18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, f and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites ? 19 Shew me the tribute-money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? g 21 They say unto him, Cesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render, therefore, unto Cesar the things which are Cesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. 22 When they had heard these words they marvelled, and left him, and went their f Their wickedness consisted in endeavouring, by indirect questions, to induce Jesus to tell them whether it were lawful for the Jews to obey the Roman emperor, or whether he himself had come to be their temporal prince to relieve them from the yoke of their enemies. 8 Image and superscription. The current coin at this time in Judea had the head of Cesar and his name impressed upon it; the piece of money here called a penny, was a Roman coin, in value about 14 cents. b Sadducees, a Jewish sect, who denied the resurrection of the dead, and that there were angels or spirits of the dead. 25 Now, there were with us seven brethren; and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased; and having no issue,i left his wife unto his brother: 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 27 And last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels of God in heaven. 31 But, as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was i Issue, children. j As touching, concerning. k Resurrection, &c. In the 31 and 32d verses our Saviour is reasoning to shew there was a future state, which the Sadducees denied. Jesus told them, that God proclaimed himself the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, long after they had been dead, (see Exodus iii. 6.) which he could not have done, unless they still existed in a future state; for he could not with any propriety style himself the God of those who were finally dead, or did not exist; he can be a God only of those who live either in this or a future state; therefore the Sadducees might have understood from the Old Testament, which they believed, that there was a future state, and might be a resurrection. 34 ¶ But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence they were gathered together. 35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang m all the law and the prophets. 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. 1 Doctrine, instruction. m Hang, depend. Pharisees exposed. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, n saying, 44 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son ? 46 And no man was able to answer him a word; neither durst any man, from that day forth, ask him any more ques tions. CHAP. XXIII. 1 The scribes' and Pharisees' good doctrine, but evil examples of life. 34 The destruction of Jerusalem foretold. THEN spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying, the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. a 3 All, therefore, whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. b 5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men; they n See Psalm cx. a Moses' seat, the chair of Moses, b Burdens, &c. which they them selves will not put a finger to. Woes denounced Chap. xxii. make broad their phylacteries c and enlarge the borders d of their garments, 6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 And greetings in the markets,e and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.f 8 But be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth; for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called Masters; for one is your Master, even Christ. 11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your ser vant. against hypocrites. them that are entering to go in. 14 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer; therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass h sea and land to make one proselyte ;i and when he is made, ye make him two-fold more the child of hell than yourselves. 16 Wo unto you, ye blind guides !j which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.k 17 Ye fools, and blind! for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is no thing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19 Ye fools, and blind! for whether is greater the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 Whoso, therefore, shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 1 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, b Compass, ye traverse or pass over sea and land. i Proselyte, a convert to Judaism. j Blind guides, false teachers. k He is a debtor; he is bound to regard his oath. Concerning outward S. Matthew. and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay titheĺ of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides! which strain at a gnatm and swallow a camel. 25 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee! cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear Tithe was a tax of one tenth part of income, which the Jews devoted to God. The Pharisees were scru pulously exact in the observance of ceremonies, but negligent of the duties of humanity, and the love of God. m Which strain at a gnat, &c. In this verse our Saviour tells the Pharisees, ye affect to be scrupulous about trifles, but disregard things of the greatest importance appearances. beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish n the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood o of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers! how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and erucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city; all the righteous blood shed 35 That upon you may come upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. n Garnish, adorn. • The blood, in killing. Jerusalem's destruction. Chap. xxiv. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37 0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. CHAP. XXIV. 1 The destruction of the temple foretold. 29 Of Christ's coming to judgment. AND Jesus went out, and departed from the temple; and his disciples came to him, for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 ¶ And, as he sat upon the mount of Olives, a the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall a Mount of Olives, or Mount Olivet, was a little more than half a mile east of Jerusalem, and separated from it by the valley of Jehoshaphat, through which run the brook Kidron. From the top of this mountain our Saviour ascended into heaven. Calamities before it. these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you: 5 For many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness |