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hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

45 Again: The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman, seeking goodly pearls;

46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

47 Again: The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

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of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just:

50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is a householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. 53 And it came

48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. to pass, 49 So shall it be at the end that when Jesus had finished

They are preferable to all other objects of regard. Nothing should be allowed to stand in the way of our acquiring them. All things else ought to be sacrificed for their sake.

45, 46. The same thought is enforced in these verses as in the preceding. Every thing ought to be given up rather than not to acquire the blessings which the Saviour proposes.

47-50. The object of the similitude in these verses is substantially the same as in verses 37-43; namely, the Messiah's dispensation has principal respect to men's condition in another world; and the blessings which he bestows will be given to the truly righteous, while the wicked will be condemned to misery. Under the dispensation of the Messiah on earth, the good and the bad are mingled together in society; but there will be a separation according to the character of each. The parable here, it will be perceived, occupies vs. 47, 48; the Saviour explains it in vs. 49, 50.

52. Every scribe. A scribe among

the Jews was a person skilled in the Jewish law, and thus qualified to be a religious teacher. The Saviour used the word here in the general sense of religious teacher, with principal reference to those instructed by himself. || Instructed unto the kingdom of heaven; taught in respect to the Messiah's dispensation, or, as we say, the gospel, the religion introduced by the Saviour. | Householder; head of a family. || Things new and old. The Saviour compared a religious teacher to a head of a family. The head of a family provides for the wants of the family, and those wants require various articles of food, for instance, new articles as well as old, served up according as the welfare of the family shall demand. So the religious teacher, appointed and qualified to promote the spiritual welfare of men, should communicate instruction on the various topics connected with_religious improvement, and adapted to their various states as to subject and manner of teaching. There should be a mixture of new thoughts and old ones; common topics ought to be

these parables, he departed not all with us? Whence then thence. hath this man all these things?!

54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56 And his sisters, are they

treated, sometimes in this way and sometimes in that; and without any affectation of novelty or originality, unusual subjects should sometimes be presented, and variety be sought in order to impress the mind with whatever truths may appear to be demanded by the spiritual welfare of the people.

54. His own country; more strictly, the town in which he was brought up, Nazareth. He taught them in their synagogue. Mark informs us (6: 2) that this occurred on the Sabbath.

55. Carpenter's son. Mark says (6:3), Is not this the carpenter? Jesus probably wrought at the occupation of his reputed father, Joseph. || His

brethren. See on 1: 25.

56. Whence then, &c. Such uncommon powers as he manifested proved him to be no common person. And yet such was the family to which he belonged, and such the outward circumstances of himself, that they knew not how to account for his being so intelligent, and endowed with such ability for "mighty works."

57. They were offended in him. To be offended in respect to any one, is, in scriptural use, to be induced to do wrong in respect to him, to commit sin in reference to him, to reject him. In him means in respect to him. The inhabitants of Nazareth, by reason of the low state of Jesus' family, and

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2 And said unto his servants, | sake, his brother Philip's wife. This is John the Baptist; he is 4 For John said unto him, risen from the dead; and there- It is not lawful for thee to have fore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.

3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias'

Great, and own brother to Archelaus. 2: 22. After the death of his father, he was appointed to the government of Galilee and Perea, that is, the southern part of the country on the east of the Jordan. He had the title of tetrarch. Luke 3: 1, 19. 9:7. This word originally meant a ruler of a fourth purt, of a kingdom, for instance; but it had lost its original signification, and was applied, as occasion required, like any other general name of office. On account of Herod's being a ruler, the name king is also applied to him in the 9th verse, and in Mark 6: 14.

2. His servants. A king's officers and courtiers are sometimes called his servants. This is John the Baptist. Herod had a great respect for John the Baptist, as an eminently holy man. See Mark 6: 20. But in an evil hour he had ordered him to be put to death. His conscience, doubtless, made him ever after uneasy; and the reports which he now heard respecting Jesus as an eminent religious teacher, and as performing signal miracles, brought his crime afresh to remembrance. There were prevalent, also, among the Jews, some vague opinions concerning the resurrection of some distinguished prophets, in order to assist in the establishment of the Messiah's reign. These opinions seem to have excited in his mind the thought that John had been raised from the dead, and that he was now endued with greater power than before. Compare Mark 6: 14-16. Luke 9: 7-9.

3. Matthew having alluded to the death of John the Baptist, which had taken place some time before, but which he had not yet mentioned, proceeded to relate the circumstances attending that event. Put him in

her.

5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

prison. Josephus, the Jewish historian, relates that John was imprisoned in the castle of Machaerus, a town in Perea, the southern part of the region east of the Jordan. || For Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. The Philip here mentioned was not the tetrarch of Iturea, mentioned by Luke (3:1), but another person, an obscure son of Herod the Great, who was in private life, having been disinherited by his father. He is also named Herod by Josephus. Herodias was a granddaughter of Herod the Great, and was married to her uncle Philip. She was afterwards induced to abandon Philip and become the wife of his brother, Herod Antipas. To prepare the way for this illegal marriage, Herod the tetrarch divorced his former wife, who was a daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia Petrea. Thus there was an unusual complication of guilt in this transaction. Besides the consequences here related by Matthew, a bloody war was also provoked between Herod and Aretas.

4. It is not lawful. John had not scrupled to declare Herod's conduct as guilty. It is possible that Herod, after he had accomplished his designs, consulted John with reference to the marriage, so as to obtain some favorable remark from him that might avail to prevent the censures of the people. In some way, it happened that John had occasion to express an opinion as to the lawfulness of Herod's proceedings.

5. When he would have put him to death; when, or though, he desired to put him to death. He feared the multitude. He had reason to apprehend, from the reverence which the people cherished for John, that they

6 But when Herod's birth- and them which sat with him at day was kept, the daughter of meat, he commanded it to be Herodias danced before them, given her. and pleased Herod.

7 Whereupon he promised, with an oath, to give her whatsoever she would ask.

8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.

9 And the king was sorry: nevertheless, for the oath's sake,

might be excited to seditious movements, if violence was exercised towards him.

6. The daughter of Herodias; Salome, the daughter of Philip and Herodias.

7. Whatsoever she would ask. Mark (6:23) adds, even to the half of my kingdom.

8. Before instructed of her mother. Mark relates, that she went out and inquired of her mother what she should ask. || A_charger; a dish, a platter. | John Baptist's. This manner of expression seems to imply that these two words were the name of John. The words should have been rendered John the Baptist; just as they are in 11: 11.

9. For the oath's sake. His oath, however, was a rash one, and surely ought not to have been regarded, when it was leading to murder. Nor did Herod anticipate so unreasonable a request. Yet, as he had given his word, his honor was committed, and his guests doubtless contributed their influence to procure a compliance with the demand. An undue regard for them, as well as a false sense of honor, hardened him, so that he gave the unjustifiable order. So TRUE it is, that the fear of man bringeth a snare. Prov. 29: 25.

10. And he sent. Mark says (6: 27), he sent immediately. The whole account implies that the order was immediately executed. This leads to the belief, that Herod was holding

10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.

11 And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.

12 And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

this entertainment, not in Galilee, but in the town of Machaerus. It was customary for rulers to have palaces in different parts of their country for temporary residence.

11. No one can fail to be struck with the appearance of coarseness and cruelty exhibited in this verse, so contrary to female delicacy.

TOPICS FOR REFLECTION. 1. No tice the progress of sin. Herod and Herodias became at length stained with innocent blood.

2. Notice the intoxicating nature of worldly amusements. Feasting and dancing led the way to the murder of John.

3. When the fear of man rules, to the exclusion of the fear of God, we have no safeguard against crime. While the fear of man may, in some circumstances, keep us from certain crimes (v. 5), it may, in other circumstances, lead us to those very crimes. v. 10.

4. Outward refinement is consistent with the most unbecoming inward coarseness and cruelty.

5. Nothing gives such true purity and elevation to the character as does religion.

12. His disciples; John's disciples. Compare 11: 2. || Told Jesus. They knew he would sympathize with them, and that he had a high esteem for John. Mark (6: 21-29) gives the parallel passage.

13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place, apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.

14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may

go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

18 He said, Bring them hither to me.

19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to

named Julias) on the east of the sea,
as well as one on the west. Jesus
went "by ship," in a boat.
A great
concourse went "on foot." || Into a
desert place; a thinly-settled place.
See on 3: 1.

14. Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude. By comparing John 6:3-5, it will appear, that Jesus had retired with his disciples to a mountain; and afterwards, he turned his attention to the multitude.

17. Loaves. The bread used in Palestine did not correspond to our loaves. The word cakes, or biscuits, would agree better with the kind of bread. These cakes were made round, "and were nine or ten inches in diameter. The unleavened cakes were not thicker than a knife, but the leavened were as thick as a man s little finger. The bread was not cut with a knife, but broken."

13. He departed thence. This is here stated in immediate connection with Jesus' having heard of John's being put to death. Jesus may have thought it prudent to retire awhile from public notice, lest the common people, excited by the murder of John, might make commotion against Herod, and tumultuously set up himself as their king. The mass of the people were doubtless ready for any such movement. They understood not the true nature of Jesus' object; and Jesus carefully avoided giving them any occasion for making civil disturbances. If this was one reason for Jesus' retiring at this time, Mark (6:30, 31) suggests still another. A comparison of the passage just mentioned, and of Luke 9: 10, with the one under consideration, shows, that just at this time, the twelve apostles returned from their mission (10: 5); and Jesus wished to take them 19. To sit down. The word in the aside with himself for obtaining sea-original signifies to recline, in conformsonable rest from their labors, and ity with the custom then prevalent of doubtless for further instruction and placing the body in a recumbent posspiritual improvement. A comparison ture, when about to take a meal. of this passage in Matthew with John From Luke 9: 14, 15, we learn that 6: 1, shows, that Jesus retired to the the people were arranged in compaeastern shore of lake Tiberias, that is, nies of fifty; Mark says more particuthe sea of Galilee. From Luke, also larly (6: 40), they were arranged in (9: 10), we learn more particularly that companies, some of fifty and some of he went to the vicinity of Bethsaida. a hundred. He blessed; he blessed There was a town of this name (also God for the food.

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