Matthew 19:1 Kommentar

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings,.... Concerning humility, avoiding offences, the methods to be taken in reproving offenders, and the forgiveness that is to be exercised towards them: he departed from Galilee; where he had chiefly preached and wrought his miracles, no more to return thither till after his resurrection: and came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan; that is, to that country which was called "beyond Jordan", and bordered on Judea; coming still nearer and nearer to Jerusalem, where he had told his disciples, a little while ago, he must come, and suffer, and die. Rather, it should be rendered, "on this side Jordan", as also in Joh 1:28 for the coasts of Judea were on this side; so , is rendered in

Also He cures the Galileans on the borders of Judæa, that He might admit the sins of the Gentiles to that pardon which was prepared for the Jews.

Having constantly left Judaea on account of the envy of those men, now He frequents it from this time forth, because the passion was to be nigh at hand; He goeth not up, however, unto Jerusalem for a while, but "into the coasts of Judaea."

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM.e. As the righteous Lord of all, who loves these servants so as not to despise those. They were conducting Him forth, as the young children of a father going on a far journey. And He setting forth as a father, left them as pledges of His love the healing of their diseases, as it is said, And he healed them.

Here then He begins to relate what He did, taught, or suffered in Judæa. At first beyond Jordan eastward, afterwards on this side Jordan when He came to Jericho, Bethphage, and Jerusalem; whence it follows, And He came into the coasts of Judæa beyond Jordan. It should be known, that the whole territory of the Israelites was called Judæa, to distinguish it from other nations. But its southern portion, inhabited by the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, was called Judæa proper, to distinguish it from other districts in the same province as Samaria, Galilee, Decapolis, and the rest. It follows, And great multitudes followed him.

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, He departed from Galilee, and came into the region of Judea beyond Jordan. And great multitudes followed Him; and He healed them there. Again He sojourns in Judea so as not to give the unbelievers in Judea any excuse to say, "He did not visit us frequently, as He did the Galileans." Once again, when the teaching and the speaking are finished, the miracles follow, for we must both teach and act. When the mindless Pharisees saw the miracles, they ought to have believed, but instead they put Him to the test.

Above it was shown how one must come to eternal life by the common way; here he teaches how one must come by the way of perfection, which is treated with respect to two things: with respect to continence, and with respect to voluntary poverty. Regarding the first he does two things. First he treats of the arrival; secondly of continence, at his disciples said to him etc. Regarding the first he does three things. First the testing by the Pharisees is presented; secondly, Christ's solution; thirdly, the objection against the solution. The second at who answering said to them; the third at why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce? Regarding the first, three things: first, the place is described; secondly, the occasion for testing; thirdly, the testing itself. He says therefore and it came to pass, because his word is deed. For he spoke, and they were made: he commanded, and they were created (Ps 32:9). When he had finished these words, namely about avoiding scandal, he departed from Galilee and came into the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan. Judea is sometimes taken for the whole land which the Jews inhabit; sometimes for the land which fell to the lot of the tribe of Judah, and so it is distinguished from the others, and so it is taken here. For it was necessary to pass through Judea for one who wished to go to Jerusalem, which was in the tribe of Benjamin on the borders of Judea. But why did he depart from Galilee? For three reasons. To give preachers an example that one must preach not only in one place but in many; hence Luke 4:43: to other cities also I must preach the kingdom of God. Likewise because the time of the passion was now approaching, therefore he wished to draw near to the place where he was to suffer. Ephesians 5:2: he delivered himself for us, an oblation and a sacrifice to God for an odor of sweetness etc. Or he wished to return to the Jews to signify that in the end he would turn to convert the Jews.

FINAL DEPARTURE FROM GALILEE--DIVORCE. ( = Mar 10:1-12; Luk 9:51). (Mat 19:1-12) And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee--This marks a very solemn period in our Lord's public ministry. So slightly is it touched here, and in the corresponding passage of Mark (Mar 10:1), that few readers probably note it as the Redeemer's Farewell to Galilee, which however it was. See on the sublime statement of Luke (Luk 9:51), which relates to the same transition stage in the progress of our Lord's work. and came into the coasts--or, boundaries of Judea beyond Jordan--that is, to the further, or east side of the Jordan, into Perea, the dominions of Herod Antipas. But though one might conclude from our Evangelist that our Lord went straight from the one region to the other, we know from the other Gospels that a considerable time elapsed between the departure from the one and the arrival at the other, during which many of the most important events in our Lord's public life occurred--probably a large part of what is recorded in Luk 9:51, onward to Mat 18:15, and part of John 7:2-11:54.