Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the 33 air come and lodge in the branches thereof.- -Another parable spako

he unto them: The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was 34 leavened.- -All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in para35 bles, and without a parable spake he not unto them; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: "I will open my

reth, in the rude province of Galilee, in the conquered land of Palestine, and borne to other countries by men whose nation were the scoff of other nations, and who themselves held the lowest places of society among their countrymen, it spread, it prevailed, it won attention, admiration, obedience, till it became the greatest' of the religions of the earth."

32. Greatest among herbs. Reference is here made, not to the absolute size of the plant, but to the comparative greatness of the tree which sprang from so small a seed. -Becometh a tree. The Jewish writers mention a mustard plant so large that a man might climb it, as he would a fig-tree; and another so tall and spreading as to cover a tent with one of its branches. -Birds of the air come and lodge in the branches. So, under the mighty power of the Christian kingdom, multitudes would find refuge and protection. The Gospel would become a tree whose branches would overshadow the whole earth, and the leaves of which would be "for the healing of the nations."

33. Luke xiii. 20. Leaven.Yeast, which has the property of assimilating to its own nature the meal or dough in which it is contained. As in the preceding parable the extensive propagation of Christianity is imaged, so here its diffusive and penetrating character is portrayed. Or, if limited to the

individual in its application, it intimates that Christianity was to pervade his whole nature and being, master every power, control every taste, spiritualize every feeling, and assimilate the whole man to the spirit of Christ and God.-Three measures. Each equivalent to one peck and a half English. The quantity used at one time in making bread.-Till the whole was leavened. As the leaven would not cease its action till the whole mass was affected by it, so religion would not cease to work in the heart and in the world until it has leavened the whole with its own spirit and pow

er.

Thus beautifully Jesus idealizes the most common things, and by them shadows forth the glorious energies of the Gospel.

34, 35. See Mark iv. 33, 34.

34. Without a parable spake he not. Not an assertion that he always spoke in parables, but that upon the present occasion he chiefly used this method of instruction.

35. That it might be fulfilled. The quotation was not so much a fulfilment as an illustration. As the Psalmist designed to give instruction in a parabolical and poetical form concerning the history of the past, so Jesus had, after his example, but not in accordance with any prediction of his, thrown around his doctrines, of the future kingdom of God, the graceful garb of parables. -The prophet. Ps. lxxviii. 2. This psalm is ascribed to Asaph, chief

mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."

Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house. And 36 his disciples came unto him, saying: Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them: He that soweth 37 the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed 38 are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy, that sowed them, is the devil; the harvest is the 39 end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As, therefore, the 40

singer in the reign of David. 1 Chron. xvi. 5. The force of the word prophet, as applied to him, may be understood from 1 Chron. xxv. 1, 2, where it appears to be used in the sense of poet or singer. The subject of the Psalmist's composition was the past history of the Israelites, while that of Jesus was the future promulgation of his Gospel.-Secret from the foundation, &c. What had been a secret, a mystery, would now be made known. In his parables Jesus was darkly unfolding the progress of the truth, and revealing things unknown to all former ages. Matthew wrote for the use of the Jews particularly; he delights, therefore, in drawing quotations from their sacred books, the national classics, to illustrate the new religion, and win their favorable attention to its claims.

36. Declare, i. e. explain. The disciples did not understand the parable of tares any more than that of the sower. They shared in the prejudices and ignorance of their day, and only excelled others in their having more of the truthseeking spirit.

37. He that soweth, &c. We learn here, that the particular design of the parable was not so much to illustrate the mixture of good and evil in the general government of God, as under the Christian dispensation. There would be good and

bad principles, and good and bad men in the Christian world. But they were not to be violently severed one from the other, else the good would suffer with the bad. Jesus sowed only good seed in his field. His revelations were dimmed by no error.

38. The field is the world. That is, the whole earth.—Children of the kingdom. It is not properly the children of the kingdom that are sown, but those truths which made men Christians, or members of Christ's kingdom. It is customary, in the Hebrew language, to call those children or sons of any being or thing who exhibit dispositions congenial with it. So, the children of the wicked one are those who have a wicked spirit, such as is imputed to the author of evil.

39. The devil. It was supposed among oriental nations, that there were two principles, one good, and the author of all good, and the other evil, and the author of all evil. Our Lord refers the evil in his church to this reputed author of evil.-The end of the world. This but imperfectly expresses the original. The sense is, the conclusion of this state of things, as some suppose, the end of the Jewish dispensation; or, as others believe, the end of the time, i. e. of the Christian dispensation. There is an indefiniteness about the phrase, which

tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of 41 this world. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them 42 which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there 43 shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth, as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath 44 ears to hear, let him hear.- -Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field, the which, when a man hath found, he

commentators have never fully cleared up. It is enough for us to know that there is to be a righteous judgment at the conclusion of this state of things, to which the Christian church, in common with the rest of the world, will be subjected, and the good distinguished from the bad.-The reapers are the angels. The ministry of angels was supposed, among the Jews, to constitute a part of the divine government and providence. Ps. lxxviii. 49. xci. 11. Acts vii. 53. Gal. iii. 19. Heb. ii. 2. Hence angels are introduced in the imagery of the parable, in harmony with the belief of the times, and represented as performing the work of their great task-master.

40. Tares are gathered and burned. On account of the scarcity of wood in Palestine, it was the custom to burn dried plants, hay, or stubble, for cooking and other purposes. For the convenience of transportation, they were tied in bundles.

41. All things that offend. Literally, all stumbling-blocks, i. e. all persons or things that cause men to transgress. Mat. xvi. 27.-Them which do iniquity. Synonymous with the last expression. False teachers; wicked men; any who caused others to fall.

42. A furnace of fire. Dan. iii. 11. Mat. xxv. 41. Rev. xx. 14, 15. This refers to the oriental punishment of burning alive, and implies the severest infliction of pain, and the

dreadful sufferings of the wicked. The figure of a furnace of fire may also have been suggested by the burning of the tares in verse 30.Wailing and gnashing of teeth. The natural expressions of intense pain.

The

43. Shine forth, as the sun. Dan. xii. 2, 3. Rev. ii. 28. An image implying strength, beauty, and glory.-Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. See note on Mat. xi. 15. Three very important lessons are conveyed by this parable. One against disappointment at finding imperfections in the Christian church, or even hypocrisy and wickedness; for it was predicted that there would be, by him who knew what was in man. second is against persecution. The grossly immoral may be distinguished and expelled, but it is not for erring man to condemn his brother for modes of faith or customs of worship. We must wait until the harvest, before we can perfectly know the true from the false, the right from the wrong. The decision will fall to one in whom we have perfect confidence. With patience then let us wait the great issue. We learn, thirdly, from this parable, the inconceivable misery consequent upon wickedness, and the glorious reward which awaits the righteous.

44. Treasure hid in a field. The allusion here is not, probably, to a treasure, as that of money, which had been artificially concealed, but

hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.- -Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a mer- 45 chant man, seeking goodly pearls; who, when he had found one 46 pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

-Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast 47 into the sea, and gathered of every kind; which, when it was full, 48 they drew to shore, and sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world.

to some native precious mine, as of gold or silver. He hideth. Or, he keeps it secret.-Selleth all that he hath, &c. He is willing to sacrifice every thing else for the great prize he has in view. This parable shows the preciousness of the Gospel, and the efforts and sacrifices worthy to be made in securing it. Worldly gratifications, sensual in dulgences, cherished schemes of ambition, ease and riches and reputation, all that men have and love, they should be willing to relinquish for this inexhaustible and eternal treasure. Jesus even required that a man should give up father and mother, brother and sister, wife and children, houses and lands, yea, and his own life also, if need be, to become his true disciple. But this self-denying spirit is its own exceeding great reward, and atones for all losses.

45. Merchant man, seeking goodly pearls. It is customary in the east for travelling merchants to purchase and exchange gems and other valuables. Wisdom is often likened to rubies, gold, and silver. Ps. xix. 10. Prov. iii. 13-15. See note on Mat. vii. 6. The nearness of the coasts of the Red Sea brought pearls into the Jewish market. They were highly esteemed on account of their rareness and beauty, and were precious in proportion to their size. They are the product of a kind of oyster.

46. Sold all that he had, and bought

The 49

it. He, like the man of the preceding parable, sacrificed every minor consideration to attain his principal end. In one case, however, the treasure was one unexpectedly found, and in the other diligently sought. Religion is the unspeakable treasure to those to whom it comes, comparatively without seeking, as well as to those who travel far, or study long, to gain it. But to many "the pearl has ceased to be precious, because it has always been in our hands. The treasure is no longer hidden, and, without the joy of discovery, we do not think of the worth of possession."

47. A net. A drag net, sweeping, as it were, the bottom of the river or lake, and gathering every thing into it.

The

48. Cast the bad away. worthless on account of their smallness or kind, for some sorts of fish were unclean to the Jews. Lev. xi. 10. This was an illustration peculiarly appropriate to the fishing population of Galilee, whom he was then addressing.

49. At the end of the world. The parable of the net and the fishes is explained in this and the following verse. Some understand, by the end of the world, the end of the Jewish dispensation by the sack of Jerusalem, and others the destruction of the world itself at the last day. The object of the parable appears to have been to forewarn the early disciples that all kinds of

angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wail51 ing and gnashing of teeth.- -Jesus saith unto them: Have ye 52 understood all these things? They say unto him: Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them: Therefore every scribe, which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is an householder, which 53 bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

-And it

came to pass, that, when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in

persons would be gathered into the Christian church, but that eventually a separation would take place, and that at the judgment, whether in the Jewish overthrow, or at the end of the material world, the good and the bad would meet respectively with their merited rewards and punishments.-The angels. See note on verse 39.

50. See note on verse 42. Who can doubt that there is a fearful punishment awaiting the wicked, here and hereafter, when Jesus himself, the compassionate Teacher, has described it with images of all that is most terrible to the apprehensions of men, the outer darkness, the unquenchable fire, and the never dying worm?

51. Understood all these things? The parable which he had explained furnished a clue for understanding the rest. The thought is here suggested of the importance of having a rational belief. The Gospel is a revelation. If we would be enlightened or saved by it, it must be through our clear comprehension of its truths, duties, and promises. I would it become us to call it a revelation from heaven, if it was not intelligible to the human mind. Its best emblem is light.

52. As they understood his doctrines, he inculcates in the following parable their obligations to teach them.-Every scribe, &c. A

doctor of the Jewish law, but meaning here a teacher of Christianity, as is expressed by the phrase, instructed unto the kingdom of heaven.-Householder. The father or master of a family.-Bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. This refers to providing for the sacred rites, according to Lightfoot. The wine, corn, or fruits, new or old, of the present or past years. A thrifty householder would be well stored with both, as might be required. So the religious instructer would study variety in his teachings. He would draw from the old as well as the new dispensation. He would teach the truths of natural and revealed religion; those which were old to his mind, and those which are now learned for the first time from his Master himself. In his method of instruction he was to combine precept and parable. It is an important rule for every minister of the Gospel to study variety, and, within just limits, novelty, both in the manner and matter of his discourses, whilst at the same time the old and familiar should not pall upon his interest, or that of his hearers. He should adapt his teachings to the capacities, tastes, and condition of his charge.

53-58. See Mark vi. 1-6.

54. His own country, i. e. his own town, Nazareth, where he had been

« AnteriorContinuar »