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4 Jesus an

Num. xxiv. 17. Dan. ix. 24. John vi. 14.

c Isa. xxix. 18:

of his disciples, 3 and said unto him, Art thou he that b Gen. xlix. 10. should come, or do we look for another? swered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them: 6 and blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

e

d

7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to a see? fa reed shaken with the wind?

z literally, are evangelized.

& render, gaze upon. (the word in vv. 8, 9, is different.)

So that it would seem as if the Evangelist had purposely avoided saying of Jesus, to shew that the works were reported to John not as those of the Person whom he had known as Jesus, but of the Deliverer -the Christ; and that he was thus led to desire a distinct avowal of the identity of the two. I have before said that the opening part of the ensuing discourse seems to have been designed to prevent, in the minds of the multitude, any such unworthy estimations of John as those above cited. The message and the answer might well beget such suspicions, and could not from the nature of the case be explained to them in that deeper meaning which they really bore; but the character of John here given would effectually prevent them, after hearing it, from entertaining any such idea.

2. had heard] From his own disciples, Luke vii. 18. The place of his imprisonment was Machærus, a frontier town between the dominions of Aretas and Herod Antipas. Our Lord in that hour wrought many cures, Luke ver. 21. Verses 4-6 are nearly verbatim in the two Gospels. 5.] The words the dead are raised up have occasioned some difficulty; but surely without reason. In Luke, the raising of the widow's son at Nain immediately precedes this message; and in this Gospel we have had the ruler's daughter raised. These miracles might be referred to by our Lord under the words the dead are raised up; for it is to be observed that He bade them tell John not only what things they saw, but what things they had heard, as in Luke. It must not be forgotten that the words here used by our Lord have an inner and spiritual sense, betokening the blessings and miracles of divine grace on the souls of men, of

as

a

XXXV. 4, 5, 6: 2: ill. 2:

xlii. 7. John

v. 36: X. 25, 38: xiv. 11.

Isa. Ixi. 1. James ii. 5.

Luke iv. 18.

e Isa. viii. 14. 15. ch. xiii. 57: xxiv. 10: xxvi. 31.

Rom. ix. 32 3.1. Eph. iv. 14.

33. 1 Cor. i.
Gal. v. 11.
1 Pet. ii. 8.

which His outward and visible miracles
were symbolical. The words are mostly
cited from Isa. xxxv. 5, where the same
spiritual meaning is conveyed by them.
They are quoted here, as the words of Isa.
liii. are by the Evangelist in ch. viii. 17,
as applicable to their partial external ful-
filment, which however, like themselves,
pointed onward to their greater spiritual
completion.
the poor have the
gospel preached to them (are evange-
lized)] Stier remarks the coupling of these
miracles together, and observes that with
the dead are raised, this is united, as being
a thing hitherto unheard of and strange,
and an especial fulfilment of Isa. lxi. 1.
6.] See note on ver. 2. offended
in] scandalized at, take offence at.
7-30.] The discourse divides itself into
TWO PARTS: (1) vv. 7-19, the respective
characters and mutual relations of John
and Christ: (2) vv. 20-30, the condem-
nation of the unbelief of the time-ending
with the gracious invitation to all the
weary and heavy laden to come to Him,
as truly He that should come.
7.] The following verses set forth to the
people the real character and position of
John; identifying him who cried in the
wilderness with him who now spoke from
his prison, and assuring them that there
was the same dignity of office and mission
throughout. They are not spoken till
after the departure of the disciples of
John, probably because they were not
meant for them or John to hear, but for
the people, who on account of the question
which they had heard might go away with
a mistaken depreciation of John. And our
Lord, as usual, takes occasion, from re-
minding them of the impression made on
them by John's preaching of repentance,
to set forth to them deep truths regarding

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g ch. xiv. 5:

xxi. 26. Luke i. 76.

h

8 But what went ye out for to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what went ye out for to see? a prophet? 8 yea, I unto you, 10 For and more than a prophet. say MAL. ii. 1. this is he, of whom it is written, " Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom

Mark i. 2.

Luke i. 76.

His own Kingdom and Office.

8. But] i. e. what was it, if it was not that ? what went ye out] The repetition of this question, and the order of the suggestive answers, are remarkable. The first sets before them the scene of their desert pilgrimage-the banks of Jordan with its reeds, but no such trifles were the object of the journey: this suggestion is rejected without an answer. The second reminds them that it was a man-but not one in soft clothing, for such are not found in deserts. The third brings before them the real object of their pilgrimage in his holy office, and even amplifies that office itself. So that the great Forerunner is made to rise gradually and sublimely into his personality, and thus his preaching of repentance is revived in their minds.

in soft raiment]

Contrast this with the garb of John as described ch. iii. 4. Such an one, in soft raiment, might be the forerunner of a proud earthly prince, but not the preacher of repentance before a humble and suffering Saviour; might be found as the courtly flatterer in the palaces of kings, but not as the stern rebuker of tyrants, and languishing in their fortress dungeons.

9.] We read, ch. xxi. 26, that 'all accounted John as a prophet.'John was more than a prophet, because he did not write of, but saw and pointed out, the object of his prophecy;-and because of his proximity to the kingdom of God. He was moreover more than a prophet, because he himself was the subject as well as the vehicle of prophecy. But with deep humility he applies to himself only that one, of two such prophetic passages, which describes him as a voice of one crying, and omits the one which gives him the title of my messenger, here cited by our Lord. 10. thy] Our Lord here changes the person of the original prophecy, which is my. And that He does so, making that which is said by Jehovah of Himself, to be addressed to the Messiah, is, if such were needed (compare also

Luke i. 16, 17, and 76), no mean indication of His own eternal and co-equal Godhead. It is worthy of remark that all three Evangelists quote this prophecy similarly changed, although St. Mark has it in an entirely different place. Also, that the high dignity and honour, which our Lord here predicates of the Baptist, has a further reference: He was thus great above all others, because he was the forerunner of Christ. How great then above all others and him, must HE be.

11. hath ... risen] Not merely a word of course, but especially used of prophets and judges, see reff., and once of our Saviour Himself, Acts v. 30.

he

that is least] This has been variously rendered and understood. Chrysostom and other ancient interpreters, put the pause after "least," and take the words "in the Kingdom of heaven" with what follows: understanding "he that is least" of our Lord. But such an interpretation is surely adverse to the spirit of the whole discourse. We may certainly say that our Lord in such a passage as this would not designate Himself as "he that is least" compared with John, in any sense: nor again is it our Lord's practice to speak of Himself as one in the Kingdom of heaven, or of His own attributes as belonging to or dependent on that new order of things which this expression implies, and which was in Him rather than He in it. Again, the analogy of such passages as Matt. v. 19; xviii. 1, would lead us to connect the preceding adjective least with in the Kingdom of heaven, and not the following. The other, the usual interpretation, I am convinced, is the right one: but he that is least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he. There is very likely

an allusion to Zech. xii. 8: "He that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David." Thus the parallelism is complete: John, not inferior to any born of women-but these, even the least of them, are born of another birth (John i. 12, 13; iii. 5). John, the nearest to the King and

of heaven is greater than he. 12 i And from the days of i Luke xvi. 16. John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John: 14 and if ye Luke 1. 17. will receive it, this is Elias, which b k was for to come. to hear], let him hear.

1

15 1 He that hath ears [

b render, shall come.

comitted in some of the best MSS.

the Kingdom-standing on the threshold --but never having himself entered; these, "in the Kingdom," subjects and citizens and indwellers of the realm, whose citizenship is in heaven. He, the friend of the Bridegroom: they, however weak and unworthy members, His Body, and His Spouse. 12.] The sense of this verse has been much disputed. (1) the verb rendered " suffereth violence" has been taken in a middle sense; forcibly introduces itself, breaks in with violence,' as in the similar passage Luke xvi. 16. Certainly such a sense agrees better with "is preached" which we find in Luke, than the passive explanation: but it seems inconsistent with the latter half of the verse to say that it breaks in by force, and then that others break by force into it. (2) the verb is taken passively; 'suffereth violence.' And thus the construction of the verse is consistent: and the violent take it by force.' Believing this latter interpretation to be right, we now come to the question, in what sense are these words spoken? Is the verb in a good or a bad sense? Does it mean, is taken by force, and the following, and men violently press in for their share of it, as for plunder;'-or does it mean, is violently resisted, and violent men tear it to pieces!' (viz. its opponents, the Scribes and Pharisees?) This latter meaning bears no sense as connected with the discourse before us. The subject is not the resistance made to the kingdom of heaven, but the difference between a prophesied and a present kingdom of heaven. The fifteenth verse closes this subject, and the complaints of the arbitrary prejudices of this generation' begin with ver. 16. We conclude then that these words imply From the days of John the Baptist until now (i. e. inclusively, from the beginning of his preaching), the kingdom of heaven is pressed into, and violent personseager, ardent multitudes-seize on it. Of the truth of this, notwithstanding our Lord's subsequent reproaches for unbelief, we have abundant proof from the multitudes who followed, and outwent Him,

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k Mal. iv. 5. ch. xvii. 12.

I ch. xiii. 9. Luke viii. 8. Rev. ii. 7, 11. 17, 29: iii. 6, 13, 22.

and thronged the doors where He was, and would (John vi. 15) take Him by force to make Him a king. But our Lord does not mention this so much to commend the violent persons, as to shew the undoubted fact that He that should come was come-that the kingdom of heaven, which before had been the subject of distant prophecy, a closed fortress, a treasure hid, was now undoubtedly upon earth (Luke xvii. 21 and note), laid open to the entrance of men, spread out that all might take. Thus this verse connects with ver. 28,"Come unto Me all," and with Luke xvi. 16, "every man presseth into it." Compare also with this throwing open of the kingdom of heaven for all to press into, the stern prohibition in Exod. xix. 12, 13, and the comment on it in Heb. xii. 18-24. 13, 14.] The whole body of testimony as yet has been prophetic,— the Law and Prophets, from the first till Zacharias the priest and Simeon and Anna prophesied; and according to the declaration of prophecy itself, John, in the spirit and power of Elias, was the forerunner of the great subject of all prophecy. Neither this-nor the testimony of our Lord, ch. xvii. 12-is inconsistent with John's own denial that he was Elias, John i. 21. For (1) that question was evidently asked as implying a re-appearance of the actual Elias upon earth: and (2) our Lord cannot be understood in either of these passages as meaning that the prophecy of Malachi iv. 5 received its full completion in John. For as in other prophecies, so in this, we have a partial fulfilment both of the coming of the Lord and of His forerunner, while the great and complete fulfilment is yet futureat the great day of the Lord. Mal. iv. 1. The words here are not "which was for to come," but are strictly future, who shall come. Compare ch. xvii. 11, where the future is used. The if ye will (are willing to) receive it must be taken as referring to the partial sense of the fulfilment implied: for it was (and is to this day) the belief of the Jews that Elias in person should come before the end.

16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? it is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 17 and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned [d unto you], and ye have not lamented. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, ma friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. domitted in some of the best MSS.

m ch. ix. 10. Luke xv. 1 f.

f some of our earliest MSS. 15.] These words are generally used by our Lord when there is a further and deeper meaning in His words than is expressed as here-if John the Baptist is Elias, and Elias is the forerunner of the coming of the Lord, then know surely that the Lord is come.' 16. But]

Implying the men of this generation have ears, and hear not; will not receive this saying are arbitrary, childish, and prejudiced, not knowing their own mind.'

:

whereunto shall I liken] See similar questions in Mark iv. 30: Luke xiii. 18, 20; and note on ch. vii. 24. like unto

children as children in their games imitate the business and realities of life, so these in the great realities now before them shew all the waywardness of children. The similitude is to two bodies of children, the one inviting the other to play, first at the imitation of a wedding, secondly at that of a funeral;-to neither of which will the others respond. Stier remarks that the great condescension of the preaching of the Gospel is shewn forth in this parable, where the man sent from God, and the eternal Word Himself, are represented as children among children, speaking the language of their sports. Compare Heb. ii. 14. It must not be supposed that the two bodies of children are two divisions of the Jews, as some (e. g. Olsh.) have done: the children who call are the Jews,-those called to, the two Preachers; both belonging, according to the flesh, to this generation,-but neither of them corresponding to the kind of mourning (in John's case) with which the Jews would have them mourn, or the kind of joy (in the Lord's case) with which the Jews would have them rejoice. The converse application, which is commonly made, is against the is like unto children, by which the first children must be the children of this generation; and nothing

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19 The son

e render, was. read, for children, works. can be more perplexed than to understand is like unto as meaning may be illustrated by,' and invert the persons in the parable. Besides which, this interpretation would lay the waywardness to the charge of the Preachers, not to that of the Jews. 18. neither eating nor drinking] Luke vii. 33 fills up this expression by inserting bread and wine. See ch. iii. 4. The neglect of John's preaching, and rejection of his message, is implied in several places of the Gospels (see ch. xxi. 23-27: John v. 35); but hence only do we learn that they brought against him the same charge which they afterwards tried against our Lord. See John vii. 20; x. 20. 19.] Alluding to our Lord's practice of frequenting entertainments and feasts, e. g. the marriage at Cana, the feast in Levi's house, &c. See also ch. ix. 14. But] literally, and: i. e. and yet; see John xvi. 32. wisdom] the divine wisdom which hath ordered these things. was justified-the same tense as "came" both times

refers to the event, q. d., they were events in which wisdom was justified, &c.' The force of the past tense is not to be lost by giving a present meaning to either of the verbs. The meaning seems to be, that the waywardness above described was not universal, but that the children of wisdom (in allusion probably to the Book of Proverbs, which constantly uses similar expressions: see ch. ii. 1; iii. 1, 11, 21; iv. 1, &c.) were led to receive and justify (= clear of imputation) the Wisdom of God, who did these things. Cf. Luke vii. 29, where in this same narrative it is said, the publicans justified God. The children of wisdom are opposed to the wayward children above, the childlike to the childish; and thus this verse serves as an introduction to the saying in ver. 25. not exactly equivalent to 'by,' but imply

of,

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20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: 21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long n in sackcloth and ashes. ago 22 But I say unto you, Ita Jonah iii. 7, shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of och.x 15. judgment, than for you. 23 And thou, Capernaum, PB which P see Isa. xiv. art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this

8.

13. Lam. ii

1.

the best MSS. read, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt be brought.

ing at the hands of' the person whence the justification comes. 20-30.] SECOND PART OF THE DISCOURSE. See on ver. 7.

20. Then began he] This expression betokens a change of subject, but not of locality or time. The whole chapter stands in such close connexion, one part arising out of another (e. g. this out of ver. 16-19), and all pervaded by the same great undertone, which sounds forth in vv. 28-30, that it is quite impossible that this should be a collection of our Lord's sayings uttered at different times. I would rather regard the then began he as a token of the report of an ear-witness, and as pointing to a pause or change of manner on the part of our Lord. See note on Luke x. 13. because they repented not] Connect this with the first subject of our Lord's preaching, ch. iv. 17. The reference is to some unrecorded miracles, of which we know (Luke iv. 23: John xxi. 25) that there were many. 21. Chorazin] According to Jerome, a town of Galilee, two (according to Eusebius twelve, but most likely an error in the transcriber) miles from Capernaum. It is nowhere mentioned except here and in the similar place of Luke. Beth

saida] Called a city, John i. 45,-a village (literally), Mark viii. 23,-in Galilee, John xii. 21:-on the western bank of the lake of Gennesaret, near the middle, not far from Capernaum; the birth-place of Simon Peter, Andrew, and Philip. Both this and Chorazin appear to be put as examples of the lesser towns in which our Lord had wrought his miracles (the towns, literally, village-towns, of Mark i. 38), as distinguished from Capernaum, the chief town (ver. 23) of the neighbourhood. Tyre and Sidon] These wealthy cities, so often the VOL. I.

ʼn in the original, Hades.

subject of prophecy, had been chastised by
God's judgment under Nebuchadnezzar
and Alexander, but still existed (Acts xii.
20; xxi. 3, 7; xxvii. 3). repented...in
sackcloth and ashes is probably an allu-
sion to Jonah iii. 6, or to general Eastern
custom.
23.] The sense has been
variously interpreted. Some suppose it to
allude to the distinguished honour con-
ferred on Capernaum by our Lord's resi
dence there. Others to the rich fisheries
carried on at Capernaum, by means of
which the town was proud and prosperous.
Others refer the expression to the lofty
situation of Capernaum, which however is
very uncertain. The first interpretation
appears to me the most probable, seeing
that our Lord chose that place to be the
principal scene of His ministry and resi-
dence, "his own city," ch. ix. 1. The very
sites of these three places are now matter
of dispute among travellers. See Robin-
son, vol. iii. pp. 283-300. Dr. Thom-
son, "The Land and the Book," p. 359,
was sure he found Chorazin in the ruins
bearing the name Khorazy, lying in a side
valley of the Wady Nashif, which runs
down to the lake on the East of Tell Hûm
(Capernaum). And this, in spite of Dr.
Robinson's rejection of the identification.

it

in Sodom] The comparison between sinful Israel and Sodom is common in the O. T. See Deut. xxxii. 32: Isa. i. 10: Lam. iv. 6: Ezek. xvi. 46-57. would have remained] This declaration of the Lord of all events, opens to us an important truth, that the destruction of Sodom was brought about, not by a necessity in the divine purposes-still less by a connexion of natural causes--but by the iniquity of its inhabitants, who, had they turned and repented, might have averted

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