Reconciliation enjoined. CHAPTER V. Reconciliation enjoined. A. D. 31. Α. Μ. 4035. 23 Therefore, if thou bring thy || 25 Agree with thine adversary A. M. 4035. A. D. 31. gift to the altar, and there remem-quickly, whiles thou art in the way berest that thy brother hath aught against thee; with him; lest at any time the adversary 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and deliver thee to the judge, and the judge dego thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, liver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into and then come and offer thy gift. prison. c Chapter viii. 4; xxiii. 19. d Job xlii. 8; Chapter xviii. 19; 1 Tim. ii. 8; 1 Peter iii. 7. and practised." - Wesley. Raca, means a silly man, or an empty, worthless fellow. Κενε, vain man, used James ii. 20, seems to be a translation of it; for, as Jerome observes, it is derived from the Hebrew, rick, which signifies vain, or empty. Shall • Prov. xxv. 8; Luke xii. 58, 59. Psa. xxxii. 6; Isa. lv. 6. Verse 23. Therefore, &c. - "Because men are very apt to fall into rash anger, and to express their anger by contemptuous speeches and abusive names, fancying that there is no sin in these things, or but little, and that the compensation may easily be made be in danger of the council-In the Greek, συνεδριον; for them by acts of devotion, Jesus declares "a word which the Jews adopted into their lan- || that atonement is not to be made for these offences guage, and giving it a Hebrew termination, sanhe- || by any offerings, how costly soever, and therefore drim, appropriated it to their supreme council, whose business was to judge in the most important affairs; for instance, in all matters relative to religion, as when any person pretended to be a prophet, or attempted to make innovations in the established worship. This court could, while the republic lasted, inflict the heaviest punishments; particularly stoning, or burning, with melted lead poured down the throat of the criminal, after he was half strangled." - Macknight. Whosoever shall say, Thou fool-Or, Thou graceless, wicked villain: so the word fool generally signifies in Scripture: for as religion is the highest wisdom, vice must be accounted the extremest folly: the meaning here is, Whosoever shall break out into open revilings and reproaches against any man, shall be in danger of hell fire-Ενοχος εςαι εις γεενναν τε πυρος, shall be obnoxious to a gehenna of fire, that is, by a common figure of speech, "obnoxious to the fire of the val-affair, but bring it to an immediate issue. Leave ley of Hinnom," obnoxious to a degree of future punishment, which may fitly be represented by that fire. Of the valley of Hinnom, called also Tophet, see notes on Lev. xviii. 21; 2 Kings xxiii. 10; Isa. prescribes Immediate repentance and reparation as the only remedies of them. He insisted particularly on reparation, assuring us that, unless it be made, God will not accept the worship of such offenders, being infinitely better pleased with repentance than with sacrifices, or external worship of any kind, how specious soever those duties may appear in the eye of vulgar understandings. Vain, therefore, is their presumption, who fancy they can make amends for yet more gross acts of injustice, by acts of devotion."-Macknight. If thou bring thy gift to the altar-However costly and free; and there rememberest-What thou didst not recollect before; that thy brother hath aught against thee-On any of the preceding accounts, for any reproachful or unkind word, or injurious action: do not content thyself with a secret, and, it may be, a deceitful purpose that thou wilt hereafter accommodate the there thy gift before the altar-In the hands of those that are ministering there: for neither thy gift nor thy prayer will atone for thy want of love and injurious conduct, but these will make thy de xxx. 33. It was the scene of the detestable worshipvotions and oblations an abomination before God. of Moloch, that horrid idol of the Ammonites, to Go thy way-Do not lay aside thoughts of worshipwhich the Israelites burned their children alive as || ping God, because thou art not in a proper state, but sacrifices. "In later times, continual fires were prepare thyself for his worship without delay. Be kept in this valley for burning the unburied car-reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer casses and filth of the city, that, being thus polluted, it might be unfit for the like religious abominations. The Jews, from the perpetuity of these fires, and to express the utmost detestation of the sacrifices which were offered to Moloch in this valley, made use of its name to signify hell. Hence our translators have given Tophet, or gehenna, its metaphorical meaning in the present passage, whereas it ought rather to have had its literal signification. For our thy gift-Which thou mayest then cheerfully hope God will accept at thy hand. Philo, (de Sacrif., p. 844,) explaining the law of the trespass-offering, tells us, "That when a man had injured his trother, and, repenting of his fault, voluntarily acknowledged it, (in which case, both restitution and sacrifice were required,) he was first to make restitution, and then to come into the temple, presenting his sacrifice, and asking pardon." This greatly illus Lord, intending to show his hearers that the punish-trates the text, especially considering that our Lord ment of causeless anger, contemptuous speeches, || supposes, in this case, not a trespass-offering, but a and abusive names, shall, in the life to come, bear || voluntary gift, presented before the altar; and yet a proportion to the guilt that is in these sins; and declares that this will not be accepted while there finding no name in the language of men by which those different degrees of punishment could properly be expressed, he illustrated them by the punishments which the Jews were acquainted with." is a consciousness of having wronged a brother, and not made him reparation. Verse 25. Agree, &c. -Here our Lord enforces the preceding exhortation, from the consideration of what is reckoned prudent in ordinary quarrel and law-suits. "In such cases, wise men always advise the party that has done wrong to make up matters || unto you, &c. -The command extends not only to the sixth commandment, the scribes and Pharisees interpreted barely of the outward act. But I say with his adversary while it is in his power, lest the sentence of a judge, being interposed, fall heavy on him. For the same reason, we, who have offended || our brother, ought to make it up with him, while unchaste actions and words, but even to looks, and the very thoughts of the heart: for whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her-Whosoever cherishes or indulges unchaste imaginations, desires, an opportunity of repentance is allowed us; and and intentions, hath committed adultery with her, that though our quarrel should have proceeded to || &c.-Hath been guilty of a violation of this comthe greatest lengths, lest the sentence of the Su-mandment, which was intended to forbid the corpreme Judge overtake us, and put reconciliation || rupt inclinations of the heart, and all irregular out of our power for ever." With thine adversary || desires, as well as the pollution of the body. quickly-With any against whom thou hast thus Verses 29, 30. If thy right eye offend thee-If any offended; whiles thou art in the way with him-Go- || person or thing, as pleasant and as dear to thee as thy right eye, should be a stumbling-block in thy way, and an occasion of thy falling, or should be a means of insnaring thee, and leading thee into sin, pluck it out-With inexorable resolution: that is, give up and part with the beloved object. For it is profitable for thee-It will be to thine advantage, that one of thy members should perish-To suffer an apparent temporary loss of pleasure or profit, rather than that thy whole soul and body should perish eternally, which yet would be the fatal consequence of thy indulging a favourite lust. And if thy right hand offend, or insnare thee-Though it be so useful and necessary a part, do not spare it, but immediately cut it off and cast it from thee"The greatest part of Christ's auditors were poor people, who lived by their daily labour; and to these the loss of a right hand would be a much greater calamity than that of a right eye: so that there is a gradation and force in this passage beyond what has generally been observed."-Dod ing with him to a magistrate; or, instantly, on the spot; before you part. Lest the adversary deliver thee to the judge-To be tried before him; and the judge, deciding the cause against thee, deliver thee to the officer of the court, to keep thee in custody till satisfaction be made, and thou be cast into prison-Not being able to discharge an account enhanced with so many additional articles of expense. Thou shalt by no means come out thence-Be released out of prison; till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing-For thy antagonist, when he has got thee at such an advantage, will be more rigorous || in his demands than before. And surely, if by impenitent wickedness thou makest thyself the pristhyself oner of the divine justice, thy case will be yet more deplorable and hopeless. Understanding the words in a figurative sense, which is, partly at least, intended by Christ here, the prison is taken for hell, out of which the unrelenting sinner can never come, according to our Lord's declaration, because he can never be able to make that satisfaction. || dridge. There is an allusion, in both instances, to "Lord, we are all the debtors, and, in one sense, the prisoners of thy justice, and of ourselves were most incapable, not only of paying the uttermost the practice of surgeons, who, when any member of the body happens to be mortified, cut it off, to prevent the sound part from being tainted. And the farthing, but even of discharging the least part of the || meaning of the passage, stripped of the metaphor, is debt! We bless thee for that generous Surety who has taken and discharged it for us; and by the price of whose atoning blood we are delivered from the chains of darkness, and are translated into the glorious liberty of thy children." -Doddridge. What has hitherto been said refers to meekness; what follows, to purity of heart. Verses 27, 28. Ye have heard, &c.-Jesus now proceeds in his sermon to the seventh commandment, the true interpretation of which he gives us. Thou shalt not commit adultery-This, as well as this: By the force of a strong resolution, founded on the grace of God, deny thyself the use of thy senses, though ever so delightful, in all cases where the use of them insnares thy soul. Turn away thine eye, and keep back thy hand from the alluring object. This, says Chrysostom, is a most mild and easy precept. It would have been much more hard, had he given commandment to converse with and look curiously on women, and then abstain from further commission of uncleanness with them. Upon the whole, we learn from these two verses, that the salvation of our immortal souls is to be preferred beyond all things, be they never so dear and precious to us; and that, if men's ordinary discretion teaches them, for the preservation of their bodies, to cut off a particular member, which would || adultery; "yet the apostle, 1 Cor. vii. 15, plainly elsewhere, is often used for adultery: in general it denotes the exercise of all the different species of unlawful lusts. Although in these words only one just cause of divorce is acknowledged, namely, allows another, viz., malicious and obstinate desertion in either of the parties; and that because it is wholly inconsistent with the purposes of marriage. We must therefore suppose, that our Lord here necessarily endanger the whole body, it much more teaches them to part with any thing which would prevent the salvation of their souls. Verses 31, 32. Let him give her a writing of di vorcement "The doctors of the school of Sammai || speaks of the causes of divorce commonly said to affirmed, that, in the law concerning divorce, Deut. xxiv. 1, the words some uncleanness, were to be understood of adultery only; whereas, they of the school of Hillel interpreted them of any matter | of dislike whatever. Hence the Pharisees asked Jesus, Matt. xix. 3, if it was lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? The opinion of Hillel was generally espoused by the Jews, as be comprehended under the term uncleanness, in the law; and declares, that none of them will justify a man's divorcing his wife, except fornication." Whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery-Here we learn, "that if the cause of a divorce be just, the innocent party is freed from the bond of marriage, so as to be at liberty to marry again." But if the divorce be made without appears from both their practice and their writings. || a just cause, the marriage still subsists, and conseThus, Mal. ii. 16, the clause which in our transla-quently both parties, the innocent as well as the tion runs, The Lord says, He hateth putting away, || guilty, thus divorced, commit adultery if they marthat is, divorces on frivolous pretences, is, by the ry, as do the persons likewise whom they marry."Chaldee paraphrast and the LXX., turned thus, (εαν || Macknight. μισησας εξαποςειλης,) if thou hatest thou shouldest put her away. Also, the son of Sirach says, xxv. 26: If she go not as thou wouldest have her, cut her Verses 33-37. Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time-Or rather, was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, &c. off from thy flesh. And Josephus, Ant. lib. iv. cap. 8, || See the margin. The Jewish doctors affirmed, that 'He that would be disjoined from his wife, for any cause whatever, as many such causes there may be among men, let him give her a bill of divorce.' Nay, one of their doctors, R. Akiba by name, delivered it as his opinion, 'that a man may put his wife away, if he likes any other woman better." As, therefore, they had perverted the law of divorce that they might give full scope to their lusts, Jesus thought fit to reduce it to its primitive meaning, assuring them, "that he who divorces his wife oaths were obligatory according to the nature of the things by which a man swears: chap. xxiii. 10. Hence they allowed the use of such oaths in common conversation as they said were not obligatory; pretendi retending that there was no harm in them, because the law, which forbade them to forswear themselves, and enjoined them to perform their vows, meant such solemn oaths only as were of a binding nature. It is this detestable morality which Jesus condemns in the following words. But I say unto you, Swear for any of the causes allowed by the doctors, whore- not at all-In your common discourse one with dom excepted, lays her under a strong temptation | another, but barely affirm or deny. Swear not by to commit adultery; unjust divorce being no divorce || any thing, on the supposition that the oath will not in the sight of God; and that since such marriages bind you. "For all oaths whatever, those by the lowest of the creatures not excepted, are obligatory;" because, if they "have any meaning at all, they are an appeal to the great Creator; conse 65 Command not to resist evil, ST. MATTHEW. and to suffer wrong patiently. A. M. 4035. yea; nay, nay: for whatsoever is || 40 And if any man will sue thee at A. M. 4035. more than these cometh of evil. A. D. 31. the law, and take away thy coat, let 38 ¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, || him have thy cloak also. "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: A. D. 31. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a 39 But I say unto you, * That ye resist not || mile, go with him twain. u Exodus xxi. 24; Lev. xxiv. 20; Deut. xix. 21. x Prov. xx. 22; xxiv. 29; Luke vi. 29; Rom. xii. 17, 19; 1 Cor. vi. 7; 42 Giveto him that asketh thee, and a from him that would borrow of thee, turn thou not away. 1 Thess. v.15; 1 Pet. iii. 9. - Isa. 1. 6; Lam. iii. 30. - Chap. xxvii. 32; Mark xv. 21.a Deut. xv. 8, 10; Luke vi. 30, 35. quently they are oaths by him, implying a solemn invocation of his wrath on such of the creatures sworn by as are capable of God's wrath; and for as the fulfilment of a promise, 2 Cor. i. 10, where we are told that the promises of God are all in Christ, yea and amen. On the other hand, con the other, the oath implies a solemn imprecation, || cerning those whose actions do not correspond to their promises, it is said, 2 Cor. i. 18, 19, that their word is yea and nay, Our word toward you was not yea and nay.-Macknight. in case of your swearing falsely, that you may be giving a catalogue of oaths, which, in the opinion Verses 38-42. Ye have heard, &c.-Our Lord pro their enemies, on those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, as were utterly unknown to the scribes and Pharisees. And this subject he pursues to the end of the chapter. It hath been said, viz., in the law, Deut. xix. 21, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth-Though this statute was only intended as a direction to judges, with regard to the penalties to be inflicted in case of violent and barbarous assaults; yet it was interpreted among the Jews as encouraging a rigorous and severe revenge of every injury a man might receive. But I say unto you, that ye resist not evilOr, rather, the evil man, as τῳ πονηρῳ ought to be rendered. Dr. Doddridge reads the clause, That you do not set yourselves against the injurious person, viz., in a posture of hostile opposition, as the word αντιςηναι implies, and with a resolution to return evil for evil. But whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, &c. -Where the damage is not great, choose rather to pass it by, though possibly it might, on that account, be repeated, than to enter into a rigorous prosecution of the offender. And if maintain such sincerity and truth in all your words || any man will sue thee, &c., and take away thy as will merit the belief of your acquaintance; so that, in common conversation, to gain yourselves credit, you need do no more than barely assert or deny any matter, without invoking the name of God at all. For whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil-Εκ τε πονηρε, Of the evil one: in common discourse, whatever is more than affirmation or negation, ariseth from the temptation of the coat-By the word χιτων, here rendered coat, it seems we are to understand an inner garment; and by the word, ιματιον, rendered cloak, an outer garment. Dr. Doddridge renders the former, vest, and the latter, mantle. They are parts of dress, under different names, still used in Barbary, Egypt, and the Levant. See Shaw's Travels, pp. 289, 292. Our Lord, it is to be observed, is not here speaking of a devil, who tempts men to curse and to swear, that || robber attacking a person on the highway, to whom he may lessen in them, and in all who hear them, a due reverence of the Divine Majesty, and by this means lead them, at length, to perjury, even in the most solemn instances; considerations which show it would be natural to take the outer garment first, but of a person suing another at law, as our translators seem properly to have rendered κριθηναι. The meaning of the whole passage evidently is, the evil nature of this sin in the strongest light. || rather than return evil for evil, when the wrong is The Apostle James expresses this sentiment thus, ch. v. 12, Let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay. The first yea and nay, therefore, signify the prom purely personal, submit to one podily injury after another, give up one part of your goods after another, submit to one instance of compulsion after ise or assertion; the second the fulfilment. Ac-another. That the words, Turn to him the other cordingly we find the word yea used as a promise, || cheek also, (and consequently those in the next Rev. i. 7, where it is explained by amen; likewise, || clause,) are not to be taken literally, appears from Love to our enemies enjoined. A. D. 31. A. D. 31. Α. Μ. 4035. 43 ↑ Ye have heard that it hath || sendeth rain on the just and on the A. M. 4035. been said, Thou shalt love thy unjust. neighbour, and hate thine enemy: 44 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; 46 & For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the pub 45 That ye may be the children of your Fa- ||licans so? ther which is in heaven: for the maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and b Lev. xix. 18. - Deut. xxiii. 6; Psa. xli. 10. d Luke vi. 27, 35; Rom. xii. 14, 20. - Luke xxiii. 34; Acts vii. 60; 1 Cor. iv. 12, 13; 1 Peter ii. 23; iii. 9. -f Job xxv. 3. the behaviour of our Lord himself, John xviii. 22, 23. Give to him that asketh thee, &c. Give and lend to any that are in want, so far, (but no farther, for God never contradicts himself,) as is consistent with thy engagements to thy creditors, thy family, and the household of faith. Upon the whole of this passage, from verse 38, we may observe, that it seems to have been primarily intended to counteract and correct that abuse of the law of retaliation above mentioned, which was common among the Jews, who carried their resentments to the utmost lengths; and, by so doing, maintained infinite quarrels, to the great detriment of social life. For this purpose, our Lord "puts five 48h Be ye therefore perfect, even 1 as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. & Luke vi. 32. Gen. xvii. 1; Lev. xi. 44; xix. 2; Luke vi. 36; Col. i. 28; iv. 12; James i. 4; 1 Peter 1. 15, 16. i Eph. v. 1. conviction of his having done evil, in giving the high priest the answer for which he was smitten." But, admitting that this rule has for its object small injuries, and that our Lord orders his disciples to be passive under them rather than to repel them, it is liable to no objection: for he who "bears a slight affront, consults his honour and interest much better than he who resists or resents it; because he shows a greatness of mind worthy of a man, and uses the best means of avoiding quarrels, which ofttimes are attended with the most fatal consequences. In like manner, he who yields a little of his right, rather than he will go to law, is much wiser than the man who has recourse to public justice in every cases wherein Christian meekness must especially | instance; because, in the progress of a law-suit, show itself. Ist, When any one assaults our person, in resentment of some affront he imagines we have such animosities may arise as are inconsistent with charity. To conclude, benevolence, which is the put upon him. 2d, When any one sues us at the law, || glory of the divine nature, and the perfection of the which he mentions, it is plain that this forbearance | alms-giving, and gratuitous lending, is subjoined to in order to take our goods from us. 3d, When he attacks our natural liberty. 4th, When one who is poor asks charity. 5th, When a neighbour begs the loan of something from us. In all these cases our Lord forbids us to resist. Yet, from the examples human, rejoices in doing good. Hence the man that is possessed of this god-like quality cheerfully embraces every occasion in his power of relieving the poor and distressed, whether by gift or loan. Some are of opinion, that the precept concerning the instances of injuries which our Lord commands us to bear, to teach us that, if the persons who have injured us fall into want, we are not to withhold any act of charity from them on account of the evil they have formerly done us. Taken in this light, the precept is generous and divine. Moreover, as and compliance are required only when we are slightly attacked, but by no means when the assault is of a capital kind. For it would be unbecoming the wisdom which Jesus showed in other points, to suppose that he forbids us to defend ourselves against murderers, robbers, and oppressors, who would unjustly take away our life, our estate, or || liberality is a virtue nearly allied to the forgiveness of injuries, our Lord joined the two together, to show that they should always go hand in hand. The reason is, revenge will blast the greatest liberality, and a covetous heart will show the most perfect patience to be a sordid meanness of spirit, proceeding from selfishness."-Macknight. our liberty. Neither can it be thought that he commands us to give every idle fellow all he may think fit to ask, whether in charity or in loan. We are only to give what we can spare, and to such persons as out of real necessity ask relief from us. Nay, our Lord's own behaviour toward the man that smote him on the cheek, shows he did not mean that in all cases his disciples should be passive under the very injuries which he here speaks of. In some circumstances, smiting on the cheek, taking away one's coat, and the compelling one to go a mile, may be great injuries, and therefore are to be resisted. The first instance was judged so by Jesus himself in the case mentioned. For had he for-bour and hate thine enemy-God enjoined the borne to reprove the man who did it, his silence might have been interpreted as proceeding from a Verse 43. Ye have heard that it hath been saidIn this, as is in the former instances, our Lord, intending to comprehend not only the law itself, but the explications of it given by the Jewish doctors, and said to be derived by tradition from the mouth of Moses, does not say, Ye know, but, Yehave heard, that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neigh former part of this precept, Lev. xix. 18, and the scribes added the latter, abusing, it seems, the com |