when he had married a wife, died; and hav ing no issue, left his wife unto his brother. 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, and 27 so to the seventh. And last of all the woman 28 also died. Now in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all 29 had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the 30 power of God. For in the resurrection, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but 31 are like the angels of God in heaven. But as to the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, 32 saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine. 34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they collected 35 about him. And one of them a lawyer,* asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in 37 the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with 38 all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is 39 the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, Thou shalt love thy 40 neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments all the law and the prophets depend. While the Pharisees were gathered togeth42 er, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye 41 * A doctor of the Jewish law. of Christ? whose son is he? They say 43 unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit* call 44 him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make 45 thine enemies thy footstool? If David then 46 call him Lord, how is he his son?t And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. CHAP. XXIII. THEN Jesus spake to the multitude, and to 2 his disciples, saying, The scribes and the Phar3 isees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do: but do not ye after their works: for they 4 say, and do not. 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. 5 But all their works they do to be seen of men : they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge * That is, when inspired by the Holy Spirit. See also Acts ii. 25. + See Acts ii. 36, which explains the sense in which David speaks of Christ, whom God has made both Lord and Christ. We are then under obligations to observe the laws of society and of religion, though our instructors may be bad men. § Phylacteries were a sort of label filled with words and phrases proclaiming their pretensions to superior goodness. 6 the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief 7 seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, 8 Rabbi.* But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your master even Christ; and all ye are 9 brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth; for one is your Father, who is in 10 heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for 11 one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 For whosoever shall exalt himself, shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself, shall be exalted.‡ 13 But wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are 14 entering to go in. Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye devour widow's houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: therefore ye shall receive the greater damna15 tion. Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell 16 than yourselves. Wo unto you, ye blind That is, Master, Master. + Christians ought not then to call man, however learned or celebrated. gospel are their only rule of faith., Christ is their only themselves after any The doctrines of the master. Humility is a distinguishing virtue of the gospel; and it is a most estimable and lovely quality. 118 17 or. guides, who say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtYe fools, and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth 18 the gold? And whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth 19 by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 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, 21 sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by 22 it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 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 tithe 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 24 the other undone. Ye blind guides, who 25 strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 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 extor26 tion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. This was truly characteristic of them. They condemned Christ for eating with unwashen hands, and for plucking ears of corn on the sabbath, yet disregarded the moral precepts of their law, devoured the widow, and allowed of profane oaths. 27 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all 28 uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of 29 hypocrisy and iniquity. Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the 30 sepulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood 31 of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of 32 them who killed the prophets. Fill ye up 33 then the measure of your fathers. 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 crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and 35 persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple 36 and the altar.† Verily I say unto you, all these In the original Gee Henna, the place of misery, so called from the valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, where the dead bodies of malefactors were burnt. † See 2 Chron. xxiv. 20. It is supposed Jehoida was also called Barachiah. |
