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

Matthew X. 39-42. 413
obedience to liiin, and by the working of his Spirit ; it is then only
that they bring forth beautiful fruits, and produce that "holiness,
without which no man shaR see the Lord." (Heb. xii. 14.) The
medium between indolence on the one hand, and self-righteous ac-
tivity on the other, is difficult of discovery ; but the author of the
faith must here also be himself the finisher of it. (Heb. xii. 2.)
Yer. 40.—As a consolation under the difficulties which our Lord
has set before his disciples, there follows, in conclusion, a rich
thought, pointing out how infinitely dear to the Lord of the uni-
verse are the combatants for truth.-' As Christ is the representa-
tive of the Father, so he considers his discijjles as his own represen-
tatives ; whosoever, therefore, receives the disciples, receives the
Lord of the universe himself. (Mark ix. 37.) The following verses,
however, shew that S^xeodai, receive, must be taken emphatically
thus : " whosoever receives you, fully conscious of what you are,
and for the sake of this your spiritual character, receives God," and
hence derives all the blessing from it, which is conferred, according
to the history of the Patriarchs, by a visit from the Lord. There is
implied, therefore, in the receiving (Sexeodat), not an outward receiv-
ing merely {Jiospitio excipere), but, more especially, the opening of
the heart and of the whole inner life, so that a man may be able
to receive the disciples of the Lord, although he should not have
where to lay his head.
Ver. 41, 42.—But in order to place in its true light the great-
ness of the glory of true believers, and to pourtray the blessedness
of those who receive them, the Kedeemer closes with a remarkable
parallel. His disciples, the representatives of the principles of the
new Christian life, are compared by him to the Old Testament
saints, prophets, and righteous men (r7po(l)7]Taig koI diKaioig), and he
thus infers, that as much as the former stood higher than the latter,
by so much higher and more glorious would be their reward. As
regards, in the first place, the gradation, the name [UKpoi, little ones,
here given to believers, is remarkable. We might here refer to the
Eabbinical tisus loqiiendi, according to wliich, vt:;?^ small, forms the
contrast to a"?, great, the latter signifying teacher, master; the for-
mer, disciple, servant. But this does not meet the case ; the ex-
pression seems intended to indicate a peculiarity of the disciples of
Jesus, (Comp. Matth. xviii. 6.) According to the context, it would
seem to point out, first, the needy condition of the disciples, who,
like helpless children, seem to be given over as a prey to misery in this
world, but are sustained by the help of the Father from above.
* The reverse side of this picture is pointed out by Luke x. 16, in the words 6 ifii
(IdeTcJv K. T. ?.. Allusions to this thought are also met with in the Rabbinical writings
«. g., si quis recipit viros dodos, idem est ac si reciperet Schechinam, L e., manifestationcm
tummi numinis. Comp. Schottgen on this passage.
;