Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
CltrisCi: Appearance to the Women. MATTHEW XXVIII. Se Meets with the Disciplti rather, 'If this come before the governor;' i. e., not in the way of mere report, but for judicial invef ligation-we will persuade him, and secure you—The " we" and the "you" are emphatic here— ' we shall [take care to] persuade him and keep you from trouble,'* or 'save you harmless.' The grammatical form of this clause implies that the thing supposed was expected to happen. Tlie meaning then is, ' If this come before the governor—as it likely will—we shall see to it that,' &c. The " persuasion" of Pilate meant, doubtless, quieting him by a bribe, which we know otherwise he was by no means above taking (like Felix afterwards. Acts 2-1.26). 15. So they took the money, and did as they were tau,^lit— llius consenting to brand themselves with infamy—and tliis saying is commonly reported among the Jews icntil this day—to the date of the publication of this Gospel. The wonder is that so clumsy and incredible a story hist Lil so long. But those who are resolved not to come to the light will catch at straws. Justin Maktyk, who flourished about A. D. 170, says, in his ' Dialogue with Tryplio the .Tew,' that the Jews dispersed the story by means of special messengers sent to every country.
hnge stone, to overawe, with the llghtnlnK-lnstre that darted from him, the Roman guard, and do honour to his rising I>ord. 3. His countenance — or 'appearance' —was like llglitnin§^, and Iiis raiment white as snow —ihe one expressing the glory, the otlier the purity of tlie celestial abode from wliich he came. 4. And for fear of Iiim the keepers did shake, and became as (lead men—Is tlie sepulclire "sure" now, O ye chief priests? He tliat sitteth in tlie heavens doth laugh at you. 3. And the angel answered and said nnto the women, Fear not ye—The "ye" here is emphatic, to contrast their case with that of the guards. ' Let those puny creatures, sent to keep the Living One among the dead, for fear of Me shake and become as dead men (u. 4); but ye that have come hither on another errand, fear not ye' —for I know tliat ye seek Jesus, which was crucitie<l»— 'Jesus the Crucified.' 6. He is not here; for lie is risen, as he said—See ou Luke 24. 5-7. Come—as in ch. 11. 28—see the place where the Lord lay. Charming invitation! 'Come, see the spot where the Lord of glory lay: now His an empty grave: He lies not here, but He iaj/ there. Come, feast your eyes on it!' But see on John 20. 12. 7. And go quickly, and tell his disciples—For a precious addition to this, see on Mark 16. 7—tliat he Is risen fi-om the dead ; and, behold, he goetli before you Into Galilee—to which those women belonged (ch. 27. 5.5). tlieresliall yeseeliim—This must refer to those more public manifestations of Himself to large numbevs of disciples at once, which He vouchsafed only in Galilee; for individually He was seen of some of those very women almost immediately after this (v. 9, 10). Lio, I have told you—Behold, ye have this word from the world of light! 8. And tliey departed quickly—Mark (16. 8) says "they fled"— from the sepulchre with fear and great joy. How natural this combination of feelings! See on a similar statement of Mark 16. 11. and did run to bring his disciples word—"Neitlier said they anything to any mau [by the way]; foi they were afraid" (Mark 16. 8). Appearance to the Women (u. 9. 10). This appearance is recorded only by Matthew. 9. And as they went to tell his disciples, beliold, Jesus met them, saying, All Iiail
16-20. Jesus Meets with the Disciples on a Mountain IN Galilee, and gives forth the Great Commission. IG. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee—but certainly not before the second week after the resurrection, and probably somewhat later, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed tliem—It should have been rendered 'the mountain,' meaning some certain mountain which He had named to them— probably the night before He suflered, when He said, "After I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee" (eh.
26. 32; Mark 14. 28). What it was can only be conjectured ; but of the two between which opinions are divided—Ihe Mount of the Beatitudes or Mount Tabor—the former is much the more probable, from its nearness to the Sea of Tiberias, where last before this the Narrative tells us that He met and dined with seven of them. (John 21.1, itc. ) That the interview here recorded was the same witli that referred to in one place only—1 Corinthians 15.6—when "He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; nf whom the greater part remained unto that da.v, thoui;h some were fallen asleep," is now the opinion of the ablest students of the evangelical history. Nothing can account for such a number as five hundred assembling at one spot but the expectation of some promised manifestation of their risen Lord: and the promise before His resurrection, twice repeated after it, best explains this inijnense g.atlieririg. 17. And when they saw him, tliey worshipped him ; but some doubted—certainly none of "the Eleven," alter what took place at previous interviews in Jerusalem. But if the five hundred were now present, we may well believe this of some of them. 19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations—rather, 'make disciples of all nations;' lor "teaching," in the more usual sense of that word, comeft in afterwards, and is expressed by a dil Terent term—baptising them in the name—It should be, 'into the name;' as in 1 Corinthians
—the usual salute, but from tlie lips of Jesus bearing a higher signification. And tliey came and held him by the feet—How trulj' womanly !—and worshipped liim. 10. Tlieii said Jesus unto them. Be not afraid—What dearassociations would these faniiliar words—now uttered
In a higher style, but by the same Lips—bring rushing hack to their recollection! go tell my bretliren tliat they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me—The brethren here meant must have been His brethren after the flesh (cf. 13. 55); for His brethren in the higher sense
(see on John 20. 17) had several meetings with Him at Jerusalem before He went to Galilee, which they would have missed if they had been the persons ordered to Galilee to meet Him.
The Guards Bribed (v. 11-15). The whole of this Important portion is peculiar to Matthew. 11. Now when they we»-e going—while the women were on their way to deliver to His brethren the messageof their risen Lord—some of tlie watch came into the city, and 8liowe<l unto tiie chief priests all the tilings that were done—Simple, unsophisticated soldiers ! How could ye imagine tliat such a tale as ye had to tell would not at once commend itself to your scared employers? Had they doubted this for a moment, would they have ventured to go near them, knowing It was death to a Roman soldier to be proved asleep when on guard? and of course tliat was the only other explanation of the ease. 1!J. And when tliey were
10. 2, " And were all baptized unto (or rather 'ixto') Moses ;'' and Galatians 3. 27, " For as many of you as have been h;\ ptized into Clhrist"—of tlie Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; 39. Teaching them—This is ttaeliing in the more usual sense of the term; or instructing the converted and baptized disciples—to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you : and, lo, I —The " /" here is emphatic. It is enough that 7—am witli you alway—'all the days;' i. e., till making converts, baptiiiing, and building them up b.v Christian instrn. -
with tile elders—Hut Joseph at least was absent: Gjinialii'l probably also; and perhaps others—and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers—It would need a good deal; but the whole case of the Jewish authorities was now at stake. With what ronlcmpt must these soldiers have regarded the .Jewish pccleslastics ! 1.3. Saying, Say ye. His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept—which, as we have observed, was a capital offence for soldiers on guard. 14. And if this come to the governor's ears tion, shall i)e no more—even unto the end of llie world. Amen—This glorious Commission emliraces two prliiiary departments, the Missionary find the Pastoral, with two sublime and comprehensive Encourar/ements to undertake and go througli with them.
First, The Missionary department (v. IS): "Go, make disciples of all nations." In the corresponding passage of Mark (16.15) it is, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creatuift." The onl.v difference is, that in this passage the rphere, in its world63
introduction. MAKE. Introductioh,
manded j'ou," My apostles, during the three years ye have been with Me.
wide compass and its universality of objects, is more fully and definitely expressed; while in the former tlie great nini and certain result is deliglitfully expressed in thecommand to "make disciples ot all nations." 'Go, conquer the world for Me ; carry the glad tidings into all lands and to every ear, and deem not this work at an end till all ua-
What must have been the feelings which snch a Commission awakened? 'We conquer the world for Thee, Lord, who have scarce conquered our own misgivings we, tishermen of Galilee, witli no letters, no means, no influence over the humblest creature? Nay, Lord, do not mock us.' 'I mock you not, nor send .you a warfare on your own charges. For'—Here we are brouglit to Third, The Encouraoembnts to undertake and go through with this work. These are two; one in the van, the other in the rear of the Commission itself.
tiotjs-- >*hall have embraced tlie Gospel and enrolled themselves My disciples.' Now, Was all this meant to bedone by the Eleven men nearest to Him of the multitude then crowding around the risen Redeemer? Impossible. Was it to be done even in their lifetime? Surely not. In that little band Jesus virtually addressed Himself to all who, in every age, should take up from them the same work. Before the eyes of the Cliurch's risen Head were spread out, in those Eleven men, all His servants of every age; and one and all of them received His commission at that moment. Well, what next? Set the seal of visible discipleship upon the converts, by "baptizing them into the name," i. e., into tlie whole fulness of the grace "of the Kaiher, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," as belonging to them who believe. (See on 2 Corinthians 13.
First Encouragement: "All power in heaven"—the whole power of Heaven's love and wisdom and strength, " and all power in eart/i"—power over all persons, all passions, al principles, all movements—to bend them to this one high object, the evangelization of the world: All this "is given unto Me," as the risen Lord of all, to be by Me placed at your command—" Go ye therefore." But there remains a—
Second Encouragement: "And lo! lam with you all the days"—not only to perpetuity, but without one day's interruption, " even to the end of the world," The "Amen" li.j This done, the Missionary department of your work, wliicli in its own nature is temporary, must merge iii another, whicli is permanent. This is Second, The Pastoral department {v. 20): "Teach tliem"—teach these baptized members of the Churchvisible—"to observe ail things whatsoever I have comis of doubtful genuineness in this place. If, however, it belongs to the text, it is the Evangelist's own closing word.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
INTEODUCTION.
That the Second Gospel was written by Mark is universally agreed, though by what Mark, not so. The great majorit.y of critics take the writer to be "John whose surname was Mark," of whom we read in the Acts, and who was "sister's son to Barnabas" (Colossians 4. 10). But no reason whatever is assigned for this opinion, for which the tradition, though ancient, is not uniform; and one cannot but wonder how it is so easily taken for granted by Wetstein, Hi'H, Meyek, Ebrakd, Lange, Ellicott, Davidson, Treqelles, &c. Alford goes the length of saying it 'has l)eea universally believed that he was the same person with the John Mark of tlie Gospels.' But Grotius thought dillinently, and so did Schleiebmacher, Campbell, Burton, and Da Costa; and the grounds on which it is concluded tliat tliey were two ditlerent persons appear to us quite unanswerable. 'Of John, surnamed Mark,' says Ca-mpbell, in his Preface to this Gospel, 'one of the first things we learn is, that lie attended Paul and Barnabas in tlieir apostolical journeys, wli Qii these two travelled together (Acts 12.2-5; 13.5). And when afterwards there arose a dispute between them concerning him, insomuch tliat they separated, Mark accompanied his uncle Barnal>as, and
Silas attended Paul. Wlien Paul was reconciled to Mark, which was probably soon after, we find Paul again employing Mark's assistance, recommending him, and giving him a very honourable testimony (Colossians 4. 10) ; 2 Timothy 4. 11 ; Pliilemon 24). But we hear not a syllable of his attending Peter as his minister, or assisting him in any capacity:' and yet, as we sliall presently see, no tradition is more ancient, more uniform, and better sustained by internal evidence, than that Mai k, in his Gospel, was but ' the interpreter of Peter,' who, at the close of his first Epistle speaks of him as ' Marcus my son' (I Peter 5. 13), that is, without doubt, his son in the Gospel—converted to Chrisi through his instrumentality. And when we consider how little the Apostles Peter and Paul were together—how seldom they even met—how diflfcrent were their tendencies, and how separate their spheres of labour, is there not, In tlie absence of all evidence of the fact, something approaching to violence in the supposition that tlie same Mark was
1 he intimate associate of both ? ' In brief,' adds Campbell, ' the accounts given of Paul's attendant, and those of
Peter's interpreter, concur in nothing but the name, Mark or Marcus; too slight a circumstance to conclude the sameness of the person from, especially when we consider how common the name was at Rome, and how customary il was for the Jews in that age to assume some Roman name when they went thither.'
Kegarding the Evangelist Mark, then, as another person from Paul's companion in travel, all we know of his personal history is that he was a convei-t, as we have seen, of the Apostle Peter. But as to his Gospel, the tradition regarding Peter's hand in it is so ancient, so uniform, and so remarkably confirmed by internal evidence, that we must regard it as an established fact. ' Mark,' says Pai'IAS (according to the testimony of EUSEBIUS, licdesia Micnl History,
3. 3S)), ' becoming the inta-preteiof I'eter, wrote accurately, though not in order, whatever he remembered of what was either said or done by Christ; for he was neither a hearer of the Lord nor a follower of Him, but afterwards, as I said, llie was a follower] of I'eter, who arranged the discourses for use, lint not according lo the order In which they were ultf'reil by the Lord.' To the same elfect iRENiEUS {adverses IlyifiUESES, 3. 1): 'Matthew published a Gospel while IVIer and Paul were preaching and founding the Church at Rome; and after their departure (or decease), Mark, the di.ioiplt and i titerprctcr of Peter, Ik; also gave forth to us in writing tlie things which were preached by Peter.' And Clement of Alexandria is still more specific, in a passage preserved to us by Euseuius {Ecclesiastical History, (i. II; : ' Petor having publicly preached the word at Rome, and spoken forth the Gospel by the Spirit, many of those present ax« t)4