DENUNCIATION OF THE PHARISEES 1-36. Final denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees. The other synoptists insert in this place a brief utterance directed against the scribes (Mark 12:38; Luke 20:45), but the discourse as it stands is peculiar to St. Matthew. A portion of it, however, is inserted by... [ Continue Reading ]
Sit in Moses' seat] The scribes (who were ordained with the laying-on of hands) claimed to have received their authority through an unbroken succession from Moses. The 'sitting' refers to the judicial power, and the authority to teach, which all scribes or rabbis possessed, and which was centred in... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THEREFORE WHATSOEVER] In spite of the wickedness and hypocrisy of the scribes, they were to be obeyed and respected on account of their office, to which they had a legitimate right, until their place was taken by the Apostles. Similarly a duly ordained Christian minister, however much he may des... [ Continue Reading ]
Luke 11:46. BIND HEAVY BURDENS] a metaphor from overloading a beast of burden. The 'burdens,' which they 'bind into bundles,' are the intricate and troublesome observances which the scribes had added to the written Law, and had declared to be more binding than the Law itself: see on Matthew 15:2. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
MAKE BROAD THEIR PHYLACTERIES] Every male Jew above the age of thirteen was required to say both morning and evening, except on sabbaths and feasts, when the synagogue services took their place, 'the prayers of the phylacteries.' The phylacteries themselves were cubical boxes (size from ½ in. to 1½... [ Continue Reading ]
Luke 11:48; Mark 12:38. The chief seats in the synagogues were the semicircular bench round the ark facing the congregation. See further on Matthew 20:28; Mark 12:39; Luke 14:7.... [ Continue Reading ]
RABBI] (Aramaic) lit. 'my master,' a title of respect applied to a scribe duly ordained in Palestine (cp. our 'Reverend'). Our Lord, though unordained, received the title by courtesy.... [ Continue Reading ]
Father (Aramaic _abba_) and MASTERS (Matthew 23:10) are also titles of the scribes, the former being chiefly used as a prefix to the name, e.g. Abba Shaul. Some Christians take these prohibitions literally, and say that it is antichristian to use such titles of respect as 'Reverend,' 'Father in God,... [ Continue Reading ]
Luke 11:52. SHUT UP, etc.] i.e. prevent the nation from being converted. The Kingdom of Heaven is here the Church.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SEVEN WOES ON THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES. Jesus, knowing that His death was at hand, and that the conversion of His enemies was hopeless, poured upon them a torrent of righteous indignation, in the manner of the prophets of old. These woes apply equally to the ministers of the gospel, who having... [ Continue Reading ]
The omission of this v:, which has been wrongly inserted from Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47, reduces the eight woes to seven: see on Mk.... [ Continue Reading ]
TO MAKE ONE PROSELYTE] The Ethiopie version has the interesting reading 'to baptise one proselyte.' As, however, there is no evidence that the Pharisees were particularly anxious to make proselytes to Judaism, it is perhaps more probable that our Lord alludes to their zeal in making proselytes from... [ Continue Reading ]
IT IS NOTHING] i.e. it is not binding. THE GOLD OF THE TEMPLE] J. Lightfoot is probably right in regarding this gold, together with the 'gift on the altar' (Matthew 23:18), as dedicated to God, i.e. as _Corban._ An oath in which the word Corban was mentioned was held to be specially binding: see on... [ Continue Reading ]
ON DISHONEST CASUISTRY. The lax moralists of that time invented ways of evading the obligation of truthfulness, by saying that certain forms of swearing were binding and others not. Thus an oath by the Temple or the altar might be broken without sin, but not an oath by the gold of the Temple, or by... [ Continue Reading ]
Luke 11:42. J. Lightfoot remarks, 'The tithing of herbs is from the rabbins. This tithing was added by the scribes, and yet approved of by our Saviour, when He saith, “Ye ought not to leave these undone.” The more scrupulous rabbis tithed not only the seeds but the leaves and stalks of these herbs.... [ Continue Reading ]
A proverb meaning that the scribes scrupulously avoid insignificant breaches of the Law, while continually breaking its great commandments. STRAIN AT A GNAT] RV 'strain out a gnat,' viz. out of the wine that you are about to drink. The 'gnat' here is probably a minute animal bred from the fermentati... [ Continue Reading ]
Luke 11:39. YE MAKE CLEAN] see Mark 7:4; BUT WITHIN THEY] (i.e. the cups and dishes) are full of food and drink which has been obtained by extortion and excess.... [ Continue Reading ]
CLEANSE FIRST THAT] i.e. first earn your meat and drink by honest labour, not by extortion, then your cups and dishes will be clean in God's sight.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHITED SEPULCHRES] Contact with sepulchres defiled, so that the Jews smeared them with limewash yearly on the 15th day of Adar lest travellers touching them unawares should be made unclean. In Luke 11:44; Jesus compares the Pharisees to unmarked, here to marked, sepulchres, because they defiled thos... [ Continue Reading ]
Alexander Jannæus, the Maccabean king of the Jews (Matthew 104-78 b.c.), gave utterance to a very similar sentiment. On his deathbed he warned his wife to 'take heed of painted men, pretending to be Pharisees, whose works are the works of Zimri, and yet they expect the reward of Phineas.' 'Painted m... [ Continue Reading ]
TOMBS OF THE PROPHETS, etc.] It is natural to suppose that Jesus alluded to some actual building operations then going on, or recently completed near Jerusalem. Herod the Great appears to have built or adorned the tombs and cenotaphs of many Jewish worthies. Calvin well remarks, 'It is customary wit... [ Continue Reading ]
UNTO YOURSELVES] or, 'against yourselves.' The v. is an ironical commentary on the statement of the Pharisees (Matthew 23:30), 'If we had been in the days of our fathers,' etc. Jesus retorts, 'You witness to yourselves by your words that you are the literal sons of those who killed the prophets. You... [ Continue Reading ]
FILL YE UP THEN] i.e. 'Carry out your wickedness to the full, as your fathers did, by putting Me to death. You desire to do so, and I shall not hinder you.'... [ Continue Reading ]
See Matthew 3:7; Matthew 12:34. 34-36. Luke 11:49;... [ Continue Reading ]
I SEND UNTO YOU] The parallel in St. Luke (which see) has 'Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send unto them prophets,' etc. The prophets, etc., are the apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and other ministers of the Apostolic Church. Observe that here, as in Matthew 13:52, our Lord... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW OFTEN] 'It is fair to assume that Christ's exclamation over Jerusalem presupposes that the capital had repeatedly been the scene of His ministrations, which coincides with the visits on festival occasions recorded by John: cp. Acts 10:39;' (Meyer). UNDER _her_ WINGS] see 2Es 1:30.... [ Continue Reading ]
PATHETIC LAMENT OVER JERUSALEM (Luke 13:34). St. Luke places these words in another, and much less suitable connexion. As they occur in St. Matthew they form a worthy close to our Lord's ministry in Jerusalem.... [ Continue Reading ]
YOUR HOUSE] i.e. either, (1) the city itself, (2) the Temple, or, (3) the Jewish dispensation.... [ Continue Reading ]
TILL YE SHALL SAY, BLESSED _is_ HE, etc.] i.e. either, (1) till the Second Advent, when they will see Christ as judge, and will unwillingly say 'Blessed is He that cometh,' or, (2) till the conversion of Israel (see Romans 11), when true believers will see Christ by faith and willingly say,' 'Blesse... [ Continue Reading ]