Matthew 23:37-39

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 23:39

Verse 39 39.For I tell you. He confirms what he had said about the approaching vengeance of God, by saying that the only method of avoiding destruction will be taken from them. For that was the accepted time, the day of salvation, (Isaiah 49:8; 2 Corinthians 6:2,) so long as that very person who had come to be their Redeemer, attested and proclaimed the redemption which he had brought. But at his departure, as at the setting of the sun, the light of life vanished; and therefore this dreadful... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:1-39

Denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, and lamentation over Jerusalem which followed their guidance to her own destruction. (Peculiar to St. Matthew.) read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:29-39

Judgment and mercy. We come now to the eighth and last of this series of woes denounced by Christ against the wicked, which stands in striking contrast to the eighth and last of the Beatitudes (cf. Matthew 5:10-12 ). Note— I. THAT INSTEAD OF THE FATHERS COME UP THE CHILDREN OF THE WICKED . 1 . The fathers of the wicked were the persecutors of the good. (a) Rulers are generally what the people will have them. "Like people. like priest" (cf. Isaiah... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:32-39

Prophecy of their future. I. THEIR CONTINUANCE IN THE SINS OF THEIR FATHERS . 1 . Prediction of their treatment of Christ ' s disciples. They would fill up the measure of their fathers; the Lord knew it in his Divine foreknowledge. They were still what John the Baptist had once called them—serpents, "a generation of vipers." How were such as they to escape from the condemnation of Gehenna? For hypocrisy hardens the heart. The state of the hypocrite is hopeless,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:33-39

Declaration of the sentence on these Pharisees and their generation. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:37

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Pathetic iteration! As he approached the city on another occasion Christ had used the same words ( Luke 13:34 , Luke 13:35 ); he repeats them now as he takes his final farewell He speaks with Divine tenderness, yet with poignant sorrow, knowing that this last appeal will be in vain. It has been remarked that, whereas St. Matthew elsewhere names the capital city, the theocratic centre, Hierosolyma, which is the Greek equivalent, he here calls it Hierousalem, which... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:37

The lament over Jerusalem. These are among the most touching words ever uttered by our Lord. They reveal his strong patriotism, his deep human affection, the greatness of the salvation he brought, and at the same time the frustration of the hopes which these things naturally raise, owing to the stubborn self-will of the Jews. Here is a lesson for all time. I. THE GUILTY CITY . 1 . No city was more privileged. Jerusalem was the favoured city of a favoured land. David, the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:37

Lost opportunities become judgments. One writer observes that converts to Judaism were said to come "under the wings of the Shechinah." This familiar metaphor may have suggested to our Lord's mind the figure of the hen and her brood. "Many times by his prophets Christ called the children of Jerusalem to himself—the true Shechinah—through whom the glory of the latter house was greater than that of the former." Whedon well says, "The beautiful tenderness of this verse shows that the warnings... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:38

Your house. The temple or Jerusalem, no longer God's habitation. This betokens not only Christ's solemn departure from the sacred precincts; but the withdrawal of God's Spirit from the Jewish Church and nation. Unto you. Henceforward ye shall have it all to yourselves; my Father and I forsake it; we give it up altogether to you. Desolate . The word is omitted by some few uncials, but retained by א , C, D, etc., most cursives, the Vulgate, etc. The protecting wing is withdrawn, the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:39

Ye shall not see me henceforth. Christ explains the denunciation just given. In a few days he will be separated from them by death and burial; and, though he appeared to certain chosen witnesses after his resurrection, he was seen no more by the people ( Acts 10:41 ); their house was deserted. Some take the word "see" in the sense of know, recognize; but it seems rather weak to say, "Ye shall not know me till ye acknowledge me as Messiah," as the knowing and acknowledging are practically... read more

Group of Brands