrews
mean "envy", because such dispositions appear chiefly in the eyes, as above
in Mt 6:23 . It is set in opposition to the word "single", and it is taken
there for corrupt: for whereas he said before in verse 22, "If thine eye be
single", he adds in verse 23, "but if thine eye by wicked", or "corrupt",
the word being the same in that place as it is here. Mt 6:22,23
Mt 20:17
20:17 {2} And Jesus going up
to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
(2) Christ goes to the
cross necessarily, and yet willingly.
Mt 20:18
20:18 {3} Behold, we go up to
Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and
unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
(3) They that should be
persecuting him the least, are the greatest persecutors of Christ.
Mt 20:19
20:19 {4} And shall deliver
him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify [him]: and the
third day he shall rise again.
Mt 20:20
20:20 {5} Then came to him
the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping [him], and
desiring a certain thing of him.
Mt 20:22
20:22 But Jesus answered and
said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to {d} drink of the cup that I
shall drink of, and to be baptized with the {e} baptism that I am baptized
with? They say unto him, We are able.
(d) "Taking the cup" is
figurative speech for that which is contained in the cup. And again, the
Hebrews understand by the word "cup", sometimes the manner of punishment
which is rendered to sin, as Ps 11:6 , or the joy that is given to the
faithful, as Ps 23:5 , and sometimes a lot or condition, as Ps 16:5 .
(e) This is in reference to afflictions, as David commonly uses.
Mt 20:23
20:23 And he saith unto them,
Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am
baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is {f} not mine to
give, but [it shall be given to them] for whom it is prepared of my Father.
(f) The almightiness of
Christ's divinity is not shut out by this, but it shows the debasing of
himself by taking man's nature upon him.
Mt 20:25
20:25 But Jesus called them
[unto him], and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise {g}
dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
Mt 20:29
20:29 {6} And as they
departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
(6) Christ by healing these
blind men with only one touch, shows that he is the only light of the world.
Mt 20:32
20:32 And Jesus stood still,
and {h} called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
(h) Himself, not by the
means of other men.
Mt 21:1
21:1 And {1} when they drew
nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives,
then sent Jesus two disciples,
(1) Christ by his humility,
triumphing over the pride of this world, ascends to true glory by the shame
of the cross.
Mt 21:3
21:3 And if any [man] say
ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway {a}
he will send them.
(a) He that will say
anything to you will let them go, that is, the ass and the colt.
Mt 21:5
21:5 Tell ye the {b} daughter
of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and
a colt the foal of an ass.
(b) The city of Sion. This
is a Hebrew idiom, common in the Lamentations of Jeremiah.
Mt 21:7
21:7 And brought the ass, and
the colt, and put on them their {c} clothes, and they set [him] {d} thereon.
(c) Their uppermost
garment.
(d) Upon their garments, not upon the ass and the colt.
Mt 21:9
21:9 And the multitudes that
went before, and that followed, cried, saying, {e} Hosanna to the Son of
David: {f} Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the
highest.
(e) This was an ancient
kind of cry, which they voiced in the feast of Tabernacles, when they
carried boughs according as God commanded; Le 23:40 . And the word is
corruptly made of two, for we should say, "Hoshiang-na", which is as much as
to say, "Save I pray thee".
(f) Well is it to him that comes in the Name of the Lord, that is to say,
whom the Lord has given us for our King.
Mt 21:10
21:10 And when he was come
into Jerusalem, {g} all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
(g) That is, all the men of
Jerusalem were moved.
Mt 21:15
21:15 {2} And when the chief
priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children
crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore
displeased,
(2) Those that should be
masters of godliness are the ones that envy most the glory of Christ: but in
vain.
Mt 21:16
21:16 And said unto him,
Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never
read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast {h} perfected praise?
(h) You have made most
perfect. We read in David, "Thou hast established" or "grounded", and if the
matter is considered well, the evangelist says here the same thing, for that
which is most perfect is stable and sure.
Mt 21:17
21:17 {3} And he left them,
and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.
(3) Christ does in this way
forsake the wicked, for he has a consideration and regard for his Church.
Mt 21:18
21:18 {4} Now in the morning
as he returned into the city, he hungered.
(4) Hypocrites will at
length have their masks discovered, and any false faces taken away.
Mt 21:21
21:21 {5} Jesus answered and
said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and {i} doubt not, ye
shall not only do this [which is done] to the fig tree, but also if ye shall
say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it
shall be done.
(5) How great the force of
faith is.
(i) The Greek word signifies a fixing or wavering of mind, so that we cannot
tell which way to take.
Mt 21:23
21:23 {6} And when he was
come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto
him as he was teaching, and said, By what {k} authority doest thou these
things? and who gave thee this authority?
(6) Against those who
neglect the doctrine and bind the calling and vocation to an ordinary
succession, going about by that false pretext, to stop Christ's mouth.
(k) Or by what power.
Mt 21:24
21:24 And Jesus answered and
said unto them, I also will ask you {l} one thing, which if ye tell me, I in
like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
(l) One thing, that is to
say, I will ask you one thing first before I answer your questions.
Mt 21:25
21:25 The {m} baptism of
John, whence was it? from {n} heaven, or of men? And they {o} reasoned with
themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did
ye not then believe him?
(m) The preaching of John
is called by the figure "baptism" because he preached the baptism of
repentance, etc.; Mr 1:4 Ac 19:3 .
(n) From God, and so it is plainly seen how these are set one against
another.
(o) Beat their heads about it, and mused, or laid their heads together.
Mt 21:31
21:31 Whether of them twain
did the will of [his] father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto
them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots {p} go into
the kingdom of God before you.
(p) They hurry to the
kingdom of God and you go slowly, so that you should at least have followed
their example. Mark then that this word, "go into", is improperly taken in
this place because none of them followed Christ.
Mt 21:32
21:32 For John came unto you
in the {q} way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans
and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen [it], repented not
afterward, that ye might believe him.
(q) Living uprightly, being
of good and honest behaviour; For the Hebrews use this word "way" for life
and manners.
Mt 21:33
21:33 {8} Hear another
parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged
it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a {r} tower, and let
it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
(8) Those men are often the
cruellest enemies of the Church, to whose faithfulness it is committed: But
the vocation of God is neither tied to time, place, nor person.
(r) Made the place strong: for a tower is the strongest place of a wall.
Mt 21:38
21:38 But when the husbandmen
saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill
him, and let us {s} seize on his inheritance.
(s) Literally, "let us hold
it fast".
Mt 21:41
21:41 They say unto him, He
will {t} miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out [his] vineyard
unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
(t) A kind of proverb,
showing what punishment the wicked are worthy of.
Mt 21:42
21:42 Jesus saith unto them,
Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the {u} builders
rejected, the same is {x} become the {y} head of the corner: {z} this is the
Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
(u) Master builders, who
are chief builders of the house, that is of the Church.
(x) Began to be.
(y) The chiefest stone in the corner is called the head of the corner: which
bears up the couplings or joints of the whole building.
(z) That matter (in that the stone which was cast away is made the head) is
the Lord's doing which we behold and greatly marvel at.
Mt 21:43
21:43 Therefore say I unto
you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation
bringing forth the {a} fruits thereof.
(a) They bring forth the
fruits of the kingdom of God, who bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, and
not of the flesh, Ga 5:16-26 .
Mt 21:44
21:44 And whosoever shall
fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will
{b} grind him to powder.
(b) As chaff used to be
scattered with the wind, for he uses a word which properly signifies
separating the chaff from the corn with winnowing, and to scatter it abroad.
Mt 21:46
21:46 {9} But when they
sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him
for a prophet.
Mt 22:1
22:1 And {1} Jesus answered
and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
(1) Not all of the whole
company of those that are called by the voice of the gospel are the true
Church before God: for the most part of them would rather follow the
conveniences of this life: and some persecute very cruelly those that call
them: but they are the true Church who obey when they are called, such as
for the most part are those whom the world despises.
Mt 22:4
22:4 Again, he sent forth
other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my
dinner: my oxen and [my] fatlings [are] {a} killed, and all things [are]
ready: come unto the marriage.
(a) The word used here is
commonly used in sacrifices, and is by translation used for other feasts
also: For feasts and banquets usually began with sacrifices.
Mt 22:7
22:7 {2} But when the king
heard [thereof], he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed
those murderers, and burned up their city.
Mt 22:8
22:8 Then saith he to his
servants, The {b} wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not
worthy.
Mt 22:9
22:9 {3} Go ye therefore into
the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Mt 22:10
22:10 So those servants went
out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both
{c} bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
(c) The general calling
offers the gospel to all men: but those who enter in have their life
examined.
Mt 22:11
22:11 {4} And when the king
came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding
garment:
(4) In the small number
which come at the calling, there are some castaways who do not confirm their
faith with newness of life.
Mt 22:12
22:12 And he saith unto him,
Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was {d}
speechless.
(d) Literally, "haltered",
that is to say, he held his peace, as though he had a bridle or a halter
around his neck.
Mt 22:13
22:13 Then said the king to
the {e} servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast [him]
into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mt 22:15
22:15 {f} Then went the
Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in [his] talk.
Mt 22:16
22:16 And they sent out unto
him their disciples with the {g} Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou
art true, and teachest the way of God {h} in truth, neither carest thou for
any [man]: for thou regardest not the {i} person of men.
(g) Those who with Herod
made a new religion, composed of both heathen and Jewish religion.
(h) Truly and sincerely.
(i) You are not moved with any appearance and outward show.
Mt 22:17
22:17 {5} Tell us therefore,
What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give {k} tribute unto Caesar, or not?
(5) The Christians must
obey their magistrates, even though they are wicked and extortioners, but
only in as much as is in agreement with the commandments of God, and only in
as much as his honour is not diminished.
(k) The word that is used here signifies a valuing and rating of men's
substance, according to the proportion of which they payed tribute in those
provinces which were subject to tribute, and it is here taken for the
tribute itself.
Mt 22:19
22:19 Shew me the tribute
money. And they brought unto him a {l} penny.
(l) Before Mt 17:24 there
is mention made of a didrachma, and here of a penny, whereas a didrachma is
more by the seventh part then a penny: so that there seems to be an
inconsistency in these two places: but they may easily be reconciled in this
way: The penny was paid to the Romans for tribute, according to the
proportion they were rated at, and the drachma was payed by everyone to the
Temple, which also the Romans took to themselves when they had subdued
India.
Mt 22:23
22:23 {6} The same day came
to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
(6) Christ affirms the
resurrection of the flesh, as opposed to the Sadducees.
Mt 22:24
22:24 Saying, Master, Moses
said, If a man die, having no {m} children, his brother shall marry his wife,
and raise up seed unto his brother.
(m) Daughters are also
included by this word "children", but even though they were part of his
family and bore his name, the man who had only daughters was in the same
position as the man who had no children at all; this is because daughters
were not at this time able to carry on the family name. Therefore, by
"children" here, we should understand it to be referring to "sons".
Mt 22:30
22:30 For in the resurrection
they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the {n} angels of
God in heaven.
(n) He does not say that
they will be without bodies, for then they would not be men any more; but,
they will be as angels, for they will neither marry nor be married.
Mt 22:34
22:34 {7} But when the
Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were
gathered together.
(7) The gospel does not
abolish the precepts of the law, but rather it confirms them.
Mt 22:35
22:35 Then {o} one of them,
[which was] a lawyer, asked [him a question], tempting him, and saying,
(o) A scribe, so it says in
Mr 12:28 . To understand what a scribe is, see Geneva "Mt 2:4"
Mt 22:37
22:37 Jesus said unto him,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy {p}
soul, and with all thy mind.
(p) The Hebrew text in De
6:5 reads, "with thine heart, soul, and strength"; and in Mr 12:30 and Lu
10:27 we read, "with soul, heart, strength and thought."
Mt 22:39
22:39 And the second [is]
like unto it, Thou shalt love thy {q} neighbour as thyself.
Mt 22:41
22:41 {8} While the Pharisees
were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
(8) Christ manifestly
proves that he is David's son, according to the flesh, but otherwise David's
Lord, and very God.
Mt 22:42
22:42 Saying, What think ye
of Christ? {r} whose son is he? They say unto him, [The Son] of David.
Mt 23:2
23:2 {1} Saying, The scribes
and the Pharisees {a} sit in Moses' seat:
(1) We ought to listen to
whatever we are truly taught from the word of God, even by wicked teachers,
but in a way so that we abstain from their evil behaviour.
(a) Because God appointed the order, the Lord would therefore have his word
to be heard even from the mouth of hypocrites and hirelings.
Mt 23:3
23:3 {b} All therefore
whatsoever they bid you observe, [that] observe and do; but do not ye after
their works: for they say, and do not.
(b) Provided always that
they deliver the doctrine of Moses which they profess, which thing the
metaphor of the seat shows, which they occupied as teachers of Moses'
teaching.
Mt 23:4
23:4 {2} 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.
(2) For the most part
hypocrites most severely exact those things which they themselves chiefly
neglect.
Mt 23:5
23:5 {3} But all their works
they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their {c} phylacteries, and
enlarge {d} the borders of their garments,
(3) Hypocrites are
ambitious.
(c) It was a thread or ribband of blue silk in the fringe of a corner, the
beholding of which made them remember the laws and ordinances of God: and
therefore it was called a phylactery, or as you would say, a container. See
Nu 15:38 De 6:8 , a commandment which the Jews abused afterwards, as those
do today who hang the gospel of John around their necks, which was condemned
many years ago in the Council of Antioch.
(d) Literally, "Twisted tassels of thread which hung at the outermost hems
of their garments."
Mt 23:6
23:6 And love the uppermost
rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the {e} synagogues,
Mt 23:7
23:7 And greetings in the
markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, {f} Rabbi.
(f) This word "Rabbi"
signifies one that is above his fellows, and is as good as any of them: and
we may see by the repeating of it how proud a title it was. Now they were
called Rabbi who, by the laying on of hands, were uttered and declared to
the world to be wise men.
Mt 23:8
23:8 {4} But be not ye {g}
called Rabbi: for {h} one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are
brethren.
(4) Modesty is a singular
ornament of God's minsters.
(g) Seek not ambitiously after it: for our Lord does not forbid us to give
the magistrate and our masters the honour that is due to them; Augustine in
a sermon on the words of God from Mt 11:1-30 .
(h) He seems to allude to references in Isa 54:13 and Jer 31:34 .
Mt 23:9
23:9 And call no [man] your
{i} father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
(i) He attacks a custom of
the Jews, for they called the rabbis "our fathers".
Mt 23:10
23:10 Neither be ye called
{k} masters: for one is your Master, [even] Christ.
(k) It seems that the
scribes hunted very greatly after such titles, these scribes being the ones
whom he called blind guides in Mt 23:16 .
Mt 23:12
23:12 And whosoever {l} shall
exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be
exalted.
(l) He seems to allude to
the position of the rabbis, for rabbi signifies one that is in a high
position.
Mt 23:13
23:13 {5} But woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, {m} hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven
against men: for ye neither go in [yourselves], neither suffer ye them that
are {n} entering to go in.
(5) Hypocrites cannot
endure others to be better than themselves.
(m) Christ, when he reproves any man sharply, uses this word to show us that
there is nothing more detestable than hypocrisy and falsehood in religion.
(n) Who are even at the door.
Mt 23:14
23:14 {6} Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and {o} for a
pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
(6) It is a common thing
among hypocrites to abuse the pretence of zeal when in reality they are
exercising covetousness and extortion.
(o) Literally, "under a colour of long praying"; and the word "and"
signifies a double wickedness in them: the one, that they devoured widows
goods: the other that they did it under a pretence of godliness.
Mt 23:15
23:15 Woe unto you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and {p} land to make one
proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell
than yourselves.
(p) The dry part: now that
part of the earth is called dry which the Lord has given to us to live upon.
Mt 23:16
23:16 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 {q} is a debtor!
(q) Is a debtor. In the
Syrian language, sins are called "Debts", and it is certain that Christ
spoke in Syrian.
Mt 23:17
23:17 [Ye] fools and blind:
for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that {r} sanctifieth the gold?
Mt 23:22
23:22 And he that shall swear
by heaven, sweareth by the {s} throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
(s) If heaven is God's
throne, than he is without doubt above this entire world.
Mt 23:23
23:23 {7} 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 {t} faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
(7) Hypocrites take special
care in small matters, and neglect the things which matter the very most.
(t) Faithfulness in the keeping of promises.
Mt 23:25
23:25 {8} 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.
(8) Hypocrites pay too much
attention to outward things, and the inward things they utterly condemn.
Mt 23:29
23:29 {9} Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets,
and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
(9) Hypocrites, when they
try the most to cover up their wickedness, it is then by the just judgment
of God that they shame themselves.
Mt 23:32
23:32 {u} Fill ye up then the
measure of your fathers.
(u) A proverb used by the
Jews, which has this meaning: You go on also, and follow your ancestors,
that at length your wickedness may come to its fulness.
Mt 23:34
23:34 {10} 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:
Mt 23:35
23:35 {11} That upon you may
come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous
Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of {y} Barachias, whom ye slew between
the temple and the altar.
(11) The punishment of
those who persecute the gospel, under the pretence of zeal.
(y) Of Joiada, who was also called Barach-jah, that is, blessed of the Lord.
Mt 23:37
23:37 {12} O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent
unto thee, how often would I have {z} gathered thy children together, even as
a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!
(12) Where the mercy of God
was greatest, it was there that there was the greatest wickedness and
rebellion, and at length the sharpest judgments of God. {z} He speaks of the
outward ministry, and as he was promised for the saving of this people, he
was making sure that it would happen, even from the time that the promise
was made to Abraham.
Mt 24:2
24:2 {1} And Jesus said unto
them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be
left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
(1) The destruction of the
city, and especially of the temple is foretold.
Mt 24:4
24:4 {2} And Jesus answered
and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
(2) The Church will have a
continual conflict with infinite miseries and offences, and furthermore,
with false prophets, until the day of victory and triumph comes.
Mt 24:6
24:6 And ye shall hear of
wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things]
must come to pass, but the {a} end is not yet.
(a) That is, when those
things are fulfilled, yet the end will not come.
Mt 24:7
24:7 For nation shall rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in {b} divers places.
Mt 24:8
24:8 All these [are] the
beginning of {c} sorrows.
(c) Literally, "of great
torments", just like women in childbirth.
Mt 24:13
24:13 {3} But he that shall
endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
(3) The gospel will spread
abroad, angering the world and the devil ever so much: and those who
continually believe will be saved.
Mt 24:14
24:14 And this {d} gospel of
the kingdom shall be preached in all the {e} world for a witness unto all
nations; and then shall the end come.
(d) Joyful tidings of the
kingdom of heaven.
(e) Through all that part of the world that people live in.
Mt 24:15
24:15 {4} When ye therefore
shall see the {f} abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
(4) The kingdom of Christ
will not be abolished when the city of Jerusalem is utterly destroyed, but
will be stretched out even to the end of the world.
(f) The abomination of desolation, that is to say, the one who all men
detest and cannot abide, because of the foul and shameful filthiness of it:
and he speaks of the idols that were set up in the temple, or as others
think, he meant the marring of the doctrine in the Church.
Mt 24:18
24:18 Neither let him which
is in the field return back to take his {g} clothes.
Mt 24:20
24:20 But pray ye that your
flight be not in the winter, neither on the {h} sabbath day:
(h) It was not lawful to
take a journey on the sabbath day; Josephus, book 13.
Mt 24:22
24:22 And except {i} those
days should be shortened, there should no {k} flesh be saved: but for the
elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
(i) Those things which
befell the people of the Jews in the thirty-four years, when the whole land
was wasted, and at length the city of Jerusalem was taken, and both it and
their temple destroyed, are mixed with those things which will come to pass
before the last coming of the Lord.
(k) The whole nation would utterly be destroyed: and this word "flesh" is a
figurative word for "man", as the Hebrews used to say.
Mt 24:24
24:24 For there shall arise
false Christs, and false prophets, and {l} shall shew great signs and wonders;
insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Mt 24:28
24:28 {5} For wheresoever the
{m} carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
(5) The only remedy against
the furious rage of the world is that of being gathered and joined to
Christ.
(m) Christ, who will come with speed; and his presence will be with a
majesty to whom all will flock, just like Eagles.
Mt 24:29
24:29 {6} Immediately after
the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall
not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of
the heavens shall be shaken:
(6) Everlasting damnation
will be the end of the security of the wicked, and everlasting bliss for the
miseries of the godly.
Mt 24:30
24:30 And then shall appear
the {n} sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the {o} tribes of
the earth {p} mourn, and they shall see the Son of man {q} coming in the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
(n) The exceeding glory and
majesty, which will bear witness that Christ the Lord of heaven and earth
draws near to judge the world.
(o) All nations, and he alludes to the dispersion which we read of in Ge
10-11 , or to the dividing of the people of Israel.
(p) They will be in such sorrow, that they will strike themselves: and it is
transferred to the mourning.
(q) Sitting upon the clouds, as he was taken up into heaven.
Mt 24:31
24:31 And he shall send his
angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his
elect from the {r} four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Mt 24:32
24:32 {7} Now learn a parable
of the fig tree; When his branch is yet {s} tender, and putteth forth leaves,
ye know that summer [is] nigh:
(7) If God has prescribed a
certain order to nature, much more has he done so to his eternal judgments;
but the wicked do not understand it, or rather they mock it: but the godly
make note of it, and wait for it.
(s) When its tenderness shows that the sap which is the life of the tree has
come from the roots into the bark.
Mt 24:34
24:34 Verily I say unto you,
This {t} generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mt 24:35
24:35 {8} Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
(8) The Lord now begins the
judgment, which he will finish in the latter days.
Mt 24:36
24:36 {9} But of that day and
hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
(9) It is sufficient for us
to know that God has appointed a latter day for the restoring of all things;
but when it will be is hidden from us all for our sake, so that we may be
all the more watchful, so that we are not taken as those were taken in the
flood years ago.
Mt 24:38
24:38 For as in the days that
were before the flood they were {u} eating and drinking, marrying and giving
in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
(u) The word which the
evangelist uses expresses the matter more fully then ours does: for it is a
word which is used of brute beasts: and his meaning is that in those days
men will pay attention to their appetites just like brute beasts: for
otherwise there is nothing wrong with eating and drinking.
Mt 24:40
24:40 {10} Then shall two be
in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
(10) Against those that
persuade themselves that God will be merciful to all men, and do by this
means give themselves over to sin, that they may in the meantime live in
pleasure, void of all care.
Mt 24:41
24:41 {x} Two [women shall
be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mt 24:42
24:42 {11} Watch therefore:
for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
(11) An example of the
horrible carelessness of men in those things in which they ought to be most
careful.
Mt 24:51
24:51 And shall {y} cut him
asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(y) That is, from the rest,
or will cut him into two pieces, which was a most cruel kind of punishment:
with which, as Justin Martyr witnesses, Isaiah the Prophet was executed by
the Jews: the same kind of punishment we read of in 1Sa 15:33 and Da 3:29 .
Mt 25:1
25:1 Then {1} shall the
kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and {a}
went forth to meet the bridegroom.
(1) We must desire strength
from God's hand which may serve us as a torch while we walk through this
darkness, to bring us to our desired end: otherwise, if we become slothful
and negligent because we are weary of our pains and travail, we shall be
kept from entering the doors.
(a) The pomp of weddings was usually preferred to be done at night, and that
by young unmarried women.
Mt 25:5
25:5 While the bridegroom
tarried, they all {b} slumbered and slept.
Mt 25:14
25:14 {2} For [the kingdom of
heaven is] as a man travelling into a far country, [who] called his own
servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
(2) Christ witnesses that
there will be a long time between his departure to his Father and his coming
again to us, but yet notwithstanding that, he will at that day take an
account not only of the rebellious and obstinate, how they have made use of
that which they received from him, but also of his household servants, who
have because of slothfulness not employed those gifts which he bestowed upon
them.
Mt 25:15
25:15 And unto one he gave
five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to
his several {c} ability; and straightway took his journey.
Mt 25:21
25:21 His lord said unto him,
Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a
few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: {d} enter thou into the
joy of thy lord.
(d) Come and receive the
fruit of my goodness: now the Lord's joy is doubled; see Joh 15:11 : that my
joy may remain in you, and your joy be fulfilled.
Mt 25:27
25:27 Thou oughtest therefore
to have put my money to the {e} exchangers, and [then] at my coming I should
have received mine own with usury.
(e) Bankers who have their
shops or tables set up abroad, where they lend money at interest. Usury or
loaning money at interest is strictly forbidden by the Bible, Ex 22:25-27 De
23:19,20 . Even a rate as low as one per cent interest was disallowed, Ne
5:11 . This servant had already told two lies. First he said the master was
an austere or harsh man. This is a lie for the Lord is merciful and
gracious. Next he called his master a thief because he reaped where he did
not sow. Finally the master said to him sarcastically why did you not add
insult to injury and loan the money out at interest so you could call your
master a "usurer" too! If the servant had done this, his master would have
been responsible for his servant's actions and guilty of usury.
Mt 25:31
25:31 {3} When the Son of man
shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit
upon the throne of his glory:
Mt 25:34
25:34 Then shall the King say
unto them on his right hand, Come, ye {f} blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
(f) Blessed and happy, upon
whom my Father has most abundantly bestowed his benefits.
Mt 26:1
26:1 And {1} it came to pass,
when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
(1) Christ witnesses by his
going to death voluntarily, that he will make full satisfaction for the sin
of Adam by his obedience.
Mt 26:2
26:2 {2} Ye know that after
two days is [the feast of] the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be
crucified.
Mt 26:5
26:5 But they said, Not on
the {a} feast [day], lest there be an uproar among the people.
(a) By the word "feast" is
meant the whole feast of unleavened bread: the first and eighth day of which
were so holy that they were not allowed to do any work on it, though the
whole company of the Sanhedrin determined otherwise: And yet it came to pass
through God's providence, that Christ suffered at that time, so that all the
people of Israel might be witnesses of his everlasting sacrifice.
Mt 26:6
26:6 {3} Now when Jesus was
in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
(3) By this sudden work of
a sinful woman, Christ helps the guests to understand about his death and
burial which was near: the gracious result of which will bring life to all
sinners who flee unto him. But Judas takes an occasion here to accomplish
his wicked purpose and plan.
Mt 26:7
26:7 {b} There came unto him
a woman having an alabaster {c} box of very precious ointment, and poured it
on his head, as he sat [at meat].
(b) For these things were
done before Christ came to Jerusalem: and yet some think that the
evangelists have two differing accounts.
(c) These boxes were of alabaster, which in ancient times men made hollow to
put in ointments: for some write that alabaster keeps ointment without
changing it in any way; Pliny, book 13, chap. 1.
Mt 26:8
26:8 But when his {d}
disciples saw [it], they had indignation, saying, To what purpose [is] this
{e} waste?
(d) This is a figure of
speech called synecdoche: for it is said that only Judas was moved at this;
Joh 12:4 .
(e) Unprofitable spending.
Mt 26:10
26:10 {4} When Jesus
understood [it], he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath
wrought a good work upon me.
Mt 26:11
26:11 {5} For ye have the
poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
(5) Christ, who was once
anointed in his own person, must always be anointed in the poor.
Mt 26:12
26:12 For {f} in that she
hath poured this ointment on my body, she did [it] for my burial.
(f) In that she poured this
ointment upon my body, she did it to bury me.
Mt 26:17
26:17 {6} Now {g} the first
[day] of the [feast of] unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying
unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
(6) Christ purposing to
bring us into our country without delay and so, to pay the penalty of the
law, truly fulfils the law, omitting the contrary tradition and custom of
the Jews: and thus shows that all things will so come to pass by the
ministry of men as governed by the secret plan of God.
(g) This was the fourteenth day of the first month: now the first day of
unleavened bread should have been the fifteenth, but because the evening of
this day (which after the manner of the Romans was referred to the day
before) belonged by the Jews' manner to the day following, therefore it is
called the first day of unleavened bread.
Mt 26:20
26:20 Now when the even was
come, he {h} sat down with the twelve.
(h) Because the Law
appointed them to be wearing footwear, and to have their staffs in their
hands, as though they were is haste, therefore it is to be gathered that
they did not sit down when they ate the Passover, but stood, for normally
when they went to eat they took off their shoes: therefore he speaks here in
this place, not of the Passover, but of the supper which was celebrated
after the Passover was solemnly done.
Mt 26:23
26:23 And he answered and
said, He that {i} dippeth [his] hand with me in the dish, the same shall
betray me.
(i) That is to say, he whom
I invited to come to my table, alluding in this to Ps 41:9 , which is not to
be understood as though just as the Lord spoke these words Judas had his
hand in the dish (for that would have been an undoubted sign) but it refers
to his tabling and eating with him.
Mt 26:25
26:25 Then Judas, {k} which
betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast
said.
Mt 26:26
26:26 {7} And as they were
eating, Jesus took bread, and {l} blessed [it], and brake [it], and gave [it]
to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; {m} this is my body.
(7) Christ who will without
delay fulfil the promises of the old covenant, institutes a new covenant
with new signs.
(l) Mark says, "Had given thanks": and therefore blessing is not a
consecrating with a conjuring type of murmuring and power of words: and yet
the bread and the wine are changed, not in nature but in quality, for
without doubt they become tokens of the body and blood of Christ, not of
their own nature or force of words, but by Christ his institution, which
must be recited and laid forth, that faith may find what to lay hold on,
both in the word and in the elements.
(m) This is a figure of speech which is called metonymy: that is to say, the
giving of one name for another: so he calls the bread his body, which is the
sign and sacrament of his body: and yet nonetheless, it is a figurative and
changed kind of speech meaning that the faithful do indeed receive Christ
with all his gifts (though by a spiritual means) and become one with him.
Mt 26:27
26:27 And he took the cup,
and gave thanks, and gave [it] to them, saying, Drink ye {n} all of it;
(n) Therefore they who took
away the cup from the people, disobeyed the instruction of Christ.
Mt 26:28
26:28 {o} For this is my
blood of the {p} new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of
sins.
(o) That is, this cup or
wine is my blood sacramentally, as in Geneva "Lu 22:20".
(p) Or covenant, that is to say, by which the new league and covenant is
made, for in the making of leagues they used the pouring of wine and
shedding of blood.
Mt 26:30
26:30 And when they had sung
{q} an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
(q) When they had made an
end of their solemn singing, which some think was six Psalms, Ps 112:1 -
117:2 .
Mt 26:31
26:31 {8} Then saith Jesus
unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is
written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be
scattered abroad.
(8) Christ, here taking
more care of his disciples than of himself, forewarns them of their falling
away, and provides them with some comfort.
Mt 26:36
26:36 {9} Then cometh Jesus
with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye
here, while I go and pray yonder.
(9) Christ having regard to
the weakness of his disciples, leaves all the rest in safety, and takes with
him but three to be witnesses of his anguish, and goes on purpose into the
place where he would be betrayed.
Mt 26:37
26:37 And he took with him
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and {r} very
heavy.
(r) The word which he uses
signifies great sorrow, and tremendous and deadly grief: this thing, as it
indicates man's true nature, which shuns death as a thing that entered in
against nature, shows that though Christ was void of sin, yet he sustained
this horrible punishment, because he felt the wrath of God kindled against
us for sins, which he revenged and punished in his person.
Mt 26:38
26:38 {10} Then saith he unto
them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and
watch with me.
(10) Christ, a true man,
who is about to suffer the punishment which we should have suffered for
forsaking God, is forsaken by his own: he has a terrible conflict with the
horror and fear of the curse of God: out of which he, since he escaped as a
conqueror, causes us not to be afraid of death any more.
Mt 26:39
26:39 And he went a little
further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be
possible, {s} let this {t} cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but
as thou [wilt].
(s) Let it pass me, and not
touch me.
(t) That is, which is at hand, and is offered and prepared for me: an idiom
which the Hebrews use for the wrath of God, and the punishment he sends. See
Geneva "Mt 20:22".
Mt 26:40
26:40 {11} And he cometh unto
the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye
not watch with me one hour?
Mt 26:46
26:46 {12} Rise, let us be
going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
(12) Christ offers himself
willingly to be taken, that in so obeying willingly he might make
satisfaction for the wilful fall of man.
Mt 26:47
26:47 And while he yet spake,
lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords
and staves, {u} from the chief priests and elders of the people.
Mt 26:50
26:50 {13} And Jesus said
unto him, {x} Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands
on Jesus, and took him.
(13) Christ is taken, that
we might be delivered.
(x) Christ reprehends Judas tauntingly, and rebukes him sharply, for he knew
well enough why he came.
Mt 26:52
26:52 (14) Then said Jesus
unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that {y} take
the sword shall perish with the sword.
(14) Our vocation must
govern our zeal.
(y) They take the sword to whom the Lord has not given it, that is to say,
they who use the sword and are not called to it.
Mt 26:53
26:53 {15} Thinkest thou that
I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than
twelve legions of angels?
Mt 26:54
26:54 {z} But how then shall
the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
(z) By this questioning he
answers a sly objection, for they might have asked him why he did not in
this his great extremity of danger call to his Father for aid: but to this
objection he answers by this question.
Mt 26:57
26:57 {16} And they that had
laid hold on Jesus led [him] away to {a} Caiaphas the high priest, where the
scribes and the elders were assembled.
(16) Christ being innocent
is condemned by the high Priest for that wickedness of which we are guilty.
(a) From Annas to Caiaphas, before whom the multitude was assembled; Joh
18:13 .
Mt 26:58
26:58 But Peter followed him
afar off unto the high priest's {b} palace, and went in, and sat with the
servants, to see the end.
(b) The word used here
properly denotes an open large room in the front of a house, as we see in
kings' palaces and noblemen's houses: we call it a court, for it is open to
the air, and by the use of synecdoche, is understood to mean the house
itself.
Mt 26:62
26:62 And the high priest
arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? {c} what [is it which] these
witness against thee?
Mt 26:64
26:64 Jesus saith unto him,
Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, {d} Hereafter shall ye see the
Son of man sitting {e} on the right hand of power, and coming in the {f}
clouds of heaven.
(d) This word distinguishes
his first coming from the latter.
(e) Sitting with God in like and equal honour at the right hand of his
power, that is, in greatest power: for the right hand signifies among the
Hebrews that which is mighty and of great power.
(f) Clouds of heaven; see above in Mt 24:30 .
Mt 26:65
26:65 Then the high priest
{g} rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have
we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
(g) This was a peculiar
custom among the Jews: for so were they bound to do when they heard any
Israelite blaspheme God, and it was a tradition of their talmud in the book
of the magistrates, in the title, of the four kinds of death.
Mt 26:69
26:69 {17} Now Peter {h} sat
without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with
Jesus of Galilee.
(17) Peter by the wonderful
providence of God, in being appointed to be a witness of all these things,
is prepared to be an example of outstanding faithfulness through this
experience of unbelief.
(h) That is, outside the place where the bishop sat, but not outside of the
house, for afterward he went from there into the porch.
Mt 26:74
26:74 Then began he to {i}
curse and to swear, [saying], I know not the man. And immediately the cock
crew.
Mt 27:3
27:3 {1} Then Judas, which
had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and
brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
(1) An example of the
horrible judgment of God upon those who sell Christ as opposed to those who
buy Christ.
Mt 27:5
27:5 And he cast down the
pieces of silver in the temple, and {a} departed, and went and hanged himself.
Mt 27:6
27:6 And the chief priests
took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the
{b} treasury, because it is the price {c} of blood.
Mt 27:7
27:7 And they took counsel,
and bought with them the potter's field, to bury {d} strangers in.
(d) Strangers and guests,
whom the Jews could not endure to be joined with even after they were dead.
Mt 27:9
27:9 Then was fulfilled that
which was spoken by {e} Jeremy the prophet, saying, {f} And they took the
thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the
children of Israel did value;
(e) As this prophecy is
found in Zec 11:12 it cannot be denied that Jeremy's name slipped into the
text either through the fault of the Scribe, or by someone else's ignorance:
it may also be that it came out of the margin by means of the abbreviation
on one of the letters, the one being "yod" and the other being "zayin",
which are very similar: But in the Syrian text the Prophet's name is not
written down at all.
(f) The evangelist does not follow the prophet's words, but instead he
follows the prophet's meaning, which he shows to have been fulfilled.
Mt 27:11
27:11 {2} And Jesus stood
before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of
the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.
(2) Christ holds his peace
when he is accused in order that we may not be accused: acknowledging our
guiltiness, and at the same time his own innocence.
Mt 27:15
27:15 {3} Now at [that] feast
the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.
(3) Christ is first
acquitted by the same judge who condemns him, that we might see how the just
dies for the unjust.
Mt 27:24
27:24 {4} When Pilate saw
that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a tumult was made, he took
water, and {g} washed [his] hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent
of the {h} blood of this just person: see ye [to it].
(4) Christ being acquitted
by the testimony of the judge himself is nonetheless condemned by him, in
order to acquit us before God.
(g) It was a custom in ancient times that when any man was murdered, or
there were other slaughters, to wash their hands in water to declare
themselves guiltless.
(h) Of the murder; a Hebrew idiom.
Mt 27:25
27:25 Then answered all the
people, and said, {i} His blood [be] on us, and on our children.
(i) If there is any offence
committed in slaying him, let us and our posterity suffer for it.
Mt 27:28
27:28 {5} And they stripped
him, and {k} put on him a {l} scarlet robe.
(5) Christ endures that
reproach which was due to our sins; meanwhile, in spite of this, by the
secret providence of God he is entitled king by those who did him that
reproach.
(k) They threw a cloak about him and wrapped it around him, for it did not
have any sleeves.
(l) John and Mark also mention a purple robe, which is also a very pleasant
red. But these profane and impudently disrespectful soldiers clad Jesus in
this array to make an additional mockery of him, this one who was indeed a
true King.
Mt 27:32
27:32 And as they came out,
they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they {m} compelled to bear his
cross.
(m) They compelled Simon to
bear his burdensome cross, by which it appears that Jesus was so poorly
handled before that he fainted along the way, and was not able to bear his
cross the whole distance: for John writes that he did bear the cross, that
is, at the beginning.
Mt 27:33
27:33 {6} And when they were
come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
Mt 27:34
27:34 {7} They gave him
vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted [thereof], he would
not drink.
(7) Christ found no comfort
anywhere, that in him we might be filled with comfort.
Mt 27:35
27:35 {8} And they crucified
him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my
vesture did they cast lots.
(8) He is made a curse, so
that in him we may be blessed: his garments are taken from him so that we
might be enriched by his nakedness.
Mt 27:37
27:37 {9} And set up over his
head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
(9) He is pronounced the
true Messiah, even by those who reject him.
Mt 27:38
27:38 {10} Then were there
two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the
left.
(10) Christ then began to
judge the world, when after his judgment he hung between two thieves.
Mt 27:39
27:39 {11} And they that
passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
(11) To make full
satisfaction for us, Christ suffered and overcame not only the torments of
the body, but also the most horrible torments of the mind.
Mt 27:44
27:44 The {n} thieves also,
which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
(n) This is spoken using
the figure of speech called synecdoche, for only one of the thieves reviled
him.
Mt 27:45
27:45 {12} Now from the sixth
hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
(12) Heaven itself is
darkened for very horror, and Jesus cries out from the depth of hell, and
all during this time he is being mocked.
Mt 27:46
27:46 And about the ninth
hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that
is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou {o} forsaken me?
(o) That is, in this
misery: And this crying out is a natural part of his humanity, which, even
though it was void of sin, still felt the wrath of God, the wrath which is
due to our sins.
Mt 27:47
27:47 Some of them that stood
there, when they heard [that], said, This [man] calleth for {p} Elias.
(p) They allude to Elias'
name, not because they did not understand what he said, but because of a
profane impudence and disrespect, and he repeated those words so that this
repetition of the name might be understood.
Mt 27:50
27:50 {13} Jesus, when he had
cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
(13) Christ, after he had
overcome other enemies, at length provokes and attacks death itself.
Mt 27:51
27:51 {14} And, behold, the
{q} veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the
earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
(14) Christ, when he is
dead, shows himself to be God Almighty, and even his enemies confess the
same.
(q) Which separated the holiest of all.
Mt 27:52
27:52 And the {r} graves were
opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
(r) That is to say, the
stones broke apart, and the graves opened themselves to show by this act
that death was overcome: and the resurrection of the dead followed the
resurrection of Christ, as the next verse indicates Mt 27:53 .
Mt 27:57
27:57 {15} When the even was
come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was
Jesus' disciple:
(15) Christ is buried, not
privately or by stealth, but with the governor's consent, by a famous man,
in a place not far distant, in a new tomb, so that his death cannot be
doubted.
Mt 27:62
27:62 {16} Now the next day,
that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came
together unto Pilate,
(16) The keeping of the
tomb is committed to Christ's own murderers, so that there might be no doubt
of his resurrection.
Mt 27:65
27:65 Pilate said unto them,
Ye have a {f} watch: go your way, make [it] as sure as ye can.
Mt 28:1
28:1 In {1} the {a} end of
the sabbath, as it {b} began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, came
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
(1) Christ, having routed
death in the tomb, rises by his own power, as the angel immediately
witnesses.
(a) At the going out of the sabbath, that is, about daybreak after the Roman
manner of telling time, which considers the natural day to be from the
rising of the sun to the next sunrise: and not as the Hebrews, which count
from evening to evening.
(b) When the morning of the first day after the sabbath began to dawn: and
that first day is the same as that which we now call Sunday, or the Lord's
day.
Mt 28:3
28:3 His {c} countenance was
like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
(c) The beams of his eyes,
and by the figure of speech called synecdoche, this is understood as the
countenance.
Mt 28:5
28:5 And the angel answered
and said unto the women, Fear not {d} ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which
was crucified.
(d) The word "ye" is spoken
with force to indicate that it was the women to whom he was speaking, as the
soldiers were also afraid.
Mt 28:9
28:9 {2} And as they went to
tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came
and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
(2) Christ himself appears
after his resurrection, and sending the women to his disciples, shows that
he has not forgotten them.
Mt 28:11
28:11 {3} Now when they were
going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief
priests all the things that were done.
(3) The more that the sun
shines, the more that the wicked are blinded.
Mt 28:14
28:14 And if this {e} come to
the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
Mt 28:16
28:16 {4} Then the eleven
disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed
them.
(4) Christ appears also to
his disciples, whom he makes apostles.
Mt 28:19
28:19 {5} Go ye therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizing them {f} in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:
(5) The sum of the
apostleship is the proclaiming of the doctrine received from Christ
throughout all the world, and the ministering of the sacraments: the
efficacy of which things depends not on the minsters but on the Lord.
(f) Calling upon the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Mt 28:20
28:20 Teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you {g}
alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.
(g) Forever: and this
refers to the manner of the presence of his Spirit, by means of which he
makes us partakers both of himself and of all his benefits, even though he
is absent from us in body.
