The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 417

our Lord means the.t e. disciple shall not here a play upon the sense, "Lord of the eeoe.pe the moral lose that hie t.eacher incurs ; dwelling" (zelml, e.g. lsu. !xiii. 15), e.nd on the contre.ry, when fully iustructed, he probably n further reference to the simile.r sound zebel, Neo-Hebr. for "dung" (of. 2 shall be e.s hie teacher is, in the same evil Kings xvii 12, e.nd Wetstein's curious note ste.t.e. But here he is giving enconre.gement in Delitzsch, on Job xxx. 12). -whatever tree.tment a disciple receives he Ver. 26.-Vers. 26-33, pare.lie! passage; is, if his Tee.oner received it also, not to count Luke xii. 2-9, where it follows the we.m- it e. strange thing (1 Pet. iv. 12). ing age.inst the leaven of the Pharisees. A simile.r saying to ver. 26 (parallel passage; Luke xii. 2) is also found in Mark iv. 22 Ver. 24.-The (a, Revised Version) clia- (pe.re.llel passage: Luke viii. 17). Though oiple. The absence of the nrticle le.ye more the two sayings are probably distinct, yet stress on the man's position e.s disciple. Is it is very poesible that one may he.ve been not above. The emph11Sis of the sentence is modified from the other in being reported. upon the denial of snch e. possibility (ob,c Fee.r them uot therefore. These words e.re (u-r,v d µ"811ds). Hie master; teacher (Re- in Matthew only. Thtrefore. Since the vise,! Version margin); a,aau1Call.ov. Nor Master bore such treatment. For. Hardly- the (a, Revised Version) servant (bond- Fee.r them not, for your secret disloye.lty will servant, Revised Version me.rgin) above hie one day be known; but-Fear them not so e.s lord. to conceal your faith and principles, for the11e Ver. 25.-It is enough (clp,cnJv); oh. vi. e.re of supreme importance; inner character 34, note. It will quite content him; it is is everything. This connexion seems to be sufficient for his aims and wishes (Heh. xiii. more close the.n to read into the words a 5; John xiv. 8). So Talm. Bab.,' Barach.,' reference to the ultimate success of the 58b, R. Ula comforts Rab l_:lisda for the deso- gospel or to the unreality of those things lation of a friend's house which he formerly the.t now terrify you. There is nothing. knew in its prosperity, by reminding him Even your own relntion to me (of. ver. 32). that the temple too is in ruins, and "It is Covered, that shall not be revee.led ; un- sufficient for the serrnnt thnt he be as hie C01'ered. The cloak over it she.ll be drawn master (1:ro Ni"l'II' 1:1y', 1•1)." For the dis- be.ck. And hid, that she.11 not be known. ciple. Here (unlike ver. 24) pictured before the It she.11 not only be stripped of its disguise, mind. The.the bo. Eventually (Tv" -yiv71-ra1). but also itself be brought out to light e.nd (For the weakened telic force of Yv" here, of. its true che.racter perceived. Ellicott on 1 Cor. iv. 3.) _ As his master, and Ver. 27.-The parallel pe.ssage, Luke xii. the servant e.s hie lord. That the pronoun 3, is verbe.lly similnr, but of reverse mean- was e.d<led to " lord" in ver. 24 wo.a perhe.ps ing. In Me.tthew it is a charge to the dis- due to the unooneoione desire on the pe.rt of ciples to proolnim publicly whe.t Obrist the reporter to e.void any possible ambiguity tells them privat.ely; in Luke it is e. stnte- arising from the familie.r phrase d ,cop,os; in ment the.t whe.t tliey sny prirntely ohnll these two clauses the insertion of the pro- be proole.imed publicly. St. Luke gives noun is rather due to the foot the.t "dis- only another side of the preceding verse ; ciple" cmd "servant" nre both defined by St. Ma.tthuw, a fresh point. The connexion the e.rtiole. If they have ce.lled. A typice.l with vcr. 26 is-Do not cover up your rele.tion oxe.mple of the treatment his disciples will to me, but eay out bravely the message the.t sometimes receive- complete rejection of I give you. What I tell you. There is no their messe.ge, with de! ibere.te acoueution of Iimitlltion to the time. Those who believe the worst of crimes. Observe that it is im- in the present life of Christ.and in the reality plied the.t the opprobrious term he.d already of present communice.tions from him cnnuot been used of our Lord, although St. Mntthew fe.il to see here both the true source of their has not yet rcle.ted it (oh. xii. 24). (On ob. messe.ges ns preachers and the necessity of ix. 34, of. note there.) Called. By no mere fe.ithfulness to those mesengos. Observe ohe.noe expression, but by purposely giving that the stress is not upon the persone.lity him the title ufffl(cl/l.£Uav); of. Heh. xi. 16. of the Spee.ker, but upon the communicntion The master of tho house. Heb. iii. 2-6 may (ll.t-yw, not l1w "-•1w). In (the, Revised be compared, even though not Christ but Version) de.rknese , .. in (the, Revised Ver- God is there prob"bly spoken of e.s the sion) light. Both o.re pictured to the mind. owner of the house. Beelzebub; "Gr. Beel- And whe.t ye hee.r in the ee.r (,ls -r~ o~s). zebul; e.nd so elsewhere" (Revised Version Possibly a reference to the he.bit of Jewish mnrgin). The original mce.ning of the tille rabbis somdimes whispering their tenching we.a probe.bly "Lord of flies" (zebub, 2 Kings in the ear of nn "interpreter," who repeated i. 8), or possibly "of bees" (zebul, equivn- it e.loud for all to henr (of. Lightfoot, • Hor. lent to zebur, of. Neubnuer, 'Stud. llibl.,' Hcbr.'), but more probably only the common 1st series, p. 55); but there cannot but be figure of speech for secret instruction; cf.  414 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO s·r. MATTHEW. [oH. x.1-42.