Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
Discourse on Ceremuniai Pollution. MATTHEW XV. Man is not Dtfile.d by ichal he EaU.
Baptist—who had lain in prison for probably more than a year—had been cruelly put to death.
by me; but I have gifted it to pious uses, and therefore, at whatever cost to thee, I am not now at liberty to alienate any portion of it.' "And," it is added in Mark, "ye suffer him no more to do aught for his father or liig mother." To dedicate property to God is indeed lawful and laudable, but not at the expense of filial duty. Thus have ye made the commandment of Gotl of none cfr<ct —
Herod s Theory of the Works of Christ (v 1, 2). 1. At that time Herod tUe tctrarcli—Herod Antipas, one of the three sons of Herod the Great, and own brother of Archelaus (ch. 2. 22), wlio ruled as Elhnarch over Galilee and Peiea. Ixeard of the fame of Jesus—"for His name was spread abroad (Mark 6. 14). 2. And said unto his servants—his counsellors or court-ministers—Tills is John the Baptist: he is risen from the dead, &c.—The murdered prophet haunted his guilty breast like a spectre, and seemed to him alive again and clothed with unearthly
' cancelled ' or ' nullified ' it,—by your tradition. 7. Ve hypocrites, well did Esalas prophesy of you, saying (Isaiah 29. 13)— 8. This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, &c. By putting tlie commandments of men on a level with the Divine requirements, their whole worship was rendered vain—a principle of deep moment in the service of God. "For," it is added in Mark powers in the person of Jesus.
Account of the Baptist's Imprisonment and Death (v. 3-12). For the exposition of this portion, see on Mark 6. 17-29.
7. 8, " laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups; and many other such like things ye do." The drivelling nature of their multitudinous observances is here pointedly exposed, In contrast witli the manly observance of "the commandment of God;" and when our Lord says, "Many other such like things ye do," it is implied that He had but given a specimen of tlie hideous treatment which the Divine law received, and the grasping disposition which, under the mask of pietj , was manifested by the ecclesiastics of that day. 10. And he called the multitude, and said unto them—The foregoing dialogue, though in the people's hearing, was between Jesus and the Pharisaic cavillers, whose object was to disparage Him with the people. But Jesus, having put them down, turns to the multitude, who at this time weie prepared todrink in everything He said, and with admirable plainness, strength, and brevity, lays down the great principle of real pollution, by which a world of Viomlage and uneasiness of conscience would be dissipated in a moment, and the sense of sin be reserved for deviations from the holy and eternal law of God. Hear and understand : 11. Not that which goeth into the mouth de— flleth a man ; but that wlkich cometh out of the mouth, this deliletli a man—This is expressed eveu more emphatically in Mark (17.15, IG), and it is theio added, "If any man have ears to hear, let him liear.'* As in ch. 13. 9, this so oft-repeated saying seems designed
12-21. Hearing of T:pE Baptist's Death, Jesus Crosses the Lake with the Twelve, and MiRActiLOUSLY Feeds Five Thousand. (=Mark 6. 30-11 ; Luke
9. 10-17 ; John 6. 1-14.) For the exposition of this section one of the very few where all the four Evangelists run parallel—see on Mark 6. 30-44.
22-36. Jesus Crosses to the Western Side of the Lake, Walking on the Sea—Incidents on Landing. (=Mark 6. 45; John 6. 15-24.) For the exposition, see on John 6. 15-24.
CHAPTER XV.
Ver. 1-20. Discourse on Ceremonial Pollution. (=Mark 7. 1, 23.) The time of this section was after that Passover which was nigh at hand when our Lord fed the five thousand (John 6. 4)—the third Passover, as we take it, since His public ministry began, but which He did not keep at Jerusalem for the reason mentioned in John 7. 1.
1. Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which irere of—or
' from '—Jerusalem—Mark says they "came from" it: a deputation probably sent from the capital expressly to watch Him. As He had not come to them at the last Passover, which they had reckoned on, they now come to Him. " And,'' says Mark, " when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen hands "—hands not ceremonially cleansed by washing—"they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft" lit., 'in ' or to call attention to the fundamental and universal character of the truth it refers to. 13. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, K-nowest thou that the Pharisees were olfended, after they heard this saying!—They had given vent to their irritation, and perhaps threats, not to our Lord Himself, from whom they seem to have slunk away, but to some of the disciples, who report it to their Master. 13. But he answered and said. Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up—' Thej' are offended, are they 7 Heed
' with the fist ;' i. e., probably washing the one hand by the use of the other—though some understand it, with our version, in the sense of 'diligently,' 'sedulouslj'" "eat not, holding the tradition of the elders;" acting religiously accordihg to the custom handed down to them. "And when they come from the market"—'And after market:' after any common business, or attending a court of justice, where the Jews, as Webster and Wilkinson remark, after their subjection t& the Romans, were especially exposed to intercourse and contact with it not: their corrupt teaching Is already doomed: the garden of the Lord upon earth, too long cumbered with their presence, shall yet be purged of them and their accursed system: yea, and whatsoever is not of the planting of My heavenly Father, the great Husbandman (John heathens—"except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups and pots, brazen vessels and tables"—rather, 'couches,' such as were used at meals, which probably were merely sprinkled for ceremonial purposes. " Tlien the Pharisees and scribes asked Him," saying, '-J. Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders T for they wash not their hands when tliey eat bread. 3. But Ike answered anfl said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition 1—The charge is retorted with startling power: 'The tradition they transgress is but man's, and is itself the occasion of heavy transgression, undermining the authority of God's law.' 4. For God commanded, saying—(Exodus 20. 12; &c.)—Honour ihy fatlter and mother; and — (Exodns 21.17; &c.) — He tliat cursetii fatlier or mother, let him die titc
15. 1), shall share the same fate.' 14. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, botli sliall fall into the ditch—Striking expression of the ruinous efi'ects ot erroneous teaching 1 15. Tlxen answered Peter and said unto Iiim—" wlieil He was entered into the house from the people," says M.ark—Declare unto us this parable. 10. And Jesus said. Are ye also yet wltliout understanding!—Slowness of spiritual apprehension in Ills genuine disciples grieves tlie Saviour: from others He expects no bolter
(ch. 13. U). 17, 18. Do not ye yet understand titat whatsoever cntercth In at the mouth, &c.—Familiar though these sayings have now become, wh.at freedom from bondage to outward things do they proclaim, on the one hand, and on the other, how searching Is the trulb which tliey express—that nothing which enters from without can really detUe us; and that only the evil that
5. But ye say, Whosoever shnll say to his father or his motlier, It is a gifi-or .simply, 'A gift!" In JJarlc it is, " C'orban !" i.e., 'An oblation!' moaning, any unbloody offering or gift dedicated to sacred uses. I>y wliatsoever tliou mlghtcst be profited by me; G, And honour not his father or his mother, [lie shall be free]—</. tZ., 'It Is true, fatlier-motlier—that by giving to Lhec this, which 1 now present, thou mightest be profited in 111 the heart, that is allowed to stir there, to rise up la thought and all'ectlon, and tc flow forth In voluntary action, really defiles a man ! ID. For out of the heart proceed evil thought*— ' evil reasonings;' referring lio:«
Pe.ler'f Noble Confission of Christ. MATTHEW XVI. The Benediction rronounced upun Him.
them this question. 14. And they said, Some say that thou art .Tolm the Baptist—risen from the dead. So that Herod Antipas was not singular in his surmise more Immediately to those corrupt reasonings which had
Ble:iltlii!y introc Uiced and gradually reared up that hideous fabric of tradition which at length practically nulli-
(cli. U. 1, 2). some, Ellas—(Cf. Mark 6. 15)—and others, Jeremlas—Was this theory suggested by a supposed resemblance between the "Man of Sorrows" and 'tlie weeping prophet?' or one of the prophets — or, a» Luke (9.8) expresses it, "that one of the old prophets fied the unchan Kcable principles of the moral law. But tlie statement is far broader than this, t)i2., that the first shape which the evil that is in the heart takes, when it begins actively to stir, is that of 'considerations' or ' rea-
Konings' on certain suggested actions, miirdfrs, rcIuIis risen ag.-vin." In another report of the popular opinions which Mark (6. 15) gives us, it is thus expressed, "That it is a prophet [or], as one of the prophets:" teries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blaspliemles —•detractions,' whether directed against God or man; here the reference seems to be to the latter. Mark adds,
covetousnesses"—or desires after more; " wickednesses" —here meaning, perhaps, ' malignities' of various form;
In other words. That he was a prophetical person, resembling those of old. 15. He saith unto them, But whom —rather, "Who"—say ye that I amT—He had never put this question before, but the crisis He was reaching made
"deceit, lasciviousness" — meaning, 'excess' or 'enormity' of any kind, though by later writers restricted to lewdness; "an evil ej'e"—meaning, all looks or glances it fitting that He should now have it from them. We may suppose this to be one of those moments of which the prophet says, in His name, "Then I said, I have laboured in vain; I have spent my strength for naught, and in vain" (Isaiah 49. 4): Lo, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree ; and what is it? As tire result of all, I am taken for John the Baptist, for Ellas, for Jeremias, for one of tlie prophets. Yet some there are that have beheld My glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father, and I shall hear their voice, for it is sweet. 16. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, tlie Son of the living God—He does not say, 'Scribes and Pharisees, rulers and people, are all perplexed ; and shall we, unlettered fishermen, presume to decide?' But feeling the light of his Master's glory shining in his soul, he breaks fortli—not in a tame, prosaic acknowledgment, 'I believe that thou art,' &c.—but in the language of adoration—such as one uses in worship, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God !" He first owns Him the promised Messiah (see on ch. 1. 10); then he rises higher, echoing the voice from heaven—"This is my beloved Sou, in whom I am well pleased;" and in tlie Important addition—"Son of the Living God"— he recognizes the essential and eternal of en v^', jealousy, or ill-will towards a neighbour; " pride, loolisliness"—in the Old Testament sense of "folly;" i. e., criminal senselessness, the folly of the heart. How appalling is this blacli catalogue! 30. These are the things which defile a man r but to eat with nnwashen hands deiiletlt not a man—Thus does our Lord sum up this v. liole searching discourse.
21-28. The Woman of Canaan and her Daughter. For the exposition, see on Mark 7. 2i-.30.
29-39. Miracles of Healing—Four Thousand Miraculously Fed. For the exposition, see on Mark 7. 31;
8. 10. CHAPTER XVI.
Ver. 1-12. A Sign from Heaven Sought and RerrsED Caution against the Leaven of the Pharisees AND Sadducees. For the exposition, see on Mark
8. 11-21.
13-28. Peter's Noble Concession of Christ, and the Benediction Pronounced upon him — Christ's Fipsx Explicit Announcement of His Approaching .SofFEHiNGs, Death, and Resurrection—His Rebuke of Peter and Warning to all the Twelve. (-=Mark life of God as in this His .Son—though doubtless without that distinct perception afterwards vouchsafed. 17. And Jesus answered and said unto him. Blessed art thou Though it is not to be doubted that Peter, in this noble testimony to Christ, only expressed the conviction of all the Twelve, yet since He alone seems to have had clear enough apprehensions to put that conviction in proper and suitable words, and courage enough to speak them out, and readiness enough to do this at the right time—so he only, of all the Twelve, seems to have.met the present want, and communicated to the saddened soul of the Redeemer at the critical moment that balm which was needed to cheer and refresh it. Nor is Jesus above giving indication of the deep satisfaction which this speech yielded Him, and hastening to respond to It by a signal acknowledgment of Peter in return. Simon-Barjona—
8. 27 ; 9. 1 ; Luke 9. 18-27.) The time of this section—which
Is beyond doubt, and will presently be mentioned—is of Immense importance, and throws a touching interest around the incidents which It records. Peter's Confession, and the Benediction pronounced upon him {v. 13-20). 13. When Jesus came into the coasts—
' the parts,' t. e., the territory or region. In Mark (8. 27) it is "the towns" or villages.' of Cesarea Phlllppi—It lay at the foot of Mount Lebanon, near the sources of the Jordan, in the territory of Dan, and at the north-east extremity of Palestine. It was originally called Panium (from a cavern In its neighbourhood dedicated to the god Pan) and
Panecus. Philip, the tetrarcli, the only good son of Herod the Great, in whose dominions Paneas lay, having beautified and enlarged it, changed its name to Cesarea, in honour of the Roman emperor, and added Philippi after
Ills own name, to distinguish it from the otlier Cesarea or, 'son of Jona' (John 1. 42), or Jonas (John 21. 15). This name, denoting his humble fleshly extraction, seems to liave been purposely here mentioned, to contrast the more vividly witli the spiritual elevation to which Divine illumination had raised him. for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee—'This is not the fruit of human teaching.' but my Father which is in heaven —In speaking of God, Jesus, it is to be observed, never calls Him, "Our Father" (see on John 20. 17), but eitlier "your Father"—when He would encourage His timid believing ones with the assurance that He was theirs, and teach themselves to call Him so—or, as here, " My Father," to signify some peculiar action or aspect of Him as " the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." 18. And I say also unto thee q. d., ' As thou hast borne such testimony to Me, even so in return do I to thee.' That thou art Peter—At his first calling, this new name was announced to him as an honour a/<eru)ar(ij to be conferred on him (John 1. 43). Now he gets it, with an explanation of what it was meant to convey, and upon this rock—As "Peter" and "Rock" are one word in the dialect familiarly spoken by our Lord—the Aramaic or Syro-Chaldalc, which was the mother tongue of the couuf Acts 10. 1) on the north-east coast of the Mediterranean
6i;a, (JosEPHUS, Antiquities, 15. 10, 3; 18. 2, 1.) This quiet and distant I'etreat Jesus appears to have sought with the view of talking over with the Twelve the fruit of His past labours, and breaking to them for the first time the sad intelligence of His approaching death, he asked hlg disciples—" by the way," says Mark (8. 27), and "as He was alone praying," says Luke (9. 18)—saying, Whom or more grammatically, " Who"—<lo men say that I the Son of man ami—[or, ' that the.Son of man Is'—the recent editors omitting here the TO« of Mark and Luke; though the evidence seems pretty nearly balanced]—7. d., 'What are the views generally entertained of Me, the Son of man, after going up and down among them so long?' He had now closed the first groat stage of His ministry, and was just entering on *lie last dark one. His spirit, burdened, nought relief in letireraent, not only from the multitude, but even for a season from the Twelve. He retreated into "the secret place of the Most High," pouring out His •oul "In supplications and prayers, with strong crying and tears" (Hebrews 5. 7). On rejoining His disciples, und as thejwei'e pursuing tueir quiet Journey, He asked