Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
Description oj ihe Last Judgment. MATTHEW XXVI. The Sentence of the AecuTsed. this their lilessedness is given by the apostle, in words represented?' Nay, rather, is it conceivable that they should tioi be astonislied, and almost doubt their own ears, to hear such an account of their own actions upon earth from the lips of the Judge? And remember, that Judge has come in His glory, and now sits upon the throne of His glory, and all the holy angels are with Him; and that it is from those glorified Lips that the words come foi-tli, ' Ye did all this unto Me.' Oh can we imagine such a word addressed to ourselves, and then fancy ourselves replying, 'Of course we did—To whom else did we anything? It must be others than we that are addressed, who never knew, in all their good deeds, M'hat they were about?' Rather, can we imagine ourselves not overpowered with astonishment, and scarcely able to credit the testimony borne to us by the King? 41. Then sliall he say also nnto tltcm on the left hand, Depart from me, yecnrsed, &c.—'As for you on the left hand, ye did nothing for Me. I came to you also, but ye knew Me not: ye had neither warm alfections nor kind deeds to bestow upon Me : I was as one despised in your eyes.' 'In mir eyes. Lord? We never saw Thee before, and never, sure, behaved we so to Thee.' ' But thus ye treated these little ones that believe in Me and now stand on My right hand. In the disguise of these poor members of Mine I came soliciting your pity, but ye shut up your bowels of compassion from Me: I asked relief, but ye had none to give Me. Take back therefore your own coldness, your own contemptuous distance: Ye bid Me away from your presence, and now I bid you from Muie—Depail from Me, ye cursed.'' 46. And these shall go away these "cursed" ones. Sentence, it should seem, was first pronounced—in the hearing of tlie wicked—upon the rightwliii li ^s^'cm but an e:rfpression of these: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; aecordiug as lie hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without l)lanie liefore Hmi in love." They were cliosen from everlasting to the possession and enjoyment of all spiritual blessings in Christ, and so chosen in order to be lioly and blameless in love. This is the holy love whose practical manifestations the King is about to recount in detail; and thus we see that their whole life of love to Christ is the fruit of an eternal purpose of love to them in Christ. 35. For 1 was an Hmigeretl . . . thirsty . . . a stranger. . . 3G. KaJsed . . . sick . . . prison, and ye came nnto me. 37-39. Tlien sliall tlie rigl»teons answer liim, &c. 40. And tile King sliall answer and say nnto them, Verily I say nnto yo\i, Ac.—Astonishing dialogue this between the King, from the Throne of His glory, and His wondering people ! " I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat," &c.—'Not we,' they reply. 'We never did that, Lord ; We were born out of due time, and enjoyed not the privilege of ministering unto Thee.' 'But ye did it to these My brethren, now beside you, when cast upon your love.' ' Truth, Lord, but was that doing it to Thee ? Thy name was indeed dear to us, and we thought it an honour too great to suffer shame for it. When among the destitute and distressed we discerned anj' of the household of faith, we will not deny that our hearts leapt within ns at the discovery, and when their knock came to our dwelling, " our bowels were moved," as though " our Beloved
Himself had put in His hand by the hole of the door." Sweet was the fellowship we had with them, as if we had "entertained angels unawares;" all difference between giver and receiver somehow melted away under the beams of that love of Thine wliich knit us together ; nay, rather, as they left us with gratitude for our poor givings, we seemed the debtors—not they. But, Lord, were we all that time in company with Thee?' 'Yes, that scene was eous, who thereupon sit as assessors in the judgment npou the wicked (1 Corinthians 6. 2); but sentence is first executed, it should seem, upon the wicked, in the sight of the righteous—whose glory will thus not be beheld by the wicked, while their descent into "their own place" will be witnessed by the righteous, as Bengei, notes, into everlasting punishment— or, as in v. il, "everlasting all with Me,' replies the King—' Me in the disguise of My poor ones. The door shut against Me by others was opened by you — " Ye took Me in.'' Apprehended and imprisoned by the enemies of the truth, ye whom the truth had made free sought Me out diligently and found Me; visithig Me in My lonely cell at the risk of your own lives, and clieering My solitude ; ye gave Me a coat, for I shivered ; and then I felt warm. With cups of cold water ye moistened My parched Hps; when famished with hunger ye supplied Me with crusts, and my spirit revived — "Ye did it unto Me."' What thoughts crowd upon us as we listen to such a description of the scenes of the Liist Judgment! And In the light of this view of the heavenly dialogue, how bald and wretched, not to say unscriptural. Is that view of It to which we referred at the outset, which makes it a dialogue between Christ and heathens who never heard of His name, and of course never felt any stirrings of His love in their hearts! To us it seems a poor, superficial objection to the C7iri.s/(nra view of this scene, that Christians could never be supposed to ask such questions as the "blessed of Christ's Fatlier" are made to ask here. If there were anj' difficulty in explaining this, the difllfire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Cf. ch. 13. 42; 2 Thessalonians 1. 9, &c. This is said to be "prepareil for the devil and his angels," because they were "first in transgression." But both have one doom, because one unholy (Character, hut the righteous into life eternal 'life everlasting.' The word in both clauses, being in the original the same, should have been the same in the translation also. Thus tlie decisions of this awful day will be final, irreversible, unending.
CHAPTER XXVI.
Ver. 1-16. Christ's Finai. Announcement of His Death, as now within Two Days, and the Simult.\- NEOus Conspiracy of the Jewish Authorities to Compass it — The Anointing at Beth.\ny —Judas Agrees with the Chief Priests to Betray his Lord.
( — Mark U. 1-11 ; Luke 22. 1-6; John 12. 1-11.) For the exposition, see on Mark It. 1-11.
17-30. Preparation for and Last Celehration of the Passover, Announcement of the Traitor, and Institution of the Supper. ( — Mark It. 12-2U; Luke
John 13. 1-3, 10, 11, 18-30.) For the exposition, se« on Luke 22. 7-23. ctilty of the other view is such as to make it, at least, in- 31-35. The Desertion of Jesus by His Discipi-es, AND the Fali, of Peter Foretold. ( — Mark 14. 27-;Jl; Luke 2'2. 'ilSS; John 13. 30-38.) For the exposition, see oi\ Luke 22. ,31-38.
8iilferal)le. Hut there is no real difficulty. The surprl.se expressed is not at their being told that they acted from love to Christ, but that Chrixt Himself was the Personal
Otijeel of all tlH'ir deeds: that they found Ilim hungry, and sujiplied Him with food : that they brought water to //(m,and slaked His thirst; that seeing J/im naked and shivering, they put warm clothing upon Hlin, paid JTim
8(M6. The Agony in the Garden. (=Mark 14. 32-12; Luke 22. :?9-46.) For tlie exposition, see on Lnke '^l. 3!M(i.
47-5(1. Betrayal. AND Apprehension of Jesus—Fi,igiit or His Disciples. ( — Mark H. 43-52 ; Luke '22. 47-61 ; John v isits when l.ving In prison for the truth, and sat by bedside when laid down with sickness. This, this is the astonisliing interpretation which Jesus says " the King" will giv('to them of their own actions here Vielow. And IS. l-)'2.) For the exposition, see on Jolin 18. 1-12.
67-75. Jesus Arraigned before the Sanhedrim, Condemned to Die, and Shamefui.ly Entreated— The Fall of Peter. ( — Mark 14. 5'!-72; Luke '22.51-71; John 18. 13-18, 24-'27.) For the exposition, see ou Mark 11 will any Christian reply, ' How could this astonish them? Does not (-very Christian know that Ho does these verv t)iius;K, when He does them at all, Just as iney are hero 60
53-72,
Remorse and Suicide of Judas. MATTHEW XXVII. Crvcifizion and Death of OirUl. m CHAPTER XXVII. of the prophets under his name who stood first in the volume of the prophets. Of which sort is that also of our Saviour (Luke 24. 41), " All things must be fulfilled which are written of me in the Law, and the Prophets, and the Psalms," or the Book of Hagiographa, in wliich the Psalms were placed first.'
Ver. 1-10. Jesus led away to Pilate—Remorse and Suicide of Judas. ( = Mark 15. 1; Lnke 23. 1; John
18. 28. > Jesus Led Aivay to Pilate (v. 1, 2). For the exposition
11-26. Jesus again before Pilate—He seeks to Release Him, but at length delivers Him to be Ciiucified. (=Mark 15. 1-15; Luke 23. 1-25; John 18. 28-10.) For the exposition, see on Luke 23. 1-25, and on John 18. 28-10. of this portion, see on John 18. 28, <fec. Remorse and Suieide of Judas (v. 3-10). This portion is peculiar to Matthew. On the progress of guilt in the traitor, see on Marli 14.1-11; and on John 13.21-30. 3.
Tlii'ii Jiidas, which Iiad betrayed him, when he saw that he was coiulemited — Tlie condemnation, even
27-.33. Jesl's, Scornfully and Cruelly Entreated OF THE Soldiers, is led away to be Crucified. (=Mark thougli not unexpected, might well fill him with horror. But perliaps lliis unhappy man expected tliat, while he
15. 16-22; Luke 23. 26-31 ; John 19. 2, 17.) For the exposition, see on Mark 15. 16-22. got the bribe, the Lord would miraculously escape, as He
Crucifixion and Death of the Lord Jesus. (= Mark 15.25-37; Luke 23. 33-16; John 19. 18-30.) For the exposition, see on John 19. 18-30.
1 ad once and again done before, out of His enemies' power : and if so, his remorse would come upon him with 51-66. Signs and Circumstances following the Death OF the Lord Jesus— He is taken down from the Cross, and Buried—The Sepulchre is Guarded. (=Mark 15. 38-47; Luke 2:3. 47-56; John 19. 31-12.) The Veil Rent (v. 51). 51. And, beliold, the veil of the temple was rent in twa in from the top to the bottom This was the thick and gorgeously-wrought veil which was hung between the " holy place" and the " holiest of all the greater keenness, repented himself—but, as the issue too sadly showed. It was "the sorrow of the world, which worketh death'' (2 Corinthians 7. 10)—and brought agnlii the thirty pieces of sliver to the chief priests aMd elders—A remarkable illustration of the power of an awakened conscience. A short time before, the promisi! of this sordid pelf was temptation enough to his covetous heart to outweigh the most overwhelming obligations of duty and love; now, the possession of it so lashes him that he cannot use it, cannot even keep it! 4. Saying, I have sinned In that I have betrayed the Innocent blood—Wliat a testimony this to Jesus ! Judas had been witli Hitn in all circumstances for three years; his all," shutting out all access to the presence of God as manifested " from above the merc.y-seat and from between the cherubim"—" the Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not pel made manifest" (Hebrews 9. 8). Into this holiest of all none might enter, not even the high priest, save once a year, on the great day of atonement, and then only with the blood of atonement in his hands, which he sprinkled " upon and before the mercy-seat seven times" (Leviticus 16. 14)—to signify that access for sinners to a holy God is only through aioyiing post, as treasurer to Him and the Twelve (John 12.6), gave him peculiar opportunity of watching the spirit, disposition, and habits of his Master ; while his covetous nature and thievish practices would incline him to dark and suspicious, rather than frank and generous, interpretations of all that He said and did. If, then, he could have fastened on one questionable feature in all that he had BO long witnessed, we may be sure»that no sucli spt och as this would ever have escaped his lips, nor would he have been so stung with remorse as not to be able blood. But as they had only the blood of bulls and of goats, which could not talce away sins (Hebrews 10. 4), during all the long ages that preceded the death of Christ the thick veil remained; the blood of bulls and of goats continued to be shed and sprinkled ; and once a year access to God through an atoning sacrifice was vouchsafed— in a picture, or rather, was dramatically represented, in those symbolical actions — notliing more. But now, tlie one atoning Sacrifice being provided in the precious blood of Christ, access to this holy God could no longer be denied ; and so the moment the Victim expired on the altar, that thick veil wliich for so many ages liad been the d read symbol of separation between. God an d guilty men was, without a hand touching it, mysteriously "rent in twain from top to bottom"—" the Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was now made manifest !" How emphatic the statement, "frojn lop tobottom;" as if to say. Come boldly now to the Throne of Grace ; the to keep the money and survive his crime. And they said, What Is that to us? see thou to that—'Guiltj'or Innocent is nothing to us : We have Him now—begone!' Was ever speech more hellish uttered? 5. And he cast down the pieces of silver. Tlie sarcastic, diabolical reply which he had got, in place of the sympathy which perliaps he expected, would deepen his remorse into an agony — In the temple— the temple proper, commonly called ' the sanctuary,' or ' the holy place,' into which only the priests might enter. How is this to be explained? Perhaps he flung the money in after them. But thus were fulfilled the words of the prophet—"I cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord" (Zechariah 11. 13) — and departed, and went and hanged himself—See, for the details, on Acts 1. 18. 6. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them Into the treasury—' the Corban,' or chest containing the money dedicated to sacred purposes (see on ch. 15. 5)— because It is the price of blood—How scrupulous now! But those punctilious scruples made them unconsciously veil is clean gone ; the mercy-seat stands open to the gaze of sinners, and the way to it is spi'inkled with the blood of Him — "who through the eternal Spirit hath ottered Himself without spot to God !" Before, it was death to go in, now it is death to stay out. See more on this glorious subject on Hebrews 10. 19-22.
An Earthquake— The Rocks Rent— The Graves Opened, that the Unints which slept in them might Come Forth after their Lord's Resurrection {v. 51-53). 51. and the earth did quake—From what follows it would seem that this earthquake was local, having lor its object the rending of the rocks and the opening of the graves—and tl»e rocks rent ('were rent')—the physical creation thus sublimely proclaiming, at the bidding of its Maker, the concussion v, liich at that moment was taking place in the moral world at the most critical moment of its history. Extraordinary rents and fissures have been observed in the rocks near this spot. And tite graves were opened; and many bfidies of the saints wliich slept arose—These sleeping saints (see on 1 Thessalonians 4. 11) were Old Testament believers, who—according to the usual punctuation in our version—were quickened Into resuriection-life at the moment of their Lord's death, but lay in their graves til) His resurrection, wlun they came forth. But it 'j5 :'ai more natural, as we think, and consonant with otlie* 61 fulfil the Scripture. 9. Tlien was fulfilled tltat whlclt was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying (Zechariah
11. 12, l.S). Never was a complicated prophecy, othf'rvvi.se hopelessly dark, more marvellously fulfilled. Various conjectures have been formed to account for Mattliew's ascribing to Jeremiah a prophecy found in the book of Zechariah. But since with this book he was plainly familiar, having quoted one of Its most remarkable prophecies of Christ but a few chapters before (ch. 21. 4, 5), the question is one more of critical Interest than real importance. Perhaps the true explanation Is the following, from Liohtfoot: 'Jeremiah of old had the first place among the prophets, and hereby he comes to be mentioned above all the rest in ch. 16. 14; because he stood first In the volume of the prophets (as he proves from the learned l)AVin Ki.MCHi) therefore he Is first named. When, therefore, Matthew prf Hlucelh a text of Zechariah under the name of Jeremy he only cites the words of the volume
The Teslvmony of the Centurion. MATTHEW XXVIIL The Resurrection Announcea. fore sunset, when the Jewish sabbath commenced ; and "that sabbath day was an high day " (John 19. 31), being the first day of the feast of unleavened bread. That day being over at six on Saturday evening, they hasteneil tc take their measures. 63. Saying, Sir, we remember tlkat that deceiver—Never, remarks Bengel, will you find th.3 heads of the people calling Jesus by His own name. Ai.d yet here there is betrayed a certain uneasiness, which one almost fancies they only tried to stifie in their own minds, as well as crush in Pilate's, In case he should have any lurking suspicion that he had done wrong in yielding lo them—said, while he was yet alive—Important testimony this, from the lips of His bitterest enemies, to the reality of Christ's death; the corner-stone of the whole Christian religion—After three days—which, according to the customary Jewish way of reckoning, need signify no more than 'after the commencement of the third day '— Scriptures, to understand that only the graves were opeued, prol)ably by the earthquake, at our Lord's death, and this only in preparation for the subsequent exit of those who slept in them, when the Spirit of life should enter into them from their risen Lord, and along with Him they should come forth, trophies of His victory over the grave. Thus, in the opening of the graves at the moment of the Redeemer's expiring, there was a glorious symbolical proclamation that the death which had just taken place had "swallowed up death In victory;" and whereas the saints that slept in them were awakened only by their risen Lord, to accompany Him out of the tomb, it was fitting that "the Prince of Life" "should be l/ie F'u-nt that should rise from the dead" (Acts 26. 2.'i; 1 Corinthians 15. 20, 23; Colossians 1. 18; Revelation 1. 5). and went into the holy city—that city where He, in virtue of whose resurrection they were now alive, had been condemned—and appeared unto many—that there might be undeniable evidence of their own resurrection
I will rise again—'I rise,' In the present tense, thus reporting not only the fact that this prediction of His had reached their ears, but that thej' understood Him to look forward confidently toils occurring on the very day nanud. first, and through it of their Lord's. Thus, while it was not deemed fitting that He Himself should appear again
64:. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure—by a Roman guard — until the third day—after which, if He still lay in the grave, the imposture of His claims would be manifest to all—and say unto the people, he is risen from the dead—Did they reallj' fear tliis"? —so tlie last error shall be worse than the Arst—the i mposture of His pretended resurrection worse than that of His pretended Messiahship. 65. Pilate said unto them. Ye have a watch—The guards had already acted under orders of the Sanhedrim, with Pilate's consent; but probably they were not clear about employing them as a night-watch without Pilate's express authority, go your way, malce it as sure as ye can—'as ye know how,' or in the way ye deem securest. Though there may be no irony in this speech, it evidently insinuated that if the event should be contrary to their wish, it would not be for want of sufficient human appliances to prevent it. 66. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, seal* ing the stone—which Mark (16. 4) says was "very great " —and setting a watch—to guard it. What more could man do? But while they are trying to prevent the resurrection of the Prince of Life, God makes use of their precautions for His own ends. Their stone-covered, s'^ilsecured sepulchi'e shall preserve the sleeping dust of the Son of God free from all Indignities, in undisturbed, sublime repose; while their watch shall bo His guard of honour until the angels shall come to take their place. in Jerusalem, save to the disciples, provision was made tiiat the fiict of His resurrection should be left in no doubt.
It must be observed, however, that the resurrection of these sleeping saints was not like those of the widow of Nain's son, of Jairus' daughter, of Lazarus, and of the man who " revived and stood upon his feet," on his dead body touching the bones of Elisha (2 Kings 13. 21)—which were mere temporary recallings of the departed spirit to the mortal body, to be followed by a final departure of it " till the trumpet shall sound." But this was a resurrection once for <i/l, to life everlasting ; and so there Is no room to doubt that they went to glory with their Lord, as bright tropliies of His victory over death.
The Ccntiiriona Testimony {v. 54). 54. Now when tlie centurion—the military superintendent of the execution —ajid lliey tliat were with him watching Jesus, saw tlie earthquake—or felt it and witnessed its effects—and those things that were done—reflecting upon the entire transaction—they feared greatly—convinced of the presence of a Divine Hand—saying, Truly this was the Sou of God—There cannot be a reasonable doubt that this expression was used in the Jewish sense, and that it points to the claim which Jesus made to be the Son of God, and on which His condemnation expressly turned. Themeaning, then, clearly is, that He must have been what He professed to be; in other words, that He was no Impostor. There was no medium between those two. See, on the similar testimony of the penitent thief—"This man hath done notliing amiss"—on Luke 23. 41.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Tlie Galilean Women (v. 55, 56). 55. And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed .Tesus Tlie sense here would be belter brought out by the use of the pluperfect, 'which liad followed Josus
Ver. 1-15. Glorious Angelic Announcement on the First Day of the Week, that Christ is Risen—His Appearance to the Women—The Guards Bribed to GIVE A False account of the Resurrection. (~=Mark '—from Galilee, ministering unto him—As these dear women had ministered to Him during His glorious missionary tours
16. 1-8; Luke 21. 1-8; John 20. 1.) Tlie Resurrection Announced to the Women {v. 1-S). 1. In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn—'After the Sabbath, as it grew toward daylight'—toward the fKr»X day of the week—Luke (24. 1) has it, " very early in the morning " — properly, 'at the first appearance of daybreak;' and corresponding with this, John (20. 1) says, " when it was yet dark." See on Mark 16. 2. Not an hour, in Galilee (see on Luke 8. 1-3), so from this statement it should seem that they accompanied him and ministered to His wants .from Galilee on His final Journey to Jerusalem. 5G. Among which was Nary Magdalene—(see on Luke 8. 2)—and Mary the mother of .Tames and Josea —the wile of Cleophas, or rather Clopas, and sister of the Virgin (John 19. 25). See on ch. 13. 55, 56. and the mother of Zcbedee's children i. e., Salome: cf. Mark 15. 40. All this about the women is mentioned for the sake of what it would seem, was lost by those dear lovers of the Lord Jesus—came Mary Magdalene, and the otiier Mary " the motlier of James and Joses " (see on ch. '27. 56, 61)—to gee the sepulchre—with a view to the anointing of the body, for which they had made all their preparations. (See on Mark 16. 1, 2). And, behold, there wag i. e., there had been, before the arrival of the women—a great earthquake) for the angel of the Loril descended from heaven, Ac-And this was the state of things when the women drew near. Some Judicious critics think all this was transacted while the women were approaching; but the view wo have given, which is the prevalent one, seems the more natural. All this august preparationrecorded by Matthew alone—bespoke the grandeur of the exit which was to follow. The augcl sat upon th« is allerwanls to be related of their purchasing spices to anoint their Lord's body.
77ie Taking Down from the Cross and the Burial (v. 57-60).
. For the exposition of this portion, see on John 19. 38-12.
'lite Women mark the Sacred Spot, that they might recognize it on coming thither to Anoint the Hod;/ (v. 61). 01. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary—"the mother of Jairics and Joses," mentioned before (v. 50) alttiiig over against the sepulchre—See on Mark 16. 1. The Sepulchre Guarded (v. 62-66). 6'i. Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation i. e., after six o'clock of our Saturday evening. The crucifixion took ^ace on the PriiUiy and all waa not over till shortly be62