_At the same time_ When Jesus had just foretold his own sufferings, death, and resurrection; _came the disciples, saying, Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?_ Which of us shall be thy prime minister in the kingdom which thou art about to set up? which they still thought would be a temporal kin... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Jesus Perceiving the thought of their heart_, says Luke, or the dispositions by which they were animated, and their ambitious views and expectations; in order to check and eradicate all such sinful inclinations and affections, he _called a little child, and set him in the midst of them_ That th... [ Continue Reading ]
_And said, Verily I say unto you_ What I say is an undoubted and most important truth, a truth which you ought not only firmly to believe but seriously to lay to heart: _except ye be converted_ Turned from these worldly and carnal views and desires; _and become like little children_ “Free from pride... [ Continue Reading ]
_And whoso shall receive one such little child_ Whosoever shall entertain or discover an affectionate regard to any one of my humble and meek followers; _receiveth me_ I shall take the kindness as done to myself. As if he had said, And all who are in this sense little children, are unspeakably dear... [ Continue Reading ]
_Wo unto the world because of offences_ That is, unspeakable misery will be in the world through them: _for it must needs be that offences come_ Such is the nature of things, and such the weakness, folly, and wickedness of mankind, that it cannot be but they will come: _but wo to that man_ That is,... [ Continue Reading ]
_See that ye despise not one of these little ones_ As if they were beneath your notice. Be careful to _receive_, and not to _offend_, the very weakest believer in Christ: for, as inconsiderable as some of these may appear to you, the very angels of God have a peculiar charge over them: even those of... [ Continue Reading ]
_How think_ ye What do you think would be the conduct of a faithful shepherd? _If a man have a hundred sheep, and_ but _one of them_ wander from the rest, _and go astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine_ in their pasture or fold, _and goeth into the mountains_, with the most solicitous care an... [ Continue Reading ]
_But if thy brother_, &c. But how can we avoid giving offence to some? or being offended at others? especially suppose they are quite in the wrong? suppose they commit a known sin? Our Lord here teaches us how: he lays down a sure method of avoiding all offences. Whosoever closely observes this thre... [ Continue Reading ]
_Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth_ By excommunication, pronounced in the Spirit and power of Christ; _whatsoever ye shall loose_ By absolution from that sentence. See note on chap. Matthew 16:19. In the primitive church, absolution meant no more than a discharge from church censure. _Again I say_ A... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then came Peter_ When Jesus had given this advice for the accommodation of differences among his disciples, Peter, imagining it might be abused by ill-disposed persons, as an encouragement to offer injuries to others, came and said, _Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?... [ Continue Reading ]
_Therefore_ In this respect; _the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a certain king_ Here our Lord illustrates the excellent morality of the preceding verse by a lively parable; in which is shown “the necessity of forgiving the greatest injuries in every case where the offending party is sensible of... [ Continue Reading ]
_One was brought who owed him ten thousand talents_ That is, according to the lowest computation, about two millions sterling. But it is probable, as the Prussian editors say, that the _ten thousand talents_ are here put for an immense sum. Hereby our Lord intimates the vast number and weight of our... [ Continue Reading ]
_But the same servant_ Thus graciously freed from such an immense debt; _went out_ From the presence of his master; _and found one of his fellow-servants which owed him a hundred pence_ A hundred Roman _denarii_, each in value about seven pence halfpenny sterling, and the whole amounting only to thr... [ Continue Reading ]
_When his fellow-servants saw what was done_ When they beheld such inhumanity, in such circumstances, and from such a man; _they were very sorry_ Exceedingly grieved at such an instance of unexampled cruelty from a man who had himself experienced such mercy; _and came and told their lord_ Gave their... [ Continue Reading ]