When we remember that Jesus was constantly charged by His enemies with being a law-breaker (Mk 2"'- '^- -^ etc.), we may see in the saying an utterance that has its polemictal bearing. Im- mediately after (v.-") we find Him declaring, ' Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.' And elsewhere He affirms that the Pharisaic, and Rabbinic legalism led to a positive dishonouring of the Divine law in the interests of a human tradition (Mk 78-9-13). There were thus two reasons why on polemical grounds Jesus should assert the claims of the OT Law in the strongest possible way : (1) Because His enemies them.selves continually dishonoured it ; (2) because they falsely accused Him of being inditlerent to it. And apart from polemics altogetlier, tliere was this positive reason why He should ' magnify the law and make
it honourable' — He knew (v.'^) that the very purpose of His coming was, not to destroy it, but to fulfil. And so in the striking language of paradox and even of hyperbole that He was wont to use wiien He felt strongly and desired to speak strongly. He exclaimed, ' For verily I say unto you. Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all be fulfilled.'
The point of the saying clearly lies in the word ' fulfilled.' Christ comes, not to lower the standards of righteousness, as His enemies said, but to exalt them (cf. V.2"). He comes, indeed, to repeal much in the old Law. The jots and tittles, be it observed, are to pass aAvay when the Law is fulfilled. But He is to repeal the old by supplying the power for its true fulfilment, and by showing how the letter is transcended by the spirit. Regarded in this way, the saying is nothing more than an .arresting utterance of the familiar Christian truth of the relation in spiritual things between the kernel and the husk, the calyx and the flower. Every fibre of the husk is precious — until the time comes for the living germ to be released. Each tiny, pointed sepal of the enfolding calyx must be preserved in its integrity — until the hour arrives for the bursting of the perfect corolla. Thus Jesus comes, not to destroy the least commandment (v.'^), but to fulfil it. His 'royal law,' as St. James calls it (Ja 2*), the law of liberty and love, is an abrogation of the Divine Law that went before only in the sense in Avhich the blossom abrogates the bud and the liower the blossom. See, further, art. Law, § 6.
Literature. — Hastings' DB, art. 'Tittle,' and Ext. Vol. p. 24 f. ; Weiss, NT Theol. i. 108 ; Beyschlag, NT Theol. i. 40 ; Wendt, Teach, of Jesus, ii. 7ff.; Bruce, Kin<)dom of God, p. 64, and EGT, Mt. in toe; Dods in Expositor, i\. ix. [1894] 70 ff.
J. C. Lambert.
TOLERATION, TOLERANCE.-The Lord Jesus Christ exemplified the highest forms of toleration and encouraged the virtue in His disciples (Mk S^^"*"). The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans (Jn 4^), yet Jesus laboured in Samaria (Jn 4 , Lk 9'^^), healed and praised a Samaritan leper (Lk 17'^'^^), and chose a Samaritan, in preference to a Levite and a priest, to exhibit the meaning of the term ' neigh- bour' (10^"'^^). When His enemies asked, 'Say Ave not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon?' He passed over the former and limited His reply to a denial of the latter charge (Jn 8^*^-). While by example and teaciiing He sought to build a bridge of kindly consideration from the side of Judaism, He built also from the other side, and declared in Samaria that the Jews Avere to be re- spected as the possessors of the means of salvation (Jn 423; ef. Ro 31-2 102 ii25-3i)_ -piiere are other kinds of tolerance manifested by the Lord. Per- sons of diverse views, habits, temperaments, were attracted to Him, so that Petrine and Johannine minds, the tax - gatherer MatthcAV and the tax- hater Simon, Nicodemus and Zacchaius, Martha and Mary, found in Him what they needed. His gracious comprehensiveness shielded the good in all. The ascetic Baptist (Mt 11'**), avIio drew men into the wilderness (11^""), received the highest commendation (Lk 1-^--^) from Him whose scene of ministry was the street and the .synagogue, and Avho honoured with His presence bridal and other feasts (Mt g'"-'-, Jn 2'-" 12-). The Samaritan vil- lagers (Lk 9-'^-"^''), whose intolerance James and Jolm Avould iiave avenged, were left alone ; thus were they punished, whereas they might have made their place glorious, as lie did who lent tiie Lord tlie room in which the Holy Supper was insti- tuted (22''"2''). In this case we see the intolerance of the Samaritans borne witli, and (as in Q*'^- ^) tlie intolerance of tlie discij)ies relinked.
Again, though the Lord Jesus was frequently
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compelled to attack the Pharisees on account of their doctrines and practices, He showed them consideration by accepting their hospitality (Lk V^ IP^) ; and He reminded His disciples, on an occasion when His enemies criticised His conduct (5^"'^^), that those who preferred old ways were to be judged leniently (5^**). The great parables of Lk 15, besides being a rebuke of the leaders in religion for neglect- ing to minister to puTjlicans and sinners, are a gracious appeal to share in the delight of seeing men saved, — an appeal to the benevolence latent in the hearts of Christ's unscrupulous critics. He was tolerant to the intolerant. There is, moreover, a striking proof of the existence, in the minds of the Pharisees, of a strong belief in our Lord's toleration. No matter how vehemently He de- nounced their hypocrisy, they Avere convinced that He was free from animosity. Always they counted upon His forbearance. Of the reality of His power they entertained no doubt, though they could assign it to a Satanic origin {IV^, Mt 9^ 12^*) ; and yet so confident were they of impunity, that they never anticipated injury at His hands, and they ridiculed Him openly (Lk IQ^'^). They were aware that His graciousness alone spared them, and they knew that that graciousness would not fail.