St Matthew Chapter X : Verses 16-25
Contents
- Matt. x. 16-25 Douay-Rheims text & Latin text (Vulgate).
- Notes on the text
- Additional Notes. The gentleness of sheep. Scourging.
Matt. x. 16-25
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| I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
16 Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves.
Ecce ego mitto vos sicut oves in medio luporum. Estote ergo prudentes sicut serpentes, et simplices sicut columbæ.
17 But beware of men. For they will deliver you up in councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues.
Cavete autem ab hominibus. Tradent enim vos in conciliis, et in synagogis suis flagellabunt vos :
18 And you shall be brought before governors, and before kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles:
et ad præsides, et ad reges ducemini propter me in testimonium illis, et gentibus.
19 But when they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak.
Cum autem tradent vos, nolite cogitare quomodo, aut quid loquamini : dabitur enim vobis in illa hora, quid loquamini :
20 For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.
non enim vos estis qui loquimini, sed Spiritus Patris vestri, qui loquitur in vobis.
21 The brother also shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the son: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and shall put them to death.
Tradet autem frater fratrem in mortem, et pater filium : et insurgent filii in parentes, et morte eos afficient :
22 And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake: but he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.
et eritis odio omnibus propter nomen meum : qui autem perseveraverit usque in finem, hic salvus erit.
23 And when they shall persecute you in this city, flee into another. Amen I say to you, you shall not finish all the cities of Israel, till the Son of man come.
Cum autem persequentur vos in civitate ista, fugite in aliam. Amen dico vobis, non consummabitis civitates Israel, donec veniat Filius hominis.
24 The disciple is not above the master, nor the servant above his lord.
Non est discipulus super magistrum, nec servus super dominum suum :
25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the goodman of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household?
sufficit discipulo ut sit sicut magister ejus, et servo, sicut dominus ejus. Si patremfamilias Beelzebub vocaverunt, quanto magis domesticos ejus?
Notes
Note. — Parallel passages are found in another context, namely, in our Lord’s great discourse on the destruction of Jerusalem, and on the signs of the end of the world.
16. I send. The “I” is emphatic by position. Jesus sends His apostles with divine authority.
as sheep. In St Luke we read, as lambs among wolves (x. 3). The labourers in God’s harvest are to go forth in all simplicity, counting on His protection.
Notice the difference in the two expressions, as lambs, as sheep. There is perhaps a distinction drawn here between the sheep and the lambs, as in St John xxi. 15 and 17, Feed my lambs .... Feed my sheep.
wolves. The wolf is a symbol of the persecutor.
wise. The original Greek word (φρόνιμοι) signifies prudence or wariness, rather than wisdom.
serpents. The serpent, more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth (Gen. iii. 1), is renowned for its quickness in perceiving and avoiding danger, and is said to expose its body in order to protect its head. “ So let us be ready to sacrifice all for our faith, and to guard our Head, Christ ” (St Hilary).
simple. Lit. “without mixture” (ἀκέραιοι), and therefore guileless and candid. “ The astucity of the serpent will sharpen the simplicity of the dove, and the simplicity of the dove will temper the astucity of the serpent ” (St Gregory the Great).
doves. The emblem of innocence and candour. The Holy Spirit shewed Himself under the form of a dove ; the devil tempted our first parents under the form of a serpent.
17. beware of men. Jesus now abandons figurative language, and proceeds to warn His apostles against four categories of men : — Jews, Gentiles, relatives, evil men in general.
they will deliver you up, etc. Here we may tabulate the events which fulfilled this prediction.
Prophecy & Fulfilment
1. They shall deliver you up in councils.
St Peter and St John were summoned before the council after having cured the lame man (Acts iv. 1-14).St Peter and the apostles were called before the council because they preached in the name of Jesus (Acts v. 27).St Paul was brought before the council (Acts xxii. 30).
2. They will scourge you in their synagogues.
St Paul five times received forty stripes save one (see 2 Cor. xi. 23-25).
3. You shall be brought before governors and before kings for my sake.
St Paul (2 Cor. xi, 23, 24, 25).St Paul before: Gallio (Acts xviii. 12-17).
Felix (xxiv. 2-22).Festus (xxv. 1-11).King Agrippa (xxvi. 1-32).Nero (2 Tim. iv. 16, 17).
St Peter and St Paul martyred under Nero.St James apprehended (and killed by Herod) (Acts xii. 1, 2).
This prediction was fully verified when each of the apostles in turn gave his life for Christ and the Gospel. St John alone died a natural death ; he was the martyr “ in will but not in deed.”
18. governors. Lesser authorities, such as prætors, proprietors, procurators and consuls.
kings. The highest civil authorities. The predictions contained in verses 16-23, evidently referred to the apostles’ missionary labour after Pentecost.
for a testimony, etc. The apostles’ courage in confessing Christ would either lead to the conversion of their persecutors, or if their enemies refused to accept the Gospel, it would convict them before the tribunal of God at the hour of judgment.
19. take no thought, etc. No anxious foreboding thought (μὴ μεριμνήσητε).
Be not therefore solicitous, etc. (supra, vi. 34). They were to trust in God to inspire them, since they were told whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye (St Mark). Thus St Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, spoke in presence of the council (Acts iv, 8).
it shall be given you. The parallel passage runs ; For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not he able to resist and gainsay (St Luke xxi. 15). God addressed similar words to Moses : The Lord said to him : Who made man^s mouth ? or who made the dumb and the deaf, the seeing and the blind Did not I? (Ex. iv. 11). Our Lord here promises to give the inward thought and the power of utterance.
what to speak. The MSS, vary between “what ye shall speak” (λαλήσετε) and “what you should speak” (λαλήσητε). The latter is generally preferred as a correct reading.
20. For it is not you that speak. The Holy Ghost is to be the chief agent, but this does not exclude the active instrumentality of the apostles. Thus St Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost, spoke before the Sanhedrin so powerfully that they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed with their teeth at him (Acts vii. 54).
21. The brother also shall deliver. St Jerome remarks that “natural affection is lost when men differ in faith.”
shall put them to death. Intermediate agencies are overlooked by our Lord, since men are responsible for the crimes they cause others to commit, as well as the actual doers of the crimes.
22. you shall be hated by all men, — i.e. by many, and especially by all wicked men.
for my name’s sake. Tertullian, speaking of the martyrs and confessors of his day, writes, “We are tortured when we confess our guilt, we are set free if we deny it, for the battle centres in one Name.”
he that shall persevere unto the end. To those who fight bravely till the hour of death, salvation is promised, and they will merit to receive the crown of life. All who listened to these solemn words persevered, except Judas, the traitor. “Virtue does not consist in having begun, but in having attained to perfection ” (St Jerome).
Note.— Our Lord’s prophecies concerning His coming generally admit of two (or more) interpretations, the one proximate, which was often the type of the more distant and fuller realization. Thus “ the end ” of which our Lord speaks may refer to —
(1) The end of the persecution mentioned above.
(2) The end of the life of each disciple.
(3) The day of judgment.
23. till the son of man come. Commentators take these words as referring to the hour of the apostles' death, or the day of Pentecost, or the destruction of Jerusalem, but the opinion that is the best supported is, that our Lord refers to the day of judgment, which will come before all the Jews are gathered into the one fold. This view harmonizes best with the context and with historical facts.
24. The disciple is not above, etc., — i.e. he must not expect better treatment. This is a Hebrew proverb. It is used in different senses by our Lord (see St Luke vi. 40 ; St John xiii. 16). Note the threefold relations between Christ and the apostles : —
(a) teacher — disciples.
(b) lord — servant.
(c) householder — members of the family.
25. If they have called, etc. We do not find it expressly recorded elsewhere that the Jews had applied this name to our Lord, but we know that they reiterated their accusations of blasphemy against Him. (See infra, xii. 24 ; St Mark iii. 22 ; St Luke xi. 15.)
Beelzebub. The etymology, orthography, and meaning of this word are uncertain. The following meanings have been given : — “ the Lord of flies,” “ the Lord of the dwelling,” “ the Lord of dung,” and “ Prince of false gods.” Authorities are divided as to the correct reading. If Beelzebub be the true word, then the first meaning given is the right one, and the reference is to the idol worshipped at Accaron. Cf. Ochozias fell through the lattices of his upper chamber which he had in Samaria, and was sick : and he sent messengers, saying to them : Go, consult Beelzebub the god of Accaron, whether I shall recover of this my illness (4 Kings i. 2).
The reading “ Beelzebub,” is not, however, found in the best Greek MSS. Hence it is possible that “ Beelzebul ” should be preferred, and this signifies “ Lord of dung,” and was a contemptuous epithet which the Jews gave to the heathen deities, because they were accustomed to speak of idolatry as “abomination” or filth.
Additional Notes
16. Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. St Clement of Rome, writing to the Corinthians, quotes these words, with an addition which was evidently current in the oral tradition : “ The Lord said, ‘ Ye shall be as lambs in the midst of wolves.' But Peter, answering, said to Him, ‘ What therefore if the wolves rend the lambs ? ’ Jesus said to Peter, ‘The lambs when dead do not fear the wolves, and fear you not those who slay you and have power to do no more, but fear Him who after death has power to cast soul and body into the gehenna of fire’” (ii. 5). St John Chrysostom has a beautiful thought on this passage :
“ Even thus setting out, exhibit the gentleness of sheep, and this, though ye are to go unto wolves ; and not simply. unto wolves, but into the midst of wolves.”
And He bids them have not only gentleness as sheep, but also the harmlessness of the dove:
“For thus shall I best shew forth My might, when sheep get the better of wolves, and being in the midst of wolves, and receiving a thousand bites, so far from being consumed, do even work a change on them ; a thing far greater and more marvellous than killing them, to alter their spirit, and to reform their mind ; and this, being only twelve, while the whole world is filled with the wolves. Let us then be ashamed who do the contrary, who set like wolves upon our enemies. For as long as we are sheep, we conquer ; though ten thousand wolves prowl around, we overcome and prevail. But if we become wolves, we are worsted, for the help of our Shepherd departs from us ; for He feeds not wolves but sheep ; and He forsakes thee, and retires, for neither dost thou allow His might to be shewn. Because as He accounts the whole triumph His own, if thou being ill-used, shew forth gentleness ; so if thou follow it up and give blows, thou obscurest His victory” (Hom., xxxiii. 1, p. 480).
17. They will scourge you in their synagogues. The local Sanhedrins undoubtedly had the power of inflicting this punishment, and the Mishna thus describes it : —
“ Even a single Jewish scourging might well entitle any man to be regarded as a martyr. Thirty-nine blows were inflicted, unless, indeed, it was found that the strength of the patient was too much exhausted to admit of his receiving the full number. Both of his hands were tied to what is sometimes called a column, but which was in reality a stake, a cubit and a half high. The public officer then tore down his robe until his breast was laid bare. The executioner stood on a stone behind the criminal. The scourge consisted of two thongs, one of which was composed of four strands of calf’s skin and one or two strands of ass’s skin, which passed through a hole in a handle. The executioner, who was ordinarily the Chazzan of the synagogue, could thus shorten or lengthen them at will, so as not to strike too low. The prisoner bent to receive the blows, which were inflicted with one hand, but with all the force of the striker, thirteen on the breast, thirteen on the right and thirteen on the left shoulder. While the punishment was going on, the chief judge read aloud Deut. xxviii. 58, 59, ‘ If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, the Lord thy God ; then the Lord will make thy plagues (“strokes”) wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed.’ He then read Deut. xxix. 9, ‘ Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all ye do ’ ; and lastly, Ps. lxxviii. 38, 39, ‘ But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not : yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did -not stir up all his wrath.’ If the punishment was not over by the time that these three passages were read, they were again repeated, and so timed as to end exactly with the punishment itself. Meanwhile a second judge numbered the blows, and a third before each blow exclaimed, ‘ Hakkehu ’ (‘ strike him ’).... The severity of the pain may best be estimated by the brief addition, ‘ If the criminal die under the infliction the executioner is not accounted guilty, unless he gives by mistake a single blow too many, in which case he is banished”’ (quoted in Farrar’s St Paul).
23. Flee into another. Tertullian denied that Christians were allowed to flee from their persecutors, but the Church has always taught the contrary. It is allowed to take refuge in flight, when such a course does not involve scandal, or any other evil to others. If the sheep are likely to suffer from the absence of the shepherd, evidently he must remain at his post. On the other hand, the labourers are few; and the apostle, by prudently taking flight, can evangelize elsewhere. Until our Lord’s hour had come, He retired from the violence of the Jews. Cf. “ They took up stones therefore to cast at him. But Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple” (St John viii. 59). See also infra, xii. 15. The apostles frequently judged it opportune to take flight (see Acts ix. 25-30, xiii. 51, xiv. 6, etc.). We find the confessors and martyrs of the early Church obeying our Lord’s command, e.g. St Polycarp, St Dionysius of Alexandria, St Cyprian, St Athanasius, etc.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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