The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 7

(cf. also Exocl. xix. 7; Acts xvii. 3). Else- clergy have ehown themselves always th'i' w!Jc1·e H is often usecl of setting foocl beforo most eager advocates of the policy of rootin~ ony ono; e.g. Mark vi. 41; viii. 6; Luke xi. 6; up the tares? And ■aid unto him, Bir, didst Aots xvi. 84. Them, The people (vers. not thou sow good seed in thy field 1 from 3, 10, 34). Saying, The kingdom of heaven. whence then hath it te.rea 1 Thy. For the The principles of its este.blishment and full knowledge that the world belongs to God, development. 11 likened unto (r..µ.011fi011), e.nd is under hie governance and care, makes The aorist rege.rds the moment in our Lord'1 the question eo much the more serious to the mind in which he made the comparison. servants. Observe that the verb is tre.nsitional ; iu Ver. 28.-He said unto them, An enemy ver. 3 our Lord bege.n his parable without he.th done this. .An enemy (txOpos l'iv8pr,nro;'). any introduction, so that he might attract Not "my enemy," referring to some one attention; here he says that he gives au person, for in real life e. man can seldom be illustration of the kingdom of heaven ; bnt e.t once sure, without inquiry, who it is that in the later parables of this discourse (vers. bas injured him secretly. There are eo SI, 33, 44, 45, 47; cf. 52) he is able many coincidences in this verse and ver. 39 merely to.say that the kingdom of bee.ven is, (txOpos liv8p.,,,,,.os, -rou-ro l..-0(71<1,11, ['Aµ.!111 J o in its principles, etc., absolutely like ( 6µ.oia. ,rov71pbs [o~os], 6 31&/30,\0;) with the LXX. i,nlv). A me.n whioh sowed. Explained as of Esth. vii. 4-6, that it would almost seem "the Son of man " in ver. 37. Good aeed ; as though the evangelist remembered that " the sons of the kingdom" (ver. 38); i.e. passage, The 1ervants ■aid unto him, Wilt the seed represents, not good or bad doctrine thou then that we go and gather them up! as such, but persons. In his field; "the Omit up (uv,\,\{{c,,µ.ev); the servants, in their world" (ver. 37). Not exactly the Church, zeal to separate the tares from the wheat, i.e. the Church upon earth, bnt the world forget the difficulty oonneoted with pulling so far as it is the sphere of the Church's them up. missione.ry activity, even tho physical world Ver. 29.-:But he said, Nay; lest while so for as it becomes the scene of Divine ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the sowing of the gospel. wheat with them. Wetstein, on ver. 39, Ver. 25.-But while men slept, Not in quotes an interesting parn.llel spoken by R. the explanation. If more than merely e. part Joshue. bcn Korcha (Ta.lm. Bab., 'Babe. of the necessary framework of the story, it Metzia,' 83b). points to the secrecy with which the devil Ver. 30.-To the respers. Not all my works. His enemy oame. This form of servants, but they to whom such work be- me.lioe is still well known in the East ( of. longs (cf. Goebel); i.e. the angels (ver. 39). Exell'.s 'Biblical !!lustre.tor,' in loc.). And Ge.ther ye together; gather up (Rerued sowed. Sowed over or in (i1rl<11mp•11). Version), because the ea.me word (<1vM.i')'<111) Tares; i.e. bee.rded de.me!, Lolitim temulen- is employed e.s in ver. 28. This co=and tum, "a kind of rye grass, aucl the only belongs to the time after the field is reaped. 11pecies of the grass family the seeds of which First the tares. The tares a.re to be sepa- are poisonous. The derivation of zawan re.ted e.nd gathered together before the wheat [(,(cw,a.] is from zan, ' vomiting-,' the effect is ge.rnered. And bind them in bundles to of eating de.rnel being to produce violent burn them: but gather (uvvcl')'•TE). This nausea, convulsions, and diarrhcoa, which word regards re.ther the destination, uv.\- frequently ends in death " (Tristram, •Nat. .\0')'<1v the opere.tion. The wheat into my Hist. of Bible,' p. 487, edit. 1889). Among barn (eh. iii. 12, notes). the whee.t, e.nd went his way; went away Vere. 31, 32.-The paTable of the mustaTrl (Revised Version, lurij.\8ev). seed. Parallel passages : Me.rk iv. 30-32 ; Ver. 26.:--But when the blade was sprung up (ll3.\&<1-r1J<1<11 6 x6p-ros: of. Me.rk iv. 27), Luke xiii. 18, 19. The central thought of and brought forth fruit. Observe that there the parable is the growth of the kingdom of is no thought of the tares injuring the heaven considered externe.lly. Although it wheat (contrast vers. 7, 22). Then e.ppeared bus sma.11 beginnings, it is to have a mar- the tares e.lso. vellous expansion, so that even those who Ver. 27. - So; and (Revised Version, Ill). The servants of the householder came. naturally are outside it are gla.d to avail The explanation (ver. 88) does not say who themsol ,es of its protection. Observe thtlt n·re represented by these; they must be we hn.ve no right to limit its growth either really idontice.1 with some of the wheat, to the reputation of its principles alone or yet since they e.re spoken of as though thoy to the power of its organization; both are are also the agents of the Sower, they must included. represent the wore active, o.ud espcoio.lly the ministorie.l, members of the kingclom. fa it Regarded as o. prophecy, the pare.bi~ i1 a mere ooincidenoe thnt hisloricully the partially fulfilled every time that a hee.tben 8 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [ou. XIII, 1-58,