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

Matthew XVIII. 5. 577
Ver. 5.—Matthew, who alone gives the preceding verses, shews
himself here again exceedingly exact in detailing our Lord s dis-
courses. According to Mark and Luke, who do not give these
verses, it is not so easy to understand the presenting of the child,
nay, it acquires with them a diiFerent meaning. They both speak
directly of " the receiving of children," whence also Mark (ix. 36),
can add ivayKaXiadnevog avro, taking it in his arms, an act not in
immediate accordance with the representation of Matthew ; for
since, with him, the child was simply a symbol of humility, it must
in these circumstances have been a meaningless act to embrace him.
(In Luke ii. 28, the term hajKaXii^eadai = S^xeodai elg dyKaXag refers
to little children, in whom alone the character of humility is purely
developed. The verb -pooKaXtaaadai at Matth. xviii. 2, does not
contradict this ; it is only necessary that we do not understand it
exactly as meaning sucklings.) It accords well, however, with the
train of thought in Mark and Luke, which attaches to TraiScov
mainly the idea of a beloved, a dear one. Still the question
arises, how we shall trace here the general course of thought ; for
although Matthew primarily applies the presentation of the child
to a different purpose, yet he also proceeds in v. 5 to the " receiv-
ing" (dexsodai), and in v. 6 to its opposite, so that from this agreement
of the three Evangelists, we must hold that these words were
spoken on the occasion referred to. It certainly seems from the
connexion here, most natural to consider the " receiving" as an act
of unassuming self-humbling love, so that it connects itself with the
declaration -pcjrog -ndvToyv didnovog, the first, the servant of all (Mark
ix, 35). But with this view, the last clause at Luke ix. 48, he that
is least among you, etc., little harmonizes, for it is there apparent
that the disciples are themselves the little ones who are to be received,
not the recipients. (Compare also Mark ix. 41, from which
this plainly follows.) The connexion may therefore better be
understood thus, "Be ye eager to become lowly, little-noticed as
this child, for the little ones (the regenerate who have the true
child's feeling) are very dear and precious to the Lord, so that he
regards what is done to them as done to himself." According to
this chain of ideas, then, that which Matthew relates must be held
as having previously occurred ; for it is this which contains the
ground of Christ's attachment to them. IlaLdiov = [xtKpog ver.
10, is then the symbol of the regenerate. (See on Matth. x.
42.) The only thing still remaining obscure is how Ihe expres-
sion " he who receiveth a little child, receiveth me" should precisely
in this discourse be used to denote God's fatherly love for his spirit-
ual children. The simplest explanation is, that this form of
description is occasioned by the preceding mention (made distinctly
by Matth.) of entering into the kingdom of God. With this, aa
Vol. L—37