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

Matthew XII. 14, 15. 445
host of priests, attacked in their most secret ein, joined for the de-
fence of their kingdom. There was no longer the opposition of individuals,
but of a powerful body, whose enmity was called forth by
the light which emanated from Christ. According to Mark iii. 6,
the crafty priests immediately attempted U) form a coalition with
the secular powers ; " They took counsel with the Herodians Qierd
rCJv 'Kpcjdiavojv avfifiovXiov iiroiovv). These Herodians were courtiers
and adherents of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee (Matth. xxii.
16 ; Mark xii. 13), whom the Pharisees undertook to gain over to
their interests, because they could effect nothing without the secu-
lar power.* Their wdcked intentions became evident even at that
time ;
they hardened their hearts against the beneficent influences
of the Holy Spirit ; E7TXriodr]aav dvoiag, they tvere filled ivith folly,
as Luke vi. 11 very significantly expresses it, for every departure
from God is folly.
Ver. 15.—But as the hour had not yet come, in which the Lord
was to be delivered into the hands of his enemies (Matth. xxvi. 45),
he left them and withdrew into retirement. The narrative of Matth.
xii. 15, 16, finishes with the same kind of general formula, as we
have already frequently met with (iv. 23, seq.; ix. 35, seq.). Ac-
cording to the parallel passage (Maik iii. 7, seq.), Jesus went to the
Lake of Gennesaret, and, among the multitudes who sought him
there, there were not only persons from Idumea, Tyre and Sidon,
but also from Judea and Jerusalem— (Comp. iii. 22, where ypanfiaTeXg
aTTo 'ltpoooXv^G)v Karaf^avreg are expressly mentioned) ; which clearly
proves that Jesus had already exercised his ministry in Judea and
Jerusalem. It is probable that many events narrated by Matthew
and Marfhappened in, or around Jerusalem ; only, the Evangelists
omit any mention of the locality ; no intimation is to be found that,
before his last journey to the feast, Jesus limited the sphere of his
ministry to Galilee. According to the farther account of Mark (iii.
19), the throng of people w^as so great, that they became troublesome
to our Lord (OXifieiv)^ and he was obliged to enter into a ves-
sel in order that thence he might be able to teach them. (In the
phrase : Iva TrXoidpiov TTpoaKaprep^ avroj, the dxpression TrpoaKaprepelv
is used in the sense of prccsto esse, " to be at one's disposal.") Here
also Jesus endeavoured earnestly and impressively to inculcate
( iTTerina), that his abode and dignity should not be made known,
{Iva pi] (pavepov avrov-noiriawot, M.Q.rk iii. 12; Matth. xii. 16.) Ac-
cording to the context, this command of Jesus chiefly implies that
he wished every political movement in his favour to be avoided on
the part of those Jews who were filled with false notions concerning
the Messiah, that he might thus take from his adversaries every
* The uncritical Epi;plMnius describes the Herodians as a religious sect. (Epiph.
Hajr. Ossen. p. 44.)