The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 368

Version and W eetcott nnd Hort. From the all the eona of the bricle-chamber, are free pnrallel paeenge in Luke. from the obligation of booths (•i:i ':i:n J:l':l'Z11'ZI Vere. 14-17.-0hrist's care /Of' the free- n:m, JO ]''111:l!l n!l1n)." They appear to be dom of Ms disciples from ceremonial bond- thoee, invited by either party, who come to age. He teaches that the etnndpoint of the take part in the weclding festivities. They Baptist wae preparatory (eh. iii.), and was are, therefore, in full sympathy with bride- not intended to be a permanent resting• groom nnd bride, and, like them, cannot but rejoice. Mourn ; parallel passages, " fast," place. butMatthew's word, 881ess closely connected Observe tha.t of the three a.ccounte St. with the cnuse of the objection raieed, seems Ma.tthew'e points out the moet clearly tha.t the more original. As long 88 the bride- the objection originated with the disciples groom ii with them 1 Nosgen eeee in thi■ of John the Ba.ptiet. Perha.pe St. Matthew a claim to be the expected Bridegroom of Israel (Hos. ii. 19, 20 : J er. ili.1-14 ; Ezek. found these poseeesing specie.I influence in xvi. 8). Bat the days will come. Christ the part for which hie Gospel wae primarily speaks with prophetic assurance of the intended. Bo also St. John thought it coming of such a. time U/>..d,uono., a~ hµ.epa,). desirable to recall the teaching of the Observe his consciousness alike of hie Master, tha.t while he himself wa.s the position nnd of what is coming upon him. When the bridegroom shall be tnken (away, Bridegroom, the Baptist was only sub- Revised Version) from them. His removal ordinate (John ill. 29). On the survive.I shall be effected, not by his own action, but of the teaching of John the Baptist, a.nd by external agents (l.,ra.p9p). In these un- the greater importance of its professed a.d- settled timee, with their frequent though herente during the apostolic age tha.n is mostly unimportant popular risings, it can- not have been II very unueual thing for the usually euppoeed, 1Jide Biehop Lightfoot, briclegroom to be canied off, not indeed be- • Coloeeiallll,' p. 163, edit. 1875. fore the consummation of the marriage, but Ver. 14.-Then (-rc!TE), In this ca.ee the before the end of the week of festivities. close chronological connexion with the And then swill ( will, Revised Version : there preceding incident is confirmed by the is no trace of a command, Christ is but parallel pa.sea.gee ( especially Luke). Ca.me stating a fa.et) they fa.at. Christ here (come, Revised Version) to him. They endorses the principle of Christian fasts ( cf. move forward among the crowd, and draw eh. vi. 16), but regards them 88 springing, nea.r to him (-,rpoulexov.-a.1 ab.-,j). The clis- not from any legal obligation, but from per- oiples of lohn (1'ide supra), saying, Why sonal grief, in this CW:Je at his absence (cf. (of. ver.11) do we and the Pharisees fast 1 (cf. Jolm xvi. 20). The only later pnssages oh. vi. 16, note, Bchiirer, II. ii. p. 118). Oft in the New Testament where Christian ( ..-011.11.&) : Textus Receptus, and Westcott and fasting is mentionedJ a.re Acts xiii. 2, 3; Hort margin, with all the versions and the xiv. 23: 2 Cor. vi. 5: xi. 27. In the great ma.ss of the authorities. Yet probably 'Didache,' § 8, we have the earliest formal to be omitted, with Westoott and Hort, on the recognition of it as a pmctice. It is there evidtince of the Vatican manuscript, nnd the forbidden to faet on the same days as the origihnl hand of the Sinuitio. It may have Phnrisees. Observe that this verse wns arisen from a gloss on the ..-u1<vd of Luke. understood in Tertullian's time ns expressly :But thy disoiples fast not. The fenst given commanding a fast during the forty hours by St. Matthew was evidently nt the time in which our Lord WllB in the grave (' De of eome fa.st observed by the stricter J ewe. Jejun,,' § 2), and thnt, from lrenmus's ex• Ver. 15.-And lesus said unto them, Can. pr~ssion in Eusebius (' Ch. HisL.,' v. 24), It ie a moral imposeibilily (eh. vi. 24). The this fast had been kept almost from ohildren (aona, Revised Vereion) of the apostolic timee, bride-ohamber (ol u/ol .-ou vu,.,powos), Eder- Ver. 16.-No man; and no mas (Revised ■heim (' Life,' etc., i. 663) points out that Version): ovli,ls Ii,. "And" is elightly these are not the sl,oshbenim, the friends adversative. They will indeed fast then of the bridegroom, who conducted the bride yet fasting does not belong to the eesenc~ with music, etc., to the house of her parents- of my teaching. To insist on flMiting would in-law, and to the liride-chamber, and who only be right if my teaohing came merely naturally remained to take part in the into meohanicnl connexion with the religion wedding fenst: for (1) the custom of having of the dny. But this is not the caee. (I) ,hoshbenim prevailed in Judma, but not in Treated as nn addition, it injures the religion Galilee: (2) Ta.Im. Jer., 'Bucoah,' § ii 5, of the day (ver. 16). (2) Treated as some- expressly distinguishes between the two thing to be accepted by all J ewe, regardless terms :. " Those who are shoshbenim, ancl of their moral fitness for it, it is itself wasted.  3G4 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MAT'l'HEW. [on. ix. 1-38.