The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 450

he had B!lid we.s at hand. The kingdom of " the hum an will has e. nature.I disinolina- heaven. The realm ruled over by Messiah, tion to cultivate and sharpen the oonscienoe of which the then community of believers in combination with the knowledge of the w11.11 the ea.rneat(mde Introduction, p. xxv.). le.w, has no desim to look Into thie mirror, Suffereth violence (.Sui.(,.,.a.,). In Lnke it is and meu e.s e. rule desire to have quite 11 middle, "Every man entereth violently into different picture of themselves from that it;" e.nd though it is certainly pe.ssive here, wl.tioh conscience shows them" (Marten- St. Luke's phrase compels us to understand sen's 'Christian Ethics,' i. § 119). It. My the re,ison of t!Je violence to be entrance statement. Not him, i.e. Jol.tn, with Revised into the kingdom. The kingdom ie not ill Version margin. This (a./mls). He and no treated, bnt it is e.s it were ta.ken by storm other (eh. i. 21). Is Elias. In spiritual (Meyer). Nosgen strangely understands work, not in identity of person (John i. 21). the phrase to mean that the kingdom is set (On the Jewish expectation of the return of forward with power, e.nd he would appa- Elijah, see Lightfoot, 'Hor. Hehr.,' on eh. rently see in "ihe violent" e. special re- xvii. 10.) Whioh we.a for to come; which ference to our Lord and John. And the is to come (Revised Version). The phrase violent ; and men of "iolenoe (Revised 6 µb,l\.wv lpx•cr6a.,) is perhaps best under- Yersion); ""' ,8,a.,,..,.a.£: only they; men whose stood, not e.s e.n independent remark by our mind is made up and who care not what Lord a.bout Elijah, but as a current saying, force and power they employ to attain their representing the popular expectation of him, object. Take it by foroe ; a.p1rcf(ovcr,v a.lrrfw, e.nd adopted by our Lord,_who ge.ve it his "grasp it for themselves," like rough and ow11 interpretation. It ce.n hardly point violent handils seizing their prey. Weiss e.lso to e. yet futurEI coming of the prophet. sees in this verse blame of the politico- But compare Bishop Westcott, on John i. 21, Messie.nic endeavours to he.sten the com- and Schiirer, II. ii. 156. pletion of the kingdom. Thie explanation Ver. 15.-He that hath ears to hear, let is good in itself (cf. John vi 15), bnt dis- him !hear. A solemn exhortation., often connects the 'l'Crse from its context. Our spoken by our Lord at the close ·of e.n utter- L"rd is describing the energy with which ance. See eh. xiii. 9 (equivalent to Mark some souls e.re pre;;sing in, and urging the iv. 9), -13 ; Mark iv. 23 : Luke xiv. 35 need of such energy if salvation is to be (comp. Mark viii. 18; Luke ix. 44; Rev. ii. oblained. and iii.; xiii. 9). It mee.us-You e.re e.11 Ver. 13.-For. It ie only rightthat there formed by nature to learn God's commands: ehonld be such a seizing of the kingdom of answer, therefore, to your powers, and obey heaven., for in e. oerta.in sense the function him. See Ps. xl. 6 ( cf. Heh. x. 5). of the prophets e.nd the Law ceased with Vers. 16-19.-Yet both John and he him,. John. All Not one alone, but e.11, however various their teaching. The prophets and se/,f are rejected, though the resuUs of their the law. In Luke (xvi 16) the Le.w ,is efforts were such as to fully jmtify the ap- mentioned first, because the context is there parent difference of their method.a. Pe.rallel dealing chiefly with the Law. Here our Lord passage: Luke vii. 31-35. has said th&t John we.s more than e. prophet, and he naturally continuea to spee.k of Vers. 16, 17.-But. In contrast to the prophets first. The mention of tile Law obedience a.eked for in ver. 15, this genera- come.a in almost as an afterthought, and tion closes its care. Whereunto shall I yet without it the Jews might he.ve fallen liken. A common rabbiuio phre.se, which is be.ck on the Law when the prophets fe.iled often fonnd in ,the fnller fol'!ll reoorded in them (cf. ver. 11, note). Prophesied. In- Luke, "Wherennto she.II I liken ... aud cluding the ideas both of predicting Messiah to what are they like? " (eee eh. vii 24, and of me.king known the will of God (cf. note). This generation l It is like unto eh. v. 19, note). Until John. The message children sitting in the markets, and oalling of tl.te written Word we.s conoidered as e.ctive unto their fellows, and saying, We have -I.he prophets and the Law still spoke-- piped unto yon, and ye have not danced; until, in fe.ct, he ee.me who was the close of we have mourned unto you, and ye have that epoch. not lamtnted. Tl.tere e.re two ways of Ver. 14.-In Matthew only. And if ye understanding the illuetre.tion which our will receive it. Our Lord gives the informa- Lord here uses. (1) Many modern com- tion plainly, but doubts if it will be of any menle.tore (e.g. Meyer; 'l'rench,' Studies,' p. .i.se to them. Will (et>,,.,.,). For the recep- 148) insist on the grammar and on the tion of a truth dependl! upon the attitude of hietorice.J order in which the comple.iats are the will. In tl.tis case to acknowledge John made, and believe that the Jews correspond as Elijah woultl mean to e.ccept the present to the pipers and the mourners, while it is consequences of that reformation which John the.t refuses to rejoice, o.nd our Lord Elijah wu to bring about (Ma.Liv. 6). But that will not be l!Bd. (2) _But the more OH, XI, 1-30.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 447