1Christ teacheth to pray, assuring that God will give all good things to them that ask him: 14he casteth out a devil, and reproveth the blasphemy of the Pharisees, who ascribed the miracle to the power of Beelzebub: 27he sheweth who are the truly blessed; 29and the inexcusableness of not believing his gospel: 37he reprehendeth the outward shew of holiness in the Pharisees, and pronounceth woes against them and the scribes and lawyers.
1AND it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, 1teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
1 That is, give us a pattern of prayer, which we may use, and according to which we may frame our prayers.
2And he said unto them, Whena ye pray, say, 2Our Father whichb art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
a Mat. 6:9.
2 See the exposition of this prayer in Mat. 6 on verse 9, etc.
b who*
3Give us 3day by day our 4daily bread.
3 Or, every day, or, all days.
4 Or, sufficient. See Mat. 6 on verse 11.
4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
5And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him 5at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
5 That is, even at the most inconvenient time.
6For a friend of mine 6in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
6 Gr. from the way.
7And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me 7in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
7 Or, in the bedroom.
8I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his 8importunity he will rise and give him 9as many as he needeth.
8 That is, because of his troublesome and unseasonable persistence, which indeed is sometimes unpleasant to men, but not to God, Luke 18:1; 1 Thes. 5:17.
9 Namely, loaves.
9And I say unto you, 10Ask,c and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 See the exposition hereof, Mat. 7 on verse 8.
c Mat. 7:7; 21:22; Mark 11:24; John 14:13; 15:7; 16:24; James 1:5, 6; 1 John 3:22; 5:14.
10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11Ifd a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
d Mat. 7:9.
12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your 11heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
11 Gr. Which is from heaven.
14¶Ande he was casting out a devil, and it 12was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.
e Mat. 9:32; 12:22.
12 That is, made the man dumb who was possessed; and also blind, as is to be seen, Mat. 12:22.
15But some of them said, Hef casteth out devils through 13Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
f Mat. 9:34; 12:24; Mark 3:22.
13 Gr. Beelzebul. See thereof Mat. 10 on verse 25.
16And others, tempting him, 14soughtg of him a sign 15from heaven.
14 Or, desired.
g Mat. 16:1.
15 See Mat. 16 on verse 1.
17But he, knowing their 16thoughts, said unto them, Everyh kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and 17a house divided against a house falleth.
16 Or, reasonings.
h Mat. 12:25; Mark 3:24.
17 Gr. house against house, that is, against itself; as may be seen, Mat. 12:25.
18If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
19And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your 18sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your 19judges.
18 See Mat. 12:27.
19 That is, condemn you by their actions and testimony.
20But if I with 20the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
20 That is, by the power or Spirit of God, as it is Mat. 12:28. See similar phrase in Exod. 8:19.
21When a strong man armed keepeth his 21palace, 22his goods are in 23peace:
21 Or, court.
22 Or, all his goods.
23 That is, in quietness and safety.
22Buti when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his 24spoils.
i Col. 2:15.
24 Matthew says, vessels, that is, furniture.
23Hej that is not 25with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
j Mat. 12:30.
25 Namely, to promote the glory of God and the salvation of men. See Mark 9:40.
2426Whenk the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through 27dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.
26 See the exposition hereof Mat. 12 on verse 43, etc.
k Mat. 12:43, etc.
27 Gr. waterless, parched.
25And when he cometh, he findeth it 28swept and garnished.
28 Or, wiped.
26Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: andl the last state of that man is worse than the first.
l John 5:14; Heb. 6:4, 5; 10:26; 2 Peter 2:20.
27¶And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the papsm which thou hast sucked.
m breasts*
28But he said, 29Yean rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
29Christ does not deny here that His mother is blessed, but teaches that the salvation of her and other proceeds not from their birth according to the flesh but by the hearing of the Word of God, embraced by a true faith.
n Mat. 7:21; John 6:29; Rom. 2:13.
29¶And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but theo sign of Jonas the prophet.
o Jonah 1:17; 2:10.
30For 30as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
30 See the exposition hereof by Christ Himself, Mat. 12:40.
31The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and 31condemn them: forp she came 32from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a 33greater than Solomon is here.
31 Namely, by her example.
p 1 Kings 10:1; 2 Chron. 9:1; Mat. 12:42.
32 Gr. out of.
33 That is, One Who is more excellent than Solomon, in Person as well as in His office.
32The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: forq they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
q Jonah 3:5.
33Nor man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see 34the light.
r Mat. 5:15; Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16.
34 Gr. the shining.
34Thes light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single,t thy whole body also is full of 35light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
s Mat. 6:22.
t healthy
35 Or, lightsome. See Mat. 6:22.
3536Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
36 Or, See therefore whether the light that is in thee be not darkness.
36If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the 37whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.
37 Namely, that is done by thee, or proceeds from thee.
37¶And as he spake, a certain Pharisee 38besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
38 Gr. asked Him.
38And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled thatu he had not first 39washed before dinner.
u Mark 7:3.
39 Gr. was baptized. See Mark 7:4.
39And the Lord said unto him, Nowv do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter;w butx your 40inward part is full of raveningy and wickedness.
v Mat. 23:25.
w dish
x Titus 1:15.
40 Which may be understood either of the hearts of the Pharisees, or of their platters; as is expressed in Mat. 23:25.
y plundering*
40Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
41Butz rather give alms of such things 41as ye have; and, behold, 42all things are clean unto you.
z Isa. 58:7; Dan. 4:27; Luke 12:33.
41 Namely, in the platter, or that which you have, as Luke 19:8; or, that which is in you, that is, change your unrighteousness into righteousness and bounty towards the poor; as Dan. 4:27.
42 That is, then may you make use of meat and drink with a good conscience and thanksgiving, 1 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:15. Other, shall be clean unto you.
42Butaa woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye 43titheab mint and rueac and 44all manner of herbs, and passad over 45judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
aa Mat. 23:23.
43 See Mat. 23 on verse 23.
ab give a tenth*
ac a garden herb
44 That is, all kinds.
ad 1 Sam. 15:22; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:8; Mat. 9:13; 12:7.
45 That is, justice and equity towards your neighbor.
43Woeae unto you, Pharisees! for ye love 46the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
ae Mat. 23:6; Mark 12:38; Luke 20:46.
46 Or, the foremost seat.
44Woeaf unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which 47appear not, and the men that walk over them 48are not aware of them.
af Mat. 23:27.
47 Or, hidden, namely, in the earth.
48 Or, perceive them not.
45¶Then answered one of the 49lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
49 The scribes were indeed also lawyers, but it seems that there were some amongst them who excelled in knowledge, and they especially were known by this name.
46Andag he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
ag Isa. 10:1; Mat. 23:4; Acts 15:10.
47Woeah unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
ah Mat. 23:29.
48Truly ye bear witness 50that ye allowai the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye 51build their sepulchres.
50 Gr. and ye take pleasure also.
ai approve of*
51 That is, while you build up their sepulchers, you show thereby that you are true children of those who killed the prophets, Mat. 23:31. And though you would seem thereby to discommend the deed of your fathers, yet, notwithstanding, it appears by the hatred and cruelty which you show to the sound teachers, that therein you are as unto your fathers; and that if you had lived at that time, you would also have done the same to the prophets.
49Therefore also 52said 53the wisdom of God, Iaj will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
52 Or, has said.
53 This Christ speaks of Himself, seeing He is the eternal wisdom of the Father, Prov. 8:1, 22; 1 Cor. 1:24. As appears from Mat. 23:24.
aj Mat. 10:16; Luke 10:3; John 16:2; Acts 7:51; Heb. 11:35.
50That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of 54this generation;
54 See Mat. 23:35.
51Fromak the blood of Abel untoal the blood of 55Zacharias, which perished between the altar and 56the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
ak Gen. 4:8; Heb. 11:4.
al 2 Chron. 24:21.
55 Of this Zacharias see Mat. 23:35.
56 Or, the house of God. As it is explained in Mat. 23:35.
52Woeam unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away 57the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
am Mat. 23:13.
57 This key is the right explanation of God’s Word, whereby an entrance unto heaven is opened for men, which being warded off, that entrance is as it were locked up. See Mat. 23:13.
53And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him 58vehemently, and to provoke him 59to speak of many things:
58 Or, to charge Him vehemently.
59 Gr. to draw the words out of His mouth.
54Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.