PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of Matthew
Gibson, John Monro · 139,249 words · 189 reading sections
Chap. Page
Transcriber's Note: Inconsistencies in hyphenation, and apparent punctuation and spelling errors, have been corrected. Repetitions of "of" and "the" have been removed. An advertisement for the Expositor's Bible series has been moved to the end of the text. Inconsistencies in spelling have been corrected by the follo…
663 wordsSECTION 2_The Coming Of The Christ._
XIX. THE GREAT ATONEMENT DAY 376 MATT. XXVI.-XXVII. 56. I. The Evening 386 II. The Night 396 III. The Morning 412 IV. From the Third to the Ninth Hour 420 XX. THE THIRD DAY 429 MATT. XXVII. 57-XXVIII. 15. The Evening of the First Day 430 The Second Day 432 The Morning of the Third Day 433 XXI. THE GOSPEL FOR…
848 wordsSECTION 3_The Coming Of The Christ._
It is manifest that for every reason the Gospel of St. Matthew should occupy the foremost place. "To the Jew first" is the natural order, whether we consider the claims of "the fathers," or the necessity of making it clear that the new covenant was closely linked to the old. "Salvation is of the Jews;" the Christ of Go…
717 wordsSECTION 4_The Coming Of The Christ._
The captivity in Babylon, as is well known, was followed by two great results: (1) it cured the people of idolatry for ever, so that, while politically the kingdom had passed away, in reality, and according to the spirit, it was then for the first time constituted as a kingdom of God. Till then, though politically sepa…
692 wordsSECTION 5_The Coming Of The Christ._
The story of the Incarnation is often represented as incredible; but if those who so regard it would only reflect on that doctrine of heredity which the science of recent years has brought into such prominence, if they would only consider what is involved in the obvious truth that, "that which is born of the flesh is f…
701 wordsSECTION 6_The Coming Of The Christ._
As the name Joshua, or Jesus, came from the earliest times of Israel's national history, the name Emmanuel came from its latest, even out of the dark days of King Ahaz, when the hope of the people was directed to the birth of a Child who should bear this name. Some have thought it enough to show that there was a fulfil…
684 wordsSECTION 7_His Reception._
[1] To some minds it may present itself as a difficulty that the great name of Moses should not find a place in the series; was not he as much of an epoch-maker as David? The answer is that, from the point of view of prophecy and promise, he was not. This, which lies implicitly in St. Matthew's summary, is set forth ex…
669 wordsSECTION 8_His Reception._
Perhaps, however, the question may be asked: If St. Matthew would tell us so little, why say anything at all? What was his object in relating just what he has set down in this chapter? We believe it must have been to show how Christ was received. It seems, in fact, to correspond to that single sentence in the fourth Go…
900 wordsSECTION 9_His Reception._
If things of that kind represented the dignity of the people of Jerusalem, we need not ask why they were troubled when they heard that to them had been born in Bethlehem a Saviour who was Christ the Lord. A Saviour who would save them from their sins was the very last thing people of that kind wanted. A Herod suited th…
825 wordsSECTION 10_His Reception._
"Let knowledge grow from more to more, But more of reverence in us dwell; That mind and soul, according well, May make one music as before." All honour to these wise men for bending low in presence of the Holy Child; and thanks be to God for allowing His servant Matthew to give us a glimpse of a scene so beautiful,…
750 wordsSECTION 11_His Herald._
This completes, appropriately, the sketch of His reception. Unthought of by His own, till strangers sought Him; a source of trouble to them when they heard of Him; His life threatened by the occupant, for the time, of David's throne, He is saved only by exile, and on returning to His people passes out of notice: and th…
722 wordsSECTION 12_His Herald._
John wishes it to be distinctly understood that he is not that Light which the prophets of old have told them should arise, but is sent to bear witness to that Light. He has come as a herald to announce the approach of the King, and to call upon the people to prepare for His coming. Think not of me, he cries, ask not w…
964 wordsSECTION 13_His Herald._
It is as if he said, The coming kingdom of righteousness and truth will not fail, even if Pharisees and Sadducees and all the natural children of Abraham refuse to enter its only gate of repentance; if there is no response to the Divine summons where it is most to be expected, then it can be secured where it is least t…
437 wordsSECTION 14_His Baptism._
MATT. iii. 13-17. "The baptism of John, was it from Heaven or of men?" This question must have been asked throughout the length and breadth of the land in the days of his mission. We know how it was answered; for even after the excitement had died away, we are told that "all men counted John for a prophet." This convi…
777 wordsSECTION 15_His Baptism._
But Jesus answering said unto him, "Suffer it now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness" (R.V.). Though about to enter on His Messianic work, He has not yet taken its burden on Him; accordingly He comes, not as Messiah, but in the simplest and most unassuming way; content still, as He has been all along …
706 wordsSECTION 16_His Baptism._
This, then, is the moment of His taking up the Cross. It is indeed the assumption of His royalty as Messiah-King; but then He knew that He must suffer and die before He could enter on His glory; therefore, as the first great duty before Him, He takes up the Cross. In this we can see a still further appropriateness in t…
730 wordsSECTION 17_His Temptation._
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual and heavenly blessings in Him: with an open heaven, a present Spirit, a reconciled Father's voice. Blessed be our loving Lord and Saviour, that He came so humbly to the Jordan, stooped so bravely to the yoke, took up our heav…
667 wordsSECTION 18_His Temptation._
The greater portion, indeed, is still veiled. A dark cloud of mystery hangs over the forty days. Nothing else is told of them in this Gospel than that Jesus fasted for that time--an indication of sustained intensity in the life of His spirit. From St. Mark and St. Luke we learn that the temptation lasted throughout the…
835 wordsSECTION 19_His Temptation._
Observe first the close connection with the baptism. This is made prominent and emphatic in all the three accounts. Evidently, then, it supplies the key to it. The baptism of Christ was His consecration to the work of His Messiahship. And let us not imagine that He had any ready-made plan for the accomplishment of it. …
944 wordsSECTION 20_His Temptation._
If it is not right to begin His work by any such display as that which the tempter has just suggested, how shall it be begun? A question surely of unexampled difficulty. The air was full of expectancy in regard to the coming of King Messiah. The whole nation was ready to hail him. Not only so, but even the heathen nati…
370 wordsSECTION 21_Beginning Of His Galilean Ministry._
MATT. iv. 12-25. Did our Lord's ministry begin in Galilee? If so, why did He not Himself set the example of "beginning at Jerusalem"? As a matter of fact we learn from the fourth Gospel that He did begin at Jerusalem; and that it was only after He was rejected there that He changed the scene of His labours to the Nort…
734 wordsSECTION 22_Beginning Of His Galilean Ministry._
But though it was His treatment in the South which was the immediate cause of this withdrawal to the North and the beginning of the establishment of the new kingdom there, yet this was no unforeseen contingency--this too was anticipated in the prophetic page, for herein was fulfilled the word of Isaiah the prophet, spo…
826 wordsSECTION 23_Beginning Of His Galilean Ministry._
Such was the first exercise of the royal authority of the new King. Such was the constitution of His--Cabinet shall we call it?--or of His Kingdom itself, shall we not rather say? for so far as we can see, His cabinet at this moment was all the kingdom that He had. Let us here pause a moment and try to realise the pict…
716 wordsSECTION 24_Beginning Of His Galilean Ministry._
Now follow them: where will they go, and what will they do? Will they take arms and call to arms the country-side? Then march on Jerusalem and take the throne of David, and thence to Rome and snatch from Cæsar the sceptre of the world? "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the G…
430 wordsSECTION 25("Sermon On The Mount.")
MATT. v., vi., vii. It may seem almost heresy to object to the time-honoured title "Sermon on the Mount;" yet, so small has the word "sermon" become, on account of its application to those productions of which there is material for a dozen in single sentences of this great discourse, that there is danger of belittling…
821 wordsSECTION 26("Sermon On The Mount.")
For observe wherein our new King finds the universal weal. We cannot follow the beatitudes one by one; but glancing over them we see, running through them all, this great truth--that blessedness is essentially spiritual, that it depends not so much on a man's condition as on his character, not so much on what he has as…
730 wordsSECTION 27("Sermon On The Mount.")
These eight beatitudes are the diatonic scale of heaven's music. Its key-note is blessing; its upper octave, joy. Those who heard it first with quickened souls could no longer doubt that the kingdom of heaven was at hand; indeed, was there on the mountain that day! 2. _In relation to the world_ (vv. 13-16). The origi…
795 wordsSECTION 28("Sermon On The Mount.")
If the salt would only keep its savour--there is the weak point. We know and feel it after the experience of all these centuries. And did not our omniscient Lord lay His finger on it at the very outset? He needed not that any one should tell Him what was in man. He knew that there was that in His truth which would be g…
810 wordsSECTION 29("Sermon On The Mount.")
This responsibility it was impossible to avoid. As a matter of course, the kingdom of heaven must be a prominent object in the sight of men. The mountain of the Lord's house must be established on the top of the mountains (Isa. ii. 2), and therefore may not be inconspicuous: "A city set on a hill cannot be hid." It has…
711 wordsSECTION 30("Sermon On The Mount.")
II. THE LAW OF THE KINGDOM (v. 17-vii. 12). 1. _General principles_ (vv. 17-20). After blessing comes obligation--after beatitude, law. It is the same order as of old. The old covenant was in its origin and essence a covenant of promise, of blessing. Mercy, not duty, was its key-note. When God called Abraham to the l…
822 wordsSECTION 31("Sermon On The Mount.")
Not only does He Himself do homage to the law, but takes order that His followers shall do the same. It is no parting compliment that He pays the old covenant. It is to be kept up both in the doing and in the teaching, from generation to generation, even in its least commandments. Not that there is to be such insistenc…
691 wordsSECTION 32("Sermon On The Mount.")
The two practical applications which follow press the searching subject home. The one has reference to the Throne of Grace, and teaches that all offences against a brother must be put away before approaching it. The other has reference to the Throne of Judgment, and teaches by a familiar illustration drawn from common …
821 wordsSECTION 33("Sermon On The Mount.")
The last illustration cuts at the root of all sin and crime, the tap-root of selfishness. The scribes and Pharisees had made use of those regulations, most needful at the time, which separated Israel from other nations, as an excuse for restricting the range of love to those prepared to render an equivalent. Thus that …
708 wordsSECTION 34("Sermon On The Mount.")
Again, we have a principle laid down: "Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them" (R.V.). It is the same great principle as before, though the caution in which it is embodied is different. For if we compare ver. 20 of the preceding chapter, and remember its subsequent development in the…
682 wordsSECTION 35("Sermon On The Mount.")
The trumpet-blowing may be a great success. What the Master thinks of that success is seen in the caustic irony of the words "Verily I say unto you, they have their reward." There it is--and you can see just how paltry and pitiful it is; for there is nothing a man is more ashamed of than to be caught in even the slight…
679 wordsSECTION 36("Sermon On The Mount.")
The third application is to _Fasting_. In another place (ix. 14) will be found the principle to be followed in regard to times of fasting. Here it is taken for granted that there will be such times, and the principle announced at the beginning of the chapter is applied to the exercise. Let it be done in secret, before …
803 wordsSECTION 37("Sermon On The Mount.")
The subject before us now, therefore, is the relations of the children of the kingdom to the world; and it is dealt with-- (1) _As regards the good things of the world._ From the Beatitudes we have already learned that the blessedness of the children of the kingdom is to consist not in the abundance of the things they…
675 wordsSECTION 38("Sermon On The Mount.")
(_b_) Against anxiety about the things of the world. The Revised Version has, by its correct translation, now removed the difficulty which seemed to lie in the words "Take no thought." To modern ears these words seemed to encourage thoughtlessness and to bless improvidence. Our translators of the seventeenth century, h…
690 wordsSECTION 39("Sermon On The Mount.")
But these are wayside pearls; no special attention is called to them. These glimpses of nature come so naturally from the Lord of nature that nothing is made of them--they "flash along the chords and go"; and we return to the great lesson which, now that the cautions have been given, can be put in its positive form: "S…
753 wordsSECTION 40("Sermon On The Mount.")
But there is another side to the subject; so we have another warning, in relation to the evil we see in the men of the world. It is-- (_b_) Against making too little of it (ver. 6). Though we may not judge, we must discriminate. It may be wrong to condemn; but it may be necessary to withdraw, otherwise sacred things m…
804 wordsSECTION 41("Sermon On The Mount.")
Now that all has been fully and faithfully set forth--now that there is no danger of obtaining disciples under misapprehension--the great invitation is issued: _Enter ye in_. It is the free universal invitation of the Gospel, as large and liberal as that later one, "Whosoever will, let him come," though given in such a…
677 wordsSECTION 42("Sermon On The Mount.")
It is worthy of remark that there is not a trace of asceticism in our Lord's representation. The straitness referred to is not outward, any more than the righteousness is; so that there is no encouragement given to self-imposed restrictions and limitations, as in the monastic vows of "poverty, chastity, and obedience."…
675 wordsSECTION 43("Sermon On The Mount.")
The test our Lord gives for "discerning the spirits" is one which requires time for its application, but it is the only sure one; and when we remember that the Master is now looking forward into the future history of His kingdom, we can see why He should lay stress on a test whose operation, though slow, was sure. It i…
788 wordsSECTION 44("Sermon On The Mount.")
Again, observe the form the warning takes, revealing the consciousness that to depart from Him was _doom_--one of the many tokens throughout this discourse that none else than the Lord of life and glory could possibly have spoken it. Yet how many vainly think that they can accept it without acknowledging Him! The same…
685 wordsSECTION 45_The Signs Of The Kingdom._
[6] This complete change of meaning, amounting in fact to the destruction and almost to the inversion of the sense, is one of many illustrations of the absolute need of revision from time to time of translations, not only to make them more correct, but even to keep them as correct as they were at first. [7] Duty of co…
673 wordsSECTION 46_The Signs Of The Kingdom._
Let us look first at that which occupies the foremost place,--power to heal disease. The diseases of the body are the outward symptoms of the deep-seated malady of the spirit; hence it is fitting that He should begin by showing in this region His will and power to save. Yet it is not a formal _showing_ of it. It is no …
685 wordsSECTION 47The Centurion'S Servant (5-13).
That our Saviour was totally averse to anything at all sensational, and determined rather to repress than encourage the mere thirst for marvels, is evident from the directions given to the leper to say nothing about what had happened to him, but to take the appointed method of giving thanks to God for his recovery, at …
705 wordsSECTION 48The Fever Patient (14, 15).
How fared it with the centurion's appeal? Was it any hindrance that he was a foreigner, that he made it not for himself but for a servant, and that the patient was so far away? None whatever. As he rightly judged, the King of heaven had resources in abundance to meet the case. Without the least hesitation, Jesus said t…
724 wordsSECTION 49The Hesitating Disciple (21, 22).
The two incidents which follow, though at first sight apparently different in character from the great majority of the group, are quite in place among the mighty deeds of the Master, manifesting, as they do, His penetrating insight into character. To all appearance there could have been no better offer than that of the…
528 wordsSECTION 50The Storm Stilled (23-27).
It was not enough that the Saviour of mankind should have power to grapple with disease and skill to search the hearts of men: He must be Master not only of life, but of its environment too. That He is becomes apparent before the boat which carries the little company reaches the other side of the lake. One of those tem…
415 wordsSECTION 51Demons Cast Out (28-34).
Visible nature is not man's sole environment. There is an unseen universe besides; and He Who would be Saviour of mankind must be Master there as well. That this also is sure is now proved beyond a doubt. For it is important to observe that this is not an ordinary case of healing, otherwise its true place would have be…
809 wordsSECTION 52Demons Cast Out (28-34).
The Saviour is coming closer and closer to human need, dealing more and more thoroughly with the world's want and woe. If we look at it aright, we cannot but recognise it as really a greater thing to heal the deep disease of the soul, than to heal any or all of the diseases of the body, greater even than to still the s…
755 wordsSECTION 53Death Vanquished (14-26).
The focal point of the passage is the chamber of death in the house of Jairus. There we learn that He Who had shown Himself to be Lord of nature and of human nature, Master of the spirits of evil, and Saviour from sin, is also Conqueror of Death. He needs no preparation for the encounter. The summons comes to Him in th…
840 wordsSECTION 54Death Vanquished (14-26).
What a striking illustration of these suggestive words of warning has been the history of doctrine and of form in those churches which cling to the worn-out ritualism of the Old Testament! Old Testament forms were good in their time; but they are not good to hold the new wine of spiritual life; and to attempt to combin…
1,014 wordsSECTION 55Lost Faculties Restored (27-34).
The raising of the dead may be regarded as the culminating point of the series; yet there is a special value in the two that follow in close succession before the series is complete. We have seen already that, occurring, as they do, immediately after, they show that His power is not at all exhausted--a token this of th…
670 wordsSECTION 56Lost Faculties Restored (27-34).
The other case--the cure of the dumb demoniac--comes, if possible, still closer to the spiritual condition with which it was the work of the Saviour especially to deal. Like the former, it was the loss of a faculty; but, unlike it, it was not the natural loss of it, but the eclipsing of it by the malign presence of a s…
531 wordsSECTION 57_The King'S Ambassadors_.
MATT. ix. 36-x. 42. I.--THE MISSION (ix. 36-x. 5). So far the King Himself has done all the work of the kingdom. But it has grown upon Him, so that He can no longer do it without assistance; He must therefore provide Himself with deputies. His doing so will be the first step in the organisation of His world-wide king…
919 wordsSECTION 58_The King'S Ambassadors_.
Not only was the apostolate Galilean,--it was plebeian, and that without a solitary exception. It seems to include not a single person of recognised rank or position. Again, we believe that this is to be accounted for by the simple fact that there were none of these available. We cannot suppose that if there had been a…
701 wordsSECTION 59_The King'S Ambassadors_.
II.--THE COMMISSION (x. 5-42). "These twelve Jesus sent forth" (in pairs, as we learn elsewhere, and as is indicated here, perhaps, by the grouping in the list), "and charged them." This leads us to look at their commission. It begins with a limitation, which, however, was only to be temporary. The time had not yet co…
778 wordsSECTION 60_The King'S Ambassadors_.
The leading thoughts are these: They must expect to be exposed to trial and suffering in the prosecution of their mission. The Master Himself was sorely tried, and the servant must not expect exemption. He is not indeed to court trials, or to submit to persecutions which are not inevitable: "When they persecute you in …
517 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.