Sweareth by it , etc. One can see what an inveterate evil our Lord was denouncing, when he takes such pains to point out its absurdities, which seem to us self-evident. The oath by the altar involves the notion of the victim as well as the altar; one cannot be separated from the other; and, of course, implies him to whom the offering is made. read more
By him that dwelleth therein. In fact, it comes to this: to swear by temple or altar is to swear by God—an oath most solemn, which may not be evaded. "That dwelleth" is in some manuscripts the aorist participle, κατοικη ì σαντι , implying that God once for all took up his abode in the temple, and filled it with his ineffable presence (see Kings Matthew 8:13 ; Psalms 132:14 ). From such passages we learn that God sanctifies things and places to be devoted to his service, and to be... read more
By heaven. The Talmndists affirm that an oath "by heaven" or "by earth" was not binding, on the ground, probably, that these were mere creatures. Christ again dissipates such sophistries. To swear by the creature is virtually to swear by the Creator. A brute, inanimate thing cannot be witness to an oath; he alone can be appealed to who owns all. Thus we "kiss the book," calling God to witness our words. Christ had already given a lesson to his followers on this subject in the sermon on the... read more
Fifth woe— against scrupulosity in trifles and neglect of weighty duties ( Luke 11:42 ). Ye pay tithe of ( ἀποδεκατοῦτε , ye tithe ) mint and anise and cummin. Practically, the law of tithe was enforced only in the case of the produce mentioned in Deuteronomy 14:23 —corn, wine, and oil—but the Pharisees, in their overstrained scrupulosity, applied the law of Le 27:30 ("all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's") to... read more
Monstrous trifling. Our Lord proceeds to pronounce upon the hypocrite the woe of his other evils. Note— I. THE LAW HAS ITS " WEIGHTIER MATTERS ." 1 . These are its moral precepts. (a) Justice in principle. (b) Justice in practice. (a) Faith in the sense of creed, or truth in belief. A true creed is of great importance. (b) Faith in the sense of sincerity, in opposition to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Those called hypocrites are otherwise described as... read more
The gnat and the camel. It was characteristic of the scribes and Pharisees to strain out the gnat and yet to swallow the camel. They would be very careful in avoiding minute formal improprieties, while they committed great sins without compunction. I. THE EVIL HAUNT . This is seen in many forms today. 1 . In moral conduct. People are found to be very scrupulous about points of politeness, and very negligent of real kindness. They will not offend an acquaintance with a harsh... read more
The scruples of the formalist. "Strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel." The proverbial character of this sentence is manifest, but the precise form is disputed. Trench thinks "straining out a gnat" is better; and he suggests reference to the scrupulous anxiety shown in drinking water. A traveller in North Africa reports that a Moorish soldier who accompanied him, when he drank, always unfolded the end of his turban, and placed it over the mouth of his bota, drinking through the muslin,... read more
The sixth woe— against merely external purification ( Mark 7:4 ; Luke 11:39 ). Ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter. Thus the Lord typically denotes the Pharisees' external ceremonialism, their legal purity. They looked, so to speak, to the cleanliness of the outside of the cup that contained their drink, and the platter that held their food. Such cleansing would, of course, have no effect on the drink or meat itself. They are full of ( γε ì μουσιν ἐξ... read more
Fatal blindness. Our Lord continues to denounce woes against hypocrites, both for what they do and for what they are. The relation between doing and being is constant. These things are written for our learning. I. THE HYPOCRITE IS WOEFULLY GUILTY . 1 . He is guilty of heart wickedness. "Nature, like a beauteous wall, Doth oft close in pollution." (Shakespeare.) 2 . He is guilty of deceiving others. (a) Unconverted men must be hypocrites to be endured.... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:19
Our Lord repeats the unanswerable argument of Matthew 23:17 . That sanctifieth the gift. , Exodus 29:37 . "It shall be an altar most holy; whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy" (comp. Ezekiel 41:22 ). The offering is one with the altar. read more