Cæsarea whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be Matt. xvi. 19. loosed in heaven 19. 19 ON THE MEANING OF MATTHEW XVI. 19. Lightfoot has given us abundant proofs of the manner in which this expression was understood among the Jews, and the manner in which it consequently ought to be understood among Christians. The phrase 'n mox, "to bind and to loose," in the common language of the Jews, signified to prohibit, and to permit, or to teach what is prohibited or permitted, what is lawful or unlawful. Lightfoot then produces many instances, and goes on to observe: by this sense of the phrase the intention of Christ is easily ascertained, namely, he first confers on the apostles the ministerial power to teach what is to be done, and the contrary; he confers this power on them as ministers, and on all their successors, to the end of the world. Their power was more extensive than that of others, because they received authority to prohibit or to allow those things that were ordained in the law of Moses (a). In his Hebrew and Talmudical Exercitations on St. Matthew (b), Lightfoot produces many more instances where the words "to loose and to bind" are applied in this sense; and he shews that these words were first used in doctrine and in judgments, concerning things allowed or not allowed in the law. Secondly, that to bind, is the same with to forbid, or to declare forbidden. To think that Christ, (he continues) when he used the common phrase, was not understood by his hearers, in the common and vulgar sense, shall I call it a matter of laughter, or of madness? To this, therefore, do these words amount: when the time was come wherein the Mosaic law, as to some part of it, was to be continued and to last for ever, he grantèd Peter here, and to the rest of the apostles, (chap. xviii. 18.) a power to abolish or confirm what they thought good; being taught this, and led by the Holy Spirit, as if he should say, whatsoever ye shall bind in the law of Moses that is forbid, it shall be forbidden, the divine authority confirming it; and whatsoever ye shall loose, that is, permit, or shall teach that it is permitted and lawful, shall be lawful and permitted. Hence they bound, that is, forbad, circumcision to the believers; eating of things offered to idols, of things strangled, and of blood for a time, to the Gentiles; and that which they bound on earth was confirmed in heaven. They loosed, that is, allowed purification to Paul, and to four other brethren, for the shunning of scandal, (Acts xxi. 24.): and, in a word, by these words of Christ it was committed to them; the Holy Spirit directing, that they should make decrees concerning religion, as to the use and rejection of Mosaic rites and judgments, and that either for a time, or for ever. Let the words be applied, by way of paraphrase, to the matter that was transacted at present with Peter. "I am about to build a Gentile Church," saith Christ," and to thee, O Peter, do I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven, that thou mayest first open the door of faith to them: but if thou askest by what rule that Church is to be governed when the Mosaic rule may seem so improper for it, thou shalt be so guided by the Holy Spirit, that whatsoever of the law of Moses thou shalt forbid them, shall be forbidden; whatsoever thou grantest them, ii. (a) Lightfoot's Harmony of the N. T. Works, folio, vol. i. p. 238. (b) Vol. Matt. xvi. 20. Then charged he Cæsarea Luke ix. 21. he straightly charged shall be granted, and that under a sanction made in heaven. Hence in that in- As to doctrine, the apostles were doubly instructed. 1. So long sitting at the feet of their Master, they had imbibed the evangelical doctrine. 2. The Holy Spirit directing them, they were to determine concerning the legal doctrine and practice, being completely instructed and enabled in both, by the Holy Spirit descending upon them. As to the persons, they were endowed with a peculiar gift, so that, the same Spirit directing them if they would retain, and punish the sins of any, a power was delivered into their hands of delivering to Satan, of punishing with diseases, plagues, yea, death itself: which Peter did to Ananias and Sapphira; Paul to Elymas, Hymeneus, and Philetus, &c. Schoetgen (c) adds many instances to those collected by Lightfoot, that to loose and to bind signified to pronounce what was lawful and unlawful; clean and unclean; condemned or permitted in the Mosaical dispensation. From all which he infers, that among the Jews this power of binding and loosing was given to Rabbis, or Teachers, who were skilled in the law, and appointed to instruct the people, and that our Lord not only claimed to himself the same power which had hitherto been possessed by the Jewish teachers, but bestowed it upon his own disciples, and invested them in his new dispensation with the same authority as that which had been hitherto exerted only by the Jewish teachers. The power of binding or loosing, of declaring what is lawful and what is unlawful, is evidently the highest power of governing; and of imposing laws for the guidance and direction of the spiritual society of the Church. It was the belief of the primitive Church, that this power was confided to the apostles; and, as far as the circumstances of the various Churches may require, was continued to their episcopal successors. The power of binding and loosing is generally called the power of the keys; and consists of authority to admit into the Church, and to exclude from it; and it implies, as the words of our Lord decidedly assert, the power to condemn for sin, and to absolve from sin (d). (c) Our Lord only asserts in very general terms, that the apostles had power to decide what was approved or disapproved of God; but the Jews taught (Jalhut Simeoni, part i. fol. 225. 1.) whoever is excommunicated one day on earth, (although he be then absolved,) is not pardoned in heaven until after seven days: he who is thus condemned on earth for seven days, is absolved in heaven at the end of thirty.-Schoetgen, Hor. Heb. vol. i. p. 145-6. (d) See also this subject fully discussed in Potter's Church Government, chap. v. p. 330-361; Scott's Christian Life, folio edit. part ii. chap. vii. p. 492. his disciples, Cesarea and commanded them, Matt. xvi. 20. Luke ix. 21. that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Matt. xvi. 20. Christ. MARK viii. part of ver. 27, 28. and ver. 29, 30. 27 he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? 28 And they-John the Baptist—and others, One of the prophets. 29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. 30 And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. LUKE ix. part of ver. 18, 19. ver. 20. and part of ver. 21. 18 he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? 19 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias 20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. 21 And-them-to tell no man that thing. Galilee, SECTION XVI. Christ astonishes the Disciples by declaring the Necessity of his MATT. xvi. 21, to the end. MARK viii. 31, to the end. And MARK ix. 1. Mark viii. 31. from that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his Matt, xvi. 21. disciples, how that he, the Son of man, Mark viii. 31. Matt. xvi. 21. must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things, and be raised again the third day 20. Matt, xvi. 21. 20 ON OUR LORD'S EXPLICIT DECLARATION OF THE NATURE OF HIS KINGDOM. Having now, by the force of his miracles, elicited from his disciples the declaration, that he was the Messiah; and having confirmed the truth of that declaration by the authority which he committed to the apostles, our Lord proceeded immediately to reveal more explicitly the real and spiritual nature of his kingdom. At this moment every erroneous opinion that the Apostles, with all the Jewish nation, entertained respecting the nature of the Messiah's kingdom, must have received the fullest confirmation, and have given birth to the highest expectations. Peter was promised the keys of the kingdom of heaven, with authority to bind and to loose, to give laws, to pronounce what was clean and unclean. The temporal power and majesty of their Master, they supposed, were now to be developed, and with it their own honour and aggrandizement. They had seen his miracles; they had confessed their faith; they believed in Him as the Mark viii. 32. Matt. xvi. 22. And he spake that saying openly. Galilee. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying,* Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not *Gr. Pity thybe unto thee. long expected Messiah; they anticipated the establishment of his kingdom, and their own immediate elevation to wealth and dignity. (Sect. 15.) It was under these circumstances (compare Matt. xvi. 20, with v. 21.) that our Lord began to check the rising hopes of his followers, by disclosing to them the object of his incarnation; that He, the Son of Man, who had so abundantly demonstrated his divine power, must go to Jerusalem, there suffer many things, to be rejected by the chief priests and scribes, and, finally, be killed, and raised again the third day. Peter, who on all occasions was the principal speaker, and the most zealous of all the apostles, could neither reconcile this assertion with all that he had so lately seen and heard, nor could repress his surprise and indignation at even the suggestion of such conduct. Our Lord, who knew the thoughts of his heart, and who read there the lurking desire of ambition and power, reproved him before the twelve for his erroneous notions, and for his shrinking from the anticipation of humiliation and misfortune. He then, in allusion to his own sufferings, addressed the apostles and the multitude, in the words of the latter part of the section. He assures his disciples of the absolute necessity of their taking up the cross, and of sacrificing even their lives for his sake and the Gospel's. He blends with these exhortations the assurance that He was the predicted Son of Man; and that though he called upon them now to suffer with him, He would come again in the glory of his Father, the glory of the Shechinah, with his holy angels, as Daniel had foretold; and in his spiritual kingdom he would reward them for their courage and devotion. It is not improbable that our Lord perceived some expression of surprise, or incredulity, upon the countenances of his disciples; for He immediately cautions them against unbelief. He repeats his declaration, that He will again come in his own glory, and in the glory of his Father, and that even the present generation should witness it; for there were some who were present, who should not die till they had seen the Son of Man come in his kingdom. By the term "glory," in these passages doža, the Jews understood the bright flame, and cloud, the glory of the Shechinah, in which the Angel Jehovah was accustomed to appear to the ancient fathers (a). There is a beautiful passage in Habakkuk, in which the prophet describes the appearance of the Shechinah which led the Israelites out of Egypt, into the wilderness of Paran. "God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens. His brightness was as the light." In these expressions the prophet seems to anticipate the description of the Evangelists. Bishop Horsley remarks, that the description of Habakkuk in this passage is that of the Shechinah; and he supposes that the expression (Habak. iii. 11.) (a) See on the identity of the glory in which our Lord appeared, with the glory of the Shechinah; Schoetgen, Horæ Hebraicæ, vol. i. p. 324; and particularly p. 542, on Rom. ix. 4, on the words kai n dóla-Hâc voce intelligitur Schechina sive majestas divina quæ alias a Græcis dóža vocabatur. See also Dan Heinsius Exercitationes Sacræ, p. 220; and particularly p. 198, in Johan, where this is proved at great length. Witsius de Glorificatione in Monte, Melet. Leidens. sect. 30. self. Galilee. But when he had turned about, and looked on Mark viii. 33. his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest Matt. xvi. 23. not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. Mark viii. 33. And when he had called the people unto him, Mark viii. 34. with his disciples also, he said unto them v Matt.x. 38. all, ▾ If any man will come after me, let him deny Luke ix. 23. himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow u Matt.xvi.26. me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but Luke ix. 24. whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Mark viii. 35. Gospel's, the same shall save it. "For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the Luke ix. 25. whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain Mark viii. 36. the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his Mark viii, 37. soul? X For the Son of man shall come in the glory of Matt. xvi. 27. x Ps. Ixii. 12. his Father with his angels: and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Rom, ii, 6. Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me Mark viii. 38. and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in his own glory, and in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels. you, And he said unto them, Verily I unto seen Luke ix. 26. Mark viii. 38. "at the sight of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear," refers to the darting forth of the rays of light from the body of the flame of the Shechinah, which might resemble that of the streamings of the Aurora Borealis. Whether the Shechinah in which the Angel Jehovah, the Lord Jesus, shall come to judgment, shall be of this description, or whether it shall be as the self-revolving flame which was stationed at the gate of Paradise, or the bright cloud which on the day of the transfiguration overshadowed the disciples and their Lord, we cannot now decide. But of this we may be assured, that we shall all behold this great and wonderful, and divine personage. Like his disciples, we must become his associates, or we shall be banished from that presence as unworthy of its sublime contemplation. 21 Bishop Porteus remarks, that this passage is commonly supposed to refer to the signal manifestation of Christ's power in the destruction of Jerusalem. |