PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2
Arthur Lukyn Williams [1853-1943] · 606,924 words · 664 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 541
came; h~ said, " H~il, Ma~tcr 1" and he dared to pollute the face of the Lord with his nnholy kiss. He kissed him. The Greek word seems to imply that he did it with an affectation of earnestness, with much warmth of manner, perhaps out of excitement, perhaps in fear; perhaps he thought, in his madness and folly, that…
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they were bringing to paae the uUerancee of God through the prophets. The Scriptures muet be fulfilled, Bt. Matthew dwells reverently upon that great truth. He recurs to it again antl again. Let us remember It, and treasure it in our hearts for warning and for encouragement, 3. The flighe of the disciples. They had loo…
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the question to the council; and at onoe, without hesitation, and, it appears from St. Mark, unanimously, they condemned him to be guilty of death. He was condemned to death who is the Lord of lite-the Life of the world. He was condemned who is the All-hol.r One, who kuew no sin. He was judged who is the Judge of al…
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desired to have him, and Satan would not easily let him go. Ile still lingered abont the door. He had sinned exceedingly, but his sin had not wholly driven his love for his Me.star out of his bee.rt. He trembled for his life; and yet a strange fascination kept him in that dangerous place, An hour longer, St. Luke tells…
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n<'edy. Why, then, did not our Lord take the same view of his enthusiastic disciplo's action? B0cause be would not hurt the feelings of Mary, would not grieve her love. Still, even that painful course must have been taken if her conduct had been unac- ceptable to Christ on account of any blameworthy extravagance. It is…
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Inducing aeplrit or watchrulnees. 1. We need to 'be on our guard again8t unfaithfulnes11 The danger comes when it is least expected. He who is anxious lest he shall betray hie Master will be the first to detect the temptation that points the way of treason. 2. Ohriat can keep hi8 people faithful. We are not left to be …
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atonement. Not only is that doctrine foreshadowed in Isa. liii.; in the institution o{ his Su1 1por our Lord distinctly sets it forth. Before this he spoke of his life being givl'n a.s a ransom for rnnny (eh. xx. 28), and he ca.lled himself the good Shepherd who lays- down bis life for the sheep (John x. 15), I. JE…
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agninsL Gud'e Holy One, and emote him with all itH fury. H was the dark cloud of this mass of sin that hid from him the vision of God. Jesus was bearing the load of sin, and it was breaking bis heart 2. The goorlness of (Jhrist. Bad men do not feel tho world's sin very acutely. (1) The holiness of Jesus wa~ horrified a…
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The words of Christ 11rc true in a deeper sense than superficial readers discovor. Not only is the fighting man liable to be killed in battle. His behaviour endangers his better nature. The spirit, of hate and revenge is fatal to all that is good in him. Thus be perishes by the sword:-not alone by the sword of bis a…
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we hnve Been that knowledge does not prevent treason; here we see that love does not secure one against the weakness of denial. The disciple betrayed bis great Teacher the friend denied his beloved Saviour. The offences were utterly different. Ye~ St. Pater's is distressing because it overcame the loyalty of love. The …
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from the idea that with extraordinary capacity for wickedness he ha.d a.lso more than ordinary lea.nings to what wa.s good. lle wa.s an apostle, and had been called t.o tha.t office by Christ. He was himself so impressed with Christ as to follow him. It is possible he ma.y have hoped to receive wealth a.nd honour in…
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fade in that you commnnicate to him what you keep bidden from others, and who, while you still think well of him, ueos his knowledge of you to blacken your character, damage your prospects, and ruin your family,-thie man is a criminal of a different dye. So Judas used hie knowledge of Christ's habits-his hour and pla…
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of him whose reward for seeking t.o bTess mankind was that he wa■ arrested as a common felon. II. Tm: llAGNANllHTY OF CHRIST UNDER ARREST, as shown by his healing Malohus and s_hielding ~is disciples. . When efforts to . help other men h&ve only brought calamity on ones self, there 1s strong provocation to resentment…
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Vera, 69-75.-Peter's denial of Jesus. Describe the scene-the arrangement of the palace, which admitted of Jesus in the judgment-hall seeing what was passing in the court, the rooms being built round a court open to the sky. Describe also the three denials. I. SINS ARISE FROM UNSUBPECTED QUALITIES m us. Peter, the bold…
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Vers. 1--5.-God's plans and man'• p'lces. The "sayings," "words," or discourses of Jesus here "finished," were begun on the Mount of Olives (see eh. xxiv. 1), nnd continued till he came to Bethany (see ver. 6). They were spoken, it would seem, publicly, wliile the sentence following was privately spoken "unto his di…
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them. SacrednC'BB of office ie no security against rascality, "The rulere," who were members of the great Sanhedrin because of their influence, whether of wealth, or birth, or abilitiee. Men the most reputable ae seen by their fellows, may be the most odious as eeen by God. 2. We see God', pwrposes in their measures. (…
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0<lour. So likewise do they come into the Churches, or brotherhoods of the BBinte. " Vcrily I say unto you, WhercRoe,er this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, l-bcre this that this woman hath done shall be told." So far-reaching is the perfect love. (2) " Shall be told for a memorial of her." 'l'he loving…
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festival we.e founded to commemorate (see 1 Cor. v. 6-8). The two sacraments of Ohriatianity express all that was expressed in the entire circle of the ceremonial law, ed more. All the washings are embodied in the sacrament of baptism; all the sacrifioes and feasts in the Eucharist. Consider- I. TB.I!: JEWISH PABsoVEn…
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'l"iz. t.bat " all" disciples might claim this privilege. Bread to strengthen; wine to gladden. 'l'he cup is by Ignatius ce.lled ll;,'"'"1, as it was the symbol of love. By Paul it is ea.lied the,:• com!Dunion_" (see 1 Oor. :r.. 16). (4) The description. "My blood of the covenant. It 1s the sign and seal of the" bet…
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now "e.waking" from ite slumber of forbee.rance was fully in his view. He saw the malignity of those human h11nds into which it was given to be wielded against him. Yet did he not seek to evade its edge. He could e.lready see those" wounds in bis hands" with which he we.s to be" wounded in the house of his friends n…
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g:randeur of which is only exceeded by that of Calvary. The olive in the oil-press, hke t~e grape in the wine-press, was trodden (see Micah vi. 16). 'l'he sufferings of the Lord m the garden were purely mental; those on the cross were physical also. Meditate upon the trouble of his soul- I. IN ITS TERRIBLE SEVERITY…
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awe.y the precious moments, e.nd the hour of trial fonnd them without strength. 3. It partly arose from the malignity of Sata,n, (1) The devil we.e in !see.riot (cf. Luke xxii. 3 ; John xiii, 2, 27). (2) The devil we.a in the Jews. The prevalence c,f demoniacal possession at the time of Christ's sojourn amongst them…
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On II former occasion, when hurried by an infuriated rabble to the brow of the hill a\ Nazareth, that they might throw him headlong, he knew how to pass through the midst of them (8ee Luke iv. 30). How he did this we are not informed-whether he shut their eyes or overawed them by the sense of his majesty. But Judas kne…
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they find a point of agreement in hostility to ChriRt. (3) Thus they treated as 11 robber him that came to "restore" that he "took not 11way" (see Ps. lxix. 4). He became a prisoner tlrnt ho might set us at liberty. "If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way" (eee John xviii. 8, 9). (4) "I sat daily in the temple…
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tried in the day, and punished in the day." But with indecent hMte, In the same night that their treachery succeeded in seizing Jesus, the court is gathered. 'l'bey were evidently waiting for the summons. And he is condemned in the night. It was " the hour" as well as "the power of darkness." (3) Note: That gate of the…
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justified by prophecy (see Ps. ii. 7, 12), The terms of the adjuration acknowledge,! this. And they understood the title to express Divinity. To call himself the Son o( God was, in their estimation, to make himself equal with God (see John x. 33). (2) Thorefore, unless Jesus were Divine, he could not have been the Chri…
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1mying, "Thou also wRst with Jesus the Galilaian." Here was a noble opportunity for Pder t-0 hR'"e shown zeal for the Truth suffering under insolence. But he missed it ,\Dd dis~'T!lced himself. It is a disgrace to miss an opportunity of doing right. It leads to the further disgrace or, doing wrong. (3) "He denied be…
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apart" (cf. Zech. xii. 11, 12). (4) He wept bitter tears of repentance for bi~ presump- tuous sin. Mark says, "Wheu he thought thereon he wept" (Mark xiv. 72). Thuse who have sinned sweetly must weep bitterly, if not ill penitence, in despair ; for sin is bitterness itself. The more bitter the tears of repentance, the …
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as well as a we.ste in spending, and losing by spending. Whether it la or lt is nol waste to give depends on- I. THE OBJECT TllB GIVER HAS IN VIEW, Mary had a most distinct objeot before her. It was one ~hat glorified her act. She wanted to find suitable expression for her thankfulness to h~ who had brought back her b…
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thing tb11t is strange in this. These men were genuine. There could not be any affectation in their question. .A real, live fear came over them at Jesus' prophecy. .And it was a good sign, no doubt, that the first thought of each of them was about the possibility of his own sins." This, however, is what lies on the sur…
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Ver. 34:.-Self-knowkdge and Divine knowkdge. Jesus knew Peter better than he knew ~imself.. Any observant ml\D would have told wherein lay peril for suoh an impulsive, hastily outspoken, warm-hearted man. Our Lord divinely" knew what was in man," and foresaw the coming danger. We are all keen enough at estimating the…
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Ver, 89.-Gethsemane a repruentaeive rhT/,flid. Wherein does the scene of Calvary differ from the scene of Gethsemane? It would be easy to point out the sameness, the essential oneness, of the two scenes. But there is a difference. It lies in this : At Calvary the physical suffering is prominent. Our thought is sympathi…
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Ver. 62.-The place for the sword. "Put up again thy sword into his place." Wo need not supp0se that our Lord intended to gil'o any gcnernl directions concerning tho use of the sword. The question of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of warfare c:muot even be connected with our Lord's expression to St. Peter. Our Lord's…
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EXPOSITION. OHAPTER XXVII. Roman governor, who alone could execute their murderous purpose. The particle a, Vera. 1, 2.-Jesu, b1·ought to Pilate. (Mark (,rpwta, a, -y,voµ.lv-r,,), omitted by the xv. 1; Luke xxii. 66; x.xiii. 1; John xviii. Authorized Version, takes us back to the 28.) conclusion of the council (eh. …
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sent by God, might be diepoeed of for ever, the latter e.t the pleasure of the Roman Hence arose the pel'l!ist.ent cry, "Oruoify govemors. Assuming this to be the ce.se, him I" (vel'I!. 22, 23). The Jewish view of Dr. Edersheim writes," From the slope of the cruoifixion ill seen in Dent. xxi. 2S and eastem angle, op…
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in the Boriptnre sense; it springs not from well moralizes, " lmpli In facto ooneortes, love of God, it he.s not the.t che.re.oter post fe.otum deeerunt; pii, ill facto non con- which ce.lls for pardon, "Me.rk," 111.ys St. Bortes, postea medentm." To symµalhize Ohrysostom, " when it is the.t he feels re- with repentanc…
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hands. While they calmly outraged all a trumpet proclaimed their hlood•guiltiness." moral feeling, they punotiliously observed Unto thit day. Until the time when this certain ·outward ceremonial dccenoies. Gospel we.s publishe,I, the new appellation " They strain at e. gne.t, e.nd swallow a ohla.ined. It is ilnplied…
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hoing rlivinely guided to eee in the preeent They therefore stated unblushingly that transaction a fulfilment of an obscure an- Jesus bad said that be wae himself Christ a nouncement and prefiguration in olden clays. King (Luke xxiii. 2). At tbis point St. Thoro are mo.ny other solutions proposed, Matthew's account …
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die: he we.s a willing eaorifice; eo he aoted called Obrist?" There oan be no reason- as his prophet had foretold, "He opened 11.ble doubt that the prefix is not genuine, not hie mouth" (Isa. liii. 7). Marvelled but he.s crept into some texts in&dvertently. greatly. The Roman governor in all his Ver. 17.-Therefore when…
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to have been u. convert to Judaism. Other (ask/or) Ba.ra.bbaa, and destroy leans. By aocounts nfflrm that she ultimately became directing popular favour to Barabbe.e, they a Ohristian; and the Greek Ohnrch ha1 could make the condemnation of Jeana canonized her, and inserted her in tll6 more carte.in. The expreesion in …
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(.,,p,crcr..,, r1ep11(ov, they kept slw,it.ing oot e:i:- lightly undertaken, terribly vindicated, deedingly). 'rhe very eight of the governor'& Ria blood be on ua, and on our ohildren, pre.Jileotion, oombined with hie indecision, The ooneequenoes of this oondemne.tion, be excited them to more vehement clamour; they …
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no.hie it is impossible to find any word of too brittle B nature to be used in this ndequntely to express." way. Some variety of the cactus or prickly Vera._ 27-30.-JeBus moclced by the soldiers. pear may Le mee.nt. "Hassclquist, a Swedish no.ture.lfot, supposes a very common (Mnrk xv. 16-19; John :11.ix, 2, 3.) plan…
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blood ie brought into the s11.notue.ry by the aoourge, suffering untold agonies, was left priest for sin, e.re burned without the e&mp. to die. Whether Jesus carried the whole Wherefore Jesus 11.lso, that he might sanctify oross or only the transom is uncertain. It the people "-ith his own blood, suffered is possibl…
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authcntioity of many of the trn,litiorm,l sites varnished details are more than 1millcient In the holy city oncl its neighbourhood, to place the reader by the Saviour's side Further clieooveries will set this and other and rna.ke him feel every pang, sympathiz~ matters at rest. Meantime, judgment must with the grief…
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of t.hc aoldiers wna providentil\lly ordered found in the other evangelists, may havo ns one of the mel\ns of proving the reality a silent reference to this episode. Wo know of Christ'• death. from Josephus (' Ant.,' xvi. 10. 8; :n:. 8. Ver. 37.-Set up over hiB head hi.a aoou■a 10; 'Bell. Jud.,' ii. 12. 2, etc.) th…
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tion of Btophcn (Aots vi. 13, 14). Savo thy- Ha om111S1on ie more concinnous to the self. 'l'hou who boastest of thy power to other taunts, e.g. "He saved other& ; " "He destroy and rebuild this magnificent and trusteJ in God." His claim to be Mossiah solid tomplo, employ that power in delivering would involve the King…
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of Christ, which the writer of Wisdom, with formulnry for expressing our experience of remarkable insight, thus foroibly delineated. past uniformity) were superseded for the Ver. 44.-The thieves also ... cut the time by the interferenoe of the Lawgiver; aame in hill teeth (ow,ii,(o .. a.in-,;, were re- he used the m…
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that elicited it; it aroee fr'Jm eome incalcul- and terrifying effect; and there is uo spirit able llffiiction of soul. Ho wae bearing the of mockery left in tho [I.Wed bystanders. eins of the whole world; the Lord had laid Besides this, it is not likely that Jews, who on him the iniquity of ue llll; there was no with …
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thy hnncls I commend my spirit." With a asunder. Tho direction of the rent would loud voice. This loud cry at the moment show that no human hands had torn it of death proved thnt ho lnid down his life apart, nnd the rending seems to have pre- voluntarily; no man could take it from him ceded the earthquake. 'rhe viol…
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of the reme.rke.ble fissure in Golgotha., imprisoned the spirits of the dear!, and to whioh he had often noticed. have filled the air with ghostly visitants, Ver. 62.-The gre.vee (the sepulchrn) were who, e.fter Christ had risen, e.ppeared to opened. The earthque.ke tore away the linger in the holy city. Only in some …
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into which t.bcsc, spiritnitl bodies entered; imply in a Jewish sense, though he knew but the context is wholly against such an only imperfeotly what was signified thereby. exposition. Appeared unto mau:y. They Tradition affirms that the centurion's name were permitted to show themselves openly was Longinne, that he…
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absolute certainty. From the present body in the virgin tomb, and ee.ch Joseph paeeu.ge, u.t any ra.te, one fo.ot is shown, the.t is ce.lled e. 'j ast man ' in Holy Scripture " they were not Christ's uterine brothers-a (Wordsworth). truth whioh needed no mention, were not Ver. 58.-He went to Pile.ta. St. Mark the d…
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fltt.ing. The linen wae a fine Indian cloth eighteen pillare, with windows round the or muslin, much ul!Cd. for suoh purposes in circle from whioh the dome springs. In the Egypt. The body would then be taken to centre of this spe.ce, which is sixty-seven foet its destin&tion on &n open bier. St. John a.cross, is the Ch…
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tho first Chrieti11n honee of prayer that scrupulous rege.rd t.o tho sanctity of lhe England ee.w, whioh we.a afterwe.rde euper- holy day which they woul_d )io,v0 st.ridly eecled by the noble e.bbey whoee remaine enforced upon others. It 1e Just possil,le, we e.dmire to this de.y. There is no certain however, that t…
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sideration of the faot wbioh we have ■tated, know that it would give supematoml Im• nnd of our Rpprehension of 110me impostnre. portanoe to all the words e.nd acts of his life. The rulers had no power in themselves to Ver. 65.-Ye have a watoh (lxf1't 1<ov- take the measures which they required. o-,-011llav, take a g…
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HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-10.-fie end of Judas. I. THE FORMAL CONDEMNATION 01.1' OUR LORD. 1. The Sanhedrin. "When the morning wai come," St. Matthew says-the morn in" which followed the long sad hours of that night of mockery and shame; the morni,cg which ushered in the greatest day in the world's history, the day signaliz…
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JeruB&!em. It is certain that his avaricious spirit was troubled exceedingly by what he ea! led the waste of Mary's precious ointment, and that the Lord's reproof, though gentle and loving, irritated his dark and gloomy temper, and became, through the temptations of the evil being to whom he had sold himself, the go…
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wicked deed. Very strange is the self-deceH with which hypocrites blind their herirts and cheat their consciences. They bought with the pieces of silver the potter's field to bury strangers in. It was the field, it seems (comp. Acts i. 18), In which Judas had put an end to his miserable life, the field which he had des…
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and elders. Pilate had some sense of justice; they had none, Their one object was to comp88S his death ; they cared not for truth or justice, but only for the accomplish- ment of their wicked purpose. They brought charge after charge, all alike untrue. The Saviour heeded them not. " He was oppressed, and he was affl…
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lnngua~e of the Lord himself. It was known, perhaps, that that fearful punishment awaited Barabbae and the two other malefactors; and the chief priests, it may be thought tbe.t by bringing about that mode of death they would both satisfy their owr: cruel be.tred nnd exhibit the Lord as a raiser of sedition, a conspirat…
906 wordsSource & rights
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.