callest thou me good? there is none | der, Thou shalt not commit adulgood but one, that is, God: but if tery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou thou wilt enter into life, keep the shalt not bear false witness, commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt 'do no mur 1 Exod. xx. 13. Deut. v. 17-21. 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 2 Lev. xix. 18. Gal. v. 14. Jas. ii. 8. obedience, and he ought to understand what was required if he did, that the commandments should be kept perfectly, or that they were not kept at all. 3. Because he wanted to test him, to show him that he did not keep them, and thus to show him his need of a Saviour. though the title may apply to me, yet you did not intend to use it in the sense in which it is proper, as denoting infinite perfection, or divinity; but you intended to use it as a complimentary or a flattering title, applied to me as if I were a mere man a title which belongs only to God. The intention, the habit of using 18, 19. In reply to the inquiry of the mere titles, and applying as compliment young man, Jesus directed him to the terms belonging only to God, is wrong. fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth, Christ did not intend here to disclaim Exod. xx. 12-16, as containing the subdivinity, or to say any thing about his stance of the whole, as containing parown character; but simply to reprove the ticularly what he intended to show him, intention and habit of the young man- that he had not kept. See Notes, Matt. a most severe reproof of a foolish habit v. 21, 27. ¶ Not steal. To steal is to of compliment and flattery, and seeking take the property of another without his pompous titles. Keep the command- knowledge or consent. ¶Bear false witments. That is, do what God has com- ness. Give testimony contrary to truth. manded. Jesus, in the next verses, informs This may be done in a court of justice, him what he meant by the command- or by private or public slander. It means ments. He said this, doubtless, to try the to say things of another which are not young man, and to convince him that he had true. Honour thy father, &c. That by no means kept the commandments; and is, 1. Obey them, keep their commands. that in supposing he had, he was altogether Eph. vi. 1—3. Col. iii. 20. 2. Respect deceived. The young man thought he them, show them reverence. had kept them, and was relying on this their opinions with regard-not despise for salvation. It was of great importance, them, or ridicule them. 4. Treat their therefore, to convince him that he was, habits with respect. They may be difafter all, a sinner. Christ did not mean ferent from ours; may be antiquated, to say that any man would be saved by and to us strange, odd, or whimsical; but the works of the law, for the Bibie teaches they are the habits of a parent, and they plainly that such will not be the case. are not to be ridiculed. 5. Provide for Rom. iii. 20, 28; iv. 6. Gal. ii. 16. Eph. them when sick, weary, old, and infirm. ii. 9. 2 Tim. i. 9. At the same time, Bear with their weakness, comply with however, it is true that if a man perfectly their wishes, speak to them kindly, and complied with the requirements of the deny yourselves of rest, and sleep, and law, he would be saved; for there would ease, to promote their welfare. To this be no reason why he should be condemned. he added another-the duty of loving Jesus, therefore, since he saw the young man our neighbour. Lev. xix. 18. This Christ depending on his works, told him that if declared to be the second great commandhe would enter life he must keep the ment of the law. Matt. xxii. 39. A commandments; if he was depending on neighbour means, 1. Any person who his keeping of them, he must keep them lives near to us. 2. Any person with perfectly; and if this was done, he would whom we have dealings. 3. A friend be saved. The reasons why Christ gave or relative. Matt. v. 43. 4. Any person him this direction were, probably: 1. Be--friend, relative, countryman, or foe. cause it was his duty to keep them. 2. Mark xii. 31. 5. Any person who does Because the young man depended on his us good, or confers a favour on us, 3. Treat Luke I. 27-37. This commandment means 20. All these, &c. I have made these the rule of my life. I have endeavoured to obey them. Is there anything that I lack, any new commandments to be kept! Do you, the Messiah, teach any new commands, besides those which I have learned from the law, and from the jewish teachers, which it is proper for me to obey, in order to be saved? 21. If thou will be perfect. The word perfect means complete in all its parts, finished, having no part wanting. Thus a watch is perfect, or complete, when it has 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and 2 Luke xii. 33; xvi. 9. Acts ii. 45; iv. 34, 35. 1 Tim. vi. 18, 19. all its proper wheels, and hands, and casements in order. Job was said to be perfect, Job i. 1; not that he was sinless, for he was afterwards reproved by God himself, Job xxxviii., xxxix., xl. 4: but because his piety was proportioned, and had a completeness of parts. He was a pious father, a pious magistrate, a pious neighbour, a pious citizen. His religion was not confined to one thing, but extended to all things. Perfect means, sometimes, the filling up or carrying out, or expression of a principle of action. Thus, 1 John ii. 5: "Whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected." That is, the keeping of the commandments of God is the proper expression, carrying out, or completion, of the love of God. This is its meaning here: If thou wilt be perfect, complete, finished; if thou wilt show the proper expression of this keeping of the commandments, go, &c. Make the obedience complete. Mark says, ch. x. 21, "Jesus, beholding him, loved him." He was pleased with his amiableness, his correct character, his frankness, and ingenuousness. Jesus, as a man, was capable of all the emotions of most tender friendship. As a man, we may suppose that his disposition was tender and affectionate, mild and calm. Hence he loved with peculiar affection the disciple John, eminently endowed with these qualities. And hence he was pleased with the same traits in this young man. Still, with all this amiableness, there is reason to think the young man was not a Christian; and that the love of mere amiable qualities was all the affection that was ever bestowed on him by the Saviour. "One thing," adds Mark, "thou lackest." There is one thing wanting. You are not complete. This done, you would show that your obedience lacked no essential part, but was complete, finished, proportionate, perfect. Go and sell that thou hast, &c. man declared that he had kept the law. That law required, among other things, that he should love his neighbour as himself. It required also that he should The young thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 1 John xii. 26. 2 Ch. xiii. 22. love the Lord his God supremely; that is, more than all other objects. If he had that true love to God and man; if he loved his Maker and fellow creatures more than he did his property, he would be willing to give up his wealth to the service of God and of man. Jesus commanded him to do this therefore, to test his character, and to show him that he had not kept the law as he pretended; and thus to show him that he needed a better righteousness than his own. Treasure in heaven. See Note, Matt. vi. 20. Follow me. To follow Jesus, then meant to be a personal attendant on his ministry; to go about with him from place to place, as well as to imitate and obey him. It means now; 1. To obey his commandments. 2. To imitate his example, and to live like him. 22. He had great possessions. He was very rich. He made an idol of them. He loved them more than God. He had not kept the commandments from his youth up, nor had he kept them at all. And rather than do good with his treasures, and seek his salvation by obeying God, this young man chose to turn away from the Saviour, and give over his inquiry about eternal life. He probably returned no more. Alas, how many lovely and amiable young persons follow his example! 23. Shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. Shall with difficulty be saved. He has much to struggle with; and it will require the greatest of human efforts to break away from his temptations, and idols, and secure his salvation. 24. It is easier for a camel, &c. This was a proverb in common use among the Jews, and still common among the Arabians. To denote that a thing was impossible, or exceedingly difficult, they said that a camel or an elephant might as soon walk through a needle's eye. In the use of such proverbs, it is not necessary to understand them literally, but only to 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, that 3 a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through 31 Tim. vi. 9, 10; Jer. xiii. 23. denote the extreme difficulty of the case. ¶ A camel. A beast of burden, much used in eastern countries. It is about the size of the largest ox, with one or two bunches on his back, with long neck and legs, no horns, and with feet adapted to the hot and dry sand. Camels are capable of carrying heavy burdens; will travel sometimes faster than the fleetest horse; and are provided with a stomach which they fill with water, by means of which they can live four or five days without drink. They are very mild and tame, and kneel down to receive and give up their burden. They are chiefly used in deserts and hot climates, where other beasts of burden are with difficulty kept alive. ¶ A rich man. This rather means one who loves his riches, and makes an idol of them; or one who supremely desires to be rich. Mark says, "them that trust in riches." While a man has this feeling, it is literally impossible that he should be a Christian. For religion is the love of God, rather than the world; the love of Jesus and his cause, more than gold. Still a man may have much property, and not have this feeling. may have great wealth, and love God more; as a poor man may have little, and love that little more than God. The difficulties in the way of salvation for a rich man are: 1. That riches engross the affections. 2. Men consider wealth as the chief good; and when this is obtained, think they have gained all. 3. They are proud of their wealth, and unwilling to be numbered with the poor and despised followers of Jesus. 4. Riches engross the time, and fill the mind with cares and anxieties, and leave little for God. 5. They often produce luxury, dissipation, and vice. 6. It is difficult to obtain wealth without sin, or without avarice, and covetousness, and fraud, and oppression. Luke xii. 16-21; xvi. 19–31. 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10, 17. Jas. v. 1–5. Still Jesus says, ver. 26, all these may be overcome. He God can give grace to do it. Though to men it may appear impossible, yet it is easy for God. 27. We have forsaken all. Probably nothing but their fishing nets, small boats, and cottages. But they were their all; their living, their home. And forsaking them, they had as really shown their sincerity, as though they had possessed the gold of Ophir, and dwelt in the palaces of kings. What shall we have, therefore? We have done as thou didst command this young man to do. What reward may we expect for it? 28. Verily I say unto you. Jesus in this verse declares the reward which they would have. They were not to look for it now, but in a future period. In the regeneration. This word occurs but once elsewhere in the New Testament. Tit. ü 5. It literally means a new birth, or being born again. Applied to man it denotes the great change when the heart is renewed, or when the sinner begins to be a Christian. This is its meaning clearly in Titus. But this meaning cannot be applied here. Christ was not born again, and in no proper sense could it be said that they had followed him in the new birth. The word also means any great changes, or restoration of things to a former state, or to a better state. In this sense it is probably used here. It refers to that great revolution; that restoration of order in the universe; that universal new birth when the dead shall rise, and all human things shall be changed, and a new order of things shall start up out of the ruins of the old, when the Son of man shall come to judgment. The passage, then, should be read, 'Ye which have followed me, shall, as a reward in the great day of the resurrection of the dead, and of forming the new and eternal order 27 ¶ Then? answered Peter and said unto him. Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28 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 in the throne of his glory, ye ? Mark x. 28. Luke xviii. 28. Phil. iii. 8. of things, the day of judgment, the re- 2 MATTHEW. also shall sit 1 upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, 1 Ch. xx. 21. Luke xxii. 28-30. 1 Cor. vi. means, not the Jews, not the world, not the wicked, not that the apostles are to pronounce sentence on the enemies of God, but the people of God, the redeemed. Among them Jesus says his apostles shall be honoured in the day of judgment, as earthly kings place in posts of office and honour the counsellors and judges of those who have signally served them. Compare Notes on 1 Cor. vi. 2. 29. Forsaken houses, &c. days of Jesus those who followed him In the were obliged generally to forsake houses and home, and to attend him. times it is not often required that we In our should literally leave home, except when the life is devoted to him among the heathen, but it is always required that we love houses, &c. less than we do him; that we give up all that is inconsistent with religion, and be ready to give up all when he demands it. For my name's sake. From attachment to me. "and for the gospel's;" that is, from Mark adds, obedience to the requirements of the gospel, and love for the service of the gospel. Shall receive an hundredfold. Mark says, now in this time, houses, and brethren, "an hundredfold and sisters," &c. means a hundred times as much. This An hundredfold is not to be understood literally, but that he will give what will be worth a hundred times as much, in the peace, and joy, and rewards of religion. It is also literally true that no man's temporal interest is injured by the love of God. Mark adds, "with persecutions." These are not promised as a part of the reward; but amidst their trials and persecutions, they should find reward and peace. 30. This verse should have been connected with the following chapter. The parable there spoken is expressly to illustrate this sentiment. ch. xx. 16. See its meaning, REMARKS. necessarily in the way of the enemies of II. Men will seek every occasion to en- such persons with mildness, when the IV. Men will search and pervert the I. We should not throw ourselves un- nothing. 222 |
