Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB
[merged small][ocr errors]

came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the Matt. xviii. 1. greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

and he asked them, What was it that ye disputed Mark ix. 33. among yourselves by the way?

But they held their peace: for by the way they Mark ix. 34. had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.

And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, Luke ix. 47. sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto Mark ix. 35. them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

themselves, might yet think it unjust to be treated as inferiors, since they all ap-
peared to be equal. The latter had less reason to fear a reproof, since the pure
morality of Christ, which teaches that every action must be estimated by the mo-
tives which gave it birth, was not then fully understood by his disciples. In their
outward behaviour, at least, there was nothing unreasonable; and, without being
guilty of a breach of propriety, they might lay their complaints before their Mas-
ter, and request his decision. It is probable that St. Matthew was of this party,
since a man,
who was by profession a tax-gatherer, and never particularly distin-
guished himself among the Apostles, would have hardly supposed that he should
become the first in the kingdom of God. He relates the transaction, therefore,
as one of that party to which he belonged. St. Mark, on the contrary, who de-
rived information from St. Peter, considers the matter from an opposite point of
view. Let us suppose the full state of the case to be as follows.

Some of the disciples, who were of the diffident party, and laid no claim to the
first rank, bring the matter before Christ, with the same kind of indignation as
was displayed by ten of the Apostles on another occasion, Matt. xx. 24. Christ
reserves the decision of the dispute till they were entered into the house, where
they were accustomed to meet: he then calls his disciples together, and enquires
into the subject of their dispute, to which Peter, James, John, and those in gene-
ral who had claim to pre-eminence, make no answer. If the transaction was
literally as here described, it is by no means impossible that Matthew and Mark
might consider it from different points of view, and write what we find in their
Gospels, without the least violation of truth. The one relates one part, and the
other another part of the transaction; but neither of them relates the whole. If
we read a few verses further in St. Mark's Gospel, we find a circumstance re-
corded of St. John, which St. Matthew passes over in silence, and from which it
appears that St. John was more concerned in this dispute than most of the other
disciples. He even ventured, when Christ, with a view of introducing a perfect
equality among his disciples, said, "Whoever receiveth one of these children in
my name, receiveth me," to doubt of the universality of this position, alleging,
that persons of unexceptionable character might appeal to the name of Jesus,
and giving an instance of one who had cast out devils in his name, whom the
Apostles had rebuked, Mark ix. 37, 38. This again occasioned replies from
Christ; which, though they are mentioned by St. Matthew, have in his Gospel
a different appearance, and are attended with less perspicuity than they are in
St. Mark's Gospel, because St. Matthew has not related the causes which gave
them birth.-Marsh's Michaelis, vol. iii. part
p. 6-9.

And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set Capernaum. him in the midst of them,

Matt. xviii. 2.

Luke ix. 47.

by him,

Mark ix. 36.

in the midst of them: and when he had taken him

in his arms, he said unto them,

i

Matt. xviii. 3. Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, ich. xix. 14. and become as little children, ye shall not enter 1 Cor. xiv. 20 into the kingdom of heaven.

Matt. xviii. 4.

Matt. xviii. 5.

Whosoever therefore 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 name receiveth me.

Mark ix. 37. and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me :

Luke ix. 48. for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

Mark ix. 38.

Mark ix. 39.

Mark ix. 40.
Mark ix. 41.

k And John answered him, saying, Master, we k Luke ix. 49. saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.

But Jesus said, Forbid him not:

'for there is no man which shall do a miracle in 11 Cor. xii. 3. my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.

For he that is not against us is on our part.

m For whosoever shall give you a cup of water m Matt. x. 42. to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. Matt. xviii. 6. " But whoso shall offend one of these little ones n Mark ix. 42. which believe in me, it were better for him that a 2. millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matt. xviii. 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!

Luke xvii. 1,

Matt. xviii. 8. • Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, o Ch. v. 30.

cut them off, and cast them from thee:

* Or, cause

and so ver. 45,

Mark ix. 43. if thy hand * offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two thee to offend: hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall 46. be quenched:

Mark ix. 44.

Mark ix. 45.

P Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is p Isa. Ixvi. 2 not quenched.

And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Capernaum.

* Or, cause thee to offend.

q Lev. ii. 13.

r Matt. v. 13.

Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is Mark ix. 46. not quenched.

And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out:

Mark iv. 47.

and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter Matt. xviii. 9. into life,

into the kingdom of God, with one eye, than Mark ix. 47. having two eyes to be cast into hell-fire:

Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is Mark ix. 48. not quenched.

For

every one shall be salted with fire", and Mark ix. 49. every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

Salt is good, but if the salt have lost his salt- Mark ix. 50. ness, wherewith will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little Matt.xviii.10. for I say unto you, That in heaven their

ones;

27 This is one of the most difficult passages in the New Testament. Beza and Mr. Gilpin suppose it to mean, "every Christian is purified by the difficult or fiery trials of life, in the same manner as (rai for wc, as in John xiv. 20. and Mark x. 12.) every sacrifice is salted with salt."

Macknight would read, “Every Christian is salted and prepared rupi for the fire," (in the dative, as 2 Pet. iii. 7.) i. e. by the apostles for the fire of the altar, i. e. as an holy sacrifice to God.

Whitby would render in this manner, "Every wicked man shall be so seasoned by the fire itself, as to become unconsumable; and shall endure for ever to be tormented."

Grotius, "Every wicked man shall be consumed, like the whole burnt sacrifice, yet with unquenchable fire."

Lightfoot and Doddridge, "He that is a true sacrifice to God shall be seasoned with the salt of grace, to the incorruption of glory; and every victim to divine justice shall be salted with fire, to endure for ever."

Clarke, in his Paraphrase, thus interprets this verse, "For as every burnt offering under the law was first salted with salt, and then consumed by fire; so every one who has been instructed in the doctrine of the Gospel, if when he is tried, he shall be found deficient, or not seasoned, he shall be destroyed by the eternal fire of the divine wrath." And he then observes, in a note from Le Clerc, that the emphasis of the comparison lies in the ambiguity of the word n, which signifies both, shall be salted, and shall be destroyed. As every sacrifice is salted, nb, with salt, so every apostate shall be destroyed, ♫♫, (in the other signification of the word) with fire.

Schoetgen supposes that an allusion is made to the salt, or bitumen, with which the sacrifices were sprinkled, that they might burn more easily. He also interprets the passage, "that as every sacrifice must be prepared for the altar, by the salt which was set apart for that purpose, so ought Christians to be imbued with the heavenly virtues, to become a living sacrifice to God." He renders the word xai, by quemadmodum, on the authority of Noldius.

Schoetgen, Hor. Heb. vol. i. p. 249. Elsley, and Clarke's Paraphrase in loc.

angels do always behold the face of my Father Capernaum. which is in heaven.

S

Matt. xviii.11. s For the Son of man is come to save that which s Luke xix. 10. was lost.

Matt. xviii. 12.

Matt. xviii, 13.

Matt. xviii. 14.

Matt. xviii. 15.

Matt. xviii. 16.

Matt.xviii. 17.

Matt, xviii. 18.

Matt. xviii. 19.

Matt. xviii.20.

Matt.xviii.21.

Matt. xviii.22

8

*How think ye? if a man have an hundred t Luke xv. 4. sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

Moreover " if thy brother shall trespass against u Lev. xix. l. thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and Luke xvii. 3. him alone if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained

thy brother.

[ocr errors]

15. John viii.

1. Heb. x. 28.

But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two x Deut. xix. or three witnesses every word may be established. 17. 2 Cor. xiii. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as any heathen many and a Publican.

Cor. v. 9.

2 Thess. iii. 6, 14.

Verily I say unto you, z Whatsoever ye shallz John xx. 23.

and

bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:
whatsoever ye
shall loose on earth shall be loosed

in heaven.

Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them 28.

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? a till seven times?

Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee Until seven times; but Until seventy times seven.

28 In this passage also our Lord reasserts his divinity. The Jews were accustomed to say, that the Shechinah was present where ten were assembled to study the law. The Shechinah was considered as the emblem, and the residence of God. It was used also in some instances as the name of God. Our Lord here assumes to himself the powers and honours which the Jews attributed to the Shechinah. Schoetgen, Hor. Heb. vol. i. p. 153. and Gill in loc.

1 Cor. v. 4.

aLuke xvii. 4.

Capernaum.

A talent is

750 ounces of silver, which

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened Matt, xviii.23. unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

And when he had begun to reckon, one was Matt.xviii.24. brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand * talents.

But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord Matt. xviii.25. after five shil- commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and lings the ounce is 1871. 10s. children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

+ Or, besought him.

The servant therefore fell down, and + wor- Matt.xviii.26. shipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

Then the Lord of that servant was moved with Matt.xviii. 27. compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

But the same servant went out, and found one Matt.xviii. 28. of his fellow servants, which owed him an hunThe Roman dred pence: and he laid hands on him, and penny is the of took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou

eighth part

an ounce,

which after

five shillings the ounce is

owest.

And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and Matt. xviii.29. seven pence besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

halfpenny. ch. xx. 2.

And he would not: but went and cast him into Matt.xviii.30. prison, till he should pay the debt.

So when his fellow servants saw what was done, Matt.xviii.31. they were very sorry, and came and told unto their Lord all that was done.

Then his lord, after that he had called him, Matt. xviii.32. said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave

thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

Shouldest not thou also have had compassion Matt. xviii.33, on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?

And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to Matt.xviii.34. the tormentors, till he should pay all that was

due unto him.

So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also Matt.xviii.35. unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

3 -and said

MATT. Xviii. part of ver. 3. 8. and 9.

8-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 fire.

9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out-with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

« AnteriorContinuar »