Chapter 1

The first verse of this chapter says, "The book of the generation [genealogy] of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." This seems to point out that the writer's principal address of this writing is to Jews; for if it can be proved that Jesus is "the Son of David," and through him the "Son of Abraham," (or "Seed" of Abraham,) all Jewish objections are made null and void. Through verse 16 Matthew lists the genealogy of "Jesus, Who is called the Christ." His manner of using the expression, "Who is called the Christ," is extremely noteworthy. It seems that a common mistake of many Christians today is that they think "Christ" is a name of our Lord. It is NOT. It is a title, just as is "Lord," or "Saviour," or "King." It, in common use, simply means, "anointed," and in reference to Him, it means "Anointed of God as Prophet, Priest, King, and Saviour." To consider it as a name is as much out of place as to consider "Prince" as part of the name of Prince Charles of England . It is permissible to say "Christ Jesus," but with the understanding that "Christ" is the title and "Jesus" is the name. While it is true that in many places in the New Testament the definite article is omitted, and it says, "Jesus Christ," there is a simple explanation for this.  First, in most places the translators simply left out the article, which was in the Greek text; and second, in the few instances where it is not found in the Greek text, it is most likely that some scribe failed to transcribe it when copying from an earlier manuscript. The phrase should always be either "Christ Jesus" or "Jesus the Christ."

In verse 17 the apostle says, "So all the generations from Abraham to David (are) fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon (are) fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ (are) fourteen generations." Many have noted, and made comment upon the fact that, in the summing up of, as well as the listing, in previous verses, some generations have been omitted. Accordingly they have given us their imagination of why this was done. Since the writer does not tell his reason for this, it seems futile to inquire, and the fact that each case in verse 17 "are" was added by the translators may indicate that in the original, to which, indeed, the translators never had access, may have been something different. In any event, the lineage given is sufficient to establish the genealogy set forth in verse 1; and that seems to have been Matthew's intent.

(Verses 18 through 21) "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise; when as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with Child by the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins."  

In verse 18 we again see the omission of the definite article, for which see earlier explanation. Here we have the circumstances of the birth of our Lord. Luke gives them in more detail, but what Matthew says here is sufficient for his purpose.

As we would say it today, Joseph and Mary were engaged to be married, but the marriage had not yet been celebrated or consummated. At this time Mary was discovered to be with child. Although, of course, Mary knew that it was of the Holy Ghost, this was not apparent to everyone, and evidently, was not yet known by Joseph; because he was sufficiently troubled over the matter that he was considering breaking off the engagement, and not going through with the marriage. He was a just man, which indicates that he respected the laws of God. Yet he must also have been a merciful man for he was considering canceling this marriage privately to avoid setting Mary up to public scorn. According to God's law, (Deut. 22:21 ,) had this been a matter of her having committed fornication, she should have been stoned to death; but since the Romans had taken away from the Jews the authority to execute capital punishment, they could not carry out such a sentence. Yet they could have inflicted upon her public disgrace.

While Joseph considered his options, he was visited in a dream by the angel of the Lord. The angel's message to him was, "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins." Let us briefly examine this message. "Joseph, thou son of David," is completely in harmony with the genealogy given by the apostle in verses 2 through 16. As this record proves, he is a direct descendant of David; and "the son of," as it is often used, does not necessarily mean "one who was begotten of," but simply "one who is directly descended from." To Joseph the angel says, "Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife." The taking to wife of a woman guilty of fornication, and particularly one with child thereby, would bring upon the man the same scorn and shame as that directed at the woman, since it would be a tacit admission that he also was guilty. This no doubt is what had Joseph so greatly concerned. Nevertheless, as he considered these things, the angel told him to have no fear of such, and declared to him the reason why he should not be afraid to take her to wife: "for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." This message, since it is from the "angel of the Lord," is the word of God. And Joseph, being a just man, one who believed God, (to be just is to be justified before God, and it is by faith that the just live,) this erased all doubts from his mind. The angel continued his message, declaring, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins." Notice is to be taken of three persons mentioned in this message as having some action to take, and each act is declared as a positive event of the future. First, "She shall bring forth a Son." This is a positive statement of fact, containing no "ifs," "ands," "buts," or "maybes." God said, "She shall," and so she did. Next, "Thou shalt (you shall) call His name JESUS." It makes no difference whether one considers this statement imperative or indicative, "For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast." Yet, technically, it is indicative, just as was the first part of this declaration. There was no choice of names given to Joseph. This Son was to be named JESUS, and so He was. "Jesus is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name, "Yeshua," or "Joshua," which means, "the help of God," or it can be rendered, "Saviour." The reason the name of this Son was to be JESUS is that, "He shall save His people from their sins." Again, we emphasize the fact that this is a totally positive statement, containing nothing that will allow any possibility of failure. In studying the scriptures we find "His people" identified as, "Whosoever believeth in Him," (John 3:16 ); "Every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him," (John 6:40 ;) "All that the Father giveth Me," (John 6:37 ;) "All which He hath given Me," (John 6:39 ;) "As many as the Lord our God shall call," (Acts 2:39 ;) "Whom He did foreknow," (Romans 8:29 ;) "Them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called," (Jude 1;) and "Them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ," (2 Peter 1:1.) There are indeed many other scriptural expressions that identify them, but surely these will suffice for the present. In the Ephesian epistle the Apostle Paul makes it abundantly clear that, though our believing in our Lord Jesus identifies us as "His people," it has nothing at all to do with our being made so; because this took place long before we were ever brought into existence. (Ephesians 1:4-5) "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved." These then, who are "His people" He shall save from their sins. God has declared it, and so it shall be. The final result will be exactly as the original purpose of God. No one can alter it, or hinder it.

(Verses 22 and 23) "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

The prophecy quoted in verse 23 is from Isaiah 7:14. Matthew takes note of the fact that, God brought to pass the events exactly as He had foretold by the prophet, and did it in this manner for the purpose of fulfilling His word. When we begin to search the scriptures for information concerning the names of the Christ, we find that He has many; among which are Jesus, Emmanuel, (or Immanuel, as it is sometimes spelled,) Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, and many others. Matthew says that when interpreted, or translated, "Emmanuel" means "God with us," and to this John bears witness, in these words, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

(Verses 24 and 25) "Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn Son: and called His name JESUS."

Surely, this does not mean that Joseph got up in the night, went to find Mary, and they had an impromptu wedding. To do so would have drawn entirely too much attention to the matter. Instead, it simply means that when he arose the next day, he, without delay, set about to do what had already been planned before he became aware of her condition. What the angel had told him was completely satisfactory to him, because he believed God. Verse 25 tells us that, they did not have intercourse until after the birth of Jesus. There are some, who contend that this abstinence continued throughout their lives, but not only is such an argument unreasonable, it is a denial of the very language of the scripture. It says, "And [he] knew her not TILL she had brought forth her firstborn Son." Admittedly, some Greek texts omit "firstborn," but the remainder of the text says, "TILL she had brought forth her_ _ _Son." This signifies clearly that, after she brought forth her Son, the marriage relationship followed the normal pattern. Otherwise, some further mention would have been made of it. The fact that in our King James Version of the Bible, as well as in most of the accepted Greek texts, the word "firstborn" is used, should satisfy us on this subject; for if He was the "firstborn" instead of "only" Son, there must have been other children, or, at least, another child, after Him. To this witness is given in Matthew 13:55-56 and Mark 6:3, in spite of the self appointed "experts" who try to deny it. The last clause of this sentence, "and called His name JESUS," tells us that, the purpose and declaration of God were executed exactly as He said.

(Verses 1 and 2) "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem , saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him."

There are a few points concerning these verses that, though obvious when we look at exactly what is said, have been established by tradition as entirely different from what is here given. The first thing to be noticed is the scripture says, "There came wise men from the east to Jerusalem ." No hint is given as to how many of them there were; and no names are given. Neither is any mention made of the country, or countries, from which they came. Tradition has been set up by man, NOT GOD, to say that there were three of them, and that, their names were Melchoir, Gaspar, and Balthazar. None of this has any basis in scripture. Reason would dictate that, under the prevailing conditions of travel in those days, the very dangers of the journey would call for a greater number than three. Man's tradition has even tried to establish from whence the supposed three came that they might join together to make the journey. Again, there is no scripture for such; and neither is there any reason to think that the star traveled before them on this journey to Jerusalem . Had such been the case, they would have had no need to inquire the whereabouts of the "King of the Jews:" they would simply have followed the star. Notice what they said. "Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east," not "We have followed His star from the east." To get the picture before us it is necessary to look a little ahead to some other statements. First, verses 7 and 16, "Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared._ _ _Then, Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and all the coasts [borders] thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men." Next, verses 9, 10, and part of 11, "When they had heard the king, they departed; and, Lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother."

Verses 7 and 16 tell us that this star had appeared to these wise men two years earlier. This may not mean that Jesus was two years old when the wise men got to Jerusalem . It could mean that God showed this star to them far enough in advance of the birth of His Son, that they might have time to make the journey in time to see Him shortly after His birth, which they did. Herod's "cut-off line" of the age of two years was only his effort to make sure the "King of the Jews" did not escape. Like some other men, he foolishly thought he could overcome God. When the wise men saw the star in the east they knew "The King of the Jews" was to be born, and, no doubt, set about immediately to go and worship Him. The phrase, "wise men" was often applied to astrologers, soothsayers, etc. But in this instance, though they may have been astronomers, and for that reason were studying the heavens when the star appeared, the only wisdom that would have told them that this star meant that the "King of the Jews" was about to make His appearance, is the wisdom of God, by which He revealed this knowledge to them. Since He, Who was to be born was the "King of the Jews," they had no further need of the star until they reached Jerusalem , for that is the city of the King. And there were caravan trails they could follow from whatever point in the east they may have begun their journey.

Verse 9 says, "And, Lo, the star, which they saw in the east," not "And the star, which they had followed from the east." Thus it seems that they saw the star before they left home. And God revealed to them that it was the star of the "King." But they saw it no more till now; for had they been following it for two years, it seems hardly likely that its going before them now would call for the exclamation, "Lo." Then verse 10 seems to prove this point, for it says, "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy." Had they been following the star since they left home, the sight of it now would hardly have occasioned such an ecstasy of joy as this. They would have been more or less accustomed to it by this time, since it was about two years before when it appeared to them in the east.

In the above quotation from verses 9 through the earlier part of 11, in addition to what has already been discussed, we see that the star did indeed go before them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, and there came to a standstill "over where the young Child lay." The word that is translated "young child" does not always mean "a newborn infant," but certain things mentioned by Luke in his account of the birth of our Lord indicate that, although His star had appeared about two years earlier, He may not have been that old at this time. Luke 1:26-27 says, "And _ _ _ the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary." Then Luke 2:4-5 says, "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth , into Judaea, unto the city of David , which is called Bethlehem ; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." This seems to make it reasonable that, as soon as possible after the birth of Jesus, they would have returned home to Nazareth . Also, with all the events Luke records concerning the shepherds to whom the angels announced the birth of our Lord, it seems hardly likely that it would have taken two years for the news of this to have reached Herod. Certainly, the arrival of the wise men in Bethlehem was somewhat later than that of the shepherds, since the sign given to the shepherds, whereby they might recognize our Lord was, "And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger." And Matthew says, "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother," which may indicate that, by the arrival of the wise men they were no longer in the stable, but had found a house in which to stay. As we have pointed out before, the star's first appearance could well have been two years before the birth of Jesus for the reasons earlier stated. Or it could have been a full two years since His birth. These wise men had seen His star, and had made this long arduous trip for the purpose of worshipping Him. This clearly shows that this wisdom given to them was a revelation from God Himself.

(Verses 3 through 8) "When Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem , in the land of Juda , art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, That shall rule My people Israel . Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem , and said, Go, and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship Him also."

Herod, though only a tetrarch, considered himself a king over part of Israel , and he had no intention of standing by, and permitting anyone else to be "King of the Jews:" for this would have taken away his position and power. So he was much troubled: and as others in Jerusalem realized that another claimant to the crown meant war, they also were very much upset, since they knew nothing of the nature of the kingdom of "the King of the Jews." Herod, in order to make preparation for eliminating his "rival," as he considered our Lord, gathered together all those who, he thought, would be sufficiently well acquainted with the prophecies to know where this "King of the Jews" would be born. And when they informed him that Bethlehem was the place according to the prophecy, (Micah 5:2,) he called the wise men aside for a private conference, in which he pretended that he wanted to go and worship this King also. He sent the wise men on to Bethlehem with instructions to make a diligent search for the King, and when they found Him, to bring Herod a report of His whereabouts. As appears a little later, he had no intention to worship this King. When the wise men had been dismissed by Herod, they departed from Jerusalem with the star going before them to the place where Jesus was. We have already discussed verse 10.

(Verse 11) "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."

Many have, from this verse, come up with the idea that there could only have been three of the wise men, because there were only three kinds of gifts. This is patently absurd. If there had been only one kind of gifts, this would not have limited the number of wise men to one; and had there been a hundred different kinds of gifts, there would have been no proof in this that there were a hundred of the wise men. The speculation concerning their number is just that, so far as any scriptural evidence is concerned. However many there may have been of these wise men, they all bowed ("fell") down before Jesus, and worshipped Him; and they all gave Him gifts. Some have attempted to make a great thing out of what they suppose to be the significance of each of these gifts. However, since our principal interest is a study, not of what men have imagined, but what the word of God says, we shall decline to discuss such. These gifts were gold, and frankincense, and myrrh, and may be the fulfilling of Isaiah 60:6, although that prophecy mentions only "gold and incense." The word here translated, "gold," indicates something precious made of gold. It could be ornaments of gold, or gold coins. The word translated "frankincense" could mean either the frankincense tree, or the aromatic gum which comes from that tree, which was highly prized for its fragrance. Myrrh is a bitter gum which comes from a certain tree, or shrub, in Arabia and Ethiopia . It is highly valued as a costly perfume, and is also used in embalming. Since all these wise men gave Jesus gifts of such great value, we can be well assured that they were in earnest in desiring to worship Him, to which also their undertaking such a long and difficult journey bears witness.

(Verse 12) "And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way."

After worshipping the Child and presenting their gifts, the wise men apparently stayed in Bethlehem at least another night; and while they were sleeping God warned them in a dream to by-pass Herod and make no report to him. Accordingly, they took a different route back to their homeland. Since nothing is said in scripture to identify that land, there is no need for us to inquire. There are legends that will tell us from whence these wise men were, but, since legends are never very reliable, we would be no better informed.

(Verses 13 through 15) "And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt , and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him. When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt : and he was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called My Son."

Just as God warned the wise men in a dream that they should not report back to Herod, so His angel appeared in a dream to Joseph, warning him to take Jesus and His mother, and flee to Egypt for safety from Herod. The angel further warned him to stay in Egypt "until I bring thee word." Joseph was not left to depend upon his own judgment about how long he should remain there. Evidently Joseph awoke shortly after the dream; and while it was yet night he took Jesus and Mary, and, in obedience to the warning, set out for Egypt . When he arrived in Egypt , he remained there until the death of Herod; and Matthew tells us that this was done for a specific purpose, "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt have I called My Son.’" When one looks at this prophecy, he finds it spoken in such manner that, had not the apostle mentioned it here as applying to Jesus, it is doubtful that anyone would have recognized it as prophecy. It would likely have been taken as history, and applying to Israel only. (Hosea 11:1) "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called My son out of Egypt ." This is another example of a prophecy with a two-fold application. God did indeed call Israel out of Egypt , when as a nation, he might be considered as a child. Also the prophetic application is to Jesus. To see the connection with better clarity, we should keep in mind that " Israel " actually means "Prince." With this understanding of it, we can read it thus: "When the Prince was a Child, then I loved Him, and called My Son out of Egypt ." Here a word of warning to those who fear that God either can not, or will not, literally fulfill His word might be in order. If He took such great care as this to fulfill such a seemingly obscure detail as this, Why should anyone think that He will overlook any point He has declared?

(Verse 16) "Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men."

As will be remembered from verse 7, Herod had made a special effort to find out how long before this time the star which heralded the birth of the "King of the Jews" had first appeared to the wise men. Now, since the wise men, warned of God in a dream, have totally ignored Herod's instructions to them, (that is the meaning of the word translated "mocked,") Herod shows his real purpose in seeking the information. Since the star had first appeared two years before, he, to make sure that the King did not escape, sent his executioners to Bethlehem to kill all the children two years old and younger, not only in Bethlehem itself, but also in all the surrounding areas. Nevertheless, as Matthew has already told us, God had made the moves necessary to thwart his murderous act.

(Verses 17 and 18) "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy [Jeremiah] the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not."

This also is a prophecy that probably would never have been associated, in the minds of men, with the birth of our Lord, had not Matthew led by the Holy Ghost, called our attention to it. For the whole prophecy reads thus: "Thus saith the Lord; ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel [Rachel] weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children because they are not.’ Thus saith the Lord: ‘Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded,’ saith the Lord; ‘And they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end,’ saith the Lord, ‘that thy children shall come again to their own border.’" This prophecy was to the land of Judah concerning their impending captivity. It declares that those taken away as captives, "her children," can look to a time when they will be returned to their own land. In regard to the children slain by the murderer, Herod, there is also hope for them; for they shall return from the land of their enemy, Death, and be restored to their own possession in the resurrection. Howbeit the Apostle only quoted that part, which described the great sorrow brought by their murder.

(Verses 19 through 21) "But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt , saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel : for they are dead which sought the young Child's life. And he arose, and took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel ."

Faithful to His word given to Joseph in verse 13, the angel of God brought the message for Joseph to return to the land of Israel ; and as before, Joseph immediately obeyed. Nothing is said about his beginning the return trip at night, as he did the flight to Egypt . The flight had to be kept as secretive as possible, but the return could be in the open. However it is apparent that he did not delay about obeying the instructions given him. We cannot exactly pinpoint the time of the return from Egypt . But Herod died in 4 BC.

(Verses 22 and 23) "But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene."

For the most part, this quotation needs no explanation, since it is a very simple account of the return from Egypt to Israel . Yet the purpose given for God's sending them to Nazareth might be a little obscure to some. According to many, (and apparently this was Matthew's understanding of it,) the Hebrew form of the word we call " Nazareth " means "branch" or "shoot." The prophecies to which Matthew refers are apparently Isaiah 11:1-5 and Jeremiah 23:5-6. Although recorded by two different prophets, the message is the same; and in both prophecies our Lord is called a "Branch." Isaiah says, "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: _ _ _," while Jeremiah's wording is, "’Behold, the days come,’ saith the Lord, ‘that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch.’” Then both prophets tell us enough about Him and His work that we have no reason not to understand that they are speaking of our Lord Jesus the Christ.

(Verses 1 through 6) "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea , and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem , and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan , and were baptized of him in Jordan , confessing their sins."

Inasmuch as verses 3 and 4 are actually a parenthesis, let us temporarily set them aside, and, for greater clarity, join verse 5 to verse 2; and at the same time give a more literal translation of verse 1. Thus we have: "And in the days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, ‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,’ _ _ _ then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." The King James translation, "In those days came John. _ _ _," seems to mean that John began his ministry while the events of Chapter 2 were taking place, which certainly was not the case. Nevertheless, "In the days John came, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea," his message was, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand;" and the multitudes came out to hear him, and many who repented and confessed their sins, were baptized by him in Jordan .

Now let us consider verses 3 and 4. "For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’ And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey." We have already noticed that Matthew very carefully calls our attention to those things, which are the fulfilling of prophecy. He declares that John the Baptist is he of whom Isaiah spoke in Isaiah 40:3-4.

In Isaiah's prophecy a somewhat more lengthy description is given of the message; for the whole prophecy concerning John and his message continues through verse 11. Howbeit, Matthew is at this point primarily concerned with showing the identity of the messenger instead of giving the entire message. He then described John as one who "had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey." Some have, by what they call "spiritualizing," tried to make a great thing out of the fact that he "had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins." But the only real significance of this is that he was a very unpretentious man, who dressed as he lived, very simply. His clothing was that of a peasant. His outer cloak was of a coarse cloth made from camel's hair, and bound at the waist with a wide belt, or girdle of leather, partly to hold his cloak together at the waist, and partly as protection for his loins as he traveled through the rough country side. In addition to this his diet was very simple, primarily "locusts and wild honey." In short, he lived off the land. The locusts here mentioned are indeed the same as those that historically have plagued the Mediterranean area, and many other places of the world through the centuries. Some of our people today might be reluctant to eat locusts, but in some places they are, and have been from time immemorial, considered proper food. They are even kosher food. For Leviticus 11:21-22 says, "Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind." The whole description given of John seems to have been given for the purpose of showing him as a simple man with a simple message.

(Verses 7 through 12) "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He That cometh after me is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Matthew tells us that this declaration of John's was made to the Pharisees and Sadducees, and, no doubt, it was, because of their coming out as they did to his baptism; but Luke says that it was actually said to the multitude, not just to the Pharisees and Sadducees. This is no contradiction, because one speaking publicly, though primarily addressing certain ones, will speak his message to all, and not privately to those who are the occasion of what he says. In verse 6 we are told that the multitude "were baptized of him in Jordan confessing their sins." It seems evident that the Pharisees and Sadducees wanted baptism without confessing that they were sinners, and repentant for their sins. This would be in perfect accord with their attitude as shown in every recorded encounter with our Lord. Since the first words of John's message were, "Repent ye," and since he was baptizing "unto," or as a witness of, repentance, he could not baptize them, unless they, by confessing their sins, showed repentance. John's further statement would certainly apply to the whole congregation, as well as to the Pharisees and Sadducees, "And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." Although the Greek word translated "within," can also mean "among," it seems better in this instance to consider it as literally "within." For the meaning is, "Don't even think to say in your mind that, Abraham is our father," as depending upon that for access to the blessings of God: "for God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."

We sometimes hear men, even some who claim to be gospel ministers, say, "John did not mean that God was able to make children of Abraham from the literal stones along the Jordan River . He was speaking of the hard and stony hearts of the people." This is utterly ridiculous. First, because the stony hearts gathered there were already, according to the flesh, children of Abraham, and John did say, "These stones:" and second, God originally made man of the dust of the earth; and He can just as easily make men of stones as of dust. To say that John did not mean the literal stones is the same as saying that the speaker does not believe that God made man in the first place, or that he does not believe God is as powerful as when He made man in the beginning. Both positions are totally unacceptable. John did not say, "God will make children of Abraham from these stones," but that He is able to do so; and anyone who does not believe this should never claim to be a gospel minister.

The next part of John's message is, "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree, which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire." Although this statement can be applied to all, who have been taught the truths of God, its primary application is to the Jews, of whom this entire multitude was made up. It corresponds to our Lord's parable of the barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9). The Jews, individually, answer to this parable. They have been spared of God, and as it were fertilized by the prophets, but now the axe is laid at the root of every tree. Therefore every tree which does not produce good fruit, (the first good fruit to be produced is repentance,) is to be cut down, and burned up. There is no more delay.

Now John tells the difference between himself and Him, Who comes after him. "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He That cometh after me is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Although a prophet sent from God, John was only a man, and as such, his baptism, though commissioned of God, was only symbolic. It could not give faith, nor take away sin. All it could do was to bear witness to the repentance of those who received it as they confessed their sins. It was unto, or for, repentance. He, Who was to come after John is the God-man, Jesus the Christ. Just as John baptized (literally, "immersed") men in water, the Christ is able to baptize them with the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, and by the cleansing efficacy of the Spirit burn away their dross, or sins, as by fire. Thus, since faith is the fruit of the Spirit, our Lord does, in that baptism with the Holy Ghost, give faith; in the baptism with fire He forever puts away our sins, neither of which John could do. So he says, "He _ _ _ is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear." Not only does He baptize with the Holy Ghost, and with fire, but also His "fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Certainly, this part of the message refers to the time of the end, when our Lord shall very meticulously gather all His elect, "His wheat," into the garner, and bring judgment upon the wicked, "the chaff." Although the present tense is used in "Whose fan is in His hand," the future is used in the remainder of the sentence, which would indicate that He is ready, and only awaiting the appointed time to finish His work. It should also be noted that, in the Greek there is no verb at all in the first part of the statement: the "is" was supplied by the translators, and, to agree with the remainder of the sentence, it should be read, "Whose fan will be in His hand." The picture before us is that of the harvest having been gathered, laid out upon the floor, and threshed by the method in use at that time, that of being beaten with sticks until the grain was separated from the chaff. At this point the bulkier chaff was picked up and thrown aside. Then what was left was fanned with a large fan, called "a winnowing fan." The air stirred up by this fan would blow the lighter chaff aside, leaving only the grain, which was then taken up, and put into the garner. Then the chaff would be either thrown away or burned. In this case, "He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Thus His floor will be completely "purged," or cleaned. Nothing will be left.

(Verses 13 through 15) "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me? And Jesus answering, said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered Him."

All four gospel writers record Jesus' baptism, all with just about such variation of words as one would expect from any four different witnesses of some event today. Matthew alone mentions John's reluctance to baptize Him because of his own unworthiness. John even records John the Baptist as saying that one purpose of his being sent to baptize was that thereby Jesus would be publicly identified. As, according to Matthew, our Lord answered John's objection, He said, "Suffer [it to be so] now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." The words in brackets were not in the Greek text, but were supplied by the translators. This statement does not mean that baptism is "all righteousness," but simply that it is a righteous work, and ought not be left off by those who desire to do righteousness. Upon receiving this answer, John baptized Jesus with no further objection.

(Verses 16 and 17) "And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him. And, lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased."

In reading the accounts of this event given by Matthew and Mark, one might be inclined to think that the descent of the Spirit, and the speaking of the voice from heaven were seen and heard by Jesus alone. For Matthew says," _ _ _ the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit _ _ _ and, lo, a voice from heaven." And Mark says, "And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him: and there came a voice from heaven _ _ _." Yet John clearly indicates that, at least John the Baptist, witnessed these things: for he records him as saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He That sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, ‘Upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He Which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.’ And I saw, and bare record that This is the Son of God." So whether these things were visible and audible to the multitude, or not, they were to John the Baptist. By the opening of the heavens, the descending of the Spirit, and the voice from heaven, Jesus was declared to be the Son of God, and well pleasing to the Father.

(Verses 1 and 2) "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungered."

Although Jesus is the Son of God, and, as His name "Emmanuel" declares, He is God with us, while here on earth He was in a body of flesh, and was subject to the same weaknesses that we have, with one exception; He had no sin. There was no "original sin" in His nature, and since "God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him" (John 3:34), He was never overcome by temptation, and therefore he never committed sin. James tells us that "God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man." Yet the fact remains that, although Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Lead us not into temptation," and God does not tempt any man with evil, He often leads them into situations, or places them in positions, where they are tempted, that their faith and faithfulness may be made manifest. Witness the sending of Joseph into Egypt , and placing him in the house of Potiphar. His story is recorded in detail in Genesis, in chapters 37, and 39 through 50. In Genesis 45:7, Joseph says, "And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance." Then in Genesis 50:20, he says, "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass as it is this day, to save much people alive." Here Matthew says, "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." So it is evident that it was the purpose of God that He be tempted, and though God did not do the tempting, it was He, Who, by the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted.

In preparation for the temptation, in order that the flesh might be as weak as possible, Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights. He neither ate nor drank during this time. Some might be prone to think that, since He is the Son of God, such deprivation would have no effect upon Him. But we must remember that He was in a body of flesh for the very purpose of being able to suffer all the pains, weaknesses, sorrows, and afflictions common to man, except sinning. So after forty days and nights of fasting His body was hungry, distressed, and weak.

(Verses 3 and 4) "And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

There are, no doubt, many lessons, which may be learned from this temptation of our Lord and His answer to it. We shall make no effort to mention them all, but let us consider a few things concerning it. First: there can be no doubt that Jesus had the power to command that those stones be made bread. And it would suddenly be done; and when the body is suffering extreme hunger, as was His, whatever possibility of obtaining food that may be presented is very tempting; and some might think there would be nothing wrong in commanding the stones to become bread. Nevertheless, we are immediately confronted by three things concerning this. First, yielding to this temptation would have been for the satisfying of the flesh, since it was the flesh, which desired food. Second, it would have been for self-aggrandizement, to prove to Satan that He was the Son of God, which, for that matter, Satan already knew. Third, it would have indicated an unwillingness to rely upon the Father, since He had by the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. Therefore our Lord made use of the same weapon that is available to every child of God, "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," (Eph. 6:17.) He said, "It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’"

(Verses 5 through 7) "Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

As they read this account, some may think this a figment of the imagination, or at most, only a figurative account, but those who think that, most likely do not believe Genesis 1:1 either. There is no excuse for a Christian's doubting that this literally took place. The devil took Jesus bodily from the wilderness to the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem , "the holy city," and having set Him thereupon, quoted the scripture to Him, proving that the Father had promised Him protection in all things. For the entire quotation, see Psalms 91:9-16. It will be noticed that the portion quoted by the devil is an accurate quotation. The only thing wrong with his usage of it is that he tried to extend it beyond that which it rightly covers. In so doing, the idea he tried to convey is contradictory to the overall teaching of the word of God. So Jesus answered him with, "It is written again, ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’" As with all the scriptures, this is, no doubt, written for our benefit, to warn us that we must study the word of God to the point that we will be able to know how far a scripture can be extended before it would develop an idea contrary to the whole body of scriptural teaching. For many today stand ready to present temptations of various sorts, saying, "You know this is all right because the Bible says _ _ _," quoting some short excerpt of scripture, taken completely out of context. And because of its being out of context it presents a totally false idea. Thus they "change the truth of God into a lie." No matter how enticing the proposition sounds; and even when it is enhanced by a scriptural quotation, if it is contrary to some other scripture, it is to be refused.

(Verses 8 through 11) "Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him."

In my humble opinion, a great mistake is made here by most people. As they read what Satan says here, and more particularly, Luke's record of this same speech, (Luke 4:6-7,) "And the devil said unto Him, ‘All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give it. If Thou wilt worship me, all shall be Thine,’" they tend to agree with the devil, that all this is delivered to Him, and he has power to give it to whom he will. They will even say, "Satan had to be telling the truth, because Jesus did not even challenge him on it." Such reasoning would be comical, if it were not so tragic. Every community we have ever known had someone in it, who was known as the community liar; and whatever he said, no one who knew him would ever bother to challenge him, because his background and reputation made that only a waste of time. In John 8:44, Jesus tells us all we need to know about the devil's reputation and background. "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is NO TRUTH IN HIM. When he speaketh of a lie, he speaketh of his own: FOR HE IS A LIAR, AND THE FATHER OF IT." With his having such character, and its being so well known, why waste time challenging what he says? Many have found to their sorrow that he was not telling the truth in this claim: for they believing his word, have worshipped and served him only to find that he could not deliver on his promise. The only power Satan has is that which he achieves through his cunning deception and manipulation of men. He is only a con artist, though the greatest of those ever, and an usurper, whom our Lord will, at His appointed time, cast down, and bring to judgment. When our Lord takes unto Himself His great power, and reigns, as is declared by the twenty-four elders, Revelation 11:17-18, even the devil himself will realize that Jesus, not he, is the One unto Whom not only the glory of all kingdoms on earth, but of heaven also belongs. So Jesus rebuked Satan, and ordered him to leave: "for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." The devil could endure no more of this; so he departed, and upon his departure, the angels came and ministered unto Jesus. No doubt, someone will think, "Yes, they came, and ministered unto Him because He is the Son of God," and surely, this is true. Yet there is also here a note of encouragement for us: for the writer of the Hebrew epistle says, "But to which of the angels said He at any time, ‘Sit on My right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?’ Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to MINISTER FOR THEM WHO SHALL BE HEIRS OF SALVATION?"

(Verses 12 through 16) "Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, He departed into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."

Here Matthew passes over a considerable amount of time, giving no details of it at all. In verse 12 he says, "Now when Jesus heard that John was cast into prison, He departed into Galilee ." Mark says almost exactly the same thing at this point; but both Luke and John, though they say that He did indeed return to Galilee shortly after His baptism, tell us that this return was before John the Baptist was cast into prison. And they record many things, which took place between that return and the things of which Matthew speaks here. So, unless the expression, "Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison," was somehow inadvertently added by some scribe who was making a copy of the manuscript, Matthew was simply passing over some things to get to others he deemed more relevant to his purpose. For, of course, neither any one of the writers, nor all of them together, could tell us all the things that Jesus did. (See John 21:25.) At any event Jesus did indeed return to Galilee, and to Nazareth . He also later left Nazareth and took up His abode in Capernaum . Matthew tells us that this was the fulfilling of God's prophecy by the prophet Isaiah ("Esaias"). Since, as John says, concerning the life that was in Jesus, "That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world," and the land of Zabulon and Naphthalim was "Galilee of the Gentiles," it follows that, "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up," when He took up His abode among them.

(Verse 17) "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Notice that the message Jesus preached is exactly the same as that preached by John the Baptist: "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Some try to tell us that His ministry was a failure, which it certainly would have been, had He been trying to do what they say that He was. They tell us that He was offering to man the kingdom of heaven, and Himself as its King; and if they would only accept it, He would establish it here in the world immediately. However, since they rejected Him and His offer, He must now wait until a later date, and try a new method of establishing it. How ridiculous can man get with his ideas about the purposes of God? The Apostle Paul, in the Ephesian letter, shows clearly that the suffering of the Christ on Calvary 's cross was according to God's ETERNAL purpose, which He kept hidden in Himself until, according to His own will He revealed in the death and resurrection of our Lord. The message is, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." That is, the heavenly kingdom itself is here, not the "old kingdom of shadows of good things to come," wherein when one committed a sin, he could take a bullock, a sheep, or a goat, to the priest, and have him offer it up in sacrifice, as a memorial of his sin, thus making a symbolic atonement for him, but the true kingdom of heaven, wherein the King Himself was soon to make the one offering that "perfected forever them that are sanctified," although the full manifestation of the glory of the kingdom is set for a future date. Therefore repent: for, unquestionably, those who repent are those who believe in the King; and those who believe in the King are the citizens of the kingdom. See John 3:16 and John 6:40; and while reading these, see also John 6:35-39, which shows clearly that the believing is not the cause, but the effect of God's wonderful salvation, wrought by the King of this kingdom.

(Verses 18 through 22) "And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And He saith unto them, Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him.  And going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed Him."

One will notice a seeming discrepancy between these details and what John says about the calling of the first disciples. Yet one must remember that neither account was written until several years after the incident. And what differences appear, are only such as might be expected when two people tell of things done long before without discussing and coordinating all the details of the event, thus proving that these accounts are the testimony of witnesses, not "cunningly devised fables," as the Apostle Peter said (2 Peter 1:16). The most readily noticeable point of the matter is that, when Jesus called these men, they immediately abandoned what they were doing, and followed Him with no question about where He was going, when He might come back, or what He was planning to do. In short, His call was effective, just as it always is. The religious world today is constantly telling us that Jesus is calling men to serve Him, but they will not respond to His call. They must be thinking of a different Jesus. There is not a single instance in scripture of His calling any one who did not respond. True enough, one man did say, "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father;" but the Lord said, "Follow Me: and let the dead bury their dead:" and that was the end of the matter, so far as the scriptures record the event. To Simon and Andrew He said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Most people, in reading this, have a tendency to understand it a little differently from the actual wording of it. They want to make it, "If you will follow me, I will make you fishers of men." This is altogether unacceptable. There is not an "if" in it. The first clause is a command, and the second tells them what their new occupation will be.

(Verses 23 through 25) "And Jesus went about all Galilee , teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And His fame went throughout all Syria : and they brought unto Him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and He healed them. And there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem , and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan ."

Notice should be taken of the three things Jesus did. He taught, He preached the gospel of the kingdom, and He served His fellow man, exactly the same three things that each of His servants should do today. Certainly the service He rendered is far above what we can do: for He healed "all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." The vast majority of His servants are not entrusted with the wonderful power of healing; but with whatever gift we have received we are to serve our fellow man, and especially those who are of the household of faith. As He traveled over the territory of Galilee doing these things, His reputation was so spread abroad that people with all manner of diseases, afflictions, and sufferings, physical, mental, and spiritual, were brought to Him, "and He healed them." No record can be found of any person with any affliction or problem, that Jesus tried to heal, and failed. There are now, and there have been, doctors who have been blessed to work some wonderful cures in many fields; but when all is said, and done, it must be admitted that they also had some failures. Our Lord never lost a patient. It is no wonder that great multitudes from all the regions round about followed Him.

(Verses 1 and 2) "And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying,"

Evidently, at this point Jesus was feeling the pressure of being in the press of the multitude, and desired a little rest therefrom. So He went up into a mountainous area to relax a little while. As soon as He found a place He deemed suitable for resting, and had sat down, His disciples gathered around Him, and He, away from the tumult of the multitude, began to teach them, in what is usually referred to as "The Sermon On The Mount." Verses 3 through 11 are usually called "The Beatitudes," because each starts with, "Blessed are they _ _ _," or "Blessed are the _ _ _."

(Verse 3) "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Both John the Baptist and Jesus preached the kingdom of heaven. "Ptochoi," the Greek word here translated "poor," had always been used in a bad sense until in the Gospel writings it was elevated to a new plane. Classically it meant "reduced to beggary, begging, mendicant, asking alms." And our Lord's usage of it, "Poor in spirit" is to be understood as "being beggars before God," which all, who have by His grace been made to see themselves as the poor ruined sinners that we all are by nature, surely are. Those, then, who have been brought to this realization, are blessed, or happy, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. They are no longer citizens of this sinful world, but of the heavenly kingdom.

(Verse 4) "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."

Throughout the teachings of our Lord, and His apostles, this theme runs continuously: "We are called to suffering and sorrow in this present world, that we may inherit glory in that to come;" and here Jesus sets forth the positive and unfailing promise that such "shall be comforted." Certainly, He will comfort us in our troubles and sorrows in this life. But the great comfort comes in that day when "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Rev. 21:4).

(Verse 5) "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

To look for the fulfilling of this promise before the appointed time is to disregard everything taught in the scriptures, as well as everything we experience or observe in this life. While in this present life, instead of inheriting the earth, the meek are constantly pushed aside, overrun, downtrodden, and even killed by the arrogant, and the violent. Yet, why should we, who are citizens of the heavenly kingdom even want to inherit the earth in its present cursed condition? (Genesis 3:17) "And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: CURSED IS THE GROUND FOR THY SAKE; IN SORROW SHALT THOU EAT OF IT ALL THE DAYS OF THY LIFE." The earth, which the meek shall inherit, is the one in which is that wonderful city, the New Jerusalem, of which He says, (Rev. 22:3,) "And there shall be NO MORE CURSE: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him." So even if it is a long time before that promise is fulfilled, wait patiently for it, for it will indeed be well worth all the waiting, suffering, and affliction we may have to endure.

(Verse 6) "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

Hunger and thirst, especially when very acute, can cause severe suffering. Yet, as severe as they are, they can not be experienced by the dead. In like manner, those who are dead in trespasses and sins can not hunger nor thirst after righteousness. They have no appetite for righteousness. Therefore those who do hunger and thirst after righteousness can only be those who have been killed to sin, and made alive to righteousness, those who are born of God. His promise to these is, "They shall be filled." While in this life the food and drink of righteousness is given by measure to us, so that though we may for a time be filled, we soon begin to hunger and thirst again. In the wonderful New Jerusalem there is a whole river of the water of life, and a forest of the tree of life which has no barren nor dormant season, but yields its fruit continuously; and in that city, "Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." It will not be given by measure, or be rationed to us, but we may take of it freely; for there is a bountiful supply.

(Verse 7) "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."

To better understand some of the workings of mercy, that we might the more readily recognize it in operation, let us review some incidents recorded in scripture. In 1 Kings, chapters 24 and 26, we find two outstanding examples of mercy. When David was given easy opportunities to destroy his enemy, King Saul, he would neither harm him himself, nor permit his soldiers to do so. Yet the foremost example of mercy ever shown was at Golgotha . Our Lord, even while being crucified, prayed for those who crucified Him, saying, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." James tells us, "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." (James 2:13) Those who are of the spirit to show mercy, "the merciful," are indeed blessed, or happy; for when they appear before the great and righteous Judge of all the world, they shall obtain mercy.

(Verse 8) "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."

Surely, "every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him;" but, Oh, what a difference! They whose hearts have been made pure shall rejoice exceedingly when they behold Him, and they shall be made partakers of His glory, while those whose hearts have not been purified "shall wail because of Him."

(Verse 9) "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

The word translated "peacemakers" also means "peace lovers," or "lovers of peace," and that translated "called" also means "acknowledged." So let us substitute these words in the sentence, and we have, "Blessed are the lovers of peace: for they shall be acknowledged the children of God." This does not mean that the world will so acknowledge them. On the contrary, the world will likely consider their love of peace only a sign of weakness, but He, Whose judgment really matters, will acknowledge them "children of God."

(Verse 10) "Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

In Philippians 1:28-29, Paul said, "And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake." He also told Timothy, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (2 Tim. 3:12). So suffering persecution for righteousness' sake is the best evidence of glory to come. Therefore those who thus suffer are blessed characters. They are the heirs of the kingdom of heaven.

(Verses 11 and 12) "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

The Apostle Peter says, (1 Peter 4:12-16,) "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suffering; that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." The Apostle Paul says, (2 Cor. 4:17,) "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." So whatever false accusations, and persecutions we may suffer should cause us to glorify God, and be happy; for they identify us as being in the company of the prophets and apostles of our Lord.

(Verses 13 through 16) "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Which is in heaven."

In this quotation our Lord makes use of two metaphors, "Ye are the salt of the earth," and "Ye are the light of the world;" but it is readily apparent that they are identical in meaning. In reading the two, one should remember a statement in verses 1 and 2, "_ _ _His disciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them." This shows clearly, who is the "Ye" of the present quotation. His disciples are "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world." Man has, from very early times, known that not only does salt, properly used, enhance the flavor of foods, but it also has a preserving quality that will prevent the spoilage of foods. In addition, it will, to some extent, counteract extremely sour, or bitter, tastes. Salt is therefore a very important item in the world. Yet, if it were possible for it to lose its savor, or, as Mark says, "his saltness," how can it be renewed? In Luke 14:34-35, we find, "Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out." Here Matthew says, "It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." We are well aware of Luke's meaning in the statement, "It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill." To spread it on the land would cause a barren spot; for salt would kill the vegetation; and to put it on the dunghill would amount to the same thing, only slightly delayed, as the contents of the dunghill are ultimately to be used as fertilizer on the land. The only possible value of the impotent salt is that it be cast out upon the road, where it may help to keep down the vegetation. Since His disciples are the salt of the earth, we can rest assured that this salt will never lose its savor. For He will constantly refresh and strengthen it. He will not let it fail.

We now consider the expression, "Ye are the light of the world." John says, (John 1:4-5,) "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not _ _ _ That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." Since that life that was in Him, Jesus, is what gives light to every man in the world, it is evident that there is no other light. Therefore, as He says to His disciples, (and, by extension, to us, if we are indeed His disciples,) "Ye are the light of the world," it is the same as saying, "I have put My life into you." Thus we are as candles lighted by our Lord, as He has put His life into our hearts. This ties in with the second of the next two metaphors He uses.

"A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light to all that are in the house." It is amazing how that, when this quotation is brought up for discussion, the speaker, or writer, seems to forget that the essence of what is said before it is, that Jesus has made each of His disciples a light, a candle, if you will. Now He says that a city that is set on a hill is impossible to hide; and that even men, as foolish as men are, when they light a candle, do not hide it under something, but set it on a candlestick, so that it will give light to all that are in the house. What is here translated "bushel" is "modios," a measure holding sixteen sextarii. It is about equivalent to our peck measure. However the size of the vessel is not of any significance. What is under consideration is the hiding of the light. Now if men, as foolish as they are, are yet wise enough to put a candle they have lighted upon a candlestick instead of under something that will hide it, can it be thought that our Lord, Who is the embodiment of all wisdom, when He has "lighted a candle" by calling one from death unto life, or from darkness into light, would hide him? No, He sets him on the candlestick, and establishes him as a city set on a hill, which cannot be hidden, though all the world around him be in darkness. That we may come to the realization of just how dark is the present world, we might consider an incident which took place a few years ago. A very prominent man, while being interviewed by someone from the news media, made the very simple statement, "I am a born again Christian;" and, to use a somewhat modern expression, it blew the minds of all the news media people. What they apparently did not know is that there is no other kind of Christian. Those who have been born again, and they only, are Christians. All others are only pretenders. They alone are the "salt of the earth" and "the light of the world."

With this background, Jesus then said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Which is in heaven." We may be prone to think that our Lord's meaning here is, that we are to let our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and in so doing we will glorify our heavenly Father, which of course we would do. But this is not the meaning of the words. The Greek language is somewhat more explicit than the English. According to it, we are to let our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and they may glorify our Father Who is in heaven. Of course, it is certain that some, no matter how many good works we might show them, will not glorify our Father, but others will; and for this cause are we thus commissioned, that men may glorify God.

(Verses 17 and 18) "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

This is a very pointed warning against an idea we often encounter today. We often hear it said, "We have no further need for the law, but should consider it completely fulfilled, and set aside." Then the speaker may even quote the above text as proof of his idea. What seems to be so readily forgotten is that, Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to destroy it. Particular notice should be given to His statement, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." The "law" and the "prophets" were inseparably linked together in the Jewish mind; so much so that, when, in the next verse, He says, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled," both what we commonly think of as the "law" and that which we consider as "the prophets" are under consideration. And the clause, "till all be fulfilled," literally means, "until everything written in the law and the prophets has been fulfilled." In his letter to Timothy, (1 Tim. 1:8,) Paul says, "But we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully." He constantly taught that the Christ is "the end of the law for righteousness" to every believer; but this is different from the "lawful" use of the law. He explained that the law was not made for the righteous, but for sinners. It is for the purpose of helping to control them. It cannot make a man righteous, and the righteous do not need it. Yet Jesus' being the end of the law for righteousness to all believers, does not mean that at one time it was to make men righteous, but is now no longer needed. It never did make anyone righteous. The end of anything is the final purpose of its being, or that to which it points, or directs. Thus He is "the end of the law for righteousness," because He is the One, Who was to come as the True Sacrifice for sins, to Whom every item of the ceremonial law pointed. All of those things were only types, or shadows of good things to come; and all pointed to Him. When He offered Himself to God, as a Lamb without spot, and without blemish, the ceremonial law was finished. For all that it witnessed was found in Him; but the moral law of God, "the law of the Ten Commandments," will remain in force until all the law and the prophets are fulfilled. Jesus summed it all up, so far as His people are concerned, in just two commandments. (Mat. 22:37-40) "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." These are still in effect, and shall so remain, till everything pertaining to them shall have been fulfilled. We understand that, our Lord's first advent, with all that He did at that time, fulfilled the ceremonial law and many of the prophecies, but there also are many yet to be fulfilled, at His return.

(Verses 19 and 20) "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."

As is indicated by the use of "therefore," the present text is based upon what has already been said, and is the summation of the same. Since "the law and the prophets" is to continue, with not even the slightest scratch of the pen in the writings thereof to be destroyed or changed, until it is all fulfilled, it follows that, anyone in the kingdom of heaven who breaks any commandment thereof, no matter how little, or unimportant he may esteem it to be, and teaches others that it is proper, or permissible to break it, shall be called (the word can also be rendered "acknowledged") the least in the kingdom of heaven. If he is in the kingdom of heaven, our Lord will not blot him out; but He will acknowledge him to be the least in the kingdom: and what He calls a man, or acknowledges him to be is important, not what men call him. On the other hand he who follows the Lord's commands, and teaches men to follow them, shall of the Lord be acknowledged to be great in the kingdom. Notice should be taken that, when speaking of him who breaks a commandment and teaches men to do so, He calls him "least;" but he who keeps the commandments and teaches others to do so, is only called "great," not "greatest." There is only One "greatest" in the kingdom. He is our Lord, the King Himself.

Then He says, "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." One might wonder how our righteousness can exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, since they were so well learned in the law of God, and were such sticklers for the literal "word for word" obedience to it. The remainder of this chapter is concerned with showing the answer to this. However, before continuing with that study, it should be noted that their righteousness consisted simply of doing what was commanded in a certain situation, or leaving off the act they were commanded not to do, with no consideration for motive, nor faith. Ours must be "the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ." (Romans 2:22). That righteousness causes us to strive to do the will of God not because we fear the penalty of the law, but because we love the Lord our God with all our heart, and all our soul, and all our mind. Jesus then proceeds to show that this righteousness is as much concerned with the motive as with the deed itself.

(Verses 21 through 24) "Ye have heard it said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, That whosoever shall be angry with his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."

Notice that, what had been taught, that is, what they had heard was "said by them of old time," is true, and it fully condemned killing; but it said nothing about that which is the cause of murder, hate. The law provides that anyone who killed another must be brought before the judges ("the judgment"); and there inquiry was to be made as to whether the killing was murder or accident. Our Lord says that, whether or not any actual killing has been done, anyone who is angry against his brother (his fellow man) without cause, is subject to judgment. And since it is obvious that men can not judge the secret thoughts of the mind, such judgment must be that wherein our Lord Himself is the Judge. He that shall call his brother, "Raca," which means a "senseless, empty-headed person," is subject to being called before the council; and one who calls his brother a fool, is "in danger of hell fire." The Greek word "moros," here translated "fool," does indeed mean one who is foolish. However, some authorities on the language hold that, in such usage as in the present text, it also means, "impious, or godless," and to say this to one is the equivalent of condemning him as one who deserves eternal damnation. If indeed this be our Lord's intent in using the word, His reason for so using it is readily apparent. It would be in perfect harmony with His statement, (Mat. 7:2,) "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged." Obviously when we condemn others, we condemn ourselves also. In verses 23 and 24 Jesus draws for us a conclusion of this matter, saying, "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."

To fully appreciate this, we need to bring to mind a mental picture of the service of God under the law; for that is what was being practiced at the time of these instructions. Under the law there were many offerings in addition to the yearly sin offering for all Israel . There were offerings for individual sins one had become aware of having committed, offerings for vows, meat offerings, drink offerings, offerings of thanksgiving, etc. No matter what offering one is about to make, even if he has already approached the altar with it, if it comes to mind that there is an unresolved controversy between himself and another Israelite, "his brother," he should not offer his gift, but place it before the altar, not upon it, while he goes and makes reconciliation with his brother. When this is done, he can come and offer his gift. Otherwise it will not be acceptable to God. This, by extension, applies to everything we may attempt to do in the service of God. This, Jesus proves conclusively in His instructions to His disciples concerning prayer, (Mat. 6:14 -15,) "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

(Verses 25 and 26) "Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."

This is not intended to say that if we meet with someone who is opposed to the gospel, we should compromise it, or deny it in order to avoid antagonizing him. For spreading the gospel is what our Lord has commissioned us to do, not just those who are called to the public ministry of the word, but also everyone whom He has called from death unto life. We are to show it forth in our lives, and in our talking with people, both in public and in private. Nevertheless He has said, "Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." We are to tell everyone about our wonderful Saviour, and what He has done for us. But when one shows that he has no more love nor respect for the gospel than does a dog for holy things or a hog for pearls, we are to desist, and leave him alone until God sees fit to open his eyes, ears, and heart to the truth. Until then, all we can do for such is to pray that God will be merciful to him, and grant him repentance; but do not antagonize him further by trying to force him to accept our arguments. However, what is of primary concern in the present text is the very thing that is uppermost in the minds of the general public today, that of demanding "our rights." The one lesson that we need to learn, above all else in this matter is, that as Christians, we are citizens not of this world, but of the kingdom of heaven; and since we are not citizens of this world, we have no "rights" in it. Therefore, though we may feel that we are being discriminated against, and that "our rights' are being disregarded, we are to agree with our adversary quickly; because if we don't, we may soon find ourselves embroiled in a lawsuit "before the unbelievers," as Paul said (1 Cor. 6:6). Thus going "to law before the unjust," how can we expect justice? Whether our position was right or wrong, matters little, if the judge decides the case against us. In that event we will find ourselves fined, or imprisoned, or both; and the entire sentence must be satisfied before we can be released.

(Verses 27 and 28) "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

Again, our Lord shows clearly that the condition of the heart and mind, which leads to the committing of an evil act, is as much sin as the commission of the act itself. While the consequences to others may indeed not be so great as if the act were carried out, the guilt is the same. This applies not only to adultery, which Jesus used as the illustration, but to every sin that a person may commit. This does not mean that, to be tempted makes a person to be as guilty as if he had perpetrated the act. But if he embraces the temptation, and relishing the thought of it, maintains it in his mind, he is guilty whether the opportunity for carrying it out is ever afforded.

(Verses 29 and 30) "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."

Obviously, both of these verses are the same message, with only a different member of the body used in each for illustration. The Greek verb "skandalidzo," which, for some obscure reason was translated "offend," literally means "put a stumbling block or impediment in the way," and without impairing its meaning could have been rendered, "causes [you] to stumble." So the message is that anything which causes you to stumble, or entices you into sin, though it may be as dear to you, and as important to you, as your right eye or your right hand, is to be thrown aside, lest it lead you deeper into sin. We should keep in mind that this can be extended also to include so called "friends;" for he who leads you into sin is not your friend.

(Verses 31 and 32) "It hath been said, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: but I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery."

Since Jesus, by His choice of words, makes a distinction between the two, "porneia," the Greek word for fornication, and "moichao," meaning "commit adultery," it seems evident that the "cause of fornication" to which He refers, is the provision of the law of God that, when a man takes a wife, and finds her not a virgin, he can put her away. Actually, the law provided that she be put to death; but since the Romans had taken away from the Jews the authority of executing the death sentence, they could only divorce the woman. According to that provision the man had to put the wife away before sleeping with her. Although it had long ago been said that if a man put his wife away, he must give her "a writing of divorcement, the Lord said, "but I SAY UNTO YOU," that he is not to put her away for any reason except that at the time of the marriage she was found not to be a virgin. Then He says two more important things. First, the man who divorces his wife (and this should be understood as his divorcing her for any other reason than that He has allowed) causes her to commit adultery; and second, the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Immediately someone raises the question, "Do you not think that a person who has been divorced and re-married can be saved?" Certainly, that person can be saved, if God sees fit to forgive his, or her sin. There is only one sin, which He says He will not forgive. That is blaspheming the Holy Ghost. However, that question is not germane to the subject. Here our Lord is teaching the ideal conduct for his disciples, not setting up guidelines for the final judgment.

(Verses 33 through 37) "Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: nor by earth; for it is His footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, ‘Yea, yea; Nay, nay:’ for whatsoever is more than this cometh of evil."

This has no reference to a man's taking whatever legal oath may be required of him, such as an oath of office, an oath as a juror, etc. It has to do, first of all with making vows to God concerning some proposed offering, or some work that one might do in His service. As Jesus points out, we are to make no oaths concerning such matters, whether by such an important place as heaven, or something as insignificant as our own head. God already knows whether or not we will keep our word, and an oath does not give Him any greater assurance of the matter. Neither are we to take up the habit of saying "By heaven _ _ _, " or "By God _ _ _," or even the little common expression, "By George _ _ _," or any other similar preface to anything we may say. Anything more than a simple affirmative, or a simple negative, springs up from evil, and should be left off.

(Verses 38 through 42) "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not away."

Everything in this text, except verse 42 is simply an illustration of the same commandment, "I say unto you, That you resist not evil." That is, that we not put up a fight against those who would lay evil treatment upon us. With our nature being what it is, this is extremely difficult, if not impossible for us to do. Yet it is the ideal conduct for a Christian. Our Lord illustrates this with the turning of the other cheek, the giving up of the cloak as well as the coat, and going the extra mile; but all are to the same purpose. The old way of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth is not the Christian way. In verse 42 He says, "Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away." Sometimes we may wonder if the beggar who is asking for a handout is worthy of it. We can quickly lay all doubt to rest with one simple thought, "He is fully as worthy of it as I am of the mercy of God."

(Verses 43 through 45) "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy, But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father Which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust."

This is, no doubt, one of the hardest commandments to fulfill that our Lord has ever given us. It is impossible for one who has not been born of the Spirit; and even we who love the Lord often find ourselves falling short. The commandment itself needs absolutely no explanation. It is stated as simply as language can declare it. One expression in the entire quotation which might need slight clarification is, "That ye may be the children of your Father Which is in heaven." It has no reference to becoming the children of God by doing what is commanded, nor failing to be His children by not keeping His commandment. For the scriptures abundantly teach that we become His children by His "having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." What then, does it mean? The meaning might be better illustrated by an expression we often use today. When we see a boy whose mannerisms, and personality are very similar to those of his father, we are likely to say, "He is his father's son," which he would also be even if his mannerisms and personality were different. Or we might use another expression, more in the vernacular, but with the same meaning, "He is a chip off the old block." So if we obey this commandment, we will readily be recognized as the children of our heavenly Father; for this is His manner of dealing with people. He makes the sun rise daily over both the evil and the good; and He sends rain on both the just and the unjust. This is not intended to mean that He can not, nor even that He will not, when He considers it appropriate, make a difference between the just and the unjust; but that he gives the blessings of this life both to the wicked, and to His own.

(Verses 46 through 48) "For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?  do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

We have earlier discussed the publican, and the common attitude of the Jews toward him. No doubt, the fact that he was probably the most despised member of the society of the day, is the reason Jesus made use of the publicans in these two statements. Always His instructions teach us to strive to live a better life than the publican was usually considered as living. Thus His primary questions, "For if you love them which love you, what reward have you?" and "And if ye salute your brethren only, what do you more than others?, are both followed by the same question, "Do not even the publicans the same?" The real sense of the whole is, "As much as you despise the publicans, should not you do better than they do?" He clinches the entire matter with, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father Which is in heaven is perfect." The Greek word "teleios," here translated "perfect," properly means "brought to its proper end; finished; wanting nothing necessary to completeness," and in that sense "perfect." It does not depend upon sinlessness for its perfection.  Although, certainly, our heavenly Father is sinless, this is not the meaning of the present text. Its focus is upon the fact that He gives good things not only to those who love Him, but even to His enemies. Let us follow His example.

Chapter 6

(Verses 1 through 4) "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father Which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father Which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

The most outstanding thing of this text is the first two words, "Take heed." This sets the whole apart as something, which is not to be disregarded, nor passed over lightly. Rather, it is of the utmost importance. If we take heed to a message, we not only listen to it, but, if it contains instructions or directions, we also carefully follow them. In this instance we are directed to refrain from something. "Do not your alms before men, to be seen of them." This does not mean that we should refuse to give something to one in need, or to help someone who needs help just because someone else is present and might see what we do. What it does mean is that we are not to give to, nor help those in need, for the sake of being seen. If we do, no matter how great the gift or the service, it is not acceptable to God; so we have no reward of our heavenly Father. He refuses to see this "act of kindness" as a good work, because, in reality, it is not a good work, but is an effort to gain worldly recognition. We all are aware that a hypocrite is one who pretends to be good, but whose heart is filled with evil intentions. Our Lord says, "Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men." This is a practice, which many wealthy men followed literally in those days. When they decided to make a contribution to a "worthy cause," or even to some needy individual, they would do it in a very public place, and have a trumpeter sound his trumpet, and announce their gift. Nowadays, they just call a news conference. When one gives something, or renders a service to someone in need, he should do so without any fanfare, and without even telling his closest friends about it; and, above all, he should never remind the recipient of it later. Those who seek glory from men, may indeed get it, but their deed will not be pleasing to God. While it may sometimes be that others do see such acts, they should be done in secret as much as possible. Our Lord's command is, "But when thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth." In other words, "Don't tell anybody." Our heavenly Father Who sees in secret, will take care of the rewarding.  One caution even in this is that all such should be done for the love of God; and not for reward.

(Verses 5 through 8) "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father Which is in secret; and thy Father Which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him."

Jesus here gives exactly the same instructions concerning prayer that He does concerning almsgiving. It can be summed up in one statement, "Do not do it for show." He is not telling us to refuse to offer prayer when called upon to do so in a public meeting, or when others are present, but the message is that we are not to make a display of prayer for the sake of impressing people. It is certainly acceptable to literally hide away in a closet to pray, but when that is not possible without becoming of itself a display, we can hide away in the closets of our own hearts, without calling it to the attention of men. Not only so, but when we pray, we are not to make a practice of memorizing long speeches, excerpts of poetry, or even scriptural quotations, with which to extend our prayers and impress people. Neither are we to keep on repeating our requests to God, with the thought that such will cause Him to hear us any better, or anymore quickly. This is not to say that we should only ask God once for what we feel to need, and then never ask again. If our heart is burdened over a matter, we should continue praying until we receive an answer, or until the burden is lifted, but repetition for the sake of making long prayers must be avoided. Our heavenly Father already knows more about what we need than we will ever know. So, in reality, the foremost purpose of prayer is not to acquaint God with our needs, but to honor Him as the One, Who can supply them.

(Verses 9 through 15) "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father Which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil: for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Sometimes people call this "The Lord's Prayer." That it definitely is not. Many of His prayers are recorded in scripture, such as Mat. 11:25, Luke 10:21, John 11:41-42, and almost the entire chapter of John 17, among others. This is not His prayer, but the model, or pattern, upon which the prayers of His disciples are to be fashioned. First of all, notice the brevity of it, in perfect harmony with what has already been discussed. The address of this prayer is, "Our Father Which (Who) art in heaven." It testifies that we believe that we are the children of God, and that the abode of our Father is in heaven. Although Jesus is He, Who has redeemed us by His own blood, He instructs us to pray not to Him but directly to the Father. He says, in John 16: 23-24, and 26-27, "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. _ _ _ At that day ye shall ask in My name: and I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God." So our prayers, though in the name of Jesus our Saviour, are to be addressed to our heavenly Father.

The Greek word translated, "hallowed be," means, "be declared, or acknowledged, sacred or worthy of veneration." And in this prayer it is looking forward to the day of which God speaks, (Isaiah 45:22-23,) "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." (See also Philippians 2:9-11.) This is the acknowledging of the sacredness of the name of our heavenly Father for which we are to pray.

Next we are to pray, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Here some immediately want to interject the idea that, the gospel church is the kingdom of God , which indeed it is, but only in one phase thereof. It, as we see it today is only the kingdom, in what some rightly term "the militant phase." Of course, the kingdom of God includes that, but is not limited to it. It includes each and every one of God's elect from every age of the world. However the only time in which the will of God will be done in earth as it is in heaven, is that day "when He [the Christ] shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet." Until then, Satan will be suffered to resist His will, and to lead men to do the same. Only when our Lord returns to burn this present world with all its wickedness, and establish according to His promise, "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness," can we expect His will to be done in earth, as it is in heaven. That is the day for which we are to pray.

Then we are to pray that our Father will "give us this day our daily bread." Far too often we are worried and anxious about things in the future. We have no reason for so doing, and we ought to lay such aside. One reason why we should not worry about the future is that we do not know whether or not we will be here to see what the future may hold. And another reason is that the future is in the hands of God, Who is fully able to take care of us through whatever the future may hold. So we are only to ask for today that which we need today, that is, "our daily bread."

Verse 12 is one of the most important, and yet one of the most neglected verses in the New Testament. In order to see its significance in. perhaps, a stronger light, let us take it, temporarily pass over verse 13, and join it to verses 14 and 15. "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. _ _ _ For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses." As anyone can readily see, the "debts" mentioned in verse 12 are not financial debts owed by someone to us, or by us to someone, but trespasses that may have been committed against us, or that we may have committed. We are to pray that, in the same manner, and to the same extent that we forgive others, our heavenly Father will forgive us. The reason we should pray thus is that, thus it will be. One might raise the question, "Does this not show that our forgiveness is based upon works? that we must forgive before God will forgive us? The answer is, "Not at all. It shows that those to whom God has given a forgiving spirit are forgiven, and will be forgiven, while those to whom no such spirit has been given are not forgiven, and will not be forgiven. Those who hold grudges give no evidence that they are forgiven.”

Now we return to verse 13: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil: for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." The first part of this is sometimes a little hard for us to understand. Our first thought concerning it, since James says, "For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man," might be, "God does not lead anyone into temptation; so, why should we pray that He `lead us not into' it?" If we only look back to Matthew 4:1, we find, "Then was Jesus led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." If the Spirit, Which is "the Spirit of God," led Jesus "into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil," it seems only reasonable that He may also lead us into temptation; not that He does the tempting, but that He places us where we will be tempted that our faith may be tried, and manifested to others, as was that of Job in his temptations. We sometimes think of Job, more in the way of his suffering tribulations than of his being tempted; but he also was in these things tempted to evil. His own wife said to him, "Curse God, and die." This surely was a temptation. If he died, all these tribulations would be over; but the power of God sustained him so that his answer was, "Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good [pleasant things] at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil {unpleasant things]? " Thus was even his temptation for the glory of God, as was that of Jesus. Yet, in recognition of our weakness, knowing that of ourselves, we cannot successfully overcome temptation, we are to pray that He "lead us not into" it. The next expression, "But deliver us from the evil," is the equivalent of saying, "But if it is your will to lead us into temptation, deliver us from yielding to it." Yielding to temptation is the evil. So this is really a prayer for grace when we are facing temptation. Through His grace God our Father will deliver us. So let us ascribe to Him all dominion, power, and glory, both now and forever, because it is His, and His alone. As is the case with several other words, instead of translating "Amen," the translators simply transliterated it. It means, "Let it be," or "So be it."

(Verses 16 through 18) "Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their face, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father Which is in secret: and thy Father Which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."

Although many Christians today have discontinued the practice of fasting for religious purposes, it was a common practice among the Jews, and was carried over among early Christians. It is still practiced by some Christians. Even if one does not fast, insofar as eating and drinking are concerned, there will be many times in his life, if he is a sincere disciple of our Lord, when he is spiritually wrestling, through prayer to God, against the wiles of Satan. In such times, these same instructions are in force. We are to make no change in our outward appearance from what is normal, lest it cause men to notice us. If we put on a sad look, neglect our grooming, or do anything else to call the attention of others to what we are doing, the only reward we shall ever receive for it is their sympathy, at best, and their scorn, at worst. Let us follow the advice of an old hymn:

                    "Go bury thy sorrow, let others be blest;

                     Go give them the sunshine, tell Jesus the rest."

Let us show to others a cheerful appearance, and show our sorrow only to our Lord. Then He, Who sees the deepest and most secret thoughts of our hearts, will openly reward us.

(Verses 19 through 21) "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Undoubtedly men will continue to argue as long as they read this passage, just as they have through the centuries, as to whether or not our Lord actually meant that we can store up treasures in heaven to have for use in the day of glory, regardless of what we might say about the question. So let us just pass that question by, and concentrate on the word picture Jesus has drawn. First, let us establish something to which probably everyone will agree. One's treasure is that which he holds most dear. As long as he has assurance that his treasure is safe, he has peace and happiness in his heart. These two statements form the basis for our discussion of this text.

First, Jesus says, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth." This brings up a question, "What sort of treasures can be laid up on earth?" We are all well aware that only worldly or material things can be stored here, such as popularity, wealth, fame, worldly power, etc. Not only are such as this all that can be laid up on earth, but the only place they can be laid up is on earth. They cannot be laid up in heaven. Now the reason for not laying these up on earth is that here "moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal." Before the advent of so many mothproof fabrics and so many insecticides, it was not an uncommon thing for one to go to a closet or chest, in which some very expensive garment was stored, and find it in tatters, by reason of moths. And though we may have a little better control of such now, the message is the same. They still do corrupt.  Gold and silver, though they will not rust in the same manner as ferrous metals, will still corrode and tarnish. Also thieves, not only can, but often do, break through and steal.  Just recently there has been a wave of failures of banking institutions because someone had stolen the money entrusted to them. The people who had entrusted their money to them are left with nothing; and, in many instances, with no hope of ever recovering anything at all.

So far as worldly fame and power are concerned, nothing is more fleeting and unstable. Even an instance in the ministry of the Apostle Paul shows just how fleeting it can be, not that he sought such: for he did not. (Acts 14:18-19) "And with these sayings, scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice to them. And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead." The people wanted to honor him as a god, but how quickly they turned against him, even to the point of stoning him to death! The fact that, by the power of God, Paul arose, and went back into the city with the brethren takes nothing away from the effort of the people to kill him. Now since such treasures, laid up on earth, have no security, they can give no assurance. Therefore those who lay them up can never have peace, and can never know real and lasting joy. So let us lay up treasures in heaven, where there is security for them.

Since no material treasures can be laid up in heaven, the only treasures that can be laid up there must be spiritual ones. The next questions are, "What are they?" and "How do we lay them up?" Perhaps it would be better to let the Apostle Peter answer those. (2 Peter 1:5-11) "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall; for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." Without any controversy, these seven graces are treasures that can be laid up in heaven; and the way to lay them up there is by adding, or cultivating them in our lives, as the apostle has said. Without getting into the foolish, and totally unfounded argument which men have injected into verse 9, let us look at the lesson that is there. The man who does not have these things is likened to one who is blind, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. No matter which side of the spurious argument men have raised on this verse one might take, he would be forced to admit that, whether the man's being purged from his old sins was genuine, or a figment of his imagination, in his present condition, it is doing him absolutely no good at all. For he has forgotten it. While he is in that condition, he has absolutely no assurance, whatever the future may hold for him. This, and this only, is the lesson Peter sets before us in this. On the other hand, "If ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." Certainly this does not mean that we can sometimes be in His kingdom, and at others be out of it, thus being "saved" part of the time, and at other times "lost." First, we should understand what the kingdom of our Lord is. Surely, His kingdom is the same as the kingdom of God ; and the Apostle Paul says, (Rom. 14:17 ,) "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." What greater treasure can we have while in this world of wickedness, as we are tossed to and fro by the storms of temptations, doubts, tribulations, etc., than to have always before us an open door into righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost? Refresh your mind with the account of Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail, Chapter 16 of The Acts of The Apostles, where "at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises to God." These treasures cannot be corrupted by moth or rust, nor can thieves break through and steal them.  "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Can you imagine a more wonderful place for your heart to be than to be at rest in the righteousness of our Lord, and in the peace and joy of the Holy Ghost? May we ever strive for that.

(Verses 22 and 23) "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"

It seems that a different choice of words in translating "haplous" and "poneros," the two Greek words, respectively translated, "single," and "evil," would have rendered any explanation of this unnecessary. "Haplous" also means "good; whole; sound;" and "poneros," when used in reference to any part of the physical body, means "diseased," and concerning the eye, it means, "blind," which is exactly our Lord's meaning. So we can read this statement, "The light of the body is the eye; therefore if thine eye be sound, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be blind, thy whole body shall be full of darkness." Certainly, no one can misunderstand this. This is said of the physical body, but it is used to illustrate a spiritual principle; that, just as one who is physically blind is shut up in darkness, from a physical viewpoint, so one who is spiritually blind is filled with spiritual darkness. He cannot see spiritual things. Then Jesus says, If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" John says, That was the true Light, Which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." So our Lord is the One Who gives all light, whether it be spiritual light, or only the light of reason; and many who, seemingly, have been blessed above measure with the light of reason, natural wisdom, have never been given any spiritual light. Thus the light that is in them is darkness, as Paul tells us, (1 Cor. 1:19 ,) "For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent;" and (1 Cor. 1:27 ,) "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise." Jesus calls attention to the terrible plight of one who, though filled with the light of worldly wisdom, is yet in spiritual darkness. "If the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"

(Verses 24 through 30) "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.  Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

Verse 24, though somewhat long, is fully summed up in the final statement thereof. "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." The word "mammon" is actually a Greek word transferred to the English without being translated. Its meaning is "riches," or "wealth." So there can hardly be two masters found differing as much from each other as God and mammon [riches]. God calls men to suffering and deprivation here, with glory to come when we are all gathered home, while mammon calls men to pleasures here, with no consideration of the future. So it is readily apparent that they who love God will not love mammon; and those who love mammon will not love God. The Apostle Paul says, (1 Tim. 6:9,) "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition." So we who desire to serve our Lord must be careful, lest we get caught up in the pursuit of riches. When Jesus says, "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on," we are not to think that He is telling us to abandon our responsibility to those who are dependent upon us, nor even to quit trying to support ourselves within reason; but that we are not to worry about such things, and not let them possess us to the point that our attention is drawn away from the Lord, and centered upon them. Even the fowls of the air, though they do not plan ahead, and store up food for the future, do not wait for someone to feed them, but when hungry they go out, and work after finding food. Nevertheless, as they serve the Lord in the capacity to which He created them, He provides food for them. He will do the same for us. He then asks the question, "Are ye not much better than they?" There can be no doubt that the expected answer is "Yes." Yet we should always remember that what makes us better than they, is that He has loved us, and because of that love, set us above them. He then asks what should be a very sobering question for anyone: "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature?" Luke tells us, as he records this same lesson, that our Lord followed this question with another, "If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?" We have heard of surgical procedures in the modern age by which one's height can be modified, but the question here is not concerning such. It concerns "taking thought," or worrying about the situation. Worry would not then, and will not now, make any difference in the height of any person. Because we are not able to make such changes, we might consider this a great thing, but Jesus calls it "that thing which is least," So if we cannot change little things by worrying about them, we surely cannot do any thing with the greater things. If there is something we can do about a matter, we do not need to waste time with worrying about it: just get busy with what we can do. If there is nothing we can do, worrying is only a waste of time and energy; so we should leave it off. There is no reason to worry about either food or clothing. David said, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." So if we serve the Lord, and depend upon Him, He will provide for our needs; for He knows even better than we what we need. He reminds us to look at the "lilies of the field," which could include any other flowers of the field, and consider how carefree they are. "They toil not, neither do they spin." Yet Solomon, not only the wisest of mortal men, but also the wealthiest and most glorious of all the kings of Israel , could not match them. These flowers, in addition to being so carefree, are so temporary that, they bloom today, and tomorrow may be cut down, and burned up. But as insignificant as that shows them to be, God has yet in His care for them, lavished upon them such beauty that man cannot equal it, no matter how much wealth he may have. Will not this same God, Who has thus clothed these little temporary plants of the field, on which no one puts forth any effort, and upon which no one sets any great value, take care of those whom He loved so dearly that, He took upon Himself a body of flesh, came into this world, and suffered and died to redeem them from all sin? Surely, He will. Therefore let us trust His word, and cast aside all our worrying over worldly things.

(Verses 31 through 34) "Therefore take no thought, saying What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God , and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

This is the simplest, and most direct and effective prescription for the happiness of a Christian that has ever been given by anyone, and it was given by the great Physician Himself. Yet how hard it is for us to bring ourselves to use it! We have testimony from one of God's servants, that he did take this prescription. Paul says, (Phil. 4:11 ,) "_ _ _ for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content." In verse 32, in keeping with the overall message of this text, the word "Gentiles" should be read "heathen," which is another acceptable meaning of the Greek word used at this place. For it definitely does not refer to anyone from the viewpoint of being a Gentile, as opposed to a Jew, but simply to an unbeliever. All they can seek after is that which pertains to this world: for that is all they know. On the other hand, those who have been brought to know the Lord, know that He knows what they need, and that He will provide for our necessities. There is no need to worry about tomorrow. If tomorrow comes, its needs will be supplied. If it does not, we will have no needs. Since worry is of itself an evil, seeing that it is caused by a lack of faith in our Lord, it should be left off. For tomorrow will have enough evils without that.

(Verses 1 through 5) "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."

Perhaps, this is our most prevalent sin; if not, it certainly ranks near the top of the list. First, our Lord tells us what we should not do, and why we should not do it. Then He draws us a word picture of us if we disregard what He has said. It would probably be a little more in keeping with His meaning in verse 1 to read it, "Condemn not, that ye be not condemned." The Greek word translated "judge" also means "condemn." If we condemn others, we can expect to be condemned; for Jesus says, "With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." James says, "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." As further evidence that Jesus is speaking of our tendency to condemn a brother, He continues thus: "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" This is not intended to teach that we should shut our eyes so that we would be totally blind to any and all errors our brother might make, but is still based upon the command in verse 1, "Condemn not, that ye be not condemned." We should be aware of the errors of our brethren; but we are to be more aware of our own; for indeed the comparison between theirs and ours may be as a mote to a beam. As long as we have the beam in our eye, our vision is so distorted that we may be seeing our brother's mote as much larger than it really is. And, certainly, with it there, we cannot see how to remove his mote without being in danger of damaging his eye. What then is the remedy for the situation? "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." Once the beam is removed from our eye, we may find that we were mistaken about there being a mote in our brother's eye.

(Verse 6) "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."

Certainly, so far as the literal statement before us is concerned, no one should have any difficulty in understanding it. Obviously its metaphoric meaning is of far greater importance to us than its literal. A caution should be noted before we even look into the statement itself: although metaphorically "dogs" and "swine" obviously mean "men who have no more love nor respect for the things of our Lord than do dogs for holy things, or hogs for pearls, we are not to prejudge them. We cannot refuse to declare the word of God to anyone, on the basis of our judging that the "lifestyle" he has heretofore followed renders him unworthy of our effort. Nevertheless, if after we have declared it to him, he refuses to listen, and shows that he has no respect for it, we are not to try to force it upon him. For to do so is the same as giving that which is holy to dogs, and casting our pearls before swine; and if we do try to force it upon him, he will turn again and rend us. We can, and should continue praying for such, even as the Apostle Paul continued praying for the Jews in spite of the treatment he received from them, but in our preaching, we should also follow his example, turn to others who might be blessed to receive the word.

(Verses 7 through 11) "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, who if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father Which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them: for this is the law and the prophets,"

Back in the preceding chapter our Lord covered the subject of our material needs, and told us not to be worried about them, and not to set ourselves in pursuit of them, because our heavenly Father already knows that we need them. Luke gives us more light on what Jesus is saying in the present text. (See Luke 11:5-13). As he concludes the matter, he records the same thing that is in verse 11 of the present text, except that, his last question reads, "How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" No doubt, this is the key to this whole text, since even verse 6 of the present chapter has introduced the subject of "that which is holy." Luke also indicates that the meaning of this text is not to "ask, seek, or knock" once, and then quit, but to continue until we receive that which we need. And since he points out that the Holy Spirit is the "good things" which the Father will give us, we can be assured that this whole passage is directed to encouraging us to continue asking, seeking, and knocking for the gifts of the Holy Spirit of God. Do we need a closer walk with God? a more humble and contrite spirit? a sweeter fellowship of the Spirit?, or even the beam removed from our eye? Then let us keep praying until we receive it: for His promise is, "For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened." Upon this promise, He bases a commandment, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."

Since our heavenly Father will take care of our needs, both material and spiritual, we should consider what we would have our fellow man do for us; and in whatever manner we want him to treat us, we should treat him the same. In another place Jesus gave us two commandments, and said that upon them depend all the law and the prophets. Here He says that our treating our fellow man as we desire him to treat us "is the law and the prophets." This is all the instruction we need from them concerning our conduct toward our fellow man; for if we follow this, we will never do harm to anyone.

(Verses 13 and 14) "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow the way, which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it."

This passage has been a bone of contention for some. The first thing necessary to understanding this is the definition of one word. The Greek word, "Apoleian," which, in this text is translated "destruction," means "utter destruction _ _ _ in particular, the destruction which consists in the loss of eternal life, eternal misery, perdition, the lot of those excluded from the kingdom of God." (This is the definition given in THAYER'S GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICON OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.) When we understand this definition, there is no more room for argument. Jesus commands us to enter in at the strait gate. "Strait" means "narrow or difficult," and so does the word from which it is translated. In Acts 14:21-22, Luke, speaking of Paul and Barnabas, says, "_ _ _ they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." They taught that entering in is through a difficult gate. It is a narrow gate, as well as a narrow way. Our Lord said, "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." And again, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God ." In order to enter into the kingdom of God , we must be born of the cleansing power of God, as represented by the water, and of the Spirit Itself. When this takes place, we are as little children. We cannot enter in holding on to the world and its principles; for they are enmity against God. "Friendship with the world is enmity against God." On the other side of the situation, the gate is wide, and the way broad that leads to eternal destruction; and there are many walking in it. The Apostle Paul says, (Eph.  2:1-3,) "And you hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh, and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others," proving that the broad way is the universal way, that is, the way in which the entire human family has walked, and does walk, until, "God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ."  The whole human race has walked in this way, and would still be in it, were it not for the grace of God that reaches down, lays hold of His elect, lifts them out of that road, and sets them in the narrow way that leads unto life.

Some raise strange arguments against this. One of them is, "He says, `Enter ye in at the strait gate,' and this indicates action on the part of those entering." Absolutely correct! But, look at the picture. First, remember to whom Jesus is speaking. Review Chapter 5, verses 1 and 2. "And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying _ _ _." In the present text, He is still teaching them. They are His disciples. They already have life. So they can "enter" into the way that leads unto life. This appears to be a contradiction, but is not. In Col. 3:3-4, Paul says, "For ye are dead, and your lives are hid with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory." While we have indeed been killed to sin, and made alive in the Christ, yet our lives are hid with Him in God, and He is our life, and He is at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Therefore this narrow way which leads to life, leads to Him. Not only so, but none find it except those who by the grace of God are quickened together with the Christ.

Another of their objections is that Jesus says, "few there be that find it," and the scriptures tell us that the number of the redeemed is as the sand of the sea, or as the stars of heaven, an innumerable host. There still is no contradiction. "Many" and "few" are always relative terms, never absolute. For illustration, let us consider this. The population of the U. S. A. is about two hundred, fifty million, which, of itself, is a large number; but if we compare it to the population of the world, which, at present, is somewhere near five and one-half billion, it becomes "few." We have already pointed out that the entire human family, either have been, are, or, will be, walking in this broad way which leads to eternal destruction. Therefore, unless one takes the position that the entire human race will be saved, it still, no matter how great a multitude are saved, leaves them less in number than those in the broad way, and therefore "few" in comparison to the "many" in the way of destruction.

(Verses 15 through 20) "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."

We often hear parts of this quoted in regard to private members of the church, that is, those, who are not preachers or teachers, and, perhaps, by extension, it can apply to them. But as here set forth, the entire text is spoken concerning those who are considered preachers or teachers.  The very first words are, "Beware of false prophets." The Greek word "psyeudopropheton," here translated, "false prophets," means "those who falsely pretend to be prophets." And though "false teachers" are not mentioned here, as they usually are, they are included in the caveat: for they too, just as the false prophets, come to us in "sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." We all know what a wolf will do to a flock of sheep, especially a "ravening wolf", one which has reached the point of hunger that gives him a ravenous appetite. Though these false prophets and false teachers pretend to be sincere servants of God, "in sheep's clothing," they have some nefarious purpose, and sooner or later they will drop their pretense, and show their true colors. They will bear fruit in keeping with their nature; and this is the key: "Ye shall know them by their fruits." Many are wondering today, "Why has there come upon the church such a coldness, and such a lack of appeal to people who are looking for the truth of God?" The answer is simple. False teachers have brought in false doctrines, so that now instead of teaching that those who love the Lord should, and will, try to live according to His commandments, most of what is heard sounds like the speech of a criminal defense lawyer, trying to justify a person whom he and every one else in court knows is guilty. The cry today is, "If you just believe that there is one God, you are saved, in spite of everything else." See the contrast between this and James 2:19. Evil doctrine will always produce evil works among those who embrace it. This is their fruit. Our Lord asks two questions, both to illustrate the same point; and then He gives us the conclusion based upon the obvious answer to those questions. "Do men gather grapes of thorns? or figs of thistles?" These two fruits were considered staple for the Jews. There are scriptures that speak of the Jews as "every man under his own vine and fig tree," so this is not something about which the disciples were ignorant. They well knew the answer to these questions. It could only be negative. The conclusion Jesus draws from this is: "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." One must keep firmly in mind that what is under discussion is not whether or not all the fruit will be perfect, that is, without blemish, but what is the nature of the fruit. Is it grape, or thorn? and is it fig, or thistle? The nature, not the quality, is under consideration. Although the words "good" and "evil" are used, they apply to the nature of the fruit. These false prophets and teachers may teach some points of doctrine and do some deeds that we might think to be good. But the nature of them is evil, because they are for the purpose of gaining followers to be led astray by other teachings that will be gradually imposed upon them. "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." Again, "good" and "evil" refer not to quality, but to the nature of the fruit. Sometimes even the most sincere servant of God may make a mistake, or be in error about something; but if so, he will repent when it is brought to his mind. Witness the Apostle Peter on the night of Jesus' arrest. Everyone is acquainted with his denial of the Lord, and his repentance. Now Jesus says, "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." He does not tell us to cut down such trees. This He reserves for Himself and His angels; but we should disassociate ourselves from such, lest we also suffer damage when they are cut down. He says that because of what He has told us concerning these trees, "by their fruits ye shall know them." This is the real identification.

(Verses 21 through 23) "Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father Which is in heaven. Many will say unto Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity."

Probably, the worst thing men have ever done to this text is to "over explain" it. Some have tried to make the "kingdom of heaven" to be nothing more than the organized phase of the gospel church, which will not fit the language used here at all. It is the same kingdom for which our Lord taught His disciples to pray in Chapter 6, verse 10. It is indeed the church, but in its glorified, not its suffering, state. The Lord establishes a specific time for this, saying, "In that day." This is not just any day. Nor is it from day to day; but a very special day, even that of which He spoke, (Luke 9:25,) saying, "of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels." Paul speaks thus: "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power; when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe _ _ _ in that day." (2 Thess. 1:9-10). This is the same day, and these are the same people. His saints are they who believe, and who do the will of His Father. As we have repeated over and over, their salvation is not brought about by their doing the will of the Father; but their doing the will of the Father is the index of their salvation, or the evidence that they have salvation, and so are the saints of God. Remember that this is the follow-up of the caveat against the false prophets, and shows that they, in spite of their great pretensions, will be "hewn down, and cast into the fire." They have, all this time, been saying, "Lord, Lord," but have only worked iniquity. Therefore, in that day He will say unto them, "I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity;" and they "shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power."

(Verses 24 through 27) "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell; and great was the fall of it."

Notice that the first word of this text is "therefore." We are all aware that any statement thus introduced is the conclusion resulting from the foregoing. Since this is the case, the two men mentioned in this parable, the wise, and the foolish, are the same characters already introduced; the wise being "he that doeth the will of My Father;" and the foolish, he that only says, "Lord, Lord," since the sayings of the Son are always in perfect harmony with the will of the Father. Both houses are subjected to exactly the same treatment, "The rains descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that house." Concerning the house of the wise man, Jesus says, "And it fell not: FOR IT WAS FOUNDED UPON A ROCK." Absolutely nothing is said about the material of which the house was built: all is about the foundation, "And it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock. Jesus the Christ is that Rock, and there is no other. Jesus being the Son of God, and therefore God, knows that even we who believe in Him, and strive to do the will of His Father, are imperfect, and will stumble like little children learning to walk. So He stands ready to lift us up, and set us upon our feet again. (Proverbs 24:16) "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief." So this house that is built upon a rock can not fall, nor be destroyed by whatever storms may come upon it: but that built upon the sand can not survive. It will fall: and great will be the fall of it.

(Verses 28 and 29) "And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as One having authority, and not as the scribes."

Certainly, everyone who reads these two verses can understand what is said here; but the background of what is said is, in this case, more important than the statement itself. Evidently more than just Jesus' disciples had found their way to where He was teaching them at this time, and His sermon was not only of different substance from anything they had heard before, but very different in the manner in which it was set forth. This difference, more than the difference of substance, seems to be what caused their astonishment. They had been accustomed to hearing the scribes, as they read in the synagogues the writings of Moses and the prophets. In this reading, no matter how well versed they were in those things, nor how sincere they were in teaching them, they could only say, "Thus saith Moses," or "Thus saith" one of the prophets, and sometimes it came down to "This is what Rabbi ___ has interpreted this to mean." In this sermon, Jesus has many times said, "Do _ _ _," or "Do not _ _ _," without prefacing it with, "The law says," or "The prophet said," or any other similar introduction. In addition to this, at least twelve times in this sermon, He has said, "I say unto you:" and six of these instances are prefaced with, "Ye have heard _ _ _, but." Thus He has completely set aside some of what they have been taught, and replaced it with His teaching, even, in many cases, contradicting what they had been taught. Moreover He, in Chapter 7, verses 21 through 23, declares that He will Himself be the Judge, Who will sentence the "workers of iniquity" on that great day, when all appear before Him. It is no wonder they "were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as One having authority, and not as the scribes."

Chapter 8

Verses 1 through 5 of this chapter tell us of a miracle of healing Jesus wrought upon a leper, who came to Him before the great multitude that followed Him after He came down from the mountain. Nothing is here said about the treatment of the leper by the multitude as he approached, which is of itself a little strange. For the normal reaction of a crowd to a leper was to warn him away; and if he did not heed the warning, they would take up stones, and throw them at him until he turned away. This leper came to Jesus, "and worshipped Him," that is, he fell down on his knees and his face at the feet of Jesus, in the ancient position of prayer, and said, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." Leprosy not only is a disease, which brings horrible suffering to its victims, but it also placed a great stigma upon them. The law (Leviticus 13:45-46) says, "And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be." This is why it is seldom said that Jesus "healed" a leper: He is usually said to "cleanse" them.

(Verses 3 and 4) "And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them."

It no doubt would be a safe assumption that no other person in that multitude would have purposely touched that leper, or allowed himself to be touched by him: for that would have caused him to be "unclean" also. Jesus "put forth His hand," deliberately reached out to the man, and touched him, at the same time declaring that it was His will to cleanse him, and giving him a commandment, "Be thou clean." No sooner did He say this than the leprosy was completely gone, and the man was clean. In verse 4, Jesus gave the cleansed leper another commandment, "See thou tell no man; but go thy way _ _ _." The remainder of this sentence is easy to be understood; for it tells the man to do exactly what the law of God required in such cases. What some may think strange is "See thou tell no man." Jesus knowing all things, knew just how much longer His earthly ministry would continue, and He was not desirous that any great upstir of the people be aroused until the proper time, even though His fame had spread considerably before His Sermon on The Mount. It is not said whether this leper did as Jesus told him concerning keeping the matter quiet, or not, but in another instance the more He cautioned them to keep it quiet, the more they published the matter abroad. When He told this man, "Go thy way," it simply meant, "Go the way I am appointing to you, and do it now." He was to go immediately, and show himself to the priest; and make the required offering. The reason for his doing this is "for a testimony unto them." When he offers this gift, the offering thereof bears testimony to them, that is, to the priests and other Jews, that he is fully assured that God has cleansed him; and thus it bears testimony that it is the power of God by which Jesus worked this miracle.

The next fourteen verses tell of another incident, one strange enough that Jesus called special attention to it. At Capernaum there was a centurion, (a Roman army officer in charge of a hundred soldiers,) who came to Jesus on behalf of one of his servants. This is one of the most beautiful incidents recorded of our Lord's miracles, not that the miracle itself is any greater than others, but that it shows what great faith God bestowed upon a Gentile, this Roman army officer.

(Verses 5 through 9) "And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto Him a centurion, beseeching Him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it."

The first thing we notice about this is the difference of attitude between this centurion and the nobleman in John 4:49 whose son was sick at this same city. The nobleman was in a great hurry for Jesus to go with him, and, apparently, he thought Jesus could do nothing unless present at the scene of the sick child. This centurion did not ask Jesus to come to his house, and when Jesus offered to come, he protested his unworthiness to even have Him come under his roof, declaring that if Jesus would only say the word, his servant would be healed. Then he said, "I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it."  This statement has nothing to do with the centurion's feeling of unworthiness, but it, beyond question, sets forth his faith in the power of Jesus. He himself is "a man under authority". He is by no means the commander in chief; but when he issues an order, whether to a soldier, or to his servant, that order is carried out without his going to the place in which the work is done.  Therefore Jesus, Who is not "under authority," but rather, over all authority, has only to speak, and the deed is done.

(Verses 10 through 13) "When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour."

Inasmuch as Jesus being God manifest in the flesh, knew all things, it is not to be thought that He was surprised at the faith of the centurion. But He "marveled," in that He called the attention of those at hand to the magnitude of this faith, greater than any "son of Abraham" had manifested. He said, "Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel ." He then declares, not a new judgment based upon the fact that the Jews did not show such great faith as did this Gentile, but an eternal purpose of God, declared in ages past, but now manifested in this very incident. "Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This Gentile centurion is only the forerunner of the Gentiles who will be called into the kingdom, and given such faith, while the Jews, "the children of the kingdom" will be cut off in unbelief. The Apostle Paul treats at length upon this cutting off, as well as the grafting in again of the Jews. See Romans, Chapters 9 through 11. When they were cut off there were indeed both "weeping and gnashing of teeth," both sorrow and anger. Having delivered this declaration, "Jesus said unto the centurion, ‘Go thy way: and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.’" The centurion had declared his faith that Jesus could, by only speaking the word, heal his servant; and the Lord said, "So be it done unto thee." This was not a case such as it is with other physicians, who when blessed to prescribe the proper treatment for a malady, have to wait to see if it will be effective. "And his servant was healed the selfsame hour," that is, immediately.

(Verses 14 and 15) "And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. And He touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them."

Since our Lord had called Peter to follow Him, and Peter had responded, we would think it only natural that they, as they passed through the place where Peter lived, would go into his house to refresh themselves a little. On this occasion they found Peter's mother-in-law sufficiently sick from a fever that she had gone to bed. When Jesus touched her hand she was immediately healed, and without delay "she arose, and ministered unto them," that is, she served them with whatever refreshments were at hand.

(Verses 16 and 17) "When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."

Whether the people waited until evening in order to permit Jesus to rest for a while, or whether it took them that long to find where He was, is not clear, probably the latter, but at evening they brought to Him sick people and those who were possessed with demons. Most modern people do not believe that one can be possessed of a demon, or of demons, but it is a very real thing, though people of that day also usually considered anyone who was mentally deranged as being so possessed. Nevertheless, those possessed ones who were brought to Jesus, presented no problem to Him; and neither did those who were sick, no matter what the sickness may have been: for "He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick." Most often, when we hear Isaiah's prophecy mentioned, we are left with the impression that it refers to our Lord's crucifixion, at which time He bore all our sins, sorrows, and sufferings to set us free from sin, which it certainly does. But here we see that it also had another meaning, that while here on earth He was to heal sicknesses and infirmities. This He also fulfilled.

(Verses 18 through 22) "Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave commandment to depart unto the other side. And a certain scribe came, and said unto Him, Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head. And another of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow Me; and let the dead bury their dead."

We have already seen that it was evening when the great multitude came to Jesus with all these who were sick, and those who were possessed of demons. Since He had healed all of these, Jesus was now desirous of withdrawing from the multitude for a little while. So He told His disciples to start their boat toward the other side of the sea. Apparently it took them a few minutes to get started. And in that time a scribe (The word "certain" in this statement, as in so many other places in scripture, is the translation of an indefinite particle of the Greek language, which only indicates that the scribe is not known by name.) came, and declared to Jesus that, he would follow Him wherever He might go. Two outstanding points are shown in Jesus' answer to him. First, though Jesus is the Son of God, the Word by Which all things were made, both in heaven and on earth, He laid claim to no property on earth, declaring that, in that respect, He placed Himself beneath even the foxes, and the birds of the air. The foxes have holes, or dens, and the birds have nests, which as we all know, they will defend to the best of their ability, showing that they claim them as their own. But He laid claim to no place on earth, not so much as a place to lay His head. An interesting point of proof of this is that when He was crucified, His body was even placed in a borrowed tomb.

The second point He makes in His statement is, that they who would follow Him must be ready to face the same conditions. When men start movements, they usually hold out some enticements to gain recruits to their cause. Jesus told everyone "up front" that the only thing He would promise them in this world was hardships. There was nothing to entice the natural man to follow Him. So this scribe was forewarned that if he followed Jesus, he could expect no luxuries along the way. There is no further record of this scribe. Whether or not he followed Jesus is unknown. It is also unknown which of His disciples requested permission to first go and bury his father before following Jesus, because we are only told, "Another of His disciples _ _ _." The language here will neither prove nor disprove the assumption which is usually made at this point, though when we consider the compassion Jesus always showed for those in sorrow, it seems reasonable. That assumption is that this disciple's father was not dead, and in need of being buried, as we might infer from the wording of this request. But rather that, the disciple was really asking that he might be allowed to go and take care of his father until such time as he might die, and be buried. At that time the disciple would be free from his filial duty of providing for his father, and he would then be ready to follow the Lord. Whether this be the true situation, or not, The Lord's answer is clear enough, "Follow Me: and let the dead bury their dead." It simply means that when He calls us, we are to follow Him without delay. Those who have not been called are "dead" to that calling, and they can take care of whatever affairs of the world are in need of attention.

(Verses 23 through 27) "And when He entered into a ship, His disciples followed Him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but He was asleep. And His disciples cane to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord save us: we perish. And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the seas obey Him!"

Although this, perhaps, needs no explanation, it is noteworthy on at least two accounts. We shall take them in reverse order. After Jesus had rebuked the wind and the sea, and all was calm, His disciples were totally astonished. Though they had called to Him, "Lord, save us: we perish," when He did exactly what they asked, they were completely amazed; and so it often is with us: when He answers our prayers, we can hardly believe it. The next point for our consideration is, after we have followed Him, felt His presence, and seen the working of His mighty power, as had these disciples, and a new situation arises, as it did here, why are we afraid? In His question to the disciples, Jesus also gives the answer, "O ye of little faith." It therefore behooves us to continually pray that He will increase our faith that we may more calmly face whatever may arise.

(Verses 28 through 32) "And when He was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God? Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them an herd of swine feeding. So the devils besought Him, saying, If Thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And He said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters."

Again we have a record of an event which demonstrates the power of the word of our Lord. This appears to be the same incident recorded by Mark in the fifth chapter of his gospel record. There are a few minor points in which the two accounts differ. Matthew says there were two of these men, while Mark mentions only one. Mark also gives more details of the possessed man than does Matthew. Nevertheless the principal points are the same in both records. Matthew says that, these men came out of the tombs, and were so fierce that people were afraid to even pass by that way. One should keep in mind that the tombs were somewhat different from our cemeteries of today. In the rocky and hilly terrain there were some natural caves that were used as tombs; and in addition, men would sometimes go, and dig caves in the hillside to be used for their tombs when they should die. So it was in these tombs, or caves, that these men lived. A very interesting point is here shown, as it also appears in some other places: the evil spirits know God, they know Jesus, and they know that there is an appointed time for their being cast into torment. When the demons in these men saw Jesus, they recognized, and feared Him, saying to Him, "What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God? Art Thou come to torment us before the time?" They recognized Him, and knew that He is the Judge, Who will at the appointed time cast them into torment. Their great fear at the moment was that He had come to torment them before the appointed time. Some commentators have observed that the reason why these evil spirits asked permission to go into the swine is that, unless embodied in some creature, either man or animal, they have no power of doing anything. Be that as it may, our Lord permitted them to go into the swine, and the whole herd was drowned in the sea, showing that evil spirits have a damaging effect upon animals as well as upon men.

(Verses 33 and 34) "And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told everything, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw Him, they besought Him that he would depart out of their coasts."

Matthew makes no further comment about the men who had been possessed of devils, but assuming both to be recording the same incident, more details can be found in Mark 5:15. Matthew does say that the swine keepers did tell in the city "what was befallen the possessed of the devils." So the people knew this as well as what took place with the swine. Nevertheless instead of rejoicing for the miracle wrought on the men, they were only concerned about losing the swine; and they begged Jesus to go completely away from their territory, "depart out of their coasts." How often we too are guilty of focusing our attention on some loss, great or small, and overlooking such blessings as the restoring of these two to such soundness; as Mark phrases it "clothed, in his right mind!"

Chapter 9

The first eight verses of this chapter record an incident, which Mark also records in more detail in Chapter 2 of his gospel record.

(Verses 1 through 8) "And He entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into His own city. And, behold, they brought to Him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith He to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitude saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, Which had given such power unto men."

We shall confine our comments, primarily, not to what was done: for that seems clear enough without comment; but to what was thought, and what was said. Notice that our Lord's first statement to the sick man had no reference to his physical condition. Instead He said, "Son, be of good cheer." That is, "Cheer up, and be happy." This happiness was not to be because he was healed of the palsy by which he was confined to bed, but because "thy sins be forgiven thee." As Jesus says just a little later, He took this approach for a particular reason. Nevertheless His doing so caused great confusion in the minds of some scribes who were present. In their minds, "within themselves," they said, "This man blasphemeth." They had rightly been taught from the scriptures that only God could forgive sins; and they did not yet know, if indeed they ever learned, that Jesus is Emmanuel, "God with us." Consequently they thought Jesus to be blaspheming, in that He was laying claim to a right and a power belonging only to God. Jesus knowing all things knew exactly what they were thinking, and said to them, "Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?" The "evil" here is not the thought that the power to forgive sins belongs only to God; but the failure to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and therefore God. He then posed a question to them for which they could not possibly have the answer: "For whether is easier, to say, ‘Thy sins be forgiven thee;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and walk?’" Certainly the meaning here is not, Which words are easier to speak? But which is easier to accomplish by speaking? This they could not answer, because they could do neither. Then He told them why He said it in the first place, "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins." Had He never spoken forgiveness of sins in their presence, He could have worked miracle after miracle, and they would never have associated the power of forgiving sins with Him. Then to prove to them that His claim was real, He said to the sick man, "Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house." We have no way of knowing how far it was to this man's house, but certainly he had to make his way through the crowd, and travel for some distance. Yet he, who had to be brought in on his bed, departed before them all carrying it. There is a subtle thought in the last clause of verse 8, which might be overlooked. In the earlier part of the verse it says, "But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled, and glorified God," but the last clause, "Which had given such power unto men," shows that they still thought of Jesus as only a man, not as the Son of God.

(Verse 9) "And as Jesus passed forth from thence, He saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and He saith unto him Follow Me. And he followed Him."

This verse, though just a simple account of the calling of one man to follow Jesus, is highly significant. In the modern day, we hear men constantly telling us that Jesus is calling men to follow Him, but they just will not respond to the call. Now let us look at this situation. We have a man "sitting at receipt of custom," that is, a tax collector, or such as was commonly called a publican. As we examine this, we find that the customary manner of obtaining this office was what we today would call "bidding for it." A man would offer to pay the Roman government a certain sum for the privilege of collecting the taxes in a certain area. Whatever he could squeeze out of the people in his area above what he paid for the privilege was his to keep; that was his profit. Of course, the man who offered the greatest sum for the office got it, and the more he had to pay for the office, the more he had to collect from the people to have any profit. For this reason he was cordially hated by every Jew, so his greed had to be the moving cause of his following such an occupation. It was in this that Matthew was engaged, when Jesus passed by, and called him. There is no evidence that Jesus had to beg him, or even ask him the second time to follow Him. In addition to what we have already said about the situation, this was Matthew's only way of making a living, so far as we know. Jesus said to him, "Follow Me." There is no indication of even the slightest delay, nor is there any question asked about where they would be going or when they would return. "And he arose, and followed Him." Then the next question would be, “Does our Lord still have the same power as then? or, Is the Holy Spirit any less powerful than was the Lord Jesus?" If God is as powerful through the Holy Spirit as He was through Jesus, then why would the Holy Spirit today have to beg and plead with a man to follow the Lord, and in many cases finally give up in shame, and being totally rejected by the man, leave him in his sins? How utterly ridiculous can men get? This is no isolated case. Every time our Lord called upon one to follow Him, that call was obeyed. Someone will surely say, "What about the young ruler who went away sorrowful. (See Matthew 19:16-26, Mark 10:17 -27, and Luke 18:18-27.) What Jesus told him was in answer to his own question, "What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" The answer was something he would not, and indeed could not do. He went away sorrowful because he could not turn loose his worldly possessions. Jesus knew this before He ever answered his question. Notice that the question is, "What can I DO to inherit eternal life?" Jesus gives the real answer a little later, when speaking to His disciples, "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." Man can do no more today to inherit eternal life than could that young man, but when the Lord commands, men obey; and when He calls, they follow. This Matthew is he who wrote this gospel record.

(Verses 10 through 13) "And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came, and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto His disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, He said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

It is evident that Matthew had two names, because Luke, in giving the account of his being called to discipleship, calls him Levi. He further says, "And Levi made Him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and others that sat down with them." (Luke 5:29) So, although Matthew does not make it quite that clear, we can be sure that the feast in the present text is the same one that Luke recorded. The Pharisees were such sticklers for the letter of the law, and for their traditions which they claimed were based upon it; and were so righteous in their own eyes that, even on the street if they happened to touch, or be touched by, one they considered a sinner, they counted themselves defiled, till they had taken a bath, and washed their clothes. Therefore when they saw the publicans and sinners sit down with Jesus and His disciples, their self-righteous souls were affronted. Instead of asking Him, they asked His disciples why He would eat with such persons. Jesus did not leave this question for His disciples to struggle with, and try to answer; but very clearly and distinctly He answered it Himself, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." In the first part of verse 13, let us omit the words supplied by the translators, and read only what is in the original: "But go and learn what meaneth, ‘I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.’" By the omission of "that," we avoid the possibility of one's thinking verse 12 to be what Jesus told the Pharisees to go and learn the meaning of. What He is here doing is, rebuking them because they, with all their boasted knowledge of the law and the prophets, did not even know the meaning of, "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice," a quotation from Hosea 6:6, which in full reads, "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." It has from the beginning been God's purpose to show mercy to those whom He loves (the same ones Jesus calls "the merciful" in Mat. 5:7) even though they be sinners. As Paul says, "But God Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ." And because of this, His desire, or love is for those who show mercy rather than for those who offer sacrifice. Therefore, since the sick, not the whole, need a physician, He says, "For I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

(Verses 14 through 17) "Then came to Him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but Thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but new wine must be put into new bottles, and both are preserved."

The John mentioned here is John the Baptist, he who baptized Jesus. He had disciples, who followed him, though he publicly declared that there should come after him One so great that he was not worthy to bear His shoes. Some disciples of John continued even to the time of the Apostle Paul. Fasting was a ritual required at special times under the law, but many times multiplied by the Pharisees, and evidently quite often observed by John, and by his disciples. It was a matter of concern to these disciples why the disciples of Jesus did not also fast. The answer of Jesus to them was, very simply stated, that there was no need for them to fast as long as He was with them, since fasting is a sign of sorrow; but He would be taken from them, and then they too would fast. Then He sets forth two parables that point out very clearly that Christianity is not, and was not intended to be, a repairing or restoring of Judaism, but is an altogether new order of worshipping God, and the two orders will not mix. Both of these parables are also recorded by Mark and Luke.

The first of these parables is shown by an old garment, so rotten that a place has been torn in it. He says that one would not take a piece of new cloth (Luke says, "a piece of a new garment") to patch this old garment: for the old would just tear out around the piece of new cloth, and make the rent worse than before. Luke says, "otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old." It would then be foolish to put such effort into trying to patch up the old garment. The only acceptable thing to do is to discard the old garment, and make a new one of new cloth.

The parable of the bottles and the wine is exactly the same lesson shown with different symbols. The bottles to which He refers are not glass bottles as we are accustomed to, but, actually, goat hides, taken off the animal without their being split open. They were then tanned, both ends and the legs tied up, the end of one leg being left so that it could be opened for a spout, and then filled with wine. Although in Matthew's account it is translated, "else the bottles break," in the accounts of both Mark and Luke, we have the proper idea conveyed, "the wine will burst the bottles," which it would indeed if one tried to use an old bottle, already weakened by having held wine before. So putting new wine into old bottles would be a futile, as well as an expensive effort. The only thing to do with the old bottles is to throw them aside, and put new wine into new bottles. So it is with "the old bottles," the law service. The new wine, Christianity, cannot be confined in the old ritualistic service under the law.

Although verses 20 through 22 record an incident, which took place while Jesus was en route to work another miracle, we shall set them aside until after discussing the other, and come back to them.

(Verses 18 and 19, and 23 through 26) "While He spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped Him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay Thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did His disciples. And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, He went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. And the fame thereof went abroad into all that land."

This is undoubtedly the same incident recorded by Mark in Mark 5:22-24, and 35-43. There are slight variations in detail, but only such as is common between the testimony of one witness and that of another concerning any event that they may witness. Luke also records this (Luke 8:41 -42, and 49-56). Both Mark and Luke give more details than does Matthew. Both Mark and Luke tell us that this "ruler" is a "ruler of the synagogue," one of the more important teachers there, and that his name was Jairus. Matthew's account, actually seems to start after Jairus had received the message that his daughter was already dead, and Jesus had said unto him, "Be not afraid, only believe." although both Mark and Luke put this part of it after the encounter with the woman on the way. Howbeit when they arrived at Jairus' house, they found the minstrels and other professional mourners already there, and making a very loud lamentation, as was their custom. Jesus ordering them out, told them that the young girl was only asleep, which to Him she was. They, knowing that she was dead, greatly ridiculed Him for so saying. However they left; and He went in to where she was, took her by the hand, and, according to both Mark and Luke, called her to arise, which she did immediately. Such a great miracle as this could not be expected to go unnoticed, "and the fame hereof went abroad into all that land."

Now we return to verses 20 through 22. "And, behold, a woman which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind Him, and touched the hem of His garment: for she said within herself, If I may but touch the hem of His garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned Him about, and when He saw her, He said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour."

As with the raising up of Jairus' daughter, Mark and Luke give more details of this incident than does Matthew. This woman not only had suffered this malady for twelve years, but she had also gone from doctor to doctor, had spent all her resources, and instead of being healed had only grown worse. As Jesus passed by, she was moved by the Spirit to believe that if she might just touch His garment, she would be healed. She did not want to make a scene before the multitude. So she managed to come up behind Jesus, and touch the hem of His garment, no doubt thinking no one would know anything about it; but Jesus was aware of it, and turning around He saw her, and said, "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole." At this point Mark and Luke give more details, but even in their accounts the same message stands out. When faith, which is a fruit of the Spirit, is produced in a heart, it works wonders. She was immediately made whole.

(Verses 27 through 30) "And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed Him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, Have mercy on us. And when He was come into the house, the blind men came to Him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto Him, Yea, Lord. Then touched He their eyes, saying, according to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, See that no man know it. But they, when they departed, spread abroad His fame in all that country."

This is another triumph of faith. The Spirit had produced such faith in the hearts of these men that, they did not just ask one time, and receiving no answer, give up, and quit. Instead, they followed Him, continuing their prayer, "Thou Son of David, have mercy on us." We do not know how long, nor how far they followed Him, but they did not give up. When He entered a house, they came to Him, and after in answer to His question, they declared their faith, He touched their eyes, and said, "According to your faith be it unto you;" and they received sight at once. Although He charged them to keep it quiet, they were so overjoyed, that they could not refrain from spreading the wonderful news all around.

(Verses 32 through 35) "As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marveled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel . But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. And Jesus went about all the cities, and villages teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people."

It was commonly believed among the people of that day that many physical, as well as mental infirmities were the result of demon possession. Most people today might ridicule that idea. But the truth is that it makes no difference what the cause of the ailment may be, they cannot heal it by speaking to the one who is afflicted with it, whether, as they think, it is only a physical disorder, or is caused by an evil spirit. But Jesus could, and can, heal it by a word, a touch, a look, or by any other means He might see fit to use. According to the record, when the evil spirit was cast out, the dumb man spoke. That seems simple enough for anyone. However, the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out devils by the prince of the devils. He made no reply to their accusation at this time, but later we shall find Him responding to their charges. At this time He only went about His ministry, "teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people." How wonderful! There never has been, and there never will be another physician who can even approach that record. He never had a single failure.

(Verses 36 through 38) "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted. and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith He unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into His harvest."

Jesus being Divinity, the Christ, the Son of God, was always compassionate toward His people, but what is brought forth here seems more to be a strictly human compassion for these who, at least in part, were considered outcasts and sinners by the religious leaders. Yet they were blessed by the Spirit to rejoice in the experiences they felt and the doctrine they heard proclaimed as they followed Him from place to place, sometimes neglecting themselves even to the point of fainting from weakness and hunger; and sometimes so torn between what they had been taught by the priests and scribes, and what Jesus was teaching them, that they were in a state of confusion, much like a flock of sheep turned loose on their own, with no shepherd. This caused His human compassion for them to show forth in what he said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plenteous." So many of them had been aroused by the Spirit to seek the truth, that the harvest was great, as He said in John 4:35, "look on the fields; they are white already to harvest." They are ready to be harvested by teaching. The final harvest will be done by the angels, as Jesus showed in the parable of the wheat and the tares. So He said to His disciples, "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest." We should carefully notice that His instructions are not, "Send ye therefore laborers into the harvest." Even His twelve apostles were not commissioned to send laborers. Their instructions were "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest." The harvest is His; and He is the only One with authority to send even one laborer into it. He has never delegated that authority to any one, not even to His church; but we should still pray that He will send them.

(Verses 1 through 4) "And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: the first, Simon, who is also called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother. Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him."

At this time Jesus began to do exactly what He had instructed His disciples to pray that He would, He started preparing the laborers He would send forth into His harvest. He "called unto Him, His twelve disciples," that is, He called them apart from the multitude. Then He empowered them for their work, by giving them power to cast out evil, or unclean spirits, and to heal all manner of sickness and disease. At this time He only had twelve whom He called apostles. Someone will probably say, "He never had but twelve." A little closer look at the scriptures will probably prove interesting. When Judas Iscariot hanged himself, there were eleven left of the original twelve. Acts 1:15-25 gives the account of one Matthias, who was elevated to apostleship. And, although Luke's statement concerning that incident is worded in such manner that one might wonder just how he considered him, in Acts 6:2 he says, "Then the twelve called the multitude _ _ _," indicating that Matthias was one of the twelve, since no one else had been placed in that position. Many places in scripture show Paul to be an apostle, and no one argues against that. Luke, in speaking of Paul and Barnabas, in Acts 14:4, says, "But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles," signifying that he considered Barnabas an apostle as well as Paul. Then in verse 14 of that same chapter he makes it clear thus: "Which when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of_ _ _." Then the Apostle Paul himself, in Galatians 1:13 , says, But other of the apostles saw I none save James the Lord's brother," showing that he considered this James, who was neither of those mentioned in the accounts of Matthew, Mark, or Luke, an apostle. There are two in these lists named James, but they are James the brother of John ("the son of Zebedee") and James the son of Alphaeus, neither of which was "James the Lord's brother." All three of the lists agree, except that it seems from a comparison of them that, "Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus," must also have been called Judas. For Luke lists a "Judas the brother of James," and does not list a Lebbaeus, or a Thaddaeus, while making all other names agree with the other lists; and we find that Matthew is also called Levi. Judas Iscariot was the son of Simon: certainly not of Simon Peter, and whether of Simon Zelotes, the Canaanite, we cannot be sure. Since Simon was a very common name among the Jews, it may have been another Simon altogether. These twelve men Jesus called to Him, away from the others who were present, and commissioned them as laborers to go forth into His harvest. The remainder of this chapter consists of the charge He gave them as He sent them forth to His fields; for He is the Lord of the harvest.

(Verses 5 and 6) "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel ."

One word in this text is the key to the whole chapter, "commanded." He did not just advise, nor instruct them; but as a general committing his forces to battle, He commanded them, or gave them their "marching orders." Order No. 1 is, Do not go among the Gentiles; in fact, do not even go into any city of the Samaritans: for though they are, in part, descendants of Abraham, they are of mixed blood, as they have intermarried with other peoples. The reason for this restriction is that until His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus was only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel , the Jews. After His resurrection, He says, (Matthew 28: 18-20,) "All power is given unto Me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." This is commonly called "The Great Commission," but it is actually only the removing of the restriction placed upon the apostles when they were originally sent forth under the "marching orders" issued here. Until that time they could only go to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel ." He uses this metaphor in keeping with what He said in verse 36 of the preceding chapter, "because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." So to these lost and scattered sheep only, He sends them.

(Verses 7 through 13) "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return unto you."

This kingdom of heaven, (literally, "kingdom of the heavens",) is the same as that which will shine forth in eternity in the glory of God and of the Lamb; but in a quite different situation, or, as it might be said, different phase from what it will be then. John the Baptist had declared this kingdom at hand: so had Jesus Himself; and now he tells His apostles to preach the same message. Sometimes people try to make a great distinction between "the kingdom of heaven" and "the kingdom of God ." They refer to the same kingdom in most instances, although there are times when either phrase may refer to a different aspect of the kingdom from what it does in some other place. The kingdom, at the time of this text, and from thence to the end of time, as we know it, was, and is, one of suffering. But when this phase, or dispensation, or whatever other similar term one may use for it, has passed, that of glory will be ushered in. Still it is the same kingdom. Jesus declared, (Luke 14:27 ,) "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple." Someone will surely say, "You are confusing discipleship with being in the kingdom." Not at all. So far as the suffering phase of the kingdom is concerned, it is discipleship, and that has nothing to do with the question of being, or not being, a member of any organization claiming to be "a church", or "the church." In Luke 22:29-30, Jesus says, "And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as My Father has appointed unto Me; that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom." It is obvious that no one can eat and drink at a table in a kingdom unless he is in that kingdom. It is equally obvious that one who is not a disciple cannot eat and drink at this table. Now there have been, and still are, many who pretend to be in the kingdom, but are not, unless one makes use of another phrase that has been by some applied to the kingdom, that of "the professional phase," or "the organized phase," both of which expressions only mean "organizations that are called churches." Historically, evil men have crept into churches, pretending to be Christians, and have caused much trouble; but they have never been in the kingdom itself, even the suffering phase of it, they are only the tares in the field, and our Lord said "the field is the world." (Mattthew 13:38) The present is so much the time of suffering in the kingdom, that even the King Himself suffered. He made the ultimate sacrifice, He laid down His life; but when the suffering days of the kingdom are over, there will be a new picture of it. Then will it be thus: "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom of ultimate glory, but not now. While in the present dispensation of it, with the suffering that is everywhere, we can be comforted by the knowledge and assurance that those who are citizens of this kingdom through the day of suffering shall also share its glory.

The apostles were to preach this one message, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." And they were given miraculous powers, by which to confirm the message. Notice that every one of these powers was to be used for good, for the service of man. They were to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils." He further commanded them, "Freely ye have received, freely give." The word here translated "freely," is really a noun that means "a gift." So to make a literal translation, we have, "A gift ye have received, a gift give," which clearly shows that this power, given by our Lord with no regard to any merit or price on the recipient, is to be used in the same manner. Woe to the man, who would make any charge for exercising this gift. It was given for the benefit of suffering humanity, and for the glory of God. Verse 9 is surely clear enough to need little, if any, explanation. Some commentators have said that it has no reference to their taking "gold, silver, or brass" with them, but rather the emphasis should be placed on "provide," and should be considered as admonishing them to go quickly without taking the time to provide these things. That may, or may not, be the case; and in the light of the remainder of the instructions, it seems unlikely to be the meaning: for He further commands them not to take "scrip for your journey." "Scrip" was a bag, such as shepherds carried with them in the field, in which were stored provisions for their journey, as they wandered from place to place in the field with their flocks. They were to take neither two coats, nor shoes (or sandals) other than those they wore, and not even an extra staff. The reason for this is, "The workman is worthy of his meat [food]." That is, The Lord will supply His servants. When they entered into a city or town, they were first to make inquiry as to who in that place "was worthy," or who was looking in earnest for the coming of the Messiah, or, as Isaiah said it, "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" When they found one who was thus worthy, they were to go to his house, and use it as "headquarters" while they remained in that place. Having ascertained who in the town was worthy, they were to go to his house, and "salute the house." The word translated "house," does indeed mean the edifice itself, but it often was, and in this place, no doubt is, used not of the building, but of the occupants, the family, or "household." When they spoke to the family, if it did prove worthy, they were to declare peace to it. But in the event it did not prove worthy, they were to withdraw their declaration of peace, "let your peace return to you."

(Verses 14 and 15) "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake the dust off your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city."

Those who will not receive the messengers of our Lord, nor the message He has sent by them, are the ones who have not received His Spirit. And when rejected by them, His messengers are not to continue harassing them, or trying to force the message upon them, but simply to shake the dust off their feet in witness against them, and leave them to God's judgment, whatever it may be. Many have argued that our Lord's next statement is rhetorical, and does not mean what the words literally say. To whoever holds that position, I leave the task of proving it: for it is my firm conviction that He both said exactly what He meant, and meant exactly what He said. Almost everyone, and especially everyone who has read the Bible, knows the story of Sodom and Gomorrha, how that because of the sinfulness of those people, God rained down fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them. Here He says, "Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city," the city which refuses to hear the word of the apostles. There are four outstanding facts concerning this statement. First, Jesus declares it a truth, "Verily I say unto you." This is the way it is. It is no maybe. Second, for one thing to be "more tolerable" than another, it has to be less severe than the other, more easily tolerated. Third, this is for some future date, "It shall be." Fourth, it is at a special time, not "a day of judgment," which might be at any time, but "the day of judgment," a day already appointed, and about which we are many times in the word of God warned, though not told exactly when it will be. When that great day shall come, as it surely will, "it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha, than for that city."

(Verses 16 through 20) "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father Which speaketh in you."

The key to this entire text is the first clause of verse 16, "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves." Some may have been so long removed from animal husbandry that, they have no personal knowledge of sheep. But the helplessness of sheep against wolves is legendary, so that everyone would know that the only defense sheep have against wolves is that provided by the shepherd; and that is exactly what is under consideration. The great Shepherd is sending forth His sheep into a place that is overrun with wolves. His first caution to them is, "Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." Although snakes do sometimes lie out in the open, as a species, they have survived mainly by remaining in concealment, or by, when disturbed, quickly slipping away into concealment. Usually when a serpent is openly exposed, it is lying very quietly, and not stirring up confrontation. So His messengers, though duty bound to declare His word, are never to deliberately stir up antagonism, as so many today, who claim to be gospel ministers, are doing with their "civil disobedience," "sit ins," "lie ins," and various other acts of protest designed for nothing but to stir up trouble. We are to be "wise as serpents," and avoid such confrontation. Perhaps, the meaning of the expression, "harmless as doves," comes through more readily in catching, and handling birds. As a child I sometimes trapped birds; and in handling them, I had to be very careful with some species, such as Blue Jays and Cardinals, lest they pinch my fingers with their beaks, but doves would remain very still, and make no attempt to peck, or bite. They may at first struggle a little to get free, but they put up no defense. Since the remainder of this text has to do with His servants when they are arrested, and taken before councils, governors, kings, etc., this seems to be the point He is making. "But beware of men," that is, be forewarned that they will do the things He proceeds to name. In verse 18 we have a principle set forth that is often overlooked. People usually consider that the witnesses of our Lord are sent to men to call them to repentance; but here He says, "And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake for a testimony against them and the Gentiles." So it is sometimes for judgment, and not for repentance. Notice that verses 19 and 20 carry us back to the first statement of this quotation.  The reason they were commanded to "take no thought how or what ye shall speak," is that they were as sheep among wolves, with no defense except their Shepherd; And He it is "Which speaketh in you." Since they could not defend themselves, they were to wait upon the Shepherd, Who would Himself speak through them.

(Verses 21 through 23) "And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel , till the Son of man be come."

All these things declared in verses 21 and 22 have been fulfilled, not once, but many times, both in the days of the apostles and throughout history since then, sometimes with greater, and sometimes with lesser frequency. And at some point in the future they will be far more frequent than ever before. Nevertheless, "he that endureth to the end shall be saved." This promise can be viewed from two different directions. First, those who endure this battle to the end, shall be delivered, that is The Lord will not forget them, and therefore, with this assurance they should be able the more bravely to endure. We look at the example of the Apostle Paul, and consider how many times he was saved out of the seemingly hopeless situations in which he found himself. He endured all the way, and God saved him out of those perils. Of course, someone will say, "What about Stephen, and James the brother of John, they had only a short time before they were put to death?"  That is true, but whether we endure to the end, or turn traitor, we are subject to death. Witness Judas Iscariot. When, however, we consider Stephen, who was the first recorded martyr for our Lord, would not anyone who loves our Lord be happy to know that he would die in the triumph of faith that was granted to him? He was indeed delivered ("saved") though it was by death. If we look at this statement from the other viewpoint, let us consider what the writer of the Hebrew letter says, "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them which believe to the saving of the soul." (Heb. 10:38-39). There are several places in scripture, which tell us that those who endure to the end shall be saved, which is equivalent to saying that only they shall be saved. Those, who "draw back unto perdition," are those to whom enduring faith was not given. And persecution separates them from those to whom it is given. The enduring is not the cause of salvation, but it is the evidence of it. Yet when persecution arises, the messenger is to flee to another place, not so much for his safety as to continue the work he is sent to do.

"Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel , till the Son of man be come," is a declaration about which there has been some controversy. Some try to project it forward to the second coming of our Lord, when, of course, He will come to execute judgment upon the world. However this seems to be placing quite a strain upon the language, unless it is thought that this ministry was interrupted by the Diaspora, and will be again resumed shortly before our Lord's return. It seems best to consider the meaning of this statement as that they will not have "gone over the cities of Israel ." That is, they will not have run out of places to preach until "the Son of man be come" to His being officially established as "both Lord and Christ," as the Apostle Peter said, in Acts 2:36 .  The Apostle Paul says, "Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, Which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." (Rom.1:3-4).  After His resurrection, He removed the restraint placed upon the apostles when they were first sent out, and said to them, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations." At this point He had indeed come: He had come into His power: "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." For this reason He at that time could, and did, lift the earlier restriction.

(Verses 24 through 27) "The disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his Master, and the servant as his Lord. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of His household? Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops."

The Greek word "didaskalos," translated "master" in verses 24 and 25, literally means "teacher." It is obvious that a disciple, or "learner" is not above, or greater than, his teacher, just as a slave is not greater than his master. For a learner, the greatest honor is to be thought to be as, or like, his teacher. At the same time, the attitude of people toward a teacher will be reflected in their treatment of one of his pupils. Likewise a slave is considered as an extension of his master's household, and he will be treated accordingly. This was all said to alert the apostles to the fact that they could expect no better reception at the hands of the people than that, which He had received from them.  And He summed it up thus: "If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of His household?" The Jews had already accused Jesus of casting out devils by the prince of devils. Therefore the apostles should not be surprised at being hit with the same accusations. They were not to fear these accusations or those who made them. The evil in the hearts of such people, though momentarily covered, or hidden, will come forth in force. Verse 27 does not mean that we are to preach from the housetops everything we may hear from everybody; but it is subject to the same qualifications as the first clause of that sentence. "What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear (from Me), that preach ye upon the housetops." His word, spoken in secret (in darkness) by the Holy Ghost was to be preached openly and publicly.

(Verses 28 through 31) "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him Which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

No doubt all the instructions given in this address by Jesus to His apostles concerning their conduct are to be considered as being also given to us, and this is especially true of the present text. All of this is so closely linked together that there are no good places to break it. Nevertheless, in order to get a different perspective view of it, let us reserve verse 28 for consideration after looking at verses 29 through 31. Jesus asks a question, "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?" Various translations give different values for the piece of money here spoken of, but the Greek word "assarion" refers to a coin worth one-tenth of a drachma. It is of very little value. The English farthing is about one fourth of a penny in value. So however we may read it, the meaning is that two sparrows are sold for nearly nothing. Yet one of them shall not fall on the ground unnoticed by our heavenly Father. Sometimes we hear it said, "This, or that, is just too insignificant for God to be concerned about it." Such a statement, or such a thought, is to be immediately rejected. Jesus says, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered," indicating that God is concerned about even such insignificant things as that. Then He says, "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." Our heavenly Father, Who knows every hair of our heads, and sees every sparrow that falls, values us above many sparrows. How then can our enemies do anything to us without His knowledge? We should keep one thing in mind at all times. It is that the reason why we are of more value than many sparrows is not for any merit we have of our own, but is because of the great love He has bestowed upon us. Nevertheless, because He does value us so, we should never fear what man can do to us: for the most he can do is to kill the body. Beyond that there is nothing he can do; and he can do that only if God suffers him to do so. Since "it is appointed unto man once to die," why should it matter whether it be at the hand of an enemy, or by some fatal disease? We need have no fear of men. Instead, we are to fear God "Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Many people have fallen for the Miltonic error of thinking that, Satan is the ruler of hell, and that he has power to cast men into it, thus destroying both soul and body in hell. This is absolute heresy. Our Lord says, (Mat.25:41,) "Then shall He [Jesus] say also to them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Revelation 20:10 says, "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." So instead of putting anyone into hell, Satan will himself be cast in there, and shall be tormented continuously for ever and ever, by no power other than that of the Son of God; for He it is Who shall sit upon that great white throne of final judgment.

(Verses 32 and 33) "Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My father Which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven."

Many seem to have a problem with this quotation. They seem unable to believe that Jesus meant what He said. So they try to water down the whole thing, and make our Lord's confession of those who confess Him to be nothing more than His blessing them while here in this life; and His denial of those who deny Him to be only the withholding of some blessings they would otherwise get while here. This is certainly not what Jesus meant. For Mark's recording of this same message, see Mark 8:34-38, which says, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Luke says, "For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:26). Perhaps the reason some think so lightly of this is that they have forgotten the persecution that raged against our Lord and His disciples. They have forgotten what was, in many cases, the penalty for confessing Jesus, that is, openly declaring Him the Christ, the Son of God. Those who did confess Him were, at the very least, cast out of the synagogues, and ostracized by the religious leaders, and, at worst, put to death. So those who did confess Him (those who were not ashamed of Him and His word) were those to whom God had given of His Spirit, and in whose hearts He had produced faith. These Jesus will confess (will not be ashamed of) before His Father Who is in heaven (when He comes in His own glory and that of His Father with the holy angels).

The Greek verb "arneomai," which is here translated "deny," has a wide spectrum of meanings, all the way from simply saying a thing is not true, to turning completely away from someone, or something, and proving by action a total repudiation of, or estrangement from such. However that translated "be ashamed," in the texts from Mark and Luke, seems to have only one meaning, "be ashamed." The great objection usually raised to our Lord's denying such before the Father at His return in glory is that Peter denied Him three times, and surely he will not be denied on that day. This surely is true, but again we refer you to the wide range of meanings for the word "deny," and the narrow one for "be ashamed." Peter only denied Him in words, and that because of fear for his own safety, not from being ashamed of the Lord. But during this whole time he never turned away nor even left the place where Jesus was: and when Jesus looked at him, he remembered what the Lord had told him, and was brought to repentance. We find no record of any more, even temporary, denial of the Christ by him. Those whose lives show that they would consider it a shame to be associated with Jesus, or to follow Him, will on that great day find that He is also ashamed of them, and He will deny them before His Father in heaven. That day is "when He shall come in His own glory, and His Father's, and of the holy angels." It is not a light thing, nor is it to be taken lightly.

(Verses 34 through 39) "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth Me is not worthy of Me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it."

Although at the birth of Jesus, the angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men," this did not mean that peace was to come immediately upon earth, but only that, He, Who will at the appointed time bring peace, has made His appearance in the world. His first coming was not for the purpose of bringing peace, but warfare ("a sword"); even such a warfare as would divide family members one from another; and those who, in this time of warfare, love family members, or peace in the family, more than they love the Christ, are not worthy of Him. Immediately someone will say, "No matter what we do, we cannot be worthy of Him." And that is true indeed, if we are judged on our own merits or righteousness, but those who strive to do the will of God are, by the grace of God, judged not on their own merits, but on the imputed righteousness of Jesus the Christ. Those who love family members more than they love Jesus are not judged by that criterion. Neither is he that does not take his cross and follow the Lord.

Much is said today about "taking one's cross," but the real meaning of the expression is seldom even mentioned. Usually it is spoken of in such a manner that the impression is left that it is a terrible thing to have to do, and that it consists of putting up with a few uncomplimentary things that some may say about us, and, maybe, a few unkind acts that they may commit against us, but never about the seriousness of it, nor the great joy there is in it. The Apostle Paul says, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (Gal. 6:14). One can, in this, see both the seriousness and the joy with which the apostle viewed this. The objection might be raised, "But he was speaking of the cross of Jesus, not his own cross." So he was, but they are one and the same thing. Carrying the cross was not an unusual thing. It was common practice for the condemned to carry his cross from the place where the sentence was pronounced upon him to the place of execution. When Jesus was led out of the hall of Pilate, "He bearing His cross went forth." In the text quoted from Paul, he says, "By Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." The cross bespeaks the crucifixion of both the Christ Who was crucified for us, and of us, who representatively were crucified with Him. Thus His cross is our cross; and to carry our cross is to testify by our lives that we are dead to the world, and the world is dead to us, because we have been crucified with Jesus our Lord. Claiming the cross by word only is not good enough. We must live it. By thus bearing the cross we testify to all men that we too are partakers of that same condemnation and death suffered by our Lord. By that death we live! The Apostle Peter says, "For, for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged [condemned] according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit." Men cannot take up, and bear this cross, a testimony of their being crucified to the world, and at the same time continue in worldly pleasures and sins. That to which we are dead, we cannot enjoy nor partake of. Those who will not take their cross, and follow Him, are judged to be unworthy of Him, while those who do, are judged worthy. As we have many times said, The taking up, and bearing the cross is not the cause, but the evidence of our being considered worthy of Him.

(Verses 40 through 42) "He that receiveth you, receiveth Me, and he that receiveth Me, receiveth Him That sent Me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward."

As He finishes His address to the apostles Jesus makes use of two sayings which were well recognized as truisms. Those who received a prophet kindly, just because he was a prophet, "in the name of a prophet," were rewarded with "a prophet's reward." Likewise those who kindly received a righteous man, "in the name of a righteous man," that is, just because he was a righteous man, received "a righteous man's reward." Now since these are both recognized truths, consider one who receives a disciple "in the name of a disciple." If all he can do for him is to give him a cup of cold water to drink, when he is thirsty, such "shall in no wise lose his reward." Just as the prophet and the righteous man are blessings to those who receive them with kindness, so are the disciples of our Lord.

The first three verses of this chapter tell us that Jesus finished giving His instructions, or commands, to His apostles, and leaving them to do as commanded, Himself departed from that place to teach in other cities. About this time John the Baptist, who had been imprisoned by Herod, having heard of the works of the Christ, sent two of his disciples to Jesus with a question; "Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another?" This shows us that even the most steadfast can sometimes be troubled with questions, and maybe, some doubts. It was John the Baptist who baptized Jesus, saw the Spirit descend as a dove and rest upon Him, and heard the voice from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased." Now in, perhaps, some depression from being in prison, he asks, "Art Thou He That should come, or do we look for another?"

(Verses 4 through 6) "Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see. 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. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me"

Certainly, Jesus could have simply answered John's question with, "Yes, I am He." However the answer He gave is just as positive, and it is also of more benefit to us today. The particular works of which he speaks in His reply may not have all been done before us for us to see and hear, but whether or not we recognize it, we have all seen miracles wrought by the power of God. One I shall always remember is that which was done to a lady with whom I was well acquainted. She had a heart attack. And for a period of forty-five minutes she had no vital signs, no heartbeat, no pulse, no blood pressure, and no respiration. Yet she survived it, and recovered to live for several years, and with not even any mental damage from the lack of oxygen to the brain during the attack. The next day her cardiologist, who was with her all during the time of the attack, made this report to the family: "The only reason she is alive is that God was not ready for her to go. We did absolutely nothing, because there was nothing we could do." We have also witnessed other works of His power. And the answer sent back to John was of great comfort to him, and is of great comfort to us today, because it declares with power that This is He That should come, and we have no need to look for another. Those who are "not offended" in Him, that is those who are not turned away from Him, are indeed blessed.

(Verses 7 through 11) "And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitude concerning John, "What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken in the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. 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 of heaven is greater than he."

The questions asked in verses 7 and 8 are all to the same point, and are asked for the same purpose. They call attention to the fact that the purpose of the people, as they went out into the wilderness, was not for sightseeing, seeing reeds shaken in the wind, nor seeing some man famous for his wealth and fancy attire. Then in verse 9 Jesus sets forth their real purpose in going out to see John. They went to see a prophet. It had been many years since God had sent Israel any prophet, so this was a great event. Jesus tells them that indeed John was a prophet, and much more than a prophet. He was one of whom other prophets had prophesied; "For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee." Not only was he a prophet, but he was also the one sent to announce the coming of the Lamb of God. Verse 11 is one about which there has been some argument, "Verily I say unto you, ‘Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater that John the Baptist:’ notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." Remember that the people went out to see a prophet. Since all men are "born of women," among men there has not risen a greater prophet than John the Baptist. Nevertheless he was a prophet under the law dispensation. Here Jesus uses "the kingdom of heaven" actually in reference to the gospel dispensation, as opposed to the law dispensation, in which John served, although, in the greater sense, both are dispensations of the kingdom. John being under the law, was under bondage, whereas the least one in the gospel dispensation has been set free from the bondage of the law, and is therefore greater than John, not in importance, but in the freedom of access he has to the Father through the name of the Son, rather than through the sacrifices of the law. John was shut up under the law awaiting the sacrifice that Jesus would offer, while even the least one in the gospel day can look to the sacrifice already completed. Also those in this day are, by the works and teachings of both Jesus and His apostles, made greater in knowledge. For Jesus Himself said, "Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." Had they heard and seen those things, they would have had much greater knowledge of the works of God than did even the greatest of them.

(Verses 12 through 15) "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Verse 12 has no reference to violence or violent men in the sense in which we usually consider the terms today. Instead, it has exactly the same meaning as Luke's record of this same statement, "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of heaven is preached, and every man presseth into it." That is, the law and the prophets (that which they taught) were all that was revealed of the will of God until the ministry of John. Since John was executed before the ministry of Jesus was finished and crowned with His crucifixion and resurrection, the law and the prophets continued through the ministry of John, though the kingdom of God was announced by him as being at hand: and Jesus did preach the kingdom before the death of John. The reaction of the people was such that it could be said, that, "every man presseth into it:" for Matthew tells us "Then went out to him (John) Jerusalem , and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan . And were baptized of him in Jordan , confessing their sins." (Mat.3:5-6.)  John 4;1 says, "When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John," clearly signifying that they were pressing into the kingdom. So instead of doing violence to the kingdom of God , in the sense of trying to destroy it, They were eagerly and vigorously pressing into it. The gospel day is a "new day," in comparison to "the law and the prophets," which regime continued through the ministry of John.

"And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come." This in no wise intends that, physically, John the Baptist was Elijah returned to earth, but that he was sent in the spirit and power of Elijah to fulfill the prophecy Jesus quoted from Malachi 3:1. One must also keep in mind that there is also another prophecy in Malachi 4:5 of the coming of "Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and notable day of the Lord." And where the phrase "day of the Lord" is used in scripture, it has reference to the day of judgment, albeit some places may be also in reference to a day of temporal judgment. However the context of this indicates the time of final judgment. As is the case with many prophecies of the coming of our Lord, there is in the two texts referenced here a mingling of some things of both His first and second advents. So only by paying attention to what was, and what was not, done at His first coming can we get any clear distinction between the two. So, with this in mind, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

(Verses 16 through 19) "But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children."

What Jesus said about "this generation" indeed fits all generations of men according to nature. It should be remembered that the Greek word "genea," here translated "generation," does not always refer to an age, such as "the older generation" or "the younger generation," but its primary meaning is "men of the same stock, a family, or a race of people." In this case it can well refer to the whole human race except "the children of wisdom," of whom Jesus spoke in verse 19. Humanity, according to nature, has no more care for, nor understanding of, the things of God than do children playing in the market place for the serious things of life. The children think that when they "pipe," or play music, all their playmates should be ready to dance, and if they mimic a mourner, everyone else should do the same. If they do not thus respond, the one leading the playing will start saying, "You are not playing right." This is exactly in keeping with the Apostle Peter's statement, "Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you." (1 Peter 4:4). So it is with children, and such is also the way of the world. Not only so, but they cannot even be consistent in what they want. One who, as did John, abstains strictly from worldly things, is considered as "having a devil," or at the very least, he is thought to be a religious fanatic. At the same time, one who does engage moderately in normal activities, will probably be accused of being too worldly. John did not altogether abstain from eating and drinking, but he did maintain a strict adherence to the law concerning his diet. Since he stayed in the wilderness, he did not attend feasts, banquets, etc. So they said of him, "He hath a devil." On the other hand, Jesus attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and a feast in the home of Matthew the publican, as well as other feasts that are recorded. So the people called Him "a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners," thus proving themselves to have no more judgment than children at play. Since "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," we would have to conclude that the children of wisdom are those whose eyes God has opened to see the beauty of His kingdom. And these will by their actions justify wisdom, that is, they will manifest wisdom in their deeds and words.

(Verses 20 through 24) "Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not: 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 ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum , which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works that have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom , it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."

Should we take up this text according to all that men, in their discussions and arguments have said about it, we would find it such a complicated and confused matter that we could never understand it. Howbeit if considered as recorded, it is as simple as any declaration of scripture ever encountered. First, two questions must be answered. They are, What was Jesus doing? and Why was He doing it? Both are clearly answered in verse 20. The answer to the first question is, He was upbraiding, or rebuking, the people of the cities where He had done most of His mighty works; and to the second, because they had not repented of their sins. Although they had seen these marvelous works, and knew them to be genuine, not faked illusions, they did not repent of their sins, and acknowledge the Christ or His works. This is all that relates to these two questions.

Jesus first compares Chorazin and Bethsaida, two cities in which He had worked many miracles, to Tyre and Sidon, two Mediterranean coast cities that had formerly been world renowned for their wealth, but now were of much less importance. Then He compares Capernaum to Sodom . His words are self explanatory; but what He tells them carries great significance. We may not know all the details of the fall of Tyre and Sidon , but His language clearly shows that it was because of the sins of the people; and, so far as Sodom is concerned, every one knows the story. God rained down fire and brimstone from heaven upon it, and destroyed it. Now Jesus presents the lesson. If the mighty works that were done in Chorazin and Bethsaida , had been done in Tyre and Sidon , the people of those cities would long ago have repented "in sackcloth and ashes." This was considered the sign of the deepest repentance. It consisted of laying aside one's fancy attire, putting on garments of sackcloth, a very rough and coarse material, sitting down in the ash dump, and even scattering ashes over one's head, and rubbing them on one's face. Yet Chorazin and Bethsaida , after seeing all these marvelous works, are continuing on in their sins, "business as usual." As He addresses Capernaum , He says, "Thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven." At that time it was a very thriving and important city. Nevertheless it "shall be brought down to hell." Then He says that had the mighty works that were done in Capernaum been done in Sodom , the repentance of the Sodomites would have been so sincere that Sodom would have been spared even to the time of His speaking. In both of these examples Jesus brings forth one conclusion. At, or in the Day of Judgment, it shall be more tolerable for these ancient cities that already have been destroyed, or badly brought down, than for those in which there was no repentance even after such wonderful miracles have been wrought in them. The phrase, "more tolerable," means exactly the same as "less severe," and the time of its manifestation is in the future: for "it shall be" at, or in the Day of Judgment. This should bring before us a very serious question. If it be thus with those cities, which were only at the beginning of the day of grace, and, though these mighty works were many, they still could have been going on only a very short time, seeing that the earthly ministry of Jesus was only about three and one-half years; what of our nation, which has been taught the word of God since its beginning, and has since its beginning been blessed above other nations, but is now turning so contemptuously away from everything pertaining to God?

(Verses 25 through 27) "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight. All things are delivered unto Me of My Father: And no Man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him."

There is no room for doubt that, in the mind of Matthew, there is to be observed a direct connection between what Jesus had just said to the cities of the area and the prayer here recorded, because he ties the two together with the clause, "At that time Jesus answered and said," thus emphasizing their immediate connection. So "these things," as said in His prayer, must be the wonderful works He had wrought in Chorazin, Bethsaida , and Capernaum . Because they are what must have been hidden from the wise and prudent, the great religious leaders of these cities, and revealed to babes, the poor, the sinners, and the outcasts, who were thought of as having no more knowledge of the things of God than babes. He thanks the Father for keeping these things hid from the wise and prudent, and revealing them to babes. It was the Father's will to do this; "for so it seemed good in Thy sight." There is, in this whole incident, the setting forth of a fact that many seem unable to accept. This is that no man can say exactly where the line is between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. In verses 21 through 24, Jesus emphatically establishes that there is upon man a responsibility to repent of his sins. And in verse 25 He just as firmly declares that God, in the exercise of His sovereignty, has kept these things hidden from some, and revealed them to others; and the only reason given for it is, "Even so Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight." It is not our right nor privilege to inquire further into the matter. We too should thank our Father for this, even as did Jesus.

In verse 27, Jesus declares that the Father has delivered all things unto Him. This is in perfect harmony with His statement in John 5:22. "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son." Notice should be taken of the tenses of the verbs in what Jesus says here. When thanking the Father, in verse 25, He says, "because Thou hast hid," signifying past activity, and suggesting that this activity is over.  Then, in verse 27, He says, "All things are delivered unto Me of My Father," just as surely declaring that now the Father has committed all things into the hands of the Son. As becomes clear by further reading, there is a purpose in this. The first thing brought to mind is that there is no one other than the Father, Who, of Himself knows the Son. Also there is no indication that the Father is going to reveal the Son to anyone. The second is that no one, except the Son, of himself, knows the Father.  Here the situation undergoes a slight change. That change is the addition of those who by another means know the Father: "he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." Thus to the Son now belongs the right, the authority, and the power to reveal, or keep hidden, whatsoever He will, and especially the knowledge of the Father.

(Verses 28 through 30) "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

Certainly this has been of great comfort to believers ever since it was first spoken. Yet so often when men discuss it, the issue becomes confused and distorted. Our Lord's invitation, or rather His command, "Come unto me," is interpreted to be, "Come unto the church;" and whatever denomination the speaker has membership in is considered "the church." To such this command has absolutely no reference. It simply says exactly what it means, and means exactly what it says, "Come unto Me;" and since Jesus was the speaker, it means, "Come unto Jesus." It is ridiculous to think that coming to the church and coming to Jesus are the same. Unless one has already come to Jesus, it will do neither him nor the church any good for him to come to the church. Next, consideration is to be given to the question of whom He is addressing. This is often presented by men as being "all men," that is, everybody, which idea is immediately shot down by the language itself. Jesus says, "All ye that labour and are heavy laden," which obviously does not include everybody: for many have no burden, and are not laboring under anything, but have given themselves over to the enjoyment of worldly pleasures, and to the pursuit of earthly wealth, power, and fame. Those who are laboring and heavy laden are those to whom these things have been denied, and who have been made to realize that their only hope has to be anchored in something, or someone, entirely different. They are the downtrodden and the outcasts, who are called "the ends of the world" by the prophets. See Psalms 22:27, 65:5, 67:7, 98:3, Isaiah 45:22, and 52:10, among other texts. Those who are laboring under this heavy load are commanded to come to Jesus. If one is not so laboring, he is not addressed in this. And if we attempt to apply it to him, we are wasting our time. For he will not, and indeed can not, come unto Jesus; for "Jesus" means "help of God," or "Saviour," and one will not, and can not, avail himself of a Saviour, of Whom he feels no need, and for Whom he has no desire. Nevertheless this in no wise lessens the responsibility of the gospel minister, and indeed every Christian, to tell the world about Jesus, because none of us can know who has been thus burdened until we see his response to the gospel. The message of our Lord is just as important today as it was when He spoke it. Those who are thus burdened are to come to Jesus. When they do this, they shall be given rest by our Lord Himself. Compare this with two other statements in scripture. First, let us consider the Apostle Peter's answer to those at Pentecost, who asked, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" His answer: "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus (the) Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Then Paul, in Ephesians 1:13 , "In Whom ye also believed, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." Both of these statements show that when we come to Jesus, we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is the sealing "with that Holy Spirit of promise," or, in a word, "assurance" of salvation.  (In Peter's statement, the translators caused many unnecessary arguments by their transliterating the word "Christ" instead of translating it. It literally means "Anointed," and had they translated it the statement would read, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Anointed for the remission of sins," showing that, He was anointed for the remission of sins, and not giving the impression, which some have received, that baptism is for the remission of sins, which it is not.) Nevertheless, when those who are laboring under that heavy burden come to Jesus, He gives them rest. Then He says, "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me." There could be a possibility that, in some measure, this might include coming to the church, since baptism is the symbolic testimony we give to the world that we are joined to Jesus in His death and resurrection. However it can only refer to the church in the sense of all those who have declared their faith in our Lord Jesus, not in the sense of any organization. To those who believe otherwise, Please inform us concerning what organized church the eunuch joined when Philip baptized him. Yet if being baptized is equivalent to taking upon oneself the yoke of our Lord, (and if it is done in true faith of our Lord Jesus, it is, because in it we testify to the world that in the death and resurrection of the Christ we too have been crucified, and raised up to newness of life,) he did take upon himself that yoke, and went on his way rejoicing. Jesus said that in doing this, those who do will find rest to their souls. Surely this, the eunuch found. If we lean on Jesus, we learn meekness and humility; for these are His outstanding characteristics. Although He is Lord of all, and will when He returns, demonstrate that in great power, while here during His earthly ministry, he was "meek and lowly in heart." In this same meekness and lowliness alone we find rest to our souls. "For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" seems to often be misunderstood. Many today, whether by design or by neglect of other teachings of our Lord, from this try to teach that, once one has taken upon himself the yoke of our Lord, his whole pathway will be easy, and he will have no more trouble. Nothing could be further from the truth. The ease of His yoke is only in the fact that it gives us access to Him wherever, whenever, and in whatever situation we may be. And He will give us the strength to overcome all of our trials. And the lightness of His burden is as the Apostle Paul expresses it, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal: but the things which are not seen are eternal." Thus His burden is light, as we compare the sufferings and trials of the present life with the glory awaiting us when this world shall be no more. In such consideration this life becomes "but for a moment."

(Verses 1 and 2) "At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn; and His disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto Him, Behold, Thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day."

Certainly this needs no explanation, but to understand what is the issue here, we must remember what the law says. In Deuteronomy 23:25 we are told, "When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor's standing corn." This clearly shows that had this been at any time other than on the Sabbath day, there could have been no criticism against the disciples for their conduct. This brings us to the issue, the breaking of the Sabbath by working, even the work of plucking the "ears of corn," actually, heads of grain. Such a small item as this was by the Pharisees considered a breach of the Sabbath.

In verses 3 through 5 Jesus calls attention of the Pharisees to two things with which they were well acquainted, and to which they raised no objection, both of which were fully as much a violation of the law as that of which they were accusing His disciples. One of these is the incident of David's coming to the priest Abimelech, and receiving from him the "shew bread," which he and his men ate, though according to the law no one except the priests could eat. This incident is recorded in detail in 1 Samuel, Chapter 21. The other matter is that, the priests in the temple itself, work at offering up sacrifices on the Sabbath day, and are held blameless. Then He declares to them, "But I say unto you, That in this place is One greater than the temple." This saying could not have been very acceptable to the Pharisees: for to them the temple was the center of the universe. Nevertheless He to Whom the temple was erected must be infinitely greater than the temple itself, in spite of their failure to recognize Him.

He closes out this conversation with these words: "But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day." The quotation Jesus sets before them, and declares that if they had known its meaning, they would not have condemned the guiltless, is found in Hosea 6:6. Two other scriptures that give more insight into the matter are 1 Samuel 15:1-23, and Micah 6:6-8. Many today are just as were the Pharisees, knowing nothing about mercy and obedience to God, but being very strict concerning certain points of doctrine, and certain traditional ritualistic practices. In this condition they, just as did those Pharisees, fail to understand this prophecy, which, just as then, leads to their condemning the guiltless. Certainly in its past tense reference, this has to do with their condemnation of the disciples for what they considered Sabbath breaking; but it is also prophetic, concerning their condemnation of Jesus in the courts of the Sanhedrin, of Herod, and of Pilate. Their failure to understand this prophecy was the root of all. Yet, since "all things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made," it surely follows that, "The Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day."

Verses 9 through 13 give the account of the healing of a crippled man, and since the record of the incident is in no need of explanation, we shall concern ourselves primarily with what our Lord said at that time.

(Verses 11 and 12) "And He said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days."

Let us analyze this by points.

• Point 1: "What man shall there be among you, that shall have ONE sheep?"

• Point 2: "If it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day."

• Point 3: "Will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?"

• Point 4: How much then is a man better than a sheep?"

Conclusion: "Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days."

Point 1 has no reference to a man with a whole flock of sheep. He has one sheep. This points out something that, in casual reading, might be overlooked. God's love for His children is such that each one is loved as dearly as if it were the only one He has. All the countless millions are individually loved as if each were the only one. It may be difficult for some to understand this; but any parent who has had a child called away by death knows this truth. For no matter how many other children that parent has, and no matter how much he, or she, loves those who remain, the one who is gone is "an only child." Such is our heavenly Father's love for us, only infinitely greater.

Point 2 is clear enough without explanation. That one sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath day.

Point 3 assumes that the owner of this sheep is made aware of its plight on that same day, the Sabbath. The question is "Will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out (on the Sabbath day)?" Although "the Sabbath day" is not at this point mentioned, it is to be assumed, and is intended, because that is the whole point of the discussion, working on the Sabbath day, and has already been established as the time of the fall.

Point 4 is used to call attention to their own judgment of the matter, and amounts to saying, "How much more value do you place upon a man than upon a sheep?" Any man endowed with natural understanding, without reference to spiritual wisdom, considers a man much more valuable than a sheep. So that puts the Pharisees to silence, though they might know nothing of any spiritual meaning in it.

The conclusion can scarcely need any explanation, since it is a simple and straightforward declaration that "to do well", or to help someone on the Sabbath day brings no lawful condemnation. Then Jesus illustrated His words by action. "Then saith He unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth, and it was restored whole, like as the other."

This so infuriated the Pharisees that, they immediately began plotting how they could destroy Jesus. He knowing their intents and plans, left the synagogue, and departed from that place, with great crowds following Him. He healed all the sick who were brought to Him; but He commanded them not to spread the news around. Such a charge may seem strange to some, but we find that this was not the only time Jesus told the people to keep these things quiet.  Matthew says that the works and teaching Jesus did here were for a purpose.

(Verses 17 through 21) "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold My Servant, Whom I have chosen; My Beloved, in Whom I am well pleased: I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory. And in His name shall the Gentiles trust."

Although verse 19 primarily has in view that period from our Lord's arrest through His crucifixion, He also would not, during His entire ministry, "strive nor cry," that is, He would make no effort to gain wide recognition, or a great reputation, but would on the contrary be so gentle and humble that He would not even break a bruised reed nor quench "smoking flax." The phrase "smoking flax" can also be rendered "smoldering wick," as of a lamp. If there is even enough oil in the lamp for the wick to smolder, He is so gentle that, He will not quench it. Although it is not so stated here, He will, in fact, "supply oil" that the lamp may burn until He shall send forth judgment unto victory. He is the chosen and beloved Servant, the righteous Branch, the Root of Jesse, and many other titles spoken by the prophets; "and in Him shall the Gentiles trust."

Verses 22 through 24 tell of a miracle wrought by Jesus, and the reaction of the Pharisees when they heard of it. They said, "This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." We want to keep this saying of theirs in mind as we consider His answer to them, especially in verses 31 and 32.

(Verses 25 and 26) "And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: and if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; How then shall his kingdom stand?"

People sometimes seem to think that when we are studying the word of God we are to set aside, completely, all logic and reasoning. Certainly to do so would be a serious mistake. In this case Jesus made full use of both. Any time a house, a city, or a kingdom becomes divided against itself, it is on the road to destruction. People of today should understand this to a greater degree than any who have ever lived before upon earth. Consider just the past decade. How many nations and coalitions of nations have become divided against themselves! And, to what ruin they have come! Now with this picture before us, how can we fail to understand, that if Satan were divided against himself so that he was casting himself out of those who have been his victims, considering how violent he is, his kingdom would soon self-destruct?

(Verses 27 and 28) "And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you."

He continues with the same logic, If one should accept their accusation as true, that is, if one assumes that, He does cast out devils by Beelzebub, there is still a question that must be answered: "By whom do your children cast them out?" There can be but one answer, and these Pharisees knew it: "They cannot cast them out at all." Since there can be only one answer, there also can be but one conclusion: "Therefore they shall be your judges." To whom does "they" refer in this statement? The impotent "children," or followers of the Pharisees. The clause, "they shall be your judges," does not mean that they shall sit upon the bench of judgment in the last day, and pronounce judgment upon them. But since it is already proven that had this work been wrought by Beelzebub, Satan's kingdom would be in shambles, the fact that the followers of the Pharisees could not do this by any means, stands in condemnation, or judgment of the Pharisees for their unfounded accusations against Jesus. On the other hand, if this casting out of devils is by the power of God, which should be obvious to all at this point, "then the kingdom of God is come unto you." We sometimes seem to have too narrow a view of the kingdom of God . We should always remember that wherever the power of God is manifested, and especially where the King Himself is, there is the kingdom of God . It is also imperative that we remember that, Jesus said, "Then the kingdom of God is come unto you," not "into you." The kingdom of God was before them, but they had no part in it.

(Verses 29 and 30) "Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad."

This is a continuation of His proof that He is not working with Beelzebub. In the first place, Beelzebub is a strong man, and will not brook anyone's coming into his house, and spoiling it or casting out his servants, unless He who does first overcomes, and binds him, or renders him powerless. Only then can anyone spoil his house. Jesus concludes this portion of the matter by declaring that there is no "middle ground." "He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me, scattereth abroad." This clinches the matter: no one is indifferent. We are either for Him, or against Him. In short, we are either pro Christ, or antichrist. This is not our judgment, but His, and therefore it cannot be false, and cannot be a mistake.

(Verses 31 and 32) "Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come."

Some men have built up an elaborate maze of arguments in an effort to prove that our Lord did not mean what He said in these two verses. They should be considered in the light of the same logical reasoning He used in the preceding verses of this discussion; and to do that, we must keep in mind the original accusation against Him. The Pharisees had said, "This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." Jesus has conclusively proved that not only is this a false accusation, but that, on the contrary, He has wrought this by the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost. Now He ties what He is about to say to what has gone before with the clause, "Wherefore I say unto you." Thus what has preceded this, and particularly the false accusation they have set forth, is declared to be the foundation and reason for what He is about to say. Since that accusation alleges that to be the work of Beelzebub (Satan), which is, in reality, the work of the Holy Ghost, the accusation is nothing short of the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. Wherefore, or because of this, Jesus tells the Pharisees, "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." This should be clear enough. But that there be no room for misunderstanding, He explains it further: "And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." The whole thing comes down to the same thing that started it, blasphemy, or speaking evil against the Holy Ghost. Even speaking evil against the Son of man, Jesus, may be forgiven: but speaking evil against the Holy Ghost will not be forgiven. What could be easier to understand? In order to confuse the issue, and try to prove that Jesus did not mean what He said, some have even substituted the phrase, "sin against the Holy Ghost," for "blasphemy against the Holy Ghost." Then they say, “Those who sin against the Holy Ghost must be the children of God; for one cannot sin against what he does not have." Without even considering the argument of whether or not one can sin against that which he does not have, we must emphatically repeat, "The scriptural expression IS NOT "SIN against the Holy Ghost," but IT IS "BLASPHEMY against the Holy Ghost," and not only is the dictionary definition of blasphemy "speaking irreverently of; reviling; cursing", but also Jesus' own words are, "whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost." So, since this is His definition of it we have to conclude that one can blaspheme something, which he does not have, does not want, and will never have. When the Lord says, "Neither in this world, neither in the world to come," He simply means there will be no forgiveness in either time or eternity: for Mark records it thus, "But he that shall blaspheme the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation."

(Verses 33 through 37) "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

This is almost a repetition of the discussion Jesus set forth in Chapter 7, verses 15 through 23, and here, as there, His concern is that the NATURE of the fruit match the NATURE of the tree. There His primary application of the matter was to teachers, while here it appears to have been widened to reach all, whether teachers, or not. There His key is the questions, "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" Here that is not mentioned, but the same principle is obviously under consideration. The whole thing can be summed up thus: "The tree produces the fruit, not the fruit the tree." Therefore where there is good fruit, (fruit of a good species,) the tree must be good also; and where the fruit is of an evil species, so must be the tree also. To drive home His meaning as forcibly as possible, Jesus says, "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." This is equivalent to saying, that they, snakes that they are, have only spoken according to their nature in making the accusation they have, and considering their nature, there is no way they could have said anything better. For their hearts are evil, and therefore only evil speeches can emanate from them. Then He declares that a good, or righteous man is not made so by his good words or deeds, but since he is righteous, these good things come forth from his good heart. Likewise the evil words and deeds of an evil man are not the cause of his being evil; but because his heart is evil, these evil things proceed from it.

Verses 36 and 37 are usually either sadly neglected, or else totally twisted to the point that, it almost, if not altogether, amounts to denial of them. It has become popular with some today to preach that none of God's elect will ever be brought to judgment. They say that Jesus has paid the penalty for our sins, and we are saved by His righteousness through the grace of God, all of which is absolutely true. Nevertheless we will stand before the judgment of God. If we have had our hearts purified by His Spirit, and have been made righteous in Him, we will in that day be found speaking forth the praises of God and His Son, and our words will manifest us justified before Him. On the other hand, the wicked will still, from their wicked hearts, be speaking forth evil words and blasphemies, and will by their words be condemned. No further testimony will be necessary.

(Verses 38 through 42) "Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from Thee. But He answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment against this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon: and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here."

This statement of the Pharisees shows just how great was their blindness; and the same is true with many today who claim to be religious leaders. Having been witnesses to the many miracles wrought by our Lord, His healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, cleansing the lepers, and even raising the dead, they now say, "Master, we would see a sign from Thee." If those signs they had already seen did not convince them, neither would any other. It is not surprising that Jesus answered them as He did. The only sign they would ever see other than those already given, would be His resurrection; and when that did take place they paid their own guards to lie about it in an effort to keep the people from knowing of it. He calls this "the sign of the prophet Jonas" [Jonah]. Technically, if, as is commonly assumed, He was crucified and buried on Friday afternoon, and arose early Sunday morning, He was not "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." However there are many possible explanations for this seeming discrepancy, which have been discussed many times by others, and are not necessary at the present time. He says, "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth," This should be sufficient for every Christian. The Greek word,"ketos," here translated "whale" also means "sea monster," or "great fish," and it will be remembered that in Jonah 1:17 we are told, "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah." There is therefore no room for the old argument about whether or not the throat of a whale is large enough to swallow a man. Two things rule this out. First, it was a great fish, not a whale; and second, it was specially prepared of the Lord.

Following His declaration of this sign Jesus reminds the scribes and Pharisees that the men of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, who is not recorded as showing any signs of any sort; he only delivered God's message. Now these, after seeing all the things Jesus had done, had not repented, but were still demanding a sign, and ignoring those already given. His statement to them, "The men of Nineveh shall rise in (the) judgment with this generation, and shall comdemn it," should be able to stand upon its own clarity, without any interpretation of men. In that statement, "the" before "judgment" was omitted by the translators, but is in the Greek text. As stated before, the reason they will do this is that they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and One greater than Jonah is now speaking to them. Then He tells them that the queen of the south shall also "rise up in the judgment with this generation, and condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here." (For a full account of the queen's visit to Solomon, see 1 Kings 10:1-10 and 2 Chronicles 9:1-12.) It is commonly accepted that Sheba , the country of which this woman was queen, was at the extreme southern end of Felix Arabia, and some have thought it may have included Ethiopia . So, in the light of world exploration at that time, "the uttermost parts of the earth" is an apt description of it. This queen had to be moved by a very compelling desire to hear the wisdom and see the glory of Solomon, to put forth the necessary effort for such an expedition. Now there is a greater than Solomon before these people, and all they can do is ask for a sign while completely encompassed by a cloud of signs.

(Verses 43 through 45) "When the evil spirit goeth out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this generation."

This has a double application; however our Lord's final statement here shows that its primary application is to the people He was immediately addressing. So that is the application we shall first consider. The picture before us is that of a man possessed of a demon, or evil spirit. This demon is not cast out, but "goeth out" of the man voluntarily. While "walking through dry places," that is, places where he finds no mischief he can arouse, he becomes tired of this, and decides to go back where he came from, the man out of whom he came. The keys to this whole matter are what he did, and what he did not, find. He found "the house," the man's heart, "EMPTY, swept, and garnished." Although it is cleaned up and decorated, it is a total vacuum. There is no Spirit of God, no love of God, and no faith in God therein. Thus there is nothing to intimidate this evil spirit. So he immediately goes, and searches out some companions to come and live with him; seven of them, and all more wicked than himself; and they go back to that house, the man's heart, and dwell there. Thus the man is in worse condition than ever before. These scribes and Pharisees, by their demanding a sign, while, in fact, they are literally surrounded by signs of the power of God, evidence clearly that they have not the Spirit of God, have no love of God, and have no faith in God, in their hearts. yet the evil spirit has voluntarily gone out of their hearts to the point that they are the leaders of a great revival of the strict observance of the letter and ritual of the law of God, so much so that they were in complete consternation that Jesus and His disciples would eat with publicans and sinners, as they did at the feast in the house of Matthew the publican. They even felt defiled if on the street their garment brushed against a sinner. All this was nothing but a humanistic effort to achieve holiness by outward indications and rituals. For our Lord's judgment of this, review verses 33 and 34. He tells these scribes and Pharisees that they answer to this empty hearted man, and because they do, "Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation." When the evil spirit comes back he will find their hearts just as empty as that of the man in the illustration; and finding them so, he will do exactly according to the example, making their last condition worse than it ever was. The other application of this is to any man who, without the spirit of God seeks righteousness through outward observance of rules and rituals. Unless the tree is good, neither will the fruit be good.

Verses 46 through 50 tell us of an occasion when, while Jesus was with a group of people in a house, His family, "His mother and His brethren," came, and desired to see Him. The important matter for consideration is what He said in answer to those who told Him that they were outside desiring to see Him.

(Verses 48 through 50) "But He answered and said unto him that told Him, Who is My mother? and who are My brethren? And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, Behold My mother and My brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of My Father Which is in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother."

Jesus certainly did not do this, nor intend it, to show any disrespect for His mother, but simply to point out clearly that, consideration of family members, no matter how much we love them, is not to interfere with our service to God, and neither is our love for them to be greater than our love for those who do the will of our Father Who is in heaven.

This is primarily a chapter made up of parables, the using of things commonly understood to illustrate those that are not so well known or understood. Each of these parables teaches some principle of the kingdom of God , or the kingdom of heaven, which phrases are sometimes interchangeable, and sometimes may have somewhat different shades of meaning.  After Jesus had spoken the first parable to the people, His disciples came to Him, and asked Him privately, "Why speakest Thou unto them in parables?" So between the speaking of this parable and the explanation of it, there is an interim of 8 verses, in which we have this question and His answer to it. We shall attempt to discuss His answer to this question before taking up the parable itself.

(Verses 11 through 13) "He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I unto them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."

According to the Lexicon, "oti," the Greek word translated "because," in both verse 11 and verse 13, can also mean "that," or "in order that," and from the context it is apparent that this is its meaning in verse 13. With this definition in mind, there is absolutely nothing in this statement that is difficult to understand. Yet countless multitudes, who profess faith in our Lord Jesus refuse to accept the simplicity of it, and pretend they cannot understand it. Still it remains a simple, yet forceful, declaration that the Father "has kept these things hid from the wise and prudent, and has revealed them unto babes," as Jesus said in Chapter 11, verse 25. The reason so many pretend not to understand this is that, they do not believe God has the right to do what He will with the objects of His creation. They seem to think that He is under some kind of obligation to man, and has to have man's permission, even his help to accomplish His purposes. Nothing imagined could be any further from the truth. "It is given unto you _ _ _ but unto them it is not given." The entire first chapter of Ephesians, and especially verses 4 through 11, bear witness to this, as do many other scriptures. "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that he hath." Luke phrases this last statement thus: "And whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that he seemeth to have." This is, no doubt, the meaning in both places. Although in presenting His parables, Jesus spoke openly to the multitudes, and many among them were enabled to understand and believe, there were many to whom it was not so given. And this was especially true of the religious leaders, those who seemed to have so much by their constant studying of the law and the prophets, but, in reality, had nothing in the way of love of God and understanding of His word and principles. Therefore what they seemed to have was taken from them; and to those who were given faith, there was given also knowledge, or understanding of the "mysteries," or secrets, of the kingdom of heaven. In fact, the very simplicity of these "mysteries" is what God used to hide them from the wise and prudent.

"Therefore speak I unto them in parables: because [in order that] they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." We wonder just how well this description may fit us today. How often we have read something over and over, until it was almost memorized, and we thought we knew all there was in it; and later in just a casual looking over of the material, something caught our eye, and caused a change of our entire perception of the matter! It had been there all the time; and we had seen it time after time: yet we had not seen it. This, of course, is not exactly what this reference concerns, but it might serve to call our attention to what is being said. These who see without seeing, hear without hearing, and cannot understand, could read, or hear these parables expounded until the last trumpet, and, unless the Lord opened their eyes, ears, and hearts, they would never understand. And it is for that very reason (that they might not understand) He spoke to them in parables.

(Verses 14 through 17) "And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: for this people's heart is waxed gross, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them."

The prophecy to which Jesus refers is to be found in Isaiah 6:9-10. The quotation of Jesus is worded slightly differently from the original, but has the same general meaning. One will notice that in the original, the language is somewhat stronger, in that, Isaiah is told to "Make the heart of this people fat _ _ _," signifying that this is actually a judgment sent of God upon these people, and not just an accidental occurrence, as some might infer from the expression, "For this people's heart is waxed gross." Jesus is only declaring that God has done for them exactly what He said He would do: for He says, "And in them is fulfilled the prophecy." God had declared that he would send upon them this judgment, so that they could neither see nor hear in an understanding manner that which would take place immediately before them; and His purpose was, that they might not be converted, and be healed. This is quite at variance with the religious world's idea of God's purpose. They set Him forth as wanting, and trying desperately to obtain, the conversion, healing, and salvation, of every human being in the world. And the ultimate shame of it all is, they portray the God Who created heaven, earth, and all the fullness thereof, as being completely helpless, unless man will "let" Him do what He so greatly desires. These people have been cursed with a grievous curse: their eyes, ears, and hearts have been closed to the things of God.

"But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." Since God is He, Who has closed the eyes, ears, and hearts of some, He alone can open them.  Certainly we should pray for all men, and even that, if it be His will, God will show mercy to those whom He has blinded, and open their eyes; but if it is ever done, He will do it, and not we. Yet what a wonderful blessing He has bestowed upon us, in making our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our hearts to believe and understand. This is not something we have accomplished, but a blessing from God Himself. To get some idea of the magnitude of this blessing, just review the prophecies of the coming of our Lord, and notice how, in many instances, His first and second comings are mingled together in those prophecies. "Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." Had they seen and heard those things which the apostles saw, they could have understood the separation of the two advents, and could have seen that His suffering was a part of only the first coming; and that His second coming will be in glory and power. This they could not see clearly, and therefore the mingled scenes in their prophecies. These disciples, and all today, who believe His word, were, and are, in that respect blessed even above His holy prophets. Thus our Lord explains why He spoke in parables to the multitudes.

For the first parable of this chapter, we refer you to verses 3 through 9, which we shall not quote, but shall begin at verse 18, which begins Jesus' explanation of this parable. Before actually taking up the explanation of this parable it is necessary to make a few remarks about it. They are not made necessary by the parable itself, but by the foreign ideas men have tried to inject into the discussion of it.

The first point to be mentioned is that the parable is very simple, and straightforward. It uses a man who goes out to sow seed in a field, to illustrate one who goes out to preach the "word of the kingdom," the gospel. Its entire focus is on the "seed," the preached word. There is never any reason for the question that is usually made "the centerpiece" in any discussion of this parable, "How many of those mentioned herein are children of God? And how many are not?" It is patently ridiculous and foolish to inject such a question into the discussion: for it is neither mentioned nor inferred by the subject matter. The only subject ever brought up in it is that of the fruitfulness, or unfruitfulness of the preached word. The whole picture is that of a man sowing the seed "broadcast" in the field, just as a man preaching the gospel must preach it "broadcast." He cannot direct it to individuals. That can be the work of none except the Holy Ghost, and does not enter into the present discussion.

(Verses 18 and 19) "Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he that received seed by the way side."

This is the first scene of the parable, that of seed falling by the side of the road, and being devoured by the fowls of the air, which, Jesus says, is the "wicked one," Satan, who comes and takes away the seed, or gospel message that has been preached. At this point is where the question mentioned earlier is injected, in spite of the fact that it is neither mentioned nor even inferred. Some try to make a great thing out of the expression, "that which was sown in his heart." One must remember that this is a heart that is not yet opened to understanding the word of the Lord: for He says of the man, "and [he] understandeth it not." He may, or may not be a child of God, but that has no bearing upon the subject. The subject is that, before the preached word can even begin to start growing, it is snatched away, because the ground is not yet prepared for it any more than is the side of the road prepared for planting seed. Seed falling by the roadside cannot fall into the ground, but can only fall upon it, there lying exposed to the fowls of the air. So the heart that has not yet been prepared for the reception of the gospel, cannot retain it. Therefore it, the word (or seed) cannot bring forth fruit. It is unfruitful.

(Verses 20 and 21) "But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon [immediately] with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended."

Here we have the picture of one who hears the gospel message, and immediately thinks it most wonderful, which it is indeed. He may even be so overjoyed that he thinks his troubles are all over; but his faith is so shallow that, just as a little soil covering a stone cannot hold sufficient moisture to sustain plants, it will not sustain him in time of trouble. Again, whether or not this one is a child of God is for God to judge, and not for us, nor is it even under consideration. As before the subject under consideration is whether or not the word preached will bring forth fruit; and in this case it will not.

(Verse 22) "He also that received seed among thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful."

Now at this point nothing is said about this character ever beginning to show signs of having any mental or spiritual reaction to hearing the word, although in Luke's record of this, he says, "and the thorns sprang up with it," which we would think indicates some such reaction. Nevertheless, regardless of that, we are still faced with the same thing that has governed all the way through the preceding portion of this parable. The subject is not who is, and who is not a child of God, but under what conditions the preached word will, or will not, bring forth fruit. When choked out by the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, it will not bring forth fruit. The clause, "he becometh unfruitful," refers not to the man, but to the word. The Greek word "logos" is here used for "word;" and since, in Greek grammar, the pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender, as well as otherwise, "he" must be used; for "logos" is masculine. Under proper conditions the word is fruitful, but under these it becomes unfruitful. The judgment of whether this, or any other of the characters in this parable, is a child of God, belongs to God, and not to you and me. In short, it is none of our business.

(Verse 23) "But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundred fold, some sixty, and some thirty."

This is the only case of this parable about which practically everyone will agree that the ones here represented are the children of God; but, in reality, that is no more the subject here than elsewhere. We are here concerned with the same subject as before, that of under what conditions the "word of the kingdom," the gospel, will, and under what conditions it will not, bring forth fruit. Just as a field of good ground, properly prepared, will serve to cause the seed to come up, grow, and bring forth fruit, so will a heart prepared of God cause the word sown to bring forth fruit; and even then there is variation in the production. Notice that in verse 8, where this part of the parable is first given, it is thus said: "But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit." That is, other seed fell into good ground, and since seed is the subject in this case, it is the seed that brought forth fruit. Now, since the "seed" is the "word," we must concede that the word, and not the man, is under consideration all the way through. One might question, "Why insist on this distinction?" The reason is, our Lord is here explaining to His disciples that, as they go preaching the gospel of the kingdom, when they preach, they are not to expect the word, the seed sown, to bring forth fruit in everyone present. And when it does not, they can know that it is not because of faulty seed sown, but because the ground upon which it fell was not good, or was not prepared. One should never think that because the seed sown at one time did not produce fruit, the field should be abandoned. Paul heard Stephen preach one of the "all time great" sermons, and it produced no fruit. Later Ananias preached what most of us would think did not even compare with Stephen's sermon, and it did produce fruit. Paul "arose, and was baptized." Why the difference? The ground was not prepared before Stephen preached, but it was before Ananias preached.

In verses 24 through 30, Jesus sets forth another parable about planting in a field. This one is totally different from the previous one. Our Lord waited until He had sent away the multitude before explaining it to His disciples, at their request.

(Verses 37 through 39) "He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed 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 end of the world; and the reapers are the angels."

In these three verses Jesus establishes all the players in this scenario. He Himself, the Son of man, is the One, Who sows the good seed. Since His ascension back to the Father, He has done this work exclusively through the Holy Ghost. This planting has never been delegated to the ministry. When writing to the Corinthian brethren, Paul said, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." However this planting corresponds to that of the preceding parable, and not the one presently under consideration. The field is not the kingdom of God , nor the kingdom of heaven, but the world. It is in this world that His children are planted, and in which they must remain until He calls them away, either by death, or by His return, though they are "the children of the kingdom." They are the "good seed" He has planted; and He is the only One, Who, in that sense, can plant good seed.

The next statement is one that is often argued over by many. An old theory, called "Two Seedism," springs from an extreme view of the statement, "The tares are the children of the wicked (one)." The statement, properly translated, is "The tares are the children of the wicked." "One" does not appear in the Greek text. Obviously, the meaning is that these are the wicked as they continue on through the ages, even as children are commonly expected to continue in the characteristics of their forebears. Certainly, the devil is the cause of all sin, since he brought it into the world; and its continuing on in the world is the planting of the tares.  He, Satan, is, has been, and will be, the enemy of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and of all the planting of God. This he will be until finally cast by our Lord into eternal punishment in the lake of fire and brimstone. The harvest is not a daily passing out of rewards, or censures to the servants of God, and neither is it the calling away of individuals by the hand of death. Moreover, it has absolutely nothing to do with church discipline, as some have imagined. It is the gathering of our Lord's "elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other," preparatory to His bringing this world to judgment. In His own words, "The harvest is the end of the world." The word, "world," is used many times in scripture; and men argue incessantly about what it means, and they have put forth many ridiculous ideas concerning it; but in this place, there is no room for argument. It is the material world, which together with its works, shall be burned up, and in place of which the Apostle Peter tells us, "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."

Finally Jesus says, "And the reapers are the angels." Men will not be employed in this work. It will be done by the angels of God only. Having explained all the symbols in this parable, He gives the details of how the matter will be handled. In the parable itself He has already declared that no taking out of the tares will be done until the time of the harvest, lest also some of the wheat be rooted up.

(Verses 40 through 43) "As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of 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 that do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Just as the illustration in verse 30 presents the work, Jesus will send forth His angels, the reapers, and they will gather all the tares, "all things that offend, and them which do iniquity," out of "His kingdom." The phrase, "His kingdom," is not to be construed in the restrictive sense, which would be only His people, but since, as John tells us, "The world was made by Him," in this reference the world is His kingdom, as it is also "the field" of the parable. When this cleaning out of the world is done, not only all wicked people, "them which do iniquity," but also all wicked things, "all things that offend," will be cast into the fire. When this is done, there will indeed be "wailing and gnashing of teeth." Wailing is always a sign of great sorrow, or great frustration; not necessarily repentance, because that can only be brought about by godly sorrow, but worldly sorrow, which "worketh death;" and those engaged in the wailing will be suffering "the second death." Gnashing of teeth is always associated with, and is indication of, extreme anger, as Luke shows of the council who were holding Stephen's trial, (Acts 7:54,) "When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth." So in the time of their being cast into the fire, the wicked will still be angry against God and His saints; but they will be powerless to do anything except wail and gnash their teeth.

"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." This seems to be one of the hardest things for Christians to understand. We wonder so often, `If Jesus loves me, why do I have so many things go against me in life?' Many, when faced with a time of suffering or sorrow, cry, "Why me?" The answer is, "God has indeed called us to glory, but not now, not in this world. This world is for the suffering of His saints. Even His beloved and only begotten Son had to suffer here. So we must also suffer for His sake. Glory is on the other side of death. On that wonderful day, when Jesus shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, "The righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father;" but not before. Therefore we are to wait patiently for that day.

Now let us return to verses 31 and 32. "Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 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 air come and lodge in the branches thereof."

As is true of all the parables, men have done a great deal of arguing concerning this one; and as usual, their arguments stem from the fact that they leave the lesson of the parable, and attempt to add more to it than was originally said. Let us consider what we actually have before us. The first thing we wish to examine is the simile itself. "The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in His field." The mustard under consideration here is not the mustard which we use today for a salad green, but is the oriental mustard, which though coming from a very small seed, grows to a height of some ten feet, or more, thus large enough to be called a small tree, and large enough that birds may indeed lodge in its branches. Notice that verse 32 says nothing about the kingdom of heaven, but only describes the mustard seed, and the plant that it produces. Indeed the parable likens the "kingdom of heaven" to this seed, and its subsequent becoming such a large herb. All of this is to show the phenomenal growth of the kingdom from so small a beginning to what it would become. In this parable, "the kingdom of heaven" seems to refer primarily to what some have called "the professional phase" of the kingdom, those who profess faith in the Christ. This seems to be indicated by the great contrast between the small beginning and the great number in the world who now claim to believe in Him. Before Pentecost, we are told that the number of the disciples was about one hundred, twenty. a very small, even a minute number, compared to the population of Judah , to say nothing of the population of the world at that time. Now those professing Christianity are a great multitude, just as the mustard plant is "the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree." The final expression of this parable, "so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches," refers to the mustard plant, and not to the kingdom of heaven. And it is used only to emphasize the size of the plant, not to be a springboard for the imagination of men to try to "spiritualize" these birds into representing anything more than what they are, "the birds of the air." They may be "clean" birds, "unclean" birds, or a mixed flock, and since no indication is given in the parable about the matter, men should curb their imagination, and leave them as they are. The one and only lesson in this parable is that the growth of the kingdom would be as the growth of the mustard from such a small seed to such a large plant.

(Verse 33) "Another parable spake 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 leavened."

Again, we have a parable over which great arguments have been generated, not by what the parable says, but by what men have imagined concerning it. There seems to be no necessity for the arguments some have made concerning this parable, on both sides of the question they have imagined is to be inserted into it. Some argue that, just as leaven would spread through all the meal, so the kingdom will spread through the whole world till every person in the world will be finally brought into it. This, of course, is an extreme that cannot be supported by the remainder of scripture, nor, indeed, by this parable. If we take this parable exactly as stated, we do have the "leaven," or "the kingdom," spreading into the whole world. But that is explained by Jesus in Mark 13:10, "And the gospel must first be published among all nations." It must spread into every nation, but not necessarily to every individual in the whole world. On the other hand some argue that leaven is always used to represent evil, and that "a woman in the bad ethical sense, always symbolizes something out of place religiously;" and therefore this parable represents, not the spread of the kingdom of heaven through the world, but the insidious spreading of the world through the kingdom of heaven, until all is contaminated. This argument raises more questions than it settles. First, If this is the only place in scripture where leaven is used to represent something good, Who has the authority to say that Jesus could not so use it here? How can it be proved that the woman here is "in the bad ethical sense?" Finally, Jesus did not say, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto three measures of meal, in which a woman hid leaven, till the whole was leavened," but "The kingdom is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." Is not the argument that this parable represents the insidious entering in of the world into the kingdom of heaven, till the whole is contaminated, a reversing of the symbols? Did the Lord not know how to say what He had in mind? All these questions vanish away when we take the parable as given, and throw away man's imagination. As the leaven spreads through the meal, the kingdom will spread through the world, not to be embraced by every individual in the world, but into every nation, as Jesus Himself says, "And the gospel must be preached to all nations," though it was begun on such a small scale. This parable and the one immediately preceding it are really the same lesson, shown with different symbols.

(Verse 44) "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field."

There may be many variations, but primarily there are two schools of thought concerning this parable. One takes the man who buys the field to be the one who comes to the kingdom, finds it of great value, goes and puts aside everything of this world, comes, and "buys the field" by entering into the kingdom. This idea soon runs into severe difficulties, and leaves some elements without significance. So we shall not attempt to pursue it any further. Let us examine the other line of thought.

Two elements are presented in the first statement, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field." This presents both a treasure and a field. In an earlier parable, the field represents the world, and the good seed are the "children of the kingdom," or the elect of God. In the present parable, the field still is the world, and the elect of God are the treasure. Just as, in this parable, the treasure is hid in the field, so are the elect of God hidden in the world, so much so that, in the earlier parable, the master would not even permit his servants to gather out the tares from the field, lest they also root up some of the wheat. Now, in the next part of this parable, a man found the treasure, though it was concealed in the field. This he hid, or we might say, left it hidden, and for the joy he had in this treasure, he went, sold all that he had, and bought something. Here is the point about which many are often confused. What did he buy? did he buy only the treasure, or did he buy the field? The parable says, "and buyeth that field." Inasmuch as we have identified the field as the world, and the treasure as the elect, the man who bought the field can be no other than Our Lord Jesus the Christ. Someone will surely say, "If He bought the whole field, which is the world, then the whole world, everyone in it, will be saved," or as some try to make it, "He bought the whole world, and still cannot save anyone, unless that one will let Him." Both positions are equally false. According to the parable, the only reason the man had for buying the field was the joy of the treasure. Yet he bought the whole field, and not just the treasure, in order that he have full power over it. Our Lord bought the whole world, not just His elect, in order that He might have the power of judgment over the whole world. John 5:26-27 says, "For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man." Notice that He did not say, "because He is the Son of God," but "because He is the Son of man." Indeed as the Son of God, "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made," but only as the Son of man, He "sold all that He had, and bought that field," thus buying the exclusive right of judgment upon it. Again, (John 5:22,) Jesus says, "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son," and if we trace this subject through the remainder of the scriptures, we find that this precept never changes, until, as the Apostle Paul says, (1 Cor. 15:24-26, and 28,) "Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. _ _ _ And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject to Him That did put all things under Him, that God may be All in all." Since death is the last enemy that shall be destroyed, and that will not be until the "Great White Throne Judgment" in the twentieth chapter of Revelation, He remains the Judge through that. When He left the courts of glory, and came to earth to take up that body of flesh, in which He, as the Son of man, paid with His death the purchase price of that field, He indeed sold all that He had in order to buy it. But "the joy of the treasure," His great love for His elect, was His reason for buying it. Yet in doing so He purchased to Himself the right of judgment on the world. This parable shows both His redemption of His elect, and His purchase of this power of judgment, while the next parable deals only with His redemption of His own.

(Verses 45 and 46) "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."

In this parable we have the same picture as in the former, except that, this is restricted to the purchase, or redemption, of the elect, and has no reference to the judgment of the wicked. Here "the pearl of great price" symbolizes the children of the kingdom, while our Lord Jesus is represented by the merchantman. One might note that the price for the pearl, the saints, is exactly the same as for the whole field in the former parable. He sold all he had, and bought it.

(Verses 47 through 50) "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered full of every kind: which, when it was full, 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: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

The only appreciable difference between this parable and that in verses 24 through 30 is in the scope of operation. In the earlier parable, "the field is the world," while here "the net" is evidently what is sometimes called "the professional phase" of the kingdom of heaven, that is, those encompassed in this net are all who profess to be "children of the kingdom." The "good fish" are the true children of God, while "the bad fish" are the false professors; but just as the "wheat and the tares" are not separated until the time of the harvest, so the good and bad fish are not separated until the net is drawn to shore. The expression, "and sat down," in this parable shows the unhurried manner in which the separation will be done. Also it will be done by the same ones, who will separate the wheat and the tares, none but the angels of God; and the time of it is at the end of the world. So, in substance, this is the same as the former parable. Verse 50 is identical to verse 42, and, of course, means the same.

(Verses 51 and 52) "Jesus saith unto them, Have ye 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 bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old."

This should not require any elaborate comments to make it clear to us. Our Lord simply asked His disciples if they understood what He had just taught them in these parables, and they said they did. Whereupon He told them that those who are taught in the things pertaining to the kingdom are thus furnished with a treasury of information, which they are able to present to others, just as a man who has a treasury of material things can bring them forth, and show them to others. So those who are properly instructed in the things of the kingdom will have treasures of knowledge, both new and old, to bring forth, and share with others.

(Verses 53 through 56) "And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed thence. And when He was come into His own country, He taught them in their synagogues, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?"

We cannot be sure exactly which town Jesus was in when He spoke the parables just discussed, but after so doing, He left this place, and returned to "His own country," the area about Nazareth; and there He went into the synagogues and taught the people. His teaching must have been very powerful, and accompanied with some great miracles, though no record is given of just what was done. This is shown by the very questions asked by the people: "Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?" Instead of being thankful to God for being so blessed to hear this wisdom, and see these mighty works, (and to be benefited by them, since many of them were miracles of healing,) they began to question how one of their acquaintance could be so empowered. "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us?" Many commentators have tried to tell us that, Mary remained a virgin throughout her life, and these "brethren" and "sisters" were not Jesus' brothers and sisters, but cousins. Also there are those who say that Joseph was a widower with a family of children by a former wife, when he and Mary married; and these "brethren" and "sisters" were actually "step-brothers" and "step-sisters." Matthew 1:24-25 says, "Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not TILL SHE HAD BROUGHT FORTH HER FIRSTBORN SON." While this does not absolutely establish that none of these brothers and sisters could have been step-brothers and step-sisters, it does fully establish that Mary remained a virgin only until the birth of Jesus; and then her relation with Joseph was the normal husband and wife relationship. The fact that Jesus is called "her firstborn Son" signifies a very strong possibility that she also had other children after Him. Therefore there is no reason to hunt excuses to maintain the imagined doctrine of her eternal virginity, which runs counter to the scriptures themselves. With such an acquaintance with the family, Jesus' neighbors could not understand from whence He had such great wisdom and power. Had He been a great soldier, a great politician, a great athlete, or great in any other worldly pursuit, He no doubt would have been received with the highest honors they could have bestowed upon Him. But with the wisdom of His doctrine, and the power of His mighty works, the result was, "And they were offended in Him."

(Verses 57 and 58) "And they were offended in Him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief."

Jesus here declares a principle that is fully evidenced today, just as it was in that time. Notice that this does not, as we mentioned above, apply to politicians, athletes, and other worldly figures. They are usually "given the keys to the city" by their hometown folks; and often their friends will even erect large signs, announcing that this is the hometown of such an one. However, it is not so with a prophet of the Lord. This even applies to gospel ministers. It is often the case that a minister from some distance away will attend a meeting, and everyone will take to him, and almost idolize him, because he is "Brother ____, from  ___," while there are local ministers who are blessed with much greater talent, but they are passed by with the thought, "I have known him for years, so he can't be such a great preacher." This probably accounts for so many preachers today running all over the country to the "big meetings," and "not having time" to go to the little churches in their home territory. "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house." Some may wonder, "Why, instead of not doing `many mighty works there because of their unbelief,' did not He do more of these works that they might believe?" This is the typical question of the worldly mind. It springs from the belief that outward persuasion produces faith. This is totally foreign to the doctrine of God. True faith can be produced only by the Spirit of God: for it is a fruit of the Spirit. (See Gal. 5:22.) Jesus said, (John 8:43 ,) "Why do ye not understand My speech? even because ye cannot hear My word." In Romans 10:7, Paul says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Therefore those who cannot hear the word of God, cannot have faith. For this reason, more miracles would have done these people no good.

The first twelve verses of this chapter tell the story of the execution of John the Baptist. It is a simple, straightforward account of events leading up to his death, and the execution itself. Herod the tetrarch, (Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the great,) had married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. According to Jewish law this union was unlawful, and John told Herod so. For this Herod imprisoned him, and would have executed him, but he was afraid of the possibility of an uprising of the people if he did this: for all the people considered John a prophet. Matthew gives all necessary details of the events leading to Herod's execution of John, and we shall not attempt to enlarge upon them. However, in verse 9, he says, "And the king was sorry; nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her." And some have imagined this to mean that Herod was under great sorrow and repentance for having to do this in keeping with his promise. But though Mark says, "For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly," (Mark 6:20,) and, "And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her," (Mark 6:26,) Matthew says, (Matt. 14:5,) "And when he would have put him to death, he feared the people, because they counted him a prophet." This seems to indicate that the greatest sorrow Herod had in the matter was that He feared he had overstepped what the people would allow. In any event, he did not repent sufficiently to refuse to have John executed. The second verse of this chapter shows the superstition of Herod. He thought that Jesus was John risen from the dead, and therefore able to do the miracles that He did. After John's execution, his disciples took his body, buried it, went, and told Jesus about the matter.

Verses 13 and 14 simply tell us that, after Jesus had received this report from John's disciples, He boarded a ship (not a large vessel, such as we usually think of, when we use the word, but a small fishing boat, as was common on the Sea of Galilee) and departed to a "desert place apart," that is, a strip of the shore somewhat removed from any village or city. As usual, the people noticed where He was going, and followed along the shore on foot, so that a large crowd gathered around Him when He came to land. Some had brought their sick with them, and He healed them.

In the next seven verses we have the record of another great miracle wrought by Jesus. Since this was an uninhabited area, and the time was somewhat late for the usual meal, the disciples wanted Jesus to send the crowd away, so that they might go, and find something to eat. Instead of so doing, Jesus told them this was not necessary, but that they, the disciples, were to feed them, although all the food they had was "five loaves and two fishes." Without going over all the details, which Matthew lists clearly enough to permit no misunderstanding, let us look briefly at verses 20 and 21. "And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children." This seems to some incredible. When we consider the "five thousand," we think that an extremely great number to be fed from five loaves and two fishes. But, though nothing is said about how many women and children were present, it would seem conservative to estimate them at twenty-five hundred, or three thousand, which would raise the number of participants to nearly eight thousand. This is probably the reason some think this whole episode has to be "spiritualized." But while there are some beautiful spiritual lessons that can be drawn from it, this event was physical and material, although wrought by spiritual power, the power of God.

As we have already been told, the time was growing a little late before this feast was begun. So immediately after it was over, Jesus had His disciples get in the boat, and start for the other side of the lake, where He was to join them later. Meanwhile He sent the multitude away, and went up into the mountain to pray in private, remaining there alone until evening. By this time the boat, in which the disciples were, had gotten out into "the midst of the sea." This may, or may not, mean that it was near the mid-point of the sea, but if it does, that is not such a long distance; for the Sea of Galilee is only about six miles wide. The disciples were having some difficulty, because the wind was against them, and was strong enough to raise sufficient waves to toss their little boat around.

(Verses 25 through 27) "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid."

At night, and in the midst of a storm, such as the disciples were in, they could scarcely be criticized for being afraid, and for thinking that what they saw was a spirit, or ghost, since in the darkness they could not recognize Jesus. Jesus was not doing what we commonly call "treading water," and since the Sea of Galilee is about 820 feet deep, it is obvious that He was not wading, but, as is here said, He was "walking on the sea," on the surface of the water. He knowing the fear of the disciples, called to them, and comforted them, saying, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid."

(Verses 28 through 33) "And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water. And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God."

This event took place just as recorded, and as such demonstrated the great power of God, and the fact that Jesus is "Emmanuel," or "God with us." However one of its greatest values to us to day is in the spiritual lesson we can glean from it. Just as Jesus came to the disciples in the midst of the storm on Galilee , and it was immediately calmed when He entered the ship, so can He calm whatever storm of life we may be experiencing. And even if our faith fails us as did that of Peter when he saw how boisterous were the wind and waves, He is still able to save us as He did Peter. When He comes into the ship with us, how calm it is! Then indeed do we know that He is the Son of God, and as such we can worship Him.

(Verses 34 through 36) "And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret . And when the men of that place had knowledge of Him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto Him all that were diseased; and besought Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole."

Certainly this needs no explanation, so far as the event itself is concerned. The language is clear enough. Nevertheless there is a lesson in this for us today. Just as these men, as soon as they knew Jesus was there, sent out the word so that all those in the region who were diseased could be brought in to be healed, we today, when we are made to know that Jesus has come to us, should also sound out the word, so that all who are sick of sin may come and be healed. Someone will surely take this to mean that we think we can bring in the unsaved and help to get them saved. That is by no means what we are saying. The men of that place did not send out, and have dead people brought in, only the sick. Those who are sick of sin will be glad to touch the hem of His garment. In the present instance "as many as touched were made perfectly whole."

(Verses 1 and 2) "Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem , saying, Why do Thy disciples transgress the traditions of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread."

Surely no one would argue that one should not, for the sake of sanitation, wash his hands before eating, if they are dirty; but this is not the issue. The Jews, and especially the Pharisees, had established a tradition that, immediately before eating, one must wash his hands, whether they were dirty or not, lest he be spiritually defiled by ingesting food he had touched with unwashed hands. This whole matter could have been an outgrowth of the incident given in the beginning of Chapter 12. For these scribes and Pharisees were not just some who happened to be present, but "were of Jerusalem ," which indicates that they had come from Jerusalem up to the area of Gennesaret to ask this question. The report of the disciples' plucking, and eating the corn, which, under the circumstances, they surely did without the ceremonial washing of their hands, would, no doubt, have come to the Pharisees in Jerusalem. And since they had already tried the accusation of Sabbath breaking against them, and could make no headway with it, they are trying a new tack.

(Verses 3 through 6) "But He answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; and honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition."

Notice the difference between the question asked by the Pharisees and that asked by Jesus. Their question had to do with transgressing "the traditions of the elders," while His was, "Why do ye also transgress the commandments of God by your tradition?" He takes up a much weightier matter than what they had asked about. Their concern was only about a ceremonial matter. His was of a basic commandment of God, which they, if they kept all the traditions of the elders, would, by that very obedience, transgress. God's commandment (Leviticus 20:9) says, "For everyone who curseth his father or his mother shall be put to death." There are no ifs, ands, or buts, about it. Also one of the basic "ten commandments" says, "Honour thy father, and thy mother." Yet, in spite of the simplicity of God's commandments, the tradition was developed that, "Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, `It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;' and honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free." The English translation of this is a little unclear, but the Greek is somewhat easier to understand. The expression translated, "It is a gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me," simply means, "Whatever I would have given you, is now dedicated to God, so I have nothing else for you." With this declaration (and no provision was made for anyone to verify whether, or not it was true) the man is free, and does not have to honor his father or his mother. This is in flagrant violation of the commandment of God, and in considering it, one is reminded of what Samuel said to Saul, (1 Samuel 15:22 ,) "Hath God as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." Such traditions violate the rebuke to Saul, as well as God's original commandment: for they attempt to make the things dedicated or offered to God more important than obedience to Him. We greatly fear that there are many "traditions of the elders" today that do the same thing. "Thus have you made the commandments of God of none effect by your traditions." This does not mean that because of their traditions, God had repealed His commandments, and voided them, but these who were so zealous of the traditions of the elders considered them to be so.

(Verses 7 through 9) "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

This should need little explanation. Since a hypocrite is one who pretends to be something, which he is not, the meaning is very obvious: those who lay aside the commandments of God, and follow the traditions of men are only pretending to worship God. They may indeed talk about Him, and tell people that they love him, and, in fact, they may even be gifted in making fine speeches about Him, so that people will think them to be great ministers of God. But it is all of the head, the mouth, and the lips; not of the heart: so it is all in vain, completely worthless.

(Verses 10 and 11) "And He called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man."

Here Jesus answers the original question of the scribes and pharisees, "Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread." Thus, in its simplest form, the answer is, "They do it because what they eat will not defile them." We shall defer further comment on this until we come to Jesus' own explanation of it.

(Verses 12 through 14) "Then came His disciples, and said unto Him, Knowest Thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But He answered and said, Every plant which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."

The disciples knowing the power of the Pharisees in Jewish society, and even in the Jewish religion, may have been a little apprehensive about their being offended, but Jesus reminded them that those plants not planted by His heavenly Father, "the tares" of the parable, "shall be rooted up." Since this is not to be done until the time of the harvest, He says, "Leave them alone:" rooting them out is not our job, but it will be done by those to whom it is assigned, and at the appointed time. One might be inclined to wonder why He would tell His disciples to leave them alone, since they were blind, and were leading the blind, the result of which He declared to be that all would fall into the ditch. Why would He not command them to try to prevent such a calamity? The answer is, that this is a judicial blindness sent upon them of God, and those who would interfere do so, not only in vain, but even at their own peril.

(Verses 15 through 20) "Then answered Peter and said unto Him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, Are ye also without understanding? Do ye not yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which come out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."

It is to be kept in mind that this entire quotation, just as earlier statements, has to do not with sanitation, but with spiritual defilement. Whatever any person may eat only goes through the digestive tract, and out with the body waste. Therefore it can have no spiritual effect upon him. It cannot defile him. As Jesus speaks of those things that do defile the man, some might raise the objection that the evil actions do not come forth from the mouth. Though they do not actually come forth from the mouth, they are part and parcel with the evil speakings, which do come from the mouth, and all these things proceed from the same point of origin, the evil heart.

The heart from which they come is already evil, and defiled. And as these evil things come forth from it they defile the body also, and the whole man is defiled; but eating without washing our hands, though thereby we might take in germs that would cause us sickness, cannot defile us, from a spiritual viewpoint.

(Verses 21 through 24) "Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon . And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and besought Him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel ."

Tyre and Sidon were cities on the Mediterranean coast in Phoenicia , not Israel . While Jesus was in this area there came to Him "a woman of Canaan ," but not a Canaanite: for Mark says this about her, "The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation." When she approached Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou son of David_ _ _," He made no answer at all, but appeared to ignore her. The disciples being somewhat irritated at the woman, wanted Jesus to send her away; but His answer to them was, "I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel ." If the matter had ended here, one might wonder, "If He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel , Why was He here in the first place, since this is outside Israel ?" The answer should become clearer a little later; but first, let us consider how this woman called upon Him. She said, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou son of David." As the "Son of David" she had no claim upon Him: for she was a Gentile; and "the middle wall of partition" between Jew and Gentile had not been broken down, nor would it be until the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord. So her addressing Him from the standpoint of His lineage from David was of no profit to her; but, as appears in the next four verses, coming in simple faith in Him availed much.

(Verses 25 through 28) "Then came she and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me. But He answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour."

No longer did she call Him "Son of David," but simply, "Lord," and worshipping Him, said, "Lord, help me." Still Jesus reminds her that it is not fitting to take the children's food, and throw it to the dogs. In this metaphor, He is simply saying that since He has not finished His ministry to the children, "the lost sheep of the house of Israel," it is not proper that He begin His worldwide ministry, any more than it would be proper to take the children's food before they had had opportunity to eat, and throw it out to the dogs. It seems to be commonly thought that Jesus was speaking in the same vein that the Jews so often thought, that is, that everyone else was only a dog, as compared to a Jew; but this hardly seems fitting in this case. Rather, as mentioned above, He only used the metaphor to show that it was not yet time for His worldwide ministry to begin. This woman recognizing this, and at the same time having full faith in Him, acknowledged the truth of His illustration, but reminded Him that when children eat, crumbs fall from the master's table, and the dogs pick them up. She is willing to be as one of these dogs, not asking that the food be taken from the children, but that she be given some of the crumbs that fall, since they would not be picked up from the floor, and offered again to the children. To such faith, Jesus answered, "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt." Immediately she received that for which she had begged. Her daughter was made whole. There is in this a wonderful lesson for us today. When we first begin to pray for something, it may appear that our Lord is ignoring us; But He has told us to "pray, and not faint." So let us continue to pray, as did this woman; for He will hear us.

(Verses 29 through 31) "And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. And great multitudes came unto Him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and He healed them: insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel."

A point which is often overlooked, very clearly shows up when we compare this excerpt to that which we have just discussed. When Jesus was in "the coasts of Tyre and Sidon ," only one person, the woman of Canaan, is reported to have even come where He was; and immediately after the encounter with her He returned to the area near the Sea of Galilee . From this it appears that His purpose in going into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon must have been to meet this woman, and demonstrate that even while the children were still being fed, crumbs would indeed fall from the table for those to whom The Spirit had given faith sufficient to be willing to be compared to dogs, waiting under the table for those crumbs. For as soon as He completed this one work, He returned to "the children," who came forth in multitudes. As He "fed these children" by healing their lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and others who were brought to Him, "they glorified the God of Israel."

The remainder of this chapter is very similar to verses 15 through 21 of the preceding chapter. In this instance there were seven loaves of bread, and "a few little fishes," while in the former, there were "five loaves and two fishes." There they fed "about five thousand men, beside women and children," and here "four thousand men, beside women and children." In the former event the left over fragments filled twelve baskets, and in the latter, seven. All other aspects of the incidents were almost exactly the same. As soon as this incident was over, Jesus "sent away the multitudes, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala."

Chapter 16

(Verses 1 through 4) "The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired Him that He would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And He left them, and departed."

Back in Chapter 12, "Certain of the scribes and Pharisees" came to Jesus, asking of Him a sign, and here "the Pharisees also with the Sadducees" came, asking a sign from heaven. Basically the same answer is given to both groups, with here the addition that, before giving His answer, Jesus called them hypocrites, because they could not read the "signs of the times" so well as they could the "face of the sky," by which they could predict the weather. With all the signs and miracles wrought before them, they still asked for a sign from heaven, not recognizing these already given. So for such an evil and adulterous generation of people, there was to be no sign until His ministry was finished. And that sign was to be that, after three days He would rise from the dead, the "sign of the prophet Jonas," which He had already explained to the scribes and Pharisees earlier. (Mat. 12:40). Having thus put them temporarily to silence, He left, and went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee .

(Verses 5 through 12) "And when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which, when Jesus perceived, He said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that He bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

Certainly, nothing in this poses any difficulty to the understanding. If Jesus had not explained His caveat to His disciples, we might still, as they did at first, think it had to do with bread. But He made it very clear that His reference was not to the leaven of bread, but to the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. However the whole incident shows us just how quickly not only those disciples, but we also, can forget those things our Lord has done before our very eyes. Since they thought His concern was about bread, He reminded them of what he had just recently done with bread, thus establishing to them that this was not the subject of His warning to them.

(Verses 13 through 16) "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But Whom do ye say that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Caesarea Philippi is not the Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast, but a city some twenty-five miles, or so, north of the eastern edge of the Sea of Galilee . The phrase, "the coasts of," any city or town only means the area adjoining it. When Jesus and His disciples arrived here, He asked them what were the opinions of the people as to who He was. This, of course, brought a variety of answers: for there were many opinions of the matter. Then He asked their own opinion; and only Simon Peter answered. It is sometimes said that Peter answered as the spokesman for all the disciples; but this is nowhere scripturally confirmed. However, when he answered, no one disclaimed his answer, which was, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

(Verses 17 through 20) "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father Which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged He His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ."

Three different, yet related subjects are covered in this text. Verse 17 contains one subject; verse 18, another; and verse 19, a third. Then in verse 20 Jesus charges His disciples to keep His identity secret for the present.

In verse 17 Jesus declares to Peter that he is a blessed character, because the knowledge he has already expressed is such that it was not revealed to him by any man, by "flesh and blood," but is a direct revelation to him from the heavenly Father. Also, since in Chapter 11, verse 27, He says, "And no man knoweth the Son, but the Father," it is evident that any man who has this knowledge must have had it revealed from the Father: because no one can reveal that which he does not himself know.

Verse 18 contains a statement about which there has been much argument through the centuries. Jesus said to Peter, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter." "Peter" is the Greek word "Petros," not translated, but with only a slight change of letters, transliterated into the English language. It means "a fragment of rock, or a small boulder." In the second clause, "And upon this rock I will build My church," "rock" is the translation of the Greek word, " Petra ," which means "the mother lode of rock," or as we so often hear it said today, "it is the generic term for rock." At this point let us consider His language. He is speaking exactly as an architect, "Upon this rock I will build My church." So in that manner let us consider the subject. When an architect is planning a building of any importance, he will select his materials for that building before construction is begun. In the case of stone, he will invariably select it, according to species, color, and whatever considerations he may think necessary. Then he will set apart a small stone of that species, which will show the desired characteristics, for a sample by which to judge the stone to be used in the building. When speaking of this building, he may show us this sample, and say, "This is the stone I plan to use for this, or that, part of the building." Surely no one would be foolish enough to think that this one little stone is going to be the whole building, or the portion in which the architect says he will use this.  Jesus has said that He will build His church upon this rock.  Therefore this rock must be what he will use in the foundation of His church.  The best explanation we have for this is given by the Apostle Paul. "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in Whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in Whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:19-22) Surely, no one would deny that this is the same church Jesus said He would build; and verse 20 describes the foundation, "the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone." Every one of these apostles and prophets was of that same "generic rock" as was the Apostle Peter: because each was made such a rock by the revelation of God the Father.  Surely then, this church, built upon such a foundation will stand.  "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it." We emphasize that this is not some organization claiming to be "THE church;" but is a living organism, made up of all the saints of God, from beginning to end of the whole operation, or "from eternity to eternity."

When, in verse 19, Jesus says, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven," he was not, as some think, setting Peter over the church, that he and his "successors" should rule it perpetually. At Pentecost, Peter was first to openly declare the resurrection of Jesus as being part of God's eternal purpose, and he was also chosen of God to be the first to preach the gospel of our Lord to the Gentiles, at the home of Cornelius. This is the only pre-eminence he ever had, or claimed over the other apostles. It appears, from the book of Acts, that James, not Peter, presided over the council of apostles and elders at Jerusalem . Notice that "whatsoever," not "whosoever," is the pronoun used in connection with the "binding and loosing" mentioned in this verse. And, from Matthew 18:18 , as well as from Chapter 15 of Acts, it is established that the other apostles shared in the power of binding and loosing, as much as did the Apostle Peter. The only apparent reason this was spoken to Peter at this time is that he had been the one who answered Jesus' question in the first place.

Verse 20 seems to signal the change of focus concerning the perception of Jesus by His disciples. Previously He has said almost nothing to them about His suffering and death; and their perception of Him as the Christ was mingled with the Jewish idea that He would set up a political kingdom, throw off the Roman bondage, and establish Israel as the greatest kingdom in the world. So He now charges them "that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ."

(Verses 21 through 23) "From that tlme forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem , and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee. But He turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me: for thou savourest not of the things that be of God, but those that be of men."

Matthew's phrase, "From that time forth," clearly shows that heretofore Jesus had said little, if anything, about His suffering, death, and resurrection, to His disciples: for at this point He began to show these things to them. When He did this it so disturbed Peter that he, possibly thinking that Jesus was in a fit of depression, and imagining these things, "took Him," that is, he took Him aside, privately, and began to rebuke Him. His statement, "This shall not be unto Thee," shows Peter's determination that he would not permit such to happen to Jesus. How strange is the human mind! Not long before this, Peter, walking on the water to go to Jesus found himself afraid and sinking, and he had to call upon Jesus to save him, which He immediately did. Now he feels himself to be so strong that he is determined to prevent those things Jesus has said "must" be. To this rash statement, Jesus answered, "Get thee behind Me, Satan: for thou art an offence unto Me: for thou savourest not of the things that be of God, but those that be of men." It seems that, for the greater part, men overlook the obvious lesson in this, and fall to wrangling over whether or not Jesus was calling Peter Satan. While it is clear enough that Jesus "turned and said unto Peter" this rebuke, it is also clear that this really amounts to commanding Satan to come out of Peter, and leave. This would certainly be appropriate, since, momentarily Peter's mind was possessed of Satan, who was causing him to say these things that did not "savor of the things that be of God, but those that be of men." To address Satan it was necessary to turn and say this unto Peter, because at that moment Satan was in him, and influencing his speech. The obvious lesson for us is, Since Satan could lead even the Apostle Peter to deny the very things Jesus had just told him, is it not also possible that he may lead us to do similar evils? We have often heard men, in speaking of things our Lord has said shall come to pass, especially many of those set forth in the Revelation, say, "It just cannot be exactly as it is said. You have to interpret it thus;" and then set forth a great rigamarole of what they call "spiritualizing" that robs the text of all its literal meaning. Is not this very similar to Peter's speech? Jesus thus rebuked Satan who had misled Peter, telling him, "Get thee behind Me," that is, "Get out of My way." The reason for this is that these ideas were not according to the will of God, but according to the imagination of men, which is always more in line with the will of Satan than with the will of God.

(Verses 24 through 28) "Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let Him take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels: and then He shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom."

Before commenting on the content of these verses, there are two things, which need to be mentioned. The first of these is that the time when this was said gave it a special meaning to the disciples to whom Jesus spoke. From this time forward everything is focusing on preparation for His crucifixion. Thus reference to taking up one's cross, has greater significance, as do also the statements regarding the fact that one who "will save his life shall lose it" and he that "will lose his life for My sake shall find it." The other is that the link which connects verses 24 and 25, 25 and 26, and 26 and 27, is one little word, "for," which in each case signifies that the verse where it appears is, at least, one of the reasons, if not the only reason, for the preceding verse. Now, with these notations, let us begin consideration of the contents of the text.

The first declaration Jesus made here is, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." As mentioned earlier, the timing of this saying gives to it the meaning of, "I am going to My crucifixion, and if any one of you wants to follow Me, it is time to take up your cross, and come on. To do this he must be ready to put everything of self aside, and consider it of no importance." He must put away his worldly ambitions, goals, desires, pleasures, etc., and curb his worldly appetites and urges, and bring his own will under control, subjecting it to the will of God. This is the meaning of denying oneself.

His next act is "to take up his cross. "This act has been so incorrectly considered for so long that many seem to think it consists only of joining the church, being baptized, and bearing whatever little criticism one's friends may make of him and his conduct. Although baptism, since it is symbolic of the death and resurrection of our Lord, may be considered as included in this, taking up one's cross is a far more serious matter. The cross, during the time our Lord was here on earth, was the means of execution most common for those condemned to death. Those condemned were forced to take up their crosses, and carry them from the judgment hall to the place of execution. John tells us, "And He bearing His cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha." Although Matthew, Mark and Luke all say that one Simon, a Cyrenian, was compelled to bear His cross, this was apparently after Jesus had started with it, and because of weakness from the terrible scourgings and beatings He had received from Pilate's soldiers, had fallen under its weight. So one who "takes up his cross" is in that act saying to the world that, he is condemned to death by this world, even as was his Lord, and as a condemned man, he has no rights nor portion in it. He is dead to it. In this manner then, he is to "follow Jesus," It is in this manner we are still to follow Him today. We must, as it were, search for His footprints, and walk therein.

"For whosoever _ _ _." The reason why those who desire to "come after Jesus" must do what is set forth in the previous verse is that, any one who "WILL SAVE his life," that is, any one who is so in love with his life in this world that his whole effort and desire is to save it at all costs, shall certainly lose it. It is not eternal, and the day is coming when, regardless of all efforts to the contrary, it shall be taken from him. If his only interest is this worldly life, he is doomed to disappointment, whether today, or many years in the future: for death is surely coming. On the other hand, "Whosoever WILL LOSE his life for My sake shall find it." Those who have been made willing to lay down, or lose their lives for His sake, have our Lord's promise that they shall find them. Notice that in both instances, it is not a matter of their saving or losing their lives, but of their willingness to do so. Those who have not been killed to this world, desire to "save their lives" at any cost, while those who have been killed to this world, have been made willing to "lose," or lay down their lives for the sake of Jesus; and this is the key to it all.

"For what is a man profited _ _ _?" Although the man who has not been killed to sin and worldliness, cannot understand this question, and will not therefore pay heed to it, those who have been made partakers of the death of our Lord can readily understand that if it were possible for man to be given a choice in the matter, and he chose and obtained the whole world, all its fame, fortune, and power, at the cost of his own soul, there would be no profit to him in the matter, but only a terrible loss. The question, "What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" by no means intends that when one comes before the judgment bar of God, he will be given an opportunity to exchange anything for his soul, nor does it even mean, as some try to tell us today, that Jesus is now making that choice available to every man, and all have the right and the ability to make that choice. The entire human race is dead in trespasses and sins until God in His mercy sends His Holy Spirit into a heart and makes it alive to him. Everyone is acquainted with the old saying, "Dead fish float down the stream: only the live ones swim against the current." This is not scripture, but it does express a principle that is taught in scripture. The whole human race is dead and floating down the stream to destruction, until God gives life to His elect. Then, and only then, do those to whom life is given begin to swim against the current of temptation. When they are given life, and not before can they see what a terrible loss it is not to have it.

"For the Son of man shall come _ _ _." As before, this verse is the principal reason why the preceding is true. Were it not that He will "come in the glory of His Father with His angels," we might just as well follow the old motto that has ever been popular with the world, "Eat, drink, and be merry; for tomorrow we die." The Apostle Paul tells us that "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." Nevertheless, be fully assured, He will come, and not as He did before, the meek and humble Lamb for sacrifice; but in the glory of His Father with His angels." Not only so, but then, and not before, He shall reward every man according to his works." Many who claim to believe in Jesus will attempt to deny this statement; but one must remember that Peter tried to deny what Jesus told His disciples concerning His suffering, death, and resurrection; and what a rebuke he received! This is in perfect harmony with what Jesus said, "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming when all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, to the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." (John 5:28-29). The scriptures abundantly teach that men do good only because their hearts have by the grace of God been made good, and from this good treasure come forth good things. And men do evil because their hearts are evil, and from this evil treasure come forth evil things; not the other way around. Yet the works, good or evil, identify the person as good, or evil; and in the Day of Judgment they will be declared. Although the salvation of the elect is by the grace of God only, the good works of those who are saved will show them to be justified, while the evil works of the wicked will prove their condemnation just.

In verse 28 Jesus foretells His transfiguration, saying, "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." Certainly, He has not, even yet, come in His kingdom, in the sense of ushering in the glorified stage of it. But a few days after this declaration He was glorified in His transfiguration, so that those who accompanied Him at that time, saw Him in His glory, as He will be in that final stage of His glorious kingdom.

Chapter 17

(Verses 1 through 4) "And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias."

To Peter, James, and John was given a privilege never granted to any other mortal. In addition to Matthew's account, both Mark and Luke recorded this event. All of them tell it in slightly different words, but with no contradictions. Each account complements the others. For their respective records, see Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9:28-36. Since this is so clearly set forth, there is little need for explanation, but we should mention a few things about these accounts. Both Matthew and Mark tell us that Moses and Elijah appeared, and were having a conversation with Jesus, but neither says anything about their subject matter. Luke does say that they spoke of "His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem ." Luke also tells us that the disciples were asleep during this part of the conversation, but they did awake, and "they saw His glory, and the two men that stood with Him." In recording what Peter said, Matthew makes no comment about why he said it, but Mark says, "For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid," and Luke says, "not knowing what he said." Often we hear someone trying to tell us that the reason why Peter said what He did was that he wanted to worship under the law, the prophets, and the gospel dispensations, but it seems better to take the explanations of Mark and Luke in this matter. He was very much afraid, and like many when they are scared, he felt that he had to say something, but did not even know what he was saying. Many say that the fact that the disciples recognized Moses and Elijah proves that we will know each other in glory just as we do now. While it may be that there will be recognition there, this is no evidence of it. For the disciples had not the vaguest idea of what either Moses or Elijah looked like, since, being forbidden by the law to do so, the Jews did not make likenesses of their leaders and prophets. This whole episode is only a demonstration of the power of God, to prove the divinity of Jesus to His disciples, and to give assurance that He will come in glory, as He promised.

(Verses 5 through 8) "While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and, behold, a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only."

As noted above these accounts differ slightly in wording, but not in substance. All agree that the disciples with Jesus were Peter, James, and John. All agree that Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Jesus. All agree that Peter suggested building three tabernacles, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus. And all agree that at this time there came a voice out of the cloud declaring that Jesus is the beloved Son of the heavenly Father, and directing the disciples to hear Him. That is, they were not to be distracted by any one else, even such faithful servants of God as Moses and Elijah. After this the disciples found themselves alone with Jesus. Moses and Elijah were no longer there.

(Verses 9 through 13) "And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen from the dead. And His disciples asked Him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall come first, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist."

This is a portion of scripture about which men have argued, and are still arguing "loud and long." The disciples having seen Elijah, were reminded that the scribes, those who were charged with keeping the writings, or books, of the law and the prophets, constantly affirmed that Elijah must come before the Messiah, or the Christ. They, the disciples, were fully persuaded that Jesus is the Christ, and they had seen Elijah on the mountain, but he had not made any public appearance. Hence their question, "Why say the scribes that Elijah must first come?" Jesus explained to them that the scribes were correct in their saying. Then He said what men have apparently overlooked much of the time in their arguments. "Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already _ _ _." Notice in the first statement, "Elias truly shall first come _ _ _." This is clearly still in the future. Then, "But I say unto you, That Elias is come already _ _ _." This is already past. When we look at the record in scripture of the way the disciples were affected by the crucifixion of our Lord, we see that, Though Jesus had told them of His suffering and death, as well as His resurrection, They still, until after His death, held much the same notion of Him as the Messiah, that the Jews in general did. That is, although the Jews in general did not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, they thought that when He did come, He would, then and there establish the kingdom of Israel as the kingdom of God, and usher in immediately the "glory age," while the disciples, believing Him to be the Messiah, or the Christ, just as fully expected the immediate setting up of the kingdom in its glory. Neither the disciples nor the Jews understood the concept of two advents, with a dispensation of time intervening between them. The disciples never understood this until after His resurrection; and the Jews did not even then. Just as the Christ came once to suffer and die for His people, so once came Elijah to announce His coming, and the people not recognizing him, "have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall the Son of man suffer of them."  At the approach of the second advent of our Lord, "Elias truly shall come first, and restore all things." John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah, and fulfilled part of the prophecy of the coming of Elijah, but if one will examine the prophecy of Malachi, he will find that it speaks of things done in the ministry of John the Baptist, and of things not yet done. They are mingled together as often are the details of the first and second comings of our Lord. The first five verses of the third chapter of Malachi tell of the messenger who was to prepare the way of the Lord. This messenger is indeed John the Baptist. Then it tells of some of the works of the Lord, when He comes, some of which obviously refer to His execution of judgment, which He did not do at His first coming. Malachi 4:5-6 says, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." In every place in scripture where the phrase, "the day of the Lord" appears, it refers to a time of God's judgment against sinners; and the context of this particular "day of the Lord" is set in verse 1 of the chapter. Even the Jews expected two appearances of Elijah; one before the coming of the Messiah, and one before the great judgment. Many of the early Christians believed Elijah to be one of the two witnesses of Revelation, Chapter 11. This was reinforced by a writing thought to have been written by Nicodemus, and called "The Gospel Of Nicodemus."

(Verses 14 through 18) "And when they were come to the multitude, there came to Him a certain man, kneeling down to Him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I have brought Him to Thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, How long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to Me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that hour."

So far as this narrative itself is concerned, no one should have any problem in understanding it. However there may be some ideas, and, perhaps, even some questions that may arise in our minds concerning it. Even the disciples themselves wondered why they could not cure this child; and as we continue, we shall soon find the answer Jesus gives to this question. Here we might consider the answer Jesus made to this man whose son was in such serious condition. His address to this man included not him only, but the entire generation. Again, it should be remembered that the Greek word "genea," though it can sometimes be applied to people of a certain time period, as, "the older generation," or "the younger generation," its original meaning was "a begetting, a birth, a nativity," and from this, "that which is begotten, men of the same stock, a family." And in this address, it seems proper to consider it as meaning the whole Jewish family, or nationality. He says to them, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?" Certainly He was not accusing this individual of being either faithless or perverse: for it was his faith that caused him to bring his son to the disciples in the first place, and now he had come to Jesus, begging mercy. In retrospect, we see that Jesus had already begun to place more emphasis upon his upcoming death and resurrection, and that this had even been the subject of His conversation with Moses and Elijah on the mountain. Now He says to this generation, "How long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?" This is only another way of saying, "I will not always remain with you to endure your faithlessness and perversity; but I will soon bring My mission to a close." In spite of this, he said to this man who did have faith, "Bring  him hither to Me." Even though they may live in the midst of a faithless and perverse generation, those to whom faith is given are never turned away. "And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour." The phrase, "from that very hour," simply means "immediately." There was no delay. When Jesus speaks, the work is done, and the matter settled.

(Verses 19 through 21) "Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, 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 be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."

As mentioned earlier, the disciples themselves were perplexed by their failure to cast out this demon; and they came to Jesus privately, and asked Him why they failed. He gave them about as short and simple an answer as can be given, "Because of your unbelief." One might wonder how it is that these men whom Jesus had earlier sent forth with the charge, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give," could now be charged with unbelief, especially such unbelief that all of them together could not cast out this one devil. The answer is very simple: they were men; and men, at their best, are sometimes beset with some doubt. Any doubt is unbelief. He then sets forth His basic illustration: "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say to this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." At this point, about the first thing we will hear someone today say is, "We can't take this literally, but must interpret it that He means `a mountain of sin.' No one can speak to a real mountain, and have it obey him." This is nothing but a clear testimony to His first statement, "Because of your unbelief." While it is true that no mortal man can do this, the reason is still the same, "unbelief." If we had faith as a grain of mustard seed, we could do it, just as He said. Someone will surely say, "A grain of mustard seed is inanimate; it cannot have faith." This is of itself a sure sign of unbelief on the part of one who makes such a statement. The lesson here is, The "grain of mustard seed" never doubts. It is always constant under all circumstances. If it cannot have faith in the same manner as can men, (and our Lord says it not only can, but does, and no man can disprove this,) the fact remains that it never doubts. And if a man had such faith that he never had any doubts at all, He could do exactly what Jesus said he could. Our trouble is that, though we may think we believe His every word, we prove ourselves false by trying, with our interpretations, to make "loop holes" in what He has said, as if He didn't know what He wanted to say, or else that He did not know how to say it. Review Matthew 15:1-9. Having answered the disciples' question, Jesus continued thus: "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." This He said, not to contradict what He had already said, but to impress upon them that, their ministry involves more than just their preaching, and going about casting out devils with a word. They must continue in prayer and fasting. In short, though He has bestowed upon them powers to perform miracles, they must remember that the power is not of themselves, but of the One Who bestowed it upon them, the Lord Himself. Thus it is even with us today. Whatever the ministry to which we have been called, we cannot perform it of ourselves, but must be in constant communication with God through prayer, and even fasting. We should, however, give particular heed to what the Lord said about fasting, "Ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?" This is what God recognizes as fasting.

(Verses 22 and 23) "And while they abode in Galilee , Jesus said unto them, The son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: and they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry."

Jesus took advantage of a little rest from traveling by remaining in Galilee for a short time; and He used this time to remind His disciples that His mission was soon to come to its close. This was not His first time to tell them these things, but they still could not understand the significance of them; and indeed they never understood them until after His resurrection. The only effect this had on them at the time is that, they were made very sad.

(Verses 24 through 27) "And when they had come to Capernaum , they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your Master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto Him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should 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 for Me and thee."

This is a very simple record of an incident that caused no great uproar, and, probably, it was not at that time known by anyone except Jesus and Peter. Seemingly it is of no especial importance of itself, but what Jesus said about it should be noticed. "They that received tribute," that is, the tax collectors, and from what Jesus says, we might think these to be special tax collectors for Herod, not for the Romans. This particular tax was "tribute," not regular taxes.  The collectors asked Peter if his Master paid tribute, and without consulting Jesus, he answered, "Yes." Then when he came into the house where Jesus was, Jesus knowing what he had done, before Peter could say anything about the incident, asked him the question concerning who it is that pays tribute. When Peter had answered His question, He pointed out to him that they did not owe this tax. We probably would, at this point, want to send Peter back to the collectors to explain to them that he had been mistaken, but Jesus said, "Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them _ _ _." They were under no legal obligation to pay this tribute, but rather than offend the authorities, since Peter had already told them that He did pay tribute, Jesus sent Peter to get the tax money for both of them. Although He wrought a miracle in providing the money for Peter, the principal lesson is that He would not offend the ministers of the laws of the land just for the sake of His "civil rights." This is a lesson we today seem never to have known, or we have forgotten it completely. Also just as He provided that needed by Peter to keep from offending, He is today able to provide for us, though He may not use the same manner of so doing.

Chapter 18

(Verses 1 through 6) "At that time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 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. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

One might think that, among our Lord's disciples, there would always be perfect peace and harmony; but such was not always the case. In the present instance there seems to have been a general argument over which of the apostles was greatest in the kingdom of heaven. In the twentieth chapter of Matthew's writing we shall find the mother of James and John trying to get a promise of their having the highest seats in the kingdom, while much later the Apostle Paul found it necessary to publicly rebuke the Apostle Peter for another matter. We must remember that, though called and appointed apostles of our Lord, they were still men, and subject to the temptations of men. Jesus is the only Man Who ever lived, Who never yielded to any temptation of any sort. In this instance the disciples, apparently worked up over this matter, asked Jesus, "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Surely they knew that Jesus was, and is greatest, so their question must be assumed to mean, "Who, after You, is greatest?" Notice carefully His first statement to them after setting the little child before them. "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." There are several things in this that people seem to run over without seeing. The first point for consideration is that those to whom He spoke this were already called, baptized, ordained, endued with special powers, and sent forth to preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. They were His church, as it was at that time. Some claim that the church was not at that time organized, and so did not then exist. They set up this argument that they may try to establish a foundation upon which to claim that the "kingdom of heaven" in this instance means "the gospel church." The first objection to this is that, the church is not an organization, but a living organism. The second is that, it is no more correct to say that the church was not then in existence than to say that it is not yet in existence. It is true that it was not yet complete; but, if time is to continue any longer, it is not now complete. Nevertheless it is in existence, and was then; and Jesus said to His disciples, "_ _ _ ye shall not enter," which we all know signifies a future situation, that can only refer to the kingdom of heaven in its glory, not in its present state. For they were already in the present state of the kingdom. Another point for consideration is what has to be done, not only for those disciples, but for us as well, in order that we may enter into that phase of the kingdom. "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter." They were filled with their own self-importance, and were wrangling over who was greatest in the kingdom. This must all be removed, and replaced with the humility of children before we shall ever enter that phase of the kingdom. The kingdom of heaven is the direct opposite of earthly kingdoms. In earthly kingdoms arrogance and strength are recognized as qualifications for greatness, while in the kingdom of heaven, love, gentleness, and humility are the prime requisites. "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." There is no more room for argument: for the King Himself has spoken. He speaks further, "And whoso shall receive one such child in My name receiveth Me," showing that He recognizes the humblest of His disciples as His official representative. And since any kindness shown to such is shown to Him, it follows that any affront offered to one of these is an affront to Him.

He seals the matter by saying, "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." The only point in this that might need any clarification is the word "offend." The Greek verb "skandalidzo," here translated "offend," means "put a stumbling block in the way of," or "cause to stumble," or "entice into sin." Anyone, whoever he may be, that does this to one of these little ones who believe in Christ Jesus, is condemned to a fate worse than death: for it would have been better for him that he had been killed rather than that he do such.

(Verses 7 through 11) "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! 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 fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having 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 angels do always behold the face of My Father Which is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."

The world is in peril, "Woe unto the world, because of offences." Here the word translated "offences," is "skandalon," which means "traps, snares, stumbling blocks, or any thing or any one that might entice to sin." "For it must needs be that offences come" (literally, "offenses are compelled to come"). So there is no reason to think that there will ever be a time in the present world when there will be nothing to entice people into sin. This world is so completely under the dominance of Satan by his usurpation of it and his cunning deception of men, that these "offences" are compelled to come. The present world system keeps always before men a continuous supply of them. Yet this does not diminish the responsibility of those by whom they come, nor the penalty on the one who brings them. Although not again repeated here, the severity of that penalty is clearly declared in verse 6.

"Wherefore," when it introduces a statement, means, "because of the foregoing." So because of the woe on him who brings "the offence," if any member of our body, even a hand, a foot, or an eye, leads us to sin, we are to cut it off, or pluck it out, and throw it away. For it is better "to enter into life" without that member than to keep it and be "cast into everlasting fire," or "hell fire." Now, if it be so important to rid ourselves of that which leads us into sin, that it is better for us to cut off, or pluck out, and throw away a member of our body that does so, this must also apply to so called "friends" who would do the same. We must keep in mind that one who would lead us into sin IS NOT A FRIEND."

Now Jesus returns to the subject of the little children who believe in Him. This also applies to those who have been "converted, and become as little children," no matter what their physical size or calendar age. We are not to "despise," scorn, or look down upon, any one of them: "for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father Which is in heaven." Men often try to interpret scripture to fit whatever ideas they have developed: but when our Lord introduces a statement with, "I say unto you," we had better take that to mean, "This is the way it is; and no man can change it." The writer of the Hebrew epistle says, concerning the angels of God, "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Heb. 1:14 ), and here Jesus says, "In heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father Which is in heaven." They have continuous audience with the great God of heaven and earth. How then shall one escape who despises, or mistreats one of these little ones who have such wonderful representation in the presence of the Father?

"For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost," The modern religious world has, in its doctrine, made a terrible error in the change they have made in this simple statement. When they read or quote it they will do a perfect job of that; but when they begin to discuss it, they change it to "For the Son of man is come to try to save that which was lost." This is a very small change, if we are only counting the words, or even the letters (two words, or five letters added); but in substance, it is equivalent to changing day to night, or light to darkness. Since the statement at the beginning of this paragraph is what Jesus said, we must, in all fairness, maintain that this is what He meant. His mission was exactly as declared by the angel who spoke to Joseph, "For He shall save His people from their sins," and Jesus' own words here, "For the Son of man is come TO SAVE that which was lost." He introduces this declaration with "for," indicating that it is the reason that the preceding statements are true. They depend upon it. If it could fail, they would also fail, but that can never be. We should also notice that, in keeping with His theme through the foregoing, "that which was lost" is what he came to save. At other times He said that he came "not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance," because “they that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick," all of which is in perfect harmony with the present discussion. Those who feel themselves to be righteous are never humble, but arrogant, and always looking down on and despising the humble soul who has been made to know the terrible depravity of the human soul in nature, and to know that his only hope is in the grace of God, and not in himself. These humble ones are the ones he has come to save.

(Verses 12 through 14) "How think ye? if a man have a hundred 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 over that sheep, than over 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."

This parable bids fair to be one of the most misunderstood, if not indeed the most misunderstood, in the scriptures. Its meaning may not appear quite so obvious here as it does in Luke's account of it, (Luke 15:1-7,) but it is, no doubt, the same parable. Matthew says nothing about where the ninety and nine are left while the shepherd goes after the one that went astray, and apparently everyone assumes that they were left in the shelter of the fold. However, since Luke says, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine IN THE WILDERNESS, and go after that which is lost, UNTIL HE FIND IT?" Since Matthew says nothing about where the sheep were left, and Luke recording the same parable, says they were left in the wilderness, we can be assured that this applies in both accounts. Those who never went astray, or were never lost agree perfectly with those whom He did not come to call to repentance, and who need no physician. Remember His own language, "They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick," and "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." As pointed out earlier, those who have been made sensible of being "sick," or of being "sinners," or of being "lost," are the ones, and indeed the only ones, He came to save; and those He will save: as Luke phrases it, He will "leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it. And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing." Not only will He continue the search until He brings it to a successful conclusion, but even then He puts the lost sheep on His shoulders, signifying that His purpose is that He will Himself bring it home. It is neither expected, nor even permitted to make a move in that direction under its own power. Although Matthew says, "If so be that He find it," which some might think entertains a possibility of failure, Luke's language will permit no such idea. And Matthew, in applying this parable to the work of our Lord in saving His lost sheep, says, "Even so it is not the will of your Father Which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." Since He "worketh all things after the counsel of his own will," we can rest assured that not one of them will perish. For each lost one that He brings home, He rejoices more than over the ninety and nine that He left in the wilderness. Luke concludes the parable thus: "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." Since of the whole human race, with the exception of Jesus Himself, there is not one who needs no repentance, we can readily see that the meaning is, "those who are just in their own eyes, and feel no need of repentance." This is exactly the same arrogance from which Jesus told His disciples they must be converted before they could enter into the kingdom of heaven; and that requirement has never been waived. It applies to us today just as it did to them when first spoken.

(Verses 15 through 17) "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican."

Here our Lord leaves the former subject, and by use of "moreover," introduces an additional subject, that of our relationship and dealings with a fellow believer, "a brother." The situation proposed is that of my brother having trespassed against me, he has committed a wrong against me. Before continuing this discussion, we must take notice of something. He does not say, "If you think your brother has trespassed." Therefore before I begin to do, or say anything about the matter, I must be sure that the wrong actually was done, and not that I have imagined it. After determining that there actually has been a trespass committed, I must go to my brother, in private, just the two of us, and tell him of the wrong he has committed. Another caution that must be observed is that, I must go to him in love and humility, and gently tell him of the trespass, considering all the while that he may not have realized that it was done. If at this time he heeds what I say to him, I have saved a rift in fellowship; as Jesus said, "Thou hast gained thy brother;" and this is the end of the matter. We must remember that the only spirit that can succeed in this, is that of love, gentleness, and humility. If in spite of such an effort my brother will not heed me, I am to take one or two with me, not to try to overwhelm my brother with numbers, but only as witnesses of what both of us say, and the spirit in which all is transacted, "that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." Another caution should here be observed. I should not, in any way, discuss the matter with those I take for witnesses, until the meeting with my brother is over. They may, during the meeting, advise both me and my brother, and be witnesses of what we do and say, but they should have no pre-set convictions about the case. Now, if he will not heed the witnesses, the matter is to be presented to the church. And previous to this time, I am not to have discussed any part of the matter with any of the church, except my offending brother and the witnesses who were with us in our last meeting; and neither should the witnesses discuss it with anyone. When this matter is presented to the church, the church is to counsel with this brother, and with me, if they think it necessary. Only after such counseling can the church make any move, either for or against, this brother. Again, be reminded that this is not to be done in the spirit, nor the capacity, of a court jury, or a bench of judges, but in love and humility. After such counseling, if the brother will not heed the church, he is to be excommunicated. "Let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." The word translated "heathen," though it can relate to a foreigner, can, and in this case no doubt does, mean one who serves pagan gods instead of the true and living God; and everyone knows how utterly detested was a "publican" (tax collector). Some churches have practiced the excommunication of members. But just as soon as the conference is over in which the member was excluded, the members will go to the one excluded, embrace him, or her, and say, "Brother, (or Sister,) I am so sorry we had to exclude you, but because of our rules we had to do it. But we love you just as much as ever, and we believe you are a child of God." How does this agree with what Jesus said? No member should ever be excommunicated, until the church is convinced that he is "as an heathen man and a publican." Then it should be done, as one would have a cancerous growth removed from his body; with sorrow because of the cancer, but with no love for the cancer.

(Verses 18 through 20) "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and 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."

There are many who try to make a much greater thing of our Lord's statement to Peter (Matthew 16:19 ) than they do of this to all twelve of the apostles. (Although Jesus had many more than twelve disciples, when the scriptures indicate that the disciples came to Jesus to ask an explanation, or as in this case, to ask the answer to a question, the twelve are under consideration.) The two statements are identical, except that the former was addressed to Peter, either as spokesman for all the apostles, or because he was the one who answered Jesus' question to them, while in the present case the address is plural, including all of them. It even included the Apostle Paul, who was not even called until later. For in his writing to the Corinthians, at one point he said, "and to the rest speak I, not the Lord," meaning not that he was not inspired of the Lord, but that the matter he was addressing had not been specifically addressed by the Lord; and that he, as an apostle of the Lord, was "binding" these things, or establishing them. And by the authority of the statement presently before us, these "are bound in heaven," that is, they are recognized by the authority of heaven. So Peter had no pre-eminence in this matter. In verse 19, the phrase, "two of you," may explain why people today are sometimes greatly disappointed when they call together a group to pray for a certain thing, and after praying earnestly for it, never receive it. We must remember that at this point Jesus was still speaking to His apostles; and nothing is said about extending this promise beyond that circle. Since there is no "of you" restriction in verse 20, it may extend to any "two or three" who are gathered together in the name of our Lord Jesus, though it no doubt has special reference to the apostles also. However we feel sure that in some measure it still does apply today to us who meet to worship Him. When we really are met in His name, we feel His presence, and are assured that we are included. Nevertheless we should remember that as His apostles, they were blessed with special powers and privileges.

The remainder of this chapter is concerned with only one subject, forgiveness. It begins with Peter's question to our Lord about how many times we are to forgive a brother, and culminates in Jesus' declaration that those who do not forgive are doomed to the same penalty as the servant who is the principal character in His parable. Before beginning the discussion, let us look at the word, "forgive." It is a compound word, made up of two independent words joined together. The first is "for," which though it can be a conjunction, is in this usage, a preposition, showing that the action of the verb "give," which is the other member of this word, is on behalf of someone. So the basic and underlying meaning of "forgive" is really "give for," and actually carries the idea of "giving oneself for" the one forgiven, or the "taking of his blame upon oneself." This is exactly what our Lord did for us, when He forgave us; and His forgiveness of us is held up in scripture as the example for us to follow in forgiving one another.

Peter probably thought that He was being generous when he suggested that he might forgive a brother seven times. We cannot be sure what it was that brought about this question; but it may have come about in connection with what Jesus said, as recorded in Luke 17:3-4, "Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying I repent; thou shalt forgive him." If so, Peter may have wanted to clarify whether or not that should be the limit of his forgiveness. In the incident recorded by Luke, Jesus says, "seven times in a day," while there is no time limit given here. However, if we take the present instance to be based upon that of Luke's record, we must also assume the one day limitation, and, as such, Jesus' answer would be, "until seventy times seven" (in one day). This would bring us to what, no doubt, is His intent, simply that there is no limit. In a twelve-hour day "seventy times seven" would make the frequency of occurrence a little faster than once every one and one-half minutes.

Then to illustrate the matter, He likens the kingdom of heaven to an incident, which took place when a king was taking account of his servants. The very circumstances described here indicate that this was no ordinary slave. He had to be one entrusted with administering some function of authority, and handling considerable wealth. For an ordinary household slave could never run up such a bill against his master, nor would he have been in position to promise payment of so large a debt, if given a little time. As with most of the parables, men immediately abandon the lesson, and begin to squabble over whether this servant "was a true child of God," or a "pretender." Nothing is said in the parable about either side of this question; he is only called a servant. So without getting into that trap, let us continue with the lesson itself. This servant, coming up ten thousand talents short in his account with his master, was facing a terrible sentence. He, his wife, his children, and all his possessions were to be sold, and the proceeds applied to his debt. As noted above, this indicates that he was no ordinary household slave. For as such, he would have had no property. Facing such a sentence, he fell down before his master in a position of worship, and begged for mercy and time in which to make payment. Hereupon his master being a compassionate man, instead of granting him, time in which to make payment, cancelled ("forgave him") the whole debt. We need to emphasize the magnitude of this debt, which was forgiven, "ten thousand talents." This has been calculated at $52,800,000, if these talents are of silver; but if of gold, it would be much greater.

This servant, when released, went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him "an hundred pence," or approximately $44.00. He roughly took hold of this servant, and demanded payment of the debt. This servant made exactly the same plea to him that he had made to his lord, but he would have none of it. Instead he had him put into a debtor's prison, until the debt should be paid. When the other servants saw this, they reported it to the master, who then called this unmerciful servant before him, and said to him, "O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredest me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had compassion on thee?" This is the very crux of the matter, the core of the lesson. Remember that this entire lesson started in answer to Peter's question about how many times we should forgive our brethren. Here the answer comes down to this, "We should forgive him every time he asks us." We should also notice that, although the lord of this servant says, "I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredest me," in reality, the servant did not ask that the debt be forgiven. He only asked that he be given time to pay it, but his master, from his own compassion, forgave it all, showing, as an analogy, that our Lord does more for us than we even ask. Since He does that, should not we also go beyond, and forgive a brother, even without his asking?

Nevertheless, the lord of this servant was so angered at the servant's hard heartedness that he "delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due him." Without going into the details of such a punishment, let us simply say that this servant was facing a more severe penalty than the original sentence of being sold along with his wife, children, and possessions, to make the payment. If he, while at liberty, was not able to earn that necessary to pay the debt, how can he, in the hands of the tormentors, obtain it? Therefore how long will this sentence take to be satisfied? Jesus closes this parable with these words, which need no comment: "So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses."

Chapter 19

The foregoing took place up in the area of Galilee , around Magdala. After Jesus finished this lesson to His disciples, He left this area, and went down into that part of Judaea, which was beyond Jordan . As usual, He was followed by a large crowd, among whom were some sick people, whom He healed. The Pharisees, as they were wont to do, came to Him, trying to entrap Him, so that they might have something of which they might accuse Him. The question they brought up this time is, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?"

(Verses 4 through 6) "And He answered and said unto them, Have ye never read, that He Which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."

There should be no difficulty in understanding what our Lord has said here. Yet, in the event some might claim not to understand it, this is its essence. When God created the human race, he made one male and one female, not a plurality of either. Jesus then tells us that, He Who made them said, "For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh." In Genesis 2:24, this is attributed to Adam as being the one who said it. But since Adam was in a deep sleep while God performed the wonderful work of taking the rib from his side, and from it making the woman, the only way he could have known anything about it is that God, when He presented woman to him also told him of the work, and, probably, also gave him this very charge, which Adam repeated. So it, without question, originated with God, Who made them. Most people who profess to believe the word of God will agree down to this point, but when He says, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder," they begin to hunt excuses. About the most common excuse of all is, "But I don't believe that every man and woman who are married to each other were joined together by God. I think _ _ _." That is our greatest trouble concerning everything He has said. We want to substitute "I think" for "He saith." It is abundantly clear that Jesus is speaking of the institution of marriage, which God has blessed, and which makes of twain one flesh; and for the sake of which, a man is to leave father and mother, and cleave to his wife: and the woman is also to do the same for her husband. Thus the institution of marriage is so solemn, and so highly approved of God, that no man is to break it.

The Pharisees did not like His answer any better than do most people today. So they, hoping to justify themselves, came back with another question: "Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and put her away?" They thought that surely He must now bow to the commandment of Moses, and consider them justified if they observed this ritual.

(Verses 8 and 9) "He saith unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away, doth commit adultery."

Ever since our Lord said this, men have been trying to make loopholes in it: one of the most common of which is that they try to make fornication and adultery to be the same thing. While it is true that they are the same act, they are different in the marital status of the parties engaged therein. Fornication is the act of an unmarried person, and adultery is the same act committed by a married person. In both cases the act itself is unlawful sex activity. In the Greek language the same distinction is observed. So Jesus knew what He was saying. When He said, "except it be for fornication," He was acknowledging the right of a man, when he takes a wife, and before they have intercourse, finds her not to be a virgin, to put her away. He cannot do so after they have engaged in that act. Someone will surely raise the objection: "But that commandment called for the woman to be put to death, not divorced." It certainly did, but at the time of our Lord's saying this, and for quite a while before, the Jews were under the rule of Rome , and their right to execute the sentence of death had been taken away. Therefore they had substituted divorce for the death sentence in such cases: and this, our Lord allowed. He recognized no other cause. Therefore any man who divorces his wife for any other cause, and marries another, commits adultery: and whosoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Even the disciples themselves were disturbed by such a strict interpretation of God's word, and they said to Him, "If the case of a man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry." No doubt, there are indeed many cases in which it was not, and is not, good for a couple to marry; but that does not change the word of God.

(Verses 11 and 12) "But He said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it."

Jesus' statement, "All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given," is a declaration that there are some men to whom is not given sufficient strength and self control to be able to follow this strict rule, but to some such strength is given. Now Jesus tells why some can receive this saying. In the strict sense of the word, a eunuch is a man who has been surgically rendered incapable of engaging in the sex act. When He says, "For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb," He is not only including those who may have been physically deformed to this condition, but those also who, though in completely normal physical condition, have never had any sexual drive. Then He says, "There are some eunuchs which were made eunuchs of men." It was not an uncommon practice in many places, including the Middle East , to make eunuchs of some men, particularly some slaves. Finally He says, "And there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake." These are they who, though completely normal, physically, have held themselves under control, and for the sake of the kingdom of heaven have denied themselves the gratification of sexual lust, and maintained celibacy in their lives. So "He that is able to receive it, let him receive it."

(Verses 13 through 15) "Then were there brought unto Him little children, that He should put His hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And He laid His hands on them, and departed hence."

Concerning this incident, Mark says, "And they brought young children to Him, that He should touch them," and Luke says, "And they brought unto Him also infants, That He would touch them." Although Matthew and Mark both use "pais," which is properly translated "children," Luke uses "Brepha," which is either "new born child" or "infant." So, beyond question, the reference is to children young enough that they had to be carried. Why the disciples objected to this we can only conjecture. And that is not worthwhile, since the lesson is found not in their objection, but in what Jesus said to them when they did object, "Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

Many ideas have been put forth as to the meaning of this last statement, even to some claiming that it proves the doctrine of universal salvation of all who die in infancy. Without getting into a discussion of that doctrine, we must say that this scripture has no reference to it. That is completely set aside by the fact that not one of these infants was dead. If one had been, something would have been said about whether or not our Lord restored him to life. These were all living infants whom their parents evidently wanted Jesus to bless by touching. There is not any reference to their being sick. The lesson here is exactly the same as in Chapter 18, verses 3 and 4, only those blessed with that simple childlike faith, and the childish humility of the infant shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. The infant is not concerned about "How great will I be," nor even with "Why should I do this, or that." But though something may cause him to be a little fretful, or fearful at times, the voice and touch of father or mother can sooth, and calm him because of the faith he has in them. So does the voice or touch of our Lord for all who have this same kind of faith in Him. Only those who have been converted, and have thus become as little children shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: "for of such is the kingdom of heaven." So Jesus received these little children, laid His hands upon them, and, though it is not expressly stated by Matthew, it is inferred, and Mark says, "He blessed them." Then Jesus departed from this place.

In verses 16 through 26 we have the account of an incident of which the real answer is only found in the last verse of the text. Yet few people seem to be willing to wait until the whole incident is brought to a close for an answer. So they try to take other things as the answer before Jesus gives it. We shall attempt to break the record of the incident into segments for discussion, but at all times with the consciousness that the final answer is only at the end of the event.

(Verses 16 and 17) "And, behold, one came and said unto Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And He said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but One, That is God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."

In mark 10:17 -27, and in Luke 18:18-27, this same incident is recorded in slightly different words, but with no contradictions. Luke does call this man a "ruler," which, though it does not necessarily mean one in authority, such as a king, does mean a "chief" or a "leader." He first addresses Jesus as "Good Master," for which Jesus rebukes him, saying, "Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but One, that is God." Many comments have been spoken and written concerning this answer. It seems actually to have been brought about by this man's expressed thought that he could do something by which to obtain eternal life. And it might therefore be permissible to interpret it thus: "Since you think you are able to obtain eternal life by your works, you do not recognize Me as Emmanuel (God with us): and as God is the only One Who is good, why do you so address Me?" Some may think that when Jesus said, "But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments," He was recognizing that as a legitimate way of salvation. He was not. He was only answering the question, "What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" If eternal life is to be obtained by, or through the works of the individual, it must be by keeping the commandments: for the law of God is His ordained rule for the conduct of men. Therefore, if man's works are to be recognized of God, they must be in obedience to His commandments. The fact that eternal life is by the grace of God, and not by the works of man, does not negate this principle.

(Verses 18 through 20) "He saith unto Him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The young man saith unto him, all these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?"

The young man wanted to be sure he knew exactly what he must do. So when Jesus told him to "keep the commandments," he wanted to know which commandments were under consideration. Although Jesus only quoted six commandments, it is obvious that the moral law is that of which He spoke. The young man immediately replied that he had kept all these from his youth to the present time. No doubt, he was sincere in his declaration, and thus we must conclude that he was a man of exemplary character, "a good moral man." Yet he knew that he had to have perfection in order to obtain eternal life. Thus the question, "What lack I yet?" His heart and eyes were not yet, if indeed they were ever to be, opened to the fact that the only perfection is in Jesus the Christ.

(Verses 21 and 22) "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell all thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions."

Everything down to this point has been based upon one thing only, "What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" Men in all ages have been, and men today are, exactly as this young man, in search for eternal life by their works. They may be very scrupulous in their efforts to keep the commandments; and may have convinced themselves that they have kept them. Yet, in spite of their claims of obedience, there is one of these commandments, which they, like this young man, do not keep. Had this young man loved his neighbor as himself, he would have had no hesitation about selling all he owned and giving it to the poor: and this applies to us today. That is the love of which the Apostle Paul writes in Chapter 13 of First Corinthians. In our King James Version it is translated, "charity." This love comes only from God: we cannot produce it by our works or by our power. Without it we all fall short of perfection; and it is only in Christ Jesus our Lord. So when this young man was told what was lacking, he could go no further. He had great possessions and a much greater love for himself than he had for his neighbor. So he went away sorrowful, or disappointed. When we consider such statements as Mark 10:21, "Then Jesus beholding him loved him," we must remember that though Jesus was the Son of God, He was also the Son of man, and as such He could have human love or compassion for someone, with no reference to that divine love which is eternal. At this point we should be able to see the total futility of seeking eternal life by the works of the flesh.

(Verses 23 through 26) "Then said Jesus unto His disciples, "Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God . When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."

At this point Mark uses slightly different wording from Matthew. He says, "And Jesus looked round about, and saith to His disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God ! And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard it is for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God !" The remainder of the quotation by Mark is essentially the same as that of Matthew and Luke. In all three records, Jesus declares that a camel can go through "the eye of a needle," or "a needle's eye," more easily than a rich man can enter into the kingdom of God , which caused great astonishment among the disciples. They were at this time still unable to understand the difference between the kingdom of God and worldly kingdoms. And since in this world the rich have every advantage over the poor, they thought the kingdom of God to be an impossible dream if the rich could not enter into it. Their natural question at this point was, "Who then can be saved?" Then Jesus gave them the answer to the whole episode: "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." Salvation is impossible for any man to obtain on the basis of, or as the result of, his works: but God has provided it to every one of His elect, "every one which seeth the Son and believeth on Him." Man could not, and can not, accomplish it, but God has provided it.

(Verses 27 and 28) "Then answered Peter and said unto Him, Behold, we have left all, and followed Thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of His glory, ye shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel ."

Every political revolution ever started, has been instituted by one man as the leader, with a few followers who would stand by him through whatever may come, even death. Usually when the old government is overthrown, these followers who survive the fight are rewarded by the leader with high positions in the new regime. Peter, and in fact all the disciples, were still looking for this kind of revolution, as is clearly shown by Cleopas and his companion, "But we trusted that it had been He Which should have redeemed Israel ." (Luke 24:21). So, as they looked for a political redemption, or revolution, they expected a political reward when the new kingdom was established. Peter, who usually seemed to be the boldest of the disciples, reminded Jesus that they had left every thing they had, and followed Him; and for such service, he wanted to know what would be their reward. The answer He gives in verse 28 obviously embraces only His twelve apostles, for He says that, they "shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel .” This He says of those who had followed Him. This is another of those declarations which men have tried to interpret to mean everything except what our Lord said. The only word in this verse that should need any explanation is "regeneration" (Greek "palingenesia"), which means the restoration of the primal and perfect condition of things which existed before the fall of Adam, and is that "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness," of which the Apostle Peter speaks in his second epistle. When this is fulfilled according to His promise, the twelve apostles shall sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel .

(Verses 29 and 30) "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive an hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first."

Our Lord's statement in verse 28 was His answer to Peter's question concerning the reward for those who had forsaken everything they had in order to follow Him. What He says in verse 29 embraces every one who has made any sacrifice for His sake. Each item listed is joined to those preceding it by "or," which instead of setting up the list as "all or nothing," so separates the items that any one who forsakes any of these for the sake of Christ Jesus is included in the promise of reward. Luke, in recording this, says, "And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting." Mark, quoting Jesus concerning those who have forsaken any of these things, words it thus: "But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life." It has been rightly observed that in all the list of things one will find "in this time," though Mark does list "brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, none of the writers mention "wives," which clearly shows that, though at times a man may have to forsake his wife for the sake of the kingdom of God, he is not even to entertain the idea of setting up relationships with other women in her place. Just as in all revolutions, many that are first, or great, in the old kingdom, will either be completely left out, or placed in much lower esteem in the new. And some who have been trodden underfoot, and considered as last, or as nothing in the old kingdom, will be highly esteemed in the new, so it is in the comparison of the worldly kingdom and the kingdom of God . Notice should be taken that Jesus did not say, All that are first shall be last," but "Many that are first shall be last," that is, many who among men are thought to be great, "shall be last," or left out. They will be found not to be what they have been considered. Of course, the opposite is also true. Many whom the world despises, and considers last, are of God greatly esteemed; and this shall be manifested. People of the world always, and even Christians at times, have a tendency to equate success, popularity, or prosperity, with being approved of God; but this is not always the proper perception of the matter. It is by no means unusual, when someone is having a series of successes, for someone to say of him, "He surely must be living right." While it may be true that he is, his successes are no evidence of it. Paul says, "our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Yet, when we see someone having afflictions, and even persecutions, we will probably hear someone, as did Job's three friends, counseling him to repent, and turn back to the Lord, and promising him that if he will do this all his troubles will be taken away; not realizing that this is the very thing of which Paul was speaking. Even our Lord's promise of what we shall receive "in this time" is accompanied with "with persecutions." In this world, even at best, His people "are last;" but "Many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first."

Chapter 20

The first sixteen verses of this chapter set before us a parable of the kingdom of heaven that is slightly different from most of the parables. Of course, all the parables differ a little, as they show different principles of the kingdom. We shall attempt to discuss the substance of the parable without quoting the whole, since it is rather lengthy, and is clearly set forth in these verses. The overall picture is that of a man who had a vineyard, and needed some laborers to work therein. Early in the morning he went out to the marketplace, where unemployed laborers gathered. On this trip, he hired a group, and agreed to pay them a denarius (K. J. V. "a penny") for a day’s work, and sent them into the vineyard.

Then he went out again at the "third hour," the "sixth hour," the "ninth hour," and even the "eleventh hour." At each time he found unemployed laborers, hired them, and sent them into the vineyard. To each of these groups he said, "Whatsoever is right I will give you."

That which strikes us as most important of all is the manner of agreements between this man and the different groups of laborers. With the first group there was a covenant. For a day's work each man was to receive a denarius, the "going rate" at that time for a day's work. There was nothing said about a bonus, or any reward beyond that agreed upon. This is very similar to the covenant God made with Israel (Exodus 19:5-6) "Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people, for all the earth is Mine: and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." His covenant with them is found in many places in scripture, but always it is the same, in that it specifies what they are to do, and what He will do. The covenant between this man and the first group of laborers also specified that they would work through the day, and he would give them a denarius. In principle the two covenants are the same.

All the other groups are promised only one thing, "Whatsoever is right I will give you." This certainly would remind one of a statement John made, (1 John 3:2,) "And it doth not appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." The workers went to the vineyard, not knowing what they would receive, but trusting that the lord of the vineyard would do "whatsoever is right." We work in the vineyard of our Lord, not knowing what we shall be, to say nothing of what we shall receive, but believing His promise that when He returns, we shall be like Him. This applies to every one serving in the "gospel phase" of the kingdom, and even into the "great tribulation period," as represented by those called at the "eleventh hour." Since He opens the parable with, "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto," the whole simile applies to the kingdom of heaven, which though operating under different dispensations, is the same kingdom throughout time, and in eternity. The first group of laborers covers the law dispensation, while the other groups together carry it on to the end of the day, "when even was come."

When the day's work was ended the workers were called before the steward of the lord of the vineyard, who had been instructed by his master to begin paying the laborers in reverse order from that in which they were hired. He was also ordered to give to each worker the same pay, a denarius. Apparently no one was dissatisfied with this, until those hired first came up for their pay. They, not considering what their covenant called for, thought that, since those hired later had received a denarius, they should have more because they had labored longer; so they murmured against the lord of the vineyard. This, no doubt, is an analogy of the Pharisees, who thought that, because they were Jews, all things pertaining to the kingdom of God belonged to them. The lord of the vineyard answered one of the complainers thus: "Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a denarius? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good?" Jesus adds to this "So the last shall be first, and the first last; for many be called, but few chosen." These Jews who considered themselves "a guide to the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes," but could not recognize the Messiah when He appeared, will find themselves moved from first place to last, while those very ones whom they despised, and considered sinners will be first. “For many be called, but few chosen." Many times Jesus called these Pharisees children of the devil, so, though they may have been called, it was not of God; and surely they were not chosen.

(Verses 17 through 19) "And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify Him: and the third day He shall rise again."

We notice that, back in Chapter 16, Jesus began to tell His disciples of His coming condemnation, death, and resurrection.  Then at His transfiguration Moses and Elijah discussed these things with Him. In Chapter 17, verses 22 and 23 He reminded the disciples again of these coming events, and here He tells them again. All this was directed to their preparation for these things. Nevertheless, just as we sometimes are concerning sorrows which we know are upcoming, they had their minds so adamantly fixed upon their ideas of, and their plans for, the future, that they could not understand them until after they were accomplished.

(Verses 20 through 23) "Then came to Him the mother of Zebedee's shildren with her sons, worshipping Him, and desiring a certain thing of Him. And He said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto Him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in Thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto Him, We are able. And He saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on My right hand, and on My left, is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father."

This points out clearly that the disciples did, in spite of all Jesus had told them, still have their own ideas of the kingdom they thought He had come to establish. No doubt, James and John had discussed with their mother the kingdom as they visualized it. And it could be that they had encouraged her to request of Jesus that they be given the seats of honor next to the King in this kingdom: for when questioned as to their qualifications for the posts, they immediately declared themselves qualified, saying "We are able." The "cup" and the "baptism" of which Jesus spoke, were clearly His suffering and death, as He had already foretold. And though James and John may have, in a somewhat vague manner, understood that this is what He meant, they did not fully understand what it entailed, as is clearly seen from the gospel record of the activities of all the disciples in the time between the arrest of Jesus and His resurrection. They all still looked for a political kingdom with all the pomp, ceremony, high ranking officials, etc., customary in such. Jesus' first answer to them is highly significant of their ideas, "Ye know not what ye ask." They had no idea of the manner of the real kingdom. Even when He asked if they were able to drink of His cup and share His baptism, they did not understand. To be baptized with anything is to be completely immersed in it; and that is what Jesus was facing. He was to be completely immersed in suffering and death: but just as is signified by the water baptism of believers, He arose from it, never again to be subject to it. He said to James and John, "Ye shall indeed drink of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with." In Chapter 12 of The Acts of The Apostles, we find that James was "killed with the sword" on the orders of Herod. And though, according to legend, John was not killed for his testimony of the Christ, he was greatly persecuted, even to being in exile on the island of Patmos when he received the great Revelation. So they did indeed drink of our Lord's cup, and share His baptism. However Jesus told them that although they would partake of these, it was not His to give the honors they desired, "but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father," This is as far as we should ever attempt to search into this matter. He does not deny that there shall be honors in His kingdom: but they shall be distributed only according to the appointment of our heavenly Father, and are not for us to inquire about, nor to seek to know who shall receive them.

(Verses 24 through 28) "And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jesus called them unto Him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and give His life a ransom for many."

This shows us that the human characteristics of the disciples were the same as are common to people today. The others were all moved to anger and jealousy against James and John, because they had asked for preferred positions in the kingdom, in spite of the fact that Jesus told them He could not give them what they had asked. For such had been prepared of the Father for certain ones, and would be given to those for whom they are prepared. Now He proceeds to tell them the nature of the kingdom. Instead of greatness in the kingdom being judged on the same basis as in worldly kingdoms, the exercise of authority and power, it is upon directly the opposite, humility and service. To say it in slightly different words, in this kingdom greatness is judged on how near like the King one is: for He came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His own life to redeem His people from their sins. This incident took place at Jericho ; and when it was over Jesus continued His journey to Jerusalem . As He went a great crowd followed Him.

The remainder of the chapter tells of two blind men who were by the way side as Jesus passed by. "When they heard that Jesus passed by, (they) cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of David." All the Jews who were at all familiar with the prophecies knew that The Messiah was to be the Son of David. So this manner of speaking was equivalent to declaring Jesus to be the Messiah, which, of course, He is. When the multitude heard these men they rebuked them, and attempted to have them stop calling to Jesus, but they only cried more loudly, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of David." Thus it is with all to whom He has been revealed as the Messiah, or the Christ, and who feel a need of Him and His mercy. The more the world tries to silence them, the more they pray to Him.

(Verses 32 through 34) "And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto Him, Lord that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him."

These men were blessed with faith such that they would not be quieted until the Lord answered their prayer. This Jesus had several times admonished His disciples to do; and not give up if at first it seemed they were not heard. Remember that he said, "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." (Matthew 7:8). So He touched their eyes, and immediately, not after such and such delay, "their eyes received sight, and they followed Him." They manifested their thankfulness for this blessing in that they followed Him.

Chapter 21

The first seven verses of this chapter describe an incident which, though it contains the element of a miracle, might not of itself be of so much significance, were it not that it is the exact fulfilling of a prophecy spoken hundreds of years before.

(Verses 1 through 7) And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto Me. And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them, and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set Him thereon."

This incident is recorded also by the other three gospel writers. As is usual, their words differ slightly, but the story is the same. Though this may seem an insignificant event, there are several interesting points about it in addition to the fact that it was in fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. God's omniscience, which is also in the Son of God, is manifested in that as He sent the disciples after this ass, He told them exactly where to find it, and just what to say to anyone who should ask why they loosed the animals. Both Mark and Luke record the owners as asking this very question; but upon receiving the answer Jesus had instructed the disciples to give, they had no more to say about it. It was almost as if it had been a pre-arranged challenge and password operation. Instead, it was the working of the power of God that His prophecy might come to pass. When the disciples returned with the ass and her colt, the people put their clothes on the animals, that is, they took their outer garments, and laid them on the beasts as saddle blankets. Then they set Jesus upon the ass with only the makeshift saddle blanket and no saddle: for Zechariah's prophecy said, "Thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." Certainly, His riding without a saddle portrayed Him as more lowly than if He had had a saddle.

(Verses 8 through 11) "And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He That cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. And when He was come into Jerusalem , all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."

The first thing that strikes the mind as one reads this is the stark contrast between this scene and that of the same crowd hardly a week later. (See Matthew 27:22-23, Mark 15:12 -14, and Luke 23:20-23). Here they are crying, "Hosanna," (or "Yeshuanna,") which means, "Lord save us," and there, "Crucify Him, crucify Him." How fickle the mind of man is, and how easily caught up in mob frenzy, whether for good or for evil. No doubt many in this multitude were sincere in their crying, "Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest." Yet there were others caught up in the excitement without knowing what it was all about, just as there would be in the later scene. The excitement was so great here that the whole city was in an uproar, and they began asking, "Who is this?" It is interesting to note that, although moments before, they were calling Him "the Son of David," and saying to Him, "Lord, save us," the only answer they will now give is, "This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." This immediately brings to mind the question Nathanael asked Philip, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth ?" (John 1:46). This was the common perception of the Jewish people. So when asked who this was about whom there was so much commotion, they answered, "This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."

(Verses 12 through 14) "And Jesus went into the temple of God , and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple; and He healed them."

The other accounts of this are found in Mark 11:15-18 and Luke 19:45-48. Certainly these accounts are not hard to be understood, so far as the narration itself is concerned, but a little background of the matter may be helpful. The first item for consideration is "them that sold and bought in the temple." The temple was not the common marketplace where everyone bought and sold, but a special market was carried on there. There were two primary factors that contributed to the wealth of this market. First, since the temple was the only place where sacrifices could lawfully be offered, a person from any great distance from Jerusalem desiring to come and offer a sacrifice, because of the distance, would sell his sacrificial animal, bring the money, and buy another animal for sacrifice from those in the temple, who maintained herds of "kosher" animals for that purpose. Usually they put an exorbitant price on these animals, but, since they were all that were available, the one desiring to make the sacrifice had little, or no, choice but to pay it. The other thing that added to this was that, even a local man who brought his own animal, had to let the priest examine it before making the sacrifice. The priest might declare it unfit for sacrifice. At this point the man would either have to go and get another, or sell this one to those who bought in the temple, at a discounted price of course, and buy one for a much higher price from those in the temple who had them for sale. This made a tidy profit for those running the operation.

Since doves were also used for special sacrifices, and everyone did not raise doves, some who did, kept a supply at the temple for sale, and this too at somewhat inflated prices. These who "sold doves" maintained their seats, or their booths, in the temple itself.

The moneychangers are the third segment of this "den of thieves." There were many Jews living in other countries, but they must still come back to the temple in Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord. The only currency recognized in the temple was the "shekel of the sanctuary." One who brought foreign currency to the temple had to exchange it for the currency of the temple before he could buy a sacrificial animal or dove, and usually the rate of exchange was tilted in favor of the "moneychangers." These things are the reason Jesus accused them of making the "house of prayer" into a "den of thieves." After Jesus had driven out these who were defiling the temple with their dishonest practices, the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.

(Verses 15 through 17) "And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto Him, hearest Thou not what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise? And He left them, and went out of the city into Bethany ; and lodged there."

As Matthew has recorded this, it appears that everything from the beginning of the chapter to the present point might have taken place on the same day. But Mark indicates that the first day's activities ceased at the end of verse 11 of the present chapter, and that of verses 17 through 19 took place between those of verse 11 and those of verse 12. It is not surprising that such a difference might exist between the two records, since surely nothing was written down concerning these events until much later, and further the exact sequence of events is of much less importance than the events themselves, which both writers agree took place. Luke, in recording this, makes no mention of the children in the temple, but, concerning the entry into Jerusalem , he does say that the Pharisees being displeased with the disciples and the multitude for their praising Jesus, asked Him to rebuke His disciples. To which He answered, "I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." As Matthew records their objection to the children's praise of Jesus, he does not record quite so strong an answer, but only that Jesus declares to them that this is the fulfilling of a prophecy of God, perhaps, because at this point they did not ask Him to rebuke the children, but only asked Him if He heard what they said. His answer was, "Yes." He then asked them a question, "Have ye never read, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise?"

The Greek word "pais," though it can simply mean "young child," also can mean "infant," and in consideration of Jesus' answer to the Pharisees, "infants" should, probably, be the translation in verse 15 instead of "children." Someone will surely say that infants could not be engaged in crying, "Hosanna to the Son of David." No doubt, they will say, "That just could not happen." To which I will immediately agree: but we are not considering something that "happened," but something that was brought about by the power of God, and as such, I have absolutely no difficulty in believing that is exactly what took place. How else could the language of the prophecy fit it? Though, according to Mark the timing of this may be slightly different, Matthew says that at this point Jesus left both the temple and Jerusalem , and went to Bethany , where He spent the night.

(Verses 18 through 22) "Now in the morning as He returned into the city, He hungered, And when He saw a fig tree in the way, He came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is this fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

The fig tree incident is recorded a little differently by Mark. According to him, the curse was pronounced on the tree one day, and it was the next day when the disciples called His attention to it. Mark also says that it was not yet time for figs. Jesus was surely well enough acquainted with figs to know the season for them. So we are faced with two questions. "Since it was not yet the season for figs, why did He come in search of them?" and "Why place such a curse upon the tree for not having figs, when it was not time for them anyway?" Many have assumed a reason, which may, or may not be valid, since nothing further is ever given in scripture. Since fig trees often set a crop of figs before the leaves spring forth, they take this fig tree to represent one who professes to believe the gospel, but is making no effort to live according to its teaching. They take the leaves to represent his empty profession, while he is totally lacking in works (the fruit of the gospel), just as this fig tree is lacking in figs. Then in keeping with the statement of John the Baptist, (Matthew 3:10 ,) "And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire," the barren tree is destroyed. Nevertheless what both Matthew and mark record as the follow-up of this incident seems to point out that its primary purpose is to emphasize a lesson Jesus has repeatedly taught His disciples, absolute and unwavering faith can overcome all things. For when the disciples remarked about how quickly the fig tree withered away, Jesus took this occasion to say to them, "Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Men, in an effort to excuse themselves for not being able to speak to a mountain, and thereby cause it to be moved to some other place, have long ago come up with the idea, "He was not speaking of a real mountain of earth, but a mountain of sin." The fact remains that a physical mountain of earth is exactly what He was speaking of, and He meant just what He said about it: for He followed it with, "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Our problem is not that He did not mean what He said, but that we do not have the strength of faith He has described. Not only so, but neither can we produce it nor obtain it for ourselves. One of the best illustrations we can find for this is a simple experiment we might make with a strong magnet. We can take such a magnet, and with it magnetize another piece of iron, and the magnetism will remain in the new piece of iron without weakening the original magnet; but the new magnet will never be so strong as the original. Yet when it is properly aligned with the original magnet, the original will through it have as strong power as it ever did. Jesus is the original magnet, and the believer is the piece of iron made a magnet by Him, the original. The believer never has in himself the power of faith to make him equal with Jesus; but when Jesus aligns him properly with Himself, the full power is present. Thus He empowered His apostles to work the miracles they wrought.

(Verses 23 through 27) "And when He was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto Him as He was teaching, and said, By what authority doest Thou these things? and who gave Thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell Me, I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; He will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men, we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they said, We cannot tell. And He said unto them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

The past two or three days had not been very pleasing to the chief priests and elders. It was their contention that they, and they alone, were the representatives of God, and as such, were the only authority in the temple. Jesus had driven out their agents who were buying, selling, and running the currency exchange in the temple, accusing them of making "the house of prayer" into a "den of thieves." The people, including even the little children, had been praising Jesus, and hailing Him as "The Son of David." Now, here He was in the temple teaching the people, without having been appointed by them, and even without having asked their permission. Although they would much have preferred to have the guards arrest him, and take Him to prison, they could not do this, because they were afraid of the people. So they came to Him with the question, "By what authority doest Thou these things? and who gave Thee this authority?" Jesus knowing that though they did not believe that John the Baptist was sent of God, they would be too great cowards to publicly admit it, asked them a question, telling them that if they would answer it, He would answer theirs. That question is, "The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?" This put them at a complete impasse. They did not believe it to be from heaven; but they were afraid to say so. At the same time, they could not say that it was from heaven, not that lying bothered them, but that to do so would put them in a real trap: for His next question would be, "Why then did you not believe him?" All they could do was to decline to answer. So He said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

(Verses 28 through 32) "But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward repented and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto Him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him."

Certainly this illustration, or parable, has little need of explanation beyond that given it by our Lord. He shows clearly that the son who refused to do his father's bidding, but afterward repented, and did what he had been commanded, represents those whom the "chief priests and elders" considered as outcasts, such as "publicans and harlots," as well as others they called "sinners," though others are not specifically mentioned. While the other son represents these very "priests and elders." Jesus' statement, "The publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you," is not to be considered as meaning, "They will go first; and you will follow after them," but rather, "The probability of their going into the kingdom is much greater than that of your entering therein," or "More of them than of you will enter." Jesus plainly sets forth the reason for this, so that we do not have to do any guesswork about it.

(Verses 33 through 39) "Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: and when the time of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him."

It certainly takes no especially great wisdom to see in this parable the kingdom of God under the law dispensation. God, of course, is the Householder; the vineyard is the kingdom; the husbandmen are the Jews, particularly the priests and elders; and the servants sent by the Householder are the prophets of God, whom He sent to Israel and Judah , from time to time. The husbandmen's reception of the servants is the exact picture of the treatment God's prophets received from the Jews. One more person enters the picture, the son of the householder. This can be no other than Jesus the Son of God. In this parable He foretells exactly what the priests and elders will do to Him. Then He asks them a question.

(Verses 40 and 41) "When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto these husbandmen? They say unto Him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their season."

How easy it is for me to pass judgment upon a sinner, as long as I am not aware that that sinner is I! These priests and elders had not yet understood that they were the target of this parable. So when Jesus asked what should be the penalty of these husbandmen, they very quickly condemned them to utter destruction; and without realizing it, prophesied of their own destruction, and the bringing in of God's people from among the Gentiles.

(Verses 42 through 44) "Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."

For what is beyond question the best explanation of the prophecy quoted by Jesus at this point, see Acts 4:9-12. Our Lord declares that these Jews have indeed pronounced their own sentence, "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. He gives them a clear warning concerning this stone, which, of course, is no other than He Himself. Simeon said, "This Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel ." (Luke 2:34). Here Jesus says, "Whosoever shall fall upon this stone shall be broken." These are they for whose fall and rising again He is set. They shall indeed be broken, but that breaking will be the bringing of them to repentance, and through Him they shall rise again; but those upon whom this stone shall fall shall be utterly destroyed, "it will grind him to powder." See Daniel 2:34-35.

(Verses 45 and 46) "And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard His parables, they perceived that He spake against them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitude, because they took Him for a prophet."

Only after Jesus had completed His parable, and declared judgment upon them did these Jews recognize that they were the target of the parable. At this they were so enraged they wanted to take Him, and punish Him in some manner. But this they were afraid to do, lest the people turn against them. For, although they had accused Him of being an imposter, a blasphemer, and even the prince of devils himself, the people themselves considered Jesus a prophet of God, but they were not yet convinced that He is the Son of God. Still with their thinking Him a prophet, the priests and Pharisees could not risk laying hands on Him until they could contrive some method of having Him condemned.

Chapter 22

The first fourteen verses of this chapter set forth a parable, which is a description of the kingdom of heaven from the beginning to its eternal glory. In it can be seen two parables already spoken by our Lord. Verses 2 through 7 are really a repetition, in different words, of the parable of the vineyard given in the latter part of the preceding chapter. Then Jesus completes the parable by showing, with different symbols, the substance of the parable of the net, given in Chapter 13, verses 47 through 50.

(Verses 1 through 7) "And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son. And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city."

This is a natural breaking point in this parable: for it shows, up to this point, the history of the kingdom of heaven under the law dispensation until the crucifixion of our Lord, and the consequent cutting off of the Jews and the destruction of Jerusalem . Some may question, "Why do we not have any description of the kingdom prior to the giving of the law?" Others may think differently, but it appears that, such was unnecessary since, though before the law God called men individually, such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Melchisedec, and others, there was no visible manifestation of the kingdom as such, as was brought in under the law. When it was given, the order of the kingdom for that dispensation was established, which answers to the Jews being bidden to the marriage. The fact that the king "made a marriage for his son" does not mean that the marriage was to be celebrated immediately. In many ancient cultures, and in some modern ones, the marriage is made, or arranged, by the parents of those to be married, and sometimes are even arranged at the birth of the parties to be married. Then the marriage is celebrated when the parties have come of age. Since the law was given, and the prophets were sent, to the Jews, they are the ones who, in this parable, are considered as "them that were bidden." When John the Baptist came upon the scene, he preached "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." When Jesus began His ministry, He preached, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Thus we have the fulfilling of the announcement, "All things are ready: come unto the marriage." Let us not make the same mistake some have made, and think that God intended to celebrate the marriage at this time. He knew exactly what would be the reaction of the Jews to this, and He had, from eternity, purposed to call a people from among the Gentiles. He made this announcement to them that their reaction to it would openly declare them worthy of condemnation. We find that in addition to John the Baptist and Jesus, He sent others with the same message to them. Not only did the disciples preach strictly to the Jews until the crucifixion of our Lord, but also for some time thereafter. Although the Jews did persecute and kill the prophets, the principal reference of verse 6 is to their treatment of the disciples. When the announcement was made to them that "all things are ready," they wanted no part of it. And as the disciples continued preaching this message, the Jews became so enraged, particularly at the doctrine that this Servant Whom they had crucified had arisen from the dead, that they persecuted the disciples even to death. Lest anyone object to our calling Jesus a "Servant," instead of referring to Him as the Son for Whom the marriage was made," it might be well to read Philippians 2:5-11. It is certainly true that He is that Son, and He is now exalted and given a name that is above every name, and He will be declared "Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Yet while here "He took upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." For that reason, He sets Himself among those servants sent to make the announcement instead of, at this point, referring to Himself as the "Son." When the Jews had "filled up the measure of their fathers" in their treatment of these servants, God, in 70 A. D., let loose upon Jerusalem Titus and his army, who destroyed that city just as foretold in this parable.

Luke in recording this parable, puts in some details omitted by Matthew, and omits some recorded by him. Luke says nothing about the destruction of the city. But he does tell us that the "master of the house," or, as Matthew says, "the king," immediately after the refusal of "them that were bidden" sent his servant with this command, "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind." This corresponds perfectly with the fact that, though the religious leaders refused this invitation, the publicans, harlots, sinners, outcasts, and common people heard gladly, and in great multitudes followed Jesus. He said to the chief priests and elders, "Verily I say unto you, ‘That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.’" Nevertheless with these brought in, "The servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.’" (Luke 14:22) This opens the way for the remainder of the parable.

(Verses 8 through 10) "Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered all as many as they found, both good and bad: and the wedding was furnished with guests."

Luke records this only through the commandment to the servants, and says nothing about the success of their mission. About the only difference between his wording and the portion of this that matches it is that, in his record the translators have rendered the command to the servants, "_ _ _and compel them to come in." Although the Greek verb "anagkadzo," here rendered "compel" can mean "use force," it can, and in this context surely does, mean "urge or strongly advise." As we see from Luke's writing the scene has shifted from the "streets and lanes of the city" to "the highways and hedges," while Matthew also shifts to "the highways." This signifies the turning from the Jews in "the streets and lanes of the city" to the Gentiles in "the highways and hedges." This, the Apostle Paul declared three times to the Jews, before it was fully brought to pass. (See The Acts Of The Apostles). Notice should be taken of Matthew's wording of this parable in verse 10, "So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered all as many as they found, both bad and good." This is in full harmony with the parable of the net in Chapter 13, which "gathered of every kind." The gospel ministers are sent forth preaching the gospel, bidding people to come to the wedding, and in so doing they inevitably gather both good and bad. Jude says, "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." Even under the best of conditions some of the bad will be caught in the net.

(Verses 11 through 14) "And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And the man was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Obviously, this agrees with the "net parable" in that when it was drawn to land, the good and bad were separated, the good kept, and the bad thrown away; and with the parable of "the wheat and the tares", in that the tares were taken out at the time of harvest, not during the growing season. In several places Jesus speaks of "weeping and gnashing of teeth" at the time of separation of the "good and the bad." Of course, weeping is sometimes a sign of sorrow, though it can be a sign of anger, or frustration; but gnashing of teeth is always a sign of anger, as in Acts 7:54. Although the wicked will be forced to "Confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father," they will still be just as angry against Him as ever; but they will be completely impotent against Him. The man who is found without a wedding garment is he who has slipped in unawares, but will be cast out into outer darkness.

In Revelation, two elements of this marriage are established for us. They are the timing of this celebration, or wedding supper, and the wedding garment. This "marriage of the Lamb" will take place at the time when Satan and his forces have been completely overcome, and brought to judgment. In Revelation 19:7 it is said, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready." Yet the marriage is not consummated until Chapter 21: for the consummation of a marriage is the coming together of bride and groom to dwell together; and the first four verses of that chapter describe this. The "wedding garment" is established in Revelation 19:8. "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." The only true "righteousness of saints" is the imputed righteousness of our Lord Jesus. It is in this that she, the bride, will be clothed, and in this she will be "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband," as she "comes down from God out of heaven." Since this bride is the "new Jerusalem," she is also "the kingdom of heaven," "the church of the Firstborn," and the assembly of those who are found at this wedding clothed in wedding garments.

(Verses 15 through 17) "Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that Thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest Thou for any man: for Thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest Thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?"

As always, the Pharisees were constantly seeking to discredit Jesus and His teaching. Here they enlisted the help of the Herodians, who were not a religious sect, but a small and somewhat insignificant political party loyal to Herod the tetrarch. Here is an outstanding lesson for all of us. When anyone comes to us with such flattering words as they used in addressing Jesus, we can be sure there is a trap somewhere in the deal. Certainly what they said about Him was true; but they had many times proved that they did not believe it. Their purpose was to entrap Him into saying that it was lawful (agreeable to Jewish law) to pay tribute to Caesar, so that they could report it to the priests, who vehemently condemned it, or to say that it was not lawful, and this they would report to the Roman authorities. They thought they had Him boxed-in.

(Verses 18 through 22) "But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye Me, ye hypocrites? Show Me the tribute money. And they brought unto Him a penny. And He saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto Him, Caesar's. Then saith He unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. When they heard these words, they marveled, and left Him, and went their way."

This is another example of God's making foolish the wisdom of the world. These men who fancied themselves wise, thought they had Jesus so entangled that either way He might answer them, they could make trouble for Him; but the outcome of the matter was that they were made to look so foolish that they "left Him, and went their way." They could not face Him any further. His answer to them in verse 21 should be kept in mind by all of us at all times. Back in Chapter 17, Jesus told Peter that, though they should be free from paying tribute, yet to avoid offending the officials, they would pay. Here since the tribute money belongs to Caesar, Jesus says, "Render it to Caesar."  So even if we feel that our tax burden is unfair, since the money with which it is to be paid bears the mark, "the image and superscription," of the government, we are to render it to the government, remembering at the same time to render unto God that which belongs to Him, praise, service, worship, thanksgiving, etc.

Verses 23 through 33 give us another illustration of how unbelievers were always trying to set traps for Jesus. This time it was the Sadducees who were trying to entangle Him. They are that religious party of the Jews who deny the existence of angels and spirits, and also deny the resurrection of the dead. They thought that surely they had a way that would leave Him no avenue of escape. First, they quoted a commandment delivered by Moses to Israel (verse 24). Then they came up with a story of seven brothers who, in obedience to this commandment had all married the same woman, and all, including the woman, had died. Their question is, "In the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her." In their minds, this amounted to saying, "There just cannot be a resurrection, because that would only create nothing but confusion, as proved by this case." There are those today who, though they might not ask exactly this same question, will ask some just as foolish: for they think of it only from a natural viewpoint. However Jesus' answer to these Sadducees will also properly answer all questions asked on the basis of human reasoning.

(Verses 29 through 33) "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at His doctrine."

We often consider that when one is said to "err" he is just simply mistaken. But the Greek verb "planao," here translated "err" means "to lead into error," or "to deceive," and in this statement it seems to mean, "You deceive (yourselves and others) because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God." The first thing, Jesus points out to them is, that those who by the grace and power of God are brought forth in the resurrection, will have no need for marriage. It was instituted for the procreation of the species; and that will be discontinued. There will be no more reproduction. They will be "as the angels of God in heaven." Then He proves from God's own declaration that there is a resurrection, because "God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." Therefore there must be a resurrection. As usual His answers astonished the multitudes.

When the Pharisees saw that the Sadducees could accomplish nothing against Jesus, they decided to try once more. So one of their lawyers (not an attorney, as we usually mean when we speak of a lawyer, but one who was well versed in God's law, as delivered by Moses) came to Him attempting to entangle Him with one question, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" No doubt, he felt that Jesus was not sufficiently educated in the law to give an intelligent answer. John 7:15 says, "And the Jews marveled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" They knew He had "no education," so far as that of men is concerned. What they did not know is, "He is omniscient."

(Verses 37 through 40) "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

When we look at "The Ten Commandments," which is the law, to which this refers, we can readily see that only two things are covered or considered therein. They are, Man's relationship to God, and Man's relationship to man. If one loves God with all his heart, soul, and mind, this will cover every commandment in the Decalogue concerning his relationship with God. He will violate none of them. If he loves his neighbor (his fellow man) as himself, this will cover every commandment that deals with his relationship to man. So upon these two commandments depend ("hang") all the law and the prophets. They are the foundation of the whole law, and also of the prophets. They are just as valuable today as then.

(Verses 41 through 46) "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He? They say unto Him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in Spirit call Him Lord, saying, the LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, till I make Thy enemies Thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He then his Son? And no man was able to answer Him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any questions."

Since the Pharisees had tried so long and so hard to trap Jesus with questions, He, while they are gathered together before Him asks them a question which, on the surface, may appear as not so important, but which, in reality, separates the sheep from the goats, the saints from the sinners, the elect from the non-elect, or believers from unbelievers. "What think ye of (the) Christ? Whose Son is He?" It is amazing that, in this place, where it is of such great importance, the translators omitted "the" before "Christ," in spite of its very plainly being in the Greek text. As we have explained before, to leave it out lowers "Christ" to the status of a name, which it is not. Instead it is His title, or office. The Jews believed in the Christ, or the Messiah. The former word is Greek and the latter Chaldaic or Hebrew. Both titles mean the same, "Anointed," and in their usage carry the idea of "the One Anointed of God" for a particular work. This is what makes the question crucial. "Whose Son is He?" That is, "What is His lineage?" Since the Pharisees, though they constantly read and studied the "law and the prophets," never had any thought of the Christ, or the Messiah, as being anything except a great king of the natural political kingdom of Israel, who would deliver Israel from all her enemies, and set her up to rule over all the world, always considered only His earthly lineage, which was indeed from David. And this dictated their answer, "The Son of David." This further reinforces Jesus' answer to Peter, (Matthew 16:17 ,) "Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father Which is in heaven." Those who have been brought to know Him as "the Christ, the Son of the living God," have to have this revealed to them directly from God: for man only knows Him as "the Son of David." Since He is the Son of the living God, and was anointed, not only to restore Israel , which he will do at the appointed time, but also to save His people from their sins, He is infinitely greater than David. Therefore David called Him Lord, saying, "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, till I make thine enemies Thy footstool." This, the Pharisees could not understand, nor answer. According to Matthew, this was their last effort to entrap Him with questions.

Chapter 23

(Verses 1 through 4) "Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to His disciples, saying, The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."

The first thing we should notice about this is that, this whole chapter is a single lesson, or sermon, which is directed to both the multitude, and the disciples. So whatever is set forth in this lesson is to the general public. His first point is one that, probably, was not any more liked than it is today. "The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do." This was, of course, addressed to people who were under the law dispensation. (We must remember that the law was not set aside until after Our Lord's resurrection; and the disciples continued to observe it for some time thereafter, in spite of our Lord's being the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes.) The scribes were the ones who spent their time reading, and making copies of the law, and the Pharisees were the religious party of the Jews who were the greatest sticklers for even the smallest details of the letter of the law. So they were in Moses' seat, or in the position of command. Therefore they were to be obeyed. We might not consider this so bad, were it not for what He says next, "But do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not." We sometimes hear someone say, "Do as I say: not as I do." And immediately we lose confidence in him. Nevertheless Jesus allows that, these scribes and Pharisees give proper instructions, in spite of their own failure to follow them. Then He assesses their real character. "For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." This statement seems to convey the idea that, they enjoy loading these burdens upon others, while they sit back, and show neither mercy nor compassion to those suffering under them.

(Verses 5 through 8) "But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even (the) Christ: and all ye are brethren."

The first statement in this text should need little explanation. Everything done by these scribes and Pharisees was done for show, that men might notice it. The phylacteries, which were "made broad" were small strips of parchment upon which they wrote certain passages of scripture, (as Exodus 13:1-16, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, and Deuteronomy 11:13-21) and which they placed in little cases, or boxes, that were fastened with a leather strap to the forehead and to the left arm over against the heart to remind them very solemnly of their duty to keep the commandments in both their minds and hearts. These, the Pharisees "made broad," or enlarged as much as possible, to draw more attention of the people. The borders of their garments, (Greek "kraspeda") which they enlarged, were little tassels, tufts, or fringes, attached to the bottoms of their robes to remind them of the law. These they also, in order to draw attention, enlarged. They always wanted the position of honor at feasts, and the most important seat in the synagogues. When in the market place, or on the street, they wanted men to address them as "Rabbi," which properly means, "my great one," or "my honorable sir," though it is sometimes rendered "Master." Jesus gives a direct command concerning this, and a reason for the command: "But be not ye called Rabbi: for One is your Master, even the Christ; and all ye are brethren." This should forever stop the practice that is so prevalent today, of addressing a minister as "Doctor," "Reverend," "Elder," etc. If a man is recognized as a brother to the children of God, this is the greatest honor to which he should ever aspire, and he should discourage the use of any higher sounding title.

(Verses 9 through 12) "And call no man your father upon the earth: for One is your Father, Which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for One is your Master, even the Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted."

When Jesus says, "Call no man your father upon the earth," He does not have reference to our relationships with our natural parents: for that would be a violation of God's own law. We are to honor both father and mother. His commandment is against our considering any man as our father in the Spirit. Our only Father in the Spirit is He, Who is in heaven, and rules over all things. Since our only Master is Christ Jesus our Lord, we are not to be called "Master." The whole design of the kingdom of heaven is directly opposite that of all worldly political kingdoms. In them, those who aggressively assert themselves, and strive for greatness rise to exalted positions. In the kingdom of heaven, only those who strive to serve in humility, and often in obscurity, will be exalted by the King Himself at the appointed time, while those who strive to exalt themselves, shall be humbled by Him.

(Verses 13 through 15) "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows houses, and for pretence make long prayer: for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more a child of hell than yourselves."

It certainly is not difficult to understand that Jesus is here declaring the direst woes against the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy. That is obvious in each of the three declarations. He earlier showed their hypocrisy in their failure to do even that which they themselves taught. Now He is concerned with their hypocrisy in the things they are doing. First, they pretending to be the servants of God, will not themselves enter into the kingdom of heaven. There are those who will say, "They CAN NOT enter, unless _ _ _," and that may indeed be true; but that is not the subject addressed by our Lord. His subject is, What they will, or will not, do. They have no desire to enter into the kingdom of heaven, and are so antagonistic to it that, they denounce and anathematize those who will enter. John 9:22 says, These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that He was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue." They did every thing humanly possible to prevent anyone's entering into the kingdom. Certainly some did enter in, but not with the blessing, nor even the permission of the scribes and Pharisees.

These same Pharisees would "devour widows' houses." They would without mercy exact what they considered their due as the religious leaders, even if it was the last cent a widow might have, while at the same time standing in the synagogue, on the street corner, or in some other public place, reciting long prayers, that they might be seen of men. Thus it was all in pretense: they were hypocrites to the core. Because they did this, Jesus said to them, "Therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation." This seems to mean, "Your condemnation will be greater than it would, if you made no effort to hide your wickedness."

The next matter Jesus takes up to demonstrate their hypocrisy is that, they will put forth every conceivable effort to gain converts, "compass sea and land to make one proselyte." This might not be so bad, in fact it might even be commendable, if they were converting someone to a good cause; but when they gain one, they "make him twofold more a child of hell" than themselves. They indoctrinate him so heavily with hatred for all who do not become converted to this same way, that he is more adamantly merciless against them than are those who converted him. Since hatred is a characteristic of Satan, and a product of hell, he is "twofold more a child of hell" than even the scribes and Pharisees themselves. We even see this same thing today among people who claim to be Christians. Some are so excessively zealous of the particular points of doctrine their "church" considers most important that, they will do anything in their power to win one away from another "church." And if successful in so doing, they will try to make the new convert, "the proselyte," more bitter against his former "church" than even they themselves are. Woe unto such!

(Verses 16 through 22) "Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by the temple, and by Him That dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by Him That sitteth thereon."

This seems quite an extensive quotation to establish one principle, which, perhaps, should impress us with the importance of that principle. That principle is, "That which sanctifies is greater than that which is sanctified by it." As can be seen from the entire text, the scribes and Pharisees, who are the "blind guides," had lost sight of this principle; and had even reversed it in their teaching. Though we do not have a physical temple with walls and furniture overlaid with gold, nor an altar upon which to offer gifts and sacrifices, the same principle is to be applied to every part of our service to God, and our relation to our fellow man. If a man has taken an oath by the altar, everything thereon is also called to witness; if by the temple, God Who dwells there is called upon; and the same is true if the oath is by heaven. Albeit, in another place, Jesus has commanded us to "swear not at all," but let our word be a simple "Yes," or "No:" for "whatsoever is more than this, cometh of evil."

(Verses 23 and 24) "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithes of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel."

Again, He upbraids them for their hypocrisy. They claim to be such strict adherents to the law, that they will not even overlook such a small detail as tithes on household spices. They are "really going all the way," or so they think; but they have overlooked the most important things of all, "the weightier matters of the law." These are, "judgment, mercy, and faith," and these they have completely passed by. The next statement is often taken to teach tithing in the New Testament dispensation. "These ought ye to have done. And not to leave the other undone." As can readily be seen, He is not speaking to the New Testament Church, but to the scribes and Pharisees, who have no place in the gospel church. They were under the law, and as such, they should have paid the tithes it demanded, but they should have been more concerned about the "weightier matters of the law" than about these lesser ones. The weightier matters, judgment, mercy, and faith, are based upon the moral law, which is still in force, but the tithing is found only in the ceremonial law, which was done away in the Christ. In omitting these weightier matters, and insisting upon the lesser ones, the scribes and Pharisees showed themselves to be "blind guides," since they could not see the obvious truth. His description of them is quite apt: for they did indeed "strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel," metaphorically.

(Verses 25 through 28) "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

It is obvious from the outset that Jesus is here speaking metaphorically, and His only concern with cups, platters, and sepulchres, is that thus they represent these hypocritical scribes and Pharisees. Literal cups and platters are not filled with "extortion and excess," but these hypocrites are, as He has already shown. In those days, (and today in some places, the practice is carried on,) many built above-the-ground tombs, or mausoleums, some of which were very beautiful. And often these were painted white on the outside, but since the inside was only a receptacle for the remains of the dead, nothing could be done to clean away the filth on the inside. This is a very fitting picture of one who puts on an outward appearance of righteousness, and is filled within with hypocrisy and iniquity, instead of the love of God.

(Verses 29 through 33) "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, if we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them that killed the prophets. Fill ye up the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"

This together with what follows, on through verse 36, is one of the strongest denunciations of the scribes and Pharisees by our Lord recorded anywhere. Here He declares them hypocrites, because they say that had they been in the days of their fathers, they would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets, that is, in the killing of the prophets, while He is fully aware of all their efforts to entrap, discredit, and even destroy Him, Whose testimony "is the spirit of prophecy." He declares that they are witnesses against themselves that they are the children of the murderers of the prophets; and He calls upon them to "Fill up the measure of your fathers." A little further on, He will tell them how they will fill up that measure. Now He says, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" This is the strongest way possible of saying that they shall not escape.

(Verses 34 through 36) "Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation."

Luke in recording this, (Luke 11:49 ,) includes "apostles" in the list of those who would be sent to receive the evil treatment these hypocrites will inflict upon them. Jesus declares that by their killing, persecuting, and scourging those sent, this "generation" shall bring upon themselves the guilt of all the righteous blood shed in the entire world, through all ages, "from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias," who was killed between the temple and the altar. (Again, be reminded that, "generation" can, and in this case, no doubt, does, mean "men of like characteristics," thus it extends to all like these, in all ages).  Zacharias, mentioned above, was the father of John the Baptist. Herod in his effort to destroy Jesus, also sought John, that he too might be destroyed. When Zacharias refused to tell him where John was, Herod ordered him murdered; and this was done in the court of the priests at the temple, while Zacharias was performing his priestly duties. Notice that, nothing is said about the guilt of the fathers being any less because it is also passed on to their descendants.

(Verses 37 through 39) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord."

Were it not for the interpretations men have put upon this, it would need no explanation. This is not a picture of a frustrated and failing would-be saviour, lamenting his inability to save the world. Instead this is the same great Son of the Living God, Who has faced down, and declared judgment on the high and mighty scribes and Pharisees. He is even now declaring judgment against Jerusalem , the city which claims to be the center of the world for the worship of the One true GOD, but has, throughout its history, been the instigator of the persecution and murder of the prophets and those who have been sent unto her. He declares that with all her wickedness, His mercy is such that there have been many times when He would have gathered her "children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not." He would have gathered the dispersed of Jerusalem , and of Israel together. Nothing is said about giving eternal life to any one; but Jerusalem was always so stiff-necked, that she was not willing to do what was necessary, that He should gather her dispersed together. Now the final sentence to her is, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." There is nothing that will ward off the judgment determined for Jerusalem . She faces desolation. Never again will she be restored, until the day when those of Jerusalem shall say, "Blessed is He That cometh in the name of the Lord."

Chapter 24

In Chapter 21, verse 23, we are told, "And when He was come into the temple." When, in Chapter 22, verse 16, it is further said, "And they sent out unto Him their disciples with the Herodians," we are not to think that, Jesus had gone out of the temple. The meaning is, "They sent out of their council unto Him _ _ _." Jesus was still in the temple during all these efforts of the Jews to entangle Him, and through the sermon recorded in Chapter 23. Now He departs from the temple; and His disciples gather round Him, calling His attention to the buildings and the stones of which they were built. Mark records the matter thus: "And as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples saith unto Him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!" The temple was indeed a magnificent structure, and was the pride of all the Jews. The answer Jesus returned to this could not have been pleasing to any one who heard it. "See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down." The temple was destroyed in 70 A. D., and later a Moslem mosque was built upon the site of the temple; and it still remains today.

The disciples waited until they had reached the mount of Olives, which seems to have been one of Jesus' favorite places to rest, and when He had sat down, they came to Him privately, without the multitude, and asked Him three questions. They are, first, "When shall these things be? Second, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming?" and "What shall be the sign of the end of the world?" There should be no difficulty in understanding the first question. Since Jesus has just predicted the destruction of the temple, the first question must, without controversy, refer to that, "When shall these things be?" He had already explained to them that He must be crucified and rise from the dead. So it seems reasonable to assume that He had said something to them about His return to the Father in heaven, though John tells us that he went far more into detail about that the night in which He was arrested. Since the second question is, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming?," it must refer to His coming from heaven, (what is usually called His second coming,) since at the time of their asking He was present with them, and would have to leave before He could come again. The third question is the one about which some differ, and sometimes get into heated arguments. The word that is here translated "world" is the Greek "aion," which can mean, "age, a human lifetime, life itself, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity, forever." This has led to the selection, by some, of "age" as the proper meaning. This is where the argument usually begins, the question being, "What age is meant?" Although we earlier separated the three questions asked by the disciples, their manner of asking, and the word order used, indicate that the last two are concerned with the same event: "And what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world (age)?" By this word order we see that His coming and the end of the age are the same event. So the age under consideration must be "the gospel age:" for at the end of the gospel age He will come. Some of the things Jesus said in answer to these questions seem to refer primarily to the first question, others to the latter questions, and others seem to have a localized fulfillment in the first, and universal fulfillment in the latter.

(Verses 4 through 8) "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."

Jesus' first statement is just as important for us today as it was for the disciples who first heard it, "Take heed that no man deceive you." With the close fellowship they had experienced with Jesus, the special teaching they had received from Him, and the wonderful powers with which He had endued them, the disciples must take heed that no man deceive them. How much greater is our need to do so! The reason for this is that many will put forth every effort to deceive us, even claiming that they themselves are the Christ. As ridiculous as such claims are, "they shall deceive many." This has been going on ever since that time. Even in the past few years, great tragedies have been the result of this. Among those are the Jonestown mass suicide and the Waco incident. In addition to the efforts of men to deceive, there shall be wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, etc., but we are not to be alarmed by them. They must take place, but, of themselves, they do not signal the end. Instead, they are only the beginning of sorrows. So we must keep this in mind, and not let anyone deceive and trouble us by telling us that these indicate that the end is near. History itself assures us that this message is for us, and not only for those disciples. For until the destruction of Jerusalem , and some years thereafter, there were not many nations rising against nations, because, except for a little skirmish now and then against some small rebellion, Rome ruled with comparative ease.

(Verses 9 through 14) "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end be."

Through this Jesus is still dealing with a general characterization of the age until He shall return, and showing that, instead of the world's being "converted to Christianity," as some falsely predicted, it will get worse and worse, just as the Apostle Paul told Timothy, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13). The things of which Jesus speaks in verse 9 shall be so great that many shall "fall away," and "shall betray one another, and shall hate one another." (The Greek verb "skandalidzo," in the passive voice, means "fall away," as well as "be offended.") Toward the end there shall be so many false prophets, and they shall deceive so many, that iniquity shall greatly abound, because of which "the love of many shall wax cold." It will be a very discouraging time for God's servants; "But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved." Dr. Scofield may be, at least partially correct, when he says that verse 13 has not so much in view the salvation of the soul, as the deliverance of the saints by the return of our Lord. For this seems to have been said to give assurance and encouragement to those who, in the time of this great coldness, may be badly discouraged. They are to remember that this is one of the signs that He will soon come.

Verse 14 says, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come." Notice that Jesus says, "And this gospel," not "And the gospel." The word "gospel" means "good news," or "glad tidings." At this point He may not be referring to the gospel in general being preached in all the world as much as to the declaration of this particular message, "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved," in a special manner at that time; although, certainly, He has elsewhere declared that the gospel shall be preached in every nation before the end.

(Verses 15 through 19) "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days."

Mark records this in almost the same words as does Matthew, while Luke records a little different scene, though it has some of the same details. Luke makes no reference to "the abomination of desolation," but instead points to the siege of Jerusalem by armies. This difference makes it obvious that Luke is referring only to the destruction of the temple, and Jerusalem , while Matthew and mark consider both the destruction of Jerusalem and the coming of "the beast," the "man of sin," who shall come into the temple that shall be in that day, and establish himself as the object of worship. Paul says of him, "for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2 Thess. 2:3-4). This is indeed the abomination that makes desolate, not just in the temple and Jerusalem , but in the whole world. For, as Paul continued, (2 Thess. 2:8,) "And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and destroy with the brightness of His coming." In a local sense the same conditions were prevalent leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem that shall be globally at the end of the age. It will be a time for haste in fleeing to a place of safety. If one is on the housetop, let him come down, and leave in haste: for there will be no time to worry about taking what is in the house. If he is in the field, where usually he would be dressed in only his tunic, having left his robe at the house, or some other point, intending to put it on again after finishing his work, he will not have time to go back, and get it. Women with child, or carrying infants cannot travel fast, so woe unto them. (This was said with walking as the mode of travel in view: for the disciples would not have understood anything about modern ways of travel.) This was the situation at the time of the siege of Jerusalem . Those who watched alertly, and left quickly enough were able to flee to the mountains, while those who were less alert, and waited too long were caught therein. So will it be when "the man of sin" outlaws the worship of every one and every thing but himself.

(Verses 20 through 22) "But pray that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day: for there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."

This is another passage which applies locally to the destruction of Jerusalem , and world wide to the time of the "man of sin," the end of the age. The reason for praying that one's flight not be in the winter, nor on the Sabbath day is obvious. The daylight span of a winter day is shorter, giving less time of light for traveling; and according to the law, one could travel only a very short distance on the Sabbath day. The tribulations in Jerusalem and Judaea during the siege of Jerusalem were indeed terrible, no doubt, the worst that had ever been there. The same thing will be true world-wide at the time of "the man of sin," and it is to this time the expression, "No, nor ever shall be," applies. There will never be another to equal that. It is said that Titus, for a long while, refused to let his soldiers mount an all out attack against Jerusalem, hoping that under siege the Jews would finally give up, and thus he might save the temple, since it was regarded as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. But the murders, robberies, thefts, and other violence committed by bands of Jews within the city were so great that many of the people were starving to death, and some had even turned to cannibalism, with parents eating their children.  When he was informed of this, he ended his delay, and ordered the attack. Had he delayed any longer there would have been few, if any, left alive in the city. "There should no flesh be saved." By ordering the attack, he fulfilled what Jesus said, "But for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." In like manner the terrible tribulation by the "man of sin" will be shortened by the return of our Lord, for the elect's sake.

(Verses 23 and 24) "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if (it were) possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

When these things are taking place, there shall be a great increase in the arising of false Christs, and false prophets. So we are to pay no attention to those who make such claims. Their only purpose is to deceive the elect. Some of them will have power to work great signs and wonders. One will be so great that he is referred to in Revelation as "the false prophet," as setting him above all others. As one can readily see, the translators, in making the K. J. V. of the Bible, added some words in the latter part of verse 24, those we have enclosed in brackets, which appear to change the meaning of the expression. The literal translation of this statement is, "If possible, they shall deceive even the elect." The words added by the translators, and their use of "the very elect" instead of "even the elect" have given rise to some false ideas. One is that the "very elect" are different from "the elect," and the other is that it is impossible to deceive "the very elect."  Both ideas spring from the misuse of these words, and are not supported by the scriptures. The whole idea here is not whether, or not someone can be deceived, but simply that every effort will be made to deceive them. Jesus' first words to his disciples, in this sermon, are, "Take heed that no man deceive you." If there were a difference between "the elect" and "the very elect," surely those disciples would be in the "very elect." Yet, if "the very elect" could not be deceived, Jesus was giving them an unnecessary warning when He said, "Take heed that no man deceive you;" and this He did not do.

(Verses 25 through 28) "Behold I have told you before. Wherefore if they say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together."

Our Lord calls attention to the fact that He has already warned us; and we therefore are to pay no heed when some begin to tell us that He has returned, and is in such and such place, whether the desert, or the secret chambers, or anywhere in between. He also points out another reason why it is foolish to listen to such reports. This is that when He does come, there will not be time enough to tell anyone about it: for His coming will be "as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west." Since the speed of light is three hundred million meters per second, almost fast enough to go around the world seven times in one second, even with our modern fast means of communication, no message could be sent anywhere. His coming will be instantaneous.

Verse 28 seems somewhat obscure when considered in its present context. Men have given interpretations of it, varying from that of its being a reference to the standards of the Roman army, topped by images of eagles, to that of the eagles representing a special class of God's elect. Some have said the meaning is that just as surely as the eagles, or vultures, gather around a dead carcase, the judgments of God shall be sent forth against sin, and in this context, perhaps, that may well be its use. Luke records this expression used in a somewhat different context, but concerning events in the same time frame. He sets it as the answer Jesus gives to a question the disciples asked the Lord immediately after what He told them in verses 37 through 41 of this chapter. It may well be possible that in the original Matthew's writing put this in the same context as did Luke; and by human error of some scribe in making copies of manuscripts before they came to those who made our translation, portions of texts got moved around. If so then its meaning should be the same as in Luke 17:37. At that point Jesus had just told His disciples how that when He returns, some will be taken and others left. His disciples asked "Where Lord?" that is, where will they be taken? To this question His answer was "Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." The metaphor is that, just as eagles, (or vultures,) which feed upon the flesh and blood of a body, or carcase, will be gathered wherever it is, so the saints, who depend for spiritual sustenance upon the flesh and blood of Jesus, will be gathered to Him, wherever He is. See John 6:53-58, where Jesus explains our dependence upon His flesh and blood.

(Verses 29 through 31) "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

Here is evidence that those things we have just covered in this chapter belong more to the end of the gospel age than to the end of the Jewish economy in the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem . There was a time of darkness at the crucifixion of our Lord, but this was nearly forty years before the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. The darkness prophesied here is to take place "immediately after the tribulation of those days." So "those days" cannot be the time of Jerusalem 's fall. When Jesus says, "The powers of heaven shall be shaken", it is not to be thought that this could mean God's power shall be shaken. Paul speaks of the governments of the nations as being ordained of God, which would make them be "the powers of heaven" in that they are authorized of God, and recognized by the heavens. Also, since "the heavens" usually refers not to heaven, the throne of God, but to the atmospheric heavens and "the firmament" in which are the sun, moon, stars, planets, etc., it can mean a shaking of the powers exerted upon the earth by them. It is a scientific fact that the moon to some extent controls the ocean tides. There may be many other things affected by the magnetic influences of the heavenly bodies. These influences could well be shaken. "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven." The mark that announces His coming as being at hand, will appear in the heavens. When it does, all tribes of the earth shall mourn. Far from being "Joy to the world," it will be great sorrow and mourning to every tribe of the earth: for just as our Lord has redeemed us from every nation, and kindred, and tongue, there are also in every tribe some who are not redeemed. They are the ones who shall mourn, when they see Him coming in the clouds with great glory. Since in this verse no rejoicing is mentioned, only mourning, it is evident that there is a difference between this event and that of verse 31: for surely His elect will rejoice when they are gathered from the four winds. No insistence is here made that the event of verse 31 has to follow that of verse 30, since He does not say, "Then shall." And in the light of other scriptures, particularly Paul's two letters to the Thessalonians, it appears that the event of verse 31 actually comes chronologically before that of verse 29.

(Verses 32 through 36) "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Compare Mark 13:28 -32 and Luke 21: 29-33.

Anyone familiar with fig trees knows that when they begin to bud and put forth leaves, it is not summer. In fact tender leaves on fig trees often get bitten by the frost: but Jesus said, "When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh," and so it is. It is not here yet, but it soon will be. Just as this is a sure sign of the approach of summer, the fulfilling of all these things is a sure sign of the approach of His coming in judgment on this world. Ever since He spoke these things, people have seen a few of these things fulfilled in some locality of the world, and immediately started prophesying that His coming is imminent.  We should, however, notice what He said, "When ye shall see ALL THESE THINGS, know that it is near, even at the doors." Without repeating all He has said is to come to pass, let us look at only the last one mentioned, "And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Compare this with 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.  When this is done, the stage will be set for His coming in judgment, though, as Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10, there will yet be a little space in which the wickedness of "the man of sin" will fully develop.  There have been two primary schools of thought concerning verse 34, with neither of them considering the fundamental meaning of the Greek word "genea," translated "generation." Although it can mean "people of a particular time," its primary meaning is "people of similar characteristics," such as a race, or family of people. Because of failure to consider this, some have tried to apply everything Jesus told His disciples at this time to the impending destruction of Jerusalem, considering "generation" as meaning "people of this particular time," and thinking that all these things had to be fulfilled during the lifetime of these to whom He spoke.  However, when used in this manner, "a generation" is usually counted as about twenty years; and it was about thirty-seven years from the time of this address to that of the destruction of Jerusalem, almost two generations, by that method of calculation. The other prevalent idea is that, holding to that same definition of the phrase, "this generation" means that these things, though applicable to the second coming of our Lord, must be fulfilled within twenty years of the time they begin to come to pass. By considering this in its primary meaning, we are brought to this thought.  He is speaking of the "generation" or "family" of the Jews; and they will not pass away until all these things are fulfilled.  This agrees with both prophecy and history.  Although Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Jews broken and scattered approximately nineteen hundred, twenty-three years ago, God has to this day preserved the Jew as a Jew. Many places in scripture declare that God will in the last days restore the Jews to Jerusalem . So why hunt any other meaning for the phrase? In verse 35, Jesus says, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away." The Apostle Peter bears witness to this in 2 Peter 3:8-13. With all the signs He has given, and the instructions He has delivered concerning His return, Jesus still says, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only." In spite of this solemn declaration, from time to time, someone will predict the coming of our Lord at some particular date, with some even giving the hour of the day: and foolish ones will believe them.

(Verses 37 through 41) "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."

A comparison of this with Luke 17:26-37 will show that there is a strong possibility that some time between Matthew's original writing and the 1611 translation we now use, some scribe may inadvertently have omitted the question asked by the disciples, and, somehow its answer got transferred to its present position in Matthew's record: for it is obvious that both records are dealing with the same matter.

The present passage is dealing with the coming of Jesus in judgment. This is clearly signified by two things: first, by His likening it to the time of the flood, and, in Luke's account, to the destruction of Sodom ; and second, by His change of the personal pronoun. He no longer says, "Ye," but "they." What so clearly stands out in this is the total absorption of the interest of the wicked in that day with the satisfaction of their sensuous appetites. They will be so fully involved in "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage," great feasts and weddings, which will be the occasions for all manner of excess. And just as those in the days of Noah did not even notice when Noah entered the ark, the place God had designed for his safety, so will these not notice when God does what He has said in verse 31, and explains in verses 40 and 41. Just as the first thing the wicked in Noah's day knew was, The flood came and took them all away, so will it be with the wicked in that day. Their first awareness will be, as they see Him coming in the clouds with great glory. Then indeed shall be mourning of every tribe, as judgment comes upon them.

(Verses 42 through 44) "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord will come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and not suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."

We are all aware that when a statement is introduced by "therefore," what has gone before is the reason for that statement, and the foundation upon which its substance is based. Since His return is of such tremendous importance to us, and "no man, no, not the angels of heaven" knows when it will be, He commands us to watch for it. There is a double lesson in the illustration of the householder and the thief. The first lesson is that though he did not know when the thief would come, had he watched, he could have prevented the break-in. The other is that we, like the householder, may think that since we do not know when He is coming, there is no need to watch for Him. That is exactly what He warns us about, saying, "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." The very time we tire of watching, and let down our guard may be the time of His coming. So there is no time for that. The most foolish idea ever presented concerning this is that "the coming of the Son of man," as used here refers not to His coming at the end of the gospel age, but to His daily appraisal of our service to Him. Had this been His meaning, this would not have been said in sequel to that which precedes it, nor would it have been linked to it by "therefore."

(Verses 45 through 47) "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord has made ruler over His household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, He shall make him ruler over all His goods."

Verse 45 seems to have special reference to gospel ministers, though it may not be fully restricted to them. This servant is made ruler over the other servants of the household, not in the sense of having gubernatorial, or legislative powers over them; but "to give them meat in due season." That is, it is his function to feed them as it is the minister's function to "feed the flock of God." When the Lord shall return, if this servant is found faithful to his post and his duty, teaching the way of God in truth, and admonishing the flock to always be alert, his Lord "will make him ruler over all His goods." Again, this does not mean giving him gubernatorial powers, but is to be understood as the Apostle Paul says, "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

(Verses 48 through 51) "But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth His coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Just as verses 45 through 47 are primarily concerned with a "faithful and wise" gospel minister, called of God and kept by His "power through faith," as the apostle Peter says, (1 Peter 1:5,) so these verses deal with a false teacher, "that evil servant," who having established himself as a servant of God, has done "according to the true proverb, ‘The dog has turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.’" He has no concern for those whom he is supposed to be feeding, but is completely engrossed in satisfying his sensual appetites, just as were the wicked of whom our Lord spoke in verses 38 and 39, and shall receive the same judgment as they. The Greek word translated "cut asunder," literally means "cleave into two parts." Its literal meaning would hardly be compatible with the remainder of the statement, so it seems best to consider its meaning to be that He will cleave him in the sense of separating him from that he has claimed to be. Having done this He will appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; and looking back to Chapter 23, verses 29 through 33, we find the portion of the hypocrite to be "the damnation of hell," from which there is no escape. "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth;" weeping because the evil servant is thwarted in what he has tried to do, and gnashing of teeth because he is still angry against the Lord.

Chapter 25

This chapter consists of two parables, and a judgment scene, all three of which have been the center of much controversy among men as to their meaning. The first parable takes up the first thirteen verses; the second begins with verse 14 and runs through verse 30; and the judgment scene takes up the remainder of the chapter. We shall not attempt to copy verse by verse for comment, but shall try to concentrate on the key portions of each subject.

The "Parable Of The Ten Virgins" is the first portion of the chapter, and before making any other comment concerning it, there are two things which should be noticed. First, notice should be given to the introduction of this parable, "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like unto ten virgins." All other parables of the kingdom of heaven begin, "The kingdom of heaven IS like unto," or some similar expression, signifying that it is presently thus; but this one indicates that it is not thus now, but will be thus at a particular time in the future, "then." Since this is just a continuation of those things already said in Chapter 24, "Then" has to refer to the time previously indicated, which is the return of our Lord in glory. The whole parable agrees with this, because the marriage will not be celebrated until His return. While the waiting of these in the parable might indicate the entire time from when this was spoken until the coming of our Lord in glory, the important events of it take place only at the end of that period, just as is the case with all He has spoken previously. At the time of those events will the kingdom be like this parable, and not before. The next thing to claim our attention is the Greek word "parthenos," which does sometimes mean a "virgin," but it can also mean a "girl of marriageable age," or even a "young married woman." There was to be a marriage, and these young ladies wanted to attend it, and were waiting for the bridegroom to come, that they might all go in together to the marriage. There were ten of these "virgins." Five were wise, and five were foolish. The foolish ones took their lamps, but "took no oil with them." That is, there was no oil in their lamps. This indicates that they never had any oil in their lamps. This we must keep in mind as we consider the remainder of the parable. "The wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps." This does not mean that they had extra vessels in which to carry oil with which to re-supply their lamps, in the event they should go out.  The lamp actually consisted of simply a wick, which is called the "lamp," and was set in a vessel, into which oil was to be put. These are the "vessels with their lamps." The wick and the vessel for oil were not so well fastened together as were the old kerosene lamps we used when we were children.  After they had all slept for a while, they were awakened at midnight by the cry, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." All the young ladies awoke, and begin to trim their lamps. (From experience we remember that it was sometimes necessary to trim the wicks even of the kerosene lamps we used to have.) The foolish ones, when they trimmed their lamps, said to the wise, "Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out." Anyone who has ever had any experience with even the kerosene lamps we used when children knows that, since they never had any oil in their lamps, their lamps did not go out; they never did burn. One cannot light an empty lamp. The significance here is: the empty lamp is the symbol of an empty profession of faith, devoid of the Spirit of God. For in scriptural symbolism, oil always represents the Spirit. Where the Spirit is absent, there can be no light. Some seem to think that, because the foolish ones said, "Our lamps are gone out," they had to have been burning before they could go out. This might carry some weight except for the fact that what a foolish person says is not necessarily the truth, and their testimony is the only shred of evidence that can be mustered in support of their lamps ever having burned. Some even object to this on the grounds that the wise told the foolish, "Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves." They were perfectly right in saying, "Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you," because we cannot impart the Spirit to another: we have neither the power to do so, nor a sufficient supply for so doing. As to their going "to them that sell, and buy for yourselves," those who without the Spirit are claiming to serve the Lord, are going under this very doctrine, that they can by their own righteousness purchase their own salvation. Why should they not be directed to continue therein at the end? Revelation 22: 11 says, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." It will do him no good to try to change then. These foolish ones "went to buy," but nothing is said about their actually buying any oil, although they did come back, and ask that the door be opened for them: for while they were gone, the bridegroom came, he and the five wise went in to the marriage, "and the door was shut." When the foolish came back, asking that the door be opened for them, the answer was, "Verily I say unto you, I know you not." This parable is the same as the last part of the "Net Parable" told with different symbols, and with different words, "Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away."

We next consider the Parable of The Talents in verses fourteen through thirty. This parable is the story of a man who left his servants in charge of various amounts of his wealth: "Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability." This last phrase is what seems to trip up many. They argue that, "Since he divided the wealth among them according to their several abilities, this man who received the one talent was just as able to use it as was the one who received the five talents to use the five, and because of this, he has to be `a child of God'." What they seem to overlook is that every creature in this world, animate and inanimate, is a servant of God, though not a "child of God." Wicked men are His most "wicked and slothful," and, in the end are judged His most "unprofitable servants" of all. They are the tares that grow among the wheat, and are not rooted up until the end of the world. Even the wicked have the ability to do things, which though not from a good heart, and therefore not "good fruit," would still be beneficial to themselves and others, and which would result in a better community, nation, and world; and according to our Lord Himself might bring upon them a more tolerable day of judgment. (Matthew 11:21-24). Their problem is, They have no will to do such. Having delivered this wealth to his servants, the man went into a far country. This is the situation of the kingdom of God today. The King has gone to a far country.

In the parable, when the lord of these servants returned, he called his servants to account for their use of that which he had committed to them. Both the man who received the five talents, and he who had received the two, had "traded with them," that is, they put them to work. Amazingly, each had exactly doubled the value of that he had received in the beginning. This brought to each of them the same reward. "His lord said unto him, well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

When the lord of these servants comes to the one who received the one talent, there is a totally different picture. This servant says to him, "I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine." Notice the accusation this servant made against his master. It is, essentially, "I knew that you were dishonest, and took that which did not belong to you. So I hid your money in the earth. Here it is, and that is all you deserve." Can anyone seriously think that one of the Lord's saints could make such an accusation against Him? Such an idea is utterly ridiculous. This servant can represent no other than the "evil servant" of Chapter 24, verses 48 through 51.

The lord of this servant answered him thus, "Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knowest that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not strawed. Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury." In Luke's recording of this, he tells us that the master here introduced this answer with, "Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee _ _ _," indicating that the servant was not only wicked and slothful, but a liar also: for if he had really been afraid, he should have, at least, invested the money with the exchangers so that it would have earned interest.

Verses 28 through 30 are what the master said to other servants, "Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath the ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Should any wonder how that which a man does not have can be taken from him, perhaps, Luke's recording of an incident of Jesus' use of almost the same words may shed a little light. "Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have." In the present use of it one might think of it as being, "From him shall be taken that of which he hath not made use." Repeatedly Jesus makes use of the saying, "There shall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth," and it always pertains to the wicked when judgment is meted out to them.

Beginning in verse 31 and continuing to the end of the chapter we have the description of a judgment. Learned men have argued much about just what position this judgment occupies in the overall picture of the end of the age, but one thing is absolutely sure: its decrees are final and eternal.

It is obvious that this judgment is not at the time of the resurrection of the righteous, "the resurrection of life," nor at the time of the Great White Throne Judgment, "the resurrection of damnation." In neither of these judgments is there anything said about separating the righteous from the wicked: for in the former, none but the righteous will be raised (See 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-17 and Revelation 20: 1-6); and in the latter, none but the wicked (See Revelation 20:11- 15). In addition to this, those in the judgment here described are not resurrected persons, but "all nations," or all "Gentiles' then living on earth. The Greek word "ethne," here translated "nations," is the same that is elsewhere translated "Gentiles." This judgment will take place "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him." It will, no doubt, take place after the rapture of the church, (1 Thess. 4:13-17,) and at the end of the tribulation period, the "time of Jacob's trouble." At this time the Son of man shall "sit upon the throne of His glory." There will be before Him all the "Gentiles" then living on earth, for nothing is said about anyone's being resurrected at this time. In this judgment, the Judge Himself will without having to consult any "books" separate these Gentiles according to His own wisdom, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats. A shepherd can, by simply looking over a flock, distinguish the sheep from the goats. It will be that easy for this Judge to separate and divide this multitude. With them divided into two groups, "the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left," The Judge, who is also the King will pronounce sentence. To those on His right hand He will say, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Before continuing this discussion, let us notice this. If verses 35 and 36 concluded the matter with these on His right hand, we might be tempted to think that their works were the cause of their being blessed of the Father, and thus given such a wonderful decree. But when we look at verses 37 through 40, we see the reverse is true. The blessing bestowed upon them by the Father is the cause of the good works mentioned by the Judge. They were not even aware of having done them. So their salvation is by the grace of God, and is only evidenced by their good works. As Jesus said, (Mat. 12:33 ,) "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for a tree is known by his fruit." Without quoting all the good works with which these on His right hand are credited, let us notice how the King says they have done them. "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." Indeed this principle governs even now, but it has a special application in the days of the great tribulation; and at that time, the phrase "My brethren" refers to the Jews of that period. Having given to these the sentence of life and joy, the King turns to those on the left hand.

To them He says, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." He continues His statement to these, naming exactly the same works done by those on His right hand, but left undone by these. Again the same principle holds for these as for those. Their works, or their lack of them is not the cause of their righteousness or unrighteousness; but the evidence thereof. These no more knew when they had failed to do these works for the King than did those know when they had done them. He gives to them a similar answer: "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me." The conclusion of this matter is, "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." Both decrees are final, and eternal. There is no appeal, and there will be no end of the sentence.