The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 129

before them. That lcnvcn, in one aspect, severely on two o.cconnts--flret, for want o1 was rego.rded o.s o. sign of impurity and cor- faith in his ea.re; and secondly, for not ruption, we lenrn .from tho strict rules which understanding the mystical allusion in the banished it from Di vino service, and especi- word " leaven." Ye of little faith. They ally during the Passover season. Be1ye St. showed lack of faith by being solicitous oon- Po.ul, "A little leaven leoveneth the whole cerning bodily wants, thinking thtit Christ lump" (Go.I. v. 9); o.nd, "Purge out the wo.s regardless of, or unable to provide for old Ieo.von, that ye may be o. new lump, them under all circnrnstances. He o.pplied even es ye ore unleavened" (1 Cor. v. 7). the so.me term to thern elsewhere, o.s when Elsewhere Christ me.kcs e. distinction be- they apprehended not the lesson of the grass tween who.t these teachers to.nght ez of the field (eh. vi. 30), o.nd when they were aathedr&, o.nd what they put forth on their fearful in the storm on the lake (eh. viii. own authority or who.t they pro.ctieed them- 26). eel ves (eh. x.xiii. 2, 3, where see note). Vera. 9, 10.-Christ, in support of his re- Ver. 7.-Theyreasoned amongthems.elves. proof, refers to the two miracles of the mul- With e. erase literalness, the apostles utterly tiplication of food, which ought to have misunderstood the drift of their Mo.stcr'e assured them of his care o.nd power. Do ye not warning, and thought tho.t he alluded to yet understand l So he asked in eh. xv. 16, their forgetfulness in r,oming without bread. " Are ye also yet without understanding?" They were always slow to apprehend the Their heart w11s hardened, and they failed metaphorical and spiritual signification of to apprehend the spiritual bearing of the their Mo.eter'e hmguo.ge. Thue at the incidents. Neither remember l 'l'his was synagogue in Capernaum they failed to an additional ground for censure, that they grasp hie meaning when he spoke of him- even forgot the facts at the very time when self as the Bread of life (John vi.), and at they ought to have been reco.Iled to their J aoob's well they interpreted of material memory. Jesus reminds them of the dis- food hie Divine words concerning the tinctive differences between the two miracles, nourishment of the soul (John iv.). It is mentioniog even the receptacles in which well remarked by Sadler (in loc.) that" it the fragments were collected-in the one is no small proof of the good fo.ith and case ,co</)ivo,, small baskets, o.nd in the other consequent truth of the gospel, tho.t the a,n,p(lies, large panniers. It is sorely wilful apostles should ho.ve reoorded things so perversity tho.t has deemed these two inci- against themselves as this account. If they dents, thns pointedly disjoined by onr Lord, had written for o.ny purpose except the o.s versions of one story; o.nd yet this is wbai simple exhibition of the truth, they could some modern oritics have suggested a.nd easily ho.ve suppressed facte such as this, upheld. so very discreditable to their spiritual, in- Ver. 11.-That I spake it not to yon, etc. deed to their mental, perception. But if The Revised Version, following many modem we had lost accounts such ns these, we editors, divides the olause into two, thns : should have lost the proof of one of the that 1 spake not to you concerning bread 1 greatest, if not the greatest, mir11cle of its But beware of the leaven, etc. Thie is the kind ; for no miraculous chP.nge in the seoond ground for the Lord's reproof ad- spirit of man which God has wrought can ministered to the npostles. They had taken be• o.ccoub.ted greater tho.n this-that men in a oarnal, literal sense e. word which he who, before the resurrection and the Day of had need in o. eymbolica.l or mystical mean- Pentecost, should have exhibited such utter ing. It is the wnnt of spiritual discernment want of the lowest spiritual discernment, which he censures. They had ho.d frequent should, o.fter the descent of the Spirit, ho.ve opportunities of hearing and appreciating written such searching spiritual documents his mode of teaching: miraolee, parables, as the catholic Epistles of Peter and John." discourses, had an inner signification, which In the present case some commentators take it wus their duty to apprehend. The want it tho.t the 11postles fancied Chr'st wo.s warn- of understanding was a moral fault for ing them against procuring any leavened which they were answerable. We may so.y bread from Pharisees and Saddnoees, whom it would h11ve been eo.sier for our Lord to- Jesus so sternly denounced; but it is more have spoken of doctrine without nsing the- probable that their anxiety a.rose simply misunderstood figure of leaven. But it ie from the wo.nt of provisions, not from the in the way of hie providenoe to speak word& oonsideration that they were deb11rred from whioh need thought and grace to make thelll obtaining them at the ho.nds of certain fully comprehended. 'fhey are thns more parties. These doubts they seem to ho.ve impressed upon the heart and memory, and whispered one to o.nother. brin<> forth better fruit. A well-instructed Ver. 8.-When .Jeans perceived (')lvotls). Heb~ew ought to find no difficulty in under- He knew thfir thoughf.s, if he did not over- stunding metuphorical allusions. His Scrip- hear their words, an& he reproved them tures were full of them, o.nd could not be  1~2 TUE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST, MATTHEW, [ea. :r.v1, 1-28,