Matthew 22

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:35

A lawyer; νομικο ì ς , called by St. Mark "a scribe"—a term of wider signification, which would include "lawyers." Vulgate, legis doctor, which gives the right sense; for such were teachers and expounders of the Mosaic Law. This man was put forth by the Pharisees as an expert, who would not be so easily discomfited as the Sadducees had been. Tempting him. Trying him; putting him to the test, not altogether maliciously, but partly from curiosity, and partly from a desire to hear... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:36

Which is the great commandment in the Law? ποι ì α ἐντολη Ì μεγα ì λη ἐν τῷ νο ì μῳ ; What sort of commandment is great in the Law? According to rabbinical teaching, there were more than six hundred precepts in the Law; of this considerable number all could not be observed. Which were of absolute obligation? which were not? The schools made a distinction between heavy and light commandments, as though some were of less importance than others, and might be... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:37

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God; κυ ì ριον το Ì ν Θεο ì ν σου . Christ enunciates the two great moral precepts of God's Law, not, indeed, stated in these words in the Decalogue, but implied throughout, and forming the basis of true religion. Heart … soul … mind. The Septuagint has "mind, soul, strength." The expressions mean generally that God is to be loved with all our powers and faculties, and that nothing is to be preferred to him. It is difficult to define with... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:38

The first and great commandment; or better, the great and first commandment; Vulgate, Hoc est maximum et primum mandatum. Here was a plain answer to the question of the scribe, which no one could gainsay (comp. Luke 10:27 ). They who repeated daily in their devotions, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord", could not help acknowledging that love of him whom they thus confessed was the chief duty of man—one which was superior to every other obligation. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:39

The second. The scribe had not asked any question about a second commandment: but Christ is not satisfied with propounding an abstract proposition; he shows how this great precept is to be made practical, how one command involves and leads to the other. Like unto it ; ὁμοι ì α αὐτῇ : in nature and extent, of universal obligation, pure and unselfish. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. From Le Matthew 19:18 . The verb, both here and verse 37, is ἀγαπη ì σεις ,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:40

Hang all the Law and the prophets; i.e. all Scripture, which is comprised in these terms (comp. Matthew 5:17 ; Matthew 7:12 ); in other words, all the revelations which God has made to man in every age. The clause is peculiar to St. Matthew. It signifies that on love of God and love of man depend all the moral and religious, ceremonial and judicial precepts contained in the Law, all the utterances of the prophets, all the voices of history. Scripture enunciates the duty to God and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:41

Jesus asked them. He spake generally to the assembled crowd in the temple (Mark), addressing no one in particular. The questioned becomes the questioner, and this with a great purpose. He had silenced his opponents, and opened profundities in Scripture hitherto unfathomed; he would now raise them to a higher theology; he would place before them a truth concerning the nature of the Messiah, which, if they received it, would lead them to accept him. It was as it were a last hope. He and the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:41-46

Christ ' s question to the Pharisees concerning the Messiah. ( Mark 12:35-37 ; Luke 20:41-44 .) read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:41-46

The Divine Christ. The often quoted question, "What think ye of Christ?" should be, "What think ye of the Christ?" Jesus was not asking the Pharisees for an opinion about himself, the speaker addressing them, as he had asked his disciples on a previous occasion ( Matthew 16:13 ). He was referring to the Jewish expectation of the Messiah, and without now pressing his own claim to be the Messiah, he was asking what idea the Pharisees had as to this great Hope of Israel. They had been... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:41-46

Wisdom's question. In teaching his interrogators to love God, Jesus proceeds to direct them to the God they ought to love. This question, "What think ye of Christ?" was put to a representative assembly—Herodians, Sadducees, scribes or Karaites, and especially Pharisees, beside his disciples and the people. By proposing this one question of moment, Jesus proves the folly of those who by malevolent questions would prove his wisdom. It showed them that ignorance of the prophecies was the source... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:35

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:36

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:37

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:38

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:39

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:40

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:41

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:41-46

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:41-46

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 22:41-46

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