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 241
of the msrriltge tie. Hie hearers plsinly un- could interfere. However novel this view derstood him eo to speak, ss we see from the might seem, it was God's own design from objection whioh they nrged. the first. The first iustsnoe of polygamy Ver. 7.-Why did Moaea then comma.nd 1 oocurs in Gen. iv. 19, and is connec…
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porsonal defect is meRnt ce.nnot be de- cause justifies this, in fa.et, nothing but cided, the rival schools to.king different fornicl\tion, and that this modi.tied divorce sides. But it is quite certain that adultery does not free the man so that he may marry is not intended, and ante-nuptial un- again; he ie bound by…
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at all than to fetter one's self with snoh an Paul ce.rri.ea forward the Lord's teaching inexorable obligation. Such a doctrine was when he writes (1 Oor. viL 82, 83), "He entirely novel in that age, and most nn- that is unmarried is oe.reful for the things palate.ble; and even the apostles receive it of the Lord, how…
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14; Numb. 1xvii. 28). From the Jewish it tions or the disciplee. Bt. Mark tells us po.seed into the Ohriatian Church (Acts vi. that " he took them up in his arms, put 5), o.nd continues unto this d11,y Ml be used bis hands upon them, and blessed them." on vo.rious solemn ocoBBione. The disoiple■ Thus far be complied wi…
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be viole.ted with impunity, if the othen were wilt (Bl"Am, wi'llest fl>) enter into life; i.&. observed. Some made the gift ofporfection enjoy eternal life. Christ uses a. term equi- to depend on the de.ily reoite.lion of oertain valent to that of the ruler in ver. JG. So. prayers or pMlms, othen on giving due Chris…
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of the first; and "Thou shalt love thy to know what more was required of him, neighbour ns thyself," those of the second and being ready, as be thought, to undergo (Lev. xix. 18). Thou ■halt love thy neigh- any pain, make any, even the most pa.info} bour as thyself. St. Mnrk and St. Luke effort, if by so doing he mi…
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accepted Fully a.nd he,utily, wonld h11ve that, had the alternative been eet before led him t-0 perfection. Reading theee words him in this blunt, palpable fashion, he too of our Lord, SL Anthony WBB so strioken in would have gone away sorrowful. hea.rt a.nd oonsoienoe that he obeyed them Vers. 23--30.-The danger• o…
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tho.t oho.nge and chnnce will not aff'ect them, help of God and the strong hope of thu that they are, eo to speak, independent of future life. How a rich man may be dis- Providence; they love the world whioh is ciplined and elevated we see in the case of ao good to them and eo pleasant in their Zacchreus (Luke xix. 8).…
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Ver. 28.-Verily I ■ay unto you. Christ bave been proved to be of like mind with does oot reprove the Rp<>stle for his seem- them (for the number is not limited) shall ingly bold self-assertion, but, replying to be assessors with Christ, as in an earthly Peter'• question, he gives a gre.nd promise court, where the jud…
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"Forsaking wire nnd children" me.y be auperir,r to all changes of fortune. And it 11nderstood Ill! absto.iuing from marriage in me.y ,rnll be the.I the re! 1ef from the cares order the better to serve God. For my and rlistre.ctions co.used Ly wee.Ith brings o. Ne.me's se.ke. In consequence of belief in hundredfold more…
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Scriptures BB t~e source of relig\ous knowledge. "Have ye not road?" We ought to be always readmg, alwa:rs. learn1~g l~ssons of Divine truth from the holy Word of God. He goes back to the ongmal pnnc1ple of marriage. "He which made them at the bcg~nning made them male and female." They were created fol.' one another…
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reaaon. It eeeme to have been customary to bring young children into the synagogues to be bleesed by the elders. The Lord was regarded with reverence as a great Rabbi now in Perma, ae he once had been in Galilee. Wives and mothers were naturally drawn to him by the high view of marriage which he taught. The frequency o…
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infe.ncy, dedicating them to him in holy baptism, aaking him to embrace them with the arms of his mercy, to put his hands upon them and bless them. We must bring them to him in prayer, praying for them ourselves, as the poor father prayed for the lunatic boy, teaching them to lift up their own childlike hearts to Go…
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concerning that which ie good? One there ie who is good I" God only is good. Love him; do his holy will; ta.ke him for thy Portion. Eternal life is his gift; it is given to them who walk with God, who live in a.nd for God, who keep his commandments. St. Mark a.nd St. Luke have the words which some ancient authorities r…
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supreme holiness or Christ, the powerful attraction of his gracious love. IIe owned in his heart that to be near to Christ the Lord, to follow him, to live in close communion with him, was a. privilege exceeding precious, a. privilege not too dearly bought at the oost of all earthly riches, 11.ll earthly comforts. H…
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can be saved? " The Lord saw the perplexity of his apostles; be felt for them in hia ,sacred heart. He looked at them; those holy eyes were fixed npon them with an earnest, loving, sympathizing loo~a look full of human tenderness and Divine com- passion, "With men this is imposilible," he said; "but with God all thing…
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HOMILIES BY V.ARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 3-9.-Divorce. The readiness with which the marriage tie is dissolved in some countries, and the daring questions on the subject that have been raised in Eng- land, make it important for ua to see clearly how divorce should be regardedJn the light of the teachings of Christ. Plain…
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.ruins the home, Discordant sentiments may also ruin it; but they indicate failure to reach an ideal, Freedom of divorce destroys the very idea.I. The home which may be broken up at any moment is no home. (2) It is unjust. It cannot always happen that both husband and wife desire to be separated when one is tired of …
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bim; it is more for him to choose a worthy pursuit. Of all personal things the- young ruler chose the _v~ry best. He had wealth, but that din not 11&tisfy him. Ho bad the means of acqum_ng pl~ure; but he rose above the idea of making worldly amusement the end and aim of eustence. He craved the life of God which is eter…
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seneual eot, .a senseless fool. Yet the dlegraceful sycophancy of the world teachea him to regard h1mseU aa a superior person. Now, pride ie the most effectual barrier to the entrance of the kingdom of heaven, Only the lowly and humble and childlike can creep through its humble doorway, 4. The hardening aelfiahness of …
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Vers. 27-30.-The great reward. St. Peter's question strikes us as a little low in tone. It often happens that this disciple, who has ~ee~ exalted as the prince of the apostles, betrays some human weakness. And yet 1t 1s nowhere sug"ested to us in Scripture that all consideration of future rewards are to be suppresse…
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from my youth up," uot so much vaunting his blamelessness of life as indicating that he had had these commandments in view all his life, and that to refer him to them was to give him no satisfaction. All the help they could give he had already got. •• What lack I yet?" He belonged to the" Tell-me-eomething-more-to-do…
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where we shall ultimately be. Love to Corist, which wi:'.I compel us to cleave to him in preference to e.11 else,-that alone is security that we shall reaoh perfection. This is the answer to the question which we all ask, "What lack I yet? What is it that pre- vents me from becoming a purer, stronger, holier, more u…
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mR<lo intricate by leaving the Law of God an,\ following the leading of human passior., and folly. (8) "He that made them from the beginning made them male anci female." It is profitable to reflect upon our genesis. Man was created in the image of God, woman after the likeness of man. The true marriage is the union of …
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quarters and enrolme_nt are in ~eaven (see Heb. xii. 23). (2) It is the one Church of all the ages.. It col:Ilpnses t~e ansto_cra.cy of virtue under every dispensation. Christiane frvm all ~limes sit d~wn m the ~mgdom of ~od with all the prophets of the Mosaio dispens~-~1on, and with th~ _Patriarchs of still more an…
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eought to Jesus for instruction Bll to bow he might attain to "eternal iife," viz. by fimling that perfect goodness of which eternal life is the reward. His question was, in effect," How may I become like thee?" Note: What the young man calls "eterna-1 life," Christ calle "life," for eternal life is the only true li…
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Vere. 23-30.-Possessions and life. "Behold, om came" to Jesus (aee ver, 16). Multitude.a of poor persons had followed him from the beginning; at length "one" rich man came, and, sad to say, this on" retired sorrowful and unsaved. So turning to his disciples, the Lord said, "Verily I say unto you," etc. Learn- ' l. …
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(3) Christ did not e"timate the attachment of his disciples to him by the quantity of thmgs they relinquished, but from the mind and intention with which they relin- quished them. "And every one that bath left houses," etc., viz. either by giving them up when they could not retain them with a clear conscience, or by r…
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I. RECErTIVENESS DEPENDS ON NATURAL DISPOSITION, There is in this. a. marked· distinc_ti_on between men _&'?-d women. As a rule, b1 nature, wome~ are rcceptivo, and- not ci:1tical; ~en are cnt1~!• an~ not receptive.. So!Iletimes we find tbo womanly recept1vene~ m man; ~ut It 1s a s1~ of a weak d1spos1tion. Strong men …
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I. A MIBTAKB ABOUT OHBIBT, He applied the word "good" to him, and yet he had 110 adequate ideas concerning goodness. If he bad really meant anything worth meaning, he would have recognized in Christ the infinitely Good One, the Son of God; for none is good save God. This mistake Jesus corrected in two ways. 1. By refer…
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will surely find that his riches will stand in his way, and mako it very hard work ·for him, as they made it hard work for this rich ruler. What is it in worldly possessions t-bat makes them such hindering things? I. RICHES HAVE_ A SEPA~ATING !N~LUENOE ON MEN_. They tend to put men in classes; those having the rich…
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Ver. 29.-The Ohristian possession and Ohristian heritage. "Shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life." St. Peter (1 Epist. i. 4, 9) speaks of "receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls;" and of our lively hope of the "inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fad…
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EXPOSITION. request. Vineyard. The Church fa else• CHAPTER XX. where so called by our Lord (eh. ui 28, 38, Vera. 1-16.-Parable of the labourer, in eta.), and iri the Old Testament (see Pe. th£ eine,ard. (Pecnlie.r to St. Matthew.) WL 8 ; Isa. v. 1 ; Jer. xii 10). Ver. 2.-When he had agreed with the Ver. 1.-P'or. T…
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longest and shortost division of the so-called stages of the life or the individue.l. (Bee Jewish "hour" was twenty-two minutes. on this below.) It Is usu11.l to consider the Hebrew d11,y ns Ver. 7.-No me.n hath hired us. A poor !Bating from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., the sixth excuse, bece.use, h&d they been at their post hour…
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whatever its spiritual mee.ning may be, ia nobody, he benefits many; who :should pre- most. natural and lire-like. sume to censure him ? Ver. 12.-Theae last be.ve wrought but Ver. 15.-With mine own; lP -roi's lµoi's: <'De hour; µla.• /:,pa.• hro!.,crav: una hora in tlui case of what ia mine 010ft. These words feoer…
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the minds of commentators in all ages of of all this, and would need much alteration the Ohurch, ancl various have been the view1 to make it speak so. There is another with which its bearing has been regarded, difficulty which has to be met, if the above We may, however, select two exposition■ interpretation ie adopted…
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Gentiles to the kingdom of God and the to be di,,ulged to all, but was reserved Fnther's fa.vonr, we are te.ught in m11ny for the chosen twelve. The me.ee could places. The discontent of the elder brother not have heard it without offence. In the in the pare.hie of the prodige.l son ie a oaee we.y. The Vulgate omits…
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from them, neither knew they the things bably they interpreted the unintelligible which were spoken." resurrection to mean the establishment of Vere, 20-28.-.dmbilious reque,t of t1"J the kingdom of Messiah (Luke xix. 11 ). If this waa imminent, no time was to be lost mother of the 1001 of Zebedee. (Mark x. 35-- in m…
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Ver. 2!1.-Ye 1blill indeed drink, etc. JGS11.1 prompted the request of the broth ere. Peter 11~cepte their venture of faith, l\nd prophesies does not appear prominently here, as guard- it@ fulfilment. St. Jl\mee first shared in ing the position which Rom11nists assign to- Christ's ba.ptism of blood, being murdered h…
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Bervice, to let no private interests or pursuits Vers. 29-34.-Ilealing of two blind men interfere with hie manifold duties to those alJe:richo. (MarkL4&--52; Lukexviii.35- whom he oversees. The ea.me sentiment is found in oh. xxiii. 11. 43.) The miracle narrated in tliis passage Ver. 28.-Even aa. Christ adduces his…
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eelvC'e in vain in seeking to harmonize every like those of Egypt; so that now, as in the little detail in the Goepel narratives. No similar ce.ee of Babylon, Nineveh, or Egypt, two, much Ieee throe, independent witnessee after long desolation, hardly a trace of them would give an identical aooount of an remains." A…
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offloioue interference of uneympe.thizing by- with general terms which do not describe ete.nrlere wo.s e.t once brushed aside. They their special wants. could attract Ohrist'e attention only by their Ver. 34.-Touched their eyea. Only St. . pnssionate cry, and this they continued to Matthew mentions this action of our…
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h?lder is Go? ; the vineyard is his kingdom; the labourers are men called by him to do hrn work., '1 be p_arable ~as addressed to the apostles, and was part of the answer to St. Peters quest10n; so 1t would seem that, in the first and strictest meaning, the labourers first called must be the apostles themselves. The…
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,calls then at the eloventh hour, " Why sta.nd ye here a.II the da.y idle?" "The night cometh, wherein no man can work," and the work to be done before nightfall is of ,momentous importance. '!'hey that then stood idle gave a reason for their idleneBs, " llecause no man bath hired us." The excuse was true in the mouth…
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promised to all the blessed; God himself is their Portion. Yet we rend of ten citice a1;1d of five (Luke xix. 17, 19). _Th~re will be first and last, greatest and least, in the kmgdom of God; all the stars shme m the heavens, but ono star differeth from another star in glory. All the blessed will, by the grace of Go…
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reward,;_ but they ought not to seek great things for themselves; they ought not to desire pre-eminence; they ought to trust the bounty and the justice of God. They ought not to boast of what they had done; they ought not to say, "Behold, we hav~ left all, and followed thee; " but rather, BS St. Paul said afterwards, "…
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not what it bad been; his enemies had to a large extent succeeded ( or seemed to have succeeded) in undermining his influence. He was "a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with gril'f." A few days of thankless labour awaited him at Jerusalem and then the awful cross. He knew it all. We cannot discern the secrets of the …
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was to rise again the third day. He had raised others already from the dead: he himself would rise, for he is the Resurreotion and the Life; it was not possible that he could be holden of the grave. It was now the third warning ; yet, St. Luke tells us, the apostles " understood none of these things; and this saying wa…
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rice. Let us pray for the holy oourage of the sons of Zebedee. "We are able." It is a noble word if it isliu?B ou.t o_f a true and 1'81!.l faith, if it is uttered in humility and dependence upon Cbnst; it 1s a pure and holy word when it is spoken by Christ's f&!th~l. followel'II. "I can do all things through Christ tha…
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fore let thy words be few." But thus much we know for certain, and that from the Lord's own lips, his death was a sacrifice, and It was vicarious. He gave his life a ransom for many, in their place, in their stead. Such is the only possible meaning of the words; he took upon him our punishment, he suffered in our stead…
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HOMILms BY V.A.RIO US AUTHORS. Vere. 1-16.-The uwoure'l's in the vineyard. This parable is closely connected with our Lord's remarks in describing the rewards of the kingdom, and it may have been intended to convey a mild rebuke, or at least a gentle warning, to St. Peter, who had asked," What then shall we have?" T…
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He takes no e.coount of it, except in so far as it brings with it obligations, etc. We see men in honour bece.UBe of their riches or their success. Such things mean nothing to God. He only looks at the naked characters of the men themselves. The~e are all that he puts in his scales. li these are found wanting, they are…
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kingdom of heal'en. We may seem to be uttering most harmless requests, yet we kno1-r not ~·hat we ask. Therefore prayer should be submissive. It is well to leave our prayers to _God'~ discri~ina~ing jud~ent. 2.. They wh-0 would reign, with Ohrist m1u;t suffer w~th him . . It 1s vam to think of shanng the final victory …
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of heaven. But they are so intensely significant that they claim our attention on thei• own account. I. CIIRIST THE SERVANT. This startling conjunction of titles is suggested even in I.ho Old 'l'este.ment, in the latter part of Isaiah. Jesus realizes the singular prophecy in d,:eper humility and self-denial. In the pr…
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could seek, for they could not afford to pay an oculist's fees. When we come to Christ the richest among us must approach him as beggars, The only plea of the sinner is in the mercy of his Saviour. III. THEIR TRYING DISOOURAGEMENT. 1. The multitude rebuked them-as the disciples rebuked the Per10&n mothers (eh. xix.…
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get work on any terms, not knowing what they are to get, but trusting and grateful; the others went proud, self-confident, mercenary. This prepares us for the strikin;:; scene which ensued at the close of the day. Those who had barely got their work begun were .forat paid, and were paid e. full day's wage. There must, …
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more clear th_an. ever to his mind that nothing but his death and departure from this earth could diSS1pate the hopes of an earthly kingdom cherished by even the best of his follow81'11. On the other hand, it gave him a most melancholy exhibition of the kind of me':! whom he must leave behind him to found bis Church…
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honour end the applause of men, to hold comfort end ease very cheap, and to make nothing of money end possessions; it is power to pnt ourselves at the disposal of a good oause, end to be of service to those who need our sorvice.-D. Ver, 22.-lgnorane prayws. "Ye know not what ye ask." If some one were to say to us, as …
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Vers. 1-16.-The astonishment of precedence. The text of this parable ie found in the last verse of the preceding chapter. The words are repeated as the conclusion of its argument (ver. 16). Hence the critics say the last verse of eh'. xix. ought to have been the first of eh. xx. Yet the last verse of eh. xix. is evi…
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in the Church for every qualified labourer, All are q1111lified by accepting the House- holder's conditions. (2) 'l'he work io pleasant. We are called inl;o the vineyard of the Church to weed and dress, to plnnt and water, to fence and train. The training of living growths is not dull work. The production and maturing …
895 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.