Matthew 23:39

Henceforth— Απ αρτι, hereafter. "Because you have killed the prophets, and endeavoured to stone me, whom the Father hath sent unto you; because your great men are at this moment plotting against me, who am the Lord of the temple; and because you will assist them in putting me to death; your temple shall be desolate: it shall never be favoured with my presence any more. Nay, your nation shall be deserted by me; For you shall not see me henceforth, &c." In the capacity of a teacher, Jesus had often filled the temple with the gloryof his doctrine and miracles; and, as a kind friend, had tried with unwearied application to gather the nation under his wings, that he might protect them from the impending judgments of God. Therefore, by their not seeing him from that time forth, we are to understand their not enjoying his presence and care as a teacher, guardian, and friend. This was the last discourse that Jesus pronounced in public; with it his ministry ended.

From that moment he abandoned the Jewish nation, gavethem over to walk in their own counsels, and devoted them to destruction; nor were they ever after, as a nation, to be the objects of his care, till the period of their conversion to Christianity should come, which he now foretold: ye shall not see me, till ye shall say, Blessed, &c. that is, tillyour nation is converted; for the state of the nation, and not of a few individuals, is here spoken of, as it is also in the parables of the vineyard and the marriage-supper. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord was the cry of the believing multitude, when Jesus made his public entry into Jerusalem a few days before this. Hence, in predicting their future conversion, he alludes in a very striking manner to that exclamation, by which they had expressed their faith in him as the Messiah. This is by far the most spirited of all ourLord's discourses, and being pronounced no doubt with an elevation of voice, and vehemence of gesture, suitable to the sentiments which it expressed, it could not but astonish the people, who had always looked upon their teachers as the holiest of men. Even the persons themselves, against whom it was levelled, were confounded; their consciences witnessing the truth of what was laid to their charge. They knew not what course to take; and so, in the midst of their hesitation, they let Jesus go away quietly, without attempting to lay hands on him, or stone him, as they had sometimes done before upon less provocation. See Grotius, Macknight, and Olearius. Thus did our Lord pull the mask of hypocrisy from off the teachers of his own times, condemning it in all its forms. He treated hypocrisy with severity, because it is a most enormous sin, rendering men criminal before God, by things which in their own nature are calculated to please him; such as prayer, alms-giving, fasting, and other religious duties. The sharpness with which our Lord spoke now, and on other occasions, against hypocrites, plainly and strongly intimates to us, that we should strive more to be good, than to appear so. But on this subject, I will speak more, when I come to Luke 11.

Inferences.—With what humility, integrity, and contempt of this world, should the ministers of Christ behave! and how should they live the doctrines they preach; and not lord it over their hearers! but if any of his servants act unsuitable to their character, their doctrine is nevertheless to be regarded, as far as it agrees with the word of God; though their disorderly lives are not to be imitated. And woe unto them, who either pervert the sacred oracles, or, under a pretence of piety, are guilty of the vilest abominations; who aim at dominion over men's faith and consciences, and neither embrace the Gospel themselves, nor cease from hindering others, that seem to be well affected towards it; who are fond of specious appearances of external sanctity, but whose hearts are full of all impurity; who are superstitiously scrupulous about trifles, and neglect the most important things of Christianity; and who make light of oaths, and manage all their religion with secular views. How can such as these escape the damnation of hell? Christ will find out every hypocrite, and take vengeance upon them another day. In the mean while, with what faithfulness and compassion, condescension and grace, does he deal with all sorts of sinners in the gospel! but what a deplorable condition are they in, who nevertheless go on in their trespasses, and reject him by unbelief; and especially who indulge a persecuting spirit, which will one time or other bring down the heaviest vengeance upon their own heads! let them that condemn this or any iniquity in others, take heed of practically approving it, by doing the same themselves: for a time is coming, when the iniquity of impenitent sinners will be full, and God will heap upon them the measures of wrath, which they have been treasuring up to themselves against the day of wrath, and revelation of his righteous judgment. Oh that we might all know the things that belong to our peace, before they be hid from our eyes! and that when Christ appears again, we may be glad with exceeding joy!

REFLECTIONS.—1st, Among all the Jewish sects the Pharisees maintained the most distinguished rank for their reputed wisdom and piety. Yet none ever fell under more censures from Christ than these reputed patterns of sanctity, because indeed they were the most inveterate enemies of him and his gospel: as those of a like stamp ever have been and will be. Their religion was all show, their hearts enmity against God, filled with pride, self-righteousness, love of esteem, worldly-mindedness, and hatred to the power of internal vital godliness. Whom the world therefore admired as the best sort of people in it, God abhorred as the worst, as the farthest from his kingdom and righteousness. And the case is the same to this very day. Against these whited sepulchres Christ therefore cautions his disciples.

1. He honours the office which they bore as expositors of the law, who sat in Moses' seat, and read and interpreted in the synagogues the sacred oracles to the people. And so far as they spake agreeably to the Scriptures, they were to be attended to, and their word to be observed and done. Note; (1.) The most sacred and honourable offices in the church have often been filled by the worst of men. Yet ought not this to bring any dishonour upon the ministry itself, or prejudice us against the order—that many, who are a scandal to the name they bear, have thrust themselves into it. (2.) When wicked men preach sound truth, their word is to be received, while their works are abhorred; though example is most forcible to persuade, and it can hardly be expected that they should convince others, who do not themselves appear to believe the very doctrines they preach.

2. He brands the men who lived so unsuitably to the word they taught, and cautions the people to beware of imitating them. Do not after their works: for they say, and do not. They boasted indeed of the purity of their morals, as well as the orthodoxy of their sentiments; but the one was as corrupt as the other was culpable. Several things our Lord charges upon them.

[1.] Their hypocrisy. They were very strict preachers of the law, and rigid also in enforcing their vain traditions, laying upon men's consciences burdens intolerable, while they themselves dispensed with their own observance of them, and their practice gave the lie to their preaching. Note; Many preachers pretend the greatest zeal for morality, whose lives shew the laxest morals; and who must therefore be damned upon their own shewing.

[2.] Their formality, and desire of human applause. Their religion was all outside; and to make a fair shew before men was their great ambition. Instead of internal spirituality, and meditation on God's word, they made broad their phylacteries, which were scrolls of parchment, on which select portions of the law were written, sewed up in the skin of a clean beast, and hung at their arms and over their foreheads; and by their uncommon breadth they meant to insinuate their uncommon zeal for the law. And they enlarge the borders of their garments: not only conforming to the precept, Numbers 15:38 but affecting, by the width of their fringes, to shew their distinguished sanctity, and observance of the command. So true it is even to the present day, that the most zealous contenders for the form of godliness, are sometimes the greatest strangers to the power of it.

[3.] Their pride, and affectation of pre-eminence. They coveted always the most distinguished place at an entertainment; and even in the synagogues, where they assembled for religious worship, the same desire of precedency appeared in their choice of the chief seats, as if their business there was more to make a figure themselves, than to pay their humble adorations. In like manner they affected sounding titles of respect, and, when they appeared in public, they loved to have deep homage paid them, and to be addressed with, Rabbi, Rabbi! that others might hear and observe their importance and dignity. Note; (1.) There is no harm in receiving or giving titles of honour to whom honour is due: but to take a pleasure in hearing the sound, to be puffed up with the title, and to be offended at the omission of it, these mark detestable pride. (2.) Nothing can shew a stronger tincture of Pharisaism than coming to God's house to seek our own glory, and to be more anxious in what pew we are placed, than with what spirit we worship.

3. He forbids his disciples to challenge for themselves, or ascribe to others, any such pompous names as the scribes assumed. They must not be called Rabbi, affecting human honour, or any title importing dominion over the faith or consciences of their brethren: nor must they be styled Master, as if upon their own authority they sat up for guides and leaders; but must own one Master only, that is Christ, whose word alone must be their rule; while they, as brethren, arrogated no supremacy over each other, alike submissive to their common head. Nor may they give flattering titles to any; calling no man Father upon the earth. Not that this forbids us honouring our natural parents, or those who have begotten us in the Gospel, or paying due reverence to age or dignity; but we must regard no man as the founder of our religion, or as the head of the church, to whom, in matters of conscience, we owe implicit obedience, this being the sole prerogative of our God and Father, whose throne is in the heavens; but if any man among them excelled in gifts or graces, or was esteemed and preferred to a more honourable place in the church than others, far from being puffed up with his eminence, he is required to be the more condescending and laborious, employing himself the more zealously and humbly for the benefit of his fellow-Christians. And our Lord subjoins the most forcible argument to support what he had advanced: whosoever shall exalt himself, grow proud, imperious, and assuming over his brethren, shall be abased; either in penitent humiliation, when brought to a sight of his sin, in this world; or be covered with confusion in the more aweful day of Christ's appearing: while he that humbleth himself in every work and labour of love, and in a lowly sense of his own deep unworthiness, he shall be exalted in the eyes of God and all good men.

2nd, Like Ezekiel's bitter roll, we have repeated fearful woes, like so many bolts of thunder, levelled against these proud self-righteous Pharisees. The general charge against them is their being hypocrites, proved in a variety of particulars; and this being the character which God especially abhors, we should be the more jealous over our own souls, that this rank weed of bitterness spring not up under the profession of godliness, and mar the whole.

1. Pretending to be teachers of the law, and possessed of the key of knowledge, instead of explaining the spiritual meaning of all the typical rites, as pointing to Christ; or the purport of the prophesies which related to him; they studiously sought to pervert both; commenting upon them in such a way as most intirely to overturn the true nature of the Messiah's office and kingdom, and leading the people to rest on the shadows instead of the substance. Invenomed enemies to the Gospel, they turned a deaf ear to all that Christ advanced in proof of his own divine character and mission, and not only rejected him themselves, but used their utmost efforts, employing all their influence, their examples, and their cunning, to prejudice the people against him and his Gospel; reviling his person, doctrine, and miracles, and thundering out their anathemas against those who should profess to receive him as the Messiah.
2. They made the cloak of religion subservient to the basest purposes of gain and avarice, insinuating themselves into the confidence of helpless widows, on whom, by their long prayers and affected shew of devotion, they imposed; and who, supposing their piety as great as the appearances of it, entrusted them with the management of their affairs, and were directed by their advice; by which means, taking advantage of their superstition and credulity, they fleeced them of their substance, and enriched themselves with the spoil of the most cruel inhumanity, as well as basest injustice; for which, though they might escape the censures of men, God, the all-seeing Judge, would surely give them greater damnation in the day of recompense. Note; (1.) The vilest wickedness may sometimes be so shaded by craft, as to elude the eye of human observation. (2.) The appearance of godliness put on to cover worldly designs, is in God's account the most atrocious of crimes. (3.) Long prayers are not always culpable; it is only when they are for a pretence, that they become an abomination. (4.) There are degrees of misery in hell: some shall receive greater damnation than others; and the most dreadful vengeance of all shall light on the hypocrite's head.

3. They exerted the greatest zeal to make proselytes from the Gentiles, in order to heighten their own reputation, and strengthen their party; and omitted no pains to succeed in their attempts; and then abused the ascendancy which they obtained over the consciences of their converts, to instil the most virulent prejudices into them against Christ and his Gospel; making them more bigotted than themselves to the vain traditions of the elders, and more bitter persecutors of the disciples of Jesus even than their masters. See Acts 13:45; Acts 14:2; Acts 17:5; Acts 18:6. Thus their pretended conversion served to render them but two-fold more the children of hell than themselves. Note; (1.) Every impenitent sinner and hypocrite is a child of hell, of his father the devil, and doomed to dwell with him eternally. (2.) The industry which these Pharisees used to gain proselytes in so bad a cause, should condemn our negligence and want of zeal, who take so little pains to make converts to Christ and his Gospel.

4. They were blind guides, erring through greediness after gain, and deceiving others, misleading them into the most dangerous errors respecting the obligation of oaths; distinguishing between the temple and the gold, the altar and the gift; as if they might swear by the former, and break the oath with impunity; but an oath by the latter was conscientiously obligatory: and the reason was clear, because these blind guides made gain of the gold vowed to the temple-service, and of the gifts offered on the altar. But how absurd and foolish this distinction? the temple which sanctified the gold, and the altar which sanctified the gift, must needs be more holy than the gold and gift, which received all their sanctity from being offered there. Indeed these kinds of oaths were in themselves evil and profane; but if a man once made them, he was bound to fulfil them. An oath by the altar included all the gifts thereon; as also to swear by the temple, or by heaven, implied an appeal to him who dwelleth there, manifesting his presence between the cherubim, or sitting on his throne most high; and therefore every breach of such oath was direct perjury. Note;

(1.) It is a dreadful thing for the poor people, when they who undertake to shew them the way to heaven are blind and ignorant; and it is still more terrible for the blind guides themselves, who will perish under the guilt of those souls which they have misled and ruined. (2.) Oaths are sacred; they are an appeal to the heart-searching God: by him alone we may swear; but if any profanely swear by other things, their profaneness will be no plea for their perjury; they are still in conscience bound to fulfil their oath as to the Lord.
5. They were scrupulous about trifles, and negligent of the essential duties of religion. They were most exact in the payment of their tythes, even to the small herbs of their garden, to the mint, and anise, and cummin; but they omitted the weightier matters of the law, such as judgement, the due administration of justice, and protecting the weak and helpless against their oppressors; mercy, the kind relief which they should have shewn to the distressed; and faith, a dependance upon God's care and love, and the grateful return due in consequence thereof. These they should have practised, as the most important and momentous; while matters comparatively trivial deserved but a subordinate regard: but they were such blind guides, corrupt in practice as well as doctrine, they strained at a gnat, or strained out a gnat from their liquors, as if it would choak them; pretended such a scrupulous attention to avoid the least sin, and practise the nicest morality; while they could swallow a camel, making no conscience in secret of the most enormous crimes, to gratify their pride, their covetousness, and their malice. See Matthew 23:14 chap. Matthew 27:6. John 18:28. Note; (1.) The practice of one duty can never be pleaded as a compensation for the neglect of another; and much less can observances merely ceremonial excuse the neglect of those weightier moral precepts, judgement, mercy, and faith. (2.) Many pretend a scrupulous conscience in trifles, who, when any thing important to them is at stake, hesitate not at committing the most flagrant immoralities.

6. Their religion consisted in mere externals, while their hearts continued utterly corrupt and defiled. They were very curious about washing their cups and platters, and placed much purity in this; while they cared little by what oppression they obtained the provision that they ate out of them: at least, their inward parts were very wickedness, whatever specious cloak they threw over their ways. Justly therefore does the Lord Jesus upbraid them, Thou blind Pharisee! dark to the pollution of thy soul; cleanse first thy inmost thoughts, principles, and designs; begin within; be pure in heart, and then you may, with consistency, contend for an exact conformity to the external rites and ceremonies enjoined by the law. But in their present state they were the very reverse of real purity; like whited sepulchres, garnished and glittering without, but within full of pollution and putrefaction; the lively emblem of their hypocrisy and iniquity, lurking under the splendid guise of uncommon piety. Note; (1.) Our hearts are our grand concern; all our services in religion will be acceptable or abominable, as they are truly purified by the blood of Jesus, or left polluted with native guilt and corruption. (2.) They who have never seen, felt, and lamented the plague of their own hearts, must necessarily be blind to all spiritual concerns, since here all vital godliness begins. (3.) The world abounds with whited sepulchres; we need be warned of them, lest, mistaking shew for reality, we esteem those patterns of piety, who are in fact but sinks of pollution, full of pride, worldly-mindedness, and enmity to the power of experimental religion.

7. They pretended a high veneration for the prophets of old, and, in honour of their memories, built sumptuous monuments for them, and kept them with the nicest care. They made great professions of the respect they would have paid them, had they been so happy as to have lived in their days; and condemned bitterly the wickedness of their forefathers in persecuting and murdering them; protesting against such violence, and that they would have never joined in shedding such innocent blood. Thus by their own confession they acknowledged themselves the descendants of those who had murdered the prophets; and how much of their spirit they had imbibed, their behaviour towards John the Baptist, and their past and present malicious designs against Jesus, plainly evinced. Therefore he justly abandons them to the ruin that they have deserved, leaving them to fill up the measure of their iniquities, by crucifying him, the Lord of life and glory, and persecuting, even to death, his Apostles and ministers, till wrath should come upon them to the uttermost. Ye serpents, subtle and poisonous; ye generation of vipers, fierce and malignant; how can ye escape the damnation of hell? In their present temper and conduct, it was impossible but that the eternal wrath of God must abide upon them. Note; (1.) Many pretend respect for past reformers and good men, who persecute with the greatest virulence those who tread in their steps. (2.) The deceitfulness of the heart is great: we are strangely apt to flatter ourselves, how well we should have done and acted, if we had been in other persons' circumstances. Many think that the hard-hearted Jews, who heard the doctrines of the Son of God, and saw his miracles, and yet crucified him, were sinners of a peculiar dye; and had they lived then, they should have welcomed him with rapture to their houses and their hearts; who yet treat his word, his ministers, his people, with the same contempt and enmity. (3.) God's patience waits long with offenders; but their measure of sin will be full, and then shall wrath come upon them to the uttermost. (4.) The damnation of hell is to be freely denounced against the impenitent and hypocrites, how unwilling soever they may be to hear it, or ready to mock at these terrors of the Lord.

3rdly, Their fathers, they allowed, had persecuted and slain the prophets of the Lord, and they would soon prove themselves genuine descendants from them.

1. Christ foretels what would be their behaviour towards his Apostles and Evangelists. Once more he would give them a trial, by sending to them his ministers, invested with divine authority from him their God and king, who in gifts and graces should be no ways inferior to the prophets, wise men, and scribes who went before them. But instead of obedience to their word, or respect for their persons, they would just do as their fathers before them had done, or worse; persecuting them from city to city, scourging them in their synagogues, and putting them to the most ignominious and cruel deaths. See Acts 7:59; Acts 12:2; Acts 26:11.

2. The measure of all their fathers' sins, which thus they imitated, approved, and exceeded, being full, God would not fail to require at their hands all the blood which had been shed for righteousness' sake, from the blood of righteous Abel, the first martyr, to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, or Jehoiada, see 2 Chronicles 24:20 whom they slew between the porch and the altar, and who was the last martyr for the truth recorded in the Old Testament. On this generation Christ assures them shall all these things come; all the heavy wrath threatened for their forefathers' guilt and their own. Note; (1.) Every insult and injury shewn to God's righteous ones, shall sooner or later, be severely avenged. (2.) The nearer judgements approach, the louder they call for repentance. 3. Christ pathetically laments over the wickedness of Jerusalem, and denounces her doom. [1.] He laments over her wickedness, upbraiding her with ingratitude and impenitence under all the means and mercies that she had enjoyed: Thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, as blasphemers. Such had been, and would be again her practice; and the great truths of God have been often thus loaded with the severest censures, and the most faithful and zealous advocates for them persecuted under the specious pretence of vindicating God's honour, and punishing those whom these pretended zealots are pleased to brand as enthusiasts. Yet, says Christ, How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not? As a man, and a minister of the circumcision, Christ peculiarly regarded Israel for their fathers' sake; he wished therefore to engage them to attend his ministry, that by acknowledging him as the Messiah, they might prevent the doom with which their rejecting him would be attended. But ye, the Scribes and Pharisees, who prejudiced the people against him, would not; effectually preventing the people from receiving Christ as the Messiah, to do which they in general seem to have been disposed; and thus these false guides brought ruin upon themselves and their deluded followers. Note; (1.) They who have fled to Christ for refuge, will find a sure covert from the storm of divine wrath; whilst all who refuse his salvation will be left exposed to deserved vengeance. (2.) Christ will visit for all the means and mercies that men have abused; and a despised and rejected Gospel will bring down the heaviest condemnation.

[2.] He reads her doom. Your house is left unto you desolate. God was now about to abandon them as incorrigible; to leave his temple; and his presence withdrawn, the gold became dim, the fine gold was changed. Nothing but desolation remained within those once sacred walls, when the divine inhabitant was fled; nor would it be long ere one stone should not be left upon another. When God departed, their glory and defence forsook them: their city and nation with their temple were now devoted to utter destruction.

4. He takes his sad farewel of that temple which he never more would enter; nor would they ever see him after his departure to heaven, till that great day of his appearing and glory, when too late they would be convinced of his being the Messiah. Many suppose this refers to the conversion of the Jews in the latter day, when they shall welcome that Redeemer, whom their fathers crucified, with hosannas, blessing, and praise. See the critical notes. Note; (1.) The day is near, when every eye shall behold the once crucified Jesus on a throne of judgment; and then woe to those who pierced him and repented not. (2.) Those who will not see, are justly given up to the blindness of their hearts; and since they would not bow to the sceptre of a Redeemer's grace, they must perish under the rod of his judgment. (3.) If we welcome Jesus now to our hearts, and he is pleased to make them his temple, and by his spirit to take up his constant residence therein, then shall the day of his appearing and glory be our exceeding great joy, and we shall rise up to welcome and call him blessed that cometh in the name of the Lord, to be glorified in his saints and admired of all that believe.