66 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For this is he of whom it is written,.... Malachi 3:1 Behold I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. That these words belong לעולם הבא, to the world to come, or the times of the Messiah, that is, the Gospel dispensation, the Jews (z) themselves own; but as to the particular person meant by the "messenger", or...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Verily I say unto you,.... What Christ had before said, he proved from a testimony of Scripture; what he was about to say depending on his word, he asseverates in the most solemn manner: among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist. The phrase, "them that are born of women", is a "periphrasis", of men...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And from the days of John the Baptist until now,.... From the time that he began to preach, to the then present time, the kingdom of heaven, the Gospel, and the ministry of it, first by John, then by Christ and his apostles, suffereth violence; or "comes with force", and power upon the souls of men: it was attended with the demonstration of the...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied unto John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. But how many there are that have ears and do not hear! The...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Let him listen to what the heaven-sent messenger has to say;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. These words are to be considered in connection with Matthew 11:11 and are a further proof of John's being greater than any of the prophets; because all the inspired writers and prophets, who were before him, prophesied of the Messiah as to come; and either spoke of him in obscure terms, or...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And if ye will receive it,.... The words carry in them some suspicion of unbelief and hardness of heart, as though they would not receive it: however, whether they would or not, it was a certain truth, that this same person, "John the Baptist", is Elias, which was for to come; who was appointed by God to come, and was prophesied of Mal 4:5 that he...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. A way of speaking used by Christ, when anything serious, and of great importance, was delivered; and which required attention, and was not easily understood: and such were the several things he had mentioned in this context; as that John was more than a prophet, more excellent than all the prophets; that...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But whereunto shall I liken this generation? The men of that age, the stubborn and perverse Jews; who were pleased with nothing, with no man's ministry, neither with John's, nor with Christ's, but found fault with whatever they heard, or saw done: it is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling to their fellows: that is, the case of...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows. And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. The children would not agree, Whatever game was proposed, some of them would not follow it. At one time they...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. “You would not join in our game; whichever we chose to do, to imitate a festival or a funeral, you would not...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And saying, we have piped unto you, and ye have not danced,.... The allusion is to Jewish children, who having seen their parents and friends at their festivals and weddings, some play upon the pipe, and others dance to them, mimicked the same in their diversions; and also having observed, at funerals, the mourning women, making their doleful...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For John came neither eating nor drinking,.... This and the following verse are an explanation of the foregoing "parable"; and this shows, that John and his disciples are the persons that mourned, of which his austere life was a proof: for when he "came", being sent of God, and appeared as a public preacher, he was "neither eating nor drinking";...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. There was no pleasing them. And there is no pleasing people now, whoever it is that God sends. One man is much too homely. In fact, he is...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. There was no pleasing them anyhow; they were prepared to find fault with any sort of man, whether he...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
The son of man came eating and drinking,.... Meaning himself, who ate and drank as men usually do, lived in the common way of life, was free and sociable, went to feasts, entertainments, and weddings, when he was invited; and was affable, courteous, and friendly in his deportment, to all men; and they say, behold a man gluttonous, a voracious man,...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
But wisdom is justified of her children. Whoever Christ sends, he sends in wisdom, and there is an adaptation about each of his servants, even if men do not perceive it. The day shall come when wisdom shall be justified of her children.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then began he to upbraid the cities,.... When he had sent forth his disciples to preach, and had been in these several cities hereafter mentioned himself, and had taught and preached in them, and confirmed his doctrine by many wonderful works; when he had observed how ill they had used both John and himself, representing the one as having a devil,...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto these Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: That was the point that Christ aimed at,—their repentance. He did not seek to dazzle them with wonders and marvels, but to break their hearts away from their sins. This is what his mighty works ought to have done, for they proved him to be...