15 But if ye forgive not men | est, anoint thy head, and wash their trespasses, neither will thy face; your Father forgive your trespasses. 16 Moreover, when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fast implore mercy in vain from us, how can we expect to receive mercy from God? especially as the offences of any man against us, when compared with our sins against God, are but as a mite to a mountain. God will conduct towards us according to the spirit which we habitually cherish. Ps. 18: 25, 26. 1 John 4: 20. Matt. 18: 21 -35. See also Luke 17: 3, 4. 18 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 corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: al appearance be as it is on other days; let there be nothing external to attract notice. Anointing the head was common among the Jews; and declining to anoint the head was an indication of being in sorrowful circumstances. 2 Sam. 12: 20. Eccl. 9: 8. Neglecting to wash the face and to anoint the head, therefore, was adapted to draw the attention of others; and 16. Jesus proceeded to correct the if this neglect arose from respect to erroneous views and practices which the fast-day, not from domestic or prevailed in relation to fasting. Fast-personal affliction, it would be reing, for professedly religious purposes, garded as indicative of piety. was frequent, especially among the Pharisees. See Luke 18: 12. Jesus, in this passage, neither enjoined the practice, nor disapproved of it. It seems to have been taken for granted, that his disciples would observe seasons of fasting and special devotion. He here only reproved the spirit which the Pharisees manifested; and showed in what spirit fasting should be performed. Of a sad countenance. There was much external show of sorrow in the fasting of the Pharisees. On such occasions, their whole person exhibited a sad and squalid appearance. Ashes were put upon their heads and faces, and they were forbidden to wash any part of their bodies. || Disfigure their faces; by neglecting the ordinary washing and anointing, the dressing of the hair and the beard, and by putting ashes upon their faces. For such methods of indicating sorrow, see 2 Sam. 1:2. Ezek. 27: 30. also Jonah 3: 6. 19. Jesus next introduced another subject, respecting which he gave cautions that are always necessary; namely, attachment to earthly riches, and anxiety respecting earthly good. Moth. Clothes were possessed in large quantities by wealthy men of the East, as the fashions of garments were not changeable. Hence their treasures were in danger from moths. See James 5: 2. Changes of raiment are spoken of in the Bible in a manner which shows that they were regarded as a very considerable part of a person's wealth. See Gen. 45: 22. 2 Kings 5: 5,22, 23. || Rust. Compare Janies 5: 3. Allusion is probably made here to the rust which gathers upon metals, and which seems to be eating them. The word in the original contains the idea of eating, or corroding. || Break through. This form of expression in regard to thieves, was drawn from the circumstance that the walls of houses in Palestine were frequently built of 17. Anoint—wash. Let the person- clay, or unburnt tiles. The word, See 20 But lay up for yourselves 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The light of the body is the eye: If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light: having, perhaps, originated from that circumstance, might have been retained in application to all sorts of houses. The perishable nature of earthly treasures is here distinctly exhibited, as a dissuasive from cherishing the spirit of accumulation. Of whatever our wealth consists, whether raiment, or the fruits of the earth, or gold and silver, it is exceedingly frail, and our hold upon it is equally feeble. 21. Your heart; your affections. How suitable that our affections should be placed, not upon treasures that decay, and that will leave the heart comfortless, but upon treasures beyond the reach of accident and dissolution, and which will impart ever-enduring bliss! 22. The Saviour enforced his caution by an illustration drawn from the natural body. The body is furnished with a lamp, that is, the eye, which enables it to discern all objects around, and properly to use its powers. If the eye is in a healthy condition, the body has light, and can rightly direct its energies. But if the eye be diseased, the lamp is either gone out, or burns dimly, and thus leaves the man to grope in the dark, to misapply his efforts, and to fail of his end; or it burns in a flickering, fitful manner, so as to dazzle and deceive. How miserable the man whose directory either fails to guide, or misleads! In so unhappy a state, as regards his highest interest, is the man who hoards up treasure on earth, to the neglect of heavenly 24 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 cannot serve God and Mammon. treasure. The light of the body; more properly, the lamp. Single; sound, in a healthy state, capable of rightly discerning objects, seeing them as they are. 23. Evil; disordered, not properly performing its office, not rightly presenting objects of sight. If, therefore, the light that is in thee, &c. This is the application of the simile: If that within thee which ought to enlighten, is itself shrouded with darkness, how great and utter the darkness! If it give forth a false light, how miserable the condition! If thy mind, thy inward powers, be perverted, how can there be a right guidance? 24. Jesus proceeded to dissuade from the love of earthly treasure, by declaring the impossibility of grasping both worldly good and heavenly good. These two are in their nature opposite, and eager devotion to worldly good must incur the loss of heavenly good; just as no man can perform the will, at the same time, of two masters, the interests and commands of one of whom are at variance with those of the other. Two masters; of opposite characters and claims, as appears by the last clause of the verse. | Hate despise. Such words as these are sometimes employed in the Bible, in a comparative, rather than in an absolute, sense; and they express all degrees of opposition, from indifference and dislike, up to positive hatred. See Deut. 21: 15-17. Mal. 1: 2, 3, quoted in Rom. 9:13. Luke 14: 26. 25 Therefore I say unto air for they sow not, neither you, Take no thought for your do they reap, nor gather into life, what ye shall eat, or what barns; yet your heavenly Faye shall drink ; nor yet for ther feedeth them. Are ye your body, what ye shall put not much better than they? on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the In the present instance, they express the opposite of attachment; such an indifference, or dislike, as leads to neglect. Mammon. The name of a heathen deity, who was supposed to preside over wealth; the god of wealth. This imagined deity is here placed in contrast with the true God. God and Mammon are represented as two masters, or lords; to both of whom it is not possible for a man to render service at the same time. The simple idea conveyed is, You cannot be devoted to the attaining of worldly good and to the attaining of heavenly good at the same time. The two things are in contrast with each other. He who would grasp one, and hold it with all his might, cannot grasp the other also. By three distinct considerations, the Saviour here cautioned his disciples against the desire of earthly treasures: 1. The perishable nature of earthly treasures, and the consequent impropriety of placing the affections upon them. 2. The pursuit of worldly good, as a grand object, is a perversion of our powers, and shows a disordered state of mind, in regard to our true welfare. 3. The impossibility of uniting together the pursuit of heaven and the pursuit of earth. Compare Matt. 19: 16-26. Mark 10: 17-27. Luke 12: 13—21. 18: 18–27. 1 Tim. 6: 9, 10, 17. 25. Having thus cautioned his disciples against the love of this world (compare 1 John 2: 15-17), Jesus proceeded to caution them against anxiety in regard to a subsistence. Take no thought; cherish no anxiety. So in Phil. 4: 6. || Is not the life, &c. An argument to enforce the preceding 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought exhortation. The amount of it is this: Life, which God has bestowed, is a matter of far greater importance than food. Since he has bestowed the greater blessing, trust in him for the smaller; especially as the smaller, the food, is necessary, that the life may accomplish the purpose for which it was bestowed. Life was bestowed not for a trifling purpose; particularly the life of those who become subjects of the Messiah, and are true children of God. God will not permit life to fail of its object, through his failing to bestow needed food. || The body than raiment? He who gave us bodies, will also furnish the clothing which they need, in order to be preserved from perishing, and from failing to answer the end for which they were given. The body is a greater gift than its clothing; trust, then, for clothing to him who bestowed the body. The word translated more, in this verse, signifies a more important thing, a matter of higher value. 26. Better; more valuable. It is 27. One cubit to his stature. of little consequence, if we judge according to the real importance of things, whether we be tall or not; and thus, in respect to our real interests, an addition made to our height would be a trifling thing. If all our anxiety cannot avail for the procuring of such a trifle, certainly, then, anxiety in regard to our lives ought not to be cherished. See Luke 12: 25, 26. It is probable, however, that the word here rendered stature is equivalent to our word age, as it is in John 9: 21, 23, and Heb. 11: 11. Then the idea will be, Which of you, by cherishing anxiety, can add a cubit to his life? that is (see Luke 12: 26), can make the smallest addition to his age? The application of the cubit, a measure of length, to time, is similar to the expression in Ps. 39: 5-" Thou hast made my days as an hand breadth;" thus happily versified by Dr. Watts: "A span is all that we can boast, An inch or two of time." Life was frequently spoken of, by the Hebrews, as a journey, or a pilgrimage. Now, a cubit, when compared with a journey, is a very small thing. 29. Glory; splendor. Compare 1 Kings, 10th chapter. 30. Grass. The original word is of more extensive import than our word grass, and is equivalent to herbage, the smaller growth of the field, which in the East was employed for fuel. Oven. Ovens were of various kinds. The cakes (for bread was not made in the shape of our loaves) were often baked by placing the dough on the outside of the oven, while the fire was burning within. They sometimes had movable ovens, constructed of brick, and sometimes portable ones, of brass. Unleavened cakes were made of the thickness of a knife; leavened cakes, of the thickness of a little finger. 32. Gentiles; people who were not Jews, and consequently not enjoying religious advantages. They are seek ing anxiously what they shall eat, and what they shall drink. They know not the providential care of the true 7 VOL. I. 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek :) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. God; and we might expect from them an anxious seeking for such things. For you, however, instructed in divine truth, how unbecoming to be thus anxious! 33. Kingdom of God; spiritual blessings, such as the new dispensation, when rightly viewed, proposes both here and hereafter; in opposition to mere temporal good. The direction is of the same import as that contained in v. 20. His righteousness; that is, the true integrity towards man and God, true piety, which God requires. The possessive case is used in the Bible with great latitude. Here, his righteousness does not mean, righteousness which he possesses, but that which he requires of men. || All these things; all the things just spoken of; that is, all things necessary for eating, drinking, and clothing; necessary for life. Wealth is not promised; but the support of life is promised. And such are the providential arrangements, that true piety will, in general, secure whatever is necessary for subsistence, if not for comfort. For, besides other considerations, piety to God requires moderation, and temperance, and industry in our proper calling. God will not withhold his blessing, but in various ways, frequently unthought of, will provide for his people. I Tim. 4: 8. 6: 8. If we seek, in true piety, for heavenly treasure, we shall not only 34 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. CHAPTER VII. JUDGE not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye have the present comforts of piety and the blissful hope of eternal life, but, in addition, whatever is needful for the present life. 34. The evil thereof; the care and perplexity pertaining to it. For any one day, the perplexity, or care, properly pertaining to it, is enough. Bring not, in addition, the care and trouble belonging to the morrow. Does the Saviour discourage all concern about the future days, or years, of our lives? No. He dissuades us from perplexing anxiety about the future, and from a distrustful fear that our necessities will not be provided for. The proper business of each day is to be performed in that day, and its anxieties are not to be increased by anticipating the wants of following days. Yet such is the plan of divine providence, that the performance of daily duties in their proper time is followed with blessings in days and years yet to come. As in the case of the farmer: It is his duty, at certain times, to sow; but the performance of this duty is succeeded by blessings months afterwards. He would transgress the Saviour's directions, if, to the care and trouble connected with sowing, he should add misgivings and perplexity respecting the result of his labors. A similar remark may be made in reference to every human employment. mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye: and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? judgments respecting their fellowmen. A tendency to this always exists; but it was probably very much in danger of being indulged in the times of our Saviour, when those who were reputed as pious cherished a very diminutive view of others. See Luke 18: 11. Judge. This word has respect here to the forming and expressing of unfavorable opinions respecting others. And we are tioned against this from the consideration, that, if we abstain from the exercise of a censorious spirit, others will not exercise such a spirit towards us. cau 2. It shall be measured to you again; you will be treated as you treat others. Compare Luke 6: 37, 38. The rule is of very extensive application, and has a bearing upon our acceptance with God, as well as upon our enjoying favor with men. In this connection, however, it seems to relate to our intercourse with our fellow-men. 3. Mote-beam; that is, a very small thing, and a very large thing. A man who cherishes a censorious spirit, and is disposed to express harsh judgments respecting others, is, in all probability, guilty of far greater faults than those which he condemns; so that, in comparison, those which he condemns are, to his own, as a mote to a beam, or as a twig to the trunk of a tree. Brother. Compare 5: 22. 4. How; with what appearance of propriety? |