MATTHEW (GOSPEL)
MATTMKVV (GOSPEL)
145
(24-"). But they were to search beneath the letter of the OT for its spiritual meaning. Their ' right- eousness ' was to exceed that of tiie scribes and Pharisees, because tliey were to interpret the Law of Moses in a sense which would make it more far- reaching in its ettect upon conduct than ever before (o'-'-^'*). In particular, their 'righteousness' was to be less a matter of something done that men might see it, and more a riglit relation to God, taking ettect in action known only to God Himself (6^"**;. In relation to tlieir fellow-men they were to cultivate humility, and to suppress self-assertive- ness (18*"''') ; to exercise forgiveness (vv.'^--'"^'') ; to be slow to judge their fellows (7'"^) ; to do to others what they would liave done to themselves (v.^-). In relation to wealth, they were not to hoard up treasure upon earth, but to trust in God's care for them (6'""^'' It'-'*), seeking hrst His righteousness and Kingdom. In relation to sexual morality, they were to be cliaste in thought (5-^) ; marriage was an indissoluble bond, broken only by adultery (IQ** ). But sow e were called to live single lives for the Kingdom of the heavens (v.^-). In relation to God, they were to pray to Him for their daily needs, for His forgiveness, and for deliverance from the evil that is in the world (G^"'^ 7''-").
In the above sketch of the picture drawn lor us in the First Gospel of the Person and teachini; of the Messiah, we have purposely omitted the (Jarables. Most of the parables in this Gospel are parables of the Kingdom. With tlie exception of 18'-i-'i3, they do not, as in the case of many of St. Luke's parables, inculcate some Christian virtue or practice, such as love of one's neighbour, or earnestness in prayer, but convey some lesson about the nature of the Kingdom and the period of prejiaration for il. Their interpretation will often depend largely upon the conception of the Kingdom with which the reader ai^jiroaches them. We are not now concerned with the mea?iing which they were intended to convey when they were originally s))oken. But it should be sufficiently obvious that if we ask what meaning they had for the editor of the First Gospel, and why he selected them for insertion in his Gospel, the answer must be tliat he chose them because he believed that they taught lessons about the Kingdom of the heavens in the sense in which that phrase is used everywhere else in his (iospel, of the Kingdom which was to come when the Son of .Man came upon the clouds of heaven. Thus the parable of the .Sower illustrates the varying reception met with by the good news of the Kingdom as it is preached amongst men. That of the Tares also deals not with the Kingdom itself, but with the jieriod of preparation for it. At the end of the age the Son of Man will come to inaugurate His Kingdom. A phrase here, ' shall gather out of his kingdom,' has i)een pressed to support the interpretation that the Kingdom is thought of as present now. But it need convey no such meaning. The 'good seed' is interpreted as equivalent to the '.sons of the kingdom,' i.e. according to Jewish usage, not they who already live in or possess the Kingdom, but those who are destined to inherit it when it conies. It is not inaugurated initil the 'end of the age.' Then when the ' Son of Man ' comes, the ' Kingdom ' conies ; and the method of its foundation is not a gathering of the elect out of the mass of mankind, but a gathering of the wicked from amongst the elect, a gathering of them out of the Kingdom that the righteous may inherit it and shine forth in it. There is nothing here or elsewhere in this Gospel to suggest that the scene of the Kingdom is other than the present. world renewed, restored, and purified (cf. -rccXnyiniria, 1!)'^).
The parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Leaven describe the way in which the good news of the Kingdom spreads rapidly and penetrates deeply into human society. Those of the Hid Treasure and of the Goodly Pearl emphasize its value, and teach the lesson that a man must give up all else to enter into it. That of the Drag-Net h.as much the same application as the parable of the Tares. The doctrine of the Kingdom attracts good and bad alike. But at the entl of the age, when the Kingdom is inaugurated, there will be a separation.
In 20116 occurs the ])arable of the Labourers in the Vineyard. In its present context this seems to be intended to teach the lesson that in discipleship of tbe Kingdom priority, whether in date of entrance upon discipleship or of position noiv, will not carry with it special (irivilegc within the Kingdom when it conies. All shall receive tlie same reward — eternal life.
Of the other parables in the Gosjiel, 18'-' -'s does not bear directly upon the doctrine of the Kingdom, but emphasizes forgiveness as a qualification in all who wish to enter it. 21'-^'*2 illustrates the perverse attitude of the Pharisees towards the Baptist's preaching. 21^-*-'8 and 221 lo are historical forecasts of the fate of the Jewish nation. 221'-!-' eni)>hasizes the necessity for all who hope to enter the Kingdom of possessing the necessary qualifications. 2511:' and vv.'iM teach the suddenness of its appearance and the ne'-^'osity of watching for its coming. Vv.3t-46 ,;>scribes the^'^stby which the King when He comes will admit the righter aS into His Kingdom. VOL. II. — lO /