St Matthew Chapter X : Verses 34-42
Contents
- Matt. x. 34-42 Douay-Rheims text & Latin text (Vulgate).
- Notes on the text
- Additional Notes. Almsgiving.
Matt. x. 34-42
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| I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
34 Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword.
Nolite arbitrari quia pacem venerim mittere in terram : non veni pacem mittere, sed gladium :
35 For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
veni enim separare hominem adversus patrem suum, et filiam adversus matrem suam, et nurum adversus socrum suam :
36 And a man's enemies shall be they of his own household.
et inimici hominis, domestici ejus.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me.
Qui amat patrem aut matrem plus quam me, non est me dignus : et qui amat filium aut filiam super me, non est me dignus.
38 And he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth me, is not worthy of me.
Et qui non accipit crucem suam, et sequitur me, non est me dignus.
39 He that findeth his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for me, shall find it.
Qui invenit animam suam, perdet illam : et qui perdiderit animan suam propter me, inveniet eam.
40 He that receiveth you, receiveth me: and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me.
Qui recipit vos, me recipit : et qui me recipit, recipit eum qui me misit.
41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive the reward of a prophet: and he that receiveth a just man in the name of a just man, shall receive the reward of a just man.
Qui recipit prophetam in nomine prophetæ, mercedem prophetæ accipiet : et qui recipit justum in nomine justi, mercedem justi accipiet.
42 And whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.
Et quicumque potum dederit uni ex minimis istis calicem aquae frigidae tantum in nomine discipuli : amen dico vobis, non perdet mercedem suam.
Notes
34. Do not think, etc. The Jews expected a Messias who should inaugurate a temporal reign of peace. Jesus corrects this error, and confirms the prophetic words of holy Simeon (a sign that shall he contradicted). The Prince of Peace was to prevail ultimately, but at the price of war.
to send peace upon earth. How are we to reconcile these words with those sung by the angels at Bethlehem — On earth, peace to men of good will ? The explanation is, that Jesus comes to give man an absolute peace as far as God and his own conscience are concerned, but with regard to his neighbour, man can only have a conditional peace. When men come between us and God, then we must separate from them and adhere to Him.
the sword. The symbol of war and of division.
36. a man’s enemies. This verse is peculiar to St Matthew.
37. He that loveth, etc. The Christian, when called to do so, must renounce his relatives for Christ’s sake. Thus the Levite was spoken of by Moses as one who hath said to his father, and to his mother : I do not know you ; and to his brethren : I know you not ; and their own children they have not known (Dent, xxxiii. 9).
38. he that taketh not up his cross. This is the first time the cross is mentioned. The same words occur in xvi. 24 with a slightly different shade of meaning. The words are familiar and clear enough to us who live in the light of the Gospel, but to the Jews, with their abhorrence of and contempt for humiliation and their dreams of Messianic splendours, they must have sounded like a death-knell. To carry our cross is more than passive renunciation, it involves active suffering. Jesus forces no man to serve Him. All depends, as far as we are concerned, on our free will, but God gives to all sufficient grace for salvation. This is an article of faith, i.e. a truth which all Catholics are bound to accept.
followeth me. An allusion to His Crucifixion, which the apostles, at this stage, would not have grasped. The disciple must follow his Master in the path of suffering and humiliation.
39. findeth his life, — i.e. preserve it at the cost of his salvation. “ Life ” is here used in a double sense : —
(a) The natural life.
(b) The supernatural life of the soul. Whoever clings inordinately to the former will certainly sacrifice the latter, since he will break God’s commandments rather than lose some temporal gain, and by sinning mortally, risk his eternal salvation.
40. He that receiveth, etc. He who receives Christ’s ministers receives Christ Himself, hence the necessity for the Catholic to “ hear the Church ” which God has divinely commissioned to teach men the road to salvation.
“Thou hast seen thy brother, therefore thou hast seen thy Lord” (Tertullian). “A man’s messenger is as himself ” (Talmud).
41. a prophet. One who announced a message from God, not necessarily one who predicted future events.
in the name, etc. A Hebrew idiom meaning “ because he is a prophet.”
the reward of a prophet. Those who assist Christ’s ministers have a share in their reward, since they help them indirectly — by freeing them from temporal anxieties — to accomplish their mission.
a just man. Note the gradation — prophet, just man, one of these little ones. Nothing is lost that we do for God (even though the recipient be unworthy).
42. to one of these little ones. This has been variously interpreted as referring to a disciple, one weak in virtue, or a sinner.
a cup of cold water. In the East, a cup of cold water was frequently asked for as an alms. It had more value than in our country, on account of the need of the recipients and of the scarcity of water. The apostles, when sent out on their mission, had depended for food and shelter on the hospitality of strangers, and would many a time have asked for “ a cup of cold water."
in the name of a disciple. In the parallel passage we read, because you belong to Christ, where our Lord refers to Himself under the name by which the Messias was generally designated.
he shall not lose Ms reward. A general principle is here laid down respecting alms given for Christ’s sake. Christ will count them as done unto Himself.
Additional Notes
39. He that findeth his life shall lose it. Our Lord enunciates this solemn truth on four different occasions : —
(1) After St Peter’s confession of faith (St Luke ix. 24).
(2) When he sent out the Twelve to preach. “ He that findeth his life, shall lose it : and he that shall lose his life for me shall find it” (St Matt. X. 39).
(3) In answer to the Pharisees’ question. “Whosoever shall seek to save his life, shall lose it ; and whosoever shall lose it, shall preserve it ” (St Luke xvii. 33).
(4) In the Temple (when St Andrew and St Philip came to Him). “ He that loveth his life shall lose it : and he that hateth his life in this world, keepeth it unto life eternal ” (St John xii. 25).
42. Whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones, etc. This verse clearly inculcates the blessedness of almsdeeds, and promises a reward to those who perform them. Jesus Christ constantly enforces this duty ; He has even made alms-deeds the standard of the final judgment. Any work of charity, corporal or spiritual, is included under this heading. Under the Mosaic law it was equally enjoined: —
“Give alms out of thy substance” (Tob. iv. 7). “I command thee to open thy hand to thy needy and poor brother” (Deut. xv. 11). Hence Christ’s teaching, “ Sell what you possess and give alms,” was no new doctrine. Almsgiving is of obligation, since —
(a) All men are brethren.
(b) We are but God’s stewards, and He commands us to give to the needy.
(c) We must learn to detach our hearts from earthly possessions.
But if our works of charity and alms are to he meritorious, they must be —
(а) Given for the love of God. “Whosoever will give you to drink a cup of water in my name, because you belong to Christ ; Amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward " (St Mark ix. 40).
(b) Concealed from the knowledge of men (as far as possible), unless it is a duty to reveal them for the edification of our neighbour. “But when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth ” (St Matt. vi. 3).
Almsgiving is one of the three “ eminent good works,” and all works of charity —
(а) Draw down a blessing on the giver.
(b) Atone for sin, and help us to pay our debt of temporal punishment.
(c) Make our prayers more powerful with God.
(d) Enable us to purchase heaven with the goods of earth.
(e) Help us to live detached from the world.
The amount that each should bestow in alms is given in the simple words “ according to our means,” and this golden rule is explained by holy Tobias, who on his deathbed thus advised his son, “ According to thy ability be merciful. If thou have much, give abundantly : if thou have little, take care even so to bestow willingly a little” (Tob. iv. 8, 9). In the following verses he points out the advantages of alms-deeds. “ For thus thou storest up to thyself a good reward for the day of necessity. For alms deliver from all sin, and from death, and will not suffer the soul to go into darkness. Alms shall be a great confidence before the most high God, to all them that give it” (10, 11, 12).
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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