The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 11

whore in the Now Teslo.ment only in oh. in full splendour. The tares o.re gathered xviii. 81, where the thought is that the o.nd burned in the 11.re--ln,,rried uitli fire (Re- mo.n's fellow-servo.nts brought his beho.viour vised Version); cf. oh. iii. 10, note-so shall fully before their lord's knowledge (cf. o.lso it be in the eud of this world (vcr. 30, note). 2 Mooo. i. 18). As compared with <f>pd.uov Ver. 41.-The Son of mo.n. Observe how (Received Text, aµd eh. xv. 15), it leaves expressly Christ identifies the Sower with room for the disciples having already par- the Lord of the angels. Shall send forth tially understood it. Unto us the parable (&1rou.-,J\.,i)-as his representatives (eh. x. of the tares of the field. The addition, " of 2, note)-his angels, o.nd they shall gather the field," indicates tl..te point of the parable, out of his kingdom-though they o.re now eonsiuened oven as o. mere story, that the there-o.ll things that offend, and them tnres grew in no chance place, but in o. piece whioh do iniquity ( ,r&,.,.,.a -re!; u1<&.v8a/\.a 1<at of cultivated ground o.lrea.dY:allotted to other -rov• 1ro1ov11T<zr -r¾w a.voµ,d.v); all thingB that produce. offend. (that cause Blumbling, Revised Ver. Ver. 87.-He answered a.nd ea.id unto them. eion); eh. v. 29, note. In itself it would In the following reply of our Lord (vers. naturally be understood of persons, in 87-48) observe tho change of style o.t ver. e.coor<lance with the meaning of " tares." 40. Until then we have pithy, concise Bat what is its relation to the following sentences all joined by the simple copula clause, for this latter cannot be merely to.u- 31, which can hardly be e.nything else than tologioa.l? There are two answers: (a) The literal tre.nele.tions of the Lord's own phrll.:!tls. two phrases bring out different o.spects But vers. 40-48 a.re in the usual style of under which the persons a.re regarded. this Gospel. The Son of man (eh. viii. 20, They, as "sons of tbe evil one," are both note). stumbling-blocks to others (" the sons of the Ver. 88.-The children of the kingdom; kingdom"), and e.lso active workers of law- the som, eto. (Revised Version); eh. v. 9, lessness ('Dideinfra). They sin against men note. The tares a.re the children of the (cf. oh. xxiv. 24b) a.nd age.inst God. (b) ·wioked one; of tl,e evil one (Revised Ver- The first term regards not so much them sion); of. eh. vi. 13, note. (On the bee.ring a.a their actions - their scandalous acts the.t the evidence of the Old Syriuc and the (Goebel); the second, the persons them- Old La.tin versions here has on the mascu- selves. The former of the two answers line interpretation there, see Che.se, 'Lord's seems preferable, a.s keeping closer to the Pmyer,' etc., pp. 155, 159, sqq.) po.rable. It also agrees with the personal Ver. 89.-The enemy th11t sowed them use of u1<d.v6a/\.011 in eh. xvi. 23, a.nd the {d ,,,,./pos); contra.et ver. 87 (cl u1r,lpo,v .-o use of ab.-oo• alone in the next clrmse. 1<aJ\011 u,rlpµ.a). Ver. 87 ste.tes what is ever With respect to the whole phrase, observe : true; ver. 89 merely refers be.ck to the (1) It is taken partly from Zeph. L 3 enemy spoken of in the po.rable. Is the (Hebrew), "I will consume [the verb 9R!;t devil (eh. iv. 1, note). (For the thought of this a.nd the preceding clause, see J uhn viii. would readily lend itself to the interpreta- 44; l John iii. 8, 10.) The ha"est is the end tion •gather'] ... the stumbling-blocks with of the world; literally, a.e the margin of tl..te the wioked (□')12-'1i1-nN n1,;,:ic;i . . . 9□ N)." Revised Version, the OOflsummation of the age (2) Yet, a.a it sta.nds, it is taken partly (uw.-l/1.ua al/;,vos) ; when the present e.ge also from Ps. xxxvii. 1, for the Greek of shall have received its completion, o.nd the them that do iniquity is the ea.me as ir1 the more glorious one be ushered in (of. eh. xii. LXX. there. Besides, the context (comp. 32, note). And the reapers a.re the angels; Kirkpo.trick) is not dissimilar; it is tho.t are angels (Revised Version). But it is the righteous should. not bo envious at the exo.ctly po.mile! to the preceding predicate, prosperity of the wicked, for it is only tron- e.nd if the insertion of our English idioma.tio sitory, "T!..ey eho.11 soon be cut down like "the" fails to lay the stress whioh the the gro.ss, and wither as the green herb." Greek ha.s on tl..te fact that the reapers e.re (3) The phrase, them which do iniquity such l..teings as angels (a.a contmeted with (mther, lawlessness; eh. vii. 23, note), looks as human workers, eh. ix. 87, 38), its omission tl..tougb St. Pnul's teaching of " the ma.n of o.dds o. thought wl..tioh the Greek was pro- sin " ( ~ t.v8pw,ros T"ijr a.voµ.(as : Westcott an,l bably not iutended to convey-the.t the Hort, in 2 Thess. ii. 3; of. 7, 8) migl..tt have reapers would be only some among the o.ngcls. some basis in the direct te11cl1ing of the Ver. 40.-As therefore. Observe tl..te.t iu Lord (cf. ver. 43, note; and on tl..tis questiou vers. 40-43 our Lorddwellse.t maoh greo.ter gcnero.Uy, Cho.so, 'The Lord's Prayer,' etc., length on the details of the reapers' work p. 19). (!) Ephraem Syrus, evidently tho.n on the preceding stages of the paro.ble. quoting this passago, but in the form in He wishes to dre.w specie.I e.tten tiou to the whioh, presumably, it existed iu the 'Diatea- fa.et that the to.res will, witl..tout o.ny doubt. saroa,' deduces from it that tho e,utb. will be be oue day separo.ted, nnd tho wheat appeo.r the o.bode of the glo1·ified saints: "Quod  12 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTIIEW. [011. xm. 1-58.