i Acta xv. το. τὸν 'Luydv µου ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς, καὶ µάθετε ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρβός 1 εἰμι καὶ
Gal. ν. i.
1 Ch. xii. 43. ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ' καὶ εὑρήσετε } ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν.
Rev. xiv. ‘4 αι (Wis- 30. 0 dom iv. 7).
k Lk. vi.39. Rom. ii. 4.
1 πρανυς in $BCD (Tisch., W.H.).
it is not compatible with the humility of Jesus that He should so speak of Him- self (Seat of Authority, p. 583). Why should He not do as another Jesus had done before Him: speak in the name of wisdom, and appropriate her attributes?
Ver. 28. Δεῦτε: vide ad iv. 19, again authoritative but kindly.—xoma@vres καὶ πεφορτισµένοι, the fatigued and bur- dened. This is to betaken metaphorically. The kind of people Jesus expects to be- come “disciples indeed” are men who have sought long, earnestly, but in vain, for the ο ninboala., the knowledge of God. There is no burden so heavy as that of truth sought and not found. Scholars of the Rabbis, like Saul of Tarsus, knew it well. In coming thence to Christ’s school they would find rest by passing from letter to spirit, from form to reality, from hearsay to cer- tainty, from traditions of the past to the present voice of οἀ.- -κἀγὼ, and I, em- phatic, with side glance at the reputed ‘“‘wise” who do not give rest (with Meyer against Weiss).—Ver. 29. {vydv: current phrase to express the relation of a disciple to a master. The Rabbis spoke of the “ yoke of the law”. Jesus uses their phrases while drawing men away from their influence.—paQete am’ ἐμοῦ: not merely learn from my example (Buttmann, Gram., p. 324: on, that is,
from the case of), but, more compre-.
hensively, get your learning from me; take me as your Master inreligion. The thing to be learned is not merely a moral lesson, humility, but the whole truth about God and righteousness. But the mood of Master and scholar must correspond, He meek as they have be- come by sorrowful experience. Hence ὅτι πραὺύς . . . τῇ καρδίᾳ: not that, but for I am, etc. What connection is there between this spirit and know- ledge of God? This: a proud man cannot know God. God knoweth the proud afar off (Ps. cxxxviii. 6), and they know God afar off. God giveth the grace of intimate knowledge of Himself to the lowly.—avamavotv: rest, such as comes through finding the true God, or through satisfaction of desire, of the hunger of the soul.—Ver.
γὰρ Τυγός µου * xpnotés, καὶ τὸ φορτίον µου ἐλαφρόν ἐστιν.
30. Χχρηστός, kindly to wear. Christ’s doctrine fits and satisfies our whole spiritual nature—reason, heart, con- science, “the sweet reasonableness of Christ ”’.—d@opriov, the burden of obliga- tion.—éAadpéy: in one respect Christ’s burden is the heaviest of all because His moral ideal is the highest. But just on that account it is light. Lofty, noble ideals inspire and attract ; vulgar ideals are oppressive. Christ’s commandment is difficult, but not like that of the Rabbis, grievous. (Vide With Open Face.)
CuapTER XII. CONFLICTS WITH THE PHARISEES. ‘This chapter delineates the growing alienation between Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes. The note of time (ἐν ἐκείνῷ τῷ καιρῷ, ver. 1) points back to the situation in which the prayer xi. 25-30 was uttered (vide ver. 25, where the same expression is used). ΑΙ the incidents recorded reveal the captious mood of Israel’s ‘saints and sages”’. They have now formed a thoroughly bad opinion of Jesus and His company. They regard Him as immoral in life (xi. 19); irreligious, capable even of blasphemy (assuming the divine pre- rogative of forgiving sin, ix. 3); an ally of Satan even in His beneficence (xil. 24). He can do nothing right. The smallest, most innocent action is an offence.
Vv. 1-8. Plucking ears of corn on the Sabbath (Mk. ii. 23-28; Lk. vi. 1-5). Sabbath observance was one of the lead- ing causes of conflict between Jesus and the guardians of religion and morality. This is the first of several encounters reported by the evangelist. According to Weiss he follows Mark, but with say- ings taken directly from the Apostolic Source. :