Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

“Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men--The word "blasphemy" properly signifies "detraction," or "slander."”

Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the…

“What, then, is this sin against the Holy Ghost--the unpardonable sin? One thing is clear: Its unpardonableness cannot arise from anything in the nature of sin itself; for that would be a naked contradiction to the emphatic declaration of Mt 12:31, that all manner of…”

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

“These were not the same class with those who charged Him with being in league with Satan (as we see from Lu 11:15, 16); but as the spirit of both was similar, the tone of severe rebuke is continued.”

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the…

“Jonah's case was analogous to this, as being a signal judgment of God; reversed in three days; and followed by a glorious mission to the Gentiles.”

The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is…

“The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, &c.--The Ninevites, though heathens, repented at a man's preaching; while they, God's covenant-people, repented not at the preaching of the Son of God--whose supreme dignity is rather implied here than expressed.”

The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of…

“The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, &c.--The queen of Sheba (a tract in Arabia, near the shores of the Red Sea) came from a remote country, "south" of Judea, to hear the wisdom of a mere man…”

Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.”

“Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee, &c.--Absorbed in the awful warnings He was pouring forth, He felt this to be an unseasonable interruption, fitted to dissipate the impression made upon the large audience--such…”

Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers.

“And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples--How graphic is this! It is the language evidently of an eye-witness. and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!”

And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed.

“And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, &c.--These parables are SEVEN in number; and it is not a little remarkable that while this is the sacred number, the first FOUR of them were spoken to the mixed multitude, while the remaining THREE…”

This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’

“In Mark and Luke (Mr 4:12; Lu 8:10), what is here expressed as a human fact is represented as the fulfilment of a divine purpose--"that seeing they may see, and not perceive," &c.”

In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

“And in them is fulfilled--rather, "is fulfilling," or "is receiving its fulfilment." the prophecy of Esaias, which saith-- (Isa 6:9, 10 --here quoted according to the Septuagint).”

For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not…

“In Lu 10:23, 24, where the same saying is repeated on the return of the Seventy--the words, instead of "many prophets and righteous men," are "many prophets and kings"; for several of the Old Testament saints were kings.”

The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

“So the servants of the householder came--that is, Christ's ministers. and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field?”

‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them.

“It will be observed that the tares are burned before the wheat is housed; in the exposition of the parable (Mt 13:41, 43) the same order is observed: and the same in Mt 25:46 --as if, in some literal sense, "with thine eyes shalt thou…”

The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,

“The tares are the children of the wicked one--As this sowing could only be "while men slept," no blame seems intended, and certainly none is charged upon "the servants"; it is probably just the dress of the parable.”

and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

“The enemy, after sowing his "tares," "went his way"--his dark work soon done, but taking time to develop its true character. The harvest is the end of the world--the period of Christ's second coming, and of the judicial separation of the righteous and the wicked.”

The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness.

“They usurped their place and name and outward privileges; but "the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners [abide] in the congregation of the righteous" (Ps 1:5).”

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

“The subject of this last pair, as of the two former, is the same, but also under a slight diversity of aspect: namely-- THE PRICELESS VALUE OF THE BLESSINGS OF THE KINGDOM.”

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field--no uncommon thing in unsettled and half-civilized countries, even now as well as in ancient times, when there was no other way of securing it from the rapacity of neighbors or marauders.”

When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it.

“But in both cases the surpassing value of the treasure is alike recognized, and in both all is parted with for it. The Good and Bad Fish (Mt 13:47-50). The object of this brief parable is the same as that of the Tares and Wheat.”

Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind--The word here rendered "net" signifies a large drag-net, which draws everything after it, suffering nothing to escape, as distinguished from a casting-net (Mr 1:16…”

So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous,

“Both are important truths--that the Gospel draws within its pale, and into the communion of the visible Church, multitudes who are Christians only in name; and that the injury thus done to the Church on earth is to be traced to the wicked one.”

Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered.

“Jesus saith unto them--that is, to the Twelve. He had spoken the first four in the hearing of the mixed multitude: the last three He reserved till, on the dismissal of the mixed audience, He and the Twelve were alone (Mt 13:36, &c.).”

Then He told them, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures…

“(See Mt 23:34). which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven--himself taught in the mysteries of the Gospel which he has to teach to others. is like unto a man that is an householder which bringeth forth--"turneth" or "dealeth out."”

Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked.

“And when he was come into his own country--that is, Nazareth; as is plain from Mr 6:1. See on Joh 4:43, where also the same phrase occurs.”