Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 23:11
But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
11. Cp. ch. Mat 20:26-27.
Seven woes denounced against the Scribes and Pharisees. 13 36.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
See the notes at Mat 20:26.
He that shall humble himself … – God will exalt or honor him that is humble, and that seeks a lowly place among people. That is true religion, and God will reward it.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 11. Your servant.] , deacon. See on Mt 20:26.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
We have what is in Mat 23:12 twice in Luke, Luk 14:11; 18:14. These verses expound what went before, and let us know;
1. That it was not a title, but the affectation of a title, which he blamed.
2. Not a doctorship, or mastership, but such a doctorship or mastership as made a man too big for the ministry of the church; such honour as lifted up the mans heart above his work.
He is an infamous doctor in the church of Christ, who thinks himself too high or too great to be a minister in it. For God will abase, and men shall abase, him who exalteth himself. God resisteth, and men usually contemn and despise the proud, especially ministers who are so. Both God shall exalt, and men shall honour, those that humble themselves, both to men, condescending to those of low degree, and to their work, thinking not the meanest ministry to souls a work beneath them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. But he that is greatest amongyou shall be your servantThis plainly means, “shall showthat he is so by becoming your servant”; as in Mt20:27, compared with Mr 10:44.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But he that is greatest among you,…. Either who really is so, having more grace, and greater gifts bestowed upon him, than others; which doubtless was the case of some of the disciples, or who desired to be the greatest, was ambitious of, and affected a superiority over others, and to be in the highest post and place, as it is certain some of them did. This was what they were often contending about among themselves, who should be greatest: and Christ here seems to have regard to that vain spirit, which appeared among them; and his view is, to check and restrain it: “shall be your servant”; or “let him be your servant”. Service is the way to honour; he that would be most esteemed ought to do the most work; and the man that has the most grace, and the greatest gifts, ought to employ them for the use and benefit of others;
[See comments on Mt 20:27].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
11. He who is greatest among you. By this conclusion he shows that he did not, after the manner of the sophists, dispute about words, but, on the contrary, looked to the fact, that no man, through forgetfulness of his rank, might claim more than was proper. He therefore declares that the highest honor in the Church is not government, but service. Whoever keeps himself within this limit, whatever may be the title which he bears, takes nothing away either from God or from Christ; as, on the other hand, it serves no good purpose to take the name of a servant for the purpose of cloaking that power which diminishes the authority of Christ as a Master. For of what avail is it that the Pope, when he is about to oppress wretched souls by tyrannical laws, begins with styling himself the servant of servants of God, but to insult God openly, and to practice shameful mockery on men? Now while Christ does not insist on words, he strictly forbids his followers to aspire or desire to rise any higher than to enjoy brotherly intercourse on an equal footing under the heavenly Father, and charges those who occupy places of honor to conduct themselves as the servants of others. He adds that remarkable statement which has been formerly explained, (92) he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
(92) Harmony, vol. 2, p. 165.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(11) He that is greatest among you.Literally, the greater of you. The words admit of a two-fold meaning. Either (1), as in Mar. 9:35, they assert a law of retributionthe man who seeks to be greatest shall be the servant of all; or (2) they point out the other law, of which our Lords own life was the highest illustrationthat he who is really greatest will show his greatness, not in asserting it, but in a life of ministration. The latter interpretation seems to give on the whole the best meaning.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. Shall be your servant The pope indeed styles himself servus servorum, servant of servants. And if the name fulfilled the thing this would be enough.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
Ver. 11. Shall be your servant ] The word signifies one that is ready pressed to raise dust, to do his utmost endeavour with all possible expedition in any business that he is set about. Praefestinaus, expeditus, paratus, promptus.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
11. ] It may serve to shew us how little the letter of a precept has to do with its true observance, if we reflect that he who of all the Heads of sects has most notably violated this whole command, and caused others to do so, calls himself ‘ servus servorum Dei .’
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 23:11-12 , epeat in substance the teaching of Mat 20:26 : Mat 18:4 ; worth repeating and by no means out of place here.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
he that is greatest among you = the greater of you.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
11.] It may serve to shew us how little the letter of a precept has to do with its true observance, if we reflect that he who of all the Heads of sects has most notably violated this whole command, and caused others to do so, calls himself servus servorum Dei.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 23:11. , but he that is greatest) i.e. he who wishes to be the greatest (corresponding with the Hebrew [992]); cf. ch. Mat 20:26.
[992] 2. great specially (a) i.q. powerful, Psa 48:3; Isa 63:1. Pl. the mighty, Job 35:9; Isa 53:12.-(b) elder, Gen 25:23. Pl. the old, Job 32:9.-(c) subst. a great man, leader, i.q. , especially in the later Hebrew -(d) a master, one who is skilled in any art, skilful, Pro 26:10. Compare Talmud. doctor, excellent teacher.-Gesenius. Bengel evidently intends to refer the reader to Rabbi in verse 7, on which Wordsworth says:-] , My Master. Rabbi, from root , rab = great; as Magister from magnus, .-(I. B.)
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Mat 20:26, Mat 20:27, Mar 10:43, Mar 10:44, Luk 22:26, Luk 22:27, Joh 13:14, Joh 13:15, 1Co 9:19, 2Co 4:5, 2Co 11:23, Gal 5:13, Phi 2:5-8
Reciprocal: Mat 18:1 – Who Mat 18:4 – humble Luk 9:48 – he that
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
3:11
This is explained in comments on Mat 18:1-4.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 23:11. The greater among you shall be your servant (or minister, as the word is translated in chap. Mat 20:26). Not, shall be called. The Pope, whose usual title is a violation of Mat 23:9, is called: Servant of servants. The greater among you, implies a difference among Christians, but not that one is the greatest. The greater have always been those who ministered.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Mat 23:11-12. But he that is greatest among you, &c. If any one among you would in reality be greater than another, let him be the more condescending, kind, and ready cheerfully to serve others in love. The words may either imply, 1st, a promise that such should be accounted greatest, and stand highest in the favour of God, who should be most humble, submissive, and serviceable: or, 2d, a precept enjoining the person who should be advanced to any place of dignity, trust, or honour in the church, to consider himself as peculiarly called thereby, not to be a lord, but a minister, and to serve others in love. Thus Paul, who knew his privilege as well as duty, though free from all, yet made himself servant of all, 1Co 9:19. And our Lord frequently pressed it upon his disciples to be humble and self-denying, mild and condescending, and to abound in all the offices of Christian love, though mean, and to the meanest; and of this he set a continual example. Whosoever shall exalt himself, shall be humbled, &c. It is observable that no one sentence of our Lords is so often repeated as this: it occurs with scarcely any variation at least ten times in the evangelists.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
In concluding these warnings Jesus returned to the subject of humility that He had stressed with His disciples earlier (cf. Mat 18:4; Mat 20:20-28). Jesus taught His disciples to be servants of others, not lords over them.
"Leadership positions should never be a goal in and of themselves, but should always be viewed as opportunities to serve others." [Note: Barbieri, p. 74.]
The reversal of fortunes that Jesus predicted here will happen when the kingdom begins. Jesus Himself was the greatest example of what He taught here (cf. Mat 20:26-28; Php 2:5-11).