The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 130

intelligently read without the light thua sequences, out of the reach of his perse- 0a11t upon them. vering opponents. Virtue.Uy, e.lao, his public Ver. 12.-Then underatood they. Jeana work in Judme. e.ud Galilee he.d reo.ohed its did not explain hie meaning further; but end. He had no ohanoe of e. bee.ring if he hi~ reproof roused their intelleot, me.de them ha..d ma.de further attempts e.t tee.ohing. reflect, Bet them on tho road to the truth. The The calumnies of the rabbis he.d e.ft'eoted dootrine. This wu what Jesus meant by the fickle popule.0E1, who would willingly "the leaven." In a wider sense it might have followed a military pretender, but had include practice I\S well aa: precept, manner no heart to act at nouglit their ne.lional of life ae well as teaching. The aame spirit tee.ohers in favour of One whom they were permeated all. "See," says St. ChryBostom, persuaded to regard ua dangerous innovator, "how much good hie reproof wrought. For not improbably upheld by So.te.nio agency. it both led them awo,y from the Jewish lie asked his disciples. It was e.fter e. timG observances, and, when they were remiss, of solitary prayer (Luke ix. 18) that he put me.de them more heedful, and delivered this queetion to hie followers. Determined them from want of faith ; BO that they were now to reveal himself, he desired to make not afraid nor in alarm. if e.t any time they them express the mistaken views which seemed to have few loaves; nor were they were rife concerning his Person and office, careful a.bout fa.m.ine, but despised a.II tb.eee and to lee.d them t.o the more important things." inquiry-what opinion they themselves held Vere. 13-20.-The clima:e of recognition touching this momentous mystery (ver. 15). of Chrisrs true nature declared in the great Whom (who) do men say that I the 8011 ot man e.m t Quem dicunt homines esse .filium confession of Peter. (Me.rk viii. 27--80; hominis (Vulge.te); Who do men say that the Luke ix. 18-21.) Son of man is f (Revised Version). The Ver. 13.-----(loa&ts (µ.<p7/); parts, ae eh. xv. versions represent the variation of manu- 21, etc. Cm;area Philippi The addition scripts between .,,.,,,_ p.e 1'.~oua"II', 1<.'T.1'.., and to tb.e name Oa,sarea ie intended to oommemo- Tlva. 1'.o-yout1'"", omitting P.•• The pronoun is r,.te its restorer a..nd bea..utifier, the tetra.rob probably genuine and emphatic. In the Philip, and to distinguish it from the city other case," the Son of man" is equivalent of the same name on the coast between to p.• in ver. 15. I call myself the Son of Joppe. and Carmel (Acts viii. 40, etc.). Our man: who.t do the multitudes say of me? Lord had landed at Bethsaida., where the Who do they consider the Son of man to Jordan enters the Lake of Gennesaret, be? This we.s the term he used to show tmncd north wards, and, following the course the truth of the Incarnation~" perfect God of the river, had now arrived in the vicinity and perfect man, of e. ree.sonable soul and of one of its chief sources at Clllsarea human 11.esh subsisting." To Jewish ears Philippi, the most northerly city of the it connoted Divinity (see Luke ll'.ll'.ii. 69, 70; Holy Land. It was, if not identical with., John iii. 13). in close proximity to, the Dan of the Old Ver. 14.-J'ohn the Baptist. Thie was 'Testament, whence a.rose the saying," From the opinion of Herod .Antipas (eh. xiv. I, 2), Dan to Bee1sheba," to denote the whole who fancied that Christ was animated by extent of country from north t.o south. Later the spirit of John tbe Baptist, or was it wns called PaneO,B, and now Banuu. actually that persono.ge revived; though Philip altered the no.me to Ciesarea in honour it we.s noticed by others that John did no of TiberiUB Cmsa.r, his patron. Christ seems miraole (John x. 41), and lived n life in not to have visited the city itself, but only contrast to the.t of Christ (eh. xi. 18, 19). the outlying villagee in the district. We Elle.a; Elijah, who wae taken up to heaven may conjecture why e.t this time he moved without dying, and was announced by to tb.is remote region. It was probably, Male.chi (iv. 5) as destined to return p.,rtly, e. measure of precaution. He he.d before the appearance of Messiah. J'eremias. excited the fiercest animosity of the domi- Some opined that le wo.s Jernmiah, who na11t party, and even of the sceptical was expected to come as e. precursor of Sadducees ; he was pertinaciously followed Messiah (2 Esdras ii. 18), e.nd reveal the Ly their emisse.riee, e.1 we.ye on the we.tch to tabernacle, ark, and the altar of incense, lny hold of his words and e.ctiollB, e.nd to which, according to the legend of 2 Me.co. found upon them dangerous charges; e.nd ii. 4-7, he had hidden in Mount Nebo, now, knowing it we.a time to announce to " until the time that God gather his people his followers in plain terms his claim to be again together, and receive them unto Messiah, he would not do this in Judma, mercy." One of the prophets. One of the where it might ce.UBe commotion, e.ncl em- celebrated prophets of antiquity revived, broil him with the anthoritiee, but preferred reatored to life again to prepare the way to tee.eh this great truth where he might for the great collSummation. The well- topca.k freely without fear of immediate co11- known prediction of Moses (Dcut. xviii. 15) 011. xvi. 1-28.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MA1 rHEW. 131