BibleStudy

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

1 He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.

John Gill

He went away from there—From Capernaum;

And came to his hometown—Or “city,” as the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, the city of Nazareth; so called because it was the place where Christ was conceived, and where he was educated; for which he had a regard, and was willing it should partake of the benefit of his doctrine and miracles:

And his disciples followed him—As they did wherever he went; and which is a true characteristic of a disciple of Jesus.

2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?

21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching.

John Gill

And they went into Capernaum—Jesus and his four disciples he had just called, Simon and Andrew, James and John; though the Arabic and Persic versions read, “he went”; that is, Christ; and so Beza says it was read in a certain copy:

And immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching—That is, immediately, as soon as he entered the, city, it being then the Sabbath; or, as soon as the Sabbath came, he went to the synagogue at Capernaum, and his disciples with him; where the people used to meet weekly to hear the law read, and to be instructed in divine things; which opportunity Christ laid hold on to preach the gospel to them, and teach them things concerning the kingdom of God.

22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

John Gill

And they were astonished at his teaching—The nature and importance of it, it being what they had not been used to hear; only at best the doctrine of the law, and sometimes only the traditions of the elders, or an allegorical and traditional sense of the Scriptures, and things very trifling and unedifying: and also they were amazed at the manner of his preaching, which was with so much gracefulness, gravity, and majesty, and was attended with so much evidence and power:

For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes—Or “their scribes,” as the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read. He did not go about to establish what he said by the authority of the rabbis, as the scribes did; saying, Hillel says so, or Shammai says thus, or such a doctor says thus and thus; but he spoke as from himself, as one sent of God, that had an authority from him, and was independent of man; and this was what they had not observed in others, and wonder at it (see Gill on Mat 7:28-29).

39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. MAR 1:21-22, 39

John Gill

And . . . preaching in their synagogues—Which were in the next towns, in the village cities, and

Throughout all Galilee—Taking every town and city in his circuit, he continued preaching the gospel of the kingdom in one place and another, until he had gone over the whole country:

And casting out demons—As out of the souls, so out of the bodies of men, whereby he confirmed the doctrine he preached.

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

John Gill

For he grew up before him like a young plant—Which springs out of the earth without notice; low in its beginning, slow in its growth, liable to be crushed with the foot, or destroyed with the frost, and no great probability of its coming to any perfection; or rather as a little “sucker,” as the word signifies, which grows out of the root of a tree, at some little distance from it, of which no notice or care is taken, nor anything hoped for from it; and the figure denotes the mean and unpromising appearance of Christ at his incarnation; which is the reason given why the Jews in general disbelieved, rejected, and despised him; for this phrase of “growing up” does not design his exaltation, or rising up from a low to a high estate; but his mean entrance into the world, like that of the springing up of a low and insignificant plant or shrub out of the earth: and the phrase “before him” is to be understood either of God the Father, by whom he was taken notice of, though not by men; and in whose sight he was precious, though despised by men; or his growing up, and the manner of it, or his mean appearance, were all before the Lord, and according to his will: or else it may be understood of Christ himself, and be rendered “before himself,” who was meek and lowly, and was mean and low in his own eyes; or rather it may be interpreted of the unbelieving Jew, of any or everyone of them that did not believe the report concerning him: because before him, in the sight of everyone of them, he sprung up in the manner described; unless it can be thought that it would be better rendered “to his face”; or “to his appearance”; that is, as to his outward appearance, in the external view of him, so he grew up:

And like a root out of dry ground—Or rather, “like a branch from a root out of dry ground”; agreeably to Isa 11:1, meaning not so much the land of Judea, where he was born; or the country of Galilee, where he was brought up; as the family of David, from whence he sprung, which was reduced to a very low condition when he was born of it; his supposed father being a carpenter, and his real mother a poor virgin in Nazareth, though both of the lineage and house of David; from this passage the ancient Jews are said to conclude that the Messiah would be born without a father, or the seed of man:

He had no form or majesty—Like a poor plant or shrub just crept out of the ground, in a dry and barren soil, ready to wither away as soon as up; has no strength nor straightness, of body; without verdure, leaves, blossom, and fruit things which make plants goodly and beautiful. This regards not the countenance of Christ, which probably was goodly, as were his types Moses and David; since he is said to be “fairer than the children of men”; and since his human nature was the immediate produce of the Holy Spirit, and without sin: but his outward circumstances; there was no majesty in him, or signs of it; it did not look probable that he would be a tall cedar, or a prince in Israel, much less the prince Messiah; he was born of mean parents; brought up in a contemptible part of the country; lived in a town out of which no good is said to come; dwelt in a mean cottage, and worked at a trade:

That we should look at him—As he grows up, and comes into public life and service, declaring himself, or declared by others, to be the Messiah: here the prophet represents the Jews that would live in Christ’s time, who would see his person, hear his doctrines, and be witnesses of his miracles, and yet say,

And no beauty that we should desire him—Or “sightliness” in him; nothing that looks grand and majestic, or like a king; they not looking at with an eye of faith his glory, as the glory of the only begotten of the Father; only viewing him in his outward circumstances, and so made their estimate of him; they expected the Messiah as a temporal prince, appearing in great pomp and state, to deliver them from the Roman yoke, and restore their nation to its former splendour and glory; and being disappointed herein was the true reason of their unbelief, before complained of, and why they did not desire him, who is the desire of all nations.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ISA 53:2-3

4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”

Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, who seek your life, and say, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand . . .” JER 11:21

John Gill

Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth—That is, “to,” the townsmen of Jeremiah, and who were the persons that combined together to destroy him; of this place (see Gill on Jer 1:1)

Who seek your life—Or “soul”; that is, to take it away:

And say, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord”—Without their leave, and such hard things as he did, unless he would prophesy smooth things, and then he might go on, otherwise he must expect to die:

Or you will die by our hand—Or means; they intimate, that, should he persist in this way of prophesying, they should not stay to carry on a judicial process against him, to bring him and accuse him before a judge, or the council, or any court of judicature; but should do as those called zealots in later times did; lay violent hands upon him, and dispatch him themselves at once; perhaps this they said after they found that the prophet had knowledge of their designs against him.

5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.

6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.

And he went about among the villages teaching.

Has a nation changed its gods,

even though they are no gods?

But my people have changed their glory

for that which does not profit. JER 2:11

John Gill

Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? Though they are not by nature gods which they worship, only nominal and fictitious deities, yet they did not change them for others; but when they once embraced the worship of them, continued therein; so did the Kittim, the inhabitants of the isles, who though they traded to distant countries, from place to place; and so the Kedarenes, who dwelt in tents, and fed cattle, and moved from one desert to another, and from one pasture to another, as Jarchi observes; yet they carried their gods with them, and did not exchange them for new ones where they came. The Jewish writers say, that the Kedarenes worshiped water, and the Kittim fire; and though they knew that water would quench fire, yet the latter would not change their gods. Kimchi and Abendana relate it just the reverse, and say the Kedarenes worshiped fire, and the Kittim water, which is most likely; and so it is said elsewhere.

But my people have changed their glory—The true God, who is glorious in himself, and whom they should have glorified, and have counted it their highest honor and glory that they knew him, and were the worshipers of him; yet they changed him, their glory, into the form of an ox that eats grass (Psa 106:20), therefore it is justly added,

For that which does not profit—Meaning Baal, and such like idols; see the note on Jer 2:8.

5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,

6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

John Gill

Not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers—Doing nothing but when under the master’s eye, and then pretending a great deal of diligence and industry, in order to ingratiate themselves into his affections, and neglecting his business when he is absent; whereas they ought to attend his service in his absence, as well as in his presence, and so seek to please him, which is commendable.

But as bondservants of Christ—Acting in like manner as the servants of Christ, who are not people-pleasers; or as if they themselves were serving Christ, as indeed they are, when they are doing that which is the will of Christ:

Doing the will of God from the heart—Meaning not the will of God in a religious, but in a civil sense, yielding a cheerful and hearty obedience to their own masters.

7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,

8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.

John Gill

Knowing that whatever good anyone does—According to the will of God, from right principles in his heart, and with a view to God’s glory:

This he will receive back from the Lord—That is, he shall receive the fruit and advantage of it, in a way of grace,

Whether he is a bondservant or is free—A servant or a free man, a master or a servant.

9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. EPH 6:5-9

John Gill

Masters, do the same to them—This does not refer to service and obedience, but to singleness of heart, benevolence, humanity, and a regard to Christ, and the will of God, and to the doing of good things, and to the performance of their duty, as they would have their servants do theirs; whose duty, if religious masters, is, with respect to their souls, to instruct them in, and use them to religious exercises, to pray with them, and for them, to set them good examples, to prevent them falling into, bad company, and to allow them proper time for religious duties; and with respect to their bodies, and outward concerns, to provide sufficient food and proper garments for them, or to give them their due wages, to take care of them when sick or lame, and show compassion and humanity to them, to encourage those that are prudent, faithful, and laborious, and to correct the disobedient, and expel the incorrigible:

And stop your threatening—Not that they may not in any sense threaten, but not always, nor too often, nor too much, and with great things on light occasions; nor should they be too forward to execute their threatenings, especially when their servants repent and amend; they should then forbear them and forgive; and so the Syriac version renders it, “forgive their offences”: this is opposed to all hard rigour, and ill usage, either by words or blows. And this is a rule given by the Jews, that a master should not multiply clamour and anger, but should speak him (his servant) quietly, and in a still manner, and he will hear his objections, or arguments and reasons:

Knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven—Meaning Christ, who employs, provides for, and uses well all his servants, and to whom masters must be accountable for their usage of servants; for he is the common master of masters and servants; and the place of his habitation is mentioned, to distinguish him from earthly masters; and the more to move and excite masters to their duty, since he being in heaven overlooks and takes notice of all their actions, as the omniscient God; and being omnipotent, has it in his power to plead and avenge the cause of the injured:

And that there is no partiality with him—As whether they are of this, or the other nation, Jew or Gentile; whether in this, or that state and condition, or in such and such circumstances of life; whether masters or servants, bondservant or free, or whether Canaanitish or Hebrew servants; between which the Jews made a difference, and allowed of rigour to be used to the one, but required mercy and kindness to be showed to the other; and so were respecters of persons.

The apostle Paul called the church to reflect Christ in all their relationships, including that of a bondservant and master. Some people are shocked that Paul had to address slaves in his letter, thinking that he was endorsing slavery. In fact, the opposite is true. By addressing them in his letter, Paul acknowledged their being part of the church and the Christian household. In a society that regarded slaves as no more than living tools, this was a radical idea that would later pave the way for their emancipation. And by addressing the master after admonishing the slaves, Paul was making it clear that both masters and slaves answer to the Lordship of Christ.

The principles in this passage can still apply to us in the context of employment or business. Employers and business owners can abuse and oppress those who work for them, and employees can work insincerely and only when their boss is around. The truth is, if we are followers of Christ, even when our situations are far from ideal, we can still represent Christ. By God’s grace, we can honor him through our thoughts, speech, and life.

You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. LEV 19:13

Bava Kamma 99a:5

The Gemara offers another suggestion: Come and hear a proof from a baraita: With regard to one who gave his garment to a craftsman, and the craftsman concluded the work and notified the owner that the work was complete, even if the owner delays paying the craftsman from now until ten days henceforth, he does not violate, for this delay, the prohibition of: “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning” (Lev 19:13). If the craftsman gave the garment to him at midday, then once the sun has set and the owner has not paid him, the owner does violate, for this delay, the prohibition against delaying the payment of wages.

Bava Metzia 110b:13

GEMARA: The Sages taught: From where is itderived concerning a day laborer that he collects his wages all night? The verse states: “The wages of a hired laborer shall not remain with you all night until the morning” (Lev 19:13). This indicates that he must pay him by the morning, and he has therefore not transgressed the prohibition of delaying the payment of wages until that time. And from where is it derived concerning a night laborer that he collects his wages all day? As it is stated: “You shall give him his wages on the same day” (Deu 24:15).

Bava Metzia 111a:9

The baraita continues. From here the Sages stated: Anyone who withholds the wages of a hired laborer violates these five negative prohibitions and one positive commandment. He violates the prohibition of: “Do not oppress your neighbor” (Lev 19:13), and the prohibition of: “Do not steal” (Lev 19:13), and the prohibition of: “You should not oppress a hired worker who is poor” (Deu 24:14), and the prohibition of delaying payment of wages (Lev 19:13), and he has not fulfilled the positive commandment of: “You shall give him his wages on the same day” (Deu 24:15), and he has violated the prohibition of: “The sun shall not set upon him” (Deu 24:15).

John Gill

You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him—Not oppress him secretly, nor rob him openly and by force, as Aben Ezra; not oppress him in buying and selling, in retaining wages due to him, and refusing to return to him what has been committed to trust, or to repay him what has been borrowed of him: the Vulgate Latin is, “you shall not calumniate him,” or get anything from him, by raising a calumny upon him; nor rob him by coming into his house, or entering into his fields, and taking away his goods, or his cattle without his will, and in a forcible manner; or by meeting him on the highway and demanding his money, and taking it from him:

The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning—Unless he that is hired agrees to it; for then it may be kept two or three days, or a week, or for whatsoever time may be agreed upon between them: this must be understood of one that is hired by the day, whose wages are due at night, and who may want his money to buy food for his family, and therefore should not without his consent be detained from him; and not of one that is hired by the week, or by the year, whose wages are not due until the end of the week or year for which he is hired; and the Jewish writers observe, that this Scripture speaks of a day hireling, or a day labourer, whose wages became due at night; as another Scripture (Deu 24:15); speaks of a night hireling, or a night labourer, whose hire is not due until the pillar of the morning arises, or the sun is up, and therefore it must be paid him before it goes down; to detain the wages of such, or oppress them of it, is a very crying sin; see Jer 22:13; Jas 5:4.

Rashi

You shall not oppress—This refers to one who withholds the wages of a hired worker (Bava Metzia 61a; Sifra, Kedoshim, Section 2 9).

Shall not remain . . . all night—Heb. לֹא תָלִין. This word is feminine gender and refers to the wages.

Until the morning—Scripture speaks here of a person hired for day-work whose departure from work is at sunset. The time for drawing his wages is therefore the whole night (and the law is not infringed provided he pays it before the moment of day break). In another passage (Deu 24:15) it states, “You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets.” There, however, it is speaking of one hired for night-work the end of whose period of work is at day break, therefore the time for drawing his wages is the whole day because the law gave the employer time, namely, an עוֹנָה (one half of the astronomical day; cf. for the meaning of the word Niddah 65b) to endeavour to obtain the money he requires for paying the wages (Bava Metzia 110b).

2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife.

Rashi

On one of their raids—When they go in groups of one hundred or two hundred by themselves, to plunder whatever they find, that is called a band.

A little girl—A little girl from the city of Naaran.

She worked in the service of—Jonathan renders, and she served Naaman’s wife.

3 She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

Rashi

My lord should plead for curing his illness before the prophet. An expression similar to, “and Moses prayed” (Exo 32:11). The supplications of all those who pray for him, will be that the miracle shall come before the prophet.

Plead—i.e., this is the supplication that he needs.

13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 2KI 5:2-3, 13

Rashi

My father—lit., my father, means the same as my master.

Will you not do it?—Wouldn’t you do it, even if he told you to do something requiring exertion?

Actually—By a fortiori conclusion, for he actually said to you to do an easy thing, “Wash, and be clean.”

A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, “How have we despised your name?” MAL 1:6

Rashi

A son is required to honor his father, and so a servant his master and you are called sons and slaves. Now, if I am your father, where is my honor?

Says the Lord of hosts to you—You, O priests, who despise my name.

But you say, “How have we despised”—I knew that you would say, “How have we despised?” This is the contempt as follows:

. . . submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. EPH 5:21

In a society where offense, greed, and power-tripping are normal, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ sounds unrealistic and out of this world. What is the limit of this submission? Where do we draw the line? Why would we even do this in the first place? Contrary to everything we think and feel instinctively, the Bible commands us to live in love, unity, and humility. This was exemplified by Christ himself. What do you think mutual submission looks like at work or in the marketplace? How can this draw people to Christ?

The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” GEN 16:9

John Gill

The angel of the Lord said to her—The same angel; though Jarchi thinks that one angel after another was sent, and that at every speech there was a fresh angel; and because this phrase is repeated again and again, some of the Rabbins have fancied there were four angels, and others five, but without any reason:

Return to your mistress and submit to her—Go back to her, humble yourself before her, acknowledge your fault, enter into her service again, and be subject to her; do her work and business, bear her corrections and chastisements; and “suffer to be afflicted,” by her, as the word may be rendered; take all patiently from her, which will be much more to your profit and advantage than to pursue the course you are in: and the more to encourage her to take his advice, he promises the following things (Gen 16:10-12).

5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,

1 Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.

2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.

Teach and urge these things.

John Gill

Those who have believing masters—That believe in one God, in opposition to the Gentiles, that held many gods, and in Jesus Christ, in distinction from the Jews; who believed in him with the heart, and professed him with their mouths, and held the mystery of faith in a pure conscience. What is said before, is said to servants that had unbelieving masters; who would be ready to blaspheme, should they act amiss. Servants were under a snare both ways, through the insinuations of false teachers; who suggested, that their service was not consistent with their Christian liberty; that they ought not to serve wicked men, because being called of God, they were advanced above them; nor good men, because they were upon a level with them. But the apostle teaches another doctrine;

Must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers—Of the same family named of Christ, and of the same household of God, and of faith, and have the same father; for though with regard to spiritual blessings, privileges, and ordinances, they were equal; yet not with regard to temporal and civil affairs; and therefore should not treat them with less respect, or be more backward to obey their lawful commands, on that account:

Rather they must serve—More heartily, and with a greater good will, as to the Lord; these masters belonging to him, and being engaged in his cause; which they, their servants, by yielding a cheerful obedience to them, are assisting in: and the rather,

Since those . . . are believers—Faithful in lesser things, in giving to them, their servants, what is just and equal, proper food and suitable garments, and their just wages; and in using their wealth and riches in a good way, for the interest of Christ, the assistance of the poor saints, and the spreading of the gospel; and so in greater things, by holding fast the profession of their faith, adhering to Christ, his truths and ordinances: or “since those . . . believing, or believers”; it is the same word as before used; and therefore they should be precious to them, and high in their esteem; for faith is a precious grace, and such as have it are chosen of God, and precious:

Who benefit by their good service—Of the free grace of God; of redemption and salvation by Jesus Christ, and of all spiritual blessings in him; and therefore should serve them the more cheerfully. The Syriac version renders it, “such as enjoy rest in,” or “are refreshed by their service”; or “by their service to them,” as the Arabic version: the sense is, that when believing servants serve their believing masters readily and faithfully, their masters are well pleased with them, delight in their service, and consider it as a benefit to them, and a kindness done them; and which therefore should animate and encourage them to serve them. Some understand these characters of

Believers and beloved—Of the servants’ themselves; that because they are such; therefore they should serve, and not despise their believing masters; and particularly the last clause, which may be rendered, “who in return receive a benefit from them,” as food, garments, and wages; and besides, they are used with humanity and kindness, and in a manner becoming Christians; to which agrees the Ethiopic version, which renders it, “who will receive and help you”; will take care of you, and assist you, and supply you with what is proper and necessary:

And beloved—Of God, who had chosen them to salvation; and of Christ, who had redeemed them by his blood; and of the saints, who are taught of God to love one another; and this is another reason why they should be served, and not despised:

Teach and urge these things—The Syriac and Arabic versions add them; the servants. The apostle was not above instructing and exhorting persons of such a capacity, and in so low a state of life; and it became Timothy to do so likewise; and every minister of the word.

4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.

Rashi

And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived from the first union (Bereishit Rabbah 45:4).

She looked with contempt on her mistress—She said, “As regards this woman Sarai, her conduct in private can certainly not be like that in public: she pretends to be a righteous woman, but she cannot really be righteous since all these years she has not been privileged to have children, whilst I have had that blessing from the first union” (Bereishit Rabbah 45:4).

5 And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” GEN 16:4-5

3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness . . . 1TI 6:1-3

6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart . . . EPH 6:5-6

. . . be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 1CO 16:16

John Gill

Be subject to such as these—To persons of such a character, and in such an office; if in ministering to poor saints, by assisting them, and by putting into their hands; and putting it in their power to discharge their work fully, in which they were so heartily concerned; and if in the work of the ministry of the word, by attending their ministrations, receiving the truths delivered by them with faith and love, so far as they appeared to be agreeably to the word of God; obeying their admonitions, counsels and advice, regarding their censures and reproofs by the authority of the church, and in their name, and by subjection to the laws of Christ’s house, as put in execution by them, see Heb 13:17.

And to every fellow worker—In any form, whether by relieving the poor, or by preaching the gospel:

And laborer—In the Lord’s vineyard, in the word and doctrine, for the good of souls, and the glory of Christ: for such are worthy of double honour, and ought to be valued and esteemed for their works’ sake, and submitted to in everything that is according to the rules of the gospel.

For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. HEB 6:10

John Gill

For God is not unjust—He is just and true, righteous in all his ways and works; there is no unrighteousness nor unfaithfulness in him; and this the apostle makes a reason of his strong persuasion of better things concerning the believing Hebrews; because he was well satisfied of the good work upon them, and he was assured that God was not unjust and unfaithful:

To overlook your work—Which is not to be understood of any good work done by them, for these are generally expressed in the plural number; and besides, these, if at all, are designed in the next clause; moreover, external good works, or such as appear to men to be so, are performed by hypocrites; nor can they be said to be better things, at least, not such as men are saved by: men may fall from these; and supposing them intended, the merit of works cannot be established, as is attempted from hence by the Papists; for the apostle could only consider them as fruits, not as causes of salvation; they are imperfect, and cannot justify, and therefore cannot save; they do not go before to procure salvation, but follow after, and, at most, but accompany; and though God does remember and not forget them, this is owing to his grace, and not to their merit; God’s righteousness in remembering them regards not a debt of justice, but a point of faithfulness: but this is to be understood of the work of God upon them, called in Scripture a good work, and the work of faith; and is elsewhere joined, as here, with the labour of love; see 1Th 1:3 and this might be called their work, not because wrought by them, but because it was wrought in them; and the grace that came along with it was exercised by them: now from hence the apostle might be persuaded of better things of them, even such as accompany salvation; since this work is a fruit of everlasting and unchangeable love, and is itself immortal, and the beginning of eternal life; and particularly faith is the effect of electing grace; shall never fail; is the means of the saints’ preservation; and is connected with everlasting salvation: it follows,

And the love that you have showed for his name—This may be understood either of love to God, the name of God being put for himself; who is to be loved for his own sake, on account of the perfections of his nature, as well as for the works of his hands; and which is to be showed for the sake of glorifying him: and this love is laborious; it sets a man to work for God; nor are any works to be regarded but what spring from love to God, and to his name; and from hence the apostle might entertain a good hope of these persons, since their love to God was an effect of God’s love to them, is a part of the work of grace, and cannot be lost; all things work together for good to such as love God; and these have a crown of life promised to them: or else it may be understood of love to the saints, as follows,

In serving the saints, as you still do—In seeking both their temporal and spiritual good; and though all men in general are to be loved, yet especially the saints, who are set apart by God, whose sins are expiated by Christ, and who are sanctified by the Spirit; and love to them being laborious, and appearing in many instances, and this shown for the Lord’s sake, for his name’s sake, might lead the apostle more strongly to conclude better things of them, even things of a saving nature; since charity or love to the saints is better than gifts, and is the evidence of grace, of passing from death to life, and of being the disciples of Christ; see 1Co 13:1-3.

5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,

6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,

8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. EPH 6:5-8

How differently do you think an employee would work when the boss is around or if there’s a significant bonus attached to the task at hand? Our natural tendency is to please those we are serving. However, in this passage, Paul introduced a radical idea. What if we worked for Jesus? What if he were watching us? What if he were to reward us? If we are followers of Christ, he is both our master and rewarder. We are to work and serve as his servants. Why should we live to please God, not fellow humans?

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. JOS 24:14

John Gill

Now therefore fear the Lord—Since he has done such great and good things, fear the Lord and his goodness, fear him for his goodness sake; nothing so influences fear, or a reverential affection for God, as a sense of his goodness; this engages men sensible of it to fear the Lord, that is, to worship him both internally and externally in the exercise of every grace, and in the performance of every duty:

And serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness—In the uprightness of their souls, without hypocrisy and deceit, and according to the truth of his word, and of his mind and will revealed in it, without any mixture of superstition and will worship, or of the commands and inventions of men:

Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt—That is, express an abhorrence of them, and keep at a distance from them, and show that you are far from giving in to such idolatries your ancestors were guilty of, when they lived on the other side Euphrates, in Chaldea, or when they were sojourners in Egypt; for it cannot be thought that the Israelites were at this time guilty of such gross idolatry, at least openly, since Joshua had bore such a testimony of them, that they had cleaved to the Lord to that day (Jos 23:8); and their zeal against the two tribes and a half, on suspicion of idolatry, or of going into it, is a proof of it also:

And serve the Lord—And him only.

The wicked earns deceptive wages,

but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. PRO 11:18

Rashi

The wicked earns deceptive wages—The wage of the wicked lies to him. He thinks that his prosperity will remain, but all is lost.

But one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward—But one who sows righteousness, it is a wage of truth, for he is surely confident that he will receive his wage at the end. שכר cornial in Old French. This appears to mean a weir in several dialects; i.e., a fence placed in the water to catch fish. Manuscripts of Rashi yield: eclusse or esklusa, which is e’cluse in modern French; in German wasserschleuse, a lock or a sluice gate. Like a man who locks a canal in order to gather fish, and he is confident that he will find many fish there. A similar instance is Isa 19:10: “all who work (שכר) for pay.”

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. MAT 7:21

John Gill

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”—Not every one that calls Christ his Lord and Master, professes subjection to him, or that calls upon his name, or is called by his name; or makes use of it in his public ministrations. There are many who desire to be called, and accounted Christians, and who make mention of the name of Christ in their sermons, only to take away their reproach, to cover themselves, and gain credit with, and get into the affections and goodwill of the people; but have no hearty love to Christ, nor true faith in him: nor is it their concern to preach his gospel, advance his glory, and promote his kingdom and interest; their chief view is to please men, aggrandize themselves, and set up the power of human nature in opposition to the grace of God, and the righteousness of Christ. Now not everyone of these, no, not any of them,

Will enter the kingdom of heaven—This is to be understood not of the outward dispensation of the gospel, or the gospel church state, or the visible church of Christ on earth, in which sense this phrase is sometimes used; because such persons may, and often do, enter here; but of eternal glory, into which none shall enter,

But the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven—This, as it may regard private Christians, intends not merely outward obedience to the will of God, declared in his law, nor barely subjection to the ordinances of the gospel; but more especially faith in Christ for life and salvation; which is the source of all true evangelical obedience, and without which nothing is acceptable to God. He that looks after the Son, looks to him, ventures on him, commits himself to him, trusts in him, relies on him, and believes on him for righteousness, salvation, and eternal life, he it is that does the will of the Father, and he only; and such an one, as he is desirous of doing the will of God in all acts of cheerful obedience to it, without dependence thereon; so he shall certainly enter the kingdom of heaven, and have everlasting life; see Joh 6:40 but as these words chiefly respect preachers, the sense of them is this, that only such who are faithful dispensers of the word shall enter into the joy of their Lord. Such do the will of Christ’s Father, and so his own, which are the same, who fully and faithfully preach the gospel of the grace of God; who declare the whole counsel of God, and keep back nothing that is profitable to the souls of men; who are neither ashamed of the testimony of Christ, nor afraid of the faces of men; but as they are put in trust with the gospel, so they speak it boldly, with all sincerity, not as pleasing men, but God, and commend themselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God: such as these shall have an abundant entrance into the kingdom and glory of God. The Vulgate Latin adds this clause, “he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven,” and so does Munster’s Hebrew edition of the gospel according to Matthew.

1 Hear this, O house of Jacob,

who are called by the name of Israel,

and who came from the waters of Judah,

who swear by the name of the Lord

and confess the God of Israel,

but not in truth or right.

Rashi

Hear this—The two tribes destined to go in exile to Babylon.

O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel—That is the tribe of Benjamin, who are not called by the tribe of Judah, but by the general name of the tribes of Israel.

And who came from the waters of Judah—And the tribe of Judah who emanated and ran from the waters of Judah’s pail, as Scripture states (Num 24:7): “Water shall run out of his pails.”

But not in truth—As Jeremiah said, (5:2) “Though they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’ surely they swear falsely,” i.e., you were unworthy of being redeemed, but since they were called as being from the holy city, and that caused them not to be exiled with the ten tribes in the time of Sennacherib, to Halah and Habor, for they have no redemption.

2 For they call themselves after the holy city,

and stay themselves on the God of Israel;

the Lord of hosts is his name. ISA 48:1-2

Rashi

And stay themselves on the God of Israel in the days of Hezekiah, about whom it is written (2Ki 18:5): “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel.” That caused them not to be exiled except in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, who exiled them to Babylon, and they had a redemption through Cyrus.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1CO 10:31

John Gill

So, whether you eat or drink—Which may principally refer to eating things sacrificed to idols, and drinking the libations of wine offered to them, since this is the subject of the apostle’s discourse; in doing of which he directs them to have the glory of God in view, and so to conduct, that that end may be answered: and it may also be applied to common eating and drinking, or to ordinary meals upon food, about which there is no dispute; and which common actions of life are done to the glory of God, when every mercy is considered and owned as coming from him; and when we confess ourselves unworthy of any; and when we ascribe all we have to the free and unmerited goodness of God; and enjoy every mercy of this kind, as a fruit of our Father’s love to us, as a blessing of the covenant, and as coming to us through the blood of Christ; when we are contented and satisfied with what we have, and act faith continually on God for future fresh supplies, and give thanks for all we receive: and if this, then much more eating and drinking in an ordinance way should be directed to the glory of God and Christ, as eating the bread, and drinking the wine in the Lord’s supper; and which is so done, when it is done in a decent and reverend manner, in the exercise of faith, discerning the Lord’s body, eating his flesh, and drinking his blood in a spiritual manner, without dependence on the actions done, and in remembrance of the love of God and Christ.

Or whatever you do—In a natural, civil, or religious respect, in preaching, hearing, praying, fasting, giving of alms whatever in the closet, in the family, in the church, or in the world, in private, or in public:

Do all to the glory of God—God’s glory is the end of all his works and actions; in creation, providence, and grace; in election, in the covenant, in the blessings and promises of it, in redemption, in the effectual calling, and in bringing many sons to glory. The same is the end of all Christ’s actions, as man and mediator, of his doctrines and miracles, of his obedience, sufferings, and death in this world, and of his interceding life in the other; who, as he lives to make intercession for us, lives to God, to the glory of God; and therefore the glory of God should be the end of all our actions: besides, without this no action can be truly called a good one; if a man seeks himself, his own glory, and popular applause, or has any sinister and selfish end in view in what he does, it cannot be said, nor will it be accounted by God to be a good action. The Jews have a saying much like this, “let all your works be done to the glory of God”; which one of their commentators explains thus:

“even when you are employed in eating and drinking, and in the business of life, you shall not design your bodily profit, but that you may be strong to do the will of your Creator.”

5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,

6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,

8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.

9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. EPH 6:5-9

Employers hold power over those who work for them. They hold the paycheck and the ability to hire and fire. But even slave masters who followed Christ were admonished to lead as servants of Christ—not threatening their slaves or abusing their power. Employers can take a more humble approach when they recognize they are accountable to God, who is sovereign over the lives of both employers and employees, who sees everyone’s heart and hard work, and who is not partial or plays favorites. When Paul wrote that masters are to do the same to them, what did he mean (Eph 6:5-8)?

14 You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns.

John Gill

You shall not oppress a hired worker—That is hired by the day, as appears by Deu 24:15; though the law may include such as are hired by the week, or month, or year; neither of whom are to be oppressed by any means, and chiefly by detaining their wages; so the Jerusalem Targum explains the phrase,

“you shall not detain by force the hire of the hired servant”;

nor by fraud, as in Jas 5:4;

Who is poor and needy—And so cannot bear the lest oppression of this kind, nor to have his wages detained from him any time, and much less wholly to be defrauded of them:

Whether he is one of your brothers—An Israelite, and so a brother both by nation and religion:

Or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns—Jarchi interprets this, both of proselytes of righteousness, and of proselytes of the gate; which latter are plainly described by this clause, and the former must be included; for, if proselytes of the gate are not to be oppressed, much less proselytes of righteousness, who were in all respects as Israelites, the same law was to them both. Jarchi says, the phrase “in your land” is intended to comprehend the hire of beasts, and of vessels; and these in the Mishnah are said to be comprehended in this precept, as well as the hire of man.

15 You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin. DEU 24:14-15

John Gill

You shall give him his wages on the same day—At the close of the day, when his work is done, the hire agreed for must be paid him; and, by the same rule, all such that were hired by the week, month, or year, were to have their wages paid them at the day their time was up:

Before the sun sets—It was to be paid before sun setting, or at it; see Lev 19:13;

For he is poor and counts on it—Being poor, he cannot wait any longer for the payment of it; his personal and family wants are such as require immediate payment; and besides, he has been eagerly expecting it, and earnestly desiring it, that he may satisfy the craving necessities of himself and family; and therefore it would be a great balk and disappointment to him to have his wages detained:

Lest he cry against you to the Lord—Having none to apply to but him, who is the patron of the poor and needy, not being able to help himself, nor having interest in any to interpose on his behalf; and his cry, and the cry of his hire too, enter into the ears of the Lord of hosts, and is regarded by him (Jas 5:4);

And you be guilty of sin—Be imputed to him, the guilt charged on him, and punishment inflicted for it.

13 If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,

when they brought a complaint against me,

John Gill

If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant—Whether it was a cause that related to any controversy or quarrel among themselves when it was brought before him, he did not reject it, because of the meanness of the contending parties, and the state of service they were in; but he received it and searched into it, heard patiently what each had to say, examined them thoroughly, entered into the merits of the cause, and either reconciled them, or passed a righteous sentence, punished the delinquent, and protected the innocent; or, if it was a cause relating to himself, any complaint of their work, or wages, or food, or clothing, as it seems to be from what follows:

When they brought a complaint against me—Had anything to complain of, or to object to him on the above account, or any other, where there was any show or colour of foundation for it; otherwise it cannot be thought he would indulge a saucy, impudent, and contradicting behaviour in them towards him: masters in those times and countries had an unlimited, and exercised a despotic power over their servants, and used them with great rigour, and refused to do them justice upon complaints; but Job behaved as if he had had the rules of the apostle before him to act by in his conduct towards his servants (Eph 6:9; Col 4:1); and even condescended to submit the cause between him and his servants to other judges or arbitrators, or rather took cognizance of it himself, heard patiently and carefully what they had to allege, and did them justice.

14 what then shall I do when God rises up?

When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?

John Gill

What then shall I do when God rises up? That is, if he had despised and rejected the cause of his servants, or had neglected, or refused to do them justice; he signifies he should be at the utmost loss to know what to do, what excuse to make, or what to say in his own defence, when God should rise up to defend the cause of the injured; either in a way of Providence in this life, or at the great day of judgment in the world to come, when everything will be brought to account, and masters and servants must stand alike before the judgment seat of God, to receive for the things they have done, whether good or evil:

When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him? When he makes a visitation among men, either in this world, even in a fatherly way, visits transgressions, and reproves and corrects for them; had he been guilty of ill usage of his servants, he must have silently submitted to such visitations and chastisements, having nothing to say for himself why he should not be thus dealt with; or in the world to come, in the great day of visitation, when God shall make inquisition for sin, and seek it out, and call to an account for it; and should this be produced against him, even contempt of the cause of his servants, he was sensible he could not answer him for it, nor for anyone sin of a thousand, as no man will be able to do; but must be speechless, unless he has a better righteousness than his own to answer for him in that time to come. This is Job’s first reason which deterred him from using his servants ill; another follows.

15 Did not he who made me in the womb make him?

And did not one fashion us in the womb? JOB 31:13-15

Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. MAL 3:5

John Gill

Then I will draw near to you for judgment—And so will manifestly appear to be the God of judgment they asked after (Mal 2:17) this is not to be understood of Christ’s coming to judgment at the last day, but of his coming to judge and punish the wicked Jews at the time of Jerusalem’s destruction; for the same is here meant, who is spoken of in the third person before, and who will not be afar off; there will be no need to inquire after him, when he will come he will be near enough, and too near for them:

I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers—Not only a judge, but a witness; so that there will be no delay of judgment, or protracting or evading it, for want of witnesses of facts alleged; for the Judge himself, who is Christ, will be witness of them, he being the omniscient God, before whom all things are manifest. The Targum is,

“my Word shall be among you for a swift witness.”

Mention is made of “sorcerers,” because there were many that used the magic art, enchantments, and sorceries, in the age of Christ and his apostles, and before the destruction of Jerusalem, even many of their doctors and members of the Sanhedrin (see Gill on Isa 8:19):

Against the adulterers—With whom that age also abounded; hence our Lord calls it an adulterous generation (Mat 12:39; Joh 8:3-9; Rom 2:22):

Against those who swear falsely—Who were guilty of perjury, and of vain oaths; who swore by the creatures, and not by the Lord, and to things not true; see Mat 5:33-37:

Against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless—Defrauding of servants of their wages, devouring widows’ houses, and distressing the fatherless, were sins the Jews were addicted to in those times, as appears from Jas 1:12; 5:4 who wrote to the twelve tribes; and from what our Lord charges them with (Mat 23:14):

Against those who thrust aside the sojourner—And so Kimchi supplies it,

“that thrust aside the judgment of the stranger”;

that do not do him justice in civil things; yea, persecuted those that became proselytes to the Christian religion:

And do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts—Which was the root and cause of all their sins; irreverence of Christ, disbelief of him, and contempt of his gospel.

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. MAT 7:12

John Gill

So whatever—These words are the epilogue, or conclusion of our Lord’s discourse; the sum of what he had delivered in the two preceding chapters, and in this hitherto, is contained in these words; for they not only respect the exhortation about judging and reproving; but every duty respecting our neighbour; it is a summary of the whole. It is a golden rule, here delivered, and ought to be observed by all mankind, Jews and Gentiles. So the Karaite Jews say,

“all things that a man would not take to himself, ‘it is not fit to do them to his brethren.’ ”

And Maimonides has expressed it much in the same words our Lord here does;

“Whatever you wish that others would do to you (says he), do you the same to your brethren, in the Law, and in the commandments”:

only there seems to be a restriction in the word “brethren”; the Jews, perhaps, meaning no other than Israelites; whereas our Lord’s rule reaches to all without exception, “whatever”

You wish that others would do to you, do also to them—Let them be who they will, whether brethren, or kinsmen, according to the flesh, or what not;

For this is the Law and the Prophets—The sum of the Law and the Prophets; not the whole sum of them, or the sum of the whole law: but of that part of it which respects our neighbours. Remarkable is the advice given by Hillel to one who came to be made a proselyte by him;

“whatever is hateful to you, that do not you to your neighbour, ‘this is all the whole law,’ and the rest is an explication of it, go and be perfect”:

yea, this rule is not only agreeable to the law of Moses, and the prophets, but even to the law and light of nature. Aristotle being asked, how we ought to carry ourselves to our friends, answered, as we would wish they would carry it to us. Alexander Severus, a Gentile emperor, so greatly admired this rule of Christ’s, that he ordered it to be written on the walls of his closet.

And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. LUK 6:31

John Gill

And as you wish that others would do to you—In matters of justice and beneficence were they in your case, and you in theirs;

Do so to them—A golden rule this, agreeably to the light of nature, and divine revelation, and is the sum and substance of the law and prophets (see Gill on Mat 7:12).