CHAPTER 19.
FAREWELL TO GALILEE.
In Mt.'s narrative the journey of Jesus to the south, reported in
Matthew 19:1, marks the close of the Galilean ministry. Not so
obviously so in Mk.'s (see notes there), though no hint is given of a
return to Galilee. It is not perfectly clear whether the incidents... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ ἐγένετο … λόγους τούτους : similar
formulae after important groups of _logia_ in Matthew 7:28; Matthew
11:1; Matthew 13:53. μετῆρεν : also in Matthew 13:53, _vide_
notes there; points to a change of scene worthy of note, as to
Nazareth, which Jesus rarely visited, or to Judaea, as here. ἀπὸ
τ. Γ... [ Continue Reading ]
_Introductory_, _cf._ Mark 10:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἠκολούθησαν : the crowds follow as if there had been no
interruption, in Mt.; in Mk., who knows of a time of hiding (Matthew
9:30), they reassemble (Matthew 10:1). ἐθεράπευσεν α.
ἐκεῖ : a healing ministry commences in the south; in Mk. a
teaching ministry (Matthew 10:1).... [ Continue Reading ]
φ. πειράζοντες : Pharisees again, tempting of course;
could not ask a question at Jesus without sinister motives. εἰ
ἔξεστιν : direct question in indirect form, _vide_ on Matthew
12:10. ἀπολῦσαι … κατὰ πᾶσαν αἰτίαν :
the question is differently formulated in the two accounts, and the
answer differen... [ Continue Reading ]
_The marriage question_ (Mark 10:2-9).... [ Continue Reading ]
οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε : the words quoted are to be found in
Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:24. ὁ κτίσας : the participle with
article used substantively = the Creator. ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς goes
along with what follows, Christ's purpose being to emphasise the
primitive state of things. From the beginning God made man, male and... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ εἶπεν : _God_ said, though the words as they stand in
Gen. may be a continuation of Adam's reflections, or a remark of the
writer. ἕνεκεν τούτου : connected in Gen. with the story
of the woman made from the rib of the man, here with the origin of
sex. The sex principle imperiously demands that a... [ Continue Reading ]
ὥστε with indicative, expressing actual result as Christ views
the matter. They _are_ no longer two, but one flesh, one spirit, one
person. ὃ οὖν : inference from God's will to man's duty. The
creation of sex, and the high doctrine as to the cohesion it produces
between man and woman, laid down in G... [ Continue Reading ]
τί οὖν, etc.: such doctrine could not be directly gainsaid, but
a difficulty might be raised by an appeal to Moses and his enactment
about a bill of divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1). The Pharisees seem to have
regarded Moses as a patron of the practice of putting away, rather
than as one bent on mitigatin... [ Continue Reading ]
πρὸς τ., with reference to. σκληροκαρδίαν : a word
found here and in several places in O. T. (Sept [110]), not in profane
writers; points to a state of heart which cannot submit to the
restraints of a high and holy law, literally uncircumcisedness of
heart (Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4). ἐπέτρεψε... [ Continue Reading ]
Matthew 19:9, _ide_ notes on Matthew 5:31-32.... [ Continue Reading ]
αἰτία : a vague word. We should say: if such be the state of
matters as between husband and wife, and that is doubtless what is
meant. So interpreted, αἰτία would = _res, conditio_. (So
Grotius.) Fritzsche regards the phrase ἡ αἰτία τ. ἀ. μ.
τ. γ. as in a negligent way expressing the idea: if the re... [ Continue Reading ]
_Subsequent conversation with the disciples_. Christ's doctrine on
marriage not only separated Him _totacœlo_ from Pharisaic opinions of
all shades, but was too high even for the Twelve. It was indeed far in
advance of all previous or contemporary theory and practice in Israel.
Probably no one befor... [ Continue Reading ]
ὁ δὲ εἶπεν. Jesus catches up the remark of the disciples,
and attaches to it a deeper sense than they thought of. Their idea was
that marriage was not worth having if a man must put up with all the
faults and caprices of a woman, without possibility of escape, except
by gross misconduct. He thinks o... [ Continue Reading ]
is an explanatory commentary on δέδοται. εὐνοῦχος :
keeper of the bedchamber in an Oriental barem (from εὐνή, ed, and
ἔχω), a jealous office, which could be entrusted only to such as
were incapable of abusing their trust; hence one who has been
emasculated. Jesus distinguishes three sorts, two physi... [ Continue Reading ]
τότε : if the order of the narrative reflect the order of events,
this invasion by the children was a happy coincidence after those
words about the sacred and indissoluble tie of marriage and the duty
of subordinating even it to the claims of the kingdom.
προσηνέχθησαν, passive, by whom brought not... [ Continue Reading ]
_Children brought for a blessing_ (Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17).... [ Continue Reading ]
ἄφετε, μὴ κωλύετε : visits of the children never
unseasonable; Jesus ever delighted to look on the living emblems of
the true citizen of the Kingdom of God; pleased with them for what
they were naturally, and for what they signified. τοιούτων, of
such, _i.e._, the child- _like_; repetition of an old... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐπορεύθη ἐκεῖθεν; He departed thence, no indication
whence or whither. The results of this meeting are conceivable.
Christians may have come out of that company. Mothers would not forget
Him who blessed their children on the way to His cross, or fail to
speak of the event to them when they were olde... [ Continue Reading ]
ἰδού, lo! introduces a story worth telling. εἷς : one,
singled out from the crowd by his approach towards Jesus, and, as the
narrative shows, by his spiritual state. Διδάσκαλε : this
reading, which omits the epithet ἀγαθέ, doubtless gives us the
true text of Mt., but in all probability not the exact... [ Continue Reading ]
_A man in quest of the “summum bonum”_ (Mark 10:17-22; Luke
18:18-23). A phenomenon as welcome to Jesus as the visit of the
mothers with their children: a man not belonging to the class of
self-satisfied religionists of whom He had had ample experience; with
moral ingenuousness, an open mind, and a... [ Continue Reading ]
τί με ἐρωτᾷς, etc.: it seems as if Jesus thought the
question superfluous (so Weiss and Meyer), but this was only a
teacher's way of leading on a pupil = “of course there is only one
answer to that: God is the one good being, and His revealed will shows
us the good He would have us do”. A familiar o... [ Continue Reading ]
ποίας; not = τίνας (Grotius), but what sort of commands: out
of the multitude of commands divine and human, which do you mean? He
had a shrewd guess doubtless, but wanted to be sure. Christ's reply
follows in this and subsequent verse, quoting in direct form prefaced
with τό the sixth, seventh, eigh... [ Continue Reading ]
ὁ νεανίσκος, the _youth_; whence known? from a special
tradition (Meyer); an inference from the expression ἐκ
νεότητός μου in Mark 10:20 (Weiss). ἐφύλαξα (-
άμην). Kypke and Elsner take pains to show that the use of this
verb (and of τηρεῖν, Matthew 19:17) in the sense of obeying
commands is good Gr... [ Continue Reading ]
εἰ θέλες τέλειος εἶναι (on τέλειος _vide_
Matthew 5:48): if you wish to reach your end, the true life and the
rest it brings. ὕπαγε, etc.: go, sell off, distribute to the
poor, and then come, follow me such is the advice Christ gives: His
final lesson for this inquirer. It is a subjective counsel re... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀπῆλθεν : he would have to go away in any case, even if he
meant to comply with the advice in order to carry it into effect. But
he went away λυπούμενος, in genuine distress, because placed
in a dilemma between parting with wealth and social position, and
forfeiting the joy of disciplehood under an... [ Continue Reading ]
_Conversation ensuing_ (Mark 10:23-27; Luke 18:24-27).... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀμὴν, introduces as usual a solemn utterance. πλούσιος :
the rich man is brought on the stage, not as an object of envy or
admiration, which he is to the worldly-minded, but as an object of
commiseration. δυσκόλως εἰσελεύσεται, etc.:
because with difficulty shall he enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This... [ Continue Reading ]
πάλιν δὲ λέγω : reiteration with greater emphasis. The
strong language of Jesus here reveals a keen sense of disappointment
at the loss of so promising a man to the ranks of disciplehood. He
sees so clearly what he might be, were it not for that miserable
money. εὐκοπώτερον, etc.: a comparison to ex... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐξεπλήσσοντο σφόδρα : the severity of the Master's
doctrine on wealth as on divorce (Matthew 19:12) was more than the
disciples could bear. It took their breath away, so to speak. τίς
ἄρα, etc.: it seemed to them to raise the question as to the
possibility of salvation generally. The question may re... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐμβλέψας denotes a look of observation and sympathy. Jesus
sees that He has made too deep an impression, depressing in effect,
and hastens to qualify what He had said: “with mild, meek eye
soothing their scared mind, and relieving their distress” (Chrys.,
_Hom._ lxiii.). παρὰ ἀνθρώποις, etc.: practi... [ Continue Reading ]
εἶπεν δὲ Π.: from depression the disciples, represented by
Peter, pass to self-complacent buoyancy their natural mood. ἰδοὺ
points to a fact deserving special notice in view of the recent
incident. ἡμεῖς, _we_, have done what that man failed to do:
left all and followed Thee. τί ἄρα, etc.: a questio... [ Continue Reading ]
_A reaction_ (Mark 10:28-31; Luke 18:28-30).... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀμὴν : introducing a solemn statement. ὑμεῖς οἱ
ἀκ.: not a nominative absolute (Palairet, _Observ._), but being far
from the verb, ὑμεῖς is repeated (with καὶ) after
καθίσεσθε. ἐν τ. παλινγενεσίᾳ to be
connected with καθίσεσθε following. This is a new word in the
Gospel vocabulary, and points to the... [ Continue Reading ]
eneral promise for all faithful ones. ἀδελφούς, etc.:
detailed specification of the things renounced for Christ.
πολλαπλασίονα λήψεται : shall receive manifoldly
the things renounced, _i.e._, in the final order of things, in the
new-born world, as nothing is said to the contrary. Mk. and Lk. make
th... [ Continue Reading ]
πολλοὶ δὲ ἔσονται, etc., but many first ones shall
be last, and last ones first. Fritzsche reverses the meaning = many
being last shall be first, so making it accord with Matthew 20:16. The
words are so arranged as to suggest taking πρῶτ. ἔσχ. and
ἔσχ. πρῶτ. as composite ideas, and rendering: many s... [ Continue Reading ]