Mat 14:9, 17:23, 18:31, 19:22, 26:22, 37 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 9. And the king was sorry . There might have been several reasons for this: (1.) Herod had a high respect for John, and feared him. He knew that he was a holy man, and had " observed him," that is, regarded him with respect and veneration. He had done some things in obedience to John's precepts, . (2.) John was in high repute among the people, and Herod might have been afraid that his murder might excite commotion, (3.) Herod, though a wicked man, does not appear to have been insensible to some of the common principles of human nature. Here was a great and most manifest crime proposed; no less than the murder of an acknowledged prophet of the Lord. It was deliberate. It was to gratify the malice of a wicked woman. It was the price of a few moments' entertainment. His conscience , though in feeble and dying accents, checked him. He would have preferred a request not so manifestly wicked, and that would not have involved him in so much difficulty. For the oath's sake . Herod felt that he was bound by this oath. But he was not. The oath should not have been taken. But being taken, he could not be bound by it. No oath could justify a man in committing murder. The true principle is, that Herod was bound by a prior obligation, by the law of God, not to commit murder; and no act of his, be it an oath , or anything else, could free him from the obligation. And them which sat with him at meat . This was the strongest reason why Herod murdered John. He had not firmness enough to obey the law of God, and to follow the dictates of conscience, against the opinions of wicked men. He was afraid of the charge of cowardice, and want of spirit; afraid of ridicule, and the contempt of the wicked. This is the principle of the laws of honour --this the foundation of duelling . It is not so much for his own sake that one man murders another in a duel, for the offence is often a mere trifle. It is a word , or look , that never would injure him. It is because the men of honour , as they call themselves, his companions, would consider him a coward, and laugh at him. Those companions may be unprincipled contemners of the laws of God and man. And yet the duellist, against his own conscience, against the laws of God, against the good opinions of the virtuous part of the world, and against the laws of his country, seeks by deadly aim to murder another, merely to gratify his dissolute companions. And this is the law of honour! This is the secret of duelling! This the source of that remorse that settles in awful blackness, and that thunders damnation around the duellist in his dying hours! It should be added, this is the source of all youthful guilt. We are led along by others. We have not firmness enough to follow the teachings of a father, and of the law of God. Young men are afraid of being called mean and cowardly , by the wicked; and they often sink low m wee, never to rise again. At meat . That is, at supper. The word meat , at the time the Bible was translated, meant provisions of all kinds. It is now restricted to flesh , and does not convey a full idea of the original. (b) "oath's sake"

Matthew 14:9

Verse 9. And the king was sorry. There might have been several reasons for this:

(1.) Herod had a high respect for John, and feared him. He knew that he was a holy man, and had "observed him," that is, regarded him with respect and veneration. He had done some things in obedience to John's precepts, Mk 6:20.

(2.) John was in high repute among the people, and Herod might have been afraid that his murder might excite commotion,

(3.) Herod, though a wicked man, does not appear to have been insensible to some of the common principles of human nature. Here was a great and most manifest crime proposed; no less than the murder of an acknowledged prophet of the Lord. It was deliberate. It was to gratify the malice of a wicked woman. It was the price of a few moments' entertainment. His conscience, though in feeble and dying accents, checked him. He would have preferred a request not so manifestly wicked, and that would not have involved him in so much difficulty.

For the oath's sake. Herod felt that he was bound by this oath. But he was not. The oath should not have been taken. But being taken, he could not be bound by it. No oath could justify a man in committing murder. The true principle is, that Herod was bound by a prior obligation, by the law of God, not to commit murder; and no act of his, be it an oath, or anything else, could free him from the obligation.

And them which sat with him at meat. This was the strongest reason why Herod murdered John. He had not firmness enough to obey the law of God, and to follow the dictates of conscience, against the opinions of wicked men. He was afraid of the charge of cowardice, and want of spirit; afraid of ridicule, and the contempt of the wicked. This is the principle of the laws of honour--this the foundation of duelling. It is not so much for his own sake that one man murders another in a duel, for the offence is often a mere trifle. It is a word, or look, that never would injure him. It is because the men of honour, as they call themselves, his companions, would consider him a coward, and laugh at him. Those companions may be unprincipled contemners of the laws of God and man. And yet the duellist, against his own conscience, against the laws of God, against the good opinions of the virtuous part of the world, and against the laws of his country, seeks by deadly aim to murder another, merely to gratify his dissolute companions. And this is the law of honour! This is the secret of duelling! This the source of that remorse that settles in awful blackness, and that thunders damnation around the duellist in his dying hours! It should be added, this is the source of all youthful guilt. We are led along by others. We have not firmness enough to follow the teachings of a father, and of the law of God. Young men are afraid of being called mean and cowardly, by the wicked; and they often sink low m wee, never to rise again.

At meat. That is, at supper. The word meat, at the time the Bible was translated, meant provisions of all kinds. It is now restricted to flesh, and does not convey a full idea of the original.

(b) "oath's sake" Jud 21:1, 1Sam 14:28, 25:22, Eccl 5:2

Matthew 17:23

Verse 23. And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again, See Mt 12:40. Mark and Luke add, that they understood not that saying, and it was hid from them, and they were afraid to ask him. The reasons of this may have been:

(1.) They were strongly attached to him, and were exceedingly sorry (Matthew) at any intimation that the was soon to leave them. They learned with great slowness and reluctance, therefore, that he was to be treated in this manner.

(2.) They were not willing to believe it. They knew he was the Messiah. But they supposed that he was to be a distinguished Prince, and was to restore the kingdom to Israel, Acts 1:6. But to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies, and be put to death, appeared to them to be frustrating all these expectations.

(3.) Though what he said was plain enough, yet they did not understand it; they could not see how he could be the Messiah, and yet be put to death in this manner. Nor did they understand it fully till after the resurrection.

Matthew 18:31

Verse 31. So when his fellowservants, etc. This is a mere circumstance thrown into the story for the sake of keeping, or making a consistent narrative. It cannot be intended to teach that other Christians should go and tell God What a brother had done; for God well knows all the actions of his children, and does not need us, surely, to inform him of what is done. It is abusing the Bible, and departing from the design of parables, to press every circumstance, and to endeavour to extract, from it some spiritual meaning. Our Saviour, in this parable, designed most clearly to exhibit only one great truth--the duty of forgiving our brethren, and the great evil of not forgiving a brother when he offends us. The circumstances of the parable are intended only to make the story consistent with itself, and thus to impress the general truth more fully on the mind.

Matthew 19:22

Verse 22. He had great possessions. He was very rich. He made an idol of them. He loved them more than God. He had NOT kept the commandments from his youth up; nor had he kept them at all. And rather than do good with his treasures, and seek his salvation by obeying God, this young man chose to turn away from the Saviour, and give over his inquiry about eternal life. He probably returned no more. Alas, how many lovely and amiable young persons follow his example!

Matthew 26:22

Verse 22. They were exceeding sorrowful. John says, they looked on one another, like men in anxiety, conscious each one, except Judas, of no such intention, and each one beginning to examine himself, to find whether he was the person intended. This showed their innocence, and their attachment to Jesus. It showed how sensitive they were to the least suspicion of the kind. It showed that they were willing to know themselves; thus evincing the spirit of the true Christian. Judas only was silent, and was the last to make the inquiry, and that after he had been plainly indicated, Mt 26:25. Thus showing,

(1.) that guilt is slow to suspect itself;

(2.) that it shrinks from the light;

(3.) that it was his purpose to conceal his intention; and,

(4.) that nothing but the consciousness that his Lord knew it could induce him to make inquiry. The guilty would, if possible, always conceal their crimes. The innocent are ready to suspect that they may have done wrong. Their feelings are tender, and they inquire with solicitude whether there may not be something in their bosoms unknown to themselves, that may be a departure from right feeling.

Matthew 26:37

Verse 37. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee. That is, James and John, Mt 10:2. On two other occasions he had favoured these disciples in a particular manner, suffering them to go with him to witness his power and glory, viz., at the healing of the ruler's daughter, (Lk 8:51,) and at his transfiguration on the mount, Mt 17:1.

Sorrowful. Affected with grief.

Very heavy. The word in the original is much stronger than the one translated sorrowful. It means, to be pressed down, or overwhelmed with great anguish. This was produced, doubtless, by a foresight of his great sufferings on the cross in making an atonement for the sins of men.