Biblical commentary on the New Testament - The Christian ...

Matthew VL 6-13. 817
self-appropriation of the act ; every good deed must be referred
to its origin—to the spiritual source from which it springs ; there
it has even now its hidden reward, and hereafter its open one.
To the outward proclamation of works of love by the Pharisees is
opposed the humble ignorance of one's doings. (Ta/itetov =::= n^Vf =
vTrepoJov, a chamber, to which they could retire for prayer, in quiet,
Acts X. 9 ; see also Isa. xxvi. 20. The term v-oKpirri^, Mjpocrite,
occurs frequently in the Gospels—e. g., in this chap., ver. 5, 16 ;
vii. 5 ; XV. 7 ; xvi. 3 ; xxiii. 13, and frequently in Matthew ; again
in Luke vi. 42 ; xi. 44, etc. The verb vnoKpiveaOai occurs only in
Luke XX. 20. It is properly originally = drroKpiveodai, to ansioer,
then particularly, " to answer as a character in a play"
—
i. e., " to
act on the stage." Then, in general, " to assume a form not one's
own"— " to represent it." In the New Testament it is always used
of religious form, with which the inward nature does not corre-
spond.)
Yer. 7-13.—These verses bring out the last remark in a special
application. In Phariseeism, not only does the character of hypo-
crisy manifest itself in prayer, but also the heathen notion (perpetually
"reproduced from the heathenism inherent in- human nature), that
prayer avails as 02)itsj)p_erutMm,jind, consequently, from length and
copiousness of words. From the pure idea of God, the Saviour
teaches us to regard the inward disposition and the purity of thought
resulting thence as that which is well-pleasing to God. Matthew
also presents, as a pattern, a prayer given by Jesus, which is pervaded
by simplicity, depth, and humility. Luke (xi. 1) records the
circumstances which occasioned our Lord to give such an injimction.
The disciples felt their spii'itual poverty, and supplicated his rich
grace to teach them to pray. Hence, too, it is said, " thus pray ye ;"
for it is a prayer calculated for the position of sinful men, not for
him who knew no sin. (BarroAoyeZv--' is not from Ntsa, effutivit; but
according to Suidas it is derived d-rro Bdrrov rcvbg [laKpovg kol
TroXvarixovg viivovg TrotTJaavTog.'f Hence (iaTroXoyia = TroAvAoy/a.)
Superstition places the reason of the hearing of prayer not in the
grace of God, but in its own godless work. Unbelief deduces the
uselessness of prayer from the omniscience of God, in whom it
does not itself believe. Faith rests its humble prayer precisely on
this holy, gracious, divine knowledge. Thus our Lord teaches us to
pray in faith, because God knows, before the petition what we need
{XP^ia, need, taken both bodily and spiritually), and, •consequently,
can himself prompt the acceptable prayer, and fulfil it accordingly.
* See the copious discussion on this rare term, which is nowhere used but by Sim,'
plkius in one passage (in Epict. enchir., c. 37) in TholiLcKs Comm. (Clark's Bibhcal Cab.,
No. XX., p. 114.)
f " One Battus, who composed long prolix hymns."