He teacheth a form of prayer, (5) and exhorteth to pray instantly, (11) assuring that so God will give us good things. (14) The Jews blaspheming his casting out of Devils, and asking for a miracle from Heaven, (17) he defendeth his doing: (22) foretelling also the Devil’s expulsion by him out of the world (that is, the vocation of the Gentiles) (24) and his re-entry into their Nation, (27) with their reprobation though he be of their flesh, (29) and also their final most worthy damnation. (37) Again, to the Pharisees and Scribes he crieth woe, as authors of the said reprobation now at hand.
AND it came to pass, when he was in a certain place praying, as he ceased, one of his Disciples said to him: Lord teach us to pray, as John also taught his Disciples. 2And he said to them: * When you pray, say, Father, sanctified be thy name. Thy kingdom come. 3Our daily bread give us this day, 4and forgive us our sins, for because ourselves also do forgive every one that is in debt to us. And lead us not into temptation. 5And he said to them: Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and shall say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves, 6because a friend of mine is come out of his way to me, and I have not what to set before him: 7and he from within answering saith: Trouble me not, now the door is shut, and my children are with me in bed; I can not rise and give thee. 8And if he shall persevere knocking, I say to you, although he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet for his importunity he will rise, and give him as many as he needeth. 9 * And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. 10For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. 11And which of you if he ask his father bread, will he give him a stone? or a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12Or if he ask an egg, will he reach him a scorpion? 13If you then being nought, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father from Heaven give the good Spirit to them that ask him?
14 * And he was casting out a Devil, and that was dumb. And when he had cast out the Devil, the dumb spoke: and the multitudes marvelled. 15 * And certain of them said: In Beel-zebub the prince of Devils he casteth out Devils. 16And other tempting, asked of him a sign from Heaven. 17But he seeing their cogitations, said to them: Every Kingdom divided against itself, shall be made desolate, and c house upon house, shall fall. 18And if Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his Kingdom stand? because you say that in Beel-zebub I do cast out Devils. 19And if I in Beel-zebub cast out Devils; your children, in whom do they cast out? therefore they shall be your judges. 20But if I in the [a] finger of God do cast out Devils; surely the Kingdom of God is come upon you. 21When the strong armed keepeth his court, those things are in peace that he possesseth. 22But if a stronger than he come upon him and overcome him; he will take away his whole armour wherein he trusted, and will distribute his spoils. 23He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth. 24When the unclean spirit shall depart out of a man, he wandereth through places without water, seeking rest. And not finding, he saith, I will return into my house whence I departed. 25And when he is come, he findeth it swept with a besom, and trimmed. 26Then he goeth and taketh seven other spirits worse than himself, and entering in they dwell there. And the c last of that man be made worse than the first.
27 b And came to pass, when he said these things, a certain woman lifting up her voice out of the multitude said to him: • Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that thou didst suck. 28But he said: [b] Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
29And the multitudes running together, he began to say: * This Generation, is a wicked Generation, it asketh a sign, and a sign shall not be given it but • the sign of Jonas the Prophet. 30 * For as Jonas was a sign to the Ninivites; so shall the Son of man also be to this Generation. 31 * The Queen of the South shall rise in the judgement with the men of this Generation, and shall condemn them: because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Salomon. And behold, more than Salomon here. 32The men of Ninive shall rise in the judgement with this Generation, and shall condemn it, * because they [c] did penance at the preaching of Jonas. And behold, more than Jonas here.
33 * No man lighteth a candle, and putteth it in secret, neither under a bushel: but upon a candlestick, that they that go in may see the light. 34 * The candle of thy body is thine eye. If thine eye be simple, thy whole body shall be lightsome; but if it be nought, thy body also shall be darksome. 35See therefore that the light which is in thee, be not darkness. 36If then thy whole body be lightsome, having no part of darkness; it shall be lightsome wholly, and as a bright candle it shall lighten thee.
37And when he was speaking, a certain Pharisee desired him that he would dine with him. And he going in sat down to eat. 38And the Pharisee began to think within himself and to say: Why he was not washed before dinner. 39And our Lord said to him: * Now you Pharisees do make clean that on the outside of the cup and of the platter; but that of yours which is within, is full of rapine and iniquity. 40Fools, did not he that made that on the outside, make that also that is on the inside? 41But yet c that that remaineth, • give alms, and behold all things are clean unto you. 42But woe to you Pharisees, because you tithe mint and rue and every herb: and pass over judgement and the charity of God. But these things you ought to have done, and not to omit those. 43Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the first chairs in the Synagogues, and salutations in the market place. 44Woe to you, because you are as monuments that appear not, and men walking over, are not ware.
45And one of the Lawyers answering saith to him: Master, in saying these things, thou speakest to our reproach also. 46But he said: • Woe to you Lawyers also: because you load men with burdens which they can not bear, and yourselves touch not the packs with one of your fingers. 47Woe to you that [d] build the monuments of the Prophets: and your fathers did kill them. 48Surely you do testify that you consent to the works of your fathers: because they indeed did kill them, and you build their sepulchres. 49For this cause the wisdom also of God said, I will send to them Prophets and Apostles, and of them they will kill and persecute. 50That the blood of all the Prophets that was shed from the making of the world, may be required of this Generation, 51 * from the blood of Abel unto the * blood of Zachary that was slain between the Altar and the Temple. Yea I say to you, it shall be required of this Generation. 52Woe to you Lawyers, because you have taken away the key of knowledge: yourselves have not entered, and those that did enter you have prohibited. 53And when he said these things to them, the Pharisees and the Lawyers began vehemently to urge him, and to stop his mouth about many things, 54lying in wait for him, and seeking to catch something of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
Footnotes
- ↑ This finger is the Spirit of God, Mat, 12, 28.
- ↑ The said mother of God, in that also was Blessed that she was the temporal means and minister of the Incarnation, but much more Blessed, in that she continueth the perpetual keeper of his word, Beda, Aug. tract. 19. in Joan.
- ↑ μετενοησαν. Mark that the great penance of the Ninivites (Jona 3.) is here expressed by this Greek word. See Annot. Mat. 3, 2.
- ↑ Not the building of the Prophets monuments is condemned, but their imitation of their fathers that slew the Prophets. Ambros.
ANNOTATIONS. CHAP. XI.
↑ 27. Blessed is the womb.) Let us also (saith Venerable Bede) lift up our voice with the Catholic Church, of which this woman was a figure; let us lift up our hearts among the People, and say to our Saviour: Blessed be the womb that bore thee, and the paps which thou didst suck. For blessed indeed is the mother which bore the King that ruleth Heaven and earth for ever.
↑ 29. The sign of Jonas.) Of all miracles, his Resurrection, after he had been according to his body, in the grave, according to his soul, in Hell three days, was the greatest, and most convinceth the incredulous Jews: and therefore a greater or more evident than that, he saith he will not give them.
↑ 41. Give alms.) The great force of alms is here and in diverse places of holy writ signified. In one place, they extinguish sin: in another, they redeem sins: in another, they deliver from death: in another, to them given or omitted, our judgement to Heaven or Hell is attributed: and here they make clean and satisfy for the Jews former offenses. For (as St. Augustine saith c. 70 Enchiridij) alms-deeds profit not a man that hath a will to continue in his sins, but they are to be done for a propitiation to God of former offenses. Now how well the Protestants like this doctrine so evidently set forth in Scripture, let the indifferent judge, and how well it agreeth with their only faith.
↑ 46. Woe to you Lawyers.) These were Doctors of Moyses’ Law, otherwise called Scribes. Shall we therefore cry out against all Lawyers now, or ought the name of Lawyer be odious with us, because of these naughty Lawyers among the Jews? Much less ought the name of Priests to be odious (as Heretics would have it) because of the Jews’ Priests that were so busy against our Saviour.
Margin Notes
- 5–13. The Ghospel in Majoribus litanies on S. Mark’s day, and in the Rogation days. And in a votive Mass against the Pagans.
- 14–28. The Ghospel upon the 3rd Sunday in Lent.
- 27–28. The Ghospel in Dedication Bl. Mary ad Nives, Aug. 5, and upon Assumption eve, and in a Votive of our Lady between Candlemass and Easter, and between Pentecost and Advent.
- 33–36. The Ghospel upon St. Martins day. Novem. 11, and for some other Confessors Bishops.
- 45–51. The Ghospel for many Martyrs.
- annot. 27. Our Bl. Lady.
- annot. 29. The sign of Jonas.
- annot. 41. The force of the alms.
- annot. 46. The Lawyers and Priests of the old Testament.
Margin References
- 2. Mat. 6, 9.
- 9. Mat. 7, 7.
- 14. Mat. 12, 22.
- 15. Mar. 3, 22.
- 17. c. οικος επι οικον
- 26. c. novissima siunt
- 29. Mat. 12, 29.
- 30. Jon. 2, 2.
- 31. 3. Reg. 10, 1.
- 32. Jon. 3, 5.
- 33. Mat. 5, 15. Mar. 4, 21.
- 34. Mat. 6, 22.
- 39. Mat. 23, 25.
- 41–51. c. Quod superest, τα ενοντα
- 51. Gen. 4, 5.
- 51. 2. Par. 24, 22.
- annot. 27. Beda upon this place.
- Eccl. 3, 33. Dan. 4, 24. Tob. 4, 11. Ecc. 29, 15. Mt. 25, 35, 42.
