19 cured from that very hour.-Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, 20 and said: Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them: Because of your unbelief. For verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain: Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall 21 be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. 22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them: The Son 23 of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill. by no common means; for it usually required a continued medical treatment. 19. To Jesus apart. According to Mark ix. 28, in the house. The disciples, like most transgressors, little suspected that their difficulty and failure arose from any personal deficiency. The question they ask carries the idea that they had made an attempt to cure the child, but had not succeeded. 20. Because of your unbelief. Or rather, want of confidence and trust. Perhaps the violence of the disease, perhaps the skeptical questionings of the Scribes, had shaken their assurance.-Faith as a grain of mustard seed. Understood by some as meaning a living, growing faith, such as might be illustrated by the vegetable kingdom. Mat. xiii. 31, 32. But others take the sense to be, If you have the smallest genuine faith, you can do all things; for the orientals frequently use the mustard seed as an emblem of what is extremely small. Mark xi. 23. Luke xvii. Č.—Ye shall say unto this mountain, &c. A hyperbolical and proverbial phrase, denoting the greatest power. 1 Cor. xiii. 2. The least true faith would enable them to perform the mightiest wonders. The Jews were accustomed to call those teachers eminent for their virtues and genius, rooters up, removers of mountains, as descriptive of their power. 21. This kind goeth not out, &c. Some suppose the signification to be, that this kind of demons, or of beings, cannot be dispossessed without unusual spiritual exercises; but no mention had been made, in this conversation, of demons, or that this kind of miracles cannot be performed without extraordinary preparation. Other commentators suppose an allusion to be made to faith, of which they had just been speaking. For where that faith was possessed even in the smallest degree, as a grain of mustard seed, all miracles were alike easy, even to the rooting up of trees and mountains, and hurting them into the sea, and all demons and diseases could be equally well expelled. This kind of faith emanated not but by fasting and prayer, by the most diligent use of the means of devotion, and spiritual life. This verse is left out by Wakefield, and Adam Clarke "strongly suspects it to be an interpolation," as it is wanting in some of the earliest manuscripts and versions. 22-23. Parallel to Mark ix. 30 -32, and Luke ix. 43-45. 22. Abode in Galilee. Whilst they were travelling or moving about in Galilee.-Shall be betrayed. Better, delivered up, without reference to the mode in which it would be done. It is so rendered in Mark and Luke. We learn from Mark that Jesus was at this time living as him; and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry. And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received trib- 24 ute money came to Peter, and said: Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith: Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus pre- 25 vented him, saying: What thinkest thou, Simon? Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him: Of strangers. Jesus saith unto 26 him: Then are the children free. Notwithstauding, lest we should 27 far as possible in retirement. His mind seems to have been much occupied with the thoughts of his impending death. This was the second time that he had mentioned this distressing subject. It is observable, that this prediction was made while Jesus was yet in Galilee in security, before he went up to Jerusalem and was subject to the dangers that there surrounded him. What a fortitude must his have been, that he could with such calmness anticipate and speak of the sufferings which he so clearly foresaw! The common associations entertained of Jesus do him injustice. They invest him chiefly with the character of meekness and inoffensiveness, qualities indeed which he possessed in an eminent degree, but which were balanced by the purest heroism ever seen amongst men. 23. They were exceeding sorry. We learn from the other Evangelists that the disciples did not understand his prediction, and were afraid to ask for an explanation. Their grief, therefore, was aggravated by the indefiniteness of the approaching danger. The dark and unwelcome subject conjured up appalling images of fear and terror. 24. Capernaum. The place where he abode. They that received tribute money. Supposed to be not those who collected the taxes paid to the Romans, but persons who collected the contributions for the services of the temple, in the payment of its necessary expenses for sacrifices and other things. Ex. xxx. 13. Neh. x. 32. It was an annual tribute of half a shekel, levied on all Jews twenty years old and upwards. The Greek word translated tribute expresses the suin, two drachms, amounting to about twenty-eight cents of our money. This tax is supposed to have been in some degree a voluntary one, which would account for the question put to Peter respecting his Master's paying it. 25. The impetuous disciple answered in the affirmative before consulting Jesus.-Prevented. Formerly meaning, according to its derivation, to go before, or, to anticipate. Jesus anticipated Peter.What thinkest thou. It would seem that Jesus would delicately remind Peter that he had given an answer without his authority.-Strangers, i. e. those not related to the king, or members of his family. 26. Then are the children free. He had, by his question, led Peter to acknowledge the fact on which his conclusion was grounded. His argument was, that, as earthly kings exempted their sons from paying tribute, so he, being the Son of God, was, on the same ground, released from the obligation of paying tribute for the temple of God. The temple was God's palace. offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money; that take, and give unto them for me and thee. CHAPTER XVIII. T the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying: Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little Jesus, as his son, was accordingly free from paying a tax for its service. 27. Lest we should offend them. Jesus ever manifested a spirit of prudence. He would avoid giving any unnecessary offence, setting thus an example of caution, and teaching us that it is better to waive our privileges and yield our rights than to insist upon them to the prejudice of the cause of truth. Something is to be conceded to the captiousness of men. We should seek to be blameless and irreproachable, as was the Author and Finisher of our faith. If Jesus had not paid the tribute, an occasion would have been furnished, of which his enemies would not have failed to take advantage, to say that he despised the temple and the worship of God, and thus cause them still more obstinately to reject him as the Messiah.-A piece of money. In the original a stater, a Roman silver coin, of the value of one shekel in the Jewish currency, four drachms in the Grecian, and about fifty-six cents in our own, and therefore sufficient to pay the tribute of two persons.-Here was a miracle either of knowledge, or of power, or both. Jesus knew that a certain fish with the money would first come to Peter's hook, or caused that it should first come. It has been objected that the miracle was wrought for a trifling object, and for Jesus' benefit. But it may be remarked that Peter shared the advantage with his Master, and that Jesus was not individually benefited except in a very small degree, and that in a case in which he might have pleaded exemption. The miracle was also calculated for other ends. It would impress Peter, the other disciples, and the tax-gatherers, with a new proof of the divinity of Jesus, whose power thus extended into the depths of the sea, and over the animal kingdom. It would also serve to enforce upon them and upon all men the obligation of obeying the laws of the government under which they live, of “submitting to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake," and of contributing to the support of the public institutions of religion. child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said: Verily I 3 say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore 4 shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my 5 name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones 6 which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged ferent periods in the conversation are referred to, one taking it up at one point, and the other at another. -Who is the greatest. It has been conjectured that what led to this rivalry was the approbation shown to Peter, Mat. xvi. 17, 18, and the privilege granted to him, with James and John, of being present at the raising of the ruler's daughter, Luke viii. 51, and at the scene of the transfiguration, Mat. xvii. 1, which awakened envy in the other disciples. Jesus, in announcing his death, although he had filled them with foreboding apprehensions, had also excited their ambition by the predictions of his glory. For they probably supposed he would estabfish his kingdom after he was raised from the dead. Acts i. 6. They disputed which should hold the highest place in his kingdom, should occupy the first station in his temporal government. Their hearts were puffed up with ambition. 2. Called a little child, &c. To make a deeper impression, he would give them a lesson of humility in the most touching manner by a symbolical action, a common mode of instruction in the east, of which there are instances in John xiii. 4, xx. 22, Acts xxi. 11, Rev. xviii. 21. Tradition relates that this child was Ignatius, afterwards a celebrated Father and Martyr of the church, but it is very uncertain. 3. Be converted, &c. i. e. changed from the state of ambition to hu about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.7 Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 8 Wherefore, if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee; it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than, having two hands, or two feet, to be cast into everlasting 9 fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee; it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than, having 10 two eyes, to be cast into hell-fire.—Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their an11 gels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For reference to age.-Millstone. The original is supposed to mean, not one of the smaller stones turned by hand, usually by females, but a large one propelled by asses or mules, the upper millstone. The punishment of drowning here described was common amongst the Syrians, and other nations of the east, though it is said not to have existed among the Jews. Persons were sometimes rolled up in sheets of lead, or tied to stones, thrown into the water, and drowned. The passage signifies, It were better for him to die, or suffer the worst punishment, than to cause an humble believer in me, a babe in Christ, to apostatize and fall.-Yet how many are made to fall from virtue and hope by the scandalous lives, the hypocritical professions, the corrupt doctrines, and the superstitious practices of the so called Christian world! Let Jew, and Mahometan, and Pagan, and Infidel declare; who have been repelled from the Great Master on account of the absurdities, and inconsistencies, and abominations of his disciples, and who must rise up as condemning witnesses against them at the bar of heaven. 7. Woe. Rather, alas. An expression of concern and sorrow, rather than of denunciation.-Of fences. Rendered temptations in the Ethiopic version, i. e. causes of sin.-It must needs be. Such is the constitution and condition of man, that it is to be expected that there will be sin. Taking men as they are, we are to look for offences and snares. Free agency will be abused; but that does not excuse the individual transgressor, for he is responsible for the sin he commits, the evil he causes to others as well as to himself. 8, 9. See note on Mat. v. 29, 30. Causes of offence come from ourselves, as well as from others. But it is better to renounce the most cherished indulgences and sins, though it be like dismembering the hand or the eye, rather than persist in them at the risk of the most terrible consequences, imaged here by everlasting fire. We must deny ourselves the inferior gratifications of a sensual nature, if we would possess the purest pleasures of the spiritual life, and escape the flames of an accusing conscience.-To enter into life halt or maimed. These figures are not to be pressed too far, but regarded as adornings of the comparison. 10. One of these little ones, i. e. one of my humble, childlike disciples. Jesus reverts to the topic in verse 6.-Their angels do always |
