Matthew Henry

But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes.

“This man was not naked, or in rags; some raiment he had, but not a wedding garment. Those, and those only, who put on the Lord Jesus, that have a Christian temper of mind, and are adorned with Christian graces, who live by faith in…”

Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“Damned sinners are bound hand and foot by an irreversible sentence; this signifies the same with the fixing of the great gulf; they can neither resist nor outrun their punishment. (2.)”

They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with…

“Note, It is common for those that oppose one another, to continue in an opposition to Christ and his kingdom. Samson's foxes looked several ways, but met in one firebrand.”

They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with…

“Now, (1.) What they said of Christ was right, and whether they knew it or no, blessed be God, we know it. [1.] That Jesus Christ was a faithful Teacher; Thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth.”

So tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

“First, That the Christian religion is no enemy to civil government, but a friend to it. Christ's kingdom doth not clash or interfere with the kingdoms of the earth, in any thing that pertains to their jurisdiction.”

“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.

“They were not the itinerant judges that rode the circuit, but the standing bench, that determined on appeals, special verdicts, or writs of error by the law; they sat in Moses's seat, not as he was Mediator between God and Israel, but only as he…”

They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

“They allowed no chancery to relieve the extremity of their common law. How contrary to this was the practice of Christ's apostles, who would allow to others that use of Christian liberty which, for the peace and edification of the church, they would deny themselves…”

Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by…

“But the case is bad, when the leaders of the people cause them to err, Isa. ix. Though the condition of those whose guides are blind is very sad, yet that of the blind guides themselves is yet more woeful.”

As Jesus left the temple and was walking away, His disciples came up to Him to point out its buildings.

“Woe unto them when I depart, Hos. ix. It was now time to groan out their Ichabod, The glory is departed, their defence is departed.”

But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

“Perseverance wins the crown, through free grace, and shall wear it. They shall be saved: perhaps they may be delivered out of their troubles, and comfortably survive them in this world; but it is eternal salvation that is here intended.”

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

“Better is the face of a corrupt degenerate church than none at all. Within forty years after Christ's death, the sound of the gospel was gone forth to the ends of the earth, Rom. x. St.”

So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),

“They might likewise from thence gather the time of it--soon after the cutting off of Messiah the prince; the sin that procured it--their rejecting him, and the certainty of it-- it is a desolation determined.”

At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it.

“We believe that the true Christ is at the right hand of God, and that his spiritual presence is where two or three are gathered together in his name; believe not those therefore who would draw you off from a Christ in heaven, by telling…”

And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.

“The angel that delivered this prophecy to Daniel, stirred him up to know and understand, Dan. ix. And we must not despair of understanding even dark prophecies; the great New-Testament prophecy is called a revelation, not a secret.”

But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps.

“But remember that this oil which keeps the lamps burning, is derived to the candlestick from Jesus Christ, the great and good Olive, by the golden pipes of the ordinances, as it is represented in that vision ( Zech. iv.”

Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.

“Note, Even counterfeit graces will serve a man to make a show of when he comes to die, as well as they have done all his life long; the hypocrite's hopes blaze when they are just expiring, like a lightening before death.”

The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

“Getting grace is a work of time, and cannot be done in a hurry. While the poor awakened soul addresses itself, upon a sick bed, to repentance and prayer, in awful confusion, it scarcely knows which end to begin at, or what to do first…”

Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’

“God and religion will be glorified by those late solicitations, though sinners will not be saved by them; it is for the honour of Lord, Lord, that, of fervent and importunate prayer, that those who slight it now, will flee to it shortly, and it…”

But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’

“Note, We are all concerned to seek the Lord while he may be found; for there is a time coming when he will not be found.”

For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions.

“Their master delivered to them his goods: having appointed them to work (for Christ keeps no servants to be idle), he left them something to work upon.”

The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more. Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more.

“Those that have so much work to do, as every Christian has, need to set about it quickly, and lose not time. Note, A true Christian is a spiritual tradesman.”

But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

“Those that have estates, and do not lay them out in works of piety and charity; that have power and interest, and do not with it promote religion in the places where they live; ministers that have capacities and opportunities of doing good, but do…”

The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

“We must never look upon our improvements but with a general mention of God's favour to us, of the honour he has put upon us, in entrusting us with his goods, and of that grace which is the spring and fountain of all the good…”

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.

“It is the joy of our Lord, for it is joy in the Lord, who is our exceeding joy. Abraham was not willing that the steward of his house, though faithful, should be his heir ( Gen. xv.”

Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where…

“Note, It is common for people to make a very light matter of that which will be their condemnation in the great day.”