The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 360

cance of the inspired record. The we.nt of In giving eternal life to man, God gives U this disoornment vitintcd the Sadduoeee' to the creature as originally made, not to treatment and reception of Holy Writ, e.nd one port.ion only o[ his nature. Of the living. iu\'olvcd them in hmeutable error. Christ "For," as St. Luke adds, "all live unto proceccls to demonstrate how the vory Pente.- him." The so-called dead e.ro alive in God's teuoh (reverenood unquestione.bly by their view; they have an abiding relation to him, party), which they deemed to be entirely live in his world, whioh oomprisee the seen silent on the subject of the life of the soul, and unseen, the present aud the future. spoke ple.inly on tllis me.tter to e.11 who had Thoe St. Pau_l says (Rom. xiv. 8, 9), faith to undereto.nd e.nd appreciate the "Whether we hve, we live unto the Lord; words of Divine wisdom. The.t which we.s and whether we die, we die unto tho Lord: spoken unto yon by God, To our minds whether we live therefore or die, we a.re tha Jesus might have adduced stronger argu- Lord's. For to this end Christ both died ments from other books of Scripture, e.g. and rose and revived, that he might be the Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel ; but the Se.d- Lord both of the dead and living." ducees bad drawn their objection from the Ver. 33.-They were astonished at Ilia Pentateuch, therefore from tha.t section of dootrine. The multitudes were amazed, not the Bible he refutes them. To the books only at an interpret.ation which was entirely of Moses wns e.lwavs me.de the ultimate new to them, and whioh opened to them appeal in confirmation of doctrine; in the some of the depths of that Scripture of supreme e.uthority of those =itings all sects which they had been taught and knew only a.greed. The utterances of the prophets the letter; but because Christ showed that were exple.ined away as allegorical, poetical, he looked into men's hearts, saw what was and rhetorical; the plain, historical st.ate- the motive and cause of their opinions, and, ments of the La.w could not &t that time be in explaining, difficulties, unfolded eternal thu,; tree.ted. Chri,,--t endorses unreservedly truths. The Sadducees, thus answered in the Divine inspiration of the Pentateuoh; the presence of the listening crowds, at- he intimates the.t it was the voice of God to tempted no reply, slunk away confounded, all time, e.nd providentially directed to dis- utterly foiled in their hope of casting ridi- perse such errorli 1111 those now produced. crtle on the teaching of Christ. St. Luke Ver. 32.-1 am (i-yC:. elµ.,). The qnote.tion notes that some scribes present, doubtless is from Exod. iii. 6, where God gives him- of the Pharisaio f&ction, were highly de- self this name, as the Eternal, Self-existent lighted with this public defeat of their ·One. '.£he God of Abraham . . . J'aoob. adversaries, and cried, iu enforced e.dmira- These patriarchs had long been dead when tion, "Master, thou hast well said I" this revelation was made ; had they been annihilated, the Lord could not he.ve called Vera. 34-40.-Fourtk attaclc: Tke Phari- himself still their God. By this utterance sees' question concerning tke great command- he implied that he had still to do with them me:nt. (Mark xii. 28-34.) -had a blessing e.nd a reward which they were to receive, and which they must be Ver. 34.-He he.d put the Se.dducees to alive to enjoy. How can they who are bis silence ( i,p{µ.,,11re11, as ver. 12). The Phari.ees cease to exist? They who are in personal were informed of, and some of them had relation and covenant with God cannot witnessed, the discomfiture of the Sadducee& perish. There were personal promises to (eee Luke xx. 40); hence they deemed it Abraham, distinguished from those made necessary again to attack J eeUB by asking to his seed (see Gen. xiii. 15; xv. 7; xvii. a question which specially appcrto.ined to 8, etc.), which were never fulfilled during their own teaching. They felt that, if they his ce.rthly life, and await reali.za.tion in a were ever to compass his overthrow, they future existence. God was the patriarchs' must first lower his creclit with the people, Father, Saviuur, Redeemer, Judge, Re- so that these might no longer care to sup- warder; he could not hold these relations port or defend him. To succeed in en- to mere du,;t e.nd ashes, but only to con- tangling Jesus in a difficulty would not scious and responsible beings, exffiting, only effect this, but would also gain them thungh in another condition, and in another a triumph over their adversaries, who had portion of God'11 creation. 'fhUII wa.e proved been eo completely defeated. Were gathered the continued existence and personality of together; ,,.1 .,.b avTo, which me.y mean, the sortl ; and the resurrection of the Lody "to the same place," as perhaps Aots ii. I ; follow■ conseqnentia.lly from this. Man is a or " on the ao.me groUDd," " for the same complex being; he he.a body and soul,neithcr purpose." The former is probably correct. of which is complete without the other. The The English versions omit the worcls (see ~oul is nut perfect man without the body, the rendering of ver. 41, where ,,.1 TO aJ.,.1, which is its organ; the body ie not perfect does not occur). They grouped themselve1 = without the soul, which anima.te11 it. around Christ, or else gathered in e. council- CH, xxn.1-46.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S'l. MATTHEW. 369