MATT. V. persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, 12 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.1 13 23 LUKE VI. you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto 24 the prophets. But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received 25 your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for 26 ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. MATT. V. 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 14 out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. 15 A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all 16 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. 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not 18 come to destroy, but to fulfil. 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 19 fulfilled. 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 20 great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,2 ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time,3 Thou shalt not 22 kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a 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, 23 shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, 11 Kings 19. 10; 2 Chron. 16. 10; 24. 19-21; Jer. 26. 8, 20-23. 2 The scribes and Pharisees: the former were a learned profession, (not a religious sect,) whose business was to write copies of the law, and also to expound its meaning; hence they were called also lawyers (Matt. 22. 35 comp. with Mark 12. 28) and doctors of the law (Luke 5. 17 comp. with 21). As religionists they generally favoured the views and abetted the party of the Pharisees; hence the mention of both together in this and many other places (see particularly in Matt. 23.). The Pharisees were the most numerous sect among the Jews, professing (as the name separatists imports) to distinguish themselves from such religionists as the Sadducees by a peculiar devotedness and strictness in the observance of the law; to which however they added the "tradition of the elders," and so made void the commands of God (see in § 67). They believed that, by observing the law and the traditions, a man might be justified before God, and even attain to the merit of supererogation; and accordingly they were generally self-righteous, and manifested a proud aversion to the gospel doctrine of justification by faith, or salvation by grace (see Luke 18. 9-14; Rom. 10. 3). 3 Ex. 20. 13; Lev. 24. 21. 4 Christ here speaks of three degrees of punishment, according to what was then known among the Jews. 1. The judgment (kpios), or inferior court of seven judges which existed in every city. 2. The council (avvédpiov, commonly called Sanhedrim), consisting of seventy men-" elders of the people and the chief priests and scribes" (Luke 22. 66), who alone could inflict the severer punishments. 3. Hell fire (yéevva Tоυ яνрós), properly gehenna of fire, so called from the Valley of Hinnom () on the south of Jerusalem, where once children had been burnt to Moloch, and afterwards the dead bodies of beasts and ma MATT. V. 24 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 25 brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 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 26 be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. 27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time,1 Thou shalt not com28 mit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to 29 lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 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 30 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. 31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a 32 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. 33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time,3 Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34 but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's 35 throne: nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; 36 for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, 37 because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. 38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth 39 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. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the 29 law, and take away thy coat, let him 41 have thy cloke also. And whoso ever shall compel thee to go a mile, 42 go with him twain. Give to him 30 that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 5 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neigh44 bour, and hate thine enemy. But 27 I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do 28 good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use 45 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 on the good, and sendeth rain on the just lefactors were consumed in a fire constantly kept up (2 Kings 23. 10); hence it served as a figure to denote the place of eternal torment, "where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9. 44). LUKE VI. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. [Ver. 31 below on p. 37.] -But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.— MATT. V. 46 and on the unjust. For if ye love 32 LUKE VI. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do 34 even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as 35 much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as 36 your Father which is in heaven is perfect. VI. 1. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: 2 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 3 glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 5 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 6 reward. But thou, 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 7 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 8 their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father 9 knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye:2 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy 10 name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11, 12 Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we for13 give our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also for15 give you but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance :3 for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily 17 I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, 18 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. 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth 20 corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and 1 Acts 14. 17. 2 Comp. Luke 11. 2-4; see in § 88. 3 Comp. Isa. 58. 5-7. MATT. VI. 21 where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, 22 there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if there23 fore 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 24 that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 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 cannot1 serve God 25 and mammon.2 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 than raiment? 26 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 27 much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cu28 bit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the 29 lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like 30 one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe 31 you, Ó ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought,3 saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (for after all these things do the Gentiles seek :) for your heavenly Father 33 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 un34 to 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. VII. 1. Judge not, that ye be not 37 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine 4 own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, 5 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. 6 Give not that which is holy unto 1 Comp. Luke 16. 9, 11, 13. 2 Mammon is an Aramean word for riches, so called probably from the idea of support and reli LUKE VI. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. 39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the 40 ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the 41 42 MATT. VII. the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and 8 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 open9 ed. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he 10 give him a stone? or if he ask a 11 fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil,2 know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things 12 to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would 31 that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 13 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 which go 14 in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be 15 that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are 16 ravening wolves.3 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men 44 gather grapes of thorns, or figs of 17 thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a 43 corrupt tree bringeth forth evil 18 fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a cor- 45 rupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not_forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast 20 into the fire. Wherefore by their 21 fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which 22 is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and 1 Comp. Luke 11. 9-13. 2 Being evil: here is a striking testimony borne by Christ, in an incidental manner, to the uni LUKE VI. mote that is in thy brother's eye. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.-A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. versal depravity of our race. 3 Comp. Acts 20. 29, 30. |