ter, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disci- 25 ple 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 26 therefore. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you 27 in darkness, that speak ye in light; and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the house-tops. And fear not them 23 mind them that they need expect no better fate for themselves than their Master suffered. They should not repine under their trials, for their Lord had already endured the same or greater. John xv. 20. Similar language is also used for other purposes. Luke vi. 40; John xiii. 16. 25. It is enough for the disciple, &c. The disciple must be contented to suffer the same hardships and persecutions as his Master. Beelzebub. To escape the necessity of acknowledging his divine authority, and yet being unable to deny the fact of Christ's miracles, the Scribes and Pharisees imputed them to the agency of evil spirits. "He casteth out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils." Matt. xii. 24, 27. The meaning of the name is lord of flies, or lord of filth. 2 Kings i. 2, 16. He is called the god of Ekron. The inhabitants of that region appear to have worshipped him as a protector from the insects which ravaged their land. "He is never called a devil, or represented as a fallen angel." Little is known, however, of the connexion between the term as used in the Old Testament and in the New. It is sufficient to understand, that it was a term of the deepest insult and scorn which Jewish hatred could devise to heap upon the head of Jesus. And the disciples could expect no milder treatment than their Master had received. 26-33. See Luke xii. 2-9. 26. Therefore. Better, nevertheless, fear them not. - For there is, &c. The reason why they were not to fear contempt and persecution was, that the truth was great, and would prevail; Christianity would gloriously triumph, and their course of conduct would be justified in the eyes of all mankind; and when the secrets of all hearts were revealed, they would be recompensed with eternal life for all they had labored and suffered on earth. Eccles. xii. 14; 1 Cor. iv. 5. 27. What I tell you in darkness, &c. The instructions I give you in private are to be publicly proclaimed. What I teach you in obscurity is to go forth in light and glory, and fill the earth. Jesus had not one doctrine for the initiated, and another for the ignorant, like the priests and philosophers of old, but his teachings were alike intended for all conditions of men. -- What ye hear in the ear, &c. This is thought to refer to a Jewish custom. The doctors of the law had interpreters, who received what they said by its being whispered in the ear, and then made it public to the audience. - House-tops. The houses of the east had flat roofs, which in mild weather were much frequented at certain hours of the day. The minister of the synagogue, according to Lightfoot, gave notice of the coming of the Sabbath by sounding with a trumpet six times 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. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them 30 shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the 31 very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not there32 fore; ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also 33 before my Father, which is in heaven. But whosoever shall from a high house-top. Among the Turks the hour of prayer is similarly announced by a crier. The phrase denotes, therefore, that what was spoken secretly should be proclaimed in the most public man ner. 28. While you are thus conspicuously preaching, fear not, Jesus says, human scoffers and persecutors; rather stand in awe before Him who is not only master of our present, but also of our eternal destiny, and who can punish in the severest manner not only body, but soul, in the future world. Let the fear of him conquer all other fears. The disciples would be tempted by temporal hopes and apprehensions, but these were to be subdued by motives drawn from God and eternity. 29. Farthing. Equal to about seven mills of our currency. One of them, &c. Two sparrows were worth but a farthing, and not one of those creatures, thus cheap in the eyes of men, was neglected by the kind Creator. The beautiful argument is, If God takes such interest and care of the least of birds, how much more will he guard his dear child, man. Without your Father. Without his oversight and permission. "Not one of them is forgotten before God." 30. Another illustration of the minuteness of the Divine Providence. God's care extends, as well as his knowledge, to the smallest VOL. I. 13 31. Matt. vi. 26. Since the Divine Being provides ́ for animals, much more will he for his moral creatures, made in his likeness, useful in advancing his designs, and destined to rise and improve for ever. Watching over the sparrow, he is pledged not to neglect man. Such considerations were eminently fitted to soothe and cheer the disciples of Jesus in their approaching trials; and they are equally adapted now to comfort the lonely and suffering, and strengthen all our hearts for the dangers and trials of life. 32. This verse is connected with the 27th. The intervening portion consists of encouragements to the persecuted. What Jesus taught his disciples privately, they were to preach in the most public manner. They were to acknowledge themselves his followers openly, before the world. In every scene, and every act, Christ may be confessed. We are to manifest everywhere that we are his disciples, by obeying his commandments and breathing his spirit. In the church, in the family, in the scenes of business, in the festival, and at the funeral, we are to show ourselves Christians, by deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father, which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace 34 on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am 35 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 36 trusting, following, loving, imitating our blessed Master. Thus confessing him to be our Saviour before men, we are assured that he will acknowledge us as his disciples in the presence of God, and in the realms of the blest. 33. But on the other hand, if his disciples did not adhere to him through evil report and through good report, if they denied him, he would of course not acknowledge them to be his followers, unless, like Peter, they repented again, and professed to be his disciples. The declaration in these two verses served to animate and warn his followers and others at that time, and they are not less applicable now. If we confess Christ before men, he will confess us before his Father and our Father. If we deny him before men, he will deny us before God and all good beings. Let the promise cheer us, and the admonition warn us. 66 34. Think not that I am come, &c. The effect of the coming of our Lord is here put, by a strong figure of speech, for the object or purpose of that coming. It certainly never was the direct aim of Jesus to send strife into families or communities. His intentions were pacific. His birth-song was, On earth peace." But it would be the unavoidable result of his coming and the gradual spread of his religion in the face of a sinful world, to stir up opposition, hatred, and party spirit. The Gospel would divide men into sects before it would finish its work and produce a state of union. Severe diseases need powerful remedies. As the world was deeply corrupted, the purifying fire, Matt. iii. 11, Luke xii. 49, and the separating sword of the Spirit, must go forth to purge the earth and cut off its abominations before there could be a reign of peace. There can be no peace, until the conditions of peace are complied with. This prophecy of Jesus has been fulfilled on every page of ecclesiastical history, and is now fulfilling. I came not to send peace, but a sword, i. e. shall send a sword, rather than peace. The consequences temporarily of my advent will be as warlike as if I had come on purpose to produce dissension. But those consequences are not chargeable to religion, but to the prejudices and passions of men. In the end, Christianity produces peace in the soul, peace in the world, peace towards God. 35. Micah vii. 6; I am come to set, i. e. the temporary effect of my coming will be to set the nearest relatives at variance with one another. As all cannot think alike and feel alike, as there will be some faithful to the injunctions, and others not so, there will inevitably arise ill-will, contention, treachery, and persecution, even amongst famlies and between friends. But the Apostles were not to be terrified when they beheld the engine of division at work, for they had been forewarned what to expect. 36. The ordinary law of enmities would be reversed. Foes would spring up in the bosom of the fami 37 household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more 38 than me is not worthy of me; and he that taketh not his cross, 39 and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake 40 shall find it. He that receiveth you receiveth me; and he that 41 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. ly itself, more bitter and treacherous than strangers. See verse 21. 37. But a caution is added, that they should not be deterred from religion by these feuds and divisions. They were to triumph over private feelings, over the partialities of friendship and relationship, in espousing the cause of truth. Nothing was to stand in the way of their becoming followers of Christ. The cause of God should be dearer than peace purchased by ease and indifference. Father, mother, brother, sister, wife, child, are dear ties all, but there are even holier than these, a Heavenly Father, a Divine Brother. Is not worthy of me. Is not entitled to be called my disciple. "He who could not rise above the strongest ties of kindred and affection, and surrender all relatives and friends for the sake of the Gospel, was not fit to be its advocate." 38. Taketh not his cross, and followeth after me. Here is a distant allusion, perhaps, to the manner of Christ's death on that instrument. It was the custom for the criminal to carry his own cross to the place of execution. So did Jesus Christ. It has been said, that what was usually carried by the doomed was not the whole cross, but the piece put at right angles near the top. This was a refinement of cruelty and disgrace, to compel the individ ual to bear the instrument of his own torture. Jesus signifies in this vivid manner that his followers were to be daunted by no hardships and dangers, but to be fearless in their profession of his religion, even in the prospect of exquisite suffering and death. And many did follow their Master to the cross and the stake, and died in vindication of his holy Gospel. 39. The word life is used in this verse in two senses, as the word dead is in Matt. viii. 22. The meaning is, that he who preserves his earthly life by base compliances will lose his spiritual one, and that he, who, faithful to duty and religion, undergoes suffering and death, will secure spiritual and eternal life. The renunciation of self, of life, of this world, in the cause of religion, will secure life everlasting. 40. But in the midst of difficulty and discouragement, they would have the satisfaction of meeting with some good men who would receive them, and in receiving them would receive the Gospel of God and his Messiah. Respect to the ambassador is respect to the sovereign who sends him. 41. Prophet. Used here in the sense of a public teacher of religion.-Righteous man. A private Christian. Those, who, in times of peril, hospitably entertained the And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones 42 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. CHAPTER XI. The Testimony of Jesus respecting himself and John the Baptist, and his Rebuke of the impenitent Jews. AND it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence, to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, 2 he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him: Art thou he that 3 persecuted, would be entitled to equal rewards in the sight of God with their guests. — In the name of. In the character of; to receive as a prophet, as a righteous man, i. e. treating them kindly on that ac count. 42. These little ones. As if he had said, My children. A phrase of endearment; or perhaps one of humility, signifying his lowly, obscure disciples. A cup of cold water only, i. e. the smallest office of kindness and hospitality. - He shall in no wise lose his reward. If so slight a favor was done to a person because he was a disciple of Jesus, it would show an interest in religion, and would not, therefore, go unrewarded. The value of human actions consists in the motive with which they are performed. The least deed, if performed in reference to the will of God, under a sense of duty, is more honorable and more rewarded, than the greatest, done with selfish views. end of commanding. Had finished giving his instructions. Thence. He was now in the vicinity of Capernaum. Thence he went forth to teach and to preach, to instruct privately and publicly, in their cities, i. e. in the cities of Galilee. We see that our Master imposes no duties on his disciples which he does not readily undertake himself. He enforced his injunctions by his own example; a model worthy of imitation by all who instruct or command others, whether parents, or teachers, or ministers, or rulers. 2-19. See Luke vii. 18-35. 2. John had heard. By means of his disciples, Luke vii. 18. — In the prison. Rather, in prison. John had been thrown into prison in the fortress of Macharus, which was a short distance northeast of the Dead Sea. See Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews, B. 18, chap. 5, sec. 2. The cause of this act of Herod Antipas was the freedom with which John reproved him for marrying his brother's wife unlawfully. See Matt. xiv. 3, 4. The works of Christ. These stood out prominently to public notice, and awakened the wonder of multitudes. They were even borne to the dungeon of John. He sent two of his disciples. His disciples still ad |