The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 595

sideration of the faot wbioh we have ■tated, know that it would give supematoml Im• nnd of our Rpprehension of 110me impostnre. portanoe to all the words e.nd acts of his life. The rulers had no power in themselves to Ver. 65.-Ye have a watoh (lxf1't 1<ov- take the measures which they required. o-,-011llav, take a guard). Pilato answers briefl.y Jeeus WR.I! a state oriminal, and they dared and haughtily," Well, I give permission; do not essume the responsibility of guarding as you like; take a body of soldiers as a hill tomb from invasion. Until the third guard, and go your way." This last verb Is day. Which was all that was neoessary, as imperative, so the former is most probably Christ had promised to rise on that day- imperative also. If taken as indioo.tive, the neither before nor after it; and if it passed question arises-What guard had they? without the predkted event, he would be This ie difficult to answer, unless, as Alford proved to be an impostor. Come by night supposes, it may refer to some detaohment (vvwr&s). This word is absent from the placed at their disposal during the feast. best manuscripts and from the Vulgate. It But of this we know nothing historioally, seems to have been an early interpolation. Make it a1 sure ( licrtpa>,.lo-auBf, aecure it /or And steal him away. A most unlike1y hypo- yow·seh,e,) aa ye OIUI.; literally, a, ye knoto thesis under the circumetanccs. The dis- how. Take any precaution you think fit ciples bad for&&ken Christ while alive, were to employ. now hiding in terror, and utterly demo- Ver. 66.-So they (ol ai, and they) we11.t. ralized and depressed ; were they likely to They left the procurator's presence, relieved incur further danger for the sake of enp- at having gained their request and pre- porting an assertion, which, unless it proved cluded all fear of collusion. See.ling the absolutely true, would only further crush stone, and setting a watoh (µf,-a ,-;js 1<ou- their faith and hope? The rulers seem cr,-01lll1U,withtlwn.oatch; cum 01J11todibua). The to have had on uneasy feeling the.t Jesus last words are variously rendered. Thus: might reappear, and they thus prepared "sealed the stone by means of the watoh " themselve.s to cast discredit upon him, even (Alford); "sealing the stone, the guard if, like Lazarus, he rose from the dead. being with them" (Revised Version) ; "as This explanation of the Resurrection has well ae having the watch" (Webster and obtained e.mong the Jews from the time of Wilkinson); "in concert with the guard" Justin Martyr('Die.l.o. Tryph.,' xvii; cviii), (Morison). This le.et expositor has best and has sc:i.rcely yet died out, though in seized the complex notion contained in the many quarters what is called the " vision- evangelist's language: "They made the hypothesis" has taken its place (see on eh. sepulchre sure by sealing the stone in con- xniii. 15, and Edersbei.m, ii pp. 626, etc.). cert with the guard (and therea.fter leaving The people. The Pharisees were always the guard to keep we.tch)." The stone was disdainful of the vulgar herd. " This people sealed probably in this manner: a cord who knoweth not the Law are cursed" wae passed round the stone that closed the (John vii 49). The last error . .. the first. mouth of the sepulchre to the two sides of "Error" is w>..av71, ns they he.d called Christ the entrance; this was sealed with wax or- w>..avos (ver. 63), so the word here me.y be prepared clay in the centre and at the ends, ta.ken actively, ae meaning "imposture." so that the stone could not be removed with- The deception arising from bis death and out breaking the seals or the cord (comp. supposed resurrection would be of graver Dan. vi. 17). Thus oarefully did Ohriet's consequence than that concerned with his enemies obviate the possibility of any fraud previous life. Morison, considering the word or collusion; thus did they themselves to have its nB11&l meaning of "error," regards prove Ullanswerably the truth and reality it as used by the Pharisees in a political sense, of the re.surrection of that same Jesus whose in accordance with the governor's stand- dead body they so carefully guarded. point: "If that deceiver's body should be "Everywhere deceit recoils upon itself, and lltolen by his disciples, the fickle people against its will supports the truth. It wa.e will undoubtedly leap back to their old necessary for it to be believed that he died, conclusion, that after all he was what he and that he rose again, and that he was professed to be. Thie conclaeion would be, buried, and all these things are brought to as we all know, an ' error ; ' but yet it pass by his enemiea. . . . The proof of his would be most injurious to the interests of resurrection has become incontrovertible by Cesar. There would be more politica.l dis- what ye [his enemies] have put forward. affection than ever." It ill more simple to For because it was sealed, there was no say that the first error, the acceptance of unfair dealing. But if there was no unfair Christ's Meesianio claims, was not of sach dealing, and the sepulchre was found empty, decided and far-reaching conllequence ae it is manifest that he ie risen, plainly and would be the belief in his resurrection. inoontrovertibly. Beeet thou how even They do not, indeed, see all that such belief a.go.inst their will they contencl for the proof illvolvea; but they understood eDough to c,f the trut~?" (St. Ohryeostoro, in loo.). (111, nvn. 1-GG.] T11E GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 601