PARABLES OF THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING'S SON AND THE WEDDING GARMENT 1-14. Marriage of the King's Son (peculiar to St. Matthew). Jesus concludes His discourse by reiterating in still clearer and stronger language the teaching of the last parable, viz. His Divine Sonship, the impending destruction of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JESUS ANSWERED] viz. their attempt to seize Him, Matthew 21:46, by another parable.... [ Continue Reading ]
A CERTAIN KING] i.e. God. A MARRIAGE] RV 'a marriage feast,' which would last seven or fourteen day (Genesis 29:27; Judges 14:12; Tob 8:19). The marriage is between Christ and His Church (Revelation 21:2; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Isaiah 54:5, etc.), which begins here, but is perfected in the world to com... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS SERVANTS] i.e. Moses and the prophets, and especially the Baptist, the last and greatest prophet of the old dispensation. THEM THAT WERE BIDDEN] i.e. the Jews. 4, OTHER SERVANTS] i.e. the Apostles. The repetition of the invitation was a Jewish custom. 'What' (said the rabbis) 'was the boast of... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS ARMIES] 'The armies of the Romans, who, under Vespasian and Titus, slew these murderers, and burnt their city, Jerusalem.'... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAITH HE] Not indicating that no Gentile converts were to be made before that date, but that from that time 'the fulness of the Gentiles' would begin (Romans 11:25).... [ Continue Reading ]
INTO THE HIGHWAYS] RV 'the partings of the highways.' More probably it means the places where the roads from the country enter a city, and so by metaphor, Gentile territory (Grimm). So also Euthymius: 'He calls the cities and villages of the Gentiles the outlets of the highways, signifying the forlo... [ Continue Reading ]
BOTH BAD AND GOOD] Signifying, as in the parable of the net, that the Church is to consist of good and evil, and that the entrance into it is not to be denied to any but scandalous sinners.... [ Continue Reading ]
TO SEE (RV 'behold') THE GUESTS] The scene changes to the last judgment, when the fitness of the guests to be there will be the subject of a solemn scrutiny. Theophylact well says, 'The entrance to the marriage feast is without scrutiny, for by grace alone were we all called, both good and bad. But... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SERVANTS] RM 'ministers,' i.e. the angels.... [ Continue Reading ]
Cp. Matthew 20:16. Some think that this indicates that only a few of all mankind will be finally saved, but Theophylact is probably right in saying that it refers to the Jews of our Lord's time, all of whom were called, but few were chosen, because few accepted the invitation. The 'calling' must be... [ Continue Reading ]
HERODIANS] i.e. partisans of the dynasty of the Herods. They supported the Roman domination.... [ Continue Reading ]
IS IT LAWFUL?] The party of the Zealots, founded by Judas of Galilee, held that, Israel being a theocracy, and God the only King, it was unlawful to pay tribute to any foreign power, The Pharisees asked whether Christ agreed with Judas. The hypocrisy of the question appears in this, that the Pharise... [ Continue Reading ]
A PENNY] see on Matthew 18:28. It was a Roman coin, and the Jewish schools held it for a maxim that he whose coin was in circulation was king. The rabbis said, 'Wheresoever the money of any king is current, there the inhabitants acknowledge that king for their lord.' So in the Talmud, Abigail refuse... [ Continue Reading ]
WHOSE.. IMAGE?] The rabbis objected to human figures on coins as savouring of idolatry. Edersheim says, 'Neither Herod nor Herod Antipas had any image on their coins. This must therefore have been either a foreign one (Roman), or else one of the Tetrarch Philip, who exceptionally had the image of Ti... [ Continue Reading ]
RENDER THEREFORE UNTO CAESAR] A pregnant saying, destroying the basis of Jewish nationalism, and defining the relation of Church and State for all time. A brief exposition must suffice. Christ showed, (1) His sympathy with imperialism, as opposed to national and racial particularism. Intending Himse... [ Continue Reading ]
SADDUCEES] see on Matthew 3:7. SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE] see Deuteronomy 25:5. The Levirate marriage was falling into disuse at this time. The Mishna (200 a.d.) recommends that the eus torn should no longer be observed.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHOSE WIFE SHALL SHE BE?] Two errors underlay the question: (1) That in the resurrection men will rise to a natural life; (2) that the Law will continue in force. The sceptical Sadducees naturally represented the doctrine of the Resurrection in its most ridiculous form. There was some division of op... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ANGELS] Jesus takes the opportunity of rebuking the Sadducees' disbelief in angels (Acts 23:8).... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM] Exodus 3:6. The proof of the resurrection is taken from the Law, not because the Sadducees rejected the Prophets and Hagiographa, of which there is no certain proof, but because to every Jew the Law was of higher authority than any other part of the canon. Theophylact says,... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GREAT COMMANDMENT OF THE LAW (Mark 12:28). Considering that this question was asked by an individual Pharisee, that there is nothing ensnaring in it, and that Jesus commended His questioner, saying, 'Thou art not far from the Kingdom of God' (Mk), it is probable that this was not a temptation, b... [ Continue Reading ]
A LAWYER] i.e. a scribe, or rabbi. TEMPTING HIM] i.e. proving Him, testing His penetration and knowledge of the Law by a hard question.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHICH _is_ THE GREAT COMMANDMENT?] A question debated by the Jewish schools. The best Jewish opinion coincided with our Lord's. Philo, our Lord's contemporary, says, 'To speak briefly, of the innumerable detailed exhortations and commandments, the two which in the most general manner sum up the whol... [ Continue Reading ]
HEART.. SOUL.. MIND] i.e. all one's powers. 'Heart' in Hebrew is the inward man, sometimes the understanding; 'soul' is life, often, but not always, physical life; 'mind' is nearly the same as reason, or rational soul. It must here be understood as embracing spirit, i.e. the religious faculty.... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS ASKED THEM] Having repelled the attack of the Pharisees, Jesus takes the offensive, and demonstrates that they are wrong to regard the Messiah as a mere man.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TITLE SON OF DAVID (Mark 12:35; Luke 20:41). A saying of Jesus from the oldest tradition, of great doctrinal importance. He declares Himself dissatisfied with the honourable title of Son of David, because He is in reality also David's Lord. By applying Psalms 110 to Himself He claims, (1) a seat... [ Continue Reading ]
DAVID] The question has been raised whether our Lord here definitely decides the Davidic authorship of Psalms 110. Probably not. His object is to show that the Pharisees' low view of the Messiah is inconsistent with their own premises, not to teach the true authorship of the Psalm.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD (i.e. God) SAID UNTO MY LORD] i.e. to David's Lord, the Messiah, Psalms 110:1. The Jews fully accepted the Messianic interpretation of this Psalm. Babbi Joden said, 'In the time to come the Holy and Blessed God will place King Messiah at His right hand, according to Psalms 110'... [ Continue Reading ]