In these verses the disoourse returns to the reoeive a prophet'• reward; ,.e. shall share lm.medi11te OCOflBiou, the mission of the dis• in the reward of tbe.t work in which by hia oiplee. Christ shows hie persona.I interest kindness to the prophet he so fe.r te.kes pa.rt. Thus the widow of Se.repta shared in their work; his messengers' co.use is hie. in -~he blessing give~ to _Elije.h (1 Kings He says, "I reokon treatment of you as xvn. 10; cf. also 2 Kings 1v. 8, ,qq.). (On treatment of me; e.y, e.nd he that sent me reward, see eh. v. 12, note.) Observe that not reckons it a.a treatment of himself" (ver. 40). the action, but the motive for the action, is This principle e.s to the treatment of repre• made e.11-important. H is a matter of faith, not of works (cf. Niisgen). And he that sente.tives holds good throughout. Not receiveth a. righteous man. A right= every one can be a prophet, but those who man; i.e. one who is pnnctilious in perform- help him shall aha.re his reward. Not every ing a.II the details of the revealed will of one shall acquire the technical name of God (eh. i. 19, note; Acts :uii. 14; Je.s. "righteous," but those who help such a. v. 6). This word e.l~o is used io. e. quasi• JeW1Sh sense, e.nd pomts b~ck to the time m11n shall she.re his reward (vor. 41); even when Jewish Christiane performed, not the smallest kindnesses shall not be unre- only the le.w e.e expounded in the sermon warded (ver, 42). on the mount, but e.leo those external rites e.nd observances which he.d been commanded Ver. 40.-Xe that reoeiveth :,on reoeiveth them as Jews (Acts xxi. 20). Among such me. " A man's messenger is as himself" Jewish Ullristie.ns some would be especially (Mishna, 'Barach.,' v. 5). Yet, a.s Bengel noticeable for their regard to these things so.ye, " Non modo tantundem est, aa Bi me (e.g. Ja.mes the "Just,'' or "Righteous"), reciperet: sed re11era me recipit." Ford e.nd it is to one of these that the epithet quotes from Tertullian (' De Ore.t.,' § 26), here refers. " A brother that hath entered in to thine Ver. 42.-Pe.re.llel pe.sse.ge: ,Mark ix. 41, house, dismiss not without prayer. ' Thou where it will be observed that the following bust seen,' saith he, ' thy brother ; thou hast verso is parallel to eh. x viii. 6 e.nd Luke seen thy Lord.' " The same logion is found xvii. 2 (cf. supra, ver. 40). One of these twice in Clem. Alex. (cf. Resch,' Agrapha,' little ones ... e. disciple. It is evident, from p. 296). (For an extension of the thou.,.ht 0 a. compe.risoo. of ver. 41, that the two titles to bisl!ops, cf. lgn., • Epl!.,' § 6.) refer to one e.nd the so.we persnn. Ch riet, Ver. 41.-Me.tthew only. 'fhe whole verse using his own term, calls hie followers recalls Jewish Christianity; it was hardly "little ones;" using the torm of others, likely to have been remembered outside he calls them "disciples." Little onea. Jewish Christian circles. He that reoeiveth Pe.rtly e. word of personal endearment (of. a. prophet. One upon whom the mantle of eh. xxv. 40); partly a. comparison with those the old prophets might in any sense be mentioned in ver. 41. He is now speaking said to have fallen. The saying was pro- of one who is not distinguished from otl:er bably recorded with special thought of the believers by the reception of extraordinary Christian peripatetic "prophets," who are Divine gifts, or by speoie.l zeo.l e.nd holiness, brought before us so vividly in the' DidaoM.' but is only a.n ordinary disciple. In eh. In the name of e. prophet ( ,l, ~voµa 1rpo,pl,- xviii. 6 the term is used directly of children, -rov). In late Hebrew e.nd in Are.me.ic the but in Luke xvii. 2, and probubly in Me.rk word for "no.me" pused into little more ix. 41, 42, it is used metaphorically. A cup than a preposition, just e.s the word for of cold we.ter only. Ob,crve that " if the "face" bud e.lree.dy pBSsed (e.nd so the Greek, • oup of cold water' is not to lose its reward, iv ov&µaT1, Me.rk ix. 41). Here, however, it must be proffered when he who gives it this is hardly the oa.se, the word appearing he.a nothing better to give" (H. Melvill, in to retllin i ta idea. of both no.me e.nd corre- Exell, on ver. 41 ). In the name of a. sponding position. The preposition mo.y disoiple (ver. 41, note). Verily I say unto mean either receive him into the position of :,on, He shall in no wi■e lose his rewe.rd (of. a. prophet, i.e. into the treatment with which Heh. vi. 10). LoB8 (u,rol\frr,). Does the a. prophet should be received; or, simply, Western reading, "His reward she.II in no receive him o.t the re.nk e.nd standing of a. wise perish," indice.te the unendi·ng duration prophet (Acts vii. 53). Anyhow, it is in of heuveuly bliss, or is 111r6M1Ta1 there a contrast to receiving him out of mere synonym for the TrTallT"(I of Ecclus. ii. 8? hume.n compassion or ordinary friendliness. Observe that if the original Are.ma.io were The reception is to have regard to that n•iitt ,::i•:., it might be understood iu either whioh the no.me implies, for the ee.ke of the we.y (of. references in Levy, 'Che.ld. Wiir• ea.use the.t the prophet repreaents. Bha.11 terb.,' 1.11. ,::itt).
MATTHEW, 2 J: 418 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [oH, x. 1--42.