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

414
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Matthew X. 41, 42.
Next, it has reference to the child-like, innocent, and, specially, the
humble feeling of the regenerate, who, although exalted and glo-
rious, arc yet conscious of their glory without any feeling of pre-
Bumption, (The passage in chap. xvii. 6, explains this more fully.)
Tliis humbleness (niKpoTTjg) of the disciples, is contrasted with the
Old Testament pietj'', which, although inferior, yet bears a somewhat
more pretentious character ; its two principal forms are pointed
out, viz., 7Tpo07/T£(a, prophecy, and diKaioovvr], righteousness. In the
former, is specially displayed the fulness of illumination by the
Spirit of God, which however, as in the case of Jonah, might well
be combined with meagre personal attainments ; in the latter, pre-
ciseness in obeying the law. (Comp. the remarks on Luke i. 6.)
Kighteousness appears here as the higher gradation of religious life
under the Old Testament, inasmuch as it presupposed a higher de-
gree of personal attainment than prophecy. But, above these two,
stands the New Testament life, in which an inward regeneration is
manifested in the outward life. These three gradations of charac-
ter, ^rq/^/ie^ (rrpo(j)7]T7]g), righteous man (di/caiog), and little one (jUKpog),
are brought into connexion with those who receive them, and to every
one is promised the luadog, p(^y, reivard, of him whom he receives.
(On the signification of luodog^ comp. the remarks on Matth. v. 12.)
The term is, in a legal point of view, wholly appropriate ; but in
the evangelical point of view, only in so far as love, which appears
in it as the active principle, carries its reward in itself. But as a
condition of the reward, it is farther added in what manner the re-
ception is to take place elg ovofia TTpo(()rjTov, dmaiov, naOrjTov, in the
name, etc. This eig ovona, in the name, contains the key to the
whole rather obscure passage ; it is identical with the Hebrew &»a
(it is not necessary to suppose an exchange of the prej)Ositions elg
and tv), so that the name signifies the character and true nature of
the person to be received. Hence the passage is full of rich meaning.
It points out the moral principle, that every action must be
measured by the disposition from which it proceeds, and that the
disposition is the result of the whole inward state of man. Hence,
it is not the isolated act of receiving, which is considered as the
gi'ound of the reward, but the disposition of sold from which the
act proceeds ; and the reception itself, turns not more on the per-
son received, than on the clearness with which his true character is
apprehended. Hence the sense of these remarkable words is- this :
whoever receives an Old Testament prophet, for the sake of his spi-
ritual character, and is endowed with the ability of receiving him,
and recognising him as such, will be rewarded according to his Old
Testament position ; the same takes place with regard to the right-
eous ; but he who receives a disciple of Jesus, i. e., a child of God,
and a citizen of the heavenly kingdom, and refreshes him by the